Yes, yes, yes, it’s been a long time. I’ve been thinking about posting but things just kept getting in the way!
So, I dyed my piece of Hardanger in the Yellow Tail Shiraz, but what next?
After making a template to fit the lid of the box, I covered it with a wine-colored piece of cotton and fitted the piece of needlework around it.
Here’s the piece with the card-stock, padding, wine-colored cotton, and the Hardanger around it. Just needed some basting stitches and some Tacky Glue to hold it all together.
Took this finished component and glued it into the box!
But, wait! That’s not it! Took the remainder of the cotton and lined the box so the entire inside is the wine color – now just need to decide where to put the box and what to put into it!
On to Snowpeople. Made some before the holidays and more since . . .
Bella and edward are talking and seeing more of each other with Edward driving Bella to school so one day as edward drives her back and they “talk” losing track of time…
Chapter 11
Edward & Bella head off to Biology where they get to watch a film! I was able to track down the movie for those interested.
Then it is time for Bella to head to Gym. When they see each other afterwards (trumpets play and angels sing) Bella gets mad because Edward was watching her (by piggybacking in someone’s mind). They leave school after Bella proves that she is auto-illiterate by not recognizing that Rosalie’s red convertible was an M3 (can you believe it- what are they teaching in high school these days?) Edward drops Bella off (so sad) and leaves in a hurry as her dad and Billy & Jacob Black arrive to mend fences and watch the game. It seems the Jacob’s dad was a little upset when Bella’s dad did absolutely nothing to save the population of his small town from vampires infesting the local hospital. What a grouch.
Chapter 12
So the evening goes fairly well and now it’s Friday! So this weekend Edward and Bella are going to… do something- I guess. They talked about Seattle, they’ve talked about other things… my how they have talked and talked. Since Edward has been asking Bella question upon question- Hint- this is a strategy that does sometimes work- high school boys out there… ask questions and seem as interested in the answers as possible not matter how inane they may be. Of course we know the issue still is Bella hasn’t said a word to her dad about this. Umm… Hello? This is a small town and your dad is chief of police? You don’t think he already knows? He’s probably planning the wedding (Woo hoo! My little girl is marrying the son of a doctor who has lots of money!). So Saturday morning finally arrives and Edward and Bella head off to the land of adventure! Bella’s dad goes fishing.Chapter 13
We learn what vampires look like in the sunlight (think disco-ball, just not as round), and why Edward avoided school after Bella first arrived. It has something to do with bathing, or that fact that Bella stinks- then again so does Edward. The scientific term would be more like pheromones. So Edward opens up to Bella about how he really wants to open up Bella and how he thinks a little mint jelly might help. There’s a lot of testing Edward’s limits to see when he might take a bite- not a safe thing. And we end as they head back from Edward’s happy place (a sunlight filled glade miles off the road- nice place for a geocache) hopefully they will make it home in one piece.Prediction: They will make it back in time for the big dance and they will spend a romantic evening (trumpets & angels again) sipping bland punch (O positive) and swooning in the heady vapors each of them emits. Bella’s dad decides to give up the Police force and become a crab fisherman (or at least that’s what the hastily written note in his own blood said) and is never seen again.
So when last we left Bella she was full of teenage angst and Edward had just said he would (oh joy!) drive her to Seattle so she would not have to deal with the school dance.
Chapter 5
So Bella is now talking to Edward… he’s even sitting with her at lunch (gasp!) The big event for this chapter we find out that Bella faints at the sight of blood. Mike (one of the boys who has a crush on Bella) escorts her to the nurse after she faints in biology class (a class the Edwards skips this day… hmmm.) Edward intercepts them and convinces the nurse that she should go directly home. The knight in a shining Volvo! They talk and Bella tell him one of her theories dealing with radioactivity and a spider bite. Remember radioactivity + accident = superpowers.Chapter 6
Bella goes to the beach with all the other kids and meets Jacob Black from the reservation- She learns that the Cullens are not not allowed to step foot on the reservation since they are the “cold ones” and the reservation is for the people of the wolf. So finally Bella starts putting things together. Lots of teenage issues with who sits next to whom and that kind of stuff.Chapter 7
Bella gets home and complains (which seems to be all she ever does) about the dial up Internet speed. She does find a site dealing with vampires (remember folks if it is on the Internet it must be true) and starts researching. At school she finally explains to Mike that Jessica likes him so he should bug off – See boys at this age tend to not see the forest for the trees. They get fixed on one girl and ignore that the one next to them is nice and doesn’t complain (all the time), and likes them so they can fawn over the one that is too self-abosorbed and fawning over someone else (named Edward). Bella gets invited by Jessica to go shopping for dresses for the dance (even though she isn’t going) and she decides, since Edward has vanished again, to join them.Chapter 8
The girls all head into Port Angeles to go shopping and have dinner. Bella decides to head off on her own to a book store and almost gets assaulted by a group of guys who do not have the noblest intentions. Edward comes flying out of the darkness in his silver Volvo to save her. They go out to dinner and he drives her back home.Chapter 9Finally the big reveal… Edward admits that he’s not from Krypton and that his great great grandfather was Vlad the Impaler. Not really- Bella and Edward talk and he admits he’s a vampire and discounts some of the mythology of vampires. Edward also goes into how he can read others thoughts but not hers. He also explains why Bella should stay away and shouldn’t go out into the forest alone- there are dangers in the forest. So after 195 pages of build up the stage is set with only 2/3 of the book to go.
Sometime during this section Bella decides that it doesn’t matter who or what Edward is that she is madly in love with him and all that matters is that they are together. (Oh no this could be a bad thing)
So did I ever mention that I was a Boy Scout? Yup! Not just any kind of Boy Scout- I was and Eagle Scout. I know what you are thinking… what a geek. I bet he even wore his uniform to school. In those days, yes I did. I didn’t go through everything in scouting, this Webelos thing had just started out when I was getting out of Cubs (or at least that was my impression) so I went from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts. Tiger Cubs back then was called “Indian Guides.” I started the second semester of fourth grade and by the time I was thirteen I was an Eagle Scout. As always I digress… 2010 marks the centennial of Scouting in America, and the Boy Scouts are planning a bunch of cool things including some stuff dealing with geocaching. So I’m planning a few things to celebrate Scouting and my experience. One of those is What I am calling “Project Pinewood.” Years ago A student gave me a Pinewood Derby Car kit and it has sat on a shelf since. I have messed around with ideas, and finally with the Centennial Celebration I figured I would create something. If you want to join in the details for what the Boy Scouts are doing are on the site but it must be completed and launched by March 6th. I’m going to logging my progress here so you can see what happens (and it causes me to actually do it instead of just talk about it).
Here is the kit I have- now I just need to do something with it.
My personal rules are simple and you have to trust me that I will follow them (I’m an Eagle Scout after all). I want to make this a challenge so I will only use what is in the kit or what I have at home. The only exception to this rule is purchasing tools- I don’t think Sue would appreciate my using our good silverware to carve with and if I need paint or brushes. While I want to do my best (to do my duty) I also want to be thrifty. I have seen too many “Create the Best Pinewood Derby Car” in hobby stores. So I see myself buying some paint, sealer, a good whittling knife, maybe a basic kids wood carving set and some sandpaper. If I buy something I’ll also log it here. I have until March so I do have a little time. Hopefully, it will end up being really cool. and I will end up launching my car in GC1N7B2 – The Blue Lights Travel Bug Motel which should be large enough to hold it (since it is a larger ammo can). Now if I could just finish “Twilight.”
I am sorry but with the holidays I have been reading, just not commenting on the wonderful piece of literature I am reading. Once again this is a chapter by chapter breakdown of Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. I am trying to figure out what the big deal is.
When we last left our heroic band of adventurers they were about to be eaten by giant rats…
Chapter Two
Let’s make this one quick- Bella is hoping that the strange kid in her Biology class isn’t rude to her. Life is miserable, She has these boys in competition over her, but not the right boy. You have got to love teen angst. Edward (the strange kid from Biology) doesn’t show up to school for a few days- Bella starts to get concerned that she did something. When he shows up his eyes are are some strange yellow color and he is polite. (I think he’s one of the pod people now) Bella is confused but pulls through by showing Edward that she is smart on a Biology Lab. Bella also thinks that every time Edward leaves school he is laughing at her.
Chapter Three
Oh no! How could things get worse? Snow and ice- Bella doesn’t know what to do. She heads out to school and things go well. When she arrives she finds out her dad had put chains on her truck. As she looks at the chains thinking that it was a nice thought a van pulls into the parking lot out of control and squishes her like a bug. The End.
No, of course not, that would be a very short multi-million dollar movie. So suddenly Edward is standing next to her and pushes her out of the way of the speeding van and uses his body to block the impact. Bella realizes what has been going on as she is taken to the hospital to be examined. As she asked Edward how he saved her, he calmly says that he was standing next to her the whole time. We all know what really happened. Edward was rocketed to Earth from his home planet of Krypton right before it exploded. Now Bella has to figure out where she can get her hands on some Kryptonite to prove her theory. After Edwards denies it and finally breaks off all civil communication with Bella we know something is up.
Chapter Four
Weeks have passed- Bella is once again miserable- Why won’t Edward be nice to her? Once again guys- this trick works in the movies- not in real life. Unless you have worked years to be labelled a “Bad Boy” and time it just right so the girl in question has something to prove- you’ll probably just end up alone. Then again, following a girl around like a little lost puppy dog also doesn’t work (I speak from experience).
So Bella is miserable… and she has all these guys hanging on her every action hoping that she will invite them to the school’s Spring dance. She turns down suitor 1, arranges for suitor 2 to get asked by someone else, and turns down suitor 3 (the guy who hit her with his van). Telling them all that she has plans to go into Seattle that weekend. Edward comes to the rescue and offers to drive her to Seattle because he is afraid her truck won’t make it (See I told you the truck would play a part).
That’s where I’ve ended off and I am still thinking that this is just a weird adaptation of the Superman story. Instead of Smallville Kal-El’s rocket crashed into the woods in the Pacific Northwest. I guessing the other kids in Edward’s “Family” are actually Kryptonians rescued from the phantom zone.
My Prediction: While driving to Seattle, the dam is going to burst causing Edward to show that he has powers far beyond those of mortal men. Bella, unfortunately, will not survive, causing Edward to fly around the Earth so fast that he will change time and save Bella.
When the first Harry Potter book came out I was clueless. But I did pick it up fairly early on. I have read every book waited in line at midnight for new releases… even worn a cape to last one (It happened during Midwest Geobash in Kendallville, IN and was amazing- but I digress). So I had some kids reading this vampire book and talking about how wonderful it was. I looked at the cover and it screamed to me “girl book” and “young romance” two genre’s I really have little interest in. Then I went to San Diego ComicCon and my view didn’t really change. I saw a bunch of pale kids with contact lenses creating chaos. I still resisted reading it or seeing the movies. I have enjoyed the classic horror genre, not slasher flims. One of my favorite stories is Robert Block’s “Yours Truly Jack the Ripper”. So kind of as a favor to one of my kids (No I don’t have children, I have a stuffed monkey… but my students have always been “my kids”) I said I would read it if she would loan me her copy. I really hated all those people who blasted Harry Potter without even reading a single word. So before I let my prejudice color my commentary I figure I should at least read the first book. So as I read it I’ll post some of my comments some may be brief… we shall see. Oh needless to say if you haven’t read the book this will most likely contain spoilers.
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
Chapter One
We are introduced to Bella our heroine, and I recall just how self absorbed high schoolers can be. Bella is moving (her reason has not been disclosed) from her mother’s home in the sunny desert to her father’s home in the always cloudy, always rainy Pacific Northwest. I believe the town is named is Sunnydale… no that’s another angst filled teenage vampire story. Basically, we go through Bella’s first day at school and how she hates everything about it. We meet a few fellow students and the strange group of new kids who are pale and don’t really associate with anyone else. Edward (music rises) is part of this group. The chapter closes with Bella, miserable, falling alseep to the sound of the rain while sobbing. The silver lining- she did end up with a nice old truck that is bound to break down in the middle of the night on a lonely road leaving her in distress. (Just a guess).
My prediction for the next chapter- Edward will still try to avoid Bella in Science class, and Bella gets more interested in Edward since he’s trying to avoid her. Note to High School boys- this tactic only works in the movies…
Here’s a little experiment I tried with a piece of Hardanger recently.
This is a piece of needlework we did at EGA’s Indiana State Day. The intent was to use it in the silver box, but I decided the cream and silver just were not pleasing to me.
Decided to experiment with the color by dying the piece with YellowTail Shiraz! Here are a few photos of the process. I wasn’t sure what color I’d get – reddish purple, blue, something else?
Before we beginReady to go!No turning back now!Making sure the cloth is evenly wet. Realized it was a little shallow so ended up adding more.Soaking . . .Here's what it looks like after pouring off the wine.RinsingA final rinse - look at how the color is changing!Done - now to line and insert.
So, the Yellow Tail Shiraz ended up producing a nice mushroom brown! I’ve purchased some wine colored cotton to line the piece but that’s a project for another day!
Yesterday I spent the day with other Lilly Teacher Creativity Fellows at our Fall meeting. It is a great time to chat with other really great teachers and learn that it seems that the state of education is in flux, again.
On this note I was sent this quick little post from the ALA forum by a Fellow:
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced today that famed educator Dolores Umbridge will be joining the Common Core State Standards Initiative K-12 Standards Development Team for language arts. Ms. Umbridge, is the former Headmistress of The Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and is famous for her statement to students concerned about the relevance of classroom instruction to practical knowledge, ” … a theoretical knowledge will be sufficient to get you through your examinations, which after all, is what school is all about.” When asked by one student (Mr. H. Potter) how theory is supposed to prepare us for “what’s out there,” Ms. Umbridge’s reply was “There is nothing out there, dear!” Mr. Duncan noted that Ms. Umbridge’s philosophy of education is quite similar to that of current team members Timothy Shanahan, Louisa Moats and Marilyn Adams. “She’ll fit right in,” the secretary commented.
When I first learned about webcomics (way, way back in 2005) I remember following some comics and then dropping them when they did not follow a predictable schedule. I had not dealt with RSS at that time.
So here I am working on my own web comic and pulling the same thing that caused me to stop following certain webcomics. Do I feel bad? Yes. Do I have a really good excuse? No. Things happen. Life gets in the way of your dreams. Was it worth it? Yes. I spent part of one day with my little brother and his friend talking comics & Star Trek as he moved from one coast to the other. I kept somewhat caught up with the requirements of my day job… it does pay the bills and at some point provides material for this comic. But today I realized something wonderful… If I put my mind to it, I can do a weeks worth of comics in a day.
Next week has been uploaded and I’m ready to take tomorrow and enjoy the Fall weather. If you could care less about my exploits with the MINI I suggest you be patient and this thread will end sometime (just not for at least the next two weeks). I’m still new at this (I can use that excuse until May 1 and I’m going to milk it for all it is worth) but I am learning.
While in the process of converting my home office into a combo office/studio, I decided it was about time to share some of my ‘stuff.’ Thanks to my favorite Geek, I can now add my geekiness to the MINI driving, Geocaching, Comic Booking, monkey loving goodness that’s My Geek Odyssey.
While you may see some mention of MINIs, monkeys and geo-adventures, the bulk of this side of the house will focus on the fiber arts – specifically knitting and embroidery.
More to follow – later today there’s going to be an experiment with hardanger embroidery and Shriaz which could either be great or a total flop. But, that’s another post. . .
Here’s the piece with the card-stock, padding, wine-colored cotton, and the Hardanger around it. Just needed some basting stitches and some Tacky Glue to hold it all together.
Took this finished component and glued it into the box!
But, wait! That’s not it! Took the remainder of the cotton and lined the box so the entire inside is the wine color – now just need to decide where to put the box and what to put into it!
On to Snowpeople. Made some before the holidays and more since . . . 
