crafts

I was wrong.

Moriah

I got a Kindle.

I know. Go ahead and laugh or faint or whatever. I’ll wait until you’ve got yourself back together again.

Long story told in bullet-point lists:

  • Saw a Sony at Target. The screen looked like a dot matrix printer (aka like crap). I decided eInk was not for me.
  • Amazon pulled some crappy things, which confirmed my opinion of crap.
  • My mother-in-law got a Kindle for Christmas and I fondled it. It didn’t look anything like the Sony at Target.
  • I couldn’t stop thinking about my MIL’s Kindle.
  • I had an increasing need to see what my formatting looked like on the device itself.
  • I couldn’t stop thinking about my MIL’s Kindle.
  • I had an increasing need to see what my formatting looked like on the device itself.
  • Amazon put up their refurbs for $110.

I’ve had it for about a week now. I love it, but I do have some issues and (surprise!) it hasn’t diminished my love for my eBookWise or my BlackBerry. They’re like children: All different, all equally loved for different reasons.

One of my issues with the Kindle is how light and skinny and fragile it is. I know this is supposed to be a plus, but after holding my eBookWise for the last 2-1/2 years, its weight and ergonomic design has spoiled me. The eBookWise feels like a book, only a lot more comfortable.

Anyway, I desperately needed a case for my Kindle to protect it, but geez, people $30? No matter how much I liked my MIL’s case, I figured I could do original-and-cheaper on my own. (Well, hey, that’s how I got into this book publishing business in the first place, my tendency to DIY … everything.)

I’ve made a prototype. I think there are better ways to do this and better designs. I’m going to live with this one for a while and see what I’d change, what other features I might like, a better/more efficient way to build it.

Here’s Prototype Number One (mouse over the pictures to see the commentary):

20100731_kindlecover01 Closed; looks like a nice little notebook.
20100731_kindlecover02 I misplaced the elastic a bit. Notice the pockets opposite the device.
20100731_kindlecover03 Close-up of pockets
20100731_kindlecover04 Empty case
20100731_kindlecover05 Easy access to outlets when closed
20100731_kindlecover06 Easy access to on/off switch and jack when closed
20100731_kindlecover07 Side closure
20100731_kindlecover08 It stands up nicely, but doesn't lean back.
20100731_kindlecover09 Standing up

Remedial crafting

Moriah

Crocheting is not my favorite thing to do, but I do enjoy Tunisian crochet (remedial, in my case). I’m making a queen-sized “comforter” for XX TD for Christmas (provided I get it done in time). Here’s the first skein:

A swatch of Tunisian crochet of pastel variegated ombré acrylic yarn.

A ball of variegated white to dark pink Sugar’n Cream cotton yarn by Lily.I had a ball of Sugar’n Cream “Strawberry” yarn (100% cotton) I bought for XX TD to learn how to crochet. Two problems: A) She’s left-handed and I’m not, and B) I’m a horrible teacher. I seriously needed a break from reading, writing, publishing, DDJ. It had to be something creative, but not involved. Eva Gale’s dishcloth project inspired me, and I thought it was perfect for a mind break while still feeding my creativity.

Eva’s all about self-sufficiency and she really strives for it in ways big and small. She is such an inspiration to me. As she puts it, this project is therapy for $2. Awesome. I really liked it for that, but as a step toward self-sufficiency, I found it extremely expensive in terms of materials and time. One $2 dishcloth plus sunk costs of time when I could have been making far more than it would cost me to buy a pack of dishcloths (or Scotch-Brite sponges, which is what we use). But it was fun and it was a break and I got to use a ball of yarn I had no other use for. That was the big bonus.

A swatch of dishcloth stitch in Lily Sugar’n Cream “strawberry” variegated white, pink, dark pink cotton yarn.

I don’t watch TV much. It interferes with other things I find more interesting. Still, occasionally I want to vegetate but I can’t do that without something to do while I’m watching TV. I feel really guilty if I’m not able to watch TV and do something productive at the same time. Crochet fills that bill.

Foci and projects for 2010

Moriah

1. Finish Magdalene.

2011: Widowed Mormon bishop and steel magnate Mitch meets corporate restructuring specialist Cassie St. James, a former prostitute. As they navigate a relationship, they work together to stop a man who’s destroying everything Mitch holds dear.
2011: Widowed Mormon bishop and steel magnate Mitch meets corporate restructuring specialist Cassie St. James, a former prostitute. As they navigate a relationship, they work together to stop a man who’s destroying everything Mitch holds dear.

2. Make some pretty things.

a) An afghan (Tunisian crochet, the only kind I like) for XX TD.

A small swatch of Tunisian crochet in variegated ombré acrylic yarn, with crochet hook
the beginning of XX’s coverlet

b) A Hobbes doll for XY TD.

3. Get better at the ebook formatting thing.

a) Continue self-tutoring in SVG so I can get The Fob Bible completely digitized (text, no problem, but it’s graphics heavy).

b) Give more priority to embedding fonts.

4. Shamelessly rip off RJ Keller’s 2010-in-photos idea.

5. Get my foyer, living room, and dining room decorated and my art up on the walls, including my kitschy matadors ~1950 and my cheap bought-out-of-a-car-trunk-in-a-parking-lot-but-expensively-framed Pissarro.

A framed print of Camille Pissarro’s impressionist painting The Garden of Les Mathurins, property of the Deraismes Sisters, Pontoise
Camille Pissarro, The Garden of Les Mathurins, property of the Deraismes Sisters, Pontoise
Two small framed prints of big-eyed dolls/children dressed up as Spanish matadors, with their “swords” being candy canes.
big-eyed MCM art baby matadors ~1960s, artist unknown

6. Expose my real identity to you all (in case you haven’t figured it out already and no, my real name is not famous in the least bit) and my artsy-fartsy business because I think you might like it. But to do that, I need to work on the super-outdated website.

7. Get The Fob Bible into college curricula, where I think it belongs best.

8. Implement some fun ideas I have for The Proviso et al.

9. Get back on the low-carb wagon, exercise, and load up on the probiotics/coconut oil.

10. Sit down and relax, watch a movie with Dude once a week or so.

There. I fixed it.

The project orgy

Moriah

XX and XY Tax Deductions notwithstanding …

I have projects. I adore projects. Alas, I am only one person.

Let me tell you what’s on tap this weekend.

NEEDLEWORK. I do it. I also make a bit of money doing it when I actually do it. The Proviso has taken up a lot of time lately (heh, understatement) and I’ve neglected this needle-and-thread part of my life, to some detriment. I have 2 projects to add finishing touches to, 3 projects to stretch and frame, 1 project to stitch, and 1 project to design. Add in completely revamping the website and that’s 8 projects.
FREELANCE WEB CONTENT WRITING. I do that, too. Sometimes. This isn’t as easy as you might think, considering I seem to have diarrhea of the fingertips. 1 project right now, but it’s a bitch.
My DDJ (damned day job, my main business), which I keep separate from this for reasons which should be obvious. Anyway, I have a little side gig off of that, which makes me a little money when I keep up with it. 1 project, but it’s tedious.
The whole PUBLISHING gig, which next 3 projects I’m giddy over, only one of which is the next book in The Proviso series. Go ahead and count this bullet point as 3.
SEWING for the XX Tax Deduction. 2 projects.
And yeah, READING. Working on The Hole (draft) by Aaron Ross Powell.

Is it too early to make my Christmas list to Santa? ’Cause I wish for 6 more hours in a day and the ability to forego sleeping.

You may feel sorry for me now.