I didn’t do any more…

I didn't do any more writing yesterday -- which was okay, but not ideal. Today, I'd like revise an exam story, and then work on "Swati", for the YA novel dare -- if I don't start it today, and do at least 2000 words, to start catching up with all the days I missed, then I think I'd better bow out of the dare. Slightly embarrassing, but better than feeling guilty and frustrated for the rest of the month.

I plan to work fairly steadily on various stuff today until around 5, and then I'm meeting people for Thai food and a movie. Kevin gets home late tonight, probably after I get back from the movie.

In addition to the writing, I hope to:

  • refinish the tops of my nightstands -- I did them hastily, and they're fine, but they bother me. Streakiness and a bit of trapped dust. There's no good reason not to do them properly -- just laziness.

  • drill holes and hang drapes over the bedroom window (this is the clear plexiglass window above the bedroom door, letting in light from the living room -- it's the only natural light in the bedroom, and it's fine for me, but Kev has trouble sleeping)

  • cut down and hem said drapes, since they're much too long for the window right now. I'd make Karen feel guilty about having my sewing machine, but that would just be mean, since I'm perfectly content just basting these hemmed for now, since they hang way far over anyone's head. :-) It'll take five minutes in front of the tv -- it'd take longer to set the sewing machine up.

  • buy some groceries and fresh flowers

  • work on WisCon stuff; there's still lots to do, even though I've now made a fair bit of art. For example, I'm supposed to decorate a shower curtain, as a backing for my booth. I don't have a spare shower curtain. I wonder if Walgreens carries them. I also need to buy a passel of spices from the Indian grocery store and dry-roast them, but I think that may have to wait until I have a car again, which will be next week. Which makes it next Wednesday's main task, which means I should get as much done as I can before then, which means today and tomorrow, because Friday I go to CT for my sister's graduation party

  • learn how to solder. I have all the equipment -- soldering iron, solder, flux -- what I want to do is join two pieces of glass with solder. That's do-able, yes? Everyone tells me that soldering is easy, but somehow it's making me nervous. In part, because I'm not sure what surface I should be working on -- wood can catch fire, plastic laminate can melt -- I feel like I want a metal table, which I don't have. I'm probably just being paranoid, but I wish I had clearer instructions on this whole process...

5 thoughts on “I didn’t do any more…”

  1. I do not think it is possible to join two pieces of glass with solder. Only two pieces of non-aluminum metal. For glass you need some other technique. Stained Glass artists press copper strips on the edge of the glass and then solder the copper.

  2. Oops, I was unclear. See, what I want to do is make more glass coasters. In my old method, I just used foil tape to seal the two pieces of glass, but a) my new pieces of glass are thicker, so this doesn’t work quite as well, and b) I think solder would give a cool look to the pieces. So yes, I’d be using copper foil tape first, for a temporary seal, and then soldering the foil. Will that work?

  3. Yes, it will. And you can solder the whole thing on a large piece of wood, at least 3/4 inch thick so that it cannot absorb enough heat from the soldering iron to burn. But you do need a heavier soldering iron than the small ones used for electronics and wiring assembly. I helped someone do this once. I do not know how much practice it takes. The person I helped made it look easy…

  4. Mary Anne,

    If you need spices, one great option would be to get to Old Town a bit early tonight. On wells there is this amazing spice store called “The Spice House” they carry a very wide range of incrediable spices, including many indian ones. Well worth a few moments if you have the time this afternoon.

  5. I need cheap, bulk Indian spices, Shannon, so I think Devon’s a better choice for me. Maybe I’ll organize a dinner up there next Wednesday, if people are interested.

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