My Lovely Thanksgiving

Well, to tell you the truth, my Thanksgiving started out horrible.  Wednesday night I couldn't sleep because I had the biggest headache ever.  And I kept trying to sleep, knowing that if I'm asleep, I can't feel the headache.  Nothing was working.  I knew I had to be up early, as I was doing living statue at 10am.

I couldn't call in sick.  First of all, Thanksgiving is a big money day for statues, plus, if you call in sick on a holiday, you need a doctor's note, so I'd be out the money I would have made, plus the money for the doctor's visit.

At 6:30, the headache finally lifted and the angels sang.  I was exhausted but pain free. I couldn't go back to bed at that point because it would have made it worse when I did get up. So I drank about a pot of coffee and got ready to go.

Now being tired for a normal day of work is difficult, but being tired while you have to stand absolutely still is a monster. Somehow, I managed to get through the shift. Luckily statue shifts are four hours and I was done by 2.

When I crawled through the door, the boyfriend had Thanksgiving cooked and on the table.  I'm so grateful it was his turn this year to cook. He prefers ham over turkey, and if he's making it, he can make whatever his heart desires as far as I'm concerned.  He had ham, corn, rolls and a wonderful bison-green bean casserole topped with cheese and tater tots. Of course there was apple pie for dessert.

I'm am currently waiting to hear from the Guinness judges on whether I have taken the world record in most weight gained in a 12 hour period.  I'll keep you posted. lol.

Standing Still Today

I'm filling in again as a living statue today at the Venetian. It's been a while since I've done it... in fact last time was the marathon gig from hell where I was standing outside for 8 hours a day for 4 days. This time, I'll be inside, and only standing for 4 hours, hopefully (after the last one) it will seem like a breeze.

I still kick myself for giving up my regular statue shift. But my ex talked me into giving it up saying that he would take care of me if I fell short at the end of the month. Well, he's been gone now for almost 2 years, and I still can't get my shift back, so I just have to make due, filling in as needed.

Standing Still...For a living?

For the past 2 days I've been doing a living statue gig at a convention here in town. It's always strange to me when I do it somewhere other than at the Venetian.

Luckily I have friends that lend me their costumes (as the one I usually use is property of the Grand Canal Shops), and lend me their podium. I usually buy them wine or something as a thank you.

The podium I'm using this time, is 2 feet tall and is wide enough just for my feet. The coolest part, though, is that my dress falls down over it, giving the illusion that I'm 7 feet tall. Imagine the surprise on people's faces when I jump down for my break, and it's just little old me.

Today is the last day, and tomorrow will be spent mostly recovering on the couch.

In Treasury News:

NattyKnits just put me in a treasury! Yay!!!! It's been a while since I've been in one. The last time it made it to the front page, my first time ever!

Please go and check out the treasury by clicking here! And while your there, show some clicky love and leave a comment!

Finally getting busy!

Hooray!!!!!

In magic news:

The freelance gigs are finally starting to pick up. I have 2 coming up this month, and 2 that still have to be confirmed. I have been stressing about the economy all summer...and I didn't know if the lack of work was because Summer is inherently slow or if the economy was taking its toll. So far, so good...

In Statue News:

I actually have a statue gig at Caesar's this weekend for a Canadian company. They seem really nice and I really hope that I live up to their expectations. It's going to be 3 days of hard work (yes, standing still is really hard work), but I think it will be worth it in the end.

In Knitting News:

Sales have finally started to pick up! In fact yesterday I sold not one but two doggie sweaters to the same woman. It's my first multiple order. Yay!

I also finished a custom order and listed it. I didn't charge a deposit (which I know I should have...I know...), so I really hope he buys it and that it wasn't just another waste of my time....I should know today.

Remember to tune in tomorrow to see what the submissions category will be for the "Friday's Favorites"!

Discount Tuesday!

It's been a while since I held a sale, so I figured I'm a little overdue. Today's sale is: buy this Upcycled Sparkle Blue Wrap and get a $5 rebate via paypal.

All you have to do is type in the buyers comments $5 rebate and by the end of the day (West coast time), you will get a refund via paypal. What could be easier than that?

Don't forget to tell your friends if there in the market for this elegant wrap.

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Now I'm off to fill in for my friend as living statue. Though it will be nice not to move all day, it would be better if I was doing it on the couch.

Scuba Scuba

We decided to come home for the evening instead of staying over at Cottonwood. It was a lot closer than we originally thought, and with the dog and things to do at home it just seemed a whole lot easier.

We're leaving soon for our final Scuba class...this one will be a boat dive. The hardest part for me has been equalizing my ears. When we go down in the water I feel like I'm on a plane that's landing too fast. It took a while to get the hang of it, but by the end of the day, I was equalizing like a pro (or how I'd imagine a pro to equalize).

In other news:

I might have gotten a really great statue gig. I'm not sure if I can get coverage yet at the Venetian, and I still need to get ahold of a costume. Of course there's a ton of people I need to call to make this happen and the best time to call them...well, I'm scheduled to be underwater. Hopefully I'm not too late when I can get all my ducks in a row and call them back for confirmation.

Tune in tomorrow for the submissions category of the week!

Submissions and stuff!

I was supposed to have the day off today, but my friend got pink eye and asked me to do her statue shift for her. I said I would because (a) I need the money and (b) pink eye is bad enough, but to have to put on all that make up and stand still too, that's a lot to ask of someone.

So I'm up early, still trying to chug down enough coffee to make it through.



Submissions:

Last week, one of the Friday Favorites sold! Yay for Buddhakittyglass!!!

This week I'm looking for all things cat!

I want to see:
pictures of cats
cat assesories
things made in cat print
everything from house kitties to great big tigers!

If you have anything like that in your etsy store, post the link in the comments and check back tomorrow for Friday's Favorites!

A Living Statue Story...

Yesterday I was a living statue again.

There are always so many different types of people that come up to me. Some are scared, some just want to try to get me to move, some are fascinated, and some are mad that I'm making a living standing still...

Usually the younger kids are scared.

There was this one little girl yesterday, she must have been 2 or maybe a really small 3 year old. Her father gave her a dollar to put at my feet. She toddled up to the stairs and ran back to her dad.

I thought, she must be scared.

Her father urged her to try again, and she made it up two of the three stairs, but then backed down again. She didn't run, she didn't scream, she just toddled back to her dad.

The next time he picked her up and carried her up the stairs for a picture. She didn't seem to mind, didn't seem to scared at all actually. The picture was taken, and again, the father tried to get her to put the dollar down at my feet. Again she refused.

Finally the father pried the dollar bill out of the little girl's hand, and that's when she let out a scream that echoed throughout St. Mark's Square...she wasn't scared at all, she just didn't want to give up her dollar...

Another day in Paradise...

I have to be at work early today because I'm doing the 10 am statue shift. After that, I'm finally getting my quit claim form signed...my ex is signing over the condo which we own jointly now, to me. It would have been done earlier, but with all the work I've been doing trying to stay afloat, I didn't have any time to look for the proper paperwork (which, of course, I didn't have) and then call the title company to get it.

Now it's in my hand, and after statue, I'm ready to go.



In Knitting News:

I've started another Bolero Jacket. Since the Pink and Grey one seemed to get a lot of hearts and views, I thought I would try for one in a different color combination. This one will be in a warm beige for the body and the trim will be an automn red. The yarns looked so pretty together, I thought they might look good as a sweater. We shall see what the final result is.

Something New

Just listed my Rainbow Headband finally. I had taken the photos last week, but just got the burst of energy to list it today...believe it or not the hardest part was measuring it...no really...we have at least 6 or 7 tape measures in the house and rulers gallore and yet I couldn't find a single one...well, obviously I found one, but it took a while.

Now I need to start making a wedding item for a wedding challenge that the Etsyknitters Team is putting together. They are the only team I belong to and are a really great group of people...trouble is, I don't have anything wedding in my shop right now, and haven't thought of a good idea yet...I guess it's kinda hard to start making something until you know what you're going to make, so I think I'll start with that first.

In other news:

Living statue went great yesterday. I've been working out and I could see that it's really paying off. I was barely sore when I finished my shift...now if only I could fit into my jeans...I guess that will come next.

It's a grind

I spent most of yesterday working on a new magic trick. I'm not necessarily the greatest when it comes to big illusions, so it was definitely a work out. Luckily I wasn't the one getting in and out of the box, so (because I have worked as an assistant before) I know I definitely had the easier job.

I was so tired afterward that I couldn't keep my eyes open and ended up crashing on the couch. I didn't even have the energy to cook anything, so the boyfriend got take out...whew...

Today I got called in to do another shift of living statue. Though it's not magic, it definitely pays more and I could use the money...thank goodness I'm doing the later shift, because there's no way I could get up there and do it at 10 in the morning.

What will you be doing while I'm standing still? Maybe clicking here?

The Waiting Game...

I finished and listed my custom order a couple of days ago, and convo'd the buyer...now I sit and wait for a response. I haven't ever charged someone for something before I've made it, even though others have told me that they do so because of this exact problem. I don't want to give up on her yet, so I'm going to wait a couple more days and then convo her again...of course she has no feedback, so I don't know if this is a normal thing for her, but I don't hold that against anyone because I've been several new etsian's first buys and I think that's great.

The listing was for a bolero jacket exactly the same as the original listing only one size bigger (a 6 instead of a 4)...So just in case I don't hear from her, and this is something that you might want, keep your eyes on this one and I'll let you know if it's open for sale.

In other news:
I gave up another magician day yesterday in order to do living statue...I hate doing this because being a statue is soooo hard and I hurt so bad after it's done, but it pays so much better and right now I need the money...and the money was pretty good yesterday.

Today, I'm back in my magic role which I feel the most comfortable...also, I just bought new shoes with super comfy insoles and so far because of all my day swapping, I've only really gotten to wear them for one day! I'm am excited to be walking on the cobblestone today in pure comfort.