Gone

There's been no word on my car. I've been stalking it on the police website, which is quite handy. Also suggests that a lot of cars are stolen in the city... It is really inconvenient not having a car. Public trans where I live is basically non-existent and nothing a walkable distance. But underneath the inconvenience is the violation. I feel violated that someone took my car and all of my possessions in it. I care more about the possessions than the car, honestly. I can get another car, but what about my favorite bag? Every time that I think of something in the car, I feel that a bit of that shock that I felt when I saw that the car was gone.

I've also recently suffered what Jane Austen would call a romantic disappointment. It wasn't a grand affair or anything, but it was something that had ignited a spark of joy in my soul. And now that's gone, too. I think that is what I will miss the most: that frisson of pleasure every time that I saw him, the little flirty high of our exchanges, the taste of his kisses.

One of my exes said that cynicism is the condom of the romantic's soul. I may have to retreat into that hard little shell that I wore for so many years for a little while. It's hard to see any overarching purpose to the events of this week, but perhaps this is a lesson in what I don't need in life, what I can do without.

Deja Vu

Remember when my car was stolen a couple of years ago? It's happened again. I might laugh if had happened to someone else, but I am at wit's end. Why would anyone want to steal a 1994 Buick Century? Why does this keep happening to me? I parked it in a non-skeazy lot where I have parked many times before, displayed my ticket, locked the doors like a responsible adult, etc., but still it is gone. I am heartbroken.

Things that I am pissed about being taken with the car: several bags of Malabrigo yarn, a bag of Rowan Tapestry that I'm supposed to use in a store sample, lots of Colinette Tagliatelli, my haul from the Knitting Workshop sale, and the Misti cotton that I bought to make a new Something Red. Also: my good eyeshadow brush, irreplaceable test skein of Malabrigo sock, and a good part of my MAC stash. Damn you, car thieves! I hope that you get gangrenous feet! I hope that all of your sweaters get moth holes and shrink in the wash!

Until all of this is resolved, my transportation options are very limited. Please do not be offended if I turn down an invitation. Maybe I can't get there, or would prefer to spend time sulking in my bathtub.

Noro spring

I don't normally work on weekends, but I'm strangely glad that I did this week. If I hadn't, I probably would have stayed inside all day, knitting in front of the telly, and missed out on this beautiful weather. Meghan and I walked around for a while after our meeting this afternoon and discovered the signs of spring in our neighborhood. Hackney's has put out their beer garden. Many a wonderful hour has been spent at those wobbly tables, like the last night that I saw Jenny before she moved to Spain or when Lisa and I smoked a Cuban cigar. There were a lot of dogs out today, and college students discovering their inner flaneurs.

Meghan and I ended up at Sandmeyer's, a lovely little bookstore near our shop. I really enjoyed going there with her, as Meghan is just as big a bibliophile as I am. She even bought a book that I've been recommending to her! I love that she trusts my taste that much. I spent a good fifteen minutes completely engrossed in a book of transit maps of the world. I felt a little nostalgic pointing out stops I have known in London and Paris. We also learned that Mongolia has excellent stamps. Perhaps there are a lot of epistolary romances there.

The Noro cardigan is progressing admirably. Since it's a yarn we're trying to highlight in the shop, I can actually knit it at work. I've been pleasantly surprised at how nicely the Matsuri knits up, given how rustic other Noro yarns are. I would be knitting now, except the ball that I brought with me doesn't match the established stripe pattern. Normally, I'm not so exacting about my knitting, but I think the cardigan would look too crazy if I didn't make the color repeats match. I am usually more conservative in my design choices (it seems pointless to follow trends when so much work is involved), so I'm really enjoying this. It's like a dash of paprika.

I've been pretty busy being a Pisces lately. My moods have been up, down, all around. I've been rocking the under-eye circles (partly because I stay in bed until the last possible moment and don't have time to slap on some concealer). I'm dying to sleep in, loll about in bed without a care in the world. A quick glance at my schedule reveals that isn't possible until Friday. Argh.

Yesterday was my day off, but I was busy all day doing responsible adult things, like going to the bank. Oh, and a four plus hour trip the the salon to get my hair fixed. I'm always surprised at how long it takes at this particular place, like I've never been there before. But seriously, four hours? I had loose plans to meet a friend for lunch, but had to cancel via text message while my hair was covered in foils. Very classy. Still, all that sitting still was worth it. My red on red color is fabulous, and the stylist fixed my almost-right-yet-irritatingly-wrong haircut in five minutes.

So, I took my beautiful hair to the symphony. I've been looking forward to this concert all season, since it featured music from Vertigo, my favorite film. Other audience members seemed less thrilled, like the women to either side of me who snored throughout the concert (that's an expensive nap!), or the couple who argued all through intermission. The funniest thing about their argument was how poorly articulated it was. "You know how I feel about Vertigo," the woman raged, "Some woman dies in it." Um, isn't that the basic plot of most of Hitchcock's films? The program was brilliant. I wish that it had been my idea. It was a bit static at times, which may have led to the snores, and perhaps a bit too conceptual for some. The Friday Night at the Movies series usually features films with live scoring, not an intermedia piece (again, so jealous).

So, I'm off to work today. Normally, this would be my day off, but I am covering for a coworker going to a Cubs game. So I'll be the designated redhead today.