Writing a book on aesthetics. I’m very sick of it right now and I want it to be finished.
You may wish to go back and re-read your initial post, then read KTK’s post again.
It’s a joke – I say, it’s a joke, son.
You know there are some people who really shouldn’t be goofing off on the internet at work.
Just starting a Car restoration project. Got most of the pieces, unfortunately, some of them are rusty, and have to be restored in-place.
Yep. Agreed.
We’ll get her started in July though…
I am making two Raggedy Ann dolls for my two young cousins. I am almost done with the first one and it’s been a lot of work! I hope I can keep the momentum going to complete the second one.
Longer term: I have thousands of family slides that I must scan and organize.
I also need to go through thousands of family photographs (prints) and organize them into albums.
Also on the agenda: Revamp/redesign/update my personal web site and continue research into my genealogy. I have been working on the genealogy for several years and have thousands of individuals going back to as early as the 1500s, but there are still several main branches that need to be fleshed out.
I want to go to a different school.
This one is okay, but I came here more because they gave me a good scholarship than because I really liked the school. I didn’t even apply to the one I’m looking at now.
It’s a long shot, frankly. It’s expensive and it’s hard to get into. That’s why I didn’t consider it in the first place. It has the program I want, though, and after having several people tell me independently that I should go there and could probably get in, I let myself get my hopes up and now it’s my goal.
I still know it’s a long shot and am trying to keep my actual expectations in check. I don’t want to end up crying for days because I was rejected. But on the other hand, there’s no reason not to try as hard as I can. If I get rejected, I’ve wasted a little time, but the extra effort I’ve put into classes with this goal in mind won’t be wasted.
re-pointing the chimney, shelves for the basement, parting out project car.
Having been through this psychological tug-of-war countless times myself, you should definitely go for it. I have learned that I am piss-poor at evaluating my own qualifications, and it’s best to just do my best and leave the decision in the hands of those who are meant to decide.
I’m doing the same thing. I am really dragging my feet on it because I have been focusing on my sons new house. He closed the same week I moved. We are going to paint his bedroom next.
Being a middle aged law student.
Also, losing my excess weight. 30kgs down and still more to go.
I’m making a couple silver coronets, a man-sized alien with moving tentacles, a ray-gun and some other steampunk stuff.
I’m not going to say which of those words I mis-read, but I will tell you that my mis-reading was strongly influenced by the phrase “man-sized.”
Work We open Così fan tutte on April 15th and run for five performances, then I’m singing in an opera gala in Toronto on April 26th.
Personal This might qualify under ‘work’ as well, but part of the challenge is that the following projects are entirely self-driven and as yet, without any immediate hope of making money…
I have two scripts that I’m writing.
I have an ongoing, long term project to develop contemporary classical music for Baritone and Guitar that is intended to be self-accompanied. So far, I have a total of five songs from two different composers, with another two composers working on songs, and another four composers interested but not yet committed.
Longer term, this will involve doing ‘recitals’ that include voice and guitar music from different periods, songs for voice and piano arranged for voice and self-accompanied guitar, solo guitar repertoire, solo (a capella) voice repertoire, poetry reading, songs involving my own poetry, songs of my own composition and improvisations. In addition, I want to start recording and doing videos of this material. My submissions for the last issue of ‘Teemings’ (‘Le Secret’ and ‘Wanderers Nachtlied’) were my first attempts along these lines.
The great joy in all this is that it gives me an excuse to read all the poetry I can track down, play through piles of Renaissance, 19th century and 20th century art song for guitar, arrange, and try to force myself to compose. The down side is that it’s all time stolen from other projects which are paying the bills, and that juggle is a big, tough trick.
Work is, for the most part, moving along swimmingly. I am having problems issuing cases and another agency just sitting on them. I referred a case back in January, the hearing is in September. Oy.
I have been working on this for the last few months. It is entirely stitched - no shaded fabric - almost 28,000 teensy weensie x’s. I’m at the point now where I have to go back and fill in a stitch here and a stitch there - very tedious and time consuming. With soooo many stitches it’s difficult to go back and figure out which one I missed. However, I am forcing myself to get it done so I can frame it and give it to a friend who has been having a difficult time.
My yard is a work in progress. When we moved in 7 years ago I pulled out the ugly shrubs out front. Last year I even bought new plants to put in, but didn’t get to it as I need to dig out a buttload of rocks. I think this year I’m going to say to hell with it and hire a guy with a backhoe. We did get the yard spring raked, the peonies and lilies-of-the-valley uncovered this weekend, and I bought fertilizer. Now I just need to steal my B-i-L’s spreader to get it put down.
The bathroom is also on my list, but that comes down to finances and my B-i-L. I have the funds put aside for a new stool, sink, and floor tiles. However, the floor is going to be a pain - any spill from the tub rains in the basement. I know we’re going to have to go down to the subflooring and start all over again. Right now it’s the subflooring covered by original 1946 tile covered by some kind of board covered by ugly vinyl flooring. All in a 10’ x 5’ room. And it’s the only bathroom. My B-i-L said he would take lead, letting me be the grunt worker, but whenever I say “let’s start!” he finds something else to do. My sister said it would be easier to hire someone, and I agree. My checkbook, OTOH, doesn’t.
Last November I bought a 62 Corvair. I’m pretty ignorant about cars and not particularly mechanicaly inclined, and am enjoying the process of learning about it, and learning what I can do to maintain and improve it. With a 50 year old car, there is always something that needs to or can be done, either mechanically or aesthetically. My son is at college studying aero engineering, and said he wants to help work on it. Says he wants to get his hands dirty after all the theoretical stuff he is studying. So I’m really looking forward to spending some time in the garage and driveway with him over the summer.
And I’m partway through an extremely lengthy, multistage process of applying for a certain job, which may or may not occur at sometime this year, and which may or may not involve relocation. So that’s kinda like a “big project” I’m “working on.”
Finishing a basement, with bathroom/shower and all. Sheetrock is up. Needs the joints done (first coat this week). Also starting to tile the bathroom. Gonna build some built-in bookcases and a desk, too.
Other biggie is putting new graphics and exhaust on my boat.
I tend to keep busy.
An addition to my previous post - pictures! These are the the two that are completely done. I have to get four more completely done before Friday for the Student Art Show.
Currently between projects. Project for this past winter was building a sandblasting cabinet, which I finished last month. Turned out pretty good.
Here it is, next to the tiny old Harbor Freight cabinet I’d been using for the past 5 years. Yes, that’s supposed to be Wolverine maize & blue.
Here’s the cavernous interior. Painted the inside white to make best use of the available lighting (two “300-watt-equivalent” CFL’s), but of course after a few minutes’ use, the nice white surfaces were coated with a heavy layer of dust. No matter, still plenty of light to work with.
Next project, to commence a few months from now: some shelves for the basement to organize our storage.
Nice!