World T'ai Chi and QiGong Day

If you're in the MetroWest Area today stop by:

Farm Pond Woodland
Dudley St.
Framingham, MA - just across the street from the baseball fields. Near Loring Arena. Parking is free.

FREE T'ai Chi and QiGong classes to celebrate wellness, life, and you! Learn some gentle movement and breathing techniques to reduce stress.

QiGong #1 begins at 11AM coached by Bob Doherty

T'ai Chi begins at 11:45 AM, coached by Roy Kennedy

QiGong #2 begins at 12:30 PM coached by Bob Doherty

Classes will be held on the concrete pad down by the water. Wear comfortable clothing and bring a bottle of water.

If it rains, the event is cancelled.

For more information, contact Bob Doherty QiGongMovement@gmail.com (508) 872-3100

The Friday Five Good Things

Five good things that happened this week.

1. Was surprised when a red-tail hawk swooped by the kitchen window.

2. Had to change my walking schedule with Red. Felt bad about bailing on her, but it couldn't be helped. When I called to tell her, she said she was just about to call me because she had an appointment and had to cancel walking, too.  I didn't feel bad.

3. The lease for my car was due to be up in a couple of months. Calls from the dealer came for Himself, but he ended up in a game of telephone tag. On the way home from work, Himself stopped by the dealer. I got a text asking how I liked the color. Himself never texts me and never sends photos. So, I'm thinking who is this? The dealer made Himself an offer he couldn't refuse.

4. I picked up my shiny, new wheels.

5. A fountain I ordered for the Zensical garden arrived earlier than expected.

How was your week?

Throwback Thursday

27 cents per gallon is the cheapest gas price I can remember. After we visited my Grandma and Auntie in East Boston, Dad would fill up at the Sinclair Gas Station in the Neptune Rd. area before heading back to the Sumner Tunnel.

I don't remember how old I was. I liked the Sinclair station because their logo was a big green brontosaurus.

What's the cheapest gas price you remember?

Wordless Wednesday

Pilot Parallel Pens Trials and Tribulations

I really, really wanted to love this tool. All the convenience of a fountain pen with the size range of the dip pens.

The ink cartridge that comes with the pen is dreadful. It's so thin, it takes decades to dry and worse, feathers and bleeds on lots of papers. The cachet for the pen and the cartridge inks is you can blend colors together. Not wicked cool when the ink soaks into the paper.

The cartridges when empty can be filled with writing fluid of choice. The process is a bit messy. Several colleagues told me to fill the barrel. I was a little worried that the barrel would leak. I tried Moon Palace sumi ink, Old World Iron Gall ink, and Ziller Glossy Black. The barrel only leaked when being threaded and didn't leak when nib was put to paper.

Except, no matter which fluid, I couldn't get the ink to flow consistently. I used a 3.8 mm and the new 3 mm nib. I'd get a stroke or two and then the pen would seem to dry up or clog. I'd try to get it started with water. I'd clean the nib plates with the piece of film that came with the pen. I'd scratch, push, and pull. Maybe a half-hearted line. Mostly, I plowed furrows in my paper. Frustrated and not happy.

If you've had success using a high quality writing fluid (not Higgins Infernal), let me know what I'm doing wrong. Obviously, there's a problem between the chair and the paper.

Into This

While hunting the Interwebs looking for ideas for the zensical garden, I came across a bench made from cinder blocks and 8 foot 4 x 4s. Showed it to Himself and asked if it was something we could do.

He engineered the project (with only 1 extra trip to Ray's Hardware!) while I stained the wood with leftover stain from the log wall in the sun room.

Don't we make a great team?

Turning This

into...