Oscar Winner! ? !

How did everyone do in their Oscars office pool?  I did horrible... (But then again, I only saw one movie this year, the Social Network, before I made my picks.)    However, I did win the pool... maybe because I'm the only person in the office.  (Hey, that makes 12 consecutive wins!) 

I did see Inception an hour before the Oscars started.  (That explains the headache I had while watching the Oscars...)  The show was really good, except that Oscar's host, James Franco, was stiffer than the giant gold statue in the background.  (Making him look even worse was Billy Crystal, when he came out to present.  Billy was at home and so comfortable on that stage!)

Speaking of statues, I'll put our lone figurine on sale tomorrow morning for a three day sale.  Matsuri, regular price $28.00, will be on sale for $15.00 through Friday morning. (about 47% off, kind of like my Oscar win picks)  http://www.clayvision.com/specials.htm

Picking up at the Freezer, err... Warehouse

We don't have a retail shop, but you can pick up orders at our little warehouse in Gardena.  Just let us know what you want in advance and we can have it waiting.  (If you want to look through an item, like the purse holders, not a problem.  Just let me know in advance and I'll have them waiting for you.)  You will need to set up an appointment as we are in and out of the warehouse during the day.  (Usually, early morning works best.)  Also, the warehouse address is different than the one on the website.  (The address on our website is our mailing address to our post office box.)

Dress code for the warehouse:  If it's cold outside, it will be 10-20 degrees colder in the warehouse.  If it's hot outside, it will be 10-20 degrees hotter.  Example:  today it is about 60 degrees outside, a little cold for SoCal.  However, in the warehouse it is...

That explains why I am wearing 3 layers of clothes and need to hop up and down every so often!

All Star Weekend

Did you see the slam dunk competition on Saturday?  Some great dunks (like two baskets side by side.), but Blake Griffin jumping over a car was great!  (Especially all the dramatics of driving the car in and having a choir sing "I Believe I Can Fly")  Good thing he made it to the final round, or that Kia would've been left in the backroom of the arena.  (With some unhappy sponsors!)

In honor of that dunk, we will have our Blake Griffin, err... basketball boy pendant key chain on sale through Thursday.  (Car not included!) http://www.clayvision.com/specials.htm

Super Bowl Recap (with corrected video)

I know it's kind of late, but here is a quick Super Bowl recap.  (plus a link to our halftime show that didn't work in the newsletter)

Highlight:  Volkswagon Darth Vader commercial
Lowlight:  National Anthem

Highlight:  It was a close game that went down to the end.
Lowlight:  That the game had to come to an end.

Highlight:  Super Bowl food!  Nachos, wings, etc.
Lowlight:  Having to work out twice as hard to burn it all off!

Highlight:  Our Halftime Show... not the one on TV...



My apologies as this link didn't work in the newsletter!

Feb 14th: Happy Vacuum-times Day

We've been punching out the holes in the paper for our new journals at home.  (We'll have some new designs for the covers like our big journals we had this past Winter.)

Ever since, we've been doing this at home, Cam has suddenly started coughing at home.  (Could he be allergic to all the paper particles in the air?)  We vacuumed and moved the paper to the garage, but he's still coughing...  I think our ancient vacuum cleaner isn't doing the job.  (It was made before there were things called allergens.)   So, we spent our "special" day at two Walmarts with all the last minute shoppers buying their flowers and candy.  (Do this many people really not prepare or did they all meet someone special that day?)  By the way, neither Walmart had the hepa-vacuum we wanted, so I had to order it online. (Sorry, Cam, let's hope that vacuum cleaner comes soon...)

At least Cam got an awesome, Valentine's Day bento!

"Thanks Mommy!"

Feb 9th: Nikkei Matsuri already?

I just sent in the application for Nikkei Matsuri in San Jose. This year's show is scheduled for May 1st in downtown J-town at the intersection of Jackson and 5th Street. It also features a concert, entertainment, food, and a 5K.  (I'd run the 5K if someone could set up the booth for me... set up starts at 5:30am... let me know if you're interested!)

You could work here... before the sun rises!

Did you know that the more tenure you have as a vendor, the closer you move to the center of the intersection. We're just a few spots away from the corner... (Have we really been doing it for that long?)

Feb 7th: Bungle the Business?

I was trying to think of some new ways to market our website and products.  We've tried some non-traditional, low cost options and have had some success.  (Amazon = excellent, eBay = okay, Etsy = not so good.)  Then, I was watching the start of the Super Bowl...

Grammy winning artist, Christina Aguilera, botches the national anthem. (It's not like this is the first time she has sung the anthem.)  I think botching our National Anthem is going to get her more publicity than if she had nailed it...  (Not that I would want to do something bad to get publicity for the business.)  Just sort of funny how that works.

By the way, if you bet on the National Anthem, I believe the over/under was 3 minutes 14 seconds. (One sportsbook clocked it at 3 min and 13.7 seconds.) Wow, those odds makers really know what they are doing. (Some books paid the over and some paid the under... it was that close.) Meanwhile, people on the losing side claim that their wager should be disqualified because Ms. Aguilera flubbed the song.

Feb 4th, 2011: Super Bowl Free Shipping

It's Super Bowl weekend! Who's going to win... who cares? What are we going to eat? Super Bowl is another excuse to pig out. I'm thinking chicken wings, nachos, and some Marie Callendar's $7.99 pie... however, what can Cam eat? (Probably some gluten free pizza and gluten free chips.)

Please enjoy some gluten free shipping this weekend!

Feb 3rd, 2011: Happy Chinese New Year... unless you're a Rat

Happy Chinese New Year! It is officially the year of the rabbit! A rabbit is kind, sweet, cautious, and pessimistic. They get along best with pigs and don't get along with rats.  (Hey, my boy is a rat!)  If you're expecting a kid this year, let's hope you don't have siblings who are rats.  (Like the kids aren't going to fight with each other anyway...)

           
"It's not the size of the rabbit in the fight,
but it's the size of the fight in the rabbit!"
"I think you got that quote wrong..."

Feb 2nd, 2011: So-phi's Fashion Show

So-Phi's Fashion show is April 8th in Anaheim. You'll need a ticket to attend the fashion show, usually hosted by one of our famous Japanese American television stars, like Tamilyn Tomita, David Ono, or Rob Fukuzaki.  (Rob usually sings, yes sings, when he hosts an event!  He doesn't give a sports report.) However, you can attend the craft show without a ticket, but you will have to pay parking.  (You can also walk over to Downtown Disney after the show.)

Feb 1st, 2011: Our First Show and Bobsled Ride

Looks like our first show this year is on March 19th, the Nisei Week Luau in Los Angeles. You will need a dinner ticket to attend and enjoy the entertainment and great food. (I've already forgotten how to set up our display...) 

Today, we took Cam for his first ever ride in a bobsled... on the Matterhorn at Disneyland, that is. (At the request of his cousin) He couldn't really see over the bobsled and the ride was rather bumpy and dark, so I'm not sure how much he enjoyed it. (I did not particularly enjoy it... it wasn't as much fun as I had remembered.  I know, I know... I'm getting old!)