I had the most amazing and vivid dream last night… actually it was just before morning. I dreamed that I woke up in my old house, the one I grew up in in Houston Texas. I new I wasn’t really there, but It felt real.. so I got up.. and walked around.. I spent about an hour (or so it felt) walking around looking at all of our old stuff. went to each room and looked at everything: furniture, knickknacks, books. I went through the closets, looked under the beds.. went through the garage.. .. Picked up the phones.. everythign was just as I remember it from the last time I was there which about 10 years ago before my folks move to Massachusetts. I don’t kow what I was actually doing in the dream.. I didn’t feel as though I was looking for anything.. I felt no strong sense of urgency.. I didn’t even have any strong emotions looking at the stuff.. just a comfy feeling of the familiar.. I thien really woke up and found myself in my own home ..
which I must say also gives me a feeling of comfy familiar..
A couple of weeks ago I made a pledge to myself to stop worrying.. .. about all sorts of stuff… but mostly about what I want to be when I grow up.. And.. I must admit.. <snap> it didn’t work. As much as I would try and practice mindfulness to turn off the worrying voice.. it still would creep back in and take me somewhere <snap> or somewhen <snap> (why isn’t somewhen a word ?) else.. when I should be here and now.
So.. now I have a different strategy.. it’s a little goofy I know.. but it seems to be working.. I’m wearing a rubber band on my wrist.. and when that monkey mind starts going.. I give it a vigorous snap <snap> or 2.. or generally 3.. And tell myself to let go of the worry. I’ve seen peoeple resort to mechanisms like this to give up smoking, or over eating.. <snap> .. but never worrying.. <snap>
But it <snap> seems to be working <snap, snap, snap> ..
Tonight I’ve been thinking about chakras.. The points in the body that several eastern cultures believe control the flow of energy in our bodies.. While i didn’t grow up with the concept.. I’ve gotten more attached to it as I’ve grown older.. For example. Many of the experiences I had after Sam’s passing would concentrate in these spots heart and head of course.. but the need to speak in my throat chakra , the sense of los felt in your root chakra.. all made sense in a physical sort of way that words can’t really address. Most of the time I find I’m workign to balance the two strongest forces in my nature.. head and heart.. but lately.. I’m starting to feel that I need to work on my power shakra.. in Sanskrit it’s called manipura chakra.. the one at your solar plexus ..I’m out of balance now.. I want to get back.. no.. I’m going to get back … to that place of powerful purpose that I am in when I’m doing what is right..
Manipura.. That’s where sense of purpose I need to manifest will come from…. sounds good… why not ?
This week has been full of contrasts. the very sad days around Sam’s memorial date, the bittersweet mix around Thanksgiving for us.. Few obligations, decent weather.. snow and sun.. lots of sleep. I’m doing my best to keep work thoughts at bay.. so.. I’ve had lots of time to think . .. and to putter.. It’s been a good time to refocus on a few of my adjusted personal goals.. after good talks with both Max and Gabe I’ve decided to try:
make more stuff – I just love figuring out how to make things…. but I usually don’t make enough time to do it. I’m not actually that good at it.. but I love doing it anyway..
finish more projects before starting others – I generally have a half dozen or so big projects going at any time.. I usually finish what I start.. but it can take time.. I’m committing to finish things more quickly before taking on new projects.. My goal is to divide my time a little less.
more making, less talking – it’s very exciting to talk about new projects.. telling people what I’m going to make.. It’s not always as much fun doing the hard work to get soemthing really working.. I am trying to build things then talk about them.
In that spirit.. it’ s been a very productive week.. I’ve finished lots of projects.
With Scott’s help, I got my solid state tesla coil working again, I added a feature to let it play to music. I wrote some code to let it play old school telephone ringtones, now I have sparks to Black Sabbath’s ‘Iron Man’.. Sam would have loved it.
(I’ll post a movie of that later tonight)
For work, I figured out how to program a wireless NXP chip that we build here in Vermont so that it can talk to IBM’s MQTT pub/sub protocol. Doesn’t sound like much of a project.. but it was no easy task.. 4 operating systems, two types of wireless networks, two wired networks, three hardware platforms.. but IT WORKS !..
I figured out how to use a cheap cell phone and an arduino processor to allow me to control anything by txt message.. (Unfortunately.. that’s the key elements of an IED roadside bomb) I hope to make a a statue that shoots fire when you txt it like this one I saw in Krakow Poland a few years ago.
Gabe, Diane, Deb and I finished a few pieces of furniture we’d hoped to make.. We had two slices of an old maple tree that we had to take down a few years back. Thanks to Deb’s finding the slices, sanding them and helping us think through the stand. Gabe and I welded the stands ..Diane and I finished assembled them on Wednesday
Deb also had a cool slab of maple.. she also found an old sewing machine base… Diane and I put them together to make a table for plants to replace the table we’d been borrowing from Deb.
Here they are ready for those plants.
Today I made some good progress on the touch controlled musical instrument that Homer and I are building for freind Mike. I managed to figure out the source of an unacceptable delay in the touch sensors.. I haven’t completed the fix.. but at least I now know what to fix..
Finally, today Chris and I worked on his jet pack sculpture. It’s a very cool steampunk piece made out of old copper and brass.
Chris wanted a detachable feature that detects when someone approaches the piece.. He wanted it to queue a recording of a jet engine, start a smoke machine and simulate flames with colored lights. I made an arduino based sequencer, hacked a smoke machine and a simple recoding memo taker and an ultrasonic distance measurement device. Chris and I did a first pass integration today.. we still need to adjust the timing , better duct the smoke, mount the sensors.. but the effect is pretty good.. looks sort of like real flame..no ?
I appreciate the patience of family and freinds as I got back to my maker roots.. it felt unbelievably good…
