That's awesome, tommy. I love the idea of biking to work so much - it seems so productive and responsible and healthy and fun, more so than just riding a bike to nowhere in particular or going anywhere else.

I spent a lot of this weekend playing sick and then I was more physically actively yesterday . Despite the fact that I can't breathe I finally feel more energetic that I have in two weeks. Just low level stress/rut/disconnect feeling. But, I am beginning to think it happens every fall when allergies get worse.

oh -- Kathy A - good on you for the decisions. I know a couple of people that have done it and it made a big ( positive) difference in their lives.

I know what you mean, msbelle. Once you have flipped the crisis-mode switch, anything else feels weird. Doing one thing at a time sounds very smart

does anyone else feel really disconnected right now?

Good lord yes. I think for me it's been a really horrible work year start and that has made me even more disjointed and confused and disconnected. I think changing my classes at week 5 has not helped me one iota.

That coupled with just extreme work busy-ness coupled with life changing stuff going on.... it's all a bit much and I miss all of you.

mini-meara!

Kat, I love that shop. Every once in a while something in my size is in stock, and then I remind myself that I already have a very fine corset. Then I tell myself, "But that one is green..."

I stare at that shop all the time, and I too tell myself that I already have a (few) corsets. But they're so pretty!

Next purchase of flamboyance: tophat from Gentleman's Emporium. (I will feel much more comfortable wearing that around campus than a crown or wings. The wings would be hard to sit on the bus with, and I only like to wear a crown when I'm feeling especially regal. But I do have a wide selection of crowns from which to choose.)

Go top hat, choose top hat!

I'm wearing my Jilli boots today--granny boots with ribbon laces. I know the proper Jilli thing to do would have been to replace the black ribbons with pink ones, but I'm sticking with what shipped. Felt like a match for the long black velvet skirt

Oooh, I think you should lace them with deep blood red ribbons. I can't see pink ribbon going with a lot of your wardrobe. This week I get to pick up my previously-white boots from the insane cobbler. They now should be pink, and yes, I'm going to lace them with black satin ribbons. It's a thing.

I've finally pulled out Ray, the trusty light box.

I should do that. Yes. Because WOW, am so not awake at my desk yet.

From Kiba's link - they have cards with Jilli's Xmas tree! [link]

Hey, they do! I would buy some, but we have not been very good about sending out holiday cards in years past.

Does anyone have experience with this shop? The prices strike me as very reasonable.

A bunch of people on the Steamfashion LJ community have been very happy with them.

The fact that I've stopped procrastinating on some things is making me feel much better about myself, to the point that I'm almost chipper!

Kathy, that's wonderful to hear.

I stayed with her two weeks ago for a similar procedure but she said that she just asked 'family' for help, not me.

I guess it was this disconnected thing, and the sad timing, but sheesh, that felt bad. I know my feelings are my responsiblity and we aren't really family...but after nearly a quarter of a century, I guess I just took it for granted.

{{{bonny}}} I had a similar experience with my MiL when my FiL was sick. She said that only "family" could visit as his immune system was weakened, and I was not "family." Funny, after 14 years of birthdays, Christmases, vacations, etc., etc., not to mention being basically married to her daughter all that time, I was not considered family. It really hurt my feelings, and while I'm not exactly holding a grudge, I haven't forgotten it.

Very cool visual representation of virus/cell/atom sizes:

[link]

does anyone else feel really disconnected right now?

That's me right now too. feh. Really hard to get myself to do what I need to do on any given day.

Kathy, good luck with everything and congratulations on moving ahead on so many fronts at once.

Really hard to get myself to do what I need to do on any given day.

HA! Even on good days, I suck at this!