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dragonlady7Last night there was a hard storm. It didn't rain very much, but it was so extremely windy that the power went out about three times. The first time it stayed out for about a minute, which was just long enough for me to stub my toe, find a box of matches, find a candle, and light it. Then the lights came back on.
The other times, it just clicked off, sat a moment, then clicked back on. I assume other areas had more prolonged outages.
It was just enough that I stopped using my computer (which, as a laptop, could give a shit about power flickers, but still) and went to work on an embroidery design instead.
This weekend I borrowed a little booklet with a comprehensive listing of all the embroidery stitches, and decided I'm going to make a sampler, except I don't want to do a traditional-looking one, I just want to do a complicated design that has lots of different kinds of stitches in it. So I flipped back through my sketchbook-- I used to draw every day, how many of you know that? Not many, because I was only about a junior in high school when I became convinced I could not be an artist, and drawing every day became a lot less important. (Yes, a teacher was the one to discourage me, but let's not get into that now. It was probably for the best.)
So I've drawn about five things in the last six or seven years. I used to rigorously put a date on everything I drew, but this one is undated. I know I designed it initially to be a tattoo, in fact the tattoo adorning the chest of one of the characters in Barbarians_Novel (I used to fastidiously draw a picture of every character in every one of my novels, too, how many people knew that? Probably none because I stopped doing it ten years ago). It's vaguely Pazyryk-maiden inspired, but not really, and it's a horse instead of a deer, and it has all these random Baltic designs wedged into it even though it's vaguely Celtic-looking. Why not?
I like it, it's rather striking. So I copied it over onto loose-leaf, inked it, and am finalizing it. Then I'm going to draw it in thin pencil on a square of linen, and just see how far I can get with it. I want to learn how to embroider. I've sort of mastered cross-stitching, and I like it, but it seems really limited and I want to be able to do more artsy things. Not that I've exhausted the potential for stitching rude words onto aida cloth, but I really like the idea of painting with thread. If only I were faster at this sort of thing, I could get more done. But I'm not sure how much control I've really got, and all that.
I have an idea for a gift for someone that I want to do, and I want to have it done by Thanksgiving, but more realistically Christmas, but I also have to be rather skilled to do it, so I figure it would be good to do this one first.
I wish I could do several things at once, though. I am too impatient to take as long as these things really require.
Anyway. This weekend was nice. I decided on Friday there was no way I could be ready to go away for the weekend that afternoon. So I had to, sadly, pass up attendance at the funeral. I am sorry for that, and more sorry because my parents found out that one of my late aunt's daughters will be moving to LA with her husband soon-- he got a really awesome job out there, so they're both going. I have had enough trouble keeping in touch with her in the same state; how bad will I be if she's on the other side of the continent? But perhaps I'll actually get better at it...
Instead, this weekend, I visited with my friend Liesl, who went to high school with me. I introduced her to one of my housemates in college and they're still together, and recently got engaged. She has a ridiculously gorgeous ring. But given that she herself is ridiculously gorgeous, it's probably just as well. I enjoy both of them so immensely, it was lovely to see them. Liesl and I went to a baby shower, and then she and Dave came over (yes, she has a Dave too. I officially know way too many Daves. That's Z's real name too, and I took to calling him Z not out of a desire for anonymity, but simply because I knew too many Daves) and we watched a movie and ate popcorn and drank a lot less than you'd think and passed out on the kitchen floor etc. Really we didn't drink much. But Liesl and I wound up sitting on the kitchen floor talking until six in the morning, which is later than any of us have stayed up since basically college. It was funny.
So I'm hoping we all can get our shit together enough to do that more often. Liesl's job should be easier this year so she might have a little more time and energy to spare.
One of the upcoming things in my social calendar is that a new teammate (the draft isn't until November, but we picked up a veteran from another team and have been happily assimilating her-- doesn't that word sound scary? I used it on purpose) is hosting a Craft Nite, and there's been enough interest that we think maybe we'll make it a regular gig. I know my place is tiny, but I might see if I can figure out how to host such a thing monthly-- or put it on a rotation of various people's places, I don't know-- but Liesl said she'd love to come to such a thing, and I know my sister Fi would be interested. So maybe I'll make it not just a KO thing-- but in order to do that, i think I'd have to be the hostess. I'd love to anyway. So we'll see. I used to host weekly parties in college, every week without fail. I'd love to do things like that again.
On that note, I should go rearrange my attic a bit, but I'm so just not feeling it. It's gloomy and moody and brisk and autumnal (which is a nice change from yesterday's gloomy mugginess), and I just want to sit and drink hot cocoa and draw my pattern onto my linen and start embroidering.
Today UPS should bring my Reconstructing History order, and I am going to get totally distracted looking through it, I know. So I should get some stuff done before I go.
I will probably be leaving Thursday to drive to Cortland and spend Friday packing up a bunch of stuff from my sister's apartment, then loading up our cars and driving back here Friday night for a weekend of fun and entertainment and logistical discussions. I'm rather excited about it. I just have been without family here for too long. Roller derby has saved me from isolation, but it would be so much nicer and healthier and more comfortable to have more people in my life-- especially family. Especially, to be specific, Fi, of course. She's been isolated too long too. So this will be fun.
The other times, it just clicked off, sat a moment, then clicked back on. I assume other areas had more prolonged outages.
It was just enough that I stopped using my computer (which, as a laptop, could give a shit about power flickers, but still) and went to work on an embroidery design instead.
This weekend I borrowed a little booklet with a comprehensive listing of all the embroidery stitches, and decided I'm going to make a sampler, except I don't want to do a traditional-looking one, I just want to do a complicated design that has lots of different kinds of stitches in it. So I flipped back through my sketchbook-- I used to draw every day, how many of you know that? Not many, because I was only about a junior in high school when I became convinced I could not be an artist, and drawing every day became a lot less important. (Yes, a teacher was the one to discourage me, but let's not get into that now. It was probably for the best.)
So I've drawn about five things in the last six or seven years. I used to rigorously put a date on everything I drew, but this one is undated. I know I designed it initially to be a tattoo, in fact the tattoo adorning the chest of one of the characters in Barbarians_Novel (I used to fastidiously draw a picture of every character in every one of my novels, too, how many people knew that? Probably none because I stopped doing it ten years ago). It's vaguely Pazyryk-maiden inspired, but not really, and it's a horse instead of a deer, and it has all these random Baltic designs wedged into it even though it's vaguely Celtic-looking. Why not?
I like it, it's rather striking. So I copied it over onto loose-leaf, inked it, and am finalizing it. Then I'm going to draw it in thin pencil on a square of linen, and just see how far I can get with it. I want to learn how to embroider. I've sort of mastered cross-stitching, and I like it, but it seems really limited and I want to be able to do more artsy things. Not that I've exhausted the potential for stitching rude words onto aida cloth, but I really like the idea of painting with thread. If only I were faster at this sort of thing, I could get more done. But I'm not sure how much control I've really got, and all that.
I have an idea for a gift for someone that I want to do, and I want to have it done by Thanksgiving, but more realistically Christmas, but I also have to be rather skilled to do it, so I figure it would be good to do this one first.
I wish I could do several things at once, though. I am too impatient to take as long as these things really require.
Anyway. This weekend was nice. I decided on Friday there was no way I could be ready to go away for the weekend that afternoon. So I had to, sadly, pass up attendance at the funeral. I am sorry for that, and more sorry because my parents found out that one of my late aunt's daughters will be moving to LA with her husband soon-- he got a really awesome job out there, so they're both going. I have had enough trouble keeping in touch with her in the same state; how bad will I be if she's on the other side of the continent? But perhaps I'll actually get better at it...
Instead, this weekend, I visited with my friend Liesl, who went to high school with me. I introduced her to one of my housemates in college and they're still together, and recently got engaged. She has a ridiculously gorgeous ring. But given that she herself is ridiculously gorgeous, it's probably just as well. I enjoy both of them so immensely, it was lovely to see them. Liesl and I went to a baby shower, and then she and Dave came over (yes, she has a Dave too. I officially know way too many Daves. That's Z's real name too, and I took to calling him Z not out of a desire for anonymity, but simply because I knew too many Daves) and we watched a movie and ate popcorn and drank a lot less than you'd think and passed out on the kitchen floor etc. Really we didn't drink much. But Liesl and I wound up sitting on the kitchen floor talking until six in the morning, which is later than any of us have stayed up since basically college. It was funny.
So I'm hoping we all can get our shit together enough to do that more often. Liesl's job should be easier this year so she might have a little more time and energy to spare.
One of the upcoming things in my social calendar is that a new teammate (the draft isn't until November, but we picked up a veteran from another team and have been happily assimilating her-- doesn't that word sound scary? I used it on purpose) is hosting a Craft Nite, and there's been enough interest that we think maybe we'll make it a regular gig. I know my place is tiny, but I might see if I can figure out how to host such a thing monthly-- or put it on a rotation of various people's places, I don't know-- but Liesl said she'd love to come to such a thing, and I know my sister Fi would be interested. So maybe I'll make it not just a KO thing-- but in order to do that, i think I'd have to be the hostess. I'd love to anyway. So we'll see. I used to host weekly parties in college, every week without fail. I'd love to do things like that again.
On that note, I should go rearrange my attic a bit, but I'm so just not feeling it. It's gloomy and moody and brisk and autumnal (which is a nice change from yesterday's gloomy mugginess), and I just want to sit and drink hot cocoa and draw my pattern onto my linen and start embroidering.
Today UPS should bring my Reconstructing History order, and I am going to get totally distracted looking through it, I know. So I should get some stuff done before I go.
I will probably be leaving Thursday to drive to Cortland and spend Friday packing up a bunch of stuff from my sister's apartment, then loading up our cars and driving back here Friday night for a weekend of fun and entertainment and logistical discussions. I'm rather excited about it. I just have been without family here for too long. Roller derby has saved me from isolation, but it would be so much nicer and healthier and more comfortable to have more people in my life-- especially family. Especially, to be specific, Fi, of course. She's been isolated too long too. So this will be fun.
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no subject
Date: 2008-09-15 06:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-15 06:21 pm (UTC)At least *I'm* not moving myself.
And Fi has the luxury of not having a tight deadline-- she can't get out of her current apartment until November really, so this is just preliminary stuff. It's much nicer to move when you have more than, like, a weekend to do it.
So I'm doing my best to make this a low-pressure, easy-peasy move.
Another bit of awesome is that she owns no furniture. It's all his. She's just got to move her stuff. I think she owns a set of lightweight shelves. That's it. So it's just stuff, stuff stuff.
Which is good because I swore I'd never move without movers again, and I'm not really that interested in moving someone else without movers either, but with no furniture that's really not a big deal.
(I hope.)
no subject
Date: 2008-09-15 06:54 pm (UTC)