I can't say I'm being original here

Merry Gentlemen -- [noun]: A person who is a master of making ravioli 'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

Blame it on Knitterary.

Back to knitting

It's time for some kung-fu. I'll be making these socks Scottish-ish with a thistle cable pattern from Vogue Knitting Stitchionary, Vol. Two: Cables. Pattern 13 is a cute 15 stitch by 34 row textured thistle motif that I hope will show up nicely on this handpainted yarn. Whether it will or not is in doubt, but I'm going to put it on here anyhow.

The kung-fu is going to come from the fact that I need to rewrite this pattern. It's written for back and forth knitting, and I will be knitting it in the round. This is a cable, so there are crossed stitches all over the place. They'll have to be done backwards or upside down or some damn thing.

Expect to see cursing here tomorrow.

Could it be true?

I've received an anonymous comment that Jeremy Erskine is in jail in Ogdensburg, NY. If anyone reading this can confirm this, or shed some light on what happened, please try to contact me.

To whoever caught him, thank you, thank you, thank you!

You want answers?

You're wondering how much of a BC I had in DC? Well, since some of the people who read this blog actually know Amazing E, I feel that I have to protect his virtue and reputation by staying silent on the subject without confirming or denying anything.

Please remember, I am a nice Jewish girl.

Home

I'm home from my weekend in D.C. with Amazing E. I can't report too much knitting progress; we were having too much fun for me to spend the weekend knitting.

To start the weekend off, I got up at 3:30 in the crack arse of the morning to catch an early flight on Saturday morning. After a drive up to my very important government office near the big busy airport, I went and caught my plane. And then the other plane. Finally, I arrived in D.C. to E's smiling face.

E was a gentleman all weekend. He had a very nice visit planned for me, and was very kind and patient. We hung out Saturday in the suburbs where he lives and went into the District on Sunday. It was hot; I mean hot. We walked around for a while and saw the monuments and the Mall and all that nice stuff. There was also a huge event called Rolling Thunder going on all day. This is a motorcycle rally to support POW/MIA issues, but that description pales in comparison to the scale of the event. Streets around the city were shut down and the downtown of our nation's Capitol was literally rumbling with hundreds of thousands of motorcycles. The procession of bikes from the central area to Arlington Cemetery literally went on non-stop for the entire day. It was unbelievable.

After while I started feeling kind of heat exhaustion-y, so E thought he should take me indoors to cool off and get water. To make me feel better, he took me to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. It is an excellent museum, but a very disturbing experience for both of us. The curators have done an excellent job of conveying the tragedies that happened to European Jewry in the 1930's and 40's, taking the visitor through the gradual lead up to the Final Solution. The museum is designed to make the genocide a personal experience for visitors of all backgrounds, as the victims are made very human in the exhibits. However, the fact that both E and I would have been subject to the Nuremberg Laws and all the horrors they produced made the experience very personal.

We did do a lot of other fun things, and saw some other landmarks and museums and ate some great food. I'm going back in four weeks, and looking forward to the trip.

As for knitting, I did do some on the plane both ways. The Scottish-ish socks are getting very long, and will get the thistle motif pretty soon.

The saga continues...

Jeremy Erskine is currently in Montral, Quebec. Hopefully if someone sees him there, they will actually turn him in. He will not turn himself in, but he will immediately flee if confronted. Call the police and let them handle the situation. You'll be doing a public service for several people in two countries who are waiting for him to be brought to justice. Here's a new photo of him from three weeks ago in Nova Scotia:

He's sporting a new British Marines tattoo on his arm. Folks, he ain't no marine. Just turn him in.

Ups and downs

As you have surmised by now, I do live a fairly interesting life. At times it's been very good and very bad, and certainly very varied. I'm told by friends that I should eventually make good on my threat and write a book. Perhaps one day I shall. My life is very rich and full, and I am grateful to G-d for the good parts, the great parts, and even the crappy parts when He grants me the wisdom to turn them into learning experiences or opportunities for growth.

Aside from the extraordinary happenings I seem to find myself involved in, daily life in itself is busy. I manage to be a single woman with a full time job, pay a mortgage, and be working on a Master's degree all while finding time to have a social life with some very good knitting buddies. However, it does take nearly all of my emotional resources to manage that life. And so I have days like yesterday. When my normal routine is significantly interrupted, I get a little...taxed.

So today I'm reflecting on the wonderful things I do have in my life.

• Despite having gone from very much liking my job to what is probably an irreconcilable hatred of it, I do still have a job doing something that I want to do for my career.
• My hard work at school will one day pay off.
• The Amazing E has swept me off my feet. I will be visiting him this weekend, even if I feel like I'm going for a B.C. in the D.C. I will try to be a good girl.

Lastly, I am grateful for my friends. We had a great time at Knifty Red's place last night doing knitterly things, eating, and of course gossiping (about me and E of course).

What?

What?

I'd like to tell G-d that I'm having another one of those days that I didn't order. Weird things are happening, and I don't know why. Here is a list of my complaints, in case the Big Man reads this.

• The undead bugs are supposed to be leaving there little desiccated buggy carcasses everywhere and making their 100 decibel horror movie REE-REEE-REEE sound by now. I don't see them anywhere.
• I don't know where today went, but I wanted to knit a swatch for the SnB thing tonight. No such luck. I think there was a lunch hour, but I don't remember what happened to it.
• I got a very strange phone call. The Scoundrel, Jeremy Erskine, has claimed another victim, this time in Nova Scotia (never doubt the power of my sleuthing abilities). The Canadians should hire me. I'm sure I'd have his hide hanging from a flagpole in very short order.
• Nobody seems to be able to catch this guy. He is very bad and G-d should make sure he goes back to jail where he belongs. It should not be up to his victims to keep track of his ass.
• Boss related strangeness abounds today. Apparently, I should do something I thought I should do, but that someone else said I better not do.
• Based on my experience with the American health insurance industry this week, I believe I can finally write my novel. Oh, wait. Someone already did. It's called Catch-22.
• And finally... Dear G-d, you created me and all my body parts. Could you please tell my immune system that my large intestine is an original part? I'd be so much happier.

Love,

mb

It's quiet, too quiet

The cicadas are due today. I hear that they have emerged already in some of the farther western suburbs, but not here yet. I am waiting. The cats are waiting. The windows are closed so the cats won't jump out after the little undead tree vampires.

Listening...waiting.

Scottish-ish socks

I worked on these like mad this weekend, both trying to make quick progress on them and master the two-sock-at-a-time method before trying it out on the Entrelac socks. These are made of STR medium weight in Scottish Highlands. They are 48 stitches to the round on size 1 needles. The heel is done in the method described in the latest issue of Interweave Knits.

Thank you thank you

I just passed the $500.00 mark in fundraising for the 3-Day thanks to Mandy's generous donation. I'd also like to thank Kate, Jennifer, and everyone else who has contributed for making a difference in the fight against breast cancer.

Weekend update on its way

I was not able to do the weekend update last night because of two things. The first is that my computer puked. The second is that it puked whilst I was talking with the Amazing E, which was my primary form of entrainment this weekend. It was even funner than knitting.

Blame Becca. And Aleta, too, for good measure for your not being able to see yarn porn on Sunday. They introduced me to E a little over a week ago, and now we are both all smitten and stupid. I feel like a teenager. However, I have to point a finger of blame and curse the absurdity of the universe in reference to this situation. E lives all the way over there in a very important government city doing his very important government job. And I am here. Gah!

But I did knit this weekend. I knitted the feet of my socks for the Highland Games and I ended up using the heel from the Summer 2007 issue of Interweave Knits.

The two socks on two circs knitting mode is working well most of the time. Everyone once in a while I do something silly and have my needles all confused, but it's fixed easily. Hopefully when I return home tonight, I will find my computer miraculously healed, and I will post pictures.

Freakin holes!

There are freakin' honkin' sized holes in my short role heel! Freakin freak! I'll have to rip it out and see what I did wrong. Then I shall post pictures of my fantabulous socks.

New article on the scoundrel

This is the latest article about Jeremy Erskine by Kathleen Harris of CNews. I have edited my name in this post, even if you'll see it when you click the link.

Con artist Jeremy Clark-Erskine, the American who escaped custody and then claimed refugee status in Canada, remains on the loose two weeks after a country-wide arrest warrant was issued.
The 33-year-old fugitive is wanted on charges of defrauding the people who posted his bail. He is also wanted by the Canada Border Services Agency for not meeting the terms of his release under the Immigration and Refugee Act, in addition to outstanding charges of fleeing custody in Indiana.
"We're on it, and it's an important case to us. We will find him," said Lisa White, a spokeswoman for the border agency.
Merry Gentlemen, a Chicago-area resident who says she was duped by Clark-Erskine after he went on the lam from Indiana, said she was "blown away" that Canadian authorities released him given his lengthy criminal background for theft and fraud.
"I was like, 'What are the Canadians doing? How could they be letting him out?' I find it unbelievable. It was virtually certain that he was going to flee."
Clark-Erskine was arrested in Jasper, Alta., last April for carrying false documents, phony passports and stolen property six weeks after he fled Indiana. He pleaded guilty to four counts of possessing stolen property and spent 21 days in jail.
Despite his fugitive status in the U.S., he was later released when a Jewish community group posted a $10,000 bond. Last month, the Federal Court of Canada granted a judicial review of his refugee case. Clark-Erskine's claim had been rejected by the Immigration and Refugee Board, but the high court ruled that he did a "commendable" job of self-representation and gave him another chance since one of his planned witnesses didn't testify.
Gentlemen said she was in disbelief that Clark-Erskine was claiming refugee status in Canada, based on mistreatment by Indiana prison officials.

Just for kicks, here's another picture of him. Call the cops if you see him. I suspect he's hiding in Nova Scotia, but I can't be certain.

Dishcloth cotton

The miracle of modern technology has decreed that I am dishcloth cotton. I have to say that my self image is damaged by this result. I would have thought something prickly and durable like a blend of hemp and fiberglass.

What kind of yarn are you?

You are Dishcloth Cotton.You are a very hard worker, most at home when you're at home. You are thrifty and seemingly born to clean. You are considered to be a Plain Jane, but you are too practical to notice.
Take this quiz!








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Gossip

I wish I could have been a fly on the wall last night at SnB, 'cause I'm sure you ladies know why I missed it.

Seven random things

My friend, La petite tricoteuse, a wee knitter from the SNBWB group has tagged me for the 7 random things rubbish. I shall oblige, but she will certainly feel the icy hand of revenge.

1. I have not had any kind of English class since high school, and I have made my career in writing. The grammatical and spelling errors you find on this blog are either intentional or a result of laziness, and not lack of understanding of the English language.

2. I have a very long name. My first name is two words, and I go by them both at the same time. I also have a middle name and a Hebrew name. The outrageousness of my last name tops it off.

3. The most famous person I have ever met is Yitzhak Shamir when he received an honorary doctorate from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. I have also met a great number of politicians in Illinois, but almost no celebrities.

4. My favorite TV shows are Digging for the Truth and Secrets of Dead. Those shows are so good that I can't even knit when they are on.

5. Seeing as how I have been to the lowest place on earth, I have a strong desire to see (but not actually climb to) the highest place on earth.

6. I must get to bed "at a decent hour" and sleep for 7-8 hours per night. Or you don't want to be near me. Lack of sleep is my biggest pet peeve. Almost anything else I can handle.

7. When my class had our kindergarten graduation, I gave almost all the speeches. In fact, I volunteered for all of them, but the teacher made some other kids do some to be fair.

Knifty Red, if you haven't been tagged before, you are now.

Two socks on two circular needles

Knifty Red the Great made up a diagram to help me with the new sock knitting mode, and she has given me permission to share it with you. Click on the picture to see it big enough to read.

Thank you, Ms. Red.

My beautiful sister

This is my beautiful sister Eileen. I have to kvell over her for a minute here....

She recently went on a trip to South Africa with her fella and sent pictures. Doesn't she look glamorous there? I think she wants to be Madonna.

Seriously, I miss Eileen. She's one of the smartest people I know and I miss her. She lives far away.

...And I had to prove that not all of us have ridiculous names.

In the news today

There were a lot of interesting things in the news today. The first I came across way that according to the traffic reporter on WBEZ, traffic in the Chicago was "awful. Everywhere." It has been Awful. Everywhere. For at least two weeks. So I was 15 minutes late for work. I would like to blame entirely the cosmic force that creates the spontaneous traffic jams in Chicago. Yeah. That's it.

But I did have a delay leaving for work today. I could not find my glasses because I did not put them where they belong last night, so I could not find them this morning. I need glasses to find my glasses sometimes.
Part of the problem with finding the glasses may have been the current state of my coffee table. All four of my current projects are in that jumble as well as I think all my knitting tools. And this morning's coffee (which I lost track of in the spectacle hunt). The wrapper from my breakfast is on the floor.

The next bit of news is that I will be on the news soon. I had a telephone interview with a Canadian reporter last night in regard to Jeremy Erskine. We'd like to see him in the press as much as possible until he is caught. I will post the article when I see it on the web.

News about "the party" is also brewing, but I'm not ready for the press release. Patience. Patience.

Two circs

I'm having a knitting conundrum. Two of the actually. The first is that I don't get the sequence of things when knitting socks on tow circular needles. Maybe I need a diagram or video. Do you know any.

The second is the darn decreases in Oriel. It doesn't say how to handle them when doing the chart.

I totally need help with the chart on the Oriel Lace Blouse

I've cast this sucker on three or four times, and I'm just not getting something. It's that column of stockinette on the right edge of the chart. Is that the selvage, or do I repeat that on every repeat. The instructions seem to say I start there for the size small. I just can't get row 2 of the chart! It seems like the number of stiches I have on the needles don't match.

Also, I don't get the instructions on where to put the decrease on the waist decreases.

Please help!

Progress report

One project got most of my time this week. I managed to finished the back of the Green Tea Raglan:

For the yarn porn enthusisists:

Sarah recieved Project X this weekend. She found it amusing that the ends were not weaved in. I'd been doing last minute surgery on it right up until the party started. The ribbing stretched out in blocking, and I had to do something to make the edge elastic again. Leave it to the Precious to be a labor of love.

That's Gumperina's Black Sea Hat in Koigu KPPPM. I need to try to get a good picture for her gallery.

Just in case you think I spend all my time knitting and working on sidewalks, I don't. These are two handpainted cat food bowls I did myself.

Merry Gentlemen's cinematic debut in W.O.R.M.

My friend, Anthony has a hobby, obsession side job making zombie movies. They're professionally produced. He's quite good. And our friend Chad made that trailer.

I have a short appearance in the film as a castrating yuppie bitch (who knew?) and have been invited to the big cast and crew screening. I am allowed to invite friends, and that means you can come:

SPECIAL CAST AND CREW SCREENING OF W.O.R.M.:
Saturday May 26, 2007 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM

Bensenville Theater 9 S Center Street

Bensenville, IL 60106

(630) 415-0894

This is a very good zombie movie, meaning that is is disgusting and full of blood, profanity, and other objectionable material. It's not for kids, but any of you who love the zombie movie and gore should certainly come out for the fun!

Generosity

Today for my very important government job, I had to drive to a place about 4 miles past The Boondocks, and found myself a stone's throw from The Fold. Of course I went! And I did not buy anything.

I went there to ask Toni if she would donate some yarn or a kit for raffling off at my yet undisclosed 3-Day fundraiser party and softball game that will take place in July. I thought I'd get a scarf kit or a skein of STR. But NNNNOOOOO!

She donated over $100 worth of yarny goodness! Thank you, Toni!

Special SNBWB socks

I've been thinking, mooning, and obsessing on my new lover, a skein of Socks That Rock in Heartstone. It's such a pretty yarn, with shades of purple, magenta, and sea foam green. I'm considering making a special SNBWB sock out of them, as the yarn came from those ladies. What designs, textures, stitch patterns, or features do you think such a fancy sock should have?

Love

Isn't it beautiful? A knitter with her new sock yarn? This yarn is worth 1/2 tank of gas, and it means (almost) as much to me as the precious especially since it was a gift. I shall make it into something special.

One day I shall publish my memoirs

The girls in both my SnB groups listen to my stories and regularly tell me that I should write a book. Perhaps they are making fun, but I choose to believe that they actually mean it. IMHO, I think I've lead a rather interesting life, particularly in the last 12 years or so. I mean, I was raised by my father's Irish Catholic parents and ran off to Israel in my late teens and early 20's to explore Judaism and study archeology. When I came home, I worked as a technical writer doing manufacturing manuals at some of the largest companies in the world while I held down a night job in a pottery studio. Later, I went back to school for project management and now work at a very important government job getting funding for sidewalks by day and am a kung-fu knitter by night. It's a wonderful life. Really. With the exception of the fact of my singleness, I am very satisfied with my life.


But there was one chapter that I really don't talk about much. For one, the fact that the thing even happened has been very difficult for me to cope with emotionally and spiritually. This thing goes by the name of Jeremy Erskine. In fact, hesitate to give too much detail about what he did to me because the criminal case is not yet resolved.


The Scoundrel's name is Jeremy Clark-Erskine. Do a google search, and you will find articles galore. He's been convicted of felonies and has been in and out of prison for years. I dated him some time ago not knowing about his past, and liked him very much until he did some pretty crappy things to me. Last spring, he escaped from a prison in Indianapolis and went on the run. I was in his path, and had my life turned upside down. Eventually, he ended up in Canada where he scammed a number of people and was put into prison. For some reason, he was released pending his extradition hearings and placed in the care of a Jewish organization in Edmonton, AB. This is a link to the story of what he did while staying with them. He's currently a fugitive from justice again.


I am coming forward with this because this man relies on the lack of information sharing between law enforcement to get away with his crimes. The Jewish agency in the article did not know that he committed any other crimes in the United States than forging an identification paper. If he's arrested in say, New York, no one will ever know that law enforcement in Illinois should be notified so they can prosecute him for what he did to me. I want someone who does a Google search on his name to come up with this blog and know to contact the authorities if they've seen him


His name is Jeremy Daniel Clark Erskine. He usually goes by Jeremy Erskine. He is from Indiana, but claims to be from a number of other places such as Belfast, Northern Ireland. He's 6'3" tall with red hair and blue eyes. Do not believe anything he says. He's a dangerous man. If you know him, call the police now and have him arrested; he's escaped from prison and is still wanted. This is what he looks like:
If you see Jeremy Clark-Erskine, call the police. He's wanted in the United States and Canada. The world will be a better place when he is in jail.

Finishing stuff, and making room for the new yarn

This week, I made a Scribbling Lace scarf. It took one skein of the Luisa Harding Sari Ribbon and nearly one skein of Kid Seta. IMO, kid seta has a bad smell. I don't like the odor of raw silk. This piece is going into my stash for a while with the anti-bug herbs until it smells as pretty as it looks. I think it's so pretty, it deserves to be modeled out in nature. So I took a walk out in front of my place.

With Sahara done, I've also gotten back to work on the Green Tea Raglan. It's really an easy knit, and very nice in the Classic Elite Bam-Boo. It's growing up very quickly, and has tripled in size in only two days. The seed stitch does slow me down a bit, but the sleeves are in stockinette. Here is the bottom third of the back and part on one sleeve.

Lastly, one Jaywalker in Tofutsies is done. Fortunately, I can't start the Interlac socks until my new needles arrive, so I will be doing the second sock this week.

Oy vey. I don't want that yarn.

Thanks to Scott TC, I never have to worry about choosing this yarn:

VIPFibers.com

Knitters decend upon...ransack LYS

To start off, 9 women blew invested $1,300.00 in yarn and yarn supplies today. Nuff said? I don't think so. We set out in two cars early this morning. One from Tinley and one from Downers grove and arrived at The Fold 90 minutes later. Much yarn was purchased.

Somehow I thought when I saw Kate knitting in the corner first with her purchases made, that she must have kept her head and exercised monumental control.

No! She struck the sock yarn selection like a tornado and did a huge amount of damage very quickly. I want to guess that there are a dozen skeins of sock yarn in there.

Now and then during the two hours at the shop, we'd loose Knitterary for a while. But eventually we'd hear her moans and breathless sighs coming from one corner or another. I'm not sure what the etiquette is when something like that is going on in public. You know, I want to look because it might be good, but I don't really want to stare. Lucky girl. She found her second husband and is multi-yarngasmic.
Kris bought a spinning wheel. Now she can make yarn and knit again in this lifetime.

After two hours, we were all satisfied and needed a sandwich. So we got back in the cars and headed into town for lunch at the super duper Flatlanders Deli in downtown Marengo.
I bought some yarn. Some. Not the most and not the least. I generally only buy sock yarns and yarn for small projects from LYS's, and big projects on clearances online and from KnitPicks. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to afford to knit as much as I like. But at this shop I still have to control my desires. There's a half pound of undyed bulky Icelandic wool there. That's for stash. I also got five skeins of cotton that I'll make the Entrelac socks from. The original plan was to make those socks from Socks That Rock, but I decided on this cotton instead. The skein of STR in Scottish Highlands (center) was purchased by me. The girls bought the left hand STR on HeartStone for me. They reimbursed me for the gas money in yarn rather than cash.

You know, I'd just gotten my stash in order and entirely into the boxes. Oh well.

I'd planned on running today, but I'm spent.

It begins...

Two Stitch n Bitch Group. Two cars. Nine knitters. Sixty miles on the highway. The GREAT SNB TRIP TO THE FOLD begins shortly. I am preparing.
Gawd, is that what my hair looks like in the morning?

Blue

I'm having a slightly bad day today. I'm not having any kind of crisis, and I'm not really feeling sorry for myself. But I'm kinda down today. And that is not why.

I'm bored at work waiting on information to move forward on my projects. But that's normal. Insidious has been pretty nasty the last couple of days, and my energy level is bottomed out from it. Blah.

I have some very colorful yarns in my knitting sack under my desk, and my new toys are in there too. I am mooning at them and dreaming. I want to knit, but that might not be appropriate just now even if I have next to nothing to work on for the next 40 minutes before my next meeting.

Tonight I will knit with the Tinley Park girls. And I will eat chocolate chip cookies. And I will be happy.

What's going on?

What's going on here? The look of the blog keeps changing.

I know. I know. I'm sorry. I'm trying on different outfits. I really am not in love with any of the Blogger templates, and keep trying new ones. I suppose its not really good for my "branding" or whatever, but it should calm down when I finally learn to make a template of my own.

Perhaps it will be themed with Christmas knitting.

Belated knitting movie review

First off, something not on the subject of this post. It's about the VK fair isle sweater. There's no doubt that I'll occasionally wear the sweater. However, I consider it more like a work of art and huge knitting accomplishment than a garment. Perhaps it belongs more appropriately on my wall than my back.

Well then. Movies.

I did get two movies from Netflix this last weekend; The Good Shepherd and Mrs. Brown. They were both very good. And neither actually had eye candy. How about that?

The Good Shepherd is an excellent CIA movie, but it's about three hours long. It's about the life long career of an American intelligence agent in the early CIA and its precursor organizations. The story was very interesting, even if the movie was so long. I had to watch it twice, because its one of those films you have to watch to get, and I was knitting Sahara while it was on. Great film, good knitting film.

The second DVD I had was Mrs. Brown. This is a good film and a great knitting movie. I liked it so much that I watched it twice. Mrs. Brown is a BBC film about Queen Victoria's friendship with one of her servants, John Brown. John Brown was a Highland Scot and her outdoor servant. I would assume that the title of the movie is a reference to rumors at the time that Mr. Brown and the queen married in secret, even if that connection has not been entirely confirmed (although the late Queen Mum, Victoria II seemed to think it was so) nor was it directly addressed in the movie. Their friendship helped her break out of a deep depression after the death of her husband, Prince Albert. It was a very nice friendship movie. I also enjoyed Billy Connolly's portrayal of John Brown. I always find Billy Connolly amusing. Particularly when he is running in the sea nude and reciting Bobby Burns.

That is all.

I've been remiss

I never posted a picture of the VK fair isle sleeve sweater. Well, after seeing Knitensity's go at it, I am posting the picture of the final result. BTW, great job on yours, Nikki.
This knit was a killer. I knitted the whole thing in KnitPick's Merino Style. The bodice and green sleeve are on size 5's, but I had to go down to 2's in order to get anything like gauge on the fair isle sleeve. That sleeve was a bitch, but it's beautiful. I like the sweater very much. It's really warm and it definitely fits my definition of something worth knitting. But the collar trim will certainly go before I wear it again. It's frilly and weird. I can put something nicer there.

Today more bacon, but with a price

You, know. I push my luck. I added up the number of hours I worked last week, and it turns out to be 54. Too many. I am currently working on three grants adding up to almost a million dollars. Today I got an itty bitty one for $1,300.

I do have an interesting job, and it's fun and personally rewarding. As you know, the goal of my very important government job is mainly to gain funding for sidewalks in a Chicagoland suburb. At least, that's what I think my job is. That's what the boss tells me to do. So I do.

To that end, I had some real adventures last week. I've been going door to door asking residents how much money they make. Really. I knock on the door and I ask them to fill out a short survey with that as one of the questions. And I need about 87% of the residents to answer the question. After all, the Federal government wants to know who will benefit from the pavement, and they think that somehow almost all of them will tell me personal things. So I walk. And I knock. And I ask personal questions.

Well, I'd sent out a letter telling people that I was coming around, and why. Surprisingly, most of the residents are happy to answer my questions. Some of them get mad at me and slam the door. And some of them get mad and hit each other. Yes, I saw two people engage in fisticuffs over my survey. I didn't know what to do about that, so I left. Fortunately, they'd already filled out the form. So that's what I was up to last week that kept me away from my knitting.

Insidious returned with a vengeance at 3:00 am today. My joints are OK, but my guts are not. I'm sure all the working last week did not help things.

Tonight will be knitting. Lots of knitting and resting.