Getting Creative, Even if it Hurts

Happy week, peeps! Hurrah, it's Tuesday already. We spent the weekend looking at rocks, gems and beads at the local Gem Miners Jubliee. That was rather entertaining, and a little expensive, but, repeat after me, "It'll pay off in the long run!" I bought a nice selection of new beads, and some odd little trinket boxes made from wood with an agate slice in the top of the lid. They're kind of cool. They were CHEAP (wholesale) and I can double what I paid and still not touch the 'retail' price of them. Now, just to sell some. There is one show at the end of September, and two in October.

Since Obbie (aka Captain Ragweed) is back in the real world (as it were) he's got his weekends back (mostly) and I have my helper again. YAY!! I'm trying to reconnect with my creative side, since, as of late, it's gone away. Far, far away. The blog has suffered, and the jewelry making has suffered. It's not a good thing when either suffer, because I enjoy them so much and it's almost painful to create something and have it die a miserable death before it's complete. I spent way too much time in front of a blank screen, AND way too much time sifting through piles of beads and stones getting no vibe, no clue, no inspiration AT ALL.

In order to stimulate the creative juices, bead wise, I joined up for a non-formal beadwork challenge. It's got a lot of 'guidelines' (meaning RULES) which, of course, makes me bristle, but I've gritted my teeth and gone with them, because sometimes, you just gotta play by the rules. They are as follows (and translated from beady to non-beady) 1. Must be created using mostly seed beads. 2. MUST be a monochromatic color scheme. 3. May use neutral or metallic colors as accents. 4l May incorporate feathers, fiber, etc. as long as they match the monochromatic scheme. 5. MUST incorporate wire in the piece. 6. Must have a beaded bead or pendant. 7. MUST be a set with earrings and a necklace. Due date is September 12. Hahahahaha......I read that and laughed my beady ass off. But took the challenge anyway. Why not? The worst that could happen is that I won't finish. It didn't cost anything to join, and there are no prizes. It's all about making those creative juices flow again. If it makes me a crazed snappy bitch in the meantime, at least I have a reason to be a crazed snappy bitch (for a change.)

In other news....Captain Ragweed isn't particularly happy. The pollen, oh it is thick and furious these days. The eyes? Red and watery. The nose? Running and sneezing. Poor guy. He's working this weekend at the Corvette Show in our fair 'burg. They're expecting a huge turnout, so he's been called in to work on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. So he'll be in the thick of the Vettes, and their, um, unique group of enthusiasts, directing traffic and sneezing madly. I guess he'll be buying Claritin tonight so he can sleep a little. And given the state of the pollen, I'll have to go buy some for him next week. (Did I rant about the anti-meth laws, and how we both have our driver's licenses on file at Target so if he needs more Claritin in a 10 day period of time, I can buy him some? We're building a meth lab one box of antihisamines every two weeks. Talk about over fucking regulated. Jeezus. Meanwhile the boyz in the hood are still shooting 14 year olds over crack. What is wrong with THIS picture?)

Speaking of shooting, last night No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain was on. It's one of my favorite shows, even though it's a challenge for me to watch any show that starts at 10 pm. Bourdain is one of my all time heroes. Snarky. The Anti-Rachel Ray/Emeril/Flobby Bay (I HATE Bobby Flay with a white hot passion!!) Anyway. Bourdain goes all around the world, meeting people and eating. (good job, no?) Last night, was the episode where he was in Beirut. The wind was totally taken out of his sails. The first scenes, he's being shown around this vibrant city by a nice, enthusastic young Lebanese guy. The guy is tickled to death to show him around. They go for dinner, and everyone greets them and chats them up, then after their meal, they're stolling along the main drag, and automatic gunfire starts up in the distance. The street is suddenly mobbed with cars filled with young men, hanging out the windows waving the Hizbollah flag and cheering. The Lebanese man w/Bourdain starts looking uncomfortable, nervous, then sad. He knew what was going to happen. The minority, Hizbollah, was bringin a world of shit down upon the majority, who aren't crazed religious fanatics, and were just trying to live their lives. The next morning, Bourdain and his crew are standing on the balcony of their hotel watching the airport burn. The rest of the show is about being under siege, and pretty much trapped. At least they could eventually get out. I can't adequately explain it here, but it's a very powerful show. It's on the Travel Channel, and if you ever get a chance to see that episode, check it out. It's very interesting to see the range of emotion he and his crew go thru. Good stuff.

And with that, I'm off. It's getting late and I need to get on with my day.