Best Quote I Heard All Day
Nothing is impossible. Some things are just less likely than others.—Jonathan Winters

I’m back from the holidays and my trip to Maine, refreshed and crankier than ever. Amazing how psychotropic medication doesn’t sweeten the disposition, eh? Back into the work fray as well. You play, you pay.

Lithium Doldrums
Last week my cell phone rang at work, and who should it be but my beloved Joe, checking up on me because a particular reader was concerned that I had succumbed to either depression or mania. Not exactly. I’ve come out of what my shrink called a prolonged period of dysphoria, which is mania without the happies. Somehow I managed to function during that time, including writing the blog. But I’ve been tired and feeling somewhat detached and unmotivated—this is, of course a direct result of taking the lithium.

I spent my Christmas vacation getting stabilized on the lithium and distancing myself from the blog a bit. Besides the fact that I didn’t feel much like writing, I didn’t have much to say, either. But it was good to do some thinking about the blog’s direction and what I’d like it to be.

Rather than be part of the problem, I think it’s good to be part of the solution. In other words, besides criticizing the magazines for poor design and lack of teaching inspiration, I plan on adding more info on technique to the blog. I’ve done some of this in the past. This year there will be a lot more of that.

Christmas Crapalong
No submissions, no winner. But then, who could improve upon Carol S’s fine objet d’art of last year, the decorated toilet seat cover.

Frankly, I wouldn’t enter my own contest. I’ve got better things to do, and so should you.

Lists Adieu
As I said to Loopy, I might as well unsubscribe from mailing lists because I don’t have the time, the patience or the inclination to read all the spew. The only list I can see keeping is the Spin List and that’s because I’m a relative spinning newbie, so there is some value there. Otherwise, I can’t be bothered with any of them, and that includes those lists that consider themselves above the others. Even those lists get weighted down by onerous threads on topics that have little or no intrinsic interest or value.

In other words, bullshit blather is bullshit blather, whether you use fractured English or dollah-three-eighty words.

Christmas Gifties
Mammy bought me the Nancy's KnitKnacks Yarn Meter so that I can measure what I spin. I do have a McMorran scale but it seems to have disappeared. I’ll be trying it this weekend when I measure and wind the Wensleydale. Ma has already knitted up a swatch at 6 spi and declared it to be very nice stuff. I’m glad she’s happy with it. When the cranberry merino I’ve been spinning is plyed, it should make very nice sock yarn, although probably not terribly hardwearing. No matter.

So here’s to the New Year. May we all continue to be rare and handy, lithium or no lithium.