No Strings Attached

Posted By Kathleen David on June 1, 2011

The kids have only a couple more weeks of school before summer vacation.

Then we adjust to our summer schedule. We need to sign up for various things and figure out when Caroline will be going to summer camp. There are a couple of possibilities including Girl Scout Camp.

Where did the school year go? It went so quickly. Caroline has learned a lot this past year. Her reading skills have much improved. She loved poetry now. Shel Silverstein being a personal favorite. Her math skills are good. I just have to convince her that math is not hard but another language to be learned.

Today I have some school stuff I need to do and I need to talk to some people over at the school. We need to get Field Day set up.

I also want to go to the gym and get the food shopping done. All this before noon after getting Caroline off to school.

I am grateful for everything I can get done today.

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Posted By Kathleen David on May 31, 2011

Right now I am working out how I will get from point A to point B and get everything done.

We figured out what we are going to be doing for Shoreleave Masquerade for the older kids. Now we need to figure out what Caroline is going to do. We have an idea but not all the parts in place.

I have half figured out what I am doing for DragonCon. I have one large project that I am waffling on. It would be one heck of a set piece but I am not quite sure if I could sell it.

So now I go through my head the things I want to do. The things I have done. And the things I should do.

Here are some of the things I think about before deciding on what to do.

How much time are the costumes going to take? That can decide a lot of what I have in the time left. This year, so far, it is not insurmountable but there is a lot to do especially since we found one more thing we need for the sketch.

What are my chances of selling an object? This can break down into price point or what is the least I can sell something for and not find myself in the negative. And what sells to the crowd. Fluzzies seem to sell and they also let people know that this is my table because they have seen those critters before. Sort of signature piece.

Also what is hot in fandom? What is something that a fan of X would want to own and would be willing to pay a decent price? I have always wanted to do a set of Firefly puppets but I don’t think the market is there for them at this point so they go down the list. Steampunk is hot and I had a couple of steampunk animals that went over pretty well last year and I want to build on that so I will be having a few more of those out there. I think that might be my niche in the art world.

Then there are the new projects that I want to try out. I have been working on a pattern for a doll that is quite different than my other stuff. I just don’t know whether it is worth my time.

I also take some time to go over in my head the steps for each object. Can I make more than one at a time. Can this sort of assembly line? Or do I have to finish one all the way through before making the next one? How long will it take me to finish a project? Is it going to get faster as I go along? Do I know where my materials are? What am I going to need to buy for the projects?

Also I can’t work solid. I need to be able to figure out ways of taking care of the hearth and home while being creative which can be a balancing act indeed.

I am grateful that I live in a house full of ideas.

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Posted By Kathleen David on May 30, 2011

There is a very interesting article about the origins of Memorial Day in the OpEd section of the New York Times today entitled “Forgetting Why We Remember” by Dr. David Blight. You can find it here. I recommend a read of it.

I hope y’all are having a good Memorial Day Weekend. We are having to plan for the parade that goes through town rain or shine and use the back roads to get anywhere for a good chunk of the day. The parade ends at the veterans’ memorial with some speeches and politicking as well.

Friday we went to see Kung-Fu Panda 2 in 3-D. Honestly it is the first animated film in a long time that I would recommend seeing in 3-D. This film was not retrofitted to the technology but uses it to its advantage. The film over all is a very good follow-up to the original.

Long time ago I wondered out loud what they could do for a sequel that wouldn’t involve Po losing his Kung Fu abilities and Peter said that if he were going to write it, it would be about where Po came from since his father was a goose and he was a panda. Apparently they heard him out in Hollywood because that is what they did but not in the usual straight forward journey to one’s origins. Po’s origin was interwoven into the main story rather cleverly and enhanced what was happening on screen.

The voice casting was top notch. The new villain’s voice was bothering me because I knew the voice but couldn’t put a face to it. It was Gary Oldman who can be a bit of a vocal chameleon so I don’t feel too bad.

We covered most of the movie going demographic and all enjoyed it. It was fun and moved at a good pace. The 3-D didn’t distract but enhanced the story. Also they had a couple of puppet sequences that I just loved and will probably go see the film again just to analyze them.

For parents of younger children the only things I saw in the film is young animals (children basically) being in danger until they are saved and young Po being in danger a couple of times but we know he is OK because he is in the film. There is violence and things go boom rather loudly. And everything turns out OK even with the implication that things went horribly wrong. The wolves are rather scary as is the villain but no more than the hyenas in the Lion King.

I am encouraging the film to be discussed freely in the comments section.

Anyone else watching “Game of Thrones”? I think that HBO is doing a really good job of it. The casting is spot on. And, considering all the threads that George wove into his text, they are doing a good job of distilling it down to its essence. And it looks sumptuous. I expect to see a lot of Throne costumes at DragonCon this year.

Today started with a Thunderstorm but the sky seems to be clearing up so the parade. It is just very humid outdoors right now. I don’t think I am going to be gardening outside today so I will look at my indoor projects.

I am grateful to all who have sacrificed to keep our country as our country especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice and their families and friends on this Memorial Day.

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Posted By Kathleen David on May 29, 2011

Yesterday Peter and I had a number of friends and family stop by the house for a cookout and to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. We had people who had been at the wedding, people who had been invited and couldn’t make it, and people we have met and become friends with since that day. It was a nice mix and everyone seemed to have a good time.

Peter did the cooking on the grill and I organized food. We got the numbers on the amount of food pretty much right which is nice because we don’t really have many leftovers. The fruit salad was very yummy and consumed by the end of the party. The cheese tray didn’t really have anything left to save. And even the veggies were consumed.

I do have Doctor Who but think I am going to wait until all parts are shown before reviewing because it keeps building on itself and, I think, needs to be talked about as a whole.

Crafty Tuesday will be back Tuesday with my basic plan of attack for the Summer. We did figure out the Shoreleave Sketch and I have things to make for Mystery Trekkie, the Masquerade and the Art Show.

Plus I have Field Day breathing down my neck.

Today will be cleaning up from the party and getting to some of my materials so I can get started on my next project.

I am grateful for good weather yesterday.

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Posted By Kathleen David on May 27, 2011

Peter and I had a low-key pleasant day yesterday. We watched Caroline’s first chorus concert. She was so proud that she got a line which she delivered clearly into a microphone. We had lunch at a place that we really like and everyone knows us. We went to our bowling league. We enjoyed each other’s company. It was nice.

This weekend the summer season starts including the summer schedule at many businesses in New York who do half days on Friday and people then travel to their summer residences. That means a lot more people in town starting this week and in the local stores. Good for business but not so great for trying to get things done efficiently.

Memorial day may have changed into the beginning of summer and lots of sales all over the country but I think we need to remember the original reason which is to honor our military personal who have died for their country. Yeah, I know kind of a downer but I think it is important to honor these people who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

I am grateful to those who did make the ultimate sacrifice so I can write the words in a country that allows me to do so.

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