Not Walking It Off

I wrote an entire post about how frustrated I am that my instructors still have not repaired the grading hiccups they had on the final exam we took 40 days ago. Even Noah got a break from the rain after this long, for Pete's sake. I told you in great, boring detail with dates and spreadsheets and lots of exclamation points -- I didn't even namecall -- but still it seemed discreet to write about something else lest I be accused of lacking academic integrity.

So I looked up on my bulletin board and there it was:

"Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal. My strength lies solely in my tenacity." -- Louis Pasteur

Maybe the same characteristic that is making me wild over less-than-accurate grading is what makes me good at knitting lace: Tenacity. Lace is precise. Accuracy counts. Getting it requires stubbornness. Sure you can go freestyle if you want, but the lace that catches my eye flows from symmetry and order. When you make a mistake, you can't just "walk it off."

Then again, maybe the lace knitting is what makes me tenacious. And intolerant of other people's sloppy, careless, irresponsible, slapdash.... Whoops, there I go again.

Hot time on a Saturday night

Cruising down the parkway, coming home from a 7 AM to 7:30 PM shift, blasting blue grass on the radio, drinking day-old McDonald's iced coffee and snacking on Fig Newtons may not be everyone's idea of a hot time on a Saturday night. But the weather is finally mild, almost tender. The moon is low and enormous. All I need now for the perfect evening is to finish ironing my scrubs so I can start all over again tomorrow. Maybe I'll doze off cuddled up to Claude Rains in Mr. Skeffington, that romantic fool.

Reduced Stress, Reduced Fat

I have discovered the secret to nursing school: Drink more Prosecco. Those Romans knew what they were doing. It is so light, fresh, cheap and it doesn't stain your yoga pants if you spill a little. It goes well with a grilled cheese sandwich of Havarti on caraway bread when that is all you can find in the fridge.

And more importantly, drinking Prosecco does not interfere with knitting chemo caps. Simple knitting around and around on 90 stitches, decrease at the crown. Cotton makes such soft, comfy fabric against tender scalps, but knitting cotton makes my hands hurt. The same limp unbouncy character that makes knitting it a chore, leaves the finished hat lacking boing-boing as well.

That was easily fixed with a little I-cord on the bottom edge in Fixation from Cascade, a cotton yarn with a healthy dose of spandex, the miracle fiber. (The bright pink and green of the top photo is more true.) It looks inside out because the smooth stockinette is inside, against the skin.

The whole project was inspired when I learned I had to do 5 hours of community service for one of my classes. I can do 5 hours of charity knitting standing on my head ... or more comfortably while watching Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, You Can't Take It With You, and Mildred Pierce.