After the long day I had yesterday, I was really hoping to sleep late today, which is why I was so disappointed when I was up at 7:30am and couldn’t fall back to sleep. I decided to call Eric and even he was surprised to hear from me so early on a Saturday!
I told him that Marlene bought the round clip-on earring mirror and I thought he’d be disappointed, but he was very happy for me. I had told him before that I could always make another and I guess he knows that. He was happy to hear about the new projects I have, because he knows how much my crafting means to me.
I was out of the apartment by 10:00am. I wanted to go to the post office to ship some stuff to Eric, but I had a return from a catalog and it was pre-paid by UPS, so I decided to send both items from UPS. The problem is UPS is really much more expensive than the post office. I could have sent it priority from the post office – in their free box – for less than $10. This cost me over $14 – because I had to pay for a puffy envelope and it was over $3!
The thing with UPS is that if you need to track it, it’s worth it, but if you’re just sending something that’s not valuable or extremely important (and – in this case – it was neither), you’re better off with the good old post office.
After UPS I went to the dry cleaners to have my one set of black work pants cleaned. I wear them about once a week – usually when it’s time to shave my legs. I know, TMI, but it’s true. If it’s time to shave and I’m feeling lazy, I’ll just wear my slacks and get away with one more day!
It’s hard to believe that it’s November, but it’s still quite warm enough to go without stockings. I went out this morning and all I was wearing was a tank top with a light cotton jacket over it. I had to take off the jacket before I even got to the car!
After the dry cleaner’s I decided to go to Target. I had bought a black camisole there and it really fit and felt great, so I wanted to see if they had it in other colors. I also wanted to see if they had more of the magnified reading glasses. I wanted to put a pair in the car.
On the way, as I was driving down Clairemont Drive, I saw two young guys holding signs for a car wash for the local high school. I decided to go and get the car washed, since it hasn’t been washed since Eric left 6 weeks ago.
There were about 6 or 7 kids and a few adults monitoring them. They were all Mexican, and spoke mostly in Spanish, but they were SO nice. Not only did they wash the entire car, including the wheels, but they also dried it completely and then washed all the windows with Windex – inside and out! I couldn’t believe it. They all worked so hard, and it was hot out.
They had Spanish music playing and one young man started singing. The other kids were telling him to shut up and I said he had a beautiful voice and should never let anyone tell him to stop singing. He told me he loved to sing and he just beamed when I told him I thought he sounded great.
When they were done (it was about 20 minutes), I told them all that they would go far in life, because they weren’t afraid of a little hard work, and they did a beautiful job and I could see they would be successful in anything they chose to do. Now, they were all beaming. The suggested contribution was $5, but I gave $7, because I had two singles in my wallet with a $5 and I thought they did such a great job. I just thought they’d hose it down, wash it a little, and wipe it a little. They really went all the way and the car was sparkling! I know Eric would have been very pleased!
With my sparkling PT Cruiser, I drove to Target and found the same camisole in red. I love wearing camisoles under certain blouses and dresses and this one was so comfortable, so I was glad to have another. Unfortunately, they didn't have any more magnified eyeglasses. I think with Target you have to grab things while they're there, because they change out their inventory often.
I also tried on a few jackets and bought one that is a black and white tweed with a belt. It’s short-sleeved, but it’s heavier than some of the other things I wear around the office. It’s strange that it’s short-sleeved, but I think that might be a California thing. It’s a winter-weight, but it’s short sleeved. That’s just weird to me!
When I got home I had some spinach and a veggie latke for lunch and then watched a little TV until it was time for my massage. I wanted to do laundry, but I don’t have quarters!
My massage was at 2:30pm. Leah has give me 3 massages before this and she is the best. The last time I was there was with Ilene when she came to visit from L.A. Leah gave me a great deal –- a full hour for $35, which is just amazing. She is so wonderful and when my hour was up I could have just fallen asleep right then and there on the table. I managed to get dress, pay her and drive home, but as soon as I got home I took a shower (to get all the oil off me) and then took a nap. I saw the Little Drummer Boy leaving with his mother as I came home, so I knew there wouldn’t be any drumming, etc., while I tried to nap. I was right! I had a great nap and didn’t wake up until 7:30pm.
Now, I was rarin’ to go. I had a veggie corn dog for dinner (I know, it’s not much, but the fridge is practically empty until I go food shopping!), spoke to Eric for a few minutes and then started on Marlene’s butterfly decoupage mirror. I put on five CDs – all girls – and put it on RANDOM, so they would all mix up. I had on Faith Hill, Kelly Clarkson, Celine Dion, Vanessa Carlton and Annie Lennox.
It was a very small surface that needed to be decoupaged, so it didn’t take me more than an hour to complete the project. I have to look at it again when it’s totally dry, because I usually want to fix something or other, but – for the most part – it’s done.
The difference between the decoupage and jewelry mosaics is that there’s another step for the decoupage – the varnishing. So, I still have more to do before it’s complete.
I examined it when it was pretty dry, added a few pieces here and there, and then let it dry for about an hour. Then I put the first coat of varnish on it (spraying it inside a cardboard box on the balcony outside). One good thing about San Diego is that you can varnish outside all year round. In NY, I had to do varnishing in the unventilated basement during the winter months, because it was just too cold to work outside – the varnish needs to stay at least 65 degrees in order to work right.
I want to do a vase for Elsa with a wine motif, since she and her husband are really into wine tastings, and wine and cheese places, etc. I’m not much of a wine drinker, so I can’t relate, but I thought it would be a great gift for her, and I know she’ll appreciate it. I went through all my “food and drink” cuttings and was able to find enough to easily cover the vase, with probably a lot left over. Now that I know I have what I need, that has to wait until after the commissioned work is complete. I still have the yoga tray and mirror to do.
I can’t wait to see SNL tonight. Ben Affleck is hosting, and he is always really funny on this show. David Cook is the musical guest – the winner of this year’s American Idol and I’m a big fan, so it should be an all-around great show!
The only bad thing is that Amy Poehler isn’t on, because she had her baby last weekend (Archie Arnett). I think she is ALWAYS funny and I love the characters she creates. I don’t think she’s coming back to SNL. She will be missed!
Tomorrow I have to go food shopping and get quarters, so I can do laundry before I head to the movies in the afternoon. It’s a good thing I’ll have that extra hour for Daylight Savings. I’m going to need it!