  | |||
|
Spill Guts Here. It's gotta go somewhere, know what I mean? Can you stand it?
purls before swine
Geek Knitting
West Indian Parade
West Indian Parade
Dog/Cat Wrestling
|
1.31.2006
My poor dogs are barking, not the canine ones. damn, my feet HURT. The gift fair is just out of control...there must be 5000 vendors there, I didn't stop moving for hours, and picked up enough promotional materials to almost be too heavy to carry, and that's just the stuff I was interested in! Outrageous. I need two more days to see most of it, but unfortunately can't spare that.
Takara was there, I expected to see them at the Toy Show in 2 weeks, I was so pleased, because I wanted to order {and did} the Breezy Singers, Parakeets, and the new Owl. They're activated by a motion sensor, I'm going to put them in the window of the shop to scare/amuse the little kids who come to look at the small toys I leave at eye level...hehe..ok I'm a little bit evil. I forgot..the remote control Tarantula, too! I think I went a bit nuts at that booth. I have to go through my orders and stuff, but not tonight, can't look at anything more tonight. Love to eat fake food like this "marshmallow pudding", picked up tonight on the way home:  And apropos of nothing, Some printable paper rulers. {via Lifehacker}
Gargling my morning barrel of mud, getting ready to brave the Javits Center and triple (ugh) pier action of the humongous NY GIft Fair. It's a cold, rainy day, perfect for petting and pinching hundreds of fabrics. Report to follow in the next few days on Textilita. I own the domain name, and will be migrating it over to Textilita.com in the next few weeks, so don't link to the blogspot version just yet, or please be prepared to update soon. Thanks!
I treated myself to a tiny bottle of Kai perfume oil yesterday, and I smell like subtle Jasmine today. That makes me Happy! 1.30.2006
Ok the hell with it, my new site is getting hits from I have no idea where, alot of them, and it's only 2 days old, not linked to from anywhere and very unfinished. I only told 4 people about it. SO...RL readers, here you go, introducing TEXTILITA!
Changes, new content and design-wise, will be occurring every day, starting with the textiles I find at the New York Gift Fair that I'm going to tommorrow. In the meantime, there's a bit up for you to enjoy aready. It's a commercial blog, meaning it will eventually have advertising on it. The scope covers the entire universe of textiles. In grade & jr.high school, I was nicknamed {against my will} Spacey. I just found over $140. in the pockets of 2 jackets I wear only rarely. I may still be living up to that moniker to a certain degree.... :-< 1.29.2006
For some reason, posts this week all seem stuck at crotch level, sorry! Following is a screen shot taken from an unnamed website devoted to "women and technology" :
 So ladies, you're super smart, an early adopter, highly skilled at programming computers, and you make plenty of money in the tech field, but who cares, because your hoohoo still smells like a fish, and your toilet bowl is crawling with germs! Hey, FUCK YOU! Want some tartar sauce with that?
I had a major brainstorm the other day {in the freakin vet's office!}, and I've been working pretty hard on a new site since then. It should be ready to {soft, very soft} launch in about a week or less. I think it's one of the best, most comprehensive ideas I've had in a long while. The link will be posted here first, well before the press release gets sent out. I'm pretty excited about it! If I know you, and you want a sneak peek, say so and leave your email in the comments here.
I've been keeping my QuickBooks files up to date, and it's not really that big a deal, and actually kind of fun. Jeez! I avoided it for so, so long. Now, I'm not allowed to go home until the days numbers are entered {the boss can be a bitch}. Live and learn. Now, I'm looking around to see what else I can conquer. 1.27.2006
First, thank you all so much for the sweet thoughts, I appreciate it so much! You are all on my short list! Second, I feel like a bit of an idiot right now, but that's ok... we just got back from the vet, and Penny does NOT have what I thought she had, although the symptoms are the same. She has impacted anal glands, which are very common. She got them flushed today and got antibotics, and will be going back to the vet every 2-3 months to get them squeezed/drained to prevent the absesses from returning. I'm pretty down-to-earth regarding bodily functions, etc. but I have my limits, and squeezing my dogs butthole is where the line is drawn, very clearly.
*huge sigh* Back to our regularly scheduled hooie. UPDATE: If you own a dog, here's the skinny on this common problem. For some reason, I'd never heard of it before. And for my sweet pal David: Fixed Gear Enthusiass. I expect to see your boxered behind up there soon, babe! 1.26.2006
Penny is sick. It may be fatal sooner rather than later. I think she has perianal fistula, which has no defined cure, only various surgeries and meds to try and control it. We see the vet tommorrow am. Pretty upset about it, she's my little sweetheart. Damn it. More info tommorrow, This isn't looking good. Of course, now I can take any money I've started to put aside to pay bills, etc , and just hand it over to the vet on a continual basis, as it's a chronic thing. FUCK.
1.25.2006
Starting work on a proposal for a teaching fellowship today, I have 5 days to submit it. It sounds kind of interesting. I've officially started saving money for a house, and am going to be doing side projects like this as often as I can to add to the kitty.
I found out Jess Hutchinson is not printing any more of her toy booklets, it a shame, because they were very popular, and now I'm completely out. Sorry! If you own one, you now have a collectors item. Enjoy! 1.23.2006
I've been deeply researching something for the past few days, it's too early to talk about it, but it could be very interesting. If anything concrete transpires, I'll mention it here, but my time frame is 2 years, so it's going to be a while. Resting and Cleaning today, planning spring knits later. I love it when it rains and I don't have to go anywhere. So nice...
1.21.2006
New York Noise Volume #2 is out! Pulsallama is the first Band on the cover, I'm just laughing... a little shocked, sort of. I'm really happy about this. We somehow poked a tiny chink in musical history in the most naive, playful way.
 In {1980 or '81, I think}, we opened for The Clash in Asbury Park, New Jersey, at the beautiful, decrepit Convention Center, right on the ocean. In the late afternoon, after sound check, we were treated to dinner on the back balcony of the Convention Center, overlooking the water and beach. We ate with everyone who worked there, including the stage and equipment guys. That afternoon after we arrived, I found some rhinestone poodle collars in a thrift store, and I got one for all the other girls. The stagehand saw that, and said, in our earshot "All you need is a shiny dog collar, and you can be in a band". We laughed at him. It was partially true then. Now, we're on a great compilation album. Life can be oh, so sweet. Wendy would have loved this. 1.20.2006
Giant Plush Microbes! These are a bit too out there, even for me. But a cool idea.
Switch! Can't wait to see this. I've not had much time for knitting, but am still on a boottee kick {hehe, no pun...}, making them for the shop. I have 4 or 5 pairs knit, but not finished. I just like knitting tiny on ones now, and the pattern is memorized, so I'm going to continue to knit them until I'm tired of it., it's calming. 1.19.2006
Yes, G. Stefani's line coming in is Harajuku Lovers, not L.A.M.B.. I intend to put the Japanese jeans up. I've been working on the webshop, and they're in the queue when they come in.
I won my case. It's been almost 7 months, and my hand tonight does not want to stop flipping the finger. All done, finally. It's a bit of an empty victory because of the time and stress involved, but I imagine it's exponentially much worse if you lose in court after all that. Research, paperwork in order and mental preparation are everything. Well. plus you have to make your point.
Ok, let's start the day off with a little incredulity: How about a small skein of handspun wool/silk for $550.? {Adrian, your seriously underpricing your goods, darlin'.} Jeez. I love to see absurdities like this, and I like it even better when people fall for it. This won't be happening at my shop, though. Moss is well-known for it's exquisite taste in objects, and the choices are always interesting whether they're to your taste or not, but this has got to be a joke. Someone needs to edumacate Mr. Moss ASAP. Or actually, I've got a bunch of beautiful, handmade necklaces to sell him. :->
I bought some wonderful things for the shop yesterday, and also my black suede "doll" shoes came in! They're small wedged clogs with a low cut rounded front, I'll take a picture of them later, I love them! Perfect for any {real} doll. I ordered dark denim drainpipe jeans from Japan with asymmetrically cut pockets, they're unbelievably cool, and I should have them in a few weeks. I'm dieting just so I can squeeze my ass into them! I like Gwen Stefani just fine, and I saw her collection yesterday as well. I've sort of ignored it, because of the celebrity factor. I ordered the cutest printed baby onesies, ladies banana and monkey printed panties and a tee and a wifebeater from her collection. Very very, kawaii. Her collection overall was adorable and well made. More English Laundry {from Manchester} button-downs for men, a new line of shirts for men from South Africa, and every color of some incredible glass rings that I've been searching for for a while. Will be putting most of this in the web shop after it comes in. I got so lucky yesterday, believe it or not, it's becoming increasingly difficult finding objects that I like. Small claims court tonight {regarding cat lady stinkin' apt. fiasco last summer}, we finally go before a judge. Wish me luck {although I feel confident that I have a strong case}. whoopie. :-| I'll be glad to get this crap behind me. 1.18.2006
The Design Encyclopedia Wiki.
An almost unbearable mixture of beauty and pain. Save that link for when you need a good cry. I set-up QB mostly correctly!, and Ed showed me how to enter/manipulate what I need to record. I feel deeply relieved to have made some progress in that arena. Will be sleeping well tonight. Thank you, thank you, Ed! 1.17.2006
Now, I have to boycott Urban Outfitters. This is why. I don't go for that shit.
Here's a very vivid reminder as to why I'll always have a huge, powerful crush on Bill Shatner: 1978 Science Fiction Film Awards. Wow. Is that acting, or what?!!! Gathering paper, paper, paper for my meeting with Ed my Wonderful Accountant tonight. I HATE PAPER! I'm drowning in piles of it. Dusty, crusty and heavy, it takes up too much precious space. We're working on alot. How many damned years to I have to save these stupid bags of receipts and statements? I've already attempted the Quickbooks setup for my complex, combined businesses, I'm sure Ed will have to redo it properly, but trying was part of the learning curve. I'm determined to get this financial beast under my control THIS YEAR. It's just so fucking boring/incomprehensible. Kathy, who owns Le Gamin {french crepe restaurant} on my block switched to QBs this year also, and we have each other to talk to about it. She really cracks a mean whip, and won't let me slack. Unfortunately, I may need a few cracks of the whip, but as I was trying to set it up, it did look like potential fun {and easy figuring taxes} to see the aggregate of your business year. That should keep me going. {just keep telling myself that}. I know I must seem like a whiner, and I guess I am. I'm just not naturally cutout for this, I have to fight the eyeglazing every single second. I'm trying as hard as I can to focus on it because I HAVE TO. I can't not anymore. ugh. 1.16.2006
Finally saw "Million Dollar Baby" last night. Uh, so, so depressing. It was very hard to watch. Super busy week ahead again, starting this am. *sigh*.
THANK YOU to my generous neighbors all over Prospect Heights for leaving their WIFI connection open. This is really fun. 1.14.2006
It's an ibook, not a powerbook, and I spent an extremely enjoyable evening speeding it up, maxing it out, and customizing it to suit me. It's in pristine condition, except for a very tiny crack in the case, purely cosmetic. It has a 14" screen, and runs like the wind. I'm still going to max out the ram, maybe next week. I'm also finding that wifi is everywhere. :-> It's a beautiful machine, and I'm very, very happy. The only thing is that white is not my best color, not sure how long before it has chocolate/coffee stains on it, etc... {unrepentant sloppy eater}.
Will be able to admin the webshop from the actual shop now, much easier than dragging assets home to get online. Also, when things sell out, I can remove them immediately, rather than getting orders I can't fill. What a relief. Will test picture taking/optimizing/uploading later, if it's not too busy today. UPDATE: Forgot camera cable. Reading QB primer. 1.13.2006
I found a G4 powerbook on Craig's List for the shop! It's got a 14" screen, 933 Mhz, not sure how much ram {will install more anyway}, loaded HD, excellent shape, w/airport card for wireless. I'm very, very excited. Can do bookkeeppiinngg at work, instead of home. Can haul it around if I travel. It's getting delivered tonight. I was able to negotiate a great deal. WOOHOOO!!! Will be eating noodles for a few days. :-} This was not really budgeted for.
1.12.2006
 It goes to Barnes & Noble right after work. It has a hot chocolate, and looks through the available QuickBook primers. It picks the fattest one. It pays with the business credit card. It safely stores the receipt in the backpack for later entry into QuickBooks. It tries to act mature and accept the inevitable. Will be reading the whole fucking thing tommorrow am. Meeting with my accountant Ed next week to tie up details I can't figure out.
Oh, the joys of Quickbooks. :-< My head is currently pounding, yet I can see the value in all this anal recordkeeppiinngg. *sigh* must soldier on. This will make figuring taxes a breeze, which are my currently quarterly/yearly frightmares. I could have done this 6 years ago, perhaps should have bothered.... better late than never, I guess. The business has gotten too big/complex to keep it all in my head, much as I'm used to that. Growth is a bit "painful". I've been chipping away at data entry every morning until I can't stand it any more, soon, it'll be just entering that days action.
UPDATE: I just spent the past goddamned whole hour trying to figure out how to add "postage" as an expense not coming out of the bank accounts, but petty cash. Apparently, not possible? It must be somehow, you assholes! I FUCKING CAN"T TAKE THIS SHIT! Barnes and Noble, here I come for a Quickbooks primer. OH my god how I hate wasting/spending my time like this. I"M GOING TO PUNCH A HOLE IN THE WALL WITH MY FIST! except that'd render me unable to knit. BUT I'D LIKE TO! GGGRRRR! Maybe I could kick a hole.... oh forget it. :-O I'm screaming super loud on the inside. Good luck to anyone coming in contact with me today. 1.10.2006
Two more trade shows my behind should be traipsing today, but screw it! I want to design more of my own stuff this spring and summer, plus, I want to work on the shop this afternoon. I ordered Flor Carpet Tiles, and they just came in, so I want to clean and re-arrange the shop, and install them.
Sunday evening's baby shower for Ingrid was so much fun! I managed to salvage some shots, unfortunately, most of them were really blurry. I'm so sick of that! Click the booties to view that set:  1.09.2006
Extremely busy weekend. Trade shows all day today. Outta here now. I'm not sure how my pictures are going to turn out, I dropped my camera, and they're very blurry, I think I have to get it looked at. damn it.
1.07.2006
YOW, today was hopping!! It was the first day the shop was open this year, and I got so much love from people, thank you all for stopping by! I *love* my neighborhood. ...
Ingrids baby shower is tommorrow afternoon, and I still have one bootie left to knit tonight! Good thing they're so ridiculously small. They should dry overnight in my overheated apt, no problem. In case anyone really cares, I decided not to get the perfume. I really want a new laptop for the shop and traveling, so I put that amount into a "slush fund", saving towards a powerbook. I'm satisfied with my choice, I've been looking at ibooks and powerbooks, and I saw a sweet little 12" silver powerbook today, and fell in love with it. My current Lombard is a real dinosaur. I also started a more detailed accounting set-up today, the first business day of the year. we'll see if and how long I can maintain it before my eyes glaze over. If I can get meaningful stats and averages from it, which I can if I do it long enough, maybe it can hold my interest..... Or not. 1.06.2006
Unfortunately, I really can't dwaddle {aka "rest"} any longer...paying bills, cleaning and restocking the shop this am in preparation for re-opening tommorrow, going to Ikea in Jersey with Vivian this afternoon for more wooden hangers {no wire hangers!}, some nasty/tasty meatballs, storage contraptions, new lamb pelts for the dogs, possibly some lights for the shop window.
Pictures of the Jersey Turnpike later, if you're lucky! :-> Waterbears! or Tardigrades. {thanks, Ranjit} And for you, my soon to be new neighbor, Alexandra: Gawkers 123 Reasons to Love NYC{gawker via moby} 1.04.2006
Finally took off my {getting a little stinky} pajamas today, took a shower, and ran errands all afternoon. Stopped to see friends I'm usually too busy to see. Had a leisurely lunch at Flying Saucer Cafe. Made it down to Knit-a-Way for some 0's and 1's DPNs. I'm on an infant sock kick. Bought some sweet cotton for these: Newborn Socks. I have plenty of fine gauge cashmere for some other pairs. Will take a picture, these are so very tiny. :-> I'm getting into very small knitting, you get used to the fine needles, as long as the point is sharp enough, otherwise it's pure slowgoing hell. Glasses mandatory!
I "treated" the shop to a light-up electric female torso {claaaassy!}, am going to handknit something texturally complex for her on small needles, and put her in the window. Tested some wonderful perfume today, it's $130. for a very small bottle, should I or not? I didn't even look at the name or maker of it. Mostly Gardenia, which I love and something else I can't place. It's mellowing nicely on my arm, gotta think about this one.....very extravagant. It's so hard to find one I love, though, and this scent I do. I bought some Narcisso Rodriquez perfume for my birthday, and made the mistake of buying it without testing it for a day. Smelled great when you first put it on....hours later, I couldn't wash it off, and I felt like cutting my arm off, it made me so nauseaus, and I was the proud owner of a giant bottle of it! Gave that away, but am more cautious now. 1.03.2006
Deep cleaning the house today. It's rainy and very cold out, and I don't care, I don't have to go anywhere. This is a huge luxury.
Eleanor Kent's beautiful handknit fractals. 1.02.2006
Slept almost all day yesterday, in-between watching parts of forgettable movies on cable. Lovely, lovely rest, no guilt, desperately needed. Was up by 6:45am, my usual, today, and very refreshed. Happy New Year to you!
Getting ready to go pick-up a free little kitten for my retired neighbor. She's about 2 months old and will come home with me for a day or two, until Otis takes her, he's not around this afternoon. It's going to be fun to have a tiny kitty in the house, and I'm sure my three monsters will love to play with her for a day. Pix later of the circus-style mayhem about to ensue. Shop is closed until Saturday, so I can make a dent in my put-off responsibilities. UPDATE: She's an adorable, tiny {8 weeks old} kitty, hiding under the bed, with my cat hiding at the opposite end of the house, and my curious dogs wanting to play. *sigh* How to get her out? She's eaten the food I put into a bowl under the bed, so I know she's not freaking out, but I have a very small bedroom, and there literally is no-where to move the bed to get her. Otis might have to wait until she comes out on her own. Damn it! She better not poop under there! UPDATE: Lil Kitty has been handed over to her new papa, I wuold have taken a picture, but it was a bit of a private moment. Otis started tearing up a bit, because the new kitties coloring looks exactly like the one he lost to old age last year. It was awesome! Had to, very gently, pull Lil Kitty out from under my bed by her tail, there's no rug in there, and she slid right out, a bit dusty, but intact. Let's see how long it takes my genius Kitty to come out from hiding. I feel like I've done my good deed for the day, I'm going to get some ice cream. :-> |
||
