Finally all done! Piecing, quilting, binding, everything. Since it's going into the Azkatraz Art Gallery and also into the auction, I thought I'd show a better picture and share a little bit about how it was made.

The Hogwarts House Crest Fabric came from a couple of different places. I received some of the fabric from here_be_dragons a few years back - they were originally curtains in her guest room. Since the whole idea of quilting came from the idea of using every single scrap of fabric available, I didn't think it a bad thing to recycle/reuse. Don't worry, they've been washed! ;) The rest of the Crest fabric I purchased off of eBay in small batches. Everything else came from my own personal stash of fabric. I bought about 1 yard of various blues to use, since I was lacking the correct shades, but the rest of the colors I had various sized pieces.

The blocks are a variation of the traditional Log Cabin pattern, except with a half-square triangle of the Crest fabric. The blocks were paper-pieced, and the sashing cut from a solid blue fabric that also serves as the binding. The quilt's backing is the Crest fabric, and I used 100% cotton Warm and Natural batting. It's quilted in a "stitch-in-the-ditch" pattern, simple squares. The quilt is sofa-sized, 64 inches by 48 inches.

( Clicky for pictures of finished product )I'm making a quilt stand out of PVC pipe using these directions, something that's new to me. I've already smashed my thumb while buying the supplies, so hopefully I'll have better luck when I bring out the hacksaw tomorrow to cut the pieces to length, heh.

( Books Read )
40. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
41. Counting Heads by David Marusek (loved this, very surreal, Blade-Runner-ish scifi)

In Progress:
1. A Distant Mirror by Barbara Tuchman (got left at work for the summer, whoops)
2. Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
3. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austin and Seth Grahame-Smith (omg, total crack!)

Planned summer reading:
1. The Last Queen by C. W. Gortener
2. Sarah's Daughter by Ruth Bass
3. Vanishing Point by Mary Sharratt
4. Push Not the River by James Conroyd Martin
5. Katherine by Anya Seton
6. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
7. Made in the U.S.A. by Billie Letts
8. Mind Over Ship by David Marusek

In other, home-related news, we now have one of three ceiling fans installed upstairs. I'm laying on my bed, enjoying the breeze. Our handyman is an old family friend, he's known me since I was 9. Only problem is that he's extremely chatty, and he's driving us all nuts. He'll come back when the other two fans arrive to hook up the girls' bedrooms. I think I'm going to make it a point to have lots and lots of errands to run while he works, heh.

Whee, school's out! Time for lots and lots of reading.

( Books read )
36. Abigail Adams: An American Woman by Charles W. Akers
37. Three Cups of Tea by by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
38. A House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisnernos
39. Island of Dr. Moreau by H. G. Wells

I did manage to cross off one of my IP books, but I also added to it:

In Progress:
1. A Distant Mirror by Barbara Tuchman (got left at work for the summer, whoops)
2. Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
3. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
4. Counting Heads by David Marusek

On deck, a whole bunch of historical fiction:
1. The Last Queen by C. W. Gortener
2. Sarah's Daughter by Ruth Bass
3. Vanishing Point by Mary Sharratt
4. Push Not the River by James Conroyd Martin
5. Katherine by Anya Seton

I got in a bit of a rut the past month, and slowed way down, but I've been stocking up on books for the summer.
1. Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind (J's wanting to discuss the entire series, since he read them last year)
2. Castle of Wizardry by David Eddings (reread)
3. Stone of Tears by Terry Goodkind
4. Enchanter's End Game by David Eddings (reread)
5. Temple of the Winds by Terry Goodkind
6. The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell
7. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
8. The Choice by Nicholas Sparks
9. Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir
10. Million Little Pieces by Jonathan Frey
11. Guardians of the West by David Eddings (reread)
12. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
13. Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
14. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (reread)
15. Guenevere, Queen of the Summer Country by Rosalind Miles
16. King of the Murgos by David Eddings (reread)
17. Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond
18. The Giver by Lois Lowry (reread)
19. The Road by Cormac McCarthy
20. The Progressive Revolution by Mike Lux
21. Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
22. The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
23. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (reread)
24. Messenger by Lois Lowry
25. Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon (reread)
26. Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
27. Voyager by Diana Gabaldon (reread)
28. Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates
29. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling (reread)
30. The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan
31. The Darcy Connection by Elizabeth Aston
32. City of Glory by Beverly Swerling
33. Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon (reread)
34. The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon (reread)
35. A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon (reread)
36. Abigail Adams: An American Woman by Charles W. Akers
37. Three Cups of Tea by by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin

And just like last month, I've made no headway on the In Progess list whatsoever.

In Progress:
1. A Distant Mirror by Barbara Tuchman
2. A House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisnernos
3. Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes

On Deck:
1. The Last Queen by C. W. Gortener

Well, it looks like our 6-year old printer is on its last legs, so that means it's time for a new one.

I want to get rid of our old scanner as well, so I think a 2-in-1 would be the best best. I don't think I care about color, although that's nice to have. An automatic feeder for scanning/copying would be ideal too.

Any recs? What kind of printer do you have? Do you like it?

Anybody go? How was it? I'd love to hear the nitty-gritty details.

I've had my absentee ballots for today's special election for at least three weeks, but I still haven't filled them out. I am really torn on how to vote on the various propositions, for many reasons.

1. The California Legislature is seriously dysfunctional. The 2/3rds majority vote for budget measures has made things worse. (Ironic how a simple majority was sufficient to deprive people of their civil rights, but to spend anything needs a super-majority.)

2. I really see the need for this special election rising out of that dysfunction. The Legislative isn't willing to compromise one single bit, so they've pawned the decision off to the voters.

3. I see voters being woefully uneducated about the true cost of providing services. You get what you pay for, folks, and you've been paying almost jackshit for many years now.

4. No matter what the outcome of the election (and they're not likely to pass), there are likely to be another round of cuts next year, almost as bad as this year's round.

I'm definitely in the minority out here in California - I think we don't pay near enough taxes. It simply comes down to you get what you pay for, people just don't get that. Or even worse, they don't care. Living in Orange County, I've seen so many anti-tax bumper stickers around here. It really disturbs me that people care so little about their community.

I'm going to vote yes on all of the Propositions, but I'm resentful that it has come to this point.

I've been slowing waaaay down the past month or so.

( Finished )

And I've made no headway on the In Progess list whatsoever.

In Progress:
1. A Distant Mirror by Barbara Tuchman
2. A House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisnernos (this is buried in my car, need to actually dig it out)
3. Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes

This year Azkatraz will be hosting the Convict Theater Vid Show, a special event featuring vidders in the Harry Potter fandom. The show will be presented twice during the convention: once Sunday during breakfast and again Monday afternoon at ZEUM in the theater. Submissions for the show are due July 1, 2009 and must comply with the rules set forth below.

Rules for the Convict Theater
1. Vids must be Harry Potter themed
2. Vids must be 1-6 minutes in length
3. Encoded using a codec in the Combined Community Codec Pack
4. Resolution must be 720 X 480
5. Encoded at 5500-6500 kpbs bitrate
6. Vids shown on Monday must be R-rated or under, but the vids with ratings above PG-15 will not be shown during breakfast on Sunday

How to Submit a Vid
Please email submissions to vids@hp2009.org including...
1. Your vidder name
2. Vid title
3. Vid rating
4. A link to your vid using MegaUpload, SendSpace or another similar service
5. Any other comments or clarifications about your vid

Please note that you do not have to attend the conference to submit a vid. Your vid does also not have to be "new" or specially made for the conference. As long as it's Harry Potter, we wanna see it!

Finished:
1. Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind (J's wanting to discuss the entire series, since he read them last year)
2. Castle of Wizardry by David Eddings (reread)
3. Stone of Tears by Terry Goodkind
4. Enchanter's End Game by David Eddings (reread)
5. Temple of the Winds by Terry Goodkind
6. The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell
7. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
8. The Choice by Nicholas Sparks
9. Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir
10. Million Little Pieces by Jonathan Frey
11. Guardians of the West by David Eddings (reread)
12. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
13. Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
14. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (reread)
15. Guenevere, Queen of the Summer Country by Rosalind Miles
16. King of the Murgos by David Eddings (reread)
17. Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond
18. The Giver by Lois Lowry (reread)
19. The Road by Cormac McCarthy
20. The Progressive Revolution by Mike Lux
21. Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
22. The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
23. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (reread)
24. Messenger by Lois Lowry
25. Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon (reread)
26. Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
27. Voyager by Diana Gabaldon (reread)
28. Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates
29. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling (reread)

In Progress:
1. A Distant Mirror by Barbara Tuchman
2. A House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisnernos (this is buried in my car, need to actually dig it out)
3. Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
4. The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan

Finished:
1. Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind (J's wanting to discuss the entire series, since he read them last year)
2. Castle of Wizardry by David Eddings (reread)
3. Stone of Tears by Terry Goodkind
4. Enchanter's End Game by David Eddings (reread)
5. Temple of the Winds by Terry Goodkind
6. The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell
7. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
8. The Choice by Nicholas Sparks
9. Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir
10. Million Little Pieces by Jonathan Frey
11. Guardians of the West by David Eddings (reread)
12. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
13. Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
14. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (reread)
15. Guenevere, Queen of the Summer Country by Rosalind Miles
16. King of the Murgos by David Eddings (reread)
17. Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond
18. The Giver by Lois Lowry (reread)
19. The Road by Cormac McCarthy
20. The Progressive Revolution by Mike Lux
21. Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
22. The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
23. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (reread)
24. Messenger by Lois Lowry
25. Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon (reread)
26. Devil in the White City by Erik Larson This was absolutely fascinating! I had a hard time putting it down. Chicago World's Fair & Psychopathic killer ftw!
27. Voyager by Diana Gabaldon (reread)

In Progress:
1. A Distant Mirror by Barbara Tuchman
2. A House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisnernos
3. HP & the Order of the Phoenix by JKR (reread)
4. Revolutionary Road

Hmm, I'm getting a little scattered on the in-progress books I think. Need to finish OOP so I can pass it along the reading/commenting chain we have going.

We're looking for a few good t-shirt designs for the Official AZKATRAZ T-Shirt, as well as the Volunteer Team shirt and the Security Squad shirt - and we're hoping you can help!

We're looking for art that is no larger than 8.5 x 11" in finished digital form, or 300 dpi, and you can submit art for the front, back and one or both sleeves, or any portion thereof, and the artwork and text must be rated PG-13 or lower. If your submission is for a screen-printed design, please keep it to three or fewer colours, but if your submission is for a transfer, you can use as many colours as you wish.

Artwork should include the following elements: the word "AZKATRAZ", the event's dates (July 17 - 21, 2009), and an image or imagery that evokes San Francisco, such as Alcatraz Island or the Golden Gate Bridge, the 60s rock poster style, hills, cable cars, hippies, etc. Any characters included in the art should not be identified by name; we strongly encourage using generic magical creatures and characters if you wish to incorporate personages.

Get creative!

Submissions will be accepted until noon, US Eastern Daylight Time, on April 15, 2009.

The creator of each winning designs will win a gift certificate for the Keynote Breakfast or Lunch of his or her choice at either Azkatraz or Infinitus.

Directions on how to enter located here

Finished:
1. Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind (J's wanting to discuss the entire series, since he read them last year)
2. Castle of Wizardry by David Eddings (reread)
3. Stone of Tears by Terry Goodkind
4. Enchanter's End Game by David Eddings (reread)
5. Temple of the Winds by Terry Goodkind
6. The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell
7. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
8. The Choice by Nicholas Sparks
9. Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir
10. Million Little Pieces by Jonathan Frey
11. Guardians of the West by David Eddings (reread)
12. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
13. Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
14. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (reread)
15. Guenevere, Queen of the Summer Country by Rosalind Miles
16. King of the Murgos by David Eddings (reread)
17. Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond
18. The Giver by Lois Lowry (reread)
19. The Road by Cormac McCarthy
20. The Progressive Revolution by Mike Lux

In Progress:
1. A Distant Mirror by Barbara Tuchman
2. A House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisnernos
3. HP & the Order of the Phoenix by JKR (reread)

Finished:
1. Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind (J's wanting to discuss the entire series, since he read them last year)
2. Castle of Wizardry by David Eddings (reread)
3. Stone of Tears by Terry Goodkind
4. Enchanter's End Game by David Eddings (reread)
5. Temple of the Winds by Terry Goodkind
6. The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell
7. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
8. The Choice by Nicholas Sparks
9. Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir
10. Million Little Pieces by Jonathan Frey
11. Guardians of the West by David Eddings (reread)
12. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
13. Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
14. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (reread)
15. Guenevere, Queen of the Summer Country by Rosalind Miles
16. King of the Murgos by David Eddings (reread)

In Progress:
1. Soul of Fire by Terry Goodkind
2. Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond

Two quick reads to add this time, although I'm still struggling to find something to tackle next. Nothing is really striking my fancy right now, but it could be because I'm mentally tired after a stressful week.

Finished:
1. Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind (J's wanting to discuss the entire series, since he read them last year)
2. Castle of Wizardry by David Eddings (reread)
3. Stone of Tears by Terry Goodkind
4. Enchanter's End Game by David Eddings (reread)
5. Temple of the Winds by Terry Goodkind
6. The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell
7. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
8. The Choice by Nicholas Sparks
9. Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir
10. Million Little Pieces by Jonathan Frey
11. Guardians of the West by David Eddings (reread)
12. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
13. Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry

In Progress:
1. Guenevere, Queen of the Summer Country by Rosalind Miles
2. Soul of Fire by Terry Goodkind
3. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (reread)

Finished:
1. Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind (J's wanting to discuss the entire series, since he read them last year)
2. Castle of Wizardry by David Eddings (reread)
3. Stone of Tears by Terry Goodkind
4. Enchanter's End Game by David Eddings (reread)
5. Temple of the Winds by Terry Goodkind
6. The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell
7. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
8. The Choice by Nicholas Sparks
9. Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir
10. Million Little Pieces by Jonathan Frey
11. Guardians of the West by David Eddings (reread)

In Progress:
1. Guenevere, Queen of the Summer Country by Rosalind Miles
2. Soul of Fire by Terry Goodkind


And, for you procrastinators out there - you've got until tomorrow to submit your proposal for Azkatraz. I managed to get my roundtable proposal on Fandom Parenting in last week. What did you submit? If your answer is "nothing", then you still have one more day to get it in there!

I've slowed down my pace a little, more out of a lack of focus rather than for any other reason. I'm keeping one book for new reading, one book for rereading in the bathtub, and one book for reading while I eat lunch at work. I need to pick another new one to start - I'm debating between the next Terry Goodkind book in the Sword of Truth series or one by George Martin (can't remember the name of the book).

Finished:
1. Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind (J's wanting to discuss the entire series, since he read them last year)
2. Castle of Wizardry by David Eddings (reread)
3. Stone of Tears by Terry Goodkind
4. Enchanter's End Game by David Eddings (reread)
5. Temple of the Winds by Terry Goodkind
6. The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell
7. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
8. The Choice by Nicholas Sparks
9. Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir

In Progress:
1. Guenevere, Queen of the Summer Country by Rosalind Miles
2. Million Little Pieces by Jonathan Frey
3. Guardians of the West by David Eddings (reread)

I decided at the beginning of the year that every Monday night would be experiment night for dinner. My first try flopped, last week's was a great success, and this week's was a lukewarm performance. I should consider it a victory, since everyone ate their food without complaint, and I really enjoyed it, but I suppose it's too much to ask that I get shown some appreciation.

So, what did I make?

Caesar Salad with homemade croutons and You Won't Be Single For Long Vodka Cream Pasta.

( Pictures! )

I want to be laaaaazy and watch TV all day. Our winter heat wave is over, and it was a grey 72 yesterday. Today it's supposed to be in the 60s and we're supposed to have some rain over the next few days. The heat was a nice break from the chill of the last week of December, but I'm ready for some (what passes in California for) winter weather. Maybe I'll even break out the socks again.

Gacked from gwendolyngrace:


Raw evil score: 40%

I actually thought the secret was out before the meme, since chickadilly kindly points out that I'm evil at least 3 times a week.

Hmm, I guess I should go to work now.