Amanda's Friends
[Most Recent Entries]
[Calendar View]
[Friends View]
Below are the most recent 25 friends' journal entries.
[ << Previous 25 ]
| Sunday, July 12th, 2009 |
davehogg
|
6:15p |
Blind Typing Meme
OK, since ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) psychodrea asked nicely... (closes eyes) This is my attempt to make a post with my eyes closed. I covereed the Tigers game today. They beat the Indians 10-1. Yjete was a [;ame yjay le[y f;uomh pbet yje syado,/ I think I mhjy jabe ,essed yjay ;ay semyemce i[ a noy/ Mpw O jabe yp p[em ,u eues. nvaise ,u gtoemd Jeayjer os hpomh yp ne dpomh yje Vjamme; 4 s[prys mews/ (opens eyes) Well, that went about as well as I expected. |
aiela
|
11:20a |
BOOK PROJECT: BOOKS 34 AND 35
34. Lake Effect: A Deckhand's Journey on the Great Lakes Freighters, by Richard Hill - this started out well. He was young, it was an adventurous job. But as he got less in love with working on the lakes, I got less in love with the book. (Okay, that didn't work grammatically, but you know what I mean.) It was an interesting look at the culture of the shipping lanes in the 70's, but the book went downhill towards the end. An interesting read, though. 35. Singularity's Ring, by Paul Melko - I grabbed this from the library because the name sounded familiar, and when I got home I realized why - he's another member of the Ohio Sci-Fi Cabal (they're everywhere!). It was a fascinating book. Most of humanity got involved in a "Community" of jacked-in direct brain connections, and then headed off out into space. Those left are picking up the pieces. They have also developed a way for people to live in "pods" - groups of 2, 3, 4 and occasionally five people who are individuals, but think of themselves as one person, each providing strengths and weaknesses to their "person". It follows the story of a pod of five who is coming of age and learning that the world around them is not really as it seems. (I am so bad at writing synopses sometimes. Anyway, I blew through it in a couple days and I just LOVED it. Take a peek on Amazon if you think it sounds interesting. I currently have two books and two audiobooks, so hopefully I can get back into reading. |
cross_stitch
[ tamswitter ]
|
7:42p |
Growth Rings
Hi Everyone, I'm really sorry to ask like this, but I have been searching and can not find anywhere! Does anyone by chance have a spare copy of the Growth Rings pattern? I am willing to pay postage and shipping as well as the cost of the magazine. I am also happy to trade stash (I will be getting my list up very shortly). I've seen everyone's progress on it and I'm really wanting to try it :) Thanks so much in advance for any help :) Tams |
cross_stitch
[ waya ]
|
12:05a |
Accidental S.E.X.
I stopped by a tiny little craft shop near my parents' house to pick up a bottle of fabric glue to finish up the Spirit of America Angel. (She has paper backing, and I forgot my camera today when I finished her up and left her with my mom.) They were having rather a large sale. Sadly, it's because they're probably going out of business. While I was there, I picked up Black Swan's Cymberleah, Dragon Dreams' Blessed Are the Piecemakers, Calico Crossroads' Kats by Kelly Hangin' Out and the Mill Hill Mouse King ornament kit.. All that, the bottle of fabric glue and a pair of small, inexpensive embroidery scissors specifically for using on paper/perforated paper so I don't dull my good ones... for $20 and some change. |
| Saturday, July 11th, 2009 |
craft_supplies
[ artikgato ]
|
10:16p |
Embroidery thread for sale~
I've got quite a bit of embroidery thread in a bunch of different colors just sort of sitting in my closet, not getting used. I'll sell the embroidery thread by the individual hank or in multiples or any combination of colors, or whatever. I'm also willing to take pictures if anyone wants to see what shades/colors I have (though be forewarned that the colors might not come through correctly on a computer screen). Please comment if interested! I'm also selling a bunch of anime/manga merchandise over at my journal. |
cross_stitch
[ xinef ]
|
4:36p |
Breast Cancer Mandala, in yellow
A friend of mine was recently diagnosed with bladder cancer. Unfortunately, a rare form, so there is no chemotherapy regime determined. She's started radiation treatment, and our fingers are crossed. I checked the web and found (no surprise here) that bladder cancer ribbons are yellow. So decided to adapt Ink Circles' breast cancer mandala, which I've already done twice, into yellows, with a yellow/green variegated for the tracery around the ribbons. I think I'm going to need to backstitch the ribbons to get them to show up better, but otherwise, like the way it is turning out. The top photo is in focus, the other shot isn't. But the lower one shows the different yellows a little better, so posted it anyhow. ( photos behind the cut ) |
blockofthemonth
[ hockeycat ]
|
10:13a |
We're still here!
I'm very glad to see there are others still here. I know this year has been rough on a lot of people, myself included. I want to say thank you to kitsmeow for all her hard work on this, and to everyone else for hanging in there! On a happier note, which is part of the reason why my quilting time has been diminished, my husband & I are closing on a house this week. This means I'll have my own sewing room again! =) Quilt happy, everyone! |
craft_supplies
[ killahcrash ]
|
5:48p |
|
blockofthemonth
[ krisome ]
|
10:14p |
|
cross_stitch
[ littleblueghost ]
|
10:11p |
|
| Friday, July 10th, 2009 |
cross_stitch
[ loozerartist ]
|
8:31p |
So it's Friday!
Which means it's been a week since I've started my gift project for my husband. A decepticon image... time for me to post and update! (it's safe he doesn't have a lj and doesn't read this community either) ( PICTURES! ) |
cross_stitch
[ kielrain ]
|
10:50a |
Fiona WIP
I have finished page 2 on her, page 4 just came out today, so still lagging a bit behind. I hope to be able to catch up before the end of the year! ( Read more... ) |
twoofdtm
|
1:04p |
|
cross_stitch
[ lenihanfighter ]
|
5:09p |
I haven't finished part one yet (need to do a few small stitches, you might notice), but I wanted to get started on part two and I had to replace the ring anyway, so I thought about uploading another picture. ( You know where to find it. ^^ )I'm still proud of myself that I managed to get all the specialty stitches done so far. X_x; The spider wheel stitch wasn't exactly easy or clear, but I had help from a tutorial video. They look funny. XD |
matt_arnold
|
1:53a |
The Unlikeliest Wedding Officiant
Somehow, my desire for sincere work does not rule out performing the occasional wedding. A young military couple were being sent overseas, and arranged at the last minute to be married by a Justice of the Peace so as to be less likely to be separated by the military. Upon hearing this plan, their families asked to be allowed to put together a real wedding they could attend with all the trappings. The Justice of the Peace would already have done the legal work; the following ceremony would be for show. The families had to work fast. No clergy could be persuaded to perform a ceremony on the Fourth of July with twenty-four hours notice. They went hunting for someone, anyone, who would know how to make the service look and sound traditionally authentic. Their friend-of-a-friend Tomak thought of me, mostly because I perform the Coffee Ritual at Penguicon. I ritualistically grind, brew, and serve coffee, and parody the High Church singsong cadence, while wearing a Pope costume with a Starbucks logo on the hat. Tomak: "You're a Bible college dropout, right?" Me: "I graduated, actually." Tomak: "Rock on!" Me: "With an art degree." Tomak: "Good enough." When asked what denomination I was, Tomak told them "he was trained Baptist, but now he's more ... Unitarian Universalist." That's one way to put it. I should remember that one. Jen worked very hard Friday night to put together a setting complete with an altar, unity candles, a humongous Bible with side-by-side English and Greek translations, and a lovely printed manuscript of the ceremony for a memento. She wrote the ceremony, and pasted a printed copy inside a black notebook for me to glance at, since I lacked any time to memorize my lines. I wore a black suit and white turtleneck. I would like to live in a world in which prayer and encouragement is never a paid acting performance. I didn't want to encourage a young couple that they are doing the right thing, when every evidence available to statistics and brain science tells us they are most certainly not. But it's their lives to live as they choose. I was worried that I would feel terrible; that it would be the most desperate and grasping thing I've ever done for money. In other words, I felt like one must feel when preparing to appear in one's first porn film. If porn stars can do it, I have no cause to demur. Yes, I said; I will draw from porn stars' strength of determination, learn from their example, and set aside these silly qualms. I will not Hoekstra. I did not dwell on it while it was happening. I just went with the flow. I kept my mouth shut as much as possible before and after. I was thanked and praised to the skies by clients and their families who were thrilled to tears. Then I hopped in the getaway car and put it out of my mind for several days. The back of my mind is constantly aware that there is video, which might appear on YouTube and come back to haunt me. If I make a habit of presiding over the downfall of beautiful relationships every day, I would experience emotional corrosion quickly. I take comfort that perhaps weary porn stars and reluctant wedding officiants might be the Yin to each other's Yang on some weird karmic scale. |
matt_arnold
|
12:29a |
Finish First, Unveil Afterward
I can no longer find the reference, but I recently read of a study that showed that the brain-chemical rewards of satisfaction from talking about our intention to do a project are the same as the feelings of satisfaction that we receive from completing a project. The lesson was to finish first and then unveil it afterward, so as not to sabotage your drive. This was consistent with my life experience. When I was a boy, I would get the neighborhood kids involved in projects of vast ambition, such as an RC car racing track, or a circus, or a backyard theme park made of cardboard. A week later I would forget the plan ever existed because I was busy drawing up detailed schematics of my latest life's work, and assigning a role in it to everyone who would listen. I don't think very many of them ever stopped going along with it, because on balance dreaming and planning is fun. However, I eventually remembered some of my abandoned plans with embarrassment, and could no longer muster the sincere belief that is a crucial component of my glowing enthusiasms. I didn't get back in the saddle until my late twenties, when I figured out how to subdue my attention span. I now cajole, distract, and bribe my brain into avoiding shiny distractions. Well, mostly. The study on announcements is the latest trick I've learned. That is why I have not already blogged about the paying assignment I have been working on for a week. In another week it's scheduled to be done, and I hope I'll be allowed to show it to you. Until then please regard it with skepticism for the sake of my clever mind-trick. In fact, I might be violating the new lesson just by saying this much. I would just like to say it's satisfying, and I wish I knew how to get more work with projects of this nature. It feels refreshing to get paid to do a project that I like and approve of; to get paid to do something that is easier to start than to stop. I think the last time this happened was six or seven years ago, and I don't remember it ever happening before that. |
stilyagiaircorp
[ jeffreyab ]
|
11:44p |
|
| Thursday, July 9th, 2009 |
cross_stitch
[ azriona ]
|
6:24a |
Finished! A Pirate Baby Announcement
Yet another baby announcement done - everyone I know is having babies right and left, and I hate normal baby announcement patterns. I finished this one over the weekend, and the parents received it last night, so I figured I'd share it here. Follow to see the Pirate Baby Announcement on my LJ. I did try something with this one - not the stitching, but the framing. I live in Northern Virginia. The parents live in New York. We're not that far apart, but we very rarely get in the car and drive to each other, so I wasn't sure how I'd get this to them, especially framed. And then the mom mentioned that she had a Michaels about two minutes from her house. I have a Michaels about two minutes from my house. So I went to Michaels on Sunday morning, took the cross-stitch, and basically selected my mats and frames as normal. I then had the framer write down all of the codes and measurements, and run it through the computer to see how much it cost (and would cost on one of the 50% off sales). I bought a gift card to cover the amount, plus a little extra for tax, and mailed the whole kit off to New York - instructions, cross-stitch, gift card. The parents received the package yesterday. The only downside to this plan (other than the fact that apparently the post office doesn't insure gift cards any more - and the post office employee gave me a look when I said I wanted it insured for $100, which is still far less than what the package was actually worth) is that parents of a newborn have to trek off to Michaels - but had the frame been damaged in transit, they'd have to do that anyway. (And the father apparently goes right by Michaels on his way to work anyway.) And I paid far, far less for shipping and handling than I would have if I'd had the work framed beforehand. |
| Wednesday, July 8th, 2009 |
cross_stitch
[ waya ]
|
9:19p |
Growth Rings WIP.
I've been wanting badly to finish the angel so I could start this piece. Sadly, I am one of those people that needs to get one project done before I start the next, or the one I put aside is in great danger of becoming a UFO. I was happy I was able to pick Eve back up and finish her. So, today's progress on Growth Rings! ( Back here! ) |
cross_stitch
[ angiewriter ]
|
1:45p |
|
cross_stitch
[ choirgrrl ]
|
9:00a |
Can anyone help me in locating a simple pattern for either a bunch of grapes on a vine (a complete vine is even better) and/or a simple bottle of wine? I'd also like a link (again) for "fonts" if anyone knows of a few goodies. Thanks in advance! |
cross_stitch
[ sterlingirl ]
|
10:11a |
Hmm... What to stitch?
I'm starting my stay-cation today! What should I stitch? Pot Luck Growth Rings Cirque des Cercles BoINK SAL Papillon Creations SAL Start something new. Annnnnd go! ETA- looks like Growth Rings and Pot Luck are tied. Guess I'll stitch a little of both! :D Current Mood:  curious |
| Tuesday, July 7th, 2009 |
cross_stitch
[ ntrlstgrl ]
|
11:19p |
MacHeads?
Hiya folks...does anyone know of (or use and recommend) cross-stitch programs (for example, to convert a photo to a pattern) that are Mac compatible (and that I don't have to run virtual Windows to use)? :) Cheers! Current Mood: curious |
cross_stitch
[ katybean ]
|
10:32p |
|
renniekins
|
10:57p |
More Books
I am just BLAZING through books this year. Reading like crazy! Like one a month - quite the dizzying pace! (heh) I guess having three or four different new jobs this year has taken a lot out of me. 7. My Name Is Will: A Novel of Sex, Drugs, and Shakespeare, by Jess Winfield. A strange book that tells the stories of two young men, one named William Shakespeare Greenberg, a guy in 1985 California who is allegedly working on his masters thesis but spends most of his time stoned. The other man is the actual William Shakespeare, a budding writer, growing up in a Catholic family during a time of Catholic persecution. It is twisted, but drew me in and I enjoyed it. I think the more a reader follows Shakespeare, the more that reader will enjoy this book. 6. From Dead to Worse (Southern Vampire Mysteries, No. 8), by Charlaine Harris. Another delightful romp through a land where vampires are Southern gentlemen - sometimes. 5. Neither Here nor There: Travels in Europe, by Bill Bryson. More travel-stories, this time through Europe. "IN WINTER, Hammerfest is a thirty-hour ride by bus from Oslo, though why anyone would want to go there in winter is a question worth considering." |
[ << Previous 25 ]
|
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small}
cheerful