Great New Designs, and more!

Hi everyone, and happy new year!

Instead of taking the time to relax, drink too much, eat too much and party this holiday season, I was hard at work with some new designs. Well, not really that hard at work. Okay, and I did actually eat and drink and party. But it sounded good for a second, didn't it? :)

I've developed 5 new red heart designs, like this one:



Cute, eh? Each heart is similar but different -- of course, that describes every furbaby on the face of the planet! Similar, but different. Anyway, I like the funky new design, and will be keeping it on full time.

I've also spent some time redesigning the main store page. It's now a combo of chocolate (I guess I did have too much food over the holidays!) and blue (what I feel when I step on that scale after all that food!!). Okay, that's silly too, but I do like the chocolate and blue storefront, and I'm showcasing each and every design -- 47 to date. I don't mean each product (t-shirt, thong...) I mean, 47 actual designs (blue sunburst border collie, red heart bulldog...)

And I have finally sent out my first newsletter! There is only 1 subscriber right now, but it was fun to create. Whew!

SLIGHTLY SAD NEWS
It is with some sadness, and a little relief, that I announce that I am shutting down the radio station in June 2007. I've had that station for years, but my heart is not in it anymore. It takes me about 10-14 hours of real time to create 1 hour of meditation, for example. And I think I can better spend my time doing other things... like new t-shirt designs, writing on the blog, eating chocolate ;P

The radio station was simply taking up too much time for too little feedback, no profit (it costs me to run it, but it was never designed to make money) and the fun of it is gone. I've toyed with ideas on how to revive my interest in it -- change formats, etc etc, but the spark is gone, time to move on. C'est la vie! I do hope, though, that my next project, whatever it may be, gives me the same fun times I've had over the years with my radio station.

I bid you all adieu (it is sounding so French in here today, isn't it?) and wish you all the best in 2007.

--Sue

A Little Bird Told Me

What a grey day today! Cold, wet, November skies, to be sure. And despite that, I had to meet my spouse at the local Starbucks for a"tall javachip frappuchino, double-blended with whip and chocolate sauce, please." Damn this addiction! We managed to get a table right by the entrance, so we could watch the people walking past outside.

The area of Church and Wellesley that I live in is very dog-friendly. The Starbucks has a dog tie post, and a bowl of water, for example. One fellow had an adorable Akita pup, and people both inside and outside the coffee house swooned over it. We loved it, the guy about to leave the store told us he loved it, and the brave soul sitting outside in the slightly sheltered patio was fawning over the little pup. Then a couple coming in to the Starbucks were raving about how cute it was. Maybe we Torontonians aren't the cold, big city folk that our Canadian counterparts say we are. When it comes to dogs, The Big Smoke totally blows its cool!

That fellow who was braving the cold and drizzle outside on the patio had a bit bag of almonds with him. There are only 2 tables on this little patio: he was at one, and a little bird showed up on the other. We watched from inside as it eyed him, and eyed his almonds. Cautiously it hopped over to his table as he broke a sliver of almond off and left it just an inch or so away from the bird. Of course, the bird took the almond and flew off, and this guy had the biggest grin on his face as he turned around to look in the Starbucks window (looking to see if anyone had seen this event). My spouse nodded in the affirmative and flashed a smile.

After a few moments, the patio guy finally came back into the Starbucks, to get another coffee perhaps, and, jesting, asked if we'd like an almond too!

It's amazing how, even on a cold, grey wet day in the heart of the city, the presence of animals can bring strangers together, if only for a moment.

Dogs in 100 Years

On my way to work this morning, I saw someone stooping and scooping his dog's poop. It's the law here, but it's also polite. He pulled out his baggie, grabbed the handful of poop, and dropped it into the nearby garbage bin. But it makes me wonder what the dog is thinking.

Dogs work in packs, and we humans are supposed to be the leader of the pack. Even a pack of 1. So is the dog thinking, "Wow, I must be really special if the leader of the pack is picking up my poop." Because you know darn well that's what cats think when you clean the litter box. We are their staff, to be sure! I wonder if the way dogs think will develop over time.

In 100 years, will dogs have a cat attitude toward us? "I am so great you feel compelled to pick up my poop, carry it around to share the odours, and then deposit it in a special metal container for further distribution." I shudder to think!