Slug report

For years the radio came on at 5:30 am. When I retired, I tried 6 and then, finally settled on 5:40. This is mainly because the NPR station does local news at 5:40. Last night I set it for 6:45. I woke up at 6:10 and then snoozed until the radio came on. It was really nice! I felt more rested when I did get up.

Computer checking, etc. and then up and dressed and out of the house at 7:15.

First issue was I forgot about one intersection which is a giant bottleneck then. Had I turned left instead of right coming out of the garage, I could have skipped it. Next time. The trip to the gym was a little more congested.

The pool was not. One lane taken until about my 45 minute mark when all of a sudden it was standing room only. I still got my swim in so it was fine. The pool is not available from 9-10 so as long as I'm out before 9, it will be fine. Today I was out at 8:40.

The traffic home was still bad but not nearly as bad as yesterday. One of the regulars who has to take the bride every day like me had an excellent suggestion this morning. She said to check the ferry schedule. Folks take the ferry in, go across West Seattle and get on that same bridge - in droves. So I did check it and it looks like it will be wise to avoid the top of the hour, 20 after and 40 after.

Planning...

I just got a text from Goodwill that their linens are 30% off today. I've really already got plenty of fabric but sometimes they have the cutest pillowcases in the world and bed linens make the best doll fabric. But, I really do have enough in house. But, then... I saw a Tweet from the Goodwill advertising Halloween. I know from past experience that if I want anything there before October 31, I'd better go now.

So, when I finish this entry I will go to the Goodwill, then gas/car wash, then Grocery Outlet.

It feels like I am four hours behind instead of one. But, it also feels like it doesn't matter which is good because it doesn't!

Massive score

Errands all done. Gas in the car. Dirt off the car. Then Goodwill. The nice lady was overwhelmed with my pile and forgot to give me the 30% discount which is, frankly, ok. I consider it a donation to one of my best charities.

I scored a lot of really cool fabric but this is my favorite:



It's a whole pillow case - probably a dozen dolls worth. Pink ponies. The best. My Goodwill purchases always draw a crowd. Everyone always wants to know what I'm going to do with all those pillowcases. It's fun.

Then on to Grocery Outlet where I did remember avocados. They had a new batch - bigger ones. But... they had Meow Mix cups which is Zoey's favorite right now and Vaselene Spray and Go for $4. (I have 2 of those in my Amazon cart right now - Amazon wants $7.50 for each... DELETE!) But best of all... BEST... they had quarts of Ben & Jerry's cookie dough for $3! QUARTS for $3! I limited myself to 2.

So I feel quite productive. I need to put crap way and maybe get a little lunch and then get to sewing.

Here's a bear I finished last night.



HOLY CRAP!! THIS was just on twitter.



15 year olds were just being born the last time this happened. We probably won't make it but still ... this is pretty amazing.

What's in a name?

I got an email from a high school friend today and she used my high school nickname that I have not heard in about 50 years. It cracked me up and turned on the thinker...

I was born Susan Karolene (sounds like gasoline) Schubert. My family called me Susie. Everyone else called me Susan. Until high school where adults called me Susan and my friends called me schubieschubiedoo or just schubie or just doo. I left schubieschubiedoo in North Carolina when I went to college.

I went to a school outside of Pittsburgh. I was the only student from south of Northern Virginia. I was the only student from the South that most of my fellow students had ever met. It took them about 2 minutes to tag me with the nickname of Sugar which they pronounced mostly Sugah in their 'Southern' accents. I was there for 4 years and most of the people I met never knew my name was Susan.

I had a gynormous battle with my editor when I got my first newspaper job. He wanted my byline to be Sugar Schubert. I said NO. No. NO FUCKING WAY. No. I told him I would write not stories if that was the byline they were going to use. I finally wore him down. And Sugar Schubert was pretty much buried forever. Whew.

But Schubert was an issue. Everyone spelled it Shubert. Those who saw it but never heard it, couldn't pronounce it. Sumpert, Sufford, Howdoyousaythat? So when I married Bob Dennis, I grabbed Dennis. Which turned out to have issues I never imagined and still don't really get.

Even today when I extend my hand and say "Hi, my name is Susan Dennis", more often than not, the response is "Hi, Sandy!". It used to be that the sharper folks would say 'oh wait, no Sandy Dennis is that Wheat Thins lady, isn't she'? Er, no. Sandy Dennis was an esteemed broadway and movie actress. The Wheat Thins lady was Sandy Duncan. These days no one remembers either one of them but they still call me Sandy.

In the 80's I had a job doing marketing for a performing arts theater in Charlotte, NC. TV stations back then were required to include a certain number of public service information in their newscasts every day. My non profit theater qualified and was way more fun than horrible disease non profits. So I was on TV a lot. The guy at the keyboard would ask me to check my name as it would appear and I'd check and it would say Susan Dennis. And then I'd sit down for the interview and the interviewer would say 'So, Sandy, tell us a little about Spirit Square's upcoming season!' That happened more times than not.

I dropped Karolene when I got divorced so now I'm Susan NMI Dennis and I'm ok with that.

Dolls du jour. Zoey wouldn't move.