Trudy Myers's Blog, page 17

It's Over

The street festival I was working so hard to get ready for is over, and I can relax. The fact is, we don't have any more appearances scheduled, so it's hard to work up a lot of enthusiasm for 'getting ready'.

On the other hand, I have some watermelon product that doesn't have a long shelf life while in the liquid form, so I've got to get it into molds and let it solidify. So I am doing that. That only takes 5-10 minutes of an evening. (And then let it cure for 24 hours.)

If you've been reading along with these posts, you may be wondering how I did. The answer is, "Better than I've done in the past, but not great." However, I had a lot of interest in looking at my prosthetics, now that they were displayed in a way that people could see what I had. I even had Mandalorians and Star Fleet officers stop by to look them over, and a couple people who said, "I'll be back," who didn't manage to come back before the festival closed.

Next year's SyFy Bartow will be themed for Star Trek. The Klingons had great success this year at their booth, and have suggested that I ask to be located next to them next year. That way, I'm right there, ready to sell a bumpy forehead to those who want to jump into Klingon-dom right away. They also suggested that I 'paint' foreheads on people with make-up, as a cheaper way to 'live the experience'. I'll have to practice my painting skills between now and then. Thankfully, I have a practice dummy head, so I can do that. What I don't have is a broad range of skin-tone make-up, so I'll need to get some more of that.

On the other hand, I rather liked where I was located this year. Fairly centrally located, and yet, only a few feet away from the dog adoption booth. Everybody wants to go see the dogs. And I'm happy to report that they adopted out all their dogs by about 4 pm. Not that I had anything to do with that, but I'm happy to see so many dogs find happy, forever homes.

I also had quite a few requests for 'elf ears' or 'Vulcan ears', but I haven't created any of those yet. Like me, the people asking didn't want the '1-size fits all' ears that are out there, they wanted something that would glue to the tops of their ears. Now that I've got Bjoran noses, I suppose I'd better get started working on ears.

So, yeah, I have stuff I need to do to get ready for the next show, whenever it might be. I'd better put some goals on my To Do list so I don't forget to work on these projects.

We're on a Collision Course!

I'm writing this Wednesday night. Bartow is Saturday, so I've got 2 days to get everything done, packed and loaded in the car. How am I doing? Am I going to make it?

In one sense, yes, I'll make it, because whatever I get done and packed is what I'll have to work with. In another sense, no, I won't, because making 'a few' more copies of small prosthetics that I've never had very many of has turned into... well, a learning experience, I guess.

Prosthetics Display Project - Done. Hubby even inscribed 'Myers Prosthetics' in the 2 base boards today. The rods to hold up the foam heads are packed, the foam heads are packed.

Final Prosthetics on Display - Still not done. I have 2 - 4 small prosthetics that need to be painted and glued to the final foam head. With a little luck, I'll get that done tomorrow. Assuming the latex versions I'm trying to make come out okay in the morning.

Signage - Done and Packed. Unless I think up some humorous signs to post. Might happen.

Making some small prosthetics - Ugh! I realized I had very few cyborg relays (from 7 of 9's cheek) and cyborg eyepieces (also from 7 of 9), and I thought I could pop out a few of each in watermelon, which is a new product, which takes less time than latex to dry in the mold. But when I looked around for a mold for them, the only one I could find was for dragonskin. (Didn't really want to drag out the dragonskin chemicals every day to make a tiny little batch.) I also had recently sculpted a Bjoran nose ridges piece that hadn't been made into ANY kind of mold yet.

We have some clay that you can melt and pour into a mold and let it harden to make what I call a 'plug'. It's got all the details that were in the original mold, and then you make another mold using those plugs. Small prosthetics like this are usually done several at a time, in a sheet mold.

So, I had to affix my plugs to a smooth tile, which required getting out the heat gun to soften up the plug backs so the clay would adhere to tile. Kind of overheated my Bjoran nose plug, which was made from sculpting clay, so I spent a couple hours fixing what I had sculpted and finally got it attached to the tile. Then I spent most of a day building a box around the plugs before I could pour in the plaster. Then I got really busy doing other stuff for a day. So the plaster was good and cold by the time I got back to it.

First, I had to take apart the box. The Bjoran nose plug came out with no problem. Horray! However, I used the wrong mold release for the melting clay, so I couldn't get those plugs out. I finally resorted to using the heat gun again, and got most of the clay out, although my details weren't very clear inside. I called people, told them what I had done, and asked if there was anything I could do to clear out the rest of the stuff. I was told to soak the cavities in alcohol and use a wooden pick to pry out the remaining bits of clay. I might have to do that several times. Well, eventually, I felt like I had cleaned it out as best I could, so yesterday afternoon, I put a layer of latex into those molds. Latex is the cheapest prosthetic material, so I felt if it pulled out little bits and pieces of clay, I wouldn't be wasting a lot of money. Today I started casting in earnest. If all goes well, I'll have new prosthetics to pull tomorrow. Do another set tomorrow to pull Friday, then package and pack them. I still won't have a lot of them, so I'll be casting new ones even after Bartow.

Wish me luck.

It's Getting Closer

Only 10 days to SF Bartow.

How am I doing on getting ready?

Foam Head Display - We got the supplies we needed, but they've just been sitting in the garage, so far. Need to get out there and start cutting and drilling. Which means measuring the foam heads so we don't get them placed too close to each other. I don't have many power tools I use, so part of this will take the help of my husband. Maybe we can get out there and work on that tomorrow.

Foam Head Display - I took one of my small prosthetics off its display head and cleaned the make-up off it because the prosthetic is supposed to be metal, and white make-up just didn't look right. This is one of 2 cyborg prosthetics I offer, and I only have 1 or 2 copies of each one at this time, so I was going to make some new molds of these and a new design I've recently sculpted and make some out of watermelon plastic, that being the fastest way to make them. Today, I got a tile cleaned and ready to be used, and I melted some clay and poured it into the existing molds, which I placed in the freezer to get good and hard so I can just pop those suckers out in the morning. Then I need to 'glue' them onto the tile, build a wall around all of them and make the new molds. Then in a few days, after I've made some, I'll need to paint the cyborg prosthetics and get them packaged... except for the ones I put on the display heads, of course. Those need to be painted and glued.

Sale Signs - I spent about an hour this afternoon starting to make the SALE! signs for the table. Still got quite a long way to go with those.

Signs - I know where my 2 signs are. I know where the base is for the main one. I think I know where the pole is for it. I'd better rummage through the closet and make sure I find it. I also know where tape is, but it isn't yet packed for being taken. I know where the bungee cords are, but don't know if the Klingons will need them. Maybe I should go buy my own supply.

Okay, there's still time to do this, so no need to panic just yet. Just need to get off my duff and get to doing. Good thing I'm between editing projects right now.

Wish me luck.

PS. We are deep into constructing the foam head display. We are done cutting wood and just need to drill holes in the board we are using as a base. All the measuring for that has been done. As for the cyborg prosthetics, I have pulled the castings, and they look great, so I am making progress.

Looking Ahead

Okay, there's only 2.5 weeks before SF in Bartow. The products I plan to take are packed, but what about other stuff?

What other stuff, do you ask? Well, for one thing, signs. I took 2 signs to Villicon, and couldn't put up either one of them. Our main sign, MoonPhaze, needs a base and pole to hang from. Somehow, the base was taken, but the pole wasn't to be found. So I couldn't put it up. The secondary sign, for Myers Prosthetics, also got taken, but I forgot to take any tape or bungee cords to hang that sign from the front of the table. So, let's see, I need to find the pole for my main sign, and pack either bungee cords or tape (or both) for my secondary sign.

Also, it's one thing to have foam heads displaying prosthetics on a table at an indoor event. It's completely different to use them for an outdoor event, where any tiny little breeze is likely to pick up a foam head and send it tumbling down the street. We've been thinking about how to anchor the foam heads so they can't go roaming on their own. Now it's time to get our act together and make the anchors so they can be packed and ready to go. So, find a couple dowels to stick in the foam heads (they each have a hole some 4 and 1/2 inches deep in the bottom), buy a couple boards to make the bases, and spend a couple hours cutting the wood accordingly. It shouldn't take us long, if we just do it.

And finally, some signs to tape down on the table showing the prices of what we have. Most—if not everything I take to Bartow—will be on sale, and I need to let people know that. So that will probably take an afternoon or two on the computer and printer.

There shouldn't be any problem getting this all done, everything packed and ready to go... as long as we don't procrastinate too long. I've got errands to run tomorrow, so maybe I'll start by getting those dowels and the boards. And a drill bit. He said we needed a drill bit, too.

So, I'll just pat myself on the back for thinking ahead and making plans. Now to just follow through on them. Wish me luck!

PS. We did get the supplies for making the head display. Step 1 of that project done. Today I plan to search for the sign pole and the box that holds my 'miscellaneous' stuff - tape, scissors, markers and so on. 

The Problem With Deadlines

How many times have you found yourself working in a frenzy to get some project done before a certain deadline? I've long since lost count, but then, I didn't try to keep count way back in school, when I had reports, science projects and other such things that were due at a certain time. Really, when you were in school, did you learn anything from having to go through a very uncomfortable day or weekend when you were rushing to get a project done? I didn't. I may have started that 10-page report a week before it was due, but I was still rushing to get it done before I had to turn it in.

It continued into my adult life, as well. Let's say I dreamed up a new costume that I wanted to wear at a certain sf convention. It was not at all unusual for me to be rushing, trying to get it done before I had to pack the car to go to that convention. I remember one costume in particular where I was still hemming the legs and arms as somebody else drove across 2 states to get to the convention.

I'd like to say I've finally learned my lesson, but that last week before Villicon where I was not only making prosthetics, but packaging them and packing them as well, that was not a joyful time for me. I spent an entire day standing at the kitchen island, sorting through prosthetics, packaging and pricing them, and then stuffing them into boxes in something resembling order. Since I'm usually sitting at my desk most of the day, it's no wonder I then spent 2 nights and a day suffering from leg cramps.

And the aftermath of that rushing around isn't really pleasant, either. Friday of Villicon, we got up and finished packing the car, dropped the dog at the kennel and drove into Orlando to the hotel. Once there, we spent about an hour unloading the car and carrying all our stuff to our tables - John was there with the Klingons, and I with my dealer's table. Then we each had to organize our stuff on our tables, and finally, about 2 pm, we hurried across the street to get some lunch. That was the first thing I'd eaten that day, and, it turned out, the only thing I ate that day.

I like going to conventions, but they are not relaxing for me. I'm an introvert, and being surrounded by a few hundred strangers grates on my nerves. Imagine spending 3 days listening to fingernails drug across a chalkboard. I need quiet time in my own place to truly relax.

It wasn't until Monday that I got to go back to my 'usual' day at home and could relax. Except I realized I wasn't really relaxed, I kept thinking I had to DO something to meet a deadline. No matter how many times I told myself I had no immediate deadlines, I still had the uncomfortable feeling that I did. That lasted for 2 days.

By Wednesday, I was over that 'Looming Deadline' fear, but I wasn't back to my usual routine yet. I found myself pushing aside almost all my daily chores in favor of... playing games. And not even the games I usually play; I dug up an oldie that I hadn't played in a year or so. Maybe that was the day I actually relaxed.

Now I'm facing another deadline, another convention, in about 3 1/2 weeks. I will be trying to make more product, more prosthetics, because I've got the raw material that is getting old and needs to be used before it goes bad. So I need to get started doing that. Tomorrow I'll be trying to catch up on the chores I didn't do today, and then I'll get started on that.

I hope.

 

Panic Time

This has been a hectic week. I finished editing a book on Saturday, and decided I'd better concentrate on getting stuff together for the convention we'll be at this weekend. This was in addition to the work I'd done last fall, taking inventory of everything I ever took to a convention to sell and organizing them in boxes so I could pick and choose what I wanted to take. My husband encouraged me to make more product (cosplay prosthetics) before the raw materials went bad, so we set aside a couple days to do that. Otherwise, I've been working on them every afternoon since last Saturday, and I've got quite a bit done.

And it's only Wednesday.

Wait, did I say it's ONLY Wednesday? Oh, no! It's alreadyWednesday! I've got product to package up, and then pack into the proper boxes, and displays to prepare, and table props to paint! AAAARRRGGH! (Run around the house like a chicken with its head cut off, and get absolutely nothing constructive done!)

Okay. That's enough panicking for now. Tomorrow, when I'm trying to finish everything up, plus pack a suitcase and load up the car, I may have a few more panic attacks. I try to keep them short, so I can use most of my time plugging away at what I need to do.

I suppose that since I have some control over how long they are, they might not be true panic attacks. Basically, they are moments when I feel overwhelmed by how much I still have to do, no matter how much I've managed to get done. And when I feel like that, I don't seem able to communicate to anybody else how to properly do one of my chores so that I can hand it off. Been there, done that, wasn't pretty.

I suppose I should train somebody—such as my husband, who's been prepping his own stuff to take for the Klingon table—how to do some of these chores for me before I'm overwhelmed. Then we can both be overwhelmed together!

No, I'm not sure that's a good idea. Better that one of us manage to remain calm even when one of us is being a headless chicken.

I am grateful that I did, once upon a time, sort through and organize all the boxes, and labeled them, so I know what boxes I want to take. You know, books are in boxes 4, 5 & 14. Prosthetics are in boxes 8, 10, & 12. Made it so much easier to sort out the ones I wanted to take with us.

Anyway, we're both going to be at Villicon this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at the DoubleTree at the Entrance to Universal, 5780 Major Blvd in Orlando. If you're going to be there, stop by our tables and say hello! John (Lars Shoberg) will be at the Klingon table, and I (Trudy V Myers) will be manning the MoonPhaze table (basically across the aisle and down a table from the Klingons), selling prosthetics and books. We'd love to chat with you! 

Hope Springs...

Well, here it is, a new year. And even though the pandemic is still with us, making life miserable, I still keep hoping that Things Will Be Better This Year.

You know, that all my Loved Ones (including myself) will stay healthy, that Truth and Justice will win in the end, that I will get better at getting our books published On Time, and not have to keep delaying the publication date. Mostly, that we will sell more books. Or cosplay prosthetics. That we will sell more of something.

I seldom write about how we are doing, sales wise, because I'm embarrassed. Strangely, it never seems to matter that we get payments from our distributor regularly. They aren't for 1000s of dollars. And yet, everywhere I look, I see ads proclaiming things like, "Sell thousands of books overnight with no effort!", or "Learn from this fledgling author who hit #1 on the Best Seller Lists!", or something similar.

If it's too good to be true...

But hope springs eternal, right?

I've fallen for a couple of these, trying to learn how to market more effectively. I mean, if people don't know about our books, how can we hope to sell more of them? Alas, these programs all seem to call for skills I don't really have.

I mean, if I had an IT department I could go to and say, "Here are 3 pages I need added to my website. How long do you need to get them functional?" That would be one thing. I'd even give them exactly what the page should look like and what it should say. I can do that much. But it's the behind the scenes type of stuff that often leaves me confused and feeling inadequate. Where does this button link to? How do you set up a link between a file-sharing website and the buttons on this webpage? How do I include detailed instructions for doing something I've never done?

Okay, pity party is over. I am not my only resource. I have friends and family and groups who can help me figure out all those things I need to figure out in order to do what I want to do. No, I don't like marketing, but I can't afford to have somebody else do it for me. And, most of the marketing plans I've listened to are simply more of the same stuff I've already tried. So, time for new stuff. Time to get a little creative. That I can do. 

Italian Cruise 2021 - Day 9

Sunday, 10/24 - Getting Home

Remember, I said we had to get up by 5:30 on this morning? And that that was the equivalent of 11:30 the night before at our hometown? This truly was to be a lo-o-ng day.

We went to the only place to eat that early; the Irish pub in the casino. We got there before the big rush as others came in to eat before getting off the ship. After eating, we left the ship and claimed our luggage. The Barcelona port actually had luggage carousels for claiming your luggage.

After that, we took our bags outside and got on a bus to go to the airport. It was, of course, very dark. The bus dropped us off outside the ticketing center for the airport. We went inside and had visions of 'Grand Central Station' in our head, though we've never been there. I'm not sure 'Grand Central Station' does the place justice. Each airline had 1-2 windows to take luggage and issue tickets, and hundreds of them were packed into peninsulas sticking into the lobby. But we couldn't figure out where to find the window we needed. Thankfully, John wandered off to the restroom, and when he came back, he had found the window we needed! Hooray!

I honestly don't remember how we got to the gate to wait for our airplane. From the time we left that window until the time we boarded the plane is a big blank spot in my memory. Did I fall asleep? I doubt it. I vaguely remember getting up out of a chair to try and figure out if it was time for us to get into line to board the plane. It's hard when you don't speak the local language, but the airlines made it easier by holding up signs as to what group could now get in line.

The economy class of this plane had 9 seats across; 3 on the left, 3 on the right and 3 in the middle. John and I were in the middle seats. I wanted to sleep, but I don't think I did. Shows I had been watching on one airline going over were not available on this airline coming back. In fact, there was very little of interest for me to watch. I know they fed us once, but I don't know if they fed us twice, like the trip over. Maybe it was a meal and a snack.

Anyway, we got on the plane about 11 AM, and we got to the Atlanta airport about 6 PM. We had about an hour to get to the gate we needed for the next leg of our journey, and it seemed to be on the opposite side of the airport. Before that, we had to claim our luggage, take it to the next room and turn it over to catch our next plane, then we had to go through another TSA checkpoint. Then we walked forever (with memories of Rome going through my head) and then I finally convinced John to take the train, or we would never make it to our gate. We barely had time to sit down when we reached our gate.

Times are approximate here; I've thrown out the paperwork that would have confirmed them for me, and we were very tired, having been awake for about 18-19 hours. But we got on the next plane about 7 PM and probably got to the Orlando airport about 8 PM. It probably took us an hour to claim our luggage and grab the bus to where we had parked the car. I remember it was rainy in Orlando, and when we got to where we had parked our vehicle, it was standing in at least 4 inches of water. The 'pond' was bigger than just our vehicle, too, there were several cars sitting in it.

So about 9 PM, we got in our car with our feet all cold and wet, and the windows quickly steaming up, and we started home.

We stopped for hamburgers to go on our way, and ate them when we got home, then watched a little television to relax. We finally got to bed about 11:30 PM - 24 hrs after we had gotten up!

And that was our trip to Spain and Italy, mostly Italy.

PS. Remember when this journey began, and we were rushed to get through TSA, and lost John's shoes and my belly bag? We couldn't claim them when we got in on this day, because the Lost and Found department had already closed. But we drove back the next day about noon, and I was able to claim both items. Phew! What a relief!

Italian Cruise 2021 - Day 8

Saturday, 10/23 - Day at Sea

At last! A day with no excursions as the ship made its way back to Barcelona. We could sleep in!

Well, not really, because this was the day they were giving people a covid test so they would have the (hopefully negative) results to get on their planes to go home. And although we weren't scheduled for that until 10 AM, we got up about 7 so as not to miss our place in line.

I don't remember where we had breakfast, or what we had. I continually felt like I had to hurry and get to the theater, and then I would remember that there were no excursions. By comparison, taking the test was easy, no last-minute cramming to get the answers right. We were told the results would be sent to our cabin that evening.

John wanted to read, but knew from experience that the library/computer space was too noisy for him to get any reading done there. I have a little better luck blocking out noise when I'm writing, so I went to the library to try to get caught up on these blogs. Alas, the library was awash in people panicing over getting their e-paperwork ready for Spain, and the (at this point, 2!) computer specialists were loudly and repeatedly explaining that the website didn't work, hadn't worked for weeks, that Spain was aware it wasn't working, and noone would be asking us for that paperwork this time. Even I had trouble thinking in that madhouse.

So when John came to tell me he had found a quiet place on an upper deck, I grabbed my laptop and followed him there. It was much quieter than the library, but I had to pick and choose what table to sit out, so I didn't get a bunch of glare off my screen. But we spent a couple hours there, each doing our own thing, until we decided to go have lunch.

We ate at the Irish pub in the casino. John had enjoyed the Korean wings so much the first time, he repeated it. I had had their corned beef stew during our first visit, and opted for something else, possibly a hot dog. I really can't remember.

In the afternoon, we spent some time in the hot tub. Okay, in the warm tub. We hadn't found a 'hot tub' during the entire trip that was actually hot. Disappointing, but not enough to make us decide not to do it.

Eventually, we wandered back to our cabin and packed our bags. New tags had arrived for us to use, and we had to get the luggage out into the hall by a certain time.

We were one of the first people scheduled to get off in the morning. In order to have time to eat, we had to get up by 5:30 AM, which was 11:30 PM the night before in our hometown. So even though we weren't that tired that night, we were climbing into bed almost as soon as we finished supper.

We had a long day ahead of us.

Italian Cruise 2021 - Day 7

Friday, 10/22 - Pisa

I don't remember where we had breakfast on this day. Possibly in the Taste, one of the main dining rooms, since our excursion didn't leave until after noon. Or shortly before noon. We started off with a long bus ride to get to Pisa.

We were there to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa, but the bus didn't take us all the way there. It took us to a bus parking lot near the edge of town, where we switched to a 'train'. It was an open air vehicle, as the small cars didn't have any windows in the window slots. And it didn't operate on rails; it used rubber tires like a car. I am reminded of 'trains' that the Shriners and some other organizations use in parades, only the one we rode in wasn't painted so brightly.

The train was packed rather tightly as it drove us through the city streets and deposited us about a block from the Tower. We hadn't gotten a glimpse of the Tower as we approached, as it is located in a religious complex, and there were some large buildings between the streets and the Tower.

There we were met by the specialist guide, who led us through another open market selling trinkets and souvenirs until we could see the Tower from a particular angle. It looked to be perfectly straight up and down. I wondered if engineers had actually managed to correct its leaning proclivity, but as soon as we changed our position, it became clear that the Tower had been leaning right at us. That gave me a little bit of a chill.

We walked a quarter of the way around the Tower and listened to the guide tell us all about the history of the Tower, and the efforts made to make it cease leaning. When the guide continued to walk on, directly away from the Tower, and around the church, John was busy trying to get a good picture of the Tower. I wasn't even sure he was aware we had continued on, and as the minutes ticked by, I began to wonder if he would ever catch up to us. But eventually he did. I still don't know if he got the picture he wanted.

For some reason, this church had been built in two pieces; the main portion with the pews, which we were not allowed to enter, and then a round or octagonal piece several yards away, which we were also not allowed to enter. But the guide filled our ears with 'interesting' facts about the church, like pointing out that the details carved into the 40-foot tall doors got larger and more exaggerated as they went up the doors, so that they could be seen by those standing on the ground. And a lot of other facts that I can't remember now.

Then we walked around the other side of the main portion of the church, and were soon looking at the 'backside' of the Tower. Now she told us that the Tower actually has a bit of a bend to it, as the architects tried to compensate for the leaning by adjusting the length of the pillars as they went around the outside of the Tower. But she got me confused when it seemed she said the pillars were longer on the side that was on the 'top' side, which would have made the lean worse. Consequently, even when she took us to a position 3/4 of the way around the tower, I could not see the bend that she kept trying to point out. My brain was confused, and my eyes would not cooperate.

Finally, she took us back to our starting point, where the Tower once again seemed to be standing up perfectly fine, right after telling us all that if it were to lean just a few more degrees, it would come tumbling down!

Well, I was ready to leave. So we walked most of the way back to the 'train stop', where we were given half an hour to go in the restaurant, use the bathrooms, visit the gift shop and get some snacks, if we wanted. But please do not wander on our own. Well, somebody got the memo that tourists were not to wander around on their own.

As we all collected in a group across from the restaurant at the end of our half hour, some merchants from the market came over to try to sell us things. The guide finally got a count to make sure she had all of us, and took us back to the train, which took us back to the bus.

Traffic on the bus ride back to the boat was horrendous, and at least once came to a complete standstill as emergency vehicles made their way past us. It took us much longer to get back to the boat than it took to get to Pisa, and we were beginning to get worried that we wouldn't make it back in time, but we did. Later than we expected to get back, but we got back in time.

I'm not sure where we ate that night. It might have been the Irish pub in the middle of the casino, which seemed to have some of the best food on the ship. But their menu didn't change from day to day, so I guess they got lots of practice with what they made.

We didn't have any excursions the next day, but we were still pretty worn out, so we went to bed.