It is achingly beautiful, handcrafted and so pricey that by the time I got the luggage I couldn't afford to go to on a day trip to Windsor and play the Nickel slots. They make a great satchel case as well. Still too expensive. Ah... some day...
Saturday, February 16, 2008
I'm off to Samarkand..
Actually... I'm not. But if I WAS going to Samarkand or Timbuktu I would want to use this luggage.
It is achingly beautiful, handcrafted and so pricey that by the time I got the luggage I couldn't afford to go to on a day trip to Windsor and play the Nickel slots. They make a great satchel case as well. Still too expensive. Ah... some day...
It is achingly beautiful, handcrafted and so pricey that by the time I got the luggage I couldn't afford to go to on a day trip to Windsor and play the Nickel slots. They make a great satchel case as well. Still too expensive. Ah... some day...
Friday, February 15, 2008
Obey the Kitteh
The glorious revolution and it's leader will crush the running dogs of the west.
And then play with the toy mousy and take a nap. Get the shirts and schwag here, (they also have dog stuff too, if you're into that sort of thing.
And then play with the toy mousy and take a nap. Get the shirts and schwag here, (they also have dog stuff too, if you're into that sort of thing.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Cake and Anarchy
I was geeked to have about 15 people come out to Dave and Busters to celebrate my Day of Birthening. This place is packed on Saturdays and it was looking like we would be waiting until breakfast to get served. But a few well placed bribes and we got a private room to ourselves.
Some of the games were a blast. The boxing game where you actually punch, well, that was too much like exercise. I mean really. The last thing I should be doing after eating a mess of food and cake is taking wild swings at a virtual opponent.
I did get some nice schwag. Thanks guys. It was good to see you all.
The weather started to turn, even as we drove home. By the time we hit 480 it was almost a white out. The temperature plummeted.
This morning it was 7 degrees with 45 mile an hour winds. You would have to be a fool to go out in weather like that to attend a Scientology protest. So I didn't.
But I do have 'friend' who did go. A guy named Erik. He hauled his fat ass out of bed and hit a WalMart for posterboard and a large sharpie. Then he drove to Parma. He got there a little early so he took the opportunity to make his sign "$cientology is a $cam - www.xenu.net" The other side said "Ask Questions" www.xenu.net.
By the time he stashed his car several blocks away so the COS people couldn't get his license plate number there were people out in front of the unmarked building. More people showed up and spirits were high. There were flyers but this area had zero foot traffic. What it did have was a lot of car traffic. People sounded their horns and gave us thumbs up (or looked on confused). At about noon a few cars pulled into the COS lot. We waved to them and held our signs. They all looked like seniors. I beleieve we outnumbered them 3 to 1. Someone inside kept looking out at us furtively. No direct picture taking.
Chanel 5 showed up, shot some footage and asked some questions. We stamped our feet to keep warm and tried to keep out signs from blowing away. This was a mostly young crowd. But smart and motivated. They knew about Scientology. Most wore masks, not just to keep the COS people from snapping their photos but because it was required to stay alive in the blizzard. If Anonymous can get 20 people out in the dead of winter, what will it be like in the Spring?
Most protest pics I have seen online have sucked, but there is a great collection here by someone who knows how to use a damn camera. Some great shots, like this:
There are a lot of important causes in the world. There are a lot of evil deeds that go unpunished. But today was a start. A small step.
Suddenly, spontaneously, a movement has arisen. It has no leaders. It has no authorities. This movement is self directed by each member's own moral compass, and every individual walks in the same direction because that compass points to what is right.
Some of the games were a blast. The boxing game where you actually punch, well, that was too much like exercise. I mean really. The last thing I should be doing after eating a mess of food and cake is taking wild swings at a virtual opponent.
I did get some nice schwag. Thanks guys. It was good to see you all.
The weather started to turn, even as we drove home. By the time we hit 480 it was almost a white out. The temperature plummeted.
This morning it was 7 degrees with 45 mile an hour winds. You would have to be a fool to go out in weather like that to attend a Scientology protest. So I didn't.
But I do have 'friend' who did go. A guy named Erik. He hauled his fat ass out of bed and hit a WalMart for posterboard and a large sharpie. Then he drove to Parma. He got there a little early so he took the opportunity to make his sign "$cientology is a $cam - www.xenu.net" The other side said "Ask Questions" www.xenu.net.
By the time he stashed his car several blocks away so the COS people couldn't get his license plate number there were people out in front of the unmarked building. More people showed up and spirits were high. There were flyers but this area had zero foot traffic. What it did have was a lot of car traffic. People sounded their horns and gave us thumbs up (or looked on confused). At about noon a few cars pulled into the COS lot. We waved to them and held our signs. They all looked like seniors. I beleieve we outnumbered them 3 to 1. Someone inside kept looking out at us furtively. No direct picture taking.
Chanel 5 showed up, shot some footage and asked some questions. We stamped our feet to keep warm and tried to keep out signs from blowing away. This was a mostly young crowd. But smart and motivated. They knew about Scientology. Most wore masks, not just to keep the COS people from snapping their photos but because it was required to stay alive in the blizzard. If Anonymous can get 20 people out in the dead of winter, what will it be like in the Spring?
Most protest pics I have seen online have sucked, but there is a great collection here by someone who knows how to use a damn camera. Some great shots, like this:
There are a lot of important causes in the world. There are a lot of evil deeds that go unpunished. But today was a start. A small step.
Suddenly, spontaneously, a movement has arisen. It has no leaders. It has no authorities. This movement is self directed by each member's own moral compass, and every individual walks in the same direction because that compass points to what is right.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Strong Stuff..
A short but powerful article "Why I am an abortion doctor". It is a subject many would care to avoid. There are strong feelings on both side. I happen to feel many of the pro-life arguments are full of crap. It's amazing how they can scream about the sanctity of life and in their seal to protect it, they bomb, stab and shoot doctory.
You know, the people who spend a good chunk of their lives learning and then practicing medicine.
They are very keen to make abortion illegal, but have NO IDEA what to do with women who have them. Several studies have confirmed this. Check out this video that shows them absolutely stunned by the question "Should be prosecute women who get an illegal abortion?".
I'm tired of dumb people. We've tried letting dumb people run things. It didn't work out.
Lets give the smart people a try.
You know, the people who spend a good chunk of their lives learning and then practicing medicine.
They are very keen to make abortion illegal, but have NO IDEA what to do with women who have them. Several studies have confirmed this. Check out this video that shows them absolutely stunned by the question "Should be prosecute women who get an illegal abortion?".
I'm tired of dumb people. We've tried letting dumb people run things. It didn't work out.
Lets give the smart people a try.
Monday, February 04, 2008
And his name is....
Spot!
Can I attack that?After MANY iterations and ideas ranging from Thorfin Skullsplitter to Fyoder we finally settled on something simple and appropriate. He has two large round spots on his but so he gets Spot.
Little One hissed and growled for two days, but yesterday seemed in a better mood. They will charge each other, then stop and look around like they're not sure what to do. Well, Spot knows what to do. He wants to PLAY. He will stalk little one and try to bat her on the head. Spot is a little skittish and has deemed the underside of the bed as his "Safe Zone" but is very curious and once snagged, is happy to sit in your lap and purr up a storm. He is just as quiet or more so than Little One. At first we didn't think he could speak at all but yesterday he make the slightest chirp. It's a start.
Then this morning Little one started acting way out of character. Sluggish, didn't want to go outside. She wouldn't even chase the Dot of Summoning (laser pointer).
Rossana also noted she hadn't eaten. So it was off to the vets. She had a fever but nothing else showed up in her tests. They gave her fluids subcutaneously (under the skin) which means she was handed back to us leaking a little. We're giving her antibiotics and she's resting in her tent.
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Take 2...
So two and a half days of reinstalls and XP still isn't working right. IE 7, windows update and other things just aren't working. The deal breaker is when I can't get any anti virus or Quicken to load.
I make some calls. I talk to some people who assure me that indeed I have to push the Big Red Button. They told me to do this originally but I though I could do this half-assed. Several friends admit that they do a re-install twice a year. I back up 72 GIGs of info onto a portable hard drive. I scan it with an online virus scan. I triple check for info I need to have. And then, I wipe the drive.
While the system formats I take a shower. It's a spiritual as well as physical cleansing. I have lost almost an entire week because of my mistake. And there is NO guarantee that my work, pictures, music or anything will still work when I restore it.
When it's done I start the reload. This time it goes much faster and workes much better. I get a LOT of hard drive space back. I download 82 security updates to XP. I restore my documents and so far (knock on wood) it all looks good. One of the most annoying things is trying to remember user names and passwords from various sites.
It is done. This system is clean.
I make some calls. I talk to some people who assure me that indeed I have to push the Big Red Button. They told me to do this originally but I though I could do this half-assed. Several friends admit that they do a re-install twice a year. I back up 72 GIGs of info onto a portable hard drive. I scan it with an online virus scan. I triple check for info I need to have. And then, I wipe the drive.
While the system formats I take a shower. It's a spiritual as well as physical cleansing. I have lost almost an entire week because of my mistake. And there is NO guarantee that my work, pictures, music or anything will still work when I restore it.
When it's done I start the reload. This time it goes much faster and workes much better. I get a LOT of hard drive space back. I download 82 security updates to XP. I restore my documents and so far (knock on wood) it all looks good. One of the most annoying things is trying to remember user names and passwords from various sites.
It is done. This system is clean.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Epic Fail
All it took was one second to click on the wrong file. And then... it was a slow decent into FAIL. Despite antivirus I contacted a host of evils and was forced in the end to reinstall Windows XP. On the plus side, my internet connection and other parts of the system are running nice and fast again. On the down side, it's been two solid days of reinstalls and patching. Joy.
Outlook is back but my account settings are AWOL.
Unrelated but good news, my friend Grimm seems to have found a buyer for his house. It looks like he'll get a good price tool.
Also unrelated but important is the arrival of a new addition to the family. Feel;ing that Little One could use some company we went to the local vet and picked up a young cat who had yet to be named. I'll post pics soon and maybe even solicit name suggestions.
Outlook is back but my account settings are AWOL.
Unrelated but good news, my friend Grimm seems to have found a buyer for his house. It looks like he'll get a good price tool.
Also unrelated but important is the arrival of a new addition to the family. Feel;ing that Little One could use some company we went to the local vet and picked up a young cat who had yet to be named. I'll post pics soon and maybe even solicit name suggestions.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Back at it
We cruised down to Chattanooga, TN for Chattacon. It's held at the...wait for it...Chatanooga Choo Choo hotel, which is actually several hotels and buildings lumped together. The main building is an old train station that is very beautiful if you (like me) love rivets and girders. Several train cars are actually rooms you can stay in. There are three hotel buildings and the convention rooms.
The facility has seen some wear and tear. I imagine it takes a lot to maintain this place and it needs a little TLC. The event itself had moderate attendance at best. We had a good spot in the dealers room, which is rare. We were only open for a short time on Friday but by mid-saturday several dealers were asking us "So, how ya' doing?".
Dealers rarely divulge how much they are actually making at an event. I never give numbers as it seems to be poor taste and you never know who works for the IRS. But one can take the above statement and discern a great deal by HOW it is asked.
If you're chatting with a dealer and he eventually asks "How are you doing? He is having a pretty good day and hopes you are as well.
If a dealer comes and talks to you and asks "How ya doing today?" He likely had a good first day but is slow second day."
And if several dealers ask"So, how you doing?" It means "Are you sucking as bad as I am, please say yes so I don't feel like I'm doing something wrong god why did I ever do this crappy show". The 'So' is the telltale sign that everyone is just hoping to cover hotel costs, food and gas to get home.
Of course, if you don't have time to chat, things are actually going great. You're making money.
Somehow, we managed to do fairly well. This was in contrast to everyone else we spoke with. There were four tshirt vendors, an over saturation by any definition. There were two other corset dealers but our selection, quality and superior sales technique helped us out.
The very cool Nigel deSade was there as well as Jenny Breeden from the web comic The Devils Panties.
After the long Saturday sales day we wandered over to the Con suite and did a little impromptu drumming and dancing (I drumming, Rossana showing the younger generation that she has forgotten more than they will ever know)
We then wandered over to a room party with a Firefly theme run by some dedicated browncoats that was pretty cool. There was punch and chinese food and they had decorated the room with props and cammo netting. A guy even gave me some prop colonial money he'd designed. Sweet.
The facility has seen some wear and tear. I imagine it takes a lot to maintain this place and it needs a little TLC. The event itself had moderate attendance at best. We had a good spot in the dealers room, which is rare. We were only open for a short time on Friday but by mid-saturday several dealers were asking us "So, how ya' doing?".
Dealers rarely divulge how much they are actually making at an event. I never give numbers as it seems to be poor taste and you never know who works for the IRS. But one can take the above statement and discern a great deal by HOW it is asked.
If you're chatting with a dealer and he eventually asks "How are you doing? He is having a pretty good day and hopes you are as well.
If a dealer comes and talks to you and asks "How ya doing today?" He likely had a good first day but is slow second day."
And if several dealers ask"So, how you doing?" It means "Are you sucking as bad as I am, please say yes so I don't feel like I'm doing something wrong god why did I ever do this crappy show". The 'So' is the telltale sign that everyone is just hoping to cover hotel costs, food and gas to get home.
Of course, if you don't have time to chat, things are actually going great. You're making money.
Somehow, we managed to do fairly well. This was in contrast to everyone else we spoke with. There were four tshirt vendors, an over saturation by any definition. There were two other corset dealers but our selection, quality and superior sales technique helped us out.
The very cool Nigel deSade was there as well as Jenny Breeden from the web comic The Devils Panties.
After the long Saturday sales day we wandered over to the Con suite and did a little impromptu drumming and dancing (I drumming, Rossana showing the younger generation that she has forgotten more than they will ever know)
We then wandered over to a room party with a Firefly theme run by some dedicated browncoats that was pretty cool. There was punch and chinese food and they had decorated the room with props and cammo netting. A guy even gave me some prop colonial money he'd designed. Sweet.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Help!
I am cleaning my office. This may not sound like a big deal. Unless of course you know me or have seen my office. When I was a young man my nick-name was 'Packrat'. It was aptly chosen.
In the course of emptying boxes of crap I an finding all kinds of CD's worth of data. Music, pics. drivers, software, old games. I'm having a hard time determining what to keep and what to pitch. And one I;ve figured out what to keep, what do I keep it in?
What do you use to keep things neat and organized. What's your system?
In the course of emptying boxes of crap I an finding all kinds of CD's worth of data. Music, pics. drivers, software, old games. I'm having a hard time determining what to keep and what to pitch. And one I;ve figured out what to keep, what do I keep it in?
What do you use to keep things neat and organized. What's your system?
Friday, January 18, 2008
Giggle
If you haven't bookmarked Wondermark I have no idea what you are waiting for. It's f-ing hilarious. If you're into laughing, you may also want to check out Married to the Sea, which is also hilarious, although the language and humor is rougher. A small sample:
marriedtothesea.com
marriedtothesea.com
Friday, January 11, 2008
77 Drummers
This the kind of thing I would love to help make happen. A collection of 77 drummers who came together to create one large musical instrument. There is no profit motive. There is no product tie in. There is no CD. There are no sponsors or celebrity talking heads. Just a cool idea. If you've ever played in a drum circle you know it can be a total blast.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Taking a deep breath...
Ok, I've calmed down after my previous rant. Watching this video helped. Then I went to this site which has all kinds of pics of microcars. Sweet!
I loose...
Well it looks like we won't be at Gulf Wars this year. (GW is the third largest SCA event around) Apparently we aren't good enough. We were good enough for four years, but in a terse email we were informed that our products didn't meet with the SCA pre-1600's time frame. It is true, our most popular selling corset is a Victorian pattern. We use period colors and material styles and make matching skirts, shirts and more. They look good. Also, many women wear then under their more period garb. We do make a more period design, but it doesn't as well because it's A) Not as pretty and B) Not as comfortable to wear.
I appealed to the Autocrat (the person who is in charge of the overall event) and asked for some leeway. But he seemed to have no testicles and meekly agreed with the period nazi who is in charge of merchanting. They claim that they are 'tightening up their standards' and I wasn't the only one who was reviewed. Really? I know at least one other merchant who sells stuff out of period and they haven't been given the boot. I think I will be sending my spies out to check on this situation to see if indeed anyone else is missing this year. I really suspect the reason we weren't asked back is that we had an argument with the Merchantocrat about a sheet wall she insisted we erect behind out booth last year. It was a stupid demand and we objected but in the end gave in. I try to be as polite and accommodating as I can.
And where did that get me? Hell I'm one of the most honest merchants I know. Really. I take my business very seriously. I bought a very nice tent to do this event specifically. I built a more period portable rack last year for this event. Meanwhile merchants who buy crap from China set up in barely disguised carports. Ahhhhrg.
I love the SCA and I have many friends in it, but sometimes people get way too high and mighty. It shouldn't bother me. There are other more profitable events I could do that don't involve two weeks on the road or camping. But I AM bothered. To be frank I take it as a personal insult. We own booths at three large Renaissance Fairs but aren't good enough for this event. Bah.
I appealed to the Autocrat (the person who is in charge of the overall event) and asked for some leeway. But he seemed to have no testicles and meekly agreed with the period nazi who is in charge of merchanting. They claim that they are 'tightening up their standards' and I wasn't the only one who was reviewed. Really? I know at least one other merchant who sells stuff out of period and they haven't been given the boot. I think I will be sending my spies out to check on this situation to see if indeed anyone else is missing this year. I really suspect the reason we weren't asked back is that we had an argument with the Merchantocrat about a sheet wall she insisted we erect behind out booth last year. It was a stupid demand and we objected but in the end gave in. I try to be as polite and accommodating as I can.
And where did that get me? Hell I'm one of the most honest merchants I know. Really. I take my business very seriously. I bought a very nice tent to do this event specifically. I built a more period portable rack last year for this event. Meanwhile merchants who buy crap from China set up in barely disguised carports. Ahhhhrg.
I love the SCA and I have many friends in it, but sometimes people get way too high and mighty. It shouldn't bother me. There are other more profitable events I could do that don't involve two weeks on the road or camping. But I AM bothered. To be frank I take it as a personal insult. We own booths at three large Renaissance Fairs but aren't good enough for this event. Bah.
Friday, January 04, 2008
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