What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

Phew! I didn't have enough songs for the next episode of my podcast, but yesterday, one of the musicians who I've played many times on the show put out a Christmas album. I found a song that worked with the show I've been putting together and sent him a message. I also took a song that doesn't require permission and another that I got permission for last year and added them to the two songs I had permission for. Today, I wrote up the script (faster than usual). Hopefully, I'll manage to record it tomorrow.

I also finished carving the top of a little wooden container that I've been carving for a friend of mine. One trick is to wear gardening gloves, so that you don't have to stop working on it because you are getting blood all over everything. It is _very_ rough looking, but I'm hoping that some sanding tomorrow will make it a bit better. Also, I just don't imagine that I'm going to get all that much better with it, so this is what we've got.

I made a bit of progress on some projects today, but not a lot. However, I did do some work on ordering the yarn for a Christmas present for my niece. I'm sure that even if I'm super organized and get to work crocheting as soon as I receive the yarn, it probably won't arrive until after Christmas. However, living overseas makes a good excuse for my chronic lateness with presents (except for that one that I took 24 years to get to my sister). Since I really would like a hat and since it is chilly enough here for fingerless gloves (which were pointless in Russia, as it was quite warm inside and so cold outside that I wore gloves with mittens over them), I picked up patterns and yarn for those too. The yarn for me is kind of teal, magenta, and gold. I'm really excited about it. (Amusingly, Joel pointed out that I am currently wearing those colors.) Hopefully, it will look fun and not terribly frumpy. I mean, I generally look terribly frumpy, but I'd rather a bit more style than that. If nothing else, I should be warmer when outside, and that is definitely one thing I'm going for.

Well, I made a lot of progress on the wooden box, but I also managed to cut through the side, so I'm going to have to repair that. However, I've definitely learned a lot about how the tools work. Once I get this done, Joel is interested in me making one for him, which would be fun. We've got a ton of wood in the yard.

Done!!!! I survived the dentist!!! And my tongue is no longer being sliced up by the spacer. Yay!!! I also finished the embroidery for my Mass Effect shirt (the paint came off of the letters, so I went over it in white thread). I think I'm going to throw some easy embroidery into my bag, just to get it done. I've got other stuff that I really need to do, but it will probably be easier to just go with something I have ready for now. I think I'm going to redo my idea for the cosmic background radiation bracelet, as I think the french knots aren't working well. I should do it on cross stitch cloth.

In other news, I tried (with Claude's help) to register on the immigration website, but I can't get it to work. I'll try with Joel's data, but I don't think it will work either. We'll see.

So, I've had a piece of cardboard over the top of the Ikea table that is my desk (a nice wood table, not particleboard) since we got it three years ago. It is not exactly filthy, but there is spilled candle wax, paint, water, grease from my arms, etc. Joel hates it. I totally don't care. However, today, as I was organizing my sewing bag (as opposed to the 7 or 8 boxes of sewing supplies) so that I could get started on my satchel, I came upon the material that I have been planning on using for the tablecloths for my desk. I don't dust, so the plan was that I would just change the tablecloth weekly and be done with it. A bit of quick measuring showed that I just needed to cut the material in half and hem it to make the tablecloths. So, instead of cutting out the bag, I did that. Then, with Joel's help, I removed the cardboard and put a tablecloth on. Yay! I'll have to eat and paint with a placemat (the tablecloths are off-white (because that was the cheap fabric that was at the store) and the lentils I eat have a lot of turmeric, which would absolutely stain), but that's fine. I'm super happy to have that done. I also organized the fabric and found the pattern for the satchel, so I'll be ready for cutting it out, maybe on Thursday.

Oh, and in other news, the AI and I have come up with a pattern for weaving baskets for the ledge just under the ceiling in the kitchen (which is like 6ft high at most). The ivy and pink jasmine are totally out of control in the yard, so I desperately need to get rid of them, but I don't want to just throw them away, since they are a good crafting material. I might work on the weaving on Wednesdays, since I'm less useful for thinking after neurofeedback. I might start tomorrow with trying to make a tiny basket-vase to hold a pretty grass head (seed head?) that Joel gave me. Oh, and I may also weave a coaster for a candle that is just sitting on my desk (and that I would like to not be directly on my desk). And a few other things!
* woven ball
* coaster
* small basket

I have three paintings that I'd like to get done by Friday, and I think it might actually work out. I'm kind of falling behind with everything, so I _hope_ it will work out. I also need to get a second coat of paint on the wall where the shelving will go, as Joel has nearly finished making the shelving, and I would _really_ like to get all the boxes that are piled in our only open floor space upstairs put away, so that we will once again have open floor space. Once I get all this painting done, I need to do the budget and put out a podcast. I don't have all the songs for the next episode, although I think I can come up with the two or three more that I need from some of my sources with blanket permission, but I will still need to download all the songs, listen to them, and choose. I might also go through the songs that came from my regular song listening and sorting, which require that I send emails for permission, since I will have already vetted those. Not bad either way, of course. Just more to do.

I've also _finally_ gotten the plotlines for the space serial to overlap. It will be a much more fast-paced story than I originally expected, I think. Tomorrow, I'll work on cleaning up the plans and then can get back to writing. I'm running a Secret Santa for writing prompts for the local writing group, and the prompt I received was about an unpleasant relative (aunt or uncle) coming to Christmas, and her/his actions either being awful or great. I, of course, immediately fixated on the "aunt or uncle" part and wanted to do "aunt/uncle", so I decided that I will be writing a 4th grade style "My Trip To Earth For Christmas" in which the aunt/uncle does something bizarre but which the family decides is just fine in the "spirit of Christmas", and then they go on to wreak havoc in a way which can kind of be seen as sharing or gift giving. I've got more than a month to do it, and it has to be really short, so I'm sure the AI and I can think up something that isn't too cliche for me to write.

I'm less of a total wreck today. We're getting the remnants of a hurricane here, so very windy and wet. I bring in all the oranges that fall from our tree.

Not much else. I'm going pretty slowly, have little things to do, plus the beginnings of another zentangle for my sister. I also need to prepare for tomorrow, as I have a doctor's appointment in the city. I'm hoping that I can get to some of my other projects, like fixing the upstairs wall, next week. Since I'm going to be busy going back and forth to town this week, I won't have time or functionality. I'm thinking of gathering my embroidery supplies for one of my projects (an embroidered cloth bracelet of this image (https://images.app.goo.gl/BjBfoR2RPjm8wJ3g7) of the cosmic microwave background), so that I can just carry it around with me and work on it when I have time. I used Stitch Fiddle the first time, which seems to be pretty good, but then I tried Floss Cross, and I think the colors are better.

I got some work done on the painting and the podcast. I also started thinking about how I want to try and organize all these hobbies. At the moment, it is time to get out there on my walk. Also, in good news, Joel is home!!

I'm reading The Hating Game, an enemies to lovers romance. It is excellent so far. I also just started listening to a Patrick O'Brian book, which is excellent, and am beta-reading a friend's short book. So far, my September reading is going really well.

Painting is still going slowly, although I'm definitely working my way toward some of the more central parts of the painting. Unfortunately, I'm going to definitely be late on the other painting (a landscape), which I'm disappointed about.

Joel got his electric bike back! Yay!!! He is off getting groceries now, but I look forward to hearing his report. Not much else going on. I'm painting a picture of some succulents. It is fun, but will take forever. I think I'm going to try premixing the colors and adding some retarder, so that they don't dry immediately. _Maybe_ that will speed up the process. Otherwise, I fiddle with the colors for each leaf, which draws the process out. I've seen other places where people suggest this slightly more "paint by number" approach. We'll see if it helps.