Jesus is Coming... Look Busy!

So, I'm taking a summer OFF of crafting. If it happens, it happens. If not, I won't be disappointed. Hope you craft blogfans aren't too sad. I'll still post inane ramblings, but I'm going to be very busy this summer. Working out in the pool, working my business, volunteering, going to swim meets (one nearly every weekend!) And that's in addition to yard work, house work, work work, and having an active tween and hubby. And if that's not enough, I'm going to give some much needed attention to my Wii and some books I've been dying to read. Ahhh, summer!

I won't have any problems "looking" busy when the second coming happens. Maybe it won't be busy doing what the Lord wants me to be doing, but at least I'll be doing it honestly.
Why am I worried about the second coming this summer? According to a poll from the Pew Research Center For The People and The Press/Smithsonian Magazine 40 per cent of Americans believe Jesus will return before 2050. The percentage of Americans who are Christian ranges in the 75 to 84% mark, which means that's a whole helluva lotta Christians that are believing He's (going to be) Baaaack! Which means that's good enough for me. If you believe Stephen Colbert, if enough people say it's true - it IS true, then that's a lot of truthiness happening. I'm glad to be busy when the almighty comes down and brings his everlasting awesomeness to us heathens.

The poll shows us interesting insights, worries and hopes of the average American. I dunno what that means for us Canucks, but it's still interesting to think about. Here's some other American opinions the poll revealed:

• 71 per cent believe cancer will be cured by 2050.

• 81 per cent believe computers will be able to converse like humans.

• 68 per cent of those under 30 predict a world war by 2050.

• 53 per cent say ordinary people will travel in space

• 42 per cent say it is likely that scientists will be able to tell what people are thinking by scanning their brains.

• 89 per cent believe a woman will be elected US president by 2050.

• 86 per cent say it is at least probable that most Americans will have to work into their 70s before retiring.

• 41 per cent say Jesus Christ will return within the next 40 years.

• 63 per cent anticipate the demise of paper money

• 61 per cent say almost no one will send letters by 2050.

• 31 per cent expect the planet will be struck by an asteroid.

It looks like the next 40 years will be very busy! So I know I'll be busy when Jesus comes, as long as earth isn't hit by an asteroid first.

Reasonable People...

This weekend my next door neighbor redeemed himself. He came over to explain that our shed has no eavestrough and as a result of this rainwater runs off our shed roof onto his flower beds destroying them. He realizes this is HIS problem, but has a solution. He will help us move the shed a few feet off the property line towards our house. We share the labor - everyone's happy.
So, why is this news? Well, if you remember a few posts back, I had problems with neighbors doing less than neighborly things that caused us property damage. Why now the sudden change in behavior? Guilty conscience? Actually thinking? OR maybe he read my rant online. Probably not, but this coincidence is too juicy not to bloviate about. But maybe he did see it, and the error of his ways. (Unlikely).

I'm the type of person who wears her heart on her sleeve. Online and in real life. I may not be as out-spoken, for fear of insulting people without being present to explain. I may be more outspoken for times I feel too timid to actually speak up, but I live by a general rule: I never say or put anything online that my parents, grandparents and children would be upset by. Or anything that I would personally be embarrassed by if they saw it. I think it's a good rule to live by. Enter the virtual world where people feel bullet-proof, and say and do things that they wouldn't dare IRL. Bullying, stalking, cheating, scamming are some of the things that regular joes are doing under cloak and dagger of the internet. They are acting under presumed anonymity. A very false pretense. What happens if or when your anonymity falls away to reveal to the world your secrets?

I recently had an encounter that drove home that point to me embarrassingly enough. An acquaintence from real life started to read up on my blog, my facebook and various other weird profiles I had online. Nothing in them is shocking, surprising (or to me - even interesting) but this person from real life found my online self and began acting different around me. Excuses to see me started cropping up. Making sweeping generalizations about me (despite actually knowing the real me) and choosing to see what they wanted to see based on random information I allow strangers to access. This lead to a VERY awkward conversation, and several more lighthearted conversations after the fact. I'm glad we can look back on this and laugh.

Maybe this person thought they were seeing a more private side of my life, they thought I was admitting things online to the anonymous world, and they were in on my secret. But what about being online is provocative, sexy and seemingly anonymous? What is it that makes people feel bullet proof, and able to open up to strangers? I understand finding a common bond through internet groups and websites that can eventually hold a friendship together. But to cyber stalk a person looking for extra tidbits of information about them seems backwards, and it's happening more and more these days. (Ever "facebook" stalked? Ever googled your name? Someone else's name?)

In the end, if this person had forgone the entire "online stalking" thing and came up to me and said "hey, I think you're cool, let's do coffee" that would've been much more receptive than "hey, I saw your pictures of your last halloween party, and that you're a member of the 'I Love Tim and Eric Fan Club' and I wanted to know if you'd like to dress up like Tim and Eric with me while eating candy in the dark'.

That's just plain weird, right? In a world of online connectivity, it was nice to see a real person actually reach out and touch another real person when they weren't in front of a computer. I'm glad they reached out and touched me. I have a friend I never knew I had, and someone else who loves Tim and Eric too. I'm just old fashioned, but some things are better kept on-line, and off line. Cyber stalking is one of them. And if you ever want to real life stalk me, please don't judge me while I'm dressed up like Eric Wareheim and am eating bonbons in the dark. And don't post about it online. Some things just shouldn't make it to the 'net.


***Some interesting footnotes:
Yes, I love Tim and Eric of "The Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job". If you haven't seen it - please do.
I DO love dressing up. For halloween, or I pretend it's halloween. Last year I was The Old Gregg from a British TV show called The Mighty Boosh. Check that out too.
For a safer way to view dirty secrets, check out www.postsecrets.com or post your own!

Guest Post from Krista D. Ball, author

I had the fortunate opportunity to ask author Krista D. Ball about her writing. She has recently started writing full time this past year. From the perspective of the DIYer, it's fabulous to see people chasing their dreams with such gusto! Here's what we discussed:

1. How long have you been writing?
My parents bought me a typewriter for my 13th birthday. I haven't stopped writing since.

2. What and who has influenced your writing?
I've been asked this question several times and I have yet to have an answer. I have many different authors that I like. There have been lots of people who have encouraged me. However, I can't say that there was one person that stands out in my mind.

One event, however, does. I turned thirty and had a crisis, realizing that I had spent most of my life either having someone else dress me or angsting over whether or not a guy liked me. I had barely written. In my teens, I thought I'd have a book published by 27 (just in time for my high school reunion, of course), wearing a mink fur coat (ewww), and wearing dark sunglasses. Putting aside the asinine and stupidity of all that (it takes an average of 6-8 books before you can support yourself off just the royalties and you still need to keep writing), I still wanted to be a writer.

So, during the midlife crisis and half a bottle of vodka, I said to myself, "Self, shit or get off the pot." I'm not sure which option I associated with writing, but I decided I needed to get serious. And I did.

Normally, I'd say at this juncture that it was the bottle of vodka that changed it for me. But considering the reputation writers have for being alcoholics, it's best to leave that part out.

3. So many DIYers say they “never have enough time for their projects” But everyone knows that we’re all given the same hours in the day, it’s all in how you organize them. How much work has it been to organize your life to make time for writing? What sacrifices have been made? Any delightful discoveries about your now career path?

I'm still figuring out the entire day organization thing. Right now, I'm gearing up for the release of my novelette, Harvest Moon (October, 2010) and that's consuming a lot of time that I would have been writing. I was good at balancing work and writing; I'm less good at balancing working, writing, and marketing. I'm still learning, though.

The largest sacrifice is that I don't do as much as I used to. I see my friends less, I go to movies less. There are shows on TV that I've never heard of, let alone seen. My house is messier than what others would prefer, and my step-kids think their lives suck because they have to do chores. We eat more take-out than I'd prefer, but we're all tired at the end of our days.

I try to balance that with making routine. I try to see a good friend of mine every other weekend, even if it's only for a couple of hours. My partner and I go to the off-leash park every Sunday morning with the dog. I have a vegetable garden. These aren't loud, screaming events like when I was twenty, but they are cheaper and I know where I am when I wake up. I see these as positives.

4. Do you have any other hobbies? Do you find the need to do more hobbies since you’re now writing more time? Or do you just never have spare time (like the rest of us)

I don't have a lot of hobbies. I crochet whenever I watch TV or a movie. Lately, though, I've barely worked on my blankets. I also garden. My goal is to eventually grow enough produce to feed us through the winter. We might starve to death this winter.

5. Where do you do most of your writing? Do you have an office? Do you like to take your laptop and go?

I have an office. Lately, I've found myself practicing sleeping down there, so I've taken to working on the kitchen table. I've just had so much work to do that I could easily spend all of my waking hours in front of a computer. I don't want that, so I try to work around my family as much as I can.

6. What is your favorite unwinding activity after you’ve spent a long day writing?
What's the rating on this website again?

7. What is one of your favorite children’s books?
"Once Upon a Lifetime" by Danielle Steele. I almost never read children's books. I hated the kids books they made me read in school. My parents weren't readers themselves, so they didn't buy me anything beyond Christian books and that wasn't until my teens. So, I was reading adult books at the public library when I was quite young.

8. Tell me all about your current project.
I am finishing off my science fiction novella, Road to Hell. Captain Katherine Francis risks being labeled a traitor to bring an end to a bloody war that her side is losing.

I want to thank Krista for taking the time to talk to me today!

This is Krista D. Ball’s debut novel. Her short fiction work can be found in Absolute Xpress Publishing’s Flash Fiction Challenge, The Country Connection, and Bards & Sages Quarterly. Her non-fiction can be found in Magickal Ink and Merge Magazine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5f8AeNY1khY

Coming Soon...

Tomorrow I will have a guest blogger in the Anarchy! Krista D. Ball will be joining me tomorrow, answering questions about her DIY project, and how she's turning that into her career!
Stay Tuned!

Pet Identity Crisis!

Ever think your dog ever acts like he's human? Or at least WANTS to be? Ever have a kitty that acts like a dog?
Pet owners since the beginning of time have attributed behaviors and characteristics of other people and animals to their beloved. My own bunny even acts like a cat or a dog depending on his mood. (Or even a pig with all his grunting!)
But pet owners in China have started a new trend of pet-fashion that's one step up from doggy boots and parkas, and one step away from crazy!

Asia seems to be on the cutting edge of trends, and this one is no exception. A non-toxic, but possibly embarrassing dye is applied at the dog groomers to make your beloved spot or rover look like any number of exotic animals. (Tiger and panda are pictured here) And takes several weeks to wash away. Ever think it may catch on here? I'm not sure if animal rights groups would stand for this, and it's a bit too much of mistaken identity for my liking...

Still it's cool, and who HASN'T wanted (even just a bit) to walk a tiger down the street, and give them a lick on the cheek!

Coming up next week: Guest blogger! Krista D. Ball weighs in on her DIY project and perhaps gives us all a tip or two on fighting off those pesky zombies!

Wedding Dress Blues

Well, it's a gorgeous day outside and my yard looks like a JUNGLE! Darn! I looked up yard and garden crafts, and sadly, everything looks way too ambitious for me! I'll be happy if I just mow the lawn, put away all the crap and get rid of our junk heap. SIGH. My yard project of building a fire pit and patio has to wait yet another year. Oh well. It'll happen, or by the time we've paid off this house and move, I'll hire someone to build me a gorgeous yard. Then I can blog about crafts in my beautiful space. Ahhh. Until then, I gotta get out and mow. So this is going to be a quick blog.

As I was internetting the blogosphere, I came across this site. Technically a DIY site - which I love. A guy had the unfortunate experience of waking up one morning to find his wife packing all her stuff, and moving out. What did she leave behind? Twelve years of marriage, two kids and her wedding dress. When he asked her if she wanted the dress, she said he could keep it - and do whatever he wanted with it. Which prompted him to wonder what a single guy would do with a used wedding dress. What follows is a blog of what a single guy might do with a wedding dress.

The blog is insightful and humorous, and touching and poignant in some ways - something that has caught even the author off guard. He openly admits he started the blog with the thought of publishing a funny picture book eventually. The fact that it's gotten so much attention is surprising. The fact that he's used it to heal his heart is even more so.

What I like about the blog - especially after my bitter divorce. Is that it has never put divorce or his ex wife in a bad light. If he has any anger towards this woman, it's not known to his readers. It's a testiment to healing, and being creative. While this is certainly crafty, I find myself a little sad that I already donated my dress to goodwill and not being able to test these uses out myself. Really, I'm glad I did rather than ruin the hell out of it, and I'm done my grieving and healing from my first (failed) marriage. But I'm sure you could do any of these 101 things to any article of clothing that has its own ghosts.
Enjoy!
http://myexwifesweddingdress.com/