Month: February 2008

Pets, Photography

Groovy Fish

Shelly

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I had to take Harriet’s new fish away from her, at least temporarily. She very deliberately started chewing them his lower fins off. I should try to get a photo of it, because it’s kind of impressive. There’s a straight cut line, as if she’d used scissors.

I think I’m going to have to cut the fins off completely if I want to give the fish back to her. I don’t think she’d actually eat them, but I don’t want to take a chance. For now, Mr. Groovy Fish is sitting on top of one of the bookcases. Harriet is not amused. Every time I go into the living room, she parks herself in front of him and moos, like a lovesick cow.

Crankypantsing

Shhh! It’s a Library!

Shelly

I’ve mentioned how loud the folks in Serials are? Well, they’re LOUD. They’re talking up a storm this morning, too, which is annoying the crap out of me. And at the back of the room the two BFF are whispering furiously to each other, which is also making me want to poke my eardrums out with an ice pick.

I remember, when we were kids, my mom telling us that we were better off talking in a low, normal voice than whispering, because the sound of whispering carries. She always knew we were up to Something when we whispered. She was right, of course. And, aside from it being a really irritating, penetrating sound (I think we’re hardwired to cue in on it), it also signals that you’re talking about things you shouldn’t be talking about.

Uncategorized

55 Days

Shelly

Still no sign of Harry Potter, though on checking my Netflix queue, I see that he’s gone from “very long wait” to just “long wait.” Three discs should be shipping today. One of them will likely be MoolaadĂ© (it’s supposed to be released tomorrow), plus two more discs of Lost.

I’ve also been looking forward to the DVD release of The Red Balloon. It’s been listed as available “Jan 2008” for a few months now. It’s February 4th, and it’s still in the “saved” section, and it still says it will be available “Jan 2008.” M’kaythen!

Crankypantsing, Photography

Faucet

Shelly

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Disgusting, isn’t it? I wish they would put this sink in a trash bag, if they aren’t going to clean the built up grime off it.

And that’s about all I have today. I had a two-hour customer service training workshop this morning, which was just about useless. The cranky it inspired is still bubbling away. An adult beverage might help, and maybe a couple of House re-runs. (Seriously. The woman running the workshop made a big production of going around and shaking hands with everyone. Aaack! I nearly turned around and left, when I saw her barreling over toward me. I don’t touch strangers. Period. And I really don’t appreciate them touching me. The whole thing was kind of ironically funny, in retrospect. That sort of overly aggressive sales job is guaranteed to lose me as a customer for life.)

Anyway, about the only good thing I can say about this day is that it’s nearly over. Oh! And I got some doodling done during the stupid workshop.

Teh Enb.

Art, Paintings

Another Progress Shot

Shelly

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Pears (in progress)
oil on canvas

Please ignore the bad flash. I do have a tripod, but there’s still not enough light inside to get a decent shot. The way things are going, by the time I finish this, the weather will be warm enough to take outdoor shots of it.

These are the two flanking pears. There’s a Bosc pear between them, but that one is only blocked out at this point, so there’s nothing to see. The two red pears are by no means done, but they are progressing, at least.

Hopefully, I’ll remember to shut the studio door, so the cat will not be able to lie against the bottom of the canvas while it’s still wet. The last one I was working on needs some cosmetic surgery, because Pandora smeared the paint around. That’s what I get for leaving a towel on the table in front of it. She thought it was a nice bed, I’m sure.

Pets, Photography

Miss Brown

Shelly

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I forgot to buy cat litter the last time I was at the store, so I stopped to get some on my way home from work today. Boy, was that ever a mistake! Not being any kind of sportsballs fan, I didn’t realize that tomorrow is Superbowl Sunday. Target was packed. I figured that, since I was having to fight my way through the barbarian hordes, I may as well make it worth my while. The pet supply section was relatively quiet, so I hunted around for a new toy for Harriet. I also picked up a new collar for her. It’s purple, though you can’t tell in this photo.

Photography

Tomato

Shelly

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Tomatoes were US$2.49/pound at the grocery store, which is out of control. But, since there were a few that still had green on them, I bought them anyway, so that I could have fried green tomatoes. For breakfast. Mmm. Much better than oatmeal!

This one was almost too ripe to fry, but it turned out fine. I actually like them better when they’ve started to turn a little pinkish red than I do when they’re hard and green. The semi-ripe ones get soft when you fry them, but the flavor is wonderful.

I just slice them, dredge them in a little bit of flour or flour and cornmeal mixture, and fry in olive oil until they’re brown. Then just salt and serve.

Photography

Gesso Brush

Shelly

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I’ve been doing a lot of gessoing lately. The brush I use is an old one that I bought when I was in school. I think I probably paid US$1.99 for it 15 years ago. It’s a horrible brush (and I’ve obviously not treated it nicely!), but the plastic bristles don’t shed, so it’s perfect for gessoing canvases.

I stretched and primed another canvas this morning. The second coat of gesso is almost dry. Tonight, we paint pears!