The Quilting Bee Is Awesome And You Should Join
December 15th, 2008
Today is the annual Quilting Bee blog day, and that means that you get to read an exciting ramble about how much I love it. The only thing is… where to begin?
I’ve been familiar with it for years. I joined back in 2004 and then quit later because my interest in maintaining websites waned, and well, you can’t be in the Quilting Bee without a website! But when I came back to my old hobby, I remembered the Quilting Bee and wanted to join again. Four years later, it still exists with even more features. I’ve been having nothing but fun for the past five months or so that I’ve been a bee. To be fair, I was a wallflower back then and didn’t participate in anything other than trading patches, which I also did not actively seek. I don’t think it’s easy to be a wallflower any more though, now that the community seems more close-knit and everyone there is as sweet as pie!
Which, really, the people there. They’re super nice and friendly, and make you feel right at home. Do you have any idea how incredibly rare it is to find a community that isn’t snobby or full of drama? I don’t know how it does it, the Quilting Bee must be magical. I just know it’s probably the nicest group of people I’ve ever met on the ‘net, which makes it even funner to participate in activities and the bee*bee*s because it’s all in good fun. 
Speaking of which, the activities! I adore the activities, especially the contests based on entries because then I have the opportunity to trade my entry with others, meet new bees and swoon over their talents. There’s even a chance to earn a special patch and mushroom if enough bees like and vote for your entry, which is always an honor in itself. Plus, I love to pixel, so it’s especially fun for me!
All in all… you don’t have to be the most amazing pixel artist ever to step foot inside the Quilting Bee in order to have fun. If sharing laughs and a little of yourself with kind people sounds like fun to you, the Quilting Bee is the place to go!
My Arm Hurts
December 14th, 2008
The past two days have been utterly tiring. They probably wouldn’t be for a normal person, because normal people walk around and actually have places to be that interfere with any “sleeping in until 12PM” plans. I on the other hand sit around reading Stephen King books and surfing the internet for most of the day. I also happen to be totally free of any responsibilities, which leaves me a wide open range for heinous plans of sleeping in.
All in all, my general not moving combined with four hours of being on my feet (in pinchy high heels bought at Wal-Mart, no less) while carrying various things around with me was quite a workout yesterday. It’s a wonder my toes weren’t crying red tears when I removed them, really. But, heels don’t break themselves in. Regardless of the immense discomfort of actually having to do Stuff That Matters, I still had a lot of fun, and it was a breakthrough too because we managed to find some nice straight-legged pants that actually fit me. Imagine that!
I of course mention my epic search for pants because I (dun duh duh dah!) had a job interview scheduled for today at a local supermarket and was desperately in need of pants that didn’t pose threats to my various insecurities. I actually ended up wearing my interview outfit to a Christmas party that my mom’s work threw before I even went to it, and was totally paranoid that I was going to leave with crumbs all over my face or something and not know until after the recruiter had a good five minutes to stare at it. That wasn’t the case though, and it was actually rather fun after we all introduced ourselves and dug into the food (oh lord the blueberry muffins and the bacon and the danishes - but more importantly, LDKSJFLKDSJF THE BLUEBERRY MUFFINS), there was a Christmas gift-off.
The Christmas gift-off was an activity where we all pick a number and then decide what to do: either open a present, or steal one from someone else that has already been opened, which means they have to go open another one. It was relatively boring until the stealing fest began… Guess who started it? 
Oh yes. There was an old man who went before me and unwrapped this electronic sudoku thingamajig. I really liked it, and announced my plans to rid him of his marvelous new game at once. He dropped his head and handed over the prize before going back to the front of the room to unwrap another present. This time he gets a sort of embroidery kit, which he was also rid of in good time. I’m not really sure what he ended up getting stuck with, some sort of candle or Christmas tree decoration, I think. Someone spoke for everyone when they said, “I think you’ll be holdin’ on to that one, there!” Well, that’s the price for magic fingers.
Later on, a man took the sudoku puzzle game from me (gasp what no way) and so I had to go up and unwrap a present that time. It was difficult trying to see what it was at first, but it’s this obnoxious porcelain frog statue with a webbed foot on the back of its head and its lips pulled into a pucker. I’ve grown rather attached to it; it’s the first in my collection of Hideous Trinkets To Decorate My House With When I’m Old. After I finished showing the entire room my fabulous new gift that I would obviously be going home with, I set it down on the table and it fell over and everyone was like “OHHHHHHH!!!!” like it broke (me included). Thankfully, Mr. Frog there is unharmed and sitting in my windowsill, ready to bring in nightmares that my dreamcatcher is too lazy to filter.
The man who took the sudoku game from me got ready to leave just as it was dad’s turn, and he basically said “I hate to do this, but would you mind giving me that sudoku game there before you go? 8D” It was hilarious, because the guy gave my dad the game and then said “Hey, bring the sudoku game and I’ll see you Friday!” to one of his co-workers, hinting that he should steal it for him. I haven’t laughed so much in so long. In the end, dad did end up with the game and gave it to me, which was nice of him.
After the party, we still had to kill an hour and a half of time downtown, since we didn’t want to go back home just to drive back again for my interview. It was only my second job interview ever, but I have already learned two very important things about them:
- The job interview is not nearly as stressful as the anticipation.
- No matter how professional looking a recruiter appears, their personalities are not as severe.
Granted, I have only applied for entry-level jobs in customer service, but I spent days worrying my head off over an allotted 15 minutes that was never even vaguely uncomfortable. I think this one went well and that I might just have the job. Here’s to hoping.
Fun, School Preparations 
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Back In The Day
December 12th, 2008
My parents bought food downtown at Burger King today, and they gave me two Whopper Jrs. And as I sat here eating my burgers, I was instantly called back to a time when I was much younger and got kid’s meals.
The memory I’m thinking of happened back in the 1990’s when I was definitely younger than ten, probably six or seven. I was with my Nana at McDonalds and absolutely had to have their white tiger toy because it was the only one I hadn’t collected from their animal pack. When we were at the register, Nana asked if they could look for it, and the cashier happily obliged.
They didn’t have it.
The news broke my heart and my good mood. I remember screaming and crying because I just had to have that stupid little tiger, and then another guy had to come out and look with the cashier. But, they were right; no more in stock. “Sorry kid, want a panda instead?” (No, I did not.)
Looking back on it, I feel both ashamed and amused at the same time, because I can just imagine what the people behind the register must have been thinking. “What a brat,” for instance, though perhaps with dirtier words. I can’t help but wonder how many spitballs we ate that day because of my failed tiger hunt. I’m inclined to think we got our food before the tantrum, but that part of the memory is blurry. On the bright side, I’m certain I enjoyed my Happy Meal, despite getting a toy I already had. I do still like McDonalds, after all (although it is nothing compared to Arbys and Taco Bell, thank you very much. ;)).
Although, that reminds me. When I went to a McDonalds for lunch while my art class was on a trip to a museum, they wouldn’t let me have a Happy Meal because I was over their age limit. What, I’m not ten, so I’m not allowed to be happy? That, dear sir, is outrageous!
