What is the liberal equivalent...
of the black helicopter conservatives? You know the ones who are so into conspiracy theories that they make everyone cringe. These are the people who are convinced that the new administration is out to put all the gun owners in concentration camps and execute them.
Politics is a circle, go too far right or left you still end up in the same place. So what is the left side version of the black helicopter conservatives...
Football Game over the weekend...
We watch one professional football game during the year at our house. We watch several college games and all of our boys little league games. When deciding who to cheer for this weekend I was leaning toward the Cardinals just because a friend lives in their town and I'm not really close to anyone from Pittsburgh. (In fact the only name from Pittsburgh that comes to mind is a certain con-man named Joe who stole a lot of money from his Congressional wife. Montoursville would be a different story.)
But then Schneider Downs Wealth Management of Pittsburgh sent out a press release which has been picked up all over the Net about how the S&P500 does really well during years when the Steelers win. They do include a disclaimer - -
"It never hurts to be positive," explained Ms. Skeans. "However, the reality is that the performance of the S&P 500 is influenced by numerous factors, none of which involve football. I think it's likely that this year's market performance will be much more heavily influenced by fundamental factors and by the restoration of confidence in financial markets around the world. Investors eventually will return to the equity markets in search of long-term profit in light of the significant sell-off that has occurred, rather than the number of yards Willie Parker gains in the game.Still I find it interesting that a Pittsburgh company would play on financial fears in order to garner more fans. I wonder if they have any data on whether the good vibes from having more people cheering for their team has any real effect on play.
In any case, I'm looking forward the advertisements.
Atlas Shrugged
I’m listening to Atlas Shrugged again. The first time I started it, I couldn’t stop. It’s amazing how many of the catch phrases from the book I’m hearing from the mouths of pundits on the news and I’m not talking the positive phrases. The lack of responsibility, the constant blaming of someone else until it reached a nebulous unknown responsible party, we should help the smaller people because they deserve a chance even if they don’t deliver, and the lack of leadership taking a decision because it’s right and not because of popular opinion.
The human element should be more important than effectiveness and efficiency – James Taggart’s words have come out of the mouths of more than one environmental activist during the last several month.
The desire for mediocre businesses to be protected from better more efficient competition by government regulation reminds me of the big three automakers pleading at Congresses doorstep.
Hearing that people succeed not because they work and apply their brains but because they are lucky sounds so much like the Legislator who felt that those who built businesses from scratch and have succeeded are “winners in life’s lottery.”
Of what importance is an individual when the group is in trouble? What if the individual is the one who has the idea which keeps the group from starving? Why punish the individual for making the right decisions by making them give of their gains for those who made the wrong decisions? How many motivational and “success” speakers got their true start after a huge failure which left them bankrupt? I keep thinking of the quote attributed to Jimmy Cagney - - The government came in and gave us a check in one hand and took away the dreams with the other.
Email Etiquette...
Avoid fluffy messages and weapons of mass distribution:
Stop playing ping-pong:
Don’t forward jokes, chain messages, messages of faith, or political rants
Use an accurate subject
Put the bottom line first so people don't have to wade through to get the point.
A quote to think about..
"There is a great deal of difference between an eager man who wants to read a book and the tired man who wants a book to read."
By G.K. Chesterton
This applies to so many other things as well.
Overdyed threads...
I love using most overdyed threads. They have a rich tone and feel wonderful. I rarely have any difficulty with them and the only issue is to remember to cross each stitch as you go in order to prevent any of the variegated threads from becoming muddy instead of showing their vibrant colors. Last night was the first time I’ve worked with Olde Willow fibers. Someone gave these to me and the Providence Brown seemed like a great substitute for GAST Bark. I had been stitching for a bit when DH asked for something and when I gave it to him, he asked what was wrong with my hands. They were black!
Yes, the dark brown dye was wearing off on me as I stitched. So I took the bundle of thread, and soaked it to get the excess dye off. What a mess. I had to soak it 3 times to get all the excess off. So now the question comes up, do I frog out what I’ve done with that or just try to avoid washing this piece before framing?
What would you do?
Are you Better off Today than you were a year ago?
Oh, Yes!!
This time last year I was going nuts.
My husband was on bed rest and he was convinced he would lose his foot to avascular necrosis.
I was working full time, at school full time working on my MBA, I had an ultra genius who couldn't turn in homework and was failing his freshman year that was balanced by the youngest finally having that reading thing click. And to top it off, I hadn't worked on my hobbies since I started school.
So here we are, a year later and what an incredible year.
I went to South America where I rappelled at Iquassu Falls.
I took my boys to Finland for my grandfather's funeral and then to Paris where DS#1 discovered he loved sculpture and I discovered that DS#2 is afraid of heights. He still went to the top of L'arc de Triomphe and Le Tour Eiffel with us.
I graduated with my MBA - I have that piece of paper that says I have managerial and analytical skills.
My ultra genius figured out that grades matter and is doing better in school and my dyslexic has been accepted into the honors program in Junior High.
My daughter has found her bliss and is working with the zoo systems and getting her degree to make sure she stays there (although it will probably mean leaving here since our zoo has limited paid positions).
Yes, there are still issues in my life but not as many as last year
Oh, and best of all, I'm working on my hobbies again. I'm back on schedule for the
100 Project Challenge
My problems are nothing....
When I look at what this man has done with his challenges.
Get Back Up
It's Sundance time again....
Fewer stars and people in general descended on Utah this year. It’s being debated whether the cause is the economy, Obama’s inauguration, or a poor selection of films at Sundance this year.
I doubt it’s the selection, this is the 25
th year of the film festival and there is more than the films this year. During the Sundance Festival days (January 15-25), you can download the short film
Instead of Abracadabra free from iTunes.
I can see the lower attendance being caused by corporate sponsors not shelling out as much this year as they did in previous years. After all, if you're laying people off, how do you justify sending senior management on a ski and movie trip?
Or it could be a dilution of the audience since Sundance is no longer truly for independents we have the
Slamdance Festival which is a great alternative for the truly low budget film maker ($99 specials anyone?). Slamdance is where I saw
Ringers: Lord of the Fans and we met one of the actors from Lord of the Rings but didn't have a camera with us. At that time they were looking for a distibutor and they appear to have found one since you can Netflix it now.
And not to be excluded - we have
X-Dance Action Sports Film Festival as well this week.
So, anyone in the mood for a movie?
Buh-Bye Circuit City...
Circuit City to LiquidateI studied Circuit City in management and cost accounting. They have been the model in several case studies and were featured in the book Good to Great. They've been touted as the model for retail success and forward thinking leadership in their management team.
So when I hit the article above, I was reminded of a comment made by one of Dick Marcinko’s team members in Real Team: Rogue Warrior. He said something to the effect – we ran into trouble when we started to believe our own press, we didn't believe that we needed to train as hard anymore. This little niggle in the back of my head wonders the same about Circuit City.
I’ve shopped at Circuit City. However, I feel more comfortable at Best Buy. Let’s face it, I don’t buy electronic components often. But I may walk in to browse for a movie or look for a game for the kids. Circuit City didn’t have a lot of that selection, or if they did, I couldn't find it the way I can at Best Buy. Circuit City was just too “geeky” for a non-techie like me. I felt lost in the store.
I wonder if that was part of the problem?
Just a thought to discuss...
Just as the opposite of love is apathy rather than hate, the opposite of happiness is boredom, not sadness.
Bison will be back in the Book Cliffs!!!
New Utah Bison HerdThe Bison are expanding in the Book Cliffs. A small herd already exists but the habitat could support more. So the division pulled some Bison from the Henry Mountain Range herd, moved them to Antelope Island for medical treatment and evaluation and now they're going to supplement the Book Cliffs breeding stock.
I'm excited! After all, the more and larger herds the more opportunities for me to get a draw in order to try for that Buffalo robe I want.
It's been awhile...
Since
The last time I talked about the state of my hobbies a lot has happened. Maybe not as much as I would have liked to have happen on my hobbies but in July of 2007 Terry and I started the 100 Project Challenge. We were supposed to finish 100 projects before buying anything new. I've fallen a few times but I've bought fewer things than I would if I hadn't been on the challenge. As of today, I've finished 30 projects for the challenge. Terry has completed 80. But then I was pretty sure that it would take me 4 years to finish.
I did set some goals in 2008 -
1. Ugly Swan Quilt Contest Entry.
(Decided that life is too short to make ugly quilts and didn't enter)2. Keep on track with the 100 project challenge.
a. 2 to 4 projects a month - total of 25 projects this year.
(I'm still on track to finish in 4 years)3. Finish at least 3 to 4 projects for the State fair
a. Most likely the TW pillowcases
(I did enter 3 things into the fair but I still haven't finished the pillowcases and came home with 2 ribbons).
So the goals for 2009 - -
1. Finish the TW Pillowcases 2. Finish a quilt WIP 3. Finish TW Winter Carousel Horse 4. Start one of the other TW Carousel horses
5. Keep on track to finish the 100 project challenge within by June 30, 2011.
Three and four are mainly a panicked reaction to the change in my eyesight. I'm having to use magnifying glasses to read or stitch anymore.
Remember the Shuffle post?
Remember
the post listing the first line of songs?
Here are the answers
1. Farewell to Carlingford - Glen Yarborough
2. One Step Closer - U2
3. Hot Thing - Prince
4. Raspberries, Strawberries - The Kingston Trio
5. One Headlight - The Wallflowers
6. Love Fools (Snooper Version) - Baz Luhrmann
7. Have You Heard (Part 2) - Moody Blues
8. Ashes to Ashes - David Bowie
9. Dead on Arrival - Fall Out Boy
10. Dressed for Success - Roxette
11. A Lovely Young Man - Golden Bough
12. How Do You Like me Now? - Toby Keith
13. Feeling Good - Nina Simone
14. China Girl - David Bowie
15. Finest Worksong - R.E.M.
16. Making Port - Glen Yarborough
17. Firebird - Kathy Mar
18. Paradise by the Dashboard Light - Meatloaf
19. Listen Like Thieves - INXS
20. Angel - Madonna
21. So Deep Within You - Moody Blues
22. Right Now - PussyCat Dolls
23. Stray Cat Strut - Stray Cats
24. Seventeen Again - Eurythmics
25. Now and Then - UB40
26. Time Will Tell - Yellowcard
27. Walk of Life - Dire Straits
28. Winds Four Quarters - Various Artists from the Album Murder, Mystery and Mayhem based on the work of Mercedes Lackey
29. Buried in Blue - Harry Connick Jr.
30. Wonderful from the Musical "Wicked"
So - was that an eclectic enough group of artists for you?
Growing up with two 5 gallon containers....
Just outside the kitchen door, against the east wall of the dining room were two five gallon containers when I was growing up. One contained sugar and the other was full of flour. Every morning if you wanted sugar on your cereal the top came off that bucket and the 1/4 cup measuring cup would be used to sprinkle sweet crystals over the cornflakes or oatmeal. I can remember my mom pouring 25 pound bags of sugar into the bucket. For that matter, I remember the clouds formed when my mom dumped flour into its bucket.
I must not do as much cooking and baking as my mother did. I cannot remember the bucket of flour ever going rancid. In fact, I didn't know that flour could go rancid until I went to make cookies this Christmas and the bag of flour I bought a few years ago smelled funny and tasted even worse. So, where my mother could keep a 5 gallon bucket rotated, I can't even use a 10 pound bag of flour before it goes bad.
But then, my mom stayed at home with 8 kids...
Some musing on... funerals
Some funerals you go to because you respected the deceased and want to show your respect. Others you go because you respect the remaining family members and want to be there to support them and show you care. Some I go to because I don't want to disappoint family members who are expecting me to be there.
My family has always tried to put the Fun in funeral. We view them as a celebration of passage from one life to the next, just as a birth is a passage from pre-mortal existence to this plain. Both events should be celebrated. Death is a graduation from this world to the better one to come. I really enjoyed seeing all my cousins at the funeral last week, even if I really didn't feel like going since I'm sick as a dog this weekend.
I love after Christmas sales...
I don't by my Christmas decorations in October or November... I buy them in January when they're 70% off. Take today, all Christmas fabrics were 70% off at JoAnn's and then I had a 10% off entire order coupon as well. The silk Poinsettia tree at Home Depot, the one that was $35 2 weeks ago. I got it for $8 today - Notice I got them to take off more than the 70% because it was the last one and had a chip in the pot - so I put that side facing the wall and nobody knows a thing.
Michael's was pretty well picked over, not much there worth picking up. But, all in all it was a great day with my DD. She now has her own sewing kit and doesn't need to be borrowing mine. She also got some nice fabrics to put in her stash.
