So it’s been a while…

Haven’t had too much to say, as I’m keeping up with my GoodReads, Instagram, and Ravelry accounts, so this year that’s taken a huge chunk out of what I had previously been filling this blog out with. I will still do a post on 2021 in Books, like I did last year, so expect that in a month or so. I’m just one book shy of the year challenge I set on GoodReads for 2021, which was to read 30 books this year, so I’m really happy about that. Taking the time to start some larger books with the cushion I have, so they’ll count towards next year’s challenge (which I’ll probably set to be 40 books… yeah, I like reading :3). [Edit: finished all 30! Page of 2021 in books here]

But there is stuff that doesn’t go in those accounts! So, what have I been up to in these last months?

In October the World Wildlife Foundation hosted a step challenge, which was a lot of fun, and I realized gamifying walking was perfect for me. I found the Conqueror Virtual Challenges, and have been doing those since. I did their Road to Hana challenge over five weeks, and just recently finished it. I’m now doing their Angkor Wat challenge over a week. It works out to a little less than 3mi/day, which is going well.

I’ve done a bunch of Stitches at Home online conferences over the last several months; I’ve taken classes on different types of lace, a couple techniques known as miters and entrelac, one on edgings and joins, some really great stuff. I’m so glad I found the community. One particular more intense course that I took was on making Fair Isle Sweaters, which started now a huge project [I’m going to make one for my sister :)]. (Later ed: they hosted a little social hour Friday evening, since there wasn’t going to be a full-blown event in December, and it was so sweet to see faces of women I’m slowly getting to know.)

I went to my alma mater’s Reunion weekend back in October (it was my “10 year” reunion with some fudging — I was class of 2009, took time off and so didn’t graduate until 2010, and since no reunion was held last year they lumped all of the ‘#0/’#5 reunions in this year). It was incredible. First reunion I’d been to, and it was really heartening to just spend some time on the campus, attending lectures/panels/etc, wandering around…

Halloween was the following weekend, and I dressed up as “the Dark Web” (draping some lacy black fabric around my shoulders, wearing all black, and with some black cobweb makeup on). Went to a party that a college friend was hosting, made brownies topped with caramel for it; one of the best nights I’ve had this year. That was one of my first since-the-start-of-the-pandemic outings.

For several weeks in November (wrapping around Thanksgiving, which this year also happened to be an aunt’s birthday), my parents and an aunt came out to California to visit with me and my sister. Lots of playing cards (my favorite favorite card game I know as “Bid Euchre,” I grew up playing it with my grandmother, lots of great-uncles and other maternal family members), traveling around the Bay Area (Half Moon Bay, Santa Cruz, Sunol, Arastradero, Pillar Point, etc, and the rest of the family also did stuff while I was working, like visiting Muir Woods), and just generally spending time together. Also my sister dyed a streak of our aunt’s hair blue for her birthday [it was her 71st, so she wanted to do something a little crazy 🙂 she lives in rural Louisiana, so it’s not something seen around there all that often]. One of the best Thanksgivings I’ve had, and Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. So, it was quite something.

Been paying more attention to my hair as I start to venture out in public more; I’ve been really frustrated with how frizzy, curly, dry, and generally unmanageable my hair has been for years now, so I’ve been playing with it. I got highlights in early October (they look awesome!), and started experimenting with flat-ironing my hair (currently: I love the way it looks, but I’ve got so much hair it isn’t something that I realistically do very often; I did it for that Halloween party, and a little bit every now and then just to get some practice doing it). And I discovered the wonder that is leave-in conditioner. Currently using Tresemme Pro Pure Leave-in Conditioner, but I just kind of defaulted to that as a basic brand I recognize. Going forward I’ll probably experiment with others once I get the hang of using it.

Anyway, hope you’re all having a great holiday season! Bye~