Everyone loves samples!

A few months back, I decided I was going to make myself some fabric covered badge reels. They weren’t going to be sold in my Etsy shop, but they’d be just something I made for myself (for a change). Maybe I’d make some for my coworkers if they wanted them, but it wasn’t going to be something I’d push.

And then Friday’s decided they were going to change our uniforms. Starting in mid-March we have to wear jeans and a black v-neck t-shirt, as opposed to our striped polo shirts and black pants. Makes me sad, because my butt doesn’t look nearly as good in jeans as it does in my current work pants, but whatever. I don’t get to make the rules.

We also can’t wear lanyards for our badges anymore. I’m not sure what the reasoning behind this is, but I guess it’s none of my business. Either way, we are all going to have to keep our badges in our pockets, our aprons, or on a badge reel. Which is where I come in, of course!

Since we heard the news about the changes, a bunch of people have been asking me for these fabric covered badge reels. So I made up a bunch of samples:

Obviously they don’t have the badge reel attached yet, but you get the idea. I took them with me to work last night, and the black and white chevron one has already been claimed. And they are really cute, so I think I’ll be working on a bunch for Made by Meg Too after all. Keep an eye out, because they should be up soon.

Anyway, that’s all from me tonight. I’ve gotta get some work done, and then try to figure out what the heck I’m going to wear with my shoes and/or new cowboy boots! 😛

Guess what day it is?

Or Wednesday, as it’s sometimes known. In my world, it’s actually Monday. Better customers than actual Monday though. Anyway…

Yes, my weekend is over and I have to go to work today. It’s going to be a rough week, what with Valentine’s Day on Friday. I don’t know why I thought working on Valentine’s Day was a good idea (yes I do, I’ll make mucho dinero), but I do know that it’ll take all my energy just to stay upright until Sunday. Do you know what makes it better?

Oddly, this palette makes going to work so much more bearable. I’m not going to do a product review; I’ll let the folks over at makeupandbeautyblog.com handle that part for me. But I will tell you that this stuff is fantastic, and well worth the money.

I’ve always been willing to pay a little bit more for a great product. I only buy bareMinerals makeup, because it covers up any off-color spots on my face without looking or feeling like I’m wearing too much makeup. It’s easy to use, and even better, easy to wear. I’ve always lusted after these Urban Decay palettes, but I was skeptical because of the price. I asked for this Smoked palette for my birthday, and when I opened it the day after I knew it was going to be fantastic. Not only are the colors awesome, but it comes with a little book that gives step-by-step instructions on how to create different looks.

Another reason I love this thing so damn much is it has incredible staying power. It’s like freaking glue. I have a hell of a time finding makeup that will last through a busy shift at the restaurant, and most times I have lost all of my eyeshadow by the end, and I look like a raccoon because my eyeliner has run down my face. But this stuff? No running. No smudging. And at the end of a shift, the rest of my body is greasy and dirty, but my makeup still looks like I just put it on. Seriously, if it can handle the stress of a 4-hour dinner rush, it’s totally worth the price in my book.

It is pricey. But Urban Decay may have won a customer for life. I actually look forward to putting it on, which is a feat in itself because I am not a girly girl. And I only wear makeup to work. So yeah, as exhausting as I know this week will be, I’m looking forward to it. Weird.

Yeah, I dunno.

This is what I was talking about…

So, after writing that I resolve to make a schedule for myself, and to spend more time creating instead of surfing the net, I’ve spent the last hour and a half (I’m estimating here, but it seems like that to me. That means it’s probably been four hours) looking at facebook and reading my old blog posts. Honestly, I really suck at this scheduling thing.

I feel ya, kid.

Oh hello there!

Hey all! Guess what? I’m not dead!!

Maybe they’ll stick past April this year?

Anyway, jumping right back in, I wanted to share some of my “New Year’s resolutions” with y’all. I figure if I put them down on paper, or out into the interwebs as the case may be, it’ll be much easier to stick to them. I’m not usually much for making concrete resolutions; I find most of them cliche. But anyway, here goes.

For myself:
1) Go to the gym, at least three times a week.
This was my resolution last year, too. I stayed with it for the first month or so, but I was also working two jobs and trying to get an Etsy shop established. I’m not sure I’ll reach my weight goals, but I’ve decided that I’m not going to worry about that. My father, in his not so tactful but truthful way, says “there is room in this world for healthy fat people, too”. I don’t think I’m fat, but I’m not exactly super model material either. But my mother is right, and going to the gym will make my life easier, and my pain less. So alright, I’ll go. And I’ll say I’ll go three times a week, but who knows. Maybe, maybe not.

And they aren’t even the fun kind.

2) Take all of my pills, every day.
So far so good. This is another step in making my life easier. And maybe it’ll help me get the weight off, too. My thyroid is, well, nonexistant, so in order to make my metabolism even close to normal I have to take all these pills. All of them. Ugh. There are a lot; when I go out of town I carry three pill cases with me, the ones that are divided up into days.

3) Find some new doctors.
My primary is an idiot. My rheumatologist and my endocrinologist, plus every neurologist I’ve seen in the past two years, never really listen to me. I told my rheumatologist that I was in too much pain and too exhausted to even think about having bloodwork done, that if all I had energy for was work (which makes it possible for me to go to the doctor’s, by the way), that was all I was going to do. Bloodwork is exhausting. Most of the time it ruins any chance of me doing anything else that day. Plus, she gives me my bloodwork orders. Who gives the orders to a patient? I can guarantee that in a month I will have no idea where that stupid paper is. So I won’t go in for my bloodwork, because she makes it too damn hard for me. My endocrinologist is no help; he just tells me to talk to my rheumatologist, who passes me off to my (non-existant) dermatologist unless I ask for pills. She’s more than willing to give me more pills. And do you think any of them care that I’ve had a headache every day for a year and a half? Nope. Ok, I’m done ranting. But honestly, I need to get rid of these damn people. Someone out there has to actually listen and care.

I think I’ll stop with the personal resolutions for tonight, and leave the business ones until tomorrow. That way you all don’t end up with a wall of text, and I have something to write about tomorrow! Have a good Friday all, don’t drink too much! 🙂

Don’t be that guy.

I have a cheerio stuck in my cleavage

Yes, really. TMI? I don’t care. I’m trying to figure out how to get it out without my cubemate noticing. I probably should stop eating cheerios while hunched over my desk staring at funny pictures on the internet. They’re just so damn delicious! They aren’t even real cheerios, they’re this organic something or other that tastes oddly like very yummy cardboard. Definitely not in a bad way. And I’m pretty sure that they have a metric ass-ton of fiber in them. They’re only three points for a whole cup of them, so it’s really a win-win for everyone involved! And when I say everyone, I mean me, of course. They do have kind of a weird aftertaste, and they definitely taste a bit funky after a sip of coffee, but whatever, it’s food. I’ve always hated those little kids who come into the restaurant and throw cheerios everywhere, but now I get it. Sorry, little kids who I’ve given my best death stare! I totally understand you now!

I have so done this before.

Roomie and I went craft shopping last night, because I needed to find cellophane bags to put the magnets that I have yet to make in. Damn AC Moore, they were having a yarn sale. I cannot resist a good yarn sale, especially when everything, including Pirouette and Sashay is 30 percent off. I have a problem, that’s my conclusion after this latest shopping trip. I have a yarn addiction. My sage of a roommate says that admitting it is the first step; he’s so smart! I’ve never had a problem admitting it, but when I go to a craft store for something that costs two dollars and emerge with 90+ dollars worth of yarn, it scares me a little. What am I going to do with all that yarn? It’s not like I bought stuff that I don’t have a use for; it’s all for specific projects. The problem is, I will never, not ever in my lifetime even if I was to have a normal life span which I probably won’t, be able to use all the yarn I own. Never. There is simply too much of it. And when it comes to yarn sales, I have zero willpower to not take advantage of them. The other problem is, all of that yarn lives in roomie’s bedroom. It used to be the craft room before he moved in, and he allowed me to keep all my craft supplies in the corner. I can’t even get to the corner now, there’s too much stuff there. I’m going to eventually sort everything out, but I’m not really sure where to start at this point.

I got that doctor’s note, and gave it to my boss at the restaurant. I didn’t really sit down and talk to her about it, but that’s probably for the best. I probably would have threatened her with a lawsuit. Why, you may be asking? Because she scheduled me for only Saturday this week, which I’ve now got a doctor’s note saying I can’t work. So if she takes me off that shift, I won’t have any shifts this week. I would be very tempted to assume that no shifts means she’s “letting me go”, and to start filing for unemployment. She doesn’t want to pay me unemployment, which is why she’s only scheduling me for one shift a week; she is trying to make me quit. Uh huh, not gonna work. If she wants me gone, she’s going to have to find a damn good reason to fire me. It’s certainly not going to be performance related. Also, I’m pretty sure I’m covered under the DDA (disability discrimination act). If I were her, I’d want to keep me as happy, and healthy, as possible to avoid a lawsuit. Especially since she knows my little sister is a lawyer.

Anyway, onto happier things. I’ve been really bad about linking to other blogs in this thing lately. So I’m thinking of sharing at least one link everyday that I find useful, interesting, funny, or otherwise entertaining. What do you think? Not that I really care; it’s my blog and I’ll do what I want with it, damnit. Onward (and have a very happy Wednesday, all :))!

Wednesday Web Gem!
OMG I need to do this right now!!!
-This blog by “Jeeze Julia” on pantry organization is GREAT. I love, love, love mason jars, and there are thousands of uses for them. This is just one, but it really does make me want to run, not walk, to AC Moore and buy as many mason jars as I can, and then run, not walk, all the way home to organize my pantry. That in itself is a feat; I don’t even go in there if I can help it. That little corner of my home could probably qualify for FEMA assistance all by itself. Damn this being an adult thing, and damn working for a living, I want to clean my pantry!!

Renewed and refreshed

Well, the systems are broken again. So here I am. I got here, all excited to start my day, all sorts of refreshed from my time off and the fact that I’ve finally got my pills, and all I can do is sit here staring at my computer screen. Or knit, but I’m not sure that’s going to be looked upon too fondly. It seems that in my short time here, various things have been conspiring against me, and something new goes wrong every day! Oh well, I’m not too upset about it. It’s nice and cozy warm here today, and it gives me the opportunity to blog a bit. Not a bad thing!

So yesterday I put up a status update on my facebook fan page that basically said I would be willing to do some marketing for anyone who would do some marketing for me. I figured basically, I did some pretty awesome marketing back when I worked in sports (my Canada Day Celebration at the baseball team was a great success, and one of the most attended games that season), so I’d probably be able to help out other Etsy sellers. That, and while this blog has a google relevancy rank of 1 (huh? why?), my Etsy shop is still unranked, and I’ve got to do something about that.

So anyway, yeah I did that status update. I’ve gotten one response from it so far, a blog/reviewing service called Captain Captain Industries wrote a really nice feature on my shop. Once I get home, because I still haven’t figured out if they’re tracking my keystrokes, and if they are I don’t want them to know I’m looking at facebook, I’ll return the favor and tell you all about these wonderful people.

I guess I’ll go have a cigarette and cross my fingers that when I get back I’ll be able to do some actual work. If not, we may meet again, sooner rather than later! 😛

Oh noes!

My browser is out of date!! No, not that, anything but that!! Anyway…

My systems are broken (in more ways than one) so I figured I’d use my spare time to write a quick blog entry. I don’t think I have much to talk about, but I didn’t the other day either and we saw how that worked out. I’m just sitting at my desk, jamming to 8 tracks, and I’ve decided that I am absolutely in LOVE with Home by Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros. Wonderful, absolutely terrific song. Kinda describes how I feel about my best friend/roomie, although I am not actually in love with him at all.

I haven’t had any pills since Friday. The good news is I’m still alive. The bad news is I’m really, really tired. I just don’t have time to get them refilled. I leave before the pharmacy opens, and I get home after they close. So I guess I’ll just have to wait. But I found out yesterday that I can have Monday off if I want, and I WANT IT!! So I’ll go then.

I was contacted by someone yesterday who wants to do some advertising for my Etsy shop. I was flattered, but they want me to send them some of the items I have up for sale. I guess I get it, but there’s no guarantee that they will choose to promote my items. So if they don’t, I’m out two items with nothing to show for it. I don’t feel all that great about that idea. I’ll update y’all once I hear back from them.

In other shop news, I’ve almost finished the most recent pair of yoga socks. They’re really pretty! Also, my boss at the restaurant told me she might want to buy a few pairs for a craft show she participates in, so that’s pretty exciting.

Oooook, I better get back to work. Later all!

Today…

I don’t care about my Etsy shop. I’m going to take this opportunity to take some time off. I may not even knit much.

I really want to go to the gym, but I’m not sure if I have time before I volunteer at a blood drive, or between volunteering and working.

I’m getting ready for this job interview tomorrow. I don’t really care if I get it, because I certainly don’t need it, but my parents are right. It’d be nice to be able to finish my not one but two unfinished Master’s degrees for free.

I’m really into dubstep. I feel like I’m too old to be really into dubstep. I don’t care, I love it.

I don’t know how my heart will respond to walking on the treadmill. I have everything I need; a good workout mix, grubby clothes, the will to actually drive myself there. But I’m not so sure about my health. My heart rate jumps to ridiculous numbers waiting tables, what will it do with actual exercise?

I do love dubstep. And 8 tracks. But definitely dubstep.

I weigh 147 pounds. I’m 5 feet tall. I should weigh 125, that’s the goal. I started losing weight when I started taking the thyroid meds, but since then they’ve put me on every medication imaginable, and my weight loss has kind of stopped. I’ve lost 41 pounds. I have no control over it. I know that going to the gym is not going to help; it never does. But I still feel like I should, and I actually want to. I feel every bit of 22 pounds overweight. Maybe by going to the gym I’ll be able to say “hey, at least I’m trying”, and that will make me feel better. I’m not losing anything by just sitting here and knitting. Actually, I am, that’s a lie. One of my meds makes me poop a lot, or maybe that’s the coffee, and one of them makes me lose my appetite so I’m not eating much at all. Only when I am so hungry that my stomach feels like it’s going to eat my liver. But even then I’m not really enjoying food. I just eat to survive. Sometimes the thought of food makes me want to yak. People think I have amazing willpower or some secret to losing all that weight. Nope. I just got sick and have to take a lot of pills. So at least there’s an upside.

The blood drive is at 11:30 (I think). Work is at 4. If I get to the gym by 9:30 I can get in a good walk before I have to do the blood drive. It’s 8:30 now. I can do this. I could walk on the treadmill that’s here in the house, but it’s holding my wrapping paper right now. Plus I tend to lose my motivation halfway through if I’m here. It’s wednesday; I still have time to go to the gym three days this week. I’m going to do it.

Pinterest is one of my favorite things. That and dubstep. Or listening to dubstep while browsing Pinterest. And of course drinking delicious coffee.

I feel good. And motivated. Like my life just started today and I have a real opportunity to make it a good one.

I had a dream…

That I flew to Vegas with my father for ComicCon (which, btw, I would never attend). Or maybe it was BlizzCon (which I would attend). I also dreamed that I had 3 sales on Etsy, but I only made 5 bucks. I was really excited when I woke up, flew out of bed to my computer, only to discover that it was only a dream. Poop. Sometimes my ambien dreams are just cruel.

In better news, I have over 170 views already today! I was so impressed with myself when I had over 100 yesterday, but this is way better! I added all my pages to StumbleUpon, so I’m crediting most of those views to that.

I worked on Wednesday, and it was dead all night. By 8pm I was working off with $20 in my pocket. But I had a big group, so I stuck around for another 2 and a half hours. Good thing I did! That big party (about 20+, but only 6 of them ate) tipped me $80! Talk about saving the night. Last night was not so great, had another big party but they didn’t tip quite so well. I still left with about 35% of my tippable sales, which is awesome.

Anyway, I need help deciding what to make next. Do I continue on with the latest pair of yoga socks, should I make a 7th coffee cozy, or something completely different? What do you think?