Tonight we'll be hosting a chat on the Guitar Pick Wear website: http://www.guitarpickwear.com Chat runs from 8-10pm ET . We'll talk about anything and everything! There will be giveaways, (including the 2009 Halloween special neckpiece) and fun games. If you were thinking about having some custom work done, you can hop online to the chat for a personal consultation for your project! :) Hope to see you there!

Dear Dad, It was a little over a year ago that you passed away, and we have missed you terribly, but love you just the same. :) It has been a long hard road, but we have kept you in our hearts, and have overcome the obstacles. I think you'd be super proud of how things progressed and turned out. :) Today has been a long time coming. When we talked last, I promised that "You're free - when we're all free." Today is your day. Kat, Kim and I are going to take you to your final resting place- near your sister and mother. It will be perfect.... We love you all the world-

Vinton, my art mentor, tells me that he hasn't been working on anything lately... So I sent him a challenge picture. We'll post results of said picture here- so stay tuned- it's war!!! Lol!!!!

Something about this time of year makes me think of old friends from long ago. Is it the weather that triggers this response from me? One of those friends is Vinton Irvin, my art coach and mentor. He recently told me that he has not been working on any artwork- but just working in general. This is sad because he is one of the most talented artists I have ever known. So i decided to do something by challengeing him to draw, then post our work online. I'll let you know how it all comes out. ;) I sent him a basic drawing of a scorpion, and we're bothgoing to complete it;). I'm very excited to discuss my findings, AND lay some smack on him to keep up :D Until then!! Zai jian!

I'm at home, trying to sleep off whatever this bug is. Instead, I find myself wide awake- and posting here.:) There are some new items that were added to http://www.guitarpickwear.com , but those were added before I acquired cootie-isms. Much love to all- Zai jian!

Hi! I have missed you! Sorry for the lack of font, but I'm still without Internet service. Why? Because we moved to a new, larger studio- and I'm still getting things moved into it. :). I'm currently writing this on my iPhone... Talked with the lovely Wanda last night-she has some of the .999 fine Silver guitar picks for us this Christmas!!! Some housekeeping matters: Shadow Seraph- I really need you to call me or write. Yes. Please. Dad's estate is finally closed- a tremendous victory with all things considered. If you're reading this, then I'll take this opportunity to gently remind you to please- PLEASE- get to an Estate Attorney and get a will or other final arrangements made up. One doesn't know when that time comes- but when it does, do the right thing by your loved ones and have it ready. It's a simple, and rather inexpensive thing to do, and it sure does help the ones you leave behind. Have you built one of our Hall Glass Studio designs?? We're collecting photos of work for a display in the studio- so if you would like your photo up- send it in!!! (digital- email please) With that, it's time for me to get working on something... Zai jian!

It's going to be a Jam-Packed week this week, so here's the 411 of where I'll be and why I'm only answering calls that pertain to this situation: 

We're coming up on the 1 year anniversary of when Dad passed away, but we're still (yes STILL) untangling messes from his Estate.   This week, we're preparing for an auction-- of all of Dad's tools, machines, parts, pieces, welding equipment... you name it.   It's got to go, because we need to sell his house, too. (Listed with Re/Max Realty- Search for 1919 S. Norwood Ave. in Missouri if you're interested...)

If anyone is interested in attending this auction, please feel free to check out the auction company website at: ABC Auction Realty and look at their calendar page.

Some of you knew my father, and knew all the many inventions that he left with us- some of which you use probably every day and didn't even know that Dad was involved in whole or in part.   Some of those items would be Hydraulic systems, Recycling sorting machines, 2 Liter bottle blowing machines- with conveyor belts for processing, pack tables, waffle iron batter dispensers, and even those little wire coilys that are on the sides of notebooks... Dad made the machine that not only put those on, but folded the ends to "lock" the pages (and the coil) in place... and paper plate molds..
For those of you into revolvers, you probably saw my Dad's work grace the cover of many Gun World and American Handgunner Magazines throughout the 70's and 80's.  One of his guns was used in episodes of the TV Show Miami Vice.  His talents were many, and the years too few....

One of the items that he worked on so carefully, was an entirely redesigned chassis for Professional Cobra Replica cars produced by Premiere Motorsports of Kansas City.  It was Dad's dream to build himself a car, one he could drive around in, and simply "be happy" tooling around with.  Unfortunately, that dream did not come before he passed away, and the Cobra remains incomplete, but is very nearly there.  This car will also be auctioned off this weekend.

So as it stands this week, there will be much sprucing up of houses to sell, items to auction, and closure to a most deeply saddening turn of events... so I apologize in advance if I cannot return phone calls right away, but hopefully, with so much of this behind us after this week, it will be much easier to focus on the things in the studio with greater detail.

Hope to see you at the auction!!!!

Angel

I haven't been hiding- just been busy on several threads of activity lately...

- Dad's Estate stuff still rules my world much of the time.  If there is one thing I want to plaster on every wall, and tell every person in the world it's this:  Prepare and plan for your end.  I know it sounds morbid, and I don't mean for it to be... but seriously folks, Probate is no way to treat your loved ones.  I know that my Dad certainly didn't mean for this to happen the way it did, and like many folks, thought he had more time to make arrangements for his things.   The problem with that is, one has to make the time to get it done.  Even if you think you don't owe any body, or don't need to bother- think again.   There are vultures out there who will do their very best to MAKE it a problem, and worse yet- make it a problem for those left behind.    Sure, it will all work out, but it's taking countless hours of time and effort of my sisters and myself- when all of it could have been settled in an instant while he was alive and with a few strokes of a pen...

- Dad's heart attack has sort of been a slight wake up call to the family in the sense that there are some genetics that we're fighting with- mostly, heart problems, diabetes, and weight.   I am certainly not immune... and have decided to take a direct approach to getting back into shape again.  I go to a gym semi-regularly, and have recently aquired a Wii Fit.   I know it sounds a little silly on the Wii Fit- and for those who don't think it works... I clearly beg to differ! :D  It's fun, it's a great workout, and it's a nice way to keep track of BMI and Weight patterns on a daily basis.  When I started w/ the personal trainer at the gym a few weeks ago, it was crystal clear that I needed to work extra hard and needed every bit of help I could get.   I found a fantastic little app for my iPhone- the Daily Plate, from http://www.livestrong.com .   Livestrong.com is Lance Armstrong's website- which has fantastic articles and Dares to help people support each other in weight loss and training.  I love that site!!!   The Daily Plate helps me keep track of my foods, and also helps me log my fitness activities- sort of like "calories in, calories out" so to speak.    Every kind of food imaginable seems to be in the food bank, and breaks it down into a little pie chart to see where all your calories are coming from- and what might be better to cut down on.  (In my case, it's carbs... I dearly love them!)    
In any case, I'll probably post more about my weight loss ventures here.. when I'm down a few more pounds.  (I've lost ten so far, but i'm not telling where my starting point was yet!   I don't want to jinx the progress...)

- Guitar Pick Wear has picked up quite a bit of business lately, which is AWESOME!  I'm thrilled that it's doing so well for such humble beginnings.  It's going to get better and better, and hopefully, if time permits, I'll be adding some more jewelry pieces to the website this week.

- I don't know if it's the weather, or what... but do you guys find yourselves just flat out sleepier than usual these days?   I swear I can sleep over ten hours a day if left to my own devices... :D

Speaking of which.. I think I'll try to get some sleep now.  Tomorrow's laundry day and all... heheheheh

Hugs!
A

This story I'm about to unfold is completely true.
 
It's kind of two stories in one, but that's just how I like to connect things.... bi-laterally.
 
You know how when you work in an office, where everyone puts their lunches in any available refridgerator- and sometimes... on accident, or intentionally... the office acquires a Food Bandit?
Yes... Food Bandits. The Food Bandit is someone who steals other people's lunches and eats them.  No one knows why.... nor do they usually know who it is.  These people are quite sneaky!   They will blatantly open up any container in the fridge- because who is going to know what container went to what owner?  Who would know the difference?
So we've had a Food Bandit in the office.  It's gotten SO bad that people post humorous "Missing" signs with graphics of sandwiches on them, and "Orange Alerts" for missing lunches...
.. They even post signs ON the Fridge saying (like it HAS to be explained) that "taking someone else's lunch is what we call STEALING."   (I rather liked that sign, actually..)
So my sister who works at a global company recently experienced a "lunchnapping", so I KNOW this isn't just isolated to one company.
What I DIDN'T realize, was just how widespread it really IS.   This apparently is SUCH a epidemic problem, that a brilliant company came up with a fantastic solution.  I for one, applaud their ability to recognize this issue and deal with it head-on.   (no, not directly to your forehead...)
How I came about this product is a bit of another story, so here's the bi-lateral...
I'm in the grocery store, picking up some straws for my son. I'm browsing the aisle shelves... no biggie.  But then this packaging catches my eye- and I bust up LAUGHING out loud.  
So in the fantastic age of rockin' cellphones, I whip out my iPhone and set that bad boy to "Camera".   I get the picture, and no sooner than I'm tucking it away- I hear, "Customer Service... Aisle 4... Customer SERVICE. AISLE 4!!"
I look around.  I'm the only one in the aisle.  As my luck would have it- I'm in Aisle 4.  Lovely.  So I scoot my happy ass outta there and continue my shopping- to see all kinds of "staff" appear from nowhere pretending to front the shelves and stuff..... HA!
I have no idea what that was about, but it doesn't really matter.  Why? Because I'm going to totally cheer the praises of this company who made these little things.   It's brilliant, it's timely in today's economy- where "brown bagging it" is more than just a financial strategy, and it's totally thumbing their nose at the idea that anything and everything in this kind of product has been done before.
(Ok, so maybe it HAS been done before- but I still think it's a fabulous idea!)
 
I give you:
ATOMIC FOOD CONTAINERS!!