back to work

You know--if I could afford to retire, I'd never miss that place. And it looks like it's going to be a rocky year--we have a lot of young new faculty and only a couple of experienced adults, and will be doing a search for a new chair under an unpopular dean. Yeesh.



I've been watching Season 1 of Miami Vice. Not too much in the way of extras on the DVDs, but I have reached two conclusions: (1) the show was almost as good as I remember it (glad they got rid of Elvis and the Gina/Crockett romance early, though) and (2) Don Johnson really WAS the sexiest man on the planet back in 1984. He could also act, the kind of actor who can do dialogue, but can also tell you all you need to know just with his eyes. Course, he had a lot to work with--Crockett was a great character with a lot of depth and dimension.

I do have one question: In the pilot, they say specifically that Sonny is living on the boat at the marina as his cover persona, Sonny Burnett, hard-partying ocean guide of questionable means. So Tubbs immediately shows up the next morning shouting for Crockett, and he and the first Lt, Lou, and Gina and half a dozen other cops all show up at the boat over the course of season one, all calling him "Crockett" right out in front of God and everybody. But it never seems to blow his cover.

I know, I know--it's just Tee-Vee! I can ignore it if you can. :)

I was thinking about how much the world has changed in 25 years (twenty-five years! Ack! THAT long??): Trudi has to go downtown and use the central computer to get information. Nobody has computers on their desks; they all have old typewriters (except Castillo, who never has anything on his desk but a phone and his folded hands). Phone booths still exist (Sonny stops at one to call his wife near the climax of the pilot). No cell phones, just big bulky plugged-in car phones. with antennas Phones still have mechanical ringers. Characters can smoke cigarettes and cigars in offices, restaurants, and clubs. I'm sure there are others, but those are the ones that leap to mind.

Poor dogs--we came in early tonight because it's getting buggy--I had gnats and no-see-ums flying into my face. I hate that. Guess it's a good thing I don't live in Maine where they have black-fly season. I know that bugs have a place in the universe, and I'm willing to live and let live, as long as they live far away from me!

Knitting: I'm stalled out on the spring lace socks, darn it. For one thing, I can't work on them and watch Miami Vice--I have to pay attention to that pattern and mark and count every row. I'm working in a desultory way on Nancy Bush's Elegant Socks (using Alapca Sox)--those I can work on while I'm watching Miami Vice, since I'm done with the eyelet rows. I'm thinking about digging out the Cannon Beach socks and taking another shot at them. I liked the prototype sock a lot, it just needs some tweaking to make it fit better.

I may be taking on a professional knitting job: a friend wants to commission 8 pairs of booties 5 sweater/hat sets, and a fisherman-style sweater for her baby-to-be. It wouldn't be onerous--size 6-12 months work up fast, and I like making baby clothes--I just have no idea what to charge her. My sister and sister-in-law both suggested $20 per sweater set and $3 per pair of booties, plus the cost of the yarn. That would be around $120 for the sweaters and $24 for the booties, plus yarn. I could get some baby acrylic from Smileys, but I'd also like to make at least one of the sweaters in Baby Ull--it's such a nice yarn for baby things. So maybe in the neighborhood, total, of $200. That seems like a lot, but it's all in one lump. And I could use the money...