Trippiness, Cuteness and other Oddities

The following diversions are predominantly denizens of this funky site called Neave.com

Plug in your microphone and prepare to be dazzled and bemused. Bounce is a fun diversion with limitless possibilities. Blow, whistle or sing to control the bouncing balls. Blast the stereo to really make them bounce. I sat at my piano keyboard and practiced playing "Beauty and the Beast", then went random and made a game of it by aiming to get the largest silver ball across the screen to the far right then back to the far left while banging away random notes. A perfect diversion for a totally random day.

Dig out your old 3D glasses and head on over to anaglyph Draw in 3D. this is rather fun even without having torn apart the house looking for old paper 3D glasses or hunting down any that might have made it home from IMAX. Rotate the page, scroll up or down, draw in all three planes. Neave.com is an interactive website created by designer Paul Neave.

Surf on over to Neaves' out of context television application and prepare to be bewildered. Giant mutated killer spiders and talking canines o'my.

This next link, Imagination, feels inspiring, most especially after having watched video for the Italian art installation, "The Cloud" so recently.


The Cloud - from mitmobileexperiencelab on Vimeo.

Exercise your imagination and become part of a fiber optic light show of your own making.

Make a wish on a dandelion.

Create a retro kaleidescope here and fiddle with a newer version here.


M.A.S.H. brings back memories of early childhood, my sister and her friends used to play it back when I was in grade two or three. Some days, when i was lucky she would draw out an extra layout on the corner of a lined page from her workbook and let me have a try at predicting her future.
Play Mash here.

Loss and diversions

Today, two close friends of ours lost their dog to the tragedy of time. As he was a stray when they first brought him into their family, his exact age has been undefined, but it was up there in the 15-17 yr range. Even 15 years is a lot of lifetime to have lived. It is with great sadness that they had to say goodbye to him today...

This leads me to the reasoning behind my sudden urge to resume updates of this blog. I was wandering less than aimlessly today, seeking out mild diversions and oddities that might divert my friends away from their great sadness and give them a moment of quiet or laughter or something of a mixture in between. Todays randomness is brought to you by our furry friends... those creatures great and small who make our worlds go round and whom have the power to make the world freeze in place at the moment of their loss.

Surfing the internet, riding the waves in search of new amusements... the following are some of the coolest links I have come across recently.

http://musicovery.com is an interesting and dynamic, interactive music tool. Beautiful and simple graphics allow you to experience listening to online radio differently. A free flowing and easily accessible interface allows for a truly interactive experience. We used to spend a lot more time listening to music. allowing it to be a destination rather than an addition to the background noise of other activity. Part of my free time of these two weeks has been invested in recreating a listening space again. Rearranging craft boxes and art supplies is now a priority.

And now for something completely different! Eddie Izzard is an actor who flew under my radar until recently. I only recognize him through the newish television drama "the Riches", where he portrays a "traveler" or conman impersonating a lawyer. Eddie Izzards voice sounds a lot like a Monty Python character, which of course is a great generalization... but his voice over for the death star clip posted previously had me momentarily confused as to whom the narrator was. Funny enough, his website does not make mention of the sole reason I am aware of Izzards' existence. The Riches is an okay show. Not a great show. I can understand why it is not on his (predominantly British) Biography. Especially true since he is also a co writer of the series. I try to watch new episodes still... but the operative word is "try". I "try not to watch any television that takes an effort to sit down and push play on the Tivo remote. My braincells deserve better. Which takes me further down the brainstorming chain of random where is she leading with this-ness...

Follow that weakened chain of thought - Imagine yourself as a Lego character! A few of my posts from earlier included personalized Lego Characters used as Business cards. Reasonably Clever allows for you to play around with that idea and create your own mini!

Anticipating Wall E

There is something inherently appealing about the upcoming movie WallE and I can't hardly wait.

http://gizmodo.com/5017269/lego+built-wall+e-it-was-only-a-matter-of-time

http://gizmodo.com/5018226/all-you-need-is-love-from-talking-romantic-handsome-men-piggy-bank

Random amusements for today

The telephone rings not.

If i look at my call display, the results are as follows.

80% of phone calls in the past 5 years have been from my sweetheart.
6% from my older sister.
6% from my younger sister who adopted me when we were 13.
my mother hasn't phoned in years.

my stepdaughters have phoned twice. yesterdays call was to verify what brand of cold medicine we had determined necessary to treat the ailments we brainstormed together over the weekend.. An alternative to ingesting childrens tylenol for headache and fever when her symptoms were no longer such. a very simple call, yet more meaningful than one might expect.

of the remaining 8% of phonecalls - 4% would have been made up by housing contractors all calling within a 2 month time period of renovations.
the last 4% of calls are a diverse bunch.

two friends waiting at a Greyhound Station in Sacramento for my bus, wondering when i was going to arrive finally.

a friend in new mexico wanting to thank me for the "get well soon" card i sent her when she was ill.

a dozen friends attempting to locate each others hotel rooms as we met up as planned in Las Vegas.

an elementary and highschool friend back home in canada that i reconnected with right before she got engaged and then married.. asking me to please attend... then thanking me for being there for her after it was all over....

a friend calling to find out if my train had arrived in Seattle yet.

friends wondering if we were getting close to the campground we were meeting at yet.

a friend in san diego, making plans to show me around Old Town while my sweetheart would be stuck in business meetings...

a friend asking me if i wanted to fly down and wander hollywood with him for the weekend then attend a roundtable discussion held with the cast and producers of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip at the University.


I dont have very many telephone conversations, but those that do take place tend to be of great importance. It seems that the limited contact makes the moment stand out more for me. Although a lot of my greatest friendships don't include regular face to face or telephonic interactions i think i spend more quality time with them than many people are blessed with.

Though i have to say - i do wish friends called me more often regardless of the time we spend together online.

Casting Completed

Bronze is heated and poured into the hollow molds suspended over a bed of sand. The sand helps prevent molten spills from running amok if a piece is cracked. The pieces are then cooled prior to removal of the shell from the bronze cast sculpture.

Burnt Out

After cleaning up any exterior casting that might contaminate the inner shell by scraping it with handtools and discarding it, the molds are ready for burnout. The furnace is heated up for about(15 minutes and then the sculptures are placed inside. Next, the shell and its interiors of wax (or other materials such as twigs, skewers or styrofoam) are heated beyond thier melting point to flow freely from the molds and fall into the large metal basin of water beneath the inferno. Done successfully this will leave behind intact hollow shells.

Flaming wax remnants are scooped out of the Metal basin so as to prevent buildup and possible flareups. The really cool outfit is an added bonus. Next burnout I will remember to get a picture of myself to add to the collection.

The near finished lost wax shell is removed from the furnace after it has baked for 30 or so minutes. Before moving, it is allowed to cool off so it is no longer red hot but instead resembles spent ash. The lost wax cast is placed in the cooling rack where it awaits vaccuming and final cleanup with an air hose. Compressed air will be shot up through the cavities and remove sediment that might affect the final appearance of the sculptures once the molten bronze is poured into them and then cooled.

Next week - casting on thursday. Pictures to follow.

Crafty templates for those with free time to spare.

Because i do not have enough to do right now I was thinking i would create an interesting winter themed christmas card slash notice of change of address to send out this week. I am pondering using an interesting template from a site like the following.

http://www.ruthannzaroff.com/mirkwooddesigns/

On a side note

It will seem rather odd in retrospect to pop into this tiny parcel of my universe and see no reflection on day to day life as it is taking place at this moment - it is because of this that i make note of today as being one of the most amazing moments in my life. Just as tom couch jumped on oprah so does my heart leap about with silly love infused gleefulness. I am incredibly excited and thus far succeeding at not letting myself rein in the emotional bliss. I am living the dream - only it is a reality greater than i would ever have imagined. one day and a half until i hold in my hand the keys to our new home. Chaotic bliss is a wonderful theme.

Ready to proceed to the "lost wax" step in lost wax bronzecasting.

Tomorrow I am all set for burnout of my pieces. After several weeks of repetitive slurry dipping then rolling in the sand my pieces have gained enough weight and substance to move on to their next positions. First, they will be placed in an enclosed firepit then be toasted at extreme temperatures so as to lose their internal mass and become hollow forms. I have been told that it takes about 30-45 minutes for the wax and other debris to burn out.

Next week the hollow molds will be set to hang in midair while molten bronze is poured into their empty shells. Once it cools the exterior sand and solidified slurry will be gently chipped away with hammers and chisels so as to reveal the near final subjects of my affection.

The raw metal will be ugly and deformed in appearance i expect. It is only after the pieces have all their superfluos bits sawed off, are sandblasted and filed down that we will be able to see whether they are a success.

Seventh dip in the slurry

Layering the shell onto the wax sculptures

Pets & Earthquakes

My 7 year old Maine Coone, "Steve The Cat", attempted to alert me of the earthquake repeatedly in the ten minutes prior. I came home from working out just after 730 and went directly to the shower and change. Normally when i leave the shower, Stevie jumps in to play with the watertap and chase drips, instead - he followed me. Normally he has 4 things he demands of us vocally or with intense "follow me" body language and directives like nudging with his head and leading by walking a few feet until we follow along while directing us with the odd vocalization or meaow.

These four things are:

- to follow him to his food dish and to correct whatever dilemma he seems to believe needs correcting in regards to the fullness of said dish
- open a door for him to enter or exit or just stare out of momentarily while considering whether to enter or exit
- to pick him up to cuddle
- to turn on the faucet.

Just after 8 pm i had exhausted each of these options. I had tried to coax him into the tub to play with water while he just stood on his rear legs and stretched up to tap my elbows with his paws instead.

It was after dark so i never concede and let him out to play at night so that wasnt an option.

He responded to being picked up with a quick cuddle and then leaped out of my lap and persisted in the follow me directives of nudging mine and my partners legs as we sat at our desks in the office and tapping our arms with his paw.

When i attempted to follow him he went only so far as the hallway but showed no interest in going down the stairs to his food dish. As a rule, we never walk ahead of him or beside him for fear of being tripped - my family and I always follow behind instead - but tonight Stevie the cat wasnt going anywhere for us to follow him to.

This led me back to thinking he wanted water not food and i resumed trying to get him in the tub before standing finally in the hallway between bathroom and office. I stood there chatting with my other half - talking about the cats' odd behavior, mildly exasperated at how to entertain my darling goofy cat while he rubbed against my legs.

It was while i stood there in the doorway with my cat rubbing against my ankles that the room began to roll like a wave beneath my feet. He scooted under a table and while I shouted in sudden comprehension "earthquake!", my sweetheart ran into the doorway to stand with me.

In the silence following the tremor I succeeded in finding Stevie while he catnapped under the kitchen table downstairs. Seeing the logic in this I joined him for a few minutes of ear scratching and fed him a handful of kitty treats and apologized for being too dense to understand what he was telling us all along.

Slurry Dipping ( not to be confused with skinny dipping)

Today i did something unusual. Instead of wasting time wasting time - I moved forward and returned to the studio this afternoon to finish two of my sculptures and get them on their way.

A Frog in Toads Clothing & Voodoo are now safe on their way to that strange land where finished projects go. With a little luck and perseverence they will actually complete their journey and evolve from their wax forms into solid masses of bronze.

At some point in the future I am going to come up with some meaningful allusion to satisfy others when they ask why i created each of these items, but atm the fact is i made them for me myself and i.

I have no expectation of making my first bronze sculpture and its being a work of art. Rather, its expected and anticipated that any initial creations are more liable to be a laughed at pieces of crap that others mock with the expectation that you expect to be mocked and are also already in on the mocking and self torturous mind games of low self esteem.

I decided not to fall into that mangled mess of self loathing and disinterest that comes with belittling my own handiwork and so i struck out to make what i enjoy.

I have made 2 items which i expect might make it past the "buried in a cardboard box" stage of evolution. My frog will always be a frog to me, for i can see within his princely heart that he isnt a toad at all no matter what others say. And Voodoo has camouflaged himself so well that others believe he is an edible cookie rather than a symbol of energy and confidence. So be it. Fact is - i anticipate having Voodoo and Frog in toads clothing find places in my home and because of that I sculpted outside the box.

Today, frog and voodoo both found themselves raised in stature. They were elevated above wax cups on waxen rods that will form a series of channels. I then scurried on over to the lab and cleaned them each with dishsoap , airdried them - with would you have guessed it? - Air. Next, I sprayed them with car wax or its equivalent then dried them again with the airhose.

Finally i Dipped each wax sculpture into a large caked tub filled with a lovely yellow slurry. Thus began the process of creating their first coat of their future outer shell. Each sculptue will be dipped repeatedly and slowly over a period days or weeks, depending on how often i get over there to do it. The great part is they are at least on the way. Now i have to start on another project... this time something filled with empathy and emotion that counters the happy bits i have already made.

Wax & Wood Clay Sculptures

The initial project i am working on can be a sculpture no greater than 5 inches. Easier said than done. After working through several initial concepts i finally created a frog out of woodclay to my satisfaction. I then molded a second frog out of wax. It seemed a lot easier to create the wax toad after i had worked with the prototype. Initially i wanted it to be smooth - but i have now texturized the wax frog so it looks quite cool. Better pictures to follow soon.

This week I will be setting up pour cups and attaching them to the frogs. Then they will be immersed in a fine sand like substance to build up an exterior casing.