72 - 64 =

8.

Eight. The Fluro sock is cast on at 72 stitches. All my other socks are at 64. It's absolutely amazing how much difference those 8 stitches make. I mean, this sock is taking for-freakin'-EVER!!!

Here it is; I've added about 3 rows since lunch, and I'm now pretty solidly in the neon yellow part. 

I think of how quickly my Little Prince socks worked up and I just can't figure it out. 

I should enjoy the process more, right?

I'm trying. But it seems like the process is what's taking forever.

I think that (sacrilege) I may need to work on something else for a bit. Perhaps Kid #2's afghan?

The Kid...

Particularly since he will be leaving in the next few weeks. School starts mid-August, and if we're planning all this right, he'll be leaving at least in time to move into his new spot by the middle of August, the week before he has to start teaching.

He looked -- well, actually WE looked all day yesterday, and he thinks he's found a house. Today, he went up to talk to the Realtor. He's not crazy; he's been saving for this for a while, and he's pretty level-headed. 

I mean, truly, both of the kids are geniuses. But -- Kid #1 is more "leap THEN look" where Kid #2 is more "let's over-think this to the point of an ulcer..." So he's being very deliberate about the process. 

I hope he gets what he wants. He's got a list of alternatives, if what he wants doesn't work out. 

I've gone ahead and gotten him some "hope chest" stuff: kitchen linens, a clock, etc. because (a) they'll work no matter where he goes; and (b) they're small enough to transport easily. I have a car-load of house plants from the campus that he can have, too - it'll fill in the blank spaces till he can furnish wherever he lands. 

So as part of our day, we went to lunch. This is how bad it gets. His theory is, "If a restaurant has a BLT on the menu, order it." But he was so keyed up that he couldn't eat it! Normally, neither kid eats much in the summer, but this was sheer "Oh My GOD" -- I could tell. 

Anyway, this is the restaurant we went to, on a tip from my friend K at the knittery. She told us it was good, and it was really nice. 

It's a place that Kid will go to again; it's close and looks like it has lots to offer to a single guy who's on his own for the first time. 

For the record, I stuck to my eating plan and had a Dixie Salad: a green salad with grilled chicken on it. It was plentiful and delicious. The menu looked really good, and Kid says that the beer selection was good, as well. It's right in town, and the Realtor he talked to said that it was a popular spot with not only the neighboring college kids, but with the folks who live there. 

I'm happy that he's settling in a place where he can be part of the community. 

Eating Plan...

Miracle Quiche

I'm back on the Metabolism B because it worked well. It's the first 3 or 4 days that's really a kicker. The first 8 weeks are fairly restrictive, only because you are essentially doing what I've needed to do for a long time:

A sugar detox. I can't believe how far off the wagon I leaped! 

Anyway, this time, I figured I'd be smarter and look in the book for recipes. Behold the Miracle Quiche - with my own alterations, because... Well, I can't leave well-enough alone. 

It's basically egg/custard base with veggies. I didn't have broccoli, so I used frozen shredded zucchini. And mushrooms + leeks. Oh, and some goat cheese. 

I've had it for breakfast the past few days, and I'll make it again - but likely with a mix of fake and real eggs. And I'll probably add some ricotta cheese or something. Anyway, it breaks up my "breakfast boredom" and in a pinch, it can serve as a lunch or dinner, with a salad. 

I'm actually OK with a certain amount of "food boredom" because the routine helps keep me focused. But I'm also thinking it's time to expand my horizons a bit. 

I took my measurements; I'm not going to fret the weight loss/gain for this next few weeks. I'm most particularly interested in getting things back under control since next week I have the pre-op tests and then the surgery the week of the 21st. I won't lose what I gained back, at least not right away, of course. But I'd like a good foundation because I could very well get the "mopes" after the procedure and be all-too-happy to dive into the ice cream...

Exercise is mainly biking and yoga. Logging both exercise and food is helping me keep tabs on it. I've taken to setting the Heart Phone timer for every 1/2 hour or so, just so I get off my rear end, particularly at work. 

Hey, with all this, perhaps the Fluro socks will get done quicker as I substitute snacking with knitting??

"Knit, not Knibble." There's a motto for you!!

Speaking of Knitting...

I'm in a Facebook group called "Addicted to Sock Knitting." Honestly, it's a very busy group. These people knit socks like I breathe, apparently. 

With all the hustle-and bustle of the group, I kind of want to know where they're finding the time to knit socks. Socks, socks, socks... An awesome bunch of folks and while I thought I was a "yarn snob," these people have shown me yarns I didn't even know existed!!

I think, like me, some of them actually do knit stuff other than socks. But this is a great place to find inspiration if you're in a sock-knitting rut. 

I just wish my job didn't interfere with my knitting. Oh, what we do to earn Yarn Money. 

My Overall Plan for World Domination...

Continues... So, I didn't get the advisor position. That's the Universe giving me a hint. At least I hope it's a hint, and not a house dropping on my head!

This is a blessing because I really, REALLY don't want to be an advisor. I really, REALLY want to operate my facility. And so now Boss Lady and I can fully focus on getting us over to the new facility. So far, a couple of important folks have bought into the plan, and the positions already exist, which makes this one layer LESS of paperwork and politics. 

In addition, I won't have to have that awkward conversation about, "Oh, yeah - I need a week off to recuperate from a surgery that I didn't disclose during the interview." That's not illegal, per Boss Lady, who's an HR expert. It's just positioning yourself. 

However, the dean who was to hire that position is one of the Three Important Folks who can make this other plan happen. So perhaps not getting that job is a step toward getting to do what I really want to do. 

We're now lining up faculty who'll say, "Of COURSE we want them there! We want them to do their jobs for us!" Fingers, toes, eyes... everything crossed so that this works out well.

My Laptop...

...is doing something funky. All of a sudden, it's going all kind of pale. I've fiddled with the contrast, but I can't seem to get it right. I'll have to look some more. If not, Hubby will work with it. 

It's not debilitation. Just annoying from the usually uber-reliable ThinkPad.

THE decision...

OK, still not naming The Store That Shall Not Be Named... but here's an excellent article about the decision and the way it can be reversed. 

Check it out. It's worth the read. 

Random Picture...

Bubbler

So I took this a while back. It was the few hours where our larger solar fountain got sun from under the big maple. Anyway, I tightened up on the bird bath and this is what I got.

Yes, again from the Nokia camera phone. Or phone with camera. Whatever you like. The trick, in spite of the whiz-bang commercials, is honestly to take the shot and then do the fancy stuff with it. 

It's a cool shot, and one of those where you look at it and say, "Wow - didn't realize I got THAT part!" 

As you might imagine, I was tickled to be able to just bring the phone on my recent trip to Florida. Even though, yes, in the actual convention center, the bigger camera would have been better for the most part. The scenery pics were really good with this phone/camera.