Swine Flu

Did you hear? About the swine flu? Of course you have. The swine flu is at level 5, one step from being considered a pandemic.

Is this something we should really worry about? Does this deserve all the hype the media is giving this topic? The swine flu has hit Oregon, earlier than expected.

It's too bad that this kind of attention is not given drunk driving (one person in the US is killed every half hour because of a drunk driver). What if this type of attention was given to other types of communicable diseases?

Remember to ALWAYS (not just when the swine flu is possibly present): wash your hands after using the restroom, after shaking hands, before eating, before touching your face or mouth, after touching items open to the public (doorhandles, etc.). Cover your coughs and sneezes. Get away from those who are coughing and/or sneezing.

The next thing to consider: what kind of a fashion faux paux would wearing a surgical mask be? I'll only wear it if everyone else is.

Technical Difficulties

I cleaned up the shield I did for my church with my drawing of St. Michael. I stretched the words so they are no so distorted, changed the lips so they are not so fat, evened out the face some, changed some of the shading in random places, and lightened the armor so St. Michael does not look like a warrior child.

However, I am not sure why that line is there. I'll have to crop it out.

There's Another Cat in the House?

The weather has been a little warm lately, so Kyle and I opened up the backyard door. However, we didn't notice the screen door was also open.

About an hour later, Kyle noticed a black cat in our house. Then he asked where our cat was. We both got up and went out back and called her. We then hear a "jingle, jingle, jingle..." growing louder as the cat approached our house. The black cat was on the patio.

Later the cats started crying to each other through the screen door. When the cries turned to howling and hissing, Kyle tried to close the patio door and the cat got mad and freaked out. Needless to say, someone was on a time-out tonight.

What Holding a Panda Will Cost You

Do you have $125 for 2 minutes of excitement? If so, the Chengdu's Panda Breeding and Research Center will let you hold a panda on your lap for the full 120 seconds.



This would be totally worth it for me if I knew I would not feel bad about spending that money on the experience. Realistically, though, $120 can feed a family, pay a couple of my bills, buy Christmas presents, or buy some really great books.

I wonder how much it would cost to just pet a panda.

No Peace with Warm Weather

When the weather gets better, the neighbors come out. I don't have ordinary neighbors. They are the all-day stoop-sitting kind. There are at least two adults out and one small child and constant yelling. The adults don't yell at each other during the day. That happens at night after a few beers in the summer. These people sit there and yell at the kid(s) and then the kids yell back all day and drive around in their kid-sized battery-powered car that whirls all day until bed time.

I have no idea how these people can stand doing this all day. Why don't they have a job? Uugh.

Fire in My Throat

Funny thing: I swallowed my gum yesterday. I haven't done that in a long time; ever since I was a kid. It was weird.

Even weirder, I woke up this morning with my throat feeling like it was on fire. No, it did not hurt. It felt hot. It still feels hot. I think I'm turning into a dragon.

Win with Charter

Do you like free things? Last year Charter.com had a sweepstakes where customers won gaming systems and a hybrid car. This year Charter is giving away a chance to win a 52-inch LCD flat screen TV, a theater system for the home and a year’s worth of free service to new customers who order through their website at Charter.com. New and upgrading customers also have a chance to win a 22-inch TV everyday during the month of April. This is not a bad deal considering the upcoming switch digital TV in June.

Charter offers an easy-to-use website customers can use for their cable with HD programming, internet, and telephone services for home or business. They have also created service bundles to help one save money and provide better customer care that meet clients’ needs. Cable services include On Demand and DVR with more DH channels. The high-speed internet products are reliable and include wireless connections. Telephone services also let customers have unlimited local and long-distance calls without changing your current telephone number. Charter.com lets customers check their email, pay their bill, review channel lineups, get help, review announcement from Charter, and see their locations.

Charter is now on Twitter so they can let followers know about promotions, new products, and sweepstakes.

Getting the Hang of Pen Tablets

I got a pen tablet for my birthday that I can use with my computer. I did the tutorial this week and am getting the hang of it. My first project is working on a logo for my church, which you can see above. It took me at least 6 hours to do. Yeah: I'm slow...I'm a beginner. No bad for my first picture, though.

I can't wait to get better!

Cats and Facebook

My cat just had to go and make herself a Facebook page. Good grief.