H1N1, Swine Flu or H5N1, Avian Flu..

Whatever you want to call it, I'm sick of it.
Yes, I understand the need to "be informed". But come on. Really? Do we really need to hear about it all the time?? According to my (crazy) mother, it's the Avian Flu thats going to get us anyway. This Swine Flu is the precursor...kind of like, it's hit the ground animals - next are the airborn ones. Then it will magically cross all time, space and genetics boundaries and infect us all. Without warning. And without a chance to do anything about it.

I live outside the world of Old MacDonald, so I'm not all that concerned.

Things won't look so sunny when the Bird Flu attacks. Just ask my mom & her friend.

I can't take another discussion on this. My (crazy) mother's (crazy) friend has had a 9,000 gallon potable water tank installed below ground - so she and her daughter have something to drink once the Bird Flu sets in.

And she made my mother swear to secrecy about the water and other things she's collected. She doesn't want everyone banging on her door - tweeting or oinking or whatever - and stealing her microscopically sound face mask, her stockpile of MREs, solar powered phone, or wind-up radio with flashlight. She even bought a gun to protect this (crazy) loot. She didn't take any sort of gun safety class - because well, who would need that when you're shooting to kill the crazies trying to steal your stash??

I just want to know...if the world is doomed - and everyone is infected before anyone even knows it's a global threat - who the hell is she going to talk to on that nifty phone? Or what broadcast will she listen to on that jammin' radio?? Just askin'.

Could this be the bird to set off the H5N1, or Avian/Bird Flu pandemic that will do us all in??

My (crazy) mom left yesterday to go on a (crazy) race with my stepdad. Thank goodness. The news just notified us last night that one person in my county - and one person in her county (the county next to mine) - have H1N1. Swine Flu. I'm trembling. She'd be outright nailing two-by-fours to her doors and windows. (I don't know if she's crazier about this whole animal flu thing, or doing this race for the last 10-or-so years. It's a toss up.)

So here is my contribution to this whole scary animal flu/pandemic/whatever you want to call it. It's actually a piece done by the princess. I've been wanting to post it ever since she brought it home - because every time I look at it, I crack up - but couldn't really think of a reason. And viola! Now I have one. Who knew H1N1, Swine Flu, Pig Flu, H5N1, Avian Flu, Bird Flu, Old MacDonald's Farm Flu, would be that reason? I won't talk about this again...I'm sick of the whole thing. Then again, if you listen to my (crazy) mom and her (crazy) friend, I won't be around to discuss this again. Either way, I'm over it. Really.

You Like Me...Right Now, You Really Like Me!

Wow! And to think I was just going to drone on about how we spent yet another night at the ER. Apparently Princess was feeling left out - and upon returning from her dad's house on Sunday, was taken immediately to the hospital because of some really nasty hives. I had her seen at the doctor a week prior, when the same rash invaded her little body seemingly out of the blue. So counting our upcoming visit today (with the oldest 'beast), we have been at the hospital a whopping FOUR times in the last week...and that doesn't even count doctor appointments. See? I told you!

So we're on to much bigger - and way better - things!

I woke up this morning to a wonderful series of comments - and from two of my favorite people/sites, too. Don't you love it when that happens??

The first, from Sited and Blogged (which happens to be a blog I read almost every day...sometimes getting so involved in reading that I forget to "drop" my EC!). It seems the Goddesses that run S&B thought highly of yesterday's Entrecard post:

Just wanted to let you know that we are featuring this wonderful post on Sited and Blogged tomorrow.

YAY! They are rewarding me with their sidebar button:
How cool is that? I feel honored and would like to give them a big shout out - if you haven't been to their blog yet, what are you waiting for? You can check them out here.

The second really cool thing that happened?? I was given the "Queen of Alll Things Awe-Summm!!!" Award by none other than Paige, of Lenox Knits fame. (Super spectacular blog, BTW - check it out!)

While I'm trying to get up from bowing to Paige, here are the rules:

* List 7 things that make you Awe-Summ and then pass the award on to 7 bloggers you love.
Hmmm...I have to list 7?? Wait...maybe that should read, I have to stop at 7?? lol That sounds much more royal, don't you think?
1. I am awe-summm at mixed media art. Even if I don't put enough of it on my blog.
2. I am awe-summm at making jewelry. Look at some of the Woot Loot I've offered.
3. I am awe-summm at collecting things. Just look at my house. Ok, don't. Please.
4. I am an awe-summm Mom. This one came from the oldest 'beast, if you can believe that?!
5. I am awe-summm at thinking on my feet. I don't know where it comes from (and I can't believe I'm admitting this to the entire world), but I am good at BSing. If there were a BS contest, I could win. Whether that is good or bad, that's how it is.
6. I am awe-summm at maintaining disorganization. In my mind - and my surroundings. (Does that mean I'm awe-summm at multi-tasking, also?)
7. I am awe-summm at procrastination. I think. Let me get back to you on that.

And I'm passing the award - along with the glorious crown and scepter - to these fantastic bloggers. These are all women I truly admire and respect. Try to pay them a visit - you be royally rewarded! In no particular order...
1. Aileen, writer of Aileen's Musings
2. Lotta, over at Mom-O-Matic - who has recently announced she will close her blog 09.01. Waaahhhh!!
3. Duni, who presides over the adorable Lovely Purses.
4. The Chainmaille Goddess over at You've Got Maille
5. Lesley Riley - the Royalty of all things fabric and transfers!
6. Lisa, the talented force behind Alterity Art
7. Miriam, the silver seductress at Silver Sachet
* Make sure to tag your recipients and let them know they have won! Done.

* Also link back to the Queen that tagged you. This one is very easy...click on any of the links to Lenox Knits above, or if you're really lazy, just click here.

I hope you took your time reading them...and visit Paige and the blogs I have bestowed the award upon - because I'm still trying to get up. This Queen ain't as young as I used to be!

Thank you, Paige (Lenox Knits) and Sited and Blogged, for making my Tuesday totally terrific!

And now...it's off to the hospital...AGAIN.

And a note about the You Tube video this post links to (click on the title post - or here - to see it)...re-watching it, so many years later, why has Sally Field failed to live this line down? It isn't as awful as I remember it to be...what do you think?

Entrecard Creativity

Feel free to copy or share this information on your blog or site -
just please link to The Queen Speaks if you do. I appreciate it!

I've been meaning to post this, but life has gotten in the way. Since I meant to post it last week and couldn't, let me share my vast wisdom with you all. I even made a picture for your enjoyment.

When visiting sites or blogs, it can be confusing with all these new policies whether the ad is "paid" or not. Tired of not knowing which ads would lead me to another interesting blog - and which ads would just lead me, I figured out how to tell them apart. I haven't seen this posted on any other blog, so I'm guessing it isn't common knowledge. Prepare to be amazed...

So you're clicking along, dropping on all your favorite blogs. (Seeing how drastically my own drop rate has bottomed out, I'm assuming most Entrecarders - myself included - are only visiting their faves - and not working their heinies off for 300 drops every day.) Right after you drop, hover your mouse over the picture (or ad portion) on the widget. Then glance down at your status bar.
~ Your status bar is the bar across the bottom of your screen, between your Internet window and your bottom toolbar.
~ If you can't see your status bar (and are using Firefox), go to the top of your screen, click "view", then see if there is a check mark next to "status bar". If not, click on "status bar" and you will see it pop up at the bottom of your Internet window. If it is checked and you just can't see the status bar, click on "status bar" to remove the check mark - and look to see what disappears. Now click on "view" again, then click on "status bar" again, and watch for it to come back. If you use IE, you're on your own. Sorry.

And here is the visual I made.

In the example above, you can see the ad is a paid ad. Just look at the end of the status bar. In the example below, the end of the status bar says "entrecard", so you know it's been paid for with credits.

Click on either picture to enlarge it.

If you are boycotting paid ads, and/or want to support those who run (and buy) ads with their hard earned credits, click on the ads that show up as "entrecard" at the end of your status bar. You will be happily transported to another Entrecard site or blog that paid for the ad with credits. What a great way to show you support those sites and blogs!

And this concludes the Public Service Announcement/Entrecard Lesson for the day. Enjoy!

xx

Today is my DILMM. Now Do You Understand?

Do you have a DILMM?

For years, April 26th has been my least favorite day of the year, excluding holidays. It isn't fair, I suppose - April 26th seems innocuous enough. Most people would choose to hate April 15th much more...but not me.

April 26th is a day I'm not sure if I should celebrate or curse - which is why I have despised it for the last 10 or so years. I know I'm supposed to celebrate December 31 - and believe me, I do. Even if it doesn't seem like it on the outside, I'm having my own internal party, I promise. (December 31st just happens to be the date my divorce was final.) But what about April 26th?

It was April 26, 2007 that I got married. Conflicting as it is, that date ranks in the top 5 of the days in my life when I've had the most fun. My friends had a blast. It still ranks very highly as one of the best weddings any of us has ever been to. Call it the premarriage jitters which led us to sneak out the back of the church and down the little bottles of Cuervo the gal at the liquor store gave us. Or maybe it was just the way all the people involved got along so well, and just meshed. (How often does that happen to a group of 20 or so? Especially when the ages of the group members spans at least 25 years? And at a wedding. no less?) Or maybe it was that everyone knew I had poured my heart and soul into the event (not to mention every single penny he and I had, including the money we got for temporarily pawning his truck!), and they were not about to cross the Queen on her wedding day? (Ok, that one makes me laugh - since I'm so not a diva...and I didn't become the Queen until several years later, when my daughter was born and instantly sanctioned "Princess".) Or maybe it's just that I have some really fantastic friends. Maybe it was a combination of all those things. Whatever the reason(s), it was a fantastic day.

However, it was still the day I got married. Which makes it a day of sincere regret and remorse. I won't go into any of the messy details, but I will tell you that after being together for several years - 1 1/2 of those as a married couple - my then-husband decided he...um...swung a different way. Nothing at all wrong with being gay...but definitely a problem when you're a man and you marry a woman who has two kids. I may get spanked on this, but it becomes wrong in my eyes when the person knows they are gay before they make a marital commitment to someone of the opposite sex...who already has two kids. There was another reason for our divorce - but truly, I will spare you.

So. We're twelve years out of this thing (which frankly, I can't believe!!) - and I'm still not sure how to "treat" April 26. For the last ten years I have loathed this date...but that all seems sort of silly now. My ex no longer peppers my conversations - or my thoughts. We have both moved on - which is good - and I really don't ever want to see him again. So why hold this date hostage with such disdain?

No one tells you how you're supposed to feel about dates like this. To my knowledge, there isn't even a Hallmark card for the occasion. (I could make one for them. lol) It isn't discussed by anyone - but millions of people have dates like this in their history...and there is no way I am the only one who feels funny about the date. I have no idea what it would be called...I only know it's bound to make life easier for tons of people. For the sake of argument, let's call it DILMM. (Day I Lost My Mind) Naming it would be helpful for lots of reasons. For example:

You walk into work one day and notice your co-worker is down. You don't know this person real well but are friendly with them.
"Hey Sally, what's wrong? You seem down." "Hi Barb. It's my DILMM today." "Oh, Sally, I can so understand. Can I do anything?"

Or, imagine this scenario:

Bbbrrrriiinnnggg
Hello? Hey Patti! What's up girl? Hey Sarah, not much. How are you? Great! Do you have plans on Friday? Umm none that I can think of. Why? What's up? It's my DILMM and I want to party - let's go out! Right on, girl! My DILMM is in 2 weeks - we'll celebrate both of them! Very cool!

See what I mean?

So I have made up my mind that I have punished April 26th long enough. It's no fun to be down or have hate/anger in your heart...I'm going to celebrate April 26th from now on. After all, it's officially the DILMM!

What do you think...would you celebrate or despise your DILMM?

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post: Entrecard Creativity