What to do when your washer doesn't spin.

Our dryer stopped working yesterday, which was a mild pain in the A. Sis and the fam were getting ready to head back home and didn't want to take nasty wet stuff in their suitcases. My other sister, Cheryl, aka my housemate, went online and found this great youtube.com howto to solve the problem. What did we do before the internet! It turned out to be the switch on the lid. See video...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYOP0_KCYT0

A Recap of the Week

Wow, a lot has happened this week. Wait, Coco the Min Pin is whining big time to get in my lap. I will post pics of this sweet girlie at a later date.

Let's see, back to what has happened. I'm so ADD. Last Sunday, I believe, I got an email from Cloud10 sayingto schedule a project interview. For this particular work at home (WAH) job I had already taken all of the preliminary steps to be hired and was just waiting for a suitable project. It took about a month before I heard back from them about a project.

I scheduled my interview for Monday. The interview was brief, and I was asked about my work history, and was told about the project. This company has a bit of a harsh, by-the-book tone saying things like once you say "yes" at this interview and if you decline later, you can never work for Cloud10, and you will not be considered for any other projects. It seems from all the forums out there on WAH jobs that many folks who do this type of work need super flexible work because of families and whatnot. Cloud10 is more like working at an actual company, with little time off, and an offering of more hours. It sounds to me like that is the upside. I will be able to work 32.5 hours per week, not hoping to get 10-15, of which I may only be paid for calls and may get few calls.

Speaking of which, my sister works for LiveOps and for 6 months or so, maybe for even a year, she really made very little money and had to devote quite a bit of time. Now she is averaging $18/hr and has plenty of hours. It has been great for her because she has fibromyalgia. The hours are fairly flexible, so if she is not feeling particularly well one day she can work in spurts.

But, I digress. My sister (Joy), her new husband (Mike), and their sons, Matt (Joy's) and David (Mike's) got here on Sunday also. No, wait, Mike rolled in on Monday. Anyway, it was really stellar fun. I posted on that earlier. Basically, the boys both 17, skateboarded in a couple of different spots, and hung out at the beach. Mike and Joy spent some time at the beach. One day we all went to Pensacola. Unfortunately, there has been tons of rain, and the day we went to Pensacola, there was some flooding in the streets, Tornado watch, etc. -- typical Florida Springtime. Mike and Joy were able to check out some spots they would like to live in a couple of years, after the boys are done with school. They currently live outside of Jackson Hole, WY in Alpine, WY. I think definite highlights of the trip were being around the boys, going to Juana's and buying Mahi Mahi and Shrimp at Joe Pattie's in Pensacola. I love hitting that place, walking around outside, checking out the specialty foods and getting some crazily fresh seafood. Joy and Mike fixed up some good vittals. You better believe Old Bay played a central role. Nice!

The posted pic is when Joy and Mike got married under the arches in Jackson, WY with the boys looking on, all in view of the webcam. We all got to look on from all corners of the globe. They were married in March, and I am very happy to welcome the Cranfords into the family. Thanks to my cousin-in-law, Mandy Johnson, for the pic. (Hope it was ok to lift, Mandy).

I took them to the airport in Fort Walton today (sob). This evening I got back and went to my orientation for Cloud10 via computer. It's been a busy and wet week! At some point I started this weblog. Thanks for viewing and God bless.

Let's end up the night with a prayer for those folks who don't have employment. Maybe a person's name can be inserted as sort of an intercessory prayer. Let the Lord guide. This is from catholic.org:

PRAYER FOR EMPLOYMENT

God, our Father, I turn to you seeking your divine help and guidance as I look for suitable employment. I need your wisdom to guide my footsteps along the right path, and to lead me to find the proper things to say and do in this quest. I wish to use the gifts and talents you have given me, but I need the opportunity to do so with gainful employment. Do not abandon me, dear Father, in this search, but rather grant me this favor I seek so that I may return to you with praise and thanksgiving for your gracious assistance. Grant this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Fun

Not much time to write tonight. Here's just a quick note about a jivin' little place at Navarre Beach known as Juana's. It's like a big Tiki hut with sand on the floor and a fellow playing guitar and singing. My sister Joy, her hubby Mike, my sister Cheryl and I hung out there and had a few beers. I know it's an overused cliche', but, Good Times. There's something to be said about laughter, goofing off, and hanging out - simple, easy, good, clean fun...Nice. It beats the heck out of being frozen under the snow of Wyoming. (Check out a cool pic my dad took in Alpine, WY.)

Transition, Lent, and Work at Home

Wow, there is a lot to learn on this here internet. I just spent probably half an hour trying to figure out how to affiliate with amazon.com. Anyhoo, I'm learning my way around the blogger site and enjoying it immensely. Soon, though, my time will be limited, as I've taken a job with Cloud10. Apparently, I will be a tech support person for a large cable company. The best part is I will be working from my home! It's been 4 months since I've had regular work, and I can't wait to get started. How incredible that I can go to work in my PJ's and step into the kitchen for lunch - lovely. Well, I just thank God that life is so good and so hopeful.

On the God front, a beloved priest once told me that sometimes our spritual life is sort of like an amphibian's. We travel up and down, coming up for air when we need it. I guess his hand gestures don't really translate. My bad. Basically I was going through one of these times where I just feel like I'm going through the motions, my prayer is off, and I'm just sort of "not into it". I figure it's sort of like when you married folks sort of settle down into life and some of the spark is gone. I know it always comes back, and it makes me trust Jesus the same, but I just feel like I'm not a very attentive follower. Does that make sense?

So, I've been in such transition for the last four months, that I feel like lent came and went before I really participated in it. If anyone is reading, give me your comments, perhaps what you gave up for lent (if you're comfortable doing so) and how lent has been for you this year and years past. God bless and to all a pleasant sleep...

APRIL 1 WORM OR VIRUS

THIS IS FROM AN EMAIL I RECEIVED FROM ZONE ALARM ABOUT THE APRIL 1 WORM: The Conficker worm is scheduled to possibly cause widespread damage April 1, 2009.
Severity: High Risk

What is it?
The Conficker worm is a type of virus that lives unnoticed in your PC while spreading itself to others over the Internet. Currently the worm does not harm infected computers, but it has the capacity to cause considerable damage at a later time. Experts fear it may cause damage starting April 1. Steps should be taken to protect your PC from this worm.

Who is at risk?
Users whose computers are not configured to receive patches and updates from Microsoft and who are not running an up-to-date anti-virus product are most at risk. All customers who have a ZoneAlarm product that includes antivirus have protection, including ZoneAlarm Antivirus, ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite and ZoneAlarm Extreme Security. Each of these products not only includes anti-virus, but also the OSFirewall which monitors and blocks dangerous behavior within your operating system.

AGAIN, I DID NOT WRITE THIS. I THOUGHT I WOULD POST THIS TO HELP GET THE WORD OUT.

Smokey Robinson Rocks

This is part of an article I wrote on ehow.com. You can find me there as "raefl":

Smokey Robinson was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1940. His father, "Five", was a pin setter at a local bowling alley and divorced his mother when Smokey was age 3. His mother died when he was 10. He was then raised by his sister along with her 10 children. He grew up in the same neighborhood as many of the amazing artists that Motown would soon make famous: The Temptations, Diana Ross, and Aretha Franklin, among others. He would have a long and illustrious relationship with Motown from its conception until present. Along with Berry Gordy, he is credited with Motown's success, writing for many of the Motown stars. He also served as vice president for years.

A common question around the internet is if Smokey's mother or father was white. After many searches a People article finally revealed that Smokey's maternal great grandmother was white. (http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20119938,00.html). His unique green eyes spark the questions. Both of his parents were African American.

A biography was published in 1989 where Smokey revealed the difficulties of his life. He mentioned his father's death when Smokey was 40, his crack cocaine addiction, the breakup of his 25 year marriage, his long-time affair, and the birth of his son by his mistress. He has two other children with his former wife Claudette. He credits God with turning his life around and ending his addiction.

Smokey is on the cutting edge. He has a myspace page, a Twitter account (you can see a behind the scenes play by play of American Idol), and the aforementioned American Idol appearance. He is still producing fantastic music and his voice is still as strong as it ever was. His new song with Joss Stone, "You're the One for Me", debuted on American Idol on 3/26/2009.