Well, two years later, I have finally begun renovation on the dollhouse I found in the trash in July 2008.

This week I began reinstalling some of the windows that fell out- and reattached a bit of the molding. I went to Home Depot to peruse the “oops paint” section, and found a lovely dark red for $1 and a taupe/beige sample paint can for 50 cents.

I painted, (as you can see), and was informed by my darling daughter that it is still stupid, just painted a different color.

Today I experimented with landscaping by creating the little bush you see out of packaging paper in a small box. I think I am going to try to invent some grass with furry fabric I have- and a sidewalk perhaps out of foamboard.

Looking at the photos, I see that in two years of storage I did lose a key gingerbreading piece from the top left- and I think I can recreate that with foam board. I wonder how I’ll make a balcony for those third floor doors…

Watermelon purchased in Niagara Falls, New York. (Tops Friendly Markets)

So, do you think this is for real? Not so sure I believe the whole gimmicky serial number thing- but it’s a cute idea on a really beautiful vintage looking label.

I did trace my melon. I went to www.melontrace.com , as encouraged by my friendly little watermelon and I typed in my serial number. Sure enough, it told me everything that was on the label. My watermelon was grown at B&K Farms in Dorchester County, Maryland. That’s cool to know. I like buying fruit and vegetables and knowing where they came from.

However, is the website tracing thing for real? I mean, doesn’t my serial number sound just a little suspicious? 101 001 365 024. Like someone was trying to come up with a number and then just thought oh yah man, 365 days a year, 24 hours a day! I don’t know. How many other watermelons have my same serial number? I think we should go to Tops Friendly Markets on Niagara Falls Blvd. in Niagara Falls, NY and find out. Then again, maybe I’ll just stay home and read my Chuck Palahniuk on the glider.

And eat some Maryland watermelon.

Well, that was a total nightmare. I have no idea what could have been so wrong with my hard drive that the technician could not have transferred information to the new one. He said it kept stopping and to continue to attempt it could jeopardize ever getting my information back.

Hence, I was forced to resort to a “data recovery” business. And let me tell ya- this is scary. First of all, there are a ton of scams and hoaxes. None of them seem any different than the other. I came across a news story about how you will send them your hard drive and then they hold it for ransom until you pay exorbitant amounts of money upwards of $2,000.

A quick search combining any of the company’s names and the word “scam” and you’ll get a laundry list of complaints and possibly lawsuits. Some of these places have even been known to keep your hard drive, steal personal information and never return it.

So, I went with one that was quoted in a news article. The news interviewed them as reputable technicians who were commenting on the scam artists. I had to go with them because I had to pick somebody- and I hoped the news would have at least researched these folks before I sent off my hard drive.

Turns out they were legitimate. They recovered my data on a machine. It took them only a few hours- yet I paid $600. It all comes down to “how valuable is this information to you?” “How much do you want to see your children’s pictures again or the last picture known of your father before he died?”

I got the hard drive back- not nearly as quickly as they boasted. They boasted one day turn arounds. It took them a week to even get to mine. Then 3 hours to fix. Then another week to wait for me to send them an external hard drive and to ship it out. All together- a little under three weeks.  They were nonchalant on the phone about my entire work order- and obviously wanted me to know this wasn’t a big priority.

But in the end- I did get those photos back. I did get my documents back. I am back in business.

However, two days after they shipping my hard drive? Mysteriously, someone with all my banking information started charging all sorts of tech equipment to me and I’ve had to register fraud complaints with my bank. Coincidentally they are in the same state as the repair place.

I called the repair place- they were very concerned- but felt it could not possibly be anyone who worked for them.

Please stop reading this blog right now. Just stop reading it and then back up your entire hard drive. I’m so serious.

“What? Even if it crashes, the guy will just transfer my old stuff into the new one.” Nope- do NOT count on that.

It is my living nightmare. A few weeks ago, my computer just froze up. I tried to get to the task manager but couldn’t. I tried to restart but couldn’t. I did a hard-boot and when it started back up, it got stuck infinitely in the start up cycle.

I had a technician come to the house and he diagnosed it as having a bad hard drive. The error was telling him it had overheated. Oh, don’t worry- nine times out of ten we’ll just move your stuff to an external hard drive or a destop in your house. (he said)

Alas, he nonchalantly sucked on his pen and said, “it doesn’t look good. I’m only getting like 10 to 15 files and then it stops.” I was sort of in disbelief.

So, he said not to worry he’d take it home where it could have more time. But then he didn’t call me for a couple of days. Then explained he had been on vacation. Then a half hour later said it was going to be impossible to retrieve any of my data.

I don’t know what possibly happened in that time for him to think it was impossible. He tells me, “they have mail away services you can use but it’ll cost you thousands”.

So, he flippantly hands it back to me while checking his texts and heading out to his car in his sockless feet and orange surfer shorts.

I am left alone with a malfunctioning piece of metal that somehow contains all of the precious photos of my children, the last remaining photo of my deceased father, the only visual of his very elegant handwriting, all of my gallery work, all of my home business work, contracts, tenant issues and important evidence for an upcoming court case. But I cannot get it out.

So, as Sockless Shortsman told me to do, I googled “data retrieval” and “hard drive recovery” and found a bazillion places, all with similiar stock photography of keyboards and the usual list of services. I read through them all. They all sound the same.

Then just to be sure I type in the name of the one with the lowest prices, the guarantees, the most information.. but I type “complaints” at the end… and google provided me with hundreds of complaints about this business. People saying they were ripped off, their data held hostage, their harddrives never returned. Then google showed me a video from a newscast in Los Angeles which you can see right here:

http://www.myfoxla.com/dpp/news/investigative/Data_Recovery_Scams_20090727

Go ahead. Watch it.

Scares ya, doesn’t it? Just a little bit. Think you are still safe? Think again. Even online backup services have consumer complaints.

So, I basically researched the consultant in the news clip thinking that they probably stand the best chance of being honest if they have been in business 20 years and featured as experts in the field on a Los Angeles newscast.

I traced the name of the TV station and the brief mention of their company. They are ITS from Chatsworth, California. (That’s the Valley, folks, ohmahgawd!)

I contacted them today and after filling out an online inquiry, received a quote based on the general approxiimation of the quantity of data I have to be retrieved. They have sent me back a job number and shipping information. I am emailing with the owner, the guy from the news himself.

I am going to pack up this valuable hunk of information and send it off to them. I am so hoping they can get my info. I mean, if data can be retrieved from burned up or flooded hard drives surely they can get mine back, right? right?

I mean, will I see my dad’s face again? Will I see my son as a smiling little baby playing with a fluffy kitten ever again? I am counting on them.

Take a moment and think about what you have stored on your computer. Would it upset you to lose anything? If so, please back it up now. Back it up online and back it up to an external device. Please.

I will keep you updated on the condition of the hard drive and this process as part of one of my consumer reports. Let’s hope it works. Please. I have so much on there. What a fool I am.

I created this fabric! Yup, that’s right- I designed it myself and now I can purchase it by the yard on a variety of fabrics! And so can others!

If you watched Project Runway last week, you saw the designers creating their own fabric. Well, Spoonflower is one of several websites I have found that let you do the same thing on your own!

This is very exciting for me because I am just learning art quilting. I’ve tried fabric painting- and it is not working out how I want it to. I’ve discovered that with this new web technology, I can create my own designs, or use photos, or photoshop, upload my image and have it printed as one big panel or as a print!

Spoonflower also serves as a bit of a design community- as they hold challenges and contests. In addition, designers are able to sell their fabric to the public if they wish.

I’m working on making a painting in photoshop. From a blank white page. Never to be on canvas- just to go right into print and fabric! How’s that for something new and creative?

I found these vintage doggies on a share-site and made them into a fabric. Wouldn’t they make cute pajamas?

I know there were other sites available, but Spoonflower seemed to be the most popular at the moment, so that gave me a little trust… and the community is inspiring!

What does it fucking take to get a mother fucking VACUUM that mother fucking works at least 50% of the fucking time? In the name of SAINT ANTHONY someone please tell me how I can have a fucking reliable vacuum cleaner that will fucking SUCK when I want it to SUCK literally and not just sit around my house like a sucky piece of living shit reminding me of my failure to dominate fucking home appliances???

Dear Fucking Vacuum,

I have so fucking had it with YOU. You son of a bitching fucking no good bastard. I am so fucking tired of seeing your smirking fucking face standing in that fucking corner daring me to try to vacuum because every time I do, you are a fucked up little bastard spewing dust all over the fucking place.

I hope you’re happy now you stupid bastard- wiped that grin off your face, didn’t I? Now that you stand there, leaning onto a fucking snow drift out front, your fucking hose half trailing behind you- your fucking dust cloud settled onto your torso like a fucking badge of shame for all the neighborhood to see!

You FUCKING thought I’d fucking bow down in front of you again and clean all the fucking dust off of you? You thought I’d fucking stick that goddamn unbent clothes hanger up and down your fucking tube trying to fix you… to see what fucking molecule of sawdust is preventing you from working in any effective manner at all… you fucking primadonna. One FUCKING molecule and you stop working… just wedged in the wrong place- as if I need a vacuum to vacuum the vacuum?

OH NO. Nono nononononono I will NOT play your little games anymore you stupid bastard. I have killed before. Oh yes, just ask my mother’s little canister vacuum from Sears that wouldn’t go up the stairs. Oh wait, you can’t ask it- it’s DEAD. LONG DEAD and it’s body abandoned in a dump somewhere on a junkheap barge out floating around Lake Erie. Maybe swirling in the trash island of the north atlantic- it’s rubber parts nipped off by desperately hungry sea animals.

Oh that same fate awaits you you bastard. But not until I am done torturing you. First you will sit out there in SHAME. Let the neighbors see what a piece of shit you are. Then- the trash pickers will come. They’ll be confused because you are missing bits and pieces- and they can’t take you- but they’ll put their alcoholic child molesting hands all over you- visions of chopping you into parts in their heads before they’ll pass you up because not EVEN the alcoholic TRASH PICKERS want you.

We all know your little game. I only wanted ONE THING out of you and YOU REFUSED TO DO IT. So fuck off now you bagless heap of plastic SHIT.

And don’t come crying to me when a seagull has eaten off your cord and belt. Fucker. You picked the wrong fucking chick to fuck with this time.

Hey Hey Sarah! We LOVE that hopey-changey thing. It’s working out pretty well. We have averted a complete depression, stimulus money is helping our communities and there is humor and optimism in the White House!

I’m proposing we all write HOPE and CHANGE on our hands to show our support of the USA!

Tonight I made a warm & comforting simple Polish American dish called “Lazy Pierogi”. It is called lazy because it’s sort of a skillet-casserole meal.

If you acre from a Polish family you will know that it takes all day to make the real thing- pierogi. The dough needs to be mixed and rolled out. The various fillings prepared- potato, sauerkraut, cheese, etc…
and then you have to boil your pierogi and wrap it up to be frozen.

This dish captures the flavors of pierogi, (at least a little bit), and yet you can make it in less than an hour with little preparation.

Here go the instructions:

Ingredients:
1 pound cooked egg noodles
1 pound bacon
1 onion, diced
1 can (14 oz) sauerkraut drained & rinsed
1 can (8 oz) mushrooms, drained
1 lg. can cream of mushroom soup condensed

Fry bacon, set aside. Discard all but a little bacon grease. In same pan, fry sauerkraut, diced onion, and mushrooms. Break bacon into pieces and stir into frying pan. Add the most important ingredient to any meal, love. In separate casserole dish, mix cooked noodles, cream of mushroom soup (condensed), and fried sauerkraut mixture (once onions are tender). Cover and place in oven for 35 to 40 minutes. Serves a big Polish family.

Have you ever heard of a postcard swap?

You can read all about it here…. but basically, you just go THIS WEBSITE and read about the swap and then join it! The deadline is February 7th so do it today!

You will basically make 10 postcards, “any style (do collage, mixed media, print your own photos, print digital collages, create flat fabric art, alter an existing postcard in your paper stash (!), paint with watercolors, draw mandalas, make postcards with a scrapbook style, embellished, painted, embroidered, etc)!”

…and then you will get 10 in the mail back from other folks!

Call it a hiatus, a holiday break… a seasonal slump, I just haven’t been writing much and I don’t really know why.

Maybe it’s my first really serious bout of Blogger’s Block, but for the life of me I just haven’t had any idea what I want to share here or how to get started writing again.

I was reading Brian Clark’s article, Blogging Is Dead (Again) and it motivated me to just sit and type something, anything into this blog and publish it.

I can agree that social networking has taken some of my steam out of the blog. I share my daily life on Facebook and Twitter with the folks I know and that sort of fulfills my need to explain what I’m doing.

In addition, it’s winter. Just damn winter. I don’t know what to do about it. I’ve spent a lot of energy on crafting and art. Cleaning the house and struggling to stay awake in between. This is the time of year when we are all getting into a slump here in northern climates. I predict within three weeks almost every office will have a controversy and every organization a disagreement.

My theory? People just start to really really dislike other people when we have to see too many of them. In the warm months, we are looking at the sky and the trees and the grass. We are travelling and gardening. We are walking and swimming. In the winter, we are trapped indoors dealing with other people.

I am a paradox. I’m an extroverted people disliker. I claim not to like other people then I can’t stop talking to them.

All I can say is: I’m still here. I suck. Oh well.