Favourite Music

I'm moving this to a separate writing to pare down my profile a bit.

Some favourite bands in no particular order:

In Flames; Samael; Opeth; Blind Guardian; Nightwish; Angra; Arch Enemy; Dissection; Lacuna Coil; Emperor; Nile; Dark Tranquillity; At The Gates; Bal Sagoth; Savatage; Enthroned; Children of Bodom; The Haunted; Sonata Arctica; The Crown; Abandoned; Demons & Wizards; Iced Earth; Odes of Ecstasy; Edge of Sanity; Soilwork; Jag Panzer; Hammerfall; Sinergy; Haggard; Cynic; Nocturnal Rites; Symphony X; Old Man's Child; Killswitch Engage; Entombed; Death; Nightingale; Angel Dust; Manowar; Rhapsody; Night In Gales; Epica; Within Temptation; Dream Theater; Theatre of Tragedy; Carcass; Gardenian; Gandalf; Chastisement; Borknagar; Naglfar; Rotting Christ; Keep Of Kalessin; Enter My Silence; Internal Bleeding; King Diamond; Dimmu Borgir; Hypocrisy; Nightingale; Ceremonial Castings; Gift of Prophecy; Dragonforce; Cradle of Filth; Raventhrone; Amon Amarth; Sentenced; Morbid Angel; Virgin Steele; Kamelot; Einherjer; Leaves Eyes; My Dying Bride; Sabaton; Amorphis; Korpiklaani; Armageddon; Paradise Lost; Deicide; Dethklok; Therion; Graveworm; Grave; Kataklysm; Melechesh; Stratovarius; Northern Kings; ...

There are a lot more, and that's only the metal!
Here is an equally incomplete list of some of my non-metal favourites, again, in no particular order:

Heather Alexander/Alexander James Adams; The Mamas and Papa's; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; Peter, Paul & Mary; Kansas; Led Zeppelin; Black Sabbath; Pink Floyd; El Debarge; Madonna (her older stuff, anyway); Simon & Garfunkel; Mortis; Run DMC; Fat Boys; Doug E. Fresh; Shania Twain; Garth Brooks; Randy Travis; DVDA; Bangles, Karen Carpenter; John Denver; Savage Garden; Gaia Consort; Allison Crowe; Enya; Loreena McKennitt; The Real McKenzies; The Wicked Tinkers; The Dropkick Murphys; Whitesnake; Bon Jovi; White Lion; Ravi Shankar; Robbie Robertson; David & Steve Gordon; Ice Cube; Beastie Boys; Jonathan Coulton; Two Nice Girls; Uncle Bonsai; Tim Minchin; They Might Be Giants; Bloodhound Gang; King Missle; Tism; The Whitlams; Crowded House; ...(more!)

And a TON more that I can't think of offhand or that are individual songs rather than the artist in general. I dig country, classical, opera, oldies, folk, old skool rap & R&B, celtic, native, and .. well.. pretty much everything other than most "alternative", grunge, gangsta rap and modern pop.

Latest Craft Project ~ 30" Paddle

Today's project is a 30 inch paddle. This one is pre-made. It's a mixing paddle for food service. You can get them at Cash & Carry for around $17. 

Here are both sides of the paddle after some sanding with 320, then 400 grit. There are definitely some possibilities I see in the grain!

 Next, I drilled a hole in the handle for a hanging cord, finished the sanding, and started staining the wood. 
I'm using two colours (purple and dark brown) of highly concentrated RIT dye for this, and applying with a combination of brush, cloth, and gloved hands to get the effect I want.

 It takes several applications and a lot of manipulating to achieve the look I'm going for and to really bring out the patterns in the wood as well.  In the next three photos, it's really starting to get there.

 

Next, it's time to apply the first coat of polyurethane...

While the coating dries, I'm working on the designs what will be part of the finished product. 
The jewel in the lotus with the chant, ཨོཾ་མ་ཎི་པདྨེ་ཧཱུྃ (Oṃ Maṇi Padme Hūṃ - roughly translated, "The jewel is in the lotus"), is something I designed for a tattoo that will go on my calf when I can afford it. This copy of it will go on one side of the main paddle part. 

The wolf will go on the other side of the side of the main paddle.
There is another, smaller, tribal wolf design that will be going up at the top of the handle on the lotus side. I haven't yet decided for certain whether I'm going to adorn the other side of the handle.

Here is the Lotus side with the first coat of polyurethane  over the paper bits.

I've just done the 2nd coat. Now I've got to eat some lunch and go to an appointment. I'll likely put one more coat on before I leave, so it can be drying whilst I'm away.

Update: 2030
 When I got back, I affixed the wolf graphic to the other side and did another polyurethane coat over it.

If it's dry, I'll apply another coat before bed.