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July 25th, 2008
01:23 pm - Phone revived!
Dead cell phone has been replaced. Laptop surgery is ongoing - if this doesn't work, it may be some time before I have a travel computer again.
Current Mood: tired
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July 21st, 2008
07:54 am - Mission accomplished-ish
Provided that the rental company doesn't take offense to my application, I've secured an apartment in downtown Milwaukee, and I'll be moving as of the beginning of October. I like the apartment, and am rather antsy to move. However, there's much to do before going - I have to pare my worldly possessions down to fit in a very small space. It shall be an adventure!
In other news, two of my rats became seriously ill while I was gone. I am trying to decide if they'll make it. I hate having to do this.
Current Mood: exhausted
Current Music: Covenant - Invisible & Silent
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July 18th, 2008
02:50 pm - Technology failure!
Gremlins attacked me last morning, and both my cell phone and laptop are down. I'm currently working from the U of M library, which is very nice. That means that email to my gmail account or a call to the person I'm staying with are the best way to get in touch it me.
Sorry for the trouble!
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July 16th, 2008
06:42 pm - Perhaps an update
It has been an extremely peculiar week. ( Read more... )
Current Mood: tired
Current Music: fans
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July 10th, 2008
08:36 am - Headed to WW
Away from computer today through Sunday. Out of town today through who knows! If anyone's likely to be at the event, look me up at the House of Thornes.
Current Mood: sleepy
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July 5th, 2008
July 2nd, 2008
01:31 am - Countdown to WW 2008
Well, that's all the hemden repaired (hemds? Hemd? fear my Germglish.) Some of them are definitely getting ratty, but there's no time to replace them. Also, I'm still not completely sure exactly what's period for these gowns. Evidence is suggesting it's something a bit like the classic Italian camicia (at least for the Augsburg area), but there's very little to go on.
Onward to the gowns, or gown. I think the pink and green one might actually fit properly at last. Or, as well as it's going to. The red and yellow one will need significant alterations. Eventually, they'll probably be donated to someone in need of loud clothing, because I'm hoping to end up with more authentic stuff. But that will take much time to make, and I'll need something to wear in between. Recent evidence suggests I should also take my stuff up a social class or so, which will require greater tidiness, creation of a steuchlein, nicer aprons, etc.
I really also ought to try to get proper doors on my tent, as it's never had them yet.
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/growf/pengies/sweat.gif) stressed
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July 1st, 2008
09:12 pm - Through adversity, we shall bake
I have, I realize suddenly, developed a habit of angst-baking. When I am none too comfortable and feeling anxious, I cook, and work on the kitchen. I am somewhat dismayed that this has not translated to sorting my belongings or painting, instead, because there is a limit to the amount of food that one house can hold. This is, however, why dinner tonight is fresh salad, spicy black bean, rice, and kale soup, and there will be fresh bread. Now to convince my brain that these efforts are better spent fixing garb, working on overdue commissions, or writing for pay.
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/growf/pengies/sob.gif) lonely
Current Music: Clannad - Na Buachaillí Álainn
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June 25th, 2008
06:23 pm - Reminder to Myself
I do -not- need to make a really authentic 16th century Augsburg outfit before I am A. finished losing weight and B. make a major move.
How about a hat, brain? Or finish one of those many, many projects you've already started? It's not like we even -have- tropical weight wool in the house.
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/growf/pengies/blank.gif) complacent
Current Music: Enya - China Roses
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June 22nd, 2008
07:56 pm - Purple Corset Result
Well, here's the result of the impulse corset I was talking about yesterday. No purple zippers were available, so I used black, and I ended up with cable ties as boning. However, the buckling at the back there suggests I need to rip off a little bit of binding and put some more boning and a couple of gussets in. I suspect the lack of adequate width at the back hip is why the lacing's uneven at the bottom, too. This pattern is very symmetrical, front to back, so that's not really surprising.
I may throw a few very light bones (smaller zip ties) in the front to take care of those horizontal wrinkling. Boning things on the seams, as is most common with corsetry, never seems to work for me. Wall to wall boning is clearly the way to go! Since this was made primarily as a functional corset, for back support, it takes next to nothing off my waist. I'm hovering around a 38" waist naturally, and measured somewhere around 37" with the corset on. I can reduce more than that by holding my breath :P
( pictures )
If folks are interested, I'll post instructions on how to put together one of these. They're relatively simple (no bust to deal with) and I use a different patterning method than most I've found online.
Current Mood: busy
Current Music: Loreena McKennitt - Kellswater
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June 21st, 2008
07:22 pm - Which is why we wash fabric first
Today has been a day of interesting sewing accidents. I'm putting together a quickie underbust corset, so that when I have back aches from bad posture, I don't have to fiddle with my bra, as I would with an overbust. Underbusts are easy to fit. I grabbed a chunk of purple poly/cotton twil that'd been sitting around in my fabric stash from making garb for someone else ages ago, and set to ironing it out flat for cutting.
Now, it should be noted that I've recently given up steam irons. This is because I am too incompetent to use them properly - I always under or over fill, and end up slopping water on something before I'm done. I currently have a very small travel iron that appears to be about 50 years old, which I got from Habitat for Humanity for about three dollars. It's old enough that the only synthetic it has a setting for is rayon.
Because I'm not using an iron with built in steam, I've taken to using a spray bottle instead. I laid out my fabric on the table, heated up the iron, and gave the cloth a spritz. Which smelled surprisingly swimming pool like. This should have been a clue, but I continued, and spritzed about half the length before I realized that this was not the iron bottle. This was a cleaning bottle with 50% bleach solution in it. My purple fabric is now speckled with pretty pink spots. Fortunately, this is no disaster, because this is a utility corset, and the effect is still reasonably attractive. So I went ahead and spritzed the rest of the length, let it dry and the spots finish developing, etc.
On to stage two. With the correct bottle, I set to ironing. However, things seemed weirdly sticky. Ah, of course. When I got the fabric out, it was very crisp, rather like the finish from the fabric store was still on it (they put various treatments on fabric at the store, which is why some things that can be washed are dry clean only - you'll wash out the finish). Since it was going to be a corset, I didn't bother washing it - corsets rarely get laundered, and never in the machine. Normally, if it's a garment that'll go in the machine, I wash it on the hottest setting I can. The theory is that nothing worse will happen to it ever again. Of course, this fabric has to be one with a size that dissolves when moistened and heated, rather than with soap and soaking. Eventually I got the fabric laundered, but I've had to clean the iron twice.
All the chunks are now together, and awaiting seam pressing. Then I'll get to dig out my grommets, run to the store for a zipper, and put the boning in. I'm still undecided whether I'm going to go with zip ties or cord, however. Both have their merits (this corset is going to be far too humble for steel - corselette might be a better term).
Onward!
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/growf/pengies/yawn.gif) exhausted
Current Music: Clannad - The Galtee Hunt
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June 18th, 2008
06:06 pm - Go, apple corer!
I am a disaster with a paring knife. It's only the fact that I make stock from the parings that saves the giant hunks of vegetables and fruits that stay attached to the skins. It also takes me forever, and the results are poor at best. So:
Some months ago, I purchased one of these things: http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/apple_corer.jpg
I was dubious, but today I actually gave it a try. Best thing ever. Peelings do tend to have a lot of apple attached, but my apples were old and soft, and that might be less with a fresher apple. It takes the peel off in a spiral, more or less completely, pops out the core, and chops up the apple for me. Six apples - about ten minutes, compared to the half hour or more it would have done before.
I'm gonna make more pie in the future. I can tell.
Current Mood: sick
Current Music: Dropkick Murphys - Dirty Water
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May 29th, 2008
01:40 am - What's the life of a man, any more than a leaf?
Or rodent. Lost Odysseus, rat of unknown age and provenance tonight, very quickly. It's a little under a year and a half since I got him from the Humane Society, but I have no idea how old he was then - merely that he was skittish and had been rejected by a python. The remaining boys don't appear to notice a difference.
Back to work.
Current Mood: not okay, for multiple reasons.
Current Music: The Cruxshadows - Birthday
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May 15th, 2008
11:31 am - A Villain's Life
It occurs to me that I haven't actually mentioned this here. Nick's keeping a supervillain blog, ala the Velvet Maurader, called a Villain's Life.
I suspect that some of you would like it a lot (those who aren't already reading), and it's accessible to those of us who don't read superhero comics much.
http://doctorcataclysm.blogspot.com/
Current Mood: sleepy
Current Music: Great Big Sea - General Taylor
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May 7th, 2008
12:48 pm - Phone sheep
This is awfully cool: http://www.cualquiera.com.ar/notas/arte.html
Judging by the way they have cables running to them, I think they're even live. You could make a call from a sheep.
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/growf/pengies/sad.gif) depressed
Current Music: Pink Floyd - Your Possible Pasts
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May 2nd, 2008
11:41 am - Look, a bed!
Here's some of what I've been doing with my time. In early April, I built a loft bed in my room out of white pine 2x4s and 2x6s. It's extremely rough, but it holds me up, and seems to be sturdy enough. Guerrilla carpentry at its finest. It's been done for a bit, but I had to clear out the area underneath and remove enough sawdust to take photos. As an interesting note, I've made it a rope bed to avoid having to figure out how to fit slats in a way I could take back apart. So far, it's working well. Room's still a mess and the underneath area will eventually be more hospitable.
( Read more... )
Current Mood: tired
Current Music: Abney Park - Dear Ophilia
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April 23rd, 2008
01:20 am - Taking the crazy out for a walk
Been a loon again, cranky and cynical, and prone to bouts of weeping. I wish I could figure out why. Slept a lot this afternoon, due to a severe headache, so I'm up later than I ought to be. Going to try to do a bit of actual work before sleep, to make up for not doing much earlier in the day. First, however, my new chair:
( World's Best Chair )
Current Mood: weary
Current Music: Ramones - Blizkrieg Bop
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April 18th, 2008
11:42 am - Ground. Shaking!
It'll have been all over the other journals by now, cause I sleep late, but last night we had an earthquake. The center was some distance south, around the kentucky/indiana/illinois border, where it has variously been reported as a 4.5 and a 5.2. Here it was more like a 3ish.
Of course, I had no idea when I woke up in the night and my new loft bed (photos forthcoming!) was shaking. I thought I must have made some grevious engineering error and got out of bed fast. When further inspection proved that no ropes were broken, all bolts were in place, and all lumber was stable, I got back into bed, and it happened again!
Didn't find out it was an earthquake till about a half hour ago. How weird.
Current Mood: sleepy
Current Music: Blue Oyster Cult - The Vigil
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April 6th, 2008
10:06 pm - State of the Living Situation - Grace Flakes Out Again!
Alright, I've been terribly confused on the dwelling place front. This looks like it will continue, but at least a bit less angsty than it was before. I've redone the math, taking into account my cash flow situation, and things don't look great on the Milwaukee front. If this were all, I might come up with a way to make it happen, but Champaign is much improved from before (at least at the moment). My great cynicism expects that this may not last, but I'll try not to be too negative.
As we now have seven folks in the duplex, what shall occur is this: myself and three other people are going to live on this half, and three people are going to rent the other. There will be some roommate musical chairs to allow for couples to be more together, and if I need to flip out and run to Wisconsin, I can do so without worry that I'm going to beggar any of my housemates. And perhaps the place I write for will get the setup that will allow me to charge more for articles together, so I will be able to put together enough cash to survive in Milwaukee.
At the moment, it has been decided that remaining in Champaign with a travel budget, while not ideal, trumps being in Milwaukee with money worries and no travel budget. This may change.
In other news, I now have a 3/4 completed loft bed in my room, and my sheets are full of sawdust.
Current Mood: weary
Current Music: Abney Park - The Wrong Side
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