A little accountability

windows

2011-11-02T11:13:00.002-04:00

If you could look out your living room window onto any possible scene ... what would you choose? The view from your childhood bedroom? The pasture behind your grandparents' house? Your business? Westminster Cathedral?

I'm thinking I would choose the view out over the hills at the camp where I worked in high school. I had so many good times with God reading my Bible while watching the sun rise there.

I'm finding it interesting that the view I would choose for a window is very different from the one I would choose for a picture.

A window has a sense of "place" to it - as if I were choosing a spot into which I would like to be able to walk out my front door, as opposed to one that I want to look at occasionally.

The "windows" I would want seem to have sentimental attachments ... places I treasured, spots where conversations occurred that influenced my life. They aren't always the most beautiful scenes, but they're emotionally-connected.

Pondering strange things today, I suppose!

forget about it!

2011-09-11T20:13:00.002-04:00

I was looking at Isaiah 54:4 today:

"Fear not, for you will not be ashamed; be not confounded, for you will not be disgraced; for you will forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more. "

The phrase in blue stood out to me. We all have these memories which, when we touch on them, make us flinch. Stupid things said and done ... sinful (or just dumb) choices made ... being at the wrong place at the wrong time, and seeing what you wish you hadn't ...

When I first read the above verse, I automatically had the thought, "praise the Lord, He chooses not to remember that stuff. And He doesn't cause us to be disgraced ... cause others to remember it."

But it's more than that. He says I will forget the shame of my youth.

He's going to allow it to fade, to the degree those memories won't fling themselves in my path.

I'm thankful for that. There are SO many things it's just so nice to forget!

music, dancing and men in chicken hats

2011-08-15T10:11:00.001-04:00

I was recently told that I've not been observed having any discernible fun for the last year or two. I don't believe this to be completely accurate. But the friend does make a good point. I've never been very good at "fun." I'm skilled at "educational" or "productive" or even "lazy" ... but "fun" is something I've always borrowed from others.

Saturday I was text messaging with a friend who was working at a folk music festival in Lansing. It just sounded ... so ... fun. So I went. And it was! The music was great, and there was lots of it. I spent a bit of time with my friend who was working, but on the whole was able to enjoy the liberty that comes from not needing to please anyone but yourself.

Dancing continues to fascinate me. I was watching yesterday, and noticed that, while some people did seem to have steps memorized, and patterns they were following ... others just seemed to be doing whatever, and having a great old time. I'm conservative. Really ... really conservative. But I envy the joyful liberty I see when people dance. I've gotten to the point where I can clap ... tap my feet ... maybe sway a little ... but some day I'm going to get myself out there on the floor and give it a try!

First swimsuit I have ever loved

2011-06-13T18:31:00.005-04:00

Found this online at becoming apparel.

LOVE it! For anyone who's interested in a swimsuit that covers you up a bit ... have a look. They're pricey, but probably less than somebody would spend if they bought a swimsuit at the mall. It's well made, and so far is holding up great, even though I swim every day.

Thought others might be interested in a modest swimsuit ... such a thing does exist!

Don't forget to check their closeout section - the website isn't very user-friendly, but it's worth the effort.

How does your garden grow?

2011-06-04T12:55:00.001-04:00

I've been trying to take steps to compensate for rising food prices, and one of them was to try & plant as much of a garden as possible on my balcony. I thought I'd share the start of it. I have lettuce, green onion, carrot and spinach planted from seeds, and tomato, pepper and cucumbers from boughten plants. The cucumbers are peeking out the bottom of the black triangular planter (and one on the top). I'm hoping they will vine around the supports.

Then there's a little pot of catnip down in the corner, in an attempt to bribe my friend's cat to dislike me slightly less.

What have you got planted this year? My particular neighbors are going to frown on it that there aren't flowers in the boxes ... but they tend to frown on almost anything even slightly unconventional. I suppose it gives them something to discuss. :)

these defects lend an air of authenticity

2011-04-23T11:21:00.004-04:00

I was just reading the label on a pizza tray (thanks Dad!).

I always look for a particular line on labels ... the "this thing is gonna get battered when you use it so don't complain about it" phrase.

This one was a new wording to me ...
Slight scratches caused by the cutting action of knives and forks are normal, and lend your piece an air of authenticity.

Let's put aside for a second how a pizza pan could not be "authentic" ... I don't know either.

Instead, let's think about the Velveteen Rabbit idea ... that slight scratches, imperfections, dents, flaws ... lend an air of authenticity.

On garments, they tell you that irregularities in the fabric are normal, and part of the overall "look."

Hand stitched quilts are beautiful, and stand out because of slight unevenness-es in the stitching.

God chooses imperfect people, and does wonderful things with them.

This week, I was reading Streams in the Dessert and the following quote jumped out at me:

Christ is building His kingdom with earth's broken things. Men want only the strong, the successful, the victorious, the unbroken, in building their kingdoms; but God is the God of the unsuccessful, of those who have failed. Heaven is filling with earth's broken lives, and there is no bruised reed that Christ cannot take and restore to glorious blessedness and beauty. He can take the life crushed by pain or sorrow and make it into a harp whose music shall be all praise. He can lift earth's saddest failure up to heaven's glory. - J.R. Miller

As we sit here, the day between Good Friday and Easter ... isn't it a glorious thing to think about the One, who went willingly to the cross, to pay our debt? And then, rose again, in proof that payment had been accepted, and we would, one day, be raised?

Since this one turning point in history, God has, for 2,000 years, been gathering His church together ... His little collection of battered, ragged, and moth-eaten people. changing them. USING them. He's not like us. He doesn't go for the pristine, and perfect. When He starts a project, He looks to use the workers, and ingredients, that have fallen to the bottom of the barrel ... so when the work is done, the glory goes to Him.

To repeat a message that never tires those who have heard it most often ... have you accepted what He offers? He's calling the wretches, the sinful, and the failed ... and He offers forgiveness, new life, and hope. Have you taken Him up on it?

my nephew, the antidepressant

2011-04-18T18:11:00.001-04:00

How can you NOT smile at this little fellow? :)

so ... I'm told my blog is boring ...

2011-03-29T07:05:00.003-04:00

One of my faithful readers (out of a grand total of five), and also a family member, has declared my blog "boring."

This is the problem with obsession. I'm fascinated by bookbinding right now. Whenever anyone asks me in real life, "so how are you doing?" the question is bound to be answered (snicker ... "bound" ... snicker) sorry ... is bound to be answered with some account of whatever tome is currently in pieces on my workbench.

You know how a friend, with whom you ordinarily enjoy spending time, becomes the world's most tedious person when in the throes of infatuation? Their whole world revolves around potential-boyfriend-to-be, and you've heard enough about him to be able to write his unauthorized biography? Yeah ... that's me and bookbinding right now. :)

So ... if you want a non-bookbinding topic, you'll have to suggest it yourself. Ask a question, and I'll answer it. Though it better be VERY far afield from books, or you KNOW where I'll take it.

So ... about that calf-skin bound copy of William Cowper I'm working on right now. I started sewing last night, and I can't WAIT to get home from work to spend more time with it! :)

Next Project

2011-03-18T18:12:00.000-04:00

A family at church brought in this Bible to be worked on. It's a big one! Maybe 10 pounds? Heavy enough that you don't sling it around lightly!
Fortunatley the leather is in good shape. The front and back hinges need to be re-done, and the outside signatures re-sewn.
I have the cover off, and am hoping to re-sew the signatures this weekend, and start repairing the cover.

Because it's so big, and so nice, I'm finding the idea of putting a needle into it very intimidating! The text block is sitting on my sewing frame right now ... and I go over and look at it periodically. But at some point, I am going to HAVE to poke some holes and start sewing!

Maybe tomorrow ...

On the other hand, I AM getting some housework done, as I'm avoiding the scary Bible. Normally it works the opposite way ... the books get done, and the house gets ignored!

Dave's Bible, part 2

2011-02-12T18:45:00.000-05:00

This is what I started with - putting the detatched pages in a sealed container to try & get some moisture in them.

And a picture of the biggest flaw - it doesn't open as freely as I wish it would.

Dave's Bible Done

2011-02-12T18:42:00.000-05:00

Another learning experience ... There are a few things I'm not pleased with, but I see progress.

This one was the most dilapidated that I've worked on so far. It has an adhesive-bound text block, and the last 1/4 inch or so of the pages were all ripped out and completely separated from one another. So getting them all back in place was a bit of a challenge.

The cover doesn't open as freely as I'd like, and that seems to be an on-going problem I need to address.

Still like doing it ... still learning!

Next Project - Danielle's Bible

2011-02-07T10:09:00.000-05:00

A college student from church asked me to work on her Bible, and it's the next one in line.

Here's how it stands now. I've smoothed out the wrinkled pages with a bone folder, and it's in the nipping press now, hopefully getting them to stay smooth.

The text block is intact, but the cover is loose on the front.

She choose some fabric (the pretty big dots pictured at the end of this post) for the cover. So I'll be attaching double-sided interfacing to the fabric, and then paper to the interfacing, and using that to re-do the cover. Need to do a bit of research on how to get the cover corners nice and flat before re-covering it.

Fun!!!!

(To those family & friends who are bored with all the book-binding posts ... yeah ... sorry about that. It's kind of an obsession these days. Ignore me without guilt!) :)

Dave's Bible - so far

2011-02-07T10:05:00.000-05:00

Current status of the Bible originally pictured here:

The linen is drying on the boards. Next step is to trim the cloth & leather, fill in the inside of the cover, and attach end papers. Then done! He's been very patient, and I hope to have it to him on Sunday!

Leather-wrapped tool handles

2011-01-22T09:18:00.010-05:00

I've been wanting to wrap the handles of my tools with leather. I found a product online that worked really well for this, and I wanted to give them a plug!

What I ordered was the original version of these leather bicycle-handle wraps. Don't let the price deter you. The charge he's quoting is for enough leather to cover bicycle handlebars. He will sell smaller pieces for WAY less.

If anyone out there is interested in trying it. I did some instructions, and took pictures.

1. Beginning at the bottom, wrap tool handle with product such that the leather wraps overlap the pared (suede-free) edges, and a small triangle is created just below where you want the wrap to start.

2. Mark inside of leather at the level where you want the wrap to stop.

3. Lay leather flat, and cut at 45 degree angles as follows: the top angle having its highest point where you made your mark in the previous step. The bottom angle such that it is parallel with the top. (see photo).

4. Pare down suede at top and bottom of strip, creating a bevel. This wouldn't be absolutely necessary, but it does create a nicer finish.

5. Paint with PVA (It may be possible to use regular Elmers, but I used PVA since I had it).

6. Wrap handle as you did previously. The 45 degree angle you cut will make a straight line at the handle bottom, and then it will naturally wrap from there on. I pulled a bit to keep it taut. It might stretch a bit, so you may have to re-trim the top.

7. Smooth the leather, and let dry overnight.

The tools that I wrapped (except for the one on the far left, which I chose not to.)

Strip which I cut to wrap the scalpel handle.

Bevels at the top and bottom of strip.

Scalpel handle immediately after wrapping.

All the tools wrapped.

when confronted with a snowbound vehicle

2011-01-14T15:58:00.002-05:00

I posit that a great deal can be known about a person based upon his/her reaction to a vehicle buried in snow.

Discuss.

LOOK what I can do!

2011-01-13T07:26:00.000-05:00

The adorable nephew has just discovered that he can stand up.

The look on his face just makes me grin!

Thoughts on Boredom ...

2011-01-08T07:12:00.003-05:00

In the last year or so, I've thought a good deal about the distinction between the basic introvert and extrovert personality.

Growing up, I tried to turn myself into an extrovert, because that's what I thought the Christian was supposed to be - outgoing, vivacious, always going going going and doing doing doing.

Later, I realized that I found that life exhausting. I've heard someone say that the distinction between the introvert and extrovert personalities weren't how outgoing someone was, but rather where they found that spending time alone, or time with others, stoked their energy level or depleted their energy level.

I've definitely found that I'm renewed when I'm alone. While I enjoy times of community, it's always like a glass of cool water when I come through my solitary front door, and hear the latch click shut behind me.

I was thinking this morning about how that relates to "boredom." I was telling someone the other day that I honestly can't remember the last time I was "bored." But then I wondered this morning if that's not true.

People normally think of boredom as something that happens when one's alone, with nothing to do. But I wonder if what the introvert experiences as boredom is exactly the opposite. Perhaps for the introvert, boredom is that antsy, restless feeling that comes when you're ready to seek out solitude.

An extrovert's boredom happens when he or she has had too much of what doesn't come naturally, and wants to get out into the world. Perhaps an introvert's boredom happens, also, when he or she is ready to seek the place where they are at rest.

So while my extrovert sister-in-law may be bored after too many days at home without anything fun to do. Maybe my boredom is when I've spent 3 hours at the happy-fun-party, and feel myself eager to hide in the ladies' room for a while for a little quiet!

Interested in opinions, if anyone else finds the subject interesting!!!

Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T20:02:00.000-05:00

Just finished celebrating London New Year (which happens at 7:00 our time), with my brother, sister-in-law, nieces and nephew. Here's a picture of the younger members of the party. :)

Well of COURSE it's legit!

2010-12-27T21:31:00.001-05:00

Dear User,
 
    We are sorry to inform you that we are currently working on securing our
    server for the year, during this process accounts which are not manually verified by us
    will be deleted, Please confirm and submit your information for manual
    verification.
 
    Information which is to be provided is below:
    User Name:
    User Id:
    Password:
    Date Of Birth:
    Occupation:
 
    Upon confirmation of information from you, we will manually verify your
    Hot mail! Account and reserve it from being deleted, we are sorry for any
    inconveniences this might have caused providing your information over the
    email.
    Warning Account owner that refuses to update his/her account after two
    weeks of receiving this warning will lose his or her account permanently.
    Thanks  Hot mail.. 


Spammers would be greatly benefited by some self-study on grammar and punctuation.  :)

Decorated Paper

2010-12-25T20:17:00.000-05:00

In my class last fall, we learned to make decorated paper out of torn-up magazine pages. You layer them, sand them, then paint and wax them. I was working on a sample of this with a friend, and we finished ours today. Here's what I came up with.

It was great fun!

As with a lot of what I'm doing right now, it was a learning project. Next time, I'll definitely use smaller pieces, and will sand a bit more, and use paint with more color. But it was encouraging.

Some Sweet Fellowship Last Night

2010-12-12T17:00:00.000-05:00

Last night our new interim pastor and his wife organized a Christmas get-together for the staff, elders and deacons at a camp out in Allegan.

It was a very nice evening, and one of the things he did was pass out a list of things to think about based on Christmas carol titles.

I found it brought up some really sweet memories, and I thought maybe you'd find it the same!

* Silent Night: Has God brought special direction or answers in the silence of a long, sleepless night?
* Joy to the World: Has your heart ever been so full of joy that you felt like shouting it to the world?
* O Come, All Ye Faithful: Have God's "faithful ones" been there for you in a time of great need?
* God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen: When has God brought a supernatural peace into your life?
* Go Tell it on the Mountain: Tell about a time when you felt led to share the good news.
* Winter Wonderland: Share a time when you were overwhelmed by the beauty of a winter scene.
* Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas: Relate a Christmas that was meager with little resources, but became a blessing.
* Let it Snow: Describe a meaningful "snowed in" experience
* O Come Emmanuel: When did God's presence shine through after desperate cries for help?

Starting work on a Bible for a friend

2010-12-11T08:31:00.001-05:00

One of my friends asked me to work on his Bible. Some pages were loose,
and pretty curled, so the first step will be to get them nice and flat again.

To do that, they need to start with 4-6 hours in a "humidification chamber."

So - here they are just before I put the lid on.

Any resemblance between my "humidification chamber" and my regular 9x13 cake pan is purely coincidental, I assure you. :)

Medieval helpdesk with English subtitles

2010-11-29T07:51:00.000-05:00

The adorable nephew

2010-11-25T19:23:00.000-05:00

Isn't he cute? :)

Yesterday's workshop on book repair

2010-11-14T10:23:00.000-05:00

Yesterday confirmed my suspicion that I enjoy repairing books far more than binding them. Binding is fun ... but repair is WAY cooler. I love being able to see something put back together and useful again.

I started with my volume of William Cowper's poetry. The text block, covers and spine were all separated.

I learned how to use Japanese paper to put it all back together again.

LOVE LOVE LOVE learning this stuff!!!

When the invading army is just over horizon

2010-11-11T06:21:00.002-05:00

2 Chron. 20:3-4, 12b

And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah, and Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the Lord … we have no might against this great company that cometh against us, neither know we what to do; but our eyes are upon thee.

I was reading in this passage this morning, and it was such an encouragement. King Jehoshaphat and Judah were facing an army coming against them, and it was WAY too big for them to tackle.

The actions of the fed last week in monetizing the debt (essentially de-valuing our dollar considerably) has been a temptation to me to worry.

Money is always a struggle, but the predictions about what this could do to inflation are staggering - particularly to the cost of staple items like groceries, gas, utilities, etc.

It’s led me to keep chewing over and over how I'll manage if these exponential price increases start to hit.

And while it’s good to plan and be wise … I was noticing this morning what King Jehoshaphat did when he was faced with an invading army … he DID fear … as is our nature when faced with a big threat. But his next step was to “set himself to seek the Lord.”

It sounds as if he made a deliberate effort to throw his thoughts God-ward. I want this to be MY response to fearful times!

His next step was to encourage everyone around him to seek God too.

They were honest with God - there wasn’t a blooming thing they could do to save themselves. BUT their eyes were on God. He can be trusted!

Books for Workshop, part 2

2010-11-06T11:14:00.001-04:00

Books for next week's book repair workshop

2010-11-06T11:11:00.000-04:00

I am taking a book repair workshop next weekend down in Normal, Illinois, and I need to choose two cloth bound and two leather bound books to bring along. They needed to have sound text blocks, and damaged covers. I have a LOT of books with damaged covers ... but the "sound text blocks" was a challenge. :)

Here are pictures of 3 that I've picked out - one leather bound copy of Cowper's Poetical Works. It belongs to my friend Deb, and is the most beautifully bound book I've ever handled. The leather is so soft it just melts into your hand. But the spine is suffering.

One is my copy of Cowper's Poetical Works. It's cloth bound, and in pretty ratty shape.

The last one is Olson's Meditations on the Psalms. This is Deb's too, but I'm hoping she won't mind if two of her books are experimented on. Promise not to do anything about which I'm not absolutely certain!

I still need to pick one more leather bound volume. I'd like to take a Bible, but finding one that's sufficiently ratty, but with a solid text block, is proving to be a challenge.

I'll also post pictures of the workshop, and of the finished products.

Office re-arrangement

2010-11-05T06:16:00.000-04:00

Warning: this post will only be of interest to those who actually know me ... and probably not all of THEM! :)

This is the new partners' desk we've gotten for the church office, so the book-keeper and I can each have our own space. We're re-arranging and prettying-up, and hope to re-paint in February. We're both very pleased with how it's looking!

Condensed version of last night's condo meeting

2010-10-27T06:47:00.008-04:00

Building Manager: We will be investigating whether switching our pool to salt instead of chlorine will save us money, ...

Resident: Why does the pool cost so much? Have we considered switching to salt water? (This question was asked more than once by more than one person.)

Building Manager: These white notebooks will be put in wall pockets by the maintenance room. If you ever need to find a shut-off valve, this has all your information. ...

Resident: Where will those books be? .... Do they have information on shut off valves in them?

Building Manager: We will have a pest removal service dealing with the bats in the attics of buildings A and B. After the attics are sealed, the pest service will go up in the attics to make sure there are no remaining bats and clean up the mess.

BOARD MEMBER: (I'm not kidding - even the board members weren't paying attention!) What if there are bats trapped up there? Will anyone check on that?

Building Manager: We will be closing the fire doors in the buildings, to help protect people if there is a fire. We've always left them open in the past, but this isn't safe.

Resident: Will someone tell us which doors are fire doors?

Building Manager: The steel doors are fire doors.

Resident: But will there be signs on them?

Does NOBODY listen and comprehend basic information?

I brought a book along because I know the meetings go like this, and even THEN, I was able to understand what was being said. Granted, often the questions were separated by a span of 2-3 minutes from the original declaration. But ... really ...

Ah ... memories ...

2010-10-22T08:51:00.002-04:00

This is an ad for WordStar. I used this software when I worked for the English Department at Kellogg Community College in 1989.

It was this magical program that convinced me that computers DID have an advantage over the typewriter. You could COPY things, and PASTE them ... and then there was MAIL MERGE (something Apple's I-work didn't do as well in its first version last year as Word Star did then!)

Made me smile to see it.

Benjamin

2010-10-08T14:30:00.000-04:00

Thought this pic of my nephew studying a pig was adorable. :)

The Gun is Civilization

2010-09-29T08:52:00.002-04:00

Borrowed from a friend's facebook post:

"The Gun Is Civilization" by Maj. L. Caudill USMC (Ret)

Human beings only have two ways to deal with one another: reason and force. If you want me to do something for you, you have a choice of either convincing me via argument, or force me to do your bidding under threat of force. Every human interaction falls into one of those two categories, without exception.

Reason or force, that's it.

In a truly moral and civilized society, people exclusively interact through persuasion. Force has no place as a valid method of social interaction, and the only thing that removes force from the menu is the personal firearm, as paradoxical as it may sound to some.

When I carry a gun, you cannot deal with me by force. You have to use reason and try to persuade me, because I have a way to negate your threat or employment of force.

The gun is the only personal weapon that puts a 100-pound woman on equal footing with a 220-pound mugger, a 75-year old retiree on equal footing with a 19-year old gang banger, and a single guy on equal footing with a carload of drunk guys with baseball bats. The gun removes the disparity in physical strength, size, or numbers between a potential attacker and a defender.

There are plenty of people who consider the gun as the source of bad force equations. These are the people who think that we'd be more civilized if all guns were removed from society, because a firearm makes it easier for a [armed] mugger to do his job. That, of course, is only true if the mugger's potential victims are mostly disarmed either by choice or by legislative fiat--it has no validity when most of a mugger's potential marks are armed.

People who argue for the banning of arms ask for automatic rule by the young, the strong, and the many, and that's the exact opposite of a civilized society. A mugger, even an armed one, can only make a successful living in a society where the state has granted him a force monopoly.

Then there's the argument that the gun makes confrontations lethal that otherwise would only result in injury. This argument is fallacious in several ways. Without guns involved, confrontations are won by the physically superior party inflicting overwhelming injury on the loser.

People who think that fists, bats, sticks, or stones don't constitute lethal force watch too much TV, where people take beatings and come out of it with a bloody lip at worst. The fact that the gun makes lethal force easier works solely in favor of the weaker defender, not the stronger attacker. If both are armed, the field is level.

The gun is the only weapon that's as lethal in the hands of an octogenarian as it is in the hands of a weight lifter. It simply wouldn't work as well as a force equalizer if it wasn't both lethal and easily employable.

When I carry a gun, I don't do so because I am looking for a fight, but because I'm looking to be left alone. The gun at my side means that I cannot be forced, only persuaded. I don't carry it because I'm afraid, but because it enables me to be unafraid. It doesn't limit the actions of those who would interact with me through reason, only the actions of those who would do so by force. It removes force from the equation... and that's why carrying a gun is a civilized act.

By Maj. L. Caudill USMC (Ret.)

My little work area

2010-09-27T08:47:00.000-04:00

Got a little spot set up to work on books.

I know ... my time may have been better spent painting the wall behind it ... but that's SO much less fun. :)

Two books

2010-09-23T20:06:00.000-04:00

One more day of the workshop. These two books are the finished product (well ... the one on the right has one more step to go, but it's very close.)

I have two small books started that I'll get to work on tomorrow, and we're also going to learn to make paper out of magazine scraps -- the results are quite lovely!

Look, A book!

2010-09-19T20:20:00.001-04:00

Today we formed the hollow spine and shaped the pared leather to it. This book will have a partial leather spine, and our second one will be entirely leather covered.

While this one isn't finished yet (it will have paper covering the other part of the cover, leather hinges, and endpapers), it LOOKS like a book. That was exciting! Also, this was the first day of the class where I haven't had to rip out & re-do anything. This felt very good. :)

The two hour headband.

2010-09-18T19:27:00.004-04:00

Today we learned to sew the headbands from scratch. The little white sticks are tiny rolls of paper, and the pattern is half woven, half-sewn around them. Getting it even, and neat is a real trick, but I enjoyed the process. You're looking at my third or fourth try. :)

Had a compliment that blessed me - one of the other ladies in the class said she appreciated that I didn't get discouraged and mopey when I had to keep ripping out things and re-doing them again and again and again and again ...

I guess, if nothing else, you can always serve as an example of how to deal with failure. :)

I've been thinking today about Psalm 18. God's gentleness makes us great. Interesting, isn't it? We don't think often about gentleness being associated with greatness, do we? But in God's definition, it is.

Tonight should prove interesting

2010-09-17T17:58:00.000-04:00

There's a U of M football game tomorrow, and the hotel I'm in is about 2 miles from the stadium.

As a sample ... I awoke to this classy site this morning. A rented RV parked behind the motel, with a lovely view of the dumpster ... surrounded by beverage containers, with a guy sleeping on the roof.

Gonna be an interesing evening. :)

Thursday

2010-09-16T20:07:00.005-04:00

First, since my computer appears to be cooperating tonight, I thought I'd show you some pictures that will show a little of how my book will look eventually.

The red material is the leather I'm using, and the patterned paper will be the outside of one book that has a leather spine and corners, and the inside endpapers for the book that will have a full leather binding.

Then the other picture shows the edge decoration I've done so far. I've never had any success with anything remotely artistic, but I had a BALL painting these pages. I used a technique the teacher used in her demonstration -- mixing watercolor paint to match the color you wanted, and painting it on the surface, and then using saran wrap to dab other colors of water color on top to make designs.

Then there was a technique you used to burnish the paint, so it was glossy and so pretty. The picture doesn't show it well, but I'm just thrilled. When I got discouraged, I just kept going back and looking at it. :)

And for the discouraging aspect ...

The rounding and backing process I discussed yesterday? Well I had tried doing my second book on my own ... and I bungled it royally. I had a very gracious man step in and undo the damage I'd done, but it was an all day process, and took a great deal of his time. I'm thankful the book was salvageable, but it was certainly a knock to my confidence!

I got to the studio at 6:30 this morning, and got home at 6:00, and I was just worn out. Today and tomorrow are our "weekend" so we had the choice of either going in to work on our own, or taking some time off. I think tomorrow I'm going to take a bit of a break!

Saturday is a U of M football game, and I'm told it will be a zoo both around the hotel and the area of the studio. Should be an interesting (if not entirely pleasant) experience!

We'll see if I end up back at the studio tomorrow after all. While I AM tired, I also LOVE working on this stuff, and I might end up being drawn back tomorrow despite my thoughts tonight. :)

Wednesday report

2010-09-15T19:48:00.004-04:00

Class today was very interesting. We worked on paring leather and creating spines and corners for books, and also the little headband at the top of the spine.

I also did the edge decoration on my book, and started on the second. I'm surprised how much I enjoy that! I'm a very non-artsy person, but I liked mixing the colors I wanted, and doing some little splatter effects. After the edges were painted, the teacher loaned us an agate burnishing tool that shined the surface up like crazy - it's SO neat looking!

The schedule has gotten changed some. The teacher needs to leave town for a couple days for a family emergency, so we're taking our 'weekend' tomorrow and Friday. Then we'll have class straight through Satuday-Friday of next week.

I'm a little disappointed that I won't be able to get to church Sunday. There was one here in town that I was looking forward to visiting. But I trust God was superintending the schedule!

I haven't mentioned the makeup of the class.

There are 8 students, including me.

One is from Hong Kong
One from Alaska
Two from Wisconsin
One from Kentucky
and 3 of us from Michigan.

It's quite a neat group of folks, thought quite opposite from me politically. That has made for some interesting discussions! Four of us are staying here at the same motel, and able to ride to class together, so that's created an almost summer-camp-like atmosphere that I'm enjoying.

Computer started blue-screening again tonight. So the problem is obviously NOT fixed. But I was too weary to call tech support back again. Maybe tomorrow. :)

So ... no pictures, though I took plenty!

Rounding & Backing, Trimming the Top, Edge decoration

2010-09-14T20:24:00.000-04:00

These are the things that were dealt with today. Rounding is getting a round shape to the spine of the book. Backing is where the roundness is firmed up, and the "shoulders" are created, where the hinges fit. If you look at the books from the profile, with the spine up, it looks like a mushroom shape.

Then we trim the top edge of the book & coverboards, so it's very even, and put it in a press, where it's finished to a smooth surface, and then the edge is decorated with paint.

That's the step I'm in now -- I'll be decorating the top edge of my first book tomorrow. We'll also be starting to work with leather.

Didn't get too many pictures of this process, but here is my book in the press following the rounding & backing process. You can KIND of see the shape of the spine.

Sewing

2010-09-14T20:16:00.000-04:00

This is the process of sewing teh book on the frame.

My biggest discouragement was here. When I got it all completed Monday, I was behind all the others because my book is quite large.

the instructor was displeased with it -- the sewing was quite loose, and she said that it was workable, but not good.

I asked if it should be re-done, and she said, "no". However this morning, while preparing for the next step, she changed her mind, and said it really needed to be re-sewn. So I tore it down and started over.

I did learn a lot, and the practice was good ... but now I'm still behind, and taking in information for steps quite a long way ahead of where I'm at in practice.

Definately feels like trying to drink from a fire hose!

The studio where we're working

2010-09-14T20:10:00.000-04:00

The blue toolbox is on my bench. (Found out later that coffee on the benches is forbidden ... oops!)

report on Monday

2010-09-14T06:23:00.007-04:00

First thing: I discovered I'm by far the least educated, least experienced, person in the class. Though I'm thankful that the others seem willing to wait for me as I lag behind. :)

There are 7 or 8 students. (the ambiguity not because a person keeps appearing and disappearing, but rather because I can't remember whether the "7" included myself or not). :)

Two are from VERY far away - one lady from Alaska, and another from Hong Kong.

Three are staying in the same hotel I am. This is a blessing for another reason - I discovered parking is $10 per day. GULP!

OK - on to the class.

We sewed the first book, and worked on learning the rounding and backing of the spine. This is what creates the shape you see when you hold a book, spine-up, and look at it from the top or bottom -- almost a mushroom shape, with indents where the covers hinge. I'll be doing this on my first book today.

I'm disappointed that I didn't get the sewing on my first book as tight as it should have been. The teacher said it was borderline, and she'd recommend I go ahead with it. I hate borderline. Hoping to do better with the second one.

Since the computer has been crashing so consistently, I decided to get this post out there while I could, and hopefully follow up with pictures next.

****

Crashed on me right there. Glad I was saving. Grrrr!!!!

I did open a trouble ticket w/HP, and hope they'll have some answers for me. I need to google the problem too, but haven't taken time yet.

One little mercy from God. Another student and I were eating lunch outside a few blocks from the class location, and when we walked back, I was carrying my leftovrs, and ... nothing ELSE. Realized I'd left my purse sitting there, right on the sidewalk in downtown Ann Arbor. idiot!!!

Went tearing back 3 or 4 blocks, and thankfully it was still there, untouched. Yikes!

If anyone wants to google some error codes for me today, here they are:

0000000000000008
0000000080050033
00000000000006F8
FFFFF8000308AEC0

Bookbinding class

2010-09-12T19:57:00.007-04:00

For those who find the idea of spending two weeks of one's vacation studying bookbinding dreadfully dull ... I'll warn you that the next series of posts are going to bore you silly. :)

Today we arrived in Ann Arbor, and checked in at Hollanders to put our text blocks in the presses, and put our supplies in the building. Tomorrow morning we'll start at 8:30.

There was a book fair going on next to Hollanders all afternoon -- lots of interesting things to look at. A few that stood out: someone had made spiral bound blank notebooks out of the covers of old books. SUCH a clever idea for a book that wasn't good anymore.

Another lady had made jewelry out of teeny tiny books. SO lovely. I was tempted to take pictures, but since I'm planning to use the ideas, I felt guilty doing so.

Here are a couple pictures of the book fair, and one of the place where the class will be meeting. I meant to take a few shots of the classroom, but I got distracted by actually ... well ... trying to learn stuff. :)

The Adorable Nephew

2010-09-10T13:53:00.000-04:00

the white cat love bomb

2010-09-05T04:52:00.001-04:00

You may ask, "Trinka, why are you awake at 4:45 on a Sunday morning?"

This would be an excellent question.

I have discovered a method of persuasion more powerful than any I have heretofore experienced.

The white cat? SHE is a manipulator of the highest order.

The white cat KNOWS that she gets fed first thing in the morning. And in order to be fed, someone with thumbs must be vertical, and moving about the house.

Now the inelegant solution would be to whine, and pitch a fit. But the white cat? She is WAY smarter than that.

About 4:00, white cat unleashes the greatest display of affection one has ever seen. She loves, Loves, LOVES me. She needs to display that affection ... NOW.

She purrs, she demands to be petted, she looks deeply into my (closed) eyes, from 2 inches away. Then she starts it over again.

THIS is an excellent strategy. How can you be irritated by this much affection? Now, that I'm awake, and the food dish has been filled ... white cat is nowhere to be found. But I'm awake, and trying to decide whether to go for coffee, or a nap!

love order ... yes I do

2010-08-25T08:30:00.001-04:00

I just want to publicly admire Karen V., who runs our AWANA Sparks program. She is the most amazingly organized person.

Every year, about this time, she gives me folders of work to do to prepare for the fall program.

She knows what she wants. She communicates it clearly (and in writing - joy of my heart!), and she gives me plenty of time to do it for her.

It sounds like such a simple thing, but it makes my job a delight.

I love organization! LOVE it!!!!!

strange customer service at Office Depot last night

2010-08-20T13:24:00.002-04:00

Anyone else figure this one out?

I was running errands with a friend last night, and we stopped at Best Buy to pick up a couple computer monitors for her work. They were on sale, but out of stock.

We stopped several other places, the last of which was Office Depot, where they had the same monitor, but not on sale.

So we (I thought graciously) asked the manager if they did price matching, mentioning that Best Buy was out of stock, and gave her the ad with the sale price mentioned.

She was very suspicious, saying, "they SHOULD have them." She went off to check with someone if they could honor our request, also mentioning she needed to call Best Buy to find out if they were truly out of stock.

Huh? Does anybody understand this?

I would think, either they do price matching ... in which case they'd want our business, even if B.B. had a pile of them. Or they don't, in which case, "sorry we can't help you."

But the suspicion, and need to double check on our honesty ... continues to puzzle me.

It was an evening of bad customer service, but that one continues to baffle me. I can't quite figure out what we could have possibly been up to! Plus, my friend was spending a LOT of money on other things for work ... didn't seem to matter. We might as well have been stuffing merchandise into our purses!

Weird evening ...

(Office Depot on Alpine in Grand Rapids, just for reference of anyone who's interested!)

Peerless Worth

2010-08-15T12:29:00.001-04:00

One verse of this poem was quoted in this morning's sermon.

It's one of my favorites, so I thought I'd post the whole thing here, in case others might like to have it.

Hast thou heard Him, seen Him, known Him?
Miss Ora Rowan (1834-1879)

HAST thou heard Him, seen Him, known Him?
Is not thine a captured heart?
Chief among ten thousand own Him,
Joyful choose the better part.

Idols once they won thee, charmed thee,
Lovely things of time and sense;
Gilded thus does sin disarm thee,
Honeyed lest thou turn thee thence.

What has stripped the seeming beauty
From the idols of the earth?
Not a sense of right or duty,
But the sight of peerless worth.

Not the crushing of those idols,
With its bitter void and smart;
But the beaming of His beauty,
The unveiling of His heart.

Who extinguishes their taper
Till they hail the rising sun?
Who discards the garb of winter
Till the summer has begun?

'Tis the look that melted Peter,
'Tis the face that Stephen saw,
'Tis the heart that wept with Mary,
Can alone from idols draw:

Draw and win and fill completely,
Till the cup o'erflow the brim;
What have we to do with idols
Who have companied with Him?

Don't know who's behind this, but I really like it

2010-08-13T11:00:00.001-04:00

What a blessing!

2010-08-09T08:35:00.000-04:00

Love it!!!

2010-07-11T16:45:00.001-04:00

Note - this is probably a parody of some pop culture song ... if it is, and you know what it's referring to, and it's something awful, please let me know, so I can rip it down.

Otherwise ... this is a riot!!!!

my Bro & Baby Ben

2010-07-09T19:07:00.000-04:00

new nephew!

2010-07-09T19:06:00.000-04:00

My sister-in-law, the adorable nieces and the new baby boy. :)

Few more pictures from yesterday

2010-06-27T11:26:00.000-04:00

some gardens in Lansing

2010-06-27T11:25:00.000-04:00

I went to visit a friend in Lansing yesterday, and we wandered around the gardens at MSU for a bit, and also the rose garden over by the river.

Thought I'd share some pictures!

Yep - that's exactly how it's done!

2010-06-16T07:11:00.003-04:00

attempts to protect the killdeer eggs

2010-06-15T07:20:00.006-04:00

We have a great many killdeer who nest around the church. If you're not familiar with them, they're interesting birds! They nest on the ground, right out in the open -- usually among rocks or gravel. The parent birds absolutely freak out if you go near the nest, and they put on a big "wounded bird, come and get me" show to try and draw you away from the nest.

This year, we had a pair lay 4 eggs right outside the front door of the church. Our administrator found them, and has been trying to protect them until they hatch. This is vacation Bible school week, so that's a bigger job than one might think!

Thought I'd show you a few pictures!

Lastly -- note the kids' attempts to please mama-bird by sharing their Goldfish crackers. :)

Books from my class yesterday

2010-06-06T19:54:00.000-04:00

We made two different types of books.

The turquoise one is a japanese binding, with hand-made paper cover.

The sunset colored one is a coptic binding. See the neat stitches that hold the covers & pages together?

It was tons of fun learning to do these! We tore the paper instead of cutting it, so it has kind of a raggedy, soft edge, which was fun.

See what you think!

peace? really?

2010-05-25T15:05:00.003-04:00

I was walking through a parking lot today on my lunch hour, and noticed all the peace symbols on car bumper stickers, and then in a store, on jewelry and clothes.

It's interesting to me that people seem so open to this. I've always perceived it as meaning "peace at any price" and signifying anti-American and anti-military viewpoints.

Has it lost those connotations? At least with the under-20's?

I'd no sooner wear one as I'd wear a swatstika ... they both represent viewpionts that are anathema to me - one advocating violence against certain groups, and the other advocating a willingness to turn a blind eye to violence rather than stand up to it.

Thoughts?

Books you would recommend

2010-05-25T06:21:00.002-04:00

My bookbinding class in September has, as one of the supply requirements, that I bring pages for two books to bind in class.

I could do blank pages, or I could lay out a couple old favorites ...

But I thought I'd ask for suggestions, and see if any new ideas strike me!

What two relatively short, public domain books would you recommend?

good preach this morning

2010-05-16T10:45:00.004-04:00

I was blessed to be at one of those sermons that God seemed to have just for me today.

It actually started before I left home. I was reading in Ken Sande's The Peacemaker, and it talked about Philippians 4:8:

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

He made the interesting point that, while this verse is applied in a general, over-arching sense, it's also applicable in specific situations ... such as when we're struggling in a relationship. We need to choose to think in this way about those with whom we're in conflict. This doesn't mean blinding ourselves to the person's shortcomings, but rather to seek to focus on their positive qualities.

With that thought in mind, I walked into a really good sermon on Luke 6:37-42 this morning.

37Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: 38Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

39And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?

40The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master.

41And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

42Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye.

These verses ... I tend to avoid. Mostly I do so because you SO often hear people use them as an excuse to sin. "Don't judge me! God says not to judge! What business is it of YOURS if I (fill in the blank).

However, just because a principle is mis-used, doesn't make it any less true!

The Scripture DOES talk about dealing with sin, but so often when it does, it includes with that command a warning to self examination at the same time.

Galatians 6:1 (among others)

Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

I appreciated the emphasis this morning on criticism -- the need not to do it myself, and also how to handle it when others do it. Following are a few random thoughts I jotted down.

One of the most precious gifts you can give anyone is the benefit of the doubt. Whereas criticism is one of Satan's most effective weapons.

If criticizing someone gives you pain, then do it. If it gives you even the smallest pleasure, then shun it. (William Penn - I think) (Referring to REAL pain ... not "I'm too humble to enjoy telling how how much better I am than you" pain.) :)

Thoughts on handling criticism:

Expect it ... the only time there's no friction is when nothing is moving.

Turn it over to God. Refuse to be bitter, and refuse to return fire.

Put yourself in the critic's shoes. What's going on in his life?

Search for the kernel of truth. No matter how unjust, God has something to teach me.

The trouble with most of us is we would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism.

Focus on the task, not the criticism ... and get your job done!

A blog that challenged me today

2010-05-14T12:36:00.001-04:00

Have a look

baby robins and an angry papa

2010-05-10T19:35:00.001-04:00

second attempt at making a book

2010-05-09T12:18:00.000-04:00

I like this one LOTS better. I got the text block much tighter, and everything is more centered and tidy.

Things to improve next time:

Cover is too wide on the side opposite the binding. I think I must have cut it without taking into account that I don't need a margin on the side where the binding rests.

Glue is showing through the endpapers. The "real" stuff hasn't come in the mail yet, so I used rubber cement, and it soaked through.

Didn't leave enough margin around the edges of the paper I used to cover the cover. Wanted to buy paper I thought was pretty, but it was also slightly too small. :)

LOVING this experiment!

SO funny!

2010-05-08T11:37:00.000-04:00

"Sunday's Coming" Movie Trailer from North Point Media on Vimeo.

Robins are growing!

2010-05-07T20:29:00.000-04:00

hungry chicks

2010-05-04T18:38:00.000-04:00

first book done

2010-05-03T08:22:00.000-04:00

Things I want to improve on next time:

The text block is too loose
It's not centered on the spine (got to figure out how to keep this in place, when I can't really SEE it as I'm gluing the endpapers down.)
The end papers aren't creased nicely into the fold where the cover joins the text block, and they got skeehawed in the process somehow.

Fun!!!

Some more baby robins

2010-05-02T18:52:00.000-04:00

Making a book - Second progress picture

2010-05-02T13:27:00.000-04:00

I have the mull on the spine, and made and covered a cardboard cover.

Next step - endpapers.

First attempt at making a book

2010-05-01T20:20:00.000-04:00

I have the signatures sewn together. They aren't as tight as I'd like, but I think that will probably be an "improves with experience" issue.

Next comes a mull (cloth glued over the spine), then a cover and endpapers.

Baby Robins

2010-05-01T17:57:00.000-04:00

Mama robin on her nest

2010-04-17T09:19:00.000-04:00

I saw her either laying, or sitting on, eggs yesterday. They hatch in 12-14 days, so in two weeks, we should have baby birds to watch. :)

Some pictures of a tea party

2010-04-12T17:45:00.000-04:00

I went to a tea party rally Saturday. Thought I'd share some views of the hateful right-wing protestors. :) Quite nice folks I met there. :)

My challenge for the weekend

2010-04-02T17:02:00.001-04:00

I have a friend at church who asked to hire me to organize his paperwork going back several years.

He's brought me 3 paper grocery bags, and more are coming (I'm guessing another 3).

So all of this is about half what's coming. I'm organizing it, and detailing it in an excel spreadsheet.

Sad thing is ... I LOVE this kind of work ... trying to find a system to make it accessible and useable.

Wish me luck! I've got an hour into it so far, and have entered the checks in the pile on the right. :)

In that box? 307 individual receipts. Plus the larger piles to the left.

Neat story I listened to at work this morning

2010-03-30T08:08:00.002-04:00

I ran across this series of 6 videos about some Amish families who were evaluating their church's teachings according to the Bible.

I found it to be a blessing, and I was interested at the distinction they made between following traditions for cultural purposes, rather than seeing them as a spiritual necessity.

Tradition isn't necessarily bad ... but neither does it merit anything before God. I liked that balance.

Have a look!

My robin has returned

2010-03-28T07:32:00.000-04:00

I've had a pair of robins nesting on my balcony for the last two summers. They perched their nest precariously on this curtain rod. So this year, I made them a more stable platform.

Looked out the door yesterday to find that the male had discovered it, and was starting to build. I get so much joy out of watching them every year!

There were a pair of purple finches hovering around with nesting materials too. But they seemed unwilling to challenge the robin's claim.

It amazes me to watch them ... how God built so much instinct into such a teeny little brain. :)

I have HAD it

2010-03-27T09:33:00.003-04:00

I would like to request the board’s attention to an on-going situation in Building A.
Andrew xxxxx has repeatedly violated the quiet hours. I’m disturbed by men yelling, stomping on the floor hard enough to rattle the pictures in my unit, and loud music from the TV. (Last night, the Spartan theme was blaring close to midnight).

From the time he moved in, I have made numerous phone calls to him, asking him to be quiet in the evenings. I have also called the police on one occasion.

There have also been multiple instances where the noise has carried between our units, and I haven’t bothered to call, as it seemed to do no good

While he chooses not to answer the phone, he did once assure me in person that he was aware of, and would begin honoring the quiet hours.

When we purchased our condos, we did so with the understanding that quiet would be maintained between 10:30 at night and 8:00 in the mornings. If this was unacceptable to him, I would contend that he made the wrong choice in his purchase. His neighbors should not be penalized for this. It should not be my responsibility to nag him into compliance.

I would prefer not to begin calling the police regularly. It distracts them from more important issues, and also lowers our property values, as these calls show up in the public record.

However, on days I work, my alarm goes off at 4:45. I can’t do my job adequately if I haven’t slept.

Again, we bought into xxxxxxxxx condos, assuming a certain lifestyle. If Andrew isn’t content with that lifestyle, than I contend it is HIS responsibility to either conform, or move on.

I request the board’s action on this matter, and guidance as to how I should handle the situation when it arises in the future.

cc: Andrew the-annoying-neighbor

Christmas 1966

2010-03-15T11:27:00.001-04:00

Since I posted all the cranky pictures, I thought I should post a pleasant one.

I must point out that it appears all the female glasses-wearing members of the family appear to be wearing identical pairs of cat-eye glasses. Maybe there was a sale?

Met with God this morning

2010-03-14T10:10:00.004-04:00

We've been learning this song over the past few weeks, and I've found it to be such a blessing. This morning was the first time I've been able to sing (most of) it without looking at the words, so I could really think about what I was singing.

Such a blessing ... God is so good.

Christmas 1970

2010-03-14T08:03:00.000-04:00

Family is growing ... Aunt Donna ... still not happy :)

Though, I DID skip 1966, where she looked pleased to be in attendance. :)

Christmas, 1960

2010-03-08T15:03:00.000-05:00

I'm scanning some old family photos, and noticing that my Aunt Donna has REALLY gotten the sullen-teenager-expression DOWN in nearly all of them. And she's such a cheerful lady now! :)

A Walk in the Park

2010-03-06T15:57:00.000-05:00

The "build your own bird" project

2010-02-22T13:13:00.000-05:00

This is a collection of pheasant wings, given to me by a friend at church who's an (obviously) avid hunter.

They're coated in Borax powder, as this seems to be the way one would preserve them (according to Google).

I once saw a wreath made from wings, and it was so beauitful. You could really see the pattern of the feathers, and the way the colors changed in the light.

So, I'm hoping to make one for myself, and one for the hunter's wife. We'll see ... I'm a tad bit paranoid about getting them preserved enough so as to not smell bad later!

Google seems to indicate that they need to sit in the Borax for 60 days, so look for an update on this project in a couple months. (Or not ... if things start to smell bad around here, and it heads for the dumpster in the dark of night!) :)

Makes me smile every year ...

2010-02-12T10:56:00.001-05:00

Coffee break time ...

2010-02-04T15:41:00.002-05:00

I love reading memes, but I rarely do them. I found this one on Trixie's blog -- it's all about what we've done. My items are in bold. Put yours in the comments if it appeals to you!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii (really want to do this!)
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland (Does DisneyWorld count? How different could they be?)
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo (unfortunately for all involved)
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea (Lake Michigan? How different could it be?)
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch (crafts, yes ... art? nope)
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning (never been more miserable in my life)
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (gym days in school!)
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been inside an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing (not yet, but I really want to!)
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

One of those rambling, full of miscellany updates

2010-02-04T07:31:00.002-05:00

Quite a few things rolling around in my head ... but none of them enough for a post ... so I'll combine them. Assuming that only those who know me actually READ this, there might be something in here of interest. :)

I've just finished reading In the Land of Invented Languages. It's a study of different attempts people have made to create a language "from scratch."

While it's not written from a Judeo-Christian perspective, I found it interesting to read from that perspective. The Bible talks about why we have different languages. (in short ... mankind had gotten too big for their britches, and were, as a whole, acting in direct disobedience to God. He thwarted their plans by confusing their languages, so they couldn't collaborate as easily).

In the Land of Invented Languages talked about the way our language ties in with our philosophy of life, and culture. It also lists one after another how people's attempts to create a "logical" language have failed. Interestingly enough, the one invented language that HAS gained a tiny bit of ground (including a handful of "native speakers" who grew up in households where it was their first language) is Esperanto. And that's one of the few invented languages that carried with it its own cultural bias and philosophy (the peace/love/mother earth thing).

Well ... anyway ... that wasn't as well formulated as I'd like ... but you get what you pay for on this here 'ole blog. :)

I've been reading through the Bible this year with Robert Murray M'Cheyne's reading plan. I'm a couple weeks behind already, but not letting that deter me. Fortunately there's no grade hanging on whether I finish on time or not. :)

I guess that's it -- I'd best be getting myself to work.

A video that touched my heart this morning

2010-01-30T12:04:00.001-05:00

I thought it might bless you also:

I've been working on getting some painting done - maybe pictures later today.

God provides paint!

2010-01-11T17:11:00.001-05:00

I've been thinking of painting my living room, and have had some big splotches of color on the walls for a week or two, trying to decide on a color. The lightest color on the paint chip is the one I picked.

Today I was at Home Depot, and looked at their mis-tint shelf. There were these gallons of paint, in the finish I wanted, in an almost-exact match to the color I chose!

So ... 3 gallons of paint at $5 each instead of trying to stretch two gallons far enough at $25 each! :)

God spoils me sometimes!

One of those Minor Annoyances

2010-01-07T16:18:00.002-05:00

However, my gizzard is grinding a bit ... so I decided to vent a bit to the blogging world. :)

There is a group of people who need to be buzzed into the building at random times Thursday afternoons from 1-4, and Fridays from 8-noon and 1-3.

So, during those hours, I try to stay close to my desk, so I'm available to them.

By the time the end of one of those time periods comes, I'm chomping at the bit ... wanting to get things done elsewhere in the building, run errands, etc.

So today ... after doing my 1-4 stint trying to stay within earshot of the door-buzzer, I started tackling the "do elsewhere in the building" pile that had accumulated.

I was met in the building by an irritated man, who had tried to get in, and found the door un-attended, and come around and through the other door to seek me out.

"I am available to open that door until 4:00," says I, "I'm sorry I missed you."

"I was at that door at 3:59" he says, glaring at me ...

Oh. Of course. How silly of me ... I should have synchronized my clock to yours before I attempted to plan my day.

Yikes!

Saw this on Ken Wiest's facebook this morning ....

2010-01-07T07:39:00.000-05:00

I am an introvert and Jesus still loves me. It feels so liberating to say that I am an introvert and a Christian. Some people will have trouble with that, but they just need to leave behind their Victorian era views of Christian personality and understand that this is the way that God made me and I'm proud of my introvertedness.
Michael Bird.

A bit of heavy industry hiding out at the antique show ...

2010-01-02T20:39:00.000-05:00

Clamp-lamps

A couple lamps made from chains.
My favorites ... they're made out of some kind of part with a gear on one end, and the prettiest blown-glass shades.

A few pictures from the antique show today

2010-01-02T20:37:00.001-05:00

There was an antique show in Grand Rapids today, and I went to look. Didn't buy a thing, but pictures are free! So many pretty things to look at, so I thought I'd share.

A funny-looking vase - strange colors and shapes ... can't decide whether I liked it or not, but it was sure different!

Pretty colors all jumbled together in a tool box.

Who knew there were this many old canes in the world?

More pretties ....

2010-01-02T20:35:00.001-05:00

I have a couple pins made of these tiny, tiny mosaics. I found a whole tray of them for sale, and was able to ask about them. They're made in Italy. So pretty!

I found this same table at our local thrift store for $6, and have plants on it. Fun to see it in higher-class company. :)

Just thought the colors of this hat, and the cup & saucer were pretty together.

Something about a big basket of thimbles is happy-making, isn't it?

A few more pretties from the antique show today

2010-01-02T20:29:00.003-05:00

These are the most amazing doorknobs ... they cost more than $100 each ... but pictures were free. :)

REALLY big, heavy candlesticks ... so sparkly!

More sparkles - pretty bottles all in a row!

Merry Christmas all!

2009-12-25T06:08:00.002-05:00

Please take a moment and just enjoy this carol:

I am so in love with this idea, I can't begin to say ...

2009-12-03T09:07:00.001-05:00

Airport sleep pods ... a tiny little box where you can be ALL BY YOURSELF while you wait for your connecting flight. It has wireless internet, and ... quiet ... and did I mention you get to be all by yourself, and it would be QUIET?

I know ... I'm the biggest hermit in the world ... but I would pay PLENTY for this!

Difference in Perspectives between car dealers and mechanics

2009-11-30T16:35:00.002-05:00

Dealer: You need to have your rear brakes fixed within a month or so
Mechanic: You need to check your brakes again in 8-10,000 miles.

Dealer: You need the 30,000 mile service - change spark plugs, etc. etc.
Mechanic: Pulled the plugs, and they look fine.

Dealer: $700+ for rear brakes and the standard 30,000 mile service package
Mechanic: $40 for having a look at it

I don't believe the dealer is dishonest - they're just going by the book. But I am certainly thankful for honest local mechanics who are free from "the book"!