I know two people who are celebrating their birthday today and both are called Katie.
This extra day is a necessity for the year to stay the same year to year. If we didn’t have it, then the seasons would be sliding around a lot.
I am taking the day to continue to work on my diorama which I will show after Heliosphere. I am so glad that I had a set design course and how to build those set models from Ming Cho Lee at Yale. It gives me a lot the tools I need to pull this off the way it is in my head.
I would also like to thank Richard Termine who taught me how to photograph things for catalogues and the like. He is a brilliant photographer that deserves more attention. You can find his work at https://www.richardtermine.com.
I am always up to the challenge to learn some skill I don’t know. I can put that in my mental toolbox and pull it out when I need it. Having such a jack-of-all-trades mentality has helped me over the years. Things I learned from taking graphic design and photography in High School still serve me well.
And I have an extra day to learn something new this year.
I am grateful for everyone who has shared their tips and tricks that are making my life a lot easier now.
Peter and I are going to be the guests of honor at Heliosphere the first weekend in April. As the artist guest of honor I have the task of making the artwork for the badge. Unless I planned to make everyone a puppet badge, I had to think a little outside the box. I came up with a clever but a little screwy idea that they love and I am executing it now. I think it might become what I show at the convention.
Caroline is having fun at her competition. She is keeping in touch which is much easier to do in the era of the pocket computer. I have decided I can no longer really call my cell phone a phone since I spent the least amount of time using it as a phone so it is a pocket computer.
I have been 50/50 about Picard. It has been slow to start but Patrick Stewart’s performance has kept me watching. I like the character of Elnor played very skillfully by Evan Evagora who I expect to see more from over the years. The first three episodes were set up and the two after those were mostly pipe work. The sixth episode got my attention. Mostly because of Patrick Stewart’s skillful acting about Picard’s PTSD for having been turned into a Borg and then back again. Now all the threads are coming together and I am hoping the last four episodes are the story they have been hinting about in the first six.
I am writing my story for the new anthology that Peter and I are editing for Crazy 8. It is entitled Resurrection and has a fun premise bringing dead people back in their prime for new adventures where we want to drop them. No zombies allowed. More on that when we have the guideline set up.
I do find that my creative is back in drive rather than neutral and my focus is better than it has been in years. And that makes me happy. I do still get overwhelmed but, rather than avoiding the situation, I am able to make a plan and tackle it.
For the next four days Caroline is off to Miami Ohio for the First Robot Competition. We are keeping in touch with her via text and phone calls.
It is a preview of what it is going to be like once she is off at college. No children just cats.
It is a weird feeling. I keep thinking about the day in terms of Caroline’s school schedule but I can let that go for a couple of days. Peter and I are able to go places without having to make sure one of us is at home to greet Caroline or get up with her to see her off to school. Peter woke up at the usual time during the school year and was figuring out what he was making her for breakfast when he realized that she was not in the house so he rolled over and went back to sleep.
Her cat is a little clingier. Yesterday about the time that Caroline would be getting home, Fig was hanging close to the door waiting. After the time past she meowed at me and went upstairs to her favorite nap spot.
Makes dinner planning different too. I am cooking for two rather than three. Caroline and I like a lot of the same foods that Peter doesn’t really care for. I have figured out the menu for the next couple of days including some leftovers but it seems strange not having Caroline in the mix.
I have a couple of days to work on a project that is due Sunday. If it works out, I will be very proud. Just need to start at the beginning and work through it.
I do miss my daughter. The energy in the house feels unbalanced with her not here.
I am grateful for adventures Caroline can have on her own.
It is the beginning of the season of Lent in the Catholic Church. The next 40 days are for prayer and reflection as we move to our holiest holiday Easter. This morning I went to mass at our local church and ashes were applied.
Then the itching began and I tried to avoid wiping off the ashes on my forehead. I have no idea if I succeeded because I have not looked in a mirror. I am very self-conscious about my forehead today.
Tonight we have bowling and it will be pretty obvious who is observing Lent. There is a large Catholic population where we live both Hispanic and Polish with a lot of Irish mixed in.
Caroline is off on an adventure with her robot team as they compete in Miami Ohio at the First Robotics competition. She is looking forward to it. She dyed her hair red last night which is a team tradition. She has all her team shirts and her team jacket. They have their mascot which is a Zebra. They are ready to go. She will be back very late on Sunday.
This gives me a couple of days of being an empty nester so I can adjust to the idea.
I am going to work on my artwork for the badge for Heliosphere and see if they like it. It will be my first badge artwork. I finally get to try out an idea I have had for a couple of years for more ways to have things to sell at conventions.
I also plan the big clean up after the last set of puppets along with starting the next set. My goal is to have the DragonCon puppets done by June along with two I am going to give away at Shoreleave and the two I am making for me. But next is a commissioned piece I must get done before Passover.
I have some ideas for the furppets that I am going to try out and I really need to make a couple of new Phluzzies.
I am writing a short story for a new anthology and looking for other opportunities to write as well. And then there is the Captain Nemo novel that comes back to the forefront of my writing.
I am sure I will get some other wacky idea that will lead to other creative adventures.
But today is a day to reflect and get ready for the next forty days.
I am grateful for new ways to stretch my creativitiy.
Today is Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Tuesday in some parts of the world. Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday.
As promised yesterday and I hope this works, here are photos of what I created for Farpoint.
Introducing my new form of puppet that we are calling furppets.
(For the VI: These are three hand puppets with no arms. From left to right there is a white long haired puppy with floppy ears, a pink furred puppet with ping pong eyeballs on top and a blue furred puppet with ping pong eyeballs on top)
All three sold at the show. I build these to have a puppet at a lower price point to sell in Art Shows like this.
Another trial balloon was two reversable aprons that are machine washable but do need to be ironed.
The Doctor Who apron
(For the VI: this apron has a pattern of daleks on one side and TARDISes on the other. There are two pockets of the opposite side fabric on each side and a bright blue tie across the top.)
The Minnie Mouse Apron
(For the VI: this apron has Minnie Mouse fabric on one side and red fabric with white polka dots on the other with pockets make of the opposite side fabric. The band and ties are red fabric with smaller polka bots.)
The two larger puppets I put into the show I hoped to sell and I did sell one of the two.
I present to you Toy Yoda aka the child who now belongs to a dear friend.
(For the VI: This is a puppet of the child from the Mandelorian. His skin is green with long ears, brown eyes, a brown coat with white fur trim)
The other one I had fun with because I managed to make my Doctor Strange puppet look like it is levitating.
(For the VI: this is my Doctor Strange puppet. He has blue skin and yellow eyes. His tunic is blue. His cape is yellow and blue. His gloves are a lighter blue. His belt is yellow with the same pattern as the yellow on the cape)
Then there was what I call my thank you puppet which I gave to Penny Johnson Jerald whose work I have enjoyed for years.
(For the VI: I am on the left wearing a grey t-shirt and a black and grey bowling shirt. On the right is Penny wearing a white knit shirt. Between us is the Clare Finn puppet with black hair, brown eyes, and her green and black uniform with the medical patch on the left lapel.)
Caroline made her own costume and put together her first jacket only consulting me for advice. It was an anime character that she likes. She styled the wig herself. She is dámņ good at wig styling after taking a hands on course at DragonCon in the costuming track.
(For the VI: Caroline wearing a green jacket, brown skirt, white shirt, and brown suspenders. Her wig is light brown and styled so it is sticking out all over the place)
I am grateful for Caroline’s wig styling skills since she styled the hair for the Clare Finn puppet.
