Leeches, Wet Tar, and Other Fun Things

I actually think I'm doing a darn good job of paring down photos from my trip, but it's taking some time. You can check out a few more Mystic Seaport photos on my Flickr stream, although they haven't been captioned yet.

And until I've posted more (I know you'll be waiting anxiously...), you can ponder the fact that leeches are still used in modern medicine. And if that's not eeky enough, visit The Daily Monster to see some more unusual creatures (so awesome).

And I just had to come back to tell you if you want to read The Longest List of the Longest Stuff at the Longest Domain Name, go, well, here.

Also, some parting advice, should you ever visit Mystic Seaport yourself, the "wet tar" signs are not historical artifacts. They actually are warnings that, indeed, the tar is wet. I did not find this out through personal experimentation, but from a guide who, laughing and watching people touch the wet tar, shook her head and said, "The surest way to get people to touch wet tar is to put up a sign saying 'wet tar.'"

I Kept Waiting, and Waiting...

But I still missed the storm.

She was weak. As in, like so weak, if I hadn't know there was a tropical storm passing overhead, thanks to the news, I wouldn't even have known there was a storm at all. I saw a lot of wind, only because I kept looking out the window to see if it was windy, but we got almost no rain at our house. I do think a leaf blew off the third tree from the driveway.

I've seen much worse on a normal summer day here in Virginia, normal here meaning torrential downpours, actual waves going down our street, and the patio umbrella ending up in the neighbor's yard (for those people who might have a particular interest in our replacement patio umbrella, we did take the precaution of putting it in the garage, so it has survived to shelter us again and we are still grateful to you for providing said umbrella).

But thanks to our housebound-ness due to the anticipated storm, the pantry is sparkling clean, down to the corners behind the molding. And I took this opportunity to clean out old hurricane supplies. Call me crazy, but it would take one hell of a storm to get me to eat a can of mixed greens that expired in 2006.

Back in Time to Batten Down

Okay, in spite of the fact that I stocked up on water yesterday and non-perishable food products, especially Pop-Tarts, which are easily portable and don't require cooking to be enjoyed, I really wasn't expecting this impending storm to be worrisome. I went shopping because the pantry was empty and we needed to fill it.

So should it concern me that they're canceling events around us? Should I be worried?

See, if I had started out by being worried (other people, specifically my spouse, have been known to call me paranoid), then Hanna would certainly have dissipated by now. So clearly it's my fault that the storm is heading this way, because if I had just worried a little harder, it would be down to about 5-mile-an-hour-winds by now. I'm sorry, everyone in the path of the storm, I am really sorry.

So my transition back to work has been proceeding more slowly than expected, pretty much because I've been cleaning the house, doing laundry, and battling crowds -- crowds -- at the commissary, while looking at empty water shelves. Yes, that was disconcerting. I have never seen that happen before, and it's not like we haven't had storms since I've been here. But that water was going fast. I am so glad I went shopping yesterday instead of procrastinating, because today, the stores must just be mayhemish.

This all does mean I still have a lot of emails to answer and blogs to visit and people to contact, and if you're one of them, please bear with me while I bring my brain back around.

Today, I am getting reacquainted with my artist self, drawing up new maps, reminding myself what it is that I do, after all, and putting first things first. I love drawing on gray days, because it feels so cozy. There might be tropical temperatures and humidity outside, but looking out the window, it feels like fall to me. Hot chocolate just might be in order.

Maybe Hanna would like some too, since she's apparently coming to visit. Then again, maybe she'd prefer some whiskey, as my new Mariner's Miscellany suggests the gods and goddesses of the sea prefer stronger beverages, and if a tropical storm/hurricane trainee isn't a goddess of the sea, then what is? But since I think we're all out of whiskey she'll have to settle for hot chocolate. If she's a courteous guest, I could throw in some marshmallows.

Ike, on the other hand, he's not invited.

You Can't Get Away From Me

About to head out on another trip, this one up the Atlantic coast with various destinations and stops along the way:

• Mystic, Connecticut
  
• Prince Edward Island (with new passport in hand) -- thanks to my Mom, who is making one of my lifelong dreams come true -- to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the publication of Anneof Green Gables, one of my very favorite books. I am preparing by reading this book: Looking for Anne of Green Gables: The Story of L. M. Montgomery and Her Literary Classic
  
• Maine for a family reunion
• Boston, and at least three different towns in the area to visit family and friends and people I haven't seen in a long, long time.
  
• Philadelphia, my love. Which I can now visit virtually thanks to the extraordinary Google Maps Street View. But in person is still better.
  

So, just so that you can come along on the grand journey -- don't you want to? -- I've signed up for Twitter (slightly delightedly because, along with Google Maps Street View, it is one more way the world is moving intocyberpunkdom and slightly reluctantly because sometimes cyberpunkdom isn't all it's cracked up to be, and woe is me, this could be another tumble on the slippery slope to never leaving my computer again although I haven't signed up for Second Life yet, so there IS hope).

So they'll be up there on the sidebar, all my updates, which at the moment are sort of silly but may or may not improve in interestingness. I make no promises. I LOVE silliness.

Are your bags packed yet?

Marco?

Polo!

Scientists Say They're Closer to Invisibility Material

How (terrifyingly) wonderful...

(You're IT, by the way.)

In which I re-use analogies, get a few extra minutes of fame and thank YOU.

I've recently read a few different articles about mountain climbing that stressed that most accidents on mountains actually happen on the descent, because the climbers are tired and have let their guard down, and, I imagine, because the sense of euphoria fades a bit, leaving them feeling slightly at a loss.

I imagine, too, that for those who do make it safely down, this faded feeling must make it especially nice to receive a bit of notice, a few more pats on the back, once they get to the bottom, when the peak is again a distant vision, only now behind them.

I've been so lucky that being one of Etsy's featured sellers brought me a huge number of sales from some incredible people, and that it brought me some incredible commissions, which have been keeping me working hard in the weeks since. But the speed at which general attention to my store dropped off once I was no longer on the front page, and now even on the sidebar on the featured seller page, has been almost as staggering as the intense explosion of attention the day I became a featured seller.

Although it has been, to be honest, disconcerting, this isn't actually a bad thing, because it gives me a breather in which to work on commissions, collect my thoughts, refill the creative well, plan ahead, rethink strategies, and most of all, get some painting done.

Also, I believe that it's probably a very normal experience: that for almost everyone, the path to success is not straight but a series of ups and downs and highs and lows. It's a trail that is occasionally paved perfectly, but more often consists mainly of faded marks on distant trees or even disappears completely.

Which means that each pat on the back becomes even more appreciated and encouraging, a way marker reminding me that I'm going in the right direction, and so, I'd like to thank Dotty of Indie Finds on Etsy and dottyral.etsy.com for interviewing me specifically about my featured sellership.

I'd also like to extend my special thanks to someone who has been a repeat customer, who features me quite often in her treasury creations, and whom I frequently find sneakily praising my name in comments other people's treasuries (she probably thinks I haven't noticed): thebeadedlily. She has also interviewed me for a feature on her blog, in which I avoid re-using analogies but tell you why I finally feel like a "real" artist and why my arms are so tired.

And I'd like to thank you, my friends, family, and wonderful customers, for keeping me going all the time with your never-ceasing pats on the back and much-appreciated encouragement. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Coffee or Tea?

(No, this isn't really a discussion about the merits of these two beverages, because, in truth, I adore them both.)

There are two kinds of shopping I actually LIKE to do: books and travel stuff. I would rather spend days looking for the perfect suitcase than an hour looking for the clothes to put in it. (Unless it's travel clothing, of course.)

And now I've found what I'd like for the next 10 Christmases or birthdays or the first thing I buy when I win the lottery:

A genuINE pretty-fied airline beverage cart:


Found at the so-fabulous Flight 001, found through DailyCandy. Just one of the many amazing items they offer for sale, most of which are far less expensive and slightly more practical.

But not nearly as fun.