I got a $500 tip today from a client. Some days I DO love my job!
Yes, I said ***five hundred dollar tip***.
Such bliss.
So, I do believe the Universe is blessing me--I could be snarfy about other things that happened today--but I won't. Cause I am so darned happy about this tip. So very grateful.
And, no, all I did was talk to the guy. We've never even met in person. Thank you. ;-p
And I TOTALLY blew my first two goals of this year, hands down and no way to get around it: I decided that I should buy my birthday presents for myself now (as I was told that this money was for me and I was to buy myself something nice--and although I won't use it all on myself since there is no need to--I am taking this opportunity to use it while I am in the mood....).
I bought knitting books--AND I bought yarn.
I was planning to buy noro kureyon yarn--well, because I am a yarn whore and a yarn snob and that stuff is fabulous--then I saw noro matsuri--and I think if I believed in 'Heaven' this yarn would be it.
However--I bought neither in the end.
Ever the practical Mama me. The knitting books I bought--all baby/child/family oriented. The yarn--I have wanted cotton chenille yarn to make baby/child washcloths for how long?
I bought cotton chenille yarn, linen soy cotton chenille yarn, and plied bamboo yarn--all from the wonderful same seller--and in case you misunderstand--I bought 3 POUNDS of yarn. :-) Since as we all know I am just not a woman to do things by halves.
I lied--I did have to buy one dvd--not for myself--because I needed to qualify for the amazon.com free shipping thingy--so 'wow wow wubzy' is also on the way--but I was going to have to get that anyway. At least this is my excuse and I am sticking to it...
However, I do believe I have cleared my wish list of all the knitting for baby books, and a couple knitting for bigger kids books--and one knitting for family book.
So--3 pounds of yarn, one dvd for a stinky little snot-head (and his sister) and 8 knitting books--for roughly $150. And my own birthday next month has been taken care of--except for the tv for the family we have been planning to buy.
All other money is going to the let's buy a car fund--and to pay bills. :-)
The only other thing I am getting myself for my birthday--and please don't laugh--is a refillable fountain pen--in ocean colours. And yes, I already know where I am getting it from as well (can we say--'damned etsy' just one more time please? :-) ). I am reading one of my two copies of "Writing Down the Bones" by Natalie Goldberg (it is one of those books that I bought again, while I still had a copy in storage--and had utterly forgotten the in-storage copy--and the in-storage copy was a much more recent and updated version--so I don't feel bad about giving it away). I am not very far into it--and I skip around alot (which she says to do --as if I have to defend me and ADHD self)--and one thing stuck in my brain--doing for my writing what I allowed myself to do with my knitting and my crocheting--PLAY.
For my knitting and my crocheting--I gave myself permission to try all sorts of needles and hooks -- plastic, bamboo, metal, rosewood, horn--and permission to become an absolute yarn whore and yarn snob (these are not exclusive to one another, no). For my writing, however, I have always been a coward--I have a certain type of pen I like to use -- and I prefer to write in purple or green ink--although my all time favourite ink colour is: brown. Brown ink is not so easy to come by in regular disposable pens, not that I have found anyway. I have seen it in ink cartridges and in ink pots--so brown ink here I come--at some point. The pen is re-fillable, so that makes it a nice thing. And fountain pens are supposed to write smoothly and easily and gracefully. I already know that I adore dip pens--this is just a natural progression. Plus, my sister collects fountain pens and I love a good pen any day. Plus, not only do I have tons of a variety of papers, including blank books bought specifically for art work and other artistic pursuits, but I am not afraid to use them. And every time school sales come around at the local stores--I stock up on notebook paper and 1 subject notebooks--but I don't think these will fly anymore for my actual writing.
I do believe (a la my 'dark half') that if I sit down and write by hand-even though I will accomplish far less in nearly twice the time :-) - that I will write better and stronger than if I write by computer. Does this sound bizarre to anyone else other than me? :-) But it is true--I can concentrate more--my head aches less--I SPELL better--I focus better--and plus I never have the urge to check my email when I am writing by hand--although I love dictionary.com to death. I do so love my archaic expanded vocabulary--even though in every day life I usually have to use very small words to deal with people (not my children though--I love throwing big words at them--and E is eating it up alot more these days, the inquisitive little thing :-) )
My novel is still --not even filled in yet. I have the main basis of the story (why must love always be triangular for me? actually, it is a bit more complicated than that as well--but it's a good enough clue to the main bits). I have elements I am planning to combine in this first book (because one day surely the whole conglomeration must be put into print--and it is not a sequel or a trio by any means--not if I can get it right the first time out of the gate). My laptop has a "home" key--do you have any clue how annoying that is? I am in the process of looking for a new desktop computer--because this mac of mine MUST go--I've been griping about it far too long--and it is time to say good-bye to the mac--and bring on a much better pc. Please and thank you.
After we get the desktop handled, we will be looking into a laptop--maybe. I may be happy with the desktop and keep my old laptop--or for what I can upgrade to--get the new laptop--with NO home key and give this current laptop to the small girl to run her games and whatnot on--that would thrill her to no end.
Guess it is a good thing I didn't end up painting this laptop--not that I don't often think about it.
lol
Pictures of yarns and books forthcoming at some future point.
Yarn ships tomorrow--yes, I bought it not 20 minutes ago--and it's already in IL too. Of course, amazon always likes to take their time when you do the free shipping thing--so the books will get here--but even if everything arrived tomorrow--it would NOT be soon enough for me. :-)
Ciao for the moment!
