Mel told me to update:

I am piiiiissed as hell at dealing with high schooler co-workers who have NO work ethic, NO responsibility, and NO common sense.

I am also growing tired of freaking psychopath customers. PSYCHOPATHS. I am not even exaggerating. Poor Ann was actually flipping out to me about this one set of people.

On the other hand, last weekend I sketched out my first Paper Factory comic, and it is funny as hell. I've also been managing to stay on top of the banner thing, and pretty thoroughly rocked every assignment I've had this week. (Who can whip up some spiffy looking graduation invites in, oh, ten minutes? Oh me. Who can crank out a SEVENTEEN FOOT LONG sign, to replace the lighted sign a tractor trailer knocked off another Paper Factory's store, get it designed-printed-grommetted-gone, in like four, five hours? Oh me.)


I do not have to work tomorrow, and while I'm leaving my phone on in case of emergency, I am also playing on the Webkinz site, dealing only with non-thinking email, aaaand drinking a half-bottle of seriously froofy alcohol.

Alizé, Rose flavor. SO highly recommended. It is pink, and it is froofy, but absolutely delicious. Vodka base, with litchis, strawberries, and rose essence. I also have a little mini-bottle of vodka + herb flavors, which is also delicious.

Which reminds me. Mom and Grandma were down last weekend, we picked up...good god I can never remember how people are related to me. I think she's my great-aunt Marion? Anyway, the four of us had lunch at this tiny little local diner out in Brocton, where the food was quite good, and I got a vague tour of the town (which has exactly one stoplight). After that, I directed us to the Boardwalk down in Dunkirk, where last summer they opened up a little strip of a handful of local shops, down by the pier. It's such a nice little setup, I really love it, anytime someone visits me I try to drag them down there. There's a little shop that carries wine from ALLLLL the local wineries, and there are free samples, and a bit of everything which is wonderful. Mom bought me a bottle of wine, and it was *delicious*. A semi-sweet white that had a really great depth to it...and, as anticipated, Tom LOVED it. So much so that the bottle was *gone* before I'd had more than a glass. He has promised to buy me a replacement bottle. (But while I was quite sad it was gone, I was also quite happy I'd picked out such a good one. I usually do alright at picking out wines, though we're both still fairly noobs, while he's good with cheeses.) We nosed around some gift shops, I picked up a super-pretty multi-stranded necklace with scattered pearly stones, Mom got cornered by the rather sketchy owner of a rather sketchy half-open shop, and Mom and I both decided that I should start selling my crochet work, since someone was selling simple little knit towels for like $10. (And I knew at a glance that it was the cheap $1.50 cotton yarn they used...I've used it too. If I'm going to make something for someone else, I'm going to use nice special yarn, or at least put more effort into the colors and things!)

And, of course, we had to stop in at Yummy's and get ice cream. The owner still recognized me! I used to see him at the store every week, back when I worked day shifts and his shop was in town, but that was at least six months ago. But he remembered me! He's the friendliest guy ever, he's like on par with Ann and Bruce as a store owner, the kind of guy who knows allll of his customers by name, and makes conversation and is just so friendly and awesome.

Also, the ice cream is always AMAZING at Yummy's.


Other than that, I am on a crochet freaking BINGE. I need to post some pictures. I finished up Tom's glove and he is in SO much love. I whipped up a pair of gloves for me, because my hands freeze in air conditioning, and I had a ball of elasticy cotton yarn that I needed to test. Sushi is still not done, I get sooo booored of doing single crochet stitches in black in eeeendless rounds. But it's getting close. I poked around in my stash, and decided that I could make a nice simple little light scarf out of some yarn Mel bought me for Christmas and using part of a table runner pattern - that's nearly finished. I have the yarn picked out for my next two projects, but am not allowed to buy it until a) I finish the damn sushi, and b) next paycheck, which, OH LOOK, was today. First the skirt. Then a throw blanket in recycled cotton for Tom, to use on chilly days, and to use instead of a towel to prevent sticking to his plastic-leather computer chair on hot days, aaaand because making the blanket for Kate was so much fun and so relaxing. THEN, I'm scouting out yarns for two Christmas presents I have in mind, and since I'm binging anyway I figured I might as well actually get a head start for once in my life.

Still working on a necklace/scarf for myself, I'm in absolute freaking love with the yarn, and the end result, but, the pattern consists of doing like five feet worth of little bitty one-inch circles. So it's my dinner-break project.


I'm on the last book of the Tamir Trilogy, and I still can't put it down. I *hugely* recommend, especially to Mel. (If you want it in audiobook, I can probably do some illegal file-converting, but only because you're my sister. ;)

I have a huge stack of dishes, and am running low on clean underwear, and Tom polished off his weekly casserole. Somuch to do...but TOMORROW. Tonight, there are froofy drinks and Webkinz and crochet and SLEEEEEEEEEEEEEP. <333

Labels: books, crochet, family, printshop, product whoring, work