Wes @ Play

2010 Resolutions

2010 is the Year of My House, which is say that all things domestic take precedent. I've changed jobs so I can pay my mortgage, I've started tallying the staggering number of fixes that need to be made, and I've started planning how I can have a garden that doesn't look like an abandoned lot.

1. Make money
2. Fix things around the house
3. Find roommate who is also a general contractor

Current interests

2009 Resolutions

1. Don't talk. Don't plan. Do.
2. Update all of my personal websites
3. Play in an orchestra or concert band
4. Find a job

Fiber Optics

I'm learning about fiber optic lighting, especially side-lighting fiber optic cable, which has a lot of potential. I'm also investing in some low-cost lasers to brighten up my badly decorated house.

2008 is the Year of Piet Van Allen

My roommate Piet Van Allen was killed in a motorcycle accident in April, 2008. Piet was my roommate almost since I bought the house and a great friend. We were probably more in tune in terms of how we saw the world than most people I know. I miss him a great deal. It's still very hard to believe.

I had the chance to meet Piet's family while they were here taking care of the memorial and helping to remove his belongings (which is coming along slowly). They're a pretty amazing trio.

The Shiny Thing

Scott and I taught ourselves how to gild things this summer (aluminum and gold leaf), so we've been gradually applying this to different objects: my wallet, his chaps, some of the rocks in the backyard, etc.

It's not nearly as difficult to do an "okay" job as you might think, although the cost of materials is still high, especially for real gold leaf. I've been using aluminum leaf instead of silver just to avoid the tarnishing and expense.

Unfortunately, the wallet idea sort of fizzled, although it wears off in an interesting way. I've also been experimenting with stainless steel mesh (the kind they use for chemical filtration systems).

Tower of Bamboo

What does Wes do when he's bored or Scott needs a break from keeping me amused? He builds a 17' tower of cheap bamboo poles and covers them with green christmas lights.

2007 Resolutions

1. Marry for money
For some reason, my boss at Pillar blurted this out at a meeting one day, so I've decided to keep this open as an option. Since I'll basically date anyone that can hold my attention for more than 20 seconds, this should be pretty easy despite the fact that if I find out someone "successful" is just another spoiled trust fund brat, I'll torture them.

2. Be thrifty
Spend more time at home cleaning my floors, making fun constructions, and writing my book. I'll probably also concentrate on my job in the coming year, whatever it ends up being.

3. Get a cat
I can't believe I still haven't adopted a kitty.

International Mr. Leather 2007
Yes, Scott and I are finally going to Chicago to attend IML 2007 May 24-28. We're staying a couple of extra days for sightseeing and recovery. I did this mostly because of my pal Luis at Renegades, who will also be there.

Am I into leather? No. Do I like to attend gay events and then observe and take notes? Yes! And this is a big one. There are supposed to be more than 15,000 attendees from around the planet. That's a lot of leather (and luggage). I'm taking some of my rope along just to see how people will react.

I actually can't wait to attend. I used to spend my summer in Chicago on the northside (Granville station) when I was a kid, so I want to see what's changed and maybe drop in on some old family friends.