Friday, June 22, 2012
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Thursday, June 21, 2012
The good life
This week, I went to see the musical 'Wicked' with the in-laws (thanks guys!), and had a short walk on the beach before it started. Of course, I hád to take off my shoes and jump in the water!
The musical was awesome, I loved the story, the songs, decors, costumes and especially the lead actress: Willemijn Verkaik (she played Elpheba, the wicked witch of the west). Here is my favorite song of the muscial (without Willemijn unfortunately, since it is in English):
Apart from enjoying the good life, all I seem to be doing is work, work and work. This week I have two whole days for working on my designs, and next week I'll have an extra day off from my part-time job, so three more days available for my three rings designs. So... if they're still not done by then, I think I'll just quit as a product designer altogether... Just kidding though. I finished the six different versions of ring no.2, which had been lying around for weeks now, and now it's just working on ring no.1 and no.3, so I've made progress. A little sneak peek of ring no.3:
No, I don't have to alter ALL these points manually, just the ones around the edges and corners. Still waaay too much work for comfort though. Luckily, no.1 is much simpler.
I whipped up a little pizza bread for lunch, because working hard should be accompanied by eating well. Just a little homemade pesto (basil leaves, pine nuts, olive oil, garlic, salt, Dutch: basilicum, pijnboompitten, olijfolie, knoflook, zout) with tomato paste, spread on some bread. I mixed a bit of scallion through and sprinkled Gouda on top, in the oven for 5 minutes and you have yourself a fairly decent lunch.
I've also found a new recipe for cookies. After taking a mouthwatering stroll through our local 'organic/healthy stuff' store, I came home with a bag of wholemeal spelt flour. I wanted to try out baking cookies with some more health-friendly ingredients. Well, it worked! They're not overly sweet, but if you enjoy cookies from organic sugar-free brands, you'll definitely enjoy these as well!
Recipe: sugar-free spelt cookies
For about 12 cookies:
100 grams spelt flour
40 grams rice syrup
10 grams honey
50 grams butter
a bit of salt
Extra: a few dates (Dutch: dadels), chopped in small pieces and mixed through, and/or coconut shavings on top.
Mix everything, bake for about 15 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius, let it cool: enjoy!
Apart from enjoying the good life, all I seem to be doing is work, work and work. This week I have two whole days for working on my designs, and next week I'll have an extra day off from my part-time job, so three more days available for my three rings designs. So... if they're still not done by then, I think I'll just quit as a product designer altogether... Just kidding though. I finished the six different versions of ring no.2, which had been lying around for weeks now, and now it's just working on ring no.1 and no.3, so I've made progress. A little sneak peek of ring no.3:
I whipped up a little pizza bread for lunch, because working hard should be accompanied by eating well. Just a little homemade pesto (basil leaves, pine nuts, olive oil, garlic, salt, Dutch: basilicum, pijnboompitten, olijfolie, knoflook, zout) with tomato paste, spread on some bread. I mixed a bit of scallion through and sprinkled Gouda on top, in the oven for 5 minutes and you have yourself a fairly decent lunch.
Recipe: sugar-free spelt cookies
For about 12 cookies:
100 grams spelt flour
40 grams rice syrup
10 grams honey
50 grams butter
a bit of salt
Extra: a few dates (Dutch: dadels), chopped in small pieces and mixed through, and/or coconut shavings on top.
Mix everything, bake for about 15 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius, let it cool: enjoy!
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Language barriers and other nasty yet not completely inovercomable issues
Good thing is, I never expected this to come easy. And that's why I'm going to practice (an alternative would be to watch all Monty Python episodes until they can be dreamt, but let's keep that plan B for now).
A 'little' warning might be useful here: I will no, and absolutely no doubt at times completely hit beside the plank.
...
Yes, that was a Dutch proverb 'de plank misslaan' (mishitting the plank). It means that one is not 'off' as in 'missing the nail with your hammer', but 'off' as in 'missing the whole piece of wood', probably ending with a very sore toe or a rather flinchy audience.
Okay then, let's start with Lesson One: Expressing emotions!
Now then, happiness. I have 'yay', 'yaaaaay' annd 'hurray!', although that last one sounds a bit birthday-themed really. Gotta find some more.
Okay, expressions of frustration. I have 'aaargh' (who wouldn't get that), 'blegh', 'bloody hell', 'that darn/wretched/friggin thing/person/weather' and a lot of words that would no doubt not be suitable to type up here. Check, with additional plans to check out an episode of 'Hell's Kitchen' for extra reference. I'm sure that ought to do it.
Now surprise: 'whow', 'holy moly/cow/something else', 'wowzers' (Inspector Gadget, anyone?), the slightly eyebrow-raising worthy 'holy crap batman' (call me Dutch but I've never laid a connection between a costume-clad guy, manure and divinity) and the more civil, Martha Steward-like 'my gosh'. Covered, I guess.
Moving on to expressions in the 'yeah right' category. I've always been impressed by the comedic potential of well-timed 'my foot'; 'suuure' and 'whatever' work fine, and a less elegant 'pffft' will probably convey the message as well.
Closing off with a more advanced expression: the slightly mocking, not-completely-serious kind of happy. Hmm... For me, it's rather easy in Dutch:
- there is the slightly formal and out-of-fashion-for-at-least-a-century 'hoezee'
- we've got 'joeghei', pronounced 'yoogh-hai' which I doubt has ever been used as a non-mocking expression. A bit like -insert sarcastic, deadpan voice- 'I finished all my boring tasks and was told that, because I did that well I was promoted to doing that the whole day for the next month, yoogh-hai'.
- and of course the all-known 'joepiedepoepie', i.e. 'yoopiedepoopie', translation would be somewhere near 'yoohoo the poohoo'. Ah, Dutch is such a refined language.
After some digging, the words 'golly' and 'whoop-tee-doo' came up, but there must be more. Writing down: homework for next lesson. Check.
Next time, Lesson Two: Use of formal language not even remotely near desired context. We hope to see you again... same channel, same time!
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
A bit of work and a bit of fun
There is not much to tell about the rings I'm working on unfortunately. I'm still busy with manually adapting the details, but can't work on it for prolonged periods of time in order to prevent wrist injury playing up. I really want to escape to other activities, be it personal projects or professional ones (making my own website, etc), but so far I've managed to control those urges. Once three designs are up and ready and sent to the printer, I can devote all my time and energy to those causes (the professional ones, I mean). But until then, it's knuckling down to boring work. I mean, it'll have to be done óne day. No, not before the deadline of last week, no. I know. And my next design is going to be be a whole lot simpler, I'll tell you that.
On the other hand, my perception of time is once again too far ahead. Do you know that feeling, when you feel like you're already halfway through the week, while in fact it's just Monday evening? I often have that when a lot of projects are 'flowing': when things are háppening, impasses are resolved, decisions are made and results become visible; it seems like everything just starts doing that at the same time. It feels great, dynamic and rewarding, but it also means having to watch out not to overdo things and overwork myself, a threat always lurking around the corner. Darn you, necessary balance!
I did manage to squeeze in a few creative and fun activities though:
A new little drawing:
Random inanimate object photography:
Plans for a new website for our Tuna (music group, not fish), together with C.; I really want to start with that, finally a stress free (i.e. no paying client) web design project again!
And: my camera basket is done! Yes, the one that was supposed to be made once I had shortened my sewing to do list... I needed to lubricate my sewing machine and after that, I had to take a little test run. I didn't want to use one of my more 'serious' projects for that, so the basket was perfect practise material, easy to make and no need to be precise (I can feel you thinking: haha, good excuse ;) ). Now it stands on my desk to contain my camera and accessories, I like how it turned out!
A small tutorial will follow later, I always wanted to make tutorials but since I mostly sew in the evenings, pictures tend to turn out rather bad and that held me back. That, and most of the time trying out things for the first time (i.e. messing up time after time) and not wanting to make a second version for the tutorial. But then I thought about the book of Mme Zsazsa who often explains things with simple but clear and attractive drawings, and I figured I should give that a try. So... give me some time and the tutorial will follow.
Okay, now back to the sewing waiting list. There are some long overdue birthday gifts that really need to be made... In order to keep myself going I already cut out the parts for some projects and assembled some halfway done pieces. I also need to make the curtains for our living room closet since I finally found a somewhat decent fabric, you can see it in the background of most pictures. However, since the fabric is a bit too bright white, I'll have to figure out how to get a pattern or something on it, to make it less intrusive. Anyone any ideas?
On the other hand, my perception of time is once again too far ahead. Do you know that feeling, when you feel like you're already halfway through the week, while in fact it's just Monday evening? I often have that when a lot of projects are 'flowing': when things are háppening, impasses are resolved, decisions are made and results become visible; it seems like everything just starts doing that at the same time. It feels great, dynamic and rewarding, but it also means having to watch out not to overdo things and overwork myself, a threat always lurking around the corner. Darn you, necessary balance!
I did manage to squeeze in a few creative and fun activities though:
A new little drawing:
Random inanimate object photography:
And: my camera basket is done! Yes, the one that was supposed to be made once I had shortened my sewing to do list... I needed to lubricate my sewing machine and after that, I had to take a little test run. I didn't want to use one of my more 'serious' projects for that, so the basket was perfect practise material, easy to make and no need to be precise (I can feel you thinking: haha, good excuse ;) ). Now it stands on my desk to contain my camera and accessories, I like how it turned out!
Okay, now back to the sewing waiting list. There are some long overdue birthday gifts that really need to be made... In order to keep myself going I already cut out the parts for some projects and assembled some halfway done pieces. I also need to make the curtains for our living room closet since I finally found a somewhat decent fabric, you can see it in the background of most pictures. However, since the fabric is a bit too bright white, I'll have to figure out how to get a pattern or something on it, to make it less intrusive. Anyone any ideas?
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Keeping yourself busy
Boredom? What's that? Just pick up a few pencils for a quick coloured sketch:
Or grab some lino cutters and an eraser for some custom stamps:
Or browse a fun book try to decide what to make first (after the sewing waiting list has been shortened, yes, I know...):
And not to forget, grab a camera and try to make pretty pictures. Or just try to remember the controls, perhaps that's enough of a challenge already.
Or, when reeeeeally bored, just pick up some design work with 3D software. No, not the 'design' part, that is the fun part and usually done before you know it. No, I meant the 'work' part, as in manually rearranging thousands of digital points to avoid getting gritty edges on you product when printed. Yes, thousands of them. One. By. One.
Nooooooooooo... On the plus side, the webdesign job is finally 'sorta' finished, with honours from the client. Yeah, more time for 3D modelling! ... Wait a minute...
Or browse a fun book try to decide what to make first (after the sewing waiting list has been shortened, yes, I know...):
Or, when reeeeeally bored, just pick up some design work with 3D software. No, not the 'design' part, that is the fun part and usually done before you know it. No, I meant the 'work' part, as in manually rearranging thousands of digital points to avoid getting gritty edges on you product when printed. Yes, thousands of them. One. By. One.
Nooooooooooo... On the plus side, the webdesign job is finally 'sorta' finished, with honours from the client. Yeah, more time for 3D modelling! ... Wait a minute...
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Rain and clouds
Well well well... Turns out I had forgotten even more than I thought about my camera. I had problems getting my images lighter (they kept turning out rather dark), even when adapting the diaphragm and shutter time over and over again. That was, until J. ('zee boyfriend') figured out I hadn't been adapting the shutter time but the light balance instead, which doesn't do anything when zooming manually. Oh.
You'd thínk that realisation would leave one with lots of motivation and inspiration to take lots of pictures, but unfortunately the weather forecast for this and next week has basically been rain and clouds, accompanied by a rather grey and dark sky and thus bad lighting. Maybe I should take the opportunity to practise working with a light box and maybe even separate flashes, but, well, yeah... I'm dreading that. Time will tell if I'll ever have the courage to start with it.
But fear not, I've gotten several fantastic crafting tools as birthday gifts, so I guess I'll be able to keep myself busy for the time being *grins*. Among these, pictures will follow later:
...lino cutting tools (Dutch: linoleumgutsen) for making custom stamps, I've already made a few
...thick high-quality colouring pencils (my fingers get cramped when I use regular ones, so I'm really happy with these)
...a wood-cutting knife
...an ironing board (already had a small tabletop one, but using that was annoying the living daylight out of me), great for my sewing projects
...and THE most awesome sewing book ever, "Allemaal rokjes" (all kinds of skirts, only available in Dutch yet) from Mme Zsazsa, and everyone who knows me in real life knows I never even wear skirts but I really wanted the book anyway. Because it's so awesome. And because I do want to make skirts, even though I might not wear them that often, as they are much easier to make than pants or shirts.
And I've found another song I really like for practise, but I'm still pondering which one I like better, the original or Joe Cocker's version:
You'd thínk that realisation would leave one with lots of motivation and inspiration to take lots of pictures, but unfortunately the weather forecast for this and next week has basically been rain and clouds, accompanied by a rather grey and dark sky and thus bad lighting. Maybe I should take the opportunity to practise working with a light box and maybe even separate flashes, but, well, yeah... I'm dreading that. Time will tell if I'll ever have the courage to start with it.
But fear not, I've gotten several fantastic crafting tools as birthday gifts, so I guess I'll be able to keep myself busy for the time being *grins*. Among these, pictures will follow later:
...lino cutting tools (Dutch: linoleumgutsen) for making custom stamps, I've already made a few
...thick high-quality colouring pencils (my fingers get cramped when I use regular ones, so I'm really happy with these)
...a wood-cutting knife
...an ironing board (already had a small tabletop one, but using that was annoying the living daylight out of me), great for my sewing projects
...and THE most awesome sewing book ever, "Allemaal rokjes" (all kinds of skirts, only available in Dutch yet) from Mme Zsazsa, and everyone who knows me in real life knows I never even wear skirts but I really wanted the book anyway. Because it's so awesome. And because I do want to make skirts, even though I might not wear them that often, as they are much easier to make than pants or shirts.
And I've found another song I really like for practise, but I'm still pondering which one I like better, the original or Joe Cocker's version:
Oh so unfitting with the current weather here, but hey, hopeful thinking never hurts.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Busy busy busy
What a week... I can feel the fatigue in my head and my joints, but I've worked hard, had much fun and learned a lot. Nevertheless, I'm happy that next week will be less eventful: finally time to work on my designs!
I worked on the webdesign job, I worked in the shop, I went to rehearsal, I went to the gym, I practised bandurria until I got blisters on my fingers, I practised singing until my voice went soar, I performed with the group (in the sun, with ice-cream afterwards), I dusted my camera off and made some pictures, I stalked a bird (more about that later), I fixed my bicycle tire, I worked out at home so fanatically (apparently) that I walked funny the next days, and I even went to the Open day at Shapeways (the 3D printing company) which was by far the most awesome event this week.
We got a tour through their Eindhoven office (the company started in Eindhoven, the Netherlands but now has its headquarters in New York), got to see the offices and the people working there, the 3D printing machines, cleaning facilities and everything else. The machines were impressive to see in action even though I already had seen similar ones before. It was really interesting to hear about everything they do and be able to ask lots of questions, and right now I'm just brimming with enthusiasm and inspiration for new designs.
I also got this little 3D printed intertwined cube thingy to take home with me (oh, the awesomeness of printed products!), and I just keep feeling and tossing and poking it. It's made in the material they call Alumide, and even though I wasn't impressed when I saw it online, I quite like it seeing it for real.
The fabric in the background is from Ikea, I'm planning to turn it into a desk basket for my camera + camera-stuff as soon as I've made a dent in my sewing projects waiting list. Or earlier in case of little self-control (which is the usual).
And guess what this is? (Yes, except for a display of attempted organisation):
I made it! All parts of the patchwork piece are cut, I even had some tiny scraps left. Now I just have to decide whether I follow my original design and make big triangles out of two small triangles from the same fabric, or whether I mix up all the small triangles. Hmm...
About the bird: this week, when going home, I closely passed a western Jackdaw (a sort of small crow, in Dutch: kauw) that was just standing on the ground, looking a bit phased. Feathers ruffled and messy, looking like it didn't really know what to do.
I looked at it, it looked back with a look of "well, I'm not happy with this situation either, you know". I kept watching it, and it turned around and walked away from me. It spread its wings a bit and attempted to jump but nothing happened, so it just kept on walking. A bit worried, I parked my bike at home and walked back to the bird. Still strolling around with the same "what to do"-look, it was clear that the poor thing wasn't able, or didn't know how to fly.
So I called the animal protection service to ask what to do, and they told me that around this time, young Jackdaws are flying out and often need to learn how to fly. Their parents are still guarding and feeding them, and it is normal to find them walking on the ground, so it is best to let nature run its course and not interfere. I had no idea! Also, the reason why it was looking that phased might be that it had just fallen out of its nest. Ouch... Apparently all normal, but I'm just glad I'm not a bird.
Also, I've found a nice song for singing practise (let's train those vocal cords!), still need to find more. I hope that, once I've improved my singing technique a bit, I'll be able to play some chords on the ukulele at the same time.
I worked on the webdesign job, I worked in the shop, I went to rehearsal, I went to the gym, I practised bandurria until I got blisters on my fingers, I practised singing until my voice went soar, I performed with the group (in the sun, with ice-cream afterwards), I dusted my camera off and made some pictures, I stalked a bird (more about that later), I fixed my bicycle tire, I worked out at home so fanatically (apparently) that I walked funny the next days, and I even went to the Open day at Shapeways (the 3D printing company) which was by far the most awesome event this week.
We got a tour through their Eindhoven office (the company started in Eindhoven, the Netherlands but now has its headquarters in New York), got to see the offices and the people working there, the 3D printing machines, cleaning facilities and everything else. The machines were impressive to see in action even though I already had seen similar ones before. It was really interesting to hear about everything they do and be able to ask lots of questions, and right now I'm just brimming with enthusiasm and inspiration for new designs.
I also got this little 3D printed intertwined cube thingy to take home with me (oh, the awesomeness of printed products!), and I just keep feeling and tossing and poking it. It's made in the material they call Alumide, and even though I wasn't impressed when I saw it online, I quite like it seeing it for real.
And guess what this is? (Yes, except for a display of attempted organisation):
About the bird: this week, when going home, I closely passed a western Jackdaw (a sort of small crow, in Dutch: kauw) that was just standing on the ground, looking a bit phased. Feathers ruffled and messy, looking like it didn't really know what to do.
I looked at it, it looked back with a look of "well, I'm not happy with this situation either, you know". I kept watching it, and it turned around and walked away from me. It spread its wings a bit and attempted to jump but nothing happened, so it just kept on walking. A bit worried, I parked my bike at home and walked back to the bird. Still strolling around with the same "what to do"-look, it was clear that the poor thing wasn't able, or didn't know how to fly.
So I called the animal protection service to ask what to do, and they told me that around this time, young Jackdaws are flying out and often need to learn how to fly. Their parents are still guarding and feeding them, and it is normal to find them walking on the ground, so it is best to let nature run its course and not interfere. I had no idea! Also, the reason why it was looking that phased might be that it had just fallen out of its nest. Ouch... Apparently all normal, but I'm just glad I'm not a bird.
Also, I've found a nice song for singing practise (let's train those vocal cords!), still need to find more. I hope that, once I've improved my singing technique a bit, I'll be able to play some chords on the ukulele at the same time.
P.S.: as I was getting more and more annoying by the ugliness of the blog theme, I really want to design my own. But I need to hold myself back because there are more important things to do right now and in the next weeks. Awww... (As a compromise, I've allowed myself to search for a decent template and try out some things for the time being, so don't be surprised if the blogs looks differently over time).
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