Thursday morning stuff

* My friend came through surgery well. That's good news to get first thing in the morning. She'll probably be home in a few days.

* I finished the Sea Pony last night, but too late to post pictures (it was after 9 pm, and these days, I need to go to bed around nine.) I'll maybe get some pictures up tonight or tomorrow.

ETA: It will have to be tomorrow. I just got out of lab - had two people who took extra long. And then had to deal with an individual who was (unjustifiably) upset with a grade they earned on something. I'm beat, and I still have to figure out dinner. (It's harder when you have to eat low sodium/lots of vegetables - you can't just get a carry out pizza and call it good.)

* I was re-reading some of the "knitting essay books" that came out some years (as much as 10 now) back: there was a time when this sort of thing was very popular, concurrent with the "knitting is the new yoga" idea and the breathless descriptions of celebrities knitting. I'm not sure what the new "it" hobby is (maybe it's something to do with cooking? I know that there is a home-butchering movement....) but apparently the light of popularity has moved on from knitting. Oh, lots and lots of people still knit, probably lots of people who got into it because Hilary Swank or whoever was knitting realized they like it and still knit...but you don't see news stories on it any more, and you don't see books of people writing essays/philosophizing/BSing about knitting like you used to. (I don't know how I feel about that. On the one hand, it's fun to read about something you enjoy, and some of the better essays strike a chord. On the other hand, some of them made me roll my eyes a little bit, or made me think, "I have the same thoughts too; why am I not being lionized by having a book?")

And this particular book had a section of essays on crocheting, and once again they brought up an old trope that I really don't get: that knitting and crochet are mortal enemies, that "real" knitters look down their nose at crochet, that crocheters think knitters are all snooty....and I just rumple my brow in frustration.

First: Knitting and crochet are different tools. Each one is good but it is good for different things. If I want to make a very sculptural stuffed toy animal, crochet is excellent for this. If I want to make a pair of soft comfortable socks that won't make pressure-hives come out on my feet, knitting is what I would want to use. If I want a sweater that is a thick fabric yet still drapey, knitting is the best choice. For an open, lacy thing to cover up over a t-shirt or something, crochet works well (though knitting also works in that case). For stuff like doilies, both work, though I tend to think of crochet first for those kinds of things....and on, and on. Filet-type designs (for curtains or tablecloths) are much easier to execute well in crochet, IMHO....

Second: I know some people who only knit and don't crochet; that's fine. I know some people who only crochet and don't knit, that's fine also. What I don't get is the supposed conflict between the two - I tend to be more of a "go in peace" sort of person. If someone wants to crochet socks, well, that wouldn't be  my choice for my feet, but they can do what they want. If someone would prefer to knit an amigurumi, fine (I've done it) but it does require more aggressive shaping and stuffing (and trickier techniques) than what crochet seems to require.

But acting like it's some kind of Jets and Sharks thing just seems whacked to me. Isn't there enough sad drama in life without creating more? (Do other hobbyists do this kind of stuff? Set up a false dichotomy and take sides and get really petty about it sometimes? Maybe some gamers do, I don't know....)

Anyway.

* My mom sent me the obituary for the family friend (the one who died of the massive heart attack). He was only ten years older than I am. I guess I should have expected he was close to me in age. I mean, he didn't SEEM like an old man in any way....I guess, it's just sometimes it catches me, I forget that I'm actually technically middle-aged. And it's scary to begin seeing people close to you in age dying of things like heart attacks and strokes. (And the sad news about James Gandolfini last night didn't help either....and he was only seven years older than I am). Up until now, most of the people close in age to me who died, it was either a tragic accident (car wreck, drowning when trying to save a kid) or it was something like cancer where you can kind of insulate yourself and say, "But I don't have a family history of that one..." or, sadly, suicide. (A way of ending life I've never contemplated).

But now, I'm entering the age where you also hear of people dying of heart disease and other "age related" stuff. And while I am perhaps safer than some in some ways: being a still-technically-of-reproductive-age woman carries some protection; I don't have a family history of any serious conditions; and I also eat a crazy-healthful diet these days, still, it does give one pause.  (Even though I have at least once opined that I would probably rather be struck down by a sudden fatal heart attack, preferably while doing something like interesting fieldwork, than spend months lingering in an ICU, still, I hope if that happens, it's YEARS, no, DECADES, in the future yet).

* It's super, super humid here right now. Even the weather guys are talking about how it is unusually humid, so I guess I shouldn't be overly concerned about the fact that it feels like I'm trying to breathe through a damp washcloth. I don't like humidity; I have a hard time breathing (even with the asthma meds) and I just feel generally cruddy. (I also have a dental check up tomorrow which is NEVER fun. I don't care what the hygienist said about "This shouldn't be a problem for you; you never really have anything wrong with your teeth" I STILL don't enjoy having a bright light shined in my face and someone sticking their hands and metal implements in my mouth when I really can do nothing about it.  (I know, I know: some people get prescriptions and take a Xanax or something before the appointment, but then I'd have to get someone to drive me there and drive me home, and it's just easier to put up with being really uncomfortable for the half-hour or so.)