So, the long anticipated arrival of the Halloween Themed Event at SWEET SALVAGE "Wicked Faire" kicks off Tomorrow Morning my Friends! I look forward to this particular Event all Year long because, well, duh... Halloween Theme! *Winks* I had eagerly awaited the VIP early access drawing... alas, not one of the fortunate few... boo hoo! You can get in early by wearing any of the Sweet's Fab T-Shirts or Tank Tops... alas, none in my ample BMW size yet... wah!!! So... I was relieved when they covered the Preview of the Event Online extensively so I could crib some Fantastical Imagery for you to Share here in the Land of Blog for your own personal Preview my Friends! *Whew!*
You know, just in case I get carried away {very likely} gazing lustfully, in a complete Trance like State, at such things as these Vintage Medical Cabinets... which alas, may not be within the dreaded budget!?! *Pouting Petulantly* I've wanted a Vintage Medical Cabinet forever, they are notoriously difficult to Source or afford when you can find one. I don't even know now where I would put one, but I'd find a place... you know, if I ever get one that is. I'm still holding out Hope and I know this Show will have at least two, tho' they have sparked a lot of Interest before the doors even open.
This is the other one, that I'm leaning towards being my Favorite by a very narrow margin. And I know I am not the only one that peruses the Online Preview Imagery to try to figure out EXACT locations of my Favorite things so I can make a beeline for them when the doors open. Alas, not having VIP access means it doesn't matter how early I get in line since the Lucky Ones will have a 30 minute lead on even Person No. 1 in line, who may have stood there for hours. *Le Sigh* So I'm contemplating just how long I even want to stand in line if it won't make any difference? Depends on the weather and how Well I feel by Tomorrow Morning I suppose? I know, I'm getting to be a wimp like that anymore if it's a gamble. *LOL*
I recall with much chagrin last Year's Halloween Event where I HAD Won VIP access and didn't even know it! *Gasp, wringing of hands and gnashing of teeth!!!* You see, I checked on my iddy biddy Cellphone Screen and couldn't see with these Aging Eyeballs that there was a "see more..." in small print after Winner No. 3! So I was on the next Page, I think I was Winner No. 4 actually, which I didn't see... so I stood in line like a putz not even knowing I could get in early coz I'd Won! Can I only tell you how pissed off I was at myself for not checking Online here at Home on the big PC Screen first the Night before!?! So I didn't make the same mistake this Year, but then, I wasn't a Winner this Year either. Ah well, you can't be a Winner every time, otherwise we'd all be in Vegas, right? *Smiles*
So, I got over my initial disappointment, knowing I probably couldn't afford either Medical Cabinet anyways, so it would ease the pain if someone else just buys them early so they say SOLD before I even get in!? It does ease the Pressure of Scoring something Awesome if you just can't, so I'll focus on Smalls instead... and Photography if it's not too crowded to get some Killer shots? Even if it is madly crowded, which I anticipate in advance, I can perhaps get some Killer close-up shots and this Preview Post gave you all some Killer unspoiled, unpicked over Panoramic shots. So really, ALL the Pressure is now off and I can just leisurely Enjoy the Experience. Those of us with OCD tendencies really Create our own Pressures that don't really Exist, so any of you similarly afflicted will completely understand. *Bwahahahaha!!!*
Today I was supposed to do an Epic Garage possession Purge and grandiose Fantasy re-organization, since the weather cooled way off and was overcast and only in the 80 degree range, instead of over 108 degrees as has been the norm lately. So wouldn't you know I felt like shit and after The Man's Dental Appointment I just went to bed for four more hours and slept half the day away instead! I haven't felt Well lately even tho' my Diabetic Readings have been almost Normal... guess I'm just not used to being Normal, right?! *LOL* Actually I think the maximum dosages of both types of injections, along with massive amounts of Rx Diabetic pills {okay it's 5 pills daily and 2-3 shots, but shit, that's massive to me} is just taking a toll on my Body and my Head Space so I'm not handling it Well physically or mentally.
And I'm just Hopeful that I don't feel like shit again Tomorrow for the Event?!? Taking a Nap AT an Event just doesn't Work. *Bwahahahahaha!!!* I'm fed up and at saturation point with feeling like shit most days and like a Lab Rat for the Base Clinic, so I've been rather Dramatic about it all actually. I can be very Dramatic, I could Win an Award for my meltdowns being quite Epic when I'm fed up with not feeling Well and my Coping skills are marginal about it. Those of you afflicted with serious or chronic ailments and are able to Soldier thru it admirably and with Dignity intact, I bow down to you, mad Respect from me to you all actually! I mean that with all of my Heart... I am not handling my Pancreas crapping out very well since I don't think I can buy a new one so it just sucks and I therefore have the occasional Epic Tantrum about it.
A good Tantrum sometimes works Wonders for relieving Stress and pent up Anger or Aggression so I don't hold back, I just have one. I had one the other day and threw a real Wobbler, totally losing my shit, so I think I may be Good for another Month now?! *LMAO* The Young Prince informed me he's moving out at the end of the Year and moving in with a long time BFF in the City, it was after my Epic meltdown so I asked him if that had inspired his decision any? We both laughed hysterically, since he claimed it did not, but the coincidence just tickled both of us. I mean, Crazy runs deep around here so if you couldn't handle it you'd have to move out eventually if you could. *Winks* I'm very supportive of his decision actually, he has very nice Friends and can recapture a Life in the City near every convenience and lifestyle, opposed to an Existence in Rural Affluent Subdivision Bougie Hell here, which we both Hate.
His Sister has been Eyeballing his MIL Suite Upstairs just hoping that once he turned 18 he'd bounce, so she'll be Jazzed to move right in whenever he moves out. So I did warn him that if it doesn't work out living in the City, if he had to come back, he'd have to settle for her Old Room and Space Upstairs instead. *LOL* His Friend has a Snake so she won't mind Ivara the Chameleon moving in too... I mean they ARE a Package Deal... I'm NOT Adopting a Great Grand Chameleon too! *Winks* And since The Man found an escaped Cricket on him the other day Downstairs, I'll be glad for all Ivara's Live Food going with her when the time comes. *Smiles* Right now I've got 100 Crickets, give or take, and some Dubia Roaches living Upstairs as well in their respective Habitats as Ivara's cuisine. Needless to say I'm no Fan of Reptile Ownership and she hasn't exactly endeared me to having them as Pets either!
One would think, with my Addams Family Sensibilities and Channeling Morticia so easily that I'd LOVE having Creepy Living Things in my Home, but I don't. I just like the Dead Creepy Things in my Home, they're cheaper {usually} and don't escape and run amok in the house! *Smiles* I'll of coarse be seeking any Oddities, any Weird and Wonderful shit at the Event that I might drag Home to our Lair. I am known for being synonymous with Collecting Weird shit. If any of my Friends or Family has or finds Weird shit they always know where they can find a Home for it! *Winks* You are more apt to Source any of the Weird and the Wonderful Weird Oddity shit at a Halloween Themed Event, thus why I look forward to them all Year long. I just wish the dreaded budget were stronger around this time of Year before the Favorite Holiday kicks off, but I have too many Grandchildren now who have Birthdays around this time of Year so I quickly get Tapped Out.
My Seasonal Decor and Persian Rugs are Selling briskly at my Spaces in the Antique Mall tho' so it does fund some purchases and shore up the finances during the Holiday Season. Had I done the Epic Garage possession Purge Today I might have found more Cool shit to Sell Off to fund more Cool shit I wanna buy and Keep... such is the Cycle of my Life around here! *Bwahahaha!* It's True, I don't mind giving up many things to fund something better and upgrade my Keeper stuff! I'm digging deep to decide what to Cull and make some Bank Selling Off? I've found that I'm detaching quite easily to many things because I've simply had most of them a very long time now, so letting them go isn't as difficult anymore. They've been off the Market and out of Circulation for so long now that it's Time they found a New Owner. If we all kept all of the Best Stuff from the Past for ourselves forever, then nobody New could ever get any.
Consummate Collectors in fact enjoy Sharing their stuff and their Passion for it. Whether they Display it in such a way it can be Shared freely, or they Sell Off some of it so others can possess some too, it seems to be a common thread that they don't always just wanna Hoard it up selfishly and not openly Enjoyed. That is why I Connect very easily to other Consummate Collectors, we're cut from the same Cloth no matter what it is we happen to Collect and have a specific Passion for. Artistic Souls have a similar Connection, so if you Create and Love Art too, you'll also move in those Circles and find Kindred Spirits to Share your Passion for Artistic pursuits with. I desperately want to start Creating more again, I miss it terribly. Which is why having the Meditation Room... and then the Art Studio Loft... in Order and Organized, will set the Stage for pursuing that Passion actively again.
I specifically want to get back to Fabric and Wearable Art Projects again. Not so much in the Selling of it again, since Commissioned Work for me was stifling Creativity and precluding just Feeding my Soul, due to the deadlines. But just to Create for Creation's Sake, which I much prefer... and then if I detach from the Outcome and Creations begin to clutter up Space then I can just Sell them. *LOL* That's more my Method to Art... Create a bunch of it to Feed your Soul exclusively, and when you don't have room for it sitting around in your Studio, Sell it. *Ha ha ha* Getting attached to the Outcome sometimes happens if you Create something you really Love and couldn't buy anyway, but it's rare. I like owning the Creations of other Artists and tend to Sell most of my own Creations eventually, since I could just Create more if I wanted or needed to.
It's also Fun to do Gypsy Trades of Art or to Gift your Creations to those you know fully Appreciate them. It's been a long time tho' since I've spent a considerable amount of time just Creating and losing myself in my Art. I really would like the Time to do that again now The Force are older and The Man has rehabilitated after his catastrophic accident sufficiently to free up my Time enough to. I think we are finally to the juncture I could at least Try to again and see how it goes and that is very liberating. I am not a prolific Artist, because I take a long time to Work on any Piece on Purpose since Profit is not the motivator behind doing it. If I had to make a Living at it therefore I'd be the proverbial Starving Artist for sure! *Bwahahahahahahaha!!!* Plus, I tend to use only Quality items to Create anything and therefore will not compromise Quality in order to bring Price Point to the Bargain Basement of Mass Production. I think Modern Society has gotten so used to Cheap Mass Produced items that many just often won't Pony Up for Real Art anymore.
You can see that in any Retail Setting where any Repop will outsell the Real Deal almost every time because it's just offered Cheaper of coarse since it's mass produced and not authentic. Most Shoppers don't really Care if they have something Authentic or OOAK so long as it looks Similar and is a Deal. So it's very common now, from just a sound business decision, even in the Industry of Selling Vintage, Salvage and Antique Wares, to have Filler pieces. It's harder to Source the Real Deal all of the time and sufficiently to appease Demand when Supply is Scarce... and the Reproduction and New items, seamlessly paired with the Old, Sells very well and has it's demographic of devotees. I've sometimes had an Authentic Piece right beside a Repop and Sold the Repop way faster and the Customer was equally Jazzed to own it. So, I have to confess I quit being a Purist about it all, there was no Point to be.
I've sadly seen the Die Hard Purists go down in flames in Retail and some go out of Business completely only because they refused to compromise to what the Market would buy... or not buy. There is a virtual Laundry List of the most Awesome Vendors and Shops that are no more, it Grieves me to no end!!! It's very Sad, I Wish it were different actually... I Wish I could only offer The Good Stuff and know I could make equal Bank Selling it but that's not Realistic in many demographics. I like getting regular Checks if I'm going to be Selling my stuff or seeking and sourcing that which will Sell and Turn Fast! I can't hit the Open Road and Travel to the Trendiest Shows and Events to hawk my wares and where the average Consumer there will 'Get It' and more importantly, BUY IT! *Winks* Road Trips to hawk my Treasures would take too much out of me at this Season of Life anyway and Online Selling just doesn't Appeal to me.
I still know many peeps who do really well with Online Sales at Auction sites and their Etsy Shops, but I do think it takes a lot of Work to set that all up and to devote Time to do it Well and therefore make it quite profitable. I do not have the Time nor the inclination to devote myself to the Grind of any of it anymore... otherwise I'd still have a Corporate Life which always made good Money. *Gak!* Can you only tell how much I DON'T MISS having a Corporate Life, no matter how profitable? *Bwahahahahahaha!!!* It's just not for me anymore... my aspirations are quite different now on what my Priorities are. I like Aging for that reason, reaching your Senior Years your Priorities become laser focused on what REALLY matters and you just ditch what doesn't.
I Care less and I Could Care Less most of the time and that's extremely Liberating. I actually feel pity for those who are Uptight or in an obsessed pursuit of the almighty Dollar as if that's Life's pinnacle and Meaning. Eventually most will 'Get' that they could be more Loose, more Relaxed, less Greedy and it will be Alright... they may even be much better off in ways they couldn't have expected. If just Money bought Happiness then every person with Wealth would be deliriously Happy and Content... observe that most are definitely not. Greed is like a Disease they cannot recover from and infects everything and everyone they touch actually, it is all consuming... like a Cancer. Having Money isn't wrong, but Money having you is pitiful and can be extremely insidious. There are times that sure, I'd like a healthier budget, but if it took going back to a Grind and having different Priorities I'd rather have a leaner one now.
I remember my Dear Ole' Dad, who was one of the least Materialistic People I've ever known and one of the most Generous, saying what he'd be utterly Content NOT having. He lived a very Simple Humble Life as he Aged, coming full Circle to having come from extremely Humble beginnings, he actually preferred it. I remember being Poor and not having much and I have Enjoyed having abundance and great Success too. I look back on the lean times with many, many fond Memories and having known many, many Wonderful People who were in lack right along with me, but were Rich in so many more ways the Affluent may never fathom. I preferred living among them, I would be Okay going back to extremely Humble ways surrounded by Ride or Die people anytime. It's very easy to be Comfortable... so much more elusive to be truly Happy and utterly Content. You have to realize what that would LOOK like to YOU?
What makes you truly Happy and Content my Friends? Have you attained it? Have you ever had to give it up? I can say I've done both... attained it... and had to give it up... more than a few times thruout Life's Journey actually, since it can have some twists and turns you cannot possibly predict or always prepare for adequately enough. But if you have ever attained it at least you have the benefit of knowing what it LOOKS like to YOU and what it FELT like for YOU... so that you can go in pursuit of it again. I try to spend more Time lately in pursuit of what makes me Happy now, slowly Contentment will come again. I am fairly certain it will not be here in this actual place of where I happen to be now. I have more of a Peace about here, but it's not where I Feel like I Belong and so it is more than likely I will move on eventually.
And have to shed a lot of shit to have less baggage to tote to where ever the place of Contentment will be? *LMAO* But I am used to Traveling Light and dropping excess baggage like a rock when I want or need to. Ballast is very easy to shed along a Journey you Want to take and to reach a Destination you want to arrive at. The Man and I have recently begun to discuss what the Future might look like once we have an Empty Nest? We daren't have those discussions at the appropriate Timing when we knew we had to raise another Generation. So we're well behind our Peers in having that Dream and pursuing it because we just couldn't at the Timing most of our Generation would have and could have.
Those that were never Parents might have been able to get a jump start on self indulgences much earlier, perhaps in their 20's-30's not having to consider anyone but Self or a Partner. Those that got their Kids raised might finally have gotten to pursue their self indulgences in their 40-50 range of Season of Life. We'll be doing it after 70, which is rather late to the Party {winks} but... whatever. We like to joke that if we knew we'd had to live that long to finally be able to pursue it we'd of taken better Care of ourselves... but... whatever to that too. *Le Sigh* When The Young Prince told me he would like to be moving out at the end of the Year I did NOT have the Empty Nest Syndrome some speak of... of having a difficult time Letting Go of one ready to fly and leave the Nest. *Smiles* By the time Princess T is expressing her desire for independent Living I am quite sure we'll be quite Celebratory and have no such Syndrome afflicting us either, as we'll likely be well past 70 so it will be about freakin' time to finally have an Empty Nest! *Bwahahahahaha!!!*
Regardless, as each one leaves the Nest we get ever closer to that eventual Goal of ours being Empty. All we've ever been concerned about is not so much having Empty Nest Syndrome, but in Living long enough to actually HAVE an Empty Nest!?!?! All of the Custodial Grandparents will have a point of reference and those of you who have raised any Special Needs Child of any Age will also relate because it will resonate with you in ways few can ever fathom. Independent Living for the Special Needs Community, depending on how High Functional and Independent they might possibly be, is never a 'Given' you can accurately predict. For some it may never be a possibility and thus Residential Living or remaining in the Home until the Caregiver can't do it anymore or dies is the Reality of your limited and difficult Options.
Just that my Young Prince CAN have the confidence and ability to go off and Live Independently and Happily is indeed a Big Deal and cause for Celebration, most especially FOR HIM! The level of Support he may or may not require remains to be seen but I'm very Proud of him for mapping out a Future apart from us. That was my Purpose in Raising him and so I do Feel quite Accomplished having assisted him along that Path to self sufficiency being a possibility for him. It is very common when you are Parenting a Special Needs Child to be especially Guarded about allowing them the Freedom to attempt to Live Independently... and with Challenges you are well Aware of and there is no denying could be considerable obstacles.
But since I don't Plan on becoming an Immortal it is Vital that they have that ability in the event I get Called into the Afterlife, so that they can be grounded in being an Adult and I can die in Peace! The Man has given me strict instructions to outlive him so that he doesn't have to find a replacement Caregiver or end up in a Residential Facility for those unable to Care for themselves, I told him I will attempt to Honor that. *Smiles* He looks pretty sturdy like a pair of tough old Boots that refuses to wear out so that may mean I have to Live a long time and I'm Okay with that too. *Winks* He got his new Dentures today and it's going to be a difficult and painful transition for him on account of the Challenges of fragile Gums and the effects of TBI. Which all cause intensive complications and why Specialty Dentures had to be made for him when we realized he wasn't a candidate for implants. His new Smile sure looks purdy tho' and I'm guardedly Optimistic! *Winks*
I actually have his Old Dentures in one of my Cabinets of Curiosities along with shed Baby Teeth from ALL of the Children we've raised... I'm a complete Weirdo like that and it's not even the Strangest thing we have in the house! *Bwahahahahaha!* Yeah, now I bet I have you Wondering... what DO they have in that house that I haven't seen Shared on FB or the ole' Blog?!?!?!? *LMAO* Okay, so lets do an unofficial Survey of what you THINK is the Weirdest thing housed at Villa Boheme'??? Though I suppose Weird is entirely subjective, depending upon how Weird or not you happen to be?!? *Smiles*
And now I'm out of Words but not out of Amazing Imagery taken by the team at SWEET SALVAGE which is being Shared Today, so all Photo Credit goes to their Talented Photographers. And I'll leave you with the balance of the Wicked Faire Preview and I do Hope you can join us there, September 20th thru September 23rd my Friends!? Click on the link if you would like the Hours of Business. It's a great kick off to the Holiday Season to be able to attend these Wonderful Seasonal Inspired Events around the Valley!!!
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Blessings, Love and Light from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian
