Thursday, October 29, 2015

Raspberry patch


A fairly mundane project. 

I like to listen to podcasts on how people "do" things. What are their systems, their tools, their inspirations for success? I enjoy others telling their stories. I have always been entertained by this. In third grade, my classroom had an astonishing collection of biographies. I went through them all. And as I recall, I didn't have to fight any other kids to secure any of the books. They were busy socializing - a developmental step I might have sat out. Really, what kind of third grade classroom has shelf upon shelf of biographies, all readable by elementary school students? I can tell you Waldo Rohnert Elementary did. My third grade teacher, for some reason, also decided that she was going to learn how to play a Hammond organ every day for an hour or so, and we had to watch and listen. In retrospect, it was a feral learning environment.

I have been developing my own way of doing things. Future biographers, please take note. The raspberry infrastructure pictured above is a good example.

I got off work last week, after a busy night. After I biked home, I sketched out the design of the trellis/fence/fort. I then drove to the hardware store and started doing the math. It would cost me $200 to build this raspberry defense system. In my haze, I wandered around Home Depot, doing math and staring slack jawed at Roundup. I made some hasty economical substitutions,  then strapped cedar to the roof of my car. Contrary to my expectations, I didn't jettison any of it.

The wood sat on the picnic table until I was tired enough to build. Again, this opportunity arrived after I was sleepless from the night before. I left the crumpled plans in the house and started cutting up wood and screwing it together. Sometimes, I would find myself holding up two pieces of wood and not knowing where they went or whether it mattered. This lattice work looks nothing like what I had sketched. It's close to the same size as I had envisioned, but is a little more detailed.

I like how it turned out.

I realize that this is a pattern of how I do home improvement, writing, painting and other creative pursuits. Doing things when you are really tired makes the task more fun and the results more interesting. You just have to ride the wave of fatigue into the port of giddy acceptance. And exercise a little more vigilance with power tools.

Sunday, October 25, 2015

Thankful for stoplights

Right after dawn, on my ride home, I hit every red light.

Downtown Spokane, early Sunday morning after a busy Saturday night, is always a treat. No cars, street peeps asleep, quiet. This morning, the sky was the busiest part of town.

I could've ran every light home safely. Good citizenship, today, brought bigger rewards.

 

Sunday, October 18, 2015

Chinese Lantern Festival 3D pictures! Explore the ViewMaster of your mind.

You know the drill. Click the picture. Make it big. Cross your eyes until a third picture is formed in the middle. Stare at it. It's 3D!

Really enjoyed this down at Riverfront Park. It was packed last night. More information here. 


















Thursday, October 15, 2015

Transcend the, well, never mind....

Hey look at the cool cup I bought at one of my favorite stores:

 

It's supposedly dishwasher safe, so I washed it. This is what happened:


So I brought it back to the store where they said they have never seen this happen before, and cheerfully gave me a new one. And then the same exact thing happened. The way it flakes off, I think it's just a decal. I am not going to return the new one because I finally get it. I am going to transcend the bullshit. Happy to be a part of this performance piece! YOU GOT ME!

Almost done with my three weeks of hazmat schoolin'. Bittersweet.




Sunday, October 04, 2015

Boffo roundup of autumnal doings.

It really has been a great autumn so far. Can you believe the color of these roses?




I have a sore back today, so "lum'bear'" with me, while I do a little recap of the last week or so. It's the meds...

Last week, Sarah and I went to Oktoberfest at the convention center. We had a good time. Look at how tall Manuela Horn is! Ach du lieber!





Here she is with Mayor Condon.


He and Stacy Cowles, the publisher of the Spokesman-Review, tapped the firkin. Like I reported in Facebook, it seemed like a good setup for the beginning of a cheesy horror movie. But no Nazi zombies sprung from kegs, nor did any lederhosen-clad yodeling vampires. It wasn’t exactly packed on the day we were there, Friday, but it was fun. I hope there was a good enough turnout for it to become an annual event. Sarah did well in a feat of strength - hoisting and holding out a liter of water!



Then there was the moon:


Ever wonder why that basket of flowers between Bennidito’s and Rosauer’s isn’t thriving like all the rest? Well, the drip/spray watering system is a little off target. It is a refreshing spot for an early morning shower.



I had to cancel the planned October 17th BrewRunRun. I am still working on the website.


As usual, you can check in here for all the Spokanarama links.

One of the reasons I cancelled the October 17th BrewRunRun is because I have been and will remain busy in Hazmat school for a while. When I was a little kid, the only thing I wanted to be, that I’m comfortable with disclosing in this forum, was an astronaut. Time is running out on that dream, so getting into the hazmat suit and stumbling around like a befuddled and blinded Neil Armstrong is probably going to have to suffice.


Speaking of hazardous materials,  if you want to know how to make a device to cook two pizzas at once on your BBQ, let me know.  The materials are all around you!




Haiku Friday continues! I hope you have been able to tune in on Periscope. The YouTube channel is here. And here is last week's:





Probably will be a first ever this week - Haiku Friday in the evening! That’s how crazy busy stuff has been. Perhaps, a cocktail hour version.



I have not heard anything from anyone after I submitted my online Spokane Poet Laureate application. So, it’s not looking good. You would think they would give a poet a courtesy reply. One thing I will do, if selected, is bring civility back to the Spokane poetry scene. As a confession, I did crash the poetry reading at Aunties on Friday, while they were shutting down the stage. If I was not discourteous, I was a little indecorous. The audience seemed to like my poem - Starkisser.

Next posting, I should share my application packet for the poet laureate position with you. Keep your fingers crossed!