No Strings Attached

Posted By Kathleen David on March 23, 2015

Really there is only a little left in areas that are mostly in shadow the entire day.

And, with a little luck, that’s that until next winter but I am not holding my breath over it.

I am going to break some larger projects down into hour increments. I can deal with (fill in the blank) for an hour and then move onto the next thing on the list for an hour. If I can get this into a groove I might make some headway on a few things that are overwhelming me each and every time I look at these projects.

I am sorry to say that I have a couple of more friends with some serious health problems that I found out about this past weekend. I wish them all the best. I didn’t make some memorials because I was not in the city where they took place but I was thinking about them and their loved ones gathering to remember.

Looks like I might be having another short story published later this year. Still working out the details on that one. It is a story I am rather proud of and it ties into a project that Peter and I created now over ten years ago. It is still dear to our hearts.

Working on another writing project that is eating my brain. I know how I want it to end but now I have to get the characters there without cheating. I also have to do some more research into the time period especially some political knowledge.

Spring Training Baseball is nice but looking forward to the real thing which will start soon. Wonder how many games are going to be snowed out this year.

As usual my bracket is broken beyond repair. I have two teams in the sweet 16 and I am figuring both are going out in the next round.

Inky has taken to stretching out on the bottom step as far as her body allows her to do so. Makes coming downstairs in the morning an adventure.

I miss the Adventures’ Club that use to be in Downtown Disney. It was where Peter and I had one of our first dates. It is where I got engaged to Peter. We made a number of friends due to that place who are friends to this day. Kungaloosh.

Having a serious case of edge creep in the living room. I did have everything put away nicely but now things are coming out of corners and taking over the floor.

Who else has too many blank books that are blank? I am a sucker for a nicely designed blank book.

Caroline is coming with me to bowling this evening to deliver the Girl scout Cookies everyone orders. She did well this year. If they ever get the online ordering sorted out, she is going to do great.

Caroline has been reading Elfquest and loving it. I really enjoy watching her discover things that I loved and loving them too.

I hate it when an eyelash goes into the eye and even when I get it out, I can still feel that doggone eyelash.

I did enjoy the end of the second season of Musketeers. And Once Upon a Time is stepping up its game big time. I really am enjoying this half of the season. Good Wife is clever in changing the status quo every year or so. John Oliver is funny and wonderful. I really like how he and his staff handle topics that need to be discussed but are marginalized or ignored.

I am grateful for snow storms that clean up neatly and quickly.

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Posted By Kathleen David on March 21, 2015

The first World Puppetry Day was celebrated on 2003. Twelve years later it had expanding and it is easier to find puppetry going on than ever. Lots of local guilds and groups have special performances today. Other puppeteers are posting things on line to celebrate.

Me? I am going to watch the Muppet Show and build some puppets. I will probably put progress photos up on my tumblr and maybe my facebook. For those on Tumblr I can be found at puppetmaker40 if you want to see.

The real fun will be going outside to put together the foam part of my puppets since it snowed last night and there is officially 5 inches on the ground. Yes for the first day of spring it snowed. I could see my lawn.

So let’s all wiggle dolls in celebration of an art form that has so many different styles and techniques.

I am grateful I am a puppeteer.

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Posted By Kathleen David on March 16, 2015

Peter was at the Raleigh Wizard World Convention this weekend doing his usual thing signing books, talking to fans, and generally making people happy. Caroline was visiting her sister Gwen and got a bonus visit with her sister Shana which made her happy. I pulled a hamstring so I was at home most of the weekend catching up on things I could do mostly sitting down.

Now a number of years ago I had a friend, Stephanie, give a Doctor Who puppet to the actor who played him which would be Peter Davison.

(For the VI: The man in the middle wearing a dark jacket with a light colored shirt and blond hair is placing his index finger in the mouth of the puppet dressed up in the same costume he wore as the Doctor being a cream colored cricket jacket with red piping. Stephanie is operating the puppet and she is wearing a white shirt and a black bow tie and dark hair)

Since then I have given various Doctor puppets to various actors who have played the role.

I got to meet Peter Davison himself at a DragonCon and I happen to have a Doctor Who puppet on my arm which he recognized. He asked me if I was still working with puppets. I said not as much as I use to but I still dabbled. He told me that this was a good thing since I had a gift for it and that his children loved the puppet I had made of him.

Fast forward to this weekend and Wizard World. We found out that David Tennant was going to be there. So I sent a puppet with Peter in hopes that he might get it to Mr. Tennant. I knew it was a long shot but thought ‘what the heck why not?’

The slightly squished having been in a duffle bag for the better part of six months Tenth Doctor Puppet.

(For the VI: this is my 10th Doctor puppet. He has brown hair and brown eyes. His hair is slightly up on the right side. He is wearing a camel color overcoat, a brown suit coat, a blue shirt, and blue tie)

Peter put in his request to meet Mr. Tennant and give him the puppet and we waiting to see if it would happen.

Sunday I get a phone call from Peter to say that the deed was done and Mr. Tennant liked the puppet so much that he put it on and started playing with it immediately, which is always a good sign that someone likes their puppet.

Peter presented him with the puppet saying that I had made it and that he was Peter David a writer for. . .And that is as far as he got as he watching the dime drop for Mr. Tennant who said, “I loved your run on Hulk!” Yes, David Tennant is a fan of my husband’s work. So they chatted briefly and the puppet was played with and everyone had a good time including the people in the line who had a new story to tell.

No pictures at this time since they were being incredibly strict about it but I am hoping to eventually see a couple.

So Tenth is with his actor as Five is with his father-in-law.

Kind cool in my books.

I am grateful that Peter was able to pull this off.

Edit for photographic proof: Copyright Wayne Marshall

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Posted By Kathleen David on March 13, 2015

I honestly don’t remember when I first met Terry Pratchett. What I do remember is that it was before I started bring puppets to conventions and I had no idea who Terry Pratchett was when I met him other than a guest of the convention and a friend to whoever introduced us. I remember an evening of drinking and a lot of word play and a whole lot of laughing to the point my sides were sore the next day. After that I would see him at this or that convention and always made time to go listen to him talk.

I didn’t start reading his work until years later after my sister-in-law was shocked that I hadn’t read Terry Pratchett since his work was so in my wheel house. So I got a crash course in the discworld and became a fan.

The Paris Review put up a photo of Sir Terry that I really think sums him up in a nutshell or rather a t-shirt. I have seen him wear this shirt at conventions.

(For the VI: It is a black t-shirt that says in progressively smaller lettering Tolkien is Dead, J K Rowling said No, Phil Pullman couldn’t make it, Hi, I am Terry Pratchett)
photo copyright the Paris Review

Back in 2010, I believe, the doll group I am part of had a discworld challenge and the dolls were to be on display at the Discworld convention and a couple of other conventions. I drew the three Wyrd sisters and Greebo.

(for the VI: These are my discworld dolls. They are around a well with a grey cat in front of the well. The one on the left is all in black with pins in her hat. The one in back is dressed in a red polka dot shirt and brown skirt, the one of the right is all in purple and is holding a wand)

I know that Sir Terry got a real chuckle out of all the dolls in the exhibit but liked my greebo the best.

(For the VI: Same dolls in the same pattern set up at Dragon Con)

I know some great stories about the man but those are not my tales to tell because they are stories that were told to me. Some of the best were from Neil Gaiman who had been friends with Sir Terry way before the Sir got put in front of the name.

My sympathies to his family and friends and cat.

I am grateful that I met Terry when I did.

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Posted By Kathleen David on March 12, 2015

As in travel not school.

Today Peter is traveling to Raleigh for the Wizard World convention this weekend. If you are going, he is in artist alley be sure to say Hi.

Caroline is visiting her sister Gwen this weekend.

I may or may not be visiting with some friends in the city this weekend. It is all depending on the strength of my left knee/hip/ankle since I have done something and walking is a real pain right now.

We can see a majority of our lawn again and I can get onto the back porch.

It was lovely yesterday. The sun was shining and the temperature was not that bad. I feel like this is a tease and we are going to get four feet of snow again.

The cats are all in the window looking at a bunch of starlings on the lawn.

Yesterday I had twelve tubes of blood taken for a battery of tests. It was less than if I had given a pint so I am OK with that. Nothing critical just some follow up and some elimination of potential problems down the road.

I have been given a writing challenge that I need to take a couple of days and bang out. I have the outline in my head kind of but I really need to figure the rest of it out.

Also need to get the two commissioned pieces done along with the others for DragonCon. Caroline is in a costuming mood again so I need to figure out what we are going to do there.

Now off to finish packing Peter for his trip.

I am grateful for veins that give blood easily.

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