When I see "SEVERE WEATHER ALERT" I usually think along the lines of gale force winds, sleet or hail, that kind of thing. So when I clicked on Yahoo's alert for our area, what did it say? "...FROST ADVISORY FOR LATE TONIGHT AND EARLY SUNDAY MORNING..." Ohhhhhhhh... THAT definition of "severe".... ????? *grin*
posted:4:22 PM | link |

Okay, so this IS kinda funny - amazon put up a 'mock' page that is layed out like the Palm Beach, Florida ballot, and if you click on the correct buttons, you DO actually go to the page you want. (From the perspective of an ex senior technical writer, this ballot should NEVER have gotten approved - most WEB SITES aren't even designed this badly (most - LOL). But egad, leave the poor designer alone - taking your frustrations out on a cog in a broken machine is just silly.)
posted:10:50 AM | link |

Looked up a couple terms to get clear....

Democracy - 1. government by the people, exercised either directly or through elected representatives. 2. a political or social unit based on democratic rule. 3. The common people, esp., as the primary source of political power. 4. Rule by the majority. 5. The principles of social equality and respect for the individual within a community.

Republic - 1. a political order whose head of state is not a monarch and in modern times is usually a president. 2. a political order in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who are entitled to vote for officers and representatives responsible to them. ... 4. A group of people working as equals in the same sphere or field.

They're really close aren't they - the only main difference being who really has the power. It SEEMS, according to these definitions, that in a democracy, the people have the power, and in a republic, a specific group of citizens have the power. And yes, the U.S. *IS* a republic right now. Will getting rid of the electoral college make us a democracy? As things stand right now, if BUSH wins the election, it will be through the electoral college - a Republican wins if we do it the Republican way. And if GORE wins the election, it will be through the popular vote - a Democrat wins if we do it the Democratic way. Even if the Florida vote is discounted completely, and Congress gets to pick, it's a Republican Congress right now.

Lots of people talk about conspiracy theories or of the government basically being run by one elite group of people (hmm - Clinton is pres., Gore is V.P., Hillary's now a senator, Bush WAS pres., Bush Jr. is TRYING to be pres., Jeb Bush is gov. of FLORIDA, Gore is TRYING to be pres....) - certainly DOES seem like a "republic" at times, eh?

But the BIG picture here, as I'm seeing it, is the symbolic meaning. Talk about taking back your power in a 'conscious creation' sense of things - which form of government do you feel matches YOU best? And it doesn't even have to be either of the two mentioned above, (and I wouldn't necessarily use the current candidates as ideal examples for either party - LOL - or maybe they ARE - heh heh) For me personally, it's a symbolic waking up. It's an opportunity to look at what IS and then use it as a contrast or jumping off point to look inside myself and see what I would prefer to create in my reality.

I also look at 'majority' this way - the more I accept my own power to create, the more the 'majority' (in my space continuum, of course) aligns with MY choices. All quite symbolic and 'life is a mirror'-ific, ain't it. Anyway - this is what all the election bru-ha-ha has got me thinking about - just thought I'd share that. :-) I know there are a zillion different ways to look at or anaylze the situation - this is just one more.
posted:9:14 AM | link |

And a little fun for today - Lost in Translation - English in its many forms as used around the world. (I just KNOW that somewhere on the 'net are complementary sites for mistranslations of English into OTHER languages - as long as we can keep laughing at ourselves!)
posted:4:02 PM | link |

I ran the well pump, talked to some cows, walked in the rain, made lasagna, wrote email, played with the dogs, started teaching myself a new graphics program, and then had a staring contest with a bull that was eyeing our new grass. I won. *grin* Whew - what a day so far! Heh heh.
posted:2:46 PM | link |

A hypnotherapist with NLP (nuero-linguistic programming) training has apparently helped a boy get over his dread fear of KETCHUP. Sounds weird, but it's a good story - I love this stuff. *grin*
posted:10:16 AM | link |

YAY - we got some of our own 'stuff' from Cafe Press yesterday and it looks great! We got a mousepad, a large mug (my personal favorite) and a grey sweatshirt with our designs on them, and they're all quite excellent quality - very pleased. It's kinda strange seeing a design you made on something 'real' like a mug, instead of a computer screen - heh heh. Still letting that sink in - ain't technology just a'mazin'?
posted:7:34 AM | link |

John and I were driving home today, it was raining and sunny at the same time and yes, there was another rainbow - actually, it was a DOUBLE rainbow, the first one being one of the BRIGHTEST rainbows I've ever seen! Interestingly enough, I also had my digital camera with me *grin* and so I took pictures out the window at each red light, until the rainbow was gone. This is one of the better shots - and kids, don't snap photos and drive. *evil grin*


posted:5:49 PM | link |

So OKAY - now we have FOUR designs offered in our Conscious Creation STUFF page - each of them on t-shirts, sweatshirts, mugs, and mousepads. The four designs read:
"Conscious Creation ain't just affirmations and parking spaces"
"Create Your Reality Consciously"
"Unzip Your Reality"
"Dream Yourself Awake"
Order by Dec 12 for Christmas Delivery - hurry - act now! LOL - Whenever I do a plug like this I always think of the old CRAZY EDDIE ads we'd hear in Upstate New York... "Crazy Eddie - his prices are so low, it's INSANE!!" heh heh.
posted:7:36 AM | link |

I was sitting here, waiting for Blogger to load, when I caught what I THOUGHT was an errant piece of fluff floating down in front of my eyes - turns out it was actually a SPIDER descending on a WEB, almost at my nose! *grin* Well, it startled me, and then I grabbed the webline and moved the spider to the floor. Since I associate spiders with writing (spinning webs, although not just 'fiction') - I think I'm reminding myself to do some WRITING today - thank you Ms. Spider!

In other news, I have now become an Automated Blogging System! Meaning? That while Tom's away on a trip with a low probability of internet access, I'm going to be posting his pre-written posts to his blog once a day. *grin* Hey - when bloggers just disappear, even when they tell you they'll be gone, it can be disturbing. (When they don't tell you and just disappear - just stop posting, you just keep WONDERING, like with DarkAngel - where are you?)
posted:7:13 AM | link |

This election has certainly brought up its share of STUFF for us to look at and re-assess, with Florida having apparently agreed to be the symbolic 'trouble' state - it's not just that they found a box of uncounted ballots in a church, or that they have to recount them all, but also that due to a confusing ballot, people cast votes for Pat Buchanon instead of Gore, and many are demanding a re-do. I wonder if this will take longer to resolve than we thought? Guess we'll know by tomorrow.
posted:4:52 PM | link |

See - Imagination IS Real! :-)
posted:7:58 AM | link |

Florida Attorney General Bob Butterworth said the recount in his state would be done as quickly as possible and could be completed as early as 5 p.m. EST (2200 GMT) on Wednesday. - So... that means I don't have to check on this until 2 p.m. here - cool. I can hardly even believe the numbers:
Gore 48,505,653 - 48%
Bush 48,257,761 - 48%
I mean - I KNOW we all kept saying that there was hardly any difference between the candidates - guess THAT part definitely WAS a self-fulfilling prophecy. Why don't they just BOTH be president - go everywhere together, make decisions together - Yeah - I'm just cracking myself up over here.
posted:7:45 AM | link |

Well, I'm certainly glad I didn't STAY UP to wait out the news on the election - egad! We were watching the results on tv for a while, but then turned it off and just went on the internet - checked cnn results and watched Real Player versions of ABC news coverage. Then went to bed because it didn't seem like anything was going to happen any time soon - LOL.
posted:7:35 AM | link |

Didn't have your fill of enough oddball news yet today? Need a break from the suspense (heh heh) of the presidential election? Read these tidbits: Weird but true
posted:4:26 PM | link |

In a peanut butter meets chocolate type event... when digital cameras and cell phones collide. I find it interesting that the camera is being connected more quickly with WIRELESS phones - what about those video phones they promised us? *grin* Guess it probably has to do with what the people who jump onto the new technology bandwagon are currently using more. Now, I remember something about a still shot video "camera" phone a LONG while back but they were like a thousand bucks each. Anyway - I'll send out a little energy for camera/non-wireless phones to be created as well. So many little digital devices, so little time. AND... it would be great if it wasn't JUST a camera taking a photo of you, but if you could have ANY graphic display for the other person - oooooh - fun. Santa - are you listening? Hope your high-tech elves are busy! LOL.
posted:3:35 PM | link |

It's the kind of fudgy chocolatey cake that's so fresh and so rich and so full of sugar that it makes the blood vessels in your temple pulse erratically for a few moments. Mmmmmm... chocolate.
posted:12:24 PM | link |

There's been SO much talk of popular vote versus electoral college vote lately, that I think we're setting ourselves up to create that exact experience - Bush gets popular and Gore gets electoral college. Last time that happened was about a hundred years ago, I think. In any case, it will bring the electoral college idea to the forefront and then maybe we can get rid of it. *grin* Without the electoral college, politicians will have to figure out a new strategy for winning elections - maybe this search for a new strategy will help them discover that manipulating the numbers and the press doesn't really work as well as choosing candidates with real vision and leadership. *snort*
posted:9:50 AM | link |

I've been having fun working on more designs to put on t-shirts and mugs and mousepads, etc. It's almost intoxicating, the idea of being able to have STUFF with YOUR art and designs on it. *maniacle giggle* Actually, with Cafe Press, it's so easy to create this STUFF, and they produce everything on demand, not in bulk... I've been thinking that this would be a great way of doing personalized gifts for people for Christmas and such. Create a design, slap it on a t-shirt or mug or whatever, buy it at the 'store owner' rate (about 10.99 per shirt - base price is a little higher for sweatshirts, etc.) and you can even have it mailed to a different address. Our first order of our own STUFF should be arriving in a few days, at which time I'll give y'all a full quality review of it.
posted:9:39 AM | link |

And now, one of the zillions of interesting accounts now out about ball lightning - maybe more to come. "More than a century ago, a French tailor had a close encounter with ball lightning. He had just finished his evening meal when a board covering his fireplace fell over and out came a silent ball of fire--- the size of a child's head. According to the stunned tailor, it moved toward him like "a young cat that wants to rub itself against its master's legs. It then rose vertically about five feet, then headed for a paper covered stovepipe hole above the mantle. The tailor swore that the ball somehow removed the paper without burning it and decided to go on its way, disappearing up the chimney. A few seconds later, it left its famous calling card as a loud explosion destroyed the top of his chimney and hurled portions of it through several roofs nearby." (from Blue Moon News) Me again - seems almost sentient, doesn't it - maybe it's not "just" lightning - hmmm!
posted:9:00 AM | link |

Quick! To the Aquatic Pod! Just got the new Hammacher Schlemmer catalog, and for only $91,000, you can float your very own Aquatic Pod in a lake. It's a round semi-submursible pod with RV-like accomodations on the inside, including a 'downstairs level' with glass windows you can look through - under water. They have to bring it in by helicopter. There's also a ring of floating flat areas around the pod to lay on - like a mini-deck. *grin* I'm sure Santa has many in stock already.
posted:4:27 PM | link |

Sometimes I just wonder - is it REALLY a cop's job to protect us from ourselves and what they consider to be our stupidity or ignorance? If so, why aren't they around to snap off the television when really stupid game shows come on or where are they when you think that just ONE more piece of Halloween candy in your stomach won't make a difference? *grin* Come on - if you're going to do your job - might as well go ALL THE WAY. "Ma'am, your children were sleeping outside at night and were just about to tell ghost stories. I stopped them this time, but you should really make sure this never happens again - it could be dangerous." I know - I'm going off on a tangent, but tangents are SO MUCH fun. "You're under arrest for suspicion of tangentiacide." Okay, okay, I'll stop now. LOL.
posted:7:02 AM | link |

Usually when the cows are "milling" around by the wind mill *tumbleweed bounces by in the silence of such a bad pun* I don't go out there and pump the well - I wait until they're gone. But yesterday I just decided what the hell, and walked THROUGH the cows (they were spread out over the field) and sat by the windmill as the pump ran. When I focus on my objective instead of them, they almost seem to not notice me much at all. While I was sitting though, a little white calf stared at me the whole time, maybe because I kept doing silly things to keep its attention, like waving my arms around or sticking my thumbs in my ears and wiggling my hands in pure bullwinkle fashion. *grin* All the time I was out there I was thinking about how ridiculous this would feel if another human were out there or if my antics were caught on tape. LOL - probably wouldn't make a good FOX show though... WHEN EXTREME COW ENTERTAINMENT GOES BAD.
posted:6:52 AM | link |

Wow - the 4 a.m. satellite photo for the Western United States shows cloud cover over everything except a part of California, but it will get here soon enough. I've seen tons of huge cloud formations via this page, but never such an inclusive blanket - it's very cool! You can check out the satellite image here, but unless you do it soon, it will change and you'll get another view - total cloud cover not guaranteed. *grin*
posted:6:35 AM | link |

People have been saying that penguins are falling over because they are looking at passing aircraft and losing their balance. To learn the TRUTH about this phenomena, check out these scientific studies done using an inflatable plastic penguin and a house plant standing in for a helicopter - Why Penguins Really Fall Over
posted:6:21 AM | link |

Part of Windows software was written by a company headed by a scientologist, and since Germany considers scientology a cult... It is a purely economic organization exploiting the weakness of its members for profit, (uhh - no comment) Microsoft is offering instructions on how to remove this piece of programming.
posted:2:04 PM | link |

"These are the lamest, most boring people in the world and one of them is gonna be president," Trey Parker says. "It's like 'Do you want to go see Battlefield Earth or Home Alone 9?'...Maybe I'll just stay home. I mean, how did it come to this, that these are our only choices?" - *grin* - Starting after the election, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, creators of South Park, are creating a live action sitcom called FAMILY FIRST which will mock the new first family. I wonder if it will be a Comedy Central thing or if it would be, in any way, admissable on one of the usual networks - LOL.
posted:7:38 AM | link |

I remember a lot of bits from strange dreams last night. Not the STRANGEST, but the most remembered, was me playing with a PDA, first it was with a group of techies and we were giving a presentation and the PDA was involved somehow - and someone was telling me about a virus that overwrites the PDA version of Wordpad? (Don't ask me, I just dream it.) Then, I was talking with tom about the limitations of a PDA, and then I was in another scene, playing a game on one. These seemed to be completely disconnected from each other except for the PDA - I have an excellent picture in my head of the little grey screen and the stylus and of writing on it too. It's just ODD - in waking life I actually like the PDAs with the little keyboards better, and don't actually own one at all (yet?). Well, I'll certainly let you know if this was precognitive. *grin*
posted:7:27 AM | link |