Kittens and things

I've decided to start sewing a kitten. I've made cats before, but never a kitten and I found this really nice piece of silver gray fur I didn't know I still had. He's coming out alright so far, but i'm worried about his legs.Also, I wasn't sure how big to make him, so I didn't trace out the body like I usually do. He's actually very close to being done; I just need to make his head, the bottums of his paws then stuff him and close him up. I almost feel like a doctor giving stiches. He's going to be a little gray and white kitten and I'm hoping to give him blue eyes, but I don't have blue right now so I may not be able to.My room predictibly looks like a snow storm hit because the white fur has such a thick pile.
The head and paws have to be myleast favorite parts to work on, but, but you can't have a stuffed animal with out a head. the paws them selves aren't what is bad exactly. When I first make an animal, I trace a side profile of the body; no head, no tail. It's When I cut out the fabric, I make it double so that the animal will b three dimentional. Then I cut out four more legs, two hind, two fore, and sew them to the insides of the legs already attached to the body. That way the animal will have four legs.When you finish sewing up the legs there's a hole at the end like a sleave. This is where making the paws really gets started and shaping plays a vig part in how they will look afterward.
The head is a bit trickier to explain, mostly because what I usually do is cut out random shapes and fit them together. You never really know what you'll get with this kind of method, but that's half the fun.
Be back later to report my progress on the kitten. And maybe a picture?

Just a Bit of Something

I had a bit of luck yesterday. I went in to work and no one was there. They may have come in later and I feel a bit bad, but I don't have a key as yet and so I had the day off. I'll probably do some work tomorrow just in case.Today has been a very slow lazy day, but not one i enjoyed much. It's a good day to get lost in my writing, but I'll probably get lost in a book instead. Ah well, I've one more book to read before i must either get another or wait for the others to expire. Happily i may be going out with some friends, so i can stop scorching holes in my bed with my computer. :) ... Poor Scott.
Happy week end, or should I say red week end

Promise Her Anything ...

I am now convinced that no one knows what they're doing. That's why no one can tell me and want me to make it up. Every time I mention something I find interesting I've found on one of the websites I'm all day, they say, "maybe we can do something with that." I had the assistant director suggest we travel to KY when i said that the American printing House for the Blind had a museum there. All I could tell you about this job for the moment is that I'm raising public awareness.
I'm thinking I should break out the furs soon; actually I've got too very nice furs sitting across the room from me right now. One is a project I need to finish for a friend--though I may have to start over again. somethings sort of got misplaced during all the moving and packing. the other is for someone else who asked for a pug. I've made a pug before, but if she wants it actual size, I'll need to look up the right measurements. I don't suppose anyone has a pug they'd be willing to let me hold for awhile? :} It should keep my mind on other things.

Excitement To Come

Not much when on today at work. I'm still researching and gathering information, although I'm supposed to figure out what for. I feel like i am stalling until I can figure that out, but I'm not sure how long I can do this for with out a somewhat clear direction. I wish I were as smart as people keep thinking I am.
Yesterday a friend of mine brought her puppies in just as i was leaving. I love animals.The doberman was teething though and tried to eat me. She didn't bite very hard; it didn't feel like an I want to hurt you bite. The yorky was much calmer, but i think she's older. Well, hopefully I can figure out what i'm doing soon, and I sincerely hope we get real summer soon.

The Steady Decline of Common Sense

I once remarked to a professor of mine that common sense was clearly not something required of undergrads. Her reply was that common sense is not common. Sadly this seems to be true. Has it come so far thatcommon sense is becoming a rare thing? I realize it cant be taken for granted that all peoples possess common sense, but enough people that it's still common. However all one need do is check out some of the lables on cleaning supplies or other potentually toxic substances. Of course companies are required to place warnings on their products, but with all the "advances" of humanity I almost feel they shouldn't be needed. Take drain cleaner for example. it's pretty powerful stuff and not something you'd want to be playing around with. It also comes with a warning not to drink contents. Now if you're going to try to drink drain cleaner, chances are that you probably shouldn't be handling it in the first place. and anyone with uncommon sense should know enough to keep it away from children and pets. Same thing goes for washers and dryers. Of course A person may not be able to hide such a large machine from a child, but if children young enough not to know better are in the house, they should be watched. I think that is one of my biggest problems. not so much that people themselves don't have the uncommon sense to follow the instructions, but they don't have the uncommon sense to keep the stuff away from their children who wouldn't know any better.
This post was inspired by the website for the American Counsel of the Blind who so helpfully noted that Braille paper is used by the blind and visually impaired. I supposed in all fairness this shouldn't be considered uncommon sense since not everyone could know what Braille even is. However in light of the fact that school children are now learning about Braille it seems somewhat silly that that fact needed to be clarified. So here's to uncommon sense, may it one day find its place among the common again.

Something I find Fascinating

I don't remember when I actually first learned about them, but guide dogs for the blind have always interested me. Recently I found myself on one of the guide dog school's websites reading up on those wonderful animals. I know that labs, goldens and shepherds can all be guide dogs, but I recently heard that some places train boxers. Now isn't that interesting. Also, a friend of mine who's raised guide dog pups before said she once had a husky.I honestly thought huskies were sled dogs. I had a husky once and she was the last thing I would have picked to guide the blind.She was a good dog and very friendly, but some combination of hyper and an inate desire to pull sleds--even human ones--would have made me nervous about it. Of course, this may just have been my dog. A speaker at a convention I once attended said something about huskies that I very much agree with. huskies ... are psycho. It's true, they really are, but in the most loveable way.
I've also heard of pigs and horses of all things being guide animals. horses are supposed to live longer and pigs are supposed to be pretty smart. I really haven't spent enough time with pigs to gage their intelligence and I feel like horses would have to be trained specially not to shy from traffic, but hey if they work, they work. I have never met a guide horse or pig, but I've met several dogs and they're very good. Once when i was leaving the hospital after surgery a big lab golden mix tried to jump into my wheelchair with me. I don't think they're supposed to do that, but i think his harness was off so he was not in working mode. I think he was trying to comfort me and was just a friendly dog in general. I didn't mind at all.
One other kind of service animal I'm particularly interested in is a seizure dog. I've never met one my self, but I watched a program on them once and fell in love. I truly think my dog--this would be my cocker--should have been a seizure dog. I find the way they're able to be so intuned with their humans so as to detect signs of a seizure is the neatest thing. Dogs who are trained to use the phone in case their human is in trouble are pretty awesome too. it's truly amazing how much humans have been able to work with animals to serve different kinds of useful purposes.

Freezing in June?

Monday I wore shorts to work because it was supposed to be 73 DeGrees. I think it must have been 1:00 before it even got to 70. I thought at first that I was just cold because I was sick, but it's still cold and I'm not the only one feeling it.I'm told it's legally allowed for people to turn the heat off on June first, and that usually isn't a problem. Today, it was 54 degrees up here. I really don't know how I've managed to live here all my life. Usually I get blamed for the weather report as a kind of joke. It always seems that when we have sudden or unexpected snow, it happens just after i've written a story about snow or winter.So maybe this time I should write about summer and heat because we need some. Haha, I don't really think I have any sort of power over weather, but it surely couldn't hurt to remind myself how summer feels.

frogs

It really is too bad that most fairytales portray frogs as being slimy disreputable creatures. If you think about it, the frog prince doesn't really teach children to like frogs. Be nice to frogs in case one is a prince maybe, but the princess in the original story was quite mean to the poor little frog. Frogs are quite beautiful actually, and there's so many different kinds with such interesting names. there's one called a growling frog. who ever thought frogs could growl. unfortunately most of the pritty one's are poisonous, and all frogs are slimy. maybe there's some hint there, but for my part, i rather like frogs.

"But of course you'll eat me," said the ladybug.

"Not at all," mumbled the frog.
"Come again?" The ladybug took a tentative step forward.
The frog yawned.

"You know, you're quite beautiful in this light."

The ladybug blushed.

"Do you really think so?" But the ladybug would never know, and the frog certainly wasn't talking.

tee hee

The Elusive and Obscure

I've always liked being different from other people; it was and still is part of what makes me special. I can remember mentally commenting on the herd mentality of my classmates and how they whent from one hot movie star to another. I can also remember being almost purposefully contrary. Not that I disliked what my friends loved, more like that I liked the still liked but less popular thing. Hmm, can you put that many likes in one sentence? Anyway, my contrary tastes have always saved me from being a crowd follower--not that there weren't things I liked right along with my friends. Unfortunately this gets to be a problem now that i'm not only going against my friends, but the popular market. Can you see where this is headed? It can be near impossible to find things I like. Take music for example, not only do I like artists that my friends have never heard of, but some of the CDs are even out of print. The problem is that while this artist was popular in his day, I don't think he would have been in the mainstreem of popular artists of his day. Un like Frank Sinatra whom I also like, people still know who he is and you can still buy most of his music. Peter Nero is pop market popular for only a few songs.His lesser known works--at least by the pop market--are the ones seemly out of print. Wouldn't you know it, those are the ones I want. That's part of my other problem, I may end up liking something after the fact. This could be a good thing caust wise, but usually it gets to be quite challenging. Of course it's always rewarding in the end when I can find what it is I wanted. In Mr. Nero's case, I just haven't been alive that long. I made a joke to my friends once that most of my favorite people were dead; it isn't true, a lot of them are fictional. hahaha O well, it's a challenge being different, but I wouldn't want it otherwise.

workin' hard

I started my internship today. It wasn't much and there's virtually no structure. Some people may like that, but I rather like to know exactly what I am supposed to do and how I should get it done. They say pets and children need structure too because it helps keep them stable. I don't think I could do the do whatever you want kind of work. On the other hand, I am an artist and am happy for my freedom there. I just don't think I would do well in say school for example with out a structure of some kind. I think that's what makes free time such a luxury. Ah well, I really can't complain; internships are usually good things and they look fine on resumes. here's a random thought--something I'm known for--does anyone ever wonder why pickled cucumbers can be shortened to just pickles, but something like pickled peaches aren't?

the wonderful world of red

I once read a book in which a journalist moved to a small town and began writing a column for the local paper. His thing was to write a thousand words on any topic. I have always wanted to try that, but it's harder then both writer and character make it seam. My friend decided to die her hair red yesterday and so I got my topic from her, thanks friend. Well I tried to write a thousand words on the color red and this is my attempt. So here's to Mis L J braun, whose books I love

To the color red

Colors have long had many associations in the minds of peoples from the Americas to tribes of Africa to the ancient empires of China. What can like merely a color to some people can mean a whole range of things to others. Standing brightly and boldly out from all the rest however, is the color red.
Not only is red the color said to be the most well seen by people, but it is probably one of the few colors with so many varied and meaningful uses. Angry? Perhaps you see red down to your last red cent? Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning. Red sky at night, go paint the town red! Red also comes in may different hues with many names such as pink, which every little boy knows is a girl’s color.
Speakers of the English language pride themselves on their clever wording, their turns of phrase and their insinuations or double entendres. When children color, they use vibrant reds for fire engines, or cheery reds, with green or pink respectively, for Christmas or Valentine’s day cards. Have you ever tried to explain or define the color over the phone or to a blind person? It isn’t so easy if you can’t just show them or say “ apples are read” or “cherries are red.” Red also has a connection with music, yes music. When I was little, my mom labeled my piano keyboard with colored stickers to help me learn the notes. Reds were C, blues were G and everything else was yellow. We left the black keys alone ; does this tell you anything?
As I mentioned before, red has many conflicting symbolisms and connotations. For example: what do blood and tomatoes have in common? Blood is the life force that keeps us alive; it can symbolize life, vitality and strong emotion. Similarly blood spilled usually means injury and can mean death, wore or anger. Blood is also red when in contact with oxygen. Is it any wonder red-heads get such a reputation? Tomatoes, sometimes called love apples, are also red when ripe.
Red can also denote maturity and health Some fruits for example are red when ripe and healthy. Some plants such as flowers are also red when mature, and even some foods. That’s right, though he is quite alive and healthy, Sebastian appears to b a cooked crab rather than a live one. He isn’t the only one however, most crabs and lobster are depicted as red though they are actually a brown color. Red has both cultural, political, financial, military and even medical connotations; whether it’s the red cross, red militia, bank in the red or red carpet treatment.
Red is also used to signify heat or can even be used to indicate spiciness. Just think of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, they new what they were doing with a name like that. Was that red steam coming from your ears? The red rash of illness is what gives scarlet fever its name, and yet we call someone with a healthy glowing complexion ruddy, meaning red. See also, Rudy.
In china, red symbolizes good luck and celebration. It is believed to ward off evil and is used in weddings. Very different from American culture. In ancient Egypt, figures were sometimes depicted as having unnaturally colored skin to identify them with a certain element or meaning. Red symbolized life and victory, and Egyptian men were typically shown as having red skin. Rubies, which can be found in and around Asia and Africa are very highly valued and are believed to have both healing and prophetic powers. Garnet is also red, but are not as widely famed as rubies.
Red from the middle English, read.
What’s black and white and red—read—all over?
A news paper? A blushing zebra? A Dalmatian with a rash? A panda with a sunburn? A deodorized skunk?
Red is also used in a derogatory meaning, such as red skin, red neck or red meaning communist.
Often we over look how difficult learning another language such as English can be. The many denotations and connotations of the word red alone should almost be enough to convince one that with out cultural references one can get lost in idioms. To say someone is all red or turning red means not only that the blood is rising to one’s face, but It could also mean that the person is angry, embarrassed, hot, lying or even that it is windy outside. Similarly there a number of well known phrases containing the word red that might prove confusing for some who is not a native speaker of English. Below Are a list of just a few of such phrases and there meanings.

To paint the town red is to go out and have a good time
To be in the red is to be in financial trouble such as a bank
To see red is to become angry
The red-letter bible is the bible where all of Jesus’ words are in red
A red haring is a misleading hint or clue .. a distraction
A red cent is a penny
To be down to one’s last red cent yup you guessed it is to be down to one’s last penny
To be caught red handed is to be caught in the act of doing something wrong
Red hot spicy or good looking
Red flag usually a warning This can be seen in our red stop signs and traffic lights. It is even portrayed in nature. Have you ever seen the eyes on a red-eyed tree frog? They don’t just help with nigh vision, they’re designed to startle any predator who dares to wake them while they’re sleeping and thus not entirely alert. In nature red also means poison, such as with reptiles; another reason to STOP.
So, red can be both a color of love or of war and death. It symbolizes a number of meanings from health to good luck.

Just for fun, here's a list of famous people from history said to have red hair.
Alexander The Great
Eric the Red
Richard the Lionheart
Henry VII
Henry VIII
Elizabeth I
Antonio Vivaldi
Winston Churchill
Van Gogh
Galileo
Boris Becker
General George A. Custer
Judas Iscariot
Thomas Jefferson
Napoleon
George Bernard Shaw
Mark Twain
Martin Van Buren
Sarah Ferguson (Fergie) the Duchess of York
Carol Burnett
Ron Howard
Prince Harry
Robert Redford
Both Adam and Mary Magdalene are often portrayed in art as having red hair.

summer nights

I have always loved night. Not that I particularly prefer it to day, but there’s something about the hours of darkness; the time between fading twilight, velvet blackness and the unveiling of don. Night seems poetic and magical some how; certainly the poets thought so, However, I realize there are many poems also about the day and things that only happen during the day time, but I particularly love the night and all its mysteries. For example, how midnight is called “the witching hour,” or how it is said that nothing good comes from a call between 2 and 4 a.m. However 3 a.m. is also called “the hour of magic.” I have always liked a good mystery, and night with its noises, animals and goings on all under the cover of darkness is a mystery.

If I had to pick a season, in which I liked night best, I would be stumped. However there is something to be said about a summer night. Even when I was young, I would tell people that I would most like to be out at night during a fog. It’s something about the warm dark closeness that makes me feel as though I’m floating.

Then there are the sounds. The sounds of summer are unique. Certainly they are different from one part of the world to the next, but they are all similar in a way and unique as a whole. Sounds of course are something I pay special attention to. The chirp of frogs; the ever unanswered question of the owl on his nightly hunt; the crickets like tiny bells; louder and faster, more persistent as the night grows hotter and stickier. There is the shushing of trees as the wind yawns; the musical lilt of chimes, as they carry unseen from someone’s porch through the darkness; and then the soft tinkle of birds, as they begin their day.

sculpey clay

Today I went to Michael's with my mom and bought some super sculpey. I used to use the regular kind, but I've found that the super sculpey bakes nicer. My brother just discovered that it's sculpey rather than sculpty. I used to think so too, but I was set straight. In any case, I'm really happy about this particular box of clay because it's nice and firm. the last box I bought was too soft and therefore useless to me. I probably sound picky, but in order to get good detail the clay needs to be somewhat resistant. You can tell because the clay will feel kind of stale. If you still can't tell, try kneading it some. If it wiggles too much when it's stretched thin then it's no good. so I have good clay and I am happy.
On another note entirely, my brother just got the new sims and we've already made one. It takes such a long time; i had forgotten how much time that game takes up. There're so many things you can do with just the face alone .... Anyways I'm going to see if I can't get some more play time in before I move back to campus for the summer.

Sun Patch

Today I found a patch of sun while I was walking across the living room floor. Naturally I curled up and lay in it; soking up my vitamin D. It made me think of cats and dogs and how it must feel to have the sun warm their fur. My sun patch moved, more's the pitty, but I'm still warm from it. No wonder cats spend so much of their time lying in the sun. I think i want to write something on that subject. Hmm, I wonder should I make a cat now or something else? I've sewn cats before, but I've always wanted to make one with stripes or spots. Guess it depends on what fur I have in my bin right now. I'll try and put the pic here ifI end up making it.

whimsy at play

So this was kind of my brother's idea, but he fell asleep before I even got to my profile. When is it exactly that people start calling it late instead of early, or the other way around? Its now the hour of magic as I am writing. I would say it's early, but it could be either.I have to get up in a few hours so I should probably try to rest some. Although, no one actually believes I sleep anyways. lol