I am cursed

So, while my embroidery/sewing machines were out for repairs taking 4-6 weeks, I decided to buy a new machine so I would have access to embroideries while I waited for the other machines. i then figured I could sell the extraneous machine after I got the old ones back.

BUT. The new machine was delivered damaged. *sigh* So, IT'S out for repair, too. THis repair though, should only take 4-10 days, at least.

Oh well. good thing I have a bunch of work that doesn't require embroidery, huh?

Hopefully soon, I'll be able to restock the websites adn start selling again...oh, if only!

The Sewing machine debacle

SO, I have a budding business. I call it budding, even though it has officially been a business for 2+years and has made less than $500....mostly due to the business being put to the side any time anything happens. *sigh*

SO, I finally decided that this was the year. This was when I was going to get serious and start sewing up a storm. It worked for about a week. I sewed 5 hours a day every week day for 10 days (I can only work when kiddos are in school). I finally got mostly caught up on my non-business sewing and was ready to start bearing down and working. Everything was ready to go.

Then my first sewing/embroidery machine stopped working properly. OK....there was a repair day coming up when the tech would be at the dealership, and I had the back up machine. It wasn't great, but things were OK. I continued to sew.....

Then the second embroidery/sewing machine had something completely unrelated to the other machine's problem occur. In 2 days, I was down both embroidery/sewing machines. Now, I used to SELL machines, I know I wasn't doing anything to them to cause these issues. *sigh*. I just chalked it up to bad luck, thanked my lucky stars this happened right before the repair day, brought the machines in for work and bought a back-up sewing machine while I was there.

The back up machine didn't work properly. I brought THAT ONE in for repair. HMMMMMM......no sewing for a week

Friday I went in to pick up the machines which were supposedly fixed. I sewed on them at the store to be sure. They had NOT been fixed. The manager agreed with me. In fact, one machine was worse off than when I had brought it in!! Conspiracy thoughts began swirling in my head....

The back up machine was declared a lemon. I have a new one to be picked up on Tuesday.

The 2 embroidery/sewing machines need to be sent to the repair center and be fixed because we won't let the repair guy "fix" them again....besides he won't do it until NEXT MONTH's repair day. jerk.

So, again, no sewing. no embroidery machines for 4-6 weeks.

I think the fates are trying to tell me something.....fortunately I'm too stubborn to listen.

Opening Week Sunday...random thoughts

So, being in the NY metro area, I only got to watch the Jets-Patriots game and the Bears-Chargers games...which sucks. A few things stuck with me from watching the games. Most not football related.

1. I'm relatively embarrassed to be a Jets fan this week. The loud, enthusiastic cheering when Kellen Clemens took the field after Pennington hurt his ankle in the second half was disgusting to me. Fortunately, it was disgusting to the announcers, too. What a revolting display by the crowd at the game. Pennington tried MULTIPLE TIMES to walk off what could have been a really bad injury (watch the replay if you don't believe me), and when he finally gave up and left the field, they had the nerve to cheer uproariously for his back-up? Ew.

2. By the way: Pennington looked pretty darn good for a guy everyone's been clamoring to have replaced. Clemens looked like a rookie. Just my opinion, but maybe Pennington is a little hesitant in the pre-season because of his history. He looked just fine in the opener...and darn awesome when he came back for a drive after hurting himself. Talk about proving something.

2. Ok, the "Viva Viagra" commercial is just gross....MOST ED commercials are gross...some more so than others...the others are just vague enought o be confusing. For example...what does bathing in separate tubs outdoors have to do with sex?

3. Speaking of commercials, does anyone else find it ironic that the soundtrack to the NFL commercial with Shawn Merriman and Steven Jackson "leaving nothing on the field" is a song called "the Kiss"? Hee hee. Think I'm kidding? Check out the Last of the Mohicans soundtrack. I loved that movie.

4. The networks need to figure out something with this whole "game jumping" crap. We lost the last 2 minutes (the important ones) of the Green Bay/Philly game because of "contractual obligations" to show the Bears-Chargers game. WHO CARES about the first five minutes of a game when the game is TIED with seconds left in the game?? Gah.

Ahhhh...football is back. There goes my diet. It's just not a game without beer, chips, and dip, is it?

Dreams

Have you ever had a dream that you just found to be disturbing? I woke up this morning from a dream that revealed things going on in my mind to me that, frankly, I really think I would have preferred to have left buried. I just woke up in a really "off" mood because of this, and I am really having problems shaking it. Oh well.

I guess I'm not a Feminist anymore

So, as a "large chested" gal (I wear a 34H or 36G, depending on brand), I was very interested in the latest innovation from an Israeli company called the "cup and up". This is the link:

http://israel21c.org/bin/en.jsp?enDispWho=Articles%5El1738&enPage=BlankPage&enDisplay=view&enDispWhat=object&enVersion=0&enZone=Health&

So anyway, it's basically an implantable bra. Now, all kinds of feminists are totally attacking this procedure. They are talking about the horror of surgery for basically a permanent bra instead of an external one. They ask WHY anyone would consider going through surgery to have this procedure. Well, I'll tell you: vanity and convenience.

I LOVE spaghetti strap dresses. And I love the backless look. I like wearing tank tops. Unfortunately NO ONE makes many discrete bras in an H cup. I have a few ill-fitting strapless bras. There's no such thing as a stick on bra or a backless bra in my size. My bras constantly show, or I go without (NOT a good look). With this implantable bra, I could have the look of support without the external bra being necessary.

I'm not saying it would be an everyday "I don't need a bra, I have an internal one" thing, like it could probably be for many smaller chested women, but think of the possibilities for those of us with larger chests that we don't necessarily want lopped off. (my shoulders are big too, so I'm actually proportionate, thank you very much).

Also, I would love to have a bit of extra internal support to help with the strapless bras I have. I think this is going to be huge among younger mothers who have major sag after breastfeeding. THis is such a less invasive and apparently more successful alternative to the breast lift nowadays, which is just scary looking. I bet it becomes pretty much as popular as lasik surgery.

Personally, I am counting down the days until this becomes available. I'll just hand in my feminism card, if I must. I'd rather NOT look like my boobs are growing out of my bellybutton just so I can wear my backless formal gown out....my vanity wins. Oh well.

Restaurant Guy Savoy in Las Vegas

So, The husband (DH) and I had dinner at Restaurant Guy Savoy at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas last week. I have to say, it was one of the best dining experiences of my life.

We started off with some Champagne. we were given a wide choice of champagnes by the glass (I hate the skimpy "by the glass" offerings at most restaurants). We ended up with the restaurant's signature champagne (A good choice). The sommelier was well informed and worked with us in explaining our choices and what he felt would be a good idea. The waiter, who had truly perfected the balance between friendly and excellent service, brought us some bread and asked us if we were interested in seeing the menu right away, or if we wanted to enjoy our champagne for a while. This was greatly appreciated, as we usually feel rushed through our pre-dinner champagne and into the meal. So we sat eating excellent French Bread and sipping our wine.

When we were ready we were brought the menus. Now, like many high-end restaurants (especially in Vegas), Restaurant Guy Savoy offers a tasting menu (a multi-course pre-set meal made up of smaller portions; all for a set price). However, for the first time in memory, we were offered the option to create our own "tasting" where we could decide on a number of appetizers and/or entrees, get demi-portions for a reduced price, and sample the menu's offerings that we found most appealing. Well, who WOULDN'T take that offer??

We ended up with a very "traditional" French menu...mostly. We started with the colors of Caviar, then the layers of Foie gras appetizer, and the signature black truffle soup as appetizers. We then went on to a rabbit confit, then Veal Sweetbreads. For dessert we shard the cherries and the chocolate desserts. We also had the sommelier pair each course with a demi-glass of wine (partial pour), and finished off with candies and cappuccinos (It was late, I didn't want the straight espresso). We skipped the traditional cheese between the meal and dessert because I was pretty full, and wanted to be comfortable.

Without going into super detail about every delectable course, I thought the meal was FABULOUS. We actually got (get this) matched BREAD with our meals, which was wonderful. the setting was comfortable and opulent without feeling stuffy and pretentious. Guy Savoy's son, Franck is in charge of the Las Vegas restaurant, and he was a wonderful host. He was personable, friendly, and earnest. I enjoyed talking to him and meeting him. he has obviously found his calling.

The meal we had at Guy Savoy was easily one of the best meals I have EVER had. We have put this restaurant on our short "must return" list of "fancy" restaurants we have eaten at. I recommend this restaurant to anyone, from the sophisticated foodie to the couple looking for w great "fancy restaurant" for a special occasion.

Restaurant Guy Savoy. Enjoy. And be sure to have one of the strawberry lollipops....they'll make you feel like they are replacing a silver spoon. Mmmm.....

Cheese

So, I have this deep and abiding love for cheese...most cheese. I hate Brie, but other than that, good cheese is my weakness. I eat cheese with fruit and wine for dinner at least once a week.

I just recently discovered another amazing French cheese. My absolute favorite cheese is a French cheese called Comte. This new cheese was at the store near the Comte, so I figured I'd try it. It's called Boursin. It has this wonderful smoothness, kind of like cream cheese, but without the long thick finish in your mouth. It also isn't chalky, like many soft cheeses can be. The texture is wonderful, and the taste is a nice blend of garlic, saltiness (in a good way), and rich cheeseyness. Yum.

I highly recommend it if you run across it....and if you've never tried Comte, you haven't lived.

I am the Omega Geek

It sucks being a geek who's married to an ubergeek with an ubergeek for a twin brother. Our friends are ubergeeks. I feel like I belong on the short bus. I know very little of MMORPGs (though I can speak "Everquest" with the best of them). I don't enjoy programming. Twinking characters (in whatever) to me seems futile, and like something I just suck at. I am not a fan of much sci fi...Battlestar Galactica, Star Blazers, Robotech, and Babylon Five are not my ideas of fun watching. I only got a 4 on my AP calc exam. I didn't major in science or engineering in college. I don't get the inside Perl jokes or thinly veiled references to obscure characters from Ibn Khaldoun....Dude, I don't even know who Ibn Khaldoun IS! I don't understand why I need to know the proper languages spoken in all of the provinces of Greece in the 3rd century BC, just so I can know how many points my D&D character needs to take in languages. WHY WHY WHY??

I am so NOT the alpha geek. yes, I have Geek traits, I "run" with geeks (like I said above, I MARRIED an Alpha geek), I am well versed in D&D, V:tM, WoD, and now even have learned GURPS! I know Pi to...ok, 5 places. I use math liberally in my sewing. I have read The Prince, but not the Art of War. I read and enjoyed Atlas Shrugged. I study areas of linguistics and foreign languages for fun. I was .001 points shy of graduating Summa Cum Laude from university. I frequently use words that contain more than three syllables. I am called a geek by friends. I can usually completely understand and fully follow most "geek conversations", but I usually have very little in-depth insight to contribute to debates and arguments....especially regarding how to properly break WoW characters. Yet, I am so the short-bus geek compared to so many people I know.

Thus, as I am the antithesis of the Alpha Geek, I have therefore declared myself:

The OMEGA geek.

Long live the omega.....somebody's gotta be the lowest common denominator. That is my role in life, always to strive, never to rise. I am Omega.

The Little things sometimes make the biggest difference

I decided to start having my nails done professionally about 2 months ago. Ooooh. Huge decision, I know. The funny thing is, it ended up being life-changing. Since I decided to start making my hands and toes pretty, I have managed to lose nearly 20 lbs., I have upgraded my look to being more put-together and actually *gasp!* compliment receiving, and I have been generally happier on a daily basis. All from deciding to let some little Korean lady wrap my already-long nails in strengthening gel and paint them funky colors.

Sometimes, that change we need actually IS in a haircut, or a new lipstick color, or getting a manicure/pedicure. And sometimes it isn't. I do truly believe, though, that we all have to find those little things that help us deal with the big ones.