Fleur de Lis is back, baby!

Innocent of all charges!

UPS came by this afternoon and handed over a big box. The inside was filled with mostly air and very heavy cardboard, but in a sliver of space was my Dell computer. That one that Milly plowed onto the floor. 

It's all better, which is great because I expected they would have to replace the whole thing. Nope, but there's a new hard drive and electrical outlet thingy and some plastic casing. That baby can do some damage!

Storms can bring in some beautiful clouds.
I love the way this one has that line of white reflecting the sun.

While my computer was away getting some geek love, I was just living large: a trip to the doctor with Richard, a day at the in-laws' with Richard, two hours (and $200) in Walmart with Richard. On occasion I snapped a picture, just because I knew this day would eventually arrive. And finally it has.

An old barn near the doctor's office. I just couldn't resist.

A pair of doves by Richard's shed.

Dead on the floor

While visiting last week, Milly decided to go the wrong way around the coffee table. Wrong only because between Milly and her toy were a few wires. Wires attached to electronic devices that,  it seems, cannot take a little fall.

She saw the wires. Slowed down for the wires. Then powdered through the wires.

I watched the entire devastation unfold sitting as close to the electronics as they were to the floor. Maybe two feet. Surely within arms length. I didn't move an inch. My body did not functuion. My brain was working. I know this because I remember thinking, "oh, #%^") as electronics slammed the ceramic-tiled concrete floor. 

One was the new (and still under warranty) computer. The other was a cheap printer that I have threatened to slam on a concrete floor. Hard. Funny how things work out.

Guess who won. Well, at least there's still a warranty. That means I am without a type-as-fast-as-lightning computer. Two weeks the Geek said. Maybe longer the Squad said. 

This is for the birds I say. My type-slowly-with-one-finger phone annoys me. It's a different finger, but still. See you in two weeks, maybe longer. 

Can close count in quilting?

I've been working on this big ole quilt for weeks now. I know, I know, it's taking me longer than I anticipated forever, but what can I say? I have a full time job that does not include time for quilting. 

For some reason there's this idea in places (where there are no teachers) that we teachers work from 8 to 3 and then we go home to eat bonbons do nothing.  Well, let me dispel that lie myth: I start work at 7 a.m. and, while I may not get paid after 3 p.m., it doesn't mean that Elvis I have left the building. 

In fact, on Monday and Tuesday I worked until 4:30, still teaching-- but at that time teaching the teachers. Some of our new people and a few of the older retired people who have returned don't know how to use the computer programs specific to education. Somebody has to help...it's said I'm a sucker patient mentor.

Then I spent an afternoon helping to repaint the big panther and letters on the front of the field house. I was there to support my art teacher/friend and our Betas. I was there for forever less than an hour, which was about five minutes of hell heat more than I can handle. But we survived and somehow finished the job. 
The panther is nothing short of ferocious. 

And last night. Well last night was my night to work slave at the football game. It was the first game of the season and our jamboree. The jamboree just happens to be the one time that all three high schools meet up on one field and play ten two games each. Sort of a tournament for the parish schools. Sort of the biggest night for the ticket booth. Sort of the longest night, too. Sort of includes some algorithmic math. Oh, the luck! (Who even knows what algorithmic means? Is it really a word? I may have to look into that.)

You know how hard it is for an English teacher to do math an entire night for four hours? Hard. No, real hard. Difficult. Herculean. So I decided to make a cheat strategy sheet: something to help me remember how much to charge. Multiplying 8's is not easy, especially when I don't have time to count on my fingers. 

I found an old bag and tore off a chunk, used my metallic Sharpie to write the algorithms multiplications and taped it to the wall where everyone could see it. Turns out that I wasn't the only one to conceal take a peek.  (Also turns out that algorithms is a word--meaning a set of rules for solving a problem in a finite number of steps. Yeah, I don't believe it either, but it's in the dictionary.)

Me...don't let the smile fool you! I looked
like a Mack truck had run over me at the end.

And that's my work week...a few extra hours at regular no pay. According to my algorithm, the total number of hours is nine, and then there are the two hours of grading papers. But who's counting, right? I'm a sucker a teacher...what matters is that I have summers off.

Internet Problems

are such a pain, aren't they? Especially when those same problems will 1) cost over $100 and 2) last for at least three more days. 

Ah, c'est la vie. 
Hopefully on Thursday we'll be back online. In the meantime, I do have 4G or something on my phone. Typing on the phone, however, is almost as bad as no wifi. See you on Thursday.

The Struggle Is REAL, y'all

Google+ and Blogger confuse me.  How do they work?  Surely, not hand-in-hand!

There! I've done it!  I've said the words.  Written them, actually.  It's not that it can't be done, but figuring out how Blogger and Google+ work together is difficult at best.  At worst it's an up-all-night-headache-induced-painful experience.  

Check this out!  Somehow I managed to highlight every "u" on the screen.  I have since x'ed out of that but I can't tell you what I did in the first place.  And that's just a little thing!

At 4:30 a.m. I was up trying to decipher the directions for embedding comments on the blog.  I'm getting practically no comments. However visitors have sent me emails saying they tried. At 5:30 I think I've finally figured it out and corrected the problem. It's very likely that all I've done is made a mess.  We shall see.

Yes, the struggle is real, y'all.

Pin It Weekly #105

I've developed a few cyber friendships with quilters in Australia. Apparently quilting has really taken there and blogging is part of the deal.  I thought I'd honor them this week with a few pins of places, people and things from Down Under.  Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: Although these beautiful pictures all say they were taken in Australia, there's no way I can guarantee that.  I simply searched Australia (plus --outback, --cities, --animals) on Pinterest to find them, but they may be labeled incorrectly.  In that case I apologize.

Kind regards to my Aussie friends!  Thanks for visiting so often.

Tutorial: Avoiding Identity Theft

Google images

I’ve read several articles recently about the dangers of using the same password(s) for several sites, especially when those sites contain private information.  Some of those articles are online, others are in magazines, and a few can be found on blogs.

One of the things that I was most interested in finding is out how to write a password so that hackers are less likely to get into information that can cause me grief.  Having been the victim of identity theft in the past, I really try to avoid it now. 

Now that I’ve done my research, I thought I’d save you the work of trolling through a slew of articles that seem to say much of the same thing: life is miserable once your identity has been hacked.  It takes months to figure out what damage has happened and to repair it.  The damage can include financial information, insurance info, medical records, criminal identity, driver’s license info, and even children’s identities.

There are steps to take to avoid identity theft, but I was most interested in writing a good password—one that hackers would have to work extra hard to break into.  Let’s start with what NOT to use: birthdates; names of pets, children and family; school and work info; other common information that you normally share with people.

Google images

So what to do?  Build your password using these steps:

Step 1: Begin with a phrase or sentence that you will easily remember.  It may be your favorite quote or something that you tell your children daily.  Any combination of words of 18 or more letters but does not include anything from the NOT list.  An example (which you will not use) is “The lamb was sure to go.”  Notice what is in this sentence: several words, 18 letters and an easily remembered quote.  Notice that I didn't use the first line of the nursery rhyme.

Step 2: Change some of the letters to numbers.  Since the letters a and o appear twice each, I’m going to remove all of them and insert the number 8 in their place.  “The lamb was sure to go.” becomes “The l8mb w8s sure t8 g8.”   

Step 3: Add two or more symbols.  I’ll add two symbols between the words.  “The l8mb w8s sure t8 g8” becomes “The l8mb$w8s sure%t8 g8.”      

Step 4: Change one letter to a capital.  I’ve already capitalized the first letter, so I’ll add one more in an unexpected place—the second s.  “The l8mb$w8s sure%t8 g8” becomes “The l8mb$w8S sure%t8 g8.” 

Google images

Step 5: Close the gaps. My password becomes “Thel8mb$w8Ssure%t8g8.” 

Now make it easier.  Yes, do that to keep your sanity. 

“Thel8mb$w8sSure%t8g8” is almost impossible to remember.  Oh, it’s a good password!  But it will do me no good if I can’t remember it.  So, I’m going to do two things to make it easier to remember.  First, I’ll reduce it to 18 objects within the quotes by taking out the two e’s.  “Thl8mb$w8Ssur%t8g8.”  Secondly, I’ll memorize it as two sets by splitting it exactly in the middle, “Thl8mb$w8 Ssur%t8g8.”  The reason for this is that the human brain can easily remember 5-9 symbols.  Also, I can switch the two sets to create another password, “Ssur%t8g8Thl8mb$w8” without having to memorize more information.  I've found trying to memorize a long string like this one is easier if I toss in some fun: every time I get a drink--water, coffee, tea, soda--I spend a few minutes memorizing the information. This gives me lots of opportunity to "study" and serves as a built in reward system.

One last note, do not leave the password on your computer or written down where a thief can get to it.  Once you’ve memorized the password, destroy the paper by shredding or burning.  Identity thieves often rifle through trash in search of information that will help them to build a profile for a potential victim.  Finding your name on one piece of paper, your address on another, a password on a third and so on, they can piece together enough of a profile to search additional information on the internet.  These folks will gladly pay for any site that will provide information about a victim.  Don’t make it easy for them to get started.

Google images

Additional Resources:

http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/my-money/2012/12/18/6-tips-to-protect-yourself-from-identity-theft

http://idtheft.about.com/od/Basics/a/The-8-Types-Of-Identity-Theft.htm

http://www.igrad.com/articles/8-types-of-identity-theft

http://www.protectmyid.com/identity-theft-protection-resources/types-of-fraud/common-types.aspx

My Pretties!

{said in my best witch voice}

I ordered new fabrics [cause, you know, I NEEDED new fabrics] from Sew Fresh Fabrics, which is closing its online store.  They have a 30% off sale to finish out the last of their pieces and now those pieces much be purchased in 1/2 cuts.  

There are no minimums and, as you can see from the flyer, fabrics are cut in chronological order as received.  I love, Love, LOVE my new fabrics!

So much so that I couldn't wait for my phone to recharge and took pictures by placing the fabrics on the floor and holding the computer as directed by darling hubs to get a snap.  

It weren't easy!  

But we made it work, and the pictures are no worse than when I normally take them!  

I did, however, have to crop out my feet.  Rich laughed at every attempt.  I think he had me squatting, shifting, and twisting just to see whether I would (or could) follow.  It was just a little too much like playing Twister!

And almost as fun!  Happy Quilting!

I'm back and Sunday Quilt Inspiration

Yes, my internet is up and running again.  Happy camper, I am, although it cost me two life hours to get it fixed.  Here's some irony for you--the anti-virus program I was using was preventing the computer from connecting to the WiFi.  Ah, the ironies of life!

So now to try to catch up with some of the posts that I couldn't put out, beginning with Sunday Quilt Inspiration since it's so popular.  
My apologies for the inconvenience, and believe me, it was!

This one is all about wood crafts: first the craft photo then the quilt that it could have inspired.  Hope you enjoy!