You just know that somewhere,

Keith Richards has a portrait in the closet, and it looks FAAAAABULOUS!

(I've been listening to a lot of Rolling Stones lately...)

Ok, really I just put this up because he makes me feel so much better about my looks, you know? I haven't been well and I'm tired and I just look older every time I look in the mirror. And I had another birthday...

Could be worse I suppose. I could have *not* had a birthday!

Quick recap- Thanksgiving kinda didn't happen, for a variety of reasons. So instead of cooking all day for hordes, I made a nice dinner for James and myself, Cornish hens with a wild rice pilaf, and a pear tart for dessert. Pretty tasty!

Went to Summits 11th Night, and was honored to speak for Tadgh at his elevation.

That Sunday James and I went to breakfast with Wanda and Karl and Linda, and I managed to fall down the very steep and narrow stairs to the ladies' room. It being narrow, allowed me to catch myself so I didn't fall far, and avoided what could have been disaster. I did however break the heel off of one shoe, and caught the other big toe and bent it toward the sole. This did not feel good. By the time I got undressed that night, it was black. So off to the doctor I went. Verdict: broken. There's not much you can do with a broken toe, and they said as much, but that one is really necessary and gets used a lot. And then said that they could fit me with a walking cast, or I could wear hard-soled shoes, such as clogs. Well I wear them quite a bit anyway, so this was not a problem. More about that later.

And I went to see Annie for Christmas! I flew out on the red-eye Christmas Eve, arrived in New York with the milkman. Annie and I goofed off and did nothing all day. The next day we had a party- Phil the Younger brought his mom, Phil the Elder (we have to differentiate them somehow...) and Susan came, and brought Evil Spawn (Brennan) with them, and Eric and Andrea, who are Baron and Baroness of Long Island (can't remember the SCA branch name, and yes, you have to say it Long͜͜͜͜͜geyeland). PtE and Eric and I had an impromptu Laurel meeting (and chased PtY out with a "You can't be in here! This is Sooper Sekrit meeting!" after which we discussed Ovaltine, of course) which was mostly Inter-Kingdom Anthropology. "No really, that's how you have candidate discussions? How weird." PtE made meatloaf, because Annie decreed that there must be meatloaf, and I made Chicken Saupiquet and a pear tart. There was much dessert and lots of booze and we had a lovely time.

The next day PtY and Annie and I had a lovely lunch at a place called Lillie's (www.LilliesNYC.com) which had a lame beer selection (I'm spoiled, being from Portland Oregon) and then his mom met us at the Met, and we attempted to tour the museum. Attempted being the operative word here, because every other vacationing family also attempted to do so. It was PACKED. I only barely got to see the Frankish/DarkAges jewelry and the Byzantine textiles and a little more of the medieval stuff before they chased us out again. When we came out the weather had changed and I believe we found Texas' missing rain. A couple of years' worth. We waded home and had leftovers. And my foot swelled a bit, which I expected. The next day PtY came over and Iso and I watched Phil and Annie make soap. And then they took me to the airport. It was much too short a visit. :-(

On the plane naturally I was seated next to Incredibly Obtuse Woman, who had to leave her seat and return twice during the last half hour of the film that I actually paid cash (first time!) to see, even spilling my drink on me. I was also in close proximity to three families with small children, two of whom appeared to had the crud. Two days later, so did I.

And a week after that it was clear that I had a bacterial infection, so I went to the doctor, and came out with a scrip for BIG BAD ANTIBIOTICS, because I had a sinus infection, both ears infected, and a bit of pneumonia in one lung. Hey, when I get sick I don't do a half-assed job of it!

I was well enough by Midwinter's to drive down to Adiantum and go to the event for a couple of hours. Took a new formal Student- their Baroness, Morrghan. She is a lovely woman and is motivated and is NOT LIKELY TO DROP OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH, and I think it will be fun working with her. We plan to revisit in a year to see if she wants to be an Apprentice.

I've been mostly really not feeling well since, sleeping weirdly and cranky and groggy the rest of the time. I even overslept and was late for church last week, which I never do.

And after six weeks, my foot still hurts. It should be better by now, I'd think.

I got a new hat- a vibrant red, and a new pair of brown shoes and a new pair of red shoes. Well, all these are resale, but they are new to me! Both pair of shoes are much more comfy than some I have, which are going back to Goodwill as they kill my feet.

I finally broke down and got a cell phone. I did not want to, but it really has become necessary. If you aren't living with me, descended from me, or sleeping with me, you don't get the number. So if you don't already have it, don't bother asking.

I of course have a Harry Potter ringtone. :-)

The latest reading has been Dark Ages theology, in which I discovered a guy who got in trouble and was confined to a monk's cell for the crime of preaching pre-destination. This shocked me- I had not realized that pre-destination was preached until Calvin. Our Priest, Caroline, is a History and Theology professor at PSU, so I asked her about it, and it surprised her too. She said that Augustine sort of talked about it, but I haven't read Augustine for ages. She laughed and admitted that she hasn't either. But now I have to go back and read Augustine, and I am not looking forward to it, as it was a real slog last time. Tolle lege! Tolle lege! Well Tolle yourself, bub! :-P Next up (after Augustine) is more womens' history, I think. Trying to get a bead on how much freedom an unmarried or widowed woman had, outside of the royal family or a convent. Also looking at how much education a woman might have outside an abbey, and how she might exercise it. (How much trouble *can* Liutgard get into, anyway? :-))