And That's The Way He Was

Crafts & Hobbies #64 Zines

I'm not sure I get this one. I read the post, looked at most of the links and here's what I know: Zines are self-published, self-edited, homemade magazines for people who have way too much time on their hands and are immersed in a subculture of highly self-indulgent interests that often go beyond popular tastes...sometimes waaay beyond. It sounds like some libraries are catering to these interests in order to appeal to a younger, probably college undergraduate patronage, which is fine depending on the overall demographics of the library's customers. In our library's case, this would probably be a waste of shelf space. I know this because I help choose display ideas and, depending on the subject, the display either gets emptied quickly...or will sit on the shelf longer than Michael Jackson's body has. In our Young Adult display, if the book doesn't have something to do with vampires, teen angst or puberty curiosity, it's a no go. Zines seem to be very intellectual, probably not a little geeky and a tad....strange. Other than a few homeschoolers, we don't get that type at our library (staff, yes...patrons...no). I'm not saying that they're not great examples of creative literature, just that they seem to have a specific focus audience that not all libraries attract. Would I ever make a zine? Perhaps in my youth when the world was bigger and I was egocentric enough to think anyone cared about my personal passions. In fact, why are you reading this, anyway?

We Choose The Moon

I can hardly believe that it's been 40 years since my parents called us into the living room to huddle around the black and white console television to watch Neil Armstrong step on the lunar surface. I had just turned 8 years old and was not thrilled about watching anything on TV that wasn't cartoons but now I'm glad Mom forced me. I remember Mom and Dad being awestruck and saying things like, "Wow..." and "Hard to believe..." as the fuzzy events unfolded on the screen. Kids today would never sit through the poor reception and garbled audio that recorded this historic event ("Does that come in HD??") but considering the fact that these moving pictures came from THE FREAKING MOON - 240,000 miles away - it was pretty amazing. But those were amazing times here in Space City when space travel became so commonplace that only 5% of the population cared and very few people watched the events leading up to putting man on the moon. Since my uncle worked for NASA as an aeronautics engineer, our family followed closely the folks who were my uncle's neighbors, co-workers and friends. Mom dutifully collected mission patches, stamps, first-day covers and other paraphernalia associated with the lunar missions. Later, I would go to Hawaii with my uncle as he worked on Apollo 15 and I even boarded the USS Okinawa, the aircraft carrier which recovered the actual command module after it splashed down in the Pacific. Today, kids (under age 40) don't seem to care much about the risks these people took with very limited technology, by our standards, in order to broaden human knowledge. They take it for granted that cell phones can reach out to a person on the other side of the planet in less time than it takes to write down their name on paper. Technology has definitely spoiled us. Sadly, it's also numbed us to the wonders of things never before seen by human eyes. Is it possible for kids to be amazed anymore by anything? For those of you who still remember what it's like to say, "Wow..." and "Hard to believe..." go to We Choose The Moon to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Lunar Landing and experience a really cool interactive site. It "launched" July 16, the realtime anniversary of Apollo 11's launch and follows the mission hour by hour exactly as it happened. You can listen to audio from astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins as they communicate with mission control in Houston and also visit a link to hear President John F. Kennedy's famous speech (made at Rice University here in Houston in 1962) about why we chose to go to the moon (paraphrased), "...not because it's easy but because it's hard." I wonder if kids can relate to that sentiment nowadays.

Birthday Gift Idea #2: I Have You Now, Young Toastmaker

Whether you want the Light...or Dark Side of breakfast.

Sith happens.

Crafts and Hobbies #63: Digital Scrapbooking

This is actually pretty cool. I went to Scrapblog and took the tutorial and found it very accessible. I don't have a lot of experience with picture editing other than a brief fling with PictureIt, which I don't think even exists anymore. I also made a lot of digital greeting cards with Hallmark software so I do understand the basics of photo manipulation, cropping, cut-outs, etc. This web-based (which is terrific) program was very simple to use. You do have to register if you want to save your pictures like the one I made of Sam. The whole thing took me about 5 minutes to make but about 10 minutes of registering and accessing my Flickr account to add to this blog. I have great respect for anyone who has the fortitude and determination to keep a scrapbook of any kind (digital or not) of their loved ones. I still have unopened film cans from when my son was 5 years old (he'll be 20 in Nov.)! Who has time to do all this when your kids are young and the memory is fresh in your mind? By the time you DO have the free moments to work on it, who can remember where and when the heck that photo was taken....and who IS that kid, anyway? I'll stick with the photo memory book in the old noggin. No one else can see it but I have immediate access to sweet pictures of my precious baby anytime I want them. It's worked for me so far and I'm not THAT old yet. It's a good thing I can still recall the time.... waittaminute, what was I talking about again?? Dang it.

Birthday Gift Idea #1: Today Is A Good Day To Type

Klingon keyboard to compose angry missives to petaQ hu-man Sarah Palin.

Summer Camp Is At Lake....Whaaaaa??

Camp logo shirts will be available only in XXX-Large this year.

The Truth About Bottled Water

After you watch this video you may rethink buying bottled water.

1. It's expensive.

2. There's no flouride - essential for healthy teeth.

3. Wasteful packaging pollutes environment (unless you recycle).

4. It's not necessarily cleaner, safer or better tasting than tap.

Crafts and Hobbies #62: Decoupage

When I hear the word "decoupage," I can't help but think of those Victorian-style flowers Modge Podged onto wooden trays. Not really my style. But I guess the craft can also be a work of art if you consider these really beautiful poster chairs from Jonathan Fong. I think they're very hip and trendy and I'd probably try some from posters of my fave artist, Marc Chagall. The last time I decoupaged was probably in the '60's when my sister and I used magazine pictures to decorate cigar boxes to be used as treasure or jewelry containers. Those were days aimed at keeping busy over the summer but also an attempt to flex our artistic chops. In between papier maché-ing balloons to be painted and made into masks, and decorating cardboard boxes with racing car flames, there were clay figures and pencil sketches. I was fortunate to have an artist sister and artist/teacher aunt as family members to help guide me but I wouldn't hesitate to dive into a simple project like this without supervision. It's basically glueing pictures onto a smooth surface and covering it with a sealant. You just have to decide whether to go classic or kitsch.

Crafts and Hobbies #61: Deja Vu

I'm struggling a bit to get past these sorts of images in my mind when it comes to things like crochet. If you lived through the 1970's, you likely owned something crocheted, either a "cloche" (beanie hat) or a long vest in groovy colors...or something worse. My mom crocheted (with a vengeance) so I wore it all. I have vivid memories of a hot pink and lime green yarn mini dress too, that I wore with shiny white patent go-go boots. Never let it be said that I was not a slave to fashion even then. I'll spare you a photo of that lovely outfit... So now that crocheted items are back, I'm relieved to see that they are a long way from the maxi vests of my past. Most are made with great colors and beautifully textured kinds of gnarly yarn which make the hat or scarf fresh and new. A co-worker recently gave me a set which I absolutely love, partially because it's gorgeous and partially because she took the time to make it for me. That's the best part about crafting, the homemade aspect of it. I didn't always love the vests Mom made for me, but the love and time put into it was never lost on me. The sites listed in the assignment were very informative and, I imagine, eye-opening to the "craft impaired." I wouldn't call myself a "crafter," but as an artist (don't say artsy), I've dabbled in the homemade as a creative outlet. I've given as gifts painted birdhouses, wineglasses, children's stepstools and shelves, pillowcases...you name it, but always using a personal design. I try to stay away from (as my artist sister calls it) "arts and crap," referring to the acrylic painted sweatshirts, rose/vine decorated quick crafts you see on display at Hobby Lobby. Blecch. I'd put those in the same category as Christmas sweaters and above-the-couch "art," those horrid landscapes dabbed on with paint-glopped offset spatulas and done in 15 minutes. Gag. I thought the websites were great, especially Repurposeful, which was not so much crafty as offering new ways to use old stuff. Fantastic. The video instructions are terrific and I thought I'd be the one who insisted on a paper instruction sheet. It's amazing how clear it is when you see someone actually do it "live." And I've said before that I love Etsy, the artists' Ebay. I have noticed that the prices are going up, which is disturbing. This should be a site for newbie crafters and artists to let folks get an inexpensive taste of their wares before investing in the bigtime. Popularity always opens the door to the shysters, unfortunately. I love the jewelry on Etsy and have dabbled in some jewelry-making myself. It's a creative outlet for me and an inexpensive way to re-use some of those 70's earrings I've been reluctant to throw away. Feather earrings are back! Both Cher and I are thrilled. Now if only I can figure out what to do with those 1980's power shoulder pads.

Expedition Africa

This summer's guilty pleasure on television, at least for me, is the History Channel's Expedition Africa, which airs on Sunday nights at 9:00 pm CST. Produced by Survivor's Mark Burnett, it has some of the same elements as his hit franchise and the people are about as likeable. The premise is this: more than 130 years ago famous explorer Dr. Stanley Livingstone disappeared deep in the interior of Tanzania. The person sent to find him was journalist Henry Stanley, using only a compass and virtually no experience, covering about 970 miles of uncharted territory. The famous adventure spawned the even more famous line, "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?" after finding the lost explorer living in a village almost 8 months later. So what's a group of camera-ready survivalists, egocentric nature experts and a hunky but inexperienced journalist supposed to do? Why, recreate the adventure, of course. As expected, the clash of egos is hilarious and there is the inevitable "tragedy" usually involving a snake or small injury....or both. And since it's Mark Burnett, someone is gonna be eating larvae! No disappointments here. Right now the group is about to mutiny on pushy navigator Pasquale. Ironically, Stanley's own team tried to kill him at about the same place for similar reasons. Great tv! Go here to catch up with full episodes but try to tune in if you can. If we're going to be sweltering in 100° temps, at least it's fun to watch people who are doing the same with no air conditioning and a lot worse food.

Remembering Dad

Thinking of Dad today. Yes, I'm the goofy one.

Cover to Cover

Interesting way to "repurpose" old books by artist, Nick Galanin.

This face, carved from a 2000 page book, is part of a project called "What Have We Become," a nod to the native Alaskan Tlingit culture, typically expressed in oral storytelling, song and art. Using literature, which is generally considered a reflection of our identity as a culture, as a new medium asks questions about how we view ourselves; what we accept as a mirror of ourselves, and how we want to be remembered. Fascinating. Wonder what Mr. Galanin could carve up out of Sarah Palin's new book. Ouch.

Recession Busters #60: Food, Fun and Frugality

Remember all those casserole dish recipes using the requisite can of Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup? Mom passed her recipe of Tuna Noodle Casserole on to me and I'll admit, although I've moved on to more sophisticated cooking, eating this says "comfort food" to me. I'm sure she began making it during lean times but it's still a staple in my dinner repertoire -- although I try to make it a little healthier. When I organized a school cookbook one year, probably 40% of the recipes contained a can of the wonder soup, no doubt passed from generation to generation. Humble food, but for the most part, nutritious and satisfying. Watching Clara's videos was a hoot! This wonderful 93 year old woman is still cooking and passing on her budget friendly tips -- amazing! I'm not sure I'm going to be cooking anything using canned peas or oleo anytime soon but you have to remember the time in which she came up with these meals. My own mother tells me of putting spoonfuls of Eagle condensed milk over rice as a dessert during the depression. A treat to a family of eight kids! During our recent recession, I find myself cutting back and stretching meals more. While my son has yet to grasp the concept of "leftovers," I enjoy taking them to work for lunch. A hot, homemade meal is tons better than expensive greasy fast food any day! The module provided some great tips for inexpensive outings in the Houston area as well. Since my only child is well over the age of zoo visits, most don't apply to me. I will say that a display I set up in the library promoting cheap activities did not get much attention so maybe even families with kids are choosing the popular "Staycation" over any sort of traveling, inexpensive or not. One good idea I heard on television was recycling old prom dresses for kids who can't afford them. I think that's terrific. I wish there had been a way to help BOYS, though, who really get shafted when they spend up to $300 on a tux RENTAL! Now that's ridiculous! I posted a couple of grocery tips I employ in the last module but here's the tip on buying fresh bread so you're not constantly having to buy more. Most grocery stores have bread delivered 5 days per week. If you want the freshest loaf, remember this twistie color code:

Monday - Blue

Tuesday - Green

Thursday - Red

Friday - White

Saturday - Yellow

So if you're shopping on Thursday and blue twisties (Monday) are still on the shelf, pass on it! A good way to remember is that the colors are in alpha order. Maybe next time I'll tell you about the organic veggies scam and why, unless you're Martha, there's no reason to pay more for brown eggs! Cheap food doesn't have to be unhealthy. You just have to tweak the recipe: fresh over canned, or frozen if you must. Still, there's something comforting about old recipes made just the way FDR intended them. Bring on the green bean casserole with fried onions!

Money & Finance #59: Credit, Money Management and Saving

Feel like you're being watched? Everybody is so interested in who's spending what and what others should or shouldn't be spending money on. Ack! Quite frankly, the whole subject is just not "my thing." On the plus side, (get it? "Plus side"...accounting humor!) the article, How Credit Scores Work was very informative and helpful. I honestly did not know all the percentages that went into obtaining that score and what the history behind the number was. I also learned what FICO (Fair Isaac Corporation) stands for and why that scoring method is most employed in credit situations. Have I ever used a spending or budget plan? Are you kidding me? I am a single mom with a teenager in college. That, in and of itself, is it's own budget plan. As for how to begin creating one, it's simple. Here's how much we have....here's where it's going. Most people who don't need to worry about budgeting (and I don't know any of these people) are probably not reading these articles or visiting these websites. As for the TCDRS site, it's very helpful to know that there is a place to answer questions. As a fairly new employee, the issue is for future thought but it's a good idea to stay on top of things. The system is very similar to the Teacher Retirement System I participated in when I worked for the school district. Are you yawning yet?