Ode to a Tent

You know, in today's world, too few can stand up for their principles and really make a long-term commitment to their ideals, in good times and in bad. I think it's truly admirable.. those who really go the distance and prove their point.

Some of you might possibly know that our phone company, then Verizon, pushed us poor Kentuckians off on Alltel a year or so ago. Alltel has such a great reputation as a business that a representative of Vermont (I think) actually sent us a sympathy letter at the time, warning us of their evildoings. As of June 8, the CWA workers are on strike. It seems that Alltel agreed to keep Verizon's labor contracts intact but are now going back on their word. These poor workers are about to have their benefits reduced--word has it that they're even going to have to pay for their health insurance! (I'm trying really hard to be sympathetic here, but when absurd, record-breaking numbers of Americans are unemployed and the economy is still laying quivering on the ground, I find it hard. We've paid $1400 for health insurance already this year. I have not once worked within my field since graduation over two years ago. My capacity for CWA sympathy is just a little limited at the moment, though I wish them the best in an abstract way.)

So anyway, they set up a tent back in June, and you could see a handful of guys sitting in there with signs. Summer marched on, and they continued to languish there in the tent, angrily defending their rights. We pass by on Sundays--they picked the strangest place to picket if they wanted to call attention to their plight--and have watched their progress. Soon, there were fewer guys standing in there, and then there were two remaining. For at least the last two or three weeks, the poor tent stands alone. It still believes, it still defends, but it no longer has the support of the workers.

I really admire that tent for its stunning capacity to hold firm even when the leaders who set it up have abandoned their posts in favor of fishing and playstation, or frankly anything but sitting around in a damned tent in the middle of summer. I think that it has a rare dedication and dignity, and it should really be given the honor that it deserves. If it wasn't raining, I'd go take a picture of that poor, long-suffering tent. Now I leave you with a question worthy of pondering today. What have you done for your tent lately?

Uhh.. okay.

My cousin brought her computer to us so we could see why the modem wasn't working. This was a week or so ago.. we returned it last Sunday and told her that the modem was almost certainly fried and that she needed a virus checker, pronto. I would have worked on it more but I got absolutely fed up with the thing. Spyware, virus-like behavior, etc. It was running extremely slowly, windows popping up all over the place, and even though it had a connection here (ours) I couldn't really access the internet because of all the junk it was throwing at me. Fifty windows opening and closing and opening again.. even typing in a url sent the thing into a panic and it couldn't actually get there. Completely unbelievable.

She called me the other night to let me know that they had run a virus program and they didn't HAVE any viruses. (Slightly superior tone, since we had said so positively that she had one.) I explained about updating definitions. They managed to work out how to do that and called back tonight, since it found something this time. M talked to her and explained that a virus can really wreak havoc on a computer and make it do all sorts of crazy things and that was the first priority, getting rid of those before getting the internet connection fixed.

Her response? "But it only found eight!"

Rofl.

Crafty goodness

I couldn't hold it back any longer. I'm such a follower. I've completed my first large batch of magnets, as mentioned by blue_eyed_girl and emphasized by carrieb. I had to improvise a little.. I couldn't find the right size marbles. These are a little smaller, though that just makes them cuter.. I'm adaptable. My magnets are also a little thicker than I would have liked, but can't complain too much, really, since I did find stuff that would work at WalMart, first run. :) I went through a copy of Woman's Day or similar that's been laying around the house since Easter of 2001 or so (yes, it was an impulse buy while standing in line.) It had LOTS of pictures of flowers, though, so it was perfect for this. :)



The large group is all floral-related and I could have made more. The smaller group is just random stuff. I liked how the flag turned out, the tomato worked very well, the chicken made me laugh and the eye creepily follows you when you move. There was a swirl, too, but I ran out of magnets.. I only bought thirty. I did have a lot of fun with it, though.. it was relaxing. I think I was a little less exact than she was, as well. I used super glue, attached the stone to the picture and then used snippy scissors to cut around the stone to make a circle.. hence the lines aren't quite exact. Looks perfect from the front, though, so why would I worry about that?

I think the next time I do this, I'll play with printing stuff I have laying around. It may be a little challenging since they're so small, though. I have a lot of Altoid-type tins awaiting a new use.. I guess they'll all get decorated sooner or later for this. People give me Altoid tins all the time because I carry my tatting in one. :) Fun fun! Since they're so small, though, I'll probably have to put

Oh, and one more thing I thought was funny. As we were leaving the grocery store, I noticed and pointed out that there's now a Curves in the shopping center. M's tongue got a little ahead of his brain and he said, "That's where paradise cowgirls go." *laugh* Cute!