New beads tomorrow, so check back then if you're so inclined.

I'm desperately in need of a vacation. The last real vacation Russ & I had was in 2000 - the year we married, when I won the trip to the USA and we "eloped" to Las Vegas. Okay, so we did spend around 4 weeks in the USA from September 2001, just after attending my cousin's wedding in Portland OR, but technically that wasn't a vacation as we arrived on the morning of 9/11, and then Russ lost his job a day later, and everything pretty much was a nightmare for about 5 yrs after that.

Russ & I have been talking, and we're thinking of returning to the US in January next year. Russ works for a subsidiary of Qantas, which means that we receive two tickets each per year whereby we only have to pay 10% to fly. As yet, we've not made use of them, and unfortunately they don't carry on to the next year - so if you don't use them, you lose them.

So, if we do decide to travel, we'll probably fly into either San Francisco or Los Angeles (more than likely San Francisco - one of my favourite cities in the US, if not the world), spend a few days relaxing, then take a leisurely few days to drive to Portland OR to stay with my cousin and her husband. After that, I have a few beadmaking friends I'd love to spend some time with - one who lives in the USA (Lynn of Silver Moon Lampwork) and one who lives in Canada (Antonia Jenner of Whistler Lampwork). As a matter of fact, the 3 of us have talked about meeting somewhere between WA and Canada and living it up. Believe me when I tell you that the 3 of us could get into a lot of trouble!

None of this is set in stone at the moment, but it does give me something to look forward to. It actually feels like January is years away, but tomorrow is 1 September. Where the hell has the year gone? Wasn't it Christmas last month? It's true that the older you get, the faster the years fly. And don't even get me started on how much I'm freaking out that in approximately 3 months' time, I'm going to be thinking "I'm turning 40 next year".

Oh. My. God. As of 1 September 2007, it will be exactly 17 months until my 40th birthday.

And on that happy note, I'm off to grab a pizza for dinner.

Oooo ... glass!

Oooo ... glass!
Originally uploaded by thatgirl1269

Ever wanted to see what almost $425.00 worth of glass rods looks like? I bet you have! Technically, the glass wasn't really $425, as that total included two books of pure silver at approximately $29 per book - but both the glass and silver are used in making my beads, so.. whatever. Anyway, in case you've ever assumed that making beads was cheap - well, now you know it's not!

There's a few 'odd lot' colours in this order - including that gorgeous peachy coral shade you can see, a lovely pale lemon colour called, oddly enough, Lemon Meringue, one of the opaque violets, and also a transparent pink called Antique Rose. I used the Antique Rose this afternoon in a new set of beads I've started - so far, it pretty much looks like any other transparent pale pink, but maybe I'll be proven wrong tomorrow morning when I open the kiln.

Unfortunately, I won't get a chance to finish the set I started today until Friday afternoon, so no new beads now until Saturday. Drop back then to check them out.

Hope the rest of your week goes well.

Quotes of the Day. . .

I love sarcasm. I also love quotes. And there's nothing better than combining the two. Here's a few of my favourites:

"I'm not delusional enough to think that what I do is important to life as we know it on this planet. No. But neither is what you do." - Gene Simmons

"It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool, than to open it and remove all doubt." - Mark Twain

"Self-praise is no recommendation". - Author Unknown

Spam GRRR . . .

Due to some !@#%$ leaving comments in my blog two days' running with a link to the latest "get rich quick" scheme, I've turned on moderation for all comments left in my blog. I apologise for this, but with the amount of spammers out there, I don't really have much choice. It's beyond me why people do things like that - do they seriously believe that anyone in their right mind is going to invest one red cent in their schemes? Well, I guess they do, since they continue to do it.

Anyway, I promise to add all comments ASAP after I've had a chance to review them. Sorry for the inconvenience, but, blame the spammers!

Autumn Treasures . . .

Autumn Treasures
Originally uploaded by thatgirl1269

Here's a preview of my latest set of beads, up on eBay right now. I'm having lots of fun with silver and gold at the moment, and I think the gold leaf on these beads adds just the right amount of bling. Hope you like them!

Limelight . . .

Limelight
Originally uploaded by thatgirl1269

Yep, new beads! These are up on eBay right now. And, I hope to have another set or two to offer you before the end of the week (fingers crossed). The reason? Since the tendonitis in my shoulder and neck are playing up something awful (thanks to Toby just about wrenching my arm out of its socket when I walked him on Saturday), I've taken the week off work from my medical transcription job. That leaves me lots of time to play at the torch - typing really aggravates my shoulder, but luckily for me, making beads doesn't appear to bother it all that much. So, stay tuned for more beads to come. Have a good day.

Moonlight Sonata . . .

Just popping in to share a photo of my latest eBay auction. I really love how these turned out. It's a while since I made beads in this style, and I'd forgotten how much I enjoy making them. Hope you like them too!

Generically Annoyed . . .

I love that expression - "Generically Annoyed". I came across that as the subject of a message on one of the lampworking forums I occasionally visit. It totally describes my attitude lately when it comes to lampworking. I'm not going into details on a public forum about what I'm "generically annoyed" about, firstly, because there's a number of other lampworkers (who, for the sake of privacy, shall remain anonymous) that I discuss this stuff with who feel exactly the same way as I do, so most of my venting is shared with them. Secondly, I don't intend to get involved in a mud slinging match over the internet by publicly naming (and shaming) the people that are annoying me. And thirdly, and most importantly, is that there's so much I'm annoyed about that I quite simply don't have the time to list everything. There's so much injustice, underhanded and sickening behaviour going on that I'm actually at a loss to describe it, so, it can all go under the heading of generically annoying, and I'll leave it at that.

Right.. back to reality. For those who may be interested, I should have a new set of beads to offer you tomorrow. They're ready to go, but I need to charge the battery on my camera, and by the time it's charged enough, the sun has moved out of the optimal position for photos, so.. tomorrow morning will have to do.

Have a good day.

Rainbow Lorikeets

Rainbow Lorikeets
Originally uploaded by thatgirl1269

Just thought I'd share this photo with you. For the past week, we've been putting fruit in a plastic dish attached to our back fence, hoping to attract some native birds. About half an hour ago, I was sitting here in my office typing away when I heard the unmistakable sound of Rainbow Lorikeets screeching outside my window. Luckily my camera was handy and I managed to take this shot before they flew away - it's a little "grainy" since I had to take it through the window with a fly screen on it, but I'm actually surprised as it turned out better than I expected!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the photo - aren't they just the most beautiful colours?

Fawlty Towers . . .

Since my Mum moved down from Sydney to live with us, there have been about 10 boxes of VHS tapes sitting in the garage, waiting for me to inspect them. Some of the videos I had completely forgotten about, and others, I have to say, I wonder what on earth I was thinking back in the mid 1980s when I recorded them (for example, why would I want to record a video on how to knit a shawl? I've never knitted in my life, and have no intentions of ever starting).

So, after spending a good hour going through the boxes, despairing that I was ever going to find anything worth keeping, I found a gem - the complete collection of Fawlty Towers. This is one of my all time favourite British comedies, and although I was a child when it was on air, I remember many a night (well, 12 of them, since only 12 episodes were ever made) sitting around the TV with my mother and stepfather, laughing uproariously at the antics of Basil, Manuel and the rest of the cast. I actually have the complete collection on DVD nowadays, but it wasn't until I found the VHS tape that I remembered it's years since I watched this show.

It's pretty difficult to choose a favourite episode, as each was so clever and well written, however, I think "Basil the Rat" and "The Germans" are two that always spring immediately to mind for me as exceptionally funny. And in case you're the one person on the planet who hasn't watched an episode, here's a few minutes from "The Germans" (and please take this in the spirit of comedy - I'm part German, so if I'm not offended by it, hopefully neither will you be).

Tiger Tales . . .

Sorry I've been so quiet the past week, but really, I've had nothing to chat about. Just keeping a low profile, working hard and going through the mundane motions of life we all have to contend with. Anyway, here's a preview of my latest set of beads up on eBay right now. It's been a while since I made animal print beads, and I was just in the mood this weekend. I think these are some of my favourites to date - hope you like them too!

Well, that's it out of me for the moment, hope you have a good week!

Latest Beads . . .

Whirlpool
Originally uploaded by thatgirl1269

Here's my latest set of beads, up on eBay right now. I've gotta keep this brief as I'm running almost an hour late for work today - eek! Have a good Monday!

Blog Surfing . . .

If you're anything like me, you enjoy reading other people's blogs. However, it's rare that I come across a blog I enjoy so much that I can be caught laughing out loud whilst reading it. One exception to this is I Am Prepared to Give Up at Any Time. I just love Mike's sense of humour - even the tagline on his blog has me chuckling - "Finally! A blog that cures cancer!". I mean really, life is pretty damn difficult, even at the best of times, and anyone that can laugh at themselves and find the irony in just about every situation is a welcome change. I've been visiting Mike's blog, on and off, for about 6 months now, and his humour never fails to pep my spirits up. I love this entry, and this one - the latter, in particular, I can so totally relate to (except for the part about not wearing pants. I haven't quite gone that far yet. Give it time. I've only been working from home for 10 years). Anyway, if you enjoy sarcasm and witty banter, you'll love Mike's blog.

Oh.. and have a great weekend. I'll be back in a few days' time with new beads.

I Wonder...

I've always loved the song "I Wonder" by Chris Isaak. It pretty much sums up how I feel about life. I couldn't find the original music clip on YouTube of Chris Issak singing it. The only one I could find would not allow me to embed the clip in my site, but here's a clip of taken from some TV show called Veronica Mars with Chris Isaak singing it (and excuse my ignorance on calling it "some TV show", but I've never heard of it. After doing a bit of research, it turns out that only 4 episodes of it were aired here in Victoria, so that probably goes a long way to explaining things). Anyway, this is one of those songs that's good to listen to when you're in a melancholy mood, which I seem to be in more often than not lately.

eBay and Their "Improvements" . . .

This is something that has been bugging me for a while, that is, eBay and their constant "improvements". I have certain categories bookmarked for ease of access, and with eBay mucking around with this and that, half the time the pages aren't found, or I end up in some other category than what is bookmarked.

So really, in the great scheme of things, that isn't such an issue, but what really annoys me is the insanity of that Detailed Seller Ratings box (the thing with the 5 stars) they've added to our feedback pages. I'm sure eBay think it's a wonderful idea, but in all fairness to sellers, I think it's the single MOST ridiculous thing they've implemented in a long time.

And why do I feel that way, you may ask? I mean, it's always handy to know those sorts of details, whether an item is the way it is described, shipping times, etc. But what REALLY REALLY bugs me about it is that it's simply NOT indicative of the true nature of the seller's performance. As an example, I always ship in a timely manner - usually the same day or very first thing the NEXT day after receiving payment, but how is it my fault what happens to the parcel after its left my hands? All I can do is post the item in a timely fashion - how long it takes to reach Australia or the US or anywhere else for that matter is outside my control.

And the same thing goes for the shipping costs - I charge the absolute minimum for international shipping that I possibly can - as a matter of fact, I actually don't charge the full price for shipping AND I charge nothing for packing materials. And let's not forget that I'm one of the few international lampworkers (and the only Australian seller I know of) who offers free worldwide shipping on any and all auctions that end at or above US$100. And yet, I notice that I have slightly less than a 5 star rating for shipping costs.

I know this shouldn't irritate me, but it does. I simply do not think it's fair that people can rate me on these two areas, when BOTH of them are outside my control. I have always, and WILL always, go the extra mile for my buyers because I appreciate every single person who has ever purchased from me, but what people who leave me less than 5 stars are ACTUALLY "ranking" is the postal service. I don't set the postage costs that Australia Post charge, and I don't deliver the mail personally, and yet I'm the one whose being ranked down!

Oh well, I guess the old saying is true - "You can't please all the people, all the time". *SHRUG*

Today on eBay...

Odyssey
Originally uploaded by thatgirl1269

Sharing a photo with you of my latest set of beads up on eBay. Click here to go directly to the auction for close-up shots and more info. I have two focals to add to my Etsy store today too - which I will hopefully get around to later in the day when things quieten down a bit. See you soon, and thanks for checking in!