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I have a theory that more people would be excited about participating in our representational democracy if there were more cupcakes involved. Sadly, I didn’t have a chance to make any cupcakes for my coworkers to enjoy, but I DID make the chance to vote first thing this morning. I love voting! even when I’m not excited about the choices, it’s exciting to vote!

I really really heart my Gramma:

I had a wonderful, difficult, and draining trip to TN this weekend. We worked so hard to pack up my gramma, and she’s driving down with my aunt and uncle to Georgia today. I will have more to say about it, but phew! am back at work and have lots of things to do. boy howdy.

I had a really super weekend. very busy. am very sleepy, but am having a hard time making myself totter off to bed.

* friday I drove into brooklyn for my friend jenn’s birthday party. it was wonderful – one of those adult parties that is super fun, and where all different areas of her life showed up and made lots of good conversation. I got there around 8 and was shocked (shocked!) when suddenly it was 11 and I had to dash. I was picking up ranger (rachel) at the train in prep for our:

* sat. at the sheep and wool festival. it was so nuts! rachel and I had secretly thought that sarah, being, you know, pregnant, would not be up for a long day. we were so wrong. we met at 10 and didn’t get out of there until 3:30. and then there was fierce traffic. but I had a good time, super good! and bought some fibery stuff. yay.

* sat. night was the alumni art auction and casino night. it’s always a stellar good time. my skirt went over very well, and all the dealers at the craps table were totally flirting with me (hee!) and therefore I didn’t bust out of my fake chips at the very beginning when there was an unprecidented run of bad shooters.  I bid on art but didn’t win anything. it was great! also, paula came, and then I suggested we hit kareoke afterwards.

* kareoke afterwards! I sang private dancer and jolene, two of the saddest songs ever. it was so fun. I caught the 4:30 bus home. am very tired today.

* I did manage to get moving in time to meet rachel for marie antionette this afternoon. we brought cupcakes from the cupcake cafe in with us and the movie was pretty great. not as punk rock fun as I thought it would be, but still very good. and GOSH but versailles is a ridiculous place!

* tonight I made me some dinner and read a book. and goofed off. am going to sleep right now.

last night, as per my “week in advance” plan, I went home and got ready to make a new skirt. and by got ready to make a new skirt, I mean read a book while enjoying a nice cup of soup and cheese and crackers for dinner. When kathleen called at 9:30 I was so embarassed! I saw it was her and thought “oh no! I’m in for it!” she gave me a hard time, but while we were on the phone I laid out my pattern and cut the pieces and marked them. it took me about 2 1/2 hours (and that’s finishing every seam neatly) but I finished!

here’s my messy messy work area:

look! I even basted in the zipper! don’t I look THRILLED to be following the pattern to a T? the zipper did come out awfully nice, I must admit. I don’t know if it’s nicer than it WOULD have been, but that’s ok.

and the skirt:

this was a dry run for my anticipated silk and tulle skirt I want to wear to the casino night I’m attending on sat. it’s the same pattern, but I wanted to do it first on some sturdy materials so I wouldn’t mess up any flimsy silk. tonight I’m going to stop by the rag shop for thread and a zipper and black muslin if they have it, and then home again to whip up a slip with tulle edging. then I’ll see how it looks with skirt #1 (currently wearing), and then proceed with skirt #2 in the silk.

Michelle and Gabbi and I went to see chihuly in the bronx botanical gardens. Like I’ve mentioned before, I’ve been trying to see chihuly for a while. The biggest challenge (besides the bus being ultra slow, us missing our planned train, and worrying that the timed entry tickets wouldn’t be valid) was saying ChiHULY and not ChiLULY. I know, it’s the little things that are the most difficult.

it was a seriously beautiful day.

there were a lot of different things to look at…

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• Monday: gym and therapy

• Tuesday and/or Wednesday: gym, cut and sew purple skirt, start on pretty silk/tulle skirt. Issue: need to finish skirt before friday b/c I want to wear it on Sat., and Friday and Sat. are booked up so no last minute finishing of garments (Kathleen will be so pleased to see the amount of future-planning involved here!). Also, Tuesday and/or Wednesday: potentially dining with friends Paula and Sara? TBD.

• Thursday: Guest lecture in Cooper Union transportation class (leave work early, class is at 2-5) on the subject of “alternative transportation planning processes.” yoga in PM if I’m back home by 8:30.

• Friday: Morning meeting in the field, staff meeting at lunch, evening birthday party in Crown Heights, meet Rachel at Port Authority afterwards to come home to NJ.

• Saturday: sheep and wool festival with Rachel and Sarah (it’s her birthday next week, so we’re having girls day!). Then Cooper Union Art Auction and Casino Night, wherein I will wear my new pretty silk/tulle skirt.

• Sunday: brunch? sleep? gym? Knit corn baby!!

I really love this self-photo – I’m not sure that it looks like me, really, but wow!

I got an email from kevin, an old coworker, asking if anyone would like to go to the jets/dolphins game today ’cause he had two extra tickets. Well, I wasn’t sure about the game but I did call him up this morning and made sure he’d be there, and then I hopped on my bike and rode over to the stadium for tailgating! it was SO Much Fun. I was all smiles the whole way there! I had forgotten how awesome it is to ride a bike somewhere – how satisfying it is to power yourself to a destination, and how fun the trip is. I might be crazy, but I also love the interaction on the roads with cars. maybe it’s the punk-rock speaking but it’s exciting and dyanamic and nothing makes you feel tougher or more awesome than passing cars as they wait in traffic to get into a football stadium.

I DID get a lot of comments about “auntie em” (I understand the reference, but not quite correct), mary poppins, nice socks (pink and fushia stripes – a piece of safety clothing!), and some whistles of the wicked witch of the west theme song. but I got a lot of smiles, a few “smart idea!”s, and some thumbs up too. and I made the 3 1/2 mile ride there in 20 minutes or so, and probably 30 minutes on the way home (it’s mostly downhill there, and I had a stiff headwind on my way back). it is a beautiful day here in NJ today – cool and sunny, and I brought my headwarmer and wore my mittens on the way back.

So very excellent. really awesome. I’ve been telling Kevin I’d meet him there for the last 1 1/2 years, so I’m super glad to have done it.