April 23, 2003 - 8:23 p.m.

i can knit! i can knit!

ok, i can't really, but i know the first basic stitch. my buddy is a really good teacher and very patient with me. i'm fired up to learn the purl stitch this weekend. i will be making hats and scarves in no time! (and baby booties, for the millions of you i happen to know who have given in to your biological clocks.)

work has been pretty up and down the past few days. when it's slow, i'm kicking myself for something to do. when it's busy, it's incredibly stressful, and everyone demands something of me at the same time (in person AND via telephone). it's worse when the callers are slow-talking and grief-stricken and the delivery people are in a hurry to get out the door (they do that i-have-to-pee dance that little kids are famous for, but they do it at the reception desk while i'm on the phone.)

today was one of those days when the light bulb went off and i remembered why it's so much better to temp than to think you'll have to stay in a crappy job forever.

and did i mention that the reception area is freezing? i'm not kidding when i say i've worn long underwear underneath my clothes (sweater/jumper and long pants, kids) every day since day 2. brrrrrrr.

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simon and i rented five movies for $10 this long weekend. actually, they were free because we had a $10 voucher. our theme was great movies from the '80s that passed us by. we didn't exactly match it, but we did pick good movies that we would have ordinarily passed up for new releases. so far, we have watched:
the mosquito coast
the poseidon adventure (can you say "wooden acting"?)
kramer vs kramer

we have yet to see:
the grifters
ordinary people

we loved kramer vs kramer. if you haven't seen it, we highly recommend it. after watching any oscar-winning movie, i always ask, "would you have given this actor/film the oscar?" or that sort of thing. simon and i thought both dustin hoffman and the movie rightfully deserved theirs.

we also went to scienceworks this weekend because i was dying to see the "rare trades" exhibit. if you're in melbourne and have time to kill this weekend, please, please go. you will get to see how glass eyeballs are made, if nothing else. and - high praise from me - i thought the photographs of the tradespeople were very well done.

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after countless hurdles, i finally got my latest folio additions scanned so i can update my website. you would not believe how inept some of these net cafe attendants can be. you would also not believe how decrepit their equipment can be! i know because my favorite usual spot had broken equipment, too. it was like being back at university and having some emergency assignment deadline all over again. i'm so glad i'm done with school.