Beware and a huge "Thank you!" to a mean person

Yesterday morning as I was going through my mail, I came upon a piece from a dear and trusted friend. I noticed the name and in the subject line was : Prop 8 link invitation. I know my friend feels exactly the same as I do in regard to Prop 8 and so I opened the mail.

My computer screen went black and then my computer froze for about 1/2 hour before I could get it back up and running. All of my files were deleted, the screen was black with a few icons on the desktop that, when opened, opened as if the computer were new: No Files. All of my documents were deleted, all of my photos were deleted, everything was gone. Zip. Gone.

I phoned my friend's spouse to inform them of the glitch, the virus or whatever it was, that was being spread via their personal name. The thing is, this family have ALWAYS been Mac users... for anyone not understanding where I am headed with this...Macs don't send or receive viruses (at least from what I understand, and granted, I understand very little when it comes to technology.) So my friend was admittedly surprised to find out about the situation. My concern and only reason for contacting them was to warn them about the hack (into the mail or whatever) that was able to #1 connect the two of us as pro yes on prop 8 folks, and #2 to be able to grab addresses and send out a virus to anyone else in their mailbox. Ugh.

Luckily for me Thor has a bit of technology under his belt and, frankly, I literally prayed that Heavenly Father would help get my computer back up and at least allow me to grab the remaining photos (about 1/3) that I had not transferred to a zip drive. A few hours and a bit of work and between the Lord and His mercy and Thor's tech savvy and I am back on line.

The weird thing about this is I just talked the day before to my sis Robyn about this sort of thing. She advised me that there are people out there who can mask themselves as someone you trust and by opening the mail you get their fun little virus. "Never open a link via your mail." she advised...duh, I just trusted and I guess we can't just trust anymore. Mean people are out there and they want to mess you up.

So, if the person who sent my computer into crash mode this morning is reading: Thanks. You have given me a few good reasons to celebrate. #1. You have increased my faith in God and His ability to answer (even the silliest of) my personal prayers. #2. The Spirit tried to warn me, but I didn't connect the dots until it was too late. But lesson learned. #3. I have a great sister. #4. I have a really sweet, patient, compassionate, and smart husband. #5. Good friends are always good friends, even if they are Mac users and I am a lowly PC user. and #6. You made me think that my position on Prop 8 must be really important. Important enough to keep fighting for, otherwise why would it bug you so much that I, a very small person on the planet, have taken a stand.

So thanks creepy mean person, You have proven once again, #7 that everything, good and bad are for my benefit. You're awesome.

Whatever You Want - part deux

If you read this post a week or so ago, you know how frustrated I was with trying to find a new sewing machine. E-freaking-gads.

Well I exhausted all my resources, made enemies out of long time friends, distanced relatives and basically drove my husband to drink (mom prophesied he smoke some day, I suppose drinking is just as bad, oh well.). So Thor has been hitting the rootbeer floats pretty hard lately. He says it's from his work, but I think there's residual stress from having to listen to me vent for two months.

One thing we have learned from all this is that whatever you want in life will take twice as much as you expect it to. When you're a kid you think "Hooray! I'll graduate from high school and then it will be over!" Until you realize that you still need an additional 4-6 years of formal education; and then there are those "required" continuing educational classes or seminars that one must attend if they expect any kind of increase in earnings. Mothers are another good case for this. They think "Sure, it's going to be nine months of agony, but then the baby will come and things can never be as bad as that pregnancy." Well until you realize that your body just stores up all that it put on hold for nine months, and lets you deal with it as you feed another person from your own physical resources. Don't get me started on potty training or getting rid of that sippy cup.

Thor and I went to Utah. Along the way we saw a really nice little boat. Thor said, "That's a really nice little boat!" It only cost $600.00 but we were both sure that it would be the perfect size for a vacation on a lake with a couple of the kids, or for them to borrow a family at a time. The trouble is, everything is always twice as much as you expect. $600.00 for the boat, and a trailer to haul it around in would be at least another $600.00. 1,200 reasons why Thor and I do not have a boat.

We drove down the road a way and saw a canoe! A really nice canoe for only $300.00! I said, "Hey, how 'bout a canoe? Only $300.00!" Thor looked at me and said, "Yes, but you'll need another $300.00 for a roof rack on the car; and do you see the flat back on the canoe? That's for a little outboard motor. Those don't come cheap either. With fishing licenses for everyone, bait, rods, reels, tackle boxes, renting a cabin at the lake and food for a week, etc. we're looking at more than the boat cost!"

It's the same with fast food. You get the dollar hamburger and they tack on another dollar for the soda. We're dead meat. All of us.

I finally ended up buying a sewing machine. I had originally decided that I had saved (well over) $350.00 and that would be my budget. In the end the dumb machine cost $745.00. Holy Toledo. I get the wonderment home and for the past two days reading the (War and Peace sized) manual has consumed my every minute. This new machine is computerized! Wahoo! To a point. Now the darned thing is smarted than I am.

Today I sat down to see if I could push all the right buttons and give the little lady a test run. I went to my scrap fabric. Hmm, silk, felt, heavy Teflon coated quilted fabric for a new ironing board cover, ummm, (dig dig dig) oh! um, (dig dig dig) no -can't use organza, tulle? nope. Stink! I have nothing but weirdo fabrics in my scrap bag! No worries, I'll grab ten bucks and head down to the store, I need a few other sewing things to get officially started.

I run down to the fabric store... I grab a half yard of plain cotton, 70% off (orange tag!), and then remember I need "special" bobbin thread, grab some of that, also, if I am going to test the embroidery, I will need "embroidery" thread, on sale -buy two get one, oh and the stiff backing stuff so that the fabric doesn't pucker, oooooo.k. Done. $25. and change.

St Petersburg! This is getting ridiculous! But there you have it, everything doubles!

All in all though, my happiness doubled as well. You see, for the first time -ever- I made button holes without cursing! I also (machine) embroidered the first try and the second try without any complications! Who knew this was possible? Raise of hands??? Yeah? Me neither! I wrote names and companies and titles and love notes and drove that fabric all over the place with stitches that looked like leaves and hearts and small tiny crocodiles -all without swearing!

It's a Festivus Miracle!

I (machine) smocked! I 'drew' a dish!
I blind hemmed, and made a fish!

I wrote monograms and "Mickey Mouse",
and 'his -n-hers' and "Welcome to our House!"

I'm giddy and hysterical!
I sat all day and played!

I puffed a little baby sleeve!
(for 750 paid!)

From now on I'll be sewing
so much they'll think I'm lost.

Baby clothes and backpacks,
equal to Prada's cost!

Between the price of fabric
and machine's (that do inspire),

I'm afraid I'll have to tell Thor:
"Sorry Babe, you can't retire!"

Do One Thing: Week 11

Week 11: COMMUNICATION:

battery operated radio,
ham radio if you have the license and know how.
walkie talkies with fresh batteries (I think we added these a few weeks ago)
whistle,
hand/small mirror (for reflecting the sun and getting attention)
maps (gps if you have one)
fresh charged cell phones
a flash drive with cell numbers, addresses, etc. placed on your key chain ( I think we already talked about this one)
a small address book with all the above info in it tucked into your kit in case you can't access you computer and need those numbers and info.
a permanent black marker. This is creepy, but writing your ssi# name and other info on your arm is a good idea for i.d.-ing in the event of disorientation, being lost, or even death. Write this info on the backs of small children, just below their neck.)
Any other items that come to mind when you think of communicating during an emergency event.

We're getting down to the wire! One more week and your kit should be complete!

And as long as we are preparing, I got this link in an e-mail. (Thanks Jill!) It's a test to see if you know what to do during an EarThQuAke! aaAAHHhhhh! Well screaming isn't one of them... the music and graphics are goofy, but the questions make you think. It's especially good for kids and teens who may not fully understand what to do or those who think they have it all covered. You may even learn something new yourself!

Everything old is new again

For whatever reason, when I got on the 'puter this morning it was the old program and all my sites and links and stuff are back. Who knows how it happened, but thanks for all the good wishes because evidently they helped! The program looks very old, but hey, do I care?

Yeah! Even spell check is back! Yesterday on the newbie program it was avoiding spell check as a "pop up", today, back in cave man days I have it again. Rejoice! This mainly because I am notorious as a bad speller. Not a good quality for someone who is also known for her flyers, poster, and calligraphy! But also a good thing because Thor got us a new fangled wireless keyboard and mouse. The key board is gynormous with big huge keys and the mouse has five (count 'em -5!) buttons all over it which I have no idea what they do except make the page jump around a lot if you touch one of them. So here's to spell check!

Please feel sad for me. (send godivas)

Thor gave up on the ex-gang member computer fix it guy. Mother board died and refused to talk with the hard drive, right? Well, after paying for repairs (we actually could have just bought a new one) Thor brought it home and hooked it all back up. Still nothing. UGH! So Thor decides that perhaps it has a bad keyboard as well. Yup. So computer should be fine. It's working at least.

Now new problems. I have lost all of my favorite places and I am in a very sad place. (cue violins) Some I could get from my list on the left, but there were the others that I did not list. You know, the ones you think are cool but assume no one else would. That, and if I listed every site I really liked, well the page would go on forever. Things like all the on lines stores, and science photos. This little fat girl will spend many hours tracking them all down again. Some of the sites should be easy enough because there is a name involved that describes the site. Others had titles in the sidebar that reflected what I found there, such as, "Hawaiian", "Elephant seals", and a whole categories that were dedicated to each family member. Things they would be primarily interested in that I had run across and saved for the proverbial rainy day. You need to remember that S'mee is technologically inept, a dither head as it were when it comes to this stuff. And now, with all offspring out of the house, there will be no more, "Hey, babe, can you find ______ for me?" I am sad.

Thor is ever so compassionate though, as he reminded me as he left this morning, "Sweety, you have nothing else to do today except sit there and try to heal up before Wednesday. You can play all you want and get it all back." Grrrr. It was meant to be a license to just relax and goof around, too bad he forgets just how dull I am at these things!

Albert the gang member just called. It's the "mother board" she died. WAH! More updates as soon as I get them.

wild nights in vegas and a stomach tattoo now on your arm

Dear Readers:
o.k. here's the deal, Thor researched it all out and discovered: WE KNOW NOTHING ABOUT COMPUTERS! So with that information we search the world over and found ONE guy where we live (or at least in the city next to ours) that actually would work on it. We put her in the back of the car and headed out. (drive drive drive) We pull up and go to the door of the computer fixer guy store and it's LOCKED. Shut up like a clam. Hmm. Didn't we just call this guy like 20 minutes ago? (humdeedoo, now what?)

"Hey, hey hey! stop! C'mon in!" says computer fixer guy as we head back to the car. So Thor grabs our "baby" and walks through the door. After about 40 minutes Thor returns to me; with a fascinating story.

Computer fixer guy is an "ex gang member." yahoo! Just who everyone wants to leave their computer with. This very tattooed fellow has retold "his story" to a very patient Thor. About how he grew up down in LA and yada yada yada gang troubles and a mean momma moterscooter who moved him out and up to better things. (why is our house devalued???)

His latest adventure has been the falling asleep at the wheel after a wild night in Vegas with the boys and his girl friend. The boss sees him show up for work with said girlfriend asleep in the back seat of the car and insists that he drive her home so she can get a decent night sleep. "But that's down in the OC, I says, but the man tells me, you get that girl some good sleep and sos I drive down and take her home. I gets back in the car and drive back to work, but man, I fell asleep and crash my car. Now I mess my whole body up so much they have to sew my arm to my stomach. HAH! Dig this man, now my tat is on my arm!" (That would be the tattoo that was originally on his stomach.)

So as soon as computer fixer guy gets off the meds, he and his boss will take a look at the computer and tell us we own them too much money fix her and we'll go buy a new one. That's my theory at least! So for now, this is S'mee. Homeless computer girl, sad, and begging to borrow other folks computers. Hope to see y'all soon. Until then, don't drive your girl home to the OC when you too are too tired to drive. If you ignore this advice, you may also have part of your tattoo remain on your arm.