Friday's Bird and an Excuse

 

Sometimes I walk into the studio and look down at the fabrics scattered all over my worktable and the idea for a bird just jumps up at me. So it was with this tiny bird. I don't know anything about this kid. Yet.

You all know I read. I mean, I do a lot of reading. I suck down at least one book a week, if not more. I always have a book with me. 

True story:

Years and years ago (over 20) I was sitting in the company's cafeteria, eating my lunch, while reading a book. It's what I did every day. This was back when eating at your desk was forbidden. At one end of the table was the Mark, the CEO, who read the Wall Street Journal every day. It was normally the quiet table. 

So anyway, I'm reading whatever mystery or detective novel I was into and one of the mechanics sits down and starts eating and chatting. Finally he says, "Hey Lynne, when are you ever going to finish that book?"

I looked up, but before I could even formulate a thought, Mark says, "What are you talking about Norm? That's her third one this week."

My head practically exploded. I didn't know what was more astounding, the fact that the CEO noticed I was reading a different book, or that he had COUNTED them.

I still read a book at lunchtime.

Anyway, occasionally I get so sucked into a book I come home from work, have dinner, and then lie on the couch and read until I finish the book or it's time for me to go to bed.

Such it was the last couple of nights while I read "The Writing Retreat" by Julia Bartz. It was not quite the thing I usually read except I couldn't put it down.

Reading

 

I am reading Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe, about "The Troubles" in Northern Ireland. You can read about it anywhere. I have not got a drop of Irish in me, but I read the review in the New York Times and had to read it.

It is absorbing and terrifying, and agonizing and ultimately sad. I cannot put it down, yet I cannot read more than two or three chapters in a day because... well, it's intense.

I remember the hunger strikes when Bobby Sands died. I remember Bloody Sunday and the Good Friday Agreement. I remember Stephen Rea and The Crying Game. I remember conversations with friends about the IRA and Gerry Sands. It's enlightening. It's sad.

~ ~ ~

So, that and I've been working on the letters tute and OMG, my Beta Posse of Quilters so gung ho and excited! They are WAY ahead of me. I prepared a basic outline that included photos of how I make the letters and then I started explaining how in the first five or six, and already they were working their way right past me. One even STARTED with the Q, which I think is the hardest letter. (Well, actually I have a hard time with the D, but go figure.) They are already giving advice, calling out typos and offering suggestions. So much fun. The thing is already at 69 pages and I have yet to discuss kerning, lining up the letters so they are straight, numbers or lower case letters. So this project is humming right along.

The "Jewelry"

At work, those of us involved with the new conference room have been referring to the new computer devices as the room's "jewelry."  Here are three of our proudest pieces.

 First, this 60" flat screen tv/monitor.

Next, this almost eight foot wide interactive whiteboard. We'll be able to draw on this whiteboard and save our work to a computer.

Last but not least is the ceiling mounted projector (it's the black box in the upper right hand corner) capable of projecting an 10 foot wide image onto the wall opposite. Nobody will ever be able to say they can't read the numbers on a presentation ever again.

I am very proud to be a part of the renovations but I have to tell you it is wearing me out. I got home very late last night, and by the time I had eaten my dinner it was 9 PM.  I've been spending my downtime sacked out on the couch with a few good books, notably the Walt Longmire series by author Craig Johnson. How good are they? I've read three in the last week.

5 Kindle Family

I gave my son a Kindle for Christmas, and my Mom gave my sister one too.  So we're a five Kindle family! Here we are all sitting together on Christmas, reading!