Depeche Mode and Knitting

Went and saw Depeche Mode at Shoreline tonight. I never imagined being 40 at a rock concert. These days, though, I'm in good company... I'm guessing the Rolling Stones felt the same way, like, 20 years ago. Speaking of the Stones, I overheard a kid saying, "How old are these guys?" and the first thought that popped in to my head was "Younger than Mick and Keith. Older than Britney."

About 10 years ago I went to a Jimmy Buffett concert at Shoreline. I had seen him several times as a child on winter vacation in Key West, and then one day years later, someone at work had extra lawn tickets, so I decided spur-of-the moment to go. Bad move. I was expecting the fans to skew much older than me, as Jimmy Buffet's longevity rivals, well, Keith's, but I was one of the oldest people there. There were kids who couldn't have been sophomores in high school! I don't remember much of the concert, but I do remember this: one of these little embryos proceeded to drink most of a pint of her much older boyfriend's sloe gin and then dance wildly on top of everyone nearby until she puked and passed out on the lawn. The boyfriend and the rest of her group just Let. Her. Be. At that moment I swore two things: if I ever had children, they would never attend a rock concert unchaperoned, and I would never again sit on the lawn in general seating.

Earlier this week came the offer I couldn't refuse: lawn seats for Depeche Mode. This is the one group I always wanted to see in college, but was too chicken to go alone. (Most of what passed for friends back then were into Rush and Yes.) And this time I was not disappointed! [Large-scale concerts have changed a bit in the intervening years, however. Several years ago, there was a Super Bowl ad depicting a major football game like--wait for it--the Super Bowl, and a power failure happens. Pitch black playing field. Crowd goes silent. One by one, the spectators open up their cool Ericsson cell phones with the icy blue glow. And enough people have them that the players can see the field again, and they do that "ready, break" thing that football players do. Ericsson to the rescue! Game on! And tonight's concert was the same way... so many people had glowy cell phones that I was giggling remembering that commercial. Oh, and during the slow song where old folks like me would have held up their lighters, everyone held up his glowing cell phone. The times they are a-changing!]

I really enjoyed the music... couldn't stop dancing (though I did my best not to look like Elaine from Seinfeld). Dave Gahan sported lots of eyeliner and razor stubble. Loved the eyeliner. Not so much the stubble. I want to know how he stays in such great shape!

I bet at this point you're wondering what the heck this all has to do with knitting. Martin Gore sported black nail polish and this great, tight-fitting knitted hat with earflaps and a yarn mohawk.

The minute I saw it, I nearly screamed, "I can knit that! I can totally knit that!"

FO Time

I finished the first of the two Girlfriend Shrugs... earlier today, I knitted up the last few rows in the optometrist's office while waiting for my eyes to dilate. It was blurry, but I managed to knit, mostly by touch, without missing a stitch. Go me! Also, it was my first time picking up a large number of stitches and knitting in the round. I guessed at how to do the join, but it seemed to work. And knitting in the round is kewl!

Here's the requisite photo showing the awwww cute eyelash yarn I used for the ribbing:

The other one only has the eyelash ribbing to go, and it goes fast. Then it's back to the Wrap-That-Will-Take-Forever.

I have arrived...

Well, at least that's what I thought, momentarily, when a woman noticed me knitting on the BART train this morning and came over with her knitting to ask me a question. I didn't have the heart to tell her I've only been knitting for 6 months!

I was happily surprised to find I could answer both of her questions, and give her a tip she didn't know about. Does this mean I get a donut?

Order of Battle

I'm taking a business trip to Austin, Texas next week. I've been to 46 of the 50 states, but not Texas yet. (Well, I have changed planes in Dallas once in 1995, but that hardly counts: I was in the airport the whole time and didn't even breathe real air!)

Given this background, what, do you imagine, was the first thing I did after buying my plane tickets? Did I look online for historical or cultural attractions, museums, local music venues, or exotic dining choices?

Nope.

I do, however, have a Google map of all the yarn stores within a 20-mile radius of my hotel.

(And in case you're wondering: Alaska, Arkansas, Oregon, and Texas.)

Miss Manners

Sometimes, it's just a crappy day. You stand in the prominently marked line at JoAnn. "Line starts here!" it says, in large, friendly letters. Sometimes, other people don't always know where to queue, and even though it's not clear whether they're lining up to get fabric cut or just ask a question, they get all frustrated when the cutting table clerk calls you first. So you let the frustrated lady go first, because (a) you were raised in the Midwest, and you can take the girl out of the Midwest, but not so much with taking the Midwest out of the girl, and (b) she has a tiny baby with her, and you're a Mom too and you remember how hard it is to shop within the confines of that delicate sleeping-baby-window. Now even though you were kind to Ms. NewMom, she ignores you and treats you like you cut in line. Despite this [refer to item (a) above], you also let queueing-impaired woman #2 go ahead of you, because she had been lined up behind Ms. NewMom when you stepped in line. And then, #2 doesn't bother to thank you either and all this rudeness makes you want to cry and give up and be a complete bitch 'cause that's, apparently, what is acceptable these days.

And then the cutting table clerk gives you 40% off even though you forgot and left your mailer coupon on the kitchen table, and Elton John's "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me" is playing on the radio on the way home, even though it's raining, and you found really inexpensive washable chunky yarn in the perfect color to make shrugs to match the girls' sleeveless Easter dresses. And things just don't seem quite that bad any more.