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Fried The most recent collage.

Ten years ago, I got married. Wow. Click for the picture for a short slideshow of photos from that day!

So I set up a little forum for my class. I just thought it'd help, since it's an intensive course, and we have a lot to cover in six weeks. After reading chapter after chapter of the importance of collaborative learning, it just made sense to apply that to the class I was taking, right? We can all share resources, bounce ideas off one another, answer questions in between session, etc.

So anyway, the Prof loves it. Thinks it's great. Wonderful idea. Wants to know how to do it himself.

But he's a little confused. Why? Why did I do this for the class? Why did I take my own initative? How the heck did I figure it out in the first place? Not just the technology, but figure out that this would be the kind of tool that might be useful?

I felt a little weird sitting there in class attempting to explain how my brain works. I mean, I don't know. The connection was pretty simple from here.

So I told him I had taken class using WebCT through Montana State and loved being able to talk through topics with classmates. And I mentioned that I went to Stevens ("Ah, great school!") and that we tend to be pretty comfy with technology around there, so I figured a discussion board of some sort was just what we needed.

This he liked. But he still wanted to know why. Why take the time out to set up something like this for the class on my own? It wasn't homework or anything. I hardly know my classmates and will only be with them for six weeks. And one presumes I have other things to do. That one I couldn't really explain, other than it made sense at the time.

So that's that. People are weird.

So, to celebrate catwithbell's birthday yesterday, I headed into NYC to visit the Museum of Natural History. Since I don't drive in the City, I opted to take the train in. There were hassles, mostly that I missed my train and had to wait an hour for the next, but that's to be expected when you chronically run late and live in a rural area.

The train ride. Sigh. I remember taking the bus into work before cell phones were popular. Those were the days. Now you have to put up with idiots having insipid conversations on the phone for an hour and a half, because, gods forbid, they be alone with their thoughts or fucking read a book. No we all have to barraged with one-sided tales of what they made for dinner last night, what shoes they last bought or how some random chick they know just "Doesn't get it." For Christ's sake, shut the fuck up.

Even worse was the asshole who decided to play videos and songs for his girlfriend off his cellphone the whole way. No fucking headphones, just right off the speaker, because clearly we all need to hear Mexico's answer to the Jonas Brother's at full volume for 90 minutes. I have never wanted to strangle someone as badly as I did that jerk.

I hate people. That's why I live in the country. There are less people. I cannot commit to doing good for the world and for my fellow man if I have to actually live around any of those stupid, filthy, rude, violent monkey's. And the first one to make a Mad Scientist in her tower joke will be blasted the hell off the gods-damned planet -- bloodily.

At least I had my iPod. I just put on The White Stripes at full volume and read The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove. You know, like a civilized person.

Our annual 4th of July and Caitie's Birthday Party is coming up TOMORROW, Saturday July 4th at 1 pm! Looks like the weather is going to be beautiful -- a great day to chill out in the country. So bring a dish and a blanket for resting under a tree. Can't wait to see everyone!

So, in case anyone out there is interested, this year I planted:

2 types of spinach, a row each
1 row Easter egg radishes
2 row purple globe turnips
lots of lettuce varieties, both head and leaf
6 broccoli plants (eaten by rabbits)
6 savoy cabbage plants (eaten by rabbits)
a row of kale (eaten by rabbits)
2 rows of peas (which never came up, weird)
4 cucumber plants
2 zucchini plants
2 yellow squash plants
2 hills pattypan squash (3 sisters garden)
2 green bell pepper plants
2 "other" bell pepper plants (from the school, the kids had lost the labels)
2 fairytale eggplant plants
4 grape tomato plants
1 yellow pear tomato plants
4 Roma tomato plants
2 Brandywine tomato plants
1 Celebrity tomato plant
1 Rutgers tomato plant
2 acorn squash plants
2 buttercup squash plants
2 spagetti squash plants
4 hills of sweet corn ((3 sisters garden)
4 watermelon plants
2 cantalope plants
1 hill jack-o-lantern pumpkin
1 hill "ghost" pumpkin
1 hill assorted decorative gourds
1 hill "birdhouse" or "gooseneck" gourds
4 hills of flat Italian green beans (3 sisters garden)
1 row of green beans
1 row of yellow wax beans
a small row of leeks

We also have strawberries, black raspberries, raspberries, blackberries, red currents and mulberries (which I just found today; it's been covered by multiflora roses for years and since we've cut them out, it's coming back). Oh and rhubarb! And I planted asparagus this year. Can't wait for that to mature!

Haven't fully decided on the fall planting for the year. We shall see.

I didn't do beets or swiss chard this year, and wish I had. Next year I plan to add blueberry plants and potatoes. I may do red cabbage again too, as I enjoyed it. We'll see how the cantalope does this year, but I'm thinking of doing muskmelon next year instead. I hear it's easier in our soil. I want to get my hands on a horseradish plant. I'll probably have to do a fence next year. Ah well.

Caitie, of course, has been my fashionista for quite some time. She loves putting together outfits, must have panties that match and adores her shoes.

It is no surprise that she came to think of her little sister as her own, personal, life-sized dress-up doll. And Gwynn was happy to go along.

Now, however, things are changing. Gwynn wants to interject more of her own style. So far, there have been no arguments, as Gwynn idolizes Caitie, and takes her advice easily. And Caitie is a big protector of personal style, obviously, so she's willing to listen to her little sister's opinions.

I just love listening to them in the morning, as they pick out outfits together. Sometimes they'll try to match color. Sometimes they'll both decide to be princesses and scour through their drawers accordingly.

They are, every day, becoming sisters, in the fullest sense of the term. It's beautiful to watch.

The most recent collage. I found a wonderful guy on the net with high res vintage photos.

So there's lots of "green" legislation going around. But does any of it make sense? Some compelling sources say, "No."

I think many of us can agree that we need to start thinking more about how we treat the ecosystems on which we depend. But how do we do that? And can we possibly manage it in a system where lobbyists and big corporations are the people with the most pull? Can it be done when politicians are more concerned with looking like they are making a difference than they are with actually making a difference.

Here are some link that have come my way lately. I have more reading to do before I can say one way or the other whether I think any of this will provide a net gain.

House approves overhaul of environmental policy - The House last night narrowly approved a landmark overhaul of US environmental policy, handing President Obama a big political victory with a vote to dramatically limit greenhouse gases and fundamentally alter how the nation produces energy in coming decades.

Tilting at Green Windmills - The Spanish professor is puzzled. Why, Gabriel Calzada wonders, is the U.S. president recommending that America emulate the Spanish model for creating "green jobs" in "alternative energy" even though Spain's unemployment rate is 18.1 percent -- more than double the European Union average -- partly because of spending on such jobs?

Climate Bill not Science-Based; Benefits Polluters - [Y]et another fleet of industry lobbysists has weakened the bill even more, and further widened the gap between what Waxman-Markey does and what science demands.

Warring Climate Cost Estimates Muddy Debate, Experts Say - There are too many critical unknowns in the equation, from the amount of forest land in developing nations that the United States can ransom from clear-cutting to the costs and timing of massive investments to capture and store coal-fired power plant carbon emissions.

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For the record, I think we're doing about right. We need to comment, but I think we need to be mighty, mighty careful about how we play this situation.

RECENTLY ADDED!
Obama condemns 'unjust' Iran - "Barack Obama, the US president, has condemned as "unjust" the Iranian government's treatment of protesters disputing results of the recent presidential poll."

McCain's Iran Neda speech raises domestic political stakes for Obama - 'The obviously angry McCain, Obama's GOP opponent in last year's presidential election, cites the tragic death of an Iran female protester called Neda whose name has suddenly become known globally as she was shot in Tehran and died in the street, bleeding profusely, on a now viral and very graphic video with friends screaming around her."

Iran: It's Not About You, People - "Some Westerners have been driving themselves into a narcissistic frenzy over events in Iran, blind to the contradictions in their own behavior."

Are the Iranian Election Protests Another US Orchestrated ‘Color Revolution’? - "Commentators are 'explaining' the Iran elections based on their own illusions, delusions, emotions, and vested interests. Whether or not the poll results predicting Ahmadinejad's win are sound, there is, so far, no evidence beyond surmise that the election was stolen. However, there are credible reports that the CIA has been working for two years to destabilize the Iranian government."

The CIA and US Media Roles in Destabilizing Iran - "While everyone who writes about the recent Iranian election has very strong opinions, very few have very many, if any, firm facts"

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Obama Draws Criticism For Iran Response - "As rallies continue on the streets of Tehran, the Obama administration is under pressure to side more openly with demonstrators who are protesting against the results of Iran's presidential election."

With Iran, Think Before You Speak - "If we actually want to empower the Iranian people, we have to understand how our words can be manipulated and used against us to strengthen the clerical establishment, distract Iranians from a failing economy and rally a fiercely independent populace against outside interference. Iran’s hard-liners are already working hard to pin the election dispute, and the protests, as the result of American meddling."

Obama showing 'right degree of restraint,' analyst says - "The situation would be different if the United States or any outside power had a magic wand... The fact is, however, that the United States cannot suddenly intervene in Iran, American political rhetoric is not going to change Iranian facts on the ground... "

Iran slams 'meddling West' over election - "Iran stepped up allegations Monday against the West of "meddling" in its disputed presidential election even as its election authority reportedly acknowledged that the number of ballots cast in dozens of cities exceeded the number of eligible voters in those areas."

There Will Be Blood - "If Charles Krauthammer had bothered to ask anyone, he would have learned that the reform movement is every bit as outraged by the history of U.S. meddling as the Ahmadinejad supporters are--arguably moreso, because they are well-educated, sophisticated people who despise the neocolonialist condescension toward Iran that marked American presidents from Dwight Eisenhower to George W. Bush."

ADDING ONE MORE:
Democracy, made in Iran - "America's moral authority in Iran is all but non-existent. To the idea that the US should jump into the Tehran fray and help bring democracy to Iran, many Iranians would roll their eyes and say: 'We had a democracy here until you came in and crushed it!'"

And it's only $34.95 plus $6.95 shipping. What a steal!

I think *perhaps* they have the wrong gal...

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The circumstances of your birth give
you a special angel connection that will bring you the miracles you need.

Dear Sandra,

From the moment I first saw your chart, I could hardly believe my eyes. You are one of just a very few among us who was born in just the right place at exactly the right time to be granted the special ability to connect with the realm of the angels.

You see Sandra, because you were born on June XXth, 19XX at PLACE, a spiritual force was set in motion that bestowed you with a unique ability to connect with angels. And there's one angel in particular, one of the most powerful angels of all the angels, who has been waiting since your birth to hear your call. That angel is none other than the Archangel Michael, the Angel of Miracles.

I was discussing the phenomenon of the spiritual force that occurred at the time of your birth with my dear friend and spiritual advisor, Bernard de Buhem. I may have told you before, but Bernard has traveled the world in the quest of spiritual enlightenment and he has chanced upon sacred talismans or "tools" to help others achieve spiritual connections they might not have otherwise been able to make, even when they've been given special gifts at birth to do so just as you have been given.


Sometimes people like you go through their entire lives not even realizing that they possess this special ability that, if they knew how to use it, could give them the life of their dreams. You probably have sensed that there is something different about you, something deep within that feels like a promise waiting to be kept. And that is exactly what is there, Sandra. It's the promise of the Archangel Michael who was present at your birth and who whispered in your ear the promise to grant you miracles that would give you a life of fulfillment.

But you need to summon him in order for him to return to you and begin to grant you the miracles that will give you the carefree and rich life you were born to be living. And that's where the sacred talisman that my friend Bernard told me about comes in. You see, Sandra, with the aid of this sacred talisman, you can make that long awaited connection to the Archangel Michael, the Angel of Miracles.

Bernard told me that while visiting the city of Bethlehem, the place of Jesus' birth, he was introduced to a Holy Man who shared with him the secret of the Glory Cross. The Glory Cross is an ancient relic that has at its center the symbol of ultimate light, the sun itself. And the four arms of the cross are symbols of the rays of light that emanate from the sun at its center, bringing brightness and warmth to all corners of the earth.


The Glory Cross is also sometimes referred to as the Natal Cross or Nativity Cross, reminding us of the bright light of the Bethlehem Star that miraculously appeared when Christ was born and that led the 3 Wise Men to him with their gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh. So Bernard thought it was a miracle in itself that he should be discovering this sacred cross in the very city where the Christ Child was born.

The Holy Man produced a weathered wooden box that had some sort of ancient inscription on it. The Holy Man told Bernard the translation of the inscription was "Sacred Cross of Light, Connector to the Light of the Angels," and then he opened the box to reveal a beautiful silver bell adorned with the Glory Cross.

He told Bernard that this silver bell, with the sacred Glory Cross as its crown, was the ultimate tool to be used for summoning angels. "Angels," he said "are made of pure light and therefore the Cross of Light was the sacred tool to use as a connector to bring them to you."

What I have for you Sandra, is a replica of that very cross that Bernard was shown in Bethlehem by the Holy Man. Bernard had the replica created so that my friends like you who were born with the special gift of being able to connect with the angels would be able to use this tool to make that connection happen.

Ring the bell, Sandra, and summon your special angel, the angel who was present at your birth, Archangel Michael, to come to you and bring you the miracles he promised you from the very beginning of your life. It's time for you to have the financial security and well-being you were born to receive. The Archangel Michael has been waiting since June XXth, 19XX back in PLACE to be summoned. Don't wait another minute. It's time Sandra. Summon him now and reap your rewards.

Your friend,

Bethea

My friend, Jason, works really hard on behalf of the LGBT community of Southern Arizona. Presently, he's working with Wingspan Pride 2009 - Do Something You Can Take Pride In. They desperately need money for youth programs, support groups and vital safe housing. Even if you can only donate $10, please do so. He has a $2,100 goal, and I know if my friends donate and spread the word we can help Jason reach that number easily!

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If I can't have actual sunshine, I'll take virtual cute kitten sunshine.


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