On Sophie Lancaster:

I guess I’ve been thinking about looks because last week someone asked me to post this YouTube short about Sophie, the girl beaten to death in 2009 for looking different.

This animated film is less than four minutes long and was made for schools and other social groups to show and talk about with young people. It is to get kids to think before acting out on others just because they look different.



They are looking for as many hits as they can get and support also if you are so inclined to help them spread the word of tolerance.

As always you can click on the YouTube logo in the corner of the screen to go to YouTube to watch this and/or get the Embeding info for your blog. (If you have never posted a video from YouTube before, click on the Embed button under the video and simply copy and paste the info from the box into your blog. Done!)

So, if you have a blog please post this video there. If not, just take the time to watch it through and maybe tell your friends about it. Violence in this film is at a minimum. (Caution, you may want tissues with you before you start watching.)

Here is a link to the making of this film for those that want more back ground info.

If the video is cut off on the side the link for it is here.

On Blog Maintenance Reminder:

Some of the blogs I read have last year as their copy right date still on them. Time to update the blogs to keep current and protected now that we are in the new year.

By the way, last year it was February before I remembered. This time I did it the first time I was on the computer in the new year. It helps to have reminder cards.

Good blogging everyone.

On Getting Lost in a Galaxy Far, Far Away:

I found my TV version of Heaven. (Okay, one of them anyway. Hulu has The Addams Family TV Series for free.)

Watch Star Trek Episodes Free or Watchtrek.com (www.allstepisodes.com)

You to can watch all the Star Trek Episodes for free there.

Who ever put this together is doing it in a good will way.

No Money. No downloads. No email address and password access. Just click and watch for free. It is just no frills treking for free.

No commercials interrupting. He even apologizes about the few adds on the outer screen. He even has links for pop-up add blockers if you are having trouble with that. (And you can always do the small screen thing and hide the banner adds from yourself, like I do at times.)

I’ve never been to a Star Trek Convention, though my son used to go.

I don’t have a favorite character, I do have my likes and dislikes.

I just love this stuff as a whole.

All the TV Series in one place for free.

You can find me there for the foreseeable future. If I can pull myself away from the episodes long enough, I might even get into the forum there.

Star Trek - Original Series
Next Generation
Deep Space Nine
Voyager
Enterprise

What a lot of Star Trek enjoyment I have in store.

On Goth by the Link:

A few weeks ago I changed my home page to igoogle. I played around with the apps for the page and came up with the combination I liked. I had a pet spider for a few days and named her Homer. (Thirty points if you get the reference.)

One of the apps I chose from a long list, under the add stuff button, was ‘Goth - Goggle Blog Search’ and it gives me up to nine blog/websites that use the word ‘Goth in their post.’ This list changes about three times a day.

It was not so much of a Goth run blog finder as a search engine for the word goth. So, I got all sorts of people using the word goth as a catch word, people using the word goth to mean anything with the use of black, and also those with anti-goth sentiments.

Still, some very good, pro-Goth sites got through.
I found ‘Bats! Meow,’ a small internet business of goth clothing including those for babies and kids. What caught my eye was a pretty gray and black lace Goth Christening Gown from there. This gown was being mocked by a mommy blogger who has yet to understand that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

I also found Goth Ilk, Catch Goth Style, Confessions of a Fabulous Fat Chick, and Tatted Adventures of a Complicated Girl who although is not goth herself has some very pretty tatted jewelry for sale that some Goth girls could die for.

There are some depressing Goth blogs full of death poetry and doom. Other blogs just trying to sell Goth fashion to the masses. And the ‘I am the definitive Goth and I will tell you what is wrong with all other Goths out there’ bloggers. But for the most part I am having a good time finding the better ones on the web.

On YouTube there are Goth cartoon series like Gothkyd and video blogs like Miss Hannah Minx.

I did find one blog that stood out for me as an information tool. ‘The Goth Blog - Brought to you by Trelli at BlackwaterFall.com.’ This is a nice combination of info, Goth news and a bit of fun.

Click on the BlackWaterFall.com link on the side and you get more info in a well grouped way. The ‘View the Types’ tab is really nice to find an ever growing variety list of Goth sub types that make up most Goths as a whole. Most like myself are a mix. Click on the type and you go to the page where that type is explained. Easy, nice and informative to the Goth and Non-Goth alike.

There is also a link on the links page of the above site to get you to that much beloved site ‘Gothic Charm School.’ Like its name says, it teaches how a Goth can put his or hers best foot forward. And there is now also a book on the subject by the same Author.

I do wish the app was more selective, replenished itself more often, and I got less Goth haters in the mix, but for now I’ll keep the app. I’ve found some very nice and helpful Goth people out there that I hadn’t found by just hunting and pecking around the web by myself.

On Feeling a Little Winter Chill:

It is cold here. There is a point on the scale of comfort that I don’t like to pass. Yesterday we reached that point. I do not care how silly, stupid or un-cool it looks. I have dressed the windows in bedding.

Almost all the windows have plastic on them. (We do have to have fresh air to breath and to burn the fire in the wood stove with.) Every window on the north side of the house now has an extra layer of blankets or sheets or even table clothes on them day and night. On the other sides of the house they come down only when the sun is shining in on that side. And if the sun is shining I open the curtains wide to let the warmth in.

Yes, the house feels a bit like a living in a cave. Especially on the cloudy days. But it is only for a few days really. Sheets don’t block that much light. And they really do help the temp go up a bit. I do find myself taking a peek out every now and again to have my view back, but I like the warmth better.

The colder it is outside the faster the fire in the wood stove burns and although that means some more heat, it also means that the wood is used up faster and the air being pulled through the house to the fire to keep it going is faster and colder. There is a point when it doesn’t heat as far into the room much less into other rooms. It’s a heat going up the chimney faster thing because of the heat differential.

I don’t care about the math. I go to bed with hot water bottles for my feet and back. (Recycled plastic drinking water bottles in a sock, thank you.) In the day I can wear two pair of socks on my feet in my slippers, extra layers of clothing and sweaters, and I can wrap my hands around a warm cup of tea in my fingerless mitts. It’s the getting into and out of the bathtub that is the killer of my day. I shiver for over an hour and want to sit right on top of the wood stove.

I’ll even admit to skipping days as the cold settles in because, 1. I’m not into torturing my self in that way and 2. I’m not sweating in this cold so I don’t feel the need to wash as often. But I do still need to change my clothing.

This brings about a new ritual of warming the clothing before doing the Houdini like quick change into my cloths in the morning and ‘jammies at night. But much as I dislike the bitter cold I hate hot and humid more. So don’t tell my to move south it ain’t gonna’ happen.

So I’m just sitting here trying to keep my perspective about a little winter chill. Burrrrrrrrrrr!

Hi friends,

A double posting today. I just got thru reading the other blogs I look in on and Fallen Angel & Hidden Demons reminded me about RavensBlight 's web sight.

On it he has a Toy Shop full of free printable paper toys and scary masks to make.

If you are looking for a last minute costume mask and have a printer you are in luck. Even if you are not it is a great site to look in on.

Sincerely, Lady Euphoria

On Some Motherly Advice:

Some of the people at the get together on Saturday night had small children. And with the economy causing most everyone to cut back and they were wondering how to approach their kids about the smaller portions under the tree.

I will credit my mother with this one. She always told us when we asked how come some kids got more then others and no one got everything on there list from Santa. She said, “Santa didn’t want children to love him more then their own parents so he never gave more then the parents could afford. And that it was the only way Santa could be fair since he wanted every child to have the best Christmas that they could have.”

I always thought it was a good answer and have passed it along to my religious and secular friends over the years. That and, “Don’t go into debt to give your kids every little thing that they see and want. Children are the happiest when in a stable comfortable home no matter what the income level of the family.”

I can see it already in the stores parents stressing over how much each Halloween costume piece costs, multiplied by each kid in the family. Hearing mothers and fathers trying to talk ‘Junior’ into being a ghost or a hobo like when they were kids.

Most of the kids when they were told straight out that there just wasn’t enough money for the extras resigned themselves to doing with less. In fact some were proud to be included in the decision on not getting the costume of choice once they were reassured that it would be okay as long as everyone made some little cutback like not buying costumes this year.

My own kids never had a bought costume in there lives. A little makeup and come creative dressing changed who they saw in the mirror and that was enough. Because it was tricking the home owners out of candy by being someone else, that was the point at our house. Not being the latest super hero or cartoon character. There were already too may of them walking around don’t you know.

I hope all holidays are good holidays at your house.

On Things Important:

Please don’t be turned off because I won’t be doing this often at all so bear with me this time. This is important! And for those of you who already do this I thank you.

I don’t know if the immediate need of the web site itself is still strong. But I do know it is a good cause so I’m getting behind this. Free Mammograms for those in need.

It is free to do and all you need to do is point and click once a day to this website The Breast Cancer Site. Once there click on the large pink button and wait a moment for conformation. All done for today. You just gave a free mammogram to someone in need.

The site is filled with advertising that is paying for the mammograms. You don’t have to buy a thing. (You can if you want to of course.) These business’ are paying money to place their advertising and that money is paying for the mammograms.

So even if you never think about it or just don’t like to, cancer is out there and people need your help. It only takes a few seconds of you time.

Please bookmark the website and click it each day. If not, you can always use the link I have on the left side of my blog. You will be saving a life. Because if the cancer is not caught early with a mammogram it will spread and it can kill.

I know some of you are thinking, ‘Lady Deathwatch behind saving a life?’ But that is the beauty of the thing. We all die in the end, we don’t get out of this alive, but we don’t all have to died from breast cancer if we get it.

On another subject, I am still sick in bed but I promise pictures tomorrow. And don’t forget to click the link.

On Getting Through Tough Times:

Well the dog is doing better. Not all better but better. If you missed yesterday blog that will explain it. Thanks for asking.

Prices keep going up and that brings a frugal person like me to tears. We keep on getting less for more. And to top it off the vegetable garden keeps on taking hits. Too much rain, hail damage, seed that just didn’t sprout, and slug and bug damage. This hurts a lot because as part of our do it yourself lifestyle, we depend on those veggies to get through the year.

There is quite enough doom and gloom to go around. And things look like they will get worse before they get better. So I’m open to any tips for doing more with less and I’ll share them with all of you here.

We will try to get extra uses out of what we do have. Like clothing that is ripped and worn out being made into quilts, remades and rags so we don’t have to by as many rolls of paper towels. As to remades, holes in knees make the pants into shorts, holes in elbows made into short sleeves or sleeveless. Or something else entirely, pants leg bottoms made into small bags to keep things organizes, hats, fingerless gloves, etc. Even cut into strips and knitted into rugs and other things. And stained clothing will get dyed or appliquéd over.

I will serve more leftovers. Put them in a blender and purée them to add to other recipes, sauces and soups to stretch them. Stale bread and crackers will become breadcrumbs and the dreg ends of cereal boxes, cookies, will become ice cream toppings.

I am going to reduce the amount of things I throw away without thinking about it. I’ll reuse containers for plant seedling in, paint them and use them for storage of smaller things in drawers. I already use my own clothe bags when I shop.

Any other suggestions will be appreciated. Any good ones I get I’ll start a side column of those tips. If we can’t help each other to get by now that times are getting tougher, what are we good for?