Go ahead, feel free to accuse me of collecting too many odd hobbies… But in my defense, it’s pretty fun to (safely) blow things up.
Last weekend, I participated in a training course provided by hometown pyro-gurus, Pyrotecnico of New Castle, PA. They offer this free-of-charge class to aspiring pyrotechnicians to train them on the operation and safety skills needed to handle high-explosives.
Every year for The Great Blue Heron Music Festival, Nathan and I attempt to make some sort of serious art installation. Last year, we made an animatronic flying bird that turned out to be very challenging due to its mechanical complexity, so for the 2012 Festival, we decided to attempt something a little more… static.
You wouldn’t believe how fast two 60-pound pooches can destroy a room. Our living room had always been a bit dated (wallpaper is just disgusting…. really), so combined with the collective dirt, dander, and fur that our old carpet was subjected to, my mom decided that it was time to drop a little cash and renovate our living room.
Nathan and I have been volunteering at Blue Heron for a few years now, and this year, we wanted to have a major contribution to the festival. Him being a prolific artist, and me being an atypical mechanical engineer, we brainstormed some ideas for a large art installation.
I’ve been wanting to start a compost barrel for a while now. We throw away a lot of food scraps at our house, and then buy overpriced, non-natural fertilizer for my garden. Pretty stupid when you think about it.
I was looking in to start a composter, but most available models are ludicrously overpriced – like this tumbler for $99, or this even-dumber tumbler for $199. I had little intent on spending three figures on what is essentially a trash can with holes.
