Splitting Hairs

I have a friend who got married back in October. When she met her to-be spouse, she had VERY short boyish hair. She grows it out really long and cuts it all off every few years. She has done so as long as I have known her. She grew her hair out long for their wedding and now that they're back from their honeymoon, she wants to cut all of her hair off again. Her spouse is saying "no" to every style she's chosen. It makes me wonder; if her hair was acceptable when they were dating, why is it unacceptable now?

Anyway, I made some beads yesterday. Nothing too spectacular as I've been away from the torch for months and I'm very out of practice (and I had to force myself to get started in the first place), but I've finally got some goldstone that I actually LIKE, and I've got some ideas for dichroic additions to my beads. I made a small dread slider yesterday, and a bunch of small beads for Beads of Courage, and this cone-y tube thing.

Shaped a little strangely at the top because I'm out of practice but I like it anyway. I had a couple people remark that it reminds them of butterflies or dragonflies and that has given me some interesting ideas that I want to play around with. I may add it to my Release A Bead stash, or save it to send out as a bonus for Etsy sales. I'm undecided. 

Anyway, we celebrated Son's 9th birthday on the 26th and this weekend we're having a big birthday party for him and my aunt and my grandmother. Husband and I went to the Avalanche v Sharks game on Saturday to see the Avalanche clinch a playoff spot. I'm waiting on frit and purple glass and a couple other things to be delivered today. Not a whole lot else happening around here, it's mostly the same thing day in and day out. 

Back in the game

All right, y'all. Back on track. Last Thursday I spent the day hanging with the friend I've had for 17 years. I colored her hair turquoise and purple and she listened to me bitch about everything. I came home happier than I had been in months.

I finished painting the ceiling in the living room and kitchen, after 5 1/2 months of avoiding it. Paint and bedding have been picked out and purchased so we can move Son into the guest bedroom. Youngest Daughter will move into the room he's in now and I will have my full closet back.

We had a birthday party for both Daughters last Saturday as they turned 3 and 1 on Friday. Every time I have to make a cake, I hate it more than the previous time. Such a drag. Party was good though, and everyone stayed and played Cards Against Humanity.

Our vacation to South Carolina has been delayed a couple weeks so Husband and I will be going to a wedding for my cousin in the end of June. The older of my Younger Sisters is getting married in October and has finally decided on a bridesmaid dress. She even did me a favor and picked on in practical colors in a practical style that isn't outrageously expensive. I'm still not stoked about wearing a dress, but...

I'm gonna build a mermaid. A big one. Also, I'm gonna build a big phoenix (you know, the mythological bird born of fire). I'm sure husband is delighted at the prospect of the garage and / or basement being filled will huge mythological sculptures (note the sarcasm there) but that's what happens when I'm inspired. Hopefully I can actually stick with a project to the finish without getting frustrated and giving up or rushing through it just to be done. A suggestion for the phoenix was to have its eyes light up. I'm going to see if I can do so through glass eyes.

I went and got checked for skin cancer yesterday. I do not have skin cancer right now, but I have "lots of spots that could easily turn into skin cancer". So now we get to start a lovely ritual of monthly photography of moles. Maybe I'll start a blog written by the moles. Knowing my luck, it would get a million subscribers and I wouldn't even have anything clever to write in it.

Coffins for the kittens are done and we can bury them any time it stops raining long enough for the dirt to be dug up a bit. That's not a day I look forward to. I need to paint the rock that will be put over the burial site and that's the one project I have NO motivation to start.

Next week brings the start of my adventures in P90X. That says enough in itself, yeah?

That's all I've got. Thanks for stopping by.

A Glass Act

I made some beads over the weekend, including a double layered vine stringer bead that I was very impressed with.



I took a couple up to the bus stop to show a neighbor since she's been asking me about them for weeks. She insisted I show them to another neighbor. I don't get along terribly well with the other neighbor, so I avoid her if I can. I explained how the beads are made (in short: 3000 degree torch flame, molten glass, metal mandrel, kiln at 1000 degrees for 8 hours). The second neighbor then proceeds to volunteer me to teach her 10-year-old daughter to make beads. Like she didn't hear anything I just said. I was stunned into silence. So I finally said "Maybe in a few years" which sounds better than "Not in a million years, bitch". I don't even like her kids, for one thing.

I don't even let my OWN kids near my glass stuff. I might teach my kids when they're 15 or 16, if I think they can be responsible and careful at that time. No one else under the age of 18 is allowed anywhere near it. I'm not taking responsibility for other people when burns are an inevitable part of the whole equation. That, or I'm gonna have a waiver drawn up saying that they know the dangers and they don't get to sue me if they hurt themselves. They'll still have to be at least 18 though.

So yeah. Some people.

Spectre is doing great. His wounds are healing up nicely and he can put weight on his leg again. He's running and playing and happy. He doesn't like the antibiotics but he takes them without a fight if I rub his nose. He's a sweetheart. I was scared for a couple days because even though the vet warned me that his skin my slough off a bit, they didn't tell me so much would come off that I'd be able to see the muscles underneath. Gross. Husband had to do his warm washcloths at night because I cried every time I had to do it.

Ghost has been exiled from the bedroom for the last few nights because she insists on sleeping on my throat and kneading my chin and playing in my hair and just generally being a pest.

Son has learned to ride a bike with no training wheels. When he tried the first time, he fell over and broke his arm. He was terrified when we took them off again, so the first thing we did was teach him to catch himself with his hands and feet. Once he learned to balance, that was all he needed. He got a new bike as an early birthday present because the other one was way too small.

My torch got here yesterday. I'm excited to set it up, but not terribly excited to have to re-learn everything on it.

So that's it for today. Thanks for reading.