On packing and unpacking…

I keep reminding myself this isn’t forever, and that I had a nice long break in the studio last winter and that my job is cyclical and that this too shall pass…

But I feel like I permanently live out of a suitcase.  Sigh

I packed and left for California last Thursday, for the CNCH conference.  I took no photos, and just held on for the ride.  It was a whirlwind trip, judging the fashion show on Friday, fashion show and awards Friday night, with a dinner at a fabulous Cambodian restaurant in Oakland with my fiber buddies.  Saturday morning I hit the ground running with two back to back three hour lectures, one on Fitting patterns and one on Seam and Edge finishes for Handwoven garments, fortunately they were both in the same room so I had a bit of a break from unpacking.

Saturday night was the banquet and keynote address by Peggy Osterkamp, and I struggled to stay smiling and alert.  My brain checked out about 7pm.  I did wear my new jacket to both the fashion show, and the banquet and got lots of compliments (the same on the airplane, and in the Marriott, the desk clerk looked at me in my jacket and looked at my reservation and rolled her eyes and exclaimed, “It figures, you’d be from NY, everyone there dresses really fashionably…)  I smiled…

Sunday was a repeat of Saturday except I had to pack up and move to the fashion show exhibit where I gave a three hour presentation on the garments in the fashion show and in fact, on my opinion of running a fashion show.  I’ve been asked for a written commentary and guide for guilds hosting a fashion show.  And I’ll tell you now that it will be a lengthy one as I have lots of opinions on the subject.  I have participated and judged quite a few dating back to 1981.  Stay tuned for that…  (Note that the garments in this particular fashion show were fantastic, I wanted to pack at least six of them in my suitcase and would have willingly traded my new jacket creation for a couple of those knitted coats.)

I had a quick pack and move Sunday at lunch time, to a different classroom, and another set up and Nancy, I couldn’t have done it without you.  It is great to have friends and helpers to get the job done.  Though sometimes I need to attack projects like that myself, I welcomed the help on Sunday.

Another three hour lecture Sunday afternoon, this time on Closures (closing a garment).  Sunday afternoon I packed up my classroom with help from a couple of the students, hauled everything to my hotel room, and promptly forgot to pick up my paycheck…  Sigh…

Another fabulous dinner with friends, this time at a Vietnamese restaurant near the Oakland Marriott and Convention Center, and then a glorious massage from my wonderful California friend Becky who give just about the best massage I have ever had.  Big sigh and exhale…

I packed up carefully so when I had to wake up at 3am to catch the airport shuttle to Oakland airport I wouldn’t wake my roommate.  I snuck out of the room, and hopped the shuttle and started the trek home.  The flight was relatively uneventful except for the privileged experience of sitting in the bulkhead seat on the Denver/Newark leg, next to a pilot and a visually impaired gentleman with a gorgeous black Labrador guide dog who slept the entire trip across our feet.  The conversation between the visually impaired gentleman and the pilot was one of the most interesting airplane dialogues I’ve ever overheard, I just kept knitting my sock and smiled.  I can honestly say I do take a lot of things in my life for granted, listening to the difficulties of traveling with a guide dog internationally (the guide dog was a trooper, it is the lack of accessibility and ignorance by personnel and the public that make things so difficult for those with disabilities) made me really really grateful for how simple my travel life is no matter how much I complain…

I arrived home exhausted and hungry and functioning on about two cylinders of brain capacity.  I went out to dinner Monday night with my family, and crashed early.  I had no idea what time zone I was in and didn’t care.

Tuesday was my birthday, I frantically unpacked, printed and bound all the handouts, and cut all the products and packaged and shipped everything to North Carolina, where I’m headed next Monday.  A huge thank you once again, to help when it was needed most, my daughter, whom I’ve missed more than I let on, worked tirelessly beside me and in some cases directing my tired brain onto the next task.

I repacked a suitcase for Tuesday night for an overnight at a local Marriott, my husband had a voucher for a free night’s stay, and it was really my birthday and he wanted to celebrate with some alone time with me since he was packing and leaving today to return to Saudi.  Sigh…

Our little getaway was too brief, but they did have a hot tub, which made my body relax, but my brain is hopelessly caught in a tailspin…

So I unpacked this morning, and again, hit the ground running, unpacking and repacking the monographs that came in today’s mail, from California, and turning around and shipping them to North Carolina along with the supplies to teach one of the students in the class bobbin lace so she can make lace for a handwoven Christening gown that she will then make in my class up at Sievers in June…  And I had to pack up and ship my garments for the fashion show at Convergence Long Beach.

At this point, I’m down to one cylinder, and I took a deep breath and packed up both suitcases and a loom and a spinning wheel for an all day series of fiber lectures tomorrow at a local elementary school.  I do this every year, and love the kids, and look forward to it, I wish it hadn’t been this week.  And so tomorrow morning I’ll get in the car, which is already packed, and head across the county, and when it is finished, I’ll repack the car and head home and put everything back in its place.  I’ll have three days to get all the bills and paperwork done and piece parts prepared and shipped for my article for Threads Magazine, and then on Sunday I pack for my five day class in Asheville, NC.

I’m putting a lot of miles on those suitcases.  And I’m down to about a half cylinder of brain function.  I’ll be really surprised when I re-read and proof this blog if it makes any sense…

Sigh…

Stay tuned…