My last post for 2011

...mmmmaybe.

Who knows if I will jump on here and become last-minute-nostalgic for 2011, but right now I am ready to kiss it goodbye and send it on it's merry way.

Actually, I feel like smacking it on the behind and giving it the boot down a rather long flight of stairs, but bidding it a calm fare-thee-well seems the more PC way to handle the task, sooooo...

And I feel like a pizza.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Last year (just about this time - give or take 72 hours) I was feeling curious and wondered how I had managed to snare some readers.

In fact, I've asked this question a few times, but have never received any answers. [tisk tisk]

I've also noticed more views over the past twelve months from far-flung lands and surmised that it was just the happenstance of a word or phrase in one of my entries that 'popped' during your searches for something that brought some of you into my little reading hole.

I asked (way back when) if you wouldn't mind leaving a comment to say where you're from and to (maybe) let me know how you found me out here in the ww'verse (Browncoats UNITE!), but no one has ever dared 'speak.'

Cowards!

:^P

Because the readership has gone up quite a bit over the last year, I am also betting that some of what I have to say must be a bit amusing, or curious, or enlightening (somehow) to keep some of you returning from time to time - and that is very cool.

Of course there are some of you who have me scratching my head. I mean I can't help but wonder how some of your searches for "male enhancement" products, for example, (or shaved body parts) gets you looking in my direction, but um, er....well, that is to say....some of you have strange 'hobbies.'

However you got here - welcome! And if you're a returning reader - welcome back! I hope you find this little corner of the world interesting enough to continue stopping by from time to time throughout 2012.

Still snowing

It's snowed all day - ALL day - with maybe a 20 minute reprieve while 'they' reloaded the snow canon early in the afternoon.

I have no idea what the accumulation is, nor do I know how much may have melted away, since the temps were j-u-s-t warm enough to allow for a little dripping from the leaf-filled gutters. (Don't get me started, and do not lecture me, either...thank you.)

I do know our normally too-fast drivers on the street were moving a bit slower today (HA!), so that tells me it might be a bit slick and/or a tad harder to plow through with ease (if you're a jerk behind the wheel of a car).

I spent the day indoors looking for work, cutting out stencils for the quilt - the last of the VERY LARGE stencils - and transferring the lines to the top for stitching (oh, and quilting). Both Cleo and flop required quite a bit of one-on-one time today, each begging for my attention....and winning it. Took me away from working on projects and needful things, but once they settled in for their naps I was off and flying with the top stitching. Still have a very long way to go before I am finished, but it is moving along. I am in a groove now, and making great progress, it is just slow going.

I know, I know. I hear you out there.

"How can you be making 'great progress' if it's so 'slow going'?" Well, I wish I could show you so that you could completely understand, but you are just going to have to take my word for it.

Visited with Gram S yesterday, taking along the quilt to show her what sort of progress has been made since the first time she had laid eyes on it, and she was surprised to see the entire thing stitched together. She commented on the alarming number of safety pins employed to baste it together - oddly enough.

I don't think she was anticipating such a large quilt or the colors - or completeness of it. But, I think she enjoyed looking at it even if it didn't make much sense to her.

I am in the throes of finishing another of the largest motifs and should be able to start yet another before quitting for the night, but I'm thinking of biting into another aspect of the quilting design for a change, just to switch things up.

We'll see.

Until another time, I hope you are managing to stay warm and well and happy, and that your holiday season is still bright and shiny.

It looks like....

...a REALLY large snow globe outside my window!

By the way, bird number one done! DONE I say!

Lists

Things I Need:

New fridge (old one is laboring and the seals are shot)

New dryer (old one sounds like a trash compacter running inside a cement mixer)

The new stove to be hooked up and working (requires wiring to be completed)

Things I Want:

The staircase finished

The kitchen finished

All the wiring to be completed, drywall done and to be able to paint (and put things away - I guess this should actually go under "needful things")

The lower level bathroom to be an actual bathroom (instead of a concrete sub-floor and plumbing pipes sticking out everywhere)

Air conditioning (and a dehumidifier for winter)

A new, energy-efficient furnace

Chinking on the house to be done (top to bottom and side to side)

Under both of those lists would go "job", but that really isn't a "thing" so much as a necessity (however, I do NEED and WANT one very badly). And for some reason, it also didn't feel like anything I should add to this sort of list. But, then again, there is an awful need for me to compile this next list, which also really doesn't fit in with the first two.

Things To Be Thankful For:

My family - my sons and my mom

My mom

Good friends (you are most certainly a blessing)

This house (which I still have because of my mother's love and sacrifice)

A working car (also due to my mom)

Fairly good health

Both of my sons' good health, working bodies, beautiful minds, abilities and possibilities

Food for the table

Power and heat

Extended family (I love you all)

A bright and working brain

The talents I have been blessed with

The future my Lord has been making ready for me

A country like America to live in (as messed up as it is)

Desires and dreams which keep me going every day

The chances I have taken and the opportunities I have been afforded

What I have learned about myself over these last 4.5 years

Can't tell you how glad (and thankful) that I am to see that my "thankful list" far exceeds my other two. Ooo!!! Add that to the list!

Let me sew, let me sew, let me sew!

Of course, today it's snowing.

Karl didn't get his white Christmas, but I hope this falling snow will lighten his mood a little - even if it is two days late. And it looks as though this patch of snow will be sticking around a little while, too. According to our weather weenies we are in the 'band' of predicted 2"-6" snowfall.

What does that mean? It means I should've worked more on cleaning out the space in the garage to park in rather than the quilt!

As for the quilt, it is coming along. Finished top stitching the toughest area - the center - and now I am branching out to the wide open spaces of the top, bottom, and left and right sides. [smirk] If you don't quilt you wouldn't know, but the stitching at the center of the quilt is the most difficult (as you can imagine), and as you work your way out to the edges, it becomes infinitely easier - but that only makes sense, right? My particular selection for this portion of the quilt was a little more involved and detailed, making the work that much more time consuming and difficult - but it was so very worth the effort!

That said, now that I am working my way out from the center, and adding my other objects to the overall scheme, I am finding myself far less enamoured of my choices for the background work. Doesn't that just figure!?!

Brian survived the retail onslaught of the twenty-fourth, enjoyed a delightful day with nowhere to go, and then worked the day after Christmas. He came home last night relatively unscathed from the retail twofold nightmare (A.K.A. "the day AFTER Christmas). Between the returns (which he said were relatively light) and the stupidity of customers demanding to know where they could find sold out Christmas merchandise, it wasn't a bad day. They closed $3000 above the expected total for the day. Always a good thing.

Oh, and it turns out Bud had also managed to contract whooping cough from some infected child of a ne'er-do-well parent/customer who probably figured they could skip getting their kid vaccinated! So, the coughing/vomiting (among other symptoms) he's been experiencing the last week-and-one-half weren't just a rough side effect of some bug he caught from me. Nope, he was really sick.

Hey, parents! Get your children vaccinated - you @zzhole$!

He is feeling much better and the coughing is abating day by day. He hasn't vomited after a coughing fit in the last two days, and he has said his breathing is easier, he feels less congested and his ears have drained! Thank God.

Now my chief concern is to get Karl to the doctor and get him checked and update his booster. He certainly does not need to come down with whooping cough. After last year's late summer episode of myopericarditis, I think he's entitled to a pass for a long time.

Anyhow, it's time to get back to the sewing table. I have a lot to get done before I can submit it for entry in time for the fast-approaching quilt show deadline.

Feeling very Pink Floydian

Is there anybody out there?

Merry Christmas, from my family to you and yours!

More later, but for now I simply wanted to provide a little Christmas cheer.

The video is something Karl put together for an animation class. It's short and there is an audible 'Easter egg' during the credits - listen for it.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YldqQgFNY7Q&feature=g-all-u&context=G22aa71bFAAAAAAAAAAA

Enjoy!

I ARE a good deed doer

But if it's all the same to you, I am just gonna go over here in the corner and take off these tights....and maybe the cape, too. The tights are riding up and bunching something fierce; and truth-be-told, this cape isn't really all that fashionable.

Stupid salespeople and their darned sales commissions!

Terrorfication

Is that a real word?

Well, it is now.

Indeed

Leaving to do a good deed for the day.

That's right, I'm going to be a good deed doer!

If I like it, I might just buy the t-shirt.

What are you gonna do?

http://shops.half.ebay.com/funnyladyinred_W0QQ_trksidZp2919QQmZbooks

Well! They finally fixed their error at HDC, and the online store is visible once more! Just in time to totally miss the last two weeks of the Christmas shopping time period.

Thank goodness, and I was afraid I was going to be able to make a little extra bill-paying money.

*Phwew* - dodged that bullet. [yes, that was dripping with sarcasm]

I guess there's always next year, eh? Hey, as long as they get my proceeds into my bank account, I will count that happy little blessing, cuz....what else can you do?

Uh-oohhhh

It appears as though Bud may be sick - again. This time however, he is vomiting (remind me to not step off the porch to the front).

He was leaving for an open shift about five minutes ago, when I walked upstairs to say goodbye. I asked if he had eaten anything and he told me no, he hadn't, as he was feeling sick to his stomach.

Bud opened the door, stepped out the length of the porch, leaned over the edge and threw up! Then, he climbed into his car and went to work.

No amount of convincing could dissuade him from calling in sick, so I guess we will have to wait and see how the day develops.

More later.

Up too late

Stayed up entirely too late last night to watch "The Agony and the Ecstasy" on a local station.

I was doing fine with the film - remained engaged and upright (and awake), but found the hour's worth of commercials a little grating. As the movie drew to a close the commercials were peppered in closer and closer, making it grueling to stay tuned to the station. BUT, I did watch the entire movie - and I haven't seen it for at least 25 to 30 years!

Still got a kick out of the recurring exchange -

Pope Julius II: "When will you make an end?"

Michelangelo: "When I am finished."

I have plans for today however - a mission, if you will - and the lost time from the early morning hours are simply going to have to remain lost. I am rested and ready to move, and happy to have seen a classic movie I tend to quote from time to time. So, it was all time well spent.

Have a happy and productive day, one and all.

Nearly giddy

I made myself a cup of tea moments ago, and totally expected to have to fill the sugar bowl (because yesterday - I noted - it was running quite low).

Imagine my surprise when I lifted the lid to find it had already been filled!

[swoon, palpitations]

Be still my heart.

You know what this means, don't you? They CAN be taught!

Now, if I can just get them to actually place the new roll of toilet tissue on the roll (to the right) and not simply set it on the counter to the left.

Hmm.

Happiness in small packages

Half.com online store still on "vacation" setting, due to help desk errors and poor (to NO) customer service.

Cats are fed and burping, purring, cleaning, happy (for the moment).

Boys are still fast asleep. Brian is mostly over his bug; coughing much less, and returning to work after two days off. Karl has taken his final exam and is relieved to be done with class for the time being.

We pulled/pushed/rocked and cajoled the beautiful new stove (time is relative since it's been standing, crated up, in the garage for the last 5-6 years) into the house and ultimately into it's spot in the kitchen yesterday. I did do the happy dance for about 45 seconds! Next steps are whenever they can be arranged.

Cleaned a bunch of stuff out of the garage before the trash collection, too, making a nice chunk of open room for possible car parking this winter. Very cool! Will continue to chip away at it, but the quilting comes first, despite deep desires to walk out to a totally snow-free vehicle in the dead of winter.

Daylight is brighter so I will be off for the time being. Need to utilize the sun for important things like completing the creation of stencils and getting first quilting tracks onto the project.

Have a good day.

[major groan of disgust]

WARNING: Don't read this if you are in a good mood; I am venting and crazy today. Things may change up tomorrow, so come back and visit then. I mean it.

- - - - - - - - - You've been warned.

So....I have had sporadic sales of books through the online site - yea!

So, it hasn't been as great as I had hoped given the flying start at the beginning of the month.

So....I created an 'event' on a networking site, hoping to drum up interest and sales for the holiday.

So, it appears many of my 'friends' are lame and useless when it comes to depending upon them for a little help in spreading the word to their circle of people and making magic. I guess I knew that would be the case (I was just hoping it would be different and I would be proven wrong). I won't feel badly for ignoring their own pleas to share some news or in asking for help in the future.

Baaaah!

Many of you know that I had been hijacked (identity-wise) more than one month ago, AND that one of my bankcard accounts had also been compromised and abused by some cretinous ne'er-do-well since then. Long story short, that bank account was closed and the card number made invalid, but the lingering fear of banking/paying bills/shopping online is more than a little paralyzing for me, yet.

I believe the compounded hits on my personal accounts have left a bigger fear than would normally be here had there been just one corruption or the other taken on my identity and/or meager money pile.

In the aftermath of the change to those accounts, I didn't take into consideration what would happen when half.com attempted to deposit proceeds from sales of my books into my account -- the CLOSED account! Yikes!

I was sent an email telling me that there was an issue with depositing the money, and would I please make the necessary changes so that they could make the money transfer into [my] acct?

Well, sure, I responded, but with their help, since I was reluctant to make that sort of change online given recent events.

Would they help me? Could I deal with a human, please?

Their response was to suspend the online store account, rendering me invisible to customers and incapable of making sales!!!! HELLO!!

SO, I made the changes to my account myself and emailed them of this turn of events, asking them to please take my account from offline to available status once more.

THAT was two days ago! They have yet to respond in any way, shape or form, and I cannot believe the archaic methods they employ for contacting them.

Yeah, right....happy freakin' holidays.

[sigh]

I would dearly love to change my mood. Lighten up. Smile though my heart is aching. Put on a happy face. Yes, I would like to think that if I changed my mood then the rest of it would catch up and turn itself around. B-u-u-u-u-t, my mood is what it is because of the activities of the situations, and people doing unscrupulous things, and the happenings or the non-happenings. My cloudy outlook is a reaction to, not the cause of.

[grumble]

Had a long day with Karl at his college campus yesterday, straightening out crooked lines (dealing with issues) and scheduling him for an impromptu tutoring session. Then I waited....and waited, and waited some more for him to finish with class and then tutoring, etc.

I kept busy with the quilt while I waited; turning over the surplus backing to the front and basting it down (this helps to protect the edges of the quilt while I do the top stitching).

Today, I looked for work (like normal), made us a decent breakfast, and then got busy with creating the stencils for the top stitching/quilting. Currently I am in the middle of cutting out the first of (too) many, and man! - I just want to get started quilting!

Bud has a day off, and Karl is going back and forth between studying for his final, complaining about studying and goofing off on his PC when he should be studying. Please think motivational thoughts for Karl, and say a prayer if you're of a mind to. He needs all the help he can get to pass his final this week. Thank you.

It's just a blah, icky, wet day here. Whatever snow was left from the last squall is now melted and washed away with the constant rain, leaving it looking very un-Christmas-y outside.

Well, I need to get back to what I was doing, just wanted to stop in and say "hello" and to see how everyone is and what you're up to.

Be well, be happy, be creative!

"Play date"

That's what Brian called it.

"You need another 'play date' with Jean, mom," he said not long ago.

As it so happened, we had one scheduled for Saturday to see her daughter play in the Tuba Christmas gathering in Howell. That's right! Hooahs in Howell. The weather was brisk and sunny, and while a little cold for sitting in the snow and blowing on a large metal instrument, it was delightful.

My advice for next year's holiday to-do list: GET YOURSELF TO A "TUBA CHRISTMAS" NEAR YOU!!

[bla-a-a-a-r-r-p]

And, in other news

"Black author wins the Matrix copyright infringement case" screams the headline.

After six years, Sophia Stewart will be awarded the largest settlement in Hollywood history, based on the gross receipts of the Matrix series, and the Terminator series - also based on one of her manuscripts. Well, good for her, but does it really require specifying her skin color in the report?

NO, it does not. Within the story it was mentioned that "there have been outside implications as to racial injustice...she does not feel that this is the case." THEN WHY MENTION IT?!?!?

Hey! What color was the judge?

And in other news -

Michigan spent a considerable portion of their federal defense dollars on snocone machines with the reasoning that we would be better prepared to aide the wounded (from a terrorist attack) by making ice packs with the use of the snocone machines.

Geez, I hope they got enough of them and that they are situated in the right locations. Those Ohio subversives to the south (and our shifty Canadian neighbors) could attack at any time!

Don't you hate it when...

Doesn't it just get your goat when you come home from shopping and find that you had a coupon for "$5 dollar off your purchase if you spend over x-amount of dollars?"

Not only that, but it expired the very day you did your shopping!

Yes, it happened to me.

[*steamed*]

Crap.

There are a lot of things I used to want to do

Going to Iowa was on my list of things to do, for several reasons - but an article I've just read online has me reconsidering.

What sort of state harbors the kind of person who would seal up four to five kittens in a cat food bag and then dump that bag out onto a fairly well-traveled road?

Some sh*t state called Iowa, that's what sort of state. [pardon my outrage]

Can you imagine? Sick. SICK!

Well, if you're out there, you heartless, disgusting excuse for a homosapien, two of your little victims survived in spite of your cruel scumbag act.

What is the matter with you?

A yellow lab found the sack on the road and dragged it to his home, where he urged his owner to examine the bag. Inside, the owner found two sickly kittens amongst the battered remains of the litter mates that did not survive their ordeal along the highway.

I understand that the horrific actions of one or more citizens of Iowa should not define an entire state, but I am going to have to hear of a whole lot more good before I cross that state line.

That was inexcusable and unnecessary cruelty.

By the way

I am finishing this quilt top TODAY! With any luck I will also be able to put together the backing and have all day tomorrow to stretch and baste it!

Boo-yah!!

Guess that means I 'd better get busy making the quilting stencils, eh.

Keep up on the quilt news at: www.truenorthquilter.blogspot.com

Poor kid

Due to his manager's inability to juggle a calendar, Brian has now left to cover an opening shift after having closed last night.

Because of the extended holiday hours, the store is scheduled to be open during the week until 10 or 10:30, making the cleanup and counting of the receipts, etc., a job that lasts until eleven o'clock. Add the drive time from the further location to home and he had maybe five-point-five hours of sleep.

Then, there was the pre-dawn call from the "replenishment manager" asking him about things from last night. That happened before his alarm could even sound!!!

I have a good mind to drive there and confront that hag - maybe follow her home, and then - some morning when she doesn't have to be at work - knock on her door and waken the household to ask how they hang their toilet paper! Why the heck she didn't call the boss to ask her asinine questions is beyond me. I mean, this is why the manager gets paid the big bucks, right?

The people he works with aren't really much better than the people who shop and bi*ch in the store. Poor kid.

He really handles it all so well. Everything about this experience is preparing him for a brighter future, I just hope he is taking notes

Teddy Bear Toss

Canada's Calgary Hitmen have incited fans for years to donate plush toys to area hospitals, benefiting children who are receiving care and to make the time a little more bear-able and less scary for the young patients.

It's how those donations are collected that has grown in notoriety.

The Teddy Bear Toss is a longstanding tradition whereby immediately following the first Hitmen goal in the game, the fans are encouraged to throw their plush bears onto the rink. That's right, the game halts while the fans rain down thousands upon thousands of teddy bears of all sizes and styles over the glass and onto the ice! It's an amazing sight and a generous way to help out a worthy cause.

This past weekend the Teddy Bear Toss totalled 25,003 stuffed critters laying in icy limbo once the barrage from fans ended and the haul had been cleared from the decks.

Go Canada!

Counting my blessings

Family and friends are a blessing.

Nice people are a blessing.

Kind people are a blessing...and sometimes (if you're lucky) these three components are wrapped up in the visage of one person.

If I were a prize fighter, I would have to count myself one of the luckiest people in the universe. There are folks in my corner who help me 'train,' help me stay on task, tend to my wounds and training injuries, and those who help me throw the punches (and I mean literally raise my arm and aim my fist and extend my arm for the contact between the jaw of my opponent and my fist).

There are people in my crew who give me balance and keep my goals and dreams attainable - and when I dream too big for my universe, they keep me reaching for the correct stars and help me set my sights within the realm of possibility, reminding me that the further reaches of the universe will come in time.

There are people on my side who are there just to pat me on the back and encourage me, let me know that they have faith in my abilities and will be there to cheer me on the next time I'm 'in the ring,' too. These are my cheerleaders.

Of course, I'm not a pugilist, that was all metaphorically stated. My opponent's 'jaw' is any large problem or question to solve, or a hurdle emanating from under-employment or some physical malady - such as the unexpected surgery two years ago, Brian's stones or Karl's miopericarditis.

I know, maybe this all isn't making much sense. Maybe I should stick to simple statements and not try to draw mental pictures and corollary lines.

Simply put, I am a very fortunate person. I have a bounty of good in my life, and I know it. I may not always say it...I may not always tell those of you who know me personally how I feel or how much you mean to me, but I am blessed by you.

My blessings are compounded by my children who have become kind young men and by the talents I possess.

I think I have a long way to go before I become one of those people who are the 'whole package' -before I am someone's blessing - but I would like to think I have a few qualities that make you feel as though having me in your life was worth it.

Another beautiful day!

Didn't get everything accomplished that I wanted to, or even planned on, but that's the way it goes, right?

I had a really nice conversation with my mom yesterday, followed by a great confab with a fresh set of artistic eyes regarding the quilt project. With a renewed sense of purpose, I attacked the quilting with new thoughts and possibilities in my head.

Today I used the beautiful sunshine to gain some ground, and while I didn't get as far as I anticipated, I did get other things done besides a little laying out and piecing....so not a completely wasted day.

Received a fairly long email from my aunt in NY, and then took some time to send a response - hi, Jude. My cats are crawling around me as I type - Cleo the most. She is begging for some lap time, and it is hard to resist her lovely green eyes and chirpy pleading, so I will make this fast. Hello to your cellar cat from me and mine.

Sent two more sets of books on their way to new homes - hooray! - and I keep looking for more sales. I know they will come and I must be patient and make myself ready for it when that happens. There is a need for more cardboard and tape to ship with and more room in which to get the job done, so this is something I will need to take some time to remedy soon.

Thanks to all of you who have taken the time to look through the bookstore listings...please know there will be more added over the next few days. The process is time-consuming and I am trying to justify taking time away from my other needful project. If you don't see something, PLEASE ASK. I probably have it and just haven't gotten there yet. Check back often, and please tell your friends and family.

Hard for me to believe we are at another another Friday already, but here we are. I hope your weekend is everything you need it to be! Enjoy.

World Aids Day

Walking through the halls of a building at our local junior college, I was met by an enthusiastic group of socially-minded students sitting at a long table. The table was festooned with posters and paper scallops, and strewn with items I only gave a cursory glance at.

Upon passing the crew a second time, I allowed myself to make eye contact with one of the students, who then promptly asked if I wanted "a sample."

"A sample of..." I trailed off, waiting for him (or, one of them) to fill in the blank.

"It's World Aids Day," another chimed in. To which I replied "No, thank you. I don't need any Aids. I've gotten this far without it."

A couple of them laughed and said "No! It's samples of condoms!" thinking it may embarrass me, or catch me off guard.

"No thanks," I responded once more. "I haven't any need...it's been a long dry spell."

More laughter.

From somewhere in the back of the pack came the response "Never say 'never'."

"No," I shot back, "just never again."

The same faceless voice quickly retorted, "but they're flavored."

"With what?" I asked.

More laughter.

The first young man who offered me the initial greeting quickly recovered with an offer of candy - I turned that down, too.

Good for them, though, they had the right idea. Now they just need a better sales pitch.

December First: A fruitful meeting

In so much as I gleaned a couple of really good ideas from Trish about how to experiment with my quilting design (for the competition piece), I am now chomping at the bit to get started today.

Too bad I wasn't in the same location as the quilt for several lost hours. [awe....snap!]

It's another sunny, gorgeous day, and with so much of our first snowfall still on the ground the light is brilliant indoors for what seems like hours more for this time of year. It's a mind game, I know, but I don't care. Sunshine is sunshine and I will gladly take it! The snow just magnifies and bounces the light all over for an uplifting feeling.

Two more book sales appeared late last night for the online bookshop, so those will need bundling and posting, taking away from the precious daytime work hours.

For those of you keeping track, still no reply to the questions at hand for the film job I was offered late-October/early-November. Also, very little else in the way of corporate jobs to apply to, either. Opportunities are scarce and I feel a little like a deer in deep snow, pawing at the ground to find some sustenance.

Dear Lord, thank You for your gifts of the day, and for the promise You place in tomorrow.

Just wondering

The blogger service seems to have it's collective head stuffed in it's armpit, and I am wondering how the 'bookkeeping' issues will be resolved. Guess I will find out tomorrow.

Have a good night (or a good day, depending upon where in the world you are reading this from).

Holiday blessings in little packages

I just finished packaging up three books that folks purchased from the online bookstore late yesterday/last night.

I have learned a little bit (geographically) about our nation in the process, too. For instance, did you know there was a place called Snoqualmie, WA? I didn't.

Some of the destinations I have encountered while shipping out sold books have been entertaining, to say the least. And these last two sets of books are going to entirely opposite ends of the USA, too. One to Washington state and the other two to Kentucky!

Here's hoping these children have long lives filled with a love for reading.

While I'm at it, here's another wish for many more sales throughout the holiday season

Now, I suppose I better get busy and enter some more stock onto my listing at http://shops.half.ebay.com/funnyladyinred_W0QQmZbooks. Maybe I will enter lots and lots of Christmas titles. Or, maybe more folklore. Any suggestions?

Are you kidding......again!?

I don't know what you'll be doing at seven-after-nine this evening, but I have a life, and I will be living it - right up until that moment, and then directly afterwards.

Yeah, you're out there somewhere, my cretinous fiend (and no, I did not mean to type "friend") - and you know who you are.

If you want to be me so badly why aren't you paying my bills, feeding my cats, taking care of my family issues, getting K to school and back, and on and on?

Why aren't you?

WHY??

You wish to steal my online identity. You want access to my life? You want to be me?? You are a fool.

This is the second time in less than a month (third in under two months) where someone has decided to assume my online account identity, hijack an e-account, take over an email address, etc.

Really?

Have you so little to do with your own life that you have a need to cause issues and wreak havoc on someone else? That's sad....so very sad.

You are sad.

At nine-oh-seven P.M., I will be resetting an account password and resuming control of another email account someone has decided to hack/hijack/commandeer/play with. Yes...again!

See, here's what I think: I think (no...I know) if I had that sort of 'talent', that knowledge to invade, undermine, worm my way in without permission, I would be working somewhere, making sums of money and having a life (of my own). I would be doing some good with this knowledge and NOT trying to make somebody's life a living hell.

I would get a job!!!

Are you reading my message, Mr. (or Ms.) Nobody? Do you get where I am going? Now, go seek some therapy and get a life away from your keyboard, and leave the rest of us alone, for crying out loud.

Why is it raining?

Why?

Why!?

No, November, you had your chance and you blew it (for the most part)!

I know this is going to be hard to hear, but you were a fairly nice month (weatherwise) with a bit of rain here and there, but lots of sunnier (rather than rainier) days and downright pleasant temperatures.

That's right, pleasant!

You are not [foot stomping] allowed to make up for your unNovemberiness-like weather now. Not in the last few days of your reign in 2011.

No, this crummy, nasty-wasty (rhyme them, please) weather has got to stop....right now! Do you hear me, November?

Oh yeah...

...and the fruit fly situation is dwindling, baby!

Still a little under the weather, but....

The cold is still rattling around in my head. Stuffy nose off and on, a bit runny periodically, but nothing like it was. Thankfully.

The cough is a bit of a hassle, but that too has eased from last week and I am breathing fully - without hacking - now. Yea!

However, I am at the point where the thick gunky nasal crap slides down the back of your throat and you have to work to expel it (or at least make it move). Ew, sick, I know.

Overall, I am generally better, and grateful for the break. Sleeping is better, thinking is clearer, cooking is possible again.

Going out today to take advantage of one sale - I need the binding material for the quilt project - so I plan on getting out and back quickly. Rrr-i-i-i-i-ght. I know, I hear you.

Never before have I ever joined the throng of people for the 'Black Friday,' first-holiday-shopping-weekend, but this time it is a must. Hopefully, the worst part will be the lines, and the colors I am hoping for will be where I need them to be.

Things that can't be done

Once you bring home a hand of bananas that has a "litter" of hatching fruit flies, you can't get rid of them. At least, you can't get rid of them easily. The little skeezers are prolific breeders and crafty, and really rude.

It seems they have a lifespan of about ten days, but they 'get jiggy wiff it' very quickly and propagate like the Osmond family on spring break.

Karl found a quick fix online - well, he found several, but this one is my favorite: fill a glass with red wine and wait for them to imbibe. It doesn't say whether to cover the glass with plastic wrap and poke tiny little holes they can get in using but can't find their way out with, or just to leave the glass uncovered and wait for them to drink themselves stupid. But, I figured if they can have some wine - why can't I? So I poured us each a glass (theirs considerably smaller) and am now doing other activities whilst the little scallywags make merry and croak. I'll let you know how it works.

Another thing that can't be done is make an apple pie in a slow cooker. I know, I tried. You can reheat a decent "honey baked" turkey breast in one, but pie 'baking' is out. The pie smelled wonderful, but the outcome wasn't truly pie-like...or done all the way through.

Additionally (as long as we're on the topic of pies), you cannot buy a decent-tasting pumpkin pie. Nope, nowhere in my area.

Picked one up at the local chain warehouse emporium, and it was not the best thing I could have spent money on. Too much sugar and nowhere near enough spice. HEY! Costco, "sugar AND spice makes everything nice." At least, the use of spice would have helped your pumpkin pie out immensely.

People, I can't stress this next one enough: you CANNOT live without a working oven in your domicile. Can't.

Mustn't.

Don't try it.

Although, it isn't beyond the realm of possibility to make cookies on the griddle when you're yearning for a freshly baked cookie. That, of course, is if you can keep from eating the cookie dough first. But an oven is a basic necessity.

Apparently writing an interesting and informative (insitefully and intelligently written) blog entry while consuming a glass of red wine is also an item belonging on the list of things that can't be done.

So there!

Thirty-two-fifty down

Leaving 975 to go!

Less than one thousand left. [sigh] [startled realization] LESS THAN ONE THOUSAND!!!

Wanna know what I'm on about? Go to: www.truenorthquilter.blogspot.com and see.

Just a quick update of the inane

Received a job notification from Gary Karr - yes, he's back (sort of) - via an early morning email, letting me know of an analyst position in DUBLIN, OHIO!

Hello!

Oh, for crying out loud. How come I'm the one without a job!?!?!? What the......!

Head colds/Cold heads

First, a warning: To anyone who sat in a car with me yesterday, please take some sort of cold preventative thingy - right away! - and don't stop taking it until after Thanksgiving! The whole cold incubation thing applies, and I so do not want you getting ill on my account.

Ugh, I feel icky, and would like to breathe out of both sides of my nose at the same time.

Oh, who am I kidding? I would love to breathe out of one side easily, but I will take being a mouth-breather for a day if it means tomorrow I will be able to breathe out of one side without having to blow my nose every ten minutes.

Yug.

Spent Saturday having fun at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, watching my friend Barb participate in her last "home" stadium game as an SMB member, and watching the game between MSU and Indiana. It wasn't much of a game since Indiana forgot to bring their football team along!

Really. When the score is 55-3 by the end of the third quarter there really isn't much doubt that there are imposters on the field!

At one point it became apparent that the Hoosiers intercepting passes were simply lying down on the field when a Spartan (or, several Spartans) were bearing down. The poor ball carrier would look over his shoulder and see green and white in persuit and simply dive to the ground in prayer...and in hopes of being left uninjuried.

It didn't always work, but it was a good strategy for the last two quarters!

The band - as always - was stellar, and the Canadians sitting in the stands behind us were entertaining as all get out.

Thank you, Jean, for the special treat; for sharing Barb's last collegiate home marching day with me and for the ticket in the gate. It was such a good time!

Now, go take that over-the-counter 'medication' and keep healthy for the coming weeks. You too, Barb!

Magnanimous gestures

Yesterday I was met with a sweet gesture on the part of my eldest son. He offered to take Karl to class (and pick him up afterwards) so that I might continue working on assembling the quilt blocks!

I know! Right?!

I took him up on it, of course, and I did continue to work. Sadly, the light turned to crap and I realized I still had a lot more cutting to get done before laying out squares could commence, but I did manage to sew together one 100 square block - so it was a good day!

I actually had three blocks laid out, but was not happy with the limited color value, so I decided to hold off sewing them together until I could be certain there was nothing more I could do to 'enhance' them.

:'^(

I spent some time scouring through my stash and did come up with several more pieces to add into the mix, and then spent time prepping and cutting until before too long....the daylight was gone completely, and I found myself cutting under a lamp!

I don't think the productivity was exactly as Brian imagined it would be, but I reassured him that the time was invaluable, if not visibly tangible or understood.

Thank you, God. I have excellent kids!

Thank you, Brian, for your generosity.

Happy Birthday to my older brother!

Here's to all of your dreams coming true in the coming 365 days.

Aaron is the bearded one to the far right.

Which reminds me....

Regarding the last post, "1,625 to go," I really should add another label to my post labels:

"I Must Be Crazy!"

Or maybe: "What Was I Thinking?"

1,625 to go

Yes, that's right. If you haven't been keeping up with the quilting blog, the number of little 1.5" squares to configure into 100 square blocks - then sew into rows - is one-thousand-six-hundred-twenty-five.

But who's counting, right?

:^>

Keep up with the quilting at: www.truenorthquilter.blogspot.com

24 hours, 2 notes

It was just about this time yesterday when I watched the serving (delivery) of a notice to evict on the neighbor's home across the street - at least I believe that's what the proper term is.

Foreclosure is an unceremonious and dubious activity...and I wonder what the scoundrels who drive around and perform this activity make in a day?

Sort of like watching a repossession of an auto, but without the tow truck or histrionic person chasing after their vehicle as it disappears down the street and out of view.

The rat who performed the duty drove up to a sudden stop in a clunker automobile, exited the car looking shifty and nervous, and walked swiftly up the driveway to the front door. He never knocked but went to work taping a bright neon blue notice to the front door for all the world to see.

Looking over his shoulder several times, he then backed away from the door, turned and skulked about halfway down the drive, all the while looking for gun barrels, flying bricks and snarling dogs. I can only imagine that he has had his share of run-ins while delivering "the bad news."

Swiftly...efficiently...he drew a camera from his pocket and snapped a photo of the front of the house with the neon note fluttering against the door. Then, he raised his left arm to shoulder height and snapped another picture with his watch and a smaller note in his hand, with the house featured in the background. I guess this is 'proof' that he visited this unlucky soul and served the heinous note 'in person.'

The soon-to-be-non-homeowner cannot say that the note wasn't there, wasn't visible, wasn't.... Here was proof in living color.

Just as swiftly as he arrived, he scurried the remainder of the distance down the drive to his waiting beater, hopped in and pulled away as quickly as could be. The sound of his failing exhaust system could be heard for about a block as he retreated.

It wasn't until this afternoon that I realized there is a similar note hanging inside the screen door of the house neighboring the one just served! It isn't neon colored, but it is large print and looks very official (and very ominous).

Thank you, Lord, for my mom and her sacrifices.

Yea!

Quick update:

Brian's latest kidney stone passed this morning around 2AM!

[sigh of relief. BIG sigh of relief]

Not a completely useless day

All things considered, it wasn't a completely useless day, unless you counted on making sales equalling (or close to equal to) those made last year. It was just very disappointing to put all of the effort and time into the day to have it turn out so poorly...monetarily speaking.

I spent a good portion of the time thinking of the quilting I could have been doing.

On the other hand, we made a tiny dent in the stock still boxed up out in the garage ("tiny" because most of the sales made were of little board books for very young children - and they are quite small).

And while still on the 'other hand', I just want to issue a huge thank you to Barb and Jean for all of the hard work and effort they put in towards getting the books to Flint for the bazaar; getting them into the building and set up; manning (OR, 'WO-MANNING') the tables with me: helping to tearing it all down and re-box it in record time and getting it back out to the car; and in placing it back into what has become this stock's rightful place of honor - and disgrace - in the car park of my life (minus the cars).

I do wish all of the effort had yielded a better outcome and way emptier boxes, but it seems everyone at the bazaar had a poor, poor day. The volume of shoppers was next to ghostly, and unless you had biscotti and flavored coffee mix (or dip) at your table, you sold very little. That darned coffee lady!

Ah well. Back to the sewing board.

11:11AM 11.11.'11

That is all.

Karl was telling me that the German's hold some sort of interest or celebratory significance for the eleventh day of the eleventh month, but that 2011's 11th of November seems to make it all the sweeter.

I've noted a number of movies and games are utilizing "eleven-eleven-eleven" [explosive announcer voice used here] as their advertising campaign crux....big deal. If your movies/games were any good, they would be able to stand on their own merit upon any release date.

Furniture dealers, car dealerships, vendors of all sorts, are jumping on the one-day-only bandwagon today, and I am tired of hearing it.

Yes, it's a cool number anomaly, and I am keenly aware that it will be another 100 years before it happens again, but really? Does it require ticker tape parades and newspaper accolades?

Yesterday

Took John Wayne in (yes, my car's name is 'John Wayne') for his oil change and all around check up. Lord, how I dislike automobile dealerships and the lies they tell.

Passed the hours working on cutting out squares for the quilt and got quite a bit accomplished.

At one point the 'desk mechanic' walked into the waiting room with the air filter for my engine compartment, placed it on the table in front of me and told me I had "critters." [photo to come]

Well, you can see what he meant. Guess that means we need to poisin our little friends - fun as they may be to watch - the chipmunks have got to go.

Go permanently.

Be gone.

Be no more.....and it has to happen soon.

Sorry animal lovers (one of which I am myself), but the damage(s) and cost to repair/replace is prohibitive.

Things were so much easier yesterday (and by "yesterday" I mean five years ago).

Did I tell you...

A week ago I received a phone call from a crew member I worked with last fall on House of the Rising Sun, telling me my presence (and my pencil) have been requested on another film coming to MI at the end of the month.

I have been requested. Very cool!

Sadly, the first thing past the lips of the PA when I returned his call was, "This is a low budget Indian indie."

Translation: "Don't expect to get paid the value of your work, OR your time."

He couldn't give me a daily rate, nor could he answer many pertinent questions, but he could give me dates - sort of. I left him with a raft of information to get from the Prod/UPM who had requested me to work this gig, and was told I would receive an email in the near future.

A few days back I did find an email from Dan (the PA) telling me the rate was to be "close to last year's on HOTRS." Wow. Sadness. Now I need to either push back or simply say 'thanks but no thanks.' Or, I simply take it and live with it for 6 - 8 weeks.

While there are still too many unanswered bits, my biggest challenge is to see if the rate will rise when I put the bait out there that I would be interested if the rate came up to a decent amount and they covered a room for me to be local, or if the amount came up a significant amount so that I could cover a room myself.

Don't want to lose the work, but I also do NOT want to work for 'FREE' any more. Sheesh! I mean, I must have something they want, so why not take the chance that I could actually get paid this time, right?

We'll see.

Hey, Gary!

Gary, at us.staffing! Yeah, you!

I'm still waiting for that chat you wanted to have this morning.

Double sheesh.

While chatting

As I chatted with my mom this morning (via one of those little messaging apps provided by an email service), I was pinged by "Gary, with US.Staffing." According to the message, he wanted to be able to chat with me.

W-e-e-e-e-lllllll, Gary - if that is your real name - let's chat. Let's see if you are any more a sincerely lying recruiter than all the others who have contacted me over the last several months with promises of a job I am perfect for, but then never follow through.

Sure, having my corporate resume in your file of candidates for positions makes your portfolio of potential employees look good to a prospective client, but do I really want to give you that sort of leverage when it is never going to truly result in a job for me?

I've got your number, Gary. I have all of your numbers.

See, I have been down this particular path a dozen times already, and those other recruiters, who made me come to their offices and fill out forms and give them the benefit of a face-to-face, have never really come through. As well with the bunch of recruiters who simply did phone interviews.

There was really never any job available. It was a case of them wanting to look as though they have a raft of great candidates in their coffers, and making them look primed to aide a new client employer in finding the right person to fill an open position. The more people at the headhunter's fingertips to choose from, the better the potential new client employer likes the headhunter's chances of fulfilling the need.

SALE! Score one for the recruiter, but not for the people like me whose resumes and credentials are being used as bait to lure the client employer through the door.

I liked my chances better 10-12 years ago, when you submitted a paper copy resume either through the US mail service or the old fashioned way, by walking it through the door and handing it to someone. At least then you were the real entity and not some go-between idiot who makes money when they get you the job.

Hey, Gary! (if that is your real name) I've been awake and available for quite a while now. Let's chat, dude.

Sheesh!

Oh, what a mess

The living room is in a shambles. I am ironing and cutting and laying out, and changing my mind and working in a frenzy, trying to utilize the beautiful daylight to my complete advantage.

The table is covered in one-and-one-half-inch squares, and strips of the material the squares were cut from. There are large sheets of paper on which the experimentally pieced 100-square grids are laid out on, and 2-1/2 of these behemoth grids to go before I can begin assembling Row 4.

I actually have completed one 100-piece block, but I only did that out of eagerness to keep the momentum going.

This row, Row 4, will see the absolute last of orange, yellow and the clear, true reds. It is the transition to purple and blue which have me fumbling, and I have yet to finish cutting the remainder of my greens.

[exasperated groan]

The only reason I am away from my quilting madness is because Karl arrived in the kitchen, hungry and poaching. I suggested a Braunshwieger sandwich and he agreed. While cutting the liverwurst for him, I suddenly realized I too could do with a bite. So I snacked on bits of the braunshwieger, and smeared some wonderful Laughing Cow Swiss cheese on a number of rosemary and olive oil Triscuits! Mmmm

But, now that I am sufficiently fed, I need to get back to my work while the standard time sun still hangs high enough in the sky. Soon, it will be dark and dreary and I will be unable to correctly manipulate the colors to my liking, and my goal is to knock out Row 4 and move on to Row 5 by end of day tomorrow.

I know, I am still dreaming big! Well, why not?!

In truth, I will be happy enough to simply have all of Row 4 laid out and to have no fewer than four of the blocks sewn together by end of day tomorrow.

:)

While the glorious sun allows me to happily work on this beautiful quilt, it also opens my eyes to the mess I need to viciously attack with a dust rag and the vacuum....soon. Someday soon.

Oh, what a day!

Began and ended the day in the dark.

Brian had an early shift, literally opening the store for/with the restocking crew, and I awoke when I heard him moving about. Not long after he departed (approx. 4:30AM), Karl was up and soliciting 'mom-time.' He wasn't feeling super, but not too horribly badly; he just needed a mother's touch to get back to sleep.

I woke up after missing the alarm by 40 minutes - I also had somewhere to be for the day.

Barb is in her last year with the MSU Marching Band, and I was invited to ride along to one of the last tailgating breakfasts any of us would be attending with the mighty marching Hooahs. Following the breakfast, we (Jean and I) drove back to Flint to view the Flint Institute of Arts exhibition of Amish quilts, some of which were very striking.

Of course the handwork was exquisite and astounding, and a few of the pieces took our breath away. It was quite a lovely collection, and larger than either of us thought it would be. If you have the opportunity, I would suggest you attend before the collection moves on. http://www.flintarts.org/exhibitions/current_amishq.html

From there, we drove to Mott Comm College to attend a showing of the documentary "A Small Act." What an uplifting and beautifully edited film. http://www.mlive.com/entertainment/flint/index.ssf/2011/10/free_film_festival_held_at_mot.html

Afterwards, Jean and I had a very late lunch at El Cozumel - a favorite Mexican fare restaurant in the small, sparsely populated Courtland Center Mall, just outside the Flint limits in Burton, MI. If it weren't so far to drive, I think the boys and I would make a regular haunt of the place. But, when we have our teeth cleaned at the MCC dental school, it is always a sure bet we will have a wonderful meal there to end the day on a high note.

From there I drove home and found myself in need of a nap! Holy smokes was I floppy-headed and drowsy. By the time I could focus on anything, it was too dark to lay out squares, so I've been rinsing and prepping the material I will need for tomorrow.

Hope you have a nice evening, and I hope that your day was full and productive...not to mention enjoyable. Here's to an extra hour of sleep and beautiful weather for Sunday!

Con artists, thieves and ne'er-do-wells

Not long after eight o'clock this morning the phone rang, splitting the quiet like a dull knife. I raced to pick up a phone and was greeted by an extremely uptight woman's voice asking for me. I asked her who she was with and she responded with a lengthy title which included the phrase "fraud department" from my bank!

Thus began a twenty-five minute conversation verifying my last purchases with my bankcard.

Read: MY last purchases!

Apparently, somehow, inextricably, my card number had found it's way into the hands of some SOB who thought shopping online for whatever they wanted using someone else's cash was a sporting event - and they were off and running.

Whatever sleep fog I had remaining in my brain was rudely shaken out and replaced by anger, fear, incredulousness....and more anger. How? Why?

How?!?

This is something that happens to people every day, all over the world, so I am not surprised. I am, however, shocked and fearful. I am wounded and terrified but not surprised...just incredibly angry that it happened to me!

I have already spoken to the boys about curtailing any internet purchases for the future, and to diligently check their statements every month for activity they cannot verify and claim as their own.

My only satisfaction today is in knowing that somewhere some bastard wasn't able to buy his ticket to the United Emirates using my money.

Sadly, this also makes the point that I don't have the sort of money it would take to buy an airline ticket to any destination, let alone the UE.

The bastards.

Who'd-a figured?

I had made up my mind that I wasn't going to hunt for any more Scripty gigs.

The pay is too low in this state, and the production teams (Producers, UPMs, Directors - the ATL) figure they can abuse the crews on short turn-arounds because nobody ever cares if the ATL sticks to SAG rules or not (not to mention no thought is given to common sense, either). Neither do they care that forced calls and holding us past twelve hours isn't any good for morale. And lack of sleep, for those who need to drive or run their dirty little errands, isn't given a passing thought.

You have to be young and made of pretty tough stuff to work film in MI. Sadly, in my declining years I feel myself getting a little squidgy around the edges.

Imagine my surprise when I received a call out of the blue asking me to crew on an international espionage flick coming stateside from India. I had worked with the UPM on a job last November/December, and he contacted his aide here in MI to have him call and check on my availability for this action-thriller.

Random, strange, WTF-sort of coincidence, or a message from on high?

Question: Would a smart person say "yes, I'm available" or "no thank you"?

No...seriously. I'm wondering if there are any smart folk out there with any smart-like opinions to offer.

Oh yeah....and hello, November!

Are you ready, people? Here comes that slalom of holidays which means nothing more than fattening food, bankruptcy and power outages.

Thanksgiving

Christmas

New Year

Snowstorms

The thrill is gone

Rotten little begging boogers.

Even the elder trick-or-treaters were pantywaists.

Didn't want to call out for the treats, and didn't want to make the effort to breach the driveway/street connection unless I stood on the edge of the porch like an old hag trying to entice Hansel and Gretel. My porch light was on, and there was definitely candy at my house!

At one point, after the forth or fifth set of beggers walking slowly past the house - as I stood in the doorway with my candy larder in my hand - I just started hucking it at them as hard as I could.

Did you know a small box of Milk Duds will sail as far as a Tootsie Pop?

That's right, I made them search in the lawn for the candy!

But, the funnest thing of the night (for me) was when the 15 year olds (and older) would come up to the house and refuse to go through the motions to ellicit some candy. They'd just approach with their arms straight out, their collection bag in my face, and wait for me to drop some goodies in it without so much as a "happy Halloween" or spirited "trick or treat."

"Why was that the fun part?" you ask.

Because I would make them call out "trick or treat," then I would slip an old newspaper from the pile on my porch into their pillowcases and sacks.

And with a smile on my face I would reply "trick."

It's official

6:23 PM, and I have already eaten more candy than I will give away all night.

[*burp*]

Happy Halloween!

The trees in my yard are bare, but the ground looks like "leaf-ageddon". The aftermath of a tree explosion. Several trees, in fact. A forest's-worth of leafage on the lawn!

Oddly, the tree horizon visable from my library window is full of color. The neighboring tree line between the houses across the street (and their direct neighbors to their rear) still have gloriously colorful trees. Leafy lollipops of oranges, reds and rusty yellows, mixed with deep green spikes of evergreens here and there.

There's no explanation for any of it, so I won't even try to wrap my head around it. Instead, let me offer this photo for your amusement, in honor of the day.

May your trick-or-treaters all be wee ones, and your TP experiences be easy to clean.

Home early

Yeah, right.

I guess it's all relative, eh?

Early for this production at any rate. I know I am going to hear from some of you, in some form or another, about not staying for the wrap party, but at the speed the grips were loading out gear (which wasn't fast enough) and the fact that there was SO much gak the art department and location dude needed to remove from the house and reset of the owner's possessions, I had a feeling it was going to be a long time before the party even got rolling.

I was (AM) tired, and driving the better portion of an hour - after waiting for the party to move - was not high on my list of priorities.

OK, I heard that in Clio. "Schmooze"-frooze [insert naggy schmarmy tone here]. SO wasn't in the mood to network with most of these folks (at the 'above the line' area - in management, that is). It wasn't going to get me anywhere, and I have pretty well found myself at the bottom of the barrel here in MI. Work in film is non-existant (for the most part), or so low paying that you lose money on these indie gigs.

[yawn]

Why am I still up and sitting at this keyboard? That is one good question and I will have an answer for you when I wake up sometime later today.

Good night.

Oh, yeah, by the way....that's a wrap!

Wahoo!

A few days this week I was able to keep up spectacularly well with all aspects of the paperwork, but was hampered in turning in reports by an MIA DIT person.

DIT = Digital Image Transfer.

MIA = well, that's pretty self explanatory, right?

Why was he the cause of unfinished work? Well, let me enlighten you.

There have been far too many scenes shot in a car, where the camera team leaves me standing on a street corner, left to twirl my stopwatch, while they roll footage that won't be properly logged or slated.

I need to watch said footage and get a timing for these set ups and takes for my reporting, and ultimately for the editor, but the DP is a cowboy when it comes to following procedure. He cares not a wink for helping me (or the editing process) out, so they return from these driving sequences with unknown quantities of images shot that need descriptions and run-times attached.

There are many workarounds and solutions to the problem that wouldn't be any more of a hassle than to simply do it right "on the day," but their solution is for me to have to remain well after wrap has been called for the day, and to find the DIT person and watch (in real time, mind you) the footage and time it for starts and stops.

Are they nuts! Why should I have to put out more free time than they are?

The answer to that rhetorical question is "I shouldn't!"

However, without watching the footage, I can't turn in accurate numbers or completed notes...sooooooo. $@&!*#@!!

Tonight and tomorrow I am pushing to complete as much as I can before showing up for day 17.

The end is nigh. Wahoo!

What a day!

Today I worked with Emmy Award-winning (and Emmy-nominated) James McDaniel. You may remember him from NYPD Blue, where he played Lt. Arthur Fancy. Or, maybe you were a fan of the very short-lived Detroit 1-8-7, where he also had a run as a law enforcement officer.

Mr. McDaniel has had quite a good spat of television work, and some meaty roles in rather good films - if not very well promoted ones.

So, you couple that with the opportunity of working and chatting with David Dastmalchian on this project and you have a great day (day after day). Almost makes it worth the lack of sleep, the incredibly long drive and the poop-for-pay.

I do love the crew - for the most part - so that is the icing on my cake.

Just trying to keep it on the bright side.

I'm up...I'm awake!

I don't know why this is, but have you ever noticed how much more restful dozing is when you don't have to be anywhere?

For some reason, it seems to me, when you aren't trying to sneak a nap in (before a time deadline), drifting off to sleep is so much easier - and, yields a better outcome - than when trying to take 'a nap.'

I fell asleep on the sofa last night, flanked by my boys, and at some point they just got up and walked away, leaving me to slumber for the first time in four days. When I woke, it was because Hobbes had decided to crawl onto my lap and nestle in, sometime in the wee morning hours.

Currently, I am awake and mostly alert. Eager to make a (large) dent in the quilt project and not the least bit eager to look at the call sheet for Sunday.

Yug.

Mommy needs a regular full time job. This hit or miss (and mostly, it's been "miss") film work is pretty lackluster. While I love working on film sets, the creation, the buzz, the energy, the frenetic pace, there is a lot more about the waning film activity in the state that has me disillusioned and searching harder than ever to find a regular nine-to-five job somewhere.

I'm awake and my eyes are wide open. This gig has me totally bummed out.

Here's a link

A link to the website for the current film, Cass - www.cassthemovie.com.

Hopefully, there will be much more added for you to peruse over the next several days, as we have already had three full shoot days, and the prepro days they used to take a lot of sequential stills for use in the movie.

Holy moly, am I tired! It's been a day, and not an exceptionally positive one at that. My desire is to post a good number of my own shots of this crew, and behind the scenes stuff, by the end of the week.

What have you been up to?

How to spend a sunny day in the D

I guess you know by now that the entries in the blog are fewer and farther between when I am working on a film. Between the long days and the travel time, there isn't a lot of time left in there to blog each day, but I will make an attempt to get a little something in here a few times each week.

Yesterday's schedule: lots of moves at too many locations, coupled with a DP who wants to prove his point at just about any cost, found nerves frayed at the end of the day.

First shot didn't get off until a full one hour past time, so we were behind the eight ball the entire day.

A larger than expected complement of family, and friends of family, visiting the set (because we had a large number of child actors to shoot) meant a much larger bunch of mouths to feed at lunch. They all needed plates and forks, and of course....the catering didn't have any extra on hand! It was a mess. A train wreck. Took an hour to get the last man through, so while it was nice to have that extended time to sit comfortably, it was still a detriment to the schedule.

On the flip side, the filming on the city bus was a kick, and I have to say the driver of our rolling set/location was phenomenal - and so was her counterpart. She turned that bus around across a broad major street like nobody's business, and her lead person kept traffic moving - or halted when necessary - to allow for all of the switchbacks.

I will post a few photos in a day or so. Enjoy your Monday!

Time well spent

Even though I have enough of my own stuff to attend to on this glorious spare day, I took a few hours to trim bushes and help Klaus and Erika get their landscaping in order for the end of the year.

They have a lot of specimen plants in their front yard, edging the walk and leading to the front door. A demonic rose bush, a face-slapping Althea and an unruly Weeping Cherry, who has extended well beyond the sidewalk edge and had become part of an ecclectic obstacle course.

Klaus and I worked together to make a fair dent in the appearance, and aside from not getting to two small agenda items, we did manage to knock out quite a bit of the most needful items on the list. His overgrown shrubs are thinned out and trimmed back, the cherry is under control and ready to make a spectacular comeback next spring, and his cherished rose bush - though much shorter and really thinned out - is also primed and ready to become a well-shaped bush next year.

He became quite anxious with my insistance to continue trimming and thinning, until finally he pleaded to stop. Poor fellow. But, I reassured him there was more than enough of the sturdy rose bush left from which he would see new growth next spring. He will see that the harsh pruning not only eliminated a lot of unhealthy criss-cross limbs, but opened the entire plant to receive light and airflow to the interior, and would keep it from becoming an over-tangled mess next year.

It was with a heavy sigh and a tight chest that he allowed me to trim, trim, trim.

Erika came out about three hours after the cutting had begun to see the work, and approved wholeheartedly of the changes. I have to say it looked pretty good, and there was a lot of improvement overall.

Next year we will see the fruits of our labor!

That felt SO good!

After a day of filming - running-and-gunning, guerrilla-style shooting - I arrived home and remained awake (and upright) long enough to speak with each of the boys, hugged them good night (regretted not doing some dishes) and then fell in to bed - literally.

I was so brain-drained I don't even recall lying down!

The girls must have known how badly I needed the sleep, for when I woke up this morning, there wasn't one cat in sight. Sweetly, they even left me alone until I woke up on my own. Usually there is clamoring for food and mews to help me wake up and realize my wrongdoing...but not today. Nope, today I was allowed to sleep until I actually woke myself and tumbled out of bed.

[heavy satisfied sigh]

It felt SO good.

Spent the day yesterday crisscrossing the city, filming what is commonly referred to as "b-roll" in the film and television industry. Even though it was written as individual scenes and not a montage, the footage will be strung together in editing to show our drifter-artist character as on the move, heading somewhere, alone and footloose.

The best part of the day was gaining entrance to the new Cass Tech High library balcony in order to shoot an 'overhead', high-angle view of an earlier shot (because the writer-director had this vision in his head). Of course, we were about a mile or so from the actual first location, but the sixth floor bird's-eye view afforded us almost a perfectly unobstructed shot.

I protested that they had our actor walking the wrong way to match the shot, but they were not concerned, so I noted my concern and moved on.

The funny for the day happened when we were riding from one location to the next, and one of the cam crew was relating a little Detroit history to our actor, David Dastmalchian. David had commented on the beauty of some of our older Detroit landmark structures, and he was sad to learn that many are standing derelict shells.

Sadly, they are being left to decay and vandalism.

Well, our eager camera assistant went on to say that the patriarch (not his word) of one of Detroit's more affluent (also not his word) families named Belle Isle after his daughter - "Belle."

"Yeah," he said, "that Isle family sure had a lot of money."

INFORMATIONAL SIDENOTE: You Michigan folk may have chuckled, but for those of you unfamiliar with Detroit history you should know we once had a large number of shakers and rollers back in the glory days of our metropolis flagship. After many names and uses, the island which graces our shoreline in the Detroit River was eventually (officially) named for the daughter (Isabelle) of one of our illustrious citizens who became governor of the great lake state - Gen. Lewis Cass. NOT "the Isle family."

Ah well, that was worth a giggle or two.

If we are to work the entire shoot without a video village, without chairs and nothing for me to write on, this is going to be a monstrously horrible experience.

But, I managed to finish prepping my book and got the day's paperwork in 'on the day,' so I am happy. That felt so good, too.

Odd way to start the day

I arose when I heard Bud up and around. Thinking there was no way I was getting back to sleep, and knowing the garbage needed escorting to the curb, I put my feet on the floor and got down to business.

From the kitchen window I noted there was a 'bit' of fog, but assumed it was a remainder from the overnight hours (or pre-dawn) and was dissipating.

WRONG! In the last forty minutes it has become significantly thicker. Just over the last ten minutes it has obscured homes four houses down the street!

Pea soup rolling in, people. Take your time - the rest of us want to survive the day, too.

It's just a little odd to see fog building up when you are used to watching it vanish with the sunrise.

Beautiful day

Received a copy of the final script and had it printed at an office supply store; tomorrow I will read it through and begin the process of lining and pre-timing. Will set up my book and get the master report pages ready to take with me to the production office so that I can make copies. Scripty work takes a lot of paper.

I have heard that there is a PC program for Script Supers to use, so as to complete the paperwork electronically. Very cool, but also very expensive. It also requires the use of a tablet or touch screen PC - another cost I can't see shouldering any time in the near future. Besides, truth be told, I would much rather spend all (non-existant) spare capital on a camera. ;)

Began cutting the first of the greens today - the lightest blocks - and I am so very happy to be moving on to newer colors. Before too long, I will be cutting the rest of the green requirements and the violets, too.

Seems like forever since I worked on the far lefthand side of this project. One-point-five squares to go before I am assembling row three!

Pinky swear -- on the next non-beautiful day (when I am not working) I will cut ALL fabric for this project.

P.S. More info and photos about the latest quilt project can be seen at: www.truenorthquilter.blogspot.com

Three things

- I've got a raging headache.

- Another car has just run down my mailbox (actually, backed over it). Brand new Compass with a lot of rear rt bumper, tail light and wheel well damage. Justice!

- I got the Scripty gig in the D; name of the production is "Cass." May end up having two more paid days than originally discussed, so that's a good thing. Still sad to have turned down working on "Mickey Matson and the Copperhead Conspiracy."

C'est la vie.

It's official

Brian is out the door and on his way to his new store as a full time "Customer Experience Manager." (Or, is it "C-E-Supervisor"? - I can never keep it straight.)

His excitement is tempered with the detracting factors - the distance of the drive now; the fact that the drive is a lot of two-lane back roads (instead of the pleasant seven mile expressway trip); the fact that his days will now be a 'real life' eight hours - or close to it - each day, and not the old 5-hour-day he had grown happy with and accustomed to. There will definitely be a lot more (of the same) responsibilities, and a larger slice of the managerial pie to swallow now, but he is up to it.

Perhaps he will find the commute a way to decompress after the day is done. Hopefully, the customers will be agreeable and the smaller staff less prone to malicious gossip and backstabbing. I know the increase in pay and the resulting benefits of a 401K (with employer matching) will make the rest of the issues seem less bothersome (or will at least make them somewhat worthwhile).

He's already said he likes the manager at the new store, and that he is thrilled at the size of the place! Despite the fact that this new store does less in sales than the store Brian is leaving, that isn't something he needs to really concern himself with. The possibilities are good to increase sales, but mostly it is simply a great opportunity for him.

It hasn't even been a year since he began work as a "seasonal employee," destined to be out of work again after the holiday sales had ended and 2011 began. But, the management liked the way he worked and the way he dealt with the customers and issues which arose. He was offered a chance to stay on and become a permanent employee right away, but then moved up the ladder very quickly through three positions of title to where he is now!

Recommended to fill an important vacancy by his manager and the District Manager!

Oh, Brian, I am so very proud of you, and I pray that you find happiness and a way to a prosperous and content future. You just keep being yourself and others will continue to see the possibilities in you, too.

Dear Lord, please keep Bud safe in his travels to and from work, and help him to understand Your hand in some of these events.

Getting an early start

The golden sun has just risen to where it can slap the trees across the street with sun from the east. It only serves to highlight the color of the turning leaves.

Less wind today, too - yeah!

Oops! Spoke too soon. Looks like we also have clouds somewhere along the horizon. The sunny daybreak has just faded.

Itching to sit down at the sewing machine and make a dent. Yesterday was a lackluster day, as far as accomplishing construction on the latest project. But, I did manage to pick out the backing material (ouch!) with help from Barb and Jean. I think it will look pretty good as a foil for the front - it's more 'traditional,' with a funky touch. Time will tell. Sadly, I will still need to select a binding. [groan]

Lots to do today, so I am away from the keyboard!

Have a great day, whatever you do.

You may have noticed I didn't talk about looking for work, or job prospects, or any of that stuff.

What did I do!?!!?

Had a call early this morning. An opportunity to pick up where another Scripty wasn't cutting the mustard on an indie, filming in Manistee/Ludington.

Wages weren't great, and they are half through their book, so I wouldn't have had a lot of time on the job - but I would have been the winning 'relief pitcher.' The go-to person. The savior - of sorts.

It would have been a huge feather in my cap and been great exposure to a whole other set of filmmakers!

Why didn't I do it?

Long story...I'll tell you about it sometime.

But that makes two today.

Still no job...but lots of buzz

Today is a buzzy day.

One of those days where Puck sits in his bird's-eye-view perch and creates mischief.

The type of mischief that gets you hoping and thinking the 'what-if' thoughts.

The sort of mischief that has you believing a job could be imminent...and it could be yours, and....then CRAP!

I hear him squealing with laughter for having so successfully gotten me wound up and believing in (hoping for) 'what ifs" of my own.

I had a late morning interview (finally) with the director of the first film offer. It didn't last long, and he seemed positive, but would only say that there were other people to consider and that I might hear from them early next week. He did like my notes, however. He liked them a lot!

Once I left the building and walked to my car, I checked my phone for messages. You see, there was a new headhunter who contacted me via email on Thursday, wanting to discuss a job, and she asked plainly for my number and a time when I would be available to speak. I wrote back that "nearly any time on Friday was good, but morning would be best."

She responded with "Good. I'll call you in the morning."

So, when I found a missed call on my phone and a message in my voicemail, I automatically assumed the call would be from her. It wasn't.

This call was from one of the fresher employment agencies/contract houses who had gotten in touch over the last couple of days with client jobs that would pay rather well, but were long distance (and a bit of a curiousity) - like, Tulsa, OK and Maryland! Apparently I could do my work from home. Talk about your telecommute!!

Of course, I phoned them back but ended up leaving them a voice message. Ugh!

It's probably needless to say that the woman whose call I was anticipating never did phone.

Stopped for groceries on the way home, and while stacking catfood in the cart, received a phone call from yet another unknown agency with a job available at a large insurance group in downtown Detroit! More on that one anonther time.

Lot's of chats with lots of new folks. Lots of questions, and lots of proper phrasing and bantering. Lots of smiling and head nodding, and loads of driving....but no job.

It's OK, though, I am going to kick back and enjoy a weekend where I hope to get some other stuff accomplished - all of which has nothing to do with Q&A and buzzy words.

We'll see

Interviewing today.

Interviewing tomorrow.

I've got a few questions of my own. Cheeky monkeys.

Yanking my chain

Not for nothin', but can somebody please explain this to me?

My family has one place we frequent to have our hair cut, and yes, it is one of those "chain salons."

I know, I know. You tend to get what you pay for, but I sort of feel for $12 (plus a tip, if I am not crying like an idiot at the hatchet work to my bangs) they had better make it look as though some thought went towards what it was I asked for, and just exactly how the stylist-of-the-day was going to achieve my requested maiming.

By the way, a little tip: Try to steer clear of the one with all the bandaged fingers.

Ah, sorry...the question at hand, and please keep this thought in mind - 'my family consists of two male people and one female-type (me)'. Two menfolk, one femme bot. Got it? Boy, boy, girl.

When I wander in to stand at the counter, and I await the personalized greeting, I am never disappointed by the somewhat unenthusiastic welcome and inevitable three questions.

"Hi! Welcome to [insert chain barber name here - I'm sure yours isn't much different]. Q#1 What can we do for you today?"

[My answer is usually "haircut," or some other hair-related event. Maybe I should ask to have a wheat beer and a veggie sub....hmmm].

Q#2 "Can I get your phone number?"

See, they store us (the hair clientele) in their computer/register by phone number, so it helps that they ask for one's digits. [Again, my answer is usually straightforward.]

Q#3 "Are you...Beth?"

I would be astounded if I am not Beth.

Heeding my reminder from about seven lines ago, how would you answer this question. Could I possibly get it wrong? Is there any chance I am Brian or Karl?

Let's see, who else would I be, as I am clearly not my sons, and most assuredly female?

At moments like those I wish I still had my magic 8-ball.

Are they yanking my chain, or do they need a little 'Captain Obvious training'?

It's raining SO hard...

If it keeps on raining much longer the way it has - and the way that it is - the backyard will be filled in no time, and I can go swimming!

It's already knocked a lot of leaves off the tree in the front yard!

It's rained so much my car is now mud-, bird poop-, and maple tree sap-free! I saved $5.

Ya know that mound of grass I mentioned yesterday? Well, it's now four inches shorter...but it is 18" wider! Oh, wait. That's nothing to get excited over.

Darn-it-all!!

The latest

1) The day was half as wet as the weather weenies predicted it'd be - at least for our area.

2) Bud mowed the lawn, but couldn't bag it properly because we had no bags in the garage - where they belonged. No, the bags were in my car, 'seeing the countryside.' Helpful.

3) The rain began falling before I could get home with the lawn bags, with which to bag the grass clippings. We now have a two-and-one-helf foot tall mound of wet grass in the driveway.

4) Oh, yeah, Karl had his six month dental cleaning. The lawn bags were apparently along for the ride (I think they were shirking yard duty).

5) Ah yes. Brian sort of trimmed the low hanging branches on the Chinese Maple out front. Let's just say his pruning style is more George-of-the-Jungle-meets-Crazyass-Tarzan and less like any standard yardcare guru.

6) Had time to cut and sort several hundred squares for the new quilt project, and still get quite a bit of sewing done on the patriotic crazy quilt. The Statue of Liberty is nearly complete (you have NO idea how good it feels to get that done)! Photos at: www.truenorthquilter.blogspot.com

7) Heard nothing (NOTHING) from the first production, even though we had arranged a phone interview with the director for today.

8) Did hear (oddly enough) from the second production (even lower paying than the first) as far as they would like to have a face-to-face interview Thursday. How am I gonna squeeze that in? LOL

9) I need to get some sewing done tomorrow in a big way to make up for the lost time over the last two days. If I do get a production job, my quilt aspirations for the immediate future are bleak.

10) Brian received a call from his new store manager today. Even though he was told it would be about two weeks before all the interviewing and decisions were made, Mgr Tim has decided to hire Bud on as the full time CES manager in a new store! And, unlike their earlier estimation, they want him to begin working there beginning next week, and not nearer the end of October! A promotion and a raise and more hours - good, good, good!

11) My fall flowers are more beautiful every day. The clematis and white Japanese Anemone are absolutely stunning, and it makes me want to get out there and weed one more time before the snow falls. Riiiiight.

Okay, that's the latest for tonight. Have yourself a good night's sleep and a wonderful tomorrow.

Happy little experiment

We had a very little bit of popcorn left to pop, and I was in a popcorn-y sort of mood. Since I didn't feel like dirtying a pan to achieve the meager, yummy outcome, I decided to try making it in the microwave instead.

I reasoned that microwaveable popcorn can't really be anything more than a lot of oil and flavoring in a sack with the unpopped kernels - right? If those expensive manufactured bags can work in the microwave, what would be the harm in making my own popcorn micro-bag?

So (ready to put out any surprise fires), I tossed a bit of butter into a paper lunch sack, added the kernels and rolled the bag closed - leaving a lot of room for the popcorn to pop into; placed the bag onto a paper plate; slid the entire thing into the microwave, closed the door and punched the "popcorn" button on the handy-dandy panel.

In less than a minute, Karl and I shared a modest amount of fresh popcorn! Yea, it worked.

NOTE TO SELF: Add popcorn and lunch sacks to the shopping list.

Oh, sure!

Now that I've gone and "said" how happy I am for a dreary day that will permit me to remain indoors (guilt-free)....it's sunny!

[Yeah - I think I will continue to do what I am doing, maybe the sunshine won't notice I am using it to get some more new squares configured. **sneaky laughter**]

I am happy today is dreary and rainy

Perfect excuse (as if I really needed one) to not go outside (AGAIN) and work on the yard, but to stay indoors and concentrate on the quilt!

Working on the second row and it is looking pretty cool!

No word from either of the two productions (still/yet/what else), and the headhunter has until Tuesday before I call again.

It's Sunday...relax and smell the turning leaves and enjoy your cider and donuts. I am going to rev up my machine and enjoy my own brand of fall colors!

Is there anything she IS happy about?

Yes, I am quite happy to have received two inquiries for (production) work, but I do wish they had come as concurrent gigs.

Of course, I do (really) wish it had been a more permanent job somewhere, with 'bennies' and a consistent paycheck (lasting more than 3-6 weeks).

I am very happy to have had the chance to talk with someone about a job.

It's just very easy to think that things could be better knowing that there is something better out there.

Knowing that I shouldn't have to settle is just a little disconcerting, but I am happy.

:^/

See.

Really.

And while I'm at it

While I am busy shooting myself in the foot, I am going to touch on another bothersome practice of the 'film industry' here in Michigan.

The outlook was wonderful regarding finally getting a payscale close to appropriate for script supervision work...until Gov Fathead-Stupidpants was elected (Snyder, for those of you not living in the "mitten state").

Yes, the daily rate was slowly going up; and while we were never going to approach the rates afforded to Scriptys in CA or NY (or GA and AZ, for that matter), it was looking promising to getting paid something more akin to the 12-14 hr days and LOADS of paperwork that must be done.

The job is undervalued. You don't see the camera department seconds and assistants making a paultry sum. Nor the lighting/grips. So why should the person whose work is so necessary to keeping the sound and camera info in sync, and who gives the editor a 'visual' of the shot sequences without seeing the footage, and informs the UPM, producer(s) and coordinator of just where the filming is (on schedule or not) at the end of each shooting day so poorly paid and rewarded?

Why?!?!

Yeah, I don't know, either.

I applied to no less than five new productions looking for crew over the last two weeks, and finally just heard from two of them - about a day apart. The first responding UPM and I had a good phone conversation, and I sent a copy of my work for a production day. Was told via email, that evening, that I would hear back from them the next day. (The next day I heard that they would let me know something the next day - which would be today. Go figure.)

A day later I was contacted by a producer's asst on yet another project that I applied to, and received a brief note telling me that the Scripty rate is $100 per day. 'Get in touch if that is acceptable.'

OK, when I responded to their ad looking for an "EXPERIENCED SCRIPT SUPER" (yes, they had that portion in caps) for an LBI (low budget indie) they also requested you include your desired rate. Taking what I know into account, I proposed a fair $185/day to get myself into pricing range. Their options for working, knowledgeable, current continuity folk in this state is slim. I was a bargain at that rate.

Yesterday I received the brief note telling me their rate and that I should get in touch very quickly if that is acceptable.

Well, it's NOT acceptable, not for what you think you should get from any Scripty worth their salt. So, I responded with a polite information request - asking for my own info in order to make an informed decision. Let's see if I get a response or if I am rebuffed for not jumping up and down and wetting myself over the chance to make nothing for doing a boatload of work.

Yes, people, I know I need the work. I know! But, if I am giving away the store for the chance to what?....just to have my name on one more crew list, I may as well be paying them!

The first production has told me where and for how long. I know it is a pawltry $125 a day, and that I will be driving to Detroit for six day weeks, and I know my pre-pro and my wrap dates. I was looking for the same info from the second tribe so I could determine if there was any merit to switching ships if it came to that.

The only info allowed from prod#2 were vague dates and a general vague location. Since the film folk seem to think filming in Holly, MI is filming in Detroit, I need clarification.

Sit tight, let's see if I hear from anyone today. Otherwise, I intend to have fun with this sunshine filling the house! Later.