Technology challenged

Saturday morning and, finally, feeling better about things now that we are back “wired” to the world.  Our internet has been working sporadically as has my printer.  Mark called comcast yesterday morning.  He was told that the comcast connection was good.  The guy asked how old the router was…Mark looks to me and asks me.  I’m trying to remember if I got this router when I worked for Tandus (in which case it would be nearly 8 years old) or Constantine (it would be 5 years old).  Either way it’s lasted a lifetime based on what the comcast guy said a normal lifetime for router is (3-5 years).  We decided it was time to get a new one.

I was so pea picken proud of myself yesterday after visiting Office Max  and picking up a router.  I thought I’d come home and walllaaa be up and running in no time.  Not the case.  Went back to Office Max after not being able to use the CD provided for quick set up and was told by the very unfriendly person working at Office Max that the Linksys doesn’t connect with the new Apple OS, Lion, that I had upgraded to (foolishly) in January.  He said there was a glitch with ALL the routers and the new Lion OS system.  Telling me the only way it would work is if I would manually install it.  Came home and tried that failing miserably.  Made a Genius Bar appt at Apple Stonestown for this afternoon.  Was basically told there shouldn’t be a problem.  The guy asked if I had the router and I said no.  Why did I not take it??  I did have the disc in my laptop but was so flustered I couldn’t think to tell him that till after I was back in my car.

I got myself worked into a state feeling so helpless and technology challenged.  Now I can’t recall if it was the Office Max unfriendly dude or the guy at Apple but one of them mentioned in passing that if we had another computer that was windows based we should try the disc in that computer.  With that the quick set up should work.  Thankfully Mark’s laptop is IBM.  I had to wait, still, for him to come home and continued to spin in my frustration.  I had figured out how to direct connect to the router so was able to do email but I couldn’t print.

This morning we tried his laptop with the disc and the “wallllaaaaa” worked.  I got my printer folder out, found the original set up disc, installed again and now I’m back up and running with the printer.  Both computers and iPad now accessing internet and life is good.  And it’s not yet noon.  I’m going to try to get outside for a walk or hike and enJOY this good weather.

Thank you God for Bill Gates and windows which allowed the set up!  (my sister Beth, an avid Apple fan, has always loved to hate on Bill Gates!)

 

SF Gift Show

I’m happy to report that this has been the best Gift Show yet for me.  It helps that this is my 4th show.  People come by that have written orders in the past to say Hi!  even if they aren’t ready to write another one yet.  Others who have talked to me before but didn’t write have come by this time and written an order.  Plus I’ve written lots of new orders so all in all the days, though not completely zipping by, are at least moving by at a reasonable clip.  And, thankfully, the show is only 4 days rather than the marathon 5 day Atlanta show.  So tomorrow is the last day and a short one at that (9-3 instead of 9-6).

Best thing, today I was talking to Amara, the buyer for East West Bookshop in Mountain View.  I thanked her for encouraging me to write a proposal for a workshop last year telling her that I had created my “Moving through Transition with Creativity” Workshop that I did not only at East West in June but also Brahma Meditation Center, here in the city, in September.  In sharing how much wisdom flowed from everyone as we shared experiences from the writing/drawing exercises, she came up with an idea for us to do a workshop together!  She said she loves yoga and teaches it and has wanted to find someone to do a joint workshop…opening up with the yoga and then moving to the art/creativity piece.  I got very excited as I shared with her my experience of doing just that in a workshop years ago in Seattle.  I used to do a “words and watercolor” workshop at Cancer Lifeline in Seattle.  One time I had the chance to do a shared workshop with a yoga instructor.  It was open to people from Cancer Lifeline so both cancer survivors and family/friends that were the support people attended.  What I marked difference, I noticed, in doing a drawing/painting class with people who had done yoga first…they were so much more “open” and didn’t worry about not being “artistic” or “creative” after the yoga practice.  I got so excited about doing this again…Amara said we could easily do this at East West but if I have any other places to introduce it she’d be open to other venues as well.  Yeah!!  I told her that yesterday I had talked to the Center for Spiritual Living in Petaluma and offered them the “Moving through Transition with Creativity”.  They were thrilled with the idea as was the Center for Spiritual Living in Santa Rosa.

Also today Colin, from Flora Grubb, came by and said Hi.  He asked if I had gotten another date to do a drawing/painting class with them.  I said I hadn’t tried yet.  He loved my new Anytime cards and said it would be fun to do another one and he’d order more Anytime cards before my workshop. (I did a fun drawing/painting with watercolors class to 20 people last August at Flora Grubb).  He suggested I get in touch with Jim again and then let him know when we get a date set.  I also had some email interchange last week with another Nursery that wanted me to do a spring “class” on drawing/painting.

I smiled after Amara walked away with the realization that Lucy Pond was so right in suggesting to me to claim what I wanted by putting it on my business card!  It was in August when I had a session with her last year and she suggested that…probably a bit later that I had my business cards reprinted and added the “Artist, Entreprenuer, Workshop Leader, Inspirational Speaker” label on to the backside of my card….it’s working!  My vision becoming my reality!!!  Thank you Thank you Lucy!!

An aside, I just went to Lucy’s website (looks great!) and was much impressed!  If anyone wants to learn more about Lucy (she’s wonderful) go here: http://www.lucypond.com/.  One last Lucy story, I was jogging down to meet Mark at the gym last Friday listening to my iPod.  One song ends and rather than a new one beginning (on shuffle), I hear Lucy’s voice.  The recording that I had downloaded into iTunes begins and I jog along listening to our interchange from early January this year.  Amazing.  I can already see how the recommendation she provided on an issue was right on.  I listened to about 1/2 of it on that run and this morning listened to the reminder as I once more jogged to the gym.  Love being able to relisten to readings!

All in all, the SF Gift Show is good…as is LIFE!!

 

time flies……..

The old saying is true, “Time flies when you’re having fun”….or in my case being busy (and having fun!).  Difficult to believe that is has been nearly 3 weeks since last posting an entry to the blog.  What have I been doing??  Orders and more orders…which takes time to input into Quick Books, pull the order, box it up, go into FedEx online and input info for label, print out and affix label and then drop off at FedEx.  In addition to that, we completed the proofs and printing for first go around of cards (2nd go around starts in 2 weeks).  Also Emily, my daughter in Seattle, flew in for a visit on Saturday Feb, 4th.  Always a welcome break from the routine to have Miss Em come to town.  We had fun visiting the wine country on Sunday (so fun to have a daughter 21 years old!) and she helped me a bit with work on Monday.  Tuesday afternoon I took her to the airport and then rushed home to finish everything that needed to be done before heading to the airport ourselves for an early (6am) flight to New Orleans on Thursday.  Mark had won a sales promotion trip with Sysco and we were off with a number of other Sysco folks.  Neither of us had ever been to the Crescent City and we weren’t disappointed.  The food was fabulous.  We were inspired by the music, art, frivolity, and fun in the air.  Not to mention the architecture of the French Quarter, City Park (which housed the New Orleans Art Museum/Sculpture Park and Botanical Garden) and even one of the above ground cemeteries we strolled through.  Only wished temps had been warmer.  We arrived along with a cold spell.  It was a quick trip as we were back on a plane Sunday afternoon returning to SFO.

I am thrilled to say that I’m still busy.  Today/tomorrow plan to be counting all my current cards in my inventory as I pack up and prepare for delivering all of my inventory to John at Leewood Press.  Not only is John my new offset printer, he also suggested that they could do fulfillment for me!  That was an answer to my prayers as I’ve been spending so much time doing the packing, labeling, drop off etc….this will free me up to devote more time to marketing/painting/running the business….Friday will find me unpacking my booth at Moscone Center as I prepare for the SF Gift Show (my 4th!).  Yesterday I spent a great deal of time on the phone calling accounts that ordered from me at the show letting them know I’ll be in Booth #1059.  I’m hoping for a busy 4 days of the show!

As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words so here’s a few pics from my busy last few weeks!!