Sewing Machine Woes, Part 1

Or, ACE is (not) the place!

My sewing machine is an anvil. It is a 1962 Model 90 Kenmore with a very nice cabinet. Back then they built things to last, and this sewing machine is no exception. The only problem is that I am missing two little screws that keep the machine from falling out of the cabinet when it is folded down.

Recently I discussed this machine at an online forum, and the resulting conversation motivated me to find replacement screws so that I can finally close the cabinet.

The user manual was little help. It referred to them as "hinge screws" in the section on how to install the machine in the cabinet, but then never mentioned them again. There were no part numbers or illustrations to help me with my quest.

So this morning I left Tiger with Corvus and hauled the fifty pound chunk of metal down to the nearest ACE hardware store. Several months ago, my mother had bought several different sizes of screws from ACE, but none of them fit. I wanted to be sure I got the right kind this time.

Soon after entering the store, with my sewing machine stashed in a shopping cart, I found two employees standing next to the screw section. They both became quite excited when I told them what I was looking for, and immediately started opening drawers and pulling out different kinds of screws. Terms such as machine screws, threads, and metric were bandied about. They debated whether the sewing machine had possibly been manufactured in Europe. I just stood back, nodded and smiled.

After about ten minutes, they slowly ran out of steam. Not one screw had fit. They apologetically told me that my best bet would be a sewing machine repair shop. One suggested Cathey's Vac and Sew. I assured them that I appreciated their efforts, and headed back to my car.

I didn't have time to go all the way into town, because I needed to be back when Tiger's morning nap had ended. Cathey's Vac and Sew would have to wait for another opportunity.

Will Mel finally find her missing screws? Be sure to read "Sewing Machine Woes, Part 2" to find out!

Fun with Chemical Reactions

Recipe for Orange Fizzy:

One glass of orange juice (I use unsweetened pulp-free for this)
One squirt of lemon juice
grenadine to taste (optional)
1/4 tsp baking soda

Combine all ingredients in a glass and stir. Watch the bubbles. Drink.

This makes a lightly carbonated orange drink that is quite tasty. You can add baking soda to any acidic drink for a similar effect.

The Gnostic Gospels

My church is offering a class on the gnostic gospels on Wednesday nights. This is a continuation of last year's class, which covered Dan Brown's The DaVinci Code. There was such overwhelming interest that the pastor is now offering this class.

Unfortunately, I missed the first session due to some confusion over the church's website calendar. It doesn't look like I missed much, though. We are currently working our way through the first chapter of "Irenaeus: Against Heresies," Book 1, which was written about the followers of Valentinus, a Christian heretic. (See sidebar for link to online copy.)

In the first chapter, Irenaeus sets out the geneology of the pantheon that the Valentinus sect of gnosticism believed in. I'm not really sure if pantheon is the right word, though, because supposedly these spirits aren't really gods, but something beyond gods. The gnostics called them "AEons." Here is a graphical representation of the geneology. Under the Greek/Latin names I put the meaning. Keep in mind that these are all spirits/concepts. Matter has not been created yet at this point in the mythology. The male spirits are in blue, the female in red. Click on the picture for one that is big enough to actually read.


The first tetrad (Proarche, Sige, Nous, and Aletheia) are all equally powerful, even though Nous and Aletheia were created by Proarche and Sige. Also, Nous is the only AEon that is capable of understanding/perceiving Proarche. Confused yet?

All together, there are thirty AEons, called the Pleroma. The gnostics thought that this was the reason why Jesus didn't begin his ministry until he was thirty years old: the thirty years was a way to reveal the nature of the AEons. To quote from Irenaeus, "Such are the thirty Aeons in the erroneous system of these men; and they are described as being wrapped up, so to speak, in silence, and known to none [except these professing teachers]. Moreover, they declare that this invisible and spiritual Pleroma of theirs is tripartite, being divided into an Ogdoad, a Decad, and a Duodecad. And for this reason they affirm it was that the "Saviour"-for they do not please to call Him "Lord"-did no work in public during the space of thirty years, thus setting forth the mystery of these Aeons. They maintain also, that these thirty Aeons are most plainly indicated in the parable of the labourers sent into the vineyard. For some are sent about the first hour, others about the third hour, others about the sixth hour, others about the ninth hour, and others about the eleventh hour. Now, if we add up the numbers of the hours here mentioned, the sum total will be thirty: for one, three, six, nine, and eleven, when added together, form thirty. And by the hours, they hold that the Aeons were pointed out; while they maintain that these are great, and wonderful, and hitherto unspeakable mysteries which it is their special function to develop; and so they proceed when they find anything in the multitude of things contained in the Scriptures which they can adopt and accommodate to their baseless speculations." (Chapter 1, Paragraph 3)

Although Irenaeus is tough going, the things he described are fascinating. This gnostic view is a rich mine for a spec-fic writer, especially since it is not as well known as the Greek or Roman pantheons. I already have a few ideas, although I don't know which stories they will go in.

After we finish Irenaeus, we will be reading as many of the gnostic gospels as we have time for, starting with the Gospel of Thomas.

It's ready!

The Fall 2005 issue of Shimmer magazine is now available for pre-order. My short story "A Convocation of Clowns" will be appearing in this issue. I've seen the proofs for it, and it looks really good! If you like speculative fiction, then Shimmer is the magazine for you.

Starting Over

At less than 2000 words I stalled out on my TriMo novel. I hated it and couldn't stand the thought of writing any more. I finally decided that it needs to be urban fantasy instead of straight fantasy. Now I'm getting excited again.

I'm not going to talk much about what I plan to write, because I've found that if I do that my mind thinks that the story has already been told and I can't write it anymore. But I will say this: I'm planning to use some of the interesting legends I've discovered while living in Tucson as the basis for some of the fantasy elements. Most of the basic plot will be the same as what I had planned originally.

It's hard to find the time to write, though, because Corvus is going to be gone for the next two weeks and I have his chores as well as my own to take care of. Oh, well, I'll manage.

TriMoNaNo, Day 1

During Tiger's first nap I sat down and pounded out the first 1000 words of my novel. Actually, it was 1062 words to be exact, and it took just over an hour to complete. After about 300 words I was getting the strong urge to go do something else, but I forced myself to continue. At around 750 words I really got into the flow of it and the last 300 words were a piece of cake.

My rule is that I can't stop writing until I finish 1000 words and the scene that I'm currently working on. I'm not allowed to stop in the middle of a scene, even if I have already hit the day's wordcount goal. This way I will get into the habit of finishing scenes, even if they are longer than I had expected.

Only two scenes into the prologue of the novel, and already I have been inventing cool things about the Faerie realm that will become important later. This is why outlining never works for me: I am at my most creative when I'm simply writing; outlining is too analytical. I have a one page synopsis of the plot that I developed through the snowflake method, and a handful of important characters. Overall, I know where the story is going, but it's going to be an interesting ride getting there.