Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Tangible Tidbits 2013 #2: Starting Over...

Hi, everyone! I hope everyone who had a three-day weekend for Martin Luther King Jr. Day yesterday made the most of it. B-)

Over the weekend, Mom and I went to see Les Miserables at the movie theater. All I can say is "WOW." If you are a fan of the play, you’ll be blown away by the movie. If you aren't really into musical films, it may not be your cup o’ tea. :| The actors' performances were amazing, a few better than I'd expected. :-O

On the job front, I received a slightly overdue three percent merit increase last week. Even a small raise is better than none, right? ;) In addition -- I didn't want to say anything until it became official, which happened this morning -- I am going back to the office full-time as of next Monday. It was not an easy decision to make, but I know it is the right one...at least financially-speaking. :| Aside from the change in my hours -- I will be working from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. for the first time since 2007, I think! :-O -- I will be moving to a different position, although in the same department. It's more or less a lateral move, but it may be slightly more responsibility. I was a little nervous about switching out of my current role, but I chatted with my new manager today and I feel a bit more at ease with it. Obviously, TPTB (The Powers That Be) have faith in my abilities, so I guess I will have to trust them! ;)

Ironically, I received a letter a couple of weeks ago from Fire Mountain Gems and Beads informing me that the piece I submitted for their Swarovski Elements Jewelry-making Contest has made it to the second round! :)) I sent them my Bermuda Getaway bracelet (formerly known as the Into the Ocean Crystal Jams™ bracelet) last week, as it is required for the next round of judging. Wish me luck! :D

In addition, I’m still working on a beaded Kumihimo lanyard for one coworker, and I have another one to make after I finish it. So, I am still in business…just at a much slower pace for now. ;)

I posted the last social media poster I have on Facebook this evening. I may make some new ones if I become inspired, but we'll have to see. :-?

Until next time, take care and have a great week! B-)



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Monday, January 7, 2013

Tangible Tidbits 2013 #1: Shifting Gears for 2013

Hi, everybody! Happy New Year to all. :) I apologize for not posting last week, but you will understand why in a minute. ;)

My New Year’s Eve plans were canceled early in the day, so I decided to start my New Year’s Resolution early...I started reading the Fifty Shades trilogy (a.k.a. “smut”)! The evening flew by, let me tell you! :)) As of this moment, I have completed the first two books in the series, and am anxious to start the third one tonight. ;) For any of my fandom friends who may not have read them yet, they are basically NC-17 fan fiction with original characters. :P I am enjoying them very much. :D Actually, the first book seemed to hit a nerve for me; I found myself crying during certain parts of it that reminded me of a time in my life when I was in a similar position – I am referring to the interpersonal dynamics of their relationship, not the BDSM (that would be TMI times infinity, wouldn’t it? :-O ) . I’ve read they are planning to make the series into a musical on Broadway. I would be curious to see how they pull that off, but I can’t imagine the music would add anything to the story. :-/

I’ve made a couple of big decisions in the past couple of weeks, mainly driven by economics. First, I have dropped my class at Montclair State University (MSU) for this semester. It’s too stressful for me to come up with the additional funds needed to take the class, and I am ambivalent about taking another class with the professor with whom I do not see eye to eye. I now have a credit on my account at MSU, so I am hoping they will send me a check for the funds already paid. ;) Second, I decided rather suddenly to shut down the store portion of the Something Tangible website. I had originally purchased the shopping cart for three years, which expired in the past week or so. When I received the renewal notice, I almost choked at the amount on the bill. Since I have only made two sales directly from the site in three years -- and both from friends who could have easily contacted me directly -- I made a snap decision to cancel the shopping cart entirely. That also led to me receiving a refund on the SSL certificate, which I had recently renewed. Every little bit helps, eh? ;)

All of this being said, I have some additional decisions to make regarding my professional future and that of Something Tangible. I have invested a great deal of time, effort, and money into this venture, so I am not taking this lightly. I may continue to run the company as a side business, but I cannot sustain myself with it right now. Three years is a reasonable amount of time to give it a chance, I think, but I will sink deeper and deeper into debt if I don’t act accordingly. I will keep you all in the loop, as most of you have been with me from the very beginning. I appreciate your ongoing support, loyalty, and business more than you know. :)

Until next time, take care and have a great week! B-)



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