Jim Van Verth

@cthulhim

Woodworker, musician, co-author of Essential Math for Games, host of The Vintage Gamer, occasional gad about town. Formerly: GPU Engineer for the Skia 2D graphics library; game developer for Red Storm Entertainment and Insomniac Games. He/him.

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Jim Van Verth@cthulhim· 24d

Pupdate: Skye (that's her name) is doing fine. No venom as far as we can tell, just some soreness and mild swelling. Thought she wasn't hungry but eventually she done ate. The snake has left town as far as we can tell, probably looking for a new snoot to draw against.

A black and white dog eating from a metal food bowl. Behind her is her crate with a pile of dog-related items on top. To her right is her favorite soft bed.

Jim Van Verth@cthulhim· 25d

Someone put her snoot where it didn’t belong. Poor thing.

Closeup of a black and white dog, showing where a snake bit her on the nose (it’s not very visible but it’s there).

Jim Van Verth@cthulhim· Jul 4

I did put the US flag out today, but in my own way.

“Betsy Ross” American flag (13 stars in blue field, arranged in circle) being flown in front of a garage, but upside down to indicate distress.

Jim Van Verth@cthulhim· May 13

I could be wrong but I think she likes it here.

Brown dog lying on the grass in the sun.

Brown dog lying on the grass in the sun, looking at camera.

Jim Van Verth@cthulhim· May 13

Not sure if this is a David Byrne concert, or a David Lynch concert.

Jim Van Verth@cthulhim· May 11

Old kid, new dog.

A person wearing a plaid shirt and glasses looking at a dog poking her head through some staircase bannisters.

Jim Van Verth@cthulhim· May 11

Listen:

Jim Van Verth@cthulhim· May 11

Wow, the glass panel in my stereo cabinet just shattered when I tried to open it. I guess it was safety glass. It’s just sitting there popping right now.

Jim Van Verth@cthulhim· May 11

That is a *lot* of poison ivy.

A large bush of poison ivy. All one plant, it fills the frame.

Jim Van Verth@cthulhim· Apr 19

The final box. Had some minor screw-ups on the last day but pretty happy overall. Peter is a great teacher, highly recommend any class with him. #woodworking #workcarving

Oak-sided box with pine lid and bottom. The sides and front of the box are carved with traditional New England patterns.

Interior of the box showing a small till on the right side. The lid of the till is holding the box lid open.

Jim Van Verth@cthulhim· Apr 16

I’ve been taking a carving + box-making class with Peter Follansbee, so a little of what I’ve been up to this week. #woodworking #woodcarving

A piece of oak with a carving on it, looking like three interleaving rainbows with “Swiss cheese” decoration under the arches and an abstract flower pattern in between.

A piece of oak with two separate “rainbows”, one with leaves underneath spreading in a kind of v shape, the other looking kind of like a beetle with its wings slightly spread.

The front of a box, with that braided arch pattern on top and a scrolled floral pattern below it.

The full box partially completed. It has a toll on the right with a lid, the box front from the previous picture, and a decorated “rainbow” on the side. It is resting on a piece of pine that will be the bottom.

Jim Van Verth@cthulhim· Apr 4

Too many cookies?

In the foreground, a tray with 8 chocolate chip cookies on it. In the background left, a plate with many more cookies on it. In the right background, a platter spilling over with even *more* cookies.

Jim Van Verth@cthulhim· Mar 15

Forgot to post this — a Tar Heel Pie for Pi Day. #piday #pieday

An pie resting on a cooling rack. It’s filling is chocolate with pecans.

Jim Van Verth@cthulhim· Mar 9

Pour one out for Rosa, folks. She was a good puppy who always needed just a little more love. Taken far too soon.

Black and white dog smooshing her face between couch cushions.

Black and white dog resting head on office chair.

Black and white dog smooshing her face even more between couch cushions.

Jim Van Verth@cthulhim· Mar 7

An easy choice, as it's also my favorite film.

A shot from "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly". Blondie is writing the name of the grave where the treasure can be found prior to the three-way showdown. Angel Eyes and Tuco are in the background.

Jim Van Verth@cthulhim· Mar 5

The 9th is a 4-shot hole with a dogleg, two bunkers, and a water hazard, so this is pretty impressive (looks like it might be a good book, too).

Cover of "The Eagle of the Ninth", by Rosemary Sutcliff. Shows the top of a Roman Imperial Eagle against a dark reddish sky, which is irrelevant to the joke.

Jim Van Verth@cthulhim· Dec 14

“And if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.”

Jim Van Verth@cthulhim· Dec 2

My first stick chair has a friend now. Shameless in its nakedness but quite comfortable. #woodworking #chairmaking

Two chairs, similar in style with minor differences. The one on the left is made from light-colored wood and unpainted. The one on the right is darker brown and treated with oil and wax.

Jim Van Verth@cthulhim· Nov 28

Our modest but tasty feast. There should have been mashed potatoes but we didn't realize they were bad until after the stores closed. @mightymur.bsky.social's stuffed turkey thighs were wonderful.

Turkey thighs stuffed with sausage dressing.

Rolls, cranberry sauce, more stuffing, collards, and pumpkin and cranberry pies. Not pictured: turkey gravy. All homemade.

Jim Van Verth@cthulhim· Nov 27

Not the most attractive pie but I'm sure it will taste good.

Picture of a pumpkin pie with a broken top.

Jim Van Verth@cthulhim· Nov 24

A movie that takes place where you're from

A shot from the film "The Taqwacores", showing the main cast -- a group of Islamic punk rockers -- including a man with no shirt and a trilby, a man with a red mohawk, a woman in a burqa, and our somewhat square protagonist in the center. They are walking towards the camera in the midst of a conversation.

Jim Van Verth@cthulhim· Nov 11

I don’t remember that one. This is the book my father had:

Cover of “How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive” by John Muir. Has a line-drawn VW Beetle head-on with a very 60s (and somewhat stoned looking) smiley face behind the wheel.

Jim Van Verth@cthulhim· Oct 31

Happy Halloween from all of us!

A small (fake) graveyard with a variety of headstones.

Jim Van Verth@cthulhim· Oct 29

A moment of zen for you.

Jim Van Verth@cthulhim· Oct 28

Current location. Can confirm that Horizon: Forbidden West captured it perfectly.

Picture of cliff faces from the valley floor in Zion National Park.

Jim Van Verth@cthulhim· Oct 25

Dumbass award of the day.

Two people walking on some crumbling rock clearly marked “Do not enter. Dangerous overlook.”

Jim Van Verth@cthulhim· Oct 25

The Grand Canyon, it takes my breath away. Literally. We’re at 7000 ft of elevation.

Deep in the canyon a thousand rivulets run
As if time was not, as if there were none.
The light is the light of a dreamy gray moon,
Not the light of the sun of the midday of June.
But the voice of the river is merry and loud
As it carries the heart of the canyon along.
It leaps and it sings, and it dances and thrills,
And its music is more than the clattering of mills.
-John Muir

Jim Van Verth@cthulhim· Oct 21

Yum.

Picture of railroad tanker cars marked with “Phosphoric acid.”

Jim Van Verth@cthulhim· Sep 25

The other chair I just completed. It’s cherry with red oak wedges, based on a Christopher Schwarz design. Finished with Tried and True Original. #woodworking

Cherry stick chair. It has a broad base with roughly semi-circular arms, and six sticks coming up as a backrest topped with a trapezoidal comb.

Jim Van Verth@cthulhim· Sep 25

Here's a picture of my Windsor chair with the final finish. I did a few coats of red milk paint, then black milk paint, then rubbed through the seat to make it look worn. Finally I applied linseed oil and then some dark wax to give it a little more age. #woodworking