It’s our anniversary today. Eight years and that’s not nearly enough. He's amazing and I'm so very glad to be married to him.
Yes, I have a Facebook page for my cat. I made to cheer up a friend who was going through some pretty bad times. It’s harmless entertainment for her and easy enough for me. So why on earth do some people need to post mean and/or nasty comments on the page? Very clearly the content is rated G and if someone doesn’t like the page, why become a fan?
I have jury duty on Wednesday. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not opposed to doing my civic duty (by the way, that’s plastered over the envelopes the state sent me: Your Civic Duty!). But this is coming at a really bad time, and if I’m selected I really need this to be a one day case.
We’d bought certificates for massages before I lost my job and we used them Saturday. What a fantastic treat.
I have to brave Joann’s today. That place scares me but their prices on patterns are better than any other brick and mortar store nearby.
We’ve had a last gasp of amazing summer weather over the weekend and it will be beautiful today. Maybe I enjoy it more because warm, sunny weather is rare here.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Friday, October 7, 2011
More offensive grooming plus a bonus
Within 60 seconds of the end of this video, Eddie resumed his offensive grooming. Wally got disgusted and left.
Here's Chloe on her cushions and her bear. She loves those cushions and I suspect she may be getting arthritic; she's at least 11 and possibly 12 years old. I've had her 10 years this week.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Hugh was right
In an earlier post, I mentioned that the cats, specifically Wally, are making sleep next to impossible. The situation hasn’t changed—I’m now on about day five of sleep interrupted and I’m getting pretty cranky. You know it’s bad when the cat commotion cuts right through the fog of Tylenol PM.
Hugh made a comment about how his dog, Sam, was the family barometer and would pace at night when things were stressful. Clearly, Wally is our barometer and he’s wound up tight.
Yesterday, I made a point of waking him up all day long, but nicely. I petted him, I tossed endless Velcro strips for him, I got out some cat nip, I held him and walked him around the apartment. It didn’t matter. He still acted out most of the night.
If he understood words better, I’d tell him I get it. I’d tell him I’m stressed too but one way or another we will always take care of him and be there for him. He’ll be with one or the other of us and we won’t abandon him.
But he doesn’t understand my words, he only picks up on my emotions. So today I will rouse him again, all day long. I’ll do my best to be sweet to him even though I’m so tired I could cry. Tonight will probably be a Tylenol PM night again because I am desperate for sleep.
Hugh made a comment about how his dog, Sam, was the family barometer and would pace at night when things were stressful. Clearly, Wally is our barometer and he’s wound up tight.
Yesterday, I made a point of waking him up all day long, but nicely. I petted him, I tossed endless Velcro strips for him, I got out some cat nip, I held him and walked him around the apartment. It didn’t matter. He still acted out most of the night.
If he understood words better, I’d tell him I get it. I’d tell him I’m stressed too but one way or another we will always take care of him and be there for him. He’ll be with one or the other of us and we won’t abandon him.
But he doesn’t understand my words, he only picks up on my emotions. So today I will rouse him again, all day long. I’ll do my best to be sweet to him even though I’m so tired I could cry. Tonight will probably be a Tylenol PM night again because I am desperate for sleep.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Mixed bag
Last week I had a phone interview with a company in Detroit. As described, the job would have meant stepping back a few years in terms of my career, plus I'd have taken a $12k pay cut. But as described, it would have returned me to technical training development and delivery so I was interested.
You did notice the phrase “as described,” right? Yeah, the job I actually interviewed for was pretty different from the job description on the company’s career board. This would have been pure instructional design, with essentially no delivery or at least none for the six to nine months. On top of that, this group is tiny—two instructional designers—and tasked with crazy deadlines. I was so very glad to get the call almost immediately from the recruiter saying I didn’t have the kind of technical experience they were looking for. I did feel for the guy, though. He’s got the impossible job of filling a req that doesn’t accurately describe the position. He told me that he doesn’t think the qualified candidate exists. I assured him they do but they almost certainly won’t move to Detroit for that pay.
The second job I interviewed for was in Milwaukee. I’ve never received the kind of update I got today. I think they’re saying they’re still looking but will include my resume in the next round of candidate evaluations if I'm still interested. So if that’s the case, I might be good enough at some point in the future . . . I think? I’ve sent that email on to Kent to get his take on it. Usually I just get no answer, a rejection or a job offer. This is certainly new.
So onward I go with the job hunt. In the meantime, if you know of any jobs I might be suitable for, just holler. I would not mind in the least leaving Boston.
You did notice the phrase “as described,” right? Yeah, the job I actually interviewed for was pretty different from the job description on the company’s career board. This would have been pure instructional design, with essentially no delivery or at least none for the six to nine months. On top of that, this group is tiny—two instructional designers—and tasked with crazy deadlines. I was so very glad to get the call almost immediately from the recruiter saying I didn’t have the kind of technical experience they were looking for. I did feel for the guy, though. He’s got the impossible job of filling a req that doesn’t accurately describe the position. He told me that he doesn’t think the qualified candidate exists. I assured him they do but they almost certainly won’t move to Detroit for that pay.
The second job I interviewed for was in Milwaukee. I’ve never received the kind of update I got today. I think they’re saying they’re still looking but will include my resume in the next round of candidate evaluations if I'm still interested. So if that’s the case, I might be good enough at some point in the future . . . I think? I’ve sent that email on to Kent to get his take on it. Usually I just get no answer, a rejection or a job offer. This is certainly new.
So onward I go with the job hunt. In the meantime, if you know of any jobs I might be suitable for, just holler. I would not mind in the least leaving Boston.
Monday, October 3, 2011
T minus three
Christmas is less than three months away and we should be finished with the gifts we're giving by the end of this month.
Oh I can tell you that planning ahead is especially important for us because we (a) live far away from all recipients and (b) have a greatly reduced family income from which to get the gifts. But really, it's because I like to stay organized. I dislike the retail craziness in December and will do just about anything to avoid shopping, even online, during the holiday season.
The first year Kent and I were together, he was a little dismayed in September that year when I asked him where he was in his gift planning process. Thankfully I’ve learned to nag far less than I did when I was young, dumb and even more impatient (I know, hard to believe I was ever less patient than now because I’m sure not very patient even yet), so I didn’t harangue him about the evils of his unorganized ways. But he did notice that I was finished in October and not scrambling around in late November and December, making mad dashes to the mall or looking online.
The next year, he joined me in the planning process and it’s continued that way ever since. We have scaled gifts up and down as our financial resources have increased and decreased but we still give presents and we don’t go into debt over them.
We have a shared spreadsheet on Google Docs that lists names, need by dates, ship by dates, delivered by dates, the gifts themselves and also a column for interests.
We're making a lot of our gifts this year. Some are from fabric, others involve food and all are going to be made with as much care as we can possibly give. I don’t want someone to get a gift from us and think it’s a tacky thing. Yes, it's the thought that counts and we think highly of our family and friends.
I’ve got what I need to make gifts for five people, plus I know what I’m making for another half dozen or so. In a way, I hope I stay unemployed for the next month because I have a lot of work to do.
Oh I can tell you that planning ahead is especially important for us because we (a) live far away from all recipients and (b) have a greatly reduced family income from which to get the gifts. But really, it's because I like to stay organized. I dislike the retail craziness in December and will do just about anything to avoid shopping, even online, during the holiday season.
The first year Kent and I were together, he was a little dismayed in September that year when I asked him where he was in his gift planning process. Thankfully I’ve learned to nag far less than I did when I was young, dumb and even more impatient (I know, hard to believe I was ever less patient than now because I’m sure not very patient even yet), so I didn’t harangue him about the evils of his unorganized ways. But he did notice that I was finished in October and not scrambling around in late November and December, making mad dashes to the mall or looking online.
The next year, he joined me in the planning process and it’s continued that way ever since. We have scaled gifts up and down as our financial resources have increased and decreased but we still give presents and we don’t go into debt over them.
We have a shared spreadsheet on Google Docs that lists names, need by dates, ship by dates, delivered by dates, the gifts themselves and also a column for interests.
We're making a lot of our gifts this year. Some are from fabric, others involve food and all are going to be made with as much care as we can possibly give. I don’t want someone to get a gift from us and think it’s a tacky thing. Yes, it's the thought that counts and we think highly of our family and friends.
I’ve got what I need to make gifts for five people, plus I know what I’m making for another half dozen or so. In a way, I hope I stay unemployed for the next month because I have a lot of work to do.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Aha!
I read some more in my various fitting books today and figured out why I have problems with getting things to fit properly in the bodice area.
For those who don’t sew, sewing patterns are not based on the weird arbitrary sizes used by various clothing manufacturers—those vary from line to line and heck even within the same maker. So the size we buy in clothing stores has nothing to do with the sizes used in sewing. Sewing patterns are all based on actual measurements at specific points on the body. For women, that includes two bust measurements—a high bust measurement and a bust or full bust measurement, plus the waist and the hips.
I run into two problems when selecting a pattern size. First, based on my frame, I've finally realized I shouldn’t use the bust or full bust measurement to pick the pattern size for the bodice. I need to use the high bust measurement, which is taken below the armpit and across the top of the bust. I have a smaller back and my fitting books agree that it’s far easier to increase the full bust area on a pattern top than it is to tighten up the high bust, the back, the neck and so on. When I use the full bust measurement, as I have always done, I have too much material above my bust and often too much across my back as well. This isn't a new thing, I'm just paying a lot more attention to it now.
The direct opposite is true for bottoms. There I should continue doing what I’ve been doing and use my hip measurement. Then I take in a lot through a taper up to the waist.
The other missing piece in my fit dilemma is the area directly above my bust. I have what one of the books calls a hollow chest. That means I’m very lean above my actual bust.
If you look at the pictures I posted yesterday, you can see it. The reworked pink top looks really good—that material has enough stretch to pull a bit tighter across my upper chest. The white shirt I wore in the picture with the gray skirt has some excess material there and doesn’t fit as well.
That’s the problem I faced with the purple dress. Even now after taking in over three inches through the bodice and tapering out through the hips, there’s still too much material in the bodice and especially above my bust. So I’ve learned a couple of things from this project. Going forward I need to select patterns that don’t have a lot of excess material in the bodice area and if the fabric has stretch, then I really need to be careful which size I cut out. I also need to start making a muslin or test garment first.
I do love the color of the dress and I love the fabric. Kent assures me it’s a flattering look in person but I am a little disappointed at the end result. I hoped for a perfect fit and I’m not there yet.
For those who don’t sew, sewing patterns are not based on the weird arbitrary sizes used by various clothing manufacturers—those vary from line to line and heck even within the same maker. So the size we buy in clothing stores has nothing to do with the sizes used in sewing. Sewing patterns are all based on actual measurements at specific points on the body. For women, that includes two bust measurements—a high bust measurement and a bust or full bust measurement, plus the waist and the hips.
I run into two problems when selecting a pattern size. First, based on my frame, I've finally realized I shouldn’t use the bust or full bust measurement to pick the pattern size for the bodice. I need to use the high bust measurement, which is taken below the armpit and across the top of the bust. I have a smaller back and my fitting books agree that it’s far easier to increase the full bust area on a pattern top than it is to tighten up the high bust, the back, the neck and so on. When I use the full bust measurement, as I have always done, I have too much material above my bust and often too much across my back as well. This isn't a new thing, I'm just paying a lot more attention to it now.
The direct opposite is true for bottoms. There I should continue doing what I’ve been doing and use my hip measurement. Then I take in a lot through a taper up to the waist.
The other missing piece in my fit dilemma is the area directly above my bust. I have what one of the books calls a hollow chest. That means I’m very lean above my actual bust.If you look at the pictures I posted yesterday, you can see it. The reworked pink top looks really good—that material has enough stretch to pull a bit tighter across my upper chest. The white shirt I wore in the picture with the gray skirt has some excess material there and doesn’t fit as well.
I do love the color of the dress and I love the fabric. Kent assures me it’s a flattering look in person but I am a little disappointed at the end result. I hoped for a perfect fit and I’m not there yet.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Check it out
Here's my new cutting layout--those risers give me another 8" of table height. That extra height has made a huge difference. I cut out a dress the other day and my back didn't get tight at all.And per Sabrina's request and with Jeanne's encouragement, here's a picture of me in the new gray skirt and one of me in the remade pink sweater.
I've almost finished my DKNY dress; it's got a bit of excess fabric under my arms so I'm letting the dress hang overnight and will tackle that issue tomorrow.
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