Delivering a package

Is still not as easy as it should be.  I sometimes go to the post office, but I have nightmares of waiting in line for 30 minutes, so I don't go there unless I have to.

There is a UPS store right near our house, but I'm still a little damaged from the horrible deplorable and shoddy UPS service in New Orleans, that I'm still scared to use them.  Even though, the UPS people are great here.  They deliver generally between 12pm and 5pm all the time, and if we aren't home, they try to cover it with the door mat, or put it under the chair or something.

So, the place I go to is Fedex on Hollywood Circle.  I went there today to mail a package to my bff.  That was bad timing.  When I walked in, one man was being helped.  I filled out my form while I waited.  But this other woman who walked in after me was acknowledged first.  She was picking up a copy order.

That order wasn't ready.  And the guy was all by himself.  His associate was on her lunch break, so of course, no way she was helping.  And people kept coming in.

But this guy had to punch holes in the packets and then bind them.  But there were other packets that he hadn't stapled yet.  So he started stapling.  The lady finally said that she would start stapling some of them.

Then the guy finally acknowledged me.  I needed an art box.  He looked at it, said I could probably use a small box.  But he didn't get the box.  He finished with the lady, which took another several minutes.

Then he got my box out.  He had to take it apart.  Then he needed the item I was sending.  It was a painting I had made for my BFF for her birthday.  So, he took it out and inserted in the plastic film attached to the box.  He was having trouble assembling the box, so he was on the floor trying to fold it, and everyone was watching.  They were all looking at my silly 5th grade ability painting.  They were staring at it.  It was embarrassing.

I was embarrassed.  I'm not the best artist....

Finally, he got my package all packed up.  Then we did the computer work.  He asked if I wanted to declare a monetary value for it.  I kind of smirked and said no.  Monetary value.

Well, it's a painting.  It's priceless.  Or rather devoid of monetary value.  Anyway.  I sent my package on it's way across the great United States.  So, hopefully my package finds it's way to my BFF's front doorstep.

It sucks because, I want to share it with you, but I don't want to risk her seeing it before she gets it... what if she sees the picture of it and doesn't like it?

Strange Days still

Oh life.  It's interesting even when it's boring.  Because when it's boring, if you look at it from a third person perspective, it becomes interesting.  Have you ever met someone and thought, "what the hell does that guy do all day?"  And you just want to be a fly on the wall.  No, you just want to video tape a few days in his (or her) life and then watch it with the luxury of being able to fast forward through it.  I believe I have had countless days in my life where you would want to fast forward through watching.  No, not just fast forward, but stop and fast forward.  Hasn't everyone had days like that?

Sometimes you meet someone, and it seems like they could never have a fast forward day, right?  It's like, they are so exciting, and their life is so full of stuff going on.  And you find out, these are sometimes the people who are miserable, and they try to fill their lives with interesting shit.  Sometimes I feel like that.  I think that's what depression feels like.  Even if you are having a great time with people you love, you still feel disconnected and empty.  If you've never had that feeling, I wouldn't recommend it.  Depression isn't nearly as romantic as it looks or sounds.

Anyway, this blog is not supposed to be about depression.  The other serious blog is more about that kind of stuff.

This blog is about... getting our pretty pretty dining room chairs delivered today!

If you follow me on pinterest, then you have already seen this.  So, these chairs are actually labeled as drafting chairs, as they have the adjustable lift to work with different height tables.  We got a blue one, a black one, a pink one (my least favorite, but it adds a color accent) and a purple one.  I'm sitting in the purple one right now.  The only problem is, the shelf under the table is a little too low, so I can't fit my knees under.  This should be an easy fix, but the screws are in pretty tight, and I don't feel like unscrewing them and then not screwing them back in tight enough.

So, that's the highlight of the day.  The other highlight is that I got a job today.  So, I went with the restaurant that is opening in Fort Lauderdale.  They offered me what I made at my last job to start, so I'm not regressing in pay.  The only thing that kind of sucks, is that we are going to Pittsburgh this weekend and we won't get back until late Sunday.  And I start work on Monday morning.  Oh well, I think I've had quite a long enough break, and even though I would love to have a couple more days to just hang around the house and explore South Florida, it's time.  It's way past time.  And my unemployment has just about run out!  So, while I worked hard over the years to "earn" my unemployment, I thank all of you workers of California who helped me receive this unemployment, no matter that it was kind of not enough.  But, I'm not complaining.  Other people would like to make that amount while working 40 hours a week.

I would like to think, though, that I didn't squander too much of my time off.  I've done a lot.  I've seen a lot, I've made discoveries about myself, I've made changes, I've grown as a person.  I like to think I have.

And I did paint the Last Kitties Flippin The Bird Supper.... (I think that's the title)

I want to thank you all for your support through this tumultuous time, and I'm sure there will be more to come for your reading pleasure.  I would like to make the pledge here and now to not flake on this blog the way I have flaked on the food blog from the inception of the food blog.  My thing is, I never know when I'm going to die, so I'm going to cram as much fun and rewarding activity into my life as I can stand.  Boy, I imagine though, that it's going to be super difficult getting used to the physicality of working in a kitchen again.  Hopefully, this girl has still got it in her!

Man I Could Use An Easel

So, I got this project going on.  I am building a kitty litter box divider.  So, it will be like a cat bathroom cubicle.  Don't ask me if I will be able to hinge the boards together properly.  I haven't gotten that far.  I'm still just working on getting the boards painted.

So, I have them on the tarp in the lanai, which is a bad idea.  All kinds of "shit" is blowing on them.  Although, at some point, they will probably get real shit on them, I don't want it to get fucked up before I even finish it!  Also, these damn Argentine ants have all of a sudden become interested in the lanai and the boards, and they are walking around on them.  Not to mention my hair sticking as well.  Big mess.

Oh well, I'm not Picasso, and this is not a thousands of dollars project for a wealthy client.  It's for beings who not only do not make any money whatsoever, they cost (some more than others) lots of money to keep alive.

But, boy could I use an easel.  It's not exactly a high priority though, of things to buy for the house.  Every once a week or two, I write a new list of things we need for the house.  The list never gets smaller.  Maybe larger, if anything.

So, I'll just occasionally check craigslist until I can get a major deal nearby on one.  It is weird though, and hurts my back leaning on the floor trying to paint.  And of course I lean my arms on the wet paint and stuff.  Also, I have a very unsteady hand, it's as if I'm showing signs of DTs or early stage Parkinson's.

I feel like an old lady!  I couple hours leaning over the floor and my aching back is all I can think of.  I should slather Ben Gay on my back, head up to the old folks home and sit with the folks and watch late night (it's 7:27) reruns of Sanford and Son or Wheel of Fortune.  If I'm tired from this, I'm going to be hurting bad if I ever get a job again.  Maybe I should apply for a job as a toll booth clerk.  Then I won't have to move at all, except for leaning out, leaning in, leaning out again.  Although, I could see that giving me problems from repetitive motion.  And sitting on a stool all day would kill me too.  It would probably cause me problems just as bad as standing on my big flat feet cause me.

If only I had an easel.  I wouldn't be complaining about my aches and pains.  I'd be complaining about something else.  Possibly something more hilarious, like my bowel movements.  If you want, we can talk about my bowel movements as well, anyway.  I did have this one shit the other day.....

Reverting to Childhood; Fun With Paints

So, I was working on my newest piece de resistance yesterday and today.  So, last night, I was opening the bottle of red paint, when it splurted onto my thumb.  At first I was annoyed because it was kind of a lot of paint, and I do not like to waste shit.  Like I hate when I squirt out too much paint and I can't use it all, or it completely dries before I can use it all.

Anyhoo, this is the paint splurt.  Okay, I did modify it, as in add legs, but the main part of it was really by accident.

Go ahead.  Tell me that is not cool. It's so....trippy!  Like wow man.  It's like art made by the cosmos.  

It's a fucking salamander, for fuck sakes.  I guess it would have kind of looked like a red snake if I hadn't have added the leg blobs, but it totally have this thing for salamanders and geckos.  I have a purple salamander/gecko (it's very generic so it could be either) on my ankle that I got when I was in college.  So, I did some of the stereotypical things that one is supposed to do in college.

Anyway, here is the painting I did.  It sucks because I need a fancy camera to really show you the detail because it's so long.  Oh well.  If you really want to see the detail up close and in person you can just buy it!

The Last Kitties Flippin The Bird Supper

I should have put a couple balls of yarn on the table or the floor, but I don't have nice enough brushes for it to look more like a ball with a tail anyway...

Cattery Flattery

So, I've had these two canvases that I've wanted to paint on, but I didn't have any kind of subject.  Of course, after going to the museums yesterday, I was full of inspiration.  Well, kind of.  So I am not an artist, I just think it's fun to paint pictures.  So, I knew I wanted to paint some kind of maneki neko.  When I got home, it struck me.  I would do a spoof (not sure if that is quite the correct term) of Rodrigue's Blue Dog, one of my favorites.

So here's the Rodrigue

And here's Blue Cat

That is Hello Kitty duct tape on the bottom left corner.  I bought it a while ago because I just happened to see it and I knew I would need duct tape one day.  So, please don't give me a load of artistic criticism, as I am not an artist.  Okay, I did sign the corner which seems egotistical.  I should have done the signature in the top left like in the Rodrigue, but I didn't want my big name up there.  I think like other non artists, I'm going to start painting a bunch of these and sell them on the beach when I move to Florida.