The People's Republic of Fub
The People's Republic of Fub |
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| Nov. 20th, 2009 @ 11:15 pm More fabric madness | |||
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Current Mood:
So I sent a mail to Hoffman Fabrics suggesting to them that they should make a cross-reference chart/page to show which fabrics are in which collection. I actually got a reply, which contained only a single line. It directed me to a webshop that had more information on their products than they have themselves on their website. Both that fact and the reply itself does not make me feel Hoffman Fabrics has it's shit together. At all. disappointedAnyway, with some browsing I found this page that shows a bit more of the fabrics we've ordered. I think the E-numbers are the designs, and the words are names for the colors that are used -- but none that I've tried (I gave up after two) can be found on Hoffman's own site. The sites and the information on them are all of a breathtakingly low quality. Dissapointing. |
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| Nov. 20th, 2009 @ 08:36 pm Finished series: Yozakura Quartet | |||
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Current Mood:
We've finished watching Yozakura Quartet. My first episode is here. okayThere's this city in Japan where youkai (supernatural creatures) and humans peacefully co-exist. The city is surrounded by the trunks of seven enormous cherry trees -- the wall between the youkai and human world is thin here. It all works out quite nicely, but sometimes evil youkai appear to stir up trouble. It then befalls to Akina, the last in the line of a family of 'tuners' to send the youkai over to their own world. Akina is the nominal head of the 'Hiizumi Life Counseling Office', and he is assisted by three girls: Hime, a dragon-girl and mayor of the town, Ao, a mind-reading psychic and Kotoha, who can conjure up objects by talking about them. The four of them are the Yozakura Quartet -- but there's many more creatures that help them out when the going gets tough. It has all the signs of a 'monster of the week'-series. Coupled with the dynamic of one guy (who is relatively weak) having to work with three girls with their own personalities and powers, the whole concept could get very old very quickly. Luckily, that does not happen. Before boredom sets in, the Grand Plot kicks in! ( And it's pretty damatic... ) Even though it has all the trappings of a harem anime, it never gets to that mushy stage. The females are all quite independant, and there's a lot of intrapersonal character development. Even thought the series is only one season, you have a good feel for the characters by the mid-point -- the characters develop through the plot, which is a nice change of pace as opposed to the customary "character of the week"-approach that is taken in some other series. On the other hand, there is a large supporting cast that does not get all the attention they deserve... Visually, the series is done in a very appealing style. Designs are attractive, but not too moe. The digital effects deserve a special mention too. Good points: - Interesting premise; - Good plot; - Lots of character development through the plot. Bad points: - Supporting cast too large for a series of this size. All in all, a good mid-class anime with a nice mix of action and drama. I'll give it a 7.5. |
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| Nov. 20th, 2009 @ 03:39 pm Finished series: Amatsuki | |||
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Current Mood:
We've finished watching Amatsuki. My first episode review is here. crankyHigh-school student Tokidoki failed his history exam, and to prepare for the re-sit, he has to join an excursion to an exhibition hall that uses VR goggles to recreate life in the Edo period. Tokidoki wanders off and gets attacked by a demon of some sort. At first he thinks it's a neat VR trick, but when he loses his glasses and the sight in his left eye, the demon is still there! During the attack, Tokidoki is transported to the past! He finds himself in some sort of mythical Edo period, where magic, spirits and gods are very real. Tokidoki teams up with his classmate Kon, a hot-head who got transported during a demon attack as well -- he has lost all sensation in his right arm, but that does not stop him from getting in all sorts of fights. There is also Kuchiha, a girl who is a master swordfighter. She is possessed by a dog spirit, so everyone shuns her. This merry band of misfits gets involved in demon hunting, prompted by the priest of the temple where they're staying. It turns out that three demons are trying to break free from the Net of Heaven, where everything has already been pre-ordained. And to do that, they need to manipulate someone to become the new head god of the world of Amatsuki -- but that can only be someone who has not been 'caught' in the Net. And sure enough: Tokidoki fits the bill! Because he was born in another world, his destiny wasn't foreseen, and so he is suited to become something outside of the system. But of course, his demon hunting friends have a certain opinion about the nefarious plans of the demonic trio, and some high priestesses with magical powers get involved. Also, there's some youkai that have a grudge against humans who are more than happy to support the demons, so it all comes down to a large confrontation at the end! If I had one word to describe this series, my choice would be 'bland'. The story, while full of potential, is so-so. The characters are all quite flat, and the main character is a total dweeb. Couple that to mediocre animation and second-grade voice acting, and you have something that's quite forgettable. The series is more than a year old, and still the list of episodes on Wikipedia hasn't been completed -- everyone seems to think it's a forgettable series. As for good and bad points, there aren't many. There's nothing really toe-curling bad, but there are no moments where it shines either. Mediocre, bland and forgettable. I'll give it a 5. |
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| Nov. 20th, 2009 @ 09:58 am (no subject) | |||
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Happy birthday,  festive![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} velveteencat! |
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| Nov. 19th, 2009 @ 08:48 pm Quilting Fabric packs... | |||
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Current Mood:
OK, so quilting fabric can be bought by the yard -- but often you need less of it than that. So you can get all sorts of assortments in varying sizes with creative names like 'fat quarters', 'jelly rolls' and 'bali pops'. Saves you money and a lot of time cutting the fabric in the right sizes. grumpyMost assortments seem to be assembled by the fabric designer, with all fabrics of a single collection present in the assortment. Collections have names like 'Civil War Homefront', 'Old Primrose Inn' and 'Lakeside Resort'. However, it seems to be completely impossible to see the fabrics that are in a collection. For our quilt, we decided on the Butterscotch collection, in Bali Pop format. And while the page contains a photo of what's in there, you can't get a detailed view beyond a general idea of the colors involved. But there are pages with detailed photos of the fabrics themselves. There is just no way to cross-reference them. I'm new to the whole patchwork/quilt thing, but surely I am not the only one who thinks that is breathtakingly stupid? |
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| Nov. 18th, 2009 @ 08:55 pm Memage | |||
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Current Mood:
 groggyluna_puella asked me these questions:1) What kind of music do you like, apart from anime soundtracks? I don't really listen to a lot of anime soundtracks these days, actually. And ingiechan's computer is connected to the speakerset, so she is in charge of the music... Most of our music collection has grown over mutual agreement, but there is one large segment that I like and she doesn't like as much: Cocteau Twins.For the rest we're listening to a lot of melodious stuff like Kings of Convenience, Turin Breaks and Pat Metheny. 2) I see you have yet another hobby! Why bookbinding? Because I want to make things. I like to work with paper, and making books is a pretty cool skill to have. I know someone who gives/gave workshops on the subject, so it was an easy step. 3) And quilting is coming up: why that one? Does it bother you that it's typically considered a hobby for women? gertvr and xaviar_nl got a new dinner table, and gertvr made a quilt to decorate it. I liked the look of it a lot. So when we decided to get a new dinner table ourselves, I pitched the idea to ingiechan to make our own. Making something to decorate your home yourself, how cool is that?No, I am not at all bothered by having so-called 'feminine' hobbies. It's not stopping me from doing what I want to do. In general, I really like making things. I like holding something in my hands that would not have been if I had not made it. That goes for the (future) quilt, but also for books, stamps, papercuttings, etcetera. 4) What's your favourite part about being married to ingiechan?ingiechan.5) What place in the world would you still like to visit? Hokkaido. |
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| Nov. 18th, 2009 @ 10:56 am Little adventurer | |||
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Current Mood: amused
This little adventurer came by to look at the mess on my desk. |
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| Nov. 17th, 2009 @ 09:15 pm New hobby... | |||
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Current Mood:
 coldgertvr had suggested that I would like doing papercuts. Working on a millimeter with sharp tools is certainly a skill I picked up from cutting stamps, and the barriers to entry are quite low. All you need is a pen knife (a few euros at a hobby shop), a cutting mat (which we already had) and some (colored) paper.I searched around for some good sources of designs and found a few that I liked. I then print those out on the colored paper and cut them out along the lines... Not much to it! ( Images behind the cut ) There was another design that I did, that got stolen by ingiechan to use in her art journal. |
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| Nov. 17th, 2009 @ 08:48 pm The finished product | |||
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 accomplished The papercut design glued to the front cover. Note that the color of the waxed linen thread is about the same as the color of the paper of the design. |
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| Nov. 16th, 2009 @ 10:05 pm Finished series: Clannad | |||
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Current Mood:
We've finished watching Clannad. My first episode review is here. tiredThe series is based on a 'visual novel' by Key -- which we know from Kanon and Air. And sure enough: Clannad has the same 'look and feel' of those other two series. Sure enough: there are lots of bishoujo with big hair (including 'antenna'), slow music with lots of violins, and many heartbreaking moments involving cute girls with Dark Secrets. Because, this being Key, everyone has to be as fucked up as possible! Central character is Tomoya, who is a completely unmotivated guy. Of course, this is due to some bad thing happening between him and his father in the past, and now they don't get along anymore. Tomoya stays out all night, hanging out with his friend Youhei -- who is also skipping school and doing whatever he pleases. Tomoya's life changes when he meets Nagisa, who has missed one year of school due to illness and has to re-do her third year of highschool. This makes her one year older than the rest of the cast, a fact that she sometimes uses to get her way. Despite himself, Tomoya has a rather large saviour-complex, which is how he gets involved with Nagisa and some of her friends. There are several 'arcs' in the story. The overall story is about Nagisa's wish to revide the defunct acting club -- she needs several members and a teacher as the advisor before the student council will authorise re-instating the club. All through the series, this is a recurring theme, and the drive for more members is the plot device under which Tomoya meets all the other girls. At the start, Tomoya visits Nagisa's home. Her parents run a bakery and her family life is everything his own isn't. He finally feels at home somewhere, and so he starts to hang out with Nagisa both at school and at her home. ( There are four arcs ) It's really very Key. Pretty girls, a male protagonist and lots of angst and drama. You know I love this stuff, and if you do too, Clannad certainly will deliver. Technically, the series is very good. The voice acting is superb, though there are some annoying squeaky voices here and there. Visually, the series is just as good as any of the other series based on the work by Key. There's the very distinct flavour of character design we've come to expect from Key, but this time it's pretty spruced up with nice backgrounds and some carefully chosen CGI. Still, I liked Air slightly better than this one, because it has that all-too-common high school setting. Good points: - Visually appealing; - More moments of heartwrenching romance. Bad points: - There's not a 'normal' kid in sight: everyone is fucked up in varying degrees; - Complete moe-fest, and it knows it. All in all, I enjoyed watching this. I'll give it a 7. |
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| Nov. 14th, 2009 @ 06:10 pm Hai, dekimashita! | |||
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Current Mood: accomplished
My self-made book. I'm going to glue the papercut pattern on the frontcover. The inner cover will have the same color as the papercut.  |
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| Nov. 14th, 2009 @ 02:05 pm Learning a new skill | |||
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Current Mood: creative
Learning bookbinding with the Koptic stitching technique from ishtar together with ingiechan. |
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| Nov. 13th, 2009 @ 10:28 pm Etching prints | |||
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Current Mood:
My graphics course is running it's course. I started out with a line etching -- the concept was a Daruma doll. I made one print of that, which I sent to accomplishedgertvr.Next up was learning how to use aquatint, which allows one to create greyscale in an etch. I thought it would be nice to put the doll in a 'dry garden', and show the lines in the sand with greytones. Last Wednesday I did a bit of a production run with the result. ( Three prints ) I also cut a stamp for the face (with empty eye sockets, of course). Maybe I'll put that one in later, maybe not. |
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| Nov. 13th, 2009 @ 09:28 pm Calculator apps made real | |||
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Current Mood:
Pretty cool idea: a physical calculator that looks like the software equivalent. okaySadly no Gnome calculator -- but I guess all the different themes and window managers are hard to implement. ;) |
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| Nov. 12th, 2009 @ 12:05 pm Going back home | |||
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Current Mood: okay
Travelling back from a visit to a client with a colleague. He is reviewingsome documents, I am playing with my phone.  |
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| Nov. 12th, 2009 @ 06:40 am (no subject) | |||
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Happy birthday, festiveanemoona! |
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| Nov. 9th, 2009 @ 08:33 pm Homemade peanut butter | |||
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 hungry Powdered peanuts (unsalted). Our blender made short work of 'em. Then they went into another bowl with two shots of walnut oil to make homemade peanut butter! It'll be the base for the satay sauce for tomorrow. |
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| Nov. 7th, 2009 @ 11:02 pm New icons | |||
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Current Mood:
I'm on a roll -- I've made six icons this evening. One you have already seen. Instead of spamming your friends-list with five posts, I'll simply show them ( behind the cut ) accomplished |
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| Nov. 7th, 2009 @ 09:06 pm New icon | |||
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Recently, I've been watching anime with a small notebook next to me. When I see something that would make a cool icon, I make a note of the episode and the rough time it occurs. Today, this one came by, and I couldn't resist. :) bouncy |
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| Nov. 7th, 2009 @ 07:59 pm Spam! | |||
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Current Mood:
I guess we can consider FlikTikFix a success because the spambots think its Google pagerank is high enough to spam the comment system... accomplished and annoyed( Evidence under the cut ) I'm thinking some really stupid type of extra input will put an end to it -- I'll have to experiment a bit. |
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