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I`m H2O intolerant. - Mood:Hopeful

Sunday July 10 20116:03:15 PM |

We made it through another week. Warren was super busy, but Leominster was meh. We're considering relocating... and we're going tomorrow to look at a property in Connecticut. Hmmm. Just a couple photos. That last picture used to represent 1/3rd of my staff. It now represents 1/2. Kyle, the kid who's been with us since our very first month in business, quit without any notice this week after getting offered a job as a machinist. No problem with him taking a better paying job. Big problem with him quitting without notice. Dude. You just don't do that. Oh well. Morning.

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Take a google walk downtown with me. - Mood:Disgusted

Tuesday July 05 20118:03:00 AM |

This is our coffee shop in Warren, MA: This is the Warren Spa & Package Store, where the crusty residents of Warren actually go to drink their coffee, buy their lotto tickets, and shoot the sh*t. This is the other town eatery. The kind where the proprietor picks a fight with the health inspector just so somebody can try to throw away all the out of date food before he gets to the kitchen. It's that kind of town, ya dig? We don't fit in. And the townspeople don't like it. We don't allow smoking inside, we pay our bills on time, and we have coffee cups with our logo on them. THEY HATE IT. Less than 3% of our business actually comes from the town we're located in. (more)

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Someone should take her accessories away. - Mood:Overwhelmed

Sunday July 03 201110:17:27 AM |

I just saw the lady upstairs (affectionally deemed "Chicken Fire" following a ridiculous evening meal attempt that involved the local fire department more than family members) wiggle into her car outside my shop. She had festooned herself almost to the point of injury with red, white and blue paraphernalia. Her hair tangled with it. Her ears dangled with it. Her face was encased in it. Her neck was hung with it. Her wrists were weighted with it. Her nails were painted with it. Her waist was cinched with it. Her shoulders were pinned with it. Her legs jangled with it. Her feet were enclosed in it. She'd hung a metallic abortion of a streamer on her lunch box. Between strains of "Baby you're a fiiiiiiirewooork" and panicked thoughts of "Oh sweet Jesus, hide the children!", I wished I had a camera. Happy 3rd.

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I wish good intentions and hard work were currency. - Mood:Overwhelmed

Monday June 27 20118:48:49 PM |

We're looking at a big, super-big, wicked mecha major big change... a change for the better, and definitely a logical step for the business, but it involves a lot of money-wrangling, number-crunching and all sorts of paperwork. I feel awash in data, and I don't really know or care to know what to do with it all... I know what I want, where I want to go and how I want to get there, but I dread all the horrible tedious tense steps in between. I'm also pretty sad that I go back to work in less than 9 hours. I love my job, I love my business, but GOD sometimes I wish I could press Pause for a day. I would like to state for the record that I've enjoyed Cmy's finger thread, heather's baked alaska thread and fleur's eye thread very much tonight. Thank you for the distraction, even though I only lurked.

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This morning has been most pleasurable. - Mood:Hopeful

Monday June 27 201111:04:17 AM |

I met this morning with a woman from Nichols, a local business college. They're holding their second annual Women in Business convention in the fall, and have asked me to hold a 45-minute session talking about my business. I talked to her for over an hour- - I get really excited about the business and telling the story of how it got started, and having a captive audience is always fun- - while sipping a skinny chai latte and lounding on the couch in the window of my pretty little coffee shop, watching the town shuffle past. I felt like Hedonism Bot. It was amazing. I'm really psyched for the convention... it's going to be a lot of fun, and afterwards I will have the opportunity to sell my product and meet everybody one-on-one, and attend the second set of sessions to boot! I get two free tickets, so my husband and father are both coming, too. Happy Monday.

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"And I want one to be a swimming pool, with a beach ball and floats and stuff, and one can be Little Red Riding Hood, and then her name, and the Bruins logo, and..." (another 10,000 photographs journal) - Mood:Overwhelmed

Sunday June 26 20119:08:17 AM |

I had the craziest order ever, last week. For the last day of school, the lady wants to get five customized nine-piece boxes. Which is fine, great, cute! What kind of custom? That's where things got kooky. She hands me a two-page itemized hand-scribbled list of the 45 different designs she wants done- - 9 for each box. Box 1: "Leslie", a pool with floats in it, a cardinal bird, the facebook logo, "YIYO", UMMC, Red Sox, miniature golf, and Little Red Riding Hood. Box 2: "Pat", palm tree w/ocean, nurse, broken wrist, "YIYO", movie projector, tea party, Water For Elephants, candlepin bowling. (more)

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One does not get all up in the grill of the health inspector. - Mood:Exhausted

Saturday June 25 201110:24:40 AM |

Next door to my shop, there's a crappy convenience store/diner. The health guy came by yesterday to do his regular 6-month inspection, and mentioned that the owner of the minimart ran over and demanded to know why he was there, insisted on seeing identification, and berated the dude for not announcing himself ahead of time. Wtf? Dude, someone who sells expired cream cheese and serves watered down soup from a can off the retail shelves really shouldn't be giving the health inspector a rough time. Anyhoo. Photowhore time. That was my favorite order from last week. I was a little sad when it left the store, actually. A lady from a local business college is coming to meet with me on Monday. I'm going to be speaking there at a convention for women coming up in the fall, which is kinda cool. Exhauzzzted.

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Satisfaction! - Mood:Hopeful

Monday June 13 20118:51:30 PM |

It turned out to be an extremely satisfying day, which surprised me. We got so many jobs done, and I'm so happy with how the house is looking... finally starting to make it a home, after moving in way back in December. He worked on the basement- - painting the walls and stairway, installing new ceiling panels and wiring five new lights right into them, cutting holes in drywall for switches, etc. I worked upstairs, cleaning and organizing and rearranging like crazy. It kind of takes me aback, getting excited over things like beautifully vacuumed/mopped floors, but there's a lot of satisfaction in a clean house. And it's not even too late! Hoping for an easy, comfortable week- - I managed to get a good jump on everything, last week, so the outlook is pretty fair. Kind of wish I had another day off to just enjoy... but at least stuff's gotten done today.

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He beat me. - Mood:Hopeful

Sunday June 12 20117:38:39 PM |

In bowling! (Non-misleading journal title/body structure? Are you sure this is legal? Gosh.) The day started off pretty badly, but we are learning to take a fight and set it aside. Emotions run high, but then we take a step back, agree that our goals are the same and we don't need to place blame to work towards them, and make amends. It's really, REALLY refreshing, and I love being able to see the progress we've made as a couple and as business partners. So in the midst of the argument, he suggests going on a date tonight- - bowling at a small local alley, and then a cheap fast food dinner purely for the merit of getting out of the work-sleep routine. It was such a nice night, exactly what we needed. In the basement of the condo now, chilling out on an air mattress while he starts work installing some new ceiling panels and lighting. Tomorrow off!

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Hey... anybody need a job? - Mood:Disgusted

Friday June 10 20116:43:25 AM |

This'll be long, but bear with me. It's early. Every Friday since we hired her three months ago, my employee has been scheduled for 6am. The rest of the week she's down for a gentle 10am start, and has bemoaned repeatedly having to come in for 6 on Fridays- - even though we told her about it before she was hired. Every Friday morning during the school year, a group of obnoxious teachers comes in for "breakfast" before 7am, and it takes two people to deal with them. This is the 10th Friday in a row that she's been... well, she calls it sick, but I think I'd be more likely to call it hungover. She doesn't sleep on Thursday night (and has a host of reasons for this... most of which involve her boyfriend, who works an odd schedule and tends to stay up all night picking on his guitar), she claims she starts vomiting around 9:30 and doesn't stop.

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Another surprise survival of the week. (10,000 photographs) - Mood:Exhausted

Sunday June 05 201110:46:12 AM |

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So random crazy tornadoes ripped through my part of the state last night... - Mood:Ashamed

Thursday June 02 20116:30:19 AM |

And all my facebook friends are posting these videos of the damage. K, that's super... BUT... why is it always THE most stereotypical people that narrate these home videos? From Brimfield: "OH MY GAHD, JOEY, WE JUST SUHVIVED A F*CKEN TOHNADO! OH MY GAHD!! LOOK AT THE CAH, OH MY GAHD! F*CKEN TOHNADO OH MY GAHD! MY CAH IS F*CKEN RIPPED APAHT!" From Springfield: "Holy sh*t, man, f*ckin cops everywhere, fires to the left, f*cking pigs to the right, man, this is across the street, man, you can see the trees are GONE, man, just GONE. And they want me to say at work, haha, they can eat my dick, dude!" Sigh. Haven't yet heard the extent of the damage locally, but apparently four people are confirmed dead and a lot more injured, in the state itself. NOTHING compared to what they go through, like, daily in other parts of the country, but pretty intense for us.

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House to myself? Yes, please. - Mood:Hopeful

Monday May 30 201110:53:24 AM |

I love love LOVE alone time. i mean, I lovelovelove my husband, and I lovelovelove our business. I lovelovelove my family and spending time with them. But oh... to have the house quiet... no sound but whatever I put on Netflix, the clicking of my keyboard, and the soothing hum of the air conditioner? To have the chance to lounge naked on the couch, or waste an hour in the bathtub? To f*cking sweep the floor without going, "DON'T STEP IN THAT!" for chrissakes. Bliss. Shared a pretty awesome evening with my father's side of the family- - just hanging out outside, drinking a little beer, having a little cookout food. Bugs and dogs and germs and smoke, four of the things I hate the most, but when combined with the atmosphere we had yesterday... it was perfection. I felt the most "american" I have in years. Goldfish crackers and pears for breakfast. By myself.

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She moved her fingers stiffly over the stacks, like a confused bell choir conductor. - Mood:Hopeful

Sunday May 29 20119:44:34 AM |

Share with me stories of your worst retail experiences, to help numb the pain of my own last night. 30 minutes in, I thought my eyes were going to bug out far enough to snap the optic nerve. Some people should be kept in places where the biggest obstacle the day may hold is extra runny oatmeal. HAPPY SUNDAY. Thank f*ck for that. I'm sleeping until everything's okay again, tomorrow.

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The one thing I look forward to these days, and it eludes me? Not cool, nature. - Mood:Disgusted

Friday May 27 20117:52:23 AM |

NOT. COOL. I haven't had a decent 6 hours sleep in what feels like forever. 15 hours a day, minimum, at the shop and then it seems to take 7 hours to unwind to the point that I can relax. Last night, I actually tried pot for the first time, in the hopes that that would help somewhat. Instead, Husband put the idea in my head that some people throw up the first time, and the sashimi kept popping back into my brain and f*cking with me. I lay in the dark and FRETTED all night, instead of passing out. Super. Father's Day box. It's a fish, okay...

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Next month`s main holiday is kind of freaking me out, already. - Mood:Cautious

Thursday May 26 20118:22:11 AM |

Father's Day is right around the corner. And I'm not sure what to do about it- - this will be the first time in 17 years that I'll actually be able to participate. AWKWARD. I've had no practice! But I suppose it makes up for ignoring Mother's Day completely, this time around. Veeent time. If you watch while I prepare your entire beverage in its standard hot temperature format and THEN say, as you pay for it, "Oh... I wanted it iced. Sorry..." you will indeed be sorry, because you're getting that exact same cup of liquid... just dumped over ice. So enjoy your tepid, watery concoction and gtfo.

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Strange forces are at work. - Mood:Hopeful

Wednesday May 25 20119:12:00 AM |

Requiem: Alas, lonely muffin, all 47 of your compatriots were cooked to perfection- - fluffy, delicately browned, delightful. Yet you, lonely muffin, though not of unusual size or obscure location, have remained nearly unscathed by the fierce heat to which your brethren succumbed. Lonely muffin, you are unfit for consumption by the paying populace... I shall have to eat you. R.I.P. Yesterday was a weird one. Out of the blue, a cubscout troop declared they were taking a tour. "Sorry we weren't able to prepare anything special- - we didn't know ahead of time." "Oh, I posted on your facebook this morning!" 1. 12:30pm does not constitute "morning" when you are in the same timezone. 2. We told you we needed notification at least a week before, when you generally inquired some months ago. Nice. Happy day?

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It`s inconceivable how good fresh baked blueberry muffins smell. - Mood:Exhausted

Sunday May 22 20118:32:05 AM |

It's been a very, very long week. Tuesday was the tip of the iceberg... we ended up staying 'til past midnight on Thursday, meaning a shift of over 19 hours. Kind of been playing catch up the rest of the week, but at least tomorrow we can sleep in. Lots of fun orders this week, but I'll only subject you to pictures of a couple because they were going so fast. That last one was an order that I've had on the books for over a year, since the very first convention event I attended. LeSalle Wedding Expo in Southbridge, MA, April 2010. Pretty special.

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Sneak peeeak - Mood:Exhausted

Tuesday May 17 20117:08:27 PM |

Totally overrun today. Tuesday, the quietest day of the week. $700+. Here! It's 1/10000th of what I've been working on today! And probably the thing that's made me most pleased. D'awwwwww. We earned sushi. He said so! Tra-la.

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20+ more people per day? Not too bad. - Mood:Overwhelmed

Tuesday May 17 20118:43:40 AM |

So, the T&G article has totally overwhelmed us with orders! I take back all my annoyance at being misquoted. London or England, whatever works- - the point they're all picking up on is that we do Gluten Free. Awesome! We've jumped more than 40 fans on our facebook page since the article ran, and we've been taking calls and emails ever since from people interested in franchising, helping us franchise, and ordering for special events. And it's been a BUSY little shop today, lemme tell ya. Got $300 worth of orders alone going out today. Absolutely brilliant. Going on a Bob's Mill safari tonight, it looks like. Gluten free ftw.

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I`d like Monday twice, today. Okay? - Mood:Depressed

Monday May 16 201110:16:24 AM |

There's too much to do, today. Feeling a bit overwhelmed... besides the normal day-off stuff like laundry and grocery shopping, I have a 260-piece custom order to complete, and because of shortened staff hours, the cake isn't even ready to dip yet. So we've got to: 1. Go down to shop, frantically roll five flavors, minimum 50 pieces each. Start washing clothes at laundromat across street. 2. Dip what is available, switch laundry to dryer. 3. Go shopping for ourselves, the shop, and my grandparents. 4. Find a way to get out to Atkin Farms (a 45 minute drive to the middle of nowhere) to get gluten free cake mixes. 5. Come back and dip all the flavors earlier rolled, decorate for large wedding order. 6. Assemble orders for tomorrow- - 2 49s and 2 130s. 7. Drop off shopping at grandparents', have dinner. 8. Oh wait, are the clothes still at the laundromat? *$#(U MORE TIME.

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Not all English people are from London? What is this foreign silliness! - Mood:Disgusted

Sunday May 15 20117:31:02 AM |

A reporter from the Telegram & Gazette came and did a two-hour-long interview a few weeks ago, and printed an article in today's paper on us. I suppose I shouldn't expect much accuracy in reporting, but constant misquoting and complete ignorant fabrication is a bit much. We must have corrected that damn reporter four times- - "No, NOT London. England. Blackpool, in fact. Definitely not London." The day started off so well. Somehow I managed to lose 4 pounds this week, bringing me down to -20 since starting less than two months ago... I was psyched! But it's raining and gloomy and the writeup was boring and bland and inaccurate, and my first customer came at 6:58- - Crazy Canadian Man who buys knick knacks off the wall if we let him get away with it, and wants to tell us all about himself every time he comes in. Looking forward to no customers tomorrow, and sleeping in.

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Hooray for sushi night! - Mood:Lovestruck

Friday May 13 20118:29:30 PM |

I'm so addicted. We've been going out for sushi at least once a week since trying it for the first time last month. LOVE everything about it. The roll I had tonight had yellowtail, salmon, shrimp, avocado, tobiko, cucumber... I wish I could find a picture of it online, but it was delicious. He had a "kinky" roll- - eel, green onion, tobiko, cream cheese, lightly battered and deep-fried. HOLY F*CK. We made it through the day. Thank god.

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We have now, indeed, covered nearly every universal human milestone this week. - Mood:Hopeful

Friday May 13 20119:21:57 AM |

Birthday: Graduation: Wedding: (order went out before I could snap a proper photo, but it was hideous anyways) Anniversary: Baby Shower: (had another big one, it likewise left before I could photograph) First Communion: I thought we were going to skip Death... but a lady just called and ordered 3 platters of 24 for this afternoon, for the nursing home where her mother just passed away. CRAZY. Okay. Run about your business!

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I got my first unsolicited dose of personal validation! - Mood:Happy

Thursday May 12 20118:53:29 AM |

One of my favorite customers this morning suddenly said, "Hey, I really hope you won't be offended if I tell you this, but you look like you've been losing weight!" Offended? OMG HUGLOVE YOU Happy days. I feel really good. I love you Kraken and Trish! Another super busy week. Feels like I'm covering every possible event this Saturday... except funeral. First Communion, Birthday, Anniversary, Graduation, Baby Shower and Wedding Shower. Craaaazay. Hey, I hear Redreine cheated on me before we got married.

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