Rock and Roll Will Save Your Life, etc.

A couple of weeks ago, Jere and I went to the Boston Book Festival to see our heroine, Kristin Hersh. I believe that she has mentions on this blog here and here. I was very excited to learn that she had released a memoir. Even better, there was a whole evening devoted to rock star writer types scheduled this month. The icing on the cake? Said event was being hosted by Steve Almond, author of (among others) Candy Freak (one of Jere's favorite reads), My Life in Heavy Metal and Rock and Roll Will Save Your Life (The words in the title are organized in the shape of a crucifix on the jacket, despite Almond's Jewish roots.) This summer, for one week, he hosted The Emily Rooney Show on WGBH (the NPR station I prefer over WBUR, however, I do miss burly, little Bob Oakes in the morning). Monday through Thursday, I think he pretty much stuck to the outline of the show's topics, but on the Friday of that week, he took the reigns and delivered a refreshingly different and lighter alternative to the political blah-dee-blah. It was a churchy-like show in which we, the listeners, called in and confessed our guiltiest musical indulgences. Almond played the part of the Catholic priest, administering penance for such pleasures as oh, I don't know, Emily Rooney's Everybody Hurts by REM (Does this even qualify?). I wanted to muster the courage to confess that E.L.O.'s Do Ya has always been my own personal Desperado, but, alas, it was a particularly busy day in my workshop and I couldn't break away from all the soapy necessities.

While at the event, I purchased a hardcover copy of RARWSYL and had Almond sign it for me. While in line for this, Jere waited for an autograph from Hersh. He also asked her to do the intro to his web show, Randomonium. For his debut episode, he was fortunate enough to get Andrew W. K. to do an intro. I think Hersh tops this, but it's debatable. He's done several episodes since then, scoring intros by Danbury Connecticut's impressive hardcore get-up, The Pist and Red Sox legend, Bill "The Spaceman (but please don't call me that)" Lee.

Anyhoo, I've since read Almond's book and I found it to be quite energizing. While I don't consider myself to be a Drooling Fanatic, by any stretch, I do get giddy over some more or less obscure seeming artists (I absolutely love The Fall, for instance, but it is rare to be able to talk "Mark E. Smith" with someone). I am still in geeky love with all three members of Rush and I am pretty sure I can still recite all of their albums in alphabetical order.

After reading the book, I have decided that I would like him to release a testimonial about my soaps. I have wanted to have a good, reputable celebrity type to publicly endorse my soaps, and who better for the job? Most of my soaps are tributes to my favorite rock stars and/or feminists. My Bad Brains ode, Soap Craft, is scented in African Rain, which I find rather amusing, as Almond devotes a passage to analyzing Toto's "Africa," where it apparently rains a lot.

The question is: Does Steve Almond bathe? I would guess that yes, he does. Would Steve Almond like a bunch of free soaps in exchange for a brief, but positive testimonial (if he appreciates them, that is)? Perhaps. However, I think his wife could dig them, too, as she (from what he descibes) seems like a super rad lady who would might understand why my Dinosaur Jr. soap is purple and green.

Of course, I am chicken. What kind of asshole would I look like if I approached Mr. Almond with this request? The kind of weirdo who makes soap for a living (but, lest we forget that we do live in a post Fight Club world and some people actually understand that the danger level in mixing lye and water with oil can be perceived as kind of cool).

So, Steve, if you are reading this and you are interested in indulging me, please comment! Would it make you feel better if I said that you would be bumping Kathleen Hanna, my idol, out of first place?

Crosswords, Soap and Haiti

I am a huge fan of crossword puzzles. Every week day, I must complete The USA Today Crossword (and the Word Round Up), as well as the LA Times Crossword and the one on Boston.com (I don't particularly care for the technology they use for that one, which is always why I do it last). My favorite part of the morning is digging into the crosswords. Jere has suggested that I move on to Will Shortz's crossword on the NY Times site. You have to pay to play, but apparently, it is more challenging and the design of each puzzle is very clever. I am considering it.

So, some good news on the business front. I am getting a full page in The Providence Monthly. Next month! I met with the editor a week ago to drop off some soap for the photo shoot. She is a very hip gal and I immediately felt comfortable talking to her. The Providence Monthly (they also publish East Side Monthly, SO Rhode Island and The Bay) is in a funky location in Olneyville near this yummy Cuban restaurant we just tried called The Cuban Revolution. We went to see The Halloween Iron Pour at the Steel Yard in this area of the city last fall.

On a philanthropic note, since I am not exactly swimming in cash these days, I am going to be donating some soap to Haiti. It goes through a wonderful organization called Clean the World. I plan on shipping it off this week. As I previously stated, I will be organizing the Rosie's Place Soap Drive this year, too. Official announcement goes out tomorrow.

The Haiti tragedy is so mind-blowingly horrific. On a spiritual level, it makes me question all kinds of stuff. I am fairly agnostic, but I am also what I would consider "open to the possibilities" of whatever. I would like to think (most likely because my dad died so young and my mother is in such poor health) that there is another place we transition to after our bodies die. That there is some sort of greater purpose to life beyond what we see. Every time I start getting sucked into this state of mind, something like this happens. Thousands of people get taken out in a few minutes. How can you possible reconcile that? How does that fit into this lovely notion that we are all here for some huge, logical reason? Because there is nothing logical about an 8-year-old girl who finds herself suddenly without a family, a home or much of a chance. Not that I think that there is a lot of logic behind recreational dog fighting, the Holocaust, 911 or Jonestown. I don't know, I just can't make any sense out of it and like most everyone else, I feel really helpless. Maybe the soap I donate will help a little.

My New Co-Workers

When I first went full time with my soap business, one of the things that I worried about was lack of social interaction on a regular basis. At first, this fear proved itself out. I was getting a little stir crazy, but since I have been working the local markets every week, I have found that I have new co-workers. You don't become friendly with other business people overnight, but when it does happen, you start to feel like you belong to a new family. And the cool thing is that everyone has a deep passion for what they do and has taken the same financial risk. As a bonus, you get to trade your goods for other goods and wares - all handcrafted and local. So, I usually leave the farmer's market with rice and fried plantains, fresh bread and scrumptious pie or pecan rolls. At the open market, I can zip across the park and say hello to my friend, Mary, who runs a local, organic herb farm in the middle of the city. I buy my lavender and calendula from her and her local products gets put right into my local products. It's a beautiful thing to help support each other.

I have joined forces with a group of local crafters to form a small coop called, Rhody Craft 100. We are 100% local, 100% handmade and all within 100 miles of Pawtucket Artiste Village where we will be setting up a small retail shop from November to January. It's going to rule.

Finding these new folks has been such a comfort, but also very exciting. My friend, Jenn, makes these really cool, sarcastic greeting cards. She and I have lunch at a local coffee house on a now regular basis. We talk about our businesses, the things that scare us and the stuff we love.

Some weeks, I make my numbers. Some weeks, I don't. But I am now on my 2nd month free of unemployment benefits and though I am not living big, I can proudly say that I am able to pay my share of our bills with money I have made from my little soap business. I know that my business will grow and that soon I will have a little extra cash, but in the meantime, I am trying to focus on the positive and remain excited about the future. I would rather do what I love and eke by than continue to work in a job that I've lost interest in.

Catch Up

I have been neglectful here. Pretty bad gap in writing on ole Gibberish, I must say. Things have been hopping in soap land and most of my postings have been on my business blog and short, random updates on Facebook.

WORK

Though I am still getting used to the new routine, after four months things seem a lot more regular. I am a list person, now more than ever. With great freedom comes great scheduling responsibility. Jere just got a full time gig as a proofreader/copyeditor for a computer company, so this will lighten my financial burden a smidge. I have been working a number of markets, getting wedding favor business, and doing wholesale in addition to accepting orders on my website. I am trying to create a number of revenue streams so that I don't have to rely on just one or two. My dream is still to have that storefront, but most of the people I speak to who have stores tell me not to do it. That it isn't worth the additional overhead, etc. I think eventually, I will tire of transporting my store to various locations every week, but for now, it's fun.

RED SOX

We caught Jim Rice's induction on television yesterday afternoon. What a great ceremony! And in typical Jim fashion (no pun intended), he wore a spectacular tie. Congratulations, Jim! No more white knuckle rides - you are in!

Saturday night's victory was much needed. Lester was his usual, dominant self. Even from the bleachers, we could see flames shooting off the ball after he released it. Amazing guy, that Lester. Too bad about yesterday's loss, though. I thought we were on our way to regaining our place at the top of the division. I guess we are back to our usual post-All Star Break struggle. Unfortunately, this is about when the Yankees start heating up.

PROVIDENCE

Speaking of heat, we had the pleasure of attending the city's first water fire event! It happened conveniently after an event I worked on Westminster street at the beginning of the season. They are pretty amazing. If you like fire, by all means go to one of these things.

I feel like I am really bonding with the city. We've been here almost a year now and since going full time with Stella Marie, I have had a lot of opportunities to meet new people. It's a very unique, down-to-earth place. Perfect mix of urban/suburban. We live in the ity, but we have a yard and a garage and a driveway. It's also centrally-located to all the places we visit regularly. The ocean is always near, which is key for us. It is culturally diverse. It has a huge, kickass pulic park where they actually rent kayacks.

SHOUTS OUTS

Congratulations to ...

... my friend Ilene on her wicked pissa new release of children's music. This time, she has teamed up with her friend Tamara (her first release was with our friend, Steve) to create a bunch of fun kids' songs.

... our friends Anthony and Caitlin who are tying the knot this coming month!

... my friends Lyn and Pete who will be weloming their first child later this year!

... my mom - she is doing brilliantly! No chemo in 3 months and her cancer remains stable. She is looking and feeling great! She had a strontium injection a couple of weeks ago and this is supposed to target her bone metastisis. She has a lot of them in her pelvis and lower back. It takes 4 weeks to feel the results, so fingers crossed.

(wow, I just realized that this post is very "church newsletter"-like. Weird.)

Whole Foods

I just got accepted to attend the Whole Foods Local Producers seminar! I was sent an application a couple of weeks ago. They accept 26 people to come every time. I went all out. I gave them a copy of my media kit and a soap sample with the application. I also hand-delivered it.

I got the call this afternoon. This is a real honor. We have three Providence area Whole Foods markets. I am told that the seminar is a chance to meet with partners and to find out what the criteria is for getting your product on their shelves. In my case, I will be meeting with the Whole Body people. If I can meet the criteria, I will likely have Stella Marie in our local Whole Foods Markets!

Isn't this the bees knees?

Happy Earth Day!

Stella Marie made it into the Boston Herald today! Hurray!

Becoming More Official

Well, I just put a bunch of clams down for product liability insurance for Stella Marie. It had to be done. A lot of places will not allow you to sell your goods without it. I also got a real checking account for the business and a federal tax ID! I'm working on getting state tax IDs in the places I am going to be selling my stuff in, also.

I was pretty much tearing my hair out trying to get all this stuff together this week. Every state has different tax regulations, verbiage and permit requirements. Each state's government site is constructed differently. It is like trying to pull teeth to get yourself all legal and legit. I think they make it harder so that they can catch you doing something wrong (unknowingly) and fine you. It's probably one of those unwritten state revenue streams.

I also have to be careful about my earnings. The state of Massachusetts allows me to make a certain amount of money every week through my business without jeopardizing my UI benefits. This is a net amount, so though I can exceed that amount in sales, I need to figure out what the net value is every week when I file and be sure it does not go over.

Anyone want to come over and be my bookkeeper? I can pay you in soap.

Crazy New Life

Here is a breakdown of my crazy new life, so far.

Pluses:

- I love working in my own home, testing out new avenues for business, planning, creating and watching everything evolve.
- I get all giddy when an email arrives from a publication or event coordinator.
-I love that my schedule is flexible. I can be there for my mother, Jere, my family and my friends.
- I love that I am saving tons of money on gas and that I don't have to spend 3 hours a day in my car.
- I love that what I make is helping others by nourishing skin and taking stress out of their lives, momentarily.
- I love that my kitties can sit in my office while I work.
- I love that I can be myself in my business, infusing my products with my personality. I don't have to be someone else or pretend to like Michael Bolton to keep my job.
- Work doesn't feel like work. Not even this weekend when I had 2 events in Massachusetts, one ending at 10 PM on Saturday, the next starting at 9 AM on Sunday.

Minuses:

- I don't really punch out. If I'm not making product, I am marketing, researching, taking inventory, corresponding or forecasting. My head is constantly a-buzz. I don't mind it, but it's funny to watch a Corona commercial and see two people relaxing on the beach. This seems pretty foreign to me. I hope I feel differently this summer when we jaunt over to Block Island. I will try to leave the soap at home. Maybe.
- Not knowing exactly how the business is going to take shape is a little stressful, too, but it's exciting at the same time. I am trying to take any worries I have about money and channel them into productive tasks. I am lucky to have found a wonderful consultant who is going to help me with my business plan. I love the Small Business Development Center! It's a free service that offers real, tactile consultation. Their mission is fostering and growing small business at the local level. My consultant makes me feel like I have a partner.

Touch Your Fear, Don't Be Afraid

I've spent the last few weeks in a mental typhoon. At first, I was devastated to learn that educational publishing is being impacted so strongly by this economic crisis and that my job security had fallen victim to it. I then started thinking that this could be an opportunity in disguise for me to finally devote time and energy to Stella Marie. I began getting excited about this, especially as my friends and family encouraged me. A person like me doesn't have the luxury of a trust fund, a breadwinner (I am the breadwinner, actually), or lottery winnings (Although, I should confess that my co-workers and I have been playing it for the past few weeks. I am not much of a gambler, but hey), therefore I was caught in this cycle of working 40+ hours at my day job, then devoting whatever time and energy was left to my soap business. Oh yes, and I tried to have a life in the midst of it all. Being laid off is really the only way I can pop this thing into a higher gear. I am hoping that I don't have to collect unemployment insurance for more than a few months. I'll be working my tail off all year and I will probably have to give up most of my weekends for craft fairs and whatever events I can get myself into. I don't care. In the words of Black Flag, We are born with a chance. I will have my chance.

There is a bit of a caviat to all of this, however. Self employment could disqualify me from receiving UI (if they find out, and I don't plan on disclosing it). The irony is, Stella Marie could not exist without my publishing job. So, how do you explain this to the state of Massachusetts? It confuses me that a person who is highly motivated and wants to have a successful small business (collecting UI for as little time as possible) ought to be penalized while there are lots of people who stay on unemployment as long as they can while they half-heartedly look for a job. States should offer incentives for people seeking full time self employment. I'm going to suggest this to Obama right now.

Pics from the Weekend

If you are interested in Stella Marie happenings, visit my soapy blog to see some pics from a demo I conducted at Cambridge Naturals and the Shades of Winter Craft Fair in Taunton.

DailyCandy

So, Stella Marie Soap Company got a big break. I was asked if I could be featured in DailyCandy Boston. Naturally, I was beyond excited.

Today is the day, people! I got in!

Art Beat 2008

[I advertised this on my Stella Marie Soap Company blog, but I thought I'd post about it here, too, in case any of you locals are interested. I hope you can stop by and say hello - the weather is supposed to rock and the entertainment is always fun.]

I will be selling my soaps and other bath goodies at the Art Beat festival this year. The Somerville Arts Council has updated their website with the full festival details!

Saturday, 7/19: Noon - 5PM
Davis Square, Somerville, MA

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In unrelated news: Our softball team has advanced to the 2nd round of playoffs. I'm not sure what happened, but we were unstoppable. The other team lost due to the mercy rule, which is simply unheard of, given our not-so-impressive record. Perhaps it's because our coach gave us a pep talk before the game. Who knew that this is all we needed to excel? It was so freaking fun to (a) win and (b) pound another team.

Red Hot Celtics

Can you believe it? I really don't know what to say. Last night's game was riveting. And a little bittersweet. I really like Delonte West. And in Red Sox news, you have to love being on top in the division standings, and 4.5 up on the Yanks. [Boy, the Yankees are in rough shape these days. And how about that psycho Yankee fan in New Hampshire, killing a Red Sox fan with her vehicle?]

I am on vacation from my day job this week, but it's been anything but a vacation! Doctors appointments, lots of Stella Marie work, shopping, softball, real estate research ... whew!

My mom is getting accustomed to her chemotherapy. And by this, I mean that she knows now what to expect. It's her week off, so she and her husband are spending several days at a Bed and Breakfast on the Cape.

Hodge Podge

Well, the Celtics lost their 3rd game in the series last night, despite a late rally. Garnett had 32 points. That man is a machine! On to game 4 (also in Atlanta).

Also, have you ever noticed that Jacoby Ellsbury looks a lot like Julianna Margulies?



So, my mother had her first chemo treatment last week and it went very well. She is experiencing some slight nausea, despite the anti-nausea meds they've given her. But we suspected as much since the oncologist's nurse had said that her kind of chemo would be especially nauseating. Nice. Thanks a lot. She's enjoying the Crazy, Sexy, Cancer Tips book I gave her, too. I think she is finding that she can relate to the author somewhat because she is also stage 4 (liver cancer = a total m*ther f*cker).

Oh, I forgot to report - our bad news bears-style softball team finally captured a win last week! We shocked ourselves to the core. We went through the entire frostbite season winless, and we even started out the spring that way (We lost our 1st game. Bonus: one of our best players fractured her index finger while trying to catch a line drive. She's on the DL for a few weeks.). We pulled a come-from-behind win out of thin air in the last inning! We screamed like a pack of little girls. The other team must have thought we were a bunch of pathetic morons. I wanted to let them know how huge this was for us, but decided it wasn't a good idea to inform them that they were the first team that stunk enough for us to beat. It was actually their pitcher's fault. She was a former fast pitch softball player and she just lost it in the bottom of the last inning. She was throwing shit way over people's heads and what-have-you. She walked a lot of batters. My proudest moment in the game was catching a high pop-up foul behind the plate (I am catching, still, until I get over the fear of blowing out the quads).

Switching gears: I had another successful spa party with my small soap business. The girls really enjoy complimentary facials! I was invited to a lovely home in Acushnet, MA and the turnout was sizable, so I did pretty well. My mom is hosting one for me in 2 weeks. And a gal from Raynham from the last party wants one, too. I feel really comfortable with the format now. Arrive, set up, mingle while people arrive, introduce myself and talk about my biz, allow the ladies to sample products while I make fresh facials (avocado/yogurt and oatmeal/honey), do the facials, set up the raffle (I raffle off draining soap dishes, loofahs, spa-style eye masks, a few of my products, pumice stones, etc), then do the money thing. It usually lasts 3-4 hours, but it goes by so fast. And all the girls usually know each other, so it's a nice way to spend an evening. Plus, I get to lower some of my prices a bit since there is no shipping involved and Yahoo/Paypal do not get their commission (I do the same at shows).

Speaking of my soap biz - I will be taking part in Somerville's Art Beat festival in July. Details to follow.

This Weekend Wrap

Well, the project from hell is officially over, save for a few minor details. I was able to take Friday off to spend time with Mom and prepare for Saturday's soap show. Check out the pics here.

After the show, we played kickball with friends of ours in Danbury, CT. I haven't down this since the 6th grade, but I must tell you that it was a lot of fun. I guess you just never really forget how to play and that pang of anxiety still hits you right before you kick the ball. I am still sore from playing. I'd better get over it quick, though, 'cause we start softball this week and we've got 2 games to play. Hope the quads hold up for me this year.

We also watched an awesome documentary called, "King of Kong" about 2 dudes competing against each other for the Donkey Kong record. I encourage you to rent this - it was very compelling. I remember when my parents bought me a ColecoVision. DK was a big time obsession in the house for many months. Video games sort of bore me now.

Mom starts chemo this week. She's getting "prepped" on Tuesday, then goes in for her first treatment on Thursday. I bought her a book called, Crazy, Sexy Cancer Tips. She's a take charge type person, so I think that she will find this to be helpful. It's a real, "kick serious cancer butt" type book.

Speaking of butt kicking, both the Celtics AND the Red Sox were victorious yesterday. The C's made the Hawks look like a bunch of Strawberry Shortcake dolls in their 104-81 finish. And the Red Sox pulled the win out of thin air.

I can't believe the next Sox game starts in, like, an hour and a half.

Go Marathoners!

Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting

I am reading a book that a friend of mine has lent me about facing death and caring for the dying. It has a lot of good information in it, particularly the teachings and philosophies of Sogyal Rinpoche, a Tibetan Buddhist who specializes in the area of death and dying. This doesn't mean that I am giving up hope for my mother, but I think it is necessary to prepare a little part of you for something bad. This book is all about the "making every moment count" stuff I complained about in my last post, but in a different way. Just that even the littlest acts of kindness are so meaningful.

Mom's feet and ankles have started to swell. This worries me. The oncologist appointment is Friday, so hopefully we will know a lot more at this time. I am going to ask if they are going to do a PET scan or a PTC. We don't think that either of these has been performed yet and I suspect that the results of these two types of tests would be helpful in diagnosis.

We had dinner out with my mom and Bill last night. It was less than pleasant. My mom's condition has caused her to become easily irritated (understandable to me, but to a person who doesn't know what is going on and is just trying to do their job, it could be taken personally). Bill had had a lot to drink and embarrassed me greatly. Again, the waiter doesn't know that poor Bill lost his first wife to cancer and that he's now having to go through this all over again. All he knows is that there's a guy acting jerky and slurring his words, egging him on in a fancy restaurant full of people. At one point, I reached over to hold my mother's hand and spilled my ice water all over the place. Then, Jere took 2 bites of his food and became ill. All the entrees were between 15 and 20 bucks. Oh, well, the restaurant was a little too stuffy for my taste, anyway.

Like yesterday's Red Sox game, the day started out with promise. My best friend, Kara Muise (who I've written about before here) is nearing the end of graduate school and we went to her senior show. Amazing work! I will do a formal post/review when I can get my hands on some pictures.

Going to spend the day making soap. Ah, a break from all the insanity.

Like Ice Cube Says ...

1. The weather was killer! It felt like the first official day of spring. Sunny, good smells, a prelude to the inevitable coming of milder times.

2. My grandmother is over her stomach flu and my grandfather spent the entire day outside painting the fence. They are both in their eighties.

3. I received a glowing soap review from Joanna of Product Body fame! And I received my first piece of feedback at my Etsy store!

4. Manny Ramirez got a huge homer in this morning's game. (How strange is it to hear Don and Jerry, announcing a live game, first thing in the morning? My grandmother was psyched - she's up at 5 in the morning.)

5. My mother discovered that the oncologist that she (and I) are seeing on April 11th comes highly recommended. He works at Faulkner Hospital and at Dana Farber. She remains in really good spirits and her last radiation treatment was today!

Can you guess what I am doing here? Many parts of my life are less than sunny right now. In an attempt to keep myself from sliding into a serious clinical depression, I decided to use some old fashioned psychology on myself and list all the good things/breaks I got for the day. Stay tuned for daily doses.

Damn You, Egg-Shaped Bath Bomb!

Oh, I have been having a hell of a time trying to create egg-shaped bath bombs using traditional plastic shells. I've destroyed 3 batches so far. I am trying to get a cute little children's gift set together in time for Easter. I think I'm going to try a different method. Today is a new day, right? I was really depressed about this last night. Depressed enough to have some chocolaty frozen yogurt.

Check out this new movie coming out on March 7th! I got all teary-eyed just watching the trailer.

So Much to Catch Up On ...

... and so little time. I've been working on Stella Marie stuff, pretty much non-stop, for several weeks. I am doing my first spa night this weekend. Wish me luck! If you are curious about my new products, please check them out here or here. Also, check out a little vid I made of my appearance at the New England Motor Cycle Expo! (update: see this post for a pic from the spa night - it was very successful!)

Moving on.

We went to Cooperstown last weekend to check out the new and exciting 2007 Boston Red Sox World Champion Display. Awesome. I wonder what young Jacoby and Dustin are thinking now that they've wound up in the museum (I think Jacoby could someday find himself inducted - the dude is special, to use one of Francona's favorite descriptors). I can't imagine what kind of feeling that must be. Meanwhile, I noticed that Suzyn Waldman got a ton of coverage in the Women's section and she's never played a game of professional baseball in her life! What's the deal? She's not even a very good color commentator. So, when real players were trying to bust into this male-dominated sport, she was singing and acting in musical theater. I totally LOVE theater, don't get me wrong, but why does she garner so much praise and attention? Most of the old-timey ball players got tiny blurbs and they were the real pioneers of female participation!

I started a fitness regime in preparation for softball, as I mentioned previously. You may or may not remember, but I blew out my quads last year (very early on) and was forced to be catcher and have pinch runners all season long. It was fun, but I'd rather play second base and be able to run out a hit without crying in pain.

I've been meaning to mention a really cool art exhibit that a good and talented friend of mine, Katherine Martin Widmer, participated in. It is called War, Madness and Delusion and it is at the Andover Newton Theological School in Newton, MA until April 15th. It was a very powerful anti-war show and if you are in the area, I highly recommend that you check it out. One of the cool things about it is that fact that you not only get to see the work and the artist's name, but you get a small written piece by the artist about the work and their general concept and feelings. While I understand the value of interpreting someone's work yourself, I can appreciate - within this particular context - knowing more about the the artist's perspective an thought-process. This is a multi-media show, with 30 or so participating artists.

* Image: "Atomic Veteran" by Bob Stearns

Rosie's Place: Call to Action

I've been pretty swamped these last few days, as I've been preparing for an upcoming soap show. My posting has been pretty spotty.

I wanted to let you all know that on Valentine's Day, I am going to be donating some of my soaps, along with donated bath goodies from co-workers, to Rosie's Place. This is a local women's shelter. My guess is that the guests aren't going to be getting a lot of flowers and chocolates from their sweethearts that day. So, I thought it would be sweet to give them some pampering treats. If you would like to add to the box, feel free to contact me (kzsox@yahoo.com). I only ask that the soap be sort of nice, as this is supposed to be a special gift. I am also accepting unopened bath gels, loofahs, etc.

It's all about the love!