Taking today off

Because what's the point of not-getting-paid for the summer if you can't occasionally take a weekday and do what you want to do? Also, my neck and shoulders are hurting from too much writing, I think. I'm about 2/3 through the ecology text and I need to start looking at the competition and predation lecture material I already have and start updating it with some of my new thoughts.

But I want today off.

There's no bell choir practice tonight; we are taking a little time off - the director is going to write a new arrangement of some kind of Thanksgiving piece (by using her own arrangements of old hymns or public-domain things, we avoid the need to pay licensing fees, and also, we're rank beginners, so they need to be simple).

So this is the one day this week when I don't really have any commitments as to where I have to be (tomorrow is Board Meeting, Thursday I have piano) or that isn't going to be brutally hot (they're warning us already about this weekend).

I'm not entirely sure what to do. Part of me wants to go to Sherman - there are a few errands I could run, and not-going when it's going to be heat indexes over 100 seems like a good thing. But part of me just wants to stay home and sew.

(I do need, first, to do a workout and do some piano practice).

***

Lots of talk about the successful cave rescue. This is one of those good news things I think we all desperately needed.  I also think of all the people (of many different faiths) around the world who were praying for a successful rescue and the safety of all involved)

I have enough claustrophobia that thinking about the cave is unpleasant (mostly tied up with being in a space where I feel trapped - so a small space with a large opening isn't a problem, but a tight opening would be, even for a larger space - the thought of going up into my attic makes me nervous because of the tiny opening to get in) I also have a horror of being in a place where there is "dead air" (no air circulation - and I think that's why the changing room in the mobile mammography unit was uncomfortable to me, despite there being two doors on it - there was no air circulation and it was warm in the room.)

I'm glad to hear they got the coach out, too - all too often it seems in the news there's so much emphasis placed on children in these things that adults are forgotten, or they say, "Oh, adults are more resilient than kids" and consider doing things like leaving the adult trapped for an extra day. (I don't, actually, think all adults are more resilient than all children - and in fact, in general, I suspect adults, with more life experience and who have lost that "invincible" believe that kids tend to have - are actually less resilient).

I was uncomfortable even watching some of the videos of cave diving. It's amazing they got people out without the kids panicking (I did read that the kids were given either a mild sedative or anti-anxiety med to assist them in getting out safely. No idea if that's true or if those kinds of meds are even SAFE to use in that kind of extreme situation where you're already on reduced oxygen or are slightly hypothermic...)

I think, though, that the world breathed a collective sigh of relief when the news came out that the rescue was successful - everyone was out - and I *think,* with the exception of that one former Thai Navy SEAL who unfortunately died while working on the rescue, all the rescuers are safely out. (And I heard news this morning that the boys originally were the ones who ventured in to the cave, and only after they didn't come home right away did the coach go in after them - so he tried to rescue them, early on - American news media was presenting it as, or at least not explicitly saying it wasn't a case of "he led them into the cave on a field trip" subtly implying it was his fault they were in there, which apparently it was NOT. And I admit the blame-the-responsible-adult thing, if that's what was being doing, annoys me when it's untrue. 

I also just realized why the man eldering Sunday morning was praying so ardently that the kids be rescued as part of his prayer: he has two sons in that age group, and they take part in sports, and wow, now I'm thinking about what parents all over the world were going through as they watched this.

***

I made a little impulse-purchase yesterday. I had complained earlier about how the "made to move" Barbies (the ones with actual, proper, articulation) were hard to find: I think what happens is that third-party type sellers buy up all the ones they can find and then re-sell them for inflated prices. Which is legal and all, but is annoying to someone like me who just wants to be able to buy *one stinking doll* from that particular line to dress and pose.

Well, I periodically browse the shelves when I'm at Wal-Mart or Target. Usually find nothing. (I did see a Made-to-Move Curvy dancer at Target a time or two ago when I was there, but I didn't buy her, because I already have one. If I knew how to do the hair re-rooting that some doll enthusiasts do, I *might* have bought her and re-haired her in a different color - or if I knew for sure I had another doll of the same skintone but on a stationary body, I might have done a head-swap).

But I was looking for the new "yoga" made-to-moves, or the African-American rock-climber doll. No luck either front at the retail shops. (The Wal-mart here has one blonde rock climber, but she's not as interesting as the African-American one to me).

But I was browsing Amazon yesterday and, hello, what's this? The brunette (and vaguely Hispanic looking, perhaps) yoga made-to-move at standard retail? (About $16).  "One left in stock." So I placed the order, but figured I would get sniped, and wold get a message later saying "Oooooh, soooooorry, we can't fulfill that order. Do you want to wait in case we get more in stock some time later?" (which is what happened to me with the Curvy made-to-move, and I finally gave up and paid scalper prices for one, because that's how much I wanted one, and how hard they are to find).

Well, nope - I got the shipping notification this morning, and I should have her Thursday.

I've already tentatively named her Samantha (but she goes by Sam), though if she doesn't look so much like a Sam when I unbox her, she'll get renamed. (So I have Gabby and Cinnamon and now Sam - I also have the Rapunzel doll and the sword-carrying Wonder Woman,  who I guess goes by Diana - but they don't get redressed. Sam will get redressed. She's a standard size Barbie, so she can share shoes with Gabby and most of the clothes I have should fit her.)

I'm going to look at her hair (it comes styled in a bun) and if it looks like letting it down won't reveal a big bald spot or something, I might let it down. Or style it some how.

(Again: I don't buy these things as "investments," I think we all learned from Beanie Babies how useless that is. The only "investment" these are is in my own fun and happiness)

I should probably hunt around online - I know there are free sewing and knitting patterns out there - and maybe some time think about making some clothes of my own for these; I have lots of the commercial clothes, but honestly, the home made ones are often nicer made and better fitted, because it's easier to put more effort into a one-off sort of thing.