Laurabelle's Blog

Sorry, I haven't been writing at all regularly this summer. This is a general update on various subjects.

Since summer quarter let out, I've been working during the week and having fun on weekends. Some of that fun has been playing Civilization III, Colonization, or Alpha Centauri, since I don't have time to play those during the normal year. I normally don't like playing obsessively, and I would never want to live the life of a constant gamer. On the other hand, it's an occasional pleasant escape, especially if I'm not neglecting more pressing responsibilities. I let Jeff copy my CD containing Loki's Linux port of Alpha Centauri and Alien Crossfire, since Loki has been dead for several years. I feel lucky to have my own copy (honestly purchased) and therefore feel little guilt for pirating the software of a company whose sales wouldn't help it anyway.

I've been knitting as well. A few weeks ago I finished the scarf I was making for Jeff (the hat was done back in July), and then I worked on the washcloths I was making for Allison and Brian (my cousin and her new husband, whose wedding was in August). Now I'm starting on Christmas gifts, and it's really none too soon. My habit is to knit during my daily commute to and from Issaquah, so I get a good bit of time in, but what I'm making for Lori is a rather fiddly affair that gets me into trouble when the bus hits a bump, so I dislike working on it when I'm not completely stable. That one may take longer to complete than other projects, simply because I have specific requirements for working conditions.

Speaking of making things, I wore my yellow taffeta Elizabethan garb to arecent SCA demo. Demos are the closest to ren faires that the SCA ever gets, and as this is a fundraising event for Madrone as well as for the church where it is held, Dieter and I went in order to help out. I wasn't particularly useful, mainly because of my clothing (which was designed to be beautiful and inconvenient), but I sat or stood around and tried my best to add to the ambience. One woman wanted to take my picture, and another pair asked questions and let me geek Elizabethan clothing at them, which was quite nice of them.

Since I finished my Braille class earlier this summer, I've had two assignments, both from a recent J.A. Jance novel called Partner in Crime; I had chapters 11 and 21. I finished Chapter 11 in August, printed it out, and sent it in. Joyce proofread it, marking the mistakes, and sent it back to me with my next assignment. I dutifully corrected the mistakes, but when I tried to print it out, my printer wouldn't respond! It wouldn't even make any noises when I opened the cover. It was as if it suddenly had no power at all. I switched the plug to another socket, but no luck. Delilah got power from any socket, but the printer didn't. What a frustration! I didn't know what to do, since I don't have room in my budget for a new printer, and I wasn't sure this was something that could be fixed. And then lo and behold, last week I took a shower and came back into my room to find the printer making self-check-up noises like it does when its power comes on. The shower is on the other side of the wall where the electric plug is, but I don't know how or why that has any effect on the power supply. It's strange, but I won't worry too much about it unless my printer stops working again, and even then I'll know that at least my printer isn't broken.

I've gotten back into cooking in the last few weeks, after a hiatus in which I made beef chili a few times in a row, just because it's tasty and I was too tired to think of anything better. The first week in September, I made chicken parmigiana, chicken and dumplings, and cheese soup. All three were lovely and delicious. Last week I made chicken and dumplings again, as well as pesto. I had never made pesto before and was very pleasantly surprised to find that it's as simple as throwing everything in the food processor and turning it on. I'm an instant convert.

All in all, I'm very much enjoying my vacation, although I am also looking forward to fall quarter starting and to my new and fascinating classes.