You gotta love it

Hackers broke into the computers of some signs in Texas and reprogrammed them. I love it.

Enough Already...

Between now and tomorrow night we are suppose to get 11-17" of snow. I know that I live in Cleveland and this is Janaury....but enough. I'm am sick of snow, cold, and short days. I would work at home tomorrow except I am interviewing a job applicant in the morning.

The good news is that I got my bronze today...2 kilos...Woo Hoo!! I sat here and hugged it for about 5 minutes....hee hee. I also ordered some other stuff and it was all boxed up so it's been like Christmas opening up all these little boxes. I ordered a pair of mini ice cream scoops. They are for wax carving and there are four different size scoops on the two tools. I want to see what they will do on both wet and dry clay. The edges seem pretty sharp so I'm curious if they will cut into the dry bronze clay. I also got some niobium ear wires for the bronze earrings. I was wearing a pair at work the other day that had brass ear wires and one ear started to get really irritated. So I decided that I am only going to use the niobium from now on since they are hypo-allergenic. I have had a number of customers ask about the ear wires. It's just easier to use something hypo-allergenic so customers don't have a problem.

So I probably won't have a chance to rip into the clay until Thursday. I don't expect to get home from work early tomorrow. When there are really bad snow storms....the streets around the hospital tend to get grid locked at about the time I want to come home. One year the streets were so locked that I stayed until 10PM when the cars finally started moving. It's better to sit in my office than in my car. I ended up with 8 people in my office sitting around talking.

But be ready for pics over the weekend...I'm thinking some lentils with big gaping rips in them :)) I'm still not done with the patch straps and faux rivets.

Just about done with the winter studio cleanup

The is my new desk and metal clay workstation. I managed to hang the shelf on Friday. I have two smaller ledges coming that will go under the large shelf up above. Now I'm ready for the bronze to get here...hopefully on Tuesday.

It will be so nice not to work on the dining room table and have to clean it up when people come over.....not that I have a whole lotta people over....I'm quickly becoming a recluse. But now I can leave the tools out. This will be the last time this workstation is clean.

I'm making progress....

BEFORE........................................



AFTER..............................................................

2/3rds of the room is now organized. I still need to put up shelves on this side of the room. Once the TV stops working in February I am going to buy a flat panel monitor. I don't have cable in the room but I have a DVD player so I can watch movies while I work.

One more area in the room to clean up and I wll be ready for to go back to work. Good thing...I just ordered 2 kilos of bronze clay :)) Oh Happy Days!!!!! Next weekend I'm going be elbow deep in bronze and then the room won't look so pretty.

Pictures worthy of Etsy

Etsy had a good article on "feature friendly photos" for your store. Even if you don't have items on Etsy but want to take some interesting pictures for brochures or postcards this article gives some good tips....like taking pictures on an angle.

Now for a little fun......

If you like the LOL cat pictures that get posted and are political then you should love the Pundit Kitchen. Some of them are most excellent :)

What do you say.....

on a day like today.

I've seen historic moments in my life. Too many assassinations than I care to remember, man walking on the moon, civil rights marches and riots, wars and protests, ....the list goes on. But today was truely a joyful moment. The hospital I work for made it possible to watch the inaguration. They broadcast the event into various auditoriums and provided a link so it could be watched on computers. I went down to our conference room because I wanted to be with people. The room seats 120 people but I think we had 150. People were standing along the walls and sitting in the aisles. I work in a research institute and we represent 40 different countries around the world. The audience was a mix of those countries. Many of them are here to work for few years, get some training, and then go back home. But they came out to watch the inaguration. One thing I learned by traveling to Europe is that the world does not revolve around the US, but it is effected by the US. They were there to witness this moment and hope for a better future. When Obama was sworn in the room erupted in applause.

One of the scientists in my department (TJ) is from Denmark. It was dinner time in Europe when the inaguration took place...prime time. TJ's mother insisted on staying home so she could also witness this event. She told her husband if he got hungry he could just go out and cook something for himself. She wasn't budging from the TV. Most of Europe was watching. They too have hopes for a new era. They too are praying that the new President will be successful in correcting the massive problems we face as a country. If we are successful it will be a better world for everyone.

But I was reminded that not all of the US is behind our new president. Members of my own family do not looking kindly on our new leader. Although they say they will give him the benefit of the doubt...they are already looking for things to hold him accountable for ... including the fact that the stock market has been dropping since election day. Should I say DUH...it crashed before the election. But I've given up on trying to convince them that this is a change for the better.

The past administration should be ashamed. I doubt if they are because they are greedy, arrogant, and self-centered. They have left the US in a state of disrepair, so we have to focus our attentions to areas that shouldn't have been allowed to go astray. But for the first time in 8 years I (along with at least half the country) am hopeful that we can get back to being a country to be proud of. But I can't help but wonder what we could do as a country under this new inspirational President if we didn't have to focus on a war in Iraq and a failing economy. Hopefully we will all get a chance to find out.

Etsy Treasury...My First

From Etsy.......The Treasury is a member-curated gallery of short-lived lists of 12 hand-picked items each (plus four alternates). It functions as a high-demand (and pretty!) promotional tool that many devoted Etsians fight to get. Members can feature their favorite items, items selected on a theme, or just however they like. The Treasury is not intended for self-promotion, but instead to acknowledge and share the many cool things for sale on Etsy.

I'm in one with a bunch of other Cleveland Artists called "ooOOO Cleveland Rocks Metallica". Check it out as it will only be there until Thursday.

Still Cleaning...

I'm still cleaning the workroom and sorting out the tools......

I picked this up in Paris in BHV. It's a department store but in the basement they have the equivalent of a Home Depot. It's a stiff leather tool box. Being Paris....they had it in multiple colors.


and its' the pefect place for my little brass hammers and my Fretz hammers.

Bar-B-Que...anyone???

The grill is ready.....

Take a stroll around the garden. This is our garden frog.....

Some of our pines.....

And the pet flamingo.......

Have a seat. The burgers will be ready is just a bit.

Copper Clay???

From the Metal Clay Academy website....

Copper clay is very new and not available everywhere yet. However, it is available in Australia and New Zealand. We'll keep you updated on this new member of the metal clay family so watch this space!

The Eclectic Studio - Australia
Copper Clay is currently available in 100gm packs. Only available to Australia and New Zealand. Also supply PMC, Bronzclay, tools, Faux Bone, glass, findings, kilns, wire and all kinds of other useful supplies for metal clay artists and jewellery makers.

Watch the MCA website for more info!!!

Cris sent the cold my way...

It was -12 this morning when I went to work. My nose hairs froze together...which is probably more information than what you wanted....but they did. As I walked from my car to where I worked I thought my face was going to freeze off. But if it did I guess I work in the right hospital since we just performed the first face transplant in the United States. The wind was blowing so I imagine that the wind chill temperature was about -35. That stings.

But I'm now curled up in chair nice and warm with the new Rio catalog in my lap. I need to order some bronze and maybe a new tool or two :)

Pray for Zero

That's what everyone was doing today...praying for zero. Because zero degrees would have been a heat wave for alot of people. It was -1 when I left for work today and right now it is -2 so zero isn't so off the mark for Cleveland....but Cris is expecting it to be -35 tonight in Iowa City. Did you see "The Day After Tomorrow" with Dennis Quaid....when the northern part of the US underwent dramatic climate change and basically turned us into the North Pole. Well....that's what it feels like.

Kofi Annan just offered me $3.7 million

I just got 6 separate e-mails from Kofi (former secretary of the UN)....my close friend offering me the money..... What d'ya think....should I contact him????

CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA COMPENSATION UNIT, IN AFFILIATION WITH THE UNITED NATIONATTN:

Sir/Madam,

How are you today?Hope all is well with you and family?,You may not understand why this mail came to you.We have been having a meeting for the passed 7 months which ended 2 days ago with the secretary to the UNITED NATIONS. This email is to all the people that have been scammed in any part of the world.The UNITED NATIONS have agreed to compensate them with the sum of US$3.700,000.00.This includes every foriegn contractors that may have not received their contract sum,and people that have had an unfinished transaction or international businesses that failed due to Government problems etc. We found your name in our list and that is why we are contacting you,This have been agreed upon and have been signed Therefore,we are happy to inform you that an arrangement has perfectly been concluded to effect your payment as soon as possible in our bid to be transparent. However,it is our pleasure to inform you that your ATM Card Number; 5490 9957 6302 4525 has been approved and upgraded in your favor. Meanwhile,your Secret Pin Number will be available as soon as youconfirm to us the receipt of your ATM CARD. The ATM Card Value is $3.700,000.00 USD Only. You are advised that a maximum withdrawal value of US$10,000.00 is permitted daily. And we are duly inter-switched and you can make withdrawal in any location of the ATM Center of your choice/nearest to you any where in the world. We have also concluded delivery arrangement with our accredited courier service Company to oversee the delivery of the ATM Card to you without any further delay. So you are hereby advice to forward to this office Director ATM SWIFT CARD Department Therefore.You should send him your full Name and Telephone number/your correct mailing address where you want him to send the ATM to you. Contact Mr.John Ibru immediately for your ATM SWIFT CARD:Person to Contact Mr.John IbruEmail:telexdept.cbn.cardoffice@googlemail.comThanks and God bless you and your family.Hoping to hear from you as soon as you receive your ATM.Making the world a better place

Regards,
Mr. Kofi AnnanFormer Secretary (UNITED NATIONS)

It wasn't good enough to send me one e-mail....he sent me six. I get at least one of these types of e-mails a week. It's kinda like drugs.... it's a know fact when heroin gets scarce, crime on the streets increases. When the economy tanks....everyone is trying to scam you.

Me....I've been selling books. I blogged earlier about how I cleaned out my stash of books. Most of the travel books, novels, non-fiction books I donated to the local library. They have quarterly sales and sell the books to benefit the library. But the art/craft books I decided to put up for sale on Amazon. Most don't go for a whole lot...but it's a small way to make some money....of course to buy more books. I've sold 12 books and made $120. Who knew they would sell that well. It has been a pain always running to the post office to send the books out. But I'm glad other people are getting use of the books.

I am truely a geek

So today B&B opened up registration for classes. I blocked off my calendar at work so I could be at my desk at 1pm. At about 11AM I started watching the clock. My computer is suppose to notify me of appointments but sometimes it gets all weird and doesn't. So I also programmed by Blackberry to alarm at 12:55pm. As it got closer to 1pm, I got increasingly antsy. I think I logged on about 10 minutes early and would refresh my screen about 3 times a minute to make sure that I didn't miss the moment registration opened. I was all nervous and shaky....so worried that I wouldn't get the classes that I wanted. I actually looked at the system last night to make sure I knew how to navigate it. Geek...huh?! I do this every year. I don't know why. I was in and out of the system in about 2 minutes and got everything I wanted. So I'll be PMCing, soldering, weaving and bronzclaying my way through the B&B conference come June. My BFF Cris is taking all the same classes. I can't wait. It is going to be a great week!!!!!

And the winner is.....

I used a random number generater...AKA...Lou to select a number between 1 and 7...the first person to post a comment being #1 and the last person #7. So the winner is....#2 .....Wendy. Congratulations Wendy. Send me an e-mail with your address and I will send you the earrings. My e-mail is over on the right hand side of the blog.







The general theme among the comments was to set deadlines, appointments, and generally schedule your time and projects just as you would any other important aspect of your life. Elaine suggested a couple of books... Art and Fear and Making Room for Art.

My backyard today

There's about 8" of snow. We shoveled out the drive so I could go to the grocery store. I walked in behind a man who turned around and said..."Now this is what January is suppose to be like". He laughed. So did I...he had an Elmer Fudd type hat on with the flaps over his ears.

Cleaning day in the studio

I spent most the afternoon in my workroom moving things around, cleaning and straightening things up. This is where I store my books and magazine. I moved the bookcase on the right over to this side of the room today to consolidate it all all in one area and make a nice place to read. Want to come over and read with me??

The room is small...only 8' x 11' so I have to make the most of it. Now I have to tackle the other side of the room. That is a mess...but this really isn't just a one-weekend job because I'm sorting through and organizing everything.

I told you it was a mess. I'll be working on it tomorrwo and probably next weekend too. The bookcase that I moved was originally on the wall to the right which you can't see in this picture. I am going to put another workstation on that wall and shelves.

The Men's Room Wall....

Well...I'm not really on the men's room wall but....

Lou called me at work today. One of his employees..Juan...came into the office and asked..

"Is your wife's name Gail?"

According to Lou, Juan was in the men's room at the hospital and 3 guys in there were talking about me. I stopped Lou right there...

"YEAH, YEAH, YEAH....Not Funny" I said

"No Really" he said.

Juan told him the story...laughing... and then said...

"Don't hit me, but I thought you should know they were talking about your wife."

Apparently they were talking about how to get some business function done and one guy said...

"Get the paperwork together and send it to Gail Lannum....she'll take care of it"

which is really odd because the hospital is a campus of 13,000 people, 3 city blocks wide and about 10 city blocks long...runs from 85th to 110th.... and Lou and I don't work in the same buildings.

So instead of ..."for a good time" .... its...... "for good administration call Gail"

I guess it's good to be know for something but I wish they didn't discuss me in the men's room.

I couldn't help myself....

I haven't been political since the election. I couldn't help myself. You have to see this video....




I don't know whether to laugh or cry. No wonder we are circling the drain.

OK...here is something cute to laught at




Don't forget....leave a comment on my post from the 5th and you have a chance to win a pair of earrings.

Having a Foot in Two Worlds

I have a foot in the world of people who go to work for someone else everyday. Most of us do it because it is a means to an end. The lucky ones do it because they love what they do. I also have a foot in the art jewelry world. The world where I would like to spend all of my time. If I could only have both feet in the art jewelry world where I go to work everyday, for myself, to make my art then I would be one of the lucky ones. But...for a number of reasons I continue to keep my feet in both worlds.

So I went to work today...the start of a full week...the first full week in a while. It actually felt good. At work I am quick, efficient, productive. It felt good. I only seem to have those traits when I am in the my work world. When I am in the art jewelry world I feel unfocused. There are sooo many things I want to try, make, study, read. I seem to move from one thing to the next not making much of a dent in anything. I guess this is part of my challenge to un-clutter things in my life this year. To prioritize what I want to do and try to focus on a few items.

How do others do it?? How do you do it?? Do you have any tricks or tips for how you keep your focus, maintain your energy, squeeze a few more hours out of an already jam-packed day???

Leave a suggestion by midnight EST Friday 1/9/09 and be in a drawing to win a sweet little pair of bronze earrings pictured below. I'll post all the suggesions on Saturday.

Diamonds and Pearls

Today I dragged Lou down the to Cleveland Art Museum to see the Artistic Luxury exhibit. This show combines the jewelry, glass and other works of art from Tiffany, Faberge, and Lalique. Absolutely stunning. I think even Lou liked it. It featured their works that were brought together for the 1900 World's Exhibition in Paris. The exhibit is on until January 18th so if you have a chance I would highly recommend this. This isn't just a jewelry show...these are truely works of art. I can't begin to tell you how intricate and delicate some of the pieces were. There was a tiara of platinum and diamonds from Faberge....it was so delicate and beautiful...and I can't even fathom how much it is worth. Of course there were a number of Faberge eggs on exhibit as well. The show goes to San Francisco next.

Happy New Year!!!

Oh...the start of new year. So many people think of this day as a day of change. A new starting point. What will you change in your life this year?? I have made resolutions in the past and as typical for most people....I broke them almost immediately. So resolutions for the new year won't be part of my routine today. I think resolutions for life will be my focus. The first is to continue my quest to remove the unimportant, unessential things that clutter up my life, my house, my pursuit of happiness. I've started by going from room to room and removing things that I haven't used in the past year. This includes clothes, books, furniture. When I walk into a room I am trying to see it with fresh eyes and notice the things that stick out as useless. Our house is small so it helps to get rid of things now and then and open up the rooms. I am doing the same thing with my clothes. I have clothes in my closet that I haven't been able to wear for about 5 years. I think it is time to donate them. I have 30 books ready to go to the library and a number of artsy/craftsy books up for sale on Amazon...sold 3 already. Then on to my personal life. Time to reevaluate what is important...what and who I really want to spend my time on and get rid of the rest. I think this should keep me busy for the year.

Part of my de-cluttering includes my workroom. I ran across a magazine today...Cloth, Paper, Scissors...they have a special issue out all about organizing your art studio. Some of the people featured have massive studios either in their house or on their property. Others have closets...like me. I have an 8'x8' room so organization or storage are key. I plan to soak up this magazine in the next couple days.



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