New Things

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I cannot wait until this Saturday show is over and here's why: I need to get this first outdoor show behind me so I can stop obsessing. I'm overthinking things so much I am even boring the snot out of me. Poor Jen at work - I'm surprised she doesn't run & hide when she sees me coming. (Wait. Maybe she is, some of the time. How would I know, right?)

I sucked it up the other day and peeked at the forecast for that area for Saturday and it's 60% chance of thunderstorms. Not regular rain, people - thunderstorms. Hey, shit happens and I'm going to run into this from time to time with outdoor shows - might as well get some experience from the gitgo.

I think the biggest hurdle is the often-mentioned tent weights. Leaving them until the last minute was making me crazy.

I finally decided on a 2' length of 3" diameter PVC pipe, filled with sand and capped at both ends. We'll use 2 straps on each to attach it to each of the 4 legs of the tent. White, unobtrusive, heavy, quick to make - very do-able.

I bought the fixins for one the other day to test my theory. I used the primer and the cement and attached one cap to the pipe - worked great. But it said to let it cure two hours before putting weight on it so Simon filled it with sand and capped the other end when he came home from work, after I went to bed.

I was worried it wouldn't be heavy enough even though I know sandbags are heavy. This morning when I checked the one that Simon finished last night - dang, that's heavy!

This morning he went to Home Depot and bought the materials and made the other 3. Bless his heart, he did a great job.

I didn't get as much practice with the tent as I had planned but oh well. It's not hard.

I feel guilty dragging Steve to Syracuse with me for a little over 24 hours. He'll have plenty of Steve time to work on his laptop and read in the hotel room, the same stuff he'd be doing at home.

Enough, Stefani. Shut up already.

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My laptop is wheezing it's last breaths of air. I mentioned in another post that it wouldn't recognize my camera so I couldn't download photos. After the quilt show, it didn't recognize my credit card reader, which momentarily scared me because I had over $300 in credit card sales in there. I had the customers' phone numbers but I didn't want to have to call them for the rest of the credit card number after impressing them at the show with my handy-dandy card reader. (It worked fine with Steve's laptop, just like my camera did.)

Then I realized I hadn't had sound in a while. I fiddled with the settings - everything is grayed out in that portion of the control panel. It could not be fixed.

That's the 3rd strike I was waiting for I guess - time to buy a new laptop. I went to the HP website, just to get an idea, and built the machine I wanted. I printed the spec sheet. It was $711. Not too bad. I was tempted to order it right then and get on with it but I forced myself to wait and check with the guys at work. Sometimes we have access to "deals". My friend in Purchasing found me the exact same unit I was looking for, nice & beefy, for $445.

Thank goodness cooler heads prevailed and I made myself wait a few hours - and saved almost $300! Talk about a no-brainer, eh? I was stressing over spending the $700 even though I use the hell out of my laptop - it's an integral part of my business and my life. But I can spend $445 without batting an eye. I'll have it Monday.

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And I just got back from the eye doctor's. If my eyes were any more dilated, they'd be inside out, I think. I pick up my new glasses next week. I had new lenses put in my old frames 4 years ago, the frames I had purchased 6 years ago. I don't know diddly about fashion but I know I have been dying to get new frames!

My current glasses are wire at the top, rimless at the bottom. In my head I'd been envisioning my new self as the naughty librarian.

Turns out I'll be the naughty librarian with GREEN Banana Republic frames! I was looking at dark frames when I remembered I'm an eccentric artist so I started looking at more colorful frames. Get this though - the most colorful frames are for kids and younger people so they aren't made to accommodate bifocals. What's up with that?? Thank goodness they always provide a helpful person to steer you in the right direction. A mere mortal could get overwhelmed at the volume of frames available. I kept saying to her, "You'll tell me if I look stupid, right?"

The frames are tortoise shell with a green rim or something. They don't look atrocious at all, quite the opposite. Snazzy, I dare say. I tried to find a picture online but I didn't catch the name of them and even the frames online are all starting to look alike to me. Guess you'll have to wait for the grand unveiling next week.

I need a haircut too, which will add to my sassy new look.

I think it's time to spring for a new Stefani photo too. I knew I couldn't use that one (upper right of the blog) indefinitely - but I was going to sure try!

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Saturday, June 20, 10:00-5:00

Unity's 8th Annual Arts & Crafts Festival

300 West Seneca Turnpike, Syracuse, NY 13207

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