worst smelling thing I've put in my mouth, ever...

I am a huge fan of Orbit "mint mojito" flavor gum. It is pure tastiness. So while at the check out counter at Harmon (how do they do it?) I spied this new flavor. Spurred on by fond memories of Fruitstripe gum, I decided to give it a whirl. As a matter of fact, I was so committed to trying this newness, that I even paid for it with cash, after my initial debit card purchase (the associate had forgotten to ring it up, maybe it was a subtle hint?). I throw my bag onto the front seat, and start getting ready to move on to my next errand, seat belt, check, windows and sunroof in proper positions, check. Ooh, let me pop a piece of sweet, chewy goodness into my gullet. As I am unwrapping it, I start to look around my car for whatever smells like butter buds. Ever try butter buds in a moment of low-fat diet inspired weakness? Dehydrate and concentrate movie theatre "butter", and then expose it to nuclear waste, that is approximately how bad butter buds are. In fact, they taste so bad, I refuse to acknowledge their trademark with capital letters. Well anyway, I get this gum fully unwrapped before I realize the stench is coming from the pack of gum, and it is the stench of butter buds mixed with a bulging can of Delmonte fruit cocktail, and it has enveloped my entire car with this cloying, foul, cloud of funk. So, instead of tossing the whole $1.16 out the window at high speed, I pop a piece into my mouth. Envision Juicy Fruit infused with rancid I Can't Believe Its Not Butter, but then that stops, and it tastes kind of good, but then if you open your mouth while chewing, you smell the butter buds again.

I've kept it. I need confirmation of this phenomenon. Watch out Mer, while we are shopping for duds for Hud today, I am going to ambush you with the gum from hell.

P.S. I received my soldering equipment yesterday, and guess what, the forecast for this entire weekend is rain. Rain with more rain, with showers and thunderstorms thrown in for good measure. Its like buying new boots, and a heat spell that last for a week. My charcoal block and flux are taunting me from across the room...

caps for viking chain

Well, it took an entire morning of trial and error, but I figured out how I wanted to cap off the ends of the viking knit chain I made. I had a really good time, trying different things. I tried cutting wedges out of disks of copper, and then trying to fold the copper into a lampshade shape, but that wasn't feasible. I couldn't get the seams to meet evenly so I could solder it together. I finally soldered a small copper disk into the end of a piece of tubing, and drilled a small hole through the end. I know I could have just ordered some cones from my supplier, and called it a day, but I really want to be able to say that I make all my components myself. I did add a small purchased daisy spacer bead at the top to add a little flair. I don't think I will be making spacer beads any time soon (I am obsessive but not quite to that extreme, yet).
My sister, Abbi, had picked me up some very interesting beads before she left California. This is one that I wrapped, but didn't know what to hang it from. That mystery has been solved, but I have to tear it apart because I realized after I had wrapped it, that the fine wire I was using was copper colored, not actually copper, and therefore won't antique like the rest of the wire used. It is hard to tell from the picture, but the wire that has been woven around, is much brighter than the rest of the wire after I antiqued it.
My obsessive personality does not allow me to fully enjoy this pendant because of the wire situation, nor will it allow me to sell it, because it is made from some kind of mystery wire, and that shit does not fly with me. So, I'll redo it, and be happy. I have to say, I really enjoy making the chain. It is very soothing work that does not require full attention. THis makes it the perfect busy work to do while watching TV. It also keeps me from compulsively picking at my cuticles. I am experimenting with the number of "columns" (for lack of the technical term), increasing them from four to five, and also with doubling the stitch to create a more dense stitch. After I figure out how much they cost me to make, I can decide if I will try to sell them, or if they will just be for special (you know who you are).
Sunday, we went to the Gants-Bengals game. I have never wished for a cloud like I did that day. Holy cow, the sun was so strong, and I could not escape it. I taught our friend Sue the term "swamp-ass", which we realized was not a true description of what we had, because sweat was pooling in places. Thus, for this occasion, "lake-ass" was born. By the way, this picture is the NFL endorsed salt'n'pepper shakers that Sue found for Scotto in her travels. Sue can find Giants paraphanalia like no one else. In her previous home, her husband had a Giants themed bathroom. It was quite a sight to behold. Apparently last year during Superbowl, she awed and impressed her neighbors with the quantity 0f G-men shit that she hauled out of her seemingly normal home.

Well, I think that is all for now. Make it a wonderful day.

copper viking knit chain

I decided to teach myself how to make viking knit chain. Mine looks a little different than the examples in all the tutorials I looked at, but I think it turned out pretty cool.
After you loop all your wire together, very much how you do with those knitting bobbin thingies you see at craft storres, you draw it through progressively smaller holes until it looks
like
this.

Now I have to make caps to finish off the end which are quite ugly. I will show you what I do with it after I figure that out.
I ordered the remaining things I need in order to solder silver. I have been practicing on copper, and I think I need to just do it, before it gets too cold outside, since I don't have an indoor set up that will whisk away the toxic fumes.
Here's Majeicka the other day, while I was trying to put these two treats on her feet. She would let them get this close.
I even got one treat, on one foot, but two were just too much for her noggin' to withstand.

Yet, she would let me two treats on her noggin'. I had to shake my noggin', not understanding how hers works.