Part 41

Tuesday, June 1, 2004: My sister has started up her site, and there are a lot of family photos on the front page! See us in early years! :-) [EDIT Jan. 29, 2005: Due to time constraints, she has taken down her pages]

Besides the photos, my sister is an accomplished and published author, a creative person, a great mom, and an all-around outstanding sister!

Wednesday, June 2, 2004: Yet more cicada sound: I know, I know. The recording from yesterday was kinda boring, just loud. The recording from today is mostly all-cicada sound, not too much commentary from me. Hard to tell the actual sound level of the cicadas without some point of reference, IMO. Anyway, here is the latest batch of cicada sound files.

Thursday, June 3, 2004, 5:21am: Aargh, where is inspiration?? This month in the Literary Garden in Women of Strength and Inner Beauty there is no theme for the poetry competition--it's "open theme" i.e. anything goes.

I am feeling nothing, no stirrings of a poem. I do have an older poem I have never put up here yet, that I think might be good. But I also have a problem: I write some really esoteric stuff. That's probably why "Imagine Love" didn't go over well at all. ::sigh::

You know, it's a good thing I took down my pagan/wiccan section: my poetry covers a broad area of how I look at Divinity. Some of my poetry looks very Christian and still resonates with me; some of it is more pagan and also makes sense to me. Could be very confusing for someone coming to my site, thinking that I am one label, when really I am not exactly any label.

Thursday, June 3, 2004: It's me, the . Aargh, this is terrible! but . We have been without our cable modem for about 12 hours now! I'm trying to but I think I may have ! I can't update in my LiveJournal because it's online; and I can't update in my current CM's Diary [the Movable Type blog] because it's also online, in the cgi-bin, I think. Or something like. I will link to this entry from there when able. It just felt terrible not being able to talk at ALL.

Okay, so what I have been working on today is a page about my totems. I need to do a few more things to it yet. I also have moved all the cicada sound files to a separate page--they were making the main cicada page WAY too long.

Also today Cat'r and I watched "Bowling for Columbine", which was a very intense, upsetting, thought-provoking documentary. I recommend it, but conditionally: if you are under the age of 14 or 16, don't watch this unless your parents really think it's okay for you to...and even then you should watch it with them. And then talk with them about all of it afterwards. There are some pretty gruesome depictions of war dead during one section of the film. In general I would recommend that this film be watched in a family or group setting so that discussion can follow. Very heavy stuff.

Okay, need sleep. The cable repair person will be here tomorrow morning. Hope it's something quick and easy to fix so we can be back online again!

Friday, June 4, 2004: The cable modem has been flakily on and off since 5:45am (or possibly earlier). Cat'r says there is something going on with the backbone also, but that's a whole 'nuther deal.

I now have My Totems page completed.

11:36am: Here is the movie [see above entry] we watched yesterday (click on the pic to see it larger). This is a dead-serious film, so how in the world there can be a quote on the packaging proportedly from Time magazine saying it's hilarious is beyond me. Weird...

I now need to go and fix a bunch of links that are no longer working because I moved all the cicada sound files to their own page.

12:16pm: Upsetting cicada experience yesterday. I didn't have my glasses on and thought I was still being careful when I closed the window, while I was making a recording. One got caught in the corner. I was able to stop and open the window in time, but I think I injured his one leg slightly. Here is the sound file of that. :-(

9:49pm: New page plus my first java applet ::grin:: I am a weather junkie, so here is a little weather page. This page is mostly just for me, to keep all my most-used links in one handy place.  :-)

Monday, June 7, 2004, 5:08pm: Ongoing sound: I haven't posted any sound files or pics the last couple days, but that doesn't mean the cicadas are gone.

As I sit here, doing various things online, there is the constant surf-like sound of the cicadas. It's a rattle-y, hissy sound, not like ocean waves, but rising and falling like them. This is with the window closed. I would not want to try to endure that with the windows open!

So yes, they're still here. :-)

Tuesday, June 8, 2004: This is what I have been up to for the last few days! Click on the picture at left to see it larger. What a fun game! Bunnicula brought it home from work (he works in retail and got it with his employee discount), and we've all been playing it ever since! It's a racing/adventure/RPG all in one, very cute and cartoon-y, no violence, relaxing and fun! I will have a review of it up pretty soon, over in the Reviews section. :-)

Wednesday, June 9, 2004: Why do I have this?? Remind me, tell me: why did I decide I wanted a Grey Matter or Movable Type blog?? I guess because it looks "cool", like a "real" blog/diary; more up-to-date-looking; and I can't recall why else. Archives? But that was available anyway.

I am SERIOUSLY thinking of going back to my old-style diary. I can do everything in FrontPage, very WYSIWYG, no having to stop and think what HTML I have to do or resize and thumbnail pics myself in PSP. AND I don't have to worry about nuts that want to leave spammy porn comments. Geez. Oh yeah, and I can make anchors to specific entries in my old diary. I can't do that in Movable Type, unless that's something that's coming in a later version (not helping me now).

Okay, so my only concern is: how do I convert these Movable Type entries back to my old-style diary? I may have to type it all in. ::sigh::

But I am rapidly becoming disenchanted with this. I want the freedom my old CM's Diary gave me, no matter how "cool" this one looks.

::sigh:: I just looked over my current CM's Diary front/main page. It's gonna be a LOT of work converting back. All those webring memberships to go redo. All the work I put into making my current CM's Diary cute and interesting-looking. Oh well. Who even reads this anyway? I don't get comments, other than spam, so it would be more for me than anyone else, I guess?

::sigh:: I'll think on't some more. I would ask Cat'r, but he doesn't see a problem, since coding HTML is not a big problem for him. For me, I have to really stop and think what I am doing, which cuts down on the creative process, IMO.

I just realized, the other day, when our cable modem was out, how MUCH I missed my old diary.

I'll find out what I have to do. ::sigh::

[LAST ENTRY FROM MOVABLE TYPE BLOG]

Thursday, June 10, 2004, 4:32pm: Well, as you can see, I opted for moving back to my old CM's Diary. I changed the index page for it somewhat, and more changes on that page will be coming, including more blinkies (maybe)! Heh.

I have to decide where to put my Weather Pixie...probably on my main Index page.

How I did it: I had to copy and paste entry-by-entry to move all those entries from my Movable Type blog to here. But in the long run I am sure I will be happier. :-)

Okay, need to go get a little (LATE) lunch, then see about web rings and Weather Pixie and stuff.

8:14pm: All righty, then! We're back in business, with my old-fashioned CM's Diary. :-)  Oh hey, I found some emoticons that were part of Grey Matter (which I used very briefly). I may upload those and use them here. We shall see.

My main Weather Pixie ended up on the Diary Index page. I still have to decide if I want MORE decoration. It's lookin' pretty good to me at present. :-)

Friday, June 11, 2004: There is now a little Fourth of July page up, over in the holiday section. Also there is a new quilt square on My Squares For You page. I haven't decided if I am going to make a Fourth of July quilt yet...

9:09pm: I guess I'm probably going to make a Fourth of July quilt, seeing's how I just made two more quilt squares. ::grin:: They are also over at My Squares For You.

Monday, June 14, 2004, Flag Day: I finally have my Fourth of July Quilt page up! You can access it via the Fourth of July page or CountryMouse's House of Quilts.

Also, last night I did a tutorial for my week's assignment for the Creators Garden in Women of Strength and Inner Beauty. It's a cool picture frame! So cool, I did TWO! LOL! [EDIT Nov. 28th: page since taken down, as I have left the Creators Garden]

Wednesday, June 16, 2004: Here's what I spent a lot of time on in the wee hours, after finding that someone (hee!) had left the front door unlocked! It started out as a simple sign to tape up on the inside of the front door. It ended up being more an art project. I had fun! Click on it to see it larger. Although it looks fairly large, I actually sized it down for my webpage. I originally did it so it would look perfect, printed out 8-1/2 X 11.

I've been adding a few quilt squares to various of my quilts. ::thinking:: The angel quilt, elephant quilt, and the friendship quilt, IIRC.

Aaaand, I joined (still waiting to hear back) the Women of Strength and Inner Beauty Charm Club! I did a tutorial last night/this morning for making these little things, incidentally written by Patti, my PSP8 Classroom founder/teacher! Not too hard, not at all as eye-ball-smashing as making blinkies. :-P

Thursday, June 17, 2004: I've added a bit more to both my WOSIB 4th Anniversary page [EDIT Jan. 14, 2005: no longer there...I left the WOSIB in November 2004] and my Fourth of July page. Also there are a couple more items over in My Treasures. I guess I will be collecting Lacey Dolls and Peek-A-Boo Babies now, in addition to Precious Pixies! So that will be two more pages I will be making when the July and August editions come out. :-)

10:20am: I think that's the last of the cicada photos. As Bunnicula says, they are almost all gone. :-(  There is also a QuickTime movie on that page. I still have a sound file or two to put up, though. Maybe later today.

There are a couple sets of photos over in the Coolpix section.

2:51pm: The rest and last of the cicada sound files are up. (click on the photo at right to see our little friend larger) It's sad that the cicadas are almost totally gone now........As I sit here at my computer, next to a closed window, I can hear a couple hearty souls still making an effort at singing. But it's almost over for them. To Bunnicula and me it's sad. I will have a final poem to put up soon.

Hail and farewell, cicadas!

Friday, June 18, 2004: I now have my trilogy of cicada poems up. They are: Brood X ; The Two of Us ; and The Passing.

Saturday, June 19, 2004, 6:29am: Yes, I've been up during the weeeee hours playing with BLINKIES! There are blinkies and a blinkie calendar on the Diary Index page; there are blinkies on the Fourth of July page; there is a blinkie on the Weather page; and there is even a blinkie on the UU page! Why? Because I am a:

5:07pm:  I made a few changes on various pages so that you don't lose the music when you want to look at a larger version of a photograph or if I have directed you to go look at an accompanying quilt. Also, when you go look at any of the links on Kent's page, the music goes with you.

Anyway, I made these changes because I actually like the music myself and go to the Snow Pictures pages and the ChronoCross Summer page to relax and just reminisce. I hated having to lose the music by clicking away from it. I also like looking at the quilts I've created and having the related music with them. I thought you might too.

6:38pm: Absolutely no cicada sounds at all today. :-(  The last one or two that I was hearing for the last two days must've died. :-(  All that I am hearing at present is the coo of a mourning dove...

Sunday, June 20, 2004:   all you dads!

This is a sort-of bittersweet day for Bunnicula and me, as it's the first Father's Day for him without his dad. Mine has been gone for ten years now...

In other news: I have been accepted into the WOSIB Charm Club! I haven't collected many charms yet--give me time! :-P

I did my WOSIB Creators Garden assignment today: you can see it here. [EDIT Nov. 28th: link removed--I left the Creators Garden]

Which brings me to: picture a mouse with her head in her paws, rocking back and forth, saying, "Waily! Waily! Waily!" (Cat'r has been reading to me from The Wee Free Men again). I look at these tutorials I'm supposed to do, I see the cheerfully talented ladies whacking out these results and saying, "That was fun!" and such. And here I am struggling to get through the simplest of PaintShop Pro 8 tutorials, let alone worrying about trying to convert a beginner's assignment from PSP7 into something understandable for a beginner PSP8 person. Waily waily waily! And aaaarrrrrgggghhhh!

I should just go play Toontown. Or Road Trip. Or something.

Monday, June 21, 2004, 2:15am: Happy Litha!    And on that note, I have just put up a nice summertime quilt. I didn't put it together. It was a gift from the WOSIB's Big Sisters Garden for going on their Summer Quilt Hunt! So here it is--enjoy! [EDIT Jan. 14, 2005: page removed, when I left WOSIB in November 2004]

Thursday, June 24, 2004, 11:54pm: I've really gotten back into Toontown the last few days-to-a-week or so. I've gone up two Laff Points due to fishing--I'm now at 105 LP! I've been making a lot more factory runs, really just for the heck of it oftentimes. I didn't need suit parts, I didn't need merits, I only needed generic cogs for tasks for jellybeans. But it was fun to do the factory with random folks I went in with.

Then this afternoon Lady Marigold and I did several long factory runs with Mister Harvey Wondergadget and Mister Jabberblabber. Very high-level, very nice and polite toons, a joy to team up with! Tonight I went with Mr. Harvey, Mr. JB, and Doctor Tie Urlaces (50 LP but very powerful) on my first Cold Callers Guild visit to the VP! It was a little scary, since you are going in with some lower-level toons; but it makes it more of a challenge too. I had a task that required I take a 50-Laff Point-or-less toon in to the VP. I thought I would be carrying *that* task forEVer. Heh. That was such a feeling of victory and relief, watching the VP go over the edge and then our dancing afterwards! I've been in many times to see the VP before and always felt that exultation after victory; but this seemed even more hard-fought (but not frustrating) and therefore sweeter. (Click screenshot to see it much larger)

I've gotten myself some 4th of July clothes from this week's cattlelog; next week I hope there will be Western-themed clothes and furniture etc. Starting July 1st and running through the 15th or 16th (I forget which day), there will be fireworks displays in all playgrounds every hour on the hour. They were beautiful last year--can't wait to see them again this year!

Saturday, June 26, 2004, 2:47am: Ordinarily I love LiveJournal; but lately it's been SO SLOW to the point of not posting, not going anywhere. I tried to post a comment just now. It's not going to do it. ::sigh::

Oooo, Herrschners. They've been around for a LONG time and have wonderful things! I am thinking of getting back into the relaxing needlework of stamped cross stitch (embroidery) on linen. I have done lots of counted cross stitch (B.C. -- before computer), but that's a bit harder on the eyes than stamped x-stitch. I even used to design my own counted cross stitch patterns. In the past I have also done some crochet and a little knitting. I just haven't done much in the way of any of the needle arts since I've gotten online. Eep?

Monday, June 28, 2004: I did a complete overhaul of my WOSIB Charm Club Pages [EDIT Jan. 14, 2005: no longer there]. My first experience with inline frames too. I still don't know how to do the style sheet thingee for the scroll bar down the side unless I am cutting and pasting from some other source. I especially would like to know how to do the properly-coloured scroll bar for the inline frame, when the time comes for longer tables of charms.

Wednesday, June 30, 2004, 10:03pm:  I've learned how to colourize the scrollbars (see above).  :-)  It's a little style-sheet bunch o' code. You can see it in action [EDIT Jan. 14, 2005: well, not anymore! sorry!] on my WOSIB Charm Club Pages, on the Monthly Theme - Under The Sea page. Well, that is if you are using Microsoft Internet Explorer. I know for a fact that you can't see the coloured scrollbars in Mozilla. Oh well.

Also I did what I could to prettify my Awards pages, both changing the scroll bar colour to black and lightening up the lace background I have been using. That was originally a gold lace body suit that I had Bunnicula scan for me; then I changed it to black in Microsoft's Image Composer. I did the slight lightening in PSP8.

Background by Eos Development | Green buttons by Jelane | Blinkies from Jo's Blinkies ; Ashley Designz ; Biene's Blinkies ; Blue Moon Graphix ; Ivy's Graphics ; Pinky Blinkies | Cicada photograph and Please Lock The Door image Copyright © 2004-2008 Joanna M. Phillips