Friday Monday Five:

1. What did you want to be when you grew up?

For a while, an artist, until I read about van Gogh, I think it was, who went unrecognized in his lifetime. Then I briefly thought about "movie star" (my conception, at that time even, was dated: I was thinking more Greta Garbo and less Diane Keaton). I think I finally settled on "teacher" and when I was in college that solidified into "professor"

2. Did you follow through? If not, what happened?

Well, the on last one I did. I still think if I had worked at it I could have become an artist but I wouldn't have had as comfortable a life as I have now. (And I don't like the politicization of much art, I'd probably not be happy in the art world. I'd be all "don't tell me how horrible you think life is in this country right now, just leave me alone and let me create.") Actually, I'd probably make a better craftsperson than artist.

I probably would be miserable were I a movie star.

3. Is your life turning out the way you thought it would when you were a kid? If not, is it better or worse?

I'm generally happy but it's not how I pictured it being. Largely, I imagined that when you turned 18, you figured it all out (or someone gave you the secret rulebook or something). I didn't realize that some 18 years later I'd still be making it up as I go along. And seriously? I thought I'd be more grown-up than I am. I still watch cartoons, I still like sugary cereal, I still (from time to time) buy stuffed toy animals...

4. Paradoxes aside, if you could time-travel back to when you were 10 years old, what would you tell your 10 year-old self?

Hmmm. Probably, "Don't worry, it gets better." or "Those people making fun of you really are jerks, don't worry about them." or, to my 12 year old self: "Trust me - pay better attention in algebra."

5. Do you think the child you were would like the adult you've become?

I think she'd think I was pretty cool. I didn't go through an "Ophelia" phase (to refer to Mary Pipher's excellent book, "Reviving Ophelia.") I never became one of those "fruit-cup girls" who batted her eyes and acted stupid to get the boys interested in her. (Well, insufficient interest from boys is one of my frustrations in life, but I'm still not going to act like someone other than who I actually am to win it). I think she'd think I have a cool job. And she'd love my house. She'd probably think I work too hard and don't play enough, but then again I think that about myself sometimes.

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One week and I'm off for break. I collect the biostats finals today; I already have (and am slowly grading) the first one.

I'm beginning to contemplate travel-knitting. I will probably have the Checkers socks finished (I'm working on the heel-flap of the second one). I'm not sure if I'll have room to take the Fibonacci sweater but I am going to try. And the Hiawatha shawl. And I dug out the pattern for Bloom again and thought about how much I want to make it, now. I might even cast on this afternoon (if I have time). It looks like a fast project once you get (or "re-get") the hang of the shortrow wraps. (Will have to remember to either take a back issue of Interweave or one of my "basics" books so I have a picture to look at when I forget how to do it. Wrap and turn is one of the knitting techniques that never seems to stick in my head. I can Kitchener like I was born to it, I can memorize even fairly intricate lace, but wrap-and-turn always defeats me).

And for smaller projects? I think I want to do the leaf-lace socks in the most recent Interweave; I just have to figure out which yarn I want to do them out of. (The fawn colored KnitPicks "Essential" sock yarn? Green, if I have some? a variegated?). And I think I am going to at least begin the Unst socks out of the mer-maid yarn.