The Meanderings of a Mediocre Mind...

Or today, depending upon how you see it...

http://www.teamwench.org/yardsale.shtml

We're open from 10am-3pm, and we've got everything in this sale including the kitchen sink (yes, we've got a sink from a wet-bar going into this one)! Anything from garb to accessories to modern clothing, furniture, baby clothes, you name it! Craft items galore, from yarn to florals to buttons to fabric!

Come on by, you might never see deals like this again, and all of it going to a good cause, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society!

Two dead and the emergency crews are preparing for a mass casualty event.

Please check in, people. Thank you.

Okay, some of you may have heard of http://www.trashthedress.com before... It's a site where former brides (some who want to trash the dress because of a bad breakup, or some who are still married and just want to have fun with it) go find some really cool places to take pictures, whether or not the dress gets completely hosed, and have a field day with it! I've seen some gorgeous ones where the photos were taken in swamps, swimming pools, on the beach, in run down slums, burned out forests, lakes, car repair shops, anything you can think of that would produce a good shot that may or may not involve the dress being in a state one can no longer use it in afterwards...

Before you stand there in shock, I've got a "spare" dress that I bought for cheap on ebay before I found *THE* dress... So I wouldn't be trashing *my* dress, just *a* dress. And it might not actually be unwearable afterwards, depending upon what it was I did (a swimming pool, for example, does not produce the same issues that a swamp would).

tyrus and I have been talking about doing this for *YEARS*... And he's got the time to do it with me right now, so we're trying to find something appropriate. It'd be really nice if I could do it in the reflecting pool on the Mall, but right now I'd be likely to be shot for that, so that may be out.

So can anyone think of a really picturesque spot to take pictures at that may or may not involve the dress being unwearable afterwards? Heck, even a spot that is gorgeous but may involve posing in a way that would normally do something to the dress would be fine (like being draped over garden statuary, or lying down in the grass or on the sand)... But I'm trying to think up good locations to work with that are picturesque.

Anyone got any good ideas for the NoVA/DC area? We're thinking of taking an afternoon and doing DC first, then finding a pool... And heck, even if it rains, it might be fun to do a photo shoot in the rain! :)

Any suggestions welcomed... :)

There are three things coming up, two of them dealing with the MS Challenge Walk, one of them a social event, but using that weekend to help with the third weekend!

First, this coming Saturday, Team Wench will be helping out at the MS Challenge WAlk! Team Wench is once more hosting the lunch stop for the walkers, and this year it's piracy on the high seas! If you'd like to help, drop me a line and I'll send you all the information you need to know! Dress in pirate garb and be prepared to sling sandwiches for a worthy cause! If you can't make it, we'd love donations!

Second, on July 4th weekend, the Shelby residence will be having an open house! We'll be open for guests all weekend, with a BBQ running most of the day on the 4th itself, and we can fire up the grill at any other time as well! Bring a side with you, we'll have plenty of meat and/or veggies for the grill (if you're vegetarian, we'll make sure there's a non-meat spot on the grill). If you'd like a place to crash, let us know! Our local school (about a quarter mile away) always fires up the fireworks, so we can watch them from our own front yard! This is also going to be an open house craft weekend, so if you're into doing any kind of craft, bring it along, we'll be doing things all weekend! Directions can be found at the Team Wench Charity Yard Sale website. RSVP to let me know when you'll be there!

Third, the reason I point you to our Team Wench Charity Yard Sale is because this year the event is at my house, and all of the proceeds go to the National MS Society! If you have yardsale-quality items that you'd like to donate to a worthy cause, please bring them with you on the 4th of July weekend, or let me know when you would like to drop them off! This year the Yard Sale will be on Sunday, July 12th, from 10am-3pm, and it won't just contain faire related items (although we will still have plenty of garb, fabric, accessories, MDRF mugs, and other rennie-related items)! If you'd like to see it sold for a good cause, bring it with you, and peruse our other items to purchase while you're there! Items this year include anything from fabric from my own personal stash (including velvets, linen, cotton, and brocades) to buttons of all kinds, to furniture (some tables and even a china cabinet are up for grabs!), to craft items like yarn and needles, to small appliances! In these economic times, you can not only get yourselves good items for great prices, but give a little back to a worthy cause!

Come on by!

-Cyd

I always say if you don't vote now, don't bitch later.

There are a number of people who always complain about how we don't have "decent" people to put forward in the general elections. A good reason for that is that nobody ever goes to vote in the primaries (witness the fact that I was number 10 to show up to my polling place this morning, and I showed up at 9:30). If you don't vote in the primaries, then you are subjected to a teeny tiny number of people voting in someone, and it may be likely to be someone you don't want, so you're now stuck with people that you don't like on both sides.

If you don't know who you want to vote for, check out http://www.votesmart.org and enter in your zip code. It'll tell you who's running, and what they stand for (or at least, what they don't stand for).

As far as I'm concerned, if you don't take part in the process, you've no right to complain later if it turns out to be someone you don't like.

SO GO VOTE!

Remember them. All gave some, some gave all.

The voice of reason from a guy who's a doctor:

http://turnberryknkn.livejournal.com/659461.html

This includes things you should do in the case of a pandemic, but is not written to panic people.

The MS Walk is this coming Sunday, and I've got less than $600 to go to meet my goal of raising $2250 this year!

Many of you know what I went through more than 15 years ago now. I'm raising money so nobody else ever has to go through what I did, so that MS can be stopped before it even starts.

MS limits mobility for many people. It's a MonSter that lurks in the background, that we don't know when or where it will strike. It can take someone from being healthy one day to being incapacitated the next. It takes you from being a perfectly healthy person to someone with a lifetime of unpredictability, where today you could be normal and the next day you could be homebound.

Someone is diagnosed with MS every hour. In the area I live in, one in every 2000-3000 people has MS. You likely know far more people with it than you think.

Please, help us stamp out MS so nobody has to live with this hanging over their heads anymore. I want to be able to tell people someday that "I *had* MS, but I don't anymore!"

You can donate directly online, or if you wish to donate by check instead, please let me know and I'll tell you who to make it out to and where to send it.

Anything you can give will bring us that much closer to a cure, whether it's 5 cents, $5, or $500.

I look forward to the day where I no longer have to raise money for MS, because it will no longer exist.

Thank you to those who have already donated, and thanks in advance to those who are planning on it!

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/Cyd

...and still have begged for more.

Today, for the first time, I performed with Keltish.

Geez, I didn't want this evening to end. Capi, to put this in perspective' the hubby said he hasn't seen me so excited after a performance since that time with that deaf kid whom we gave the ability to 'hear' our performance.

Today was just magic.

The harmony was beautiful and spontaneous, and much of it just 'clicked'.

I 'walk' through many of my performances if there's nothing new going on. Sometimes I'll hop, skip, run, or dance if it's a really good day.

Today, I flew.

I just want to thank the members of Keltish who allowed me to join them (and gave me a good excuse to do so after years of doing the "gee, we should do that sometime"), my husband for volunteering me before telling me he did, and my mother for being a bitch and not letting me quit in junior high. :)

... And as you are likely aware, I have MS.

Five years ago, I wrote a post that to me only seems to skim the surface of what this has meant to my life. It was most definitely the awakening of the knowledge that my life was never going to be the same as it was. While I'm usually somewhat vocal about having MS, I don't usually go into details of what that means. It can mean that one day I'll be full of energy, and the next day I'll be dragging on the floor. Today I can be walking perfectly fine, but tomorrow I'll be unable to go 500 feet without a break. It can mean that while I appear to be a perfectly healthy and independent thirtysomething, something lurks beneath that has the potential to incapacitate me, for either short periods or for a lifetime.

More than 15 years ago, I had no idea what MS even was. Most people get it confused with Jerry's Kids, or Lou Gherig's Disease, or any one of a number of other diseases... And while it is in most cases unlikely to end someone's life, it IS something that can have devestating effects on the person's life and independence.

I am one of the lucky ones. Yes, I know I have it, which many people are so misdiagnosed as other diseases that they get incorrect and improper treatment for years before it is finally diagnosed. And while yes, I have it, my symptoms have been few and far between since the life-changing semester of my diagnosis. While I am currently relatively symptom-free, this disease has the potential to turn my life upsidown yet again, as it did years ago, to the point where I lost my independence and could hardly even dress myself, let alone get on with the daily aspects of living. But I am one of the lucky ones. While people are slowly becoming aware of what MS is and does through characterizations such as President Bartlett on the West Wing, there are still so many out there who are unaware, and MS has a tendency to strike those in the prime of their lives... The National Multiple Sclerosis Society depends upon donations from people like you to be able to not only spread awareness of this disease, but to help us come closer to a cure! Thanks to donations in the past, there are not only new medications out that can help, but new upcoming treatments that may cure it, including the use of non-embryonic stem cells to try and reset the system!

As some of you may be aware of, Team Wench is going to be participating in the MS Walk on April 19, in Annapolis, Maryland! Team Wench is a group of strong-minded women (and some men!) who both work and play at renaissance festivals, and friends of those who do. Team Wench has been organizing and participating in charity fundraising events for years! This is actually our ninth year in participating in the MS Walk! As in past years, Team Wench also includes several men who know Wenches who are near and dear to their hearts. Several of our local wenches (including myself) have this potentially debilitating disease, and we're determined to stamp it out!

This year marks fifteen years since my diagnosis… And in commemoration of that date, I'd like to raise at least fifteen times what I raised in my first year of walking in the MS Walk! My first year, I rollerbladed the walk through Liberty State Park, and I raised just over $150. This year, fifteen years later, I'd like to raise more than $2250!

As stated in the MD Chapter webpage:
"Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, often disabling disease of the nervous system. Symptoms may be mild, such as numbness in the limbs, or severe paralysis or loss of vision. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 40, but the unpredictable physical and emotional effects can be lifelong. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are giving hope to those affected by the disease.

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society is dedicated to ending the devastating effects of multiple sclerosis."

Every hour someone is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). Please join me in supporting the National MS Society's mission to end the devastating effects of MS. You can support me by making a secure online epledge.

Thank you - together we can make a difference! I want to be able to look at people some day and say "I HAD MS, but not anymore!" I want to know that nobody else will have to go through what it has done to me and so many people I know, or that if it does it won't happen again!

You can donate by credit card on a secure server, directly online!

If you'd like to donate, or if you'd like to join our team, please click here to go to my donations page! Even if you don't live in the area, we have "phantom walkers" who can walk from anywhere in the world, and the fundraising goes directly to the NMSS! If you have any difficulties with the link, there should be one listed at the bottom of this letter.

For more information about this event, please visit the MS Walk in Maryland homepage.

For more information about the National MS Society, please visit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society homepage.

If you would like to make a donation via check instead of online, please make the check out to "NMSS". If you need my address, email me!

My thanks to those of you who have already donated to the cause, and thanks in advance to those of you who want to help those who have MS, and help MDRF's Team Wench make this ninth annual event a good one!!!

Thanks for all your support!

Cyd (Top 50 fundraiser, Sole Supporter, Gold Soles walker, and Gold Glider rollerblader since 1994)

P.S. If you would like more information about the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, how proceeds from the walk MS are used, or the other ways you can get involved in the fight against MS, please visit www.nmss-md.org or call 443-641-1200.

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Walk/MDMWalkEvents?px=1903640&pg=personal&fr_id=10224

http://www.stimulus.virginia.gov/charts.aspx

And guess what? The page was made using LogiXML, my company's product! :)

This was that project that had me working for days on end last summer... Not the page itself, but creating a proof of concept to tell them what they could do with the product!

EDIT: If you get a certificate error, add the certificate to your list. No, it's not going to crash your machine or put a trojan on it. :)

Poll #1351053 Testing 1, 2, 3
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All

I'm just testing to see how the poll information works

I have an LJ friend who lives in Melbourne where the temps are 46 degrees C right now (about 115 degrees F) and they've had almost no rain all year, resulting in one of the worst droughts ever just as the fires are ravaging the area, so what little water is left is being used to quench the fires.

The death toll from the fires is already up to 173. Hundreds of homes have been lost, hundreds more are homeless. The weather changed around so fast it whipped up the fires faster than they were able to deal with them, and most of the fires are out of control.

Please, if you can spare it, consider helping these people, many of whom have only the clothes on their backs?

The Red Cross will be helping to feed people and get them to the services they need, as well as helping families contact each other, assisting with shelter, and other things necessary to people's survival and assistance.

Please help.

For many, there is nothing left.

... or not.

So just to shut up the conspiracy theorists, Obama took the oath of office a second time yesterday. Don't need to link to it, it's all over the news anyways.

But now? There are still people who are conspiracy theorists who believe that because the second one wasn't done on the Bible, it wasn't "real".

How many times can people say that it doesn't matter what the oath of office is sworn on, as long as the actual oath is taken?

For that matter, Theodore Roosevelt did not swear in on a bible, he just upheld his hand and said the oath.

Oh, and John Quincy Adams swore on a book of law, not a bible.

And Lyndon Johnson swore in on a Missal because there was no bible available.

This would not be the first time that the President would not have sworn in on a Bible.

He did it a second time not because he had to (most legal people will tell you that there was no need for him to do so). He did so in order to get people to let him get on with the business of being president. There have been a few oath screw-ups over the years:

From Wikipedia:

• In 1929, Chief Justice William Howard Taft garbled the oath when he swore in President Herbert Hoover using the words "preserve, maintain, and defend the Constitution", instead of "preserve, protect, and defend". Taft eventually acknowledged his error, but did not think it was important, and Hoover did not retake the oath.^[6][7]

• In 1941, C. Elmore Cropley, the Supreme Court clerk who held the Bible for President Franklin Roosevelt's third inauguration dropped the Bible after the oath was given. Photos detailing the mishap filled a full page of Life magazine the next week.

• In 1945, President Harry S. Truman's bare initial caused an unusual slip when he first became president and took the oath. At a meeting in the Cabinet Room, Chief Justice Harlan Stone began reading the oath by saying "I, Harry Shipp Truman, . . ." Truman responded: "I, Harry S. Truman, . . ."^[8]

• "That I will execute the Office of President to the United States faithfully." Obama then repeated Roberts' prompt word for word, including the misplaced "faithfully."^[9] The oath was re-administered the next day by Roberts at the White House.^[10][11]

If Hoover was never challenged because he screwed up the wording, and Roosevelt never actually swore on *anything* and was never challenged, then where the hell is the conspiracy? Are people actually going to say that Hoover and Roosevelt were never president?

Get 'em while they're hot!!! :)

http://cgi.ebay.com/Team-Wench-Privateer-Feast-GENERAL-ADMISSION-Sale_W0QQitemZ260343566723QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Tickets_all_in_one?hash=item260343566723&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

Don't miss out on our 8th annual Privateer Feast to Save the Boobies and help to eliminate Breast Cancer! Good music, good food, good prizes, and all of the profits go to the walks for breast cancer!

EDIT: The 2009 Privateer Feast is now SOLD OUT!!! For instructions on how to get on the waiting list, please go to http://www.teamwench.org/pf/main.shtml and put your name in!

Thank you to everyone!

I'm going to bed now. ;)

As of 2pm today, we've been released!

I'm outta here! Merry Christmas to those who celebrate, and Happy Day Off to those who don't!

Take care, and see you in a few days!

http://narniarose.livejournal.com/

Thank you to everyone who crossposted this in the effort to find her.

http://narniarose.livejournal.com/63920.html

May you all get just as much turkey as you want today!

Gobble gobble!

http://www.zefrank.com/from52to48withlove/

Direct quoted from margoeve:

We ALL said some very nasty things at some point. It didn't matter who you supported, every single person I've talked politics with has at some point spewed forth something unkind about the side they disagreed with. To ask for unity without apologizing for past hurts is like asking for forgiveness without actual repentance.

It takes nothing to be right. It takes self awareness to admit when one is wrong and be sincere about such an admission.

So, I say lets start the healing with apologizing to each other. I'll start:

I'm a moderate and I have said nasty things about both Democrats and Republicans. I am sorry that I said disparaging things about your political beliefs. They were said out of frustration, but that is not an excuse.

I am sorry that we hurt each other.

I am glad that we all wanted a change from what has been going on and I am sorry we couldn't see eye to eye during the election cycle. I am hoping you will, now that things have calmed down, accept my hand and let us come up with some solutions that we can all live with. The government can only do so much. It is up to each of us to make it ok to be, not a party, but an American.

I hope you will accept my apology.



And for those who are skeptical of my sincerity, I will say that I learned not so long ago that it is near impossible to be right all the time and be happy. In a choice between the two, I'll ALWAYS admit when I was wrong and choose happiness. There is no point in pride if all it brings is misery.

I think she says it better than I do right now.

Apologies are deserved on all sides right now. I don't mean apologizing for your beliefs, because we all have them. It's apologizing for the lies, the bashing, the nastiness. It's apologizing for ripping your friends (or at least your listeners) down for what they believe in. It's for all of the nastiness we've seen.

If I've bashed on what you believe in, I apologize. I have the right to believe as I do: I do not have a right to bash on you because you believe differently.

We all do it. We all have done it.

Time to stop the hate and start the healing.

Yes, we have made history.

We are heading into the dawning of a new era. Hopefully this era holds the promise that many of us hope it does.

But remember, be gracious in both victory and defeat.

This is not something that needs to be rubbed into people's faces.

The fact that the candidate chosen won by a HUGE margin is a great victory.

But take a lesson from the one who didn't win, the one who went back to sounding like the man he *used* to be.

This is not the time to be divided. By rubbing noses in things, we increase the divide.

As it is, I am saddened by the fact that last night saw a number of people LOSE the rights they already had. California. Arkansas. Alabama. Florida. For a number of people who have no differences from the majority other than *who they love*, last night was bittersweet. In their votes, there were a number of people who sought to increase the divide.

This country needs to be united again.

I don't care whose fault it is. I really don't.

What matters is looking forward.

To the one who didn't win: Thank you for making your concession as gracious and uniting as possible. Some of your supporters in the audience didn't agree, and the fact that they were so uncivil as to boo a speech that was trying to unite people says something. Thank you, Senator, for trying to bridge the divide. While it could have come sooner, it could never have come, so for that I am grateful.

To our new president: Please don't screw this up. One of the reasons you are now where you are is because your predecessor screwed up, and did so in a *BIG* way. Our country cannot afford this. No matter who won, I would be asking this of him. You seem to be on the right track already. Please continue to try to bridge that divide, and please help this country to be the great nation we have the potential to be.

One way or the other, our country has changed. Please, we all need to work *together*.

No matter which candidate was chosen, it wasn't going to be perfect. Both have flaws, both have good points.

But we can hope that heading into the future, we can all work together.

United we stand.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/04/us/politics/04network.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

Do all of us a favor. I don't care if the networks call it, KEEP ON VOTING.

Why? Because networks have been wrong before.

http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Officer_Shot_at_Polling_Location_in_Prince_Georges_County.html

Someone broke into the school this morning before the poll workers got there. Police responded to the scene, and an officer was shot.

If you're going to vote in Laurel, they WILL let you vote as long as you're in line by 7pm tonight, because the polls opened an hour late due to this (the TV is more updated than the website right now). But EXPECT to have long lines!

And there's only one reason I'm up.

GO VOTE TODAY!!!

... early voting in Florida is already greater than the entire voting for Florida in the 2000 election, according to jocelyncs.

People are sitting up and paying attention.

VOICES WILL NOT BE STOPPED!

Tomorrow? GO VOTE! Republican, Democrat, Independent, I don't care what your party affiliation is (okay, so I care, but I still believe you should have a vote no matter what your party affiliation is), GO OUT AND VOTE!

Bring your legally issued government photo ID (whether that's an ID card, a license, or a passport), and if you have it, bring your voter registration card! If you are told you are not registered, at least ask for your provisional ballot! They may be able to deny you the ability to vote on the spot, but they cannot deny you the ability to get your voice in there for them to verify later!

And take these phone numbers with you:

1-866-MY-VOTE-1
1-866-OUR-VOTE

If you find yourself being denied a vote for any reason, and you have reason to believe it is being done unlawfully, CALL THOSE NUMBERS. I've seen cases recently where people who had been living in the same place for five years were suddenly told their votes were invalid because of "improper registration" and things like that, so don't allow your vote to be invalidated!

Use google to find where your polling place is.

http://maps.google.com/vote

MAKE SURE YOUR VOICE IS HEARD!

And vote on the CORRECT DAY, November 4, please?

http://www.snopes.com/politics/humor/voting.asp

So not amused by this... Because there are people out there who might not be paying enough attention to realize that it's on the first Tuesday of November every single time.

Last time, there were people who were duped by this. Don't be.

VOTE ON NOVEMBER 4!!!!

http://mwcnews.net/content/view/26090&Itemid=1

Do yourselves a favor when you go in to vote... Check EVERYTHING before you submit it. And insist on paper if you have a choice. My own county has a computerized machine or an optical scan, your choice. I go for the optical scan every time... Because when it comes down to it, the optical scanner has a PAPER TRAIL.

I do NOT want to watch a third election where nobody is sure what the results were.

Okay, some of these may contain repeats, but it's a lot of good job sites involved:

( even more places for jobs... )

Because there are so many people currently out in the market, and even more to come, I'm reposting this. I originally posted the list back in 2004 when wench18 gave it to me, and I have further modified it since to add additional job hunting sites that she didn't have listed. I'm sure there are others, but this will at least help people get off to a good start.

( A list of general job hunting sites, plus a list of the companies that were the best on the east coast in the year 2000 )

I hope this list helps people find something...

*whew* I'm wondering if that's even a word at this point. :)

But please read below. The vote you save may be your own, no matter which side of the aisle you stand on.

If you experience or hear of any suspicious activity regarding voting or voter registration, report here:
http://www.866ourvote.org/

They also have a phone number: 1-866-OUR-VOTE

All of their volunteers have legal education (lawyers, law students and paralegals) and they will file suit on behalf of voters who have been disenfranchised. Their hotline is open now, and they will have volunteers at polling places on election day.

About To Take Off From Atlanta And Phone Posting! See You In Two Weeks!

These scams are getting more and more realistic all the time!

It's a good thing I change my email address for every place I post to, because that way I know exactly when I'm being used for a phishing expedition... This morning I got an extremely realistic looking email from Paypal, claiming that a Cheryl Blake from Dover Delaware had purchased a camera in my name on Ebay, and could I please confirm this?

It looked damned real. Right down to the realistic-looking email address, both in the headers and in the "Dispute this charge" section.

I went straight to my paypal account (not using the links in the email) and of course, there have been no transactions on my account.

I have now forwarded it to both spoof@paypal.com and spoof@ebay.com, but the fact that I got one that looks that realistic (albeit under an aliased address, so I know where they got my email from) concerns me. Most of the ones I've gotten in the past have been poorly done. This one used an address that looks right, used a return address that looks right, and had an extremely authentic looking email, and was NOT the usual "here's an image that looks like an email" that links to some place else entirely.

NEVER trust any email that comes in that says "please click here to dispute" or "please click here to respond". ALWAYS go directly to the source (in this case, go directly to your paypal account, and NOT through the link provided in the email). Otherwise, someone may get your account numbers because you were "disputing" a fake charge to begin with.

Just be careful. I know most of you know not to respond to stuff like this, but if I thought it looked real and I'm watching out for this kind of thing, I can't imagine what someone who doesn't deal with this all the time is going to do.

It's definitely not too late to help! Our total funds from the walk should hit the website today, but today is a good day to consider making a regular donation!

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Challenge/DCWChallengeWalkEvents?px=1903640&pg=personal&fr_id=7970

Every dollar we make means coming one step closer to curing a disease that has impacted so many lives... Your dollars could help us make that difference!

Thanks again, to all who have helped us so far through the yardsale, and to those who continue help us come that much closer to a cure! :)

-Cyd

Thanks to all of the hardworking volunteers, the generous donors of yarsale items, and the wonderful people purchasing them (not to mention the "volunteers" who were conscripted to help box up and move out all of the leftovers!), this year's Prepare for Faire Yardsale has brought in an early estimate of $2500!!! There's still some money left to be collected, plus some money to be doled out because of expenses, but all in all this year's yardsale was an overwhelming success!

Thank you again to all of you who helped, donated, or purchased! Because of your efforts, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society will have that much more money to work with in order to come closer to a cure!!!

So you’re wanting some extra garb for Pennsic or faire? Lanterns? Fans? Hats? Feast gear? Baskets?

Come on by to the Prepare for Faire yardsale in Sterling, VA! http://www.teamwench.org/prepare.shtml (directions on the site)

We’ve got a bunch of good garb, from Casta Diva to Moresca to Dra, chemises, sideless surcotes, cotehardies, and more! We’ve even got shoes and boots that would make for a good addition to anyone’s wardrobe!

Baskets, anyone? There’s a bunch of baskets that would make for good feast gear baskets, gift baskets, lunch baskets, and more!

Are you a crafter? We have yarn and buttons and beads galore! There’s even a silk painting kit, a learn to crochet DVD and kit, candlemaking and soapmaking supplies, and more!

If you’re looking to make new garb, we’ve got a TON of fabric, including some fancy brocades and jacquards for only $2 a yard, and most fabrics for only $1 a yard! We’ve got everything from cotton to corduroy, lining to linen, burlap to brocades! Don’t sew? Find a buddy who does, buy them fabric, and get them to make you garb in the process!

We’ve even got three sewing machines up for sale, two of them modern, one of them a good old-fashioned steel Pfaff still in the cabinet!

We will also have a silent auction going on the side. You could possibly go home with a short sword or other cool items!

This year, we’re not only doing good renaissance-related items, but modern items as well! We have anything from bookshelves and tables to stuffed animals and Beanie Babies! Looking for good baby items and children’s toys and activities? We’ve got them! Need a new end table? A dining table and chairs? Bookshelves? Snow globes? A bread machine? A toaster oven? A HEPA filter? Glassware? The entire collection of Taco Bell Chihuahuas? Bouncing Tiggers? Corner medicine cabinet (and other bathroom hardware)? Computer parts? Electric Wok? Holiday knickknacks? Collectables? A dollhouse? Think of this as a community yard sale, because a huge number of people in the community donated to it in order to raise more money for the MS Society!

Come on by! We’re located in Sterling (3 miles north of Dulles Airport off Church Road), VA. We’ll be open from 9am – 1pm! Come and get items for pennies on the dollar, and help raise money for a good cause!

Thanks to hthottie, I have just learned that the Bush administration is about to release a rule that will make it possible for federal funding that is specifically designed to prevent unintended pregnancy and promote reproductive health to now be used for anything but that.

If it happens, this will be a massive betrayal of women and families, and we must stop it. For example, this is what one result of Bush's rule change could be:

Right now, anti-choice groups run so-called "crisis pregnancy centers" in communities all around the country -- often a block or two away from Planned Parenthood affiliate health centers. These facilities look like health centers, but in reality are run by anti-choice zealots who deliver only the reproductive health care options that fit their agenda. No birth control, no abortion -- and no choice for women and families who need it.

If this rule takes effect, they're likely to receive a massive influx of our tax dollars to expand their deceptive operations and to attract hundreds of thousands of women who think they'll be getting medical care but instead will receive a large dose of anti-choice ideology.

I believe that tricking women when they are most vulnerable is wrong -- and the federal government shouldn't pay people to do it.

Another example is the ability for a "church going" pharmacist to be able to deny you birth control on the precept that he thinks it's abortion. Right now, it's illegal for him to deny it to you. If this gets passed, they will be able to deny you and there will be little or nothing you can do about it. It doesn't matter if you're using it to regulate a period that's off-kilter, or if you're using the hormones to fix other issues, as long as they see it as only being there for "abortion" purposes, they'd be allowed to deny it to you.

We need to stop this! Please go to http://www.ppaction.org/campaign/spp08sadv2 and make your voice heard!

http://jezebel.com/5025756/bush-administration-memo-tries-to-define-birth-control-as-abortion

http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/article.asp?article=317088&paper=67&cat=226

Remember, July 19 is the Prepare for Faire yardsale, so come on down, spend some money on a good cause, and get some inexpensive faire items to boot! :)

http://www.teamwench.org/prepare.shtml

For those of you who aren't knitters, well, donating to the MS society is a good thing anyway... But for those of you who are? THIS WOMAN'S RAFFLE PRIZES ROCK!!!

http://www.claudiasblog.net/kams/

GO DONATE TO THIS WOMAN!!! :)

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/health/bal-ms0623,0,3169892,print.story

This is why I've been fundraising for years. Because of the hope this represents.

Thank you for letting me know, thatliardiego. Thank you.

I'm just directly linking you to motherwell, because he's pretty much nailed it.

Al Gore went in to rescue Katrina victims - and was blocked by FEMA and the military at every turn.

I'm just gobsmacked.

Team Wench, Inc. proudly presents to you the 5th annual MS Fantasy
Ball – Midsummer Masquerade!
http://www.teamwench.org/msfb/

Come enjoy a fantasy evening in the forest of Shakespeare's Puck as
he invites you to dance the night away!

Your mischievous host welcomes you to join in the festivities, with
an evening of fun and food, music and masquerade, as we help
support our local area chapters of the National Multiple Sclerosis
Society!

Saturday, July 12, 2008
7:00PM until 11:00PM
Great Falls Grange (New location!)
Great Falls, VA

Your tickets include an evening of live music and dance, plus a
delectable substantial hors d'oeuvres and dessert buffet, and a beer-
wine bar. Costume and mask contests will be held throughout the
evening, as well as our exciting drawings and silent auctions!

This year's entertainment line-up features two great local folk rock
bands, Jubeus and The Dreamscapes Project. Check 'em out! These
aren't your mama's folk bands! Closing out the evening will be
dancing and music from Three Left Feet, a group that will keep you on
your toes!

Themed costumes suggested, but not required!

You could see fairies dancing with hobbits, Puck talking with pirates
or even Storm Troopers guarding the cash register! Be creative and
have fun... Just be sure you're appropriately covered... This is a
public venue ya' know.

Tickets are currently on sale at $50 in advance ($65 at door - cash
only).

Also, new this year, you can buy your drawings (aka raffles) tickets
in advance! Just send a check and a note with how many drawings
tickets you are buying and they will be waiting for you at the ticket
table. Be sure to visit the Ticket Info page for details.
http://www.teamwench.org/msfb/Tickets.html

Hope to see you there!

Well, while I've heard good things from people about how their areas survived well enough, that stream of storms that came through last night generated *23* tornadoes. TWENTY THREE, from North Carolina through Maryland.

Hopefully everyone came out this unscathed.

Anyone who's in Fairfax County, Stafford County, Calvert County, Anne Arundel County, and anyone else in the path of this tornado (mostly 95 corridor) please check in? Last I saw it was over Quantico.

When I was a kid, the things that always gave me nightmares were tornadoes. I do NOT like them. Ironically, I have never actually *seen* one other than the very beginnings of one forming over my head (for those of you who remember me posting about it about four years ago, I narrowly ducked one forming almost over my head by going into the parking garage at the airport... I heard "the train"... When I got into the airport itself, a flight attendant told me it had bounced off the garage I had just left).

Right now there's the one from Quantico heading towards Marbury. There's also a heavy cell over Annandale right now. Charles county, prince george's county, fairfax county, stafford county, they say take cover, and there are watches for Anne Arundel and Calvert. Most of the metro area is under a warning right now (watching the weather on the HDTV channels right now, since the satellite is out).

There's also heavy flood warnings all over the area.

If you get this message, please take precautions if you're in those areas, and if you don't get this until much later, please just check in.

I rarely get phone calls from people I don't know.

Someone has called from an unlisted number NINE TIMES in the last two days, twice in the last ten minutes.

Me, I will not answer the phone from an unlisted number unless I'm expecting it. If it's that important, LEAVE A MESSAGE and I will get back to you. But if I haven't answered the phone in the NINE TIMES you have called, perhaps you'd like to LEAVE A MESSAGE?

If I'm not picking up the phone, perhaps there's a reason...

The MS Walk is tomorrow, and while I'm only $250 away from my first goal of $2100, I'm still over a thousand away from my second goal of $3000!

It's been fourteen years since my diagnosis, and four years since I wrote the post that detailed it all. A lot of things have changed since I first was diagnosed, and due in no small part to the funding that the National MS Society and other groups have received, that have been put forth towards the research that brings us closer to a cure every day. When I was diagnosed, the first of the drugs to help reduce MS problems was just coming out on the market, and was so rare they had to put it on a lottery system. Nowadays there are 4 different immunomodifying drugs that help to reduce the frequency of exacerbations, plus two more that also help to reduce the frequency and severity. In the medical world, that's leaps and bounds past what they could ever have done without your help!

Without the funding that they have received from donors like yourself, the NMSS could not give the physical and social assistance they have given to people with MS all over the country. On top of the money they give to research, they have programs that expand awareness of what MS is (many people think that MS is related to Jerry's Kids, or Lou Gherig's disease, or any one of a number of other similar diseases), programs that help people cope with the every day issues that can stem from their MS and their diagnosis, and help to provide durable medical equipment to those people who cannot live their daily lives without it.

I was once one of those people who needed that assistance, and I may likely need it again someday, unless we find a cure. Back when I did that first MS Walk in 1994, I raised $150. Now, 14 years later, I want to make my first goal 14 times what it was back then, or $2100!

As stated in the MD Chapter webpage:
"Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, often disabling disease of the nervous system. Symptoms may be mild, such as numbness in the limbs, or severe paralysis or loss of vision. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 40, but the unpredictable physical and emotional effects can be lifelong. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are giving hope to those affected by the disease.

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society is dedicated to ending the devastating effects of multiple sclerosis."

Every hour someone is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). Please join me in supporting the National MS Society's mission to end the devastating effects of MS.
You can support me by making a secure online epledge.

Thank you - together we can make a difference! I want to be able to look at people some day and say "I HAD MS, but not anymore!" I want to know that nobody else will have to go through what it has done to me and so many people I know, or that if it does it won't happen again!

You can donate by credit card on a secure server, directly online!

If you'd like to donate, or if you'd like to join our team, please
click here to go to my donations page! Even if you don't live in the area, we have "phantom walkers" who can walk from anywhere in the world, and the fundraising goes directly to the NMSS! If you have any difficulties with the link, there should be one listed at the bottom of this letter.

For more information about this event, please visit the MS Walk in Maryland homepage.

For more information about the National MS Society, please visit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society homepage.

If you would like to make a donation via check instead of online, please make the check out to "NMSS". If you need my address, email me!

My thanks to those of you who have already donated to the cause, and thanks in advance to those of you who want to help those who have MS, and help MDRF's Team Wench make this eighth annual event a good one!!!

Thanks for all your support!

Cyd (Top 50 fundraiser, Sole Supporter, Gold Soles walker, and Gold Glider rollerblader since 1994)

It's only two weeks left until the MS Walk this spring, and I'm only a quarter of the way to my goal! Team Wench could use your help to help to eradicate MS from the face of the planet once and for all!

It's been fourteen years since my diagnosis, and four years since I wrote the post that detailed it all. A lot of things have changed since I first was diagnosed, and due in no small part to the funding that the National MS Society and other groups have received, that have been put forth towards the research that brings us closer to a cure every day. When I was diagnosed, the first of the drugs to help reduce MS problems was just coming out on the market, and was so rare they had to put it on a lottery system. Nowadays there are 4 different immunomodifying drugs that help to reduce the frequency of exacerbations, plus two more that also help to reduce the frequency and severity. In the medical world, that's leaps and bounds past what they could ever have done without your help!

Without the funding that they have received from donors like yourself, the NMSS could not give the physical and social assistance they have given to people with MS all over the country. On top of the money they give to research, they have programs that expand awareness of what MS is (many people think that MS is related to Jerry's Kids, or Lou Gherig's disease, or any one of a number of other similar diseases), programs that help people cope with the every day issues that can stem from their MS and their diagnosis, and help to provide durable medical equipment to those people who cannot live their daily lives without it.

I was once one of those people who needed that assistance, and I may likely need it again someday, unless we find a cure.

As stated in the MD Chapter webpage:
"Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, often disabling disease of the nervous system. Symptoms may be mild, such as numbness in the limbs, or severe paralysis or loss of vision. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 40, but the unpredictable physical and emotional effects can be lifelong. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are giving hope to those affected by the disease.

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society is dedicated to ending the devastating effects of multiple sclerosis."

Every hour someone is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). Please join me in supporting the National MS Society's mission to end the devastating effects of MS.
You can support me by making a secure online epledge.

Thank you - together we can make a difference! I want to be able to look at people some day and say "I HAD MS, but not anymore!" I want to know that nobody else will have to go through what it has done to me and so many people I know, or that if it does it won't happen again!

You can donate by credit card on a secure server, directly online!

If you'd like to donate, or if you'd like to join our team, please
click here to go to my donations page! Even if you don't live in the area, we have "phantom walkers" who can walk from anywhere in the world, and the fundraising goes directly to the NMSS! If you have any difficulties with the link, there should be one listed at the bottom of this letter.

For more information about this event, please visit the MS Walk in Maryland homepage.

For more information about the National MS Society, please visit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society homepage.

If you would like to make a donation via check instead of online, please make the check out to "NMSS". If you need my address, email me!

My thanks to those of you who have already donated to the cause, and thanks in advance to those of you who want to help those who have MS, and help MDRF's Team Wench make this eighth annual event a good one!!!

Thanks for all your support! And thanks to those of you who have already supported!!!

Cyd (Top 50 fundraiser, Sole Supporter, Gold Soles walker, and Gold Glider rollerblader since 1994)

... And as you are likely aware, I have MS.

Four years ago, I wrote a post that to me only seems to skim the surface of what this has meant to my life. It was most definitely the awakening of the knowledge that my life was never going to be the same as it was. While I'm usually somewhat vocal about having MS, I don't usually go into details of what that means. It can mean that one day I'll be full of energy, and the next day I'll be dragging on the floor. Today I can be walking perfectly fine, but tomorrow I'll be unable to go 500 feet without a break. It can mean that while I appear to be a perfectly healthy and independent thirtysomething, something lurks beneath that has the potential to incapacitate me, for either short periods or for a lifetime.

More than 14 years ago, I had no idea what MS even was. Most people get it confused with Jerry's Kids, or Lou Gherig's Disease, or any one of a number of other diseases... And while it is in most cases unlikely to end someone's life, it IS something that can have devestating effects on the person's life and independence.

I am one of the lucky ones. Yes, I know I have it, which many people are so misdiagnosed as other diseases that they get incorrect and improper treatment for years before it is finally diagnosed. And while yes, I have it, my symptoms have been few and far between since the life-changing semester of my diagnosis. While I am currently relatively symptom-free, this disease has the potential to turn my life upsidown yet again, as it did years ago, to the point where I lost my independance and could hardly even dress myself, let alone get on with the daily aspects of living. But I am one of the lucky ones. While people are slowly becoming aware of what MS is and does through characterizations such as President Bartlett on the West Wing, there are still so many out there who are unaware, and MS has a tendency to strike those in the prime of their lives... The National Multiple Sclerosis Society depends upon donations from people like you to be able to not only spread awareness of this disease, but to help us come closer to a cure!

As some of you may be aware of, Team Wench is going to be participating in the MS Walk on April 6, in Annapolis, Maryland! Team Wench is a group of strong-minded women (and some men!) who both work and play at renaissance festivals, and friends of those who do. Team Wench has been organizing and participating in charity fundraising events for years! This is actually our eighth year in participating in the MS Walk! As in past years, Team Wench also includes several men who know Wenches who are near and dear to their hearts. Several of our local wenches (including myself) have this potentially debilitating disease, and we're determined to stamp it out!

This year marks fourteen years since my diagnosis… And in commemoration of that date, I'd like to raise at least fourteen times what I raised in my first year of walking in the MS Walk! My first year, I rollerbladed the walk through Liberty State Park, and I raised just over $150. This year, fourteen years later, I'd like to raise more than $2100!

As stated in the MD Chapter webpage:
"Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, often disabling disease of the nervous system. Symptoms may be mild, such as numbness in the limbs, or severe paralysis or loss of vision. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 40, but the unpredictable physical and emotional effects can be lifelong. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are giving hope to those affected by the disease.

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society is dedicated to ending the devastating effects of multiple sclerosis."

Every hour someone is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). Please join me in supporting the National MS Society's mission to end the devastating effects of MS. You can support me by making a secure online epledge.

Thank you - together we can make a difference! I want to be able to look at people some day and say "I HAD MS, but not anymore!" I want to know that nobody else will have to go through what it has done to me and so many people I know, or that if it does it won't happen again!

You can donate by credit card on a secure server, directly online!

If you'd like to donate, or if you'd like to join our team, please click here to go to my donations page! Even if you don't live in the area, we have "phantom walkers" who can walk from anywhere in the world, and the fundraising goes directly to the NMSS! If you have any difficulties with the link, there should be one listed at the bottom of this message.

For more information about this event, please visit the MS Walk in Maryland homepage.

For more information about the National MS Society, please visit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society homepage.

If you would like to make a donation via check instead of online, please make the check out to "NMSS". If you need my address, email me!

My thanks to those of you who have already donated to the cause, and thanks in advance to those of you who want to help those who have MS, and help MDRF's Team Wench make this seventh annual event a good one!!!

Thanks for all your support!

Cyd (Top 50 fundraiser, Sole Supporter, Gold Soles walker, and Gold Glider rollerblader since 1994)

P.S. If you would like more information about the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, how proceeds from the walk MS are used, or the other ways you can get involved in the fight against MS, please visit www.nmss-md.org or call 443-641-1200.

Click here to visit my personal page.

Click here to view the team page for Team Wench