100!

Woohoo!

This is officially my 100th blog post. And you are still reading this thing? Wowsa. I feel like I should include some amazing, wonderful, cool thing that some lucky person should win for reading 100 insane and wacky thoughts by me!

Well, instead- here are a few thoughts about this week.

I went on a date. Yup, a real-live-honest-to-goodness-date. It was even with a real-live-guy. Maybe eHarmony will work for me yet! DC seems to have a much better selection of "my type of guy" than Hartford. I also have been looking at apartments. I've narrowed it down to a neighborhood I want to live in, and I am looking each day at the listings for that area. The problem being- The inauguration is in a week, and every one is trying to rent out their apartments for $8million a night, so they aren't really interested in talking to me and my crappy $1,000 a month, ah isn't the free market grand?! ...Whatever. Oh, and yeah- that is a sh*tload of money, but that's what apartments here cost. YIKES!

The area I am looking in was really bad about 10 years ago, and slowly has been picking it's way into the kind of place that will be taken over by artists (me), then yuppies (too expensive for me) in the next 3-5 years (median income trends up, population trends down). Good news for me- I work in the arts, so I fit into the artist category and the area is still cheap* enough for my not-for-profit salary. It's also not so sketchy that the teenagers are selling smack in the alleys. Hopefully I will find a great apartment in the next week or two, and all will be well!

So I guess that's all I have to say for this momentous 100th blog post. Not so momentous, but also kinda nice to be headed towards a little normal in my crazy life.

Oh, fine. Here is a picture contest. Come up with the best caption, and I'll send you something from my etsy store! Post it in comments, and I'll pick someone by the 18th of January.

XOXO, and thanks for reading my rambling....

*Not really cheap at all, but everything is relative.

Ringer in the New Year

I am starting to feel like I only write blogs after something really big has happened. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but it seems to be a trend.


Here is the update (s).

(1) I visited Florida for the holidays! Woohoo. While visiting my folks I also tossed together an impromptu high school reunion. It has been said that I attended the "gayest high school in America" I would like to change that to I attended the "most likely to succeed high school in America". A little back story for those not in the know: My High school was (and still is) an arts magnet school for Orange County, Florida (and a large number of graduates are homosexual). It was a school that you had to audition/interview to get into, however it was free to attend. Pretty sweet deal. When I graduated, I knew we were all pretty talented. Little did I know we were all going to be incredibly successful as well as talented.

around 15 people showed up at the reunion. Among the attendees were Broadway dancers, riggers, master electricians, and singers. One owner of an environmental consulting company/not-for-profit for the entertainment industry and a well known rap/hip hop artist(who was on twitter chatting with other even more well known rap/hip hop artists while hanging out with us). Not in attendance due to scheduling conflicts and births -photographers and musicians who support themselves fully with their art. In addition, after the public festivities we were invited to the home of a grad who was most well known for a boy band and a well planned appearance on Dancing With The Stars... ( I didn't go because it all seemed a little too weird, and contrived). It was a treat to see all those people and realize that either because of or in spite of the education we received at that crazy high school we are all incredibly talented and insanely successful.

(2) I got a (temporary) promotion (sorta). The Director of Costume at my theatre is leaving. While the theatre is searching for a new director, the duties will be split between myself and another woman. It is going to be a HUGE CHALLENGE, but one that will very quickly tell me if I want to be upper management or not. It is something I am looking forward to, but at the same time I have a feeling I am going to be astonished with the amount of time and energy I will be putting into this job. Additionally I will need to move (YES AGAIN), so I can get home from the theatre past midnight during the week.
Side note: I am beginning to hate moving. Almost to the point where I am willing to toss or sell all my possessions in order to be able to do it easily and cheaply. The *near impossible* search for an affordable new apartment has begun, and since I no longer own a car I am looking to move into the District of Colombia. My bi-annual moving is beginning to wear me down, and I am starting to feel a little like one of those theatre gypsies I used to look at with pity and concern.

So there are my updates! Lots of little things, and maybe even a big one. Oh, and since it is New Years week here are my resolutions. This year the list is short.

1. Loose the weight I put on this fall/winter. It is my rule that I CANNOT leave a town till I fit back into the pants I wore into the town, and I'm going to break that rule pretty soon if I don't kick the 10 fat ones I put on. So here it is. I gotta loose 10 pounds during the month of January so I can leave Maryland and move into the District of Colombia.

2. Start paying more attention to my appearance. I *hate* blow drying my hair. It feels like a waste of time and resources, but the reality is- I look much better if I do it. So I'm going to make the attempt to do my hair and at least slap on some mascara everyday. I will also make sure I have at least one pair of jeans without paint or dye stains on them at all times.

3. Find a way to be happy to live in DC. With the economy as it is- I am going to be here for more than a few months, and it is time to start enjoying it. So there.

4. Start dating again. It's time. I've tried to pretend that I am happy with my life and relationships as they are, but in reality I'm lonely. It is now officially time to suck it up, and go out on some dates. EHarmony will once again be getting my $$$$. Jerks.


That's the story on my end. How about you? Any resolutions to share with the class?????

Sometimes

It doesn't all go as planned.



The Bust show was great. Lots of interesting vendors, creative products, and good friends. The days surrounding the show were a little less perfect.


Friday 9:21am

Because we are leaving for NYC my roommates and I decided we should have a house pancake breakfast. I put on my slippers, start to go down the stairs and in a looney-tunes-cartoon moment I am layed out going down the stairs on my right hip/ass/back (whatever that region is called). I decide it isn't enough to go to the doctor, but just walk it off (this *may* have been a mistake)


2:30 pm. Car packed, headed to NYC with the roomies. Ass pain is growing with every moment I sit in car. Bruise is approximately the size of Montana, my ass approximately the size of Texas.


As the weekend goes on, my ass/hip/back start hurting more, and the humor in the situation gets less and less as my ass/hip/back continue to swell (or maybe it was all the NYC pizza?) and turn AMAZING shades of fuchsia and purple.


Broken ass aside, the show was lovely. I had a fantastic team of cheerleaders in from all over New England, and even one in from plain old England. My friends (as always) supported me in every possible way. I even had my own piece of sweater-meat at the show. Side Note: The moment you first get to watch a guy realize he is the equivalent to a bikini-girl at a car show is worth it's weight in gold. It was a glorious moment of self realization. I'm happy I could be a part of it.

Sweater-meat was pretty good at smiling at the indie-rocker girls and getting them to part with their hard-earned-indie-cash. When he had to run to his next gig, my dear friend EJY came and helped. She is also a great smile and chat kinda friend, and now indie-rocker-boyfriends bought gifts for their indie-rocker-girlfriends from us. Additional Note: Always invite/bribe/beg attractive friends to help at your craft table. It ups sales...


Did the show go as planned? well no. I didn't sell out, I didn't even sell half, but in the economy as it is today, I did a little better than breaking even, so I call it a fantastic success.


I left NYC on the bus on Monday morning with my left-overs bungee corded to my suitcase and headed back to DC. My butt/hip/back still really hurt, but it was starting to feel a little less like a major injury, and a little more like a pratfall gone bad.


I arrived in DC, made my transfer to the train. I was exhausted. I had one more event that night, and was bound and determined to make it a great one.

I got off the train, and disaster.


My bungee slipped. The hook (with all it's superb elastic momentum) came flying off the container and with the accuracy of an angry interrogator at Gitmo it slammed into my finger. I'm pretty sure I heard/felt a snap. Part of my nail shattered, and I don't really know what I screamed, but I'm pretty sure it was something equivalent to shitdamnmotherfuckerwhatthehellohmyeffinggodthathurts The next train off-loads and 4 military guys offer to help, and suggest in the nicest, calmest voice they had, that I should "consider getting that checked out, ma'am" I didn't have time, so I did a little self evaluation, headed to the CVS bought a finger splint and took my broken ass and finger to my last craft show of 2008.

So when people ask me about the Bust show, I tell them it was an adventure. And I offer to show them my busted ass or shiny finger splint.

Who says you can't have a crafting adventure?

UPDATE: Both ass and finger still hurt, and are slightly swollen. I doubt I really broke either, but I will continue to use the "my ass is swollen" excuse for as long as possible.

Thanks

This week I have lots to be thankful for.


My father is feeling better after heart surgery last week, and the rest of my family is healthy.

My parents, after many years of not-quite saying the right thing, said the exact right thing to me when I got in the the show. "Heck yeah!"

I have a job- even if it makes me nuts sometimes, it is still a steady job in the arts, and that is more than lots of people I know can say.

I have amazing friends who send me boxes stuffed with plastic bags and dark chocolate :)

I have my health, or at least I can still see and touch my toes, so I guess I'm doing better than about 1/2 of all Americans.

I have the start to a bitchin' craft stash for the Bust Craftacular in 19 days

I have great roommates who will take me to the grocery store when it's cold out and I'm tired. They also don't complain too loudly when I leave sushi ornaments and silk screens drying all over our apartment, or the dining room becomes a plastic recycling factory. They are also willing to let me tag along on their roadtrips, bake bread and generally are some really nice people....even if they don't really like my cat.

I am Thankful Barack Obama is the President Elect, and my reproductive rights have been protected for at least 4 more years.

I am thankful my kitty is feeling better after another ugly health problem. She is not healthy, but the final word from the vet is that she is getting old, and her health problems are a result of her age and not something acute.

I am thankful that my kitty will eat pumpkin off a spoon, and is cute and snuggly even if she is kinda farty from the pumpkin.

I am Thankful my craftshop is almost up to code, even if the workmen have been working in my shop during tech week which makes me wear my shoulders as earrings, and has stopped all work on a show that opens in a week. But I am thankful for the work being done, and the cheerful guys doing it.

I am thankful that I have such dear friends that will travel to see me in a craft show, help me prepare, offer to help set-up, run my credit card machine, and let me stay in their apartments. I am also thankful they will offer me their support and love, even when I am feeling crazy and 'frickin the frack out'.

For all these things, and many more I am thankful.


How about you?

Holidaze!

It's been a while since I posted, so I'm sorry to those of you who are cyber stalking me. For the rest of you who didn't hear already--

I GOT IN!

Yup. I got into the Bust Craftacular. It's been my nerdy-feminist-indie-crafter-dream to participate in this show, and I hadn't applied in the past because I thought I would never have enough product, enough time, and enough whatever to get in. So I applied. I told myself I would just apply and if I got in, fine. If not, fine too. I'd chalk it up to something I should work towards in my future....except I got in. No wait list, no maybe next year, not even a "your the last one we let in". Just in.

AAACK! HOLY MOLEY! I NEED TO MAKE MORE STUFF!

So I've started kicking into crafty overdrive. Luckily I had already conscripted some ladies at work to help me prep, and they are stitching plastic wallets like mad women! *note* I'm keeping my etsy stuff separate from my show stuff as to not break the rules on etsy regarding non handmade-by-me-items* I call them my craft posse, they call themselves the Stack Craft Mafia.....either way they are stitching, I'm cutting and fusing, and we are all busy and happy.

On top of kicking up my stock for the NYC show I've also been stocking up because I'm being carried in a local store now. It's called the Pyramid Arts Collective. It's the community store of a printmaking and paper arts studio. They carry all sorts of work, and the store is mostly run by volunteers who are also showing pieces in the store.

As well as the Bust show, Etsy, and the local store I'm also participating in the Side Project Artisan Market in Chicago. I can't go out this year, but I am sending things, doing the web stuff and did the graphics for the advertisements.

It's been a busy couple of weeks, and there is still a metric butt-load of work to be done, so until I come up for air again here are a couple of links and photos!

The Side Project Postcards- We had them sent out to a printer, and although I've not seen them- according to the people in Chicago who recieved them they turned out great!

The Side Project Artisan Market Website

The Pyramid Atlantic Store

The Bust Holiday Craftacular- the 2007 website, the 2008 is under construction Oh, and yeah. That's Amy Sedaris......she was a vendor last year.

Last but not least...

A Quiz!

Are these pictures of...

A. A very busy, very crafty night with paperclay?

B. Attack of the sushi clones?

C. An modernist representation of a good night at a sushi bar?

D. All of the above?

All I can say is...

Thanks.

THanks.

THAnks.

THANks.

THANKs.

THANKS.


It is all the people who stood in long lines, dug into the depths of their patience and humanity that could allow us to elect Barack Obama the President of the United States. Things here in DC are happier than I have ever seen them. The street parties carried on into the morning, and even the police spoke kindly of the "riotous riots".


Amid all this joy I feel I would be remiss if I didn't mention the defeat to many who are near and dear to my heart. Proposition 8 was passed, thus defeating the rights of same-sex couples to marry in California. Similar propositions were also passed in Florida (America's wang- hey, I grew up there) and Arizona (the glorious state that offered us John McCain of no reproductive rights fame)
I wish we could have won equal rights for ALL our citizens, maybe someday "all men are created equal" will be true. Until then- let's embrace this victory, and work towards the next even bigger challenge- the day when rights are equally equal for all Americans.

Much love to all of you.



Oh, and since this is supposed to be a craft blog----- I'm working on some cool stuff. I'll post more once I get some sleep and can focus on my regularly scheduled programming of crafts, knitting, and my cat.

I only have one thing to say........

GO VOTE!!!!!!!!

IT'S YOUR ONLY VOICE!

THANKS! IF YOU ALREADY DID!