Greetings, visitors!

The first thing you'll notice is that I don't post very frequently.  That's not because most of the posts are friends-locked, it's because I find Twitter to be a communication vehicle that works very well for the type of things I want to broadcast.

If you want to see what I'm saying on a daily basis, you can find me at twitter.com/taerin. I post or re-tweet links to articles about tech, books and food, and mention things going on with me. (I was having each day's twitter content posted here each night, but really, if you want to know what I'm up to, I'm betting you'll follow me there and just get irritated finding everything duplicated here.)

Here, you'll find postings when I have longer things to say, and time to actually say them.

You don't need my permission to friend me, though I'm always happy when someone actually says hello. :-) You also have my permission link to something I posted without asking first (not that such a thing is likely to happen all that often. See: rarely post.)

I'm trying to get tags on everything to make it all easier to group and find, but that's a work in progress. The ones I have so far are here: http://taerin.livejournal.com/tag/

So, welcome to my little piece of the blogosphere.  Pull up a comfy chair and here, let me pour you something nice to drink.

Greetings and salutations!

I'm about to get started creating a Mad Hatter costume to wear to Disney's new Alice in Wonderland movie when it comes out in March (much to my sister's dismay.)  To my delight, Threadbanger released an excellent video showing how to make both the hat and the rest of the costume.

I decided to write the hat steps out so I won't have to keep rewinding the video to check each part while I'm working on it, and thought I'd share.

First, please watch the video (below the cut) so you can see each step I refer to.  There's an ad, then the hat instructions, another ad, and then the rest of the costume.  Warning: the video autoplays.  

( Of COURSE it's all going behind a cut. How long do you think I've been on LJ, anyway? )

Here's a Threadbanger blog post with pictures of the hats and costumes that Thread Heads have made after watching the video.  My favorite is Rachel Wase's, because that color mixture is just fantastic.

I'd also love to see pictures of whatever you guys come up with if you choose to make one of these costumes too.  Please do share!

What I nattered on about today:

11:34 RT @timpratt: Chapter 8 of Bone Shop is up! Read, marvel, donate if you can. is.gd/2ldgs #boneshop #marlamason

Thanks to LoudTwitter

How perfect would this be for wearing to the upcoming Sherlock Holmes movie?

Major Tinker did an excellent job on this gorgeous piece.

What I nattered on about today:

09:57 RT @timpratt: Chapter 1 of Bone Shop is ALIVE (with author notes). Read, spread the word, donate if you like. marlamason.net/boneshop

10:18 RT @Atlantic_Food: The real reasons we over-eat: what a new book gets right--and what it misses. bit.ly/IYOr9

11:02 Note to interested parties: when making one's own iced coffee with powdered creamer at work, add said creamer BEFORE chilling the coffee.

11:20 A new-to-me #quote that just cracked me up: "If we all liked the same thing, think of the haggis shortage." - Marian Zimmer Bradley

12:07 13-year-old trades iPod for Walkman, reports on mysterious ancient artifact - tr.im/qbAC

12:53 RT @SeanDaily Love it -- Solar Panels Made from Plants tinyurl.com/kntnj4 (via @thedailygreen) #ecomonday

15:16 RT @grantimahara: RT @DiscoveryChPR: MythBusters' Kari is the proud mom of a baby girl! Congrats, Kari! #babywatch

16:18 RT @WoWInsider: Faction changes are coming to World of Warcraft! (link to Blue post within) bit.ly/26bRuz

16:45 Oh man, I want to go visit Lothlorien in Indiana SO MUCH. Thanks to @heatherlyshaw for the link. www.elvinhome.org #501c3

17:45 It is brought firmly home to me that I'm a spoiled blog reader every time I find a new blog I like, and discover that it has no RSS feed.

18:07 It sounds like the reworking of Robert J. Sawyer's "Flash Forward" into a TV series changes things drastically: tr.im/qejt

22:21 RT @tea_austen: Tomorrow Lt. Dan Choi goes on trial for being openly gay in the military. To support him, please sign: bit.ly/EOYvq

22:59 RT @MakeUseOf: DangerouslyFun: Learn How to Make Burning Bubbles, Fire Wire and more: tinyurl.com/nfmmx4 #burningbubbles

Thanks to LoudTwitter

What I nattered on about today:

10:41 Breakfast: a bowl of organic kamut flakes with a big handful of fresh blueberries. tr.im/q3K4 #breakfast #arrowheadmills

16:47 This afternoon we've been making homemade pickles and salsa. The vat of boiling salsa is ready to be jarred: yfrog.com/5ddvbgj

21:50 twitpic.com/8q4pt - These are all the jars of homemade pickles and salsa that we made today. We started at about 1:30p and ende ...

Thanks to LoudTwitter

What I nattered on about today:

09:28 Kid Builds Roller Coaster in Backyard, Calls it Exscream - bit.ly/ux1vq (via @ferretthimself )

13:11 Assembling just-purchased automatic, self-cleaning catbox, since the Old Lady and the Little Man have to be separated so frequently.

13:39 Sometimes I have to stop & remember that I'm a grownup now. Like, I have every right to get change out of the cup, because I PUT IT THERE.

16:32 Just picked up my car. $500: oil change, new spark plugs & wires, induction system cleaning, A/C top off (was getting warm at red lights.)

17:37 You guys, the MATINEE price for Up in 3D is $10.25!!! Sheesh!

20:37 RT @Oxhorn: Cursor-pointer kite: bit.ly/elbrh LOL!

22:58 Cable departs from Hulu model with 'TV Everywhere' - www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/biztech/06/26/wired.tv.everywhere/index.html

23:39 Story of my life, man: bit.ly/W7fad

Thanks to LoudTwitter

What I nattered on about today:

11:00 RT @make: Life-size Gundam under construction in Japan: bit.ly/otz1J

11:27 Excellent short story, "Behemoth" by Helstrom: www.365tomorrows.com/06/26/behemoth/ #shortstory #ishouldusemoretags #365tomorrows

11:41 Excellent light-up goggle mod. I might have to do this myself, since I always wear mine on my top hat. tr.im/pSCV #instructables

12:04 Is it worth putting time into creating a nifty Twitter background? How many people read their followstream on the site vs in a reader app?

12:47 "The Intersection of Race and Steampunk from a Steampunk of Colour’s Perspective" - tr.im/pTbY

17:35 101 Frightening Ice Cream Flavors From Around The World: tr.im/pUWf (like raw horseflesh ice cream, which has ACTUAL CHUNKS in it.)

21:40 RT @Arroxane: RT @io9: Science Fiction Books That Launched Their Own Genres io9.com/5302367 #genrepioneers #books

23:25 Woot, @jmbauhaus called me a geek-fu master! Thank you for the #followfriday rec! :-)

Thanks to LoudTwitter

What I nattered on about today:

12:25 Done with 3 hours in the dentist's chair, made it in to the office despite diagonal numbness, eating first food of the day: bean burrito.

17:35 I find it very odd that the Spike TV website for 'Fourth and Long' doesn't have a roster entry for each of the 12 competitors on the show.

17:41 Three words I never like hearing all strung together: "flesh-eating bacteria." Poor kid. tr.im/pMOw

18:04 RT @markmorford: Tasmanian wallabies are getting baked on opium poppies, stomping on crops, making crop circles. bit.ly/1i5M2d

18:19 The lolcat Bible Translation Project: bit.ly/vUwqP

Thanks to LoudTwitter

What I nattered on about today:

07:59 Eating: siggi's Icelandic style skyr (strained non-fat yogurt). I picked up the blueberry at Whole Foods. Very good! skyr.com/

14:32 "He's a good sport" usually means "he won't attack you for abusing him in public."

17:28 Five of my favorite words: "you have no new messages."

17:36 Tasty goodness from Whole Foods' frozen section. Sauce a bit too sweet, but preps fast. Worth eating again. twitpic.com/8bijv

Thanks to LoudTwitter

What I nattered on about today:

11:03 RT @mashable: Flash 10 Coming Soon to All Smartphones…Except One - bit.ly/pn8yl (Me: of course it's the iPhone; I'm very annoyed.)

11:55 RT @Arroxane: New Washing Machine Uses Plastic Instead of Water bit.ly/o2XoB (90% less water than a conventional machine)

12:30 Buzz Aldrin commentary: "Let's aim for Mars." www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/space/06/23/aldrin.mars/index.html

15:44 Heard about on NPR: @1bog. One Block Off The Grid signs up 100 homes at a time for solar power, to get better prices. 1bog.org/

16:37 RT @ScottJagow: Bolivian TV news station airs video of "last moments" of France Flight 447. It was footage from "Lost." tr.im/pvMk

21:59 How to make carrot "caviar": bit.ly/3wLFmK

Thanks to LoudTwitter

What I nattered on about today:

10:55 RT @scifiwire: Take a look at the weird new images from Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland: tinyurl.com/nuwxra (Me: I can't wait!)

11:01 RT @Arroxane: RT @sciam Newly Uncovered Enzymes Turn Corn Plant Waste into Biofuel: tinyurl.com/m37nmd

13:53 I set one of my old computers up for my Mom to use while I get to the bottom of the issues on her current one. (Which now won't even post.)

15:35 Amazing volcano photo shows shock wave (Sarychev Peak on Matua Island) - tr.im/pnaY

15:45 RT @mashable: Cool image: "The Story (so far) of Twitter" - bit.ly/bSH5G (start at the bottom of the graphic and read upwards.)

17:21 Thinking about how to make my home office more ergonomic w/out spending thousands. First idea - adjustable monitor arm. Any of you have 1?

20:28 I'm watching classic 50's science cartoons on the treadmilll. Like "A is for Atom."

Thanks to LoudTwitter

What I nattered on about today:

22:19 RT @donttrythis: When sleeping, cuteness prevails, at either end of the food chain: tinyurl.com/lvagpb

Thanks to LoudTwitter

What I nattered on about today:

08:16 Off to the farmer's market. On the list today: carrots, cukes, cantaloupe, watermelon and whatever else looks good.

09:03 Back! For $16: 1 mini watermelon, 1 pkg baby carrots, 2 beets, 2 avocados, 6 cukes, 4 yellow squash and 2 zukes. twitpic.com/7wecl

12:16 Have replaced RAM in Mom's computer, running MemTest again now. Hoping for the best.

14:16 No luck on Mom's computer. New RAM, pulled and reseated even, and it's still bluescreening and erroring on Memtest. Going to try a new hd.

14:32 Well, crud. The extra drive I was going to put in her box is IDE, not SATA. Grrr.

14:46 Going to try running Seagate's diagnostic tools on the hard drive. Cross fingers it identifies something specific, even if it can't fix it.

15:47 Based on research of the STOP errors that occur with the bluescreen, I'm starting to suspect the CPU, as @percible mentioned.

20:45 Loot from 1/2 price books: tr.im/pcsq, tr.im/pcsu, tr.im/pcsA, tr.im/pcsE, tr.im/pcsQ, tr.im/pct0

20:46 That was: Narnia movie collection, Centipede computer game and four books, all for $40. I love #halfpricebooks. :-)

Thanks to LoudTwitter

What I nattered on about today:

07:43 Power has been out for about an hour now. Glad our water is heated by gas, and my shower is hot. Should look up cost of home solar panels.

10:52 If the DIMMs I'm looking at are in stock, I'll be quadrupling the RAM in my Mom's computer for only $30 (after rebate.)

11:38 RT @grantimahara: OH NOES!!! RT @scifri Nestle recalls Toll House cookie dough due to possible E coli.

12:28 Sabritas brand salt&lime peanuts (acquired 2 packages for $1 at my corner gas station) are the BOMB(dotcom). I looove them.

20:12 I am pleased to report that the power is indeed back on, and it couldn't even have been off for too long. I am relieved.

Thanks to LoudTwitter

What I nattered on about today:

10:18 LOL: RT @mamster: OMG, I pull up Twitter this morning and it's 100% yogurt and panties.

10:22 RT @Oxhorn: lol creepiest toy ever: bit.ly/Q42Km

10:33 RT @StephenAtHome: why doesn't sotomayor just accept her destiny and run for the mayor of soto?

10:39 RT @Arroxane: RT @ManiKarthik: How to Create a Steampunk Style Illustration in Photoshop - Screencast bit.ly/tLHIl (via @PSDTUTS)

11:43 RT @Arroxane: Gizmodo: First Spaceport Ever Begins Construction this Friday tinyurl.com/nlsqnh

13:09 RT @Arroxane: Bill Would Ban Unfair Data Plans, Even For Mobiles tinyurl.com/kr2hv9

15:19 Heading back to my Mom's tonight to see if I can figure out what's making her desktop machine bluescreen. 1st tool: www.memtest.org/

15:50 I didn't choose my lunch very well, because I'm falling asleep over here. Maybe a little coffee...

16:03 One of my favorite authors, C.E. Murphy, has been interviewed, and there's a book giveaway! Go read: tr.im/oYBe

17:02 The British Library has put two million pages from 19th century newspapers online: bit.ly/r1RnW

17:22 I am forever overloading and crashing Firefox. >:-( Good thing I have a session manager addon installed. Still like Chrome second-best.

17:32 Scientists envision #inflatable alternative to tethered space elevator: bit.ly/PwMpg
#spaceelevator

20:15 Ran MemTest on my Mom's computer, got to 230,000+ errors on the first pass alone before I stopped it. Buying new RAM tomorrow.

21:24 I love to kiss the backs of my kitten's ears and hear him start purring. :-)

Thanks to LoudTwitter

What I nattered on about today:

11:23 RT @mashable: iPhone OS 3.0 Arrives Today: What You Should Know - bit.ly/qMaMk

11:29 RT @BaskinRobbins: Look out (31) Below! Baskin-Robbins BOGO 31 Below coupon good until 6/21! bit.ly/15haB

13:35 I'm updating my iPhone now. Crossing fingers nothing goes wrong.

14:16 "We could not complete your iTunes Store request. The network connection timed out." My #iPhone is an unusable pile of tech right now.

14:26 #iPhone activation is complete! Have tested copy&paste, voice notes, search, etc. Pleased that I was able to do this update from work.

14:50 Testing TweetDeck on my iPhone. Is there really no way to see more than 4 tweets at a time in my followstream?

Thanks to LoudTwitter

What I nattered on about today:

09:41 I wish there was a place between my house and the freeway that would sell me fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice, via a drive-through.

10:23 I saw impressive Martin Rees (Astronomer Royal at Cambridge) on History channel last night. He looks like a finely aged David Tennant. :-)

11:01 RT @markmorford: How much is legal gay marriage worth to the U.S. economy? Try $9.5 billion. With a B. is.gd/13xaK

15:56 Woot woot!! RT @mashable: bit.ly/6jm6i <-- TweetDeck for iPhone will be FREE: smart move!

17:57 "Prototype Nokia phone recharges without wires" - tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/143945

Thanks to LoudTwitter

What I nattered on about today:

15:52 RT @Arroxane: RT @io9 Your First Look At Doctor Who's Next Big Guest Stars io9.com/5291509 #exclusive #doctorwho #spoilers

15:58 RT @Atlantic_Food: Another Father's Day food idea: cupcakes that look like burgers and fries. is.gd/12IeA

17:50 The heat index right now is at 100 degrees. Can you tell I live in Texas?

21:15 I didn't mean to watch TV all evening, but History channel has a really great show on. The Universe: Beyond the BIg Bang. tr.im/oC6E

Thanks to LoudTwitter

What I nattered on about today:

10:50 In church for our godson's little brother's baptism. yfrog.com/0p2c1j

Thanks to LoudTwitter