Origami T-Rex anyone?

  So I received a request from someone on Etsy for a Origami T-Rex.  This is very exciting!   I had not yet folded any of the dinosaur models out of cardstock.   I have several designs of Origami T-Rexes in my library, but I settled on the Jun Maekawa design found in genuine Origami. 

Origami T-Rex VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

  I added a few teeth and sculpted it a little more so it would stand on its own.  I have also been working on the Origami Butterflies from the Lafosse books.   I have to get some different paper to truly show off the special colors.

Origami Swan VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

And lastly,  I purchased the Origami swan design from Hoang Tien Quyet, a Vietnamese origami artist who is also on Etsy!   This design captured me the moment I saw it on Bing!   And now…I have the design!   YEAH!   My first attempt turned out pretty well.  I will have to fold it about 10 more times until it is officially ‘In My Brain”   And then  I will then be able to leave the hard copy and fold it at will.

Hope everyone has a great weekend.   As for us,  we will be watching Another .  An anime that has a spooky horror setting.   I was rather bored through the first episode, but now we are hooked!   It came highly recommended, and I would recommend it as well.   But be prepared for all that “creepy horror stuff”  that kids like to talk about around the campfire.  I actually like the mystery aspect of it….and the mood coloring and music.   The Art and Animation is top notch as well.   Find it on Crunchyroll!

Cold Again, That '70's Feeling, And A Lesson In Origami.

The cold is back!   With wind.   Lovely.    Thankfully Cheryl only ran 2.5 miles today and spared us the sufferfest of dealing with the cold wind.   I should also note that it snowed slightly and coated the sidewalk with a fine powder in places.  This mixed with frozen patches made running very difficult for her, so she figured 2.5 miles was enough.  Besides, we ran 7 miles yesterday, without a break from the long run... it was about time for a lighter training day. 

Sylvia made Cheryl a Matching 1970's sweater vest out of yarn.  Crocheting has never been a hobby I have wanted to pursue.  However, I still find the end results fascinating and wonderful.   I love Crocheted scarves and hats for the winter. And I have fond memories of my aunt  knitting me  a blue vest that I wore for Sunday's back in the '70's.   Sylvia also crocheted the sweater for Hiro, and Cheryl wanted to pose with him in their matching attire.   

Unfortunately,  Hiro is not Leo.   Meaning:  He looked everywhere BUT the camera.  And he is not as thrilled with his sweater as Cheryl is with hers.    Still, after several locations and hundreds of attempts, We finally got  some decent pics.  Sylvia should be proud. 

The Imagined Ideal

And finally, Yesterday proved to be a fun time in Origami.   On Wednesdays, the grade school kids flood the Rec Center (YMCA, Gym, Community Center...) for an "Activities day."  Last week, many of them bothered me to teach them Origami.   I figured it might be a pleasant distraction, so I brought some paper and a few books to the Rec Center for  some possible Origami time with kids.   It sounded fun!   On paper... ( Pun intended....)

The current Origami Table..

I did not want to overwhelm them with complicated Origami, but I also did not want to bore them with Super Simple stuff either.   I had several designs planned out and had folded a couple of them for visual aids for the kids.    With paper, tools, models and instructions ready I figured I was prepared enough for most scenarios. 

The Reality!

What I did not count on...  were the kids being ...well,  Kids!   The ages ranged from 5 to 11.  And the Five year olds were pretty much brain dead.  Now, I know that the kids of that age are not fully developed mentally,  but I figured most of them could at least fold a piece of paper!  You know... In Half?  Equally?   I was mistaken. 

The only kid who could figure things out was a 10 year old named Henry.   He did not even need my help and had folded several models in the time I tried to teach the Origami Crane.   (None of the cranes turned out, by the way...) I'm still amazed that the kids had trouble simply folding a piece of paper in half!  I realized that I had vastly overestimated their abilities. (Except for Henry.... that kid is going places!)

This "Looks" like fun, right?

So now I'm faced with a crossroads.   Do I try to "dumb down" my lessons and expectations?  Or do I abandon the entire affair altogether?  Given that many of the kids were coming and going and did not stay or attempt to finish anything,  you would think that my absence would not even be noticed next time. But maybe if we started with "Basic" folds and that managed to somehow keep them interested, we could use that as a later building block.   We shall see. 

I'm probably between level 3 and 4.

In the mean time,  the lesson learned was actually one the kids taught me.  "Never underestimate  a person's ability to not understand something."   I have labored under the assumption that: "Anyone can do Origami" with a little bit of patience and practice... anyone can do the things I do.  I now realize I was wrong.

It is an odd feeling discovering that you are able to swim in areas where other people sink... and Many more even drown! Origami, Chalk Drawing, And even Carving are all artistic endeavors I believe anyone can do.  It shocks me that there are people who can't do art.  I'm not even very good at it compared to the "Masters".   But I figured most people have at least a flicker of artistic flare.  

Then again... They are just kids.  They have their entire life to figure out how to see the world. And get better!    I just hope they don't wait until they are stuck in a retirement home  before they  discover it.

Pearson Freedom, Bitter Coldness, Origami Pets, and Noodles.

Running in the cold. 

Goodness,  with  my new found freedom, I have forgotten to blog about stuff!   My last day on the project was Monday.   So, I have been job free for three days now.   And what have I done over those three glorious days?

Another Scotty...

Origami for the Mind? 

Well,  not much... Mostly relax and recharge.   The next Pearson Project begins next Monday, so I do not have much of the precious free time to spare.  Best to try to enjoy as much of it as possible.

Origami Dachshun #2

Origami Dachshund#1

Which means...  Origami.   Well,  a little anyway.   I try to do Origami to relax and rest my restless mind.   However, sometimes things do not turn out as planned and that actually upsets me more than not folding.   However,  I will share my recent "successes".   A couple of Origami Dachshunds, and a cat.

Another cat. 

My current project and goal: Sleeping
cat

I have also been working on an Origami Sleeping cat and a Kawasaki Rose.   Two items I have been challenged with for years!  ( Well,  on and off... I attempt.. Get frustrated.. Abandon the design, and come back months later... It is a process I go through.)   I did not take pictures of the moderate successes.  I will see if I can replicate the models tomorrow... maybe.

Cheryl runs in Trueblood. 

Watch out for the Ice on the trail .

In the mean time,  it has been bitterly cold here for the last three days.   We managed to go to Iowa City Tuesday and Today... But yesterday we ran around the neighborhood at home.

Watch out for traffic and dogs. 

Cheryl runs at home! 

All three days it has been in the teens!   ( With a wind chill that drops it further.)   I know that is nothing compared to Minnesota...  But it is pretty bad for Iowa. ( Dubuque even hit a record low a few days ago!)   So much for that Global Warming idea.  Seems nature keeps throwing cold water on it. ( pun intended)

Udon Noodles!

With Mushrooms!

So what better way to spend a cold day than inside eating Udan Noodles!   With Shitake and Maitake Mushrooms!   The Nature Store had a stash of Fresh Maitake Mushrooms and we snapped up two of the three available packages!  Cheryl likes the dehydrated Shitakes for their enhanced flavor.  She rehydrates them before adding them to the mix.  With Soy sauce, hot pepper oil, and Maple Syrup... they are as good as the Noodle Shop's "expensive" noodles.  All that is missing is a few extra veggies and sprouts for garnish.

Robins in the yard...  Despite the cold!

So I imagine the next few days being equally boring and wonderful.   Cheryl does have to go to the Eye doctor tomorrow to renew her contacts.  She has been away for several years now and probably needs new glasses as well.   I'm sure I need to get in there since I apparently can not see anything close anymore.   I don't want Bifocals...  But perhaps a set of reading glasses or something?   Maybe...

Hope everyone is enjoying their week so far.  and if you are in one of those cold zones...  pour yourself some tea, coffee, hot cocoa or maybe even a warm and savory Chicken soup.   That is how I plan on  handling the cold.   Thanks for stopping in.

Day Three Back Pain, Origami Money, And The Cat Tracker.

Maybe..... after I get better.... 

These Things actually WORK!

Thankfully,  it appears that the back pain is only superficial.   How do I know this?   Well,   I did not go to see a Doctor..  Who would have told me to probably do everything I am already doing and then charge me $60!  (Or MORE!)  Nope,  I followed the simple instructions I put up in the blog last posing and they WORKED!   Kind of.   Mostly they stretch out the hurty parts and allow me to function.   All be it on a limited scale.   I am able to walk and bike.... but the pain is still there to remind me that it will take a while to be 100% again.   Then, I may just upgrade to the strength training rather than the simple stretches.   We shall see how things go.   For now,   I'm sticking with the easy stuff.

Cheryl wants to run anyway. 

9 miles instead of the normal 7?

Despite my pain and agony,  Cheryl insists on running and dragging me along.   ( She is such a sadist!)  I did manage to hang with her for the entire 9 miles... ( 9 MILES!   Since when do we randomly add 2 extra miles to our usual routine?)  We have a long run coming up tomorrow...  so I will be trying real  hard to get that muscle stretched out and limber.   Thankfully,   riding a bike is not too strenuous on the back muscles to begin with.  But 15 miles usually effects me in different areas.   Wish me luck!

Origami eases the pain?

Or just keeps mu mind off of it. 

To help ease the pain of sitting,  and to keep my mind off of the pain ....and food....   I have been folding Origami Dollar bills for the Casey's people.   Today,  I delivered perhaps the most difficult model I have ever attempted with a Dollar bill ( Actually,  it takes 2 single dollar bills.)

The Origami Formula One Racer!

Origami Formula One Racer... from 2  single.dollar bills. 

Box pleating.  Easy? 

Assembly and shaping required. 

Simple box pleating...  Simple?  Did I say simple?    Well,  In theory, yes!  In practice... let's just say it took me 3 DAYS to complete it.   Ok,  that is a little over the top exageration.   I worked on the front and back part for about 3 hours each.... ( Or so,  I only know I started at 11:00 and finished around 3-ish.)  spending a day on each section.  Yesterday I finished the assembly and final shaping.   Maybe 2-3 hours total.   So possibly 8-9 hours worth of folding...  But I like it!

Looks pretty close to the pictured model.   Not bad...

Leave it at Casey's

Along with a bunch of other things. 

  I dropped it off today along with several other models.  ( Because,   what the heck am I going to do with it?   Keep it forever?)  Maybe the Casey's crew will grow tired of my expanding zoo and ask me to stop.   Or they could throw them or give them away.   It's just paper after all.

And more animals. 

Cats love Subaru s

And finally I caught the Cat  tracker in action.   Cheryl says we should call him "Badger"...  which sounds better than Oreo.  We shall see which one finally sticks.   He left me a "present" yesterday in the form of a fresh Vole.   I have to say,  I found the gift endearing. I have not received a gift from a cat since Hiro gave me a baby rabbit.  (And Hiro does not go outside anymore....)  I didn't know what to do with it,  since I'm currently trying to watch what I eat after the holidays.   And Hiro does not eat "Wild Food" anymore.

Badger sits.   

Leaving Muddy Paw Prints. 

I'm not sure why he loves the Subie so much,  but Subie has been looking rather dirty with this new slush on the roads.  It doesn't appear to damage him and I will have to give the car a good washing eventually anyway.    The Tracks will vanish then.

More Casey's Origami. 

So that is all.    We visited with a couple of friends  in Iowa City today.   Catching up and talking about work...  mostly enjoying a donut and coffee.   It is always fun and passes the time way too quickly.   We begin work next week,   so we will see each other more frequently then.    In the mean time,  it is always fun to catch up on stuff.

The Origami Camel..  from a dollar bill. 

Hope everyone is having a great week so far.   Looks like we will be doing a long run  trying to beat the snow storm that is predicted for tomorrow.   Hopefully my back,  the weather,  Cheryl's running,  and the rotation of the earth will all hold out until the run is over.   Then... finally...  we should be able to relax.    Thanks for stopping in.