What's Going On ...

Shopping in Rio Catalog

...is quite dangerous, I must say...I've wracked up quite a nice total and am contemplating just how badly i NEED what is in the shopping cart...sure, i want to play with the new Bronz PMC clay, I mean who doesn't? plus, i also want to do some keum-boo that I learned at B&B...so, I must think about this and come back to it...i'm sure my session has timed out so if I even try to buy the stuff in the cart, it'll say I have to start over...i like window shopping!

So, I do have a redirection vent on order, and that should, hopefully, solve my a/c blowing on my torch problem...I didn't know those redirect things were even available...I guess ya'll who have floor vents are used to them - so you don't burn your legs while sitting in the living room, eh? good call...makes sense...lets hope it works its magic for me when it arrives...I'm counting on it...

New Harry Potter trailer and poster, fun stuff...the movie looks good, but then they all look good...how cool is the young kid who plays mean little Voldy...Brian wants to go see the new Mummy movie this weekend, JUST so we can see the trailer before the show...ha...good popcorn afternoon kinda thing...

There are 4 cardinals at the bird feeder right now as we speak, I've seen as many as 6 there are any given time...all the cats have come inside after a quick morning romp in the dirt, so the birds now feel comfortable coming back to eat...they are everywhere...I hear them in the front yard, I see the males swoop and chase each other, even the females will get snitty with each other at the feeders and chase one another, although its much more tame than the males...there are still two nests in the rose arch I wonder why the need to build a second nest...they are both empty now, they are only used for breeding, not for living...fascinating...

I've got stuff to do today, and have farted around enough this morning...need to get moving...hope you have a great last day of July...today is Harry Potter AND J.K. Rowling's birthdays...rock on!

In case you were wondering...

What is the deal with the beads and why aren't there any for sale on my site...Great question, I'm happy to explain what is happening at Casa Blackberry...

I am currently set up in the house, out of the dark and dreary room I was formerly in and into a new space with brighter windows, where I can see the birds and feel like I'm part of the world, not locked in a dungeon...however, my desk/setup/torch is right under an a/c vent, which blows right down on my torch...is this a problem, you ask?...well, yes it is because with the flame blowing around, I'm unable to make beads w/ detailed stringer on them, nor can I use any metals/foils because they all blow away...trust me, I've tried NUMEROUS times and its not working...

Now why, you ask, was I able to make beads not too long ago...I've been moved into this space for months, and there were beads before...Great question, here's the answer - not too long ago, the a/c would kick on around 6:00pm, thus, no affecting my workspace much at all...if I could jump on the torch by, say, 10:00am and get some real work done, then I was able to make beads pretty well...granted, I am not a morning person, nor do i do my best work at 10:00am, but I could get rolling by 2:00 and have a good 4 hours before the wheels fell off...NOW, in June, July and soon to be August, the a/c kicks on around 2:00pm and runs nearly nonstop until about 6:00am the following morning...crazy, i know, but it does cycle on and off as it sees fit, and our bills are actually LOWER than they were in Austin because the house is so well insulated...but no matter how much insulation you have, when its 98-105 degrees for weeks on end, the a/c will kick on...and thus, I am screwed...

We have been looking into studio options, we have some designs, and money to build, but the builders haven't been easy to work with...I have found some local houses (very small) and commercial buildings, but nothing has quite panned out there either...So I'm stuck....My options are - get the studio built asap, which we are trying to do...sign/buy a commercial space, which we are considering, but those aren't always available in small country towns, relocate my studio in the house, but seriously, there are a/c vents and fans in ALL the rooms, so I'm gonna get this same condition no matter where I go in this house...We are also talking to our a/c dude to see what options he can suggest so I don't do anything wacky and end up burning out the a/c motor (like blocking said vent)...

As a result, I'm really just in stasis until i can get this worked out...should I buy a property that is over priced, just to get into a studio? I'd prefer to have a garage/studio in the yard, but we've had weird dealings with the contractors and its making us nervous to go ahead, for fear things will spiral out of hand in the middle of construction...

And there you have it...my dilemma...and everything is up in the air at the moment...I don't like it...its no picnic for me...I am antsy and want to work/play and I can't...muy mal...

i'll letcha know how it goes, what we settle on, when I'll be back on the torch, have beads, blah blah..in the meantime, I'm trying to keep you entertained with interesting trailers and such...I see the new Harry Potter trailer is out, and Tom Riddle looks scary-good...ooooo...

I'm not in control of this website...

Right after I updated yesterday, i tried to go back to my blog and enter new info, but I kept receiving a MYSQL error...thinking I myself had damaged the code in the index.htm page, I recopied the code that I knew worked, but that didn't fix it...all day yesterday I would get this error and could not update...when it was still happening this morning, I started to think perhaps there was more to it, and after some quick Googling, I discovered that the error was a damaged socket on the host site...Brian contacted the host site, and now its all fixed...yeehaw...I hate when I can't update, its like being locked behind a door, hearing the party going on the other side, and not being able to find a key for the lock...and of course there's no way to alert Ya'll that I'm sitting here unable to get thru, so its even more frustrating...alas I am not in control of those site, as much as I like to think I am...someone else's hardware issue can cause me to go dark...interesting...

I like to get in the garden for the handwatering, and do a little weeding (thankfully we don't have much weeding to do) and check out the flowers and bugs that are visiting them...the gigantic bumblebees are still floating around the mystic spires and most everything is doing ok, but some plants are suffering from the heat...over 100 all this week, and frankly since May we've had non-stop searing heat...I'm thankful for the submatic, at least the garden isn't a total loss...and everything out there is native, so its used to this kind of weather, and you can just tell which plants thrive in the heat and which ones would rather hide under some shade...the blackberries are getting too much shade, they've just stopped growing, but are still green...i'll prob have to relocate them this winter...the roses are going bonkers, tho...if I stand out there long enough, they will strangle me...the thorns are the size of indian arrowheads...yowza...but I do like the bugs and enjoy finding them...I haven't seen many this year, tho...even the mosquitoes are gone, which isn't so bad, really...

Why so serious?

We finally caught an early showing of Dark Knight and it was really enjoyable...the movie never really slows down, and I noticed that there is music, or drum beats thru the entire thing...it never gets quiet (at least I don't remember it getting quiet)...the theatre was packed, but the usher found us a nice high seat (stadium seating, nice) and we really enjoyed the whole thing...if I had anything negative to say, it would be that Maggie Gyllenhaal sucks all the air off the screen...but whatever, the movie isn't about her...I guess you have to have a rest between the exciting parts...I want to go see it again...

The house looks good, its time to put the dog bed and cat beds away (there are certain blankets that the cats like to sleep on in the evening, but I like to put them away during the day to keep the living room looking nice)...everybody here is still tired and snoozy, I like the mornings like that...its sunny and quiet and the day is just starting...no stress...

I'm already missing the Tour, I would get up, turn on the tv, let Phil and Paul's voices blather in the background while I got the day started...by 10:00 or 10:30 I knew it was time to move into the next phase of the morning...

I have found a little game on the iPhone that I am kinda addicted to right now...the designers published an update, so now there are more graphics, noises, and bright lights to keep me occupied...must..stay...away...from...the...phone...talk about a time suck...!

Phone calls, appts., wallpaper removal, the day is full of tasks that need to be done before this afternoon...skip to the loo, my darling...

Grab a mop...

Its house cleaning day...cat litter boxes, bed sheets, vacuuming, it all needs to be done...I'm watering the front yard, and hand watering the back...the bees are going crazy at the water bowl and bird baths...I have to sit under the fan to cool off, even tho I've pulled my hair up, and put on a tank top, its still hot and humid out and it doesn't take long to get gross...I like house cleaning day, I mean I don't look forward to it, but it needs to be done and it looks so good afterward that I can't complain...my life is pretty easy compared to the poor people who came thru Ellis Island back in the day, so I think I have it pretty good...80's music playing in the background (who doesn't like Thompson Twins or The Cars?) and a nice sunny/shady day to enjoy...

I watched most of the end of the Tour, they were still doing laps on the Champs when I left for breakfast, so I'm assuming nothing wacky occurred...Good times...This always signals the end of summer for me, cause back-to-school stuff is already in the stores and kids will be back in school in the middle of August once again...I'm seeing football training camp on the sports channel and I'm trying to avoid any football info right now, cause that's supposed to happen in September to declare its 'Fall' and the changing of the seasons...

Bette Davis went outside yesterday like she normally does and we haven't seen her yet today...she grew up outside, she has her hiding places, so I'm not TOO worried about her, but she has been really good about coming back when she's hungry and wants to come inside for some affection...I would think I would hear her cries if she was lost or in trouble...she really likes it outside, so it wouldn't surprise me if she was just hiding out under the house, enjoying the bird watching...at least that's what I hope she's doing...

I've started hunting the internet for interesting Halloween things to add to my very early collection of treats...I have a small collection, nothing like what I've seen on the craft shows where someone owns 460 pieces of jack-o-lanterns or something like that...I just like the holiday, I like the colors, i like the whole 'scary witch, spooky vampire' vibe with black cats and hoot owls...my collection is not 'professional', its just junk that I like...so I think now is a good time to start looking for new pieces to add...I want to paint part of the hallway to showcase what we have, but I'm not sure what to paint it...purple? lime green? orange? perhaps yellow would be the easiest to live with...I'll figure something out...

Busy busy weekend

We may try to catch an early showing of Batman tomorrow...but its selling out so much that we aren't sure we can get in...and then we are still trying to find someone to take pity on us, take our money and build us a garage...why is that so hard, I wonder...I still can't believe that a simple ONE story garage was quoted at over $50K...crazy is all i can say to that...there are 3bdrm houses for sale out here for less money...not exactly palaces, mind you, but they have 3 bedrooms, a kitchen, a bathroom and a place to watch tv...some of them even had their own garages...I still keep shaking my head in disbelief...whaddya gonna do...I guess we'll just keep on a lookin' for a place we can work with who will listen to us and not get confused by our request for a picture window...I'm curious to see how this all plays out, and what is gonna happen...will we have a garage eventually? will I have a place to put all my stuff in a proper studio? will I be old and wrinkled (too late!) before its actually built? ha!!

Doctor time for doggie

Its time to take puppy to the vet for her yearly checkup...in the past, the vet's office was so old and small, we would just drop her off and pick her up later..but they are in a wonderful new facility that is huge and we get to stay with her, which is fine with me, but she is not fond of other large dogs and it makes me a bit nervous...I just don't want any problems...little dogs she doesn't mind...the other day I went to the vets to pick up some of Amelie's special food and there were loads of dogs in the waiting area...I asked if we could sneak her thru a side door this morning, and they said they'd be ready...more than likely there'd be no problem, but the last place I'd want her to attack a dog or get into a scuffle would be where a dog is sick, injured or stressed...covert operations...

I'm feelin' the bead bug getting stronger...I'll be back on the torch full time shortly and putting out my next color scheme...I have it in my head, I'm just not sure how it'll turn out...I also expect the choices to be fewer, more like the Cowboys and Clementines choice...It seems that I've been making more and more and more beads to choose from and I don't know that this color scheme would lend itself to loads and loads of beads...but it'd definitely do a small selection like the C&C set...which is perfectly fine, i think...there was plenty of interest in those beads way back in the day...was it a year ago? I forget...

The Tour is winding down, the Alps are done, and they are heading back up thru Eastern France countryside...tomorrow is the time trial and that'll pretty much be the end of it, unless the times are SOCLOSE that someone could make a move on the last day in Paris, but that's not really how the Tour works...however, if you're only 3-5 seconds behind, you might decide to try and win...I think Lance won one year w/ a 20 second lead, but everyone knew that if any attacks came, they'd be hunted down (and probably beat up off camera...heh)...I'm not rooting for anyone in particular, its all good for me...I just can't believe how fast it all came and went...Football season is only a few days away and then we're back to College Football and everything is right with the world again...yeehaw!!!!!!

Things that I don't 'get'...

I found the Lamborghini pics, finally...they were hiding on my phone, which I forgot I had switched to a new model...der...

I'm not mocking these, making fun of, or saying they are bad - at ALL..I'm just saying, I am not wrapped up in them, I don't understand them, or I am not moved by them in any way...

The Desert is Cooler than Texas - A friend of mine lives both here in Austin, and in New Mexico...Its now July...she travels back and forth and proclaimed that she was 'shocked' by the heat in Austin recently, because it was in the 70's at her home in New Mexico...How can that be? Isn't New Mexico the desert? Should it not be 110+ in July in New Mexico? What am I missing here...?

The passing of a Golden Girl - I've been reading all my fave gossip blogs (mostly written by gay dudes) and they are beside themselves at the passing of Estelle Getty...I have nothing against poor Estelle, she seemed like a really nice person, very friendly and sweet...she's been very ill for a very long time, this was not a surprise passing (like, say Tim Russert who just dropped one afternoon), and she hasn't been on tv for like 100 years...I'm sorry she's gone, but these dudes need to pull back a little and take it easy...its ok...we all go some time...

The Need to Stand In A Hurricane - A small hurricane has hit the far southern tip of Texas (like 5000 bazillion miles from my house) and there are local Austin reports who have RUSHED to the storm to stand in the wind and rain and tell us that 'there is no electricity' that 'the winds are powerful' and that 'no one should be out in the storm'...REALLY??????? Are you SURE?????

Folks Being Upset At Rich People Spending their OWN Money in their OWN way - I thought once you made money, it was yours to spend how you see fit...I mean, as long as you aren't smuggling animals, people or nuclear arms into the country, are you not allowed to spend your own earned (or inherited, or lottery won) sweet sweet moolah? I've seen two recent examples lately, where people have are outraged at Candy Spelling buying a condo for $47mil...the house she is currently living in is 56,000 sq.ft...think about that...I think its worth $125mil or some nonsense...but its HERS and she can do what she wants, can't she? why not? I don't care what she buys, what Bill Gates spends his $58Bil on...last time I checked we were allowed to buy what we wanted...butt out, Gladys Kravitz...

Well, this is a new thing...

Clementine (11) has started something new with me...she's always disliked it when I talk too loudly, laugh too loudly, make too much noise...it makes her nervous and she needs to come and 'comfort' me to make me quiet down...but the past few days, she's started biting me and making complaining noises...she still purrs, but she yells and then bites my arm...her teeny teeth can't really do any damage, but she doesn't stop...she just keeps biting me until I hide my arm from her, or pet her enough to placate her...its crazy...I thinks she's going loopy in her old age...she also complains/yells at me way more than she used to...I remember Bennie did that as he got older...11 is old for a cat, but not as old as say 17...I wonder what else I have in store for me as she continues to bite me...its all I can not to laugh in her face...I'm surprised at how much anger is in her little bites on my arm...she really means what she's doing...chomp chomp...

I was smart enough to turn on the Tour this morning and catch the exciting Alpe du Huez race...love that mountain with it's 21 switchbacks...always fun to see the crowd run right up to the riders, throw water on them, chase them with their flags waving, nearly fall down in front of them...I saw one dude running w/ his buddy - he was dressed in a black Speedo...at least he wasn't fat..I spotted the Devil, dressed in all Yellow this time...I still enjoy the Tour, even tho I'm not as devoted to it as I was previously...

I had a contractor come to the house to quote building a garage studio in our backyard..I've already had another guy out here, but his communication is sad...so this new contractor comes out and gives me a hellaciously high quote for just a garage...and pretty much doubles it for the studio above...wow...I think I need to just pour the concrete and put up the wall studs myself...outrageous...not that it was his fault, the price of everything has gone up w/ the fuel costs to move it..but it was waaaaaay out of any price range I anticipated...there are 3 bedroom houses out here selling for the same price as he quoted...I guess we will have to keep working on the studio solution and garage situation and see how it all plays out...I've been scouring the town and found some possible solutions...need to go follow up on them, I think...

Simon watches television

Here's the latest Simon cartoon...cute, as always...feed me!

I am having sporadic success at the torch...meaning, I like some of the beads I made yesterday, while others were not so hot...not a big surprise...I have pulled some really pretty neutral colors and am not sure how I want to use them...I made some trolls, but thought they were rather FUGly, so yuck...but the colors are still sitting there, looking at me, and I want to give them another go...I'm sure something will come about...I am in a pushme, squeezey mood - I want to make unusual, weird shapes and let things just happen and call it art...I do not feel like lining up my soldiers in a row, I want to feel the wind on my face and let my skirt blow around me...move and groove to the music, not march to the anthem...I am in a weird, strange place right now, there's a lot of stuff going on around me, like a tornado that I'm in the middle of...maybe its the anticipation of a few storms being thrown our way from the hurricane that is supposed to hit tomorrow...I can only hope we get some rain from it...maybe even a little wind and some cooler temps...103 can only last till the sun goes down tonight right?

Its National Ice Cream day today!

5:45pm We've spent most of the day tearing the carpet out of the living room, and rearranging the furniture...it feels like a whole new room...with cats and a dog, having carpet is just not practical, and we LIKE wood floors, and this house is loaded with them...now the only carpet in the house is upstairs, which is a new addition and not wood floors...I think we can live with that, the dog doesn't go up there and its a fairly nice, big space that is easy to vacuum...the living room is small and full of furniture and getting a large vacuum around it was impossible..now I can just pop the extension off the Dyson and go hunting for the cathair...easy...we moved the sofas to either side of the room and that has opened up the window so we can watch the birds in the garden...the baby cardinals sound big and loud, I think they'll be fledging today or tomorrow...I need to remove some pictures and hang new ones up, the layout has changed, which makes the pics not work in their current location...

So, I think tomorrow I'm gonna spend on the torch...don't be surprised if you don't see me, unless I find something really groovy to update here...I feel like taking a break from the computer and iPHone and just getting some work done...I like to work, and its way over due for me to get back on the torch...the trick will be figuring out what I wanna make...which is always the challenge...I need to bond with my torch again...I'm excited to hear what OGSI says about my machine and how much it'll take to get the higher powered model delivered...yeehaw!

Sunday...Sundae...getcher ice cream today...there's no excuse...I want to see you load your face with whipped cream, bananas and hot fudge...yum...!

Are you enjoying your summer? Take it easy...go in the yard, look for a new bug...take some weeds out...listen to the birds...(we have new cardinal babies in the nest, i think they are ready to fledge already)...listen to the world...its time to disconnect from the electronics and plug into the dirt...I'm heading out to do it right now...rock on babies!

Bok Bok Bok!

We learned all about chickens today...apparently they need shade, here in 'hot as hell' Texas...who woulda guessed? Oh, I'm being nasty because it seemed as tho the speakers kept saying the same thing over and over, and it got a little tedious, because there were SO MANY people there and I think each one of them had their own questions, which of course made the lecture run really long...outside, in the sun...but the info was good, I wrote lotsa stuff down and we got a page full of local sources for chicken stuff...I don't think we'll be setting up a coop just yet, we have other more pressing things to work on, but it was the only lecture this year, so we showed up...we also walked the butterfly garden, and everything looked great..we have most of the plants they do, but they had loads of black swallowtails flitting all over, whereas we have not many...did I mention we had a monarch the other day...that surprised me...I hope it was a 'she' and she left us some eggs...

Since it was still early, we headed to see Hellboy II and it was fun...we aren't even trying to get into Dark Knight, its all sold out except the 11:00PM showings...no worries, we'll make it eventually...plus we wanted to see Hellboy and it was fun...and I got my favorite goat cheese salad, so all is right with the world...

Other than that, its a regular summer day here...we are hiding out indoors and will venture back out this evening...cats are sleeping, and I might just make some cupcakes, who knows...I like to bake, I end up baking stuff more for the process than to eat the finished product...is that odd?? I like to give away the food, I make Brian take it to work just so I don't eat it all here...but I like mixing bowls and wooden spoons and cookie sheets...cupcake tins...kitchen timers...I'm not a cook, but I do like to bake...guess that's why I make lasagne more often - cause its an assembly that I bake...the problem is - 5 days of left overs...ugh...after awhile i can't look at a lasagne...sheesh...

We spotted another Smart Car in Austin, this one was HOT pink with hot pink wheels...custom paint job...really cute...didn't get any pics, sorry...but man are those cars teeny and funny looking...i love them!

Count some more...

Check out some really nice pics of George at the Dallas concert...Brian took a buncha shots on his phone - and then accidentally wiped them off (d'oh!)...I didn't take my brand new phone, for fear they would confiscate it...but of course they didn't, so now we are scrambling to find Dallas concert photos online...sigh...

Here's another counting video, a mash up from the Feist video from yesterday...there are some fun bits in here, I enjoyed it...muppets rule, I swear...

The generator is out of the house, awaiting the Fed Ex dude to haul it away...that's progress, considering the poor thing broke before I went to Boston in MAY...

I pulled out my disc cutter and started working on my etched copper sheets yesterday - only to discover that the cutters are stretching the copper sheet as I hammer it, so instead of giving me clean circles of copper, its pulling the metal and now I can't release it from the die...nor can I find the tin snips I bought to just cut the copper away...so, it is sitting here waiting for my next move...I'm turning the kiln on today instead...I'm not in the mood to deal with this copper right now...

Warner Bros. is doing a good job of cross promoting the new Dark Knight movie...last night on cable, the movies Batman Forever (Val Kilmer), Batman and Robin (George Clooney) and Batman Begins (Christian Bale) were all on at the same time...plus, Biography was featuring the career of Christian Bale, and of course the talk shows are filled with the actors from the movie...LIKE they need anymore publicity, people are flocking to the movie in massive droves...Fandango says 90% of its ticket sales are for Dark Knight, its already sold out over 700 screens (5 in Austin already)...this is gonna be H U G E...and I'm glad, cause I hear the movie is really good...its not just an ogle-fest of seeing Heath in his last performance (how unfortunate is that), but its a good movie that will entertain...i'm looking forward to going, next March, when the lines die down...

Tomorrow I think we are heading to Our Favorite Nursery for a chicken seminar...we are too 'city' to just buy chickens and throw them in the backyard, we need to know how to house, feed and care for them...is our dog going to chase them all the time? will snakes find them and hunker around for the eggs? what about when it rains buckets, will they know enough to stay dry...we have no idea, so we must take a class...you know, about 150 years ago, they knew how to handle chickens just fine...here we are, with all our technology and brains and we don't know how to grow chickens...I like the idea of living in a simpler time, when I can use my iPhone to find the local farmers market and use the internet to order up some chicks from McMurray's...heh...

Can you count to four?

If not, this video should be a big help to ya...catchy but not annoying...unless you watch it 385 times, then I can't be held responsible...

I have to keep the pics of GM on my site for a while longer, I'm still enjoying looking at them...it was such a hoot to see him dancing and moving on stage, after seeing his videos for years, to get to see him move in real life was really cool...I've been listening to the set of songs (playlist) that he performed in Dallas, and finding some YouTube videos of his concert in Houston and other places that've been posted online...maybe they'll film one of his shows and we'll all get to enjoy it...I see he's doing two shows in NYC, I bet that'll be a hoot...

I was really busy yesterday, I actually hauled out my generator (all 75lbs worth), and packed it in it's shipping container...I think it'll head out the door tomorrow via Fed Ex...and maybe a new, bigger model will return to me...it lasted 4 years before it blew out whatever it blew, that's pretty decent, I think...its not exactly broken per se, it just sprung a leak in one of the hoses and I just am not able to figure it out...the more it huffs and puffs, the more i get frustrated with it...let the expert fix it, and if it blows again in another 4 years, then I'll deal with it then...i think most of our cars need repairs more often than every 4 years, so i'm not complaining...at least I have the backup unit, even tho it seems to get hotter than I'd like...but whatever...

The dog is barking at me, she's ready for her walk...

I dug out all my copper etching sheets and cleaned them yesterday...even pulled out the 3rd grade remedy of lemon juice and salt to clean a few bits and it worked great...i tore up a few SOS pads, so be it...a couple of the sheets etched longer than the others, the grooves are pretty deep...which gave me the idea of working on thicker copper sheet and etching it longer to get the deep grooves (so it doesn't etch thru)...not like that's an original idea or anything, but I think I need to try that out...and find my disc punch and start punching out some shapes today...I have a set of dapping punches and block that are still in their packing box...i think maybe i need to haul this stuff out and use it...i just don't have a lot of horizontal space to set it up, but once i get a studio (eventually, hopefully, good grief) then I should be a jewelry-machine...we can only hope...

And now, the reality sets in...

Ha- I have this new phone and just found out my car charger, which works fine with the previous model, does NOT work with this new one...nice...is that how they 'getcha'?...At least it fits in my old phone holder, so I don't have to buy a new one of those...but I've been playing the iPod on the phone as well as surfing around and the battery is draining F A S T...so, I thought 'i'll just plug it in while driving the dog to the park' and well, no soup for me...does not work...I was lucky nothing happened that I needed to call about, cause I had like 2 seconds of juice left...its plugged in now, getting all revved up, and I guess I need to go shopping for a new car charger...I hate to be w/out phone battery juice, so I always buy the charger with any phone I get...

Isn't that exciting??? I know!

The dog and two cats that go outside have been SO happy to be out there, they've been rolling in the dirt...letting me know just how happy they are...I bet it has something to do with being home, ya think?

Yes, I HAVE been wanting to get on the torch and make beads...actually, I have a bit of a hankering to make some metal projects first...I think I wanna hammer, hammer good...I still haven't done anything (including finishing cleaning the copper!) with the etched copper sheets we made at Lydia's house a week or two ago...I think I need to pull out the SOS and get busy...what do you think? I have some new hammers from Janice Berkebile that I can use too!

Speaking of which, if you have a free weekend in September and you are interested in learning some VERY COOL techniques, please visit Hill Country Artisans Retreat and sign up for the Janice/Tracy classes...I've already signed up for THREE of them myself, and I wanna TAKE THEM, so I am shooting word out in your general direction that you should come to Austin and take them with me...I dunno if Austin City Limits is that weekend or not, but you could send your husband to the festival while you come hammer and pour resin and make gorgeous goodies...c'mon, you know you wanna!! (me too)...

I think George Michael kicked my ass...

Wow, I was completely exhausted from the concert on Sunday night...it was a blast, it was loud and bright and I sang the songs I knew and faked the ones I didn't....la la la WOOO!!! It was great to see George in person, and really weird when I think back to when I first saw him in 1983 and where my life was back then...that's a LOOOONG time ago and here I am today...in a completely different place, at a George Michael concert...after the concert there was a party at the W hotel, where we were staying, and of course we woulda loved to crash it, but there was no way it was gonna happen...great big goon dudes were making sure only the 'right' people were getting in, there were crowds in the lobby, we were just trying to get to our hotel room, so I said "yeah, we live here", and the most amazingly gorgeous blonde woman standing in line waiting for George turned around and looked at me...I forgot that there were actual condos that people really lived in there, and here I was all sweaty and gross, saying that I 'lived' there...ha...I found it all very amusing...

Brian made friends with mega-George fans from Oklahoma City who came down to Dallas, and there were other folks who were going to the Monday concert last night in Houston, having paid $800 for second row seats there...thankfully, our tickets weren't anywhere near that price, even tho we were really close...I just don't think i coulda made the trip to Houston yesterday, I was so tired, my voice is hoarse, my muscles are sore, I was too tired...

While killing time in Dallas, Brian wanted to see if he could get an iPhone for himself and his boss, so we hung out at the mall, which was actually pretty fun...lotsa Sunday mall-walkers were gawking at the growing line, and one wealthy old-money Dallas grandmother (dressed to the nines, perfect hair and sunglasses) came over and asked me what we were in line for...i told her 'for the new iPhone' and she blasts back at me - "i thought we were in a recession!!!"...as if we had no business being there...I thought 'Lady, you are wealthy enough to buy and sell everyone of us in line (about 30 of us at that time) and you are spewing about a recession?"...I just laughed...so we upgraded my phone, but because Brian's phone has to be on his business plan, he has to go thru AT&T directly and of course they don't have any in stock, so he went away empty handed...the new phone is pretty groovy, it feels good and I like the new Apps...I've found one that makes the phone sound like a Light Saber from Star Wars, and another that speaks Spanish phrases, and even a little role playing game...

I hope you enjoy the GM pics and videos...he played the song he wrote about getting caught in the men's bathroom in the LA Park (called "Outside") and he dressed up in a cop's outfit when he sang it...I was gonna link to the video here, but its rather racy and I didn't wanna burn your retinas, so if you wanna see it, go to YouTube and find it, but don't blame me...and if you get a chance to go see him, you should...its worth it!!

Cletus the Slack Jaw Yokel and his wife Brandyne

Wow...! I know that Austin in a laid back, hippy kinda town and Dallas is a metropolitan chi-chi kinda town, but we are experiencing that first hand right now...We're in the W hotel in Dallas, and its like we're in our own music video, with all the fancy dressed beautiful people, high falutin shiny black cars (there was a Lamborghini in the parking lot last night and I have pix!) and modern blue lighting all around...its hilarious when we come strolling in the lobby, what with our denim shirts and croc sandals...we feel so country and out of place...no one is being rude to us, I'm sure no one even CARES, but it just is SO obvious that we are not part of the pretty people...I saw 3 women (25-35yrs old) on the town last night in their spiky heels, fancy dresses, sprayed to the hilt hair, sparkly jewelry and loads of makeup...Brian says when we walk by these ladies (no they aren't pros, they are just Dallas, and they are all over!), he says a massive whiff of perfume follows them...I can actually taste the alcohol in the air, which I thought was hair spray...its CRAZY and we are cracking up at it all...

Its a quiet day for us we are gonna do whatever we feel like and then walk across the street and hang out with George...its gonna be fun and I'm looking forward to it...I'll letcha know how it goes...

The dog is diggin her new bed

I felt like I should get the dog a new sleep space for her time at camp this weekend...she's had a few beds, all of which she's chewed into oblivion...I'm not sure why she does it, she's not under a lot of stress, but we've had to throw them all out, and now she just sleeps on the living room floor and does pretty well...but now, her new bed is here and all the cats have had their turn playing on it, sleeping and making forts on it...but tonight, the dog had her chance to claim it (she'd never kick the cats off, but they were smart enough to relocate once she loomed over them), and she's quite happily sleeping on it right now...so, I think that'll be successful for her...I also picked up a new bouncy toy, and have rounded up her food and chew bones, so she's gonna rock...

I took her to the camp this morning and she met her bunkmates...a rottweiler named Zoe lives just 2 doors over from her, and Zoe's buddy (can't remember his name)little pug lives in a small crate just outside of Zoe's stall...so, there'll be friends to keep her company...I left for about 30 min and returned, and while she did bark when I left, she was quiet when I returned and was actually just laying down, relaxing...its all good...I think there'll be no problems...and I hope I didn't just jinx myself there....

After watching all the hoopla going on w/ the iPhones today, i was glad i wasn't in line...but the good news is that all the Texas stores seem to be stocked w/the new version...I waited until after 9:00pm to run the upgrade on my phone and its pretty sweet...I can do mass-delete on my email messages, and the Apps program is awesome...I've already downloaded an English/Spanish translator that actually speaks the phrase in Spanish for me (cool), and an app that lets me control my iTunes on my PowerBook via my phone...(ultracool)...I grabbed a version of Pandora for the phone as well...so far its been a great experience and I'm not sure I NEED to get the 3G version, but I'm sure we'll go LOOK at them at least, and Brian really needs one, so we have to go...of course...

Doggie Day Camp - Round 2

So, yesterday went well...Lady had a great time investigating the facility, everyone seemed to like her, no one was afraid of her (they deal with dogs, they aren't really afraid of dogs, but any guard breed can spook people, understandably so...)Today is our second trip there, where they've asked me to leave Lady for about 30 min and then return, to show her she's not been abandoned...she's not gonna like it...the one good thing is, they have built small stalls that look like mini- horse stables, so she'll have plenty of room to move around and won't be in a metal cage, which she will not enter at any cost...I think she'll enter the stall, in fact, she walked right in with me yesterday...the trick will be closing the door and walking away...she doesn't like being separated from the fun and she's not gonna dig it...at least there are no other large dogs being boarded in this space, so they COULD just let her have the entire run of the area if they need to...and they said they would do that for her if she freaks out...

Mostly I don't want them to get hurt, scared or injured while dealing with her...while no one expects their dog to become violent, it can happen to any breed at any time...i've been bit by a big dog who was in stress, and it was a neighbor's family pet, so I know it happens...I'm hoping these advance trips will make everyone's life easier and I won't be making an early return drive Sunday morning...

Ok, who out there is standing in line for their iPhone today? Anyone? I heard there was a line at the NYC store that started LAST Friday...good grief people! Its just a stupid phone...I love mine, but there ain't no way I'd go stand in line overnight for one...who has that kind of time in their life to spend on the sidewalk? Don't they have jobs, kids, pets, responsibilities? I guess not...I am eyeing the new version, reading up on what the new features are, and will probably upgrade, but in my own time, when I have the time and not today...I have dogs to deliver!

I guess I need to get a move on, the place is about 30 min from here,and I have stuff to do before I leave...which means I'm already late..d'oh!

Doggie Day Camp

I'm taking the dog to 'camp' today and tomorrow to get a feel for a nearby spa where she'll be boarded (hopefully) over the weekend while we go to the George Michael concert...did I really just type that? Crazy! But for as long as we've had the dog, over 3 years now, we've never BOTH been away from her at the same time...its not because we can't bear to be gone from her, its just that each of us has left town on our own projects, like Bead and Button, or Brian going to Denver on business...at least one of us has always been here...its only a couple of days, I think/hope she'll be fine, but she's used to her own schedule, her own backyard, her own people and while she absolutely LOVES anyone she meets, she does NOT like being put in a cage...I think she musta had some kinda of trauma with it, and while we've tried to rehab her with a new cage (crate?), she's never taken to it, no matter how many treats, toys or fun times we've spent trying...

I have this fear that once we get to Dallas, the spa will call us and say we have to come pick her up...I'd probably just drive back and get her, and let Brian stay for the concert if need be...and he could fly home...so we are gonna see how she does today and tomorrow, if she'll settle in or not...Cesar makes it look so easy and friends who have dogs say things like 'just put her toys in there, she'll be fine' but it doesn't work that way...she's smart and she's not fooled by tools...and she does not want anything to do with that cage, no way, no how...and no matter how much we leave the cage up so she can wander in, she won't...and I won't force her into a place she is uncomfortable, that is no way to make it better...the spa suggests we get her a companion puppy - something for her to bond with and take care of...seeing as how she's had a litter of puppies, she'd probably do great with a puppy, but I don't know that I can convince Brian to get another dog, nor do I know that we want one...there's a lot going on with it, and we just have to work thru it and make the best of it w/out causing more stress for everyone...

I wish I was more creative...

I have never had a sense of smell, although I can taste food, but probably not to the degree that you can..which is probably why I like spicy foods, add lemon to meals and don't get hungry when i walk past a bakery...There are good and bad parts to having no sense of smell...here's a Slate article by a woman who has lost her sense of smell and really suffering for it...

I have a desperate love of rings...I LOVE rings...I've been reading Carrotbox for a long time now, and she posts wonderful rings from all over (as well as sells wonderful, reasonable rings)...Check out these rings!!!

Well, ya'll are doing a bang-up job of analyzing my dream...What did I eat before going to bed? A cheese pizza from Wolfgang Punk...Puck...our grocery store sells them...it was a 4 cheese and it was TASTY and DELICIOUS...but I only ate one piece of it, and it wasn't spicy, but it mighta had something to do with it, I can't disagree there...Now, last night for dinner I had, and I quote "Hot and Spicy Shrimp" from the local Chinese place, and I don't remember a single thing about my dream...rats!

Anyway, I wish I was a more creative designer in my dreams because you will be HIGHLY DISAPPOINTED in my earring and purse descriptions...trust me...I think that's why i was so confused as to why anyone would even WANT to buy these earrings or purse...I mean REALLY - the purse was one of those small clutches that were popular in the 70's- the fine gold mesh that would sparkle and shine and felt good when you ran your hands over it...like mini-chainmaille, but not made of rings, you know what I'm talking about, right? Good grief, WHY would a 'rich' person be fighting over one of those? I have no idea how much it actually cost in my dream, I just remember two women would dueling for it, and when they asked me how much it was, I just looked at them and walked past them with a look of disgust...

Now, the earrings were a little more classy, but still pretty boring...square cut diamonds, set in a platinum bezel, but the ear wires were really long, so they hung down fairly far...no class, no purpose, and rather boring...I don't even know if the chick liked them on me, cause I took the car off the roof while she was looking at me, and then jumped out of it while she was still in it...I suppose I still had the earrings in my head, huh! I didn't even think about that...

But I think the hot dogs were tasty...I love hot dogs...why weren't there any pretzels??

So, my new situation is thus - my ring finger on my right had has been hurting for the past week, maybe longer...not the entire finger, just the last knuckle...when I was in middle school, we would have gym class outside - field hockey, running laps, doing track, playing softball...one day we were playing softball, but we had no gloves, so we just tossed the ball gently and didn't whack the ball too hard w/ the bat..no problem, right? pretty much, until I caught a ball that jammed my ring finger and made the last knuckle bend down ever so slightly...you can't really see it, I know its there, but guess what - it hurts...and I wonder if its arthritis...its not debilitating, I can function, but if I have to make a fist or grasp something, it starts to protest...loudly...I dunno if I've injured it recently, I tend to do that and don't even remember knocking into things...I have a high tolerance of pain and don't fret over getting hurt, but then I pay for it later when I have mystery injuries...when did I smash my arm into something to create that big black bruise, I wonder...I dunno...why is my back hurting? Probably from planting in the garden, but I don't remember...I just hope this finger thing stops hurting eventually...is it just the beginning of the end...am I really getting old? I don't FEEL old...amputate!!

We've had delicious rain the past few days...I put new windshield wipers on my car in February when the car was inspected, and yesterday was the first time I had to use them while driving (other than just cleaning the windshield when its full of dust)...and they work great...after my last set, which wouldn't clean part of the most critical viewing area (I had to actually hunch down to see thru the cleared area with the old crappy wipers), I was pleasantly surprised at how well they performed...As you can tell, I live a full and exciting life!!!!

What could this possibly mean?

...in my dream last night I'm at some kind of large convention...I'm not sure what the purpose is, as I travel from large grouping to another...at times I'm pulled in to help pop popcorn and sell sodas to people who are at a baseball game...next, I'm driving a Smartcar around with a girl who is interested in buying some diamond earrings, but she wants to see how they look, so has asked me to wear them so she can see how long they hang down the face...as i'm modeling the earrings and driving around, I find I've driven on the TOP of some buildings that are huge and covered in grass and pretty lawns...then I realize I cannot get from this building to that one w/out jumping the gap...so, I back the Smart up and floor it...and of course, I don't make the gap, and come landing down on the ground hard...but, being a dream, it doesn't harm the car, we just toodle away...and somehow I abandon the car and enter the building where a bunch of rich women are shopping for expensive new dresses, purses and jewelry...but am trying to leave the showroom and keep getting pulled back in for assistance, since there are so many questions to be answered and there are no 'offical' people there to help...am I part of this convention? did i organize it? why is everyone asking me for the price of a purse or diamond earrings? I am just trying to get out of the room, and finally I push my way out, and end up back at the hot dog stand, but this time i have a book - I think I'm supposed to be doing homework and am now late for my class and I haven't read the required material...they are asking me questions and i don't know how to respond - and we end up taking a field trip around the convention...and then it gets fuzzy, something about I have a bag with a gift certificate and the winner has come to claim it, but I can't find it, then I find it, but can't find the winner, I think I was waking up at this point...

I liked the part of jumping the Smart from one building to another, tho...I musta thought I was some kinda superhero or something...and of course, in the dream, I didn't let the car bust into a million pieces, we just landed and kept going...

And why would someone want me to put diamond earrings in MY ears and then buy them for themselves? Wouldn't you want to try on the earrings YOURself? I wondered that in the dream too, but she wanted to see them on someone other than herself...i found that odd...

I guess I'm gonna let it go, I mean my dreams are usually weird/wacky and I don't read a lot into them...sometimes celebrities show up in my dreams, and once a co worker showed up, she was in a large beautiful library, standing in a bucket and yelling at me...I still have no idea what that was about, but I found it really funny...she did too...cause she never yelled at me, and we weren't really close or knew each other very well...I like dreams, they are like weird puzzles that I can't solve, but still enjoy the story...

That cat sure is smelly...

Brian took the dog to the school for a walk yesterday...and apparently she found a baby skunk...which was ok, until Mama skunk showed up...thankfully, Brian pulled the dog away from the whole shebang, and kept a massive accident from occuring, but apparently a 'warning shot' was given and there were some stinky fumes lingering...I need to keep an eye out when I walk her in the field, because she will find all sorts of interesting things to investigate...I figured she'd find a snake before a skunk, so who knows what else lurks out there...it is truly the country, its a big massive field full of sunflowers and who knows what...

I'm up early to get things done before hanging out learning some new techniques for etching with my B&B friends...I made cupcakes last night and decided its better to frost them after I get there - otherwise they'll get messy all over the car...AND I think I'll be driving w/ the top UP this time, its just too hot and sunny, I'll arrive all sweaty and gross and no one will want to be within 100 feet of me...

I've actually seen more of the Tour than I expected to the past two days...pretty good...and I caught the end of Wimbledon yesterday...when we left for breakfast, they were just starting the match..when we got home 6 hours later, they were finishing...crazy...I'm amazed at the power they exhibit after 6 hours of play...that's why they make the big bucks...I didn't have a pref for anyone to win, I don't follow tennis like I used to, so I have no dog in the hunt...but I do enjoy watching top athletes at their best...

And with that, I have to go take care of lots of stuff this morning...too much to cram into a few hours...and the dog is now barking at who knows who...quiet down dog...

Tour de France 2008

The Tour starts today...I am gonna watch today and probably keep up with it over the next few weeks, although it wont be like the days of old when I would wake up at 6:30am during the week just to watch...I do hope everything goes well, every year they say it will be 'dope-free', but every year something ugly turns up...Apparently the committee hasn't invited some teams to participate just due to their previous reputation for doping...So, none of the 'big names' are there this year, and that's ok with me...I'd rather see a bunch of no-names that are clean than big-names that are dirty...wouldn't you...

We spent a lot of yesterday outside enjoying the yard...I planted the backup bronze fennel, and a new purple pepper plant...that was all I could do, it was blazing hot...this morning I'm watering everything in, including the trees...exciting, I know...

Happy July 4th!

Here are pics from Celie Fago's Bronze pieces that I was telling you about...she had these with her at B&B and they are tasty and delicious...

There's a parade starting at 10:00am in our little town...the Miata group was invited to be in a parade, but its WAY far away from me, so nuh-uh...I was in a July 4th parade w/ the Miata group one year - and the people who we were driving thought we were handing over our cars to THEM so they could drive them in the parade...these were local officials, mayors, city council, of a teeny town and i guess they weren't the smartest folks on the block...Sure, take my car to drive however you like, while I stand on the sidelines and watch, no problem!! One official had brought her husband and son to ride in the car along with her..Have you SEEN a Miata up close? two seats...that's it...there's no space for another human being, even to sit up on the back of the trunk...I still remember her face and how disappointed she was that she couldn't take everyone in her family along with her...I guess thinking ahead of time isn't something politicians do, is it...nope...

Anyway, I am NOT in any parades this year, I am just a gawker on the sidelines...and that's ok with me...driving a car at 0-2 miles per hour, up slight inclines is not exactly great on the car's transmission or clutch, or even brakes...so I'm happy to let others be in the parade while I eat hot dogs on the side...fair trade...

We'll keep the dog and kitties inside tonight, and keep an eye out on wayward firecrackers...the ground is tinder-box dry since we've had little to no rain for the past 3 months...crispy, crunchy and extremely dangerous is how one person put it...and yet, folks will still set off the explosions and we have to make sure nothing lands on our roof and burns thru...its not new, we've gone thru holidays like this in the past...we just have to be vigilant and keep an eye out...I expect things to be fine, the folks out here don't have a lot of money to spend on fireworks so I think there'll be the loud crackers, but not many dangerous, flying ones...I'll probably water the lawn today, just to make things a bit wetter...One year in Austin, I woke up and found close to 40 bottle rockets in my back yard...the neighbors across the street had been shooting them and they seemed to direct them at us...we didn't like those people, they were obnoxious and evil...I even called the cops on them one year (after that year) because they were setting off really big and loud fireworks that were illegal in the city limits...idiots...and I don't ever call the Cops on anyone for anything...but when everyone on the street came out of their house after one of the fireworks exploded so loudly, we thoughta car had blown up, I knew they needed to be stopped...and now they live far away from me and I don't have to deal with them any longer...ha!

Oooo...shiny things!

You know of my love for shiny things..so while looking for an animated July 4th gif to post for the holiday, I ran across some NEATO shiny spinning objects and decided I'd rather (and you'd rather) look at those for the next few days and not some stupid cartoon dancing around...aren't you pleased? I'm always thinkin' about ya, babe, keepin ya happy, not freakin' with your world...its a good thing...

There's not much going on here...I've been lazy and rather enjoying it...it actually rained here yesterday, something I haven't seen in weeks...it cooled things off from 100 to about 88 and that, my friend, is a nice day...I took the dog for a walk, she ran thru the countryside scaring up whatever she could find and I think she was ready to go home before I was...I may even plant some of the replacement bronze fennel I bought the other day...the swallowtails are doing some good damage to what we have, and I need to restock...Isn't it funny - I have a pic of a butterfly on a plant, and there's no color in the picture...how can that be???

I'm busily (buzily?) looking up silly license plate possibilities for the car that I want, but won't have for at least a year...I figure I might as well secure the plate NOW because it might be gone later...so far, I've come up with lots of possible names, and I dunno when Texas is going to change from the 6-digit to the 7-digit plate, but it IS coming and I wanna be ready when they are available...

Will you be cooking out/grilling tomorrow? We live in a town KNOWN for its BBQ, so i think we might just be buying a nice stash of pork ribs and loads of extras...Brian, being the vegetarian that he is, will eat all the sides, and lemme just say, they are GOOD...potato salad, beans, cole slaw, banana pudding...tasty...I like some pork ribs, or chopped beef sandwiches w/ plenty of sauce (yeah, I dig me some BBQ sauce, blasphemous, I know)...We gave our grill away a few months ago - we don't NEED it when we can get all the good stuff just down the street...I use the extra propane cannister for making beads, anyway...I mean, who needs it for the grill?

Enjoy your holiday if I don't see ya for the next few days...I dunno what I'll be doing, making beads, gardening, going for drives w/ the top down, who really knows...I hope ya'll enjoy the fireworks and I'll see ya in a few days...rock on!

Its List Time!

I haven't listed a list of lists in awhile, so I thought I'd do that today...I finally started visiting some old sites that I forgot about when I moved onto my new Mac, and now I'm going back to locate these old sites for valuable information...So here ya go..

In honor of summer brides, find out where all these weird traditions come from...

But...is it Scrumtrulescent? Booya, indeed...

You may or may not know Don Hertzfeldt's work, but he's one of my favorite animators...Here's a piece I've never seen before - Genre

I remember King Vitamin and Frute Brute...I still miss my Space Sticks, tho...NASA makes a mean breakfast food...

What do you know about The Fourth of anything?

And finally, if you're a Simpson's fan, you might recognize Troy McClure from such films as....

Where is the breakthru?

Pee-ewww...I finally fired up the torch/kiln yesterday and played...I had ideas, i wanted to see them thru...and they stunk! Wow...Not that I'm really all that surprised, just disappointed...I wanted my ideas to be cool...I can picture them in my head, I know what they ought to look like, but getting there might be a little harder than expected...I'm not giving up, I just have to try again...we'll see how it goes...

Guess what today is!!! The second part of the year starts today...half the year is gone, can you believe it!?!?!?! It feels like Christmas was just here, and it was 6 months ago...which means, of course, its 6 months away...and will be here before you know it...The Tour de France starts July 5 and once that ends, football season starts in high gear and the Fall arrives and its a quick slide to the end of the year...yeehaw...

I think I'm excited cause we are baking in the summer heat and I'm ready for it to get cool again...

Have you seen the new Bronze PMC clay that is coming out? I was lucky enough to see a lot of pieces that Celie Fago made when I was in her two day ring class, and lemme just say, this stuff is great...My favorite piece that she had on her table was in all actuality my most favorite piece of the ENTIRE SHOW - her bronze bracelet of small snake rings...if you have the latest issue of Art Jewelery, you'll see a huge picture of it on page 52, I think...Its also on many of the PMC Bronze advertisements...it is the most awesome bracelet, I'm tellin ya...She had cool snake bangles, carved elephants and hands, disks as pendants, and really beautiful colored patinas on much of it...but I liked the feel and color of the ring bracelet...All of the bronze pieces looked like something she dug up on an excavation trip to Egypt, they had an old, aged look to them...apparently you can sculpt this stuff, unlike PMC silver...the creator of the product, Bill Struve was at B&B wearing some large pendants made w/the clay...He's also working on a COPPER PMC too...be on the lookout for that...