No Strings Attached

Posted By Kathleen David on March 10, 2011

I was listening to NPR this morning and I have given the New York Times the headline read. Both are activities I haven’t been able to do recently.

What is going on in Wisconsin? I am expecting the lawsuits to be filled today. How did they do that? Now both sides are trying to figure out how to do recall votes to get rid of each other and the governor. I am betting that a number of people who didn’t vote last time are going to be out in droves if this comes about.

Then there was another article about Muslims and the boarder patrol. And some of the questions that are asked of them which, if were asked of most of us, we would take offence. Like, “Are you related to a murderer?” Who happens to be the same religion as you is the unsaid on this one. The Unibomber’s brother is related to him and turned him into authorities so do they ask him the same question when he comes across the border? What does that have to do with anything? Yes, there is a balance to be struck between information gathering and being downright offensive and I don’t think we are there yet.

Then there is what seem to be our generations Joe McCarthy in the form of Rep. Peter T. King. He is overseeing hearings on “The Extent of Radicalization in the American Muslim Community and that Community’s Response.” I am rather disgusted by this. No group should be judges by the actions of a few. And here it looks to the world that we are judging all Muslims by the actions of a minority. Of course the head of the committee will not answer any questions about his connections to the IRA and the new radical group in Ireland.

I may be sticking to the Daily Show for a while because at least I get a laugh along with the horror.

Today Caroline and I are going to finish her report on the leopard seal which lives up to its name by being the killer seal of just about anything that moves where it lives including other seals, penguins, and various forms of sea life. If we get that done, then Ariel, Caroline and I are going to see Rango this afternoon. This is dependent on the weather as well since we currently have high winds that are pushing trashcans down the street.

I am grateful to the sane people in government that are there to help their citizens.

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Posted By Kathleen David on March 9, 2011

I wish everyone who observes Ash Wednesday a good day and that Lent is what you need it to be. I am wondering what the streets of New Orleans look like today. Are people trying to keep the party going or is everyone in church today?

This evening Caroline is going to be honored at her school as the citizen of the month for the second grade. This is the second time she has received this honor having been elected by her teachers and the principle in the first grade. This means a great deal to her because they emphasize good citizenship and helping others at her school. I am very proud of her.

I have gotten some inquires as to how Figaro is doing. She is growing up fast. We figure she is going to be one of the longer cats here. She grows in a weird pattern. Her head looks too big for her body and then her body catches up making her legs look short and then her legs catch up with the rest of her. Right now we are back to the head looking a little large for her body. She is Caroline’s kitty. Fig greets her when she gets home and settles next to her when Caroline is reading on the couch.

The weather is going to be nasty the next couple of days. Great time to be indoors working on something. My sympathies and thoughts to all who are looking at additional flooding after the rains we had this past weekend.

Apparently we are back to cell phones being BAD for the brain. I can’t believe that the Bluetooth can be any better. Also did anyone do a study of just using a handset or headset and brain function or is this something we are discovering now? My problem with my blue tooth is that it puts pressure on a point on my ear that causes me to get headaches.

I guess this is sort of a Random Thoughts but I have had my two cup allotment of coffee before I got to the computer.

Off to do something creative I hope.

I am grateful that Caroline is doing well at school.

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Posted By Kathleen David on March 8, 2011

Yes, it is Tuesday and I am talking about the creative process, art and crafting.

But first I hope everyone who is celebrating today does so in a safe fashion. This day can get pretty crazy in some cities in the world.

On the To Do List for me this week.

Top Priority are those post cards made out of Fabric. I am going to get a bunch done on that today. I have the materials I need now just design, cut and sew.

Next is sorting out the calendar with a new added component since I need to fill out my application for the DragonCon Art Show. And you have to show current work. My photos are more set up for recording what I made rather than juried art show.

I also have a Steampunk Doll, a Rabbit, and a re-furbish on the Weird Sisters to do for various doll conferences and swaps and I need to see what the time-table is on these.

And I have this feeling that I am forgetting something in the back of my head.

Some Random Thoughts on Crafty Stuff

Not a particular topic this week. I am still getting my brain back from vacation.

But if you have something you want me to talk about, please tell me. I am still feeling my way through this.

This week Caroline has a project for school that has a crafty part. We have worked out how this is going to be done. Now I am working on how she can do it rather than me. I have more skills and practice but this needs to be her project. She needs to make a mask of a Leopard Seal that will be part of or attach to a paper plate. I figure I’ll make her a template that she will use to make her seal head.

Sometimes deconstructing how you do something so you can teach it to someone else can be very hard. You know how you do it but stop and think how you would explain to someone else how to do it. When writing up a set of instructions or a pattern, you have to think that the person trying to recreate what you did doesn’t have you right there to explain what you meant so you need to make sure that you don’t need to be there for the instructions to work.

Depending on the level of instruction, you can assume some basic knowledge. Like a dress pattern assumes that you know basic sewing skills along with basic measurements and some math. So if it is an advanced knitting pattern, you can assume that the person has the basic stitches down along with how to read the pattern. If there is some new stitch or tricky turn that is not normal, you probably explain that with more detail than the basics.

Trying to teach someone how to do what you do can be hard but it also can be very rewarding. Passing knowledge on especially for crafts that are not done as often (like tatting) is very important because it is part of our collective heritage.

I am grateful to my teachers over the years that have shared their knowledge with me so I can share it with others.

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Tags: Art, crafts, crafty tuesday

Posted By Kathleen David on March 7, 2011

Wow a whole new month just appeared while I was away.

So this morning is filled with various things that need to be done and the afternoon the same. I have bowling this evening so it is a pretty full day to hit the ground running.

The performance of Addams Family we saw yesterday was the one year anniversary and 6 of the cast members last performance including Nathan Lane. There was a very nice ceremony after the show thanking all the actors for their work over the three year period that it took get to that point. It was a really good performance over all.

Broadway Bears was the usual bundle of fun. I have been going to it since the second one. Because I have been going for so long, there are a lot of people there I see once a year. We catch up on news. They have watched Caroline grow up from baby to young lady. The My Fair Lady Bear signed by Julie Andrews went for the most money with some furious bidding. There were a lot of delightful bears including a PeeWee Playhouse set that came with PeeWee, Chairy and an incredible Jambi bear head.

Today is a put one foot in front of the other kind of day. Tomorrow I think I will have time to sort out what I have on my plate and what needs to happen next.

I am grateful that we lucked out in the rain department for most of the day by being inside when most of the deluges hit.

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Posted By Kathleen David on March 6, 2011

Today we are off to New York City to see a show and then onto the Broadway Bear auction.

Caroline is dressed up in a black dress with two braids. Guess what show we are going to see….And the first two guess don’t really count. My other hint is that this is Nathan Lane’s last month in the role.

It should be a nice family day.

Tomorrow things go pretty much back to normal with the exception of Ariel being home for Spring Break.

After all the travelling as much fun as it had been it will be nice to be home for a bit.

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