Thursday, April 30, 2009

One Of Many Problems

I am working on my own website to tout my abilities and show off work I have done. Hopefully, I will drum up more work.

I have had the domain name and space on a server for at least 2 years and for all of that time there has been a static page with a link to my recently updated (community) college portfolio.

The problem? Now that I have settled on a look for my site, I am having trouble tooting my own horn. When I did my horn tooting for my college portfolio, I just thought of my main instructor who knew absolutely nothing about what she was getting paid the big bucks to teach and outlined my accomplishments. I made myself look like a self taught prodigy.

Now it just looks sad to me. I am good at shooting myself in the foot so I don't know if my previous horn tooting is solid, slightly stretched reality or total bullshit.

And here is another problem: I am pj of notmyrabbit here. Only persistent and relatively sane people people know who I am. (Crab falls in only one of those catagories. Easy to guess which one.) I don't even use my whole real name on Facebook, where I can be crude and rude. Crude and rude has no place on a professional website.

I cannot link my site to my blog. It has way too much personal information. I am one big chicken!

I am ready for advice and will send the link to my current site to the persistent, relatively sane people who ask. You can be honest and tell me I'm in the wrong line of work then hire me to herd cats or something.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Swine Flu In Iowa

Here are some things I learned on the local news last night.

  • It is not a matter of if the flu will come, it is a matter of when. (Cue ominous music)
  • Don't travel! Especially don't go to Mexico!
  • You cannot get swine flu from eating pork products or contact with a pork producer. Unless, one would have to assume, the pork producer had just come home from Mexico with flu symptoms.

So before you hug your neighborhood pork producer, make sure he hasn't been doing something stupid like vacationing in Mexico.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Since You Asked...

There has been a clamoring for information! O.K., one person asked a question. This will teach her.

Birding has not been very exciting. The black birds (brown headed cowbirds, red wings and grackles) are thick. The blue jays added color to my winter but have abandoned me this spring. The goldfinches always leave me in the winter (my folks have them all year) and come back in the spring. The other day I saw a couple but haven't seen them since. I think they want me to fill up the thistle seed feeder.

Today I saw a house finch, which is much more colorful than a house sparrow. I have been watching the fox sparrows scratching and hopping under the cedars. Also in the sparrow department there have been Harris' sparrows.

One day I saw a hermit thrush but he didn't hang around. Same with a red-bellied woodpecker.

The mourning doves have returned. They're sweet.

I am ready for the orioles. And if I filled my thistle feeder, I would be ready for the indigo buntings, too. I look forward to all the transients.

Much more exciting birding at my parents on Easter. I couldn't tell you how many different kinds of birds I saw. I have resigned myself to the fact that I don't live in a major flyway and until a river flows in my back yard and acres of trees sprout up, I won't.

Friday, April 17, 2009

The Color Of The Day: Sweet, Tender Green

The trees are budding and the grass is turning green. The black birds (grackles, redwings, brown headed cowbirds) are innumerable and cacophonous. They also account for most of the activity at my bird feeder. I put out oranges today in anticipation of the orioles. They will arrive soon, I hope.

Some of the sweet, tender green:


Lilac buds



Cottonwood buds

I can't wait for the cottonwood fluff! It is more fun than snow and just as pretty.


Birds in the willows



My poor linden tree

My poor linden tree has seen better days. Looks like it has been making the woodpeckers happy, though.


Branches


Another color of the day: black. As in birds and dirt. It's planting time!


Planting with birds



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