2006-09-15 - 9:32 p.m.
The weather's beginning to break. It's been relatively nice out - only in the 80s. It'll be nice and hot again before long, I'm sure. Every year I've been here, it's been hot at the State Fair, which is the third week of October. So the fall isn't exactly crisp. The leaves usually turn in November.
This afternoon, I went to the county fair. It sucked, as it always does, but I can't resist a fair. I walked around and saw the chickens and the jars of pickles and all. Bought a raffle ticket at the Dems booth, gave the Future Farmers of America $5 but declined the pizza, and purchased a truly foul "philly cheesesteak" for nine bucks. Holy cow. So to speak. Then I got me an ice cream sandwich and got out. Total time: 90 minutes, total investment: $20. Eh, I've had worse Friday afternoons.
Tomorrow is the Macy's coupon day sale. I bought a Macy's coupon for the local arts co-op a month or so ago, so I'll get a discount when I shop tomorrow. So it's time for fall and winter clothing.
I've long been in the habit of buying the cheapest clothes I could find. Sometimes those purchases turn out well, like the pintuck column dress I got at Walmart six years ago that still draws compliments. Mostly, though, cheap is as cheap does. Now that we have a Macy's (though admittedly not a first run store), I plan to invest in a few decent garments.
I don't know what to do about the shoe issue: my heel hurts most of the time, and I've been wearing my Keen sandals for the past month. They are without question the ugliest shoes I've ever worn, but they provide arch support. I've got a referral to the brace shop at the hospital, and if they can get me some good arch support inserts, I'll take them with me and buy a couple of pairs of shoes. The shoes I have now aren't big enough to allow inserts.
I have a new pair of socks: Jennipurr, a blogger who writes about knitting and cats, participated in a Walk for the Cure, and had a drawing from her donors for a pair of hand-knit pink socks. I donated, won the drawing, and got them today. They are great! They fit perfectly and are very comfortable. I'm afraid to knit socks, personally. I don't pay attention well enough to follow an elaborate pattern.
Work continues to kick my ass. Let us not speak of it.
I signed up for a sewing class on Tuesday nights. It's eight weeks, and we'll spend two weeks getting to know the machines, then the rest of the time is ours to work on whatever project we choose.
I still have the pattern that Terry used to make my wedding skirt (thanks, Terry!), and I thought it might be cool to have a tulip skirt in a light wool for the winter. (I have a denim skirt in that style, too, and it's flattering.) The class has sergers we can use, to make nice finished seams. Unfinished seams are a pain in the neck, and I'm not patient enough to fool with them by hand.
I have volunteered to handle data entry for a political campaign over the next eight weeks, too. I declined to make any phone calls - can not, should not, will not make cold calls. But data entry and formatting, I can do. In my spare time, between 11:00 and 11:05 pm.
When that moron Operations Sergeant screwed up David's leave, he caused another problem I had not considered. My jury duty from last spring was moved to the fall. I have here on the desk a postcard informing me that my jury duty was rescheduled until 11/1/06. Shall I hope not to be empaneled, or shall I try to reschedule? This is only the second time I've ever been called. Under most circumstances, I'd be happy to serve. But during David's mid-tour break?
I'd better call them.
