Been a bit quiet of late. Some of that is that I've been busy getting things done, and some of it is that I'm simply becoming quieter. My opinion does not need to be given on every issue that comes my way, especially since I'm not completely informed on many of them. Unfortunately, since sketches are usually my opinion on things, that does mean I've done less drawing lately. It's not gone, though, no worries there.
Anyway, as things are slowing down with the season change, thought I'd catch up here. In no particular order, here are things that I've worked on recently:
Sewing: Halloween outfit (Slytherin student from Hogwarts, and apparently this was the most people who've ever dressed up for Halloween at work), and work pants.
Exercise: Still doing boot camp two nights a week, and running twice a week at home. The Kenpo Karate class is on break until December; I'm enjoying that quite a bit.
Gardening: As always, some successes and some failures. Carrots, peanuts (harvested on time this year), grapes, blueberries, tomatoes, potatoes, raspberries, beans, peas, pumpkins, leafy greens, and bok choi, all did at least reasonably well if not great. The soybeans were iffy, however, all the melons failed, the strawberries were transplanted too late and didn't produce well, the eggplants struggled, and the peppers were meh. The squashes tried their best before dying horribly, but for once, I was able to keep rosemary and lavender alive!
I've pared down my home garden and plans for next year considerably, in order to only plant what I'll eat, and avoid overloading myself in the growing season. (That's actually been an overarching theme this year in all aspects of life). Anyhow, my gentleman and I put up the greenhouse under the back stairs this weekend, and all the plant and garden stuff is safely stored under there, ready for next spring. I have a small side project of putting a vent fan in, so my gentleman can smoke there in cold weather without it all staying trapped in the greenhouse and leaking back inside. That's waiting on glue to dry and a trip to the store for longer screws.
Languages: Still keeping up on Russian and French, and slowly working my way through the Japanese writing systems. Definitely not in a rush here; things will progress over time.
Thermoplastics: I haven't decided if this counts as a fifth hobby, or if it should be lumped with sewing as "cosplay," but I am slowly working on a Lady Thor outfit for next year's convention season. Partly because I like dressing up, but I think mostly because I enjoy making things. My first attempt with Worbla progressed fairly well through the design, cutting, shaping, and assembling process (not without several lessons learned), and now I'm waiting on warmish, windless days to paint and finish it. I did make a brief attempt at making Mjolnir (Thor's hammer) out of EVA foam, but I ran into some problems with the pattern and scrapped it. Still, learned some more lessons to make next time better, and yes, there will definitely be a next time.
Anyway, as things are slowing down with the season change, thought I'd catch up here. In no particular order, here are things that I've worked on recently:
Sewing: Halloween outfit (Slytherin student from Hogwarts, and apparently this was the most people who've ever dressed up for Halloween at work), and work pants.
Exercise: Still doing boot camp two nights a week, and running twice a week at home. The Kenpo Karate class is on break until December; I'm enjoying that quite a bit.
Gardening: As always, some successes and some failures. Carrots, peanuts (harvested on time this year), grapes, blueberries, tomatoes, potatoes, raspberries, beans, peas, pumpkins, leafy greens, and bok choi, all did at least reasonably well if not great. The soybeans were iffy, however, all the melons failed, the strawberries were transplanted too late and didn't produce well, the eggplants struggled, and the peppers were meh. The squashes tried their best before dying horribly, but for once, I was able to keep rosemary and lavender alive!
Out-of focus grapes! The pumpkin grew through the tomato cages...
Raspberries Peanut pegs!
I've pared down my home garden and plans for next year considerably, in order to only plant what I'll eat, and avoid overloading myself in the growing season. (That's actually been an overarching theme this year in all aspects of life). Anyhow, my gentleman and I put up the greenhouse under the back stairs this weekend, and all the plant and garden stuff is safely stored under there, ready for next spring. I have a small side project of putting a vent fan in, so my gentleman can smoke there in cold weather without it all staying trapped in the greenhouse and leaking back inside. That's waiting on glue to dry and a trip to the store for longer screws.
Languages: Still keeping up on Russian and French, and slowly working my way through the Japanese writing systems. Definitely not in a rush here; things will progress over time.
Thermoplastics: I haven't decided if this counts as a fifth hobby, or if it should be lumped with sewing as "cosplay," but I am slowly working on a Lady Thor outfit for next year's convention season. Partly because I like dressing up, but I think mostly because I enjoy making things. My first attempt with Worbla progressed fairly well through the design, cutting, shaping, and assembling process (not without several lessons learned), and now I'm waiting on warmish, windless days to paint and finish it. I did make a brief attempt at making Mjolnir (Thor's hammer) out of EVA foam, but I ran into some problems with the pattern and scrapped it. Still, learned some more lessons to make next time better, and yes, there will definitely be a next time.
Create mold/ pattern:
Create the base: 
Create the second layer:
Create the third layer:
Seal it with glue:
Spray paint test, interior:
That's what I've been up to. What does the winter hold? Keeping on with sewing and thermoplastics, for serious and cosplay outfits. Planning a trip abroad for this coming year. Keeping on with the languages, for sure, and staying in shape through the cold months. Can't play Lady Thor is you don't have muscles, eh?
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