SoapZone Community Message Board

it seemed almost anything that could go wrong did. Warning: this is going to be LONG...

It technically started Friday night; I got home from work and immediately set out making still more bracelets to sell at Saturday's craft show. I was up until 1:00 AM and then had a little trouble sleeping in anticipation of just how things were going to go, especially since bff, who'd signed us up for the show, was rather late in the details on how everything was to go down.

Saturday (early) morning, I finished loading up the car and decided to tidy up a bit before departing. I have a tube of "industrial" glue (for crafters, it's E6000) that I like to dab on the knots of my bracelets to ensure they don't come untied. Well, the tube had split at the top, and I didn't notice; I grabbed it off the table and got glue all over my hands. All those suggestions on Google for how to remove "permanent" glue from flesh? Don't really work. It took a combination of soap and near boiling water, some nail polish remover (because of the acetone), a nail brush AND a steel scrubbing pad and finally using my teeth to just...gnaw the glue (and some of my skin) off.

The show was outside, which...not a great idea in NE Ohio in October...and after arriving 15 minutes later than I intended to, it took a while to set up tables and the canopy. I'm not sure if it was location or weather or simply bad advertising but there was nobody there for the first hour or so. Then we had a few people come by but nobody was in the buying mood. A nice story: one of the kids (about 10 years old) who'd come with another vendor wanted a painting of mine that I was selling for $20, but he only had $8 on him. I told him he could have it for $5. He told me he was also an artist and showed me pictures on his phone of some of his drawings...he is REALLY good. He said he had to ask his mom, since the money was supposed to be for lunch at one of the food trucks on the premise; she said no. He was really dejected...and then a kindly grandmother (not his) bought it for him. Awwww. Later, I sold a bracelet to a young girl (it had mushrooms on it...if anyone knows why young people are obsessed with mushrooms, please explain it to me!), and when bff's sister and niece stopped by, I sold the sister a bracelet and pair of earrings.

Unfortunately, I had to be at work at 3:00 and had to leave the show around 2:00, even though it went until 6:00. I was feeling horrible about leaving bff alone, especially since there was no way she was getting the canopy, the one table and all my merchandise in her car, but her niece graciously offered to stay until 6:00, and her sis came back with her car around 5:45 and helped the two of them tear everything down. I don't know exactly what else of mine was sold while I was gone--I haven't yet put away anything--but I know I made $63 total. And then spent $18 on lunch on the premise (at one of the food trucks--I should've just packed a lunch) and another $10 on an overpriced, but delicious, slice of cake that I think I was overcharged for, and my share of the table is $37.50 so really I actually LOST money ($1.50). But it was fun, and we're signed up to do another show in December at the place. Thankfully, this one is indoors...

Around 2:15, worried I was running late, I raced back to my car and...my key fob wouldn't unlock my door. Took me six tries, and then it took two tries to start the car. The battery was nearly dead. Ugh. But I got to work on time...and found out my co-worker for the night, "LD", has some kind of respiratory thing. She was coughing and sneezing all night and sounded really hoarse, and she shouldn't have come in at all. She wore a mask, thank goodness, but we touched a lot of the same surfaces. I will be surprised if I don't come down with the same thing in a few days. Oh, and in the 4 hours I was there, we had exactly ZERO sales. Luckily, it was a pretty good morning and early afternoon so we were just a little short of the day's goal. But I was so boooooooooored.

I should also mention that the Guardians' game, which had been scheduled for the afternoon, was moved to the evening for TV ratings purpose. I was really looking forward to coming home and watching the game--I'd missed games 1 and 2 due to work and didn't realize game 4 was the day after game 3 since there had been a day between the first two games, so I missed that one as well--and then I learned the game was moved back to the afternoon due to impending bad weather, so I missed that one too. I heard the cheering from a nearby bar/restaurant though.

I was fortunate in that my fob worked just long enough to start my car after work (I'd had Dad on standby, and I didn't lock my doors). But I should mention that Friday morning, I was almost late to work because one of the garage door springs broke. So there was another thing that went wrong...anyways, Saturday night, I went to put away my craft supplies that had been strewn all over the living room (Dad was annoyed but blessedly patient) and I dropped a box and spilled the contents all over the floor of the main bedroom*

* It was my parents' bedroom and now Dad's bedroom and, saintly man that he is, he has ceded the closet, which is the only "big" closet in the house, to me for dress clothes and craft supplies.

Among the spilled contents was a bunch of seed beads; those were fun to pick up! And THEN I went to slide the closet door shut and it somehow got off track and wouldn't budge. Poor, patient Dad spent the night with an open closet door (my Virgo self couldn't do that) and then wrestled the door back onto the track the next day. At this point, I just had to laugh...

Side note: on the plus side, a woman at the craft show was selling corgi puppies out of a wagon she was pulling through the park. She let folks pick up and snuggle the puppies so at least I got some sweet puppy kisses to make my day a little better. Then when I got to work, I discovered that not only was there leftover Guido's pizza in the fridge I was told to have for dinner, the customers who a month ago brought us baked goods from a nearby bakery had brought us MORE baked goods, so I got to take home an almond croissant and a pumpkin croissant, both of which were delicious.

Then there's the family visit...Saturday was the only day everyone could get together. Everyone except me :-( The rest of the family (minus Dad--he doesn't go to people, people come to HIM) went to a restaurant at the West Side Market and had a lovely breakfast. I texted them and told them to stop at the craft show, which was only about 10 minutes away (and only 5 minutes from the house my niece and nephew share)...they said they would but didn't. I was low key mad since I didn't think it would've taken that much time out of their schedules, but then again, I didn't really know how long breakfast (and I'm sure a walk around the WSM) took or what else was going on with their respective days, so I couldn't really stay mad. Yesterday was supposed to be brunch at Beachland Ballroom, which I wasn't really looking forward to. BB is a bit of a dive, and I wasn't impressed the only other time I ate there (their focus is more on small music acts). After church, Dad decided he *had* to stop at the store for a new battery for my key fob (I could've used the spare), so I got a later start than I intended...only to find out BB was closed yesterday and the family had pivoted to Rowley Inn Now RI is a place I actually wanted to eat, ever since seeing it on Diners, Drive Ins and Dives, so that made me happy...but it's an OLD building on the corner of two streets and there's no parking lot. AND it's across the street from the Christmas Story house (used for exterior shots in the movie) and next to the gift shop, all of which also don't have much parking, so I had to park about a quarter mile away, after driving down a couple streets where they were parking on both sides of the street so the streets were now one way and whomever wanted the right of way the most had it. Ugh. But the food was really good and I got to see Bro and his son as well as Sis and BIL.

Had breakfast today with Sis, BIL and Sis's friend and her hubby, who are sharing the Airbnb with them. Later tonight, we're going to a place in the same town I work in; we're going to hear some jazz music but I STILL don't know if this is supposed to be a dinner thing, a drink thing or just a music thing *sigh*.