Autumn Zebra

I have spent a MILLION YEARS in the last day trying to work out how this works and finally, with the help of this almost identical picture and set of instructions, I have it. Simple really. If only they'd put a single word on their diagram indicating which side of the fabric we are looking at, it would have been a lot simpler. We're looking at it from the back/inside, ok people? In the second picture on the second link we've turned it around and we're now looking at it from the outside of the garment. With this enormous revelation, I can now go on and learn about the other types of plackets and methods of attaching fastenings, which were equally incomprehensible before. The links both go to pages on VintageSewing.info which has reproductions of sewing books from 1890 to the 1950s, including stuff on millinery and glove-making, so should be very useful - providing one can work out what it's trying to say.

I cooked an artichoke today. Unfortunately it was too old, so most of it was inedible. Stupid supermarket. They often sell things that are not really fit for sale. In some cases however, with exotic things, I suspect it is because no one has a clue what they are supposed to be like. Sometimes the staff cannot even identify them when you get to the checkout But otherwise the artichoke was good - the edible bits were nice and I understand it now so if I find more I can get them and try them. I have concluded, from my dissection of it, that it is a giant thistle head. Well, not actually a thistle I guess, but the same type of plant. Pretty cool. I am eager to get more. This is my new obsession. Today we went to the Asian food shop (like a small supermarket/large dairy) near my work. Why did I not go there before?! I love Asian food shops because they smell yummy and are filled with exciting things. I am wondering if there are any cooking classes in Asian food at the high schools that do e...

It's amazing how many of the low reviews for books on Amazon could be rewritten up as follows: This book contained exactly what one would expect from the title, cover illustration, description and other reviews. I wanted and was expecting something entirely different and so bought this book for no apparent reason. If I'd researched this book at all before buying it I wouldn't have this problem, but since I didn't I'm giving it a bad review for not miraculously changing it's contents to suit my needs. Still, if you live in the USA, the books and postage are pretty cheap so you can probably afford to buy them entirely on a whim. I tend to only look to buy books I've seen elsewhere and are generally well-recommended, so they seldom tend to have any bad reviews that are actually valid.

One of the best things about working with computers all day is the exciting things that happen ALL THE TIME, as fellow computer users will surely know. For the last 2 weeks, every day I arrive at work and my computer complains that it has an IP address conflict with another computer on the network, even though this is, in fact, impossible. Sometimes my network and internet access will work fine - despite the "issue" - and sometimes it won't. At least once a day, Windows Explorer will suddenly crash. Explorer is the thing that you view files and navigate folders in and as well it makes the start bar happen and probably many other things. In previous versions of windows at least, it was also tied to IE, the web browser, so a crash in one could take down the other. What am I doing when Explorer crashes? Oh, something like changing from one folder to another usually. Nothing particularly interesting or intensive. When it restarts, it restores maybe about half of the little ic...

At work, there is a gap created by someone moving away an empty desk for use elsewhere in the office. I suggested that we put a pit there and keep dragons in it; some one else said they would prefer a couch. pfft.

The sun is so bright here, when it's out, that the world looks like a badly taken over-exposed photograph. Things end up looking whiter then they are supposed to be or reflecting pure white instead of their colours. Details are washed out in the glare. Things end up looking stark and strangely lacking in true colour. The sunlit parts of this picture are more-or-less what I mean, taken in Oamaru, but doesn't convey the proper brightness. I don't have another photo of the effect because it tends to look ugly, and the sun is not yet at it's worst for today so there is no point in taking one right now. Some people like sunny weather, but along with making me feel exhausted, it also hurts my eyes and even in moderate brightness I have to look straight down at the ground - which ends up hurting my back and neck after a while - and I generally am still squinting or have one eye shut and it still hurts. This includes if I'm wearing a brimmed hat, as simply looking at things...