Politics and Me

Until a few years ago I was uncomfortable with aligning myself with one part or the other. Nothing quite fit, to my way of thinking.

I am old fashioned enough to have some traditional conservative values:

• Despite the constitutional right to freedom of speech I still don't think that cursing should be widely accepted in public or on television or radio.
• I believe that the separation between Church and State should mean the State should stay out of religion (meaning if you want to pray in school, or have a religious symbol as part of your town or business you should have that right.)
  
• I believe that morality is not just something that should start and end in a home, that it is society's responsibility to have a say in what it deems acceptable for the times and what should be part of larger society in general.
  
• I believe that a strong military is important for our safety, and that we have some responsibility to assist other countries when called upon to do so.
• I don't think "Gun Control" would do anything but take the right to bear arms away from law abiding citizens. Anti-gun laws only create difficulty for the legal right to own a weapon, not people who would buy the illegally. And someone who wants to kill someone doesn't need a gun to do it.
  

However, I am a product of my generation, and feel it's time to give up some of the backwardness of those who came before us. Children grow and learn, we as a society could stand to do the same:

• I believe that someones sexual preferences are no business of anyone else, and should not be the foundation of any law that prohibits them from any freedoms anyone else enjoys.
  
• I believe that women should have the right to have an abortion, regardless of the moral beliefs others may have in that area.
  
• I believe that everyone has a right to believe or not believe in a religion without others creating difficulty in their lives because of these beliefs.
• I believe that having a strong military doesn't give us the right to make other countries adhere to our principles, and that we should strive to be good neighbors, not bullies.
  
• I believe the wealthy class of our nation shoulder far to little of the financial responsibilities and garner way too many tax breaks, while the middle class struggles unfairly to provide the funds for everything from business opportunities to educational opportunities for your children.
• I believe that in order to be a good leader to the world in general, to be able to provide assistance of any kind, we first need to take care of our own. Our children should have top rate education, our families should have whatever support they need to provide sound upbringing for the children, and society needs to offer opportunity for higher education and jobs as they grow up. Without these the next generation will be in no shape to help anyone.

What does this make me? Before the Bush administration i would have said it makes me someone in the middle of the road somewhere who just wants what's best for America, and my own children's future. These days though I think it makes me a democrat. There is no way with the way the Republicans have driven our econmomy into the ground, lied to us about a war that is draining us without any foreseeable end, and made us rediculously unpopular worldwide. I know some people who would say they don't care about any of that, but I do. I like to get along with my neighbors, and I don't fool myself into thinking we will never need thier good will.

So how will I vote this November? I don't think it's too hard to guess. I don't know how it will turn out, last time you could have pushed me over with a feather to see that American's voted for Dubbya a second time, I only hope there is some sanity to found found this go-round.

Need More Time, or Money....

I've been trying to revamp my website, and the more work I do the more I realize that I can't accomplish what I want to happen without learning some new skills.

But I don't have the time.

I could hire someone to do it for me, I know what I want done.

But I don't have the money.

*sigh*

Everything is so complicated.

Growing Older Isn't So Bad When...

You can see what you created in your younger days is worth while :)

My oldest child, Logan will be turning 20 tomorrow. What a handsome lad.


You can see what you created in your younger days is worth while :)

My oldest child, Logan will be turning 20 tomorrow. What a handsome lad.

He's artistic, creative, outgoing and independent. He enjoys dancing (particularly break dancing) and stenciling, he works with developmentally disabled adults, and is hoping to be a trainer for others in his field of work.

I'm proud of him.

Happy birthday sweetheart.

Out for the Day, Feeling Low

I am not one to bring my personal stuff, for the most part, to my journal at DA, I don't mind when other people do, but it's just not me.

But I find myself today unable to concentrate, and uninterested in the internet as a whole. As I mentioned in my last deviation, a friend of mine passed away last week and I just found out about it.



Kirk was a good guy, he came through Albuquerque some years ago on his way to other places and his car broke down. I met him through the veterans organization that I had been working for, (Kirk and I both were Veterans) and we became fast friends. A short time later he also came to work for the same veterans group, and he loved it. He was happy helping other people, excited to know he was making as change in other peoples lives.

Kirk and I grew close, and I got to know him very well. He loved New Mexico Green Chili, (there's nothing else like it, anywhere else) and he loved those little plastic trolls that have the fuzzy heads. He enjoyed fiction books especially the ones written by Terry Goodkind, The Sword of Truth fantasy series. He liked good movies, nature walks, and odd comedy bits. He liked to see other people smile more than almost anything.

He helped me pick out one of my dogs, Rua Cu, who at the time was cute and reminded us of a big red beagle with big girlie lips (He called her "Butter Lips" quite often, interjected with funny names that were a play on her real name like "Rua Poo" and Rua Chew" depending on the no-no's she was involved in at the moment.)

Kirk had a problem at times with substance abuse, but his last letter was filled with excitement that he'd been clean for years, something I am so glad of now, I know it was something he was proud of. He eventually moved back home near his family, who he spoke of often and wistfully while he was here. I know he was glad to be close to those people he loved most in his life. He struggled at times with inner demons that made staying in one place difficult, and so one day he moved on again, though we kept in touch. The last few years we wrote less and less, as some friends often do. He mentioned he had cancer, but I thought we had more time to chat. (Isn't that the way it always goes? I thought I had learned my lesson with John Ronin, a close friend of both Kirks and mine who was killed by a car ... but it seems I didn't...)

I got the note yesterday that Kirk had succumbed to cancer, and I didn't react fully, I guess I was numb from shock. It set in today while I was at work, and I find myself unable to concentrate on simple asks, I am so sorrowful.

Even though we hadn't been in contact so much, this is harder, knowing there is no chance now to speak to him. So I decided it would be a good idea to write about Kirk, remind myself why we were such good friends, and introduce him to you all, who never had a chance to get to know him, but should have.

I am going to take a day or two off from the computer, take some time to get myself back together and say goodbye privately. I'll be back soon, thanks for letting me share.

Poker Party Fun

Every couple of years my sister gets a wild hair and has a poker party.

My sister loves parties and goes all out for them. Between the two of us we've hosted 70's parties, Luau's, and a couple of other themed parties complete with all the decorations. They are great fun to attend.

The poker party is fun, because it is an all-ladies event, and everyone comes dressed as a guy. It's a little odd, but a ton of laughs.

This year one of the ladies, Mattie, took some great photos and made a scrapbook of the images, which I thought I'd share with you :)

Illness and Absences

I've not been answering my messages or notes this past week for the most part, because I have been sick. The kind of sick when you start thinking if you die in your sleep it would be alright, cause at least you wouldn't feel bad anymore... heh. I am not totally better, either. I've gotten sick with something else, or I've gotten new symptoms, but this isn't as bad as last week, so I can function. It'll be a few days before i get around to doing all the catch up I need to do though, so If you haven't heard from me, have patience... I'm getting there

My Little Bit of Heaven

I have a humble garden in my front yard. It is a odd mix of strawberry's, mint, lemon balm, basil, perennials, annuals, wildflowers, artichokes, pumpkin plants, and whatever I might find of interest at the green house. Peppered liberally in this garden are my benches, my birdbath and assorted garden decor pieces. It is by no means a piece of art, I'd win no awards, but it soothes me.



Every year it is the same thing. I go outside sometime in spring and think, "Wow, this is a mess, I should clean this up!" And then I wait about a month before I do. Buy then it is a ridiculous amount of labor to pulls the weeds, figure out what is not weeds, and trim and rework what I have this year. By then I want more plants, so I go to the nursery and buy some new stuff, (half of which will die because it doesn't do well where I live, or needs more sun).

My garden really should be on the other side of the house, but in the front yard is where we brought in top soil five years ago and it is the only place capable of sustaining life, unless it's weeds. (even the weeds struggle, however, so things like the tomato plants I crave have no hope.) The sun there is better, but the garden hose doesn't reach either. Poor me, I am so deprived.

Sometime during midsummer it starts to look good, and I can go outside and enjoy a book and a glass of tea in the middle of my lemon balm and mint (my favorites) and I begin to hope that my vegetable plants will yield some kind of fruit. (the photos above and below are from last year, btw... I can only hope some of these plants will look so good this year.) Invariably something goes wrong (Like having chickens who eat all my blooms, or too many grasshoppers if my chickens stay out of the garden.)

can

Anyway, it is that time of year. I am ready to start cleaning up, but it is just now getting warm so I may wait a few weeks. I'll keep you posted :)

Oh Look! It's Baby Ducks!

I have something cool to tell you.

But before I do I thought I'd share the following, and see if any of you can translate?

M R DUX
M R NOT DUX
O S A R
C M WANGS
C M B D I’S
LIB... M R DUX!

So, on to the news.... (drum roll please...)

Two days ago I went to the feed and seed (to buy feed and seed) and I bought...

Ducklings!!

Yup! Those itty bitty things that go waddle, waddle, quack, quack!



Oh, the pictures right now aren't so great, because they move around constantly, and the lighting where I have them sucks, but they are soooo cuuuuute!

Now, I know this isn't great news for anybody else, but seeing as I have no one else to share it with, I am sharing with you

There's more pics in my scraps if you'd like to see (with chicks and a blue chicken and Turkey babies too...) hopefuly I get something good enough soon to put in my gallery

Why I Offer my Stock Photos (for free)

Some of you may not be aware of it, but I offer my photos for other people to use.... FREE.

I got started sharing my photos online because a friend of mine looked through my pics and said "Wow, these are pretty good Dawn, you should sell them as stock!" I didn't know what stock was, or where to share it even when he explained. But once I understood what he was talking about, out I went to sell my great photos.

Except they weren't so great.

Of course I didn't know it then, to me they were fantastic and my fan club (friends and family) all coerced me into believing I was the next Ansel Adams. But enough rejections form the stock agencies cleared that issue up for me. I couldn't get anyone to take my images to sell.

My buddy said, Hey! no problem! Try SXC! ([link]) It's a place that gives stock images away for free, and you can practice you photography with them until you get good enough!

So off I went and submitted my images.... and they accepted about 2 out of every 10. (Those odds crushed me, let me tell you.)

I've been with SXC about four years now, and my acceptance level has grown exponentially. My rejections are now about 1 in 25 (and well deserved usually.) I now sell my best stuff at paysites, and take the rest and offer it here and at sxc.

But sometimes I have other photographers I know locally who ask me why I'd even consider letting someone use my photos for free.

So, here it is:

1. I am not going to do anything else with it, so why not?

2. I've had a ton of publications, many of which I have tear sheets for, worldwide. Those publications have helped my portfolio more than any sale I have ever made. EVER. (you can see a list of some of those publications here: [link])

3. The models I use for my images frequently get tear sheets or other items they can use for their own portfolios, which has made me fairly popular with the local models.

4. Every time I think I am getting good at photography, I can look through what I have offered in past years and realize how far I've come, and how far I have yet to go.

5. I get far more critiques from the free stock I offer, which gives me some basis on which to decide what I need to work on.

6. Some of the people who've used my stock have helped me learn better PS techniques, as well as helping me know what kind of stock is most needed.

So, thanks again to everyone who not only uses or collects my stock, but who sends me links so that I can see how it's been used. Hopefully your interaction will bring much more and better free stock photos to come

On Volunteering

I am a big believer in volunteerism.

It benefits everyone involved if the person volunteering gets into the right field.

I have volunteered for a variety of causes over the years, from help hot lines to meal delivery for the needy, from reading to the elderly to fixing the computers of an agency that helped homeless veterans. I've served meals to the homeless on Thanksgiving, helped draft strategic plans for small non-profits, and taken photos for animal shelters. Sometimes these volunteer opportunities have led to long term work for me. Most often they have led to making new friends, and having a better undersstanding of my community and the people who I live and work around. Always it gives me a sense of just how fortunate I am, and how important it is to give to others to appreciate what i have myself.

This past year I have tried to volunteer again for an artists group as a board member, (I have been feeling something missing from my busy and often self-centered life as of late) and just recently realized how little time I really have in my own life. So I had to resign after about a year of service, (which I am still glad I did, despite how harried I am at the moment) and I feel as if, somehow, I am doiong something wrong.

Perhaps it is the fact that I hold myself to such high standards, I am frequently told by my buddy Tim that I "put myself out there" too much, that I don't allow myslf to have any time for just me. I have a hard time saying no, and absoultely "no" difficulty in saying "yes".

So I said "no" this time, for awhile anyway. I suspect it won't be too long before I get myself buried in too much responsibilty again.

Thinking About Others

Ah, it's been a long week with much going on. How can there be so much to do and so few hours in the day?
I've been updating my website, and I launched it without finishing it, which I think now was a mistake. But with so much other work to do it's hard to make time for personal projects. I shouldn't consider my website a "personal project", but that's the way it is.

A good friends home was broken into last night and she and her daughter lost everything. She'll get some of it back, but as in a fire, the things you can't replace are those times that are important not because they have a material value, but because of the emotional attachment one has to the memories that are built in. She has things that had been given to her by her mother, and her grandmother that are irreplaceable, and it's breaking her heart. I am going to help her clean up today, but I am saddened that the work my hands do can't heal her heart.

My youngest son joined track this week. He had to have new shoes so we went to buy them yesterday. I was stunned at how much a good pair of running shoes cost. He paid for part of them with money he has saved himself, but I took care of the bulk of it. He needs so many other things, but he asks for so little. I have good kids. Makes you want to do so much for them when they are so thoughtful

I am getting ready for a road trip this week. I have two shoots out of state and have decided to drive rather than fly so I can do some personal photography along the way. I'm having to do this trip alone because it's during the week and my friends are working themselves, so part of me is wishing I'd have company. The other part of me knows this will be a great opportunity to enjoy the landscapes and find the time to enjoy my own company.

Surrendering to an Obsession

I admit I am addicted.

Yes, it's true.

I have tried to deny it, but even my mother will tell you she throws her hands into the air because she's not sure what to do about it.

I have been told quietly by business owners that I must stop, or leave the premises.

My kids have begged me to be more normal, my behavior in this matter embarrasses them.

I have considered purchases for my addiction, even when I am struggling to find the extra money to buy myself lunch. (Don't worry, I do feed the kids and take care of their needs before my own compulsions)

I give in to this fixation no matter where I might be, regardless of the weather or my own health. I can't help it.

...and yes, most of my friends help me continue this addiction, they too in some way have their own compulsions and understand mine.

But at least it's just my camera, it could be worse... eh?

Updates on the Poultry :)

Last September I introduced everyone to my chickens, who I had lost many of during the summer due to a feral cat that had decimated my once thriving flock. So many of my little bitties that I loved and raised since May were gone, and I had started over in July. I was worried that going into winter was going to be hard on them, they were fairly young. My sweetie, Brian, worked for several days to build me a chicken pen and hen house, and surprised me with some new Rhode Island Reds, a couple of White-crested Black Polish Chickens, and a young turkey of undetermined gender.
(You can see where I was at back then at this post: http://dawnallynn.blogspot.com/2007/09/raising-poutry.html )

It's February now, and we haven't lost a single bird since Brian put up the pen. In addition to the chickens and Turkey, I acquired a rooster and three ducks. :)

The rooster we named Allard, (Teutonic for nobly resolute) and came to use via another Freecyler looking for homes for two roosters. The roosters fought too much, (which is why the previous owner had needed to find them new homes) so we found a home for the more aggressive of the two, and Allard seems fairly happy with his small harem. The rooster we passed on went to another Freecycler who had a lonely flock of hens also here in the East Mountains.

At first there was some issues between Yuma (the Turkey) and Allard, but they seem to have worked things out. These days the two of them even roost together in the hen house. The roosting boxes I have in the hen house go almost all the way to the ceiling, and they sit up there like co-conspirators watching over everyone sleeping below. We have four boxes on the shelves, which some of the hens enjoy, but we also have two boxes lower down as well as an open cage which two of the hens prefer(This is where the hens currently are laying eggs). One of the lower shelves has a space beneath it about 20" high and about 52" deep. The ducks have taken a liking to this area, and they leave an egg about every two days.

Here's Allard, the second in the second image he is crowing. :) I love it.



Here's the new ducks :) From a lovely family in Albuquerque who were having problems with their ducks picking on the chickens. These guys are currently named"Dawn, Pat, and Quack Quack". We are thinking about renaming Dawn and Pat, since we have a Dawn and a Pat in the house and it is confusing. We haven't figured out any new names yet.

The white duck is a Pekin, and is a male. We may get him a Pekin female when summer comes. We are going to build a larger pen so there is plenty of room for them as well as any ducklings. The black ducks with the red heads are Muscovy's, and are quackless. One is a female and one is a male. I put the baby pool in the pen and have kept it full of water, the ducks have enjoyed it some, though it's been full if ice or slush the last two days. I throw bread pieces down for them to snack on, but they love it when we toss the bread into the edge of the pool. Maybe it's easier to swallow wet. The hardest thing with the ducks is keeping the water clean in the water bowl, I can put fresh water in there and ten minutes later they've muddied it. I go out every morning and evening and give them fresh water, and break up any ice in the pool.
We dropped a pallet next to the pool so everybody can reach the pool easily. The chickens aren't interested in swimming, of course, but they do drink from the water.

While in this picture it looks like the duck and the rooster are being amiable, in truth Don is cornering Allard because he's decided he's mad at him. Allard runs around for a few minutes and then flies up to roost high where Don can't reach him.

I'm not worried about it, Allard is
capable of defending himself just fine. :)

Yuma has grown a great deal since last fall. He is fairly friendly, though he doesn't want to be held or touched. He does like to eat from your hand, and prefers to be fed lettuce this way. (He won't eat it off the ground.) The center image below is Yuma looking up at me, hoping I'll feed him something. The third photo below is Yuma showing off his plumage. He's a doll.



Right now I have one Barred Plymouth Rock Hen, an Araucana, Six Rhode Island Reds, two White-crested Black Polish chickens, and Allard. I don't know what kind of Rooster Allard is.

Plus the ducks and Yuma that's 15 birds. Gotta love em.

It snowed last night, and the birds didn't seem to mind at all. I went out this morning and fed them some strawberries, grapes, fresh corn on the cob,lettuce and bread. They were pretty happy. :)

Moments of Parental Pride

Everyone thinks their own kid is a genius, and I am certainly no exception. But I don't usually brag.

But right now I am going to take a moment to do just that.

My twelve year old, David, has a history of fighting and bad grades a poor attitude and low threshold for paying attention. This year he has made quite a turn around, and I am so proud of him. He doesn't fight anymore, his attitude has improved, he does his own homework with very little prompting, and his grades are mostly A's and B's with a couple of C's.

Wow.

What most impresses me is how far he's come in his academics, his grasp on what it all means.

Some examples are:

During the Iowa primaries we were watching when the final stats came in and some of the candidates had tallies like 49% or 52%, but a couple had 0%.
One of my boys said,
"Wow... it would be embarrassing if you got 0%, nobody voted for him!"
David, without missing a beat, said,
"0% doesn't mean he didn't get any votes, it just means no enough people voted for him for it to count as at least 1%! If there are 200,00 voters, and less than 200 people vote for him, that doesn't equal 1%. "

I was amazed. He said he hadn't talked about that in school, that it just made sense.

Then, just yesterday on the way home in the car he was telling me what he'd been watching on television. He said he didn't understand why President Bush would have pushed us into war without proof of WMD's. We were discussing that when he said, "We need to get out of that war. We are spending billions, and that money could keep us from getting into this Recession everyone says is coming."

It's not whether he is right or wrong that impresses me, it's that he is paying that much attention, and that he cares about it all all. I didn't get into political discussions at 12 years old.

It's cool to see your kids grow up, watch them change and become adults in thier own right. It's these moments that make it all worth it. :)

Website of the Day

I like information. I really enjoy it when it's given to me in a way that is comprehensive and interesting.

Two days ago I learned about ZipSkinny.com, which has nothing to to with zippers or dieting and everything to do with finding information about any US zip code.

I first checked out my own zip code, and found much of the information therein depressing, if not true. I do live in a rural and not wealthy portion of the state.

I next checked out the zip code in Hawaii where my son is moving to in May. It does have some relevant information, which he found helpful.

What does your zip code say about you and where you live, do you think the information is accurate?

Visiting Other Bloggers

I like to read other peoples blogs, but I am more of a lurker than a poster myself. Heck, I have a hard time posting regularly in my own blog. But lately I have felt like reaching out and participating more. So I've been visiting some of the blogs of my old pals from AOL from back when i had my own blog there. Great people, and good posts.

One of my favorites is Paul's Blog, Aurora Walking Vacation. He also does Cowboy Poetry and Not Cowboy Poetry. All worth visiting if you get the urge. ;)

Anyway, today I found the following Meme on his blog, and thought I'd like to answer it, so here goes.

1. What is your name? Dawn, and Alba when I lived in Sicily. I miss the nickname, but I feel silly using it here.

2. How old are you? 43, which seemed incredibly old ten years ago and seems fairly young now.

3. Where are you from? That is a hard to answer question. I have grown up so in many places, lived in so many others where I felt very at home. I currently live in the mountains of NM, so I claim that, and I feel at home here. Is that an answer?

4. Do you smoke? Not for many years, and I am so glad I quit.

5. Do you drink? Yes, sometimes moderately and responsibly, at other times I over do it some. Most of the time not much.

6. Do you have a family? Please explain, if yes. Yep. Big family, Myself, my hunny Brian, and our five kids together, Logan, Keri, Mitchel, Patrick, David.

7. What are your hobbies? Photography, Design, Reading, Writing, Gardening, My pets. (Three dogs, a cat a ferret, eleven chickens and a turkey.)

8. What is your favorite ice cream? Hmmm, depending on my mood, something with caramel and buts, or a raspberry sorbet.

9. What is your favorite animal? Felines in general. I love cats, of the domesticated and wild variety.

10. Do you wear glasses? No, but I should.

11. What nationality are your ancestors from? I have some Irish, some German, some English, some Hispanic, some Native American, and those are the ones I know of for sure.

12. What color is your hair? Reddish brown. No gray so far. (Hurrah!)

13. What are you wearing now? Long Johns, sweat pants, a turtle neck and a red sweater over the top. I am cold, and this is what was clean this morning.

14. What is your favorite color? If I am wearing it, I like black, though I love all earth colors. If I am paiting a room I like creamed coffee or something like it. Mellow and soothing. If It is about being outside I love bright green and blues. If I am dressing a model, I am obsessed with red.

15. What teacher do you remember most from your childhood? In high school I had Betty McKiethan, for art. She influenced me in ways that still impact me. Also Mrs. Smith, for History, who gave me a love for all things in the world, and a hunger to always know more.

16. What are your pets and their names? Dogs: Rua, Ziggy, Luke. Cat: Willow. Ferret: Momo. Chickens: Dixie, Daisy, Rosie, (the rest don't have names yet.) And my turkey Hagar.

17. What is your favorite food? I love food, and there are no favorites. But I enjoy spicy stuff, hot stuff, good sauces and unusual combinations. Most things international, and thing that challenges my pallet. :)

18. What is your job? I do a lot. Too much ;) I am full time Office manager for a mechanical insulation company, I own a photography business which I do about 20 hours a week, I am a co-owner of a IT consulting company, a board member at the New Mexico Art League, and a volunteer for the Albuquerque Animal Shelter. :)

Now, I need to get back to work. Hehe....

Cloverfield

I am a big fan of Sci-Fi movies, End of the World genre flicks, and sometimes good Horror movies. When I first saw the trailor I knew I wanted to see Cloverfield. However, after reading some reviews of it on IMDB, (careful reading some of these reviews there are lots of spoilers), I changed my mind. It sounded too disjointed, and like something that might cause me to walk away with a headache and motion sickness, something I am not willing to pay the price of a theater ticket for.

My kids, however, made a big deal about seeing it, and I found myself interested again, so I saw it today. I am not in the habit of doing movie reviews, but my preconceived notions about whether I'd like Cloverfield or not were so off base, I felt like I ought to post something.

The premise of the movie is that a group of people are throwing a going away party for one of their friends in New York City. One of the guys is given the job of recording the revelers, and so becomes the mode in which we see the rest of the movie, through the lens of his personal video camera.

This does mean that there is a lot of jolted, jerky scenes, and when I say a lot, I mean almost every frame. (Reminds me of when I first started using my own home video camera, I can hardly stand to watch some of these old movies because they are so badly done). Though Cloverfield obviously and intentionally makes the film bouncy and often hard to follow, it works well for the story being told here. If it were too smooth, you would not be able to believe these characters are running in terror, in fear for their own lives.

Though the cast, (Michael Stahl-David as Robert Hawkins, T. J. Miller as Hudson "Hud" Platt, Jessica Lucas as Lily Ford, Odette Yustman as Elizabeth "Beth" McIntyre, Lizzy Caplan as Marlena Diamond, Mike Vogel as Jason "Hawk" Hawkins) are not big name actors, they deliver a well executed performance. The dialog both before and during the monster attacks serves to connect you to the characters and give the sense that they might be people you know.

This is not a feel good movie, if you're looking for one you might want to check out something else. But this was, for me, surprisingly believable, and I might even like to watch it again. If my review were to count for anything, I'd give Cloverfield two thumbs up. :)

Rough Week (s)

It's been a hectic week or two. If it could go wrong, it has gone wrong. We ran out of propane, which is both how we cook and heat our home, about a week ago. Several days before that our car was involved in a six car collision in the canyon just outside of Albuquerque (driver hydroplaned on ice and crossed over the median head-on into traffic. Brian was in the car, and had no injuries, but it totaled the car.) Two days later we ran out of Propane at the office, and the propane company said they were out of propane and it would be a week before they got any in. I borrowed my mothers car, which has no heat, and so I have been suffering in the cold more than a bit. (We can't afford to fill the tank at hoe until we fix my car situation, not enough money to go all the way around.

In short, it has been a difficult week or so.

I find myself fearful at all this talk of recession, thinking that if things are hard now, how bad it could become if the economy were to take a nose dive.

Even so, I am not good at focusing on problems. Call it optimism or Ostrich Syndrome, but it seems pointless to dwell on what you can't change right now.

I have been enjoying the company of my eldest son, Logan, who has been home for a couple of days sharing transportation with me. My youngest isn't as social with me, but he's doing pretty good in school, and has been developing a more grown up personality. Coming into his own, so to say. It's fun to watch.

I have an itch to do a photo session, so hopefully soon I'll have more to share in that area, until then, it all good wishes to all of my friends out there. :)

Find of the Day

Okay, so I didn't find this today, but I am sharing it with you today.

Freecycle is a great idea, an I joined it a few weeks ago. I found it through a friend initially a couple of years ago, but never joined because... uh well, I don't know why.

Anyway, here is a brief history of Freecycle as found on their website at Freecycle.org:

"On May 1st, 2003, Deron Beal sent out the first e-mail announcing The Freecycle Network™ to about 30 or 40 friends and a handful of nonprofits in Tucson, Arizona. At the time Deron founded The Freecycle Network, he worked with a small nonprofit organization, RISE, which provides recycling services to downtown businesses and transitional employment to Tucsonans in need.

As the team recycled, rather than watching perfectly good items being thrown away, they found themselves calling or driving around to see if various local nonprofits could use them. Thinking there had to be an easier way, Beal set up that first Freecycle e-mail group in a way that permitted everyone in Tucson to give and to get. Freecycle was off and running.

The Freecycle concept has since spread to over 75 countries, where there are thousands of local groups representing millions of of members -- people helping people and "changing the world one gift at a time." As a result, we are currently keeping over 300 tons a day out of landfills! This amounts to four times the height of Mt. Everest in the past year alone, when stacked in garbage trucks!

By giving freely with no strings attached, members of The Freecycle Network help instill a sense of generosity of spirit as they strengthen local community ties and promote environmental sustainability and reuse. People from all walks of life have joined together to turn trash into treasure."

I happened to find two groups in my area, one in Albuquerque and one in the East Mountain area. I joined both, but find myself contributing mostly to the Albuquerque Freecycle group because that is where I spend most of my time.

So far I have found a home for a bunch of books, some clothes, toys and blankets, counter tops and a sink, vertical blinds, and a few other items. I have picked up some winter coats, a wood burning stove, and a Christmas tree stand. I have seen everything from piano's and televisions to cans of stray buttons offered. I simply can't get over it.

It's handy, it's easy, and it does good for everyone: the environment, my family, and anyone who participates. Can't beat it.

My Son Likes Zombies

So I saved a link to a website with a short story about zombies, because it's hilarious , and somehow touching, if you like Zombies.

In case you like zombies as well, I thought I'd share the link with you. Even if you don't care for zombies, it's an interesting read. :)


I AM A ZOMBIE FILLED WITH LOVE