The sands of time

The evening's plans did not quite go as expected, so at this late hour I must delay my blog entry about visiting a yarn warehouse.

In the meantime, how about checking out the Magritte and Dali-inspired video for Squeeze's "Hourglass". This peppy little pop song from my formative years came on the radio tonight. I hadn't heard it in a long time.

Connections

Apparently all I had to do was mention the iPhone to summon it. I received mine today.

It may sound like an extravagance to be given one as part of my job, and it very well may be. Nevertheless, I do think it will be help me with my work.

How? One thing I've discovered with today's college students is that reaching them by phone is about the last viable option. I'll be curious if or when the school decides to pull the plug on landlines in dorm rooms. I seem to recall a report mentioning that they weren't recouping long distance costs because the service didn't get enough use. I've called student rooms and not been able to leave messages because the voicemail boxes have never been set up. I have better success calling cell phones, but even then it's uncommon for someone to pick up.

E-mail can also be hit and miss as far as responses, especially timely ones, are concerned. I've noticed more erosion in getting e-mail replies and have heard students talk about how little they check their inboxes.

No, the way to get in touch with and be accessible to them is texting. Their phones seem to get the most use from tapped out messages, and they struggle to pull their attention from them. Texting in class and texting while participating in academic-related activities is rampant.

To be sure, the phone's web access and synced campus e-mail and calendar will be helpful too. It provides flexibility and ability to work in a way practically unimaginable when I started the job.

And yeah, it's going to be a fun toy to play with as well.

iWant

So here's the thing... Yes, having an iPhone or one of these fancy-schmancy telephones/digital Swiss army knives would be nice, but I can make do with what I have. For Pete's sake, my cell is through my employer, so I can't complain.

A couple weeks ago a co-worker raised the prospect of getting iPhones since word is that the school can get a good deal on them and is approving them. Hey, sure, if they're willing to give me one, I'm all for it!

A week ago all the paperwork was completed to put the order in motion. Considering the short turnaround on our last phones, I was expecting, perhaps unreasonably, to have this smart phone by now. I talked to someone elsewhere at the school to find out what time period he got his in. i was informed that it may have taken three or four weeks for the process to wrap.

A month?! Ordinarily I'm pretty patient, but I've been going kind of nuts waiting for my iPhone to arrive. The expectation of possessing this gadget wasn't on my mind two weeks ago. Now I wait on pins and needles for word that it's here, it's here!

I'm not proud about this reaction.

Don't say that

Bad news is one thing. With any luck it doesn't come often and is delivered softly. Then there are the words you hate to hear. You come across these irritants all the time.

I thought I'd add a few to that writer's list. For instance, when someone says, "No offense but...", you can be sure that what he or she is about to say will indeed offend. Along these lines is the non-apology apology, the favorite of disgraced public figures who have stuck their feet in the mouths: "If I offended anyone, I apologize." Translation: I'm not really sorry, and you shouldn't be so sensitive anyway.

In any context I don't know that "we need to talk" can ever precede anything good, especially if it's followed up with vagaries about what needs to be talked about at an undetermined later time.

What words do you hate to hear?

You better shop around

My Entertainment Weekly subscription lapsed awhile back. Even though the magazine has become glossier and dominated by nuggets instead of articles, it's something I regularly read and makes no sense buying from the newsstand.

One of the card inserts advertised an outstanding deal--55 issues for $20--so with the thought of resubscribing on my mind, I decided the time was right. The telephone number for ordering was buried. Figuring the site would be able to handle my need, I went to the main page and clicked on the proper button. Here I found a "trial" offer of four free issues plus 36 more if I was happy. The cost: $15 for 40 issues.

Ordering through the site was thus slightly more expensive. The web price breaks down to 37.5 cents per issue. Mailing in the card insert or phoning in the order would snag a price of 36.4 cents per issue. Obviously the difference was negligible, but I knew what was the best deal, so why cough up half a buck more than necessary?

After a short hold on the toll-free line I told the operator that I wanted to subscribe and was quoted an annual price of approximately $61. Hold your horses! Granted, I knew that the price on the card was good and would be honored, but what an eye opener this was. Calling the subscription line, a number deep at the end of the letters to the editor section, earns you an offer more than triple the price on a card in the same issue.

As with any purchase, even one as frivolous as this, it pays to do your homework.

Moving the sticks

Previous autumn Sundays were an excuse to knit while keeping an eye on the pro football games on TV. My team, the Bengals, were usually their hapless selves. At least knitting assuaged some of the aggravation of rooting them on in vain.

Apparently this fall is and will be different. The Bengals are in first place, in control of their destiny, and look to be a legitimate top team. Who dey? Historically this team has delivered disappointment and inconsistency, but this year's determined squad may be the best I've witnessed, including the two teams that made the Super Bowl.

I am delighted to no end that the Bengals are winning, but knitting during these games is out of the question. Between watching the game and following chatter online, not to mention occasionally turning on the home radio broadcast, my attention is fixed on the gridiron and my favorite team. The only moving of the sticks that interests me on Sunday afternoon is another Cincinnati first down.

Knits men want

Next year brings the book Knits Men Want: The 10 Rules Every Woman Should Know Before Knitting for a Man~ Plus the Only 10 Patterns She'll Ever Need. Obviously it remains to be seen if this paperback, like so many others, features patterns that I'd actually wear rather than some of the nonsense that these books try to pass off.

One line in the description jumps out at me, though: "Men aren’t being intentionally cruel; they’re just not comfortable in knitwear made with bright colors, itchy yarn, or flashy designs." That sounds like a pretty good starting point to me.

Then again, the publication date is April 1st.