The Zoo over Ambuscade Street

Not because you have to, but because you WANT to! Things you enjoy, even when no one around you wants to go out and play. What lowers your stress/blood pressure/anxiety level? Make a list, post it to your journal... and then tag 5 friends and ask them to post it to theirs.

Hmmmm....

-Read. I read a lot. I'm sure this has become very, very apparent to anyone who's read this for any lenght of time (although I've been remiss about posting reviews lately. Probably because I've been reading more normal books that don't engender the "WTH, someone actually wrote a book with that as a plot?!?")

-Cross-stitch, sew, attempt to recreate things I've seen. Last week's attempt was a Tudor fan, which was great until I tried to apply the brocade. I put it aside to try again later.

-Walk. I love just walking places, for miles and miles and miles. Woodsy places with trees and water and animals (although not animals of the "bear" variety) are best. Actually, desert with bobcats and cacti and snakes is best, but that's because I'm strange. City places can be fun when I don't go all socially phobic.

-Photography. Something else I've been neglecting lately, because my digital doesn't give me enough control. Best combined with the "walking in woodsy places" above.

-Wine tasting. This one is new. Virginia wineries really, really rock, and some of them are in the most remote and out of the way areas. I typically get lost going places, but visiting some of these wineries I just think I'm lost - narrow, winding roads without room for more than one car, up and down mountains, tiny, barely marked places...it's great. And, since I'm really picky about wine, and I suck when it comes to picking it out in the store or based on descriptions, it lets me actually figure out what I like. If I get stamps from 25 different Virginia wineries before December I get some sort of prize, and another sort of prize if I get 40, so I'm going to give it a shot. I have three stamps thus far, and haven't bothered visiting the eight or nine wineries within fifteen minutes of my commute yet.

I'll be nice and not tag anyone, although I am interested in seeing what people post. And, contrary to popular belief, I'm not nearly as stressed as I make myself out to be. I vent, the stress goes. Most of the time. ^_^

People driving on the wrong side of the road suck. Especially when they're in my lane.

Moving on. I hereby dub today the Day of The Really Crappy Bellydancer. I felt so bad for this poor girl - it was so bad it was embarassing to watch. And, since she was on the tavern stage, it was hard to avoid.

It was also ungodly hot - moreso than yesterday, and we had both cast and guests dropping like flies. At one point the court was four people, including the queen. "No, I'm fine, I don't need any water/gatorade/food/pickles." Then, they pass out. Lovely. I obtained today a chainmail pouch to hold my money, a battered lost-and-found tankard to go with the mug holder I purchased yesterday, and another Faire shirt. The potter is going to be making me a special mug (thicker, so it doesn't break, and in the pretty glazes) that I'll pick up next week. Yay!

There are no volunteers next weekend...and I have guests, so I can't exactly abandon them. Well, there are some, but not many, and Jamie's baby is due any day now. Should be interesting. I won't have to worry about it, happily.

Now...food, then sleep. Work's going to suck (but...doesn't it always?)

It's official, I'm going to die.

Note to self: Never stop moving. Reaction can't catch up to you that way.

I'm too tired to sleep right now, which is one of the most annoying states of being. And the hurting has started. No sunburn this week, so yay.