Apologies!

To all my fans in the KC area, who didn't catch the fact that I was doing a retrospective here! Seems I got people all a-flutter, thinking I was headed back that way soon. Ah, that I could! I would love to catch the MBP reunion happening next weekend.

No no, what I meant was that the next time we talked (meaning, of course, the next time I rambled on endlessly in type and you read or skimmed the blogpost) I would tell you all about the Kansas City leg of my trip, wherein it became every more clear to me that once you have an adorable child (as does my Best Friend in the Entire World, Even England) the laws of physics and gravity and whatnot all go straight out the window.

Everything is centered around the little one. Where to eat, how to entertain ourselves, what we say...The World starts revolving around her. Not a bad thing, just wildly different than Life Without A Child. And honestly, I have no idea how ppl with children survive. After a day and a half I was absolutely wiped out. Exhausted. Waterballoon fights in the backyard? Hours spent trying to finagle a few teeny bites of food into her little mouth when she was otherwise distracted by some fancy artwork or an action packed football game? Painting and cutting and chalk art on the front steps, lots and lots and LOTS of lotion applications (oh boy does that little girl love lotion!). Blinky, whirly, blingy, springy toys. A trunk full of dress up clothes, and a tea set on the drum set. Trips to the park, where we were served handfulls of dirt "cupcakes", and where a giant worm proved far more fascinating (and terrifying) than anything I could have ever imagined:
At times I tried to hide in my room, but even that was useless, as bright and early in the morning the tiny little voice was at my door..."Where's Kewwi? KEWWI!! WAKE UP!" And you can't be mad at her--that's another bass-ackwards law of little people (and puppies and other baby animals)--she's just to adorable and honest and *real* to get mad at. She's incredibly smart, very funny, and generally a very cool little girl. I'm SO glad I got a chance to hang out with her, and I can't wait to do it again...but man, I'm glad I only have dogs and a boyfriend to take care of!

Then again, I don't think the puppies *or* R would ever want to take part in a miniature replica train ride:
I can't wait to go back and see her (and my best friend!) again. . .

Update! And Stuff...

So. In the past two days, Team Fatty has raised over $11,000 for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Not too shabby. I personally haven't contributed a great deal towards that amount, but I have yet to put it out to our online gaming family, or to my hiking/cycling Meetup groups. Must. Push. Moar!

Yeah.

Back in Missouri (Mizzou-rah, or Misoo-ri, or Misery, depending on your regional dialect and/or personal mood), there were Thunderstorms to enjoy, hummingbirds to feed and laptop computers to connect.

I also got a refresher course in knitting, which for some odd reason I've always wanted to learn. Mom has tried on multiple occasions to teach me, but because I am quite unable to pick it up and immediately be good at it, it's never quite caught on. Because there is little to do in the boonies except watch one of the three available television channels, I got quite a lot of practice in while I was there. I even managed to knit...an oversized washcloth? a pint-sized towel? Looking at it again now (I keep it near me at all times, as a reminder of more crafty times.), it's more the size of a placemat--although it is wholly unsuited to that task as it would slide all over the table *and* get horrifically laden with crumbs to boot.

I was pretty pleased with my little washcloth/towel/placemat, and after I got back to Phoenix I promptly went out and purchased some inexpensive cotton yarn with which to continue apace. Thing is, I don't watch much telly here. And it's difficult to knit while sitting at the computer--much more difficult than you might imagine.

And so, alas, my sunshine yellow skein of yarn sits atop my tower, largely unused. I've got about 4 rows of what I'll optimistically call "seed stitch" on the needles, but since I haven't really done anything with them in approximately forever, I doubt there will be much more added to them.

I could seriously open my own shop with all of the half-finished projects I've got laying about.

Poing!

And later, Kansas City, here I come!

Brief Interlude

If you have spent any time around me in the last 2 years or so, you've heard me mention The Fat Cyclist. He is one of my favourite blog writers, he is a cyclist, and his wife is battling some pretty horrific cancer right now.

He's been involved with the Lance Armstrong Livestrong Foundation since her cancer came back, and they have helped immensely with referals, information, and sundry sorts of assistance. There are some really good posts about it, and other things here.

Last year as a community, Fatty's friends, family, and readers donated to the LAF via Mike Levin, who raised over $57,000 dollars for the cause. This year, Fatty has challenged us to create four Fat Cyclist teams (one for each city in which the Livestrong Challenge is held) in the hopes that we will be the biggest Mega-Team with the most gigantic-est funds raised--ever!

So. I've joined the San Jose Team. (They're close and they needed warm bodies!) You can find my donation site here. I know things are tight for all of us right now, but please consider donating even $10. Chances are excruciatingly high that you or someone you love will deal with some form of cancer in your lives. Donations to the Lance Armstrong Livestrong Foundation will enable research to continue towards treatments and cures, as well as provide a strong base of support for people currently dealing with cancer.

Thanks.