Now blogging at http://caitymakes.com
You are currently browsing the monthly archive for March 2008.
Today I started the medically supervised weight management program. Thank goodness I get to have 2 cups of veges + 90 grams of protein a day – otherwise all those milkshakes would make my teeth ITCH for something solid!
I’m really tired, though. Expect a proper post tomorrow, k?
SO! As Di and Sue have already blogged, we went down to Brisbane on Saturday for the first meeting of 2QAQ – the Queensland Quilters Art Quilters group. And met up with several people who I only knew from email or blogs; and one that I’d known when she was posted in Canberra with the Army (and she’s still as full on and a little bit scary as ever!)
It was lovely to meet Linda – and next time I’ll have some ATCs ready to swap. And the meeting was chaired by Sue Dennis – I’ve admired her work for ages.
2QAQ is already planning a juried quilt exhibition, as well as a journal quilt project, so that gives us a couple of things to work on. I’m looking forward to going to the meetings, I might even *gasp* take my turn DRIVING into Brisbane!
I’ve also joined the main group of Queensland Quilters – so maybe I’ll even have some quilts in their show this year (October).
Before the meeting, we stopped in at The Quilters Store in Auchenflower – which was worth the trip by itself! I didn’t buy much, really – two more King Tut threads – one in black/white grey for the Miranda sewing theme bag, and one in greens and brown for Maria’s Chocolate PaisleyMiranda.
I also bought a new unpicker (since I have worn mine out! Does that tell you much about my sewing skills, hmmm?) and an awl – both of which were about half what I’d pay in Toowoomba. Somehow I don’t think it costs $7 extra PER UNIT to ship a seam ripper up the hill, do you? AND THEY WONDER WHY I DON’T SHOP LOCALLY!!!
Then this evening I had a dinner out with another person I didn’t know before – Jenny, a member of the Southern Cross Quilters, who is currently in Toowoomba for work, but normally lives in Melbourne. There were some awkward silences, I think…
( I am NOT good at social stuff – arrrgh!)
I don’t get out much, so two lots of people things in two days is something exceptional for me. I discovered that Toowoomba on a Sunday night is CLOSED – even the convenience store was closing at 8 pm when we popped around to buy eggs for Jenny’s breakfast! Seriously, she’s been told all these horror stories about “Don’t walk anywhere in Toowoomba, even during the day” – huh?!? We were the only two people on the street, but it didn’t feel unsafe.
I do not understand this town.
Anway, it’s bloody cold here – the current temperature at the airport weather station is 13.7 C (12.5 with the slight wind chill); in reality it’s 9 degrees outside and about that inside our bedroom too – which is about what we’d expect in the absolute middle of winter, not at the start of Autumn.
I’m off to bed… and tomorrow I see the dietician and start on the weight loss program….
IwenttoBrisbanetotheQueenslandQuiltersArtQuiltersmeetingitwasfabulousIhadagreattimebutnow…
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Ok, well it might not be a “adventure” to you, but for me it’s a big deal: I’m going to this tomorrow with my friend Sue. And we’re allowing plenty of time so we can go here.
I got peopled-out while window shopping yesterday at Grump Central – got home and collapsed into bed a 4:30 in the afternoon! Slept right through (apart from a nearly 2 hour long phone call with Maria) , and then slept again all day today – I was exhausted.
In other news – apparently cloche hats are IN IN IN this season – HOORAY! They are my favourite ever style of hat (although I will have to work out what to do with all my hair – how do I make a neat low chignon??) . I’m a hat person, and am seriously considering making a cute little cloche to go with the brown outfits. (Or not so little – on fatchicks, it’s all about proportion, after all….)
And the January Burda World Of Fashion magazine had a double page spread on hats – you know, I really REALLY want to do a millinery course sometime. [click to see larger image - it's worth it.]
Speaking of fat chicks: I had my official medical for starting the weight loss thing. I had to sign forms saying my doctor had explained to me the risks of gall bladder, cardiac, and other problems that could be unmasked by weight loss; and that I understood that my hair might temporarily shed more, that I might be hungry (!) and that this is a drastic decision and I HAVE to consume the required amount of calories and especially water; also that if for any reason I need emergency surgery while I’m on the initial (up to 13 weeks) part of the plan then the doctors HAVE TO BE TOLD so the IV fluids compensate; and that my usual medications will have to be even more closely monitored. Eeeks!
So – regular blood and urine tests, weekly visits with the dietician, sessions with the psychologist – on top of my normal rounds with my GP, the pain management specialist, and the physiotherapist. Maybe the idea is to keep me too busy to think about food??!
But it’s this entire re-programming thing, or resorting to gastric surgery – and I don’t want that. So the doctor did all the necessary checks – blood pressure (both sitting and standing, because apparently this sort of weight loss can trigger orthostatic problems – ie, you fall down when you try to stand up); a measurement of electric impedance (tells you fat/water composition, apparently) etc.
She also warned me that any initial loss would be water weight, as my body tries to regain its equilibrium. (Why did the !@*&)#s at Weight Watchers NEVER say that – instead they made you feel like a failure when you couldn’t match that intial loss each week??)
It’s genuinely scary. This is not your regular faffing about diet, this is SERIOUS. I have to do this.
Are very difficult to photograph!
It looks quite greyed out here.
The close-up is better for the real colours:
I spent last night doing this:
So later tonight I might even *gasp* cut into the fabric! (but only if the tissue-fitting goes well… otherwise it’s back on the table for more alterations…)
So, I went to Gardam’s in between doctors appointments today. You know that skirt from the January Burda? I got the DREAMIEST already patch-worked linen on a cotton voile baking (so no lining needed, yay!) – it has wool inserts and various textures – I love it! I’ll show you a pic of the finished skirt as soon as, ok? (Unless you’d like to see the material uncut?)
It’s dry-clean only – I can’t even REMEMBER the last time I bought fabric that needed dry cleaning – come to think of it, I can’t remember the last time I took anything to a dry cleaners.
I can’t believe this though – it’s BROWN!
Do I own a single pair of brown shoes? Umm, nope! Well, I guess that’s what I save up for next. And I bough a beautifully subtle poly herringbone (that looks like fine wool, but at about a third of the cost) to make that Butterick vest pattern…. I figured if I was going to go with the brown skirt, there was no point in going halfway!
This is especially amusing to me after buying fabric to make Mum and brown bag, and now Maria’s chocolate/green/teal bag… brown is CATCHING!
And Mr Beloved was only saying this morning that “Those ratty old t-shirts have GOT TO GO, Caity, they are NOT flattering.” So yay for the sewing bug making a welcome re-appearance in my life, eh? It’s partly inspired by Sue, who is doing WONDERFUL things; partly by re-reading back issues of Threads, and also looking atErins’ A Dress A Day blog, and swooooning over her use of Liberty fabric – which I can now save up for and lay-by at Gardam’s – yay!!
I’ll be off to curse at the overlocker (serger) later tonight. I know I can get it sewing a nice three thread edge once I have it set up….
BUT – look what else Gardams just got in today! Sue and Di and Faye and Jan – and any other Toowoomba Quilters – you have GOT to get down there and grab some of this, it’s too too wonderful…. from the Loralie Designs “Sew Fancy” range:
[click on the thumbnails to see much bigger images]
Sewing Machines
Scissors
and Mannequins, Oh MY!
And what am I doing with this – Yep, you know it – another Miranda bag! (possibly the most useful bag pattern ever – and the easiest to make, because of the care Joan Hawley has taken with her instructions. I know I rant about it but truly – it’s that good!)
This time I’m going to make the longer handles and only use it to cart stuff back and forth to quilters. Makes sense to have a dedicated bag that I can just grab and go, I reckon.
Also, Toowoomba girls – call up Gardam’s and tell them you want to come to this: 
I’ll be there, it should be a fun night!
[Mum, anything I should be looking out for, since now we're BOTH sewing in brown?!]
later edit: Mr Beloved commented:
It should be noted that Caity is not paid or otherwise induced to rave about Gardams.
It should also be noted that “Ewan Gardam” anagrams to “A mad, new rag”.
Pretty impressive shop, though.
… that I got through all of Easter without a skerrick of chocolate in the house.
But if the Lindt bunnies are marked down at the shops tomorrow, THEY WILL BE MINE! 
Especially YOU, dark bunny, Muaaa haaa haaa.
That there’s newspaper speculation over whether Nigella is curvy or frumpy? YOU HAVE TO ASK?!?!?
She is a GODDESS. An hourglass shaped goddess. With three kids (ok, only two she birthed, but still) and a husband and a business and you want her to look like WHAT, exactly? Sheesh! She is not a 17 year old (or for a longer in the tooth model, see Kate Moss – ugh!) string bean, she’s a gorgeous, middle aged, talented, busy woman. And yeah, we could all use some firming up and strength training (as my discussion with the physio made clear!) and so she’s booked in with a personal trainer – good for her! If I had her money, so would I.
Helen Mirren. Judi Dench. Nancy Pelosi. Even OPRAH, for gawdsake – women who are WOMEN, dammit. I am so damn tired of society’s all consuming (ha! NOT!) passion for pre-pubescent figures.
(If you have a naturally slender figure, pleas understand this rant is not directed at you. Although you won’t be coming shopping with me anytime soon, ok?)
…”forward projection”. I call it a bloody brilliant “sheepdog” bra: round ‘em up and get ‘em heading forwards!
Yep, after the AGONY (and sweat – ugh, is it just the physicality of trying to get bras done up, or is it the whole nerve-straining experience?) of trying on over a dozen bras…
SUCCESS!!
Three new bras – all the same style – two in “toffee” (a not totally disgusting beige, as pictured here) and one in a very pretty (but less practical) sky blue.
The Fayreform “Charlotte”. Padded straps – oh, bliss! Full coverage! Less jigglement!
Most of the other bras I tried on had an unfortunate tendency to squish my boobs towards my armpits. And while my boobs do like to lie down and sleep there at night, by day I want em paying attention and looking straight ahead, thank you very much!
Even with the embroidery, this bra doesn’t look like”I have lichen growing on my boobs” under a t-shirt (and a big thank you to DebR for that memorable phrase!)
And Mr Beloved, bless his cotton socks, went out a got me a full length mirror. (altogether now – awwwwww!) so in a little while I’ll go have another try at that pattern.
If it turns out that the bra doesn’t fix the whole issue, I have found the pattern alteration solution in a back issue of Threads - gee I love their online index! (If you’re interested, it involves measuring the bust point and drawing a line from the mid shoulder down to intersect half that measurement, on a line parallel to CF – aren’t you glad you asked?!)
Then I got to go to playgroup (quilters!) for just a little while… before rushing off to the physio. Who was super nice and HELPFUL – turns out the wee problem? Is connected to the hip problem; the hip problem’s connected to the ….spine problem, the spine problem’s connected to the fibromyalgia, (are you humming along yet?!) … now hear the word of the specialist! Dem Docs dem Docs gonna…. DANCE around….
Yeah. So in fixing each little bit of each thing hopefully we’ll get to a healthier whole. EVENTUALLY. And there’s also the small matter of using better strategies for both my brain and my bladder. We’re workin’ on it.
And now – got the new Burda WOF in my hot little hands (the January issue – with this skirt – at last!) and all the fabric for Maria’s Miranda bag washed, ironed, and ready to sew. So why am I still at the computer?!
Oh, I forgot to tell you – the electricity substation EXPLODED this morning! Which meant that the big transformer on a pole 20 metres from our place id a big FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMP!-y surge and we lost power, half way through breakfast. But it’s fixed now, obviously.
So, I’ve traced off the appropriate size of this pattern. And as I started to tissue fit (just a precaution, since I’m not about to cut into even a cheap fabric without some checking) I got REALLY frustrated: there is no bust point marked! EEEPS! Okay, “Settle, Petal” I said to myself “It’s a princess line, I’ll pin it together and work it out…”
Annnnnnnnd…. either I need another inch and a half length over the boobs from what the fat-chick pattern sizing has come up with, or I desperately need a new bra. Or perhaps both. I mean, it’s freakin’ AMAZING for me to be cutting out (tracing off, anyway) one of the smaller sizes on a pattern (these go up to 6x which makes my 2x seem petite!) but then to find that I still need to make adjustments – ahhhh, I was only ever kidding myself that I wouldn’t have to, wasn’t I?
A large part of my frustration with how FAT I am right now is that I have NO CLOTHES to fit me – and it’s sooooooooooooo depressing sewing things that are so huge. Even when I can get a pattern that’s close to the right size with no grading (and may her choice of Deity richly bless Ms Crawford for designing for us fat chicks) I still *sigh* feel like it’s such a lot of effort to make something that I’m probably going to not wear for all that long….
BUGGER IT! A big part of this new diet plan thingummy is to overcome this sort of thinking. I AM WORTH DRESSING NICELY! And, realistically, given the endocrine/other health issues I have to deal with on top of losing the actual weight, I’ll probably be the size I am for a while yet. We’re looking at a minimum of 12 months on this program – during which time if I can get back down to even coo-ee of 80 kg, I’ll be happy.
So – tomorrow Mr Beloved will move the full length mirror back to the house *gulp*! And I’ll probably miss Quilters and go bra shopping… waaaaaah! Maybe I can do both? And still get to the physio for a 2pm appointment? Well, maybe not.
You’ve probably all heard by bra-shopping rants before – so I’ll just say this: BIG SHOULDN’T MEAN BEIGE.
“Hang on Mother, we’re almost there!”
(the original cartoon by Victor C.Anderson, published April 1, 1920, found on the wonderful Filboid Studge blog)
I shall forgo my customary Easterpest rant (formerly called the Australian Gospel Music Festival) – suffice it to say that it’s very difficult to have a quiet and contemplative Easter when there are THUD DOOF DOOF DOOF SCREAM YELL noises coming at you from all directions.
Now that we have a new council (Queensland just did the mega-merger thing that NSW did 20 odd years ago) I will be petitioning for the damn “festival” to be moved OUT of our central city park, and far, far away.
Grumph.
After much consideration I ordered three things from Hancocks of Paducah last night:
The All in One Quilter’s Reference Tool (C&T Publishing) – my friend Sue showed me this at Quilters a few weeks back and since then I’ve been thinking “Dang, if only I had that I wouldn’t have to be sitting here puzzling out how wide to cut this @*#$&)* strip/triangle/block…” It was only $13.95 US – and the cheapest I could buy it online even in Australian was $33. Worth the share of the postage, yes?
Second thing: I’ve been a fan of Suzanne Marshall’s beautiful applique for as long as I’ve been quilting. I deeply regret selling her “Take Away Applique” book – not because I wanted to make her patterns, but because the gallery of her quilts was so gorgeous – and she included both the positive and negative judging comments for each quilt. Ah well, I needed the money at the time…
Anyway, I ordered her new book Adventure and Applique. $20.98 from Hancocks – $21.56 is what I would have paid as a member on the AQS site – except they won’t accept orders that go to post office boxes (so you can imagine what THEIR shipping costs!) To buy the book in Australia (even if I could get it) the cheapest price is $33 + postage (fishpond.com.au) – but it would be AT LEAST twice that if I bought it from a quilt shop.
And they wonder why I shop online?!
Last,but possibly most deliciously – some Hoffmann fabric. 4 yards (fingers crossed, it’s not confirmed yet!) of this lusciousness from the 2008 Hoffmann challenge. I’m thinking it needs a 
truly groovy shirt pattern – just got to find one that I love. Maybe one of the Sewing Workshop oriental-inspired shirts? (I would have to grade up the pattern to get it to fit me currently, I hate doing that…)
Any pattern recommendations,please? I’m also considering using it to make this top (size 2x only needs 2 yards…) – it’s not like this is an actual stripe that needs to be matched, after all, it’s more of an overall texture.
Right – off to watch the prancing; then later on the Malaysian Grand Prix – even though my beloved McLarens have been penalised AGAIN (we suspect it’s mostly for Not Being Ferraris…) – I know Lewis will still drive his cute little butt off!
later edit: Bloody prancing had this SUCKY “look how far they’ve come” show on – I have NO interest in seeing that, I want to see DANCING, dammit!
At least I got to talk to my parents tonight (Mum loves her new bag, hooray!) and had a surprise phone call from Robert who was sitting at the Qantas lounge waiting to fly to Tokyo, lucky thing!
So – here it is. Quilt-as-you-go strip quilt, finished. (ok, except for a few loose threads that I need to deal with, but sooooo close, ok? Oh, and a label, Yep.)
I managed to make 12 blocks at the strip piecing party at Quilters; the other 8 I made at home. So some of the blocks are completely from my own stash – still, I tried to keep it random.
My favourite part? The way I totally miscalculated how much fabric I’d need for the sashings and binding – hence the bright orange binding. Special, yes?
In health news: MY HIP IS F’ING KILLING ME!! The lower back pain has been helped considerably by the spinal block injection; but my hip feels worse. It’s probably not, it’s just that it’s no longer competing with other pain just at that level.
And update on TheAuthorityWhichControlsOurLives: There is no update.
That’s part of their own special brand of torture – you’re not allowed to know the outcome of the interview. You just get to hang around in a panicky limbo, wondering whether the next pension payment will hit your bank account and let you do wild and crazy things like – oh, I dunno, PAY THE ELECTRICITY BILL and continue to buy no-brand generic tinned food from the StupidMarket.
Grumph.
I’m still exhausted. The interview at TheAuthorityWhichControlsOurLives was really draining on Monday – I sat and bawled my eyes out for an hour.
So much so that I was at Quilters today for less than 90 minutes.
Feel free to pop over to the Toowoomba Quilters blog and see a quick slideshow of what we did on Saturday… 
Strip party went ok – thanks to Di’s wonderful organisation. Taking my own chair has DEFINITELY helped – but I think I was just upright for too long at once today.
Night.
Still no quilty news here… OH wait, my fabric arrived from Emerald City Fabric and Craft – yay! The paisleys were larger than I had expected but it’s gorgeous – and the background was chocolate rather than black, so I’m going with one of the greens/turquoises from the print for the other fabrics in M’s Miranda bag.
Yummy?
Speaking of chocolate, I just made another batch of my infamous gluten free choc fudge brownies – just as well Mr Beloved reminded me, I was busy cutting fabric for the backing squares for tomorrow’s strip party. I think it’s going to be a hoot – although there will always be someone who can’t cope with the Rules of Engagement!
If that happens we’ll just hand them a chocolate brownie and smile, yes?!
I didn’t buy the pecans I usually have in the brownies -so they have been christened “Eunuch brownies….”
I realised as I was packing my machine etc tonight that I have one needle left in the packet – and one in the machine. Oops! Sure hope I can find a packet of 90 sharps first thing tomorrow morning…
I’ve been a bit distracted by pain today and by my visit to my doctor. Came away with two new referrals – one to the physiotherapist (for the “Trouble with Dribbles”, as Mr Beloved joked – arrgh! Once a trekkie, always a trekkie …) and one to the gastroenterologist.
Again. *sigh*
Because I am losing iron even though I take the supplements every.single. day. ARRRRRGH! In the last 4 blood tests, my ferritin levels have dropped from 39 to 15 to 13 to 8… normal range is 30-150. Guess who probably has to have iron injections? Problem is, we have to find out WHY it’s disappearing. Or if I’m not absorbing it, to start with. If it’s not one thing…
Look for pics tomorrow – I have spare batteries in my camera and I’m not afraid to use them…
Well, not literally true – there were only three teeny spots of blood. (Two injections in my back, and the whacking great cannula in the crook of my left arm.)
But the OW! is fair dinkum. My back actually feels WORSE after the procedure… bugger bugger bugger BUGGER!!
Apparently this happens – it’s supposed to settle down “in a few days.”
Grumph.
As pre the doctor’s orders, I was out at the shops after being released from the hospital – walking; and I did about 10 minutes of vacuuming; but now sitting up again is NOT nice and I am going to go lie down. And take more painkillers.
OOOOOOOOOOOW!!!
Still, beats the alternative:
The envelope we have been waiting for arrived today – we are going to pay off my credit card and then I will get a debit card – I’m just too – ummmm – spontaneous? in my money decisions otherwise. Ahem.
So Mr Beloved had to call TheAuthorityWhichControlsYourLife because – hey, we are poor cripples, and TheAuthorityWhichControlsYourLife doesn’t LIKE us to have any money. Especially not money that suddenly appears in the same bank account as where they pay our pensions.
He lucked onto THE most helpful faceless droid EVAH – I mean, she was AMAZING! Helped us get a new pittance allowance to go towards internet/phone costs, talked us through updating some details, was generally very helpful, and then – took down all my details and a statement to go on file so that the Bad Rude Horrible Faceless Droid who upset me so much on Monday won’t get away with it.
Bloody ASTONISHING! As he usually does, Mr Beloved made sure to tell the Good Faceless Droid that we wanted to let her supervisor know how wonderful she had been, and she said that they appreciated feedback, good or bad.
WOW.
ANd now I’m going to my sewing room, to prepare for the Toowoomba Quilters Strip Party. I have to be at the hospital at 7 am (ugh!) and not eat for 4 hours before then, not drink for 2. Is it even worth going to bed when I have to be up again by 5?
So, for weeks I’ve been psyching myself up to go to hospital this Wednesday. But when there was no phone call from admissions by 6pm, I got a little bit freaked out. How would I know when to turn up? Where was I supposed to go? When could I eat? Panic panic panic!
So I phoned the hospital’s pre-admissions call centre number.
“Um, I’m meant to have a day procedure tomorrow but no one’s called?”
[after asking for information] “No, I’m not seeing you on the lists..”
*panic panic panic!*
“Which doctor, dear?”
“Dr H. For xyz?”
“That’s on THURSDAY dear! Tomorrow’s Wednesday!”
“Oops! Lost a day there! My mistake! Thanks! Bye!”
*hides head until pillow until blushes calm down to only being visible from MARS…*
Yep… that’s me folks, unable to read a calendar.
I *did* remember that today was shared lunch day at Quilters, and that I was doing a demo – you can see it over on the Toowoomba Quilters blog if you want. Foundation pieced flying geese.
It was NOT good – I am NOT GOOD at doing talking in front of people these days. I got terribly flustered and embarrassed and rushed and got myself confused and left stuff out… I am much much better in writing than in person.
Annnnnnnnnnnnnd to add to it all (and I can’t believe I’m telling you this, dear reader – it may be TMI (Too Much Information) but I have a new and wonderful symptom that is complicating my life just that little bit more….
It’s been a bit of an issue since The Fall in 2002… I didn’t pee for over 24 hours and then – ahem – needed assistance. But now it’s – well, a little less controlled.
Could be from the whole “OH MY GOSH YOU’RE FAT!” thang (gotta love this: “Q. Does weight have an effect on bladder control?” A.”Even a few kilos can make a difference. A five to ten percent weight loss can help improve bladder control by reducing intra-abdominal pressure.” Colour coded just like the packs – Oh, goody!)
Add a side of tomato juice (who knew?!) and some stress and … well.
Good thing I’m seeing my doc on Friday, eh?
… I managed to get to Gardams to put some money on my fabric… but then I saw that they had Vogue patterns at “Buy one, get 2 free.”
Well, what’s a gal to do?
I had to have this one – I hated it at first glance, but was compelled to keep going back to it every time I flicked through the pattern book. It’s grown on me…
I’m not grading it up – it’s one that will be made when I lose enough inches to get into the size available. Koos van den Akker has some far-out designs. [please click to see the bigger image - as intriguing as those harlequin diamonds look on the top , in reality they're only stripes. Still fabulous - but is ANYTHING as fabulous as harlequin diamonds?]
As Mark Lipinski once pointed out – when you buy [quiltingfabric] you’re not just buying the tangible material – you’re buying the DREAM of that quilt, your hopes and desires. So these patterns are me in my new shape -being artily outrageous in my clothes instead of hiding in fat-chick dowdiness.
Check this one out – I dare you to mess with THIS chick! I was going to make the shorter version of the top with the sedate bias skirt, but then I thought – well, honey, if you’re gonna do it, go BIG!
(In this I am much inspired by an incredibly fabulous woman at Toowoomba Quilters, who wears the most intriguing clothes – while juggling a husband, two small kids, a business, and being the club’s librarian! I have to go lie down just THINKING about her busy life.)
But it’s not all pie-in-the-sky: This pattern I will be making NOW. (Well, soonish.) In fact, once I lose weight I will have to buy the pattern in a smaller size. (Yeah, baby, that’s right – a SMALLER SIZE!!)
Just ignore that dowdy picture – that woman was NOT fitted for those jeans – ugh! I’ve had a read through this pattern and it includes instructions on altering the jeans for those with a sway back (and I can’t tell you how WONDERFUL it will be not to have that gap where the wind whistles down me troosers!).
I plan to make these in fabulous outrageous fabrics… stuff the boring denim, I’ll be in “Glorious Technicolour, Breathtaking Cinemascope and Stereophonic Soooooooooooooound!”*
Yep, if it wasn’t for fear of getting sued, I reckon that could be my new motto. “Glorious Technicolour, Breathtaking Cinemascope and Stereophonic Soooooooooooooound!”
* from “Silk Stockings” ( a musical remake of “Ninotchka”) – with Fred Astaire and Janie Paige hamming it up with that song – you’ve got to see it! Oh, and see Ninotchka, too, if you ever get a chance – Garbo is, as always, DIVINE.)
BUGGER ! How did it get so late? I’m off to BED!
BEGIN RANT:
So there I am in bed this morning, having had about 3 hours of sleep (bad pain and mind-whirring night) when my phone rings. Hmmm. “Anonymous” as the caller ID- don’t like that.
“Can I speak to Caitlin O’Connor”
“Who’s speaking?”
“This is [Faceless Droid] from TheAuthorityWhichControlsYourLife *. You have to come in for a medical review. Is 3:30 today ok?”
“No, it’s not.”
“What about tomorrow?”
“No, I can’t make it tomorrow either.”
[by this stage faceless droid is getting REALLY uppity and annoyed] “This IS compulsory, you know, you HAVE to come in. What about Wednesday?”
“LOOK” I said, trying to be polite, and probably only JUST managing, “I’m not trying to be difficult, but I already have appointments this week. Wednesday I’m in hospital, for a procedure which will leave me incapacitated for Thursday and Friday. I can come in next week, ok?”
“Next MONDAY, then,” triumphs the Faceless Droid. You must be at TheAuthorityWhichControlsYourLife at [time] next Monday. If you don’t come your payments will be suspended.”
WHAT I wish I’d said: LOOK, Just because I get a miserly payment from the government doesn’t mean that I don’t have things ON! How DARE you assume that my life is empty and meaningless because I’m not employed? How DARE you believe that I can just drop everything at your beck and call and get myself to your office (where there aren’t even any public toilets) when I can’t even DRIVE today because of the pain?
Would YOU be free for an appointment that could possibly ruin your life at the whim of some underpaid-quasi-doctor if I called you up with less than 6 hours notice? I DON’T THINK SO!
And by the way, you have NO RIGHT to get snooty at me with your whiny voice and your cranky manner, or to treat me like I’m an idiot just because I get a d1sab1l1ty pens10n.**
GRRRRRRRR! Do the faceless droids and their bosses think that I LIKE being poor and sick? I would LOVE to be able to make them live a fortnight in my shoes, on my money, in my house that we can’t afford to repair the bloody termite damage on yet, with no !&*@#%& cable TV or fancy wine or expensive cuts of meat and we’re better off than MOST people who have to do it on a p3ns10n, I can tell you, SHEESH!!!
*More familiar to Aussies as C#ntr3l1nk – aka federal government welfare administration.
**Possible overly-paranoid, but apparently they have people who just sit around and read blogs, to see if someone’s been WORKING when they say they can’t. l33t (leet) stops the googlebots which are scanning through the web for any mention of the organisation’s name and associated words.
END RANT.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have brownies to bake.
I’ve been ASLEEP.
*sigh*
Remember I told you about the horrible chair at quilter’s? Well, that set me up for several days of worse than usual pain, which buggered my sleep patterns, which made the pain worse – and round and round and round we go, where it stops nobody knows!
At least I got out of the house and had blood drawn on Thursday. Back to the doctors next week to see the results.
I have managed some sewing – more Mirandas – and since Mum doesn’t have internet access at the moment (she’s in Adelaide, with Dad, visiting my brother & his family, and going to all sorts of exciting things like the Adelaide Festival and Womadelaide) I’ll show you her Miranda bag, too. (She knows she’s getting it, she just hasn’t seen it yet!).
This is the inside of Mum’s Miranda bag. I added a hooky thingummy (What ARE they called?) for keys/phone – as soon as I can find some more I’ll be adding them to my bag, too! I actually finished Mum’s bag and book a while back, but there was no point posting it to her yet because they’re away. I adore this fabric – it’s long gone from the shops now, though. (Chez Moi for Moda, “Fresh Air”. Too too yummy!)
Then I did two Mirandas using the same fabrics in part of them – I think they came up well.
This one’s for J, in Oregon, a late birthday pressie. Might have to wait until after next pension day to mail it though! and that’s another little (A6) blank book covered to match.
Here’s the inside: more of that yummy suns/moons fabric (which I’ve had in the stash for ages) and some clouds for the pockets. The stripes are another stash find – I’m using up fabrics that I’ve held on to FOREVER Because they were “too good” to use up. Nope, off they go – into the world where they will (hopefully!) be enjoyed!
And finally, here’s A’s Miranda. Same sun/moon and blue fabric for the top half, but with a wild orangey swirl for the bottom. Because I’m pretty sure A works in a big visual diary, I decided to cover an A5 brag book – room for 80 photos – instead.
and Here’s the inside of A’s Miranda – hand dyed fabrics, because A is a hand dyeing GODDESS. This one’s going in the post whenever I get out of the house next – probably Monday. (I can afford to post within Australia this week…I think… eeeks!)
And now – I need to write up my tutorial for Quilters on Tuesday. Just a quick demo on Flying Geese – and some paper pieced variations. (I’ll pop it up on the Toowoomba Quilters blog after Tuesday, too.) I know there are other quick ways to do flying geese, but honestly – paper piecing is so quick and accurate – and no bias triangles to deal with (because they’re stabilised by the paper, you can ignore fabric grain if you want to) .
I’ve made this pattern of offset little geese just 1 inch wide… no way would I even ATTEMPT that without foundation paper piecing!
And there’s V8s on later – wooo hoooooo!
I slept in today after a bad pain night. Which meant that I didn’t get to Quilters until about 11:30… which meant that all the decent chairs were taken. So I sat in one of the &^!@#% chairs and am damn near crippled AGAIN.
We rent the meeting space and the chairs are part of the deal – and they are bloody awful. The chairs are the wrong height for the tables (DUH! Brilliant, eh?), they don’t stack well, and even bringing your own cushions doesn’t help much.
I know I’m not the only one who has issues with them.
However, I betcha I’m the only one next week who brings their OWN CHAIR in! It’s that big a problem. My knees are killing me, I can hardly move my left hip, and my back is seriously SCREAMING.
The chair that I’m thinking of buying is $9.98 and has NO stupid moulded seat that has sunk over time to become a cradle of excruciating torture. No bent legs to tangle with the other bent legged chairs just waiting to trip you up.
Come the Revolution, sistahs, whoever designed those chairs is going to be one of the first up against the wall. Right after the person who BOUGHT the rotten things for the hall. And the person who decided there was “YEARS of life left in those chairs, no need to replace them!”
And there will be no blindfolds and no last cigarette… just their screams for mercy as they are battered to death with these ugly uncomfortable complete non-eco-friendly MONSTROSITIES thud thud thud and SPLAT and thud and…
…Ms O’Connor has been dressed in a lovely white jacket with VERY long sleeves and has been taken to a nice quiet room.
Where there are no chairs.
… is up to his old tricks again. Featured with his mate David in the paper. *shudder* What this whole stunt would have proved anyway is beyond me. Big deal, the preacher guy is shonky – not like that’s a surprise to anyone, is it? Here’s the link to the article, if you’re interested.
Leopards don’t change their spots. And that’s all I’m going to say about that.
Well, for those who care: It’s scary.
Not quite as scary as having lap band surgery (which is about the only alternative I can see – I just keep getting bloody BIGGER.) With a BMI of 41 point something, I am now classified as “morbidly obese”. (Yes, I know there are problems with the whole concept of BMI: First assume a two dimensional patient….. but even so, as a measure it’s pretty shocking.)
Thinking about doing this program is scary because it costs so much (A LOT. More than you’d think.) I’ll be doing the Lifeshape 12 program.
But that price includes seeing a dietician every week, so at least if things aren’t working we can change tack quickly. (and that’s been a problem in the past: things HAVEN’T worked but there’s been no help to change them.)
Mr Beloved and I had our first meeting with Jeanna the Dietician on Friday and she’s very down to earth and sensible – no airy fairy impossible promises, and together we set a reasonable goal weight to aim for: 80 kgs.
I currently weigh 116.5 kgs. I take a size 22-24 (or 4x to 5x if I buy mens sizes.) – and I’m bigger than a size 26 in the major pattern companies sizing. Bigger than a 52 in Burda patterns.
(Let’s face it, I’m not 21 – I’m unlikely to ever be a size 10 and weigh under 65 kgs ever again.)
At 80kgs I can wear size 16 clothes, which would give me a MUCH greater choice and be heaps cheaper than trying to buy stuff to fit me as a size *mumblety*. (Fat chick clothes are at least twice the price, and not because they have twice the fabric or sewing involved – but because retailers and consumers both seem to think it’s ok to PUNISH you for being fat.)
It’s also scary because for the first time I’ll be completely under someone else’s control with what I consume (for at least the first 4 -7 weeks) .
But that’s good because at the moment my eating is so weird and out of control, I need SOMETHING to break the cycle. I reckon it’s much easier to stop habits that aren’t necessary, like say, smoking – but I haven’t found a way to give up EATING , you know?
This should be like pushing the big red re-set button on my computer. Then we gradually go back to ordinary food – just with better portion sizes and choices.
And I feel confident about doing this because it IS medically supervised – lots of tests, medical check-ups, and psych appointments etc. They’ll actually take into account the things that are an issue for me – the poly-cystic ovary stuff, the medications that make ANYBODY gain weight, the injuries I need to work around. And as we re-introduce real food, we’ll be checking for allergies and intolerances – so that has to help.
I’ve got to find out if the health insurance I pay through the nose for is going to cover any of it (if it does, it’s unlikely to be much) but luckily Mum and Dad have generously offered to pay the bulk of it. It’s cheaper than having me in hospital, I guess… and just the price difference in clothes will just about cover the costs if you look at the next 10 years!
Mr Beloved won’t be doing the official program – but is being incredibly supportive about cooking and exercising with me. I think he finds my overeating really hard to deal with, feels like he can’t say anything about it – so I’m hoping by breaking the bad habits he’ll be happier with me too.
In the past when contemplating something as huge and scary as this, I’d probably go on a massive binge before the start date. So far that hasn’t happened and I’m feeling pretty much in control – or at least I was until I saw that photo taken of me at quilters yesterday – YUK! So there’s no more chocolate in the house. (The dietician did say she understood about period chocolate, but mentioned that most of the satisfaction you derive from food happens in the first three mouthfuls. So there is room for cake and chocolate – but in smaller portions and at better times. Phew!)
My medical is scheduled for March 26, and staring the program on April 2. I’d like to do it sooner, but with sorting out the financial stuff and getting the day-surgery thing out of the way, that was when I could start.
Tomorrow: Throwing out the worst of the saggy baggy OLD stretched out clothes – I won’t be buying or sewing many new ones just yet, but there is a lot of emotional baggage and clutter that I’m ready to lose.
I get to be ARCHIVIST for the club – WOOHOO!
AND…
Dancing Beijing: Olympic Hope
( I don’t have the exact measurements – it’s about 24″ across)
