Misanthropy

I went to the opera tonight, for the first time this season. It was Puccini. I love Puccini. I did not love the woman sitting behind me. She rifled through her purse a number of times, quite noisily. At first, I thought that she was unwrapping cough drops, but they don't make that much noise. It was as though she had a handbag full of tissue paper. The only way that it could have been more obnoxious is if she had had a tambourine in there.
When I went to the symphony last week, I sat next to a couple that kept talking to each other during the performance. Since we were seated in the terrace, they were in full view of the rest of the audience as they chatted. I longed to hiss in my poshest fake British accent, "Oh, do shut up!", but I couldn't work up the nerve. This made me wonder when people stopped abiding by those tacit rules of attending events. Don't make noise. Don't wear a half a bottle of perfume. And for god's sake, turn off your cell phone. Then I thought about it for a while and realized that people have never been that perfect, non-distracting/non-disruptive audience. Hell, people used to stroll about and visit during shows until Wagner introduced the practice of dimming the lights in the auditorium during performances. Think what you will about his work, he did have a few good ideas.

Otherwise, things are going well. The end is in sight on one of the Christmas gifts, the pure math cardigan for my grandmother. I didn't use a pattern, but math to make it. I am generally pleased with the outcome, though still a bit nervous about running out of yarn for the sleeves. I am currently working on the first one, using an Addi Lace needle to magic loop it. I can't work on it at work (due to it being Knitpicks yarn) and it's getting a bit big for the commute. Fortunately, there is some sort of Law and Order marathon going for the holiday weekend--perfect knitting television. Perhaps I ought to start working on the #### for my cousin ####. It's a small project, after all, and knit in Koigu. Hmmm. I also have #### to knit for my #### and ####. Yes, I am a big tease. The problem is that too many of the people that I knit for may or may not read this blog and I don't want to get demanding or plaintive emails, text messages, or phone calls about the gifts. I will knit it and you will like it. Or I won't and you'll get a gift card that I bought at 7-11 on my way over to see you. Either way, act surprised.