Relentless Toil: Wherein I Whine About My First World Problems

First World whine #1: Alas, my summer vacation is over. We went to Kalamazoo, the Jersey Shore, Newport, and then my family crashed my friend Sarah's family's Quisisana party, which, except for swarms of mosquitoes* feasting on me and Sarah's daughter, was really, really lovely and a totally unique experience that occasionally hinted at that old chestnut, Dirty Dancing, only with less dirty and generally less dancing.
The people who take care of guests at Quisisana double as musicians and performers and they are really quite talented; seriously good. Shannon Kessler, the lady who sang the part of Mimi in the La Boheme number, had me SOBBING in the front row. SOBBING. I was so impressed I felt like I should be the one pouring these guys THEIR coffee in the mornings. In Dirty Dancing parlance that would be like carrying a watermelon.
While there, I discovered that I am really good at kayaking. Well... I guess I am really good at kayaking. I did not have any tip-over-and-have-to-get-back-on-in-water-over-my-head opportunities. I might be bad in that kind of situation. But in the calm and beautiful waters of Lake Kezar, I can paddle really fast. And not tip over. I can also put my own kayak and my own folding chair away. I like carrying the watermelon. Sarah reminded me of this many times.

* All the nasty bitey bugs of the northeast US find me particularly delicious. I've contracted Lyme disease twice, and a few days before our vacation, I removed yet another deer tick from my person. Happily, I remain symptom-free this time... phew!

First World whine #2: My chocolate cake and ice cream diet has embiggened my butt to previously personally unknown levels of bigness. My pants don't fit. I have to stop eating chocolate cake and ice cream. I have to stop eating the brioche and cookies my husband bakes so well. I have to stop making and subsequently Hoovering coconut custard pie. I have to get back to working out. Sarah and I theorize however that a giant bottom is an asset in balancing a kayak, so maybe I should reconsider. Except there is no kayaking in my hometown. We only have little bitty streams.

First World whine #3: Why must Ultra Bond Lite fusible web gunk up my sewing machine needles? I think I will take a tip from the Chicago School of Fusing and try Wonder Under, or maybe Misty Fuse, because I have fusible-web applique projects in mind, but I don't want to be de-gunking gunky needles every few minutes. Do you have this problem, too? What a trial. What a complete first world trial. I managed to make a brand new baby this name quilt, though, with fused and then machine quilted letters:

First World whine #4: My next round of Netflix dvds don't get here until late tomorrow afternoon. I need to see the next episode of Manor House! Great is my suffering.