Fabric Remnants Yay!

I got terribly bored with my looks, this evening, so pulled out a fabric remnant my mother gave me a while back, and made a headband. Still have quite a bit of it left, so will make some other things, as well.

And now back to other projects!

Holidays! Auuugh!

Halloween is very nearly here. This means I've got a lot on my hands. Holidays are coming, and I have gifts to make, so I've been knitting and crocheting my behind off, lately.

Please check in, as I may be adding photos of gifts soon.

Bwah?!

Good lord! Has it really been so long, since I posted anything, here?!

My life's been a little crazy, over the past few months. I hope to start posting regularly again, soon.

Keep your eyes peeled!

New Kid on the Block

I've added a second blog to the DeeGee Blog Network. It's called "Flailing Madness", and can be found at http://flailingmadness.blogspot.com , and is my ranty space.

Watch out, though. Kids shouldn't be there, and it probably will have some NSFW content, in the future.

Have fun, all, and happy April Fool's.

Warrior Woman. RAAAGH!

This morning, we woke up, and started demo on our bathroom. It was crazy, but pretty fun.

First thing: We found a soft spot near our toilet. Needed fixing. Then, my sister, while we were looking into that, happened to pull the paneling away from near our ancient cast iron clawfoot tub. And she found that we, essentially, were taking showers in pretty much midair. And as we were removing the sink to remove the tub, we found that the wooden cupboard/frame used for the sink needed replacing. Yay.

A friend of my mother's is helping with the reworking. And two of my brother's so-called "friends" stopped by to help with the tub moving. The two "friends" left partway through to go play Yu-Gi-Oh! at a local game shop, so I just have to stop and send a big "SCREW YOU!" their way, right now. Essentially, though, everything is being done DIY.

We'd planned to save toilet, sink, and bathtub, originally. Only thing left, is the sink. And we don't even know if we'll be using it, or getting a new one. My sister dropped the toilet, outside, and shattered the tank.

"But what happened to the tub?!" you ask. "Surely a cast-iron antique tub could handle being moved!"

No. It couldn't.

The floor beneath it was rotted out, and it was pretty much in midair, over mush and what my sister calls "paper". It was sitting on beams, and famed in on one side, thankfully, or someone in my family would be dead, now, from having fallen through the floor, in the damned thing.

Anyway... There were six people, ready to move the tub, when we got it disconnected. My mom's friend was where the sink was, closest to the wall. I was next to him, then was my sister, then my brother. The two friends were both in the doorway, each pulling the same corner.

We lifted, and pulled, and next thing we heard was CREAKCRACKBOOM!... and we found ourselves, six people, holding onto this tub for dear life, trying not to let it fall into the basement and trying our damnedest not to fall into the basement with it. We all came pretty close, I'll tell you, but we managed to get it out, at the cost of one of the legs. To get it out of the house, we had to take a sledge to the rest of the legs, and remove them, and drag the tub, after the boys ran off. Again, a big SCREW YOU! to these guys, for leaving us like that.

Then, we had to tear up THREE LEVELS of floor that had been built where the toilet was. Yes, that's right. When the old floor would go, my uncles would do nothing but put a new floor over it, instead of fixing the problem that needed fixing. So, now, there's two huge holes in our bathroom floor, and a major amount of stuff that needs done.

We're getting a new shower (which will be much better for my mother, who's disabled), and a new toilet, and maybe even a new sink.

I've taken some pictures of the demo (including a picture of an old gaslight that's still in the bathroom!), and will also have some, when it's finished, if my mother will let me post them here.

I feel great about being able to work like this. It really makes me feel like I'm a warrior woman, in one of the only ways I can be, in this day and age.

... With a Little Help From My Friends...

Well, it's been a while, since I posted. Lots of reasons, for that, really.

First, my new Wind crashed, one evening, and I couldn't even get the Recovery bundled with it, to work. So, I was SOL, because I had no USB DVD drive to load the Recovery DVD with. But, you know...? That's okay, because I really can use an insanely expensive brick.

Because of this, I hit a spot of depression, during which I actually caught what's either a terrible cold, or a mild flu, that's still clinging for dear life in my lungs. Coughed so hard last night that I got sick, and somehow managed to get vomit in my own eye. Still can't figure out how it happened.

But, I spent days and days searching for a fix for my poor Wind. Nothing worked. And when I was ready to give up, I stumbled across Puppy Linux. Information about Puppy can be found here and here. My biggest stumbling blocks were figuring out what to do to burn an ISO to a CD, and that my old, busted up MP3 player could be formatted, to create a bootable version of this. From there, it was just an easy reformat of the empty partition on my machine, and from there, I just installed Puppy. My Wind boots, my files are backed up, and I'm happy.

I may have to remove Windows, and work toward getting another form of Linux or two, on there.

I swear, the less Bill Gates and his evil, soul-sucking brainchild have to be a part of my life, the happier I am.

And much love to the the Bard, and my other friends who got me through the worst of the depression, when it hit.

America the Beautiful...

I watched the inauguration, today, with tears in my eyes.

I had a whole thing about it all typed out, and ready to post.

But, just when I was ready to transfer my pre-written post over, I remembered something. And it's something pretty damn important. Yes, it's so important that I'm willing to overlook my normal policy of not cursing on this particular blog.

So, I'm sorry, but you're not going to see that post. I'm going to trash it. Nobody is ever going to see it.

You may ask yourselves, "What the hell could possibly be so important, that Miss DeeGee is willing to change up her day's post, and write a post to us live?" And the answer is simply this: I remembered that my mother was born in 1955, the year a 14-year-old African-American boy from Chicago named Emmett Till was murdered. And this was no regular murder. This was truly brutal. And the sad part? The two men known to have taken part were never punished.

Never had the misfortune of seeing pictures of him in school? Look him up. But be warned, it's not for people with a weak stomach, and may or may not be Nightmare Fuel, for some folks.

But, the thing is this: Emmett's mother, Mamie, decided that she was going to have an open-casket funeral, because she wanted the world to see what these men had done to her son. Photographs were taken, and published. And people were shocked into action.

See... This was part of what helped spark things in the early years of the Civil Rights Movement. My mother was born less than a month after Emmett Till's death, and less than two months before Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus.

My mother grew up during the years of that famous movement. She remembers when Martin Luther King and Malcom X were killed. And she knows exactly where she was (school), when Kennedy was killed. I was born years after these events occurred, of course, and it's only now that I'm able to truly and fully appreciate that she actually lived through the events, instead of having to hear about them in history classes.

I paused, during my typing, to ask her whether she remembered the deaths I mentioned above. King and Malcom X she remembers only vaguely, but Kennedy, she's a lot more clear on. She was eight, when Kennedy was killed. She was nine, when Malcom X was killed. And then, King was killed, when she was twelve. Our voices were both wavering, when we talked. And I almost choked up, and really started crying, when she said (and this is nowhere near an exact quote) "King was a good man, and he was killed. I really hope Obama makes it through this. It's so wonderful, to be able to see this happening."

My mother and I got to witness the inauguration together. Neither of us thought we would live to see the day when this would happen. We're so happy. America is truly becoming more beautiful, before our eyes. But, at the same time, my mother and I both remember times when it wasn't such a beautiful place, at all. My mother lived through the Civil Rights movement, and she and I both lived through 9-11. And now, we both are seeing this. It's so amazing... So absolutely, mind-bogglingly amazing, to think about.

I think I have to end this, with a line from Elizabeth Alexander's poem. It's the one line that truly reached out and struck me. When I heard it, a voice inside me replied "What if...? What if it really, truly is...?"

What was the line that seemed so profound, that struck me so hard?

"What if the mightiest word is 'love'?"

Creation of a Monster

The best friend that I've previously mentioned, the Bluegrass Bard, was feeling bored, so I suggested he start a blog, to help him relieve his boredom. He's far more wordy than I am, but is very good at putting his thoughts together, to make coherent statements. A warning, however, he doesn't censor himself, so be warned, any corruption of minors or people being offended going on is the fault of people clicking the link. He and I aren't responsible.

He (jokingly!) claims that it's my fault he started the blog, but yes, it's true... It's all my fault.

I've created a monster, I think. But in any case, it's a lovable, fun one. :)

Wow Special Monday Pre-Inauguration Day Postage

I was going to post a different blog entry, today, but then I realized "Hey! It's Martin Luther King's birthday! And Obama is getting sworn in, tomorrow!" So, yeah... That other entry will be put off for a day or two, maybe more, depending on how I feel.

But, yes. Anyone who knows me knows that for every election that I've been old enough to vote in (I'm 25, so that's only about two of them), that I voted for anyone who A) wasn't President Bush, and B) wasn't a Republican. Yes, that's right. I'm a strict Democrat. Especially with the way I've seen the Republicans running this country into the ground, over the past eight years. After the hairless chimp managed to get into office (How he managed it a second time I will NEVER know. I voted for Kerry, and more people should have.), I'm not sure I can ever vote for a republican, because of the things I saw him do.

But yes, I voted for Obama. I helped make a huge historic decision. And tomorrow, I get to see a huge historic event, because of it. To those people living in America right now, consider yourselves very lucky. Nobody will get this particular opportunity ever again. If you can be there, GO. If you can't, get to the closest television, and watch.

I watched Oprah, today, as well. That's something I almost never do. And you know what? She's right. Obama is helping to bring about change, but we, as citizens, have to be part of that change. We have to do what we can, especially when it comes to service. And we have to do the very best we can. This is something far too important to screw up, people. Do what you can, as best you're able. Laziness and procrastination just aren't any excuse, now. Get out, and find some way to help. Even if it's just going for a walk in the park, and picking up litter.

And to Obama... I know you're probably never, ever going to read this... But like I said, sir, this is something far too important to screw up. We're watching how you go about things. If you do a good job, and decide to try for a second term, I can promise you my vote. Good luck to you, and may you become one of the most legendary presidents of all time for reasons aside from the obvious.

Tending the Fires of Hell

So, today, my cousin came downstairs wearing my black armwarmers. The ones with the spikes and chains, that I loved so much when I bought them. I don't wear them so much, anymore, but still love them. No way can he keep them, but he can have them until I finish crocheting his fingerless gloves.

Now, I didn't start wearing armwarmers, until I was about eighteen or so. And I only have two pairs, one of which is MIA, somewhere in my house. I love wearing them, though, especially in winter, when it's cold, and my hands and arms become corpse cold, unless I do. But this isn't about my love of armwarmers. This is about what it meant, that my cousin was wearing them.

My cousin is nine, this year. He's a good kid, and he's currently staying with us, because of family problems. I've watched him with music, and he loves pop, rap and - hold on, are they still calling it hip-hop, like they were, when I was younger? I don't know, anymore, what they're calling it. If I ask him, later, he, like all children, will look at me like I'm a drooling idiot.

But he's been showing more and more disinterest in these genres, from what I've seen. Which means, not only is he growing up, but that he's looking for something new. That's a great thing. That means cousin DG gets to pass on the torch and introduce her cousin Boog (I always call him that, because he's a little booger.), to metal.

Now, how to go about it? I mean, my favorite band is Cradle of Filth. Not only are they far, far from appropriate for a nine-year-old boy, but the rest of my family would murder me, if I even let him have a listen. Especially his older brother, my half-cousin, who just about wet his pants, when he found out I liked them. The guy's scared to death of them, the big baby.

No, I had to go through my collection, and find clean tracks. A few Nightwish tracks, and some other miscellaneous stuff. Not much at all. But that's just what's on my MSI Wind netbook. I have yet to copy the Ozzy stuff I have onto my old, busted laptop, and move it to the Wind. But when I do, I know there's some clean stuff in there. It'll definitely give him more to listen to. Hell, even my mother likes Ozzy. And coming from her, that's a lot. She hates Cradle, though she was very kind, and bought me a copy of one of their albums for... I think it was my twenty-third birthday? In fact, most of my family hates most of the metal I listen to. But there are a few that like it. And I'm hoping Boog will get to be one of them.

See, one of the things people, especially the groups that really hate metal fail to realize is that it's not all as extreme as Cradle. And there are a lot of different sub-genres. It's not all just "metal". I learned that, when my best friend started introducing me to it. It started with Ozzy, after I heard him on the radio, early one morning, on the local rock station. I hadn't yet heard him, even though my friend had been pushing. He'd also been pushing me to check out Cradle. After getting into Ozzy's music, I dove in, though most of what I listen to is still Ozzy, Cradle, and Nightwish. I'm picky, what can I say?

But yes, for those just getting into it, or wanting to introduce it to someone young, like my cousin, clean metal does exist. You just have to do a little bit of digging for it. Whole albums will only very rarely (if ever) be clean, and sometimes it'll just be maybe one or two tracks, if the album has any clean ones at all. But, you know what? That's okay. Save the rest of the stuff for later. For when you're ready, or when the kid is mature enough to handle it. After all, not everybody can just dive right in, like I did.

And another thing: If or when you're introducing a kid, like I am, don't force it. Not every kid will like metal. And if Boog doesn't like it, that's cool. I'll pull it off his MP3 player and be done with it. He might change his mind, someday, or he might never like it. Still cool. I'll try things like country, folk, and even opera, to help him find out what he does enjoy.

Who knows? He might be like me, and like a little bit of everything. I know that's how I am, now that I'm not quite so obsessed with showtunes. Maybe he'll outgrow that obsession with hip-hop (Are they still calling it that? God, I'm old!), and end up loving traditional African music. I just don't know.

But I know one thing. I'm getting older, now. I'm twenty-five. I have no kids, and I'm not yet sure whether or not I ever will. Boog is the closest thing I have, right now, to a kid of my own to teach and help mold into a good, well-rounded guy. And introducing him to different forms of music, especially metal, will help him be more open-minded toward them. I want the kid to learn there's good and bad in everything. If he learns that's true of music, there's a good chance he'll grow up knowing the same thing is true of people.

Still... There's a lot of people who tell me that I'm going to go to Hell, for loving metal, and introducing a kid to it. I like to laugh in their faces. See, I'm not Christian. I haven't been, for years. I'm not of any particular religion, but I lean toward the Earth-based stuff. And I tend minor wounds, etc, with medicinal plants. Folks think I'm a witch. If they want to think that, then fine.

But you know what? If I end up in hell, I'll at least have lived my life as happily as I was able to. If I'm evil for just being myself, maybe I deserve to be there. And I'll happily stand next to Satan himself, and help tend the fires.

ETA:

My best friend, after reading this, pointed out that clean metal is not hard to find. My experience, however, comes from mostly shopping for music in local thrift stores and a few secondhand stores. The thrift stores are Christian-based, and most of them will throw it away. And it never lasts long enough for me to get ahold of it, in the secondhand stores. So, for me, metal itself is hard to get ahold of. Which is partly why I have such narrow tastes.

It's Here!

My Wind finally arrived, today. I'm very happy with it, so far, but we'll see how things go, over the next few days.

Another Day, Another Project

I finished a set of gloves I've titled "Death of a Marshmallow", for a friend of mine, as a late/replacement Christmas gift, as hers was lost in the mail. It took me forever, to figure out how to get the gloves to work, and had chocolate-colored yarn to make them, but it just wasn't turning out properly. Then, I decided to grab my K-hook and add a second strand of yarn. Problem was, I had only one skein of chocolate. I needed to stash-dive, and FAST!

I ended up pulling out a white/cream variegated yarn, and decided to work with that. I've found that I love the chaotic variegation that the use of two different colored strands causes. And I finished the gloves. They aren't perfect, but I'm insane for perfection in my projects, but I'm going to send them anyway, and hope that she'll be forgiving.

I finished them last night, and was getting ready to set to work on something else, when my cousin stumbled upon the gloves, and the old prototype I'd made, months ago.

"OOH! CAN I HAVE THOSE?!"

I gave him the prototype, and promised him a pair. So now, I'm working on a pair of gloves in black and bright, bright orange, which I've deced to make two pairs of (One for him, one for me), and am calling "Pumpkin Suicide" (Though, his are entitled, simply, "Jack-o'-Lantern", because, well, he's nine.) So, I've got more projects to finish. Yay!

Wind Update

Got my confirmation number, yesterday. As of this morning, my Wind was shipped out, from California. I think this is the fun part: Watching to see where the thing has been, from the origin point, to my front door.

Can't wait for it to get here.

That's all, for today. Sorry.

News For the New Year

Well, knowing that I had some liquor, and ended up with a bit of a buzz going on, my New Year went much better than it could have. I spent most of it with friends, online, and it was good. Got many virtual hugs, and virtual kisses from everyone but the person I wanted one from.

Newsbit one, is that you'll notice I added a banner. That banner is to a site I am a member of, Points2Shop. Points2Shop is a site that allows you to do offers for points, which can then be spent on Amazon. The sister-site, Cashle, works the same, only you get money, which you can either withdraw or exchange for points (Note: You can NOT exchange points to money). At the very least, feel free to check it out. I can't force anyone to join, or to even join up on my referral link. All I can as is that people look at it, to see what it's like. The community, especially in the shoutbox is really helpful and great, and I can be found (as DeadlyGlories) helping out in the shoubox when the mood takes me.

Secondly, I just ordered a new Netbook, It's a ten-inch MIS Wind, and it should be arrivinig in two weeks or less. I'll post a full report once it gets here, and I have a chance to use it.

Anyway, late, and I can't type straight. Later!