Friday, July 27, 2012

addictions

What does it mean to be addicted? One dictionary reads the state of being addicted, especially to a habit-forming drug, to such an extent that cessation causes severe trauma

Notice that there is no qualifier that the habit-forming drug be illegal. By this definition we can be addicted to our natural drugs: endorphins, serotonin, adrenalin. Under this umbrella, we are all  addicts--addicted to the chemical secreted when we sleep, addicted to our own body's "good-time" drugs (endorphins), addicted to the natural high of an adrenalin rush.

Common knowledge also says that an activity can be considered addictive when it interferes with normal functioning.

Why does this subject come up today? Because I have two addictions not being attended to and another one approaching which I fear will not be served.

--sleep I love my sleep, and it's been mightily disrupted lately--by the work of editing the first dummy of my next (and last) book. Can you tell that this makes me grumpy?

--knitting You had to know I was going there? Of course it satisfies the addiction criteria (especially if we start obsessing over, quantifying, adding to our stash). Sadly, the book editing is also cutting into my knitting time. Grumpier still!

--the Olympics I am a complete Olympics junkie. When they are on, my life is organized around watching. Consider that for the winter Olympics, I rarely left my couch from noon to midnight each day. I had everything I needed--food, phone, knitting, measuring tape--within reach. The remote was also within reach, so I could check another country's coverage. If I had to leave my home during those hours, I'd get really anxious . . . until I could make some plausible excuse (Gotta run, something's burning in the crock pot!i)
So, okay, the book edits will be done by Aug 1. Maybe I'll just miss the first few days? 

But, oh no. As soon as I can, I must drive 9 hours north to spend the next 3 weeks at a country place--with a 17" television that gets only one channel and on which events appear to be happening in fog if not blizzard.

What was I thinking?!?!? That I love my family? That I need some fresh air? That I like picking corn and shoveling manure? That the Olympics will surely come again???

Try telling any of that to an addict.

But, yes, enough of the whine. I will get to knit.



4 comments:

  1. Can you get a decent internet connection? All the events will be available in a streaming feed...

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  2. That's SUCH a good suggestion, and I appreciate your taking my problem seriously, but the internet connection at the farm is also slow. No cable, not exactly high speed--both challenging. BUT it is a gorgeous place and I must stop whining!

    Speaking of the latter, I have problem-solved around it and will present my solutions probably tonight.

    Thanks for writing.

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  3. What sizes with the groovy sweater (for women) fit? Plus sizes?
    Gloria

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  4. The GROOVY PULLOVER is written as a man's pattern (S – 2X). But a woman would knit one size SMALLER. In other words, a man's S is a woman's M, a man's M is a woman's L.

    So, yes, there are large sizes--all the way to 3X for a woman. What is not there is a woman's S.

    The adjustments for a woman are on my website (sallymelvilleknnits.com) under adapts. You'll see a photo of it in yellow.

    ReplyDelete