and much better

I needed a day out. I do think I get my head too stuck in the "one inch picture frame," especially during summers when (a) it's really too hot to spend much time outside, (b) few of my colleagues are around and most of the other things where I talk to people (AAUW, for example) are in abeyance and (c) summer classes move fast and make me tired.

Today was my trip to Longview to meet up with Laura and shop and get lunch and talk with someone about something OTHER than work-related matters or volunteer-work related matters.

I do think a lot of my unhappiness of late is that MOST of what I do involving other people these days includes me carrying a responsibility of some sort - being Head Elder, or being secretary of AAUW, or having to consider the issues at hand and vote intelligently in faculty meetings - I have almost nothing, really, that involves in-person interaction with other people where I am doing things PURELY for fun, with nothing expected of me.

(driving down there, I also realized: there have been more than a few days lately where the reason I got out of bed was because someone was expecting me to be somewhere to do something. Not because I wanted to get out of bed or was so filled with joy at the prospect of another day of what my life is right now. And "people are expecting me to go and do" is a kind of sad reason for getting out of bed, even if it did get me out of bed)

But yeah. It was a good day mainly because of getting to see Laura and spend a lot of time talking and laughing over stuff. And looking at books and yarn and looking at clothes in one shop and going "oh, that's cute..." and then "But not $60 cute"

I didn't buy a LOT, and except for the gas and the groceries I stopped for on the way home, I used exclusively cash, as a way to force myself to be more frugal. Got some really pretty blue twist sockyarn (from the Cascade Heritage line), and a couple skeins of super bright color changing sockyarn for a smallish shawl (Possibly rectangular, possibly done in something like Old Shale that has a simple enough repeat). I also bought some panda point protectors which I may never use for those but they were super cute and not very expensive and I wanted them.

This was all at Stitches and Stuff. The two owners - Sue and Frances, who are sisters - are like the best yarn-shop owners ever. They are like how I would describe the perfect owner of a yarn shop - friendly and supportive and super interested in the craft and able to suggest things.....Each of us wound up also buying a roll of netting (something new they are carrying) for kitchen scrubbies - I had seen the scrubbies made up sitting next to the basket of netting and I exclaimed, "Oh, those are the best scrubbies!" (I got one in a gift exchange a couple years ago). They gave us each a copy of the pattern (Perhaps because we were buying the net - and I also bought a size M crochet hook as I knew I didn't have one and that's what the pattern took).

We also got lunch at Barron's. After debating a bit I went with their pasta again even though it contains two things (brined Kalamata olives and pickled artichoke hearts) that are not on my "generally approved" diet list. (But once in a while doesn't hurt too terribly, I think, and anyway my blood pressure has been lower lately).

And I got a new buckwheat bag (one of the heart-shaped, minky-covered ones). These wear out periodically and I use them a LOT when my gut is bothering me, or my intercostals are cramping up, or sometimes even when I am just sad (especially in the winter when heat is more appealing).

We also ran to Books a Million and Michael's and each got a few little other things (I found a Hamish Macbeth mystery I had not read yet). I actually wound up getting out of Longview later than I had planned but that's ok. I still managed to stop at the Kroger's and get home before it got dark out, and that was what mattered.

I think I'm going to take tomorrow off from working and knit or sew instead.....I want to finish off some of my ongoing projects before I start on any of the new yarn.