Talk Nerdy To Me

Equipped with his five senses, man explores the universe around him and calls the adventure Science.” ~Edwin Powell Hubble, The Nature ofScience, 1954

I'm having a birthday. A such I'm going to talk about whatever I want today. (As if that's different from any other day haha)

So these are some of the things I've been finding myself interested in lately:

In case I hadn't mentioned previously, I've been trying to further my education here at home via the internet.  Part of what I'm learning is new to me, and part of it is re-learning old things I've learned before. (I had the worst Calculus teacher ever in HS and since I learned it wrong then I struggled with it in college. At this point it's been long enough I don't have to un-learn before I can re-learn the concepts and, amazingly, I'm actually understanding it pretty well this time.)  I'm using a variety of resources for each of the topics I'm learning including textbooks, MIT and Stanford free online courses, and a really helpful site called Sophia. (Go check it out. No really, I'll wait. Go.)

Sophia.org

Thanksgiving 2012

Happy Thanksgiving!

In the United States today is a day of celebration where we spend time with family and friends, think of all we are thankful for, and eat waaaaaay more than we ought.

I am thankful for many people, many things. I am also very thankful for science; it enriches our lives and makes me feel more connected to the rest of the universe.  In that vein, here is a Thanksgiving-related video for your enjoyment.

Fresh Pumpkin

So I've still not managed to get photos of the finished dress, but I do have something else fun for you: Pumpkin!

Here in the US we have a holiday this week in which pumpkin tends to play a big part. There will be pumpkin pies, pumpkin cakes, pumpkins as decoration. It really has become a sort of 'mascot' for fall in general. lol  

Of course, most Americans when picturing a pumpkin automatically think of a specific thing: bright orange, shaped kind of like a beach ball with segments, and a big stem out of the top.  Well, this is my pumpkin:
 

Blue Shirtwaist Dress: Part 2

With tweaks to the muslin complete I made a pattern for the dress. Now I know I usually use junkmail for my patterns, but several years ago my grandmother gave me a bag of bits and pieces that included some of the oldschool pattern material. I don't usually use it as I'm not often sure of whether I've really got a pattern I'm going to reuse. Now I think I might have something worth reusing, so I went for it.

laying out the pattern pieces

Museum Visit

Well, it's been another busy week around here. So busy that I've completely missed out on posting till now. The shirtwaist dress is finished and I'll be excited to show you pics next week (as hopefully by then I'll have time to throw something together). I also have another fun something-i-made to show off soon.

But for today I thought I'd share with you a few quick photos from a visit to one of my local museums this late summer/ early fall. My mom and I spent the day together and enjoyed wandering the many galleries in a museum that celebrates our local history and culture.