i'm excited

i go to my first drop spindle lesson today! i can't wait. i have tried to learn on my own, but i just cannot.

the spindles, roving and niddy pictures are from the wheel thing (a connecticut company!). i've bought drop spindles a niddy and roving from them. the service is wonderful, the products and selections are wonderful. check them out

jim hightower is coming to west hartford center

THIS friday 5 to 6:30 at town hall. i post his comments on occasion on my other blog. he's funny, he's wise and he knows king george and his court are destroying our country

click the link below for more info
Meet Jim Hightower!
.........Tickets are just $10, and proceeds benefit Connecticut Common Cause’s work to make government more accountable. Don’t miss it! For more information, contact Andy Sauer at (860) 549-1220.............

the other day i posted a link to

divine treasures chocolates in manchester

they make VEGAN organic NON-WHITE SUGAR (i no longer eat white sugar) chocolates. i had not tried them when i posted the link. well, i tried them yesterday. they are THE BEST. they are WONDERFUL. they are mouth wateringly delicious.

i'm not the biggest chocolate lover in the world. sure i like it, but i like other things better. i'm telling you, GO OUT AND GET SOME divine treasures. i got mine at whole foods in west hartford center (i don't the the whole foods at bishops corner has them).

this is from oklahoma state rep sally kern

it's effing sick-making.

post it. let EVERYONE listen.
hat tip to naamah darling for the link

stop by and say hola to

the cut mag. looks cool

i absolutely TOLD you this story was true

and peshaw, you didn't believe me THEN - here's my ORIGINAL noah webster finger posting. now the courant backs me up

(told ya those west hartford matrons are NOTHIN' to be messin' wit)

Statues Of Limitations
Erecting Memorials To Public Figures Becoming A Thing Of The Past?

By WILLIAM WEIR Courant Staff Writer

Since late last year, the statue of Noah Webster in West Hartford has returned to its perch in front of the town library, overlooking South Main Street.Newly lit, on a pedestal, and with a new forefinger where once there was a stump, it's a new start for Noah. Like a lot of public art, the memorial to the pioneer lexicographer and West Hartford native has had an unusual relationship with his community. For one reason or another, monuments can elicit an odd mix of reactions from the public.It was tough from the beginning in Noah's case, and we can trace his troubles back to sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski. Unknown at the time, the young artist moved to town from Boston and volunteered his services in the 1930s to build the statue after reading of Webster's work on the American dictionary. The town didn't have much to offer Ziolkowski, but officials agreed to pay for the expense of the limestone monument.From the get-go, things were a little shaky. Arguments erupted over whether Noah should sit or stand. Construction added to the rancor, because of the all-day noise of drills and hammers. Ziolkowski's working on Sundays didn't go over well, either.The completed work didn't end the Webster memorial's troubles. Specifically, there was his pointing forefinger. Considered vaguely phallic by many, some thought it was Ziolkowski's attempt to get the last laugh on the town. In any case, it was all but an invitation for pranks..............

picture: NOAH WEBSTER'S FICKLE FINGER may have a better fate now that it’s been reconstructed on the native son’s memorial in West Hartford's Blue Back Square. But already word is that the formidable finger is attracting a new generation of pranksters who dress it up with condoms. (PATRICK RAYCRAFT / March 5, 2008)

monday was the christmas party

for the half door. this year they combined all of the joints. they all closed and employees (and a few SELECT friends) of tisane, plan b in west hartford and plan b at one way fare in simsbury went to the cadillac ranch in southington

shawn and al got two school buses (i was dubious but i actually got on!), we all left from plan b in west hartford. i can personally say a good time WAS HAD BY ALL. here are a few pictures. i apologize, i missed getting shots of at LEAST 1/2 of the people (maybe more). next year!

justin goodman of connecticut for animals and uchc kills monkeys has sent along a note about chocolate. did you know, right here in manchester, we have a VEGAN chocolatier? well we DO!

divine treasures

Almond Toffee Crunch:Our Number One Seller! Fall in love with the classic blend of crunchy toffee, powdery-soft ground almonds and the most luscious, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate that you will ever experience.

Ingredients: Organic Dark Belgian Chocolate, Non GMO Soy Nuts, Almonds, Gluten-Free/Vegan Natural Flavoring.

Divine Treasures - Parkade Plaza - Middle Turnpike West, Unit 404 - Manchester, CT 06040 - 860-643-2552

this is the comment i made on the article

i am praying....... please tell me this is 'satire'. PLEASE
(that's all i wrote THERE)
and here i am writing:
i am incensed. i'm a woman. i would NEVER vote for hillary in a million years. i don't read 'the star' and i don't effing 'NEED TO BE PLACATED' by the likes of joel stein (or anyone else for that matter). 'a pick of young chicks' indeed. if he's being 'funny' that's one thing. if he's serious he damn well has a f**king LOT TO LEARN. put down the porn joel and open your listening ears.

How To Placate Women If Clinton Loses
JOEL STEIN
You know how ladies, when they don't get what they want, can go a little crazy? Am I right, fellas? Right now, they're pretty upset about losing their first chance at a female president. This would have empowered little girls, shattered sexist beliefs about female incompetence and forced men around the world to view a woman as an agent of power instead of a sex object — all of which, it turns out, are important to women even though they buy Star magazine. Ladies are complicated.Because women do most of the voting, and the shopping and the TV watching and the book reading — porn really must take up a lot of men's time — they need to be placated. Which shouldn't be hard. You know how when your dog dies, your wife wants to get a puppy right away? That's what America has to do. We need a replacement Hillary.Because while women are sad that Hillary Clinton seems poised to lose the Democratic nomination, they're even more dejected that there appear to be no women with enough political stature to run for president next time. That's why Barack Obama and John McCain need to pick female running mates. Either that or we're going to have to find some money in the federal budget for 150 million flower bouquets...........

a cool little story on sit-n-knit on channel 3

i missed it (it was on yesterday morning) but the video is at the link below. sit-n-knit really IS a cool place. if you're ever in the hood (a store in wethersfield and one in west hartford - with one opening in bloomfield soon) DO stop in!

Sit'N Knit In West Hartford
Owners Barbara and Richard Fabian of Sit'N Knit in West Hartford have opened their store because there was nothing like it around. With walls and walls of yarn, thousands of different colors and materials, the store can look overwhelming -- but the Fabians said that if you show up with no experience, they'll teach you how to knit for free............

oh boo-hoo

the residents around west hartford center (WHO ALMOST UNANIMOUSLY VOTED FOR BLACK AND BLUE SQUARE MIND YOU) are up in arms because service workers (i made a funny squinty face showing my distaste at the words 'service workers') ARE EFFING PARKING FOR FREE, FREE I TELL YOU on THEIR side streets! oh my goddess OFF WITH THEIR HEADS or better yet, BURN THEM AT THE STAKE! of course everyone involved in black and blue square SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT OF THE PARKING ISSUES PRIOR TO BUILDING (and RUINING MY TOWN CENTER) the monstrosity that is known as black and blue square. the townspeople should have thought of that PRIOR TO VOTING to HAVE that monstrosity know as black and blue square built! (can you guess i voted against it TWICE?)

as i mentioned in a previous posting, even whole foods is marking the tires of cars parked in it's lot. i didn't hear that second hand by the way, I SAW IT WITH MY OWN EYES.

i know of at least ONE more store leaving the center - due to high rent AND parking problems for it's customers. how many more in the future?

(p.s. wait until we all get our tax bills that reflect 100% of the new assessment. we'll see who is smiling then. - oh not me or mine. we're already NOT smiling and we'll continue not to smile then too. HOWEVER, WE'LL HAVE MORE COMPANY)

Seeking Parking Solutions
By DANIEL P. JONES Courant Staff Writer
WEST HARTFORD - Finding affordable parking has long been a challenge for service-sector workers in West Hartford Center, and the problem has worsened with the opening of Blue Back Square.Now town officials, working with merchants and state transit managers, are trying to come up with solutions that will alleviate the problem and also satisfy nearby homeowners who complain that workers are parking for free on residential streets.One proposal, according to Mayor Scott Slifka, who organized a transportation summit earlier this week, is to make the town hall parking lot available to workers at reduced rates during evenings and weekends, when the lot is typically not full. Another proposal envisions Blue Back Square and West Hartford Center workers driving to state park-and-ride commuter lots, where they would catch a Connecticut Transit shuttle. Over the next week, the town expects merchants to provide information on how many workers they employ and where those workers commute from. The town plans to share the data with CT Transit......

he's an ass

i really never thought i'd say it, but i did and i really think it too. in the past he has done some great things. he has made the us a safer place to live. now he's just pissing me off.

i really do see him as a self-centered, SELF-ABSORBED, look at me - i want attention because everyone else is getting it and i'm being ignored, type. sure, he has a RIGHT to run. but he has NOT a chance, not a prayer to win. why f**k things up? i'm not voting for hillary NO MATTER WHAT. if by some odd chance barack obama does not get the nomination and hillary does, i will NOT vote for any republican currently running for president nor WILL I VOTE FOR RALTH NADER. stop being a baby ralph, you're not doing anyone any good in this manner.
Nader Adamant He's Not The Spoiler (and i'm adamant he IS the spoiler)
By JESSE A. HAMILTON Washington Bureau Chief
WASHINGTON — - Ralph Nader gets the same questions over and over. Why would he want to steal votes from the Democrats? Why does he insist on these third-party stunts? How come he wants to spoil the election?To which the stubborn Connecticut native replies: Why aren't more people doing it?It's become something of a habit for the man from Winsted, now entering his fifth encounter with presidential politics. In an interview Tuesday, still in the first few days of his latest campaign, Nader wields his usual Socratic method, asking as many questions as he answers. "Why are they so keen on denying voters the free choice of their candidates?" Or, if other candidates want him to stay out, "Why don't they pick up these progressive issues?".......

he does have a point though, when he says this:

"The Democrats have got to stop whining, stop scapegoating and look in the mirror and ask how they've continually lost instead of landsliding in election after election against the worst Republican Party in history," Nader said.But he added something about his home state senators: "Dodd's silence on Lieberman is really amazing."Lieberman, who describes himself as an "independent Democrat," has been campaigning for the Republican front-runner, Sen. John McCain. Nader said Dodd is willing to openly criticize him (Dodd also called Nader's announcement "somewhat of a yawn") but not his fellow senator. "Why doesn't he look at Lieberman as imperiling the prospects of the Democratic candidate? It's political bigotry.".......

keep your fingers crossed

this is TRUE (and how could it NOT be i ask you???)

good news good news good news


Sen. Dodd to endorse Barack Obama
By ConnPolitics.tv Editor, on Feb 26, 2008
Washington (AP) _ Democratic Sen. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut plans to endorse former presidential rival Barack Obama.
Dodd will endorse his colleague, a senator from Illinois, in Cleveland today, according to a Democratic official close to Dodd who requested anonymity because no formal announcement had been made.
Dodd’s support, coupled with his liberal credentials, could provide a boost for Obama as major contests near in big states such as Ohio and Texas on March 4. Obama has won some key Democratic endorsements in recent weeks, including Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy, a close friend of Dodd.
Obama and rival Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton had been vying for Dodd’s support since he exited the presidential race after a poor showing in the Iowa caucus last month. ........

'he had the "EXPERTS" duped???????????? WTF?

WHY? because he was a doctor? WHY? because he SAID he wasn't a pedophile? what a load of shite all wrapped up in a pretty package. when you get a shiteload of complaints spaning DECADES against a doctor (or anyone for that matter), one should see that red flag being hoisted

Why Wasn't He Stopped?
The prestigious Institute of Living repeatedly declared Dr. George Reardon safe to practice medicine. Now, the institute says the experts were duped.
By HILARY WALDMAN And DANIEL P. JONES Courant Staff Writers
During the same stretch of time that Dr. George Reardon was allegedly fondling youngsters in his office at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford, a psychologist across town at the Institute of Living reached this conclusion:"Dr. Reardon is not a pedophile."Sparked by complaints, the state Department of Public Health — which has the authority to lodge formal charges against doctors and initiate disciplinary hearings — had asked the prestigious institute to examine Reardon to determine whether he was a child molester. A psychiatrist and a psychologist conducted three separate evaluations of Reardon between 1988 and 1993, with each examination spanning several weeks.

"One of the tragedies is the decision of officials at the health department not to proceed [with disciplinary action in 1987]," said Susan Smith, an Avon lawyer who represents about half of Reardon's alleged victims. "They allowed the doctors at the [Institute of Living] to be the judges in the case."

snow

yesterday february 22, 2008. i am lucky enough to work for a company that allows me to work from home time to time. when it's bad out, that's exactly what i do. these were taken from my back porch and my front yard.

this is NOT right

and i hope hamden really does look into this AND make changes immediately. let's just say you don't care about animals at all (which of course isn't true in my case. but let's just say that). IT'S DANGEROUS TO HUMANS to dump the carcass of a dead animal over a cliff. it would bring disease and perhaps other predatory animals into the area.

Dead animals dumped off cliff
by News Channel 8's Annie Rourke
Hamden (WTNH) _ There is a gruesome site at the bottom of a cliff in Hamden. The remains of several dogs have literally been dumped at a transfer station.
"I wasn't expecting what I saw, to be honest," said Sharon Bass, editor of the cyber paper the Hamden Daily News.
As editor, Bass gets a lot of tips from readers. So when she came out to the Hamden transfer station, she wasn't sure what she'd find.
"This person told me that they had seen the animal Hamden control officer take a dead dog, what appeared to be a dead dog, out of his truck and throw it down the cliff," Bass said.
When she looked down the cliff she saw four or five recently deceased dogs among the bones of older carcasses.
News Channel 8 has confirmed, this is the new policy in Hamden of how to dispose of dead animals, wild or domesticated. It is a cost-saving measure, the town used to pay for mass burials or cremations of unclaimed pets who had been hit by a car, or strays that had to be put down. ...........

mark, the ramp is done!

(my friend mark was in the avon mountain crash. he was seriously injured and life star-ed out of there. he is well now and writing a book which i have had the pleasure of reading the first half of. when published, none of the profits will go to mark. so i'm telling you now, WHEN it's published, everyone HAS to buy a copy or two)
Avon Mountain runaway truck ramp set to open

Associated Press
AVON, Conn. -- State transportation officials say a runaway truck ramp on Route 44 in Avon is set to open Friday, more than two years after a fatal wreck and five months after a second crash.Work on the $2.8 million ramp began in November and is the first such ramp built in Connecticut, according to acting Transportation Commissioner Emil Frankel. Gov. M. Jodi Rell ordered safety measures in the area after a tractor-trailer lost its brakes and slammed into a furniture store in September. No one was seriously injured. However, four people were killed in July 2005 when an out-of-control dump truck barreled into the same intersection and hit several vehicles, including a commuter bus.........

the saltmarsh sharp tailed sparrow

is in danger. will we continue to ignore global warming? will we allow waste to continue to pollute our land and air?

Saltmarsh Sparrow May Find Itself In Harm's Way

Global warming could threaten dependency on local coastal habitat
By Judy Benson Health\/Science\/Environment ReporterE-mail: j.benson@theday.com

Though perhaps not as dramatic as polar bears drowning in rising Arctic seas and melting ice, the perils of a little sparrow that depends on the salt marshes of southeastern Connecticut for nesting could be a local indicator of the effects of global warming.
In the Connecticut State of the Birds 2008 report released last week by the Connecticut Audubon Society, the saltmarsh sharp-tailed sparrow is named among six threatened species that depend on specific types of habitat in Connecticut for their survival.
“This could be the first Connecticut species to go extinct if sea levels continue to rise as they are,” said Milan Bull, senior director of science and conservation at the Audubon Society. “With global warming and sea-level rise increasing, our coastal salt marshes are at great risk, very great risk.”
The saltmarsh sharp-tailed sparrow, a migratory species that spends May through November in the marshes of southeastern Connecticut, is “arguably the bird for which conservation actions in Connecticut are most important in terms of ensuring long-term survival,” the report states........

picture: The loss of habitat is a threat to the existence of the saltmarsh sharp-tailed sparrow, according to a report released by the Connecticut Audubon Society.

don't forget there's a lunar eclipse wednesday night!

how cool!


The lunar eclipse will create a stunning effect in the sky. (Elliot Severn/Boothe Memorial Astronomical Society)

Stargazing eclipsed by lunar event
RICHARD WEIZEL rweizel@ctpost.com

STRATFORD — On a particularly dark and misty night last week about a half-dozen people ranging in age from 11 to 60 gathered around a high powered telescope in a small two-room observatory at Boothe Memorial Park.
It wasn't the best of nights to be stargazing, but that didn't seem to deter this group.
Instead, they talked excitedly about what it's like when they can look up beyond the night sky and see planets, stars and galaxies — some as close as Venus and Mars, others that are light years away, and likely don't even exist anymore.
Now, these astronomy buffs, members of the 55-year-old Boothe Memorial Astronomical Society, are getting ready for something special — a major astronomical event they will view from the park Wednesday when up to 500 people are expected to turn out to watch a total lunar eclipse between 10 and 11 p.m.
"People will come and spread out on blankets and lawn chairs, or just stand and gaze up and see something special," said Mark Holden, the society's vice president and Trumbull resident, who has been a member for 30 years. "Society members will set up about a half-dozen of our own telescopes that are just right for seeing the eclipse, and people can line up and take turns."
The eclipse, which allows the moon to be gradually covered by the Earth's shadow, culminates in the moon appearing to be engulfed in an "eerie coppery glow," society members said, that some describe as reddish orange..........

not just state, but local police

too! i HATE people who are driving and on their cell phones. it's dangerous AND stupid. i see TENS of them each day. bust them ALL
while i'm bitching, TURN YOUR EFFING LIGHTS ON WHEN THE WEATHER IS BAD. THAT'S A STATE LAW AS WELL

Eyes On The Road!
Police Looking For Inattentive Drivers
State police have been ordered to crack down this week on drivers whose inattentiveness threatens the safety of others, particularly those using cellphones."Twenty-five percent of all crashes involve some form of driver distraction," Gov. M. Jodi Rell said in announcing the launch today of "Operation Safe Drive." The crackdown runs through Friday, a time when many students are out of school on vacation. "I have directed the state police to focus on the strict enforcement of distracted driving offenses, especially cellphone use while driving," Rell said in a press release. "Distracted driving is dangerous to everyone. Some distractions, no matter how minor, interfere with a driver's ability to properly maintain control of his or her vehicle. The fine for [hand-held] cellphone use while driving is $100, but the consequences of being distracted while driving can amount to much more." ......

as i said over on this posting

at ravings of a semi-sane madwoman I SURE DO HOPE BRUCE WILLIS IS AVAILABLE
Conn. towns respond to satellite warning with caution, wary jokes
SOUTH WINDSOR, Conn.—Emergency officials say they're ready for the extremely remote possibility that a disabled U.S. spy satellite could crash in Connecticut.
more stories like this
Federal officials recently sent guidelines to all U.S. municipalities on how to respond, although the Navy hopes to shoot down the dead satellite before it reaches land.
They say the likelihood of the satellite crashing and injuring anyone is extremely remote and that no one should be alarmed.
Emergency officials in several Connecticut towns say they're prepared, just in case........