Another new project

SO I got mad at the red had because the yarn I got for it (limited choices) is not very nice and it really splitty and I didn't want to drag it along to work on during exam invigilating (I give two this week) and I need something I don't have to look so closely at.

So I dug out some nice SMOOTH yarn (a dk weight wool dyed by the former owner of Quixotic Fibers) that I planned to use for the "Free Breakfast" (waffle stitch, get it) hat. Found a workable size of circular needle (couldn't find my five but a six will work), cast on, got the first couple rows:

It's a favorite shade of green - that sort of "acid" green that also is sometimes called "pickle green" or even "pickleball green" now. And yes, it feels nice to work with - more firmly spun and doesn't fuzz or split.

I'm doing the (optional) knit through the back loops on the ribbing; it's a bit more work but it makes a nicer rib where the knit columns seem to stand out a little better. 

I give an exam tomorrow and another on Friday, and have the third on Tuesday, so I needed something new and easily portable.

I also pulled out Lithos again and added another row or two, and mostly unpicked the provisional cast on part (I could just cut the yarn but I'm not sure where my little scissors are, and rather than getting up and wasting time hunting, and getting annoyed, I could just the more time consuming picking of the whole intact strand of orange...)

I have a few people this semester with difficult "stories;" I have one person who has been mostly AWOL, I sent in a "care and concern" report on them (they ask us to do this, in case someone's in crisis and need emergency help). Well, tonight they emailed me three times - first, begging for a make up time for the upcoming exam. Then a second email explaining but saying "this doesn't excuse" why they've been AWOL (personal issues). The third e-mail was a "recall the first email" request and it seems suboptimal that if you recall an e-maill in the campus system that it's actually still there? 

So anyway, now I don't know what to do - do I pretend I never saw the first email that was recalled? Do I respond anyway? 

I decided to wait until morning - maybe there will be another e-mail, or maybe there won't and I just decide to go ahead and e-mail them about the exam.

But yeah, lots of people are in emotional crisis. There's a lot going on right now. I mean, I'm dealing with it myself and I melt down some evenings at home. I'm still able to keep the plates spinning at work but I admit I can tell I'm more exhausted and sensitive and stuff hurts my feelings more than it once did. And I think about just how nice it would be to have someone in my immediate orbit (e.g., a partner) who could be sympathetic when I was upset and talk me down when I was worried. But I don't have that so I just keep pushing along and hope I can keep the plates spinning and I admit I eat more sweets these days than is ideal for me, and I buy more yarn and stuffed animals and books than is ideal, and I waste more time on social media than I should. But some days it does feel like everything is collapsing and all good things will soon be gone, and I feel the need to distract myself from this. 

I'm sure it's hard to be 20 years old now and not know WHAT you will be able to wind up doing for a career, between the gutting of scientific agencies and the rise of AI and the fact that everything now seems to be permanently in austerity mode. Still, it makes my life more tiring and harder when I'm trying to help students with issues like that, while stuffing down my own anger, sadness, and worries about the future...