4 posts tagged “gallery”

The cooperative gallery I am a part of moved to larger quarters in a desperate attempt to survive.  Sales were dropping at our old location to the point where we were going to run through our buffer capital and then we would never have a chance to move.

After an extensive search, we found a property closer to the city market and across from a popular restaurant.  Sales have been promising so far, especially for me. 

Last night was the grand opening event and we had quite a crowd.  I had some new clothes to wear and hubby and I planned to go out to dinner afterward.  I had to work the register for an hour and during this time sales were brisk.  Everybody in the cooperative had some part in the event and it was good to see everybody dressed up and working together. 

After my hour was over, hubby and I went out for dinner and we had a nice time despite the fact that I was hurting pretty badly by that point.  It was a very nice evening and hopefully a profitable one for the gallery.

Some miscellaneous updates.

This morning I got up early to take daffy to the vet.  His jaw is very swollen. Apparently the tumor is growing.  He's back on antibiotics and now he has some pain meds to take as well.  His attitude is good an since he started the prednisone he has been peppy again...more like his old self. 

I picked up the items from my display window at the gallery.  Overall the month went well.  I sold several items, which is better than sales have been for me.  No big payday, but enough to keep me going.  We're getting ready to move the gallery to a larger, and we hope much more traveled space.

Tomorrow I will be going to my husbands office picnic.  I don't really want to go, but he has several new colleagues and I need to go meet them and their families and play nice wife.  I wouldn't mind going normally, but I have had to go out and do something every day this week except Wed.  Next week looks the same.  Oh well.

I saw my pain doctor yesterday and I requested a muscle relaxer to try.  He has been suggesting massage for my tight muscles, but that is very expensive and wouldn't help for very long.  So far the muscle relaxer is working very well.  I took one last night when my neck was in knots and in an hour I felt much better.  The same thing happened this morning when my back was very tight. 

I got the idea to ask about a muscle relaxer from an article my hubby showed me about pain management.

I have been reading a lot.  I finish a book every day or two.  It helps pass the time when I can't work, but sometimes it makes my hand and arm hurt to hold the book.  Whine, whine, whine.  Authors I've been reading:  Sherrilyn Kenyon, Laurell K. Hamilton, Brenda Joyce, and Christine Feehan.  I read mostly library books although I picked up a couple of paperbacks and publishers closeouts at the bookstore the other day.  Without a good library, reading is an expensive habit.  I've also bought some e-books.  I like that idea.   Nothing to fill up your bookshelves with.  I can read them on my phone.
 

I haven't been updating much because I've been working in the studio every spare minute to get ready for my turn as the featured artist at the gallery where my work is.  I just finished setting up all my artwork in the window and everybody tells me it looks great.  Hopefully it will sell some jewelry and stuff. 

doing the work was pretty challenging because I was fighting the limitations of my body, particularly at the end when I was trying to steal time anywhere to get the work finished.  I found that I couldn't work the way I used to, where I would sit all day at the table dabbling in clay.  Now I can only sit at the table for a few hours and then I have to lie down or at least move to an easy chair.  If I wasn't using a special back chair (the kind you sort of kneel in) I wouldn't be able to do it at all.  The back chair gives me lots of mobility from my hips up, so I can turn and reach things without getting up or straining my upper body.

As I've been working I've been gradually cleaning out and organizing my studio so it is a better place to work.  I haven't really done much work in the studio in the last couple of years, so it is good to finally start getting use of the room for what we bought it for. (My studio is a FROG that we had to pay extra for...something my hubby reminds me of from time to time.

I always look forward to Sundays because I have a chance to catch up on my favorite podcast, The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe.  I also usually listen to Point of Inquiry on Sundays because that is when it is usually delivered to my podcatcher. 

If you don't know what I'm talking about, podcasts are like radio (or TV) shows that have been recorded, sent through the internet, and can be played anytime on your computer or mp3 player.  There are audio and video podcasts, but audio podcasts tend to be longer because they take up less memory. 

No matter what you're interested in, there is a podcast out there for you.  There are book clubs, opinion shows, fan shows, educational shows, fiction shows, literature shows, you name it, there are thousands of them.  You can find these by using a podcatcher such as Itunes.  In Itunes, just click on podcasts in the main Itunes menu and you'll find thousands.  Or google  "podcast" and start there.  You can download Itunes for free if you don't already have it.

This particular Sunday I am off to work at the gallery.  I will be listening to quite a few podcasts as I work on beading while I am there.  I have to get ready to teach a class on the subject, so it is time to replenish my cache of finished beading.