Standby and Wasted Opportunities

One of the things I dislike most about my job is the waiting aspect of it. I love my job, don't get me wrong, but sitting in a hotel for almost a week wasn't what I expected when I was in school. I expected high seas, adventure, pirates, and the feel of the wind in my hair as I traveled from port to port. How romantic of me, right? All right, I admit, I never expected pirates (although I did stand pirate watches when I went to the Middle East for cadet shipping), but I did expect less waiting. I've been in the hotel in Rio de Janiero since last Thursday and expected at least a check in call from my coordinator on Monday, but got nothing. No word. No "Hello." No "We're definitely putting you on boat on Wednesday, be in the hotel lobby by 0800." No "Oh, sorry, we decided to put you on a different boat somewhere else."

The worst part? I had told myself I was going to bring the fake teeth my father got my brothers and I for Christmas in case they put me on a new boat. I was just so sure I was heading to my old one. Oh well, life is full of wasted opportunities.

This Bag Rocks

I will admit to having some hesitation when it came to the Diddy Bag. First and foremost, it was white. In my initial inspection of the bag, the top seemed to not close that well. It also seemed large for a bag I was planning on bringing to the plane with me since I already had a backpack with my laptop in it. During the course of being in an airport and on planes for almost twenty-four hours (seriously, my company bought me tickets that had a 6 hour layover in Washington DC) almost all of my original hesitations were smashed by how awesome the bag is.

The bag's top closes with a line. A simple knot tied to it kept it closed but also easy to get into; all I had to do was pull on the line and it'd open. I honestly felt this bag to be easier to get into than my Ravelry bag that doesn't close (and usually ends up with all the contents on the floor at some point). The bag's size ended up not being a problem at all. In both the planes I was on, one being a small commuter plane and the other a large plane, the bag fit perfectly under the seat in front of me. I had a couple of large books in the bag, so when I set it down on its side it lay wonderfully with all the yarn and other stuff on top of  it. People would stare at me, from either my pink hair stripe, the fact I wandered aimlessly through the airports looking for coffee, or out of jealously for the awesome bag I toted with me. Probably the bag.

A picture of the Diddy bag with my luggage. The purple bag has enough food in it to feed a small army, but we ran out of food last time I was on the boat and decided it wouldn't happen again. Better photos will come when it's A. daylight and B. I get a better background than my bedroom or hotel room.

Unfortunately, the bag is still white. I figure all the dirt and stains it'll pick up during the course of my using it will give it some character. I've also lost my contact case in one of the bajillion pockets on the inside, but I always have extra cases and I consider the extra pockets one of the pros. I'd probably rate this bag with the LL Bean bags I'm always stealing (or borrowing without asking) from my mother.

In boat related news, I'm still in the hotel waiting for the call for the driver. He was here at 8am last time to pick us all up, but my guess is going to be he'll be here later rather than sooner.

Airports...and Why I'm Bored

One would think a knitter capable of knitting away the hours. In most cases, this is true. When it comes to someone like me, it's not that true when in an airport. Oh, sure, stick me in front of the television and I could watch an entire season worth of shows as long as I have my needles and yarn with me. But put me in an airport and no, I'm not going to knit. It's sort of like letting your cat out; she'll immediately want to come back in. I'll have brought enough stuff to keep me occupied for hours but I won't want to use anything I've brought to the airport with me. That goes double on a day like today when I get to spend 6 hours waiting in Washington, DC for my plane.

I'm hoping I finish my sock and maybe at least start the other one at some point today. I'm making a pair of Show-Off Stranded Socks by Anne Campbell out of a skein of Spunky Eclectic Tough Sock in Water Nymph I've had for a few years. I'm loving the colors and the way they're knitting up.

I have some more yarn on hand in the unlikely case I actually finish these socks, but that yarn's at the bottom of my Nantucket Diddy-Bag. I've already gotten one comment on it from a woman at the United Airlines counter today. She, a knitter who has been published in Vogue, turns hers inside out. It's a pretty good idea, but I'm trying to not lose stuff while in the airport. I'll play around with the bag when I get to the boat.