Pilot Boy and I bought a house.
At the time, it sounded like a great idea-- own our own home, be able to paint, decorate, destroy, etc to our heart's content and not have to ask a landlord if we could. Also, no longer throwing money away on rent! Whooo!
Granted, if I had to choose a place to buy a house, the one where we did, I wouldn't have done it. BUT, there were like no places to rent, we need a house, and we'd spent three years saving for a downpayment. (Of course, we assumed we'd be going to either South Carolina or Washington, not middle of nowhere land...but WHATEVER.)
We found a house on the ONLY day we looked at houses. It was like we were in our own House Hunters episode. We had three houses lined up to look at and choose from (not going to count the last house we looked at, as it was a duplicate of the one we bought, only plastered with carpet). We picked third house, as it felt right and didn't require a lot of TLC. I liked everything about it except the paint. You can change paint.
Flash forward a month and here I am, sitting in MY house sweating to death because the A/C broke last night.
Yeah.
It broke. The motor that pushes the air through the house gave up it's battle to cool me down and went kaput.
I lived the last three years without A/C. Anchorage doesn't do A/C. What do you do in Anchorage when it gets too hot to exist in your house because while the weather man keeps telling you it's a lovely seventy degrees, he fails to tell you that in direct sunlight it's 110 and no breeze?
You go to Fred Meyer. (Seriously, it was the coldest place in town when it got "hot" out.)
I think the hottest it got in the house the three years without A/C was maybe seventy-five. And I was MISERABLE. (I managed to drag my trip to Fred Meyer out for two hours that day...)
It's seventy-seven in here right now.
And it's just gonna get hotter.
Brilliant.
After discovering the reason it was so overly warm in our bedroom, Pilot Boy tried to solve the problem. Upon discovering the issue, he called the so called several twenty-four hour, seven days a week maintenance places.
No one answered the phone.
Bloody brilliant.
So, the first weekend with furniture in our house, we're going to bake to death. (Along with Basil Bea, the black dog who sunbathes while outside then wonders why she's hot.)
I expected the house to have some minor issues...besides the whole let's paint the ceilings the same color as the walls, find the most annoying shade of gold and use it and some sort of strange paint effect, but whatever. Paint can be changed! (You keep telling yourself that, Ireland.)
Yeah, it was annoying the oven and fridge weren't cleaned. Yeah, I don't understand why the microwave sometimes turns itself back on to move the tray back and forth after use. It was annoying when the water dispenser in the fridge spewed out water without prompting the first few times we used it. (It finally stopped.) Sure, it was irritating that there was no dryer tube to connect the dryer to the wall. (Pilot Boy later found the one that came with the dryer inside the dryer with all the packing paper...he failed to look before buying a new one.) Yeah, it was maddening they took the shower rod for the guest bathroom. (Why do people take shower rods? Seriously, just leave it behind.) Sure, the fact the dishwasher makes a god awful noise each time you open it is kind of vexing. (It sounds like a dying animal.)
But, you know, it's the kind of stuff I kind of expected. (Well, not the dirty fridge. It wasn't even wiped out, people. It was seriously disgusting and if I was bothered, that's saying something.)
However, did I think the A/C would DIE literally seven days after we signed the papers?
No.
Was I all that surprised?
No.
Pilot Boy said this morning this place is simply held together with bubble gum and tape. I would have argued before, but I'm currently doing a slow bake within my own house, so I'm thinking yeah. Bubble gum and tape.
Showing posts with label moving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label moving. Show all posts
03 August 2013
10 July 2013
Where I Will Make Some Lists
Things I Miss About Texas:
1. HEB
*Now why would I miss a chain grocery store? Because. Unlike many things within the state of Texas I detest, I have ALWAYS for some unknown reason loved HEBs. When I lived in Del Rio, it was mostly because it was something familiar (a real grocery store, not a pretend one like they had on base or Walmart. I loath Walmarts for the most part.) They had good produce and I'd spend my Friday mornings buying fresh fruits and veggies. When we returned to Texas, we did all our shopping at HEB because once more, the base store failed at life. (Seriously, the only good base commissary we've seen was at in IL. Seriously. The one in AK was well stocked, but priced similar to Fred Meyer).
2. Four Zone Weather
*While they failed at life at predicting when it'd rain sometimes (Weather man: It will not rain today! Ireland Scott: *looks out window and wonders what the water falling from the sky is if it's not rain*) I like the fact they had Doppler and could somewhat tell me the various weather in the various sections.
*tries to think of other things besides Target she misses about Texas at the moment and fails.*
Thing I Do Not Miss About Texas:
1. Humidity.
2. Access roads along side the interstate.
3. Their inability to merge.
4. Heat.
5. Bugs.
6. Did I mention the access roads?
7. It's hot there. And it doesn't rain enough. But it's humid. (Didn't I say that already? I did. I guess my list on things I do not miss is short as well.)
Things I Miss About Alaska:
1. The weather (all times of year. I like it.)
2. Their lack of highways and access roads.
3. Their local news.
4. The weather man who never knew what was going on and it was adorable because there's no Dopplar up there so he kind was just guessing anyways. (Weather guy: It might be snowing. Or not. I'm not sure. We'll see! Ireland Scott: Looks out window and laughs because it's snowing. Quite a bit.)
Things I Do Not Miss:
1. The dirt and tiny rocks they used on the roads in the winter that never seemed to go away.
Things I like about OK at the moment...
1. Lack of humidity.
2. It's better than the Dirt Hole.
3. No access roads!
4. The town I'm located within doesn't even have an interstate, so duh, no access roads.
5. There is an Old Navy and Lowes. Woot.
6. There are plenty of Mexican restaurants to keep Pilot boy happy.
Things I Do Not Like:
1. MILK IS LIKE FIVE DOLLARS A GALLON. WTF?
2. The cheapest place to buy things is Walmart and there is no Target.
3. Seriously, who decides the price of food in this place? And why am I paying full sales tax of food? What is wrong with you OK, I thought you were a red state, don't you hate taxes? Or did I learn that wrong?
4. It's hot. (like 100 plus, but it's not humid. Or it wasn't. It MIGHT rain today, so it's humid.)
5. The way they pronounce ALTUS during their ENTIRE state WIDE weather forecast on the news. Seriously, they do the ENTIRE state in board strokes. While I understand this, they never talk about where I am. Just ALTUS. And they say it all WRONG.
So, all in all, I hate very minor things. Right?
1. HEB
*Now why would I miss a chain grocery store? Because. Unlike many things within the state of Texas I detest, I have ALWAYS for some unknown reason loved HEBs. When I lived in Del Rio, it was mostly because it was something familiar (a real grocery store, not a pretend one like they had on base or Walmart. I loath Walmarts for the most part.) They had good produce and I'd spend my Friday mornings buying fresh fruits and veggies. When we returned to Texas, we did all our shopping at HEB because once more, the base store failed at life. (Seriously, the only good base commissary we've seen was at in IL. Seriously. The one in AK was well stocked, but priced similar to Fred Meyer).
2. Four Zone Weather
*While they failed at life at predicting when it'd rain sometimes (Weather man: It will not rain today! Ireland Scott: *looks out window and wonders what the water falling from the sky is if it's not rain*) I like the fact they had Doppler and could somewhat tell me the various weather in the various sections.
*tries to think of other things besides Target she misses about Texas at the moment and fails.*
Thing I Do Not Miss About Texas:
1. Humidity.
2. Access roads along side the interstate.
3. Their inability to merge.
4. Heat.
5. Bugs.
6. Did I mention the access roads?
7. It's hot there. And it doesn't rain enough. But it's humid. (Didn't I say that already? I did. I guess my list on things I do not miss is short as well.)
Things I Miss About Alaska:
1. The weather (all times of year. I like it.)
2. Their lack of highways and access roads.
3. Their local news.
4. The weather man who never knew what was going on and it was adorable because there's no Dopplar up there so he kind was just guessing anyways. (Weather guy: It might be snowing. Or not. I'm not sure. We'll see! Ireland Scott: Looks out window and laughs because it's snowing. Quite a bit.)
Things I Do Not Miss:
1. The dirt and tiny rocks they used on the roads in the winter that never seemed to go away.
Things I like about OK at the moment...
1. Lack of humidity.
2. It's better than the Dirt Hole.
3. No access roads!
4. The town I'm located within doesn't even have an interstate, so duh, no access roads.
5. There is an Old Navy and Lowes. Woot.
6. There are plenty of Mexican restaurants to keep Pilot boy happy.
Things I Do Not Like:
1. MILK IS LIKE FIVE DOLLARS A GALLON. WTF?
2. The cheapest place to buy things is Walmart and there is no Target.
3. Seriously, who decides the price of food in this place? And why am I paying full sales tax of food? What is wrong with you OK, I thought you were a red state, don't you hate taxes? Or did I learn that wrong?
4. It's hot. (like 100 plus, but it's not humid. Or it wasn't. It MIGHT rain today, so it's humid.)
5. The way they pronounce ALTUS during their ENTIRE state WIDE weather forecast on the news. Seriously, they do the ENTIRE state in board strokes. While I understand this, they never talk about where I am. Just ALTUS. And they say it all WRONG.
So, all in all, I hate very minor things. Right?
11 March 2013
Hazards of Driving
Well, it was that time of year again...or time of my life, rather.
I packed myself up, threw it all into the Monstrosity and headed back down the Alaskan Highway-- only I changed it up and instead of spending weeks on end (or so it seemed) mucking through Canada, I didn't bother trekking across the country and instead took a sharp dive southward and kept going till I hit...Texas.
I hate Texas. And not just because I spent a year living in a dirt hole. No, I just...dislike it strongly.
I'm currently suffering from culture shock. Not all that surprising considering where I came from. I always seem to suffer from culture shock, or rather reverse culture shock. Going back to where I came always throws me for a loop. When I get somewhere odd, the culture shock never really gets me. When I went to Scotland, I adjusted easily. It was when I came back that was hard. It took months for me to feel at ease again and not constantly thinking, "That's wrong..."
When I left the Dirt Hole all those moons ago and went back to Chicagoland, it was the same thing. I was overwhelmed by the cars, people, stop signs, speed limits and where I was. I grew up in the area. It's seared into my mind's eye to the point it's easy for me to call up areas and write stories about them without needing Google Maps. And yet, I drove around with my Texas plated car and got passed on suburban streets for going too slow (also known as the speed limit) and beeped at when I actually used stop signs.
You see, I forgot how the people of Chicagoland drove. While I loved them for their predictability I'd forgotten their lack of use of speed limits and stop signs. After living in the dirt hole where it was cause for celebration when someone went the speed limite and you got a ticket when you failed to come to a stop for three seconds, it was jarring to realize I'd get run over if I ventured out onto the interstates of Illinois.
So, I didn't. I kept to the mean suburban streets and thanked God I had Texas plates.
When I arrived in Alaska, I don't remember finding things jarring. They were strange, but in a similar way Scotland was strange once I got over the jet lag. They drove fast during bad weather and slow during good weather. Generally speaking, Anchorage drivers were predictable and I never honestly feared for my life when I drove around the city. I drove around with ease and never one felt road rage or had the urge to announce I was a FIB, don't mess with me. (This happened often in the Dirt Hole...)
I honestly can't say that during the times we visited the Chicago area during our three years in Anchorage, I feared for my life whilst in the car. I even drove a few times...I never wanted to scream, never wanted to hide or close my eyes and pray.
San Antonio....oh, how I hate you and your love affair with highways/interstates/access roads.
One thing I learned during my few visits to SA during my tenure in the Dirt Hole was this: SA drivers are not predictable.
Honestly. You never have any idea what the hell they might do at any given point. They go slow for no reason, change lanes without warning, fail to look when they merge and kind of just...scare the living crap out of me. The lanes are also extremely...narrow. And while they know how to paint lines (something no one in Anchorage has gotten the hang of for unknown reasons), sometimes they just don't paint lines and the road is SUPER WIDE and you've got no idea how many lanes a road has.
And I have only drive through SA once in my life. In a small s40. And I only drove on the interstate and never had to get off.
You can't get anywhere without using the interstates and loops and access roads here. It is confusing, annoying and frankly frightening because you never know what someone is going to do. And most people have HUGE trucks.
Granted, I've got a huge truck like vehicle, but still.
I refuse to drive. Pilot Boy keeps mocking me, as I love civilization and hate being in the middle of nowhere, and yet I'm a hermit.
A well dressed hermit who loves hangers, but still a hermit. Even more so now that we've only got one car and I refuse to drive it.
Anywhere.
I'll drive when I get to where I'm actually going, which is in the middle of nowhere Oklahoma. Till then, I'll sit around a pine for Anchorage and the mean suburban streets of Chicagoland (which are way less scary than the road system of SA).
I packed myself up, threw it all into the Monstrosity and headed back down the Alaskan Highway-- only I changed it up and instead of spending weeks on end (or so it seemed) mucking through Canada, I didn't bother trekking across the country and instead took a sharp dive southward and kept going till I hit...Texas.
I hate Texas. And not just because I spent a year living in a dirt hole. No, I just...dislike it strongly.
I'm currently suffering from culture shock. Not all that surprising considering where I came from. I always seem to suffer from culture shock, or rather reverse culture shock. Going back to where I came always throws me for a loop. When I get somewhere odd, the culture shock never really gets me. When I went to Scotland, I adjusted easily. It was when I came back that was hard. It took months for me to feel at ease again and not constantly thinking, "That's wrong..."
When I left the Dirt Hole all those moons ago and went back to Chicagoland, it was the same thing. I was overwhelmed by the cars, people, stop signs, speed limits and where I was. I grew up in the area. It's seared into my mind's eye to the point it's easy for me to call up areas and write stories about them without needing Google Maps. And yet, I drove around with my Texas plated car and got passed on suburban streets for going too slow (also known as the speed limit) and beeped at when I actually used stop signs.
You see, I forgot how the people of Chicagoland drove. While I loved them for their predictability I'd forgotten their lack of use of speed limits and stop signs. After living in the dirt hole where it was cause for celebration when someone went the speed limite and you got a ticket when you failed to come to a stop for three seconds, it was jarring to realize I'd get run over if I ventured out onto the interstates of Illinois.
So, I didn't. I kept to the mean suburban streets and thanked God I had Texas plates.
When I arrived in Alaska, I don't remember finding things jarring. They were strange, but in a similar way Scotland was strange once I got over the jet lag. They drove fast during bad weather and slow during good weather. Generally speaking, Anchorage drivers were predictable and I never honestly feared for my life when I drove around the city. I drove around with ease and never one felt road rage or had the urge to announce I was a FIB, don't mess with me. (This happened often in the Dirt Hole...)
I honestly can't say that during the times we visited the Chicago area during our three years in Anchorage, I feared for my life whilst in the car. I even drove a few times...I never wanted to scream, never wanted to hide or close my eyes and pray.
San Antonio....oh, how I hate you and your love affair with highways/interstates/access roads.
One thing I learned during my few visits to SA during my tenure in the Dirt Hole was this: SA drivers are not predictable.
Honestly. You never have any idea what the hell they might do at any given point. They go slow for no reason, change lanes without warning, fail to look when they merge and kind of just...scare the living crap out of me. The lanes are also extremely...narrow. And while they know how to paint lines (something no one in Anchorage has gotten the hang of for unknown reasons), sometimes they just don't paint lines and the road is SUPER WIDE and you've got no idea how many lanes a road has.
And I have only drive through SA once in my life. In a small s40. And I only drove on the interstate and never had to get off.
You can't get anywhere without using the interstates and loops and access roads here. It is confusing, annoying and frankly frightening because you never know what someone is going to do. And most people have HUGE trucks.
Granted, I've got a huge truck like vehicle, but still.
I refuse to drive. Pilot Boy keeps mocking me, as I love civilization and hate being in the middle of nowhere, and yet I'm a hermit.
A well dressed hermit who loves hangers, but still a hermit. Even more so now that we've only got one car and I refuse to drive it.
Anywhere.
I'll drive when I get to where I'm actually going, which is in the middle of nowhere Oklahoma. Till then, I'll sit around a pine for Anchorage and the mean suburban streets of Chicagoland (which are way less scary than the road system of SA).
27 March 2010
Moving Sucks
I can't decide what I hate more: Packing or Unpacking.
We'll start with packing. I hate packing. Mostly because I'm not one for change, but also because I have no patience for it. I just want it all to magically PACK and be done. The two MAJOR moves I did over the past two years, I haven't done much packing because I simply SUCK at packing. I know what you're thinking: How hard can it be to put things in boxes? Well, for me it is hard. Do not ask me why, but it is. When I went to Scotland, my mother packed my bag for me. (I had packed it first but it was horrible, so she re did it, like she did each time I went off to college. You'd think I'd learn. I am made of fail when it comes to packing.) When I left Scotland, my friend J packed my whole life into two suitcases. I had packed it into two suitcases, and maybe ten boxes and there was still stuff everywhere. So, I suck at packing. When we left the dirt hole, we had like five people helping us pack up, and they are all almost professionals because they move so often. When I left home before coming to Alaska, my mother once again aided me in packing. Because I asked. And this time I paid attention and managed to keep myself packed.
Unpacking sucks for various reasons I have concluded. First, everything arrives and is in boxes, so your whole house is covered in boxes. Next, because you suck at packing (as did the movers who re-packed the boxes from the storage unit) nothing is in order. Actually, we were pretty good at packing the boxes in order of the important things, like kitchen stuffs. However, the movers repacked EVERYTHING and there was no rhyme or reason to their packing methods. I color coordinate my clothing in closet, so I packed it in the order. Today, I got to the boxes of clothing...not in any order and there were SCRAP BOOKING SUPPLIES mixed in with it. I know I packed those in the SCRAP BOOKING BOX. They unpacked my scrap booking BOX! As well as my fabric box. I am so pissed, but that isn't why I hate unpacking. I hate unpacking because I simply want it to be done. I want to move onto the more exciting aspects of moving: decorating. I want to paint, I want to get things moving, but you can't do anything till every random item is unpacked. And let me tell you, every random item was packed for us. Even the crap thrown into garbage bags, which I figured we'd just throw out.
In other news, I will be donating a TON of clothing. I have at least three years worth of stuff that we broght with us from our first move to the Dirt Hole (Dirt Hole had no where to donate stuff...can you believe that?) plus the stuff I bought in the dirt hole that I do not want/won't fit my fat butt. God, I thought I had a lot of clothes in Chicago with me, but I had a lot of stuff in storage. Mostly summer stuff, so I am getting rid of it. In all honesty, I did not wear most of it in the Dirt Hole, so why would I wear it in the Tundra I now live in?
I won't, so off it goes!
I guess that is one positive thing of unpacking. You realize all the stuff you can live without.
We'll start with packing. I hate packing. Mostly because I'm not one for change, but also because I have no patience for it. I just want it all to magically PACK and be done. The two MAJOR moves I did over the past two years, I haven't done much packing because I simply SUCK at packing. I know what you're thinking: How hard can it be to put things in boxes? Well, for me it is hard. Do not ask me why, but it is. When I went to Scotland, my mother packed my bag for me. (I had packed it first but it was horrible, so she re did it, like she did each time I went off to college. You'd think I'd learn. I am made of fail when it comes to packing.) When I left Scotland, my friend J packed my whole life into two suitcases. I had packed it into two suitcases, and maybe ten boxes and there was still stuff everywhere. So, I suck at packing. When we left the dirt hole, we had like five people helping us pack up, and they are all almost professionals because they move so often. When I left home before coming to Alaska, my mother once again aided me in packing. Because I asked. And this time I paid attention and managed to keep myself packed.
Unpacking sucks for various reasons I have concluded. First, everything arrives and is in boxes, so your whole house is covered in boxes. Next, because you suck at packing (as did the movers who re-packed the boxes from the storage unit) nothing is in order. Actually, we were pretty good at packing the boxes in order of the important things, like kitchen stuffs. However, the movers repacked EVERYTHING and there was no rhyme or reason to their packing methods. I color coordinate my clothing in closet, so I packed it in the order. Today, I got to the boxes of clothing...not in any order and there were SCRAP BOOKING SUPPLIES mixed in with it. I know I packed those in the SCRAP BOOKING BOX. They unpacked my scrap booking BOX! As well as my fabric box. I am so pissed, but that isn't why I hate unpacking. I hate unpacking because I simply want it to be done. I want to move onto the more exciting aspects of moving: decorating. I want to paint, I want to get things moving, but you can't do anything till every random item is unpacked. And let me tell you, every random item was packed for us. Even the crap thrown into garbage bags, which I figured we'd just throw out.
In other news, I will be donating a TON of clothing. I have at least three years worth of stuff that we broght with us from our first move to the Dirt Hole (Dirt Hole had no where to donate stuff...can you believe that?) plus the stuff I bought in the dirt hole that I do not want/won't fit my fat butt. God, I thought I had a lot of clothes in Chicago with me, but I had a lot of stuff in storage. Mostly summer stuff, so I am getting rid of it. In all honesty, I did not wear most of it in the Dirt Hole, so why would I wear it in the Tundra I now live in?
I won't, so off it goes!
I guess that is one positive thing of unpacking. You realize all the stuff you can live without.
26 February 2010
I'm Here.
I have arrived at my final destination. Whoo. Hoo.
The trip up here was rather uneventful.
1. We did not die.
2. We did not drive off the road.
3. We did not freeze to death (it was "warm" most of the way).
4. There was no "weather" to speak of at all.
5. We arrived a whole day early.
So, I am here. We have a place to live, but can't move in for another month. During that time I can get my stuff together to launch the shop back up. I've been trying, via the slow internet, to research how to "close" the shop in Illinois (of course its not as clear as opening, or as clear as closing in Texas), so I will have to call them. This gives me a sinking feeling because, alas, Illinois can't do anything right it seems. Case in point, we're still waiting on plates for the new car. For two months. We have a temp plate, but seriously, why does it take so long to process and application for plates? It is not like I'm trying to transfer my pharmacy license. (I processed those applications at one point in my life.) Anyways, then I need to set myself up here. Fun will be had. Someday.
So, there is another mini update.
The trip up here was rather uneventful.
1. We did not die.
2. We did not drive off the road.
3. We did not freeze to death (it was "warm" most of the way).
4. There was no "weather" to speak of at all.
5. We arrived a whole day early.
So, I am here. We have a place to live, but can't move in for another month. During that time I can get my stuff together to launch the shop back up. I've been trying, via the slow internet, to research how to "close" the shop in Illinois (of course its not as clear as opening, or as clear as closing in Texas), so I will have to call them. This gives me a sinking feeling because, alas, Illinois can't do anything right it seems. Case in point, we're still waiting on plates for the new car. For two months. We have a temp plate, but seriously, why does it take so long to process and application for plates? It is not like I'm trying to transfer my pharmacy license. (I processed those applications at one point in my life.) Anyways, then I need to set myself up here. Fun will be had. Someday.
So, there is another mini update.
28 January 2010
long time no post, huh?
I am in the mists of moving. Again. This time it is like the end of college, when it comes time to pack up your dorm room and move home for the summer. It is like the room I live in is a dorm room. And I have no clue how to pack what is in it. I did not think I obtained much while I was here for five months, but I guess I did. I managed to pack up all the clothes I can live without yesterday into one large suitcase. It is not full yet, which is good.
Today I went through various things that have gathered under the bed and to the side. I'm not sure how to pack those items. Things that are not clothing, I am not sure how to pack. I am trying once again not to take much, which the last time I tried that failed. The items did not fit in the car, the dog was sitting on top of my purses and her head was against the ceiling of the car. I wound up taking a bunch of things out (like all her toys and the car cleaning stuff and the sheets and pillows). This time that is not an option. The dog will need her toys and I cannot leave any behind as I am going to Alaska. No one wants to mail me anything in Alaska. Or bring things to me.
Being in the mists of getting ready to move, I have not been sewing at all. The sewing machine was put away for Christmas and was never brought back out. I had all ready packed away all the cloth when I cleaned up for Christmas, so I figured it was easier if I just left it packed. Thus, I have been sort of ignoring my shop, which is bad. I shouldn't ignore it, but I do. I have re-newed a few thing, but nothing new posted. Mostly because the few purses I hadn't posted before Christmas, I never got around to taking pictures of to post.
But, once I get settled, I plan to begin sewing again (husband has been instructed to get the sewing machine out of storage, so it will be on hand in case our belongings take forever to reach us). So, hopefully, I will be rolling out the summer line soon after I arrive at my final stop.
So, that is your update.
Today I went through various things that have gathered under the bed and to the side. I'm not sure how to pack those items. Things that are not clothing, I am not sure how to pack. I am trying once again not to take much, which the last time I tried that failed. The items did not fit in the car, the dog was sitting on top of my purses and her head was against the ceiling of the car. I wound up taking a bunch of things out (like all her toys and the car cleaning stuff and the sheets and pillows). This time that is not an option. The dog will need her toys and I cannot leave any behind as I am going to Alaska. No one wants to mail me anything in Alaska. Or bring things to me.
Being in the mists of getting ready to move, I have not been sewing at all. The sewing machine was put away for Christmas and was never brought back out. I had all ready packed away all the cloth when I cleaned up for Christmas, so I figured it was easier if I just left it packed. Thus, I have been sort of ignoring my shop, which is bad. I shouldn't ignore it, but I do. I have re-newed a few thing, but nothing new posted. Mostly because the few purses I hadn't posted before Christmas, I never got around to taking pictures of to post.
But, once I get settled, I plan to begin sewing again (husband has been instructed to get the sewing machine out of storage, so it will be on hand in case our belongings take forever to reach us). So, hopefully, I will be rolling out the summer line soon after I arrive at my final stop.
So, that is your update.
17 September 2009
Life getting in order
So, last night I began to read a guide book I got for my husband on Alaska and the highway we must use to get there.
And I freaked out a bit more. I did find the section of traveling with pets helpful, but most of the information is geared to the summer traveler, not those of us insane enough to travel in the winter (which if I had my way we'd wait till MAY to go, but guess what, the military has other ideas. Who tells someone to report to Alaska in February?)
I guess I need to do further research on the topic.
In purse news:
Been working on the fall line. I've got this 5 year old laptop named Jess that I use to run my shop. Jess, recently, decided he hates Photoshop. Thus, it is hard to edit pictures of the purses. This has hindered me greatly in my quest to update the fall line. (What has also hindered me is that I failed to realize the scope of my mother's quilting quest.) The other day I finally asked my dad if it was okay if I used his computer (Dellbert, yes we are strange in my family) to crop and resize my images. I had tried my mom's Mac, but her iPhoto doesn't allow me to resize the image. I can crop it to my heart's content and do everything else, but resizing isn't an option. This makes me sad. But, anyways, so I went up to the office the other day to use the computer. It was off, so I turned it on and then realized the screen wasn't on. There is no clear POWER button. The first one I hit did nothing and I was unwilling to hit more buttons for fear of screwing the screen up and incurring the wrath of Dad. I sat for a moment then realized my brother was at work.
So I picked up my camera and went into my old room, now my brother's Man Cave and room while I live here for the time being. I sat down at his computer and plugged in the camera to the UBS port on his screen.
Nothing happened.
I opened Photoshop (he's got the whole Abode suite. I hate him).
Nothing from the camera.
So I used one of the USB ports on the actual computer and WHALA! It worked.
And I breezed through what I needed to do in half the time it takes me to do the same work on Jess. Man, when you've got a new computer...Photoshop works wonders.
I then took the images back to Jess and spent almost a half hour adding a new purse to my shop. Part of this was due to the fact I forgot to mesure the purses, so I had to go do that, the other is that Jess is old (he's like super old in computer years) and the internet here is sort of whacky at times. You'd think living in a major metro area you'd have good internet, but ours has a mind of its own. The internet in the Dirt Hole got slow around the time work let out and everyone went home to surf the internet, but here it'll do it randomly in the middle of the day.
Anyways, the fall line is up and running. I'm going to expand into teacher bags! Basically large tote bags. I've got all these teacher friends, so I might as well use them. lol. My aunt also suggested I do dialysis bags. She has to go to dialysis regularally and always seems to need a bag for her stuff. Which is a good idea. New market! She said she'd have my uncle email the specs for the right size. I am uber excited. I really want to sell some purses so I can buy more fall cloth. The Hobby Lobby here has the best prints in the world. I see purses everywhere!
Well, I'm going to go be productive today.
And I freaked out a bit more. I did find the section of traveling with pets helpful, but most of the information is geared to the summer traveler, not those of us insane enough to travel in the winter (which if I had my way we'd wait till MAY to go, but guess what, the military has other ideas. Who tells someone to report to Alaska in February?)
I guess I need to do further research on the topic.
In purse news:
Been working on the fall line. I've got this 5 year old laptop named Jess that I use to run my shop. Jess, recently, decided he hates Photoshop. Thus, it is hard to edit pictures of the purses. This has hindered me greatly in my quest to update the fall line. (What has also hindered me is that I failed to realize the scope of my mother's quilting quest.) The other day I finally asked my dad if it was okay if I used his computer (Dellbert, yes we are strange in my family) to crop and resize my images. I had tried my mom's Mac, but her iPhoto doesn't allow me to resize the image. I can crop it to my heart's content and do everything else, but resizing isn't an option. This makes me sad. But, anyways, so I went up to the office the other day to use the computer. It was off, so I turned it on and then realized the screen wasn't on. There is no clear POWER button. The first one I hit did nothing and I was unwilling to hit more buttons for fear of screwing the screen up and incurring the wrath of Dad. I sat for a moment then realized my brother was at work.
So I picked up my camera and went into my old room, now my brother's Man Cave and room while I live here for the time being. I sat down at his computer and plugged in the camera to the UBS port on his screen.
Nothing happened.
I opened Photoshop (he's got the whole Abode suite. I hate him).
Nothing from the camera.
So I used one of the USB ports on the actual computer and WHALA! It worked.
And I breezed through what I needed to do in half the time it takes me to do the same work on Jess. Man, when you've got a new computer...Photoshop works wonders.
I then took the images back to Jess and spent almost a half hour adding a new purse to my shop. Part of this was due to the fact I forgot to mesure the purses, so I had to go do that, the other is that Jess is old (he's like super old in computer years) and the internet here is sort of whacky at times. You'd think living in a major metro area you'd have good internet, but ours has a mind of its own. The internet in the Dirt Hole got slow around the time work let out and everyone went home to surf the internet, but here it'll do it randomly in the middle of the day.
Anyways, the fall line is up and running. I'm going to expand into teacher bags! Basically large tote bags. I've got all these teacher friends, so I might as well use them. lol. My aunt also suggested I do dialysis bags. She has to go to dialysis regularally and always seems to need a bag for her stuff. Which is a good idea. New market! She said she'd have my uncle email the specs for the right size. I am uber excited. I really want to sell some purses so I can buy more fall cloth. The Hobby Lobby here has the best prints in the world. I see purses everywhere!
Well, I'm going to go be productive today.
31 August 2009
halfway across the world
i have left the dirt hole. I repeat, I have left the dirt hole.
For good.
There was a lot of drama in getting out of the dirt hole, but I am currently living in an area fully of things, people, cars, leaves, green and cold air. Basically, I am in heaven. Summer in the area my family is from hasn't been so summer like, more fall like. Today had a real fall feeling to it, other than the lack of color other than green.
My dog, Miss Basil Dog herself, seems to enjoy it here. She's happy to be surrounded by so many playmates (ie, my family) as well as the cool air. There are lots more things to bark at here than in the dirt hole and a lot more places to run around the house. All in all, she's one happy puppy.
I am still in the process of getting my shop back up and running. It is taking longer than expected for a few reasons. One only being the state paper work to charge sales tax, the other being my Hell Week of Fleeing from The Dirt Hole. I am utterly exhausted and sleeping on an expensive futon mattress my brother managed to dent with his butt.
Yeah, you read that right.
Last night saw me moving to the other side without the dent for the first time and ramming my knee into the wall one too many times, reminding why I slept in the hole for so long.
So, today I moved the bed. No one in my family seemed to believe I had managed to move it on my own. They all think it is heavy. I must be stronger than I know of, as I had little trouble moving it once I started using my legs. Maybe all that time I spent in the gym was worth it?
I am only part way to where I need to be in February, but in the end...hopefully it will all be worth it. Hopefully. Alaska better be pretty.
For good.
There was a lot of drama in getting out of the dirt hole, but I am currently living in an area fully of things, people, cars, leaves, green and cold air. Basically, I am in heaven. Summer in the area my family is from hasn't been so summer like, more fall like. Today had a real fall feeling to it, other than the lack of color other than green.
My dog, Miss Basil Dog herself, seems to enjoy it here. She's happy to be surrounded by so many playmates (ie, my family) as well as the cool air. There are lots more things to bark at here than in the dirt hole and a lot more places to run around the house. All in all, she's one happy puppy.
I am still in the process of getting my shop back up and running. It is taking longer than expected for a few reasons. One only being the state paper work to charge sales tax, the other being my Hell Week of Fleeing from The Dirt Hole. I am utterly exhausted and sleeping on an expensive futon mattress my brother managed to dent with his butt.
Yeah, you read that right.
Last night saw me moving to the other side without the dent for the first time and ramming my knee into the wall one too many times, reminding why I slept in the hole for so long.
So, today I moved the bed. No one in my family seemed to believe I had managed to move it on my own. They all think it is heavy. I must be stronger than I know of, as I had little trouble moving it once I started using my legs. Maybe all that time I spent in the gym was worth it?
I am only part way to where I need to be in February, but in the end...hopefully it will all be worth it. Hopefully. Alaska better be pretty.
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