Swan Song for Coffee

Not something I really wanted to give up, even though for about 3 months I've been all about the giving up. No wheat, no sugar, no half 'n half (argh - was that tough), no potatoes (not as hard as I thought, that one). But Coffee? Geeeze! But, it seems to irritate my bladder (sorry for the candidness of the thing) so much lately and I noticed it most when we had to stop at every single rest stop between S.F. and Seattle (remember the one-ply paper? Just doesn't cut it!). So....since I'm a huge Assam tea drinker, I'm busy NOT giving that up as hard as I can while I give up coffee. Maybe eventually I can have a cup of coffee a month as a special treat or something eventually. Maybe.

Good thing we had that Dye Day on Saturday because it's been bucketing down ever since. Now this is my idea of great weather, as I have Summer S.A.D. and can remember having it since I was about 6 years old - but, there's a lot of moaning and whining around town as if this didn't happen every May and June.

Went to the doctor for a blood draw today and had a great chat with a Filipino man in the lobby (while I waited the de rigueur 45 minutes past my appt. time). He taught me a Tagalog word for knitting. Can't find it in any Tagalog dictionary on the net so I'll "phoneticize" it for you - GahnCHEELing. Isn't that a cool word? If I had forgotten to bring my knitting in today for what was supposed to be a super-quickie 15-minute "just a blood draw" appt. I would have been fried. Knitting is such great anger-management for me (waiting and wasting time in places, listening to conversations that get me riled up, loud people on cell phones, rude people, etc. etc. etc.). DID find out I've lost 27 lbs so far. Anything over 15 would have made me happy - high expectations are the death of the long-term diet.

Got stalled on the Oregon Cardi by missing one decrease and - head not working - had to rip out one row to figure out how I did (or didn't do) what resulted. Have added a Truly Tasha shawl by Nancy Bush for mom (garter stitch city - great edging) to the INcoming projects, ripped out the mystery baby item that I had made a hash of by mixing up all the wrong colors together, restarted on ONE variegated colorway of Koigu, and am ready to charge ahead on each one.

David is off to S.F. again to start work meetings with a new client. Packing conversations..... "Where are all my socks?"
"Weren't those them on top of the last batch of clean laundry?"
"Yes, but there were only 87 pair there, I know I have more than that - where can they be? This won't last me on the trip."

I go to the computer, find the only socks on the planet he will wear - have a heart-stopping moment when it looks like they no longer make them in grey - find them, and order 87 more pair.

"I ordered you a bunch more socks."
"Oh......good. You know that polo shirt with the stain on it - well it didn't come out - it's toast now, I can't take it."

Wait 'til I've dropped him off at the airport. Go home and order 6 polo shirts in assorted non-stained colors.

The man has a hard time finding shoes he likes, or that are comfortable. Doesn't realize the world of retail only keeps styles of anything for about a month, then (other than on eBay) will never have them again. When he finds a pair he decides are great, I say (as any intelligent middle-aged woman would) buy TWO pair, get more than one color! "No, that's silly, I can always come back" (in six months, yeah, right). So he leaves town and I sneak back to the store and buy the 2nd pair, or if I hear him bemoaning his shoe fate 3 months later when he realizes his world will crumble once these shoes are gone and not to be found again - I go to eBay, start a definitive search until I can locate the exact shoe in the exact color. But now....there's a new problem since we last returned from India. He won't switch over to the 2nd pair! Him, "but these are so comfortable - I just can't give them up." Me, "Yes, that's why you BOUGHT those shoes in the first place - the 2nd pair will still be comfortable, really!" Him, "but there's still a little wear left, they don't look that bad." Me, "The stitching is starting to pull away - besides, you walked through Monsoon rains in those shoes [you'd be appalled at what floats around in Monsoon rains in a country without much indoor plumbing] and remember? You barfed on them in the Amsterdam train station when you got food poisoning and it took me all night to clean them up because you hate germs...remember that? Him "silence.....more silence."

So, it was just a typical "been married for many years but from different planetary systems" chat.