Wednesday...



Making beads today. I have cold feet (literally) so I'm taking a break to thaw them out!



I'm heading back down to the frozen studio in a minute. It's very very cold in Atlanta today...sunny but very cold.



I just needed to check in here. I'm trying to go decaf, so I haven't been to Starbucks in a little while because that real coffee is just too tempting.



Ok...that was a quick entry, but I only have a quick break.



ta ta

Totally bummed. Really a bit ticked is the better word for it. I have to be cautious about what I say here because who knows who ever reads this...

I lost my great booth space which I had last year...up front. BECAUSE some big vendor wanted more room and took my space.

Here's what ticks me....I lose MY good space, yet those with other decent spaces got to keep them and those of us who lost spaces are put on the end of the new booth assignment list...so we get what's left.

I ended up with an "ok" space, but it's not nearly as good as what i've had before and I just don't think it's fair. There...I whined about it and hopefully I can let it go now.

It will just mean informing customers in a BIG way where I am...BOOTH 434...Booth 434...maybe search lights. :) At the least I'm going to have to pay for a color ad in the show directory....ugh

I didn't exercise today.
I ate a candy bar instead
I made beads and once again NONE of them were on my "to do" list. I'm beginning to think that the to do list is a "whatever you do don't make these beads" list. Maybe I should use reverse psychology on myself and name a lot of color families that are NOT what I want to work with that day. Today was dusty blue and topaz day. I have no idea how I got on that track from what my original list was...ivory, topaz and lavenders, but there you go...a bunch of silvery earthy beads....so "un girlie"...hopefully they are at least interesting beads when they imerge from the kiln.

I had a whole bunch of icky beads imerge yesterday. Got on a pink kick, but the pinks weren't how I wanted them. I think I liked 2 beads out of the whole bunch. My beads kept growing, so that they became too large for anything that I would use. Arrrrgh.

So...this was my day. Pissyness about booth space, candy bar, and weird beads.

Tomorrow is another day.

(hey! I notice a complete lack of coffee in my recent journal entries...perhaps I need to change that so that I can get back in the groove beadmaking-wise)

All of a sudden I have that stupid Right Said Fred song in my head...

I'm too sexy for my hat...



Only I'm changing it to...I'm too boring to make beads...too boring to make beads...help me!



I am still trying to get used to making beads again and it's not encouraging. I WANT MY EBAY BEADS TO SELL!!!!!!



I hate that I use $ as an indicator of the value of my work, but I do and I put e-bay as a "every bead person" thermometer of how on my work is. Apparently, it's boring! I'm not getting bids!!!!! I know I've been gone awhile and that there are tons of auctions out there (4,000 something I saw today), but dammit (you have to say that version of the word in a very specific, a bit snotty way) I have some good beads up there! I rock at colors and these beads are rockin'! Hey!! Why am I selling them anyways???? If no one appreciates the wonder of these particular beads....I should keep them!



I'm saying a lot of things in a very sarcastic tone here...I don't think I'm all that and a bag o' chips, but I do like the colors I blend together. I think my work is different because I don't sti down to "make sets". I make beads and then blend them into color stories...all different and I think all really nice. I just wish that the e-bay buying public could see the same differences that make my work a little different.



I'm thinking of doing boro for a few days. I'm just not having fun and need a play day.



On other completely different notes...

I am now a swimmer! I have known how to swim since I was a kid, but not to SWIM with good techniques and controlled breathing, good strokes, etc. So...at the urging of my kids' swim teacher...I have been taking private swimming lessons so that I would have the stamina, control and "not looking stupid in the pool"-ness to swim laps at the pool instead of treadmill icky-ness.



Well....I began in November and was a dismal failure at breathing. I just didn't get it...wanted to hold my breath until I was out and then come up for air....couldn't for the life of me get the blow out air while under so that you can come up quickly for bigger breath. I'm sure this makes no sense to anyone but me, but remember...this is my journal and I'm keeping my baby (I have no idea where that little Madonna-ism came from in this sentence).



So, back to swimming...It took until the end of December for me to get the breathing thing down and swim the length of the pool (25 yards) without dying!



So, the big news......



Yesterday I swam 1000 (yes, that's right ONE THOUSAND) yards in about 45 minutes with my instructor urging me on, making me keep going even when I thought I was going to die.



So even better news....I went to the pool solo today...no cheerleading/slave driver and .....



I SWAM 700 yards in 30 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am no longer weirded out, feeling like too much of a novice to swim in the "big pool". very proud of myself that I was self motivated enough to do it on my own.



off to do other stuff.

Here we are...Sunday.



It's been almost a week since I've been here. I'm just not as bloggy as I have been in the past. I'm STILL working on doing store/auction listings for the umpteenth day in a row. I have a BUNCH of bundles of beads going to the store and HOPEFULLY they will be there by today and ready to send out the Sylviebead news....which I wonder if it ever makes it's way to the people who wanted it in the first place....



They never call! ;)



So...once finished today...notice I say TODAY ...I am determined to FINISH FINISH FINISH this by 2:00 today so that I can send that e-mail and hopefully see the fruits of my labor start pouring in. Maybe not pouring, but at least dribbling.



On other not so newsy news. I am spending lots of time researching private schools for my kids for next year. I have favorites, but it's so hard to get into most of them, I have to have several other choices. I'm just wanting to be done with our public school in which my good kid (not that they're not both good...just one of them is getting lost in a non-disciplined world because he's not a squeaky-bad wheel.) gets the attention that he deserves and that my other child gets that same attention as he gets into classes with higher student teacher ratios.



So...once again I'm busy with life and trying to keep everything balanced and STILL make some money.



off to edit.



need starbucks, but can't leave the home. where is that delivery service when you need it!?

I made beads again today.

I was at the post office and wrote the date...realized it's the 5th and got kind of weirded out. I guess that this is just one of those dates that will stick with me.

just needed to jot that down.

ate too many cookies today. Not sure why I am losing weight...am doing absolutely nothing to cause it. Haven't been to the gym through the whole holidays...eating junk junk junk....who knows!

I made beads!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



this is huge!!!!!!!!!!!



it had been 7 months since I had made beads in my own studio...WOW it felt good and weird. I'm a bit out of practice having only made beads in classes.



I did miss it, which I was worried that I wouldn't...but I did.



Today, I'm going to try to make faces again. Hopefully I'll be able to haave the control to do it.



Hooray!



and I've lost another size...which is so cool!



whoooopeeeeeeeeee

I am well!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hooray!

Sitting here making bead bundles...bored with current bead stock. Must make more beads SOON!

Rob finishing new ventillation system for studio...HOORAY!

I am less of a person than I was a week ago (lbs less I mean)

Bringing the grand total to 38 lbs....hooray!

lots of hoorays!

no coffee

shouldn't have caffine anyhoo....need to buy decaf

back to work.