10 Things…

I have a rule at The Hut that I don't accept awards or tags. I actually have a valid reason for this, at least I think its a valid reason. I live on my computer and when I say I live I really mean it. Its ridiculous, someone should do an intervention on me. Right now it is Monday and the clock is telling me it is 9:09 pm. I've been on my computer since 5:48 am, let's see, that's roughly fifteen and a half hours. AND, I'm just starting this post, so figure I'll be here at least another hour. My intention was to quit at 7:00, so I brought this on myself. You see I get up in the morning between 5 and 6am everyday (yes, 7 days a week) and after pouring myself a cup of coffee, letting the dog out (and in), patting the cat on the head and a few other essentials, I sit down at my trusty computer.

I check my email first and then do a quick check on Facebook to see what my family is up to. I have a very short FB list, just family and a few friends. I don't have time to play Farmville, send a hug or a margarita, throw a snowball or take a quiz to see what kind of tree I am or if my friends admire me. My friends tend to take me like I am. Bless their hearts.

Next comes any work, which unfortunately has not been that forthcoming for the last eight months. I have one guy I do work for, but we run in cycles of three weeks on and three weeks off. Today we started a new cycle, which explains why I'm still on my computer after so many hours. I sent out about 40 emails to his clients with our 2010 schedule, said my Happy New Year's to them and told them to start sending any ad changes to me. In case you don't know, that's what I do, I design ads for local businesses that then go in this guy's magazine. Exciting, huh? Not so much.

Anyway, I sent the emails, updated a few ads and the magazine covers and then started visiting your blogs. I also worked on a few new designs for my Zazzle store, visited more blogs and then worked on my Amazon store. During all this I made lunch, which I ate at my computer, talked to my cousin Jackie and my girlfriends Sharon and Jeanette on the phone while I worked, made dinner, which I ate at my computer, played with the dog, decided I would work on my Amazon store for another hour and then go relax. Sounded good.

Then I hear the tug boat. The tug boat is the sound my computer emits when I've received an email in my Shellbelle account. I like email sounds, tells me who is contacting me and if I can ignore it or not. I never ignore the tugboat. I also never ignore the cash register cha-ching sound, which tells me I've received an email from Zazzle. Typically this means I've made a sale in my Zazzle store and I get really excited when I hear the cha-chinging sound during the day. Would love to hear it more often, but hey, I'm getting there.

Anyway (again), I looked to see who was there and it was my fabulous blogging friend Sue @ I Need Mom. You've probably guessed by now that she passed an award to me. You can always tell who isn't looking in your sidebar, when you receive an award. Tsk, tsk Sue. Its okay, I still love you. Any who (I was getting tired of anyway, weren't you?), I usually send an email saying the award is very thoughtful, but my time is so extremely limited I just can't accept. I do try to be very humble and apologetic, but I must say I have lost a few followers over this. I really wish I had the time, they often look fun, but honestly, I just can't. Once I received three awards in just two days. What's a blogger to do? Time is a precious commodity for all of us and I am extremely slow when it comes to blogging. I sometimes spend weeks researching and editing one of my vintage posts. I often tell myself I should switch to more of a journal style blog, you know — telling interesting stories, sharing random thoughts — but I'm not very interesting and you don't really want to hear my random thoughts, they're either pretty boring or very opinionated.

Besides, I love combing through the digital collections of state archives or the Library of Congress for hours, searching for vintage photos. Then once I find something, the photos speak to me of times past and I am compelled to find out more about the history. This could be on a place, a person, the fashions of the time or something else I find interesting. This leads to hours of research and hours of editing. This is what I end up sharing with you, in the hopes that you will also find it interesting. I love all things vintage, but if its vintage beach I'm a happy camper.

Its already 9:47, which means I've spent thirty-eight minutes already telling you why I don't accept awards or tags. Like I said, I'm very slowwww.

But, and this is a big but (with one T mind you), since I had no idea what I was going to post tomorrow (meaning today for you), I decided I would play along. Another big but is coming — I'm not going to follow the rules. Will the sky fall in? Will the blogger police come and arrest me? I'm taking my chances here, but hey, I like living on the edge.

So my darling Sue, here are 10 Things About Me, they are not fabulous like the award ask for, just 10 facts many of you don't know. I won't include the fact that I don't accept tags or awards, I think you've probably already figured that out by now.

(This is not me!)

1 I went skydiving for my 30th birthday and loved it! I had a malfunction of my main chute and had to use my reserve chute to land. They call it a "Mae West" because there was one line over the chute and when you look up, it looks like a big bra. (I have a cat and her name is Mae West in honor of this event and the fact that I love the actress.) Yes, I have dived since, but it has been over twenty years ago now.



2 At my senior breakfast in high school I received an award for The Biggest Ears and I was very excited. You see, only the in-crowd received awards and in those days that was more important than caring if I had big ears.

3 I made a mid-life career change at the age of 50. I had spent my life in the hospitality industry, from cocktail waitress to bartender to night manager and then from server to manager to general manager in restaurants. I decided to slow it down and went to work as a store manager for Starbucks and was injured while on a team-building trip to Seattle. Couldn't work on my feet anymore, spent two years in an electric scooter, went back to college and earned a degree in graphic design. I loved working in clubs and restaurants, hated Starbucks, and now I love graphic design. (Shhh…don't tell them I still love their coffee though.)



4 I love camping by myself. Its not that I don't enjoy the company of friends and family sometimes, but for most trips, I'd rather be by myself with nature and my dog. I think this stems from the very social career I had in the hospitality industry. I also love walking the beach by myself.

5 My two favorite TV shows are the The Big Bang Theory and So You Think You Can Dance. I love nerds and amazing dancers. Before you ask, I do not like Dancing With The Stars. Sorry, no thanks. Oh, and I love The Amazing Race also. If I was younger and still physically-fit I would so do this race!


6 I want to live in a beach hut on the California Coast. There's a photo of the one I want in my sidebar. (You can find it located just a little ways under my button that reads, "Thank you so much, but Shellbelle's Tiki Hut is an award-free, tag-free blog." ;)

7 I love cooking for my family and friends — the more the merrier.

8 I have no desire to ever get married again, but I am a real nester. I love cooking, sewing, decorating, crafting, and everything that goes with being a nester. BUT I like doing it when I want, on my own schedule. Sometimes I eat dinner at 10 or 11 at night.

9 I hate cell phones. Nuf said. But, I love talking on the phone when I'm at home.


10 I love blogging! I mean I love, love, love it. I think I just may need another intervention for this obsession also.

So there you have it, 10 things about me. Since I'm not following the rules and since I'm not passing on the award (it's almost 10:30 and I have to go to bed and relax a bit), I guess I shouldn't post the award here. BUT, I do want to thank Sweet Sue for thinking about me and thinking I deserved such an honor. I think every single one of you deserves an award, but all I'm passing on is my friendship and my heartfelt thanks for visiting and commenting on my blog.