QuickFire Random Rants

Since someone mentioned that I'd be ranting today, I guess I have to.  Can't disappoint more than usual, now can I?

*Sock yarn is yarn and, therefore, counts.  The 'sock yarn doesn't count' lie was thought up by someone who sells sock yarn for a living.  Hello!  I think the only yarn that might not count would be handspun and that would depend on the spinner and his/her feelings about said yarn.

* I tend to think that people who need to sneak yarn purchases into the house and/or hide it from their partner/spouse have relationship issues that are far larger than yarn and knitting.  Then again, I also think you're nuts if you spend the rent money on fiber.

*Respectable people do not get animals from pet stores.  Respectable people do not see pets as something that can just be handed off when they get bored with those pets and/or as a fashion statement/accessory.  Respectable good people take care of their pets for as long as the pet(s) live and/or as long as the owner lives.  (My grandmother had a parrot that lived to be 120.)

*My HMO is too good at what it does.  They are helping people live longer than ever before... and making parking a fucking nightmare in the process.  Tiny old people with fabulous insurance trying to back a Buick up with abandon is not something I want to be anywhere near.

I know.  Kind of lame, but parts of my beloved state are on fire and it's breaking my heart.  So is knowing that mudslide season follows wildfire season.  This is our future and there's no escaping it.

Oh, and I had the weirdest dream very early this morning.  I think the high point was me tidying a fiber room that I don't have because EZ was coming to pick up her babies.  I'm not sure what that meant but it can't be good.

This afternoon I'm getting my eyes checked and hopefully get new glasses.  Keep your needles crossed I get happy news.  With my gene pool, vision stuff is always iffy.

Tomorrow I enter a contest and show ya'll some frozen yarn.

Comments

[margene]

Everything on your list is worthy of a rant. Good work;-)

[Susan]

I met an older man in the waiting room at the vet's a few years ago. He had a young parrot with him and he let it sit on me and we got talking about how he has lots of large birds. He told me he just got the young parrot he was bringing in. I didn't say anything, but I was thinking that he was an ass for getting a bird that was clearly going to outlive him by a long time. However, he then told me that this bird was going to his niece when he died, and that he did not obtain any birds without having a plan on where the bird was going to go upon his demise, and that he had made provisions for all of the birds in his will so that they'd go to their intended homes with well, I guess you'd call them "nest eggs".

[Cetta]

Totally agree with #2 -- I always scratch my head at that.

[sandy]

Can I cross my eyes for luck for your eyes?
Your rants are legendary!
xo

[Michelle]

I agree with everything you said (especially the pet thing - don't even get me started on that)...

[scout]

Yeah see I totally agree with alla that. :)
MWUAH!

[Dave Daniels]

Bottom line: people suck. Right? Is that what you're trying to say???

[Carrie]

I never sneak my purchases in. I open them right up and show my husband what I bought. I do hide them from The Bug, aka Skein-Destructor. The only time I've ever heard "sock yarn doesn't count" was when Wendy started her stash-knitting. And since she made up her own rules (and seems to be as responsible as you are for the support of the sock yarn industry), it works for me. I would never be so silly as to impose a yarn diet on myself for any but financial reasons.

[Camille]

Everything on your list is too true. I've been guilty of hiding purchases, and have finally brought the larger issues into the light. I'm an emotional buyer. My limits: two yarn clubs, and purchases only for yarn that is going to be cast on immediately. No more stashing.

[joan]

The hallmark of a good relationship is when spouse is fully aware that the yarn is slowly encroaching on his living space but as long as the bills are paid and the children aren't in tatters, he never mentions it except to ask if you need more bins to store it in. It doesn't hurt if you fully support his need to buy monster collectibles or something.
I have a father in law that backs up his Lincoln like that, at least he stopped driving at night (he's 84), my mother is now starting to think that wild abandon is one of the settings on her transmission and she's only 72.
As for pets, you always need a backup plan.
And you don't have to see that dream as weird, EZ would probably love you enough to trust you with her babies.
Have fun picking new specs.

[Angie]

All good points, Cookie. The DH is very much a non-commentor on my fiber or other purchases. I think I just don't want to confront him or me with all my yarn abundance (in the freezer or otherwise) to avoid my own personal discomfort of having a good amount in the potential project department. Why that is, I don't know. Probably nothing for me to worry about either. As long as I have closet space and spare money, no problem.

The EZ dream is interesting. Have you been reading her books or viewing her on DVD lately?

Hope the new specs are working well for you!

[Devorah]

Totally agree about the sock yarn. frankly a skein of sock yarn takes longer to knit then a skein of worsted weight yarn and should count more!

As for sneaking yarn into the house -- if you have to do it then maybe you have to get out of the relationship!

[Beth]

Tiny old people in Buicks scare the hell out of me! LOL no, ROFLMAO! :)

[Kathy W]

My dh knows about every yarn purchase I make and has never been anything but supportive because he knows I won't break the bank.

My pet store only sells rescues and they go home with someone at night and don't stay at the store. They don't deal with breeders at all. And you can't just walk in off the street and buy it the same day. There's a credit check and a cooling off period. I don't buy my pets there but I will buy other stuff there.

My older son is in San Diego and I just talked to him today. He's okay so far but he says the air quality is so bad he can't stay outside very long without his eyes burning.

You guys out there are in my prayers.

[Sil]

I was told by EXPERTS that sock yarn does NOT count.

Drove down the I-5 today and saw lots of fire trucks, emergency service trucks from PG&E, AT&T and insurance cos and about 20 military humvees. The most intriguing convoy was from your neck o' the woods. They were from noahswish.org and rescue and reuinte pets and their families. I got all weepy when I passed them going 85...

[Kit]

Yup yup yup. Also, if you have more yarn than you can perceivably knit and could start your own yarn store, you have Too Much Yarn. And most likely a mental problem.

[Ruth]

All rant worthy issues, especially the pets!

[gale (she shoots sheep shots)]

Oh, its all true. And I love your dream, I think its a good omen. Of what I'm not sure but definitely good. Tidying and babies and yarn and a knitting legend in one dream? Were they all wearing EZ Baby Surprise jackets?

[Wendy]

Actually, I think I'm the one who first coined the phrase "sock yarn doesn't count" in blog-land, and I don't sell sock yarn. So there goes that theory.

Whether or not it is a lie is another issue. ;-)

[auntieannknits]

A relative works in the San Diego Wild Animal Park, and at various points they evacuated the humans, but left the animals. She claims it's very safe for them, although they moved the rare and endangered species such as California Condors into their hospital building, which is extremely fire-resistant. And, how do you evacuate a bunch of rhinos? No ideas on that here.

[Carolyn]

I'm a bit hurt about the pet store comment. Ideally I would not have gotten my beloved puppy there, but what can you do when the woman tells you that all the puppies who don't sell in the next two days will be going "back to our warehouse"? They were an incredibly sketcy store, but also going out of business, so I don't think me buying Thea would encourage them to keep selling puppies. Just because I got Thea at a pet store doesn't mean that I treat her like a transient part of my life. She means the world to me and I'm doing everything in my power to give her a great life.

[Jessica]

I'm pretty much there with you except the pet store thing. If only there were another way to get those poor animals out of those places... But as far as people who treat pets like accessories, yeah, makes me sick.

[LaVerna]

You always make me laugh Cookie.I totally agree about old people and Buicks.Good luck on your eye exam!

[Opal]

An amen and hallelujah on all rant points and an added hear! hear!

[Lucia]

Dreaming about a room you don't actually have (and maybe fiber ditto?) is actually a good thing, as I understand dream interpretation. On the "everything is part of the dreamer" theory, finding a hitherto undiscovered room in your house means that you've experienced/are experiencing personal growth. If there's fiber in that room I would say the growth has something to do with your artistic/creative side. (Not that I know crap about this, but it sounds good, don't you think?)

I've been known to hide yarn from DH, although it's sort of a game we play, especially since he pays the bills. I'm reminded of the time I pulled out some yarn for my Olympic baby sweater (said sweater remains in pieces even yet) and began to wind it, and he said, "that thing makes cute little yarn cakes! but where did you get that yarn?"
"Oh, I've had this in stash for ages," I replied. Now, mind you, this was 100 percent true -- I'd gone a bit nutso on some Irish wool early in my acquaintance with elann -- but it sounded so exactly like a lame lie that I could not get it out with a straight face.

[JessaLu]

I agree with all of it. I joke that I 'sneak' yarn in but the truth is that RR knows about it all. It's hard to hide stuff when the man has to run wires through almost every room of the house when I need a TV fixed.

Our 2nd dog was a rescue from a family that had no right to own a dog. When you buy your pet food at the dollar store you need to take a really hard look at whether you need to have that animal in your life or if you should let a family who can afford the best for them have them.

I agree 100% regarding older drivers. I've made my daughter promise to rip my license out of my shaking hands when I start driving like the people who piss me off. ;o)

I feel awful about the wildfires and since I live with a firefighter I feel for the people who have loved ones fighting those fires, too.

I'm catching up on your blog - can you tell? *grin*

[danielle]

A little late to be chiming in, but I'm with you all the way. On all the rants, and the pet store one, in particular. Folks, you aren't bad people for making a mistake. Just don't do it again. There are other ways to stop the insanity/inhumanity--legislation, zoning, city codes, etc. Don't go into the pet stores, and no one will tell you "they'll just be sent back." For the pet stores, moving the pets through is their goal; the more they sell, the more they can get to sell. If you need a pet, go to a shelter, find a rescue organization, keep an ear open for people who might need to re-home a beloved companion. Also, don't buy an "AKC papered" pup out of the newspapers. Chances are it's someone thinking that selling puppies is a money-making enterprise and not doing the research to ensure healthy pups.

Sorry to continue your rant...but I'm so far down in the comments, maybe most people won't make it this far. :-)

[Debby]

I am late to this party but have to comment. You posted this on the day my beloved Charlie cat passed away. We got him off of the street when he was young, and spent some people's European vacation fund doing everything we could to give him health and long life. And I don't regret it for one moment. We are far better humans just for knowing him.

We have since visited umpteen foster homes and shelters both public and private, searching for a new kitty or two to join us. I am SICK at the number of pets who were left behind when people moved, and further sick at the number who were identified at one shelter as being abandoned because the former owner (clearly not guardian) had no time. Didn't they think of this before they took the pet home?! We're rescuing two cats. One is home with us now and one will be arriving soon. I only wish I could take more, but it wouldn't be responsible. And check out Rebekah's post at knitknack today (11/9).

Sorry...you inadvertently hit a nerve. Thanks for the post.