Woes explained, A divine inspiration, A burning sensation, and Pit Bull Attack......

So here's the deal........ it's been a bad year. Probably shouldn't be airing dirty laundry on a blog that's supposed to be primarily business, but hey.... I am who I am, you know? I won't go into detail about what's been going on, but a brief synopsis might help explain why I've been so damn weird, late on shipping, etc......

So Bella goes to California under the pretense it's just the run-of-the-mill summer visit. She's still not back. All of a sudden it was "Your daughter's unhappy in Portland so she'll be staying in California indefinitely." WHAT??!! So I had precious little time to start preparing to move to California - packing my belongings, making arrangements, finding a place to live 1,000 miles away, and moving the business - which was really the hardest part. Not only does the physical part of the business take up SO much space, but it also meant, as I posted, taking 2-3 weeks off to get life in order, right in the middle of the busy season. Terrible. Just terrible. But she comes first and I am willing to pick up and move for her. So after completely screwing up TMTM, arranging and reserving a moving service, packing some stuff, I'm told she's coming home after all. This is good news. REALLY good news. Life was beginning to feel like a shaken up snow globe, and now hopefully everything can settle and life can get back to normal (heh - whatever THAT means). Thank goodness I had the support of you guys and some *really* amazing friends, one in particular. ^wink^

Thank you, everyone. I feel like I have all these friends all over the world reaching out to me. Do you know how awesome that is?

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Have to ever heard the album Bloodletting by Concrete Blonde? That album CHANGED MY LIFE. I adore it. After not hearing it for probably 2 years, I have been listening to it as I work lately. I'm inspired to do a set of perfume oils inspired as a tribute. I don't know how to go about doing that, though -- I would imagine it would be a good idea to get ahold of their "people" and get permission. I've got family in the industry and I know it can sometimes be a pain in the ass getting anything done. And copyright infringement - WHOA. Big deal. But it's definitely something I'm looking into if I can decide where to start.

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So I'm in the mall the other night and stop into one of the big stores that sell bath and body stuff. I am not familiar with their products, so thought I would see what all the fuss is about. Not being a fan of overly fruity scents, it was hard to find anything that really appealed to me. The smell in there was SO strong, I had a hard time distinguishing one scent from another, so I got the bright idea to spay a bit of one on the back of my hand so I could smell it later while walking around. Did that, left, and was rewarded with a burning.... nay, EXTREME burning....sensation that got worse and worse as the seconds went by. By the time I found a bathroom to wash my hands, the back of my right hand was bright red, welted, and stinging like the devil. I don't have sensitive skin in the least. As a matter of fact, I usually smell like 10 different things because I test all my perfumes (and RAW soap) on my hands. There must have been something in this stuff that I am wildly allergic to. Live and learn, I suppose. From now on, I'm going to stick with what I know - HANDMADE!!!

But after that I wandered into an import store and came out with a jingly-jangly anklet just like I used to wear years ago, and a floor length handmade black skirt that swirls around my ankles and makes me feel pretty.

So the night wasn't all bad!!

My pit bull puppy has extreme separation anxiety. It borders on ridiculous. Yesterday while I was driving, she decided she could no longer stand being in the back seat and proceeded to try and weasel into the front - she's only 6 months old, and about 50 pounds already. I tried to push her back the best I could, but she took advantage of the fact I was driving and *jumped* into the front, whizzing past my face - cutting, bruising, and scratching me in the process. I am bruised pretty bad under my chin and the right side of my jaw. I'm just glad I didn't wreck the car!! Funny thing is, I was coming back from buying her a crate that was hopefully going to help with her anxiety problem!!! My Chihuahuas are jerks, too, but I can handle 4 pounds of unruly - not 50!

Off to work.

Be well, everyone.