I ran for the first time in a week yesterday and basically collapsed--feeling flu-ish; Catch ya tomorrow! Sorry! What a week.
Oh yeah, October marks my fourth year of blogging.
I think this is my shortest post ever.
You're welcome!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Calling all JunkGirls!
I was hanging out this evening with my JunkGirlfriends (Cassie, Andrea and Lynette) in a place called The Barn. We were having a grand old time reliving the wonderful time we had a JunkFest 2009. It was a great day to catch up with old friends and meet some new. I tell you what though, my JunkGirlfriends are some curvaceous BABES! Take a look at them here...
Oh, you're on to me aren't you!?
I'll fess up...I wasn't with the real JunkGirls tonight, and I was in MY barn, you know, the kind with straw on the floor. I was cutting out these shapely shapes for some fun, funky wire dress forms I picked up this summer. The wood will be sanded and painted with chalkboard paint. What fun!! Two of these funky creations went out the door at JunkFest this year.
Now, on to the reason I'm making more....one's for ME! YIPPEE!! Us JunkGirls sometimes forget to treat ourselves to the fun stuff. Another is for the extremely talented Tamra of Just For You Jewelry and Beads. Tamra was a vendor again this year at JunkFest but even better yet...she has once again created a wonderful JunkGirl masterpiece. We made a little barter, funky dressform chalkboard for awesome JunkGirl necklace! WOOHOO!! And I super LOVE my necklace!! Check out Tamra's link on the sidebar of this page. If you're a real true JunkGirl...you'll find some awesome "junky" accessories at her site.
Check out the DIY projects and links here! And watch for our next post GIVE AWAY!!
Plague Cards
This game is free, however it is only to be used for classroom and personal use. It may not be published on any websites or other electronic media, or distributed in newsletters, bulletins, or any other form or sold for profit.
Plagues
Cards for Memory, Go Fish and Sequencing. Print out 2 copies, cut out, laminate or cover with clear contact paper to make them last. (All graphics/images/clipart etc. used on this game are not my own and are from various internet sources.)
Leaping Frogs
This game is free, however it is only to be used for classroom and personal use. It may not be published on any websites or other electronic media, or distributed in newsletters, bulletins, or any other form or sold for profit.
Leaping Frogs File Folder Game: The object of the game is for the player (the frog) to get to the Pharaoh’s Palace first. The players roll a die and follow the directions on the space they landed on. If the player lands on a space that is already occupied by another, BUMP that player back to the START space. The first frog to the Pharaoh’s Palace wins. Directions- Print out Directions, cut it out, and glue on front of file folder.
Game Board- Print out Game Board, trim, and glue on the inside of the file folder. Make sure the directions are on the front of the file folder. Laminate or cover file folder with clear contact paper to make it last.
The Plagues File Folder Game
This game is free, however it is only to be used for classroom and personal use. It may not be published on any websites or other electronic media, or distributed in newsletters, bulletins, or any other form or sold for profit.
The Plagues: The objective of the game is to collect 10 plague cards by answering questions about each plague. The first player with all 10 plague cards, wins.
Directions- Print out Directions, cut it out, and glue on front of file folder.
Game Board- Print out Game Board, trim, and glue on the inside of the file folder. Make sure the directions are on the front of the file folder. Laminate or cover file folder with clear contact paper to make it last.
Plague Questions- List of questions to ask students.
Plague Cards- Print out several Plague Cards out on card stock. Cut out Plague Cards. Laminate or cover with clear contact paper to make them last.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Link Up for the Random Dozen
Feel free to copy and paste the questions, post your answers, then come back here and link up so that we can come visit you. Hopefully, no one will die this week, preventing me from visiting you.
I have to tell you that question #11 was written in honor of my friend Linda at Mocha with Linda who told me a celeb look-alike story once that I have never forgotten.
It's just a little story but one of those that when someone tells you, you fall off your chair laughing like you're drunk because it just strikes you as so stinkin' funny. I don't even know why it's so funny to me. I am SURE it will not be as funny to you as it was to me, but all I can say is, it has never failed to crack me up whenever I think of it, which I try not to do often because my boss frowns on my falling off the chair at work.
Here is an excerpt from the post wherein I respond to the story, February, 2008:
Favorite comment of the week:
Regarding my post called Old Happens, which speaks to the natural phenomenon of thighs sliding down our legs and other aging atrocities, one commenter said, "I don't know why, but when I was in high school, my mother told me that I looked like Ted Koppel."
Well, dear Reader, I don't believe a satisfactory explanation exists for this kind of crazed attack, except that maybe it was the day your mom's menopause kicked in AND she got a bad haircut AND an eviction notice AND the McDonald's employee messed up her drive though order AGAIN.
Still. There had to be more frustration than that to inspire that kind of remark.
So maybe you then made a smart-alecky high schooler remark which proved to be your mom's tipping point, so she glanced around the room desperately looking for some way to unleash her exasperation, and Nightline just happened to be on, and so she yelled to you, "And YOU ... why, you look just like ... Ted Koppel!"
Oh, dear Reader, I am as sure that you do not look like Ted Koppel as I am of the inexplicable two pound weight gain that greets me every morning on the scale.
No one looks like Ted Koppel except for Hermie the Elf. [You aren't Hermie, are you?]
And so my "Dear Reader" and Co-Lid Linda knows exactly how to get me every time in a comment--she brings up the Ted Koppel incident.
And I am defenseless.
OK, the questions: [I'm answering tomorrow.]
1. Tell me the absolute best way to watch a movie.
2. Do you ever think about your own funeral? If so, do you have specific ideas about how you would like it to be?
3. Are you more of a giver or a taker?
4. Vacations: planned activities and schedules, or play it by ear?
5. What is one often overlooked item in your home that needs to be cleaned regularly?
6. Name a cause that means a lot to you.
7. Do you eat a regular old peanut butter jelly sandwich, or do you customize it? And by the way, jelly or no jelly?
8. If we were having a conversation in person, how would I know if you were nervous?
9. Do you have an elaborate bedtime routine, or just the basics of tooth brushing and jammies?
10. Have you ever regretted something you wrote on your blog?
11. Has anyone ever told you that you look like a famous person or celebrity? Did you agree?
12. If you were going to dedicate a song to a loved one or friend, what would the song be and to whom would it be dedicated?
Steve's Book
For Bohemians
UMass cartooning legend Steve Lafler received a lot of emails when the following image appeared in the fashion mags:
The model is wearing headgear that UMass alumnus of a certain age would recognise. Lafler explains:
People have emailed me since yesterday regarding the appearance of a funny hat in New York during fashion week on a male model. The hat, from designer Thom Browne, looks just like the foil hood that my character Gerald Forge wore in my college comic strip, Aluminum Foil.
Gerald appeared with his side kick Benb for four years in the Massachusetts Daily Collegain. The strip was so popular in it's hey day in the late Seventies that the foil hat became the default Halloween costume for the tripping masses at UMass (yup, the late 70s saw Halloween become a three day psychedelic bacchanal at the UMass, Amherst campus).
Was Thom Browne even alive then?! Who knows. But I got a huge kick out of seeing Gerald's doppleganger on the runway. The only thing missing was a GIANT DOOBIE OF STINKY BUD!
As Steve explains, he also has a new book out:
Part entrepreneurial primer and part swashbuckling memoir with lots of hilarious anecdotes, Self Employment For Bohemians is available for $12.00 plus shipping. The book offers a lot of nut & bolts advice for freelancers, wound up with tales of my adventures in cartooning, publishing and running a wholesale custom T Shirt shop. Just like the header on this blog says, if having a regular 9 to 5 job is your idea of a living death, this is the book for you!
To order your copy go here.
An Outrage!
From Google News:
NEW YORK — New York's iconic Empire State Building will light up red and yellow Wednesday in honor of the 60th anniversary of communist China.
The Chinese consul, Peng Keyu, and other officials will take part in the lighting ceremony which will bathe the skyscraper in the colors of the People's Republic until Thursday, Empire State Building representatives said in a statement.
The upper sections of the building are regularly illuminated to mark special occasions, ranging from all blue to mark "Old Blue Eyes" Frank Sinatra's death in 1998 to green for the annual Saint Patrick's Day.
Just last week the tower turned bright red.
However, that was not to mark some other communist achievement, but the 70th anniversary of the film "The Wizard of Oz" in which Dorothy wears ruby slippers rather than the silver of the original L. Frank Baum novel.
So those are moral equivalents? The Wizard of Oz and Chairman Mao?
Hamp Things
This truck parked in downtown Northampton this morning reminded me of the amazing Paolo, still twittering away in New York City.
Is this sign in front of First Church serious?
On the woodland way downtown this morning after the rain stopped.
UMass cartooning legend Steve Lafler received a lot of emails when the following image appeared in the fashion mags:
The model is wearing headgear that UMass alumnus of a certain age would recognise. Lafler explains:
People have emailed me since yesterday regarding the appearance of a funny hat in New York during fashion week on a male model. The hat, from designer Thom Browne, looks just like the foil hood that my character Gerald Forge wore in my college comic strip, Aluminum Foil.
Gerald appeared with his side kick Benb for four years in the Massachusetts Daily Collegain. The strip was so popular in it's hey day in the late Seventies that the foil hat became the default Halloween costume for the tripping masses at UMass (yup, the late 70s saw Halloween become a three day psychedelic bacchanal at the UMass, Amherst campus).
Was Thom Browne even alive then?! Who knows. But I got a huge kick out of seeing Gerald's doppleganger on the runway. The only thing missing was a GIANT DOOBIE OF STINKY BUD!
As Steve explains, he also has a new book out:
Part entrepreneurial primer and part swashbuckling memoir with lots of hilarious anecdotes, Self Employment For Bohemians is available for $12.00 plus shipping. The book offers a lot of nut & bolts advice for freelancers, wound up with tales of my adventures in cartooning, publishing and running a wholesale custom T Shirt shop. Just like the header on this blog says, if having a regular 9 to 5 job is your idea of a living death, this is the book for you!
To order your copy go here.
An Outrage!
From Google News:
NEW YORK — New York's iconic Empire State Building will light up red and yellow Wednesday in honor of the 60th anniversary of communist China.
The Chinese consul, Peng Keyu, and other officials will take part in the lighting ceremony which will bathe the skyscraper in the colors of the People's Republic until Thursday, Empire State Building representatives said in a statement.
The upper sections of the building are regularly illuminated to mark special occasions, ranging from all blue to mark "Old Blue Eyes" Frank Sinatra's death in 1998 to green for the annual Saint Patrick's Day.
Just last week the tower turned bright red.
However, that was not to mark some other communist achievement, but the 70th anniversary of the film "The Wizard of Oz" in which Dorothy wears ruby slippers rather than the silver of the original L. Frank Baum novel.
So those are moral equivalents? The Wizard of Oz and Chairman Mao?
Hamp Things
This truck parked in downtown Northampton this morning reminded me of the amazing Paolo, still twittering away in New York City.
Is this sign in front of First Church serious?
On the woodland way downtown this morning after the rain stopped.
Stolen Art Watch, Pink Panthers, Jewels, Watches, and Now $100 million Cash !!!!
Police probe Serb ties to helicopter heist
Police in Serbia suspect the mastermind behind last week's brazen helicopter heist is a 40-year-old Bosnian Serb living in Belgrade known as the 'gangster king'.
The man has an extensive criminal record and has lived in Sweden in the past, but has lived in Serbian capital for the past six years, according to Austrian news bureau APA.
Swedish police confirm that the man is of interest to their investigation.
The 40-year-old is also listed as a friend of one of the arrested suspects on the social networking website, Facebook.
According to newspaper Vecernje Novosti, Swedish investigators are set to arrive in Belgrade on Tuesday to exchange information with their Serbian colleagues.
Serbian Home Secretary Ivica Dacic also confirms that the national police attempted to warn their Swedish colleagues of the planned coup.
The Serbs also warned Swedish police that members of the former special operations unit, the Red Berets, were involved in preparations for the robbery.
The Red Berets were an “anti-terrorist unit” within the Serbian-Yugoslavian police.
Their leader, Milorad Ulemek, otherwise known as Legija, has been sentenced twice to 40 years imprisonment for the murder of prime minister Zoran Djindjic in 2003, and for the murder of Yugoslavian former president Ivan Stambolic in 2000.
The Red Berets have also been accused of war crimes in Kosovo.
The group was disbanded after Djindjic's murder. Aside from those members that have been arrested, little is known of the group.
Swedish police are currently holding six suspects in Stockholm whom they believe had a role in the early morning raid on the G4S cash depot in Västeberga south of Stockholm.
In emerged on Tuesday that the youngest of the six, a 21-year-old male, was in police custody less than two weeks ago on suspicions of having robbed an armoured vehicle south of Stockholm.
The 21-year-old man has the most extensive criminal record of all the arrested suspects and is being held on suspicion of being an accessory to aggravated robbery.
The second robbery in which the man is suspected to have been involved transpired on September 18th in Kärrtorp, when a guard stopped an armoured vehicle to refill an automatic teller machine.
One of the men threatened the female guard with an axe, the other held her at gunpoint.
The pair grabbed a bag of cash and made off in a vehicle that was later abandoned and exchanged for a moped.
A short time afterwards, police arrested two men suspected of the robbery, including the 21-year-old.
Police requested to have the men remanded in custody, but the 21-year-old was released due to insufficient evidence.
“Suspicions against him remain. He was found at the scene of the crime behaving strangely,” criminal inspector Sven-Olof Karlsson told the TT news agency.
Karlsson was surprised when he discovered on Monday that the 21-year-old was one of the arrested suspects in the Västberga coup.
“I was surprised when he showed up in these circumstances, but I'll never be surprised again,” he added.
The man is well known by police in Stockholm's southern districts. His previous convictions include abuse, illegal threats, narcotics-related offences and obstruction of justice.
Police have clamped down on communication with the press and will not be releasing any new information pertaining to the investigation of the helicopter robbery.
“At the present time we are not releasing any information at all about the ongoing investigation,” said Varg Gyllander, spokesperson for the National Criminal Investigation Department (Rikskriminalpolisen).
Such a measure is highly unusual and may relate to the fact that at least ten of the suspected robbers remain at large.
There remains a significant risk that these men may tamper with important evidence, or hide themselves abroad.
TT/The Local (news@thelocal.se/08 656 6518)
The man has an extensive criminal record and has lived in Sweden in the past, but has lived in Serbian capital for the past six years, according to Austrian news bureau APA.
Swedish police confirm that the man is of interest to their investigation.
The 40-year-old is also listed as a friend of one of the arrested suspects on the social networking website, Facebook.
According to newspaper Vecernje Novosti, Swedish investigators are set to arrive in Belgrade on Tuesday to exchange information with their Serbian colleagues.
Serbian Home Secretary Ivica Dacic also confirms that the national police attempted to warn their Swedish colleagues of the planned coup.
The Serbs also warned Swedish police that members of the former special operations unit, the Red Berets, were involved in preparations for the robbery.
The Red Berets were an “anti-terrorist unit” within the Serbian-Yugoslavian police.
Their leader, Milorad Ulemek, otherwise known as Legija, has been sentenced twice to 40 years imprisonment for the murder of prime minister Zoran Djindjic in 2003, and for the murder of Yugoslavian former president Ivan Stambolic in 2000.
The Red Berets have also been accused of war crimes in Kosovo.
The group was disbanded after Djindjic's murder. Aside from those members that have been arrested, little is known of the group.
Swedish police are currently holding six suspects in Stockholm whom they believe had a role in the early morning raid on the G4S cash depot in Västeberga south of Stockholm.
In emerged on Tuesday that the youngest of the six, a 21-year-old male, was in police custody less than two weeks ago on suspicions of having robbed an armoured vehicle south of Stockholm.
The 21-year-old man has the most extensive criminal record of all the arrested suspects and is being held on suspicion of being an accessory to aggravated robbery.
The second robbery in which the man is suspected to have been involved transpired on September 18th in Kärrtorp, when a guard stopped an armoured vehicle to refill an automatic teller machine.
One of the men threatened the female guard with an axe, the other held her at gunpoint.
The pair grabbed a bag of cash and made off in a vehicle that was later abandoned and exchanged for a moped.
A short time afterwards, police arrested two men suspected of the robbery, including the 21-year-old.
Police requested to have the men remanded in custody, but the 21-year-old was released due to insufficient evidence.
“Suspicions against him remain. He was found at the scene of the crime behaving strangely,” criminal inspector Sven-Olof Karlsson told the TT news agency.
Karlsson was surprised when he discovered on Monday that the 21-year-old was one of the arrested suspects in the Västberga coup.
“I was surprised when he showed up in these circumstances, but I'll never be surprised again,” he added.
The man is well known by police in Stockholm's southern districts. His previous convictions include abuse, illegal threats, narcotics-related offences and obstruction of justice.
Police have clamped down on communication with the press and will not be releasing any new information pertaining to the investigation of the helicopter robbery.
“At the present time we are not releasing any information at all about the ongoing investigation,” said Varg Gyllander, spokesperson for the National Criminal Investigation Department (Rikskriminalpolisen).
Such a measure is highly unusual and may relate to the fact that at least ten of the suspected robbers remain at large.
There remains a significant risk that these men may tamper with important evidence, or hide themselves abroad.
TT/The Local (news@thelocal.se/08 656 6518)
Swedish Justice Minister Ask:
-
"Shut up and do your job"
The Swedish Minister of Justice Beatrice Ask has told off the Swedish Police for the amount of leaks from the investigation team - leaks that according to TV 4 news are due to competition between the national police and the police in Stockholm.
Ask says that she is surprised by the inadequate coordination between various police authorities."I do hope that none of them have got time for general gossip, and that they instead shut up and do their job," Ask told TV 4 news.
Art Hostage Comments:
-
All the while back in Belgrade, large amounts of Plum brandy are being consumed amongst the Pink Panthers, Police and Political Paymasters.
Monday, September 28, 2009
I'm a Catcher, and Random Dozen #4 Preview
Tuesday is here, and I'm heading back to work after time off for the funeral. It will be good to get back into routine.
Did I just say that?
This afternoon we have a home XC meet. I'm supposed to help in the chute as a "catcher." Basically, a catcher, or so I thought, just helps kids as soon as they pass the finish to get off the path.
But then I reviewed the job description:
As the runners enter the chute we must get them into single file, keep them up and walking through the chute. At the end of the chute we will pull the bottom tag off their bib for scoring, then manually write the runners' number down (for scoring backup), then get them out.
The problems arise when runner enters the chute and cramps, faints, is trying to pass/brake line, is dry heaving, or other conditions (unable to proceed under their own effort), we must literally/physically catch them from falling, walk them in position through the line or pending severity of condition, carry them past scoring, out of the chute to EMT.
Dry heaving? Collapsing? Carry them? EMT?!
ALERT!!! I am merely somebody's middle aged mom! I am not qualified for this position!
So I'm hoping and praying everyone stays upright and heave-free.
1. Tell me the absolute best way to watch a movie.
2. Do you ever think about your own funeral? If so, do you have specific ideas about how you would like it to be?
3. Are you more of a giver or a taker?
4. Vacations: planned activities and schedules, or play it by ear?
5. What is one often overlooked item in your home that needs to be cleaned regularly?
6. Name a cause that means a lot to you.
7. Do you eat a regular old peanut butter jelly sandwich, or do you customize it? And by the way, jelly or no jelly?
8. If we were having a conversation in person, how would I know if you were nervous?
9. Do you have an elaborate bedtime routine, or just the basics of toothbrushing and jammies?
10. Have you ever regretted something you wrote on your blog?
11. Has anyone ever told you that you look like a famous person or celebrity? Did you agree?
12. If you were going to dedicate a song to a loved one or friend, what would the song be and to whom would it be dedicated?
Did I just say that?
This afternoon we have a home XC meet. I'm supposed to help in the chute as a "catcher." Basically, a catcher, or so I thought, just helps kids as soon as they pass the finish to get off the path.
But then I reviewed the job description:
As the runners enter the chute we must get them into single file, keep them up and walking through the chute. At the end of the chute we will pull the bottom tag off their bib for scoring, then manually write the runners' number down (for scoring backup), then get them out.
The problems arise when runner enters the chute and cramps, faints, is trying to pass/brake line, is dry heaving, or other conditions (unable to proceed under their own effort), we must literally/physically catch them from falling, walk them in position through the line or pending severity of condition, carry them past scoring, out of the chute to EMT.
Dry heaving? Collapsing? Carry them? EMT?!
ALERT!!! I am merely somebody's middle aged mom! I am not qualified for this position!
So I'm hoping and praying everyone stays upright and heave-free.
1. Tell me the absolute best way to watch a movie.
2. Do you ever think about your own funeral? If so, do you have specific ideas about how you would like it to be?
3. Are you more of a giver or a taker?
4. Vacations: planned activities and schedules, or play it by ear?
5. What is one often overlooked item in your home that needs to be cleaned regularly?
6. Name a cause that means a lot to you.
7. Do you eat a regular old peanut butter jelly sandwich, or do you customize it? And by the way, jelly or no jelly?
8. If we were having a conversation in person, how would I know if you were nervous?
9. Do you have an elaborate bedtime routine, or just the basics of toothbrushing and jammies?
10. Have you ever regretted something you wrote on your blog?
11. Has anyone ever told you that you look like a famous person or celebrity? Did you agree?
12. If you were going to dedicate a song to a loved one or friend, what would the song be and to whom would it be dedicated?
Jesus in the Temple File Folder Game
This game is free, however it is only to be used for classroom and personal use. It may not be published on any websites or other electronic media, or distributed in newsletters, bulletins, or any other form or sold for profit.
Jesus in the Temple File Folder Game: The objective of the game is to be the first to find Jesus in the temple.
The objective of the game is to be the first to find Jesus in the temple. The players roll the dice and follow the directions on the space they land on. If the player lands on a space that is already occupied by another, BUMP that player back to the START space. If you land on a space with dice on it, roll again. The first player who lands on the temple wins.
Directions- Print out Directions, cut it out, and glue on front of file folder.
Game Board- Print out Game Board, trim, and glue on the inside of the file folder. Make sure the directions are on the front of the file folder. Laminate or cover file folder with clear contact paper to make it last. (Title is in Edda font, spaces in Andy font.)
Monday--Funeral Blues, the XC Meet, the New Girlfriend
And it is captivating post titles like this which keep you coming back here, right?It's 4:00a as I write this. I don't know when I have been so glad to see a weekend + Monday come and go, but it's almost over. Thanks for all of your kind thoughts and prayers. I may not have responded, but I have read them all, and they touched me.
Last night on Facebook I came across a status update by Beverly Lewis which I wanted to share with you (I asked permission, but it was 3:50 am, and she didn't respond, go figure, so I just charged on ahead here) which said,
Unity is such a powerful force! Had the wonderful opportunity this weekend to connect both in person and by phone with very special people who I've met "virtually". Nothing virtual about real connections.
The line "Nothing virtual about real connections" jumped out at me because I thought of you who stopped what you were doing long enough to say a quick prayer or shoot off an email or comment here. It meant a lot to me, so thank you!
How was your weekend?
Saturday we had the weekly XC meet which I've been writing about for 5 weeks or so now. This time, though, I was a bad mom and stayed at home to clean my house because apparently, when you are sad, your house grieves, too, and shows it by throwing up all over itself for four days. It took a whole day to get it in line, and trust me, I do not live in a huge castle.
So, what do you suppose happened while I was sacrificing the next big photo op to mop floors?
Jorge called me on the way home from the meet to say, "Ohhh, you're gonna be so mad!"
"Why? What happened? Is she OK? What's going on?"
He laughs and says, "She beat her time by 1:30 and got a ribbon!"
Un.be.lievable.
Not only did I miss this, but other people got pics of her coming through the chute--the elusive chute shot!
And to top it off, he emailed me a XC t-shirt smack-talk quote to add to my collection: "Since you're behind, how's mine?" Why must the good stuff of life elude me every time???
Sunday morning, I met my son's new girlfriend for the first time at church. Jorge was all worried I'd be too "energized" about all of this and might embarrass them, so he wanted me to just be aware of how awkward it would be for both of them, etc., etc.
Well.
Jorge was off the wall energized. It was like Freaky Friday between him and me. Freaky Sunday.
He even pulled up his cell phone at lunch and took their pic, which nearly stunned me into pausing while inhaling my Puerta Vallarta vegetable nacho extravaganza. That was the most un-Jorge-like thing to do in the entire world.
Thank goodness everyone laughed.
I wonder if we'll ever see the girlfriend again.
After lunch, we came to the house (remember, she's never been here before) and immediately I saw that Zoe had pooped a little turd. It was tiny, but I knew there was probably more where that came from, and it was probably still near the "jetway," if you know what I mean. So I picked her up in the air like a sacrifice and waved her around to see if I could detect any remnants.
I wonder if we'll ever see her again.
Also, I had to run the vacuum again over my dark family room rugs because 6 hours or so had passed since I had last done so, and they were dirty again. (They show every thread, every piece of lint, but dog poo, not so much.) So here is the new girlfriend lifting her feet for me to vacuum.
I wonder if we'll ever see her again.
But I had to get it decent again because two people I hadn't seen in 25 years or so were just about to show up at my door to go with us to the mortuary in Indy.
The mortuary, not surprisingly, was difficult.
We went out to dinner afterward and shared stories about our friend and toasted him and laughed and laughed, which he would have loved. We wished he could've been there.
It was good to see both of our classmates, and I told them that we cannot wait another 25 years to see each other again because we would be in our 60's, and one of them reminded me that we might all be in our 60s someday, but he's still, like, 25, and probably will be then, too. I don't know how he does it.
I came home about 8:00 last night find that Zoe had done number one in our living room.
Since I was a little melancholy, I thought, "Great, Zoe. Thanks for adding crap TWICE to my crappy weekend."
But I'm choosing to focus on the good stuff: The dazed and confused and hopefully forgiving girlfriend and son, the good friends, the good memories.
What did you do this weekend?
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Before & After
One of my favorite pieces at JunkFest this year was a faux fireplace mantel that I "rehabbed" from it's original state. The mantel was pretty much already assembled and in place as a faux fireplace. It was just really ugly and in need of a facelift. You may recall from earlier posts that I'm a bit forgetful when it comes to taking "before" pics of anything. I did happen to get one shot of it before I tore it apart.
There she is, in all her fake brick beauty. She was actually sitting on a hearth made of those very same realistic looking bricks, but I decided to leave them behind. It was work enough just wrestling the fireplace away from the wall, what with the 40 or so 6" nails it was secured with! Okay, there were only 2 nails, whatever. I removed the top trim pieces so that I could re-use them, but had to cut a new top...one that would be deep enough to accomodate the most fabulous vintage corbels that my father-in-law found for me (yay Ed! keep it comin'!)
There she is, in all her fake brick beauty. She was actually sitting on a hearth made of those very same realistic looking bricks, but I decided to leave them behind. It was work enough just wrestling the fireplace away from the wall, what with the 40 or so 6" nails it was secured with! Okay, there were only 2 nails, whatever. I removed the top trim pieces so that I could re-use them, but had to cut a new top...one that would be deep enough to accomodate the most fabulous vintage corbels that my father-in-law found for me (yay Ed! keep it comin'!)
After much color contemplation, I decided to do a white/stain overlay finish. First, I primed the entire piece with Kilz spray primer. I was liking how it looked so far, but it needed some extra "oomph" so I took apart an ornate little side table and used a piece from that to adorn the panel below the mantel shelf. Here she is primed and painted with flat white paint. Just needs a good sanding and staining for that time-worn look.
This last picture is the best "after" shot I had, and it was taken the morning of JunkFest...just before the madness began. I used a vintage chippy mirror in the insert and some ornate gold frames on top of the mantel. I was secretly hoping that no one would want her so I could bring her back home with me! But, shortly after the sale started, she was going out the door and headed to a new home. Oh well, lesson learned! Just so someone gets to enjoy her!
Check back soon for our very first give-away! And no, it's not a fireplace mantel...sorry!
Happy Birthday Amherst
Two Hundred and Fifty Years Young
Today is the 250th birthday of my beloved Amherst, Massachusetts. When I arrived at the Amherst Starbucks this morning, looking out the window I felt sure the parade would be cancelled by heavy rains.
But despite Amherst's reputation in some quarters as a heathen haven, God stopped the rain in time for the festivities to get underway on time. Among the spectators was local libertarian leader Terry Franklin.
Springfield was represented by this Cat in the Hatter.
Politicians onhand included State Rep. Ellen Story and Congressman John Olver.
Of course Emily Dickinson had to be represented, and she was by school children marching with placards bearing Miss Emily's poems.
Northampton sent their most distinguished emissaries - The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Amherst blogmaster Larry Kelley was covering the scene.
He was taking a picture of me.
Amherst used to be a section of the town of Hadley, which sent this float to honor their rebellious offspring.
250 years ago you might very well have seen a family looking just like this walking down the street.
Of course Motown Bernie was there.
A local bear perched atop the Cowls Lumber truck.
Good advice for the next 250 years.
Among those participating in the parade was the Amherst Survival Center. I marched with them.
Here's a video I made of the parade from the inside looking out.
Platonic Solids Journey to Infinity
Buckminster Fuller was heavily into this stuff. From the Kyoto Observer:
Diagram via Robert Lawlor. The five Platonic Solids fit into one another, starting with the Father, the Icosahedron, followed by the universe's Mother, the Dodecahedron. Touching the Mother are the Cube and Double Tetrahedron. Inside the Double Tetrahedron is the Octahedron. The inner Octahedron, from our perspective, also seems like a hexagram and inside that another Icosahedron can be drawn, thus starting the process again...infinitely.
Sorry to disappoint you, Carl Sagan (and other flatland materialists), but there is a geometric order underlying the cosmos. And these shapes fitting into one another suggest the Creator's fingerprints.
Start with the 6 points around the circle, thus forming a hexagram. You have the 6 directions, east, west, north and south, up and down, with you in the middle, the seventh point--a summary of the days of the week and the seven note octave. 1 x 2 x 3 x 4 x 5 x 6 = 720, the basis of the 5 Platonic Solids, starting with the 720 degrees of the tetrahedron. The Sun appears to precess (go back on its path around the 12 houses of the zodiac) 1 degree every 72 years. The 22 alefbet correctly written are done with 72 strokes.
Doing this diagram won't necessarily transform you into an angel and gain you access to the summit of Mt Olympus but it is a wonderful meditation showing you that in spite of the crises facing us, the world is inherently perfect.
Scene From a Nightmare
Today's Video
The UMass Minuteman Marching Band (above) was among those participating in today's Amherst 250th birthday parade. Here they are in 2001 doing White Rabbit.
Today is the 250th birthday of my beloved Amherst, Massachusetts. When I arrived at the Amherst Starbucks this morning, looking out the window I felt sure the parade would be cancelled by heavy rains.
But despite Amherst's reputation in some quarters as a heathen haven, God stopped the rain in time for the festivities to get underway on time. Among the spectators was local libertarian leader Terry Franklin.
Springfield was represented by this Cat in the Hatter.
Politicians onhand included State Rep. Ellen Story and Congressman John Olver.
Of course Emily Dickinson had to be represented, and she was by school children marching with placards bearing Miss Emily's poems.
Northampton sent their most distinguished emissaries - The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Amherst blogmaster Larry Kelley was covering the scene.
He was taking a picture of me.
Amherst used to be a section of the town of Hadley, which sent this float to honor their rebellious offspring.
250 years ago you might very well have seen a family looking just like this walking down the street.
Of course Motown Bernie was there.
A local bear perched atop the Cowls Lumber truck.
Good advice for the next 250 years.
Among those participating in the parade was the Amherst Survival Center. I marched with them.
Here's a video I made of the parade from the inside looking out.
Platonic Solids Journey to Infinity
Buckminster Fuller was heavily into this stuff. From the Kyoto Observer:
Diagram via Robert Lawlor. The five Platonic Solids fit into one another, starting with the Father, the Icosahedron, followed by the universe's Mother, the Dodecahedron. Touching the Mother are the Cube and Double Tetrahedron. Inside the Double Tetrahedron is the Octahedron. The inner Octahedron, from our perspective, also seems like a hexagram and inside that another Icosahedron can be drawn, thus starting the process again...infinitely.
Sorry to disappoint you, Carl Sagan (and other flatland materialists), but there is a geometric order underlying the cosmos. And these shapes fitting into one another suggest the Creator's fingerprints.
Start with the 6 points around the circle, thus forming a hexagram. You have the 6 directions, east, west, north and south, up and down, with you in the middle, the seventh point--a summary of the days of the week and the seven note octave. 1 x 2 x 3 x 4 x 5 x 6 = 720, the basis of the 5 Platonic Solids, starting with the 720 degrees of the tetrahedron. The Sun appears to precess (go back on its path around the 12 houses of the zodiac) 1 degree every 72 years. The 22 alefbet correctly written are done with 72 strokes.
Doing this diagram won't necessarily transform you into an angel and gain you access to the summit of Mt Olympus but it is a wonderful meditation showing you that in spite of the crises facing us, the world is inherently perfect.
Scene From a Nightmare
Today's Video
The UMass Minuteman Marching Band (above) was among those participating in today's Amherst 250th birthday parade. Here they are in 2001 doing White Rabbit.
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