12.28.2016

Tweet summary on 12-28-2016 for the past 3 days


Monday, December 26, 2016


Sunday, December 25, 2016

12.24.2016

Tweet summary on 12-24-2016 for the past 3 days


Thursday, December 22, 2016


Wednesday, December 21, 2016

12.20.2016

Tweet summary on 12-20-2016 for the past 3 days


Sunday, December 18, 2016


Saturday, December 17, 2016

12.19.2016

Weekend update

Friday:

Picked up wrapping paper
Drove to a screw supply house to find screws for my CT50-FFS knife  - no luck
Lunch at Champ's Burgers
Drove to TX/RX Labs to pick up last week's class project
Mixed up Russian Teacake cookie dough

Saturday:

Worked on the TX/RX project
Worked on chainmaille earrings
Baked Russian Teacakes
Nap
Went over to mom's to try to remove bandage from Boots
Went to the Animal Emergency clinic to get the bandage removed
Dinner with K at El Centinela
Mixed up a batch of Sugar Cookies

Sunday:

Chainmaille earring work
Football
Took my computer to the Apple Store to see if they could fix it - no luck
Christmas shopping
Worked on the TX/RX project
Football

12.16.2016

Tweet summary on 12-16-2016 for the past 3 days


Wednesday, December 14, 2016


Tuesday, December 13, 2016

12.14.2016

Volleyball, 1-2

Opponent : Bumpin' Uglies

Lost the first game 10-21

Won the second game 21-17

Lost the third 12-15

Overall, not bad.  Took us a while to warm up.  I got some good serves in the second game, but I'm disappointed in my play overall.

12.12.2016

Weekend update

Friday:

Grilled cheese for lunch at home with K.
In the shop turning one final pen
Assemble about 25 pens
City Christmas party

Saturday:

Assembled the rest of the pens
Nap
Finished a couple of chainmaille necklaces - still need to deal with clasps
City Christmas Parade at the library
Dinner with library personnel at La Casita

Sunday:

Tried to get my camera desktop to boot with no luck
Football
Project class at TX/RX Labs
Football

Tweet summary on 12-12-2016 for the past 3 days


Saturday, December 10, 2016


Friday, December 09, 2016

12.09.2016

Aikido Thursday Night - 12/8/16 - Wasabi Dojo

Aikido players:

 John, Adam, Bao, Don, Cheryl

Ukemi:

Just some stretches.

The Walk:

Not tonightt

Releases:

Not tonight

Techniques:

Adam and I worked defensive Bokken work in both uke and tori roles.

Commentary:

None of note.

Volleyball, 0-3

Opponent: Block Party

Another disappointing match.  We got into a couple of rotation where we were just worthless.  I did win us about 7 points in a row on my serve, but they did far better on a couple of their serves.

12.08.2016

Tweet summary on 12-08-2016 for the past 3 days


Tuesday, December 06, 2016


Monday, December 05, 2016

12.05.2016

Weekend update

Friday:

Brats for lunch at home with K.
Nap after a long week
In the shop working on pens


Saturday:

Picked up supplies at Woodcraft
Picked up a Fletcher circle mat cutter from a storage unit buyer
Made annual donation to Bay Area Pet Adoptions and saw two puppers being adopted

Turning in the shop
Made some brownies
Football
Dinner at El Centinela with K.


Sunday:


Turning in the shopFootball
Nap
Turning in the shop
Football



Aikido Thursday Night - 12/1/16 - Wasabi Dojo

Aikido players:

 John, Adam, Bao, Willie, Don, Cheryl, Tabitha

Ukemi:

Basic slaps and a couple of rolls for me.

The Walk:

Three times tonight

Releases:

Not tonight

Techniques:

Adam and I worked defensive Jo work with me as tori.

We then worked on the first technique of Yon Kata with me as uke

Commentary:

None of note.

12.04.2016

Tweet summary on 12-04-2016 for the past 3 days


Friday, December 02, 2016


Thursday, December 01, 2016

11.30.2016

At the movies - The Accountant

The Accountant - 3

From imdb.com : "As a math savant uncooks the books for a new client, the Treasury Department closes in on his activities and the body count starts to rise."

I went to see this with my sisters and mother the weekend before Thanksgiving.

We came out of the theatre enjoying it moderately.  We discussed it some that afternoon and the next day and picked at it.  I thought the number of reveals at the end were too many too fast.  I also think they could have been left undiscovered for later installments.

The one we had the most issue with was the revelation of Justine's role: we could not figure out how, with the information the movie revealed, Christian ever had the opportunity to develop a relationship with her.

The final bit of the movie is an obvious lead in for sequels, but the basic premise of Christian's situation does not make me interested in further escapades.

I enjoyed it, but won't be seeing further versions in the theatre.


Houston Ballet - The Nutcracker - Stanton Welch production 2016

My family and I have been going to see the Houston Ballet's production of "The Nutcracker" for probably over 20 years.  I believe all of those have been Ben Stevenson's productions.  This is the first year for a new Stanton Welch production.

My family went to see it for the Sunday matinee with great seats in the Founders' boxes.  We were entranced by the first act, and bored by the second act.  The rest of the audience seemed entranced by it all, with a mostly standing ovation at the end.

The dancers, by and large, were fabulous.  The increased use of students from the Academy did improve the production and made the production more accessible for the younger members of the audience.

Drosselmeyer's cape in the first act seemed awfully cheap, but his assistants were an interesting addition.

The battle between Rats and Soldiers seemed inconclusive to me.  Definitely not as the battle in previous years.

Climbing a tree to the Kingdom of Sweets instead of being swept off in a carriage seemed a poor change.  The gate to the Kingdom of Sweets did not open and our protagonists apparently just went around the gate to get in.  We also thought, at first, that the gates were the Pearly Gates of Heaven.

The cats that escorted our protagonists to the wings, promptly let everyone back onto the main stage, so what was their purpose?

The dance of the flowers had us distracted by the noise the costumes made throughout the dance.

The dance of the snowflakes annoyed us with the dancers throwing snow at regular intervals.  The Snow Queen had no part in any dance.  The male snowflakes seemed a bit alien in their get-ups.

I think the large crowds onstage in the second act took the focus away from the main dances.  It was tough to focus as I wanted to see if any of the other preformers were up to something interesting.

The playbill indicated that the story would be more about Clara being a driving force throughout, but I don't believe that goal was achieve.





Tweet summary on 11-30-2016 for the past 3 days


Monday, November 28, 2016


Sunday, November 27, 2016

11.28.2016

Weekend update

Wednesday:

Had the truck towed to McRee for battery issues
Worked sent us home at noon
Mixed up some pie crusts

Thursday:

Baked two pies
Thanksgiving dinner with the family at Joe's
Baked another pie
Football

Friday:

Lunch with K. at Habanero's



Saturday:


Picked up a loaner at McRee
Turning in the shop
Football



Sunday:


Did some work on ASH
Did some chainmaille
Turning in the shop
Made some pralines
The Nutcracker with the family



Weekend update

Friday:

Lunch with my sisters and mom and Skipper's Cafe
Boot shopping at Cavender's
At the movies with "The Accountant"

Saturday:

Mowed the Creek
Picked up Boots from Mom
Dinner with the family at Mia Luna and The Chocolate Bar

Sunday:

Football/Nap


11.26.2016

Tweet summary on 11-26-2016 for the past 3 days


Thursday, November 24, 2016


Wednesday, November 23, 2016

11.22.2016

Tweet summary on 11-22-2016 for the past 3 days


Sunday, November 20, 2016


Saturday, November 19, 2016

11.18.2016

Aikido Thursday night - 11/17/16 - Wasabi Dojo

Aikido players:

 John, Adam, Bao, Willie, Rodrigo

Ukemi:

Basic slaps and a couple of rolls for me.

The Walk:

Three times tonight

Releases:

Not tonight

Techniques:

Adam and I worked defensive Jo work with me as uke

Commentary:

None of note.

Tweet summary on 11-18-2016 for the past 3 days


Wednesday, November 16, 2016


Tuesday, November 15, 2016

11.14.2016

Weekend update

Friday:

Veteran's Day off from work
Worked on refreshing the sourdough starter and making a couple of loaves
Picked up the riding lawnmower from Gill'sMowed the lawn
Lunch with K. at Habanero's
Did some pen turning in the shop

Saturday:

Made a run to the Fall Haul A Day
Football
Dinner with K. and the in-laws at Joe's

Sunday:

Grocery shopping
Attempted two batches of cinnamon rolls.  Apparently the yeast is not working
Football/Nap



Aikido Thursday Night - 11/10/16 - Wasabi Dojo

Aikido players:

 John, Adam, Bao, Tabitha, Don, Cheryl, Brianna

Ukemi:

Basic slaps and a couple of rolls for me.

The Walk:

Twice

Releases:

Wit Don

Techniques:

Adam and I worked defensive Jo work with me as uke

Commentary:

None of note.

Tweet summary on 11-14-2016 for the past 3 days


Saturday, November 12, 2016


Friday, November 11, 2016

11.10.2016

Volleyball, 2-1

A good match versus a team whose name I can't locate.  We won the first game 21-15, lost the second 10-21, and won the third by some unknown score.

Weekend update

Friday:

Riding lawnmower issues at Gill's
Lunch with K. at Joe's
Did some work on the random orbit sander

Saturday:

Banking
At mom's showing/selling some pens
Football
Started/Completed a new Bronze Byzantine necklace
Dinner with K. at El Centinela
Sunday:

FootballNap



Tweet summary on 11-10-2016 for the past 3 days


Tuesday, November 08, 2016


Monday, November 07, 2016

11.06.2016

Tweet summary on 11-06-2016 for the past 3 days


Friday, November 04, 2016


Thursday, November 03, 2016

11.04.2016

Aikido Thursday Night - 11/3/16 - Wasabi Dojo

Aikido players:

 John, Randy, Adam, Rodrigo, Tabitha, Willie, Brianna

Ukemi:

Basic slaps and a couple of rolls for me.

The Walk:

Not tonight

Releases:

Not tonight

Techniques:

Adam and I worked on standing Koryu Dai San and then did some defensive Jo work

Commentary:

None of note.

11.02.2016

Volleyball, 0-3

"Id' Hit That" were our opponents this week.  Another disappointing night, but we were competitive.

First game: 5-21

Second game: 22-23

Third game: 10-15, I think

I don't remember who we

Tweet summary on 11-02-2016 for the past 3 days


Monday, October 31, 2016


Sunday, October 30, 2016

10.31.2016

Weekend update - WFC2017 Trip Report

Friday:

Up at 3 a.m.
Flight at 5 a.m.
In Columbus, Oh. around 10:30
Caught the airport circulator bus to downtown and the Hyatt.
Checked in to the hotel
Picked up my registration materials and headed to the Art Show
Dinner was at Bareburger a nice burger/beer joint just a couple of blocs from the hotel/convention center.
Went to the Mass Autographing.  Ended up getting 3 signature when I expected to manage only 1 (Peter Straub, Jane Yolen and Mercedes Lackey)

Saturday:

Breakfast at North Market (Cinnamon rolls and donuts, there does not appear to be a good diner in the downtown area)
Get dressed up in my Steampunk Samurai outfit for pictures with Squidly
Got lots of comments on my outfit
Dinner with Kimm, Renee, Jonathan, Meg, ?, Sharon Shinn at the Happy Greek - quite good
Artists' reception until 11 p.m.

Sunday:

Breakfast at the hotel
Closeout of the Art Show
Helped soem at the WFC2017 membership table
While sitting at the membership table, one of the attendees came up to me and said I was easy on the eyes and eye candy.  One of the most unusual encounters I've ever had in my fandom career
Sit around the Art Show chatting until time to catch the bus to the airport
Flight out of Columbus at 8:30 p.m.
Arrive in Houston 11:40 p.m.
Home at a little after midnight



Volleyball, 0-3

Playing on a new team this season and we played Hot Mess for our first match.  We were handily defeated the first game, but played decently in the second and third.

10.29.2016

Tweet summary on 10-29-2016 for the past 3 days


Thursday, October 27, 2016


Wednesday, October 26, 2016

10.26.2016

Weekend update - IlluxCon Trip Report

Friday:

Up at 3 a.m.
Flight at 5 a.m.
In Philadelphia around Noon
Pick up a rental at Thrifty.  Not impressed, hope to not rent from them again.
In Reading, Pa around 2.
At IlluxCon shortly thereafter
Chat with some other conrunners for a while, discover that one of the flyers I had was wrong and not suitable for distribution
Wander around, ogle the art.
Dinner with aforementioned conrunners at "The Speckled Hen"
A brief tour of the evening Showcase

Saturday:

Breakfast at West Reading Diner
Resolve not to buy any art
Back to IlluxCon
Hand out the other correct flyer
Buy art
Hand over art to shipping agent
Get boarding pass for my flight home
Dinner with conrunners at Doubletree hotel restaurant
3 hours later, get out of dinner
A brief tour of the evening Showcase

Sunday:

Breakfast at West Reading Diner
Back to IlluxCon
Grab some folks for my Art Show Jury for WFC 2017
Drive back to Philly
Borad plane
Change planes in Nashville
Connecting flight delayed by about two hours
Arrive at Hobby at 12:45 a.m. instead of 11:15 p.m.




10.25.2016

Tweet summary on 10-25-2016 for the past 3 days


Sunday, October 23, 2016


Saturday, October 22, 2016

10.21.2016

Tweet summary on 10-21-2016 for the past 3 days


Wednesday, October 19, 2016


Tuesday, October 18, 2016

10.20.2016

Aikido Tuesday Night - 10/18/16 - Wasabi Dojo

Aikido players:

 John, Adam, Bao, Rodrigo, Tabitha, Willie, Brianna, and Ianna

Ukemi:

Basic slaps and a couple of rolls for me.  Oversaw others rolls

The Walk:

3.5 times

Releases:

Worked with Willie on his

Techniques:

We did a number of release-based drills.

Commentary:

None of note.

10.17.2016

Weekend update

Friday:

Picked up a replacement part for the mower
Went by a couple of embroidery places to inquire about a replacement jacket
Lunch with K. at Habanero's
Did some work on the random orbit sander

Saturday:

Blueberry muffins
Worked on a chainmaille necklace : Orbital Vipera Berus.  Ended up running out of the sterling silver rings I was using and decided I wanted to make earrings to go with it, so I need more supplies
FootballRan off to get some beers - ended up disappointed in both of them (Shiner Cream Ale, Shiner Oktoberfest)
Worked on flyer for WFC for distribution at IlluxCon

Sunday:

Paper arrived with a clothes soap sample exploded all over it.  Could barely stand to read the thing because of the fragrance
Worked on ASH - updated the repository in Git, got pdfs working
Football
Nap
Worked on my chainmaille shirt.  Moved some of the panels around
Dinner from Stefano's



Aikido Thursday Night - 10/13/16 - Wasabi Dojo

Aikido players:

 Adam, and Willie

Ukemi:

Just the basic slaps. 

The Walk:

Once. 

Releases:

Not tonight

Techniques:

Worked on Oshi Taoshi and Ude Gaeshi

Commentary:

None of note.

Aikido Tuesday Night - 10/11/16 - Wasabi Dojo

Aikido players:

 Adam, Bao,  Rodrigo, Brianna, and Ianna

Ukemi:

Just the basic slaps. 

The Walk:

Twice. 

Releases:

Oversaw various pairs working on releases

Techniques:

We did a Blum-line of folks on "punch the dummy"

Commentary:

None of note.

Tweet summary on 10-17-2016 for the past 3 days


Saturday, October 15, 2016


Friday, October 14, 2016

10.13.2016

Tweet summary on 10-13-2016 for the past 3 days


Tuesday, October 11, 2016


Monday, October 10, 2016

10.11.2016

Weekend update

Friday:

Lunch with K. at Habanero's
Take the Flex to get washed
Picked up the mower from Gill's and Vanilla from Froberg's

Saturday:

Blueberry muffins
Sent K and her parents off on a driving trip to South Padre
Home Depot for some supplies
Over to A.'s to deliver a chainmaille necklace
To the Houston Grand Opera's warehouse clearance sale
Football
Aggie football - had to not watch the overtime.  Listened to it on teh radio instead
Tookie's for dinner

Sunday:

Donuts for breakfast
Mowed a bit of the yard
Worked on painting and modifying the stoop to be less slippery
Football
Nap
Dinner at Celaya in Pearland


Monday:

Clean up in the shop
Edging the long side of the yard (about 2 hours)
Collapse
Football
K arrives back home
Dinner with K. at Killen's Burgers


Aikido Thursday Night - 10/7/16 - Wasabi Dojo

Aikido players:

 John, Randy, Adam, Bao, Rodrigo, Willie, Brianna, and Irianna

Ukemi:

Just the basic slaps.  Worked with Irianna and Brianna on how to do the basic slaps.

The Walk:

Twice. 

Releases:

Worked with Bao

Techniques:

Spent most of the evening on releases.  Did a little work with Bao on Ushiro-ate

Commentary:

None of note.

10.09.2016

Tweet summary on 10-09-2016 for the past 3 days


Friday, October 07, 2016


Thursday, October 06, 2016

10.06.2016

Aikido Tuesday Night - 10/4/16 - Wasabi Dojo

Aikido players:

 John, Bao,  Rodrigo, , Brianna, Irianna, and Alex (a new student)

Ukemi:

Just the basic slaps.  Worked with Irianna and Brianna on how to do the basic slaps.

The Walk:

Twice.  Also did some introductory work with Alex.

Releases:

Worked with Alex

Techniques:

Spent most of the evening covering the basics with Alex.

Commentary:

None of note.

10.05.2016

Tweet summary on 10-05-2016 for the past 3 days


Monday, October 03, 2016


Sunday, October 02, 2016

10.03.2016

Weekend update

Friday:

Lunch with my Sensei
Take the Flex to get an oil change
Take the truck to get inspected
Pay for truck's license tags
Do some turning work in the shop for Sara
Test VPN connection for work

Saturday:

Blueberry muffins
Clean up the library a bit
More turning work for Sara
Nap
Drive to San Antonio
A&M football on the radio
Dinner at Furschak's in San Marcos
Arrive at Wyndham

Sunday:

Breakfast at Guenther House
World Fantasy committee meeting
Drive home
Pick up BBQ at Luling Barbecue in Luling
Sunday night Football



10.01.2016

Tweet summary on 10-01-2016 for the past 3 days


Thursday, September 29, 2016


Wednesday, September 28, 2016

9.30.2016

Aikido Thursday Night - 9/29/16 - Wasabi Dojo

Aikido players:

 John, Bao, Tabitha, Willie, Rodrigo, Sydnee, Brianna, and Irianna (two new students)

Ukemi:

Just the basic slaps, plus a few falls. Toward the end of class worked with Irianna and Brianna on how to do the basic slaps.

The Walk:

Twice.  Also did some introductory work with the new students.

Releases:

Worked with Bao briefly

Techniques:

Worked with the two new students on the basics of aikido: falling instead of stepping, hands in center, unbendable arm, etc.

Commentary:

None of note.

9.28.2016

Aikido Tuesday Night - 9/27/16 - Wasabi Dojo

Aikido players:

 John, Adam, Bao, Tabitha, Willie, Rodrigo, and sydnee (a new student)

Ukemi:

Just the basic slaps, plus a few falls.

The Walk:

Twice

Releases:

Not tonight for me

Techniques:

None for me.

Commentary:

Before class started, John, Adam and I were discussing Aikinage and whether it follows from the 2nd or the 6th release.  During one rep, John's hand popped off from my arm and slammed into the bridge of my nose.  No permanent damage, but 12 hours later I can still feel the impact.

I spent most of the class chatting with the father of two potential students on the sidelines.  I did get in and kibbutz from time to time, and I also got on the mat for the final bit of hand randori after Gabriel (the father) left.

9.27.2016

Weekend update

Friday:

Up in time to get to work around 6 a.m.
Leave work around 10 for Dallas
Arrive in Dallas at 3:15 p.m. after a rainy, traffic-filled drive
Check in to FenCon and the Art Show
Dinner with Laura at Hard 8 BBQ

Saturday:

Breakfast at Old West Cafe
ALAMO meeting
Art Show
Dinner in the Art Show while dealing with sales stuff  (Horrible hotel pizza)
Aggie football

Sunday:

Breakfast at Old West Cafe
Donuts from Kountry Donuts
Art Show
Leave Dallas around 2 p.m.
In Houston at 6:40 after a rainy, traffic-filled drive
Sunday night Football




Tweet summary on 09-27-2016 for the past 3 days


Sunday, September 25, 2016


Saturday, September 24, 2016

9.23.2016

Tweet summary on 09-23-2016 for the past 3 days


Wednesday, September 21, 2016


Tuesday, September 20, 2016

9.21.2016

Weekend update

Friday:

Attempt to get the truck inspected
Lunch at Habaneros with K.
Drop truck off at McRee

Saturday:

Blueberry muffins
Work on prepping pen blanks for turning on the lathe
Aggie football
Dinner with K at El Centinela
Sunday:

Work on getting the lathe wheels so that they turn cleanly
Football
Dinner with K and the in-laws at Joe's

9.19.2016

Tweet summary on 09-19-2016 for the past 3 days


Saturday, September 17, 2016


Friday, September 16, 2016

9.16.2016

Aikido Thursday Night - 9/15/16 - Wasabi Dojo

Aikido players:

Randy, John, Adam, Bao, and Rodrigo

Ukemi:

Just the basic slaps, plus a few falls.

The Walk:

Twice

Releases:

Not tonight

Techniques:

Worked with Adam on 3 step Ju Nana Hon Kata.

Commentary:

None of note.

9.15.2016

Tweet summary on 09-15-2016 for the past 3 days


Tuesday, September 13, 2016


Monday, September 12, 2016

9.14.2016

Volleyball, 0-3

A match against Cervaces, again.  We had a full team, but did not play well enough.  We were up 11-8 in the first game, but lost 21-13.

Last game of the season and it looks like we don't have enough players for a team for the next season.

Maybe I can be a sub for someone?

Aikido Thursday Night - 9/8/16 - Wasabi Dojo

Aikido players:

Randy, John, Adam, Bao, and Willie

Ukemi:

Just the basic slaps, plus a few falls. Tried to help Bao out with some of his slaps.

The Walk:

Twice

Releases:

Not tonight

Techniques:

Worked on knife exercises from Koryu Dai San.

Commentary:

None of note.

9.13.2016

Weekend update

Friday:

Lunch at Frenchies
Meeting with 401K guy

Saturday:

Drop K at work
Haircut
Grocery shopping
Work on box
Aggie football
Work on 4 variations of chocolate chip cookie recipe
Dinner with K at El Centinela

Sunday:

Football


Volleyball, 0-3

A match against Cervaces.  We had a full team, ut did not play well enough.  I think we lost the last game 14-16, but the others were not close.

9.11.2016

Tweet summary on 09-11-2016 for the past 3 days


Friday, September 09, 2016


Thursday, September 08, 2016

9.07.2016

Tweet summary on 09-07-2016 for the past 3 days


Monday, September 05, 2016


Sunday, September 04, 2016

9.06.2016

Weekend update

Friday:

Refreshed sourdough starter
Attempted to do some turning on the lathe, but the bandsaw "exploded" before I got to the lathe
Replacement part ordered for bandsaw
Judged Public Forum debate at Clear Brook.

Saturday:

More work on the starter
3.5 hours working on new, task-specific box
Aggie football
Dinner at El Centinela with K.
Picked up cupcakes at Rise cupcakes on the way home

Sunday:

Several hours painting new box, and then gluing it up
More football
Steaks grilled out by K's dad

Monday:

Napped a lot
Mowed a portion of the yard.  Will be glad when our riding mower is back in action.
Baked sourdough loaves

Volleyball, 0-3

We had a full team against Block Party, but did poorly.

9.03.2016

Tweet summary on 09-03-2016 for the past 3 days


Thursday, September 01, 2016


Wednesday, August 31, 2016

8.30.2016

Tweet summary on 08-30-2016 for the past 3 days


Sunday, August 28, 2016


Saturday, August 27, 2016