Heads or Tails #13 - Yippee!!!

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The theme/prompt this week is ...
TAILS - Share a Summertime memory

I intended to write about my 18 day trip last summer to Taos, New Mexico for HoTs this week. However, as some of you know ... I've been taking classes on Photoshop Elements 6 for about 7 weeks. Computer memory issues had been plaguing me for some time ... and working with Photoshop requires LOTS of memory ... so I ordered a new laptop June 12th ... shared the saga of delays as they unfolded during the time between then and now.

When my new Dell Inspiron 1720 finally arrived Monday morning around 11:05, naturally I dropped everything to 'play' with it.
As a result ... the day totally got away from me and (at the moment) I'm more focused on the memories I'm creating THIS summer than the ones I intended to write about. So ... I'm adding this link to memories of that Taos trip I posted previously and cutting my Taos memories short here. I promise to write about them another time!

The collage at the top is one I created last Thursday in my PSE6 class with a few photos from last summer using more techniques & tools I've learned about this summer. Notice I've used ONE photo (with the opacity changed to about 50%) for the background and I've experimented by putting different kinds of frames & effects around each of the other photos. This isn't actually finished, but it's fun to share 'as is' to illustrate some of what I've learned recently (since I've not done so for a while now). I plan to remove the 'electrical wires' from the photo at the top right and add a few more details like the bird in flight eventually.

Here's a photo of the screen of my new laptop with 2 of my blogs open side by side. I'm feeling a bit 'scattered' this evening because

it's already after 9pm, and I'd like to publish this and add the link at Heads or Tails before I turn off the computer & head upstairs. If you're interested, I did post a quickie note at Sacred Ruminations earlier with photos of my old and new laptops.
I'm used to XP PRO, so Vista will take a bit of 'getting used to' ... but I've been able to figure out many things already. The new Dell MUCH faster that the old one and has 4 Gigs of RAM ... so I should be able to open Google Reader no matter how many messages are unread and waiting for me. Hopefully I'll get myself 'caught up' with blog visits quickly and stay more current than I've been able to do lately.

Click for others participating in HoTs this week.
Next week's theme/prompt is:
HEADS - Anything starting with the letter O

Note to Fun Monday participants: Thanks to everyone who dropped by mine on Monday. I'll be doing by best to catch up over the next few days as time permits.

Thought for Today
"Pleasure is the flower that passes; remembrance, the lasting perfume." Jean de Boufflers

Haiku Friday #47 - Anticipation ...

Seems like there might be a theme for today
and , if so, I apologize for doing my own thing ... but
there's just one thing on my mind
this morning .

For several months
I've experienced challenges
with this computer.

512 mgs ...
not enough RAM anymore
(though this Inspiron

91 hundred
Dell laptop has served me well
since 2003).

After checking out
many brands at different stores
I determined a

Dell from Costco with
4 GB of RAM and a
17 inch screen

would be perfect ... but
it seemed 'prudent' to call Dell
just to see what 'deals'

not advertised on
their web site might tempt me to
order one direct.

As it turns out ... this
proved to be an excellent
idea because

Dell beat Costco's price
and offered a 'package' with
even more features!

So ... I've ordered a
1720 Intel
T 9-3 hundred

2.5 GHz
320GB hard drive...
I can hardly wait!



I'm not thrilled to switch
from XP Pro to Vista,
but I realize

it would be foolish
to buy a new laptop with
old 'technology'

so I'm counting the
days until June 26th ...
and just maybe it

will arrive sooner?
Stranger things have happened in
my life. Hopefully

this new Dell will serve
me for years to come the way
my 'old' laptop has.

~ ~ ~

My 46th Haiku Friday is at
Sacred Ruminations

For a Mr. Linky to other Haiku Fridays
go to A Mommy Story or
Playgroups are no Place for Children.

To see more previous Haikus,
click on the Haiku Friday label below this post
or in the sidebar under About Me.

Thought for Today
I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it." Pablo Picasso

2007 -- NaBloPoMo -- Mission Accomplished Here and at Sacred Ruminations

With hugs and much gratitude to Mrs. Fussypants for this nifty reminder of my 1st experience as a "newbie blogger" with NaBloPoMo this year :)

With Gratitude and Blessings to Mary for this Lovely Award for all those who Participate in the Small Reflections Christmas Carol Quiz

Mary
(of Mary's Writing Nook)
volunteered to create an award
for my Christmas Carol Quiz participants
and this is what it looks like :)

Isn't it lovely?
I plan to add a little "bling"
between now and
December 15th when I post the answers
so it will "sparkle & glow"

So, my friends, check out the details
in my previous post and put your thinking caps on!

Time's awasting :)

The only problem with Google Reader or What a Rich Resource!

I love Google Reader (except for the frustrating fact that I now have more that 450 new posts to peruse because I keep finding new & interesting sites to add as I meander through the Web). It's about as bad as my regular MSN email box that often ends up collecting 500 or more emails because I tend to ignore it for long periods of time. There is an option in GR to "mark all posts as read" but that seems to defeat the point, so I choose not to do that ... yet.

Fortunately, GR allows me to organize Blogs into categories so I can easily check out new posts from my Writers Retreat Friends, Virtual Buddies, and a variety of other "categories" I've created to "sort" these blogs into manageable "chunks". The category called "Blogs to Check out Someday" has 460 or so in it currently, but I'm not letting myself feel pressured by that. I try to check out about 10 each day .. but I know there will be rainy days down the line when I'll sit down by the fireplace with a cup of hot chocolate ( & perhaps a few cookies) to scan them quickly ... adding some to categories that "fit" and deleting others I won't feel called to keep.

I realize most of you don't have as much "leisure time" as I do ... so this post is my humble attempt to help expand your virtual horizons while saving time and simplifying the discovery process ... though I'm sure as you venture out you'll find things I've not yet discovered, and I hope you'll share in return. Remember I'm a "newbie" to all this ... starting less than a month ago.

In addition to Google Reader, the "rich resource" I wish to write about here is Patti at 37 Days. I'm sure many of you have already discovered her, but she has my head spinning and reminds me of my friends Holly (from the Writer's Retreat) and Elatia (from my EBB training) who are "strategic thinkers" ... from whom ideas simply flow abundantly. What an amazing gift to share so freely.

I've already mentioned the 37 Day Complaint-Free challenge (and a few other ideas) in a post at Sacred Ruminations, but find myself captivated by so many of Patti's ideas. Her post Listen Fully visually & verbally illustrates the point beautifully that I'm sharing here. In it, after sharing the link to Prospero's Book, she quotes that post within her own as I've done here (to spread the word and get folks thinking and talking ... perhaps even making different choices today and tomorrow).

"In his book A Time before Deception, Thomas W. Cooper writes that native peoples around the world have 'specific moral standards for communication.' Those he lists are provocative standards for all of us who speak or write--that is, all of us:

1. listening fully with the heart, no matter how trivial or wrong the discussion may seem;
2. not interrupting another's communication;
3. not walking between conversants;
4. speaking softly, especially to elders;
5. speaking only by invitation when among a group of elders;
6. avoiding slander and defamation of all kinds;
7. communicating as an individual (contributing independent ideas to the council) first, then communicating in synch with the group (once policies have been set);
8. truth-telling;
9. inner communicating (morning and evening sanctification, periods of guidance) must precede outer communicating, openness to the Great Spirit is essential;
10. communicating with the whole tribe or whole earth in mind so as to honor others."

And adds ...
"I love this. Let's adopt it. Let's make Successories posters of it (or not). More than that, let's just do it."

Like Patti, I'm delighted at the "web-like" ways of this World-Wide Web! The teacher-in-me wants EVERYONE to know, think and talk with others about such rich ideas and possibilities. And so ... this morning, I "touch magic ... and pass it on" hoping others will do likewise.

On Cooper's article I wonder ...
Don't we all deserve such respect? Don't we want our children to learn these practices? To borrow a phrase from Chani's recent Blog Blast for Peace ... "If not now, when?"

If Patti's site isn't enough to capture your imagination and cause YOUR head to spin, check out the following:
-- On Becoming a Tooth Fairy at A Life Outtacontext
-- Lynda and the Alphabet among other things at ELLOUISESTORY
-- see what Lucy's been sharing about Where Spirituality and Creativity Meet where I found links to Abbey of the Arts
-- discover Carla (and her mom's inspiring messages) at zena musings and/or Women at Rest and find links to other bloggers sharing their Sacred Lives, encounter thought provoking posts like Sunrise Sister offers at Mind-Seive and inspirational conversations occuring at Hearth Talks
-- or find Joy's interesting pictures & entertaining life stories at The Joy of Six

You get the idea (and you know why GR is jam-packed with possibilities). Now go explore ... and share your own recommendations as well. It's a community out there! :)

Public Television and Inspiration

I don't recall why I turned on the television this morning at 8:04, but it came up on Channel 6 (which is PBS in my area of Southern California), and I found myself listening to Wayne Dyer speak on the topic of INSPIRATION as I checked email. When the phone rang around 9am, I hit "record" on the DVR so I wouldn't miss any of it because I felt captivated. Afterwards, Molly and I took a walk together and I watered the front yard, but with the technology available today ... I can pick up this program where I left off even though it's still recording as I type. I've written more about this program on Sacred Ruminations, but sharing the following information here seemed right today, given yesterday's post.

He introduced an amazing Rwandan woman who survived the genocide there by spending 91 days in a tiny bathroom silently hiding with seven other women ... fearing discovery and death. Immaculee Ilibagiza shares her inspirational story (written with Steve Erwin) in an amazing book entitled Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust. I'm looking forward to reading it soon and perhaps you will too.

Happy News

By chance, I happened today upon a Website that focuses attention on Happy News. What a pleasant bit of serendipity! I mention it here in case you've not discovered it yet and might find it of interest.

Because I believe what we focus on expands in our lives, long ago I gave up my regular subscriptions to newspapers & magazines and stopped watching TV news because I no longer chose to be bombarded with negative information. Initially, I worried I'd encounter problems by not knowing of world events ... but essential information came to me through friends, family, & unexpected sources ... quickly putting that concern to rest.

I believe my life is better for this decision, yet I'm delighted to find this place where I can easily click on categories as I choose to find articles about International, National, Heroes, Health, Opinion & Editorials, Science & Technology, Environment, Arts & Entertainment, Sports, Business/Money & Happy Living ... read optimistic "contest" essays ... and even submit Happy News when or if I wish. The site even has links to "unhappy news sources" ... but I doubt I'll use them. I've Bookmarked it for easy access and think I'll add it to my Link List on so others might find it easily.