Someone is eating a curried something in the cube farm. I think I'm going to die from the fumes. *cough*hack*wheeze*

Man, that's some potent stuff.

Hubbyfink declared a moratorium on sewing last night because I was so shattered when I got home from work. Today, I am grudgingly grateful for his insistance that I relax. Tonight, though, I have to press my nose back against the sewing machine cum grindstone and finish the machined bits of my yellow gamurra. I'm working from home tomorrow and may be able to sneak in some hand work during the slow parts (ha ha) of the day. Actually, tomorrow shouldn't be too bad. What's made this week so rough is our getting the ducks in a row for the budget presentation on Friday. I don't think I have to be on that call which means I should be able to coast once I catch up on everything that pushed aside this week while I worked on budget firedrills.

God, I hate budgetting.

Last night Bossman asked if there was anything I couldn't do. I had to think for a moment and then said, "I can't wiggle my ears. Or flare my nostrils." When I corrected his spelling on a powerpoint slide, he commented that I didn't have to be so forceful. "Not being able to wiggle my ears makes me mean," I replied.

Only nine more days until vacation. I cannot wait.

wombatgirl was back in town this week and we made plans to go out for dinner on Tuesday. Bossman tried to derail those plans at 5:30p yesterday when he said we needed to talk with our guys in Sydney and asked if I was doing anything that night. I told him I had a friend from out of town visiting. "Does she like budgets?" he asked. Happily, I squirmed out of participating in an impromptu call and raced off to rescue WG from her hotel.

I'm fairly unfamiliar with locations inside the Beltway anymore so we headed back to my neck o' the woods and we dined at Mikaku Sushi Taro in Herndon. Everything was divine and the food gave danabren's sushi joint a serious run on deliciousness. WG was brave enough to order the plum and mint rolls which were a surprising hit: salty plum mixed with a type of mint neither of us could identify (although, catnip kept springing to my mind). We managed to order almost the correct number of rolls this time and may have actually cleaned the beautifully appointed platter.

After dinner, I took her home so she could finally see the "Sauteed Mushroom" brown halls and pumpkin pie ("Hot Toddy") living room. She oohed and ahhed appreciatively in the craft room and snuggled against the remnants of my duchesssimone linens. We've decided that our husbands were separated at birth and need to spend as much time as possible together at Pennsic. We've got our plans for spending time at Pennsic; I'm so excited to see her again in only 2-1/2 week's time! :)

Hubbyfink is watching "Deep Sea Salvage" (which is so appropriate for the HISTORY CHANNEL) and one of the guys was using a cutting torch. The narrator mentioned the temperature of the torch and Hubbyfink said, "That's a mite bit warm."

"Yeah," I respond. "I bet you could make quick work of roasting a marshmallow with one of those."

Of course, Google has failed me because it's not returning any useful hits for how long it would take to melt a marshmallow over a cutting torch. Inquiring minds want to know!

The yellow gamurra is underway. The bodice is assembled and one-quarter of the skirt is pleated onto the bodice. I'm pretty ragged out from work and all the sewing from this weekend and decided that this was enough progress for the evening.

In other news, my boss is still awesome. He's really good about checking in and offering to lighten the load when I feel like I'm drowning. I haven't needed that lifeline for a few weeks, but it's good to know that it's there and that he's concerned about his people burning out.

I had a grand and useful weekend where I painted stripes on the second pavilion wall and completed all the handwork on the blue gamurra. I could stop sewing now and be okay, but I'm going to continue because I'm a glutton for punishment new clothes. Tonight I'll iron the yellow linen and possibly even cut it out and complete all the machine assembly to turn it into another gamurra.

Hubbyfink finished the clothes rack and will possibly start work on the chest tonight.

I could vent/whine about someone who was nasty to me at work, but there's nothing to be gained from that except making myself feel worse. Suck it up and deal. And remember that he's an asshole the next time I have to work with him.

The goose turd green gamurra is complete and hanging in the closet. I have become an eyelet-making machine, rawr. On deck: blue gamurra.

Six pavilion seams are painted. In another twenty minutes I'll return to the craft room for the next three seams.

Hubbyfink worked on clothes rack v2* this morning by sanding down the edges and smoothing the holes for the rod. While the tent dried, I slapped the first coat of stain on the uprights and second coat on the rod.

Hubbyfink has also taken all the hardware off the green chest so that it can be repainted blue. He's going to sand it in preparation for the painting either tomorrow or Monday.

I don't feel cocky, but I think we'll get everything done. We should be hitting Troll about this time in two weeks. Yay!

-------
*Version 1 was made of much too wide boards. Someone thought the rack needed wide boards. Someone else reexamined last year's photos of the borrowed rack in her pavilion and noted that the uprights were much thinner than what we had on hand. That same someone purchased narrower uprights two weeks ago and had the other someone drill all the holes last week.

Peach gamurra and red/gold giornea are complete. Phew. The gooseturd green gamurra is on deck and ready for handwork tonight. The hot pink wool, cocoa brown wool, and yellow linen are laundered and ready for cutting. I'm punting on making a bedskirt and will "recycle" some semi-appropriate-looking window valances for the job (it's so crazy, it has to work! Oh, and being a packrat finally paid off).

A lady in Meridies contacted me this morning to ask if she could use my picture from the Bordervale Keep site for her "garbing the queen-size lady" class at Pennsic. I'm terribly flattered and said yes, of course. The funny thing is that I had already planned on attending that class. Just call me Supermodel of the World. *hairflip* Now where are my RuPaul mp3s?

It's t-minus 20 days until I'm camping (okay, technically, I'll be camping on Land Grab Saturday, but then I come back home for a day or two) and I've decided that I need even more clothes! The proverbial bee got into my bonnet last night and I yanked out the cocoa brown and hot pink wool gabardines which have been "ripening" nicely since last September. (You did know that you have to let fabric rest a bit after it's been shipped, didn't you?)

Anyway, those gabs are destined for a hot bath this evening so they can both become cioppa, a type of Italian overdress. I think my yellow linen will also get a hot bath so it can replace the pink gamurra. There's nothing wrong with the pink dress -- it's a perfectly acceptable soft baby pink -- but my stomach does lazy flip flops when I look at it. Weird. Ooh. I could totally dye it.

After Pennsic.

Of course, I still need want need to do all the handwork on the blue and green gamurre as well as hem all my underbritches and make cushion covers and finish painting stripes on the tent (wall #2 this Saturday and roof the following weekend). Oh! And make some cuffia (Italian coifs). And work with my false hair braids for fake hair taping (I played with that a bit last night when I couldn't sleep and it actually looked pretty good).

Thank goodness Hubbyfink has agreed to take on clothes rack and repainting my trunk duties. He's a good egg.

I thought that Hubbyfink needed more senseless violence after he finished playing his video game and I found Mav TV -- the male answer to Lifetime, I assume -- which was playing "Demolition Dynasty": a behind-the-scenes look at a demolition derby team. There was fire, there was bleeped-out cursing, there was crunching metal. When one of the guys who lost the derby got out of his car and threw his helmet angrily at the windshield and then slammed his fists on the hood of the car, I turned to Hubbyfink and said, "He's got anger management issues."

Hubbyfink gives me a look and explains, "It's demolition derby. What do you expect?"

"That they would do this just for the fun of it," I answered.

He howled with laughter for a good couple of minutes. Boys are weird.

I'm building quite a wardrobe of Italian clothes for Pennsic. I built my first gamurra and giornea last weekend and today I cut out and assembled fabric for three more gamurre. ( Behold! Productivity! )

While I spent Sunday afternoon cooped up in the sweatshop craft room, Hubbyfink worked on my clothes rack in the back yard. I think he enjoyed quality time with his power tools. We just might finish all these Pennsic projects on time.

Hubbyfink and I (and Daddy and Stepmom) just saw the DC fireworks for the first time from Daddy & Stepmom's room on the 12th floor of the Doubletree Hotel, Crystal City. The hotel is at the junction of VA-110 and I-395 and we had a straight view up 395 to the Jefferson Memorial. We were directly across the highway from the Pentagon (I saw the parking lot where we got lost, wombatgirl.) To the right, we could see the Capitol. To the left, we could see the Washington Memorial, the tippy top of the White House, the Lincoln Memorial, the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the National Cathedral, and the Kennedy Center. In other words, we had a panorama of the city. As we waited for the DC fireworks to begin, we saw fireworks bursting from various municipalities along the entire horizon. SO cool!

We flipped the tv to WETA to listen to "A Capitol Fourth" and caught the tail end of Aretha's hatless performance. Then, WHAM! the fireworks started. Our vantage from the 12th floor put us, seemingly, pretty much at eye level with the explosions. I haven't the words to express how beautifully HYOOGE those fireworks were. All the while, the "smaller" fireworks continued along the horizon. All four of us were completely mesmerized. It wouldn't take much convincing to get me to go see the DC fireworks again.

Last night, I was able to watch the Sterling, Herndon, and Reston (at least I assume the other two were Herndon and Reston...) fireworks displays from the craft room. The cats weren't happy with the booms, but the lights sure were pretty.

It was the Basilmonster. He wandered into the craft room while I puttered with jewelry findings during a drying spell and slinked close enough for me to nab him. His front toes and pawpad fur are blue. Sorry, tattycat, I can't get a photo of the evidence. Basil is one of those creatures who is in perpetual motion and nearly all photos come out blurry.

Silly kitty.

I said I was going to paint my pavilion today and I am. So far I have painted two-inch wide stripes along six of the ten seams of one wall. Due to space constraints in the craft room (and the size of the panels in between seams), I can paint only three seams and then I have to break to let the paint dry. After my first break, which was extended for lunch, I returned to the craft room and discovered that ( something extra had been added to one and a quarter panels. )

I think I've been swaplifted and it's ticking me off. The seller had wonderful feedback (and we'd had a good transaction when I sold her a bottle a few months back), but it's been over two weeks since I paid and she hasn't responded to private messages. Grr. Another couple of weeks and I can report her to the swap mods.

I cancelled last night's call because I simply wasn't up to reading ten pages of notes to a disinterested audience. It also didn't help that most attendees of the call are on leave this week. Everybody has the notes in email and they can or cannot read those notes as they please. No skin off my nose.

With my newly acquired "free time", I sewed the bodice lining to the skirt, sewed the armholes and made six of the twenty-four lacing holes. I need to finish the lacing holes so I can don the dress and mark the hem. The dress should be done tonight. I am hopeful, anyway.

I'm also hopeful that I will stop feeling like death warmed over toast sometime this week. I left work early yesterday and crashed out for a couple of hours. Hubbyfink's concerned, but I know it's just a really bad allergy attack (all physical signs point to that, anyway). The Zyrtec will eventually kick in and do its thing. In the meantime, my abs are getting a decent workout from marathon sneezes and coughs. Whoo hoo.

I was feeling well enough to sew last night and I finished the sleeves to go with the peach gamurra. I was too worn out after the sleeves to do any handwork on the actual dress, though. I should be able to finish both arm holes before tonight's call and perhaps even begin tacking down the lining. I doubt I will, but I would like to finish this dress before Friday so that I can focus on painting the pavilion top this weekend.

My dad and stepmom are in town this weekend and we'll get to see the DC fireworks from his hotel room. I'm pretty stoked about that (and about seeing them and showing off the house, of course). Their visit takes a chunk out of project time, but I'd probably be vegging out during that time anyway. I don't expect to pull off any decoration beyond stripes for this Pennsic thanks to my hemming, hawing, and procrastination, but that's okay.

In and around painting, I'd like to make two more gamurras (Atlantian blue and goose turd green), finish the gold and red giornea I've cut out, and perhaps make another giornea. Oh, and figure out headwear. My chin length hair won't cut it for historical hair.

Not panicking. Nope.

Watching "TrueBlood" and then knocking oneself out with a shot of Nyquil.

My allergies went haywire this weekend and I felt awful yesterday. So awful that I came home early despite being in charge. (I still feel pretty bad today, but I can feel the allergy meds starting to kick in.) During one of my lucid points last night, Hubbyfink and I watched this week's "TrueBlood". It was awesome. It was then time to hit the sack with a pre-emptive strike of the afore-mentioned Nyquil.

Only rarely do I get trippy Nyquil-induced dreams. Last night was definitely the exception. I dreamed seasons three through five of "TrueBlood" plus a prequel to "Dark City" (or maybe it was "City of Lost Children"...) and... something else which has now drifted away from my memory. Of course, I couldn't remember any of the details of the cool stuff I dreamed so I can't send Alan Ball the next three seasons of his show. Ratfarts.

tattycat came over for a sewing day on Sunday and we both actually got some sewing accomplished. She assembled two smocks while I machined together my salmon gamurra and cut out the outer fabric and lining for my giornea. Thanks to all the input on my query about attaching the skirt to the bodice, the assembly went fairly smoothly. I just have all the handwork to do on the gamurra now. It went together so easily that I feel confident about knocking out another two or three before Pennsic. Thank heavens I got all that wonderful linen from duchesssimone at Novice of the Heart a week ago!

Aside from the sewing, there was snacking and chocolate cake and pomegranate margaritas (after we declared Sewing Day over) and laughter. There was also a heinous attack of allergies for her, me, and Hubbyfink. Something awful is in bloom right now and the Advil Cold and Sinus is just barely keeping me lucid. Oof. By the way, Tatty, Margie was dead to the world shortly after you left and slept soundly much of the night. Hee!

In other news, I have purchased my ticket home for Bear's birthday at the end of August. I'm going to Memphis on the evening of the 27th and coming back that Sunday. A quick visit to be sure, but it will be a fun one. Hubbyfink will hold down the fort and make sure the cats don't go feral while I'm away.

Baby brother John is nineteen today. I need to give him a good harrassing phone call later. ;)

Jeep repairs/maintenance fell into the four digit range. Ouch. But at least I know she's completely seaworthy roadtrip-worthy again. And it's been a good eight or so years since I last dumped that amount of money into her, so I suppose I was due. I did ask them to check the air conditioning to see what needed to be fixed there. When the guy told me the compressor needed to be replaced, I decided that I could deal with being hot for another summer or two rather than drop another grand.

I spent the rest of my personal day cutting upholstery fabric for a skirt to hide the metal bars of my camp bed and ironing freshly laundered linen. Yay, craft room time! I also spent a couple of hours at salviati's house exploring picture books and tracing a giornea pattern.

I still haven't put paint to pavilion. Hubbyfink and I have been cleaning and organizing the house. I'll be heading back to the craft room in a bit to start work on my first gamurra. So excited!

We've got a call at 9 tonight to go over how to update a system which will automate the provisioning of IP circuits come this fall (don't worry about what that means; it's not important to the story). Bossman asked if I was going to be on the call. When I said yes, he suggested that surely I had better things to do with me time the night before a personal day. Well, yes, I do, but I need to know how the process works. But surely I could get a private audience with someone at a later date, he offered. Plus, he or coworker could go over the process with me if I asked nicely. I finally took the hint and said that I wouldn't be on the call tonight.

I will, however, have my cell on me tomorrow in case he includes me on the transmission project call so I'll know what's happening with that while he's out of the office next week.

alienor gave me five words which come to mind when she thinks of me. ( Here's what I think of those five words: )

Reply with "Words!" and I'll give you five words which come to mind when I think of you. You should then post those words into LJ and explain what they mean to you.

Oh my goodness, it's a two-fer! Happy birthdays, martelvonc and tattycat! *confetti*

I worked on a pattern for the bodice of a gamurra (or, Italian fitted kirtle) last night. My 14th century kirtle bodice pattern was the base. Going off clues in salviati's documentation and kath_a's dress diary, I raised and squared the neckline, widened the shoulder straps, nipped in the arm holes, and snipped away the fabric a couple of inches below my bust. I still need to fiddle with the seams on the sides and front opening because my breasts are being both supported and smooshed. I suppose I need a wee bit more ease across the bustline while keeping the fabric directly below very tight.

I'm a little nervous about construction because I've never made a dress with a waist seam nor have I made a skirt with gathers. Are there any tricks or tips for gathering a skirt? I keep thinking about cheating with elastic (please stop glaring, danabren), but I'm sure there's a better way...

ETA: Okay, so not gathers; pleats. I'd been thinking pleats, but then I read something about gathers and that messed me up. Thanks for the input, ladies. :)

Hubbyfink was disappointed that I took woodworking fun away from him, but I think he appreciated my sweeter mood when he got home from fighter practice.

Bossman approved this Friday's personal day, despite busting my chops for asking for "Friday, July 26" off. Seeing as how he and coworker Rob are both off next week, I chose wisely; I haven't quite recovered from Bossman being out last week. Ah, only thirty more days until my two week vacation. =)

I played about thirty minutes' worth of "Point Lookout" last night. It has a deliciously creepy atmosphere and reminds me a bit of "Silent Hill 2". I really really really don't want to go into the swamp...

And speaking of video games, how did I miss that "Left 4 Dead 2" will be set in the south? You start in, I think, Savannah and fight your way westward to New Orleans. Sweet!

The uprights for my clothes rack are sanded and all holes are drilled. I can't think of a better way to have spent a couple of coolish evening hours in the backyard after a hard and angry-making day of work. I need to get some more stain, slap it on those puppies, and call the project done.

I'm thinking about taking a personal day on Friday and I'll probably start the tent painting. Can't wait!

Now to download "Point Lookout". Mmmm... bloodthirsty rednecks.

I spent much of last night combing the Googleweb for insight into how to build a gamurra and a gironea (your documentation was high on the list, salviati!) and I think I just might be able to knock a couple of these out before Pennsic. I can adjust my fitted kirtle "pattern" into a fitted gamurra bodice, adjust the sleeve pattern a bit, and play with attaching a gathered skirt into a bodice. The linen I'll use will be extremely downscale for my persona, but I'd rather be comfortable than gorgeous. :) And I'll look the part of an Italian person. Whoo hoo! I am so excited about making a new-to-me style of clothing.

In semi-related news, I've resubmitted a name change with the Golden Dolphin Herald. In seven months or so I'll (hopefully) officially be Signora Pippa Morosini; in the meantime, people are getting used to calling me Pippa instead of Millicent. I like it. :)

Hubbyfink and I braved the torrential storms and attended today's Challenge of the Novice Heart Tourney because we're insane and that's how we roll. We visited with thatpotteryguy and jljonsn while waiting for a short break in the weather so we could erect the shade without getting completely soaked. We were all set up by the time tattycat joined us and pretty much decorated when the rain started back up. During the heaviest rain, there was one spot where the rain pooled up and caused a steady waterfall; tattycat moved the chair back from the "water feature" and we called it good. We all got lightly misted, but that certainly beats getting drenched.

The shade got lots of compliments, which tickled me pink, and we enjoyed the company of many, many friends. pirategirleee and I put out a yummy spread of sourdough bread, three cheeses, red grapes, garlic pie, chicken in green (sage) sauce, plump strawberries, cherry bread pudding, candied ginger, sekanjabin and lots and lots and LOTS of water. It was a bounty of food and, happily, many people partook of the nibblies. PG's sage chicken got RAVE reviews, and I wish I'd snagged some of her cherry pudding to bring home. Oh, so yummy!

When the skies cleared, I wandered down the row and found myself pawing through duchesssimone's bolts of fabric. You don't need fabric! my sensible side hollered at me. But I don't have LINEN! my spendy side yelled back. I walked out with five yards each of Atlantian blue, coral, and goose turd green linen. Her Fabricness also had the most amazing silk which would be PERFECT for a recreation of the sleeves and underdress worn by Caterina Cornaro in Gentile Bellini's "Miracle of the Cross on the Bridge of San Lorenzo". ( Nattering. ) Duchess Simone said the silk was very Italian-looking and I agreed. But I couldn't remember in which picture I'd seen fabric like that when I was in her shop and I couldn't think of what part of the outfit had that fabric which meant that I had no idea how much to buy. So I had to pass, but I know where the fabric is located.

Hubbyfink and I pulled the shade down and packed up the Prius in record time. Court was short and sweet with geoffreyapclywd's induction as a Companion of the Pearl and courtney_d_h's husband's inclusion in the Order of the Coral Branch. Hooray!

I made sekanjabin and did the prep work for a garlic pie (making dough and peeling garlic cloves) last night. The antidote to the smell of simmering vinegar is the smell of garlic. The antidote to garlic smell on the fingertips is following up the peeling work with dicing very smokey bacon and getting bacon smoke on one's fingertips. No antidote is needed for smokey bacon.

pirategirleee is making chicken in green sauce and a cherry custard, I think. We'll also have cheeses, bread, grapes, strawberries, and lots and lots of water. So if you're wandering about, thirsty and hungry, at Storvik Novice Tourney/Dun Carraig Challenge of the Heart, please drop by our shade in the Artisans' Row and share our comestibles.

The call that I ran last night took only thirty minutes. Whoo hoo! The call at 9pm was also only thirty minutes. Today's call was only thirty minutes. I think I see a trend, and I like it!

I went back through the Pennsic class schedule today and revamped my personal schedule. I figure I can play hookey from choir for one afternoon and perhaps be a part of the decorative gallery for the St Michaels tournament. Of course, now I need to make something beautiful to wear. Let's see, I've got fabric, inspiration, and time. We're good to go.

I woke up in a rather horrid mood today. I blame the terrible thoughts and dreams I had last night. Methinks I've been playing too much Fallout lately because the thunder rumbles during last night's storm made me think that DC was being bombed and it was only a matter of time before the shock wave and radiation flattened my neighborhood. Hm. I wonder if it would actually flatten stuff this far out from the District. I don't want to show up on some government watchlist by typing "blast radius of nuclear attack on DC" in Google. ;)

It looks like the drought in the southeast US is over thanks to this coast getting the Pacific northwest's weather this winter and spring. I know we'll have fun at Saturday's event but I'm dreading the forecasted oppressive heat and humidity. 87 degrees and 60% chance of thunderstorms. Yay. Let's hope the waterproofing took.

Great choir practice last night, yay! Final choir practice for the summer, *sniffle*. But on the upside, that gives me at least one night a week to work on Pennsic Choir music.

Yeah, I signed up for the Pennsic Choir. I enjoyed having no obligations last year, but there were a few times when I felt a little bored or lonely. Plus, I'm now guaranteed to see wombatgirl for a couple of hours every day. :)

Hubbyfink and I pulled the shade fly indoors yesterday. It's still a little slimy and a bit stinky but at least it's not getting rained on all day today. I'll work from home tomorrow and Friday and throw it over the fence again if there's a clear spot in the weather.

Coworker Rob and I stamped out a bunch of small and medium-sized fires this morning. This week has felt especially crazy and not just because bossman's on vacation (except it's turning into a working vacation for him; he was on email and conference calls all yesterday, poor guy). Friday should be especially fun since both of my coworkers will be out. Last (wo)man standing, indeed.

Back to that old grindstone. The meeting notes for tonight's call won't write themselves. *sigh*

Hubbyfink and I retired at a scandalous 9:45 last night. He read parts of a couple of books and I slogged through The Dogaressa of Venice, 1200-1500: Wife and Icon. There are some absolute gems of information in there, but man is the going slow. I find myself daydreaming and drifting into la-la land and then I have to reread an entire page. After reading a single page three times, I decided it was time to sleep.

Oh, but no. I tossed. I turned. It was worse than "Cats". I slipped out of bed for some quality time with the 360 around midnight. Three hours later, I'd completed "The Pitt" DLC for "Fallout 3". It probably wouldn't have taken so long if the darn console hadn't kept freezing during the big, intense battle. Oh well. At least that part of the game is over and I don't have to play it again. I enjoyed "Broken Steel"; I hope that "Point Lookout" is as good.