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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
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5.28.2006
5.27.2006
I'm very unexpectedly getting "high" from throwing things away, it's a weird feeling. Maybe adreniline? Endorphines? I feel like monkeys are being knocked off my back with a 2 x 4. Nice. Very, very nice. All is on schedule.
5.25.2006
I made the moving arrangements today, it's quickly becoming more real. I'm not a person who's moved very much in my adult life, only 3 times in 27 years, so it' s major, major thing. Separated 2 large bags of clothes already this am to be given away, I'm loving this. GETTING EXCITED> Emptied out 2 chests of drawers and a cabinet to be jettisoned. I want mostly new stuff. Upgrading.
Stressed, ooooh yeah, but managing. This blog is going to very boring or non-existent until the 8th or 9th of next month. 5.24.2006
OMG why do I own so much stuff. Still throwing away, getting ready to pack up what's left. Great in the long run, just fucking excruciatingly painful in the short run. I have to stop thinking, completely, about designing or making anything at all for the next 3 weeks. That's proving to be difficult. Taking 3 days off after moving day to acclimate myself and the pets. Carpet is installed on the 30th. Imagine there's a tiny bit of light at the end of the tunnel.
5.23.2006
My friends Dan and Kalene of Thundercut, (they built my shops beautiful sign}, have a wonderful new project planned for this summer: Coney Island Shortcakes You wannabe entrepeneurs can live vicariously through them via the Shortcake Blog! I can't wait to taste one...MMMMM. What a great idea, and these are the two to pull it off! They're building and running a gourmet Strawberry Shortcake and Charlotte Russe stand right on the boardwalk next to Nathan's this summer in Coney. Fab!
5.22.2006
The most enduring result of a family trip to Miami Beach to rendevous with relatives when I was around 7 years old is an abiding love of elderly people and their style, specifically the style of the retired set of the Floridian '60s. I went for a walk today, and found beautiful black leather elderly shoes with a wedge. I bought them. I love silver and pale lavender hair, too. Working on that. Still purging dusty crap, this is fun!!!! I have saved many things long enough to easily throw them away, or definitely not, it's very liberating. Distilling. I have large archives, it's a big project.
 CUAnyone want to buy an almost brand new serger? I don't need it, and have actually never used it, maybe only twice. Emall me if you're interested. $300 new, you can have it for $125. staceyatredlipstickdotnet I also have a Babylock Denim Pro ll sewing machine, same price. My new machine covers this ground and much more, so I don't need these anymore. Tired of storing them. Please come pick it up. I'll put them on craig's list in a few days if no-one here wants it. 5.18.2006
I got my key today! The rest of the month is packing and renovating, moving the first/second week of June. This is such an excellent opportunity to get rid of old crap of all sorts, the move is actually theraputic in a way. I measured for carpet tonight. Treated myself to 4 Chocolate Room salt covered caramels today, and I'm eating the last one now. Feel pretty tired/happy. Keep forgetting to take pictures. Shop is very busy. Have alot of work ahead of me.
5.17.2006
Considering teaching Kitty to use the toilet. Anyone tried this? No litter box in the house would be lovely. Kitty's always hanging out in the bathtub anyway. Might as well give her something to do in there besides drink from the faucet.
Currently juggling major shop responsibilities, packing, breaking down the studio, new apt. renovation details, etc. This is not fun, my head is ready to explode. I've yelled inappropriately at almost all my friends in the last month {thank you for understanding!}. Sending out a heartfelt and appropriately directed "Fuck You" to Pedro, my soon to be former slumlord. What goes around, comes around. Never forget that. Pictures of Mister Lincoln's three new buds later tonight. Awesome and funny video of a Dutch stores 10,000th shoplifter. It's in Dutch, but there is some translation in the comments, plus the video speaks for itself. I loved this! {via kottke} Knock on wood, my shop's been pretty lucky in that respect. 5.15.2006
I got a new apartment! It's in Crown Heights in the middle of a leafy, residential block of townhouses, I got the whole top floor of a smallish one. The apartment has a private entrance, private staircase and an entryway where I can put my giant wardrobe and bike. Doing a little renovation on it over the next two weeks, then moving during the first two weeks of June. I am so fucking relieved. My new landlady is a mellow carribbean woman, very sweet, who lives downstairs with an enormous extended family that comes and goes. It has 6 windows and two skylights. It has to have carpet, so I'm laying flat pale grey industrial wall to wall, with wool or cotton rugs over it.
I can't wait to get the hell out of here. Thank you all so much for the words of encouragement, the past two or three weeks have been bizarre! The following is stolen from Propertyshark.com, lame, I know, but there is a "Gladys Kravits" type lady immediately across the street who was watching us, and I felt weird whipping out my camera. It's really charming, and I'm getting excited about decorating and working in it! The stoop, red door and top three windows are mine!  5.12.2006
Was offered, but declined, a lease on the place with a backyard. The landlord wanted a very high yearly increase. Everywhere you turn, landlords are gouging away. Back to square one.
5.11.2006
Doubled down with an offer tonight on a 2 bdrm, ground floor in the Funkytown section of Crown Heights, with a 600 sq. ft. private backyard with 2 old growth trees in it. If I get this one, I'll plant Wisteria along the back fence for scent and privacy. Roses and Maypop along the sides. And I can have barbeques! It's a few hundred more than I wanted to spend, mentally trying to adjust to it, but sometimes you have to have faith and plow ahead. That street is like a party every night in the summer, but I can spend morning hours out back, as well as sleep in the back. Will find out in the am if I got it. They do take pets.
TWADDLE, FEEL FREE TO IGNORE 4:18am...The usual Insomnia until this is resolved, mentally planning efficient and functional layout for this place, it's going to be a little awkward. but not undoable. The whole place has highly shiny dark cherry wood floors and dark wood cabinets, it's really masculine. All my stuff is light or painted wood. The large back room that leads to the backyard is tiled, it's a big mudroom, essencially, most of the "living" will go on there, the smaller room with closets will be the bedroom, also in the back, with another window into the backyard. That's what it was, I was seduced by the backyard. The two large front rooms will be the workshop. The kitchen is in the middle, with a gas stove and stainless fridge. Bathroom is also in the middle of the apartment. Dark wood cabinets, nice ones though, are just everywhere. Some guy designed this place with ham hands. I'm going to have to "girly" it up, alot. I'll have room for dyeing in the yard, the critters will have their own private place to play while I have coffee and breakfast out there, it's going to be so, so, nice. Also, a clothesline for drying laundry. Birdfeeders to amuse Kitty. May build a small shed for tools. Ok, now back to bed.
Heartbreak City: I did not get the apartment because of my pets. Disappointed about this one. Making ultra tiny gold earrings this am to mentally escape. The search continues...
 CU5.08.2006
Placed a deposit yesterday am on a new apartment only 2 blocks away from current hellhole, it's larger and very, very affordable. Should know in a few days if I got it. The new apt. will more than double my workspace, it's one huge room larger than my current digs, VERY excited about that. A second floor floor-through with an 8 foot bathtub, and the tiniest bathroom sink I've ever seen, like 10" wide. Been purging furniture, old clothing and other flotsam like a maniac. I want to start as fresh as possible. Kitchen will be pale leaf green, and the bedroom will be pale turquoise. Mid-century lighting fixtures not used in last summers aborted move attempt will be installed here. Found boxes of misc. crap under the {now gone} kitchen table that I haven't looked into for over 5 years. For the next month or so, garbage pickings outside my apt. are going to be very interesting for passerby { a new york tradition, garbage picking is, although I stopped years ago, there are tons of young people in my 'hood just learning the finer points}.
I had a record breaking weekend at the shop! Currently experiencing growth spurts, and trying to determine how to adjust ordering to accomodate this. It's not easy, especially since I have no storage at the shop. Another reason for me to keep the studio building, since it's right across the street, and has plenty of storage for stock. Having mucho fun. Was losing my voice last night from talking so much! Miss April brought by an awesome surprise yesterday, my old, old friend, artist Kenny Scharf. His beautiful daughters are now in college, and one is on the way to becoming a "movie star"! oh man, where does the time go? They spent some time today at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden dedicating a new baby Magnolia tree to our friend Wendy Wild, who we lost to breast cancer years ago. I know Wendy felt the love yesterday, wherever she is. If you must have visuals... 5.06.2006
Alot going on now, waiting for things to go through the process and resolve. Exciting stuff. Details after a few days.
Mostly taking care of business now, not making much of anything, although I ordered and received a very large batch of rayon machine embroidery threads of all descriptions from India. Next series. 5.04.2006
OMG. I tried to negotiate a front door lock and windows that work, and the landlord just rented it to someone else instead. I want to know who the moron is who rented {at market rate} a 3rd floor walkup apartment with windows that won't open {or close}, that anyone can come right up to your front door or wait to rob you in the hallway from the street, a block away from Crack Dealer Alley and Night of the Living Dead crackheads. That moron could have been me! *sigh* It was the biggest one I've seen yet, though, but it would have been living with a siege mentality. Need groceries after dark? Too bad. The search continues....
On the other hand, successfully negotiated with Mr. Ervine regarding the studio building. He will do the repairs, reimburse me for damages to my tenants, and fix the roof {already done], and I will keep it going. We're waiting for one or two good rains until we replace ceiling tiles and repaint, just to make sure. I'm happy that everyone gets to keep their studios. 5.03.2006
Feel much better today, it was great to completely unplug. Thank you all for the good wishes!
Been looking around a different neighborhood that has gargantuan old apartments, it's a little sketchy, but right across from the park, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens. Within easy biking/walking distance to the shop, it's the other side of Prospect Park. I'm negotiating now for a beat 3 bedroom, all the windows {9 or 10 of them} seriously need replacing, but it's about 1200 sq ft on the third floor. so.damn.big.&.sunny. I could stretch out there. But the building has no lock on the front door, eventually getting robbed in the hallway is practically guaranteed. The landlord says he'll fix the lock, but why isn't it fixed already? "Pioneering", yet again. Not sure if I'm up for it again. Dee-lemm-a. 5.02.2006
Physically, shoulder is a little stiff. Mentally, lost it last night. I could have so easily gone right under that jerks wheel. If you are an uninsured artist, here's an affordable plan: Fractured Atlas. Thank you, Anna!
Taking today completely off, not running the usual phalanx of errands. Wish it were warmer so I could go to the Botanic Gardens and stare at and breathe in flowers. May do that anyway. Started giving things away I don't feel like moving, Hubertis came and took the oval kitchen table away yesterday. Prefer rectangular, as oval is a waste of space. I have three beautiful wooden ones waiting to replace it in the studio. Tired, and tired of being tired. Going back to bed with the Lee Miller biography Alexandra lent me. 5.01.2006
Damn it this has been a rough fucking few weeks. On my bike to see an apt this afternoon, I got hit by a car! Sore, not seriously hurt, my bike's wheel is rubbing a little. And it was a hit and run! Some old spaced out man in a cadillac turned the corner without looking to see me in the crosswalk, and luckily I saw him, and saw he wasn't going to stop, so I started yelling and trying to get out of the way. He hit the back of my bike, and I was knocked off. He stopped the car, looked at me in the street, said, "Oh, I didn't see you", and then leadfooted it out of there. Bastard. I got his license plate number and called the police. An embarrassingly large number of people showed up, handsome firemen in a firetruck {soooo hot..sorry, it is spring}, EMS and a squad car. EMS wanted to take me in to the hospital for a "full workup", I declined.
The worst part about it is that they're not going to do anything because I wasn't seriously hurt. Not even track him down and give a warning or fine. I'm simply not leaving the house for the rest of the day. Could have been much worse.
The "grace period" for living in this particular shithole has expired, I'm back to looking at huge ghetto apartments, trying to find one I can feel moderately safe in. I'm learning an incredible amount about how the housing system in Brooklyn works. {insert fart noise here}
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