To answer the question the 1.5 readers of this blog may be asking ... No, I haven't fallen off the face o' the Earth, I've just been Insanely Busy with work for the past few weeks and've therefore been unable to post here (it's not gonna get any better in the foreseeable future).
In a nutshell: Due to upper management at my company being totally unrealistic and inflexible about us making a Completely Arbitrary ship date for our software, we've all been "asked" (read: "ordered") to work 60-hour weeks until July (or longer). And 'cause we drones are all salaried exempt employees, we don't get overtime.
Yeah.
I do have some post ideas rattling around in my noggin' that I would like to share here (my motto: "Just Doing My Civic Duty To Waste Pixels, Bandwidth, And Your Time"), but by the end o' the workday, my brain is fried and I've no energy left over to form coherent thoughts, much less string 'em together in pixel-wasting format here.
Because of all this Happy Fun Work Stuff, I've been trying to unwind by alternating between playing silly casual games online, and reading the Navarre Bible's "Matthew". (How's that for polar opposites?) So far, it's kinda' sorta' worked, though I've sorely neglected playing with The B (he ain't happy). And poor Husband Mike's had to deal with the quality of our conversations tanking and my increased mood swings.
Well, at least we've got Easter to look forward to in a few days. :-) Since chances are slim that I'll post again for awhile, I'll take the time now to wish ya a Happy and Blessed Easter!
As kids, most of us wrote letters to Santa, nothing unusual about that. But, did anyone ever write to the Tooth Fairy?
I did, though I'd forgotten all about it until a few years ago, when Husband Mike found the letter while we were cleaning out my mom's house. And ... it's Mighty Embarrassing how demanding I was. Though, in my defense (such as it is), I was 10 years old when I wrote it, and I think that by then, I strongly suspected that Mom/Dad were actually the Tooth Fairy.
So, for your reading entertainment, I present to you ...
My Letter To The Tooth Fairy by Lisa, age 10
(Click for larger image) Handmade envelope; staples aplenty! Guess I didn't think tape was secure enough. Nice, flourishy touch with the "Y", eh?
(Click for larger image) The incriminating letter itself. I do remember that when I wrote it, I purposely listed Every Type Of Coinage -- with a dollar bill thrown in for good measure -- so as to not give the Tooth Fairy any sort of loopholes. ("Well, dear, you said you didn't want dimes, but -- ha, ha! -- you made no mention of quarters!")
In case you're wondering what in heck a "Glamour Gal" is, the Glamour Gals were small-sized fashion dolls that I was totally gonzo over as kid.
And no, I don't think my letter worked.
Ah, the things ya wind up postin' when playin' along with NaBloPoMo ... :-P
Gah! It's about 30 minutes until midnight, and I can't think of anything to write about for today's NaBloPoMo-induced post. Well, actually, I have a few ideas on what to write about, but those ideas would involve some Actual Writing Time and I'm feelin' lazy.
Because I'm addlepated after eating a large dinner full of delicious turkey, turkey gravy (my dad-in-law makes The Bestest Gravy Ever), and all the trimmin's, I don't have enough brainpower to write up a post today.
So, instead, The B and I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving!
What does a Secular Franciscan carry in her purse?
Not like anyone's ever asked, I just got the idea from my earlier post about the time I left for work an' forgot my Blindingly Tacky Purse at home. (Hey, when you're scrambling for something to post for NaBloPoMo, you take what you can get.)
So, I pulled out All The Stuff In My Purse, arranged it in artful :-P little groupings, and took some pictures. And no, I won't inflict a picture of The Purse Itself on the world at large.
Here's what this particular Secular Franciscan carries in her purse:
The essentials: Wallet and change purse. Yawn.
Some Rosaries I've knotted up, ready to be given away. I always try to keep at least one on hand for that. Also, my pal Jennifer made and gave those sacrifice beads to me a few days ago. (Those I'm not givin' away.) Whatta sweetie! :-)
A notecard I scribbled up with various amounts for tip-giving (I'm terrible at math on the spot) peeking out behind a small notepad, pen, and pencil. Yes, there's a Winne the Pooh theme going on here.
Small makeup bag (not a whole lot o' stuff in thar), a handkerchief, tissues, and a bitty emergency sewing kit that I've never had to use, but ya never know.
Two teeny fetal models -- one of an 11-12 week old unborn baby (left) and the other of a 12 week old unborn baby (right) -- and the small bag in which I keep 'em, along with their accompanying fact cards. Very handy to have on hand!
And, finally, a stack o' store, library, etc., cards (in front); Husband Mike's and my personal calling/business cards (left); membership cards for the SFO and the Pious Union of St. Joseph (middle); and a credit card-sized Rosary behind some info. cards (right).
There you have it. The Oh-So-(Not)-Exciting Contents Of My Purse. If anyone else wants to play along, Secular Franciscan or otherwise, feel free to join in! :-)
I first posted this pondering a few years ago in an online forum, and it's something I still think about from time to time:
Let's say we eventually manage to set up a colony on/terraform Mars, or some other non-Earth location. Seein' as how no matter where we go, God is with us, wouldn't it be entirely possible that Our Lady would appear to us there?
I tried thinking of a Profound And/Or Significant Subject To Post About in honor of the day, but, alas, came up short. (Gee, big surprise.) So, instead I figgered I'd share my recent investigation on how to properly dispose of razorblades! Well, y'know, it's got a bit of an environmental connection and Francis is the patron of ecology and ... and ... eh, whatever.
My recent questing was triggered last night while preparing to shave the ol' gams. I've got one o' them replaceable-blade razors, and 'twas time to pop out the old blade and put in a fresh one. As I contemplated the bitty plastic tray (properly called "magazine") full of used blades (properly called "cartridges") ready to be tossed, I wondered again if there was a better way to deal with 'em than to simply toss said Tray-O-Blades into the trash. Isn't that pushing things, safety-wise? And how environmentally-friendly is that, anyway?
I asked Husband Mike what his thoughts were, but he's in the same boat with tossing his Tray-O-Guy-Blades and had no suggestions. Off I went a-Googling and turned up the following stuff:
This site recommended keeping "an old sour cream or yogurt container handy. Put old blades in the container and pour leftover epoxy in the container." Well, that's something to consider if we ever need to ditch craft-type ones. But still, I'm not sure putting 'em in containers of epoxy is the best way to go, environmentally.
Elsewhere, found a suggestion to take 'em to a local trade metal recycler. Again, I think that applies more to the crafty kind, not the disposable, shaving-your-legs, surrounded-by-plastic kind.
This comprehensive video wasn't that helpful for me, as it pretty much said to toss the tray-o-blades into the garbage, as-is:
TreeHugger shared news about the Razor Saver, whose manufacturer clams it can "sharpen your used disposable razor heads for up to 130 shaves (!); using their math, that's a 75% reduction." At least it's a plus for the environment.
Finally, I came across this Safety Razor FAQ Database, which suggested calling your local garbage/sanitation department and see what they recommend. May haps I'll try that tomorrow.
So, there ya go. And don't suggest not shaving -- I can assure you that resembling a yeti is not high on my Happy List.
![Text of letter reads: 'Dear Tooth Fairy, I wish you would give me a present other than money. I'm tired of pennies, dimes, nickles, quarters & dollar bills. I want a more exciting present. Iff [sic] this is too much just give me a glamour gal. Love, Lisa P.S.: I'm starting to take better care of my teeth.'](http://www.franciscanfocus.com/pix/20071125b-lg.jpg "Text of letter reads: 'Dear Tooth Fairy, I wish you would give me a present other than money. I'm tired of pennies, dimes, nickles, quarters & dollar bills. I want a more exciting present. Iff [sic] this is too much just give me a glamour gal. Love, Lisa P.S.: I'm starting to take better care of my teeth.'")
I tried thinking of a Profound And/Or Significant Subject To Post About in honor of the day, but, alas, came up short. (Gee, big surprise.) So, instead I figgered I'd share my recent investigation on how to properly dispose of razorblades! Well, y'know, it's got a bit of an environmental connection and Francis is the patron of ecology and ... and ... eh, whatever.