Snippets

I don't really trust ads done by famous actors. I know I should use L'Oreal because Sarah thinks I'm worth it, and women should take Boniva because Sally does. But really. Sally Fields is Oscar-winning for a reason. She's convincing in whatever role she's paid to play. And I doubt Sarah Jessica Parker has ever invited a girlfriend over for help and stuck her head in the tub with a home coloring kit. So I totally don't buy it.

The ghetto-fabulous cat tree got retired a while back (not too long after it was created, actually). Jon wasn't a big fan of having...well, trash...in the house. Anyway, I was cleaning out the garage the other day, and brought it back into commission. Friday, was ecstatic over his "new" toy, and I've been quite smug over my success of reinstating it into the home decor.

Confession: I wrote my Compassion Kid for the first time--maybe second--the other day. I know, it's sad. I've been sponsoring her since I was a freshman in college (our dorm hall sponsored her and a little boy, and I took her sponsorship over the next year). I save all her photos and letters, and her last one asked me if I was still in college, and why I didn't write. So, prompted by guilt from a 15-year-old in Ethiopia, I wrote. I included a recent pic of Jon and I, and one of my doodles. Her birthday's coming up (Dec 13, same as my dad's) so maybe I'll send something else for that. It was cool to send a letter. I have grand ideas that she'll squeal with delight of getting a letter from her wonderful sponsor, and she'll run in the streets waving the letter around, proud to show it to anyone who will look. Then I realize, and I've written her twice in 7 years. Yeah, I'm a real hero. So, maybe she'll just read it and tuck it into a box somewhere, but the more I write her, someday she'll be proud to tell someone about the sponsor who loves her enough to be consistent in her letter-writing--and she'll have a whole box full of letters to share. Still, I can't believe I've wasted 7 years of getting to know her, and I only have three years left before she becomes an adult and no longer needs sponsorship.

For some reason, it doesn't feel like we're nearing the end of the year. But alas, it's fall. My faithful flowers have run their course, though they still manage to eke out enough blooms to make me happy. I've planted irises so they'll be ready to bloom next spring. And, now that fall is here, I've found that I'm not quite ready for summer to leave. This summer was so great, and the weather perfect.

But, I've got a lot to look forward to this fall and winter! Garage sale, camping, biking, the State Fair of Texas, Silver Dollar City, Christmas!! So, I'm glad it's time to move on.

At the end of October, Jon and I are going to try our first biking adventure beyond the normal exercise route. There's a "rails to trails" route from Weatherford to Mineral Wells State park, about 20 miles one way. We'll ride in, eat lunch, then ride back out. It will be leisurely and hopefully the perfect fall weather. Our normal route is 10 miles at an "exercise" pace, so I think 40 spread out over the whole day will be just fine. I'm so excited, and I hope I've earned the money I need for my camera by that time! (And yes, that picture is of me: muscle-y arms, cropped top, long flowing hair and all...okay, maybe it's more representative....)

I've finally decided on sale prices for my photo equipment. It was a struggle to balance the original value with what people will actually pay. We'll see if I'm in the ballpark when the garage sale comes! I really hope I sell it. Partly because it took me awhile to realize I needed to let it go, and for it just to hang around makes it harder for this pack rat to keep trying to get rid of it. And partly because I want the money. :)

Thursday at work I'll be attending an all-day diversity training session. It seems to be a fad in companies lately, and we've had one session already. The first session was to recognize that our mostly female, white, middle-aged group of employees is actually diverse. Now that we've established that, we've all taken personality tests to be explained at the second meeting. I'm pretty sure I know what my personality is, though it's different at work than at home. We'll see how it comes out! And that photo on the left there....it's just as representative of our company as the photo of the biker was of me.

It's quiet here today. The cat's asleep (big surprise), Jon's in class, the a/c is off, and it's just me, working on a work newsletter. I'm trying to spice it up with clipart. I know, I've been working on it for two years and this is the first time I think of it. That's why they pay me the big bucks! Anyway, we have a subscription to clipart.com, which is not great for ads or anything serious, because the images aren't high-enough quality for press printing. However, they're fine for desktop printing, and I've found "Photo Object" to be my favorite search option. This pulls up only photos with clean white backgrounds behind the objects, which helps when I use them for the newsletter or whatever else. For example, a normal search for "peppers" brings up this image:
But, I just want a few of the peppers, so I have to Photoshop out the background, which turns out to be impossible because none of the peppers are shown in their entirety. Without some major time spent Photoshopping in what's missing, this won't work. So I use the "Photo Object" option, and find this photo:
Perfect! I can stick that into my story, and it looks great.

For anyone who has trouble reading the small text on a blog, you can change the text size that you view pages. On an Apple, do this by pressing the apple button and the plus sign at the same time. Decrease it back down by pressing Apple minus, or go back to original with Apple zero. If you're on a PC, press "ctrl +" to increase the size, "ctrl -" to decrease, and "ctrl 0" to go back to original. Thought I'd throw that out that for those grandparents and soon-to-be grandparents reading the blog. :)

Speaking of, I'm going to have a nephew! Yeah, I'm pretty excited. It must be scary and a little intimidating to face parenthood. But aunthood...piece of cake! I've got it made in the shade! I've already learned how to change diapers, give medicine, put to sleep, and give zerbers when distraction is necessary. Oh, and throw rules out the window when his parents aren't around. I'm a pro at being an aunt. :) Now if only I had a camera to take great pictures of the little guy.... Can you tell I'm excited about my camera...and the kid of course!

Well, I think I've rambled enough for one day...this should tide you over while I'm gone getting diversified tomorrow.

Why I need Lasik

Today was like any other day.

I turned on the shower water, waited for it to heat up, laid my glasses on the bathroom counter, and stepped into the bathtub.

Standing under the water, I noticed a dark fuzz on the floor of the tub (everything is fuzz without my glasses). Hm, must be towel fuzz. And I flicked some water on it. It dutifully headed to the drain.

Then,

to my horror,

it stopped.

And headed back up the incline. My towel fuzz was scaling the wall of the tub!!

Fearing the unknown (an ant? a spider? a tick? a baby roach?!!) I scrambled out of the tub--no easy task with wet feet on a wet tub. I fumbled with my glasses, cramming them onto my face as quickly as I could.

There was the perpetrator. My "towel fuzz" was a black spider.

Whispering a quick thanks that it wasn't a baby roach, I reached for a cup, filled it up, and sent the spider down into the plumbing.

I spent the rest of my shower humming, "Itsy bitsy spider...."

Switching Allegience and other news

Thursday I got my car washed at Genie Car Wash. I had a coupon. It was pretty cool to watch it go through the long washer, and then have someone dry it and Windex all the windows. However, when it came out of the washer, it was lacking the one token that set it apart from all other little white cars in a parking lot--the Dr Pepper antenna ball that Karen gave me. I asked about it, and a couple of people headed into the tunnel of water and fabric streamers. After a few minutes, one emerged with an antenna ball! I smiled, glad that Princess Buttercup could once again show her drink of choice. But my smile fell when I realized the ball was a smiley face with a Cowboys football helmet on it. Hm...well, it still serves a purpose, so I stuck it on my antenna. I figure I'll fit in around here anyway.

As a side note, I found out that you're supposed to tip the person who Windexes the windows. Thankfully, I noticed a couple of people do it before my car was ready, so I had a chance to get some cash.

In other news, I trimmed my hedge today! It was a major overhaul. The last major overhaul rescued the sidewalk, which was about halfway covered by the monster bush. This time I tackled the height. The bush reached up and beyond the eaves of the house, and it dominated the exterior look. No more. With my trusty electric hedge trimmer and Holly to saw off the bigger branches, the bush is now about 4.5 feet tall. It's a huge difference. We have another bush to be trimmed, but the back of the truck was too full of trimmings to add more from the second bush. Another weekend, perhaps.

Speaking of other weekends, we're having a garage sale coming up pretty soon. Holly and I are putting together a "multi-family" affair. It really has turned out that way as other people have donated to the cause. My mom's stuff came pre-priced, so that was pretty nice. I still feel like I'm not selling enough, because my house is still full of stuff, but then I realize I use all that stuff; I just don't have proper places to put them, so they clutter the house up.

Anyway, I'm hoping I'll make a little money to go towards my camera fund. My point and shoot is on the blink, though I did get it to work today. However, it's not reliable. I was thinking the new digital SLR would serve the purpose of the point and shoot (after all, if I can take better pictures with a better camera, why not do it?). However, there are advantages to having a camera that can fit in my purse. Still, on my trips to and from the office, there are times I wish I had a nice camera and tripod with me, to take some shots. Then again, I'd always be late for work that way.... And if I'm spending that much money on an SLR, why tote a little guy around that doesn't take as good of pictures? It's a conundrum indeed. If we just got the SLR, the money we would spend on a point and shoot would go toward the SLR. If we got both, I'd have a lot further to go toward the camera I want. What are your thoughts?

Veer

Check out veer.com! It has stock photography and fonts, but what I thought was great was the merchandise! Pretty much everything under T-shirts, Apparel, and Accessories made me laugh. If my dad read blogs, he'd really appreciate the merchandise, too. He's the one who got me started, teaching me the differences between serif and sans-serif, em dashes and en dashes, and leading and kerning. So, few others may get it, but Daddy, this is for you!

Doodle of the Day

Just call me YiYi.

Yesterday Sophie came to visit. Well, Holly and Grandma were with her, too, but it was Sophie I heard coming up the sidewalk. She was walking behind her pushtoy, something that looked a little like this:

As she rumbled up the sidewalk, I opened the door. Holly said, "She was so excited when she realized we were coming over here. And you have a new name. Yi Yi!" (Pronounced yee-yee, but that takes longer to write.)

Yi Yi! I've always wondered what kids would call me. Lydia is a hard name to say for kids. "L" is impossible, and three syllables can be a lot to ask. I thought maybe Wydia, but then it would degrade down to WeeWee when kids are just learning to talk. Yi Yi was an improvement I had not imagined. I was sorry that I missed hearing Sophie say it!

As the family was leaving, Sophie, leaning on her toy, looked at me with bright eyes and yelled out, "BYE!!" It was the first time I'd heard her say something with such intent; usually "bye" was just a mumbled response to our prodding, or an echo of our attempts to teach her. This was a sure, "Goodbye, we'll play tomorrow!" adios. That girl knew what she was saying, and her voice was so clear and cute! I responded with an elated, "Bye Sophie!" to which she again said, "Bye!!" This went on for a few times until Holly broke it up, coaxing Sophie to barrel back down the sidewalk on the handlebar of her push toy.

I bought her some markers and construction paper. She's coming over this afternoon, and I can't wait to play! Sophie's always been a fun baby, and now that she's one year old, it's even more fun to watch the daily developments: understanding the relationship of keys to doors and shoes to feet, seeing her brush a teddy bear's fur and finding pens and paper from all over the house so she can draw (hence the new markers and paper).

And I'm Yi Yi. Not too far off I'll be Aunt Yi Yi to another bundle of joy (though I'll have to wait a long time for him/her to say it). I think that's just about made my week.

80s Night!

Grab your leg warmers, stick your cassette tape in your boombox, and press play!



Last Saturday night, our class (girls AND guys, despite the song) had a blast at 80s night, where we donned every colorful piece of clothing in our closet and relived the crazy days of the 80s.

Everyone brought snacks, and someone thought to bring Fruit Roll-Ups. We had 80s music in the background, 80s games, and an 80s movie to end the night: Back to the Future.

Tons of fun! Here are the photos!

Fan Innovation

Have you ever had a ceiling fan that made lots of noise, wobbling back and forth, especially when on high? The problem was probably an unbalanced fan. There are many ways to combat an unbalanced fan, but I will tell you what we did.

First, I tested the fan to see if the fan blades were unbalanced (one might be higher than the others, etc). I clipped a clothespin to one fan blade at a time, turned the fan on high, and watched for changes. Most times, the fan wobbled even worse. Only on one blade did the wobbling seem to get a little better. So I tried two clothespins on that blade, only to see that it made it worse. Evidently the blades were not the problem.

Next, Jon took the fan down from the ceiling. This isn't the most fun task in the world, and make sure you have someone nearby to hold screws and be of general help. He tightened the metal mounting into the ceiling. It was loose, so we presumed it to be the problem. However, even then, he could still rock the mounting back and forth. Hm...

So, Jon took a couple of small blocks of foam and stuffed them in the areas where the mounting was rocking on the ceiling (picture a see-saw, only upside-down with the ceiling as the ground). That did the trick! Once the fan was reassembled, we cranked it up and enjoyed a much more pleasant sound: air whooshing around the fan blades and onto our faces. No more banging and fear that the entire contraption might fall off and attack me in the night. Hooray!

So, sometimes Google searches are all you need to get the job done; other times, you gotta add in a little ingenuity and innovation.

Tagged by Teresa

The Rules:
1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
2. Each player starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write their own blog (about their 8 things) and post these rules.
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose people to get tagged and list their names.
5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

1. I like to plan for Christmas. As a matter of fact, my family has already finalized date and location for this Christmas, thanks to the prodding of Yours Truly! My mom is a great planner, so I get that from her. Then it turns out the newest member of our family is a huge Christmas-lover, too, so she and I are already getting excited about Christmas trees and stockings. Jon and I honeymooned over Christmas, and we made a roasted hen, potatoes, green beans, and Jon started the tradition of making monkey bread for breakfast. (That last sentence was just to fill out the paragraph a bit.)

2. I like to sing really loud in the car. I especially like to sing a completely different song/key that what's blasting on the radio. Usually, it's a song I make up myself at the spur of the moment, and it's very bad. This is why I only do this when I'm alone. Jon's heard it once or twice, maybe. That's why I know we'll be together forever. :) Though I don't stay in key or rhyme or even have a tune I stick to, I've found that singing is a good way to talk out my thoughts to God. I guess it feels less awkward to sing alone in a car than speak. Anyway, I'd recommend it.

3. I am Jack of All Trades, Master of None. I love to learn new things. I like to listen to others talk about new subjects. From photography to how to make biodiesel...it's all interesting to me. I want to learn how to play several instruments, and have tried a few. From my natural curiosity about life, I've learned how to do lots of things. However, I've never learned how to do any of them well. Once I've messed with them for awhile, the drudgery of mastering them gets boring and hard, and I stop there. So, I can sew, take photos, float and tape a wall, make crafty things, paint, garden (don't laugh), roof a house, oil squeaky hinges, refinish furniture, hem pants, fly a kite, make cards, play the guitar and French horn (not at the same time), and other various things, but I cannot do any of them well. I might be able to say I can design well, but even then, I never had the most creative projects, or the best out-of-the-box presentation in class. The good thing is I don't work for a rock band or someone who might want that stuff!

4. I've broken both arms (at different times). Once when I was trying to be like my big brother and swing on the monkey bars. It turns out I couldn't reach them, even when I jumped off the top rung of the swingset ladder. My dad gave me a fudgsicle and an ice pack. When my mom got home, she rushed me to the ER. The second time was when I was sweeping the driveway...on rollerskates. Not one of my most brilliant moments. Again to the ER with my mom, where it turned out that a broken bone isn't near the emergency one might think it to be.

5. I have a good smeller. I can identify people/items by their smell. My shining moment was when I identified a mattress at my parents' house as smelling like my grandparents. It turned out they'd owned it years before! I'm amazing. I like to sniff Jon. I think it weirds him out. I try not to sniff other people too much. I sniff Friday, but he sniffs me back, so I don't think he minds.

6. I like to have each item on my plate equal out. So if I have chicken, green beans and mashed potatoes, I eat a bite of each, always making sure I'll end up with one bite of each at the end. When I get to that last bite, I then eat them from least favorite to most (chicken, potatoes, then green beans) so the best flavor is the one I'm left with. However, I don't combine food (chicken with a bit of potatoes) in one bite. That gross. Unless, of course, it's Mexican food.

7. I'm so competitive I don't like to compete. Many of you may think I'm the least competitive person you know, but it's not really true. I'm actually very competitive, which is why I'd rather play without rules and have fun, than lose. Or than get my feelers hurt in the process of winning (or worse, hurt someone else's feelers!). Usually, I don't win anyway, and then I'm mad. So, it's much better to just see how long we can keep the ball moving in racquetball or bash into the other cars for laughs in the race car video game. Who needs the score? The point is to have fun!

8. When I was a kid, I drew a detailed diagram of a Cat Room where all my cats would live. There were water fountains, toys galore and self-feeding areas. There was a special section (separated by vacuum-sealed doors) for a litter room. Since then, I've come to realize that having one cat is nice, but they're too demanding to have lots! In the more recent past, I've discussed the best way to lay out an animal shelter with Leanna and designed the perfect cat tree, so I haven't changed too much.

People I'm tagging: Leanna, Hillary (moving across the world is no excuse!), Jill, my mom, and KarenN.

New Logo

Our church is going to be putting an emphasis on service this fall; we have several projects and trips going on that are related to service. To help spread the word and get people involved, the Design Team (of which I'm a part, and Margie is, too--Hi Margie!!) was charged with making a logo. The theme is "FallOut'07--This fall, we're reaching out."

Logo ideas don't always come very easily to me, but this one did. So, I worked it up in Illustrator and sent it on. Surprisingly, there were no edits to the logo I'd sent around, and everyone seemed to like it. So, my logo will be on all the stuff for this fall's emphasis! Crazy!

Leanna's Hair color

I'm a visual person (and like to mess with Photoshop), so here's the visuals of Leanna's color possibilities. Let her know which one you like best by posting on her blog or right here! Oh, and I picked these colors, not her, so she may like a variant of each of these, but it will give people an idea, anyway. I had the hardest time with the red/strawberry blonde. The others blended pretty well.

Here's Leanna natural (with her great new haircut!):

And here are other options:
Bleach Blonde:


Blonde:


Brunette:


Dark Brunette:


Red:


Strawberry Blonde:

Welcome to the Blogger World

Everyone give a friendly hello to my friend and roomie Hillary! She's joined the Blogger ranks so we can keep up with her in her travels, newly-wed life, and whatever else she feels like talking about. She's lucky I'm not on my home computer; otherwise I could dig up some funny photos to add to this post....

Scammed

Alternate Titles:
Ticked off
Letdown of the day
Lydia is Mean to Pseudo-Manager Peter
If it seems too good to be true...

So I've been saving money for a digital SLR camera. I like doing research, and I was looking around today and came across two websites that sell the camera I've been looking at for a really great price. I was really excited, and couldn't believe the price. I called both companies and asked them what was included in the cost. They both said "the camera body only." Okay, that's fine, and that must be why the price is so low. So, I checked around on eBay and found the battery and other things that weren't included for pretty good prices, and decided this would be a good way to go. So, I picked one of the sites and placed my order.

Twenty minutes later, I got an e-mail telling me to call the company and speak to Peter regarding my order. I call, get Peter, and he just needs the security code on the back of my credit card. (Odd, why didn't they ask me for that in the form I had to fill out?) I give him the code, and he says, "By the way, I'm wondering why you got the body only instead of the package?" I explain I was going to get the battery and other items cheaper elsewhere, because I knew they didn't have to be Canon brand.

He says, "You can't beat the prices we have, and you have to buy Canon brand to get the chip that translates the menus from Chinese to English."

ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!!

"My camera is in Chinese??" I ask him.

"Yeah, for a price like that....the USA package is $400 more. You have to make sure it says USA next to it on the website."

"Why would I assume it wasn't English?"

"Well, the price...."

"I'd like to cancel my order."

"Sure, I'll cancel it for you. That'll be a 7% restocking fee."

"But I just made the order 20 minutes ago."

"I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do. That's our policy."

So, I hang up, on the verge of tears because I'm so disappointed. And ticked off. I go to the website to find the fabled USA label. I look on the camera I ordered, and there was nothing there to say it was in Chinese, not even an option to buy the USA package. (There was an option to "See Similar Packages" which I had clicked on before ordering, and it just took me to more Chinese cameras.) I do another search for the camera, trying to find any of them that said they were in English. Nothing. It's dawning on me that this whole thing (the suspicious call for my security number...) is a scam to make a quick $20 off people looking for a deal.

Meanwhile, Holly got online, so I told her what happened. Being a much more assertive person that I am, she insisted I needed to call them back and demand they take the restocking fee off my card. So, for the first time in my life, I called to complain. I called Peter back, and asked to speak to the manager. He very quickly told me he was a manager. I know from speaking to friends of mine that everyone says they're a manager, but what could I do?

Long story short, I explained to Peter the Pseudo-Manager in no uncertain terms that I thought they were pulling a scam and I refused to pay the restocking fee. He explained to me that I was being very unreasonable, was choosing to see the situation from a glass-half-empty perspective, and that he was simply offering a great deal on a camera.

Yeah, a Chinese camera! How am I supposed to even find the English cameras? Well, it turns out, you have to enter USA into the search bar. Seriously.

I again said, that's all well and good, but I'm not paying the restocking fee. I didn't care that there was a policy about cancellation, because the company had already broken their side of any agreement by not fully disclosing the details of their products.

He put me on hold.

Two minutes later, he picks back up and says, "Is there anything else I can do for you?" in a too-sweet voice. I ask him if he took off the fee, and he said, no, that was policy, and he couldn't take it off. After a few minutes more of conversation, he hangs up on me, refusing to transfer me to a manager or anyone else. "Call back tomorrow" he says.

Argh.

I go back to Holly, my online coach, who says, "Call back! Don't talk to him, but ask to speak to a manager."

So I do. I get transferred to JJ. I tell him the situation, and he puts me on hold. I can feel my blood pressure start to rise in readiness for the second uncomfortable call of the day. He gets back on and says, "Okay, there's no charge."

"What? I don't have to pay the fee?"

"No." (They don't teach manners, evidently. "No ma'am, sorry for the inconvenience...")

"Okay, thank you." and that was it.

But be sure I'll be checking my bank account the next few days to make sure I don't get charged.

I realize that the "too good to be true" price should have been a warning sign for me, but I also did my research (as best I could), and two sites with similar pricing helped me think it was legit. Phonecalls to both prior to ordering would have been a good time for someone to tell me what I was really looking at, as well.

Also, even after knowing the camera was in Chinese, I couldn't find a single mention of it, or an extra acronym tagged onto the product number, or anything that could suggest I was buying something other than an English-language camera.

Seriously, even their name is deceiving: USA Photo Nation! What a scam.

New Things (Random Post)

Last week, I got the latest and greatest design tool, Adobe CS3, which has everything I'll ever need...at least until the next upgrade. I put it on my computer yesterday, but I can't bring myself to uninstall the CS2 programs. For some reason I'm afraid CS3 will be full of bugs or something. CS3 includes Dreamweaver, the gold standard of web developing programs. Dreamweaver used to be owned by Macromedia, which Adobe bought last year. So now Adobe has Dreamweaver. Adobe's web program, GoLive, is no longer available. GoLive is what I learned and used for my own website and anything I've done so far on the work website. I'm not very good at web stuff in the first place, and the learning curve just got a whole lot steeper! I'm going to have to find a Dreamweaver class pretty soon, or I'll be lost.


This past weekend, I got to play with my mom's new iPhone. It's pretty neat! Some people bristle at all the hype, but you gotta admit, it's a well-thought-out phone. Things like seeing all your voice messages, and being able to pick which one to listen to (and fast forward and rewind) is brilliant. Also, simple changes like having a button on the phone to record your voice mail greeting solve the pain-in-the-neck problem of punching through options to finally get to record what you want. ("Press 1 if you would like to....") And then, beyond the phone functionality, the rest is pretty cool, too: iPod (of course), camera, widgets, internet. Everything carries the signature simple brilliance of Apple design. I only had a couple of problems: 1) you can't pick a song on your iPod for a phone ringtone. What's up with that?? and 2) there was one design element I thought should have been different, and I was really surprised it looked the way it did.

Last night we had some friends over for burgers, so we bought some flowers for the occasion. This huge vaseful of flowers was only $4.50! And I set some aside for the table arrangement:


Along with burgers, we served Caramel Frappuccinos, a new concoction Jon put together. We froze coffee in ice cubes, then added about a pint of cream (yep, whole whipping cream...yum...), and some caramel in the blender with the coffee ice. Top with with RediWhip, and you've got a good thing going!

We had some cream left over, so I did something I've wanted to do for a long time...made butter! Do you remember making butter in class? I was in 1st grade maybe, and I remember passing a jar filled with cream along the rows of desks. We each got to shake the jar a few times, and then we had to pass it. That was so fun! So, I made butter last night, and used it on my waffles this morning. :)

I found that the best way to shake cream to make butter is while playing Dance Dance Revolution!! Yep, Jon got the XBox fixed that Cliff gave him, and we headed to GameStop yesterday for some used games. I came home with DDR, something called Corvette (how could I pass it up??), and a racing game. Since the controllers are still in the mail, we couldn't play anything but DDR, since it uses a separate dance pad as a controller. I totally stunk it up, but it's still fun. And it passed the 20 minutes of shake time I had for making butter!

In other news, I have my curtains up! Leanna and I have hemmed two of the panels, but the two shown here aren't hemmed, yet. I love the new colors in the house! I've also added a new welcome mat in the entryway, which Friday promptly claimed as his own:

So, that's pretty much a recap of what's happened lately. It's been a busy week! But I'm so thankful for the blessing I have: a good job, family, friends, and a home that makes me happy.

Doodle of the Day

My cutie kitty

Today is a blah day, as Karen said on her blog. Well, few things cure the blah day blues like kitties! So, just in case you don't have one of your own, I'm sharing mine:





Of course, there's always one thing that's guaranteed to make me laugh. Jon doesn't understand, but it cracks me up. Here it is:



And in case you missed that last one, or wanted to see the poor guy getting chewed out (Long Johnson, maybe?):



"Why, I eyes ya."

Hahahaha! *Sniff...Sigh.... Ah, I feel better already. :) Hope you do, too!

Movie Reviews

Ratatouille: The animation on this is amazing. Challenges such as furry animals, tons of water in all forms (including steam), a ragdoll character, and food were created to perfection. The film was beautiful; every scene was fun to look at. The rats, when in droves, could be a little disturbing, but for the most part they were harmless. The story was pretty good, but I didn't have a stand-up-on-your-seat-"hooray!" moment. I could see where it should have happened, but it didn't. It felt rushed to get to that moment, so when it happened, I wasn't really ready for it. At the end of the movie, I was glad to have seen it, but it wasn't the "oh, man, that was a great movie!" like at the end of Monsters, Inc for example. The spectacular animation is worth watching, though, so I would recommend it.

The Holiday: This movie was fairly straightforward, but I was pleasantly surprised at the complications that were introduced. It wasn't just rebound girl-meets-boy, but dealing with issues of self-worth and family. One couple's relationship starts in bed, and stays that way most of the movie, but I was glad to see that the other couple never sleeps together, and Kate Winslet's character is a really good character. She does an excellent acting job, and the character is realistic, with goodwill toward others. Her soft spot for her senior adult neighbor made me happy. Jack Black is still pretty over the top, lacking the subtlety that makes great actors. And Cameron Diaz isn't a favorite of mine, either, but she does an acceptable job. Kate Winslet and Jude Law carry the film. Overall, it's a good chick-flick, and I would recommend it.

Weather Wonders

July 25, 2007
1:10 pm 82 degrees
Expected high today: 90 degrees
Expected low tonight: 69 degrees

July 25, 2006
High: 98
Low: 80

And that's just the temperatures! There are loads of clouds in the sky, with a nice cool breeze. Everyone's lawns are green. The lakes are up. There's no burn ban.

What a great summer. We go biking at lunch, which I hadn't been looking forward to when summer came on, but it's been just perfect! If Texas summers were always like this, no one would ever leave!

Oh, and I've added a poll to the side column! Be sure and vote!

Doodle of the Day

The CatGenie

I got an e-mail from Petco today with a new product highlighted: the CatGenie. One reviewer equated it to the move from bedpans to today's toilets. As I sit here, my nose reminds me that today is the day to change Friday's litter. Ugh. If it weren't for the cost--$279.99 (and that's with a $90-off sale)--I think this might be a great idea. Get it while it's hot; the sale ends tomorrow!

The best spot in the house

It's funny how smart cats are. What seems to be an idiosyncrasy can end up being something very intelligent. Take, for example, where Friday sleeps. In the winter, he sleeps on the bed--day and night. He doesn't ever curl up with us, but he likes the cushy mattress and the warmth it holds. In the summer, he sleeps on the tile, where it's nice and cool. He also sleeps on the carpet right next to the tile. This didn't make sense to me for awhile, until I realized that he's actually choosing the spot not for it's fuzzy nature, but because it's next to the air intake for the air conditioner. The air intake creates a breeze, much like a fan, which we all know makes it easier to sleep. So, I'll label this with the "innovation" label, so that one day, when you're in a place with no fan, you can make sure you nap next to the air intake!

Let's Goog it

I like to check out Google Labs every once in awhile. You can find some really neat stuff that will be coming soon. And Google is happy for you to try out the new things.

One thing I've tried lately is Goog-411. It's a free phone service that will connect you to the business of your choice. It uses the Google search engine and database, which works just as quickly on the phone as on the web. I've used it twice, and you simply dial 1.800.GOOG.411. Then state the city and state, then the name of the business. An automated voice repeats back what you say. When you've confirmed that Goog 411 has found the business you need, you say, "Connect," and voila! Your phone is ringing, and the business of choice is on the other side.

This is really handy for people who have cell phones, but don't have internet access on their phones. We've used it on the way to a movie place, to check on times before we got there. It would also be good to order your food at Chili's or Applebees, who both offer curbside service. Order while you're on your way there, and pick it up on arrival. Or if you're out running errands, and need to find out if your dry cleaning is ready before wasting a detour over there. The possibilities are endless!

"Google" has become a verb. And I think "Goog" just might as well. Next time you're out and about, try Googing something, just for the heck of it.

Doodle of the Day

Surprises

I've gotten a few surprises in my garden this year! One is this beauty:
It's about 3 feet tall and the flower itself is 5 inches wide or so.

Then, because of all the rain, these came up:

And I don't remember planting these this year...I thought I planted them last year....

On the indoor front, my bonsai is making new branches!
They're bigger now than from this picture. I have three new branches. I'm glad, because with all the advances the tree has made this year, it still looks a little scraggly. New branches will be nice.

And in non-gardening news, Holly and Sophie went with us to the lake last week with our church. Here's Jon and Sophie:

Hooray for Harry!

Earlier this week, I was away from home, spending a couple of days in the office for meetings. On the first day, my battery was dead when I tried to start the car up at lunchtime. Because I was on a schedule, I rode with someone else to lunch, and worried about it the whole time. I worried because my battery had worked just fine that morning, and I hadn't left my lights on, or a door open, or anything that would drain the battery. There was no reason for it to be dead. Except...on my way into the parking lot that morning, I'd bottomed out pretty hard on the inclined driveway. Enough to make my cd skip. Then, when I turned off the car, my cd popped out of the cd player. Weird.

So that was on my mind all through lunch. Everyone was busy and in a hurry (in all the same meetings as I), so I didn't want to inconvenience someone to help me jump-start my car. But I also didn't want to wait until the end of the day, in case it was something more than a dead battery. Then I remembered that Jon takes care of me, and keeps my AAA membership up-to-date. Hooray! I called AAA, and they gave me a call when they made it to the parking lot, so I could slip out of the meeting. I explained to AAA guy what had happened that morning, and how it might be more than a dead battery. We popped the hood, and sure enough, there was a problem. The battery had corroded so badly that it had compromised the strength of one of the clamps around the battery peg. My bump on the driveway that morning had jarred the clamp off of the peg. AAA Guy used some pliers to hold the clamp on while I started the ignition. Success! Then he told me that's all he could do, and I better go to a mechanic.

I happen to have a great mechanic in town. It was where Jon and I took our clunkers all through college and beyond. So, I gave Harry the mechanic a call, and he said to come on in.

Harry is an interesting character. He's a bit of a hermit, and doesn't say any more than he has to say. He sort of smirks as we try to explain the funny sounds or vibrations our cars have made. He doesn't ask many questions, just fixes it and goes on.

When I first brought my Hyundai to him, it was before I had even bought it, and I wanted him to look it over. He did, and said it looked all right. But then he took off his hat, scratched his head, and said, "But it's a Hyundai. I've got a good Ford Taurus over there that'll last you years. I'll give it to you for a good price." Noticing that the Taurus was several years older than the Hyundai, I passed up the offer.

Through the years, I've found out very little about him. One of the few things he's said to me was, "Some people sing in the choir; I get greasy." He views his service as a mechanic to be service to the Lord, and it is. He's blessed us many times with his honesty, fair prices, and quick response. It was no different this time.

When I got there, Harry stepped aside from the other cars he was working on to take a look. After a quick assessment, he went to the back his garage, rummaged around a bit, and came back with various tools and gadgets. Within about 20 minutes, he had a new clamp on my battery, and everything worked great. He turned aside to gather his things, and I waited so we could go to the office for payment. After a few awkward moments, he looked up and mumbled, "You're welcome" in a way that said, "There's nothing left to do. Go on about your business." I tried to insist, but he refused payment.

As for the battery itself, it turns out it's the original battery, now 5 years old. Harry cleaned it really well and joked that now that we'd fixed the clamp, the battery will probably go out. But I heard him mutter under his breath, "Huh...that's a good battery...a Hyundai battery...huh!"

I made it back to my meeting in under an hour, with a car that would start and a mind much more at ease. Hooray for Harry!!

Happy Birthday Friday!!

Today is Friday's birthday! He's officially 2! That makes him about 24 in cat years! This second year has been much easier than the first, in terms of health. Now, as many of you know, he's actually even starting to get social!

Happy Birthday Kitty!!!

(Oh, and in honor of Friday's birthday, 7/11 is giving out free Slurpees!)

Doodle of the Day

Mawmaw's Wedding Photos

Here are the photos of the wedding! At least, the best 135 out of 421. :) The wedding was wonderful--very sweet. The new couple seemed to enjoy every minute of it, and everything was beautiful. I really enjoyed using the spiffy camera, too!

Geat News

HOLLY IS SAVED!!

My neighbor, whom many of you have heard me talk about, became a Christian yesterday at church! WOOHOO!!

Camp-o-Rama

Stats:
Armadillos: 7
Live armadillos: 3
Poo Conversations: 24
Deer: 50
Mosquitoes: 4
Flies: 4 thousand
S'mores: 10
water moccasin: 1
buzzards: 7
raccoons: 3

Indian Names:
Cliff: Eats Fly Smells Like Butt Wampum
Teresa: Eats Snacks Takes Naps Wampum
Jon: Growls at Inanimate Objects
Lydia: Pencil Under Shoe

So our camping trip was a whole lot of fun! Here's the run-down. (And go to Teresa's blog for another perspective and more pictures!)

It all starts with our house full of things to take camping. We push and shove most of it into our car, but some just won't fit. No worries, we think. Cliff and Teresa aren't bringing much, so we'll put the rest in their car. Not so. Cliff and Teresa arrive, and their car is as jampacked as ours. How much stuff does it take for 4 people to go camping?? A lot!! We cram most everything in and headed on our way, stopping to see Cliff's old stomping grounds and to grab some barbecue for lunch.

The campsite is really great. We have a perfect spot, near the showers and the office, and it has two trees just the right space apart for a hammock! We set up our tents, our hammock, our laundry line, and the many bins of food. Jon starts the burgers, and we enjoy the evening. We don't see many mosquitoes at all! We have our first experience with the "breezy" compost toilets.

The next morning, I wake up early, and head off to find a good spot for breakfast and Bible study. I pass the dumpster, which is guarded by several buzzards. When I get back, I head to the hammock for a nap, and then it's time for the Gorman Falls tour! Cliff stays behind to rest, but the rest of us head off. It is amazingly beautiful. The falls are spring fed, and the water is crystal clear, a far cry from the muddy Colorado.

Swimming was one of the reasons I picked this park. I found it in a list of Top 10 Texas Swimmin' Holes. There are three waterholes of spring water at the end of the park. We'd been told it was about a couple hundred yards from the office, so we start off on foot. A couple hundred yards later, we come to a gate. Figuring we misheard, we decide the "couple hundred yards" must start here. We continue. It starts raining. We don't mind so much, because we're dressed to get wet anyway, but it's hard to walk, and really not that much fun. Besides, we've definitely gone a couple hundred yards and haven't seen any sign of a spring. We find a hole in the vegetation that lines the path. Being a curious person, I poke my head in, and it's a tree whose limbs drape all the way to the ground, and vines hang down to form a canopy, and a pretty dry one at that. We duck in to wait out the rain. After awhile, Cliff heads out to see just how much further the spring really is. He doesn't come back, and a family coming from the spring lets us know that he's going to stay. We ask how much further it is, and they say, "Just beyond that tree. I'd say a couple hundred yards." The rain is slackening, so we head off.

Well, several hundred yards after that (and I mean several), we finally see the springs. They're beautiful. The water is clear blue, and floor of the pool is limestone, slick with use and algae. We have tons of fun, lazing around and exploring all the pools. We do see one water moccasin. I'm sure he is as scared of us as we are of him, but we aren't going to stick around and test it out. We enjoy more time at the main pool, then head back for hobo dinners.

By this time (Sunday evening) most people have packed up and headed home. We find out the pros and cons to that very quickly. Pros: We can go wherever we want and be as loud as we want. Cons: The flies have no one else to attract them, and we seem to be their sole food source. It's nasty.

On Monday, the rain starts around 2:00pm. Hoping it will be short and sweet like on Sunday, Jon and I wait it out under a large tree. The previous campers under that tree said it was a good cover, "just like it's not even raining." We enjoy it for about the first 2 minutes, and then we are soaking wet for the next 30. Cliff and Teresa had sought refuge in their car, and had driven around a bit. At one point, the rain stops, and we dry off enough and got in our car as well. But the rain starts up again, and eventually, we're all in one car, heading to Lampasas, an hour away, to wait it out. We decide to eat dinner there and get back just in time for bed. Our plan works just fine--it's not raining by the time we get back--except that everything in Cliff and Teresa's tent is soaked.

This poses a problem, because the forecast calls for more rain, and right now, we're down to one tent, one set of sleeping bags, one set of clothes.... We realize that C&T aren't going to get to sleep in the tent that night, so in the light of evening (and later the Coleman lamp) we pack everything up, drying it as much as we can before shoving it into the two cars. Everything's a wet mess, and our cars are in need of Febreze. We leave camp at 10:15pm, with lightening confirming our decision to go. C&T stop for the night in Waco, and we head on home. We hear an emergency announcement on the radio about tornadoes and heavy rains in the area where we left. I have a fleeting thought of the Park Ranger coming out to warn us, only to find that we've been "swept away," with not even a box of matches left behind.

We pull into our driveway at 2:15am, leaving everything in the car but what we needed that night. We both take showers in hot water, enjoying the feeling of clean, then sink into our bed about 3am.

Today, I'm glad I'm at home for my last day of vacation. We slept in, then unpacked, and we'll have the day to do laundry before I have to go back to work. It was a great vacation. We shared a ton of laughs with some of our closest friends (my stomach actually hurts from laughing!), and we made lots of memories.



To see the pictures full-size and leave comments on them, click on the Picasa link. To turn off my captions, click on the green thought bubble in the lower left-hand corner of the slideshow.

Saying Goodbye

Jon and I are getting together all the photo lab equipment I have. A professional photographer gave it to me several years ago, and I've held on to the hope of using it someday. But we keep moving it from place to place, with no real hope of having room to use it. It would require a room (with running water) all to itself, which means a very large bathroom we couldn't use for anything else, or maybe a basement. Either way, labs are dying off, and pretty soon the only supplies I'll find are the ones in my own boxes.

So...we're doing inventory today to see if I could sell it--maybe I could make enough off of it to buy a semi-professional digital camera. A new camera plus the software I already owns gives me the same quality as the boxes and boxes of chemicals, tubs, timers, lamps and beakers that I have now. Still, going through it all (and remembering how complete it is) makes me want to keep it. And, it's sad to realize that what is literally thousands of dollars worth of equipment and supplies will probably sell for a fraction of that.

As you can tell, I'm really struggling with letting it go. The man who gave it to me did so in good faith that I, an aspiring photographer, would learn and grow from it. I feel like I'm betraying his faith in me, though (if I want to rationalize) the money would be used for the same purpose. Selling it is a recognition that I can't dive into every hobby I enjoy. I loved spending hours in the darkroom in college, smelling the chemicals as I entered, and seeing the magic of a perfectly-exposed image appear on a clean white sheet of paper. I like working with my hands more than with a mouse and keyboard. And I'm a nostalgic kind of person, who can appreciate that a master has worked with this enlarger, using these tubs and tongs, to make great things.

However, I also remember the hours I spent to get one print right. Even if I did have the basement, I don't have that kind of time. And it's not a good idea to move these things around until I do.

So, despite my emotional attachment, it really must be sold. I'm already regretting it, yet at the same time I know it's the right thing to do. I can't hang on to everything. I'll still enjoy photography, only digitally. And my garage (and anyone who helps us move in the future) will thank me.

Doodle of the Day

Testing the Blogger Widget

Just testing out the Blogger widget on my dashboard. There's no place to add photos, which isn't as fun. But still a good way to jot down quick notes.

Vacation Time!

Everybody needs a vacation every once in awhile. Jon and I took a vacation in January, and really enjoyed it. But that feels like it was forever ago! The call of summer has been loud and clear. Jon being a bum all day hasn't helped. :) The problem is that 1) I'm trying to actually save vacation days, instead of having nothing left each year to roll over, and 2) a vacation that doesn't include a visit to family is expensive! So, we've decided to take a long weekend (only 2 days off work), and go camping!

Colorado Bend State Park is our destination. It's in the Hill Country of Texas, just north of Fredericksburg. (Check out that picture!) We're going to stay there three nights, the longest I've ever been camping, I'm pretty sure. There are lots of trails, waterfalls, and caves. The park was listed in the Top 10 of Texas Swimmin' Holes, so we'll definitely be swimming, as well as fishing and canoing.

The best part is that Cliff and Teresa are coming with us! A little over a year ago, we went to Austin together. It was one of the best vacations I've ever been on. This trip will be our last before they move, so I'm glad we could squeeze it in.

One thing about this trip, though, is that we'll really be roughin' it. No electricity, no normal bathrooms with showers, and water in a central location to all the sites--not at each site. When I found that out, I called Teresa to make sure that would be okay (I'm not a seasoned camper, so I would have probably backed out pretty quickly). After talking about it, we both realized we'd all been overseas and handled squatty potties; we could do this. Plus, Cliff has a portable shower. (How random is that?!) So, with the comfort of the portable shower in my mind, I made the reservations.

I only remember camping once when I was a kid. My mom made bacon, and then scrambled the eggs in the bacon fat. Yummy....I always wondered how she knew to do that, when we'd never been camping. And why we didn't go more often. My dad is a natural outdoorsman, and would camp with the Boy Scouts, but we only camped as a family that once. I also remember racoon tracks, and playing games until our eyes were blurry. That was so great.

Jon grew up camping. His family would camp all over the place, and kept their gear ready, so they could leave on a whim. Jon says they had the reputation of taking the rain with them. Walter jokes about offering to hire themselves out to drought-stricken areas--their record for rain was so good. :) That hasn't held true with our camping trips now, so it must be another member of the family who holds the curse.

We've been camping overnight twice with our class from church. Both have been really great times, and I always wish we could stay longer. Now we get to! I'm really excited. I'm looking forward to the break, and the time to spend with friends.

Did I mention that I'm the only one who has to take off work? Bums.

Fireplace Innovation

The fireplace is the least energy-efficient part of most homes. Our fireplace leaks when it's raining, so we guessed that our heat and cool air whoosh in and out as well. We decided to make an insulating board to cover up the fireplace. Jon took some measurements, we made a couple trips to Home Depot, put on a couple layers of paint and some glue, added insulation on the back and weather-stripping around the side, and voila! A pretty, yet efficient, fireplace cover.

Fabric Fabulous-ness!

Last week, KarenD and I went to Hancock Fabrics, because it was closing. I just wanted to look around, and didn't have anything in particular in mind. However, while we were browsing, I found the best fabrics! They're fun and trendy, and I thought they'd work perfectly for LMNOvations, Leanna's and my craft business. So, after sending Leanna some pictures, and talking it over, we ended up buying 45 yards of fabric. It was perfect.

So, it's been sitting in my house for a couple of days, and I realized how much I loved the fabric. It would never go in my house, because of the very traditional blue/maroon/beige flowered-y couch that we have. Then, someone suggested a very good idea to me: why not cover the couch! We've tried a slipcover before, but those things are always sloppy looking. However, if I cover it myself, and cover each cushion individually, it will not only stay in place, but also look nice. So that's the goal. And I've picked out a coordinating fabric for curtains.

KarenD saved the day today by getting the fabric for me at Hancock's. She called me at the cash register, and the girl had rung the fabric up wrong, so it was going to cost me over $100. However, Karen pulled out her haggling skills, and in the end we got a good price.

Here's the amazing part. The fabrics were originally sold at $16.95/yard. Then, because they're being discontinued, and the store was closing, we got a great price. I bought a total of 75 yards (yeah, I'll be sewing...a lot), which would have originally cost $1,376.89. How much did I spend on it?

Sixty bucks.

And half that is LMNOvations costs, so my couch and curtains are $30. Sweet.

World Market

Margie and I went to World Market a couple of weekends back. We spent 3 or 4 hours in there (we lost track), and touched literally everything they had. Are looking for something specific? Ask us, and we'll tell you if you can find it at World Market. They do have lots of international instruments, which were tons of fun (and very loud and annoying, I'm sure). Here are pics!

I'm Organized!

So today, I (finally) found my Organizing for Life book. You'll never believe where it was! Did I stick it in the refrigerator in a (not so) momentary lapse into absent-mindedness? The dresser drawer, mistaking it for a pair of socks? Maybe stashed among the pile of work that invades the table? Nope. All good guesses, but none of these places.

It was on my bookshelf! It turns out I am slightly organized, but didn't expect to be. I was looking for something different when I found it. Hooray! My quest for organization can continue!