I want...
G'day all!
At the moment I seem to be very wanty. I have a couple of theories about it - one is that DH has been sooooo busy working recently that I've not really seen a lot of him (yes he's often been home but that doesn't mean we can chat and given that he's been on the computer from 10 'til 10, or 11, every day recently and now is at a work love-in for three days...). The other is that well I don't have a car. I've chosen not to get a car cos a) they are expensive = I'd prefer to put the money on the mortgage and buy yarn on occasion and b) I am practising for when we simply cannot afford fuel and alternative transport sources are our options. When I say I don't have a car, people give me this funny look cos only poor people don't have cars, and even many of them still have a car. What sort of weirdo doesn't have a car in California?
So I guess I want company and I want validation. And I'd like it if someone followed my lead. It is sad and lonely living on the edges of society ;-) 2 or 3 weeks ago, I put up a bike challenge - use your bike or walk for those short errands rather than jumping in the car. Put the petrol/gas money aside for something nice. Y'know what?
The only person who took up the challenge was my DH, and you already know that we don't have a car. I know a lot of people have good excuses for not being able to ride (I feel that having some weird form of leukaemia is one!) but there are a whole heap of people out there who have absolutely no excuse. Heck, if Claudia can do it without being able to see well, people who are able bodied in every way should be able to too! And that makes me cranky. (Admittedly many of those people who aren't riding or walking for their fitness and the environment probably don't read this blog either cos really? Why would they?) Now I am not asking you, dear reader, to immediately have a guilt attack cos guilt is no reason to do anything and certainly won't make you feel good about doing the thing (until it is done and the guilt fades with any luck). I just would like to be more inspirational to others.
And just when did I turn into some sort of whacko? OK, even more whacko than ever? Why would anyone follow my lead? I've got about as much charisma as a dead dog. Why do I think that my little effort will be rewarded? I am much more likely just to get dakked all over. But it isn't going to stop me. I can be pigheaded when I choose and the crankier I get the more wrongheaded I can be. Time will tell if I am wrongheaded at the moment or not.
I also want to FINISH SOMETHING! Just something small even! Heavens to betsy, I have nearly finished a sock, a baby poncho, the Drops top (I looked at the colours in my recent post - the laptop has awful colour balance and the pics suck!), a mother bear for an AIDS kid in Africa.... there is a shawl that I have been working on (and off) for over a year now and all it needs is another metre or so of edging. In the same boat of lonely UFOs are a sock that I have to find the pattern for and a jacket that I won't wear for months and months and months (especially if today's weather is any guide - 37C at the moment!). We won't mention the mystery stole 3 or the umm, Mim's shawl in IK. Icarus. Ahem. The good part about nearly finishing a LOT of stuff is that I will have blog fodder that isn't just me raving like a lunatic.
I've been doing some spinning too - currently a beige CVM fleece for a long term project (ie too warm to knit in summer let alone wear) and before that, this yummy yummy bamboo in Sunset from Fiber Fiend. It is spun to a fingering/sport weight (some I've navajo plied to keep the colour runs, some is two ply to blend the colours but it knits up just fine either way).
I am going to use the bamboo to edge a new cardi, not that I have a pattern of the cardi yet. I want something light and swingy so that I can wear it over the top of a singlet when I am riding or just outside. It has to be high necked for maximum coverage and 3/4 or bracelet sleeved. And it has to be light cos 37C? No fun to ride in at all! I have very fair skin and am not interested in become a lobster and later on dying of melanoma. The less flesh I expose to the sun the better! (But you can't stop me being outside either cos being inside all day sucks big bikkies!)
Maybe I should focus on getting one thing done, eh? And chill - if only I liked beer and could get a GF one around here...
anon!
At the moment I seem to be very wanty. I have a couple of theories about it - one is that DH has been sooooo busy working recently that I've not really seen a lot of him (yes he's often been home but that doesn't mean we can chat and given that he's been on the computer from 10 'til 10, or 11, every day recently and now is at a work love-in for three days...). The other is that well I don't have a car. I've chosen not to get a car cos a) they are expensive = I'd prefer to put the money on the mortgage and buy yarn on occasion and b) I am practising for when we simply cannot afford fuel and alternative transport sources are our options. When I say I don't have a car, people give me this funny look cos only poor people don't have cars, and even many of them still have a car. What sort of weirdo doesn't have a car in California?
So I guess I want company and I want validation. And I'd like it if someone followed my lead. It is sad and lonely living on the edges of society ;-) 2 or 3 weeks ago, I put up a bike challenge - use your bike or walk for those short errands rather than jumping in the car. Put the petrol/gas money aside for something nice. Y'know what?
The only person who took up the challenge was my DH, and you already know that we don't have a car. I know a lot of people have good excuses for not being able to ride (I feel that having some weird form of leukaemia is one!) but there are a whole heap of people out there who have absolutely no excuse. Heck, if Claudia can do it without being able to see well, people who are able bodied in every way should be able to too! And that makes me cranky. (Admittedly many of those people who aren't riding or walking for their fitness and the environment probably don't read this blog either cos really? Why would they?) Now I am not asking you, dear reader, to immediately have a guilt attack cos guilt is no reason to do anything and certainly won't make you feel good about doing the thing (until it is done and the guilt fades with any luck). I just would like to be more inspirational to others.
And just when did I turn into some sort of whacko? OK, even more whacko than ever? Why would anyone follow my lead? I've got about as much charisma as a dead dog. Why do I think that my little effort will be rewarded? I am much more likely just to get dakked all over. But it isn't going to stop me. I can be pigheaded when I choose and the crankier I get the more wrongheaded I can be. Time will tell if I am wrongheaded at the moment or not.
I also want to FINISH SOMETHING! Just something small even! Heavens to betsy, I have nearly finished a sock, a baby poncho, the Drops top (I looked at the colours in my recent post - the laptop has awful colour balance and the pics suck!), a mother bear for an AIDS kid in Africa.... there is a shawl that I have been working on (and off) for over a year now and all it needs is another metre or so of edging. In the same boat of lonely UFOs are a sock that I have to find the pattern for and a jacket that I won't wear for months and months and months (especially if today's weather is any guide - 37C at the moment!). We won't mention the mystery stole 3 or the umm, Mim's shawl in IK. Icarus. Ahem. The good part about nearly finishing a LOT of stuff is that I will have blog fodder that isn't just me raving like a lunatic.
I've been doing some spinning too - currently a beige CVM fleece for a long term project (ie too warm to knit in summer let alone wear) and before that, this yummy yummy bamboo in Sunset from Fiber Fiend. It is spun to a fingering/sport weight (some I've navajo plied to keep the colour runs, some is two ply to blend the colours but it knits up just fine either way).
I am going to use the bamboo to edge a new cardi, not that I have a pattern of the cardi yet. I want something light and swingy so that I can wear it over the top of a singlet when I am riding or just outside. It has to be high necked for maximum coverage and 3/4 or bracelet sleeved. And it has to be light cos 37C? No fun to ride in at all! I have very fair skin and am not interested in become a lobster and later on dying of melanoma. The less flesh I expose to the sun the better! (But you can't stop me being outside either cos being inside all day sucks big bikkies!)
Maybe I should focus on getting one thing done, eh? And chill - if only I liked beer and could get a GF one around here...
anon!
Does it count as taking up the challenge if it turns out we (voluntarily) gave up our car several years ago, and now mainly walk or take transit to get places anyways?
ReplyDeleteNow that we have spots in the bike room of our building, we should really get our bikes out of storage and start riding those places, too.
Only DH?? I thought for sure you'd get some more people on board. It was a great idea!
ReplyDeleteI didn't say so, but I hope you know why I didn't :) I am working up to 2 or 3 30-minute walks a week without a flare. It's going good though so far!
Unfortunately, in much of the US, historical land planning has made using alt transport (of a non-motorized variety) either nearly impossible (due to distance) or dangerous. In more populated areas, it isn't common enough to have bike lanes or other areas that allow safe passage. And US drivers aren't accustomed to having bikes on the road, so they aren't as careful as in countries/cities that do. But it definitely has to change as we move forward! Even in LA, I see more and more people on bikes, and I'm encouraged by that.
We're just using 1 vehicle and I get funny looks from people about that! We did have two for years, actually still have the car in the drive, but are in the process of scrapping it and haven't been using it in months. The 2nd vehicle never did get used that much.
ReplyDeleteI ride my bike a lot for fitness and wish I could use it all the time for groceries, etc, but the roads are too scary where the stores are! My DH would love to bike to work, a mere 5 miles, but the roads are dangerous in that direction too. I'm hoping traffic will lighten up and bike lanes will be put in as fuel prices soar and people change their lives to protect the planet...
I think it's great you are living so 'green'!
Sadly, because we both work somewhere that is two buses away from work, it is actually cheaper to use the car :( It is a bit too far to walk or cycle or we would. Unfortunately, we couldn't get a house in Canterbury or we would be able to walk or cycle to work.
ReplyDeleteI used to ride my bike to work quite a lot. Then we moved house and it was too far to do that, and the roads are too darned dangerous these days IMO. Lots more cars than 10 years ago when I used to ride, plus now I have the asthma etc which sort of puts the mockers on it! These days I need the car more than ever to get to work as it's farther away than the old place, don't even mention public transport as that's a joke between where we live and where work is. Sadly we still need 2 cars, wish we didn't!
ReplyDeleteI can't join in... don't have a bike anymore. No room to store it, so sold it to a neighbor. Where we live is too far from most shops to walk.
ReplyDeleteI do my bit by not going out every day and by planning errands in a loop when I drive - sometimes delaying errands that are out of the way until I have more than one in the area.