links and stuff!

So you want to move to DW? It's easy! Have a link! how to move to dreamwidth in six easy steps

And a comprehensive guide with tuts and such! what to do with dreamwidth: a list of tutorials and information

I'm not pushing DW on anyone who doesn't want to go, these are just links for those of you who are interested but think it might be too much trouble. It's not, I promise! ♥♥♥

And for those of you who, like me, want wider margins and more space between paragraphs on AO3, there's a script for that! All you have to do is drag the bookmarklet into your toolbar and click on it when you're reading a story. (I like it better than Readability)

Yesterday I started writing some Waycest hurt/comfort porn when I was feeling bad but then I felt better and didn't finish it. I will try to finish today, and then I will get back to writing SOULMATE VAMPIRES.

Also, please please please post prompts at getmikeylaid and spread the word.

What else? I can't think. I don't know what else. Will probably update again with more news and such. LOL I can go for months without posting a word and then suddenly I'm feeling better and I post multiple times a day. Whee!

Floridians, please help!

If you live in Florida, please take a moment of your time on the behalf of people with disabilities, like my daughter, who are on Medicaid and rely on state funds and programs. Send an email to Gov. Crist asking him to veto the managed care/medicaid reform bill.

( sample letter )

I am in TEARS thinking about what this bill would mean for Meg and our family. We'd lose so much of our support system. Here is something someone wrote about the possible impact:

Medicaid beneficiaries such as DD Medicaid Waiver consumers will have less choice in selecting their providers. Support Coordinators and other providers will be eliminated since HMOs / PPNs will hire their own case managers and decide which new cheaper providers to use. As a result, quality and quantity of services will most certainly decrease since manage care providers have a vested interest in cutting services to maximize their profits. If you like HMOs, you may like the change. 30,000 people with disabilities and their families including over 2.7 million other voting Floridians will be negatively impacted. HMOs and PPNs are based on a medical model not on the special needs of DD consumers. Over 15,000 persons with disabilities will remain on the wait list. No impact in reducing the wait. There will also be thousands of people that will likely lose their job once implemented since HMOs and PPNs would employ their own people discarding many of the current providers of care. Billions of state funded dollars may also leave the State of Florida if any of the new HMOs or PPNs are located outside of the state. How does this change improve Florida’s economy and jobs?

(emphasis mine)

my letter to governor crist

( Read more... )

spiritual bread

When my boys went to live with their father, I stopped baking challah. It was a difficult time for me, and I just didn't have the mental or physical energy to continue the practice.

I miss it. I miss the mindfulness that comes from kneading the bread by hand, of turning a lump of gummy dough smooth and shiny. I miss waiting for it to rise, and then punching it down again.

I miss separating the challah and saying, "This is the challah," before wrapping it in foil to be burned in the oven. It seems like such a small thing, but it is a mitzvah, and it brings me closer to G-d and other Jews. Knowing others are doing the same thing on the same day gives me a great feeling of community, even though I live in a remote area.

I miss braiding the dough. I was so proud of myself when I learned to braid a six-strand challah, and looked at those first completed loaves with stars in my eyes. They were so beautiful!

I miss saying the ha-motzi blessing over the challah after it's uncovered. I miss salting it and taking that first bite.

So here I am saying that I am returning to the practice of baking challah. I will do it alone, and Meg and I will be the only ones eating it on Shabbat. I will miss things I had before when I baked challah -- my sons chattering to me while I kneaded the dough and then later eating it with gusto. But it is a return to a spiritual practice, and in a way a return to G-d.

If you're interested, here's my challah recipe:

( CHALLAH )

OMG

Claudia Black = sex. Tattoos = sex. Claudia Black + tattoos = TELL ME. TELL ME WHAT THIS MEANS.