Profanity

I know I haven't posted in a while, but I saw a post on Samurai Knitter's blog today that got me thnking, and I wanted to comment. But my comments kept growing and I decided (like at least one other reader there) to just give it a whole post of it's own.

Like Alwen, I kind of subscribe to the theory that words have power, and the more seldom you use certain words, the more impact they will have when you do use them. I rarely swear, so when I do, it means something. I am either making a point, and people are shocked enough by it to pay attention, or I am extremely frustrated and it is really cathartic. (I also have a very even temper as a general rule, and a really long fuse, but when I reach the end of that fuse, the resulting explosion can be heard two counties away, and my husband cowers in fear.)

I find that I tend to have a low opinion of people who curse with every other word out of their mouths - whether for right or wrong, I tend to think that they aren't intelligent enough to express themselves without resorting to the lowest common denominator. Just my own personal bias. I don't find "comedians" who swear constantly funny either.

My son knows most of the common swear words, but we've always told him that part of being mature enough to know them is knowing when it's appropriate to use them (and it's almost never appropriate for a 10-year-old to use them!), so he doesn't use them gratuitously either. He hears us finding creative and eloquent ways to express frustration and anger, and my hope is that he will do the same.

That being said, in the right context, swearing can be hysterically funny - one of my favorite scenes from the movie "Four Weddings and a Funeral" is the opening sequence, where Hugh Grant is rushing around, running late, and muttering to himself "Fuck, fuck, fuckity-fuck-fuck-fuck!" Makes me laugh every time!

Happy New Year!

A new year needs a new look!

Well, we made it past the holidays intact! I finished the mittens I was working on for my friends, and they were successfully gifted last Sunday. I wish I'd gotten pictures of the recipients wearing them (Scott said he would never take his off - I think that might eventually get awkward, but it's not up to me), but here are pics of the finished products anyway:

These are a Brooklyn Tweed pattern by Jared Flood (love Jared's patterns!) called Strago (Ravelry link). They are made out of alpaca, and the pattern was just perfect for my friend Mark.

These are Scott's. They are felted, and I think they will be extremely warm, but the thumb on this pattern was a big disappointment - it's huge! I don't think any normal human being has a thumb that is that long in proportion to their hand, and I wish I had realized that the thumbs would not felt down enough when I was knitting them. But Scott loved them, and that is what matters.

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Now I'm working on a scarf for my husband's aunt to give to a friend of hers as a birthday gift. It's going slowly, probably because I would rather be working on something for myself! But, she is paying for this scarf, so it would be a good thing if I were to finish it quickly.

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We are going to a family birthday party tomorrow - we always celebrate the birthdays that are grouped close together at one party, so the aforementioned aunt (whose birthday was yesterday), my sister-in-law (whose birthday is tomorrow), and I (my birthday is Tuesday) are celebrating tomorrow. Should be fun.

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That's all for now - hope your year is starting out well!