An Artist Date (Day)

It's almost 3, and I have to say that I am having a pretty darn nice day.

I got up early-ish (before 8) and had some breakfast and tea, and got myself all organized. Today, I had a lot of crafty shopping to do. I was sort of dreading it, it being the day after Thanksgiving and all, but it had to be done, and it had to be done TODAY (the rest of the weekend is all booked up). So I made myself a nice, very detailed and organized list, got showered, and out of the house.

First surprise of the day: not only was it GORGEOUS outside (bright clear blue skies), but there was hardly any traffic! Wha?? Am I still in the Bay Area? I was thinking, wow, if it were like this every day, I might not even mind living here. First stop: Target, to get supplies for my jewelry display. I was planning on getting a couple of pre-lit small trees (around $20 each). I found something even better - small snowy trees for only $2.50! So got three, plus some battery-powered lights for them, plus a few mini-decorations to fill in the spaces. Perfect, and for less than $20 for all three displays! I hope they work.

I got everything else I needed with little trouble, as well. I even found an alternative to The Perfect Jacket, which I had not gotten around to purchasing yet (luckily) - a really pretty, washable brown suede jacket that fits perfectly. For $35! Yahoo!

Then it was off to the bead store, but I was feeling hungry. So I went first to Black Oak Books to spend a bit of a trade-in credit I had there, then went next door to Saul's Deli and had a really wonderful turkey pastrami reuben. Sitting there, munching on a terrific sandwich, I realized I was having one of those perfect moments where I felt completely happy. I was getting my shopping done, it wasn't crazy-busy out there (in fact, it was quite low-key and pleasant), I was sitting in a nice, atmospheric restaurant eating exactly what I wanted to be eating (I don't think I've ever ordered a reuben before, but it sounded really good), reading a book about travelling in Greece. I didn't feel rushed, I didn't feel stressed or worried or anything - I was just enjoying the day, enjoying my own company, and feeling really happy. I figured this counts as my Artist Date for the week.

It does make me realize how much the stress of the constant traffic here messes with my head.

Then, down the block a bit to the bead store, where I pulled out my organized list and managed to get nearly everything I needed (usually I have to go to two stores to get everything I need). The total was even much lower than I was expecting - another happy surprise.

Then, to the Ace Hardware store to get a few more things, and back home. I feel remarkably stress-free. It's pretty terrific.

So I have about 45 minutes before I pack up and head to Beverly's Craft Store to get the other things I need, and then to Nicki's to babysit (and bead) all night. I'm going to set up a little tree and see how it looks.

This is the kind of day that makes me really, really grateful for my wonderful life.