Pasty, with a little bit of color.

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People get incredibly bored sometimes, looking at other people's pictures. But I took some pictures recently and I just have to post them. Humor me, okay?

I took the pics with my brand new USB microscope! How cool is that?

And please forgive me if I happen to be the closest thing to look at and take pictures of.

Something there is no shortage of in my house - cat food.




This is a wonderful thing called a spider vein. Ugh. It's on my leg and yes, I AM that pasty.




Embroidery on a top I was wearing.




I do not remember what kind of stone this is - but it is part of a bracelet.




Apparently sometimes part of my breakfast ends up on my shirt. Hence the piece of whole wheat bagel on my shirt.




Gross! A scratch on it's way to being healed from what else - a cat!




Part of a one dollar bill.




Cool! Some colors in the tattoo on my ankle.



Admit it - you want one now, don't you? A microscope, not a tattoo. Well maybe you want one of those too, I don't know. But the microscope is cool!

(I have gone back and taken out several exclamation points. You're welcome.)
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1967

In 1967 I was 8 years old. Here in Chicagoland, we had a wonderful blizzard and ice storm in January of that year. I say wonderful because I was 8 years old! I mean really, what more do you need to know? Can you imagine the delight in getting somewhere near 2 feet of snow over the course of 2 days? Magical!

Of course I did not have to drive in it, all I had to do was play in it. What a terrible job that was!

We have had more snow this year than in recent years, or so it seems to me. Never let my memory get in the way of the facts. Now we are waiting for more. The last time I looked outside it was raining, but it is supposed to turn to snow and do the worst damage between midnight and 7:00 a.m. Oooh, I can hardly wait! NOT. Not anywhere near '67, but north of the city they are forecasting possibly 8 to 12 inches by morning. Yikes!

I wanted to post some pictures of the snow but seeing as it's being rained on right now it wouldn't be very impressive. So instead I searched and found a few pictures from 1967 when snow meant staying home from school and endless hours in rubber boots, coats, and mittens with scarves over our faces. They aren't my pictures, but they are from that snowstorm from so long ago that some of us still have fond memories of. Only a few, but you'll get the idea.

Yes, pictures were still black and white back then. And so was the TV! Wanna make something of it?

Buried cars in Chicago, Lake Shore Drive and Foster Avenue.

People dug their cars out and started to get around, but mostly still on foot. One of my favorite memories of that snowstorm was once we went back to school there were fabulously high snow hills all along every street and on either side of every driveway. I have no idea whether the sidewalks were shoveled because we kids didn't take that route anyway. We climbed to the top of the snow hills and walked up there - sometimes falling through, rolling off, or stepping down onto driveways and scampering back up in the other side. I don't recall ever being tired or out of breath - or even very cold for that matter. It was a terrific time to be 8 years old!

Okay, I give. Pouting.

I have to admit that I have been getting carried away with my bells and whistles. I LOVE slide shows - before I found beaded jewelry I was obsessed with creating slide shows to use as screen savers. So when I found all the options on the Internet to create moving colorful displays of pretty stuff - I couldn't resist! But.

I realize it was getting a bit extreme. Too bad - I found another slide show thing today. So - I actually still have the pics but I moved them down to the bottom so you actually have to look for them, as opposed to them assaulting you while you are trying to read. See me pouting still.

I also removed a pic from yesterday's post and made the others smaller. I'm trying. Really. I just like bright and pretty things - and if they move - so much the better! But like Ysabel at work says - those kinds of things make some people's eyes go all twirly. Oh well. I don't think I'll stop messing with pictures, I will just try to keep the amount to a minimum and instead of adding more - I can just swap out the ones I have. Big sigh-h-h though. Wonder if there is a 12 step program ... ?

Still gonna close with a nice picture though. Don't want to stop that. Can't make me. (can you sense the pouting?)

Don't know where this is, but in looking back at the other landscape pictures I've posted, I really like blue. Really really like it.

Blogging makes me happy!

If you look on the right sidebar towards the bottom you will see "Modified by Blogcrowds". That is where I got the 3-column template, when I embarked on the HTML hell post. Since I did that - I have been posting on their forum with the bits and pieces I still needed to fix. Stavanger, the guy who the site belongs to - has answered all my posts and been most helpful! Tonight he gave me the code to fix the last problem I was having where the color on the right side wasn't reaching the edge - and it worked! I mean - I was able to exchange the old code for the new - and it worked! And believe me - I don't know anything about HTML!! So I wanted to say THANKS to Stavanger for being out there and being available for assistance with his templates - and for creating templates that give people the layouts and options they want for their blogs! If you have your own blog, you might want to check out his site for new templates and or help!

I realized today, that blogging makes me happy. Not because I'm touting my shop, selling my jewelry, not because it's a good online business decision - but because I love to write! I write like I breathe - it is effortless for me. I don't necessarily mean I write well like I breathe, just that I can write the way I speak and sometimes better. I enjoy it. So picture a little girl stepping onto a stage, onto a small raised platform all dressed in dance clothes and quivering with anticipation! There is a spotlight and it's ONLY on her - she is the STAR - no one else exists on her little platform. The light from the spotlight is in her eyes so while she believes there is an audience out there - she can't see them - so she imagines them all watching her dance and loving every bit of her performance. And in the end - it doesn't really matter if there is an audience to her, it is the performance that means the most.

Me, and my blog. :)

Also today, in Etsy forums, there was a thread posted about a guy named Mike who has his own website, kind of like Craigs list - and he is accepting free ad submissions. Woo hoo! I love that all the people (most) on Etsy are so encouraging and helpful to each other! Of course giving out Mike's website helps HIM too - I think he's just getting started - but we all need new places to get our names out there so I am happy to give his site a plug! It is called Tuningin.com - and I will put a link under "shops, sites, etc". Not only is the ad free - but you can load up to 5 very good quality and fairly large images along with your ad. For the life of me I can't locate the thread or I would mention the Etsian (sp?) who posted it! Good thing though, it all helps! Every place you can get your name, shop name - or even Etsy.com. Ads are good! Take a look at my ad! http://www.tuningin.com/?view=showad&adid=1337&cityid=16&lang=en
SWEET!
Loading these pictures on here that have nothing to do with anything is a total indulgence for me - but like I titled the flower pics - upper right - you can never have too much beauty. Enjoy!