Kirby and other mysteries

I don't know who took this, but it's my oldest, Kirby, and his friend Katie Gist. I don't know why he's dressed up and she's not. Katie posted it on Facebook and these notes followed:
My friend Laurie is going to borrow my Blackadder DVDs, so I was looking for them, knowing they were around here somewhere.... Found some other things, of course. Found my copy of When Everything Changed, by Gail Collins, which I had been reading before I listened to the audiobook of The Help. They make a very complementary set of images and factoids about American women in the early 1960's. So that book was in the sewing room. Blackadder was on the piano. Why didn't I think of that in the first place? (Well I *was* looking for Blackadder in the sewing room...)

This wasn't in the sewing room (anymore), but by the scanner. It's a brochure I've had for 20 years or more called "How to Sew Fast." And while I did pick up some good pointers from it (and will scan it and put it somewhere because it has some good ideas, and then I will start a hottub fire with it), it has a BAD idea as it's #1. This ideas stinks, for real:

1. Turn off all music, TV, and radio noise while cutting out a pettern—that is when you need to concentrate.

Yeah, okay. I really do get it. But I really don't do it. Occasionally when I was cutting something expensive, I would get a witness to just be there, as I talked through my plans and thoughts, to tell me if I was forgetting something, or to see if they saw a better way to lay it out to get the most of that fabric or avoid a directional disaster.

But for sewing, I *want* more input. I want to be doing two things at once. I need something to watch while I sew. That's why Black Adder was in the sewing room, last time it was.

I was glad to see a happy photo of Kirby this morning, because I was considering asking him (again) to post something cheerier on twitter to cover up the last tweet he made a month ago. If any of Kirby's friends read this, I know he's cheered up a lot. He calls and laughs and tells me cool stories about work and the house and the dog. Ask him to tweet some of that amusement.

Marty got up early to go feed Sadie's dogs. He's #3 in line for the dog sitting. Sadie is in Costa Rica, counting bats. I guess someone has to do it. There are photos of Marty as a baby and a little boy all over my office. Most were out to scan, some have been and some haven't, and I need organize those. This morning (looking for Black Adder) I found a videotape I thought I had lost of Marty's interesting infantile locomotion. He didn't crawl. He used butt, one hand and one leg, so he could always carry something while he moved around. And he was FAST, and sitting up already when he got there. The day he learned to walk, I borrowed Kim Archuleta's video camera so I could get images of his very efficient method of moving. I hope I'll be able to post it somehow, sometime.

Marty's MySpace is filled with photos and videos of him from last Saturday, when he entered Crown Tournament. Keith went; I didn't.

Holly is leaving for Quebec early on Saturday. Yesterday we took two pairs of her shoes in for minor repairs and the guy said "next week." I begged a little. So maybe the boots will be done Friday, and I can send the sandals to her later. Or I'll mail them all, if they're not ready.

This will be the third time Holly leaves for a long time. It's not military long-time. It's not college-in-a-distant-state long-time, either, though this trip to stay with Bea Mantovani's family is the longest yet, at three and a half months. Holly is learning a lot about all kinds of things. That's good, but I will miss her.