How I spent $123 on stuff I didn't really need

Truth:

I am a grade-A NERD. I love - repeat love - the bookstore. I could spend hours and thousands of dollars in one. I prefer Barnes & Noble to Borders, Amazon to any other online bookseller, and I love going through secondhand and specialty bookstores. If, one day, I happened to be struck with the world's worst streak of permanent creative block, I would be a librarian or a bookseller. I learned to read at 3 1/2 and proceeded to read everything I could get my hands for the next 28 years. People comment about how large of a library I have when they visit my home, I am more likely to know where my library card is than my drivers license at any given moment, and I can not remember one trip to a bookstore where I haven't found at least one thing that I just couldn't live without.

Ergo, Molly goes to Barnes & Noble and spends $123 today, forgoing the possibility of picking up her long-overdue dry-cleaning for at least another month.

What'd I get?

The Encyclopedia of Immaturity
Who couldn't use a book detailing the rules of Jinx, how to make a cool costume, and generally how to be the Fun Aunt or Fun Uncle?
My friends often comment that I have good conversation starter books like this as well as The Complete Idiot's Guide to Amazing Sex.
For the record, TCIGTAS is THE first book everyone picks up in my house. Everyone. Moms, prudes, virgins, gays and straights. People may swear that they identify with Carrie, Charlotte or Miranda, but there's a Samantha in all of us.





Caffeine for the Creative Mind: 250 Exercises to Wake Up Your Mind
The jury is still out with me on whether or not these books work, but as a complete ADHD Certified Hot Mess, I like them because they're typically less than one page directives that help stimulate creativity. I was torn between this and one other, but one idea stuck with me from the other that I might use in a fiction class I'm in -
"Seven days ago, ________ . Now, nobody will ever speak to me again."
I love little creativity stimulants like that - they give me just enough to get going, but not so much direction that it doesn't feel like my work, be it writing or art.



Sams Teach Yourself Adobe Creative Suite 3 All-In-One
I am currently enrolled in Molly University's Crash Course in Building My Own Website and Integrating Creative Software Into My Career. It's a tough class, and it's obviously Pass/Fail. I haven't used Adobe's software since some work I did in 2003. Times have changed. I'm befuddled.
Hence the $40 textbook.







Creating the Breakthrough Portfolio
I'm not entirely sold on this one, so it's going on ebay if I can't make it work for me. It's mainly geared toward Graphic Designers, but a lot of the elements really work for artists, photographers and other freelancers who depend on a portfolio to represent them in their work. It came with a DVD that I'm hoping has a bit of in-depth work on how to make your portfolio, website and other marketing efforts tie together - kind of a "creating yourself as a brand" type of thing.






Moleskine Ruled Reporter's Notebook
One of the best pieces of advice I've ever received for how to beat the creative block is to always keep a notebook handy. They're in my purse, by my bed, by the bathtub, in front of every television, in both my parents' houses...you get the drift. You may ask "...but Molly, why would anyone pay $10 for a notepad?"
You have much to learn, grasshopper. Moleskine notebooks contain, for lack of a better word, magic. I'm not kidding. Hemingway, Picasso, Woodward & Bernstein, and Van Gogh ALL used Moleskine notebooks and sketch pads. I think they put the magic in the expandable pocket on the inside back cover.


Sigh.

I'm poor as hell now, but I love the bookstore.

Bad blogger, molly!
I know, I'm slacking. I'm going to be better next week, I'm meeting with someone tomorrow about ideas and direction.

*Sidebar
I think this company (I'm not allowed to discuss them by name) is somehow related to Starbucks, because I've met with people from them at FOUR different Starbucks. When I offered the Last Drop one day because it was closer, they quickly convinced me to Sbux it instead. It's odd.
*End Sidebar

Anyway, here's what I've learned this week - in no particular order:

1. I know I learn this way too often (or not enough?) but I simply can not do it like I used to. Went out with an old friend who was in town for an asbestos liability conference on Sunday and Monday. Before you think "wow, sounds like nerdfest there, Molly...", let me tell you that I have never seen a profession that parties harder on a school night than that of Asbestos attorneys. I drank like a Kennedy.

2. When taking folks for a late-night Cheesesteak, always remind them that the peppers they put out for you to put on your cheesesteak are NOT for the faint of heart. I've apparently failed to warn people on two different occasions.

3. The $300 I spent on an Apple Time Capsule is the best investment I've made in years. I recovered like a champ from a problem that could have been monumental.

4. Adobe's software is NOT like I remember it from design classes at Georgia and Portfolio Center. It is also not like riding a bike, you can and will forget everything you once knew about its operation.

5. Your eyeballs can and will sunburn.

6. I should have thrown Alizarin Crimson, Pthalo Blue and Prussian Blue in the trash a long time ago. They don't work and are useless for creating anything decent. Quinacridone Red, Ultramarine Blue and even Cobalt Blue, Molly. Quit buying CRAP.

7. Buy a website and someone will finally cut you a check. Yes, Connie gave us a check. I'll let you know if it clears. HOWEVER - Thank you 6abc News, the Channel 6 Action News Call to Action Team called me and was ready to start chasing her down. If it doesn't clear, we're going to the media. When I was in Atlanta, I had more than one person threaten people that worked for me in my old job because we wouldn't accept returns. I always secretly wanted someone to call 11Alive just so we could get on there and explain that it is NOT okay to wear a prom dress and then return it to the store for a refund. This, however, was another matter. And to my friends that said "I don't want to piss Molly off!"...well, I don't think y'all could do that. I'm really pretty easy-going, but when it's been 6 months of bonafide lying, yeah, I get testy. And I buy domains. I have no idea what I'll do with that thing.

8. I'm probably going home to Virginia this weekend for some sun and a little family time. Hell, I'll admit, my family is legally required to love me whether I'm in Pee-Ay or Vee-Ay, and I don't even care about the sun. All I want is a cheesy western all the way and a bowl. I'll get the hot walkin'. If you know what I'm talking about, then I love you.

"the innocence of youth is definitely lost among us..."

I didn't write that, my ex-boyfriend did when he told me about a friend of his that had tragically been paralyzed in a tragic accident while attending this year's Daytona 500.

I wish I could say it was the first tragic thing I had heard about someone I've been connected with in recent times. I was trying to get ahold of my cousin for some time today and finally heard from her - she was in surburban Philadelphia with the family of a guy she is seeing, and his sister, Kristin Dickmann, had tragically died at 19. She was a freshman at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, and had simply laid down for a nap and never woke up. Her roommates had found her unresponsive and she was later declared dead at the local hospital.

It just sucks.

A lot of people may remember that my cousin's sister, Laura Begor, died in a car accident on Christmas Eve of 2003. I was supposed to spend the holiday in Boston that year, and I ended up flying to Delaware on Christmas Day, and the funeral was the day after. I was devastated, as was the rest of my family - Laura was just a one-in-a-million kind of girl. Anyone who met her instantly wanted to be her best friend, and she was one of those people that could be a sunshine in the darkest of places. Her on-and-off boyfriend throughout the years said it right - she could be sad about the saddest of things and then you could give her a french fry and she'd light up like a Christmas tree. It was just Laura. I don't remember much of the days after her death - but I don't think I'll ever forget seeing her mom and sister saying good-bye to the casket before the hearse left for cremation. It's literally the worst thing I have ever ever ever seen. Even though I loved her and she was a genuine friend in addition to being my cousin - I can't imagine what her parents and brother and sister go through every day. Every day I remember something different about her, think of something I'd love for her to be here to see, and wish that it could have just not happened.

I didn't know Kyle's sister, and had only met him a couple of times, but it still just breaks my heart to think of what his family is going through and what they've got ahead of them - for decades ahead. I try to help in these situations and I'm just dumbfounded. I picked up my cousin's dog so she could somehow try to be there for their family and then make it through her last semester of law school's finals, but I know that nothing anyone does is enough.

Like I said, it just really sucks.

My ex isn't a man of many words, but after a five-year war, 9/11 and a seemingly endless number of tragic occurrences, his words just hit the nail on the head - the innocence of youth is definitely lost among us.

Weekend photohunt!

I am working toward getting rid of my photographically-challenged persona, so I dug out my mom's Nikon FE 2 35mm camera on Saturday and took some pictures. Hence the contest. I'm trying to understand a little more about the SLR so I can make my own artwork slides, saving both time and money. The photo excursion was fun, and they turned out at least halfway decent.

I was also THRILLED to find out that Adobe has made certain parts of their fabulous Photoshop software available to anyone for FREE via their new Photoshop Express service. Adobe, if you want to have me love you MORE, I highly suggest dropping a "review" copy of your CS3 Master Collection for Mac software.

Check out my photostream on Flickr for all of the photos I took, but here's a couple of favorites:

Win something cool from me!

I'm feeling generous, and I've got a massive case of spring cleaning.

I'm holding a contest. You can win...well, I can't tell you right now. It would give away the answer. I will tell you that the prize comes from...that fantabulous store, Anthropologie!

I bought it for some stupid reason and realized it's not my taste...everyone else loves it, just not my crazy style.

Your clues:

I went to buy something this morning.
1. I haven't bought it in eight years.
2. Chances are, you haven't either.
3. You've most likely never stopped partaking in the activities surrounding what results from what I bought, in fact, you've probably done them MORE.
4. When I bought it, I was shocked that the clerk couldn't give me advice on it - despite having extensive training in the field.
5. What I needed was in a tiny corner of the store - yet it would have been taken up over half the store's shelf space just fifteen years ago.
6. It has not gone up or down in price since the last time I bought it.

WHAT DID I BUY?

Rules:
-First correct answer via email or comment (I'll check the time stamp) wins. I will ship the prize to you via USPS to any US or APO address.
-You must be an email subscriber of my feed (box to the left) to win so that I know you're a human and not some super contest-entering robot...no, I will never ever ever give your information to anyone. The feed just tells you when I've put a new entry up, it doesn't send you crap, subscribe through any RSS feeder you wish.
-My roommate is excluded in case she's seen my stuff out in the living room and would therefore have an unfair advantage.
-When someone wins I'll update with a response.

My brain is fried, I have a deadline and I want a bagel.

If I'm coming across as cranky today...it's because I'm cranky.

Tired, actually. I did not get any sleep last night. Not one wink. The synapses in my brain are just...not...happening now. Which scares me, because I have to finish writing for another site this morning. I'm debating just taking the laptop to a place where there is NOT any wifi and not allowing myself to get up until I've gotten it done.

Since I'm absolutely stupid right now, if you feel like being a proofreader today, please holla. My stuff got Dugg (see these pretty little buttons below? They do stuff!) and when I cranked on FeedBurner, I discovered that I already had a fair number of readers from odd places like Nebraska and Texas. Everything had good reviews but I had one person correct a grammar error. Considering I'm the grammar nazi - don't evvvvver say "I could care less" when you mean "I couldn't care less" or I'll snap - I was very disappointed in myself. Really, I was. Since that work gets seen by a lot more people than on this site, I have to get my act together.

It's 6:15 right now and I have never wanted a bagel more. I haven't had one in two years or so (just don't care for breakfast) but I'm wondering if Whole Foods serves bagels and coffee, because it's all I want at this very moment.

My old landlord is in for a PR awakening...

In November of 2007, I moved out of my old apartment and into a place about 10 blocks away. Like most tenants, I needed my security deposit from the old place immediately in order to recover some of the costs of moving. I was newly self-employed, burning through what little savings I had rather quickly, and generally needed the security deposit from my old place. 99% of the time, this is the end of the story, as most landlords return the money as soon as possible.

No dice.

My old landlord, Connie McKendrick, decided to simply avoid us. We wrote. Six times. We called. About twelve times. No money. We were told "the check is in the mail" more often than Wesley Snipes on an IRS customer service line. No money.

Connie also opened a designer denim store on the 100 block of South Street in the meantime. Yes, she had the money to pay us. She just didn't want to give us our money. Connie is also trying to break into the music business. Feel free to go hear her screeching on iTunes.

So what does a smart girl at the end of her rope do?

She buys www.conniemckendrick.com.

I will be posting the whole story on there, I'll let you know when it's up and running. It's aimed solely at getting what is rightfully mine returned to me.

Connie, if you want your name to not be blasted in a negative way on the internet, pay me my money. When you start making a name for yourself in the music biz (because if they'll give Paris Hilton a recording contract, they'll inevitably give anyone a contract), just know this: when your fans look your name up on the internet, www.conniemckendrick.com will be the first one they see. What will they see? That you're a liar, a thief and a slumlord.

If you'd like your name back, make me an offer for the domain name. I'll be happy to cut you a deal. Cash only.