What I've been doing

Dragon Mood? -- busy

Italked to my son, Josh, the other day and he asked what am I doing with my time? I'm sure he was anticipating hearing about resumes and cover letters and job ads and all that sort of thing.

No, I'm learning SketchUp.

Which always reminds me of (whispering softly) 'ketchup' when I say it in my mind, but Google's SketchUp is a wonderful, 3D modeling software available online ... (here's the best part) for FREE!

So, here's the rest of the story.

My daughter, Lina, is thinking about building a deck in her backyard. She asked S and I to put some thought to designing a deck for her (and her live-in sweetie, Ron). Being a former designer and a visually-oriented person, I first did a rendering in Photoshop:




Well, then S suggested just HALF of a pergola, so I tried this:





I wasn't very happy with the appearance of this rendering (even after a couple of tries) and concerned that I really had the scale OFF. I downloaded Google SketchUp (hearing ketchup) and began to play with it. Pretty soon, I had this:



That's BETTER! This is a 12' x 20' deck with a pergola over half of it. I also exported a .png file out of SketchUp (hearing ketchup) and into Photoshop where I added the amateur-ish grass and the fuzzy impressions of the modest fencing surrounding Lina's backyard.

I showed it to S. She laughingly responded, "It looks like a houseboat! That's not right. Try something else. How about in the middle?"

(heavy sigh) Okay, I responded. Well, not really. I LOVE design challenges!

So, then I went to town yesterday in SketchUp (hearing ketchup). I completely redrew the model, using groups instead of individual entities, made new posts, moved the pergola over the center, created a rough-but-passable porch swing and basically had some fun while adding to my proficiency:



I was pleased with my learning curve in SketchUp but the deck and pergola design is not done. It's a HALF-BAKED CAKE at this point.

More to come, folks! But I'm really enjoying designing in SketchUp (hearing ketchup).

Small pleasures

Dragon Mood? -- excitedly endorsing

Where's Google Ads when you should have them? I have to chuckle at myself any time that I want to endorse a product here in my blog. Who reads it? I don't know. Do I care? Not really. But I DO want to tell you about this product.

About two months ago, I happened to pack in my purse one of those small, complimentary bottles of lotion that you get in hotels. I used it on my hands several times and came to LOVE the smell of it.

I wondered if I could find more of this stuff. Turns out, I can! It is Suave Hand & Body Lotion with Aloe. It's available at your local drug store. It is cheap. I just bought a big ol' bottle for under $3.00. Check it out. You will LOVE the smell of it! It smells clean and fresh. S says it smells like old-fashioned Ivory soap. I don't know about that, but I do LOVE it!

Earth Day 2009

Dragon Mood? -- celebrating and loving Mother Earth!

When I heard about "EARTH DAY" wa-a-yy back in 1970, I thought it was well-intentioned but kind of gimmick-y. Shows what I know, huh?

Happy Earth Day! Do your part! Let's all take care of sweet Mother Earth, whaddaya say?

Breastfeeding BENEFITS!

Dragon Mood? -- pleased

There's an interesting article published by the BBC stating that breastfeeding provides health protection not only for the baby, but for the mother, as well.

Here's are some numbers to back the article's claim:

Research has found that breastfeeding reduces a woman's risk of ovarian and breast cancer and osteoporosis in later life.

And the list of benefits for the baby is long, with breast milk credited with protecting against obesity, diabetes, asthma and infections of the ear, stomach and chest.

The latest US study, by the University of Pittsburgh, focused on nearly 140,000 post-menopausal women.

On average, it had been 35 years since the women had last breastfed - suggesting the beneficial impact lasts for decades.

As well as cutting the risk of heart problems, breastfeeding for more than a year cut the risk of high blood pressure by 12%, and diabetes and high cholesterol by around 20%.

I breastfed Caroline for a year and Josh for a year, as well. I loved every minute of it. Well-l-l, almost every minute of it. But seriously, given the opportunity again, I would breastfeed my babies (or even someone else's baby -- go, Salma Hayek!) in a HEARTBEAT!

And now, thirty years after the fact, to find out that I am STILL benefiting from breastfeeding my children, well, that's like the ultimate FROSTING ON THE CAKE! It's so lovely to hear some GOOD NEWS!

What day is it?

Dragon Mood? -- a bit confused

Because I traveled down here to the pied-a-terre two days later than usual, it feels like it should be Tuesday or Wednesday. Certainly not Thursday!

Yesterday, I contacted my former employer about a mix-up on my paycheck. Thankfully, I knew the HR person I spoke to, she was sympathetic and said she would try to get a new check cut for me ASAP.

I also revamped my resume, including my latest employment and the skills I used there, giving much less attention to my automotive product design skills. Funny, but with all this news about two of the Big Three facing bankruptcy, I don't think there's going to be much market for automotive designers any time soon.

And my confusion about the days is just a confirmation that I'm relaxing, letting go and actually trying to enjoy this time off. I'm giving myself permission to grieve the loss of my job and, unlike last time, I'm taking my time jumping into job-hunting. It's just feeling too soon, too early. Working on my resume was enough; actually, working on that felt just about right. Now, I know how Goldlilocks felt inside the three bears' house. FELT JUST ABOUT RIGHT.

Last night, S announced around 10 that she still had to mail her federal taxes. We took the five minute ride to a post office that was open until midnight. There were orange cones, police directing traffic and postal employees wearing special orange vests at the mailboxes taking the tax returns of the most hard-core procrastinators in metro Detroit. That's my honey: HARD-CORE!

Silver linings

Dragon Mood? -- focusing on the POSITIVE!

One of the advantages to being unemployed and not spending 40 hours a week hunched over two computers at work is that I now have the time AND the inclination to hunch over my personal computer, surfing, digesting information and blogging.

I have already posted 13, count 'em, THIRTEEN posts for the month of April, or since I was laid off from my job.

Hurray!

Same-sex marriage, timing and attitudes

Dragon Mood? -- intrigued

From the New York Times:

And now there are four. In the space of a week, the number of states allowing same-sex marriage has doubled, with Iowa and then Vermont joining Massachusetts and Connecticut. In California, gay and lesbian couples were exchanging vows for five months before voters put a stop to the practice in November. Californians are still talking it over, though, and loudly. New York and New Jersey may be next to debate the question.

... Court decisions on issues like school desegregation, abortion and same-sex marriage can raise questions about the judicial branch usurping the democratic process. But there are strategic issues as well. The Supreme Court not only decides cases but also decides which cases to decide. In jurisprudence as in life, timing is everything.

Even some strong supporters of abortion rights believe, for instance, that Roe went too far too fast and may have been counterproductive. One of them is Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

“The court bit off more than it could chew,” Justice Ginsburg said in remarks after a speech at Princeton in October. It would have been enough, she said, to strike down the extremely restrictive Texas law at issue in Roe and leave further questions for later cases.

“The legislatures all over the United States were moving on this question,” she added. “The law was in a state of flux.”

...The pattern on same-sex marriage, Professor Egan said, is that “Republicans react very opposed and Democrats react very, very neutrally.” As a consequence, he said, “opposition to same-sex marriage shoots up a bit in the month or two or three after a big court decision.”

Later, though, unless the decision is overturned, the public lives with the consequences and decides for itself. “Over time,” Professor Egan said, “people’s experience with the policy changes their attitudes.”

... “There has been a shift of about 10 percentage points in five years” in public support for same-sex marriage, Professor Persily added. “On a deep moral issue like this, that’s very rare.” Public opinion about abortion, by contrast, “has been largely frozen for years.”

The trend toward greater support for same-sex marriage is likely to continue, Professor Egan said. Part of it is generational: younger people are far more apt to support gay rights than older people. And part of it is a product of changing social attitudes.

Happy 33rd You-know-who-you-are!

Dragon Mood? -- a tiny bit sheepish


Yeah, I've got to admit that this is after the fact. I shoulda posted something about this before the weekend. Unfortunately, I didn't.

But I say better late than never. So here goes:





You have my heart ... completely!  I love you.

Lead on, Vermont

Dragon Mood? -- happy and hopeful

A second good-news story about gay marriage in one week?  Wow!  

From the Associated Press:

Vermont, which invented civil unions, on Tuesday became a pioneer again as the first state to legalize gay marriage through a legislature's vote, suggesting growing popular acceptance of the idea.

Bills to allow same-sex marriage are currently before lawmakers in New Hampshire, Maine, New York and New Jersey. The three other states that currently allow same-sex marriage — Connecticut, Massachusetts and Iowa — each moved to do so through the courts, not legislatures.

... Using the civil rights language of equality — the measure in Vermont was dubbed the marriage equality bill — could help make gay marriage more acceptable elsewhere.

Yes, yes, YES!

Insomnia

Dragon Mood? -- annoyed

Here's an announcement I'm sure you've been waiting for: I HATE having insomnia! I woke up around 4 a.m. for no particular reason, with tension in my left ankle and toes. S HATES when I crack my toes, so I did so as quietly and c-a-r-e-f-u-l-l-y as I could.

I lay there for another 15 minutes before I realized that I had to go to the bathroom. Ahh, the realities of a fifty-something bladder! But, I will focus on the positive: I'm not wearing Depends. Thank goodness! I'm not ready for that.

Here's some OTHER things I'm giving thanks for:

• My general health is good
• S is a loving, supportive partner
• We are very blessed; we have not just one house, but two
• Believe it or not, batteries. I turned off the TV and fired up our shortwave radio to listen to music yesterday. I was very thankful we had a couple of fresh C-size batteries to power it.
• I got my taxes done Monday. The bottom line is I'm getting money back. Hurray!
• For the pleasure of an unexpected call from my sister, Ruth. She called on her lunch hour and we had a lovely, "remember when ...?" conversation. I'm SO thankful for her.
• Essential oils. I've been burning a tealight candle under our scent diffuser and I so appreciate the lovely smells.
• Hot tea. Keeping me warm.
• Wool socks. Ditto.
• The internet. I feel like I'm part of something much larger than myself. I especially enjoy blogging and looking at intriguing/energizing/awesome photos on Flickr.
• Origami. In the process of doing my taxes, sorting through old papers, I found a snappy, hey-look-at-me brochure from Ethan Allen, an upscale Michigan furniture supplier. The brochure's larger format and heavier stock made for some very NICE origami boxes. Maybe I'll take some photos and post them.

H 24 B

Dragon Mood? -- remembering & celebrating

And if you're wondering what that means, it's meant for my niece, Jess:

HAPPY 24th BIRTHDAY, JESS!!

She was born on Easter Sunday morning, many, many years ago (just kidding)! Ask my sister!

Factoid for the day

Dragon Mood? -- proud to call myself a Spartan

While Michigan State's loss to North Carolina last night stings a bit, it was the tournament journey that aroused and propelled people all over the state to forget their troubles and unite in rooting for the Spartans.

Here's a fact I hadn't realized and one that speaks to how well Tom Izzo has coached the men's basketball team:

Michigan State had one national title and four Final Fours the last 10 years entering the 2009 tournament while North Carolina had one national title and three Final Fours. They have been the two most consistent, most successful programs through the last 10 NCAA tournaments.

My hat's off to you, Coach Izzo, and the entire Spartan team. Thanks for a GREAT March Madness!

Third state legalizes gay marriage

Dragon Mood? -- an emphatic YES!

Here's some exciting news from Iowa, as reported by the Associated Press:

Iowa's Supreme Court legalized gay marriage Friday in a unanimous and emphatic decision that makes Iowa the third state — and the first in the nation's heartland — to allow same-sex couples to wed.

In its decision, the high court upheld a lower court's ruling that found a state law restricting marriage to between a man and woman violated Iowa's constitution.

"We are firmly convinced the exclusion of gay and lesbian people from the institution of civil marriage does not substantially further any important governmental objective," the Supreme Court wrote in its decision. "The Legislature has excluded a historically disfavored class of persons from a supremely important civil institution without a constitutionally sufficient justification."

My first Etsy purchase

Dragon Mood? -- delighted

Once upon a time ... I learned about Etsy from my web-savvy, creative daughter ... who was setting up her own Etsy page.

Last Saturday, I made my very first Etsy purchase, these gorgeous earrings made by a talented woman known as msbelle:



They arrived the day after I was laid off from my job. What a lovely antidote to an unlovely experience! I'm wearing them now and I LOVE them!

I heard my name

Dragon Mood? -- still reeling in disbelief

Sitting here in my snuggly flannel pajamas, I heard my name called out on TV. Yeah, I did!

A TV broadcaster, reading the daily news items, announced that 658,000 people lost their jobs in the month of March. Wow, that's a lot of people! And then I realized, WOW, that's me, I'm one of those folks!

Can you tell I'm still adjusting to the brave, scary world of unemployment?

Coping

Dragon Mood? -- like I said, I'm in a coping mood and mode

Yesterday, in shock and my feelings bouncing around like overheated molecules, I cleaned. Cleaned with a capital C! I stripped our bed right down to the mattress, laundered all the linens, not only rotated but also FLIPPED our queen-size mattress all by myself (a.k.a. layoff energy!), vacuumed the floors, knocked down incredible spider webs (sorry, spiders) and whirled around the little pied-a-terre trying to dissipate energy in my disbelieving state.

Today, I woke at my regular wake-up time (5:20 a.m.) in an absolute panic that I had overslept. Then I remembered. (heavy sigh) Oh, geez.

I couldn't summon layoff energy for a second day so I spent a lot more time today at the computer. Particularly, I Photoshopped. I knew it would be good therapy for me. I worked on the cute little dragon image at the top of the right-hand column on this page. I'm very pleased with the results.

Bad News

Dragon Mood? -- shocked

In this time when it's almost impossible to listen to any media source and not hear bad news, ... well, I've got my own story to tell now.

Yesterday, the last day of March, I was laid off, sacked, given the boot; however you want to say it, I am now unemployed.

And this is no April Fool's joke. I wish.

(heavy sigh)

We were cautioned about six weeks ago that layoffs were coming. At the beginning of February, however, I was given a merit raise for my job performance. I was sent to three days of training in March for an upcoming software update. Would you conclude that you were targeted for layoff based on those actions? I wasn't.

So, honestly, I was surprised. Shocked actually. As my boss's boss greeted me in a conference room with the requisite Human Resources person, my heart began to pound. I thought for sure they could hear it, it was so loud in my chest. I just wanted to cry out, "No, no, NOT ME!"

So, I am now unemployed. I join the ranks and crowds and hundreds of thousands of people out of work. Small comfort in not being alone.

Damn!