Quite a start

I knew I'd have to wait in a line of some sort to pick up my tickets, and I calculated at least an hour when backtiming for my arrival in Toronto.  With my first film at 6:00 p.m. at a theater that is approximately a twenty to thirty minute walk from the festival box office and calculating that I want to be in line there by 5:15, then I figured I ought to get into town by 3:00 or 3:30.

The plan was to leave at 6:30 a.m.  I slept maybe four restless hours before finally giving up and getting up at 4:45.  It's not the way to start what would prove to be a long day--I was up about 22 straight hours--but the extra time gave me the comfort of knowing I had everything ready to go and not being in a hurry.


Because neither my friend nor I were hungry and we went through a stretch where there wasn't anywhere compelling to stop to eat, we made fantastic time with just one bathroom stop and another one for gas and its weird Canadian pricing.  Cents per liter?!

Arriving at the downtown hotel at 2:00 p.m. would then seem to give me time to breathe.  The room wasn't ready, so I figured the best bet was to get the tickets and then figure things out from there.  As it turned out, the extra time was essential.  After walking to the festival box office and picking up the ticket package with ease, I then found one of those quirks of the system.  Picking up the individual tickets I ordered meant getting into a different line.  (I could also turn in my vouchers and do any exchanges in this line.)  That line only took, oh, about 90 minutes to get through.

Since I was not going to be heading back to the hotel--and would not be there until about 2:30 a.m.--I began heading to the first theater.  At this point I realized I had no Canadian currency.  I popped into a Hilton on the way and got money changed at an absurd rate.  (Nice little racket there with the fee everyone charges.  It was the same changing money at a bank.)

And then I saw three movies.

Did I mention all I'd had to eat all day was a cinnamon roll and a decaf coffee?  After the third movie I did get a slice of pizza at 2:00 a.m. and ate it while walking the twenty minutes or so to the hotel...where the room was not in my name and I did not have a key.

Luckily I didn't have any problems at the hotel and finally collapsed into bed by 2:45.  Quite a start to the festival.

One day at a time

Since I work at a university, I tend to experience the weeks and months according to the academic calendar. To you right now may not seem like a significant time. To me we're headed into finals week and then spring break.

It's been an extremely busy term for me and a tiring one, although more physically than emotionally/mentally, which is a nice change from the previous quarter. I've had a lot to stay on top of in addition to my renewed commitment to exercise. Often the amount of things on my docket has appeared very imposing, yet here I am almost at the conclusion of the term with some accomplishments to be satisfied with.

I made a conscious choice at the start of the year to take things a day at a time rather than letting the totality of what was ahead of me become overwhelming. I credit that change in mindset with much of the success. Sure, I've been stressed about things that are undone and not feeling like I have enough time to complete them. One more of them is staring me in the face before I take a much-needed break. Taking them piece by piece and day by day lets me give myself permission to enjoy the time when I'm not working on them. That's not always easy for me.

This approach has been helpful in my attitude toward exercise and diet. Taking it a day at a time means concerning myself with only one workout than a week's worth or a month's worth and the meal at hand than most of a week eating frozen meals. I've finished ten weeks in better shape and with improved eating habits. There's still plenty of work to be done, but it doesn't seem as daunting now.

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.

Tenacious tedium

This was a busy week for me, and next week will be at least as hectic. Needless to say, I was in need of a slow day. Well, I found the solution and then some.

Early tonight I decided it was time to undo the cast on edge of the sock that does not want to be ripped out. It took awhile, but I slowly learned how to find the right stitch to pull the end through. Armed with the smallest crochet hook I own, I methodically made my way around the cast on row. With a sigh of relief, I undid what looked to be the last stitch and hoped that everything that followed would now easily unravel.

Nope.

The yarn switched directions instead. It did become easier to undo each stitch, but I was still having to use a deliberate process of pulling the end through the stitches. I also had to trim the yarn I had already ripped out because it was starting to split and tangle itself when pulled through the stitches. I don't mind losing some yarn if I can salvage the rest. If all I needed to do was to frog the first knit row to be good to go, fantastic; however, it doesn't appear that's the case.

I'm pretty certain that I've gone stitch by stitch through the cast on row, the first knit row, and maybe half of the second row. Keep in mind that I cast on 88 stitches. This is intensely boring work, and it doesn't look like anything is going to change if I keep up with it. I've exercised a lot of patience during the three-plus hours I undid stitches, but there's simply no way I'm going to do this for the entire sock.

I think I've made things worse (and tighter) at the other end of the sock where the yarn will rip out except at the one seriously knotted spot, so I'm not sure where to go from here. I've put it aside for the rest of the evening, and I think I'll probably leave it alone for couple days. After that, who knows?

I have found someone on Ravelry with three skeins, one from a ripped sock, that is the same color and dye lot. Buying it might be the easiest way to resolve the situation at this point.

The way we get by

It's official. I need a vacation.

Today it became abundantly clear that it's a good thing I'll be headed south on Sunday. My patience has eroded like car brakes that produce an awful screeching sound when engaged. I could feel myself getting irritable with the students and practically anyone else I came into contact with at work. Granted, the students were doing things that get on my nerves when I'm not grouchy, but my ability to stay immune to the annoyances lasted a lot less.

This really isn't a surprise. All manner of delays have beset the move at work. I'm in my office in the new building, but otherwise we're at a standstill. I have practically nothing to do and am very concerned that we won't be ready in time for fall classes. There's also some other rigamarole that we thought had been resolved, so collectively we're getting tired of pounding our heads against the wall.

Plus, the last significant period of time I had off was almost a year ago. Christmastime was all about moving my parents. The film festivals in Cleveland and Illinois were fun but had an element of work tied in. I sensed myself getting impatient in the grocery store line the other day, so I know I'm overdue for replenishing my patience and getting some relaxation. I'm really looking forward to the trip, so that helps keep my impatience at bay. I have some knitting that I'd like to get done before taking off, which should keep me occupied in the meantime.

I'm still happy to check out recommendations you have for a vacation knitting project. You all have been helpful in directing me toward some things I wouldn't have made. Amanda flatters me by thinking I might be able to knit an Aran laptop cover. Jenn thinks I can do cables, but I'll be the judge of that. :) Donna pointed out a nice MacBook sleeve, but isn't the Apple-rific case incompatible with my Windows machine? And sewing on a zipper? Terrifying. If you know of any good patterns for a notebook computer bag, send them my way.