Comfort level

I've reached a certain comfort level; or perhaps it's more of a confidence level. I've just added a second slide show and I think I'm proving myself a bit of a vain person. I am having fun with this as I become more at ease in editing text and characteristics of the photo albums and shows.

It's been a great learning weekend....and I still have another day to go!

I just got back from a two-day 'Affordable Health Care' conference put on by AFSCME. It was excellent. The premise is that every American deserves guaranteed affordable health insurance with a choice of public or private plans that cover all necessary medical services paid for by taxes on employers and individuals on a sliding scale. The message AFSCME is working to get across is that no one should have to pay more than 5% of their total household income on health care. This would cover all family members.

I treasure my weekends and alone time, but I can say this was time well spent and I am willing to dedicate free time to help clean up this systemic health care mess through education and yes, more door knocking, informational meetings, and contacting my legislators. It feels good to get fired up about something now and then! I've already called my senator and representative, and, on the way home, stopped at one of 'my' coffee shops, talked with the owner, and dropped off some promo buttons, cards and legislator contact postcards...

At the conference I was telling others about this '23 Things' project and what it incorporated. Some of the people were from Health and Social Services, school staff, and corrections around the state. They were quite taken by the learning project.

another widget...

I just added a visitor counter.....three days ago I didn't know what a site widget was. Question, though - how much spam am I going to be receiving because of registering for various 'things'? How open am I to viruses because of '23 Things'?

It's all serendipity from here on.....

I'm no longer going to try to keep the 23 things in order or even list the individual 23 things in the subtitles. Prizes are nice, but I'm having fun just 'creating and building' as I find the link in the time that I have. I just created two widgets...one is 'random titles from my library' and the other creates an opportunity for others to check my bookshelves for a specific title without having to log into 'LibraryThing'. However, your checking is for curiosity only, as I no longer lend books.

..oops!

I see I misspelled 'graffiti'; though I edited in Picture Trails, I can't seem to connect it to my blog slideshow.

Slide show is on...

I used Picture Trails. I will delete BigHugeLabs. BHL felt too intrusive for me in all the 'signing away'. Picture Trails was fairly direct and easy to build. I liked having a variety of displays. Perhaps BHL had them and I just was not seeing them. Anyway, the slide show is at the bottom of my page. I wanted it on the side, but it was too big for the margin.

Art and books are made to share space. To that add people who appreciate the two and elicit great conversation and I have the perfect setting!

I'll soon do another slideshow with people and places. I must say, I am enjoying this.

About the slide show....

I used BigHugeLabs and the result is nothing as I had expected. I'll leave it in and try something else tomorrow. I want a slide show that is right on my page, not a link and this huge black background...it is not a pleasing layout. I'll find another way...and take some new photos (I dearly need a sunny day....for photos and my disposition!)

Aha! Flickr Spell

Ethnic Studies

What would I ever do without LibraryThing.com!!? I've not gone so far as to spine label my books. I'm always curious how people categorize their home libraries.

Ethnic Studies
Originally uploaded by finnflix

I knew a bookkeeper who had one book collection and her husband had another. Neither was a librarian, but one used Dewey and the other used the Library of Congress.

Another person arranged her books in the order of purchase and wouldn't read one until the last book purchased was read. Someone else arranged hers by color. I'm content with subject (Folktales/Folklore/Fairytales, Fiction/Literature, Sociology, Political Science, etc.) and when warranted, author: books by and about (Fitzgerald and Zelda, Reynolds Price, Alcott, Wharton, etc.)

Books and prints give me pleasure

home library 016
Originally uploaded by finnflix

This wall is mostly general religion, Judaica, Quaker, Russian and French authors and Minnesota. The prints are art notecards I found at the Museum of Russian Art - if you haven't visited it yet (in Mpls) you are missing some powerful art and history.

home library

home library 003
Originally uploaded by finnflix

I rent the second floor of a Victorian. The rooms are smaller than I would like, but the traffic pattern is great -especially for political fundraisers. I can register the people downstairs, direct them into one door, get food and meet others, and out the other door. We have a nice porch where people can sit and engage in conversation while a new crowd wends their way around.

In the 1890s this room was the master bedroom - or perhaps solely for the woman of the house. I first filled up the closet with bookshelves and then I filled the dressing area. Then I came out to the bedroom itself and filled all the walls. A visitor once admitted she felt overwhelmed by all the books. It's my most lived in room....I just don't have room for my loom or a desk in it....and I'm still trying to be creative with other storage/shelving - on the cheap side.

home library - Alcott shelf

home library 013
Originally uploaded by finnflix

I'm adding library photos, not knowing exactly how they'll appear. Later I can learn how to move them about in a different placement....maybe. This is a small section of shelved odds and ends. I have models of NYC's Shirtwaist Factory (a Boym piece) and of the Flatiron Building. My son lives in New York City and it holds a very special place in my heart and life.
I seem to collect pottery also. The clay piece with barbed wire is something I made 10 years ago in my college pottery class, expressing emotions on Kosovo.

Thing #4: Flickr

I welcome Flickr as a photo, communication tool. I transferred a number of photos from my digital to my new Flickr account. I added one photo to my blog page....it's of my cat, Sophie. So, since I had used Sophie as my signature blog name, am I writing as my cat, or am I my cat's alter ego?! I may rethink this; as several persons have already noted, coming up with titles and names seems to be the most difficult piece.

Saving to sets was very easy; I confused comments and tabs briefly. I'm going to concentrate next on creating a slide show or some way to display photos in little groups. I'm wondering about choice in placement on my blog. Can the group shows be done on the side bar in my template instead of at the bottom.

I'll add Julie's 23 Activities...to my feeds. Also, another person recommended 'Inside of a dog...'. These two people seem to have soared in what they have done, and so quickly.

I will appreciate using Flickr in sending photos to family members around the country, as well just friendly e-mails. I'll learn to transfer them, also, to my LibraryThing site. Some of the steps and directions can be frustrating, indeed, but if I walk away for a while, ask the people who have found the answers, and even if I'm allowed to whine a little to release my impatience, the result happens.

I added the link element today. I like personalizing my blog with links. It's sort of like introducing my friends to other friends and family so they can all get to know each other; and in the process, get to know another side of me.

Sophie, aka 'Miss Thing'

home library 002
Originally uploaded by finnflix

Sophie adopted me when she was a stray in Ottumwa, Iowa and I was living a five year stint in Oskaloosa, Iowa. She is an extremely intelligent and social creature. Her loves are me, Sam, and Dean; snuggling in cradled arms; and her vet, Dr. Patrick Ryan of Saint Paul, who saved her from a near death experience several years ago.

smatterings on 23 Things

After all my doubts, I find that I did create my RSS correctly....my expectations of what it would be and what to expect of it were different than what it actually is. Yes, I read the material and I viewed the video, so please, no snarky comments.

I'm working on photos right now. I have them saved from my digital camera and will be saving them in Flickr....I first needed some distance from 23 Things and went to lunch. Julie. of 'Julie's 23 Web Activities on a Stick' has been extremely helpful; yea, Julie!! She has patience I lack right now. I detest having to go from one screen to umpteen others to do what I want (ok, it's an exaggeration); having to wonder and check what I can/should/have to download and install; having to register for this and for that. Maybe I'm just tired after working on caucusing and campaigns and stuff!

Knowing me, I know I will, in a day or two exclaim how easy and wonderful all this is....and I really like learning it....just too much verging off to read this and that and do other 'real' work in between.

I really think instructions could be better written - and then have someone who has no knowledge of the process read and test before publicizing the instructions.

I'm looking forward to getting the photos up, and then some links.

An aside....

It's Wednesday morning and I am wiped out! Last night drew an outstanding and record turnout for precinct caucusing. I am precinct chair in a district that has a history of low voter turnout. Last night in this precinct (like most of Minnesota) surpassed any records.

What especially gives me a 'high' this morning is that we finally achieved diversity within the precinct leadership. This, I'm sure, will encourage people of color to participate more; especially at the grassroots level. For way too long, what I have seen at SD and state political meetings and conventions is a large sea of white faces. Last night, I did indeed, see 'change'! My thanks to EVERYONE who showed up, whether you voted and left or stayed for the resolutions. My thanks to all who became delegates or alternates. My appreciation and thanks to all who persisted through hordes of other caucusers and the horrendous parking! YOU are my America!

Thing #3: RSS,,,,it almost did me in!

At first I thought it was me, but I learned others had problems deciphering the RSS instructions. I read all the material and it still didn't make sense to me; I came back another day....and another....today it made sense. I'm game for rewriting the RSS instructions. I'm relieved to go on to the next step. I'm in doubt yet whether going to my reader to check 'regular' sources is really something that will work for me...but in another month I'll know better.

Perhaps I don't jump around on the web as much as many others do, but I wonder if it's actually just as fast for me to go directly to the website in question...I do realize that I can avoid the sign in.

I've added a few more feeds and I'm more pleased with the page appearance. I wonder if it's possible to create a 'click and drag' to move items from folder to folder instead of going to the item blurb and 'change folders'?

Time will likely reveal me to be an adept and regular user of RSS.