I do lots of things. To make money, I run my own graphics/design business, work in retail fabric sales, and take on the occasional custom sewing project. When I'm not doing the earn money thing, I do other things.

I enjoy volunteering my time and talents, as a member of a local service club, and as an independent member of the local media. I am one of the founders of the Guelph Fountain Pen, the local Internet-based news source in this area. I suppose that at some point this may provide income, but at the moment it is a labour of love and a fantastic learning experience.

I do take time for myself, and enjoy fun and leisurely things - although not anywhere near enough time I say. Welcome to the things I do.

the graphics thing

I run my own home-based desktop publishing company, Angular Momentum Graphics. It's a bit of a strange company, to be honest. I won't work for just anybody... if I wouldn't want to admit I had something to do with a project when it is finished, I won't start it. If I'm not comfortable with how something is worded, or presented, I will offer my professional opinion about it. Hey, they're paying me for my years of experience, so I am not afraid to say "Are you sure you want to say this?" to the guy who hired me. I talk more about my design beliefs on the AMG pages, so I'll not discuss them further here.

I've done things ranging from bilingual ingredient tags for animal feed to newsletters for provincial lobby groups, and oh, the range of websites!

I am a very visual person. I communicate visually, I even think in pictures (even though at this time I can't quite see those pictures). I've always found pictures to be much more useful and informative than bunches of words thrown together.

the writing thing

I have always written things. I've found it to be a great way to get things out of my system: if something gets to me, I write about it.

Poetry has been especially useful in this way. If I find that I'm taking something far too personally or seriously, I try to write a limerick about it. Usually by the time I try to rhyme "idiot" with something, I've realized how much of a silly waste of time it is. When I was younger, I put my feelings into abstract words, when no real descriptions could capture the meaning. Reading those early poems is an emotional experience even today. There is one form of poetry that I truly love - haiku. It's become a sort of hobby of mine. A friend of mine introduced me to the concept of Cat Haiku, and I was hooked. I'll eventually get a webpage put together, but for now, here's an example.

I also write short stories, usually weird science fiction or horror, or occasionally I'll rewrite a fairy tale or two. Much of my writings are based on dreams and nightmares that won't leave my mind until I write 'em down. I still haven't decided which are more frightening, the ones I remember or those that I can't... or won't.

I do write non-fiction, too. I have written user-friendly instruction manuals that actually get used. I wrote articles while I worked at the Ontarion weekly paper, and currently write for the Guelph Fountain Pen. I spend part of each and every day making police reports readable and updating upcoming events listings. I write news stories, and research things in my spare time.

I also write opinion pieces and editorials for the FP. Usually more Op-Ed than editorials per se, since my opinions can tend to be a bit extreme and/or caustic at times - only when necessary, however. As time passes, I find it getting much easier to craft a beguiling opinion piece. I'm beginning to enjoy this.

My favourite Fountain Pen duty is creating the annual April Fool's Joke. It's a spoof of the entire FP site, called the Fluffy Quill. It features made-up stories, and doctored photos, that contain enough factual detail that if you aren't careful you might just believe they're true - at least until the last paragraph, where it becomes painfully obvious you've been had.

the retail thing

I'm a sales clerk in a fabric & stuff store. I deal with the fabric part of the store. As a senior staff member, I train other clerks... and get to handle the 'difficult' customers and 'tough' questions. I really don't understand why this job agrees with me so very well - boggles my brain it does.

I'm more or less in charge of the drapery department. I help people figure out how much fabric they need to make curtains for three different windows, along with valances and swags and jabots. Well, I figure it out for them and give them diagrams and written explanations of how to do it when they get home. I've lost count of how many times people have threatened to kidnap me (or adopt me) so I'll make the draperies for them.

The best part of retail sales is laughing at the silliness of it all at the end of the day. A classic example: a very nice older lady asks if I think that the blue drapery sheer she's holding would clash with her livingroom carpet. She doesn't have a sample of the carpet with her, and when asked, she tells me the carpet is bluish-grey with white bits all over it. Now, how the (beep) would I know if it clashed or not? This is a no-win situation that calls for tact. I sent her home with a small sample of the sheer, to see what it looked like before buying it. She comes back the next day saying that it didn't go with her green carpet at all. She ended up buying white sheers.

My favourite silly customer story of late involves a woman who comes over and asks me if we carry Ultra-Suede. I told her that we don't carry it because it's too much of a specialty item and extremely expensive. She replies, "Well, can you show it to me anyway?" I wanted to tell her that I could take her around the store and show her each shelf that it WASN'T on, but I didn't. I just said we didn't have any samples and left it at that.

fabrics - sewing

I sew. Why a person sews is different for each and every one of us. Some sew to save money, to express themselves, to laugh in the face of conformity, to challenge themselves, to produce something of lasting value, to have clothing that actually fits properly, or just to prove they can. Why I sew is unknown.

Many people have asked me why I don't sew professionally. That's pretty simple - I enjoy it too much! When I sew I'm in my element. You could say I'm a holistic seamstress. I believe wholeheartedly that the energies you put into creating something remain with that item afterwards, so I don't sew if I'm grumpy, in pain, or too much in my own head. If I have a hard and fast deadline to deal with, it just won't get done.

A few years ago, I reached the point where I didn't need to make anything more for myself. The closet is full. The quilt rack is full. The only space left is out. I started making things for other people as surprises, or as donations for fundraising auctions. I've also been known to do 'mercy sewing' for people who would otherwise resort to stapling up hems or super-gluing a button on. I always do at least one Hallowe'en costume a year - usually for a child whose mother hasn't sewn since primary school, but wants to have a special costume for this year.

I enjoy the highly-precise stitching, aka 'fussy work' that heritage sewing, smocking, and lacework demand. I can also turn that part off, and not fret about perfect seams or the pointiest corners on collars. Same thing with patchwork quilts: either they're extremely precise or more 'rustic' in nature.

Yes, I love making stuffed animals, too. I'm always looking for an excuse to make one for someone, since I don't really have much room for more here. Handmade 'stuffies' have souls, you know. I like to make animals using unusual fabrics in novel ways, but I've got to admit, nothing beats a real, genuine, hand-made furry teddy bear.

Contrary to popular belief, I do not like sewing curtains, nor do I have beautifully adorned windows. Plain sheers and café curtains do just fine, thank you. If I get paid enough, I can put together the fanciest and most elaborate window treatments imaginable - but only if the effect is appropriate to the room. If you asked me to put swooping, multi-tiered canopies on a small window in a tiny room, you wouldn't be able to pay me enough to bite my tongue for the length of time needed to get the job done.

the leisure things

As you can tell from the rest of my site, I enjoy listening to music, watching movies, reading everything in sight, and sewing. I occasionally like to shop - not for me, but things for other people. Every year, my friends and I embark on a quest to find the absolutely worst Christmas gift for each other. Two years ago I made matching hat and scarf sets for my best friend and his wife out of Teletubbies polar fleece. Last year, they countered with a truly ugly peacock clock.

There are a few solitary activities I enjoy. I meditate on a regular basis. I love to sit out under a tree and just relax, connect to the ground, and revitalize myself. I like to paint, and am a compulsive doodler.

I admit that I spend serious leisure time in front of this here computer. I enjoy the occasional ultra-violent shoot-em up game, and I don't always cheat, either. I've become addicted to mah-jongg, and still love EndorFun. I like typing random words into search engines and surfing the 'net, and keeping track of my fave web comics. I really enjoy finding truly hideous websites and inflicting them on my best friends - it's a bit of a competition, I suppose. Sometimes I just play in a graphics program, making neat textures and backgrounds, silly icons and logos, designs for patchworks and quilting, or needlework patterns.

I do active things, too. I enjoy practicing tai chi, doing bits of yoga, playing the occasional game of parking lot tennis, and strolling through the woods. I try to make time for kite flying. I like wandering around town, looking at gardens and houses. I even like jumping in puddles and getting soaked by the rain, although the boss isn't so keen on my doing it as I'm heading to work.

Yes, I like socializing with my friends in person. Dinners, tea, pub crawls, bad movie parties, and the occasional carpool to terrorize a nearby event or concert. Don't like spending time on the phone, though. I am not sure why, but I feel uncomfortable talking on the phone for more than a few minutes.

the causes

I am not well-known as an activist. However, there are several causes that are near and dear to my heart. The biggest one is, naturally, animal welfare. I support our local Humane Society, I try to buy cruelty-free products, and keep an eye on our local lawmakers and judges when it comes to proscecuting animal abusers.

I am a proud supporter of the Lions Foundation of Canada. These people provide trained dog guides for the blind, the deaf, and those who need specially skilled animal assistants - at no cost! The program is fantastic, and is one of the most worthwhile charitable investments of money I have ever seen.

I like living history. I'm interested in the preservation and restoration of historic buildings, and other examples of unique architecture. I'm especially fond of gargoyles.

Respecting the environment is a big thing with me. I firmly believe that we are all stewards of this world, and that each and every one of us must take on some responsibility to repair the damage already caused and do our utmost to avoid causing more.

I am completely against the concept of genetically-modified things entering our ecosphere. I know more than I want to about the whole thing, including the methods, potential applications, and the short- and long-term implications of tinkering with Mother Nature. I rebelled against the whole idea in 1989, and still do today. I put pesticides in the same category - not my idea of a good thing to do.

Every year I donate to the local Women in Crisis programmes, and do what I can to remind other people that WIC needs supplies year-round... not just during the fashionably charitable Christmas season.

Copyright © 2002 by Barbara Anne Richardson. All rights reserved. Send comments here.