Sunday, September 6, 2009

Plummer Mouse

Look who popped up and commented on my blog!

One of the Plummer Mice! Have any of the others had adventures? This one sure has, his humans went to the hot springs and he got to meet a polar bear!

Let me know if you have adventure photos and I'll see about getting them posted to the Plummer Mouse Flickr account.

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Semi-related link: Pietopia

This is such a fantastic concept.
The contest was (since they've declared their winners already) to figure out what flavor of pie describes you right now, what's going on in your life and/or how you're feeling.

The resulting pies range from hilariously complex to home-town simple with a twist.

Go look at the fabulous art posters designed to represent the winning pies. Maybe make one or two of them, I know I want to.

Pietopia

Gifts - Mystery Pressure Canner

Hey everyone!
Those of you who could make it, thank you all for coming! Those of you who couldn't, thank you for your best wishes, it's been wonderful receiving the cards and emails from you.

I have a question!
We arrived home last night to a fabulous pile of gifts inside the front door courtesy of the friend who was watching after the cat and the hedgehog. Most of them gave some indication who sent them. One, did not.

The pressure canner was shipped by an Amazon Affiliate who felt no obligation to give any indication who actually placed the order. And I can't write a thank you note unless I know who sent the gift. Please help!

Did you send us a pressure canner? Please let me know if you did.

Edited to add: Never mind. Amazon has this wonderful feature called a "Thank you list" which shows who ordered what items. Mystery solved!

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Flower Script - how-to

How To Make Your Own Flowers (or Snowflakes!) With Joel's Abstract-Flower Script

1) You'll need to have a copy of the free GNU Image Manipulation
Program (GIMP).  You can get it from http://www.gimp.org/

2) Once you have the GIMP installed on your computer, create a file
that has the script text in it and call it something like
abstract-flower.scm

3) Put that file in your GIMP scripts directory (on my computer, with
the default install, that directory is C:\Program
Files\GIMP-2.0\share\gimp\2.0\scripts )

4) Start up the GIMP

5) Create a new image.  This is going to be your petal, which will be
repeated around a circle when you run the script.  (You'll probably
want to create it with a transparent background so that it can easily
be incorporated into other things).  Draw on the image with the
paintbrush or (probably for better results at least getting started)
the pencil tool

6) When you're ready to try making a flower, go up to the Filters
menu, then down to Extensions, and click "Abstract Flower"

7) Tell it how many pixels you want your image to be moved out from
the center of the flower that will be created

8) Tell it how many petals you want the flower to have

9) Click okay and watch the fun animation of the rotation progress bars

10) Admire the nifty result

11) (optional) Merge all visible layers so that you're left with one
that contains the entire flower image

12) (optional) Repeat steps 5 - 12, get a feel for how it works, and
make awesome designs!

Enjoy!

Flower Script - save as .scm file

;; abstract-flower-petalCount.scm -- a script for GIMP
;; Author: Joel Jorgensen
;;
;; Creates a flower by making copies of the selected layer (the number of copies
;; being the number of petals specified minus one because you already have the
;; original), offsetting them by the radius specified, and rotating them by
;; successively larger portions of a circle. Used to do the flower art for
;; our wedding.

;; Mmmm, pi. It's just everywhere in this wedding! ^_^
(define *pi* (* 4 (atan 1.0) ) )

;; Recursive function that is the heart of this script.
;; Creates a copy of the (offset-by-the-radius) original layer
;; Adds that as a new layer to the image.
;; Rotates the layer by an amount dependent upon which iteration this is
;; (Each new copy gets rotated farther around)
;; Increments the iteration
;; If it's not done, it recursively calls itself and passes all of the existing
;; stuff plus the new iteration value
;; (The image height is used to determine the pivot point, so each petal is
;; rotated about the center of the image, which is then the center of the
;; flower when all is said and done. Yay math!)
(define (add-petal img petal iteration rotationAmount numPetals)
(let*
(
(newPetal (car (gimp-layer-new-from-drawable petal img)))
(imgHeight (car (gimp-image-height img)))
)

(gimp-image-add-layer img newPetal 0)

(gimp-drawable-transform-rotate newPetal (* iteration rotationAmount) FALSE (/ imgHeight 2) (/ imgHeight 2) TRANSFORM-FORWARD INTERPOLATION-CUBIC FALSE 3 TRANSFORM-RESIZE-CLIP)

(set! iteration (+ iteration 1))

(if (< iteration numPetals)
(add-petal img petal iteration rotationAmount numPetals)
)
)
)

;; The function that starts it all and gets everything set up so that add-petal
;; will have the desired effect.
;; Gets the width of the source petal (the current layer)
;; Calculates the height of the image to be created as being twice
;; the height of the current layer plus the radius offset (twice because
;; we're going around a circle, and so we need to add room for the petals
;; on the other sides)
;; Calculates the petalHeight as half the image height
;; Creates a new image to hold the flower
;; Makes a copy of the source petal
;; Sets the iteration to be the first iteration
;; Calculates the amount to increase the rotation (in radians) each iteration by
;; dividing the number of radians in a rotation by the number of iterations
;; that will be performed (the number of petals)
;; Prevents each step from being undo-able (instead you can undo the whole thing
;; as one bulk operation)
;; Adds the copied petal to the new image
;; Moves it to the center top location
;; Calls add-petal, which kicks off the recursion to create and add the rest
;; of the petals
;; Displayes the new image
;; Re-enables undo for individual steps
(define (abstract-flower srcImg srcPetal radius numPetals)
(let*
(
(width (car (gimp-drawable-width srcPetal)))
(imgHeight (* 2 (+ radius (car (gimp-drawable-height srcPetal)))))
(petalHeight (/ imgHeight 2))
(newImg (car (gimp-image-new imgHeight imgHeight (car (gimp-image-base-type srcImg)))))
(petal (car (gimp-layer-new-from-drawable srcPetal newImg)))
(iteration 1)
(rotationAmount (/ (* 2 *pi*) numPetals))
)

(gimp-image-undo-disable newImg)
(gimp-image-add-layer newImg petal 0)

(gimp-layer-resize petal imgHeight imgHeight (- (/ imgHeight 2) (/ width 2) ) 0)
(gimp-layer-set-offsets petal 0 0)

(add-petal newImg petal iteration rotationAmount numPetals)

(gimp-display-new newImg)

(gimp-image-undo-enable newImg)
)
)

;; Registers this script with the GIMP so that you can actually run it
;; Some descriptive comments for when you're looking for it in the Script
;; Library
;; Set it up to take
;; an IMAGE (the current image)
;; a drawable (the currently selected layer; the source petal)
;; the radius to offset each petal from the center of the flower
;; the number of petals you want in your flower
(script-fu-register "abstract-flower"
"_Abstract Flower"
"Creates a flower by making several copies of the current layer, offsetting them by the amount of the radius, and rotating them different amounts to form a circle. Works best for images with a really sharp border. (Bonus Feature: Can also be used to create snowflakes! ^_^ )"
"Joel Jorgensen "
"Joel Jorgensen"
"2009-01-21"
""
SF-IMAGE "Image" 0
SF-DRAWABLE "Drawable" 0
SF-ADJUSTMENT "Radius" '(40 0 4096 1 10 0 1)
SF-ADJUSTMENT "Number of Petals" '(10 0 4096 1 10 0 1)
)

;; Adds the script to the menu so you can easily call it
;; (In my version, it actually shows up under Filters > Experimental
(script-fu-menu-register "abstract-flower" "<Toolbox>/Xtns/E_xperimental")

;; EDIT (Don't copy this part) fixed the last line so it will actually add
;; it to a menu instead of throwing some bizarre error about <Prefix>

Friday, August 7, 2009

Transportation on Sunday

Parking at the Plummer House for the reception is limited. Please carpool or take the shuttle. There are only about 15 parking spots at the top of the hill, so it's a bit tight.

The Jorgensens have the big van that will be used to carry people and the hotel has a shuttle that will run to and from the Plummer House.

To everyone staying in the hotel, they have a shuttle that sounds like its readily available to guests if they just ask for a ride. They request understanding that based on where it is in town it can take from 5 to 30 minutes to arrive for an unscheduled pick-up.

We do have a couple of scheduled shuttle runs on Sunday:
1:30 it will pick people up to take them to Holy Spirit.
3:00 it will be ready to pick people up after the ceremony.
3:45 there will be a run up to the Plummer House. There can be a second one at this time if needed.
6:00 and 8:00 are the two scheduled times to go back to the hotel, but again, if you want to go back at a different time, you can give them a call.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Details, details...

Thanks Aunt Mary for the prompt to get this post written. I knew it needed done, but it hadn't yet risen to the top of the list of things that need done.

I (Beth) am getting into Rochester the Sunday prior so that I can present at the courthouse bright and early Monday morning (well, Monday, at any rate) to get the marriage license process started (there is an inconvenient 5 day waiting period). Joel will be getting in Thursday night late-ish.

My folks get in on Tuesday to help with getting all the last-minute stuff sorted and finalized, and all the other guests that I know about are arriving either Friday night or Saturday morning if they're flying.

Friday we have no specific plans.

Saturday and Sunday there is a reserved area at the hotel where people can gather and be social. We'll have some snacks and drinks there and you can feel free to add whatever you'd like to eat to the assortment.

Saturday for lunch, there will be a gathering of the young people. Friends, cousins, siblings, that ilk. We'd like to get a little more time to catch up than will be possible on Sunday.

Saturday the rehearsal dinner will be a small gathering of just the folks actually participating in the ceremony. The rehearsal will follow at 6:00. That evening nothing specific is planned. I intend to spend some time at the hotel's social area being, well, social. Anyone interested is welcome to come down and say hi.

Sunday, the wedding starts at 2:00 in the afternoon. We'll be doing the formal pictures before the ceremony. The picnic starts about 4 and will go as late as folks feel like sticking around for it.

Hopefully everyone will have fun!

Friday, June 19, 2009

Why Steel Grey...

"Until the late 19th century, brides generally bought the fanciest dress they could afford and then wore it throughout their marriage as an evening gown. With the rise of mass-produced clothing, white became the popular color — maximally impractical, it signified the owner would wear the dress only once. Efficient women often married in white and then dyed their dresses to wear again."

From an article on CraftBlog about how to make a truly scary wedding dress out of T-shirts. Not my ideal.

I much prefer the model that gives me a dress that I can wear again and again when time comes to dress up. It won't actually serve all that well as a true formal, it doesn't have anywhere near enough beads or sequins (ie none), but it's lovely and it's me and I'll enjoy wearing it to nice dinners, theater and that sort of thing.

Maybe, if I'm lucky, my kids will wear it to play Miss Haversham during a high school English class production of Dickens' Great Expectations. Then again it probably doesn't read enough as a wedding dress. I guess they'll just have to borrow my mom's. I did.

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Flying

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the area, there is an airport that services Rochester (RST). If you don't want to rent a car, you should be able to get a shuttle from there to the hotel.

For those of you who wish to try something else, there is also a shuttle from the Minneapolis airport (MSP) to Rochester.

For those of you who know other people who are coming in, we encourage ride-sharing!

For those of you who know pretty much (or literally) nobody and would like to ride-share or are willing to have additional passengers, drop Beth an e-mail; she'll try to find someone else for you to travel with.

Hotel

We have a block of rooms reserved for the wedding at the Soldier's Field Best Western.

Address:401 6th St SW, Rochester, MN 55902
Website:http://www.soldiersfield.com/
Phone:800-366-2067
Cost per room:$97/night + taxes

They have a shuttle that can provide transportation to and from all of the relevant wedding locations at no extra charge, so if you don't want to deal with trying to drive to the church they can give you a lift.

The block of rooms will be held until 7/26. So reserve before then to ensure that price. I'm pretty sure they'll have rooms after that point, but they may not be near each other or the same cost.

If you think there's a chance you'll be coming, make a reservation. They can be canceled at no charge up to 24 hours before the check-in time.

Sunday, May 31, 2009

Registry information

We are registered a couple different places. Each of the names is a link that should go straight to our registry so you don't have to figure out how to navigate the byzantine search functions of the various sites.

Bed Bath & Beyond has all the normal kitchen and bath type stuff. Including fancy silverware, but no china as neither of us feels it's necessary.

Amazon has specialty cooking items like stainless steel baking implements so we don't need to worry about mussing a non-stick surface.

Uncommon Goods has random things like a very nifty picnic basket and other assorted small things that are not even remotely necessary, but are lots of fun.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Welcome To Our Wedding Journal

Hello!

Welcome to our Wedding Journal!  This is where we will be posting information about our upcoming wedding which will be on Sunday, August 16 in Rochester, Minnesota.  We'll be putting up details and directions and updates in the upcoming days and weeks, and there will be registry links up hopefully later this week once Joel has a better feel for how the site works.  In the meantime, he'll be trying to get the colors closer to the way we want them (we'll see whether they stay that way once Beth gets back from Nicaragua ~grin~)

In addition to the more practical matters mentioned above, the card in the invitations promised kibitzing.  This journal is also an opportunity for you to share some of the time and experiences leading up to the actual ceremony with us, and we're looking forward to it!

More soon!
Joel and Beth