Friday, September 29, 2006

No knitter would *ever* throw their needles over a cliff

I don't care what trauma they endured--it just wouldn't happen. And I am impressed with the yardage that she gets out of that last ball of yarn.



I will say that the scarf approached the length of my first scarf, which I never did cast off. When my grandmother taught me to knit when I was about 10, she did just that--she taught me the knit stitch. She did not teach me how to cast on, purl, or cast off. (My grandmother is not exactly known for her patience, so I am a bit surprised that she taught me to knit at all.) She bought me some size 13 needles (Susan Bates, of course), some squeaky chambray-colored acrylic yarn, and cast on a scarf for me. She then showed me how to make a knit stitch. I was to continue the scarf until it was "finished" and then she would cast it off for me. The only problem is that she decided that this scarf should be *gargantuan*. I had about 1000 yards of worsted wool, and by God I was going to use all of it. Remember that this was a scarf for me, and I was 10. I knit about 5 feet of scarf and asked her to cast it off. Not long enough. 6 feet. Still not long enough. 7 feet. Nope. 8 feet. Still no. I still had some yarn left, you see . . . . I finally just put it away and stopped asking. I still have it, on the needles, with the extra yarn. I doubt it would be short enough for a professional basketball player.

Thursday, September 28, 2006

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Well, I know what I am doing this evening.

But will John S. be outside drumming the Vermonster container for 10% taxes?

All Hail the Federal Republic of Kate!

(I realize that only a couple of the people who read this blog will have any idea what I am talking about.)

Friday, September 22, 2006

The benefits of working for a very small business

It may be hot in Topeka and disgusting in Minneapolis (seriously, I don't think it got any lighter when the sun came up this morning), but when you are less than a week post-major-project on a Friday where two people of a seven-person office are out sick, sometimes your office closes for three hours and the partners take everyone to lunch and a movie. Which is pretty cool.

Friday, September 15, 2006

For Introverted Couples Everywhere.

My husband and I are both introverted--we could be the couple observed in the bookstore in the answer here (registration or watching of short commercial required). We go to the Great Big Barnes And Noble With The Used Book Section at least twice a month and spend a couple of hours reading, drinking tea, and generally not talking. THIS IS TOTALLY NORMAL FOR WELL-ADJUSTED INTROVERTS.

That is all.

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Remember Cop Rock?

Now imagine that Cop Rock is being performed by lawyers. At a continuing legal education course.

My favorite line:

" There are no CLE seminars like those from the Ethics in Tune program."

Maybe there is a reason for that. Just guessing, here.

Thursday, September 07, 2006

Airport security

Now, I am going to refrain from much comment on the state of airport security beyond the fact that if I could do something to the plane with water bought after going through security (which you are required to dispose of before boarding the plane), I could probably think of a way to use the water ON the plane for the same purpose (let me also state that I have no idea what I would be able to do with either one). Oh, and also the fact that at Philadelphia International airport at the beginning of the summer they didn't even notice that I was flying on an expired license (the fact *had* been noted on my flight to Philly), while at the end of summer--after the most recent bust regarding liquids--THEY DID NOT CHECK MY ID OR ANYONE ELSE'S IN THE STANDARD SECURITY LINE AT ANY POINT. There was someone checking the first class/international line, but not the standard line. They ran my bag through three times and asked about liquids, but they never checked to see that I was who I said I was.

Oh, and this really entertains me.

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

That word you keep using . . . .

From this NY Times article about the reintroduction of the VW Rabbit:


"Hence, the company pulled a rabbit, quite literally, out of its hat."


Really? Literally? Considering that this Rabbit is a car, that's got to be one heck of a hat. Did you perhaps mean "pulled a literal Rabbit out of its hat?" It's still not great writing, but all of the words mean what you think they mean.

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

You know that this is Ben Franklin, right?

Just checking.

(via Fark)

Edited to add: Target took the listing down, but it was a Ben Franklin doll labeled as a Franklin Roosevelt doll, with "presidential quotes."

Friday, September 01, 2006