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."