Ruminations from the Temple

I have had this blog since 2007. At one time I had a handful of blogs, each with a different focus, and gave them all quite a bit of love and attention for years. Contrary to rumor, I never had much readership, and frankly, I was OK with that. I was getting to write and self-publish about what was important to me. I wasn't seeking to influence great swaths of the population. But, as my writing time was diverted from pithy blog posts to essays and research papers with deadlines, my posting fell. Last year, I actually deleted a couple of my blogs that were no longer useful to me, and have really let the dust collect on several others. All of that history is fine, really. I was never seeking an income from my blogging activities - I really just wanted a place to say what I felt needed to be said, to record life, and to write. And, from my perspective, wasn't that what blogging was all about in the first place? The answer to that question is yes , as the actual word blog is sho...

I love blogging. I love writing. I love reading blogs, seeing others create blogs and I especially think it's cool if people can make money on their efforts blogging. I started out with this blog, affectionately called the Temple blog. It was my baby and had everything; photographs, travel journals, spiritual opinions, letterboxing adventures, and of course, stories of my Star Wars costuming hobby. I have ruminated on many things, not least of which has been my faith, my experiences walking in that faith and where that journey is taking me. Truly, all those diverse topics together was too much, and as it grew, it got more and more unfocused.  So, I created a crafting/letterboxing blog - My H'Art in Rubber - to be home for everything crafty and pertaining to the fascinating and fun hobby of letterboxing . It has been a successful blog even though I haven't been posting much as of late. (I'm hoping my desire to craft will return eventually.) Second, I created a phot...

There seems to be two kind of people; those who read, enjoy and write blogs (as well as other print media such as newspapers and magazines), and those who don't.  I, obviously, am in the first camp, but am a little confused about the other. I have always staunchly asserted that a good way to learn about someone is through their online presence, if they have one, that is. But, there is more than just learning about some one ; I have found you can actually learn some thing from reading blogs.  Well-constructed blogs which feature good writing, interesting photos and solid information or opinions that cause the reader to think are a goldmine of brain activity in whatever subject trips your trigger. Being a rather active blogger myself, I've taken my share of heat.  Not only have I been labeled a 'master wordsmith' (not in a nice way, by the way), but I have been called not-so-nice names due to my blog activities.  And not a week goes by that someone doesn't, in...

I have been oft criticized, even downright belittled, for blogging about trauma/drama concerning various situations in my recent past.  For whatever reason, some considered sharing my experience through the written word inappropriate, embarrassing, even slanderous.  I have even been told that I need to know that 'life is not a blog', whatever that means.  I respectfully disagree and always have...and will continue to do so.  (As always, they have a right to their opinion.) My best friend found this article  that had some interesting things to say about the matter.  Perhaps you will find it interesting, as well. I diligently make every effort to blog with integrity, and have vowed to do so.  I will never use names, events or the pain of others to mock, belittle or hurt for the sake of 'blog fodder'.  However, I will continue to state my opinions, doctrinal stands and outright finger-pointing at injustice with the intent to uphold righteousness ...

If you are reading this blog post, that means you jumped through the hoops, as it were, in order to see it.  Yes, I had to make the change from a completely public blog to an 'invite-only' blog for one reason:  to respect the wishes of a good friend. I have said it many times, I am not ashamed or regretful of anything I have written here on this, or any other, blog or social utility.  However, my intentions, no matter how well-meaning, did not include hurting the feelings of others.  So, when I discovered that it was causing personal hurt, it just had to be stopped.  Thus, the Temple blog went private. I want to personally thank each and every one of you that took the time to send me your email address, created a Google account and logged into to see this blog.  I'm honored beyond words.  While I have a few detractors of my opinions, I most certainly have far more that enjoy my efforts - all of you!  With each request to be invit...

Periodically, I receive anonymous comments on this blog that are of the debating nature, sometimes seen as 'open dialog', of a topic I have featured.  Frankly, I'm not sure a blog is the best forum for this type of communication. First of all, we all know the computer is not the best way to converse.  Conversation is not only words, but opinions, expressions and feelings portrayed through body language and tone of voice.  Unfortunately, the computer takes all the human element out of conversation and makes us all sound like a droid - flat and expressionless.  I find that I have to work diligently to make my computer writings 'sound' warm and friendly.  But for most correspondence, it's flat and expressionless...even cold (yes, even with "lol!" stuck on the end).  Also, the timing of normal, natural conversation is lost with the back-and-forth of computer debates.  This leaves comments 'hanging out there' without response until the other party...

"There is nothing wrong with change, if it is in the right direction.” ~Winston Churchill   Help! As a regular reader, you may know that I've been playing around with different designs for my blog.  And, not only this one, but my other two, as well.  Change is good; especially since I tend to get bored easily.  However, some changes are not so great.  You may have been experiencing difficulties reading my blog since I changed to a different 'template'.  If you have, please accept my sincere apology...I am so sorry.  I am working diligently to rectify the problem, I can assure you. I have made more changes, trying different templates, tweaking here, color change there.  It's not totally where I would like it quite yet.  The most important thing is that you, my faithful reader, can read it without it jumping around and causing frustration, irritation or worse.  (As an aside, there is a blog of a dear friend that I would love to read...

Censorship is never over for those who have experienced it. It is a brand on the imagination that affects the individual who has suffered it, forever. ~Nadine Gordimer If you are reading this blog for entertainment or you fit one of the criteria listed in the side bar of the readers who would enjoy it, I welcome you with open arms. I appreciate you and it makes my day when you take the time to comment on my posts. But, if you are reading my blog to find ways to disparage, criticize or harm me in some way, please don't come back. If what I write here offends you, or if you don't like my hobbies, opinions or musings, might I respectfully suggest you not read what I have to say? I am not ashamed of this blog or of my hobbies, religion or any thoughts recorded here. I do not feel that I have sinned or that I am an idolater. I understand you may disagree and you have every right to your opinion. However, if that is how you feel, then please feel free to take this blog off you...

When I was young, I tried to keep a diary. I had a small diary complete with the lock and tiny key, in fact I probably had several. Many times I would try to record my thoughts, in fits and starts, only to rip out the pages deeming them nothing but trash. Are you really supposed to go back and read these things? I hated to...my own words always sounded so silly and useless. What was the point of that? However, with modern technology, anyone can keep a diary, or journal as is a more updated term, online and public. A diary...public? Doesn't anyone want to keep their private thoughts, well...private? Apparently not, at least it wouldn't seem so. Just google the term 'diary' and you will see pages and pages of both new and old personal writings available for public consumption. My favorite published diary, of course, is the Diary of Anne Frank. I'm sure she never figured her writings would be made public, but I for one am glad I had the chance to read her...

I enjoy blogging. It gives me the opportunity and platform to speak my mind, talk about pet peeves, vent about difficult situations in my life and postulate on subjects that folks just don't talk about casually. I like saying the hard things, even if only to myself. As a matter of fact, I started blogging for my own edification - I really didn't ever think anyone would be interested in what I had to say, much less check my blog daily to see if I had posted anything. It has been a wonderful release of creative energy and thoughts that would have been stifled otherwise. And I spend time reading the blogs of friends and even those I don't know, learning and growing in the process. Yeah, I enjoy blogging; it's a wonderful outcome of the birth of the internet, in my view. However, much like any other print media, I don't like everything I read. Sometimes, what is written is irritating, insulting or just plain wrong. And, y'know what? I'm OK with that. ...

So, I have been actively blogging for quite a while now, and I'd like to think I've learned a few things about 'publishing' one's thoughts on the world stage. The first thing is that more people than you think actually read what you write...yeah. This is especially true if you care about the little things that make your blog a pleasure to read, such as spelling and grammar, and take pains to post your link on various social utilities (Facebook, Twitter). How else are folks going even see you on such a huge stage? There are millions and millions of blogs and websites out there in cyberspace, and if you want readers, you have to take a risk and step out there, baby! Another thing is the ability to track your loyal, and not-so loyal, readers through Google Analytics . This is an amazing and powerful tool and worth your time to check out. By simply plugging in the necessary code onto your blog, you can let Google gather information for you, graphed and broken down to th...

'the photographer' looking for the perfect shot of Mt. St. Helens  photo credit: Padawan How many blogs can one have without looking, well, like you have too many? When I started this blog, I had intended on having it be my personal place to record my thoughts and pics from the various parts of my life; a sort of melting pot of my endeavors and random philosophizing encompassing whatever I was involved in at the moment.  I had absolutely no idea how much I had to share!  As time went, I realized combining my love of all things Star Wars, letterboxing, our travels, my photography  and my faith/community in one place seemed too busy and disjointed.  I decided to break off the letterboxing piece into it's own blog, My H'Art in Rubber . My H'Art in Rubber, or better known as the carving blog, has been mildly successful.  Aimed at the letterboxing community, namely Atlas Quest readers, I am pleased to have quite a following both on the blog itself and ...

If you blog, you might agree with me. As I watch that hit counter climb, I wonder who is looking at my blog. You never can tell, you know. And, I have discovered that most folks just don't leave a comment. Don't get me wrong, that's OK with me...it's just that my curiosity is getting the better of me! So, to all those that stop by unannounced and leave unnoticed, I say a hearty Thank You! I hope you are enjoying my musings, photos and opinions on life in general, and I look forward to your return. I wish you all a fabulous and restful weekend!

There seems to be a recurring problem happening with followers of this, and I'm sure other, blogs and websites that require quite a bit of temporary disk space on your computer to view them. Here's a cry for help: "I'm really enjoying being subscribed to SHH's blog but now every time I go to her blog my computer goes crazy. When I X out of her blog IE7 for some reason tries to reopen it in not 1 but 8 tabs simultaneously. The weird thing is it only happens with her blog and no one elses. At first I thought I must be hitting a button somewhere or something, but now I just think my computer is obsessed with SHH..." Unfortunately, this is not the only reader this has happened to; I have heard from several and just got another message this morning that it happened to another poor soul. Having to shut your computer totally down is such a pain, especially when all you wanted to do was read your daily blogs. Here is the solution, and I hope this helps. A friend...

Well, I suppose that could be considered a 'comment box', but that's not really what I had in mind! I have spent several hours trying to put a space on my carving blog where folks can put a comment, a general thought or opinion; usually called a comment box or shout box. ::sigh:: Just can't seem to make it happen, however. I'm a little concerned about all the 'sites' I've signed up for, only to discover it wasn't what I wanted. I just want a simple comment box that scrolls down as comments are added, and that everyone can see. How hard can that be? I suppose if I were a code whiz, I could create one...but, unfortunately, I'm not. I've played around with guestbooks, as well...but they don't seem to fit the bill, either. Perhaps I'm doing something wrong (actually, the possibility is very good!). Ugh. If you have any ideas or a solution for me, I'd greatly appreciate it!

Well, I finally caved and have created another blog. This new blog will feature my carvings, and perhaps some other creations that come out of my craftroom. My H'Art in Rubber Let me know what you think!

I'm back, and faster than ever! Gary is an absolute magic-man, as well as the geekiest computer geek I've ever seen! Scrubbed of all the insidious nasties and equipped with a new memory board, I'm good to go - woohoo!!! I had spyware that had attached itself to a very cool cursor that I had to have. Learn from my mistake - do not download very cool cursors from anywhere! Plus, a bug crawled on from an email link that blocked all websites until I purchased their anti-virus software (which I did not do, but did last time this happened to me...ignorance is not such a good thing). Not only that, but somehow it erased all my native anti-virus software's definitions of virus and spyware, so all my scans came up clean...go figure. *smirk* It's all clean now, though. I also learned of a must-have for Firefox users who love social utilities: Flock. Just google it and do it - both my daughter and I LOVE this web utility that combines all your sites onto one place. It...

Yeah, I'm livin' at the library...well, kinda. Since my computer is going to the 'doctor' tomorrow, I will be coming to the library on a regular, daily basis. Our library lets you stay on a computer for one hour, so that's good for checking email and messages from the various sites I frequent, as well as updating the blog. I am very thankful that I have a library very close to my home and that they have lots of computers for public use. Oh, and I will not be able to change out the sidebar until I get back on my personal computer, so for that, I apologize. I sure miss playin' with pics and quotes every morning!

Unfortunately, my desktop computer has been infected with some sort of horrible something that will not allow me to access any internet sites. I am accessing the internet from my daughter's mini laptop, and well, it's different, to be sure! Hopefully this situation will be rectified easily and soon.

Mwahahaha! Take that, you've been hacked!! Of course, you could never guess who this hacker is, because I am just too sneaky. Have fun trying to figure me out!