handicrafts, docs in icy terrain, my out of control poirot screencap directory, and medication

[cimorene]

• Crocheting. waxjism wanted convertible fingerless glove mittens for using her phone in the cold; unfortunately she asked me to make them cover the thumb completely, only to notice later that it's really the thumb that you use most when typing on the N900's side-sliding qwerty keyboard. It's too cold to wear them out and about yet anyway. I've made an experimental pair for myself using the same 7 Bröderna sock yarn but in silver (hers are variegated green to match her hat) - the weight seems to be just right, and the texture I was trying out turned out well, but I'm not positive about my choices with the mitten part. After I make the other one I'll post pictures of both pairs, probably. One benefit of making something for someone else first and then for yourself after is that you get the de-bugged version (longer cuffs, better-fitted thumb gusset from the pattern's). Possibly I should do that the other way around in future, though.



• Dr Martens triumph over icy terrain! Monday I found myself walking along a street I usually avoid in winter because it's too narrow to be scraped, and winds up with huge mounds of snow covering most or all of the sidewalk. I was wearing my typical every-day-all-winter-long Docs, and in front of me was a girl wearing ordinary boots with a smooth thin sole almost entirely lacking in tread. While I just looked at the ground to make sure I didn't twist an ankle on a bump or anything, she slithered painstakingly along, forced to make the most ridiculous choices about where to put her feet, slipping and sliding like she was wearing thick woollen socks on a hardwood floor and nearly falling several times in patches where I had no trouble. I always feel a combination of smugness and sympathy and concern, here. I mean, sure, you're writing your own prescription for foot- and other bodily injury when you wear stupid shoes, but that doesn't mean I think you deserve to fall down, and anyway, maybe she didn't have a choice. Still, it's nice to skip confidently where others fear to tread, as it were. (And when wearing my Docs, I'm always confident of having the most awesome shoes in any given place at least by my own standards, which is an instant mood-lifter.)



• Fuck yeah Poirot! Over the last few years I've accumulated a pretty poorly-organized directory of probably over 1000 screencaps of Agatha Christie's Poirot. I finally gave in to impulse and made a photoblog especially for them at maisouipoirot. Right now this is my happy place.
  
  I've also just read Lord Edgware Dies and noticed yet again that the canon novels are actually slashier than the tv show. Christie doesn't intend it to be sexual in nature, obviously, but it's quite the romantic friendship, and Poirot is so overtly affectionate and loving. Although The Mysterious Affair at Styles was rather slashier from Hastings's side in that he dwelled even longer and more lovingly on Poirot's mood-ring eyes and also went on a bit about how he couldn't possibly resist him.



• Functioning meds are so nice! This winter has not been nearly as stressful as last winter, and while I could say for a fact that the medication I'm taking now is definitely helping with both anxiety and depression, it's always hard to pin down exactly what's making a difference since you can't isolate variables in real life and so on. But the difference was really brought home to me yesterday when I went to pick up one of the bits of Red Cross First Aid certification instruction that I had to miss last fall. All the women in the class were total strangers to me, yet I was less anxious than at many of the now-finished lectures with my own group, whom I got to know somewhat. I realized I left home with 20¢ less than round-trip bus fare. I found 10¢ in my bag, but had to ask the room at large to donate to the cause. (Luckily, someone did!)

Comments

[effex]

I'm so glad this winter is going better for you - I remember last year's as being pretty bad. :/ Hurray for meds that work!

I need to get some Doc Martins. I keep saying that, hopefully someday it'll actually happen.

[cimorene]

They're a bit expensive but they're worth it, if they work for your foot. You should go somewhere and try them on though, because I've had someone comment that they're uncomfortable for them due to the shape of their foot and that makes them not fit right in the heel. All the boot ones have the same shape, so.

But anyway, yes, wonderful traction, flexibility, winter insulation, comfort and fit. They've superceded Birkenstocks as most-comfortable-to-stand-and-walk-in-all-day-I've-ever worn. (Unfortunately they cost about the same, haha. You really have to pay for good sole technology!)

[msilverstar]

those are all pretty wonderful things, especially the last!

[cimorene]

HOBBIT FEET

But yes, yes it is!