Sirius Satellite Radio Scam and Meaningful Art.

Sirius Satellite Radio Scam. 

We were getting ready to write checks and logged onto our account and noticed that Sirius Satellite Radio took $311 out of our account.   OUCH!!  WHAT??   Since the radio in my car was broken we were going to cancel the service anyway so I called and told them we could not afford $311 at this time and wished to cancel.  We were transferred to a different number.

So I talked to another person and they started to give us deals and I said thanks but at this time with no radio we would like to cancel.

CLICK!!  Lost connection.

I call again and am on hold for 18 minutes - when I get a person I explain and    vvvvvvvvvtt!!  lost connection again.  I call again and start to talk to someone in a crystal clear connection and about 5 minutes in he said "What? you are breaking up" which was odd because it was crystal clear and CLICK!!  he hung up!!    I call again and after 25 minutes get a person and STILL, calm and friendly I explain and  CLICK!!  they hung up.  WTF!!!! 

This time they cancel our service but do not give back the $311.  sigh!   At least this time I'm dealing with a company that is not in jail . . yet   (The computer company dude that stole my computer and 12 other laptops is in jail - he moved to another town and their police department got him).

If you google "Sirius hang up" - it's what Sirius does.  There are people complaining all over the internet that can not STOP their service. 
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Ale and Arts in Columbus.  SUCCESS

What a great time it was on the boulevard  Outstanding success, lots of people and exactly what Columbus needed.   DJ said it felt like a Willy Street Fair.  Great music, good beer and I had a great festival.  I've done 16 Art Fairs now and this was #4 in sales.  SURPRISE!!!  Blow me out the door!! 

But sales are secondary (but still important).  What really makes me happy is when someone buys a piece of art because it really means something to them. 

Selling this image was what makes all of this work worth it.

A guy comes up to me and says "I LOVE this piece.  When I'm having a beer in Hydro Street I am  constantly look at it like it's a beautiful woman."

I ask why and he says years ago he was in a band that toured the Midwest.  They would always play at night to raucous packed theaters but when they were setting up in a theater it was always empty and quiet.

He would look out at the empty seats wondering what tonight would be like. He said for him, setting up, the quiet before the storm was always a very magical moment. All the empty seats waiting for the excitement and when he saw this image a flood of feelings would come over him.

THAT is why I love creating art.

I worked 36 hours this weekend at various events. Although "working" 10 hours on an antique  Wooden Boat on the five lakes of Madison did not really seem like THAT much work.  But setting up and tearing down a large canopy is physical labor that takes three hours total and I had to do it twice.

HOWEVER - gotta say that  "The SHOW "is pretty fun so again - is it work?  Yes - but enjoyable work . . . with cool benefits!

I'm talking to another business that wants to decorate their offices with my work giving me three clients now but the awesome cool thing is that some airmen from the 115th Fighter Wing at Truax were looking at my B17 images and were wondering if maybe I would like to take some shots of their F16s up close and personal.  hmmmmmmmm.

I said only if I could fly one (no I didn't say that).  They have a few other planes that I might like to shoot also.  SWEET!!!

Then I had some old shots of farm equipment in action that all of a sudden people were looking at!

This one people kept picking up and loving - WEIRD!!

 What got me was that people would pick this poster up and talk about where they thought it was taken.  The WEIRD thing is that they would guess it right!!!


I took this, liked it, printed it and then kicked myself for wasting money on something only I would like.  Who knew it would be a hit.   Again, emotions.  People look at it and it brings back memories of Uncle Bob or just scenes they remember from the past.

I honestly think I should write a book on Art Fairs.  I've talked a number of newbies through what to expect and since I'm a relative newbie myself I still know all the mistakes I made. 

OK - gotta run. Busy day, have to order a bunch of stuff and get to Madison for photos from the 10th floor of a building. Then I have 200 images from the Wooden Boat show that owners are pestering me over!   I took the shots Friday, and set up my canopy Saturday and they THOUGHT I would have the shots I took up already!! 

OH - gotta mow my lawn which is WAY WAY over due and is going to be a pain in the ass

See ya!

Rod