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Who Links Here
| Taking the plunge |
| 07.29.05 (5:42 am) [edit] |
Well, I thought and thought about it and I decided to set up an online store at Yahoo for my photography. I am still in the process of figuring out how to use the darn templates. The price was resonable since they waived the set up fee. I figure I only have to sell 3-4 pictures a month for it to pay for itself. Well, I hope to sell more than that, but it is a start. I am not going to jewelry right away, since that is a lot more labor instensive. So much of what I do it is one of a kind I would spend countless hours updating. Okay, maybe not countless, but a girl has to dream. :D Yahoo has a 384 page getting started guide... guess what I am going to be doing this weekend? Wish me luck... k |
| Thanks for letting me vent... in advance |
| 07.28.05 (10:24 am) [edit] |
 Had a frustrating conversation this morning while I was trying to order pancakes. This guy, and I have seen him other mornings, started talking about retiring soon. That he had 38 years in and it was time to go. I told him I had a ways to go yet. He asks if I am paying a mortgage, I tell him no. He starts going on and on how if I put aside $10 a week in awhile I could have enough to have a down payment. How it is stupid to keep renting. Now, mind you he tells me he payed about $45,000 for his house 19 years ago, he talked the former owner down from $60,000. And how he paid it off in 7 years. In the area where I live you would have a hard time finding a decent condo for under $150,000. Plus add on taxes, which are crazy high here, my payments would make more than I make in a check (I get paid bi-weekly). And I have a car payment and car insurance along with all my other bills. Oh, and he starts telling me I should have just gone to community college and then I would have loans to pay off. It was way too early to be listening to this. It was all I could do not to hit him upside the head with napkin dispenser. I am getting a lot of "you should be doing this" sort of advice lately and it is driving me batty. I mean really. Do you want to buy me a house? Pay for me to finish my degree? If so maybe I will take you up on it, but when it is just me and I am working my butt off just to get by don't feel you can tell me what I should be doing. Grrr. Nosy people. k |
| Faces on the side of the road |
| 07.27.05 (5:34 am) [edit] |
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A few weeks ago I mentioned seeing these smilie/frowny faces while driving. Over the 4th of July weekend I managed to get a picture of one... rememeber it isn't the greatest photo since I took it while driving, but it gives you an idea. k 
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| Art Fair Pictures |
| 07.26.05 (11:48 am) [edit] |
For those unable to stop by and say hi... here are some pictures of my tables. Sorry no bad fashion photos this year... I was just too tired.     |
| Caution grumpy girl ahead |
| 07.26.05 (6:54 am) [edit] |
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I survived... it was sort of touch and go there for awhile. It was hot and humid, not my favorite conditions. People are also rude and inconsiderate. All combined did not make Kate a happy girl. I mean they can buy a $5 latte and then complain about spending the same on earrings? Um... where is the sense in that. Also hearing people talk smack about your stuff is never easy no matter how many times you go through it. I ended up doing about $250-300 less than last year... which was down $600 from the year before. I still did okay, it was worth doing, but it wasn't quite what I had hoped. I am still decompressing ... probably next week this time I will have forgotten how grumpy I was. To treat myself I bought a window AC unit, lots of bath and body stuff, some books. I am now looking at cameras... of course I can't justify my $1000 camera so I have to lower my expectations. Damn, I hate when I have to do that. I finished Harry Potter.... of course now I am just waiting for friends to finish it so I can talk a about it. Okay... I will be in a better mood next post... right now I need to get back to the piles of work that greeted me when I came in this morning. k |
| Art Faior Advice |
| 07.21.05 (11:43 am) [edit] |
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Almost forgot... my art fair advice is "Just because you can doesn't mean you should." This can be taken for art, fashion and too many other things to mention.... k
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| I'm melting!!! |
| 07.21.05 (11:37 am) [edit] |
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I have about about 15 minutes in air conditioned splendor before I head back out in to the sweltering heat. I have survived my first day of art fair, but just barely. Sales were good, but mostly for earrings. I sold 2 photos, but 1 to someone I knew. About 7 pm the rains came crashing through. I had to shut down for the night... luckily I didn't lose anything other than sales. I had dinner with a friend and when I got on the road again about 10 it started raining again. I had to go about 40 on the express way since I couldn't see the lines. It took over an hour to get home... which normally takes about 40 minutes. Today is hot and humid, but sunny so I will take that. Thursday is generally the slowest of the 4 days. It is also the day I have the least amount of help. I did manage to sucker a few friends in to giving me potty and blogging breaks. :) My step mom told me I had to be a tough person to just let what people said roll off my back... and you do. You can't take it personally at all. Back to the grind... k p.s. Scuba your friend stopped by sans wife. So I could up my prices for her.
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| Relaxation and Maternal urges |
| 07.18.05 (6:01 am) [edit] |
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I will have all of you know I did not make one piece of jewelry Saturday or Sunday. I priced some stuff and organized everything, sorta, and then sat on my couch and melted. I woke up late for work this morning... but the extra hour and 20 minutes of sleep was worth it. Friday I got another reminder that I am just not the maternal type. A coworker brought her new born in to say hi to everyone. Yes he was cute, but he cried the whole time he was here. I know babies do that sort of thing, but it set my teeth on edge. And that was just after 30 minutes. Then at lunch I went I met up with my friends C,L and L's 2 1/2 year old son (who is very cute, I'm not just saying that L!!) and realized, yet again, that motherhood is a lot of work. Work I don't know if I have the patience for. I think if I adopted someone who was about 5 I could handle it. I had a talk with my mother a few weeks ago and she seemed to think the reason I didn't want children because I was single and that I thought I was single because I was fat. I said no, that I have never had those maternal urges. Sure I think baby clothes are precious. And I love to hold a baby now and then, but I have never felt the urge to pass on my DNA to anyone else. It takes a lot to be a great parent... and there are some kick ass ones that read this blog... I think I am more the kick ass Aunt type of girl. I don't feel I am less of a woman for not using my uterus. It isn't a decision I came to lightly or by default. Some people have asked what would happen if I met someone who was the love of my life and he wanted children. I would tell him we could adopt or be foster parents, but those are the only options. So what I need to figure out is if I don't want kids or I don't want babies. This is sort of a hodge podge post because I have never quite figured out how to explain my feelings and thoughts about the subject. Just had to write about it to clear my head a bit. k |
| Limits and fluttery stomachs |
| 07.15.05 (5:03 am) [edit] |
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Wow... my last post made me sound on the verge of a breakdown. I am not quite that bad... at least not yet. I decided last night I was just going to finish a few pairs of earrings I started and do a few more bracelets and I would be done. Really. So, that will be tonight. Saturday I will price and index everything and load it in the car. I work Sunday at LSV and Monday at both jobs, but I have Tuesday off. I think the day will be spent watching movies, relaxing and psyching myself up for the coming trials. The first year I did the art fair I really had no clue what I was doing. I made a big investment in supplies and time. I ended up running the whole show by myself since the person I had lined up to help me bailed without letting me know. I would get home so tired I could barely eat. I was living with Z and she offered to make me dinner and I told her as long as it didn't involve too much chewing anything was good. I got some steamed broccoli and set the bowl right under my chin so I didn't have to move my fork too far. Last year I had much more help... T helped with the set up and tear down which was a godsend. My folks, Lynne, C and many more stopped by to offer their support and the chance to use the bathroom. This year I am probably the calmest I have been about the whole thing. It may not seem like it but this is the year I have done the least amount of work leading up to the fair. Finding my limits has been good for me. I am still fluttery in the stomach but I take that as a good sign. I am looking forward to some of my fellow tbloggers stopping by. I think it is going to be fun. k Last night I was actually in bed by 10:30.... so why am I so tired today? |
| Yeah I'm on crack |
| 07.13.05 (1:00 pm) [edit] |
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One of my all time issues is being late. I am one of those perpetually early people. I don't expect that other are the same way, just myself. I also have a fear of missing a shift at work. Yesterday after driving all over hell and gone I made it home and had plans to get dinner and margaritas with my neighbor. On our way to the resturant I get a call from work asking where I was. I must have been smoking crack when I looked at the schedule... all 3 times because I thought I worked today. So, I was an hour late. Feeling like an idiot. Luckily my coworker was understanding. And he got paid for an extra hour. Though I may have to buy him a beer or something so I feel better. I am going on 4 hours of sleep. My contacts are like sandpaper. I am wearing shoes that make me feel like I am going to topple over. And they make a lot of noise when I walk. All in all very annoying and I think I will put this pair of shoes in the garage sale box. Hope everyone's day is better than mine... Not that mine is really bad just frustrating. I am going to go home and take a nap and all will be right with my world. k |
| Harry and my fortune |
| 07.12.05 (10:04 am) [edit] |
 Had Chinese today for lunch... my fortune said "Your artistic talents win the approval and applause of others." No joke. So I guess I can rest easy now. Maybe I should play the numbers on the fortune. Could win big bucks. :D My amazing neighbor Andrea helped me mat photos last night. 96 to be exact. I need to get 4 more to make the full 100. Tonight we are going to work on the 5x7 photos if it isn't raining outside. My hands are hurting from too much jewelry making this weekend so I have to tone it down a bit the next few days.... damn carpal tunnel. I should probably start wearing my braces again. Sometimes I forget that there are limits to what I can do. If only Harry Potter came out this week and not next (Well, Tuesday not Saturday). I would have no problem forsaking jewelry for Harry. I was going to make it my "I survived Art Fair" treat, but I maybe have to do it before. Time to get work done.... wish me luck. k |
| Big ol' belly |
| 07.11.05 (12:57 pm) [edit] |
 This is the back of an old canon that is on campus, but I think it looks like a face on a big fat belly. It makes me smile. Weekend jewelry count... 13 Necklaces, 8 bracelts and 10 pairs of earrings. I have to be nice to my hands tonight... they don't like me too much today. Saturday I sat outside with Carrie for about 8 hours talking and making jewelry. It was lovely... I need to do it more often instead of just sitting on the couch. I ordered (and picked) up my photos today. Some aren't going to work... the cropping made them a bit funny. So I will have to see if there are any others I want to order to replace them. Hope everyone's week is off to a good start. k |
| Kitty's |
| 07.08.05 (5:42 am) [edit] |
Verlaine... this one is for you! I love this sign.... I imagine Kitty as this 4ft6 round Chinese woman with lacquered hair and a love of blue eyeshadow who chain smokes Virginia Slims. I hope Kitty exists. I have been having a hard time getting motivated to do much of anything. I just want to sit at home watching bad movies and making jewelry and maybe a few record bowls. Even then I am not as motivated as I should be. I need to make myself get out this weekend... if only to the grocery store. My mother thinks I need to shake up my life again... move somewhere or something. I don't know... maybe she is right. After I make it through the next few weeks I will give it some thought. Right now I just want to know if Angel can get anymore depressing. k |
| New Necklaces |
| 07.07.05 (11:19 am) [edit] |
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| Record Bowls |
| 07.07.05 (10:33 am) [edit] |
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Here are a couple pictures of the record bowls I make... these are the ones I have taken to Lady of the Lamp her in Ann Arbor. I need to make a few more for Art Fair but it has been too hot to turn on the oven. k   |
| TMonster and beading |
| 07.06.05 (7:45 am) [edit] |
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I took a mini vacation from blogging. Some of it was intenional, but I also lost a post to the TMonster and then tblog was down a few other times I logged in. I took it as a sign that I was supposed to take a break. I didn't really check my email or surf while I was home visiting my family. Hope everyone is rested from the long weekend. I got to see Lynne and Anditos and his lovely wife Mairi. I also met a nurse who called me after my surgery in January. She kept telling me I seemed familiar. Small small world. Oh, and I drank beer which almost never happens. (Though I did buy some the other day which came to a shock to me as much as it did my friends.) I took an extra day off yesterday and made 10 necklaces, 8 bracelets and 7 pairs of earrings. I am a junkie I tell you. I also commandered my sisters to help me sort out my jewelry and reprice a good deal of it. I also watched a lot of episodes of Angel. (Which is driving me a bit bonkers.) Yesterday I also gave blood. I didn't realize there was such a shortage until I heard it on 3 different radio stations this morning. I did know I got a special tag for my blood because I am O neg. I encourage anyone who is able to give to make an appointment. I can give you tbucks. :) I should have some new pictures up in the next day or so. I have to drop some film off tomorrow. I would have today, but I left it at home. k |
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