brainstorming

MAWB Squad It Is - Here! We! Go!

Despite the stereotype that us women can't agree on things or make decisions, the ladies of the M.A.W.B. have decided on a domain name in record time.

For right now, you can find the new site here.

As soon as I get domain parking figured out, the new URL will be MAWBSquad.com

Once I work out the kinks on domain parking, the process will take about 24 hours for it to become effective.

Meanwhile we have all those decorating decisions to make.  (I imagine I'll push for antiques to clutter the place up and one of the others will lobby for a contemporary look.  If we stage a cat fight, we'll surely get the attention of these guys.)  In other words, the site is functional, and we can post on it, but we'll need to spiffy it up in the coming days.  Come on over and help us give the place that "lived in" look.

Hellloooo out there

Just thought I would play with the pad and, well, here I am.  So far , so good.  Not that I've tried anything that daring.  Oddly enough it did take almost 15 minutes for me to decide to stay Mama Ellen.  Bug suggested Snutterbut but I will have to think on that.  Ta Ta for now. 

Still Messing Around

Ooooh.  Typepad has spellcheck.  Power windows and locks also come standard.  Heated seats extra.  (Feel free to delete this mess, DC.  I'm just playing around.)

Just for fun. Click for larger image?

You're Going To Be Sorry...

Hi DC!

Thanks for letting me have a key to the shed.  Never mind me, I'm just rummaging around, digging through stuff here.  Did you know how many magazines you have stacked behind the...oh, sorry.  Just saw the cover.  Maybe these aren't yours.  I hear the articles are fantastic though.

I'm pretty excited to get this blog going.  I don't know if you saw it in my comments, but V-Toed Bill has offered to take a stab at designing a logo for us.  Cool.  Thanks Bill.

Just playing around.  More later when the kids are in bed.  Should be an early night.  We're still recovering from the sleep-over.  Thanks again for hosting us!

Cathy

Vote for a Blog Name

I've put polls up on the left and right sidebar for a MOB Ladies blog name.  We'll use these to pick the top names and then have a final run off.

I tried to weed all the suggestions that seemed to be serious from our various blogs and comments sections.  If you want something added, shoot me an e-mail or leave comments.  I can revise the poll and repost it.  (I didn't use up all my free polls yet even after my trial and error.)

I left out some names because when I checked the domain registration a dot com suffix was not available.

On a personal note, I'm not sure I want to be known in the blogosphere as a Chick or Babe.  Dames, Ladies, or Women would more suit my taste, I guess.

Of course the other ladies are more than welcome to post here to lobby for their favorites!

Update:  There are two polls because there's a maximum of 10 choices allowed per poll.  If you really like one name, it might be better to vote on only one of the lists.  I wanted to allow multiple choices, but it appears that's not an option.

Happy Valentines Day!

Happy Valentines Day!  Do you know a single woman who may not be getting a valentine?  Maybe a widow or divorcee?  Today is a great day to remember them with a little something, even a phone call.  I also want to give a special shout to our military forces and their family members.  They sacrifice so many holidays together to keep us safe. Thank you.

Perhaps the best Valentines story is Captain Ed and the First Mate.  The First Mate is probably in surgery right now to receive a pancreas transplant.  Our prayers go out to them and to the donor's family.

More suggestions for blog name

MOBcap.com (those shower hat looking things that ladies wore in the 18th century). 

MOBette.com

Minervablog.com

Northstarlets.com

For the vote, let's do two polls, a first attempt then a run off of the top 2 or 3 since so many names have been suggested.

Am I late to the party?

How about remembertheladies.com (Abigail Adams admonition to John Adams when she pointed out that the women were just as important as men to the revolutionary war making gunpowder and bandages.)

Also Anniegetchergun.com or is that too 2nd amendment sisters?

The one thing with an acronym is that it's harder to remember for people who are typing it and harder to pass on verbally over the din of a bar.

Just my 1.5 cents

Morning Thoughts

I like MAWB Squad.

I've been playing with the thesaurus and looked up "publication", which gave me the following thoughts:

MAWB Skinny
MAWB Cast
MAWB Flash
MAWB Talk

I still think I like MAWB Squad better.  (What? No one went for Get Your Red Hots?)  I'd actually like to keep MOB spelled MOB for simplicity sake, but it would be harder to find a domain name starting with MOB.  (For example the MOB Squad domain is for sale with a starting price of $688.)

The way I understand domain mapping, we can choose whatever dot com address we want and have it automatically point to the typepad address.  I haven't tried it, but it can't be all that hard.

As far as the design,  my Typepad account supports multiple blogs, so we can go whatever direction we want:

-  Start fresh with a new design
-  Rework Brainstorming to suit our needs

If you noticed when you posted, you have the option to date stamp when the post appears.  So we could actually transfer over all the posts from our archives if we wanted and have them show up when they were originally posted.  I would guess there's actually an easier way to import them if anyone is interested.  We'd have to check with Typepad.

FYI, My nephew did the current header on Brainstorming.  We could use a standard template until we had a new one designed.

Also, I would guess some of the women of the MOB might want to keep their current blogs and just contribute to the new site.

Update: Hewitt's been on the "swarm" concept.  Mob Swarm might be another option.

Update II:  Believe it or not, mobsters.com doesn't come up when I try to load it.  Could this domain be available?  I like the simplicity of it.  It could also make for a fun blog theme.  CORRECTION.  Not available.  I've started to use a domain name search and almost every variation of mobsters is taken.

Update III:  MAWBSquad.com is available.  MOBSquad is only available in .info or .biz configurations. Mobswarm.com is also available.

If we go with MAWBSquad.com, the next thing we need to decide is whether to redesign Brainstorming or to start a new blog.  I want to do that before we buy the domain name because it looks like there's a registration site Typepad has worked with that will allow me to point it to the Typepad address as part of  buying the domain name and getting it set up.  So I would need to know whether to start a new blog under my account or point it to Brainstorming's URL.

Ahoy, Mates!

Thank you, DC, for your kind invitation to allow me to join the voices of other Frozen Tundra females who are Right!

I'm pretty sure that I meet at least two of the requirements:  my far-left friends think I am a fascist, and my far-right friends think I ought to park my tent on a commune - ergo, I must be somewhere in that great, vast middle.

And PJ's?  If I could parade around in my flannel nightie all the time, it'd be fine by me. 

But liquor??  Uh oh.  A little eau de alcohol, and I get kinda woozy.

Oh well - I hope that two out of three will still allow me membership!

Just an idea....

If the girls were to form a blog gang, we need a name.

Anyone like MAWB Squad?

MN Alliance of Women Bloggers Squad?

Hmm...I liked it about a half hour ago. Now I'm not so sure. Time for bed to clear the head.

Thanks for letting me stop by DC.

MOB Women Joining Forces

In case you haven't heard, the MOB ladies are talking about joining forces into a group blog.  I've sent out passwords that will allow people to try out Typepad to the following:

Margaret
Cathy
Jo
Macaroni Penguin
Ellen
Mary
Peg

No final decisions have been made.  I'm really hoping at least some of us decide to group blog. 

By the way, I neglected to say in the invite, please go ahead and put a post up here on Brainstorming to see if it works for you.

Taxpayer's League Draws Fire

Last night at the debate I had David Strom, President of the Taxpayer's League of Minnesota, turn around so I could see for myself if a large target had been painted on his back.

First, Timothy Jensen, President of the Minnesoate State Patrol Association, (their union), equates the lobbying done by the Taxpayer's league with the tax protesting, cop killing, Posse Comitatus.  Blogizdat,  has a good analysis of why we shouldn't be surprised at the outrageous analogy considering the source.  Strom responds to the slur with grace.

But that's not all folks!  A Star Tribune editorial equates the Taxpayer's League to the devil! (Reg. Req.)

What should we learn from this?  Only one thing.  The Taxpayer's League, under the leadership of David Strom is doing their job effectively.  They have the liberals in MN hopping mad.  If they weren't getting to them, they wouldn't be slamming the No New Taxes pledge like they are.  Congratulations on a job well done.

Hewitt-Beinart Debate

The PiC and I attended the Hugh Hewitt - Peter Beinart debate last night.  He was visibly bummed  when I told him the subject of the debate was the future of the Democratic Party, commenting something to the effect of, "I don't remember the Democrats worrying about the future of the Republican party before Newt helped us take back the House."  True that.

Of course the crowd was not at all interested in the Democrats regaining power.  In fact, one of the biggest rounds of applause was when Beinart mentioned they didn't currently hold power over any   branch of government.

You do have to give Beinart credit for braving a crowd almost totally in opposition to his viewpoint.  He is passionate about his beliefs however wrong they may be.  We stopped after the show and thanked him.  One attendee asked him to sign her copy of Coulter's How to Talk to a Liberal.  Peter refused because Ann said you can't be a liberal and love your country.  He did however agree to sign a copy of Hugh's book, Blog.

Speaking of Blog, everyone in the audience that placed a ticket order over $69 I think, got a free copy of Hugh's book. I had him sign mine, of course, and the ever gracious, ever generous Mr. Hewitt remembered from previous meetings that I had a blog without me mentioning it.  He admonished me to "get to it" when I told him I'd let it slide for a while, so I guess I have my marching orders.

The NARN guys finished off the last two hours of Hugh's radio show. no small task considering there was a roomful of people chatting in the background.  The Minnesota Organization of Bloggers was well represented in the crowd.  If you want more info on the content of the debate, Doug live-blogged it.

Update:  Did I say I was done?  Just wanted to mention it was a pleasure to meet Steve's lovely wife, MLW.

NARN on Hewitt

The NARN guys are filling in for Hewitt right now.  You can listen on line here.

Kung Hei Fat Choi!

Find out what it means here.

More celebrations here and here, both recent blogroll additions.

Thy Will Be Done

Most of us know the Lord's Prayer, a model for prayer given to us by Jesus:

Our Father, who art in heaven
Hallowed be thy name
Thy kingdom come
Thy will be done.........

How many times have you said the words?  It's easy to repeat them from memorization isn't it?  How often do we reflect on what the words mean?

Take for example, Thy will be done.  What if God's will for our lives is in conflict with what we want to do at the moment?  Let's take a real life example.  The PiC and I almost never argue, but it does happen occasionally.  When I get good and ticked I have a flight instinct.  I just want to get in the car and drive away fast.  I don't care where.  Fleeing is MY will and my mind is already halfway out the door.

Then the small calm voice says, "Stay."

MY will says flee, THY will says stay put.

My choice is rebellion or obedience.  What does God say about choosing my own path?

Isaiah 45:9

Woe to him who strives with his Maker, an earthen vessel with the potter! Does the clay say to him who fashions it, 'What are you making'? or 'Your work has no handles'?

If I have chosen to be His, then I have given over my life to Him.  If I have given over my life to Him, I acknowledge that He is the Maker and I am the clay.  I do not know the end from the beginning.  I do not know the plans He has for me.  For these things I have to trust Him.  Often we learn to trust first in small ways, so we are prepared to trust Him when the decision we face is much more important and more difficult than whether to flee after an argument.

How do we know His will for us?  Sometimes it is the still small voice.  Sometimes it is through prayer.  Sometimes it is revealed as we read His word.  Sometimes He speaks to us through other believers.  Often it is a combination of these things.

For today, ask yourself, do you really mean it when you say, "Thy will be done", if it means choosing His will over your own?

Deafening Silence

I was up at 6:30.  Convinced the Girl to take Fudge Stripes for the game they were playing in class, which got me out of having to leave the house to get a bag of candy.  Yeah!  Fudge Stripes for everyone!  I do not regret buying those 5 packages when they were on sale at Cub, even if they are temptation personified.

After watching the buses leave with my precious cargo aboard, I settled down on the couch with the morning news, eventually closing my eyes.  (I was just resting them. Uh-huh.) 

Within five minutes I was awakened by a deafening silence.

My closest neighbor is a couple acres away, and as you can imagine, we have little traffic.  (Two cars!  In a row!  I wonder what's going on?)

Yet, our digital lifestyle apparently generates a lot of background hum.  Because when the power goes out, the absence of noise is really loud.  It can wake a person right up......from resting their eyes, of course.

It's not all that unusual to have a blip.  But when the blip goes 10 minutes, I make the obligatory call to the power providers, the men of the red trucks, feeling all the while that surely every neighbor has already called, and of course they already know there's a problem.  Hmmm.  They're working on the lines, but any outage should only have been a minute or so.

A call from the office.  Yes.  Silence here too.  Have called the men in red trucks.

Within about 40 minutes, a red truck appears, first at the neighbors, then finds its way up our drive.  Ahhh.  The problem is quickly discovered.  Fried squirrel.

The squirrel left with the red truck or I would have taken a picture for your viewing pleasure.  The driver said something about dinner.  Pre-cooked!

Last week was Must Accomplish Everything Week.  This week is Decompression Week.  Though we will be at the Hewitt Beinart debate tomorrow, Thursday.  Decompression has left me particularly lazy, obviously consuming more blogginess than I have cared to produce.  There's a ton of cool stuff to read about out there.  Have you noticed I'm not much of a blogger?  Oh well.  It doesn't keep me awake nights.

Just now I was accused of Breaking the Truck, which falls into the category of High Crimes and Misdemeanors.  I must go now to Deny! Deny! Deny!

Update Feb. 9:  Corrected day of Hewitt - Beinart debate.

Spitbull says, Coddle Me Not

This is why fathers everywhere use the line, "Oh it hurts?  Well I've got a pocket knife.  We can just cut it off!"

Same principle.