New Inventory Accounting Method

One of the things you learn in accounting classes is the different methods of inventory accounting: first-in-first-out, last-in-first-out, weighted average, and others. I don’t know how I’d describe my fabric inventory, but I'm pretty sure there's no accounting method that could handle it.

When I reported my stash status at mid-October, I noted that I was in a little-in-much-out position. Now, looking back at the end of October, I find myself in the opposite, much-in-little-out situation.

What happened? I only used up about 10 more yards. That’s not counting all the pieces I’ve cut out for a plaid skirt, three tops, and the hanging shoe holder, because none of those are finished projects. I guess I got slowed down by these book covers taking longer than expected.

More Book Covers!

Plus I got into another fabric reorganization project, trying to clear some space and find some things while I was moving everything around.

Fabric organized! (temporarily)

And I suppose I had other things going on – local meetings for NaNoWriMo, finishing holiday cards, unexpected home repairs. Still, it’s amazing how you can get to the end of a week, or two weeks, and wonder what you did all that time.

Also, I had a lapse, well, actually a complete collapse, of willpower and got 44 more yards in a massive midnight online spending spree at Fabric Mart. I was doing sooo well up until then. But Holy Moly, have you seen their sales? It’s just not right! I resisted the wool sale and the poplin sale and a whole series of 50% off campaigns, but when the 99 cent and the $1.99 sales hit at the same time as the 5 for $2.50 sale and the free 10-yard mystery bundle, it became too much to resist. Those Fabric Mart people are total enablers.

Got some of this (crocheted zig zag novelty)

and this (striped denim)

Actually I only bought 28 yards plus the free 10-yard bundle, but what with all the generous cuts and extra tidbits they like to throw in, I ended up with 44 yards. Whew! And that was after the big reorganization, so now it all needs to be re-reorganized to incorporate my new treasures.

I need to get it together and finish some sewing before the end of the year. And since I'm only writing for a couple of hours each day, there's really no excuse not to. Except for the beautiful weather. And the garden. And addressing Christmas cards. And lolling around in the blogosphere enjoying other people's wit and style. And the stack of sewing books I want to read. And the romance novels I want to read. No excuse at all.

Katrina

An Itty Bitty Update

Just thought I'd pop in and give an update on the writing project. First, thank you so much to my dear readers who have offered encouragement! You are wonderful!

It is going quite well so far, in spite of headaches, procrastination, and my refusal to follow any sort of process. No plan, no outline, no research, nothing.

source

I just sit down each morning and poke away at the keyboard for 2 to 3 hours, end up with 1800 to 1900 words, and post it to the NaNo site. It's a little too easy, really, which makes me think I must be missing something! It's only the third day, so I'd better keep my eyes open for obstacles down the road.

Actually I think all the excitement and anxiety about writing for 30 days straight is that hardly anyone has the luxury to do that - we're all working, going to school, raising families, or a combination. I can see that it would be difficult if not impossible for someone in those situations to sit down for 2 to 3 straight hours after a long tiring day. And how would they find that much uninterrupted time?

It just reminds me of how incredibly fortunate I am: my parental units find themselves in a rare period of concurrent wellness, my partner carries on his day to day activities with or without me, I have no job or coursework demanding my attention, so you could say I've got it made! I have to take care of the plants and the animals, and myself, and that's it! I can write for two hours a day or twelve, or not at all. It took some work and some difficult times to get to this point in my life, and I sure do appreciate it while I'm here.

Enough procrastinating, now I have to go create another 1667 words!

Tomorrow I'll have more to talk about; in the meantime, I hope you all have a wonderful day.

Katrina

The Demon Migraine - Part III

And we’re back to the topic of migraine. As I mentioned last time, there is no simple answer to the migraine problem, at least not for me.

I’ve been treated by five neurology clinics, six internists, two dentists, and an ophthalmologist. I’ve tried chiropractic, acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, massage, yoga, biofeedback, meditation, and TMJ therapy. I’ve tried over the counter medication, blood pressure drugs, prescription pain killers, anti-depressants, anti-seizure drugs, tranquilizers, at least a dozen herbal and other nutritional supplements, and three generations of migraine drugs. And that’s not counting the double-blind drug trials where I don’t know whether I received an active drug or a placebo - in any case, there was no improvement in the migraine. I try to keep up with the latest migraine news and check with my doctors every year to see if they have any new ideas.

been there, done that, and that, and that

I’ve gone through two complete diet overhauls, I don’t drink alcohol, and I limit the caffeine. I monitor the weather for upcoming storms, I wear sunglasses all day everyday even when it’s cloudy, I go to bed at the same time every night and get up at the same time every morning. I limit my time on the computer and the sewing machine. I do jaw, neck, face, and shoulder stretching exercises three or four times a day. I’ve adjusted my lifestyle to accommodate every possible trigger: no work outside the house, no driving or working outdoors at mid-day, no parties, no restaurant food, no exposure to perfumes. My only shortcomings in this anti-headache regimen are inconsistent exercise (hard to stick to a daily program when you lose several days a week) and my love of sugary snacks.

And I still have migraine headaches every week – one or a few or sometimes even seven. In the last three months I had a total of 46 migraine headaches. Some days I would just drag myself out of bed long enough for a meal and then return to the darkness.

(Or maybe I’m turning into a vampire)

My mother assures me that the headaches will stop or at least lessen after menopause, but I’m not holding my breath. I do maintain some optimism, but I’m not going to book a round-the-world tour or apply for a full-time job until I actually experience this miraculous cure.

To finally wrap up this exposé, my point is that migraine is not just a headache that goes away with a couple of aspirin.

To those who don’t personally understand the experience: people with migraines may seem dull or annoying, they may appear to impact production in the workplace, and they may decline your social invitations. But they really are not just being difficult or making excuses, in fact they are probably working harder than everyone else, just to overcome a constant obstacle. Migraine is disease that can be incapacitating, or at the very least, cause extreme disruption in a person’s life. But we are always fighting back.

To my fellow migraineurs: do not be ashamed or feel inadequate, do not subjugate your health to others’ demands, and do be aggressive and proactive in your search for that combination of therapies that will be your personal cure. And laugh! As my mom has always said, “all you can do is try to find the humor in the situation, and laugh about it. Because if you cry, you’ll give yourself another headache.”

There are millions of us, we are tough, and we WILL get through it!

Katrina

Not the Most Auspicious Start

I spend most of Monday in bed with a lethal headache, so I had to pretty much write the whole day off. We had no little monsters at the door, so it wasn't even much of a Halloween.
Therefore, I've decided to just pretend the week is starting today, Tuesday, and that Monday never happened. Easy enough, since today is the beginning of a new month, and also the first day of NaNoWriMo. In case you're already sick and tired of hearing about it, I'll just say that I did get started, right on schedule (although not at 12:01 AM) and am busily tapping away to meet my word quota for the day.
Apparently the almighty powers who somehow manage to keep NaNoWriMo up and running are human after all, as several of the promised functionalities are still "pending." Well, I guess that's none of my business, since my job is just to write.
I'll be posting a few things later in the week, until then, hope you're having an excellent start to your month!
Katrina