Bernard Walter

Tag: New Experiences

  • January 17, 2025

    I’m inching closer to getting a self-water planter with lights working. Tonight, I managed to get the wiring together, after buying wire cutters and a soldering “helping hand.” I also ordered PETG filament because I read that PLA isn’t head resistant enough for a lamp.

    Over the last few days, I’ve been receiving several Amazon deliveries a day. It wasn’t intentional, but I’ve been buying things on Amazon so they’ve been getting delivered. The deliveries should’ve been more spread apart but delays and reorders lined up to create a steady flow of packages on our porch.

    One of my goals for this year was to buy less, to use what I already have. It seems that I’m always trying something new, however, so I don’t usually have what I need. Part of the problem is that I’m reluctant to make a solution for a problem when I can buy one.

    I could probably buy a self-water planter with LED lights instead of making one. In fact, I already have one. What I’m going after, more than anything, I think, is the challenge of it. Maybe the novelty is attractive, too.

  • January 15, 2025

    The 3D printed parts for the plant lamp fit together really well. I impressed myself. So, I designed the seed starter cups and sent them to print. While the test was printing, I decided to give soldering a go.

    My dad must’ve shown me how to solder at least a dozen times. He used to fix electronics. Me, I didn’t. I might have tried to solder some wires together three times before, but I wouldn’t bet on it. Today, really was, my first good go at it. At least, I kind of need to get it right to make these lamps.

    I figured it couldn’t be too hard. I closed the door to my office, so the cats wouldn’t disturb me, cleared away some papers on the desk, set down a piece of wood, so as not to burn through my desk, and tried to solder wires to LED lights.

    I had to call my dad to clarify whether it needed to be a series or parallel circuit. He told me that it needs to be parallel. I said the internet said it should be a series circuit. He told me to give it a go. I called him back to say he was right.

    There was an issue with the design, preventing me from running the wires nicely. I did a quick redesign for the LED brackets, added some vent holes, and sent it off to print again. Hopefully, I’ve gotten a little bit closer to getting it right. We’ll find out tomorrow when I try my hand at it again.

    On a different note, why did Amazon say they would deliver my order on Sunday by 10 pm, then by Friday, and then today it was marked as delivered but it wasn’t?

  • April 14, 2024

    I went to the shop this afternoon without much of a plan other than just wanting to go. In the morning, I worked on a design for another tea light lantern, but I had my mind set on going to the shop.

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  • April 3, 2024

    Whatever I’m working on ends up on my desk, as if my mind is offloading whatever it is carrying onto it. As the days pass, there’s less space for me to write my morning pages, rest my elbow, and put a cat who’s come to visit me. I’ll eventually hit a tipping point and stop everything I’m doing to organize myself.

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  • Slowly Building an Elliptical Resin Table – Part 1

    In today’s video, I start working on a resin table in the shape of an ellipse. I don’t get very far, only finishing off the base to build up from. Still, it’s been an interesting process so far, with a few challenges to keep me thinking. This is a different type of project for me and the learning curve is fun to ride.

    Shopify: https://www.sanastationerygifts.com
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  • February 11, 2024

    Have I told you about our bread maker? If I have, my apologies for repeating myself.

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  • February 6, 2024

    I had a feeling for the first time today. After this many years of living, I never would’ve guessed that I could experience a new feeling. It took me by surprise, and I didn’t act on it.

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  • December 13, 2023

    December 13, 2023

    It’s more like me to have an idea that I won’t follow through on than it is for me to see one of them through. There are a number of reasons for this, one being that I have too many ideas. This doesn’t stop me from preparing myself to eventually get to the project and complete it. I have a lot of tools and even more materials for projects that I had the idea for.

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  • October 12, 2023

    I finished building a bookshelf today. It still needs a finish, but it’s built. I really enjoyed this project and am looking forward to working on more larger pieces.

  • October 3, 2023

    I gave my students “toilet tokens” today. Last night, I printed off some miniature toilets on my 3D printer and each of my students in one of my classes one. I’ve had enough of them leaving class every single day.

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  • September 16, 2023

    We moved furniture today. Of course, I woke up late so we were delayed getting started. The plan was to go over last night to get things ready but we never made it. I fell asleep after work. I was out. Cold. By the time I woke up it was too late to do much other than get some pizza and then go back to bed.

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  • September 14, 2023

    I slept in the bed alone last night. I thought it was going to be glorious. I’d put my iPad on the bed with a show playing on it like I used to, I’d sleep on the lefthand side like I use to, and the girls would join me like they used to. It started off well but I couldn’t get comfortable until I put the iPad on the floor like I’ve been doing lately, cozied up to the righthand side of the bed, and Eloise made her way to the foot of the bed while Genevieve tucked herself in on Ouli’s cat bed.

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