The Edge of Reason

Well, it's about time!

First things first: I invite you to put on your dancing shoes and join me in a celebration because I've been happy dancing for an entire week, and the party is still not over.

Drum roll please...

... John has returned to school! I can't tell you how thrilled I am. He needed to go back to school. And in spite of the fact that he is not physically as strong as we would like - emotionally, school is the best place for him right now. His world was becoming too small, and he deserves to experience so much more than what I am able to provide within the confines of this home; he needs to be in a classroom instead of with a tutor; he needs to be with his peers; and most of all - he and I need a break from the constant companionship that had become nearly oppressive.

So... we are celebrating! This is such great news, considering that in the past eight months John has only attended four weeks of school. That is a long time to be out of the classroom. It is also a long time for a mother to entertain and care for an almost 17 year old child. Additionally, it is a long time to give up my privacy as I hosted nurses and tutors all day-every day. And, since I'm being honest, I will admit that it is also a very long time to share my space and give up my freedom. Is that selfish of me? Probably. But at least I'm honest. *sigh*

The next "It's about time" item on the agenda: I mentioned in my last post that my husband gave me a wonderful new laptop for Christmas. Come to find out, the Vista program on the laptop was not compatible with the version of Photoshop Elements I was running. What a hassle that turned out to be - and frustrating? Oh my gosh! I was ready to pull my hair out. When we finally realized it was a compatibility issue, we were able to address the problem, which meant installing the new 7.0 trial version of PSE. More happy dancing in my house! I'd heard that 7.0 runs slow... it doesn't! I'd heard that there was a high learning curve for 7.0... there's not! I am in love with this program. It has solved all sorts of issues I've had in the past with the older version of Elements. And slick? Yeah, it's slick. The picture shows my pretty new desktop with the new pse icon (how great is that wallpaper background?). I took a screen shot of my computer screen just to play with the program - that's how happy it makes me. I will be purchasing the 7.0 upgrade before the 30 day trial is done. In my opinion, it is worth its weight in gold.

I have to offer a million thanks to my husband for spending entire days of his time in an attempt to get me up and running at full speed. His ability to find solutions to the problems we've encountered with switching from Explorer to Vista have astounded me. I am so thankful for his calm approach and neverending patience with my [sometimes outrageous] requests and demands. And in case anyone was wondering - I have learned to love Vista! It is way cool.

In celebration of the upgrade changes recently made - I'm going to share a great find with you. For those who are into actions when editing their photos, look what I stumbled across:

 

Here's the hyper-link to the site: CoffeeShop free downloads. I've played with a few of the actions, and they are fabulous. And free... how can you argue with that? These action programs are compatible with both Photoshop Elements and Photoshop CS - bonus!

Moving on to another "It's about time" subject... we finally got a little bit of snow.

 

It's about time! Last week the temps were in the single digits. Brrrr. It was so dang cold outside - it even hurt to breathe. And although I despise snow with every fiber of my being, I still feel like snow is part of the winter months, and if the temps are going to be frigid, I wanna see the white stuff. We only saw a few flakes last week - I guess it was too cold to snow. But today we saw the real thing. Snow, snow, snow. Not enough to really do anything with (like mess up the traffic or make a snowman), but just enough to satisfy my desire to watch it fall from the sky. PERFECT!

In other news, tomorrow is the inauguration of President Elect Barack Obama. Living in the region where this will occur is interesting, to say the least. I won't be attending any of the events because 1) I don't like crowds, 2) porta-pottys are gross, 3) it's too cold to endure watching something outside with thousands of strangers, 4) traffic will be a nightmare, 5) security issues (one of my personal phobias), and 6) this is all we have heard about on our local news for a full month - and I've OD'd on the inauguration, the cost, the attendance, the schedule of events, the menu, the attire, the road closings, the school closings (neither of my kids have school on Tuesday due to traffic and security concerns - yep, they even canceled the classes at Alyssa's university), etc., etc., etc. Instead of driving 16 miles to attend the inauguration, I'll be sitting in the warm comfort of my home watching it on the television. I'm looking forward to the changes that have been promised. But more than that, I am anxiously awaiting putting the inauguration behind us and moving ahead.

And finally - about the subject of an Etsy Shop: it's in the works. And because I'm anal about starting something new, I have been doing my research and have decided to build a small inventory before I open the store. I still don't have a name (all suggestions welcome), and I still have not decided on exactly what to put in the shop (again, suggestions are welcome). The first thing necessary was figuring out why my PSE program wasn't working since I can't open a store without being able to take pictures of the items that will be available. Now that I have solved that problem, I am ready to move forward with production. I'm hoping for a late February or early March opening - a lot will depend on whether I can keep John in school, thus freeing up my time for creativity (more happy dancing just thinking about all the things I want to make).

"It's about time". That's where my mind is at today. I'm ready for change - change in my life and change for our country. In the meantime, I will just keep happy dancing because I find it to be such a great way to celebrate the changes that are ahead.

I'm Bugged

I don't often vent when I write, I try to use my real voice when I need to throw a fit. However, sometimes, that's just not enough, and today is one of those times.

Here's the deal: I live on the outskirts of our nation's capitol - less than 20 miles away from the White House. So it goes without saying that I live in the political mecca of the free world. My neighbors are diplomats and federal employees. The people who shop where I do are government officials. Their children attend my children's schools and their wives have their hair done at my salon. Even if I wanted to, I would be unable to get away from politics. The world of politics surrounds me. When I attend school functions, people are talking politics. At my book club, politics are discussed. I can't turn on the news or open a newspaper without seeing the name of someone I know or someone I've met. And that's okay, I'm used to it. I've lived here for almost seven years and it's become part of my life.

And to be honest, I enjoy politics. I consider myself to be somewhat politically savvy. I can discuss Karl Rove (whom I think is a political genius, although I don't agree with some of what he does), Scooter Libby (ex-Dick Cheney Chief of Staff and fall guy for the team), Harriett Meier (former US Supreme Court Nominee and way out of her league), Michael Brown (idiot dude from FEMA who should be ashamed of himself - have you seen those emails? Give me a break!), and a whole lot of other front page names... I am aware of what is going on in the world and I have some very strong opinions about these things. However, I "try" to keep my opinions to myself. They are my opinions and my convictions and I don't think that it serves any purpose for me to bother others with how I feel.

I've raised my children to be aware of current events and they know where I stand on most issues. But even then, I don't force my opinions on them. I let them hear both sides of the story, via the news media and conversations, and then I ask them what their views are. Obviously, they tend to lean my way since they've been raised by a mom who is biased when it comes to certain subjects. But I don't belittle them if they have a differing viewpoint, and they often do because that's how they've been brought up - to think for themselves, to analyze the facts, and then to form an educated opinion. Opinions without thought out supporting facts are not valid as far as I'm concerned.

Which brings me to my rant. It's election week and I've had it. I want to run and hide. I will vote, but I am not happy with my options. The reason I'm not happy is that I don't trust one single person who is involved in politics right now. Not one. They lie. They cheat. They break the rules. They cross the line and then pass the buck. There are fall guys. There are schemes and scams. There is NOTHING, not one thing these people say, that I can trust anymore. And that makes me sad. What is happening to our government? It is filled with crooks. And that is a poor commentary on our society. Worse, it is a poor reflection of our country. I am a proud American. And to be honest, I feel guilty for even writing these things because I know that there are women from other countries who read my blog. But, I've reached the point where I can't take it for one more minute. I'm bugged. I'm more than bugged. I'm ticked off.

Sometimes I feel as though our nation would be better served if children were given the jobs in the White House. Put our children in the seats of congress. Let the children be the senators and the governors. At least when they made mistakes, they would be honest mistakes. They would not be calculated. They would not be criminal. They would be good, old fashion mistakes. That, I could accept.

For the past month, my phone has been ringing off the hook. I've been asked to participate in polls (I decline to answer the questions), I've been asked whom I've casting my vote for (I decline to comment), I've been asked for money (I laugh), I've been asked to volunteer (I laugh harder), and I've been reminded to vote at least twenty times. Well, if I was on the fence about that, after 20 phone calls, I've gotta tell you, I would say forget it because the phone calls tick me off. It's a good thing that I believe voting is an honor and a privilege. Because of that conviction I'll be standing in line on Tuesday, just as I have every first Tuesday of the first full week in November since the year I turned 18. Because, I promise, if it depended on these people convincing me to do so, I'd not step foot in the voting booth.

And when it comes to donating money, I find it appalling. First of all, what a waste of good trees to use all that lovely cardstock for smear campaigns. It didn't use to be like that. And what a waste of thousands of dollars to send the junk mail in the first place. Leave me alone! I throw it all away. I never look at it, and I wouldn't consider reading the fine print, because it contains lies and untruths. I would rather see the money spent on the hurricane victims and cancer research. Tell me, just how much have these holier than thou politicians spent out of their pockets for that? I'm willing to bet the answer is NOTHING.

On Tuesday, the public schools in Virginia will be closed. Why? Because they use the buildings for the voting. Now, that is fine, because those building are, after all, owned by the state. However, my children will be home from school, and they know full well why they are home. Having spent the formative years of their lives in Virginia, they now think that voting day is a national holiday. WRONG. They will ask me who I voted for because they have been following the elections in school and on the television. And for the first time in my life, I am hesitant to tell them. I won't even tell my husband, and I don't want to tell my kids. Why? For three reasons:

1. I can no longer discern what is fact and what is fiction, so I don't trust my instincts.
2. I am ashamed of the candidates and their campaign tactics.
3. I am afraid that whomever I vote for will turn out to be a crook.

So how can I walk in the door on Tuesday and proudly announce who I voted for, when I am not proud of the choices in the first place? Do I vote because I always have? Do I vote because it is my civic duty? Or do I vote on a hope and prayer because it is a privilege? Because I think that is what it has boiled down to - a hope and a prayer.

In the end, life will go on. Unfortunately, the politicians are slowly, but surely, changing our lives. They are mucking things up. They are wasting our tax dollars. They are making decisions based upon power and not for the good of the nation. Tuesday, as I cast my vote on a hope and prayer, I will walk out of the voting booth and try to hold my head up high. My prayer is that in the years to come, I will continue to be able to do so. My vote counts. It counts for today and it counts for tomorrow. I just hope that there are still a few politicians out there who are man, or woman, enough to do the right thing and hold fast to good moral judgment. Sadly, I haven't seen that for a long time. So, yeah, I'm bugged. I'm really, really bugged.

I'm Having a Love Affair

In my dreams:

In reality (which for me is not that far removed from fantasy), I am having a love affair with blogs. I'm nosy by nature and blogging is another way to satisfy my curiosity. At first, I didn't get it. And then I got it, but I couldn't figure out why anyone would want to put themselves out there like that. And then, I got caught up in them and I wanted to jump right in. Blogging is a way to connect with others. Specifically for me, it is a way to be inspired by others. When I read about their lives - the highs and the lows, the serious and the frivolous - I know that I'm not alone in this big, bad world.

Scrapbookers are a social group of people. Put a bunch of scrapbookers in a room and I can promise that someone-will-know-someone-who-knows-someone-whom-you-know. I've seen it happen time and time again as I've taught around the country. It always tickles me because it takes people by surprise. But I don't think we should be surprised at all. We are social. We create. We share. We desire feedback. We put our art on pages and our thoughts in journals. That's what we do - we create. We write. We don't hide our thoughts or ideas. We lay it all out there for others to see. I think it helps us validate our lives - to create something unique unto oneself. Creating makes us who we are. We need to remember that we are doing this for ourselves because it defines us. I think women often forget that it is okay to do something for ourselves.  (For the record, I'm doing it for myself, and if others like it, that's good, but not necessary.)

And now we blog. What a lovely thing it is. We can share our thoughts in our own unique way. I've read a few interesting things about blogs:

• Blogging is an exercise in writing and can improve those skills
• Blogging is the newest form of communication
• Bloggers tend to circulate readers amongst themselves
• Bloggers spend as much time reading and composing blogs as they spend reading and composing emails

I've found each of these things to be true. And here we are, right in the thick of it. We have our own little community where we can share. A community where people know what we are speaking of and get what we mean.

Yes, I'm having a love affair with blogs. The more I read, the more I want to write; the more I write, the more I want to read. It's very addicting, you know?