Don't Lose the Run of Yourself

I have a great friend from the Ottawa Valley who described someone as "having lost the run of himself".... I love that expression and plan to start using it. I found it listed here in a Dublin slang dictionary, so I figure the expression goes back to sheep-herding in Ireland.
I've come in contact with a few folks lately who really have lost the run of themselves. It's not a pretty sight when one loses the run of oneself. I'm not talking about a touch of seasonal depression, a fit of nerves, or a moment of road rage. I'm talking about LOSING THE RUN OF YOURSELF. I'm talking -- sweetheart, you may need a couple of border collies biting your ass to get back the run of yourself.

Craft People are Nuts

Many craft people are absolutely fucking nuts. If they didn't have their crafts, they might be in institutions, which, I guess is where many craft people used to end up: in the basket weaving ward. I met an avid knitter yesterday, and realized that she was absolutely insane. She had about 6 knitting projects on the go. She had just spent $500 on Baby Alpaca yarn, which she insisted on sticking right in my face so that I could feel it. She couldn't stop talking about knitting. She started pulling out all of her knitting patterns to convince me to pick one. When I told her I was more interested in sewing at the moment, she led me to her $3000 Pfaff Sewing machine, which is currently collecting dust because of, well, all the knitting.
Some craft people go really really nuts and open up businesses to feed their particular crafty obsession. I met a woman like this who runs this spectacular button store. If you are looking for buttons, this is the place to go. She is nuts. A neighbourhood little girl came in when I was in the store to chat with the woman. After the kid left, the button lady said about the girl, 'I guess she is in love with me because I own a button store, and that must be pretty cool.' Yes, or maybe because you are nuts!