After spending a few hours (yes, HOURS) on the floor in my studio untangling computer and equipment wires I am thinking about my floors again (like how I really need to keep them cleaner- the dust bunnies are overrunning the place and how I really need to stuff those cords into some old vacuum hoses) and how I need a change and maybe a change from the bottom up would be a good thing.
I headed back to the Flor website to ogle their goodies as well as some cork flooring (can you believe all these color choices?) I have been pining for and some amazing little t-shirt covers by Sartoria Vico that are totally adorable (and have nothing to do with floors, but I can't just sit around and think about floors all day now can I)!
So, I arrived home from my great Oregon adventure two nights ago. After some hugs and "missed ya's" and hints of parties that I just don't want to even know about I was finally able to sneak away from my family and head to my studio
(aka the room that used to be called the garage)
which felt oddly quiet with the computer screen blank and I felt oddly disconnected after only 4 days away (more proof that this room is starting to feel alot more like WORK and alot less like fun these days).
I pushed the start-up button on my Gateway and waited to reconnect with the world... and ... NOTHING happened... before I had time to analyze the situation (ie PANIC) hubby caught up with me (it was after midnight) and demanded (ie pleaded) for me to go to bed with him -
(totally NOT what you are thinking)
he confessed that he had tossed and turned all night without me (I did NOT confess that I had slept like a rock without him), so I went off to bed convincing myself that pup Olive had pulled a plug and that my life was not about to implode.
(how long ago HAD I backed anything up, anyway?)
Fast forward about 7 hours and $70.00 later and I am on the phone with a Gateway tech named Tommy.
Now, in the normal, real world I would NOT be taking advice from anyone who called himself Tommy- well, not since 6th grade anyway and would likely be trying to get past Tommy to a Tom or a Thomas or a Thomasina but in the techie world the people named Tommy and Billy and Jimmy are king and I am immediately convinced that he knows what he is doing.
(Note- I never trust anyone over 30 with my computer and drive my hubby crazy when I ignore his advice for that of my 12 year old neighbor Lucy)
Dead motherboard (really bad), maybe dead harddrive (really, really bad), since all of Tommy's diagnoses (is that a word?) involve the world "dead" as in NOT COMING BACK TO LIFE - this is all very bad news.
I wish I could wrap this up with a happy ending, but right now I am still in the middle of "the crash" and using a VERY old computer and my laptop in some strange combination with each other that has me tripping over cords and attempting some leftie mouse maneuvers AND doing really fast research on a new system. Luckily, I do have ALOT backed up on my external- unluckily I do NOT have everything backed up.
Looking at the bright side of all of this-
(yes, I am a very Pollyanna type personality who always looks on the bright side in case you hadn't noticed this about me before)
at least this crash didn't involve the airplane I was on the other day because to be honest with you I never listen to those crash procedures and would be looking around for a 12 year old to tell me what to do- they always seem to be paying attention ....
Me meeting my new little mini me in Oregon pre-crash (Elise daughter of ButtonEnvy's Miranda)
Just a few days until my great solo Oregon adventure- heading to Portland to visit my sister and her family including my new little niece (whose cute little pics show a remarkable resemblance to her Aunt Cat, if I do say so myself). My family is staying put in New Jersey, so I am on my own for this one.
(drops mouse to happy dance around the room)
I have been thinking about proper houseguest etiquette and googled some rules so I don't make a pest of myself.
(not that this is even remotely possible... we are family, right?)
1. Share your itinerary - let your hosts know if you have other plans - easy one to follow since I have no itinerary and no plans. BUT I don't want to be one of those, "I don't know... you choose" kind of guests so I need to come up with something... and it has to be something that can be done in the rain... because this IS Portland we're talking about here...
2. Bring a gift / leave a note - this is an easy one since gifts for the kiddies, especially my new little mini-me, are easy peasy and I know any 4 month old would be pleased as punch to wear (ie gnaw on) a cork necklace, right?
3. Buy a meal - well, I guess if my sister is going to cart me around for 4 days, she can at least get a hot meal out of it, or a warm meal or at least a cold Dr. Pepper - let's see where she takes me ....
4. Never use the soap/razor/washcloth/loofah that's in the shower - that would be gross AND rude (shampoo and toothpaste are possible sharesies though). Also carry your toiletries to and from the bathroom- nothing says "Diva" like a complete bathroom sink takeover. And don't drape damp towels over the antique highboy (not that my sister has an antique highboy, but she HAS been buying alot of stuff lately at garage sales and off Craig's List so I have to be careful).
5. Make your bed- now I have to admit that most days hubby makes the bed around here (most days he also sleeps WAY later than I do) and making is really just kind of straightening so this is also a no-brainer and strip (the bed, that is) before leaving on that final morning.
6. No noisy sex - well, since I am traveling alone this would be a little hard to do and a little sad if I attempted it, but if you are traveling with Mr. Right or Mr. Wrong it is still a no-no in my book.
(and by MY BOOK I mean the etiquette book I am now thinking I should be writing since I am really, really good at this stuff)
So, what else am I missing, does anyone have any other good houseguest tips to share?
1. Sherry Truitt - Custom Destination Vintage Map Necklace (super houseguest gift I think) 2. GetReadySetGo - Upcycled Luggage (except this little elephant bag is mine - get your own) 3. JJill - Dress (I have this in every color they offer and it is perfection- it can be worn over tights, jeans or as a dress- total versatility with this one) 4. NectarJewelry- one of her new Polymer Pendants, total awesomeness 5. StrikeBooks - Pink Paper Journal - nothing screams 'my sister' like pink, believe me 6. SpaGoddess - Travel Size Scrubs - pure bliss in little jars
AND THE WINNERS ARE - First prize goes to Sarah! Check out her beautiful blog. Second prize goes to Nicole of Lillyella - good luck with BOB Nicole- keep him in line!
Father's Day is June 21st and I know your dad (or hubby, or grandpa or even yourself) would love to win one of the amazing prizes I am giving away here!
Yes, that's right I said PRIZES, as in plural, as in 2 amazing Father's Day goodies and that means 2 winners!
So in honor of my own dad who passed away when I was 18 (and who has a special connection to these fantabulous goodies) and my wonderful hubby; both of them avid repurposers, upcyclers, artists and amazing dads - the FIRST PRIZE is:
An amazing 15" square magnet board from Polarity made with a retro cedar record frame that was recycled from an old cedar barn and stained with a gorgeous honey stain. Inside the frame is a beautiful map fabric (dad really won't have to ask for directions now) which covers a piece of galvanized sheet metal which has also been repurposed. It comes with 5 matching 1.5" magnets which have been assembled from sustainable cork.
SECOND PRIZE is BOB. Bob is an acronym for “Bunch of Bolts, a creation in honor of SomethingWhimsical artist Vincent Corona-Evans' father (who also happened to be my father) who used to make robots out of nuts and bolts and copper tubing and pretty much anything else he came across. Sporting a timeworn look, these little guys come on a 20" ballchain and are super- fun to wear. Packaged within an antiqued, weather-worn box, each BOB comes with a very informative (and hysterically funny) 16-page mini-manual.
HOW TO WIN:
Leave a comment about a favorite Father's Day gift or memory OR check out either of these shops and let me know of a favorite item or something that you would like to see us offer - Polarity or SomethingWhimsical
For some big time additional entries:
(10) Follow my blog (10) Twitter this post (10) Blog about this contest, linking to this post
Let me know if you have done these things so I can give you additional entries. Enter up to once a day by leaving a comment.
DRAWING:
Midnight EST on Saturday, June 6th! Good luck!
FREE SHIPPING on any jewelry order in either of my shops through June 6th - Uncorked or Polarity by noting Father's Day Giveaway (or some such something) in the comments to seller section of your order and waiting for a quick refund!
So, I have totally ignored my blog this week, supposedly to focus on other things, although at right this moment I am not sure what those other things could be because I have also ignored hubby, daughter, dog, dishes, laundry - you get the idea - at least I have been an equal opportunity ignorer.
I am usually a bit more on the ball. Maybe it was the amazing weather last Memorial Day weekend (which has been replaced by cold, wet weather ever since - damn!) that has made it hard for me to settle down and get things done with week.
Hubby is a master at this, especially at the end of the month when his shop's paperwork has to get done or we won't get paid. He hates doing paperwork and so do I, but we both kind of like to eat (alot) and have money coming in, so you can see the problem here. The last week of every month goes pretty much like this- hubby spends his evenings spreading work orders and receipts all over the diningroom table, he then spends at least half an hour pinning down the proper calculator, pens, notepad, etc.
HUBBY: "Did you take my calculator?"
Now, I have never even laid eyes on that calculator- but as I said, he is a master and this is a great procrastination move that allows him to maneuver himself into the kitchen drawers and into the fridge and eventually into any leftovers that still look halfway edible. After alot of noisy 'preparation' he sets the livingroom tv volume on its highest setting and settles into a diningroom chair to get to work. Except settling isn't really the right word because within an hour he is nowhere to be seen and I have to hunt him down.
ME: Hey, aren't you going to do paperwork tonight?
HUBBY (found surfing Craig's List on the laptop): *crickets*
We don't actually eat the popcorn anymore, but it still smells really, really good (and speaking of popcorn although not the movie kind- do you ever ask yourself why all microwaves have a popcorn button and all bags of popcorn come with the specific instruction to not use it- just one more thing to keep us up at night).
Hubby and I used to be big movie people; indie films and blockbusters- we saw ALOT of movies. Somehow that changed a bit over the years.
A while back, I truly felt the need to ground myself and escaping into movies seemed trivial and invalid (I know this makes me sound very boring and no fun, but this is the way I was feeling for a long time).
And I am not sure why because I have learned so much from movies. Things that I know are going to come in handy for me one day and things that I would have never learned otherwise. Like no matter how fast you run and how slow the bad guy ambles after you-you will still fall and he will still catch you. And the bad guy is never, ever really dead- so do not drop your weapon and tiptoe around him.
And it is entirely possible that if you are blonde and gorgeous and 22 years old you can still be the world's foremost authority on nuclear fusion. And if I was the blonde, gorgeous 22 year old it would be entirely possible for me to hack into NORAD and start World War III from my laptop (or save the world, I am actually pretty nice that way). I could go on forever, but you can see why it is probably time for my hubby and I to get back into the movie theater- who knows what crucial information we have been missing out on ...
Since it looks like we will not have any time off together until fall and our BonVoyage is becoming a NonVoyage - I have been checking out some trailers of things we might like to see this summer. A summer movie after a summer barbecue seems like just the ticket to get us out of the 'all work' routine we seem to have fallen into lately.
Julia with Tilda Swinton (love her) as a 40 something, compulsive liar and alcoholic looks interesting (and is my favorite kind of down-and-out, can't get out of her own way- movie character).
One of the more anticipated documentaries of the year, a look inside the corporate-run food industry in the U.S, definitely scarier than the Nazi zombies.
Sam Rockwell stars as an astronaut at the tail end of a years-long mission on the moon when strange things starts happening. It's a throwback sci-fi, directed by Duncan Jones; David Bowie's son. What's summer without a great scifi?
Away We Go is about a couple expecting their first baby and traveling around the country searching for 'home'. This one is directed by Sam Mendes and written by Dave Eggers and his wife Velenda Vita (woohoo) and stars Jon Krasinski of The Office, my favorite show (double woohoo!) and Maya Rudolph from SNL.
The story of John Dillinger, but really all I need to say here is Johnny Depp (Christian Bale is in this one also and he HAS been amazing since Empire of the Sun, but after his lighting/cameraman rant- not sure I would see a movie just because he was in it- well, I guess I still would...). Plus the added bonus is Johnny Depp is playing a bad boy and you know we all love our bad boys (I actually married mine, but no one who could see him these days feeding Olive ice cream from his spoon would ever believe me).
This is a pseudo-documentary co-starring Michael Cera and his real-life girlfriend Charlyne Yi, who co-wrote the script, as well. Definitely a must-see.
Not since The Ice Storm has Ang Lee done anything quite like this and Taking Woodstock has an amazing ensemble cast, a great setting and you know the soundtrack will be totally awesome.
Just a quick peek around Etsy for some movie inspiration. What movies are you looking forward to this summer?
After spending a few hours (yes, HOURS) on the floor in my studio untangling computer and equipment wires I am thinking about my floors again (like how I really need to keep them cleaner- the dust bunnies are overrunning the place and how I really need to stuff those cords into some old vacuum hoses) and how I need a change and maybe a change from the bottom up would be a good thing.
