I’ll be back in a couple of weeks. Of course, I am packing the trusty laptop, so if there’s wifi, I’ll drop in and let you know how the scotch is holding out. In the meantime,  I’ll be hanging out in places that look an awful lot like this…and yeah, I’ll probably take a photo or two (thousand).

When I was all…”I want to pack right now, but that would be a bit premature…”? Yeah, that passed pretty much. My suitcase is open on the floor of the guest room and contains one jacket. I am sort of paralyzed now about what to pack. The last time we were in Scotland it was September, and the locals were frolicking around in as few clothes as possible and congratulating us on catching an unusual heat wave. I was cursing my lack of gloves. Seriously, we went out to the Culloden battlefield and were afraid we were going to lose extremities to frostbite. And yes, that does say upper 60’s but after this we go further north, and  I’m afraid my thin, Southern blood will take that to mean 40’s. Ehh, what the hell. To me it looks like a brilliant opportunity to buy authentic Aran sweaters. As for the rain? Bring it. What’s a good tromp around some ruined castle if you aren’t soggy and cold? Makes the whiskey that much nicer when you finally stagger back inside.

We leave on Sunday. La La La! So much to do…and did I do any of it today? No I did not. I have spent a sizable chunk of time in the pool, and am about to shower and get ready to go out with the fam this evening. We have a couple few social obligations to fulfill before we leave; tonight’s is a benefit for some friends of friends who have had a devastating medical situation. We sort of figure it never hurts to do a mitzvah before getting on a plane. Though it means I have to get dressed in actual clothes instead of a swimsuit, slap on a coat of face, and try to convince a goat-boy that two hours in the pool does not equal a shower. And don’t even think about sneaking inside to get some shampoo, slick.

I did finish several new pieces lately, and here is one. Again with the blues and greens. Maybe the fact that it’s summer and I spend a substantial portion of each day waterlogged has something to do with it.

Ahh, Woolslinger, (by the way, Eddie is in Portland on July 15th) if you ever find yourself around these parts, stop by for some (okay, lots) of wine and a stroll through my closet(s). I practically live in a textile museum. Back before the hubs and I jumped the broom we went to a lot of parties, the kinds of parties where most of the guests had stylists. I prided myself on having cooler clothes than the professionals. Also, I worked for a design firm where one of my co-workers insisted on keeping the place at a median temperature of 48 degrees. Coffee and a mindboggling collection of jackets were the only ways I staved off hypothermia. I also wore really tall boots and had not yet chopped off my hair. Picture Adam Ant, basically, but with a lot more hair.

I knew J.Peterman way before Seinfeld and spent a sizable chunk of my income there. Every day was my own personal costume party. British navy officer’s coat? Yes, please. Tallulah Bankhead tea gown in champagne or black? Oh, why choose? Vintage top hat with velvet band and veil, circa 1908? Bitch you are coming home with me! (you’d be surprised just how many times I have worn that, actually.)

In a past life perhaps I was a Belle Epoque man of fashion, or a silent screen movie extra? More likely I was the kleptomaniac sexually confused valet who dressed up in cast off evening wear in my cold furnished room under the eaves. Eddie could totally play me in the movie.

Eddie’s show was everything I hoped. No he wasn’t in drag, but Jane was right, I got over it. Mainly because it turns out when he’s not in drag, we have very similar taste in clothes. Exhibit A:

Exhibit B: Those of us who enjoy a nice swallowtail cutaway coat with boot cut jeans for casual wear just don’t run into each other every day. As an aside, the man is well over six feet tall, what must the inseam be on those jeans?

Also, Eddie has given my marriage a new level of security. The custody battle over the mugs would be brutal. At least now we have a suitable companion for the Kinky Friedman for Governor mug.

See Eddie Izzard live. Tonight, eight p.m. I only hope I can refrain from launching myself screaming onto the stage like some crazed fan in old Beatles footage.

Is it weird that my dream man likes wearing make up and women’s clothes? Jane has already seen the show, and says he’s not in drag, which so hurts my feelings. I guess I should be thrilled that he’s venturing into the Bible Belt at all. Doing it in Full On Tranny mode is too much to hope for.

We are leaving for a vacation in a little over a week. It is taking all my will power not to pack right now. Seriously, I would love nothing more than to open my suitcase and begin evaluating what I want to schlep as opposed to what I can get once I am there. I have the long range forecast bookmarked, directions to our destination printed out and stashed in a folder with all our flight information and passports. My travel reading is selected, and the house sitter’s instructions are being revised and updated constantly as I remember to add the minute details of daily life here. Once I stop dragging my feet and start planning for a trip, I am all about it.

She is from Montreal. I thought I would prove that every thing I do is not dark blue and green. Sometimes I venture into warm tones. Well, maybe not so much venture and skirt around the edges.

Okay, so I am all thrilled with every little thing that I manage to get working around here, much like at home, really. Small triumphs, that’s what it’s all about. I still have not managed to get my gallery plug in working as I like, but I did get that little slideshow widget in the sidebar. That thrilled me to no end.

Now, I don’t want to bore anyone with more crumbling prison photos, and some of what I am working on these days is not to be shown yet, so I am going back and dusting off some things that I finished but never blogged. Like this one, which some people find a bit unsettling. What do you think?

I didn’t think so. Me either. Here are a few more shots.