Inn of the Wandering Dragon

My co-worker was there to answer any questions and naturally he sent me to check out the competition. I wandered and played the less than knowledgeable consumer to see what would happen. I think the response would have been different had I actually walked into the showroom, as opposed to being simply one body of hundreds passing by. Regardless, not one of them was interested in actually qualifying me, and not one of them went into any technical detail. I found it odd that not one of them seemed interested in promoting the quality of their product or some other means of differentiating themselves from the competition. Let's be honest, there are only so many ways that you can build any given product so why not try to make it stand out from the others? Just a thought.

The one booth really stands out in my mind - but not for the right reasons. If there is one thing that bugs me it is not presenting yourself well. This company looked like they slapped things together at the very last minute. Product was set up incomplete, but not a deliberate incomplete as if they were showing the hidden workings, more like, "oops, we don't have X part so just spray paint a piece of MDF and slap it on". The booth itself had sloppy details, like dirty signs and messy papers scattered around, that showed a real lack of professionalism in my opinion. And on top of that the reps seemed less than interested in being there and talking to people. Ouch!

The small things add up in a big way. Even if I did not work where I do, could they have sold me on their product? Not a chance! Especially after visiting the other booths which were clearly put together with more care and spoke with reps who were more interested in talking to people. First impressions can count for a lot and I think sometimes people forget that.

You can now find Classy Cat Henna to keep you entertained with my various henna adventures!

There is still more to be done, more pages to add and possibly a gallery or slideshow of images once I work out how I would like it all to go. In the meantime, enjoy!

The popular term for it now is Zentangle. The aim is not to create something recognizable, but to engage in a deliberate act of mark making that is essentially a visual meditative process. I find it a pleasant way to relax and bring me back to the here and now (handy, since my brain is usually going several strange directions at once). It requires my brain to focus and shove the other chatter to the back burner for a while. This zentangling is also a handy puzzle to play with. Yes I can fill the spaces with random repeating patterns but I still want the overall result to work in a visual way. I am looking for a sort of balance and flow if you will.

And of course, I am thinking this will make a fun incubator for henna patterns as well!

I haven't typically been one to fuss over it much. There has always been too much expectation, even back as kids when the teachers would politely send home the class list to all the parents. We knew that everyone was supposed to receive valentines from everyone else in the class, so we could all feel that we were friends equally. And we all knew it wasn't so.

Years ago in university I remember one boyfriend grumbling about the day - and what was the point of having a day where he was "supposed to be romantic"? Every girl in the room shot back that if there wasn't this one day we would never see any romance at all. He wisely changed topic after that.

I suppose guys have reason to sweat, we have been raised on movies and stories of true love and romance all our lives which makes for fun fiction but does not seam to pan out as well in real life. They are faced with the looming shadow of "letting us down" while we dread the prospect of "being let down". I can almost hear the chorus in the background: but it's just one day - can we not have one day a year where we can revel in the beauty and the romance? Let's be honest here - romance takes work.

In my previous relationship, we tended to keep it simple. We gave each other valentine cards and had a nice dinner together. For the first while anyway. That faded off as he lost interest in putting in the effort and I lost interest in having my efforts go unappreciated. So even with a not so huge investment of effort, it can still seem like too much if you are just not in that space together.

This year, for the first time in a long while, I am single for Valentine's Day. Thankfully I am not one of those people who seems to view being single on this day as some sort of doom or failure. In fact I can honestly say that I tend to have the most fun on Valentine's Day when I am single. I've been out dancing with friends at free concerts. I've been traveling in exotic places. I have had wonderfully pleasant conversations with good friends over good food. I have enjoyed quiet evenings with a good book. So in light of this, what's not to love?

Really, Valentine's Day is like any other day. It is all what you make of it.

There are thoughts, that will not part,

that will not leave us in peace,

And there are visions, dark and sinister

that never will cease,

A darkened tide of endless pride,

of mystery and a dream,

A dream so fraught, of wild thought,

the same somnambulant theme,

All that we see, all that we seem,

is but a dream within a dream.