Remodel

We're in the middle of remodeling the house this week. The kitchen isn't quite finished, but the hardwood floors are in. Here are some pictures of what's been done.

The upstairs hallway before:

 

After:

The stairs before:

 The stairs after:

 I'm going to wait a little while to reveal the kitchen. The floors are in, but the granite and sink are coming today.

Book Review - Dead Until Dark

Dead Until Dark is the book True Blood (HBO) is based on. It's actually the first in a long series.

It was good. Satisfactory. I don't understand the cult following, but the book kept me reading and it was never dull. Still, it was missing pieces that would've made a more comprehensive story.

1. Sookie is a telepath that can read minds. But she works as a waitress in a bar in rural Louisiana. How is she not the richest person on the planet? She'd make an amazing con artist. Or if she wants to stay legal, hire out her services for $2,000 an hour. Damn woman, think.

2. I was digging the romance between her and the vampire Bill, but they got together too fast. They were a couple for most of the book. I guess I like it drawn out a little more. If they had drawn it out a little more, I would've like to see her choose between the vampire and her boss, Sam. I was starting to root for Sam.

3.  With 3-4 women dead in one small town, that usually draws the attention of the FBI or the state troopers. And if everyone knows that Sookie can read minds,  you'd think the local sheriff would be after her to help. No, not the case. Instead he sat in the bar for a week thinking horrible thoughts in his mind to provoke a reaction out of her. When he got the proof that she could read minds, he went on his merry way. Nothing ever came out of that.

4. I won't tell you who the murderer is, but I'm not giving anything away by saying it was a hate crime. Which is stupid because that's the murderer's only motivation? Hate? Even hate comes from somewhere and I would've liked to know the murderer's background.

5. Sookie really isn't consistent as a character. She can read minds, but always gets into life threatening trouble. She didn't know people were waiting for her in the parking lot to beat her up? Really? And if she could read minds all her life, what's with the naivete? You'd think knowing what people thought all the time would give her a more realistic view of the world. I don't feel the author really thought through all the consequences of giving her character paranormal abilities.

If you can look past all that, it's a decent read. I had some trouble accepting Sookie, so I will probably skip the rest of the series and the TV show.

Replacement Refs

I think I might be the only person in America that defends the replacement refs.

Yeah they made mistakes. So would anyone filling in for someone else's job.

Yeah the mistakes they made showed an underlying unfamiliarity with the rule book. That comes with experience.

Yeah they take a long time to review calls. That shows me they are trying to do the best job they can.

Saying it destroys the integrity of the game is just overkill though. Every season, refs make bonehead calls that sometimes cost the game. The integrity of football was never in question before.

And really, what does that mean? If football loses integrity? It implies corruption and thrown games. It means lost fans. That's taking a bit far, no? I see a group of people that are trying to do a good job but as a whole, lack experience. That's hardly corruption or favoritism. And I know no one who said they would stop watching the NFL until the regular refs return.

So back off a bit, okay? The sport will survive this and so will the fans and players. While it is fun to join in unity in our mutual anger toward the replacement refs, it's not helpful. They are just people doing a job that is 100x more intense than what they are used to.

Women and exclamation points

I noticed something just recently that is pretty weird. When women write to each other, especially strangers, an exclamation point is nearly mandatory. In fact, if you don't do this, you come off as cold and unfriendly.

Here's an example from Facebook. My favorite ribbon seller is doing a contest. To enter, you say which ribbon is your favorite and give your email address. I'm not going to do a screenshot in order to protect identities, but here's the the transcript, minus the email addresses.


I loooooovvvvvvvveeeeeeee all the halloween ribbon !!!
LOVE LOVE LOVE The chicken/chickie ribbon!!!!
peeps 
I love the Minnie Mouse and the owls!
I LOVE the 3/8 kitty inpsired bows. They are just SO cute! 
Holiday ribbon!!!! But I really love them all :)

Can you guess which comment is mine? I'll give you one guess.

I'm not trying to make a statement. I'm just not bubbly, and I don't want to pretend to be bubbly to fit in. I answered the question as it was asked and feel no need to elaborate.

I'm a grown-up, married woman with a higher education and professional career. Shouldn't I act like it? The answer is no, because that's what a snobby bitch would do.

When I converse with my customers, I use exclamation points. 

Thanks so much!
Hope you like it!
Come back again!

If I'm feeling particularly conventional that day, I will throw on an extra exclamation point or three. It's just how you are expected to talk in an email. People want you to match their bubbly tone, and if you don't, you are not friendly.

A lot of emails from customers start with:

OMG I LOOOOOVEEE this! It's so cute! Does it come in......
Your shop is ADORABLE!!!! I love all your collars. Do you have.....

 Sometimes I make it a game to use just as many exclamation points as they did in my reply. Other times if I'm busy and tired of the bubbliness (it's a new word), I say thanks and answer the question. Occasionally I lose the customer by doing that though.

I've said it before and I'll say again now. Talking to guys is a lot easier.
   

Kitchen Remodel

Next week starts the kitchen remodel!!

Not just the kitchen either, but all the floors. Well, all the floors that need work.

Total work being done:

 - hardwood in the kitchen
- replace the carpeted stairs with hardwood
- upstairs hallway gets hardwood
- new carpet in all 4 bedrooms
- new carpet in the TV room
- granite countertops
- new sink
- new faucet
- includes all labor, removal, installation, plumbing, and disposal

Additionally, we're doing the lighting, backsplash, cabinet knobs, painting, and contact paper ourselves. I will post before and after photos next week. The kitchen is actually a little worse than usual because we stopped cleaning the floors and counters. I mean, would you? Also, when we started removing the tile backsplash, it was impossible to do without taking huge chunks of the wall. So pretty much, instead of removing the tile, we're taking the wall down and putting it back up.

We also have to get all the small stuff off the floors. The crew will move the furniture around as they go room to room, but stuff like shoes and fans and my sewing notions all have to be packed out of the way. It takes them too much time to move those things, and I want to keep them on schedule.

There are more small stuff than you think on the floor. Look around your house and in closets. It's a lot of work.

This is one the last house projects we have before I can officially say we turned our foreclosure around. The only thing remaining is finishing the basement.

Book Review - The Supernaturalist

The Supernaturalist is by the same author who wrote all those incredibly popular Artemis Fowl children's books. I read the first Fowl book in the series; didn't like it. I picked up The Supernaturalist because I figured after writing all those books that people loved, maybe the author worked out the kinks in his writing.

NOPE.

If anything, it got worse. The main character, Cosmo, is an orphan in Satellite City. It's a city where all the day-to-day functions and communications are turned over to the satellite to control. Anyway, he's in this orphanage, hasn't been outside for most of his 14 years, and spends his days as a test specimen for new products and drugs.  He wants to get out so badly that he nearly dies in the attempt. A group of people, The Supernaturalists, save him.

That's where things get really dumb. Cosmo is perfectly cool with his new surroundings even though his entire world has been the prison/orphanage. There's really no depth or character development. Same with the other Supernaturalists. They all talk the same, with the same personality. The only way I could tell them apart was Stefan was described as tall and Russian descent. Mona sometimes used Spanish words when appropriately cliched.  When the author wrote, "the tall boy said" that was my only clue it was Stefan and not any of the others.

Oh and Mona came from a gang background in a very tough neighborhood. Yet that had zero influence on her. She had the same reactions as the test rat from the orphanage.

It was just really poor. Nothing jived together. The ideas were there, but they weren't pulled together in a cohesive story. Usually in worldbuilding, you start with either the character, or the setting. The author had an idea for a city run by satellite. The next step should've been, what would that be like? What kind of people would live there? What would their day be like? Their personalities?

The author also had an idea for a main character that spent his entire life as a lab rat. He should've been sketched out. What would the character be like? Angry? Mistrustful? Does he have a disability from the tests? How does he react to new surroundings?

Instead, you had these two ideas thrown together and nothing worked. You start with one or the other - the setting or the character. Not both.

Also, the plot twists were 100% predictable.

Book Review - Shadow and Bone

LOVE!

That's it, end of review. There is nothing more to say except I loved this book.

I want to draw little hearts around it and carry it with me wherever I go.

If you read my reviews, you know I rarely gush about anything. Or if I do, I usually can find one or two negative things to say about it. Shadow and Bone is perfect. It has it all - characters, worldbuilding, villains, romance,  intrigue, plot twists.

LOVE.

As soon as I closed the cover (yes I actually do own the hardcopy book. My brother is the best in the world and bought this for me, signed by the author, because he knew I wanted to read it), I jumped on Amazon to buy the sequel. I had to pee, but that could wait.

The sequel won't be out until 2013.

NOOOO, MY LOVE! I feel like I just proposed marriage and the answer was, "eh, maybe next year." It was the same feeling after finishing Hunger Games and having to wait for Catching Fire.

If you read this book, prepare to put your life on hold until it's finished. Food, dogs, spouses, chores....all of that will be placed on the back burner until the last word. Even then, you'll stare at the last word willing it not to be over.  It will leave you wanting more, to the point where you start thinking about scenes in your head. Like the next time two characters will meet. Or what the protagonist should've said if she only knew the truth. Or if there were enough clues given to the reader to guess the twist.

I'm following the author on Goodreads, liked the book on  Facebook, and I see the rights to the movie were sold.

Just read this. You won't regret it.

Dog Treats

I usually make my own dog treats from beef liver, salt, and a dehydrator, but it occurred to me that might not be the healthiest snack. It's high in cholesterol and saturated fat.

I also gave up on the Milkbones entirely.

I found these Real Meat treats - made in the USA so no worries about pet death from China. You can check out the website here. The dog loves them.

The ingredients for the venison are venison, dried chicory root, natural vegetable glycerin, sea salt, mixed tocopherols. They are about 8 calories per treat.

I got a 12oz bag for $12.99. It's not a bad price considering how it compares to similar products. But yeah, it's expensive when compared to Milkbone. Still, I think we found new treats for our house.

Careers

It's that time of year again where people give terrible career advice. So, matriculating students, I will tell you how it is.

A woman on talk radio was giving callers career advice, particularly the unhappy ones.

"If you are unhappy in your job, it's because you're not doing what you love."

With advice like that, it's amazing everyone doesn't have a radio show. The woman went on to ask, "what are your hobbies?"

"Well, I really like throwing parties and all my friends say I'm really good at it."

Really, what are your friends going to say? This bridal shower sucks?

"That's fantastic, and definitely something you can make money on. Next time you edit your resume, put together a list of the functions you threw, the dollar amount, and the success. Don't forget to list your friends as references," says the radio lady.

Students and unhappy workers out there, this is shitty advice. You need to come to grips with this. Most likely, your hobby is not going to sustain a reasonable standard of living.

I'll use myself as example. Currently I have enough money to pay the mortgage, pay the bills, do some fun things during the month, and put some away into savings or investments. I also have some stashed away in case of emergencies or wedding invitations. I'm not saying this to brag. Just wanted to let you know where I'm coming from.

My hobby - making dog collars and leashes - does earn me some money. I like sewing, I like making sales. But what I earn in a month doesn't pay HALF the mortgage. If I had followed radio lady's advice, I'd lose my house, car, and everything I worked for.

Besides, a hobby is something you do in your free time. If I had to make collars 8-10 hours a day, I doubt I would like it as much.

I also like dog sitting, watching TV, reading, and sleeping. If there was a way to earn good money from that, everyone would do it.

"But there are some success stories out there", you say. True. I saw the Sam Adams commercials where the guy "never works a day in his life". I probably wouldn't either if I got to spend my life around beer. Before you major in brew-mastering at college, think about all the people at home who make their own beer and haven't found success. There's more than you think.

It's like majoring in theater and expecting to become an A-list Hollywood star. The best advice I can give you is to face the odds. Most people don't become rich and famous.

Before you smack me as a pessimist, I'm not saying to give up on your dreams. Just don't major in them. You like theater? Awesome. Take some classes as an elective. Pursue a minor.

You like reading? Take some creative writing classes. Just don't major in English.

You like dance? Sports? Gardening? Cars?

Find a career that pays well enough to support your hobbies. That's my message to you.

I work with program managers, telecommunication specialists, programmers, engineers, and business professionals. Everyone I talk to has a hobby they do after work and on the weekends. Fishing, biking, hiking, yoga, volunteering. These people go to work, do the best they can, and earn enough money to support their hobbies.

Do you think you can afford acting classes as an unemployed actress? Or an actress working at Denny's? Do you think you can  volunteer at a food bank or animal shelter if you were broke and thinking about your next paycheck? Or get that mountain bike, car rack, and helmet?

"But I don't want to hate my job," you say.

I'm not going to lie to you. I had a job I hated, but it was because my boss was a true <bleep>. It happens, it's horrible, and difficult to get up in the morning. So I got another one. The point is, you might still hate your job if you become a dancer. The people might be asshats and the boss could scream at you. The trick is finding a job where you work well with others and feel like you are accomplishing something. Even if it's being good at project management, or accounting, or programming. Life doesn't suck because you're in a cubicle. And cubicles don't equal unhappiness.

Still don't believe me? Do you think people become engineers because they love machinery, chemicals, and sewage plants? Do people become lawyers because the law is their hobby? Do people become anesthesiologists because they love pain killers? THINK about it.

I know this post is running a little long, so I'll leave you with the last bit of advice. Look up what careers are needed most, as well as what majors earn the most money. Pick the one that sounds the most interesting to you. Then make sure your university offers electives in the stuff you love.

Book Review - The Dragon Keeper

Don't read this. The book just stops. I knew it was part of a series, but it's common courtesy to wrap up a book in some satisfactory manner, with heavy foreshadowing the sequel.

This stopped practically in the middle of a conversation.

That ruined it for me. A long book, 553 pages, that read glacially slow, gave zero reward at the end.

Actually, it's like a prequel. We follow the characters chapter after chapter, reading as they gradually get to the decision to go on a quest, the quest starts, and suddenly the book ends. The only obstacles they have to overcome are personal ones. Society, culture, and family. So yeah, it was pretty dull at times. There's no reason to care.

Arg, so mad.

Etsy Drop Down Menus

Etsy is beta-testing drop down menus! Haha oh happy day!

I'm so excited. I get to be a member of the beta testing team. All that means is I get to test out the feature in my shop and report feedback on how it works or can be improved. Right now, only 50% of my customers can see the drop down menus. To check if you are one of them, click here and look in the upper right corner.

I only received one order so far where the customer used the menus. I think all the rest didn't have that option. I was so excited when that order came in! Neck size! Color! I had all the info I needed at the time of the sale to make the collar.

The usual process is for customers to type in their dog's neck measurement in the "message to seller" box at checkout. You can imagine how often this fails. I spend an exorbitant amount of time emailing customers. A few times a month, I'll get customers who don't respond to email and I'm forced to refund their purchase because I can't complete the order on the info provided. When I do that, Etsy loses out on the 3% transaction fee, so these menus are a huge benefit to all parties involved.

I love that I can set the sizes from 12 to 24 inches. I won't get any more orders for chihuahuas with 8" necks. The collars are 1" wide, people!!

I love that my customers can now select a webbing color. That's an option I couldn't provide before because the checkout process was already confuddled.

I love that this makes the "message to seller" box obsolete. If I get all the information at checkout, there's no need to write anything in that box.

I would love an additional box to add a leash, or select from a buckle or martingale collar. But for now, I'm ecstatic to be beta testing this feature, and I can't wait until all my customers have these menus.