So Many Things

There are so many things on my To Do Before Being Back on the Boat list that I'm feeling overwhelmed. To ward off panic, I make lists, so here I give you the things I'd like to accomplish within the next 10 days:

• finish and put up an updated version of my Beribboned Wrists pattern
• finish and put up for sale the first in a series of (hopefully) five sock patterns following a particular theme
• work out the design for the second sock pattern in the series
• work out a non-sock pattern (gasp!) to submit to KnitPicks (my first official submission, double gasp!!)
• clean things
• organize my desk
• play with horseshoe crab data/work on science publication
• plan a camping trip with the Fiasco
• go camping with the Fiasco
• search and apply for jobs
• search for a new apartment

That's a hefty list, all of those things take quite a bit of thought/effort/time. Sigh. It's true that none of them must be done before I'm back on the boat, but if they aren't done by then, odds are they won't be done until July because I am absolutely wiped out by the 14-hour field days and I become completely useless in my downtime. In case I haven't mentioned it here, the new apartment thing is because my dear Fiasco landed an excellent job corrupting enlightening the scientific minds of 7th and 8th graders about an hour away from where we currently live in the fall, and my seasonal job is over in August, so looks like we'll be moving again once I figure out where I'll be working next. (Anybody need a knitting ecologist? Talk to me!) Moving always stinks but it's a great job and I'm super proud of him, so I'm excited. :)

In other news, I've been making a concerted effort to exercise every single day, and it's been working well this week (it's only been a handful of days but it's something). I like being active but exercise is usually the first thing I cross off when I'm stressed or have a lot to do. I'm trying to change that and be better about setting aside time to work out parts of me that aren't my brain. Today's exercise adventure was a lovely little 2.5 mile jaunt in the woods for an hour or so after work:

I met a little snake friend. (That one was for you, Rich!)

I saw pretty flowers, I think this is in the laurel family? According to wiki it's toxic, and a common name is 'lamb-kill'. Not cool, pretty shrub, not cool.

I just love the light in the late afternoon...

I would've liked to have stayed out longer but it was getting dark and I was starving so I was forced to leave, but I have a feeling I'll go back there often. Then I came home and made absolutely fantastic crepes filled with asparagus and peppercorn-encrusted goat cheese. If you've never made crepes before, you should, they're super easy and delicious and make you feel like a culinary rockstar. Good times!

So, this entire random post was designed to distract you from the fact that explain why I haven't been knitting much: I'm doing too many other things! Also, the joints in my hands have been hurting quite a bit lately, even ones that weren't attacked by the blue crab, so I don't know what that's about. But I have done a little bit of knitting:

CY Traveller, colorway I-don't-remember-but-I-know-it's-the-horseshoe-crab-Bugga-equivalent

That's the start of the design I'm going to be submitting to Knitpicks. The photo doesn't do the yarn justice, there's a wonderful depth of color going on. Sadly, that's probably the last you'll get to see of this project for a while since it needs to remain a secret for now. Wish me luck!