Will be updating photos this weekend

Last week I got a lot more done on Skeleton Crew and this week I've been working on Garden Verses. She wasn't on my list, but I saw her there and hadn't worked on her for a while and she was calling me, so I took her out. She's coming along nicely.

I'll post pictures tomorrow night after I've put more work into her. I'm taking part in a virtual stitch-in on the 123 board on July 3, so I'll see what I can do that night. I also need to figure out what I'm working on for the Mirabilia stitchalong next weekend. I haven't paid attention to those weekends in a few months and do enjoy them. Let's see, July is "Mirabilia Holiday in July" weekend. I'm not sure that I have anything that fits, but I'll check. I'm sure I have enough WIPs that I can make something fit, although it's awfully tempting to use that as an excuse to start the Christmas Elf Fairy, or whatever the heck it's called. Must. Resist. Temptation.

Fun little meme

Found this on Darla's blog
Scattergories - harder than it looks!
If you want to tag yourself, go for it.
Rules: Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following.
Your Name: - Mindy
1. Famous singer/band: ---- Metallica
2. 4 letter word: ------ meat
3. Street name: ------ Maryland Ave in Aldan
4. Color: -------- magenta
5. Gifts/presents: ----- money
6. Vehicle: -------- Mercury
7. Things in a souvenir shop: -- magnets
8. Boy name: ------- Matt
9. Girl name: ------- Melanie
10. Movie title: ------ Maverick
11. Drink: -------- martini
12. Occupation: ------ machine operator
13. Flower: ------- marigold
14. Celebrity: ------- Melanie Griffith
15. Magazine: ------- Men's Health
16. U.S. city: ------- Milwaukee
17. Pro sports teams: ---- Mets
18. Fruit/vegetable: ---- mandarin orange/moth bean (No idea, had to look up veggies)
19. Reason late for work: --- Manhole cover was stolen and I drove into it (sounds strange, but there was a guy in NE Philly stealing them last week)
20. Something you throw away: - matchsticks (after used, of course -- and cool)
21. Things you shout: ---- Mother of God
22. Cartoon character: ---- Mr. Magoo

OK, what's going on up in Bucks County?

I already posted about the snakes, one of which appears to be still on the loose.

I heard about one gator someone found in, I thought, Montgomery County a few days ago. Apparently I was misinformed and it was in Bucks, and now they've found another gator up there.

Another Gator Found in Bucks Creek

This is too strange, I think, to be coincidence. I wonder if there's some strange person letting these things loose. I have no idea why, or even it that's just paranoia talking. But really -- we in the Philly area don't normally have boa constrictors and pythons slithering around, nor gators in our creeks.

Makes you wonder...

EEK! Glad I'm not in Bucks County

I heard about this a week ago and haven't heard anything since, so I don't think they've actually caught this thing yet. Seems to be a 12-foot boa constrictor that's loose in Bucks County and has killed some animals and they think is living under a house. There was also a 9-foot albino python recently caught in the same county. Very strange. This sort of thing used to happen quite a bit in FL, but I'm not used to hearing about it around here. ((shiver)) I'm on the lookout for news that they caught it, but I haven't seen it. Seems it's a bit faster than they expected.

Killer puts squeeze on neighborhood

It's always strange in Philadelphia

I don't know what the heck is going on, but there's a woman downstairs on the sidewalk in front of our building who has a bullhorn and is yelling at someone in our building. She said something about depositions and the law of Pennsylvania, so she's probably ticked at one of the law offices here. I'm sure the police are on their way, as I can't imagine she can be allowed to do that all day.

You never know what's going to happen when you go out to get some fruit and veggies for lunch in Philadelphia. :)

Yay Phillies!

Well, we picked a great Phillies game to attend! Not only did they win the game, but we were treated to a grand slam homerun! The rain held off but it was overcast so not hot at all. In fact, we were way up at the top, last row, and it was pretty windy up there, almost cold. It's the first time I've been to Citizen's Bank Field, the new Phillies home. Even though we were in the very last row, the view was fantastic. It's a very well designed stadium and we had a great time.

Need to show off

I wanted to give this it's own thread so that I could show off a little. :)

Our department recently won five Communicator Awards! The text my boss sent out to everybody is below. The Annual Report was a departmental project and is every year, and the CLHS brochure was a project headed up by one of the other communications managers. We joke that she gave birth to it, as she was working on that thing for 9 months.



I am pleased to announce that we, the Communications & Public Affairs Department, have received five Communicator Awards for our publications.


The Communicator Awards is an international award competition that recognizes outstanding work in the communications field. Entries are judged by professionals who look for companies and individuals whose talent exceeds a high standard of excellence and whose work serves as a benchmark for the industry.


Our work was selected in the following categories:


2006 Annual Report, Award of Distinction, Non-profit Category
2006 Annual Report, Award of Distinction, Overall Design
2006 Annual Report, Award of Distinction, Photography
JEVS Community Living & Home Supports Brochure, Award of Distinction, Non-profit Category
JEVS Community Living & Home Supports Brochure, Award of Distinction, Interior Design


Kudos to everyone in the Communications Department for their hard work on these projects! Go team!

This and that

1. We're going to a Phillies game this afternoon, if it's not rained out. My organization bought tickets and $10 food vouchers for everyone who wanted to go, and there's 400 of us going. Should be fun. I don't care about the baseball game, but it's an excuse to wear jeans and hang out with people and get to know some of them better. Good deal all around!

2. I found out on the 123 board the other day that people are having problems with Pantene products. This is the first I've heard of it, but it may explain some things. Apparently, one of the problems is thinning/hair falling out. Well, in the last few years I've noticed this problem and on my crown my hair is thinner than it should be. I use Pantene off and on, but more often than other shampoos. I had my thyroid and iron checked a while back and they were fine, my blood sugar is fine (don't know if that would affect it, anyway), and I eat my fruits and veggies. So, I threw out all my Pantene products and am using something different. We'll see what happens.

I realize that some people love the stuff and have no problems, but this is probably like any other allergy -- some people are affected, others aren't. Then there are the self-proclaimed "experts" who claim it's a lie because "I haven't had any problems" but I say screw 'em. My hair, my problem. If I switch and nothing changes, I'll chalk it up to getting older, but jeesh! What's the harm in changing products if you think there may be a problem? Some people need to spend more time worrying about their own problems and their own families and maybe do something other than live on message boards all day.

Enough on that...

3. I had my pay-for-performance review earlier this week and it went very well. I either met or exceeded my specific goals I set for myself for the year and should see some sort of raise. Not sure yet how much, but anything helps. :) I had my annual review a few months ago, which is a review I get on the anniversary of my hire date and goes over my accomplishments and development, so I knew I was OK after that one. I thought I'd been doing a good job, but it always helps to hear it from your boss.

OK, one more rant and I'm done, lol

There's a story about a babysitter who fell asleep and the kids got outside and drowned. Now, when I first heard this story I thought that parents also nap while kids are supposed to be sleeping and parents and sitter should be treated the same. The lastest in this story has come out

Police: Sitter Spent Night Drinking Before Erie-Area Toddlers Drowned

OK, she's under the legal drinking age and should not have been "rocked." She behaved irresponsibly in many ways. However, my question still remains -- if a parent came home drunk, then fell alseep while the kids were supposed to be sleeping but they got out and drowned, would the parent be charged with involuntary manslaughter? I think in some jurisdictions they would and in others they wouldn't, but I find that very often caregivers/babysitters are expected to take better care of kids than the parents.

(Disclaimer -- My friends are parents and they are responsible. These are not the parents I talk about. I think we all know what I'm talking about and this is not a bash on parents in general. Thank you.)

Oh, but racism no longer exists, right?

Yes, I've actually heard people claim racism no longer exists. I wish people would open their eyes once in a while.

Woman Says Landlord Told Her Neighbors Didn't Want Her Kind

Now, here's the "apology," but I don't buy it. They don't get it, and I don't know what to think of the neighbor -- he may be the scapegoat, or he may not be but is going back on what he said because he got caught. Who knows?

This sort of thing makes me mad for obvious reasons, but also because I'm in an interracial relationship and we are thinking of moving in the next year or so. I wonder how often we'll get picked over for a "better" couple and not even know about it. This particular man was stupid enough to leave that message on her machine. Most of them don't, they just rent the apartment/house to someone else who is more like "their kind."

I guess I'm in a ranty mood today, which is strange because I'm not ticked off in general. I just keep finding irritations wherever I go, it seems.

Mmmhmmm, and WE'RE the selfish ones, right?

OK, here's one for ya:

Meet the Sperm Snatchers

Basically, it's about young women who scope out men for quick relationships (I use that term liberally) or one-night stands so that they can get pregnant. They lie about being on birth control, etc. But it's OK, as long as they get their babies.

I'm sure this sort of thing has been going on since the beginning of time, but I still find it disgusting.

Enough already!

Paris Hilton is now in jail. I know this. Why does it have to be on the news. Every. Stinkin'. Day? This morning I hear that she won't be as glamorous coming out as going in. Well, duh. But you know, I really don't give a crap! She's getting more press out of this than for what she was doing before this -- which was basically being an obnoxious partier who is only known for being obnoxious and rich.

I really hate how this sort of thing is front page news when our soldiers are dying around the world. I guess it's supposed to help us not focus on that, but we need to remember what's going on in the rest of the world, not just here in America and not just to Americans.