July 31st, 2006
Well, the days of me bitching about my job have come to a close. I lost it today. Actually, I was told that the company could no longer afford to pay me (or another girl) because it was on the verge of bankruptcy. So I’m not a loser, I’m just someone without a job.
I guess I should be mad because I didn’t have any fair warning and haven’t budgeted for this, but I’m not. I really hated it, as I’ve posted in the past, and I feel really neutral about the loss. I have talked to a couple of clients and told them I’m available for freelance work. I called my editor at 417 Magazine and told him he could send more stories my way. So I’m working on making some money. This week, for the most part, I think I’ll work in the studio. Maybe my mind will be clear enough for me to come up with something exciting and new. If anyone knows of any part time work in the creative field, let me know.
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July 31st, 2006
Tonight was another feast at the Kirks’ abode. This time it was smoked salmon and pork chops for mom and Burl. The pork was a bit overdone due to some overheating on the smoker at first, but the flavor was excellent. Steve even smoked the corn on the cob and it was voted the only way to cook it. So here’s what tempted our taste buds tonight:
Smoked salmon with Penzey’s Northwoods Seasoning, pork chops with Penzey’s Galena Street Rub, smoked corn on the cob, spinach salad with pears, feta and pecans (thanks mom!), fresh tomatoes left over from last night, more hummus and baba ganoush, and an ice cream pie for dessert. Yummy!
Tomorrow - the serious dieting begins!
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July 30th, 2006
Last night we had Matt and Sarah over for a Greek feast. We had bought authentic gyro meat at Fairway Supermarket in Des Moines and wanted to share the wealth. In keeping with the Greek theme, I made Kourambiethes, a Greek shortbread cookie, on Friday and we spent Saturday finishing the menu. Steve made pita bread, hummus and baba ganoush to round out the menu. The only thing that wasn’t authentic was the alcohol. We had Fat Tire beer and white wine with dinner. So here’s what all we had:
Gyros on homemade pita bread with cucumber/yogurt sauce and feta cheese.
Kalamata olives and cracked green Sicilian olives.
Hummus and baba ganoush with Wheat Thins (also not authentic, but ya gotta have something to dip)
Fresh tomatoes from Matt and Sarah’s garden - yummy!
Kourambiethes.
To round out the evening, Sarah and I watched our favorite parts of “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” while the guys talked computers in the living room. It was a great time.
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July 28th, 2006
It’s another exciting edition of “Topic of the Week,” brought to you by our good friends at prettyprettybangbang.com. Why the commercial? It’s because our topic is: What was your favorite TV shows as a kid? And if your reply is, “back in my day we didn’t watch TV, we played outside because it was good for us,” then you probably don’t know what the I-N-T-E-R-N-E-T is and you’ll never read this. So, here’s a small list of some of my faves:
Sesame Street - I remember being really ticked it was interrupted by the Watergate Hearings.
Captain Kangaroo - Mr. Green Jeans taught me how to make pig sounds.
H.R. Pufnstuf - I really think Sid and Marty Kroft smoked something good before creating this one.
Green Acres - This show inspired my sister’s nickname which still lives today!
The Partridge Family - Ooo! That David Cassidy was so hot! I even had all his albums.
The Brady Bunch - Carol was a snappy dresser and I even had a kicky shag haircut because of her.
Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom - “Let’s watch while Jim wrestles this large alligator. Ow! That has to hurt!”
That’s just the tip of the TV iceberg for me. What are some of yours?
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July 27th, 2006
Confession time here. Last night I had the most nutritionally void dinner on the planet. I had a pint of craft beer, 4 potato skins and a 3 Musketeers bar. Yes, that was my dinner. What am I, in college? I don’t think I ate that badly when I was in school. Guess sometimes, you just have to eat crap and enjoy it - which I did!
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July 26th, 2006
Here it is, July 25 and I’m thinking about Christmas. Guess I’m just wishful thinking of cooler weather. Anyway, as I posted earlier, I’m having trouble wrapping my brain around ideas for a spectacular piece to enter into the holiday gallery show in November. The piece must be finished by the end of September, so that’s why I’m in a rush.
Yesterday I started playing around with a 3-D Christmas tree pendant. The sort of thing comprised of two flat pieces with slots in them so that they fit together and form a 3-D piece. I cut one out of copper to make a sample and the thing is actually coming together. I was worried about sharp edges on the tree, but I think if I tumble polish the piece, the edges will soften. For the jump ring, I’m making a star. I’ll have pics as soon as the thing is done. However, I’d like to do something else since I can enter two pieces, so keep the ideas coming.
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July 25th, 2006
I’m having an artist mental block. I desperately need to create something wonderful and I can’t think of anything interesting to do. This all began when I received my rejection letter for WinterFest and decided I needed to make something really interesting to submit to the next show. I thought my slide presentation might be a little off so I met with Sarah to discuss them and got some great feedback. Apparently, they were too stale. The photos are wonderful, but they lack that little “oomph” needed to make my pieces pop. Ok, so now I know what to do there but I’m still left with creation problems.
Next up is a juried holiday show I create a special piece for each year. Two years ago I did a granulated snowflake pendant that won Best in Show. Last year I did a cloisonne holly pin/pendant that won Juror’s Choice and Purchase awards. I have no idea what to do this year. A pinecone pin has been suggested and I’m thinking about that. Anyone have any great ideas? I’m looking for something funky and fun. The piece must represent any winter holiday or winter itself. Keep in mind, most of my pieces are heavily influenced by the 1950s and 1960s. All ideas are welcome!
So, what have you done when you’re in a rut? I’ll make this my Topic of the Mid-Week!
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July 21st, 2006
Well, last week’s topic received a whopping zero responses, but I’m not one to give up so here’s this week’s topic:
What is your favorite book? The one you read over and over again?
I actually have two: To Kill A Mockingbird (I reread it about every 18 months or so) and In Cold Blood (a favorite of mine before the movie - which was outstanding)
So, take some time to cool off in front of your computer and let me know what stimulates your brain!
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July 18th, 2006
Everything is in a state of flux. Things at work are weird, the jewelry biz is at a turning point, important people in my life are in the middle of big decisions, you name it. I had a little emotional setback this weekend when I was informed that I didn’t make it into the WinterFest show here in Springfield. This is a show I did last year and it was incredibly successful. I guess I was feeling a little smug about my chances of getting in and I got rejected. It was my 4th application to a show this year and my 4th rejection. So now I’m facing a holiday season with no major shows to do. All I can think is, “How will I get the money I need to go to Arrowmont next year?”
So now I’m licking my wounds and trying to come up with a plan. I’m going to do a show in St. Charles, MO in December, but I don’t know much about it so I’m not sure how successful it will be. I know there’s never a guarantee of success in a show so I just have to take chances. At least I’ll be showing in a new area so I hope to be well received. I’m just crabby and feel the need to purge. This is just one roadblock in the world of art that must be conquered. I’m sure I’ll see the silver lining of this cloud soon. I just want to complain.
Anyone need some great jewelry?
Update: I just received an email from my Des Moines gallery. I asked if they were interested in another trunk show around the holidays and they said “yes.” Well, that’s a start!
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July 18th, 2006
It’s going to hit 100 here today. I don’t even want to know what my utility bill is going to be. I try to keep the air set at around 77 during the day, but it’s just so hot. It’s sucking my will to live!!!!
Despite the intense heat, it’s so cold in my office that I have my space heater on. Yes, you heard right, my space heater is on. Maybe I should start doing aerobics in my office to stay warm.
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