• Bring spring clamps to attach your table cloth to the table legs
• Maybe use bean bags to hold down signs
• Collect underpan..wait, different list

Maybe we’ll just go with “call out sick and have a martini, you’ll enjoy it more”.

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I saw a blond girl today , she was mildly pretty, but pretty like the woman that gets killed in the first 10 minutes of a slasher film pretty.   She liked my rings though.  Not enough to buy one, but at least she found them interesting.  Cue the screechy violins *Eee! Eee! Eee!*

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I’m pretty sure I came in under what my table fee was, but oddly I’m not bitter and angry about it like normal.   The weather was lovely, the event itself was pretty well run, and the music was pretty good.   It was their first year doing it, but if invited, I’d give it a second year.  The one complaint I heard from another attendee, was that the show wasn’t well advertised.  I hadn’t heard anything about it aside from the emails I received as part of the event, so I kind of agree.    It was a fairly low attendance affair.   It’s tough to tell if the admission fee put people off, or if it was a lack of advertising bringing people over.  I get the feeling I wasn’t the only vendor to have a bad sales day.

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There was a young woman, maybe college aged [tougher to tell as I age] having a fantastic time dancing and hula hooping to a couple of the bands.   I’m pretty sure she was a groupie for one of them, Love in Stockholm, and it was a little sad when a guy with at least 15 years on me started dancing with her.  But she was nice about it and had a great time anyway.   I admire that carefree attitude.  That’s why I think she’s still in college, or as I like to call it “pretend adulthood”.    Love in Stockholm was pretty good, by the way.  I almost bought a CD.  Almost.

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The Road Kill Orchestra was absolutely incredible.   I did try to buy a CD, they didn’t have one.  Darn it.

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The Sam Kininger Band was awesome and then some.  Wanted a CD, they had already packed up and fled by the time I got my gear and tent packed in the car and came back in to buy one.  I think I can get one online.

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Note to self, need robot minions to carry my gear on outdoor shows from now on.  300+ pounds of gear, a dolly, gravel, and an incline do not make for a good load out.

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I had dropped my prices some for this show.  Partly to try to move some stuff because I like money, partly to try to move some stuff that’s been around too long.  Unfortunately a kid came up (I’m 35, anyone younger is a ‘kid’) and mentioned how he will most seriously be looking me up to buy some pendants because he wants to buy more of my pendants (I had ALL of them priced at 10.00 each) because he makes jewelry and could slap them on a piece of hemp and make some money selling them for $15.00.    That’s lovely, junior, but I typically start my pricing on those at $20.    Don’t get me wrong, I admire his entrepreneurship, but that quite honestly was one of the rudest things someone has said to me at a show in a long time.  Or maybe I just don’t listen to people that well, but still.

Incidentally, my pricing on my marbles was artificially low too.   For small, medium, and large it was $8, $10, $25 respectively.   One guy actually talked me down a dollar on a medium sized marble.  BUT, he had already bought one earlier in the day, I genuinely believed he only had $9 on him rather than was attempting to haggle, and I appreciate anyone that fawns over the product for a good 15 minutes AND actually buys something.

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I was actually nice to someone today.  Another artist, an interesting painter, packed up early because one of his paintings got damaged in the wind, and he was worried they’d go airborne and hurt someone, and he asked to borrow my dolly.   I have one of the nice ones that can work upright or horizontally for more room, and I actually said yes.   I did a good deed, what’s up with that??!?   I think I was just in a genuinely good mood.

It turns out that may no longer be the official line.  Interesting.      Below is the response from the science division at the ADA.   I’ve redacted the name and contact info of the gentleman who replied.  If he happens through and wants his name included, I’ll be happy to do so.

Dear Mr. Kies:

Thank you for your email.

The ADA makes no recommendation regarding time in the brushing of the teeth. In fact, there are no studies that identify a period of time as indicated for the brushing of teeth.

The ADA recommends that patients direct their efforts at cleaning the surfaces of their tooth.  The ADA brochure “Toothbrushes and Toothpastes” (2001) states: “Concentrate on cleaning all the surfaces of the teeth.”  See also the ADA.org subject page “Cleaning your Teeth and Gums” at www.ada.org/2624.aspx.

When properly used, manual and powered toothbrushes can achieve the same goal – cleaning the surfaces of the teeth.  (And we would also recommend the use of dental floss.)  Please see “A Look At Toothbrushes” athttp://www.ada.org/sections/scienceAndResearch/pdfs/patient_78.pdf.

Periodical literature on the role of tooth brushing in oral hygiene may be found using PubMed, a search tool of the US National Library of Medicine at http://www.PubMed.gov.  Some publications may be accessible in full text (or open access.)

Please let me know if I may be of additional assistance.

Sincerely,

[REMOVED]
Manager, Scientific Information
Council on Scientific Affairs
[REMOVED]

So there you have it.  Just do a good job.

G: I’m really fighting the urge to go get a frosty

T: Yes, I’d love one, here’s $2.00, get me one too.

G: You’re going to go get it *Jedi hand wave*

T: (in his best Vizzini) NEVER challenge a Jedi when death is on the line!

G: Jeez, how many movies was that there?

Then Santa walked in wearing a Laconia t-shirt.

J: Ho! Ho! Ho!

T: No honey, that’s not Santa.

Your gentle breath in and out provides me comfort and reward to know that you’re making your way safely into the next day’s light.

Eventually I too tire and lay my head down, but not before I’m sure that you are secure in your beds and dreams.  But I sleep the restful sleep, vigilant through the hours until I’m either needed again or the dawn breaks the horizon once more.

Sleep well my family, know that I have once again seen you safely into the night shielded by my love.

A while back I had a work problem, and I didn’t come up with the solution at the keyboard, it came to me in the shower while I was concentrating on not slipping. Luckily this lack of concentration on not slipping wasn’t disastrous.

Last night, while tossing and turning in the darkness I got up to wander to the bathroom and noticed the lovely moonlight in the backyard. I liked how it was filtering through the trees, setting ghostly highlights on the toy motorcycle in the yard, even how the shadows were distorted and enhanced by the clothes my wife had put up on the line. Given the cool fall-like air, it was a very Halloween type moment.

After getting back into bed my brain kicked in again and spit out something totally useless, but it was phrased nicely though I thought I’d share. If you’re on my Facebook list you may have already seen this. If not, excuse my hackish prose.

High above the trees the moonlight shown down, filtered by the trees to cast playful highlights and pools of shadows across the darkened yard. Whether fairies or imps inhabited these pools of darkness I was not inclined to find out, but I found fancy in the mere thought of their existence. Play while you can for night travels fast across the land and dawn will soon be upon us, and your hidden refuge will once again be no more.

Random thoughts on the way to bed, but interestingly enough, once I got that out of my head I was able to sleep.

Wouldn’t you know it?  Someone was in front of me at the drive up window.  So my good deed wound up inconveniencing me.

Know what though?  I’d do it again because I’d hope someone would do the same for me.  I’m sure 20 minutes later she realized what she did and started to freak out wondering if the number was on it’s way to the internet to be sold to an identity thief.   Well, I hope I made her day.

At any rate, I plan to start putting my lunatic ideas on the web.  They might be glass related, they might just make you think I’m insane and plotting against humanity.  Either way, enjoy!  I’ll try to update it often but honestly, I’ve got 2 kids, a day job and I’m trying to run a glass art studio of my own.  Don’t nag.