A good Saturday.

I obediently and gratefully went to the stake RS meeting yesterday morning. The theme was "running a spiritual 5K". There were five classes and enough time to pick three. Interesting experience in one of them. No revelations. No tender tears.

The speaker was sincere. The topic was clearly and thoughtfully presented. And I felt ... nothing. *Obviously* not her fault. I wondered afterwards if I was supposed to be in that class to support her and not to learn or confirm anything for myself.

If so, I hope she got what she needed. I certainly don't regret being there. Skipped the luncheon to drive to Carrollton to pick up the next quilt block, hug Firstborn and Fourthborn, and come back home for a nap which was not too long and not too short. Just right!

I am up to 40 minutes on Olive at each practice and ready to tack on another five. By the end of the month I hope to be practicing her for an hour a day and to have gotten into the second volume of lessons. I am working on C# now. It is nowhere near as difficult as high E was.

I may need to flip the order in which I practice, because I am barely managing half an hour on the banjo and am not progressing as quickly as I would like. Although I am progressing. Maybe if I alternate days as I did when trying to decide between Olive and the rosewood recorder? And maybe I need more weight training for my arms. My biceps are still my weakest muscles. My triceps are probably next in line.

I am about a third of the way into HP7. So glad that I decided to reread the series. I am also working through five back issues of Real Simple that a friend from work gave me. I used to be a subscriber. The recipes are frequently amazing. I learn something in every issue. And I cannot help being amused at a magazine that promotes a simpler lifestyle and is propelled by advertising. I wonder how its ratio of editorial content to advertising compares to, say, Vogue?

I am so thankful that I do not need a $500 feather trimmed skirt to wear to the holiday parties I do not attend. A $500 skirt would buy three Chutzpahs. Or 2+ of my car-payment totes, at retail. (I am quite sure that the corporation gets them at a significant discount.)

Speaking of which, I rather like the tether extending from an inside seam. I keep my key ring attached to that, and there's room to add the Tardis' key when I am driving that. Somebody's mommy came up with that idea.

Firstborn broached a concept yesterday after giving her fashionista seal of approval for the tote. I should get a smaller purse, and carry both? I am trying to wrap my mind around that. If I am lugging the necessities in my bag, and I have a separate, highly decorative insulated lunch bag, wouldn't a smaller, more conventional purse be overkill? What would I put in it?

I will admit that that ridiculously expensive caramel leather bag I saw in the ad last year or the year before, is still hanging out in the back of my mind. I'm not exactly proud of the fact.

Oh, and Firstborn also instructed me to register my bag, so that if it ever needs repair I can ship it off and have it fixed or replaced. I kept the paperwork when I opened the box last week. Now I guess I know why.

I'm going to knit a little, in the hope of rebalancing myself. Oye to the veh.