Baby Did a Bad, Bad Thing

"Take care of the luxuries and the necessities will take care of themselves." Dorothy Parker

I've been reluctant to post on this subject, from fear I might jinx it and fear it might actually happen. However, I've got pretty clear instructions for tomorrow morning so the thing seems to be going through and an announcement can be made. Folks, I have, without reason, good judgment, or sense offered to "help out" at my Local Yarn Store.

Not Work, mind you. I don't care for Work and I've made a real effort in the last few years not to do any. My writing isn't Work, it's writing. Cooking, tidying the house, taking care of the dogs and The Hubba, dog rescue, blogging- these are all things I enjoy. Sometimes my enjoyment is more subdued than others (so subdued occasionally I have to drag it up off the floor and gently but firmly remind it, this is, in fact, by choice), but on the whole, these are all things I want to do. I've done the other sort and managed to work myself through most of high school and all of college and I'm And Done. It doesn't suit me; I reach a whole new level of unpleasant (re: nasty). Work and I do better to nod coolly at one another as we pass. I've nothing against pay for doing a thing, it's one of my preferred methods of exchange, but I put my foot down over self-induced misery. As Anna Quindlen writes, "In my religion, martyrs die."

So this isn't Work. Yes, there will be an exchange of money for services (though it may be slight, it is much appreciated) and there will be- knitters, crocheters, breathe deeply- a discount. A pretty sizeable discount. And the experience of working in a yarn shop should, for further writing, both blog and non-blog related, prove immeasurably helpful and be a great improvement over my regular method of "eh, that sounds about right" research.

I realize it's risky. I don't think letting a healthy cheetah out in a room full of gazelles could be any more dangerous. It's not a question of what he'll eat, just how long it will take him to do the job properly.

Some get this. Knitty Yoda and Mrs. Knotty have both responded in a "Lucky!/Better you than me" fashion.

Some don't. The Hubba, poor man, was very pleased about it and even said "You can use what you make on more yarn!" I didn't have the heart to explain I would use it and a good chunk of what he makes too. At some point I expect he and I will have to prioritize our bills, starting with the house payment. I'm betting as long as Time Warner Cable ranks first or second on the list, he'll be fine with my yarn expenditure.