empty hammocks, full airplane seats

We’re leaving Cozumel today, returning back to the cold of the midwest winter.   I’m hoping to bring a little bit of sun back with me, for that mild winter that the National Weather Service seems to predict, but the Old Farmers’ Almanac refutes.  It’s a little hard to pack in my suitcase, though.  Sun is an illusive thing, even here in the Mexican Carribean.

I’m ready to be home.  I’m ready to eat on my own schedule and sleep in my own bed, and do all the things most familiar to me.  I miss tripping over cats as I stumble to my first cup of coffee in the morning, and I miss being able to drink water from the tap.

Mostly, though, I miss all the people who make home really home.  I have stories to tell, a project to show off, and muchos besos y abrasos for everyone.

Our flight should arrive in Chicago at midnight.  After a night’s sleep, and assuming everyone gets up and going nice and early, we should be home by dinner.

I miss you all too much and will see you all when I get home again.  Saturday morning coffee just isn’t the same without you.

Agave tequilana de Azul

We went on a tour of a small tequila plantation yesterday as part of our travels yesterday.  It was very educational.

First of all, if it’s got a worm in it, it’s not tequila, it’s mezcal, which is made from the green agave plant, not the blue agave plant.

Secondly, pardon my bluntness, but after tasting good tequila, it’s my newly informed opinion that Jose Quervo has more in common with horse piss than it has with good tequila.  Good tequila, like good brandy, is warm and smooth going down, not like turpentine.

Thirdly, anyone who likes a good brandy or port and says they don’t like tequila, has never had truly good tequila.  I’ve drunk my share of lime flavored turpentine over the years, and I’ll never do it again.   Having had the good stuff, presented after a tour given by a jovial tequiiero, I’m too spoiled to ever drink bad tequila nor present bad tequila to others to drink.

I’m bringing home a bottle of some lovely, better than ameretto, almond flavored tequila.  If you ask nicely, I might share a sip.

looks like paradise

Happy Thanksgiving from paradise.  Have a safe and peaceful holiday everyone back in the States.

Today we’re going on a tour of the jungle.  Hopefully I’ll get some good pictures to share.

the view from here

Missing home terribly, despite the view from here.  Isn’t that always the way?

I’m a wanderer
so let that be my name –
the first winter rain
- Basho

clouds breaking

Cloudy skies or sunny ones, I’m ready to be gone on vacation.  See you when I reach my destination

Before this autumn wind
even the shadows of mountains
shudder and tremble

– Issa

a maple leaf clinging to a branch

The wind has taken on a definite chill.  Winter is trying to blow it’s way into the heartland.  As much as I enjoy the cold, my thoughts are somewhere else.  I’m a leaf clinging to a branch, knowing that I’ll soon be blown away from my home to far off places.

I still have so much to do to get ready for the trip.

The housesitter has her instructions. The tickets are printed and tucked next to my passport.  My projects are printed and the yarn and hooks and needles are tucked into travel bags, waiting. Tonight I pack the bags.

Tomorrow after work we load the car and head out.  It feels like it won’t come soon enough.

Apparently Big Tobacco is trying to develop safer cigarettes. That’s right “safer” cigarettes.  Not alternative income sources that aren’t harmful to consumers.  “Safer” cigarettes.  Because people need a way to continue to feel that smoking is okay and they don’t need to quit.

Because I like watching my father, who has mild emphysema, and my mother, the asthmatic, light up and further deteriorate their health.  Because the tobacco farmer depends on them smoking, since there aren’t other uses for tobacco leaves and there aren’t other crops with the same income potential, possibly because big tobacco is single minded about promoting cigarettes.

I’m trying to figure out what to take along with me for travel projects on my upcoming trip.  I’m pretty sure I’m going to take yarn and a crochet hook for a pair of crocheted socks.  I’ve heard stories of knitting needles in carry-ons being confiscated on trips to Mexico, so better safe than sorry.

I think I’m going to try the Ultimate Crocheted Socks out of some variegated green yarn in my stash.  The yarn artist is Kathy at GypsyKnits.  She’s got some interesting coordinating sock yarn in holiday colorways this season.

leap frog sock yarn by Kathy at GypsyKnits

For actual knitting on the beach, I think I’m going to print the charts for whatif knits Pangea shawl.  With nothing else to do, I think I can finish completely on the beach.  The yarn for that one is from my favorite yarn temptress, Brooke at ThePaintedTiger.

Merino tabby yarn in the Country Roads colorway

I had a guest in town this weekend and tried to work this weekend, so I got nothing relaxing done.  No walking. No photography.  No knitting.

where did the time go?

I did sneaking in some playtime on my stupid computer game, but that wasn’t relaxing, either.  With the new update, there’s character leveling to be done again, and everyone’s in the same areas of the game competing for the same resources.   Fighting with several hundred people for the same few things isn’t my idea of fun, so I probably won’t even play for a while, until a few more people get through the introductory things in the new area and the competition thins down a little.

It feels like I lost the whole weekend, though.  Given that I’m leaving for a vacation this Friday, that’s not a good thing.  I had preparatory things to do both for the trip and to get the house ready for it’s house sitter while we’re gone.

I’m not sure where the time is going to come from to get everything done now.  I just know it didn’t come from this weekend.

Okay. I know I said I probably wasn’t going to talk about nanowrimo this year, but I might as well admit defeat right now.

epic fail!

My job, which I try to keep out of this blog save in the most general of terms, requires me to work longer hours to meet an upcoming deadline.  There’s not going to be any relief on this deadline. No 11th hour reprieve from the governor.  No miraculous appearance of a thireenth man to save the day.   No one coming to my desk and yelling “Psych!” and telling me they were just kidding.  I have my assignments.  They must be done.  I’m the only one to do them.

The same thing happened last year.  I’m seeing a trend, at least in my department.   November always ends up being the busiest month of the year because people suddenly realize that December is almost here and it’s difficult to get anything done over the holidays. Because of that November is not my nanowrimo month.  There’s too much going on at work in for that to happen.

That said, at least I still have a job.  There are far too many who don’t and don’t have any prospects in the current financial climate.  If keeping my job means failing the official nanowrimo and never participating in official nanowrimo again, it’s a price I’m more than willing to pay.

I’ll try again another month.  Maybe this December.  I hadn’t gotten much anything written anyway.