Death Valley Days

No, that's not me - it's the girl (bombshell)in the Perrier melting ad. I've been without air conditioning or a fan since Tuesday. Deathly hot. Even the cats are seeking cool by lying on the floor - not their usual location which is in my bed. This afternoon the technical expert is coming with a new motor and thermostat. In an attempt to not look like a slob, I started vacuuming. What a stupid idea since the vacuum generates its own heat and my muscle activity is generating even more. So I'll look like the slob I am.
Can't wait till bedtime when I will say "to sleep, perchance to dream...."

Ms Fix It

Well, just when you think you've seen it all... you haven't. En route to an xray for my father, he entered the parking lot and plowed into the ticket dispensing machine thereby knocking off the side view mirror (on the driver's side). The ticket attendent went hysterical. I knew he couldn't drive home without the mirror so repairs were mandatory. Out came my bandaids and dental floss and I managed to suspend the mirror in roughly the correct position using these first aid supplies. To make extra sure it was stable, I made a trip into the pharmacy to buy some adhesive tape and that seemed to keep things from jiggling. Now the mechanic will have to assess the damage to see if it can be repaired or if it requires replacement from the Ford factory. The car situation was far more stressful than the x-ray.

On Friday I received a registered letter from Industry Canada citing that harmful radio waves were being emitted from my apartment on April 22, 2010. In compliance with the law, an inspector would be dispatched to the premises to investigate. EEK! What does this mean....am I suspected of terrorism? Are there extra terrestrials in the neighbourhood? Will I have all my electronic devices confiscated? Will I have to buy an ipad afterall? Have you ever heard of such a thing.

I phoned the number in the letter and thus commenced an interview and the emphasis was on cordless phones and where did they come from. It seems that devices obtained from other countries operate on different radio frequencies which jam the frequencies being used in Canada - probably aircraft are at risk. It turns out that I cleared myself by fessing up to everything and I don't have to worry about a home visit. It's likely one of my neighbours.

An old standby

While taking a break from fabric boxes, I tried to get back to making copper book necklaces. I hauled out my big bottle of liver of sulphur only to discover that the stinky solution had morphed into clear water. Now, how did that happen... I quickly headed downtown to Lacy's to pick up a jar of concentrated l of s which smelled suitably foul and I knew I had a winner. Very strong and requires a delicate touch when oxidizing the pieces of copper unless you want it pitch black.
Tomorrow is east coast rug hooking and yet another project will be in the works.

East Coast Rug Hooking

I nearly forgot about the rug hooking workshop which I signed up for a few months back. I've been waiting for a cancellation in the Saturday class to upgrade my spot from Friday night to Saturday afternoon. Alas, it was not to be. I've done a lot of latch hooking in the past but I gather the traditional method is quite different.
The class is taught by Jennifer Archer whose website is www.hookedbythesea.com and a 'teach yourself' handout can be downloaded here. And the class takes place at The Purple Purl on Queen St.East in Toronto. This is a cozy knitting shop which I discovered while cruising the web. Martha is responsible for alerting all to this class.

Camping In

When you haven't a specific project that requires a blast of heat, you can always toast marshmallows in the kitchen with your blow torch. Tastes just like the real deal from bonfire roasting. Yum yum. I suppose this may be dangerous to do indoors since you can't see the flame. I'm moving to the balcony just in case.

Back to school

Being a great admirer of Nancy's work, I thought I would follow her suit and sign up for Marie Otero's Digital Magic class starting June 14th. This will be a big challenge for me since I'm no good at photo editing and seem to be a big fan of the 'quick fix' method. But it's high time I learned how to do things especially since I now have PSE 8 on board. To find out more about the class, click on the sidebar image.

And lured by Martha's achievements, I've signed up for Tosca Teran's class in metal and glass at her nanopod hybrid studio(www.nanopod.tv/nano_classes.html).This class starts on June 22 and I can't wait. The class is maximum 5 students and NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY is emphasized. How perfect is that! Below is the studio's storefront. Quite gorgeous.