(diaryland) September 22, 2010 - 10:14 a.m.

I have a giant dark mark on my right index finger that won't wash off. I look like one of them monks in The Name of the Rose who read that super naughty book. Rosie and I saw that movie in year eight music class (I think the tenuous reason for watching the movie was to learn about Gregorian Chant), but the teacher, who was a 'cool' teacher, had to fast forward through the sex bits while standing in front of the TV. That's a pretty full-on movie for year eight kids, even without the sex bits. Any movie with Ron Perlman involved pretty much is.

Good book, though. Good book. I love inquisitions.

Anyway, I have this curse because yesterday, I discovered wood staining. I bought a bottle of walnut stain, grabbed an old sock, and started staining any timber in sight. I used my right index finger exclusively to be the thing the stain-soaked sock stood on, if you get what I mean. Forgive me. English sometimes seems to be my second language.

I was mostly staining some Tasmanian oak to make a super sweet picture frame for this canvas I just painted on the weekend. It's blue and white rectangles, alternating, all one inch by four inches. It took hours. I think it looks good. It's my first properly finished canvas. Maybe next time I'll go crazy and try different shaped rectangles.

My guitar student Alex loved the painting, except she thought that the fact I ruled lines to make the neat rectangles was technically cheating. Then we went back to playing Total Eclipse of the Heart.