A Slow Week

I really don't feel as though I really accomplished anything this week.  Things would start well, but end badly, or not end at all ...

The pantry cleanup I had planned got bogged down almost immediately.  I'd look at the date on something and set it aside to be disposed of; Big Guy would promptly put it right back on the shelf.  I'd show him something with the comment that I didn't know where it had come from but I knew none of us would ever eat it, and Big Guy would take it out of my hands and put it back on the shelf.  I'd remark that it would take us twelve years to eat that many cans of whatever, and could I donate some to the food bank?  No, he'd say, he bought that for my work lunches and when he's in the mood for it he'll eat it.  Finally I gave up and came in here to do some mending.  Plan B now comes into play; that's where I sneak one or two things a week out, so he writes the attrition off to normal usage.  Devious and underhanded, I admit, but effective!  And without any more arguments ... anything (well, almost) to maintain a semblance of domestic harmony, I say.

One of my resolutions was to use what I already have in the way of fabric, yarn, etc.  So on Tuesday I dug through the yarn stash, pulled out some lovely pale green stuff, found a sleeveless sweater pattern that called for that amount, and started knitting.  That lovely yarn worked up so fast I had finished the back and most of the front before I realized ... if I wore it I'd look like a peeled kiwi.  On its side.  Wilting badly.  There was just no way it would ever fit the way I'd pictured it, even under a blazer, no matter how much I tweaked the pattern.  And I'm not very good at that with knitting patterns ... Sewing patterns are easy to adapt; all I need is my dress form, the pattern, some scissors, and a roll of tape.  But altering a knitting pattern properly calls for ::shudder:: real math.  And there's not a math bone in my body.  Sigh.

So I did what any knitter would do.  I ripped it all apart and started over.  But ... not until after I'd dug out a different pattern (an "old faithful" I know will fit me properly), weighed the yarn to make sure I had enough, and done a swatch to make sure I had the right gauge.  All of which, yes, I should have done the first time.  At the same time, I matched up several other batches of yarn with patterns; now the trick is to remember resolution #2 and finish the sweater I'm working on before I start another one!

I've been spending hours every day on the job search.  I had no idea how many job boards, employment websites, and job listings there were!  And in all of them, I've found ... nothing.  Nada.  Rien.  Bupkus.  Every job posted all week fell into one of three categories:

Minimum wage for part-time hours spent entirely on one's feet.
Commission-only sales.
"Live-in personal/home assistant / mother's helper"  -  again for minimum wage, less room & board.  In other words, half of minimum wage paid for 8 hours a day, in exchange for being a personal slave round the clock.

Oh, well.  At least I got some of the mending done ... And I'm halfway through my college course on climate change.  Next course  -  either oceanography or economics  -  haven't quite narrowed it down to one yet.

Friday evening, as usual, was movie night at Mom's with sister S.  We watched a classic comedy, "Mr Blandings Builds His Dream House"  -  a great favourite with S and me.  Mom, however, didn't enjoy it that much but had the grace not to say so until it was over.  Then again, she's insisted we sit through a few that she loved but which left us going "Meh ...".  It wasn't until we were done with the movie and were just sitting around chatting that we noticed it was snowing.

Now, I hate snow.  I particularly hate driving in snow; not because I can't, but because so few other drivers can.  So naturally this was the first evening in months I'd actually driven to Mom's instead of taking the train; usually I'd just go straight there from work on Fridays and have dinner with Mom before S arrived for the movie.  But this week I didn't have change handy for the train (no transit pass, since I'm not commuting daily any more), and there was gas in the car.  Bravely fighting back the words "Mom, can I stay here until spring?", I got back in the car and drove home through what was, for this area, a veritable blizzard.  Let me tell you, playing dodge'em with idiot drivers you can barely see is not my idea of a good way to end a pleasant Friday evening!

My friend D is going down to Seattle next weekend for Rustycon, so I'll be catching a ride as far as Ballard to spend the weekend with Best Friend.  Always good times when we get together!  I will, of course, have a knitting project with me  -  probably the next sweater on the list.  Right now, I'm going to see how far I can get with the green one tonight.