RSS change
Since I've switched to WordPress, my RSS feed address has changed. It is now

feed://www.virtuallori.com/feed/

Please change your bookmarks as needed.
- posted by Lori @ 9:17:00 AM | permanent link 0 comments | |

 
pffft
I am unimpressed with the new Blogger. Several times it has crashed in the midst of my making a post. I do not want to have to remember a new login and password — apparently I can't keep the set I've been using for nearly six years now. And somehow my links to my archives are completely screwed up since the changeover.

As soon as I have a free afternoon, I'm making the switch to WordPress.
- posted by Lori @ 7:32:00 PM | permanent link 0 comments | |

 
hibernation
Wendy has prodded me to come out of my cave (more on the cave later). She's one of the coolest, smartest women I know, so I had better listen to her.

Five Little-Known Facts about Me:

1. I used to model in fashion shows at the mall when I was in high school.

2. I've never read most of the classic literature that college graduates are assumed to have read. It's not for lack of trying, really; I just find a lot of it exceedingly dull.

3. My inborn sense of inertia and bird-in-hand syndrome tend to keep me stalled in bad situations much longer than normal people would put up with.

4. Several years ago, I seriously considered going to Japan to teach English for a year. I was too chicken to do it.

5. I lived 18 months in my early 30s without a car of my own. It was a pain sometimes, but mostly I didn't miss it.
- posted by Lori @ 8:45:00 PM | permanent link 0 comments | |

 
good night
There's a toad outside my bedroom window as I'm preparing to go to bed (yes, too late, as usual), and I can hear crickets, too. Just wanted to say how happy I am that I have the kind of yard the critters want to hang out in, even if the bunnies eat my lilies, the precision nut-bombing squirrels don't like me sitting under their tree, and the spiders frighten are disliked by J. The woodpeckers and the cardinals and the little tiny toads are worth it.
- posted by Lori @ 12:19:00 AM | permanent link 0 comments | |

 
This week in virtuallori, by the numbers
Temperature outside at noon yesterday, according to the thermometer just inside the open garage door: 98° (not the boy band)
Temperature in my un-air-conditioned house: at least 10° hotter than that
Days off this week: 2
Hottest days so far this year coinciding with my days off: 2
Number of things crossed off the to-do list Monday and Tuesday: 27
Number of things on to-do list shelved because it was too damn hot to patch and reseal the driveway, cut the grass, etc.: 15
Number of boxes filled for Goodwill: 4
Number of books posted for sale on Amazon: 8
Number sold in the last 24 hours: 2
Number of books not posted on Amazon but set aside to give away because the effort isn't worth the reward: 25
Gallons of lemonade consumed in the last 96 hours: 5
Raindrops fallen (on head or otherwise): 0
Number of hours spent at the lovely, air-conditioned Avon Lake library on Tuesday: 1.5
Number of hours I would have liked to have spent there: 6+
Estimated number of pounds lost through sweat alone: 7
Showers taken: at least 8
Number of times I've said to myself that I really need to change my Blogger profile picture: 5
Number of times I've been asked to start posting again: 2
- posted by Lori @ 12:33:00 AM | permanent link 0 comments | |

 
Folger Home Summer Market
If you're out and about on Saturday, July 29, please consider joining me at Veterans’ Memorial Park in Avon Lake for the Folger Home Summer Market. The Avon Lake Landmark Preservation Society is hosting this unique outdoor event with women in mind (although men are welcome, too). Admission is free, and a nice variety of boutiques and artists (myself included) were invited to participate. Good food from Aroma and Sweet Mosaic will be available, along with fresh-squeezed lemonade and kettle corn. Essential Healings will be offering mini spa treatments. This is not your typical community craft fair.

The purpose is to raise awareness of and funds for restoring the Thomas Folger Home. Raffle tickets for some great prizes will be sold.

The show runs from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Veterans Memorial Park is located at Route 83 and Lake Road in Avon Lake. Just take I-90 to Route 83 and go north until you need a boat to keep going. It’s about 25 minutes from downtown Cleveland. There is a small beach at the park, and Huntington Beach is only 10 minutes east on Lake Road if you want to make a day of it.
- posted by Lori @ 12:04:00 AM | permanent link 0 comments | |

 
Tim and I have our disagreements, but his (non)take on the immigration issue hits the nail right on the head for me:

I'm sick and tired of political leadership in this country dviding Americans for the sole purpose of energizing the most putrid elements of humanity as their political base.

- posted by Lori @ 11:02:00 PM | permanent link 0 comments | |

 
Link: The Art of No
Derek Powazek, as always, has something smart to say:

But what nobody ever teaches us is perhaps the most important thing you can learn to be a successful working designer: How to not say "no." If I could give one piece of advice to the designer just getting into client work, or even some who's been doing this for a while, it's this: The next time you want to say "no" to a client, boss, or colleague, say this instead: "Why?"

It's written from the perspective of a designer, but is much more widely applicable than that. Click through to read the whole thing.
- posted by Lori @ 10:05:00 PM | permanent link 0 comments | |

 
what the . . . ?

Dear Amazon.com Customer,

We've noticed that customers who have purchased "City Smart: Cleveland" by Nancy Peacock also purchased books by Rand McNally and Company. For this reason, you might like to know that Rand McNally and Company's "Rand Mcnally Fort Wayne, Indiana Map: Laminated (Rand McNally Easyfinder)" will be released in paperback soon. You can pre-order your copy by following the link below.

Um . . . why?
- posted by Lori @ 10:12:00 PM | permanent link 0 comments | |

 
A Great Cause
My sister Lisa and I are co-captaining a team for the MADD Strides for Change 5K walk in Cleveland on Sunday, June 4. Our team is called "Friends of Colin" because we will be walking in honor of her friend Colin Kelley, who was killed by a drunk driver.

If you are in the Cleveland area, I encourage you to join our team of walkers by visiting

www.stridesforchange.org

Choose Cleveland from the drop-down menu, then "Join an existing team." Search for "Friends of Colin."

The festivities start at Jacobs Field at 6 p.m., and the walk officially starts at 6:30. We are determined to have the BIGGEST team of walkers and raise the MOST money from the Cleveland area -- we're talking dozens of walkers and thousands of dollars. We are also determined to have the most FUN of all the participating groups, so go there and sign up now. Where else -- other than my birthday party -- will you see Taco Patty and my mother at the same event? The potential humor value alone is worth it.

If you are not in the Cleveland area and/or can't participate for whatever reason, I encourage you to become a virtual walker by making a contribution to our team. You can do that following the same link and searching for my name as a participant or "Friends of Colin" as a team name. Even if all you can contribute is $5, it will make a difference and be much appreciated. Of course, $25 is better, and $50 gets you a drink on me next time we're out (oh, the irony!), so be as generous as you can. And please, if you work for a company that matches donations, fill out that form. Every little bit helps.

Thanks for your support.
- posted by Lori @ 11:31:00 PM | permanent link 0 comments | |