Baby, It's Cold Outside (LilyPad style)

   by  sameerhalai 

In a previous post, I shared the first musical composition that I coded for my LilyPad, a lullaby that I used to sing to my daughter.  Over the weekend, I sat down and started coding the song "Baby, It's Cold Outside," to get myself in the holiday spirit!  I used this frequency chart to match the notes on the sheet music.  Ideally, I'd like to create a scarf that plays this song and flashes multicolored lights when the temperature dips.

I haven't yet figured out how to program lights to flash in sync with my music, but that is next on my list.  Here is the code that I wrote.

The video is less than thrilling, but you can hear how my song is progressing.  I would appreciate any feedback you might have.

Kindness Pays (30 Day Blogging Challenge #30)

Today's (Nov 30) prompt:

Practice an act of kindness this week and blog about your experience.

Today is the last day of the 30 Day Blogging Challenge!  To celebrate, I'm going to keep this post short.

Yesterday, while on the prowl for a parking spot in downtown Burlington, a car was preparing to leave just as I was driving in to the lot.  My surge of joy was temporarily squashed when I noticed that another car, one that had pulled in before I had, was already waiting there, preparing to back into the spot that had come open after he'd driven past.

   by  Kathleen Tyler Conklin 

It would have been easy (and incredibly Grinch-like) to snatch the spot, but I backed up to let the person in the other car capture the spoils.

Surprisingly, the person opted not to take it and drove away, leaving my friend and me with a conveniently located spot, with a "free" sign covering the meter!

Here's to kindness, good karma, and a call to pay it forward.

Ignite a Maker

For the months of December and January, thanks to an Ignite a Maker Grant, I am going to be making a concerted effort to focus on my soft circuit and e-textile skills!

My first goal is to complete a small e-textile project before Thursday, December 18th, so that I'll be prepared to share something at the Generator's next Third Thursday Social, which will be focused upon wearables.

Between Lucie's hat and Leah's jingly sweater (still in development), the gauntlet has definitely been thrown!

To see pictures from the event, visit this post from the Ignite a Maker blog.

3 Inspiring People (30 Day Blogging Challenge #29)

Today's (Nov 29) prompt:

We all know someone who inspires us to be better. Share that person.

There are many people who inspire me to be better, so rather than selecting one person to write about, I would rather identify three specific traits in three different people that I find particularly inspiring.

1.  I admire my husband, Chris, for the way that he always manages to put our family first whenever he is at home.  He doesn't seem to have any difficulty separating his professional and personal lives, which is something that I continue to work on.

2.  I admire my best friend, Aubrey, for being so good at committing to a healthy lifestyle.  Not only does she teach full-time and tend to her loved ones, but she exercises and eats right, which is something that I need to do better.

3.  I admire my daughter, Audrey, for the way that she makes time for pleasure reading and creative writing.  I tend to gravitate toward informational text and quick blog posts, but it's reading and writing poetry and fiction that get my creative juices flowing.

Way Opens (30 Day Blogging Challenge #28)

Today's (Nov 28) prompt:

Talk about one opportunity that you are grateful in hindsight for having passed you by.

   by  anyjazz65  

"There is as much guidance in way that closes behind us as in way that opens up ahead of us. The opening may reveal our potentials while the closing may reveal our limits—two sides to the same coin, the coin called identity."  Parker Palmer

I'm not sure that I believe that everything happens for a reason, but I do believe that new opportunities often present themselves when others disappear.  Although I am not always easily consoled by that wisdom when my heart is broken, or when I feel like I wasn't the chosen one, I am comforted by the Quaker expression that "way opens."  As reality dictates, in a world that does not revolve around our individual wants and desires, way doesn't always take us down the paths we might imagine for ourselves.

When a position I was interested in applying for this summer was filled without being advertised, I was disappointed.  Because I'd waited for a posting, rather than being more proactive, I felt like I'd missed out on an opportunity. With the benefit of hindsight, I am grateful that I've had this year to continue learning and teaching in new ways that I might not have otherwise done.  Having the time has increased my schedule's flexibility, giving me more opportunities to try new things and travel with my husband. 

Bottling Up Perfection (30 Day Blogging Challenge #27)

Today's Prompt:  Nov 27 

If you could bottle up the perfect day, what would it look like?

As luck would have it today has been a perfect day, wrapped in gratitude and punctuated with a mid-day nap.

It looked like family gathered around a bountiful table, with a view of a snow-filled meadow.  

It smelled like baked turkey, gravy, and bourbon sweet potatoes, and it tasted like red wine, pumpkin pie, and whipped cream.  

It sounded like laughter and felt as cozy and comforting as the heat emanating from a wood burning stove.

Small Pleasures (30 Day Blogging Challenge #26)

Today's prompt (Nov 26):

Write about any 3 small pleasures in your life/day.

I love sitting on my couch with my dog curled up next to me while I drink my morning coffee!

I love spending time playing in my studio.

I love meeting my best friend at Martone's for a hot beverage every Friday afternoon.