Author: Allegra

Born when atmospheric carbon was 316 PPM. Settled on MST country since 1997. Parent, grandparent.

Arrived safely at Seatac Holiday Inn

I’m registered under Rivett if anybody cares.

Ziva performed like a champ, and purred as she clicked over 300000k.

I am very happy to be here.  Now I’m going to have a bath and soak my poor aching back and select what tracks I’m going to attend.  Woot !  I am here!  People recognize me! I’ve worked out the chords for Blues for Dumuzi (Nancy Freeman song) since I got here.  All my clothes are put away and the music stand is up….

sundry oddments

Jeff is laughing at Margot who is playing with plastic bags he’s brandishing as he does the garbage.

Nominating committee meeting last night.  Things gelled and we got stuff done and I thank them all for forgiving me. I was wandering off getting daughter Katie her money for rent (I was thinking of what a stupid thing this is to say publicly but I had a reason for being late for a meeting I was hosting!).

Work continues to be interesting, challenging, stimulating and that little bit shy of flat out overwhelming.  My boss dragged me into an interview yesterday, but don’t worry, he didn’t have to damage the carpet, I love interviews.  I probably wouldn’t if I had to do more of them, but I want to head crap off at the pass and being present at interviews is one of the fastest and cheapest ways of doing it.

I am not at all well prepared for Conflikt and I’m being all anxious about the border crossing.  It’s LUDICROUS.  Really I should just prepare for sitting at the border for a while.

So I’ll pack in the morning and get there about check in time.  Hope Ziva behaves.

Whadda weekend

Saturday was running around and working on music and then at four pm Paul and I went off to join Tom and Peggy and Cindy at the housefilk at the home of Michael and Susan, who PUT ON A FEAST OF HOBBIT PROPORTIONS and hospitality likewise, and greeted our every song with warm demonstrations of happiness that we would come into their (unbelievable, amazing, fabulous) home and play LIVE MUSIC with a BASS and MANDOLIN and duelling 12 strings.  Like that.  We sang and played for six hours and then talked politics and honestly, if I didn’t have to make soup the next day for church (which didn’t work, but fortunately the loaves and the fishes did their things) I wouldn’t have wanted to leave.  SO many beautiful books on the walls, books to the ceiling, books up the stairs. Ah, me.  Felt like home, anyway.

Then Sunday where we went to Kobatfalva in our minds, which is our partner church in Romania.  They are amused to know that we are rich and have no church, and they are poor (I mean subsistence farmer poor) and have a bell tower on THEIR church (which we helped pay for, mind you).  Then a 3 hour congregational meeting which I won’t talk about because I’m still processing. I also made biscotti and brought half to church and half to work.  Ministry, folks, it’s all about ministry, and ministry without food is no ministry at all.  Primates is primates.

Figured out how I’m going to frame the 13th February homily.  Bwa ha ha is all I will say.   

Then I cleaned up the kitchen so Jeff won’t go BLEAUGH when he gets home from Victoria today, and went to work.  Not a restful weekend, but a good one, and my back is KILLING me with those stupid chairs at church.  Grr.

A reminder

Sometimes we need somebody to relight our candle.  I was able to do that for somebody recently and it didn’t take anything from me, but it had a very heartening effect on someone else, thus the happy feeling I have today.

We watched a wonderful little movie last night called The Last Word.  Sometimes you see a movie and it fits the psychological moment you’re in perfectly, and this was the case.

Singing and churching this weekend, but first, brekky for broter.

Snow day

Didn’t go into work until noon yesterday because, with the weather, in my estimation it wasn’t safe.  So I have MUCH MUCH TO DO.  I think an early trip in to work is in order.

A strange cat came into the house yesterday and I helped Eddie evict it.  Never heard Eddie make that noise before.

I pulled a cat sized ball of fur off Margot yesterday because I finally got rid of the knots in her armpits. Now Her Explosive Fluffiness has taken up her usual spot (the single most travelled part of the upstairs hallway, where she manages to block three doors at ONCE) and is making her weird breathy burbling noises.

Tomorrow, housefilk.  Sunday, church and soup lunch and congregational meeting.  It will not be a restful weekend, which is a shame, because I really need one.

Keith has good taste in friends

I was exhausted from only 4 hours sleep the night before, so I crashed out early while Chris was here.  He seems like a very intelligent and observant individual, now in the long recovery from a classic Mennonite upbringing.

Now I have work to do before I go to my paid employment and I am in serious denial.

Also, what the hell is falling from the sky?  Stop snaining, or whatever the hell that precip is.

Comings and goings

Keith’s friend Chris is coming over this evening to watch Rocky Horror Picture Show, or something else if that works.

Jeff is humming Black Sabbath and trying to prevent himself from tripping over “the Muffin”.

Butter chicken is simmering on the stove; work, which I had been dreading, is turning out just fine, and I am a valued member of a high functioning team and OMG so happy.  It’s bad, but it’s good, if you know what I mean.  I so respect my colleagues and their humour and effort, and my boss is working himself up into Best Boss Evar range.

Later on I have some church stuff to do.