Mini Breakfast Sandwiches, snow, and blocking

I'm finally jumping in and posting something.  Patrick has done a great job keeping you updated with the happenings around here.

This past weekend began with a new breakfast experiment, little sourdough biscuit breakfast sandwiches!  These were a roll out and cut type of biscuit as opposed to the quick drop biscuits he normally makes.  They were definitely good!  I kept eating the biscuits with butter and honey!

We had a little bit of snow on Friday night/Saturday morning, but were not expecting our front yard to look like a bean bag had exploded!  It has been a rather mild winter.  I understand there was snow over Christmas, but as we were in California, we missed it.

In January Patrick posted some strange looking wood pieces that he made for me (See 

What did he do this time...)  Now to add some more strangeness, I used them this past weekend to block a shawl I finished in January.  As is is a triangular shawl, I only ended up using two - although I was prepared to put the 4 together and use string for the angle.  It all worked out well, and the shawl was blocked and dry within 24 hours!

Patrick did keep asking why we had a hang glider in the house.  While it was a bit cumbersome, as I was trying to get the two lengths to stay at a nice angle, this was definitely easier than flat blocking - and I didn't have to clear off the table (which is currently piled with various other project components.)

Writing is coming along, slowly.  Thanks to Patrick and his amazing statistical support, I think my prospectus took a good turn and has settled into the use of a MANCOVA (don't worry if you don't know what that is.  All that really matters is that I'm comparing 6 groups across six measures to see if there are any differences, while controlling for the effects of 3 other things.  Not that that is much clearer.)

Next week you will hopefully get to see some of the pictures of the project that Patrick has in process.  It has really turned out pretty amazing - if I don't say so myself.

Apparently...

Ok, so, two Sundays ago I broke one of my rules and actually agreed to do the spiritual thought for ward council this coming Sunday. Last Sunday they decide to put a rotation system in place for the spiritual thought in Bishopric meeting, resulting in me giving the spiritual thought for that meeting next Sunday (That's two meetings and two thoughts...).  They also specifically ask me to help with the Friends of Scouting drive this Thursday. I also got word on some developments for my clerks office that I've been waiting for...

Then, while innocently taking an afternoon nap, I get a call from the bishop asking Lisa and I to speak in sacrament meeting next Sunday...

... so apparently it is all about me ;) (well, and sometimes Lisa :-) )

In other news... Friday was the much dreaded 'change the tumbler day' in Goblin Town (yes, for those of you who haven't heard that's what I named the basement portion of the workshop (anyone having a problem with it can take it up with the goblins...))

And...

This happened... (we are looking at the white circle around the center)

 That is actually polish compound that managed to sneak around the inner rubber lining, the inner metal lid, the steel washer and the nut to make a nice ring around the outside. Never seen this before with my tumbler. So I wonder what happened.

 I pull the rig apart and...

It was gas! Almost every set of instructions for tumbling rocks mentions burping the tumbler occasionally, this is actually the first time I've ever really needed to.

On analysis it could have been much worse (I've heard stories of lids blowing off), but I do have to do some forensic rockhounding and figure out what happened.

...so apparently even in the workshop things can get a little bit gassy :(


In other other news...

Lisa's dissertation is continuing. We're waiting to hear about a conference in Washington State. And, Lisa's article that was published has been cited in other published works!!! (kinda major it means her work is being recognized professionally (but I'll encourage her to write about that next week))

... So apparently I need to step up my game and start cranking out the books!

I'm really working on that last one... this last week I was so wrapped up in writing/rewriting the climax for this novella I'm working on that not only did I loose track of time but they sent a manager out to check on me... (Well that's what I get for writing at Carl's Jr... (On the other hand... hey, free refills on diet Dr Pepper (... so apparently my writing is motivated/fueled by soda pop (is any one surprised? (no, seriously is anyone really surprised by that one?))))).

Well, apparently that's it for this week! Hopefully Lisa  gets to write next week, and I'll be back in two with a whole new box of dots and parentheses :-)