Tag Archives: I made this

The Unicorn Hair

Yesterday I spent the entire afternoon thinking I was 30 minutes away from being able to Photoshop. Didn’t happen so I did extra today.

I’m lucky in the gray hair department in that I don’t have very many. I’m not opposed to the idea of dyeing but I don’t want to have to deal with touch ups all the time. It’s not an issue now. We’ll see how I feel in a few years.

I have a single gray hair in the exact middle-front of my head, where my horn would be if I was a unicorn. Do you know those stories like where the purse has coin and they spend it and then the next day the purse has a coin? Or they chop down the tree and then the next morning they look out the window and the tree is back out there?

That is my unicorn gray hair. I yank that sucker out and it’s back the next time I look. I’m afraid if I keep yanking it I’m going to have a bald spot where my unicorn horn would be.

At least the other gray hairs have the good sense to grow in the back of my head where I hardly notice them.

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The Gratitude Plant

I didn’t want to make any formal declaration that I would post a project photo every day but that’s my aim. It’s not totally realistic because some of my weekdays are endlessly long (like today) so this one is pretty phoned in.

Co-worker gave me the gratitude plant back in March on the day designated for office people to give the people who keep everything running a plant-based gift and take them to lunch. This plant said minimal maintenance which I thought, Yay. I know I present myself like I’m good with plants but actually my skill is picking out plants that are difficult to kill or otherwise ruin.

The gratitude plant sat on my desk for months and pieces of it kept shriveling up and falling off. Was I watering too much or not enough? The directions said 4-6 weeks but I stuck with a straight 4 weeks. I set up a reminder on my calendar and every 4 weeks I get a note that says, “Water Gratitude Plant, Location: lobby chairs.”

I finally went to the plant website and looked it up and it said it needs a lot of sunlight and if anything, err on the side of too little water. That would have been good information to include next to “minimal maintenance.” There are no windows by my desk so I stuck it in colleague’s office for a couple of weeks but more bits shriveled and fell off so I just brought it home yesterday and put it on a very sunny windowsill.

I can hear it yodeling with joy from here.

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I Found the Letters

When I transferred photos from the camera card for the photo intended for today, I found the photo of my stack of letters that I mentioned a couple of days ago.

I had another story I was going to tell but now I can’t remember. Something to look forward to tomorrow.

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Toes

Goodness. I thought I’d add some other tidbit that I learned to this photo and it was taking too long to remember how to do it. At least I did a selection on a cat.

Also great news, there is another class just for layer masks and selections. Seeing as how it’s only taken me 6 months to get through half the course I’m working on now, I should be masking and selecting like a champion in another 3-5 years.

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Saturation

This is Millie. I tried to practice the Photoshop selections tutorial using photos of cats and met with terrible failure. I did better with Millie. Right now I’m exaggerating the steps to help me understand it better.

My poor little brain has reached saturation on Photoshop for this weekend. I think I need a whole separate course just for layer masks because I’m having a tough time with it.

Did you see this NYT story about the 77 year old lady who learned PowerPoint?

“Suddenly I discovered heaven,” said Mrs. del Castillo de Rumié.

It’s a great story.

I’m going to keep practicing my selections and posting for your amusement.

It’s not warm, but it’s sunny so I’m considering going out and poking around the yard. I think I saw some daffodil nubbins

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Softest Bed Ever

I’m finally working on my online Photoshop class again. I think I crossed the halfway point by now and we’re doing fun things and not just learning to adjust the rulers and change the workspace. Today we’re learning all about the layers menu.

We’ve been in our current office for over 5 years now. At least 2-3 times a month we were getting a letter from Comcast addressed to the previous tenant asking to use their business service. We were using their business service. It would seem that the most basic thing a computerized mass mail program could do is cull out duplicate addresses or addresses that already use the service.

So for 2013 I decided to keep them and at the end of the year take a photo of the stack to show how stupid it was. Except about 6 weeks into 2013, it stopped. So that’s the photo I can’t find is my measly 6 envelopes from Comcast business addressed to the previous tenant.

In other news, have you tried this microfleece stuff for your bedding? Mom bought us microfleece sheets for Christmas and it’s so soft and amazing. Every time I get into bed I have to exclaim about how soft and wonderful it is. I’m going to buy some for the bed downstairs, too.

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There are Characters Named: Raleigh, Yancy and Stacker

Bob and I watched Pacific Rim last night after dinner. In terms of pure noise and destruction, it was terrific but in terms of anything else it was lacking in a big way. I couldn’t follow the story. (“Wait, so they’re underwater right now?” or Bob: “They can make these fancy robot-things but they still have regular helicopters?”) I read the wiki this morning and turns out it’s about 10 movies I’ve already seen all mashed together.

The other day I said that I’m just getting back into the habit of going to the library. I’m not sure why I stopped going. I think it was a combination of the library moving to a new location and me trying to be more diligent about reading the books I already have before running out and getting more books.

The part about the new library doesn’t make sense because the new library is gorgeous. The parking situation is slightly more challenging or at least that’s how I perceive it.

It also seemed like I could never find what I was looking for and I’ve been resistant to putting books on hold because then I’m at the mercy of when the book is available rather than when I have the time and inclination to read it. Plus then it feels one more trip I have to make.

The yoga studio recently moved close to the library so that’s my excuse to get back into it.

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Borrow v. Buy

I left the office at 12:35pm and walked through the door just after 2pm. That ride home was miserable. So happy I don’t have to go back out into that. I’ve got my pie started and I’m making cranberry sauce tonight.

Remember last month I mentioned Tina Connolly‘s podcast Toasted Cake?

On one of the podcasts I listened to, she talked about her book buying habits vs. her book borrowing habits. Here are mine.

For the most part, I only buy physical books that I think I’m going to want to share or I’m pretty sure I’m going to keep. I do sometimes buy cheap used paperbacks of books that I want to write in or can leave on vacation or stick in the Friends of the Library bin.

I’ll buy electronic books of publications I want to support but I’m pretty sure I don’t care about a physical copy. Or if it’s something I want to read and it’s cheap.

I’m just getting back in the habit of using the library and that’s a post for later. But I tend to borrow stuff that I’m not sure about, that I want to flip through or only read portions of, or that would just be too much to have around the house. Mostly non-fiction, researchy type stuff, cookbooks. Or fiction I don’t think anyone I share books with would like. Or fiction that’s still in hardcover.

The first book I got from the library since I returned turned out to be really good so I will probably buy a copy for someone for Christmas.

I still have to map out my game plan for tomorrow but it shouldn’t be too tough. (Famous last words). Last year everything went great except I cut a finger right at the end and was trying to do 10 things at once and apply pressure and keep blood out of the food. I’m going to try to avoid that this year.

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So Many Things To Be Grateful For

Well, if the morning commute is any indication, everyone has already gone mad. The world’s most mild mannered bus driver honked twice. I can’t wait until Wednesday.

After the whistle blew on Sunday night and we knew we weren’t in the championship I said to ticket partner, look how much money we just saved. The championship match is in Kansas City.

Since I was coming home late on Sunday, I wanted to get organized so it would be easier to get out the door on Monday and I couldn’t find my bus pass.

I’m usually careful with it but the Thursday trip home I was carrying extra things so I’m not sure what happened. I checked all my pockets and the car and the most logical places.

I also called lost & found.

I’d really like to find it but I’m also relieved they don’t have it because the bus customer service center is at the mall and my favorite place (besides the airport) not to go on Thanksgiving weekend is the mall.

I’m going to guess that it’s gone but maybe I’ll find it behind the washing machine this weekend.

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Projects

At some point awhile ago I decided I wanted something to hang my necklaces from.

I looked around on Etsy and bookmarked a few. There were some that weren’t expensive. Maybe $25 but I realized they looked like drawer pulls on little pieces of wood.

“I can do that.”

Months later and about 4 trips to different stores and spending about $15 on supplies I finally finished my own necklace holder.

I showed them.

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