7 Quick Takes {Take 52} Reporting in from the infirmary, excellent tv, & lots of fall knitting...

-1- So much coughing...

 Happy Friday everyone! Although, over at my house, things are a bit more sick ward-ish. Mike caught my cold, but he is faring pretty well. Which is good, since he has a very demanding teaching schedule. Anne and I are still coughing and a bit headachey, but seem to be mostly getting better. But precious, precious Henry... :( He has asthma, so whenever he gets sick, it hits him harder. I had him at the allergist yesterday, and we had to adjust his medication. He's on a strict new regimen for the next week, and then a slightly reduced one for the next month. He's got to go back to be checked in mid-October, right after we get back from Maine. I feel so bad for him, and this morning he woke up looking glassy-eyed and miserable. We kept him home from school, and he willingly laid on the couch in a pathetic fashion. Poor little guy.

-2- In the evenings, we are obsessively watching...

True Detective. Has anybody else seen this show? Wow. SO GOOD. It aired on HBO, which we do not have, but Mike and I are the king and queen of procuring DVD sets from the library because we are freaks and do not subscribe to Netflix or Hulu. :) We had to wait a while for the discs to come in, but they did last weekend, and it's been a bonanza of viewing ever since. Set in Louisiana, this stars Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey as homicide detectives assigned to a ritualistic-looking murder case that they suspect is the work of a serial killer. The show volleys between two time viewpoints: 1995 when the murder took place, and 2012, where we see the now estranged partners separately being interviewed about their previous relationship and work on the case. A lot has happened between those two dates, to each of them personally as well as new evidence in the murder case. Very, VERY well done. An excellent show. I haven't been this intrigued and taken by a show since Breaking Bad. And you know how I feel about *that* show. I *still* think about it!

-3- While I obsessively knit...

Whenever we watch television, I knit, so I've been very productive of late. I finished this hat last night for my nephew Will's birthday:

I'm going to make his twin brother one in different colors. It turned out very cute, I'm happy with it. And it's a free pattern! Soon to adorn very cute little heads...

-4- But why let knitting obsessions end there?

 My knitting group starting a knit-along this week for a shawl pattern, and I got my yarn all ready to participate. The pattern is called "Leftie," and the purpose is to create a shawlette using up your sock yarn leftovers. I knew that I had some brown fingering weight yarn in my stash in a colorway called "Kindling" that I have been dying to use, plus lots of leftovers in colors reminiscent of fall leaves. So we started the knit-along on Tuesday, and this is what I have so far:

I *LOVE* it. I'm going to keep repeating that 4 color leaf sequence throughout and the shawl will just keep getting larger until I run out of yarn or decide to bind off. Ingenious, no?

-5- I have indeed been hyper organizing my playlists. #TypeA

This is the last week of our summer dance break, and I am glad because I seriously miss it. In the meantime, though, I went through the playlist I keep on my iPod of Middle Eastern songs I could potentially dance to in the future. I cleaned out some songs:

"What was I thinking when I downloaded this?!:

...moved others that I still like, but don't think I'll solo to:

"This sounds too veil-y. And, right. I hate veils." :0

...and downloaded a few more for consideration. I generally prefer upbeat songs, and I love a rock solid instrumental with a few different types of segments to keep things interesting, all packaged into less than 4 minutes. Because I hate cutting music, and I'm terrible at it. So, there are now a nice list of contenders, and I listen to them on my walks to see what inspires me. Our next hafla is November 22nd - exciting!

-6- Feast day today!

 I have been as into the liturgical calendar this year as much as ever, and today is a pretty interesting feast: Blessed Teresa of Calcutta:

I remember the day that she died quite clearly. And isn't it an amazing thing to have lived at the same time as someone who is a canonized saint/well on her way to being one? When I was in graduate school in New York City, I remember calling once to a convent associated with Blessed Teresa's order in the Bronx to inquire about volunteer opportunities there for laypeople. The nun I spoke with was the sweetest thing ever, and gave me lots of helpful information, but I never made it up there to check it out. I am, of course, kicking myself about this now. I would have loved to have seen her sisters in action.

-7- Currently on my Kindle...

Along with the September Catholic Book Club selection, my fiction book this week is My Montana Twins, by Carolyne Aarsen, the third book in the Big Sky Centennial series:

This story centers around a widowed young mother of twins who is struggling to find any semblance of normalcy following the death of her husband a year ago. She is organizing a fair and picnic basket raffle for the centennial efforts, and the town and her church congregation are rallying around her to try and lift her spirits. I just love how I'm experiencing the change of seasons along with the characters in these books, since there is one released each month. I just started this installment, I think I'm 4% of the way in, so a long way to go. But very pleasant so far!

All right, time for afternoon tea. We're planning on watching some football this weekend and ordering in some food. :) Do you have any fun weekend plans for the first of September? Let me know in the comments!

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