He uses the word "fart" too much, but I still love the book.

Don't get me wrong. I still crack up when I hear the word "fart." But it can be overdone. Maybe that's my only real criticism of David Cross' first book, "I Drink for a Reason." Am I wrong to think he's sexy? I have never had traditional taste when it comes to what draws me to the opposite sex. Which is why I still don't understand why I married my Banana Republic lovin' ex-husband. Oh, right, he's a wacko! Anyway, in most instances, I prefer skinny, nerdy, Jewish, funny dudes to the "People Magazine's Sexiest Man of the Year" types. Unfortunately, I must emit something all together too Catholic (maybe they can bottle my pheromones, call them "Schicksa" and sell them) because only one Jewish boy ever found me date-worthy. And he was half Sicilian.

So, about the book. I remember reading David Sedarias', "Naked" on the subway and laughing out loud. Well, "I Drink for a Reason" caused the same thing to play out. Except I was minding my booth at the Providence Open Market (bundled up in many layers of clothes, drinking coffee that had become crazy cold). There is one chapter that really put me over the edge called, "Things to Do When You're Bored." One of his suggestions involved an iPod and a shoe store. I read it, like, four times. In fact, I am fending off an urge to go downstairs and get the book to read that piece again. I also really enjoy the way some things stay in his craw indefinitely. Like his hatred for Jim Belushi. Some people might find that to be annoying. Just get over it, David Cross. Not me. Don't get over it! It's funny! He sounds like a total prick. And I hated that he got a television show several years ago. What segment of this country is sitting there waiting for Jim and the person they cast as his wife to entertain them? As I recall, the woman was waaaaaaaaay too attractive to give a guy like him a second glance, let alone marry him. I really hate that, by the way. How they pair the fat/old guy with some young, shapely lady. And he's always a really obnoxious a-hole and she's always all, "Oh, you!" or maybe she's really the smart one and at the end of the episode he has to thank her for setting him straight. It started with the Honeymooners and for some reason, it gets played out over and over and over. Either people like that shit or people think that people like that shit and they get tricked into watching it and maybe developing a sick liking of it. Whatever.

I also found all the Mormon bashing to be wildly hilarious. If you ever read "Under the Banner of Heaven," you, too, will enjoy a little Mormon bashing.

Random thought: Why do people say, "Well, me, PERSONALLY, I don't much care for (such-and-such)." Forget for a second that it is grammatically incorrect, but isn't it obvious that it's you? Do you need to add the "personally" part?

My New Co-Workers

When I first went full time with my soap business, one of the things that I worried about was lack of social interaction on a regular basis. At first, this fear proved itself out. I was getting a little stir crazy, but since I have been working the local markets every week, I have found that I have new co-workers. You don't become friendly with other business people overnight, but when it does happen, you start to feel like you belong to a new family. And the cool thing is that everyone has a deep passion for what they do and has taken the same financial risk. As a bonus, you get to trade your goods for other goods and wares - all handcrafted and local. So, I usually leave the farmer's market with rice and fried plantains, fresh bread and scrumptious pie or pecan rolls. At the open market, I can zip across the park and say hello to my friend, Mary, who runs a local, organic herb farm in the middle of the city. I buy my lavender and calendula from her and her local products gets put right into my local products. It's a beautiful thing to help support each other.

I have joined forces with a group of local crafters to form a small coop called, Rhody Craft 100. We are 100% local, 100% handmade and all within 100 miles of Pawtucket Artiste Village where we will be setting up a small retail shop from November to January. It's going to rule.

Finding these new folks has been such a comfort, but also very exciting. My friend, Jenn, makes these really cool, sarcastic greeting cards. She and I have lunch at a local coffee house on a now regular basis. We talk about our businesses, the things that scare us and the stuff we love.

Some weeks, I make my numbers. Some weeks, I don't. But I am now on my 2nd month free of unemployment benefits and though I am not living big, I can proudly say that I am able to pay my share of our bills with money I have made from my little soap business. I know that my business will grow and that soon I will have a little extra cash, but in the meantime, I am trying to focus on the positive and remain excited about the future. I would rather do what I love and eke by than continue to work in a job that I've lost interest in.

Catch Up

I have been neglectful here. Pretty bad gap in writing on ole Gibberish, I must say. Things have been hopping in soap land and most of my postings have been on my business blog and short, random updates on Facebook.

WORK

Though I am still getting used to the new routine, after four months things seem a lot more regular. I am a list person, now more than ever. With great freedom comes great scheduling responsibility. Jere just got a full time gig as a proofreader/copyeditor for a computer company, so this will lighten my financial burden a smidge. I have been working a number of markets, getting wedding favor business, and doing wholesale in addition to accepting orders on my website. I am trying to create a number of revenue streams so that I don't have to rely on just one or two. My dream is still to have that storefront, but most of the people I speak to who have stores tell me not to do it. That it isn't worth the additional overhead, etc. I think eventually, I will tire of transporting my store to various locations every week, but for now, it's fun.

RED SOX

We caught Jim Rice's induction on television yesterday afternoon. What a great ceremony! And in typical Jim fashion (no pun intended), he wore a spectacular tie. Congratulations, Jim! No more white knuckle rides - you are in!

Saturday night's victory was much needed. Lester was his usual, dominant self. Even from the bleachers, we could see flames shooting off the ball after he released it. Amazing guy, that Lester. Too bad about yesterday's loss, though. I thought we were on our way to regaining our place at the top of the division. I guess we are back to our usual post-All Star Break struggle. Unfortunately, this is about when the Yankees start heating up.

PROVIDENCE

Speaking of heat, we had the pleasure of attending the city's first water fire event! It happened conveniently after an event I worked on Westminster street at the beginning of the season. They are pretty amazing. If you like fire, by all means go to one of these things.

I feel like I am really bonding with the city. We've been here almost a year now and since going full time with Stella Marie, I have had a lot of opportunities to meet new people. It's a very unique, down-to-earth place. Perfect mix of urban/suburban. We live in the ity, but we have a yard and a garage and a driveway. It's also centrally-located to all the places we visit regularly. The ocean is always near, which is key for us. It is culturally diverse. It has a huge, kickass pulic park where they actually rent kayacks.

SHOUTS OUTS

Congratulations to ...

... my friend Ilene on her wicked pissa new release of children's music. This time, she has teamed up with her friend Tamara (her first release was with our friend, Steve) to create a bunch of fun kids' songs.

... our friends Anthony and Caitlin who are tying the knot this coming month!

... my friends Lyn and Pete who will be weloming their first child later this year!

... my mom - she is doing brilliantly! No chemo in 3 months and her cancer remains stable. She is looking and feeling great! She had a strontium injection a couple of weeks ago and this is supposed to target her bone metastisis. She has a lot of them in her pelvis and lower back. It takes 4 weeks to feel the results, so fingers crossed.

(wow, I just realized that this post is very "church newsletter"-like. Weird.)

I Don't Get This

You have probably heard about Etsy.com, the online indie market. It's huge and wonderful, filled with amazing, handmade items - stuff you could never find at your local Target, CVS or Newbury Comics.

When you join the zillions of people selling their goods on Etsy, you really have to work hard to get noticed. You have to join forums and have showcases and who knows what else. It is a very competitive place. I'd rather direct people to my own web site, but I do get an occassional, unexpected sale on Etsy which is always nice. What I find to be a real shame when I peruse the other soap stores on Etsy is how an AMAZING soap maker like Ladybug Soapworks can have less than 100 sales while a hack "soap maker" can enjoy hundreds of sales. I am not going to mention any names, but I am speaking, generally, about people who have crummy photography and who use the melt & pour technique without any real creative element (I have seen some people make stunning soaps using melt & pour, but it is not the norm and the average person can't appreciate the difference between melt & pour and a lovely, handmade soap from scratch).

Etsy. It's a jungle out there.

Big Sister Program

I may not be "mommy" material, but I would still like to make a difference in a child's life. I just signed up to be a Big Sister and this is looooong overdue. I am really looking forward to meeting my Little Sister!

Whole Foods Update

Can be found here.

Bruins Stinker

I am not really a hockey fan, per say. As I've stated in the past, I am addicted to baseball and in the last three seasons or so, I've folded basketball into the mix. It's really all I can find the time to follow when I'm not knee deep in the soap.

Having said this, I must express my empathy to all of the Bruins fans who had such faith in this team. It really did seem as though they had the momentum to go all the way. I know the "punch in the gut" feeling that the B's fans will have to ride out over the next couple of days. It's a total pooper.

I hope the Celtics can win game 7 at home tomorrow. I've realized that Dwight Howard is a real "me, me, me" kind of guy. I can't believe the way he bad-mouthed Van Gundy so publicly. It's very selfish and disrespectful of your teammates, not to mention Van Gundy himself. Right or wrong, you work that stuff out privately. And Alston is a total jerk. No one slaps Eddie House in the back of the head and advances in the playoffs. No one!