*SHUDDER*

I am not much of a bug person, but I can handle most critters, and even like them - chipmunks (see pic below), bees, lizards, benign snakes (even some poisonous ones at a distance), mice, some normal house spiders (it's difficult, though), and other creatures. I canNOT, however, handle the freakish spiders - such as wolf spiders, brown recluse, and the be all end all... Black Widows.

And we have them. They are not inside, and I've seen only one - a big one - outside on our front steps. She caught a caterpillar, yesterday evening. They were fighting when I saw her. Talk about the ultimate heebeejeebies. Tripp got caught up with the Poison Ivy last week and now I'm obsessed with the Black Widow. We do have someone coming out on Monday to take care of some bugs, so they are going to look into it and get her the hell out of here before I stop breathing. There has to be others. I just can't see them, and that worries me even more. I cannot stop shuddering at the thought of her. I know it's all nature and I do appreciate her as a creature. I just don't want her where she can bite me and make me sick. Awww... HELL NAW.

On a nicer and more pleasant note - a picture of a chipmunk hangin' out under our carport. I opened the door earlier and saw him staring back at me.

Click to look at the original size for better detail.

It's about time.

No. I did not forget. I posted an entry, yesterday, for Blog for Women, and it did not post. I posted it through my email, so I guess it didn't work. I rarely use that option. Anyway, it does not mean that it's any less an important issue, so here goes...

I grew up in a blue collar family. My mom worked as a secretary in a factory for years and Dad was a truck driver for many years. Although my dad worked VERY hard (he's got the knees to prove it), my mother pretty much worked herself into having an almost fatal car accident when I was sixteen. She wrapped her car around a telephone pole because she was so tired from working that she fell asleep at the wheel. Still - she made less than my father. Yes, they did not work the same job, but she worked her ass off and did not get the pay she deserved. I'm not going to sit here and say that women, in general, work harder than men, but I do believe in the adage, "A woman's work is never done."

We've come so far as humans and as a society, yet a basic concept as "equal pay for equal work" still escapes us. I've seen women have to beg for raises for the same job as a man - in clerical work, food service, and many other areas. I've seen men slip into the positions with ease and get benefits and the pay they want up front. It's made me angry and saddened. Women are standing on the shoulders of our sisters who came before - modern women have it easier for the actions of some amazingly brave women who went through unspeakable torture and pain. I'm so very thankful for that. Yet, that glass ceiling is still intact. We consider ourselves a progressive society (however, I could argue with that on so many levels), but we still refuse something as fundamental as equal pay. I look at my niece and wonder what kinds of things she is going to have to struggle with, being a woman. I see it happening already when she is told she cannot do something because she is a little girl - one of the toughest and quickest little girls I've ever met. I want something as simple as equal pay to be a reality for her, so that is one less thing she has to struggle with as a woman.

On that note - if you are one who feels strongly that equal pay should be a no-brainer, go read this and then take action.

About being "GREEN"

I've been a little concerned about something, lately. This rash of "green" marketing that's been ever prevalent in the last few months or so.

I am environmentally active within my life. For years I've recycled, cleaned without harsh chemicals, and given the option - opted for the more eco-friendly alternative whenever possible. I do my best and have integrated this into my lifestyle. I still do not do EVERYTHING I can do, but I try. I have slip-ups now and then, too. I still purchase plastics and still have a bottle of bleach below my sink (however, it's only been used maybe twice to clean our water cooler in the last 5 years). I'm human and a very flawed creature.

All that being said, I think that being aware and educated about what humans have done, and ARE doing, to this planet is very important. I know that if there is just one more person who is educated about the eco-friendly lifestyle and begins to live it, that makes a huge impact. Call me idealistic. So why am I concerned about "green" marketing? Let me explain...

Weezer is a great band in my opinion, but remember back in 1995 when everywhere you went, you heard "Buddy Holly?" At first, you might have thought, "Wow, this is a catchy tune." After about a week of hearing it every day, ten times a day (a small exaggeration), you might have been to the point of just singing and dancing along with it. Then the second week of replay, you were just done with the song and wished they had never written it. Every time it was on at a restaurant or bar, you wanted to tear off your ears. Well, this is how I feel people are going to start being about this new "green" trend.

Anything that's marketed like this tends to become tossed to the wayside after a few months. This trend is something that we cannot afford to forget, though. Concern for the environment is not "jelly shoes" or charm bracelets - gone, but only to reemerge about every 15 years or so. I realize that just by writing this I'm giving into the trend somewhat, although my motivations are way different. I want people, even the ones who learn more from this trend, to remember what they learn - even five, ten, or twenty years from now - and hopefully practice what they learn. We are running out of resources, and it's not just lip service from talking heads. We have to act swiftly and keep our stamina.

Almost every magazine I've picked up or seen lately, most of them reputable, has had "This is our GREEN issue" stamped across the front. Every website has been marketing "green green green." This is a good thing, and I'm not questioning that, but how long are people going to remember it? Why not make EVERY issue a green issue? Why not be educating people daily about the benefits of becoming more ecologically friendly? It has become somewhat second nature to me. It's not something I need to be commended for from strangers. I don't want to be "special" in this regard. I had a woman in the grocery store, yesterday, say "Good for you" when I pulled out my cloth grocery bag I carry around with me. I just smiled at her, but instead of feeling proud, I was feeling guilty about not having enough reusable bags for the other three plastic bags I had in the car. We're all still learning, but I just hope that people don't grow weary after six months of doing great - that they continue to educate themselves on this important issue. I hope they view it as just that and not like Hypercolor tights.

DIY Business Card Holder - Cork Reuse

I found this post over at Craft Magazine including some very interesting and awesome ideas for business card displays. I knew I had to have something on hand that I could craft one out of - and then I thought about the bag of wine corks that I've had for a couple of years.

Basically, it's just 6 wine corks. You glue four together, side by side to make the back piece. For the front rest piece, cut three round discs, about 1/4 inch in thickness and glue to the bottom of the back piece, in a row. Cut the remainder of that cork in half lengthwise and glue the flat part to the edge of the discs, about halfway down the flat area. For the under piece that keeps the holder tilted, cut the remaining cork lengthwise in half and glue one half - curved side up to the bottom of the holder. Glue it under the three discs that hold the cards so that it tilts a little backwards. You will have to play with it to get the correct angle. As you glue each section, go back in and fill in gaps so that when the glue dries, the holder will be sturdy.

That's basically it. Now you have a cute cork business card holder that you can tack things onto, or just use plain. Pictures are below. Oh, and I used Quick Hold Craft Adhesive for the glue, but E6000 or any flexible cement/glue that dries quickly will probably do.

Maudlin might be the word

I'm having a tough morning - a type that I haven't had for while. It might have something to do with drinking and eating too much wine and cheese last night, or it might have something to do with just taking mental inventory of things, lately. I think it's a combination of both.

Sometimes I wish I didn't feel so urgent, or feel like I need to take care of things that really are not my concern. Most of the time I don't, but when the feeling is there, it's like a boot heel to the skull. I feel like I don't quite "get" people, even people I've known for quite a while. I'm not sure how to react - not in an insecure type way - but more in a "I really am not understanding or connecting with this experience or you" way. I'm hyper-irritated and easily disgusted by people's actions. I feel like I have to really try to make people believe I'm a good person and care what they are going through, when really I just want to sit and indifferently shake my head at them, or not listen at all. I grow weary easily. I'm probably going through a phase that I need to go through. That this will all teach me something. Maybe it's that, yes, I did drink a little too much last night and was way socially overstimulated, which always puts me in a funk, but it has been going on for a while. Instead of feeling regretful, though, I'm feeling like it's an excuse not to be that social. It sounds horrible, I know. It's not that I don't care at all, it's just that I'm feeling drained. We are all adults and we will go, and have gone, through some tough times. I know I have, but I just don't want to be dragged down by someone else's junk. I find myself missing old friends - wishing for different times and personalities. Not that they were better. Not that at all, but different; they were more of what I need right now in my surroundings... stability, patience, self-reliance, reciprocal. I just miss them.

Anyway, went to a friend's last night. Had good times, concerned times, and all that in between. Lots of wine and cheese were taken in by all. Old friends were in town. Overall, a good night, but I don't want to do it again for a while.