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Mar. 3rd, 2026 11:38 am
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[personal profile] kareina
 Spring is certainly already here—when I got on the bus this morning, the entire front window upstairs was covered in a thick sheet of ice, from melting snow hitting the window and freezing again, as temps were just under freezing.
 
icy windows
 
However, by the time we were in Umeå, and hour and a half later, the temps were above freezing, and the action of the windshield wipers had taken away all of the slush so I could see out the window again.

Friday!

Mar. 2nd, 2026 07:40 pm
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[personal profile] koshka_the_cat
I was going to leave on prep for my eye specialist appointment on Friday, but decided I'd rather just take the whole day off. I think that's best. No stress and rushing. Plus, sleeping in!

A new banner started

Mar. 2nd, 2026 09:41 pm
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[personal profile] kareina
 After work today we started a banner for Camp Northern Lights. We already have the entrance banner, which says "Camp Northern Lights, Everyone Always Welcome", and this time Keldor wanted to communicate that without any text. This might do it: A Sea Reindeer, sharing a drink with a Unicorn, followed by a trumpet-playing rabbit serenading a dragon, with the help of a bagpipe playing cat, followed by a flaming fox-duck chasing a snail, wearing a sombrero. The Unicorn's rainbow tail will continue behind the rest of the creatures, and, overhead, a dark blue sky with Northern Lights. It will be interesting to see if we can pull this off.

Banner sketch

Sigh

Mar. 1st, 2026 01:16 pm
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[personal profile] koshka_the_cat
It's supposed to get to 85 today. I'm so tired of perpetual summer. But climate change isn't real...

fighter training and travel booking

Mar. 1st, 2026 09:24 pm
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[personal profile] kareina
 I started a new project this morning. I am sewing myself some yoga blocks. Yes, this is a sewing project!
 
I didn’t have yoga blocks when living with David, so we cut a couple of pieces of thick wood that, while no where near as thick as a normal yoga block, was better than nothing. This morning I did a strength and flexibility hip stretching video that suggested holding a yoga block between the knees and squeezing hard. I cannot recommend doing this with a solid block of wood instead of a yoga block.
 
So I decided to take some of the adhesive foam Keldor has and add padding to the sides of the blocks, which made them as thick as a yoga block.
 
 yoga block


side view
 
But that texture wouldn’t be pleasant to touch, so I took some of the scrap leather from the couch that came with the couch and cover the blocks. This adds some stability to the foam, but I could see that they wouldn’t stand well on end, so I cut even more foam for the ends, and that seems to help, though now they are longer than a traditional yoga block.
 
in progress
 
I managed to get that project well started before Aeirin arrived, and then made some good progress sewing on it while we talked and before armouring up. My first time in armour in weeks!
 
We took Aeirin’s armour home after Coronet two weeks ago, as she was travelling by train, and while it is possible to take the armour that way, it isn’t pleasant. We had planed to do a fighter practice last weekend weekend she came to pick it up, but she came down with a cold, so we rescheduled to today.
 
I learned that yes, my armour would have been ok to fight in the tournament, while it has plenty of problems that need upgrading for comfort, there are no broken bits that would have failed inspection.
 
I learned that when I feel stressed and afraid the my opponent might hit me I forget everything I know about stance and footwork, and lean away from them.
 
I learned that I really need more time in armour for conditioning training. I was the first of us to give up, with the (true) excuse that I was super hungry, but I was also just plain out of energy.
 
Now I am (over) fed and should go pack my armour, which is scattered all over the entry area, and not nicely in its box.
 
Hours later… I have attended Nordmark’s annual meeting over zoom, updated my food logs, and just as I was about to leave the computer, Keldor said, “let’s look at flights to Strawberry Raid”, and then bought us tickets, with a week before the event there, where we will (hopefully, if the timing still works for her), visit Tania and Mike. So now I have updated the calendar with all of the flights, and updated my financial records for the bookings, an now I really will go pack that armour and get ready for bed…

But...

Feb. 28th, 2026 06:22 pm
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[personal profile] koshka_the_cat
The world is falling even more apart, but my mom and I saw Spamalot today which was a very welcome and diverting two hours! I had seen it before, but the shortened for Las Vegas version, and a very long time ago. It was highly entertaining!

Also, the theater had booster seat cushions. My mom noticed another short woman with one and sent me to get them. Very comfortable and it was easier to see! They fit perfectly in the seats and my little feet dangled like I'm used to...

Not the adventure we had hoped for

Feb. 28th, 2026 11:02 pm
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[personal profile] kareina
 We slept in this morning. I woke a bit before 07:00 to pee, and grabbed a small clementine to eat with my morning vitamin, and went right back to bed and slept for another hour, by which time my hips were aching, so I got up and did some pliaties.
 
We played a game of Qwirkle over breakfast, and Keldor proposed a plan for the day. He wanted to head to Umeå and pick up some fish for his aquarium, and whilst there we could do other errands. Second hand store, swing by my office to print a few thing, stock up on stuff at the grocery store. It was a good plan.
 
We left the house just after 12:30, a bright sunny day, with temperatures at + 3C, the first day this calendar year above freezing, but the new snow we had this week meant that it was a beautiful drive.
 
An hour later we approaced the roundabout at the north end of the city, discussing which order made the most sense. University first, or second had store first. 
 
The car choose for us. It entered the roundabout, must have liked it, because we heard a loud clunking noise from the engine, and the car ceased its forward momentum. Keldor was able to pull right up to the centre of the roundabout before he lost the last of the glide. 
 
From these symptoms, we assume we no longer have a functioning drive shaft, so I went through the insurance web page and ordered a tow truck, and we waited as traffic circled around us.
 
One car driving by paused to ask if we needed help. That was nice of them. Eventually the tow truck cane and took the car to the shop, and a taxi took us to the University, but with only enough time to drop off a couple of things to leave in the office and use the loo before heading to the bus stop. I considered trying to do the printing, but decided I didn't want to risk missing the bus, as the next wouldn't be there for another hour.
 
So, no errands for us today. The shop isn't open till Monday, so I won't know anything about prognosis before then. 
 
The project I took with me is a bit of mending, fixing sleeves on my blue sweater with the worn out cuffs, using 3 nålbindning stitches to one cuff rib. 

starting sleeve mending
 
Between stitching as we travelled and then curling up on the couch at home, I managed to finish one cuff, and make a good start on the next.

cuff
 

Long day

Feb. 27th, 2026 06:56 pm
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[personal profile] koshka_the_cat
Work, every other week protest, then I helped my mom find a place she needs to go, then made dinner. I'm glad it's the weekend!

A mental health day

Feb. 27th, 2026 10:23 pm
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[personal profile] kareina
  A little new snow to shovel today, this is two days in a row, it looks like winter has finally arrived, while friends in southern locations post spring flower photos. Indeed, I walked out into the side yard today to take a photo of the attic window to include in asking for an estimate to replace it as part of the [[Create an attic bedroom]] project, and, for the first time this year, the snow is deep enough that I got snow on the knees of my trousers, as my feet sunk deeper in than the height of my boots.
 I was so out of energy yesterday I took yesterday and today off of work. Boy did that decision pay off. I took a 1.5 hour nap after breakfast, and then did lots of tasks that seriously help my metal health:
 - tided away all of the clutter that has been accumulating 
 - washed the bedsheets 
 - washed both of the cat water fountains
 - started cleaning and inventorying the store room in the basement where we keep the home improvement supplies. Got the paints completely inventoried and found the missing silver paint, so now I have completed the test painting to compare the gold and silver over the chocolate brown paint.

I am feeling so much better!
 
Poor Keldor though, got his thumb too close to the sanding machine today and took a pretty serious chunk out of his thumbnail. Ow.
 

Pattern gluing...

Feb. 26th, 2026 05:48 pm
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[personal profile] koshka_the_cat
I took advantage of a cat free area and glued the 30s dress pattern together at work. I did part Monday and part yesterday. I'll bring it home tomorrow. The skirt is large and awkward. I held it up to me and it's almost ankle length. I think the seahorse dress skirt was almost ankle length too. I'm so short...

I worry about myself sometimes...

Feb. 25th, 2026 05:59 pm
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[personal profile] koshka_the_cat
I left work a little early to pick up the school credit card.

There was a note on the district office door to ring the doorbell and stand with your ID showing, and call if no one comes. I pushed the big glass circle, I pressed the box below the circle. Neither felt pushable, but I tried. Nothing happened.

I called. I spoke to someone who wasn't there who called someone to let me in.

Then I noticed a very obvious round circle beneath the the glass circle. Clearly the doorbell.

The woman who came to the door asked why I didn't push the buzzer. The woman who gave me the credit card asked. I just said I don't know what happened, I tried pushing it. Which is true. I didn't feel like I needed to explain that I pressed the lens and a random box

Oh, oops? 😂

quick catch up

Feb. 25th, 2026 11:01 am
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[personal profile] kareina
Bussed in this morning for a meeting that didn't happen. but while on campus, I printed my favourite image of St. George and the dragon to use as a reference image when decorating my Camping loo in progress (However, this is the first time I have considered drawing the dragon, and not just the bliaut, so I never noticed before that there are two dragons in this image!). Then I caught the next bus home, because I could

Posting this from the bus, because I can. Know that even though I haven't posted here often lately, I have been continuing to write at least short posts in Obsidian on my phone, but not finding time to copy them here.
Today I managed to use the computer to push the last handful to my blog. So, rather than doing lots of post-dated posts (like I did last time I needed to catch up), I will just post a bunch of links, and you who are curious about what I have been up to can click through:

If you do click through, and you feel inspired to comment, be welcome back here for that part. If there is a way to have comments in GitHub pages, I haven't learned it yet.

Ugh

Feb. 24th, 2026 07:15 pm
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[personal profile] koshka_the_cat
I'm still a little sore from the not-an-accident yesterday. I can't imagine what an actual accident must feel like.

I've wasted too much time looking up other cases of automatic braking braking unnecessarily. The internet is full of anecdata on it.

Anyway, my already long following distances are getting longer because I'm worried about other people's cars getting confronted with fluttering objects and stopping. Which probably means more people will cut in front of me. Whatever.

I'm kind of surprised how much this has gotten to me. Sigh.

So

Feb. 23rd, 2026 04:25 pm
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[personal profile] koshka_the_cat
Remember how on Friday an actual car pulled in front of me and I had to slam on the brakes and the automatic braking system was all meh?

This morning, a small yellow plastic bag fluttered in front of my car, the auto braking started beeping, and the brakes slammed so hard that my things flew everywhere, coffee spilled, the Jeep behind me nearly rear ended me, and flung me forward enough that my hip, back, and shoulder hurt. I was so flustered with the force and the beeps from the car and all the cars beeping at me that I couldn't even figure out how to make the car move for a few moments.

I'm seriously considering trading it in for a ten to fifteen year old car. Except I also don't want ten to fifteen year old car issues. That's why I got this car.

Anyway, it was a long day and I'm happy to be home and still have the heating pad on my still sore shoulder.

The first thing I did when I got in my car on the way home was turn the auto braking off. I don't think I'd feel safe in a car with it again.

Weekend...

Feb. 22nd, 2026 07:00 pm
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[personal profile] koshka_the_cat
My only goal this weekend was to look for my missing car charger, which should be in my car. I didn't. It was a very relaxing weekend!

Too short though. The last two were three day weekends, as all weekends should be.

I think...

Feb. 21st, 2026 05:26 pm
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[personal profile] koshka_the_cat
I think I got a new best time on the Sunday crossword, 16:36. Once it glitched and I got a time of 14:53, but that puzzle was probably half an hour. Last week, I finished in 14 something, but it took three minutes to find a typo.

I don't play Wednesday through Sunday for speed, but I do try for a new best time if it's going quickly. I'd really like to get a real best time for Sunday though!

Huh

Feb. 20th, 2026 04:30 pm
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[personal profile] koshka_the_cat
I nearly got into an accident on my way home from work. I was turning left onto a side street with a green arrow. One car was ahead of me. An idiot red car on the opposite side of the intersection decided to turn right and went between me and the other car. I slammed my brakes and hit the horn so hard I could still feel the pressure in my hand ten minutes later. I'm lucky no one was behind me.

My car didn't yell at me that there was an obstacle in the way. Huh.

Boo

Feb. 19th, 2026 08:18 pm
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[personal profile] koshka_the_cat
Stupid little cold or whatever I have. It's been low level, I thought I was getting over it most of the week, and I am, but it's a little less low level than it was. I've had a whiny 2026 so far.

Temperature

Feb. 18th, 2026 07:04 pm
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[personal profile] koshka_the_cat
The temperature at work continues to be awful. After the last few days being in the 50s inside, today the heat came on and heated it to 73. 73 isn't bad, but the amount of blowing heat to take it from 55 to 73 is awful. At least I have a fan.

Hopefully tomorrow will be tolerable

Hat!

Feb. 17th, 2026 06:46 pm
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[personal profile] koshka_the_cat
My 30s hat came today and it's perfect! I think it's new old stock. Now to start thinking about making the dress...

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