Especially for ysabetwordsmith

I read through the Mountain Talk (Smoky Mountains) page with great enthusiasm. I know people who still speak like that, but then so do I at times. :)

PS This entry is public in case anyone would like to link to it.

Some of our state reps, in all of their infinite wisdom, have decided to try to pass a bill that would make it illegal to mention homosexuality in public schools.

Please go to this entry in tennessee and get your representative contact information to help stop this from happening.

And please, pass this around to everyone on your f-lists. The louder our voices the more likely we are to stop this.

This journal entry is public; feel free to link to it. Thank you.

Attention all my writer friends. David found a really cool site I think you would like. It's World Wide Words. Go look around and tell me what you think. :)

In other news, I have a new job! It starts March 3, and I'll be working for AT&T West, doing inbound customer care. The pay is much better than the job I've had- I'll start at $8.50 an hour plus $1.50 bonus for every hour I'm on the phone, so I'll be making about $10.00 an hour. And it's 20- 29 hours a week with a new set schedule every month, and if I do well I can be offered over 29 hours a week.

This is going to be great!

=D

1) What crafts do you enjoy?
2) Do you craft in short bursts or long sessions?
3) Do you keep a cache of supplies you're likely to use, or do you buy exactly what you need for each project?
4) Do you make a list before going into a craft store?
5) Have you ever come out of a craft store having bought ONLY the things you planned to buy?
6) What are some of your favorite craft supplies?
7) What are some of your favorite craft tools?
8) Do you make craft projects for gifts, for sale, or for yourself?
9) Do your friends and family support and encourage your crafting?
10) Describe a really cool project you've made.

My answers:

1) What crafts do you enjoy? Sewing, quilting, beading, weaving, making jewelry, painting. Not necessarily in that order.

2) Do you craft in short bursts or long sessions? Both. It depends on the project and what kind of a deadline I've set for myself.

3) Do you keep a cache of supplies you're likely to use, or do you buy exactly what you need for each project? Again, both. I keep plenty of paints, beads, canvases, and fabric, but I tend to have to buy things like yarn, embroidery floss, etc.

4) Do you make a list before going into a craft store? Not really. I know generally what I need when I go in, but I tend to make my final decisions about color, pattern, etc. once I get there.

5) Have you ever come out of a craft store having bought ONLY the things you planned to buy? Yes, but only because I took exactly enough money for what I needed to get. Otherwise I'd spend every penny we have.

6) What are some of your favorite craft supplies? Oil paints and canvas, my needle case that Kyra bought me in Williamsburg, lots of different colors of thread, as many fabrics as I can find room for, and lots and lots of seed beads.

7) What are some of your favorite craft tools? Needles, brushes, and my inkle loom that was handmade for me.

8) Do you make craft projects for gifts, for sale, or for yourself? Mostly for gifts, but some for sale. I'm trying to make more things to sell, but if someone says they like something I'm making I usually end up giving it to them.

9) Do your friends and family support and encourage your crafting? Absolutely. In fact, Ayla has been having me teach her to sew and bead, and Kyra, Ayla, and Richard love to paint.

10) Describe a really cool project you've made. I think my most recent favorite is the reversible drawstring pouches. I especially love the black ones.

ysabetwordsmith in particular.

David found a few weeks ago, and I joined, and I love it! It's a place for artists of pretty much every medium to share their visions of space exploration, extraterrestrial worlds, future, etc.

Well, Boris, the SAN founder, was approached to start a ! It's completely visionary and completely in the beginning stages of pre-production, but we're on track to make it something wonderful.

And did I mention I've been named as an editorial officer? My areas of focus are: Space Fantasy short stories (a.k.a. "fantastic fiction" with "alien mythology"), articles on ancient cosmology, exoarcheology, UFO, spirituality, etc.

So please go check out both sites, join if you're so inclined, submit if you'd like, and above all else, spread the word. :D

BTW, I'm making this entry public so more people can learn about SAN and SAM. Feel free to link to here if you'd like.

I'm so sorry. Apparently the links got lost in the translation. :/

http://www.careerbuilder.com/JobSeeker/Jobs/JobDetails.aspx?IPath=QHCM&ff=21&APath=2.21.0.0.0&job_did=J3H57270W1Q0QFJL7S0 for SAN, and

http://spaceart.us/ for SAM.

:)

I'm sitting here with a candle lit beside me, listening to Earth Mama, and remembering cool things about my Mom. Butterfly reminds me the most of Mom. Anyway, at the C-Team meeting Thursday we all agreed to do this tonight; light a candle and remember something good about Mom. I bet there are a lot of great stories floating around the mountains right now. :)

( Lyrics )

From Wikipedia:

Cymothoa exigua is a parasitic crustacean of the family Cymothoidae. It tends to be 3 to 4 cm long. This parasite attaches itself at the base of the spotted rose snapper's (Lutjanus guttatus) tongue, entering the fish's mouth through its gills. It then proceeds to extract blood through the claws on its front three pairs of legs. As the parasite grows, less and less blood reaches the tongue, and eventually the organ atrophies from lack of blood. The parasite then replaces the fish's tongue by attaching its own body to the muscles of the tongue stub. The fish is able to use the parasite just like a normal tongue. It appears that the parasite does not cause any other damage to the host fish.[1] Once C. exigua replaces the tongue, some feed on the host's blood and many others feed on fish mucus. They do not eat scraps of the fish's food.[2] This is the only known case of a parasite functionally replacing a host organ.

There are many species of Cymothoa,[3] but only C. exigua is known to consume and replace its host's tongue.

In 2005, a fish parasitised by what could be Cymothoa exigua was discovered in the United Kingdom. As the fish is normally found off the coast of California, this led to speculation that the parasite's range may be expanding.[4] However, it is also possible that the isopod traveled from the Gulf of California in the snapper's mouth, and its appearance in the UK is an isolated incident. The animal in question will be put on display in the Horniman Museum.[5]

From The Science News Blog:

The BBC reports that a bizarre bug that literally eats the tongue of a fish and then manuevers itself to become the "replacement tongue" for the fish has now been discovered in Britain.
The bug - which has the scientific name cymothoa exigua - was discovered inside the mouth of a red snapper bought from a London fishmonger.

The 3.5cm creature had grabbed onto the fish's tongue and slowly ate away at it until only a stub was left.

It then latched onto the stub and became the fish's "replacement tongue".
The BBC article says that scientists claim the bugs only eat fish tongues which is good news for us humans.

( Two more pics under here )

With the rapid decline of the economy, money is increasingly tight everywhere. This is greatly affecting holiday budgets as people look to cut costs and limit gift-giving lists.

So I'm offering a list of low cost ideas for gifts this year.

( KIDS )

( ADULTS )

( FAMILIES )

( COUPLES )



That is all I can think of right now. Please, feel free to add to this list in the comments and to link to this entry other places. Happy Holidays!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KYRA!!! WELCOME TO LIVEJOURNAL!

I hope this year is completely wonderful for you. I love you very much.

Love,
Mommy

Take an old t-shirt and cut off the sleeves and collar. Turn it inside out and hem down where you just cut and use a secure zig zag stich the bottom closed. Turn it right side out and you have an eco-friendly shopping bag.

You can also use an old tank top, and depending on the size of the neck hole you may only have to sew up the bottom.

It's a great way to reuse old clothes you'd rather not get rid of completely and reduce your plastic consumption.
=)

It's finally over- I'm divorced. It took about 5 minutes for the judge to hear my case and sign the papers, which I should receive in the mail in a couple of days.

I feel so relieved and happy and like a huge weight has been lifted. Now I can get on with other things, like actually planning my wedding with David. ;)

Let's try this this way.

Lake View



Comments and criticisms welcome, and if you would like to own this please leave a comment. :)

Nebula





Comments and criticisms welcome, and if you would like to own this please leave a comment. :)