Manic Monday: A bird may love a fish

I painted this in GIMP both to familiarize myself with that program and so I would have something for my Manic Monday post. For my first painting using that software, I'm pretty happy with it. I need to understand GIMP if I want my future Blender projects to look their best. Happy Monday.

Random Stuff

Jasmine pooled all her birthday money and got the Wii Outdoor Challenge. We can't afford Wii fit but this really gets your heart rate up and it's fun. We can race each other. Some of the games are skill oriented as well as speed so she wins some of them. I recommend it but it's hard work. Don't get it unless you want a workout.

***

Conversation with a customer:

Client: You said in the e-mail that you can change anything. How about the price?

Me: Sure. I can always change it but only upward.

Fun new customer. Caught a spelling error BEFORE I made the sign, which makes things easier for both of us.

Some Advice For Fantasy Writers

I read a lot of fantasy and I've seen criticism of the way horses are treated in the genre but I've never seen and criticism of the way backpacking is treated. I don't know anything about horses so I can't really say much about that. They look big and scary and they tear up the trails and horse people seem to bring a lot of garbage which they leave in the wilderness, but that's a whole 'nother argument.

I love fantasy novels and that probably has something to do with why I really love the adventure of backpacking. It's nice to go out and have an adventure once in a while, rather than just reading about it, and backpacking feels like the closest thing to adventure I ever get to have.

So, here's some advice to help you authors keep it real. Your protagonist has been sitting around for a week or a month or his whole life and you throw several weeks worth of supplies on his/her back and woosh her out into the wilderness with the phrase, "she shouldered her pack". Ummm, no. You don't shoulder fifty or sixty pounds easily with modern backpacks and your character's backpack is made of leather and buckles, not nylon and adjustable straps with an aluminum frame.

After training for it and two weeks of actual backpacking in the wilderness, I still have a hard time getting my pack on and getting into a standing position. So does Andy, and that's saying something as he's always in better shape than I am. There are some strategies we use. If there is a convenient log or rock you can lug the thing onto that and strap the pack on in an almost standing position. That's the easiest. If not you can sit down on the ground and strap it on there. Then you have to struggle to stand up. I ussually need help but Andy can do it. Or one person can prop the pack up on his/her knee and help the other into it.

I have other complaints but that's all I have time for right now. If you care, let me know and I'll elaborate.

I know my ABCs

Stole this from Bluepaintred who stole if from somebody else.

A - Age: 36

B - Bed size: Really Big. Am I supposed to know bed sizes? I heart my really big water bed that used to be Andy's, but he's only allowed to visit it now... until such time as we live in the same house again.

C - Chore You Hate: dishes

D – Dad’s Name: Dave (His brothers STILL call him Davey)

E - Essential Start Your Day Item: Coffee and Internet

F - Favorite Actor: That guy... you know, the Han Solo and Indiana Jones guy. Love that guy.

G - Gold or Silver: Plastic

H - Height: 5'11"--- or maybe 5' 10 1/2" Something like that.

I - Instrument (s) you play: Guitar. Not well.

J - Job Title: Owner. Really, there isn't a manager to talk to. I know it seems unusual for a woman to own a sign business, but after all we bought it from a woman too. No, you can't talk to my husband.

K - Kid(s): One. Two if the dog counts. Three if the other dog counts. Four if Andy counts but I don't think he does. I might count but then there wouldn't be an adult in the house.

L - Like: A good book followed by twelve hours of sleep and a house that's naturally above 70 degrees in the AM.

M - Mom’s Name: Sherry (I did not tell you that her middle name is Lynn.)

N - Nickname: For a brief time in middle school I was known as Marmeduke. It's the only time I ever had a nickname and middle schools still give me the heebbie jeebies .

O - Overnight Hospital Stay Other Than Birth: Never been in the hospital overnight unless I was having a baby or being born.

P - Pet Peeve: The word "entitlement" being applied to the idea that I might be just as worthy of health care as anybody else.

Q - Quote that you like: "Death can't stop true love, only slow it down..." Princess Bride (Was the first thing that came to mind.)

R - Righty or Lefty: Left with ambidextrous tendencies.

S - Siblings: I am the oldest of four. Two sisters and one brother.

T - Time You Wake Up: Depends on what I've got going on that day anytime from 6:30 AM to 8:00... on a day I don't have any appointments I might be in PJs till 11:00 though. Please call first. You don't want to see me in PJs.

U - Useful tool: Ruler. Digital Camera. Rotozip (love that thing)

V - Vegetable that you dislike: Broccoli

W - Ways you run late: Can't find the keys.

X - X-rays You’ve Had: Dentist... years ago.

Y - Yummy Foods You Make: I make Honey Sesame Chicken Thighs (Chicken Parts Cookbook) and Winter Sausage Soup (Saving Dinner the Low Carb Way) those are the most requested by Andy and Jasmine. The soup even has vegetables in it but Jasmine likes it anyway.

Z - Zodiac: Aries. April 4th. Money is a great gift and don't tell me not to spend it on bills. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.

Manic Monday: Wet

Carrying fifty pounds on your back for two weeks is the best. Honest. A little rain, especially at night when you are warm in your tent, is great. It's even fun to weather a little rain storm under a pine tree for a half hour or so. But the adventure happens on a five mile, steep uphill trek on a muddy trail in a downpour. That's the kind of day that's fun to talk about afterward. The next year, when things get rough and you're huffing your way up a mountain with your (lets face it, I mean me not you, because you wouldn't be caught dead actually DOING this) spouse, you can say, "remember that one year?"

And he'll say, "yeah this is great compared to that".

ACEO

I've seen these little art cards before but Mary over at Work of The Poet reminded me of them by posting a picture of one of hers to one of her seven deadly sins posts. I wanted to give it a try so here are my first attempts at ACEO. The only rule is that they measure 3.5 by 2.5 inches. That must be too much regulation for me because I got it wrong. These are only 3 inches by 2.5 inches. They are acrylics on water color paper because that's what I had on hand. Clockwise, starting from the top, I have titled them: Eye of My Apple, Mother and Flowerchild, and Pennies From Heaven.

That was fun. If you wanted to give it a try we could trade.

Happy Birthday Jasmine

Stop growing up! Okay? Twelve is old enough.

Hope you have a great day Kiddo.

Happy Green Day

"If I wanted to 'go green,' I'd eat a lot of fruit." - Andy

This blog is dying of neglect but I'm not willing to call it quits because having a blog is what links me to other bloggers and I like other bloggers. My life would not be as rich without them. So, I'll keep posting intermittently and apologizing for it. Otherwise I wouldn't have an excuse to drop in on you and see how life is going in your world.

Here? Meh!

Manic Monday: Party

Tomorrow is St. Patties day and you know, I've never had a green beer. I probably won't start tomorrow but I've never really been to a St. Patrick's Day party either and I have significant Irish ancestry. My mother's maiden name was Green (I never use my mother's maiden name in passwords and such so it is safe to tell you, except that identity thieves can now rule that one out. Also, my identity won't do you any good as I have no credit or actual money.).

I'm wondering if they drink green beer in Ireland. I'm thinking they probably don't. Wouldn't potato soup and soda bread be more authentic than green beer and corned beef? Didn't Saint Patrick have something to do with a potato famine and some snakes?

Lets all have a pint and banish some snakes tomorrow.

Post for post's sake

Is it better to post a post that says you don't have anything to post about than to not post a post?

Anyway. Andy is home and we plan on some kind of family hike or walk tomorrow. Today we baked cookies and listened to NPR and then played Wii bowling.

I hope you and yours are having a great weekend.

Super Powers I Don't Have

Listing the ones I have would be easier... shorter too. However, here are ten super powers I wouldn't mind having and you don't see much of in the comic books.

1. The ability to keep my house spotless in less than five minutes a day.

2. The ability to not be overweight even while eating like the 99% of Americans who are overweight.

3. The ability to appear to be wearing make-up even though I never do.

4. The ability to have my taxes filed without actually having to deal with receipts or numbers of any kind.

5. Super earning ability.

6. Super stainfighting.

7. The ability to appear invisible to anybody who doesn't like me, and also not be thought of at all, ever, by such people. They would just forget I exist and therefore could not cause me or my family any harm... until she they tried to set my husband up with somebody.

8. The ability to change my eye color to match my outfit.

9. The ability teach my child by telepathy.

10. The ability to file papers with a nod of my head and a magic word.

Saving Newspaper

Denver just lost a big paper and newspapers seem to be in trouble all over the country, so here's my plan to save the business. I keep thinking somebody is going to do it without me telling them. It just seems like the next logical step, but nobody has so far.

What they need is a newspaper reader, like a book reader but simple and durable. I know it doesn't sound appealing but offering subscriptions online didn't work for them. Think about what you like about the paper and what you don't like about getting the paper. Here's my list.

Like:

1. Turing to my favorite section.
2. Sitting at the breakfast table or in front of the fire with the Sunday funnies.
3. Reading the news over coffee in a coffee shop.
4. Clipping out my favorite stories.
5. Clipping coupons.

Dislike:
1. All that paper.
2. Feeling bad as the old issues pile up that I didn't have time to read.
3. The paper deliver person ignoring my requests and pealing out of my driveway at some ungodly hour.

The newspaper reader I have in mind would get plugged into your computer, before bed if you leave your computer on at night or first thing in the morning if you are like me (I don't want the internet gremlins in there while I sleep). It will be thin and lightweight and simple. I think it should open up to be bigger than a paperback and taller than it is wide so that the front page can still look front-page-like. When you open it you will see the top of the front page. The controls at the bottom or along the side someplace would be very simple. No touch screens or anything that might break easy.

There should be a wheel or something to allow for scrolling down, some arrow keys, some kind of select button, a button for each section of the paper and one for the store fliers at the middle so you can still check out the loss leaders at your local grocery. I could simply click "Lifestyle" and go to that section. The sports button would remain in very new condition on my reader. If you want to clip a story or a coupon then you select it and hit the clip button. Next time you plug in the reader to the computer it will put the files there for you to print later and completely rewrite its memory with the new edition.

You would have to sign a contract for a year or longer in order to get a reader but that would allow the paper to keep the price low and they would be saving all kinds of printing costs. The part I'm uncomfortable with is that there is no way they would do this without collecting all kinds of information about what you actually read and using it to sell advertising. If you think about it though, the internet is already doing that. I think this would save the papers.

Manic Monday: Waffle

Wendy

Always

Finds

Future

Luggage

Everywhere

[insert picture of some Naugahs.]

They still make luggage out of Naugahyde... right?

And you thought I might actually post some real content, given a subject? I wonder why firefox doesn't know how to spell Naugahyde.