Kauri's Katharsis

11:06 pm

I was ill today; stayed home from work and from Sociology. I have already managed to make up the test from tonight, due to a very accomodating teacher and a husband who is trustworthy as a proctor. I don't think I did as well as on previous tests, but that's better than a zero.

I'm feeling better tonight. After lots of sleep, lots of fluids, and not much else, I think I may be better.

I have not done any knitting today which sucks and hurts my schedule, but what can you do?

I have a new project on my mind now anyway. I'm by no means abandoning the stockings, but they don't require a lot of thought at this point. Right now my Craft Brain is ruminating on my sister's newest costuming endeavor. She's going to be Susan from Desperately Seeking Susan for a costume contest on December 3rd. We've been planning online for a few days and I think she's going to look really amazing. We're going to do her jacket when we get together this month.

She's having trouble finding some of the things she needs because there is a dearth of craft and fabric stores where she lives. I've located the leftover gold fabric from Pres Man's Klingon sash and we're going to use that for the golden pyramid on the back of the jacket. I'm trying to find some suitable fabric for the collar and sleeves but I'm not having much luck. On first glance, it seems like some kind of animal print but when you look closer it's just black and gold swirls. I do not know where to find something like that. I am not above painting it with gold fabric paint, so it's not that big an issue.

She needs black jelly bracelets along with other bracelets, and we can find those fairly cheap online but I don't know if we'll go that route or not. I am wondering if alternate methods might be faster and nearly as good. I've read that little rubber tubing can work, and that might be better than squeezing 3" jelly bracelets over her hands. As I recall, that was kind of a tight fit even in Jr. High.

I've found some pictures of the earring that Susan wore (the Egyptian one that drove the plot) and I think I may be able to recreate it using sculpey and beads. I don't know if that's worthwhile though, since most people probably won't recall it all that clearly and she could probably just get by with a large dangly earring.

She's located cheap boots that will work really well, has a jacket that we can alter, and her hair will probably work really well with no dyeing. We need the religious jewelry for sure. She's also kind of toying with the idea of a purse-sized version of Susan's bag. I've been trying to find a good base for that bag but nothing is really coming up. Maybe we could use a round cardboard box from Ben Franklins or something. Maybe put a set of feet on it so that there is a "bottom." The skull design might be tricky but again, I think if we just approximate the feeling of the original, it'll be great.

I'm really excited about this and if we pull it off I'm going to ask her if I can post pictures here.

mood: excited

03:46 pm

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

mood: amused

01:16 pm - Band Names

In a move borrowed from Dave Barry, I collect names for my future bands. Here are some more.


The Electric Girdles

Gracious Hostility

Control Your Poodle

Mauve Not Turquoise

mood: amused

04:34 pm

Guess who doesn't have any (visible) kidney stones!!! YES, ME!

I am so excited I can hardly stand myself. This means that the two small ones that I had during my last checkup got flushed out with very little fanfare. I did feel a sharp twinge once or twice and I thought "Hmmm, Kidney Stone?" but I waited for the real pain to come and it never did.

I am so happy about this. The hydration and iced tea reduction has worked! If I can just stay in the habits I have been trying to form, I will probably be able to stay stone-free for all intents and purposes.

Wheee!

And I got there early for my x-ray just in case, and they got me right in and right out. Then I got to the doctor's office early, and THEY got me in right away too. So I got out way earlier than I had hoped but I have the rest of the day off anyway and it's like SO COOL.

mood: jubilant

10:49 pm - The Monster Stocking

( The Stocking, The Whole Stocking, And A Little Bit of Other Stuff With The Stocking )

You can see the remains of cake in the background, because we had cake in honor of Koganei's birthday tonight. Two cakes, since Pres Man and I got one and Quix made one. They were both delicious and we had candles and singing and everything.

mood: accomplished

05:24 pm - I FOUND THEM

mood: jubilant

12:14 pm - Guess Who Is Home

I just kicked butt at work for the past three and a half days. And I believe I have earned half a day off, so here I am taking one.

I had originally planned to ask for the whole day off today, but that was before some delivery dates were rearranged. I didn't feel like I could take the day off on the first day of a project, so I trashed the "Thursday off" idea. But because I am awesome, I was able to complete everything this morning that needed to be done and now I am going to enjoy half a day of Doing Whatever I Want, which will probably be working on the poor neglected costume.

My sister called today and asked me if I would pretty-please make her some fingerless gloves. Since I've been wanting to make her some for a while, this was not unreasonable, and it means a lot to me that she thinks I can just knit whatever she needs (fingerless gloves because she has an iPhone and needs to touch it with her fingers).

Now I must prioritize the things that need doing on the costume so that if I can't manage it all, the stuff that gets left undone will be minor.

Happy Thursday!

mood: bouncy

09:35 pm - Look What I Got Today!!!

mood: happy

07:48 pm

I've redone the heel on the Monster Stocking and am now proceeding to the foot. I think before that happens I'm going to heat up some leftover pot roast and veggies.

It's really cold in my house. When we turn on the heater it won't turn off (even if you fiddle with the thermostat), so we've been turning it off manually. Probably time for me to turn it on again...And time to call the landlord, which means we need to straighten up the place because I hate letting them in when it's a mess. Laundry needs to be put away, knitting needs to be put away, there are boxes to be taken outside (we got THREE THINGS last week), and I need to fold the blankets that are strewn about the couch and futon.

I need to complete my Sociology study guide since the test is Tuesday night. Also I should practice my mandolin and make a set of flash cards for the Art test on Thursday.

What I want to do, however, is watch something interesting while eating my pot roast, then watch something less interesting (or maybe just listen to something) while knitting. The new heel is looking much better (no annoying lump sticking out this time) and I really want to get this one finished.

mood: cold

11:38 pm

I finally did some knitting! I turned the heel on the Monster Stocking using a wrap&turn method where you end up double-wrapping most of the stitches, and I think it came out fine. I took a picture and then discovered that my lovely Astrid does not have a media card reader of that magnitude. I'm not up to firing up the desktop and fiddling with all that jazz tonight, so the pic will have to wait for its debut. But I'm pretty happy about it and if I can just finish this foot by the end of the week I would be really happy.

Hooray for knitting!

mood: accomplished

09:34 pm

I have finished one of my art assignments. Whee. Now I have to outline the white fuzzy spots in the next drawing I need to do. Luckily, since I have been judged as subpar in the art class, I got a pretty easy rectangle out of the 20 or so that she handed out. Again, whee. Did I explain that we're each drawing a small piece of a whole picture, and that none of us know what it is supposed to be? Yeah. So I've got the fuzzy white dots portion. Rock.

I went to Varney's tonight and replaced my broken charcoal pencil (darned thing was splitting down the center and was unusable). I was very pleased to see that they had the exact same brand that came with my art kit, so I'm still using the required tools (even if the first one DID break, making me wonder if our supplies are even that great). So yay. I'll be prepared for tomorrow night's shading.

Had to fill up the car, which is a chore I despise at rush hour and made myself do anyway. Personal triumph there. Pres Man and I had Mexican food and I had a Michelada. My husband thought it might help me get into the right frame of mind for arting. I think he may have been correct. This time instead of a big beer glass they brought it in a gigantic margarita glass. I think it was the same volume, but the effect was much more WOW than last time. I got it with Corona this time and it was different but still good.

I figured out what my Clancy Brown dream meant. It's all about how sometimes you get thrust into leadership and you have to kind of take one for the team. You're out front and to protect them from bad stuff you try to deflect things as much as you can but eventually you might have to sacrifice yourself for the greater good. So I guess making an ass of myself in Sociology is ultimately okay. But next time it can be someone else's turn to be that person.

Time to go art some more.

mood: accomplished

09:30 pm - Mandolin Lesson 2

Tonight's mandolin lesson went well. I did really well at chording; I was even better than I expected considering that my fingers are still sore. He was pretty pleased with my progress and we played the chord progressions a lot faster than we did last week. I think we doubled the speed, though he did stop and wait for me to get the trickier fingerings solidly before continuing.

I also learned where the mandolin really needs to sit when I play it, which you'd think would come naturally but it did not for me. Now that I've held it that way though, it does seem a lot easier. I was also complemented on my strumming, which I did make an effort with. You're supposed to rotate your wrist rather than swing your arm. Go me.

Now I get to add rhythms. He didn't write them as notes, but he wrote symbols for downstrokes and upstrokes and explained how downstrokes go on the main beats (must by why they're called "downbeats" huh?). Some of the rhythms are really easy and some are more syncopated. I am pleased with my ability to remember how to count rhythm and I think these will be pretty easy for me to practice.

He checked out my tuner and it is just like his so it passed muster.

He kept my mandolin!! I had thought I'd be bringing it in myself tomorrow, but he suggested that I leave it with him and he'll discuss fixing the action with the repair guy. I may be getting new strings in addition to getting the nut filed down; it depends on what they think will be best. I THOUGHT I had asked for the easiest strings when I had them restring it a year or so ago, but either I was not clear or they just thought I didn't know what I was talking about and overrode what I requested. One reason they might have done that is that when you have lighter gauge strings, you sacrifice volume and they may have thought going a little heavier would be a good compromise for volume/playability.

I was really glad he was willing to do the "haggling" for me and I didn't even have to ask him to do it. He has worked with those guys a long time and in addition to their working relationship, speaking the same language probably helps.

I should get it back in a couple of days; it'll hurt my practicing unless I steal Pres Man's mandolin for a day or so.

At first I was kind of skeptical about lessons, but I think signing up was definitely worth it.

mood: accomplished

08:56 pm - OMG, poor Jorge

Okay. I know Cleolinda has been mentioning that she gets some creepy vibes from fans now and then, but I think this may win.

Jorge Garcia (Hurley on Lost) got a really interesting drawing from a fan

It's not really safe for work.

mood: uncomfortable

07:34 pm - OMG I can play a song now

I just realized that I know enough chords in the same key to play a song. I picked out the chords to Raglan Road by ear and have been playing it over and over and singing along. Badly, but I'm doing it. I'm so happy.

My fingers are very very sore, but that's bothering me a lot less than the buzzing is. The better I play, the stronger it gets. When I hit clunkers there is not a strong enough reasonance to make the buzz. I'm definitely asking my instructor about that tomorrow and taking the mandolin in on Tuesday. If I'm late to class, so be it.

Okay, I'd LIKE to be that committed, but I'm not. Maybe I'll run the mandolin down on my lunch break or something.

I also picked out chords to The Star of the County Down. I'm not as good at playing that one yet, but it's coming along. It's a good thing some of my favorite songs are the slower ones or this would be a LOT more frustrating. Though I have heard a couple of faster versions of County Down that I like, so when I'm better I'm going to try that rhythm.

I'll just be over here squeeing alternately with delight and pain as I attempt more songs.

mood: ecstatic

01:06 pm - McPherson Scottish Fest

Yesterday Pres Man and I visited the McPherson Scottish Festival. It was a lot of fun. We saw bands, Highland Games, vendors of all sorts of Scottish and Celtic wares, sheep, cattle, and a ton of kilts. I wore my new "Official Kilt Inspector" t-shirt and got some smirks and nods for it.

The Athletics we saw were Caber Tossing, Sheaf Tossing, and Weight Over the Bar. Some women were competing in the latter two, but I didn't see any women toss cabers.

We had a humongous funnel cake, browsed some vendors, and I got a shirt that reads "Celtic Woman: A Goddess With a Temper."

My very favorite part of the day was the sheep dog demonstration. Those dogs are so fast and appear to really love their work. After each round, the dog would rush up and cuddle hard against her master for pettins. They ran the sheep through narrow sets of orange cones, down the length of the field, outside the fence, back inside the fence...I could have watched it for a long time.

And now I finally understand why they are called "Border Collies." They do not herd by chasing and nipping heels, they herd by making a wide arc around the outside of the flock. It was fascinating.

We also saw some great bagpipe bands, heard some other celtic music (including one band using a bouzouki like the one we saw Matty Striker playing at the Renaissance Festival. And we saw Scottish cattle, which are really shaggy and have big curvy horns.

We were only there for a few hours because we woke up late and then we had to leave in time for the evening D&D game, but it was a really enjoyable few hours. The weather was perfect and it was a nice drive. It took about an hour and a half to get there, which wasn't bad at all.

mood: happy

11:39 pm - Kanyegate

I present I'mma Let You Finish, a tribute to Kanye West's VMA exposition.

mood: amused

10:48 pm

WHOSE RESPONSIBLE THIS?

11:26 pm - Astrid

I made a new icon. Isn't she pretty?

I got some sad news tonight. I'm not going to go into detail, but at least one of my friends is hurting and it makes me sad.

I put Pixia on Astrid tonight, which at first seemed to go pretty crappy, but I think now it's fine.

I'm considering having a Michelada. I slept so long today that sleep might be tough for me tonight.

I need to write a Sociology paper by Tuesday. Should have done that tonight but I forgot until right now.

Also should have been knitting, but I haven't done that either. At this rate my aunt will be lucky to get one stocking. I really need to be more responsible about that.

09:45 pm

Wow. I have not done much this weekend. Mostly, I have been resting. I wonder if I'm still recovering from my visit to Mom's last weekend or what. Could be the weather, I suppose.

I got Office installed on Astrid, and while Microsoft tried to tell me I had already used up my licenses, I knew that was not right. A call to their customer service to register by phone cleared it right up. That's my second experience with overseas call centers and it went even more smoothly than the first. I was very pleased.

We didn't have the game last night due to lack of gamers. Koganei showed up and that was it. He was pretty tired so we sent him back home and then we goofed off watching horrible Syfy for the rest of the evening. I stayed up too late reading Ashwinder and playing on Astrid.

On the Syfy note, why is Syfy showing half an hour of promotion for Fall shows like Community, Trauma, etc? As far as I can tell they don't have anything to do with science fiction. But then, they aren't SciFi anymore.

Oh good. The 300 is on. I guess we'll be watching that. And Astrid can show me amusing macros made of Gerry Butler yelling.

04:32 pm - Star Wars Thriller

Don't let the title throw you; there are lots of other characters from lots of other fandoms in this video, it's just that the overriding theme is Star Wars (stick around through the opening bits; I know, I know, there's Jar Jar, but you'll be glad you watched).

This is a video that was made at Dragon*Con this year by jkg_costumes. She makes awesome costumes that she and her husband wear at different events (you'll see him in several different oufits in this video, and she is playing Leia).

I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did.

mood: cheerful