akabini

A few years ago, my birthday dawned like this:

I predict something quite similar for tomorrow.
For lo, the publishers of IK and Vogue have indulged us with two brand-new issues this week!

Pardon me while I sip my Mimosa and ponder some startitis... 

In the spirit of the current season of "The Biggest Loser," I'm applying the principle of 'No Excuses' to the running schedule for my next marathon.

Witness the scene in the kitchen this afternoon, where I exercised Excuse #3 with some vigor before Boyhood set be back on the straight & narrow:

1. "I'm too tired."
2. "I don't have time."
3. "It's too cold out."
4. "It's dark out/it's too late."
5. "I have too much work to do."
6. "I'd rather be knitting."
7. "I'm still sore from yesterday."
8. "I can't leave the kids/dog/spouse at home alone."
9. "It's raining/windy/hot out."
10. "I'd rather do some cross-training today."
11. "I don't have my iPod/GPS/ [insert gizmo here]."
12. "My ________ hurts."

What are your excuses? And what are you doing to call yourself to the mat to get past them and just do it? 

Happy 2012, all!

I, for one, am thoroughly chuffed to see the ample backside of 2011 retreating into the distance. In the immortal words of a friend who also lost her dad this summer, "2011? Time to kick this b*tch to the curb!"

I don't know about you, but I'm in no way immune to the resolution thing. I find myself schlepping through Christmas, filling my mental basket with all the rosy glow of virtuous resolve that I can cram in there. No more drinking! No more baked goods! Work out every day! Work out twice a day! No more shopping! Ever! Run another marathon - no, make that two!

You get the picture.

So perhaps the goal this year is really to balance realism with resolve; to build a foundation of healthy, sustainable habits that will carry me into a good place for this coming year. The steady upcreep on the scale is not making me happy, and I miss my runs. So there will be some changes there. And while I love a good glass of wine, long evenings in its company most days of the week is not helping my health either.

And I would like to get some closure on all my knitting UFOs this year! I cleaned house and ripped or finished all my UFOs a few years back, and it was amazing. Time to dust off the Ziploc bags and start plowing through the dozen or so I have kicking around.

Thanks for bearing with me as I limped through the last of 2011 - stay tuned for all the good that's bound to come from 2012!
(I've always loved even-numbered years. I was born in one, so they are close to my heart. The odd years inevitably end up as *ss-kickers.)

Cheerio, all!

Three days later, we are happily ensconced in comfy chairs in the forward lounge of the Viking Pride, moored on the Danube in Passau.

Things we have learned so far:
* it is possible (and *much,* much easier) to travel to Europe in the winter with just one bag.
* European hotels could teach American hotels a thing or two about in-room coffee service. We had a full-size kettle and two actual mugs in our room last night. Bliss.
* Seven knitting projects isn't necessarily too many... As long as some of them are hats and mittens.

Photos soon!
In the meantime, carry on knitting...

My goodness, where did the autumn go?

Crazy busy over here in both casa akabini North (PT) and South (Bainbridge). I have a newfound respect for all of you who work full-time at day jobs. Phew! Not much time left over in the day (nor energy) to blog, or work out, or cook ...

So the self-care routine has taken a bit of a hammering (though I do love having the stationary bike in the condo so I *could* work out in the evenings), and the blogging and Ravelry updates even more so. Sigh. Never enough time for all the fun one could have!

But now the holiday shopping season is offically launched, and the holiday samples are (nearly) all knit up and hanging in the shop – stop by and take a look, if you're local! I'm really proud of all the pretty knits we made this year. And if you're not local, we have lots of goodies on the website, too!

And now, as the Boy would say - 'Next thing!': we're off in a week (ONE week! eek!) on our Danube cruise, and I am SO excited.

Packing, packing, packing - don't you all pack your knitting first? Clothes, schmothes - you can buy underwear over there, right?

The only nerve-wracking thing is the teaching packing. Will I remember everything? What if someone wants to learn (X) and I don't have it on hand? Teaching travel paranoia - we've seen it before around here.

So what am I doing sitting around here yakking? Gotta go make some handouts!
Boy and I will try to post every day, since Viking River Cruises has promised us free wifi on board!
See you in Europe...