hello sunshine

I had to struggle to drag myself out of bed this morning. I've been trying to establish and maintain some sort of rhythm, some systematic productivity, with varying degrees of success. Now we're well into May and I'm still trying to figure out what happened to the rest of April. As usual, bits and pieces are getting done, but nothing is really being completed. After seeing snow three days during the past week, the forecasters are calling for highs of 14C today (and 29C tomorrow!). While these dramatic swings in the weather are likely to create havoc with my allergies, I'm hoping once again that the sun and warmer temperatures will help to kick me out of my rut. I feel like I've lost my sense of discipline. My mind wanders easily and aimlessly, and while my 'To Do' list grows, I'm slow in checking things off the list.

I'm still making my way through my camera manual and will soon be ready to tackle the book on exposure. I've been taking pictures more and finally upgraded my flickr to pro. As you probably already noticed, I even figured out how to make a banner for the blog. I'm not completely happy with it, but I think it adds a bit of brightness around here.

Knitting on Ivy continues apace when I actually spend some time with it. The back and front left are finished, but I am stalled on the right front. I've made a small but annoyingly visible mistake. After considering several options for continuing on and attempting to make the error fit with the rest, I've come to the conclusion that the only option is to rip it back. Like other knitters, I hate having to rip back what is otherwise perfectly lovely knitting, save that one error. So, it sits for now in my basket, waiting for my patience to rise to the challenge of knitting surgery. I'm going to have to tackle it sooner rather than later, though, as I want to have it finished in time for a trip in a few weeks.

Probably in defiance of most economic logic given my current employment status (that is unemployed), I've booked a trip that will most certainly do a great deal to preserve my mental health. For two weeks at the very end of May and beginning of June I'll be in Ottawa. I'm so excited about this. M. had already planned a trip home to spend time with family and friends during a short school break. In a sort of spur of the moment decision, I thought it might be a nice opportunity for me to get to see him and to visit with his family. My previous trips to Ottawa have been in the winter (very cold) and fall (unseasonably warm, but beautiful), so I'm happy to be able to experience a different season this time around. I've already started checking out some of the goings on while I'll be in town and this photography exhibit at the National Gallery is currently at the top of my list.

More soon (hopefully with some photos). For now, I'm going to enjoy the sunshine.