Pretty Pretty Bang Bang

I’ve been tracking my weight using the Weight Watchers online tools. Of course, tools are only as good as the person using them. If you don’t use the tools properly then they don’t work properly. So today is my weigh-in day and I dutifully tracked my weight. I’ve managed to lose every week even if it is in small amounts. Well, this week turned around and kicked me in the gut. I’d gained 1 pound. Now, you might be thinking “big deal, it’s only a pound.” But one pound leads to two which leads to three and next thing you know it’s 10 pounds up the road. When I entered my weight on the WW site, because I’m trying to be honest here, I got some snappy reply of “we see you’ve had a weight gain this week.” Well, thank you Captain Obvious. Any more words of wisdom you want to share? The WW solution is to join a local meeting. No thanks. Been there. Done that. Meetings just aren’t my style as I have the attention span of a gnat. I just can’t sit there for 1/2 hour listening to people tell me that carrot sticks really satisfy their cravings for potato chips. Bullshit. Potato chips satisfy your craving for potato chips. Carrot sticks are depressing. Yes, I’m cranky today. However, I’m not going to throw in the towel. I’m going to be careful this week and try to stick to the plan. Now, I just have to throw away that chocolate bunny that’s lurking in the cabinet. The damned thing is just taunting me to eat it.

My latest jewelry adventure involves cloisonne beads. I buy pre-formed copper beads and do all the enamelling. It’s a tricky procedure, but they are really cool looking once they’re done. The first beads I bought were round and oval shapes. While I prefer the look of the round, they are presenting a few problems that may make them unsuitable for cloisonne. The ends, where the holes are, keep cracking and enamel is breaking off. I remedied the last one by putting enamel on the inside of the bead (a tricky procedure) so I’ll see if it works on this one. I hope all goes well, because I love this particular bead. I modeled it off a rug I saw at Pier One. It’s chocolate brown with orange, lime and lemon circles. Very mod and cool. Wish me luck! I’ll be enamelling this afternoon.

I’m beginning to wonder if our house is built on some ancient burial ground or something because we seem to have a large number of two-headed flowers. Last year, one of the gerbera daisies I bought eventually grew a two-headed flower. It was cool and unusual, but we both thought of it as a fluke. This year, we had two different tulips with two heads and just this morning I noticed that the pink gerbera daisy I bought and planted last week now has two heads. I guess it’s true that two heads really are better than one. Sorry, I just couldn’t resist.

With the unseasonably warm weather we’re having comes it’s no surprise many of us have had to dig out our summer clothes. However, many people forget this is April, not August, and have plunged headfirst into the deep end of the bad fashion pool. For starters, everyone has unearthed their Croc sandals and are proudly wearing them for all to see. Now, if you’ve read any of my past entires you know how I feel about these abominations to fashion so I won’t waste time again here. Let’s just say they are better suited for the vegetable garden not the Olive Garden. Second, the warmer it gets the less clothing people tend to wear. It’s a normal thing as we all want to stay cool. However, there’s a limit to what I need to see on a daily basis. If you’re going to take time to dig out your sandals, then take time for a pedicure. If you can’t paint your toenails at least trim them and clean out any dirt around or under them. Ick! Also, I’m sure many of you are very proud of your tattoos. Fine with me; it’s your choice. However, I don’t need to see your lower back or hipbone tattoo every time you leave the house. I don’t care how great your body is, let’s keep abdominal nakedness to a minimum. Halters have made a rabid reappearance on the streets and runways over the past few years and I like most of the styles I see. I don’t like the fact that the lingerie industry has not provided proper foundations for most women to wear these. Or maybe it’s that most women choose not to wear a proper bra underneath their halters. I think it’s probably a combination of the two. Shelf bras sewn into camis and halters are not substitutes for proper foundation garments. There, I said it.

I think I’ll step down from my fashion soapbox now. I just needed to get a few things off my chest.

Ah, the weekend. A time for relaxation. A time for fun. A time for slicing your finger with a serrated knife. Wait, that wasn’t supposed to be part of the weekend. Saturday afternoon Steve baked some bread for Easter Sunday lunch. The first batch didn’t rise correctly and cooked flat so we figured it was fair game for us since the flatness didn’t affect the taste. We ran some errands late in the day, rented Memoirs of a Geisha, got Japanese (of course), and settled down with our sushi and wine to watch a movie. When dinner was over, I cleared the plates and offered to get Steve a slice of bread. Please note: I hadn’t even finished my first glass of wine so alcohol was not a factor in the incident. While cutting the bread, the knife slipped on the hard crust and went right into my left index finger. Of course it hurt like hell and when I’m in pain or am sick my first reaction is anger. I am not one of those whiney sick people. Steve’s starts yelling at me to apply pressure and put it under water. I yell at him to shut up. I told him it was really deep so he starts suggesting we go to the ER. I say there’s no way in hell I’m going to the ER on a Saturday night. He then suggests we go to Urgent Care. I then state (with several profanities) that I’m not ever stepping foot in our Urgent Care after the last two times I was there. Steve suggests I go next door and ask Julie (who owns two restaurants with her husband) to look at it since she’s probably dealt with kitchen cuts in the past. I love Julie because she’s so laid back. I go over there and she asked me if I could see bone or any fat hanging out. No on both accounts. Then she asks if I can bend the finger and feel the tip. Yes to both. She says she wouldn’t bother with the ER. I agree. I then go home, insist Steve bring me my unfinished glass of wine and make him a deal that if it doesn’t stop bleeding by the time the movie is over I’ll consider going to the ER. Two and a half hours later the bleeding is 98% stopped so I bandaged it up and went to bed. Weird thing is that it doesn’t really hurt. So much for a relaxing evening at home. I knew we should have gone out!

Yesterday I went to lunch with my boss and told him how unhappy I was with work. I came down to me spending too much time in the office with nothing to do (except work on my blog, of course). I left the conversation open with the idea that he would help guide me in my decision. Instead he told me he’d been holding back work and he could give me much more to do if I needed it. The time for subtleness was over. I had to just come right out and tell him I was sick of the job and I wanted to do jewerly full time. However, in my chickenshitness ways, I couldn’t just up and quit. Dammit! When I mentioned a leave of absence he said he’d love to support me but he needed me here sometimes. Dammit again! Then he went on to say he was surprised I was still here anyway. I wish I didn’t want the money. I guess it comes down to me wanting the money more than the artistic freedom. I wanted to talk it over with Steve last night, but we didn’t have time before Lara came over to work in the studio. I need to either quit bitching or leave. Forget any words of wisdom any of you have. I’m sure you’ve told me before and I just can’t get it through my thick skull. Maybe Steve’s new position will eventually make up the difference. That is, unless he gets more speeding tickets like he did yesterday. Bad monkey.

I noticed that there are a couple of former Pi Phis visiting my site. I thought we “fallen angels” should stick together and it might be fun to share our experiences. I’ll go first and you can chime in if you want.

I joined Pi Beta Phi my freshman year. I was a legacy as my mom had been in the same chapter at the same college 20 years before. I grew up hearing all of these wonderful stories of sorority life from my mom and her friends, including my godmother. Naturally, I thought I’d have the same experience. Alas, it was not meant to be. The first semester of my freshman year I still lived at home so I missed out on all the fun that surrounded being a pledge. I didn’t get posters and cards on my door, I didn’t eat meals with everyone and I wasn’t kidnapped in the middle of the night. So I started out feeling a bit like a misfit. I moved into the dorms the second semester of my freshman year, but I think the damage was already done. I really didn’t relate to most of these girls. When Rush week started right before my sophmore year, I was anticipating a fun event and meeting new people. That’s when the ugliness of the group surfaced. Girls that I met during Rush who I thought were nice were branded “not sisters” so I began to see the inner workings of the group. Still, I tried to fit in. I think the biggest downfall happened when I started seriously dating a guy from a fraternity that wasn’t “sorority approved.” This guy was really smart and most of my “sisters” were hanging out with the good ol’ Southern boys who liked to party all the time. I preferred the company of my slightly geeky boyfriend and his buddies at the “smart” fraternity. While nobody came out and actually said they didn’t approve, I was encouraged to attend other fraternity events and chided when I dragged along the smart guys. Bonus was that I got really good grades that year. Upon entering my Junior year, the honeymoon with Pi Phi was over. I was angry at them for letting me down, angry at my parents for getting divorced and angry at my boyfriend for dumping me that summer. I admit, I wasn’t the most pleasant person to be around. When the school year came to an end, I asked to be considered for alumni status for my Senior year. However, I had missed the maximum number of meetings and was called in front of the group to explain my actions. Here’s where I might have nailed myself into the coffin. I was angry and closed about my life. When asked about my family situation I informed them it wasn’t any of their business. In short, I was a bitch. Not surprisingly, I was canned. I informed them they could all go to hell. The next day, I discovered who my true friends were and found out that many girls in other organizations were appalled and supportive of me. My Senior year, I lived off campus so running into many of those girls was a non-issue. The whole episode is amusing to me now since I’m a much different person. While I rarely run into anyone from college, I’m always quick to inform them I’m not the bitch I was in college. I’m much more clever now! So, what’s your story? I’d love to hear it.

I finally have my Arrowmont pics done and on a site. Check out my Flickr site for photos from the workshop as well as photos of the “kids”. Let me know what you think!

Steve and I are currently participating in an auction taking place across the street. Mr. Stowe had to leave his house for a rest home and everything is being auctioned. So far, it’s been really fun. Here’s what we have: A tall, white enamel cabinet; two anvils; a really cool old tool box; a micrometer; a great table-top fan; an industrial light; two retro tape measures; a face shield (for etching); a hot plate (for etching); and an old lunch box with plaid thermos. All for less than $100. However, the really cool item is the old Columbia Firebolt bicycle Steve got for $45. Except for some rust on the chrome and cracked tires, it’s in great shape. He’s planning to fix it up and actually ride it this summer.

Update: The auction is over and, luckily, we stayed under $200. Turns out the bike Steve bought garnered rave reviews from a local bike shop. It’s apparently very collectible and these guys are going to get it back into great shape and save all the original parts in case we ever sell it. I got the cutest small box fan, a revolving tool stand from Newberry’s Department Store, a terrific Cosco stool, a standing light, a weird wool blanket I couldn’t pass up for $3, a retro Christmas tablecloth, and some 8-tracks in a carrying case for my brother-in-law. While I didn’t plan on spending my entire day across the street at an auction, I really enjoyed myself and everyone was very nice. I’ve already moved the enamel cabinet to my studio and it was worth every penny of the $12 it cost me. I love it!

Sometimes it’s really nice not to be a celebrity. For example, I just saw Kelly Le Brock on the Today show and, man, she has not aged well. She just finished some new celebrity weight loss show and Today was talking to her and the author of yet another “new” diet. Kelly had gained about 40 lbs since her heyday in the 80s, but it wasn’t the weight that shocked me. She looks really aged! I don’t know if she’s suffering from some weird post-cosmetic surgery effects or what, but she looks puffy and bloated. She lost 31 lbs on this weight-loss show, but has gained a bit since then. I think it’s all in her boobs since she was proudly displaying them on the show this morning. It’s just too damned early for so much cleavage.