Candle Update

For the two of you that read this blog and were at my candle show, I've completed the order and it's going in. I'll e-mail and call folks when their candles arrive, and deliver them as soon as practical. I'm told I had a good event, and if hubby-Eric and I are still in the area in October I'll have another party then. We set a tentative date of October 24th.

I wanted the date to be before Hallowe'en, but not so early that people would think they could get candles in time for it. And it had to be after I go see Spamalot. Just because. So that seemed like the best date.

If we're still here, I want to get some of those big candle jars that last forever in case of a power outage. I hope we don't have a winter as bad as the last one, but if we do, I'd like to make sure I've got some supplies that will help me survive in style.

Scattered Thoughts

Had a candle party last night. It was surprisingly successful. I apparently will be getting some free candles out of it. Well, mostly free. I still have to pay sales tax and shipping. And I met some more of the neighbors, and got to chat with people who aren't at my house for a Doctor Who or Oz event for once. Heh.

Walked down to the library this morning. If I waited until noon it would be too warm for me to walk. It was almost too warm already. Lots of people out and about, enjoying the sunshine (aka the "burning cloud" that makes all the other clouds turn blue (yes, I'm a Seattle native)).

There are still balloons on my porch from the candle party. I left them out for the squirrels to play with, but the squirrels seem to want nothing to do with them.

The more I play with Ubuntu, the more I want to put it on my regular computer. But I still have lots to learn, so I'm trying to reign myself in. After all, I did destroy Windows on my test machine, so I need to be careful. Still, I'm having the time of my life troubleshooting and playing. I was born to troubleshoot. And Ubuntu is simply FUN for an operating system. Much to get used to, but it's wonderfully customizable (I wonder if I can save my custom settings and move them to a new machine?) and very easy to use. And most of the software I use every day is available for it or already installed on it.

Strange, I got comics yesterday, I'm sure of it, but I haven't read any yet. Oz/Wonderland Chronicles #2 is out, and I know that was in the box. There was also something called Abigail & Rox in the Land of Enchantment. I'm not sure why I got that one, but I suspect I'll learn once I read it (Oz-related, maybe?). I also got my re-order of Licensable Bear #4, yay! That'll make Nat happy. And some superhero books. Meh. I'm burnt out on most superhero books at the moment. Gimme Aquaman and PS238 and I'm done with the superheroes.

My earache treatment has run its course, and I'm feeling MUCH better than I have in weeks. I'd have to say that the medicine worked. Now I need to avoid getting sick again, so I can get more done and stay active. Being sick makes a person feel helpless. I don't like feeling helpless.

I shouldn't announce my latest milestone weight loss during San Diego Comic Con. It got buried in the general noise. I learned recently that, in addition to directly helping two other people with weight loss, I've also inspired at least three more. And I helped my husband break a bad habit with my example. The weight loss feels good, but knowing that I've helped other people makes it even better.

Partylite Candles

My Partylite Candles arrived last night, in a special delivery by my Mom. In addition to the tealights I had ordered, my Mom bought me the wall sconce I really wanted (!) and she and Lisa conspired to buy me some votive candles to fit in it, including the pumpkin ones! I love my family.

I've been burning tealights that my little sister has supplied for me while I waited for my order to come in. The tealights have a very light scent, and don't fill up a full room. But they work GREAT in my little bathroom, and keep that room smelling much better than its usual musty/bathroomy scents.

The wall sconce looks great on my wall, but I haven't had a chance to use it yet, because I waited for hubby-Eric to get home and get permission to place it where I wanted to put it (it's only right to consult with your partner before putting holes in a wall).

I've decided to do a party at some point, but not sure when yet or who will want to come. I know my house will smell great after, and if people buy some stuff I'll get a couple of free candles. I do want to invite my sisters so we can be a little girly for a bit. And for myself, I want a snuffer... and a tabletop votive holder or two... and more candles.

Sunny Monday Links

Best wishes go out to Polite Scott who is in hospital after a heart attack. Get well soon, Scott!

Oh, I'm SO glad I didn't go downtown Friday afternoon. I'd rather meet Bully than Blake any day (sorry Blake, Bully is cuter).

Linda Medley asks us to Help Greensburg Kansas by remembering it as it was before the tornado.

There has been a reaction to Doctor Who being pre-empted by a stupid song contest.

Speaking of, Doctor Who has a Prologue.

Interview with Hiro. Ah, a fellow nerd.

E-mail scammers getting desperate?

Candle update: I did indeed take a nice hot bath, and burned a "Green Apple" candle. I burned the tealight for a little over an hour, and after I blew it out and let it cool, it looked like I'd burned it for only a couple of minutes. On the negative side, the room only smelled faintly of apples, but then I had the fan going, which no doubt dispersed some of it. On an unrelated note, I found another activity that is much improved by having lost so much weight. On Sunday I burned the other tealight in the small bathroom until it burnt out... five hours later! The room smelled of citrus the rest of the evening.

Er, PartyLite?

My sister invited me down to a party at my parents' house... a "PartyLite" party. She mentioned candles, but I really wasn't sure what I was getting into. I figured on some multi-level marketing scheme, which happens a lot around me for some reason, and figured I would buy a candle and be done with it. I love candles, but I'm incredibly disappointed by most of them. They never burn cleanly, and I always end up with smoke in my eyes. So I wasn't expecting much from this, but a single candle can't cost too much...

When I got to my parents' house and walked in, the first thing I noticed was THE SMELL. Oh good grief there was a wonderful smell in the house. There were at least 20 candles burning in the living room alone, and each bathroom had candles in it as well. I didn't notice any smoky smell, either, which was refreshing. And most of the candles were burning so evenly it was hard to tell they were burning. VERY nice.

Lisa's friend (M) is the consultant, and I quickly enough identified it as a multi-level marketing scheme. So, yes, despite the wonder of non-smoky candles I think I was, on the balance, feeling a bit negative about the whole thing at this point. I would certainly buy one, because I generally do buy candles when I can, but I wasn't feeling great about it.

I waited for M to launch into her spiel, but she and Lisa just chatted with me about other things while my mom talked about a book club to another friend who had shown up. Eventually I had to ask them about the candles. M gave me a catalog and pulled out a sampler case. She didn't have any patter down, which was amusing, she was winging it and simply enjoying herself. I coaxed information out of Lisa and M, figuring out what kind of things I would like. They plied me with samplers to smell, many of which were simply wonderful, some not so much.

My mom, finishing up her book club talk, told about how one of the PartyLite candles came in really handy during the long December power outage after the windstorm. They were without power for over 4 days. They put one of the PartyLite candles in the main bathroom, and because it was safely enclosed in a deep glass vase, they simply let it burn the entire time. It lasted the length of the outage, and still had some left. But it gave them a bathroom light in a time of need.

Ok, color me impressed. The candle in question cost $22 plus shipping and tax, so I decided against it. However, one thing I noticed about the candle was that the level of wax in the glass vase was at the same level as the wick... there was no hollow like in all the candles I have. The glass above that level was clear... and yet the candle was clearly burned nearly to the bottom! I've apparently never experienced good candles before.

While I would've loved to get a pile of candles to try out, the prices were a bit high for me to swallow. I settled on some tealights (cute little candles which I adore!) that are supposed to last four hours minimum. The last tealight I had burned out after 2 hours, so if these last that much longer I'll be very impressed. I plan on a hot bath with candles very soon. Lisa helped me pick out ones that have strong scents, and I paid up for my order. Then M gave me and hubby-Eric (who was dragged along) each a free sample tealight... hmmm, maybe I'll do a bath tonight.

After I ordered, Lisa showed off a wall sconce she'd gotten that holds tealights or votives. I fell in love with it. I did a theatrical little begging of hubby-Eric for it, but he wisely said no, at least not yet. We really can't afford it. So I dropped the subject and started plotting out how I'm going to get my hands on one eventually. Er, maybe I should erase that bit, since I know Eric reads this blog. Hmmm.

After a few other people arrived, we left and went home. Once home, I gave the catalogs a much more careful going-over, and found a few things I'd missed (like a pumpkin-scented candle, argh! I wanted to smell that one!). I also did a Google search on Partylite to see what the 'net has to say about them. While there was some negative, most of it was down to incompetent consultants, and M is competent. I actually came out of my 'net research feeling more inclined to host my own party (if I could find enough people to invite) than when I left my parents' house. Heck, at the very least I'd have a really wonderful smelling house after it was over.

For a person who hates multi-level marketing, I keep ending up getting stuff from them. With candles involved in this one... I just hope I don't get burned.