Teh Doktor's Office

2010-12-04T15:27:00.001-08:00

HUGE THINGS COMING SOON!!!!!

October crafts update.

2010-10-24T14:45:00.000-07:00

Since I've been unemployed lately I've had a lot of free time on my hands. I've used some of that time to work on new jewelry projects.

The first project I worked with was flame painting. I found that it will be much easier to have consistent results if I ever have access to an oxyacetaline torch, but the results were still fun.

The next set of pieces I worked in involved making simple head pins by melting copper wire. I was inspired partly by the carnivorous Drosera plants. They didn't quite capture what I was looking for, so I think I'll experiment and look for a new technique before I flesh out this collection.

Having found a new technique for placing finishes on pieces I decided to play around with permanent markers as a resist for liver of sulfur finishing. The results were interesting, but as I played around with the pieces I found a different technique that not only offered the ability to resist the liver of sulfur blackening, but also gave an element visual depth. I imagine these ones will be turned into earrings, but I may make others more suited to pendants or bracelets.

The latest set of pieces I've been playing with has been interconnected cubes. It has taken a while to get my soldering technique down to the point where I can make these with any speed, but they have turned out nice. I'm considering playing around with finishes for them, since they have silver soldered joints that a lot of folks wouldn't like and several finishes could hide that, sadly the shiny copper would also be hidden.

Little rant

2010-10-12T21:45:00.001-07:00

The idea of preventing access to, or even discouraging the Pill or the morning after pill is ludicrous. If that's protecting human life, by preventing its murder, then maybe we should have to prosecute any woman who has intercourse but doesn't deliver a live baby.

If I remember correctly, between 30% and 50% of fertilized eggs never even established in the womb. Of the remaining 50%, only 80% of those survive to become an established functioning fetus. If my math is right, then up to 60% of fertilized eggs are terminated naturally during the first trimester.

No one knows the cause of every one of those lost embryos, or even that most of those miscarriages have occurred when they do, but we know it's happening. If a human is found dead or we know that humans are dying and the cause is unknown, there is an investigation into the deaths, people are looked into for murder, and the matter is dealt with to the satisfaction of society (ideally). There's a good reason why we don't do that with embryos, why we don't have women tested every month to see if they've conceived, why we don't lock pregnant women up in baby farms and monitor their lifestyle and diet, and why all those people who are shouting about protecting human life at that stage are being too extreme.

Paracord Crafting

2010-09-30T20:29:00.000-07:00

Inspired by my friend Linus I took decided to indulge in a little paracord crafting. This is just a cheapo throwing knife, but with a little paracord it has become attractive and more useful.

The wrapping is in a Turk's Head knot. I admit I had to look at the instructions every couple of seconds to make sure I was doing it correctly.

New Jewelry

2010-09-27T12:55:00.000-07:00

For a recent Dental Hygiene meeting in Casper I created a few pieces to be put in their fundraiser auction.

The first set is slices of copper pipe with held to a pin with a bead of melted silver. The earrings reminded me a lot of cherries.

The second piece is made from silver coated wire, brass coated beads and copper wire. I was told that this piece auctioned for over 150$.

Dreamcatcher update

2010-09-14T20:25:00.000-07:00

I made a copper feather to add to the pipe dreams dreamcatcher

Pipe Dreams

2010-09-08T22:08:00.000-07:00

So, for the longest time I wanted to use some salvaged pipe and wire and make a big dreamcatcher. I finally did just that and I really like the results. It's not quite done yet, I'm going to hang some pipe beads and etched copper feathers, but the main piece is finished.

2010-09-08T10:53:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been working on a collection of pieces based on arrangements of circles. The circles are all sections of copper pipe that has been salvaged from here and there. My pieces were somewhat limited by the fact I had only certain sizes of pipe. Even so, there is still quite a bit of potential for further pieces with this collection, and when I happen to salvage other sizes of pipe I will get to see how the style of the pieces changes.

Craft pic hammered necklace

2010-05-25T23:33:00.000-07:00

Here, is a piece I hammered out this evening. I'm thinking of making some more and adding things like pearls and semi precious stones. It would be a good chance to experiment with settings.

craft pic

2010-05-25T21:26:00.000-07:00

Here is the sanded and polished version of my favorite piece from the last set.

Craft pics

2010-05-23T22:42:00.000-07:00

These are a few forms I've put together. They are based on a style I was looking at in a book at Barnes and Noble today. they are not sanded and polished yet, but I really like the style and I think it has a lot of potential.

running log

2010-05-20T21:08:00.001-07:00

Ran/jogged 3.2 miles no walking break, 35minutes. My goal will be to run/jog the 5k on Saturday in under 35minutes.

Moment of awesome

2010-05-20T15:16:00.000-07:00

I have successfully passed my written and clinical boards. I'm not 100% sure, but I think I can legally call myself board certified now.

running log

2010-05-17T21:13:00.000-07:00

Today I ran 3.2 miles with a one minute break after 1.6 miles. Tomorrow I hope to copy this accomplishment. If I can do that then I will rest up for the Hapi-ness 5k on Saturday.

todays run

2010-05-02T20:21:00.001-07:00

3.2 miles tonight. 2.5running/jogging .7walking It was a very successful run.

Today's Run

2010-04-26T16:12:00.000-07:00

I did a total of 2 miles, 1.5miles running/jogging and .5miles walking.

Recycled glass practice

2010-04-26T11:10:00.000-07:00

I'm learning how to make glass beads from broken bottles here are the first two practice rounds.

Wire work free form buss fuse pendant

2010-04-25T14:34:00.000-07:00

Silver solder inlay ohm pendant.

2010-04-23T14:17:00.000-07:00

Craft agenda

2010-04-22T00:28:00.000-07:00

Craft projects for this coming week...maybe.
-Silver Inlay in Copper Aum(ohm) pendants
-Buss Fuse Wire Wrap Pendant
-Amigurumi Darth Vader

I'm not sure I should share this on facebook.

2010-04-19T18:33:00.000-07:00

http://www.humansexmap.com/showmap.php?mapid=map4bcd011d1f4270.56603447

Pics for a new acquainntance.

2010-04-12T13:53:00.001-07:00

project I had almost lost evidence of.

2010-04-11T22:54:00.000-07:00

I've been looking for these pics.

I am 25, that's a third of my foreseeable life, and I don't think anyone has ever called me their best friend.

2010-04-03T19:25:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been pretty disturbed by a recurrent thought. I don't know who my best friend is. To be more precise I'm not sure if I have a best friend. I have many acquaintances, multiple cordial friends and a handful of good friends. However, I'm don't think there is any person out there who would call themselves my best friend. I suppose there are two or three people I would be willing to call MY best friend, but I don't think anyone out there would reciprocate those feelings.

I'm afraid this is an implication of my ability to be a friend, and that deeply saddens me. I would give so much, almost anything, to know that someone or anyone felt that I was their best friend....

But now, I'm not really sure I'll ever find that person. I don't think any friend will ever think of me that way.

2010-03-29T18:02:00.001-07:00

No matter where you live, if you have not had your teeth cleaned in the last 5 years let me know, and let me know how long it has been since your last dental visit.

Chocobo

2010-03-26T17:01:00.000-07:00

I have not had much energy for crafting lately, but I did manage to make this little Chocobo from a diagram I found online. I was inspired by my wife and her new Final Fantasy game.

2010-02-11T18:35:00.000-08:00

Ok so this is Friggin Sweet. My wife commissioned a friend of ours to do a piece of art commemorating our first year anniversary. He did one based on a picture of our wedding. It's pretty much the coolest thing ever. It really fits with my wife and my anime love.

This is the same friend who did a piece for my proposal, where I was a Chibi type character on my knee with a ring and a question mark over my head.

He's pretty much on top of my "KICKASS" people list, and I don't imagine he'll be replaced any time in the next century.

An odd theory

2010-01-03T01:25:00.000-08:00

It's interresting that religious popularity may to be tied to how easily you can draw its symbol.

request

2009-12-28T22:38:00.001-08:00

Anyone out there interrested in steampunk. 'm trying to find inspiration for a steampunk piece, send me a link to your favorite steampunk gear.

I need help solving an argument.

2009-12-23T16:15:00.000-08:00

What color are these eyes?

Wire wrap butterfly bracelet

2009-12-22T21:54:00.000-08:00

Butterfly Bracelet

Copper Bracelets

2009-11-13T22:17:00.000-08:00

Here are some pics of a copper bracelets I have been working on, in preparation for a craft fair coming up at the civic center in Laramie on Dec. 5th. Let me know what you think of them.

Misery makes sense

2009-11-08T21:25:00.000-08:00

I bought a book today at the Tattered Cover in Denver. The book is 11,002 things to be miserable about. The book pleases me greatly. I think I will share a few of my favorites with you here.

People who find Sex and the City profound

Large families in matching tacky shirts

Optimism

Airplane pilots with drinking problems

Paraplegic dogs

There are so many reasons to be miserable, it feels better knowing that.

2009-11-06T18:05:00.000-08:00

I plan on attending a craft fair with my friend Sparkly Lady in early December. In an effort to prepare for the event I'm working towards completing a new piece every day. My first step will be to finish some dozen or so partially completed projects. I can probably pound out four or five of those every day, since most just need a strand to be hung from or ear wires or a clasp. I will try to post pics when possible.

I do have two mostly completed pieces I worked on today and last night to show off though.

This first one is just a little dragonfly in copper and hematite.

This is a pendant in Egyptian coils.

A question for my mood.

2009-10-19T22:59:00.000-07:00

Why is Hate an emotional response that parents try to teach their children is wrong? What is wrong with Hate?

Vikings like it cold.

2009-10-10T14:05:00.000-07:00

Many hours my past weeks have been spent on viking knit pieces. I posted one recently. In addition to that piece I've made two others. The first was a 3 stitch double knit out of 32gauge wire. You can see it at the center of the photo. The second was a 6 stitch double knit out of 27 gauge wire, it's at the left of the photo. I put the piece I made last week up for comparison.

craftwerk continued

2009-10-09T22:55:00.000-07:00

I originally tried to make this ring from too fine a wire, but eventually found a more suitable gauge.
The design of the thing reminds me of lacing my fingers and then trying to wrap them around each other.

craftwerk part 3

2009-10-08T13:53:00.000-07:00

My crafting week continued with this piece, which is a pretty simple adaptation of something I saw on a craft tutorial site. It's a pretty standard wire wrapping piece with haring bone around the beads.

Craftwerk part 2

2009-10-02T17:29:00.000-07:00

As promised I am bringing you another of my latest craft exploits. These pieces are merely remakes of a previous piece, but none the less here they are.

These little dream catchers have adventurite stones and recycled electrical wire of various gauges.

Craftwerk

2009-09-30T22:47:00.000-07:00

I've been working on a new project lately. I've been going through my idea archive and trying to accomplish one new piece every other night.The project has been mostly successful so far.

The first piece I wanted to work was a strand of viking knit. I used a much smaller gauge wire (~32) than my previous viking knit pieces (~27) here and here. I used six stitches as opposed to three for the previous pieces and it is still much smaller in diameter. In fact it is nearly too small for my computer's camera to photograph much detail. I will upload more of this weeks craftwerk later.

2009-09-25T20:29:00.000-07:00

Every Friday I get to repeatedly shove a needle in someones face.

2009-09-23T20:55:00.000-07:00

Apadravya now 6g = ouch

My Little Hill

2009-09-16T21:15:00.000-07:00

I sit atop a little hill of half finished projects, all of which must be done by tomorrow night.

Craft Update: Recycled Aluminum Spiral Necklace

2009-08-31T16:33:00.000-07:00

Recently I acquired a large amount of salvaged wire from my Dad. Most of it was copper, but some of it was aluminum wire from an old lightning rod system. The first piece I've made using this wire is a chainmaille spiral necklace.

I've got a new project in mind.

2009-08-09T20:42:00.000-07:00

I plan to make a simple system flute.

After having looked over my wife's flute and realizing that the keys are completely unlike my penny whistle, I knew I could never play the thing. However, a simple system flute uses the same fingering system as a penny whistle.

I've found several sets of instructions for these flutes, on the interwebs. Tomorrow I will procure the materials and begin the design process.

Craft project finished

2009-08-08T18:57:00.001-07:00

I've been working on a crochet choker for Sparkly lady and I just finished it. Here it is.

2009-07-28T17:59:00.000-07:00

Today I went to Laramie and worked with my Dad. My Dad is the foreman for Laramie Telephone Exchange. What he does is wire and set up phones, networks, low voltage electric, satellite, speakers, and all sorts of things. Today we were "fishing wire" through an elementary school. I imagine many of you have some idea of what fishing wire entails, but you have probably never experienced it like we did today. You see, for phone networks, you have to use CAT5 or CAT6 wire for pretty much every phone on the network. If you don't know what one of these wires looks like, take a look at your internet cable. Now, lets say you have 45 phones in a building, you need 45 of those cables. Obviously you don't want to have all that cable cluttering up the place so where do you put it, above the ceiling. That's where fishing comes in. You get a couple of people up on ladders and you give them this fishing tool.

They run the tool across the space where the wires are intended to go and drag a heavy strength ribbon behind. The ribbon is connected to the bundle of wires pulling from the source spools. Today we ran 3 sets of 15 wires, so we had 15 spools going at one time. Our set up was a little different, but it pretty much looked like this.

So, that was my day today. Tomorrow I will go to Laramie and do it again.

Happy 100th

2009-07-24T19:26:00.000-07:00

According to blogger, this is my 100th post. I'm not going to have anything fancy, just a little crafty update.

This is just a prototype of an X-ray necklace I'm trying to cobble together for my schools fund raising efforts.

This is a Byzantine weave bracelet I was inspired to make after visiting a friend (Ducky) working with the same weave. I didn't have the right size mandrel for the wire gauge I wanted to use so I ended up using a size 10 knitting needle to make my coils on. I think it turned out ok.

2009-06-13T10:38:00.000-07:00

Lately, school has been rough. We have certain requirements, we have to see a certain number of patients with certain conditions. As the end of the term looms I don't feel I'll be able to find get through all of these patients before the end of the term.

2009-06-05T21:26:00.001-07:00

Starting a health blog. http://tehdoktorfitness.blogspot.com

Slow Start.

2009-05-31T02:05:00.000-07:00

Today did not start off good, it did not start off bad. It had trouble starting off at all.

I woke up later than I had planned, due to the weeks lack of sleep. I left for Laramie and soon after I got there found out that I couldn't hang out with the Black Pope, since he was under the weather and sorely in need of a nap. I found out my parents were also taking the afternoon to nap, and I couldn't really get a hold of anyone else. So, I ended up meandering around Laramie for about 2-3 hours trying to occupy my time. I stopped by the good ol' Hastings and the Bead Shop downtown. I also checked out the new UW library building, it looks snazzy. After a few hours HSPB says he is feeling refreshed so I head on over and hang out at his place for most of the afternoon. It was great to shoot the breeze and just spend time with him, Les Fleur, Gina, and their sister. As an added bonus I got to share some of HSBP's workout material and Fleur fed us yummy rice puddings.

After dinner at the Flock Hall I went to visit my parents real quick. They were having dinner next door with my Grandpa. We chatted for just a little bit and then I went to JJ's bar to see my friend Will DJ. It was great fun, he did a whole bunch of 80's mixes and I even convinced my Bunny to come and dance a little. I found out that Will and his wife Tanya are having a baby and that it's due very soon, yay me for being out of the loop. After the show we four went to Shari's and had some food and talked for a while to wind down the evening.

Finally Bunny and I came home to Cheyenne and my story ends. Slow start, happy ending.

Takes Forever

2009-05-07T17:53:00.000-07:00

I am to the point in learning clinic, where all my patients are on either their second or their second or third visit. this is how things work during our first term. Right around this time everyone will be finishing their first few patients. Even though we are starting to finish patients, we still realize it takes us forever to get through their checkup, x-rays, and cleanings, and that really drives us nuts.

2009-05-02T22:01:00.000-07:00

I got up today, with the intention of hemming a friend's skirt, heading off to Laramie, seeing that friend's research presentation, and coming back to Cheyenne. It started off as planned. I got out of bed and began to hem the skirt. After the skirt was done I showered and got ready to go to Laramie. I fueled up my car at a gas station right by the exit and then headed off. About half of the way there I realized I had left the skirt by the door at home, but did not have time to go back and get it. I arrived in Laramie and watched my friend Rose give a nice presentation on her memoir project. After that I went to a late lunch/early dinner with Rose and my friend Brittanny(who was also at the presentation), and our friend Anna. We had loads of fun and I was so happy to see all of them. Afterwards Anna and Rose went to make some roommate arrangements and Britt and I went to hang out and prepare for Dram Prom. I went with Britt to the Dram Prom for a little while and then made my way back to Cheyenne. I forgot to mention that both the drive to Laramie and the drive back were through some wonderfuly shitty weather, such as fog, rain, snow and wind. At the end of it all I made it home to my lovely wife, and reflected here about my day's adventure.

heavy week

2009-04-25T14:59:00.000-07:00

This last week was heavy on learning experiences. In clinic, I saw many more patients than the previous week, I even began a debridement(cleaning) on one of them. I learned how to use several new devices including an air powder polisher, which is like a sandblaster that uses water air and baking soda to remove stain and debris from tooth surfaces. I also learned how to perform pit and fissure sealants, which involves polishing the tooth to remove debris, etching the enamel to prep it for a sealant, and then applying a polymer with silicate particles embedded in it, followed by a UV light to make it set. The process is tricky at best because it must be done on a totally dry surface. Let me tell you, making and maintaining a totally dry surface anywhere in the mouth requires some work.

:) First Patient

2009-04-15T19:31:00.000-07:00

Today I had my first patient appointment. All in all things went well, considering my inexperience. I may be able to finish my care for that patient on their next visit, which is pretty standard for our first couple of weeks.

I would have had my first patients yesterday, but I had a positive skin PPD test for tuberculosis and I had to wait on chest radiographs to confirm that I do not have TB, before I could see any patients. Luckily there were two of my fellow students with empty chairs yesterday so they took the patients I could not see while waiting for my test results.

2009-04-09T22:34:00.000-07:00

I just gotta say it. I love that pretty lady I'm married to.

Dental Hygiene worries

2009-04-08T20:40:00.000-07:00

A year from now I will be taking national boards, finals and getting ready to perform as a dental hygienist. A year may seem like a long time, but for us it seems like too short a span to learn all that we must to be hygienists. We are constantly comparing ourselves to a standard in our minds that we feel we may never reach.

Next Monday, some of us see our first patients. We will review their health history, perform an extra and intra oral exam and perhaps start probing the depths of their subgingiva. We have been doing this for months on each other and on mannequins, but the thought of doing this on real clients frightens us deeply. I think that is because we are so focused on doing good and making everything perfect for our clients. We must remember that although we are seeing these patients, this is a learning experience for us and the clients know it too. We are not expeced to be perfect and ready for boards after only a few months, so we should not expect ourselves to be either.

The Many Colors of Copper

2009-03-28T19:51:00.000-07:00

I Would like to present examples of the finishes I've been able to put on copper.

In the upper left are a variety of verdigris patinas. Each square represents a slightly different technique and the results can range from statue of liberty green to deep sea blue.
The upper right has some representations of the dark oxidizing colors of liver of sulfur treatment. The colors range from deep woody brown to black to deep gray.

The lower right pieces have been etched with acid and then cleaned with vinegar and salt. They have a matte orange appearance.

The lower left pieces were heated in the oven to high temperatures and depending on the pretreatment the copper comes out with anything up to rainbow colors.

The center piece is just clean smooth copper.

Copper can be manipulated to be almost any color and can even be enameled.

More on the chemical etching experiment.

2009-03-22T19:58:00.000-07:00

Chemical etching is the newest technique I've learned in the realm of jewelry making, and I've got to say it has potential.

It even works on aluminum.

Copper etching experiment

2009-03-20T01:29:00.000-07:00

I am currently experimenting with etching copper. I had not previously played around with the technique because I could not find Ferric Chloride, which is the main chemical used in the etching process. Tonight, though, I stumbled on a different formula for copper etching. This one is even reusable and much less toxic and I can make it from household products.

The basic premise is this. Add 1 part muriatic acid to 2 parts hydrogen peroxide for the etching solution, then add toner or permanent marker to the copper where the copper should not be etched.

For my first experimental attempt I took a scrap piece and scribbled some random runes on it along with a rough drawing of a keyhole. I left it in the solution for about 15 minutes and the images were etched into the copper, along with a lovely oil slick color pattern.

Copper thing of the week #2

2009-03-14T22:18:00.000-07:00

I have had a ton of crafting juice in me lately so I made several pieces and experimental bits. The one I'm most proud of is this wire tree pendant.

Thing a Week

2009-03-09T23:20:00.000-07:00

I think I'm going to try to do a thing a week type challenge for my little craft projects. Starting this week I will try to make and post at least one new trinket each week. Here is this weeks trinket.

Basically it is a slice of copper pipe with a viking knit going toward the center. I got the inspiration from library book called Fabulous Woven Jewelry and I think I will continue to work with it as an inspiration for the next project.

random projects

2009-03-01T23:02:00.000-08:00

I'm in no mood really describe and label all this stuff, just let me know what you think of any of them.

2009-02-13T22:25:00.001-08:00

I'm Married!

Terrarium experiment

2009-02-05T22:43:00.001-08:00

I'm now experimenting with terrariums. Check this out. I layered it with pebbles, charcoal, moss, topsoil and then a few seeds and this sensevaria plant.

It was interesting getting all that in through the little hole in the top. I will see if it all grows and post updates through the next couple of weeks.

Another Completed Commission

2009-02-04T16:23:00.000-08:00

Tessa the mistress of wonderful cooking and Grad Student extraordinaire, requested a viking knit necklace much like the one I was commissioned to do for Sparkly Lady. She has a sensitivity to copper though so she wanted it our of silver. I got some silver wire and got to work. I had originally planned to use some copper and paint it for the end caps and clasp but I didn't like the look of that so I caved in and bought some silver findings to complete the piece. Here it is.

2009-01-30T23:52:00.000-08:00

This is a finished length of the three nails knit. You can see the difference between this knit and viking knit. It is much easier to make wide ropes from this technique, however they are more hollow and see through, which does present the opportunity for inserting beads.

Alternate wire knitting

2009-01-27T22:48:00.000-08:00

I've been working on another form of knitting wire.

It is very similar to how industrial knitting is done. A row of loops is pulled through the row beneath it. It goes a bit quicker than the viking knitting, since you don't have to thread the end of the wire through each loop.

The trade off is that the wire has to be formed prior to looping it. The wire needs to be wrapped around three nails on a board, over and over.

You can see from this starter piece that it looks pretty different from viking knitting. I will take some more pics of a completed length for comparison when I've got it done.

Also,
I made another herring bone weave piece to practice and to better show its construction.

Heres a shot from the side

Heres one from the back and one from the front.

Supplies

2009-01-27T18:48:00.000-08:00

The viking knit and other copper projects have been using up my available phone wire copper pretty quickly so today went ahead and stripped some more. Now I have about 100 feet of it ready for use in other projects. On a related note I have another viking knit commission that requires a little bit different direction. I must do it in silver, so I had to order the wire. I'm not sure when it will arrive but as soon as I get the thing started I will post some pics.

Here's the wire I stripped today.

2009-01-26T23:02:00.000-08:00

This technique is called herring bone weaving. I looked at a few pieces and tried to replicate it. I need some nylon jawed pliers to smooth out the wire, but the weave I've got down.

Viking knit commission

2009-01-25T02:58:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of a viking knit necklace I was commissioned to make. It measures about 17 inches long and 1/4 inch wide. I made the end caps and the S clasp from wider electrical wire and the viking chain fro phone wire. I had to flatten the S clasp with pliers since I don't have a hammering block yet.

Even more Crafty Updates

2009-01-21T23:41:00.001-08:00

On the advise of a friendly friend I am going to start posting works in progress or bits I've been tinkering with along with the mostly finished pieces.

To that end here are a few things I've been playing with.
This is actually a hunk of aluminum I pulled from the bottom of my Dad's woodstove in his garage. We were seeing if we could melt glass in a pot inside the fire and it turns out the pot we thought was steel was aluminum. Consequently the pot melted and the glass did not. I pulled several nuggets of aluminum from the bottom of the stove and polished them up. I played around with some wire wrapping and wrapped this one.

This is just a spiral I hammered out and thought would make a neat bookmark.

This is a wire wrapping project that I couldn't figure out how to finish. I didn't know if I wanted to make it a necklace or make another for earrings.

More Copper Crafts

2009-01-20T22:01:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty sure you can make any of these pictures bigger, sorry about the quality I took them with the laptop's camera.

This first bracelet it simply a chainmail double spiral. I made it using alternating pairs of 12 gauge copper wire from old electrical wire and some plain galvanized steel. It looks very rope-like and has a great heft to it.

This bracelet I made using a technique I just learned called Viking Knit. This process takes considerably longer than chainmail, but gives yields a very lovely, almost serpentine, rope. I'm not sure if I'm going to try to sell it or not so I left one end unfinished and put a wire cap on the other. I used phone wire which is around 26 gauge, for the majority of it, then some electrical wire for the end cap.

Let me know what you think.

check this out

2008-12-24T23:26:00.000-08:00

So, I was looking for a music box for Erin, and the first site I click on turns out to be some pretty trippy shit. check it out. http://www.tokyoplastic.com/musicbox.html

Small Crafting update.

2008-12-22T00:40:00.000-08:00

I made some new earrings and a new bracelet. Actually I've made more than that but these are all I've taken pictures of.

This bracelet is made from an old piece of copper pipe. I flattened it and shaped it on an old piece of railroad track, then bent around and filed the ends to smooth out the opening. It's a prototype so I didn't really experiment with decorations.

These earrings are made out of electrical wire and a bead from the bead shop. I just shaped them a little and pressed the wire together to keep it lined up.

I have been crafty

2008-11-14T01:42:00.000-08:00

I have been working a lot with copper lately, since I can get it for free. Mostly I have been making bracelets, but soon I will be working on earrings :)

Here are several shots of copper and steel chainmail bracelets I've made.

This one is thicker copper links, note my happy little hand made toggle on the left.

This one is made of the same copper paired with galvanized steel. I love the contrast of the shiny orange copper and the matte blue steel. And this picture was well placed too!

Here is a shot of these two side by side.

These next two are very similar to the previous two, except I used thinner copper and steel. The steel in this bracelet is stainless, so it is much shinier.

These next shots are of some braided copper bracelets I made.

As you can see one is a very loose braid and the other is pretty tight.

I bound the ends with smaller wire to give it character and to cover any sharp ends.

The loose braid reminds me of vines growing on a tree.

The tight braid is very round and happy.

In addition to the metal work, I have also been making some hats. I made a frog hat--which I forgot to get pictures of--and I've been developing an Ushanka type hat.

Here is my lovely assistant Bunny, showing off the prototype with the ear and neck flaps up and down.

Here I am, doing about the same thing, with my kettlebell for some added Rusky flair.

Finally, here is the kettlebell with its protective Ushanka

2008-11-05T22:55:00.000-08:00

I hear a lot of people use the cliche, "Theres no reason to live if all you are doing is surviving." They're wrong. They would be a little less wrong if they said there's no reason to live if all you do is exist, but even that's not right. Surviving is living. Surviving is living life more than existing or even thriving. Nothing makes me realize this like the winter months. Durring the warm season I see or hear about people having fun in the sun, playing, laughing, thriving. Deep down I hate seeing that crap. Most would call me a mopey emo for spurning the sunny days and wishing for the gloom, but screw them. When you're happy and doing well may be when all your feel good chemicals are flowing and you feel content, but being content or even striving for new heights is a novelty, just a novelty. You don't care that you're alive, or even if you do you're probably just "glad to be alive", you're thankful for the pleasant feelings. Winter awakes the primal knowledge that just outside your comfy little house...you...could...die. Everything green is dying or dead, the cold can kill you sure as anything else, and if you happen to be on an icy road trying to bring your food and supplies home you know death could be just one tap of the breaks away. The cold months, make you struggle, make you try. They make you grateful, grateful to whatever, to be alive. Winter is the mother of gods. So you can keep your happy, sunshiny days, sitting in green fields and looking at clouds and crap. Give me the cold, give me the white frosty breath, the frozen branches, the chill in my bones. Give me something to remind me why I'm even trying, why I'm striving, why I'm surviving.

2008-10-10T20:43:00.000-07:00

I am in the middle of a crafty cycle. My mind is overflowing with creative juices. I just want to make things and think up new things to make. Right now I am turning recycled copper wire into jewelry.

This month

2008-10-06T23:12:00.000-07:00

Did I ever tell you that October is my favorite month? Well now you know. I love the way the weather always gets colder in October, even if it was already cold. I love the way the leaves start to fall in October. I love Halloween. I love the colors of autumn. I just can't get enough of it.

WTF, Batman?

2008-10-04T19:07:00.000-07:00

Ok, something weird just happened. Some random motherfucker from the interwebs just commented on an old blog of mine.

Asso~Di~Picche said...: Are you kidding me? The artist is actually very good. Your a hopeless critique Im sure. You honestly cant say anything if you havent read the comics or looked at other peices of the artits work. Im being honest, if You dont like what I've said then you have the right to be angry with me.
The art this guy/gal is referring to is EMOBOY an emo superhero. Aaaaaaaaand after reading this comment I'm utterly speechless. I did read all the comics, sure the artist is talented, but I still think it's the most depressing thing I've seen in quite some time. Glorifying these skinny whinny little shits, what could be more depressing than that. What leaves me even more distraught is that this commentor has no real user file, which means they are probably one of those limp dicked rodents who will freely criticise another persons opinion and cannot stand up to open criticism themselves. Ether that or this is someone I know playing a joke, because I just cant see any person with reason, taste, or a spine leaving an anonymous comment like this.

A couple of short term~one week goals

2008-09-28T23:55:00.001-07:00

Clean my home

Get bills together

Organize insurance for dentist visit

Make downpayment to school

Finish some craft projects
-obi
-sweater

Organize winter craft projects

2008-09-16T20:03:00.000-07:00

Remember the sculptures I was hunting down, well campus now has a brochure that points out all of the sculptures around town. These brochures are on stands that have labels for the sculptures on campus.

Wonders, large and small.

2008-09-03T21:50:00.000-07:00

Over the past couple of months there have been sculptures popping up all around Laramie, particularly around campus. I decided to snap a few pics of these outdoor sculptures as I found them, so I could share them on my blog.

First I want to show you the brand new sculptures on campus.

This sculpture is done in concrete covered in rusted iron. It can be rotated on its base by several strong individuals, and is located on Prexy's pasture in front of Half Acre Gym.

This one is done using tree branches wrapped around a frame. The openings are large enough to walk through. This one is in front of the Education and Ag buildings on Prexy's.

This sculpture is located in front of the Ag building, on Prexy's. It is done with either galvanized steel or aluminum, I didn't check. It would be great to put someone in the middle and have them pose.

This is the main part of a two piece sculpture located in front of the A&S building. The other piece is just a stone column with a piece of metal through it, like the one on the right here.

In front of Ross Hall there is a long sculpture that is composed of many materials including steel, glass, plastic, and even dirt and grass. The middle is like a huge I-beam and the ends remind me of tractor troughs full of turf.

This sculpture looks like a rusted set of squiggly lines, but inside there is a little chair that you can get to by walking a small path through the innards of the sculpture.

Last but not least I wanted to point out a few sculptures that have been on UW since before I came to school. Starting at the the top--Ben Franklin, Trex, UW family, and the Puma Steel sculpture beside the Engineering building.

Good Handball Day

2008-08-27T19:04:00.000-07:00

We were epic on the courts today. We had some of the best played rallies ever....and of course Linus almost got his left nut imploded by the ball, but other than that it was hella fun.

2008-08-22T23:50:00.000-07:00

Today was pretty fun. Started off by going for a run with my sweetie. She had a bit of a tough time but she is a trooper, and it is quite a lot of fun to see her run. After the run we got ready for work and headed out. Work was unremarkable, I spent most of my time running around and answering questions. I spent an hour extra at work, yay for overtime, and then went home to get ready for a friend's wedding reception. The wedding reception was held at LaBonte Park and there were few guests. I spent most of my time avoiding this fat, skanky, bitch who was going to be our roommate, but backed out and left us in a tough spot. The rest of the time I chatted, ate little sandwiches, and swatted away a persistent hornet for a couple of hours. The reception ended and almost simultaneously I received invites to go work-out, go to a show at The Grounds, and go drinking. I decided to go home and work on y fiance's kimono. I got a fair bit done and then went to Flock Hall to work out. The workout was good, but reminded me of how weak my arms and back still are. I quite enjoy working out with Flock. They are, despite outward appearances, supportive and goodnatured. And unlike working out at the gym I can relax and have fun conversation, sometimes cake, with the Flock. After hanging out for a while with Flock I headed home by way of Mingles Bar. I wanted to see my brother, who works there, before heading home. After talking with him for a while went home and started blogging.

Feel like a kid again

2008-08-16T18:43:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I was in college full time, so I forgot how it feels to work on really tiny amounts of sleep. The heartburn, the achy feeling, the inability to concentrate, and the constant feeling of pain behind my eyes...all my old friends are back to visit. For no particular reason I have not been getting enough sleep lately, and the sleep I have been getting hasn't been that good. Tonight I hope to remedy that, but for now I feel like a college kid again, yay me.

Funny moment

2008-08-06T11:25:00.000-07:00

Do you ever have one of those saturday morning cartoon moments? Have you ever slipped on a banana peel, or had a cream pie thrown in your face? Well, I had one of these looney toon moments just yesterday. While playing handball, I stretched out wide for a few shots and found myself wondering, did...did my underpants just rip at the seams? Sure enough, when I checked in the locker room there was a tear all the way from the bottom to the top of my boxers.

2008-07-30T22:44:00.000-07:00

Today, I played handball doubles with Flynn, Linus, and Brendon. I was not pleased with my performance. Some of my por performance can be attributed to tired arms from yesterday's handball and pullup session, but the real problem is my lack of practice. Most of the elements of my game today that I'm ashamed of were errors I almost played appropriately. I was often in the right position, but maybe a foot off from where I should have been, or I got to the ball and hand-faulted. I felt I should have done a lot better, but in retrospect I really couldn't have. When I've had a few games a week for a couple of weeks I can play better, but I should have realized my limitations, how cold and out of practice I was today. I was a little rough on myself today.

Let's just get one thing perfectly clear

2008-07-23T17:19:00.000-07:00

This will melt your brains.

I proposed today

2008-07-16T13:08:00.000-07:00

Just about half an hour ago I proposed marriage to my love Erin Colleen Anderson.

Here's how it went down. Erin was at CoalCreek Coffee, playing Go, when I came to see her. My pretense was that I would like to have lunch with her while she was there. While there I slipped a camera to my friend Will, who introduced Erin and I. I also pulled out my laptop and surfed a little, with the intent of leaving it open and suggesting she check out the newest Black Vatican. Little did she know that I had been conspiring with Flynn of the BV to have a version of me drawn up in comic form. The comic me is on my knee with ring in hand and a word bubble with a little question mark in it. As soon as she started looking up the comic I knelt down beside her and got the ring ready. As soon as she looked over the comic I held up the ring and asked her if she would marry me.

Here's what it looked like

you might get something like this

2008-07-15T11:17:00.000-07:00

2008-07-14T01:33:00.001-07:00

Imagine

+

Vampire Princess

2008-07-03T22:36:00.000-07:00

I bought Bunny a dress, and it just arrived today. The dress was labeled "Vampire Princess dress" and was originally about 93$ When I first looked at it the dress was on clearance for 43$ and I considered getting it then, but held off. On a whim, I looked at the sight later and the dress was marked down to 21$ and they still had Bunny's size. I thought to myself that I could not possibly pass this up and got it for her. Like I said it came in today and I'd say it was more than worth it, what do you think?

2008-07-02T22:53:00.000-07:00

I've decided to learn how to play an instrument. I've never been that musically inclined so I decided to start easy. The easiest choice would be to take up the tambourine, but I think I can do a little better than that. So, on an impulse, I decided to look into Pennywhistles. I got the idea from Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere book. A roguish and somewhat dodgy character pulls out a pennywhistle from his coat pocket and plays a tune on it. The fact that a passable pennywhistle can be purchased for under ten dollars is also a factor in my decision. After plenty of research I decided to go with a lovely starter whistle from the Walton company. Walton whistles are the top sellers in Ireland, and the particular whistle I bought is a Walton's Little Black Whistle. If anyone needs to ask, the answer is yes, the color did affect my choice of whistles. I almost went with the Guiness whistle from Walton, but I read in several places that there is no difference between the Guiness and the Little Black except color and 3 extra dollars for the Guiness version. So here it is, the Little Black whistle.

I have found several places online to start my study of the instrument. One of the best seems to be this nice fellow, who just happens to be a Jesuit in training but I wont hold that against him.

2008-06-24T22:02:00.000-07:00

So....I just bought an engagement ring.

Technically I bought a bridal set--the engagement ring and the wedding band. The whole shabang only set me back half a months wages, and was wholly worth it. The diamonds are not as big as the original ring we had been looking at, but Bunny really liked the look of this one so this is the one we got.

2008-06-19T00:56:00.000-07:00

Today was the going away celebration for my fiance's little brother. Liam is going into the navy and he starts soon, so today he wanted to celebrate.

The day started off with a trip to Cheyenne. I had to register for a CPR course and since it was on the way we stopped by LCCC. After that it was a quick jaunt over to Fort Collins. The first 45 minutes there were spent looking, in vain, for Play it Again Sports. I was hoping to acquire a kettlebell of my own, but google maps gave me bad directions. So I resigned myself to getting it another day. After that we went on over to Seuhiro for some sushi. Holy cow, it was good. I often forget how mediocre the sushi here in Laramie is until I go back and eat in FoCo. Once lunch was over Erin and I drove on down to Denver--Thornton really but who cares. There we went to WaterWorld. WaterWorld didn't start out too well for me. I was a little pissy after not finding the kettlebell, and then Erin wanted to go on a particular ride which had a long line and was high in the air. Long lines and heights are two things which make me less than happy. After getting through that though the rest of the day was a blast. We went on many fun rides like the Journey To the Center of the Earth, the big wave pool, the racing slides and many others. We had met up with Erin's brothers shortly after the first ride and we all had a blast there. After WaterWorld closed, we headed to Casa Bonita for dinner. At first, we were following Erin's brother, who claimed to have a gps thingy on his phone. He got us totally lost and so we all stopped, talked about it, and he decided to try his gps again, while Erin and I went over to the nearest gas station to ask directions. Erin and I arrived a full 20 minutes before they did. At the restaurant we had some so so food, and a blast walking around the place. If none of you have ever been, you should at least try it once, so long as you are not expecting wonderful food. The place took us nearly 2 hours to explore and during that time Erin and I got our picture taken in old west clothes, saw several cliff diving performances, and watched a crazy fellow in a Gorilla suit run around the restaurant. All in all it was pretty darn fun.

After all that, Erin and I went home. We were both pretty exhausted and she conked out right away. I decided to stay up a little while and chill on the interwebs and soon here I will join her in worn out slumber.

ding

2008-06-16T23:10:00.000-07:00

I'm gonna get married.

Here in the near future I'm going to put an engagement ring on the finger of my love. Erin Coleen Anderson will become my fiance and future wife. I'm very excited about that thought.

That is the big news for now.

2008-05-03T20:41:00.000-07:00

sometimes I feel sad.
sometimes I feel the kerosene burning at the bottom of my skull.
I want to let it slide down my spine.
I imagine it flowing through my muscles.
I feel them tense and pull themselves apart.
I fight back, imagining myself becoming stronger, becoming harder.
then when the pain goes away, and everything feels lighter.
The kerosene still burns at the bottom of my brain.
I cant bring myself to smother the burning.

2008-04-30T21:10:00.000-07:00

I have not posted for quite a while so I will start up again with something light.

Here we have photos of my now Orange hair.

2008-03-21T00:48:00.000-07:00

Recently, Bunny Rabbit and myself acquired new games for the Wii. Metroid Prime Corruption and Super Smash Brothers Brawl. For anyone who has played these games you know their kung fu is strong. For anyone who has not played them, well you should and that's that.

In crafting news I'm currently working on cuffs for Teh Flynn's favorite sweater.