snowflakes

I got this site from a friend.. one of the things you can do is send your snowflake to others, but they require your email address and i did not want to give them mine… so if you go and you do find a snowflake made my neljaz iit is mine but i gave a not my email address so i could not send it on… I have always liked making snowflakes.

The Great Web Site Project

I have copied Terri’s site…

It looks much the same as it did before.

As i worked on it i began to envision how i would like to see it.
The second one is only the first page. The only change you might not notice is that i took the biography page out and put the important parts of it on the first page. I also added in that what you see in the pictures are one of a kind items. Terri does not have the ability to buy bolts of fabric so she can make the same item over and over in case she does get orders. I think the one-of-a-kind angle could work……

I am also trying to get lighter brighter pictures and fuller descriptions. I had thought she needed details like fiber content, but i have loked at a number of similar sites and fiber content is seldom given, nor do they mention washability or suitability for children. I think those things are important. (What do you think is important?)
I posted a question about the site name on craigslist and got some feedback. I don’t know if Terri will accept it, but she might.

And i know i have asked you before… but the more input i have, the better so i am putting it before you again……

Dreaming of Grailing

Last night I had my first dream of Grailing.  I’ve been asking and asking, but this was the first.

Grailing and I were on the front porch.   Something startled him, and he ran through the railing and down the street.   For some reason I couldn’t get off the porch directly, but immediately went back to the closest gate I could use and chased after him.

A few houses down, there was a woman holding a bundle, not immediately recognizable as anything in particular, but I instantly knew it was Grailing.  I went up to her; she asked if this was my cat.   Yes,  I said, this is my Grailing.

She asked what I fed him, saying that he often came over to her house and ate.  I started to list what I was feeding him until she stopped me, laughing.  She said that I obviously fed him very well, far better than what he had at her place, but weren’t cats so funny and opportunistic when it came to food.

She handed him over, and Grailing settled into my arms and purred.  The lady again remarked that yes, he was obviously my cat, but she let me know that he was welcome at her place any time because she did like him and he would always have a safe place with her.

Took Grailing back to my house, set him down and started working on the computer.   Then he called to me; he was chasing one of his crinkle toys and wanted me to play with him.  So I got up and we played.  We played and played and played, with the energy and focus and interest he had when he was just barely into adulthood, and he looked his most perfect, most beautiful, and he so obviously enjoyed playing with me and including me, inviting me, into his world.

It was a good dream.

I’m glad to know I can recognize him, from whatever distance.  I’m glad to know he’s staying with someone who cares for him, but who acknowledges that I care for him more.  I’m glad Grailing is happy, and that he still wants to be with me and is happy with me.

I’m glad Grailing has finally made the full transition to the point where he can be with me in dreams.

Just thougth I’d help everyone close on this happier note.   Grailing and I are both healing, both adjusting to our new states of being.  But we’re still together.

stitch and bitch – the happy hooker

ok ok…now before some of you get totally offended…

this is about CROCHET.  i’ve actually been waiting for this book to come out for a while. the person that writes it has had a few books on knitting by the first part of the name and has gotten very good reviews. i believe the names comes from knitting/crochet parties where the women aired the dirty laundry while doing thier work (bitching while you stitch).  hehehe makes me smile
i don’t have the book, but i just think it is all too cool…and well the name…it makes all the prim and proper blush

messing with CSS

OK…… I want to change the color of the search button on the 8 of us message board. It is driving me crazy. I can find how to do it, but i do what the book or site says and nothing works. It is probably because this message board thing has a style sheet and everything refers to it. Maybe i am writng the right code and not linking to it right.

So if any of you have time on your hands (that’s very likely, i know) and knows how to change the color of a button using a style sheet……..??

And now i am going to try to stop being obsessed. 🙂 I have spent a good 6 hours reading and searching and trying things. Nothing works and the words are beginnig to blur together in my mind when i try to read.

Diet thoughts

I have had a moment of clarity.  These places that offer stomach altering surgery say it is for those who have tried diets and have not been able to lose weight.  People are always saying that they tried diet after diet and nothing worked.  I have always thought that they meant that they followed the diets and did not get the results, and have not believed them.  Moment of clarity.  They tried the diets but were unable to stick with them, so they didn’t work.  Looking at it that way i have tried and failed hundreds of times.  I don’t try to follow a particular diet, i try to eat right or eat healthy, but it is the same thing.  Stomach altering works because it physically forces the person to stay in the diet.  (Though i have heard of some who manage to gain the weight back because the stomach does stretch.)

Not that i am ready for the surgery…  There are too many risk factors.  But (I have read about it) the one i would choose is called lap band or something like that.  They band around the top of the stomach creating a small pouch with a small passage into the rest of the stomach.  It takes little to fill the small pouch and you cannot eat any more till the pouch empties into the rest of your stomach.  The doctor can go in and remove or adjust the band later.  I like that this one allows you to digest food normally.  I like that your stomach will naturally shrink and that the band can be removed later.

Of course, there are possible complications, though there are fewer long term complications.  There are the usual complications associated with any surgery, and the stomach does not always respond well to being banded.

You can see i have thought about it.

I have been reading this morning about eating disorders.  I am a compulsive overeater and a binge eater.  They say that the root of these disorders is emotional.  (of course)  But, ad Dr Phil points out, sometimes we start a behavior for one reason and continue it for another.  I read about the emotions that make us eat and i can see me in there…   or me like i was, but not me like i am today.  I think today i eat because, in random order:
1) I like food

2) I am tired

3) I am bored

4) Habit

5) I have a hard time getting started on what i plan to do so i have periods of limbo when i am more likely to eat.

Sigh………   I have written enough.   Have more thoughts……   but no more inclination to talk about them.

Kitty food

Another note in the ongoing Grailing saga….

The constant moist food routine was begining to wear on Kevin. So I called up the nutritionist to see if there was any dry food option that was permissible … well, actually, I called to see if re-introducing dry food for a meal would do any damage. I had no thought that there would be a permissible option available.

Turns out there is. And, as you would expect, my cats LOVE it. Finally, some real food, they tell me. Enough with this moist whatever-you-call-it. Sure, sure, it’s Turkey and Salmon, or Sardines and Crab, or Chicken and Herring, but whatever. Give us some of those tasty dry kibbles.

Wretched beasts.

So, in case any of you are interested, I thought I’d share that dry food option with you. The thing that makes it special is that it is all meat and fruit/veggie – no grains were used in the making of the food. So it is very low carb. And cats, as carnivores, don’t do so well with the carbohydrates. Not to mention the whole tumors metabolize carbohydrates side of the equation, which hopefully none of us will ever ever ever have to consider ever again.

The main webpage is http://www.naturapet.com/display.php?d=home-tab

Go to Foods > Foods for Cats: Innova EVO Cat & Kitten Dry. Or try going there directly.
The store finder is at the top. There are plenty of stores in Austin and Houston. I don’t know if they all carry EVO; you’d have to call and verify that.

But anyway .. it exists, there it is, and if you try it let me know how your cats react.

Actually, don’t let me know if you try it. Your cats reaction would probably be confusion.

Let me know if you get some and feed it to your cats, and if they like it or not.

Mexican Food (a new resturant on our list of places to go)

Christina’s mother visited us a few days ago (she had a TSR meeting in the area) and she recommended that we try out a place called ‘Flores Mexican Restaurant’. It’s on anderson lane right off of Mopac (ie, north loop 1). Not noticing the place as you drive by is rather hard, just don’t look for the ‘Flores’ part; instead, it’s the big building with a huge, well lit marquee of ‘MEXICAN RESTUARANT’ around the building’s top.

Anyway, they have excellent hot sauce with their chips. Christina’s mom describes this place as ‘the Mexican place with hot sauce like mine’. Their queso is likewise tasty. In fact, I had the queso on my fajitas. MMmmm.. tasty. I’m going to be taking everyone who wants Mexican food to this place at least once. I also had a shot of Patron Anejo tequila with the meal. First time I’ve tried it; will be buying a bottle in the future. In the future I’ll also switch from ‘tea and shot’ to a Dr Pepper with the meal. Less expensive and this place has food that is so good it just has to have a cola with it.

Spring Cleaning (with booze!)

Christina and I have begun spring cleaning. We’re doing it to A) clean house B) toss out things we don’t want to pack C) because we should.

We’ve got the living room/dining room looking good. (Ignore the fireplace area though). Since those rooms are rather un-interesting, I’m not going to show you pictures. If you want to see them in their clean states, you’ll have to visit. Ok, well, the fish tank is interesting and also cleaned up… but I’m sure ya’ll have seen enough fishy pictures.

Still, I am going to give you some pictures. See, while I was cleaning I decided to do some dusting. I saw that the area where I keep all our alcoholic beverages, also known as the NO YUO! area for Christina(1), was getting dusty. So I pulled down all the bottles, dusted them, and put them on the table. Seeing an opportunity, I took a picture.

Thumbnail of booze collection

I didn’t think my collection would take up that much space. Oiy.

Next the (small) collection of wine…

Thumbnail of wine collection

Well, ok, we’re not every interesting when it comes to wines. But they are all tasty wines!

Then I just had to dust all our glasses…

Thumbnail of full collection

I had no idea the cabinets held that many glasses. I think I could keep a small party going for while with that collection. And that doesn’t even touch the glasses we have for day to day drinks.

Of course, I put it all away after that and it no longer looks as imposing. All stored away: nice, neat, and happily compact.

Now all I need to do is clean the computer area…..

A very dirty desk area

(1) – Christina has been very good about avoiding all things alcohol. She is also looking forward to enjoying a nice, cold Guinness.