Shot Out To Knitters!

I love knitters. Seriously. I've been a little restless and moved around a lot in the past few years since I finished school, trying to find the "right" place for me. First there was Rochester NY...didn't like it there so much, I basically ended up there since that's where boyfriend got a job. When teaching didn't quite work out, I packed up and moved to Detroit, Michigan, in hopes of finding a job and skating competitively again. Skating was going great, but the job search wasn't as successful (needless to say I had a lot of knitting time). After a few months of no luck there, I was able to find a job in Cleveland...which was good because my family is there and many of my friends have migrated back that way in the past year. (Let me just say that aside from knitters, the other great type of friend is former skating teammates. Synchronized skating creates a sisterly bond that really does last a loooong time.)

But in all places, I've found great friends. They're knitters. I miss my Rah-cha-cha knitters dearly--that is, by far, the quirkiest, goofiest group, but amidst the alcohol, laughter, and dirty old men (Jim included), there is extraordinary talent and a shitload of heart. Then there were the Detroit knitters, who welcomed me with open arms and although I was only there a short time, became great friends. Funny how no one in the Roc EVER knit socks (although they seem to have caught on to that trend), and it seems like that's all the Detroit knitters do. That and their dishcloth exchanges (while I've come to understand knitting socks, I've yet to grasp onto dishcloths...or exchanging dishcloths with people you don't know, but to each her own, eh)? Now I miss them too.

I've been to the Cleveland knitting group twice, I'm sure in due time they'll be as near and dear to me as all y'all in Rochester and Detroit have been.

As for the new job...I'm working for a company that helps prepare defense cases when hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, etc (basically anything medical-related) get sued. We prepare the defense's case, I'm in the medical division, where analysts go through the medical records of the thousands of people suing and for each one, come up with a report in plain English that lawyers can understand. I edit those reports. Sounds exciting, huh? Despite it being kind of boring, I have great benefits (better than what I had as a teacher), flexible schedule, they're willing to let me work around skating, I don't have to work overtime but can if I want (and get paid for it, too), I don't have to directly deal with stupid people (only on paper), I have NO stress and go home in a good mood. Pay is less than what I'd like to be making right now, but having my personal sanity is a halfway decent trade-off.

And since you all know I'm crazy when it comes to figure skating, I drive up after work on Monday nights to Detroit (Dearborn actually), practice with my synchro team, and drive back to Cleveland. That's just over two hours each way. And you thought you were nuts because you drive 45 minutes to the good not-so-local-YS once in a while.

Anyway, I'm in Detroit at the moment, gotta get going to meet up with Beth...we're going to spend some major moola tonight at Knit-A-Round before I have to be at practice tonight. There is a cabled sweater in the new Vogue that I have GOT to knit. (Kind of a spontaneous last minute thing, sorry to those of you who may have wanted to come along!)

Oh, and Eleanor is scheduled to come off the needles tonight possibly. Woo hoo!