Snakes and Spiders. Eww!

Ok, so not so much "eww" on the snakes, but those OTHER things...bleh!! Gross!

The excitement of the day at work was the appearance of a giant black snake in the parking lot. It was only there for a few minutes before it slithered back into the cow field.

So, disaster was avoided. No one tried to run it over or anything, thank god.

The spider, on the other hand, must perish. It's apparently camping out in the men's room, which is WAY too close for comfort.

And of course, being men, they won't squish it or move it. They just leave it there so it can make its way to the front and get on me. Great. *dies*

Now I'll have to be checking under my desk every five minutes for the rest of the day.

On another note, the Foo Fighters are wicked awesome. "Let it Die" is a really good song, even though it reminds me of my ex boyfriend.

That's about all the news I have for today. I've got another Farmer's Market coming up Saturday, so we'll see how that goes. I'll be making new pieces for it tonight and tomorrow. Hopefully, I'll avoid any further finger smashing.

Yart Sale!

I'm participating in the First Annual Etsy Yart Sale! It's, you know, an "art yard sale". So, that' means that if you stop by my shop, you'll find some WICKED deals and steals in my Yart Sale section. Check it out! http://www.lunachick.etsy.com/

On to other things! I smashed my thumb while hammering an earring last night. THAT rocked. Not.

But the earrings turned out nicely, so it wasn't a totally bad experience. Which is always good.

I'm in search of a new work bench, as I don't really have one besides the floor right now. Isn't that sad? To have all these great tools and supplies at your disposal but to not be able to use them?

In other assorted, very random news: the "subtle tan" lotion isn't working, my cat enjoys peeing outside the litter box, I've been living on turkey sandwiches for days and I think I'll dye two front strips of hair a coppery color.

Another farmer's market is coming up again this Saturday. Hope it doesn't rain or blow hurricane force winds like the first time. That would blow. Heh. Blow. Get it?!!! @_@

You Don't Mess with the Zohan=Ack!

WARNING: SPOILERS!!!

~*~*~*~*~*~

UGH. That pretty much sums it up. What a waste of Adam Sandler!

This movie was so hyped up, then offered nothing but gross out moments and a cheezy plot...or lack of a plot altogether.

There's lots of Zohan banging old women and having a massively exaggerated package, stupid dancing and so much hummus that I never want to eat it again.

I was majorly let down. At least I didn't have to pay for it.

Moving on, I was also let down by my metalsmithing loot. I get there and chick hands me a small box.

"Where's the rest?" I wonder to myself. I came to find that was it. Me=irritated, to say the least.

I dropped $125 on some wire, a few pieces of copper sheet, 8" of solder, a hammer, some dinky pliers (that I already have), some sandpaper, a firing block (I've got two), three leather circles, a cloth mask, a saw (I have two) and two hammering blocks. All used, too. WTH??!!!

I felt majorly ripped off and I almost left without the stuff. That was a lot of money tor fork over for such a small amount of supplies.

I know how much this stuff costs and I could've bought it all new for much less.

This is a "live and learn" situation. When someone says "make an offer", don't make it the highest you'll go. Stupid me!

*Sigh* I'm just a sucker, really. ;P

Monday Again

Soooo, how's Monday been for ya'? Mine's been woefully uneventful, hot, sticky and all around "eh".

The highlight of my evening will include three wicked cool things:

1. After work tonight, I'm going to pick up my best friend. We'll then proceed to a stranger's home to pick up what has ended up being $125 worth of metal working tools and supplies (hey, she said make an offer...)

2. After picking up said metal working tools and supplies, we're going to go to Domino's and get a FREE pizza and wings, courtesy of my job. This is perk #1.

3. We're THEN going to go to a FREE movie, again, courtesy of my job. Can't wait to see You Don't Mess with the Zohan! Perk #2.

Suh-weeeet. I hate my job, but I love free stuff, so in a strange sort of way it balances out, I suppose.

However, I WAS asked to take on two additional tasks today, in addition to the 147 I already handle. Did I mention that my raise after being here over a year was .21?

But anyhoo, in other news, after I get these tools and other assorted goods tonight, I'll be that much closer to beginning working with metal further, which really excites me!

I'm wondering where I'll be doing this, though. My apartment is hardly the place to be playing with acid and fire, so I may have to end up setting up shop in my parent's basement...after they spray for spiders, that is. (Ack!)

All I need is something hairy dropping down on me while I'm trying to work, right?

That's about that for now. I'll report back later and let you know what I score tonight. Ta ta!

Festivals and Shows

So, with the festival and show season gearing up, I think I'll share a bit of my glorious wisdom with you.

I've done many, many shows, all of which turned out a bit differently. Some were great, some ok and some just plain SUCKED.

I've learned that you need to scope these things out before you commit to attending them, as you may find out some very helpful and interesting things about the event that you wouldn't have otherwise.

For example, if you go and see nothing but cheap resale junk or notice that there's next to no one there, chances are you should probably pass on trying to sell there next year.

Also take note of how much advertising you notice for the event. If the only way you found out about it was by your mom mentioning it to you, you may want to skip it. If a venue spends no money on advertising, how the heck are the masses supposed to find out about it and go?!!

Anyhoo, on to the checklist. I'm quite sure it will be incomplete, but it's the best I can come up with, after forgetting just about everything one can forget when selling at a festival.

Basics Needed:

*Tent (you know, unless it's inside or you want to bake outside)
*Tables
*Table Cloths/Table Skirt
*Chair(s) with a tush paid
*Cash box/bag/etc. with plenty of change
*Displays for your wares
*Bottled water/etc. to drink, unless prohibited. Some of these places are whack.
*A snacky, unless also prohibited. Again, some places have a cob up the wazoo.
*Someone to assist, unless you feel like being overwhelmed and stressed the f*@! out.
*Your wares. Don't laugh, I've DONE IT before. I've totally left the house without them. :
*Tape. Tape is your friend. You'll need it, trust me.
*Signage and business cards. Vereh' important. You wanna' get your name out there, right?
*Promo items, if you've got em'. People dig free stuff.
*A mirror if there will be trying on of items. People like to look at themselves, I've noted.
*Knuckle buster (Credit card imprinter) if you're taking cards
*Cell phone with which to call card transactions in on.
*Business card holder(s). We like to look like professionals, now don't we?
*Pen/fine tipped Sharpie. You'll NEED it.
*Calculator, unless you're good at adding in your head. Then screw it!
*Extra tags, in case you've forgotten to tag/need to re-tag something
*Some supplies to work with. People seem to enjoy watching you make things in front of them. It also helps them understand that you did, in fact, make the items you're selling.

That about does it for my checklist. I'm sure I've forgotten things, but that's pretty much what I take with me every time I go to a show and the list hasn't failed me yet.

Don't stress out, have fun and be friendly! Say hello to everyone that stops by your booth. You don't need to ask abouth their life story or anything...just say hi and converse with them if they want. Talk about the weather or something neutral.

If people ask stupid questions, try not to let it get to you. They're just silly and don't know better than to ask "Is any of this REAL?" or "Did you make any of this?"

Even though you may want to bitch slap them, refrain. They'll go away soon, I promise.

Thus concludes Lunachick's Festival Survivor Guide. Maybe I'll add more later, but I'm at work, it's 5:27 on Friday and I'm getting the hell out of here.

Cheers!

Robert Plant: A Review

Last night my best friend and I went to see Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. Though I wish I'd gotten more Robert Plant, it was still a wicked show.

Don't get me wrong: Alison has a GREAT voice. She can be very haunting and she provided several "wow" moments, but none like Robert did.

We wondered at first if he'd lost his ability to pull off those power notes he's so well known for.

And then, he let loose with them and the place exploded. So yeah, Robert Plant's still got it, thirty years later.

His stage presence is odd...he claps his hands a lot and does the Robert Plant dance while not singing, which was really interesting to watch.

You can tell he still loves what he's doing after all these years. And the microphone stand swinging. That was pretty fun, too.

So cheers to you, Robert, for still rocking after all these years.

Radford VA Farmer's Market

Well, my second time working the Radford farmer's market was Saturday, and the weather was much nicer than the first go round.

No wind, no rain and what appeared to be a pretty good turnout.

There are lots of great vendors with lots of goods to browse through, from vegetable plants and herbs to aprons and, of course, jewelry.

Still, the jewelry represented is all so different that each booth seems to have its own catagory.

I was next to a nice young lady names Star that had some lovely beaded earrings for sale. Never one to resist a shiny, I walked over to look them over and was happy to find lots of variety, color and texture on her table.

On the other side of me were a mother and son team selling vegetable plants. I had a nice conversation with the mother and the son assisted in adjusting my table coverings after the wind blew them up onto my displays.

That's what I enjoy about small town markets: the relaxed nature and friendly atmosphere. Most people are very nice and want to talk to you about your work, where you're from, etc.

Of course, I also had a few that scoffed at my prices, asked "is any of that REAL?" and that were generally unpleasant, but that's life, isn't it?

I also had a few sales, which is always good. I've determined that I'll be going every other week or so...I've gotta' sleep in SOMEtime, right?

So, if you're in the area of the New River Valley in VA, stop by some time! The market is every Saturday from 8-1 in Radford just off Main Street by the train tracks. You'll see the sign as you're coming in.

If you're interested in becoming a vendor, check out their website here: Radford Farmer's Market