I think I figured out the source of at least part of the distressing dream I wrote about: I am reading one of the Campion books (it's the second one in the series, and continues part of the thread of the first: there is an international gang of criminals that go after what they want, and will not stop at killing people and such to get it. It's all very vaguely (intentionally, I think) written, which makes it more distressing to me to read - it's like, you don't know much of what's going on, you don't know who's on the right side or the wrong side, you don't know exactly what's up. And as much as I love the Campion books, these earlier ones just are NOT as enjoyable for that. Right now there's an American judge who's been kidnapped, and also the young woman who is (with her twin brother) caretaker of the house where Campion had tried to stash the judge to protect him (he knew something about the gang).

And I guess, part of is is that kidnapping is one of my little irrational fears. Some years back, my dad was scheduled to go to Colombia to evaluate a geology research program at a university there - this was at the height of the kidnappings of Americans. He had his passport and everything. My mom kept pressuring him not to go, I felt the same (but felt it was not my place to say anything). Finally, at the last minute, he decided not to. And I grew up in a time and a place where there were a few high-profile kidnappings (mostly of young girls, and most of them turned out as badly as you might guess). So I guess it's kind of an old, ingrained fear - perhaps not as old, ingrained, or visceral as needles (I had a bad experience with a penicillin shot at 3: don't remember it but still can't take a vaccination without closing my eyes and flinching). But it's there, and it rears up at odd times.

I think also the story plays on another discomfort I have: the fear of being betrayed. Of trusting someone and finding out they were not who I believed them to be. And while I've never (thank God) been in a situation to be betrayed to an international gang of criminals, I've suffered the usual (perhaps a bit more than the usual, in a few cases) examples of people not living up to what I thought they could. And so reading about it reminds me too much of the old friend-betrayals, even going back to early grade school, or that time that one guy laughed in my face in public over something he ought not to have laughed at, or people I trusted to do something crapped out and left me holding the bag...

So maybe I need to shift over to either my WWI book or to Twelfth Night for a while.

(And this particular reprint of "Mystery Mile" - it must have been scanned from an old copy, it is positively LOADED with stupid typos that any competent proofreader would have caught. Typos drive me up the wall because I am just obsessive-compulsive enough to notice them, be bugged by them, and be yanked out of the realm of the story by them. I'm not QUITE compulsive enough (yet) to go through and circle every one in red pen and send the book back to the publisher (Felony and Mayhem Press, which normally do a good job) with a sternly-worded letter about how they have gotten sloppy and a request that if the book is reprinted, to kindly fix the errors I have noted. One big one I keep bumping into is "hail" instead of what should clearly be "hall," which is what leads me to think it is an scanned-and-uncorrected copy of an old manuscript or edition of the book).

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I just could not get the last few rows done on the Bird's Nest Shawl. I got all the pattern rows done (and had the happy task of picking out allllll 18 or so of the stitch markers I used to separate repeats - that's a relief). But I'm on, I think, row 47 (I go up to row 50 in stockinette, and then do 12 rows of garter before binding off). And I just ran out of steam. I was so hopeful to get it done - even had a place cleared off ready to block it on. Well, maybe tonight.

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I do have the yarn wound off for the Honeycomb vest, which I have decided is the next thing I want to knit. For one thing, I feel the need of some cabling (which this vest has, in spades). And for another, I want something more readily portable that doesn't weigh a ton (like the Cobblestone does, right now). And I just really like that bottle green yarn that I bought for it. This is definitely going to be one of my "over my short break" projects.

And it's going to be an attractive vest (or so I hope) when finished.

It's a real joy to be able to start a new project.

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Oh, I am so ready for that short break. This has been an exhausting summer semester for some reason. Very likely because I had a higher proportion of people with Bad Problems (medical issues, family issues, job issues) that required make-up work or some other kind of concession. And while it's part of my job to pave the way a bit to make it easier for people (at least people with Problems that are not at all/not entirely of their own making), still, it wears on a person to do that. It's like having a lot of children needing care. Or something.

(Though I will admit less sympathy for the folks with Problems that are of their own making - like bad procrastination or people who cheat)