Reservations - It Makes For a Merry Dance

I ended up with swimming reservations for both Thursday and Friday. Considering carefully, I cancelled the Friday and I'm swimming today. My Friday is packed - I have my live cooking class in the morning and will try to watch this week's Project Runway episode on Peacock in the afternoon. So I thought the lesser time necessary for running on the treadmill would be a better choice for tomorrow. 

When I first wanted to resume swimming several 
years ago, I looked at several gyms in my area 
as well as the YMCA. I decided on the Y because 
I really liked their pool, as well as the other 
things they offered. They weren't fancy, but 
they had everything I needed. I joined as 
a 60th birthday gift to myself, and resumed 
a life-long love affair with swimming. 

The YMCA listened to us, and expanded our reserved swimming slots on M, W & F from 10 to 15 swimmers. I assume the software was working through those changes when I tried to make my Friday reservation, and that's why I was unable to make them. But, that seems to be resolved. Our lifeguard, Beth, said that Monday, Wednesday and Friday are the busiest days for the 5:00 am group, and I can well believe it. 

I really love our outdoor pool, and we're one of the few 
YMCA's who still have one. It's Olympic size and is 
reserved for lap swimming in the early morning
hours. What takes 30 laps for me indoors takes 16
laps outside. The disadvantage is the late Summer/early
Fall dayswhen it's darned cold in the outside air. They
usually only have the indoor OR the outdoor pool open
for swimming, not both, so we end up shivering before 
jumping into the water. 

Normally we have Rosemary in Lane 5, I'm in Lane 4 - often alone, but sometimes sharing with Mary, Lane 3 usually has two of the "Three Amigos". If the third one is there, sometimes I'll end up sharing a lane with him, but more frequently, they work out with the three of them in a single lane. They've been swimming together for years and have their routines totally figured out. Lane 2 is for a couple of older men who are exercising and swimming to overcome leg injuries or surgery, and Lane 1 is for the water aerobics people who sometimes spill over into Lane 2. 

The reservation system is new - since Covid - and 
it's taken all of us some adjustment to get used 
to. Yes, I could show up without a reservation, 
and I'd probably get in because not everyone 
actually shows up on time, but I don't want 
to take the chance of interrupting my workout 
if/when the person reserving the session 
arrives. 

On a busy day, they sometimes had to turn down people wanting reservations. Having the number expand to 15, doesn't necessarily mean the swimming lanes will be busier. Often it means more water aerobics people will be attending. Oh, and Gail - we can't forget Gail. She's been coming later, focusing on the 6:00 am time slot. Fortunately that doesn't impact me or Rosemary, but it does impact our friend Meg, who seems to get chased out of Lane 5 by Gail who insists on using that lane. That's very unfair, but we're leaving it up to the two of them to work out. I come down strongly in favor of Meg - a long time friend and neighbor - she lives only two blocks away from me, so sometimes we see each other outside of the gym too. 

So, that's the pool setup. Today, on a Thursday, I'll have Rosemary, Meg and Gail, maybe Mary and Jeanne,. as well as the water aerobics people (Mark, a delightful Oriental woman whose name I never remember, and Connie). I'll be happy to get into the water, since it's darned COLD outside today (-8 F -22.2 C) so the water, no matter what temperature it actually is, will seem wonderfully warm. Have an excellent Thursday and I'll be back tomorrow. Spread some love and kindness today to help our world heal. 

Today is a Topsy-Turvy Day - I'm Swimming Instead of Running

Yesterday was hectic, but I got everything finished that was on my agenda, including the bank deposit and shopping at three different grocery stores. Tomorrow I have my Zoom "cook along". I think I'll prep all of my ingredients, but I'm not sure I'll cook along - I think I'd rather watch and take notes, then make the dish afterward with a bit more time. I'm slow on prep and want to watch technique, not be busy and fumble-fingered while trying to keep up with a professional chef. 

I'm curious about how the harissa "lamb" gets wrapped 
around the skewers. I found the Harissa spice at Whole 
Foods yesterday, and it smells quite nice - a little 
sweet, and quite deep with flavor. I'm very curious 
about what it will taste like. 

It's an interesting recipe - Harissa Lamb Kebobs and Ratatouille. Lamb is exorbitantly expensive, so I chose a port tenderloin instead. I got all of the ingredients, then realized as I was going down my checklist yesterday afternoon, that I needed a standard onion as well as the red onion I had already gotten. Oh well, I'll get that tomorrow morning because I don't have time today. 

The recipe says any meat can be used, but it uses lamb. 
Lamb in my part of the country is VERY expensive, 
so I Googled to find out a good lamb substitute and it 
came up with pork. Pork is very affordable, so that's 
what I got - a nice 1-pound pork tenderloin. 

Today is a topsy-turvy day - a day when I should be on the treadmill, but instead I'm in the swimming pool. I thought they had opened the reservation system to 15 people, but according to my Gate Gargoyle, they actually only did that for the 6:00 and 7:00 am time slots and it's experimental. My 5:00 am is still at a maximum of 10 people. Usually I don't have a problem getting in, but it didn't work this time. So, I'm swimming today. I'll live with it, but I'm a person who appreciates routine (enough other things outside of my control can throw me off track). I've got my audio book, I've got a clean towel, and I'm ready to go. 

It was warm enough yesterday to allow for sunbathing 
(for the hardy or foolhardy), but I'm in winter mode - 
i.e., cold almost all the time. Today will be another 
nice day, although not quite as warm. 

Today will be another nice day. We actually got up to 40 F yesterday - shocking for this time of the year. Today won't be quite as nice, but still pretty good. We're back into snow tomorrow, though, so I'm really grateful that I'm not working tomorrow. I'll get my onion early, and I'll be able to stay home while the flakes begin to fall. It'll be DH's problem to deal with getting home from the shop in the snow tomorrow night. I'll have to shovel (probably several times), but I can manage that. 

I'm out of here. The swimming pool is calling me. Have an excellent day and I'll be back tomorrow, just in time for the swirling snows of winter to return again. Peace and love to all. 

Balancing - Chakras and Life - It's a Challenge

I hope all of you had a good weekend. We started our day out with hockey, then moved over to football for the remainder of the day. I slept in late, getting almost 11 hours of sleep, so I'm caught up for a few days - a very good thing. I also went to bed early last night. So, of course, I also awakened early. That gave me a rare opportunity for a week day - I was able to take an hour for my morning meditation. It was delightful to work with two of my favorite trainers and expand my horizons a bit more. I feel very balanced now - LOL (at least my chakras certainly are). 

I enjoy my morning meditation and try to get at 
least 15 minutes in every morning. Today was a 
treat. Because I awakened so early, I allowed myself 
to do almost a full hour of meditation. I'm feeling 
very grounded and quite happy. 

I've been working on my Christmas gifts list for DH. I know I won't get half of what I put down, but I'm willing to dream a bit. We're working most days until Christmas, now that Thanksgiving is over, and I'll take any opportunity to relax that I might have available. to me. I'm trying hard to find the perfect gift for Sharon. I know I'll find it eventually, but I haven't located it yet, so I need to increase my efforts. 

I came across this grown-up Christmas List. 
I must admit, I totally agree with the 
sentiments. I hope it comes across large enough 
to allow you to read it too. 

I did finish gluing the interiors of my cards together yesterday. I hope to finish the interior of the actual fold-over card this morning, but it is a swimming day, and that means I have a bit less time to work on things at the shop than I would on a non-swimming day. But it's a swimming day, and that's always a glorious thing - so no real complaints here. 

Swimming days are hard exercise, but absolutely lovely 
days. I adore the pool, and it's so wonderful to be back 
in the water again. I missed it horribly while Covid 
kept all of us home-bound. 

I'll start printing out the envelopes this week during my evenings. I use my home printer for those. I'm also making a few decisions that will allow me a bit more speed. It's almost December and some design sacrifices must be made because I got such a late start on my Holiday Cards this year. Ideally, I'd love for them to be mailed by the end of the week. Realistically, it's going to be next week sometime. It's good to have goals, but reality does tend to stick it's foot into the door of idealism. LOL

I tend to be a bit heavy on the Idealism 
side. DH tends to be heavy on the 
Realism side. It makes us a good team, 
but also means we butt heads often. 

Have an excellent Monday. I'm going to play Drowning Guppy for an hour and then hit the ground running. I'll be back tomorrow. 

Back Into the Pool, and My Friend Meg's Incredible Summer

I'm going back into the pool today,  and still trying to get my schedule and packing together so that I can dash in, dash out, take my shower, get dressed and hit the road efficiently. I'm still stumbling a bit, and not least because I'm still trying to nail my music/books and my routine. But, it's wonderful to even think about being back in the water again, so as the saying goes ... "I will persevere". 

I think I managed close to 1/2 mile on Monday. I'm going 
to try to do that, or maybe a bit more, again today. I'm 
just so happy to be going back to the pool again. Whether 
I can do my full mile or not ... I'll get there eventually. 

Today, after Monday's disappointing goggle mess, I'm bringing a set of goggles that I'm pretty sure work well for me, as well as a set of wired underwater headphones and my underwater iPod. I'll just continue to listen to the adventures of Amelia Peabody instead of tunes today and I'll be just fine. It's going to take several weeks of practice to get my morning routine back into shape, and I've got more goggles coming in (goggles, thank goodness, are the least expensive part of my swim gear), so I'll soon have lots of options for either a book or music for my morning swims. 

I think I have at least six different sets of 
underwater earbuds that I can use. They're 
not bone induction, so the sound isn't as 
good, but there's sound and something I 
want to listen to, and that's all I need for 
a successful workout. I'm hoping I'll 
have a productive swim, while Amelia 
and Emily leave and go south along 
the Nile towards Amarna. 

On Monday morning, as I was catching up with Rosemary, she mentioned that our mutual friend Meg had a stroke while swimming in the outdoor pool at the end of July. I had spoken to Meg while she was out walking her dogs, no more than three weeks prior to this, so it was a complete shock. Apparently she lost the ability to move her left arm while swimming with her usual group of friends, then also lost the ability to move her left leg. The YMCA contacted an ambulance and she was loaded up and taken away. 

I love my friends, and my swimming and 
exercise buddies at the YMCA are very 
dear to me. We lost John over the year off, 
and we miss him every time we're waiting 
at the door. But the rest of us are still there, 
still coming, and still swimming. It's a great 
group of people. 

But Meg was in the locker room for a 6:00 am swim time on Monday and we intersected. She said it was hard ... really hard, for her to come back from the stroke, but she fought like a crazy woman to get her mobility back, and that it had almost completely returned. There was a little bit lost in the top arc of her forward stroke, but she was still working on getting those muscles back to full function. Such an inspiration! When my mother-in-law had a stroke, she basically collapsed and was never the same again. She had been extremely sedentary, and the stroke made her one step away from being a total invalid. Meg, on the other hand, is one of the most active and athletic people I know, and she just refused to let her stroke get the best of her. I'm so happy she's almost recovered in slightly more than two months. 

I'm eternally grateful that our pool doesn't get this 
crowded. I've actually seen photos of some pools 
in China that are this packed! Our pool, especially 
now with reservations required, limits the total number 
of people per lane to two. That means 10 people can 
reserve a spot every morning. I already have 5:00 am 
reserved for Friday. 

So, short and sweet today. I have my swim bag and locker bags ready, I hope my audio book transmits OK through my headphones so that I won't be adjusting them constantly, and I'm really hoping to get a good workout in the pool today. I'm woefully out of practice for my water exercise, and getting to my full mile in the pool again soon is my primary goal. A mile in the water every time is an excellent workout and I miss it. Have a wonderful and extraordinary day and I'll be back tomorrow. 

DH Is Probably Right - (Don't Tell Him I Said So)

Sometimes DH can be very wise, and push me to think outside of my own little world. That's basically what he did when he asked me to stay away from the gym for another few weeks. And his reasons were excellent - no arguments from me. 

Quarantine is still the only thing that works well against
this damned virus, and the fact that we operate a
business together, an illness for one of us would affect
both of us. 

He pointed out that if I did come down with the virus, he would have to self-quarantine for two weeks also. That would require us to close the shop, and it's very likely that after our eight weeks of state-imposed closure, we wouldn't be able to rebound from the second financial hit and would end up having to close the business permanently. Of course I have Chickie, long time employee and great friend, but she's not trained to be able to handle the store on her own, and she has her own health issues. No - it would be a total disaster, all brought about by my overwhelming desire to be back in the water again. The water will still be there for me, it's not going anywhere. 

I have a Fludity self-supporting barre set that I purchased
during the Pandemic shut-down. Of course, it was
delivered after I had broken my ankle, so I haven't
been able to unpack it and set it up yet. I'm looking
forward to doing that. I think Wednesday is the day
unless I end up wrapped up in financial crap
for my "day off". 

So, I'll stay away from the gym and be good. I think I have figured out where I want to set up my barre, though. so I can start working on getting that area cleaned up and the barre set up, maybe as soon as Wednesday. There's a chair in the way - one that DH took from his Dad's house after my father-in-law passed. We never use it - in fact, my Reeves castle-style spinning wheel is currently occupying the seat of the chair. I didn't want it in the first place, but we brought over a ton of crap from that house - DH's version of hoarding. I'm going to move that chair. If he wants to keep it, fine. But live with it in a different space. Or, even better, put it at the curb with a FREE sign on it. 

The chair in the space I want to use is similar to this - an
old, manual lever, dark brown fabric recliner that
used to belong to his Dad. I'll let him keep the rocker that
belonged to his Mom, it's actually beautiful wood, but
this recliner is horrid. Old, and did I say old? 

But, as the thunder rolls overhead from a huge stalled front moving over my area, I reflect on the fact that we absolutely CAN'T keep everything. Space is limited and lives go on. Yeah - the chair has to go. My barre will look excellent near the treadmill and if we ever get the sectional we've been talking about getting for that room for the past two decades, we'll revisit what we'll keep and what will go. 

Supercell thunderstorms are amazing. So beautiful, so powerful, and
so deadly (in some instances). We've had one of these perched above
us for most of the night. Lots of thunder and lightning since the
early hours this morning. It's finally slowly moving off, but it's
going to be a hot and muggy day today. 

Have a wonderful Monday. I'll be spending the day working out the final kinks in two more funding applications - two more possible grants. Also, filling out the paperwork for the PPP Loan forgiveness, because that loan saved our business, no question. But, paperwork is never my favorite activity for any day, especially not a Monday. Ick! LOL - Have a wonderful day and I'll be back tomorrow. 

It's Good To Be Back In the Water

I was finally in the water yesterday. Bliss! I got to see my friends Rosemary and John and catch up a little bit with them while we waited for the gym door to open. Then off we were, heading to the locker rooms and then to the pool. I'm so happy to be back in the pool again. 

I love my little YMCA. It's less than ten minutes away
from my house and has everything I need. They're
opening at 6:00 am instead of their usual 5:00 am,
but the pool was still wonderful. 

It was exhausting. I haven't been swimming for quite a long time and my body isn't used to it any more. But I persevered, and by the end of my 50 minutes, I had managed 3/4 of a mile. It might not be the full mile I was doing every day 1-1/2 years ago, but not bad for an extended period away from the water. 

There were a few times on this first time back in the water when I
felt as if I was swimming through mud instead of through
water. But I pushed through and I'm quite happy to have managed
3/4 of a mile. 

I got home in time to share a cup of tea with hubby, then headed over to the shop to get work done before I opened. Around 9:50 am I was growling - "Chickie's running late again". But then I remembered. She had a doctor appointment across town and wasn't going to be in until close to noon. Whoops - I got moving, pulled the cloths off the counters, and got the shop ready to open. I was even on time - LOL. 

I purchased my first two sets of unique frames for my 50th
birthday gift to myself, and added a third when I found
a great set at a good price. I've used LensesRX for my
lenses for many years now and they do a great job. 

The mail brought me a long-awaited package - my new, updated eyeglasses with my trifocal prescription. I have several sets of eyeglasses - each one with a unique custom frame. When I get a new prescription, I send them off, one at a time, to LensesRX in Staten Island for new lenses (fabulous firm - highly recommended). This is my first pair of trifocals. I wanted lined lenses - not progressives, and they are taking a little bit to get used to, but I'm happy. I'm still going to use my computer glasses when I have intensive work to do on-line, but I like the fact that I don't have to constantly change my eyeglasses now. 

DH is NOT happy about my return to the gym. He considers it unsafe. He was so angry that he didn't speak to me at all after stating his opinion. I acknowledged his opinion, but said I would continue to go swimming four days a week. I suppose if I catch or transmit COVID to him, then he was right and I was wrong, but I think that being in chlorinated water and one of the first ten people in the locker room helps keep my chances of health fairly high in a not-so-safe environment. I guess we'll see. Have a wonderful Friday and I'll be back tomorrow. 

Finally - Back To The Gym

I checked the calendar this morning (yes, I keep notes of this kind of thing). The last time I was at the gym was on March 14th, more than three months ago. I weighed four pounds less, so my Stay-at-Home weight gain is a total of four pounds if I choose to date it in that way. But more than three months without the gym after years and years of being there at least five days a week is monumental! The world has changed a lot during those three+ months. 

Among many things I try to keep up with are graphic arts and
logos. This "Logo of the Year" by The Typeo is a wonderful
nod to all that's wrong about this year so far. I had to share with
all of you. Of course, it could be better, but it's quite expressive,
don't you think? LOL

I went over to the gym before starting my shopping yesterday. I wanted to walk through the halls, see the new locker-room set-up, and visit the pool. I skipped going into the gym part completely - I'm not going to do floor work, or sweat on the bikes, or do stretching or yoga. I want to get back into the water - my comfort place. I was comfortable by what changes had been instituted. 

The floors and carpets of the gym have a lot of "Walk
This Way" stickers to keep people distanced through
the hallways. They also repainted the walls (a
lovely cheery yellow color on one wall) and
cleaned the carpets thoroughly (they were
replaced last year). 

Lots of stickers telling us where to walk and where to stand, check-in in the alcove entryway instead of in the larger reception area (which is now cleared of the chairs, couches and seating areas it once had), and in the locker room, there were a LOT of changes. Although the showers are pretty much the same, the lockers are severely minimized - large spans of lockers blocked off by zip ties, between available lockers in every space. I can see this becoming a problem down the line, so I think I'll opt to rent one of the 1/2-sized lockers (if there are any available). I checked with the "Powers Behind the Desk" as I left and those rent for approx $9/month - pretty affordable. 

There have been swimmers each day, and hopefully we won't end
up stepping on each other's toes to try and be one of the
elite ten people allowed in for the 6:00 am hour. That's my
biggest fear. I'm still not as fast on my feet as I was in March. 

I ran into a swimming friend as I was entering the Y yesterday. He said they had eight people on Monday and seven on Tuesday and Wednesday. The maximum number we're allowed to have swimming in the pool is ten, so we're OK on population so far. I had a nice long chat with the life guard. It was great to see Beth again - we've known each other for many years now. She reminded me that the ten-person limit is firm, but we're also all hoping that we can expand the hours and the numbers by the end of the summer. She thinks the YMCA system will stick with current procedures until all of their branches have re-opened, which won't be until sometime in August. 

Talking with the life guard, she thinks the outdoor pool won't be open
at all this year. She puts it down to expense - it's VERY expensive to
operate that pool - increased personnel to make sure it's safe to operate.
She said a lot of memberships were cancelled or lapsed during the
past months, so income is tight for the system. 

All things considered, I feel much more comfortable about returning to the water today. I'm still disorganized, but I'll manage to streamline in a day or two of practice. I'm back to waking up at 3:15 am, in the hope that eventually the start time for swimming will be 5:00 am once again. In the meantime, it gives me a chance to have breakfast at 4:30 am instead. I guess I'll live with that. 

Have a wonderful Thursday. Be good to others, stay safe, wear your mask if you're out and about, and be kind. I'll be back tomorrow. 

Practice - Nothing Can Happen Without It

DH always wanted to play the guitar well. He loved, and still loves music, and owns several guitars that are on stands in various rooms of the house. As we were watching the final episode of the rebroadcast of "Country" last night, he said that he had always wanted to play guitar well but ... and then the excuses/reasons commenced. His fingers were too short. His fingers were too fat. He should have tried the mandolin instead of the guitar. Etc, etc. I commiserated with him and then went to bed. Why am I bringing this up? Because the one thing he didn't say was he didn't practice enough. 

Guitars are a beautiful instrument. I have one guitar - not a great
quality instrument, but good enough for my skill level. I haven't
played it for many years, though. I do love a well played guitar, though. 

It's a fact that not all instruments are perfect for all people. I played the guitar tolerably, and the flute horribly, and the cello with excellence. I found my instrument. But I also spent hours upon hours practicing my music, just as I spend whatever time I can spare on my art. Practice. That's the really important stepping stone to progress. You'll only get good when your hands and brain have practiced their dances so that the steps are intuitive. 

Cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason has been making quite the stir in 

the world of top-level cellists. I was never at that level, although 

I did extremely well in High School, placing at the top of my 

age group for the state. I wasn't good enough and wasn't 

driven enough to carry it farther for a career, though. 

There are a lot of really excellent cooks out there - bakers, candy makers, and chefs. I am NOT one of them, but I guarantee the bread I was baking at the end of my sophomore year of college was better than the bread I was baking at the beginning of the year. The recipe didn't change, but after weeks of making two loaves a week, I got really good at it. I didn't have to check my recipe, I didn't have to think about how much to knead the loaves, I just did it, stuck them into the oven, and pulled out two perfect loaves every time. Practice. 

Not every chef has to be the next Gordon Ramsey, there are a lot
of different styles of cooking out there. Practice will pull almost 
anyone out of mere competency to excellence, however, if the
 desire is there. 

It's not enough to just want something. The want has to walk hand in hand with the desire and that desire has to take over a life to the point where every spare minute is dedicated to the goal of improvement. One thing in common for most of the talented musicians we were listening to on the documentary was they started young, and most of them took years to achieve a high level of skill. Years. Years of everyday practice. Years of practicing fingering, trying new riffs, and putting wraps around bleeding fingers. It's the only way. Practice might not make perfect, but it gets a person much closer to perfection. 

Not everyone is a painter or a weaver or a writer. But
if you have a great desire and drive to do one or the
other thing, you won't achieve your goals without
practice. Write for an hour, paint for an hour, draw
for an hour, practice music for an hour,
and do it every day. You'll get better
and better at your chosen craft. 

So today in your life, think about practicing something you want to improve for yourself. If it's music, pick up your instrument and practice for an hour or two. If it's artwork, grab that piece of charcoal or those paints or whatever your media and immerse yourself in art for an hour or two. If it's sports, grab a ball. If it's cooking, start a new recipe. Just DO it. Don't think about it ... DO it. 

Do it! Make it happen! Make the best pie, sew the best dress, or
be a great parent. That takes practice too. 

I'm off to the pool for a second day in a row. I should be doing floor exercises today, but I changed my mind and I'm going to swim instead. I suppose this is one way I practice - I'm there, exercising, five days each week almost without fail. I'm not great, but I'm working on it. I'm practicing. Have a wonderful weekend and I'll be back on Monday. 

A False Spring Hope Falls to Snow

The season, which had been giving us false signals of Spring, came back to Winter late yesterday just in time for our drive home from the shop, and so I awakened to snow on the ground. Knowing it was snowing as we returned home, DH gave me "permission" to leave "bunny tracks" in the driveway as I go to the gym this morning, and I'm going to do exactly that. There's a nice underpinning of slick on the roadways, so the plows have been out plowing and salting to make the roads safe for all (many of whom are returning to work today after a long President's Day weekend). Of course, I was at work yesterday, so no changes for me LOL. 

I used to look forward to February when I was young and
in school. We got the 12th and the 22nd off for the two
Presidential birthdays, and celebrated with food and
valentines on the 14th. That's all changed now - the
birthdays are merged into a Monday holiday, and
food in the classroom is often frowned upon or
even forbidden. Makes for poor memories for today's
kids. 

I'm hitting the pool today, I got one pound of Valentine's Day celebration off me yesterday, but don't want to be on the running track two days in a row. I'm trying to add the pool to my workout routine at least two days a week (until I get my tattoo, when I'll have to stay out of the water for a couple of healing months). I have missed the water and the chats in the sauna afterward to warm up before my shower. I'm happiest when I can swim. 

I fully admit that I love the pool. I have to be a lot more careful now to avoid
straining my rotator cuff, but it's a delight to finally be back in the
water. I have my PT appointment tomorrow and I'm sure Joseph will
be pleased to hear that I'm back in the swimming pool. 

I spent my Sunday working on my Owl project which is coming along quite nicely. DH was glaring at me on Sunday morning as I took my board in hand. "I'm waiting until I see the owl appearing," he grumbled. I immediately set him straight and showed him how the piece will relate to the owls with the centerpiece. He was a bit shocked that I would use the piece, but shy not? I purchased it years ago to use in a beaded piece, and this was the right one for it. I know I'm not showing photos of in-process, but that's the way I work. I have been taking photos, and I will share eventually, but I like keeping works in progress under tighter wraps. 

I know I've mentioned that I adore owls, no old news there! 

I messed up at the cash register yesterday and ended up inadvertently charging a customer $9 for a $30 sale. *sigh* Damned gift cards. The printout that comes from my charge machine when a giftcard has inadequate funds for the full sale on it is very confusing. We've messed it up several times over the years. I really took a hard look at it and determined which total was actually charged, except I messed up. I guess I'm eating this one - bad me. You strive for perfection and swim in the mud instead. *sigh* 

There are places in the world where mud swimming is done, but
I don't think I like swimming in mud very much. I messed up,
though, and I have to live with it. 

On that note, I'm off to commune with water - both frozen on the ground and streets and unfrozen, heated and chlorinated in the pool. Have a wonderful Tuesday and I'll be back tomorrow. 

Project Runway - A Revamp of the Tuxedo

It's Project Runway night and I'm settled in front of my TV, ready to take notes as I watch the episode. As a reminder of last week's sheer fabric challenge, Sergio was the winner with Nancy as a close runner-up, and Chelsey was sent home, with Victoria clinging on by her fingernails. So, who will be sent home this week and what's the challenge? 

Brittany Allen switched up her design after returning
from Mood. She wasn't happy with the colors she had
chosen and tossed most of her fabric. That resulted in
a scant amount of fabric for the pants portion. She used
satin for shorts, and it puckered, as satin often will.
Guest judge Thom Browne suggested she would have
been better off with shorter shorts to make an impact,
and wider lapels were also recommended. 

This week's challenge is to re-invent the tuxedo. I'm going to be very interested in seeing how the desigers step up on this one - tuxedos are basic clothing, but there are so many directions for the designers to go in something that classic. The defining aspect about a tuxedo vs a suit is the use of satin. Eight eliminated designers are back and the eliminated designers, as chosen from the button box, get to choose the designer they want to work with. The models are also a grouping of male, female and other sexual identity people, not just the non-eliminated models from earlier episodes.  

Delvin McCray chose this deep forest green fabric and
accented with cranberry. I was not a fan I didn't have
problems with the long/short look, but I don't
consider it "edgy" either. It's a bit mundane. 

The group hits Mood with a budget of $600 for their two-day tailored challenge. Victoria was the final designer to be chosen and Alan Gonzalez ended up with her. Even in the early design session, Victoria is refusing to work with a partner. This will be a problem partnership. 

Geoffrey Mac decided to stay with his strengths and
designed a jumpsuit tuxedo with satin banding. The
bow tie at the top should have been more of a
string tie, but the outfit worked pretty well. 

Marquise Foster did overlapping quilting
for the entire jacket portion of his tux. He
then paired it with impeccable pants and a
half-skirt. Thom Browne suggested that the
skirt would have benefited from also being
pleated, but it was a strong design (and his
model was pretty awesome - six pack abs -
yummy!). 

Sergio is deciding to switch the tuxedo backwards, which might be quire interesting. Alan is practically chased out of the workroom onto the patio, and Brittany is questioning her rather neutral color choices, but it is what is it. The choices have been made and the designers are working on their paper drafts. The tuxedos have to be precisely tailored, the reason behind their getting help from eliminated contestants. I'm very curious about how the teams will work and how the designs will look on the Runway. Immunity is done, so the winner just gets a pat on the back before everyone is thrown into the pond once again. 

Nancy Volpe-Beringer chose a print for her tuxedo.
The lapels were all wrong for it, though, and they
were quite dated. Additionally, she's done this
pant design in the past. She needs to change up her
designs more, and she needs to work with a
different model than DD. They team well, but
she needs to show more diversity in sizes. 

Sergio Guadarrama wanted to turn the tuxedo
backwards, and even though it was beautifully
sewn and styled, apparently he's never seen
the very well-known Celene Dionne backwards
tux look from John Galliano at the Oscars
of 1999. (Check it out here.) Sergio's look
was nice, but certainly not innovative and he
has GOT to stop with the social commentary. 

After twelve hours and a model fitting, time is called. Tomorrow will be the final fitting and the Runway show. Ooof! A lot of work is going into these designs, and the result will be trimming the field from seven to six. The claws are out - designers are dissing designers. Not to their faces - I don't think they're brave enough to do direct confrontation. But the tongues are wagging and people are talking behind backs - very childish and extremely rude. 

Victoria Cocieru is a bear to work with - everything must
be done by her. Having any assistance is a waste on her.
I liked her tuxedo dress, but it seemed like a bit of
a re-do also, and I'm really NOT liking her personality
and how she treats other people. 

There were some real stand-outs on the Runway, a copy cat, and at least one total disaster. The judges want to talk with each of the designers, and that includes guest judge, Designer, Thom Browne. It's going to be a tight interview and a serious culling of the ranks of contestants. My choices, on the top I'm looking at Marquisse for the win, and I'm putting Brittany on the bottom with a good concept and extremely poor execution and appreciation for her model. Her model looked terrible in her tux and the models need to be celebrated, not torn down, by the clothing. 





SPOILER BELOW.  DON'T READ IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW THE FINAL RESULTS! YOU'VE BEEN WARNED ... 





So, I've had several weeks of nailing the winners and losers, let's see if I manage to nail it once again. I just loved the pleating of Marquise's jacket, and I loved the flow of the half-skirt. I felt that was enough to pull him above the other contenders. For the win, Marquisse pulled it out. I'm quite pleased. On the other side, Brittany is being sent home, with Nancy quite close. 

BUT - there's still a Seriano Save out there, and Christian decided to use it. Brittany is safe for another round in the competition and we still have seven designers for next week's episode. I actually approve of this move. Brittany is talented and I want to see more of her designs. 

So there you have it - even on time today. Have a great Friday. I'm going to try swimming for the first time in almost a year today, so we'll see how that goes.