Friday, Feb. 13, 2009 - 7:44 a.m.

I've been a little out of sorts lately. Not in a physically sick way, but just...dunno.

But I've been getting work done, in my meandering way. I have a new idea for a product line that I've been thinking about 24/7, it seems. Kinda running in circles with it. There are some details I can't acheive cognitive closure for [I just had a serious preposition crisis, there-- 'cognitive closure on? about? for?' Finally I tried pied-piping the prep, and found that only 'for' worked, so 'for' it is]

...anyway, I can't make up my mind about what's best, so I just keep thinking the same thoughts about it over and over, hoping I'll get a different result (I don't). This distracts me from being creative about anything else.

I haven't even addressed the issue of price point. One of the successful jewelers on WSC does this beautiful cast stuff, looks very expensive, but she has her (wholesale) price points from $9 right up to, oh, $30 for the piece. And everything in between, just by varying the material (brass at the low end, gold at the high end). It's amazing; she competes with everyone this way. (Where was I going with this?) Oh, right. These pieces I'm working on are at the same price point as my other items. I can't figure out a way to bring it lower. I mean, I could, but I'm not sure they _look_ like they're less work than my other pieces, so I don't know if I should charge less for them. I don't want them undermining the pricing of my other items.

My head hurts. No, no, not my head. My spirit.

Yesterday on Fresh Air, Joss Whedon was talking about artists doing more than they thought they were in an artwork-- that being, he averred, the difference between a craftsman and an artist-- doing more than you even know you are. In that case, I'm in trouble despite myself-- I overthink everything. On the other hand, you never have control over what other people see. So.

Oh, the elliptical. I like it. A small source of puzzlement is that the calorie counter doesn't show me using any more calories than the stationary bike, even though it seems obvious that lots more muscles are involved, and I feel more worn out afterward (kind of in a bad way-- it wipes me out for the night. I assume this is because I haven't been exercising much lately). Poking around on the internet in search of an answer to this, it seems that ellipticals usually overestimate the calories burned. "Just subtract 100" said one helpful forum respondant. That would mean that my workout last night burned 7 calories, which seems unlikely. I shouldn't be so hung up on it, but I would find it useful to know.

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