March 9, 2007

The letter

I got a letter last week. There’ s nothing terribly remarkable about that. The writer discussed a few things we have in common and mentioned a book that had turned into a struggle to read. There are mentions sociological and philosophical, and an allusion to higher purpose. The grammar and choice of vocabulary suggest someone highly literate with a love of the written word. My letter has a very personal, almost intimate feel to it. It is handwritten in a small, neatly formed print. The paper is a pale cream color, soft, feeling almost like construction paper, but not so crisp. The single sheet was folded over the writing to form its own envelope and a clear sticker sealed the flap.

The writer feels like a friend I am just beginning to to know, but this friend is so much more - and so much less. I’ve never met him. I don’t expect to, nor does he intend to meet me. If either of us has any expectations at all, they are limited to the anticipation of future correspondence. Like the penpals I had as a child, he will remain an anonymous friend, letting me know as much or as little of himself as he chooses. I may elect to do the same.

People don’t have penpals so much anymore. The modern correlary is, of course, the online friendship. My message board friends and I know each other well, share intimate details of our lives, but maintain a physical distance that, for the most part, we do not attemp to bridge. I have such friendships with a group of women I’ve visited with almost daily for six or seven years. I consider them among my closest friends. A real life meeting with any or all of them would be welcomed, but our friendships do not demand that. They are fulfilling reationships in their current form and do not need anything more to solidify them. My new friendship with the letter writer may have such a future.

What is remarkable about this budding friendship is the way it started. I was cruising around the net, killing time between various chores, and stumbled upon* him. His web page fascinated me. It is dedicated to his love of handwritten correspondence. He doesn’t provide research for historical documents or photos of celebrity letters. His focus is personal. He admits that he is obsessive about writing letters. The entire purpose of his site is to find people who are interested in receiving letters from him. My first thought was that he could not seriously expect a significant response to such a request. We’re savvy enough, and cautious enough, to know better than to share our personal information with strangers who cross our paths online. There was a sincerity to his plea, though, that drew me in. Sure, he could be a very skillful con man, I thought, but I want to believe that he’s not. So I sent him an email, recognizing the irony at play in this first contact. I told a little about my life and probably too much about my attitude concerning the loss of what I called “the fine things,” including handwritten letters. Our lives have become so hurried and so dependent upon the instant gratification of the electronic media that we just don’t bother anymore with finely crafted, well thought-out handwritten correspondence. I myself, while proclaiming their superiority, rarely send handwritten letters anymore. It’s become too much bother. It’s so much easier to dash off an email, without a great deal of thought or effort. I told the letter writer about the joy I once took in his craft and asked if he would send me a letter.

I haven’t written back to my new friend yet. I want to. I’ve tried to think it out and have not come up with something to say. Perhaps if I just sit down and get started, some thoughts worth sharing will come to me. There’s the whole handwriting problem, though. Mine is not a fine penmanship, having grown more than a little sloppy over the years. The prospect of exposing that to this man with his neat hand is intimidating. Still, I want this play to go on to whatever the next act might be. So, one day soon I’ll find a quiet moment, some worthy paper and a pen that doesn’t leak or skip. I’ll send a letter to my new friend. I’ll mail it and hope that it will bring him some small measure of the joy that his own effort has brought me.

If you, too, find yourself fascinated withThe Letter Project, go visit my friend. Ask him to send you a letter. I’m pretty sure he’s not an ax murderer.

* I found The Letter Project through StumbleUpon, a random-selection web service. I’ve found a lot of good sites that way. Check it out.

Technorati Tags: letters, penpals

International Women’s Day

Sure, it’s a grand day to pat ourselves on the back. We have indeed come a long way, baby! I’ve run into a few young women in pest control in the last few years who thanked me for helping pave the way. The truth is that others came before me and opened those doors. I salute those women, and the men who were insightful enough to see that we had a great deal to offer. Remember, back in those days we didn’t have the law on our side; no one had to hire us for non-traditional employment. But, yeah, I’ve paid my dues and taken my licks, especially in the early days when many thought that I should have been home tending the kitchen and making babies. I didn’t get into pest control to make a statement or batter down the barriers. I did it to make a living. Living with my folks, working two traditional pink collar jobs (three when I could squeeze in more hours) and trying to support my son was not getting me anywhere. Taking a non-traditional job allowed me to make a home of our own for myself and my son, and to spend time with him instead of sleeping the few hours that I didn’t work each day. So I salute those pioneers, the bra-burners and crowd-gatherers and noise-makers for showing me how, and I’ll give myself a “well done!” for following. It took guts for me to seize the opportunity. For the first few years I was the only woman I knew in our industry who wasn’t a secretary or the office manager/wife of an owner. It didn’t feel courageous at the time. It felt scary and neccessary. So assign me my small role in history. Today there is a whole generation of women in the work place who have the law on their side saying that they can do anything they are capable of doing. I’m proud of that. Everyone who had a part in it should be!

There’s much more to International Women’s Day than toasting our own achievements, though. Today is a good day to look around at the inequities that still exist. Women and children are still living in poverty and even starving to death in many places in the world because they don’t have the means to help themselves. Sexual exploitation of women and children is still an acceptable norm in many countries. Good, moral women work in the sex trade because their only other alternative is to watch their babies starve. Genital mutilation is still sanctioned by societies that may have outlawed it, but still really believe that it’s the right thing to do. It’s illegal for some young girls to learn to read!

I believe our freedom comes with an obligation. Someone else opened doors for me. Now it’s my turn to pay it forward. I hope you feel the same way. Each individual can make a small difference. Banded together we can change the world. Today I’m buying a goat. That one goat can lift a family out of poverty. World Vision is just one of many resource centers available to those who want to support women and children in ways that can make a difference and impact future generations. I hope you’ll consider taking part, too. Today is a good day to express our gratitude in tangible ways.

Mahalo nui loa to Lady Gothic, who reminded me to look at my calendar!

Technorati Tags: women, equality, International Women’s Day, World Vision

Have some spam

Did you know that Hawaii consumes more Spam per capita than any other state? I hated the stuff when I was growing up. Mom used to use it for a quick meal when she hadn’t had time to cook. She’d slice it, lay it out in a pan, cover it with ketchup or barbeque sauce and broil it. Nasty stuff! I still don’t consider it one of the finer things in life, but I have learned to appreciate it somewhat in the twelve years that I’ve lived here. It’s used creatively in a lot of dishes and some of them are pretty good. I’ve eaten Spam Musubi a few times. Don’t love it, but can understand its popularity. Stop in to any convience store on the island shortly before school time and you’ll see a few parents standing in line holding some neatly wrapped Spam Musubi, breakfast for the kids during the ride for school. Hey, it’s meat, it’s rice, it’s filling, it’s portable. What’s not to love? You can make your very own Spam Musubi with this local kine recipe if you want and let me know what you tink … uh … that’s think!

You were waiting for me to talk about that other spam? Well, here ya go. My new domain is a month old this week and has suddenly been discovered by the spam bots. I’ve heard a few folks say they don’t care for Akismet for WP, but I’m loving it! It’s caught them all. So for all of you freaks out there: I don’t need to lose weight, my sexual stamina doesn’t need help from you, and I prefer to get my pharmaceuticals in the local drug store. NO ONE will ever see your rubbish because it goes straight out with the rest of the trash. Go away! You’re wasting your resources.

Technorati Tags: Spam, spam, life in Hawaii

March 7, 2007

Sneak peek

Big changes coming to skeet’s stuff soon. Here’s a tiny peek. Hmmmmm! Maybe I should publish little pieces and hide them for people to find? The first one to find all the pieces gets … something! Ya think?

This seemed hilariously funny a few minutes ago. It’s late and I’m tired. Is it still funny?

Technorati Tags: art, humor

March 6, 2007

Looking for free?

One of my favorite web surfing activities is looking for free stuff. I’ve told you in the past about a couple of exceptional sites that steer you towards bargains and free stuff. Here’s another! Check out Freebies - Best Free Stuff on the Net. It’s a fairly new site, but the author has already collected an impressive list of freebies. There are a lot of great links to free software to enhance your blogging experience and some very cool games, too. I wonder how he stumbled across the Alt key symbol site, which I just printed & hung up above my computer? I’ve cluttered up my computer with fonts I didn’t want just because I needed a single symblol for one-time use. With the cheat sheet I can pick up that symbol in one easy step, a very cool shortcut! Now if I want to tell you that something cost 99¢ I can do it! You should go see what good stuff you can find!

Technorati Tags: freebies, internet

March 5, 2007

Carnival of Family Life

The Carnival of Family Life is up and live at Be a Good Dad. Over fifty great blog posts. As the title suggests, it’s all about family, but those come in so many sizes, shapes and flavors that you will not be bored! Pour youeself a refreshing beverage and settle back for a nice long read. You’ll have no regrets, guaranteed!

BREAKING NEWS: the Carnival of Family Life is the Featured Carnival at Blog Carnival! All the more reason to check it out. You’ll find out everything you need to know while you’re there so that you can participate next time! Come join the carnival!

Technorati Tags: blog carnivls, Carnival of Family Life

Remember my clutter problem?

Those of you who remember the distant past will recall that the sub-title of my blog is “digging my way out of the clutter,” and that the reason I started the blog in the first place was to publicly humiliate myself into taking my home under control and getting it CLEAN! I’ve failed miserably in that task. Too easily distracted, I think, by books and the beach, by blogging, by TV, by anything that isn’t housework, to be truthful. Since I haven’t been able to get my sub-title to show up on my new header, where it used to nag me every day, it finds other ways to creep into my thoughts. Would you believe there’s now The Housekeeping Channel, a website that must have been created with me in mind? They even have a whole section devoted to Organizing, chock full of articles, reviews, hints and tips to dig skeet out of the clutter. I think they may have been spying on me, because my life and clutter appear to have been the model for their “before” scenarios. I just want to know one thing. Who told them about me?

Oh. It was you? Well, um, thanks … I think.

Technorati Tags: housekeeping, clutter

March 4, 2007

Small visitor

If you look closely at the top of the third rock from the left, you’ll see my new friend.

My furkids get along pretty well. They’re both excited to see each other when I come home from work and bring Lance inside from the kennel. I’m not sure if old Buddy knows that Lance is there in the front yard all of those hours when I’m gone. I’ve tried to get him to come out into the front yard and see, but he’s gotten funny about where he feels comfortable. He’ll use the doggie door to go into “their” yard many times daily. If I open the front door and invite him out, he’ll come out on the lanai. Sometimes he’ll venture down the steps, but he rarely wanders around and explores the yard. Sometimes I can persuade him to come outside while Lance is still imprisoned, but I’ve never gotten him to get close to the kennel. He’s deaf and almost blind, so he doesn’t hear Lance barking from the kennel, or see him off in the distance. So does he know he’s there while I’m gone, or does he think Lance has been out with me? I know, I’m weird. I wonder what goes on in those canine noggins. What is evident is that when Lance is freed he runs excitedly inside and Buddy greets him at the door. They bounce around like puppies and lick each others faces, tails wagging madly. Lance tries to get such attention from his pal at other times too. Sometimes it works, but mostly he gets a haughty cold shoulder from the old boy. Buddy seems to be above games and frivolity, except when he’s really excited (like when Mom & Lancie come come back after an absence.)

The one situation each day where I don’t trust them together is dinner time. It’s been years since they were in the same room while eating, but that was so disasterous I’ve chosen not to allow a repeat performance. Buddy is a grazer and Lance is a gobbler. When he’s finished inhaling his food, he’d like to shove Buddy aside and help himself to a second helping. Buddy will allow me to fool with his dish while he’s eating. The one time that Lancie managed to try, blood flowed - just that quickly. So I don’t take the chance. Buddy eats in the kitchen. The doggie door gets sealed and Lancie eats out on the lanai. It’s typical deck construction, with the boards spaced about a quarter of an inch apart. Lance being a slob, I have to hose that part of the deck off pretty frequently to get rid of the crumbs that gather in the cracks.

Apparently those crumbs have attracted visitors. I first spotted one about two weeks ago. I was standing on the deck talking to Lance while he ate when I noticed some movement out of the corner of my eye. Little gray fellow about two inches long, mostly tail. A baby mouse. Mouse babies come in sizable litters, of course. It’s become a daily feature to watch for him and his kin now. They hide among the rocks along the fence line. Peek out, notice me, dash back into the rocks. I’ve noticed as many as three at the same time, but I suspect there are many more. Eventually one of them will be emboldened by the prospect of a meal. He’ll dash across the graveled yard and disappear under the deck, there to collect the crumbs from Lancie’s table. Another will follow after a moment or two.

They’re not doing any harm. I’ve never seen any evidence that they’ve ventured up onto the deck itself. Nothing to indicate they’ve penetrated into the house. No droppings or piddle marks. (Did you know that mice dribble urine almost continuously?) No chewed packages or nesting material in a dark corner of the pantry. So they’re not a real problem right now. Not yet. Mice pretty much have two functions in life. They eat and they breed. I know that I’ll soon be overrun. I can list all of the scary diseases that mice carry. I’ve seen the destruction they cause to food supplies many times. I don’t want their filth in my house. Sooner or later I’ll have to don my professional hat at home and deal with it. Well, sooner, actually. Mice can breed at six to eight weeks of age. Litters of about six young are typical. Females can drop eight litters a year (and in a tropical environment that supplies all of their needs, they do.) Simple math dictates that I’ll have to quit watching my dinner time show soon and just deal with it.

Yeah. Soon. Maybe next week.

Technorati Tags: mice, dogs, pest control

Identity

I’m a storyteller. I didn’t realize that until I got a blog. People read what I wrote and told me that’s what I am. I took that out and looked at it and have decided that they are right. What a remarkable thing to discover about oneself when one has already passed the half-century mark! Yes, I’ve always told stories from my life. My family lives far away and they seem to like hearing stories about my life in paradise. Twenty-seven years of doing what I do for a living has given me a collection of anecdotes worthy of sharing. I used to work for a guy who is now in jail for attempting to murder his wife. I’ve lived in some places that people tend to romanticize. I’ve met interesting people and done interesting things. I tell other people about those things, yet I never thought of myself as a stoyteller until you told me that’s what I was.

So many people say they began blogging for therapy. That was certainly not my intent, but it seems to be working out that way. My message board friends and I have had recent discussions about finding the true voice of one’s blog. I think maybe the opposite has happened with me. Maybe my voice found blogging becuase it needed an outlet. Blogging has given me a clearer picture of who I am and where my talents lie. I am or have been: daughter, sister, wife, mother, woman, friend, pest control operator, haole, malahini, Texan, southerner. And now I add to the list: storyteller. I like it. It feels like a good fit.

Technorati Tags: blogging, storytelling, personal stories

March 3, 2007

Blogger Power

Several months ago I took advantage of a sponsored posting opportunity to share some thoughts on keeping children safe online. It’s a sticky problem. We monitor, we install safety software, we talk to the children (the most important thing we do, in my opinion) but the exposure is still there. We want so desparately to keep the children safe, without stifling their natural desire to explore the world around them. The internet can help their imaginations soar and bring them contacts and information that enrich their lives. It’s up to each parent, teacher or other caring adult to minimize the risks children are exposed to when they log on.

As bloggers we have the outlet and, I believe, the responsibility, to communicate worthy messages to massive numbers of people. My friend Doris has found a way for us to use our talents to further the cause of online safety for children. She’s asked me to help spread the message of the Blogger Power: Safeguard the Web for Children project. Someone, somewhere, siezed the idea to share the message through a meme, wherein each blogger who receives it contributes to its viral growth by sending it on to others. Individually we can all do something. Together we can have a tremendous impact. Here’s the Blogger Power message that addresses one aspect of child safety online:

To all webmasters of “adult content” websites:

Please require a password-protected login before allowing even free access to explicit adult content. We understand that selling porn is your business and we respect your right to make a legal living. But understand our legitimate concerns and work with us. You already have the “warning adult content” on your websites. Yet kids, who are not legal customers of your product, ignore the warning. So to prevent them from having direct access to explicit images, texts and sounds, the simplest way is to have a password-protected login. No more “free tours” before a visitor supplies basic information.

My stat-checker tells me that I do get visits from porn sites. You probably do, too. Let’s all send them a message telling them what we want!

I was asked to send this message to twenty other bloggers. Yikes! That’s a lot of links to look up and a lot of folks to send messages to when I’m done. I think it’s important, though, and I hope that you will, too. It’s midnight and I’m working early tomorrow. If you don’t see twenty names below when you first read this, rest assured I’ll be back to complete my task as soon as I can! If you’ve been tagged and would rather not participate, that’s cool. I hope you’ll still consider posting the message on your blog.

I’m tagging:

Em
Crunchy Carpets
Sassymonkey
Suni
Amy
Angie
Marisa
J.E.
Cass
Tricia
Kat
Robyn
Lisa
Ann
Melissa
Kim
Charlotte
Leigh
Amy Jo
Autumn

Technorati Tags: children, internet safety, memes