Friday, March 27, 2009
My heart and wishes to the people in Fargo
My heart goes out to those people dealing with the flooding AND the ice & snow in Fargo. A flood is disastrous enough without all the cold and ice.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
smoking in public
I don't smoke. I've never smoked and never will. Got that out of the way. Now let me say that I think it sucks that so many cities are banning smoking. Not that I want to be surrounded by smokers -got enough of that growing up. I just think that since it's a legal substance it's wrong for cities to ban it in adult only areas. Anyone old enough to visit a bar is old enough to decide if they want to be in a smoke filled environment.
Got this link off of The Grumbling Old Fart
E-Cigarette
I've seen electronic cigarettes marketed to people who want to smoke in public without breaking the law. Seems like it should be legal - they don't produce any smoke. Seems like it should be as legal as a nicotine patch or nicotine gum. I would be interested in hearing from anyone with actual experience with these things.
Got this link off of The Grumbling Old Fart
E-Cigarette
I've seen electronic cigarettes marketed to people who want to smoke in public without breaking the law. Seems like it should be legal - they don't produce any smoke. Seems like it should be as legal as a nicotine patch or nicotine gum. I would be interested in hearing from anyone with actual experience with these things.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
New Stuff
The bags are new, but I also have prints from David Remley. David is also known as Hyperblogal to people who follow local blogs. I love his work and am happy he's agreed to let me carry it at the shop.
He brought in a number of prints and several contact sheets of available works. Lots of amazing photos to choose from - and he has the cutest picture of a raccoon I have ever seen!
This is my favorite of the ones he brought in
.jpg)
See it on his website and check out his other very very cool photos of the KC area!
He brought in a number of prints and several contact sheets of available works. Lots of amazing photos to choose from - and he has the cutest picture of a raccoon I have ever seen!
This is my favorite of the ones he brought in
.jpg)
See it on his website and check out his other very very cool photos of the KC area!
Recycled bags
Here are some of the results from my recycled bags project.
Coin purse made from 3 left over Valentine's Day balloons
A large project tote
A coupon clutch
A large market bag in progress
A started ball of plarn made from old balloon bags.
My inspiration comes from myrecycledbags.com 50% of the sale from each bag will go to Cancer Action They help out people in the area and have a pretty good record of spending donations on programs, not overhead.
If you have any plastic bags of ANY type let me know. If you can't bring them by the store I may be able to arrange to pick them up. I can use shopping bags, bread bags, packaging bags - any plastic bag really.
A large project tote
A coupon clutch
A large market bag in progress
A started ball of plarn made from old balloon bags.
My inspiration comes from myrecycledbags.com 50% of the sale from each bag will go to Cancer Action They help out people in the area and have a pretty good record of spending donations on programs, not overhead.
If you have any plastic bags of ANY type let me know. If you can't bring them by the store I may be able to arrange to pick them up. I can use shopping bags, bread bags, packaging bags - any plastic bag really.
Monday, March 23, 2009
I don't know if I hate this or kinda like it. First I laughed so hard I almost choked. I kept waiting for Johnny Cash's zombie to claw his way out of the grave and go for Adam Lambert and hopefully the rest of American Idol. And don't forget Randy Travis who looked a bit creepy himself on the show. The Cash Zombie should have gotten him too.
I've always loved Johnny Cash's version of this song, so this version was hard to take at first. A couple of listens and I find I can appreciate it for a different take. Beer would probably push me over the top into "I like this" A few beers anyway. Quite a few beers.
It's different - I'll give Adam Lambert that.
I've always loved Johnny Cash's version of this song, so this version was hard to take at first. A couple of listens and I find I can appreciate it for a different take. Beer would probably push me over the top into "I like this" A few beers anyway. Quite a few beers.
It's different - I'll give Adam Lambert that.
Friday, March 20, 2009
yeah, sure
trying to reach me for days? Came by several times? yeah, sure you did. I was at the freaking shop for 48 hours non-stop during that time. I had to actually camp here to get the work done. The other days I was here until 7:30 pm. And I checked - your phone number wasn't on my caller id. I don't buy this trying to reach me but couldn't bs.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
17 and pregnant with number 4
http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Pregnant-Mom-17-Smoking-Pot-Near-Infant-Son.html
According to the story the 17 year old mom was arrested for smoking pot in front of her 6 month old son.
Now the part that gets to me.
She already has 2 older children who have been taken away from her. And she's pregnant again! I don't know how far along this pregnancy is so I won't figure that one into the numbers, but...
Each pregnancy is 40 weeks, so she's been pregnant for at leas 120 weeks of her life. A year is 52 weeks, so that's 2 years 4 months Allow for at least a month in between delivery and getting knocked up again and you've got 2 years 7 months. So she started getting pregnant at 14 or 15 AT THE LATEST. She 17 and about to have her 4th child! WTF!
I think whatever parent or grandparent, aunt/uncle whoever is supposed to be raising this child should spend some time working for the government. Where were they when this child started having sex and producing babies of her own? I'm not usually pro forced sterilization, but this one gives me pause. 3 babies taken away from her, soon to be 4. Kids who will grow up forced into the foster care system for no crime other than being born to a child who wasn't ready to take care of them. Now the government will take care of the babies and is probably taking care of the young mother. Her caregivers should spend some time working for the government doing community service or something. The 17 year old should too.
bleah - i'm in a people suck kinda mood.
According to the story the 17 year old mom was arrested for smoking pot in front of her 6 month old son.
Now the part that gets to me.
She already has 2 older children who have been taken away from her. And she's pregnant again! I don't know how far along this pregnancy is so I won't figure that one into the numbers, but...
Each pregnancy is 40 weeks, so she's been pregnant for at leas 120 weeks of her life. A year is 52 weeks, so that's 2 years 4 months Allow for at least a month in between delivery and getting knocked up again and you've got 2 years 7 months. So she started getting pregnant at 14 or 15 AT THE LATEST. She 17 and about to have her 4th child! WTF!
I think whatever parent or grandparent, aunt/uncle whoever is supposed to be raising this child should spend some time working for the government. Where were they when this child started having sex and producing babies of her own? I'm not usually pro forced sterilization, but this one gives me pause. 3 babies taken away from her, soon to be 4. Kids who will grow up forced into the foster care system for no crime other than being born to a child who wasn't ready to take care of them. Now the government will take care of the babies and is probably taking care of the young mother. Her caregivers should spend some time working for the government doing community service or something. The 17 year old should too.
bleah - i'm in a people suck kinda mood.
New stuff from Shelly Burrus
Shelly brought some cool jewelry by the shop. She uses sterling silver most of the time and real crystal. It's very cool stuff.
Poptopia opens on Saturday!
I am so excited! Patrick is going to open Poptopia on Saturday. He has done so much with the place and it looks FANTASTIC. He has some cool things. I'm going to buy one of the wooden puzzles he has. I like the one with a dragon and a pheonix. I like the paper puzzles, but I suck at those.
If you are anywhere near Westport this weekend, come by the horseshoe and check it out. Poptopia is awesome. Murray's is open too, the Missing Piece, Jubilee, KC Juice, Californo's and I'm always here - so there's lots to see in this little corner of KC!
If you are anywhere near Westport this weekend, come by the horseshoe and check it out. Poptopia is awesome. Murray's is open too, the Missing Piece, Jubilee, KC Juice, Californo's and I'm always here - so there's lots to see in this little corner of KC!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
The City's BEST St. Patrick's day parade
I don't mean the big one, or Brookside or Martin City, Shawnee & Snake Saturday. I mean the one held by the day care down the street from me.
Those kids were so darn cute. They got dressed up yesterday and walked down Pennsylvania whistling and drumming and having a great time. Watching them made my day. Next year I am going to donate some balloons to them.
Those kids were so darn cute. They got dressed up yesterday and walked down Pennsylvania whistling and drumming and having a great time. Watching them made my day. Next year I am going to donate some balloons to them.
Monday, March 16, 2009
I need plastic bags
I need plastic bags. Old shopping bags, bread bags, tortilla bags, bagel bags. Lots of old plastic bags. I also need old cassette tapes & VHS tapes. When you get ready to recycle, bring them to the shop. I will put them to good use.
I am going to make things out of them. Sturdy, reusable shopping bags, pot scrubbers and other stuff. The patterns are from a wonderful woman who has found lots of ways to recycle stuff. She also is a breast cancer survivor. While I do plan to sell the things I make I also plan to donate 50% of each sale to Cancer Action.
So again, don't throw away those bags and tapes. They will be put to good use. I'll make something cool and a great group will get some much needed cash.
Bring them to
Oh Wow!
4126 Pennsylvania Ave.
STE 6
Kansas City, MO 64111
In Westport, same parking lot as Murray's Ice Cream.
Friday, March 13, 2009
saw an article on red light cameras
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29681527/ on MSNBC
--------------
More cities are signing up for red-light cameras like this one, at an intersection in Clive, Iowa. Studies show fewer T-bone crashes at lights with cameras and fewer drivers running red lights, but rear-end crashes increase.
In St. Peters, Mo., a city of 55,000, red-light cameras resulted in 3,203 tickets issued from January 2007 to September 2008, and drew a total of $235,973. The city issued 14,836 traffic tickets in fiscal year 2006, but that jumped to 21,745 in 2008, the first full fiscal year with the cameras.
--------------------
wonder what studies of KC will show in a couple of years.
--------------
More cities are signing up for red-light cameras like this one, at an intersection in Clive, Iowa. Studies show fewer T-bone crashes at lights with cameras and fewer drivers running red lights, but rear-end crashes increase.
In St. Peters, Mo., a city of 55,000, red-light cameras resulted in 3,203 tickets issued from January 2007 to September 2008, and drew a total of $235,973. The city issued 14,836 traffic tickets in fiscal year 2006, but that jumped to 21,745 in 2008, the first full fiscal year with the cameras.
--------------------
wonder what studies of KC will show in a couple of years.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
my letter from Sen. McCaskill
A while back I sent Senator McCaskill an email that basically said "I like the idea of people getting bailouts not making more than the president. The more important part of my letter said that I have a business in the horseshoe on Pennsylvania and would she please ask her staff to stop parking in our lot.
This is what I got in response some weeks later.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Dear Mrs. Krulewich:
Thank you for contacting me regarding the turmoil in the financial markets and federal government’s response to it. I appreciate hearing from you, and I welcome the chance to respond.
I do not have to tell you how grim things look for our nation’s economy. Working families were facing stagnating wages and a rising cost of living even before crisis hit Wall Street, but seizures in the credit markets have exacerbated these problems. Millions have lost retirement savings, lending has stopped, consumers are frightened, and all of this has led to more job losses. If we cannot stop this downward spiral, the country will face hard times that we have not seen in generations.
Missourians are right to be angry about this situation. Financial firms packaged risky subprime loans into securities which they said were as safe as government bonds, and investors made reckless bets on these new products. The new products were so complex that, when they started to go bad, no one knew which securities were affected and to what extent. What’s more, some firms had borrowed huge amounts of money to buy these products, which put their creditors on the hook as well. Confidence dropped to zero throughout the whole market. The federal government was asleep at the wheel during all of this. Regulation was inadequate and oversight was nonexistent.
I do not like how we got here, and I do not like what we have had to do to get out. The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act (EESA), which became law in early October, 2008, authorized the Treasury to use up to $700 billion to stabilize the banking system. The new law allowed the Treasury to spend up to $350 billion immediately, but gave Congress the power to stop the Treasury from accessing the second half by passing a resolution of disapproval. The Senate voted down such a resolution in January 2009.
I reluctantly supported the EESA, and I reluctantly opposed the resolution blocking the funds. I took no pleasure in either vote. Even though the credit markets have improved since the EESA passed, it is infuriating to see taxpayer money go to the same banks and financial institutions that got us into this mess while ordinary Americans are losing jobs and homes and small businesses are losing access to financing. Like many Americans, I also had serious concerns about the lack of transparency in the use of the first half of the money. No one had any idea what the banks were doing with the money and whether or not it was having an impact. With that said, I also recognize that the economy cannot recover unless the banking system recovers, and it is in a very fragile state. As bad as the EESA was, failing to commit enough resources to addressing the crisis would be the worst possible thing we could have done.
However, just because the funds have been released does not mean I will stop demanding accountability. The new administration assured my office that it would be more open and more transparent when deploying stabilization funds. It also promised that it would dedicate a significant portion of the funds to help homeowners struggling with their mortgages stay in their homes. I plan on holding it to its word. So far, the Treasury has asked the 20 biggest recipients of stabilization funds, including Citigroup and Bank of America, to issue monthly reports detailing what they are doing with the money. I find this encouraging, but I will be pressing the administration to do more.
In the meantime, I will be working to ensure that sufficient oversight is being conducted. For instance, when there were questions about whether the Inspector General would have the authority to hire staff quickly or investigate all aspects of the program, I wrote legislation, which passed the Senate, to make it clear that he did have that authority. I will continue to be active on this front going forward.
While I hope that the stabilization funds will prevent calamity in the credit markets, I also recognize that this plan will not be a silver bullet. We will need to do a lot more to get our economy back on track, including investing in education, job training, and renewable energy. We also need to get to work to establish strong, common sense rules and regulations to undo the damage of the last decade of deregulation that turned our financial markets into the world's largest casino. As your Senator, I will be pushing hard to address all of these issues.
Thank you again for contacting me. I hope you will continue to reach out in the future with your thoughts and advice.
All best,
Senator Claire McCaskill
I'm still looking for the part that relates to my email.
This is what I got in response some weeks later.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Dear Mrs. Krulewich:
Thank you for contacting me regarding the turmoil in the financial markets and federal government’s response to it. I appreciate hearing from you, and I welcome the chance to respond.
I do not have to tell you how grim things look for our nation’s economy. Working families were facing stagnating wages and a rising cost of living even before crisis hit Wall Street, but seizures in the credit markets have exacerbated these problems. Millions have lost retirement savings, lending has stopped, consumers are frightened, and all of this has led to more job losses. If we cannot stop this downward spiral, the country will face hard times that we have not seen in generations.
Missourians are right to be angry about this situation. Financial firms packaged risky subprime loans into securities which they said were as safe as government bonds, and investors made reckless bets on these new products. The new products were so complex that, when they started to go bad, no one knew which securities were affected and to what extent. What’s more, some firms had borrowed huge amounts of money to buy these products, which put their creditors on the hook as well. Confidence dropped to zero throughout the whole market. The federal government was asleep at the wheel during all of this. Regulation was inadequate and oversight was nonexistent.
I do not like how we got here, and I do not like what we have had to do to get out. The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act (EESA), which became law in early October, 2008, authorized the Treasury to use up to $700 billion to stabilize the banking system. The new law allowed the Treasury to spend up to $350 billion immediately, but gave Congress the power to stop the Treasury from accessing the second half by passing a resolution of disapproval. The Senate voted down such a resolution in January 2009.
I reluctantly supported the EESA, and I reluctantly opposed the resolution blocking the funds. I took no pleasure in either vote. Even though the credit markets have improved since the EESA passed, it is infuriating to see taxpayer money go to the same banks and financial institutions that got us into this mess while ordinary Americans are losing jobs and homes and small businesses are losing access to financing. Like many Americans, I also had serious concerns about the lack of transparency in the use of the first half of the money. No one had any idea what the banks were doing with the money and whether or not it was having an impact. With that said, I also recognize that the economy cannot recover unless the banking system recovers, and it is in a very fragile state. As bad as the EESA was, failing to commit enough resources to addressing the crisis would be the worst possible thing we could have done.
However, just because the funds have been released does not mean I will stop demanding accountability. The new administration assured my office that it would be more open and more transparent when deploying stabilization funds. It also promised that it would dedicate a significant portion of the funds to help homeowners struggling with their mortgages stay in their homes. I plan on holding it to its word. So far, the Treasury has asked the 20 biggest recipients of stabilization funds, including Citigroup and Bank of America, to issue monthly reports detailing what they are doing with the money. I find this encouraging, but I will be pressing the administration to do more.
In the meantime, I will be working to ensure that sufficient oversight is being conducted. For instance, when there were questions about whether the Inspector General would have the authority to hire staff quickly or investigate all aspects of the program, I wrote legislation, which passed the Senate, to make it clear that he did have that authority. I will continue to be active on this front going forward.
While I hope that the stabilization funds will prevent calamity in the credit markets, I also recognize that this plan will not be a silver bullet. We will need to do a lot more to get our economy back on track, including investing in education, job training, and renewable energy. We also need to get to work to establish strong, common sense rules and regulations to undo the damage of the last decade of deregulation that turned our financial markets into the world's largest casino. As your Senator, I will be pushing hard to address all of these issues.
Thank you again for contacting me. I hope you will continue to reach out in the future with your thoughts and advice.
All best,
Senator Claire McCaskill
I'm still looking for the part that relates to my email.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
i can't make soap
I've tried, but I simply can not make soap. Not even the melt and pour kind. It always just goes wrong. Even so, I tried again today. This time I got two actual pretty bars and about 2lbs of junky, glad nobody but family will see it soap.
I need to find someone who makes good handmade soap for the shop. I want someone who only uses essential oils, not fragrance oils. Even better someone who uses actual herbs for some of it.
I do make kick ass bath milks and we will be carrying some of those this spring. But not soap. At least not soap I made.
I need to find someone who makes good handmade soap for the shop. I want someone who only uses essential oils, not fragrance oils. Even better someone who uses actual herbs for some of it.
I do make kick ass bath milks and we will be carrying some of those this spring. But not soap. At least not soap I made.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
a former IHOPIAN gets a bit too close for comfort
One of my son's teachers is moving to a different position so he has a new teacher. The new teacher is a former member of the IHOP cult. Beyond my usual issues with IHOP I have a question
HOW THE HELL DOES HE KNOW THAT SHE WENT THERE??? Why is that a topic for any part of a discussion in a history classroom. Not only does he know she used to attend, he knows that it was a good experience. Given that her religion is important enough for her to talk about on her first day, can she be fair with my son who is openly atheist?
And of course there is the other problem.
I don't deal well with IHOPians. Teacher conferences and communication are going to be trying for the rest of the semester.
HOW THE HELL DOES HE KNOW THAT SHE WENT THERE??? Why is that a topic for any part of a discussion in a history classroom. Not only does he know she used to attend, he knows that it was a good experience. Given that her religion is important enough for her to talk about on her first day, can she be fair with my son who is openly atheist?
And of course there is the other problem.
I don't deal well with IHOPians. Teacher conferences and communication are going to be trying for the rest of the semester.
Friday, March 6, 2009
I'm not Moxie, but....
Moxie is dealing with a sick kiddo, so no Retro Gag this week. I thought I would fill in for her. In my own NSFW way
I love this site. I really really do
http://whatnottocrochet.wordpress.com
This is one of the worst
http://whatnottocrochet.wordpress.com/2008/11/10/whaaaaaaaa-warning-uh-not-child-friendly/
scroll down to see what I am talking about
a little more
more
more
almost there
are you sure?
Can't say I didn't warn ya
Ok -here it is
If that didn't make you gag I don't know what will.
Hope everyone's better soon Moxie!
I love this site. I really really do
http://whatnottocrochet.wordpress.com
This is one of the worst
http://whatnottocrochet.wordpress.com/2008/11/10/whaaaaaaaa-warning-uh-not-child-friendly/
scroll down to see what I am talking about
a little more
more
more
almost there
are you sure?
Can't say I didn't warn ya
Ok -here it is
If that didn't make you gag I don't know what will.
Hope everyone's better soon Moxie!
12 seconds
12seconds.tv is kinda cool and very hard. You have 12 seconds, no more and no less to record a video. Like a video snapshot of a few seconds of your life.
It's also fun. I've done 3 and as soon as I find the camera today I'll do #4. Eventually I'll figure out how to make them interesting. LOL
my channel is
http://12seconds.tv/channel/balloonlady
It's also fun. I've done 3 and as soon as I find the camera today I'll do #4. Eventually I'll figure out how to make them interesting. LOL
my channel is
http://12seconds.tv/channel/balloonlady
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Parking in Westport pt. 2
Headway with the parking issue.
The realty company has started putting notices on the cars that are parked there all day. Not customers who park for 3 hours and go shopping, even though it's 2 hours - the people being targeted are the merchants who are too lazy to park in merchant parking. They all get here early enough to find a space there. Next week the towing starts if the parking continues. :-)
The realty company has started putting notices on the cars that are parked there all day. Not customers who park for 3 hours and go shopping, even though it's 2 hours - the people being targeted are the merchants who are too lazy to park in merchant parking. They all get here early enough to find a space there. Next week the towing starts if the parking continues. :-)
150 Hwy& 71
Dear lady in the Plymouth Voyager MO Tag 352 TSS
What the Fuck is your problem???????????????
Did you not see the sign that says No driving on shoulder?
I was right there, when you pulled around 5 cars to drive on the shoulder and get to the exit first.
5 cars with their blinkers on because they were going to the same exit as you.
Bitch
Why the fuck do you deserve to get there first? Did you oversleep and run late for work? Do you think I enjoy nearly having my bumper hit in your rush to be the first one at the exit?
Dear Grandview police,
This happens EVERY FUCKING DAY OF THE WORK WEEK. Forget about your lame attempts to stop speeders - there is money to be made here. Not only is it a clear and obvious violation - IT'S IN A WORK ZONE WHERE FINES ARE HIGHER.
I hate rush hour traffic. It's one of the reasons I go in so early.
What the Fuck is your problem???????????????
Did you not see the sign that says No driving on shoulder?
I was right there, when you pulled around 5 cars to drive on the shoulder and get to the exit first.
5 cars with their blinkers on because they were going to the same exit as you.
Bitch
Why the fuck do you deserve to get there first? Did you oversleep and run late for work? Do you think I enjoy nearly having my bumper hit in your rush to be the first one at the exit?
Dear Grandview police,
This happens EVERY FUCKING DAY OF THE WORK WEEK. Forget about your lame attempts to stop speeders - there is money to be made here. Not only is it a clear and obvious violation - IT'S IN A WORK ZONE WHERE FINES ARE HIGHER.
I hate rush hour traffic. It's one of the reasons I go in so early.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Avatar Project Vivid13
Lots I would change about this one. It's more of a hippy version of Vivid13. Too much beard.
This is based on his myspace picture, not his twitter one.
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