Leopard! No, Jaguar! No, Cheetah!

Along the lines of my post regarding RETRO versus VINTAGE, here’s a quick lesson for retailers regarding what is, and what is not, LEOPARD PRINT.

LEOPARD:

JAGUAR:

CHEETAH:

GIRAFFE:

Thank you.

________________________

SIDEBAR: I know, I know, I haven’t written in ages, and this is what I pop back in with. If you really want an update of how things are going on my end, from a personal perspective, here you go:

• One of my Top Three All Time Favorite Uncles had a heart attack on, I believe, Monday night. The last I heard, he was feeling fine, and is undergoing surgery as I write this to unblock … blockages. If I had any more information than that, I would be appropriately worried or relieved.
• I may have landed myself a guy, and then again, I may not have. My friends are wondering why I’ve been so hesitant about allowing myself to feel giddy, so here’s this: I adore him, but he lives far away and is gunning hard for a job that will, coincidentally, keep him far away. For a long period of time (perhaps a 5-year contract). We have made grand plans to visit each other every month, but the reality is that in his field, time off is a joke. In the year or so that he and I have been close friends, I’ve witnessed him working through birthdays, anniversaries, major holidays, and vacations that he’d already paid for. And not “working” as in bringing-a-laptop-to-the-hotel, but “working” as in on-site, pulling 14-hour days. I hate it I hate it I hate it. The thing is, he loves it. It’s what makes him tick. And I couldn’t ask him to stop, because then he wouldn’t be the guy that I adore. From afar. And with great hesitation. So, there’s that.
• If my math is correct (although I am not known for my math skills), I have pulled in enough contract work to keep my bills paid through the end of 2008, with a small amount left over for frugal Christmas gifts. Which is good, because Unemployment Insurance in Colorado remains a joke, and I have yet to procure so much as a thin dime from it/them. Also, my health insurance costs a bit more than it did when subsidized by The Man, and the deductible is such that I may as well not have it except for Extreme Emergency situations. I have eliminated my usual charitable contributions, for which I feel pooie, but it was necessary. My shoe budget, if you could call it that, has been reappointed as my business expenses budget. However, I was pleased to discover that renewing my business name with the State cost an entire dollar. I love a bargain! Perhaps this is why they cannot afford to pay out Unemployment claims. Exactly how I will manage 2009 remains a mystery, but my previous-employer-now-my-biggest-client seems pleased with my work as a contractor, and I hope will keep me as busy as their ever-dwindling budget will allow.
• Related: A big shout-out to the hard-working gals at Fresh Organic Office Delivery, who, in spite of their acronym-friendly name, also deliver delicious organic produce (and the occasional free-range, drug-free holiday turkey) to homes, and are keeping me fed for a very reasonable price. They offer a choice of two different sizes of bins, every other week, and I believe today may be the day I create a Creamsicle®* Pie recipe, because a still have four (organic) oranges left from my last bin. There might also be a pluot pie in the immediate future.

*50/50 bars to my West Coast friends who talk funny