It is getting cold out there and there is still so much to do! Rainy with highs in the mid 40s for tomorrow made me realize that I really really really need to get focused and start the 'winterizing' process. It is simply more motivating to take care of all these things while it is still dry, above freezing outside and still light out into the early evening. So over the next 2-3 weeks, among everything else I have packed into my days, the following will be addressed:

• Wood for my fireplace needs to be brought into the garage.

• Finish yard work-clean up (branches, dead flowers, leaves etc)

• Plan to have a bonfire to burn fallen branches and logs of wood too large for apartment fireplace. Coincide with activity of drinking spiked hot coffee/cider/hot chocolate.

• Large items currently stored in garage must be sold off; taking up way too much room to hold them there any longer. Also, I hate excess clutter.

• Car stuff: oil change, car fluid check- basic look over before winter

• Plastic and insulation around windows and draft spots.

• Check and change furnace filter.

• Dust off treadmill as I haven't been to the gym in quite some time and it shows.

• A few long walks/hikes to get a good dose of autumn smells and fresh air. I've really slacked this year in getting outside regularly like I always have before.

I'm sure there is more, but whatever is left will just have to wait. So now to get off of here and get started on something!

Business plans, executive summaries and other nuances of business start up can be daunting, yet somehow I have found a bit of a thrill in pulling together the information, placing the puzzle pieces into their respective spots. In some of my grad school classes we would do a mock version, and for some, a real to life version. Since then, I have assisted others in whatever way I can, if only as a cheerleader- but more often, much more than that. In my own pursuits, and there are often a few being juggled at the same time, I sometimes forget to have fun. And so it is through once again providing some pointers to someone in need of direction, that I get all anticipatory in my endeavors, and carry on. But this post isn't exactly about me.

A friend has a sewing project. It will get bigger than what a person or a few people can likely carry out themselves, well, at least, I am thinking big like that, for them. It is important to factor in "growth" and how you plan to handle it when/if it occurs. Funny how often people forget that growth is an issue to be addressed ahead of time. Anyway, I thought about sewing contractors. It is vital to their plan to have a production option ready to them in the event they need or want to outsource. I wondered what might be available in the WNY area and NYS in general. Anything that came up in a Google search provided abstract names without websites or any information that might solidify that the company is indeed a sewing contractor. A nationwide search brought up several with appropriate descriptions of what can be done and so on. However, my general bent on business, is keep it local when possible.

One in NYC looked interesting, but they also have a site in China, which made me think they outsource their projects across seas. Lets keep it on this side of the ditch, please.

Besides making several phone calls, which I am apt to do (or provide the numbers to my friend to make), I wonder if anyone has heard, had experience with or any sort of direction, food for thought regarding outsourcing projects that required simple sewing?

Going to be very chilly tonight, stay warm, snuggle close..

The Asiago cheese bagel at Panera Bread is insanely good.

more like a dense croissant.

go have one. I'd post a pic, but its about gone. yum.

that is all.

I re read for the dozenth time, A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L'engle. It is a short quick read, one that I loved as a kid and still enjoy reading today. It was published in 1962. According to a Wiki article, it was written between 1959-1960. It was rejected numerous times because it was considered too 'different' but eventually won several awards. Tesseracts are just too fun.




I've read but once a few of her other books. I wonder if they would still hold the same appeal. Perhaps one day soon I will wander over to the library and see of they are available to borrow.

The reading of this book came from a need to read something quick moving and light. I've been reading though my old business books, some health information books and then the usual assortment of science, particularly physics/quantum physics books and magazines. I go a bit slower on the latter, because I find my mind wandering thinking about the subject matter and its implications. Whenever a friend is curious about the subject but does not know where to starts, I often recommend anything by Robert Gilmore, particularly, "Alice in Quantumland: an allegory of quantum physics". It provides the concepts through use of characters in a loose story line. I enjoy the visualizations of the story. Other books I have by him include, "The Wizard of Quarks: A Fantasy of Particle Physics", "Scrooge's Cryptic Carol: Visions of Time, Energy and Quantum Nature" and Once Upon a Universe: Not-So-Grimm Tales of Cosmology". Good stuff. Other recommendations are passed over with a glazed look on their face. oh well. haha


I've never gotten very far in the math arena, so I generally stay away from the mechanics. Although I have a feeling I would 'get it' if I tried. There is something appealing in numbers and formulas. I find myself often needing to reacquaint myself with classical physics. I often forget what something means, or it feels just out of reach in recollection. Not often am I in conversations that allow for the practice of concretely accommodating the information. But it is perpetually fascinating to me nonetheless.

I'm working through the book "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan, after watching the Cosmos series on DVD recently (13 hour long episodes, done well and still relative despite it being produced back in 1980 and updates in 1990). The book follows along the old PBS series fairly closely, each chapter reading like an essay. I have the smaller paperback version, so there aren't as many pictures as the large book. One day that will be added to my collection- both the bigger book and the series. A recommended read (and viewing) for anyone curious about the cosmos.

Little known medical fact: Chuck Norris invented the Cesarean section when he roundhouse-kicked his way out of his mother's womb.

Love the Norrisisms

Oh and a post on office supplies.

yeh, office supplies.

sorry.


Office supplies are fun for some reason. I like the way certain pens and pencils feel. I love a fresh pad of yellow cambridge paper. I regularly carry a steno pad and either a binder or padfolio. I use post-its of all sizes in everything I do. If I still wrote in a paper journal, I would add that to my list. I used to love picking out a book to write in. Its been years and I still haven't finished the one I last bought. Occasionally it is written in, but not often and certainly not with any eloquence like in previous journal book writings. Also, I like my surroundings to be organized and some office supplies offer a fun, attractive way to do just that.

I have been in need of a planner. Well, a calender. But not a wall hanging one. Something that has the days of the month in blocks so I can write appointments, deadlines etc down. Yet not a big desk calender either. Nor the tiny month by month travel style- that is just too small. Yet something I can carry around with me. I know what I want and maybe only once before have I found what I really want which would be something the size of a notebook. I've been looking and had contemplated making my own (but don't really trust my skills in making it look decent). In the past, I have only found planners that have a smaller than I want full page calender followed by either a slew of pages for daily or weekly 'at a glance' with more than sufficient space to write along with a bunch of extra pages and sections for things I never use such as a special notebook section, address book, contacts, international money conversion tables and so on. I've yanked out the sections I didn't want to use and always found myself with an emaciated version of what I had originally purchased. Many of the planner options are very attractive looking, especially the cases some of them come in, but much of it is simply wasteful to me. So my search continued.
My idea of a planner is something that can't really be made for me, so I modify them to my needs, and have found that a calender style works best. My needs are simple, I write very small, and I need to view the whole month before me. Any extra notes are jotted down on a steno pad. Or a sticky note. That's how I roll.

I was quite surprised to find a planner, well, "monthly calender" that was exactly what I want. Notebook size, open it up and there is the whole month with each day displaying adequate size boxes, and a small section that shows the previous and following month, and a little "note" section. Very simple, thin and very much what I like. It even has hole punches so I can add it to my binder (used for active projects, relevant magazine articles, a notebook, pens, post its etc). Or it is thin enough to slip it into my Padfolio (carried over from back in the school days, also love this for meetings, workshops, taking notes on books, or for anytime I want to carry a specific days work project as the binder is rather big and heavy) or it can be shoved into my daily bag/purse if I wish, depending on the days itinerary. I don't really care what it looks like. This one is quite colorful, and that is fine with me. No unicorns, haha

As I have a 'thing' for office supplies (almost as much as computer stuff), I found a new padfolio for a reasonable price. My old one is just that, old. I love it, but it is beat up; more so on the inside than the outside. The leather simply holds up really well. I have another that I have used, but the front has a plate on it engraved with the name of a prior company I had worked for.Might be silly, but some parts of my past I like to keep there. My padfolio is reserved for current going-ons. So when I saw this one, I bought it. It is something new and actually much different than any of the traditional folder style I have used. This pad is slender, but it has an additional section (opposite where the paper pad lives) that allows for me to tuck away a folder (or my calander!), and a small zipper part and a place for business cards or whatever. Also, the whole contraption zips up, which I find appealing since i have been concerned in the past that the stuff in my padfolio would fall out or get torn up from all the jostling through my travels.

yup, that is my story. To make it a little more interesting, I offer pictures of my finds.







And to back up the title of this post and opening line, a couple of clearance folders, yes, folders that I had to purchase:


chuck norris had his tonsils removed with a chain saw


chuck norris beat the sun in a staring contest

that is all.



just keeping it light...