Potpourri

Today's post is a little bit of this and a little bit of that. To begin - today is class registration day for Bead & Button Show in Milwaukee in June. I'll try to register for four classes - Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. I'll arrive on Sunday and leave the following Sunday. My friend Shruti just Emailed her schedule and she'll be there a day earlier than I, although it looks like we can check out at the same time. (Ellynn, I'm using your calendar for all of these dates - it's so wonderful!). The classes are expensive but DH said he'd help out a bit and I don't have to pay for them immediately. If I get what I want, I'll be taking two different enameling classes and two different metals classes. Shruti will be doing glassworking - it's her 'thing' and she does it well :-) I think what I'm most excited about is seeing my good friend again. We don't get to see each other often, Dehli, India isn't exactly close to Minnesota - LOL.

The entire thing is made from cast bronze, even the horses. 

This is at 1/4 scale, and still totally amazing!

I wanted to show two of the larger items that were at the Terracotta Warriors exhibit. These were in the general exhibit areas of the museum and photography was allowed. They are both replicas, but so amazing. First is a covered wagon in 1/4 size that would be the equivalent to a hearse today. The Emperor's body would have been transported to his tomb in one of these (full sized, of course). The real item doesn't leave China and it weighs a LOT because it is solid bronze.

The armor would have been hardened leather plates sewn together, so it 

offered some protection, but not a lot against a crossbow or lance.

I loved how the crossbow is mounted. You can just see the quiver 

with the arrows standing inside next to the driver and right near the 

crossbow. The lance is on the other side and the sword is a short 

sword - think "Sting" not "Glamdring".

The second vehicle is a chariot. According to the information card, this soldier would be at the head of a column. He was armed with a sword, a spear, and a crossbow with arrows. I loved the way that the bow was mounted to the outside of the chariot itself, within easy grasp. He, apparently, was the first target (can someone say "No job security"?). More pics tomorrow, but one more thing today...

Happy 71st birthday to Stephen Hawking. The renowned physicist has always celebrated the fact that he was born exactly 300 years to the day after Galileo's death. He was diagnosed with ALS while attending Oxford for his PhD. After fighting depression he focused on his research and found happiness. He has been chasing what he calls his Grand Unified Theory, or a Theory of Everything. Asked in a recent interview what he thinks about most in a day, Hawking responded: "Women. They are a complete mystery." Somehow that gives me hope :-)