Damn Printers & Dinosaurs!

Grrrr.....it's so frustrating! I ran out of ink. I usually keep a couple of ink cartridges on hand as I tend to go through a lot and it's much cheaper buying them online than at the local store, however finances were tight last month so I held off placing my order. So, of course, my ink ran out before my order got here (I expect it today) and I had to run out to the local Staples and pick up ink.
I typically buy the jumbo cartridges but as it was just to tide me over for a couple of days I got the singles and let me say....there is no freaking way they print anywhere near as many pages as they say! I had to replace the black already and this morning the color decided to die on me. As my ink order should arrive today I didn't want to spend another $17 on a single cartridge (I pay the same online for the triple one) so, I dug into my supplies and pulled out a refill kit. I figured that might work at a pinch and I had nothing to lose.
YAY! It worked. For about a second! Then it decided to print every other copy in pretty shades of pink with a flash of blue just on a whim! How the hell can it print one page perfect and the next in Pepto Bismol pink? And then print the next one perfect?

Ok...enough ranting!
I have a chainmaille class today and some errands to run. But this evening should see me finishing the latest piece....a faux lariat. What's a faux lariat you ask? Well, I created these nice little beaded bead drops and thought the would make wonderful ends for a lariat, however, I wanted to add a bezeled tiger's eye as a pendant...hmmmm...problemo. So the solution was to make the piece look like a wrapped lariat. It's turning out really pretty and very up-to-the-minute fashionwise. I just need to make three more drop beads, the clasp and do the bezel pendant....so it should be done tonight.
I'd love to make this one in silver and black but I have to find the right stone for the pendant. I did go gem hunting online last night and found a great site for cabochons www.barlowsgems.net and they have some magnetite and pyrite cabs that would go great with black and silver. They also have some dinosaur bone cabs...I never knew there was such a thing....but it would be way cool to be wearing a bit of dinosaur. And the petrified dinosaur bone actually comes from Utah (ha, something good to come out of Utah)! So, dinosaur bone cabs are now on my wish list and I'm going to scout locally to see if I can find some, I wonder if they have them at the local dinosaur museum.