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The House of Cheerful Monkeys
Sep. 16th, 2007 03:34 pmPosted Monday to my kingdom's e-list:
"Risen yeast is cast
Into the purest waters
Pearls of rice entombed
Ten days in darkness dwelling
Strain jollity for one's cup.
Take your ease, o friend,
Among bright lanterns and taste
Nihon's true delights.
In harmony we gather
To celebrate the harvest.
In the spirit of harmony, this person humbly wishes to invite you to
the House Of Cheerful Monkeys for a sake tasting on Saturday evening
of Mists Coronet. Green tea will also be served to those who prefer
not to imbibe. Poets and tellers of tales most welcome!"
Why The House of Cheerful Monkeys? Well, I figured if the name had monkeys in it, folks would know it was me. I also have a lovely hanging scroll with a mother and baby snow monkey that will be displayed.
Cheerful Monkeys will also be open to entertain guests Friday night of Great Western War and quite possibly at Estrella if it proves workable.
This is being posted while I am letting my fingers recover from punching holes for the hiogi. I've got about half the slats pierced at this point. Again, this project is going into the A & S competition as part of my obligation to educate His Highness and His Subjects about the arts and culture of Japan.
EDIT: Holes are punched. My fingers feel like hamburger. May try to lace it together in a bit. Need to do some sanding, but I appear to be out of sandpaper and don't feel like diving out to the store right now to get some because I'm still a bit beat from the ECW trip yesterday.
"Risen yeast is cast
Into the purest waters
Pearls of rice entombed
Ten days in darkness dwelling
Strain jollity for one's cup.
Take your ease, o friend,
Among bright lanterns and taste
Nihon's true delights.
In harmony we gather
To celebrate the harvest.
In the spirit of harmony, this person humbly wishes to invite you to
the House Of Cheerful Monkeys for a sake tasting on Saturday evening
of Mists Coronet. Green tea will also be served to those who prefer
not to imbibe. Poets and tellers of tales most welcome!"
( Backstory )
Why The House of Cheerful Monkeys? Well, I figured if the name had monkeys in it, folks would know it was me. I also have a lovely hanging scroll with a mother and baby snow monkey that will be displayed.
Cheerful Monkeys will also be open to entertain guests Friday night of Great Western War and quite possibly at Estrella if it proves workable.
This is being posted while I am letting my fingers recover from punching holes for the hiogi. I've got about half the slats pierced at this point. Again, this project is going into the A & S competition as part of my obligation to educate His Highness and His Subjects about the arts and culture of Japan.
EDIT: Holes are punched. My fingers feel like hamburger. May try to lace it together in a bit. Need to do some sanding, but I appear to be out of sandpaper and don't feel like diving out to the store right now to get some because I'm still a bit beat from the ECW trip yesterday.
New project
Sep. 11th, 2007 09:31 pmI had almost forgotten about this genius idea I had back in April. Almost. Then I remembered it a day or two ago.
I spent this afternoon after work turning 1/32" x 3" x 24" basswood strips into 1/32" x 5/8" x 16" strips. I ended up with about 55. I may pick up a couple of more basswood slats tomorrow just to make sure I have enough, because you KNOW I'll split a couple when I start piercing them for threading. I learned my lesson on the one I made for Twelfth Night - take the time and pierce each one separately with an awl instead of trying to clamp them all together and use a drill. The darn things skated apart under pressure and I ended up with uneven holes.
Japan's Miho Museum has an extant hiogi dating from the 14-15th century or so. Details show that it was decorated with glitter and that the pivot joint was made of knotted silk. If I get pressed for time and end up not painting it, well, unpainted hiogi were for men - and are still used ceremonially by Shinto clerics.
In semi-related news, one of the guys at work has an Asian pear tree in his back yard. I brought home a few of the less ripe ones he brought in and tucked them in the veggie crisper in my fridge. I'm thinking slices arranged to represent a chrysanthemum would make a pretty dish for the party at the House Of Cheerful Monkeys.
I spent this afternoon after work turning 1/32" x 3" x 24" basswood strips into 1/32" x 5/8" x 16" strips. I ended up with about 55. I may pick up a couple of more basswood slats tomorrow just to make sure I have enough, because you KNOW I'll split a couple when I start piercing them for threading. I learned my lesson on the one I made for Twelfth Night - take the time and pierce each one separately with an awl instead of trying to clamp them all together and use a drill. The darn things skated apart under pressure and I ended up with uneven holes.
Japan's Miho Museum has an extant hiogi dating from the 14-15th century or so. Details show that it was decorated with glitter and that the pivot joint was made of knotted silk. If I get pressed for time and end up not painting it, well, unpainted hiogi were for men - and are still used ceremonially by Shinto clerics.
In semi-related news, one of the guys at work has an Asian pear tree in his back yard. I brought home a few of the less ripe ones he brought in and tucked them in the veggie crisper in my fridge. I'm thinking slices arranged to represent a chrysanthemum would make a pretty dish for the party at the House Of Cheerful Monkeys.
