As for my niece, Pk hasn't spoken to his sister yet so we are just keeping good thoughts and being available. In other emotional news, Elanor has a friend who had a heart attack and died at 25. Yes. 25 years old. She is sad and heartbroken since they had plans to find a place to live together. This is her first major loss of someone her own age and that can be a sobering event no matter what age you are. We expect old people to die, not 25 year olds.
Our health and wellness fair is next week so I'll be shopping for some inexpensive yarn (I gave away most of the stuff from the last one) this weekend so I can set up a colorful table to draw people in. The spinning wheel does that. For some reason, people can't resist them. It's fun to see them watch from across the room and then gradually come closer until they're comforable enough to ask what it is and how it works.
I sat in my first phone-in meeting this week. It's one of the oddest things. You call into the phone number they give you and a voices says "You are one of fourteen people" and then people are talking and you have no context for their voice. I found myself making up images for people in my mind. The one guy who talked a lot and had a lot of issues with the computer program I imagine has short blond hair and glasses. I don't know why (he's probably a redhead with freckles!). I didn't say much since it was my first time and I didn't want anyone to sit there and think "I wish she's stop talking". I didn't realize how much we depend on our eyes for communication. It was a fascinating experience.
I am working away on my In Dreams kal shawl. I put it away when everyone reported that this clue was much harder for fear of making a mistake and having to tink a lot of alpaca (it does not tink well). I finally picked it up and have done about 4 rows into the clue. And I'm hooked again. The rows are getting longer so it takes more time and I get less done in one session but it's so enjoyable and satisfying. This will be one gorgeous piece of knitting when it's done.
Our weather continues to be confused. It was warm and balmy and gorgeous on Monday. Nice enough that when we left work, we decided to swing by the fried chicken place and pick up the fixins for a picnic and ate dinner in a local park. This one has swings and jungle gyms and we watched small children run around and laugh. We capped it off with a trip to the ice cream place for desert. Lovely. Then it got cold again and remains so today. No rain today, which is good, but you definitely need a coat. The guard outside today said "maybe this means we'll have a mild summer". One can only hope. Last summer was brutal.
I spent yesterday on an outing with my group. We went to the American Jewish History Museum. It's gorgeous. There are wonderful displays and a real sense of how the Jews at first tried to assimilate into life in this country and then finally said, "Look, this is who we are. Deal with it". It's so well done that you get educated and don't feel bored by just information.
Other than that, I have to file my taxes today. My fed is done, just not filed. The state is easy and will take a short time. Yes, I waited until the end but I knew we'd owe money and feel like we already pay a lot of taxes so I wasn't eager to pay more. I have work to do and I guess it's time to get started. I have some photos of the mural to show you but they'll have to wait until I'm home. (My new computer does not play well with peripherals like my camera).
Happy Thursday everyone!
11 comments:
I love the color of that sock yarn!! When I telecommuted, we'd occasionally have phone call meetings like that. It was nerve-racking for me because I worked from home and had an infant with an incredibly irregular schedule. Once, one of the doctors commented because he could hear the baby (ever so slightly) and said I should stick a pacifier in his mouth. Actually, I was nursing him, because it was that or let him cry in another room, which I would not do. Another time I simply called in from my cell phone while I drove around so he slept in the back. I was grateful I had a work-from-home job but boy, those phone calls stressed me out!
I work in a call center. Most of my contact with others is via phone.
Glad to hear from you. I was starting to worry.
The sock is gorgeous!
I rely so much on posture, eyes, the set of the mouth, the way somone hold his hands to pick up all those meta-messages in commumicating. A telephone conference would be terribly disorienting.
Oh, I love that sock yarn too, very cool colours. Self-striping yarn is so excellent! It is also good for fooling the non-knitters - all those colour changes!
Sorry to hear about Elanor's friend - that is terrible, and you are right, it's especially hard because of the young age.
I also dislike telephone conferences - especially with so many people. Visual clues are so important in meetings.
you will be pleased to know its friday here so the end of the week has already arrived! ive had a week like that, just getting through busy days and collapsing at the end. i love self striping too, it never ceases to amaze. i have some yarntini in those exact colours. yum. and that is so sad about eleanors friend. what an awful sock. hugs for her. kxx
shock i meant, not sock. how freudian was that....
Now see, I have to hide the Knit Picks catalogue when I get it, because their stuff is so much fun!
Tell Elanor I'm sorry for her loss. My best friend died when I was in the seventh grade--it's SO hard when you're young. It really hurts to realize how mortal you are, and the people you love with you.
Felici is a lot of fun to work with. One of my favorites pairs of socks is made from it :-)
Keeping good thoughts for your niece and for Elanor as she is missing her friend.
Fingers crossed for your niece.
Phone conferences are weird. A friend of mine transcribes them and says you do picture the speakers and it's usually fairly accurate!
I love that sock yarn, too!
My husband used to have to do phone conferences, too.
I agree, teleconferences are difficult. Luckily I usually only attend them as an observer. I think you need a really good chairperson and a clear, organised agenda. I once had a job interview by phone and that was terrible. I couldn't get any sense of how I was coming over and whether I was giving the three people the answers they needed. I think it might be ok with only one person.
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