A Birthday Post

Last week I showed off my prototype for a keychain...

(I needed to replace my keychain. And some things I just have to make myself.)

I made a couple modifications, and it's done...

But, of course, I wasn't done with one. I have a few skeins of this metallic yarn, so I then had to make another...

And another...

I showed these to my roommate, and she said it needed "bling".

Bling?

Um... Yeah, I can do bling...

And one more...

This is what happens when I get in the right sort of mood. I'll be selling these. I hope to get them listed in my Etsy shop this week sometime. Ideally. I'll just have to see how this week goes.

In case you're wondering about today's post title, today is my birthday.

What Song Do You Hate (or Not)

I'm not a big fan of Playbuzz quizzes. They are clearly clickbait. They have so many extraneous pieces, and the questions take forever to load. But I was just meandering around my Facebook feed and this one popped up. And I got curious, so I took it.

Go ahead. Try it. (Assuming your internet connection is pretty good. These quizzes are a nightmare if you're having loading problems. Or, even if you're not sometimes.)

Back now?

How'd you do? Did you get a song you hate?

I'm curious. There are a couple songs that I can't stand. I have to turn off the radio when they come on. I knew this quiz wasn't going to pinpoint any of those, but I had hopes. Not high hopes, but tepid hopes...

And... The quiz chose a song I actually like. It's not a favorite, but it was high up on my "I like this" list when it first came out. Now, it's pleasant enough. So, the quiz failed miserably at finding a song I hate.

How did it do for you?

What song did it think I must hate? (Must have been because I said I like rainy days...)

Have a happy weekend :)

(Not Quite) Wide Awake

It's time for #ThrowbackThursday, where I recycle and old post. It's summer, so I've been doing a lot of reading. Just the other night I was again up way too late. At least this time I didn't have to get up in the morning. This was originally posted on May 6, 2014. And, for the record, I was not sleeping in class. I wasn't even dozing... 

The girl waved her hands in the air and then clapped loudly. Huh? I went over to investigate.

"I woke you up," the girl explained.

Woke me? I wasn't asleep.

"Yes you were. Your eyes were closed."

Um, no, they weren't.

I may have been yawning widely, but I wasn't asleep. I really should know better than to start reading a new book before bed on a school night. I can read for hours, even when I need to be up in the morning. And I drag through the next day. But I have never, ever fallen asleep in class.

I've heard horror stories about subs who sleep in class. If I feel like I might nod off, I'll get up and walk around. I anticipate a prep period where I can close my eyes. I whimper and moan to myself. But sleep? Absolutely not.

Soon, the discussion turned into my denying it and her insisting that I had been asleep.

When 8th graders think they're right...

So, I walked away. What was I going to do, write her up for accusing me of sleeping?

Longmire

This modern day western will end a six season run on Netflix sometime this year. Alas, I do not have Netflix. (One of these days I'll subscribe, and then I'll get all caught up.)

Longmire began its run on A&E, and that's where I first saw it. When A&E cancelled it, Netflix picked it up. So, I'm behind, but I'm still willing to recommend this show to anyone who might not be familiar with it.

Based on the Walt Longmire mystery novels by best-selling author Craig Johnson, Longmire is about a long time sheriff in a wide open area in Wyoming. While solving local crimes, he deals with a rivalry with the nearby Indian reservation, a friendship with the local bar/restaurant owner, and a deputy who is running to replace him as sheriff. (And that's just season one.)

Of course, there's more going on here. Turns out, there's a bit of a mystery surrounding the death of his wife, although the fact that there's a mystery there doesn't come out right away. He's too busy trying to hold on to his job while still being the boss of the man who is running to unseat him.

I've never been a big fan of westerns. And I'm a bit weary of procedurals. This is both. But it still manages to entertain. It's familiar while managing to be fresh enough to be interesting. If that makes any sense.

Have you seen Longmire? Have you read the books on which the series is based?

The Obstacle

At the heart of much speculative fiction (and fiction in general) is a question. What if? On Tuesdays I like to throw one out there and see what you make of it. Do with it as you please. If a for-instance is not specified, feel free to interpret that instance as you wish. And if you find this becomes a novel-length answer, I'd appreciate a thank you in the acknowledgements ;)

What if you needed someone "out of the way"? (For the sake of argument, let's say that this person is a major threat to you in some way. Like, they have dirt on you and are blackmailing you. Or, they are the one thing standing between you and some long sought out goal, like taking over a company or a small nation. I'm talking about the type of thing where you might do anything to get them gone.) Now, let's assume that having them killed is completely out of the question. How do you get rid of them?

A Side Project

A member of my writing group just had a short story published. If you'd like to read "Once Time", click on the link. (It's not terribly long and totally worth your time.) And she recently started a blog. If you have a moment, go on by and say hi. (You can tell her I sent you ;) )

On Friday (or it might have been Thursday. The days... They start to run together...) TCM was showing Rear Window, and the last thing I wanted to do was work on my current knitting project. Or watch Rear Window again, truth be told. I was antsy. And I remembered that I wanted to make a new key chain for myself.

I had a clear idea of what I wanted to do, so... I waited until Saturday to try it. Turns out I didn't have the grommets on hand. (I started it a bit on Friday, but I didn't get very far. I set it aside. Then on Saturday I had to rip out what I'd started with on Friday. This is how these things normally go.)

Before I went to bed, I had this...

And a prettier shot (without my hand)...

Prototypes are good things, it turns out. I discovered that there were a couple things that I could have done better that'll make the final product turn out better. Things that I'll try with the next one.

If this were a sweater (or something that takes more than two hours to complete), I would be a bit more upset at this prospect.

Anyone feeling as antsy as me?

Too Much Time on Their Hands

It was Friday. Summer school. Modern world history. They were to finish all chapter five work. According to them, they were all done. So, they found ways to "entertain" themselves.

Inappropriate ways...

To be fair, it was only eight of them. In a class of thirty. Everyone else either worked or found something quiet to do.

At this point in the summer school (the end of the fourth week), they should be fairly used to the routine, and if they knew they'd have time, they should have brought something else to do.

But, once I got through roll (which was a challenge in and of itself), the eight of them went into play mode. I already told you about the hair clippers. And I had the usual problems of students who would not stay seated. (That is, the boy decided it would be a good idea to amble about the classroom--at least until I put a stop to that.)

One boy left to use the restroom. The others hid his backpack. (I kept an eye on them. I was expecting them to flip it.)

A couple of them got way too interested in the wall behind them. Vandalism? They found a tack. The tack now resides on the teacher's desk.

Someone was playing with a condom. At least this one remained in its wrapper. Still, they were grossed out by it, so I put it in the trash.

When they finally settled in to watch something on their phones, they couldn't just sit still. No. Everyone had to watch the same video on one phone, crowding around it. (If they're done, I don't mind them being on their phones. It mellows them out. Until they're all sharing whatever one is doing.)

I was so glad to see the end of those two hours.

As they were leaving, three girls (not of the party of eight) were a little slower getting out of the room. So, I asked them if that group was misbehaving especially for me. I was told that the group did goof off when Mr. B was there, but they were a little quieter for him.

Ah well. I wonder if they're actually passing the class this time around.