Mosaic Mom

I went to JoAnn Craft Store at 6:30PM last night to get one little tube of acrylic paint to finish the trim work on the mosaic birdhouse. ERROR...FATAL ERROR!

I was 10th in the checkout line with only one cashier! There were 6 people behind me. This is STUPID. JoANN Craft STore. JoANN Fabric stores...I'm saying this so the spybots will find it and maybe somebody in management at JoAnn Craft Stores will read it and fix this.

It was almost a half hour getting out the door with a 5 cent part.GRRR!

Bunny Mirror Mosaic is done and waiting for final photography. Chicken Coop ditto. I'm running behind because of changes requested for the magazine article I sold! Yay!

I was at the Post Office this morning sending off one of the Amazon.com books and I had a wild accident. I would never have believed this!

I was standind at the counter. The man before me had claimed a package and left. I stepped up to the counter.The Post Mistriss was trying to get the laser scanner to read the ticket he had handed her as his claim check. It wouldn't scan.

She pulled the scan gun out of its stand and fired off several shots at the ticket, still nothing. She held the gun while she tried to type on the computer keyboard. That's when the laser beam hit me in both eyes.

I was absolutely blinded!

I turned away and put my head on the counter and yelled at her to turn the thing off. It took a few minutes for the vision to return to my left eye. She was only concerned that I'd be able to drive. I said, well, I'd have to to get home.

All the way home, my right eye was in pain. Still hurts some actually now. And the whole eye is seeing color differently from the left eye. It feels wierd.

Now I understand what those pilots are saying about being blinded by the laser beams in the airplane cockpits. There's really something to this.

I hope to hell this isn't permanent scarring to my vision. I'm assuming it's like seeing a bright flashbulb and it will clear up. It better, Dang!

I think I did it when I lifter that bag of grout...I've got a pain so bad in my left shoulder blade, that I can't get a full breath.

Plant Daddy has rubbed on it and that helps a lot...(thank you, sweetie). I have stood in the hot water of the shower. I have taken Advil and Tylenol till I am sick at my stomach. It is a little better but not great. I will ask Plant Daddy to rub it with Icy Hot later.

Meanwhile it has put me in a grumpy mood. Oh well...at least Suzy phoned. I will go see her tomorrow and get help selecting a color to paint the trim on the bird house and the bunny mosaic mirror.

When I went to Simplex to get a mirror cut to fit, it was dark inside. Eerie, I thought. Very quiet. No one was around. I just kept walking deeper and deeper into the dark quiet mystery until I found someone.

"Power's out all over the neighborhood," she said.

I knew they wouldn't need power to cut my mirror. This is a low tech deal.

Sure enough, since they weren't busy, they took my order right away. Cut the mirror while I waited. That was soooo nice. I enjoyed being in a place without the hum of flourescents and computers.

The only downside was I had to agree to hand over paper money with no change. The cash register wouldn't open. No problem from me. I was one happy customer.

So the mirror's installed and trimmed. Plant Daddy mounted holding brackets on the back. I need to get to Pearl and get a little acrylic powder blue paint to trim out the sides.

In today's mail I received a questionaire from SAMA asking all about my experiences and views as a member.

I really enjoyed filling it out although it was very time consuming to look up all the sales and income figures. I keep those nice and neat in a ledger.

I made my best guess at the expenses...I toss all my receipts into a box and tote it to the accountant in February. I won't have really accurate figures till then.

I also learned a lot having to track sales to sources...galleries, web, commissions.
And I actually measured the square footage in the mosaic studio...1200 sq ft. How about that!
That was an effective exercise for the afternoon!

To unwind, I grouted the chicken coop and the bird house. Plant Daddy got the legs/supports on the Bunny Mirror mosaic.Almost...done...

Happy Birthday, Dear PlantDaddy,
Happy Birthday to you...

Yay! PlantDaddy!

Here's the night before Thanksgiving at Mosaic Mom's...

Bunny Mirror Mosaic needs a mirror. I will hop along and find one today.

Bad day for photos...

Picassa/Hello won't load...

Blogger gets photos all distorted...

But it's the Orlando Sentinel that really got it all $*&%^ed up to start the day. On page E2 there is some starlet showing her nipple. How disgusting is that over your morning coffee!!!

Don't those people ever edit their own newspaper?

student mirror project

This mosaic skull is called “Left Brain/Right Brain”.

I used opus regulatum to represent the organized Left Brain and I used mosaic collage to demonstrate the artistic Right Side.

Chrissy over at Stetson made the skull for Ceramics class and she was going to pot a plant in it. I suggested it might be repairable, or at least make a nice mosaic. Hope she likes it.

Hope it sells and we both make a few bucks off it.

Computer 99% fixed. Photos recovered...Thank God! And now backed up...
No Solitaire yet.

Working along on Bunny Mirror, Chicken Coop, Right Brain/Left Brain, and a Birdhouse.
Weather is perfect for being in the studio.

Mosaic Shoes, Mosaic Shoes, Mosaic Shoes

There are a lot or requests lately about how to mosaic shoes. So listen up,

If you are local, Lake County Community Education is going to run a mosaics class starting in January. Sign up, bring a plain, faux leather pump style shoe and I'll at least get the project started during class.

This is assuming you have some mosaic experience. Mosaic Shoe is a very hard peoject. Getting mosaic tesserae to go INSIDE on that lining is a battle. And BTW, get the largest size pump style shoe you can. You don't want to be struggling with a size 4 when a size 9 will work. No ankle straps. No bows, texture, etc.

Don't bother to plaster the shoe. I have something that's easier. Anyway, I'll post the course registration info as soon as it is available with a link to on line registration.

The computer crashed. Plant Daddy took it to the shop and they got it up and running...but it feels all wonky somehow. Still getting used to new settings...still can't access photos...then my home page redesigned itself...the mail is all screwed up...favorites box is all rearranged...It will take a few days to get back up to steam.

Anyway I had a great day with Ian and Nikki yesterday. Also a great discussion about Bluemner with Favis. Awesome.

A HUGE scorpion got in and Plant Daddy killed it as it scooted across the kitchen floor.

There is some strange road construction project going on outside the front gate this morning. Grrr.

There was a shooting at Mind Escapes Home Depot last night. Fortunately, it was just some drug deal gone bad after closing hours.

This is a test of your digestive system…Proceed to Question 1…

1. It is Sunday noon. You are very hungry. In the fridge is half of a Publix Deli Italian Sub sandwich left over from Friday night. You wondered how fresh the mayonnaise was at the deli on Friday when the sandwich was made. Then you toted it around in the shopping cart and the car for 2 hours before you and Plant Daddy ate sandwiches on Friday. How fresh is that mayo now?

A. Toss this science project out immediately!
B. Oh yummy, the bread is nice and soggy. Eat it.

2. It is Sunday night. You are at an all you can eat Chinese buffet with your daughter. The restaurant is very busy. That’s a good sign. She heads for the hot stations. You load up a plate of sushi, raw shrimp and mussels, wasabi, pickled ginger, chicken salad, and Kim Chee. You are…

A. Insane
B. Suicidal

3. Monday rolls around and you have escaped food poisoning so far. You go with your girlfriend to a restaurant known for its cockroaches and jaded teenage help. You order…

A. Hot soup. Temperature kills germs.
B. Salad. Raw. With blue cheeze crumbles and deli turkey meat.

4. There is no dessert in the house after dinner and you are craving something sweet. You eat…

A. Tootsie rolls
B. Papaya flavored yogurt made in Mexico and the package isn’t even written in English.
C. Both


5. Still with us?...Tomorrow you are going to eat at a French restaurant. You are thinking about….

A. Escargot
B. Cream sauces
C. Butter

Tres bon!

I had an awesomely wonderful day today. I got to spend it in a tile showroom. In the Mastertile showroom. I was helping Bridget change price labels.

There are some absolutely stunning tile goods out there. I wish my floors weren't warped. I could rip out the carpet and install tile. It's be lovely.

We went to lunch at Crispers and,if I may put it succinctly, ...it didn't suck this time. No cockroaches or ditzy servers or filthy tables. It passed. Yay.

Plant Daddy had a nice salmon dinner waiting for me when I got home. How sweet is that. This is a nice day for the record books.

I decided that if and when my mosaic class makes, I will let my students pick one or two of 4 projects...a mirrir, a flower pot. a panel, or an orb.

I decided to make up all 4 projects as samples and teaching guides.

I finished the mirror design in 5 hours start to finish, so I am sure a beginning student can get it done in the 12 hours alloted to class time.

I was going to post a photo, but Mind Escape dropped by the house this afternoon and we ditched our chores and went shopping.

We went looking for her new apartment. She needs a dining room set and a coffee table. Also a sofa to replace the futon eventually.

We had a ball at Haverty's. Scan Design sales people were apparently constipated. Furniture Classics is awesome. But Ethan Allen is the clear winner for the kid. Looks like she found the dining room of her dreams.

What really was great...not even on the shopping list...just a random encounter...she fell in love with one chair she sat in...a leather arm chair...$1800!!! That's our girl!

Kohl’s

They’re new in this area. Their TV ads were cute. They sent me a “Buy $10.00/Get $10.00 Off “ Coupon. So I drove to Altamonte to check them out.

Results:

1. Hard to find the store. They apparently do not believe in signage.

2. Hard to find help inside the store. They apparently do not believe in hiring enough staff.

3. Hard to swallow GETTING OVERCHARGED AT THE REGISTER. Didn’t catch it till I got home and read my receipt. The clerk rang my most expensive item twice and did not ring the least expensive one at all!

Conclusion…I had my one and only trip there. I won’t be going back.


BP

I was empty, empty, empty on gas so I pulled into the BP in Apopka just before 4:00PM. Tanked up, paid at the pump, then decided to go inside and buy some gas gift cards for the nephew for Christmas presents.

I get in line, 3rd, at the cash register.

The first woman is in a heated debate with the manager. Woman claims the manager took her $15.00 but never turned the pump on. Manager claims the $15.00 was pumped and the record of it can’t be seen because somebody else has already used the nozzle. The customer gets furious. Manager sends the assistant manager outside with her to determine proof at the pump.

The next woman is trying to pay for $28.00 worth of gas. Oh No! says the manager. No hundred dollar bills allowed! A pow wow ensues as the lady and her friends scrape their small change out of their purses to pay for gas.

Me. I hand over two $25.00 pre-pay cards to be encoded. “You can’t pay for these with a credit card” says manager. “Okay, bye.” Says I. (sorry, Eric)

November 10th Whatta Day!

So many awesome things happened today, I am amazed.

First, Favis e-mailed. Audiotapes of the Kouba interviews are ready to transcribe and she wants to know when we will get together to start this project! There are so many questions I have about Bluemner; I hope some of the answers are in these conversations. Time and typing will tell.

Since I’m going to Deland to pick up these tapes next week, I hail my BlogDaddy, Ian. He agrees to have lunch with me. Yay! We will meet at the French place. I will get to meet Nikki, who is also an excellent writer. I will get to learn why they stopped blogging. I so miss them.

I phone up Bridgette and schedule to help her relabel some tile inventory. It’s a chore that needs 2 people; one person to look up the new price (her), another to stick on a new label (me). It will be good to have a jaw with her. We haven’t had visit time since the spring. She stays really busy. Sales are good.

After lunch, I type and mail in my instructor application to teach Mosaics in January. I think I have written a good course description. I email the lady to let her know it’s en route. Then I realize I have to write 4 project outlines for the course. Nargh!

It’s off to Writer’s Group at 6:00PM. My Purple Passion plant article is up for group review. It’s cool to analyze what might make non-plant people pick up and read a plant article. One lady tells me Writers Digest magazine just had an article on how to write for the garden market. She said she will send me a copy. How good is that!

Home and settled on the sofa at last, Plant Daddy and I watch a TV show about a nekkid person at a McDonald’s restaurant. Can you spell L-A-W-S-U-I-T ? God, I’m glad I gave up eating beef. Goodnight.

Yesterday a lady came and looked over my work. I guess I was OK enough...she gave me a teaching application to fill out and send in! YAY!
More details once it's finalized...but look for me to be teaching mosaics in January!!!

I went to Publix tonight. Two chubby 9 year old boys were running away from the shampoo aisle, laughing and turning red. When I entered the aisle to pick up soap, I realized what they had done...They had splashed men's cologne everywhere. What a stink! Even now an hour later, I can still smell that musk barf odor on me...BLECH!

On the way home I engaged in risky behavior and tuned the radio to O-Rock...the angry boys station. The song playing was "Californication". I thought it might be Maroon 5.
I got home and googled it...it's Red Hot Chili Peppers! Yay Me! Pretty Good work for a 55 year old geezer!

I had just started the Bunny Mirror when I had to clear my desk for the wedding flowers. I tucked all the cut ceramics into a paper bag and safely stored it away.

Yesterday I fetched out the brown paper bag and began again on Bunny Mirror...only I wouldn't remember how all the pieces fit together. I should have photographed the lay out before I unlayed it.

I had to come up with a new design...and now it's a Bunny and Butterfly Mirror. Oh well, progress not perfection.

A lady is coming to see the studio and my work tomorrow. I am trying for a job...more later about that...don't want to jinx it.

Tomorrow my ISP is going down for "Emergency Repair Operations". Heavens knows something needs to be fixed out here in slowville. But if it's important tomorrow, you'd better pick up the phone!!!

This cat is worth 10 times his weight in gold. He caught the squirrel that had been trying to nest in my laundry room!

Why do I even bother to get on the treadmill?

It's fruitcake season! Nargh!!!!
An Entenman's fruitcake followed me home. Can I keep it?

In the mosaic studio today, I finished the Christmas wreath. It looks great! Got all the hanger hardware on and it's ready to go.

I also finished my hairdresser's Christmas present. Hope he likes it.

Then it was out to the garden. I harvested all the tomatoes that I could then dusted for caterpillars. Grrr.
The broccoli was really wilted so I spent a lot of time watering that.
Later we planted sugar snap peas. Yum! Can't wait.
We took out a cucumber vine that was not perking up after the hurricane Wilma. Will have to start over on that crop.
The lettuce is coming on nicely.

Got a reply from a magazine that I sent some articles to. They had been knocked out by the Hurricane Wilma and only just got their power restored. It was nice of them to contact me and say my manuscripts weren't lost in limbo.

As many of you remember, I had a bad accident 3 years ago. I fell from standing on a chair to reach up while mosaicing a wall over at the high school. I was limpy for a long time.

I remember laying on the concrete, whimpering, and the EMT's took scissors and removed my blue jeans. It was one of the most humiliating experiences ever!

Those were my "best" blue jeans. And in fact, I have not worn blue jeans since that day.

But today, I am going to Sanford and I am going to buy a pair of jeans! Brave me!

Little Mind Escape will join me for lunch depending on the Internet Installer! If her installation technician is timely, she will be back on line and Blogging by tonight! We've all missed her!