Tuesday, August 21, 2012

10 things you don't know about me


i have been rather quiet this past week.  not because i felt like neglecting all y'all...i've just been really focused on the restoration and modification of my kawasaki and didn't realize i haven't blogged in several days!
i know i've got some new readers, so i thought it might be fun to share 10 things you probably don't know about me.

1.  aside from fiber art, i'm also a woodworker. i used to turn lacemaking bobbins (mostly east midlands style) on my mini-lathe. i also like to whittle and carve...and i enjoy making rustic furniture from salvaged barn and other wood!

 2.  i collect and play musical instruments. i have 16 mountain dulcimers, 4 guitars, 3 ocarinas, 2 doumbek drums, a german zither, a lyra harp, and a chord organ (not including various assorted indigenous african and east indian percussive instruments such as rattles, chimes, etc.). i am currently focusing on blues style guitar. i was also given a lovely harmonica by my father on my last trip home, which i do not yet play, but intend to learn some day.

 3.  i spin and have recently reduced my spinning wheel collection down to one 114 year old swiss castle wheel, one 100+ year old oversized prairie wheel, one 6 year old custom charka wheel made by my ex, and several assorted drop spindles. i really love spinning, though have not had much time lately to do so which is why i have sold off my 4 other wheels. i hope to have time to spin again in the future.

 4.  i love to weave and have several looms. my favorite forms of weaving are rug-weaving and tapestry. i have recently divested myself of several larger looms and will be selling some of my table looms shortly due to space constrictions. one day i hope to have a full-sized garage again so i can begin weaving scandinavian rag rugs again on my old union no.36 rug loom.

5.  i am an avid wool-gatherer. not so much as in one who goes out and gathers wool that has been snagged on shrubs and bushes...but as in one who spends a tremendous amount of time thinking...gathering thoughts and pondering upon them. yes. it's true...i think. a lot.

6.  i *adore* all things japanese! you wouldn't guess it by my home at the moment as most of my japanese treasures are tucked away in storage. though you can find bits and pieces of my collections scattered throughout the house. a kimono here. a kwan yin there. a vintage cricket cage or two over yonder (ok...so those are chinese!). japanese paddle puppets on the wall in the sewing room... you get the idea. wondrously odd little snippets of my passion mixed in unexpectedly amongst a house full of rustic cottage decor!

 7.  i absolutely *refuse* to go out in public without first taking at least a shower, shaving, brushing my teeth, and putting on cologne.  not so much because i'm trying to impress anyone or because i'm prissy. those who know me, know i'm far from that! but because it makes me feel good. finished. ready to "meet the world".  i'm hardly a coiffed and manicured type...i tend to be a bit more rough around the edges rugged...but i do like to be clean and presentable. given my interest invintage motorcycles and tattoos, this frequently surprises people.

 8.  i really detest talking on the phone. i prefer texts, emails and tweets to talking on a phone. and more often than not, if i do use the phone and get voicemail, i'm highly unlikely to actually leave a message! i detest talking to machines even more than i do on phones!

 9.  if i could live anywhere in the world, it would be somewhere high in the mountains of japan in a small village overlooking terraced farms of one sort or another. i love ancient japanese architecture and the quiet, respectful culture of outlying villages that have not been westernized beyond recognition.

 10.  i am ambidextrous. admittedly my handwriting as written by my left hand is not as neat as my right, but mostly because i don't write left-handed very often and so my left hand is out of practice. however, i eat, use tools, open doors, play tennis, fence, shoot, and so on, with both hands equally.

 so, there you are. i hope this provided a little window or two into my world and helped you to know what makes me tick a little better.  or perhaps just to present you with that elusive "aha!" moment as you read my blog and suddenly realize why i do things the way i do!

 namaste'

16 comments:

  1. Thanks.... even for an "older" reader... I learned a lot!

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    1. ha! it's been so nice to have you along for the ride, too! so glad i could share something new with you as well!

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  2. Replies
    1. naw...i'm talking about things i've done throughout a lifetime! for the moment, salvage cloth and guitars are at the forefront...

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  3. It sounds as though you live in a very creative space. Lots of inspiration for the different bits of you. Thank you for the insight - but just make sure those mind boggles don't reel you in while wool gathering!

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    1. ah, yes! the mind boggles! they are a bother more than i'd like to admit!

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  4. So...WoW!! SO much of interest here :) I did a short, much less exciting list on my birthday last April, but this was a real treat to read! Now I seriously want to come for a visit and house tour, as I bet I could spend hours just looking at all of your toys! lol

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    1. if you include the outbuildings where i store things not currently in use, you could probably spend days exploring the nooks and crannies of my tiny home and playing with my toys!

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  5. as a newcomer to your blog, this was a really great (and tantalizing) introduction... and I can see that the exercise is useful, b/c I assume many of the things on your list might not get referred to otherwise.

    (I share two of your items - I also love all things Japanese and hate talking on the phone!)

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    1. true...many of the things on my list would not normally get mentioned on this blog. however, it was also a useful exercise in that it reminded me of many things that i had nearly forgotten...and stirred up the old creative juices in new ways!

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  6. Joe san..
    You will have to come for a visit to my farm in Japan. The grass always seems greener. I wouldn't mind some wide open spaces and straight roads and living in language I actually understand. I keep my phone in a separate building 250 meters away from the house and use it perhaps twice a year. No cell phone either. Nor TV. Life is too short to have these things around. When do people find time to live and be creative with this stuff around?

    Nice to get to know you better,
    Bryan

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    1. thank you bryan! yes, that grass is always greener the farther away it is... i took a spin around town and the countryside today (blogged about it, too) and remembered why i loved montana so much! though, don't be surprised if i take you up on that visit to your farm in japan. i could do with getting lost in a land of winding roads and ensnared in wonder at a language that i only have the most rudimentary grasp of. i spend very little time in front of a tv...though i do own one as i love being carried away by movies. though, to be honest, the internet is probably my biggest block to creativity...next to my work.

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  7. Hi Joe,

    Thank you for sharing those bits about you...fascinating! You are a very talented guy and I always enjoy visiting your blog and learning so much. Thanks : )

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    1. thanks marie! it's always a pleasure having you visit...as well as it is always a joy to visit your blog and see the unexpected creative directions you are taking!

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  8. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86x-u-tz0MA
    I have been meaning to send you this link for a while. Perhaps you've already seen it?
    Bryan

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    1. thank so much for this, bryan. i was not aware of this and am certain i will be spending a lot of time on the ted talks site to hear more!

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