all in a day's work

went in for jury duty
deposit at bank
packages mailed at post office
went by bead store for supplies
saw Melissa for lunch
cleaned the kitchen
straightened downstairs
cleaned bedroom
four loads of laundry washed and put away
mopped the floors
cleaned the downstairs bathroom
cleaned the kitchen again

Fortunately the case was settled while we were waiting for all the people to arrive and we didn't even have to stay very long! Hooray. I had to sit on a jury less than 9 months ago. I can't believe I got called up again so soon. I know people who never get called up. What demographic do I fit that looks so attractive to these people?!

I am trying switch over to natural cleaning products but so far I am not very impressed with the two automatic dishwashing detergents I have tried. If anyone knows of a good one, please let me know.

It has been a productive day. So far I am not following my new ideal schedule. It's just so hard for me to do that. I get so caught up in what I am doing that I just want to barrel through and get it all finished. This is like a life-long struggle for me. I am either functional or creative. It hard to switch back and forth for me.

New York was awesome.

Quick recap of my trip to New York -

Monday night, we got to the Algonquin Hotel in time to see Talk of the Town - a little musical about the hotel's history. It was cool and covered important highlights over a ten year span. It was kind of like a dinner theatre too because we had dinner while we watched. It was a great start to the week. Linda stole a piece of silverware for me!

Tuesday, we went up to the Frick museum - old rich steel magnate who collected art and had his home built as a museum to display his collection. Afterward, Linda had plans with her girlfriends so I window-shopped my way over to the Whitney only to find it was closed. The restaurant was open so I had lunch there - yummy chicken pot pie that really hit the spot on a cold day. On my way out I stumbled upon an Art-o-Mat. I had read about these before and was so excited to see one! I bought my token, inserted it into the reclaimed cigarette vending machine and received a small cigarettepack-sized painting! Took the subway back to the hotel, napped, then got up and went out to a metals store nearby to start supply shopping. That night we saw Sweeney Todd - it was so so good. Very creepy. And it was really cool that the entire cast was also the orchestra. They all played an instrument when they weren't part of the scene. We had dinner and drinks at Ruby Foo's - a really cool sushi place near Times Square. Linda is a good drinking buddy.

Wednesday, I spent most of the day walking around to bead and metal wholesalers buying supplies. In the evening we went down to Union Square and had dinner at the Union Square Cafe and then saw a play called Dog Sees God. The gist of the play is that the gang from Peanuts are now teenagers and, let's just say, it is pretty updated. It was pretty cleverly written and I really liked it. Also visited Strand bookstore and bought some art books, one on Art Nouveau and another on illuminated manuscripts.

Thursday, we saw the Rauschenberg exhibit at the Met and then a fashion exhibit at the Cooper Hewitt National Design museum. I super enjoyed the Rauschenberg works. I don't know what it is in collage that appeals to me! I found the headphone tour to be annoying so I dug out my Ipod and listened to some Miles Davis. Spent the afternoon supply shopping. That evening Linda went to the opera with her friend and I had dinner by myself and went to see another show called Putnam Co. Spelling Bee. It was okay, not my favorite show of the week but Linda had kindly bought me the ticket.

Friday morning I hit the streets early and finished up my supply shopping, then we shopped around in Soho, walked through Grand Central Station, the lobby of the Chrystler building and then Linda gave me a really good tour of the New York Public Library. That building is so amazing. I was glad she was there to tell me all about it. She is a good tour guide. They also had an exhibit of illuminted manuscripts dating back to 1200 and older. It amazed me that after so many years, the colors are so brilliant and the marginal designs so fresh. After that we got on the airplane and came home.

Okay so that wasn't a very short recap but I just wanted to record everything we did. It was such a nice trip! I loved getting to stay at the Algonquin. Dorothy Parker is one of my favorite writers and it is inspiring to be in that environment.

Speaking of inspiration, I really just felt so much inspiration from the entire city. I was thinking a lot about working with metals and sketching beautiful ornamentation from buildings and ceilings. Linda seemed to understand where my head was, I think that is why she kept leading me into old buildings.

I was really tired when we got home. I spend all day Saturday resting and sorting through my new supplies. Oh yeah, and trying to set a new goal for myself - I really want to try to be more regimented. So - for this week, I am going to try to actually work on a schedule. I am just trying to work through my time-management issues!!

My energy is back!

Hooray! It has been a great week. I got so much done including cleaning out closet, getting both cars cleaned - all superfluous stuff in addition to the house stuff. Felt good.

Made a decision to have a big sale on my website to get rid of as much stuff as possible to make way for the new things I have been making. I am excited to get new stuff up. Have decided to stick with beads for a little while and experiment with the metal stuff on the side. The workshop is still in the back of my brain.

Tomorrow I am heading for NYC with my mother-in-law for the week. Should be a fun trip. I look forward to just walking around!

Nice weekend

It has been a nice weekend. I think my three-day weekend is over now though. Today is like my Monday. Have to get back to work. I swear I don't know how a house can get so dirty in just a couple of days.

Yesterday I met up with my friends Tonda, Jennifer B. and Amy for coffee and fun conversation at a new cafe in S. Austin called Buenos Aires Cafe. Then Jennifer and Amy and I went to Citywide Garage Sale. I found a stool for my antique vanity dresser. Now I can put all my "getting ready" stuff on my vanity dresser and do it properly. It is kind of cool to use something for its original purpose. It came from my grandmother's house. It has a big round mirror and an opening where your legs go, surrounded by four drawers. I have always wanted to sit there but could never find the right stool. Jennifer didn't find anything. Amy got a planter to put her toothbrush in. Afterward I drove around with the windows down and walked around S. Congress going into antique shops. I went by P&L and found I had a big check waiting for me. I sold a lot of stuff in December. Yay!

Last night I made jewelry and watched movies on HB0. I watched four movies in a row! Ice St0rm, The Terminal, War of the R0ses and S0me Kind of W0nderful. Man, that last one was bad too. I can't believe I thought it was so cool in the eighties. 1) the acting sucks, 2) the plot is so stupid - he is going to spend all his savings on one date with a popular girl. Actually, it's kind of all the eighties movies in a nutshell.

Today has been nice. I woke up and went straight to meet up with my friend Wendy for yoga. That was a nice way to start the day. Then we went over to the bookstore for coffee and she gave me super great inspiration for cooking. She recommended these magazines. I was telling her how much I really hate cooking. She showed me magazines and gave me advice. I am kind of excited about it again. Will keep you posted. Yay Wendy!

Afterward, I went to the gym with James and ate lunch. Okay, well, my mask is dry now so I better hit the showers and then get this damn house cleaned! Soon I am going to write about why I am trying to lose weight.

I am doing the best I can

Ugh. I am so tired for some reason. The energy comes and goes and right now it is definitely gone. I just thought I was sore on Tuesday - Wednesday my trainer worked me so hard I could barely move the next day. I had read this article about how you should "work your muscles to failure" - meaning that on your last rep you should barley be able to complete it. So, I tried this and it almost killed me. I don't know if that hardcore work out is for me. Think I will just stick with the medium-version of the workout. It made me not even want to go to the gym on Thursday. I decided to just go with that feeling. I had a massage that morning and just decided to take the rest of the day off. I laid around and watched The 0ffice on dvd. Such a great show. I felt pretty useless by the end of the day. I did actually do a little jewelry work last night so that was something.


Another thing I did get around to yesterday was seeing a studio space that is for lease. They had three units available. Fortunately I liked the smallest and cheapest the very best. It has windows, green walls and an a/c unit. It is about the same size as my office but with more wall space. I think it could totally work for me. Dad said he could help me rig a ventilator. I can do it month to month so I wouldn't be bound to anything. I just gotta consider it a little more. If it gets rented while I am thinking, that's cool. I will take it as a message from the universe. Or whatever.

Still today I am having trouble with the energy. At least I made it to the gym today. I don't know why I am surprised. January is always a tough month for me. Just a lack of motivation and energy this time every year. Melissa suggests I am cocooning and gave me a birthday card with butterflies on it. Dixie gave me a photograph she took of a caterpillar for my birthday. I put them both on my bulletin board to remind me. You can't always be a butterfly. Sometimes you just gotta be a stupid caterpillar lying on your couch in your sweats watching tv shows on dvd. As long as I keep the house clean, I am fine! :)

Ouch!

On the exercise front: my ass and legs hurt. Yay! I exercised 6 days last week and this week I have been to the gym on Monday and Tuesday. It's looking good for another full week since I have training on Wed and Friday. I am just so excited to finally have time to make a routine. I can really feel the changes in my body. It feels good.

On the biz front: I am still working on catching up my accounting. I have to reconcile my biz bank account for the last three months. Crazy, huh? Wish me luck.

This week I am trying to learn more about getting a workshop outside my house. I have pretty much decided that is the best way to do it for now. I am just too nervous to try setting up all that stuff in my home office. It is upstair, sharing a hallway with the rooms we sleep in. Not a good idea. Maybe I can find a partner to share an outside workshop.

I am getting a massage on Thursday. It was supposed to be today but got delayed. I could really use it. My back is still giving me trouble.

Okay, back to the grindstone... :)

My Birthday

Thursday was my birthday. It was such a great day. I started it out by going to the gym. Then Melissa took me out for a nice lunch on S. Congress. She gave me some lovely little presents including a ring, a coffee card, a vintage santa for my tree and flowers. What a thoughtful friend! On the way home I stopped into Phlox and looked at all their great stuff. I had calls from mom, dad, all my siblings and two of my aunts. I had emails from quite a few friends. It is the first time I can remember so many people thinking of my birthday. Made me feel pretty special. The night James and Forest took me out for a movie at Alamo Draft House. Such a fun day. The best thing is that I felt really great all day thinking about turning another year and thinking about all the things I would like to do in the next year. I also thought about everything that has brought me to this point. I feel very happy with my life as it is at this moment. That is a good feeling on your 34th birthday.

Wednesday night we went to my mother-in-law's house to watch the Rosebowl with her. It was a very exciting game with a nail-biter of an ending. The best kind of game to watch. On the way home, James said people would be driving down the drag honking their horns. I wanted to see the UT Tower all lit up so I asked him to drive that way. Oh my! It was a madhouse! People were honking all over the place and flashing the horns sign out the window. The honking started all the way up at 35th Street. People were running down the street screaming and high-fiving everyone in cars. It was a fun thing to witness.

Friday was back to the normal stuff. I cleaned house all day and meant to work on the biz in the late afternoon but ended up on my back. I have a strained muscle that really starts hurting in the afternoon. I am kind of worried about it as it has been going on for four days now. I hope it gets better soon. It is going to seriously conflict with my ability to get any real work done. Friday night I went to a potluck at my friend, Emily's house. It was a lot of fun.

Today was Saturday. All my crafty friends gathered here today for a craft meet-up. It was so nice to look around my table and see everyone together. I really enjoyed seeing them all and hearing about everyone's resolutions and projects.

Tonight I was, once again, on my back. I resigned myself to watching a move, Love Actually, which was kind of cute. Though, there are a few scenes that feel super contrived, there are also some very touching and real moments in the movie.

I would really like to get started back to working on the biz. I have so many things I would like to do. I have been making some sketches of things I would like to make. However, I also have some kind of block! Something is keeping me from diving back in. Maybe it is too many ideas. I am considering so many directions right now and sometimes that just leaves me not knowing where to start. I have to just try to be patient with myself. I will totally totally get there.

new years day - ho hum

Heh. My parents dropped in for a surprise visit over the weekend. Don't get me wrong, I love 'em, but I was just barely getting over xmas. After they left today I took a weird nap and then watched terrible movies on tv. I am too embarrassed to say what I watched. Junk food for my brain.

Resolutions: Just one, to keep training and lose weight. I feel pretty great about what I have achieved over the last two months. I have learned how to eat and how to exercise. I have seen small results like losing an inch from my waist and an inch from my hips. Of course the holiday eating always makes it hard but now I am looking foward to months of eating right. I did pretty well in November with the nutrition part so I feel confident about getting back on track. There are just so many opportunities to eat during the holidays. And every holiday dish is made with lard, I am convinced.

So, other than that I do hope to pick up a new hobby this year. I am considering embroidery. I have always wanted to learn and it would be a good thing for me to get obsessed with. My hands always want to be doing something.

For my business this year, I hope to do less shows. I would really like to increase my web traffic through some advertising. I would also like to work more with metals. I have been looking into what I need to do to set up a little workshop for myself. For the moment though I think I will just pull out the wax and just start trying to carve some stuff to cast. I tried getting into the Casting II class at school but it was already full. I am determined that shouldn't stop me. It might even be better. I won't be so intimidated about the actual casting process. In class I let that stop me from casting things. The mold making process is scary because you have to be careful not to breath in that stuff and then the actual casting involves a huge torch, a hot flask and melting silver. It is a huge rush but also a little scary. Without access to the schools workshop I will just have to send it off to have it cast. I am excited at the prospects.

Xmas was alright this year. I will admit that I didn't really have the xmas spirit. I was a bit of a scrooge. Sometimes it just feels so much more about accomodating everyone. I find it exhausting.

However, I really enjoy the part that is just me James and Forest hanging out together, putting up the tree and drinking hot chocolate (probably the only true tradition we have for xmas). Then, I enjoy giving Forest cool stuff. And, exchanging gifts with James. I have to say Forest is not a kid who has ever asked for a lot of stuff. When he was little I was so poor that he learned not to ask. Maybe that's bad - I don't know but he seems to have learned to only ask for what he really wants. It seems like he really thinks out his list. This year he asked for a digital video camera. We just got him that and a few other small things. He wants to video his skating friends. The mom in me is much happier for him to be behind the camera rather than in front of it on the skateboard. Not that the camera will ever stop that though.

I gave James the Sun Records cd set and the newest biography about the Beatles. He is enjoying learning about music from that time period. I think it is cool that he gets interested in something and really explores it. He has been listening to a lot of Johnny Cash since we saw the movie and that is what got him interested in the early roots of rock and roll music. I also got him the box set of the Pink Panther movies. One of our early dates was to the Paramount to see a Pink Panther movie and it is a nice memory.

James gave me a prettyhand-felted flower scarf made by Sarah Bird, a radio headphone set for the gym and some perfume, Lovely.

Happy New Year Everyone!

dewdropfalling

You see this is also what happens with my private journal... months go by and no entry.