I Want a Wes Welker Jersey!

lol.

But before I get into that there's been something bugging me about the NFL game between the Colts and Jets. I know tons of ink has been spilled over this the last couple of days. But I've been mullin' while other's have been spillin.' Why did the Colts toss that game. Because that's what it was. Resting the starters? Nobody believes that, right? Next week the Colts play the Buffalo Bills. The Colts could rack up 35 plus points by halftime and chill. Then they have a bye week. Nobody believes they tossed the Jets game to "rest" the starters.

The baddest reason would be something to do with playoff teams/gambling/point spread. I don't know enough about that stuff, and also think the Colt's coach is too smart to be that stupid. So we can dismiss that. "Resting" the starters is, as I've already pointed out, ludicrous. Could it be superstition? The Patriots in 2007 were a pretty smooth machine. I think the combine pressures of Spygate and a perfect season added a teaspoon of bilious sulfur to the odds of eventually not playing their best, which lead to the final game-which-will-not-be-discussed, and loss. That loss. That loss-which-will-not-be-discussed. (!)

If its superstition then the Colts are gutless. Completely and totally gutless. I don't think a team can have the kind of record the Colts have and be gutless. No. What I think their goal was? Pissing Belichick (coach of the New England Patriots) off. lol. Consider. The Colts said "Pishha. Perfect seasons *like the Patriot's* don't matter! Our goal is more lofty! Its the Super Bowl!" (loud snickers are heard in the background.) And, it is rumored that Belichick has decent hearing. See, the deal is, the Colts want a bigger challenge, bigger than a mere perfect season. They want to face a pissed off Belichick in the play offs. Makes sense, doesn't it? Its the only thing that does.

So send the Wes Welker jersey to XXO! ;)
GO PATS!

Cheers!

Merry holidays everyone. I'm not into Christmas presents. I've got way too much stuff already, and every time I visit a person's house that has a rather overwhelming, ah, texture about it I want to come home and get rid of more stuff. Stuff is the stuff of stuff. It makes me feel stuffy. *Exempted from the stuff category are tools, of course.*

But I did receive two excellent presents this year. One was a fabulous meal, totally vegan except for one rather small and lonely platter of meat. I also must complement my niece on the presentation, nicely interactive, as well as the food itself. And the other present was one of my nephew's t-shirts:

Truly, a good Christmas. I even have some cute cards to mail out sometime (soon!) And here is a clip of a part of this season I've been enjoying for some weeks now. *Christmas lights rock.*

Warning: Cuteness Overload

I think this critter would fit in well in my household...

They're Here!

My newest pretties. I think its taken me so long to finish them up because, well, time has been at a premium. But I also just wanted to pet them for a while. The Lucky Bird pendant has a moissanite stone in its head, and a pink troumaline in the bail. The moissanite is way more expensive than a CZ would be, and I'm not sure anyone would notice. (Unless I was standing right there saying ain't it cute.) The moissanite does have better light qualities than a CZ. But the main reason I wouldn't set a CZ in something like this is, after going through all this effort why not use a nicer stone.

The Lucky Lips pendant, (not sure how lucky it would make anyone's lips!), has a mexican fire opal for an eyeball.


Sometime I'll collect all my writings on the penny pieces and post it under a link at the side. It has to do with finding coins in the street and the lottery. The luck of the jewelry, by the way, is for the pennies. They were lucky to be found and given a new life. Hopefully they'll spread the love.

(ugh. another bad pic!)

To Show that I Enjoy...

...Other games. *so you don't have to worry about my sanity should the Patriots stuff an otherwise winnable game IN A POOPY TOILET SEAT!* *Not that the bad beer good neck bar suffered a poopy toilet seat 2 weeks in a row. Or that the good beer bad neck bar has ever suffered a poopy toilet seat. I'm just sayin'!*


One reason I listen to Sunday morning NPR is Will Shortz. *The other reason is I need to get up sometime.*

And while I'm ripping off pics (the first was a Johm McPherson pic from UComics,) think I'll include one whose provence I don't remember. From somewhere and stuck in a folder at sometime...

Sometimes, you know, we live in a sick sick time. Other times there's the advances in modern medicine, technology of communication and movement and energy technology you name it. We are the prism of a lab tube. It is within us to succeed. We need to keep an eye on the clock, and the goal line.

GO PATS GET THE @#$@#&@! OUT!

There Ain't No Bad Luck Like... (A Poopy Toilet Seat)

*For those that visit this blog after I've sobered and had time, the full title is "There Ain't No Bad Luck Like... (A Poopy Toilet Seat)." This is a pretty much G rated blog. Because that's where my mind is, I suppose. And I do find the word poopy cute in its minimizing type way. But my usage here sort of de-humorizes in it's grossness. Poopy toilet seat? Encountered while watching a New England Patriot's football game? Of course they'd loose.*

But getting back to Buddhism. This being the time to avoid "poopy" and the underlying issue of the moment, a lost football game. Buddhism. Like I was saying... I heard someone describe Karma last week and it severely disappointed me. I've always thought of Karma as some free flowing whatever like thing? And this robed individual was linking it to past lives and whatnot. What a boner.

*Oh. Just realized I haven't stated the biggest reason this blog is "G" rated. I've never learned to cuss well.*

*Obviously.*

Ah, Brady. Where were you. As long as you don't go driving a car into a fire hydrant (see Tiger Woods,) we'll assume you're okay. And it wasn't you're fault. Or the defense really. Some might say it was? But. I kinda thought you guys (and its only guys like why isn't there at least a female coach) are still in a formulating stage you should've resolved a couple of games ago. The secondary of the Pats is among the best, I think, but it remains to be proven.

Next time I'll check out the facilities first. GOOOOOOOOOOO PATS!

*Sigh.* Did I mention I haven't won the lottery yet?



*I haven't checked the final Pats/Saints score. ugh.*

Work in Progress...

Here's a pendant I'm working on. My mother gave me that ugly green stone in the pic, and asked me to make a pendant for her out of it. *She doesn't know she's getting the pin yet.* *I think she thinks she's "helping" me.* *lol.*

I don't like the stone. I figured I'd use the stone as a size gauge, but set another stone that I liked more and tell her if she wants her ugly one put in she can take it to another jeweler. But. That was before I saw the price of cabachons that size. Yikes. So. She'll get a slightly smaller, but cuter stone. The wax isn't finished at all. Its just roughed out. I need to wait for the stone to finish it up. I think I might go for a one off... not mold and reproduce it. But I do think the basic shape works.

(The wax in the picture is carved, and will be lost wax casted for silver.)

Making Music with MY PIANO!

When picking up MY PIANO! from the salvation army thrift store today, I expressed *hopeful* optimism that the piano can be tuned somewhat. Or, at least enough for my tin ear. I'm not musical at all. I know this very well having grown up in a family with a musically inclined older brother, and parents that could differentiate between musically inclined and not. The instruments I tried as a kid were piano, guitar, banjo, french horn and bass violin. The bass violin is something I played in grade school. There are no pics of that wonderful juxtaposition, unfortunately. I wonder if I had my black horn rimmed glasses at the time. ;) *oh. I think I looked into harmonicas at one time too.*

*The moment of greatest impact of my french horn career was when I decided to exercise my eyes during band practice. This involved making big circles with my eyes and looking out the corner of one side and then the other. That the clarinet section, which I was visible to, had difficulty playing was due to my ernest pursuit of visual health.*

But I've always felt that I'd never be really grown up or living somewhere until I owned a piano. It's sort of the fine wine of life. You have to understand. I don't own a stereo and have never owned a stereo. I've gone many years without a microwave or telephone or computer. Stuff is not a big concern of mine *unless you're talking tools.* There's just something centering about pianos, like a wooly mammoth in the room. Also, like the salvation army guy admitted about himself, I just like being around pianos. I have no illusions of making beautiful music, I just enjoy thinking about it. Here's MY PIANO!

----------

And onto other matters. I must admit I've been starting my New England Patriots games watching at the easy neck bad beer bar. Which didn't make last week (against the Colts) any less painful. I ended up at the bad neck good beer bar... with an Austrailian asking me "what's the local team?" when the Pats are at 4th and 2 late in the fourth quarter. And I'm explaining its them... them... "F*** ITS THEM!" Well. As just a fan, what can you do but have another brew. *As an aside, I'm learning to meditate.*


Here are a couple of other pics. One is the pin I finished for my Mother. The other is of a piece I've posted about before. I'm just happy with new the pic!

A Penny Pendant

1965 was a good year, I suppose. Here's my first penny pendant, sterling silver with a pink tourmaline stone.



*I was tempted to use a penny to show size.*

"I Drink Beer"

"to clear my mind..."

**lol. not to celebrate overindulgence, as it were, though it is a bit unclear. This being after a New England Patriots game and all. One in which I had a career high of 2 spilt beers in one half of play. Understandably, it was the second half. I do not remember a previous incidence of spilt beer, including falling over a couch, beer in hand and not one drop wasted. There was one (sad) sack moment of me pouring a glass of wine on a guy's head. But that's wine. And after a play play, not a football game.**

**I'm of that time frame where bouncers would laugh at fake ID's, and as long as the hair color was okay so were you. I think. I never was of the officiating crew but they seemed to be motivated by number of players in the field, and the longer the hair the better.**

**I have fallen off a barstool. Which could count as a false start, but was totally unrelated to football or overindulgence or beer spilt. And it was in the theatre district of Boston, not a sports bar.**

**Maroney (39) had a good day today. And I do believe he counted an assist of one of the beer spills. So did Moss and Watson and Tully Hyphen. What I like about Tully Hyphen is, he lost his Super Bowl ring in the Providence Place Mall and it was returned to him. That's a kick, for sure.**

Getting back to beer. Here's the thing. I was finishing up a penny pendant this weekend, and listened to Dan Reeder's "Sweetheart" album.

The Small Things

*I am writing this with my new Cincinnati pen. If you tilt it a river boat floats up and down. I choose it over the horsey Kentucky pen. Because this feels like Cincinnati, even though the airport may be in Kentucky. That's its name, after all.*

Its the small things.

I've noticed my walks are producing less found change (off the sidewalks and streets.) Currently I am gainfully employed. Not sure if that effects my road change finding ability, or whether fall leaves hide the orphaned coins too well.

I still enjoy the walks. Particularly this time of year. Nothing feels harsh including the cool, the evening darkness, the eddy of leaves at street edges. I enjoy the sound of my feet on the pavement, the swish of the leaves and my jeans, a porch light pooling on a front door.

My meandering walk startles a girl cupping a cellphone. She breifly looks up, then stares back at the communication device. I can't tell her what she is missing. Up the street a kid is going "Oooo oOOO" in an aimless but not unmelodious fashion.

I have heard a prediction that by 2045 the interface of computers will be within us. (At that time, hopefully, cars will be fully automated. Driving while googling is not a good idea.)

I don't remember whether I've ever dove into piles of fall leaves. *I think that's more for cartoon characters without dogs in their strips.* But I recognize the desire for saturation in an evening fall walk.

Thanksgiving Comes First!

lol. *I feel so declarative with that title. Like, don't mess with me!*

Thanksgiving comes second, really. Halloween comes first. And it is a fall party time, associated with walking in the leaves and eating lots. Okay, the food doesn't come close to Thanksgiving. Not even in the same realm. Halloween is mostly eating and drinking stuff that makes you feel bad soon thereafter. Thanksgiving is ranked by how great the left overs are.

What's fun as far as Halloween memories go are the costumes. One Halloween I and 2 friends dressed up as "Squoinks," which was a cross between a pig and a mouse. ;) It involved large papermache heads that were yellow. And no, it wasn't based on any cartoon character. I don't know where that brilliant yellow idea came from. But we were entertained and that's what counted.

Another Halloween, when I was 6, my brothers rigged up a haunted maze in our garage composed of moving boxes taped together. They would make spooky noises as the poor trick or treaters crawled their way through. I stood at the end of the masterpiece with a bowl of candy. The totally predicable thing happened when one scared kid surged out of the end of the maze, punched me in the eye and ran. Its the only time I've ever been socked in the eye. I feel experienced somehow.

This Halloween I'm planning on nothing more rambunctious than trying hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps at my parents. Though, some papermache might be fun. ;)

Two Penny Pendants

*These are my newest models. More text later. Maybe. Its just one of those days, ya know?*

Good Fun

Well. The title of this post had me stumped for all of 2 seconds. I'm sure everyone out there has seen "Major League," a 1989 pic with Charlie Sheen in it. I hadn't until the other night. I highly recommend it. It has everything I want in a film: unpretentious silliness. But if you don't have a couple of hours to waste, here's a best moment clip (and no, the film is in english, its just the clips seem to be in spanish. youtube has its quirks.)

That part had to be fun.

You Don't Always Know What You Think You Need

*Or something like that.*

At the local thrift store this morning while in desperate search for some pants, *I have finally concluded I really am working my butt off,* I came across this fellow. I never realized I was missing him.

I think I'll put him on my computer table alongside my snowman. Pity my snowman's head no longer lights up.

Nipping it with a Bud

*They say if you multi-task you don't do any particular task well. Or something like that. I'd claim the excuse of multi-tasking but I haven't had the energy lately to fake it. So my excuse for bloggel neglect is I've been just messing around inarticulately.*

On to more important matters. Relax New England Patriots fans. *Of course, you might notice the timing of this post... after Sunday's win. lol. You might think I ought to have posted this before. But hey, its easier to predict the future if its in the past.*

The Pats v. Jets game was not fun. I went to the place I watched the Pat's 2001 season, not where I've watched since. The main reason being my neck. So I blamed the Pats' loss to the Jets on my not drinking the fine beer of my normal perch. Yet I persevered this past Sunday for the Pats v. Falcons game. I again went back to the bad-beer easy-neck bar. The thing is, the 2001 season was a fine one. So my clutching a Bud while cheering ought to be a survivable offense. And the Pats came through. Through the fog of a healthcare debate the Pats won a game. lol. *Bar arguments can be so peculiar sometimes.* Though one thing about the game did stick out. Brady was yelling. My theory is, Gisele has him on a diet. He's looking skinny. So his temper is short. Someone quick give that fellow an apple pie.

I have been able to finish a few things. One is the lid thingy. Its been molded and is re-casted. Here's it in its last evolution. I'm happy with it.

Karma and the Injury Report

I tell people I didn't become a New England Patriots fan until Brady. *Wipe that smirk off your face, or keep it. He wins. Fake tan or eyebrow waxing who cares. If it helps, get a freakin' pedicure I've always wanted one.* You see, when Brady played in 2001, it was exciting. The energy level was amped. When Cassel took over last year? He did a great job the next energy level down. Its not that Brady is perfect, its that a Brady lead offense is always out there. Always playing.

When I saw that the injury report listed Brady as "probable" with a "sore right shoulder" for tonight? I'm like take it to the bank I want to buy a Powerball ticket. *well I do anyway but that's another story.* *See previous stories on the injury list and Bellichick's odd karma.* *Also, my assorted musings on the lottery.*

Butt. There is always a butt involved in tights, as it were, with football. ;) *Its amazing how many little old ladies watch football but I digress.* ;) *oh isn't such digression fun.* ;) lol. But this time its a knee, poor knee. And, in the interest of karma, I won't go on about that knee but say the fellow involved inspired one of my favorite posts.

But I will talk about second guessing. And how I, default in my mortgage but catching up stand, making my point with a coming winter sky. A really good player plays from the heart. I don't like the way players are moved about like pawns. I know they are pawns? They know that too? But a really good player plays from the heart. Feed a broken heart to karma and she'll bite you in the butt. That's all I can say. (Though. Seymour has moved on I'm sure, suffering only mild ego bruising. He is a pro.) The plus side is listing Brady's shoulder as "sore" and "probable" on the injury list. Keep the gray hoodies on Bellichick and I think Pats're gold. The upside to karma is she's fickle, particularly with winter sports. I haven't won the lottery yet and when I do I'll expert the Pats on their goings' on.

It was a fun game tonight. I like Buffalo as long as the Pats beat them. Sort of like an indulged rival cousin. That last pass hand off mess? Gold. Pure youtube fun for years to come. *below an instructional video for the Bills. lol.*


EDIT Hah! here's the Bills. Told you they need an instructional video!

Kisses At Large

I've alluded to my difficulties connecting with solvency. I have theories about this. The theories vary with the brew and the season. Which infers perhaps to the salient aspect on why solvency might be an issue. But life does not bore me enough to even go into it, lol, I'll leave that to the folks who make their bed in the morning. Why waste sunrise moments. Um, that is, if I were up that early. lol.

Though to subvert conclusions forming, I don't really care when I get up. I do remember a time jogging as the sun rose. (Youth is ephemeral, and somewhat bouncy.) But even later I have painted landscapes at nature's first green. Those colors rock. They really are worth hitting coffee in a drive thru on your way to a cold grey predawn scene.

But getting back to solvency and my tortured relationship to it. (I don't like talking to my mortgage company. One peculiar quality of a mortgage company I've noticed is, if you don't like an answer just hang up and call again. I have never gotten the same answer twice. lol. For real. lol. Its odd but I do, seriously, find that faceless conglomerate very personally not nice.)

So referencing kisses at large and solvency and whatever connection might be drawn to the 2. Clicking through etsy I saw this in Spamberly's shop.

I've not seen the movie. "waiting for guffman." And the probability that I'll see it is low. But, I can hear a laconic voice saying "i been workin' here at the d.q. for about um...eight months? seven? i don't know, somethin' like that, it's fun. just do the cones...make sundaes, make blizzards, 'n...put stuff on 'em, 'n...see a lot of people come in, a lot of people come to the d.q...burgers...ice cream...anything, you know? cokes...just drive in and get a coke, if you're thirsty."
My legs couldn't handle that job. My sense of humor would probably fail. But I'm there! "just drive in and get a coke, if you're thirsty."

Happiness. Or maybe some satisfaction. Or enjoyment of the pursuit. Whatever. The colors are out there. ;)

Labor Day

I enjoy working in my workroom on holidays. Holidays, early in the day, are splendidly quiet. The traffic is light and even lawn mowers don't do much. Later on in the day people get a bit active in the hurry up and have fun mode, but the mornings are wonderful.

This fellow I started on yesterday, and pretty much finished it up this morning. I was going to change the bale. But think not now. He's carved out of wax, and will be cast into sterling silver. The circular bezel will hold a 3 mm stone.

He's kind of a fun way to get back into things. I've been busy with, ah, "life" I suppose you might say. If paying bills is considered life, and not a slow death!

Buying Beer on Credit

*And cheers to the bartender who let me do it.*

It involves the New England Patriots, of course. I watch the games from a comfortable spot, about the 5th or 6th stool from the end. You see, the T.V. is at a certain angle and my neck has a certain capacity of angle, and its best if the 2 are within consensus range. Throw in bad eyes and you've a particular choice of stool. Throw in a couple of brews some football and...

But I digress.

This Friday was good. I got my comfortably angled spot, good beer, and Brady the quarterback was connecting. When the Pats went hot they sliced through the Redskins like the Pats of 2008. This season could be good. I'm not totally concerned about the defense yet. I think it will take a few more games for the secondary to gel, and hopefully it will! And Brady's right shoulder? He had to do that. (Fall on it with arm extended like he was asking Haynesworth for a tip.) He was on orders from Bellichick. Last season they opened with not putting Brady's sore shoulder on the injury list for the first time in, what, years? And you saw what happened.* So in the interest of a healthy knee and healthy offense Brady's sore shoulder must soldier on.

Back to buying beer on credit. A fellow Pats watcher, J, is moving to Austin. He says he might get into watching the Texans. Which, I gotta admit is preferable to the Cowboys. And as a fellow football watching non-t.v. owner, he's at the whims of the bar stool occupying majority. They do say all sports are local.

Anyway. The beer was for beer, football (even if its the Texans) and fun. Cheers and good luck.

---------
*Brady's knee was injured in the first quarter of the first game he played not on the injury list as "probable" with a sore right shoulder.

Shadow Shot Sunday!

Good morning! Here's a shadow shot... my cat Ms Bird obliged me with a pose.

Life is Good.

I could've ripped off some pic of Tom Brady who is, I think, being successfully coached by his model wife on the sultry look. Perhaps such coaching was the genesis of the comment he made about how modeling is more difficult than being a quarterback in the NFL. I don't buy that. I don't think many people do but as long as one particular lady does....

So Thursday I hurried my bubble butt down to my favorite perch for the New England Patriots games, and realized in the first quarter.... this is what I've been waiting for since the first quarter of the first game of last season. I usually do try to catch some of the preseason games. I like to see how some of the rookies are doing. Though its tough to figure out. Preseason games tend to devolve quickly and I have no real idea how folks do. But seeing Brady back? 'twas good.

Cheers peoples!

*Obviously the doodles have nothing to do with the post. By the time I finally got to the scanner at the library (and the one computer with the scanner was available) I forgot how I was going to use them in the post. ;)

Favorite Books and Writers

What's great about lists like this is they make you feel good. Its an emphasis on the positive. These are just some off the top of my head...

Faulkner One thing about books is the places you encounter them. I first remember the Sound and the Fury as a kid. I pulled it out of my mother's bookshelf and read some of it thinking, how weird. It wasn't until about 20 years later that I read and felt the Faulkner pellmell. But whenever I think of Faulkner, I think of that hard covered dusty modern library edition. I also remember reading the short story "the Bear" (paperback) in Antigua Guatemala and thinking, why has it been so long since I'd read some Faulkner. Then there's that image of dragging a coffin all around everywhere. I do not remember when I read "As I lay Dying," as the image is so strong and ridiculous and fascinating that its place in reading time is lost.

Mark Twain I am sorta putting this in for Suldog. My connection with Mark Twain is a performance given in high school by a classmate. This guy was a couple of years ahead of me. I forget his name which is too bad because he's probably sickeningly successful. But he did the best Mark Twain performance in which for one hour, dressed in a white suit with white mustache and wig, he kept the attention of a large group of high schoolers.

Confederacy of Dunces The BBC did a top 100 list recently and this book was not on there! Not only that, but Midnight's Children was on there while this one wasn't! FAIL! I don't care how great the BBC does a british accent, they loose.

Tale of Two Cities I can't help it. Dickens knows how to set a scene.

Steinbeck For a guy with the middle name Ernst he did alright. I'm putting him in though for this Canadian fellow that had the rattiest chunk of dreadlock hanging down to his butt I've ever seen. I ran into the Canadian at the "Last Resort," a bar in Panachel Guatemala. Say "Steinbeck" to him and his sentences would start connecting and he'd even turn on his barstool some. If I were to pick a Steinbeck book I'd pick "Cannery Row" but then I've never read "Grapes of Wrath." *After a while, the not reading becomes more distinctive than the reading. But, I suppose I'll read it sometime anyway.*

Yehuda Amichai Selected poetry translated by Chana Bloch and Stephen Mitchell. Amichai's words are liquid.
Wildpeace
"Not the peace of a cease-fire,
not even the vision of the wolf and the lamb,
but rather
as in the heart when the excitement is over
and you can talk only about a great weariness."...

Li Po and Emily Dickinson People say that the referring to Emily Dickinson by her full name, vs just Dickinson is sexist. And, that may be true. But its also how she wrote. She is some one you want to cherish with a couple more syllables. Li Po will always be my favorite ancient oriental inebriate.

A Treasury of Great Poems Louis Untermeyer. Tales of a misspent youth.

James Baldwin Another pellmell writer. I think I might pick "Go Tell It on the Mountain" but the image I have of him is his eyes on the cover of a book of essays, "Nobody Knows My Name." Also, when I think of Baldwin, and I believe I've read everything by him, I slide into thinking about the room with lights in the Invisible Man. I bet anything Baldwin wished he'd written that scene.

Rex Stout No list is complete without Rex Stout. ;) I like his writing attitude. He's like the black and white Thin Man movies of mystery books. Here's my collection of Rex Stout books...

The collection is almost but not totally complete. However, the age range of the paperbacks is perfect, and some of the covers are fabulous. Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin rock.

The Persistent Life of a Small Bonsai

Or at least, I don't think the Bonsai is dead yet. Last summer I gave up on worrying about this thing. I do fine with plants that that are outdoors, plants that can survive fairly well with benign neglect. The tag on this plant when I got it said to do all these things to it, (forget what,) and that it needs temperatures between 50 to 70 degrees F. It has been where it is now, hiding behind a rose bush outside, since last summer. *I live in Rhode Island. That little thing spent the winter outside.*


I feel like I should reward this plant somehow by transplanting it. Or something. Weeding around it?

And here is the lid, cast into bronze. *It's been cleaned, but not polished or antiqued.* It looks big on the glass, but I made it with about 5% shrinkage calculated in in case I decided to mold it.

One More Lid...

The current thing I'm working on is a wedding present.... and I just dunno. Its another lid (for the glass boxes.) Weddings are so encased in homogenized format, that its tough to break through with something that feels fresh and fun. Except for the parties though! The parties do carry on rather well it seems. As for the gifty part, I think money is the best unless its an 18 year old couple that doesn't even own a skillet. But, you know, I make stuff a lot easier than I make money. ;) And money does seem impersonal anyway.

I decided on using the double ring symbol, and designed a branch like textured background. Here are some other marriage symbols I liked but didn't get into:



This is the thingie I've made so far. I'm going to have it cast in bronze, I think.

Warning: Serious Corn

If you need a laugh, click on the video. You might have to be desperate for a laugh to click, but, this is a gem for those in serious need.


*The fellow in the middle must be a ringer. But he's a wonderful ringer. ;)

Flower Power

Here's the next finished Lucky Penny ring, Flower Power! lol. The date on it is 1968. Kate suggested 1969 as Woodstock's year, and suitable for a Flower Power ring, but I'd already picked out a 1968. The stone is a 3 mm blue topaz.


Which brings up a funny point. As I stated before, I started picking up change I'd find in my walks for lottery tickets. Then I started admiring the varying road textures of the coins, and began making jewelry with them. The end result is, a growing mound of unrecycled road change. The only coins I use for lottery tickets anymore are quarters and pennies younger than 1983. (the last year of good copper content in pennies.) If I come across a totally unscarred dime, sure I'll recycle it. But, I have lots of great looking dimes, nickels and pennies covering my table top.

Which means, of course, I need to start selling lots or get a life! Eh. Maybe I'll go get a beer instead....

Indecision...

I have a bunch of small glass boxes. About 40 I think. The boxes are big enough for a small ring, or some pennies. I had these boxes made up with the plans for lids, and have finally started on them! Because I only have so many boxes, I'm thinking on only molding one design. So of these two lids, which do you like best? i haven't finished them so its kinda unfair to ask. And I'm thinking on doing one more design. *The finished lids will be in brass or bronze... or maybe even "pink" silver. (Pink silver has a high copper content, and is not .925 sterling silver.)


Both of these designs I've done before. I've used this particular house motif in drawings, earrings and a pendant. I have also made a My Town ring. The house motif is pretty iconic. Some day I'll sit down and try to verbalize why I keep returning to this, my particular version of it.

New Goodies

Here are a couple of new models I've been working on. I was unsure of the Fish ring... fearing it might turn out too dorky. I don't think it ranks obnoxiously high on the dork-o-meter though. I made it for pennies fished out of a fountain. Right now the bezel (where you put the stone) got crunched down a bit in casting. (Insert favorite gosh darn it phrase here.) So I can't fit any penny in. I can fix it. It just was taking a bit too much time and patience so I decided to go ahead and take some pictures with a dime.


**One of my problems with the fishy ring is... I kinda have a dork asthetic. Obviously. But when I tried to stylize the fish at all... I was messing with symbols, it seemed to me. And since I'm not religious, I don't like to utilize such symbols in my work unless its for a particular purpose. A fish symbol with the casual inference of religion didn't feel right. If I could stylize the fish successfully, to where I didn't see such casual inference, that would be best. I didn't make it in this round. I was left with dorkiness.

**This may seem like over thinking. (lol.) But this is one step where things succeed or not. It is not just that a design is pleasing, but whether there is a sense of coherent thought or intention behind the work. Which, in all honesty, may be one reason why my successes are dwarfed by my failures. I do not excel in coherence. In fact, I think dorkiness is okay, the way pizza and beer and football can satisfy if a few brain cells and a certain portion of the psych is left, fumbling for the ideal.
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This is the flower POWER ring. Both of these models need to get cleaned up, then molded and recast for the finish piece. (They are carved out of wax then cast into the silver shown here.) I made the flower ring so that I can use nickels too. Or dimes.

*new post*

*text to be added later... I don't have a scanner at home!*
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Well. I'm finally going to attempt to add verbiage. This post started out with the proposed title of "The Indistinctness of Ideas and Dreams." I have since become attached to the "*new post*" title. What follows is exerts from a rough draft.

I've always had this image of a cartoon kid striding forth on a cartoon road with multicolored balloons in hand. That's what I think when folks say "follow your dreams." And there's a circus somewhere.

I have tried to record my dreams. My writing becomes very blunt and sparse. I'm just trying to get it all down and sort out the fuzz.

What I found with dreams... there's the major thingie, but the rest, all the filler that goes into sculpture or painting... the infrastructure connecting the idea or dream to real space and perception... the stuff that solidifies the line and sets the scene. That's conscious and sometimes a lucky choice. Dreams don't tell everything.

The picture I posted here is a piece I sculpted maybe 10 years ago. I don't remember the genesis of it. Probably an idea, not a dream. (I pretty much chose this photo over a painting I did of 2 odd men, twins, and a toilet. lol. I decided it would always be too early in the day to view the toilet painting. The toilet painting was a dream scene.) The finger sculpture (Finger and a few thumbs, I should say) is about 99-100 fingers, all individually sculpted. This was not life casted at all. And as I made them and placed them on the surface they established relationships to the fingers around them. They became a polite crowd of nun like creatures in a small space.

Singing Penny Ring

I might change the title of this ring. Who knows. I just listened, yet again, to little Gina Marie Incandela sing the "Star Spangled Banner." The major thing I'm following in the NBA playoffs is did the little girl sing. Well, that and I hope the Lakers loose. Which has given me a very small sliver of insight on how anyone can't not appreciate the beauty of the Patriots' winning ability. ;)

Here is the temporarily named "Singing Penny Ring" (Before I showed it as a model. Here's the real deal. Its a Peridot semi precious stone I set.)



And Gina. You go girl!


*oh. Guess I should explain the connection. Gina is considered Orlando's Magic (NBA) good luck charm. They are 6-0 when she sings before a playoff game. Gina has a form of autism, and learn how to sing when she was enrolled in a program to help her speak. The song she became fascinated with was LeAnn Rimes' rendition of the national anthem.

*but frankly, I just like hearing her sing. And I just finished this ring.

Shadow Shot Sunday!

I have tried many times to take a picture of my gorgeous rose bush, and all the pictures look so banal. It never occurred to me until today how beautiful its shadow is.

On the Importance of Distractions

Here is a picture of the fountain I might fish coins out of for the fish rings. You think anyone will notice?

And here is the beginnings of the fish ring (carved in wax.) It helps me out to take a photo sometimes and look at things. Gives perspective or something. Right now I think I just want a bit of a break. Like I'm thinking veggie hot dog or beer. But still feel the need to be productive. So I'll say I'm contemplating, while eating a veggie dog and drinking beer.


*still needs tons of work.*

Wishful Thinking

(As some of you know, I started picking up change off the sidewalk because it was there, pretty much. And using that change to buy lottery tickets because of my flippant "well I'll buy health insurance when..." And then I started making lucky penny rings because, well, I've a bunch of pennies and why not, lol. The luck is for the penny, who, if not FRIED, is rescued and transmographied into gorgeous jewelry. ;))

So, adding a slightly tinged layer of the colorful haphazardness of life to the project, as if there wasn't enough already to obscure whatever original impulse there was, like, man I can so use some cash, I walked by a fountain on the way to drop off a job application. This fountain, oh I'll include a pic (sometime) because its nice the area is nice and it was a beautiful day, this fountain had in it LOTS OF CHANGE. LOTS. People throwing pennies away like it will bring them luck. *sigh* *Don't they ever think of the poor penny? Whose life is created for a transaction, not a watery grave?* *sigh* *And a penny is wonderfully sculpted, I might add.* When did people start throwing money away? That I've got to ask. Not during the Great Depression, that's for sure!

So, afterwards, contemplating the futility of seeking employment in the desert of financial opportunity that is Providence, Rhode Island, I decided to do more sketches. Why not. I've got these scarred pennies to consider. Hence, and I have the sketches for it, the Fountain Ring. The poor (an adjective not applied loosely) ring will make its appearance in a week or 2. I just had to talk about it now. And show off my perky in house model, my Little Fish Charm.

This means, you know, I will have to go fishing as some point. Oh dear. Picking up the ignored droppings of bipeds is one thing. Fishing out coins from a fountain at a tourist destination..... oh dear. I will become even more nocturnal it seems. Here is Stoney Charms' good luck charm, the Original Fish...

When the Crazies Came to Town....

So I've seen them, across a wide divide. The Crazy People (of the Westboro Baptist Church) decided to protest in front of East Providence High School, because EPHS has a gay straight student alliance like many high schools. Unfortunately, my camera is not much better than my eyes, so that though I knew I was witnessing walking fruitcakes of hate, they remained oddly undefined caricatures in the drippy day. Its very sad, but they had a child of about 11 with them, carrying a hate filled sign.

For those that are unfamiliar with the WBC, they are from Topeka, Kansas, and run around the country protesting at schools and soldiers funerals. They were going to protest at the Holocaust museum here in town after leaving the HS. They carry signs like "God hates fags" and "Antichrist Obama." I participated in the counter protest with about 6 other members of the Rhode Island Atheist Society. The signs of the counter protest said "Teach Love not Hate," "WBC needs a hug," "Our Big Signs are Better" "We Support East Providence Students" and "LOL," among others. There were 5 to 8 WBC and maybe 80-100 counter protesters, and lots of cops. The WBC is reported to make money to fund their operations by instigating violence, then suing. They sure didn't get a fight from us!

I think their ability to incite an anger response has gone down. Maybe they still are able to do it at funerals. I don't understand the psychology of people like that. I showed up to support the students and also, I don't get angry quick so thought I might be able to help out there. But no one was angry. The students had a great time! lol. Below are a few pics, starting with one of the WBC.

The rest of the pictures are of the counter protesters...

More Uses for Spare Pennies

Well. There seems to be a penny invasion going on in my workroom. This pendant is a horseshoe/star thing I made (carved out of wax then cast into sterling silver) some time ago. It didn't turn out... but sometimes you finish stuff up then use the rejects as a starting point for new stuff. (The next thing I made was the Good Luck pendant.) The rejects hang around like the orphans they are... and with this particular one I just soldered on a jump ring to a penny and joined the two.

The Lucky and the Not So Lucky

*Here I must interject. I root for the rookies of the nfl. Its my love of the happy endings interfering with my desire to win, I guess. But, you know how when you're sitting in a high school gym watching some honor ceremony of some sort. You hope that even the girl wearing dark colored long sleeves and long pants in 80 degree temps succeeds. You want everyone to make it.

*But this year I'm tying to ignore the rookie stories. When I heard Tyrone McKenzie injured his ACL in the second day of the Patriots rookie camp... I attempted to be oblivious. But poor guy! Half those rookies at the very least won't make the team. Maybe only 2 or 3 will. And I really want the long snapper from Hawaii to succeed.... as well as everyone else! And to win. Go Pats!

So back to jewelry and my change road rescue. lol. I know the copper content of pennies has lessened over the years. I know the present coin doesn't have much copper. But I thought using easy silver solder was low key enough for a 1985 penny. Apparently not! That poor penny lost it on the ditch of my learning curve. There was way too much tin in the penny. 1983 is the magical date. Now I have to decipher the freaking date on those poor pulverized coins. The next rescue coin I picked on was a 1972 coin. That coin hung in there. The first picture is of the accidental euthanasia of last night. (White metal goes quick when it goes!)

These other 2 are of my first finished Lucky Penny Ring, 1972. *The coins are coins I find while out walking.*

Irresistible Strays

This poor fellow.... I should have adopted him. Taken him home, cleaned him up and welcomed him to my kitchen.

I don't know why, whether it is living in a city or the specific location. But strays do show up here. Its a problem. My feeling about strays is, if you feed them you accept responsibility. And while I'd love to re-home all the strays, my personal economy is in need of a bailout. There is an orange tabby cat hanging around, keeping my birdbath empty, that really needs a good brushing. Poor kitty. I'd stake my toilet paper money that he had a home once.

I have 2 cats. One is a society lady, *rescue that is,* Ms Bird who loves the camera. Ms Chubbs was a bird chaser, out of my yard, always in desperate search of the meals that would bring her to her present voluptuous form.

This stray I found a couple of blocks away. Now while I do engage in change road rescue (and am making a lucky penny ring for their final home) and kitty rescue I find challenging (no rescue place will take in strays) I haven't yet done porcelain rescue. Given the face on this fellow, perhaps I should start!

Nice Surprises

My birthday is May first. I've always enjoyed having a May day birthday.... in grade school we drew flowers for May day. Most of the time I don't tell people when my birthday is because, well... *dunno.* This year my birthday happily coincided with a bike ride in NYC with my mother and brother.

Last week I paused to admire some flowers of mine near my back door, and noticed a package. In it was this wonderful surprise from Kim. The pitcher is very attractive, and I was hoping for a good shot of it! But its tough to convey how nice the shape is, even with Ms Bird's assistance. Also in the package was a loufah sponge and a note saying this was from her "garden." And yes, I spent one long moment imagining the plant a loufah sponge would come from. *She meant the ocean. doh!*



lol. a postscript from Kim: "But I have to tell you something - loufahs are from the garden. They are a type of squash. You can eat them when they are young, but if you leave them on the plant until they get big and let them dry out, they can be made into sponges. After the skin is completely dry, you peel it off and shake out the seeds."

Isn't that funny. *goes back to imagining the plant a loufah would grow on!*