Thanks to the R.C., she who can always be counted on to produce what's needed, I spent last evening sitting near a deluxe, humming humidifier, then I set my own little unit up in my bedroom and humidified myself while I slept. I'm fairly sure I've staved off the worst of the cold.

I felt good when I woke up this morning too.

But I need a new humidifier. Mine takes about 5-6 hours to run through a tank of water (it's a very small one) and I don't really think I can take many experiences of being woken up at 4:17 a.m. to hear it straining and groaning to empty its tank .

I was wondering why I stopped using that thing. I mean, it takes a siren going off close by to wake me up once I've gotten to sleep, so the fact that this machine invariably jerks me from a sound sleep when the tank starts to empty gives you a clue as to how loud it is.

I'm already worried about replacing it, of course. I never know what to do with rejected appliances of the kind that there's nothing wrong with but that I just don't want/need any more.

I generally Goodwill such stuff, but I have a lurking distrust for Goodwill. I mean, yes, I donate a ton of stuff to them anyhow, but it bothers me. I wonder how much of what gets donated actually makes it either to the poor or the stores. I wonder how much of the money they make in the stores actually goes to the poor. Stuff like that.

Begin Handicraft Section -

I'm still of two minds about the new shell pattern, but I've started an afghan using it anyhow. I feel sorry for whoever winds up getting a baby blue afghan, but it's going to be very pretty, so maybe that will console them?

I have a couple more skeins of a middling-expensive medium-blue yarn and I've decided to start another afghan (in the old, "easy" pattern) using those. It's going to wind up being a little pricey, about twice what I usually spend to make one, but it's going to be beautiful. I have no idea what I'm going to do with that. Donate it, probably. (I seem to spend a lot of my life donating things.)

I've finished four scarves and tonight we experiment with fringe! Me, I'm not a fringe person, but others like fringe and it looks absurdly easy to do, so they're going to get fringe.

Those are for friends. When those are finished, I'll make a few more scarves for, yes, donating! Or (the thought suddenly occurs to me) I could inflict them on family members who live far enough away that I can avoid recriminations. I wonder what colors Rapunzel and Pippi might like? Or the L-i-K-S?

/ End Handicraft Section

Begin Artistic (hah!) Section -

Nothing to report.

Except that if I don't do something about the masses of stuff piled high on that drafting table in my room, there's going to be an avalanche one of these days.

/ End Artistic (hah!) Section -

I have too many hobbies going at once. I'm reading three different book series, trying to teach myself to knit, crocheting, and doing a computer thing that's too involved to go into. I can't seem to work in time to practice sketching every day and drawing, like any skill, requires daily practice in order to attain any level of mastery.

I'm hopelessly behind on the internets sites I really want to read on a daily basis - I get to them about twice a week and then have to do a marathon to get caught up. Personal email is a lost cause--I never get anything answered in less than three days.

And don't even ask me about writing - I haven't had a chance to touch the file with the novel in it for three months.

I need to get organized.

There's job stuff I wanted to talk about, but that will have to wait for later.