Not Very Kermit-Like

I am being a bad neighbour. I currently have the Grey's Anatomy soundtrack playing so loudly that even I find it a tad uncomfortable. (It's good, by the way) But the reason that I have this excessive volume isn't to tick off my neighbours - that's just such a bad idea that it's incomprehensible. No, it's the result of someone a floor (or maybe two) above me playing - something - so loudly that the rhythmless, pounding bass sounds more like construction being done by monkeys than like any kind of music. I don't understand it - if it was even a beat, or a repeating pattern, then I could identify it as music and just kind of ignore as best I can. But it's not - it just seems like some kind of random banging that is seeping into my brain via the base of my skull and curdling there into a pulsing knot of pain. At least the knot has a beat.

I am about to venture out in search of respite from the noise. Yes, that's right - mark it on your calendar - on a weekend, I am leaving my house. It turns out Lewiscraft has gone under, so I'm going to Square One to pick over the remains for any yarn that I can subsequently stuff into my ever-growing stash. I'm also going to try to get an outdoor shot of the scarf, to have an official, Olympics closing ceremony day picture of my completed project, that can show the colours as they really are, and not the flash-faded, hard to make out colours from the other day.

In the interest of full-disclosure, I did leave the house last night, as well. I went with Deena and a friend of hers to a housewarming party for (another) friend of theirs in Guelph. It turned out to be an odd sort of reunion for me. The beginning of the evening was full of, "Did you go to Guelph?", "Yeah, you look really familiar" conversation. And it progressed to a room full of engineers, iron rings flashing in the subdued light, talking about P.Eng exams and EITs, and what the other engineers we knew are doing now, which was all rather surreal, with the Calling of An Engineer framed on the wall nearby. It did make me feel better to see people who don't have their P.Eng. yet, and are even thinking of not getting it, wearing their rings, too. I've been thinking a bit lately about taking it off, because I'm not working as an Engineer, being in Quality, and I'm not looking to make a move back in that direction any time soon. I resist, though, because my degree is something that I'm proud of - I know that it was hard to get through those four years, but I did it successfully. And yes, it's always a bit of a minor thrill when someone spots the ring and asks, "Oh, are you an engineer?" It's also a great conversation starter, because we can start talking about what schools we went to, and my (and their) discipline, and by then you can ease into a real talk.

But mostly, I like the feeling of wearing it because it reminds me that I have the ability to think clearly and logically, and to analyse a situation properly, and find solutions, and to figure things out when I need to. It's a reminder that I need some days, when I feel stupid and slow and as if I have accomplished nothing of worth.

Wow - that really wasn't what I started to write about. But it'll do. Now, my ring and I are going shopping.