Haphazard Miscellany – November 2024

DIY Edition

 

There are some seriously creative and talented folks out there. A lot of the things I come across are truly interesting and neat and I know that NEVER in a million years will I EVER do those things. But I still like to look at them…

 

We’re heading toward that time of year when Christmas ideas are cropping up. I think this tree made from driftwood is awesome! I would love something that sturdy that I could drape all the lights and bead garlands and know that it would hold up. And I would have a lighted star fish for the top. 

 

 

This faux fireplace is a great idea for a small house, dorm room, etc. Yes, it looks kinda cheesy, but who cares? It’s Christmas! At the end of the season you could pry off the tiles and use them the following year. And no ashes to clean up!

 

 

Other than the fact that this looks like it was made from giant popsicle sticks/tongue depressors, I like this design. Simple and classy. At least I think so. You could make several in different colors for the different seasons. 

 

 

I’ve seen a lot of cute ideas using shredders, and I like these. I don’t think I’d ever do the earring one, but I could see making the wind chimes with old silverware. And the rustier the shredder is, the better. I’d probably add some pipes or something that would make an actual sound. 

 

 

FUNNY AS HECK!! But not in MY house! Huge points for creativity though. 

 

 

This one I absolutely love and I know that Paul would’ve enjoyed making some of these. I truly wish I’d seen this when Lia was little and we could’ve played with these in the little pool. 

 

 

 

Quarantine Habits That Are Still Good Ideas

 

A LOT of harm came out of quarantine. Harm that many will never overcome. BUT there were some good points that are still worthy of continuing. Such as:

 

Avoiding large crowds, and people in general

Yes. People in general suck. It’s ALWAYS a good idea to stay away from people in general.

 

Comfy bras only (or not wearing one at all in the house)

At my time of life, all I’m looking for is comfort. I’m not trying to impress anyone.

 

Wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands

One of the best ideas before, during and after quarantine! Seriously, wash your hands!

 

Wear a mask outside if it’s smoky or generally a bad air day

Yes, people may mock you, but it’s MY lungs I’m taking care of. I rejoiced when the ‘no smoking’ went into effect in buildings, restaurants and planes.

 

Saying no to social engagements I don’t want to attend

Self-explanatory. And yes, I DO need to bathe the cat, alphabetize my spice rack, take inventory of the plastic containers and match them up with lids…so busy…

 

Day drinking

Oops…forgot about that one…not a good idea…

 

Learning new recipes

There were so many great recipe ideas that came out of this. The simpler, the better.

 

Lego sets for grown-ups!!!

I know, this became a thing some time ago, but it appeared to really come to the front during quarantine. I love Legos, just hate the prices! Insane! I would have loved the Stranger Things set.

 

Do you have any more ideas/requirements from that time that you’d like to see continued!

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Random Thought:

You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him swim. That's seahorse territory. Land horses aren't allowed in per the ancient pact…

 

Digital Rabbit Holes

 

I LOVE going down rabbit holes on the Internet. I can spend hours going from one place/subject to the next, usually via Wikipedia. I will start with something random, say, learning about the origin of propeller beanies and end up with websites that have directions for making computer slime to clean your keyboard. And if you look back, you can see the chain link of steps that led from a simple beanie to computer slime. There was a game show that I absolutely loved call Chain Reaction. They’d start with a word, maybe Puppy and 10 steps later end with the word Apple Pie. The contestants would try to come up with the words that would eventually link the first word to the last. I’ve used this device to write poetry and stories. I will write a later blog about how to do this.

 

The latest trip down the rabbit hole started with Saturday Night Fever. I had only seen bits and pieces of the movie over the years, but did watch the entire sequel, Staying Alive. The main reason I started there was I was trying to remember the name of the girl who had unrequited love for Tony. I knew she’d done a short-lived sitcom, but couldn’t remember the name of it.

 

The actress was Donna Pescow and the sitcom was Angie. Debralee Scott played the younger sister. I remembered her from Sons and Daughters, a drama show I really liked, but it was canceled after only 9 episodes. It took place in the mid ‘50s. In one episode, Debralee’s character had a job at a drive-in and wore roller skates, which I thought was cool.

 

I tried to find out when roller skating carhops first started, but didn’t come up with anything. However the sitcom Happy Days was mentioned, so I had to look up the lyrics for that song. Loved that show.

 

Since I was still in the ‘50s I suddenly remembered the final M*A*S*H episode where Charles Winchester is trying to teach the Chinese POWs a piece of classical music. It was Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet. Beautiful piece. That episode had so many heartbreaking moments in it.

 

Classical music led me to the Suzuki method of learning to play musical instruments. Both Sarah and Paul learned piano with this method. Sarah could memorize pieces so quickly she never really learned to read music that well. Paul had more interest, but when he tried to continue learning in a class at the junior college, he kept getting interrupted by his military reserve obligations. So he quit. I had a pretty strict piano teacher and took lessons for 10 years. I am excellent at reading music and can do a cold sight-reading piece fairly well at first, but have to really struggle to actually LEARN the piece.

 

So there ya go. From a movie to learn the name of an obscure actress to the Suzuki piano method. Fun, huh?

 

Random thought:

Octopuses, octopi, and octopus are all accepted plural spellings for octopus.
Also, stop eating them.