Mosaic, anyone?

If you have ever wanted to do a mosaic, but were too afraid of the complications of such a task, well, gosh darnit, I'm here to say, "It's easy as pie!" Well, maybe as easy as eating pie, not making pie, because I think making pie is kinda hard. Anyway... I had an idea to make a mosaic sign for my brother's hideyhole (the affectionate name for the place he sleeps). I bought some random tiles from the hardware store ($5.00 for nine tiles of 4" X 4"). We bought some pre-made tile grout ($8.00) because I didn't want to buy a 10 lb. bag of powder grout (I don't intend on doing that many mosaics). And, we asked the dudes in the back warehouse of the hardware store if they had any bits of wood that they were going to toss out (don't ask the lady at the front cash because she'll say they don't do that), and we got some free wood (10" X 2.5 ft.). Once we were home, I took the back end of an axe to bust up the tiles into appropriate sizes (ram down on the backside of the tiles so you don't chip the good side), placed all the tiles into the positions I thought most beautiful, then used regular school glue to stick all the tiles down. After the glue dries (30 minutes), put on some dish gloves, dunk your hand into the tile grout and work it into the grooves between the tiles. Scrape off all the excess and wait for it to dry (24 hours). Take a wet cloth to the tiles to get them all shiny again, and presto!! Mosaic sign extraordinaire! Now, where's that pie? I'd like some pie now.

Elf Yourself!

I sent out some random email holiday cheer using the Elf Yourself site, but for those of you who missed out, I thought I'd put it on my blog because it'll bring a smile to your face, just like if you had a tummy full of turkey! http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1579882059 Thanks, Lynn, for giving me the idea with you and Lumay!!

Our first visitor!

Just as I was wishing my brother, Greg, lived closer to me, he calls me up and says, "I'm coming up after work today!". I was excited all day in anticipation, and Brian's excitement was shown through the cinnamon buns he made, just for the occasion. We all had a great time during the quick visit weekend. We wandered around town, went to see a movie, had some great discussions, we made pizza... Discussions with Greg are usually pretty funny, mostly because of the one-liner's we come up with mid-story. Monties are known for a few things, firstly, we all talk with our hands: And secondly, most conversations are done while laying down, especially after dinner (notice the hand movement below, and please ignore the fact that I'm wrapped up nicely in the Ugly Blanket): The most exciting part about Greg's stay was the ping pong tournament. Brian beat Greg overall two games to one, but it was a battle! For anyone eager to play Greg in the future, here's a hint: he's quite fond of producing a ping pong spin in an attempt to sketch-out his opponent, however, it's not the spin that sketches us out, it's the fascinating form he displays while creating the spin. Greg's time here ended far too quickly, and then it was back to the usual. What's the usual, you ask? Hmm... Well, I look for work in the local papers, and on line (that takes about ten minutes, and then I kill another 45 minutes reading the rest of the paper). I do yoga (that takes 35 minutes to an hour). I work on my yoga teacher training studies (sometimes I do that for a few hours). I write in my journal (that can take five minutes up to an hour). I watch the geese making fun random tracks in the snow while eating worms (?) in our front yard (I usually get bored after about 7 minutes). I look out at the view to get inspired (it only takes a few seconds to get inspired, but I usually end up zoning out for nine minutes at least). I do a lot of drawing and colouring (sometimes that can soak up three hours or more, but my hand gets pretty tired and my left eye always gets bloodshot - colouring is harder and more stressful than it seems, just like crocheting). I make a lot of cookies (the process of making them takes about 45 minutes, and then about three seconds to eat one sample, or three). Other than that, I've been going into town for yoga classes and doing a bit of shopping for the Christmas gifts we're making this year. It's been fun, and I really enjoy the bike ride into town (that usually takes 26 minutes each way). Generally, I'm feeling quite creative in many ways and pretty chillaxed. I understand I'll have to shave off a bit of time from my desirable hobbies here and there once I get a job.... unless I get a job as a baker/yoga instructor/illustrator/editor...

Hazardous Hobbies

TENSE! STRESSED!! EYES ARE TEARING!! TORSO IS FIXED! MUSCLES ACHE!!! Are these descriptors of your favourite hobby? No? Well, they happen to be mine. My favourite hobby isn't tackle football or a fast-paced game of ping pong (even though we have enjoyed a few games of the ol' pong here at the house we're sitting). No, my stressed out hobby is none other than crocheting. Yep, chrocheting (pronounced: kro-shae-ing). It requires the use of wool or yarn and a hook, whereby repeated knot-making produces pretty items like toques or scarves.The idealistic picture in your mind of a grandma sitting comfortably in a rocking chair knitting away in peace is a total farce. Maybe it takes sixty years before you get good at hiding the fact that crocheting is stressful. The hobby should have an exercise warning: "Check with your doctor before you begin any crochet regime." Really though, if I hooked myself up to a heart rate monitor, a blood pressure sensor and some EMG's (electromyography which measures muscle intensity) and started crocheting my latest project, my test results would lead one to think I were either just about to lose a $10,000 bet on a horse race, or that I was extremely constipated. It's not an easy sport. Yes, I just called crocheting a sport. If I want to live long and prosper, I should seriously think about starting to smoke pot and cease hazardous activities like crocheting.