Up since 3 a.m. when really bad sore throat woke me from sound sleep. This is a head cold from hell, but (knocking wood) it seems to be easing off a bit. I have a full weekend ahead and really didn't need a sick day. I did manage to get to the bank, the post office and the supermarket while the drugs were working (we won't think too much about my driving skills during that time). I am skipping the Good Friday service at my church, because I am exhausted and also disgusting. We do "Veneration of the Cross" which involves kissing the cross, and I'm quite sure nobody would want to follow snarking, snuffling me in THAT line. It will be early to bed tonight again, and maybe by tomorrow I'll be more human. L and I are doing the Easter Vigil tomorrow evening, and I'm going to my folks' on Sunday.

For Catholics Lent ends on Holy Thursday with the start of the Triduum, so as of today I was off my knit-fast. So I'm off work, I've been up since 3 a.m., I'm loaded on cold meds and have an Internet connection and a credit card - a very dangerous scenario. Knitting Books! That's what I wanted, books! I've ordered Knitting into the Mystery and two Debbie Bliss books - "Simple Living" and "Quick Knits for Babies" - the baby boom continues unabated in Lawyer World. We're up to our butts in rug rats and pregnancies, plus I think this will be a good resource for quick charity knitting patterns. I also ordered Patons' "Summer Crochet" leaflet, for the crocheted shawl on the cover. I'm sorry, but I think knitting lace is more bother than it's worth. I've tried it and it frustrates me - for one thing, ripping knitted lace is a freaking nightmare, while crochet comes apart stitch by stitch - a lapse of concentration isn't a fatal mistake, you can rip and fix relatively painlessly. I can crochet something lacy with much less mental stress, and the cover shawl is very nice. I'll continue to try to knit lace, now and then, but I don't think it's ever going to be my thing. While I agree that many crocheted garments lack style (and some are downright hideous), some things are better in crochet, and I think a lacy shawl is one of them. Patons has some really nice crochet patterns, lacy sexy things, not clunky and toilet-paper-cover-ish. I've seen some really nice stuff in European sources, too. Which reminds me, I think I want to subscribe to Anna and Sandra. Yeah, they're a bit pricey but they do seem to have much more style than most of our American offerings, which are generally too boxy and blah for my taste. I haven't cross-stitched in years but I do needlepoint and, of course, crochet, and I want to learn to sew this year, so Anna Burda seems like a great idea.

Boy had his first closing today, so he is truly a Realtor now. He left the closing to go back to the office and write a contract on a house sale. I'm just chuckling at how long-haired-sandaled-living-in-the-Mexican-jungle-boy has taken to short hair and contract negotiations - I think it's more fun than he thought. I tease him that when he goes back to grad school it'll be for an MBA.