update sunday

It has been a while since I could update, what with work travel, Harry Potter, and general life stuff getting in the way. I was listening to the Fairie_Knits podcast today and she was talking about how she has different days for different types of updates, so I'm going to try to update every day this week with something a bit different. This obviously also goes along the lines of Saturday Sky etc., but I've never tried this before. I think it might help.

Sundays I thought I would leave for a general wrap-up on what has been going on with me generally, to start off the week, so to speak.

Went to Worcester, MA last weekend, to attend a conference for work. I go to a lot of academic conferences during the year but I had never been to this one before, so I didn't know what to expect, or whether I'd know anyone there or not. Also, Worcester (another annoying name that doesn't sound like it's spelled--you say "wooster", but can they spell it that way? no, that would be too easy...) is not all that easily reached from NYC because of the erratic train schedules. I took the train to Providence, and got a car from there to drive the 35 miles or so after that. Some scenes from the train:


I liked how the train went along right next to the water. The route was through coastal Connecticut and it was very interesting to see the way the water seemed to be much more a part of the lives of the people who lived there-both for business and pleasure. Once I got to Providence, I picked up a rental car. I got lost several times, and finally called Spanky in a panic. How come when you get lost in a strange city it is never in the good part of town?
This is how Providence looked to me:


I don't know if you can see in this next photo because I took it quickly as I was inching along the highway ramp, but this is the Dunkin Donuts Center! I'm not sure what that is, but it seems to be a stadium of some sort. If anyone knows, please do let me know. I wonder if they serve Dunkin's coffee and donuts inside for games.



In between getting lost in Providence, I did manage to find Fresh Purls, a really great yarn store. It was after this visit that I got really, really lost. Anyway the women in the store were really friendly and they carried everything you could ever want. Bags, all kinds of great yarn, patterns and books and it was so well laid out. I really wish we had a store like that near me. Neat, tidy, but inviting.

Anyway, by the time I got to Worcester it was raining, and I got lost AGAIN. Spanky helped me (again) find my hotel, the process of which was just insane. It was totally hidden, and hello? New England? You may want to revisit that annoying policy of only putting street signs on ONE STREET of an intersection. That was half the reason I was so lost. I could either never figure out what street I was on, or what street was coming up, depending on how the signs were. When I finally made it to the hotel, I had missed the opening reception and the registration, my nerves were completely shattered, and I ended up just eating a lousy dinner at the hotel restaurant with a glass of wine and going right to bed. The rest of the weekend went pretty smoothly though, and Worcester is actually kind of nice in the daytime.


I brought the Lombard Street socks with me to start on the train and after knitting them there and back, some during the week at work, and a lot today, I've turned the heel on the first one. Pictures should come later this week. I'm also working on the log cabin pet blanket and the back of Spanky's sweater.

I took last Friday off to recuperate from the conference, and my assistant had lent me Harry Potter, so I basically spent all day Friday and half the day Saturday reading it. I think I was pretty satisfied with how it all wrapped up, although reading the book was hard. I didn't want to start it because I knew it would be eat up all my time, and I didn't want it to end either.

Last night Spanky and I went to see "La Vie" at Spiegelworld, which is a one-ring circus down at the South Street Seaport. It was ok, but I'd never been to the seaport before, and it really reminds me of Downtown Disney--just this outdoor shopping mall masquerading as a legitimate spot to hang out rather than a totally artificial environment. I don't feel the need to ever go back, really. The show wasn't that great. It started at 11:30pm, and it was about 3am when I finally got to sleep so today, rainy day that it was, all I've done is do laundry, work on my sock, and listen to podcasts.

Work is going to be crazy the next few weeks, as we're starting to gear up for the fall. And my sister has just informed me that the only possible date that she can get married next January, is the same freaking weekend as the biggest conference of the year in my subfield, where I have a huge book premiering and where I was counting on meeting tons of people. CHRIST, I hope she can move it. I don't want to have to fly down there for the ceremony and then turn back around and book it back to the conference. I want to enjoy being with her. Not feeling like I should be somewhere else.