Does your life ever feel like a game of Frogger? Lately, readers, it's been one damn thing after another. Oversleep? Wading through deep snow while wearing clogs? Car troubles? Gates down at the RR crossing forever? Participating in the daily Pedestrian 500? All this and more is part of my glamorous life! I've finally got a weekday off to get my car to the mechanic and arranged to have it seen/fixed, so the car decides to freeze shut. This leads to me jumping up and down next the car, trying to stay warm, while swearing and kicking ice chunks off of the undercarriage. One good kick and an incredibly determined tug on the lower corner of the door popped it open, but not before my hands were totally numb. This cold weather just makes everything seem more aggravating than usual.
So, I've decided to get out of town for a couple of days. Minus the car. It would be wise to head towards tropical climes, but I've decided instead to go visit a friend at my alma mater. We're going to watch movies, knit, and wear many layers of clothing.
It's not all bad here, really. My boss returned from TNNA with presents for all of the staff. She brought me a signed copy of Knit Knit, a very inspirational, avant garde design book that includes a design from Anna Bell (aka Amelia Raitte). I'd thought about buying it before, so it was a very cool gift!
We also had a visit from Franklin, of The Panopticon. I hadn't seen him in a while, so I was pleasantly surprised when he came into the store. He's such a darling that I let my lunch go completely cold while I talked to him. I tried hard not to be a dork.
Well, must be off to pack an impossible collection of items into my LeSportsac Weekender. How many knitting projects do I really need? And how much can I carry?

The Cut Direct

I have purchased several copies of Einstein's Dreams over the years. It is a truly amazing book that I have given as a gift six times, I think. One of my Lighting Design classmates introduced me to the book in college, saying that it had completely changed her ideas about design. It's a life changing book that has inspired plays, dances, and a cult following. Thank god Alan Lightman has no inclination to be the next L. Ron Hubbard. Though I love this book dearly, I've never managed to keep a copy of it for myself. Every time that I buy one, I end up giving it away.

I bought a copy to give as a Christmas gift this year. It looks as though this one will stay in the library. I am no longer speaking to the intended recipient. This is a recent, painful development that has left me contemplating the fragile and ephemeral nature of friendships.




For one person to look directly at another and not acknowledge the other ... is such a breach of civility that only an unforgivable misdemeanor can warrant the rebuke... It is a direct stare of blank refusal, and is not only insulting to its victim but embarrassing to every witness. Happily it is practically unknown in polite society. Emily Post, 1922

Sorry for the temporary blog abandonment. I've been running myself ragged. First Christmas, then late nights with friends, and now a commissioned piece with a fast approaching deadline. I could live in the bathtub! So, I'm going to cheat on this post and make a random list. I'll do a real post once the sweater is finished.

* I finally broke down and bought myself the MAC brush set for eyes, after several years of putting it on the xmas list. Clearly, my relatives do not appreciate my need to be fabulous. They are so much better than my old Clinique brushes. It is so much easier to do my eyes now (especially with their eyeliner brush! Love!) that I might actually do my makeup more often. I also got some new under-eye concealer and powder. It was a good day for the MAC counter.

* After working with both the Addi Turbos and the Addi Turbo Lace needles, I still prefer the originals. The point on the lace needles is fabulous, but I miss the slickness of the original turbos. This is not to say that the lace needles are poky, it's more like the difference between 4th and 5th gear. When you're in a hurry, you need 5th!

* I went to The Fold in Marengo for the first time. It was fabulous, even though we got terribly lost in the middle of nowhere. Their store is a real destination LYS. It was packed for their New Year's Sale, but everyone was in such good spirits. There are few other stores where standing in line for forty minutes would be tolerated. Kelly bought really great roving to try out her new spinning wheel and I was very good and only bought two skeins of yarn. They were 560 yard put-ups, but technically only two skeins.

* I'm back to riding the train for my regular commute. I would prefer to drive, but the parking costs were killing me. Sadly, the Trib company still hasn't returned to my train station to fill the paper boxes. Did you know that it is November 15th, 2007? Well, that is the date on the paper in the Tribune box at my train station, and it really ticks me off. Have they given up my area as Sun Times readers? I never read that other paper, even though it is the only one available for purchase on my way in. Perhaps this is a sign that I should knit more instead of reading the paper.

Happy Solistice

This blog post is brought to you by Mad Men. Not an ad, just what I've been watching for the past day. I bought the season pass from itunes and settled in for several hours of solid viewing as I knit my last Christmas gift for the year. I had a realization while soaking in the tub that five days are not sufficient to knit a lace jacket, even if it is bulky. Lace. Talk about serious denial. So, I marched into work the next day and bought two skeins of Artyarns Silk Rhapsody, a gasp-worthy silk and mohair yarn, to make my grandmother a Clapotis shawl from Knitty. I chose the pale blue and silver color, which looks the way I imagine an invisibility cloak would look if you could see it. Maybe this is another attack of denial. It's a fairly wide scarf, knit on the bias. The pattern is fairly simple, though the rows are littered with stitch markers to keep track of where the dropped stitches will later occur (or, as they say on Cribs, where the magic happens). It's about half done now and my shoulders could use a break from all of this knitting. Yet another excuse to take a long bubble bath.

Through a bit of horse trading, I managed to see Dr. Atomic, the John Adams/Peter Sellars opera, this Friday. One of the customers at the store described it as "Dr. Strangelove to music". I cannot stress enough how wildly inaccurate that statement was! Yes, it's about the dawn of the nuclear era, but there's no learning to love the bomb. I really didn't know what to expect, since I am not the biggest fan of contemporary classical music. It was incredible. Peter Sellars really challenges the audience, but succeeds wildly in creating a truly 21st century opera. I hope that the production finds an audience (there were a *few* empty seats on opening night).

I also traded my day off this week, so I have a real weekend. Joy! Bliss! Sleeping in! This will be followed by the sucker punch of a 9am meeting on Monday, but I'll try not to think about it. So far, I've knit two pairs of slippers and made a dent in the Christmas Card pile. Unfortunately, I've misplaced my little black book and must scramble for a lot of addresses. Maybe I'll have a nice long soak in the tub before attacking anything else.

That will give my computer a chance to download my big itunes purchase. I'm such a sucker for the end of the year lists. They reveal albums you hadn't considered and remind you of ones that you meant to give a chance before. So, I am purchasing a jazz album, a Swedish indie, and a rock album. I really must drive their "Just for You" predictor program crazy. What do you suggest to someone who buys Haydn and Timbaland? Maybe that's why their musical advice is always so off the mark....

Another brilliant concert at the symphony. When I bought the tickets, it was a pig in a poke: no program listed. Still, the annual CSO Brass concert seemed like a good bet. It was. The program included a piece that was played at my grandmother's wedding, one of my favorite pieces, and two encores. I'd heard Pictures at an Exhibition last season (by lingering in the rotunda while I was supposed to be working) played by the whole orchestra, but was totally blown away by the all-brass version. It was breathtaking, especially the Kiev Gate movement. It was so grand. It also gave me another opportunity to hear Christopher Martin, the first trumpet. After the Haydn concerto last month, I would go see him play almost anywhere. He was marvelous today. My grandmother declared him cute. He has an obvious joy for his work and a lot of talent. Who wouldn't find that attractive?
I'm a little sad that I don't have another concert until after my birthday. I may have to buy a couple of single tickets between now and then.
We had our Holiday Party at work this week. It was a real production, involving driving in a snowstorm (old hat for me, but it was the California transplant driving), a case of glogg, two crock pots, two new employees, and a color sale. Naturally, the employees took advantage of the compound discount to stock up on red, blue, green, and white yarns. I bought six skeins of powder blue Manos del Uruguay wool to make the Treeline Striped Cardigan from the Purl Bee. A customer came in recently to put this project together. After seeing their picture, I'm impressed by her imagination. It doesn't look like much in the picture, but all of the finished projects on Ravelry look great. I also got a couple of skeins of Claudia's Handpaints Sportweight to make a pair of cushy socks.
The party was well attended. People came early and stayed until closing. Maybe it was the mulled wine and meatballs, or our sassy good cheer. A miracle that, given how stressful these events can be to get on their feet. Someone spilled wine all over the bathroom, as well as in the corner by the bulky yarn. Since we have a concrete floor, it really soaked in overnight, leaving a big red stain. It looks like we killed somebody! A lot of the guests spoke of making gifts from their yarn purchases. I wish them the best of luck, given the quick approach of December 25th. I am beginning to feel pessimistic about my own projects. To that end, I went to the Renegade Holiday Craft Fair to look for possible presents. I didn't buy any, but I looked at a lot of things. I was restrained. I purchased a necklace from an artist I'd seem before on etsy and amazing blue-green handspun alpaca from one of our favorite customers. She didn't have enough to make a garment, so I bought a few skeins to make the yoke on sweater (with a body made out of commercially milled yarn). It's really gorgeous, just my colors. I wish that I'd taken a picture this morning, when there was some natural light, but I was too busy doing my hair and changing purses.