Reflections
Watch Video- Robots Are Becoming More And More Life Like
” Jules is a Conversational Character Robot designed and built by David Hanson. Jules is Ai, made with a light weight material called Frubber™ , which enables his/her face to be mobile and expressive. Jules runs on batteries and was commissioned by the UWE with a statistically perfect androgynous face.
Go to HANSONROBOTICS.COM to learn more” From you tube information
Sorry if this months page takes a long time to load, so many interesting videos to share.
Learning New Information To Share With Others
I have been very busy working on the Mudbox book. I have also pitched a second book all on my graduate studies of 3D digital printing, milling and scanning as it pertains to the traditional art studio. I’ll let you know as soon as the publisher bites. Meanwhile it is on to finishing the Mudbox book and continuing my studies and research. I have found some great videos on a wonderful site called Guerilla CG. I would highly recommend it.
Since I am now working on retopologizing and writing about that huge word. This video was important to me. As you will learn, quads are better than triangles when it comes to sculpting or animating. So I am learning how to take my artwork that is scanned and retopologize it so that I can change it in Mudbox and then print it out. I have an article about the scanning process that should be coming out soon on my Best of Artists and Artisan’s Sculpture column. I’ll be sure to put the link here when it comes out. Now back to research.
I Know It Looks Like I Fell Of The Face Of The Earth
Yes, the posts in my blog have been scarce. I am still here, and have not fallen off the face of the earth. I’m just focusing on getting my chapters into the publisher. That is taking all of my focus and concentration.
Of course I have had other distractions as well.
* Bidding on new sculpting jobs in the studio
* Taking care of jobs in house, or at the foundry
* Visiting with my daughter and new son-in- law, when they came into town
* Taking care of elderly relatives- it seems like that is my other job. Yes, I am at that stage in my life.
* Working on my house, or portions of it that seem to be crying for my attention, and just won’t wait anymore.
But mostly it has been the book. Hopefully this chapter will be out this next week and I’ll be able to see straight. Of course it will be on to the next chapter.
Twitter Answers?
I have been tweeting, which is a very short comments on different things that I post through the day. Most people twitter from their phones, I twitter on my computer. People can subscribe to your twitters. I have no idea exactly who subscribes to my twitters, but right now I assume they are anyone that is interested in sculpting, digital sculpting, art, marketing, and the like. My twitter name is sculptorwriter for my fine art and creategodsword for my gift line. Just incase anyone wants to subscribe.
My tweets appear on my facebook home page as well as on my blogs. Some people actually answer me through my twitter posts, giving me resources or answers to questions. This is really cool, but warning, I have no idea how to answer someone when they respond to my twitter post. But I’m not sure if that is really necessary.
When tweeting about my frustration with accounting and Quick Books I tweeted about wishing my accountant offered help with my Quick Books. there are just some things I don’t know how to figure out. So instead of trying to pose a twitter question on quick books in only 140 characters,( the max when tweeting) I’ll post it here.
QUICK BOOKS QUESTION NUMBER ONE
If I have a vendor- foundry that gives me an estimate on the project. It is awarded to them when I get the job and then I pay them in two installments, but I’m not sure how to set it up. You see right now I have to receive the item in QB before making a payment. That means I have to say ” received bronze newsboy cast” even though it may take up to two months and will have a couple of payments. So what is the best way to set up this vendor and the payments in Quick books?
There you have it. I’ll let you know what others say.
A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words
I thought I would share this with you. As usual maybe you can follow along. This is Mudbox. I am working on my first portrait. Here is mom. Yes, the wonderful woman that is found on our podcast, and is known as “gram”. Anyway, it is a long drawn out process of sculpting in Mudbox but she is coming along.
This is what all my fuss has been about in the last few weeks, needing more RAM, new graphics card. And now to find the one thing that was bugging me may actually be a bug in OS 10.5.7. But, today I can use Mudbox again, and I am thrilled to be able to do so.
Sculpting Tools Are Put Away — Hole In My Roof
We had a somewhat small limb fall from great heights and make a huge hole in our roof. This was a massive bummer. Especially since it was in the back of the building and I don’t get into the shed of the studio to see this sort of thing very often, and so it rained in the shed of the studio.
We did a marvelous job repairing it. Thanks to my dad who used to do roofing and explained in detail the different “tricks.”
I Have My Song Back, And I Am Very Thankful!
It has been since before October of 08 o that my asthma/allergies were under control enough for me to be able to sing an entire Sunday service. Normally I would cough uncontrollably. Today was the day! Even though I could not take my guitar because of the lower back pain I was thrilled to be able to sing, and not just one song. I sang the entire service. My voice is weak from not having sung in a while, but it is still loud. It was not loud before because I was afraid, afraid to breath deep, afraid to sing. In the service we sang “Stand up for Jesus” I stood, even with a sore back, and I sang loud. It is a milestone and I am very thankful this morning for breathing and for putting the song back into my life. It was missed greatly. I have always felt that singing from the back of the church while playing my guitar was a little ministry. I would like to think that my voice traveled and enouraged others to sing.
Looking over this past year I have seen so many times when I would be kept from praising God. Along with the asthma there was a span of time when my wrist was bad and I had to have the brace on. No guitar playing and no singing. I thought I would die! I would sway, and had the irrisistabel urge to learn sign language so I could sing with my hands. It has been a silent 7-8 months. Or quieter. Anyone who knows me knows that is pretty incredible. I talk, and laugh and I am told it is pretty loud. Thank you God for giving me air, hands that work and a voice. I’ll even thank him for the sore back. I know I’ll get better. But until then I am extremely thankful.
Biological Urges- I Just Can’t Stop Her
I just can’t stop her. Sex is on the brain, biology is kicking in. She is aloof, and giving me the cold shoulder just because …. well you know why. I tried to lovingly feed her strawberries, she turned her head and slowly went in the other direction, with something grandeur on her mind.
It is the rain. It aids in giving her that wonder lust.
I’m speaking of course of Tilly. When was it that she wandered off last year? Tilly is the Red Eared Slider ( RES) pond turtle, and my pond companion. I have a strong attachment to her. It broke my heart to see her walk down the side of the house today, and try to push herself between the brick and the wooden gate. Legs just kept going. Of course she could not get out.
Does she not remember last year when she was missing for days and the neighbor found her wedged sideways in her fence. I think she was trying to get back to the pond. Of course that is how she wandered on our property years ago, and found the pond. It is crazy that the lust inside is stronger than what she has here.
I blocked the other holes on the other side of the house between the gate and the dirt. This afternoon I checked, and yes, I tracked a turtle. I was really quite surprised at my ability to do this. And I did so while trying to balance on anything I could to keep from sinking my pristine sneakers into the mud. I could see her shell track, a scrape along the mud and those sharp nails digging in the dirt. She turned a few times at the gate, unable to get through. I worried she might have gotten out, but then…
I did find her, back in the pond and begged her not to leave. My husband wonders if she has eggs, and is driven to have them fertilized? I might try to mulch the area around the pond, just in case, give her something to dig in that is nearby.
She has had babies. Two clutches. I know you are wondering, “how did she do that with no male around?” Apparently according to my research, which I do quite often on these turtles. A can hold sperm up to 3 years one website said 5 years. The first clutch of babies were adorable tiny and bright green. We have to be careful as not to step on them when going back and forth from studio to the house. None of those babies lived. I would suppose they were prey to other things. I fear it is that nasty bullfrog that lives in the pond. I hear him at night, I have seen him several times. I swear he is wearing a leather jacket and has brass knuckles. He is a bully. he too has reproduced and there are baby bullfrogs in the pond. Anyone want a bullfrog tadpole?
One baby actually drowned. It was a dreadful thing fetching it from the water. Who knew turtles could down, but they can.
The only baby that survived is little guy or Toto . Named because I love to say, “Good morning Tilly and Toto too.” He now knows I bring food and swims hard to get to me when I am there. I scream “Dive, dive, it is faster.” As he franticly tries to push past all of the floating plants.
It is comforting to have him there. Actually, I am not sure if it is a “him,” it may be a “her,” I’ll let you know, it is still too early to tell. You can detect male from female by the claws and the tail, and of course by turning them over, but as some of you know who have read my Tilly Tales, I absolutely refuse to invade their privacy by flipping them over. It just is not right!
So Tilly will remain aloof. Pulled by her biological urges. I hope I don’t post that she is missing. I worry so. It is stupid to be attached to a turtle, but as I said we have bonded. She is a pet, but not really she lived probably 6-7 years before finding us, and our pond. Sure we feed her, it is hard not to. Yesterday I found her on the deck outside of the door. She was looking in, so opened the french doors. I have seen her wander right in the house, but this time she looked the other way. Again being strange.
I swore I heard her say last year when she was found and returned to the pond ,
“ If I ever go looking for my heart’s desire again, I won’t look any further than my own backyard,
because if it isn’t there, I never really lost it to begin with.”
But I am afraid Tilly has forgotten what it felt like to be so far from home. Darn those biological urges.
The Wedding Is Over And It Is Back To Work
It took me two entire days to come back to earth after the wedding of my daughter. Mostly because I was in a different mind set being Commander of Wedding Command Center. There were lists and more lists, and “to dos” and very, very long days. Longer than I am used to. But it is over with. I am delighted with my daughter and the event. I have always thought we were close, but the event seems to have drawn us closer. I am thrilled with her as a person. She is of high quality and it shows in our podcast that we do together. And of course, she is my best masterpiece.
2 Days and Counting
The day has been long as I help my daughter with the wedding. A very creative one, but it is a tremendous amount of work. I’m been making wedding cake all day long, while the mother of the groom ran around the city for supplies and helped with other creative endeavors. We are a work horse team. Wedding command central is written on the paper at the entrance to this apartment and a marker board has the list of things we are trying to remember, with other lists everywhere. Thursday is crunch day with rehearsal and rehearsal dinner folowed by a party/shower for my daughter. Fun. I’m exhausted but so happy for her. More later, must do a few more things before closing down for the night.