Focusing on the future!

Again, what a while it's been since I've posted, so what all has been going on. The sad news---I did attend the services for my colleague who passed away. I have to say, though, that it was such a celebration of his life---and such a life well lived---that I'm glad I was able to attend. If anything, I wish that I'd known him better!


Another effect memorial services almost always have on me is to remind me of my consistent, but not consistently acted on, resolution that I should get out there more---take more risks, pursue more passions, walk down the "road less traveled" a little bit more often. "Life rewards action" at least one TV psychologist says, and although I'm not a big fan of TV psychologists and pundits in general, I think that's true. 'Course, sometimes life rewards action with a kick in the teeth (is what the TV pundits forget to tell you in their bestselling self-help books)! But I guess that's the risk you take. I read somewhere recently that human beings tend to regret more what they didn't do than anything they did, and I think that's true, too.


So this would be where I tell you about the latest risk I took......yeah, that's what I mean by not consistently acted on! I do have one risk I'm proud of, though. I volunteered to write a patient information article for work, despite the fact that I haven't really written in a while and don't regularly write as part of my job. I was a little nervous about it (ok, ok, I was really quite nervous about it!), because there's always the chance of messing it up royally and having the powers that be above me decide I'm an idiot.


So I'm pleased to say that, although it's still going through channels (and may be completely unrecognizable by the time it arrives at it's web-based destination), thus far it's been met with compliments and, even more tellingly, only minor edits. So, score one for the postive power of risk!


Another event I'm excited about, not that there's any risk with this one, is my attending the Maryland Sheep and Wool festival this coming weekend. This will be my first MS&W, though I've only heard good things from the knitting friends I'm going with (who are old hands at it). I'm excited about seeing more things that maybe haven't been available at the knitting-focused events I've attended thus far, but I'm also trying NOT to go crazy. In an attempt to limit my "spending like a drunken sailor" I'm again making a shopping list:

• a niddy noddy


• hand cards (maybe---I think; I still have probably 2 lbs of Coopworth fleece from the breed swap to process, but am I really going to be ordering a lot of raw fleece?)


• roving (no, I don't need more roving....but....well....I'm going to a fiber festival for heaven's sake. Of course I have to buy some roving!)


• a spinning wheel (yeah, not exactly a little purchase! Well, at the very least, I'm going to test drive some wheels)
• spindles? I'm keeping my options open. Because it's not like I don't have quite the collection of spindles already, but, again, see "fiber festival"

Now what are the chances of my sticking to that already generous list? Somewhere between "slim" and "no chance at all" I'm thinking.

In other news, the tote exchange III has finished, and my pal swears she likes the tote I made her! With everything going on in my personal life, I've decided I can't help host again, but I have signed up to participate. Because I really enjoy making totes, and I really enjoy seeing what totes other people make for me!
I'm also working steadily, if slowly, on my scarf for the International Scarf Exchange IV. I need to get the camera out and I'll post pics and more on how it's coming along.