Knitting Women

I have been so busy (and sick) lately that I haven't had time to keep up with a lot of things I enjoy, including my favorite bloggers. Because of this, I've only just read Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's post for International Women's Day. In all honesty, I haven't read much about knitting for quite awhile, as peripheral neuropathy has made it difficult for me to do. But, I'm glad I happened to check in, because the post is fantastic (really, what are you still doing here, go read it).

I am a feminist, I refuse to be mealy-mouthed about my dedication to equality for all people. There are days when I just don't want to deal with it, and days that I screw up royally, but when it comes down to core beliefs, that's pretty much it for me. We are all vastly different, yet equally impressive.

I guess I just felt the need to say it, as I often forget that it is not something that is the default. I wish it were.  I would much rather think that everyone believes in equality, until proven otherwise. That's not how the world works, so I will declare that I am a feminist. If you catch me acting against the basic tenants of my belief in equality, or just acting like a general goon, I expect to be called on it. That's the only way it will get better, if we expose the issues.

Open For Business

No, I'm not promoting the stupid and ill-advised change in signs along the WV border, I finally listed items in my shop! Unfortunately, I can't find a widget that works with my blog format. So, I'm putting one here, because I made it, and well, it's my blog...

Be Mine, Please...

I'm pathetic,


but endearing.

Not A Hypocrite

I am a vegetarian who wears leather, therefore, I am called a hypocrite. The people who say this seem to misunderstand either vegetarianism or hypocrisy. There are no rules to vegetarianism, it is just a catch all label for people who do not, under certain circumstances, consume meat. People who call themselves vegetarians have all made different decisions, for different reasons, about what they will and will not eat. Some consume fish, some eat eggs, milk, or animal by-products, and others still consume meat on rare occasions, but all of them can be labeled as vegetarian. Personally, I've found it to be the easiest way to convey to people that I may be inspecting my food, and questioning the ingredient list.

A proselytizing vegan who wears leather may be considered a hypocrite, but a person practicing her own brand of vegetarianism, while minding her own business... well, that's not a hypocrite, that is a person living her life while making personal judgments. Hypocrisy includes a note of dishonesty or disingenuousness. Since there are no set rules to vegetarianism, the vegetarian in question would have to define rules, then go against them, to be a hypocrite.

Someone claiming to be a vegetarian for animal rights reasons, but who sports leather, feathers, or fur is likely a hypocrite, but those items could be from his pre-veggie days, or vintage items, or gifts from well meaning loved ones, or any of a hundred other scenarios. With such a complex, and personal issue, it is difficult to accurately call someone a hypocrite, not impossible, but there will likely be a high level of error on snap judgments. But, that's pretty universal, isn't it Mrs. Darcy.

If Boober Fraggle Had WebMD

One of my favorite TV shows as a kid was Fraggle Rock.  In fact, as soon as I finish watching all of The Muppet Show, I think I will be seeing Fraggles for awhile. My obsessive nature led me to the Muppet Wiki where I can follow along with the episode guide and determine the puppeteer behind, or below, each Muppet. (Yeah, I know it's a bit much, but if I like something I like to dive in and learn as much as possible.) While I was clicking around one day I stumbled on Boober Fraggle's page and realized that aside from taking joy in laundry and being overly superstitious, I am the human version of Boober Fraggle.

A bit about Boober from the character page at Hensen.com 

According to Boober, anything that can go wrong surely will, and when it does, it will inevitably happen to him. Boober denies that he is a hypochondriac; he claims he is just practicing the symptoms because he’s bound to get the diseases. But Boober’s negative attitude has a big plus – he can see real trouble coming a mile away, a useful attribute in a land of eternal optimists. 

While I fancy myself an optimist, I am always prepared for the worst, convinced that it will happen, because it usually does. I think that inner Boober is what keeps me alive, keeps me safe. But, if I'm honest I'm a big ol' Boober with a touch more optimism. That's not what I wanted to talk about though, my favorite bit was the part about denying being a hypochondriac.