More creativity this new year! Yes yes!

I got the use of a sewing machine, and it sure it nice. I went to the fabric store and bought a pattern, and some fabric, and some thread. Then I had to go back and get some “notions”. Sewing notions, isn’t that a romantic name?

It means buttons and bobbins and needles and Mrs. Wrights twill tape, etc.

So I went back and got some notions.

I used to sew a lot, back when I had more time than ways to use it. I sewed satin pajamas, and formal dresses and less formal dresses and flowing rayon pants and circle skirts with lace and swimming suits and anything.

But I haven’t sewn in a long time. I bought the pattern, very thankful that it was on sale. I think that patterns must always be on sale somewhere. The list price is phenomenally high! Holy moley!

But this one was on sale, and it had darts. Darts are officially tricky.

I went to buy the fabric, and there were two fabrics that looked the same, one was a whitish natural color and one was a beigish natural color. But the beige one I liked better, and I couldn’t tell it it was on sale on not. The white one was on sale. I hoped it was on sale, so I brought it to the cutting table to ask.

Turns out the beigey one was NOT on sale, because it was linen. Oh. Better not take it then. So she cut the whitish one, and I was feeling cheapskate’s regret about the beigey one. Then she asked, “How much of this?” and I took the bait. Now I have both. I am not sure what I’m going to do with the Whitish one.

I cut the skirt, but I forgot what half of those little marks meant. I forgot to mark the darts and things. But I got it figured out.

Look me about a week, but a finished a very sweet little skirt. It’s not perfect, but I don’t have someone coming up to me with a microscope, so it will do. I am very proud to wear it.

I feel very creative. It’s fun to sew things again!

So I’ve been in my new condo for a while. I seem to be getting a some pressure from a few sources to do some decorating. I really have a lot of ideas, but it has been hard to take the first step.

Yesterday, I had some free time and I decided to bite the bullet and finally paint the wall.

I had thought long and hard, and determined on a very nice color, “Dusty Apricot” as the perfect shade to bring all the elements together. I had gone down to Home Depot and asked them to mix up a small bucket, just a quart, so that I could try it out and see. I asked the guy if I could come back and get another can and whether it would be exactly the same color. He said, yes yes, exactly the same color. “THe formula is right there on the label. It’s no problem to mix you another can.”

They mixed it, and as is apparently their custom, placed a little dab of it on the lid just to demonstrate the color.

It was not the color on the little swatch card. No. It was not apricot at all. It just looked tan.

I had heard that the colors never quite come out the way you see them on the swatch. But in my disappointment, I did not actually apply the paint for a long time.

But yesterday, I felt inspired. I had part of the day off, and I went to work. I got a little brush, I prepped the wall and I PAINTED. It wasn’t too hard, but it was very satisfying. The WHITE walls look horrid now, not at all attractive. I was so pleased with the paint, I painted with a will. There was an AC duct along the wall, I painted that. Then I got down on the flat expanse of the wall, and I ran out of paint. Whoops.

I stopped and looked at the color. No, it wasn’t as apricot as I liked, but it was a very pretty cafe au lait sort of color. I really liked it. Mmm. But the wall was only halfway done. I went to the store to get another can. THis time I would get a gallon. so I could do the whole room.

Back with the gallon of paint, ready to go. Opened up the can, and oh my goodness. This was where all the apricot that wasn’t in the first can went to. This can of paint was practically the color of a terra cotta pot. Wow. Orange and more orange. There was no way this was going to “blend” in with the first color.

I painted the rest of the wall anyway. It is distinctly two colors. I will put some tape up tomorrow and create a vertical line between the two, that way it will be a straight divide at least.

SO!

Lesson learned:
No, you cannot just run out and get another can of paint.

Also, that paint and color are lovely things. I like them very much and am yet more inspired to continue this painting thing.

The little bit of ceiling that I had scraped free of the popcorn painted very nicely too. I will also be doing the rest of the ceiling. No, it’s not perfect and smooth, but it still looks a bazillion times better than the nasty popcorn.

Live and learn.

SO I just experienced an earthquake in a skyscraper.

It was very weird. I was just sitting there, eating my christmas cookies, and I started feeling very dizzy. I thought, “Have I eaten so much sugar that I am dizzy?”

It went on for a long time, and as I was trying to figure out what was happening, the exclamations of my co-workers peirced my consciousness. “You didn’t feel that?”

It dawned on me that that’s what people say when there is an earthquake. Why were they talking about earthquakes. OH my GoD! I was feeling an earthquake!

It felt like the whole building was wobbling. OH man. I didn’t like the idea of being on the 10th floor of a 26th story building that was wobbling.

And it kept wobbling. At this point a lot of people were jumping up and decided what to do. I jumped over to my friend’s cube.

“It felt just like vertigo!”

I said, “I don’t like this. This is very scary.”

“It’s worse at home, trust me.”

I thought, What is she talking about? Home would be way better than this! I am in the middle of a wobbling building!

“I’ve never been scared by an earthquake before” I told her.

It did pass, thank god, and we all rushed to find out how big it was.

6.5, they said.

Hey everyone! It is the winter solstice today. This is the original, uncontested holiday for all the whole earth.

today is the darkest day of the year, and after this, things become brighter.

Do something to honor the day. Notice the changing of seasons, in the world and in yourself. Be grateful for the richness of the earth and the progression of things.

Happy solstice!

In my new house, right after thanksgiving, the oven broke. Since I am a new homeowner, this is my problem. I had to call the repair man and wait at home for him.

He said he’d come wednesday, so I had to miss some work to meet him in the afternoon. Since I was missing work anyway, I thought I would try to get some other home things done.

My piano needed tuning. I did a search on google for “piano tuner” and my area code. First guy that popped up I called, and he was free.

So my oven was fixed. Kitty loved him, I don’t know why, but Skellig rubbed all over him while he was on the kitchen floor. He told me that the oven is good for a long time now. Nice to know I don’t have to replace it. I like it.

Then the piano tuner came. I was talking with him, and he let out that he was a Theremin player.

EVERYONE ought to know what a Theremin is. If you don’t, do your homework!

I confess, I only has superficial knowledge of the Theremin before I met Roger Ballenger. I knew that it was used in the Beach Boys “Good Vibrations”, and that it was a standard Halloween instrument. Also, that it is the first electronic music instrument.

What I didn’t know was how cool Mr. Theremin himself was.

I asked Roger what a person who plays the theremin is called.

A Thereminist? That’s what he called it, but he confessed that he didn’t know if it was the official name.

I had to think about it a little. He said that the way you play the Theremin involves moving your hands across the radio waves to interrupt the inaudible frequency and create an audible sound.

“Like Massaging the radio waves?” I asked.
“Kinda..”

“I know! A person who plays the theremin is a Theremineuse!”

Long and short of it is, I learned a lot about Theremins and also got my piano tuned.

I’ve been playing it a lot lately.

Holidays are a time for special tasty treats. We get to eat and drink things that aren’t even around the rest of the year.

I know that I look forward to drinking eggnog out of a punchbowl. This is a generations old tradition.

And also, some hereditary memory lurks, reminding the four-footed in the household of how very tasty it is to drink Pine Water from the tree stand.

YAY! THE BUSSES ARE BACK!

People get ready
The busses are running
Don’t need no picket signs
Just get on board
All we needed was patience
To hear the diesel’s running
If you run out of health insurance
Just Pray to the Lord