... and, to conclude, the victory fell on us.

So off we went this weekend to the Women's Challenge, which is the final five-and-under competition in the Grand National Curling Club (the men's is always held first, and the mixed in the middle).  We lost our skip to a crazy work schedule a couple of weeks ago, so we had to move one step to the left and scramble to find a replacement, and find one we did -- and after our first game, which was relatively easy because the other team was off their stride (we were up 12-4 after seven ends, so they conceded); and after our second game, which was a nailbiter against flt and her team that we had to win by stealing one in the eighth; and after our third game, the semifinal, which was another nailbiter against a tough team from Utica (they grow them hardy in central New York, is what) that we had to win by the skip making a perfect shot that she happened to have missed twice in the previous end; after all of these, our final was a relatively easy game against the home team and, well, we won.

( scoreboards: )

I should point out that I've never been to a first event final before, much less won a bonspiel.  So this was a yay for me.  Plus, our club has never won this particular bonspiel (and we have won both the men's and the mixed before), so this was a yay for us.  Plus, this year our club happened to win both the men's and the mixed, so the fact that we just won the women's is a complete sweep for a club that has only been in a curling-specific facility for five years.  So extra yay for us.  (Incidentally, the same guy was the skip of the winning men's and mixed teams; and his vice and lead from the mixed team were our skip and second post-shuffle on this team.  For even more keeping-it-in-the-family fun, that is.)

In short:  YAY HAT-TRICK.

Very tired.  I go to bed now.  I'll check the (no doubt skip=5746872345) flist tomorrow.  Night!

skip=225.

That's not too bad.

dear old navy:

Thanks for sending the stuff I ordered so promptly.  I really appreciate it.

Here's the thing, though.  I know you kind of do your own thing when it comes to sizes.  I'm generally a size larger in Old Navy clothes than anywhere else, top and bottom, and I'm fine with that, because I've come to terms with the meaninglessness of numbers and so on, and although I might disagree with the size as an objective standard I admit the stuff fits fine.  So you can probably imagine my frustration with the fact that you appear to have abandoned all internal consistency.  The shirts I just bought are, hmm, a little on the roomy side -- not out of control, and I shouldn't go a size down, but they certainly don't fit the same as other shirts I have in that exact size and cut -- but I know it's not because of some miraculous weight loss on my part, because a) I have not miraculously lost that kind of weight and b) the jacket I just bought, with the same size label on it as the shirts, is a little snug.

WTF, Old Navy?  Why you got to hurt me like that?

signed,
Fox

spring break yay

Errands accomplished today.  Cooling racks and a bunch of good stuff at Bed, Bath, and Beyond; some grocery type things as well at Giant and Trader Joe's.  Am now almost prepared to make amaretti for the Cherry Blossom (clever, clever me for buying a quart of egg whites instead of a dozen eggs whose yolks I'd just end up throwing away); have only to borrow jgesteve's KitchenAid so I don't have to make the damn things with a hand mixer.

oh, other news

Those of you who have been saying for weeks that my eyes look red all the time?

Yeah.  The doc says allergic conjunctivitis.  Fortunately, he also says this is not the kind of conjunctivitis you think it is, and it's not contagious or dangerous or going to damage my vision or anything at all, and I'm to put prescription drops in my eyes for a few weeks but I don't have to change my contacts or stop wearing them altogether.  HURRAH.

(icon just chosen for color, not for mood.)