The Lonliness of the Long Distance Knitter
Yesterday I sat on my rear for an extended period of time - not knitting - but clearing up tax stuff, pattern stuff, charting stuff and all kinds of email stuff that HAD TO BE DONE!
As a Virgo I usually relish the chance to crack open a spreadsheet and write up some functions (scripts, formulas, calculations - they have so many beautiful names!) but I've been so amazingly busy this past year that balancing my bank account, updating my database of products sold, etc., has eluded me. Luckily, I am fairly organized and keep very good records of what I sold where, how many miles I drove on what trip and last year I also dived into the borderline scary world of credit card bookkeeping.
What I mean by that is that now I hold 3 cards. This may not seem like a lot to most, but up until last year I'd been pretty much a debit card kind of gal for the past 20 years. Oh, sure, whenI first arrived in NYC my best friend and I had a little casual competition to see who could amass the greatest number of credit cards (they were hard to get then - just imagine!) I'll never forget the sheer elegance of the narrow, lavendar Burgdorf's card - what a nice looking credit card THAT was. Or was it Bendels? (Is there even still a Bendels?)
So I use one card purely for shipping, one card for travel, and one card for my printing & office expenses. Gerry has copies so when I'm out of town and he has to ship something or buy a business related item for me he can. Except for a few missteps (no, I don't think admission to Cedar Point is a valid business expense...) it's worked pretty well and makes the whole keeping track of receipts thing a little easier.
I'm still trying to figure out the whole rewards points / $$ / miles thing (of course they make it confusing on purpose!) but so far I've been able to get two airline tickets out of the amount I spent last year (one each on two different cards) and I should be able to cash in miles for yet another one. I think I must be their least favorite customer, though, because I always pay off my bill +$1.00 so I don't carry anything over to accrue a finance charge.
I remember my mom - who used to work in a bank - sitting down with me and explaining about writing checks and keeping a balance in the account. She could have passed for a Virgo. It's such a different world now, but the basics of keeping track of what goes out and what comes in will never change.
Another Openin'
We've had a nice amount of interest in the house, and actually had 2 folks who came through THREE times (we'd heard that the third time was a charm, but not in either of these instances...) But so far no bites. Darn. Um, St. Joseph?
So today, in light of the fact that our stairs are carpet-free and beautiful and the High Holy Days are over, and the news has moved away from Housing Prices At 11-Year Low! to stories about House Members and their - ahem - members, our agent feels that it would be a good day for a second Brokers Open House. I have to flee at 10:30 and be gone for a few hours, then return to hear what the lodown is from the 'experts' in our area.
The whole house sale thing is making Gerry a little more nuts than it makes me, but I think it's because he has a lot wrapped up in the sale; he hates his job and wants to move to a new area, but I love what I do and I could do it anywhere!
More Books
I'm always astounded when I need to order more books from my printer - it just doesn't seem possible that I run through all the books I do, but there it is - I'm down to my last 25 and I'd better place that order toot sweet!
Political Content (look away if you're troubled by frankness)
We don't have cable, but we have internet! I've become addicted to watching bits and pieces from Keith Olberman's show. Ah. [le sigh...]
Anyway, I loved this bit so much that I feel it's my duty (yes, duty - I'm a patriot, not a loyalist!) to post it on my blog. Enjoy!
As a Virgo I usually relish the chance to crack open a spreadsheet and write up some functions (scripts, formulas, calculations - they have so many beautiful names!) but I've been so amazingly busy this past year that balancing my bank account, updating my database of products sold, etc., has eluded me. Luckily, I am fairly organized and keep very good records of what I sold where, how many miles I drove on what trip and last year I also dived into the borderline scary world of credit card bookkeeping.
What I mean by that is that now I hold 3 cards. This may not seem like a lot to most, but up until last year I'd been pretty much a debit card kind of gal for the past 20 years. Oh, sure, whenI first arrived in NYC my best friend and I had a little casual competition to see who could amass the greatest number of credit cards (they were hard to get then - just imagine!) I'll never forget the sheer elegance of the narrow, lavendar Burgdorf's card - what a nice looking credit card THAT was. Or was it Bendels? (Is there even still a Bendels?)
So I use one card purely for shipping, one card for travel, and one card for my printing & office expenses. Gerry has copies so when I'm out of town and he has to ship something or buy a business related item for me he can. Except for a few missteps (no, I don't think admission to Cedar Point is a valid business expense...) it's worked pretty well and makes the whole keeping track of receipts thing a little easier.
I'm still trying to figure out the whole rewards points / $$ / miles thing (of course they make it confusing on purpose!) but so far I've been able to get two airline tickets out of the amount I spent last year (one each on two different cards) and I should be able to cash in miles for yet another one. I think I must be their least favorite customer, though, because I always pay off my bill +$1.00 so I don't carry anything over to accrue a finance charge.
I remember my mom - who used to work in a bank - sitting down with me and explaining about writing checks and keeping a balance in the account. She could have passed for a Virgo. It's such a different world now, but the basics of keeping track of what goes out and what comes in will never change.
Another Openin'
We've had a nice amount of interest in the house, and actually had 2 folks who came through THREE times (we'd heard that the third time was a charm, but not in either of these instances...) But so far no bites. Darn. Um, St. Joseph?
So today, in light of the fact that our stairs are carpet-free and beautiful and the High Holy Days are over, and the news has moved away from Housing Prices At 11-Year Low! to stories about House Members and their - ahem - members, our agent feels that it would be a good day for a second Brokers Open House. I have to flee at 10:30 and be gone for a few hours, then return to hear what the lodown is from the 'experts' in our area.
The whole house sale thing is making Gerry a little more nuts than it makes me, but I think it's because he has a lot wrapped up in the sale; he hates his job and wants to move to a new area, but I love what I do and I could do it anywhere!
More Books
I'm always astounded when I need to order more books from my printer - it just doesn't seem possible that I run through all the books I do, but there it is - I'm down to my last 25 and I'd better place that order toot sweet!
Political Content (look away if you're troubled by frankness)
We don't have cable, but we have internet! I've become addicted to watching bits and pieces from Keith Olberman's show. Ah. [le sigh...]
Anyway, I loved this bit so much that I feel it's my duty (yes, duty - I'm a patriot, not a loyalist!) to post it on my blog. Enjoy!
24 Comments:
That's PERFECT...Too many people are afraid to speak out. Afraid. In THIS country! Not a good sign. Did you hear about the Dallas school teacher who was fired for taking her 5th grade class to an art museum? Apparently, one of the kids told her parents she was offended by a statue of a nude female. I hope the pendulum swings back toward center soon. Time again to "knit for peace."
WOW!
Thanx for the video!
Thanks for sharing the commentary. I hadn't seen that one. I feel so ashamed of what my country has become. Afghanistan, Iraq, Katrina, No Child Left Behind, the list of mistakes and failures goes on and on. I would be ashamed to travel abroad right now. I don't want to be "The Ugly American".
As the daughter of a career Marine raised during the Vietnam War I am stunned by may feelings of shame. But, never the less, I may have to follow the example of the Quirky Nomads and move to Canada.
Hooray, Annie!
We've all become so apathetic, in this age, that we've quit screaming about the criminals we've elected to office! Yes, criminals, and on both sides of the aisle! I don't think there's a hair's breadth difference between the Democrats and Republicans...it's just who happen's to be in POWER! Mr. Olberman might have well quoted an old adage "Absolute power corrupts absolutely!" It hasn't mattered who sits in the Oval Office...just sitting there sets him up for unimaginable temptation! And we haven't had a president lately with the moral backbone not to cave in to that pressure! Clinton had his issues, just as Bush does...the difference is that Clinton's issues were, in general, domestic, whereas George put us out there on the international front lines!
If I may end with another quote (I don't remember where from) "A little revolution, now and then, is a GOOD thing!"
Thanks Annie for being brave and publishing this video. It is interesting and right on the money. Thanks heavens for the country, the far right-wing Republicans seem to be self-destructing right now, especially a certain one from Florida.
Thank you for this clip! If president bush (deserving of lower case) spent time knitting and reflecting on the impact of his actions we might not be in this mess...
HURRAH! HURRAH! Love it!
That was the most refreshing news bit I've ever seen. I personally love his tone, choice of words, various illiterations, and delivery of this report. I was clapping half way through.
Thanks for posting this.
Amie - I'm with you! I'd been feeling so damned paralyzed myself, this was a good wake up call. Hey - I'm not ALONE and I have a RIGHT to feel that all of this is just wrong! Validation is a good feeling.
Jo - I agree that the Dems aren't without their own scandals & missteps, but this situation is without parallel in our history. Every human is capable of graft and theft, but I believe that Dems encourage those-who-have to reach down to help those-who-don't-have. That's something we could have used a lot of in the past few years! We're only as strong as our weakest link, so make your weak links as strong as possible.
I also personally believe fellow/sister Dems are more likely to tell off Dem leaders and hold their feet to the fire for their failings. Some call this "disorganized" - I call it accountability.
There's been so much marching in lock step by Repubs - even from folks who KNOW the prez is wrong - that it makes me fear for our Democracy.
I think K.O. is wrong about one thing: G.W. Bush is not the worst president since Buchanan: he is the worst president ever.
Toni
While I readily admit that my long-time affiliation with the Democratic Party and Democratic candidates makes me biased in political conversations, I am always amazed at how proud I am whenever President Clinton speaks. He is intelligent, passionate, and knowlegable about both domestic and world matters. He may be a lousy husband, but he is a wonderful statesman and leader.
I realize that because I am from Northern California we are a little more progressive than other parts of the US, but does the rest of the Country truly believe that we are better off today than we were on November 6, 2000 (the day before the Presidential election)?
Sorry I am being so political on your knitting blog. I enjoyed seeing your Knitty Gritty episode today and hope that you will be on more episodes in the future.
Diane
Northside Knitter
Thank you! thanks for being willing to speak out! this presidency leaves so much to hope for.... clinton had his issues, but it was the republicans that couldn't leave them alone... this editorial was so succinct and I would have missed it if it wasn't for checking out your site.
Amazing...the media is really turning around! First all the books coming out and, now, if MSNBC can run this excellent commentary, then there's some hope for the truth to finally come out!! Thanks for putting this up Annie--I hadn't seen it.
And BEST OF LUCK on the house! Have a good Sukkot.
Susan
beadmomsw@gmail.com
I enjoy your blog....all except the blatantly political stuff. Stick to knitting and family stuff - your good at those things. I don't know why you risk alienating half of the knitters who don't hold your political views.
I don't expect to see this comment make the list but if it does I will be pleasantly surprised.
Anonymous -
How brave of you to leave your name.
My blog, my views, my life, my choice. At least for now.
I hear Rush is starting a knitting blog, you might want to visit his site...
Oh, and based on the hundreds of knitters I meet a year, I would suspect the percentage of knitters I know who are Bush supporters is closer to 10 - 15%, nowhere near 50%
I don't care who anyone votes for, it's not my business. I would certainly never tell anyone that they don't have a right to air their opinion - especially on their own blog.
I'm afraid, anonymous, that your comment simply proves the point that repubs are the ones who want to shut everyone who doesn't agree with them up. However, it's still a free country - at least for the time being.
I don't write for anyone but me - read it or leave it, your choice (for now, at least...)
I am pleasantly surprised to see my comment published....unfortunately, I am not at all surprised to see your attack on me and those that don't think like you. That is precisely why I chose to post anonymously, though one wonders why you have that option on your blog if you treat someone who uses it with such disdain?
You're right - it is your blog, your life, your choice. But with your response you have now pretty much guaranteed I will never attend one of your classes or buy one of your books or patterns. Maybe that's not a big deal to you....but it seems to me one of the main themes on your blog is your desire to make a living with your knitting skills and you definitely use your blog to market to those who read it. I would think that when it comes to your business, especially with possibly of being the sole support of your family while your husband seeks employment, that you wouldn't want to alienate any potential customers. Guess I was wrong about that....
Just as I don't want a "bricks and mortar store" hawking their political views along with their merchandise, I don't care to have an internet knitting marketer broadcasting and pushing their political agenda even if it is on their blog.
Did it ever occur to you that the percentage of knitters who you believe agree with you is unrealistically skewed...that it is likely that for the most part only those knitters that agree with you are speaking up here? I would bet that the knitters who don't agree with your political views do not bother commenting - especially knowing how you are likely to react.
When a politician receives a letter, they assume that it represents the viewpoint of hundreds, if not thousands, of their constituents. Perhaps as a knitting marketer, you should consider that my views are shared by far more readers, and you are turning off far more potential customers than you realize.
But, hey, if it makes you feel good to be self-righteously condescending and sarcastic toward those who don't see things the way you do and dare to post a comment - go for it.
You definitely shouldn't attend one of my classes - I think you wouldn't have a good time, and I KNOW I wouldn't! My blog, my views, my life, my choice.
If someone isn't buying my books or attending my classes for political reasons, it is definitely their loss and not mine. I have no problem attending classes by or buying books from folks I don't agree with 100% on all things, but evidently that's one of your concerns, and you should do what your heart tells you to do.
My heart tells me to protest this illegal presidency which has costs hundreds of thousands of lives and billions of dollars - and I will. To me that's much more important than a few book sales. What is a book sale if my country is going to hell?
Thanks Annie for sharing the clip, for hosting this conversation and for speaking in response to us commenters.
I guess I am of an age at which I feel we must say what we must say. I admire KO and AM for doing it.
I happen to agree with the sense of urgency you and some other commenters feel. I listen to various points of view in my day to day life, in my reading and in my viewing of TV and listening to radio. I am discouraged and tired but glad that voices like yours surprise me, even on a knitting blog!
Keep the faith!
I live in an area of the country where voices like "anonymous" are prevalent...being liberal or different in any way is seen as something to feel bad about. It makes me afraid sometimes to be non-Protestant in public (sukkah hidden behind the backyard fence this year) and I can't express my political views without looking over my shoulder. I too have decided to speak out on my blog--and in occasional publications in widely distributed media, where Northeasterners and others can hear what's it's like to have to self-censor. I thank every person who speaks out because it IS more important than one knitting book or a class.
Over and over, I wonder why Republicans feel so angry when Democrats express their viewpoints. We should be allowed to have them--even if it hurts our business. I'm ok with that. My values come before my pocketbook. Thank you.
Bravo Annie! I watched the video and read the comments. In the land of the free all voices should be heard and all opinions freely shared. You have been quite polite with the one commenter that did not have the courage to sign his/her name.....defending the administration without a real discussion and offending you for your opinions is perhaps examplary for the people that elected and defend this president and his deeds.I pity anonymous who has not understood democracy and has no values worthy of a name.
Chapeau! Marcella in Holland
As one of your international readers (I'm German, but my husband has dual - British and American - citizenship, so we tend to follow American politics quite closely), I just want to say thanks for posting this clip. It's heartening to see that not all Americans are bush people who still believe that Iraq had WMD...
Regarding the anonymous comment I would like to say that "bricks and mortar stores" do display their political views. When my husband and I were visiting New England in 2003 we saw many shops with signs that read "We Support Our Troops" and the like. Did we not buy petrol or sandwiches from these shops, because they were supporting a war which we thought was wrong? No, we didn't. Similarly, I wouldn't think anything less of your designs, if you were a Republican (but I'm glad you're not).
It seems to me that, in the United States, it's somehow okay for people to express their views as long as they are Republican, pro-war, etc., whereas a Democrat, anti-war point of view is quickly labled "unpatriotic" - even though your current administration could be accused of being exactly that. Or is it not "unpatriotic" to jeopardize your country's reputation and squander the goodwill that many people all over the world felt towards the United States after the events of 9/11?
Annie,
THANK YOU for sharing this! My teeny-tiny cable service (by choice) does not include Mr. Keith O and MSNBC. As I watched, I kept thinking, "Oh my God, a reporter with a brain!!" Even before is closing I was reminded of Edward R. Murrow. And to think that I only remember Keith O as a sports commentator.
How can any conservatives defend what their leadership is doing to our country and to the world?
Funny, anonymous, if you think Anne's is going to alienate half her audience that you yourself would feel the need to remain anonymous. You wouldn't feel attacked if there were more people on your side, right? Of course Anne's going to leave your comment. She's more or less asked for a debate by saying something political in the first place.
It's always been strange to me how much the conservative party appears to dislike open political discussion, especially on the part of celeberities. While they claim that their open political agenda is irresponsible, wouldn't it be more irresponsible to hide it? Isn't this really a claim against leadership as opposed to a claim of irresponsibility? How ironic to see someone self-censoring and advocating self-censorship when many of the comments made early on in the video discuss censorship and distortion in the media. Quite frankly, I see it as a why of pretending to have an underdog, but "correct" position.
Better to ask yourself why someone whose opinion you respect about so many other things, thinks something different than you and bring it up for discussion.
fawning, toady, sycophants all!
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