Signs that it's time I should be riding my bike to work:
1. The roads are clear of snow.
2. It's not so cold out that my asthma will flare up.
3. I'm finding it difficult to ignore the "Bagel" (that would be the area around my belly button)
4. My arms are feeling particularly flabby.
5. I have to wear a bathing suit in just over a month.
6. Driving around the city in the car has caused me to flip out at rude drivers, for example:
This afternoon, I was driving along with Ms. Extremities in the passenger seat of my car. It was beautiful day. The sun was shining, the birds were singing... We were sitting at the intersection of Barrington North and South (by the Delta, for those in the know) waiting to turn right. The light turned green and I paused to let two people cross the street - the crosswalk sign was on walk. There was a jogger going from my side of the street to the far side. The other guy was coming over to my side of the street and was pushing a shopping cart partly filled with recyling. Rather than pull through an occupied crosswalk, I waited. By the time the jogger had reached the other side, the shopping cart guy had just passed the middle of the street.
That's when the guy in the car behind me started to beep his horn. I turned around and look at him. He was gesturing that I could turn right because the light is green. He was about 50+ and in a nice-ish car. Since it is Sunday and the emergency room of the hospital is in the other direction, I made the following assumptions:
a. he isn't hurrying to get to his injured spouse/child/sibling
b. he isn't spurting blood from any artery (the car looked clean)
c. he isn't late for an important business meeting
In that split second, I also inferred from his mad honking that:
a. It had been a long while since this guy read the road rules which state that pedestrians have the right of way - no matter how fast they are moving.
b. This guy wanted me to take the initiative to run down a person in a crosswalk.
c. This guy is a complete and utter arsewipe.
In that moment I suddenly lost all awareness of the fact that Ms. Extremities is in the car with me. I may have flipped off the arsewipe. I may have yelled some things like, "What, you want me to run over this guy? What are you? A moron?"
When the shopping cart guy arrived safely at our side of the street (with a great little smirk on his face - heh heh), I drove slowly through the light, seething, smoke pouring from my ears - and started apologizing to Ms. Extremities. She agreed that the guy was an arse, but I think I may have freaked her out. I scared myself to tell you the truth.
It just really bothered me that this guy didn't seem to think that the man pushing the grocery cart deserved the same care and respect as anyone else crossing the street. However, I would like to apologize:
Dear Sir,
I'm sorry that you are a moron and that my understanding of the rules of the road upset you so much.
I'm also sorry that I didn't get out of my car to tell you that by gesturing for me to turn, you were effectively asking me to break the law and to potentially endanger the life of the man crossing the street.
I am sorry that the number of pedestrian deaths in this country, due to driver inattention and failure to obey basic rules of the road, have not impacted you in such a way as to make you a better and more responsible driver.
I am very sorry that you probably drove away from our brief interaction muttering "women drivers" under your breath, because that just shows you didn't get the point.
Sincerely,
The Woman In The Silver Civic
Signs that now is the time to be kinder to my needles:
This is the third pattern for this yarn (Posh yarn!). I love this yarn and can't wait to wear these socks on my feet!
Pattern 1: Cable and rib socks by Nancy Bush (in an old issue of Interweave).
Started: on the plane to Toronto
Details: 60 stitches, 2.75mm needles.
Issue: Two big. pattern didn't look good with the yarn
Pattern 2: A purl stitch "diamond" pattern based on a sock in Nancy Bush's Knitting Vintage Socks.
Started: When I returned from Toronto
Details: 60 stitches, 2.50mm needles
Issue: UGLY
Pattern 3: A simple chevron pattern.
Started: March 17
Details: 60 stitches 2.5mm needles
Issue: None. Well, except for the broken needle. I pulled out my project bag at the shop yesterday to discover that I had been a little too rough when putting it in my backpack. sigh. Has anyone ever successfully GLUED a Pony Pearl back together?
Sure sign it's time for Mr. Happy to come home:
I miss him. Aw. (Only two more sleeps!)
1. The roads are clear of snow.
2. It's not so cold out that my asthma will flare up.
3. I'm finding it difficult to ignore the "Bagel" (that would be the area around my belly button)
4. My arms are feeling particularly flabby.
5. I have to wear a bathing suit in just over a month.
6. Driving around the city in the car has caused me to flip out at rude drivers, for example:
This afternoon, I was driving along with Ms. Extremities in the passenger seat of my car. It was beautiful day. The sun was shining, the birds were singing... We were sitting at the intersection of Barrington North and South (by the Delta, for those in the know) waiting to turn right. The light turned green and I paused to let two people cross the street - the crosswalk sign was on walk. There was a jogger going from my side of the street to the far side. The other guy was coming over to my side of the street and was pushing a shopping cart partly filled with recyling. Rather than pull through an occupied crosswalk, I waited. By the time the jogger had reached the other side, the shopping cart guy had just passed the middle of the street.
That's when the guy in the car behind me started to beep his horn. I turned around and look at him. He was gesturing that I could turn right because the light is green. He was about 50+ and in a nice-ish car. Since it is Sunday and the emergency room of the hospital is in the other direction, I made the following assumptions:
a. he isn't hurrying to get to his injured spouse/child/sibling
b. he isn't spurting blood from any artery (the car looked clean)
c. he isn't late for an important business meeting
In that split second, I also inferred from his mad honking that:
a. It had been a long while since this guy read the road rules which state that pedestrians have the right of way - no matter how fast they are moving.
b. This guy wanted me to take the initiative to run down a person in a crosswalk.
c. This guy is a complete and utter arsewipe.
In that moment I suddenly lost all awareness of the fact that Ms. Extremities is in the car with me. I may have flipped off the arsewipe. I may have yelled some things like, "What, you want me to run over this guy? What are you? A moron?"
When the shopping cart guy arrived safely at our side of the street (with a great little smirk on his face - heh heh), I drove slowly through the light, seething, smoke pouring from my ears - and started apologizing to Ms. Extremities. She agreed that the guy was an arse, but I think I may have freaked her out. I scared myself to tell you the truth.
It just really bothered me that this guy didn't seem to think that the man pushing the grocery cart deserved the same care and respect as anyone else crossing the street. However, I would like to apologize:
Dear Sir,
I'm sorry that you are a moron and that my understanding of the rules of the road upset you so much.
I'm also sorry that I didn't get out of my car to tell you that by gesturing for me to turn, you were effectively asking me to break the law and to potentially endanger the life of the man crossing the street.
I am sorry that the number of pedestrian deaths in this country, due to driver inattention and failure to obey basic rules of the road, have not impacted you in such a way as to make you a better and more responsible driver.
I am very sorry that you probably drove away from our brief interaction muttering "women drivers" under your breath, because that just shows you didn't get the point.
Sincerely,
The Woman In The Silver Civic
Signs that now is the time to be kinder to my needles:
This is the third pattern for this yarn (Posh yarn!). I love this yarn and can't wait to wear these socks on my feet!
Pattern 1: Cable and rib socks by Nancy Bush (in an old issue of Interweave).
Started: on the plane to Toronto
Details: 60 stitches, 2.75mm needles.
Issue: Two big. pattern didn't look good with the yarn
Pattern 2: A purl stitch "diamond" pattern based on a sock in Nancy Bush's Knitting Vintage Socks.
Started: When I returned from Toronto
Details: 60 stitches, 2.50mm needles
Issue: UGLY
Pattern 3: A simple chevron pattern.
Started: March 17
Details: 60 stitches 2.5mm needles
Issue: None. Well, except for the broken needle. I pulled out my project bag at the shop yesterday to discover that I had been a little too rough when putting it in my backpack. sigh. Has anyone ever successfully GLUED a Pony Pearl back together?
Sure sign it's time for Mr. Happy to come home:
I miss him. Aw. (Only two more sleeps!)
That driver suffered from a terminal case of head-up-arse. Another reason I'm glad I can be a regular pedestrian again.
ReplyDeleteAnd I wasn't freaked, I just didn't know you had that in you ;)
I used to react that way almost every day when I lived in Ontario due to the high level of head in arse drivers.
ReplyDeleteMy usual response was flipping some sort of rude gesture and mouthing the accompanying appropriate phrase.
I am so glad that I do not drive there anymore.
Ooop, pretty pink yarn. Those look like Easter socks. Bonnets be damned!
ReplyDeleteSteph, on behalf of the pedestrians of this fair city, thank you for not running down one of us and also for flipping off and name-calling one of the jackasses that would rather have us decorating his hood than wait 30 seconds for us to cross the road. The close-calls we've had have actually given me nightmares.
ReplyDeleteThis is why I firmly believe that pedestrians should be allowed to carry small paintball guns, so we can mark the cars who nearly kill us, making us feel better and it easier for cops to find them ("Yes officer, black SUV with the bright pink paint spatter across the rear bumper").
When I first started knitting socks, I bought Pony Pearls in every size up to about 4.5mm. I was addicted!
ReplyDeleteI started having that problem as they aged. I think it's impossible to use them without creating some wear. My entire collection is warped and bent. Your particular problem has happened to me several times.
As for the glueing, I've never tried it. I figure the fact that they come in sets of 5 just gives me a backup in case of an accident.
I have 4 left in my set of 2.5 mm Pearls. Feel free to e-mail me if you want them.