Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch

It is a dark and dreary day today. There's a tropical something moving up the coast that's supposed to bring us a lot of rain and wind, starting this afternoon. The afternoon tennis lesson is in jeopardy, as is Mr. T's flight home from Boston. On the other hand, it would be nice to have a day without running around, a day when we can stay home, do homework, and relax. We don't get many of those.

I have finished the primary knitting on the Back to School Vest. The shoulders have been joined; all I have to do now is keep knitting the cable that will go across the back neck, and do the ribbing around the armholes. Here are some photos of the back of the vest, where you can see how the main cable looks on a larger panel:



I love the sinuous lines of this cable. I tried to pick a cable for the outer bands that would echo the sinuousness (sinuousity? sinuetude?) without copying it exactly.

Last night was Back to School Night at the middle school, so it was my first chance to see Sr. Jr.'s teachers and see what his day is like. I was very impressed. All of his teachers seem engaged, enthusiastic, and energetic. I'm also very impressed with their focus on teaching the kids organizational skills and study skills. We were never taught that as kids. We were just expected to make it up as we went along. Some kids are naturals at it, others are not. Some kids were bright enough that they could overcome a lack of organizational skills, and again, others were not. Teaching and emphasizing organization now means the kids will be so much better off in high school and college. While I remember having some very good teachers in middle school, I don't remember school being as varied and fun as it seems now. The projects seem more creative, and more geared towards active, rather than passive, learning.

The current economic situation scares me. I'll freely admit that I'm not an economic expert, but I know I was afraid of the ramifications of that housing bubble for a long time. I didn't realize just how deep its implications were for the overall economy, however. I'm also scared of this rush to "fix" things. I get that our situation is precarious, but I'd really prefer that some serious thought go into whatever action comes out of it. It seems like we're throwing a lot of money at the problem without addressing what the root causes are. Panic breeds panic. We're already NOT paying for the war that we're stuck with. How are we going to pay for this, too? Where's the money going to go? Who will benefit? Will the CEOs of the companies who took ever-more daring and risky investments still get their millions? What will happen to the people who lost their homes? Will people not only lose the bulk of their investments and retirement savings, but also have to pay for this bailout mess?

This clearly has huge implications for us as a country. We can't continue the way we've been going. What do the candidates think about this? How will they deal with it? What will they do to attempt to get our debt under control? John McCain wants to suspend campaigning, postpone the debate, and go back to Washington to help work on a bailout plan. Gee, sounds good, but no thanks. I'd like to see a debate now, more than ever. Now is when I want to hear from the candidates. Perhaps because this is not McCain's strong point (and, in fact, recent polls showed Obama leading him by a 2 to 1 margin on economic issues), he wants to avoid being put on the spot and look like he's doing something. Moreover, I'm not sure that having the candidates there will be effective. It may just make the situation even more difficult to solve, as partisan politics gets injected into the situation. Besides, they both have advisors and allies who are presenting their views. Right now, I'd rather leave the hard work to Congress and the experts.