So, it's official. I have started the process of shutting down my "baby", Second Coats. I haven't put any focus on it for some time & it's no use to drag the inevitable out any longer. So I'm closing the site and retaining the URL in case I decide to use it later for some reason.
It's kind of bittersweet. Bitter in that it was something I created from scratch--it was a concept, a lot of hard work, and then reality--and I hate to see it go. It's sweet in that it served as a tremendous launching pad to get me to where I'm at today with Bark Slope. Do I make mistakes running Bark Slope? Yes. But fortunately most of my big mistakes were done with Second Coats. Had I not started Second Coats, I'd never have even known about Bark Slope. So, I'm grateful for all that it did bring to me and for the knowledge I gained from it all.
Now comes the "fun" process of closing it down from the legal aspect, selling off the inventory I don't want to use for Bark Slope, and getting it all squared away so that I don't have to worry about it anymore. It's weird because I don't feel like I'm necessarily closing a chapter in my life--it's more like turning a page in this case. Bark Slope and Second Coats had so many similarities (the big glaring difference--Bark Slope makes money; Second Coats does not) that the experience of the two of them intertwines mentally and emotionally for me. It's like the chapter starts with just one character, but then the character ends up with a cohort...and then the character dies and the cohort is the only one left and the chapter keeps going without him. (It sounds like such a happy storyline when I put it into an analogy. Perhaps it's best I not do that...)
So, while I will miss the satisfaction of going to Second Coats' site and knowing exactly what it took to get it going, I won't miss the added stress of having both businesses going at the same time. It was with Second Coats that I experienced the wrath of Hurricane Hanna, threw out my back while setting up my weekend booths at the flea market & then had painful physical therapy to get back on track, and that I spent countless hours in the heat and humidity every single Saturday for months on end while running said booth at the flea market. My life became dictated by Second Coats' needs, which was a great introduction so that taking over Bark Slope wasn't such a shock.
It was also with Second Coats that I met so many great people (like the girl who runs a dog rescue in the midst of the endless surgeries to try to repair her shrapnel-torn body that was injured while she was a soldier in Iraq), learned that I could put my dreams on paper and then turn them into reality (as happened when I designed my t-shirt line, which later made it to the shelves of retail stores; there's nothing quite like walking into a store and seeing something you designed sitting on their racks), and that I gained business maturity I never thought I'd have.
So, yes, it's with bittersweet feelings that I close Second Coats--but rather than saying "goodbye" I instead say "thank you".
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Deux days. Deux posts. Deux anniversaries.
Bonjour!
Deux?? Bonjour?? Well, I'm channeling my inner Jean-Pierre this morning, what can I say?! (If you were to hear me say this post's title in person, I would say it with an accent that sounds like that of a French harlot mixed with the voice of Lumiere from "Beauty and the Beast". And I'd have thrown in "croissant" and "oui, oui...but not on this carpet" somewhere in there too.)
At any rate, this is two posts in two days--and there are two anniversaries today. The odds of this all happening in relation to the number two...they're phenomenal. (Or we'll pretend they are because we're creative like that.)
"What, pray tell, are the two anniversaries," you ask? I shall tell you without further adieux...my little croissant. [insert French laugh...wo hooo hoo] Oui oui. Baguette.
Anniversary Un:
It was on June 24th, 2006, that Darin and I left the motherland (Utah) and started our pilgrimage across America that ultimately lead us to our current locations of DC and Raleigh. We packed up Luh-fawn-duh the Honda (mostly with Darin's crap, of course...I packed light) and trekked for mile upon mile upon mile, with multiple adventures along the way. You can read about it/see a picture of the interior of Luh-fawn-duh packed with Darin's voluminous belongings by following these links to previous posts surrounding this illustrious event:
http://kadertot.blogspot.com/2008/06/noteable-anniversary.html
http://kadertot.blogspot.com/2008/06/picture-to-commemorate-anniversary.html
Anniversary Deux:
It was on February 24, 2009 that I first met Artis. (If you've done your third grade-level math correctly, you have deduced that it is in fact our 16-month anniversary today. A noteworthy event, despite not being a whole-year anniversary number.) So, I've had 16 months of wonderful bliss.
OK, so maybe not bliss those first few months in which I was an emotionally closed-off beast with protective walls far stronger than anything Fort Knox can tout. But they were still wonderful months. The bliss just came later...after the walls started to crumble. Let's just say that I cannot sing Beyonce's "Hello" lyrics to describe our initial encounter and time together. (She'd sing it something like this: "You haa-uh-d me a-uh-t hellooo hellooooOOOO helllooooOOOOOooooOOOOooooooo.") It's not that I didn't like Artis, but it wasn't head-over-heels infatuation from the moment we met. That all happened over time--and, in looking back, I wouldn't have had it any other way. We developed such a great friendship, despite our polar opposite personalities, and it was upon this foundation that everything else has been built.
Without getting all schmaltzy and nauseatingly sweet (I'll save that for the whole-year numbered anniversaries), I will simply say that I'm very grateful for the 16 months that Artis and I have had together--both the good and even not-so-fun parts we've gotten through together--and I look forward to many more!
Anyway, lots to celebrate today--the anniversary of a new life in so many ways. And a wonderful life at that, I might add.
Until next time, I bid you adieux, mon ami!
~moi
Deux?? Bonjour?? Well, I'm channeling my inner Jean-Pierre this morning, what can I say?! (If you were to hear me say this post's title in person, I would say it with an accent that sounds like that of a French harlot mixed with the voice of Lumiere from "Beauty and the Beast". And I'd have thrown in "croissant" and "oui, oui...but not on this carpet" somewhere in there too.)
At any rate, this is two posts in two days--and there are two anniversaries today. The odds of this all happening in relation to the number two...they're phenomenal. (Or we'll pretend they are because we're creative like that.)
"What, pray tell, are the two anniversaries," you ask? I shall tell you without further adieux...my little croissant. [insert French laugh...wo hooo hoo] Oui oui. Baguette.
Anniversary Un:
It was on June 24th, 2006, that Darin and I left the motherland (Utah) and started our pilgrimage across America that ultimately lead us to our current locations of DC and Raleigh. We packed up Luh-fawn-duh the Honda (mostly with Darin's crap, of course...I packed light) and trekked for mile upon mile upon mile, with multiple adventures along the way. You can read about it/see a picture of the interior of Luh-fawn-duh packed with Darin's voluminous belongings by following these links to previous posts surrounding this illustrious event:
http://kadertot.blogspot.com/2008/06/noteable-anniversary.html
http://kadertot.blogspot.com/2008/06/picture-to-commemorate-anniversary.html
Anniversary Deux:
It was on February 24, 2009 that I first met Artis. (If you've done your third grade-level math correctly, you have deduced that it is in fact our 16-month anniversary today. A noteworthy event, despite not being a whole-year anniversary number.) So, I've had 16 months of wonderful bliss.
OK, so maybe not bliss those first few months in which I was an emotionally closed-off beast with protective walls far stronger than anything Fort Knox can tout. But they were still wonderful months. The bliss just came later...after the walls started to crumble. Let's just say that I cannot sing Beyonce's "Hello" lyrics to describe our initial encounter and time together. (She'd sing it something like this: "You haa-uh-d me a-uh-t hellooo hellooooOOOO helllooooOOOOOooooOOOOooooooo.") It's not that I didn't like Artis, but it wasn't head-over-heels infatuation from the moment we met. That all happened over time--and, in looking back, I wouldn't have had it any other way. We developed such a great friendship, despite our polar opposite personalities, and it was upon this foundation that everything else has been built.
Without getting all schmaltzy and nauseatingly sweet (I'll save that for the whole-year numbered anniversaries), I will simply say that I'm very grateful for the 16 months that Artis and I have had together--both the good and even not-so-fun parts we've gotten through together--and I look forward to many more!
Anyway, lots to celebrate today--the anniversary of a new life in so many ways. And a wonderful life at that, I might add.
Until next time, I bid you adieux, mon ami!
~moi
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
I am back. And in better shape than my favorite crackwhore.
Greetings, gentle readers! (OK, so that's giving myself far too much credit. Make that "reader" in the singular form. Gracious, I may as well just address this as "Dear Mom,"...)
Don't ask me why, but for the last two weeks it's been gnawing at me that I need to start blogging again. Not that it's ever read or is even that interesting...or that it was even missed for the last 1 1/2 years since I last wrote...but it is a good outlet to release all of these random thoughts and ideas that cross my brain in a given day. And there are plenty.
I should preface today's thoughts by saying that my most productively genius moments actually occur while I'm in the shower. Odd, I know, but for some reason that's when I can solve most of the dilemmas in my life...and I must say that I've come up with some pretty darn tootin' good ideas while wearing nothing but some shampoo and a smile on my face! (Interesting side note: I also tend to solve problems in my dreams & then wake up thinking about it, apply what I dreamt, and it usually fixes whatever has been taxing my ever-fragile brain for far too long.) Yes, I have indeed been known to take multiple showers in a day not only because I have this OCD need to be clean, but because I'll have a need for something to be solved.
And then there are other shower times that result in absolutely nothing but a random ride on the roller coaster through my brain. Sometimes that roller coaster derails entirely. And the cart falls off the track & smashes into the ground. And the airbags do not deploy. Enter today's wreck/subject: my favorite crackwhore, Whitney Houston.
It's a long, convoluted story, but in short--I was showering and thinking about my friend Greg's recent blog posting, which reminded me of a similar posting of mine in which Friend Cammie Jan commented in reply to what I said and quoted a Whitney Houston song in the process. That's where the cart left the track and started on the downhill race towards asphalt.
So, Miss Whitney. I've always loved her and was saddened when there were no more wonderful albums being released...and even more saddened (read: disgusted) when I watched her and Bobby Brown on their [gratefully] short-lived reality show. The scene that stands out most to me--of all the wasted hours spent watching...which was, embarrassingly enough, many--is one that involves Mr. and Mrs. Brown, a toilet, and Whitney requesting Bobby's help in handling something. Literally HANDling something. I'll leave it at that before I vomit. Anyway, I figured then that her career and future were in the crapper, so to speak. Needless to say, I was quite surprised to hear that she was planning a comeback. And I was hopeful. Yes, friend, I was ever-so-hopeful. Hopeful that "The Voice" was back and would produce songs that I could sing not only in the shower, but also belt out while driving, grocery shopping, getting my haircut, walking the dogs--heck, anywhere that I could share the joy of singing a Whitney Houston ballad. Sadly, it was not to be.
When Whitney was on Oprah I decided that she'd end up needing to have two comebacks. The first attempt, already in full swing at that point, wasn't going so well as was. Then, when she told Oprah she was no longer on drugs and was living the good life, I looked ahead to what is bound to be a future "Oprah" episode: "Whitney Lied". Apparently, I am not alone in thinking this:
http://www.showbizspy.com/article/192855/whitney-houston-lied-to-oprah.html
Her response was too odd. I just didn't buy it. So, in my envisioned future episode she'll tearfully admit to Oprah that she lied during her first visit, feels awful but thanks her fans for standing by her, and is now on the path to recovery after she does a short stint in rehab. (Let's just hope the second interview isn't also a two-episode saga like the first one.)
Aside from all of this, there's a small problem with her first attempt (and it's a feeble attempt, at best)--the woman can't sing anymore. To me, that's an issue here. I offer up, as evidence, this little piece of Hell (aka footage from a Whitney Houston concert in Australia)--
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_2HWA0zN_o
Is it just me or does she speak her songs now, rather than sing them? And, I don't think that looooooong pause before the "And iiii--eeeee--iiiiii" was all just for dramatic effect. I think some of it was just so that she had time to store up enough oxygen to get through the next part. Much like a bagpipe. But bless her heart for trying.
Anyway, while I do try to think the best about [most] people and hope for positive outcomes in [most] situations, I do not think it is to be for my favorite crackwhore. Not this time anyway. Perhaps after the second "Oprah" episode she'll be here to stay. Meanwhile, I need to go shower again; I can't stop thinking about that revolting reality show episode. And I feel dirty.
Until next time... (hopefully sooner, rather than later)
~me
Don't ask me why, but for the last two weeks it's been gnawing at me that I need to start blogging again. Not that it's ever read or is even that interesting...or that it was even missed for the last 1 1/2 years since I last wrote...but it is a good outlet to release all of these random thoughts and ideas that cross my brain in a given day. And there are plenty.
I should preface today's thoughts by saying that my most productively genius moments actually occur while I'm in the shower. Odd, I know, but for some reason that's when I can solve most of the dilemmas in my life...and I must say that I've come up with some pretty darn tootin' good ideas while wearing nothing but some shampoo and a smile on my face! (Interesting side note: I also tend to solve problems in my dreams & then wake up thinking about it, apply what I dreamt, and it usually fixes whatever has been taxing my ever-fragile brain for far too long.) Yes, I have indeed been known to take multiple showers in a day not only because I have this OCD need to be clean, but because I'll have a need for something to be solved.
And then there are other shower times that result in absolutely nothing but a random ride on the roller coaster through my brain. Sometimes that roller coaster derails entirely. And the cart falls off the track & smashes into the ground. And the airbags do not deploy. Enter today's wreck/subject: my favorite crackwhore, Whitney Houston.
It's a long, convoluted story, but in short--I was showering and thinking about my friend Greg's recent blog posting, which reminded me of a similar posting of mine in which Friend Cammie Jan commented in reply to what I said and quoted a Whitney Houston song in the process. That's where the cart left the track and started on the downhill race towards asphalt.
So, Miss Whitney. I've always loved her and was saddened when there were no more wonderful albums being released...and even more saddened (read: disgusted) when I watched her and Bobby Brown on their [gratefully] short-lived reality show. The scene that stands out most to me--of all the wasted hours spent watching...which was, embarrassingly enough, many--is one that involves Mr. and Mrs. Brown, a toilet, and Whitney requesting Bobby's help in handling something. Literally HANDling something. I'll leave it at that before I vomit. Anyway, I figured then that her career and future were in the crapper, so to speak. Needless to say, I was quite surprised to hear that she was planning a comeback. And I was hopeful. Yes, friend, I was ever-so-hopeful. Hopeful that "The Voice" was back and would produce songs that I could sing not only in the shower, but also belt out while driving, grocery shopping, getting my haircut, walking the dogs--heck, anywhere that I could share the joy of singing a Whitney Houston ballad. Sadly, it was not to be.
When Whitney was on Oprah I decided that she'd end up needing to have two comebacks. The first attempt, already in full swing at that point, wasn't going so well as was. Then, when she told Oprah she was no longer on drugs and was living the good life, I looked ahead to what is bound to be a future "Oprah" episode: "Whitney Lied". Apparently, I am not alone in thinking this:
http://www.showbizspy.com/article/192855/whitney-houston-lied-to-oprah.html
Her response was too odd. I just didn't buy it. So, in my envisioned future episode she'll tearfully admit to Oprah that she lied during her first visit, feels awful but thanks her fans for standing by her, and is now on the path to recovery after she does a short stint in rehab. (Let's just hope the second interview isn't also a two-episode saga like the first one.)
Aside from all of this, there's a small problem with her first attempt (and it's a feeble attempt, at best)--the woman can't sing anymore. To me, that's an issue here. I offer up, as evidence, this little piece of Hell (aka footage from a Whitney Houston concert in Australia)--
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_2HWA0zN_o
Is it just me or does she speak her songs now, rather than sing them? And, I don't think that looooooong pause before the "And iiii--eeeee--iiiiii" was all just for dramatic effect. I think some of it was just so that she had time to store up enough oxygen to get through the next part. Much like a bagpipe. But bless her heart for trying.
Anyway, while I do try to think the best about [most] people and hope for positive outcomes in [most] situations, I do not think it is to be for my favorite crackwhore. Not this time anyway. Perhaps after the second "Oprah" episode she'll be here to stay. Meanwhile, I need to go shower again; I can't stop thinking about that revolting reality show episode. And I feel dirty.
Until next time... (hopefully sooner, rather than later)
~me
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