Darkstarian Discourse & Diversions

Swift Kick (in a good way)

noreply@blogger.com (MsDarkstar) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 05:53:00 +0000

Sometimes you work on a project for a while and it just never quite gets finished. I've been working on making bath fizzies and lip balm (and solid perfume to a limited extent) and have MUCH work to be done entering inventory into databases and soforth. I kept saying I needed to get a website set up to sell the stuff and then had an issue with my webhost wanting an assload of money that I don't have right now and having the good fortune to come up with a good solution to THAT issue. That was resolved late last week. But, I still need to get a site up and running. And, well, today I got a swift kick to get that done because the QOFE Crissy pimped my goods on her lovely blog. And the resulting traffic was three times my normal traffic here. Which doesn't help because even though I TALK about my stuff here, I don't actually have linkies and selling capacity here.

And so, now it is very late at night and I am still awake because I thought I'd better GET MY ASS IN GEAR and put together a website so I can sell this stuff. And I found out that it's going to be WAY more complicated than I thought because you have to set up shipping costs and stuff and.... wow!

The bottom line, though, is that I have stuff I really HAVE to do tomorrow so it really isn't practical to stay up ALL NIGHT and put together a website. But I did get started and my goal is to have it up by this weekend.

Anyhoozles, to avoid invoking the wrath of Mr. POSSLQ (an early riser), I'd best take my happy heinie to bed!

Non-Coffehouse Sunday Post

noreply@blogger.com (MsDarkstar) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 17:54:00 +0000

Given that it's LATE, I suppose it was a given that this was not going to be a coffeehouse post...

My cellphone is 3 years old. I've been thinking of getting a new one but, honestly, I really LIKE the phone I have now. The thing is, I have iPhone envy... I want to be able to get all those cool apps that people get. I RARELY use my phone for talking (if I have calls to make I use Skype), I do alot of texting and wish I could get emails and stuff on the go when I don't have the capacity to use my laptop (which I am still desperately in love with).

Enter the iPod Touch... Wireless connectivity, cool apps and....no pesky phone. But, the iPod touch is completely out of my price range, especially when I'm not working and really don't expect that there will be ANY gifting this holiday season. I was amused to read that they'll even engrave it for you. Is "I'm a gearslut"an unprofessional thing to get engraved on your bitchin' iPod Touch? (yes, I just used the word "bitchin", ok?)

Over on Facebook, I have managed to track down a couple more old friends. One declined my friendship request (and, to be fair, if you are a man who changed your name then maybe you don't want to be found) but I had two accept including someone I remember quite fondly from my youth and I imagine it must have been somewhat of a shock to her to have a ghost from almost 30 years ago reappear. The other is someone I once worked with and have thought about much over the years.

The big news from the weekend, though, was that I actually did something SOCIAL. The NaNoWriMo group had a "Thank God It's Over" gathering and it wasn't too far away and so I went (dragging along poor Mr. POSSLQ). I wish I'd gotten people's names... I feel like an idiot for not having asked. And I likely won't see any of them again until next November. However, I worry that I, perhaps, did not fit in overly well... making statements like referring to babies as "biohazards" is probably why no one asked for my phone number. Nonetheless, I made the effort to go "out there" and lived to tell the tale.

And on that note, I believe I will depart for the tub and then to bed. Goodnight Internetz!

I just looked at the time...

noreply@blogger.com (MsDarkstar) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 09:27:00 +0000

All I can say (at 3:30AM) is that time got away from me. I've not been wasting it, though. I have been busily working on things which is why I didn't notice the time until just now. And I decided to post anyway because I know that I'll just go into the bedroom and deal with a brain that won't quiet down enough to sleep until I empty some of this stuff out of it.

I got two more batches of bath fizzies made today. One is Chocolate Buttercream scented and the other is probably going to be called Purple Haze.

I got a package the other day that I wasn't expecting from my friend KCC. It had a number of fragrance oils in it (which come in handy for making fizzies) and some knitting things (knitting needles, some yarn, a couple of knitting books and a DVD) and some molds (also handy for making fizzies) including some molds of things of an ADULT nature!! So, I have now made some "naughty" fizzies.

The project I've been working on the last couple of hours is looking at my resume once again and making some minor "tweaks" to it to see if I can't generate some more interest. For the last few years, my resume has run 3 pages. This is really not acceptable so I did what I had to do to bring it down to two pages. I then had to go to each of the places online that I have the resume posted and upload (or enter manually) the new version. This gets to be incredibly time consuming. I also created a "quick and dirty" 1 page version because sometimes that's needed. I won't print copies until I am more clear-headed and can be sure that it looks as I want it to look.

To say it was a disappointing week would be a gross understatement. I had some high hopes on Wednesday and was told that people would be calling me back and the phone was dead silent the remainder of the week. While I understand from an intellectual perspective that this has little to do with my worth as a person, I cannot fully persuade my emotional side that I really shouldn't be hurt. And that's one of the other reasons that I'm not sleeping well. I am face-to-face with something I hoped would never happen and every day that ticks by brings the inevitable closer.

And I find myself thinking of THIS alot. And on THAT note, I think I'll head to bed.

Something to believe in...

noreply@blogger.com (MsDarkstar) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 05:59:00 +0000

I got my mailing done today and also got a new batch of lip balm made. This batch is Black Cherry Cheesecake. It's divine!

I did figure out some things with the domain name I thought I might lose and figured out how to prevent that. I am still hoping to get the website up even though I've been feeling a tich discouraged about that the last few days. I am hoping my new hosting arrangement can and will still go forward as planned but when someone is doing a favor for you, it's a good thing to exercise caution about being pushy. I'm feeling I'm being discouraged from pushing ahead with the pursuit (long story) and there is some truth to the fact that someone who can only produce very small, hand-made batches of a product or products is unable to compete with the companies that mass produce similar products. That being said, I don't think that anyone who has a hobby and sells the results of said hobby expects to become rich by doing so. I make what I make because I enjoy it. If I happen to be able to sell some of what I make and can share the enjoyment with others, I feel that's a good thing. Realistically, my potential customers could walk on over to LUSH or a similar store and buy products produced by professionals. If people are going to buy from me, it's probably because they want to be supportive of my endeavor. For all I know, people might buy my stuff to give to people they can't stand as a holiday gift. There's an idea... maybe I could create "stink bombs... the bath fizzie for people to give to people who stink" and make some really overpowering scents and people could give them to all of the people who they feel OBLIGATED to get gifts for but whom they don't really like.

Ok, it's late and business ideas hatched when sleep deprived are very seldom really worth anything (once in a blue moon you'll come up with something brilliant that way, but not on any sort of routine basis).

I have to remember that both my Dad and my Mom have birthdays this week.

Tomorrow I have to get the house back under control and have some other things to work on. I will likely try to get another batch of lip balm and/or bath fizzies made, as well.

Stuck in my head today...

A mile away live the rich folks
And I see how they're living it up
While the poor they eat from hand to mouth
The rich drinkin' from a golden cup

And it just makes me wonder
Why so many lose, and so few win

You take the high road
And I'll take the low road

Yes Sometimes I wish I didn't know now
The things I didn't know then

And give me something to believe in, yeah

~Something to Believe In~by Poison

All messed up and nowhere to go...

noreply@blogger.com (MsDarkstar) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 05:59:00 +0000

So, last night I went to bed at about 12:45AM. Woke up this morning at 4AM. Not just half-awake woke up but totally awake and mind engaged in fast forward awake. 5:45AM was the last time I looked at the clock before I think I drifted off some and woke again about 8:20ish with a Weedy perched atop me. I suspect this was an effort to keep warm on her part more than anything else. Drifted off again in that hazy not-awake-but-not-asleep state. When I fully awoke from that a short time later I decided to just go ahead and get up.

Had a pretty substantial list of things I meant to get done today and did fairly well on staying on task and getting things done. I had an order for some of the bath fizzies and lip balm I make so I got that packaged up and it should go out in the mail tomorrow. Being an optimist, I ordered some priority mail boxes and labels so if I have more orders, I will have boxes for them. No, I don't have the website up yet and honestly, there may be some issues with that getting done due to my hosting renewal coming up at a financially unfortunate time (now) and I am not happy that I may lose the domain name but it can't be helped. I will likely be able to switch hosts within the next few weeks but I currently get my domain name through the people I host with so I am not altogether clear on what happens when things lapse and how quickly someone else could come in and snap it up. I'm working on finding out. Of course, once I switch hosts, I'll need to build the site and anyone who has done that can tell you that it takes time. I don't have the funds to pay a professional at this point but I hope I'll be able to put together something that looks ok and does the job I need it to do.

Tonight I know I really should be in bed but my brain is still wide awake and running a mile a minute and I know if I go and lie down that I will just worry about things that I cannot change. Which is completely useless.

Tomorrow (which is likely "today" by the time I get this posted) we need to go out and do the grocery shopping we put off today and get to the post office plus get the rent paid.

I'm still working with a potential client on getting a fragrance "just so"... the first batch turned out ok, but it wasn't quite on the mark, so I will need to try again. But that's how it goes with this sort of thing. I am also targeting getting another batch of lip balm made tomorrow (today?)

I'm going to go have a soak in the tub in the hopes that it will make me sleepy. I don't even mind falling asleep in the tub. It reminds me of old times when I used to have a waterbed. Take care, Internetz.

Non-Coffeehouse Sunday Post

noreply@blogger.com (MsDarkstar) — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 12:54:00 +0000

I went to bed about 12:45AM and woke up at 5AM and couldn't get back to sleep. So, if this post ends up making no sense whatsoever, it's due to sleep deprivation and I apologize.

I hit the 50,000 words needed to "win" NaNoWriMo yesterday morning at 5AM. I have more writing to do and then a bunch of editing before it will be ready for anyone else to be able to read it. I'm not sure if it has any commercial potential at all, but I hope maybe it will be an interesting read even if it never gets officially published. I know that what I write here probably doesn't give anyone the impression that I am the sort of person who should be writing books. But I've wanted to be a published author since I was about 8 years old.

In my tween years, I belonged to a Young Writer's group. I doubt I have any of the stories I wrote back then still around. And honestly, none of it was ever that great, but... when you're that age, you think pretty much anything you write is a masterpiece. In my teen years I got some of my angsty teen poetry published in my school's literary magazine. I realize now when I read them how awful they were, but it was still pretty cool to be "published". Since then, I've had one piece of "erotic poetry" included in an anthology that was distributed to a special interest group of people. It certainly wasn't my best work, but it wasn't horrible and it wasn't a case of everything submitted got included, the editors of the anthology picked out the best of what they received, so I feel like maybe my writing has potential. But erotic poetry and a novel are worlds apart. And I am pretty sure I haven't the background or depth of experience to be writing "erotica" in novel form.

Other than job hunting and writing a novel, I've been trying to get my filing under control and do all of the things that one does to keep a household running. Nothing very exciting, to be sure. But, that's ok. Sometimes just routine, mundane things are good and have some comfort to them. I've also been working on trying to get some new bath products done and figuring out my web hosting situation (my current account is up for renewal and I don't really have the money to spend but really want to get the website up for my bath products so it's a bit of a Catch-22 that I believe I have actually found a solution to and just need to have a couple more conversations so that the details can be worked out). I figure the "worst case scenario" is that I will have to join Etsy until I figure out the website situation and get it up and running.

Have a lovely Sunday, Internetz!

F-Word Friday

noreply@blogger.com (MsDarkstar) — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 05:58:00 +0000

Hello Internetz and Welcome to another F-Word Friday. Today's F-Word is Finally... as in "I finally shoved my vanity aside and decided to make another blog post". If you are confused, simply look at the last blog post I made (go ahead, I'll wait....)

So, yes, I've finally gotten over myself and am ready to post something other than my 15 minutes of fame (albeit as a comic strip character) in this space.

Another "finally"... and you might wanna sit down for this one... Mr. ExMan, who hasn't held a for real job since he was in high school, has a job. It's seasonal but it's a job nonetheless. I'm pretty sure that it means that Hell has frozen over, but it is sortve a big deal when a dude who has just hit 40 gets his first real job in well over two decades.

Oh yeah, yet another "finally"... and maybe this doesn't matter to one damn person but me. I got a GoogleWave invite. I know most of you probably don't give a rat's ass about it, but I've been waiting to get an invite (because I'm a geek, ok? I admit it) and I finally got it today. Yay me! So I have been trying to figure out how it works, which is fun because I love working with new stuff like that.

I will finally get things together to be mailed this weekend. I have to remember to print labels tomorrow and get things packaged up. I will also finally get around to making the eggrolls I got the recipe for weeks ago. Sheesh! Procrastinate much?

Hope you all had a good Thanksgiving. With Mr. POSSLQ being called to work this week we put off our planned holiday dinner until Sunday. We will be having maple glazed pork roast and stuffing. Mr. POSSLQ doesn't like green bean casserole, so we will not be having that. Are there any foods that are traditional to find on your holiday tables? I have very little in the way of things that are "must have" items but I miss clam dip (must be served with ridged potato chips) if I don't make it at least once.

And now, Finally, I am going to end this post so I can get things wrapped up and get to bed. Goodnight Internetz and thanks for joining me for another F-Word Friday.

P.S. (5AM) - I submitted my wordcount for NaNoWriMo - 50,098. The goal is 50,000. Finally "finished" with this year's novel. Except I'm not done and this year I will actually FINISH it and make it worth reading!

I'm so excited!!

noreply@blogger.com (MsDarkstar) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:56:00 +0000

A while back I'd mentioned that something really cool had happened but that I wasn't at liberty to talk about it. I'd thought that this was going to run in December but it showed up today! This is a cartoon that's in newspapers (and online) . A couple weeks ago I'd gotten an email from the creator saying that I'd won the contest. I am seriously considering getting prints of this and attaching it to my resume when I send it out! ::GRIN::

This makes my day in a way that you can't even imagine. It may be the closest to fame I ever get. And that's cool. Much thanks to John Zakour and Scott Roberts for totally making my day!

Non-Coffeehouse Sunday Post

noreply@blogger.com (MsDarkstar) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 05:22:00 +0000

Yep, yet another Sunday where I didn't even peek outside the house all day. Although there was a plethora of noises outside. The "Yard Sale" screamers were back in action. They were replaced a while later by the "very loud pop music" that made it difficult to form a coherent thought because it was punctuated by yelling in what may have been Spanish or what may very well have been "drunken idiot".

In a mixed blessing, Mr. POSSLQ heard from the very part-time job that they have someone for him to tote around this week. Good news, right? Except that one of the work days will be Thanksgiving. Had this been "back home" (where Mr. POSSLQ originally came from) there would likely have been a big family meal or if he were still married, there would have been ~~hell day~~ Turkey Day with the in-laws. As it is, he has no dinner to be excused from, we will simply make it another day (likely next Sunday) and deal with it. Traditionalists we are not.

On a positive note, I finished up the vacuuming today. That, however, is about all I got accomplished (unless you count the fact that I did some "research" and tested out the newest batch of bath fizzies today. It's a rough job but SOMEONE has to do quality control). I also cleaned the chinchilla cage today. (Aren't you SO glad I shared THAT with you??)

On the down side, I didn't get anything produced today nor did I get the rearranging done that needs to be done. And today didn't end up being errand day, that will be tomorrow. But, I am hoping whilst Mr. POSSLQ is off driving Mr. Engineer, I can be getting things done that need to be done now that I have things like the vacuuming done which tend to distract me from the other projects.

I am enjoying the webcomics. The only drawback to finding a bunch of webcomics that have been around for a couple/few years is that you need to go back and read all of the archives. While that is fun, I have the attention span of a tse-tse fly sometimes and it can take me days to get through an archive. That being said, please go check out ThinkWeasel, Girls with Slingshots, Don't Feed the Geek and Subnormality.

Also... I would really like to get my hands on one of these Charlie the Unicorn plushies. (Yes, I am 40-something and have plushies. Don't Judge Me, people). And I still, sadly, do not have my Pearls Before Swine plushies. (Because I decided that my Dad didn't send me something for my birthday because he wanted to but because he felt like I was making a demand... yeah, I know it might be weird, but I don't want a gift given because someone thinks I was trying to make them feel guilty).

Lastly, it was Mr. ExMan's 40th birthday today. I found myself hoping that it means that he will FINALLY get hit by the cluebyfour and start acting like a responsible adult. But I think waiting for that would just have me looking like Violet Beauregarde.

Something lurks in my shoes...

noreply@blogger.com (MsDarkstar) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 06:23:00 +0000

The other day I mentioned that I saw SOMETHING scurry under my desk the other day. I had believed, at the time, it was a many-legged something because it was fairly long and it moved pretty damn fast.

Today I moved my shoes that were near the front door and a similarly sized something went scurrying along the floor. I got a good look at it this time, though. And it only has 4 legs. And isn't scary AT ALL now that I have seen it up close.

That, my friends, is a teeny, tiny LIZARD. And, having once had a pet Bearded Dragon, I am not afraid of lizards. Lizards eat bugs. Although, honestly, I've seen some la cucharachas around here who could kick tiny lizard's ass.

I actually got out the vacuum today and vacuumed all but the bedroom. I utilized the Blasé vacuuming method. Don't laugh... it totally works if you do it as he says in his blog (vacuuming, you pervs, sheesh!) I didn't vacuum the bedroom because that is where the cats fled to AVOID the vacuum and by the time they left the bedroom, it was late enough that it would have been impolite for me to run the vacuum. And even though the ~~rotten little hellspawn~~ lovely little children who live downstairs yelled, nonstop, for an HOUR AND A HALF today the words "Yard Sale", I still managed to remain polite enough to not vacuum at an hour that might disturb THEM. I could hear them yelling "Yard Sale" although no windows or doors were open and I was not standing near a window or door. I could hear them in my bathroom, with the bathroom door shut. And, I would guess from the nonstop hour and a half of the yelling of the words "Yard Sale" that they were not selling anything. I would conjecture it was because their yelling was making all of the neighbors want to throw bricks at them as I did and/or my spanish speaking neighbors mistook the loud, repetitive, sing-songy yelling as a conjuring of a chupacabra and wanted to be far away when the beast finally materialized.

Tomorrow, along with the weekly shopping, I am going to try to get another batch o' fizzies made and get some good pictures of them taken. I have the good problem of needing to find containers for what I've already made and will need to print labels and get them bagged up so they can be shipped. Then all I'll need to do is find a good storage area. I think I have one scoped out, will just need to move some things around a bit.

And I just realized that I need to vacuum the office, too. It's lookin' a lil crunchy in here. I am ashamed to admit we eat at our desks... No other real furniture in the house... certainly not a table and chairs. Yet. Someday, when we win the lottery and/or become employed and get out of debt some (so, yeah, unless we win the lottery it'll be the 5th of Never) we will get a diningroom table and some chairs. Until then, if you come for dinner, please bring a chair and TV tray. Thanks!

The Nose Knows

noreply@blogger.com (MsDarkstar) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:45:00 +0000

Got another batch of fizzies made today and worked on figuring out new scents I can whip up. Need to figure out where to store the product once it's done . Have an idea, just need to figure out how to get the routine cleaning that needs to get done finished up so I can do some more of the organizing that needs doing.

It's actually a bit of work to get new scents put together. It's a multiple step process and it is a great deal of trial and error and figuring out what scents work well together. While you can use a single scent in the making of a product, it'll be a weaker smell than if you blend a couple of scents together. If you have ever wondered why things like bath salts and bath fizzies smell so strong (to the point of permeating whatever they are wrapped in), you have to remember that they will disperse into GALLONS of water and that will mute the scent quite a bit. That can also be why something that smells good in the store maybe smells "meh" when you put it to use.

I will probably whip up another batch of solid perfume soon, too. I've come up with a scent or two that is not "feminine" so I will have to see if there is a market out there for solid cologne. And for "dude" bath products. I am thinking that I may be investigating shampoo, shower gel and the like, as well, for future products.

The reality, right now though, is that the old saying of "it takes money to make money" is all too true and eventually my supplies are going to run out. After having to table what I had been hoping would turn out to be a pretty major project and losing touch with someone I'd been hoping to collaborate with in regards to website design and packaging, I am wondering what's realistic at this point. I honestly didn't start making this stuff to turn a profit, I started doing it because I found that I really love working with scent and since I enjoyed BUYING bath products it just seemed a natural way to indulge my bath product fetish and get to be creative at the same time. (And it makes a certain someone in my house a tad less grumpity if I make my bath stuff rather than racking up massive credit card bills in the bath shoppe).

I don't mean to be all Debbie Downer here, Internetz. But there simply hasn't been much joy here in the Little Lair in the Barrio lately. Except for the webcomics. Like Kids with Gas Eat Free, Tree Lobsters, Spud Comics, Off Campus, and But Not Really (which is a photo webcomic!)
And with the holidays rapidly approaching, I honestly don't see the mood improving at all. I'm gonna try not to vent my spleen here because actively driving readers away isn't the plan.

No plans for the weekend. Beyond making more fizzies and maybe getting a website operational. (Just got the billing reminder from my webhost. Can anyone tell me why this shiz always comes up at the worst possible time?) And hoping that I actually finally get the damn vacuum out this weekend. Goodnight Internetz!

The Sweet Smell of Success

noreply@blogger.com (MsDarkstar) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:59:00 +0000

I finally got everything together and made a batch of bath fizzies today. And discovered that having a dishwasher makes cleanup much nicer. The problem with the fizzies is that the colouring and the scenting plus the butter (shea and/or mango) can make things slick and difficult to get really clean if you are hand washing. I am hoping that I can keep up the productivity and actually have some product "in stock" by the weekend. Because, guess what? I have an order! No, I am not going to put stuff on Etsy. I have nothing against Etsy, mind you, I just have a website sitting there not being used and am looking forward to finally putting it to work. (Typing that reminded me to go add contact information to the site). So, the plan (at the moment) is to get more product created, do some photographs and get at least a very basic operational website set up over the weekend and then, of course, keep creating so I can actually sell some of this stuff!

There was, however, a weird moment today which sortve stuck with me as I was whipping up the bath fizzies. There was a multi-legged "something" on the carpet near the space I work on bath fizzies is located. It fled under the desk (not the desk my computer is on... the workspace is in another area... I find bath fizzie stuff near my computer keyboard is simply a recipe for disaster). So, everytime something even FELT like it brushed my feet (most of the time it was my skirt, I think once it was a cat) I was afraid it was the Unidentified Multi-Legged "Something" (UMLS?) Fortunately, it did not reappear but serves as a reminder to vacuum UNDER furniture when I vacuum. I don't mind most two-legged creatures (those that were created with two legs and intended to have only two legs). I am pretty ok with most four-legged creatures (I do, after all, have 2 felines, a chinchilla and a tortoise with 16 legs betwixt them) I am not a fan AT ALL of six-legged creatures. Eight-legged creatures and I generally get along ok as long as there is not the stingy tail of doom (scorpion) involved. Anything beyond eight legs and I do not want to see it or think about it. They are definitely on the DO NOT WANT list.

Well, the hour is late and Momma Weedy has come along to herd me to bed. Wish me well on my productivity. I'll let you know when the other site is "live" and ready to go!

Language cramming & more about webcomics!

noreply@blogger.com (MsDarkstar) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:53:00 +0000

Even as I type this, I am attempting to stuff the Spanish language into my brain. While I cannot get a library card for my current locale (because they require you to have a driver's license with your current address on it and I don't have my new license yet), I do have the library card from my past locale and can use it to access downloadable materials and so I helped myself to some Spanish language instructional materials. I'd still like to get my hands on something that isn't available only 7 days at a time, but I am all for making the best with what you've got. And gotta love it that they are teaching me the Spanish word for diarrhea. I can't tell you how often THAT will come in handy. Or maybe I COULD tell you and you really don't want to know. In any case, I am determined that I will eventually become at least functionally bilingual.

I had planned on getting to some fizzie creation today but it didn't end up happening because I was busy cruising job boards and discovering the depths to which I was willing to sink in order to become employed once again. I am still holding off on jobs that are over an hour (one way) away. I also find that I am having alot of self-doubt cropping up when I am looking at job descriptions and having to fight myself sometimes to apply for things that have maybe one small thing that isn't something I've done (I'm not applying for anything I am not qualified for, I am just applying for things that maybe utilize some software that I am not 100% familiar with)

As promised, I am going to share some more webcomics with you today. First, check out some Stale Bacon, then take a trip to Tiki Coladas, a little stroll over to Little Vampires and then swing round to Mint Condition, which rounds out today's offerings. I am also beside myself because apparently the creators of Two Lumps were at the Webcomic expo and I didn't get to meet them. I mean, how did they NOT wear "I create Two Lumps" in neon somewhere on their person? You'd think people want to have a private life or something. Sheesh. I suppose it was nice for them to attend and not have people acting all stupid over them. I know I was making enough of an ass of myself in front of Randy (creator of Something Positive). I emailed him after the expo and will note here, in front of the Internetz (or at least the slice of the internet that visits my blog) that he has not replied so I am pretty sure that I got filed away in the "People I Will Need To Check Into Getting A Restraining Order For" file. Or he got busy. Or he doesn't have time to reply to every yahoo who he meets at large gatherings who emails him afterwards. Sadly, there is a part of me that finds comfort in thinking that he probably thinks I'm a wacko and not that he's just busy or doesn't remember me. (There I go flyin' the freak flag again).

It's late and I should hit the hay. Goodnight, Internetz!

Gearing up again...

noreply@blogger.com (MsDarkstar) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:58:00 +0000

The chaos is calming down and while I need to be expending energy on job hunting, I am also determined to spend some time on creating some new stuff in the way of bath fizzies, lip balm and solid perfume.

My first go at the solid perfume turned out quite well, in my opinion, but I've not gotten the feedback I'd hoped to get so will be putting that particular fragrance aside for now. (It was a special project). So, one of the things I need to do is decide what the next fragrance I try will be. I am also in the catch-22 situation of needing more supplies but not really being able to afford them and trying to tell myself that if I order them, I will sell what they make and it will all be wonderful. I need to find a couple new molds as someone has suggested a couple shapes to me but I want to be sure I get the right thing and that the fizzies will turn out good. However, I will be doing some production this week.

Also need to do some market research and find my little scale so I will have a clue what mailing will cost.

Lots on the to-do list. But it's getting late and I should probably head to bed. Tomorrow I need to make up for the productivity that has been sorely absent the last two days. Sorry for the short post.

Non-Coffeehouse Sunday Post

noreply@blogger.com (MsDarkstar) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 05:55:00 +0000

Thanks to CharlieMixer, we now have a metric fuckton (bona fide farming term learned from Lawyer Greenjeans) of chocolate chip cookies. Other than the cookies, not a damn thing really got done today (well, my desk is pretty much cleaned off, so that's something, right?)

Speaking of Lawyer Greenjeans, I had a quick chat with him today and did a little work on some things we discussed. But looking through files made me realize that I have much organizing I SHOULD do with my electronic files and then I should make backups of things and next thing you know I have now talked myself into hours of work. But it needs to get done. As does my filing. I am bound and determined that one of these days I will be as organized at home as I am when I'm in an office. But someone else vacuums the office and the cleaning lady here is ME. I believe I have covered before that I really TRY to be a neat freak because I am so easily distracted by chaos. But the vacuuming and cleaning the bathroom... not my strong points (although I DID clean the bathroom today. Scrubbed the toilet and everything).

I found something else that I need (not WANT, but NEED) however, I believe Mr. POSSLQ's head would likely explode at the prospect of assembling it. And apparently it's very heavy and the driver wouldn't deliver it even to the door and there is no way Mr. POSSLQ is getting 200+ pounds of ANYTHING up our friggin' 15 stairs because he was nearly the dead over just getting our NOT 200+ pound shit up the 15 stairs and so until such a time that we move into a rambler and have STAFF to do things like move furniture, there will be no coolio armoire for moi! I really like this, too... however, it is 150 pounds and the 15 stairs haven't gone away from two sentences ago and so, I am still shit outta luck. Ok, so, moving on, I found this... it weighs in at 38 pounds and I could probably even assemble it myself which would keep Mr. POSSLQ from wishing (and perhaps engineering) my demise via a fall down the aforementioned 15 steps (which, I should mention, are friggin' concrete so you are pretty much guaranteed injury and pain should you happen to fall down them. Which is something I have nightmares about).

As long as I am talking furniture, I'll let you in on something. I want a rolltop desk. I've wanted one for years. I know with the 15 steps that it isn't going to happen where I am living now (have I mentioned that there is no way in hell Mr. POSSLQ and I can ever move out of here without hiring professional movers? Because I am very sincere in saying it simply cannot and will not happen without professional movers).

Lastly (for tonight), when I saw a news story earlier entitled

"Crazed kitty cat attacks owner, prompting 911 call"

(a story from New York), I couldn't help but wonder if perhaps Not A Dingo (found HERE) had gone off the deep end. Fortunately, that wasn't the case.

That's all for now, Internetz!

Something Positive Saturday

noreply@blogger.com (MsDarkstar) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 05:59:00 +0000

A few months ago, Mr. POSSLQ and I spotted a link to a Webcomic Expo that would be held in the place we've now moved to. I was really excited because the guy who does the webcomic Something*Positive was slated to be there. I'm not ashamed to admit that I follow him on Twitter and my one big worry was that I was going to squee like a fangirl (unbecoming for someone my age) when I met him. I managed to contain myself but got a really cool sketch and some Christmas cards and stood around talking to him for a really long time and I am pretty sure he now thinks of me as "Stalker Chick with the Chinchilla". And I really wish that I was the hot chick with the "I has a flavor" button who was also hanging around his table. But, alas, I am still frumpy ol'me.

AnyIamsoawedbytalent, there were many artists there and I probably could have easily spent a couple hundred dollars (which I am really sad that I didn't have...) but now have a bunch of new comics to read online. I love Webcomics! There's Death by Bunny, Life's a Witch, HiJinks Ensue, Easy as Pi.... Ya know what? I'll add more over the next few days so you can go and take a look.

I'm not sure if I schmoozed Randy into wanting me to help him with some projects or if I scared him by hanging around... I think I might have come off as creepy and the chance that he's even going to remember me when he had tons of people at his table today are really pretty slim. But I got to go and I got to meet really cool people and I hope they do it again next year and maybe I can find a way to help out at the thing next year. Plus I had one artist do this neato little sketch of Batman and I really, really want to learn to draw. Not that I think I could ever be a webcomic artist or anything but it would be cool to be able to do something a little better than the work of your average 1st grader.

The other thing today was that I think I have found a degree that it would make sense for me to pursue. Now all I have to come up with is the $50,000 tuition plus the cost of books. (No sweat, right?) But at least I have an idea now of what to pursue.

Tomorrow is errand day but I really, really need to do some cleaning, too. Because... yeah... the place is lookin a lil rough around the edges. And the middle.

Time for bed now. More tomorrow! Go look at the webcomics now! (And think positive thoughts about me getting to work with a webcomic guy!!)

F-Word Friday (with NSFW pic)

noreply@blogger.com (MsDarkstar) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 05:59:00 +0000

Hello Internetz and welcome to another F-Word Friday. Today's F-Word is FLOP. Did you ever have what you thought was a brilliant idea for a blog post because you were talking about something and it was funny but then when you put it in writing it turned out to be not so funny in writing? Such was my idea for part of today's post. I'm gonna try it anyhow and see how it goes.

Mr. POSSLQ and I were out driving today. We passed a place that had a sign that said "Pansies, 99 cents" and out of my mouth popped "Hell, the pansies are cheap 'round here". Now, I knew that they were talking about the FLOWERS called pansies, but that wasn't what I was referring to when I made the comment. (There, you see, not funny in writing but it was funny in the truck, I swear... ::SIGH:: Total FLOP!) But not long after that, we passed a park and wondered if the parks around here have Woodland Gays like they do up by where Crissy lives. In fact, we've noticed that there are LOTS of parks around here and every time we drive by one that has a lot of trees we wonder if it is where the Woodland Gays hang out or if maybe being a Woodland Gay is a hangin' offense in these parts. I gotta believe, though, with all the cowboys and cowboy wanna-be guys that there is some Brokeback action going on SOMEWHERE.

Which reminds me that there was a job advertised a while back for an Assistant Manager at a bar and I fit all of the qualifications except that to work in a bar here you need a Server's License and I have no clue what that is. (Takes a break to do some internet searching, finds THIS and even though I have no desire to work in Food Service, there are some certifications I would like). AnysorryIgotdistracted, the bar was a Western themed gay bar and if I had known that the server's license was only $20, I might have applied for it. (It strikes me that I was totally willing to do a web search for the license information for a blog post but blew it off when it could have possibly lead to a money-making endeavor. I'm such a dumbass sometimes!!)

I need to get to bed early tonight because the Webcomic Expo is tomorrow and I have to schmooze a webcomic artist into letting me work for him. (Sortve half joking about that but really pretty serious...). Only, I could argue that 2AM is not "early"... again, there are times when I am clearly not the sharpest knife in the drawer!

Weekend will be busy. I am going to try to get everything in line so next week in between job hunting stuff I can get back to work on the bath stuff. Time to kick it up a notch!

YeeeeeeHawwww!

Mixer is my friend...

noreply@blogger.com (MsDarkstar) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:51:00 +0000

A while back (for his birthday), Mr. POSSLQ got a nice new mixer. CharlieMixer (you have to watch the video to fully understand) has been sitting on the countertop and helping to churn out deliciousness since it's arrival (mixerismyfriend). Today I took good ol' CharlieMixer out and used him to make cupcakes.

Now, it's been years (since I was a teenager, actually) since I last used a stand mixer. I've been using a hand mixer to make cupcakes and frosting for the cupcakes. Which always left my arms aching because of the time needed to properly mix the ingredients (especially the frosting). I was very pleasantly surprised by how much easier using CharlieMixer made the process. Now I just need to find a good, non-pain-in-the-posterior way to frost them. I really like the Pampered Chef Cake decorator for the task, but managed to wear the one I had out. I would like to try one of the Wilton decorators out, but that's a future purchase. I don't have the skill/coordinaton to use a pastry bag.

In any case, the cupcakes got made, the frosting turned out fabulous and all (cupcake related) is well.

Going to a Webcomic Expo (don't judge me!) this weekend. Have a couple things on deck for Friday, the Webcomic Expo is on Saturday and we will probably take care of the routine chores on Sunday.

I am getting desperate for some more resources to try to bolster my Spanish learning. Someone mentioned that their local library has the Rosetta Stone series and I've heard good things about that but am not in a position to drop $500 right now. I'm going to look and see what I can find online.

But now, it's very much past my bedtime and I need some sleep. Goodnight!

Neighbors and La Musica

noreply@blogger.com (MsDarkstar) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 05:30:00 +0000

Today's big score was that I found the bag of powdered sugar that I knew was in this apartment somewhere and so tomorrow I can make cupcakes. If it weren't for the fact that we have neighbors, I might drag out the vacuum right now but we DO have neighbors and I don't want anyone to have a reason to bust a cap in my ass or whatever it is that they do to people they don't especially care for here in the barrio so I'll behave myself and just write my nice lil' blog post which only makes little keyboard clicky noises. Not that the neighbors seem to give a rat's ass about preserving peace and quiet. I swear that the people downstairs were born in (and perhaps until they moved here still lived in) a barn. I am usually not one to cast aspersions on anyone's looks but the woman who lives downstairs has got to be one of the ugliest specimens of humanity I have run across in quite some time. Holy Mother of Pearl!

(Not my actual neighbor but, very much similar)

And all day long they SLAM. THE. DOOR. whenever they go in or out. So much so that it shakes my floor. WTF? There is at least one teenage girl living down there, too, who aspires to be a cheerleader. How do I know this? Because BuffyMuffina practices her cheers out on the sidewalk. Loudly. With much lack of coordination. But she has the gigglejiggleteehee down, so I think she might make a career of the cheerleading.

But I, dear Internetz, am more polite than that so I don't vacuum at all hours of the night, nor do I stomple across my floor or slam my doors. And I try to muster up a smile when neighbor lady is sitting outside (I am still trying to figure out why she had a number of household items artfully displayed outside her unit the other day... I THINK it was some sort of yard sale attempt, but she was lurking in her doorway in a way that just made me think of a trapdoor spider (watch the animation) and when I walked by she didn't say anything (in my old neighborhood at the Boulevard of Broken Dreams, they would have shamelessly tried to sell you their shit and then called you white trash when you bought it!)

I still marvel at the musica that we hear around here. I always thought that the stuff you heard in Speedy Gonzalez cartoons was an exaggerated stereotype and it's NOT. The folks around here listen to some very interesting shiz. Mariachi, it's not just for half-assed "Mexican" restaurants on the Frozen Tundra anymore! (Where the spiciest thing in the kitchen is a bottle of ketchup!)

Finally, I have to give mad props to The Bloggess for THIS gem. Some day I'm gonna have to meet that woman... she cracks me up on a regular basis! Oh! Oh! And yeah...go check out Crissy and her panty drawer! (Don't look at me like that, Internetz...)

Timelines out of sync

noreply@blogger.com (MsDarkstar) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:34:00 +0000

Even as I type this, Momma Weedy is angrily insisting that it is bedtime so I will try to be brief and minimize the wrath of the Weedy Cat.

I hate to write about job hunting here yet again but had an interview today that I won't go into a lot of detail about but will say that I hate that there is no urgency on THEIR part when there is a tremendous amount of urgency on my part and that while I would probably really like the job I interviewed for today, I am wondering if I will still be sitting around waiting when they get to their second round of interviews and then all the pre-employment screening/background checking, etc. I understand that they can afford to pick and choose and do whatever they want right now. But that doesn't help me feel any less panic or impatience with the process.

The novel is coming along. I am on track with word count and all but am struggling with making it be what I desire for it to be.

Tomorrow the job search continues. It is eating up alot of time. It is frustrating. Frustrating to have an agency call you, go in and do their ream of paperwork, have what seems to be a good interview and then have them not return calls or emails. If there is something turning up in my background check, it's news to me and I'd really like to know. Avoiding/not returning my phone calls and emails is just serving to make me angry/paranoid.

Speaking of angry, Momma Weedy wants you all to know I am being very naughty and am up past my bed time and need to go to bed NOW (MAO!!)

Ok, Week Four was a while ago but... Natalie Dee is awesome!

Talent Envy

noreply@blogger.com (MsDarkstar) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 04:48:00 +0000

I really envy people who have talent. To be more specific, I envy people with artistic talents. People who can draw well or paint or are musical or who have really nice voices and can sing. I envy people who create beautiful jewelry or all the cool stuff you see on Etsy. I also think that people who knit, crochet & sew are extremely talented. I can crochet to some extent but have never created anything recognizable or worth keeping. I tried to learn to knit but really need someone with tons of patience to sit with me and help me.

My drawing talent seems to have "arrested" at about the 1st grade level. I was hoping that PhotoShop might help me out but it takes a lot of time to learn how to use it and it's slow going when you're trying to learn on your own. I attempted pottery back in high school but never got past clunky coffeecups whose handles fell off the first time they were used. My adventures in trying to work with stained glass in high school were equally fruitless. You'll laugh, but I have a poster that I got back when I was around 14 years old. It's the kind you colour with markers. I STILL have it and it STILL isn't finished yet.

I keep blogging hoping that the practice writing will help me as a novelist. There are many days when I question whether there is any value at all to blogging beyond the fact than it's cheaper than going to a therapist. Things happen and I think about what a profound and/or witty blog post it will make and then when I actually get here and write it out, I find it was one of those "geez, I guess you really sortve needed to be there for this to seem profound/witty" things.

Speaking of the novel, I suppose I should get back to working on it. Keeping up a decent pace so far and on target to finish just fine.

My question for tonight... Blogospherians... what are your talents?

Non-Coffeehouse Sunday Post

noreply@blogger.com (MsDarkstar) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:06:00 +0000

It's Sunday and I am not at the coffeehouse. I am home and I am blogging because I don't want to do the chores that are waiting to be done. Because chores are no fun. I really do need to drag the vacuum out, though. The thing is, I simply don't feel like it.

I'm not sure what triggered the blues today. I don't feel like doing anything. Feel like everything I've been doing is wrong. Feeling like I just keep screwing everything up all the time. And I honestly don't know what triggered all of this or how to make it better. I was all happy yesterday about the good news I'd gotten and now even that has me feeling anxious. Did you ever have a day where you suddenly became hyper-aware of all the little things that are just not right in your world or is it just me? It's probably just me.

In the past couple of days I've also caught myself thinking about weird things. Like the fact that there seem to be some young females in the immediate neighborhood (ie, hanging around on the sidewalk outside my building) who periodically scream bloody murder for no apparent reason but it makes me wonder if they really WERE in peril, how would anyone know? I'd hate to be one of those people who does nothing when someone is in danger, but when these kids are screaming ALL THE TIME, how do you know when the danger is real?

So, anyhow.... that's what is up with me on this Sunday afternoon. Hope y'all are ok.

Excitement!

noreply@blogger.com (MsDarkstar) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 05:58:00 +0000

Last night Momma Weedy herded me to bed. I slept fitfully and had bizarre dreams. And even though I woke up pretty late this morning I was groggy and not at all convinced that being up was a good idea.

I opened up my email and something caught my eye. I had to read the email twice once I'd opened it. It was good news. No, it's not a job. And it's not something I can say outright here because I don't have permission BUT... an announcement will be forthcoming.

Now... I know that most folks don't read newspapers anymore but you can still get your comics fix online, as I do. I make it a habit to read a few comics religiously. One of them is "Something Positive" and I'm more excited than I can tell you that I am probably going to get to meet its creator in person and go all squeeing fangirl on him and he will probably end up wishing there was a restraining order. I also want to make a point of meeting the creators of "Two Lumps"at some point. I have also become a big fan of "Working Daze", mainly because Dana the Office Manager has superpowers I've dreamed of having... Working Daze also has a blog, which is a fun look behind the scenes. I'm also a big fan of "Do You Work Here"... and, well... there is a pretty long list of others, but those are the one's I'll mention tonight.

It was a pretty mundane day of doing the necessary errands and general "Saturday Stuff" otherwise. Tomorrow I'll probably record some stuff to be used in my Sunday night Second Life DJ set and pick music for that and then in the late afternoon I'll enjoy a nice packet soup moo prepared by Mr. POSSLQ and there may be cookies involved. Not sure yet. But I DO have all the ingredients for cupcakes now. Just need to track down the cupcake pan. Somehow I think Mr. POSSLQ probably knows where it is as he suggested the making of cupcakes.

Ok, y'all... Better scoot before Momma Weedy comes in and gives me the what-for because I'm not in bed yet.

Chaos: 1,000,0005 ~ MsDarkstar : 1,000,006

noreply@blogger.com (MsDarkstar) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:02:00 +0000

So, Mr. POSSLQ took the laundry to wash it today which meant that I had to be productive whilst he was gone. (Those are the rules) And this evening, there's one small task left to do and then the chaos will be beaten into submission. It's not GONE, but it's to the point where people wouldn't come into the place and think "WTF?? Do WOLVES live here? No... Wolves have better housekeeping skills! Dang!"

I still need another chair. Blasé had said in my comments the other day that he has a chair I could have but I'm guessing I'd have to go and pick it up and that's a bit more of a drive than I can make right now, but it would be pretty cool to meet him n' SweetBaby so maybe I'll make the journey at some point in the future.

My alarm clock got revenge on me this morning. I thought I'd remembered to turn it off after I woke up yesterday, but Hello Kitty had other ideas and jarred me awake at the crack of insanity this morning. I hate it when the small electronics get uppity.

I got to thinking today (right after I read Crissy's blog...) that I really need to make some cupcakes soon. Especially since there is now a Kitchenaid mixer in the kitchen and I bet you I can whip up some kick ass buttercream frosting with that bad boy. And no more having the beating the frosting making my arm hurt (dang! That sounds almost pornographic!)

I was going to work on the novel after finishing my post here, but Momma Weedy has made it known that I need to get my happy ass to bed. So, I'm off!

Oh yeah, I remember alarm clocks...

noreply@blogger.com (MsDarkstar) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:25:00 +0000

I had my appt. with the agency this morning. Which meant that I had to be somewhere at a designated time for the first time in a long time. Which meant that I had to set an alarm. I remember now that I am not a big fan of that.

The agency experience wasn't as bad as I had feared and at least the interviewer was nice and didn't seem to have the attitude that I am used to with agencies. Which was nice. I also have a friend whose mom is regional manager at a company that's very close to my house and I've sent her my resume but I'm not sure that they have any openings. Still, networking is a good thing and I need to order some new business cards so I can do some more of it.

I had some stuff I mailed out the other day that will hopefully meet with the approval of the person that I sent it to. I need to take stock of what I have on hand and see whether my finances will allow me to do some restocking. I really need another chair, too, but am in the Catch-22 of needing money to do work to make money. I also need to force myself to do the filing that's piled up on my desk and finish taming the chaos to the point that I don't think about it anymore.

The weather is absolutely gorgeous right now and I'm so thankful when I step out and am not freezing my ass off and/or slipping on ice.

A few weeks ago, my cousin was out and about and came across a winery called Dark Star Cellars and, of course, had to stop in and check it out. It is a small, family-owned and operated winery. The owner, his wife and two kids are the entire staff. So, if you're ever in the Pasa Robles area of California, check them out. I bring it up because today I came back from my appointment and there was a "you have a package" notice by my door and I couldn't fathom who I had a package from and lo and behold, it was a box from my cousin which contained two Dark Star Cellars wine glasses , a couple of corks and some very cool stickers (look to be what would be put on wine bottles). I would LOVE to order and taste some of their wine, but until I'm employed and fiscally solvent (read: the fifth of NEVER), I doubt I'll have the opportunity. In any event, I have two glasses that have "Dark Star Cellars" etched onto them and I'm thrilled.

So, tomorrow and the weekend will hold more chaos taming, the usual weekend chores and NaNoWriMo-ing. Oh! And Two Lumps did a neato comic relevant to NaNoWriMo, too. That's all I've got for tonight.