Okay, I HAD to pull the front back for work...tried it loose all weekend and had enough! The cut DEFINITELY brought out my waves!
Okay, here's my post about "the haircut," which is my first in two years. To start with, the salon is in a cool, older part of Dallas, upstairs from the La Madrid restaurant. I didn't check them out, but they are probably a Tapas restaurant, from the name.
Here's the Goggle Maps link. Facing N/NW, the salons upstairs are accessed via the door with the curved top.
My appointment was at 2pm Friday, April 9, and when I got there the parking was still full, so I snuck in across the street to the shared parking for Grange Hall/some swanky Spa
Grange Hall location
I've had Ski (aka Demonspawn) since right after I moved back to Texas in '92. I was in a pet store picking up some ear mite medicine for Mom's cat and there he was, in a rescue display, top crate, looking me square in the eye. Handsome devil; slim, black, sleek. Another gal pulled him out and cuddled him, but he never took his eyes off of me (I'd swear he was saying "It's about TIME you got here!). I was still couch surfing with Mom and Dad, so I had no business even looking at a cat, and I had lost my beloved Ski the previous year to Feline Leukemia on Labor Day weekend. I got the medicine and left.
Two weeks later I was unpacking in my new apartment and kept feeling the most annoying "something is just out of sight, right at my heals" feeling. I called the pet shop and asked if that black cat was still there? He was. Hold him for me, I'll get him tomorrow. So, after work I drove over to get him. The shop boy says "I'm so glad you're here. He hasn't shut up all day." I asked if he was always like that and the boy replied, "No, just today." I pulled him out of the cage and held him for a while. He clung to my shoulder and purred like a freight train. Yep, he was mine. Put him back in the cage and went around the store getting supplies, chatting with the shop boy.
An enraged yowl broke out from the front of the store and we rushed up front to see this VERY angry black cat with his arm stretched as far as possible out of the cage, claws fully distended, waving madly, "Get me the F___ out of here NOW!"
I looked at the shop boy and said, "We're done, ring me up." As he was finalizing the transaction, I looked at the papers. Name: Moonshadow (okay, I can live with that). Birthday: Labor Day weekend, '91. (slightly creepy feeling between my shoulderblades.) Over the next few weeks, try as I might, the only name that came out of my mouth was Ski, so he became Ski Too. He was nothing like the original in his temperment - he was cranky, short tempered, and threw up hairballs all the time. Over time he acquired the nickname of Demonspawn, which truly fit him for most of his life. But he would drape himself over my shoulder and chest, purring madly. And he forced me to pet him in the mornings, when my Fibromyalgia made every movement an excruciating ordeal. He was mine.
So when he was diagnosed with a hyper thyroid, I shelled out the bucks for the surgery. And when the other one started swelling, even though I'd been laid off, I got that one done (but only could because Dr. Fred did it at cost and let me pay it out). And when they swelled again and he was too old for surgery, I pilled him morning and night, because he was MY Ski and I wasn't going to give up on him just because it was inconvenient (yes, I'm stubborn). And he did well for another 8 or 9 years.
But he was doing pretty poorly this winter, so I've been working hard to get him back in shape; his fave canned foods, extra feedings if he was interested, even a pill to help his appetite. But he was still acting feeble and frail, and wasn't grooming himself, so I took him in last Friday to get checked up again. I was crying while I was waiting for the test results. fully expecting bad news and thinking that I really, really didn't want this to happen on the weekend before my birthday (the next Monday). Instead, he got a clean bill on the set of tests for his thyroid and kidney functions, so I thought that we were good to go for a while. But Sunday he cried weakly all night, and didn't stop till 4am, so I took him back to the vet's to get checked out again.
When I got to the vets after work they said Dr. Fred wanted to meet with me in the surgery. At first I just thought that meant the other rooms were full. He's that good of a vet. But, as I waited, I realized that there was probably another reason. One of the helpers brought Ski out to me so "we could visit while we waited for Dr. Fred." That was when I knew what had to be up. When he finally came into the surgery, the look on his face, I knew I was right.
He told me that the thyroid was malignant and had metastasized, filling Ski's chest cavity, making it difficult for him to breathe and swallow. There was no outwardly visible sign. Up until now, none of the vets ever acted like the thyroid might have been malignant. He'd had two surgeries on them and they weren't malignant then, but it's been 8 or 9 years since then. I thought his weight loss was just 'skinny old dude' syndrome - after all, he was 17 years old. When I think about it now, at the end he really looked just like some poor end-stage cancer patient, all skin and bones. Dr. Fred offered to give him a shot that would calm things down a bit, so I could have a few days to say goodbye, but I told him that I've been saying goodbye for the last year or so, when he started doing poorly, and it wasn't fair to him to keep him over just because it was my birthday. I was selfish with my first Ski and kept him long after I should have let him go. I wasn't going to make that mistake this time. So Dr. Fred gave him the shot and I stroked him as he left. I wasn't surprised that he gasped a few more times after Fred said he was gone. Ski wasn't a quitter by any means.
I'm having a tough time adjusting to not having him around. He's been with me since '92 and he saw me thru some very tough times in my life. I'm sorry that I've lost him, but I'm happy that I was able give him a good, long life and to let him go when he needed to go, instead of being selfish and trying to hold on longer.
I've been rather amused over the last year, watching the changing face of the spam in my junk folder.
This time last year I was primarily being offered various pharmaceuticals, mostly for enhancing body parts I don't even have, as well as job offers from Mr. Vincent (whom I am pointedly ignoring). Then I was getting offers of discount gas. For a short time Brazilian property was the new investment opportunity, and my Timeshares have always been in top demand, but then I started seeing ads for reworking my mortgage, lots of those, to the point that the pharmaceutical offers were practically shouldered out of the way (amazing). Then I started getting lots more job offers (Criminal Science! ack) as well as offers of mortgage assistance and low interest loans.
Most recently the junk box was full to brimming, twice as much spam as I usually get in a day. And it covered the full spectrum, though with a large percentage of job offers and mortgage advice. Maybe even the Spammers are feeling the pinch?
I wonder if anyone is doing a thesis on the correlation of spam subject lines to current events?
Looks like a come-on line, doesn't it?
Well, I came across this phrase yesterday at the local Joann supershop...
Remember those cute little Gocco screen printers that used a photo flash bulb to develop the screen design that was only big enough for a greeting card or some such? Yah, the ones that are going the way of the Polaroid and everyone's going all WAAAAH about...
Well, Yudu is a slick big-boy version that can even print on Ts. It's put out by Provo Crafts, the makers of Cuttlebug and Cricut scrapbooking die cutters. At $299, it's got a big-boy price compared to a Gocco setup.
For a little perspective, a Speedball beginning screen printing kit for either printmaking or fabric will only set you back about $75 (on sale I see it as low as $34!). Now, this kit uses a film emulsion that you spread on the screen, let dry, then expose to a bright light with a black and white pattern blocking the light and will give you exactly the same results, it's just not in a slick little chassis that's gonna get shabby looking real quick once you print on it...it's starting OUT looking a little shabby! Oh, and the consumables (ink screens, etc) are about the same price.
For $299 vs $75($34) and a little extra effort? I'll stick with Speedball...but I might check out Yudu's inks and other consumables!
Oh, and if you just HAVE to skip the messy smearing of liquid emulsion, you can buy photo emulsion sheets...which is what the Yudu uses!
Very articulate blog, this is one I've added to my RSS listings.
http://www.openthefuture.com/
PS: what he's got to say also scares the pants off me.
Bio
Jamais Cascio writes about the intersection of emerging technologies, environmental dilemmas, and cultural transformation, specializing in the design and creation of plausible scenarios of the future. His work focuses on the importance of long-term, systemic thinking, emphasizing the power of openness, transparency and flexibility as catalysts for building a more resilient society. Cascio's work appears in publications as diverse as Metropolis, the Atlantic, Technology Review, and ForeignPolicy.com. He was featured in National Geographic Television's SIX DEGREES, its 2008 documentary on the effects of global warming, and on History Channel's SCIENCE IMPOSSIBLE, its 2009 series on emerging technologies. Cascio has spoken about future possibilities around the world, at venues including South by Southwest Interactive in Austin, Texas, FuturShow3000 in Bologna, Italy, the Singularity Summit in San Francisco, and the TED 2006 conference, "The Future We Will Create," in Monterey, California.
I have always loved a good bumper sticker. And Pegasus Publishing is my favorite place to get some.
The site's been unavailable the last few times I checked and I was afraid they were defunct, but a new check shows my old fave is still here!
http://www.pegasuspublishing.com/
These guys are an institution at any N Texas Con or other such function. They started out selling bumper stickers and T's and have branched out to Hats (Harry Potter, Alice in Wonderland, Monty Python, Pirate, etc.), Lab Coats, Steampunk goggles and other apparel, Books, Lyric sheets,music and videos, patches, pins, mugs, etc. Oh, and plushies! How about an Elvis Cthulu? Or a Vorpil Bunny (Holy Grail)? Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch? They have it!
Their bumper sticker racks are amazing, especially considering that each time they are customized to the show, be it Trekkies, Anime, Irish Fest, whatever. This is where I get my "Ladies Anarchist Sewing Circle" and "Who says Goddesses Have to be Anorexic?" stickers, which are due for replacement, which is how I found out the site had been down...
The online bumper stickers are arranged by Categories:
Well, we're down in the thick of it now! Of course, I haven't gotten near done what I wanted to - same as last year, and the year before.
I just can't get into the swing of creating Holiday gifties until after Thanksgiving, then there's always extra work at work getting ready for the end of the year...which cuts into crafting time.
But I HAVE gotten a few pieces finished, and I'm working on a few fun ideas using needle felting with new tools from Clover:
If you saw my post about last weekend's activities, you may have been a bit queasy from my video-without-benefit-of-tripod...
You should check out what happens when that video is run through the algorithms over at http://www.fixmymovie.com
Here's a link to the movie itself...
http://www.fixmymovie.com/movie/mMt9S-/
One cool thing is to click on the icon to the bottom right of the frame, which shows you a side-by-side version of the original and the fixed versions. I ran mine through on Auto the first time, then ran it through on Remove Jitters a second time.
If I wanted to spend a mere $1.99, I could download this clip with an upgraded resolution of 4x!
Cool! Since just about everyone these days has a camera phone, and those now have video for the most part, this service is actually quite brill...
Got a call from friends yesterday to see if I wanted to go with them today to see a free exhibit in Dallas, "Texas Collects Asia: Contemporary Asian Art," at the Crow Collection of Asian Art. When we got there, they were just warming up for a lion dance by a local Kung Fu dojo - unfortunately I didn't get their name...nor did I remember my cell had video till after they'd started (please forgive the fuzziness!):
It certainly was fun to watch...love the little girl who walked up and 'fed' the lion at the last bit!
Thoroughly enjoyed the tour, then, in the cultural interaction area, some kids were learning about Noh Theater:
Other kids got to make a pendant with asian symbols or decorate a 'kimono'. This is what I just love about the Crow - their emphasis on teaching the culture as well as showing the art. Their Asian New Years celebration is not to be missed!
As we left the building, we crossed over to the bamboo garden by the Nasher Sculpture center. The light was shining juuuuust right! (Once more, taken with my Nokia N75)
This Thanksgiving holiday was unexpectedly bittersweet.
The nieces and nephews brought their dudes, dudettes friends and friends' kids with them and you could feel the young energy surging through the room. I didn't even realize we'd lost that in our generation, but seeing it there once more, I realized we had. Mom had a great time listening to all the chatter.
It was a wonderful mob of new faces and old. Luckily we'd somehow brought enough to feed an army, because it certainly looked like we were being invaded! When all the various bellies were full to bursting, there was just a spoon of green bean casserole and a spoon of Sherri's New Mexican creamed corn and NO mashed potatoes (made with cream cheese, these always go fast)! Poor Bob didn't get hardly anything but roast pork to take home, but he didn't complain.
My niece Chrysta seems to be the Gatherer in her generation...staying in touch and getting all the various sibs and cousins together on the weekends. I worry a bit about Mary (the Girly Goth niece), but she's got to make her own mistakes right now...while she still 'knows everything'.
I got home and wished a little wish that those smiles are all still there next year.
At the end of October they had a fall themed contest, which I entered with this card:
The card has a simple three color palette: Burnt Sienna, Quinacridone Gold and Quinacridone Magenta (on the leaf). It's the first watercolor I've been happy with so I'm pleased it was well received.
Anyway, I posted it in the contest on a lark, not expecting much. To my surprise, not only was my card very popular in the anonymous voting, it was in 1st or 2nd place for most of the contest, which ended with a tie for first. They tossed in a few more goodies and split the prize between me and "Crafter412" with card (#10).
I just received the prize package and it included:
Got this:
with a sample card showing what each one does!
And this:
And this!
aaaaannddd three packs of these!
WOOT!
It was a WHOLE lot of fun and I look forward to playing with my new toys!
I've spent the last few weeks in the fruitless pursuit of that elusive and underappreciated state of being: Sleep
I've had difficulties in the past, but most recently it seemed that my brain was a 25 screen multiplex that NEVER closed. I haven't been able to get anything accomplished at work without massive quantities of caffeine, which, of course, aggravates the whole situation.
I've gone the whole gamut from prescribed drugs to OTCs to herbs and supplements. So far nothing has worked well and the only combo that worked at ALL was my version of Tylenol PM: Ibuprofen/Benadryl plus some of my magnesium at bedtime.
Most recently I am trying St. John's Wort to lift my mood a bit (the evening shows could get a bit morbid! 'nuff said...) and it seems to be working very well. I especially note this at work, where things can get a bit tense. My cranky factor has definitely been lower.
Note: though it works for mild to moderate depression, studies have shown it is no better than placebo for severe depression...and abuse coupled with other prescription anti-depressants can be fatal. You have been warned!
So, St. John's Wort, plus my IbuprofenPM, plus a homeopathic remedy called Calms Forte have given me one semi-restful night. I shall continue to test this combo thru the remainder of pills in the bottle and see how I feel after that.
I really have to get this under control. My production at work is sub-par (for me) and I have art commitments I have to meet.
Snarf!
Massive mood swings this evening. REALLY don't need this. Feeling absolutely useless. Crying my eyes out.
I know this'll pass, but it's a real crapper right now.
So I decided to share it with y'all too.
Actually, I guess you can't call it a mood swing if it's only going in one direction.
Okay, so I told you earlier this year that I was looking for a portable/folding keyboard for my phone. After searching high and low I can honestly say there's nuttin' to be had except discontinued models on Overstock and Amazon. I decided to go with the Think Outside Stowaway, whose company has morphed into iGo and is only doing portable power solutions now. You can still find their support pages and download drivers, but that's it. No technical support - if you can't make it work, you're SOL.
I got it in very quickly and already had the driver downloaded and ready to go. It's working fine, as this entry demonstrates.
The whole thing makes me wonder whether I'm the only person on the planet who wants this capability, or whether they've decided the phones with thumb-boards are the way things are going. I'm a touch typist and I want to be able to use that skill to get the characters input. That said, I wouldn't mind the luxury of both. The whole idea, after all, was to be be able to have blog mobility.
I already have my Flickr uploads maximized with ShoZu, which is an excellent mobile product, by the way.
I'll be experimenting with posting remotely and see if the process is too cumbersome.
Ciao for now!
Worked on a birthday present for my Girlie Goth niece. I've had the various bits around for a while so I decided to finally try one of those glass pendants with solder around the sides that have been popular lately. Mary (The Niece) at one time had pink and purple striped hair, so I decided to go with that color scheme plus, of course, black.
I wanted to do a more Illustrative style picture, so I went with the "big-eyed waif girl" look that is also popular right now. This was also partially inspired by an ATCard I received in trade from altermyworld at ATCsForAll.com.
While catching up on a friend's blog (http://goatgoddess.wordpress.com), a comment she'd made stopped me in my tracks. A piece she was working on included a tape measure as her 'timeline' and she stated she was "more than a bit past my half way mark".
She's my age.
And THAT got me thinking: How does your age affect your art?
When I was a kid (4th grade I believe) I had this dread of dying before I'd 'done anything', because then nobody would even know I'd been alive. (Is that morbid for a 4th grader? I dunno.) Looking back, I've been pretty lax (for me) about 'getting things done'. There was always plenty of time 'later' and I could make mistakes or putz around and not wind up with diddly to show for it, and that was OK.
But now, even if I DON"T up and die suddenly as some have done recently, the time I have left is less than the time I've spent getting here and now. So, what am I gonna do with the time I think I have left?
What's on your list?
Today, well, actually it was last night, anyway... I was play
ing with my woodburner on some scraps of craft micro plywood and a coffee stir stick. Just doodling a bit but very happy with the results.
Also working on some "chunky" pages for a Vintage Halloween swap being hosted by Andreananda over at ATCsforAll.com. These are 4x4 heavily embellished pages that are later bound into a book, sometimes with special covers, sometimes just the pages. It's my first time making chunky books so I'm already suffering all kinds of performance anxiety... I'm such a ditz sometimes!
Andrea gave me some pointers this morning and showed me some of her books...yeah, I can do this!
Here's a scan of one of the base pages (Hint: click on any of the pics to see a larger shot).
I've started off with some printed craft foam I picked up last year on clearance, backed it with a 4x4 piece of cardstock and sandwiched in between some fringe yarn. Punched holes for some long chunks of yarn - very popular on chunky pages. Besides the color, this yarn is almost sinfully strokable...
The next scan is a page that doesn't have its long fringe yarn yet, but I've put together a cut from a vintage Halloween postcard printout with a new piece of cardstock and applied that with 3D foam dots.
It's allllll about the Chunky!
It's simply amazing. I look up and it's been weeks and months since my last post. Now, it's good that I've been so busy, but all the wonderful little things I meant to share are lost in the fog of time. Drat and Pooh!
Okay, what have I been up to artistically? I've been playing with China Markers, aka Grease Pencils and it is really interesting what you come up with on a limited color palette (literally RGB plus B&W in this case! I've managed to track down some yellow at a WONDERFUL local independent hardware store, Turners Hardware in Farmers Branch, TX). The markers are very pigment rich and stable, since they are designed to withstand up to 750 degrees F without burning off. The first one is also topped with a medium layer of UTE (Ultra Thick Embossing Powder) that has a lot of texture AND pumped up the colors. The second is sealed with good ole Workable Fixative. NOTE: all but the last are regulation ATCs (2.5" x 3.5"). The last is just a scrap I was playing with.
