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Fox
21 October 2009 @ 05:15 pm
Emerald, meet buffing wheel...  
I was checking in repairs the other day at work.  Came across a 1 carat natural emerald that had been resent out to fix the prongs.  The prongs got re-tipped the first time and were too sharp and catching on everything, so we sent it out a second time.  I was checking the prongs when I saw a small flaw on the table of the stone, and got a loupe to examine it.

There were several cracks in the stone, two large chips in the surface and edges of the table facet, almost a chewed, corroded look to all the crown facets, and a 5-6 point chip off the lower left hand corner of the stone where a cleavage point had been hit.  It looked awful, and a good accidental smack on the table of the stone during wear probably would have broken it along a fracture plane.

I plotted the damage, marked the ring, and left it for the boss lady to show to the regional repairs manager.  Completely ruined.  They'll have to replace the stone.

My guess is the idiot that was working on it may have cracked the corner while re-tipping/adjusting the prongs, or it may have cracked from the heat of the soldiering.  They moved the prong to cover it, then stuck in in an ultrasonic machine to clean it.  The ultrasonic would have not only chewed up the stone, but it would have dissolved any fracture filling that had been done to improve the clarity.  Most natural emeralds are oiled, not to mention a 4-5 on the Mohs scale, so popping them in an ultrasonic is stupid on a rather gigantic scale.  I think the bench jeweler must've pulled it out, looked at it, gone "Aw, crap.", and then tried to buff the gem to remove the little pits and scarring... which probably caused the rest of the huge pits and chips on it.

Now, my only question is... why are we hiring people this dumb to do repair work on JEWELRY, for god's sake?  Mistakes are a bit more expensive here... replacing a 1 carat natural is no joke.  Not to mention this poor lady who owns the ring must think she gave it to the Three Stooges.  I'd say this wasn't typical of this repair shop, but they also managed to scratch a Tahitian pearl they were setting and took THAT to a buffing wheel to "fix it".  WTF, dude?  You might be able to peel it carefully if you took it to an expert, but you can't buff it.  You'll buff the nacre right off the shell bead nucleus.  I think these guys must drink heavily while at work or something.  I can't concieve how you could get a job to repair gems/jewelry and not know what breaks or ruins them.

Finally, a random aside: Calling your pizzaria Mellow Mushroom Bakers?  Conjures up images of a hippie running a pizza place as a front for a shroom and weed dealing joint.  No pun intended.  Be cool, man.  Dig this crazy pizza.

I'm hitting Adobe Gilas this Saturday night.  OMGWHAT.  I need one of their cheeseburgers.  And a Daquiri.

Ren Faire on Sunday!  Who's with me?  We might have to wear thermals underneath the costumes, but we have to make it more than twice this year, and this weekend's the last day.  :(  Besides, I want to celebrate my raise by getting that dagger from Legacy Forge.  Mmmm, seven inch steel...
 
 
Current Mood: distressed
 
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Fox
20 April 2009 @ 02:25 pm
I'm an Aunt again!  
Well, last time this year, Tory, our pretty Siamese barn cat, had kittens.  Now Scamper, Jenny, and Moppet have grown up, and Tory, the rascally wench, went and got herself pregnant again.  XDDD  So she's just had kittens again in our barn.  So far just one, but I can't believe there'd only be one... I've never heard of a cat NOT having at least two kittens in a litter.  The kitten looks like Moppet - a grey tabby with white.  So adorable, all you can do is coo, and want to snuggle her.  Moppet, unfortunately, knows quite well she's my favorite, and consequently hides from me every chance she gets.  *sigh*

My period's started, so I feel really crummy.  And it's all rainy out, so I feel sleepy and lethargic.  :p

I'm thinking about using some of my sad little savings to get Sims Castaway for the Wii.  The last thing I need is another computer game, but on the other hand, I don't have a great deal to do with myself at the moment.  I'm still job hunting, unsuccessfully.  Much as I hate being indebted to my parents, mom's made it clear that she doesn't mind paying my bills as long as I focus on finding a job and I don't write anymore stories through Furbid.  So, I don't have any extra money at all, but I'm not in the dire position of HAVING to find a job, and that's letting me focus on things like my diet, my exercise level, and keeping my little corner of the world cleaned and organized.

Did some judging for a debate/speech regional on Friday.  That was fun.  People always seem to think improptu is going to be easy, because you can make it up as you go.  WRONG.  Impromptu is HARD.  Judging it is harder still, because you really have to tailor the comments and critiques to the level of aptitude and age.  There was a nine year old, for example, that I could have corrected about 25 to 30 things on, but there's no point in scaring her away from ever doing this again.  I want these kids to keep coming back and doing well.  Public speaking is important, and everybody's got to do some at some point.  If you already know how, so's much the better for you.

Four Golden Rules for speaking about anything to anybody!

1. Never let yourself get trapped behind a podium.  It places a barrier between you and the audience automatically, and gives you a place to set all your notes.  If you're having to read off the top of the podium while talking, then your audience is being addressed by the top of your head.  Not good.  If you can pace the stage or walk a bit from behind the podium or speaker's stand, you'll incorporate more motion into your speech.  This is good, because it makes you look energetic, confident, and enthusiatic.  (If the situation calls for you to stay behind the podium, like awarding an Oscar or doing a news conference, then do it, but try to incorporate more hand gestures into the speech, instead of gripping the podium as though it were a life preserver.)  The gal who won the round I judged was the *only* speaker who moved around the room while talking.  She looked at ease with herself, and captured more attention.

2. Unless you're VERY comfortable in front of a crowd, don't use a conversational tone to any speeches when starting out.  A familiar, conversational tone is what every speaker should strive for, but initially, it just brings out all the suconscious twitches we have in a normal conversation.  One girl fell apart during her speech, which was delievered exactly as though she was having a conversation with a friend.  Not only was it too informal for the speaking style being judged, but she started doing unconscious conversational things: she sighed, flipped her hair off her shoulders, rolled her eyes, stuttered, and used a lot of verbal filler - "uh", "um", "well", "you know"...  If you start out speaking more formally, you'll behave more like you would in an interview or a fancy dinner - you'll be guarding against these things.

3. This is going to sound crazy, but make sure you have a natural eyeline with your audience.  If you're speaking in a room, rather than a stage, sometimes you'll stand too close to the audience.  You should be able to look out across the room normally and meet people's eyes.  If you have to crane your neck, you're too close, and looking people in the eyes won't just happen, you'll have to really work hard at it.  One guy came in, all six feet of him, and proceeded to deliver his entire speech from three feet away.  Just another two feet back, and I would have been staring at his face, not his tie the whole time.  There's no sense in making things harder than they have to be.

4. If you have props, such as power point presentations, NEVER EVER turn and read the bullet points or info off of the projection screen.  This is something amatuers do.  The laptop or computer is usually right there next to you - read the points off of it, not the screen your audience sees.  If you have to gesture to something on the screen, then do so, but it should be a quick glance if it all to check where your hand is pointing.  Better yet, know your points and illustrations well enough that you don't have to check yourself off the computer screen at all.

4.b. In regards to props, if you have reading materials or pamphelets to pass out, don't pass them out until the end of the speech, if at all possible.  The moment your audience has reading material, however boring it might actually be, they'll start looking it over like it was a treasure map, and they won't hear anything that's said.  Avoid it if possible.

Cass, the second I get some money, I'm mailing you Sims CD/DVD's.  Promise.

I'm inventing recipies, btw.  Have one.

3-4 chicken or duck eggs
1/2 cup shredded colby cheese
4 strips of turkey bacon
A spice blend, like Mrs. Dash
1/4 cup green peppers
1/4 cup red peppers
1/4 onions
1/8 cup celery
Flour tortillas
Lettuce

Break all the eggs into a skillet, add spices, chopped red and green peppers, and the diced onions and celery.  Cook the bacon in the microwave, drain and pat dry all the grease.  Cut into pieces and add to skillet.  Cook and scramble the eggs, season and melt cheese over the top.  Warm the tortilla up in the microwave, and have the scramble either plain, or with lettuce, to add filler and less calories.

This week is going to be awesome.  Tuesday night is B.L. night, Wednesday I'm heading down to Cedarville to help with Nadia's STP, Mourning Becomes Electra, which is being done with moody lights and an Evanescence soundtrack.  It's going to kick ass.  Friday, I'm back down there again for Grant's STP, Shakespeare Abridged.  Knowing Grant, and knowing the play, this is going to be must see theatre.  At some point, they'll have to keep people from coming in and standing in the back because of fire code.  They should have held it someplace larger, EVERYONE is going to be there.  I know alums are flying back to catch this.  That kid has mad skills, and I have no doubt in twenty years, I'll be bragging that I went to school with Grant Hanson.  XDD  Best of luck, buddy, you're going to take Hollywood by storm!

Oh, and I needs new glasses.  My vision's all fuzzy and horrible again, and this time it's happened rather rapidly.  I'm hoping nothing's wrong, because cataracts and glaucoma run in the family.  C_C
 
 
Current Mood: enthralled
 
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Fox
13 April 2009 @ 01:42 pm
Oh, why is it freezing in April?  
Oh, why is it freezing in April?
The weatherman's all confused.
Why is it freezing in April?
The sun won't shine, he refused.
There should be lots of sunshine and daffodils,
Instead there's just ice on the windowsills.
Oh, why is it freezing in April?
Ohio is not amused.

....I think you've suffered enough, I'll spare you any further attempts at being clever.  :P  The meter's all out of whack anyway.  I'm no Keats.  XDD

So, been on this diet 17 days now, and I've lost 8.6 pounds already.  The weight fluctuates from day to day, but the downward trend is there overall, so I'm pleased.  The weight didn't all come on overnight, it crept on over about nine years.  So if it takes me a full year to lose it all again, I see that as eminitely reasonable.  It's still a ninth of the time taken to put it all on.  I'm a fairly large frame for a woman, and 5 feet, 9 inches, so the weight is only just starting to look really wretched.  247 pounds.  It's all going to go; I've made up my mind finally.  Much as the job loss earlier in February sucked, it's actually brought about some rather pleasant things, like a clean room, all my junk sorted through and pitched/organized, a food diary, a diet change, more exercise, and almost nine whole pounds gone in just over two weeks.  It isn't water weight either, because I'm drinking about three liters of water a day.

Still haven't found a job.  My tax return will cover another month or two of bills, but only just.  I really have to start papering the town in applications again.  :p

By the way, if I'm conspicously absent from the web, it's because the sole net connection in the house is on the computer we do taxes on.  I've done mine already, (is is odd to say I found it fun?... 0.o ), but mom still has her's to do, so until she's finished, I may not see the light of day for a while, net-wise.  I can check Facebook and email on my cell though, and calls are welcome.  ^_^

I'm finding that as much as I like MM, I really miss visually based games.  Plus, either you siphon mass quantities of money into the game, or you play it eighteen hours a day just to get ahead in the little world there.  I do like challenge, but I'm not going to become an equivalent WoW junkie or something.  I have a life.  XDD

In the meantime, I must continue to hope for a job, so that along with the noble things like paying off bills and loans, I can get Imperium Galactica 2: Alliances.  If I'd known how much the disks cost, I'd have never thrown the old set out when I decided I didn't want them anymore.  *sob*  Also, since mom is too cheap to pay for cable, I have to support that habit for the whole family... or else, come June, we won't have any television at all, not even news.  Damn digital TV.  What about us poor rural folks who can't afford, nor have ever bought a flatscreen, HD, surround sound TV?  Gimme a break.  Our TV's 10 years old, and the only reason we have it is because we got it when my grandmother died, from her things.  :p

I'm getting an air conditioner this summer.  Somehow.  I will not feel guilty!  Ohio summers suck.  Muggy as hell.

Oh, and I figured out how to make a very healthy Sausage and Egg muffin.  At McDonalds, a sausage egg mcmuffin is 450 calories.  I can make mine for 250 calories.  1 light, multigrain English muffin from Thomas's, 1 organic egg, and 1 slice of turkey sausage.  Leave off the cheese.  Still tastes really good, less fat, less cholesterol, less calories.  Wheee!

I am now going to either go cook lunch, go finish my drawing of Tanya Vanderflock, go let my brother kill me in Super Smash Bros., or try and see where I left Iatia and co. in Sepharia.  Hmmmm...............
 
 
Current Mood: cold
 
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Fox
11 March 2009 @ 07:38 pm
Huzzah!  
Finally caught up with my commission.  I need to get today's bit written, but that's it.  ^_^  Don't know whether I'll do another yet, though if I don't come up with some sort of job soon, I'll be hocking possesions instead.  :P

I'm currently on a Batman Beyond kick.  I'm thinking I might draw some Melanie sketches or something.  I also need to find my polishing cloths and rephotograph those jewelry pieces of mine.  Oh, and I'm inking Djali right now, that little goat from Disney's Hunchback.

I have no idea if the stuff I'm pulling together is anything like a professional portfolio, but I can hope!  Once I've got everything together I'll post links here and you can let me know what y'all think.

So, as a final random note right now, I'm kinda pissed off at Obama.  Yes, sacriliage, I know, but I'm upset because he really dissed England.  STUPID.

http://buriedplanet.com/2009/03/09/master-diplomat-obama-snubs-oldest-ally/

Um, hello?  You gave the man DVD's in exchange for a PRICELESS, carefully selected memento?  And then told him he could take the bust of Churchill back, because we don't NEED IT ANYMORE?

*fumes*  Jesus Christ, I couldn't be more pissed right now.  Apparently they weren't even the right REGION to be played over in England.  Can you be any more clueless than this?

>>>Has America’s even- tempered new president already ruffled feathers in the land that spawned Borat and Benny Hill? That’s certainly how the spiky British press responded after the White House sent back to the British Embassy a bust of Sir Winston Churchill that had occupied a cherished spot in President Bush’s Oval Office. Intended as a symbol of transatlantic solidarity, the bust was a loaner from former British prime minister Tony Blair following the September 11 attacks. A bust of Abraham Lincoln–Obama’s historical hero–now sits in its place. <<<

I'm distantly related to Abraham Lincon, by the by.  And I have to say, STILL NO EXCUSE.  This was classless, and a direct snub to one of the few allies America has.  Bush stuck his foot in his mouth more than once, but Obama currently is in up to his knee, it would seem.  *annoyed*  Could we please quit electing fools into office?  KTHX.

Oooo, pretty sunset!  I'm going to grab the camera.  ^_^
 
 
Current Mood: Eh, WOT?
 
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Fox
09 March 2009 @ 06:17 pm
I haz twin.  
So, it's a little alarming when you're chatting with one of your best friends, and you sneeze.  And then she mentions she just sneezed.  And you're playing a game, and you use the same emotes at the exact same time, several times in a row.  And then you leave the keyboard to use the bathroom, and upon returning, you see, "BRB, have to pee."

Cassandra and I are now searching for the lab that we were raised in, bent on the destruction of those who dared seperate us at birth.  We'll keep you updated on our success.

I'm busy writing smut for $$$, still looking for a job, and working on a portfolio to get into art school.  (Yes, I'm going to go get a BFA now.  With three years invested into a BA in Theatre.  Ooops.)

Lots of new prettiness to come here: http://alienducks.deviantart.com

I need to put a clasp on my braclet I've been making.  It's a conceptual beachcomber thing... kinda interesting.

In other news, writing about gay fetish sex isn't all it's cracked up to be.  Lord, how on earth did it come to this?  :p  I was such a GOOD child.  XDD

Finally, didn't get the Von Maur job.  It sucks, and I did have a good cry about it, but they really weren't hiring in areas I knew anything about.  It was a good interview and a strong preformance, but I wasn't the best person for Men's Sportswear or Cosmetics.  I don't know jack about them.  ^_^;;;

In the meantime, I'll settle for killing knights in my spare time.  Onward!
 
 
Current Mood: amused
 
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Fox
26 February 2009 @ 04:25 pm
BOOYAH.  
My Pearls course with GIA finally got graded.  B- grade, so I passed.  Part of me's annoyed I didn't do better, but the comfort of not having to pay the $495 fee to retake the class is good enough for me.  :P  Now to see if I can get a job again, so I can save up enough money for the lab class in Chicago.  I want to finish off the Graduate Pearls diploma so I can start in on another!
 
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Fox
16 February 2009 @ 06:33 pm
Well.  
I'm back at Blair now.  I got 11 applications total turned in, and Von Maur's already called me.  There was a mini phone interview, which I can't tell if I muffed or not.  I tolf them I had experience, was good at getting charge apps, and had completely open availability, so I think I might at least get an interview face-to-face.  However, I wasn't asked for one today, which does make me nervous.  I was told I should hear back within a few weeks.

What freaks me out is it's full time.  With benefits.  I *need* this job.  I've never been able to get benefits before, and that's HUGE.  Plus, it would be enough work to easily live down in Beavercreek, though I don't know if I could afford my own place, or if I'd be stuck needing a roomie.  :p

So, fingers crossed.  Send happy thoughts, prayer, and positive energy my way, I'll take whatever I can get.  XDD

Cass, you're going to hate me, but the second you left, I got the mark of Serenity.  XDDDD  Sorry.

Sent out a commission offer to Thomesel, and he's definitely interested.  If he gets something on the scale of last time, I'll easily have about $400 to set up rent/deposit on an apartment.  So, just gotta keep plugging away!

I'm going to go quest now.  I want to hurry up with first class so I can run around with Pereiad again.

Go here: www.materiamagica.com   Go.  Get hooked, like I did.  Text-based games aren't as interesting as graphic ones, but they are a lot of fun if you have online friends playing with you.  You can chat while slaying dragons.  ^_^
 
 
Current Mood: hopeful
 
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Fox
13 February 2009 @ 10:39 pm
@_@/  
Completed applications: Eight

Applications still to fill out/drop off: Four

Online applications to fill out: One

Applications to pick up tommorrow: Three

...if I get all that done, that'll be sixteen jobs I've applied for.  I'd like to see if I can make it an even twenty, but I won't insist on it.  :p

In other news, I didn't eat breakfast, lunch was hours ago, and my stomach is cannibalizing my spine.  Oh, and I'm quite sick of writing the same information over and over AND over.  *flail*

Meh, don't mind me.  I'm not whining, just hungry.  Off in search of FOOD.  <_<a  Or I could hold out twenty minutes and join the cast/crew at Tim Hortons.  *ponders*

I'm a job application machine.  But I needs fuel.  And sleep.  :P  I may be down here till Sunday.... I don't think I'll be done tommorrow until very, very late.  The real pain will start mid-next week, when I finally sacrifce days on end to do this same thing in Columbus.  I want thirty applications total, 10 each for Polaris/Columbus, The Greene, and Beavercreek.  I figure at least ONE of thirty jobs ought to come through, right?

<_<  Oooo, good.  Curtain call is on.  Time to pack up and locate food.  NOM.
 
 
Current Location: The Cedarville CAD Lab
Current Mood: OMGSTARVINGWOT?
 
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Fox
13 February 2009 @ 07:35 pm
Booyah.  
Here's the super short good news!

I'm in Cedarville job hunting.  So far, I have five resumes turned in, three places are definitely hiring, and one of them is a jewelry store.  Better yet, they're with Sterling Jewelers, who own places like Kay's and Jared's.  So, if I worked there, I could use it as a springboard to an even better store/position with them.  AND best yet, they have a casual dress code, so my wardrobe would work for it.  Not only is finding a suit jacket impossible, but I really can't spare the money.  :P

Kristy found a place I can stay in area for $200 a month including utilities, so I could live there really cheaply until I save enough to get a real apartment, too.... things are working out really well.  ^_^

I'm really just putting off filling out applications, actually.... <_<  >_>  <_<  *stalls*
 
 
Current Mood: amused
 
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Fox
03 February 2009 @ 04:22 pm
"I've worked my way up from nothing to a state of extreme poverty!"  
...god bless Groucho Marx.

So, I have only two weeks left to work, right?  Must cram in all the available hours possible, so I have a reserve to pay bills from.  Annnnnnd...... I'm sick.

Between Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Today, I've missed around $300 of work, and now, it seems I may not get my severance check if I don't get better fast and work my last three days.  I have a pounding headache, the sniffles, a sore throat and no voice at all.  And all I keep thinking is, "Dammit, if only this had happened the 8th... it wouldn't have matter how sick I was."

I'm hopefully going to get medicine today.  The doctor mentioned that since I get this so often, perhaps nasal surgery would help.  C_C  How about NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  One surgery was enough, kthx.  You'll never get me under the knife again.  Not happening.

I'm actually in a surprisingly good mood, all things considered.  I do feel more hopeful now, and like this whole thing is a solvable problem.  Then again, my head feels like a balloon, so it may just be the cold talking.  :p

....gonna go back to bed now.  Time for another five hour nap.  >_<
 
 
Current Mood: complacent
 
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Fox
07 September 2008 @ 11:17 pm
*coughhackWHEEZE*  
Thank you, sinuses.  Well, the good news is, it's not mono.  The bad news is, it was just one of my typically nasty sinus colds that want to be pneumonia when they grow up.  So by the time I got medicine, it was already quite advanced.  Saturday?  Yeah.  I spent it running a low grade fever, blowing my nose every five minutes, coughing like a pack a day smoker, and BLEEDING because my period started.  There's nothing quite like a bad, bad chest cold, fever, and cramps all in one day.  Saturday, I briefly claimed the title of the most miserable woman on Earth.

I feel better, relatively speaking.  By tommorrow, I may even regain my normal, unclogged mezzo-soprano voice, and stop sounding like a baritone version of Tanya from the Mighty Ducks.  Charming, really.

I was possesed with the urge to draw Nosedive the other night, and couldn't sleep well because of the chest pain and coughing, so I wound up drawing, inking, coloring and shading this in less than 12 hours.  Dude.


I'm pretty damn pleased with it, screwy anatomy and all.  Of course, now that I look at it, there's a million little variations from canon... but the holster I eliminated for honest reasons - it was just awkward having the holster and gun hang down past the line of the thigh.  Not working out visually.

I might do Wildwing next... sans mask.  Nobody ever draws him without it!  Oh, and Cass, I'm starting to try to pull all the Rennone stuff together... so we can maybe rework out a timeline?  If you're going to kill off major players, this shall take some work.  I did get the ending written to that story though.  Yay!  We finished something!
 
 
Current Mood: drained
 
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Fox
02 September 2008 @ 05:36 pm
Wicked Wits, gather! (Or, In which Fox is rather ill...)  
I told you I was sick.  :P  As that gravestone saying goes...

Two weeks ago, I felt crummy, and called in sick on a Friday.  I felt tired, achey, a little nauseated, and not good in general.

This past Friday, I felt crummy again - apparently I didn't manage to kick the cold.  If anything, it feels worse.  I call in sick again, saying that I'm sick with these symptoms again, not going into great detail, because nobody really wants to know that, right?

My boss flips out.  I came in to work Sunday, after calling in sick on Saturday too, and I'm told first thing that Boss Was Not Happy.  In fact, she was storming around, complaining that I'd used the exact same excuse last week on the exact same day.

Well, I see the point.  This is retail, land of irresponsible teenagerhood.  Most people working there call off for any old reason when they want a weekend off.  This sucks for the 10 percent of us who have some actual intergrity, because suddenly being sick isn't good enough, they demand to know how sick you are - and don't you dare come down with the same symptoms TWICE.  That just has to be lying, right?

1. I have no history of calling off frequently for implausible reasons.
2. I've stated many times that I'm broke, and can't afford to miss shifts.
3. I sounded sick over the phone, for God's sake.
4. Boss has stated that she enjoys working with me, and considers me to be a great employee.
5. Weekends mean little to nothing to me, since my friends generally are only free during the week nights, and every single job or hobby I've ever held has involved working WEEKENDS.

I understand where she's coming from, but honestly, I was pissed to hear that she decided to vent in front of other people about my imaginary shortcomings.  Jeeze, childish much?  So what little of this weekend I didn't spent in bed, flat on my back was spent working two short Sunday and Monday shifts.  I wore no makeup, so everybody could see the dark circles and pale, anemic skin.  It's the one virtue of pale skin - if you wear no makeup, and you're really sick, you LOOK deathly ill.  So the Boss at least got to see me with one foot in the grave yesterday.  Surprisingly, she had nothing to say.  No lectures.  Hmmm, maybe you should think before pitching a fit, yes?

(I know this is utterly snarky.  It just peeves me.  I'm trying to get the Assistant position, for pete's sake - is calling off "sick" to play golf or something a good idea?  NO.  Please don't freak out if your issue has no basis in reality.  This is the woman who begged me to come in when I had a pinched vertebrae in my neck, and I worked a day and a half of shifts instead of just insisting I was sick.  I have an incredible pain threshold.  If I'm not at work, I'm dying.  *end ranting*)

Point Proved: I go to the doctor today, and he tells me he's almost certain I have Mono.  Oh, Joy.  So I now either have a particularly nasty virus, or mono.  In either case, the Boss has now lost me until the 8th of September, because the doctor refuses to let me go to work until he knows I'm not contagious.  (Well, duh.)  I'm trying to summon some sense of outrage over having to miss so much work/pay, but I'm mostly just relieved that I really WAS ill.  I was afraid it was going to be something like the sniffles and exhaustion, which Calleigh would have likely reamed me out over.  I can't afford to lose this job.  This is possibly a ticket to moving out of Blair.  ...I have no decent way to explain it to Calleigh, but there's no way on Earth I can afford to lose it over stupid stuff like skipping work too often.  This is not a job to me, this is a means to escape.  As such, I'm not going to screw it up.

ANYWAY:

This now makes the weekend plans somewhat awkward.  It's the first Saturday off in forever I've had, and the Ren Faire is only on weekends.  However, Em has pointed out it's kids weekend - think: hoards of screaming tots, Marie and I are a bit too broke to afford tickets, (and desire to avoid screaming tots), the Ragweed pollen count is still astronomical, and I'm not sure being outdoors all day would help my cold at this point... and of course, I need to find out if the damn stuff is contagious or not before seeing you guys.  I still want to have a Ren Faire weekend at some point with you guys, but I feel like the living dead right now.  So...

-Step one has to be getting those tests back.  If it's not Mono, and it's just some virus, and I know it's okay to be around people, and I feel better... then Marie suggested some of this stuff:

-There are a ton of street fairs and cultural festivals going on right now.  We could take our pick, spend all day among crazily dressed hippies, spend very little money, and still feel a bit like the Ren Faire happened.  (Hippies, people, hippies!)

-We can hang out at the Greene and window shop...

-We can take over somebody's house and watch movies - mine is a no.  Everybody knows why.  Marie says hers is open, but she only has a laptop to watch things on.  Nate of course, inhabits a dorm.  Not insurmountable obstacles, we can come up with something...

-We could go ice skating.  We've been trying to get THAT happening forever, and there are tons of rinks around...

Post here!  Offer suggestions!  Meanwhile, I shall try to get better as rapidly as possible.  I'd start the whole discussion thing on Facebook, but I have steam powered internet, so I thank you in advance for your forbearance with me.  Post here, just stick your moniker in the title... you don't have to be registered to post comments.

Ugh.  Don't run a fever on a hot day.  That's my advice for life.  I'm going to go text y'all and wedge myself into the deep freeze.

[EDIT]  What idiot is burning leaves?  I now smell like a barbeque AND have a temperature.  Just be done with it and toss me into Hades.  *pants*

[EDIT2] Hey, Em!  Instead of silver ID tags, we could get tattoos!  I bet that'd be lots cheaper!  *flees*
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Current Mood: hot
 
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Fox
15 August 2008 @ 04:29 pm
In which Fox is kidnapped from a Panera's...  






Well, kind of.  Let me explain...


I've run across many idiots in my day.  Hell, I collect them.  I
work in retail.  I've worked in fast food.  I did the whole college
and theatre experience.  I've stumbled on some rare specimens.  But I
can't say I've EVER, ever met one quite like this...


My phone rang last night, and  I answered it.  A guy,
mid-twenties/thirties with no discernable accent answers and asks for me. 
He says that we have a mutual friend in Katie Nichols, and she mentioned my name
to him as somebody who was a capable individual.  Already, this is sounding
like most underworld phone calls I write in my stories - "Hello?  We're
looking for a capable individual.  Vinnie said you'se might be able to help
us..."


I told him Katie hadn't spoken to me about him, and that we hadn't talked in
over a year.  This seemed to stall him for a moment, and then he said she
must not have gotten around to it.  He then proceeded to tell me that he
worked with an ad company that worked with over 1100 huge companies, and would I
be able to commit to keeping my options open?


I asked what kind of projects he had in mind.  He didn't really answer
me, just stated that he'd be able to tell me more if we had a job meeting. 
He would meet me in a Panera's or a coffee shop, and we'd talk for fifteen
minutes or so.  (Apparently talking in person would make it all become
clear in a way a phone conversation couldn't.)  He asked where I lived. 
(I lied.)  He asked if we could meet.  I asked if he could send or
email more information on him and his company first, and he basically told me
that they had so many possible people interested in this, that they couldn't be
bothered with sending info out.  After all, there were people ready to
unquestioningly jump on this offer.  How about that coffee shop meeting?


At this point, I basically talked over him - yay for acting training that
lets me drown out people by continually cranking up the projection! - and told
him that there was no way I was going to meet up with a guy I'd never heard of,
whom I'd not asked to receive calls from, who called me at NINE PM at night, and
refused to give me more information on his company.  And then I hung up
while he was still sputtering protests.


Stalker, right?  I'd have gone to that coffee shop and never been seen
again, right?  Well, apparently not.  Here's the kicker.


I contacted Katie Nichols, just to be certain before calling in a police
report on the guy, in the hopes no other unwary women would be snared, and she
IS working with this moron, and DID give him my name.  I have my phone
number on Facebook - which I'm taking down, btw - and I assumed the jerk had
connected me with Katie and gotten my phone number through Facebook... but
apparently, he really is legit.  Which raises another point.


How on GOD'S GREEN EARTH do you grow up in this day and age, and not
realize that if you make a business call AFTER business hours, as a guy, asking
a young woman to meet you in A COFFEE SHOP, that you have "stalker!" emblazoned
across your forehead in big flashing lights?  Hello?  Anybody? 
If he'd given me a website, emailed info, and given me time to check with Katie
Nichols about the whole thing, I'd have probably taken him up on it.  But
this whole, "You have five minutes to take this opportunity or pass it on
forever?"  No.  NO.  That's not how real companies do business. 
Not the typical ones, anyway.  If you want to hire me that badly, you'll
give me a chance to check your legitimacy.  If not, go find one of the
THOUSANDS you supposedly have waiting!  Surely one of them will bite!


I'm warring between amusement and utter annoyance.  How utterly
unprofessional can you be?!  *snerk*  Still, I'm betting it was a
telemarketing call center or something.  Maybe I just turned down a job as
CEO of the free world, but I doubt it.  And, as I told my dad last night,
"I wouldn't be happy working for somebody that stupid anyway."  So, it's a
win-win.  I don't get kidnapped from a coffee shop, and I don't have to
work for someone too stupid to pay attention to phone and business etiquette.


Besides, the Assistant Manager position just opened up in Better Sportswear! 
Not what I've always dreamed of, but full-time, benefits, and enough of a raise
to guarantee I pay off half my school loans by year's end.  (Assuming of
course, that I don't move out until January, start the job in September, and
really, really check my shopping habits.  Oh, and get $13 an hour. *cough*)


Hey, Cass?  I'm back to working practically no hours at all, so you'll
see me pretty much any day of your choosing next week.  And then some. 
Damn part-time hours.  :p  I need money.


Oh, and yesterday, when I was supposed to be online?  I worked 8:30am to
1pm, so I rode down with mum, she ran errands, we were going to be home by
three... annnnnnd the tire went flat.  Yay for road construction and SIX
INCH NAILS.  By the time we got it replaced, I'd spent about twelve
straight hours working/sitting in a car repair shop/canned up in a car with mum. 
I think my eye was twitching on the way home.  I just literally had to
think happy thoughts to keep from strangling her.  Yesterday sucked, to put
it lightly.  XD  Oh, and people who drive TEN miles slower than the
posted limit drive me nuts.  Especially when they've driving.  Thanks
mum.  You nearly got us killed.  -_-;;;


(How does the woman talk and talk and TALK, and yet not notice the
surrounding traffic is honking, passing, and zooming by about twenty miles
faster than we're going?  Ah, well.)


I cleaned Wednesday.  I can now see floor in my room!





 
 
Current Mood: indescribable
 
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Fox
11 August 2008 @ 11:25 pm
Yesssss!!!  
"Well Miss Blair, I have to say. In looking for the best writter I could find who serivces this fandom... I think I found her. You are an excellent writter...Better by far then anyone else. I look forward to working with you."

-email from my current commissioner

....Well, I admit, I'm kinda nonplussed by the whole compliment thing. Not that they're bad, but I cringe at all-encompassing statements like that. I'm a good writer, not a OMGWFTAMAZING writer. C'mon. Be real.

Currently watching swimming in the Olympics. Saw Phelps blow away another world record and gold, and "Lethal" Jones win a gold. Finally! I'm pleased for her, even if the US did come in second.

Yay for a day off tommorrow! I think I'll clean and do website stuff.
 
 
Current Mood: amused
 
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Fox
11 August 2008 @ 06:07 pm
Under the category of disturbing...  
Hey [info]avianity!  How's Nicole Flashblade sound?  I think it could really work!

*flees the destruction she has just wrought*

I'm off to relieve a little stress.  And cook noodles.  Mmmm, NOODLES.
 
 
Current Mood: hungry
 
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Fox
04 August 2008 @ 01:43 pm
Here, have some semi-nudity.  
I'm so tempted to color this in my spare time.  Not that I have spare time, of course, but the overachiever in me screams I must do SOMETHING with it.  Granted, [info]avianity colored a version, but I just can't resist the chance to play with her hair.  Yay for pinups!


In other news, I've just discovered that my work schedule has been F-ed with, and I now work this Saturday, 11-8... which pretty much kills the H and M plans Kristy and I made.  I'm going to see if I can beg/borrow somebody's shift and trade.  I haven't had a Saturday off in at least a month.  Seriously people, stop changing my schedule for this week TWO DAYS before the week starts.  I can't plan anything ahead because my schedule changes right up until the Saturday before.
 
 
Current Mood: aggravated
 
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Fox
29 July 2008 @ 07:08 pm
Why no, I *can't* speak articulate English over a telephone!  
...I have to laugh at myself.  I am well-read, well-written, and well spoken.  I think working at Macy's with so many teeny-boppers and semi-literate adults has fried my language center, because I can think of no other reason why I would stick so many "likes", "well", and "ums" into my phone conversations.  Oh, and dude.  Why do I say dude?  I'm from Ohio.  We have no surf here!  XDDD

Life here has been somewhat frantic... two people are on vacation, and one just left for six weeks due to bunion surgery, so suddenly little old part-time "contingent" worker me is getting 40 hours a week *easily*.  I've already turned down extra hours for this past Sunday, taken part of a shift on Monday instead of having a day off, and dealt with the Customer From Hell... It's only Tuesday.  Might this be indicative of the kind of week to come?  Here's my schedule, starting from the last day off...

Thursday - day off.
Friday - 5-10:15pm
Saturday - 1-10:15pm, then met [info]celenarelsabeth and John randomly at Brio.  John bought dessert.  New York Cheesecake at Brio = LOVE
Sunday - 9-4pm, then headed to MicroCenter and had a USB drive conudrum.  Wound up buying three different drives for the lovely [info]avianity to choose from.  Wooo, $300 bill.  I managed not to buy the 1 TB drive that I kept staring at.  POWAH!  *cough*  I'll return the leftover stuff... um, sometime.  I don't know when I'm going to be free again!  Dealt with Customer From Hell.  Drove to [info]celenarelsabeth's house and met her and John again to hang out.  Frustration is doing a 500 piece puzzle and finding ONE piece smack in the middle is missing.  0_<;;;  Wound up sleeping there for the night.  MUCH thanks go to you, Kristy, for letting me use your shower.  OMG, I have missed showers.  (Don't take that wrong.  I'm clean!  Just... the showers here are like, ghetto soup kitchen showers.  I don't set foot in them.  Yay for sink baths!  *eyeroll*)
Monday - 1-5pm , working a half shift.  Why did I give up my day off?  Why?
Tuesday - set my alarm for 7am, to discover belatedly that I actually worked at 9:45am, not 9am.  WORLD OF DIFFERENCE!  Got off at 2pm.  I let mum drive me down so she could run errands.  Hillariously enough, I gave her all the gold jewelry of mine and [info]avianity's to sell, figuring I'd just get rid of it and take whatever losses.  My mother, in her good deed of the century, decided the price wasn't high enough, and didn't pawn it.  I return home to an AIM message from Cass telling me not to sell it.  ...I'm going to set aside all disturbing thoughts of mum being suddenly tapped into our mindlink, and chalk it up to the grace of God.

I think the highlight of today was when a co-worker asked me if I wanted to work Thursday for her.  Um, sure.  I'd love to work TEN CONSECUTIVE DAYS with no break.  And I'm sure she understood when I laughed at her.  Slightly hysterically.  Had a Very Interesting chat with my boss about being moved to part-time, (yay, benefits!), and being given a raise to commemorate the event.  I wasn't out-and-out guarenteed the Michael Kors specialist position, but she basically said that once I had the Better Sportswear selling seminar under my belt, that I'd move up.  Hopefully, this will incur another raise.  And the year-end bonus/raise... well, I might actually be making some decent money before too long.  Not that even twelve bucks an hour would be enough to live on around here, but still.  Much better than JCP!  I've only been here two months.  And the specialists get clothing allowances.  I must find out whether this applies to clothes AND handbags/shoes.  :3  That $400 purse could yet be mine!  (Kidding, mom, kidding.  Breathe slowly, wherever you are.)

So tommorrow I work 9:45 to 4pm, and then I go to Regis and get my hair cut/highlighted.  I haven't done the whole hair shebang since January, and it needs it.  The stripe in my hair has actually come back full blast.  Damn you, temporary six month hair dye!  I'm starting to look like a cheap sci-fi hooker again!  If I'm trying to get promoted to a fashion specialist, I suppose the least I can do is look a little less like a giant tumbleweed.  I then get a day off... one full week later than my last day off.  Six day weeks SUCK.

Still haven't heard anything from the latest FurBid auction.  C'mon, guy, pay me.  I really don't want to cancel the auction because you missed the two-week deadline.  I gotta get bills paid!  Oh, and I must mail the USB drive to you, Cass.  I shall do that tommorrow.  320GB's worth of lovely.  I'm debating whether to send it to you pristine and unopened, or to stick a couple surprises on it for you.

On a final, random note, I never seem to imagine accurately what people must sound like.  Seriously!  When I first talked to [info]tengukun, I was surprised.  I can't imagine her having any different of a voice now, but it was just different.  Like reading about a book character, then seeing author sketches of him and realizing you had them imagined totally wrong.  Called [info]avianity today to get ahold of her, since her library is being turned topsy-turvy right now and her internet is offline, and spoke with her for the first time.  Nothing like what I imagined, (whatever that undefinable thing was).  I listen to myself on tape and go, "Who the hell is that person?"  You know?  Just a disconnect.  Anyway, sorry for the stumbling, rambling introduction today, Miss Scarlett.  I'm not sure who else I thought would be manning the phones, but I was worried for a minute I'd gotten somebody else.  And then I realized I had no idea how to correctly pronounce your last name.  I'm sure I must've sounded like a telemarketer in training.   XDDD  I wish I could say I'm wittier and even more eriudite in person, but [info]celenarelsabeth can vouch that I'm not.  I'm the person who considered the cold call JCP jewelry stuff - "Hi!  Come pick up your watch!" - to be hell.  I just suck at editing my speech, basically.  Ask Emilynn.  I left her a phone message the other day to tell her I missed her, and I seriously had to rerecord three times, because the damn time limit kept expiring.  Ramble, anyone?

Well, anyway.  I was thrilled to talk to you for two hours.  My system was in rant-overload, and I got to drain some of the tension off.  XDD  My mother, in true house-nazi fashion when I got off the phone, stated that she hoped I hadn't made our family phone bill go over this month.  9_9  Woman, enough.  Be quiet.  I'm this close to telling you to get laid, and I already have ample reasons to be sent to hell without compounding them.  Friends reading this, please note.  Do not call me on my Sprint line, which sucks and is a cheap phone anyway.  Call me now on my kick-ass Verizon phone that *I* pay for.  The number is 1-614-949-2696, if I remember correctly.  If not, sorries for the random Spanish guy you're going to call.  I have the lowest plan available, but I don't honestly see how any one person could talk for 250 hours a month.  I may or may not answer, depending on whether I'm working or if I've got the ringer turned off, but I think I'm just going to come out of the cell phone closet and admit I've got the thing.  No more bitching!

I don't remember when I work Friday... they're doing a lot of daytime shifts right now tho, so I may only have one or two days a week to devote to mindless chatting/ranting/lusting sessions.  When I am on AIM though, everybody's more than welcome to chat.  Cass, I must hear all details about this guy!  One of us has finally semi-snagged a man over fifty, and I'm too excited to contain myself with my usual decorum.  (What, decorum?  Me?  All lies.)

Going to clean room and watch Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.  The one with Richard Dreyfus.  I've been told it's a crime to be in theatre and not have seen it.  Cheers!
 
 
Current Mood: amused
 
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Fox
24 July 2008 @ 05:05 pm
*putters about*  
Didn't get to bed til 4 last night, so with the lovely, cool weather - in July! - I slept in.  Way in.  Sorry Cass.  XDD  I did get on at twelve, but you've not showed, and I've gotta get some cleaning done, since this is the last day off work and with no writing commission looming for a good while.  Damn, I'm tired.  Updated the thing you mentioned yesterday.  Stopping for now cause my wrists hurt.  I downloaded a client for LJ, so hopefully it'll be easier to use than the site's been.

Excited about my auction!  $201 as of right now, and 24 bids.  I'd actually be fine if it didn't go any higher, because it's still only a two week commission, if I push.  I can get it out of the way quicker and do another.

The whole house has been in a snarky mood today.  I'm going to go hide from people now.
 
 
Current Mood: exanimate
 
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Fox
16 July 2008 @ 02:56 pm
*deals with drama queen*  

So at the risk of sounding horribly patronizing, here is NOT how to advertise for a story auction.

[SIC] Hi there I'm doing commission for stories and I can do up to 5 character for free (your 5, mixed - yours plus a few of mine, all 5 of mine) but I'll charge $.75 for any character after that. there not in a book but I'll charge you $2.00 if more if you want them in a book and $6.00 for me to send them to you via e-mail. If you want me to do your 5 character send me an e-mail with your characters and possible pictures of them if you have them so I know what they look like and give me all the details of them so I know what they are, if they have any special powers or not, etc. Most of my stories that I have are "On your edge of the seat" kind of story since they are not done but I'll do your from start to finish. I can make them romantic (yiffy and non-yiffy), adventurous, scary or whatever you want them to be. Send me and e-mail to: *blanked out* and let me know about your characters and when I'm done I'll send them to you.

...no writing examples. No indication of how long he'll take. For all practical purposes, you give him some money, and sometime in the future at his whim, a story will be cranked out for you. Which will sound like most of the bad Fanfics on the net, I'm guessing. Not to mention that the one paragraph gives me a really good idea of what the story shall read like. *shudder* He doesn't even indicate how LONG the story will be.

The reason I mention this is I recently got an irate email from some Furbid native (who shall remain nameless) that basically told me how frustrating it was to post auctions that recieved no bids and were really cheap, then see my auction pop up and go for decent money. Why is one story auction different from another? Why don't hers sell? Why do mine sell? *insert whine here*

This frustrates me immensly. This is not eBay. On eBay, you are selling a PRODUCT. Either the product is in good or bad shape, or the seller is good or bad, but all things being equal, it doesn't matter which seller I buy my squeegee mop from. It only matters which is cheaper. On Furbid you are selling TALENT with a REPUTATION. Think about it. I still don't draw very well, and I don't have a tablet, which limits me artistically. Knowing this, I don't offer art auctions.

It would be ridiculous, for example, for me to offer a colored picture, and Spunky to offer a colored picture in our own auctions, and for me to whine that my auction recieved no bids. One, Jen is MASSIVELY talented and good at what she does. I'm still learning. Two, she has a solid (and well-deserved) fanbase that would love to have a piece of her artwork. Furbid does get you bids if you don't know anyone, but it never hurts to have several dozen people trying to get a piece of you when an auction goes up. Three, she does auctions RARELY. So everybody knows to try and bid on this one, because you never know when the next will be!

So for people who post an auction every week, have no following, and don't show much talent, (sorry to be harsh...), there's a good reason why you can't even get bids on a cheap, ten dollar auction. The auction presentation is everything! If you're auctioning art, post many different styles and species of the best sketches you have. If it's writing, make sure you're clear on what you're offering, and that you have NO SPELLING or GRAMMAR errors. Seriously. If people are buying your writing, and they can barely read the auction description, they won't buy it.

Final tip. Make it as EASY as possible for them to buy it. State what they're getting, what it costs, the timeframe, and your limits ahead of time, and take Paypal. There have been some auctions with art that I've won VERY cheaply, because the artist would only accept checks mailed to her, or the like. Mailing a check requires effort. If you take Paypal, the bidder can be more impulsive about it. They'll see it, want it, bid, and think about it later. Seeing that they must mail a check makes them consider how much they *really* want the item.  PEOPLE ARE LAZY.

The latest auction I posted? I spent a good five hours working on the picture with pricing and teaser images, and another two or three fine tuning the text and excerpts. It was not dashed off in fifteen minutes!  You want to communicate everything neccesary in a minimum of space. Pare down as much as possible. And please leave out the statements that tell everyone how badly you need the money. Everybody needs money. I'm on the verge of not being able to pay student loans, but I never state that in an auction. Unless you have a following of sympathetic, deep-pocketed people, or are a legend in the furry world, odds are the people bidding don't know you, and will not bid more simply because the house blew up and you're eating in soup kitchens. They don't care. Cue the emo Kelly Clarkson CD you own.

So to conclude, please don't post a half-concieved, unprofessional auction and then pick me as your scape goat. Why would someone pay $150+ for one of my stories, when they can get one of yours for under $20? Because I have more experience, better presentation, less auctions posted less often, talent, and several repeat customers who are quite generous with their spending. Oh, and we're not selling squeegee mops. This ain't eBay.

In other news, I think my job is hiring someone in as part time, instead of granting me the chance to move out of contingent, temp status.  JOY.  :p  But I have caffiene and cereal, so all is good.

(For those who are wondering, I just bought the cereal myself, opened it, poured a bowl, let it sit, THEN ate it.  The box is now sealed and in the freezer.  Paranoid?  Well, yeah.  Can you blame me?)

 
 
Current Mood: complacent
 
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Fox
15 July 2008 @ 03:40 pm
Unleash the plagues of Egypt!  
...currently, Blair road is under the plagues of pestilence and blood.

...no, not kidding. Pouring a bowl of cereal today, I went to get a spoon... and found that waiting a moment had been really, REALLY good. About twenty little flour bugs or weevils or whatever-the-heck-you-call'ems were crawling up the sides of the white bowl. I don't know if it came from the warehouse like that, or it had simply sat open in our house for too long, but it robbed me rather suddenly of my appetite. Unfortunate, because I need to take an ibuprofen, and can't without food in system first.

Which brings us to the next plague. Hello, period. And here I was reading a story about Moses just the other day... (Well, a sci-fi book where someone adopted it as their nickname.)

I'm going to post another FurBid auction... we'll see what happens with it. If the sun turns dark, I'm going to assume God is displeased with me for selling smut stories again. ...come to think of it, I *am* the firstborn.

...*gulp*

Well, whatever. I'm still violently nauseated at the thought of how close I came to EATING that cereal. *TWITCH*
 
 
Current Mood: nauseated
 
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