Blue Moon Atelier Journal

You see that bandwagon? Yeah, I just jumped on it! Here are a couple of quickie coloured pencil ACEOs I just did...I haven't put 'em up at eBay yet - I probably will later.

"Fae Regina":

"Soap on a Rope":

I just want to say that 2001 Sebastiani Sonoma Cask Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma is an excellent domestic wine. Try it - it's really lovely!

It's brilliant, innit? Just hanging out, goofing off on the computer, glass of Sangiovese (the 2nd glass, actually), enjoying not having to get up early tomorrow for work. I loves me some weekends.

The Big Link!

Richard Dawkins:

"I am strongly pro-American, which is one reason I am passionately anti-Bush".

I wish he were president.

Anybody in Blogsboro in need of a computer desk with hutch in good condition (solid and sturdy ("Bush" brand, I think), with just the occasional nicks, scratches and ink/paint watermarks of an artist)? It's free, but you have to come and get it y'self! ;)

**some assembly required
Available sometime shortly after 4 July - when my new desk arrives.

It's been quite a while since I posted any artwork, either in-progress or finished shots. It's been since before Hoggfest last month, as a matter of fact, and the last artwork I posted was the Iris Blooms painting I created for the fundraiser.

I do still do art, I promise. I've just been a bit busy with other things (running my own business). I've actually got 3 pieces of art inked, and a 4th in the sketching stage, but they're to be for a specific project and I worry that I'll jinx myself by posting them. Or maybe I should post them so I *don't* jinx myself, or get complacent and not finish the project. I don't know!!! What to do, what to do?!?!

Actually, "go to bed" is the thing to do at the moment ~~yawn~~

Tailgating. Just don't do it. It's not going to get you anywhere any faster. If you're behind me, you're libel to be even longer getting to your destination. Why? Because, I'll slow down. That's right - slow down. When I glance into the rear-view mirror and some pillock is riding my bumper in an attempt to get me to go faster, I'll more than likely just maintain my speed, but sometimes, just to piss said pillock off, I'll slow down (besides, if a child runs out in front of my car and I need to slam on breaks, going slower means less damage you can do to my car [and me] when you plow into the back of me because you were following too closely). I cruise along between the speed limit and 3 to 5 miles over the speed limit, and if I happen to be a few clicks over the speed limit, a tailgater will remind me that I'm going a tad to fast, and I'll drop back to the speed limit. And then laugh at the funny faces made when the tailgating pillock realizes I'm going even slower! I'm not going to tell you what kind of car I drive, because then you'll never know when it's me you're behind - so, you're better off not tailgating at all. If you're running behind, and it's not your fault, the people at your destination will most likely be understanding. If you're running behind because you couldn't bother your arse to set off in a timely manner, then ptbptbptbptbptbptbptbptb!

The Big Link

Cheers to eBay for seeing the light and removing auctions selling Live8 tickets. Jeers to eBay for suspending the accounts of people who placed ridiculous bids to stop the auctions, but not suspending the accounts of sellers selfishly trying to profit from the sale of the tickets.

I am absolutely appalled that eBay is allowing the sale of Live8 tickets. I don't care if it's not technically illegal, it's still wrong, and it sickens me that eBay is willing to profit off the sale of charity tickets, which cost the sellers nothing and the sale of which benefits no one but eBay and the sellers themselves. The people for whom this event is intended to benefit receive NOTHING from the improper sale of these tickets (any "donation" of fees eBay claims to be considering is blood money, plain and simple). I used to have a good deal of respect for eBay, even after the raising of store fees forced me to close my store, I still kept my accounts and have sold items occasionally, but this latest stunt is inexcusable. I will be seriously reconsidering my use of eBay, and PayPal (which I have used, so far, exclusively for my business's credit card processing) if this is allowed to continue.

I've sent the above rant to eBay, via the 'customer support' feature. Sorry, customer support folks, but that's the only way of contacting eBay, so you're getting it.

The Big Link!

Once again, I find myself embarrassed by the willful ignorance of some of my fellow countrymen:

In reference to the upcoming Live 8 concerts, from the BBC:

As a 35-year-old American with two small children I am very upset that this America bashing is going to come back to my city. It is very easy for the super rich rock stars to tell me what should be done with my tax dollars. I work 10 hours a day to feed my family, not Africa. Dave Mathews was just on the radio about the Philly sh show asking what we have done for Africa. How about the hospitals, vaccinations, schools, roads, computers and internet, food etc that the USA sends and builds? How come we never get any credit for that?
Chris Salinas, Philadelphia, PA, USA

America bashing? How is a multi-national appeal for an end to WORLD poverty 'America bashing'? Sure, the emphasis is on Africa, because the direst of needs happens to be there, currently. But, poverty affects many world nations, our own included. One can't drive down Wendover in Greensboro most days without seeing a homeless person (or three) in the median hoping for some relief. The fact is, we are one of the richest nations in the world, and a tiny percentage of what this administration has spent on waging war in Iraq could feed an African country for a year or more, house refugees in Darfur, help rebuild Tsunami-torn Asia, or provide programmes to help the homeless in our own country. Please don't take this as a slight against the members of our armed forces who are currently serving (or have previously served) in Iraq and Afghanistan, because it isn't. It's about politicians, and where they place their priorities. It's about not being so bloody selfish. We all (all over the world) have our "me, me, me" aspects of personality. But, America seems to be the most selfish, arrogant, and uncaring of populations. Not because we ALL are, but because our administration projects that attitude to the rest of the world (and since the majority of us elected them, we must all be that way too).

Here's a simple excercise for you Mr (or Ms) Salinas: Imagine you were a 35-year old African with two small children, and you've just had to bury one of them because they starved to death. Because, no matter how many hours a day you worked, you still couldn't provide enough food to feed your family. Because, your government couldn't provide assistance, or even decent wages because of a huge burden of debt to the richest countries in the world.

It won't take one cent of your tax dollars to tell this administration that they should cancel the unpayable debts of poor countries. Just think outside the US...there ARE other countries, you know, and not all of them are as well-off as we are. What if you were one of them? And, you could be - right here in America.

Go to the One Campaign website, or the Make Poverty History website. It's important. We can make the world a better place. We SHOULD make the world a better place.

I just wanted to say I really, really detest level 8-4 of Luxor. Khufu's Revenge, indeed!!

I had to order a new keyboard for my computer today. The one that came with the system went haywire. It's a little over a year old, I think. Dude, it was a Dell (well, the computer still is, but the keyboard won't be in another week or two - nor will the mouse, actually, as I decided to update to an optical one while I was at it). I'm currently typing on a spare keyboard my husband had available. Here's an example of what I was experiencing with my old keyboard:

I-think-saomething'sa-wqrong-wqith-my-keybosard-the-left-saide-isa- double-typing-lettersa-sand-the-sapsace-bsar-doesan't-wqork-sao-I- hasve-to-saerpersate-my-wqordsa-wqith-the-dsasah

Also, the number lock quit working, and therefore my number pad was useless. And I don't even know what the caps-lock button was doing!

So, I'm getting a new keyboard and optical mouse from Microsoft - not as flash as the one Sue recently acquired, but it should serve my purposes nicely.

Ed Cone recently posted a dissection of a Davenport Jr. column in which he (Davenport Jr.) liberally (pardon the pun) cut and pasted from another source to pad an article - using quotes that make his point, but not necessarily in the way he might have intended. As Mr Cone points out, Davenport Jr. does at least cite the source(s) when he cut 'n' pastes. Here, however, is proof that the conservative's cut and paste technique doesn't just apply to words: Linky-loo

Billy, the Blogging Poet is this week's host of The Tarheel Tavern. Don't look now - but, the aliens are among us!!

Well, I don't think diarist.net is going to grant me a Notify List for my journal (I've applied twice to no response), so I've made one myself through my domain's services. Since I update somewhat infrequently, if you're interested in what I have to say you might be better off subscribing to the notification list so you won't be disappointed if you stop by everyday and I haven't posted. If you're a member of the notify list, you'll get an email when I update. You can click the link in the sidebar on the main index page, or just go here: http://www.marylayton.net/journalupdate.htm. The difference between the two is that clicking from the sidebar initiates a wee pop-up window, and that link - up there - is the full page what the pop-up condenses.

It's only an announcement list, and I promise not to spam you because I hates me some spam, too.

Speaking of spam, I downloaded a trial of Spam Arrest yesterday from a link at Billy's blog. I'm seriously considering subscribing. Here's one thing I like about 'em already - I didn't have to give up my credit card number before trying. That, right there, is enough to win them my business (if I'm pleased with the free trial, and so far I am). I don't do "free trials" anymore if they require a credit card up front, because some businesses tend to make it nearly impossible to prevent being charged after the trial period. I had that experience once, and that was enough. So far, I like what SA does. Grahams tried testing it by sending me an email and while it stuck his email in my "unverified" folder, he didn't get the challenge email that is said to be generated when an unverified email arrives. It's entirely possible that the challenge feature is only activated after one subscribes, but I've got a query in to support, just in case it's not happening due to an error on my part (which is also entirely possible). So far, it looks like a sweet little spam preventing tool and the cost is quite reasonable - $35 a year, $55 (I think) for two.

Bugger...housework beckons....

The Big Link

The father of one of my dearest friends died Monday. He was a teddy-bear of a guy with a sharp wit and wicked sense of humour, whom I used to think looked a bit like Christopher Hewitt, of Mr Belvedere fame.

Tara and I have been friends since my senior year in High School, when I was her teacher's assistant. I first met her parents when she received her Master's Degree and they travelled up from SC for the ceremony. I was then struggling through my first marriage (a whole 'nother story, there) and I got the impression that whilst Tara's folks liked me, they didn't have much use for my 'other half'. They were right not to think much of him. After I got divorced, Tara invited me to travel to her parents house with her for a bit of a holiday. A chance to get away from familiar surroundings and relax some. I got to know her parents better on that trip and by the end of the holiday had taken to calling them "Mom" and "Dad", and Tara's grandmother, who lived with "Mom" and "Dad" was just "Grandma". "Dad" wasn't Tara's natural father - he was her step dad, but he may as well have been her real father because he loved Tara and her brother, Marshall, and cared for them as if they were his own flesh and blood. That trip was a healing time for me. "Dad" presided over cocktail hour most nights, and introduced me to the tipples that have been my favourites for years. "Dad" mixed me my first "Captain & Coke", which was my usual pub order for a long time. I can remember sipping a "C&C", or Fuzzy Navel and discussing life and all it's ups and downs while "Jeopardy" played quietly on the telly in the background. My most favourite cocktail ever, though, would have to be "Sabra & Cream", which consisted of a shot Sabra Chocolate-Orange Liqueur blended with vanilla ice cream. "Dad" would happily make me one, and one for my Mom when she visited the Saathoff's with me on later visits. Even when he was down to his last bottle of it, and it wouldn't be available anymore**, Dad would say "I know what 'Knucklehead' wants" and promptly make one. I hadn't thought of Sabra & Cream for years and years - mainly because I thought it was unavailable - but reminising these past couple of days brought back the warm memories of the pre-dinner cocktail at the Saathoff's.

**There was, apparently, an embargo or sanctions of some sort.

Many visits followed that initial visit, and in '91 I moved to SC and Tara and I were roommates for about a year before she married. That meant I got pretty much adopted into the Saathoff family since Tara and I spent a lot of time there. Wrapping Christmas presents for "Mom", decorating the tree. I remember going over once to help "Dad" with setting up his stereo because I was the most likely candidate for knowing which plugged into what. I eventually wound up in Savannah because that's where work was and I can remember seeing "Dad" occasionally when I would venture back to Beaufort. "How come you don't come visit anymore?" he'd ask. The truth is, at that time, I'd have rather been anywhere but Savannah, and eventually planned my escape, which brought me back to NC.

The last time I saw "Dad" was in the summer of 2001 when Graham and I went to Myrtle Beach on holiday and made a side-trip to Charleston, meeting Tara, "Mom" and "Dad", Tara's ex, Hank, and their daughter Sian. "Dad" was proudly tooling around in his brand-new Honda Highlander - so new it didn't even have the tags yet. He'd lost a lot of weight and was getting around better than he had in years, with a nice healthy glow. I was glad Graham got to meet him, because he's the closest thing to a "Dad" I had, as I'd lost my own father in '90. We said our good-byes with a promise to come to Beaufort for a proper visit. We never managed it.

Farewell, "Dad" - I'm really going to miss you.

Bobbie R. Saathoff, 1932-2005