Into the Sea, You and Me

Some people find it hard to believe, but I was a goth in high school. I wore black every day and I even had black sunglasses with red lenses (Those were my favorite!). I can't explain what it is about dressing a certain way, but it was the most comfortable I had ever felt back during the heady days of teenage turmoil.

Anyways, that is not the point of my post. I was probably the most bouncy and cheerful of all the goths I knew at the time, which meant that I was under a completely different tier of weird. But I didn't like be sad or "emo". I was -- and still am -- a die-hard fan of The Cure. Robert Smith spoke to me somehow. He always cheered me up when I was sad. In fact, I felt that was why he named his band "The Cure" because his music is either happy and uplifting, or sad in a way that makes you ride out your pain and makes it feel a little less bad with every chorus you belt out. And this effected my overall outlook.

I feel like I owe him a lot for his therapeutic soundtrack. It made my life as a teen easier because I knew that if things were bad, I could just lock myself away in my room and listen to "Jupiter Crash" on repeat til 3am and I would feel better. It was that much of a sure thing.

I finally saw him live last year. It was such an amazing experience. Imagine spending most of your adolescent life turning to a man's music for emotional support, and then witnessing it live many years later. If I had been fortunate enough to be in the front area, I probably would've been crying the entire time. I was so moved. It was the most personal music experience I have ever had in my life.

In school I had earned my English teacher's trust and was allowed to leave class to go to the computer lab. My senior project was finished so I would spend this time reading these funny Q&A pages on their website. These were just questions people had submitted back then. Some of his answers were cryptic, which I found intriguing. Like the mention of Mary in various music videos, and someone asked him if there was a girl he was fond of. He says "Mary". I have always wondered who this girl was or if it is something else.

And my most favorite thing to learn was his love of science and astronomy. One person asked him if there was one thing he could bring with him if he was to be deserted on an island. And his answer was just his telescope. I remember reading this when I was 17 or 18 and thinking he was just the bees knees!

So imagine my surprise when I walk to our seats at the concert and he comes out to his cheering fans with thess beautiful blinking lights suspended above him. That stage was like a window into the night sky and I immediately knew why it was that way. It was like a secret that only I knew but most likely everyone else there did too.

I used to rent Staring at the Sea: The Images because it had some adorable music videos for the compilation album. It is probably my most favorite compilation out there. Here is my favorite song/video from the album -- The Lovecats. Probably the cutest song by Robert Smith to ever exist.

Crafts: Bangoo's Water Reservoir

I provide water for Bangoo with a simple square Tupperware dish filled with water. It isn't that deep so I am constantly filling it. Since it isn't necessary every day, I sometimes forget!

So I had this idea after I had decided I needed to construct something to feed Bangoo the proper amount while we were away from home for extended periods of time. His old water dish would be empty after a couple of days, so an auto-filling water dish needed to blink into existence at some point. And since it was relatively easy, it was finished first. Here it is!

The thing I like best about it is that there is no glue or funny chemicals involved in its construction that would mix with the water. I read about other people's masterpieces that required hot glue or epoxy and whatnot. Not thanks! I don't need a toxic kitty.

What you need:

Exacto knife
Pliers
Scissors

1 large water bottle with lid
1 wide, shallow Tupperware dish
1 peanut butter jar lid (at least 1 in + thick)



Instructions:

1. Take the large water bottle as the reservoir and cut a tiny hole in the lid with the exacto knife.

2. Take the wide, shallow Tupperware dish to hold the drinkable water. Set it aside.


3. The large peanut butter jar lid should be wide enough to cut a hole the size of the reservoirs mouth, as well as lift it off the ground as a stand. Use the lid of the reservoir bottle to draw a circle on this bigger lid. While avoiding cutting larger than this circle, cut out the hole entirely. Test it by putting the larger lid on the reservoir. If it doesn't go on easily, carefully make the circle a little bigger. The key is to keep it snug and yet easy to get on and off.







4. Take off the large lid and cut out small openings in the rim of the lid (the notches in some of pics of the blue lid above). This will be so water can flow from the reservoir out into the Tupperware dish. I used a file to grind down two slits and then used pliers to break off the bit in between, but feel free to use whatever design or method you want. Just do not ruin the structural integrity of the rim or it won't be able to hold the reservoir up off the bottom of the Tupperware dish.

5. Wash all parts with warm, soapy water. Rinse with hot water. Towel dry.

6. Fill the reservoir with water. Then fill the Tupperware dish with about 2/3 of water.

7. Place the large lid on the reservoir. Then add the lid to the reservoir.

8. Put your finger over the hole in the smaller lid and turn it all upside-down as if you were replacing the bottle for a water cooler. Stand it inside the water of the Tupperware. That is it!

Air pressure pushes on the water that sits in the Tupperware dish with the same amount of force that the air inside the reservoir pushes on it when it reaches equilibrium. They equalize anytime the cat drinks enough water to cause an imbalance which means water will flow from the reservoir to the Tupperware dish. When we go away for a weekend, now I can be certain that his water dish will always be full.


Update 8/29: I am trying to adjust it to ensure water fills it up before it gets too low, so stay tuned for an update to this once I get it perfected.

BRB

I haven't been around much. Just busy trying to get a job and not go crazy in the meantime. So as a token of my sincerity, here is an adorable kitten who is very entertaining.

R2-D2: Only You Could Be So Bold

I adore Star Wars with every fiber of my being. It is an integral part of my life, just like sleeping or breathing. My earliest memory of Star Wars is a bit fuzzy. I remember sitting on the edge of my parents bed, my nose several inches from the 15" television screen, and I was absolutely enthralled, at least until the moment when Han sliced open the Tauntaun's gut and all the entrails spilled out -- that's when I closed my eyes.

My mother tells me that I was taken to see Return of the Jedi when it was in the theater. I have no recollection, although this would be my first Star Wars experience in the theater. In 1983 I was 2 years old. After that I was given an small R2-D2 action figure that ended up in the jaws of our dog, Muttley. R2's gnawed remains are still robot-like save for a few dents in his dome.

This is where my preoccupation with robots began. It was shortwhile later that I remember spending time in the garage with Verbot. Programmable via voice commands (not so great for little ones who don't enunciate) the little Verbot could move, turn and pick up something the size of a soda can. He also had a familiar dome shape that catered to my love for blue and white R2 unit. I have faint memories of wheeling the Verbot around in a stroller, complete with a snuggly warm blanket and teddy bear. Verbot was just about the same size as a baby doll, so it just made sense at the time.

There is another memory that I am unsure about. I get the impression that for a brief period I had an imaginary friend and it was some kind of robot. I am not really sure how to verify this, but I seem to recall a few memories where I was certain I owned a fully automated robot friend.

Since childhood, my fascination with robots has exploded. I own various models of R2, including the voice command version. I even met the original R2 in the Seattle Sci-Fi museum (cameras were not allowed). One day I will either make or aquire a real R2 unit -- actual size and fully automated. It would be my dream come true.

Craft Projects: Kitty Twitter Updater Thingy

So, I feel like stating first and foremost that this is going to take me a long time to complete because a) I lack monies and b) I lack all the required tools.

But here is my idea...

I was reading about these adorable cats whose location (in or out of the house) is updated on Twitter. They are Bobbin and Tuffin and their human slave is quite a genius.

I want to make something similar, except Bangoo doesn't go outside. He has a few major areas in our home where he likes to chill out (the main window, the patio door, top of the cat tree, etc.) and I think it would be neat to update his location via Twitter using a similar method.

I am still in the research process since I need to buy some tools and test equipment, but I think this will be really fun to work on. So hopefully you will see some successful entries eventually.

Oh, I made Bangoo a Twitter account a long time ago, so this is what I will use.

I am very open to suggestions or advice, so feel free to comment. :D