Florence + The Machine - Dog Days Are Over. Cheryl's Running Songs

Cheryl gears up for another run.

Warm and sunny..

 I have been making a list of various songs for Cheryl's training runs.  Now that I finally have the tech and the time,  I took a few moments ( About 2 hours!  Which flew by!)  to assemble a few songs that we might enjoy.   The motivation is there for both of us.  For me, I won't have to constantly think of a topic for conversation to help the miles pass by faster.   For her,  She will no longer have to hear my destroy one of her favorite songs as I try to sing it while out of breath.

And no Snow or Ice!

#1 Running song.  

We got the usual ones.   Mostly Rocky songs  and a few other common ones we hear at the races.  I could not get the #1 running song.... Don't Stop Me Now by Queen.   ( An AWESOME SONG!)   But while making the list,   I found this!

Florence and the Machine the Dog Days are Over.   This song has haunted me ever since I first heard it.   I first thought it was a Chrissie Hynde song from the Pretenders.  The voices have a similar ring to them.  But FINALLY I have a name and title and an opportunity to hear it without a noisy bar or Expo to compete with it. So enjoy this song.   It starts slow and picks up...wait for it and enjoy!

More Trenches, Dogs, Utility Disruptions, And Stockings! ....Time for Another Run!

Digging across Don's Yard

Adding new pipes...again!

The city sewer project continues to tear up the environment around us.   The trenches have moved...ever so slightly, over to our neighbors back yard.   The line cut through his small victory garden and into the other neighbors dog pen.

This upsets the dogs...

Unless they get a rawhide treat!

This causes the two Papillion dogs located in the fenced  in area to go crazy!   I'm somewhat of a dog guru here.   Not to pat myself on the back, but I bribe the dogs to keep quiet.   It works most of the time.

More Trenches along the driveway

And more pipes!

I find it interesting that these guys have been digging, burying, and re-digging up the same areas over and over.   Each time they drop in something "new" into the hole and cover it up again.   And,  of course,  they continue to hit the utility lines.   They have hit the water three times now, and finally,  they hit the gas!

The temporary gas line fix.

The guys test the gas line before re-hookup

Luckily,  they knew there were going to cross it and took precautions so they would not blow up our house!    They disconnected our apartment as well as the neighbors before cutting into it.   This caused the gas to leak out into the air and stink up the yard with the fragrance of sulfur.  Similar to the smell  the pig farmers spread when they fertilizer their fields around here.

A small side note on the utilities. Mediacom came today to fix the broken cable from the downed  telephone pole. From   OCTOBER 27!   Talk about prompt service!   I'm not sure what is going on down at that place, but I knew we were VERY  fortunate to have the cable fixed the same day the damage occurred.  I just didn't know HOW fortunate!   Seriously!   Two weeks?  I'm just happy that the city guys were able to flag down a nearby tech to fix it the same day.  I guess he must not have told anyone at the office that he already had the job done.
MediaCom came today, offering to fix the broken cable line... the one that was damaged when the telephone pole was knocked down by the sewer guys!    That was

Cheryl and stockings

Lots of Designs today

And finally,  the stockings are picking up.   It's about time.   We did another 14 today in addition to the 31 from yesterday.   The familiar scene of Cheryl and Ethan dropping off a HUGE satchel of packages at the post office was witnessed again.  The post office actually like us for taking care of all of the orders in advance.  Just like the good old days.

And cool cat names!

All this business around here causes Cheryl to want to run again.  And Lucky for her!   There is a race in Madison Wisconsin this weekend!   Another Half-Marathon in the fall...  What could be better?   We were supposed to drive to IKEA to finish up our redesign of the apartment.

Beer and Brats for Breakfast!

 But with all this stress around here,  we decided we needed another chance to release some steam.  So...Off to Wisconsin..again!   Perhaps we will score some more beer this time.   Different beer, but still from Wisconsin.   Oh,  And some Brats!   How can you go to Wisconsin and  not have beer and  Brats?

One of Ethan and Cheryl's Secrets To a Successful Marriage!

There are actually many things that form a successful bond in the Human realm,  but this is just one of those that Cheryl and I  talk about but I have yet to share.  So...take it for what it is worth...

A few days ago,  both Cheryl and I commented aloud that we "make up for each other's deficiencies."  Instead of complementing each other,   we fill each others gaps in life.   And thus,  we look like a perfect match!   Peanut butter and jelly! Hot fudge and Ice cream,   Wine and Cheese... But that is not really true.

Actually, we are probably more like two flavors that taste AWFUL on their own.   But together..  they seem to take the edge off.   This may sound confusing...so allow me to explain.

Cheryl pointed out that she is kind of cold and stand off-ish.   Whereas, I'm like a big, slobbery dog that jumps onto people with muddy paws and buckets of drool!   To people who are afraid of dogs,  I can be a little scary.   But add in a lovely item,  say: a cute little cat or a bow,  and the scary dog seems more lovable.

On the same level,  Cheryl might seem small, helpless and vulnerable while she runs around the park.  But add in a HUGE SLOBBERY DOG next to her... and any  would-be thugs write her off from being a  potential target. See!  We both benefit in our own way!

Now,  you may be thinking that comparing myself to a dog is not very flattering.   However, I have a great affinity for dogs.   Loyal, faithful, protective, affectionate, and loving are all qualities I think of when a dog comes to mind.  At the same time,  thinking of Cheryl as helpless is not really true either.  Cats are usually quite capable at taking care of themselves.

So what is the point of this?  I guess to put down on the record one of the many ways Cheryl and I fit together.   Not that it makes any sense to anyone who reads this.  ( if anyone ever reads this!)  It's more complex than this, thankfully.  The thought that I could be replaced by a large dog is rather unsettling.   Then again,  dogs are not allowed in this apartment.  Even though they may be cleaner than I am at times.

Origami Papillion, Rose, And ACT Freedom!

We finished the project at ACT yesterday and now have (perhaps) the next month or two off.  This is very exciting.  Because Cheryl has urged me to build an Origami Shop on Etsy.  I'm uncertain as to what I should offer at the moment,  but it seems that people who do one thing and do a lot of it seem to do the best.  That is:  If they ONLY do boxes, Lotuses, or flowers...they do better than the people who fold cool looking but strange stuff...like insects.

  I still might offer some animals and insects just for my own fancy.   As of now, I just need to fold some stuff to put in the shop!  I also have to work on my pictures so they look better than what I usually post on this blog.   I have also determined that the Etsy shops that do not do very well, tend to have poor quality pictures.   I know how difficult taking good pictures of origami is,  they are meant to be seen in the 3-D world, not simply the 2-D.  So one of he first hurdles I will be facing is to take quality pictures.
  Then there is the Origami!  I have to fold something that will urge people to buy it.  I know pictures and staging helps a lot, but you still have too have something that looks cool so people will not be disappointed when they receive it.  Hopefully, the time folding for the ACT crowd will have been good practice for me. 
  And finally,  Cheryl has clearly outlined that she will not be helping me in any way.  ( except perhaps in criticism )  So the posting and writing of the descriptions will all be left to me.   YEAH!   I hope my creative writing style will not drive anyone away.  Most likely,  people will not even read it.  Origami is not rally a huge seller online.  We shall see.
  So to prepare for this epic mission,  I folded a Papillion dog and a couple of Robert Lang's roses so I could take their pictures.  I may have to adjust the background a bit to match the table.   Or create a shadow box of some type.  The dog was inspired by the tenants upstairs who have a Papillion/ Pomeranian  mix .   He is cute!  But he is still a puppy and he whines whenever they leave him alone.  Also,  he is way to friendly for Cheryl's taste.   As for me...I LOVE dogs!   With my new found time, I imagine I will be posting a little more often.  Well,  that is the plan anyway. 

The Great Social Experiment.

Factory Work has been an interesting case study in human interaction. And although the research is still underway and a verdict is pending, let's just say that the entire experience is ...entertaining. At the very least, it allows me to focus on my Origami skills while having an outlet for the finished pieces ( other than the garbage can). I bring them to the break area and they disappear! And, with each new peice that is lost to the void, my fame and notoriety is expanded! This week I was planning on posting several posts on each individual sculpture, but the stars were simply not aligned. However, here are some examples of what I have been working on this last week. A rabbit, a dog and a Dragon! I must say I am quite pleased with the dragon. It was the first time I was able to give it a 3 dimensional look without it crimping up. I also did a penguin and a frog ( different version) But I did not snap any pictures of those. They were simple enough to replicate and I plan on doing a better job on them in the future. My poor lion from last week did not even last till first break. The guy who requested it did not get a chance to see it. I may make another one soon, as well as the rabbit ( another request) but I have so many other ideas in my mind that I have to explore!

New Post! A New Computer, And some new Origami

To all my fans, I'm BACK! It has been a while since my last post and that was not very exciting, But to be honest, our computer was fried during a wonderful electrical storm that messed up the local grid for about a day. Not that anything big was effected, just our computer. Would you not know it that the one plug in the house that did not have a surge protector on it ( it is an old-ish house) was the one I was using at the time. Ah well, It was not like I was blogging a lot or had much to talk about anyway. However, we now have a smaller lighter laptop now and hopefully it will provide us with some enjoyment for a little while. So you may be asking what has happened for the past several weeks? Well, Besides the number of New anime that we have been watching ( reviews to come later) I have been working on some Origami with a new paper. Well, Sort-of paper...It's called Tyvek. And it is a very strong plastic that behaves like paper in certain ways. That is to say that it creases well and can be folded similar to various papers I have tried. The BEST part is that it is very VERY tough! This allows me to manipulate it over and over again into odd shapes without it breaking or tearing! It also has some flaws similar to paper in that it wants to lose its shape over time and it rather thick. To test out the limits, I usually try an animal that requires multiple folds. I tried a scorpion that turned out pretty well given the thickness and multiple layers of paper for each leg. It also requires a lot of glue to keep its shape. A sculpture like this will unfold in a matter of seconds if left alone! So, With a little more creativity, I worked on a basset hound, a lion, and a red eye tree frog. I'm really enjoying working with this material as it opens another dimension to the creatures. I can't wait to post more as I become inspired!

Thrusday carvings, Dog in the store.

I finished carving up three seats tonight. Whew! The sales have become slow and sparse. I feel like I'm crossing the dessert with only one canteen of water. I worked a little on the outdoor carving today, but it got dark before I could take any pictures. And I I worked on was the arm and it ended up looking worse than when I started. ( still in the rough out phase) But a cute little aside. We were having lunch at out favorite Target store when we witnessed a cute little dog wandering around the parking lot. A lady was chasing it and, as many pet owners know, when you chase a dog....it runs away. Well, We guessed that the lady was not the owner, because the dog just kept prancing around the parking lot oblivious to all. But then a funny thing happened. The Dog came inside through the sliding doors! Ran up to the Starbucks lady and started wagging it's tail. Don't worry, The original lady eventually came in and recovered her dog ( it was her's all along) so it was a happy ending after all. But it was fun seeing a small terrier running through the store. Like he was totally at home.