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December 12, 2005
Sweet, sweet home
It's so good to be back in the snow and cold. I even got to go out and shovel on my first day home! The novelty of that will no doubt wear off quickly, but for now I'm happy.
The trip was pretty uneventful despite my apprehension. I wasn't afraid of the actual flying, just afraid of the airport; I'm always paranoid and prone to panic in places like that, and convinced that I'm going to get lost or walk into the wrong place and never find my way out again and it will all end in tears and possibly starvation in some janitor's closet or disused stairwell that I went into thinking it was the bathroom and the door locked behind me and when they find my body it will be all dry and crackly and the only way they'll know it's me is because I'm the only dried-up decomposed skeleton with three wisdom teeth. Fortunately Sandy is very tolerant and understanding and she held my hand all the way to the security area, and despite the fact that I almost gave birth to my entire digestive system in the parking lot when I found out I had to actually ride a TRAIN from the airport to the terminal, it wasn't that hard. It helps that they herd you like cattle and there's really no way to get lost. As for the flight itself, it wasn't all that exciting. I sort of expected the plane to be, you know, really big; instead it was the same width as a city bus, and not really anything like the movies (that's right, I'm such a hick that I thought flying in an airplane was going to be just like in the movies). But you know the part when you get up past the clouds and into the sun and then they tell you you're at 35000 feet and it's hot and unbelievably bright and you're looking down at a soft, wet white tundra, way down below? I sort of wanted to stay there. Forever. Except I'd rather not stay there with the actual people who were on that plane with me, especially the cell phone lady.
My plane got in at suppertime so we went straight to my favourite restaurant to gorge ourselves on Ethiopian food.
I really, really missed this. Then Saturday I got to have my grape leaf sandwich, so now my belly is well stuffed with the foods I can't get in Athens. I wonder how well those sandwiches would freeze if I brought ten or so back to Georgia with me?
As promised, here are the finished graduation socks, photographed right here in my own home on my great-great-grandmother's sewing chair, with a fat (and apparently itchy) kitty in the background for a little extra stripeyness (have I mentioned how happy I am to be here?). The specs: Lion Brand Magic Stripes yarn; at first I used the Pom Squad pattern, but my novice attempts at short-row heels came out so holey, messy and weird-fitting that I unraveled the whole lot and did them according to my bog-standard sock formula instead, top-down with a reinforced heel flap. The fit is perfect, with just the right amount of ankle cleavage showing.
Here's my progress on the back of the Patons Urban Aran:
It started out as this cardigan, which I realized later just wasn't going to look good at all, since I'd had to block the ribbing so roughly to fit me. I had originally thought that I didn't have enough of the red to make a whole sweater but then I found an extra stash of it, so I'm pretty sure there's enough for the Urban Aran. I'm going to do the front in two pieces to make it a zip cardigan, and not do the collar so long.
See those lovely centre-pull balls at the top? Wonderful Sandy gave me a ball winder as an early birthday gift. Makes me wish I'd brought more yarn with me so I could wind it all up. Whee!
Today's project is a gift for Someone Very Special, which I hope to have ready to give by Wednesday or so. You can see I have a lot done already.
Posted by jodi at December 12, 2005 11:54 AM | categories: food : jet set : self-absorbtion : sticks and string : windsor
Comments
I'm really quite surprised that Athens, GA doesn't have Ethiopian. We're not all that cultured here in the wastelands of northern CO, but we've got Ethiopian food and all the "what do they eat, I thought they were all starving to death," jokes that go with it.
Posted by: Snowball at December 12, 2005 05:27 PM
Enjoy your time home and throw a snowball or two for me please. I still have at least a year before the chance of snow.
Posted by: Erin at December 13, 2005 06:32 AM
Aaahhh *drool*
Man, am I jonesing for some Ethiopian food. You ain't lived till you've had it in Ethiopia. But I'll take any substitutes.
And welcome home. Kiss Fats for me.
Posted by: Christiane at December 13, 2005 07:59 AM
yay for home. I can't tell ... are you happy to be there? c'mon now, don't hold back. :)
Posted by: Carrie at December 13, 2005 08:38 AM
Isn't it strange how you missed the snow? I don't know if I could fully make the transition to less seasonal weather either. You have me craving Ethiopian in a big way!
Posted by: Gina at December 13, 2005 09:50 AM
Yay, Jodi! It's nice to hear you so happy. :) I'm so eagerly anticipating going home to our friends and families, too... my brother wrote the other day to say he wanted to go for Ethiopian food, reminded me how much I miss my favourite restaurants. Vancouver has lots of great food, but there's nothing like your favourite places. :)
xox
Posted by: Mandy at December 13, 2005 01:46 PM