Diary of a would-be knitter
baby penguins wait patiently for their turn.Sunday.
Wake at 4.30am.
Wait at airport gate with colleague at time normally alloted to sleeping.
Arrive Melbourne venue already exhausted.
Realise resignedly have only just begun 10 hour day.
Get informed that meeting we have flown down at crack of dawn for is already over.
Try not to laugh, groan or swear.
Meet strangely ebullient and charming canadian operations manager who explains the meaning of SNAFU - a term I will be using a lot in the next 12 hours.
Repeatedly navigate various security 'procedures', the absurdity of which reaches Pythonesque proportions.
Amass fine collection of various colour-coded wristbands.
Allow myself to be talked into a coffee which whiles away 20 minutes of the 3.5 hours we now have to fill before anything happens.
Hope caffeine poisoning doesn't set in.
Suggest to colleague that I might jump in taxi and go shopping, that he can message me when anything indeed starts happening. (I'm thinking Marta's Yarns ..but I don't tell him that).
Strangely, he doesn't go for that suggestion.
Sink into mild resigned funk.
Finally endure 5.5 hours of the teeth-pulling agony of dress rehearsal which feels more like 11.
Wish I had knitting with me.
Silently curse ridiculous airline security banning knitting needles.
Announce at 15 minute intervals to equally hysterical colleague amount of time left before we can go home.
Experiment with photographing lights on pool water without camera's sharpening function; try to capture particularly 'out-of-focus-dazzle' quality my eyes are experiencing. (very tired by this stage)
Give up that particular avenue of diversion.
Really really wish I had knitting with me; would have finished pair of socks by now.
Experiment with telephoto function photographing kids costumed as baby penguins instead.
Confess out loud to colleague that I wish I had my knitting with me.
No discernible reaction.
Much much later drink dodgy chardonnay with said colleague at airport gate.
Surrender to reassurance of old school trolley dolly style flight crew of Qantas.
Brace against hysterical unfettered joy of Scout upon return.
Collapse into coma.
posted by Carson at 1:20 pm
12 Comments:
Seems like you had a non-busy but long day. I hate that some airlines ban knitting, even if you use wooden needles. Seriously, I could do more damage with the plastic fork they provide me with.
Was Scout happy when you got back? Were there doggy kisses? :)
Sounds like a fun day. ;) I think I would be a NERVOUS wreck if I had to sit around that long without knitting. That, or I would be dead, because the colleague would have killed me. Ha! Glad you had something lovely waiting for you at home.
Oh, the horror of knitless waiting! All those minutes frittered away sans sock...I don't know how you survived.
Hmm. I think maybe a little yarn shopping should restore your spirits, yes?
If only I'd known - I could have made an emergency delivery of needles and yarn!
How frustrating! I've found that I can get onto planes with plastic needles. Although I did have someone beside me once that was very freaked out that I got my plastic needles through security. I proceeded to tell her that I could do more damage with a sharpened pencil, but that somehow did seem to make her feel better.
Marta's Yarns.
Excellent choice.
I seriously heart Marta.
Would have made the day bearable. You could have whipped next door into Clegs for a pair of needles.
Never mind.
ps. next time that happens to you in Melbourne, Carson, you let me know. I will run necessary supplies to you. I'm only 10 minutes from the city.
Bloody airlines.
i love the idea of a doppelganger in aus! (and a libra too?!) i'll be back... (thanks for commenting!)
What a strange day "in the office"! So annoying to have had time to knit and not being able to have needles with you. I sympathise. I hope whole draining experience was worth it!
(if it makes you feel any better, Marta's only just re-opened, thursdays, fridays and saturdays only at this stage, and the city store is no more.)
My heart bleeds for you! I had a similar experience years ago when I was working - on my way to Melbourne for a full day workshop - left home at 4.30am - and my plane was delayed. I already had a headache when I arrived at the airport (from the early morning start) - by the time I arrived in Melbourne I had a raging migraine and absorbed nothing!
Next time, try packing two sharpened pencils (put clear nail varnish on the points) and some cotton for dishcloths or whatever. It might get you over the hump! It really annoys me that I can wear a huge (nappy) pin in my jeans to hold the zipper together when I can't take a pair of large mm knitting needles with me - nor a large crochet hook - what damage could you do with a 5mm crochet hook?
I shouldn't have started on this - I could rave on forever! Better luck next time.
hey, you still in a coma? Sounds rather relaxing, actually.
Well stated. I could feel the dullness of that day just reading. Bless you. Welcome home. Uf!
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