Monday, March 27, 2006

More thoughts on MIM

Sorry, I just got through going through all the comments that MIM has gotten in the last few days. And I have to say two things.
  1. Anonymous and obviously fake email address and websites are the lowest of the low. If bloggers are honest enough to let it all hang out, then trolls should at least leave us a forum to comment back to them. That being said--I will find a way around troll comments--maybe Dan the computer god will help. Hmmmm....
  2. If the people who responded to MIM's posts can be construed as a fair sample of the technically literate in this country, then I know why it's been so hot in this handbasket. My goddess, people, do you really think that one simple post about appearance and its effect on relationships is worth so much drama? The very attention paid to it shows how important it seems to be. If you didn't care, you wouldn't feel the need to comment.

What is so damn wrong in this country? Three monthes ago, I stumped my new family doctor. He said that my blood pressure is fine, my glucose was back to fine after the birth of the baby, and there is nothing wrong with my glands. Aside from a trick knee from a car accident in my youth, a slightly increased heart rate (not much, I can still donate blood), and a touch of IBS, I am in perfect health. Here is the kicker, I weigh about 330 lbs. And before anyone busts a gut, I've weighed that since before my husband married me.

There is no medical reason for my obesity. I eat what my husband does (180 lbs), and when I'm working (my work is seasonal), I lose about ten to twenty lbs. No more, no less. I can't seem to break the 300 lbs barrier.

So if I'm healthy, and my regular exercise keeps my weight steady, why is it such a big deal? It shouldn't be. The only people it is a big deal to is my doctor and my mother.

And now possibly you. So can you tell me why it matters? Why does it matter to anyone out there that I have a loving husband, and wonderful child, and I am overweight?

Sunday, March 26, 2006

The MIM issue, or will you please clean out your ears!

I don't know about you, but I read until the end of a post. I read every word in a post. I construct them into to sentences and paragraphs, and there fore understand what the writer is conveying.

Apparently, I am a rare bird in the blogosphere. Evidence is provided by the Morphing into Momma blog. MIM posted a piece about a class she was taking. Basically, the debate was about what being comfortable in a relationship means to different people. Her point in this debate was that a spouse should consult their partner before making drastic changes to their appearance. That a spouse's likes and dislikes should be taken into account after marriage as well as before.

Somehow weight became the thing that her fellow students glommed onto to pick apart her argument. Their point being that no man should tell his wife to lose weight. MIM agreed and rebutted by saying she didn't say it was about weight gain or about husband/wife roles. She further pointed out that drastic changes in appearance can be an indication of depression/stress/etc., but she also tried to pull it back to basic premise--attractiveness is based on image. And one should consult with one's life partner before changing that image.

MIM also backpedaled to explain that weight gain due to illness/age was not what she was talking about. She was talking about changes to personal appearance that were controllable.

I don't know about anyone else, but when someone I love radically changes their appearance, I become concerned. Mostly because in my experience, this is a control issue. When my husband shaved his head, after growing his hair out for two years, at midnight, I asked him if he was okay. He said that he was and that he was going to load the dishwasher. I told him that he was taking the next day off and to call in before going to bed. Our baby was 1 1/2 months old and was refusing to sleep. I sat down with her and finally got her to sleep while Chris called in sick and we slept in the next morning. He went off to the rpg game store and hung out there for awhile and returned much better.

I don't know about you but I recognized the signs of an impending wiggin from my hubby and nipped it in the bud.

I hope that this clears up some of the absolute stupidity going on out there over this post. Yeah, that's right I called everyone who made such a big deal out of post they probably only skimmed through, if that, stupid. Oh, and I hope you do comment. Unlike MIM, I love to fight, and for every ugly comment I get, I'll give one right back.

I think it's horrible that she has had to turn off the comment feature on her blog. I think that everyone who didn't really read what she said and then commented like the half assed baboons they are should have their keyboards taken away.

BRING IT ON, ASSHOLES! COMMENT AWAY!!!!!

Thursday, March 23, 2006

In transition

I know I have a lot of knitting blogging to catch up on, which I'm in the process of taking the pictures for as we speak.

But I have to make something known. A realization that I had.

Nothing is infinite.
Everyone is in transition from one state to another.
We began dying from the moment we stopped maturing.

Stop reading this and take a walk. It is spring time for goddess sake.

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Rejection from Far Sector SFFH

So after many days, Far Sector finally got in touch with me to say thanks but no thanks. I think they sent a form letter, but I'm not sure. There is this:

"While readers here appreciate what’s strong about your work, we feel the work is
not a match for our current editorial needs. That in no way is a critique of your
work’s quality, and we hope you don’t feel too let down."

So, is that something they added, or do they say that to everyone? Am I insane to obsess about it? Does it mean that 235 Hark Lane needs another, tighter rewrite before it goes back into the cold cold world?

Can someone please explain the world to me?

But we don't give up, no matter what the world says. Someone out there will like this story. We sends it out again, precious.

How nerdy are you?

I am nerdier than 56% of all people. Are you nerdier? Click here to find out!

I'm nerdier than She Who Reads!

Saturday, March 18, 2006

So its been awhile, redux

Yeah, so now that I'm caught up on the ABC along blogging, now I need to get caught up on the charity knitting blogging, and the just usual blogging.

I have a lot of catching up to do, so expect some changes soon. I promise.

Oh, in other news, I have an essay up at Associatedcontent.com. So please, click the link to my content producer page and rate it. I would appreciate it.

F is for ...

Freesia! My darling flower child. Be careful this is going to be a picture intensive post.



Isn't she the most beautiful baby in the entire world? The last year of my life has been all about her, and I can't think of anything else better to be about.

E is for ....

EATING! I am a big girl and I love to eat. However, rather than posting a picture about me, I thought I would post a picture of the baby eating.


Look at her go at it. I am so self conscious when I eat, that I usually eat very fast, which isn't good for you. I have a multitude of food issues that span eating in public to eating in front of family to eating in from of in laws, that I'm not going to go into at the moment.

I just want to look at this picture and realize that my daughter is healthy, if a little greedy. You may not be able to see, but she has a piece of pork chop in each hand. Why she also saw the need to root in her plate like a little pig is beyond me.

But it also reminds me that the last thing she needs is to feel self conscious about her eating, so when she does things like this, I giggle a bit with my husband, then I ignore it. She will figure it out sooner than later, I'm sure.

PS. That is my elbow and plate in the corner.

Monday, March 13, 2006

So I finally saw the new Harry Potter movie.

And who is that absolutely delicious man playing Viktor Krum, and the Weasley twins? OH, my goddess, I just about fainted.

And you thought this would be an update on real life stuff. That some later, when I have the time to update.

Busy busy busy.

Sunday, March 05, 2006

Does someone hear a frog?

Its official. I'm going to have to rip back (ribbet, ribbet) the afghan square I did for WOLE for the yarn. I need it to make sure my current mittens (now in the WIP pile) have the right color stripe. However, other things have changed.

I have joined Project Spectrum. Check out link in the side bar. Its late, I'm lazy, and that's why its there. Which is nice since some of my current knitting will satisfy the month of March stuff.

I'm doing a knitting project review in the hopes of getting me revved for the next week. So the list of projects in the queue:

  1. Belated Xmas--Mikey is finished just needs to be delivered (two more projects to go)
  2. Freesia's cotton tank top (wip)
  3. Felted bag for Mom (Mother's Day)
  4. Ties for dad and dad in law (Father's Day)
  5. Newborn hat (afA)(wip)
  6. Baby cardie (WOLE) (wip)
  7. Mittens (DP)(wip)
  8. Preemie hat (St. M)(wip)
  9. Baby blanket (not sure where yet)(wip)
  10. Freesia's leg warmers (yarn still needs to be dyed--getting late in the year for those--may have to be scrapped)
  11. Freesia's tube socks (still waiting for the right needles)
  12. Afghans squares for Grandma B (none so far, need at least four by the end of the month)
OH, I didn't mention--I've committed to doing four to six afghan squares (knitted thank you ever so) a month. I haven't even started one this month.

I may have to pare this list down. I had originally planned to do at least two matching newborn hat/tube sock combos for the minidrive that afghans for Afghans is having. And there was the original commitment of 25 items for the Dulaan Project.

I think I'm going to go ahead and scrap Freesia's legwarmers. The wool can wait until later. I'll go ahead and dye it and some more roving to go with it, and I'll start that project in August. Maybe it will become matching leg warmers and shrug.

I think the same thing will happen to Freesia's tube socks. The yarn I put aside for that has too much wool content for summer, and if I wait until August I can tinker with the sizing to make sure she can wear them most of the winter.

Two problems solved. Now, the minidrive is over on April 28 for those newborn things, so I think the WOLE project and baby blanket can also be sidelined. Items three and four haven't been cast on yet and can wait another month. Dulaan Project also has a due date, so anything not cast on yet, will, eventually. So the August stuff can go back on the roster then.

Okay, just two more decisions, so let's go ahead and admit that Xmas has come and gone. Those two projects will make great B-day/Xmas gifts for this year, so let's go head and get rid of that for now.

And for right now, let's go ahead and hold back on the Dulaan Project knitting. I can come back to it after the knitting for afghans for Afghans is over. So that leaves four projects, that if I work on them a little each day, I should be able to knock them out this month.

Freesia's tank top won't take any time at all. Once that is over, Mother's Day and Father's Day knitting can join the queue. Knitting for Saint Mary's never ends, but once the afghans for Afghans minidrive is over, Dulaan Project comes back up. Once that is over, then I will start knitting for WOLE again. Once the Father's Day knitting ends, I will start the Xmas knitting.

And I may take a hiatus from afghan squares in August to do some Winter knitting for Freesia.

Well, thanks for letting me talk that all out. I actually feel a lot better, and not so frantic.

One problem, I have no paying work scheduled yet for the next two weeks. This is bad, very bad. Eating into what little savings we have bad.

Any suggestions? Will work for yarn :D.

Thursday, March 02, 2006

Decency in knitting

So Franklin at The Panopticon (see side bar for link, I'm lazy) managed to piss off the left wing liberals and the right wing conservatives of the knitting world with one image. The only thing to say to that is

Hooray, Franklin!
I would have left a comment, but I've been having issues with blogger all day long.
Can you believe the nerve of some people? I suppose its a good thing more people don't read this blog. There might have been a debate about my own nude blogging and knitting.
Humph! If ya gotta problem with it, go read something else!
Thankfully this is still a mostly free country. And besides, its not like you really know who I am.
I suppose that's the rub here--people presuming to know something about Franklin. I guess they don't read his blog on a regular basis. If they did, they would have known that the King of Etiquette wasn't going to dignify them with a real response. Franklin made the right choice to meet absurdity with absurdity.

Wednesday, March 01, 2006

For those of you who are wondering

I am still ill. Not as ill as yesterday, but I can't hear out of my left ear because of fluid build up. I am a plague monkey.

The baby is no longer a plague monkey and is recovering well. And as for Chris....

He is disgustingly healthy.

I would hate him if I didn't love him so much.