Fri, 22 Dec 2006

Merry Chrismahanakwanzaka

Just a few days before Christmas and we're almost all ready to leave for Steve's parent's house. We'll be seeing all the sisters and their families, the grandparents, and a few more folks... not to mention everyone at the family reunion Saturday evening.

Spent last weekend with my mom and had a lovely Christmas dinner with her, my aunt, and two of Mom's good friends. Also got to see my grandparents and some other family members (some more welcomed than others).

Mom spoiled us, as she always seems to do. A fire-proof safe and a light box setup for taking pictures of my jewelry items were the big items. Mom got a limb trimmer as her most wanted item and almost immediately tried it out (well, she waited until we got everything else cleaned up inside, at least).

Steve and I've already begun spoiling one another with gifts. He's already tested out the new PS2 (a replacement for the broken one) and Guitar Hero (game 2). Me, well, I got a shiny, all-in-one multi-function printer. It scans, faxes, prints in color, the works... and it is wireless. My hubby rocks. Oh, and we've been sampling the Godiva chocolates he gets as part of our Christmas tradtion. Yummy.

So far, this is turning out to be a really nice Christmas. Lots of family, lots of friends, and lots of being spoiled as well as the spoiling of others. After all, if you participate in a commercialized holiday, you might as well enjoy it.

Peace. And may the coming year bring at least one of your most desired dreams to life.

posted at: 23:15 | Link to this entry

Wed, 06 Dec 2006

Broads and Beads

Yippee! The broadsandbeads.com site is finally tweaked to the point where a registered user can access the shopping cart, check out, head to PayPal, and the shipping and tax is finally being calculated correctly. All it just fell into place yesterday with a little last minute poking and proding.

Now to get the rest of the inventory photographed, cropped and shopped, and loaded onto the site... Guess we'll be busy over the holidays. Whee!

posted at: 14:42 | Link to this entry

Sun, 19 Nov 2006

For the hounds....

Hops for Hounds is a beer tasting fundraiser benefitting the non-profit organization, AniMall Pet Adoption and Outreach Center. All proceeds go to helping homeless animals in the Triangle. Hops for Hounds is sponsored by Magic Hat Brewing Company and will feature great raffle prizes from Broads & Beads and Floridian artist, Megan Slocum. Hops for Hounds is Dec. 9, 6pm-9pm at the AniMall in the Morrisville Outlet Mall. For more information call 919-465-2500 or visit www.animall.org

posted at: 23:36 | Link to this entry

Wed, 13 Sep 2006

Keeping busy

So, the girls and I've decided to make a business, or try to, at any rate, with this jewelry and crafting we've been doing. Been working on lots of stuff for our festivals and fairgrounds attendances, as well as for my Etsy.com site. The first weekend went went to the fairgrounds (see mizfit.net for an older post about this event with pics) was pretty successful, more so on Sunday. The second trip, which justatish braved alone, not so well. We have lots to learn still, but hopefully we'll be showing our wares at the HollyFest in HollySprings, October 28th. Still have to enter, but trying to get the application in the mail over the next 2 days.

As I've said once before, "Buy my stuff!"

docschick.etsy.com

Once I get inventory back from justatish, I'll be adding lots new pictures and retaking the first set. Still, as you can see, I've been busy. whee!

posted at: 22:01 | Link to this entry

Tue, 22 Aug 2006

Buy My Stuff!

You know you wanna... You really, really do.

docschick.etsy.com

As you can see, when I've not been working on Google tasks or editing, I've been quite busy. This weekend I sold some pieces (3 necklaces and 4 pairs of earrings) and I'm holding a smoky quartz necklace aside for Kath as she requested -- none of which are pictured on the above site.

So, yeah, buy my stuff. Great for yourself, gifts, or just wasting your hard earned money on. You want to, you know you do, so go for it.

posted at: 02:00 | Link to this entry

Tue, 15 Aug 2006

editing break... or not

So, I thought I might have a bit of a break from the editing work, since I've felt swamped by it for a while now, but nope... I just heard from client and he's adding one of his kid's picture books and a synopsis to his 10,000 word play for me to edit. He and I chatted maybe a month ago, or more, but last night I received an email asking for editing services. w00t! I'm more pleased to have made a lasting impression with him and get the extra work than I'm worried about missing my little break. Freelance beggars can't be choosers. ;-)

This past weekend I decided something pretty important, to me anyway. I decided I'm not a web designer, no matter how much I'd like to fool myself into thinking so. I'm an HTML and CSS tinkerer. But, come on, pretty and professional design should be left to those who are good at it, like Bascha. So I scrapped my old editor site's design and went in search of some pretty, free templates. Ta da... May I present a much more professional site (thanks to the template and Steve's mad skills at getting my contact form up and running despite my complete lack of knowledge of how those things work): editor.mouf.net.

Still working on making jewelry, too. Several new necklaces and earrings have been added to my new obsession... er, hobby. Found a potential template for the jewelry and knitted goods site that may be worked on in the coming days and weeks.

posted at: 15:45 | Link to this entry

Mon, 07 Aug 2006

overdue for an update

wow, so i guess i just don't have a lot to say most of the time to the outside world. sorry folks -- for those of you who may happen upon this and actually read this thing -- but, i've been busy lately and blogging just hasn't been a priority.

Surprisingly to me, my freelance editing work took off about 6 or so weeks ago. I have one project left, out of 5 projects that came in during that time, and it's due on friday. Some of the projects have been big, some small. And, so far (knock on wood), everyone's been really pleased with my work. yay! man, i have to say that i've been really glad to have the work (what with the possum incident, replacing the ac unit for upstairs, and replacing steve's car). but this work, plus my google rating gig, have been a little over a full time job as of late. a nice change of pace, but i'll be glad for the editing break starting next week.

Mushi's shop and Tish's shop, plus a day of bead and findings shopping with the girls last weekend at a local bead show have given me another hobby (ornaments, knitting, painting, plus jewelry now). I'll try to get pics and a better site for this stuff up in the next few weeks (an after editing project treat for me), but I've made 4 necklaces and a pair of earrings so far. Plus, I have lots of scarves to sell. Gotta sell some of this stuff if I'm ever gonna get more cash for supplies.

as a side note: sometimes my part-time google gig can be very disturbing. i rate urls on their relevancy to a given query. for example: if the query is "cats" and a site with pictures of cats is matched to it, then it is relevant. other factors must be taken into consideration as well, but not for the purpose of this note. so, when you get a disturbing query like "vaginal licking" and a couple of URLs with images (excuse me, i mean detailed, extreme close ups) appear for cases of vaginitis in dogs (again, remember the extreme close up images here), you just want to go and poke your eyeballs out with a fork, twice. squick!!!

comments have been disabled due to spam. wanna respond to a post, email me at sam at mouf dot net.

posted at: 17:58 | Link to this entry

Sun, 11 Jun 2006

oneword: laugh

oneword: laugh

He laughed at her jokes. She could hardly believe it. No one ever laughed at her jokes, not even a giggle. But there he sat, across the checkered table cloth from her, with tears rolling down his plump cheeks. His guffaws filled the air around them, surrounding them in comedic relief, and his face turned a shade of maroon she couldn't believe was healthy.

posted at: 16:10 | Link to this entry

oneword: drove

oneword: drove

She drove toward the waterfalls. It was almost midnight and she hadn't seen another car in the last three hours. The tree crowded road twisted and wound its way through the mist. The waterfalls would calm her and their sound would drown out her own thoughts, pounding them from her mind. Pushing her foot down on the accelerator, her car lurched forward until it could keep up with her demands, then smoothed out as she drove on into the night.

posted at: 01:32 | Link to this entry

Fri, 09 Jun 2006

oneword: usual

oneword: usual

As usual, they didn't get her order right. How damn hard could it be to leave off the onions from her burger? As usual, the onion sliver squicked between her teeth, giving her the same feeling one often gets when hearing nails on a chalkboard.

posted at: 13:58 | Link to this entry

Thu, 08 Jun 2006

oneword: gone

oneword: gone

He couldn't believe she was gone. Just days before, she had arrived fresh faced and energetic. She was ready to conquer the world. Now, slumped against his chest, he could feel the warmth draining from her now lifeless body.

posted at: 03:17 | Link to this entry

Wed, 07 Jun 2006

oneword: charged

oneword.com: charged

Electricity charged the air, increasing the already building sexual tension she felt toward her superior. But she had to resist, she couldn't let her feelings take control on such a dangerous mission.



(Maybe creative writing exercises are a good use of blogging... we'll see.)

posted at: 03:13 | Link to this entry

My Mom Rocks

Happy Birthday to my mom (a bit early, her birthday is actually the 8th). I went home last Friday to spend the evening and following day with my mom and was treated to a mother/daughter spa day. A massage, followed by a pedicure, then a facial, and a manicure... how I am spoiled. It was a lot of fun hanging out with my mom for our spa day. She also came into town on Monday for a shopping trip. She's preparing for a big trip to Africa and wanted to do some shopping (for her trip and for general wardrobe updates). So yeah, my mom rocks. :-) I can't wait to see her pictures from Africa. She's an awesome photographer, and her pictures from Hawaii and St. Thomas were just breathtaking.

posted at: 02:33 | Link to this entry

Tue, 23 May 2006

Bob Ross, happy little trees, happy little game

"The first Bob Ross video game will be developed exclusively for the Nintendo Wii (formerly Revolution), utilizing its intuitive controls so that players can easily immerse themselves in the addictive game while having fun and learning to paint like Bob Ross."

Holy crap. Bob Ross is making a hell of a comeback. From happy little trees and squirrels on PBS, to a Boondocks cartoon tribute of sorts on AdultSwim, and now a video game?!?!

There's also a contest for the community to participate in. According to the site linked above, "six lucky winners will have their paintings included in the high-density graphics of the Bob Ross video game (and on the box cover too!), right along with Bob’s own fantastic masterpieces." sweet!

posted at: 16:40 | Link to this entry

Sat, 20 May 2006

May Flowers

Ah, roses are blooming, lilies are starting to bud and bloom, and other assorted things are growing in our flower beds.





Hit the gallery for these pics and more.

posted at: 23:07 | Link to this entry

Tue, 16 May 2006

Save the cherry cordial Hershey Kisses

If you like cherry cordials and you haven't had one of the new cherry cordial Hershey Kisses, (they've been made available as a limited release), go out and find them now while you still have a chance. I blame Bascha for introducing us to this addiction. Steve and I first sampled these wonderful truffle-like goodies at Bascha's house and now we can't get enough of them. I even bought a bag for my friend, Felisha, and her son, JD, because I knew they would want more than just one. JD didn't even drool chocolate out of his mouth like he usually does, savoring every wonderful moment until it melted away.

These, in my very humble opinion, are the best of all the Hershey Kiss varities. I really hate that they are only available for a limited release and, apparently, lots of other folks do too. There's a petition online to try and convince Hershey to make these available all the time: http://www.petitiononline.com/candyad/petition.html

posted at: 18:20 | Link to this entry

Mon, 15 May 2006

Our 1st year

Happy anniversary to us
Happy anniversary to us
Happy anniversary to Steve and Sam
Happy anniversary to us!

Yesterday was the day of our 1st wedding anniversary. Even though Steve was plagued with work problems, we managed to spend a lot of time together and have a really nice day/evening. Steve gave me some really cool books (some children's fiction, some holiday knitting) and took me to dinner at Rey's in Cary.

Reflections of Sapphire Bay -- The painting I made Steve for his gift.

Female Impression -- The second painting I worked on, also Steve's to claim if he so chooses.

Anniversary Cake -- A picture of the cake we ordered from Edible Art in Raleigh since I always wanted a wedding cake from them but it wasn't something we could work out for our wedding.

The paintings are of course subjective and I don't expect rave reviews, but the cake... now that is a work of art. (yum!)

I almost forgot to mention that the Gallery has been updated with a Holidays: 2006: 1st Anniversary section, where you can find these images and additional pictures of the cake.

posted at: 18:01 | Link to this entry

Fri, 12 May 2006

Wish me luck

So, I've submitted my first article to appleweek.com. Who knows if it is good enough to be published, but I guess I'll find out eventually.

I've also been fairly busy with editing tasks. Some small, some larger -- but I have 3-4 potential projects coming in this month and next; some are from returning clients, while others are clients that I connected with but couldn't work with for various reasons. Between the editing work and the Google ratings gig, I'm not going as insane as before and I feel like I'm helping contribute to our budget, finally. Knowing we will be able to afford new car payments soon is a good thing, especially since Steve's car is really starting to show its age.

I've also picked up the paint brush and oils again. First, to make a 1st anniversary gift for Steve (can you believe it, our first year of marriage has already flown by). Second, to work on an impressionistic female form (which Steve can also claim as part of his gift). Now I'm just waiting for the paint to dry. Damn, oils really do take a while before they can be safely touched and the kitties seem to be drawn to them (I'm really tired of picking individual cat hairs off of the canvases).

Other than that, Steve and I've been working in the yard most weekends. The 16'x16'x1.5' raised bed in the backyard is looking better each day as flowers and plants continue filling in the bed. Just need to secure the wood and we'll be done with it. And the roses are really taking off. Next week or the following should be good for pictures.

posted at: 14:01 | Link to this entry

BOFH Widget

This just amused the hell out of me this morning and I think Steve needs to run/use this at work.

BOFH Excuse Generator

*snicker*

posted at: 13:58 | Link to this entry

Fri, 31 Mar 2006

Basic Instinct 2

So, the movie Basic Instinct 2 opens this week. All I have to say about it is this, and I quote:

Oh the old gray mare, she ain't what she used to be
Ain't what she used to be, ain't what she used to be.
The old gray mare, she ain't what she used to be
Many long years ago.


*snickers*

posted at: 04:07 | Link to this entry

NC Lottery, don't bet on it

Steve and I've been against the NC lottery since we first heard about it. We both see lotteries as an idiot tax, or maybe as a tax on the poor. And now that the NC lottery is available to play, our theories have been confirmed. Don't waste your time or money playing the odds... go to Vegas instead, where you have a much better chance at winning, plus drinks aplenty. Raleighing has an excellent review here.

posted at: 00:04 | Link to this entry

Fri, 24 Mar 2006

Quick hits

http://www.hackernetwork.com/flash/stickdeath9.shtml (fun)

http://www.hackingnetflix.com/2006/03/netflix_adds_hd.html (neat)

posted at: 23:39 | Link to this entry

Thu, 23 Mar 2006

Rants, no raves

First, like many others, I'd like to say thanks to Isaac Hayes for leaving South Park. Anyone that hypocritical should go. Fine, make fun of Christians, Mormans, and Jews, but Scientologists... oh no, can't handle that. Fuck you, sir. I was a fan of Isaac Hayes, especially as Chef. But no more. Maybe the new Chef will rock; if so, tonight's new episode will pave the way.

Secondly, Disney is evil. They won't rerelease Song of the South, a classic that I remember fondly from my childhood (songofthesouth.net offers info and a petition, for those interested). Instead, Universal is releasing this steaming pile of crap: http://www.adventuresofbrerrabbitdvd.com/ Will this help pave the way for a rerelease of the Disney classic in the US, who knows, but I won't be watching or supporting it. There is only one Uncle Remus.... which, to me, is a little like saying there is only one Jim Henson (and no, for the record, I'm not a fan of any post-Jim Henson muppet action -- it just isn't the same).

....grrrrrrr....

posted at: 03:22 | Link to this entry

Tue, 21 Mar 2006

interesting links

As passed on by a friend of mine, check out http://www.zodiaxx.com/ for a great astrology resource.

Found this yesterday during my Google work, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brh6KRvQHBc -- live action of The Simpsons.

posted at: 14:49 | Link to this entry

catch as catch can

So, I've not been into blogging recently. Not sure why. Maybe it is that I don't feel I have anything important to really say, or that I feel I'm just repeating myself or some other writer/journalist/blogger in a way that is completely unoriginal. I have been spending time with friends, though. Kath and Bascha were kind enough to have me over a few weekends ago for some quality time with the girls. I've had lunch with Mushi recently, and will be seeing her and Crash again this weekend. We went up to Richmond to see Drew, Clare, Jason, and folks for a NIN show last week and had a great time hanging out with the Va crowd. I met up with Kat (and Kath briefly, but she wasn't well) for shopping and helped Kat find a great dress (gorgeous, simply gorgeous on her) plus some work clothes. Tomorrow, I'm having lunch with Ed and, this Sunday, I'll be heading home to see my mom and Angel (will be my first visit with Angel since before I met my husband).

I've also been busy working on personal projects. My sweater (in green with a beautiful cable down the front panel) is coming along. I started it while hanging out with Bascha and Kath for girls' night. I'm working on the first sleeve now. And.... I'm still working on getting my editing services going online and I've taken on a temp job through Google.

So, that's probably the best summary I can come up with for now. For those that have been wondering what I'm up to these days, I hope this helps.

posted at: 00:11 | Link to this entry

Sat, 18 Feb 2006

Pictures instead of words...

New pictures are available of lots of things.

First, the sweater. Steve's roll neck sweater and another view.

Here's a pic of The Manly Sweater in progress. I love this wool/silk yarn that is so soft to work with.

We went to Steve's parents and grandparents the weekend before his birthday. Lucky for us, we got to see snow -- 5 inches of fluffy goodness -- and still have decent driving conditions.

Last, a couple of really cute cat pictures: Miko 1 and Miko 2, Gypsy 1 and Gypsy 2

posted at: 01:29 | Link to this entry

Wed, 15 Feb 2006

Another list tag

Tagging: Mushi, Bascha, Kath, and Kat

1. My name: Sandra Ashley Wills
2. My childhood ambition: child psychologist or famous painter/artist extraordinairre
3. My fondest memory: getting married in St. Thomas while overlooking St. Barts
4. My soundtrack: Richard Cheese, The Killers, NIN, No Doubt, Tori Amos... all kinds of things
5. My retreat: sitting on the screened in porch with a good book
6. My wildest dream: making millions from knitting and crafting (ha!)
7. My proudest moment: getting my acceptance letter from UNC after my "father" told me I'd never make it
8. My biggest challenge: accepting that I can't help or fix any problem I encounter
9. My alarm clock: is annoying and currently off unless I have a morning appointment or contract job
10. My perfect day: breakfast with Steve, a little shopping and/or pampering, dinner out, and cuddling in front of the fire place with a good movie and the kitties
11. My first job: intership with an architect
12. My indulgence: expensive yarn or clothes shopping
13. My last purchase: (for me) yarn for two sweaters, (for Steve) iTunes for his new iPod
14. My inspiration: my mom and maternal grandmother, and now my husband, Steve

posted at: 18:03 | Link to this entry

Fri, 10 Feb 2006

Yay! Sweater!

The sweater is done. The sweater is done. (Come on, you know you wanna join me in a happy dance.) It fits Steve nicely and he even wore it to work today. Pics will be up soon.

Yarn has been planned out carefully and ordered for my next two projects, both projects are from Stitch 'N Bitch: The Manly Sweater (in slate, pitch, and navy) for Steve, and the Sack Sweater with the center cable (in leaf) for me. Yay! I played around making a braid cable the other night from my handy Vogue Knitting book and I'm pleased so say it came out nicely. So I'm not scared of cables or sweaters anymore. Yay! Go me!

posted at: 19:00 | Link to this entry

Mushi tagged me...

So here's my "four by six" meme (using Bascha's post as reference, she was tagged by Mushi, too)...

Four jobs I’ve had:

1. Belt and costume jewelry maker -- one of my very first jobs was just a few doors down from my mom's office, allowing me to walk there easily after school and get a ride home. I'd braid, glue, glitz, and more to create belts and the occassional matching earrings, following patterns from my boss that she sold to various women's magazines (like Chadwick's). I always thought it was pretty neat. (For a couple of summers before I took that job, I was a volunteer Candy Striper at the local hospital, pink and white stripe uniform and all, hehheh.)
2. Inventory systems manager -- what a great title. I ran the computer inventory lists for my grandparent's wholesale/retail store. I entered sales, I entered stock, I made order suggestions. Nothing worthy of that title, but I'm a witer, this is my blog, and I'm allowed embellishments if I want them. This was a job I took while still working the belt making job mentioned above.
3. Software buyer -- even before classes started my freshman year at UNC, I had a job at the Ram Shop (computer shop) at UNC's main campus Student Store. I first worked on the sales floor, but then took the opportunity to move back into the office as the assistant to the software buyer. I worked my butt off hauling up heavy boxes of MS Office (shipped 6-8 to a box), Adobe software, and so many other titles. Then, I'd enter them into inventory, price them, and stock the shelves. Once the software buyer graduated, I ask for the job and got it. From there, I managed the entire software inventory for the RAM Shop, handled special orders, ordered sales/bulk for stocking up during high volume sales cycles, and more. It was pretty cool for an on campus job and I really liked it. I managed to work in one store, the RAM shop, for my entire college career, even though I took odd jobs now and then, I never left my main one.
4. Technical Writer/Editor and Documentation Team Manager -- I think this sums up my last professional job title pretty well. Before I left, I was juggling project management duties with the scheduling of my team's documentation and translation deliverables, managing (and I do like to think I really was a manager, not just a boss or head asshole) a team of 9 writers at a high point, writing all of the installation guides for the main Enterprise Linux operating system, as well as editing the work of my team members. I still miss the team and some other aspects of the job, but I'm determined to give my new path a chance.

Four movies I can watch over and over:

1. Ronin... just something about it makes it very watchable
2. What Dreams May Come... very, very pretty and powerful
3. Dude, Where's My Car?... not that I do watch it a lot, but we used to, and.. why am I explaining this anyway? sigh. It's just a funny movie.
4. Chocolat... I just love this movie and it makes me think of my hubby.

Four places I’ve lived

1. Little white house surrounded by corn fields in Farmville, NC. How fitting, eh? Lived there for almost all of my life, just me and my mom.
2. Little one bedroom apartment in Chapel Hill that I shared with my favorite roommate Beth, (who's now Mrs. Elizabeth Brown Mahon).
3. Small apartment in Durham near the Circle K (where folks kept getting shot) that also flooded on me during a hurricane. It also was a home for the largest and scariest jumping wolf spider I have ever seen.
4. Smaller aparment in Durham, just a little further away from the Circle K mentioned above, much cheaper, and on the 3rd floor to avoid any chance of additional flood damage to my precious stuff.

Four TV shows I love:

1. Survivor... yeah, I know, but it's addictive.
2. Boondocks.. as well as several other Adult Swim cartoons
3. Grey's Anatomy... has replaced ER for me.
4. Desperate Housewives... just love it.

Four places I have vacationed:

1. Bahamas
2. Grand Cayman (my second favorite)
3. Cancun
4. St. Thomas (my favorite of all of these)

Four of my favorite dishes:

1. My sage sausage and mushroom lasagne with my homemade sauce, of course.
2. Fried chicken with chicken'n'pasty.
3. Brie with raspberry, strawberry, almonds, honey,... really a variety of things or flavors, depending on the mood, to be served with apples, crackers, and what not.
4. Filet mignon with bacon and a stuffed, twice baked potato.

Four sites I visit daily (in addition to the blogs I visit to keep up with friends or subscribe to via RSS):

1. http://www.wral.com
2. http://www.youdamnkid.com
3. http://www.google.com
4. http://shoeblogs.com/

Four places I would rather be right now:

1. St. Thomas
2. St. Barts
3. Maui
4. Grand Cayman

Four people I will tag with this: you, you, you, and you. Yes, you. Wearing the stripes, you too. Most everyone I know of has been tagged, so if you happen upon this and are so inclined, drop me a note and share your lists with the rest of us. :-)

posted at: 18:43 | Link to this entry

Tue, 31 Jan 2006

been sick...

Sorry for the lack of posts for those few of you who actually read this site. But, I've been sick with the crud and am just starting to get over it. I've also been busy with freelance editing and writing projects (that should continue through the end of Feb). And, we had to take Miko and Vester to the vet (Miko to get spayed and Vester to figure out why he's pissing all over the place again), which took up a few days in itself (for a cat who freely pisses on my floors and in my heating vent, he sure can hold it while at the vet so they ended up keeping him overnight). Plus, Miko got to be gimp cat for a while, as we had to put a plastic cone collar around her neck to keep her from cleaning her scar obsessively. Steve's been busy with work, his company launching all kinds of things this week, so it's just been hectic and a bit out of whack lately. Here's hoping to return to normal soon. A cat-pee-free kind of normal if I'm really lucky -- even if it takes kitty prozac.

posted at: 18:50 | Link to this entry

Thu, 19 Jan 2006

Knitta please, this one's for the boyz

Knit New York, a wool and craft store in Lower Manhattan, is fighting the stereotype that knitting is the province of women. "Are you strong enough to knit and man enough to purl?" says an advertisement for Boyz Nite on the shop's Web site.

News story link

posted at: 23:37 | Link to this entry

Must... Have... Shiny... Bacon...

Thanks go out to the wondeful folks at User Friendly for really making me laugh today.

posted at: 20:23 | Link to this entry

Wed, 18 Jan 2006

Public Service Announcement: Meetings are bad, uhm kay?

Finally, proof that meetings are bad. Please, all of you managers who like to hold meetings simply for the sake of holding meetings and feeling all important, I have a suggestion that you need to hear. Bugger Off, Step Off, and Find Something To Do! Meetings take away from productivity when held incorrectly. Learn better ways to keep communication flowing without stopping the work flow to do it. It was a waste of my time when I had to deal with it and it is still a waste of time for those others you still force them upon. Stop it already.


posted at: 01:53 | Link to this entry

Mon, 16 Jan 2006

Bizarre

How to get a goth out of a tree, you know, just in case you ever have this problem. Poor little bunnies.

posted at: 14:52 | Link to this entry

Sat, 14 Jan 2006

Well, it's not Cat Town

But, Gigolokitty is kind of similar.

posted at: 20:49 | Link to this entry

Shaking the mojo from Friday the 13th

Ugh. Yesterday was Friday the 13th and full of bad luck... back luck that still lingers around today.

(1) So yesterday, I try to renew my prescription and discover that the new insurance company Steve's company has changed to (the second change in 6 months or so) doesn't cover my prescription. What used to be a $60 copay has turned into $130. Not cool. Maybe next time it comes up for renewal I'll check with Planned Parenthood. (One of our vet techs suggested it and said they offer almost a full range of products as long as you have a prescription... wonder if they have Seasonal, cause I'm not switching back to monthly). Upon mentioning this to my mom this afternoon, she laughed and said, "Well, that certainly is a choice." For my mom, this was pretty amusing.

(2) While at the vet I make an appointment for our new kitten Miko to get her next (and last, I hope) booster and to get her spayed. When I returned home, I discovered that she has gone into heat. The yowling is driving me crazy. The stalking of things to mate with is insane. And she's shredding the toilet paper when I put her into our bathroom to eat (our older cats will eat all her food if we don't separate her).

(3) Steve was starting to feel poorly yesterday and feels worse today. He's slept most of the day away, but who can blame him. He needs his rest.

(4) Sylvester peed in a very bad place again today. A place that makes me want to kill him. The heating vent on the floor beside the litter box is probably the worst place he could possibly choose. How the hell do you clean it and truly get rid of the smell. I'm able to mask it for a while, and it fades some, but geeze, this is not a smell I want to live with for any length of time. Probably time to take him back to the vet. Peeing outside of the litterbox has been a sign of his glucose levels being off before, so maybe it is a diabetic issue. Maybe we need to up the insulin dose again. Ugh.

So that's the update... cross your fingers and pray to your respective Gods/Goddesses that the worst of this has passed. Seems that we could use the extra karma points.

Bascha - Mom said hi, she sends "virtual hugs" back to you, and loved the card you sent her. Completely made her day. You are so sweet to think of her and I can't tell you how happy it made her. She fawned on about you and that card for about 5 minutes. *grin* You rock!

posted at: 20:32 | Link to this entry

Thu, 12 Jan 2006

Possible gift idea?

So I've been toying with the idea of getting Steve a new guitar for his birthday. We even spent a few hours at Guitar Center of Raleigh. While he thinks about what he wants, I'm keeping an eye out for interesting deals. And then I found this. I mean, I know Fender has done work with Disney, but wow. And isn't it just cute!

posted at: 23:52 | Link to this entry

Wed, 11 Jan 2006

I hate sleeves

Still making slow progress on Steve's sweater. Still working on the first sleeve. I'm not enjoying it. I like knitting things that gradually decrease, not increase. Knitting sleeves, for me, is a project that just keeps getting bigger, harder, and longer to complete. I'm frustrated. grrrr.

In other news, I've completed three days in a row of working out on the stationary bike. Each session for at least 30 minutes/300 calories. Today was 44 minutes/400 calories. And I can't wait for the new gel seat cover to arrive -- maybe that'll keep my sit bones from hurting so much.

posted at: 23:18 | Link to this entry

Tue, 10 Jan 2006

To the cuddly friends who have recently departed our lives...

I've recently read on two of our friend's blogs that two cuddly little creatures have died. It's very sad. I only got to meet Piggy (Crash and Mushi's guinea pig) and Bruce (Robust's cat) once, and each let me share some lovings with them (a scratch on the head was well received by both). They both had wonderful people and safe, loving homes, which is all they needed.

May both of the pets go wherever it is that good pets go when their souls leave this world, may they have all the treats they ever desire, and may someone always be near by to give them the head scratches they love and deserve.

posted at: 16:07 | Link to this entry

Working is good

When you don't get many projects, and you depend on those projects to make that little bit of extra cash you need, you tend to get really excited when someone contacts you. At least, that's how I'm feeling these days.

When I left Red Hat in June, I began freelancing through Lulu as an editor and taking contract work from Red Hat's Marketing group. I only had one paying Lulu project from June to December (the Christmas Love Story about the reindeer and how Christmas came to be), but several contracts from Red Hat over the months helped.

Now it is 2006 and I'm trying to channel as much positive energy as I can into my freelance work. Since New Year's day, I've been contacted by four freelance opportunities (one has been completed, a small poetry book not being published through Lulu; one is in final editing, a fraternity recruitment book being published through Lulu; one was almost booked but he wasn't able to get a refund from his other editor so he was forced to work with them, an inspirational writing journal; and the last was a request for a free review from a cash strapped blogger, his book is on blogit and was more of a fictional thriller). Two paying jobs, out of four contacts. I'm pretty pleased. The poetry book was really small, but the author was such a joy to work with that it made it worthwhile. The fraternity recruitment book is 20,500 words, so it's a decent project to tackle. And I love the variety this work offers.

I've also been contacted about two whitepapers for the marketing group. Let's hope those go well, too.

So far, this year has potential. My financial goal with this is to save up enough money over the next two years to help Steve put a nice down payment on a new car. His car is getting old now, and well, he's a good husband and he deserves a nice car. And it'll be his first new car, which is exciting (to me, anyway).

Wish me luck (or, better yet, throw work my way). ;-)

posted at: 15:59 | Link to this entry

Happy (belated) Birthday Bubba

While I'm not one who would usually note Elvis Presley's birthday, death day, or even a song playing on the radio by the peanut butter loving, pelvis thrusting singer. His birthday passed and we, coincidentaly, watched Bubba Ho-Tep this weekend.

Is this movie genius or pure idiocy? Maybe both. Elvis, in the body of an Elvis impersonator, and Jack Kennedy, in the body of an older black man, both in a nursing home fighting a mummy with a penchant for renewing his life force by sucking the souls of old people through their asses. WTF? I mean, really, WTF? Who comes up with this stuff? And what were they on when they thought of this. Share with the whole class, please. I will say that is original. And with all the remakes now popping up to deaden our creative spirits a little more, a true original like this is refreshing.

And, if for some reason, this movie is a remake of something... don't tell me. I just don't want to know. I like my bubble and I'll thank you for not bursting it.

posted at: 15:28 | Link to this entry

Catching up and thinking about the new year...

So I've been thinking about all the things I want to accomplish in my new corporate-free, this ain't no effing cube farm, creative life. Steve has given me a lot of freedom to find what makes me happy. I realize I'm lucky, really, really lucky, and I want to make the most of it and see if my creative side could also have some cash flow attached. So what can I do? What do I want to do?

Here's what I've been working on so far:

• Contracting work with various companies and freelance editing through Lulu. I've not gotten a lot of work, only one small project last quarter and two projects so far this quarter, but I'm working hard to get more work. To help with this, I've changed all of my Lulu services offerings from pre-priced services to custom quotes (since everyone who emailed me asked for custom anyway -- listen to your clients, right?) and I have a google ad making the rounds.
• Fibers and Glass website. Since I love knitting and crafting, I'd also love a way to sell the things I make. I have quite a few scarves I could sell and, this Christmas, I made a whole helluva lot of hand painted and decorated ornaments. And, I really need to make a whole helluva lot more. Those given as gifts were well received and I still have quite a few left over to sell. So, I'm making a website and using paypal shopping carts as my transaction method. I hope to have it up and running by the end of the month, but there are a lot of things to catalog, take and post pics of, and etc. Wish me luck.
• Learn jewelry making techniques. In high school, I use to met this plastic and metallic sheets in the oven to create all kinds of earrings. I liked designing and making jewelry and would like to get back into it. Ornamentea, a shop in Raleigh, offers classes with supplies for pretty cheap. Attending a few of these and slowly adding to my supplies is one goal, while adding them to my website to sell is another.
• Lean to sew. I want to make pillows, tree skirts, and stockings. I want to make these in mod patterns and colors, traditional, funky, shiny, anything and everything I can think of. I've been collecting inspirations from magazines and online pics, so I have an idea of what I want to try. I even have a machine. I just don't know how to use it, read or make a sewing pattern, or sew. Another big goal. If I make neat things, again with the gifts and website sales.
• Blog more. I need to communicate more. I need to stop hiding inside of my head and house. I need to interact more. Not always an easy task for me as I tend to keep to myself anyway, but I will work on it.

So yeah, here are the things I want to learn, do, accomplish.... things I want to succeed in. Not really resolutions, as I find making them and breaking them lame, but aspirations.

posted at: 15:19 | Link to this entry