Life during December

Contrary to what I promised in the last post, the twelve FOs of Christmas entry will have to wait. It's going to be a big one with photos of all the scarves, but I'm not feeling up to the work it will require. Typically I've been writing entries each weekday but missed yesterday and almost today, so you know I must be busy.

Some of that is "good" busy. Thursday I worked like a dog to finish my to do list at the office. I crossed off everything. I wouldn't be surprised if I forgot to put some items on the list, but for now I feel like I'm caught up. (That's nowhere close to being true with my review writing, but I can do that over the next few days if time permits and I feel like doing it.)

Thursday night I had dinner plans with the recipients of the navy blue scarf with the "scar" and the basketweave scarf. With as much running around as I've been doing the last few weeks, going downtown again wasn't the most appealing proposition, but I was eager to give them my gifts and reveal my knitting secret. The regular navy blue scarf was for my co-host on the movie review show, and the basketweave scarf was for his wife. They seemed to be impressed that I made the gifts. I didn't expect any mocking reactions, but I was somewhat relieved that they didn't think it was strange that I'm a knitter. Maybe they do but didn't say anything out of politeness. Honestly, I'm past the point of caring. Anyway, I imagine it was pretty apparent from my excitement and the conversation that knitting has brought me a lot of pleasure.

Instead of doing some hasty gift giving, I'm glad that I took time to sit down with the two of them to eat, talk, and not pay attention to the clock. Could I have used a night at home? Yes, but I also needed some time that wasn't about staying on task and being productive.

I didn't knit on Wednesday, at least if we don't count the wee hours spent finishing Kristin's scarf and adding the fringe. I hadn't knitted on Thursday. If you're wondering how I knitted twelve scarves in ten weeks' time, it's because I tried to knit every day. I got home from dinner later than I anticipated, but I wanted to take a little time to begin a scarf for myself. I cast on fourteen stitches of the Knit Picks Andean Silk in cranberry onto my US 11s and knit enough for a swatch. I liked how it looked, so I'll be continuing to knit it when I can.

Today was a "good" busy, for the most part. Per Kristin's advice, I skipped a Letters From Iwo Jima screening for which we were given about 20 hours notice. (The studio must have decided they wanted our group's seal of approval when we vote on awards.) My initial impulse was to sigh and drag myself to it, but she helped persuade me to stay away. It really was the right thing to do, even if in its place I ended up going to the movies. The difference is that I saw something I'd already seen and wanted to see again. Plus, I wouldn't have to worry about reviewing it.

Before going to The Prestige I planned to stop at JoAnn's to buy some better scissors. Sawmill Road was a parking lot. I got the unwise idea to cut through some actual parking lots and avoid the stalled lanes. Words cannot express how terrible an idea this was. I blew upwards of twenty minutes inching through the lot and then turning back onto a street a block further from where I began. There was no time for a visit to JoAnn's now.

I arrived at the theater, plopped down a dollar for the movie, and marvelled at how nice this cheap theater was. (I see everything first run and rarely pay, so I haven't had much need to go to a place like this in awhile.) Past experience led me to expect a scratched print at a second run theater, but with the theatrical window shrinking like it has, the prints aren't as banged up. The print was pristine, and the movie was even richer the second time around. Seeing a great movie can give me a lift. The Prestige did that and also leapfrogged its way to the top spot on my list of the year's best films. My pick for the best film of the year had been unclear until now.

I went to tonight's Blue Jackets game as well, something which should have been more fun than it was. They won, which is always good, but I was sandwiched between five young guys who talked nonstop (and over one another) in an Indian language for the game's duration and a loudmouthed lawyer who felt obliged to share a stream of disparaging comments about anyone and everyone, including several gems (in his mind) about the "terrorists" in the row, to his wife. Those guys were annoying, but at least I couldn't understand what they were saying and could sort of tune them out. Mr. Superior really got on my nerves. People, I'm really trying to be patient and in the holiday spirit, but this crushes me.

All in all, not a bad couple of days, just crazy ones. Saturday I'm driving to Indiana to be with my family for the holiday, but I should make a blog entry or two before Christmas, if just to take a breather from my parents' moving preparations.

Next...the secret knitter is mentioned on other blogs.