Allison Williams's Profile

It may cost a heck of a lot more in New York or at a places that powder-coats decorator items, but out in the Midwest, powder-coating from an industrial coatings shop is not expensive at all. I get my trapeze rigs painted for $200 each - that's six 8-foot pipes, six 4-foot pipes and a small header piece. My guess is that they'd do a chandelier for around $50.

Caveats -

- If the item has previous paint, you may need to have it sandblasted or otherwise stripped. The shop may or may not do it there. I send my pipes to a stripping place, where it costs $100 to have them sandblasted.

- the color selection may be more limited at an industrial shop, or they may have to order pigment. You'll pay for the order of pigment even if you don't need it all, but again, it's not that expensive. I get hot pink, purple, lots of primary colors, and a range of industrial brown/grey/black/safety colors.

- you may have to pay cash for small orders - an industrial place will be used to invoicing companies rather than doing cash-and-carry with individuals, and it may take a little pleasant chat to sort it all out and have them be ok with a small job. Bring cookies for the shop guys.

- your shop may or may not be careful about taping over places that shouldn't be painted. Check on this in advance, so you can tape it yourself if necessary!

How to find a shop near you - search for your city name and "industrial coating". You can also call places that paint motorcycle tanks, and your local Harley or other cycle dealership will know who that is.

Tetegrondona - it's probably her personal preference to use the term "actor-person" though some may find it a little "whee! I'm QUIRKY!" for their taste.

In general, though, some female performers (myself among them) choose "actor" over "actress" because feminine suffixes are seen as trivializing - would you trust your life to a "doctorette"?

Stephanie4180 - I just came back from Northern India. Bihar province, north of Kolkata, and Kolkata. I stayed in a rural town and in the city.

- It was DAMN COLD. I wore a coat, scarf, hat and cashmere sweater several days in a row and was glad I had gloves and long socks. Buildings are made of concrete block and are damp and chilly inside, and you'd think they'd have caught on that heaters might be needed, but they haven't.
- If you are staying in any non-western hotels (cheaper and fun) - buy a beautiful sari that you can use as bedsheets when you're there, the sheets may not be super clean.
- I was glad to have a scarf and sometimes covered my hair. It was surprisingly hard to buy scarves alone in India. If you want one, go to a "matching store" and ask for dupattas. I thought there would be scarves everywhere and I was wrong.
- leggings under a skirt are great and people find you more modest when you wear long skirts. It's also worth having leggings and tank tops or camisoles to wear under traditional clothing in case you want to buy some. Tailors in your neighborhood - look for the dude with a sewing machine - can make you sari blouses and salwaar khameez/Punjabi dresses in one or two days. Try it on before you leave the tailors, no matter how embarrassed they are about it. It may need altering and they can do it then and there.
- Baby wipes. Take them everywhere. There will not always be a place to wash your hands. There will usually not be toilet paper. Also, after visiting a temple you can clean your feet before putting your shoes back on.
- Kleenex - you can't buy it in India. Little purse packs.
- Makeup wipes - the water will not always be of a quality that you want to wash your face with it.
- Contact lens solution, enough to last the trip - I never saw it for sale, though I'm sure it must be somewhere.
- I was happy to have my own soap, most hotel soap was not great.

That said, it was AMAZING and I can't wait to go back. Most people speak at least a little English, everyone is super friendly, and not all guys are hitting on you, they really do want to practice their English. If you go anywhere outside the main big city, you will get stared at all the time. If it starts to bug you, look them in the eye and do a little "namaste" with your hands - that usually breaks it up. If it still bugs you, say, "Excuse me, do you want men to stare at your sister like this? How would you feel? Go away and think about your sister." and they will usually go away. Or ask some older ladies if you can sit with them - they'll keep the guys away. No-one's violent, it just gets tiresome to be stared at.

Have a fabulous time - it's awesome!

What about nice matching boxes or baskets? I have an open closet in my room, so I have two of these (http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10154563) on my top shelf so I can throw in all the little stuff and still have it look tidy. You could have linens, sweaters, out-of-season clothes, or even books in the boxes/baskets and it will still look sharp from the front.

Maybe the first question is, do you want this to be stuff you need handy or stuff that can sit for awhile? Because if it's "handy", make it something like linens or dishes, but if it's "sit" it could be your holiday ornaments or whatever, and the items will help dictate the storage for them.