Something New to My Blog

Before I got so involved with blogging, I was emerged in web graphics. I even have two web sites full of the stuff. [links at end of post] One of the graphics I used to make were “tiles” for people to use as a background for their web sites. I always enjoyed making them. They were easy, quick, and my visitors seemed to like them.

I have decided to start doing these tile graphics again, although now I am calling them “swatches“. Just click on the link at the top of this page to see what I have. Be sure to read the directions so that whatever swatch you pick will look right on your blog.

My Graphic Sites

Eloquent Illusions @   http://eloquent.50webs.com/

GJ Designs @ http://gjdesigns.50webs.com/

The Great Collapse ~ Welcome to Reality!

My son is currently living with his grandmother, my mother, because he cannot find a job, not even a temporary one. This is actually to my mother’s advantage because of projects she wants to get done at her home. My stepfather would help with a smile on his face but he has heart problems, diabetes, and is on oxygen. My mother was originally going to ask her son, my brother, but having her grandson there works out much better. My brother has his own family to take care of so his free time is limited.

Helping my mother out is a good thing. We have gotten so shallow that we think we should have everything and not have to do anything for anyone. It is a good time to learn humility.

On a much larger scale, the United States citizens in general are having problems with employment, repossessions, foreclosures, and other symptoms of what they [whoever they are] is calling a recession. From all the conversations I heard my parents and relatives have during the entire time I was growing up, what is going on seems to be an awful lot like The Great Depression of the 1930s.

A columnist at the Boston Globe, Robert Kuttner, thinks like I do but is calling it The Great Collapse this time around. You can read his thoughts here.

I will go one better. It seems to me that this happened way long ago as well to the Roman Empire. The first time they went under, they recovered, or at least thought they had. Then the civilization was swallowed up. This sounds like the U.S. to me.

Of course, the citizens of this great country cannot face this possibility. How can history repeat itself? After all, we are so much smarter now. Right? I doubt it. The same mistakes have been made throughout history and it is our turn now.

Personality Quirks ~ Introduction / Web Junk

I have not gotten as much done this past week that I was hoping to accomplish. I did not sit on my duff in front of the boob tube all the time either. I guess these past four months had been harder on me than I realized.

Sleep has been somewhat elusive for me. Of course, that has been a problem for quite some time but it has gotten a little worse lately. I think I might be harboring negative thoughts about some of the people at the rehab. center. In an attempt to get these feelings out in a more acceptable way, I have decided to start another series of posts that I was going to do while at the center and then dismissed. I might be able to get this one going for a while by panning out past the center.

I will not be just ranting about people who I dislike. That is definitely way too petty. I intend to do some research in the field of Psychology and Sociology as well. I will also discuss people that I admire and what I see as their personality traits. Maybe that will re-spark the interest I have had in going back to school to finish my education in Social Work.

~*~

I am beginning to miss being in the world of web graphics. I am somewhat stuck right now trying to get filters to work in my PSP program but I will figure it out eventually. I am making background tiles again in the meantime [calling them swatches now] and will be offering them on a page here at my blog in the very near future.

What Is With Diabetes?

Hubby was diagnosed with Diabetes a couple of years ago. My first thought when he told me was, “Well, this limits things!” But actually, it did not limit things all that much. As so many have said in articles in magazines and on the web, “It is a matter of making the right choices.”

I think the most difficult choice to make was to stay away from foods made with white flour and sugar. All those yummy things in the refrigerator section at the grocery store made by Pillsbury and Mrs. Wright are out. Crescent rolls, bread sticks, dinner rolls, Danish rolls, ready-made pie crusts are just a few of the things that Hubby cannot eat anymore. They are such lovely things for the taste buds. I cannot even use Bisquick!
Actually, I can use anything I want to use. Hubby just cannot eat everything I would fix if he were to stay healthy.

There are ways around all the white flour and sugar. Did you know that there are oodles of substitutes? There is a whole-wheat version of Bisquick, which means that Hubby can still have cobblers as long as use fresh fruit or canned fruit that is in its own syrup. He may not be able to have donuts or Danish rolls but he can have whole-grain waffles and pancakes. And of course, there are the sugar substitutes that are in the baking isle. Hubby will not have to go without his sweets.

One of the places I have been getting recipes from for quite a while is Taste of Home. Their website has articles and a whole section of recipes for people who have Diabetes. Betty Crocker has some interesting recipes too.

Going out to eat is more of a hassle now. We use to love to go to the out-of-the-way diners but most of those do not have meals on their menus that cater to people with Diabetes. Most of the fast-food places are out as well. One place that is still an option for a quick bite as long as we choose carefully is Taco Bell of all places.

Essentially, the diet for Diabetes is not all that bad. In fact, it is a good way to watch your weight as well. Since Hubby has been on the Diabetes diet, he has lost over 40 pounds. Because it is just easier if both of us eat the same things, I have lost 30 pounds. I could probably lose more but I cheat every once in a while.

Are you on a special diet for health reasons? Is the diet disrupting your life?

The Tuesday Event – My Escapades in Speculative Reality

Way back last May, I had started The Tuesday Event here at my blog. In June I found myself having to postpone this post because I was going to be away from home for the next four months from Sunday to Thursday of each week. So that I am not repeating myself, if you want to know more about The Tuesday Event, please click here to read my first post pertaining to this.

Second Recollection | Third Recollection

 

Fourth Recollection

People talk about this all the time. I am not quite sure if I believe it every time I hear it, but there are definitely times when something is telling me that the person really experienced it. What am I talking about? Death.

On July 4, 1972, I went out on a date with Robin. If my parents had known that he was five years older than me, I never would have gotten out the door. Even back then at the tender age of 17, I knew that I was not in love him but had been unquestionably enjoying the relationship with someone who was past the high school experience. Nevertheless, it was time to break it off. I had started a relationship with someone I felt was my soul mate. I did not want to lose Robin as a friend although chances were that was what exactly would happen. You have to give me credit for trying to salvage something from the good times we had spent together.

The evening started just fine. Robin was taking me to a drive-in movie. It was actually the perfect place for the conversation I had planned to have with him. I had been fighting a headache that entire day but I wanted to get this over with so I took an aspirin and hopped into Robin’s car. As the evening wore on, the headache got worse. I did tell him how I was feeling about our relationship and because of issues going on with him, he also thought we should back up and just be friends.

Shortly after that, while we were watching the movie, Downhill Racer, I passed out. The next thing I remember is being placed in the back seat of my parents’ car with my head resting in my mother’s lap. As the car backed out of the driveway down to the street, I felt myself go up. I was, then, in a dark tunnel moving to an opening that showed soft yellow light. As I moved on through this tunnel, I realized that I was not actually walking. No, I was not flying either. I could hear voices coming from the walls of the tunnel. Some of them were ones that I recognized although I could not place who they belonged to. Surprisingly, I was not afraid of the darkness or strangeness of the tunnel and the voices were just that, voices. Nothing sounded threatening. As I got closer to the light, it became more intent and slowly became a white light. As I reached out to see if the light was warm and translucent, I was gently stopped by some unknown force. At that moment, I was not there anymore. Where I was, I do not know.

I guess I was in and out of a coma for about a week and even after that, I was not very alert to what was going on around me. Had I faced death? I do not think I made it quite that far. I do know that since then, I have not felt any fear of death or dying.

I have not seen Robin since that time even though I tried to look for him.