I'm going to use the blog as a marketing tool to sell some of my home-made crystals from Etsy. If you like what you see, head on over.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Argh
So, i pussied out on the volunteer work. The thought of working with kids and not knowing what i'm doing freaked me out, so i begged off. Besides, my finger was fucking killing me from the day before. Went to urgent care but they wanted a $40 co-pay. Christ. So D and i went to the drugstore instead and bought a splint. It really helped. Today, almost a week later, my finger is still black, blue & red and hurts. Never smash your finger on a rock -- twice -- is my new motto.
Taxes: i'm feeling the fear. I don't think my employer took enough out. Or else i paid too much. I don't quite understand what's going on, but i find out tomorrow. Getting anxious just thinking about it.
Earthquakes, floods, civil unrest: my head hurts. Can't wrap it around all the crap going on in the world these days. These things have been going on forever but i find the older i get, the harder it is to deal with bad news. Makes me feel more powerless than ever. There's nothing i can do but watch and hope for the best but, as i was once told, you have to let people have their own shit. Trust that they will try to do the right thing for themselves. When aid is necessary, that's important, but imposing will never is.
Right now i live in a state which apparently hates its own citizens (voters!), slashes programs, watches indifferently as people lose their homes and savings, and is dead set against helping people with medical care. But here is what's really important: they are going to designate the Colt revolver the state's official firearm because of its "Old West" connections. That time of lawlessness is surely not wasted on our elected officials. And who has an official state firearm?
Oh, and don't forget these elected representatives also recently decided it's ok to carry concealed weapons everywhere. They have zero grasp on reality. I would really hate to see these greedy, racist and inbred idiots deal with a major catastrophe. They'd probably throw up their hands and run like little girls to their safe nests outside the city. It's hard enough living with these morons in charge. I can't deal with everyone else.
Someone will surely complain that i'm shallow and lack empathy. Well, bite me. I can't save the world. I doubt anyone can. And i'm not going to kill myself trying. But i do care.
Taxes: i'm feeling the fear. I don't think my employer took enough out. Or else i paid too much. I don't quite understand what's going on, but i find out tomorrow. Getting anxious just thinking about it.
Earthquakes, floods, civil unrest: my head hurts. Can't wrap it around all the crap going on in the world these days. These things have been going on forever but i find the older i get, the harder it is to deal with bad news. Makes me feel more powerless than ever. There's nothing i can do but watch and hope for the best but, as i was once told, you have to let people have their own shit. Trust that they will try to do the right thing for themselves. When aid is necessary, that's important, but imposing will never is.
Right now i live in a state which apparently hates its own citizens (voters!), slashes programs, watches indifferently as people lose their homes and savings, and is dead set against helping people with medical care. But here is what's really important: they are going to designate the Colt revolver the state's official firearm because of its "Old West" connections. That time of lawlessness is surely not wasted on our elected officials. And who has an official state firearm?
Oh, and don't forget these elected representatives also recently decided it's ok to carry concealed weapons everywhere. They have zero grasp on reality. I would really hate to see these greedy, racist and inbred idiots deal with a major catastrophe. They'd probably throw up their hands and run like little girls to their safe nests outside the city. It's hard enough living with these morons in charge. I can't deal with everyone else.
Someone will surely complain that i'm shallow and lack empathy. Well, bite me. I can't save the world. I doubt anyone can. And i'm not going to kill myself trying. But i do care.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Volunteer? Me?
Last night i went to a mineralogical society meeting. They have rock hounding trips and guest speakers and basically a lot of very knowledgeable people. It was fun. There's a special event today and i volunteered to teach a group of kids how to make pet rocks. Supposedly the rocks and supplies are pretty nice. We'll see how it goes. I work SO well with children. Not. I don't know what came over me. Plus i smashed my pinky and it's so wrapped up that it's useless.
The lead lady there, who runs the mineralogical museum, was very surprised i made my own crystals. I thought they'd all be more up on the crystal game than me. I was thinking of asking her if i could do a presentation. That could be fun, i have quite a few now. I need to figure out a way to make more, though, if i want to sell them. D's brother said i could sell them in his shop (he gets 20%, ugh). But i have to get some type of display stand and little boxes to hold the rocks cos they're so fragile. I was thinking of getting some epoxy and gluing them into something like this: ack, been searching internet and can't find any. Argh.
Gotta go get ready for my volunteer work. It's for 2 hours. Oh, here's some fun: Cat Laser Bowling.
The lead lady there, who runs the mineralogical museum, was very surprised i made my own crystals. I thought they'd all be more up on the crystal game than me. I was thinking of asking her if i could do a presentation. That could be fun, i have quite a few now. I need to figure out a way to make more, though, if i want to sell them. D's brother said i could sell them in his shop (he gets 20%, ugh). But i have to get some type of display stand and little boxes to hold the rocks cos they're so fragile. I was thinking of getting some epoxy and gluing them into something like this: ack, been searching internet and can't find any. Argh.
Gotta go get ready for my volunteer work. It's for 2 hours. Oh, here's some fun: Cat Laser Bowling.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Back to reality
The honeymoon was very nice, considering it's almost impossible for me to have fun anymore. God bless pain and illness!
But D and i did have a nice time. We drove a lot. Went to Winslow Arizona, they actually erected a statue of the guy "standing on the corner" (remember the Eagles/Jackson Browne song?). It was a cute little town but these small western towns are dying extremely fast. I have no idea what these people do for a living, except deal with tourists in the summer and work on ranches.
Outside of Winslow is Meteor Crater, which i've always wanted to see. It's a pretty huge hole in the ground. And i got to fondle a 5-ton piece of the meteor. Since they're mostly iron, they weigh a lot more than they look. We didn't stay too long. Did i mention it was below freezing almost every day? One morning was 7. And it only snowed the first morning we were there, but there was quite a bit of snow around, especially outside of Flagstaff. Except it was all frozen from the temperatures.
We also did the tour of the Lowell Observatory and later that night returned and looked through the Clark telescope (the one Percival Lowell and friends built and the one that discovered Pluto). We saw Orion's belt clearly, and there are way more stars involved that you can see with the naked eye. Unfortunately, didn't get to see Jupiter (my ruling planet), even though the guide earlier in the day said we would. But there was also a cool presentation with this guy moving in and out of the solar system, from astronomical units (AU) to light years (LY). I stood next to him and kept asking questions. I've always been interested in astronomy.
Did some rock hounding, i think i pushed D's patience one day, but i found some nice stuff, especially Obsidian. Tons of it. And i didn't even get to the collecting area cos it was under a foot of snow (or more, as i found out when i sank to my knees). I collected on the dirt road. Found a few more things, here are a few pics.
And here are some photos from the trip. I have NO idea why there is so much space here. I've tried everything:
But D and i did have a nice time. We drove a lot. Went to Winslow Arizona, they actually erected a statue of the guy "standing on the corner" (remember the Eagles/Jackson Browne song?). It was a cute little town but these small western towns are dying extremely fast. I have no idea what these people do for a living, except deal with tourists in the summer and work on ranches.
Outside of Winslow is Meteor Crater, which i've always wanted to see. It's a pretty huge hole in the ground. And i got to fondle a 5-ton piece of the meteor. Since they're mostly iron, they weigh a lot more than they look. We didn't stay too long. Did i mention it was below freezing almost every day? One morning was 7. And it only snowed the first morning we were there, but there was quite a bit of snow around, especially outside of Flagstaff. Except it was all frozen from the temperatures.
We also did the tour of the Lowell Observatory and later that night returned and looked through the Clark telescope (the one Percival Lowell and friends built and the one that discovered Pluto). We saw Orion's belt clearly, and there are way more stars involved that you can see with the naked eye. Unfortunately, didn't get to see Jupiter (my ruling planet), even though the guide earlier in the day said we would. But there was also a cool presentation with this guy moving in and out of the solar system, from astronomical units (AU) to light years (LY). I stood next to him and kept asking questions. I've always been interested in astronomy.
Did some rock hounding, i think i pushed D's patience one day, but i found some nice stuff, especially Obsidian. Tons of it. And i didn't even get to the collecting area cos it was under a foot of snow (or more, as i found out when i sank to my knees). I collected on the dirt road. Found a few more things, here are a few pics.
 Jasper. Huge rock i broke into 3 pieces to get to the colors |  No idea. I'll be taking some of this stuff to a rock hounding group on friday. Think i'll join them. A friend from work is a member and turned me onto them. |
 Obsidian. Lots of it, and much larger than they look. It's volcanic glass and so fucking shiny. I'll give some of it away at the meeting. |
And here are some photos from the trip. I have NO idea why there is so much space here. I've tried everything:
 Good luck finding your way. |  Part of the Clark Telescope at Lowell Observatory | |
 D catches me rock hounding |  A great big hole in the ground at Meteor Crater. Photography can't do it justice. | |
 I love this photo with the guy standing below the old hotel with "Rooms" facing into the 19th century. |  Pretty courtyard shot. Though V might like this. | |
 The "Standing on the Corner in Winslow, Arizona" guy. |  Explanation for the "Standing on the Corner in Winslow, Arizona" guy. | |
 Dressed in so many layers i can barely move. I think it was around 12 degrees and windy at that point. |  An "artsy" photo of my baby. |
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Getting ready
Going on honeymoon soon. 18 months after the fact. Bringing some of the guitars. Watch, we won't play.
Was playing around with more crystals, using borax and pipe cleaners. Was trying to be artsy, all i managed was confusing.
I wish i was more artistic, make crystal animals or something. Or have an art show with my crystals and crap like that.
Seen a lot of buzz about the Church's shows. Denise, i loved your review. All gushy again after all these years! Funny, that's how i met my Church ladies, writing about them here in 2005. Now it's 6 years later and i still haven't met Veleska or Sandy. Sheesh.
I tried to play a few songs for my mom yesterday and played like someone who had never picked up the guitar. I messed everything up so badly i was embarrassed. I guess it was cos she was there. I don't get nervous in front of D cos he's around so much when i play. God, she must think i was really boasting about how much better i've become as a guitar player. I have to practice a lot more before i try that again.
I've see a lot of stuff about how crap the world is. Again. Add Egypt into the mix. Haven't heard of Lebanon lately, that's odd. And mother nature is trying to flood the earth once more. I keep expecting to hear of Noah floating around in his ark. And local shit going on, like crazy republicans deciding that incest and date rape aren't rape at all, and trying to outlaw abortions even if they will save a woman's life. I can't listen to this shit anymore. Maybe civil, racial and women's rights in the 70s were bad, but things were a lot more tolerant than they are these days. What's happened? And why are we standing for it as a nation? Can you imagine shows like "All in the Family" on tv today? Or "Maude"? Or "The Jeffersons"? They wouldn't even past development. "Oh god, we'll offend someone!" Well, assholes, you're always going to offend someone. If there are 2 people on the planet, one of them will offend the other and then they'll start throwing punches. Ah, humans.
And why is attacking the president the new favorite pastime? This guy actually cares about Americans which is why i voted for him. Apparently, the previous 8 years with Pres Moron have been forgiven and forgotten. He couldn't give a shit about Americans, he wanted what he wanted and that was that. He plunged this country into sheer chaos, and now it's all Obama's fault? Like he's the Emperor or something? What is wrong with everyone? I thought my memory was shit, but apparently everyone else has been slipped Retcon (a pill that makes you forget everything from a day to several years in the show "Torchwood"). Imagine if the republicans got a hold of that!
Was playing around with more crystals, using borax and pipe cleaners. Was trying to be artsy, all i managed was confusing.
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Seen a lot of buzz about the Church's shows. Denise, i loved your review. All gushy again after all these years! Funny, that's how i met my Church ladies, writing about them here in 2005. Now it's 6 years later and i still haven't met Veleska or Sandy. Sheesh.
I tried to play a few songs for my mom yesterday and played like someone who had never picked up the guitar. I messed everything up so badly i was embarrassed. I guess it was cos she was there. I don't get nervous in front of D cos he's around so much when i play. God, she must think i was really boasting about how much better i've become as a guitar player. I have to practice a lot more before i try that again.
I've see a lot of stuff about how crap the world is. Again. Add Egypt into the mix. Haven't heard of Lebanon lately, that's odd. And mother nature is trying to flood the earth once more. I keep expecting to hear of Noah floating around in his ark. And local shit going on, like crazy republicans deciding that incest and date rape aren't rape at all, and trying to outlaw abortions even if they will save a woman's life. I can't listen to this shit anymore. Maybe civil, racial and women's rights in the 70s were bad, but things were a lot more tolerant than they are these days. What's happened? And why are we standing for it as a nation? Can you imagine shows like "All in the Family" on tv today? Or "Maude"? Or "The Jeffersons"? They wouldn't even past development. "Oh god, we'll offend someone!" Well, assholes, you're always going to offend someone. If there are 2 people on the planet, one of them will offend the other and then they'll start throwing punches. Ah, humans.
And why is attacking the president the new favorite pastime? This guy actually cares about Americans which is why i voted for him. Apparently, the previous 8 years with Pres Moron have been forgiven and forgotten. He couldn't give a shit about Americans, he wanted what he wanted and that was that. He plunged this country into sheer chaos, and now it's all Obama's fault? Like he's the Emperor or something? What is wrong with everyone? I thought my memory was shit, but apparently everyone else has been slipped Retcon (a pill that makes you forget everything from a day to several years in the show "Torchwood"). Imagine if the republicans got a hold of that!
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Instincts rotten, crystal-making improving
We drove the hell out into the mountains on a bumpy dirt road to some old mines to snoop around the dumps (tailings, to you) and couldn't get to them. You need to be an acrobatic 4-wheel drive enthusiast to get to these places. Plus they were fenced off. I found a couple things but am only posting one (the first photo). The rest are from rockhounding trips of old. I tell ya, this is like the 6th time i've tried to find an old mine and couldn't get to it. I'm getting really dejected and feel like throwing in the towel. The last 2 blue ones i made myself. It's a very satisfying hobby.
 Cool black crystals surrounded by other crystals. |  Someone gave me this amethyst cluster from Brazil. |
 Vanadinite? Cinnabar? No idea and it was so long ago i don't remember where i found it. |  Something i collected from the 79 Mine, but not sure what it is. |
 Alum & borax |  Alum & borax with a sprinkling of Epsom salt. |
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Yay!
Yesterday's crystal experiments finally worked... well. Here are some photos. Be sure to click on them to see how beautiful these turned out. The fourth one, a weirdo one, i just threw some things together and created... i dunno what it is: alum, borax, baking soda, salt. It shouldn't have worked, and it shouldn't have turned green. The drier it gets, the more fragile. It now has the consistency of cotton candy and will disintegrate shortly. Should have taken a photo when it came out. The 2 large crystals were made with alum; the third with small crystals had borax added to the alum:
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