Just for the record… July 21, 2006
I am irredeemably slack.
Is there a Slackarses’ Anonymous? I think I need to attend a meeting.
Laverton -1.6
It was bloody cold this morning. When I went to take Finn to childcare at about 8.30 the ice was so thick on the Mazda that it took a few minutes of the hose - which wouldn’t work properly because the trigger spray thingy was frozen - with the wipers going and the demister on to clear the windscreen enough for us to leave. Even then the passenger side windows were still iced up and I couldn’t see a thing through. Good thing I didn’t really need to watch for anything coming from my left.
When I got back I noticed a bucket sitting in front of the garage door, so I gather Mark had the same problems when he was leaving for Geelong at 7am. I hope the lazy wiper on the Ford was playing nice for him.
Still it’s a lovely day outside, so one shouldn’t complain.
Steer Clear July 20, 2006
I think it would be fair to say that I’m feeling rather shirty today. I’ve punched Emmylou (not that she noticed), kicked Zelda (she didn’t noticed either) and spoken sharply to Finn (again, he didn’t seem to notice). God help the next woman who turns up at the door wanting to read psalms to me.
There is no particular reason for my shirtiness - that I can think of. It’s just one of those days. Fortunately, now that I’ve let the dogs in and Em is no longer standing at the door barking every 10 seconds, things are as quiet as they ever get (tinnitus, computer & fridge whirring, heater fan going) and I’m feeling much calmer. I will have most of today to myself and that’s a very good thing.
Another thing I’ll forget to tell Mark July 19, 2006
Swearengen: I don’t like Pinkertons. They’re muscle for the bosses as if the bosses ain’t got enough edge.
The Awful Truth July 18, 2006
The first time I remember seeing someone who was recognisably a junkie was in a shop in Acland Street, St Kilda. She looked like someone who had read the textbook description of a junkie - lank, dirty hair, pale bruised skin, visible needle tracks on her arms, emaciated. She was browsing through racks of clothing. I suspected, from the furtive glances and muttered conversations with herself, that she wanted to steal something, but even if the shop assistants hadn’t been watching, I don’t think she could have pulled it off. She was having enough trouble remaining upright, I don’t think she had the necessary brain cells working to do any more than that.
Then there was the junkie who knocked on my door when I was living in Carlisle Street. I think he’d been squatting in the building site next door (where the Jehovah’s Witnesses were building their Kingdom Hall). It was the middle of the night, but I opened the door without knowing who it was because, without an outside light, there was no other way I could see who was there and there were one or two people my sister & I knew who might have been turning up at 2am (my schizophrenic cousin, for example) I knew he was a junkie because he was holding a syringe, while he asked me for a cup of tea. The combination of him being pretty stoned and me having a large, black, mean looking dog standing beside me probably saved us both from a far worse experience. I said no and told him to fuck off, which he obligingly did.
Jack Marx’s blog on The Age site has a series of posts about drugs that he wrote last week. I only just found them and read them as I don’t read The Age blogs regularly and I like what he wrote and the way he wrote it. They’re the kind of thing I’d like to print out, keep and show Finn when he’s 13 or 14. It’s by no means scientific or exhaustive and I don’t think it’s meant to be. It’s the experiences of one guy and some people he’s spoken to, but that speaks to me much more clearly than statistics. The comments left on the posts are even more illuminating.
Anyhow, I’ve posted the link in case others are interested.
Macnostalgia
The main reason I’m posting this link is because Mark isn’t here at the moment and I will probably forget to mention it to him when he gets back.
The other reason is that I love the piccie of the Mac fish tank at the bottom. It reminds me of the little fat Macs we saw at the computer recycling place in Geelong a few months ago and how we considered grabbing one. Finn definitely wanted one at the time, deciding that they were “Binn’s puter”. Alas, we left them behind because we really couldn’t imagine what we would do with one.
Jaywalker pour homme July 16, 2006
Mark’s Jaywalkers are finally done.
They’re knitted in 8ply yarn. I used the same number of stitches as the pattern said for working with sock yarn, but knitted on larger needles (2.75mm) and did fewer rows for the heel flap.
They haven’t been washed yet and I’m hoping they’ll be much prettier once that’s been done.
Flat July 14, 2006
Feeling a bit flat today, for no particular reason - I think.
Might be a good day to concentrate on doing the heel on Mark’s second Jaywalker. I feel like I’ve been knitting those socks for ages.
Halfdome July 13, 2006
Halfdome from the latest Knitty.
Knitted in Patons 8 ply cotton. I did in the round because I didn’t want to have to seam it. I probably should have just seamed it. I also reduced stitches after I should have stopped, so it has a little ‘nipple’ on the top.
I knitted it for Mark as he needs something to keep his head warm but tends to find wool too scratchy. I’m thinking of doing a couple more for him from the stocks of cotton yarn I have so that he has a range of colours to choose from.
