Clever Manka is dressed and undressed

My phone is dying, which is probably for the best since otherwise I would never get rid of it. I have an uneven relationship with technology. I love using it but I hate learning it, so once I adapt to something (a version of software or a particular product), I am resistant to updates and changes. My phone looks like this:

Only (believe it or not) with fewer function keys. It's old. Old as in people-look-at-me-funny-when-I-use-it-in-public old. But the last time I cared about public opinion of me was, like, 1984, so... The problem is the voice function is failing and there's no guarantee I'll be able to hear you or you'll be able to hear me during a phone call. Not like anyone ever talks on their phone nowadays, but still. For the time being, those of you with my digits, text me if you need to reach me speedily.

Organizing my sewing room for bloomer production was moderately successful. I need to find some wire hangers, though, because the way I want to organize my thriftstore finds for re-fashioning does not allow for the size of plastic hangers. Well, the number of clothes and size of the closet do not allow. I don't suppose anyone local has a stash of wire hangers I could have/buy? I can find them pretty cheap online, but if I can avoid buying new, I'd rather.

I am not exactly thrilled to be back in the office today but there's only three more working days until my next four-day weekend. This vacation every Friday and Monday thing is fantastic. Hurray for burning off excess vacation accrual!

Today's Tumblr is Tuesday, July 21: Due South (part seven).

Today's Tumblr is Tuesday, July 7: Gowns.

I know, I know, I know I link to Breaking Muscle all the time but oh my god you guys, I want to do this 90 day program so hard.

Either I misplaced my box of fandom calling cards or I gave them all away. In any case, I wanted to get more for Con*Strict. I ordered them late Friday evening and they're already done this morning. Local folks, I can't recommend Minuteman Press enough. I didn't even have to call them. You can do all your ordering online! So great, and $40 for 250 cards (full color with bleed).

I finished my badge for Con*Strict last night! It was coming together pretty well, so I decided to go ahead and make it double-sided so that when it flips over (as lanyard badges inevitably do), it'll still show the relevant information. One side is Mad Max themed and the other is Sherlock. I'll try to remember to bring it to work to scan tomorrow so I can post a picture of it.

Found on the Toast Link Roundup, here's a great Kids These Days article.

"Screen Addiction is a generational complaint, and generational complaints, taken individually, are rarely what they claim to be. They are fresh expressions of horrible and timeless anxieties. They are a tried and true form of advanced-age self-care. They apply to all children except your kids, who are mere victims of their degraded peers. They apply to the Snapchats and the sexting, but not to those Facetime conversations with your grandniece, who is too young to text and Twitter, or to turn away, and who is therefore perfect.

The grandparent who is persuaded that screens are not destroying human interaction, but are instead new tools for enabling fresh and flawed and modes of human interaction, is left facing a grimmer reality. Your grandchildren don’t look up from their phones because the experiences and friendships they enjoy there seem more interesting than what’s in front of them (you). Those experiences, from the outside, seem insultingly lame: text notifications, Emoji, selfies of other bratty little kids you’ve never met. But they’re urgent and real. What’s different is that they’re also right here, always, even when you thought you had an attentional claim."

And my favorite is the closing bit:

" A new technology can be enriching and exciting for one group of people and create alienation for another; you don’t have to think the world is doomed to recognize that the present can be a little cruel."

I don't understand why it's so difficult for parents to remove the technology when the presence of the technology is inappropriate to the situation. I understood when it was time to put down the book or the crayons or whatever. How is a tablet or phone different? That's not a rhetorical question. I honestly want to know. Is there a difference? How? Why?

I commented on The Toast that grandparents need to make themselves relevant and interesting. That's just courteous. I'm lucky. My dad's parents were fascinating people and I happily listened to their stories about throwing rocks at the National Guard when they came in to guard the scabs during a union strike. Or about how theirs was the first lunch counter in their city to seat Black people. Helping grandma in the kitchen and her telling stories about the people who bought her pies as she taught me how to make a good pie crust. I mean, I guess I didn't have the option of internet friends back then, but even today, if I had the choice to visit with them about their amazing adventures or scroll through my Tumblr dash, I probably wouldn't choose Tumblr. Old people need to get over the notion that they're deserving of time and attention just because they're old.

Tonight is my appointment with Dr. Jonah in KC. Tomorrow night is prep for Indy (making kale chips so we have a travel vegetable to go with the jerky so we don't have to stop somewhere for lunch), and also slicing up the jerky for Con*Strict (so it has four days to marinade before I put it in the dehydrator when I'm back from Indy). I'd like to make a couple more tops to take to Con*Strict. My first attempt at re-fashioning some thrift-store tees into a mini-dress was successful. I'd like to pack those instead of tops and skirts because I am all about minimal packing. Also because I need to leave enough room for my iPod speakers and yoga mat in my suitcase.

Allergies. Sigh. Once in a while I think about trying a low-histamine diet, but then I get depressed and overwhelmed because oh my god cut more things from my food options? UGH. The complete lack of results with 90 days on the auto-immune protocol diet doesn't encourage me to try another elimination diet anytime soon.

Also, this happened yesterday:


PT guy Tim gave me a fix that will alleviate a bit of the pressure on the shoulder in that pose, but it's still gonna be tender for a couple days. Typical.

For later reference: Pre-workout alignment exercises.

This evening I'm gonna break out my new serger knowledge and see if I can't re-fashion some of these thrift-store clothes that've been piling up in the sewing room. So excited! If I like the process and the results, I'm gonna open up an Etsy store for them. I did a lot of searches on Etsy and all the refashioned post-apocalyptic stuff is either costumey and so not really wearable for daily use (although gorgeous--and expensive) or just...shockingly amateur. This, for instance. Fucking brilliant idea. Terrible execution. I do like the D-ring strap shorts she's selling. But again, they don't look finished, somehow.

Speaking of finished, here's my self-insert fanart! It'll post on Tumblr tomorrow, but y'all get a sneak preview today. After looking at it for a while, I see a few places I'd like to add things. Maybe someday? But not now. Also, I need a better way to scan these babies. It's $10 a pop every time at FedEx/Kinko's and I think that's just fucking outrageous. If anyone local has access to something that will flat scan 14"x17" images, let me know.

Last night I made some food for a friend going through a rough time to save her and her husband the hassle of cooking for a few days. Caring for select individuals makes me feel good, and to be honest, cooking is probably the thing I'm best at (besides giving unflinching and often unwanted life advice). Making someone's life a little easier makes me feel necessary and appreciated, so win-win!

I have one more evening of solitude tonight while mckitterick wraps up his CSSF Summer activities. Hurray for getting one more night of puttering around the house with loud music and scented candles but also hurray for (starting tomorrow), getting laid on a regular basis again!

So despite getting not nearly enough sleep last night (ugh, 3am thunderstorms), and having a constant dull ache in my shoulder, I feel pretty good today. How's your day/weekend/life shaping up, friends?

Edited to add: HOLY SHIT MARRIAGE EQUALITY IN THE U.S.A.

Yesterday I was wiped out. I was fatigued most of the afternoon and by the time I got home I needed to lie down. I lay down on the couch, didn't even take off my boots, and woke up 45 minutes later. I usually can't nap after 4pm unless I'm ill or absolutely exhausted. Oof. It was all I could do to muster the energy to eat a green salad and a banana with almond butter for dinner.

I hope tonight is better because it's my last free evening this week and I'd like to finish Apron 2 before the weekend. Speaking of sewing, every attempt to find classes or private lessons for using my serger has failed. Apparently I'm the only person in the KC/Lawrence/Topeka area who owns a Husquvarna serger. Why is this so difficult? FUCK.

BTW, for anyone thinking why don't I just follow the user's manual, let me assure you: I've tried. My last attempt at following the directions on dropping the blade for a topstitch resulted in the entire machine coming unthreaded and bending a needle. I can't even follow the directions for threading the damn thing. Whenever I have to actually re-thread it (and not just tie the ends to change thread), it's nothing but sheer good luck when it finally works. Seriously, it takes me about half and hour and at least a dozen tries and I've never figured out what I'm doing different on the times when it works. This is why my machine has sat, unthreaded and unused, for three weeks. I just don't have the energy to deal with it right now.

I am not a book-learner, y'all. I can learn facts from books, but that's it. Everything else I need to be shown. Multiple times. *sigh*

Today's Tumblr is Tuesday, June 9: Big Cats.

UPDATE: renniemom referred me to Harper's Fabric and Quilt Co., which for some reason (read: Google's shitty result modifications) didn't show on my search for "KC sewing machine retailers."

I got some clarification from frugurl27 in the comments yesterday and then this morning in an email from KU's HR department about the furloughs and they will affect us in regards to the new fiscal year, starting June 7. So I still have a paycheck coming. That's nice!

Also nice: Last night I had enough energy after dinner to work on a new apron. My old one was (frankly) disgusting from nearly ten years of use and stains. I didn't quite get it done, but I'll be able to wrap it up tonight if my energy levels are similar to yesterday. But after last night's thunderstorms (at 3:00a and again at 4:30a), that's...not a certainty.

Also also nice: My left hip is hurting much less. It's only a teensy bit sore/achey now instead of nearly-debilitating. The improvement is, I think, a combination of starting to lose a bit of weight after a week of conscientious eating, easing up a bit on the PT exercises, and not sleeping with a pillow under my knees.

Someone on FB shared this with me today: Rejected Princesses. I'm not sure I like attaching the term "princess" to most of these women (and I'm not sure they would either), but the website itself is great.

Anybody who is on Tumblr these days (at least in the circles I'm in) knows it's kind of All Tom Hardy All The Time which is a nice change. I am 100% thrilled to see his face instead of Blenderdick Candycrush's (admittedly pretty but not as interesting to me) mug plastering my dash. Here's a sample of what I'm seeing for probably thirty to forty percent of my dash these days:




NO COMPLAINTS FROM ME

There are so few people around the building this morning that the motion-activated lights in the hall outside my office just turned off.

NO COMPLAINTS FROM ME

Miss Piggy honored with a Sackler Center First Award from the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art at the Brooklyn Museum



Gonna wrap this up with a story about yesterday. There's this house between mine and campus. It's always been a rental and it's always been little sketchy. Cinderblock construction, overgrown front yard, beer bottles and overflowing ashtrays on the porch, you get the idea. Lately there's been a really nice 70s Honda motorcycle sitting outside and once or twice I've seen a guy working on it. A few weeks ago I passed the house when the garage was open and it was packed with maybe ten ratty old bikes with maybe some scooters mixed in. Just a ton of junked-out bikes. So obviously this person does repairs/restorations and if that Honda is any indication, he's pretty good. Yesterday, someone posted to this to a local FB group. That's totally this guy's bike. So I thought I'd stop by on my way home and see if the dude was home and let him know. As I was walking up to the door, I had that This Is A Terrible Idea feeling. The house was dark and even the front smelled (from the beer bottles and overflowing ashtrays). There was yard work stuff piled in the doorway, covered in cobwebs and dirt, and the storm door was broken and hung open. The doorbell was broken, too, and when I knocked on the inside door I was honestly relieved that nobody answered. Fucking creepy house.

And that's the story of how I avoided being the victim of an axe murderer this week.

Yesterday was Get Shit Done day. I think I succeeded. I:

Did a quick run-through of the thrift store (found three tees for layering and a button down for my first shirt surgery attempt)
Picked up the dry cleaning (omg you guys my dry cleaning guy is SO HOT and he knows my name)
Shopped for groceries (and barely got home before the snow started)
Roasted and pureed three butternut squash, three acorn squash, and a giant pumpkin (total of twelve cups of pureed squashes)
Made the face oil/lotion hdsqrl recommended (recipe below)
Four loads of laundry (still gotta do sheets today)
Roasted pumpkin seeds (recipe below!)
Made dinner (cheated a bit--just braised a chicken breast and served it atop a pre-made salad mix along with some pan-roasted sliced almonds and balsamic/olive oil dressing)
Sat my ass down and read two fics before bed.

The face oil hdsqrl suggested is super easy: 1/4 cup coconut oil, 10 drops frankincense oil and 8 drops lavender oil. It is amazing. I've used it three times now (yesterday afternoon right after I made it, then before bed, and this morning after a gentle rub-down with a cloth and warm water) and you guys my face is like a baby butt. Frankincense oil is not cheap, so if anyone local wants to try this mix, let me know and we'll make arrangements for you to use some of mine because half an ounce of essential oil lasts a LONG FUCKING TIME. Or, I guess if someone actually wants to pay me to ship some of this off to them, I could do that, too. I buy my coconut oil at Costco so it's not like I'm gonna run low on that anytime soon, either. The only problem with this oil is my skin feels so good I keep touching my face and I know that's a recipe for disaster (read: ZIT CITY).

Here's what I did for the pumpkin seeds:
~1.5 c seeds
1 T of a curry powder that redheadfae told me about and I've been using in, like, everything since then: 2T coriander, 2 T cumin, 1 T turmeric, 1.5 t black pepper, 1/2 t mustard powder, 1/2 t ground ginger powder
1/2 t salt
1 T coconut aminos
1 T balsamic vinegar
1-2 t olive oil (to keep them from sticking to each other)

Rinse seeds and shake off in a colander, then pat the excess water with a paper towel. Mix with all ingredients and let sit for an hour (I have no idea if that is necessary, I was just waiting for the pumpkin to roast). Spread on a pan and roast at 325 for 20-30 minutes until seeds are brown and almost crispy. Stir frequently! Don't let more than six or seven minutes go between stirs or you'll be sorry. Let cool on a paper towel.

Today I'm working on my due South Sekrit Santa project and putting together a pair of custom-order bloomers for someone I know from The Toast who is doing a tradesie with me for a pair of her lace earrings (mine will be avocado green). They look so delicate and innocuous in the first photo, but click the second one for an idea of size. JUST LOOK AT THOSE AMAZING FUCKING EARRINGS.

Okay, finally? I have over half of Enrique Iglesias's albums (even the all-Spanish ones) and the only reason I don't have his entire discography (I'm lacking his debut album, as well as Quizas and 7) is I haven't been able to find them used (yet) and I try to avoid buying new stuff when I can (exceptions: Socks, Underwear, and Shoes). When I was G-ing S D yesterday, I put all his albums on shuffle and listened to him non-stop. Just. So. Good. It kills me that I don't really like his latest CD. *sigh* I guess it had to happen sometime. I BLAME PITBULL.



He's just so sexy and beautiful and fucking emo. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

Seen on Tumblr: “It’s messing people up, this social pressure to “find your passion” and “know what it is you want to do”. It’s perfectly fine to just live your moments fully, and marvel as many small and large passions, many small and large purposes enter and leave your life. For many people there is no realization, no bliss to follow, no discovery of your life’s purpose. This isn’t sad, it’s just the way things are. Stop trying to find the forest and just enjoy the trees.” Sally Coulter

Also on Tumblr:


YASSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

My back is soooo much better. I walked up the hill to work again today! It's always better in the morning so that helps.

I've been sleeping well, too. The only change I've made is I'm eating more in general and also eating more carbs, especially late in the day. The first week after I hurt my back, I let myself binge on all sorts of carby foods and man I slept like a fucking baby. I even took naps a couple days and managed to sleep seven or eight hours straight through the night. So it's a good thing I've given up caring about losing this belly fat.

I've also given up the idea of a mid-life career change. I was playing around with the thought, but four days flat on my back reminded me of how much I benefit from the state of Kansas's generous sick leave allowance. I used to work at a (horrible) office that allowed three total sick days per year. And if I was self-employed, I would have simply been out of luck making any money those days I could barely even stand. So, yes, despite the issues of this job, I'll be staying here. I just need to find solutions for the things that bother me or stop letting them bother me so much.

I am so glad it's Friday. This was a long-ass week. I'm seeing some friends perform tonight at a tiny little hole in the wall bar just north of the river and Saturday I'm gonna do something in the sewing room--not sure what yet, but something. I got a custom order for a pair of bloomers this week and I made them last night. It'd been a long time since I sewed anything (months!) and it felt good. Maybe I'll make myself a sundress or something fun for Comic-Con so I don't spend the entire week in jeans and tee shirts.

Speaking of bloomers, remember they're 20% off with coupon code SUMMER20. It's good through July 20. I'm not taking any custom orders after July 16.

Edited: Thanks to The Toast Link Roundup today, I discovered that the Sherlock living room wallpaper comes in red. DID NOT NEED TO KNOW.

Thanks to sherwood21, here is a pretty awesome-looking Sew Your Own Leggings tutorial.

Check out this fucking awesome weather page, made by one of mckitterick's students.

I'm posting a small collection of Thor 2 posts on Tumblr tomorrow. Beware, spoilers.

Last night's P!nk show was great! I'm not completely on board with the new trend of singers not actually singing for large portions of their concert, but with all the gymnastic antics P!nk performs, I'm willing to give her a pass. How in the world they coordinate her flying around the arena on a wire harness and land (near-literally) on a dime astounds me. Never have I seen backup dancers and singers look to be having such a fantastic time. She must be an amazing person to tour with. I thought it was strange that she won't say "fuck" during her live shows, but she's okay with her and her dancers simulating (sometimes violent and borderline abusive) sex. Um. I'm not a parent, but I'd rather children hear an F-bomb dropped than watch dancers pretending to hump and then slap each other around. Overall, though, I was so happy to be given the opportunity to go to the show and am incredibly grateful to athenaartemis for the ticket.

A possible new iron? I've been looking for a new iron that lacks an auto-off "feature" for quite a while. This one does have an auto-off, but it's half an hour instead of the usual eight to ten minutes for most irons, which is beyond annoying for sewing projects. It comes highly recommended by sewists and quilters, so that's nice, too.

This is a really good quote, and something I remind myself about whenever I start to feel hurt when someone says something about White People. Although that happens less and less. These days I'm more like yeah, man, white people.

Oh my god, this gifset of Stephen Colbert reading Anthony Weiner's sexts.

Last night mckitterick and I went to see Max Brooks at the KU Student Union. It was...fine. I had no idea what to expect, which I think didn't help. I wasn't sure if he was going to talk or read from his books or what. What he did was sort of a stand-up routine with a Q&A session at the end. I'm not a big fan of stand-up, so that didn't help my enjoyment, but it was...fine. I disagreed with some of the statements on which he based his jokes, and that didn't help. But it was...fine. The best part of the evening for me was being in the same room as Mel Brooks's son. As we were leaving, some friends we'd sat with mentioned that they didn't expect him to be such an asshole. "He was an asshole?" I asked. Turns out he's the exact same kind of asshole that I am, so I didn't notice.

Fans of SF films and TV shows who don't mind (or even like!) Nicki Minaj: go watch this vid.

The Avengers DVD is out in less than two weeks!

Today: Much sewing.

I haven't noticed a shred of improvement from abstaining from booze for two weeks. Not an inch lost (I've not been weighing myself), no increased energy, nothing. I'm wondering if it's worth keeping up with the Whole30. I know my mental health would be improved by a glass of wine...BLAH. Any thoughts?

I am strongly tempted by today's Tee Fury shirt.