ow ow Ow Ow OW OW OWWW
Jan. 20th, 2015 02:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kv0925Also this weekend I got stung by a paper wasp, which was actually somewhat amusing. Well, not at the time.
The back yard had become a jungle, which deters the dog from doing her business in out-of-the-way spots, so it was due for a mow. I got out the lawn mower and cranked it up, and grabbed the push handle to get going.
And then it was like a slow-motion mental dialog. My brain was like, "Okay, sensors report something odd with the left hand, a sort of prickle. No wait, that's starting to actually hurt. Yes, yes, that definitely hurts. And it's getting worse. What the hell? OW CHECK THE HAND CHECK THE HAND!"
So I let go and open my hand to take a look, and there's the wasp just sitting there in the middle of my palm. I may or may not have screamed like a little girl. It must have been on the handle when I grabbed on, of course, but there was no sign of the beginnings of a nest or anything. Just one of those things. I did the ice thing to numb it, and some vinegar to try to neutralize the venom, and it didn't hurt for long--but now it itches! Stupid wasps. I appreciate their role in the ecosystem, truly I do. But I still kill 'em dead when they build a nest too close for comfort!
Oh, and I never showed off last weekend's project (not that it took all that long): my Wall of Strings!
I had two racks on two sections of wall, and after last weekend's Great Furniture Rearrangement I decided I'd like to combine those into a single wall (until the collection expands, anyway) with a staggered pair of racks. I think it came out pretty well, though the blonde acoustic is by far the biggest of the bunch and sorta crowds the others. So if and when I do get the new electric I've been eyeing, I think I will find a new home for that acoustic.
Which reminds me, I don't think I mentioned the Great Furniture Rearrangement, either! We consider moving furniture around to be one of our main hobbies--it's fun to try new setups! Since we'd decided to get rid of our grand piano, that got me to thinking about what concurrent changes we could make. So I suggested bringing my desk and whatnot back into the great room--I'd been sharing the girls' school/craft room over by the kitchen, and somehow their toys and stuff always made it onto my desk and under my chair, and I was a bit tired of it. Plus mine is the PC that connects to my musical gear if and when I ever get back into writing and recording tunes, so it makes sense that it should be in the great room (which is really our music room, or at least that's my notion). Heather was not a fan of the idea--at least, not until I told her we could move the huge filing cabinet full of LEGO into the schoolroom, and that could be the LEGO room instead of always having LEGO all over the coffee table and floor in the great room. That got her on board pretty quickly. :) So I did the moves, and so far I like it.
Speaking of things happening quickly, since the idea of the move made it important to clear out the piano asap, Heather posted it on Facebook for her musical friends. And almost immediately, our neighbors down the street expressed interest. It's the lady who's been giving Hermione piano lessons for the past few years now, and apparently she's always wanted to have a grand piano, so her daughter went to her father like, "Can we do this for Mom?!" We didn't think to offer it to them because we didn't figure they had room in their house, and because she was familiar with our piano's issues, having started Hermione's lessons using it (nothing major, mind you, just a couple missing hammers and strings, and a few keys that don't work perfectly). But they did have the room and she didn't care about anything but getting the piano. We were quite pleased to see it go to someone we know and like, and the idea of only having to move it halfway down the street was appealing too, so they enlisted some helpers and came to get it that very evening. Kinda sad to see it go, but it was really just taking up space that can be better used--and let's face it, I was probably never going to give it the time and money it needed.
So now the music room is home to the digital piano, my guitars, the girls' violins, my PC/DAW and mixing board and whatnot, Heather's flute and French horn, and random bits of percussion. I think next we need the electronic drum set. Then I want that electric guitar I've been drooling over, and maybe then I can add mandolin, banjo, and dobro. Ooh, and some nice congas and bongos. Let's do this!
The back yard had become a jungle, which deters the dog from doing her business in out-of-the-way spots, so it was due for a mow. I got out the lawn mower and cranked it up, and grabbed the push handle to get going.
And then it was like a slow-motion mental dialog. My brain was like, "Okay, sensors report something odd with the left hand, a sort of prickle. No wait, that's starting to actually hurt. Yes, yes, that definitely hurts. And it's getting worse. What the hell? OW CHECK THE HAND CHECK THE HAND!"
So I let go and open my hand to take a look, and there's the wasp just sitting there in the middle of my palm. I may or may not have screamed like a little girl. It must have been on the handle when I grabbed on, of course, but there was no sign of the beginnings of a nest or anything. Just one of those things. I did the ice thing to numb it, and some vinegar to try to neutralize the venom, and it didn't hurt for long--but now it itches! Stupid wasps. I appreciate their role in the ecosystem, truly I do. But I still kill 'em dead when they build a nest too close for comfort!
Oh, and I never showed off last weekend's project (not that it took all that long): my Wall of Strings!
I had two racks on two sections of wall, and after last weekend's Great Furniture Rearrangement I decided I'd like to combine those into a single wall (until the collection expands, anyway) with a staggered pair of racks. I think it came out pretty well, though the blonde acoustic is by far the biggest of the bunch and sorta crowds the others. So if and when I do get the new electric I've been eyeing, I think I will find a new home for that acoustic.
Which reminds me, I don't think I mentioned the Great Furniture Rearrangement, either! We consider moving furniture around to be one of our main hobbies--it's fun to try new setups! Since we'd decided to get rid of our grand piano, that got me to thinking about what concurrent changes we could make. So I suggested bringing my desk and whatnot back into the great room--I'd been sharing the girls' school/craft room over by the kitchen, and somehow their toys and stuff always made it onto my desk and under my chair, and I was a bit tired of it. Plus mine is the PC that connects to my musical gear if and when I ever get back into writing and recording tunes, so it makes sense that it should be in the great room (which is really our music room, or at least that's my notion). Heather was not a fan of the idea--at least, not until I told her we could move the huge filing cabinet full of LEGO into the schoolroom, and that could be the LEGO room instead of always having LEGO all over the coffee table and floor in the great room. That got her on board pretty quickly. :) So I did the moves, and so far I like it.
Speaking of things happening quickly, since the idea of the move made it important to clear out the piano asap, Heather posted it on Facebook for her musical friends. And almost immediately, our neighbors down the street expressed interest. It's the lady who's been giving Hermione piano lessons for the past few years now, and apparently she's always wanted to have a grand piano, so her daughter went to her father like, "Can we do this for Mom?!" We didn't think to offer it to them because we didn't figure they had room in their house, and because she was familiar with our piano's issues, having started Hermione's lessons using it (nothing major, mind you, just a couple missing hammers and strings, and a few keys that don't work perfectly). But they did have the room and she didn't care about anything but getting the piano. We were quite pleased to see it go to someone we know and like, and the idea of only having to move it halfway down the street was appealing too, so they enlisted some helpers and came to get it that very evening. Kinda sad to see it go, but it was really just taking up space that can be better used--and let's face it, I was probably never going to give it the time and money it needed.
So now the music room is home to the digital piano, my guitars, the girls' violins, my PC/DAW and mixing board and whatnot, Heather's flute and French horn, and random bits of percussion. I think next we need the electronic drum set. Then I want that electric guitar I've been drooling over, and maybe then I can add mandolin, banjo, and dobro. Ooh, and some nice congas and bongos. Let's do this!
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Date: 2015-01-21 06:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-01-21 12:01 pm (UTC)Definitely get a guitar! If you need suggestions on getting started cheaply, let me know. :) Of course lessons are the best way to learn to play correctly and improve quickly, but I'm self-taught myself so it can definitely be done. All you really need is to learn a handful of chords and you can fake your way through decades of pop and country music. :) It's really a great instrument because it's so portable and adaptable, and if you can sing you're a ready-made solo act. I'm no great singer, but my goal this year is to learn maybe 6 or 8 songs that I can play and sing, just so I have a little set to bring out in the right circumstances. :)