Chronic Negress

There’s not much left to 2007, and it’s a year I won’t miss except for New Zealand and a few dazzling on-ice moments by my beloved New Jersey Devils. Mom is hanging in there at Sunrise at Thomas Circle, my sister is still at the EPA and my new right knee (acquired in Aug. 2007 and at 111 degrees of flexion) is healing nicely except for a bit of tendinitis in the right ankle. I have a new kitchen and a new bathroom. As of Aug. 7, I have a very large hole in my ornamental plaster living room ceiling, which is in the process of being rebuilt very slowly by Greek artisans who seem to be challenged by the concept of time. The ceiling collapsed but no one was hurt. There is, however, dust everywhere. A lot of stuff is being cleaned while in storage. With any luck next year’s year end entry will note that the work is done.

My church life has been good. I attend Grace Church Van Vorst and helped with the film portion of the arts festival we do every year. if you’re ever in Jersey City, you’re welcome to visit. I have also been knitting a prayer shawl for what seems like forever, but I hope to finish it by end of January 2008.

I am also deepening my wine studies. I completed a Fundamentals of Wine course in June at the French Culinery Institute with master sommelier Andrea Immer Robinson (one of the coolest women on the planet) and have been taking courses on Spanish wines at the Cervantes Institute. I also visit the North Fork of Long Island regularly for relaxation and “research.”

You can find me on Facebook and Ravelry. The latter is a yarn craft community that’s in beta mode. Being out on disability because of the knee surgery turned me into an online Scrabble addict, which means I now know just about every word where you can use a “Q” without a “U.”

I hope your holidays are good. Write if you get work, or even if you don’t. You can e-mail me if want to catch up. If you want to find out more about the Devils, New Zealand and my adventures in wine, you can read everything after this.

Thanks for checking in. At this writing, the Devils have won eight straight. This is the best Christmas ever!