She Works Hard for the Money! So Hard for it Honey!

I might have roped myself a second job. So soon I'll be working seven days a week! Joy! Fireworks! Babies crying! Bombs falling! 4th of July! Lou Diamond Phillips!

Unneeded LDP joke?: Guilty.

So I hear that there is life outside your apartment. I'm starting a campaign to see if that's actually true. I went out last night (hold your applause please) with my first New York Friend. What's this you ask? Good question. It is a FRIEND made in NEW YORK! Not a friend who you've known who happens to live in New York. NO! A real, live person who you did not previously know but have made contact with while on the island of Manhattan! Also, yesterday was my official 3 month mark. I've been here for three whole months and 12 hours. And I apparently also have two jobs, one friend and no money. I'm movin up in the world!

It's been a rough couple of weeks though. I can't lie about that. My money situation has been killing me. The last two weeks have seemed like two months. You know how your brain works overtime and time itself seems to stretch out? I feel bad too because I talk to my mom and dad about it but it's a lot for them. It's stuff a friend should be hearing not your parents. They carry too much of a burden where as a friend can say "that sucks, here's a hug, chin up, I'll help you dumster dive." Well, it's not that bad. But.. you get it. Hopefully I'll find my way out of this mess. Actually, I know that will. It's just that it sucks in the meantime. Lonely and broke, it's still better than where I was 4 months ago. I'm learning important lessons and I'm finding a hell of a lot of potential I didn't know I had. I could talk the queen of England into hiring me at this point. I can smell and see barf without barfing! I can spot a crazy dude without hearing or seeing them. These are examples of NYC super powers.
I can survive on twenty dollars of fruits and veggies for a whole week. I can sleep on an air mattress with only a fan to keep me cool at night. I can organize my life a month ahead of time down to the hour on some days (with allotted time for travel between appointments).

Things I've been dreaming about lately:
1. Backyards
2. Clean, white, high thread count sheets
3. Cute boys
4. Yards of fabric. Bolts of fabric!
5. My own studio
6. Dogs
7. Hiking
8. Burning Man
9. Brussels Griffins
10. Abs!
11. Boundless energy
13. The ocean. Either one.
14. A beach. Sand in my hair.
15. Travel. I'd like to see the Taj Mahal with my own eyes. Mount Everest too. I don't need to climb it but I wouldn't mind seeing it at a distance.
16. Driving a car
17. Hair extensions. I think it would be fun to have long hair for awhile. Malibu Barbie long.
18. SHOPPING!

Johanna

You know, it's funny, I write in my blog everyday. Around four o'clock, on the uptown F train...
I'm gettin around to actually writing it all down though. My computer has been hatin on me in the last week. I had to wipe off the hard drive and start with a clean slate. Everything seems to be working well now though - I've worked out some kinks, things are working better. I think I got a virus (picture my laptop barfing). And then, I also had problems with the very expensive, very new Norton security system my dad had installed on my computer. It doesn't like me. But apparently it LOOOOOVES viruses because it sure as hell pulled the goaly for them. Poop on Norton.
I'm gonna write more tomorrow but I wanted to put up some pictures of me and my friend Johanna. Johanna and I have known eachother since I was 6mo. (she was 8mo) old! We have an amazing friendship and bond that has spanned our lives so far and I'm sure will last until we leave this planet. Although we corespond regularly, we haven't SEEN each other for 11 years. Until last night.

What A Baby Website Looks Like

We're gonna design one soon (LIE: someone is going to design one for us/with us). In the meantime, you can find Betsy and Vonia Designs (GET YOUR BVDs YO!) by visiting one of our homes on the net..
1. Our ebay store. http://stores.ebay.com/Betsy-And-Vonia
2. Our baby webpage
http://lionness54.googlepages.com/home

Is Wowza a Word? Or is it a Sound?

Wowza. Long week.

The longer I'm in New York City the more I'm focused on money. How to make it, how to spend it , where to get it, when you get it, ect. Now I'm not blaming this solely on Manhattan because a bit of it has to have something to do with my mind on San Fran. But it costs so damn much just to BE here.
I really just want to stay home a sew. I have soooo many ideas right now. Especially for burning man. Coats, capes, caplets, jackets, thigh highs, fur bikinis, hats, gloves, shrugs, skirts, ect. I can't stop drawing them. Life would be so cool if I could just buy the perfect fabrics and have them guaranteed to sell. Then it wouldn't have to worry about the overhead.
My friend Tai is going to buy the tunic dress I made and wear it to a wedding in Paris. I love the idea that my designs take a little bit of me with them where ever they go. Almost as if I get to go to that wedding and live in Paris with Tai.
We send out a letter asking people to take pictures of themselves wearing our clothes so we can eventually put those pictures up on our website. A friend of Adam's has offered to make us one. This is really cool because I went to the library thinking I could just read a book and design a website. What kind of idiot am I? Building a website is like my running for Miss America. Like me trying to invent plastic. Walk on my hands across the Brooklyn Bridge!! AHHHHHHHHHH!! Web design is a nasty little bitch! Not doing it. Nope. That's why this smart guy is doing it: 1. He's free 2. He's totally not me.
Things that I think we should feature on the website:
1. Sandy Duncan's affinity for Betsy and Vonia Designs (BVD. duh.)
2. A bulldog wearing booties
3. Giant popsicle sticks
4. An entire evening gown made of metrocards

What do you think?


You're right. I'll add that to the list...


5. Boobs.

Jobby Job

I got one. I ended up getting the job (at 88 Orchard) in the East Village.

My Mission Statement

Look at me! I'm a lady with a plan!
I had two, count 'em TWO, interviews today. One at a film school and one at a coffee shop/bar in the East Village. New York is so weird. The film school was beautiful, on Park Ave.. The job itself was to be a registrar. Sounds good right? The other job, the barista job, was in the gross part of the east village. Not really unsafe (well, no more unsafe than my neighborhood) but it was in the "chinatown" part - I don't know a better way to put it. But it was dirty. Selling squid on the street, lots of garbage and unbelievable smells. Nasty. But you know what??? And this is where NYC is weird- you make way, WAY, WAY more money at the crappy place in the east village. She - barista queen- said that she'd let me know by tonight so my fingers are VERY crossed. Not only am I broke, but I need money.

And I'll tell you why.

HINT: It's part of the plan (and I'm a lady with a plan.)

I'm moving in with Chris and some other guy (who will remain faceless I imagine for awhile) on August 1st. So... I'm moving to San Francisco. Why? You might ask?? CAUSE I CAN. I don't have any single reason not to.

GOALS FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR:
1. Meet Paul Rudd (done)
2. Move to NYC (done)
3. Do a New York Audition (done (about 7 times) and totally interested in not doing again)
4. Fully realize clothing line (press packet, business cards, online sales, boutique additions)
5. World Take Over (working on it)

GOALS FOR NEXT 3 YEARS:
1. Success as entrepreneur (poss. store, insurance, own business, design studio, San Fran/New York/Seattle stores)
2. Own a English Bulldog named either Ernie or Wellington (steal my names and I'll cry)
3. Own home or apartment and/or have enough money for regular travel (at least 3 times a year)
4. Boyfriend with fancy accent and/or mohawk (I just cut my friend Tim's hair into a mohawk yesterday and I decided they are the ideal boyfriend haircut)
5. Publish blog and photography book as concrete examples of how to lead life of ballsie female.

THINGS I DON'T WANT TO DO:
1. Open a bed and breakfast with flower wallpaper.
2. Own several cats
3. Have fat, boring boyfriend or beautiful boyfriend with no sense of humor
4. Work any of the following jobs:

dental hygenist

middle manager

anywhere I feel validated by getting a new keyboard

jobs with rigid schedules, in buildings with no windows, any place that counts your "sick" days as "paid vacation" days.

I don't want to be the guy or know the guy who picks roadkill of the road


Big dreams. I know. But, I'm a lady with a plan. And, if anyone asks... I'm Betsy Morris. I'm the Betsy Morris who is living in Manhattan and moving to San Francisco. The Betsy who just applied for a scholarship ticket to Burning Man (thanks Ben) because she believes if she wants to go bad enough she can manifest a way. Miss Morris who is 26 years old and plans on learning 3 years worth of life experience in one year, who wants a dog and job. The Betsy Morris with a plan to own her own business. THAT lady with a plan.

AMEN!

HOW TO GET TO OUR STORE

1. Go to ebay.com
2. Go to the "Ebay Stores" link of the left side of the page.
3. Go to the "Find A Store" box and put in the name of our store: Betsy And Vonia


Enjoy! And tell me what you think!

Buy It Or I'll Break Up With You

What a wonderful feeling to know that you are free of everything single thing that can hold you back.
Every single PHYSICAL thing that is.... Because your brain can always hold you back and, I don't know about you, but my brain goes everywhere I go.
I don't have a lease. I don't have furniture. Everything I own can officially fit into three large boxes, one big backpack and a carry on. Amazing. Freeing! Not everyone's idea of paradise but... well, for me? This "no stuff" thing is treating me like a prom date. I DO miss my bird though. Feels weird not to take him with me when I move around (is there a way to fit him into my brain?)
Vonia and I have been working on our clothing line lately. Vonia has a degree in costume design where as I started to design after college. We have very different styles that really seem to compliment eachother. Our business senses (she is currently managing a high end retail store and I have been doing the entrepreneurial thang and selling/marketing my own stuff). She is big on fit and I like bizarre fabrics. STOP. Did you know that they DO NOT have bubble fur out here??? I've looked for it everywhere. I was at Mood Fabrics (Cynthia Rowley gets all her fabric from Mood) and they laughed at me! They thought "bubble fur" was a joke (Cynthia Rowley doesn't know what she's missing)! Stupid Mood people.
We're setting up a store on ebay. We're already selling there but a store will allow us to have one link that shows our entire stock, combined shipping for buyers who purchase two or more garments, gift wrapping (which one of us is gonna get stuck with that I don't know..) and email updates for those who would like them. I will obviously send out the link when it's ready and post it here.
I'm very proud us! The beauty being that we can maintain the store where ever we are - even if one of us is somewhere across the nation. So if Vonia and Adam decide to move to LA and I stay here or I go to San Fran, our process won't be interrupted. I would love to own a store eventually or design a line and sell it. But people need to BUY it (details, details!). Oh God. I'm having girl scout flash backs. When we had to sell those damn cookies I would freak out. I'd never sell a bunch because I would start by apologizing... "You don't have to buy any if you don't want to..."
Well! Now I won't apologize! Buy our stuff! It rocks! If you don't like it you are blind! If you don't buy it, the only reason could be because you're broke! Well tough! I'm broke too!!!! Get over it! It could be worse! You could be fat! You could be dead! You could be socially incapable of holding down and decent job! I DON'T CARE. BUY THESE CLOTHES OR I"LL BREAK UP WITH YOU.

How was that? (picture me in my Brownie outfit) Because if it was too forceful I can change it....