Yeah - you were the one knitting

And the Saga continues.....

Day two of Hazmet/Bioterrorism class with "MANDATORY" final exam.

Me and My sock (or is it the Sock and I?) got up after about oh and hours worth of sleep dreaming of Toxidromes, antidotes, carboxyhemoglobins, methylhemoglobin and cyt a a3's floating around in my blood (or not)... Acth firing or not firing, GABA inhibited or produced in excess.... These truly what my dreams were made of last night.... needless to say I could have used a lil GABA action.

The class seemed more fast paced today - or maybe that was because we focused more on bioterrorism and weapons grade chemical warfare as opposed to the everyday posions we may come in contact with. Perhaps it was the ever looming "MANDATORY" final exam. Maybe it was the fact I had lil sleep and was trying to mainline caffeine all morning.... My fight or flight was flying!!!!

However - the sock, my sock, lil sis sock - was never ignored. I knitted and purled my heart away trying to stay focused on the fast paced lectures. The lil bunny trail on Crystal Meth labs threw me for a loop but I quickly got back on track and picked up that stitch I dropped.

I stopped one rotation before turning the heel.... not on purpose. It was that Mandatory final exam time.

Out goes the test - and down sank my heart. The first ten questions were a cake walk and then something happened. My mind went blank, my heart started throwing pvc's, the brain went flat line and my palms started secreting what might have been perspiration??? (never) Maybe if I could have pulled out my lil sis sock and started knitting everything would have come back to me. I literally felt like my mind was an empty slate. I knew things prior to the test but blanked out in the middle. I drudged through the test convinced I was flunking.... The sock and I slinked out of class after handing in the Mandatory Final and knew - just knew - I was going to be apart of the remedial group.

To make matters worse - I had hitched a ride today with a co-worker. I hated to have to make her wait.

To make matters even worse (as if taking the test wasn't bad enough) it took for ever... FOR EVER to grade my test. Everyone was getting their scores and either leaving (cause they passed) or lingering behind for remedial coaching (don't you just LOVE that word REMEDIAL?) Finally, taking it no longer, ready to frog my lil sis sock for no other reason but out of sheer anxiety (afterall it didn't don't anything wrong... it's just sitting in my bag waiting for me to turn the heel), I went back into the class and inquired about my test.

Okay - here is the bad part. The instructor looked at me and said "no I think Brian has your test out there." Now - I saw the last two tests he had in his hand - and they were FLUNKING scores.... I really started panicing (is that a word?) I must have turned a pasty pale shade of DEATH because her eyes got really big and she immediately started typing on her laptop as she quickly reassured me that "you passed I am sure of it." Then she looked up not at all convincing and said "yeah you passed you are fine." I squeaked (and I mean SQUEAKED) out "are you sure." I think my brain was fighting for all the oxygen it could get at this point because there wasn't alot getting exchanged in my hyperventalating chest.

THIS is where it gets worse.... "Bonnie right - the one that was KNITTING." Okay GABA, GAD, SOMETHING could have kicked in at that point to knock me out...... I am not sure I even answered her - cause the other instructor (a real military, cop, Paramedic bioweapons geek - and I mean that in all respect to him) smiled and said "yeah, the one listening intently and knitting - you passed." Did I mention this was a BIG class.... we never went around and introduced ourselves and I tried to be inconspicous.

Now, I am not embarrassed they saw me knitting. I am not even embarrassed they remember my name because I was knitting. I am not even concerned about either. What would have been REALLY bad (and I do mean REALLY bad) was if I had truly FLUNKED the exam after knitting through all the lectures. That would have made it back to work before I would have made it back to my friends car in the garage.

SCHEW - big sigh of relief.... Fight or flight had left - I was ready to pass out when I learned I had passed. The ride home, dinner, the few moments of lucidity I had prior to passing out on the couch from mere exhaustion - were all a blur. I was so stressed about that test that I literally shut down afterwards.

Maybe I needed some therapeutic knitting..... I was too tired.

Now - lets look at the sock.... someone please please PLEASE tell me how this happened. Same pattern... I have no idea how the first sock (on the Left) is being knitted on the inside out and how the second sock (on the Right) is being knitted with the outside out. I honestly have no clue..... Anyone???????? maybe it was a terrorist act????? Oh I need sleep now.... I have to be up for work by 0600...... No knitting for me......