The Week in Review

I turned 39 last Tuesday. I took the day off work and hung out with my sweetie. We went out for breakfast, renewed my license, went to a wine sale and hit a yarn shop. Big Day! I started to get sick on Monday afternoon and felt pretty cruddy by Tuesday. Just a cold, no big deal, but it meant that I really did not want to go out to celebrate my birthday. By Thursday, I felt better, but I could hardly speak. I was fine by Friday.

GLORY DAYS
On Thursday, The Girl had to go to the orthodontist. I do not know if I have mentioned this, but she has had braces forever (about 4 years) and even I am sick of going there. Anyway, I was sitting in the lobby, knitting, when Bruce Springsteen’s “Glory Days” came on the radio. Now, I was a teenager when this song came out in the eighties and I know I did not really like it then because I could not relate to the subject matter. Sitting in there in the lobby, I realized that I am now of the age that I should be able to “get” the song. However, I have never really had any Glory Days. I was not popular in High School, I was not a star athlete, nothing like that, I was just me. Fact is, I would rather have my fingernails pulled out than go back to my teen age years. In reality, my life now is way better than it was then. Are these my “Glory Days”? They do not seem very glorious, just better than the past. Perhaps, my glory days are yet to come, maybe I will be like Grandma Moses and be glorious in my old age.
When I think of glory, I think of this quote from Euripides’ play “Medea”: “Let no one think of me that I am humble or weak or passive; let them understand I am of a different kind: dangerous to my enemies, loyal to my friends. To such a life glory belongs.” I used to have a t-shirt with that quote on it. We went and saw a production of Medea at the Guthrie about a bazillion years ago. It was excellent and I bought the t-shirt at the gift shop. I would like to think that I strife for such an existence, but I know that I am not that passionate about anything. I know for instance, that no matter how mad I got at my husband, I would not kill my kids to spite him. That is just too cruel. However, I have become less passive so perhaps there is hope for glory yet.

KNITTING NEWS
I finished my vest, formally known as the Sweater of Doom. I do not have a picture yet, but I wore it to work on Friday. It is the 1st real article of clothing I have made for myself. The most exciting part is that now I have something to wear to Guild meetings. I always feel so left out when everyone else is there in their beautiful hand knit sweaters. Of course, my vest is pretty plain Jane, but I think it looks good and it fits so I am happy.
Currently I am working on a baby hat while I try to decide what to do next. I have a lot of options and I just need to figure out what I am in the mood for now. I spent most of the weekend looking at my options and I am thinking I will wait until I get the yarn I ordered for the wool peddler shawl in Folk Shawls. I have been obsessed with the pattern since I bought the book. I will finish up the baby hat today and maybe make some little socks to go with it. I did not do much knitting over the weekend, just sort of hung around the house watching TV.

WEEKEND DRAMA
On Saturday afternoon, we were all sitting around, arguing about what to watch on TV (Saturday is "Torchwood" night and The Girl wanted to watch her own TV shows) when The Girl received a text message and left the room. She was obviously upset. A bit later, hubby went to see if she wanted some sushi and she said she was not hungry. Now we knew something was very wrong since she loves sushi. However, she said she was fine. Hubby went to get sushi and as soon as he was gone, The Girl came out of her room in tears with her arms covered in blood. He boyfriend had broken up with her. She had been in her room cutting herself. It has been many months since there was any cutting and I honestly thought maybe we were past it. I held in my lap for a little while she cried and then I brought her into the bathroom to clean up the blood. The cuts were not severe, thank God, but I explained that she needs to come to me before she cuts herself not after. However, her coming to me at all is a step forward since before she would do the cutting and hide it from us. I explained to her that we loved her no matter what and that in high school, boys are not very mature. In a few years, she will be able to have mature relationships. She seemed to buy that explanation. Mostly though, I wanted to make it clear that we loved her and that she is beautiful and lovable. God, this parenting thing is hard. She went and spent the night at a friend of hers and on her way out I said she was my girl and she said she would always be only my girl. And she gave me a hug and a kiss, so I must have gotten through to her a little bit. Here’s hoping.
Just so you know, by Sunday night they had worked out their differences and were back together. Teenagers are maddening.

Pictures next blog posting… I promise.