Wednesday, June 30, 2010

...can only go up from here


When nothing seems to come easily, remember that it won't last forever. Shania sang 'can only go up from here' on this day way back in 2002. She then went through some very rough personal trials and landed on her feet. So can you. I have provided a link to an inspirational video that may just adjust your attitude. Even if you don't have feet.
"After all is said and done, more is said than done." Aesop

Monday, June 28, 2010

...when one door closes


"When one door closes, another one opens." That adage has been around for years, so there must be something to it. How else can it's longevity be explained? But what happens when we are the ones to close a door? Does the Universe still open another one? I believe so. Think of the battered wife who finally says 'enough', or the family who builds their dream house only to find out later that it was built on contaminated ground. Things that seem good at the time may not be so good as we grow and learn and we have the power to close that door. Speaking of saying 'enough' and closing doors, on this day in 1969, the Stonewall riots began in New York City. These riots are frequently cited as the first instance in American history when people in the homosexual community fought back against a government-sponsored system that persecuted sexual minorities. They have become the defining event that marked the start of the gay rights movement. Yes, a drag queen supposedly started to beat down a cop with her purse. Good for her/him. Different does not equal weak. The cop reportedly had backwards Louis Vuitton monograms all over his face and arms to prove it. Work hard, be at peace and don't take any shit from haters. Gotta go now. I think I just heard a door opening.
"A coward is much more exposed to quarrels than a man of spirit." Thomas Jefferson

Sunday, June 27, 2010

...eta atm


"Show me the money." Easier said than done sometimes. I am enjoying the rhetoric again regarding UPS and taking responsibility. We all go through these incidents and it doesn't seem fair but we persevere. It is sunny and beautiful in Chester County, PA this morning and hot as Hades. "Show me the pool!" Back to my strange blog title. ETA ATM. The answer, of course is that...on this day in 1967, the world's first ATM was installed in Enfield, London. Banks told people to use them as much as possible and then began to charge an exorbitant fee once they got used to using them. I delivered the chair, ottoman and valances and EW sent the nicest thank you email. I also finished the painted bedroom for EW and she is happy too. Have a good day, drink coconut water and be healthy.
"The best way to predict the future is to create it. "Peter Drucker

Saturday, June 19, 2010

...Father's Day


On this day in 1910 the first Father's Day was celebrated in Spokane, Washington. Father's residing in every other state were unable to celebrate from what I could gather. On June 19, 1910, young members of the YMCA went to church wearing roses: a red rose to honor a living father, and a white rose to honor a deceased father. It took many years to make the holiday official. In spite of support from the YWCA, the YMCA, and churches, Father's Day ran the risk of disappearing from the calendar. Where Mother's Day was met with enthusiasm, Father's Day was often met with laughter. The holiday was gathering attention slowly, but for the wrong reasons. It was the target of much satire, parody and derision, including jokes from the local newspaper Spokesman-Review, written by up and coming comedienne Joan Rivers. Many people saw it as the first step in filling the calendar with mindless promotions, but anyone who has a father must realize how crazy that is. Happy Father's Day to every male who has fathered a child or who has been an upstanding mentor to one.

"Those who stand for nothing fall for anything." Alexander Hamilton

Friday, June 18, 2010

..."V" is for victory


It is also for 'vote'. Ours all count, usually, and in the United States we have that right and privilege as long as you are 18 years of age or older. My guess is that Susan B. Anthony was not yet 18 because, on this day in 1873 she was fined $100 for attempting to vote in the 1872 presidential election. What other reason could it be? EW is happy with her new bedroom and I will finish up this weekend. I also plan on getting those valances finished but time seems to fly. Sunday is Father's Day, so celebrate appropriately. Even those of you who aren't sure if you have fathered a child! "White Lace and Promises" hook rug shown today. Have fun today and try to be a role model for all children...even if you aren't their biological or adoptive Mom or Dad. "V" is for village. It takes a village, but don't be the village idiot.
"All of us have to recognize that we owe our children more than we have been giving them."
Hillary Clinton

Thursday, June 17, 2010

...Taj Mahal


I want to thank everyone who sent such warm and loving wishes to Baby Boy. That little trooper is resting at his favorite location. Well, second favorite location. If I had placed him on the Double Camelback Sofa it would have been rather inappropriate and very wrong. He is in his garden next to his favorite tree. He is also still around as we all know, in spirit and in memory. Not to be too self involved, even tho' it is my blog, but I awoke and went to sleep with Baby Boy 16,804 times before subtracting a week in Tuscon, a week in Georgia and a handful of days in Virginia. You get the idea. I'd like to think that his resting place is his own Taj Mahal, which brings to mind what happened on this day in 1631. No, I wasn't there, but Mumtaz Mahal died during childbirth on that day. Her husband, Mughal emperor Shah Jahan I, then spent more than 20 years building her mausoleum, the Taj Mahal. I am still working on the Velvet Box Pleated Valances and repairing the top of a table as the finish seems to be disappearing. Baby Boy, are you playing little games? If so, they are more than welcome.
"Don't let the fear of striking out hold you back." Babe Ruth

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

...house divided?


Not our house. The Universe was on our side late last night. I stopped at home to give Baby Boy some extra loving and then had to rush off to work. Returning home late, the boys were all waiting for me. We had special dinner and since Baby Boy wanted to lay on the deck, we slept outside. At 3:30 am a light rain began to fall. I picked up Baby Boy and the rest followed inside. We had quality time in a house not divided as our little man passed on in the wee hours of daylight. We love you and will miss you terribly sweet Baby Boy. 23 years is a long time, but never seems quite long enough. We are all grieving today as each brother misses his friend. On this day in 1858 Abraham Lincoln delivered his "House Divided" speech in Springfield, Illinois.

"A house divided against itself cannot stand" Abraham Lincoln

Thursday, June 10, 2010

...hang him by his balls


I did some quick perusing of the new Karen Carpenter book and it is filled with odd facts. On the day that Karen died, which was at her parents home, she had gone down stairs to start the coffee machine. Her usual practice was to then set out three bowls and three mugs for breakfast. This specific morning she only set out two bowls and two mugs and then went back upstairs, where she died. She was scheduled to sign her final divorce papers from the penniless man who took her for a ton of money on that very afternoon. Her fiance also told her just days before their wedding that he was unable to have children, something that she had definitely wanted. It came as a shock and a betrayal to Karen who insisted on calling off the wedding. Her Mother's response, as Karen was ready to call off the wedding was, 'you made your bed now sleep in it.' The wedding was a farce, the honeymoon even moreso and Karen agreed to pay the louse a million more dollars and told him to 'get lost.' Why were there only two bowls and mugs left out that morning? Urban Dictionary comments that "While some gold diggers are males... they are overwhelmingly females since older wealthy women can't birth children which is a major stumbling block and deterrent to male gold digging."
Her words to the bastard were, "I'm not a bank Tommy, I'm not a bank." On this day in 1692 the Salem witch trials began. Bridget Bishop was hanged at Gallows Hill near Salem, Massachusetts, for "certain Detestable Arts called Witchcraft & Sorceries". Tom Burris should have been hung for being a creep. The chaise, chair and ottoman came in and all are beautiful. Quite different than the life of Karen Carpenter.
by Randy Schmidt


"Don't borrow someone else's spectacles to view yourself with." Simon Travaglia
"Don't end a sentence with a preposition" Many

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

...designer heal thyself


Six weeks ago I joined an impromptu tennis match, wearing my steel tipped boots. I know, pretty silly. A day later I figured that I had broken a small bone in my foot. No big deal. My friend and Doctor is currently going through massive chemo so I was not going to call and whine about such a small thing. My dreams are great. I awoke after a dream telling me to put a cotton ball soaked in Hydrogen Peroxide on the lump, so I did. This was at 3 am. Surprisingly and immediately an inch and a half, minuscule thickness metal stick came popping out. Here it is a few days later and now I am free to kick some a** with both feet!.Two interesting freedoms occurred on this day the first being in 1953 when the United States Supreme Court ruled that Washington, D.C. restaurants could not refuse to serve black patrons. Then, on this day in 1984 homosexuality was declared legal in the Australia state of New South Wales. Blacks in restaurants and then gays being made legal? Hell in a hand basket I say. I am delivering a large sisal rug in the next few minutes so I have to sign off. Treasure your freedoms. It can be a very healing thing.

"Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves."
Abraham Lincoln

Saturday, June 5, 2010

...Hetalia/Hotalia baby gaga


Those of us experiencing high temperatures shouldn't complain, but might anyway. On this day in 2003, a severe heat wave across Pakistan and India reached 122°F in the region. "I'm melting!" Speaking of a sandbox, whatever happened to children playing in them...or with Hula Hoops? baby gaga Put down the phone, wipe off the mascara and go outside. I had planned on delivering the painted antique pieces this morning but will wait until I have the time to put a few coats of varnish on the desk top. Hot topic: Hetalia, being released today. If anyone has an interest in animation and ruling the world, it is a must see. Yes, they do resemble 'Speed Racer' and why not? Questions regarding my custom order have begun to arrive. The unlined dust ruffle: Did you want that lined? Uhm, no. That's why it is called unlined.
The Knotted Solid Pillow: Do you want that made in the solid fabric? Uhm, yes...thus the 'solid' moniker. I need a drink and a quick decision. He's go-o-o-ne, and I am referring to a mental state. Would someone turn up the heat please?
'The real problem is not whether machines think but whether men do." B. F. Skinner

Thursday, June 3, 2010

...they shoot Warhol's, don't they?




Andy Warhol was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. He became famous worldwide for his work as a painter, avant-garde filmmaker, record producer, author, and public figure who hung out in diverse social circles that included bohemian street people, distinguished intellectuals, Hollywood celebrities and wealthy patrons. On this day in 1968, Valerie Solanas, author of the "SCUM Manifesto", attempted to assassinate him by shooting him three times. The SCUM Manifesto was a feminist mag written in 1968 by Valerie Solanas where she called for the gendercide of men. Gendercide is the mass killing of a certain sex. I couldn't make this up if I wanted to. I am almost finished painting a desk, chair and shelves in a somewhat Warholesque style, using red, blue, yellow and incorporating large dots. Pop Art for sure, but please refrain from shooting at me. Well, not three times.
"Don't pay any attention to what they write about you. Just measure it in inches."
Andy Warhol

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

...bless the beasts and children II


Hello. A new book about Karen Carpenter is getting quite a bit of press, including her sham of a marriage to a penniless pig named Tom Burris who took her for a lot of cash. Love is blind, but the neighbors aint. On this day in 1979 Pope John Paul II visited his native Poland, becoming the first Pope to visit a Communist country. When Pope John Paul II was still living in Poland as Cardinal Karol Wojtyła, he claimed that the security police would accuse priests of sexual abuse just to hassle and discredit them. (New York Times, 3/28/10). For Wojtyła, the Polish pedophilia problem was nothing more than a Communist plot to smear the church. By the early 1980s, Wojtyła, now ensconced in Rome as Pope John Paul II, treated all stories about pedophile clergy with dismissive aplomb, as little more than slander directed against the church. That remained his stance for the next twenty years. "Bless The Beasts And Children." I viewed new silk fabrics from 'Webster' this morning and chose a couple of possibilities for a large operable balloon valance. It will be blackout lined, as privacy can be paramount. smirk. I placed another needlepoint pillow order, all seaside themed and very well done.

Bless the beasts and children
give them shelter from the storm
keep them safe
keep them warm.
"I'm just afraid I'm gonna miss it all... being married... being a mother." Karen Carpenter

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

...magnetic


The painting is finished as are the valances, headboard and two of the three shelves...oh, and the chair also. Everyone seems tired today, but up and at 'em! It may seem like Christmas to EW when everything gets delivered and what the heck. Speaking of Christmas, on this day in 1831, James Clark Ross discovered the North Magnetic Pole. Quite by accident, he was lucky to have been alone. Some of his dental work had metal fillings and the poor man was stuck to that pole for almost an hour. Thankfully Joan Rivers was walking by with many samples of her metal jewelry collection adorning her neck and wrists and the pole found an immediate 'attraction.' The paparazzi was out in full force, snapping photos of Nolah this weekend, looking rather angelic. Later, she enjoyed Shepherd's Pie and Yellow Fizzy Drinks at a local pub. It was either that or milk. Sunday at AA/UD was great as usual. I am lucky to have a place that is non-confrontational, full of love and respect and a guaranteed great time. The boys agreed as they partook in the party. The neighbors may not have, but, you know...whatever. 'Fusion Sofa Table' pictured.
"Defeat is not the worst of failures. Not to have tried is the true failure." George Edward Woodberry