At last RAIN! Oh, and some banging, flashing and booming to go with it. But we really need rain so we'll take the thunderbooming without complaint. It was getting hotter and hotter and the hoomidity was really getting to me awhile ago. Now I can feel the cool breeze coming through. Yeah!

Ron went to bed at like 9. What's up with that?

I started sewing the "tree" part of the pieced border blocks. Hope I don't distort the whole thing, that would not be a good thing. But I had to start somewhere. I have decided to go with the mauvey color rayon thread. But I knew I wouldn't like to have one thread over the whole thing, so that's why I'm doing the trees. I stopped for a bit while the bangs were really close.

Guess I could go get some more done.

Oh I just remembered -- this weekend is the Scottish Games up in Altamont. LOL - nothing like a good soaking rain to turn the Altamont fairgrounds into a mud hole! Ask me how I know!

Don't even know if I'll end up there this weekend. Bummer.

Written at: 8/31/2001 10:59:00 PM

---

Live from Netscape 6.1. Not acting quite as flakey as it was the other day when I installed it, so we'll see.

A Public Service Announcement for the Ladies out there - get your yearly GYN exam & Mammo. And if your last exam wasn't a pleasant memory, call ahead and get them to have smaller speculums on hand. Yes they do exist and they probably have them. So ask!

we now return you to your normally scheduled programming:

Stopped and did grocery shopping this afternoon and then stopped at the farm stand. Well! Not only are gas prices hiked up for the holiday weekend, but corn prices are as well! Last week - 10 ears for $1. Today - 3 ears for $1. Geesh. Oh no, I'm not suspicious. I bought some anyway. Sweet corn season is too short to take chances with!

I guess that's about all for now.

Written at: 8/31/2001 05:37:00 PM

---

Today was just too hard to explain.

I did send off the packet, back to Apple. Hopefully will get some information in return.

Other than that I've puttered. Ate left over lambchops and birthday cake for dinner. How's that for lame? Actually the lamb was pretty good. Wished I'd had some chutney to go with it. Instead I shared a bit with Maggie, who was more than interested. Yes, I'll probably be the 80 year old with the 20 cats.

Last night, some nice person left one of the big roses from the top of the cake on the plate. So a biggish end piece AND extra frosting. Life isn't all bad. The frosting is real butter cream - I could only eat about a third of what was there.....ok, and the rose.

I seem to be stuck as to what to do with the winter quilt. I'd be tempted to go on to another quilt but this is one that is supposed to go to the Berkshire show in Oct. Well. I guess there's still time. Maybe I'll do a couple little scenes. First I think I better clean the machine and change the needle.

My folks called first thing this morning and I got the traditional birthday song from Mom. Dad didn't sound too bad on the phone - he has bronchitis. I was thinking about going up there but I'm not sure if I'd be silly to expose myself or expose him to more stuff. I have great parents. And the older I get the more I appreciate them.

Ron left a book and the quilt engagement calendar on my laptop this morning. No card which isn't unusual. No "happy birthday"-- it was something more along the lines of "you're hard to buy for." and "you should get your quilt in that (the calendar)." uh, I did have a quilt in there a couple years ago. Oh.

He went to work around 7. Probably thought it would be easier than figuring out why I was crabby.

Happy Birthday Mary Beth and many more.

Written at: 8/30/2001 09:16:00 PM

---

It's my birthday and I'll ::**::dance, sing, shout, eat cake, accept jobs::**:: if I want to!

Yes another year.

At tonight's NYQuilts! monthly meeting, I was surprised with a wonderful cake from the Vanilla Bean bakery. One work - YUM. And some prezzies from Pat, Sue and of course Mom and Dad.

Even got sung to.

All in all not as bad a night as I'd worried about. People were reasonable, jolly at times, friendly to each other, and listened to the important news of the day.

The raffle quilt was well received. Pat did a great job making it out of what we had. And the quilting's more than not bad too, LOL (Mary Beth pats self on back)

For those of you who are really into celebrations - you can sing along with the Birthday dirge - it's one of my favorites! And yes you DO know the tune.

At dance camp, if it's one's birthday, hopefully your friends or SO will tip off the rest of the camp, arrange for a cake or at least a candle for your dessert etc. When the announcements are made, the birthday person is announced as well and everyone sings Happy Birthday in like 8 part harmony. They then sing:

Why was she(he) born so beautiful? Why was she born at all?
She's no bloody use to anyone. She's no bloody use at all!

and this is normally followed by the Birthday dirge. Now this is sung to the tune of the Volga Boatman (yes you DO know that tune) and where you'd put the UNNHH, grunting noise, at camp everyone slams a fist on the table. Well! The sound of 100-120 people slamming a fist on a bunch of wooden tables, on a wood floor in an open-air dining room is NOT to be missed.

So happy birthday to me. It's been a year of unemployment, but really a wonderful year in terms of my quilting and getting back to photography (in a digital way), getting the grant (yeah - they think I'm an ARTIST!). Yes, some bad stuff too (sucky, weasely bosses, no income..... On the other hand, being home meant not catching stuff from co-workers too stupid to stay home when they're sick! On the other hand, I miss vacation.

I'm not twenty. I'm not even 30. I'm past 40. And I wouldn't go back. So yes, happy birthday and another year ahead for me!

Written at: 8/30/2001 12:36:00 AM

---

Here's what USA Today had to say about Blogs and the people who write/keep them:
"Online journals popular with the opinionated"

Need more information? You can start with Blogger.

As one of those quoted in the article said (ok, it was Ev Williams, Blogger founder!): "A lot of the main draw of the Internet isn't consuming things, it's communication," he says. "You can speak, and there's a potential that you can reach a lot of people. It's really about connecting to people." Ah, just like I always thought - people to people, content, communication. Potent mix.

What do I use blogs for? I currently use them as a way to present a grant that I'm doing, this journal of more far ranging topics, I used to have one that was work-related (to keep a log of what I had done and when), and the last week I've used one to show a group of people the progress on a group quilt I was quilting.

Blogger makes it easy to add today's progress report or rant or topic or interesting links - you go to a web page, type your thoughts, click post and publish - voila - it gets FTP'd to your directory and is live. Doesn't get much easier than that. Archives itself as you go along. (That, for me, is the most wonderful thing about blogger. Archived, dated content from the past - automatically!)

The other wonderful thing about blogs in general is that they often link to other interesting sites. I often go to the blogger home page just to surf the most recently updated or the featured blogs. Brings back memories of when we were first able to look at web pages and I would surf from one site to another, following a chain of links.

So here's to Blogger and the whole Blog movement. Let the voices of the net community be heard.

Written at: 8/29/2001 02:13:00 AM

---

So, I spent a little time cleaning, no - more like straightening up in the sewing room. All while sipping a martini. How cool is that? Put some stuff away. Thought about tomorrow's meeting. Need to get up early for a bone scan. My mind is pretty unfocused, as it often is after finishing a big project.

I don't really know what to do in the border of the winter quilt so I guess I'll do the little bit of quilting that's left on that and ponder that some more. Then, I need to ((eeks)) fuse that fern down. Can't believe I've been too chicken to take an iron to it. Oh wait. I was waiting to hear back from Mickey Lawler about the fabric for a possible border. Guess I don't really need it.

Oh this is silly. My head is totally rambling and my fingers are going along with it.

Written at: 8/28/2001 11:13:00 PM

---

The NYQuilts! raffle quilt quilting is DONE. Finished at 6:30 tonight, took an extra spin around the edges to sew everything down in preparation for pat putting on the binding. Then I trimmed off all but about an inch of batting and backing.

Looks pretty darn good.

So now if someone says "how long did it take you to quilt that?" I can say without a glimmer of doubt - a week. One week. Seven days. And not 20 hour days either. Sometime I'll have to actually get a way to figure out machine running time or me sitting at the sewing machine time, but in the meantime...... a week. full time. For a queen-size quilt.

Written at: 8/28/2001 09:05:00 PM

---

God Speed all the people who take in quilts to quilt for others. It's good that I do a raffle quilt etc every once in awhile to remind me how much work it is, when it's not my own. 12+ bobbins and counting.

The good news? I've turned the corner onto the last long, wide border. The bad news - it's about 8 more square feet of quilting. That's a lot of spirals! LOL

The especially bad news for anyone else is that there's no doubt in my mind that I can't do another one of these. I am basically falling down on my responsibilities as President/Queen of NYQ! because I can't get ahead of jobs I take on that are well within the abilities of others. I MUST not do another raffle quilt if I really intend to progress the organization, do fund raising etc. There's too much going on in my life. I need to get a real job, straighten out my own messes and do what the president/queen is supposed to do. That means, among other things, NOT doing jobs that others should be doing.

On a different note. STILL no callback from Apple, which is really discouraging. No email from Dan, no phone or email from the person that I'm supposed to contact. What the heck is that all about?

Next break, I better have the ads in front of me.

Que Sera, Sera.

Everyone sing along now. You know you want to!, LOL

Written at: 8/28/2001 02:10:00 PM

---

Still quilting on the NYQuilts! raffle quilt. The benefits of doing group projects are really eluding me tonight. Be strong! Be strong! Just do it! Speaking of Nike, how about that Tiger Woods today? Strange but true, golf is good tv to quilt by. Plus I have to look up for the putts. That was some great sudden death playoff for SURE.

In the meantime though, it's back to the quilting for me.

Written at: 8/27/2001 12:26:00 AM

---

I guess I'm over the original panic whilest quilting on the NYQuilts! raffle quilt. If you want to tag along in the process go here. I think it's coming along quite well. I'm in a hurry only because I need to finish two of my own quilts for the same show in October and the rest of the grant quilts for the first show in November! eeeks. Oh yeah, and start a new job.

Written at: 8/25/2001 04:03:00 PM

---

Enough of this job search weirdness.

Had to go to the post office today, and it was closed until 2 pm, which gave me a great excuse to hang out in East Nassau and take photos for awhile. Click here for a new screen or go here.

Written at: 8/25/2001 01:28:00 AM

---

Earlier this evening I received an email that gave me deja vu all over again (See Aug 20 entry), and I responded as follows, after I had emailed Aon corp demanding an explanation:

---

X-Received: 25 Aug 2001 00:13:28 GMT
From: Debbienor@aol.com
Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2001 20:13:17 EDT
Subject: interview info
To: mgoodman@abc

Upon reviewing your resume, I would like to schedule an interview with you for a career, sales or management trainee position. I am interviewing in the Albany, NY., area for a few positions, Monday, August  27 & Tuesday, August 28 from 11:00 am to 5:30 pm. When would you be available ? The interviews will be held at The Clarion Hotel and Suites, 611 Troy-Schenectady Rd., Latham, NY 12110. Telephone 518-785-5891. Please feel free to visit our website at www.aon.com, Please return an e-mail of your availability . I look forward to meeting with you.

Thanks you,
Debbie Norton

My reply:

Monday, I had a rather strange experience with people purporting to be recruiting for your company and in fact, just sent a letter regarding the experience to the VP of Human Resources at Aon. It started out with an email just like you've sent me. Isn't that fascinating?

I am not interested in sales positions, which one person conducting interviews on Monday indicated to me were the only positions available. Furthermore, I found some of the questions on the application form to be unprofessional, non-pertinant to job performance and bordering on harrassment.

Not sure what sort of campaign you're running, but it strikes me as more than peculiar.

I will be pursuing this, since I feel that it is not about hiring me, but probably more to do with selling me whatever you have to sell. I have just sent an email to Aon with a copy of your email indicating that I will pursue this matter with the NYS Attorney General's office if I do not hear from them directly.

Further, I have posted to the message boards at Monster.com about this experience and will be keeping them apprised of the situation.

Mary Beth Goodman

---

About an hour later, if that, believe it or not, emailer Debbie Norton from ??Aon?? called to find out what could possibly have made me so upset. I told her I had already contacted higher ups in the company and would await hearing from them.

no no no, no sales. She is recruiting.

I mentioned the highly unprofessional questions on the "application." She wondered what I could possibly be talking about. I allowed that if she didn't know, I couldn't help her.

It did come out that the reason the email was identical was because the man who had previously contacted me and arranged Monday's interview had given it to her to use and that he had trained her. I had the impression she had just started. She also knew the person who wanted to keep my form (steve) and allowed as she "didn't interview anything like him."

"Please call me if there's anything I can do for you." Don't think so hon. Think I'll wait and see what your home office says.

Totally bizarre. Feels like some really bad b movie. Maybe "return of the high-pressured pod people"!

---

Geesh, in the last days of my unemployment (hurry up Apple and send me the paperwork PLEASE) my life is turning into some weird soap opera of job seeking.

Written at: 8/24/2001 11:10:00 PM

---

I forgot to mention that the quilting is further along than what is shown here and in the link. Tonight I finished: the hearts in the vases and flowers, the first big circle of feathers and the first feathered corner. Cool beans! Doing the center lily block flower was not pretty, and especially not easy. If I have time I'll go back and do a few fixes. No fixes until it's all done though, that's the sort of time constraint I'm under here.

Back to work now for a little while.

Written at: 8/24/2001 12:18:00 AM

---

well, I'm taking a hopefully short break from the grant quilts to get the NYQuilts! raffle quilt quilted. Pat put in quite a bit of time putting the top together. I know she really did more un-sewing and re-sewing than is good for a person's morale, but it came out looking great. She wasn't undoing her own work - one of the downsides of doing a "group" project.

anyway, we got it layered and pinned on Tuesday. I just put up some photos so she could see them and thought I'd share them here too.

Want to see more?

Written at: 8/24/2001 12:07:00 AM

---

There is apparently no way to successfully translate "Bill, sorry, there are no liver treats" into something that cats will pretend to understand.

speaking slowly: BILL........ there.......are.........no.........liver.......treats.

I'm reminded of that great FarSide cartoon - what dogs hear: blah blah blah blah Ginger! blah blah blah Ginger! what cats hear: (empty balloon)

Poor Bill the cat - he REALLY has a liver treat jones. Either that or he's serving as spokescat for the herd. Bill, there are NO liver treats. blah blah blah TREATS.

Written at: 8/23/2001 01:00:00 AM

---

Yes, I wrote a letter. And the letter I wrote was to the VP of Human Resources at Aon, Inc. about a "https://mbgoodman.tripod.com/grant01/diary/archive/2001_08_19_archive.html" target="_blank">Monday's little fiasco. I went back and looked at the emails sent to me AND the form I was given to fill out and found that (as I remembered) that I was told to check out the Aon.com web site, but the form was for "Combined" which is an ?? affiliate? subsidiary? something or other.

Since the form didn't say "Combined Insurance, Inc" at the top - only "Combined -- Application for Employment" I stupidly assumed it was combined, I don't know, application and interview notes?

Let's put it this way. I couldn't find any reference on the Aon site to Combined. On the Combined site, it was obviously the same web design and I think there was mention of Aon. Combined certainly did have their own employment listings. (and management positions were listed there as well as sales).

Anyway, my letter deals with the pointing me towards the Aon site and not the Combined site and then to the really bogus questions on the application form. And to the fact that this guy had told me there was a possible array of jobs available and when I arrived it was only sales.

By the time I got done with the letter I was totally creeped out about the whole thing. And I mentioned that frankly, I had NO way of knowing, sitting there in a hotel lobby, if these two men actually worked for Aon, Combined or anyone else for that matter. How weird is that? I might NEVER go on an interview in a hotel lobby again! And I will certainly ask for company ID next time I'm anywhere but on company premises. Geesh.

This VP was the ONLY even vaguely HR related name/title I could find. On the Aon site of course it lists the Board and the Management heads and that's where she was listed. It was even hard to find a real address for these people and there was NO email addresses given. I think one phone number.

I'll be interested to see if I get a response at all.

Written at: 8/22/2001 10:07:00 PM

---

Another day, another interview. People who think - ooooh she's unemployed - so she's goofing off, lounging around, doing nothing....... WRONG. This job search thing is a grind. Yes, you don't stay on task 24/7, at least I don't. But the constant selling yourself, waiting, interviewing and rejection is wearing. Or shall I say, shall I compare it to a waring blender?

Today's interview was certainly better than Monday's non-interview, and sounded like interesting work. I might have been one of the first interviewed. Decision next week. Nice to meet the director of this local non-profit for sure.

Now - the darned NYQ! raffle quilt from hell. I intend to be well launched into its quilting by tonight. Onward!

Written at: 8/22/2001 03:01:00 PM

---

well!

This may be the first time I have ever walked out of an interview before it started!

I went, I was a little early. I was told to go knock on a door just off the lobby. The door was slightly ajar but it seemed like there was more than one person inside.

I decided I'd wait a bit in the lobby until it was closer to the time. I went and sat down. There was a man and a young woman sitting at a cafe-like table out in the lobby and I suddenly realized that this was an interview going on and that, yes indeedy, it was for the company I was there to interview with. I moved so I was less in the center of the room.

My impression, not listenng to every word, was that the position being talked about was sales, big potential salary numbers etc. The interviewer did about 90% of the talking, which I take as a bad sign no matter what.

When the time came for my interview they were nowhere near finished, so I thought I'd casually try again the door I'd been sent to. Still noisy inside. But indeed the man who contacted me came out, wondering why I hadn't made contact with the other interviewer (still talking with candidate). He got me an application and I was told to take my time filling it out.

Name address serial number. How much money did I require to live on per month? Did I have another source of income?

Hmmmmm.

Had I ever worked a second job? worked while attending school full time?

Hmmmmm

Next page (of four) - Drivers license. any accidents? Name of Insurance Co. Amount of liability carried.

Not.

Much space for employment history.

Now they're really getting on my nerves. I really hate when they want you to bring copies of your resume but they ALSO want you to fill out some dorky form with all the same information. And I'm no longer providing salary history to anyone, regardless.

Page four - what I'm looking for in a job. Interesting - normally that's an interview question. Why I think I'll be good at sales.

Definitely not.

I put away my pen. The lobby interviewer comes over. I ask - can I attach a copy of my resume rather than filling out all this center part? Oh, I don't know - is it up to date? duh.

So I try another question: why are all the questions on the back only about sales positions? well that would be because that's the job being interviewed for. Very interesting since that's not what I was told. I had also gone through my records and seen that I had applied for a customer service job in one part of their company awhile ago. He repeats that this is only for sales jobs.

Nope sorry - see ya around. He says: I'll just take the application.... Ha! I don't think so.

And I left.

LOL - what a waste of time. But how empowering. Wonder what the other fellow thought when he came out to see how the interview was going or went.

So I went over to the mall to see where the Apple store would be. Right across from Macy's from what I could tell. Then I came home.

Now I'm ready to start sewing again.

Written at: 8/20/2001 08:45:00 PM

---

OK, so WHAT the heck is this all about - three calls for interviews this week!?! after weeks of neglect, now that I have an offer, I'm appealing? desireable?

Story of my life!

Been there. Done that. Thought it was weird at the time.

Written at: 8/20/2001 02:31:00 PM

---

One of my favorite cook books was given to me as a wedding gift. Originally printed in 1970, it's worth keeping an eye out for a copy in a used book sale or even online:

America's Best Vegetable Recipes (666 Ways to Make Vegetables Irresistible) By the Food Editors of Farm Journal.

when I went to look up a link for it, I laughed to find that there was one for auction (ends 08/25/2001 16:05:26 PDT) and it has a minimum bid of $12. Worth every penny if you ask me, despite the fact that the original price is $5.95 on the dust jacket!

Get yours while they last!

Written at: 8/20/2001 10:49:00 AM

---

Didn't have my corn oysters yet, but this morning for breakfast I had a sort of corn-egg scramble: Saute a half small onion in a bit of butter. when it becomes translucent looking, add one cob's worth of corn, (cut off carefully with no cob. Scrape the cob too). Saute a few minutes until corn starts to cook.

Add two eggs scrambled with a bit of water. Stir to keep eggs scrambled. Add one big slice of tomato diced. Top with 3-4 thin slices of cheddar and fresh pepper.

Enjoy!

Written at: 8/20/2001 10:41:00 AM

---

Quote number 12 is by Garrison Keillor: "People have tried and tried, but sex is not better than sweet corn."

This is certainly one of the great truths of summer, isn't it?

I just had the epitome of the summer dinner - two ears of fresh sweet corn and two fresh tomato sandwiches.

Although these days I cook the corn in the microwave, the tenderness of tonight's ears was beyond belief. I shook off just a few kernals for maggie, who likes corn, but other than that I wasn't willing to share. A little butter, and that's all you need.

I normally prefer white toast for tomato sandwiches, but this was a bakery marble rye bread. Thick slices of strong rye toast, generously spread with Hellman's best, slices of dark red tomato and coarse black pepper.

A several-napkin meal which could have gone on course after course. Gather ye sweet corn while ye may - it's a short season in upstate New York!

Written at: 8/18/2001 08:05:00 PM

---

That's cool - I used the textGEAR from htmlGEAR to put a bunch of quotes into a rotating display. Got quotes?

The quilting is going along pretty well. The area in the background is so chopped up that it's one big excuse to wander away and do something else!

Did grocery shopping today. Being in a somewhat benevolent mood, I didn't chase down the shopping cart scofflaws in the parking lot, although I shook my head at one of them.

Nor did I crash my cart into the really annoying little-old-lady-who-left-her-cart-wherever-she-wanted in produce. I finally got ahead of her so I wasn't encountering her in each aisle. eeeks. You know the kind - takes grapes out of a couple-three packages and makes up her own package? Takes about 20 feet of paper towels off the roll because her leaf lettuce is too wet.

But all in all a good outing. Stopped at the farm stand and bought corn, tomatoes and cucumbers. Resisted asking another LOL (little old lady - that's an EMS term based on the book _House of God_ which used LOLINAD - little old lady in no apparent distress) why the corn in the big corn paper sacks was better than the two sack fulls out on the table - still cold, btw.

So I'm ready.

I have a hankering for corn pancakes. And corn souffle.

And more tomato sandwiches.

Hmmmmm wonder what's for dinner tonight?

Spent some time this morning looking at the apple retail site and feel pretty upbeat to say the least. Yeah! Even watched the quicktime videos about the store opening in Glendale and the one with Steve Jobs talking about the store layout.

Written at: 8/18/2001 06:57:00 PM

---

So! today around 5 pm, the phone rings and it's Dan from Apple. They're pleased to offer me a job at the coming Apple Store. How about that?! Shirts provided.

So after talking it over with Ron (I have a nice bridge for sale too) I called back and accepted the verbal offer.

Dan called back awhile later to ask me what size shirt I take. that was pretty funny.

So training starts the day after labor day. Store opens Sept. 28.

It's been more than a year since I walked out the door in Williamstown for the last time. Will I be the oldest person there too? Who knows?

Written at: 8/17/2001 10:02:00 PM

---

Tonight I completed the first big area of quilting in the center, at the top. Quite pleased with how it came out too!

that moment when you move from flat unquilted top, to quilted surface is a hard one. But I have to move on, taking courage in that I like how the quilting adds to the design and overall piece. Once it's started there's no problem keeping on.

Click on "Late 16 August" to see today's progress.

I'm sure now, at least as much as I can be before starting, that the different fill designs will do what I hope and created slightly different textures/apparent colors in the white areas. Hope to do lots more tomorrow.

Meanwhile no phone call from Apple. hmmmmmm

Written at: 8/16/2001 11:44:00 PM

---

Quote from the Impressions exhibit (thanks Dona for writing it down!)

"There is only one true way.  Paint from the very beginning just what you see. If you get it, you get it.  If you don't, you start over.  All the rest is just fooling around." -- Edouard Manet

Written at: 8/16/2001 10:56:00 AM

---

ok. What's for dinner and who took the few brain cells I had left to think about questions like this?

Written at: 8/15/2001 06:57:00 PM

---

Made my phone calls and follow up re the verification. All is well. Phew. Interesting that I got handed off to another person within the same organization to be considered for a different job.

Did a little quilting but then the vacuum cleaner was feeling lonely so I vacuumed the rugs and floors a bit. Looks better as always. Did some wash. Washed the front door rug.

Making some coffee now because I need a little something. Maybe I'll have a little nosh too. Bill the cat was just bugging me for a little pre-dinner nosh. Maybe we were both feeling a bit peckish.

Had a chat with Pat who asked me to remember to be brutally clear in instructions for future blocks. Leave NOTHING out. Assume nothing. Be proactive. It's interesting what people do.

Written at: 8/15/2001 05:16:00 PM

---

Dona and I had such a good time in Western Mass yesterday. Met up at 43/22 and condensed into one car.

The Impressionist exhibit is worth every penny of the $10 and more. It was very crowded which was probably the only drawback, but even so. Nicely arranged and displayed. New work and familiar. I bought the accompanying book, and many of the prints in there were worthless compared to what we actually saw. that was really shocking! So go in person to see art and go whenever the opportunity arises.

Have to make some phone calls this morning about jobs. Two that contacted me, and then have to follow up with the agency doing verifications for Apple. Seems they tried to contact Lycos for verification that I worked there and no one returned their phone calls. How rude is that? I am eternally grateful that they called me. geesh.

Oh, after we did the impressionist exhibit and lunch (poached salmon on salad greens with green beans, tomato, greek olives and hard-boiled egg), Dona and I went to the Waverly outlet and to another place with similar fabrics and even more and better wall paper. We stopped in between the two shoppings and had pie and beverage at the Red Coach right in Adams. Just down the street from the down-on-its-luck Miss Adams Diner. Dona had Chocolate Cream pie which looked to die for. I had "Banana Fluff" which was described as banana pudding mixed with cool whip. It was much better than that. If there was cool whip in it, it was what made the banana cream part so light and silky. The taste was wonderful In a homemade crumb crust and with just a right amount of whipped cream on top.

Slept well for the first time in weeks. Maybe it was the final interview nagging at me but I woke up after a whole night's sleep and felt great.

on to the day now.

Written at: 8/15/2001 11:29:00 AM

---

I felt today's interview (#3 with Apple) went pretty well. I'm always amazed at what some of the questions are and the insights they can get you. Sometimes it's the simple ones that are tough - Talk about a time when you had to take things into your own hands.

I was totally stumped. I bumbled around and then told the guy that what I'd come up with probably wasn't a good example, and that I was having a tough time with the question. (Then it occurred to me - it's because you do that all the time. It's not a unique moment in your life. You don't wait around. You just DO. Ahhhhhhh!) When I summarized that for the interviewer he said - oh, so that's part of who you are. Ahhhhhhhh! Yes!

what an interesting moment.

Will know sometime between Thursday and Sunday. The Apple store is due to open on Sept 28.

Got the fabric needed to make borders for the raffle quilt - now in iteration #6. Dropped it off with Pat and had a nice visit in her office. Had forgotten what it was like. Also visited with Nancy Holmes. Saw another CopyCenter customer who told me how much he missed me (after three years!) because the people there now won't collate his weekly stuff. They'll copy it, but won't collate it. How stupid is that? Mind you, it's the MACHINE that does the collating and stapling, not the people.

Probably didn't learn how to do that. duh.

went to staples to buy CD-R because I am having a CD burning problem that I can't get past. Thought I'd try a new batch (didn't work).

Of course all the back to school stuff is out.

Best find of the day (no not the 200 sheets of wide rule paper for twenty-nice cents!): a lime green notebook. Bound type. "The Original Marble Cover - 100 sheets" of GRAPH PAPER.

Yes! For 99 cents apiece, I bought two.

I love working on graph paper and then hate myself for ripping out pages! Often those sheets form the working outline of my design and construction process.

Came home, wrote my thank you letter. Been vegging out since then.

Tomorrow - The Impressionists at the Clark Institute!

Written at: 8/13/2001 11:29:00 PM

---

Wow - I didn't remember posting at ~gasp~ 3:38 AM, but there you have it. FTP/the net in general was pretty rocky last night otherwise I would have been in bed a lot sooner. Hate that.

Today I was still snoozing when Pat called to consult about the raffle quilt. Worked on that here and then later on with her again. Here's the current iteration.

I got a letter Friday or Saturday from, um, my short-lived employer telling me what my user login and password and email account is for the new email/web system. How lame is that? Did I try to log on? Sure did. Invalid. Oh well. That would have given me a chortle.

I've found recently that that whole debacle has bothered me more than I would have thought. A good job I suppose would make it easier to forget, eh?

Needless to say, I haven't done much else today in terms of sewing - but I did do the dishes, change a light bulb and a few other things that don't look like anything at all.

Written at: 8/12/2001 06:30:00 PM

---

Today was the big wedding day in Brainard NY - Bobi Dengler married Michael Pakatar right next door at the Denglers! First of all - they have done a fabulous job landscaping and gardening and building in their back yard. It was gorgeous.

So I took LOTS of pictures and when I came home around 6, I started processing them. I listened to the DJ music and announcements. Just a little while went by and the second wave of guests arrive - co-workers of Bobi and Michael from Boscovs. There was another wave of music and dancing to go with it. Then the DJ finally wrapped it up.

A good time was had by all, I do believe. The food was catered by Fresco's - the restaurant in New Lebanon that Ron and I go to regularly.

So if you're really anxious to see wedding pictures here they are!

Written at: 8/12/2001 03:38:00 AM

---

Sometimes it seems as though the creative process happens in spite of everything that's going on. I know it happens sometimes as part of what's going on, but other times it seems to have no connection at all with other events. Unless you compare the intensity of the event to the intensity of creative activity. Can you say disassociation?

Which all goes to say that I seem to be quilting at an even level despite anything else that's going on in my life. Probably a good thing, since it's about the only constant, and perhaps the only thing over which I have much control. Can't make people give me a job. Can't remake anyone to be something they're not.

I did do a little work - put up the index page in fact - on the wedding page. whooo hoo. Should be an interesting afternoon tomorrow, eh?

At least the weather has changed. Supposed to be relatively cool tonight and reasonably summery tomorrow - perhaps in the low 80's. I figured out something relatively cool to wear, since I didn't want to wear black, however artiste that is.

Now I'm celebrating the cool weather and my quilting progress with a small glass of um, gin. And olives - they count as veggies right?

Written at: 8/11/2001 12:16:00 AM

---

one more thing. I decided that since I am going to my neighbor's daughter's wedding on Saturday - held right next door no less, I would take digital pictures and put them up on a web site.

I set up a tripod account for them and did some initial very simple design work. If I can find out what their "color scheme" is tomorrow I'll make it more customized.

stay tuned!

Written at: 8/10/2001 12:41:00 AM

---

OK - getting into quilting the winter quilt, but it was pushing 100F today, so my willingness to sit with a fairly good-sized quilt around me was, shall we just say, limited.

Most of what I did was work on test "fill patterns" to fill up all that white space.

Click "Quilting Test Patterns"

I got up this morning and decided I'd do errands and hope to get back before the worst of the heat. I went to the post office where there was a package. For ME! With goodies like a thread sample color chart and some sample spools of thread and more! For ME! (love ya bonnie!)

Stopped at the lab where I normally have bloodwork done. I had no instructions for the tests Dr. Z had prescribed. Oh, you mean I need to be in a fasting state for these. Swell. So I'll go back.

Then to the Doctor's office to drop off the "goods" for a test they do to **ahem** older people. Oh the humanity of it. Treated myself to a trip to CompUSA, wondering just how big an Epson 1270/80 is. Pretty big. But do-able. While there I saw a woman standing in front of the display of mac laptops.

BTW- I have to say that this is the first time I've ever looked at the mac area of compusa in Latham and thought - oh - look - cool. Most of the time it's - ick - they're all broken or corrupted. Once I went in while in the market for this here powerbook and none of the laptops were working and most of them had broken keyboards.

Anyway, I say to this older lady -- pssst -- did you know that Apple is opening a store in Crossgates soon? (no) Yes! in late September!

I felt like I should have had a trenchcoat and slouchy hat on! LOL

Would have cruised to get some prices on plexiglass but it was already about unbearable when I came out of there. Came home and called to make an appointment for a bone density scan. Finally! The person who answered the phone listened to my request and said - oh I think that's ((mumble mumble)) hold and I'll get the number. UH, you don't do those? Nope, this is a cardiology office. Hmmmmm This is the number written on the referral. The whoever who wrote this up wrote xxx-5533 and it should have been xxx-5353 Just a little different.

Call the right number. Set up the appointment. have a glimmer of a thought - explain about the wrong number, and that I have a suspicion that the whoever might have sent the faxed referral to the wrong office. yup - none on file. Great. No problem she says, but GREAT.

Hang up without finding out where the heck this is, call back and get that.

Spent the rest of the day trying to keep me and the cats cool.

Written at: 8/10/2001 12:38:00 AM

---

OK, I'll admit to being pretty psyched about finishing the quilting on Ablaze. Sleeve and binding - no problem!

I decided I'd show it at the Berkshire quilt festival in October - still no problem. The question? should I show another one? Seems like I MUST have most of them done by then actually.... So which one next. When I was talking with Pat, she almost blurted out "Do the Winter one!" which surprised me only because I thought she'd pick the seasons quilt.

The trick is of course that I probably should do a big quilt next because soon (ack) she'll be handing off the NYQuilts! raffle quilt to me to quilt. Even if I do only an all over design with some accenting of the pieced bits, it will take a good week to quilt.

So I got out the winter quilt (working title now "Midwinter afternoon") and measured it. As I told her - this thing isn't small - 48 X 84" or so. But it's smaller than the queen sized one that will be coming. So I got together a sample and tried out some light threads which seem to work fine on the white. This is applique and quilting at once so there are more threads involved than if I were just quilting. Probably.

Maybe I'll look at it a bit more before starting. But any time now.

I have til tomorrow to decide whether or not to show it in Pittsfield! No pressure.

Written at: 8/08/2001 11:48:00 PM

---

Yesterday was hot. Today was miserable. Ask Bill.

Nonetheless I did get into the final border of the second October quilt. Perhaps more importantly I have a tentative title for it. Ablaze. Came to me as I was rounding the first corner.

Tonight I stuck my head outside the house around 8 pm to catch whatever breath of air there might be, give the front garden a little water and just try to get cooler. I leant my head back and saw the most beautiful pink cloud. So I ran upstairs and out on the back porch, where I took some wonderful photos of the sky.



ooooooh aaaaaaaaah. Sky blue pink.

Written at: 8/08/2001 02:09:00 AM

---

Most days, the mail goes through. Most days, the UPS and FedEx guys deliver.

Today I was on the phone when the UPS guy came. We waved at each other. When I hung up the phone I went out for my package. Gosh - looked like an elephant stepped on it. This was my order of 300 sewing machine needles! OK, not just for me -I'm sharing with a few others.

I literally didn't have to open the package because the one end was already open.

I reach inside and pull out a couple of those air pillows, a couple of styrofoam peanuts. And a tiny ziplock baggy. In it, a matchbox size plastic box with 100 size 80 needles. That's it for the box. No 70's! Of course - THOSE were the ones I was looking for.

The only other thing in the box was the receipt and a note of thanks from Ericas, which conveniently had a phone number. I call and explain the situation and the woman Michelle says she'll probably call me back but that they'll file a claim etc. I offer to send digital pics of the box. Probably not necessary she says.

When I hung up I thought - oh what the hey. So I did that. Probably a half hour later the phone rings and it's Michelle again - they didn't have two more packs of 70's but they have one and that will go right out. the other will come as soon as it arrives, at no extra charge of course. That's fine.

I upload the pictures in a little web page, since these are not good days to be sending attachments to folks, I figure.
Sorry about the pop up - I put it in an account I don't use much.

That was probably the most exciting moment of the day until Deirdre caught a mouse. I didn't see the mouse alive which is a whole new experience in itself. Usually our guys catch them but don't know what to do next so they just carry the poor mouse around. LOL. I've rescued many a mouse! Maybe I won't have to do that anymore, if Deirdre can instruct the others.

Other than that - HOT. Unbelievably hot. I'm about to start the last two passes in the outer border of the first quilt. Thus endeth Tuesday.

Written at: 8/07/2001 11:24:00 PM

---

I'm always after people to clean and oil their sewing machines:



And looking for new and exciting ways to make my life easier. I realized (by chance) that the thread I was using was breaking, not because the thread was weak but because the quilt was rubbing up against the spool enough to increase the tension on it and POW - it would snap! Later on, I needed to clear off the ironing board, so I put my tin of cashews (snack food of champions!) under my thread lifter.

Later on, no thread breaking. Why? Because the spool is now above the level of the quilt, no matter what!



One of those silly silly discoveries that you make that work out really really well.

Written at: 8/07/2001 01:20:00 AM

---

Best Brush Off of the Day:

Dear Applicant:

Thank you for your interest in employment opportunities with the Professional [really really niche organization] of America - Eastern Division. Unfortunately we can not offer you further consideration at this time.

I wish you well in your career pursuits.

Sincerely,

Actually I shouldn't complain. They at least responded to the letter and resume I sent them. Unlike so many (read - MOST) of the places that don't even let you know what the story is after a face-to-face interview. So points for that, really really niche organization..... :-)

Meanwhile it was WAY hot here today. Went for a drive to the East Greenbush Community Library and the Grocery Store - the first mostly to see what sort of display opportunities they might have and well, to both, seeking A/C opportunities.

Hot hot hot. Now back to quilting.

Written at: 8/06/2001 09:35:00 PM

---

Despite the heat, quite a bit of quilting progress today:



Sort of a lonely day on other fronts, but had the next to last slice of the most wonderful cateloupe that I'd bought. Wow. Shared my tuna (the juice of it) with the cats so they think I'm God's gift to them personally. We love you lady - we really really love you.

OK - back to do some more work now.

Written at: 8/05/2001 08:20:00 PM

---

must get work. must get work. must get work.

or at least

must get a job. must get a job. must get a job.

Need to take back my life and not feel trapped by circumstance.

I wondered today if I'm not getting a job (although I HAVE been actively trying!) because I would need to deal with the rest of it all then.

Too many big thoughts for such a hot day. I'm gonna pull a Scarlet and think about it another day.

Written at: 8/05/2001 02:34:00 PM

---

Used the script linked to the Blogger home page to make my archive date listings ever so sleek and elegant. Sure - you didn't even notice!

I might not be able to write code, but I can sure cut and paste it and make it work!

I've got the viney things done on the quilt center and I'm doing spirals in the black triangles. I just love the groove that gets going when I'm quilting finally! Things are finally getting going.

Written at: 8/05/2001 12:17:00 AM

---

Let the quilting begin!



Yup - after all the shilly-shallying, I have most of the center done on the Oct2 quilt. GOTTA come up with a real title for this and a couple others. Sometimes the title comes first. Sometimes it comes last. Sometimes you have to make it up.

Whatta day.

No word from the Airport btw. I'm assuming that's a no but keeping an open mind.

Written at: 8/04/2001 10:49:00 PM

---

I was looking at the routes which lead people to my "orientation" journal, which is not way publicized. I don't promote it. I occasionally get hits from others on it when I update it because it appears for moments on the blogger front page and I figure people think it's about sexual orientation.

Anyhoo, I follow the string back and it turns out that someone searched on MSN for "cat herder" and here's the results!

Whoooo hooooo!

The #1 hit of course is for the cat herding ad by EDS.

I'm gonna be chuckling over my sewing machine all afternoon.

Written at: 8/04/2001 01:14:00 PM

---

I worked a little bit on the front page of the Flotsam re-launch. And I mean, only a little bit. I made the banner and link graphics, stuck up the page on the first of the two accounts and called it a night.

I liked the fact that I could stick a little graphic of my own onto the ad space but...... BUT - it took me multiple tries to actually get the image to upload. And a BIGGER BUT - it hardly matters what the little 120 X 60 graphic looks like when the ad is shivering and shaking to beat the band. Must be someone thinks that animation isnt enough. More effective if it looks like you're having an earthquake? Or the DT's?

Be that as it may. If you're just dying of curiosity to see the page that goes no where (remember - don't click!) go here

Speaking of which, Terry Gross of Fresh Air fame said r-e-d-u-x as RE-ducks. Is that right? I always thought it was re-DO. how bizarre. Holy mackeral -

One entry found for redux.
Main Entry: re·dux
Pronunciation: (")rE-'d&ks, 'rE-"

Go here if you want to look it up and HEAR it being said. Who'd a thunk it? Handy link anyway. - Merriam Webster.

Written at: 8/03/2001 11:59:00 PM

---

I am laying claim to a web site or blog title that I was blessed with. Let me say it now for the world to see and hear:

Pensive Pimento

Who the heck knows where these things come from????? But say it again aloud - doesn't it feel good rolling off the lips?

I just signed up for a bunch of free web space so I can try to get the flotsam act back on the road. urrrr, on the web again.

Written at: 8/02/2001 03:08:00 PM

---

Feed M e - RSS

Quilt-related:
Newest Quilt May '06
First Gold Feb '06
2006 Postcards
Shine
Pink & Green Quilt

Child Abuse Quilts
Roots of Racism Quilts
Hancock fabrics

QuiltArt

FiberArt For A Cause

Web Design & Internet
Blogger
WebMonkey
SpamArrest
Report Spam - SpamCop

Miscellaneous
The Frezon Family
Astronomy Pic of the Day

Country Dance & Song Society

---

Bill 1985-2005

---

Maggie 1985-2003

---