Pretty Pretty Bang Bang

Thanks to another link at boingboing I’m laughing so hard I’m crying. This really needs to be seen to be believed.

I ran across this today at one of my favorite sites. They are poems showing the absurdities of English spelling. Try saying them out loud. It’s actually really hard!

Today I’m sporting my new white suit from Tar-jay. It’s weird, but I feel like I need to be strutting down the streets of NYC a la Saturday Night Fever. I actually have “Stayin’ Alive” stuck in my head. I attended a ribbon cutting event this morning and noticed I was actually strutting across the parking lot as I went to my car. Nothing like a crisp white suit to make me feel good! And if you think white makes you look fat, well I received several comments this morning that I looked thinner in my suit. It’s all on how you wear it.

I’ve been thinking about dropping the name “Red Bee Designs” and just being “Tammy Kirks, metalsmith.” I’m not sure how this affects me as a business and if I need to keep the LLC as it is, but I’m just in the thinking phase right now. On one hand, RBD is a cute name and the little bee charm is always a hit with the customers. On the other hand, I want to make a name for myself. Thoughts?

Yesterday was a day of mixed feelings. I was depressed because I had to go back to work and wouldn’t be spending the day in the studio, but I did get to order some new toys! After some searching, I was able to track down my new Roper-Whitney Hand Punch #5 Jr. It’s so cool! It makes perfect holes and the piece that comes out looks like a little pagoda hat. This should be arriving at the end of the week. I also ordered tubing and stainless steel cable so I could play with all the things I learned last week. I don’t know where this all fits in with the current line, but we’ll soon see. Stay tuned for more tool news.

The last night in Gatlinburg was a bittersweet affair. It had been such a wonderful week that I didn’t want it to end, but I was glad to see Steve when he arrived around 5:30 pm. The group decided we’d all go to dinner and Lauren chose an Italian restaurant called Best Italian. Chris and I were both craving pizza and beer and Lauren assured us we could get both there. We’ll, this was not the best Italian restaurant I’d ever encountered. For starters, we were crammed into a table and Chris had to sit on the end which was against fire code. We know that because our waitress made sure we knew he might be moved. After she left, we pointed out that during a fire it would be those of us crammed in the back that would be at risk. Chris would have a clear shot at the door and would not be blocking anyone. Things went a bit downhill from there. While the food wasn’t bad per se, it wasn’t good either. Since when is New York thin crust pizza chewy? I did enjoy chatting with Lauren and Marisol, but I wanted to talk to Chris and Terri and I was hoping Steve would get the chance to get to know them. Oh well. The evening was fun, but I knew it marked the end of my amazing week. The capper was when I discovered the bracelet I’d made on Tuesday had fallen off my wrist and was gone. We delayed leaving this morning to look for it, but no luck.. Still, that can’t dampen my experience. I’ll be back in Gatlinburg soon.

The World Market in Paducah, KY is now on my list of favorite places.
We stopped for a quick break and decided to walk around for moment.
Steve mentioned we could get a six-pack to put in our cooler and we’d
have cold beer tonight when we got home (is that too white trash?) So
we got a six of Spaten Oktoberfest and loaded up the cooler. When we
were checking out, the guy asked to see my ID. I laughed and asked him
if he was serious. “Yes I am,” he replied. I said, “Well, I didn’t
bring my purse but I’m 39.” Then Steve showed the guy his ID so we
could buy the beer. So a big “thank you” to the World Market in
Paducah for making my day.

Today’s project was a rubberband gun made of brass. I can’t wait to post a pic for you. This thing is so cool. Our plan of action was to overthrow one of the other studios and take their chocolate, but unfortunately we are running low on ammunition. Thanks to Terri for the use of an “o” ring so my gun has a nice return. This was supposed to be a short project, but we’re all tired and we’ve been farting around all day so we’ve done nothing today except play with our guns. I stamped a name into mine and I am sporting the “Hot Shot 2000.” Just another day at camp.

I brought along my clock radio so I’d have an alarm clock in the morning. Since it’s an alarm, it doesn’t get the best reception and the only radio station I could pick up (that played anything decent) was Mix 104.5. The music isn’t bad, not good either, but the morning show is really interesting. Jay and Steve are the DJs running the show. One is from TN and has a twang. He’s the funny guy. The other is from Great Britain. So you have this twangy guy paired with a straight-laced British guy. One thing that struck me as funny, besides the duo, is that whenever a crime is committed, they state the name of the person who committed it and their address. For example, John Doe, of 111 Main Street, was charged with manslaughter for the death of Jane Doe. It’s really weird.

Today I was given my camp nickname. Jim (aka Stanley Tucci) started calling me Bubbles. Apparently, it’s due to my obsession with circles and the fact I’ve drilled or poked holes in all my designs. Now I feel like a real camper.