It's Sunday....

And I'm up watching the bit of Coronation Street that I didn't watch during the week - we get it slightly delayed from the UK, so we're still on New Year's episodes here. I became addicted last summer when the CBC went on strike, and they needed to show something, so they filled the air with at least an hour of Corrie a night, which they replayed from 7am to 1pm on Sundays - it was a fantastic way to do nothing on Sunday morning. They're now on a half hour a night, plus 2 1/2 hours on Sunday - still not a bad way to start the week.

I also picked up this month' editions of both of my favorite cooking magazines - Cuisine at Home and Cook's Country. Cook's Country is put out by the authors of Cook's Illustrated, which is hands down, my favorite cook book ever. Cusine at Home is fantastic, but I get they feeling they put a lot of their best ideas in to their recent weeknight cooking magazine, and are now struggling for ideas. Last month one of the recipes called for a pint of blackberries to make a sauce. I'm all for having a nice meal, but blackberries around here are a fortune, and I'd rather not cook them beyond oblivion when I do get them. The cost of some ingredients is my major complaint with a few cookbooks that I own. For instance, you can now purchase passion fruit here (this is a recent development), but they cost enough that the grocery store cashier gives both you and the fruit funny looks when you check out. The cost of the fruit makes them a very rare treat in my household - not something that I would purchase for a recipe.

Spoilers from Grey's Anatomy - to tell you the truth, there weren't really that many spoilers. Meredeth does make a decision about Finn and Derek, but it's not what I would call a spoiler. (This will make sense when the episode is aired).

I also stitched on Alhambra last night. I finished another page! It's only one of the small corner pages, so it was mostly white space anyways, but it was a page nonetheless. My camera is currently out of batteries, so as soon as I buy some fresh one's, I'll post a piccie. I'm going to have to switch to Christmas ornaments soon, as I will need to get those completed and mail them out in the near future.

More than I bargained for

It turns out that the local Canadian affiliate accidentally aired the wrong episode of Grey's Anatomy last night - we got week two here in addition to week one. The minor gaffe was all over the news this morning, and a couple of people were quite upset about it. I'm quite surprised at the reaction the whole thing is getting - I mean it's only 7 days in advance, and there wasn't a huge amount of shocking stuff in the second episode. (Or maybe there was - I guess it depends on your perspective)

At any rate - it's Friday! I'm so glad the week is done!

Woo hoo - it's premiere time!

Tonight was the Grey's Anatomy premiere - great episode, and I can't wait to find out how this all plays out. It's one of only a few shows that I love on TV - Grey's Anatomy, Law and Order and Amazing Race have to be my favorites. I bought the Season 2 DVD last week, so I can catch up on anything I might have missed last season.

I'm supposed to be keeping a journal for ballet class on Monday. I go to ballet as my form of yoga - something to keep my mind and body in balance. For me, it's not about the end. I've known for a long time that I'm never going to dance professionally, having picked up my dance "career" at the age of 20-something, having left it off at the age of 8. And knowing that allows me a certain amount of freedom in dance class - its now about process, rather than perfection. It's about getting away for the evening, and doing something for myself, rather than about any specific acheivement that I have in mind.

If it's Tuesday it must be.....

Every now and again, I wonder why I take on as much as I do - activities, volunteer, other things. Today's schedule involved an 8 hour work day, 3 hours of meetings outside of work, 2 more hours of volunteer work, and a dance class. I love it all, and I'd hate to give any of it up, but somedays I wonder how I do it - and why I do it. I think volunteering in the community is one of the best things I do - I love it, and love the impact that it makes on people's lives. And I need to exercise - mostly because it keeps me sane, but also because it's a break from sitting on my backside for the other 13 hours a day. So I do it - and at somepoint tonight I'll sleep, and begin it all again tomorrow.

I forgot (duh!)

This is the latest Alhambra garden update - I managed to finish another page of the design this week, and complete a little bit of the next page!

I'm seriously behing in blogging.....

It's been a busy week, and I don't know quite where it's gone. All of the things I got to take a break from over the summer are now back. The break was nice, it left me refreshed, and it made me miss all of the things that I really enjoyed.

Dance classes started up Monday - I remembered how much I loved them, and watching everyone else the first class made me feel not quite so awkward and clumsy. I started dancing last spring, and there were a number of people in the class who had either taken dance before, or just were naturally gifted in dance, and I always felt like the ugly step-child - not quite as pretty or as graceful or as perfect as everyone else. This year's class brings a whole new group of people who are going through the same learning curve that I went through last year, and it's neat to see how far I've progressed.

I went to a friend's henna party last week - she got married last Thursday, and the wedding was out of town, so very few people were actually attending the ceremony. Last week she had everyone over as she had her hands and feet henna'd, and most of us got our hands or feet done a little bit too. I'm now very glad that I did the design on my foot - my skin and hair take dyes and chemicals very well, and a week later, the henna shows no sign of fading. I love the design, but I'm very glad that it's the kind of thing that I can hide easily, and not have to go through 3 or 4 weeks of people asking about it every time I turn around. I was surprised about how little time the henna takes - the young lady who came to do it was obviously accomplished, and she did most people freehand in no time at all.

It was 5 years ago today

I remember the morning well - I had just got out of the shower, and the TV in my room was turned to CNN, just like any other morning. I remember that it was showing pictures of New York - the towers. The first plane had just hit, and the second one was on it's way in. I remember getting a call from my roommate, telling me to turn on the TV, and I knew it was real.

It turned into a strange morning - like anything on a small island, news turned into gossip and then into pure speculation. But I remember how quiet the island was. The flight path for the airport was right over the island, and after living there for more than 2 years, I knew the entire plane schedule by heart. But that week, there weren't any planes, just quiet. The roads were quiet. The island was quiet.

Many of my colleagues didn't make it - I'd never met them, and in ordinary circumstances, I wouldn't know that they'd exist. We all worked for a global company with thousands of employees. But now, they were among the people who'd gone to work early in the towers on Tuesday. They were among those that didn't make it out. The first plane flew into the floors where one of our offices was located.

It doesn't seem possible that 5 years have gone by. 5 years of living a changed life. 5 years of losing an innocence. But it has. And with this, I send my thoughts to those that are left - the rescue workers, the families, the loved ones and those left behind.

It's been a busy week....

The end of ball arrived - we ended up in 6th place in one league and 3rd in the other, which I don't think is too bad. I've played with one team for the last 4 years, and you can definitley see the difference between the first year and the most recent year on that team. I think we came in dead last in the first year, and we came in 3rd this year, so it's been a big improvement.

It's still *so* nice in Calgary - it doesn't feel like fall at all. Usually the weather turns right after labour day, and it starts to feel like fall. This year, it's still high 20's or low 30's.

It's been a long week at work - I was thankful to get some very mindless TV for Friday night. The video company I rent from sent the first disc from Laguna Beach. It was terribly mindless, but didn't require any actual thought, so it was perfect for a Friday night.

Yesterday I got my nails done, and bought some new dance clothes for dance class on Monday. The one studio I took classes from last year didn't really care what you wore to class, so I just wore leggings and a t-shirt most days. The studio was good, but there were so few students in the class that you could tell the instructors were a bit disappointed that there weren't more people there. They didn't offer the Saturday morning class I was in again, so I switched to a studio that's closer. I also like the second studio's philosophy better. For adult clases, I think dance is really about fitness and movement, and not so much about recitals and competition, so I'm glad that I found a studio that's more in line with that view.

Last night was dinner with friends - we try and eat out at different ethnic restaurants each month. When we were first out of university, it was a great way to try some different food, and to have a good meal with the paycheuqes we were just getting used to. Several years on, it's a great way to see old friends and to eat some delicious food. The group has been cancelled over the summer, largely because the organizer just had a new baby. The restaurant was picked to be quite near their house, and so they had us all over for dessert afterwards. It was also a chance to see their new baby, who's now two months old and an absolute delight!

More new beads....

I had a few more beads kicking around that I forgot to photograph. These and a few of the others are up at Etsy. Other than that, it's been a lazy kinda day - I watched Moulin Rouge last night. I hadn't seen it before, and it was quite good. It was definitley a movie where suspension of disbelief was required. I love movies that have great detail in the costumes and in the sets, so I now have lots of great ideas running through my head. Oh - and I made my first ever froggie! He (or she) is super cute. Not perfect, but at least looks like a frog. More pics of him (or her) shortly.

I also love the fact that it's a long weekend, although this weekend signals the end of summer. It's nice to have an extra day tacked on though! I was very busy at work on Friday covering another employee's vacation, but at least I went into it knowing that I wouln't have to work for 3 days.

I think everything is *almost* booked for Morocco! I can't wait - a little over 3 months! I booked the tour yesterday and the flights today. I understand why tours prefer to leave from one city and then end in someplace else - it means you get to do more, and the tour company doesn't have to deal with the expense of getting you back to whereever you're going. But at the same time, it's a pain in the backside to book. At least airlines are letting you book one way tickets now - I remember the days when they weren't so flexible.

New Beads

I got several bead back today from the class last weekend - they were in the kiln when I left, so I picked them up today. The first one is probably the biggest bead I've ever made - it's huge!! (My hands aren't big by any stretch of the imagination, so when you look at the comparison, keep that in mind).

I also finished up a few similar beads, plus a couple of focals while I was up at the studio. - I think they turned out well.

Oh - and I booked my trip to Morocco today!! I leave in November, and I'm *so* exited!

The end of summer

I played ball twice this week - it's now "playoffs" and they're attempting to squeeze a couple more games in before the end of the season. Games this week started a half hour earlier than normal - which means an extra busy evening as I rush home, grab clothes and a mit, scarf something down for supper and head back out to fight traffic. They're a half hour earlier than normal because the sun is going down earlier. It's definitley the end of summer, and what passes for fall here is right around the corner.

Summer in Canada is a funny thing - the nights are really light, which makes it perfect for something like ball, as you can play a full game, and then head out for some beverages. If you're really lucky, you might even get to sit on a patio.

However, there are nights like last night. It's August. It's also 6 degrees celcius and spitting rain. There might be a thunder cloud in the distance somewhere. But apparently it's still ball weather. So we play on. And when we're done, we end up going to 3 different pubs before finding somewhere that we can all sit. Apparently everyone with some sense in them has spent the last 2 hours inside, enjoying their beverage, instead of in a wet field, catching balls (and probably a cold).

Welcome to summer in Canada.

To answer a couple of questions

I got a couple of questions on my comments last post, and I thought I take a crack at answering some of them.

First - what would I do with a focal like this? I've generally seen them made up into pendants - the size of the bead doesn't really lend itself to smaller things. A lot of people also just collect beads, without really having any intention of doing anything with them.

Second - making focals this size. I have to say that I probably wouldn't have made the focal this size if it wasn't for the class. It's tough to get that much glass to stay warm and to keep it's shape. The studio that I usually use also only keeps the kiln on during classes. The process of slow cooling a bead is called annealing, and it involves heating a kiln up, and then letting the beads and the kiln slowly cool. If you cool a bead too quickly, it breaks. Without being able to put beads directly into a hot kiln, the larger focals would break. There are a couple of other ways of cooling smaller beads, but the kiln method is best for larger beads.

On other topics....

I've been annoyed all day by small things - the mosquito bites on my arm, people taking elevators a single floor, people riding bikes in the dark without lights. Maybe tomorrow will get better.....

New Beadie

I'm going to be a total thread hog today - there's three pictures of the bead I made in class this weekend, plus one of the most recent progress on Alhambra Garden.

The three pictures of the bead show both sides, plus a size comparison with my hand - this bead is *big*! Honestly, it's probably the largest bead I've ever made. The instructor calls this one "Galaxy" and I can see why. But I think it turned out well. It's always tough with class beads - inevitably don't do something right in the process of making the bead, and it doesn't look just the way it's supposed to - but its all part of the learning process. I would have liked to shape the bead a bit more - it's pretty close to being on centre, but the ends are slightly crooked.

It's been a while since I posted an Alhambra update too - it's definitley coming, if I can only do this much 4 more times, I should be close to being done :).

The bead class

The bead class is going well! I feel like I'm learning a lot, and we're making cool beads. The instructor has some really fantastic samples, and overall, I'm pretty happy about the whole thing. My first beads come out of the kiln tomorrow, and we'll see what they look like then. This weekend we're learning something that looks like the bead in the second row of her website, on the far left.

The frustrating thing about classes is that you want to learn lots of technique, but your first try on a bead doesn't always look quite right. It's always kind of frustrating to have someone ask you what your learnt, and only have a handful of mis-shapen wonkies to look at.

I'll post piccies after I get home tomorrow.

Day two....

I'm still finishing the reconciliation from yesterday, and it seems to be going better. It's always a long haul, and I know it's only another couple of weeks before there's more to do.

I'm terribly excited about the weekend - I have a full two day torch class! I haven't even been near glass or a torch for 2 weeks with everything going on, so I'm excited to spend a couple full days doing nothing but watching glass melt. I think there will be some cool things come out of this - the instructor is from the states, and is quite well known, so I'm looking forward to learning some new stuff. I think the outline for the class involves sawing through glass to reveal different layers and playing with different metals within the beads.

I know I haven't blogged in forever.....

For a long while the blogging muse wasn't there. But I think it's back.

I'm reconciling volunteer stuff tonight. And it's not pretty. Somedays I wonder how hard it is to code *all* of the items on one spreadsheet to one account. Just one. Not two different accounts.

I know Calgary labour is scarce, and accountants are like gold in this city. But at the same time - this isn't hard. Code everything on one spreadsheet to one account, everything on another to somewhere else. I'm going to scream soon.

I'm making good progress on Alhambra - I should have piccies soon.

Alhambra Garden Update

I've been stitching and beading lots lately, and I finally have something to show for it. I finished one whole chart page on Alhambra Garden, and I still like the project!

The SBQ of the week

The Stitching Blogger Question of the week is:

For those of you who use hand or over-dyed floss, how do you store it?

I use "Floss-away" bags - the mini-ziplock kind. I have silk overdyed floss on one ring, and cottons on another, sorted by manufacture. It seems to be working so far!

Urban camouflage

I ran across this picture yesterday when I was sorting through some of my vacation pictures, and thought he'd be a great addition to the blog. The picture was taken in a parking lot in Mexico, when I was on vacation there in March. The little guy obviously had the right idea, as he's a perfect blend of grey and the bright yellow used to paint the meridians.

Yeah for Holidays

Today is a bank holiday in Canada - and I'm celebrating by doing nothing. Well, actually, I'm stitching and watching Law & Order on DVD, but besides that, I'm doing nothing. I was in a stitching slump earlier in the year, and have almost nothing for Christmas Ornaments! I finished one today, and am starting work on another. (I would post piccies, but they're likely to be used for an exchange, so I'll keep everyone in suspense for a while).