Sunshine Through the Clouds
There’s nothing like struggling to the end of a stressful week and finding these on your desk. I forget how lucky I am sometimes. I couldn’t ask for a better partner and friend. Thanks, Snookums.

Friday Annoyances
I’m always torn when I get the impulse to post more tales of Retail Horror. I know I must sound like a broken record to some of you, but others have told me they find these Anecdotes of Hell really funny. And God knows, it helps to get them off my chest. So here we go…

• My name is Kris. I have one (otherwise very nice) old lady who’s made repeated Internet orders and phones me up regularly, and she keeps calling me “Chrissy.” I have never been “Chrissy” (or even “Krissy”) in my life. I know she probably means it in an endearing “Grandma” sort of way, but every time she says it my teeth (and more) clench. HATE IT.
• Do me a favor. Go to the shop website. Do you see any text or mentions of our Annual Sale? You shouldn’t, because I took all that down on Monday. But I’ve nevertheless had a couple idiots turn up and say that the website said the Sale was still on. And then I have to teach them how to hit Control-R to Refresh.
• A woman rang up yesterday wanting to buy some wool for her mother to knit squares for Wraps with Love. As she was too busy and important to come into the shop, she wanted me to pick out all the colours (which I hate doing, because they invariably don’t like them). And then she asked the kicker: “What colours are in for it this season?” Ahhh, you mean the hott colours for knitting blankets for the homeless? Pink and teal. Definitely.
• I was talking about novelty wools with a lady in the shop today, and she was saying how much her granddaughter likes the fluffy and shiny ones, “because she’s a Downy.” A DOWNY. I nearly choked.

Whew. Now I feel better.

Ebert pans Superman Returns. Huh. That would probably be enough for me to pass on seeing it, if I didn’t know two people involved in the production…

July 17 is apparently Non-Photography Day. Maybe the photobloggers will have a non-meetup? 🙂

This one’s for the Snook: What is Web 2.0?

• Web 2.0 is made of 600 million unwanted opinions in realtime
• Web 2.0 is the air for the next bubble
• Web 2.0 is made of a collaborator trick to create a hive mind for the Borg Queen’s ascendancy
• Web 2.0 is these marvellous new clothes that only the emergent can see
• Web 2.0 is the vapourware output of people moving forward in pushing back the envelope of the corporate paradigm (to the sound of whalesong)

My favourite bit of the article is the the results of a poll that asked whether “Web 2.0” was a “good thing” or a “swindle.” Best. Pie Chart. Ever.

Apparently Cadbury’s is recalling a million chocolate bars that may have been tainted by salmonella. The funny bit is that they’re being all secretive about what they’re going to do with them. “[Cadbury’s] is considering removing all the wrappers and burying the bars. It will not reveal where for fear children will try to find them, says the Mail on Sunday.” Dude, I liked chocolate as a kid too, but I don’t think I’d eat an unwrapped candy bar I DUG OUT OF A DUMP.

I had my second-to-last pottery class last night, and it was definitely one of the most successful. Everything else I’ve thrown is waiting to be fired, so I decided to just get in some more practice with the wheel. It was great! I threw three nicely centred pots, and Peter thinks I’ve still got time to finish them next week. It’s funny how much easier I found the process now that the damn Sale is over…

DietBlog: Stayed the same. I actually expected to have a gain, considering how the wheels came off a bit after the Food & Wine Show last weekend. But I’d evidently done enough earlier in the week to compensate, so I’m going to count that as a win! The meeting was pretty fun; Karen and I both showed off our “before” pictures (much to the shock of the new people). It’s funny – whenever I bring out the “troll” picture people actually get confused, like they’re trying to figure out where I am in the photo. I’m like, “Right there! The big fat one in the middle!” A customer in the shop today actually said to me, “There used to be another American girl who worked here. I remember she was going to Vegas to get married…” And I said, “That’s me!” “NO.” “Yep. Just fifty pounds lighter and with a new hair colour!” Pretty amusing.

I had a new realization at the meeting tonight – I’ve become one of the “skinny beeyotches” that tormented me on my first night. Well, no, they didn’t really, but at the meetings now I’m super cognizant of the fact that new people might wonder what I’m doing there. And that makes me feel guilty… so then I feel like I overcompensate by trying to establish my WW cred.

My Mom finally shared the photos she took during her visit a few months ago, and I particularly liked this one of me and the Snook at Farm Cove. We look so much cooler here than we do in real life.

I’ve got a bunch of other interesting shots from the week that I’ll post soon…

Lest you think I’m nothing but a Tapestry Craft shill, I’m excited to report that Lincraft are selling 100g balls of Four Seasons Hot Socks for $10! That’s, like, half the cost that other, uh, stores sell them for. They’ve still got a couple colours left too, even after I stocked up. (Hi Snookums!)