Profiles + X365

I have taken a lot of heat because I haven't written those damn ESI profiles. Then, I saw this project, and I am considering doing it. The profiles could just be part of this X365 project. Sigh.
I'm currently in a very large library, suffering with a writing project. Why do I hate writing so much? I am trying to own this part of the process-- the actually getting it done part. I'm so much better at the brainstorming, idea stage...
I'll just take a little break here, and see what's for sale on Etsy - and check out Andrea's recommendations. Can someone please give me a virtual kick in the arse here. Help!

Heaven's to Etsy!

Now that I am a craft person, I have to come to realize that it's all about Etsy. If you thought the Ottawa Christmas Craft Sale was a zoo, check out all the crap on the Etsy. Yes, I am into the whole alternative marketplace thing, but....Holy Shit! Is it just a way for people to fund their craft obsessions? Clearly, I need some Etsy-savvy person to explain all of this me. Help! Please give me some analysis.

Spiritual Healers

I went to a spiritual healer today and have decided that spiritual healers are annoying. They giggle an awful lot, which drives me bananas. I guess when you have figured everything out, the world just seems hilarious, as if you had just dropped a nice, clean hit of acid. Look at the Dalai Lama. He's a chronic giggler. They talk too much, and people sit around hanging off every single fucking word, even if they are talking bullshit. Does being enlightened have to make you annoying? The spiritual healer left me feeling:
1) like I could have been using my time more productively (doing the shit I am avoiding, for example). Yes, I know this attitude signals my desperate need for healing!
2) exhausted and drained. Yes, I know that probably means that some kind of healing is happening. She healed me by tiring the shit out of me.
3) annoyed with myself for even thinking that spiritual healing is what I need. Yes, I know that probably means I am resisting the whole healing process.

Another conversation with overly-friendly man

Remember, a few posts back when I wrote about the man who tried to rescue me by inviting me to his place? This week, he approached me and complimented me on my pink sweater. He said, "I really love the colour of your sweater. It reminds of when I used to play Risk. The colour of some of the pieces were the colour of your sweater." My response was, "Thanks. It kind of reminds me of Pepto-Bismol." His response to that was, "I have never had the pleasure of using that product." Then, we laughed, and I thought the Risk-line was just nerdy enough to actually sort of work on me. HA!

This Morning

A few issues this morning.

1) trouble getting out of bed because I was hearing the sounds of people scraping snow and ice off their cars, and that didn't motivate me to get up for some reason. I am also avoiding the stuff I have to do today....
2) no coffee in the house. I am drinking green tea, and it is just making me angry. I need to venture out into the snowstorm and caffeinate myself properly.
3) I am writing something, and the ending is not coming together. Why are endings so hard? That is not a real question. Here are some possible ways I could end it. 1) happy ending (they all lived happily ever after); 2) sad ending (someone dies or is seriously maimed); 3) Film noir ending (someone disappears and no one know what really happened); 4) surprise ending (totally fuck with the reader, and turn everything upside down). I know there are other kinds of endings, but these are the ones I am currently stuck on -- "stuck" being the operative word here.
4) I had a bizarre dream this morning that a close friend of mine had a blog called "Oatmeal Matters", in which she created very intricate and complex comic strips on rice paper, about a couple who bickered all the time, but in a very sophisticated kind of way. When I got up I decided to google "Oatmeal Matters", and no on has a blog by this name. In the dream, she had no readers, so I was going to generously link her to my blog, so that she would have about 15 readers a day.

Velvet and silk brooch with evil eye

I like this one. I wore it today and felt like I won first prize.

Things that are going on the back-burner for a couple of weeks...

I have decided to put some things on the back-burner -- until the end of November.

1) The ESI profiles. I am hopeful that when Megan does her work with the ESI team, this issue will be resolved. But until that time, the profiles are not happening.

2) Tiana's prize. I am working on various models, and this prize will be ready at the beginning of December in time for her to put it on her tree. I just bought a bag of evil eyes, and am sewing them on everything now. So, expect a Christmas ornament with an evil eye!

3) Christmas presents, and other Christmas-related crap. I am not even thinking about it now.

4) What I am doing from January - June 2008. This has not yet been determined, but I am not going to even think about it for two weeks.

5) There is no fifth thing.

What is on the front-burner then, you ask? I am back in writing hell. So, you can expect some whiney and pathetic postings in the next couple of weeks. At the moment, though, I am enjoying being curled up inside in front of my computer, while looking out the window at the freshly fallen slush. So far, I am not complaining.

Silk brooch with 2 beads and an evil eye

Conversation with a Man I do not know* who happens to be in the "helping profession"

Man: "Aggie, you mentioned last week you are homeless, and temporarily living in Ottawa and Montreal. That must be so difficult, and clearly, you must be going through something to have this kind of unstable living arrangement. I just thought you might like to come over to my place, and hang out for a bit and feel ok.
Aggie: "I'm doing fine, actually. I didn't intend to communicate that I was unstable."
Man: "Oh well, that's great. Maybe you would like to come over to my place anyway then."
Aggie: "Your place? No thanks."

Why would this fellow not simply invite me out for a beer? What is this "come over to my place" stuff? What planet is he from? Was he simply doing the 1/10 thing?** Are there new conventions out there that I have missed?

Note to self: don't mention homelessness to strangers (or insurance people)

*I know this man through a course I am taking, but I am not even sure what his name is.
**Do I need to explain the 1/10 thing?

Santopol Roulant

We need a Santropol Roulant in Ottawa. This is a groundbreaking meals-on-wheels program. They manage to have a steady flow of young, enthusiastic volunteers to make, package and deliver about 100 meals to seniors every day. They do all kinds of other things, too: hold intergenerational events, educate people about how to make a rooftop garden, organize bike workshops, etc.
Could this work in Ottawa? I can envision something like this in Mechanicsville...

Leaf-shaped pillow with monogram

Another pillow

I just finished this one. I think I like it the best so far. I experimented with a bit of pink embroidery thread with this one, which was fun.
Soon, I will have pillows coming out of my ying yang. As I mentioned before, it seems that this is what everyone will be getting for Christmas for this year.

ESI Profile Angst

About a week ago, I promised the ESIs that I would write a profile for each one of them. I already wrote the Chair's profile a long time ago, something that has caused a big brouhaha. They all ask-- Why the Chair and not me?
Now, faced with the task of writing a profile for 4th Dwarf, Coyote, Conch Shell and the Independent Observer, I am experiencing a bad case of writer's block. Here is what it looks like in my head:

Me: Ok, Aggie. Time to start the profiles.
Me: Ok, which one first?
Me: Conch Shell? No, the IO. No, Coyote....No, Dwarfie.
Me: But, what are you going to say anyway?
Me: I don't have a fucking clue!
Me: But these are your friends. Surely, you have something interesting to say about your friends.
Me: But I want them to be interesting and to capture something unique about each ESI. You did it for the Chair.
Me: Yeah, and look where that got me!
Me: Just start writing.
Me: I don't want to! Stop telling me what to do!

Why are we still wearing panty hose?

I do not wear panty hose -- except on my head when I'm dressed as a Buddhist monk for Halloween -- but found myself in a situation this Saturday evening when I had to purchase a pair of the fucking things. So, I went to Fancy Sox in the Rideau Centre, where I made the mistake of splurging in a higher end pair of sheer stockings because I assumed they would be less like to run on the first wear! I also assumed that, surely to God, they have come up with some models that are a bit sturdier now.
I VERY CAREFULLY put the fucking things on, and I looked down to find a very large run making its way down my leg. 'Maybe your toenails are too long or are jagged,' my helpful companion suggested. This was not the case, and even if they were, they should not bust this easily.
At the soiree that I attended, I sat next to a woman and complained about my pantyhose breakdown. She said, 'If you wash them with shampoo before you wear them, the fibres stand up longer.' Are women out there really doing this?
I am wondering why people are still wearing these things that are designed to instantly self-destruct.

Tetes a Claques

If you haven't checked out any of the Tetes a Claques, you should. They are all the rage in francophone Canada now. I laughed my ass off when I watched this one of the couple at the border crossing: http://www.tetesaclaques.tv/video.php?vid=232. Enjoy! Sorry, I am unable to create a link at the moment...

Cat Pillow

Does your cat like to sleep on your bed? Do you like your cat sleeping on your bed? Do you dislike when your cat walks on your face in the night, or sticks his or her ass in your face? This pillow may be the answer. It's made of soft polar fleece with a goldfish motif and lightly stuffed. It is made to be located at the foot of your bed, where you hope your cat will stay.

Laptops in Cafes

If I were running a cafe, I would supply slightly larger tables, and insist that the laptop folks double up. They don't need to be sitting there in a line of solitude. Think of the beautiful relationships that could develop if people were asked to double up! Picture this: their eyes met over their laptops.

Another Time-Share Pillow

Here is another pillow. It is not completely stuffed. I ran out of stuffing. I used the rest of that fox fabric, and I decided the foxes needed to be under a silk silver moon.

New Cushion

This is what everyone is getting for Christmas this year.

Questions for Craft People

Back to the crafts for a moment, here. I have some questions I would like throw out to the craft community:

1) Where can you buy fabric in Ottawa? What happened to the Fabricsville beside the Rideau Centre? Please don't tell me I need to drive out to Orleans.

2) Can you recommend a good beginner sewing book that is readable, has nice simple projects in it, and includes basic quiltmaking? I'm looking for something that is solid, but not too finicky.

3) Which craft blogs should I be linking to -- local blogs and otherwise?