Archive of Marcia's Musings July 11-17, 2005Done!
My last "Get to Know Your 936" class was last night so now I can get down to the business of playing!! No more classes to go to-- just plain old sewing and serging!! YEAH!!! I have so much fun with my machines AND talk about creativity! It can be an awesome thing sometimes, you know?
Donation
Today, the Salvation Army is coming over to pick up the futon and miscellaneous stuff that we were going to sell in a garage sale that I don't have time to organize. Well, its more like it would be so few things that it would take longer to organize than I have time for (see above comment about creativity) and yet, not enough to have a really good sale. Why bother? So, we organized the stuff last night after I put the call in to get on the schedule a couple of weeks ago.
Since the Army will only pick up if there's furniture or big appliances. We've got the library furniture rearranged after purchasing new stuff and there's no room for the futon anymore. SOOOO, out goes the futon so that we can get rid of the bags and boxes of stuff that's been hanging around far too long! Its nice to get that out of the way.
Pampered & Pretty
Lucy gets to go off to the doggie day spa today to get beautified-- she'll come back all prancy and prissy, of course. Pictures to follow!
I've gotta get to work-- Have a good day!
Thursday, July 14,2005Errands Done
I had to run to the grocery store and post office this morning and I had to get it done by 11. At 11am this morning, our new cleaning service starts! YEAH!!!!
As you know, I don't clean-- I have started to dust but even at that, I miss stuff. I'm just not good at it. At the beginning of our relationship, I had a housekeeper for a 2-bedroom apartment and then Brian moved in and took over. Ever since, with the exception of a few months that we had Albert (a friend of Brian's) cleaning for us, Brian's done it.
This house is BIG and for Brian to do it every three or four weeks take a lot of his time, which is (on an hourly basis) quite pricey. This is why we figured we could "graduate" to a cleaning service. Beginning today and every three weeks, Merry Maids will be coming in to clean for us. Yes, we have to pick up the house before they come but at least we don't clean before they get here!
The only unfortunate part is that Lucy and Molly are going to have to spend the time downstairs in the basement. I'll bring them down and get them settled when the cleaning crew gets here and then go down for a visit every half hour or so to prevent loneliness and sore throats. Sore throats? You and I both know that they are going to bark like crazy when they hear all of the moving around and can't be a part of it-- especially, Lucy!
*****
Merry Maids has arrived a bit early and, of course, I had to struggle to get the dogs into the basement. I'm having to shut them in the guest bedroom and Molly in particular does not like that! She keeps trying to run out ahead of me-- boy, they're going to need a really good treat (probably an 8:00 stick) after being shut in the basement!
Better get back to work-- at least it doesn't involve cleaning showers and toilets!
Have a good day!
Wednesday, July 13, 2005Lucky 13!!
"Lucky" because I do NOT have jury duty!! YEAH!! I even joined the ACLU (a mere $20 donation) so that I could say I was a card-carrying member. Apparently, that's an easy way to get out of jury duty but, even though I have my card, I don't need it.
Speaking of the ACLU, they must have their hands full-- that would be an interesting place to work, huh? You'd know what rights you're going to lose BEFORE you lose them (for a change).
Busy Is as Busy Does
I've got lots of things on my plate as usual. Writing the book, finishing the tablecloth, playing with my sewing machines and serger, and, of course, the thing that finances it all: my JOB. Thank heavens I have a job that I love with a company that is well-managed and maintained!
Apparently my former employer isn't faring as well as there are a lot of lay-offs (as much as 10%) with people crying in the parking lots as they're ushered to their car. I am SOOOOO glad that I don't work there anymore-- that place never did have any heart and it appears to have gotten worse instead of better these last five months! 'Nuf said about that!
Have a good day!
Tuesday, July 12, 2005Nothing's New
I cleaned up my sewing room last night. I had to take the new D1 to the quilt shop to get fixed-- a problem developed over the weekend-- so, while the room was a bit emptier, I rearranged and picked things up. Later, I spent an hour or so working on something that's been in the back of my mind for a couple of years-- it was supposed to go together faster than it did so I'll end up finishing that tonight.
I Tried
Over the course of the weekend, I tried to read Stephanie Matteson's "Murder Under the Palms". I tried-- I really, really, REALLY tried. Last night, I finally gave up-- there is just nothing that grabs me in this book. It took more than five pages to get to the first dialogue and up to page forty, there had been no murder yet.
In the workshop we just took at the Smithsonian, we were told to mix dialogue and description evenly, if not heavy on the dialogue allowing the characters to verbally take care of the description. We were also told that a successful mystery has the crime/murder occurring in somewhere in the first 10% of the pages. In the case of this book, with 245 pages, the murder/crime should have taken place by page 24 or 25. As I said, I ended my reading on page 40 and nothing had happened yet-- except for a lot of description and long, narrative dialogues.
Interesting to note that Ms. Matteson does not have a website. Hmm, speaks volumes to me.
Anyway, maybe not . . . I'm off to work to see what needs to get done. Have a good day!
Monday, July 11, 2005Double Whoops?
I had no idea, until I went to archive last week, that I hadn't posted on Friday. I can't think of what I was doing, other than work, that I would've been too busy to put a post up on Friday. Hmm, I can't think of anything that was distracting me other than work.
Okay, so I didn't post over the weekend but I haven't in a long time-- too much to do and never enough time to do it in, I guess. I have eight (8) "UFO's" right now-- UnFinished Objects-- in various forms and medium. My problem is that I have too many things that I like to do and not enough time to do all of them so I work on them as I have time.
That about covers it, I guess.
Catch-Up
So Saturday I sewed-- big shock-- and Sunday I sewed, after the groceries and before Linda Rose came over. I've also been practicing on my 936 and impatiently awaiting the arrival of some necessary items via the mail. I should have them by the end of the week and then I can go great guns-- watch out!
Guess that's all for now-- have a good evening!
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