FBI In Your Library?

I came across these signs on librarian.net and found them humorous but CREEPY reminders of the times we are in. How will this trend, of 'protecting' us by taking away our right to privacy, progress in the new year of 2008? Time will tell... but for now, as my last post of 2007, I present these signs that might be displayed in your local library, to let you know if Big Brother, er, I mean the FBI, has paid a visit there:










For more info on the impact of the Patriot Act on American freedom of expression and access to information, click HERE to go to the Free Expression Policy Project site.

Three Aspens With Cloud

Here is a painting of mine, done a few years ago,
showing three aspen trees and a cloud.

click on image to view larger

A Jigsaw Puzzle

Click on the arrow above if you're in the mood for doing a little jigsaw puzzle. I confess I did way worse than average on this thing - almost ten minutes... But I was compelled to put the cat's face back together again!

Moon Angel

This was the moon going down last Sunday morning, when it was about five degrees below zero outside. It looked like a fat, luminous angel, slowly sinking down through the sky.

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Finding Balance

Last night at work I was criticized by one of my co-workers for being inflexible and judgmental of other staff. We were able to discuss this, and the situation that sparked her comments. We also talked about the differing perspectives we bring to our work- She tends to be more aware of the bigger picture of what we're doing here, while I tend to be more aware of the details. (Hey, that's why a big part of my work is with data management!) Both viewpoints are valuable and needed, and I think we each recognize that. Also, with such divergent viewpoints it's probably not surprising that conflict will arise between us at times.

We talk a lot about boundaries where I work- holding boundaries, having healthy boundaries with the youth we work with... it's important. The image below is one I drew and posted one night at work, about a year ago, after the kids had been testing me on some of the boundaries set into the program structure.

I've tended to be fairly firm on following the rules (as they are actually written, not as I choose to interpret them), while some other staff are far more flexible. Their leniency can make the job more difficult for those of us who hold firmly to the rules. The kids, obviously, prefer the staff who are more easy going. I like the clarity of knowing what is expected from me, from other staff, and from the youth. Sometimes that makes me too rigid, and perhaps makes things more difficult than they actually have to be. Being too casual around the expectations also leads to problems later on. It doesn't work to be a total authoritative 'cop' enforcer type, nor does it work to try and be a 'friend' to the youth. They need adult guidance and support from staff, not cops or friends.

There is a middle road, a place of BALANCE, which is probably best for all involved. This provides the needed structure, but without being so anal about it... allowing for compromise when the situation calls for it. But it is easy to wander off that middle road. Its location can shift from moment to moment. One of my goals for the future is to keep myself more often ON that middle road of balance, and also to be more aware of when I've veered off it. This may push me outside my comfort zone, and force me to examine some of my beliefs which I'd just as soon not examine. But I can see it is for the overall good of both staff and youth, and will contribute to a more harmonius workplace.

Here's to 2008

the year I find my center of balance!

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What To Get Jesus?

So, Christmas is almost upon us now. I tend to ignore this holiday as much as possible, and I don't get involved in all the present buying frenzy. However, I was thinking about how it is also Jesus' birthday, so it seems like He really should get a Christmas gift. But what would be a good present for Jesus?

Life With Fluffy & Fido...

According to recent surveys, 69% of US pet owners let their pets sleep in bed with them. And 65% of pet owners purchase Christmas presents for their pets.

The dogs do slightly better than cats in the Christmas present booty, with 8% more dogs getting a gift than cats. But 2% more cats are sleeping in bed with their humans.

The survey also found that 23 percent of pet owners cook for their pets, and 18 percent like to dress their pets up.

For myself, three of my cats sleep with me- Rexie either shares the pillow with me or gets under the blankets, Gracie sleeps on top of me, and Tobias is at the foot of the bed (where my feet would like to be). Some of the other cats visit now and then in bed, but aren't regulars. The dog, Lucy, sleeps in a dog bed on the floor near my bed. Unless some of the cats steal it, as they sometimes do... then Lucy has to sleep on the floor.

I don't get my pets Christmas presents, though I do say 'Merry Christmas' to them. I think most of the cats are Buddhists anyway.

So what about YOUR pets? Are they sleeping with you? Is there anything waiting for them under the Christmas tree??

Chilly Saturday Morning

We've had more snow the past few days...Here're some pics from my yard:

The cats' path


The summer chair


Big front yard tree


Snow branches and sky

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
It's 7 degrees outside!

Icicle Images

Here in northern New Mexico, we've just gotten socked with a big snow storm. I was outside looking at the ice sickles that had formed above the front porch. (OK, yes, I really was just putting off shoveling out the driveway.) I took a few photos. In the one below I saw a couple of interesting shapes. Do you see any?

Below are the two shapes that I saw:

click on any image to view it larger

Trusting Cat

My intention is:
To come to trust mySelf
as much as my cats trust me.

Atlantean Memories...

This was something I drew a couple of years ago. It's just some scribbles really, and I'm not sure what it's all about... but still, I wanted to preserve it here.

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Egyptian Past Life?

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Identity Theft Sucks!

I am dedicating this post to Amazon. A few days ago I got an e-mail from Amazon, notifying me that some fraudulent activity had taken place in my account with them.

Some creep had hacked into my account, changed the account's password, and also changed the account's email address to bujdtmzg@trashmail.net. Trashmail.net seems to provide services that are perfect for this sort of unscrupulous behavior.

The thief then tried to make a large purchase of electronics, charging it to my credit card which was on file from previous purchases I had made. Amazon recognized this as suspicious activity and did not process the purchase. Then Amazon also completely shut down the account and notified me by e-mail of the attempted fraud.

Unsure how the criminal accessed my Amazon account, or what other private info they might have on me, I spent several hours closing credit cards and bank accounts, and also changing many passwords to my various online accounts. It was a pain in the butt, but all the while I was aware that the situation could have been far worse. I am very grateful to Amazon for looking after the security of their customers' information.

Cat In The Printer Tray!

It's a very good thing that I rarely need to print anything out from the printer attached to my home computer. Because that printer is usually being used in another way, by one of my 9 cats, as demonstrated by LaLa in the photo below.

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Can You Do This? (Color Test)

RED
BLUE
YELLOW

My friend MaLu, bearer of many good things, brought 'The Color Test' to my attention. She said it is harder than it seems at first, and she is right. I got a score of 63% on my first attempt, and 100% on my second try. MaLu says it takes an average of five times to get 100%. I like this little test very much, as it confirms that I am ABOVE average. I'd like to hear how YOU do on it. Go here:

http://www.humorsphere.com/fun/8787/colortest.swf

The Color Test is fast to take, and all you have to do is follow the instructions... the very simple instructions! It says it is the left brain / right brain difference that makes this a challenge... to do well on this you have to get them working together! Give it a try, then leave a comment to tell us how you do with it. Good luck!

How Many Pennies?

I have suddenly been inspired to get up, get dressed, and take my jug of pennies over to the coin counting machine at the supermarket, and let it count them, so I can trade them in for paper money. I am guessing, from looking at the penny pile, that there is between ten and twelve dollars there. But I could easily be way off in either direction. Take a look for yourself:


So tell me, how much money in pennies do YOU think there is? Whoever comes in closest to the actual amount wins the smug satisfaction of being right. You can leave your guess as a comment to this post. I'll announce the correct amount in a few days!


UPDATE: A winner is Announced!! Congratulations to Russ! I already knew he was remarkable fellow, as he won over the heart of my dear friend MaLu. Now I know he is an excellent penny guesser as well, and he has won this contest, with the closest guess. So... how many pennies were there? There were 1,364 pennies in the jar. Thanks for playing, everyone!

Evolution

Cat Contemplation

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Why?

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Self Absorption

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Crow Dog's Cremation

Following up on the last post, tonight there was a cremation ceremony held for Crow Dog. Below are some photos I took. The first one shows Crow Dog wrapped in his death shroud, the others follow as the flames consume him.

Now he is released,
now he flies again,
free of form.

Morning Crow Dog Mystery

Last night I worked the overnight shift at work. As the sun was rising, I went around turning off the outside lights. I looked out into the parking area in front of the building and saw something black on the ground, about the size of a very large shoe. I couldn't see it in focus, though. What the heck was it? I went and got my glasses, and then I could see it was a crow.

I went outside. Crow was dead, just lying on the ground, dead. No tree near enough for him to have fallen out of... what was he doing there? It felt like he just fell out of the sky to be waiting there for me.

I picked him up- such a big bird, and his feathers were so soft, especially on his chest. I moved him, so he wouldn't get driven over, lying there in the parking area. (And yes, for those of you who have 'Avian Flu, Avian Flu' flashing through your mind, I did wash my hands after handling him!)

Crow...
My morning mystery.

And can you see the dog's face, in profile, hidden in his feathers? I see it clearly as a dog, although some people say they see a human face there when they look at it. Below is a closer look:

And for those who still can't see it,
I present this:

The Bad Training...

Yesterday I had to go to a training for work.
I found myself disagreeing with some of the
points the instructor was making to us...










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Bush vs. Zombies

I've always had a certain fascination for zombies. I confess I don't follow politics very closely, but it has now been brought to my attention that President Bush has launched a new effort to eradicate zombies. While this certainly seems like a better plan that attacking other countries, I'm still not sure I can really get behind this either. I hope whoever is elected next will not choose to continue spending taxpayer dollars on this zombie elimination plan. And just in case you have not heard about all this, here's a recent press conference Bush gave, presenting his position on the zombie threat.

Got Paid by PayPerPost!

Yahoo. I just got $20 deposited into my PayPal account by PayPerPost, for my initial post for them. So, that's exactly a one month turn around time from the time I wrote that post till the time of payment, just as PayPerPost promised. I love it when things work out the way they are supposed to. That money can buy several nice catnip toys! And catnip toys make Gracie VERY happy!!

After The Kids Left...

After the kids and other staff went out trick-or-treating Wednesday night, I was left alone at work. I got to playing with some bits and pieces of costumes that were left lying around, including a blonde wig and feather boas. And ya know, perhaps there is some truth to that old saying about blondes having more fun, because I was certainly enjoying myself!

Sun Bird

for full effect, click on the image to view larger

Permutations --> Chaos or Order?

please click on the images to view them larger