What I did on my spring not-a-break

I was never the kind of student who went to Daytona Beach or Fort Lauderdale on spring break, back in the day. I went home to stay with my parents for the week, felt that it should be warmer than it was (in mid-March in Ohio), and went cycling before I really should have — and went back to school with a cold.

Now that I’m “all grown up” and working at a university, I don’t even get the break. I have a week of working in a largely silent and solitary office building. The fact that almost everyone else will be gone gives me the freedom to schedule appointments that would usually be a slight inconvenience to others.

MONDAY: Attended the Joints in Motion class at the local aquatic center in the morning; instructor suggested that we bring water bottles to prevent dehydration. Started membership application, but computer glitch prevented completion. Went online to buy a swim cap for use with long hair; bank immediately flagged this as spam. Told bank it was really me; delivery expected on Friday. Made a phone call regarding a car I’d like to donate to a local high school’s body shop program. Sent a message to a person on Facebook Marketplace who was giving away a typewriter desk that was sitting in their front yard. Made a phone call to have my Advance Auto Parts account reset. Got my hair trimmed for the first time in, what, three years? Maybe? Shopped at Aldi. Went home and made chicken salad. Facebook Marketplace person texted, “come and get it.” Went with Eldest to pick up the free typewriter desk, which juuuust fit in the car. Brought the desk home and moved it to the garage next to the other typewriter desk and the writing desk, both of which need to be cleaned, stripped, and refinished. Knitted on the KAL scarf. Started reading about the history of science fiction as background for my biography project.

TUESDAY: After three months of waiting, went to a specialty health clinic for an appointment with a specialty doctor — who, for apparently the first time in his career, did not show up to work. Made new appointment for late May. Had a work meeting about a campus process that nobody in the meeting completely understood; progress was probably made. Went home and ate chicken salad. Knitted on the KAL scarf. Did more reading about the history of science fiction and added several books to the reading list for my Impossible Read.

WEDNESDAY: Went to swim class and brought water bottle. Finished membership application and got key card. Left water bottle on floor of locker room. Rescheduled planned lunch with a friend to check out the plants at the hardware store, because hardware store did not have plants in yet. Rescheduled for next Monday. Consulted the manual for my Hermes Model 8; reset left and right margins, learned how to set tabs, and fixed a loose spring. Typed some file folder labels on the Hermes. Ate chicken salad sandwich for lunch. Went home and knitted on the KAL scarf. Read more about the history of science fiction and added a few more books to the Impossible Read.

THURSDAY: Took the car to my mechanic for an oil change. Waited while air filters arrived from the parts store and were installed. Asked for a quote on getting the other car repaired with a new engine and transmission. At chicken salad sandwich for lunch. Went grocery shopping after work. While Goodwill shopping, found an authentic Scrabble coffee mug. Went home; knitted on the KAL scarf. Read some more about the history of science fiction.

Reader, I bought it.

FRIDAY: Drove to work in a heavy thunderstorm. Swim class was cancelled due to lightning. Retrieved water bottle from lost and found bin at the aquatic center. At work, took a “30 minute” online training module covering accounting basics. After an hour, I learned why I would make a lousy accountant. Ate the last of the chicken salad. Visited the archives to compile information on Math Department course inventories from 1973 through 1997. Long-hair swim cap did not arrive. Knitted on the KAL scarf.

SATURDAY: Donated used jars and bottles to the thrift store. Dropped off one of my saxophones for repairs to the octave key assembly. Visited the local Jo-Ann’s; bought some lovely yarn and a pair of US6 straight needles when what I really needed was a set of US8 circulars. Got home, helped make stew, took nap. Started laundry. Long-hair swim cap did not arrive. Logged in to Ravelry and found patterns (cowl and ponytail-friendly headband) to use for the yarn I bought at Jo-Ann’s. Knitted on KAL scarf. Read through the end of Chapter 9 in The Bright Sword. Finished reading text from the first volume (of three) from the history of science fiction.

Reader, I left it there.

SUNDAY: Overslept; woke at 7 to the sound of violent thunderstorm and dog whimpering outside bedroom door (having gotten around barricade at entrance to kitchen). Sat with dog until thunderstorm abated at 8:30. Took dog for a walk. Knitted on KAL scarf. Read through Chapter 11 in The Bright Sword. More storms passed through; comforted dog. Did online research for biography, using California Newspapers Digital Archive. Knitted on the KAL scarf some more. Took nap. Made copies of genealogy charts to use for logging family information of biography subject. Finished laundry. Started writing blog post….

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Adding all those new books to the Impossible Read list really fired me up to get going again on The Bright Sword. When I left off after the third chapter, I had read about 6 percent of the book. Now I’m sitting at 24 percent complete. It’s a fun and quirky book, and I’m enjoying the read. I’m not sure how traditionalists would feel about it. Then again, they have probably already read the Malory. This ain’t Malory.

After seeing how poorly I predicted the future after my first weekend with Bright Sword, I won’t repeat the error. But I’m eager to see how the book goes, and I’m looking forward to ending the Arthurian segment of the Impossible Read and heading on (or back, really) to the Epic of Gilgamesh.

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I suppose that you might like to see the free typewriter desk? The weather was not entirely hospitable this weekend and I lacked conditions for a proper photo shoot. But here is what I took from inside my garage.

The long legs made it both tricky and just barely possible to load the desk into the Forester.

Close-up of one of the brass locks, which lack keys.

I’d like to make this desk my primary writing desk after I get it all cleaned up. Don’t tell my other writing desks that they’re not number one (and two) any more.

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Knitwise, I arranged with a friend that we would meet a daily goal of two rows of knitting. I’m pleased to say that Carla and I met the challenge. Of course, when you make yourself knit two rows it gets easier to knit four or six.

The knitalong scarf now measures 30 inches in all. I still have quite a way to go, but meeting the daily goals lets me see the steady progress I am making.

I have a little itch to start another project, but I really want to see this one through. I also don’t want to do something that will wreck my hands for the knitting I need to do for this one. The first two rows are a little painful, but then my hands warm up and the next 2-4 rows are easier. Then it starts to hurt again.

I enjoyed searching Ravelry for pattern ideas for the yarn that I picked up from Jo-Ann’s. Which might be the last yarn I ever buy at Jo-Ann’s.

Ring the bell — school’s back in! At least, it will be in tomorrow and we’ll start the twisting, plunging roller coaster ride to the end of the spring semester. Buckle up!

Just one more thing

This week has piled on like no other week. Everything seemed almost manageable until the dog had a skunk encounter on Thursday night; now, we’re just barely hanging on. But another week is almost here and we have to do at least what we already know what we have to do. There will also be the Things To Do That We Can Anticipate, the Things We Won’t See Coming, the Things We Forgot We Had To Do, the Things We Need To Do For Other People, and probably several other categories. And if none of them have to do with skunks, we might be able to handle it.

Got a minute?

I also have quite a lot of reading to do: the reading assignments for class, the extra books I’m reading to investigate a particular line of student development theories, the reading I’ll need to do to research a development theory for which I need to develop a class presentation, the daf yomi (a page a day of Talmud), my daily poetry reading, the works of Eric Temple Bell, and the gathering-dust volumes of the Impossible Read.

Some of these tasks have been complicated by the rather inevitable degradation of my glasses frames and the need for a new eye exam (bright and early tomorrow morning, thank goodness) and a new pair of glasses. Maybe a repaired old pair as well. (Maybe not.) But when I made the appointment, the optometrist’s office said that my last appointment was sometime in 2019. So that’s when I got my “new” glasses, which I broke last week. The older glasses — which I have been wearing so I can drive, but don’t work when I want to text something using my phone — are of course older than that. I’d call the previous optician but it was Shopko, which has been gone for several years.

Another thing that Eldest and I are starting to take care of is the process of getting connected with a new primary care physician. Ours (yes, we had the same one) left the practice at the end of July, which was right when we were out of state for a week’s vacation. We didn’t take care of the matter right away when we returned, and now it’s a pressing issue. But do we opt for a shared doctor again? And the same clinic? Something definitely needs to be done, but we’re not sure exactly what.

This is all to say nothing of the dog, who detected and attacked a varmint while on his Thursday evening walkabout after dark. The varmint turned out to be a skunk, and its mild deployment of chemical weaponry has left an impact on our home that we continue to feel smell, albeit mildly. We are spraying every fabric in reach, as well as the dog. We are washing everything over and over. We are airing out the house and the car and the garage. Is it enough? When does it end? Well, the walks after dark have ended — at least in areas that aren’t already illuminated.

There have been some things that almost happened but thankfully did not come to pass. On Friday morning I was driving down Main Street, getting a vibe that the large car in the next lane was going to swerve into me. Eventually, it did move over on me. I found my horn in time and I can guarantee you that the drive will be checking their side mirrors for the rest of their life before they even consider making a lane change. I can’t imagine the degree of difficulty I would have right now if I didn’t have a working car. So NOPE, crashes aren’t happening, not on my watch.

However. When I look back to last year at this time and think of the desperate family crisis I was marshalling every resource to manage, following which my house had no running water to speak of, after which my car died, I can take a look at the current situation and count piles of blessings. My family members are healthy and happy, with some life improvements on a nearer horizon than any of us expected. I have running water at my house, and I can wash my own laundry as many times as I need to. My new car runs well, has a great horn, and is big enough to hold the typewriter desk that I bought off Craigslist today for $20. I own thousands of books, and I have friends who buy more books for me.

Who could want even one more thing?

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Most of the things that happened this week are really Other People’s Stories and it wouldn’t be ethical for me to share them here. But I can talk about this new-to-me typewriter desk that I picked up. Yes, I did get one more thing.

The desk I bought in June features an adjustable platform which can be raised or lowered depending upon the depth/height of the typewriter.

The desk I picked up this weekend has an entire center section that flips to either reveal or conceal the typewriter, and it’s drilled so that the typewriter can be bolted to its base.

Photo courtesy of previous owner. Thanks, Deb!

This new piece will receive some cleaning and repair, as well as stripping and refinishing. I don’t plan to keep it in its hybrid natural/green/white state, but there is something to be said for a dramatic color contrast in the center area when the typewriter becomes exposed. What color combinations seem good to you? Or should the whole piece be painted or stained the same color?

I don’t know when I’ll be able to start working on this project, since I don’t have a heated interior workshop and the garage is on the verge of becoming absolutely inhospitable for the winter. But I do want to know what you think sooner rather than later.

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Knitwise, I’m still thinking about knitting instead of knitting. Boo!

Here a desk, there a desk

I’m on the verge of making some real changes around here, I swear I am. Just as soon as I get my desk situation all figured out.

In our TV room — which we call the Brick Room because it has brick trim along the south wall — we have a very wide desk where the PC is set up. ThirdSon and I picked it up years ago from a couple who were moving out of their place in Madison. If I remember correctly, we were there for the desk and then they started offering us a lot of things that they just wanted to get rid of. There was at least one paper bag full of jars and boxes of food; I don’t remember anything in it except for a jar of gefilte fish. Anyway, sometimes the best thing you can do to help someone is to throw away the things they can’t throw away themselves.

So here’s the wide desk, which I am trying to give away. If I can’t give it to a friend, I am willing to donate it if I can fit it into my current car (when I acquired the desk, I had a minivan).

One friend seemed to be interested in the desk. But she’s no longer responding to my texts, so perhaps she’s less interested in it than I had assumed. That’s a shame, because this week isn’t a super convenient time to try to stuff all the pieces of the desk into my current car. (Maybe I can drop off one piece at a time at Goodwill in a reverse layaway.)

I have two desks in my garage right now, but neither of them is going into the Brick Room to replace this desk. One of them is waiting for a friend to pick up and move into his apartment, as soon as his friend with a truck is available to make the trip. The other desk is one that I would like to strip, repair, and refinish after I have some practice with stripping, repairing, and refinishing. Just because I can do it in my head doesn’t mean my hands know how to do it yet.

The replacement desk is one that I found on Facebook Marketplace a few weeks ago. I almost made arrangements to pick it up last weekend, but I postponed it when I realized that my weekend was already booked with concerts, and the driving to and from of them. I hadn’t even factored in the thunderstorms and tornadoes.

Here’s the replacement desk, which is actually a typewriter desk.

There was a lot of non-communication associated with this purchase, which does make me hold out hope for finding a new home for the current desk. This weekend I had an extremely busy Saturday that I would have planned around pickup of the desk, if I had heard from the sellers. Sunday was wide open. I spent it journaling, reading, making stew, and watching the Formula One Grand Prix of Austria. And, apparently, ignoring my phone. After the race finished and the top three drivers were about to climb the podium for their trophies, I decided to check my phone. And there was a message: I could have the desk if I could pick it up before 5. I looked at the clock: it was 3:45. I texted back “I think I can make it” and Eldest and I jumped in the car and headed to West Allis. And picked up the typewriter desk, which was surprisingly light and fit readily in the Forester after we hauled it out of a basement. And paid the seller their $15.

So now I have three desks in the garage….

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It’s time for an update on the Impossible Read. I have good news and bad news.

The good news is that I have been getting some reading done in The Mists of Avalon. It can be an intense narrative, and the chapter lengths vary wildly. But I’m plugging away and have gotten to page 181.

The bad news is that I have added some more books to the reading list. This week it was The Iliad and The Odyssey, in coordinating paperback editions translated by Robert Fagles.

But there’s more good news! I bought a DVD of the 1967 film (Richard Harris, Vanessa Redgrave) of “Camelot,” which I will watch after I finish The Mists of Avalon and watch “The Sword in the Stone” (and follow up with “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”). I now own all of the materials on the Impossible Read-ing list through Don Quixote and Salman Rushdie’s novel Quichotte. At this rate I will have several years of reading ahead of me before I need to worry about finding a good edition of Oroonoko.

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Knitwise, I’m almost finished with the Sixth Part of the Seven-Part Secret Knitting Project. I thought I would be able to finish this part today, but the Grand Prix got extra thrilling in the last five laps and it was all we could do to breathe normally. And then I saw the text about the typewriter desk, and we were on the road to West Allis minutes later.

Tomorrow. I might be able to finish the Sixth Part tomorrow and start the Seventh Part tomorrow.

Wooden’t it be nice

So, hear me out. There was this desk on Marketplace that I thought was a steal at $40, and I picked it up on Saturday morning after it popped up in my feed a week ago.

I have a new philosophy with regard to Marketplace listings. If I see something interesting, I message the seller to get in touch with me if they still have the item in a week. In this case it worked out perfectly for me. When I picked up the desk at the seller’s house, he told me that several people had contacted him about the desk, criticized its condition, and tried to talk him down to half the listed price.

Anyway, here is the desk, all closed up:

And here is the desk when it opens to reveal its secret writing surface:

My mother, who has done countless furniture refinishings over the years, has given me suggestions for the stages of this restoration project. I’m currently at the stage of looking for tools that I may already have, like rubber gloves, chemical strippers, rags, scrapers, and putty knives. She has advised me to scrub it with soap and water before I start experimenting with the chemicals to remove the weathered stain, peeling paint, and cracked varnish.

The legs need some repair, but I’m leaning towards replacement. We’ll get there when we get there.

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At long last, I have an Impossible Read update for you! After getting out of my own way (with a little help from my friend Rick) I have been able to get back into the habit of reading. Just reading. No notes, no Post-It flags, no multi-volume reading journal — just reading and thinking. If I see something that I really really want to mark, I tell myself that I’ll flag it the second time around. (Sometimes I’m concerned about how easy it can be for me to trick myself.)

(Should I start a new blog just for the Impossible Read reactions after I finish each book? Well, I can just hear Rick saying No! You’re making more work again. Okay already. I’ll use this blog to record my reactions/reviews and I’ll make sure to add the Impossible Read keyword and tag.)

Sir Launcelot versus Sir Mador (art by N. C. Wyeth).

I’m still reading The Once and Future King, which is divided into four books; last night I finished Book Three, “The Ill-Made Knight.” That makes 544 pages down and about 120 to go. After I publish this post I’ll read a few chapters in Book Four, “A Candle in the Wind.” Hmm, I have heard that title somewhere before. Do you think that Sir Elton John may have possibly read this book as a child, or heard it read to him?

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Knitwise, I had time during ThirdSon’s choral concert on Saturday night (which I watched live via YouTube link) and this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix qualification, sprint, and race sessions that the Habit-Forming Scarf is now 22 inches long. That leaves eight inches to knit from this skein, in case you lost track.

This is an honest measure. I’m not just moving the tape measure around to fake my progress, I swear.

I haven’t started any new knitting. Last week’s urge to do so may have just been restlessness. I’m not sure it would help me at this point to cast on for another project unless it was an extremely quick knit and I had an extremely good reason to knit it. Since I have so many other things going on these days, it might be better for my knitting if I stuck to one project and finished it before moving on to the next one. (Brandy, can you believe I’m saying this? I’m back to the way I thought when I was just learning to knit: I’m becoming a product knitter again! But I have much more yarn now than I did then.)