Thursday Drama... and Comedy... and Knitting

Seriously. Thursdays? I'm in serious trouble. I watched NBC (Earl, Office and ER [sob]) and taped ABC (Gray's Anatomy and Six Degrees).

Quickly:
Earl - even as Earl, Jason Lee is a nice lookin' guy.
The Office - buying gay-dar online? Jim rocks. Call him, Pam, seriously.
ER - Can't comment much, still crying about Abby and tiny Joe, but I will say that Sam is my new hero.
Gray's - What is with medical shows and sick babies?? Anyway, McGuilty indeed... too little too late, or just in the nick of time?? He's NOT good for her, but she's probably not good for sweet "hat's in the ring" Finn.
Six Degrees - new show, good cast, not too confusing... we'll see if they can keep it together.

My poor husband kept checking on me and bringing me essentials (Kleenex and Diet Dr. Pepper). He's such a good man.

So we had some weather yesterday! I kept hearing "windy" on the radio as I drove from one side of town to the other and back again... my SUV was all over the road. "Windy" indeed. Oh, and there were some weird tornadic episodes around 4.
I was waiting in my car outside Bean's school (knitting, bien sûr) and heard the sirens. My cell phone was on my desk at work so I started flipping through radio stations looking for some weather info - I've lived in the midwest for a long time... in fact, the only time I wasn't in the midwest I was in Alabama... and they apparently get more tornadoes than we do... anyway, while it was windy, there were not the usual tornado markers.
Teachers and school administrators started gathering at the doors of the school beckoning parents inside. All of the kids were in the gym in nice, neat little rows. The gym was built just a few years ago and was designed specifically for this. Some parents were fighting with the administrators because they wouldn't let them leave with their kids... I get both sides, but I just wanted to find my kid and hold on, you know?
She was scared and pale and when she saw me she had this look on her face like she knew it was all going to be ok now. I caught her eye from across the gym and made my way over to her class. I sat directly in front of where she was sitting, about 4 feet away and pulled out my knitting. Relaxing for me, you know, just knitting, but relaxing for her too because if mom is knitting than the world can't be about to end. She came over and sat with me, bringing a few of her friends who needed some mommy comfort. I had quite a little group of interested kids around me after about fifteen minutes. They wanted to touch the yarn and the needles (yay) and they wanted to see how it worked. Kids are so cool.
I honestly believe that kids are only as scared as the adults in situations like that. Yes, It was scary, but all of their teachers were in "crisis management" mode, and while they were doing a great job at it they were freaking the kids out. Then there were the parents screaming (literally) and yelling about their "right" to take their kids out of a tornado shelter and into the wind to go home. I circled the kids and we played. We played "categories", and "bubblegumbubblegumu"m, and were about to launch into a "littlest worm" marathon when we got the ok to go home. (Note to self, keep stash of emergency Jolly Ranchers and M&M's in purse).
And they all want to learn to knit.
I'm thinking next year - when Bean is in 5th grade - I might try to find time to do a once a week Knit at Recess thing. I'm thinking washcloths. Lots and lots of weird-shaped washcloths. If I do this I think I'll hold a "Size 7 - 10 needle drive" so that the kids will only have to bring a dollar for the yarn and I don't have to worry about losing needles! Anyone want to help??