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Thursday, February 24, 2011

Artfully Meandering: Lemony Snickett and Unfortunate Events...

Hello, dear readers! I know I have been MIA for WAY TOO LONG! Well, let me just 'splain...no, that would take too long...let me sum up. My re-entry into the U.S. has been way more complicated than I ever expected. (Thus, the reference to Lemony Snickett.) But, the good news is: things are falling into place. The great news is: I should be back to blogging about jewelry soon! It will still need a few more weeks...after all, jewelry is still on the bottom of my priority list.

On a personal note: I landed in Greenville, SC and it has turned out to be the most pleasant surprise! I'm contracting for my day job (loving it!) and Greenville IS SUCH A COOL TOWN! The county of Greenville is about 350,000. The City of Greenville is about 55,000. They've revitalized the downtown into a center of art and activity. There are tons of restaurants. People walk their dogs. There are all kinds of things goin' on here. I heard there is an "Artist Studio Tour" arranged for artists who work from home and don't open their studio to the public except on this tour. The arts are thriving here. I couldn't have been more pleasantly surprised! So, now that I've confirmed I'm not a true city girl, this town is melting my heart and fits me too a tee....it's a small city with all the amenities of a larger city. Good shopping, great art scene, country living where you are close to neighbors, but not too close, hiking, beautiful scenery (foot of the Appalachians), pleasant weather...oh, I will gush more about it later. I've only been here three weeks. But it feels like home.

So, why Lemony Snickett? Just a series of events that prevented my blogging routine. First, when I arrived in the States, I was severely jetlagged and recovering from 2 years of constant migraines. Then I developed an Upper Respiratory Infection. No insurance = longer recovery time and lack of energy. Searched for a job. Times have changed since I last looked a decade ago! But, I landed a cool contract that I'm excited about in Greenville. Had to buy a car, get some stuff (appropriate work clothes and a bed), insurance, blah, blah, blah... made it here... moved into an apartment only to move to another one two weeks later. In the meantime, internet service took time to install. I spent WAY too much time at Dunkin' Donuts for their free Wi-Fi. (Did you realize they've upgraded to compete with Starbucks? I like it because it's not as busy as Starbucks. But, the doughnuts....yummy as they are, especially the new ones...were hard on the waist line.) Now I'm in an apartment that suits my needs just perfectly (the other one was too big), my internet is stable. Now I just need furniture to get organized and get back into a groove of life.

So...this was just a note to say, "Hi!" I'm not quite completely back up to speed, but it will start happening in the next two months. I can't wait!