I hate sewing seams. The time could be better spent knitting. So, I've decided to look for a used copy of Knitting from the Top, which should pair well with the recently purchased Knitting in the Old Way. The authors, Barbara Walker and Priscilla Gibson-Roberts, are in my mind a lot these days; I've also purchased the former's Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns and am considering buying the latter's Simple Socks: Plain and Fancy. I don't know when I'll get to socks, though. I still have at least two more sweaters to knit for Nikita, and the yarn to prove it.
But enough about knitting. I haven't posted for a week, and a lot has happened, not the least of which was my last day at J&B. Which was fairly uneventful at the company, actually. No announcement was made. Not that I expected one, considering I only worked there for 2 1/2 months, and am the third person (of 10!) of the Virtual Text team to leave. And not many Virtual Text people were in town for a farewell lunch. Still, I had a good time with the people who were around. Lovely lunch at La Provence in Concord - yummy quiche (excellent crust), so-so salad, and scrumptious desserts. Then, after-work drinks at Christopher's back in Cambridge.
Last Tuesday, I attended a networking event sponsored by the New England Science Writers. I didn't have as good a time as I did with the HHMI event a couple of weeks ago, but bumping into the person with whom I interviewed at Cell made the evening worthwhile. I didn't have the courage to ask her why my application was rejected, and I CERTAINLY didn't have the chutzpah to tell her that my rejection didn't matter because I got a better job anyway (which Igor claims he would have done). Instead, I talked quite a bit about my position at MIT because she was really interested in learning more about it. I was also encouraged to talk to her about any opinion articles I may want to develop for Cell, and to consider joining the National Association of Science Writers. Finally, I learned that I'll be working close to Cell again (Virtual Text used to be in the same building as Cell Press) because they'll be moving to Kendall Square in October!
Weekend was fairly uneventful. Saturday night was another instance of surreal domesticity: I sorted out CD's and sewed seams while Igor watched a Russian concert. We discussed the inability of the performers to sing, and whether or not they were lip-synching (in front of the Russian president!). Sunday, I went to an unusual bookclub because
- it was well-attended (5 people!)
- everybody read the book, Wallace Stegner's Angle of Repose
- we actually talked about the book for most of the time, as opposed to catching up on our lives
