Monday is a Deadline - Sigh!

It's Saturday, which for many of you is the start of two days off. That's not been the case for me for almost 40 years, so I guess it will be a "new" experience, to have weekends back. The store is getting there - DH was in my face yesterday evening about how I was dealing with the photos, while I was trying to make sure that I had every photo needed, and in the correct format and size. I finally grouched at him enough that he went to bed early, which allowed me the time to go through the complete photo file of slightly less than 50 photos, make sure they were the sizes needed, and identified appropriately, and I now feel much more confident about uploading all of this on Monday morning. 

We have a LOT of photos that we'll need to upload to Travis. I 
sent him a quick message yesterday to find out if he had a 
preferred service for that. There are two I'm familiar with, 
one that we've used in the past, one that we're a bit less 
familiar with. But they both work well. Then it'll be up to 
him to resize things as needed. 

But, I also realized there are a few photos that still need to be taken - mostly on the main floor. The various displays we use for our beads might have some resale value ... or not. Hard to say on that since we made the displays that we use. There's also the main desk that DH and I share - it's old, probably purchased from the used office supplies company down the street - but it works just fine and I'm quite sure there is some resale value. I'd love for someone else to deal with getting it out of the place, in any case - LOL - it's REALLY heavy. There are a few other small things to add to the list, but in the main, we've caught everything and have them measured, photographed, described and ready for upload. 

The 9th is a hard deadline for us, and we've been working 
to have things ready for that date for the past six weeks. 
It's been a LOT of work, but without the deadline, we would 
still be running in place. At least I feel like we're starting 
to get somewhere now, and if the deadline tasks go smoothly, 
I'll be extremely grateful. 

Since I'm on a Monday deadline to get everything uploaded, and I don't have Chickie helping me in the store on Mondays, I'm trying my best to be ahead of the deadline, maybe uploading tomorrow instead, when I'll have time to fix things if they don't go smoothly. 

Once again there is war in the Middle East, and this 
time it was the USA who started it. WTH??? Why? 

And, of course, there is war in the Middle East once again. I know that contentiousness and territoriality is built into human DNA, but all too often it's an excuse, not a driving factor. Such and such an area is important to religious beliefs or a nation's history is often a good excuse in the Middle East. Also, the total lack of faith in each other over the decades. Add in that the fact that the USA bombed the Middle East ... well, I think we overstepped our bounds unless we were specifically asked to help Israel or another nation of the area. But I'm a "peacenik" from the days of Vietnam, and I don't see myself changing my internal guidance anytime soon. 

Deadlines - we need them, but they're not fun to have 
on the receiving end - LOL. 

So, have a really excellent weekend. I've got a TON of stuff to still get ready for uploading on Monday, and a few bills that I need to get paid. The tension/pressure of all of this is building a large and high fence between DH and myself for the time being. We'll see how we come out of all of this afterwards, but right now, deadlines loom. I'll be back on Monday, although it might be a quick post. Slava Ukraini. 

GRRRR - And Once Again, A War

It's Wednesday, my "day off" and it's going to be busy, busy, busy! I awakened early - 2:30 am instead of my usual 3:00 am, and I decided "what the heck, I might as well get up now and be unrushed". So, I went ahead, watered the fountain and settled down for my morning meditation. Half-way through, DH awakened and suddenly my calm was disrupted, although he knows to not bother or interrupt me when I'm doing my "morning thing". But, he's the TV addict. When he's awake, the television is on. Let me tell you, there's nothing more of a downer than awakening, calming my body and mind, and then going down to collect the laundry when he's up. The TV was on, the news was all bad, the volume was high because he's hard of hearing, ... generally speaking, I'm not on rhythm this morning. 

*sigh* I really do hate listening to the news on the TV 
first thing in the morning. And, of course, DH is also 
hard of hearing, so the volume is up. GRRRRR

But, despite that, my first load of laundry is currently in the washing machine, my shopping list is almost ready for the day, I've got bills to pay, I've got food that I need to cook, and in general, it'll be a very busy day. Of course, the big news story is the war in the Middle East. I'm very much on the fence for this war. I don't disagree that Iran was rather like an infected wound - supporating and infectious. However, warfare these days takes the personal out of combat and puts the button pushers into it. Yes, we have actual people involved and have already had casualties, but the vast majority of casualties are innocent people. I have big problems with that. My personal preference is direct hand-to-hand combat, not missiles and rockets. I certainly understand modern warfare, but it really makes war rather impersonal, doesn't it? It doesn't seem that a person is killing hundreds of people if you're hundreds of feet in the air pushing a button. 

War is war from a distance now. Missiles are used instead of 
hand-to-hand combat (these particular missiles are from 
North Korea, but every nation has their own arsenal). The 
act of actually being responsible for the life or death of another 
person is less immediate if you're pushing a button instead 
of swinging a blade. 

Generally speaking, I've been a "peacenik" since I was young. I was protesting the Vietnam war in the 1960's and 1970's and have been sickened by the conflicts continuing in the world ever since those days. War is never a pretty thing. The USA has been lucky over the centuries. Our wars have been fought by people in our area against other people in our area. The battles were much more personal. The casualties have been horrific in some cases - just think of the death toll from the Civil War as an example. But the majority of wars the USA has been involved in have been overseas. Then again, we're also using air attacks - so not direct hand-to-hand combat (which probably has rarely been used since the Middle Ages to be honest). 

Peace doesn't seem to be in the genes of humanity. We 
automatically strike out at others. We're a contentious 
lifeform, inclined to strike out rather than work on ways 
to join together for a common goal. Just looking at 
conflicts the USA has been involved in since my birth, it's 
an impressive list - Vietnam, the Lebanon Crises, the Bay 
of Pigs Invasion, the Granada Invasion, the Panama Invasion, 
the Persian Gulf War, the Somalia Intervention, the 
interventions in Bosnia and Kosovo, the War in 
Afghanistan, the Iraq War, the Libya Intervention, the 
Syrian Civil War (ongoing), and Yemen (ongoing), 
and now we're involved in another conflict. Want a job? 
join the armed forces. There's always a battle somewhere for you. 

But, I'm a "Give Peace a Chance" person. I participated in many protests about the Vietnam War. (Since every war we've been involved with since then have been titled "conflicts" rather than "wars", I still think this is a matter of semantics.) In the middle of this war, we've still got a nation that's pulling apart from each other instead of bonding to one another. Welcome to the Second Trump White House. GRRRR Despite the news, I do hope you have a good day and look for the good in people and your environment today. We all need positivity to help balance the fear and hatred around us right now. I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

It's a Fence Day - No Day Off

We're getting a span of several days without rain, so DH is trying to take advantage of it. Now, I thought he would dive right in with the spray painter and get the fence done, starting yesterday. Of course not. He decided he needed to pressure wash the entire fence first - something that could easily have been done earlier in the week to allow for a proper dry time. But no - he pulled the big pressure washer from the shed and pressure washed both sides of the fence. Then complained about how it might not be dry enough by today to apply the stain/finish coat. *sigh* 

I thought I'd share a photo of my kitchen 
window area with all of you today. Why not? 
We're probably all tired of looking at stock 
photos of the fence - LOL. Here you have 
my yellow sink - original from 1960, and above, 
from L-R, my immortal philodendron (which is 
doing VERY well this year). Above it to the 
right, a clear rainbow-shimmered glass orb 
that my oldest niece gave me as a holiday gift 
more than 20 years ago. To the right is my owl 
teakettle - the matching oriental cups are in 
the cupboard to the right. Following the up in 
the teapot spout, you can see my kitchen dragon - 
handblown glass of crystal and blue. Two potholders 
(one on each side) and my Chinese cleaver complete 
this small area. I spend a LOT of time here - LOL. 

He thought he should put a heavy coat on, but the directions said "thin coat". He doubted himself so much on that, he had me go down and read the side of the 5-gallon bucket of sealant. Which I did, and yes, it said "Thin Coat". So he's grumbling, but he'll do it. I'm hoping that the South side (Laura and Fakhri's side) will be dry enough for painting. Our side I don't care as much about. We have time to sandwich in painting on our side when the weather permits and the fence is completely dry. With our humidity, dry is always a relative term in the summer months. 

Of course the big pressure washer has a lot more power than 
my little one that I've been using on the house. But it also 
managed to trip a fuse in the fusebox - LOL. It's bulky 
and even though it's on wheels, it's a lot harder to handle. 
I'll stick with my more portable sprayer sticks at this point. 

Now .... not to berate DH, but ... if I had known he was going to want the fence pressure washed before he painted, I could have done that for him a week or more ago so that it had plenty of time to dry. But no ... he never mentioned it at all. So when he was sighing and moaning about doing the fence yesterday morning on a bright and beautifully sunny day, I thought he would be diving right in with the sprayer and getting the coating done. Apparently not. Once again common sense had nothing to do with it. So, I'm working at the shop today and DH is tackling the sealant, South-facing side first, then the opposite side if he's got time and it's somewhat dry. I have a feeling I'll be calling a paint company to redo the fence in another ten years (maybe less). 

It does seem that in general, mankind simply doesn't WANT to 
get along with others. If there isn't a war going on, they'll do 
whatever is necessary to start one. I really don't understand 
that - but I can't argue with it. It seems to be the case, at 
least throughout my years on this planet. 

Still, life goes onward and I'm alive for another wonderful day in this world. It's a crazy world - not even counting politics. Mankind is a warlike species - we don't seek peaceful resolutions; we automatically strike out and then wonder why everyone else is upset with us. It works that way in families, congregations, governmental bodies and international relations. It might be a crazy world, but it's also a world of beauty and compassion. Please don't lose sight of that beauty as you struggle with the bureaucracy and politics of our day-to-day life. Keep the love going. I'll be back tomorrow to wrap up the week. Slava Ukraini. 

Ukraine and a Book Series I Highly Recommend

Yesterday started out slow, but picked up in the afternoon, a fact which I was grateful for. We ended up with an OK day, when the outlook at noon had been rather dismal. I suspect things were a bit slower because it was a truly beautiful early Spring day - sunshine, lollipops, etc in abundance. When the weather is great, we often don't do well because people want to be outdoors. But I had two sales from neighborhood wanderers who had wandered through in the morning and then returned in the afternoon to purchase something that had caught their eye. Yippee! That's what we want. 

"They", whoever "they" is, estimates casualties in 
Ukraine at 4300 people. I call BS on that. I know 
there are thousands more dead who were caught in 
cities that were bombed, shot on roads as they tried 
to escape, or who merely stood by helpless as they 
were mowed down. Ukraine needs help and we're 
sitting on our hands. They need our troops on the 
ground along with the NATO troops. I call BS!

The war continues, and I'm so very frustrated about how slowly the democratic allies are moving to help the people of Ukraine. The "no boots on the ground" BS is starting to get to me. We're letting a small nation destroy itself against a much larger one because we can't get our act together enough to get out there and help. Sure, we're sending armaments and humanitarian aid, but that's not really going to cut it. They need personnel to help. People afraid of triggering World War III simply are blind to the fact that we're more than likely already involved in it. It makes me wonder what history will say when they review the past few months. I suspect history won't be very kind to the aggressors or the allies. 

In the meantime, Ukraine fights and dies. 

Want to read something unusual and excellent? I can't 
recommend this series highly enough. Of course, I've 
heard Nahuatl (language), and have enough knowledge 
of how the names are pronounced to hear them in 
my head. And I'm quite familiar with Tenochtitlan - its' 
layout and history. No Spaniards in this one - it's 100% 
Aztecan. 

I'm in the middle book of a series I started a few years ago and loved. I'm not sure why I didn't immediately go on to the next in the series - I suspect it's because I didn't realize the others had been published. It's the "Obsidian and Blood" series by Aliette de Bodard - a very prolific and excellent writer. The "Obsidian and Blood" series of three books is an Aztec noir fantasy where Cortez didn't arrive in Tenochtitlan, or maybe it's before the arrival of the Spaniards. But the characters aren't historical. Still, the society she's created around the ancient Aztecs is fascinating and rings true - whether or not it actually was that way in reality. Want something different? Read the first of the series, "Servant of the Underworld", then move on to "Harbinger of the Storm" and finally, "Master of the House of Darts". Highly recommended. 

I'm off to the pool. Have an excellent day and I'll be back tomorrow. 

"Don't Just Do Something, Stand There" - Is That Our New Motto?

Monday night's dinner, the final portion of my chickpea pasta with seasoned ground beef, lay on my stomach like a brick. I found it hard to get to sleep because I was so uncomfortable. I don't think I'll be repeating that recipe. I don't like feeling like that at the end of the day. Lesson learned. 

I enjoyed the flavor of my chickpea pasta and ground 
beef meal, but last night, it was like I had 
swallowed a brick, lying in my intestines very 
uncomfortably. I think I'll skip a repeat of that meal 
and see what else I can make instead. I'm sure I 
can figure something else out. 

It seems that Mariupol, Ukraine is now 90% bombed out and overtaken by Russian forces. At this point, if those sheltering in the basements and other hiding spots haven't left, they will likely be rounded up and taken elsewhere, away from Ukraine and into Russian territory. I'm not sure that will be worse, frankly. To live elsewhere, but have food and water and maybe some heat, to not be in the way of bombs all the time, and maybe to take a deep breath for a change, might be an improvement. That's actually saying a lot because I think the population should be allowed to leave the city and move more into Ukraine voluntarily. Unfortunately, I doubt they will be given that option. 

More than 90% of this bustling city of half-a-million 
people has been destroyed. Less than 100,000 people 
remain here, sheltering in basements to hide from the 
bombardment. Yesterday Mariupol declared it was 
"occupied" by the enemy. Those poor people! 

The TV-feed we were seeing last night had DH and I both in tears. Those poor people. How long can the West sit on their hands and let this happen? Diplomacy is all good and fine, but it's quite obvious that diplomacy isn't going anywhere in this war. The misery keeps escalating, people keep being displaced and killed, and families keep being torn apart. How can this be condoned by any of the powers striving to help Ukraine? 

It seems as if this is what's happening to the rest of 
the world while Ukraine defends itself against the 
Russian aggression. There's something so very 
wrong about this! 

I'm grateful I've got swimming ahead of me today. I'll be able to work some of my frustration out in the water, and listening to the adventures of Drizzt Do'Urden seems a much better option than turning on the television to see human misery in real time. I think my psyche needs a bit of a break. I only watched the war for a half-hour or so last night, I can't take it 24/7. DH is semi-attentive to it during the hours when he's awake - so he's much more immersed in this than I am. I guess he can tolerate it better, but I can't. I fully admit it. I need some rainbows and lollipops. Have an excellent Tuesday, I'm heading over to the pool. I'll be back tomorrow. 

The War Continues - Is War Genetic? Also a Small Victory and Celebration

I'm celebrating a small victory today. I had to go to Target on a quick errand yesterday, and on a whim gathered up the multitude of gift cards I had accumulated. I wanted to find a pair of pants that actually fit me, and maybe a Spring or Summer top. So, I went shopping. I've been as high as a size 16 in my life, and usually level out at a size 12 which is a perfectly acceptable size, but I knew that the jeans I'd been wearing were 10's and 12's and they were WAY too lose. So I grabbed a 10 and an 8 and headed to try them on. To my surprise, even the size 8 was way too big. So I handed the jeans to the clerk and went to get some size 6 pants to try on. I found two that I liked and went back to the changing station. They both fit beautifully! Total shock! I also found a couple of really cute tops, so I paid for them with my gift cards, augmenting the remainder with my Discover card. I'm beyond thrilled! Size 6! I would never have imagined I'd ever be that size, and I'm comfortable and happy. The new pants are in my laundry bucket and I can start wearing them on Monday. Whoot! 

I'm totally doing the happy dance. I'm amazed and so very 
pleased at where I am now, compared to a year ago. 

The war goes on forever, or so it seems. It appears that the human condition is war and aggression rather than peace and cultivation. I don't know why this is the case - certainly we celebrate peace in our conversations, poetry, music, books and artwork. But, when you look at the history of humankind, it's a history of battle and war, aggression and conquest, and simple coveting of what the neighbor owns that you don't. Obviously this must be hard-wired into our general genetic makeup. I doubt it would be something that could arise independently, over the millennia, the millions of times battle was chosen as the correct pathway. 

Ancient cave paintings already celebrate conflict 
between different groups of people. It's obvious 
that sharing and peaceful negotiation wasn't on 
the table, even back then. 

So if conflict is in our DNA, maybe it's a good thing that we rarely live past a century of life. The thought of that much conflict and that much blood loss is depressing enough, without pushing it out to centuries. In my lifetime alone, the following conflicts have occurred: 

        The Malayan Emergency and Kenya Emergency were ongoing when I was born.
        The Cyprus Emergency began in my first year of life.
        Vietnam, that horrible war, began in 1955, continuing for 20 years.
        The Suez Crisis was in 1956,
        the Brunei Revolt in 1962-1963,
        the Indonesian Confrontation in 1963-1966. Continuing on,
        the Aiden Emergency was 1963-1967,
        "The Troubles" from 1968-1998,
        the Falklands War in 1982, and
        the Gulf War from 1990-1991. 
        The Civil War in Sierra Leon stretched from 1991-2002,
        the Bosnian War from 1992-1995,
        and the Kosovo War ended the century from 1998-1999.
        The 21st Century kicked off with the War in Afghanistan from 2001-2014,
        and the Iraq War from 2003-2011.
        Wars that are still ongoing are the Libya Conflict (began in 2011),
        the Syria Conflict (2011-present),
        the Yemen Conflict (2014-present)
        and the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS which began in 2014 and is still ongoing. 

The basic estimate is 187+ million people who have lost their lives in war and conflict since 1900. That's a lot of people! And even with all of those losses, we're still overpopulated and straining the abilities of our planet. Maybe that's one more reason why we're in eternal conflict - Mother Nature knows we will destroy the planet with our numbers even without that aggressive tendency to thin down the horde. It's a rather depressing thought, isn't it? While we're working so hard to save the people of Ukraine? I'm sure it doesn't come as a huge surprise to many of you, though. If you're interested in the full timeline starting in 1900, or information about a conflict I listed that you hadn't known about, I got my information on this from 

https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/timeline-of-20th-and-21st-century-wars

It almost seems safer to deal with driver rage and individual crazy people with weapons. Almost ... but not quite. Because if aggression is genetic, we will be involved in conflict from birth to death, no matter what. I think that's a very depressing thought. So I'll continue to concentrate on art, sunshine, bird calls, the promise of Spring, and reading fiction. I hope you have an excellent day today, and I'll return on Monday. Peace! 

International Women's Day and Ukraine - Don't Read If You Are Tired Of the War

Today is International Women's Day - a day that I think should be celebrated every day, but apparently we get a "special" day just for ourselves. So ... that's OK. It's good to remind others of the strength and depth that women have to offer. When I look at the people fleeing their homes and leaving everything behind in the war zone, it's the women that are being pushed toward the borders. They're running, caring for the children, and leaving everything behind them. Could you do that? I hope you never have to try. 

Hitler entered Austria on March 12th and 
addressed the people of Vienna from what's 
now called the "Hitler Balcony" on the 
first of April. There was a lot of support for 
him in the nation, it was a bloodless coup. 

My own mother had to do that. She was young, less than a month away from her 26th birthday. Hitler entered Austria on the 12th of March, 1938, and was greeted with jubilation by the Austrians. Mom was on her way to England the next day, leaving Dad behind to try and walk his way to freedom through Switzerland. They wouldn't be reunited for many long years. The only positive was her lack of children - she didn't have to take kids along with her as she escaped. But with only two suitcases to her name, she left everything else behind her and ran for her life. They had been married for a bit less than six years. 

Women and children are fleeing Ukraine - almost 
1-1/2 million people have left the nation so far, leaving 
their husbands, fathers and brothers behind to try and 
stall the Russian troops. Thank goodness for the prompt 
opening of the neighboring borders to these refugees. 
They are finding welcome and assistance in Poland, 
as well as some other neighboring nations. 

I see the women pushing into the buses and trains now, children in their arms or clinging to their coats. It's cold in Ukraine right now, cold, damp, wet. The world is weeping as they flee from the Soviet forces, and their husbands are left behind to do whatever they can against a large, well armed invader. I'm amazed and uplifted by the strength I'm seeing in these women and children. Some take the difficulties easier than others, but it's a hard journey for everyone with no real end in sight. Many of them might not see their husbands, brothers, or fathers again, and that's beyond tragic. 

Ukrainian refugees aren't going to go north to 
Belerus. Belerus is a satellite of Russia, so no 
refuge there. Slovakia and Hungary are helping 
somewhat, as is Romania, but the largest border 
and most welcoming nation is Poland. Poland 
has been outstanding in all of this - opening 
their border, their hearts and their homes to 
the refugees. 

Meanwhile, politics continues. People make speeches and exclaim with pity and sorrow, but nothing really gets done. That angers me. As a free world, we should be doing a lot more than we are, to help Ukraine. But we're sitting on our hands, and I can't figure out why. Do the leaders of the "free world" really think that Putin will stop with Ukraine? No. After Ukraine will come Poland - a land that Russia has wanted back under it's control for a long time. Slovakia and the other neighboring nations will fall, and then Putin will be ready, at the back door of free Europe, to begin chipping away at the many smaller nations in Europe. It's not a big stretch of the imagination. If the free world drops the ball on helping Ukraine and stopping the advances of Russia now, within five years, they'll be facing the same decisions as the Ukrainians, only this time on their own borders. 

The map is a bit dated, Russia is grabbing a 
toe hold in Ukraine at several points, but 
Ukraine is still standing, still fighting, and 
still alive, despite a serious lack of assistance 
from the West. Is this the beginning of 
WWIII, if you actually check the history, 
we've probably be in WWIII already for several 
years, we just haven't recognized it. 

On that depressing note, I'm out of here. It's a swimming day today, and I think I need to leave some of my frustrations in the pool. I'll be back tomorrow, hopefully with a more upbeat post. Peace! 

Etsy, Crystals, the Paralympics and a Fabulous Babushka

I worked on Etsy for most of the day, yesterday, watching the Paralympics when I could and the war when I couldn't. I'm still not 100% happy with the store logo on the splash page and invoice, but I can live with my own photo in the Owner's Photograph slot. I've double and triple checked everything, changed a few descriptions to be more accurate, and after one more read-through today, I'll go live with the trade beads late Sunday or early Monday. Helen, the strand you were looking at is designated as Strand "A". I promised I would give you a heads-up, and everything should be live within 24-48 hours. I could have gone live yesterday afternoon, but decided to sleep on it one more night and triple-check things today or tomorrow morning. 

Of course I can't ignore the war, nor do I want to. I can't forget, 
or allow myself to forget, what's happening in Ukraine. But 
take a look at this. My Hubby's in love with this Babushka who 
was protesting Putin and the war in Red Square. The police, 
who are normally very gruff and pushy, marched her off 
respectfully. She's all of four feet tall, they tower over 
her, but they were very gentle with her. She's got guts! 
That's the Russian people I love and admire, not the 
politicians and others with their hands in the money pot. 

I wish the Paralympics would get the same extensive coverage as the standard Olympics. The athletes are amazing and they should be celebrated. But the coverage is much less in-depth and less air time is devoted to it. I did catch the biathlon last night, which was wonderful. DH was upstairs flipping from the Paralympics to the ice hockey game to the war coverage and back again. I get exhausted when he channel flips like that - I tend to turn something on and keep it there. 

The Paralympics isn't getting as extensive 
television coverage as the standard Olympics, 
and I consider that quite sad. These 
athletes and athletic events are every bit 
as magnificent as those shown earlier this 
year. They deserve their moment of fame 
and achievement. 

Now that I've got the Trade Bead section of Etsy done and dusted, it's time to chop out a period of time for the Austrian crystals. (Swarovski - although we're not permitted to designate them with the company name anymore - *sigh* ... don't ask - they're total dickheads over there). The problem isn't with the photos or what I need to call each one. The problem is figuring out what I want to charge, and getting the page loaded with the correct descriptions and prices. 

Normally the police aren't as polite as they were with the 
Babushka. This is a bit more like what I normally see 
when the Russian Police are arresting protesters. It 
was really amusing to see them defer to the Babushka, 
pacing their steps to meet hers and holding her arms 
with respect, not an iron grip. 

Each one of the 90 or so crystals has to be listed on the sales form with the appropriate name, designation and price. Normally that wouldn't be a problem, but for Etsy, it's all got to be done at one time - I can't save the sales page half-way through and then return to it later.  I'll try a couple of things on the laptop on Sunday that may offer a work-around. I'll see what I can do to make things a bit easier on myself. Today I'll have to spend all my time doing price tags at the store. We got two huge shipments in yesterday, and my time is going to be spent getting them ready to put onto the sales floor. 

I have a total of 77 colors of 8mm Swarovski cubes to 
list, in three different groups. I only need to do one 
group at a time, but doing that is important and it takes 
time to get everything listed correctly. I'm looking 
forward to getting them going, though, because I'd 
like to start on different sizes of cubes, and then 
move into the other shapes. 

I did spend some time yesterday polishing up the front page of my Etsy store (I'll still replace things down the line, but this will get me going), and reading up on how to drive sales, increase visits, and keep customers. Many of the suggestions won't apply to my situation, but some will. Tomorrow I'll double-check coding and key words as well as work on my possible work-around for the crystals. Have an excellent weekend and I'll be back on Monday morning. Peace! 

The Paralympics Begin Today - War Continues and Etsy Is Almost Live

For those of you tired of the war, I remind you that the Paralympics begin today. We've got eight days of wonderful athletic competition outside Beijing and the athletes are no less impressive than those we marveled over a few short weeks ago. We've got cross country and downhill skiing, we've got ice hockey and curling. Basically, we have all of the wonderful sports that we loved last month. Although my heart still bleeds for Ukraine and the war that's impacting so many innocent people, I need uplifting things too, else I'll drown in a mire of misery. For me, the Paralympics comes at just the right time. 

Canada, as expected, has a large contingent 
of athletes, and I expect the USA also does, 
but there are a lot of nations who have sent 
anywhere from 1-10 athletes total, and there 
are fewer nations participating in the Paralympics 
than the Olympics held a few weeks ago. But 
it can be just as competitive. I'm really looking 
forward to sled hockey and curling. Those 
teams go all out to win their games. 

Today is my "day off" and I'll be working on the fine tuning of my listings for Etsy. I need a header and an invoice header, an "owner's" photograph or icon, and a few other minor details to nail today. If I can get those completed and like what I'm seeing, I'll be going live before the end of the weekend. I did a final read-through of the trade bead section yesterday and I'm pretty happy with what I've got going on it. I also worked on determining my pricing for the Swarovski crystal cubes that I'm listing. The new photographs that I took on Wednesday worked out really well. I need a couple of tweaks for them, and the final pricing to decide on, and then those pages will be ready to go live as well. 

Of course, we all remember the Panda from the standard 
Olympic games. Now, we're meeting the Chinese 
Lantern - a symbol of rebirth, and the mascot for the 
Paralympics. It's really a rather fun mascot, and it's 
everywhere as the nations enter the stadium for the 
Opening Ceremonies. 

It's Lent now, and DH prefers fish on Fridays during Lent. I could care less - it's not my religion or my religious heritage, but I adore fish, so no problem from me. I bought a small salmon fillet for myself on Wednesday, and he said he wanted McDonald's fish fillets, so I'll head out tonight and get his "fishies" and a fry and return home to my salmon. Last year during Lent (which was earlier on the calendar) I had two weeks of Lent during my first two weeks of WildFit. I had my usual two fish fillet sandwiches and a fry each of those two Fridays, and that was the last time I went to McDonald's. I can honestly say that I don't miss them, although a single french fry would be lovely. Still, I'm far from deprived. 

McDonald's Fish Filet sandwich is one of my 
favorite foods from McDonald's, but I 
haven't had one for more than a year. I'm 
fine with that, though. I'm Living WildFit 
now and regretting none of my food choices. 

So, as you can tell, I've got a lot going on today. I'll watch Paralympics whenever I can, keep up with what's happening in Ukraine, and OH ... I did post my latest effort for LJ Idol yesterday afternoon (after a LOT of editing). I'll put a link when voting is open and I'll blatantly ask for your votes (because I'm not shy - LOL). I'm watching the Opening Ceremonies for the Paralympics, and there's actually an audience! (Only 15,000 spectators, but an audience! That's tremendously uplifting.) If they are allowing spectators into the events for these eight days, that will be marvelous for the athletes, so I hope that's going to be the case. Oh, the Ukrainian delegation just entered and the audience applauded them as they walked and wheeled in. It was wonderful to see the yellow and blue flag flying free in the Birds Nest stadium. 

In news this morning, the IPC (International Paralympics 
Committee) has banned the participation of athletes from 
Russia and Belarus because of a boycott movement that 
moved through the Olympic village. Apparently many other 
nations refused to compete if Russia and Belarus were 
allowed to participate. They are now banned from 
the games. Want more information? Here's the newsfeed 
that I found it on. Read for yourself. 

https://www.breakinglatest.news/world/ukraine-paralympics-the-ioc-says-no-to-russian-and-belarusian-athletes/

On that note, I'm out of here. We live in a chaotic world, and that can be exhausting and emotionally draining, but I'll have the Paralympics (without the negative influences from Russia and Belarus) to pull me through the next eight days. Have a great Friday and I'll be back tomorrow. 

State of the Union and Drizzt - What a Combo!

I did not watch the State of the Union address last night. I figured I would catch up with it today. I can watch it as a replay, or just hit the high points, but I really don't need to see the whole thing. The other nice point about seeing it later is I get the analysis from various people as well, so it's actually a more thorough experience than it could be. 

Yesterday night was Joe Biden's first State of the Union 
address. I love the fact that we have two females 
seated behind him for the first time - Vice President, 
Kamala Harris and Speaker of the House, Nancy 
Pelosi. 

An on-line friend linked to a fascinating article yesterday, an in-depth look at Putin and why he's doing what he is in Ukraine and elsewhere. Is it a full explanation? Probably not. People are complex and nothing we do can be coalesced into a few minutes worth of reading. But it comes from someone who has spent decades studying him, so there's a good background of "why, where, when and what" to pull from. The synopsis that she states - that we're already involved in WWIII, which was built on the foundation of WWII, which was built on the foundation of WWI, isn't necessarily inaccurate. Read it and judge for yourself. 

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/02/28/world-war-iii-already-there-00012340

I'm pulling away from the 24/7 war coverage, I just can't 
take it. I've had wars throughout my life - larger and 
smaller. The predominant war of my youth was, of 
course, Vietnam. That took me through childhood and 
into adulthood. I'm most decidedly a child of the 
NO WAR movement. I need to take a bit of a break. 

Today is a swim day. Yesterday, I was a silly, nilly. I left for the gym and left my bag with my headphones, my lap counter and my ear plugs sitting on my desk. Far from horrific, but annoying. Still, I got in an excellent workout, really pushed myself a bit, and today I already made sure that my headphones, etc, were in my swim bag. I can do without my latest audio book, I can live without my lap counter, but I really do like having my earplugs. I swam for decades without them, but I enjoy them now, so it's nice to have them back again. 

I'm moving from the deserts of Egypt 
in the Amelia Peabody series, to the 
underworld of the Dark Elf, Drizzt, 
in Homeland. A classic series with a 
lot of books that I haven't read for 
decades, I'm looking forward to 
diving into Drizzt's tale again. 

As usual, I'm in a rush because it's a swim day, so it's a short and sweet post today. Have an excellent Wednesday. I'll be shopping, doing laundry, and I want to rephotograph all of my crystals one more time for the Etsy list. That's going to have to slip into a very busy day, but I changed things up a bit, and it's necessary. I'll be back tomorrow. Have a super excellent day! 

Night Owls vs Early Birds, Bliss and Blog Backups

I haven't turned on the news yet this morning, although DH was watching until midnight or so. He's the night owl, I'm the morning dove. Sometimes it's a wonder we have anything in common at all - LOL. 

DH is a total night owl - he's rarely asleep before 11:00 pm, 
and often is up later than that. I, however, awaken at 
3:15 am, so I'm totally an early bird. 

I did take advantage of Curious Wombat's suggestion of BlogBooker (blogbooker.com) to do a full backup of my LiveJournal accounts on Sunday. I have two accounts on LJ, one for my daily blog and one for mu fiction. I haven't posted to my second one for quite a while since I don't write within the Tolkien universe any more and that's what I had focused on for it, but I'm up to almost 4000 Live Journal blog posts, so the backup did take a while. I'm glad I did it. It allows me to breathe a little easier. 

BlogBooker, a French company, isn't going to work 
for everyone, and it costs money, but it did a great 
job backing up my LiveJournal locations. It took 
a long time - I had more than 4000 posts and a lot 
of photos. But it did manage to do the backup 
without a hitch. 

As I said above, I haven't checked what's going on in the war yet today, and I probably won't for a few more hours. Right now I'm focused on getting to the gym and into the pool in slightly over an hour, and then I'll shift into a broader awareness. But it's a swimming day, and that always makes me happy, despite what might be happening outside of my little encapsulated world. 

One thing of value in today's meditation technique was 
the fact that the brain doesn't distinguish between a current 
blissful event or a past blissful event. It reacts the same. So 
thinking of a very positive experience in my past is as 
valuable to the brain as one that might be happening 
immediately. A good reminder, because the same thing 
happens with negative thoughts. So keep your 
thoughts positive for your mental and physical health. 

Today's meditation technique focused on the brain and bliss. Think about an experience or time when you were happy and carry that thought. The brain doesn't know whether it is happening now, or in the past, it just reacts by sending out positive signals to your body. It's a rather nice thought, so I'm passing it along. I'm not going to make it part of my regular meditation, but I can see how it can be very useful in changing the body's chemicals and external viewpoints. 

One of the best things I heard yesterday was that 
FIFA (Federal International de Football Association) 
kicked Russia out of the Association and pulled the 
finals away from Moscow, moving them to France 
instead. Bravo FIFA! Lots of soccer fans in Russia 
won't be happy with this news. Blame Putin for this one. 

So, I'm plugging in photos and getting this going. Swimming days are always quite busy and I can't linger. Have a truly wonderful day and I'll be back tomorrow. 

War, Tactical Nuclear Weapons and a User Pic for Those Who Want It

 Although I'm keeping my Live Journal account active, I'm not counting a great deal on it, but since I've always triple-posted my daily blog between Blogger, Dreamwidth and Live Journal, I'm not worried about not getting the coverage I need. There are aspects of Live Journal that I prefer, and that's where I keep all of my multitude of avatar photos, but that's because I pay a small amount every year for that privilege. Still, Live Journal is Russian owned, my dollar payments are transferred into rubles, and in a way, I support the Russian economy by having an LJ account. 

Although Live Journal was originally a US company 
(founded in San Francisco), it was purchased by a 
Russian company a few years ago. There really haven't 
been any substantive changes since the take-over, except 
my dollars are converted into rubles when I pay for my 
annual subscription. Still ... right now I'm not very 
happy with Russia, and although I'll keep triple 
posting, I'm not fond of paying dollars to a Russian 
company. 

My problem, however, isn't with the Russian people, or the Russian economy (although I totally think democracy is the better choice). My problem is with Putin and the Russian government - that they would allow Putin to invade Ukraine and even have the thought - stated several times - of using "tactical" nuclear weapons. WHAT!!?? the FUCK!!??

I have serious problems with megalomaniacs (who want 
to be remembered in history) as heads of state. Almost 
without exception they care about nothing except their 
own end goals, and will willingly crush anyone and 
anything in their path. Putin is one of those people - 
willing to crush anyone who keeps him back from his 
goal of an expanded Soviet Union once again.
Bah Humbug! 

DH noted that lots of people were discussing the potential use of "tactical nuclear weapons" but nobody was actually going into what exactly they are, and what, exactly they will do. So, he looked it up and read it to me. We're appalled. Although they come in a variety of sizes, they're considered "small" nuclear weapons. BUT, according to Google, "Modern tactical nuclear warheads have yields up to the tens of kilotons, or potentially hundreds, several times that of the weapons used in the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki." YIKES! And this weapon, commentators, politicians and news reporters are glibly letting trip off their tongues. 

Tactical Nuclear Weapons are still nuclear weapons. They'll 
still kill a lot of people, and they'll still poison the earth for 
hundreds, if not thousands of years. They are a total 
abomination, and, unfortunately, they are in the back 
pocket of most governments, including Iran, India, 
China, Russia, the USA and many others. Frankly, 
I'm not sure we deserve this fabulous world we are 
the caretakers of. We can't get along, and when we fight, 
we also destroy the only home we have - earth itself. 

If you're interested in more information about 
Tactical Nuclear Weapons, here's an article 
for you. It's a little dated - it's from 2017, but 
the information still seems to be sound. 

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/everything-you-need-know-russias-tactical-nuclear-weapons-22607

There are a lot of varieties of these horrific things, and if you're curious, just Google "Tactical Nuclear Weapons" and read about them. The thing that totally appalls me is that anyone would EVER consider actively using a weapon like this against another human being. EVER! I am beyond disgusted that the idea even surfaced. Ukraine is a peaceful nation, just trying to live its' own life and care for its' own people. The President of Ukraine is turning into a folk hero, and well deserved. He's got a good head on his shoulders, and I hope he's still alive at the end of all of this. 

The size on this is 100x100, the dimensions 
needed for Live Journal and Dreamwidth. 
You're welcome to grab it for yourself 
if you want, or message me and I'll send 
it to you. I call it "United with Ukraine". 

I grabbed a US Supports Ukraine userpic on Friday and you're welcome to grab it for your own blogs if you want. Meanwhile, I'll continue my prayers for a quick resolution to the conflict, and a total withdrawal of all Russian troops ASAP. Ukraine is an independent nation and should remain one into the future. Have a safe Monday and I'll be back tomorrow.