Well, my plans to post yesterday were derailed by errands--most notably a trip to the DMV to re-register my car. (It expired two weeks ago! And I never even got a letter in the mail! The DMV in this state is full of slack-ass jive turkeys, man.)

Random notes:

--Colossal thank-yous to the Great Muggle Army for not spoiling the ending of Deathly Hallows before my name makes the front of the queue at the public library! I am too stubborn to buy this book when I got the other six from the library and survived just fine. :)

--I have been the epitome of unmotivated lately, just kind of mopey on the couch (which doesn't stop the knitting, but household tasks and music-learning cannot bear this). And I think I've figured out the problem--um, my back is killing me. It's bad enough to interfere with my singing, a lot. And the Alexander lessons are helping in the long run, but it doesn't help acute pain too much. Massage does not help for more than an hour. Lying on the floor with my head on a thin book seems to work, but I wonder if I ought to try chiropractic. I know a lot of them are flakes and scheisters, but I'm getting a little bit desperate. It's really interfering with my quality of life--I mean, it has for years, but this is getting ridiculous.

--I have been much better about updating the blog, but there are many people--colleagues and old friends--who I really need to email. The Jeopardy! news gives me a window, but still. I think I need to devote myself to writing one email a day until I've caught up with everyone. Some people can get a group email, I suppose, but I'd rather not have to resort to that...

--Helen's pillow is nearly done. I decided to make the half of the back covered by the envelope flap plain black, mostly because it will be partially covered anyway (and partly because, I'll level with you, I'm not a huge intarsia fan--not with this many color changes per row). I'll block it out a bit, then baste the sides together around the pillow just to see where it wants to live--then I'm going to do applied I-cord in light blue around the whole perimeter of the pillow. (I was thinking about a crocheted border, but it's just not that kind of pillow. I haven't decided if it ought to have tassels yet.)

--My next project: the last time I went to R. and F.'s place for lunch, F. was really intrigued by my Reduce Reuse Recycle bag, which I was using as a swimsuit bag. They've just closed on a house less than two miles from us, and I figured the RRR would be fun as part of a housewarming gift. I actually think we need more bags--I've been bringing my own to the store almost all the time now. (We always get funny looks from the people at the Farmers' Market, though. You'd think they would get it more than anybody. Oh well.) Yes, the plastic was hard on my hands, but it's worth it!

--Next on my to-do list: make a new recording! I think my regular accompanist is flaking on me--she doesn't seem as friendly as usual--but I have a few other names I might use. I think for the moment I'll record "O don fatale" and "Mon coeur s'ouvre a ta voix" and hold off on the Wagner for now. And I need an English aria--Dido's Lament is ready but blech, kind of boring. I have this aria from Dead Man Walking that's really simple, but heartbreaking, but I really need to coach it dramatically before I offer it up to anyone. Oh, and La traviata rehearsals start in two months! Have to get that (easy!) music learned as well. No stopping now!

Also--Viewer Mail! (lol)

--Thanks for the aran sweater comments! There really aren't any body-conscious ones out there, are there? Totally weird. There are a few possibilities out there--I could always make one a size too small, and add waist shaping (which wouldn't screw up the pattern visually if the side panels were moss or seed stitch! aha!). And there's a candidate in the new Interweave, though I'd have to take a look at the pattern first (great stuff in there, by the way). Also, it seems like something in Fitted Knits--which I've been coveting anyway--might at least whet my appetite until I develop mad aran sweater-designing skillz...

--Yay Tori Amos! I'm glad I'm not the only one who is so mnemonically affected. Yanno, I haven't listened at all to To Venus and Back in probably six years--I was going through such crazy emotional shit when it came out in 2000 that I've always immediately associated the songs on it with feeling lost and depressed. Which is a shame, since it's a great CD. Well, it's settled--I'm going to listen to it right now! :)