Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Oh, yes, there's been knitting



These are all the pieces I have so far of the perfect sweater; the back and two sleeves with a seed stitch border. I'm amazed because the border is not curling, but flipping up.




One sleeve top, one sleeve bottom. What's that? You can't tell the difference? Trust me. They're different. This is their cute-as-a-bug-curling-all-over-the-place-haven't-had-a-bath-yet portrait. I'll be using my SOAK for the first time with this baby, can't wait! Grapefruit scented!




This is the back. Okay, enough said.




This sad picture is the first time I've been a victim of the disappearing yarn. Every pair of socks I've knitted -- whoa.

Wait a minute.

I learned to knit socks last year, during the Olympics.

I've now knit NINE PAIRS. This is my tenth.

Wow.

I just needed to reflect on that for a minute.

Anyway, every pair of socks I've knitted I've had lots of yarn left over. This is the first time I've been betrayed, and I'm having a tough time accepting that they've broken my heart. See them languishing so devil-may-care on the hardworking back of the perfect-to-be sweater? No shame, I tell you. I'll have to rip everything out and re-knit, because that little bit is only enough for my big toe (without nail polish). grrrr . .. . . . . . .

And now, my own artistically phallic shot of the Socks That Rock club sock, posing gracefully on a Poland Spring water bottle, looking out over the melting snow in the backyard:



(still educating myself about a camera. Canon?)

Thursday, March 1, 2007

What Keeps You Going?

Yesterday I had to take a sick day for a doctor's appointment. Yes, a whole day for one appointment, because the doctor only comes in on Wednesdays and he's only available between 9 and noon. I have a dentist's appointment Friday at 4. Gee, wouldn't it have been nice if I could have combined the two in one day? But the dentist doesn't work on Wednesdays, and I've been waiting four weeks for this appointment, anyway.

The appointment went fine, but I wondered how it could be that you could actually have a business and proclaim that you will only be "open" when it suits you. I guess when your Health Care Provider (everybody snicker now) decides who you get to see, you see them on their terms.

So I went back to work today, and I was so frustrated and angry and sad and depressed I wanted to cry. And scream. And throw a heavy black metal music stand through the windows.

I have concluded that this stressful job is doing a number on my health. Now, it's not fair to my husband to shoulder the entire burden of providing financial stability but it's not fair to me to become a raving lunatic capable only of staring at computer screens and television screens when I get home. I can't even concentrate on a book anymore, I keep reading the same paragraphs waiting for sense to sink in.

So I will be looking for another teaching job, but I'm sure I will have next to no luck. I know I'm a very good teacher, but that has nothing to do with it. How high on the salary scale, how far is the commute, how much am I willing to stay after school, etc.

I wish I had the power and position to say "I'm sorry, I'm only available for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, between the hours of 9:30 and 2:30" and have people calling ME a month in advance begging to see me.

So when you know it's impossible for the situation to change, and you have to just bear with it until something else can be done, what keeps you going? Besides the knitting. Give me something to focus on other than this rampant pity party I'm creating here.

(I'm secretly shopping for a camera. Talk to me about that, too!)