Betsy's back for another post!!!!!

As you guys have probably guessed.

I've been busy working on my fabric line., 

I'm starting to get the hang of it.

I met with Josh last week, and it really helps to have another set of eyes and another brain looking at a design.

Designing in a vacuum just doesn't work.

That's why I have a house keeper!!!!!!

Josh is the absolutely gorgeous studdly young man that owns the showroom I work with at the Boston Design Center.

It's called Studio 534, and I've been involved with it from it's birth.

He calls me his "design mom", as I think of him in a sonnly way.

You know, like a son.....

sonnly....

I'm making up words in my solitude and wacko fabric studio.

(commonly referred to as my study)

I've known him since he was 23 and working as a sales person in another showroom.

Even as a youngster like that (he's just turned 40!!!!!, I can't believe it.....), he was amazingly organized and capable. 

So when he told me he was opening his own showroom in 2007, I was more than eager to help him.

Studio 534 officially opened in 2008.....

talk about GOOD TIMING!!!!!

But he persevered, 

even through the recession,

 because designers love him so much, and like doing business with him.

(But he keeps assuring me that I'm his favorite.)

(He's a man, so I'm sure he only says that to me.....)

Sooooooo......

that was just a little explanation of the guy I am hooking my star to.

( that's because I am way to old to be hooking.....)

( my jokes are just getting worse and worse....)

(NOW aren't you glad I haven't been blogging?????)

Anyway.....

I am down in Florida for a couple of weeks, so I thought I would take a break from my fabrics, and write a blog post.

It has absolutely nothing to do with the comments I started to receive about how long I've gone without posting.

You, my lovely readers, have no power over me, so don't start getting any swelled heads.

Since I hadn't been in my Florida house since last season, there were lots of surprises waiting for me.

Last year it was rats.

This year it is Palmetto Bugs, the largest @#$ roaches I've ever seen.

I saw two in the kitchen square dancing, and immediately ran out of there hyperventilating.

After I girded my loans, and stole back into the room, they had made like a magic act and disappeared.

Well,

 you know, as well as I do, that if you see two roaches,

 there are bound to be a gazillion more 

that's probably all you have in the house!!

AND DON'T FORGET THE MEALY BUGS!!!!!

Who knew they liked sugarless gum????

Heaps of bodies under the gum.

heaps!!!!!

I arrived in Florida Sunday night,

and had the exterminator here by Monday morning.

I've had to throw out all my food staples and wipe down my whole pantry.

Don't get me started about the dead beetle bodies crammed into the ribbed rubber gasket along the top of my freezer drawer.

GROSS GROSS GROSS GROSS GROSS

I've gone through a whole roll of paper towels.

And my wireless printer only works if I connect it to my computer with a cable.

YIPPEE!! I'M ON VACATION!!!!!

Now, let me tell you about my computer....

I thought it would be a good idea to replace my old laptop.

The CD drive no longer works.

One of the USB ports no longer works.

The battery no longer charges.

I have to tape painters tape around it when I travel, as it no longer latches shut.

And it is SLOWWWWWW.....

So I thought "Betsy, why don't you buy a new computer?"

So,

I started doing research.

For my work at the computer designing fabrics, I use a touch tablet from Intuos.

I can "draw" this way on my computer.

But it needs to be connected to my laptop, and it is just like a big silver touch pad that uses a pen stylus.

Well, I won't get into the particulars of what I bought and why, after reading lots of reviews, 

(because if it's boring me to type it, it must be boring you to read it.)

Let me just tell you that I bought a Microsoft Surface Pro 3.

I bought it from Staples.

I bought everything but the monitor from Staples.

Most of what I needed they had to ship in from their warehouses.

I had to go to Staples once or twice a day for the whole week.

(Sometimes, I would get an email saying the stuff was in the store when it wasn't)

(So I would drive over to get it.)

(And it wouldn't be there yet, just on the truck.)

(And I couldn't call because there was something wrong with their phones.)

(Everyone at that store knows what I look like and the sound of my voice......)

Soooooo...

After dealing with Adobe trying to get Photoshop and Illustrator downloaded.....

5 @#$ hours on the phone over the course of two days.....

I finally had everything up and running.

And there I was, sitting on my sofa, working on the details of one of my fabric designs.

I used it for two days.

I HATED IT!!!!!

The Photoshop menus are so small, that on a 

12 inch screen it was near impossible to click on anything.

And I didn't like the way it felt to draw.

Or the way it worked as a drawing tablet.

SOOOOOO.....

after the week of torture, I am returning EVERYTHING.

There went my fantasy of having a light carry on piece of luggage because I wouldn't need to haul my big computer around with me.

So, I packed up my trusty old laptop, and came on down to Florida.

BUT!!!!!

Since the battery no longer charges, I left that in Massachusetts, making my load just a little lighter.

I promise to write about decorating while I'm down here taking it easy.

But today's post was to catch you up with the glammer filled life of a fabric designer.

On that note,

Later, Gator