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Monthly Archives: March 2014

Whimesy: August 2013

The Whimseybox for August 2013 was for DIY leather wrap bracelets.

Aside: I’m really tired of people appending “DIY” to things that are obviously going to be DIY already.  Whimseybox is a craft kit box subscription service that you would subscribe to with the intent of making whatever craft they included in the box.  Why do you have to advertise that it’s DIY?  Did someone subscribe to Whimseybox thinking that they were going to get prefabricated crafts?  If so, well…some people shouldn’t procreate.  End aside.

In the box was a mini clipboard (I found it hilarious that they included a clipboard), two giant binder clips, two leather cords, a spool of thread, a needle, a tube of glass beads, two buttons, and a tube of craft glue (probably my favorite thing in the box).

WP_20140228_19_32_53_ProThe directions were simple enough.  Fold one of the cords in half, thread a button and seat it at the midpoint, tie a knot, start beading.  The provide enough material for two complete bracelets.  You have more than enough beads for two.  I guess I’ll add these to my bead collection that I’m accruing.  I like glass beads but you can only use so many.

I had meant to do these with the girls on a Friday, but we ended up not getting around to it.  I made one just for the fun of it.  And um…now I have this bracelet.  Not really sure what I’m going to do with it.  I don’t really wear things that are not functional.  Maybe Yaris would like it.  She’s rather vain.  But she’s not really big on accessories.  She just preens and thinks she looks good.  I could give it to one of my moose instead for safekeeping, I guess.  Yeah…
WP_20140228_20_35_58_ProThe glue is definitely my favorite thing they sent to me in the box.

The order of the engineer

I’ve been thinking about where I’d like to take my career recently.  I’ve thought about going back to school for an advanced degree (not really thrilled with the idea), going back to school for some professional qualifications (still not really thrilled with the idea), just slogging through as I have (easiest), or possibly getting my PE license (ehhh).  But…that last option has a perk that the others don’t necessarily offer.  If I had my PE license, I could join…THE ORDER OF THE ENGINEER.

Secret societies.  They’re so interesting!

Ok, so the Order of the Engineer is not really a secret society.  They’re a…public society?  In that, they don’t have secret rituals and the like.  The Order of the Engineer is a US association for graduate and professional engineers that emphasizes responsibility in the profession.  It’s based on something Canada has done since the early 1900s in which they present graduate engineers with an Iron Ring in the Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer.  The ring is functional rather than ornamental and is meant to be worn on the pinky finger of the dominant hand so that it drags when you write.  It serves as a reminder of your moral, ethical, and professional commitment as an engineer.

The US has formalized all this into a fellowship of engineers you can join as a professional engineer called the Order of the Engineer.  They have a similar ritual in which the initiate is presented with the Engineer’s Ring after taking an oath to abide by the Obligation of an Engineer.

So all of this is extremely interesting to me.  Groups of people with particular or peculiar habits/rituals/whatever are interesting to me.  But…I’m not sure if I’d be willing to put in the work to get my PE just so I could join this Order of the Engineer so I could observe them from the inside.  It probably is the wrong reason to join.