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Eeek! I got a letter yesterday from Tapestry Craft, which is the big knitting shop in Sydney. Check this out:

“Having come highly recommended to us by Liz Gemmell, Albert Morris, our manager, would like to offer your a teaching position in future classes. If you’re interested please contact us.”

How friggin’ cool is that? Liz Gemmell is a famous Aussie designer and knitting teacher. I had a class with her back in August and I guess I made an impression! (To be honest I didn’t learn much in the class, as the other three students didn’t know much at all. None of them had ever even thought to get a knitting book! I spent the whole time feeling like a suck-up and knitting ahead to provide examples for Liz.)

Anyway, I just talked to Albert on the phone and we’re going to meet up this weekend. It’s getting to the end of the season here (summer’s coming!) so most likely I wouldn’t do anything til next year. I’m excited though! I had a go at teaching my sister and cousin to knit while I was home and it was pretty fun. I’d love to teach a group of beginners and get them all fired up!

Trivia Update: Eh, we sucked tonight. Your questions: Name the five categories of sport that make up the modern pentathlon. Which two countries have one word names that end in “M”? Who played Radar O’Reilly on MASH? Who originally sang “Psycho Killer”? Used before SOS, what do the letters CQD stand for? We missed all of those but the last one.

Via the ‘Filter… The Most Phallic Building in the World. While I haven’t been to Ypsilanti to see the winner, I’m happy to report that the Snook and I did notice the Best Uncircumcised Building in the World when we were in London in July. (I believe his actual phrase was: “Hey, what’s that new big silvery gherkin-looking thing over there?”) We also have a good giggle everytime we visit Chicago and spot this building. My lesbian friends will be gratified to know that they’re not the only ones to spot the resemblance!

Geek Eye for the Luddite Guy. This should be a real show, and the Snook and I should be on it.

Leprechaun curling. *blink* Kiwis are so weird.

I’ve developed a bit of a slug problem in my worm farm. Everytime I open the lid there are a couple stuck on the walls around the top. I’ve been picking them off (with a trowel – they’re gross) and then squooshing them on the pavement, but I’m getting tired of it. I saw “Slug and Snail Repellant” in the gardening section at Kmart but I’m worried it might hurt the worms. Does anybody have any suggestions beyond the old standby of drowning them in beer?

“There is nothing inherent in fat that increases the risk of weight gain.” HA! The National Heart Association of Australia has finally verified what millions of Atkins dieters already know: eating fat doesn’t make you fat. Of course, the article includes criticism from the director of the NSW Centre for Public Health Nutrition, who worries that this information will “undermine weight-control intiatives”. In other words, there’s a lot of money to be made in promoting low-fat diets and he thinks the Association should’ve lied or covered up their results for the good of the Australian people. (I’m paraphrasing, but what other interpretation is there in a quote like: “Policymakers must take care that they are not blinded by science to the realities of the prevailing food environment”? Blinded by science??)

Woohoo! Brace yourself, Aussies. The Snook has just heard through the grapevine that Iron Chef is coming to SBS on October 11. I wonder if we’ll get the old reruns of Bobby Flay? Those are the only ones I’ve ever seen (when I managed to catch it at home in the States).

Probabilities in the Game of Monopoly. I skipped over most of the math myself as I was only interested in Snookums’s long-held theory that “Whoever owns the red monopoly wins the game.” Given the author’s summation regarding Illinois Avenue, I guess he’s right.