Ethical Thought

Have any of you heard about prayer shawls and other spiritaul knitting? It is a video segment about mindful knitting. Kind of interesting as a way to knit.

So I had my first free moment in Seattle and what did I do?  Wandered down to a yarn store of course!  I found a place called So Much Yarn on First St. that was wonderful.  It was beautiful and warm feeling inside and I wish that the stores in my neck of the woods had a fraction of that space!   I am naturally a bit (or very) shy so I did not talk to anyone really but the people there seemed very nice and smiled and asked if I needed help.  One of the employees was a man who was knitting behind the counter but was in a conversation so I did not say anything to him.  I really liked it there.  When I usually enter a YS I get the feeling that they want to help me leave  this was different.  I have to get more comfortable talking to people.
But I did find something I loved right away. The Mountain Colors Yarn was truely wonderful to gaze upon.  there was nothing really special about the 4/8 yarn.  in fact it felt a little rough for my tastes but it was beautiful.  Simply amazing in fact.

Travelling for a while. Visiting the great Northwest of the US. I travel for work regularly but at times I forget how large our country is and how long it takes to get across it. But I was born here and have family here so it is nice to come “home.” It is kind of odd that I live 7 hours by air from home but that is OK.

We have lived in many places and as we move it is odd where we call “home.” I lived in North Carolina for 5 years and never called it home. I always said I was going to the house or work or many other terms but never home. I called chicago home after being there about 1 year. and now in Boston I do say home but it took about a year. Last year we visited my wifes family in Chicago and it felt wrong to be leaving Chicago to go home. While I was in Chicago IT felt like home. The fickleness of moder transitory living. My daughter was born in chicago, my son in Durham NC and now we live in the Boston area. They sem to handle it alright though.

These are recent hits to this site by location! (Those little orange dots – use the magnifyer.) So people are visiting from all over. There are even a small cadre of dedicated folk who have subscribed to this blog on their blogreaders. I would encourage all of you to click on the frapper map in the column to add yourself, or an avitar of yourself if you wish, so this information will stick around. Thank you for your wonderful support and readership. Not many of you post but a lot of you read the site!  I would love to hear more from you.

FAIR Trade and Equal Exchange
Do you know about Fair Trade Coffee? It is a program that pays coffee growers more for their coffee beans than the usual mass production merchants. It helps the farmers and the economies in areas that are in desperate need. It also allows those of us with better circumstances to not feel so guilty when we drink our coffee.

But wait there is more! You can get fair trade chocolate too! Can you believe it? please visit the site here to learn more about helping others while you help yourself!

This is a list that seems to be flying around the knitting blogs so Ill throw my answers in too. I believe I saw it first as an email spam. I am kinda curious about what question 34 was. It seems to have list the list long ago, because I cannot find it on any of the knitting blogs.

1. FIRST NAME? Eric

2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Nope

3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? You mean that I will admit? Not that long ago at the death of a family member.

4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Not in the slightest. This should say “Can you read your handwriting?”.

5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHMEAT? Ham but when I go to the deli I am drawn to the Ham and Turkey sandwich, its even better with a pickle.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Probably but I am a bit shy so the liklyhood of getting the nerve to talk to myself and then reply makes the odds not the greatest. I wonder where I would meet myself?

7. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? You are reading it

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? No

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Definately not. My palms get all sweaty just watching it on TV.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? I like alot of grains but if you mean breakfast cereal I would have to say Corn Chex?

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Yes. And I put them away too. My kids on the otherhand spend way too much time looking for their shoes.

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Nope.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Cafe Mocha

14. SHOE SIZE? 10 wide

15. RED OR PINK? Between the two it would have to be red.

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? let me get back to you on this one. or maybe just procrastination.

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? Depends on the time of day. when I’m at work its my wife, children and dog. Other times its my grandparents.

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? Seeing this is in a blog, and not the email it started in, NO thank you. Thank you for asking.
19. WHAT COLOR PANTS, SHIRT AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Black shoes and pants, white shirt with a nice copper and brown tie.

20. LAST THING YOU ATE? Spinich Crossant

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? The trickle of a small desktop waterfall I made.

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Forrest Green

23. FAVORITE SMELL? Fresh Coffee

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? DW

25. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? Physically? a woman’s eyes and at the same time her mood.

26. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON you stole THIS from? “Yes but I only know her ‘virtualy’” yep and Ill take her answer too!

27. FAVORITE DRINK? Coffee

28. FAVORITE SPORT? American Football

29. EYE COLOR? Brown

30. HAT SIZE? large

31. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? You mean put my fingers in my eyes! no way!

32. FAVORITE FOOD? Today I will say salmon, but it changes.

33. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy Endings

35. SUMMER OR WINTER? Yes, and sometimes Spring and Fall

36. HUGS OR KISSES? Hugs.37. FAVORITE DESSERT? coffee though I did have a raspberry chocolate moose that I really liked ( is that spelled right?)

38. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? No idea

39. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? the millions of people who do not read this

40. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? nothing exciting : Betrayal of trust: The collapse of global public heatlh

: Principles of Biomedical Ethics 

I am usually reading a Fantasy novel of some kind but nothing at the moment.

41. WHAT’S ON YOUR MOUSE Pad? I use a track ball with a black wrist rest.

42. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? Did not turn it on.

43. FAVORITE SOUNDS? Running water. OR NPR in the office

44. ROLLING STONE OR BEATLES? Beatles

45. THE FURTHEST YOU’VE BEEN FROM HOME? Pindamonhangaba Brazil

46. WHAT’S YOUR SPECIAL TALENT? Patience.

47. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Seattle, WA
48. WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Stolen from Syilvia who got it from someone else this is getting around.

I know I should not have three WIPs but now I know it is even worse to bring all three with me to a conference! Normally I can only work on what I can reach but the stress of deciding between them! -winks- I love these meetings I get to learn alot, knit alot and meet other knitters! I meet more knitters at library meetings than I do at yarn stores!

Second lesson learned. When taking pics for a BLOG you should make sure that the RS is showing not the WS! -You all will have to settle for this one sorry about that.

The bag is mad, now to get on to making on the I-Cord ! Then to the felting. Wonder if if will work on that or something else?

Have you thought about what you want to happen to you if you are in a situation where someone else has to make decisions on you behalf? What are advanced care directives?

“The term advance directive describes two types of legal documents that enable you to plan for and communicate your end-of-life wishes in the event that you are unable to communicate:

• A living will allows you to document your wishes concerning medical treatments at the end of life.
• A medical power of attorney (or health care proxy) allows you to appoint a person you trust as your health care agent (or surrogate decision maker), who is authorized to make medical decisions on your behalf.”

This is important to think about but very few of us take the time. It can be scary and depressing. But in the long run it is even scarier not to think about! In the United States the documentation can be state specific and this is a good resource.

More excellent links can be found at the MEDLINEPlus site.

Please take the time to think about it, for all of us.

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English law is a little different from the law in the US; this is from the NHS:

“What if I’m not able to take a particular decision?

Suppose, for example, you are unconscious after a road accident or cannot communicate after a severe stroke, in general people providing health care can still give you treatment that they believe is in your best interests. The only exception is if you have clearly refused a particular treatment in advance. [with a living will]
Although no-one (not even husbands, wives, partners or close relatives) can give consent to treatment on behalf of another adult, friends and relatives may have useful advice to give. They may be able to tell health care professionals about the person’s beliefs and values – for example whether they have accepted or refused certain kinds of treatment in the past or have strong views on some health questions. So it is important to discuss your views with your friends and relatives in case anything happens. ”

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The NHS also has a very good and short introduction to thinking about death and how to prepare for situations where we may be near death and unable to act. I would recommend that everyone read it too!

“Most of us avoid the subject of death – it isn’t generally considered to be polite conversation and it certainly can dampen the mood. Plus, most of us think that we still have plenty of time, and prefer to cross that bridge when we come to it. But, a bit of planning and communication with your loved ones now, could mean avoiding a lot of heartache for them later.

What makes a ‘good’ death?

Is the idea of a ‘good’ death a contradiction in terms? To answer that, try thinking about your idea of a bad death. Would it include pain, confusion, discomfort, loneliness, and inability to communicate your wishes? Well, you could help to avoid all of those things by planning a little now, whether you are ill or not, and whatever your age.”

OK I have a fairly clear understanding of who is incapable of making decisions be they medical or otherwise. If you are unconscious then you are not capable of making decisions. Children have been declared incapable and rely on parents to make decisions on their behalf. Patients in advanced stages of alzheimers disease as well as other situations where advanced altered mental status are also incapable.

Defining who is capable is harder. Many folk seem clearly capable of making autonomous decisions but how do you define and test for that middlegray area? If I am distraught by pain, am I capable of making decisions about my healthcare? Is everyone you encounter in your daily life truly capable of making complex decisions? I know that there are texts that offer suggestions of how to rate this capability; I am reading them now. But I am just throwing this out there now because it is a question that I am thinking about at the moment.