Zoom Calls, Tattoos and Video Technology - Such Exciting Times We Live In

I posted that WildFit had pulled away from their partner and moved back to a solo venture. This was relatively sudden, and as Eric said, doors were slammed on the way out, making some things a bit more "challenging". Yesterday's Zoom call was one of those challenges, but we persevered. 

There's nothing much more frustrating than trying to 
join in a Zoom meeting and not having the ID code 
to enter into this screen. It's almost as bad as black 
screen on your computer. So frustrating. I did get in, 
after a couple of minutes, but there were some people 
who missed the meeting entirely. 

Normally we would log on, enter our code, and be connected with the rest of the Tribe members and moderators. Since this breakup, the codes we had didn't work. There were a lot of us posting asking for the codes since we couldn't get into the chat room. Finally, following this or that link finally succeeded and I was one of several hundred to make it to the final chat. I was still seeing people questioning about the codes late last night as I shut down to go to sleep. 

This scarab tattoo is quite nicely done. I'm choosing 
my tattoo artist because of his artistry in black and 
white and skill with skull tattoos. I like the basic 
lines of this, but not the body of the beetle. I want a 
bit more white-space in the body. 

Although there will be a "techniques" video session next Wednesday, there won't be another live interactive meeting until the 16th, so there will be plenty of time to spread the new codes out to the Tribe as a whole. I'll miss the secondary video on the 9th because I'll be meeting with my tattoo artist about my skull tattoo. Some things are just more important than videoconferencing. LOL

This is closer to what I want, although I suspect this 
is just the line work for this tat and that the artist 
still had at least one more session planned to do 
fill-in work and maybe color work. 

Of course, I've been using my new laptop for all of these video calls. It has a camera, and up-to-date software, so it's much easier than using my phone which would be my second choice. I'm really very happy with my laptop, using it every day. The one thing that hasn't been working correctly, however, is the Waycom pen. On the Yoga, the pen is integral. It slides into a slot in the casing and charges while the computer is on. When removed, it can be used for all of the things a digital pen would be used for - drawing, pointing, or (in my case) instead of the mouse when I'm in tablet mode. 

One of the nice things about my Lenovo Yoga 9 is 
that it can be used in so many different 
configurations. Usually I use it as a standard 
laptop with a mouse, but every once in a 
while I prefer Tablet or Tent use and usually 
then, I grab the pen (on the bottom left) to 
use with the touch-screen. My pen isn't 
recharging properly, so it's time to arrange 
for a replacement. 

My pen isn't charging properly. I finally dug my way through the multi-layered customer support features, found someone who actually knew something, and was given both a case number and the correct phone number for my higher level of support (I had paid for premium support when I ordered my laptop). I'll be calling that number today and arranging for a new pen to be shipped to me.  I'll be happy to return the defective pen to Lenovo, but I want one that works and charges properly. What a concept! LOL... 

Older Wonder Woman fans well remember Lynda Carter 
in that iconic role. This Deepfake video is one of the best 
I've seen, de-aging Lynda Carter and placing her into 
Gil Gadot's role in the more recent Wonder Woman film. 
The link is in the paragraph below, and it's well worth a look. 

I leave you with a video to watch. Fake videos are prevalent throughout the internet, but some are done better than others. This one, merging Linda Carter and Gil Gadot in "Wonder Woman" is beautifully done. For those of us who were fans of Linda Carter in the role, it's a wonder to see how she might have looked in the movie. Enjoy this video of fantasy, slightly more than five minutes long, and dream the dream. Enjoy and I'll be back tomorrow. Please be kind and stay safe. 

Knitting Snarls and a Hilarious You-Tube Video for Computer Transfers

DH saw his ENT doctor on Monday. Fortunately it turned out that the drainage tube from several years ago was not in his ear, but unfortunately, his problem actually is an abundance of scar tissue from the various surgeries and infections he's had throughout his life. The doctor cleaned things up a bit, and DH is back on VERY EXPENSIVE eardrops for two weeks. That means he can't wear his hearing aid for two weeks which limits his assistance at the shop. Chickie has been warned. 

Ear infections are no joke. The pain is excruciating. I used 
to get ear infections regularly as a child and I remember 
being in so much pain that I was vomiting. DH has
ear drops (2X-day, morning and night) that help him
keep infections at bay. He's on a two-week regime 
of ear drops right now and hopefully that will take 
care of this latest infection. 

Yesterday's knitting sessions were an exercise in frustration. I had no problem getting up to the part where I add the cables into the cuff, but once I hit that, the needles snarled and the stitches dropped or only partially knit. The first sleeve worked like a charm. The second ... not so much. After six attempts and more than four hours, I gave up and put everything away. I'll start again on Friday and see if I'm more successful. I'll watch a few more videos in between. Maybe there's a technique that could help my success ratio. One of my favorite teachers has a nice You Tube video about cables, so I'll spend some time watching it and learn a few tips and tricks. 

I just want to add a simple 2x2 cable on my sleeve cuff. 
I did it last week, no problem. It worked like a dream. 
Yesterday's attempt was a nightmare. So I'll have to start 
again on Friday and hopefully I'll have better luck. 

My docking station arrived at the shop yesterday. I'm looking forward to taking a close look at it and seeing how it will help me transfer items from the old to my new computer. I also grabbed my old 1TB external hard drive - I have an old "My Passport" from Western Digital that I used for system-wide backups. I'll find out how to delete everything that's currently on the drive and then I can look into using it to transfer programs over to my new Win 10 laptop. I found this absolutely hilarious video on You Tube - watch it if you want a laugh, the guy is a hoot! (link: https://youtu.be/KkeF3XdEQbA ) To make things short, he used his WD "My Passport" to migrate several very old programs onto his Windows 10 machine, and they work, even though direct transfer seemed impossible. He's worth watching just for the fun of it, though. 

OK, the guy is a total hoot! If you're just looking for the 
information on how to transfer, move to the 15 minute 
mark. But if you want to laugh along with me, listen to 
the whole thing. It's worth the time. 

So I'm planning ahead. I'm keeping the power cord for Franken-Smaug with me at all times, now. I can't trust in having power for a lot of battery life, and I don't want to be caught short on those few occasions when I need a system more up-to-date than my Win 7 desktop. I can hardly wait to have a reliable laptop once again. 

I do love my mug of hot tea in the morning. I have Earl 
Grey for breakfast and herbal for my to-go cup. I add 
Mandarin oranges for my lunch along with a small bottle 
of milk, and I'm set. Oatmeal for breakfast is always welcome 
with fresh blueberries as often as possible. Yummy! 

On that note, I'm going to bundle up, have some hot tea and oatmeal, and get going. I'll need my winter coat today - it's very cold out (only 10 F right now). I hope all of you have a wonderful and joy-filled day. Please stay safe, be kind and wear your mask. I'll be back tomorrow. 

First Call for Holiday Cards, and Sharing Some Music and Videos

I'm going to start this out by my FIRST CALL FOR HOLIDAY CARDS.  That means (although most of you already know) that I'm gathering my list of names and addresses for this year's holiday card, which I'm working on now. No major bells and whistles this year - it's a year of broken dreams and disruption, but the Solstice and beginning of a new year must still be acknowledged. So ... here's what you do. 

Let's start with a beautiful Russian Orthodox chant 
entitled "Let My Prayer Arise". I love liturgical chanting 
and these four blend beautifully. You don't have to be 
a believer to enjoy their chant. Here's the YouTube 
link. 
https://youtu.be/nG5gEzymh5c

1) If you decide you would like one of my holiday cards, you need to message me or send me an email which confirms your current address. Of course I have your address from prior years if I sent one to you in the past, ... BUT ... computer files can be corrupted and people do move. So PLEASE give me your mailing address once again. 

I adore Taiko drumming, and when it's a great group of 
musicians and drums, it stirs the soul. While watching 
this one by Eitetsu Hayashi, I couldn't help but think 
about my long-time friend Aearwyn who used to play the 
Taiko drums. This is a long video (more than ten minutes) 
but I never got bored. Here's the link. 
https://youtu.be/ZagsLrNzg3I

2) If you don't want one but have received one in the past, I'll probably message you at some point, but DON'T count on it. Just spend the short time to send me a "YES" or "NO" response with address (if yes is your decision) to make sure you are on the list. 

I adore Metallica, and "Nothing Else Matters" is a classic 
in their list of excellent tunes. Here, Bardcore takes on 
this classic with Renaissance instruments and impeccable 
mastery. 
https://youtu.be/wCUx9nOt9u8

3) As a reminder, I make these cards because I dearly love making them. My joy is derived from the activity of designing and making them, as well as the knowledge that they go out to my friends all over the world to brighten people's days. That is my joy. By saying YES, you help me to be happier, so even if you live in the highest peaks or deepest desert, please don't hesitate to say "Yes". 

A long, long time ago, there was a perfect album released 
featuring Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong. Here's 
"Summertime" from that album, to show all of us what 
music can do to the soul, and brighten our day. 
https://youtu.be/MIDOEsQL7lA

4) I'll send out at least one more CALL FOR CARDS, but this is the main one, so reply now and you won't have to wonder about whether or not you responded. It's easy and it makes me very happy. 

My first year of college I lived in the college dorms, as 
all Freshmen were required to do. I was on the third floor 
of a large X-shaped multi-floored dormitory and one 
starry fall night I heard magical music filling the dark night, 
coming from one of the wings across from me. I took 
time the next day to go door-to-door trying to find out what had 
been playing. It was this album, and I was in love. What 
a master! I had the opportunity to see him in person a 
year or two later and I've had the album in my "must have" 
list ever since. 
https://youtu.be/iR64lF2agbM

I've populated this call out with some YouTube videos that I've loved. Just wanted to share some amazing music and wonderful videos with all of you. As always, be kind, stay safe and please wear your mask. I'll be back tomorrow. 

A Treat for Tolkien and Lord of the Rings Fans

I know I share the internet and my daily interactions with a lot of JRR Tolkien fans - fans of the movies, fans of the books and fans of the more esoteric books and research tomes. My dear long-time friend Seth passed a YouTube link on to me that I am now passing on to you. It's outstanding, it's wonderful, it had me in tears and also laughing out loud. I recommend it to all of my Tolkien mates out there. Set aside some time - it's almost an hour, but it's SO worth it. Here's the link. Come and reunite with friends and near-family from the Shire, Edoras, and New Zealand. (The intermittent ads are annoying, but can be clicked on and eliminated fairly quickly. Be sure to watch until the very last frame - it's worth waiting for.) 

Like many of you, I have a complete set of "The History of Middle
Earth". I really wish I could get a set on e-book. The books are
heavy, ponderous and difficult to just carry along with me for a
quick reference/review. Still, I'm glad I have the set in my
Tolkien library section of my house. 

DH and I had a lovely Sunday off - perfect weather, no rain, low humidity, and temps that ranged in the 70's to mid-80's. After a couple of hours working on improving the drainage from the upper yard to the lower, we settled down with drinks on the patio and topped the evening off with steaks on the grill. Our weekends aren't usually quite this perfect, so I felt quite lucky, all in all. 

I made this screenshot larger than my usual format, and there were
still a few others who joined into the reunion, but do you recognize
these long-time friends? From upper left, after the host of the
reunion, we have Sam, Gandalf, Frodo, Merry, Legolas, Pippin,
director Peter Jackson, Aragorn, Gollum, Boromir, Eomer,
Eowyn, Gimli and Arwen. What a joy to see all of them together
once again. 

Of course, since I watched the Lord of the Rings virtual get-together a second time this morning, the extra time I had earlier has evaporated like a puff of smoke from Gandalf's pipe in the halls of Durin. Oh well, it was SO worth it. I'm going to be watching the video grouping again and again. 

On that note, I'm going to make this short and sweet. Go - watch - enjoy and share. I'll be back tomorrow and I hope you have a uniquely wonderful day ahead of you. 

Three Things to Enhance Your Day - Videos of the Extraordinary

Today I'm sharing movement, sound and a building - things that I thought might be of interest to all of you. I'm going to start with something relatively simple.- rhythm and tone that requires some human intervention, but that's still a lot of fun to see and experience for the inventor as well as those listening. 

Here, Pete O'Connell demonstrates his "Rhysonic Wheel" at an
intimate concert. If you follow THIS LINK, you can see the
concert on You-Tube. 

Here I'm featuring Pete O'Connell and his "Rhysonic Wheel". A New Zealand artist, he's been inventing wheels that play stringed and rhythmic instruments for years now. This latest device spins several wheels at once, impacting a drum, dhembe and other percussive and/or stringed instruments he places in the path of the spinning discs. 

NEXT ...

I've been a follower of Wintergatan on and off for years now. This group of musicians/inventors have had an ongoing Marble Machine project. Here's a video documenting the successful completion of the "Marble Conveyor Belt". It's demonstrated by Martin Molin, a member of the band and the inventor of the Marble Machine. If you enjoy rhythm and beat, you'll love this video. 

Here, Martin Molin gives a lively demonstration of the
Epic Marble Machine X. Just click THIS LINK for the
full video. It's wonderfully fun. 

NEXT

The third thing I have to share with all of you today is a bit different - a dragon ... a very LARGE dragon. This 17-story dragon wraps around a Buddhist temple in Thailand. The temple is called "Wat Samphran". The building is 80 meters tall to honor the number of years that Buddha lived. You can climb the building and touch the dragon's beard or talons from the rooftop. Want the full experience? I'll pin a 360 degree perspective in a video link below. 

Isn't he simply magnificent? I'll embed a LINK HERE so that you
can experience the full 360-degree experience of this amazing
dragon. If I ever get to Thailand, I'm visiting this guy, for sure!

So, there you have it - three videos to capture your imagination today. At least, they certainly captured mine. I'm off to the gym for another day on the machines. Have to lose this birthday weight (only four pounds were gained and they were well worth it, but I still have to get it back off - LOL). I hope you enjoy what I presented to you today, and have a spectacular Tuesday. I'll return tomorrow! 

Random Thoughts - Diving and Lake Superior in the Fall

A friend posted this yesterday, but I didn't get to see it until this morning. It put me in a happy place for a couple of minutes this morning, so I'm passing it along to all of you because you too deserve to be in a happy place for a short time today. Here's Tom Daley and Greg Louganis synchro diving on platform and springboard. Way too fun to watch these two together.




My swimming partner, Rosemary, will be up at the North Shore for the rest of the week, enjoying the autumn leaves and some great food at Grand Marais at a restaurant named "The Angry Trout". The town itself is located on the shore of Lake Superior, the largest of the USA's Great Lakes. Here's a photo of the shoreline, and yes, I think that is a lighthouse in the distance. It's nothing like those on the East Coast, but it's a lighthouse nonetheless.

Grand Marais, a town of 1300 people, is located on the rocky
shores of Lake Superior, about three hours north of
Minneapolis. It's a beautiful area of the country at this
time of the year, but I'd want to be anywhere else
in the winter. Too cold, with way too much snow. 

Today is my "day off" and I'll be buying the things I forgot to get last week like deodorant and fabric softener crystals. I had a list last week, but some items just didn't quite make it onto my list. Oops. Time to make up for that now. Then onward to laundry and some serious house cleaning. It's autumn and I have to change the floor protection in my car from the summer carpets to the winter heavy weather protection mats. DH got a lot done on the castle walls yesterday too, so I'll try to get out during the day and take a few pics to share with you in tomorrow's post.

Here's a lovely picture from LakeSuperior.com. In a good year, we'll
get lots of golds and reds in our changing trees, on one that's not as good,
it'll be mostly olive green, which is also quite beautiful. 

For today, be happy. Do something you love for at least part of the day - you deserve it. Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Unusual Musical Machines

A month or so ago, Aearwen sent me a link to a video of this wonderful music machine. The two of us always have our eyes open for new and interesting ways to create music, and I was entranced with the machine and the vision of the maker. I've attached the YouTube clip below, but decided to look into other music machines today because I think a little music is a great way to start a Thursday.

The Wintergaten Musical Machine is quite amazing. I've included
the YouTube embed code right below so that you can click and
watch it in action. Here's a link to a short article about the
musician and the machine from National Public Radio. 

https://youtu.be/IvUU8joBb1Q

Let's take a look at a few other unusual instruments. Here's the Yaybahar - an instrument where the strings are vibrated and transmit their vibrations to the frame drums at the end. Once again, there is a YouTube clip. It's rather hypnotic and very interesting.

The Yaybahar transmits sound from the strings to the two drums at
the far end. It is designed and played by a musician from Istambul.

Here's a vimeo link so that you can hear for yourself.

https://vimeo.com/110633932

The Hydraulaphone was invented for low-vision musicians to be able to play and compose for something unusual. Water is fed through a system of pipes and music is played by opening and closing a set of openings. These are large-scale or portable. Obviously water is a must to be able to produce music on this instrument.

The Hydraulaphone exists in large-scale as well as in this
portable version. It's actually pretty interesting. I love the
concept a lot, and larger installations could be fantastic
public artworks as well as musical instruments.

Here's a link to Steve Mann playing the smaller version
of a hydraulaphone.

https://youtu.be/GWmiBVndVMY

I've probably already overdone the unusual instruments for the day, especially if you followed the video links, but there's a plethora of them out there in the world - some very playable, others only conceptual. Although I have doubts whether I'll be seeing most of them on the concert stage, I am delighted that musicians keep following the goal of achieving ever more vibrant and interesting sounds. Go forth, enjoy your Thursday, and listen to some music, whether it be man-made, or natural.

Alexander McQueen - Anything But Mundane

I love fashion, even though my own clothing has never progressed past 1960-70 hippie. Nonetheless, I adore fashion and watch the trends and styles and what is put down the runways in New York and some of the European runways. A friend on FB posted the video below and I fell in love. The fashions of Alexander McQueen, although I had been aware of them, were presented as art in an exhibition entitled "Savage Beauty" and I was stunned and glued to my screen as I watched it. I dared DH's wrath and found a copy of the Met Museum's catalog book available second-hand and it arrived yesterday. Large folio format with huge photos of each item, it's amazing! I started reading the introductory essays last night and will continue today. What a phenomenal exhibit this was! I'm giving you links to the YouTube videos of both exhibits - the first for the Metropolitan Museum (8:30) and the second for the Victoria and Albert Museum (10:06) where the exhibit was the best attended in the museum's history. So amazing! So beautiful!




The weatherman says it will be a rainy week this week, except for today. But I work today, so it might as well be raining. I won't be out in the sunshine. The clouds and grey weather are why I don't live in the Pacific Northwest. It's beautiful out there - the ocean, the mountains - but I can't tolerate the grey skies day after day. I need blue skies and sunshine. I don't get enough of those here either, not compared to Colorado and New Mexico - the other two places I've lived in for long periods of time. But at least I get some. This week, however, it going to really pull my mood down. Grey skies and rain pull me into depression. So I'm going to be super diligent and try and focus on the positive for a while because it's much better to be positive than to concentrate on the negative. Here's the second video I spoke of - Alexander McQueen Savage Beauty.




It's hard to believe that April is almost over. I have done snippets of writing, but not a lot. At least I've been doing a few creative things in the studio, just not on the page. I've been wrangling with my desktop computer and may have finally gotten the assistance I needed to bring that one back into line. So, things are progressing. Here's hoping you have a fabulous Tuesday. I'm off to the elliptical and then a nice small breakfast with LOTS of coffee. I'm exhausted today.

Running Late, But I Have A Good Excuse - MUSIC

So I'm running about 15 minutes late to start my blog today, which dictates a shorter, less elaborate missive for the day. Oh...who am I kidding. My daily blog posts are anything BUT a missive. They are just words on a page accompanied by pretty pictures and sometimes the words aren't even there. But back to being late. I'm late - I'm late because I was tied up listening to music.

I can lose myself in great music. I have a very eclectic
musical library and that's OK - it's a good reflection
of my own eclectic tastes in general. 

Well, "That's a good excuse," those of you who love music might say. Others who read my blog might scratch their head and have a perplexed look on their faces. After all - music is listened to, words are read and/or typed. One function uses the eyes and the fingers, the other concentrates on the ears. The two don't meet. ... or do they?

There are many alternative ways for musical notation, things
other than the standard musical staff and lines. These four examples
are by Brian Eno who transcribes sounds of life through
alternative transcription techniques. There's a really interesting,
short article in Smithsonian about several of these avaunt-guard
composition styles and composers. 

First of all I was listening to the first movement of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony - a piece of music as close to divine perfection as I can come up with. But I was also totally pulled in by the video which is usually something I can ignore easily. Why? Just have a look. It's just the first movement, and one person's wonderful ability to interpret the orchestral score in a very different way, but I found it to be totally mesmerizing.

Almost everyone recognizes the opening salvo from Beethoven's Fifth. Here,
Micah Van Der Kamp has translated the score into a wall hanging
made from Legos. 

Music is something that is important to so many of us. I've found fabulous music way outside my normal listening spectrum by recommendations from friends on-line and in my various Live Journal friend groups. My playlist has expanded dramatically over the past few years simply because others were willing to share something they loved with me. I'm sending out a broad "Thank you" to each of you who has mentioned and linked musical excerpts for me to watch. I've enjoyed most of them and have purchased some.

I was completely mesmerized watching the familiar notes move
across the background. I found myself trying to isolate the
cello parts in the graphics and sometimes I was successful. 

Today is the first of August, and I'm pulling into one of my busiest months. Renaissance Festival starts in two weeks and the State Fair starts in three. My friend Sharon will come to visit in four weeks and my house looks like a hurricane hit it (except for the spider webs which are everywhere they shouldn't be *sigh*. I'll be cleaning, writing a bit, cleaning some more, writing more, working, and yes - of course - listening to music.

Stravinski's "Le Sacre Du Printemps" or "Rite of Spring" actually
caused riots in the theatre and the street when it was first
performed. It's gutsy, brawling, and primal. It's been one of
my favorite pieces of music for as long as I can remember. 

For those of you who enjoyed the Beethoven above, here's one more like for you to one of my all-time favorite compositions, Igor Stravinski's "Rite of Spring". In fact, I even own the full orchestral score for this piece, I love it so much. The you-tube animator, smalin, has Part Two animated here, and there is also a full version in this type of animation by musanim here. Enjoy some music today and have a wonderful Friday.

Celebrating Cinco and Music

We had a marvelous Cinco de Mayo yesterday. DH started the day out with Chorizo omelettes and we ended the day with steak burritos. Between meals we were glued to the TV as the Minnesota Wild won Game 3 in our round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. And we capped the day off by watching The Amazing Race final. All in all it was a great day. I didn't do any writing but I did beta the next chapter of Lai's latest so I accomplished something, at least.

Cinco is always a good time. This colorful sign
seems to be full of celebration.

Those of my friends from outside the US may wonder - what's up with Cinco de Mayo? Well, in the US it is celebrated as a party holiday, somewhat similar to St Patrick's Day. Cinco actually celebrates the victory of the Mexican Army over the French at the battle of Puebla. This isn't Mexican Independence Day, that comes in September. But a lot of people in the US probably think that it is. It is celebrated with tequila drinks and Mexican food. Since I'm dieting and DH is not good with tequila, we kept our celebration to food only. So good!

Dusting - something I should probably do more often...

I did some housecleaning on my Dreamwidth account and pulled out some subscribes from people who had unfriended me, some more than a year before (I'm not really current on these things because I really don't care all that much). So anyway, the point of this is that if you feel that you got unsubbed in error, let me know and we'll get things back together again. Otherwise, I'll just consider that I got rid of some cyber-cobwebs and all is good.

I love recommendations for You Tube. Got any for me?

I had my nose in books for most of the weekend, my happy point. Several of them mentioned songs or specific orchestral pieces that were fun to find on You-tube and one even led to my purchasing a piece on i-Tunes. I can't resist a good classical music piece, but I rely on friends and books to help me with current music, especially trends and groups from outside the US. Thank goodness for the internet - all of you keep me hopping :-)