Librocubicularist- March 2016

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I reviewed the Grisha Trilogy a year ago, in my very first book review post. This is a sequel set in the same world. I really enjoyed learning more about the other countries and how they relate to one another. I also liked reading a heist/ prison break story with a less modern setting. Some of the descriptions of the Ice Palace and its security features make it sound like a great setting for an RPG adventure.



The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondō

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book lays out a very simple method for clutter control/ reduction, mainly get rid of all your extra stuff. However, the basis for deciding what to keep is what I think makes this method work well. At the very beginning of everything the author asks that you visualize your destination, that is what does a life without clutter look like to you. Now that you have space and time freed up where you are not cleaning, what do you do with it? What are your end goals in tidying up your home? Then with that picture in mind, you start to clear things out. The end goal is to keep only those things that make you happy and having that future in mind seems like it would be a big help in making decisions about items to keep. Unlike other decluttering books there is no pressure to get rid of purely sentimental items. The idea is to think about each item and if it still makes you happy find a way to store it that lets you enjoy it rather than hides it away. She also suggests an order to sort items in, starting with things like clothes that typically have less sentimental value and thus are easier to discard and working up to keepsakes and photos.
For the most part, it seems like it would work really well but there a few issues I have. The first is that I have items I need which don't 'Spark Joy', mainly shirts I wear at work. I know that is a sign that I should find a new job which would make me happier and that's part of the point of the book but it doesn't change the fact that I can't get rid of those things until that happens. Second, my college degree is in interior design and the idea that you shouldn't worry about flow planning or frequency of use when deciding where to store things seems a bit off. Yes, if you need something you will walk to where it's stored no matter what but that doesn't mean you want to walk clear to the other side of the house to put something away when you are done. I think that there are multiple factors to consider but the frequency of use has to one of them. If you only ever use something in the kitchen that's probably the best place to keep it. Which brings me to my next issue, organizing your kitchen is mentioned only in the briefest passing comment but is a place I could use a few storage tips for. The final problem is that the system is very personal, meaning it is not intended to be used to get rid of a family member's thing, only your own. In order to really get things uncluttered, you'll have to convince each person to go through their own things which may be difficult.


Better Living Through Science by Mark Frary

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This was a fairly quick read and I found it quite enjoyable. It offers tips on how to use science to tackle common tasks in real life such as both preventing and removing ice buildup on your car windshield. Other tips include things like how to prevent food spoilage, eliminate household odors, and help cakes and bread rise when baking. My one complaint is that several of the sections deal more with math than science. These are mostly tips at how to be better at games like poker and risk that mostly deal with probability and while I found it interesting to read I usually don't think of math as a science. The two are certainly interconnected but I feel like math is more a tool for use in science than a separate science itself.

Move Over, Rover: What to Name Your New Pup When the Ordinary Just Won't Do by Kyra Kirkwood

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


We had already decided what to name our new puppy when I came across this book at the library but I couldn't resist checking it out. It starts with a quick personality quiz for your dog and the bulk of it is lists of name suggestions corresponding to that personality. There are also a variety of sidebars, in two main types. The first deal with tips for new dog owners such as grooming tips and how to take better pet photos. The second type of sidebars contains even more name suggestion lists such as names of dogs from cartoons or books. For me, it was fun just to read through the lists and think about names for pets someday in the future... or maybe even animal companions in a Dungeons and Dragons game.


Dogwear: Over 30 Super Easy Sewing Projects: Fashionable, Functional, Fun Gear for Your Four-Legged Friend by Mette Syrstad Hoydal

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This book is full of cute stuff to make for you dog. I think our puppy would look adorable in a hoodie but I'm going to wait for him to grow up some before I go to all the trouble of making one for him. There are also instructions for more practical items like storage for grooming tools and liners for dog bed baskets. I would recommend that you have some previous sewing experience though because each pattern has only a short page of written instructions with very few diagrams to follow. There is an insert with the patterns but they require resizing to fit your dog.

I am still struggling a bit with the changes from being someone who's never owned a dog before to the person who is home with the dog most often and therefore responisble for training. You can expect more reviews of books about dogs and dog training because I'm trying to learn. I have also have several books about cats in my reading que because I need to make sure they have everything they need to feel comfortable and happy as well. Right now we are still working on housetraining but for the most part things are going well and getting easier. He has already gotten quite a bit bigger and we made his day by repairing his raccoon toy.

Easter and the Symphony

This weekend we had the opportunity to see The Legend of Zelda Symphony of the Goddesses. It includes music from all of the Legend of Zelda games and a giant screen showing video from the games as well. We had seats in the very, very back but were still able to see everything just fine and had a fabulous time. I was hoping to able to purchase a CD with the music to listen to later but apparently they aren't available.

I'm not great at taking selfies.

We didn't have any big Easter plans, mostly we just wanted to have time to relax. With a puppy in the house, our sleep schedules have been disrupted and we've also been more active, taking him for walks and such. We needed a day where we did nothing.

Family nap time! You can just see Gil on the floor at the corner of the couch.

My husband has had the worst of it since he's been the one to get up and take him out in the middle of the night. It snowed Easter morning and Gil didn't like being out but by the afternoon, it was sunny again.

I feel like I should apologize for the fact that Gil has sort of taken over the blog and become the only thing I talk about anymore. But I promise it won't be that way forever, it is just that he is causing lots of changes and because he's still so young, taking up lots of time as well. Once we get back to a point where I don't have to check on him every time he leaves the room to be sure he isn't getting into something or peeing everywhere, I'll be able to get more crafting done.

I bought some cute Easter fabric to make him a bandana but didn't find the time to get it done before the weekend. I will still try to get it finished, maybe if I make it a bit big it will still be the right size next year?

We also took him out on Easter for a puppy play date and he got to meet a bunch of new people and our friend's dog. After we got home he was super tired but not to worn out to chew on his new bone.

Our cat Curry has also decided that Gil is okay and they are becoming friends so that will help keep him entertained some. I took this video of the two of them playing together with our tie fighter cat teaser.

Hope everyone had an awesome Easter and thanks for putting up with all the puppy updates!

Lego Dimensions

My husband recently brought a copy of Lego Dimensions as a surprise for me. I know it's been a while since the release and I've only played the first few levels but here's my review.

The basic story follows Batman, Wildstyle, and Gandalf as they try to recover friends that have been sucked into vortexes. The vortexes were created by Lord Vortech in his quest to acquire the foundation elements of the universe. I haven't had time to play the entire story yet so I don't know how it all plays out. At the moment, it's mostly Vortech recruiting other villains to his cause .

The look of the levels varies quite a bit depending on which world you are in. There's everything from a Lego yellow brick road with a quasi-realistic background to the animation/ Lego hybrid of the Simpsons world.

The gameplay is very similar to other Lego games with a few changes. As you progress through the story mode you collect extra pieces that unlock new modes for the portal. On of these is Chroma, which when activated creates paint bubbles at various points in the level. In order to defeat enemies and complete the level you need to move a character into the paint so they change color and then solve the puzzle by placing each color on the correct portion of the toy pad.

This brings me to my only real complaint with the game so far. As a grown-up with a house full of cats and a new puppy, my natural inclination was to place the toy pad as far back on the shelf as possible to protect it from being knocked over or animals running off with mini figures. However, the gameplay quite often involves moving characters around the toy mat. All three starter characters have abilities that can only be used if they are in the circle portion. There are also times when a villain will somehow trap a charter and you have to move them to the other side of the portal to free them. Because of all this, we ended up having to play with the portal on our coffee table and the cord stretches out across the floor. More than once Gil tried to steal a figure and accidentally tripped over the cord. It seems like the options are either sit too close to the TV or risk accidents and I don't really like either.

The final thing I want to talk about is replay value. As with other Lego games, there are things hidden in each level that can only be accessed by characters with certain abilities. Therefore, as you unlock new characters (or purchase new figures) you need to revisit the level. Lego Dimensions also adds in a separate portal to each themed world that you can explore. For example, because you start with Batman you can visit a DC themed level that is a mash-up of Metropolis and Gotham City. We only spent a few minutes exploring but there we races and apparently quests that you can unlock by paying to repair various parts of the city.

Overall I've enjoyed playing the game in spite of all the portal switching business and look forward to trying some of the expanded level packs.

DIY Fleece Dog Bed

Today is my first day at home alone with our new puppy. My husband took vacation most of last week to work on getting him housetrained and as result I have never been by myself with Gil for more than a few hours time. As I mentioned earlier I'm not much of a dog person. Unlike my husband I've never had a dog at all, let alone a puppy who's constantly trying to get into things and eat them, so I'm a little bit nervous about the whole thing. Right now he's napping on my feet while I type but I'm really not sure how to keep him entertained or anything when he wakes up. Luckily he and Curry cat are starting to become friends and learning to play together.

So in honor of new puppy bonding day I'm going to share how to make a quick dog bed.

Materials: 

 1.5 yards of fleece or other heavy material that will stand up to dog pawing
a couple of old bed pillows or piece of foam

Step One:

Cut the fleece in half along the fold line so that you have two pieces 1.5 yds by about 30 inches.

Step Two:

Lay one piece out and place the pillows you are using on top. Cut the fleece so that it is just a few inches bigger than the pillows on all sides.

Step Three:

Cut the second piece of fleece in half again so you have two 30 by 27 inch pieces. With the right sides together, lay them on the first piece, overlapping them in the center. This should make the outside edges match up with the larger piece of fleece.

Step Four:

Pin everything in place and sew around the outside edge.

Step Five:

Turn everything right side out and stuff the pillows inside the overlapping flap.

Since I just used old pillows we had hanging around the entire thing can be machine washed whenever needed. The overlap is to help keep Gil from being able to pull the pillows out and chew on them. I ended up with a bit more overlap than I really need so you could probably get by with a shorter piece of fleece. You also end up with an extra scrap from trimming the first side that is large enough to use of other projects.

Puppy Approved!

Pi Day Favors and a Quick Puppy Update

I have never been much of a dog person but this puppy of ours may change that. So far he's been very well behaved, very little jumping up on people and such. He also hasn't really done much barking which isn't something we were looking for but is kind of nice.

We have spent most of the week dealing with puppy business. Everything from a visit to the vet to making sure we have food bowls and toys and whatever else he may need. I even did a quick sewing project to make a blanket for his kennel.

Materials:
Two pieces of fleece of whatever size you want for the blanket (I used 1.5 yds)

Start by laying the two fabrics out, one on top of the other. While you have them laid out trim the edges so that each piece is the same size.

Make sure that the right sides are together and then pin the two pieces together. With most fleece it doesn't make a big difference which side is 'right'. If you have a fleece with words the words will be backwards on the wrong side. Otherwise the only difference is the edges of the design are slightly fuzzy. In the picture below the left hand side is the right side of the fabric and the right hand is the wrong side.

Then sew around the edges, leaving a small opening to turn the blanket inside out. Then just sew the opening you left shut and you're good to go. I also was able to make a quick rope toy with the scraps I trimmed off.

And now for the promised pictures of our Pi Day favors....

Our Pi Day party was great. We played Apples to Apples, ate a lot of great food, and gave everyone frosty mugs! We also attempted to play Ultimate Werewolf but everyone was just tipsy enough that we couldn't keep from talking during the night time phase. After reshuffling for the third time we finally just gave up.

Everyone loved our favors. They were super easy and cheap to make thanks to the Johnson County Library. We bought mugs from the dollar store and used the equipment in the library's Makerspace to etch our design. All you need is some kind of design, saved as a jpeg and they can help you set everything else up. It did take a few test runs to figure out the exact design placement but after that it's just waiting around to switch out to a new glass.

I had trouble getting a good picture due to glare but that should give a good idea of the results. If you have any ideas of stuff to etch or things you might want to try and make I absolutely recommend you stop by the Makerspace and talk to a librarian.

New Puppy!

I mentioned last week that we had decided to go ahead and work towards getting a dog. Well my husband has already found the right pup for us and he came with us Thursday morning.

Allow me to introduce Baron Gilgamesh Wulfenbark.

He is named after Gilgamesh Wulfenbach from the comic Girl Genius and we are calling him Gil. He was adopted from Unleashed Pet Rescue, which is the same place we adopted our cat Curry. He is just over two months old and is a German Shepard/ Rottweiler mix.

He seems like he is going to be a great dog. My husband has most of this week off so he can bond and also work on house training him. It's too early to really say much about his personality but he seems pretty calm and hasn't barked a lot. He's scared of our cats right now and also the vacuum cleaner. We took him out to Petco and Petsmart and he did great although he doesn't like riding in the car much yet. He had a few tummy troubles Friday night as a result of too much excitement and new food. He came over and curled up in my lap and it was adorable.

The cats are adjusting about as well as we'd hoped. They still hiss at him sometimes but are starting to move from hatred into silent judging. Our biggest cat is larger than Gil and swatted at him so Gil is very nervous when he gets too close.  After a few weeks everyone should be calmed down and living peacefully.

Here is Gil, playing with a cat toy, while the cats look down in judgment.

We did still have our Pi Day party on Saturday and Gil was the star of the show. I actually didn't get any pictures during the event this year but will post about our favors a bit later.

Winds of Change

Things around our house will be changing very soon... But they are changing by choice and that makes a huge difference.

I grew up in house that had fish and maybe crabs for pets. My husband grew up with both cats and dogs as well as some other pets thrown in here and there. Since before we were married he's been wanting a new dog. We didn't get on right away mostly because we lived in an apartment but also because I think he was trying to ease me into this pet thing. (As I've mentioned he gave me my first pets, two kittens.) Most recently we've been putting off getting a dog until we could fix the fence at our new house. We moved in October so we put it off until spring...

Now it's spring again, just 6 years later, and we've decided to stop putting things off.

Spring Thunderstorms

So our house has seen quite the flurry of activity this past week. Measuring for and price checking fence parts, meeting dogs available for adoption, checking out places and things we may need to puppy proof. All of that and more.

We are looking for a puppy because our cats are more than a little freaked out by large dogs. We hope that by getting a pup while it's still small will help them adjust. However that means lots of time training and working with the new dog in addition to regular walks. My husband is actually excited about having the whole thing and I'm looking forward to spending more time outside. I am a bit stressed out by how quickly things are changing but I think its all for the good and am trying to go with the flow. As of now we haven't found the right dog for us but we are meeting a puppy this morning and we'll see how it goes. 

While preparations for the dog seem to be running almost TOO smoothly the rest of the week has been a bit off. After my follow up appointment on Monday for my ear infection I ended up needing to drive my husband to work because we couldn't find his keys. After that I set out to finish up the favors for our Pi Day celebration this weekend. We had intended to make a few extras just in case but when I tried to buy the extra supplies the store didn't have any. So I headed over to the library to work finish what we had and released I forgot the flash drive with the file. After a quick trip home and back during rush hour time I did manage to finish all we need for our guests.

Then while waiting to pick my husband up from work, I accidently left my headlights on and killed my car battery. We did get to watch a group of deer come out for a snack while we waited for someone to drive out and help us start the car. These aren't very good photos because they were taken in the dark with my phone but there were 5 deer total. It was pretty cool and helped make up for the rough day. I have also managed to lock my keys in the car this week but thankfully I was already home and had family nearby with a spare. It's been a bit of an overwhelming week but we are ready to relax with friends on Pi Day this weekend.

Plus if anyone has tips on helping keep our cats calm and happy while they adjust to their new sibling, I'd be glad to hear them.

Book Ball 2016

I was home sick with a serious ear infection at the end of the week. My ear and the whole side of my face swelled up. I went to the Dr. right away and I have antibiotics. I had a follow up appointment this morning and it is clear up. As long as I finish all my antibiotics I should be fine. 

This was the weekend of the Johnson County Library's Stay Home and Read a Book Ball so I had a great reason to take it easy. It was such a beautiful weekend that we thought about reading outside but it was much too windy.

8 mph wind is bad for books.

We were out at the library Makerspace on Saturday and made sure we had enough books for us both to read and room on the couch for us and all the books plus the cats.

My Spot

Husband's Books

My Books

We had a really great day just relaxing and hanging out reading together. We opened the windows to enjoy the warmer weather and it was great.

Thanks to the Makerspace I even had the perfect bookmark for my Girl Genius book.

I will be spending more time there this afternoon finishing the rest of our favors for Pi Day. Its really a great place, you should stop in and check it out.

#jocobookball

Reading Buddy

This weekend is the Johnson County Library Foundation's Stay Home and Read a Book Ball. It is a fundraiser for the library where you give a donation then instead of getting dressed up and going out you just stay home and read your favorite book. And everyone can share pictures and post about what they're reading and favorite reading spots and such. My husband and I are still trying to decide what we want to read but I do know that I will have a feline date for the ball. 

I've decided to do another cat profile and tell you all about my cat Caramel, who is the cat most likely to be in my lap at any point in time.

How she joined the family: I had never had a pet but always wanted a cat so after we were engaged my husband decided to get me a kitten. He ended up getting two. One of those kittens was Caramel and she was chosen because she needed help. She was super tiny and part of a big litter of kittens that needed more attention. 

This is an old scan of a photo (we lost the original) but is shows what a cute little fluffball she was.

Origin of Name: She was brown and sweet so named after Caramel candies.

Favorite Treat: Arby's roast beef. When she was still a little kitten my husband's family dropper feed her for a while to be sure she ate. Then one day we came over with Arby's sandwiches and she climbed my husband's shirt to try and steal the sandwich right out of his mouth. She has loved them ever since. She can always tell when we've been to Arby's without her and she moews and complains. We also think she can recognize the logo on the to-go bags.

Favorite Toy: Paper bags and jingle bell balls

Favorite Sleeping Spot: At night she likes to curl up on my hip if I'm on my side or my feet if I'm not. During the day when she naps she likes to hide in our cat bed.

Favorite Snuggle Spot: She love to sleep curling in ball in your lap or with her head resting on your shoulder. She prefers my lap because my husband shifts around too much and makes her mad. This is why I know she will be a great book ball date, sitting for hours in my lap is a favorite pastime of hers.

Worst Habit: Getting in the trash and eating things she shouldn't. You would think we had a dog the number of times we have to clean up chewed on trash.

Best Traits: 1. Very affectionate to people she likes 2. Guards the house against strangers and meows loudly to let us know we have invaders...  When we still lived at our first apartment we had a maintenance guy that didn't like to come to our apartment if we were gone because Caramel cat scared him. She would follow him around and stare and meow at him.

Likes: things that roll, any kind of meat (except corned beef), fuzzy blankets, using people or other cats as pillows, sitting in the high places and looking down on everyone else

Dislikes: strangers in the house, not getting dinner on time, being lock either into or out of any room, brother cats who want to wrestle, people yawning or sneezing, people moving while she's sitting on them, baths . . . Wow that cat has lots of of dislikes.
The first time my husband gave her a bath she made a horrible warbling noise that made her sound like she was underwater. I came charging in to see what he was doing to my kitty and she was completely dry from the shoulders up. She still does it with every bath and fights and claws.

Strangest Trait: Unfortunately she has a problem where she attacks her own tail. It twitches and she thinks it attacking her so she pounces and sinks her claws into it. Usually holding her and snuggling helps to calm her down she stops attacking.

Trick to wake up he humans: She will come in the bedroom and knock things off the night stand until we get up to give her breakfast.