Argh! Just Argh!

I probably should have had a post entitled "Argh" on the 19th, which was "Talk Like A Pirate Day", but it's today when that came to mind because I'm frustrated - just a bit. I spent all of yesterday afternoon working on an earring repair. It should have been quite simple, and on first look, it was. But when I got into the physical actions necessary, it was much more complex than I had thought.

Sometimes it's necessary to think outside the box. 

I pushed that box aside and thought outside the box, finally coming up with an alternative method for the repair, but I had already wasted more than two hours on things that just didn't work at all. The new method I devised actually worked quite well, and I would have had one of the two earrings complete yesterday, except two beads escaped, never to be found again. I hope I have identical beads at the shop that I can fill in with. Crossing my fingers.

I admit it. I love McDonald's french fries. I only treat myself to
a fry every 6 months or so. I was craving some yesterday, though. 

Aside from the frustrating repair, the day was actually quite pleasant. All in all, I suppose things could be worse. I picked up my repaired eyeglass frames (yippee!!!) and had my new frames adjusted slightly so they fit nice and snug to my face now. I did the standard grocery shopping, got gas (it was really inexpensive, so I topped off to take advantage of the low price), and I even treated myself to a small french fry at McDonald's because I've been totally craving it.

Of course there were some nice gowns in the Marchesa
collection. But there also was this disaster from the
back of the chicken coop. Feathers - really? If a
gown makes a model look fat and uncomfortable, why
would anyone over a size 2 want to wear it? 

Tonight is Project Runway, and I hope the designers at least design something worth looking at. Of course, I don't think they could do much worse than Marchesa did for NY Fashion Week. Feathers? Really? Call me unimpressed! Happy Thursday to all!

It Was a Long Day....But Good!

OMG but it was a long, long day yesterday. I awakened at 2:30 am to do the last bit of work on my presentation that was due that night and got the last pages printed out. I then went my coffeeshop for oatmeal and coffee and an hour of reading. Then on to the shop to label and organize my overheads for the talk that evening and to finalize one of my B2ME stories. I had a goal of being able to eat something for lunch, but that didn't happen. So after a very busy day, I finally grabbed McDonald's quickly on the way to the meeting because I can't just survive on oatmeal for the entire day. A quick Mickey-D's and I was at least ready to be the focal point.

The talk itself went very well. I like speaking to groups of people as long as I know the subject I am discussing. Well, this is something that I know very, very well and that I feel passionate about. Beading has provided my livelihood, my art focus, and has provided food for my table for 25 years. Even though I don't do a lot of beadwork right now doesn't mean that I don't grab thread and needle often to whip something together. I took my audience on a trip through the history of modern contemporary beading and we had fun on the ride.

I finally got home shortly after 9:00 pm, after having left my home more than 15 hours before. Yes...a very long day. But, I finished two stories, and used my NookColor while on the sales floor to write my next one (love that app). I'll look that over once more this morning and get it posted. I hope to begin posting my B2ME stories to my archive tonight, otherwise I will fall too far behind in that. Have I mentioned lately that I love my NookColor? Hmmmmm....I love it! Such a great tablet computer :-)

Lazy, Hazy Sundays...We'll Miss You

Yesterday was my last Sunday off for the next two months . Not that working four hours on Sunday is a hardship, but it's so nice to not have to do any specific thing on one day of the weekend. Yesterday was a perfect day. DH and I slept in after a night of watching a variety of ghost hunters trying to find ghosts on Halloween and giving out candy to more than 25 different college students at our door (all female except for one brave male).

After a breakfast at McDonald's (DH's favorite breakfast place) we put gas into the car, bought the newspaper, and headed to Barnes & Noble. DH said he was buying and I should take advantage of that fact. So, I did. I bought three different art technique books on watercolor and drawing techniques, and he picked out another three. I did purchase one additional book on my own as well. That took a few hours of serious looking through the stacks - what fun!

We took our treasures home and started reviewing them. Then the football game came on and I headed for my computer to read fan fiction while DH watched the game. (I enjoy the games more when I multitask while they are on.) In the late 4th quarter, I went out and got subs for dinner and continued my computer reading. Later we both looked through our books again until it was time for bed. A lazy, hazy and wonderful day. I can't wait to play with some of the drawing techniques that were detailed in the books!

Vatican Splendors

Sunday was my last Sunday off from work for the next seven weeks. For the Holiday season, we always stay open for extended holiday hours - so my Sundays hours are noon-4pm. Not a lot of hours, but one additional day of work - ick!!! So my last Sunday was important to me and I ended up with a really nice day - lousy weather, but no arguments :-))

After waking up early for a breakfast at McDonald's (gotta love that Monopoly game - LOL), we dropped by Barnes & Noble books for a hour or so of browsing. Bought a couple of magazines, but they didn't have any books for me this time and the music that I wanted will have to be purchased from the vocal group's website directly. Then, on to the Minnesota History Center for Vatican Splendors. Some of the people in the crowds were a pain, but the exhibit itself was really interesting and we were happy that we went. Then on to TGIFridays for drinks and dinner, and then home for a relaxing evening. A good way to end my Sundays.