My kitten is hilarious…

Busta striking a pose2 

i mean, can you believe this pose????  He was lying there sleeping in the sunlight just like that and when i called him he kinda rolled his head to side and gave me that look…

Busta striking a pose

…and then he just stretched back out and dozed off again. In the wild, i believe this pose is known to predators as “Eat me”.

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 This pose is known as “Eat me…” too.  “…with ketchup”.

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I wish you could have seen the contortions that preceded this photo: he was stretched out on his back napping (right in the middle of the way, as usual), when he saw his own tail twitch.  So of course he had to chase it.  But how do you bite the other end of your body when you’re lying on your back…?  By kinda spinning in circles like this.  (yes, he did catch that darned tail!)

Busta in a normal cat pose

And finally, here he is pretending to be a normal cat… rather than the dog that deep down he truly thinks he is.  The Teenager calls this pose a “kitten loaf”.

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Got a package. Wanna open it with me?

box 

Since i only torch part time, I don’t get to order glass supplies very often.  But when i do it’s soooooooo exciting when the package finally arrives – almost like Christmas!

Now this particular box is four, yes FOUR months late in arriving (don’t ask) so my emotions are a bit mixed: on one hand i’m like a kid in a candy store cuz i just LOVE getting new glass stuff but at the same time i’m extremely ticked that it took this long to arrive.  aaahh well, time to move on.  (sigh)

Let’s open this sucker up!

Open box

oooo… styrofoam, exciting stuff that.  i’ve got a garbage bag full of these bits in the basement cuz i can’t bring myself to throw them out.  reduce, reuse, recycle, right? (or am i kidding myself?)

Dots, dots, dots book

I didn’t order this, the supplier sent it as an apology for being so late with the shipment.  What do you think, should i accept the apology?  (And i wonder how they knew my dots suck?)

alabastro rods

Look at those rods.  Aren’t they scrumptious?  i keep stroking them, they’re so delicious i almost want to lick them.  my imagination is going wild thinking of all the cool things i’ll do with them… They’re a special type of Italian glass called alabastro – supposed to give a translucent effect similar to alabaster.  (duh?) Sounds fantastic doesn’t it? 

reaming bits & cubic zirconias

some longer bead reamers (yay!) and square cubic zirconias.cubic zirconias

I can’t wait to try these.  the trick is to embed them in the glass without causing the bead to crack – sorta like a faux diamond.  sparkly glass and diamonds.  can a girl ask for more? 

  Corina Spotlights

These Corina Spotlights are classic technique booklets in the lampworking community. I’ve heard great things about them and after a quick run through i’m quite impressed at how much information is stuffed in those few pages.  I hope she starts making them again…

silver wire

30 gauge fine silver wire. crap. i forgot i’d purchased these and ordered a pile from somewhere else last month.

stringer control dvd

Haven’t watched this dvd yet, but lots of people recommend it on the forums.  You’ll be able to judge for yourselves over the next few weeks if it really does help me improve my stringer control…

alabastro rods side view

just another gratuitous alabastro rod shot.  side view this time, just cuz i love them so much.  i tell ya, completely, utterly, deliciously lickable…

Contemporary Lampworking

This is a highly recommended, two-volume collection of probably everything i’ll ever need to know about lampworking.  I quickly scanned through both volumes and there’s such great info it’ll be a while before i get fully through them.

black nebula frit

one last thing…some boutique silver glass frit.  cuz really i can’t justify paying $100/lb for glass rods (yet).  If i can get this to do its magic, maybe then i’ll reconsider…

gratuitous kitten shot

and just cuz i can, a random kitten shot.  That’s my kitty Busta.  He’s just so cute – dumb as post and worst hygiene of any cat i have ever owned but still so darned adorable i can’t help but love him to death.

Random thoughts: Christmas memories

Christmas tree 2007

1. I admit it, I have HUGE Christmas tree issues.  I love Christmas.  And once i have my tree up, decorated and the house smelling like fresh pine, i just never want to take it down…

I’m embarassed to admit how long i’ve actually kept my trees up over the past several years – let’s just say they’re usually extra crispy by the time i finally drag ’em out to the curb… I’ve decided this year, it’s coming down early (at least for me, probably normal for other people) so tomorrow i’m dragging out all the boxes and packing all the ornaments away.  Siiiigggh, the process always makes me kinda sad and so reflective….

girls xmas morning

2. Santa, babies & the kitten:  We had a 2year old and 4year old with us for Christmas morning.  I’d almost forgotten the sweet innocence and simple excitement of that tender age…

teenage ninja mutant rudolph

3. Teenage mutant ninja… Rudolph?  The Teenager hamming it up for the camera.  Not so sweet, not so innocent but pretty darned funny.

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4. Yummy, yummy, yummy:  Boxing Day dinner was salmon in filo with a scallop and shrimp cream sauce, made from scratch, by li’l old me.  Decadent and delicious.  Sorry, i only remembered to take the picture after dinner. 

crazy kitten

5. Silk & kittens don’t mix:  My sister asked me why i hadn’t put up the nice curtains in the living room for the holiday season.  I think this pic pretty much answers her question…

Testing the new camera’s macro

The picture files are HUGE but so far i’m impressed with the detail in close up shots.   I’ll retake my bead pics this weekend and see how things go… I may finally be able to upload a mini gallery!

 My kitten Busta:

my kitten Busta 

The top of a pack of gum:

macro shot of a pack of gum