Paper and Scissors Rock - AllisonMiles's Blog - Victoria Advocate http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/AllisonMiles A look at arts and crafts - how to do them, why we do them and a few general insights by yours truly. A look at arts and crafts - how to do them, why we do them and a few general insights by yours truly. en-us Some New Year's trivia. It'll make you that much smarter in '09. http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/AllisonMiles/9878 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/AllisonMiles/9878 <p>I really couldn't tell you what it is that I find so mesmerizing about that sparkling, lighted ball dropping in Times Square to signify the start of the new year. I mean, really. If you think about it, it's just a pretty light display.</p> <p>But for whatever reason, that's where you'll find my TV stopped every year. I did some digging online today and found a few &quot;did you know&quot; type facts about the event. For instance, according to the <a href="http://www.timessquarenyc.org/nye/nye_history.html">Times Square Alliance Web site</a> ...</p> <p><em>*The First Times Square New Year's celebration was in 1904, the year the city got its first subway.</em> </p> <p><em>*T</em><a href="http://www.timessquarenyc.org/nye/nye_ball.html"><em>he glowing, colorful ball</em></a><em> is a 12 -foot sphere, weighs 11,875 pounds and is covered in 2,668 Waterford crystals.</em> </p> <p><em>*The ball they use now isn't the original. They've gone through a few of them in the hundred plus years since the tradition's inception and this one was introduced on Nov. 11.</em> </p> <p><em>*In 1942 and 1943 they retired the ball because of a New York City wartime &quot;dimout.&quot;&nbsp;Crowds still&nbsp;came but, instead of a countdown, welcomed the new year with&nbsp;a minute of silence, followed by chimes from nearby sound trucks.</em>&nbsp;</p> <p>Have any of you ever braved the crowds at Times Square? I'd love to make it out there sometime but I'm not a fan of big crowds. Wal-Mart shopping on Black Friday scares me enough (and with <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-na-trample6-2008dec06,0,163444.story">the death that came this year</a> I see it has reason to.) I'm not sure how I'd hold up. But it seems like a celebration that would be well worth it.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><span class="bodyText" style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"></span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> 10 ... 9 ... 8 ... it's about that time again! http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/AllisonMiles/9871 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/AllisonMiles/9871 <p>Walk into my apartment and you'll find a Nintendo Wii propped at my TV, a bag of chips by the couch and a tall blond hanging out with my dog. Yep, my 14-year-old &quot;little&quot; sister is in town for a visit. (I say &quot;little&quot; because she's six inches taller than me - but nine years younger. Not fair.)</p> <p>And with New Year's Eve just around the corner, it had me thinking of PG-13 ways to celebrate the holiday. We'll have the obligatory sparkling cider (both red and white for our refined pallets) because it was a big hit with her last year. Not so sure we'll go the Silly String route, since I still have some of it stuck&nbsp;to my ceiling from ringing in 2008. But we'll see.</p> <p>I went online to see what other people had come up with and found some pretty cool ideas. </p> <p><a href="http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/special/feature/famf1201parfait_b/famf1201parfait_b.html">This one, for instance, is a recipe for &quot;bubbly Jell-O&quot; that uses sparkling grape juice and ginger ale.</a>&nbsp; Let it gel in a champagne flute and it looks like the real thing. (Seriously, we might be trying that one.)</p> <p><a href="http://jas.familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts?page=CraftDisplay&amp;craftid=10549">These confetti wands hold glitter until the clock strikes midnight. Then you pop the cork and welcome in the new year with a bit of sparkle.</a> (Yeah, I'm not even mentioning this one to the sister.)</p> <p><a href="http://familyfun.go.com/parties/holiday/feature/famf199612_ffnewyear/famf199612_ffnewyear3.html">And here are recipes for kid-friendly cocktails.</a> </p> <p>Anybody out there have any fun New Year's traditions they uphold at home? </p> <p>My best friend's family hands out 12 grapes right before the ball drops and, after midnight, you make&nbsp;one wish for each grape you eat. (Each grape represents a month of the year.) I think you're supposed to eat all of them within the first minute of the new year? I may be wrong. </p> <p>But I'd like to hear what you all do.</p>


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Caption: HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Credit: http://www.veronalibrary.org/Calendars/200812.htm


Title: newyear.jpg
Caption: HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Credit: http://www.veronalibrary.org/Calendars/200812.htm

 newyear.jpg HAPPY NEW YEAR! http://www.veronalibrary.org/Calendars/200812.htm Puppies and pumpkins http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/AllisonMiles/9326 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/AllisonMiles/9326 <p>A pumpkin never comes out the way you expect it to.</p> <p>Well, mine never do, at least.</p> <p>On Saturday some friends and I, along with a whole gang of little girls,&nbsp;decided it was time to carve our jack-o-lanterns.</p> <p>We headed out to the pumpkin patch at about 1 p.m. to pick out our canvases and then hit my friend Dave's house.&nbsp;Dave has a&nbsp;slab in his backyard from, what I'm guessing, is a&nbsp;small building that was torn&nbsp;down. Whatever it&nbsp;used to be, it was perfect for carving pumpkins.&nbsp;</p> <p>We all got to work, carving our masterpieces - although the kids got bored pretty quickly - and it didn't take too long, really.&nbsp;</p> <p>I just sort of went the &quot;wherever the wind takes me&quot; route and ended up with a googly-eyed pumpkin whose eye broke. Not really what I expected, but it could have been worse.</p> <p>About halfway through the carving, though, a tiny puppy bounded through the grass and&nbsp;started laying on people, following kids around and running in that not-quite-stable, adorable way puppies have.</p> <p>Well, turns out the little guy had a big flea problem, so <a href="http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/User/LeslieWilber">Leslie Wilber</a> set&nbsp;to work scrubbing him down. (Which, by the way, he didn't&nbsp;enjoy). Once toweled off,&nbsp;we&nbsp;walked him to different houses, asking who&nbsp;he belonged to. </p> <p>Turns out he doesn't belong to anybody. I think dogs can smell animal lovers because he had three bleeding hearts there who wanted to keep him but just couldn't.</p> <p>So now Leslie has the little guy (who the kiddos wanted to name Mr. Fluffy - and we politely declined) at her house, where he can tumble with her two cats. We're still looking for a home for the puppy - he's really sweet, loves to cuddle and enjoys pumpkin cupcakes (at least he liked the ones Leslie made.) </p> <p>If you want a puppy or know of someone who does, send them this way. Also, if anybody out there has come up with any amazing pumpkin carving ideas this year, share the wealth! </p> <p>&nbsp;</p>


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Caption: Dave and Rebecca set to work on their pumpkins
Credit: AllisonMiles


Title: pic 046.jpg
Caption: Dave and Rebecca set to work on their pumpkins
Credit: AllisonMiles


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Caption: Mine's on the left but the one on the right is my favorite - I love how she used the gourd for the nose!
Credit: AllisonMiles


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Caption: Mine's on the left but the one on the right is my favorite - I love how she used the gourd for the nose!
Credit: AllisonMiles


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Caption: This is the puppy who needs a home. I'm going with the name Jack, although he doesn't officially have any name. If you know of a good home for the little guy, let us know!
Credit: AllisonMiles


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Caption: This is the puppy who needs a home. I'm going with the name Jack, although he doesn't officially have any name. If you know of a good home for the little guy, let us know!
Credit: AllisonMiles

 pic 046.jpg Dave and Rebecca set to work on their pumpkins AllisonMiles pic 058.jpg Mine's on the left but the one on the right is my favorite - I love how she used the gourd for the nose! AllisonMiles pic 061.jpg This is the puppy who needs a home. I'm going with the name Jack, although he doesn't officially have any name. If you know of a good home for the little guy, let us know! AllisonMiles So I need your help ... http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/AllisonMiles/9255 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/AllisonMiles/9255 <p>OK, this blog is going out technically on behalf of my mom. </p> <p>She's working on a Halloween costume for my 13-year-old sister, Sydney, in Laredo. Sydney is one of those girls who isn't satisfied with grabbing a pointy hat and calling herself a witch or chopping up an old sheet for a ghost costume. </p> <p>Nope, not Sydney.</p> <p>About three years back she and my other sister, Mallory, went as a set of salt and pepper shakers. A couple years ago she was a basketball goal and last year? A box of popcorn, complete with yellow and white &quot;popcorn&quot; loofahs.</p> <p>This year she's thrown another curve ball Mom's way and this one's got her stumped. Sydney wants to be a gum ball machine.</p> <p>They've got the base all worked out - my parents have these oddly-shaped dressers that came in a perfect box for a gum ball base. But it's the globe part that has her puzzled.</p> <p>Anybody out there have an idea for what they can use as the clear top of the machine? The best I've come up with is a Hula Hoop attached someway to her head with Nerf balls glued inside of it - but that idea's not so hot. Plus, I think it'd be difficult to keep it on her head.</p> <p>And, I mean, we don't want to suffocate the poor girl. A big plastic globe might bring about disastrous results, you know?</p> <p>I was just hoping we had a genius or two out there that might have an idea up their sleeves. If Mom and Sydney pull this one off, I'll ask them to send a picture for me to post.</p> <p>Thanks for your help!</p>


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Credit: http://www.alibaba.com/catalog/11010366/Plastic_Gumball_Machine.html


Title: Plastic_Gumball_Machine.jpg
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Credit: http://www.alibaba.com/catalog/11010366/Plastic_Gumball_Machine.html

 Plastic_Gumball_Machine.jpg http://www.alibaba.com/catalog/11010366/Plastic_Gumball_Machine.html Let's go to the hop! http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/AllisonMiles/9183 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/AllisonMiles/9183 <p>I've had a couple of blogs in the back of my mind for a while now, but haven't been able to blog for confidentiality reasons.</p> <p>Strictly confidential. Well, not really. My dad just didn't know about it and I didn't want to ruin the surprise.</p> <p>My parents turned 50 within three weeks of each other this year (Mom's birthday is today - HAPPY BIRTHDAY!) and my sisters and I put together a 50s sock hop for them, complete with record player, poodle skirts, milkshakes and Hula Hoops for the kiddos running around. </p> <p>The invitations were really what I wanted to blog about today - arts and crafts project in themselves. I thought they were pretty creative, but then again I'm a little biased.</p> <p>Anyway, here's how it worked:</p> <ul> <li>We purchased blank CDs that look like records from a local electronics store and colored jewel cases to house them. </li> <li>We dug around online to find chart-topping songs from 1958 (&quot;At the Hop,&quot; &quot;Tears on My Pillow,&quot; things like that) and burned them onto the CDs. </li> <li>The cover was a photo we found online of teens at a malt shop with the&nbsp;title &quot;Malt Shop Memories&quot; and a little &quot;as seen on TV!&quot; logo in the corner. </li> <li>Inside the cover went all of the party information, some facts about 1958 - such as the fact that it's the year Elvis went into the Army and first-class postage stamps cost 4 cents. </li> </ul> <p>The end product was a fun invitation and something everybody can keep, whether they came to the party or not. I've gotten some compliments on them and now I've got something to listen to in the car. Not to mention some music we got to play at the party.</p> <p>The whole thing was a lot of fun, as long as you don't count the ride to the shindig where an erratic gesture of my hands sent my Aggie ring into my sister's&nbsp;mouth, breaking her tooth.&nbsp;Yeah, I still feel like a jerk about that one. But I've promised to pay the dental bills. </p> <p>Anyway, let me know what you think.</p>


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 sockhop[1].gif www.hideppa.com Light painting? Count me in. http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/AllisonMiles/9009 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/AllisonMiles/9009 <p>I've always been fascinated with taking pictures. </p> <p>When I was little, after church I'd get all the kids together and we'd play what I called &quot;magazine covers,&quot; where they'd make up a magazine name and then I'd arrange them for what the cover art should be and pretend to take a picture. </p> <p>Once I got a little older, I got my disposable cameras, then upgraded to film cameras (and broke a couple of pretty decent cameras in the process) and eventually moved on to digital. </p> <p>Not that I really know what I'm doing, but I try. </p> <p>Anyway, I was stumbling around on YouTube today and found the video I've attached on here. In the process I got interested in what they called &quot;light painting.&quot; I've tried it myself a little bit but never really gone out of my way to figure out how it works. </p> <p><a href="http://www.diyphotography.net/painting_with_light">According to this&nbsp;Web site,&nbsp;it's fairly simple</a> - well, depending on how much detail and work you want to devote to it. But you're basically moving lights around&nbsp;to form certain patterns&nbsp;or words and the camera is able to pick it up.</p> <p>&nbsp;It seems like&nbsp;most of it has to do with shutter and aperture. </p> <p>My question: can someone explain a little more what shutter and aperture are? </p> <p>I&nbsp;understand the basics regarding shutter speed, but&nbsp;don't get it completely.&nbsp;I come across these terms quite a bit when I'm&nbsp;reading up on photography&nbsp;and&nbsp;really wish I understood more about them!</p> <p>In the meantime I think I'll try my hand at this light painting business. It looks like fun.&nbsp;</p> Obedience Class, Part Deux http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/AllisonMiles/8866 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/AllisonMiles/8866 <p>So the mutt and I have once again signed up for obedience class. &nbsp;Same place, same instructor - heck, even same CLASS - but just a different group of people/dogs this time around.</p> <p>See, Marley just doesn't do well with people. He REALLY doesn't do well. If he knows you, he's great and will do tricks for you and cuddle, etc. But he lunges at strangers, barks obnoxiously and once bit one of my best friends.</p> <p>That's a little scary, especially if I ever want to have friends over to the apartment and not be scared that he'll chew someone's leg off. So we're going to class to get some more socialization going on. </p> <p>The good thing is that, since he already knows the drill, he was amazing in Tuesday's class. Last time he didn't know what was going on and, at one point, just laid down and wouldn't move. This time he was attentive, sat when he was told to and *GASP* was even asked to demonstrate for the class because he was doing so well. </p> <p>Yes, I was quite the proud dog mommy on Tuesday. </p> <p>We'll see how this all goes. I really just want to get him more comfortable around people so I'm not freaking out any time somebody new comes near us. </p> <p>Sure, they say you can't teach an old dog new tricks ... but he's not even two yet. I think there's still time.</p>


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Caption: Marley
Credit: AllisonMiles


Title: marley.jpg
Caption: Marley
Credit: AllisonMiles

 marley.jpg Marley AllisonMiles One - OK, the ONLY - good thing about Ike http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/AllisonMiles/8768 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/AllisonMiles/8768 <p>So it appears Ike might be my first hurricane experience. </p> <p>See, northern girls don't face hurricanes. We see ice storms, blizzards and the possible tornado warning. Snow days were the best.&nbsp;</p> <p>But hurricanes? Not so much.</p> <p>So I think I'm allowed to be a bit apprehensive about the whole process. I've geared up with canned food (looks like I'll be eating Chef Boyardee until I die), cleaning supplies and the whole nine yards. </p> <p>And while my shopping excursions have been less than fun - crowded stores and spending lots of money aren't my cups of tea - people have been really friendly. At the grocery store, for instance, the aisles were crowded but everybody was more than helpful in moving out of the way and voicing their concerns about the storm. </p> <p>The Chef Boyardee cans were on the top shelf in one aisle&nbsp; and shoved to the back,&nbsp;and a tall guy was more than willing to help me out. (I'm 5'2'' ... makes shopping difficult sometimes.)</p> <p>And one woman I spoke with as I perused the canned vegetables was full of useful information once she found out I'd never experienced a hurricane. </p> <p>I know everybody's experiencing the same uncertainty I am right now. Even the&nbsp;veterans don't know where Ike might hit, so it's very much up in the air. Maybe that's what has everybody so willing to help. </p> <p>But you know what? It's nice. Hopefully Ike will leave us alone, though.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> A digital mess http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/AllisonMiles/8525 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/AllisonMiles/8525 <p>You know&nbsp;that whole&nbsp;housecleaning ritual? The dusting and the decluttering and everything else you're supposed to do to avoid looking like a total slob? Yeah, that one.</p> <p>I don't claim to be perfect when it comes to staying neat (Just check my closets if you don't believe me) but I try to stay on top of things. The dirty dishes are usually kept to a minimum and, with the exception of the dog hair you'll constantly find lining my floor (The dog just won't vacuum after himself!) the place looks pretty good.</p> <p>But that's the apartment. Start talking about the computer and it's a whole 'nother story. </p> <p>See, I'm still using the computer I took to college with me - the one that survived falling onto my keyboard with a nauseating crash during my first week at school and got loaded down&nbsp;after I received my digital camera for Christmas one year. </p> <p>It's started running pretty slow lately, so I got in there to see if I could fix anything. I did all the typical computer things - the ones I know, at least - clearing the history, deleting temporary files and even defragmenting the thing. </p> <p>Once I started going through files, though, I discovered what a technological slob I really am. I've got hundreds and hundreds of pictures cluttering my folders that I don't really need - ones where Grandma's head is cut off or the whole thing is shaky.</p> <p>Other pictures are duplicates -&nbsp;one of my folders had doubles of every picture in it. What's up with that?</p> <p>So that's been my most recent project. Clearing out the junk to see if I can salvage the computer. I know it needs to go to a repair place for a tune-up (Is that the right term? I don't even know.) but I figure I should back up the pictures and everything first, just in case. </p> <p>Anybody have any helpful hints out there? I just want the thing to *gasp* work. And it does, sometimes. It's just that, on most days, you're waiting five minutes or so just to load a simple web page.</p> <p>Gosh, where's Merry Maids when you need it?</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>


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Credit: http://www.fi.edu/learn/brain/metals.html


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Credit: http://www.fi.edu/learn/brain/metals.html

 Computer-Trash.jpg http://www.fi.edu/learn/brain/metals.html Where have all the 20-somethings gone...? http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/AllisonMiles/8497 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/AllisonMiles/8497 <p>Arts and crafts stores are almost always teeming with people wandering the aisles, comparing glues and papers, yarns and fabrics, and so on and so forth. </p> <p>But I've noticed a trend. It seems like these stores (which, by the way, I can drop lots of money at if I'm not careful) are mostly full of people at either end of the age spectrum.</p> <p>It's the little kids dashing to the markers and packs of popsicle sticks, while the much older generations mill around throughout the rest of the place. </p> <p>I can't help but notice there are usually very few 20-somethings grabbing up the colored paper, embellishments, etc. And I wonder - am I strange for my age group or do these people just not know what they're missing? </p> <p>I guess we all have our own outlets. Mine are crafty things and writing (go figure). I've got friends who clean for fun - although I never will understand that one - and others run when they're bored or frustrated. </p> <p>I'll chalk this up to just part of my character, but it's definitely something I've taken notice of. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p>