I believe in...

Driving around town today, I started to make a mental list of things that I feel quite strongly about. This was prompted by the guy driving in front of me who flicked his cigarette butt out his window. I always have to suppress an urge to honk my horn in disgust and berate such poor feebleminded folk. Hellooooo, ashtray not just for coins, stoopid. Even former chain smokers like myself know that...

My list:

I believe in corporal punishment for litterbugs. And public flogging for aforementioned litterbutts. Bring back the pillory and stocks!

I believe that most songs are better sung in languages other than English. Case in point: 99 Luftballons. Exception: anything by Bruce Springsteen.

I believe that dogs are not necessarily smarter than us - just more spiritually advanced. Exception: that dumb dog on the first floor of my apartment buliding that barks at everything that moves.

I believe that certain words/phrases are sorely underused: please, thank you, and foosball being top on my list.

I believe that there is just too much crap in this world. And by crap I mean mass produced mountains of stuff. Maybe you feel the same way. And maybe you've heard of The Story of Stuff. We live in a disposable society. And while I appreciate affordable and not so-affordable things just as much as the next person, there's something to be said for a few well-crafted made-by-hand items. I believe that we would all be much more loathe to throw our stuff away if we made it ourselves. Or if someone made it for us. Anyway, I'm going to jump on the Buy Handmade bandwagon. For one year I'm going to either make or buy only handmade items to give as gifts. Knitted items for everyone!

Hope no one minds that their birthday gifts will be at least one month late.

My dig cam sucketh

Yeah. I'm going to blame it on the equipment.

I really have been knitting. Like a fiend (yes, my elbow is doing much better, thank you). But it feels kinda dumb to post without a picture to go with it - I like a little visual with my web browsing, ya know? Too much verbage and my head starts to swim.

But my digital camera is old and clunky. I keep trying to drop hints to the Yarn Widower that baby needs a new Canon Eos SLR but he stubbornly ignores me while I bide my time.

But maybe bad pictures are better than no pictures at all... And maybe posts with bad pictures are better than no posts at all...

Yarn Elbow?

I think I have lateral epicondylitis. Or more commonly known as Tennis Elbow. Except I haven't picked up my tennis racquet in 6 months. Now, my circulars - that's another thing entirely.

I'm a thrower. That is, I knit English style with my right hand, wrist and elbow leading the way. When the Yarn Widower sees me wincing while knitting, he tries to show me what I look like by swinging his entire arm around his left hand. He says helpful things like, "yeah, well, it looks like you may have to stop knitting for a while." What?!?!?!??!

F-that. I will knit through the pain.

But yesterday while participating in an anatomy workshop with a renowned body-worker Ashtanga guru, the teacher noticed my elbow brace (yeah, I had to buy one, no it's not really helping) and said, "Don't let that get any worse."

And in my head I started whining softly to myself, "But. I can't. NOT. knit." After the panic died down, I meekly asked him what I should do.

1) Ice baths - helps bring down the inflammation
2) Wrist stretches - those forearm tendons are like metal rods, they're so freaking tight (not his exact words...)

I got these images from a drummer's website - the first picture shows how to stretch the wrist flexors. The second shows how to stretch the wrist extensors. Owie but a good kind of pain.

Anway, the anatomy guru made no mention of knitting cessation. Hurray! As soon as I got home, I popped some advil and stretched my aching joints while softly moaning for effect (it's hard to get any sympathy from the Yarn Widower; I've really got to work it. Even still, all my efforts got me was a cocked eyebrow and a skeptical "Are you coming down with something? sigh.)

This morning I'm back at the knitting. It's a bit better but I may have to switch to Continental for a while. As for the ice baths, I think I'll wait until it's warmer out. Or until I can't take it anymore.

New and Improved Super-Duper Tuesday!

I voted today. There was such a large turnout that I waited an hour and a half to cast my ballot. There were shocked expressions of disbelief as people entered the polling place where the line snaked along both sides of the hallway, around the corner and down another hallway. Some in line were quiet, some were grumpy and some nattered on their cellphone until they got shut down (no cellphone use in the voting place! Text messages are okay but only if your device is on vibrate. No noise pollution within 5o feet of the polling place!) The Yarn Widower was there, shifting from foot to foot, muttering impatiently about the inefficiency of the Man. I merely got out my knitting.

Halfway through the line, an older woman eyed my yarn and wistfully announced, "I should have brought my knitting." A younger woman further down the line looked at me and agreed. The Yarn Widower suggested I hand the knitting over and let them do some rows - maybe they were faster knitters. I threatened to poke him with my needle tips.

May the best man/woman win.