04 March 2004 - 2:11 p.m.

i'm taking the day off AGAIN.

why, you ask? well, after last month's extravaganza of work work work, let's just say i have more than a few days up my sleeve. also, after last month, i want to make sure i've fully recuperated and am in shape to start another issue. i know my body, and i don't want to push myself harder than necessary.

i spent the morning working on a mailout i've had sitting here for months, sending all the issues of the newspaper out to old journalism teachers. i wrote a very long letter to the teacher who meant the most to me, and by the end, i was almost teary because i wrote some really meaningful stuff. when you think about it, how many teachers ever hear from their former students, much less receive thank-you letters, which this pretty much was? teachers are incredibly important people, and i think anyone who does a good job - teacher or not - should be told so. it's one way i like to give back to the universe because i sure as heck know i've been given a pretty charmed life.

i didn't go to the beach yesterday but went to the city instead. after a strange doctor's appointment, i immediately treated myself to some more yarn at lincraft. bad, i know.

i found an old knitting pattern last week in a salvation army store on the way to work. it calls for 20mm knitting needles, known then as "rocket" needles. i guess they were so popular that they warranted their own name.

for those not in the know, 20mm needles are friggin' huge. they look like turkey basters and are used with VERY thick yarn and/or to knit something very quickly. allow me to read you the introduction to the pattern:

Break the Sound Barrier! Break the Time Barrier! Super quick "Rocket Knits" are finished in a FLASH! Wear the garment only hours after LIFT-OFF! ... They're QUICK - they're FUN - they're CREATIVE - they're FASHION!

ahem. so i went to the park and started knitting. a couple of hours later, i had already finished the entire back of the jumper (remember: it took me nine months to finish the last jumper). holy cow. and i had quite a few people come up to me and ask what size the needles were, and what they were for. very fun, especially when i told them i've seen bigger (25mm) needles elsewhere.

my other good surprise for the week was making a very delicious dinner out of some spaghetti sauce from Not Quite Right (i love that place - think the australian version of the canned grocery outlet), half a pumpkin, a leek and some weird basil packets that simon bought because the supermarket was out of fresh basil on that particular day. i just wish i knew what i was going to make for dinner tonight!