All wired up

Well, a good time was had by the few who dared the raging blizzard that dumped a phenomenal 0.02 inches of warm rain on moist Belmont on Tues, 23 Feb 2010.

[Dangmn, I just typed 2-0-0-backspace-1-0 for the umptieth time - from now on, if I type 2-0-0 I'm just going to plow ahead and type 20010 for the year, and let everyone just figure it out. Otherwise, I'm going to break my backspace key.]

So Ms. Pam had a whole really project all lined up, so there, you people who missed it, so there! Wooden blocks and a dremel to drill a hole in 'em, many gauges and colors of sturdy wire, magic beans, weird wire-handling tools & round cores to make coils around, and pliers with non-scratchy plastic toofs, beads, roach clips, suchlike and other stuff. Wait a minute, I hear you ask, back up to the "magic beans." What's with the magic beans? Well, says I, you weren't at the meeting so you don't get any, so there. Next summer, at the height of the season, I'm gonna have some really, really tall plants in the back yard. That's what you get for not showing up. Neener neener, etc.

The project was to connect block to wire to roach clip (also known as alligator clips - who knew?) to make cute li'l message-holders. It was left to the builder to take the assemblages home and decorate the wooden bases as we saw fit. Well-planned, well-executed, a good time was had by all, and as a bonus, we got to hear a lot about the Belmont school system and why we should be happy we're not dropping kids off and picking 'em up there, by gum!

So the next meeting is on Tuesday, 23 March 20010 at [place TBD], where Ms. Betsey will lead us through the wonders and marvels of Ahtist Trading Cahds, which are 2.5" x 3.5" cards all decorated to show you're an ahtist, and you make 'em and exchange 'em with other ahtists what have made theirs, and once you get 52, you're playing with a full deck. Which is as believeable as my being an ahtist, frankly. But what the hey, I can always hope!

More info as Betsey makes it up,

SANE Meeting Tues 23 Feb

We're set to meet at Pam A's this very Tues, 23 Feb 2010. Our hostess and program coordinator for the meeting filed this report:

I'm all set for hosting on Tuesday. Thought we'd do a wire project. I should have everything but people could bring some needle nose pliers and/or wire cutters. Otherwise, I think we can create from what I toss out there.

She also adds (rather cruelly, I thought, despite the winky face):

I'm sure we'll be more productive than the last meeting - like that's a hard task! ;)

Easy for her to say! I haven't been productive for months, and I'm not sure I can crawl outa this slump!
So tune in on Tuesday to see a) what the wires are for, 2) who brought pliers and cutters, and Z) whether I can be cajoled into producing something. Could be more exciting than Limpic speed mogul cross cat relay.

See youse Tues,

2010 Starts Slowly

All five of us who showed up at the 26 Jan 2010 meeting (including our hostess) had a great time watching one of us (who shall remain faceless) work and snacking on a frankly delightful array of goodies, starring a crockpot of chili/bean/cheese dip and corny chips, but including a tasty array of other stuffs to stuff our faces with. We did a great job watching the artist at work, and I'd recommend a repeat of that for any meeting.

Squeaking of which, we've decided to meet on Tuesday the 23rd from now on - or at least for a couple of months.

On Tuesday 23 Feb 2010, we'll meet (probably at Pam A's?) to do an as-yet-unspeechified project under Pam's watchful guidance. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it's building our own unmanned stealth "surveillance" drones (aka bombers). More info as the time gets closer, but if you see 8-ft wings on special at Michael's, I'd suggest snapping up a pair (don't get two left wings! That would be silly).

After that, we'll meet on Tuesday the 23rd of March, when Betsey (still faceless after all these years) shall walk us through the deep moral quandary that is "Ahtist Trading Cahds" - 2.5" by 3.5" cards of various papers (watercolor, bond, gold leaf, pewter plate, etc.) that are decorated all over and offered up to other like-minded ahtists for trade and/or profit. This is a growing movement, and Ahtist Trading Posts are springing up all along the Post Road, up and down the Missy Mightissippi, and along the north side of route 66. And halfway along the east side of route 33. And every fourth mile along route 16.5. I can't divide beyond a single decimal, and that bit's used up already, so I'm stopping there. More ATC info as it comes to me, or as I make it up.

So, with the announcement of new projects and dates so far in advance, I hope that evabuddy will be mo able to attend and watch somebody work while we eat! I will no doubt be busy with the several hundred jobs I will get as a result of Barrack's new overemployment initiative, and yet I will still be there!

Fwd: Make a business cahd?

Young M*lio van O*rt poses the delicate question:

Are we supposed to be designing cards, or making them, and for whom? Ourselves? SANE?

As always, a great question, M*lio. The answers would be, IMJO (in my jumbled opinion):

Yes, maybe, you or others, maybe, and I don't see why not.

I just thought of making business cards that would inspire some as-yet-unknown Joe (or Joette) to take one look and say, "Dang, I'm going to jes hand that feller a passel of money if'n he kin do that kinda sh*t fer me!" And I didn't really have time to plan much before Tuesday, so was going to spend the time at the meeting, when I wasn't stuffing my face, noodling and doodling, and probably not doing much but prototyping. If anyone has a better plan or is more prepared, I'd gladly gawk appreciatively and applaud noisily (he wrote floraly) whilst I make my middlin' progress.

SANE cards would be fine, too - pick your own title (we need a Princess, Chromosomal Mechanic, Petrochemical Engineer, Etruscan Oenoculturist, Farfergnuger and Oberammerguy, at the very least. There may be other job postings at the SANE HR department that I'm unaware of.