Brain Gym

I returned this book sooner than desired. I wanted to pare down my load for the move. Choice made: No books from the Laburar. I can get them after I'm settled in the new place. I can resume when I'm over there. In the Modi Bode. Ah Hum.


The simplicity of the exercises are deceiving. And the fact that it's geared toward kids is too. This has much to do with crossing the mid-line which unifies both hemispheres of the brain. This is good for anyone at any age.

Oh. I just discovered that there's a second book at the Laburar. It might be the book, but the teacher's edition. It is newer, too.

Brain Gym by Paul Dennison - 616.85 DEN

"The companion guide to the Brain Gym book, for parents, educators, and all others interested in the relationship between movement and whole-brain learning."

I like this quote from the creator of these exercises:

"Movement is the door to learning."
- Paul Dennison

See? It is for all ages.

Goolakin Majh

Higgy Hoc Hocka. This is a great shot of an actress named Mia Kirshner. I've never heard her even though she's been acting for many years. Apparently, she keeps her private life low profile. It's a tough way to be in that business, but I find it agreeable. Don't know much else about her, but what I do know I like.

Muy Bien, Gorrion

I saw this movie a few days ago. It caught my eye will I was browsing through the title at the Laburar. I was pressed for time and just grabbed whatever jumped out at me. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this film. There is so much in it that appeals to me. Most of all, I like the music.


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There are little things in the movie that were so entertaining. I like that the kid picked up the nickname, "Gorrion." It means sparrow. There's a scene where the teacher, Don Gregorio, is glad to do Moncho dancing with a girl. "Muy bien, Gorrion!" he exclaims encouragingly.

sparrow

Todo Esta Oscuro

Here's an earlier movie from a namesake - Julio Medem. The DVD is at the Laburar. It's checked out but is due at the end of May. I'll reserve it after the move to the Modi Bode.


A chance to see Najwa Nimri in another role. She was captivating as Madre de Luna. I like the behind-the-scenes footage where she comments on the camerman's shirt: "... says it all." [laughter]

Paperboard Elaborations

by Shannon Goff

Here's an example of someone with as much focus & concentration along with creativity, ambition, ingenuity, and meticulousness as I aspire to. This proves that I'm not crazy to do what I am doing ... or I'm not alone in my craziness. Anyway, as Kurosawa said, "In a crazy world, it's the mad people who are sane."

The extra challenge for what I'm doing is that things I'm designing are practical, workable objects. They aren't just for show. Their main purpose is to be functional in a way unexpected. I am maximizing the strength of these materials ... that's including the glue and paper tape, plus any special additions.

Some Ideas to Take Morbeyondis

Basics from HGTV. The instructructions are sparse and many of the results are so-so, but there are hints scattered throughout that give insight to bigger and better thing. It just takes some creativity on my part. For one, I think I've been shown here a way to protect my cardboard makes while enhancing their appearance. Water-proofing is even a possibility.

There's one idea to put writing on the wall. That's something I want to do with M'Own Codigo. I think that I can even use these techniques to make the cards that I'll hang around my neck. The possibilities are promising.

For Upper Mos Players

Ch'K'Do. Another maker of highboards. This luthier calls it an elevated fingerboard. Funny. I've never played one of these, but I am sure that I will feel a huge difference when I move into the dooblé frets, in the upper registers, in the realm of the stratospheric.

Guitar by Gregg Byers

I'm glad to see this. That's it's becoming more common. I hope it becomes the new standard. Then it will be all the more available. The custom Gui-Hatch that I get for myself will have this feature.

Cut It Out, Frenchy

This book was recommended as a good source of new techniques in a very old medium. It is at the Laburar.

by Durwin Rice
known decoupage guru

Here's a sample from the site that recommended it. They are smooth wooden chairs with decoupage prints of famous artwork:

from Jonathan Fong Style

He has other good ideas on his site, too. Some are sogi, but others have good possibilities for some simple but effective transformations. And like the butterfly, once you change over, you can't go back.

Yeah. Whatever. Just look at the ideas and do something creative with it. There is room to put your own stamp on this stuff.

Ummium

While finding reviews for Koizumi's book, my eye caught this titilating marketing on Amazon for a series called, The L Word.


Higgy-Higgy. Soda-Fump Foda-Giggy. Can't deny the Pull Othe Pole ... in at least 5 directions. No doubt that this image has little to do with the show, except to say that this is the cast of the second season. The nakedness is there to draw you in. Don't mind. Lakaluka. Bottom-line: Both version of this photo ooze with sex appeal. Even without it, I'm interested in seeing the show. So I'm glad for the ad.

I wonder how they will deal with the characters and what kind of stories they will tell. And what agenda they will push. And whether it's done with a bang or a whisper. And ... I wouldn't mind seeing these actors do their thing. Like I said, can't deny the Pull Othe Pole.


I don't have a TV, though. But no matter. These days, there's more than one way to see something. Netflix has it, for one. But going by the selection readily available, I believe that this will soon be borrowable at the Laburar.

Who is that on the upper left? Lots of Lim-Loc Noccas. Cold on this.

Traditional Japanese Furniture

Here's a book available at the Laburar. It has good reviews, particularly in the area that appeals to me the most: lots of excellent, colorful illustrations.

by Kazuko Koizumi

For a long while, I've wanted to have a tansu-style piece of furniture. Now I can make my own. This is definitely going to be a key piece in the furnishing of the Modi Bode. It will provide good storage that is aesthetically pleasing. It will double as a divider for the space when moved away from the wall. And it will triple as a staircase for Bing. Just one of access point for her catwalk.

Hummingbirds, Too

A Day on Hummingbird Hill

Came upon another site that includes hummingbirds and the plants that attract them into your garden. There was one that came by my place when I lived at the Gingerbread House on Irving St. Way back then I wanted to live in my own place with a garden that was often visited by hummingbirds. Hummingbirds and butterflies. A garden that is active with life.

Parsley Butter

Looking into parsley led to finding a recipe called 'parsley butter.' I made a rawfood version incorporating this recipe with the rawfood butter made with olive oil:

1. olive oil
2. lemon juice
3. chopped parsley
4. salt
5. black pepper
   

Sounds tasty. I don't have amounts because I tend to improvise by taste in the Pilo-Filo way - tikman-tikman. This has me inspired to get back into preparing my own rawfood recipes. I have a large number waiting to me made. When I move, I'll go full force with this. The environment I will create will promote this and many other productive endeavors.

Host Plants, Feeder Plants, and Nectar Plants

Came upon a story I had saved told by Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev. It is about transformation using the example of the caterpillar and the butterfly. Old news, but told in a way that brought a new perspective. I was looking for new images to go with the text and came up a site presenting something called 'live release.' I found out it was about basketing living butterflies and shipping them to an event to be released for effect. Sounds magical ... but not for the butterflies. They are bred on a farm and then trapped while they are forced to travel far distances only to be released in a strange place. It just seems to selfish and cruel, especially when I found out that butterflies don't live more than a year and some have life-spans as short as two days.

black swallowtail

What I would like to do is create an environment that is suitable for them to live naturally. There are certain plants that attract butterflies. I experienced this at the local botanical gardens. It was amazing to see them flying all around me, so I can see the appeal of the live release service. The same site that provides this gives info on attracting butteflies to your yard. There's more to it than I realized. It's not just about attracting them, you can also provide an environment for breeding. If they grow up on your property, they are more likely to be around when they metamorphisize into their winged forms. It goes something like this: You provide host plants which are great for laying eggs. Feeding plants are food for the caterpillars. The only ones I knew about were the nectar plants which attract the butterflies with their sweet nourishment. In turn, they help these plants spread their seed so they can propagate without moving an inch.

parsley flower

This reminds me of a sudden realization I had that plants are the most superior beings. They thrive even though they lack the ability to move. They seem so helpless, at the mercy of all beings who can move and do things to them. They can be eaten, inhabited, and uprooted. But maybe that's the way they developed themselves. Maybe they are less helpless and more effortless.

When you look at people who have reached a high level of mastery, they are more effortless in their actions. They can do more by doing less. I think of Morihei Ueshiba, the Aikido master. Towards the end, he hardly moved as he effortlessly spattered all attacks without moving much at all. It was hilarious to behold.

I didn't look at the site extensively, but it seems to have much information. It's a good place to start anyway. One thing I spotted was that they have info on butterflies found in a given area and the plants that attract them.

Ply Bent Wood

A few days ago, I sought to find out if corrugated cardboard was non-toxic. I am surrounded by cardboard boxes right now because I'm moving. I also plan to make very elaborate designs out of cardboard to furnish the house I'll be staying in. I came across a site that not only said it wasn't, it showed other materials that are considered "green" and recommended to be used as building materials. I was glad to see at the top of the list:

Abaca

Abaca is a species of banana native to the Philippines. The plant is prized for the strength of its fiber which is extracted from the leaves and stems.

Another material that caught my eye was a form of wood called Ply Bent. This got me on a stream of searches. I had to find out more about this material. I was disappointed to find that little info on it. It seems to be a material used mainly for chairs used in churches and colleges. I guess it's a cheap source of wood. I believe that this will become a popular source of building material in the near future the way bamboo has been around, but is now becoming hip and well-known. Ply Bent seems to be versatile in that it can be shaped in a variety of ways. When some forward-thinking folk capitalize on its qualities, then it will really soar. One of them is that it "yields 8-10 times more usable wood from a log than solid lumber."

This is the site where I learned about Ply Bent Wood. They have some interesting furniture designs.

An idea for cabinets without pulls

I have an idea using rectangles instead of circles.
Make slots to slide in shelves.

Day of the Neccords

This is a tappable rececec of the come-upons of this onebody while fish'n for ledges to build on in the Head-Room Shranga-Lala.

"Uo-Delli?" you ask.

"Uonchaloc-T'nou."