Sunday seems like a good day to sort of collect miscellaneous information and throw it out there, right? I figure if I make this a draft and then add bits as they present themselves during the week, I can just get in here on Sunday and change the publishing status to "Now" and have Fresh Post!
;~)
SAD NEWS
Those beautiful Twinkling H20's that we all love so well are on their way to extinction. Yep. The manufacturer, Luminarte, is going out of business. (I actually learned this news a week ago while I was on my mad annual birthday spree at Wishful Thinking in Nashville, Indiana.)
So that's the bad news. The good news is that the company is doing two things: (1) it's having a 40% off sale; and (2) it's actually taking orders and making whatever you ordered. Although you have to provide your credit card information up front, (at the regular price) they will take the 40% off once they fill your order and actually bill your card at shipping. Frankly, that's incredible. When was the last time you ever heard of a company doing something like that? I think they're currently running about 3 weeks "behind" as a result of the avalanche of orders they're receiving. I'll let you know how long it takes for mine to arrive.
(While you're at the Luminarte site, check out their free downloadable Twinkling H20 color charts. Very nice to have. I printed mine on heavy cardstock for better wear.)
Sad news item #2: I am sick again with sinus congestion so bad I can't breathe out of either nostril. I am sure that this is not merely one bug but a whole gang of them - Hell's Angels all on tiny little motorcycles trying to wreak havoc with the locals. They are attempting to move down into my chest, but I am NOT having it. (You hear that, you miserable little thugs? You will confine yourself to my nasal cavities and you will check out before the end of the week!)
Update to Sad News Item #2: It is the end of the week, and the germ gang has managed to breach my defenses (I think they invited friends). They have checked into my lungs, and are destroying the premises like they're The Who. Five minutes ago, I had a coughing fit so violent I coughed up part of my spleen. If I should die, please remind Spouse that I haven't paid the light bill yet.
I was able to return my Insignia digital camcorder to BestBuy for an in-store credit. The camera I would like to get (which I KNOW is compatible with my Mac and iMovie '09 is the Sony Webbie HD - due in stores about mid-April. I am torn because if I can manage to get my digital camera to work as a demo-video solution, then I don't want to spend any more money on technology right now. However, Spouse has always been in charge of videotaping Gigi, and he's not been doing it because our camera is so old he can't even get its footage uploaded into the computer. If we get a new camera, he'll be able to video her - and she is growing up waaaay too fast. We've missed capturing a lot of good stuff, and that's a habit I don't want to continue.
ENABLING ALERT
I got a very cool thing on my birthday (same spree, different store: Papertrix in Nashville, Indiana). Despite my very successful habit of not buying any more chalk, thank you very much, (purchase-free for four years now!) I broke my non-buying streak because... well, because these chalks are pretty stinkin' cool! They're the Metallic Chalks from Pebbles, Inc. Yowza!!!
This picture, albeit a very nice one, has no way of doing these babies justice. You get some truly beautiful colors with these - and the texture and depth is very, very attractive.
Hmmm.... Well. Managed to get some filming done yesterday. My cold and the unbelievably loud ticking of the clock hanging above my desk are almost guaranteeing there will be either over-dubbing or music with subtitles. If I can figure out how to do either, that it. As of late Saturday night, I was still unable to get my MOV files off my camera and into my computer, so the sound issue is a rather moot point at present. Or perhaps I should say "mute" point? Har-har-har. I'm a regualr laugh riot. In fact, I am attempting to laugh because if I wasn't laughing, I'd be crying right about now....
Don't throw away your old phonebook! Here's why:
1. You can put the pages into your shredder and make packing material super fast - and it's free! (You can also share some of this with the birds - they love it for nest beuilding.)
2. You can use the top page as a work surface for crafting. When it gets icky, simply tear off the page and you got yourself a fresh work surface. You can also tear out a chunk of whatever amount of pages you like and take these to a crop. If your damage to the surface is limited to items such as ink, you can still shred those pages and make packing material. Once again, it's all free!
3. It is excellent for wrapping small gifts.
4. Some of the ads are actually cool and can be scanned to use on art projects.
5. It's excellent for paper mache projects.
6. It can also make a good base for mulching and weed prevention. Cover your seeded area with a few layers of individual pages, then water. The paper is thin enough to allow shoots to pop through but thick enough to help retain water and block air-born weed spores from taking deep root.
7. If they quite printing newspapers, we're going to need something to line those birdcages!
8. Given how many phonebooks are filling up the landfills each year, we really can't afford to keep throwing them away. We borrow the earth and all its precious resources from our grandchildren, so let's try to give the place back better than we found it!
If anybody has any other uses for used phonebooks, (and I know there must be tons of them) feel free to leave a comment!
