Knit One, Purl Two
4:54 p.m. - 2004-01-07


I am not liking this week at work. A while ago a situation came up because of illness in which there was no one in the plant who knew how to work the big xerox machine, and my poor boss, who is the assistant office manager, had to go in and man the machine and do the mailing. After that fiasco, they decided that they better do some back-up training so that more than one person knows the job or jobs. So this week I am training in there, learning how to print stuff and stuff envelopes and other enthralling jobs. The reason I do not like it is that there is only one computer and two people and the space is small and I hate it when I am getting jostled by someone. Only two more days. I hinted to my boss that I wasn't fond of that job. Next week I train on the recording desk and have to come in later and leave later. Bah humbug.

Darsey came into the xerox room and told me she is quitting next week. She is doing what is best for her two boys - she is going to teach in the daycare her toddler goes to and so will get a salary, plus, her son's tuition will be free. I think it is terrific, but I will miss her, since she is one of those cheerful people who spark up the whole place.

Jason called me last night with a culinary idea he hopes to carry out. He wants to make tamales and fill them with Dennison's Chili Beans. My brother Evan is having tamales for his birthday dinner this weekend, and many pork Tamales have been ordered from the Mexican market, but he likes to have bean ones too. Jason asked me for a recipe for the masa, so I read it out to him, and he was appalled at the amount of lard in the dough. What does he think he has been eating all these years? He asked if he could just leave the fat out and add more water, and while he was talking I envisioned the tamale you could throw at someone and give them a concussion. I am taking him a book tonight with pictures of the tamale process so he can see how to spread the dough. I think he is going to make the dough with butter or margarine instead. We'll see what happens soon enough.

On Sunday night he and I were driving to the video store to return the rentals when we were in the middle of an exciting police chase! Coming toward us on the other side of the street was the perp, fleeing the scene at about 10 miles per hour with the police cruiser following right behind with lights flashing. The officer's voice boomed out over the loudspeaker: "Turn Right here and pull over!!" so the perp slowly slowly turned left onto the left side of the street, right in front of us, with the police following closely. We got to laughing since it was all so silly looking. The guy was probably stoned. The funniest part was that just as the flashing police cruiser passed right in front of me, the stupid guy in the car behind honked angrily at me to get moving. So I am supposed to broadside the police car just so he can get somewhere faster?

Last night we watched "A Mighty Wind" which makes fun of the folk music of my youth. It was really funny and brought up a lot of memories. I can remember people sitting around in the student union at Berkeley singing Michael Row the Boat Ashore and as I listened, I wondered what the heck does that mean? Something I have never figured out. Hippies and guitars and folk music - gone but not forgotten (but not fondly remembered). Golly, some of those Berkeley hippies really smelled. There was one guy in the dorm cafeteria who you did not want sitting at your table. I could never see what his girlfriend saw in him. Maybe their relationship was made possible by her allergies.

Melissa finished her first knitting project, a hat with earflaps and kitty ears. She really caught on to knitting fast, and taught herself the double-pointed needle skills in one evening. Her tension is really good too. After expressing no interest in the needlearts all these years, I am surprised and pleased. My younger daughter is already a budding expert and only lacks the time now that she is busy studying all the time. She has tried socks, mittens, scarves, and two-color knitting, but hasn't made a sweater yet.

Time to head over to Jason's house.