Doctors do their best to prepare you for what’s ahead but until it happens to you, you can’t begin to image or anticipate how you will react to the resulting changes to your body. Cold hard facts are presented and possible treatments discussed. Before and after are pictures presented. But no one can prepare you for what happens in the middle. I’ve come across a great story and website that I found to be decidedly different. I hope it can help someone who’s looking for some answers after they’ve had a mastectomy and are starting down the road to recovery and reconstruction.  It's sponosored in part by the Susan G. Komen foundation

It tells the story through pictures by a professional photographer not in a cold medical chronicle but a very moving and tasteful pictorial. Please take the time to check it out, visit the links and read her story. The end result for her was beautiful.

Many people have downloaded my free pink ribbon designs and have taken the time to share their stories. I invite any who have done pink ribbon embroidery, whether from my designs or others, to email pictures or stories to me and, with their permission, I’ll post the results of their work on a special pink ribbon page on my website. I recently added a pink ribbon appliqué to my site as well. If you can’t find the breast cancer or pink ribbon embroidery design you need, drop me an email and some art and I will do my best to get you what you need.

In the meantime, get those mammograms and check ups and don’t forget those self exams. If it helps, ask a friend ... and Good Luck with the boobies!

....for Kim...

Here in the State of Washington there is a program called Share-Work.  In a nutshell, it allows employers to keep their skilled and trained workers in a time of economic downturn.  Instead of laying off the work force completely and making them live off unemployment, and even looking for other work, under the Shared-Work program the employers can cut full time workers back to part time and have unemployment pick up the difference.  You get to keep your job and benefits, earn more than you would on unemployment and the company keeps payroll taxes down and maintains a skilled and trained work pool.  Considering it comes from the bureaucracy of The Man, it still makes some kind of sense.

There are eligibility requirements but any private or public company with up to date payroll taxes and legally registered in the state of Washington can apply.  A full time employee of 40 hours gets cuts back to 25 hours of part time work a week and the unemployment department makes up the difference.  The estimated time for company approval to enroll in the program is 15 days.  In real people who work for a living time that probably closer to 45 days.  You can't be gentle with the with these things either.  You have to push the eligibility process a bit.  Not a once week how's it going sort of push but a harassing stalker call the governor sort of push.

You might be saying to yourself "why my goodness, this sounds like just what our company needs to weather this economic downtown that is not a recession.  This must be a fairly new program since I haven't heard if it before".  But to the contrary, it's been around about as long as the Bee Gees, since 1983 to be exact.  A program that helps workers and companies alike wallowing in obscurity, I shall call forth the worker bees of Washington and spread the word to storm the Bastille of Olympia!  Rise up and be heard my Friends (I feel bit like Norma Rae now).

The response I've gotten has been good and much more than I've expected.  I've heard from a few customers with their own stories to tell.  They've been kind enough to share them with me and I've heard great stories of hope and survival.  I've been urged to make sure I get my mammogram (it's all scheduled!) and some are including my design on various projects for family members fighting cancer.  I really appreciate hearing about people and stories.  It's rare that any of us has not been touched by someone battling cancer....and hopefully surviving.  Keep fighting, there are people out there thinking of you.

Keep checking back to my site and visiting, even the freebies page will get new logos.  I try and add new stuff when I can... in between my 'real' digitizing job for the corporate man and herding kitties away from the furniture!  Thanks for telling me your stories and keep me up to date.

The highlight of the adventure was a trip out to Alcatraz, better known as The Rock.  For those of you not in the know (we learned these things almost too late so pay attention) Alcatraz is part of the National Park Service.  There are plenty of tours that will take you out to the island but only one is allowed to actually dock and let you tour the facility.

Don't be fooled by imitators and if you do nothing else, make your reservations early.  I will admit to being a bit jaded on the idea of the tour but it turned out it was one of the better ones I've been on.

Take the time to go through the line for the little headphones for the guided tour.  Well worth the effort and very well done.  It's narrated by actual inmates, guards and administrators who can still tell a story or two.

I had the opportunity to get thrown into solitary for what seemed like 10 minutes but I suspect the volunteer had strict instructions not to leave anyone in there for more than 10 seconds!  The darkest of dark and cured me of ever wanting to break the law... ever.  Overall, very well done, interesting and informative.

On certain times of the year you can even walk around the island but we were there during some bird love (aka migratory bird breeding season) and were unable to see most of the flora and fauna.  If you get the chance, cruise on out to The Rock...I may even have channeled Sean Connery once.  Did I mention the gift shop?!

It might just be me, but I prefer the creators to stick to the genre when it comes to motion pictures born from great television series. The movie was pretty good but when it comes to the X-Files, I want alien abductions, spaceships, and mysterious unexplained phenomenon somewhere in there. For those of you who wait breathlessly for Muldar and Scully to share the briefest of accidental brushings, then there will be some satisfaction. It concentrates more on the relationship of the characters than the paranormal aspect of the show. There is even a bedroom scene, albeit PG, to expound upon endlessly.

Never fear hardcore fans, Muldar still loses his cell phone and gets himself beat up but never loses his gun, if only because he never carries one. It makes more sense to hardcore fans….you can tell because they laugh at the right moments in the theatre. Some really clever little moments appear but you need to be watching closely. Muldar's cell phone lists Gillian ahead of Scully in his call numbers. I especially like the scene in the FBI office when Muldar and Scully are being summoned and waiting in the hall and we see a photo of George W. and the haunting X-File theme plays. We all know what that means.

I think the creators just need to embrace the fan base and go completely alien, two headed dogs aside. Call me crazy, but I need black goo to feel complete X-Filed.

All distortions are victim of my inability to take a good picture of the logo on a shirt.  It's harder than it looks, trust me, people try to pass this type of thing off as camera ready art to me all the time!  I have it on good authority it ran like butter, albeit it took a bit of time to run.  If you need some help whipping up a logo with one of my stock designs, just let me know.  I would be happy to offer sage advice... and I might even be talked into slapping some stock font lettering on there.  Speak up, or forever hold your embroidered piece.

 Here's the before shots and yes those are as big as they look, it was at least 75 years old at the time of it's demise.  I was a good tree citizen and replanted a nice seedling on the stump for that whole karma, circle of life deal.  May all future trees fall cleanly on the neightbor's lawn.

This is how it ended up.  It will complete one of my personal projects and maintain proper forest management (and satisfy a really really impolite threat from the insurance company).  These are just the big stacks, more around the corner drying out. Final tally on the wood is about 2.5 cords of nicely stacked cedar aging nicely as we speak. Two fingers broken, one index on the right and one middle on the left. Compression fractures in case you're interested...I even accidentally set one myself.  I don't need no stinkin' doctors! I have pretty good case of tendonitis in my right elbow but amazingly I never hurt my back. The finger issue, however, will be with my for awhile yet to come. Seriously, one of the top ten on my most painful injuries list by the way. But it’s done and I made it out alive so bring it on, I am an axeman!

1. While rowing across the river to work, I got lost in the fog. (I live in Seattle so not completely unheard of, although it's a bit of a stretch)

2. Someone stole all my daffodils. (but they left the tulips right?)

3. I had to go audition for American Idol (they do take quite a few idiots, but really, it’s too easy to check)

4. My ex-husband stole my car so I couldn't get to work. (and now I’m having him arrested…that’s just a bonus)

5. My route was shut down by a presidential motorcade (not my fault, I did not vote for him)

6. I have transient amnesia and couldn't remember my job. (this is just pure genius, absolutely no way to argue that)

7. I was indicted for securities fraud this morning (only works if you’re on Wall Street but if you do, it’s golden)

8. The line was too long at Starbucks. (we here in Seattle invented that one and it never fails)

9. I was trying to get my gun back from the police. (no way the boss will risk arguing that one, the consequences are too iffy)

10. I didn't have money for gas because the pawnshops were closed (OK, at $4.50 a gallon it’s doable…do pawnshops ever close?)

I may just be jumping on the bandwagon recently but making up for lost time by viewing a fair amount of YouTube video. YouTube, another one of things I wish I thought of, along with that whole internet thing…but I digress. Check out two guys called Flight of the Concord. They're From New Zealand so that might explain a few things. I recommend “It’s Business Time’ and "If You're Into It” (I giggle just thinking about it). That will get you up to speed. I love the videos but I find the live performances funnier, I think you concentrate on the song more. I will, of course, provide handy links and video as I go along. Oh look, here's one now.

Another one is Liam Sullivan ..... I just really can’t explain this so you best explore on your own. I suggest the videos “Shoes”, “Let Me Borrow That Top”, “Booty Call, and “Text Message Breakup”. There is language involved but it’s used tastefully in the pursuit of sophisticated comedy of course. Just remember "I" before "E" except after Liam Sullivan....trust me, this will make sense after you view a couple of the videos.

For the sake of argument you survive a nuclear blast, going over the world's biggest waterfall 3 times should more or less be the kicker right?  I had a feeling things were going to get out of hand when they pulled into Area 51 (aliens of course) and Nevada (big Boom Boom) in 1957.  Having milked and pillaged the Star Wars saga, I suspect Steven Spielberg has his eye on the prize for this storyline as well.  As soon as Burger King (product placement....shouldn't I get paid for this?) gets the marketing rights, it's time to just let it all go.  Since I'm pretty sure Spielberg also did the special effects, the money must be flowing into his pocket like the world's biggest waterfall.  Maybe that was some subtle irony there.

Having said all that I will also say it's pure Indiana Jones. Fast paced, action packed and the plot zips along with quick leaps of deduction and a few pesky Russians to boo at.  I freely admit making my contribution to the $311 million or so in order to be able to talk about it to those who like to partake of such things.  I think I am getting too old though....do you know how much those punches to the nose hurt?  I'm just saying....