Cool Jewels blog

Oh no, Papa. I'm sorry about the water.

noreply@blogger.com (Naomi) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:02:00 +0000

Papa gave me more reasons to keep blogging about her.

I came home Saturday night to find the drain cover from the shower on the living room floor. Eww.

And the toilet bowl brush was on the floor in the bathroom. Eww again.

But the saddest sight — and the one I didn't photograph — was Papa's water bowl, overturned on the kitchen floor. I think she was really thirsty.

Why so thirsty? Maybe because, earlier that day, she got a bag of rolls from the kitchen counter, ripped it open, and ate the one roll that was left.

Counter-surfing is a new behavior for her. And so is dismantling the bathroom. Sheesh.

Steve Byrne

noreply@blogger.com (Naomi) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:41:00 +0000

For my next story assignment, I'll be chatting with Steve Byrne and going to the taping of his next Comedy Central special, "The Byrne Identity."

I've got my list of questions, but I'm also asking you: What would you want to know about him?

By the way, here's one of my favorite PG-rated bits — about being Asian, of course.

Kathy's Garden Party 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Naomi) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 03:33:00 +0000

The theme of Kathy's Garden Party was “All Dolled Up,” inspired by Barbie’s 50th birthday.

As always, the food was great — sliders, crab cakes, slices of grilled chicken wraps. And the “Dream Girl” cocktail was a glass of champagne drizzled with something sweet and garnished with a raspberry. Yum.

Ben also liked the cookies.

At every Garden Party, Kathy’s family and friends find a new way to display the auction items in a runway show. This year, the models wore pretty dresses and teased hair to show off the Barbie- and doll-themed artwork.

Then came the live auction.

To my surprise, I was able to bid on something successfully! Well, Ben helped. We bought a pair of framed photographs, “Ethel’s flowers” by Janice Tonz. A woman who sat in front of us said that the artist took the photos in Colorado. I would like to find out more about Janice and her work.

As in years past, I made a charm bracelet for the show. If you want to see it, click on the “Preview artwork for All Dolled Up” icon on the Grace Events page. “Pretty in pastels” is on page 7.

You can also see the bracelet I made for last year's event. I'm already excited about next year's theme and how I can turn it into a bracelet!

My birthday at Sluggo's

noreply@blogger.com (Naomi) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:54:00 +0000

Sluggo’s is smoky. Very smoky. But because of all the times I’ve been there after tennis, it feels like home.

Of course I had a good time on my birthday: drinks, pizza, seeing my friends. What’s not to enjoy? So I thought I’d tell you something about each of the people in these photos — a mini-story, if you will, about friends old and new.

1. My BeadStyle friends: Kelsey is our new assistant. She is funny and enthusiastic and puts up with nicknames like Kelsey Lately.

Cathy makes sure we always have baked goods at work: brownies, lemon bars, a tower of treats. She also makes really tasty cookies at the holidays and lets me go on a donut run when necessary.

Erin always made us laugh with her workplace pep; it could have been the song in her head. I think she and Kelsey may be related.

2. I also work with Keith, who is the nicest IT guy you could imagine. Plus, he is quick to help when Papa needs to go to the emergency clinic.

Jeremy is an editor who can give you a nickname in French. So try not to do anything too stupid around him, mais oui!

3. Patrice, Jean, and I are on the same tennis team. Patrice was my tennis partner last summer. She's supercompetitive but down to earth. Just by saying, “Enough of that” — in a really nice way, not bossy, of course — she helps me re-focus.

Jean and I played a match together last summer, against the best team in our flight. We still took a set from them. Not too shabby, right?

4. Louis and Michael are my ping-pong friends. Louis teaches me cool stuff like the slide-and-glide. Who knew that ping pong could also give you an aerobic workout? Michael has helped me with my forehand and never gets impatient when I hit bad shots, which is often.

5. Even though Denise just got married and moved kind of far away, she came to have a drink with me. One thing I forgot to mention: she was one of the most organized brides ever. She had a list of friends to photograph at her wedding and she sent postcards from her honeymoon.

6. Mary and I have been friends since we met at M.E. Lou ten years ago. It's through her that I met Stacy (who's not in this photo, maybe she had had enough of Sluggo's by then?) and Katie (of Pickled Egg fame).

I've known Michelle (who's in the center of the photo) for about ten years, and one of my first memories of her was of a New Year's Eve party where everyone was having a blast watching the DVD she brought. In case you were wondering, the tagline of Center Stage was "Life doesn't hold tryouts." Michelle will never judge you on your pop-culture proclivities.

7. Last but not least: Ben. He asked, and I told him, what I wanted for my birthday. A pepper mill. When he was at the store picking out my gift, he pictured how it would look in my kitchen. (My pepper mill stands proudly on my countertop.) I love this attention to detail. (Though, if I deliberated over such a decision, he might say, "It's a pepper mill.")

Anyway, I'm excited about all that the next year has to offer. Thanks, everyone, for your company!

How I found couples to interview for my relationship story

noreply@blogger.com (Naomi) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:51:00 +0000

About the couples I interviewed for my “Show me the love” article: I didn’t know them before I interviewed them.

Surprisingly, my Milwaukee couples were easy to schedule. One of my friends put me in touch with Seng, whom he worked with. And Jill, a childhood friend, suggested I contact Young and Suzelle, who said yes right away. My Facebook post was helpful, but I still needed two more couples that I could interview in person.

In the meantime, I stumbled upon Diane and Todd’s blog, White on Rice Couple. They are food writers, photographers, videographers, and world travelers, so I guessed that they’d be comfortable sharing their story. They agreed to participate right away.

I just needed one more couple. Deanne, a friend from an online writing class, had mentioned Help A Reporter Out. I posted a query and crossed my fingers.

Three women contacted me. Over the next couple of days, one declined because her boyfriend didn’t want to participate; she said he was very private about their personal lives. A second woman had already scheduled a time for the interview but backed out. She and her boyfriend felt that the Asian American community in L.A. is “teeny tiny” and they didn’t want to say anything that could be misconstrued. (It’s hard for me to imagine one tiny Asian American community, but I did empathize that they didn’t want to be misunderstood.)

Thankfully, Lydia was the third HARO person who contacted me. And she and Rohan did a terrific interview.

So I found couples in a range of ethnicities — Laotian, Korean, Chinese, Indian, and Vietnamese. And the couples differed in their ages, the length of their relationships, and whether or not they had children, so they highlighted a variety of experiences.

What these couples did have in common was a respect for their relationship. That’s not surprising, that the people who'd be willing to talk about their relationships were the ones who felt relatively happy and secure. (I wish I could’ve also interviewed those other couples. But that would’ve been a different story.)

Ultimately, I’m glad I interviewed couples I didn’t know. It’s not that they were any more articulate than my friends would have been. It’s that I didn’t have any preconceived idea of what their relationships were. So I had to ask all the questions — how they met, how they decided to get married (or not), what kind of stuff they fought about. It was truly a learn-as-you-go experience.

Asian American relationships article online at East West

noreply@blogger.com (Naomi) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:11:00 +0000

"Show me the love", the article I wrote about Asian American couples, has just been published online at East West.

This story assignment came about after Anita, the editor, mentioned Lac Su's memoir, I Love Yous Are for White People. In Asian families, we don't say those three little words very often. So Anita and I wondered how that translated into romantic relationships.

I'd be curious to hear what you think. Could you relate to these couples? Or, did these experiences seem different from your own?

Oh no, Papa, not the oven mitts.

noreply@blogger.com (Naomi) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 04:10:00 +0000

On Saturday, Papa and I had taken a walk to the grocery store so I could make an appetizer for Judy’s party.

In my excitement over trying a new recipe — restaurant-style artichoke and spinach dip — I forgot to buy an 8 x 8 baking pan. So I drove back to the grocery store.

When I got home, Papa had put one of the oven mitts on the living room floor. And knocked my Tennis magazine and silicone oven grip on the kitchen floor.

Also, she removed the label from the can of artichokes (from the garbage, not the can).

Oh no, Papa.

Why you gotta be so naughty? I was only gone 15 minutes!

Maybe the smell of roasted garlic made her nuts. She looks possessed in the second photo, yes?

Minus the donut incident, Papa had recently been sort of respectful of our things.

Though, come to think of it, she went after a loaf of bread while my mother was in the restroom. That was yesterday.

Her crimes are getting bolder.

Judy's pumpkin party

noreply@blogger.com (Naomi) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 03:57:00 +0000

Though I am apparently forgoing most Halloween activities this year (not my favorite holiday), I did make the rounds at Judy’s pumpkin-carving party.

Here are Judy, Amy, and Tara posing with their works. Amy thought Tara's pumpkin was like her — something about perfect hair. As you can tell, this was a group of hardcore carvers.

I did not carve, as Linda and Luke and I arrived just before dark and I only have enough strength for the faux Michael’s pumpkins. So I sipped hot cider while catching up with my tennis pals.

Staying inside also meant I could keep an eye on the food spread (grilled burgers and brats — a real treat on a cold October night). Linda brought roasted veggies and Donna made peanut butter fingers with red almond fingernails. Tres ghoul.

After dinner, we huddled around a bonfire and made s'mores. It was a good night.

Pricey ping pong paddles

noreply@blogger.com (Naomi) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 04:38:00 +0000

In my previous post, I shared my ambivalence about replacing the old with the new.

Even though I’m no early adopter, I have to admit that this new development in the ping pong world fascinated me:

Brodmann Blades. Fancy schmancy ping pong paddles.

I wonder how well these mitts work. (If you aren't coordinated enough to play ping pong, is the equipment really the problem?)

If these blades (blades!) don't suit you, you could also spend a couple hundred bucks on a Butterfly paddle that offers springiness and shock absorption.

At that point, though, they are no longer paddles. They are table tennis racquets. Why does everything need to be so complicated?

Endurance: old cameras, Rick Springfield, and haircuts

noreply@blogger.com (Naomi) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 03:57:00 +0000

I just got a new digital camera, so I’m in the process of learning how to use it. The good news is that I was able to start shooting photos right away — without reading the manual.

I accidentally broke my old camera about two years ago, and my parents gave me their old one. It’s not very high res (or "hi res," if you're in the industry), but it worked just fine.

Still does, as a matter of fact. My trusty friend even helped me capture shots of a still-spry Rick Springfield.

Speaking of staying power, Mary just blogged about her TV that still works after 20 years. Some things just stay with you, utterly competent.

I feel a bit guilty about upgrading when there's nothing wrong with the old camera. (Okay, so my new one does have much better resolution. Maybe if I had any skill at photography, that might be valuable.)

While reviewing photos from an old memory card, I came across this photo of Michelle and me. It was taken May 12, 2006 — over three years ago. Look at how short my hair was. I love Michelle’s haircut, too. Don't we both look shiny and happy, with glossy (and yet not overdone) hair?

No deep thoughts here. I'm just sayin' — repeating, actually — that I'm getting more and more distracted by the anticipation of a real haircut.

I miss the days when hair and cameras were both manageable.

Now I feel like I have to work hard to make things look effortless. I own curling irons, curlers, flattening irons, diffusers, two hair dryers, brushes, combs, hybrid brush/combs, gels, waxes, and styling lotions. I don't know how to use most of them. So the task of hair care is wearing on me. I'm looking forward to being unburdened of my long hair. Soon.

Regarding my old camera: It will resume its rightful place with my dad. It's staying in the family, to be respected and not taken for granted. Goodbye, old friend!

Feature story: Show me the love

noreply@blogger.com (Naomi) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 04:47:00 +0000

I love talking about relationships. If you and I have ever talked about your relationship, I've probably asked you how you met, how long you've been together, what makes your relationship tick, what ticks you off.

So I jumped at the chance to write an article about how Asian Americans say "I love you" in their romantic relationships.

I interviewed two couples in Milwaukee: Seng and Andrew (photographed with their son, Zach) and Young and Suzelle (with their daughter, Grace). Bill Zuback shot the beautiful portraits. Thanks, Bill!

And I visited L.A. in July so I could meet Lydia and Rohan (and their dogs, Ichabod and Lola) and Diane and Todd. My sister, Yukie Fujimoto, came with me to shoot photos. Thanks, Yukie!

The couples shared their stories — and there was so much more than I could fit on the page.

I think love is in the details, in the tiniest acts in everyday life. Like Seng's memory of her mom holding her hand at the dentist.

The way Todd touched Diane to fix her lipstick.

Listening to Young and Suzelle talk about their favorite fairy tales.

And in a story about a big moment: Rohan's description of his proposal at Staples Center — not on the Jumbotron, which was the plan — but near the downstairs elevator. (And Lydia's response: "What?" Over and over.)

I wanted to weave all of this great stuff — the personal details that make each story unique — into my article. It was a challenge to tell the story of each couple, maybe because there are so many different stories. And it felt like a responsibility, in a way that essay writing isn't.

Luckily, I had a lot of help along the way — especially from Allison, who had the guts to tell me that my first draft was awful, and Hal, who reassured me that my final draft wouldn't be.

But I digress.

Thank you for staying with me through this post and through the past months of writing and revision. If you'd like to read "Show me the love," you can buy a copy of East West magazine on the newsstand or order one online.

A three-sport night

noreply@blogger.com (Naomi) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 02:45:00 +0000

In my ping pong class on Thursday, I learned something new: Michael helped me with my forehand and let me hit lots of awful shots. And last week, Stan showed me the penhold grip. It helped me put more spin on the ball, but my wrist kept twisting at an odd angle. Ouch!

After ping pong, I went to the other half of the gym to play badminton. Badminton reminds me of summer; it's a bright spot in the cold, dreary weather we've been having. Though I'm not so good at it, I learned how to keep score. It's a start.

After the gymnasium fun, I played tennis. (No story there.) From this evening of racquet sports, I learned two lessons.

One: I can’t skip exercise throughout the week and then try to make it up in one day. Moderation is a wonderful thing. (My shoulder was really sore on Friday.)

Two: It hurts to swing and miss (especially in badminton). But better to have swung and missed than to not have made the effort. It takes a lot of momentum for the birdie to fly out, and sometimes just reaching a little farther can get me a shot that keeps the game in play.

I think this may be a metaphor for life, too.

More hair

noreply@blogger.com (Naomi) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 04:28:00 +0000

On Monday, Erin and I (along with Cathy and Kelsey) met up at Stir Crazy for dinner. Here we are with a copy of the November issue, our regular BeadStyle prop.

We first started noting our progress in July, so this seems like a natural place to keep track of our trials and tribulations (or mine, at least).

Watching hair grow might be about as interesting as watching paint dry. Still, we could use the encouragement. I'm not as good-natured about this as Erin is.

Denise and Jeremy's wedding

noreply@blogger.com (Naomi) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 16:05:00 +0000

Last winter, Denise and a few of us huddled in her parents’ minivan, enduring a blizzard to go wedding dress shopping. (Really, it was a blizzard — Denise had trouble steering us past her driveway.)

I’m not sure whether our opinionated group was any help — “traditional” means different things to different people — but she kept her choice a secret until yesterday. And look at her! Of course I got a little misty-eyed when I saw her.

The “baby priest” (his nickname, not mine) said he would always remember this wedding: it was his first. And after the ceremony, he nodded to us and said, “See ya at the reception.” Friendly.

At the reception, Ben and I had cocktails and too much bread with Matt and Christine. Christine mocked my tears — I also cried during Barb’s toast, when she talked about what a great sister Denise is.

Barb also noted Denise's “militaristic” travel style. While traveling in France, Denise wouldn’t let them stop to eat because it took too much effort. Reminds me of the time Denise and I were at a Halloween party and I said I was hungry and maybe we could go get some food?

“No, you’re not,” she had said. “Just eat more taco dip.” I think we wrung every fun moment we could out of that party.

But there was plenty of food and good times to be had at the reception. Here’s Barb with Hunter, Jeremy’s six-year-old cousin. Hunter enjoyed taking photos and being photographed in his mullet wig. It was a truly joyful occasion.

The one person I didn’t get a chance to congratulate was Jeremy. But I’m hoping that after they get back from their honeymoon, we can all get together for a board game and some meatloaf. If Denise allows us time to eat. (Just kidding!)

Oh no Papa, not the donuts!

noreply@blogger.com (Naomi) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 03:29:00 +0000

Yesterday I came home to a note from my dad:

“Papaya was in our living room — doors closed but got into kitchen — ate a doughnut, put bite marks on loaf of bread. Also nipped Mom’s hand holding Frisbee.”

Somehow, Papa managed to open the living room door and the kitchen door. Apparently the living room wasn’t lively enough for her.

Oh, Papa.

Later that night, I was on the phone with my mom, talking about a video I saw of Echo, a German shepherd/border collie mix with a very sad past. (Watching the updated video gives me some hope. It looks like he has made progress, but my eyes still well up, especially when the girl is brushing him.)

I was also chatting about how Ginger never did the kind of crazy stuff that Papa does.

Well, I’m convinced that Papa heard me. Maybe even understood me. Because when we got off the couch, I noticed a poop she left while she had been curled up — a little brown donut hole.

So she was naughty at my parents' and she left me a surprise. Oh no, Papa! What's going on?

Tennis Ball 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Naomi) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 04:36:00 +0000

This weekend, I went to the Tennis Ball, the annual benefit for the Milwaukee Tennis & Education Foundation.

The Tennis Prom (as I affectionately call it) is a dressy event, so I braved the teenage crowd shopping for Homecoming outfits the night before. It was nervewracking to wear a strapless satin number intended for a 16-year-old, but I liked that our tennis group had a reason to get all dressed up.

Within the first hour, Dan (who helped organize the shindig) wanted to take off his coat, so I’m lucky to have snapped this photo of him and Mary.

And here I am with Lisa, Colleen, and Mary A. After cocktails and dinner (loved the salmon and polenta), Mary won the auction for a tennis trip to England this summer. It’s fun to see live auction stuff — the New York/U.S. Open trip (with tickets for the women's final and the men's final) looked really fun, too.

In this last photo, here are Lisa and Beth. Beth and Doug throw fabulous parties, with lots of food and booze and ping pong. I spend a lot of time in their basement.

A sidebar blast from the past: the Eddie Butts Band was scheduled to play. If I'm not wrong, I think they played at Prom when I was in high school. I’m hoping my friend Sarah can confirm this (we double dated for Tosa East Prom).

Who knew I would still be going to dances? It has definitely been a busy season of weddings and parties.

Ping pong playas

noreply@blogger.com (Naomi) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 04:18:00 +0000

I took my first ping pong class today, in the gymnasium at the Milwaukee Academy of Chinese Language. It was really fun — there were kids, parents, and 73-year-old Gloria, who played college tennis.

Our instructor, Ben, watched as we took turns rallying at the two tables. He said he expected a beginner group but there’s lots of experienced players.

I did okay even though I was wearing three-inch heels. Being taller gives me better court sense (table sense?), but I think I’m going to have to wear tennis shoes next week.

Also, I just realized that, unlike in my tennis game, my backhand is much stronger than my forehand. In ping pong, I'll chicken-wing it to avoid using the forehand. Who knew?

I learned some cool stuff today. From Louis, who also started playing in his basement, I found out that a paddle with a smooth surface helps you create more spin. Being an experienced player, he has both kinds of paddles, including one with pips (the pimples on the rubber surface of a paddle).

He carries his paddles in a zippered leather case, and they are much nicer than my ten-buck number from Sports Authority. He also showed me how you use different grips like the pen-hold or the crane. (For now, I think I’ll stick with my handshake grip.)

For the next few weeks, I'll be spending my Thursdays at the tables. Maybe I'll rent the movie to get motivated.

For what, you ask?

For the satisfaction of being a respectable basement player among my tennis friends. There's Chris, who attacks every shot. And Ron, who hits fluid, sweeping strokes. And how can I forget Doug (really, I can't: he told me in the parking lot at Highlander that he would "crush me like an insect"). During a game, he also announces, "What are you gonna do with this?!" before he serves.

They can be a tough crowd, ping-pong-wise.

This game is awesome. I'm so glad my dad taught me how to play. He was — and probably still is — a fierce player.

Wanna be grillin' somethin'

noreply@blogger.com (Naomi) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 21:20:00 +0000

Ron, a friend from tennis, hosts an annual pig roast. This year’s theme: Griller, a spoof of Thriller. Here's the King of Chops with the bejeweled oven mitt I made him.

After getting a tour of Ronnieland, I settled in with a pulled pork sandwich and played blackjack with Christa, Marilee, Brad, Betty, Milo, and Dave.

Maybe it was the effect of my supersized Jack and Coke, but our table was a blast, filled with tiny bets and big emotions. And the dealer was really helpful. He gave us tips about how to play — most of which I won’t retain because I love the exhilaration of playing as if no one else’s cards are relevant. I know, it’s not a good strategy.

When the tables closed, we exchanged our chips for raffle tickets. Then Jean announced the winning tickets and Ron awarded Mike-themed prizes: a box of Life cereal, a Thriller poster, a Michael Bublé CD. It got dark outside (hard to see), so Colleen offered to read the winning numbers for the last raffle prize — which, suspiciously, she won. Oh, what some people will do for a Michael J. Fox movie collection.

Good food, live music, and gambling: Ron's bash was a fitting end-of-summer hurrah. I can't wait to see what he comes up with next year.

PS: "Wanna Be Grillin' Somethin'" is not my intellectual property. Ron came up with that.

Emerald slab bracelet

noreply@blogger.com (Naomi) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 21:58:00 +0000

Rings & Things holds a cash-and-carry sale in Milwaukee twice a year, and their gemstone prices are rock bottom (bad pun intended). I loved these cool, minty emeralds but found out later that Rings & Things couldn't source any more — that's the downside of C&C. Nor could I find similar stones from another vendor.

BeadStyle readers often want the exact same supplies we've used, so it wasn't an option to design a project without a source for the beads.

So I made this bracelet for Cathy's birthday, combining the 23–27 mm emeralds with 4 mm bicone crystals in Indian sapphire, erinite AB, and chrysolite silver-lined.

I had strung a similar bracelet as a design alternative to the briolette necklace that appeared on the cover of the January 2009 issue of BeadStyle. The amethyst briolettes were drilled very close to the top point of each bead, so every now and then I find a broken bead. I should probably let Cathy know not to wear this when she goes shopping or when she flings her wrist around a lot. (Just kidding. She doesn't do that.)

Anyway, it has been a busy day and week, and I'm ready to leave work now. Happy birthday, Cathy, and happy weekend to all of us!

Serene and Carlos' wedding

noreply@blogger.com (Naomi) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 02:43:00 +0000

Yesterday I went to Serene and Carlos’ wedding, which they held at a beautiful park that overlooks Lake Michigan.

Because of my directional impairment in getting to Kenosha, I missed Serene walking down the aisle. That was a bummer: the bride walking down the aisle is my favorite part of any wedding — it’s like hearing the national anthem at a basketball game.

I did get to see them say their vows. They both looked happy and relaxed — especially at the reception, where we all ate chicken and ribs and potato salad. Both of them laughed a lot (check out their wigs at Carole’s birthday party to see their sense of humor). I remember talking to Carlos at that party — he was mocking us because our gang tended to talk about work. A lot.

Speaking of Kalmbach, Jenni, who was a designer in the art department, was Serene’s maid of honor. Serene gave the bridesmaids jewelry that I made — silver hoops and simple necklaces to match the aqua sashes on their black dresses. (Specifics for you jewelry diehards: I used a 17 mm light azore polygon drop crystal for the necklace and a 13 mm light azore polygon drop crystal for each hoop.)

For Serene's necklace, I added a crystal to the strand of pearls her grandmother had given her. She was really easygoing about the design: she trusted me to come up with the style of the jewelry and then was thrilled with the results. Love that!

It was a great day: I hung out with friends from the art department and Art Jewelry girls Kristin and Addie. And we didn't even talk about work.

East West cover contest

noreply@blogger.com (Naomi) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 01:22:00 +0000

East West is hosting a cover contest for their relaunch issue.

Check it out. The artists have come up with nature motifs like waves and cherry blossoms, as well as more abstract designs like paisleys. And there's even Chairman Mao at the turntables.

My BeadStyle co-workers already voted today — but, because I respectfully abstained from lobbying, the four of us voted for three different designs. Such is the nature of democracy.

The relaunch issue hits newsstands October 6. In less than a month, my article about Asian American relationships will be in print. Yay!

But, first things first: Vote. At least once.

Or how about daily?

Stick pearl earrings in 2010 calendar

noreply@blogger.com (Naomi) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 03:47:00 +0000

It’s probably a bit early to shill for calendars, but I wanted to show you my stick pearl earrings — they’re appearing on the May 20th page of the Beading Bead-a-Day Calendar for 2010. I designed the earrings two years ago and thought the calendar would be a nice opportunity to showcase them.

These earrings aren't a typical design for me. I tend to prefer symmetry, so it was a stretch to try an organic style. But I like how they're really lightweight even though they're huge.

I'd like to make a pair in silver, too. Diagonally drilled stick pearls can be hard to find — the shape just isn't that common. I should probably check Eclectica first (that's where I found the purple strand).

It's satisfying to see my design in print after all this time. And many thanks to Bill Zuback, who shot the earrings and these photos, too. These images are way better than what I can shoot with my old digital camera.

Oh no Papa, you're back!

noreply@blogger.com (Naomi) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 01:33:00 +0000

Last week, Linda and I took Montana (her black Lab) and Papa for a walk.

The bigger dog is Joe, our friend Sandy’s dog that Linda was dogsitting. A bit about Linda: she loves dogs. Really loves them. They know this and gravitate to her — in fact, just a couple of weeks ago, a stray beagle came to her back door, darted through the house, and waited for her to call his owners. (And no, he did not live in the neighborhood.)

Anyway, when I asked what kind of dog Joe was, Linda said, “Sir Pants A Lot is an elderly smooth collie. He looks sort of like Richard Gere. I think he has a touch of dementia but he's very sweet. Walks tend to take a long time, I have trouble downshifting to keep in step with him.”

Sir Pants was indeed a slow walker (but a lovely fellow) — so we took a second walk while he rested. Papa did great. And here she is kissing Joe. Good times.

And now on to the "Oh, no" portion of the post. Which, let me reassure you, has nothing to do with walking the dogs. I just wanted to post some pretty photos.

I know that two weeks ago, I said that “Oh no, Papa!” was going on hiatus. Well, Papa must have been upset with the lack of blogtastic attention, because yesterday I came home to find that she had peed on my bed.

Oh no, Papa!

At least I’m sparing all of you the photo. You'll just have to believe that it's true.

Tradition, change, progress — and hair

noreply@blogger.com (Naomi) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 02:21:00 +0000

I am bummed that BeadStyle’s assistant, Erin, is leaving tomorrow. We’ll miss her a lot.

Erin is the only person I've ever worked with who gave gifts at her farewell lunch. My favorite part of her thank-you note: “Please keep up with the 2–3pm snacking, even if you are trying to eat more fruit.” Does she know me or what?

We have something else in common: growing our hair out for Locks of Love. Here we are with the July and September issues of BeadStyle — perhaps an overly subtle way of marking the date of our progress.

At the Kalmbach jewelry titles, we're not the first to do this: Katie, the former assistant at Art Jewelry, is an expert. And Tea, one of the Bead&Button editors, not only grew out her hair, she gave herself the haircut. It was spectacular!

If you’ve never donated your tresses for charity, then know this: growing hair to ridiculous, unflattering lengths is no easy task. Yukie just got 13½ inches chopped off, so she and I have commiserated about how not fun the process is. And Christa has promised that she'll be the person who tells me when I have gotten too attached to (read: too old for) long hair.

But the hair growth process is yet another thing Erin’s being a good sport about. She doesn't even get split ends.

I suppose life is always changing. Even if it's only by a millimeter a day.

Erin has offered to be photographed for monthly updates. So that will be my new tradition — until a major haircut signals that it's time for a change, again.

More about my fest-ive weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Naomi) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 02:56:00 +0000

One of the difficulties of living in a digital age is that news starts to feel old quickly. But even though talking about my weekend on Wednesday is so three days ago, I just wanted to post a couple of photos.

On Saturday, Denise and I volunteered at Irish Fest. We’ve done other volunteer stuff, but this is my favorite, what with the fun crowd and fried food. Due to a mishap last year, we attended but didn't volunteer. Otherwise, it's something of a tradition.

The strength of tradition is hard to break: I ate shepherd’s pie. It was just okay, as it always is at the fest. But it wouldn’t be Irish Fest if I ate something else.

On Sunday, I went to Denise's bridal shower. I caught up with her high school friend Christine, who told a very nice story to all the guests about how Denise is one of the kindest people she knows. I’d agree. I still marvel that she handled the spritz debacle with such composure.

Alas, this brings an end to my fest-going season. It's hard to say goodbye to summer, but I've learned to really like fall. Maybe we can go out for some shepherd's pie when the weather cools down. I would enjoy that.