(no subject)

[trinityvixen]

Kittens are so cute. I came home for lunch today, and Oscar went over to Wally and started licking his head. Then there was some mutual licking going on. I didn't think anything could top all three of us napping on my bed together for the squeee!-factor, but I was wrong. Kittens = the deadliest kind of cute.
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feiran loaned me a copy of Mean Genes and I got most of the way through the intro before deciding this probably wasn't for me. I understand how they have extrapolated from genes developed to encourage mass/food storage as fat to say that's why we have trouble denying ourselves, but the whole ancient man drive to eat all on his plate at once (because the next meal was uncertain) translating into why some people are unable not to spend all the money they get? Come on, that's excusing lack of control on genes. If you have an inherited disorder, that is beyond your control. Money is so far from being a physical need, that that is too much of a stretch to fall into good science. Yes, you can reason that money provides for physical needs, but if you're already reasoning that intuitively, how much more effort does it take to realize that there is no provision if you don't store up a little? Even in the throwback hunter-gatherer days, there were some foods you could keep, so, no, that's not an excuse. Their bullshit paragraph--"Please note, this isn't a blame thing"--came too little, too late. I could see this just pissing me off, so I put it down.

Now today's Newsweek probably will also piss me off (the cover is about the Foley business and there's a banner about what's wrong with hospitals, which, working in one and being a sibling of two doctors, believe me, I know plenty about what's wrong with them already), but at least I'll have the satisfaction of throwing it away when I'm done with it.
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Maaah, no new House for another THREE WEEKS. Tuesdays are a big hole of suck on my schedule right now. Yes, my schedule is my TV-watching schedule, okay? I use TV as background to stitching (I'm almost done with the baby bib for my niece), and new stuff is preferable to old because new stuff gets me to take my eyes off what I'm doing often enough to a) keep an eye out for kittens ready to pounce on my thread, and b) stop me from going cross-eyed as I look from design to fabric and back and figure out where I'm going wrong. I'm actually having a lot of trouble with that last part because of the design I'm doing having half stitches. A half stitch is one full bar of an "X" and only one half the leg of the other. It means sticking the needle down in the middle of the square of tightly bound threads, and it's fairly messy looking regardless of execution and it makes counting the squares a bitch. I usually avoid doing patterns with the half stitch if I can, but this was really cute and perfect for the bib I bought, so stuck. I'll post a picture when it's done.

Comments

[arcane-the-sage.livejournal.com]

I understand how they have extrapolated from genes developed to encourage mass/food storage as fat to say that's why we have trouble denying ourselves, but the whole ancient man drive to eat all on his plate at once (because the next meal was uncertain) translating into why some people are unable not to spend all the money they get?

Way over simplified, but not all wrong. Genes do play a role in how our minds turn out, but for all that nature there is a whole lot of nurture to take into account. For any compulsion there needs a triggering event of some kind. But I also believe that we are just starting to realize what role genetics plays in the probability that many psych conditions may develop in given person (given a set of conditions). In short, the human mind is a messy place being pulled in too many directions..... so place your bets as to what part starts to break first ^_^

[ecmyers.livejournal.com]

Why, you could watch Veronica Mars on Tuesdays!

:P

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

I could do, or I could watch Animaniacs some more. Guess which I'm going to do?

[umeyard.livejournal.com]

*hugs*
i feel your cross stitch pain, but here is a fun fact with CS fabric, the actual dead center of the square is not that tight, and the tighter you have your fabric in the loop the easier it is to do it. also short cut idea. Look at your half stitches. Are you going to back stitch over them? if so just skip the long part of the X that you are doing since nobody will see that thread anyways. only do the the 1/4th part. Trust me on this, the end result will look less lumpy :)

now you can laugh at me about this, i put Dana's blankie somewhere for safekeeping so it would not get dirty. Open to any ideas on where i put it :(

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Oh dear, sorry to hear that.

Thanks for the advice on the half stitches. I see that even in the one thing I've managed to keep up with over the years, I still have room for improvement (note: the bib was an aida front pocket on a regular bib, so I couldn't use the hoop, plus I tend not to use hoops as they stretch the fabric out--I use a loom for big things or else I roll the sides and hold onto it. It's not taut, but it's not distorted either).

[umeyard.livejournal.com]

yes a loop will stretch it out all crazy style, all you need to do is take it out of the loop, put your hand on either side of the fabric and sorta move your hands like they are shuffling feet if that makes any sense. Also use some woolite in your sink, wash the item by hand and let it dry, that will get the fabric to bounce back in place.

i need a loom...badly. and remember, the tigher you have the fabric the more even yoru stitches are going to be :D I know its a pain in the ass....and you have the weird circly thing, but trust me it goes away, ask Darryl, his was stretched out all crazy style and washed it by hand for him and now its all happy looking :D

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

You sound like a pro :) More than me, at any rate. I might consider that route for the next one I'm working on, given it's size. anywho, cheers!

[umeyard.livejournal.com]

LOL hardly a pro, just dealing with 4 babies that i need to make blankies for between now and March....getting alot of practice in

although you have me wanting to go to the store and get one of the scrolling loom type thingies....sounds like something that would kick butt rather then moving my loop every few minutes :D

*hugs*
i am sure yours are going to turn out amazing

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Without a scroll, I could never have done my large projects for Dana and Jotham. It's good, it holds so well, and it's easy to adjust. I definitely recommend one.