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April 10th, 2017
10:19 pm - Jumping ship.
Hi Folks,
Well, I finally (after too darn many tries) remembered my Dreamwidth password, and have shuffled my tailfeathers over there. Same handle. Now I just need to figure out this importing process, and I'll be all set. Yes, I know it may take some time. Catch you on the flip side!
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June 4th, 2014
02:25 pm - Signal boost for Wyrding Studios!
Originally shared at: http://wyrdingstudios.com/signal-boost-needed
Dear Internet: I need a huge favor.
Wyrding Studios needs a massive signal boost, effective immediately.
Last month, my spouse unilaterally broke up with me after nearly 14 years of marriage. I am not going to discuss why here, or in any other public forum. For now, we are continuing to live together as co-parents and housemates, but that may have to change.
Some of you already know how I feel about my beloved house, art studio, and gardens. I have worked very hard to make my home safe space and sanctuary for myself and other artists. I am not going anywhere unless I have absolutely no other choice.
For nearly ten years, Wyrding Studios has been my sole source of income, in part because I live with multiple chronic illnesses that severely limit my ability to work outside the home. Even if I found a job that could accommodate my physical issues, it would pay considerably less and likely force me to permanently close WS.
I am asking for your help so that does not happen.
Wyrding Studios has always been a business driven primarily by repeat customers and word-of-mouth recommendations. I am so profoundly grateful to everyone who has come back year after year to buy more of my jewelry as my work evolved and changed, to everyone who has told their friends and family about my website, to everyone who has asked me to collaborate on projects or design custom pieces for special occasions.
Miles starts school full-time in the fall. I plan to spend the summer bringing WS back to financial self-sufficiency. I have a number of new projects and product lines planned for the next few months. I am working on improving my turnaround and response times, and just generally making as much of the best art that I possibly can, because, in the words of my mentor and colleague Elise Matthesen, art is a great goodness.
Here’s what you can do to help.
Start by signal boosting this post far and wide. Tell your friends, families, and co-workers about my jewelry. Post links to items in the store to social media - Pinterest, Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter, whatever you use.
Tell them they can use coupon code SIGNALBOOST to take 10% off any order of $30 or more through August 30th. You can use it too if you want, any time you order between now and then. It's good on anything except subscriptions.
Most importantly, just tell people I'm here. Tell people I've been here for a long time, and I'm not going anywhere for a long time, and that I would love to make jewelry for them. Because that's true. I want to keep making art, even out of this darkness.
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July 3rd, 2013
01:15 am - One [all too common] experience of harassment.
I'm 37 years old. I have been dealing with harassment in one form or another for as long as I can remember. When I woke up Tuesday morning, I saw LJ posts from two different women that I know detailing some of their experiences with harassment. Thoughtful, I went about my morning, growing more sad and angry as I thought about my own list of incidences of varying severity. And debating whether or not I wanted to make a similar speaking up post. I decided to grab a quick snack for breakfast, and to go out and do the grocery shopping I had planned for the day.
Seems like a basic, normal thing, right? Just shopping for food. Going through one of our local markets, examining produce, checking the list I'd made on my phone. Three different times during the course of this, in three different parts of the store, one of the store employees was standing too close to me.
First time, I startled, but didn't think too much about it. Guy was sweeping the floor and happened to be a bit too close into my personal space. It happens. Second time, I frowned, and moved fairly quickly to a different section, knowing I was almost done with my shopping. The third time I'd just finished getting something in the bulk section, and the guy was close enough that if I'd backed up in the opposite direction from the one I took, I would've tripped over his broom.
At that point, thankfully done with my shopping, I got the hell out of there.
No, I didn't say anything, though I did glare. No, I haven't decided if I'm going to try and contact the store and report the employee. I didn't look to see what his name-tag said, though I could give a decent description, and his behavior is something he could easily deny. I'm also not going to stop shopping at that store, or going grocery shopping alone. If there's a next time, I'm snapping a picture of him with my phone, and then reporting his behavior to a manager.
I am sad and angry that crap like this does happen. That I've been trained and taught to doubt my own instincts that said something was wrong the first time I saw the guy standing behind me. I hate that I now wonder if he's done this to other women shopping there, and if my choosing to simply leave will mean he will do this to someone else. (Especially when I know the most likely answers are yes and yes.)
I've tried being the voice of warning in the past. There are people in my community that I know not to trust, and that I have passed that information along. What I have mostly received for it has been various forms of backlash, people explaining to me that the things I know about a given someone are wrong.
I know that speaking up is part of the solution. I also know that when I try to do so, even to trusted friends and partners, I feel sick inside. I get what feels like a huge lump of lead in my stomach, and I remember times where I've been disbelieved, or simply dismissed.
Talking with one of my partners tonight, he asked me what he can do, when (wish to hell I could say if) I experience harassment in the future. I asked him to listen to me, and to believe me.
Believe. Because you may not see harassing behavior. This is an excellent example of what harassment is and what it looks like, and I strongly agree with this part in particular: "...I think the way a lot of these things go down is with their own little cloak of invisibility around them. If it isn’t happening to you, you often don’t see it happening."
I also can't agree enough with this post. Harassment is about power. And yes, I can name so many things that are part of the constant barrage that grinds down my energy and my willingness to stand up, speak up, educate, and think of creative and effective ways to fight back.
I may do so in the future in a separate post. This is all I have energy to write about tonight.
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October 21st, 2012
07:43 pm - Eeee! Website coolness!
So, I am now listed with Psychology Today, and have ads running on Google for my business, Crow Counseling. I'm both terrified and utterly squee about this! Several click throughs, but no phone calls or emails just yet. Tomorrow's plans include emailing my potential supervisor, and finding other free sites to get listed on.
So far, it has been a pretty good weekend. My plans for yesterday fell through due to my focusing on website stuff rather than going out and being social. Time with Dustin has been very good this weekend, and he's been helping a lot with the occasional outbreaks of "Eep!" on my part. Sar also helped by looking over what I wrote and catching both an address typo and making some suggestions about other set-up stuff.
If you are interested, or want to recommend me to a friend, my website is http://crowcounseling.net
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April 25th, 2010
12:17 pm - FEED.
So, earlier this week, I was without reading material, and needed something with me while I grabbed a rather late lunch. I stopped into my local Borders, and slowly hobbled my way up the aisle towards the Sci-Fi/Fantasy section. I passed by their new paperback section on the way, and idly glanced over the covers. Grey and white and red caught my eye, and I stared rather dumbfounded at about 5 copies of FEED by Mira Grant. I didn't look at anything else in the store, I knew I'd found my reading material.
I just finished it.
This makes two books that have made me cry this week. The other being the new Dresden novel, and of the two, this one had me crying much much harder. As in, I had to set the book down and just let myself cry before I could continue reading the story, and I desperately wanted to continue and finish reading the story.
I love the October Daye series, and will happily devour those as they come out. But they don't touch me in quite the same way as the Masons' story does. Georgia and Shaun and their world became very real to me, as I was reading this book. The characterization and world-building is beyond top-notch. Many books entertain me, many books make me think, but not many reach this same status of 'real' in my head, and I am in utter awe.
Yes, the book has excellent zombie scenes. They scared the hell out of me, but were still quite enjoyable, even despite how much I am scared of the very concept of zombies. But what struck me as more important, was what the characters had to say, and how relevant what they had to say was and is to our current, terrified, fear-mongering, post-9/11 world. It's a ripping good story, and Mira pulls absolutely no punches. I commented this to someone when I was a bit over half-way through the book, I'm both entirely correct, and knew not whereof I spoke, by the time I reached the end.
I want to know what happens next. And I'm content for the moment to just sit in quiet awe. I know I will re-read this book many times. I know that I will *strongly* encourage my friends to read it.
"Alive or dead, the truth won't rest. Rise up while you can."
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March 11th, 2010
12:38 pm - LIOS application.
OK, finally put everything together after one last check-through for errors, uploaded the various documents, and submitted my application for the Fall LIOS program. Now I just need to write to UW, and Mills, and get them to send in official transcripts and I'll be all set. May run by BCC later today to request their transcripts in person.
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October 28th, 2009
12:15 pm - Signal boost!
I'm helping to save a guy named Dave's house and land from foreclosure by promoting the Save Dave Online Auction being held on LiveJournal now through November 20, 2009.
Everything ranging from tech support and professional editing to yarn and everything knitted you can imagine. Autographed first editions and TV/movie memorabilia. Want custom or handmade jewelry, or a custom quilt or book bag? Think someone might like original art or photos (or letterpressed biz cards, or custom notecards) for Upcoming Holiday Gifting? What about baked goods People are even auctioning off surprises and taking offers for custom duct tape creations!
People who don't even know this guy Dave have brought the best of themselves to help him stay in his home. Most auctions are ending around Halloween...go check out what's on offer before it's over! And if you can, spread the word about the auction. Thanks!
(Personally, I'm bidding on a Tom Smith song, and a fire-spinning blessing by  s00j and omnisti. Go check it out!)
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September 16th, 2009
03:04 pm - Packages.
When I went home for lunch this afternoon, I had two different packages delivered to our house. One is the Vita-Mix blender that I splurged on. I call it a splurge because it was a pretty significant expenditure for me. However, I bought it with the intent of improving my diet. Eating enough fruits and veggies keeps being a consistent challenge for me. But, I've found that *drinking* enough fruits and veggies seems to both be a lot easier, and something that my body craves.
The other, far more monetarily modest purchase, is Five Glasses of Absinthe, a comic by Nick Brienza and Egypt Urnash. I'm delighted to have this in dead-tree format. While I've been enjoying the comic online, I think I'll be able to get a lot more out of both the dialogue and the artwork in book format. Plus, I like having a copy I can re-read without having to be online. Warning if you go looking for this, it is very NSFW. Still, I'm looking forward to continuing to follow the story and see where it goes from here.
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September 15th, 2009
11:03 am
You were a movie star who helped me dream of being graceful and getting the guy I wanted. You were a dancer who took my breath away with your grace. Your roles in movies made me laugh, made me cry, made me squirm from attraction and lust.
Your song, "She's Like the Wind", was the first song that I danced to and felt the music move me beyond myself. I was dancing for me, and for the music, and I was all of 11 years old, and that is still one of the best experiences of my life.
I learned to appreciate men who can dance, and especially men who are willing to risk looking silly while having a good time. Thank you for the roles you played, especially in Dirty Dancing and Road House. They're still two of my favorite movies as well as guilty pleasures.
R.I.P. Patrick Swayze. Thank you for making the world a little brighter during your time here.
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August 14th, 2009
04:24 pm - *applause*
For your reading pleasure, Hal Duncan's excellent and erudite reply to John C. Wright's FAILrant against homosexuals. Even if you don't know the original appalling post being replied to, I consider this a worthwhile read, especially with the points made about ethics versus morality. (And Hal Duncan's use of language absolutely made me swoon. I think I need to find some of his books to read.)
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