Getting grief about your khuk "enthusiasm"

S

Steve Tall

Joined
Aug 28, 2010
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I call it enthusiasm, my wife calls it "obsession". :D
Does anyone have a story to tell about the reactions you get from others about being a khukuri "enthusiast"?

I'll start with a scenario that occured a few months after I started getting into HI khukuris. By that time, my wife had heard much more than she wanted to know about khukuris, kamis, etc. She made it clear that she really didn't want to hear about it, let alone talk about it. :o

Anyhow, it was our wedding anniversary, and we went out for dinner. Next to our table were two candelabra sculptures, each about 5 foot high and holding small lit candles at various levels. I did a double take and thought that the sculptures looked like they were made out of leaf springs. I leaned over to look at one, then got out of my chair to examine one closely, and sure enough I saw "5160" stamped onto one of them.

By now my wife was wondering what the heck I was doing. I happily exclaimed, "These are made from the same scrap material that khukuris are made from!"

I'll just say that she was not amused. :foot:
 
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My wife is the same way, Steve.
She is not a knife nut and doesnt want to hear every last detail. But she does like H.I. and Auntie and will occasionally give me some grief over my being obsessed. I think it's just their way of keeping us grounded.
 
While my khuk collection doesn't precede her being in my life, it DOES precede her BEING my wife. Sorry hun, I was saying "I do" to the DOTD before I slipped a ring on your finger:D

Nobody is gonna tell her I said that, right?
 
Mine just gave me some grief about the new ones. Until I let her hold them. Then she was happy again. I did have to buy her her favorite one to assuage her though a couple months ago.
 
After reducing every scrap piece of wood in the area into wood chips, my wife wasn't too keen on my idea of tree and shrub trimming. I came home with a 16" x 16" x 4' block of leftover cedar from a job, she didn't even have to ask what I was going to do with it. Plus she never again has to wonder what I want for birthdays or Christmas anymore. She threatened me with my own khukuri if I got anywhere near the rose bushes with Nepalese steel in hand. Trust me, you don't want to know what she threatened to do with that khukuri should her rose bushes suddenly get a trimming. I told her it would never fit there sideways, but the look on her face said otherwise. :eek:
 
First HI khukuri: 2000 First date with wife: 2002 the khuks were here first.
 
Studying the leaf-spring sculpture at a romantic dinner - priceless! Great story.

My wife is surprisingly tolerant and even ocassionally interested in extra-curricular khuk-tivities (e.g. my photographer for chopping dinner or water bottles), even my encouragement sometimes to use a "bigger one". Maybe she even secretly knows what happened to her pool noodles and hasn't given me grief about it (probably not). I do get the occassional question, "where does it end - how many knives do you need?" when I ask "permission" sometimes, but she doesn't expect an answer. In fact she's surprisingly tolerant of all of my "enthusiasms".

She's getting into it though, I was pointing out the place in Dracula where they talk about khuks the other day (thanks Steve!) and she related how the ripper (as in "Jack the") uses a khuk in the Ripper book she's reading to cleave necks to the spine. I guess he left one behind one time after the deed which was a lead for the authorities. She was even contemplating if the khuk was what he used to disect the bodies...she didn't know if the curved blade would work so well for that.
 
bric said:
She's getting into it though, I was pointing out the place in Dracula where they talk about khuks the other day (thanks Steve!) and she related how the ripper (as in "Jack the") uses a khuk in the Ripper book she's reading to cleave necks to the spine. I guess he left one behind one time after the deed which was a lead for the authorities. She was even contemplating if the khuk was what he used to disect the bodies...she didn't know if the curved blade would work so well for that.
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Bric,
Some said Khuk isn't a good stabber but it changed my view when a friend was trying to slice a tree vertically and it stuck. It came to us as wow imagine what would it do to a body?
Anyway i have to change my storage quite a bit so my mum doesn't find out easily.
It's either those blades are too heavy for her or she gave up on her son's chronic hobby.

There was a time when i told her if there's a house break-in run into my closet and pick yours. Her facial expression was priceless.
 
mine says. arnt they all the same. you need another khukuri, its the same thing. i go point to the dynamics page and say look at all the different angles and sizes and shapes.

she says oh. ok. have fun. dont spend too much.
haha
 
What happens in Nepal ... or the bladeforums ... stays there :-)

Let's just say I am actively avoiding having to explain. :-)
 
With each new triangle box that arrives while I'm at work, the stewing begins. By the time I get home, instead of the usual greeting, it's "You need another knife like a hole in the head."

I'd be happy to support her in one obsession, but she hasn't developed one yet.
 
Do we live for our passions, or are our passions just something that give spice to our lives?

I asked my martial arts instructor years ago about the role of a certain thing in a martial artist's life. He said, "Anything that interferes with right action is wrong." These knives, these tools, have purposes. If we neglect our responsibilities, though, and allow these items to become a hindrance instead of a help, to us, they are wrong.

I had a close friend who owned probably $40,000 worth of firearms and bladed weapons, yet he had a huge hole in his kitchen floor, and vines literally grew into his house. He fixated on his tools/toys instead of fulfilling his responsibilities. He died at least 15 years before his rightful time, and that whole chain of events started with a stroke caused by not monitoring his blood pressure and insulin levels carefully enough. And he was a nurse. :( When he died, he was in debt, had been forced to sell most of his collection at a severe loss, and couldn't understand why I could not associate with him any more.

Know your priorities, friends. These kukuris can be great, but your health and your families take priority.

Peace,

John
 
John, I totally agree! We shouldn't let our collections of toys/tools/things control our lives.

A Neighbor used to give me a hard time about collecting knives. At the time, he was collecting knives. Now he collects Macintosh Computers. LOL!! After I pointed that out, he stopped giving me a hard time. Now when we talk it's about the latest custom that I got or had in the shop and am making sheaths for. :)

Some people who don't understand another hobby/collection/time taker will give the other person a hard time about it. Even when Party #1 also has some kind of crazy time/money taker/hobby. Learning to allow others to have their own fun even if we don't understand or agree with it is key to getting along.
 
I let my wife know along time ago....if she gives me crap about another kukri I get to spank her. She still gives me crap all the time, but now I make them instead of buy them!:D:thumbup:
 
I got invited on a fishing trip. The guy who did the organizing knew about my khuks and he said that I should bring a couple to show him. I packed a half dozen or so in the truck and when I showed them to him he just looked at me like I was crazy. I said why did you ask me to bring them to show you if you had no interest\just wanted to bust my chops?
 
No wife to nag me yet. But I don't get grief about my khuk or knife enthusiasm, in fact, friends and family get worried when I'm not brandishing a blade. Comes with being the cook I suppose.

Then again criticizing what I'm doing may yield less gifts of beer, cloth, and steel; and make me hesitant to show you how to maintain your toys.
 
Shann said:
I packed a half dozen or so in the truck and when I showed them to him he just looked at me like I was crazy. I said why did you ask me to bring them to show you if you had no interest\just wanted to bust my chops?
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I think you attended the wrong event. Most likely a zombie fest and not a mere fishing trip.:p
He's just jealous that you have so much.:D
 
JayGoliath said:
I think you attended the wrong event. Most likely a zombie fest and not a mere fishing trip.:p
He's just jealous that you have so much.:D
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That could be it. And I didn't even bring the "cool" stuff like the 30" Sirupati and the Manjushree Sword because I didn't want to freak him out.
 
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