Blog Mostly Recovered!

Well Sparky, 
My blog is now
almost completely recovered! 
I still have a few miscellaneous photos to reload to posts, but most of the posts are done.  In the end, I had to go through almost every post and reload the photos on each one!

First I tried to just recover the photos from the Recycle Bin and restore them.  That captured some of the photos that got deleted but not all of them.  It did not restore them to Picasa or to the web album for "Blogger".  Some that I deleted from the "web album" were just gone.  Luckily I still had copies in other places on my computer.  So, I had to swear alot, stay up way too late, and look up a bunch of stuff online.

Then I tried re-uploading the photos in groups to the web album that Blogger draws from, hoping the photos would re-appear.  My posts wouldn't sync up to repopulate the photos - even with the correct, matching file names!  So, I had to swear some more, fume, look up more stuff, tinker, have a drink or two.

So, I resolved to go through each post and upload the pics for each - for about 155 posts. Luckily, I've been a lazy poster over the years!!  Otherwise, I'm not sure I would have done it.  My neck got sore, my eyes got blurry, I stayed up way too late, I had bad dreams.

I did contemplate just letting the whole thing go.....and starting over with something new.  After all, I have virtually no readers anymore now that I'm out of the EDM loop.  But I didn't want to lose all of the things I've entered over the past 5 or so years.

Now, I need to figure out how to back this all up!  And I need to read more about Picasa and the web albums - and send them feedback about my experience (as if anyone will care, but I've seen posts from others who have had similar troubles).  It seems to me that one should be able to remove a photo from an album and not necessarily remove it from one's computer - and be able to retransfer photos back to the original account if desired.

It's been a MAJOR PAIN!!  But I did go back and fix some photos and edit some stuff. It also gave me a chance to better organize my photos.  I had them saved haphazardly in several different folders,  using different formatting.  I have a bit of OCD, which is a helpful trait when doing something like this!

EP

I'm Ticked OFF!!

I have totally screwed up my blog!!!  I tried a feature in Picasa to transfer/migrate my photos from one email account to another.  I thought it would be great to consolidate my photos. Then I was weeding out some of the photos from an album - not realizing that I was totally DELETING them!  Of course, I now realize it's my fault for not reading the fine print.

The Picasa site says that the blog will be able to link to the new location - IF you link both email addresses as authors to your blog.  I'm using an old Yahoo account for this blog, and when I attempt to add my gmail account, it tells me I can't (because both are connected via Google and only one Google account can be used for sign in purposes).

I was able to add both email accounts as "authors" as the instructions told me to do, but the system still wouldn't access photos from the second (new) account as the instructions said it would.  And OF COURSE, once photos are transferred to a new account, Picasa says they can't be transferred back!!!!  What the hell???

I was able to restore my photos from the recycle bin, but that doesn't put them back on Picasa, which holds the blog photos.  And even though I've reloaded a number of photos to Picasa and the web album that Blogger uses, the blog is still not picking them up from either Picasa account.

GGRRRR.....

If I had a Hammer.....

Smiley Face!

Art is Where You Find It!



Smiley Face - on the back of a bathroom stall door where a coat hook used to be!



Can o' Worms

Rockin' Girl Blogger

My blog friend Brenda at Amber Ridge Desert listed me as one of her "Rockin Girl Blogger" awardees! Isn't that nice of her?

I did a little Google search and discovered that Roberta Ferguson started the
"Rockin' Girl Blogger"
award on June 18th, 2007 to celebrate female bloggers. Here's the link to her post: http://www.robertaferguson.com/2007/06/18/why-not-start-something/

"I’m starting something today, right here, right now. You get to be in on it. It’ll be fun and it will build us a community of one sort: girl bloggers. Or, better yet, “Rockin’ Girl Bloggers”. How do you like that?
This one-time deal comes with a nifty badge as well... Let’s make a ginormous list of rockin’ girl bloggers. I am going to tag some of the rockin’ girl bloggers that I read regularly. From there, they can tag some more rockin’ girl bloggers, and so forth."

Brenda says we're to select four blogs and pass along the award. Here are mine:

Since my sister, The Old Bag, got me started with blogging last summer, I'm listing her as a Rockin' Girl Blogger. She started blogging a long time ago and has persevered through work, graduate school, moving, travels and cycling.

Laserone is a Rockin' Girl Blogger for sure. I first found her through her Everybody Loves Riley site, which is devoted to her adorable pug Riley. My friend Kathleen has a son named Riley and he always thinks it's funny that his name is so popular for pets.

Arty Velarde is another Rockin' Girl Blogger. She creates wonderful drawings of chickens and lawn bowlers. And we share a fascination with Roadside Attractions.

Marta is also a Rockin' Girl Blogger. She does some beautiful artwork and has a great blog. I've just gotten acquainted with her work recently.

There are so many more wonderful women bloggers! It's been great fun getting to know you.

Emma Pod

I Got Tagged

I just found out that I was tagged by Casey Klahn of "The Colorist", http://thecolorist.blogspot.com/, a terrific artist from Washington State! He does beautiful work - especially landscapes in pastels. I love his vibrant tones. So, the gig is to tell 7 things about myself that others may not know. HMMmmmmm....here goes:

1) I live in Portland, Oregon and am an academic advisor at the community college here. We've lived here since 1992. Before that we lived in Iowa City, Iowa and I worked at The University of Iowa for 7 years. Before that we lived in St. Paul, Minnesota for 4 years. And before that we lived in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. I'm originally from Brookings, South Dakota - home of the SDSU Jackrabbits! When I came to Oregon I thought it was odd that the prominent college mascots are Beavers and Ducks, but I guess the Jackrabbits and Coyotes from South Dakota are pretty weird as well.

2) I have a master's degree in theology from Luther Northwestern Theological Seminary. At one time I wanted to work in the church or maybe be a pastor. I got into higher education instead.

3) I'm 52 years old and have been married since 1979 - how many years is that???? I'm not sure, but I know it's more than 25.

4) I love to read. I quit buying books and now use the library. I check out 6 or 7 novels at a time and sometimes come home with books I've already read, but forgot. My Dad does that and I used to think it was crazy, but I guess aging will do that to you. After turning 40 a co-worker told me she has CRS (Can't Remember Shit). I think I'm getting that too!

5) I used to think I'd get a PhD in higher education administration or some such thing. I wanted to be a Dean of Students in a college. But now I'm not sure I want to work that hard. I think I'd like to earn an art degree instead. I've always loved color and shapes and design, but never thought I had any talent. A few years ago I took two drawing classes and realized that I can LEARN. What a concept! I'd like to learn more and do more art in my spare time and on into retirement.

6) I am just learning to golf and am pretty bad. But, there is hope! We went out today with some friends who do not believe in keeping score. Now, that's my kind of golf!

7) Last summer my sister came to visit and taught me how to blog. She's The Old Bag, http://oldbag.blogspot.com/. It seemed fun. Later I found the Everyday Matters Group and have been having a blast with it. My office neighbor and I had been joking about being drones and pods in a big organization. I had used the pseudo-name Emma Pod for something as a joke and decided it would be a good blog identity. My real name is Mary.

Now, I have to tag 7 other folks, so here they are. You can let me know if you've already been hit:

Brenda at http://amberridgedesert.blogspot.com/
Teri at http://painteddaisies.blogspot.com/
Casey at http://caseytoussaint.wordpress.com/
Ronell at http://rnllvanwyk.blogspot.com/
laserone at http://pookieart.blogsome.com/
Lin at http://viewfromtheoak.blogspot.com/
Platitudinal at http://loocheeta.blogspot.com/

Emma Pod

Let There Be Light!!!

I got a new light for the winter blahs. It's a "Happy Light" by Verilux for S.A.D. I found it for $150 at a local lamp wholesaler - most are listed on the web for about $189+.
The northwest is very gray and rainy all winter.
It begins to feel like hybernation. That's why we all medicate ourselves with coffee.
Is it any wonder that STARBUCKS originated in Seattle????

Dropping Pennies

Finding a penny is lucky. At least, that's what I've always believed. Many people think that finding a penny means a wish will be granted. Others think that found pennies are messages from loved ones who have died - that each found penny is a special visitation from beyond.

I pick up pennies and make wishes whenever possible. I was thinking that it might be good to spread some of that happiness around. I've started dropping pennies.

The other day I was sitting in the car, waiting, at the credit union. I was cleaning out my coat pocket and found a penny inside. I opened the car door and dropped it to the pavement, wondering if anyone would ever pick it up.

A few minutes later, a family parked next to me. Mom, Dad, and two kids got out. A boy about 7 or 8 years old yelled, "Hey Dad! Look! I found a penny!". He scooped it up and skipped down the sidewalk with it.

Even if it doesn't bring him good luck, it brought him a small bit of happiness. And gave me some too.

EP

White Elephant Gin

Hey Sparky - I got the BEST present at our staff Holiday Party!

We have a white elephant exchange where everyone brings an anonymous gift and puts them in a pile. Numbers are drawn and each person picks a wrapped gift to open - or you can steal a gift from someone else.

You know how you usually get a candle or an ornament or some similar useless item - well, this year I got a
big bottle of GIN!!!!

Sure, it's a cheap brand. It's in a big, half-gallon sized plastic bottle. But it's still a great gift!

Cheers!
EP

Doggie Acupuncture

Our dog Jack is having acupuncture treatments. Last spring he was running through a field out at Champoeg Park and stumbled. He came up limping, but we figured he'd be fine in a week or so. He's done it before and always recovered from a twist or sprain.

This time he didn't get better. We've taken him to three vets - one a surgical specialist. He's had x-rays and poking and prodding, all to no avail. He still limps, bows his front leg out, and walks on the side of his paw. The best they can say is that he most likely has a soft tissue injury in a tendon or ligament.

He's had three acupuncture treatments so far and seems to be feeling better. He's also getting an injection and taking three medications. He's been a good sport about the needles and electrodes, but it freaked him out at first. Shelties are hyper by nature and sitting still is not a strong point for them. He gets hooked up and has to lie quietly for 20 minutes. It takes alot of treats and happy talk, but I think he likes it. The vet says that the needles release endorphins and ease the pain in his back and leg. Jack is more lively and stands better. We are hoping for the best!

EP

Mary Poppins Sing-A-Long

Another birthday outing was a Mary Poppins sing-a-long movie with my neighbor. The Cinema 21 Theater shows old musicals and makes a party of it! The words to songs are shown on screen. Costume prizes are awarded. The audience is encouraged to shout out remarks. It's a tame version of the Rocky Horror Picture Show dress up show.

We got participation bags with little drink umbrellas (to open when Mary floats down out of the sky), a flavored sugar stick (to eat with "A Spoonful of Sugar", foil-wrapped, chocolate coins (for "Tuppence a Bag"), a firecracker/popper (when the Admiral shoots off the cannon atop his house), kazoos (for something), and I can't remember the rest.

The costumes people wore were inventive. There were lots of nannies, chimney sweeps, kids, and suffregettes. The best prize went to a mother/daughter combo who were a box of sugar and a bottle of medicine. The mom wore a big square of white quilted material in the shape of a sugar box. The daughter wore a long, red, straight piece of fabric around her body,with shoulder straps and red sweater - a tall white cap. They carried a huge tin-foil wrapped spoon.

It was great fun!

EP

November Birthday

This month I turned 52, not a particularly notable age. I did get two very nice presents from my husband for the occasion however:

Present #1 - an iPod Shuffle. This is a nifty little music player that clips on. It's like a piece of jewelry almost. It holds 250 songs and the sound is REALLY GOOD. I've been taking a circuit weight training class after work and I like to have my own music to listen to. I'd been using an old Sony Walkman all these years and still have alot of old disco and party-music tapes. After ruining a number of tape players by dropping them in the toilet and such, this is a welcome alternative. It's easy to add songs from my own CD's and the iTunes store has tons of songs for $.99 each.


Present #2 - tickets to an Anne Murray concert. We like to go to concerts for our birthdays and this year Anne Murray was in town. She still has a very beautiful voice and it was fun to hear all of her old hits. The crowd was full of grey-hairs though! After we had already purchased tickets, we found out that Lindsey Buckingham from Fleetwood Mac was also doing a concert in town. I would like to see him too. One of Rick's younger co-workers said that Anne Murray is the "female equivalent of Barry Manilow"! I guess she was calling us OLD. He was also in Portland recently and I've always liked him! I remember my college roommate gave me one of his albums and I played it all the time. Last year we saw The Moody Blues, who were GREAT. Ah nostalgia.....

EP

On Being a Good Starter

So, the other day I was feeling low about being a good starter, but not a particularly good finisher (at least in some areas of life). I read this short paragraph in the last pages of a novel I was finishing:

"You are your own beginning. Every day, every hour, every minute, you start again. There is no point wishing you were someone else, you are who you are - start there." the palm kisser offers.

"Music For Torching", A.M. Homes, 1999, p.324

This book reminds me a bit of John Updike's "Rabbit Run" (and Rabbit Redux, Rabbit is Rich, Rabbit at Rest) with the boozy, sleazy suburbanites trying to find meaning in their lives. Like Harry and Janet Angstrom, the characters in "Music For Torching" are looking for escape from their lives in a middle class neighborhood - mostly through sex with the neighbors.

Elaine and Paul decide that burning down their house will make them feel better - a little stress relief - but it just makes them realize how firmly they are tied to the place and all it represents. On the bus to work one day, Paul meets a man who gives him wise advice and kisses his palm.....the palm kisser.

EP

Outgoing, not Incoming

Well Sparky, we're making progress. After going through some of my closets, I've rid myself of some crap. I had a big box of really nice, heavy duty, Fox River Paper Company "Confetti" paper in great fall colors. I took it to the Print Center at work. They said they have a collective PAPER FETISH, so I knew they'd appreciate it. They're decorating for an open house next week and I found them happily cutting paper leaves on Friday.

Then I gave the 20 year old wool yarn to a co-worker named Fran. When I delivered the paper, I mentioned the yarn. Dona said that Fran knits hats, scarves, and mittens for the homeless - so I asked Fran if she's interested. She was. She now has a big bag-o-guilt from me! She said she also wanted the fabric and old clothes, but I can identify a fellow hunter and gatherer.....for her own good I made other plans. (I mean, this is a woman who bought a violin in the campus mall and she had never played one in her life.) I figure the yarn will keep her busy for awhile.

Today we took 3 bags and 2 boxes of clothes and fabrics to Good Will. I am now done with Round 1.

I also said NO to an invitation to a Creative Memories Scrapbook party for tomorrow. I'd really like to go, but I can see a whole new project getting out of hand. At this point, it's all about OUTGOING not INCOMING.

Now, who can I give these extra pounds to???

The second bit of news Sparky is that I played my first, official round of golf. My city has a 3-par-hole municipal course, so it's not a difficult layout. I was a little nervous after taking lessons on the driving range. I think I scored a 53 on 9 holes, which is not particularly good (well...it's actually pretty bad considering that par for 9 holes is 27) but I did have a few good holes and some decent shots.

EP

Downsizing Crap

Hey Sparky.....I'm working at downsizing some things in my life. The first thing to downsize is the old bod. That's a toughie these days because I'm gettin older and I don't care as much as I used to. In the early days I wanted to look good and I worked at it. I took aerobics. I ran. I did weights. I swam. I walked. If I gained a pound or two I lost it right away. I was never skinny, but I was in the realm of "NORMAL".

About the time I hit 40 I didn't care so much. I figured I could eat a candy bar if I felt like it. I'd earned it. I was a feminst 40-something and, dammit, I'd eat what I please!!! After 10 years of doing just that, we have a problem Spark. The torso is a bit LARGE.

I started doing Circuit Weight Training at work. The Circuit is a series of cardio and weight machines - you do one minute per machine and then move to the next. It's kind of fun and moves pretty fast. You have to spend 40 minutes in order to get a credit for the day. I've been going 3 times a week with some co-workers and it's been fun.

The other downsizing I'm doing is in my closets and drawers. I have crap from over 10 years and two states ago. Tonight I pulled out a bag of really nice yarn that I purchased in St. Paul, Minnesota. A blizzard was coming and I wanted a project to work on, so I started an afghan/throw. That was in 1985. I just haven't been able to part with that really nice yarn (100% Virgin Wool from the Brown Sheep Company in Mitchell, Nebraska - expensive, soft - still in it's original bag from a shop at Como Park). I pull it out and admire it every couple of years and then put it back in the closet. This week the yarn's going to Good Will for some other poor slob to fret over for the next few years.

I also have beautiful fabrics that I bought in Iowa City (circa 1990), fully intending to sew into beautiful skirts and jackets. I never made them, but I can envision them clearly in my mind....along with:

• the baby quilt I never finished for a friend (the kid is now 9).
• The sofa pillows I never stitched.
• The upholstery seat covers I didn't get to.
• The wool that is too pretty to cut.
• The antique linens I never finished embroidering.
• The piping I didn't pipe.
• The would-be tablecloths and vests and shirts.

It's all going to Good Will.

Ok, so I'm noticing a pattern here Sparky. I'm not a very good finisher. That's kind of like being a quitter. Which is not too far from being a non-starter. That doesn't sound too good. HMMmmmmm......what's the old line about good intentions and that scary road?

I haven't even begun to look at my other craft stuff like ceramic paints and rubber stamps and all that other shit. I once had a little card business, so I have lots of left-over paper that I never use.

Like an alchoholic, I'm taking one day at a time. One battle at a time. The FIRST STEP is to confess and admit I need help (just like the Lutherans, eh Sparky? hahahaha).

The First Step.......hey......wait a minute......I can do that! Because I'm a great starter!!!

EP

Playing Oregon Golf

I've been taking golf lessons over the past month. They are group lessons offered as a community education course through the college. We go to the local municipal course and have been using the driving range to learn how to swing and hit. The driving range is covered and sheltered from the weather.

On the days that we used the driving range, the weather was warm, sunny, beautiful. The last two classes were out on the course and, of course, we had RAIN both days.

Last week we practiced chipping and putting while getting drenched. Yesterday we played four holes in driving wind, pouring rain, gray skies, cold temperatures. The one good thing was that we were the only group on the course - and we were slow and terrible. Each hole is a par 3 and I'm sure we each hit at least 7 strokes per hole.

Everything was soaked: jacket, pants, shoes, clubs, bag, glove. I learned that there is a whole bunch of stuff that golfers can buy to play Oregon Golf, including waterproof pants and jackets, special gloves, shoes, etc. Maybe if I just had more things I'd be a better golfer?????

Oregon - Land of Strange Deaths & Laika

Oregon is a land of strange deaths. I noticed it right away when we moved to the state in 1992. We heard tales of tourists standing on the edge of seacliffs, straining to get a good view of the ocean. The rock beneath their feet would crumble and they would be gone.

There are some beautiful hikes in the Columbia Gorge - the trails follow cliffs high along the riverways. Warning signs alert hikers to the dangers of standing too near the edge - and advise that dogs be leashed so they don't chase birds over the precipice - yet folks still plummet down the ravines. One hiker fell down a steep embankment and had to be airlifted out, only to learn later that in addition to a broken leg - he also had a brain tumor (which caused the fall).

A grandfather, father, and young son go out in the woods to cut a Christmas tree. They get separated. The young son disappears, not to be found for several years.

Mountain climbers and skiiers go up to Mount Hood. The fall into deep crevasses or ski out of bounds and are lost. Sometimes the ski patrols and helicopters find them. Sometimes they walk out of the woods. Sometimes they are just gone.

Here's the latest strange and haunting incident that happened just yesterday. An elderly couple was driving along and a rock came through the windshield, killing the woman:

Freak accident - An Idaho woman dies on the Oregon Coast after a 10-pound rock comes out of nowhere

The Oregonian, Friday, October 06, 2006

Andy Dworkin

A football-sized rock crashed through the windshield of a pickup driving a busy, open stretch of U.S. 101 on Thursday, killing an Idaho woman sitting in the passenger seat.

Carol M. Martin, 75, of Coeur d'Alene died just after being hit by the 10-pound rock. The rock might have been tossed into the air after being lodged between the dual tires of a passing truck, said Oregon State Police Lt. Gregg Hastings. Authorities are investigating the cause and have not identified any truck.

Police have interviewed her husband, Gerald, who was driving, but hope to find witnesses who can add details of the fatal freak accident, which happened about 11:40 a.m. Thursday.

The Martins were visiting the coast .....when the big rock broke the windshield. ....The rock smashed Carol Martin's neck and shoulder.

"We've been married 39 years, and it's pretty hard when you lose a spouse out here coming home from a vacation when you have a great time," Martin said in the television interview.

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/
index.ssf?/base/news/116010515428110.xml&coll=7

How does one make sense of things like this? Is there any sense to be made? I don't know. People say that when your time comes, it comes.

This story reminds me of an old, favorite movie called "My Life As A Dog". A young boy suffers a variety of harships and he regularly compares his lot with that of others who have had worse situations. In particular, he thinks about the Russian dog Laika. She was the first living creature sent into space on board Sputnik 2 and there were no plans to bring her back to earth alive.

The boy looks at the starry sky and compares his life to hers. In that comparison he realizes that there are worse fates than what he suffers. He gains perspective. He finds a companion. He seeks to make sense, which is what we all do.

http://www.space.com/news/laika_anniversary_991103.html

As the Moody Blues say, "Isn't Life Strange?"

EP

The Chemistry of Love

I met with a cute student yesterday. He's an older guy who is completing pre-requisites for a business major. He's in some low-level math courses, working his way up to statistics. In addition to the business courses, he will also need to complete three lab science courses.

We were looking through the various science departments and came to chemistry. The chemistry courses require a college algebra prerequisite, so I said he should probably skip chemistry because he hasn't taken the math yet. He said, "That's OK. I'm not interested in chemistry anyway.....except for the Chemistry of Love."

It was so funny, we both started laughing. I'll probably always remember him when I talk about chemistry in the future.

EP

Sexist Chatter

Yesterday I was reading Twisty Faster's blog called "I Blame the Patriarchy". She posted this lovely photo of a passed-out fellow.

http://blog.iblamethepatriarchy.com/2006/09/03/no-joy/

Her post reminded me of an incident at a TJ Maxx store. I was quietly minding my own business when I heard a man talking really loud on his cellphone a couple of aisles over. He was telling some poor slob on the other end about his shopping observations. At the upscale grocery boutique shops downtown, he always sees beautiful, well-dressed, thin women. They wear nice clicky shoes and have shiny hair. At the local Fred Meyer stores (a local grocery/household/hardware chain) he sees fat, ugly, badly dressed women. He bemoaned the fact that they wear sweatpants and t-shirts. "Why don't pretty women shop at Fred Meyer?", he wanted to know.

Right away I felt offended because I shop at Fred Meyer and am not thin myself. I had to get a look at this guy. I mean, he had invaded my space with his sexist chatter! As I rounded the corner, there he was. Chubby. Bald. Homely. Wearing sweat pants. Bad Shoes. Pushing a cart. I thought, "How dare you judge women's appearance when you look so bad yourself - and you're shopping at a discount store???"

I felt like saying something to him, but I didn't. I figured it would be a waste of time. Sigh....why don't handsome, well-dressed men shop at discount stores? Why do they always go to Nordstroms?

EP

Idiots on Cellphones

From http://www.toothpastefordinner.com/index.php