RIP J.D. Salinger

With love and squalor.

January 1, 1919 - January 27, 2010

anxiety #618 - loose threads

In my day to day work, I constantly encounter new challenges. I have recently been sewing new lemel catchers for jewellery workbenches. There are about 50 to make, and I think I became the in-house seamstress because I remember how to thread a sewing machine, from my year seven home economics class. Although I do have a sewing machine at home, it doesn't work and I keep it mostly for sentimental reasons.

My lemel catchers are slowly coming together, but I realised what's slowing me down: loose threads. Whenever I get to the end of a seam, I have an obsessive compulsive need to tie a double knot. It's as though there's a danger that without a knotted end, the entire thing would unravel, zigzagging back and forth like a knitted sweater in a cartoon.

I'm sure that people who sew on production lines aren't always stopping to tie knots, but I guess their skills, equipment and confidence are far greater than mine. Slowly, slowly, I keep sewing and tying my knots.

Coming soon: Why don't they make see through bobbin cases, so I can prepare myself for when it's about to run out?

This post dedicated to Mrs Rogers, my year 7 home ec teacher.

I can still make great library bags.

reasons to be cheerful - the bricks of waikiki

Waikiki is full of great buildings, decorated with great bricks.

This is an apartment pool surrounded by feature bricks, palm trees and hibiscus bushes.

'

The apartment building above, facing onto the Ala Wai canal, is delightful, but nothing beats the Waikiki Skyliner.

amazing architecture - hawai'i

Above is a little apartment building on Kanekapolei St, Waikiki, three floors high, joined by a zigzagging exterior staircase.

And this is Uncle Billy's motel, on Alii Dr in Kailua-Kona, on the Big Island. Fantastic mid-century modern building, but Bobby, our bus driver, warned that if you stay there, you sleep with your mouth shut. Apparently they have a roach problem...