The punctuation of the year can be described through bedclothes.
How many blankets are on the bed? Are the sheets linen or flannel? Do you have a thick blanket that goes special at the foot of the bed to make sure that your feet don’t get chilly?
Well, this morning, we woke up and realized that we needed to put the thick blanket at the foot of the bed.
The most wonderful time of year has officially begun.
Soon we’ll get to eat pumpkin pie! And wear hoodies! AND WE WILL FINALLY GET OUR HOUR BACK!!!
The list of awesome things goes on. Hot sandwiches rather than cold cuts. Hot desserts with ice cream rather than just ice cream. Busting out the slow cooker and hot air popcorn popper. Moving back to “get over here” rather than “ugh, body heat!”
Truly, this is the most wonderful time of the year.
And we get to spend this weekend preparing for it. Got to go to the mechanic for the fall checkup/tuneup/oil change. Got to go to Costco to get the autumn staples. Got to go to Staples to get the Costco autumn. Walk around the house and make sure that all of the hoses have been disconnected from the spigots.
And maybe pick up some candy as prep for Halloween from the grocery store. Because, apparently, it being September means that we get to have all of the Halloween decorations out (after which point, we get to, once again, begin Holiday). The sweet, sweet moments between “hey, we need the fuzzy blanket for our feet” and “Holiday” are among the sweetest moments of the year.
To be followed by the sweet, sweet moments involving swapping out the summer wardrobe for the winter one, putting away the box fan, and wondering how in the heck we only lose the right glove/mitten and never the left one.
Oh, there are apparently sporting events that will be held for a while as well.
So… what’s on your docket?
(Photo is “Footrace finish line, 1925” from the Seattle Municipal Archives, used under a creative commons license)
After the delightful hecticness of last week’s unexpected visit from a dear friend, and the intense but lovely trip to Canada two weeks before that, and the incredibly fun but utterly exhausting week I’ve had at work (it’s training season and I am A Trainer as much as I am anything else)….
I AM SO GLAD THIS WEEKEND IS SUPPOSED TO BE BORING.
Home late as usual on Friday night, nothing going on Saturday except chores, calling my sister, and a visit to the library, nothing going on Sunday except MORE chores and my weekly visit to Dman’s wife to watch Star Trek together, and plenty of reading time squeezed in there willy nilly. My book club is reading Friday Night Lights and folks have been trouble getting copies, so I’ll be rereading it this weekend in order to share my copy out to the rest of the group pronto.Report
There have been a couple things on my GTask list that I just keep not getting to. So by heavens I’m going to get them done tomorrow. I expect them to take ten minutes.
It’s becoming increasingly apparent I need some day care arrangements for Lain on those days where I need to do stuff. I’ve been able to mostly plan around to Clancy’s schedule so that she can watch the little one while I do stuff, but her schedule at work is getting more erratic and it’s impossible to get a doctor’s appointment within a month, which is the scheduling time frame.
Unfortunately, Lain didn’t get into the Age 3 preschool. She turns three in October, and she has that mild development delay, so this is not a surprise. The downside for us (me) is that Age 2 is only two hours a day. So factoring in a half-hour to and fro, and I may just end up waiting for her there. Maybe the dog will be the winner here, getting more walks. Ordinary Times and Hit Coffee may be winners to, if I use that time to write.
Gotta work on the potty training. She is just scared to death of the potty and so it’s been tough.
The weather has gotten really pleasant. The high today was the same as the low yesterday. Which is really handy for us because our washing machine broke down and this will let us stretch out Lain’s warddrobe by incorporating long pants and sleeves into her attire. Also, it’s pleasant.Report
Tonight is High School Football (son is in band).
Tomorrow I run an Age of Rebellion game for a new group, assuming everybody can make it.
Sunday has no specific plans, but I am sure we will come up with something.Report
I really don’t like having my feet warm when I sleep – ideally they should have slightly less blanket than whatever is providing a comfortable amount of warmth for the rest of me. Which puts me at odds with Fledermaus, who likes warm toasty feet. And so the season of conjugal semi-adversarial blanket fussing is upon us…
On Sunday we set out for Victoria – there’s a wedding there in a week’s time, and as we have good friends we haven’t seen in a long time in Vancouver and Courtenay, we’re making a longer excursion of it.Report
Maribou and I have staggered schedules. During the school year, I tend to go to bed a couple of hours before she does. In winter, I sleep on her side of the bed first then, when she comes to bed, move over to mine.
This lets her get into a warm bed and it gives me the joyful sensation of getting into a cold bed twice.Report
Bout committee for our club’s annual fencing tournament on Saturday afternoon. It’s the longest continuously running tournament in Colorado. It’s also an archaic team format that none of the standard tournament software will handle. This will be the second year I’ve used a piece of my own Python code to run the tournament.Report
Dude. You could monetize that.Report
Maybe, if there was even one other club in the country that ran a tournament in this format. As it is, this is “sympathy software” that I wrote after watching the club coaches struggle through the scoring by hand.Report
In a few minutes, off to a statewide trivia championship game. The team I play with has won a couple of state titles in the past few years, and we’ve always placed very high. Wish us luck.
Now, who the heck is Floyd Thursby…Report
Just to end the breathless suspense I know you’re all feeling…we won. State champs! Hurrah! Dinner’s on me!
Now back to editing the 700 slides FemRex took on her 3-month London/Nepal overland jaunt. Ta!Report
*can breathe now*
Congrats!Report
Congrats!Report
The Man Who Was ThursbyReport
Coincidence Alert. Just re-read the GKC classic last (of course) Thursday. Highly recommended.
Had a “Schilling Moment” at the contest. One question was “What is the principle part of an anthropophage’s diet?” My response: “A fresh anthropologist, and of course a tall flagon of mead.”
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Off to see an old friend and his family here in a few, as he is taking a job here in the bay and leaving Portland behind (gotta keep moving up!)
In super good news, it looks like my wife will be coming home this week! A month away is too long, no matter the reason.Report
The sleep that first night is SOOO much better when you have her various pheromones back in your sinuses.Report
Looks like everyone is playing and visiting loved ones this weekend. Enjoy those last few weekends of summer!
I’m doing the usual stretch at the car dealership, but I had an amazing date late last night. My friends are encouraging me to ditch the automobiles and jump back in to the developmental disability career. I’ve only been away two months, so I’m not sure I’m ready to go back. DD services broke my heart, I’m having trouble forgiving them for that. On the other hand, some car salespeople are really mean.
For my weekend on Monday and Tuesday, Junior starts Kindergarten. I cried my eyes out on his preview day. He’s so crazy big compared to what feels like yesterday when he was born. I’m donating platelets, packing for another move, and I’d really like to make some progress on the egg donation process this weekend.Report
Jeez! That’s a full weekend.Report
Hmm. Mostly catching up on house work! Also started the ‘home’ portion of my physical therapy.
Which is, you know, ouch.
But should, entirely incidental to the complaint that took me to a doctor, help out my lower back problems. Weak hip/lower back muscles apparently do more than just give you back pains, so it’s a two-birds, one stone sort of deal.
Back spasms suck. I recommend against them in general.Report