the Pool and Swimming Lessons

I know it isn't really artsy but I think the pool and swimming lessons can have a link with the art.  I had the occasion to go to the pool and be an observer of a swimming lesson.  I found that swimming lessons have evolved for the better.  Or it is a different approach from pool to pool.

There was various class in the pool.  It was some groups that seems to be at the same level while others were at other levels.  I was able to see all that with one sweapt from side to side.  I also could see all that could be done while in swimming classes.  There was an certain order what I was seeing.  It would be nice to see what I see on a painting.  Could be great to see that on a big canvas.  It would lead to a great subject.

I am not a water person.  Seeing people who feel at ease in the water is reassuring for me.  At least some people are like fishes in the water, being useful as a lifeguard.  Not all people are alike, so being a complement of one another is great.  Beyong the basic of swimming, I was able to see an art form.  Those who where in the deeper part were pacticing a for m of swim.  To me, it was zen like, an moving art form.  They where extening their arms outside the water and below it, doing it very slowly.  It was calming.

It was a nice time but I don't think I will do it every week.  One sight for almost a hour is fine with me.  I may stay away from pools for a while before needing to go near one again.

DYI Loom Kit + Extension Part 2

Yesterday, it was about generalitys.  (Here the link for yesterday: https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2758842815612261477#editor/target=post;postID=6198156006343694189).  Today, we enter into the heart of the project.

Then, I started to weave.  What I discovered would have been worth mentionning in the instruction.  This kit is not like the beading loom.  With the beading loom, it is better to weave thightly.  It is not the case with the DYI loom.  It started well but it rapidly goes awry.  It is what happned with my first try:

It did not get better with the evolution of the weaving.  I tried to repair my mistake, to no avail.  Finishing was a bit tricky even if the instruction explained the process.  Once trying it, it wasn't too bad but it wasn't perfect.  It only demanded some patience.  I lack it once threading the loose end on the side.  I only made knots and cut the excess.  What I should have done is to put it aside and return to the project later on.

It is not perfect.  I do have the excuse it was my first try.  I will give another try later on to see if I can make a better one.

DYI Loom Kit + Extension Part 1

Trying a new product can be a learning experience.  It happened when I tried the DYI loom kit.  I also bought one extension.  This is the extension kit:

Here is the basic kit:

Looking at the loom and it's components, it is an ingenious system.  With the extensions part, projects can be longer and larger.  I like products that have a capacity to adapt to the projects.  Putting the base with the extension was easy.

I put the threads but was unsatisfied with the result.

I removed the threads and put some yarn instead.

It look better with the yarn.  The thread was looking too fine on the loom, as if twas too fragile.

Update on the Jury duty experience

I did not completed the process up to be a jury.  What I experienced was worthy of the trip.  It is not every day that I am invited to the courthouse.  I can't talk about the sase itself but I think the outline of what happened could be told.  I want to show that going inside of the courthouse isn't a curse. 

First, there is the security point.  My backpack with the content of my pockets did go through the scanner.  Would had been nice to see how my bag and pocket content showed under the x-rays.  I am curious by nature, so it would had been nice to see that.  Otherwise, it was very fast to go throught this part.  It was early in the morning.  I probably had avoided the big rush.

I hit a closed door when going to the assigned room.  After some wait, the doors unlocked.  We enter and had to receive a paper with some information on it.  There was some identification on it and I could use it to be reimbursed for my way there.  Inside the room, time to sit and wait.  There was a lot of people coming in.  It took a long time to get every ones inside the room.  The room was filled up, except the sides near the lawyers and the judge.  The lawyers came too, for both side.  Other personal of the courthouse came in.

After every ones was in and some further wait, the judge came in.   She explained a few things and elaborated a bit more on some others.  She also explained the case, aaming the accused ones and on what they had been charged.  The witnesses and other people mandated to testified were enumerated.  I knew none of them.  If I knew someone on that list, I would had been excluded.

Finally, people were separated in two groups: those who could do jury duty and those who needed an excemption.  Those whou could be on jury duty left their names and had to return the next day for the next step in the process..  Those who couldn't made it had to pass in front of the judge.  It was done in a rectangular room, for privacy.  The judge and lawyers where hearing the reasons why the person couldn't atted the trial.  The judge was making the decision if the reasons were valid or not on the spot.

As I exited the courthouse, I found it a bit like a maze.  I kind of lost track of my position even if the inside was more like a big box.  Definitively not used to that place.  I exited a bit before noon.  This is not a place to be afraid of.  The sicurity gaurd s were nice and helpful.  I had a nice talk with a few others that were called too.  The only downfall was the waiting, a lot of waiting.  Maybe that next time, I will go a bit further on the process.

Waiting Room

I think it is time to reevaluate what I am doing in a waiting room.  I expect a return to some time in a waiting room.  Also, it will be for good chunk of time in there.  It will become a good part of what I will do from now on.  It can be boring or I can use that time to be productive.

I want to add more creativity to my waiting time.  Reading and writing are fine but after a certain amount of time, I need to change my mind.  In addition, it is not always easy to read when a child is playing or talking out loud.  Adults can also chat and it can be distracting too.  What I can bring is a bit limited. I could try small projecgts of embroidery.  It would be a perfect place for a test.  I am just affraid to be distured by people  asking questions.  People are curious by nature, most of the time.  I will try embroidery at least once and see what happen.  There will be time to adapt after one try.

I will look in my creative material boxes and see what could be brought.  Is is time to get smart ideas to pass time.  I am sure  I will come up with some good ideas.  I will have a lot of time to experiment.  I will have time to see what works and what didn't.  A learning experience and I am happy with experimenting outside the home.

Jury Duty

Today, I have been called at the courthouse for jury duty.  I don't know anything else.  I don't know if I will be taken or what is the cause I will be in.  It is totally unexpected.  That kind of thing always happen in the most busiest moment for me.  I am able to go for today.  Beside that, I don't know if I will able to get help for my responsibilities.

It is a new experience for me.  I never expected to be called for that.  It would had been easier to go when I was childless.  I will find a way to go anyway.  It is really early to say if I will be taken.  I will try to comde a little before the appointed hour.  I am crossing my fingers to be the first to get questionned.  I know that lawyers are selective whem it comes to choosing the jury.  They want the best canditates, so the jury would be impartial.

I don't know if I will be able to ask questions or be able to express a few important things that are happening in my life.  I will take some notes.  Maybe it will be useful later on.,  It is an experience with a lot of uncertainty,  Whatever the outcome, I hope it will be a pleasant experience to live.  I know that some murder cases can be hard, expecially for the crucial proof elements.  If choosen, I will try to put everything in order before getting into the discussion for the sentencing.

A guide about my children

With some recent events, I thought about writing a guide about my 2 children.  I never really wrote a non fiction before.  It will be a first.  Why writing a guide about my children?  Because I often have to describe what they have and how it manifest in each of them.  It is a bit tiring to repeat myself each time I have to.

I don't know why I haven't thought about it sooner.  Maybe I had to reach a certain limit to feel I got a tired tape recorder.  I got the idea in the past weekend.  My children where at one activity and I had to talk about them to two new persons.  They didn't knew about my children before.  As I was talking, I thought it would be nice to give an document to these two peoples.  They would be able to read it and feel enlightened.  Their basic questions would be answere.  I wouldn't had minded to answer a few more advanced questions after that.

I think this idea is a good one.  Once written, I will have to keep it up to date.  Written it would be the hardest.  In it, would explain what my children have, what they have in common and their difference.  There will have all the information needed to makes my children better known.  I think it will a time saver.  Of course, I will use that guide only when necessary.  It is sensible information after all.  I will kept that guide under key and lock.

Being at the library

The library is good for creativity.  It is a place where I can relax and think.  It is no longer a place of total silence reinforced by an old maid librarian type of person.  Where I go, there are areas where customers can have a low voice conversation.  Where I am in the library, it is in the evening and the low conversation corner is not really used.  Strangely enough, in a library, I prefer it on the quiet side.  While at home, I need some music or be watching tv.  The home seems livelier than the library.  I may be used to have a really quiet library.  The library seems more conductive to concentration when it is on the quiet side.

While in the library, I can concentrate deeper than anywhere else.  It is fun for some creative projects.  I can plan for some stories and for nanowrimo ()nannowrimo.org).  In fact, I enjoy doing my planning for stories is a library.  Most of my plannings for Nanowrimo had been done in a library, well, those I am the most proud of.  A plus: I can do some quick research in the library, if the need arise.  I like searching in books for some informations.  While searching, I do some browsing.  I can discover an unconnected fact that can be a starting point for another creative project.

Even if the wifi is available, I don't bring a laptop or any other technological device.  It allow me to be totally dedicated to my pen and paper.  I can't achieve that at home with all it's distraction (tv, computer, children,...)  In the library, I am not disturbed by doing research on the computer and watching youtube (youtube.com).  I am absorbed by thinking and writing.  It is a mind changer.  My brain feel like being on a deserted island.  No distraction, all concentration.  No sense oftime, a peaceful and creative mind.  It is what I  need when I am at the library.

Return to painting

It is official, I have done my return to painting.  Nothing fancy.  I didn't done what I had done as a child.  I just wanted to be playful.  At the same time, I didn't used a lot of colour.  It is a departure of what I was making as a child.

Here is the result:

I did a drawing only for the first one.  For the rest, I did what had come to my mind while doing them.  I may do somethng more elaborate next time.  I will have to buy other canvas.  I have used those I had.  For sure, I am ready to do it again in the near future.  I may do something different mext time.

Unexpected surprise, an accidental failure

I got a little surprise when I opened a box containing some candles' material.  Something happened to one bottle of candles' scent.  Here is the bottle, the part for the drop is completely useless:

I don't know how it happened.  It is pretty ripped out. Here is the result in the box:

It is what happen when it's too much time since the last time I look inside my boxed stuff.  A periodical safety look could solve this problem, I guess.  I am learning by experience, after all.

Where is some materials?

I had tried many techniques in the creative field.  For sure, I haven't tried them all.  It is always great to learn something new even if I do it occasionally or have a period of intense using.  Some crafts I do more often than others.  I have more occasions to do soap and less for candles.  It is fine by me.  Maybe, one day, it will be the other way around.  I can't guess when a crafts whill be more popular than the other.  In both cases (candle making and soap making), I can find easily the materials for both.  I do them enough for not missing doing them.  In addition, there are many places where to find the materials.  It is the same with fimo, I can find it in many places, even if I am taking a break from it.  I do have a lot of beads made out of fimo.  I may return to it to empty my small remaining stock pile, even if it can be a bit labor intensive.  I like to do the whole process with fimo: from the bead making to the oven part.

What I start to miss doing is using bases for liquid soap for the shower, the ones for moisturing creams and the other one for washing the face.  I like buying those bases and add essential oils.  I was buying theses at one place.  The place no longer carry those products.  I don't have any ideas about other places where it is possible to buy those bases.  I haven't seen any other store who carry those items.  My other problems is that I don't feel confident enough to makes those bases by myself.  I have enough problems doing soap from scratches, I don't want to see the disastrous results in doing bases for creams.

I don't have other choice for now.  If I want to use those bases again, I will have to find them elsewhere, mainly the internet.  I don't know if I will find those items again.  Another brand could do the trick.  It is not a fun situation.  I feel a bit blocked.  I hope to be successful in what I am searching for. 

The art of creative travelling

A few times in the year, I like to go outside of my living area.  When I do it, I like to bring some creative items.  I mainly bring pens, pencils , papers and some tarot deck.  I use those basic tools to takes notes.  The tarot decks are for some inspirations when the scenery fails.

I haven't tested bringing other crafts with me.  There are two reasons: one of them is too many items and the other is the messiness of some crafts.  I don't want to have travelling bags too heavy and leave an dirty living room behind me.  So, my hesitatiopn to bring some crafting elsewhere are justified.  It include tye dye, fimo, candle making and soap making.  I think I could do tye dye and soap making but only if being ask to by the host or hostess.  In addition, it would be in an emergency situation or if they have an interest in seeing how to do it.

On the other hand, there would be some craft that I would like to try outside my place like embroidery, cross stitches and jewelry making with beads.  Those wouldn't be too much dirty while doing them.  The threads could be contained in a small container.  I don't have all the colours for embroidery and I could only bring what I need.  I would do the same for jewelry making with beads: only the necessary tools.  My deedles are in a small tin box.  I won't bring big projects.  I think to do it on t-shirts and small pieces of fabrics.  It would worth the try.  I only need to find the msall container for my threads.  I know where to find it.

Soap from scratch, another try

Last summer, I had made a few batches of soap.  I didn't used any soap bases for them.  All from scratch and using ingredients.  I used a recipe.  My very first try was not terrible.  The others were a bit better.  I know those tries were not selleable.  My main problem was to weight the ingredients correctly and the color of the result.  It was my first tries, so, I guess that kind of result was to be expected.  I used them as hand soap. It was quite effective.  I didn't used it any other way and it was doing a good work keeping hands clean.

I decided to try again.  I needed to do some more anyway, just to replenish the small stockpile I had.
Here is the result and what I made of it:

I didn't used any recipie but I noted what I used with the quantities.  It is creamy.  At first, when mixing everything together, I tought it would make a liquid soap.  I put it in molds anyway.  Of course, an expert could have done better than I had.  I am still learning from making soap from scratch.  It is where having a class on that specific way of making soap would be useful.

I know I want to master this more quickly.  I also am terrible at measuring and weghting ingredients.  It get all messed up.  I will use this soap as last year batches  and think if I will do other soap like that.  For sure, it seems so easy on videos and books!