You get what you pay for...

So I found out today that GameTap is offering Psychonauts as a free download. My first thought was 'great! I almost paid $15 for the XBox version'. My second thought, about an hour into the game, was 'oh yeah...I really hated trying to play the demo on the PC'. I just can't find a comfortable button layout to play this game using the keyboard, I really need to get it in a version I can play with a controller. Oh well, something to add to my Wists.

I've been doing good on non-jewelry items for Etsy as well, got a few notecard sets lined up, and a few scarves and hats are ready for their close-ups. If time allows this week, I'm thinking of maybe putting a pattern up in pdf format - although Ravelry added a function to sell patterns through them. I'm going to have to do a little research into their shopping mechanism to see which way I want to go with that.

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Now playing: Vampire Weekend - Oxford Comma
via FoxyTunes

I Miss Coffee...

Well, that drawing I wanted went up on eBay today - I got the first bid in, and was instantly outbid all the way up to my limit. I honestly didn't think for a moment that I'd be able to get it, but at the very least I was hoping to keep the lead for a full minute. And this is why I don't buy much off of eBay. Believe me, it's not for lack of trying some days.

Regardless, I've been on an Etsy restocking spree lately. Mostly jewelry, which I love making, but I really don't feel like that's what I want to focus on - it seems like such a large percentage of Etsy is jewelry. Ideally, I want a variety of types of items in my store until such time as someone actually buys something from me. I just don't seem to be able to get a good grasp on what exactly Etsy shoppers are looking for, I guess. I'm thinking of putting a few strategic ads out on Project Wonderful, but I want to get my shop a little fuller first. I've got a few knit items I'm finishing up, another painting I'm working on, and a cute linoleum block that I'm planning to use to print notecards, but it seems like there should be more I could get together.

And that's where the lack of coffee comes in. I love coffee so much, and somehow other forms of caffeine just don't seem to give me the mental energy, just physical. Of course, I don't know that I'd feel quite so strongly on the matter if I wasn't allergic, but still, every time I hit a creative block, I find myself thinking 'well, one cup wouldn't hurt...I've got antihistamines...'.

Oh well, I'll just drown my sorrows with yarn - I'm nowhere near having used up enough to fulfill my New Year's resolution yet.

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Now playing: Electric Light Orchestra - Turn To Stone
via FoxyTunes

multi-talented cat

As I awkwardly type this, all eleven pounds Miss Minerva is carefully perched on my kneecap, cleaning her own butt. I have no idea when she suddenly developed a sense of balance, as earlier today, she tripped over a rug in the living room. I shall attempt to get the hell off of me and continue later...

A faint glimmer of garden...

In hopes of actually having a garden this year, I picked up one of those little greenhouse thingies at the grocery store and seeded it Sunday night:

The chamomile has already sprouted nicely, and it looks like the basil is close behind. I'm hoping that at some point in the next couple of weeks, it'll stop raining long enough for me to get out in the backyard and actually get a place ready to transplant these guys when they get big enough. I maybe should have thought about that before I started the plants, but if worse comes to worse, I can always transfer them into larger pots for a bit to buy some more time.

Except the catnip...somehow, it doesn't seem like that great of an idea to have a big pot full of catnip anywhere inside, unless I wanted potting soil all over the carpet and the cat permanently stoned.






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Now playing: Jill Tracy - Evil Night Together
via FoxyTunes

Little touches of awesome

Several random bits of minor awesomeness this week:

Yesterday I went to the Sonic near my office for lunch, and the carhop that served me was actually on roller skates! I've never actually seen a carhop on skates before.

I have had several random people at both jobs tell me I have a very nice voice. I feel like I should finish those flash lip-sync tests now >_<.

I've been using Google Maps' Street View to make note of particularly awesome houses in the name of working up a house plan of my own. I wish I'd known when they came by to do my street, I totally would have put a 'Hi, Google!' sign in my front yard or trimmed the bushes into something vaguely obscene.

I heard about Doodle Day (a fund raiser for Neurofibromatosis), and would really like to bid on this Sandman doodle. I know there's no way I could afford it, but it's one of those things that I just have to try for or I'd be kicking myself later. Seriously, it's because it sounded like a good charity... *shifty glance*

And the new Weezer CD should be out in time for my birthday!

So Far, So Good

Well, the new job is going well so far - I don't seem to be suffering from any reduction in crafting time (although sleep has been another matter - it's going to take me about a week to adjust to having 'grown-up job' hours). We'll see how long I can keep up the full seven-day workweek between the two jobs, though. I do dearly love me some employee discount on crafty goodness...

It may not have been the brightest idea, but I think I can at least keep up the two job situation long enough to get together the money to get my car fixed (I got the insurance payment, but with the monthly paychecks, it ended up having to go towards other bills). I just can't seem to shake this odd feeling, though, and I can't really pin down just what the feeling is to figure out the source other than just another bout of low-thyroid induced paranoia.

I have a few more goodies to go up on Etsy when I have a moment and a charged camera battery and some clue on how to display them. Actually, I've had a couple of ideas, just a matter of getting the shots set up right. And then there's the waiting with bated breath to see if any of my bids on Alchemy are accepted - someone actually needs a cat bow-tie! I may have to make a batch to put up for sale and take the opportunity to really proof the pattern.

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Now playing: "Weird Al" Yankovic - White & Nerdy (Parody of "Ridin'" By Chamillionaire featuring Krayzie Bone)
via FoxyTunes

New/Old project

So we were over at my parents' for Easter, and discovered that Little Kitty Dude has seriously outgrown his Kitty Pi. Even all curled up into a ball, he still sleeps on top of it rather than in it anymore. If I'd known he was going to turn out to be Humongo-Cat, I'd have made it larger to begin with, but as it stands, I suppose I'll just have to make him a new one. Fortunately, I've got two skeins of Kureyon in colors that'll go with their living room, and I've got a few other assorted shades of green wools that I can stripe in if it looks like the Kureyon's not going to be enough. If my calculations are correct, I'm going to have to make this thing the size of my kitchen table (pre-felted - he's not quite *that* big....yet...)

Fortunately, my cousin picked up her cat from her folks, so the new kitty will be needing a bed and can make use of Kitty Pi Mark I. I'd thought about grabbing it for Miss Dummy-Fuzzbutt, but she seems to insist on pink.

Damned girly-ass cat.

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Now playing: Bright Eyes - First Day of My Life
via FoxyTunes

a difficult choice...

So, the new DeVotchKa album came out Tuesday. I have enough money in my iTunes account to buy the whole album, but on the other hand, I really want to have the physical disk, with all the bookletty goodness. Is it a little sad that I'd kind of like to buy both? I suppose I shall just skip lunch for a few days and use the money to run out and pick it up...ever hopeful that a store around here will have it, now that I think about it, since the only way I've ever been able to get any of their albums has been at their shows.....

If I could just figure out how the hell to redeem my credit card points since they decided to go fuck around with the rewards program, I could resolve the dilemma in nothing flat. Oh well, I suppose I'd snap if I didn't have minor things like this to get all my worrying out of the way over.

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Now playing: Vampire Weekend - Oxford Comma
via FoxyTunes

Holy crap, yes!

Sometime in the dark of the last two days, Etsy brought Alchemy back up!!!!!11

Woo-hoo, I'm off to browse for potential shoppers!

There's a reason I had eye surgery...

So today I got a cute little metal bead of a skull garlanded in roses. I don't have a picture, but you can see the bead here. So, seeing as how it's lead-free pewter and miniature, my first impulse is to paint it. It's seriously tiny - maybe 10mm, tops - but it's not like I've never painted little tiny whites and pupils on a tiny pewter head before ;)

I'm not going to paint the whole thing - just the roses and leaves. Then a clear coat, and I think it'll look really cute as a cellphone charm. Either that, or I'll have to buy another one and turn them into earrings.

The topic of painting small pewter things of course brings to mind the recent passing of Gary Gygax. It's odd to think what an influence someone I never actually met in person has had on my life. Hell, my friends and I played D&D instead of going to prom, and it was my quest for a decent gaming group in college that led to meeting my husband. Kind of scary to think that tabletop gaming may actually have *improved* my social skills.

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Now playing: Marlene Dietrich - Lili Marlene
via FoxyTunes

In like a lion and a lamb?

Interesting weather this week - we've started March off with sunny clear skies and temperatures suddenly in the 70s - with straightline winds topping 30 mph. I honestly don't know if that counts as 'lion' or 'lamb'. I lean towards 'lion', since it's supposed to snow tomorrow. Yeah, 70s one day, snow the next. Gotta love midwestern weather.

So the satchel for her nibs is just about done - I just need to find my ironing board and put in some interfacing in the flap to reinforce where the snap is going, then attach the handle and it's done.

Hooray!

So happy - I need to go through my calender and start writing in all the awesome movies I want to see this summer.

Hellboy II Trailer


I'm just so freaking happy Johann is in this one - he's my favorite BPRD character (though I've heard rumours about Lobster Johnson in the next movie...)

Slowly going insane...

So, turns out the little satchel I'm making was supposed to be for tomorrow, not next Saturday. Could've sworn the kiddo's birthday wasn't until next week, or I wouldn't have said I'd have the bag done in time. Not that it's going slowly, but since I work all weekend, I don't think it'll be done until Tuesday at the earliest. Here's a few in-progress photos:







As for the insanity, while sewing tonight, I found myself meowing the theme to Bonanza... I really need to fix my iPod.

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Now playing: They Might Be Giants - Birdhouse in Your Soul
via FoxyTunes

I haven't had nearly enough to drink today...

I'm still so worked up over my car that I can tell I'm not getting to sleep anytime soon.

I was out shopping earlier, and in the 15 minutes or so I was in the store, some asshole whacked the side of my poor little pumpkinmobile with his truck door. Then he came out while I was still on the phone to the insurance company, got all belligerent when my mom went to talk to him, and drove off.

And I even got a photo on my cellphone of how nicely his door matched up with the dent.

To give you an idea of just how bad this is, when the nice police officer (God, I love my local police - they're always so nice) showed up, he looked at the side of my car and went 'Jeez, what did he hit that with?' We're not just talking scratched paint, I've got a ****ing FOLD in my rear passenger-side door. I mean, it could be worse, the door still works and the glass didn't get cracked or anything, but still - and the man was just such an ass.

Anyway, the officer said that if no one actually saw the guy hit the car, there wasn't much they could do, so tomorrow I'll be calling the corporate office of the grocery store next door to the lot where my car was parked and see if their cameras extend over that far. If nothing else, I've gotten a paper trail started with the police, so it's one less thing my insurance company can raise as an objection to paying out to get my car fixed.

*deep breath*

Okay, so the reason I was at the store in the first place was shopping for supplies for an adorable satchel my mom's commisioned for a friend's little girl (which as an aside back to the car, means mom felt guilty about being the reason I was there, so she said she'll cover the deductable). This bag is going to be so incredibly cute - she starts preschool this year, so I'm making it kid-sized, but big enough for her to carry stuff like a couple of coloring books and crayons and whatever the heck else a kid takes to preschool. Also, I got a few supplies I needed for some plushies I'm planning on putting up on etsy soon.

Now for some fortified hot tea and a little mindless websurfing to calm down enough to sleep at some point tonight.

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Now playing: Alice Cooper - Steven
via FoxyTunes

Yarn Review: Himalaya Recycled Sari Silk

I'm liking this yarn, but not loving it. I think the finished piece is going to turn out fairly impressive, but the actual process of working with it has been a bit wearing. For some reason, the concept of knitting with television static comes to mind. A certain amount of slubs, knots, etc. were to be expected as the nature of the beast, being recycled and handspun, but the bits of straw I keep picking out of the yarn have been slightly offputting. Also, I was really not prepared for the amount of shed/fuzz that's being produced.

Overall, I think I'd work with it again for something special, but it's not something I'd use for just anything. Final judgment will be reserved for seeing how the finished hat washes - I have to admit to a few qualms concerning the colorfastness, but it's not like it's coming off on my hands or needles like some yarns I've used.

Let there be light - please!

Odd phenomenon lately - seems like everywhere I go, light bulbs burn out in my wake. We've got three out at work, five at home, and the streetlight on the corner goes out every time I go past it. It seems odd that so many light bulbs that were all last changed at different times would all go out at the same time.

I got a pack of bulbs on my way home last night, but I'm thinking that perhaps certain rooms would benefit from fancier bulbs. I wish I had my craft area a little better defined, so I'd know where to spring for the full-spectrum/true-color bulbs.

Also, it's snowing again.

Failure to Prepare

So during my lunch, I went to the pastry shop down the way to get my usual Italian soda. They were of course busy, and when the girl got me my soda, she apologized for the wait because, and I quote 'we just weren't prepared for this'.

We're talking about a pastry and chocolate shop here. And they weren't expecting a big rush on Valentine's Day? Of course, these are the same people who regularly run out of quiche (their main lunch menu item). If we just had the money, Tiwaz could totally blow them out of the water. Ooh, the dessert tonight...it pays, marrying a pastry chef!

In actual, to the point, crafting news, I'm very excited - I've actually gotten a list together of art fairs coming up, and I swear, this year I will actually make the deadlines for submission. I'm terrible about forgetting about fairs and gallery shows until a few weeks before they open, well after the submission deadlines. And as a happy coincidence, my favorite art-supply store is having a massive sale this month. I mean *massive* - buy one get three free canvases and 30% off my favored brand of paint.

I don't even care if I sell any of my work, it's just the thought of having some of my pieces in a real honest-to-God non-student show.

eBay has its uses...

Funny the things that suddenly bother you in the middle of the night.

I recently traded in my Stratocaster for an acoustic, and for some reason about an hour ago it started nagging at the back of my mind that I really had no idea if I'd gotten a good deal on the trade or not. So, I nipped over to eBay and looked up my model - turns out I got a fairly good deal for it (it was a modern Mexican), and they threw in a hard case for the acoustic.

I've always had good luck with that music store in the past, don't know why that was bothering me, other than I've managed to take care of most of the other stuff I was worrying about and needed something new to keep the list full.


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Now playing: DeVotchKa - Miette
via FoxyTunes

Delays

So frustrating - I got the stuff for my swap package done, but I won't be able to mail it until Monday. It's all just sitting there tormenting me. I almost want to post a few teaser pics on Craftster, but since my swap partner's one of the organizers, I don't want to taunt her too much.

Oh well, gives me a chance to get some decent pictures before I send for once - might even get creative and make a small extra just to pass the time.

Or, you know, I suppose I could send Tiwaz out to mail it for me - but the weather's gotten nasty enough, we're really trying to not venture out any more than we have to. Maybe if it's cleared up by Friday...

Changing my policy?

My original policy on Ravelry was that I wouldn't post any projects that were finished before I joined, and I wouldn't post anything that was going to be for etsy. I'm starting to reconsider that second part of the policy, though. It seems like at the moment, about two thirds of my projects are being made with the hope of selling them, and while I certainly wouldn't post every single individual item that I'm making on there, I am giving consideration to posting the prototypes for the patterns that I plan to sell on etsy.

I'm just not sure if I'm comfortable with the minor self-promotion involved. Maybe I should just stick with the free patterns, and hope that people will follow the links on here to buy the other patterns.

Maybe I should look up some designers on Ravelry and see what they've done with works/listings