As I mentioned previously, I work odd hours. I work 10 hour shifts as a customer service rep. Im on the phone for 10 hrs a day. The job sucks, it was not my original job but my department got shuttered and we all got transferred to CS. But it pays ok, I have benefits and...I have 3 day weekends. Even on my most trying of days, and there is a lot more of them now, I am thankful I have a job. Sometimes I hate myself for it too. If I had been smarter in my youth, hell, if I had been smarter 5 years ago. I could have saved myself a lot of pain and worry. I could walk away from a job that destroys me in a thousand tiny ways. But I wasn't and all I can do is deal with consequences of my choices and make better ones, working my way through all of it. But I digress...

Back to my point, I have 3 day weekends. These weekends are usually filled with 1 day of cleaning, running errands and other things I couldn't do because of my schedule and 2 days of play. My weekends are usually my "social days" as well and 7 times out of 10 Im on the road to somewhere. Friday I left the sanctuary of my bed and began running the gamut of doing laundry, shopping and then coming home to finish the last bit of sewing an outfit for an SCA event, the Barony of Shattered Crystal's 30th annual Crystal Ball.  I was beyond excited, I love this event.

The event totally kicked my butt, I came home yesterday exhausted but happy. I will post pics soon. Monday has really sucked and I want to calm down before I post again.

Having an odd schedule gives you cool things to do late at night

Because dyeing your underdress is best done just after midnight in a bucket in the kitchen.. just a teaser of what I'm currently working on.

And rinsing it out in the bathtub really sucks, Im still without a washer and the laundromat is closed this late. 

It's almost 4am now. I should have been in bed 2 hours ago but got sucked into the computer trying to catch up.  I will be getting up early running to do regular laundry and throwing this into its own machine to finish and we will see how she looks when dry.

November Rain

Ahhh October, you use to be my favorite month. Not so much anymore though. So glad you are over.  Let's catch everyone up.  There are 23 days until I fly out to Pittsburgh to see Brandon and his family and then we drive back to Illinois together. Brandon totalled his car the Tuesday before Halloween. He is fine, it was not his fault and so he is in the process of getting a new vehicle, no pressure, really! Work is trying to interfere with my plans for this...

Work, well let us just go with I need to find a new job. The stress from it has been taking its toll for sometime and my body succumbed to major illness a few weeks after my last post. Missed two days and the 3 days I had off after those were filled with sleep, water and antibiotics and a brief stint of steroids (confirmation that I should NOT take Prednisone) which hurt my bank account. I feel much improved though now and somewhat validated. Because I was so sick I had to follow up with a primary physician. The one I had previously had left town (no surprise to me, I hated her) and I had to be set up with a new one. The new doctor zeroed in on my weight soon as she sat down, to hell with the fact that I had just been really sick. She tried to tell me how unhealthy I was and I geared up for a fight and she saw it. I took all her tests..all fine, CBC, A1C, CMP, Thyroid, Cholesterol...all really good.  If had been eating total garbage it would reflect in those tests. Still, I'm not saying I'm healthy, I KNOW work needs to be done. I do have high blood pressure, I'm pretty sure if she'd been smart and tested my insulin level or my testosterone level there would be an issue. She started in on calorie counts, I countered with carb counts since I have poly-cystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS for short). Then we watched each other gear up for a battle..She told me she wanted me to see a nutritionist, I told her I'd only do it if the woman tailored her plan for me with my PCOS. We left it at that..my appointment is on the 13th. She told me I needed to reduce my stress, I about fell out of my chair laughing and explained my job. She told me to find a new job..I told her I was working on it. Told me I should get a gym membership, I told her if she wants to pay for that's fine by me. We are either going to hate each other or like each other, not sure which yet.

SCA stuff is slow going still within the group but our parent barony, Barony of Shattered Crystal, is holding Crystal Ball this coming weekend. I am EXTREMELY excited about this and hope to get lots of pics.

So what are my current plans?

• Get acclimated to having someone else living and sleeping in my room besides me and the kitties..
• Work on SCA crafts, I am in love with tablet/card weaving, but I need a loom, I cannot do the back strap method and the weird rigging I had set up keeps getting destroyed by cats who are jerks. I also like silk painting. I have one frame to do scarves, need to ask Awesome Roommate Walley to build me 2 more for different sized square banners. Then there is the whole sewing things. Pics when I'm finished.
• Read more about Asatru, I'm so behind on all the reading I want to do, part of the problem is I cant take Sister Zim's copies out of her house and my schedule just doesnt allow me to be out as much, and when I am out there I want to spend time with her and the baby.
• Work on becoming healthier..its more than just work on losing weight. The spike in anxiety and panic attacks is unacceptable. The migraines are increasing. I really want to get a punch card for the community pool..what's stopping me?? Money.
• Some weekend coming up when I'm home I will need to go into the backyard and see what all needs done..Sigh. Then I get to start planning for next year's garden!!

So tell me, what are your winter plans?