I need something to unwind with when I'm not working on college so I'm back to beading. I made this fabulous bracelet with a pattern from my favorite bead lady in Mapunapuna. It's even more awesome because it is semi-circular (or half moon) shaped. There is a flat lattice of seed beads against your wrist and then a semi-circle of crystals on top. Fabulous!

Tags: crystals, jewelry
Current Mood: accomplished

Once again I'm sad to say I'm from Lousy-ana.

"Interracial couple denied marriage license in La."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091016/ap_on_re_us/us_interracial_rebuff;_ylt=AiYRKQ3ofIgaBnBtTJ3fjjKs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTM3c3FoZjUyBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMDkxMDE2L3VzX2ludGVycmFjaWFsX3JlYnVmZgRjcG9zAzgEcG9zAzUEcHQDaG9tZV9jb2tlBHNlYwN5bl9oZWFkbGluZV9saXN0BHNsawNpbnRlcnJhY2lhbGM-

I would ask is it possible there are still people this openly backwards, but I know the answer is yes...

Current Mood: angry

I went on Lostpedia (http://lostpedia.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page) tonight to research something else and discovered there is another new Lost game about to lauch...http://lostuniversity.org. I took the placement test and only scored 15/23 correct so I had to watch Lost 101, a brief orientation video. I did learn/remember 1 thing. I think the massive statue was Sobek, the Egyptian crocodile god. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sobek ("some Egyptians to believe that he was a repairer of evil that had been done")

Current Mood: excited

Luckily I can still do all of the below things without it actually getting colder here in Hawaii.

You Are a Pumpkin Pie Baking in the Oven

You love to feel comforted and relaxed. For you, fall means turning inward and remembering what matters in your life. Fall rings in the time of traditions, and you embrace each and every one of them. Whether you're decorating for Halloween, cooking for Thanksgiving, or planning for Christmas, you really get into the season. You love sharing this time with your friends and family. You like to make new and lasting memories.

Apparently Stephen Colbert is able to win competitions on the interwebs without even talking about it on his show. There is a "cutest dog" competition going on (http://www.cutestdogcompetition.com/index.cfm) and "Stephen Colbert El Dos" won week 8 because of his name.  The owner of Mozart complained he was losing even though he was named after a famous person, but unfortunately there is no "Mozart bump." 

http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/wayoflife/09/26/colbert.dog.million.dollars/index.html

Current Mood: amused

www.talkingpointsmemo.com/documents/2009/09/fed-judge-warns-birther.php

Yes I know that title sounds like an oxymoron, but it's true. Orly Taitz, one of the "birthers" who keeps coming up with preposterously faked Kenyan birth certificates for Obama, filed suit to keep an Army doctor from being deployed to Iraq. The judge points out, among other things, this doctor has no problem serving under Obama as commander in chief so long as she is allowed to do so some place safe--like the US.

He further goes on to tell Ms. Taitz that if she files another case in his jurisdiction she faces sanctions.

Current Mood: amused

I stumbled across this when reading a synopsis of the week's news on time.com


Our Nerd President brandishes a lightsaber after a fencing demonstration on the White House lawn today during a photo op to promote Chicago's bid for the 2016 Olympic Games.

Current Mood: giggly

Current Mood: amused

I found a great website this morning on the Time.com list of 50 great websites in 2009. (Some on the list were obvious...like google.) So I went to www.kiva.org which allows ordinary people to get in on the microcredit market. You can choose an entrepreneur in the developing world (or even here in US) to loan $25 to. Each borrower has a profile explaining what they need the money for and how much they need. Your $25 donation is bundled with the donations of others around the world until they reach the needed amount and a local bank administers the loan. You don't earn interest, but 97% of the loans are repaid and when your loan is repaid, you can donate to another worthy cause or withdraw the original capital into a PayPal account.

I donated to a family in Kyrgystan who needed money to buy more meat for their roadside kabob stand for example...

I need to be reminded how blessed and fortunate I am. Yes, I'm looking for a new job with better hours in my organization, but I still have a job. There are millions of people who would be thankful to have any job at all...

Current Mood: grateful

Robot attacked Swedish factory worker
Published: 28 Apr 09 10:12 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/19120/20090428/

A Swedish company has been fined 25,000 kronor ($3,000) after a malfunctioning robot attacked and almost killed one of its workers at a factory north of Stockholm.

Public prosecutor Leif Johansson mulled pressing charges against the firm but eventually opted to settle for a fine.

"I've never heard of a robot attacking somebody like this," he told news agency TT.

The incident took place in June 2007 at a factory in Bålsta, north of Stockholm, when the industrial worker was trying to carry out maintenance on a defective machine generally used to lift heavy rocks. Thinking he had cut off the power supply, the man approached the robot with no sense of trepidation.

But the robot suddenly came to life and grabbed a tight hold of the victim's head. The man succeeded in defending himself but not before suffering serious injuries.

"The man was very lucky. He broke four ribs and came close to losing his life," said Leif Johansson.

The matter was subject to an investigation by both the Swedish Work Environment Authority (Arbetsmiljöverket) and the police.

Prosecutor Johansson chastised the company for its inadequate safety procedures but he also placed part of the blame on the injured worker.

Current Mood: shocked