Me too! Me too!

Hisashiburi desu ne...

Christmas is looming large in my mind. I have much to do, and sitting at home willing this queasy-might-be-succumbing-to-something-nasty feeling in my stomach to go away isn't getting anything done, unfortunately. Still, I suppose I have an excuse for the wedding dress, seeing as the fabric has not yet arrived. >_< But never let it be said that I don't thrive on last-minute pressure! If I'd been more organized, I would have started a knitting project or two as gifts, but I doubt that'll happen. I make a pair of mittens every two years, on average, so every time I start a new one, it's almost like learning all over again; it takes one mitten to get back into the rythm of things, the second one is a piece of cake, and then I do nothing for two years.

Looking forward to Japan is partly because I apparently have this deep-seated belief that once there, I'll have oodles and oodles of free time. I'm not quite sure why I think that, other than the fact that I won't have dance classes three nights a week, because I'll be looking for a job and I plan to find dance classes of some sort, or maybe traditional craft classes or something along those lines, so I doubt I'll be any less busy than I am now. Still, Tokyo must be this oasis where time trickles by, where I'll be able to work my way through my fabric stash. A stash whose moving will, fortunately, be payed for my the government.

I'd been thinking it would be a good thing to photograph all my sewing projects and either start a webpage or maybe another lj, but wouldn't you know it, G's digital camera seems to have died on us. WITH PICTURES IN IT! We don't know what's wrong with it, we tried recharging the batteries, brand-new batteries, we can't even turn it on anymore. A sign that it's time to get a new one, perhaps?

After much dorama, our Japanese class now consists of myself and another, 2 down from the original 4. Oy. I hope I never have to be in such a situation again, expecially one I was in no way responsible for but forced to sit through. I've been accused of being insensitive in the past, but I'd contend that an over-sensitive person is harder to live with. Constantly wondering "Will this offend? Will this be taken the wrong way? Should I say this?" tired me right out. It's all over now, thankfully, so let's move along.

Dear Santa... Dear Santa, This year I've been busy! Last Sunday I ruled Duluth, Minnesota as a kind and benevolent dictator (700 points). Last week awnyer and I donated clothes to the needy (11 points). Last Friday on a flight to Colorado Springs, I stole the emergency flight information card (-40 points). In April I had a shoot-out with rival gang lords on the 5 near LA (-76 points). In August I got in line at the supermarket at the same time as someone else and I didn't yield (-8 points). Overall, I've been nice (587 points). For Christmas I deserve a Lego set! Sincerely, blodeuedd

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The skirt is nearly done, only the zipper and hem are left. The question is, do I use the zipper I already have, which is not quite a match for the silk's shade of blue, and finish it tonight? Or do I wait for the truckload of zippers I bought from Ebay, which will probably arrive next week? I'm so proud of the skirt, at how nicely the checks (mostly) match up and how I managed to make it sit perfectly on my hips, that I kind of want to wait for the Perfect Zipper. Even though everyone knows that there's no such thing, as zippers are the invention of the devil, meant to drive seamstresses mad.

So, I'll wait. In the meantime, I've plenty of other things to do, which would be much easier if people like M-P and Anna lived nearby so I could measure them! A-L I'm seeing this weekend, so that's under control.

A flaw I've noted in the design of my sewing room, such as it is, is that there are but two electrical outlets, placed so that it's quite impractical to have everything (computer, lamp, sewing machine, serger, iron, space heater) plugged in at the same time. I know it's not the safe thing to do, but when I'm sewing I need both machines and the iron*, the computer to listen to music, another lamp, and the space heater now that winter has befallen us.

G is making his old fallback, pork and black bean soup and the smell is wafting through the house. The first time he made it, a couple of years ago, I think he just threw the beans in without much thought to their texture, and they were rather hard. Over time, he's lengthened the bean-preparation process to soaking them overnight, washing and draining them, frying them in the wok and maybe other steps I haven't witnessed, which makes a tasty broth that tastes of black beans, as opposed to just the beans tasting of beans.

*I've come to terms with the fact that just because everyone says it, it might be true. Pressing seams as soon as they're sewn makes a world of difference; not only in how the garment looks, but it's that much easier to move on to the next step when everything stays in place on its own.