Hi ho, hi ho, to Tokyo I go. I'm packing, scanning, printing, organizing, whipping up jewelry samples and generally running about like a mad woman in preparation for our trip to Tokyo tomorrow. We'll be away until May 12th so there will be no new blogs until then unless I can get my laptop to work while I'm there. I may not be able to approve comments either, so if you don't see one, wait until I get back and I'll be sure to approve and respond.

I've had a long arse week and I'm honestly feeling plum tuckered out and more than a little fruzzled around the edges. It's all been a bit like a ride on Space Mountain, slightly surreal and scary with moments of intense joy juxtaposed against moments of extreme stress.

Life's funny like that.

Until my most auspicious return I wish each and every one of you joy and happiness. I'm going to focus my eyes on the horizon while staying completely immersed in the moment. Because what lies behind and what lies before exists only in our memories or our imaginations, the moment is the only thing that is real, grasshopper.

The joy and the sorrow, the pleasure and the pain, the successes and the failures...in the Tao it is all the same.

Check below for this week's sampling of TastyLinks^TM, open wide and say "ah."

Rock on with your bad selves,
Madge

About.com Jewelry Making When is it a good idea to help a fellow jewelry designer out, and when does it cross the line into your territory?

Art Bead Scene Getting Connected Tips from ABS!

Jewelry & Beading Need more time? Set aside a few minutes to assemble this mixed media necklace called "Time to Run"!

Katie's Beading Blog Katie starts a new recurring feature on her blog: Books of Note. This week's review is Bead One, Pray Too.

Linda at Make It Mine magazine Do your color preferences change as you age? Linda ponders Cathy Jakicic's thoughts on the subject.

Savvy Crafter Candie and her lovely assistant whipped up a beady bookmark at breakfast this morning.

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done! Jean was thrilled by the red carpet treatment she got from a cool magazine which hails from Australia, Australian Beading Magazine

The Impatient Blogger Tune in to The Impatient Blogger to see the worldwide debut of The Impatient Crafter's first video! Phew. That is all.

Shout out to the divine Ms. Alexa Westerfield for posting my video in her MySpace blog! Thank you, dahling! http://www.myspace.com/swellgirldesigns