For the past week or so I have been working on a couple new necklaces. It took me a few days to make the cane, which was fashioned in the lovely colors or blue, orange, and brown. I loved how the cane turned out, but creating the beads turned out to be much more of a disaster. I was trying make a paperweight, a huge bead, and multiple rectangular pieces. The latter turned out the best because all I had to do was make slices. But when I tried to wrap slices onto the paperweight and the huge bead, the pattern turned out so warped. Actually the bead was as warped as the paperweight, but it cracked after I tried to make the hole bigger. Just to let you know, I only cure small pieces, and have no need right now to bake a production line of items. I use my Ranger Ink Melting Pot to cure the pieces, instead of a toaster oven. We do have an extra one, but I won’t start using it until I have a need to create multiple items. I am happy right now to only make a few pieces at a time.

Anyways, this piece that I have been working is based on a sketch that I have been working on for a month or so. Of course, the process of implementing the idea into a finished product always ends up being so much difficult then what is envisioned. Which I suppose makes the process much more gratifying. I am truly enjoying the process, no matter how frustrating it can get. I did some wire coiling, which was the most frustrating of all. There was definitely a lot of trial and error with this piece. I completed one piece and still need to do the second piece, which will be going toward my swap in the blue/orange swap-bot. Stuff has to be sent out on July 2 and I still need to pick up a couple more items and finish the piece. I really hope that my swap-bot partner likes what I receive. I am also so nervous and self-conscious of sending out nice stuff and stuff that isn’t crappy. I just hope she doesn’t laugh at my created pieces. LOL! {{Nervous laughter}}

I also need to finish my third donut necklace. I am really happy on how the clay pieces turned out and just need to bead it up. I hope to finish these three pieces in the next couple days. I also bought some FIMO clay for the first time. Both Michaels and Joanns had their clay on sale for 50% off. I started out with PRIMO, but wanted to try out a different brand. I heard that each brand is different from each other. I somehow picked up some soft FIMO and I really don’t like it much. The original is nice and firm and really folds well. I do like the PRIMO thus far as well. It does feel different. I also like that FIMO is grooved into 8 different pieces, rather than the 4 with PRIMO.

So I seriously want to attend this Clay Carnival Las Vegas workshop. It starts on Thursday and runs through Sunday. I really want to start attending some classes and get serious with this medium. Not necessarily to make money from it, but I want to surround myself with other clayers. There is a local group here, but from their Yahoo groups page, it doesn’t look that they are that active. I think I can make this this trip happen. We will see…

Anyways, I need to get back to building an office for a professor in Second Life. Oh, and here I am in all my hotness as Susie Shridde in Second Life. This is actually my original and first rendition of me. I recently got hold of a new set up flexi-hair. I still need to work on my skin and face though. I am looking rather alien like here. I thought it would be nerdy cool of me to see the different stages of growth that my SL avatar goes through.

I am so loving the fact that Brennan had so much fun on his first day of summer school. He just so happy to be there. This class is huge. There are 28 kids, instead of the 15 from his previous class. We had to make the adjustment to a morning 9:00 a.m. class though. I was slightly worried that we wouldn’t be able to get our acts together. I was so used to his 12:00 class. We would usually wake up after 8:00, eat breakfast for 1 and a half hour, and another half hour for me to finish my two cups of coffee, watch a few cartoons, and finally we would get out of the house. Now we only have time to watch one cartoon, eat breakfast really quick, and I have to enjoy my coffee to go.

When we got to school, Brennan introduced himself to his two teachers, and quickly adjusted himself to this new environment. I let Elden play for a bit, and left shortly after to go for a much needed walk on the Strand. It takes about 5 minutes to walk from Brennan’s school to the beach. Yes, it is that close to the beach. Then to the pier, it is about a 10-15 minute walk/jog. I had to put some air in my jogger, so we walked over to the bike shop. I received a message from the school office, saying that someone dropped out of the Tuesday toddler class. It was about 10:00 and the class had started at 9:00. Elden was originally enrolled in a Wednesday class at a different campus, but we were so lucky that this class is on the same campus as Brennan’s, but on the other side of the school, which saves me the pain of having to drive to a different location. After talking to the office, I quickly did more of a run rather than a jog back to the class. This is actually Elden’s first time in school, and he was ready to play.

I am so glad when things fall into place like this.

An article was posted on Library Journal featuring the SLIS Second Life campus. Very exciting stuff, well at least to me.

This is just another necklace that I made. The donut pendant is mixed with orange, turquoise, translucent, and bits of a black & white striped cane surrounded with pink. I wasn’t quite feeling the color combination at first. It is hard to tell from the picture, but the turquoise oval beads surround a matte pink bead. At first I was going to use a round silver bead, then I tried out a clear bead. That didn’t work out either. In the end, I am happy with the pink bead because it brings out the pink more in the donut.

So Wednesdays used to be our normal library day, but it will be changing to Tuesdays for the summer schedule. So on our visit yesterday, we signed up for the “Find the Clues” library club. I need to make sure that I fill out the titles for the books, so that Brennan can be sure to claim all his prizes. The librarian remembered that we signed up during the Winter, but me being the unorganized person that I am, never filled out the list. So this time around, I am definitely going to get my act together.

After the library, Brennan wanted to check out the fountain. On the way over, we saw the new tank and machine gun that the city received from their $350,000 grant. A guy approached me and started explaining to me that the tank can fire with like 10 different types of bullets, all ranging in different sizes. After I asked how much the tank cost, we shake hands and I introduce myself. He then tells me that he is the mayor of our city. So now I am completely embarrassed because I didn’t even realize that he was the mayor. And Dennis, I wasn’t flirting with him. LOL!

For the rest of the week our schedule is pretty much packed with parkdays. Hah! Yep, welcome to my life folks!

I am pretty happy on how my first necklace turned out. I wasn’t originally planning on creating a donut shaped pendant, but I was trying for an oxidized/patina look from Donna Kato’s, “The Art of Polymer Clay” book, but it didn’t quite turn out that way. I ended using copper instead of gold. I was happy how the beads turned out as well. It sort of has a crumbly rustic look to it. I made several more pendants this past weekend, and will hopefully create some more necklaces soon.

Here is my life in somewhat bullet points.

*Brennan ended school last week. We have one week off, then back to summer school we go.
*Elden has summer school as well. It will be a bitch to get them to school by 8:30 a.m. Arr!!!
*We watched Pirates of the Caribbean and Oceans 13. POC was complicated and Oceans was kind of boring.
*I need to stop breastfeeding Elden soon. I love it and I hate it!
*I register for Fall classes tomorrow. I plan to either take:

LIBR 256. Archives and Manuscripts
An introduction to the theory and practice of managing archival documents, such as personal papers, institutional records, photographs, electronic records, and other unpublished material. Topics covered include manuscript and records acquisition and appraisal, arrangement and description, conservation and preservation, reference and access.

or

LIBR 248. Beginning Cataloging and Classification
Theory and practice of bibliographic control including the study of representative cataloging using AACR2, machine-based representation using MARC formats and other standards, subject analysis and classification using LCSH, Dewey and LCC with application to books, non-book materials and serials.

*I started a new part-time job building virtual reality spaces in Second Life as a research assistant.
*I slacked this year on Father’s Day, but Den knows what a wonderful hubby he is.