TechnoBabe Needs More Technical Expertise

Wow! For the past two weeks TechnoBabe has had to watch helplessly while James struggled with the physical demands of the move to the new domicile. The dog has not stopped barking for longer than 10 minutes in the two and a half weeks we have been in the new place. The computers were down for two weeks due to problems in the phone line so there was no DSL and when we switched to cable company for digital service they were unable to provide the service as well. So my persistent fiance worked for two days to learn the ins and outs of wireless service and set us up on our own wireless network. What a guy!!! And to make it even better, the cell phone service was not available at the new place either. The cell phone was with a different carrier than the DSL so that meant two companies to be contacted every day, and the only way he could contact anyone was to drive a few blocks away to the parking lot of the grocery store and make calls. I was at work during the day so I was not able to help and even if I had been here I could not have helped as I am a dope about hooking up the internet and not the technobabe as advertised. The truth is out. The techno behind the babe is James.
And I am so very grateful to him for hanging in there and completing the move and the trials and tribulations that went with it.

So we are getting settled in the new place, a few boxes left to unpack. The pictures are on the walls and we have cooked on the new stove.

This is a tribute to an amazing man who has endured and won. And won my heart again and again and again.

How Long Does It Take To Get Rid Of The Ex

We all have at least one ex. An ex-spouse, an ex-lover, an ex-friend. The key being EX. The longer we were in the relationship with the ex, it stands to reason the longer it takes to get over the ex. Even if it was an abusive relationship, we seem to want to carry around the memories and bring them out once in awhile like a photo album.

The question is: How long should it take to phase out the ex? I know the memories cannot and should not be eradicated. The experiences with the ex were a stepping stone to the present.

If we are harboring feelings of shame or remorse for any behavior toward the ex or any unkindness to the ex, even more difficult to clean out the closet completely.

I could shell out the $14.95 here for a book to help get over the ex, or I could just get over it. I choose the latter.

Monday Monday

I look forward to Wednesdays.

Sunday mornings too.

But Mondays still suck.

Ah well.

I've Been Tagged

What were you doing 10 years ago?

In 1997 I was I working as a mortgage processor and I was 3 years away from ending a long term marriage.


What were you doing 1 year ago?

I was with living with James and our dog and was self employed.

Five snacks you enjoy:

1. Raisins
2. Dried apricots
3. James' homemade carob candy
4. apples
5. cheese and crackers

Five songs to which you know all the lyrics:


1. The Reason
2. The Star Spangled Banner
3. Peaceful Easy Feeling
4. Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini
5. American Pie

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:

1. Buy acreage to build a simple home and have plenty of land
2. Put a Geodesic Dome on the land
3. Provide anonymous scholarships
4. Not have any debts
5. Quit my job

Five bad habits:

1.) Scratching my ear
2.) Interrupting
3.) Procrastinating when it is something I do not want to do
4.) Shutting down
5.) Avoidance


Five things you like doing:

1. Reading
2. Walking
3. Listening to music
4. Writing in my journal
5. Being with James


Five things you would never wear again:

1. A bathing suit
2. Large jewelry
3. Flannel nightgown
4. Blue nail polish
5. Formal clothes



Five favorite toys:

1. Bubbles
2. Darts
3. Squirt gun
4. Swing
5. Paints

TAG, YOU'RE IT:

Lorna
Fancy

Giving Up Daydreaming and Living For Real

I spent most of my life daydreaming. Not in a soft romantic way. Not in a planning the next day way. My daydreaming was a way to hide away from the cold cruel world and not be myself. I didn't have to feel real feelings or deal with real issues and I chose not to participate in my own life.

Too many things happened to me as a child and as a young adult that prompted my "absentmindedness" so to speak. To cover up the pain and to help me survive, I chose to close down and hide myself away and not get close to anyone and not let anyone see me and know the real me. That was hard work!!

Today I am getting to know myself. Today I am awake. Today I am feeling. Today I am getting healthy.

Independence VS Codependence

Independence. Autonomy. Liberty. Freedom.

Codependence. Powerlessness. Loneliness. Isolation.

I am learning to take responsibility for myself. Answers come from within.

As I learn how to care about myself and take care of myself, I find a new freedom.

I am finding my independence. And happiness.

Happy Independence Day to all who are healthy and all who want to be healthy and all who will one day want to be healthy. Health within self is true independence.

Alcohol in Powdered Form

Found at cnn.com:

"AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (Reuters) -- Dutch students have invented powdered alcohol which they say can be sold legally to minors.

The latest innovation in inebriation, called Booz2Go, is available in 20-gram packets that cost €1-1.5 ($1.35-$2).

Top it up with water and you have a bubbly, lime-colored and -flavored drink with just 3 percent alcohol content.

"We are aiming for the youth market. They are really more into it because you can compare it with Bacardi-mixed drinks," 20-year-old Harm van Elderen told Reuters.

Van Elderen and four classmates at Helicon Vocational Institute, about an hour's drive from Amsterdam, came up with the idea as part of their final-year project.

"Because the alcohol is not in liquid form, we can sell it to people below 16," said project member Martyn van Nierop.

The legal age for drinking alcohol and smoking is 16 in the Netherlands.

The students said companies interested in making the product commercially could avoid taxes because the alcohol was in powder form. A number of companies are interested, they said."

I am sure there will plenty of companies interested in promoting one more thing that will add to the destruction of future generations. The young people of today are the adults of the future. I feel sorry for them. They are bombarded on all sides by so many things that keep them from being focused, healthy, productive, and happy.

A Power Greater Than...

Meet 3C438, a galactic cluster a few bleems away, which features a titanic energy burst radiating from the center. The Chandra Telescope shot this picture, but the words used to describe the energy burst blew me away.

"Equivalent to one billion exploding Suns."

Kinda puts things in Perspective, don't it?

In Recovery, we come to believe in a Power Greater Than Ourselves.

For me, 3C438 is an example of this power. Since I don't do Religion, my Higher Power is a benevolent, interactive Universe, with the local Natural World as a guide.

Thanks for letting me share.

Found this on Matt's blog called Empathy. Great blog.

"I Can't"

I happened upon a great post over at Dixie's Heart And Soul. Here are some of the highlights. Go over there and read the post, it is good reading.

"All the students were working on a task, filling a sheet of notebook paper with thoughts and ideas. The ten-year-old student closest to me was filling her page with "I Can'ts."

"I can't kick the soccer ball pass second base."
"I can't do long division with more than three numbers."
"I can't get Debbie to like me."
By this time, the activity engaged my curiosity, so I decided to check with the teacher to see what was going on. As I approached her, I noticed that she too was busy writing. I felt it best not to interrupt.

"I can't get John's mother to come in for a teacher conference."
"I can't get my daughter to put gas in the car."
"I can't get Alan to use words instead of fists."

"Friends, we gather today to honor the memory of "I Can't." While he was with us on earth, he touched the lives of everyone, some more than others. His names, unfortunately, has been spoken in every public building - schools, city halls, and state capitols and yes, even The White House.

We have provided "I Can't" with a final resting place and headstone that contains his epitaph. He is survived by his brothers and sisters, "I can, 'I will' and "I'm going to Right Away.' They are not as well known as their famous relative and are certainly not as strong and powerful yet.

My Life Is Similar To The Sign

I had been concentrating on not getting hurt by the sharp edges
in so many ways in my life and totally neglecting to notice that
the frickin bridge was out ahead.

Not just once. Over and over.

So now I am working on seeing the whole picture and living in reality and truth.

Danger Danger Danger

Children's Meth


Checked this
on Snopes
and it is true
http://www.snopes.com/horrors/drugs/candymeth.asp

There is a very scary thing going on in the schools right now that all need to be aware of. There is a type of crystal meth going around that looks like strawberry pop rocks. It smells like strawberry also and it is being handed out to kids in school yards. I'm sure it will make its way around the country if it hasn't already. Kids are ingesting this thinking that it is candy and being rushed off to the E.R. in dire condition.

It also comes in chocolate, peanut butter, cola, cherry, grape and orange ~` it looks just like pop rocks.

Please instruct your children to not accept candy that looks like this even from a friend and to take any that they may have to a teacher, principal, etc.

Please pass this around it could save some family a lot of heartache!

That is what they are calling strawberry meth or strawberry quick.

This was in an email sent to me.

Whatcha' Consuming?

This research report (.pdf) and the graphic above goes a long way to help us understand how we're viewed by the people who compete for our ears and eyeballs. Well, and wallets, too, huh?

We're consumers. Spenders. Shoppers. Buyers. And we're not behaving like we're told.

The report and this article tell us that we've stopped buying CDs not because of piracy, but because so many ways to consume, spend, shop, and buy media entertainment are competing for our time, we're moving away from the old model, to the horrified gnashing of capped CEO teeth and rending of corporate garments.

TechnoBabe and I haven't bought a physical CD since we've been together. Lots of iTunage, but no crippled disks with a fixed playlist thereon. We spend the most on Amazon for books. We spend nothing on television, since we don't have one, and we spend $20/month on broadband, $10/month on Netflix, $8/month on Live 365 web radio.

What do you do with your entertainment time/budget?

Installing The Love Software

I found this on a blog called gurushabad:

"A customer called up the service section of a computer company. . .

"Customer: I heard you provide Love software. Customer Service Representative (CSR): Would you like to install Love software? Customer: Yes. But I'm not very technically skilled. Give me the instructions and I will try to install. What do I do first ? CSR: The first step is to open your Heart. Have you located your Heart, sir?
Customer: Yes I have, but there are several programs running right now. Is it okay to install while they are running ?
CSR: What programs are running sir?
Customer: Let me see ... I have Past hurt.exe, low-esteem.exe, grudge.exe, and resentment.com running right now.

CSR: No problem. Love will automatically erase past-hurt.exe from your current operating system. It may remain in your permanent memory, but it will no longer disrupt other programs. Love will eventually overwrite low-esteem.exe with a module of its own called high-self-esteem.exe. However, you have to completely turn off grudge.exe and resentment.com. Those programs prevent love from being properly installed. Can you turn those off, sir?
Customer: I don't know how to turn them off. Can you tell me how ?
CSR: My pleasure. Go to your Start menu and invoke forgiveness.exe. Do this as many times as necessary until grudge.exe and resentment.com have been completely erased.
Customer: Okay, I'm done. Love has started installing itself automatically. Is that normal ?
CSR: Yes it is. You should receive a message that says it will reinstall for the life of your heart. Do you see that message?
Customer: Yes I do. Is it completely installed ?
CSR: Yes, but remember that you have only the base program. You need to begin connecting to other hearts in order to get the upgrades.
Customer: Oops ... I have an error message already. What should I do ?
CSR: What does the message say?
Customer: It says 'error--program not run on internal components.' What does that mean ?
CSR: Don't worry sir, that's a common problem. It means that the love program is set up to run on external hearts but has not yet been run on your heart. It is one of those complicated programming things, but in nontechnical terms it means you have to have love in your own machine before you can find it in others.
Customer: So what should I do ?
CSR: Can you find the directory called self-acceptance?
Customer: Yes, I have it.
CSR: Excellent, you are getting good at this.
Customer: Thank you.
CSR: You're welcome. Click on the following files and then copy them to the my-heart directory: forgive-self.doc, self-esteem.txt, realize-worth.txt, and goodness.doc. The system will overwrite any conflicting files and begin patching any faulty programming. Also, you need to delete nagging-doubt.exe from all directories, and then empty your recycle bin afterwards to make sure it is completely gone and never comes back.
Customer: Got it. Hey! My heart is filling up with really neat smiles. Smile.mpg is playing on my monitor right now and it shows that warmth.com, peace.exe, and contentment.com are copying themselves all over my heart !
CSR: Then love is installed and running. You should be able to handle it from here. One more thing before I go...
Customer: Yes ?
CSR: Love is a freeware. Be sure to give it and its various modules to everybody you meet. They will in turn share it with other people and they will return some really neat modules back to you.
Customer: I will. Thank you for your help. Love is running well. But what if I run into problems, by the way?
CSR: Please repeat the whole process. You can always call us. We are open 24 hours a day. "
This is parallel to what I am working on right now. It was a pleasure to find this as I was surfing around the blogosphere.

Killing Us Softly

I saw this BlogAd, and immediately clicked it because I'm interested in the connection between food, mood, marketing, and (gasp!) politics. TechnoBabe and I have been losing weight steadily since the first of the year, and being physically closer - as in less of us between us - has been a delicious surprise, besides the personal validation of permanently changing our beliefs about food. I've also eliminated the high blood pressure, high cholesterol/triglycerides, and pre-diabetic conditions for which my exasperated doctor was prepared to medicate me. Nyah nyah... Obesity caused all of that, and when I dropped 30 lbs since November, all of that stopped happening. Who knew?

Anyway, I clicked on the ad and went here, where I was encouraged to support healthy, fresh. local food.

Cool.

But, cynic that I am, I decided to keep clicking. At the bottom of the site I found "Farm and Food Policy Project."

Okay, but tell me more.

I clicked that and noticed "Food And Society Home" in the sidebar.

So then I clicked "Who We Are", and was not surprised to find out who wanted us to demand more healthy fresh local food.

Kellogg.

You know, the people who bring us...Apple Jacks®, Cocoa Krispies™, Eggo®, Froot Loops®, Frosted Flakes®, Pop-Tarts®, Rice Krispies®, Special K®?




















So, if I understand this process correctly, the people who make the food that creates obesity which causes the 100 billion dollar tab every year... are exhorting us to write letters to Congress to make them support fresh local food.

Killing us softly, indeed. Like cigarette manufacturers creating dummy foundations telling us to plant trees. Domination through diversion.

During our journey out of food addiction, we killed all the myths we carried about food. You know, what a "meal" is, what a "diet" is, what "full" is, what "exercise" is, etc. The surprise was learning that our bodies slyly anticipate a rapid, but predictable, drop in calories, and by adopting a random pattern of eating, with random selections, but ever-smaller portions, the body's starvation-response mechanism can be fooled. We do not count calories or fat grams or carbs. We eat no refined sweeteners or refined grains. We cook together, and I'm talkin' in and out of the kitchen ;-)

Oh, and the television? We don't have one. We have no idea what the next swell new processed food product is, or the next cereal to be made from some candy bar.

We're off that teat.

Thanks for letting me share...

On Acceptance

"And acceptance is the answer to all my problems today. When I am disturbed, it is because I find some person, place, thing or situation -- some fact of my life -- unacceptable to me, and I can find no serenity until I accept that person, place, thing or situation as being exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment.

Nothing, absolutely nothing happens in God's world by mistake. Until I could accept my (insert life challenge), I could not stay (insert spiritual result); unless I accept life completely on life's terms, I cannot be happy. I need to concentrate not so much on what needs to be changed in the world as on what needs to be changed in me and in my attitudes."

Good morning, good afternoon, or good evening.

JamesEagle here, joining the Technobabe's blogging adventure, with some thoughts about Acceptance. The opening words are part of every Recovery program. Not a bad concept to consider regardless of how your spiritual journey's going.

For instance, I wanted to change the order of profiles in the sidebar, because this is TechnoBabe's place, and when I joined the blogging team, Blogger put my name first. When I worked the HTML to generate our pictures as links to our profiles,

all the
type
on the blog
crashed over
to
the left side
like this.

So I accepted, for the moment, that this is the way it is, and will get back to it later. (Now updated :-)

I've been thinking lately about the convergence of depression and acceptance, or any other major emotional condition and acceptance. We will posit as a general stipulation that biochemistry plays a part in emotional balance, and nobody knows that more than I, a professional M.D. (Manic Depressive)

Furthermore, which comes first, the biochemistry or the attitude of grateful acceptance? We know that the physical act of smiling generates the endorphins of positive feeling no matter what condition our condition's in, even profound depression. So can acceptance play a part in regulating our emotional balance?

Is happiness a cause or a result? Dependent on external validation or generated within and expressed externally? Can happy be a verb, instead of an adjective?

Is acceptance snarling, resentful rejecting of (insert whatever) but outwardly acknowledging we cannot control it?

Or is acceptance simply letting something be as it is, without a single feeling about it beyond detached observation?

Thanks for letting me share...

Working On My Rough Spots

Medium grade sandpaper following the contours and removing some of the rough spots.

Sometimes there is so much that needs to be removed that it takes longer to do the job.

Sometimes it takes so much energy and focus that the job has to be put aside until there is energy and enthusiasm to begin again using different tools.

After much time and diligent labor, it is finally at the point that a fine sandpaper can be used, and it takes less effort to remove the unwanted component. There is definition as well as signs of accomplishment. But this is not complete. Much work still to be done. Much has been achieved.

I have been working on things within myself and for myself, clearing away the things that are not healthy and learning to stay in the moment. I have been attending meetings and listening and absorbing and reading and in my own way praying and learning to believe. I have come to believe that I am worth it.

Is Life Like A Box Of Chocolates?

Life isn't like a box of chocolates .

It's more like a jar of jalapenos.

What you do today,
might burn your ass tomorrow.

Office Etiquette Part I

Now that I work in an office with about fifty other people, I am reminded occasionally of some of the reasons I wanted to work from my home. I was self employed for a few years and returned to the open workplace about seven months ago.

The atmosphere at my new place of employment is fairly casual and for the most part is accommodating to each one of us employed there.

One of the things I like about the place is that there are all ages and all nationalities. There are about six men at the office, so they are doted upon by all the women and we all get along very well.

I am allergic to a few things and I don't use any cosmetics that have a fragrance.I keep a box of tissues close by wherever I am; office, home, car.

There is a woman who was hired about three months ago. I don't interact with her at the job except passing in the halls. This woman wears a very strong perfume. Two times when she stood in a close proximity to where I was working I started sneezing, and itchy watery eyes were the next symptom. Since that day, I have heard a few people say something about the strong perfume smell throughout the office but I haven't heard of anyone else who may have the same allergy problem.

This young woman is in the process of getting a divorce, losing weight, and is now a single working mom. She is very attractive and is aware she is good looking but she gets along with everyone and is good at her job. I have to give her kudos for starting over and for her positive attitude.

I don't know if I should be the one to talk to her about my problem with her perfume.
This is apparently my problem and no one else's that I know of, and I really don't want to start a war or endure ongoing antagonism. But clearly I will be doing something soon.

Found at Environmental Health Perspectives: "While many people enjoy wearing perfumes and using scented products, there is a growing outcry from some people who claim that exposure to certain fragrances, including perfumes and scented products, adversely impacts their health. They report symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, nausea, fatigue, shortness of breath, difficulty with concentration, and allergy-like symptoms. It has been shown that many asthmatic patients have adverse reactions to perfumes and other fragrances, and some researchers hypothesize that exposure to fragrance may actually cause asthma."
...and...
"As information continues to surface on the issue of indoor air pollution, it appears that fragrances may represent part of the problem. Some researchers believe that exposure to the types of chemicals found in many scented products may contribute to the development and exacerbation of sick building syndrome, a health condition allegedly caused by indoor air pollution. The chemicals in perfumes, colognes, and deodorants worn by employees add to the chemical mixtures in indoor air, as do fragrances in cleaning products."
...and...
"Unfortunately, a lot of people don't realize that this is a serious issue, because it sounds so trivial. There's a huge population who do get sick from these products. In order to help solve the problem, people should use less-toxic, unscented products and be considerate of those who are affected by fragrance sensitivity."

My thoughts exactly. People who have been working in an office environment for many years are aware of things like this and are aware of their part in good office etiquette.

Efficient, Energy Saving Technology

This is a great post on The Alternative Consumer:

"History Channel and Invent Now have announced the winner of their 2007 Modern Marvels Invent Now Challenge: Michael Sykes and his Enertia Building System.

The Enertia Building System technology turns a piece of wood into a thermal battery. Wood is no longer just a structural component, or just a decorative trim or paneling- it becomes a solar energy storing device, and when the house is properly configured and sited it can heat and cool itself. With this technology the more wood the better, so the invention is especially applicable to solid wood homes. Enertia Building Systems has developed a line of solid Gluelam wall homes to maximize the energy-storing potential of the wood, and to offer the mainstream appearance necessary to attract traditional housing buyers. Because Enertia® homes ‘sequester carbon’ in their massive wood walls, as well reduce carbon pollution from the burning of fossil fuels, they caught the attention of the Modern Marvels’ judges - who were looking for breakthrough inventions with global potential.

In the Enertia Building System, solid Energy-Engineered wood walls replace siding, framing, insulation, and paneling. An air flow and access channel, or Envelope, runs around the building, just inside the walls - creating a miniature biosphere. Here solar heated air circulates, pumping and boosting geothermal energy from beneath the house, storing it in the massive wood walls. Thermal inertia causes the house to “float” between the cycles of night and day, and even between the seasons. "

KEY COMPONENTS:

* solid wood walls - store energy during the day and release energy at night
* thermal inertia - geo-thermal principles create heat/or cooling from the earth and employs lag-in time principles to heat and cool the home
* heat pump house - solar energy gathered during the day is used for night-time heat making the house itself a “heat pump”
* envelope - a heat path just beneath the structure’s wood skin channels heat in winter and also creates a cooling system in the summer. It can also create oxygenated air via plants and give access for upgrading systems, wiring etc.
* floating - energy stored from sunny days can be stored in the structure’s mass for long periods of time to either heat or cool the home.
* radiant heating and cooling - radiant walls and floors hold heat or cool
This sort of energy saving house is the kind of thing I am so interested in. Why aren's houses being built like this throughout the world now? Maybe it is already too late to start saving the planet???