My Baby Takes the Morning Train

Whew! What a morning!

Georgie needed to be at an important meeting at 7:30 this morning. He’s not a very good morning person. He went to bed around 1AM (I didn’t go to sleep until after 3 – but more on that in a minute) and was out of bed at about 6. Normally, this would get Georgie to work at about 9. You do the math.

I was up worrying that he wouldn’t make it on time. From the coziness of my bed I could hear his morning routine, praying that it was the speeded up version. I calculated the best possible way for him to get to work. I envisioned traffic, accidents, disasters. If he could just get out of the shower by 6:30 (a feat in and of itself!) he might have a shot.

I hear the shower turn off. I get out of bed and stick my head out of the door, the sun shining in from the hallway. “Honey? Do you need me to take you to the train?”

“Yes. Please.”

I throw on my sweats, tuck in my t-shirt, toss on my sweat-shirt and baseball cap, slip on my shearling clogs. I’m good.

Now, my town is about 8 miles from where G needed to be in the city. Google Map says it should take about 12 minutes. HA! It can take me 12 minutes just to get to my freaking car. Apartment living has its disadvantages – like my car is in a garage under the building. I can’t just walk out my door.

So I go to the car, but not without checking my face in the bathroom mirror right by the front door – it’s a silly habit, since I’ve still got zit cream all over my face and lines from the pillow and sleep in my eyes. Yeah. I’m looking my best. I realize as I’m about to open the front door that I’m missing something. Can you guess? Amazingly enough – I’m missing my fucking eye glasses. I’m blind as a bat people! (Are bats really blind?) How have I managed to get myself together enough to drive my darling husband to the train and not realize I CAN’T SEE?

I get my glasses and the car and pull it around to our designated meeting place. Georgie comes out at about the same time. It’s now 6:43. The train leaves at 6:51.

“You’ll have to make the illegal u-turn,” he says.
“I’m way ahead of you,” I say.

The train station is about 2.5 miles from our house. This trip can take a good twenty minutes depending on traffic. We live in the middle of swamp land peppered with industrial warehouses. There are semis every where. Especially in the morning. There are also conviently placed freight trains that like to crawl through town during rush. There’s no rhyme or reason to them. Okay. There’s a reason – to make us late!

The illegal u-turn takes care of all that. It’s risky though – especially in our 2000 Altima that has the WORST turning radius known to man. I handle it with aplomb.

On to the next obstacle. As I race through the YELLOWRED, making a successful left turn only to get stuck behind a car service Lincoln crawling over the potholes, I realize that the gas light is on and the distance-to-go tracker is flashing DANGER! Lack of gas be damned, I hit the left lane – I’m driving into oncoming traffic! The Lincoln is toast. A late 80s Pontiac decides it’s the perfect time to meander onto the road. I fly back into the left lane! A truck’s coming right at us! I dodge a pothole while settling the car back onto all four wheels. Georgie’s either murmuring I love you over and over again or I’m going to die. Either way, after leaning on my horn to move the ridiculously unnecessary BMW SUV out of my way, I get him to the train station at 6:49.

6:53. My cell phone rings. Heavy breathing. “I made it! They were closing the doors and I jumped on the train! Thanks my love!”

7:12. I’m back home, car has gas in the tank, waiting for the computer to warm up. Phone rings. “I’m here. I’m one of the first ones. They have breakfast. Thanks again!”

SuperWIFE saves the day. And it isn’t even 8AM.

Do you think he’ll expect dinner tonight? Because, you know, like, I’m spent.

Short Rows

Why was I up until 3AM you ask? Why, Short Rows of course! I’ve been needing some knitty inspiration, and when I went down to my sister’s for Passover Seder, I pulled some knitting to take with me – knowing full well I’d never get the opportunity to actually knit. I brought Short Rows with me and it was just what I needed. I showed it to my sister and instantly fell in love with the colors and the yarn and the pattern all over again. Georgie came to Seder and took me home Saturday night – so we got to spend a much needed day together yesterday. I spent the better part of the afternoon and evening on the couch, Georgie close by, knitting. I know I’ve said it before, but I LOVE Rowan Wool Cotton. I think I’m going to make a cardigan with it – that lovely Seeded Cable Classic Elite cardigan. I think it might be my next project because I’ve really been jonesing for some cables.

Anyway, back to short rows. I decided that I was just going to slip knot the ends and use duplicate stitch to weave them in later. I had done research on all kinds of joins, Russian, Spit, etc, but none of them really seemed the right option for what I needed to do – too many color changes too quickly. Before I knew it I was finished the first batch of short rows and onto the straight rows and it looked fantastic! At about midnight I announced to G that I was going to have to knit for a while more – I was too into it and could see the end of the first short row sequence. At about 2:15, Georgie snoring peacefully beside me, I finished said sequence. And then I lost it. Somehow I dropped a stitch or I don’t know what but I lost a wrap on a short row and I couldn’t get it back, so I had to rip it out. Then I lost a bunch of wraps when I ripped back and because the color changes with every turn practically – I don’t know what yarn to use on which wrap. Trust me, it’s easier just to rip it back. I really don’t mind. This thing is looking gorgeous! I’m so excited about it! Today I’m going to re-do the short rows and go on to the straights and then I’ll take a picture. With the next short row sequence I already have to start decreasing for the arms – so it should go very, very fast. I’m really hope this thing fits. I mean really. (It should – yes, I swatched. I’m a little bit smaller than gague – so I upped it a size – should give me exactly what I need. Somewhere between the medium and the large.)

Anyway. I’ve got my mojo back – look for a picture tomorrow!

And, I think I may have yet another border for the Pinwheel blanket! If this doesn’t work, I don’t know what I’m going to do. I think it will though.

By the way, Happy Passover to my fellow tribe members! The Happy Booker had some excellent links to share. By all means, hit JibJab‘s Matzah, Shabot6000‘s Seda’ Club, and Shlepping Through the Alps‘s Passover Greeting. It’s like Chicken Soup for the HipHop Jew! Guaranteed to make you choke on your matzah – assuming your stomach hasn’t already exploded from the bloat! Chag Sameach!

Can you help me? Anyone out there a K1R2 member who’s read Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norell and would like to help lead the discussion next week? I’m desperately behind – there’s no way I’ll finish it. Life. You know how it is. So I’m looking f
or a wonderful volunteer! Email me at caraATjanuaryoneDOTcom if you would like to save my ass. Thanks!