Take'n The Good With The Bad...
The Bad: Mom's knee hasn't magicly healed itself a week after surgry.
I know. Yer all shocked, I can tell. ::eyeroll:: Well apprently Mom is. All that BS she fed us that "the doctor told her to do", like bending her knee to the sky a dozen times a day, walking as much as possible, and standing around a lot? Yeah, apprently that was all the exact fucking oppisate of what she should be doing.
Well Fucking Duh! ::sighs:: And now mom's not only not helped her knee heal, she's set herself back God only knows how much.
She is now offricaly ordered to stay off it as much as humanly possible, not stand at all for more then a few seconds, and not to move it for the next three months. ::Dun Dun Duuuuuuuuuunn!::
::sighs:: Yah, ya'all can just guess how well that's going over. Aaaaand guess whom she's takeing that furstration out on... ::eyeroll::
On the other hand, my own incredible frustration and desprate need to get out of the house NOW led me to...
The Good: I was gunna wait 'til Joan got up yesterday to hit downtown, it was my last day to get my holds at the library (including the new Lackey book, Reserved For The Cat, and Pipers At The Gates Of Down by Pink Floyd that I've had on hold for nearly two years) before they closed 'til after Christmas, by which time most of my holds would have expired. Since I had to go downtown for the library anyhow, we were gunna hit some of the local shops, too, so I could try to find a second replacement ring. Well, I was gunna go, Joan was gunna take pitty on me and keep me company.
Buuut...yah, I got out of the house the moment the libray opened and stayed out until I nearly drowned. But boy did it pay off! Not only did I get my library holds, but I also found a pent! I've needed a new pentacale necklace for about a year now, and just haven't found one in my price range that I really loved. Well, there's this little shop downtown called The Compass Rose, which I usualy avoid because while it's a cool import store with some great stuff, they are quite overpriced. But they are right next door to Archibald Sister's, which is where I've gotten a silver pinkey ring in the past, so I slid in there to see if, just by any random off-chance Compass Rose had a ring that would fit me. They didn't (and I didn't see a single ring for under $25, anyhow), but I did, however discover that they have a Bargin/Sale Room! Woot!
Some nice stuff in there, too. I got some hand made votive candles that are verigated shades of dark to light gray-blue. Not too teribly well made, but they were 10¢s each! And right there in the jewlery case, not one, but three silver pents on sale!
Well, one pent pendant, and one set of earrings. The earrings were $5, and the pendant $11 (both marked down from doubble that, respectivly), and I wanted both, but desided that the pendant was the priority, so I snagged that and the candles (four). I'd have gotten more stuff in that room, but I still had't found a ring, so I didn't wanna splurdge too much on myself right before Christmas.
So skipping over a bit of the boring parts of the story, I walked though most of downtown in compleatly horisontal rain for the better part of an hour 'n a half, and was getting pretty disheartend as I had compleatly run out of places to look for silver rings in a size bloody four (GOD I hate finding pinkey rings!!!). My last stop was Traditions, which is the local Fair Trade shop, and I knew that was a long shot as even if they did have a ring my size, it'd definatly be outta my pricerange, and I was right, but the saleslady did recomend to me a silversmith who has a shop in the hidden away, if you don't know ti's there, it's not there mini-mall inside one of the downtown buildings who might make the ring for me in my size. Turns out, he also has a booth at the Farmer's Market, which just happens to be open this weekend for the last time of the year!
She kept trying to get me to the shop, but I was parked right across from Tradiations, and I really didn't wanna walk back up four blocks in the pouring rain that's blowing directly into my eyes no matter what direction I'm faceing. Where as I could just drive down to the market and go inside where it's at least covered.
Guess which I did.
Turns out there are not one, but two silversmiths at the market these days, and thankfuly I hit the one not who I went there for first. He sold me a wire formed ring that fit perfectly and was tight enough to stay on for only $7. Now normaly I'd skip wire rings, but he managed to make this one sterty enough, and sodered the ends in, so it wont bloody catch on every passing thread or hair! There is no chance of the spiral knot on this ring unravling. So while it's not actualy my style, I Love it and it FITS and it was well within my price range.
And it turns out the silversmith I did go there for did have a ring that fit, too, a solid, plain, compleatly undecorated band of solid silver...for $35. ::blinks::
Yeaaaaah, no.
I ended the trip with baked goods and a miniture lemon marange pie from the San Francisco Bakery (one of the best, and best known, bakerys localy, everyone surives on their stuff around here), which was a good end, and the final pick-me-up I needed before heading back on to deal with more mom.
The one thing that bothered me was I definatly came home regretting not getting those earrings. I don't actualy wear earrings, so I want them to canablise. The pents on the earrings are actualy built just like any pendant you'd put on a chain, a solid pice with a loop connceted at the top, so I'd keep one to wear in my more suble moments, or maybe put onto the pull tab of my leather jacket (which snapped appart while I was trying to zip up in the rain durring all this ::sighs::) or something, and keep the other one for spellwork or something. But by the time I got home, Mortis was makeing really unhappy noises, so I really didn't want to take him back out into the bad weather, and I was so tired, I didn't feel safe driving...but those earrings were on sale, and the last pieces, and I just knew they'd be sold ASAP. And Joan wasn't willing to leave her nice, warm home and drive me around town. ::pouts::
Finaly I called them up and actualy asked that they hold them for me, and yay, they did! Yay! The only catch was I had to get them today. The weather is just as bad, but...
So...not only did I find the pent I've been looking for, but the ring a I needed, and two more mini-pents as well! All totled, including my pastries, I spent less then $30 for everything. I wasnt expecting to get the ring alone for anything less then $15 (hopeing, but not expecting).
So in the end, yah, ready to strangle mom and it's only been 48 hours since the doctor basicly bitch slapped her, but her driving me out of the house actauly lead me to a really great day!
Yay life!
Oh, and since I was right next to it anyway, I went into the second silver smiths' shop today, too, to see if they maybe had some simple silver chians, because that something I really need (I'm useing one chain for everything right now, and just tieing knots in it to ajust the length as needed ::sighs::)...yeeeaaah, I didn't see a single thing in there for under $45. And while they are probably the best jewler in the city, they were incredible...WOW, their priceing was soooo far beyond Olympia. No wonder their shop is hidden, I'm suprised they didn't demand the password and my credit report just to get past the doors.
So....yah. Long rambling post to basicly say : Mom's an idiot, and now must stay off her feet for the next three months or risk loseing all mobility in the knee, and I found basicly everything I've been looking for. I now have a new pent which I love and rings on every nessicary finger.
Yay!
I now return you to your regular killing-time-till-family-missery-and-pressents day. Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas Eve-Eve, Happy Holidays, Happy Solstice, Blessid...er...Sunday. ::shrugs::
I know. Yer all shocked, I can tell. ::eyeroll:: Well apprently Mom is. All that BS she fed us that "the doctor told her to do", like bending her knee to the sky a dozen times a day, walking as much as possible, and standing around a lot? Yeah, apprently that was all the exact fucking oppisate of what she should be doing.
Well Fucking Duh! ::sighs:: And now mom's not only not helped her knee heal, she's set herself back God only knows how much.
She is now offricaly ordered to stay off it as much as humanly possible, not stand at all for more then a few seconds, and not to move it for the next three months. ::Dun Dun Duuuuuuuuuunn!::
::sighs:: Yah, ya'all can just guess how well that's going over. Aaaaand guess whom she's takeing that furstration out on... ::eyeroll::
On the other hand, my own incredible frustration and desprate need to get out of the house NOW led me to...
The Good: I was gunna wait 'til Joan got up yesterday to hit downtown, it was my last day to get my holds at the library (including the new Lackey book, Reserved For The Cat, and Pipers At The Gates Of Down by Pink Floyd that I've had on hold for nearly two years) before they closed 'til after Christmas, by which time most of my holds would have expired. Since I had to go downtown for the library anyhow, we were gunna hit some of the local shops, too, so I could try to find a second replacement ring. Well, I was gunna go, Joan was gunna take pitty on me and keep me company.
Buuut...yah, I got out of the house the moment the libray opened and stayed out until I nearly drowned. But boy did it pay off! Not only did I get my library holds, but I also found a pent! I've needed a new pentacale necklace for about a year now, and just haven't found one in my price range that I really loved. Well, there's this little shop downtown called The Compass Rose, which I usualy avoid because while it's a cool import store with some great stuff, they are quite overpriced. But they are right next door to Archibald Sister's, which is where I've gotten a silver pinkey ring in the past, so I slid in there to see if, just by any random off-chance Compass Rose had a ring that would fit me. They didn't (and I didn't see a single ring for under $25, anyhow), but I did, however discover that they have a Bargin/Sale Room! Woot!
Some nice stuff in there, too. I got some hand made votive candles that are verigated shades of dark to light gray-blue. Not too teribly well made, but they were 10¢s each! And right there in the jewlery case, not one, but three silver pents on sale!
Well, one pent pendant, and one set of earrings. The earrings were $5, and the pendant $11 (both marked down from doubble that, respectivly), and I wanted both, but desided that the pendant was the priority, so I snagged that and the candles (four). I'd have gotten more stuff in that room, but I still had't found a ring, so I didn't wanna splurdge too much on myself right before Christmas.
So skipping over a bit of the boring parts of the story, I walked though most of downtown in compleatly horisontal rain for the better part of an hour 'n a half, and was getting pretty disheartend as I had compleatly run out of places to look for silver rings in a size bloody four (GOD I hate finding pinkey rings!!!). My last stop was Traditions, which is the local Fair Trade shop, and I knew that was a long shot as even if they did have a ring my size, it'd definatly be outta my pricerange, and I was right, but the saleslady did recomend to me a silversmith who has a shop in the hidden away, if you don't know ti's there, it's not there mini-mall inside one of the downtown buildings who might make the ring for me in my size. Turns out, he also has a booth at the Farmer's Market, which just happens to be open this weekend for the last time of the year!
She kept trying to get me to the shop, but I was parked right across from Tradiations, and I really didn't wanna walk back up four blocks in the pouring rain that's blowing directly into my eyes no matter what direction I'm faceing. Where as I could just drive down to the market and go inside where it's at least covered.
Guess which I did.
Turns out there are not one, but two silversmiths at the market these days, and thankfuly I hit the one not who I went there for first. He sold me a wire formed ring that fit perfectly and was tight enough to stay on for only $7. Now normaly I'd skip wire rings, but he managed to make this one sterty enough, and sodered the ends in, so it wont bloody catch on every passing thread or hair! There is no chance of the spiral knot on this ring unravling. So while it's not actualy my style, I Love it and it FITS and it was well within my price range.
And it turns out the silversmith I did go there for did have a ring that fit, too, a solid, plain, compleatly undecorated band of solid silver...for $35. ::blinks::
Yeaaaaah, no.
I ended the trip with baked goods and a miniture lemon marange pie from the San Francisco Bakery (one of the best, and best known, bakerys localy, everyone surives on their stuff around here), which was a good end, and the final pick-me-up I needed before heading back on to deal with more mom.
The one thing that bothered me was I definatly came home regretting not getting those earrings. I don't actualy wear earrings, so I want them to canablise. The pents on the earrings are actualy built just like any pendant you'd put on a chain, a solid pice with a loop connceted at the top, so I'd keep one to wear in my more suble moments, or maybe put onto the pull tab of my leather jacket (which snapped appart while I was trying to zip up in the rain durring all this ::sighs::) or something, and keep the other one for spellwork or something. But by the time I got home, Mortis was makeing really unhappy noises, so I really didn't want to take him back out into the bad weather, and I was so tired, I didn't feel safe driving...but those earrings were on sale, and the last pieces, and I just knew they'd be sold ASAP. And Joan wasn't willing to leave her nice, warm home and drive me around town. ::pouts::
Finaly I called them up and actualy asked that they hold them for me, and yay, they did! Yay! The only catch was I had to get them today. The weather is just as bad, but...
So...not only did I find the pent I've been looking for, but the ring a I needed, and two more mini-pents as well! All totled, including my pastries, I spent less then $30 for everything. I wasnt expecting to get the ring alone for anything less then $15 (hopeing, but not expecting).
So in the end, yah, ready to strangle mom and it's only been 48 hours since the doctor basicly bitch slapped her, but her driving me out of the house actauly lead me to a really great day!
Yay life!
Oh, and since I was right next to it anyway, I went into the second silver smiths' shop today, too, to see if they maybe had some simple silver chians, because that something I really need (I'm useing one chain for everything right now, and just tieing knots in it to ajust the length as needed ::sighs::)...yeeeaaah, I didn't see a single thing in there for under $45. And while they are probably the best jewler in the city, they were incredible...WOW, their priceing was soooo far beyond Olympia. No wonder their shop is hidden, I'm suprised they didn't demand the password and my credit report just to get past the doors.
So....yah. Long rambling post to basicly say : Mom's an idiot, and now must stay off her feet for the next three months or risk loseing all mobility in the knee, and I found basicly everything I've been looking for. I now have a new pent which I love and rings on every nessicary finger.
Yay!
I now return you to your regular killing-time-till-family-missery-and-pressents day. Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas Eve-Eve, Happy Holidays, Happy Solstice, Blessid...er...Sunday. ::shrugs::