The year was filled with changes, turns, and rollercoasters. Me, myself and we, our society have gone through some serious stuff and can take a direction for the better or worse.

I began the year, in what most likely would have been described as a nervous breakdown if this were 1958 instead of 2008. I worked my ass off for nothing, to be treated like a piss-ant 4 year old… every aspect of my life controlled by another person.. until my health broke down and was sent to the cardiac unit twice in hypertensive crisis. I thought I was going to die the night I had double vision and trouble staying conscious because my blood pressure was so high.

I was sent out from work on “disability”… because I think my head would have exploded.

I struggled to create and maintain a poorly trafficked blog despite the attitude of my partner Iris, who has basically surrendered the idea of a successful blog and walked away due to lack of enthusiasm.

I am watching loved ones pull away from me, tell me lies and kill themselves in ways I will not discuss right now (not Iris).

But I had two new babies this year. Woobie, my beautiful guinea pig, my sweetest little love, came to me as an orphan from the SPCA early in the year. She has filled my heart with laughter and love and wonder. Then, Alice T. Rabbit, the castaway from the neighborhood, who was neglected and unloved. Like the Velveteen Rabbit, Alice became Real when she joined our family and happy and joyful and learned to trust us… and she taught me that sometimes life does reshuffle the deck and give you a new hand of cards.

I opened an account on Etsy, again, poorly trafficked, but I sold more stuff than I thought I would. That was truly nice. I love that. That makes me want to get up in the morning. I am learning how to navigage it’s subtle ways and hoping to build a new life for myself there.

I learned to stop calling my daughter twenty four hours a day. I learned that “object permanence” is a developmental lesson I missed- and I am paying someone very kind to teach it to me. I am paying myself to learn it- if only I could get a raise!

I watched history in the making. Hoping for Hillary- but still proud to get Obama. I cried during his acceptance speech- which is sure to be quoted throughout history. Even though he called on a bigot to give the inaugural prayer- I am going to try to give him the benefit of the doubt for now.

What choice do I have?

So with that, I look toward 2009, an odd number, hoping for at least stability. Looking forward to when I can say “twenty ten” instead of the long, “two thousand and nine”. Hoping that my year continues with good health and safety of me and my beautiful family.

Hoping that I can accept what is coming my way- hoping I can remember that it is all right.

Wish you a most peaceful, secure and safe New Year- thank you for being my friend.

My shrinky dink art is taking a new turn and is constantly evolving. I have started to incorporate found objects into the shrinky dinking- and adding little embelleshments here and there. I’d sort of like to evolve it into a mixed media jewelry thing.

Until then, I am in the process of creating a collection called “Secrets” which has a distinctly feministic expression. In my first piece, which you will see below, I created a secret necklace. On the outside there is toille and and embroidery pattern from the 1930’s. If you life up the top plate of the necklace, it reveals a nude woman from a vintage 1930’s picture in pose to show her rear end. I have embelleshed the necklace with and “M” for mere, mommy, mother, me, Ms., Miss, Mrs., Madam, Mammary… all the m words associated with mujeres, (women).

I will be offering my mixed media jewelry for sale in My Etsy Shop. I would really appreciate your browsing and your comments.

My daughter being home from college for winter break and we had a lot of snow, she took our pack out for a good play in the snow! Our pack, (listed in order of age and rank), Ranger, Prairie, Rosie, Penny and new baby Diego (the husky).

You did an excellent job of a parody of a county fair squawker. Too good of a job. Did you have to do that for a while? Or are you really just imitating one.

But.. the FUNNIEST, funniest part is this: “we can do this ALL day folks”. hahahhaa. YES you can. That is what you do. What- if we call outside of twenty minutes, we don’t get the second set free?

Are the telephone answerers sitting in the Phillipines being notified when a commercial airs on some station, and then a twenty minute countdown clock starts?

Okay, so, Vince, I know you’re not responsible for the script. You’re just the actor.

But… you are the unfortunate target of our collective aggression toward the shamwow commercial. I think it’s because you played such a convincing role.

I’m sorry.

PS: Did you really have a stroke because that’s hard to beleive. I think it’s internet fiction. Oh yeah, is Offer really your last name???

I am going to list this post factually. I am going to try to be as objective as possible. Was this Ponderosa a living piece of shit? Yes. Was I a total bitch? Yes.

It was more than a week ago. It was a Monday night. We picked our daughter up from college to come home for winter break. It had been a long day and we had nothing to eat the entire day. It was 6pm.

We came to Batavia, New York- which can only be described as a small town with not many dining choices. It was our last chance for food before being held hostage on the NYS Thruway. (They make it difficult for you to exit and get a meal.)

So, as we are driving past a Ponderosa Steak House, my partner and my daughter both say, “hey- let’s try there.” What the heck, I thought, it’s just about as quick as fast food because of the buffet. It’s all ready- just walk up and fix a plate.

So, we went in and there was a short line ahead of us. By that I mean there were three very large young men, who were also smelling heavily of reefer and laughing hysterically. I thought what a great place to eat when you have the muchies. We got to the register and the tall skinny man was wearing a mulberry colored dress shirt and name tag that identified him as some type of management person. He was giggling a little at the stoned guys and so was I. As I gave him our order, he was interrupted from listening to me by this really dirty looking man with a beer belly, his shirt covered in caked up food or sauce, and his greasy hair falling out of a ball cap. The manager shrugged as he walked away and said to me, “just because WE haven’t been busy all day doesn’t mean I wasn’t busy. I have been busy all day.” I’m not really sure how that related to what they were talking about but I said “oh”.

Now I will try to just give you the “bullet list” of what happened at the restaurant that night. You be the judge.

KEEP IN MIND THEY WERE SLOW.

1. We ordered baked potato- the manager man said they were out of sour cream.
2. We ordered sirloin tips -the manager said they were out of mushrooms.
3. After going to a table, a waitress didn’t show up for a while so we proceeded to the buffet- she still didn’t show up so we had to ask for silverware. It was explained to us that they didn’t have any wrapped so we’d have to wait.
4. We received our soft drinks minus the syrup- (just carbonated water). We were informed they were out of the syrup. They were “waiting for a truck”.
5. The above photo is my daughter’s “Monterey Chicken”. What you don’t see is that the bottom was entirely black- solid. It had been burned badly but then disguised.
6. My medium done steak tips were red inside.
7. My partner’s rare sirloin had outside parts that hadn’t touched the grill- still red. On the outside.
8. All of our baked potatoes were cold to the touch- but shriveled up. Even the margarine on them wouldn’t melt.
9. The buffet was out of fried chicken, soup, cucumbers, onion, french dressing, italian dressing, and any meat selections.
10. The buffet had spaghetti noodles that were hardened to a crusty light brown on top.
11. The rolls were shriveled and really dark and dry.
12. No one except that first manager had any Ponderosa issued clothing on. Everyone was wearing their own shirts, jeans, pants, etc. No nametags on anyone.

I tried taking a deep breath. Several. I felt like flipping a fork full of cold baked potato against the wall. I spotted a manager, three waiters, the dirty cook and the dirty salad bar man talking to each other next to the soda fountain.  I got up with my plate of crappy meat chunks and cold potato and walked over. This is what I said.

1. This is the worst food I have ever been served at a restaurant.
2. This potato is too cold to melt butter- when was it cooked?
3. I mean, this is all shit.
4. How can you serve this? This whole restaurant is a dump.
5. It is filthy.
6. You are out of sour cream and mushrooms at a Ponderose steakhouse? Really?
7. Get in your little car and go to the grocery store and buy some. And throw in a few two liters of Sprite so you can serve beverages.
8. My daughter’s chicken was completely black on the whole bottom. Nice little disguise job.
9. What a fucking dump this place is- why don’t you call your company and have them send you some uniforms.
10. This place will be closed in less than a year.
11. What a fucking dump.
12. I can’t beleive I wasted my money on this. I should have just taken $40 out of my purse and pissed on it.
13. I mean, I am sorry, but this is just outrageous- what a fucking dump this place is.

So. That’s what I said. The manager said, “excuse me”. He turned around and stomped up the hall- slamming his arm on the swinging kitchen door and skidding out on a filthy puddle to go back to the kitchen. The waitresses left with me shrugged and began to laugh.

He didn’t return so I went back to my table. My daughter was up at the salad bar because she couldn’t eat her dinner and she was starving. I watched as the manager stormed around the restaurant. A different waitress with no uniform came to my table and said, “do you have a reciept?” I said yes and gave it to her.

We waited. He stormed around. The stoned guys ahead of me in line were in the back corner laughing hysterically.

The manager approached our table. He was marching. His head was bright red. Beads of sweat dotted his forehead. He extended his hand and stomped cash and my receipt down on the table.

He said something like, “Here you go ma’am- is thirty eight dollars of my OWN money so that you don’t pay one penny for your meal tonight”.

I cut him off appologetically. “No- please, I do not want your own money.”

“No”, he said, “I insist you take this and I will not have my staff spoken to with such vulgar language that you used the F word! I must insist you leave my restaurant immediately.”

hahahahahaha. That was my happy fucking night at Ponderosa. Batavia, New York. Wait for it. They will be closed by this time next year.

 Oh yeah, and my waitress? The really pregnant 17 year old with a lot of tattoos, and a bare belly in a short shirt? I left her a huge tip with the manager’s OWN money. Because her life must really suck to be pregnant and have to work in such a shithole. I would have given her the whole till if he offered it to me. She was really happy about it- quite amuzed- thanked me profusely and wished me a Merry Christmas.

Hi All,

Just a little gift from me since you’ve patiently read about my shrinky dinking! hahahah… I will give away this handmade pin on Thursday, December 18, 2008.

To enter the contest, just send an email to : admin@fuzziebutter.com with the subject line reading: “holiday pin”.

I will contact the winner on Thursday afternoon and mail it out that same day. If you are in the United States, you will receive it by Christmas. (free shipping to all of you).

Thanks for reading the blog and Happy Holidays from Me to You!

Peace,

Poppy

So, I mentioned I have been shrinky dinking. I am discovering the endless possibilities of what I can make with this polyshrink plastic. I’ve actually made some nice jewelry- which you may have seen in my Etsy store that sold, (yippee!).

But, here’s something I have worked on for my sister for Christmas.

It is a miniature shrine to Our Lady of Czestochowa. She is the patron saint of Poland. It was the church parish my sister and I grew up in, and a church our family attended from time to time in Buffalo, New York. (Or maybe Cheektowaga, depending on where the town line is).

But anyway, I made this little shrine for her for Christmas. I’m not worried she’ll find out because I think she’s only seen this blog once. hahaha. I am hoping it is going to be a nice talisman for her- or taliswoman- because she thinks she has a “dark cloud hanging over” her.

So, thanks to photoshop, I was able to find a public image of Our Lady and adjust her colors. She is in fact a black madonna, but her skin was actually darkened by a fire in the church where the painting hangs. I framed it with a gothic frame and then I made the separate brown back-ground plate. I used metallic paint on that one making a design that felt a little folksy to me. I was able to adhere them together and then string glass beads on it.

I strung the beads so that she can hang the little shrine on a bed post, or in her car, or wherever. It is not translucent but I am sending her a suction cup with the shrine so that if she wants, she can hang it on a window or mirror or somewhere to make her smile.

I really enjoy this craft because it is the ultimate juxtaposition to me. I am combining beautiful antiquarian fine art, religion, feminism, and boiling it all down with American pop culture- and a craze from my childhood (shrinky dinks), which I could not participate in at the time of my childhood.  Making it all into a shrine, (who really needs a shrine?) and a plastic one, nonetheless.

I love it.