This is a blog about how we came to have an on line store and the trials and tribulations of trying to succeed in business during a recession!

Thursday, October 22, 2009

A Walk in the Park!






















































Hello everybody. I am posting some wonderful pictures that we took a week or two ago while walking through the park. It was a grey day and the flowers were taking their last breath, but as you can tell, there was still beauty to behold in the magnificent colours and contrasts of Autumn. We were also lucky enough to have one of the pictures featured on Weatherpix on CTV News (finally!) I have to say I was reluctant to send in any more photos since the first one I sent in was not picked, although Lori did write back and say “Great Shot” To that I say “Big Deal!” I would have rather had my picture shown on the air! O.K., I know, I am getting cranky again! I’m trying to lose 5 pounds so that I can actually fit into a pair of pants and so for the past three weeks have eaten very little sugar! No snacks or sugar rush for me – hence the bitchiness! I have managed to drop three pounds and can fit into my jeans (Karen’s hand-me-downs). Karen and I are on this diet together, but unfortunately, because she is borderline hypo-thyroid, she can’t even drop an ounce. I told her “at least you aren’t still packing it on!”

Last Saturday night a friend called us and asked if we wanted to go eat at an Italian restaurant on St. Zotique Street. They had specials for $10.95, tax in! Feeling adventurous and very peckish, we said “why not?” My friend commented, how bad could an Italian restaurant be in Little Italy? Anyway, although I am quite a picky eater, I was game. Off we went, driving around in the dark in Little Italy until we finally located this restaurant. We walked into this dump (it is the only way I would describe it) and then this very gruff man asked us if we had reservations. He reminded me of the Cake Boss on heavy-duty nasty pills and steroids. My friend bravely told him, no sir, but please sir, we came a long way! He then showed us to one of many empty tables. As soon as we seated ourselves on the bridge chairs, a woman came over and asked if we found a purse. No, we said, there was no purse here. Meanwhile we looked over the menu. Karen and my friend both chose the special, chicken with pasta and grilled chicken respectively. (Neither special was listed on the menu – they had to ask). I politely inquired about the lasagna – was it made with meat? The waitress could not tell me, it depended what the chief (I use the term loosely) decides to put in it on any given day. Scary thoughts buzzed through my mind and I wisely decided to choose one of my favourites, Linguini alle vongole, or loosely translated, linguini with clams. As we waited for our meal we were given some cut up stale bread and chick peas. My friend liked the peas, I had to admit I was a little revolted. The décor was, well, let’s see, how would I describe it. Mmmmm, old, framed family pictures covered one whole dirty wall and there was a double disco ball hanging from the ceiling, as were numerous different lamps. There was a huge pipe running the length of the ceiling with ducts sprouting from it, I guess it provided the heat or the air conditioning. The noise level was unbelievable. We had a party of about twenty behind us celebrating a 50th anniversary. Right across from us was the one-eyed dishwasher who kept turning up Frank Sinatra every five minutes. It was so loud even Frank would have complained that he couldn’t hear himself sing.

During this time the woman who asked if we had seen her purse was busy walking back and forth, crying. Finally, another man came over and asked if he could look for her purse. We said sure. We all looked under the table and Karen pulled out a suitcase. How on earth could she lose that thing? Obviously, she hadn't bothered to look under the table when she thought it was missing, there was absolutely no way the purse could have ever sat on top of the table. It would have taken up the whole space and there would have been no room for the food. O.K. one crisis solved. At least she stopped crying. Here comes our food. Mine was served in an aluminum pan (handle and all). I did not know which way to turn it, one way the handle would have ended up in Karen’s face, the other, off the table. It had a few baby tomatoes cut up, some clams and a lot of linguini. I am not a great lover of pasta. I like a good linguini alle vongole, maybe a good lasagna with pepperoni. I can honestly say that this was the worst meal I had ever eaten, maybe in my entire life, except for the one we ate somewhere in Northern Italy. A huge lump of linguini covered with very little tomato sauce, a lot of garlic and canned clams. I was mortified. My friend called over the waitress and asked if I could have some more tomato sauce on my pasta, but she said the sauce was at the bottom. The bottom was the sauce from the can of clams and water. Yuck! Karen’s chicken has cheese from a cardboard can sprinkled on top and my friend mentioned that her grilled chicken was very hard. I can honestly say that I was never so happy to leave a place as I was that restaurant.

There is a question that I would like to pose – who in their right mind ever dreamed up the concept of a mirror magnified five times? I finally decided to buy one. I took it home and put it on the bathroom shelf. I looked into it and nearly died. Who was that person? Every blemish, every wrinkle, every red mark, every pimple, every pore on your face – magnified until you want to lose your lunch. I now make sure if I have to use it, I do it before I eat.

I have to admit that writing a blog is hard, mainly because you have to come up with material to write about. So I every time a think of something of interest I quickly run and jot it down on a tiny piece of paper and leave it on my desk. So my next topic is going to be crumb key loud – meat, or icy local. Should I ever figure out exactly what I wrote, I will definitely expand on the topic!

Karen and I are working hard. Building up a business in a recession, I must admit, is not easy. We have committed to taking a table at the Holiday Boutique Day taking place at the Jewish General Hospital on December 3rd. That means we must have a lot of inventory to sell. We are busy putting together necklaces, bracelets and accessories, both Pandora-style and lampwork. We have also sold to Gift shops and are planning on giving Pandi Parties. We advertise in all major international magazines and are always purchasing new products to add to our website www.beadandsave.com.


We both bear no knife marks or gunshot wounds, so things are working out quite nicely. But its a good thing our landlady is hard of hearing!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Let me take a try at what your notes meant.... "Oh, CRUMB! I cannot find my KEY. For crying out LOUD!I SEE (icy)I need to go out quickly and find some LO-CAL sweets so I can stop feeling so bitchy!!!!

Okay, maybe not - but thanks for the laugh! The photos are beautiful. Next we will be seeing winter scenes...snow in October is just not fair!

Jennybwilde xoxo

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