Quick post today. Dagan and Leah are coming over after work. I am making spaghetti for dinner. Leah and I will be crafting. Dagan may or may not stick around. We might all watch a movie together while Leah and I craft, but who knows?
Funny thing--I already thawed out the hamburger and then realized that I had given away all my pasta back when I had given up wheat--chuckle! I had used up the gluten free pasta I bought and it was so bad that I hadn't ever gotten any more--hehe! Therefore, I didn't even have any of that odd textured pasta, either. So, I had to ask them to stop and pick up some spaghetti noodles on the way over. Leah said she would stop. I thought it was funny anyways. And a surprisingly long time since I made anything with pasta in it! :)
Watched Babel last night. Was a very dark weaving together of lives from different parts of the world--with a dash of love thrown in, I guess.
When an American couple (Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett) vacationing in Morocco fall victim to a random act of violence, a series of events unfolds across four countries that demonstrates both the necessity and impossibility of human communication. Director Alejandro González Iñárritu artfully weaves together three seemingly disparate stories of strangers in strange lands in this Oscar nominee for Best Picture and Golden Globe winner for Best Drama.
It was well done and the acting was excellent, but it was such a negative movie--in my opinion, anyways. Even though there were hints that people could not be as lonely as they had been--the general feeling of the film was forlorn and hopeless. Maybe other people wouldn't see it that way--but that is how it left me feeling.
Anyways, that's it--bye for now...
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Tuesday-4pm
Cold and very windy today. We even have a wind advisory till 7pm. Persistent, perpetual, pounding wind at 25-28 mph with stronger gusts up to 38 mph.
Caroline called and told me she had a meeting to go to for work and would be a little later. She came and cleaned. Karma was edgy and went under the bed when she vacuumed. She never has done that before. I think the constant sound of the wind rumbling against the building has really gotten on her last nerve today for some reason.
I cut and filed all my nails down yesterday and even put on clear polish. Worked for a long time fixing Karma's various broken pole toys up with the new black string. I forgot one on the floor last night and she had bitten the string in half and ate part of the string when I got up today. *sigh* My fault. They take a long time to mess with--forcing the string thru little holes (a couple of them have rubber capped exchangable ends)--making knots and burning off the ends so they don't unravel. Now I have one to re-do already. Oh well. Keeps me out of trouble--hehe! :)
Caroline called and told me she had a meeting to go to for work and would be a little later. She came and cleaned. Karma was edgy and went under the bed when she vacuumed. She never has done that before. I think the constant sound of the wind rumbling against the building has really gotten on her last nerve today for some reason.
I cut and filed all my nails down yesterday and even put on clear polish. Worked for a long time fixing Karma's various broken pole toys up with the new black string. I forgot one on the floor last night and she had bitten the string in half and ate part of the string when I got up today. *sigh* My fault. They take a long time to mess with--forcing the string thru little holes (a couple of them have rubber capped exchangable ends)--making knots and burning off the ends so they don't unravel. Now I have one to re-do already. Oh well. Keeps me out of trouble--hehe! :)
Monday, March 19, 2007
Monday-3pm
I missed a photo yesterday that Leah took at the Stamp Expo that demonstrates the flower punch we bought. It punches one side of the image and you fold it over for the 3D effect. On this card they did some glitter glue on the bare white paper showing from underneath. If you didn't layer it like they did here, you'd have the holes--another way to use the punch. Our new leaf punch works the same as this one does. The butterfly one we bought is a regular raised punch and cuts both sides of the butterfly--really pretty. I will try to get pictures when Leah and I make cards on Wednesday. :)
Last night I watched The Iceman Cometh--a play produced back in 1973 when Lee Marvin was in his prime and now has been transferred to DVD:
Part of the American Film Theatre series, this adaptation of Eugene O'Neill's play takes place in 1912 at a shady New York bar. Hickey (Lee Marvin) turns up annually offering free drinks and lively stories to the dismal crowd, who are surprised this time when he arrives sober with a new stance on life. Hoping to liberate the bar's regulars from their meaningless existence, Hickey instead begins questioning his newfound principles.
It was a play that made you think. The men and women (hookers) that hung around this bar were alcoholics and people more or less living at rock bottom. And as drinkers often do, they each had their own "pipe dreams" of what they would eventually do with their lives. In unspoken agreement, they all supported each other's pipe dreams. After all, if the people you know had to face the truth, you would, too. Lee Marvin comes in and wants to force each of them to face what they actually are doing with their lives and who they really are--tries to force them to step into their pipe dreams or forget them and be free of them. They couldn't actually leap in and accomplish the dreams, of course--and it was emotionally destroying them. The "pipe dreams" may well be lies they told themselves to make their lives more palatable--tolerable--but they also gave their lives hope and a last shred of dignity to cling to. Won't tell you how it ends.
But it makes you think about when you are down and out, is it better to know the absolute truth about yourself or not? Isn't it like kicking somebody when they're down? Done the way Lee Marvin did it--sure seemed like it. But, maybe it is all in the delivery? In the manner in which a person faces their demons? You cannot strip a person of hope and dignity. It hurt to watch. And then push them to make a major change they are not prepared for--and not support them--leave them to their own devices--to sink or swim on their own in alien waters. It was like Lee Marvin's character wanted them all to fail? He had his own problems, true--but his character seemed so cold and distant.
I, personally, feel that if you interfere with a person's life--that is a huge responsibility. It is one thing if somebody asks your advice or opinion, but another thing altogether to force your opinions onto somebody else. Just because one person goes through something, doesn't mean another person will have the same experience going through something similar. Everybody is different. And there was little love or kindness in Hickey. I don't know if that was the way it was supposed to be played or if that was Lee Marvin's or the director's take on it.
Anyways, today I am just washing clothes, writing letters, and pondering--hehe! :)
Last night I watched The Iceman Cometh--a play produced back in 1973 when Lee Marvin was in his prime and now has been transferred to DVD:Part of the American Film Theatre series, this adaptation of Eugene O'Neill's play takes place in 1912 at a shady New York bar. Hickey (Lee Marvin) turns up annually offering free drinks and lively stories to the dismal crowd, who are surprised this time when he arrives sober with a new stance on life. Hoping to liberate the bar's regulars from their meaningless existence, Hickey instead begins questioning his newfound principles.
It was a play that made you think. The men and women (hookers) that hung around this bar were alcoholics and people more or less living at rock bottom. And as drinkers often do, they each had their own "pipe dreams" of what they would eventually do with their lives. In unspoken agreement, they all supported each other's pipe dreams. After all, if the people you know had to face the truth, you would, too. Lee Marvin comes in and wants to force each of them to face what they actually are doing with their lives and who they really are--tries to force them to step into their pipe dreams or forget them and be free of them. They couldn't actually leap in and accomplish the dreams, of course--and it was emotionally destroying them. The "pipe dreams" may well be lies they told themselves to make their lives more palatable--tolerable--but they also gave their lives hope and a last shred of dignity to cling to. Won't tell you how it ends.
But it makes you think about when you are down and out, is it better to know the absolute truth about yourself or not? Isn't it like kicking somebody when they're down? Done the way Lee Marvin did it--sure seemed like it. But, maybe it is all in the delivery? In the manner in which a person faces their demons? You cannot strip a person of hope and dignity. It hurt to watch. And then push them to make a major change they are not prepared for--and not support them--leave them to their own devices--to sink or swim on their own in alien waters. It was like Lee Marvin's character wanted them all to fail? He had his own problems, true--but his character seemed so cold and distant.
I, personally, feel that if you interfere with a person's life--that is a huge responsibility. It is one thing if somebody asks your advice or opinion, but another thing altogether to force your opinions onto somebody else. Just because one person goes through something, doesn't mean another person will have the same experience going through something similar. Everybody is different. And there was little love or kindness in Hickey. I don't know if that was the way it was supposed to be played or if that was Lee Marvin's or the director's take on it.
Anyways, today I am just washing clothes, writing letters, and pondering--hehe! :)
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Sunday-2pm
Leah and I headed out to the Stamp Expo yesterday about 10am. Leah treated me to a cafe mocha from Atomic Coffee and she got a hot chocolate. They have a drive thru now at the new Atomic Coffee by her place and we had them fill our thermal cups! We were all set! :)
There was a Craft Fair going on at the same time this weekend so it was extra crowded. Here's a picture of the hallway in front of K&Krafts with all the demonstration tables. Kay is the one standing in the striped top (she's about a third of the way down the tables--I know it's hard to tell in a photo). We started on one end and worked our way down to the far end. If there was something we really wanted--Leah went inside and looked for it (we got the last on the shelf of two different items!) Probably only my crafty friends will be interested in a lot of these photos, but it was an exciting day! :)
The next five pictures Leah took with her camera since she can get close ups a lot easier with hers. This is actually Kay's husband doing a demonstration. Fold a paper in half and make random cuts--can be wavy or straight.
Then he colored with a brayer--one section at a time--each in a different color. Went back with tiny rubber stamps and printed on top of each section so that it looked like background paper. It is a kind of Japanese paper, piece-work effect. Can print words in Black right over the top if you want to, but it looked beautiful just framed up for the front. (Leah forgot a picture of the finished product-hehe!)
There were some really pretty watercolor effect cards. The ladies hint was to color the lightest colors first and then darker right on top with the markers. Like the flowers here--she colored them totally yellow first and then added the orange in the centers. Then you have no gaps or white spots. She says it doesn't ruin the markers--rubs right off? Have to try that.
Hint: If the stems or some other part doesn't print all the way, you can take the color you need and rub the marker on a piece of tin foil (or whatever you have for painting--plastic lid or porcelain flower palette), then use the brush that you fill with water and touch on the color--can fill in any parts of the stamp that didn't stamp right. :) Good hint! I am sure you could use a small regular paint brush, too, if you didn't have a water brush.
They showed an embossing technique. You have to buy a specific type of paper that is white on one side and colored on the other-- it is on the thin side. You emboss like you would normally--then you rub with sandpaper over the raised parts. Gives you this white outline effect.
After we finished at the Stamp Expo and did our snooping and shopping, my feet were killing me. I stayed in the car while Leah ran in here to buy some fishing line and lure attachments so that we could repair Karma's old "da bird" toy--and fix the new one if I need to in the future. A likely prospect--hehe!
There was a Craft Fair going on at the same time this weekend so it was extra crowded. Here's a picture of the hallway in front of K&Krafts with all the demonstration tables. Kay is the one standing in the striped top (she's about a third of the way down the tables--I know it's hard to tell in a photo). We started on one end and worked our way down to the far end. If there was something we really wanted--Leah went inside and looked for it (we got the last on the shelf of two different items!) Probably only my crafty friends will be interested in a lot of these photos, but it was an exciting day! :)
The next five pictures Leah took with her camera since she can get close ups a lot easier with hers. This is actually Kay's husband doing a demonstration. Fold a paper in half and make random cuts--can be wavy or straight.
Then he colored with a brayer--one section at a time--each in a different color. Went back with tiny rubber stamps and printed on top of each section so that it looked like background paper. It is a kind of Japanese paper, piece-work effect. Can print words in Black right over the top if you want to, but it looked beautiful just framed up for the front. (Leah forgot a picture of the finished product-hehe!)
There were some really pretty watercolor effect cards. The ladies hint was to color the lightest colors first and then darker right on top with the markers. Like the flowers here--she colored them totally yellow first and then added the orange in the centers. Then you have no gaps or white spots. She says it doesn't ruin the markers--rubs right off? Have to try that.
Hint: If the stems or some other part doesn't print all the way, you can take the color you need and rub the marker on a piece of tin foil (or whatever you have for painting--plastic lid or porcelain flower palette), then use the brush that you fill with water and touch on the color--can fill in any parts of the stamp that didn't stamp right. :) Good hint! I am sure you could use a small regular paint brush, too, if you didn't have a water brush.
They showed an embossing technique. You have to buy a specific type of paper that is white on one side and colored on the other-- it is on the thin side. You emboss like you would normally--then you rub with sandpaper over the raised parts. Gives you this white outline effect.
After we finished at the Stamp Expo and did our snooping and shopping, my feet were killing me. I stayed in the car while Leah ran in here to buy some fishing line and lure attachments so that we could repair Karma's old "da bird" toy--and fix the new one if I need to in the future. A likely prospect--hehe! Leah was gone for a long time--got to snooping and found some interesting items for Miss Karma--hehe! There's a photo below. I guess I didn't get these in exactly the right order. Oh well. Don't think I've ever had this many pictures!! :)
This is our bounty from K&Krafts! Leah surprised me! She had still been putting money in every month into our craft kitty since we spent it all before Christmas for card supplies. I put in $20--she didn't let me put in more than that. (Was early birthday money from Ruby! Thank you, Ruby!)
This is our bounty from K&Krafts! Leah surprised me! She had still been putting money in every month into our craft kitty since we spent it all before Christmas for card supplies. I put in $20--she didn't let me put in more than that. (Was early birthday money from Ruby! Thank you, Ruby!)The plastic container holds ribbons. We got one to try it out. I wasn't convinced it would work--but Leah was right--the ribbons did fit and it looks like it will work just fine. We could use two more for all the colors we have. There's a deckle cutter for the Cutterpede (yellow), a pad of beautiful papers, a new ink pad (called Castaway) & refill that you heat with an iron and it gives the effect of using bleach, a fancy corner punch, and three raised punches. Those of you who got Christmas cards saw the raised punch Christmas tree. I did post pictures, too, back then--part of the punch folds up so that you get a 3D effect. We have lots to play with!!
An empty bag and Karma tries to climb inside. Talk about optimistic!
Oh--we also got ten sheets of this new watercolor paper. It is made to use with the watercolor techniques--which I love to play with. :)
Here's all the stuff Leah found at the sport store! That is what took her so long (I didn't mind-BTW)--she found stuff to make toys for Karma with! Wow! She said we have to go back and snoop one day. She ran across the feathers by accident--went down the wrong aisle--and said there was a whole bunch of inexpensive weird stuff we could make toys out of for Karma! :)
We fixed up Karma's old "da bird" toy pole. The new one is the one with the feather toy on it.
Of course, it was difficult to even attempt to get a picture of them. Took many takes--hehe!
So--it was a busy day! Had lots of fun. Got lots of pictures. Hope you are all having busy, fun days, too!!!
An empty bag and Karma tries to climb inside. Talk about optimistic!
Oh--we also got ten sheets of this new watercolor paper. It is made to use with the watercolor techniques--which I love to play with. :)
Here's all the stuff Leah found at the sport store! That is what took her so long (I didn't mind-BTW)--she found stuff to make toys for Karma with! Wow! She said we have to go back and snoop one day. She ran across the feathers by accident--went down the wrong aisle--and said there was a whole bunch of inexpensive weird stuff we could make toys out of for Karma! :)
We fixed up Karma's old "da bird" toy pole. The new one is the one with the feather toy on it.
Of course, it was difficult to even attempt to get a picture of them. Took many takes--hehe!
So--it was a busy day! Had lots of fun. Got lots of pictures. Hope you are all having busy, fun days, too!!! Friday, March 16, 2007
Friday-4:30pm
I know, doesn't look that much different from last time to the naked eye, but I am as done as I am going to be. Darkened up the shadows a little and put some texture on the stems. Can only do so many washes or layers before it changes the texture and absorbtion of the watercolor paper--hehe! So--done! Finished them up yesterday!!Dagan called this afternoon. He is planning on making up a website called ShakleeRocks.com. He contacted Leah's sponsor, Renae, to make sure it was okay to use the Shaklee name--she checked--he got the okay to go ahead with it. :) He wanted me to do some online searching for information and facts about household chemicals, detergents, etc, for his website. He is going to look, too. He and Leah know that I am pretty good at surfing the web for information--hehe! Just have the time and the patience. :)
We also discussed the place that he wanted to look at in Barnesville. Has a "heated shop"--large pole building! Hummm? Might be nice for Leah's ventures--who knows? Got to start looking someplace. That is about as far away from Fargo/Moorhead as they would want to look, but at least Barnesville is right off of Interstate 94. They are taking active steps--putting it out to The Universe. And they know that they will know it when they see it and when they actually walk the land and check out the buildings. Could be a long process. We might all go and look at it next weekend. Leah is on call at Valley Video this weekend.
Tomorrow morning Leah and I are going over to the Moorhead Center Mall to K & Krafts' Stamp Expo!! They have tables in the hallway with free demos!! I take notes--hehe! And they are running a Saint Patrick's Day sale, too. If Leah gets called away--I will just stay there and snoop around till she gets back. :) Fun! Fun! Going to be a good day!!
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Thursday-4:30pm
The apartment got re-keyed yesterday. Dagan came to pick me up after work and we went and got copies made at the hardware store for him and Leah.
We set the table up for painting. Dagan worked on his miniatures. Leah worked on personalizing her Shaklee website instead. I scumbled away--playing and practicing making skies. I think I had four different looking skies during the evening, but I forgot my camera--hehe! I am gaining more confidence and getting the hang of acrylics, tho. :)
Meanwhile, we were discussing Shaklee most of the evening. We are much more enthusiastic about the cleaning products and personal products that are environmentally friendly. They make the best vitamins and supplements and, since I always take a multiple vitamin, I'll buy Shaklee--but we've been spending more on other products lately. Slowly switching over to trying to be chemical free as much as possible. It just feels so good to know you are doing your part for saving the Earth, I guess. And in the long run--Shaklee is cheaper than the stuff we were buying at the grocery store or discount store because you use so much less. That is really good in my book! Not only am I not polluting--I am saving money. I loved Shaklee when I was a kid and sold Basic-H to the neighborhood ladies because it was safe for us and plants and animals. I guess I am falling in love with it all over again 45 years later--hehe! If Dagan and Leah want to have a little business venture on the side--I am glad that it is Shaklee. :)
When Dagan and Leah went to the luncheon for and talk given by Roger Barnett this past weekend they found out that there's a seminar weekend down in Minneapolis on the very weekend that we are going down for Dagan's heart check-up! Talk about synchronisity!! So, Leah wanted to go and now Dagan wants to go, too. This way they will both know more about how everything works with the company. The seminar is kind of for new distributors, I guess. It is from 7-10pm on Friday and 8am-4:30pm on Saturday.
Me--I will be visiting with my aunt, Mary Lou. :)
But I'll be glad to hear all they have learned over the weekend. And I, personally, wouldn't hesitate to reccomend Shaklee products. With the new owner, Roger Barnett, they have gotten a breath of fresh air and are getting modernized--hehe! (The company has been basically word of mouth for over fifty years--and the packaging had still looked like it was from the 50s--hehe!) Shaklee has finally entered the 21st century--hehe! They have entered the world of the Internet and have made it so that you can just buy directly online! Cool! You can just click on Leah's website to place an order and have it shipped right to your home--don't have to deal with salespeople or having parties or anything like that. Cool! I added her website address on to my email signature, but I wanted to post it in here, too. :) http://www.shaklee.net/leahmcgregor/
We set the table up for painting. Dagan worked on his miniatures. Leah worked on personalizing her Shaklee website instead. I scumbled away--playing and practicing making skies. I think I had four different looking skies during the evening, but I forgot my camera--hehe! I am gaining more confidence and getting the hang of acrylics, tho. :)
Meanwhile, we were discussing Shaklee most of the evening. We are much more enthusiastic about the cleaning products and personal products that are environmentally friendly. They make the best vitamins and supplements and, since I always take a multiple vitamin, I'll buy Shaklee--but we've been spending more on other products lately. Slowly switching over to trying to be chemical free as much as possible. It just feels so good to know you are doing your part for saving the Earth, I guess. And in the long run--Shaklee is cheaper than the stuff we were buying at the grocery store or discount store because you use so much less. That is really good in my book! Not only am I not polluting--I am saving money. I loved Shaklee when I was a kid and sold Basic-H to the neighborhood ladies because it was safe for us and plants and animals. I guess I am falling in love with it all over again 45 years later--hehe! If Dagan and Leah want to have a little business venture on the side--I am glad that it is Shaklee. :)
When Dagan and Leah went to the luncheon for and talk given by Roger Barnett this past weekend they found out that there's a seminar weekend down in Minneapolis on the very weekend that we are going down for Dagan's heart check-up! Talk about synchronisity!! So, Leah wanted to go and now Dagan wants to go, too. This way they will both know more about how everything works with the company. The seminar is kind of for new distributors, I guess. It is from 7-10pm on Friday and 8am-4:30pm on Saturday.
Me--I will be visiting with my aunt, Mary Lou. :)
But I'll be glad to hear all they have learned over the weekend. And I, personally, wouldn't hesitate to reccomend Shaklee products. With the new owner, Roger Barnett, they have gotten a breath of fresh air and are getting modernized--hehe! (The company has been basically word of mouth for over fifty years--and the packaging had still looked like it was from the 50s--hehe!) Shaklee has finally entered the 21st century--hehe! They have entered the world of the Internet and have made it so that you can just buy directly online! Cool! You can just click on Leah's website to place an order and have it shipped right to your home--don't have to deal with salespeople or having parties or anything like that. Cool! I added her website address on to my email signature, but I wanted to post it in here, too. :) http://www.shaklee.net/leahmcgregor/
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Wednesday-11:30am
It was really warm for a few days and almost all the snow is gone, but neither Karma nor I were prepared for the thrills last night. A fly came in with her from the porch! ?? A fly--the beginning of March! She spends all summer trying to catch flies and eat them. She hasn't seen one since last fall, so this was truly beyond exciting for her--and baffling to me.
The fly was slow on its feet but crawled around on the ceiling and inside the hanging lamp. Karma was on cat point and telling me all about it with low gutteral sounds. Our unexpected visitor kept her mesmerized for a long, long time. I finally couldn't torture her any longer and got the fly swatter out. I tried to beat Karma to the body, but she can be surprisingly quick and agile when she wants to be. Was--literally--a little taste of spring for Karma yesterday. :)
The fly was slow on its feet but crawled around on the ceiling and inside the hanging lamp. Karma was on cat point and telling me all about it with low gutteral sounds. Our unexpected visitor kept her mesmerized for a long, long time. I finally couldn't torture her any longer and got the fly swatter out. I tried to beat Karma to the body, but she can be surprisingly quick and agile when she wants to be. Was--literally--a little taste of spring for Karma yesterday. :)
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Tuesday-3:15pm
This is me trying to watch the movie last night. Karma wanted to cuddle. When I say she sits on me--she sits on me! hehe! Right on my chest. I have to look over her back and try not to get stray cat hairs in my mouth or up my nose--hehe!
If I quit petting or scratching her she bends her head way back to try to get my attention. If that doesn't work she'll "talk" to me about her neglect.
We were watching Stranger Than Fiction--and I loved it! The writer in me was fascinated, of course, but you kept wondering how they were going to end the movie!?
As a novelist (Emma Thompson) struggles with how to kill off her main character, IRS auditor Harold Crick (Will Ferrell) begins hearing her narration in his head and realizes he must prevent his own death. Crick's world turns upside down, and it's a life-or-death situation as he tries to persuade best-selling author Kay Eiffel to change the ending of her novel. Maggie Gyllenhaal, Dustin Hoffman and Queen Latifah lead the fine supporting cast.
Will Ferrell was so good in this--but it was not like anything else he's done. He was very restrained, subdued, and gave a very thoughtful performance. The commercials show him yelling at "the narrator"--but he only does that a couple times in the movie--raise his voice. If people were expecting a usual Will Ferrell performance they might be disappointed, I suppose--but I really liked him in this. I think there is much more potential in him as an actor. I am always glad to see actors break out of the restraints of the expected. Emma Thompson is always good--this was a quite darker character for her than I have normally seen. I always love Dustin Hoffman! Everybody was good! I thought the movie was quite charming and entertaining. And it had you wondering up until the very end what was actually going to happen.
It was 46 degrees yesterday! All the snow is melting and there are puddles everywhere. I heard that it was 80 degrees in South Dakota?? Such crazy weather! But it sure is nice. Gives you Spring Fever!! :) I know you are loving it, Mary Lou!! hehe!
If I quit petting or scratching her she bends her head way back to try to get my attention. If that doesn't work she'll "talk" to me about her neglect.
We were watching Stranger Than Fiction--and I loved it! The writer in me was fascinated, of course, but you kept wondering how they were going to end the movie!?As a novelist (Emma Thompson) struggles with how to kill off her main character, IRS auditor Harold Crick (Will Ferrell) begins hearing her narration in his head and realizes he must prevent his own death. Crick's world turns upside down, and it's a life-or-death situation as he tries to persuade best-selling author Kay Eiffel to change the ending of her novel. Maggie Gyllenhaal, Dustin Hoffman and Queen Latifah lead the fine supporting cast.
Will Ferrell was so good in this--but it was not like anything else he's done. He was very restrained, subdued, and gave a very thoughtful performance. The commercials show him yelling at "the narrator"--but he only does that a couple times in the movie--raise his voice. If people were expecting a usual Will Ferrell performance they might be disappointed, I suppose--but I really liked him in this. I think there is much more potential in him as an actor. I am always glad to see actors break out of the restraints of the expected. Emma Thompson is always good--this was a quite darker character for her than I have normally seen. I always love Dustin Hoffman! Everybody was good! I thought the movie was quite charming and entertaining. And it had you wondering up until the very end what was actually going to happen.
It was 46 degrees yesterday! All the snow is melting and there are puddles everywhere. I heard that it was 80 degrees in South Dakota?? Such crazy weather! But it sure is nice. Gives you Spring Fever!! :) I know you are loving it, Mary Lou!! hehe!
Monday, March 12, 2007
Monday-3pm
Since Karma had liked climbing inside of the Jerry's box when I had stacked the excess packing paper on top of it--I took the other box, cut it up, made a top for the Jerry's box, and taped it on. Draped a towel over it to make it more private, I thought--but Karma took it as an invitation to lay on top of it and not inside. I told her she was too heavy. It collapsed. (Scared Miss Gracie half to death, but it gave me the giggles for a long time!) Last night before I went to bed I taped it up again--thinking she had learned her lesson.
This morning--here she is showing me and telling me all about what happened--hoping I would fix her collapsible toy again--no way!
Went over to Dagan and Leah's yesterday afternoon. First we worked on Healing Touch techniques. I have already taught them some of the methods over the past few years, but we finished going thru all of the First Level yesterday! Now, we will just keep practicing those techniques. I left the book there so that Dagan and Leah can work on each other. It was nice to see my massage table up again. Been a long time. The rose colored bolsters (for knees--helps the lower back when you are lying flat for a long time) are the color of the actual table top.
Dagan and Leah being silly!
Then we had Sacred Circle--but, once again, got to discussing plans and ideas for such a long time that we never did the angel cards. That was okay. They came up with a great idea. At 5:30pm every day we will all think/visualize about what it will feel like when we have the place in the country--Leah's pottery/woodworking/glasswork/etc--Dagan eventually working from home/web sites/building computers/etc--my arts & crafts/spiritual/energy work/writing/etc. All of which would overlap, of course. We are actively applying positive thinking and visualization and intention. Great idea. :) So they set their cell phone alarms and I have an alarm set here in the living room. Even if we take five minutes--doing that every day and all at the same time--who knows?? :)
We had a great time yesterday! And on Wednesday we will get together to paint. Dagan says he will work on his miniatures. I am not sure if Leah will paint or not, but I want to get back to practicing my scumbling--hehe! :)
This morning--here she is showing me and telling me all about what happened--hoping I would fix her collapsible toy again--no way!
Went over to Dagan and Leah's yesterday afternoon. First we worked on Healing Touch techniques. I have already taught them some of the methods over the past few years, but we finished going thru all of the First Level yesterday! Now, we will just keep practicing those techniques. I left the book there so that Dagan and Leah can work on each other. It was nice to see my massage table up again. Been a long time. The rose colored bolsters (for knees--helps the lower back when you are lying flat for a long time) are the color of the actual table top. 
Dagan and Leah being silly! 
Then we had Sacred Circle--but, once again, got to discussing plans and ideas for such a long time that we never did the angel cards. That was okay. They came up with a great idea. At 5:30pm every day we will all think/visualize about what it will feel like when we have the place in the country--Leah's pottery/woodworking/glasswork/etc--Dagan eventually working from home/web sites/building computers/etc--my arts & crafts/spiritual/energy work/writing/etc. All of which would overlap, of course. We are actively applying positive thinking and visualization and intention. Great idea. :) So they set their cell phone alarms and I have an alarm set here in the living room. Even if we take five minutes--doing that every day and all at the same time--who knows?? :) 
We had a great time yesterday! And on Wednesday we will get together to paint. Dagan says he will work on his miniatures. I am not sure if Leah will paint or not, but I want to get back to practicing my scumbling--hehe! :)Saturday, March 10, 2007
Saturday-3:30pm
The Jerry's Artarame order arrived UPS in the afternoon yesterday. Here's the pastel wooden drawer unit I got on sale--$19.99!! I really wondered if I could fit all my pastels in there?
This is how more expensive brushes arrive, I guess--very protected. The Isabey 6701 is a special brush for detailing. Can't see it very well, but there is a separate thin cluster of bristles that protrudes from the center of the brush. Supposed to be able to use the main part of the brush as like a resevoir so that you can do fine lines for a longer period of time without having to constantly be going back for more paint. I will have to try it and see how it works! The middle brush with the plastic dome is an A2 Arches kolinsky size 4 . The top item is a canvas scraper. I've seen them used on PBS painting programs so many times to scrape in grasses, twigs, and leaf veins--finally got one of my own. This was the Jerry's order.
Karma immediately tried to crawl into the empty pastel drawer box, of course. She's way too big for that little box but that doesn't stop her from trying!
I worked on reorganizing the pastels most of the afternoon. I did manage to get all these containers of pastels into the new drawers!!
Bottom: oil pastels. Middle: regular and harder pastels. Top: soft pastels. They held a lot more than I thought they would!! :) Very happy I finally got them!!
The Dick Blick FedEx order arrived also late yesterday. Graphite transfer paper, the cake brush cleaner for watercolors and acrylics, and the set of Triplus fineliner pens from Germany. I was worried about the pens--if I would like them--but they're awesome!! I love very fine lined pens (.03) and these are great and have a hard tip that won't spread. Supposed to be able to leave them uncapped for days and they won't dry out?? Made by Staedtler. I have lots of colors to play with--can actually use them to write letters or on cards or whatever--cool!
The bigger box that the Jerry's order came in was an instant hit with Karma. She exhausted herself and fell asleep in there.
Leah volunteered to come over after work to do some Healing Touch on me. (I have been so tired and felt like I was getting sick.) First she took the side off of my computer and vacummed and used canned air to blow it out for me, too. A little tender loving care never hurt, right? And it was dusty and probably had cat hair in there. Trying all the little things to keep this computer going. :)
This is how more expensive brushes arrive, I guess--very protected. The Isabey 6701 is a special brush for detailing. Can't see it very well, but there is a separate thin cluster of bristles that protrudes from the center of the brush. Supposed to be able to use the main part of the brush as like a resevoir so that you can do fine lines for a longer period of time without having to constantly be going back for more paint. I will have to try it and see how it works! The middle brush with the plastic dome is an A2 Arches kolinsky size 4 . The top item is a canvas scraper. I've seen them used on PBS painting programs so many times to scrape in grasses, twigs, and leaf veins--finally got one of my own. This was the Jerry's order.
Karma immediately tried to crawl into the empty pastel drawer box, of course. She's way too big for that little box but that doesn't stop her from trying!
I worked on reorganizing the pastels most of the afternoon. I did manage to get all these containers of pastels into the new drawers!!
Bottom: oil pastels. Middle: regular and harder pastels. Top: soft pastels. They held a lot more than I thought they would!! :) Very happy I finally got them!!
The Dick Blick FedEx order arrived also late yesterday. Graphite transfer paper, the cake brush cleaner for watercolors and acrylics, and the set of Triplus fineliner pens from Germany. I was worried about the pens--if I would like them--but they're awesome!! I love very fine lined pens (.03) and these are great and have a hard tip that won't spread. Supposed to be able to leave them uncapped for days and they won't dry out?? Made by Staedtler. I have lots of colors to play with--can actually use them to write letters or on cards or whatever--cool!
The bigger box that the Jerry's order came in was an instant hit with Karma. She exhausted herself and fell asleep in there.
Leah volunteered to come over after work to do some Healing Touch on me. (I have been so tired and felt like I was getting sick.) First she took the side off of my computer and vacummed and used canned air to blow it out for me, too. A little tender loving care never hurt, right? And it was dusty and probably had cat hair in there. Trying all the little things to keep this computer going. :)Anyways, Leah asked me--"Why do you want to be a day person?" Stopped me in my tracks.
I have always been a night person--ever since I can remember. Other people have always seemed to judge me negatively because of it, I guess. It is like you are out of sync with the rest of the world--the "normal" world. It makes it difficult when you are working or when I went to college. You're always trying to adjust the world to your schedule by getting evening or graveyard shift jobs, making afternoon appointments, scheduling afternoon or evening classes, etc, etc. It probably didn't help me with my relationships/marriages. And taking care of kids or baby critters...etc, etc.... You have to adjust your inner clock all the time. I have spent my whole life trying to adapt to the day world.
But--like Leah said--what difference does it make right now? I can do like I've been doing--just set the alarm to make sure I am up when I have appointments or things to do--and then make up for any lack of sleep over the next couple days. I don't make much noise being up during the night and have the TV on low--nobody has ever complained. I have no job to go to or classes to be at or kids to take care of or husband to please--hehe! I can just follow my own rhythms and live as I please. True! Even Miss Gracie (who is the only one around here who kind of prefers days-hehe!) has adapted to my crazy hours. Has lived with me for years now. She never makes a sound until she hears I am up. A bird! She was meant to be mine. All my birds have always adjusted to my irratic hours, when I think about it. And cats--hey--they love the nighttime!
I had been getting very little sleep (for me) for the past couple weeks and was kind of fading away. So--last night--no alarm--I slept 12 hours!! Feel better than I have for days--throat still sore, tho. Anyways--I am officially declaring that I am a night person and I am done fighting with myself about it! Trying to force myself to be otherwise was literally making me sick--hehe! I have been feeling so tired and off and unwell that I didn't even make it to meet Roger Barnett today. Dagan and Leah went. We had gotten invited to a luncheon with him (new Shaklee president) before the free talk he was giving from 2-4pm. I will hear all about it tomorrow from Dagan and Leah---if I am feeling up to going over to their place for Sacred Circle. I thought it was next Sunday, but it is this Sunday that Leah was off at Valley Video, her second job.
I had been getting very little sleep (for me) for the past couple weeks and was kind of fading away. So--last night--no alarm--I slept 12 hours!! Feel better than I have for days--throat still sore, tho. Anyways--I am officially declaring that I am a night person and I am done fighting with myself about it! Trying to force myself to be otherwise was literally making me sick--hehe! I have been feeling so tired and off and unwell that I didn't even make it to meet Roger Barnett today. Dagan and Leah went. We had gotten invited to a luncheon with him (new Shaklee president) before the free talk he was giving from 2-4pm. I will hear all about it tomorrow from Dagan and Leah---if I am feeling up to going over to their place for Sacred Circle. I thought it was next Sunday, but it is this Sunday that Leah was off at Valley Video, her second job.
That's the news from Fargo. So--once again--my friends and family--don't call me before noon! hehe! :)
Friday, March 09, 2007
Friday-1pm
I can't believe it! After the guy came and worked on the Internet connection yesterday and I got back online I was able to get on to Sparks again for the first time in over a month! I went on and winnowed down my teams, wrote back to people who wondered where I was, left a message on my blog, and thought I would be able to get back to Sparks again. Now this morning I cannot access it again and I have gotten three sparkmails that I can't open!!!! This is soooo weird!!! Why? Why can't I get on to that particular website? I have no problem getting on anyplace else that I know of? This is so strange!! Makes no sense at all??? That dang "this page cannot be displayed" page comes up--whether I go to www.sparkpeople.com or try to answer mail from Sparks or try to click on the emails for the latest postings on my teams??? Can't open a Sparks page for the life of me. Why did it work last night? Computers!! I had especially have missed the craft ladies and my old hippy friends on Sparks....oh well. It feels like getting voted off of the island!
Well, other than that bizarre malfunctioning returning--the computer seems to be working fine and I am not getting bumped offline.
I have been painting for the past few days. Am closer to the color I wanted for the petals--getting closer to being done. They didn't turn out like I wanted them to, but I keep getting closer to what I imagine the more I practice, I guess.
My neck swelled up again on the right side a couple days ago. I did some Healing Touch on it and it went back down--just a little swelling left. That happened a few times several years ago. Neither the doctor nor the dentist could tell me exactly what it was. The doctor figured it was swollen lymph nodes--odd ones--not the usual neck place. Happened when the new young chiropractor was working on the back of my neck/head that time this last summer, too? I could have a low grade infection, I suppose?
I have been dragging myself around due to the trying to be a day person (been setting the alarm) and yet being awake and up at night--not getting a lot of sleep the past two weeks. I guess, deep down, I can't let go of believing I am a night person--still working on that.
Anyways, Leah offered to come over after work and do some Healing Touch on me. And she can take the side off the computer and blow the dust out of it with one of those cans of air--see if that helps any? What the heck--it can't hurt. I probably have the white stuff inside of there for all I know--from the weird humidifier, remember?
I should get one of my art supply orders today. Scheduled for delivery yesterday and it never arrived. ?
Really warm out there today and the snow is melting. 38 degrees right now! So nice out--Karma has spent a lot of time out on the porch on her TV tray. :) But right this moment she has her head practically on the keyboard. She's just chilly from being outside and is waiting for me to get off the computer and sit in my chair so she can come and sit on me and warm up--hehe! But--I am off to check the mail...hehe! She will have to wait. :)
Well, other than that bizarre malfunctioning returning--the computer seems to be working fine and I am not getting bumped offline.
I have been painting for the past few days. Am closer to the color I wanted for the petals--getting closer to being done. They didn't turn out like I wanted them to, but I keep getting closer to what I imagine the more I practice, I guess.
My neck swelled up again on the right side a couple days ago. I did some Healing Touch on it and it went back down--just a little swelling left. That happened a few times several years ago. Neither the doctor nor the dentist could tell me exactly what it was. The doctor figured it was swollen lymph nodes--odd ones--not the usual neck place. Happened when the new young chiropractor was working on the back of my neck/head that time this last summer, too? I could have a low grade infection, I suppose?
I have been dragging myself around due to the trying to be a day person (been setting the alarm) and yet being awake and up at night--not getting a lot of sleep the past two weeks. I guess, deep down, I can't let go of believing I am a night person--still working on that.
Anyways, Leah offered to come over after work and do some Healing Touch on me. And she can take the side off the computer and blow the dust out of it with one of those cans of air--see if that helps any? What the heck--it can't hurt. I probably have the white stuff inside of there for all I know--from the weird humidifier, remember?
I should get one of my art supply orders today. Scheduled for delivery yesterday and it never arrived. ?
Really warm out there today and the snow is melting. 38 degrees right now! So nice out--Karma has spent a lot of time out on the porch on her TV tray. :) But right this moment she has her head practically on the keyboard. She's just chilly from being outside and is waiting for me to get off the computer and sit in my chair so she can come and sit on me and warm up--hehe! But--I am off to check the mail...hehe! She will have to wait. :)
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Thursday-4:30pm
The critter order came yesterday. Everybody got something special. Miss Gracie got her new, larger, and much gaudier mirror. She was afriad of it for like 5 minutes--till she saw the glint of her boyfriend's eye--hehe!
The fish even got a little something-something, too.
Karma was very interested in the new bouncy toy with a little ball on one end (even tho it doesn't bounce very well) until "da bird" came out of the package!
She cried and made those I-want-to-kill-it noises in her throat. I made her race around...
...leap and spin...
..until she was panting and so tired she couldn't get up off the floor!
We did it again today, of course. And then I put it away. I don't want her biting the string off like she did with the first one she had when she was a kitten. We've tied other things on to the first pole with string ever since, but it is not the same. They use a fishing wire and I think a lure clip. I also bought Karma the three extra toys, too, for "da bird", but the feathers are her favorite. I am not sure if it is a good idea for her to be chomping on feathers. When she was a kitten I took the feather toy off and used something else. But, since she knows Miss Gracie is a part of the family now--I will take my chances. Karma never goes after Gracie when she hits the floor like she goes after this toy--so I believe they will still be okay. Gracie landed on the floor today, as a matter of fact, and Karma just came close to her and stared--like usual.
The fish even got a little something-something, too.
Karma was very interested in the new bouncy toy with a little ball on one end (even tho it doesn't bounce very well) until "da bird" came out of the package!
She cried and made those I-want-to-kill-it noises in her throat. I made her race around...
...leap and spin...
..until she was panting and so tired she couldn't get up off the floor!
We did it again today, of course. And then I put it away. I don't want her biting the string off like she did with the first one she had when she was a kitten. We've tied other things on to the first pole with string ever since, but it is not the same. They use a fishing wire and I think a lure clip. I also bought Karma the three extra toys, too, for "da bird", but the feathers are her favorite. I am not sure if it is a good idea for her to be chomping on feathers. When she was a kitten I took the feather toy off and used something else. But, since she knows Miss Gracie is a part of the family now--I will take my chances. Karma never goes after Gracie when she hits the floor like she goes after this toy--so I believe they will still be okay. Gracie landed on the floor today, as a matter of fact, and Karma just came close to her and stared--like usual.Yesterday afternoon I lost the Internet--off and on, mostly off--all evening. This morning--same thing. So, I called Dagan. He had me unplug and plug in the router first--and that was okay. So, then I called Cable One Net and they had a guy come out this afternoon. He did find some connector downstairs in the building that was really poor and my connection was better after he replaced it. Everything checked out with the cable company--so now, if I have troubles again--it is probably my modem or the internet card. BUT--funny--once he got everything working okay--then Yahoo was down! I could get everyplace else on the Internet, but not Yahoo. So, right now--I thought I'd blog the pictures since I can't check my email--hehe! Always something, eh?
I watched the end of season two of Carnivale yesterday:
Daniel Knauf's rivetingly creepy series continues to document the adventures of a motley crew of carnies who've made the Oklahoma Dustbowl their home in the 1930s. This season, Ben Hawkins (Nick Stahl) faces up to the fact that he may have been bestowed supernatural powers by a force he doesn't quite recognize. But that's not all that's happening in this strange town where the strange trumps the ordinary and wickedness permeates every event.
They didn't know they were being cancelled, so the battle between good and evil was still in progress. Was such a compelling show--too bad they didn't get to end it properly. I am still glad I watched it and was glued to each episode.
Last night I watched a very uplifting little movie called Saint Ralph:
Ralph (Adam Butcher) is a typical teenager with atypical questions, the largest of which concerns his mother. She's fallen into a coma, and the 14-year-old has set his sights on winning the 1954 Boston Marathon in a makeshift barter with God to make his mother well. His teacher, Father Hibbert (Campbell Scott), wants to encourage his dream, but in doing so, he goes up against the reserved, ever-realistic Father Fitzpatrick (Gordon Pinsent).
Well, I hope that I can post this blog and get to my email some time tonight. :)
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Wednesday-noon
This beautiful angel cup I got from my folks! It actually sits behind the two I showed you yesterday, but I pulled it out so I could get a better shot of it. This one is the "open for grabs" cup. All the time Dagan was growing up with me (and my cups of pens--hehe!) there was always one cup that he could use all of the pens and pencils from. The rest were off limits without asking. He prefers ball points--being left handed--so he didn't care much for most of my assorted pens, anyways. Even now, tho, when he is over--he still has a cup he can find a ball point pen in--hehe!The rest of the day slipped by quickly. Got all the clothes washed and the bed made. Played with Karma and Gracie. Watched another Carnivale DVD. Cleaned up the table a bit by the window. Changed Gracie's newspapers. Putter--putter...just an ordinary day. :)
Have a good one!!
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Tuesday-3pm
Back to angels. Finally took some more pictures. See the angel pen in the "Rita" mug? Got her from my aunt Mary Lou. I may have gotten the Rita mug from her, too, come to think of it. :) The Rita mug has permanent markers. The African Grey mug has my calligraphy pens. I have so many different mugs full of pens around here--hehe! Yesterday I baked chocolate chip cookies. I guess I am out of practice--hehe! Been a long, long time. I messed up something in the ingedients or my baking soda has seen better days--better years! They were very flat cookies--hehe! Edible--but I hope they turn out better next time. Time for new baking soda and baking powder if I am going to start baking again, I guess. And maybe I was doing too much dancing around while I was making them--or didn't add enough flour? It has been too long for me to be trying to bake by guess work like I used to--a little of this and a little of that and not measuring. It is not like riding a bicycle. Oh well. I'll eat them. Karma begs for little pieces--so they can't be that bad. :)
I watched a pretty dumb movie last night called The Godfather of Green Bay:
Determined to make it to the Midwest for a life-changing audition with a "Tonight Show" talent scout, stand-up comedian Joe Keegan (writer-director Pete Schwaba) leaves the glare of Los Angeles behind and heads for the rural town of Pine Lake, Wis. But the characters he meets along the way are almost funnier than his act. Lauren Holly, Tony Goldwyn and Thomas Lennon co-star in this good-natured poke at small-town living.
Sounded better than it was. Got it because I lived in Green Bay for three years once. I loved the scenery--what they did show of Wisconsin. But it wasn't a very good movie. I've been pretty lucky picking odd and obscure movies--but my luck didn't hold up for this one. Pretty silly and pointless.
Caroline was just here and cleaned. I am now washing clothes. Have another DVD of Carnivale to watch this afternoon. Karma is cryng to come in--tired of playing and eating snow, I guess. Gotta go--:)
Monday, March 05, 2007
Monday-11:45am
Well, it's Monday and I decided that I need to get back in gear. Get out the exercise tape again today. Get back in the swing of things. It is soooo easy for me to get out of a schedule being home 24/7. I have been slipping back into being up later and sleeping later, so today I set the alarm and will just have to continue to do that, I guess.
I worked on the paintings last night, too. Got in another couple layers. More to go yet, but they are taking shape okay.
Karma spent some time outside. I put the old TV tray and the old bath mat that I gave to her and she was delighted. That is where she spends a lot of time in the summer.
She loves to sit and gaze outside and feel the wind. But when I tried to take a picture of her, every time I opened the door she sat up and asked me what I was doing--hehe! So I didn't get a picture of her curled up and peeking over the railing--her usual position as neighborhood spy.
I heard on the news that they are tracking UND students for downloading music illegally on the campus computers. I guess the North Dakota students are high up on the list of the most illegal downloads? I wonder what they will do to them? Fines, I would imagine. Anyways, I was surprised that they actually do track down some of the music theft.
I worked on the paintings last night, too. Got in another couple layers. More to go yet, but they are taking shape okay.
Karma spent some time outside. I put the old TV tray and the old bath mat that I gave to her and she was delighted. That is where she spends a lot of time in the summer.
She loves to sit and gaze outside and feel the wind. But when I tried to take a picture of her, every time I opened the door she sat up and asked me what I was doing--hehe! So I didn't get a picture of her curled up and peeking over the railing--her usual position as neighborhood spy.
I heard on the news that they are tracking UND students for downloading music illegally on the campus computers. I guess the North Dakota students are high up on the list of the most illegal downloads? I wonder what they will do to them? Fines, I would imagine. Anyways, I was surprised that they actually do track down some of the music theft.It's a beautiful day here with the sun glinting off the snow. Have a great day!
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Sunday-12:30pm
CashWise delivered my groceries yesterday and brought me the wrong coffee again. Brought me the sugar free which doesn't even dissolve and tastes terrible--hehe! I called and they were supposed to bring me an exchange for the right items I ordered or call me. Never showed up. I called them again this morning and the lady said my exchange would be on the 12-2pm deliveries--and they'd call me if they were out. Never got a call--so the exchange must be on the way?
I made the critter order and two smaller art supply orders--have $1.70 left for the month--hehe! Just the way things typically are each month--chuckle! I am excited about the things that will be coming. I did get Miss Karma "da bird" wand and the extra toys for it--she will be thrilled!! And got her some special cat oils and a gravy with vitamins for her dry skin. Miss Gracie is getting her new bigger mirror for the top of her playpen. I needed graphite transfer paper and brush cleaner soap. My treat--I got a pastel wooden three drawer unit that I have been looking at for a long time--on sale for $19.99!! tada!
I watched two movies yesterday--opposites on the same topic--God. The one was Jesus Camp--a documentary on the evangelical Christians and how they are training their kids to be soldiers for God. Was the scariest movie I have seen in many years. I ordered it because of hearing about it on the Acedemy Awards. It was up for best documentary and was beaten by An Inconvenient Truth about global warming (loved that movie--scary, too--but in a different way). The main lady preacher that they followed in Jesus Camp runs a bible camp near Devil's Lake, North Dakota and also goes around the MidWest preaching to the evengelical kids. They are quite political and were very happy with President Bush these last few years, of course. I didn't realize that 75% of the kids that are home-schooled in the United States are evangelicals. And they are being taught that global warming is just a political scare tactic and evolution is a lie, etc. These kids are indoctrinated 24/7--they minister to strangers to save souls, protest and pray outside abortion clinics, pray outside the Supreme Court for a reversal of Roe/Wade, pass out tracts outside stadiums, talk in tongues, prophesy, preach, and talk with God all the time...and they know exactly what God believes is right and wrong and who God approves of and who he doesn't, I tell you. It was definitely a peek into the far religious right's homes and churches. There was even a little with Ted Haggard--the head of the evangelican churches until recently (he was caught with a male prostitute or something like that?). The movie was made before all that happened, tho--but I thought he seemed a little "off" and was so hyper, silly, and inappropriate or disconnected? The evengelicals are, in general, obviously sincere and may have the best of intentions--but I don't agree with them.
This riveting Oscar-nominated documentary offers an unfiltered look at a revivalist subculture where devout Christian youngsters are being primed to deliver the fundamentalist community's religious and political messages. Building an evangelical army of tomorrow, the Kids on Fire summer camp in Devil's Lake, N.D., is dedicated to deepening the preteens' spirituality and sowing the seeds of political activism as they're exhorted to "take back America for Christ."
Then I watched Conversations With God. A totally opposite point of view in many ways--but he was carrying on personal conversations with God, too--hehe! This movie was about author Neale Walsch's life. He was played by an actor and the movie only covered the time from his car accident and subsequent loss of all his earthly possessions. Neale ended up living in a tent in a camp park and dumpster diving! The movie didn't try to push you into believing he talks to God or not believing it--just presented his life and what happened to him as he experienced it. I enjoyed the movie. I read his book many years ago--maybe ten years ago now. I guess I should re-read it again when I get it back from Duane. :) I even have four more of the books from the series (from a book club I was in back then) that I never got around to reading. One of the reasons I ordered the movie--I knew after watching it that I'd want to read all the books. Do I believe he chats with God and has long conversations? I believe he believes it--and maybe it is true. From what I remember, all the things he had to say were very positive and loving--so I can't see what is wrong with spreading that around. I am more interested in the content than the messenger, I guess. :)
Based on the best-selling autobiographical series by Neale Donald Walsch, this film traces the author's journey from an ever-struggling, hopeless shell of a man to a world-renowned author and spiritual messenger. Lonely, broke and uninspired, Walsch finds himself asking the heavens for answers to his problems. When he begins to hear responses from the God within himself, these answers change his life and become the basis for his first book.
Meanwhile--the right coffee came while I was writing!! tada! So, I am going to go right now and make a nice hot mug of my french vanilla coffee!!
I made the critter order and two smaller art supply orders--have $1.70 left for the month--hehe! Just the way things typically are each month--chuckle! I am excited about the things that will be coming. I did get Miss Karma "da bird" wand and the extra toys for it--she will be thrilled!! And got her some special cat oils and a gravy with vitamins for her dry skin. Miss Gracie is getting her new bigger mirror for the top of her playpen. I needed graphite transfer paper and brush cleaner soap. My treat--I got a pastel wooden three drawer unit that I have been looking at for a long time--on sale for $19.99!! tada!
I watched two movies yesterday--opposites on the same topic--God. The one was Jesus Camp--a documentary on the evangelical Christians and how they are training their kids to be soldiers for God. Was the scariest movie I have seen in many years. I ordered it because of hearing about it on the Acedemy Awards. It was up for best documentary and was beaten by An Inconvenient Truth about global warming (loved that movie--scary, too--but in a different way). The main lady preacher that they followed in Jesus Camp runs a bible camp near Devil's Lake, North Dakota and also goes around the MidWest preaching to the evengelical kids. They are quite political and were very happy with President Bush these last few years, of course. I didn't realize that 75% of the kids that are home-schooled in the United States are evangelicals. And they are being taught that global warming is just a political scare tactic and evolution is a lie, etc. These kids are indoctrinated 24/7--they minister to strangers to save souls, protest and pray outside abortion clinics, pray outside the Supreme Court for a reversal of Roe/Wade, pass out tracts outside stadiums, talk in tongues, prophesy, preach, and talk with God all the time...and they know exactly what God believes is right and wrong and who God approves of and who he doesn't, I tell you. It was definitely a peek into the far religious right's homes and churches. There was even a little with Ted Haggard--the head of the evangelican churches until recently (he was caught with a male prostitute or something like that?). The movie was made before all that happened, tho--but I thought he seemed a little "off" and was so hyper, silly, and inappropriate or disconnected? The evengelicals are, in general, obviously sincere and may have the best of intentions--but I don't agree with them.
This riveting Oscar-nominated documentary offers an unfiltered look at a revivalist subculture where devout Christian youngsters are being primed to deliver the fundamentalist community's religious and political messages. Building an evangelical army of tomorrow, the Kids on Fire summer camp in Devil's Lake, N.D., is dedicated to deepening the preteens' spirituality and sowing the seeds of political activism as they're exhorted to "take back America for Christ."
Then I watched Conversations With God. A totally opposite point of view in many ways--but he was carrying on personal conversations with God, too--hehe! This movie was about author Neale Walsch's life. He was played by an actor and the movie only covered the time from his car accident and subsequent loss of all his earthly possessions. Neale ended up living in a tent in a camp park and dumpster diving! The movie didn't try to push you into believing he talks to God or not believing it--just presented his life and what happened to him as he experienced it. I enjoyed the movie. I read his book many years ago--maybe ten years ago now. I guess I should re-read it again when I get it back from Duane. :) I even have four more of the books from the series (from a book club I was in back then) that I never got around to reading. One of the reasons I ordered the movie--I knew after watching it that I'd want to read all the books. Do I believe he chats with God and has long conversations? I believe he believes it--and maybe it is true. From what I remember, all the things he had to say were very positive and loving--so I can't see what is wrong with spreading that around. I am more interested in the content than the messenger, I guess. :)
Based on the best-selling autobiographical series by Neale Donald Walsch, this film traces the author's journey from an ever-struggling, hopeless shell of a man to a world-renowned author and spiritual messenger. Lonely, broke and uninspired, Walsch finds himself asking the heavens for answers to his problems. When he begins to hear responses from the God within himself, these answers change his life and become the basis for his first book.
Meanwhile--the right coffee came while I was writing!! tada! So, I am going to go right now and make a nice hot mug of my french vanilla coffee!!
Saturday, March 03, 2007
Saturday-noon
Yesterday a new maintenance man showed up and he put all his weight on the living room windows and forced them down till they latched! The plastic latches are at an angle now--but the windows are latched. ?? We would never have dared force them like that. I was really afraid they were going to break! He has obviously had to do this before. He said he can't believe how they put these buildings together. Asked me if I could close my porch door? (Imagine that dilemma!!) I told him I have no problem with the porch door. You're lucky, he said. I told him I had no problems with the windows, either--until they "fixed" them--hehe!
So--anyways--the windows are latched until it is really decent out in the spring. I guess I'll have to have them come and latch them every fall now. I am not going to try that myself--or have Leah or Dagan do it, either--in case they do break. They are latched, tho. Air still comes up inbetween them, but not as much. I take it they do not plan to have the construction company re-do the faulty window repairs, eh?
I discovered I have three more channels on the TV in the living room. I think 15 is FOX, but I am not positive. Just found them this morning. 33 is something called Central Plains Media--?? And 56 is The Trintiy Network with religious programming--has Christian cartoons on right now. I'll have to see if I can find out online what they are. They all have E/I in the corner of the screen. ?? Not listed in the TV Guide, of course.
Was on the PI and TUT websites last night. Have been contemplating the concept of the universe being ever expanding and changing--and that it is all vibrational and energy. Our thoughts are vibrational and energy--and when we focus our thoughts we can make deliberate changes in the ever expanding universe and manifest what we think about and take action toward. I will be pondering on that for a while--hehe!
Meanwhile--I have CashWise delivery coming any time now from noon to 2pm. Gotta go--I am manifesting food!!! :) :)
So--anyways--the windows are latched until it is really decent out in the spring. I guess I'll have to have them come and latch them every fall now. I am not going to try that myself--or have Leah or Dagan do it, either--in case they do break. They are latched, tho. Air still comes up inbetween them, but not as much. I take it they do not plan to have the construction company re-do the faulty window repairs, eh?
I discovered I have three more channels on the TV in the living room. I think 15 is FOX, but I am not positive. Just found them this morning. 33 is something called Central Plains Media--?? And 56 is The Trintiy Network with religious programming--has Christian cartoons on right now. I'll have to see if I can find out online what they are. They all have E/I in the corner of the screen. ?? Not listed in the TV Guide, of course.
Was on the PI and TUT websites last night. Have been contemplating the concept of the universe being ever expanding and changing--and that it is all vibrational and energy. Our thoughts are vibrational and energy--and when we focus our thoughts we can make deliberate changes in the ever expanding universe and manifest what we think about and take action toward. I will be pondering on that for a while--hehe!
Meanwhile--I have CashWise delivery coming any time now from noon to 2pm. Gotta go--I am manifesting food!!! :) :)
Friday, March 02, 2007
Friday-1:45pm
This was some of my surprise for Leah. She has used the mint chapstick for many years but, since we have been going no chemicals, she has been buying the unflavored Shaklee lip balm. I found Indigo Wild--all natural ingredients--and they have a peppermint (Leah's favorite!!) lip balm! And it is $1.35 cheaper then Shaklee's!! TaDa!!
I have been wanting to try their soaps, lotions, etc--have been getting their catalogs for a couple of years and was on the email list. They ran a special on mini bars of soap for $1.50--and I got the six kinds they had. I was going to let Leah pick what she thought she'd like to try and send one for Dagan, too. Leah has a hard time with scents. Lots of them really bother her. In fact, I ended up with her Shaklee hand and body lotion because of that fact--good for me, bad for her--hehe!
Anyways, Leah finally got here about 10pm last night--poor thing! She had a really long night with the bad roads and all. She picked out rosemary soap and I sent tea tree-citrus for Dagan. Indigo Wild had sent me samples of the ZumWash and ZumBody (lotion)--two of each. I hadn't looked close enough, thought they were all the wash and was going to give Leah three of them, because I know she prefers the liquid shower soaps to bar soaps. So--we each got one wash and one lotion to try. I sent her home some ZumRub to try, too. Won a sample size of that, too--and I love it. Takes a while to rub in, but it is so worth it! Is helping my cuticles, dry feet, elbows, hands. I will have to get the regular size of the ZumRub and put some on every night before I go to bed! :)
I also asked her to see if she could latch my windows in the living room. Nope! Leah could only latch one of the four latches. So, it wasn't just me with my weak arm. I called today and they will have somebody come out next week and look at it. They are too swamped with keeping up with the snow right now. The little plow and the guy with the blower for the sidewalks are both going again right now, actually.
The guy that permanently bolted all the top halves of the living room windows in the building was contracted by the construction company--so...don't know who is going to have to come to fix this? They used to latch, so it was his faulty job that day. He was a very nice man--let me clean the windows before he bolted them up there so I could get the outsides clean. But--he didn't do a very good job on mine. (They did the bolting down to keep out rain, I guess--I have not had that problem, but apparently many people had and the construction company was forced to do repairs.) If they can re-do it and I can latch the windows then it won't be so cold in here when the wind blows my direction. :)
Anyways, I showed Leah what naughty Karma has been up to the last couple months, also--chewing the blind cords off! First the bedroom cords (above) she chewed completely off and into pieces--so I had to add pieces of string. Then the living room ones on the side she sits on the most--she chewed them off so high up that I cannot close the blinds all the way down anymore. But that is the side I have to leave open anyways for her to look out the window--or she cries and bites tiny teeth holes in the blinds. Demending much? By the time I leave here I will have to replace all three blinds at this rate--already two of them! 
The left hand side window cords are still intact--thusfar. Leah suggested putting up some double hooks--high up where Karma can't reach them--and then I could wind the blind cords around the double hook and keep them out of Karma's teeth! What a stinker!
I have been wanting to try their soaps, lotions, etc--have been getting their catalogs for a couple of years and was on the email list. They ran a special on mini bars of soap for $1.50--and I got the six kinds they had. I was going to let Leah pick what she thought she'd like to try and send one for Dagan, too. Leah has a hard time with scents. Lots of them really bother her. In fact, I ended up with her Shaklee hand and body lotion because of that fact--good for me, bad for her--hehe!Anyways, Leah finally got here about 10pm last night--poor thing! She had a really long night with the bad roads and all. She picked out rosemary soap and I sent tea tree-citrus for Dagan. Indigo Wild had sent me samples of the ZumWash and ZumBody (lotion)--two of each. I hadn't looked close enough, thought they were all the wash and was going to give Leah three of them, because I know she prefers the liquid shower soaps to bar soaps. So--we each got one wash and one lotion to try. I sent her home some ZumRub to try, too. Won a sample size of that, too--and I love it. Takes a while to rub in, but it is so worth it! Is helping my cuticles, dry feet, elbows, hands. I will have to get the regular size of the ZumRub and put some on every night before I go to bed! :)
I also asked her to see if she could latch my windows in the living room. Nope! Leah could only latch one of the four latches. So, it wasn't just me with my weak arm. I called today and they will have somebody come out next week and look at it. They are too swamped with keeping up with the snow right now. The little plow and the guy with the blower for the sidewalks are both going again right now, actually.
The guy that permanently bolted all the top halves of the living room windows in the building was contracted by the construction company--so...don't know who is going to have to come to fix this? They used to latch, so it was his faulty job that day. He was a very nice man--let me clean the windows before he bolted them up there so I could get the outsides clean. But--he didn't do a very good job on mine. (They did the bolting down to keep out rain, I guess--I have not had that problem, but apparently many people had and the construction company was forced to do repairs.) If they can re-do it and I can latch the windows then it won't be so cold in here when the wind blows my direction. :)
Anyways, I showed Leah what naughty Karma has been up to the last couple months, also--chewing the blind cords off! First the bedroom cords (above) she chewed completely off and into pieces--so I had to add pieces of string. Then the living room ones on the side she sits on the most--she chewed them off so high up that I cannot close the blinds all the way down anymore. But that is the side I have to leave open anyways for her to look out the window--or she cries and bites tiny teeth holes in the blinds. Demending much? By the time I leave here I will have to replace all three blinds at this rate--already two of them! 
The left hand side window cords are still intact--thusfar. Leah suggested putting up some double hooks--high up where Karma can't reach them--and then I could wind the blind cords around the double hook and keep them out of Karma's teeth! What a stinker!This all started when I had the broken window spring in the bedroom. The repairman left the broken cord hanging out from the bottom of the window. I couldn't open it to put it inside. This string hanging down was too tempting for Miss Karma and gave her ideas about windows and strings! hehe! If I knew that was going to happen I would have just cut the darn cord right off! Too late now.
We have gotten quite a bit of snow, not sure how much. Where was all this snow at Christmas? hehe! We had a brown Christmas. Haven't had much snow all winter till now, really. I know it is a pain to drive in, but it looks soooo pretty out there. :)
I have still been losing my paragraph breaks since we swtiched over to google--so I don't see any improvement there with our new blog host, but it does upload much faster, I must say. I hope I don't lose my paragraph breaks again--makes it more diffcult to read. Well--here goes--have a nice day!
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Thursday-10:30am
I have to show you this! These two plants have taken over the aquarium!! The top is covered with twirls and twirls!! I think it is so funny--oddly compelling to look at--but it is cutting the light off for the ones beneath. I wonder why my tanks always seem to have a dominant plant that trys to take over the whole aquarium?
Meanwhile--Karma is in seventh heaven! There is snow on her porch! The most we've had all year. It catches in the screen and falls inbetween the velcro strips.
She likes to jump up and hit the snow caught in the screen and knock it down--and eat it, of course. Oh, the little joys in life! :)
Mary Lou emailed me yesterday and we set up a call at 9pm (she is more "with it" and has a cell phone). Was so nice to hear her voice!! She had been concerned about us driving down, too--and said that the food she got was frozen or she would ues up. They are expecting maybe another foot of snow by the weekend, so it is nice not to have to worry about traveling in this mess.
Meanwhile--Karma is in seventh heaven! There is snow on her porch! The most we've had all year. It catches in the screen and falls inbetween the velcro strips.
She likes to jump up and hit the snow caught in the screen and knock it down--and eat it, of course. Oh, the little joys in life! :)
Mary Lou emailed me yesterday and we set up a call at 9pm (she is more "with it" and has a cell phone). Was so nice to hear her voice!! She had been concerned about us driving down, too--and said that the food she got was frozen or she would ues up. They are expecting maybe another foot of snow by the weekend, so it is nice not to have to worry about traveling in this mess.It has been snowing steadily since yesterday here. Supposed to keep accumulating thru tomorrow and now instead of 3-6 inches they are saying that we could have up to 11 inches over the three days? So, Minneapolis might get more than they thought, too--who knows? It is beautiful, tho. Leah emailed this morning about how pretty it looks coming down. We have bigger flakes this time. So often with the winds up here the snow comes down almost parallel to the ground--hehe! Nice to see it coming down at a 45 degree angle, Leah said--chuckle! True! True!
Yesterday morning I was sitting up in bed with my laptop on its rolling table, as usual, doing my morning pages--Karma came demanding her lovin' up time across my chest, as usual. She was having a hard time getting comfortable and I was afraid she'd step on the keyboard--so I flipped the end of my body pillow on top of the keyboard. Karma stepped around on the pillow and settled in for a cuddle session. I looked up over her back and saw that my laptop screen was completely inverted--upsidedown!!?? I didn't even know such a thing was possible! ??? Had to call Dagan last night and ask him how to fix it. He looked it up and said to try hitting ctrl--alt--and the up arrow at the same time. It worked! How Karma managed to hit a series of three keys at the same time thru a pillow--well, it defies logic! hehe! The bigger question for me---why would anybody want to invert their screen in the first place? Why is that even possible?
Anyways, the Shaklee order is supposed to arrive this afternoon. I'll call Leah when it gets here. She has the Valley Video cigarette run tonight (part of her second job). I hope the driving isn't too awful. She'll stop by here after she's done 7ish--maybe 8ish with the roads being bad.
Have a good day. If you are traveling in bad weather, drive slowly and carefully--and may your angels watch over you. :)
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Wednesday 5:30pm
Making my bed would be just outright cruel these days. Karma has taken to spending every afternoon under the covers napping. It's her latest thing--hehe!Change of plans. Dagan and Leah and I spent the day emailing back and forth. I have been concerned about the weather and woke up this morning thinking we shouldn't go. Come to find out Dagan had bad vibes about driving down to Minneapolis this weekend, too--had already sent out an email to us about maybe switching his appointment. Minneapolis is expecting about a foot of snow again between now and the weekend. Just didn't feel right--so we had to trust our instincts. Dagan called and got another appointment for April 16th. Should be much better weather by then, too. So--the trip is off for this weekend. Well, better safe than sorry, I guess. Both Dagan and I didn't get the bad feelings for nothing. Got to trust your gut feelings, right? :(
I tried to call Mary Lou but just got her recorder. I feel badly that we have to wait--again--to see each other, but I guess April isn't that far off.
It is snowing here right now. Like a white fog when you look out the window--just like last time.
I've been going thru the budget for March. Tweaking the food order and figuring out how much I can squeeze out for the critters. I'd like to get Miss Gracie a bigger mirror and some goodies to munch on, as long as I am ordering for Karma. :) In April I am hoping to make another Polymer Clay Express order for some cool polymer clay tools and such. I have to plan ahead. Called the electric company to find out how the budget plan will work at the end of my year now in March--and come to find out they do it basically monthly so you never have a catch-up at the end of the year. Lucky for me, mine has stayed the same!! I had no idea! They do things differently here in North Dakota--ha! I have been very consistent with my electricity, she said--hehe! I guess I need to plan a $10 leeway from now on just in case. She told me it can change from $5-10 a month from your budget amount. Just the tedious little things that have filled my day so far. :)
Oh--the new antenna for the living room TV arrived late yesterday by UPS! I am back in business--nice!!
Dagan doesn't need to come and shovel by my garage and help me get the overnight bag out now. The Shaklee order is due to arrive tomorrow, so Leah will come by and pick it up after I let her know it is here. She can pick out (by smell) which ones of the little surprises she wants--hehe! I hope she likes one of them, at least?! She has a problem with scents, so I never know. Fill you in later---:)
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