Blast From The Past

Help Requested

A good friend of mine, whose Laurie blog is among my friends on the left side of this page, has had to undergo some major surgery to remove cancer. She is going to be down for two months, and is going to need some help with the finances in getting through the recovery period. Her friends and family in the Snowflake/Taylor, Arizona area are going to be selling Navajo Tacos for anyone who would like to purchase them, the proceeds going to help Laurie as she recovers. Here's the link to the information: Navajo Tacos

Child Actors

Everyone wants to be a star, right? At least that may be the dream of some kids. I was watching television today when I heard about a report where a Disney Executive is telling the interviewer that the network is not responsible for raising these actors, it is the parent's responsibility.

Here is the link to the article: Gary Marsh in The Hollywood Reporter

While I do agree on many levels with this, I just couldn't help but see the irony in this statement, given the history of The Walt Disney Company and how Walt himself handled child actors who were contractually under his wing.

This, of course, hails from the era of the Hollywood Studio System, where the motion picture studios looked at the actors as property of the studio, and governed both their personal and professional lives. While the actors (male and female) considered this to be too much, to the studios it protected the pictures they were making.

From Wikipedia


A little something about child stars now:



For the child stars who have had trouble assimilating to adulthood, there is help through an organization designed to help child stars called A Minor Consideration (AMC).

Their website: A Minor Consideration

Not everyone saw this as a hinderance, though, there are some stars, namely a few of the child stars under Walt Disney himself, who remember with fondness the attention he took to make sure they were okay, even as they got older.

 

Harry Potter's Family History

I know, I'm crazy about Harry Potter.  I love an underdog.

This is actually about Joanne Rowling (aka JK Rowling), and her Family History.  I love it when you can learn more of how world events shape the lives of families and affect their histories.

Howdy... Again

This time I'm posting from my laptop, but I just wanted to say hello to everyone.  No, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth.

We are in the final weeks of school, which can only be summed up with one word:  CRAZY!!!!

The good news is, I'm writing again, a different story based on a dream.  This one is religious in nature, so it should be pretty interesting to try to write something in that genre that is also fictional.  We'll see how it goes.

Until I write again, adieu.  Have a wonderful May.

Come Rain or Sleet, But Not Innovation

From CNN/Money: Why Your Mailman Could Be Retiring

Here is my question:  The postal service is responsible for delivering data (mail), correct?  So why have they not come up with a service like MediaFire where you can store files you want to share with others electronically?  Kind of like an "electronic mailbox".

Gorgeous!

Excel Games For General Conference

The upcoming General Conference for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is next weekend.  To promote the young ones in learning which General Authority is which, I made some little matching games in Excel.  These are .xlsx files.  If you have an older version of Excel, you can download the free Compatibility Pack here.

The First Presidency Game:  http://www.mediafire.com/?j2sc3y9jy3i2cxn

The Apostles Game:  http://www.mediafire.com/?zgynnx5j6kwg383

All of the images, of course, are copyright protected by Intellectual Reserve.

The Dress

I finally found the dress I've been looking for! Woohoo!



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Hello, World!

This message is courtesy of the new iPad 2 I bought from Apple. So far I'm loving it!

I've been very busy lately, so no, I have not fallen from the face of the earth.

With work, Church, Mom, home, projects I would like to do and a lot more I've not had much time for posting here or at The Widowed Connection blog.

Hopefully things will calm down so I can bring everyone up to speed and share with you a few projects I have already completed.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

An Open Letter To Cox Communications

Dear Cox Communications,

Last November I was meeting with a friend of mine to work with me to get my finances in order. This friend suggested that I downgrade my internet service, as I have been paying $50 per month for internet.

I told told this friend that I didn't want to risk losing my web space that Cox has provided as part of the internet ISP service for over 10 years.  I had my genealogy information on this site and didn't want to lose it.

Imagine my surprise to find out, a month or so later, that you had eliminated it anyway.

Why?

I am assuming you are wanting to be able to charge for web space.

My answer to you?  No.

I can easily make a new blog, which I will do within the next few weeks, to replace the genealogy site you took down because of your greed.

Because, in the grand scheme of things, that is what it amounts to:  greed.

As a result, I had no qualms in stopping by my local Cox Communications Store this evening to downgrade my service.  Saving ME more money.

And once I've transferred all of my correspondence to a different email address, I'll look into getting a better deal elsewhere than $30 per month.

Sincerely,

Cassandra Dawn Bushman
Customer for more than 10 years

New Song On The iPod!

Oops.

Oops is the nicest way I can describe this.  The postal worker must be new or was really, really confused to miss a NO PARKING sign in the school zone DURING FRIDAY AFTERNOON DISMISSAL.

Yummy!

Some friends of mine spent Christmas in Rome, Italy.  When I visited them this past week, they gave me this as a parting gift.

I've never had this, but it was so good.

Envisioning Disney Characters in Real Life

Envisioning Disney Characters in Real Life

Deja Vu

Did you hear the latest news about the U.S. government looking to rent out the foreclosed homes now owned by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae?

Here's an article talking about it: Government Considering Renting Foreclosed Homes

Hmmm. Where have I heard something like this before?

Bailout Money Idea

It's not exactly like my idea, but it's a start.

Poor But Feeding The Rich

From CNN: Poor But Feeding The Rich

Cemetery Traditions

It's late, I'm still coughing from the bronchitis I'm trying to get rid of, so I thought I'd post something that happened over Winter Break.

In the month of December, four people I either knew very well or was at least somewhat acquainted with passed away.   Between that, doctor's visits and running errands to prepare for the holidays, Mom and I got a little behind in the one tradition we now have at Christmastime:  visiting the cemetery and changing the flowers.

I know, it probably sounds like kind of weird to have a tradition of visiting a cemetery at Christmas, but when the majority of your family is deceased, and Christmas is a time for family, then a trip to the cemetery is one of the things you do.

This time we were a little late and went after Christmas but before New Years Eve.  The flowers looked beautiful and afterwards Mom and I went to the small Lion House Bakery inside the Chandler Deseret Bookstore for some fantastic chicken salad with a roll.

I will also add, however, after leaving one of the funerals at the beginning of my break, I went straight to the Temple.  Keeping my thoughts focused on the teachings and feelings there helped me get through a very difficult day.  Being dressed in all white and surrounded by others dressed in white reminded me of the Priesthood Blessing I had received a few days prior to the funeral reminding me to keep an eternal perspective on things as they unfold.

The Temple was such a "saving grace" for me when Decker passed away, and it continues to be a source of peace and strength for me today.

What If?

This morning, while waiting for Sacrament Meeting to start, I read from the Book of Mormon.  In my personal reading, I've started 2nd Nephi.

I read this (2nd Nephi 1:8-10

"8 And behold, it is wisdom that this land should be kept as yet from the knowledge of other nations; for behold, many nations would overrun the land, that there would be no place for an inheritance.

 9 Wherefore, I, Lehi, have obtained a promise, that inasmuch as those whom the Lord God shall bring out of the land of Jerusalem shall keep his commandments, they shall prosper upon the face of this land; and they shall be kept from all other nations, that they may possess this land unto themselves. And if it so be that they shall keep his commandments they shall be blessed upon the face of this land, and there shall be none to molest them, nor to take away the land of their inheritance; and they shall dwell safely forever.

 10 But behold, when the time cometh that they shall dwindle in unbelief, after they have received so great blessings from the hand of the Lord—having a knowledge of the creation of the earth, and all men, knowing the great and marvelous works of the Lord from the creation of the world; having power given them to do all things by faith; having all the commandments from the beginning, and having been brought by his infinite goodness into this precious land of promise—behold, I say, if the day shall come that they will reject the Holy One of Israel, the true Messiah, their Redeemer and their God, behold, the judgments of him that is just shall rest upon them."

I wondered what if the descendants of Lehi, all of them, had remained righteous?  Would the "New World" as the Americas were called ever been discovered?  Would Christopher Columbus had been able to find the Americas?  Would the pilgrims have known about the Americas to leave Europe in search of religious freedom?  Would there have been a Trail of Tears?

Then the answer came.  Sometimes the question "what if?" is good for an increase in knowledge and understanding.  In fact, it's great if you are looking to innovate something for the future.

But pondering "what if?" about the past?  It may be interesting and even educational, but to dwell on it serves no purpose as it will not change how things are now.