knit night and the day after

I was always horrible at science.  Sometimes I have dreams where I take a university organic chemistry test and get an A+ and walk around showing everyone that "I could do it after all."

I prefer to get any science with a dose of laugh which is why knitnight is so great.  KnitnightGina is a lab person in a blood place. (pretty fancy title, eh- I'm sure she's called something different but that's as much as I can come up with.)  Her daughter, knitnightJustine is in medical school.  She's not a resident or an intern but she goes to a hospital every day which leaves her somewhere between anatomy class and doctorville.  Last night I learned about the factor cascade of coagulation, platelets and plasma.  And in a very small way, I get it and am amazed that we all have bodies and that they work so well.

The Day After.

Today Mr. Sophanne said "Let's go out to dinner."   Because we live in ruralville, the only within 10 mile option was a place that rhymes with Mob Revans.

We learned some interesting things.  The soup container that they put on your table is to encourage you to buy soup. (no surprise there)  The waitstaff has a "soup quota" they have to make each shift.  If they fail more than once to include the empty container on a patrons table, they are suspended from work for three days.  There is also a 20% beverage quota that does not include water.

Our waitress shared this information with us freely mostly because Mr. Sophanne can get anyone to talk.  While we were eating he saw all wait staff pulled off the floor and into conference about the low soup numbers for the evening.

What the hell?  No wonder the service there is often so bad.  Everybody's worried about their carry out soup and soda numbers.  If you have customers you know aren't interested, it's time to move on to another potential soup buyer.  That's where the action is.

I might be wrong, but I'm guessing that the finer dining establishments that Mr. Sophanne and I have visited in big cities don't operate under such ridiculous premises.

When I worked for as a telephone operator for a company that rhymes with Spay Gee and Gee, they would insist that we ask people if they wanted to upgrade to person to person rather than just collect calls.  The interaction (given the area where I worked) often went like this:

Them:  I'd like to make a collect call to Sam.
Me:  Would you like to make that person to person?
Them:  What does that mean?
Me:  That means that you don't pay for the call unless you get the person you are trying to reach.
Them:  Why sure!  That sounds great.  Make it person to person to Sam.
Me:  There will be an extra charge for that service.
Them What?
Me:  It costs more to make a person to person call than just a collect call.
Them:  Well what do I want that for then.  (and occasionally something along the lines of you $%#@#$# people!)

The waitress at Tob Blevens had a funny and relaxed attitude about it.  She made us laugh on and off throughout the meal.  When she brought the check I had my plan ready.  I handed her a pile of $$ and said, "First of all, this is your tip."  Then I handed her another pile of money and said "Second of all, this pile is for some soup.  We don't really want any soup.  I just want you to sell some and maybe give it to your manager from us."

Doing the math while leaving, Mr. Sophanne said "You essentially just left a 50% tip," to which I replied, "It was worth every penny."

Oh Where, Oh Where

has this blogger been?  Oh where oh where can she be?

Well, if you must know...

Things I have been doing while not blogging.

1) once again rearranging the yarn room.  We are down to 4 bookshelves and enough room to put the piano in here as well.  Sadly, while I measured the potential piano space, I did not measure the path the piano would have to travel and now there is a big empty spot.  I am plotting and scheming plans to remedy this but will not reveal until its a done deal.

2) playing the ukulele.  I bought a new one last month.  It doesn't slide out of tune so quickly which has made playing rather pleasant.  That I have been playing it when I could be knitting suggests that it will join the list of acceptable hobbies.

3) knitting... I have nothing to show for said knitting, as I've been working on miles and miles of Elsebeth Lavold Log Cabin Moderne.  It would seem that I have committed to this project (unlike so many others) and in spite of the endless garter stitch, I will forge on.

but what about the funny?

Trust me when I say that if I had some funny, this would be one of the first places I'd share it.

I do have a piece of knitterly/driving advice to share.

If you happen to knit a malabrigo balaclava, and you happen to wear it on the -4 degree drive to school, be sure to take it off if your eyelids start to get droopy because it is so cozy.  I managed to do this in time, but I may have found a cure for insomnia!  (at least if you have it at -4 degrees while driving.)

Knubblechen on Couch

Do you remember when knitnightMarc crocheted this couch kleenex box cover?

Whilst on Ravelry I found this pattern for knubblechen

And now knitnightMarc's couch has a permanent resident.

This is the best best best pattern for leftover sock yarn.  No huge ass blanket that will never get finished that is every color imaginable.  The possibilities are endless.  Go look at them, you know you want to!

It never fails...

The Scorpion and the Frog
from the website Aesop's Fables




A scorpion and a frog meet on the bank of a stream and the

scorpion asks the frog to carry him across on its back. The

frog asks, "How do I know you won't sting me?" The scorpion

says, "Because if I do, I will die too."



The frog is satisfied, and they set out, but in midstream,

the scorpion stings the frog. The frog feels the onset of

paralysis and starts to sink, knowing they both will drown,

but has just enough time to gasp "Why?"



Replies the scorpion: "Its my nature..."


No matter how many times I am "stung by the scorpion," it never fails to surprise me when it happens again.