Hello, faithful readers. We’re back from Black Oak Lodge, that wonderful event we love so. Although I did do a lot of work on my banner, I didn’t get as much done as I’d expected, so I’m in a bit of a panic. Right now I’m copy editing, but I’ll be sewing again soon. Just so much going on… Many good things, many fun things, but too many all at once.

It was a good weekend. Good to hang out with good friends, eat good food, have good (if sometimes serious) conversation. I can’t remember the last time I laughed as much as I did at the feast (Albra eating flowers was one of the best parts…!).

Did a bunch more work on my banner. It will be finished in time, although it will take some effort. If only the velvet had worked! I’d be weeks ahead of myself by now. Ah well. Live and learn. As I worked, in between chatting with Ken (who realised that he could enter his already-make gold brocade doublet after he fixes the sleeves, rather than making a whole new doublet for Pentathlon), I thought about stress and all the things I have to do, and why it’s hitting me all now, and haven’t I learned anything? I realised that a good deal of the things normally wouldn’t be hitting at the same time, things I couldn’t predict. Some of them were flat out of my control. So. We make do. We learn, and move on. And we hold in our minds the shining goal of Sarah’s visit, when a goodly amount of time will be spent inebriated, watching Larry’s butt on video. (And the rest of the time will be spent writing a novel, lest I give the impression that we are alcoholic slackers.)

So, it’ll be a busy, busy week. Tomorrow I’ll finish copy editing and finish couching the cord on the banner. Tuesday I’m spending at a spa with Meg—my birthday present, I believe, combined with the fact that I found a large cheque that she thought she’d lost, and this is my cut of it. Wednesday will be banner beading and documentation writing. Thursday will be banner finishing, docs finishing, house cleaning, and another damned dentist appt (but just polishing, so no needles). Somewhere in there I’ll be working on a story that Teresa and I are writing, and working on ALNM. Thank goodness that other than folks coming over for sewing tomorrow night, we have no meetings this week!

I will try, somewhere in there, to say more about the Very Good Weekend.

I had something else to say, but now I’ve forgotten it. I think that’s my cue to go to bed. G’night!