mvp growing by leaps and bounds!

It's been a little over two years since I joined 500,000 others in the Million Veterans Program.
The latest update shows that enrollment now stands at 711,022 members, with 6696,802 of that number being military veterans.
I am one of the 145,760 former USN sailors.
I am one of the 159,980 veterans who served between May 1975 and July 1990.
All I did was donate blood and fill out a background study for the genetic research.

The following Letter from the Principal Investigator was part of the winter update.
*****
"Dear MVP Enrollee,
Your are part of a special group of Veterans ho have selflessly joined MVP's world-leading effort to understand how genes affect health and disease. For this we are sincerely grateful. To date you are among over 710,000 MVP enrollees.
We have entered a new and exciting phase in MVP. More than 30 teams of researchers are exploring the data and finding information about diseases that affect Veterans such as PTSD, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, heart disease, stroke, cancer, and eye disease. The results of these projects are being presented at national meetings and published in major journals - and the world is taking note!
In addition, the VA has joined forces with other federal agencies to enhance and use this wonderful resource. The Department of Energy is collaborating to help provide computing power to analyze this amazing data. We are also collaborating with the Department of Defense to pilot enrollment among Veterans who have left active duty. My son, an Army Ranger, is looking forward to the day when he might be able to enroll.
As we enter the holiday season, I want to thank you again for joining this effort to improve the health of all Veterans as well as all Americans. We have heard countless times that Vetras join MVP to continue serving fellow Veterans and the country. We appreciate your generosity. I want to assure you that the entire MVP team i working tirelessly o make the most of this world-leading resource.
Mike Gaziano
MVP Principal Investigator"
*****
I am so happy to have the privilege of being part of this study!
Veterans, it's never too late to lend a hand in helping others, so please consider lending a bit of blood and becoming part of this study.
Thanks, Mr. Gaziano, for taking the time to write that letter.
(See, I do read those updates.)
(smile)

nerdfighter in flash match!

I had been waiting for Kiva.org to have a special fundraiser.
They do so fairly frequently.
A generous patron of the site would pledge to match donated funds up to some threshold.
Today, such a fundraiser was announced, but the catch was this: it was a 'flash match' and would end at midnight or after one million dollars.
Time for action on my part!

Then came decision time.
To whom should I donate my doubled $25 this time?
There were so many loans which were up for funding...
in so many different countries, for so many different reasons...
to so many different people.
I was only making the one loan, using funds which had been repaid to me.
Where would my money - and the match - be of the most help?

I chose the field of 'education' for my tenth loan today.
It will be the fourth such loan I have made on this site.
The first was to Elaine Marie, in the Philippines. She was the eldest of three, the first in her family to want higher education to better her life and theirs. That story resonated with me.
The second loan went to a young man, Maycol Francisco, in Nicaragua. He had nearly completed his degree as an anesthesia technician. He was in his final semester and needed funds for those final classes. Honestly, his story fit right in with those of the health professionals I was teaching.
The third loan, made at that same time, went to a young woman in Nicaragua, Yaleska Gabriela. Like Maycol, she was in her final year of studies for her degree in Public Accounting and Finance. That degree reminded me of my stepdad, so of course I helped her attain her goal.
Today, I chose Hussein of Lebanon. He was not asking for money for his own education. His three children would not have the tuition for school, as he was on a fixed salary and his wife could not work. He "wishes his children a successful future" and recognized that education was a requirement to turn those wishes into reality. Bravo!

Feeling inspired?
Want to join me as a Nerdfighter, to help defeat world suck?
There's still time to help Hussein and his children...
and to help Kiva reach that next billion dollars of dreams funded.
Thanks!

not missing AB+

Subtitle: M ke s me ne wh le g in

As part of the American Red Cross's recent summer blood drive, "Missing Types", I donated a pint of whole blood last month.
(FYI: That was my third donation this year. I plan to give at least once more. A maximum possible of six donations can be given each year, 56 days apart. I think I'll try for that in 2019. To help someone live, make an appointment here.)
Today, they informed me that my pint of blood had a little adventure!
It took a trip to Alabama to help someone there!
(smile!)

"Dear Faustina,
Thank you for giving blood with the American Red Cross on 08/14/2018. After first ensuring that local needs were met, your blood donation was sent to UAB Health System in Birmingham, AL to help a patient in need. Your donation is on its way to change lives!
Every day, patients receive blood for a variety of conditions including life-threatening illnesses, blood disorders and traumas. Your blood donations are critical to helping save patients' lives.
On behalf of the hospitals and patients we serve, thank you for being a Red Cross blood donor.
Sincerely,
Dr. Pampee Young
Pampee P. Young, M.D., Ph.D.
Chief Medical Officer
American Red Cross "

How very nice of them to let me know!
I was once in Birmingham at the medical university. My BFF's little sister was graduating - with her Medical Doctorate in pediatrics.
Nice to know that my life-giving blood was used there.
(smile)
i thank You, God, that i am able to donate blood.

100 miles

If not for chasing rabbits, I don't know if I ever would have heard of this organization...
and yet, I drive by its office on Drayton Street quite often.
The rabbit I was chasing - provided by the Coastal Jazz Association - led to the site for volunteering for the upcoming Savannah Jazz Festival.
While at that volunteer site, I hippety-hopped to several of the organizations I knew...
and this one that I did not.
One Hundred Miles was founded in 2013 for the sole purpose of preserving Georgia's coastline -for our children, for our grandchildren, for the generations to come.
The science-first organization began in Brunswick, but they're here in my town now.
With its mission principles of education, collaboration, and celebration, it certainly seems tailor-made for me, doesn't it?
I don't know how it has escaped my attention for five years, but I'm onboard.
It's time for another sea change, for me, for the coast I have loved since I was a girl...
for the world.
I joined at the Horsehoe Crab level, mostly because those prehistoric beasts amaze me.
It was as easy as clicking here to choose my favorite.

i thank You, God, for rabbit holes and this birthday gift!

shindig for supers!

The Ronald McDonald House had a fundraiser this afternoon and I couldn't resist being there!
"Super Summer Shindig" - such sweet syllables!
(smile!)
The alliteration drew me right in, of course.
Plus, I had a personal reason for my presence.
When my ex's grandson was born, the baby had to stay several days in the hospital. His mom spent those days, and nights, at this house... at no charge.
What a blessing!

What made this a 'super' event?
All the superheroes that were there, of course!
As well as those provided by Princess Productions
- such as the 'Amazon Princess' with me -
the kids and their parents were encouraged to
dress in costume.
Such fun!

Face painters were present to adorn all comers,
cornhole sacks were there to be tossed,
and there was food and drink, too.
Oh, yes, free food was in abundance, as was...
free ice cream!!!
Thank you, Ben & Jerry's, for making sure
to have nondairy available, too!
Better yet, it was the coconut almond fudge
chip that I love so much!

I'm so glad I was there to help support this fundraiser.
The birthday funds I donated were partly from me and partly from my exhusband. I know he would have been there if he could have been, to help this sanctuary that had sheltered his daughter.
I'll be watching for more of these in the future.
Who knows? Maybe he will make it to the next one!

story time for cats... in.... space!

Oskar, the blind kitty, is now stardust.
However, his space adventure, "Mission To Cataria", with Klaus will live on forever!
Once into the ether, always out there somewhere!
(smile!)
Thanks to the project to send their book to the International Space Station, the actual book gained passage and arrived there earlier this year.
Once there, it had to wait its turn to be read aloud..
and that moment has arrived!
The story, written by Travis Bossard and Mick Szydlowski, has been read aloud by Richard (Ricky) Arnold II, a genuine astronaut!
But guess why I think this almost 55-year-old was the right man for the task?
He's a former US Navy sailor, like me! And what does the acronym "N.A.V.Y." mean? "Never Again Volunteer Yourself" - LOL! That's how we found ourselves in the Navy - by volunteering our services. That trait is in our blood, that desire for helping others.
i thank You, God!
I also like that he was a former science teacher - also like me! Plus, he loves the ocean. Purr-fect!
(smile!)
Now, settle in for the tale, keeping in mind that its run time is 13:51 minutes.
My many thanks to Story Time From Space for making "Mission To Cataria" a reality!
It's available here or on the ISS website.

utility patent for my invention has been filed!

Hallelujah!
For the last five months of hard work, emails have been flying back and forth between me and Cramer Patent & Design.
But, good news!
The finalized Utility Patent application has been e-filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office... and well before the August deadline!
That includes fifteen pages of the application itself, five pages of drawings, one page of addendum, one page for an oath, and four pages for the power of attorney for Aaron Cramer to represent me to the USPTO.
I must say, this has certainly been a learning experience for me.
Trying to explain an educational tool for blind and low-visioned students to a group of people who have full sight has certainly been a daunting task...
but, worth it.
Yes, it's been worth every minute, every hour, every day.
I had hoped for my invention to be available to students this coming academic year.
That will probably not be the case, given that August 2018 is a mere two months away.
That's fine... August of 2019 for its launch will be fabulous!
Hold on, chemistry students of the world - it's coming to you soon!

halfway to 13!

I had thought to title this "happy birthday to three strangers", but, no...
why not be more obscure?
(smile)
So, just what is the meaning of the title above?
Well, let me remind the reader of this post, about a year ago.
At that time, I had completed twelve gallons of blood donated to the world.
Since then, I've allowed the American Red Cross to draw four more pints from me, as gifts to a total of twelve people, somewhere in the world.
As four pints is two quarts...
and two quarts is half of a gallon...
that means I'm halfway to completing my thirteenth gallon!
Feels good, too.
As a nice bonus, today I was given this new T-shirt!
I'm regarding it as a birthday gift - oh, yes I am!
Thanks, y'all!
i thank You, God, to be able to donate life's liquid to others.

birthday grove

A wood is an area covered in trees, larger than a grove or a copse. A forest is also an area covered in trees, but it is larger than a wood. The trees in woods and forests grow thickly, and the space between them is overgrown with grasses, shrubs and underbrush. A grove is a small stand of trees lacking dense undergrowth. A copse is a cluster of small trees and shrubs.
This Arbor Day, in honor of my birthday next month, I am having a grove planted by the Arbor Day Foundation. They'll be planting the sixty trees in one of the national forests in this great country.
The trees will bring new life to an area destroyed by fire. Wildlife will find new homes, smaller vegetation will thrive in the shade, in turn providing new homes for other wildlife and the insects to feed them.
The trees will filter carbon dioxide out of the air, processing it o form new leaves and releasing precious oxygen.
I've had a love story with trees ever since I read Joyce Kilmer's poem.
I was probably in middle school at the time.

"Trees" (1913)

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

i thank You, God, that we can plant new trees.

silver lining of cats

(One note: this was originally published in my beachwalks blog a few minutes ago.)

Back in late November, I had sent an email to my niece down in Mexico.
She is Tony's one-and-only daughter, Hope.
She responded with such happiness that her dad was finally in the transitional center!
She also had the following message:
"I also wanted to ask for your help….We are still in Mexico and we have a taxi here that is one of our main sources of income. It got hit by a drunk driver a week and a half ago and it took on some heavy damage. But no engine damage. It’s going to cost us 18,000 pesos, roughly 900 dollars to fix but we’ve gotten 15,000 together so far, and with Thanksgiving coming up I doubt we’ll be doing anything with this still going on and here money is a hard thing to come by. So I wanted to ask you if you can and if you would like to help us, with anything you can, it would be greatly appreciated. I know I don’t ever ask for anything, and this is hard for me, but I thought I’d try. Love you lots."

As much as I wanted to help her financially, I knew I did not have the funds.
She thanked me for even considering helping.
Time passed on, as it does.
I sent her some photos of Tony from our visits and she again responded.
She also let me know that they had not yet been able to get the taxi repaired. Could I perchance speak to her Dad and to Smitty about the money they still needed?
I assured her I would.
I spoke with them last Sunday, when Tony was on a nine-hour pass at my house. Smitty had dropped in to get the saw he had loaned me for the yard work.
I was shocked by their response to her request.
Tony told me he was not allowed to have that much money. I reminded him that the CTC would allow him to send $250 to anyone, once per month. That sum is exactly the amount she needs. No, he told me, he would not help her.
I am so disappointed in his response. He's been working for three months and keeps talking about how much money he's making... but he is not willing to spend any of it.
Sigh.
Smitty followed suit, not surprisingly.
I suppose he figured that if Tony was unwilling to help, then why should he?
Sigh.

When I wrote to her the next day, I had made a decision.
"Dear Hope,
I spoke to your Dad and Uncle Smitty yesterday about your situation. Sadly, they are not willing to send any money. However, they very much enjoyed your photos! I also let your Dad read the emails you've sent and he sends his love.
I have been taking care of a friend's cats and will be able to send the money he is paying me. Right now, I have $85 for you, but I expect him to pay me another $85 either later today or tomorrow. I will check with Western Union to see what the fee is for sending money.
Best wishes to y'all!
with my love"

I had wondered what to do with those cat-sitting funds.
i thank You, God, for the inspiration.
The upcoming International Women's Day was good timing, too.
How could I recycle the repaid Kiva-loan funds to a woman I didn't know and not send these cat-generated monies to my niece?
Exactly.

The funds have been sent to her, via Western Union, just a few minutes ago.
She will be able to have them in hand tomorrow.
I'm actually relieved to have been able to help her.
Again, i thank You, God.
I don't always understand why events unfold as they do...
but I am learning to trust that there is a silver lining.

from one woman to another

I've been waiting for this day!
Happy International
Women's Day, y'all!
To celebrate,
I clicked the link
over at Kiva.org.
Today, thanks to the generosity
of several corporate donors,
my funding will go twice as far!

There were so many women
awaiting loans to be funded!
How to choose which to help?
By location?
By type of work being done?
By amount of money needed for their dream?
I selected "by amount still needed"
and found this woman, whose dream needed
exactly the amount I could supply.

Tupu of Samoa will now have
her dream become reality, thanks to
the 28 people who believed in it.
Now, thanks to Tupu of Samoa,
those around her will also benefit
from her acquisition of the taro roots and
banana tubes for her farm.

I know Mama and Grandmama would approve.
i thank You, God, for the search that led me to this woman.

allegiance in LA!

Here's the latest news on the "Allegiance" musical!
It's certainly come a long way since this project began in 2014!

"Hello Friends,

Things are really getting exciting here in Los Angeles. As you may have heard, I’m reprising the role I played on Broadway in the Los Angeles premiere of Allegiance at the Aratani Theater in the heart of Little Tokyo. This production from East West Players and the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center brings a new artistic vision to the musical that was inspired by my own experiences in the internment camps as a child.

Performances of Allegiance start tonight and, with our current political climate, this show could not be more relevant. It is a powerful reminder of what dangers come when fear and prejudice override human compassion.

On a lighter note, this production brings Allegiance back to where it all began for me more than 75 years ago! Take a look at all of the buzz! You'll recognize some familiar faces on the ABC News clip and the LA Weekly cover story below. Give 'em a quick watch or read... and hopefully, I'll see YOU in Los Angeles.

Sincerely,

George Takei"

chicken dressing bobby bumps!

I am happy to report that the project to restore the Bobby Bumps video library is continuing to move along very nicely!
First, I was treated to the first video of the boy and his faithful companion - just in time for the Year of The Dog, too!
Then, last month, I was given another episode to view of this bumptious Bobby Bumps, in the times (early 1900's) that he was 'living'.
Now, I have a third - and in as many months!
Well done, Tommy Jose Stathos!

"February 2018 Update

Dear Backers,

Despite continued slow movement through my and some collaborators' workflow pipelines, I'm pleased to share some exciting new visuals in this month's update.

As with most of these restoration projects, some films occasionally have title cards that are very brief, damaged, and cannot be presented as-is. One such film in this project is Chicken Dressing, a later subject released in 1923 by Educational Pictures. It combines live action and animation. There are only two known prints, one of them being mine which was scanned for this project. Both the main and end titles on my print were heavily damaged and brief.

Artist and animator friend Maira Vergara has recently finished restorations of these titles, and I'd like to share the main title. Isn't it gorgeous?

Chicken Dressing is a truly bizarre film, with filmmaking/animation techniques that are on par with Max Fleischer's Out of the Inkwell films of the period, if not even more complex—so I'm sure you'll really enjoy seeing it.

One of the films in this project that is rather complicated is Bobby Bumps' Last Smoke (1919). Our main print has various splices in it, and my heavily water-damaged back-up print (these are both practically unique 28mm prints struck around 1920) contains some of the missing frames—but it's taking some very careful re-animation (taking needed picture elements, cleaning them up, and pasting over good background frames) to try and rescue some of this missing footage...in order to make it presentable for the restoration. Here's a scan of one of the missing sections, by photographer friend Louie Despres, showing the extent of damage in the back-up print:

Last Smoke may very well be one of the wildest and risque Bobby Bumps cartoons ever produced that survives today, at least from the Bray years...so I want to get the restoration of it as close to perfect as possible. Like Chicken Dressing, I'm sure all of you will really enjoy seeing this one once it's ready.

Finally, I'm happy to report that research and design collaborator David Gerstein will soon have more time to dedicate to his contributions on this project, as he wraps up a couple current book projects of his own. Just this past weekend, he was able to tackle one of the most stunning aspects of his part in this project: the packaging for the Blu-ray! Between Josh Latta's art and David's design work, it really looks like Master Bumps is finally getting his due...

My hope is that this project will be in the midst of authoring and replication by the time our next monthly update is due. Fingers crossed, and as always, thanks kindly for your continued patience...

Sincerely,
TJS
"

Still looking for the video link?
Here it is!
No, he didn't point me towards it this time, I found it on my own.
(smile)
Oh, that Bobby boy! And his little dog, too!
(smile)

speed bump for my invention

Exactly one month ago, I had submitted the initial paperwork to Montgomery Patent & Design to go forward with the application for the Utility Patent for my invention.
Then, I had received a letter that shook me deeply.
The US Trade & Patent Office required that Bob Montgomery, the man behind For Sale By Inventor as well as Montgomerty IP Associates, separate himself from my patent application.
Oh, no! What did that mean???
Did I need to start this process anew and with a stranger at the helm?
Gratefully, that was not the case.
His assistant, Aaron Cramer, would be forming Cramer Patent & Design and I would simply be transferred to him and his firm.
As Mr. Cramer has been the one I've been working with for much of this process, then I should see no changes in progress of my application.
A new letterhead would be the most marked difference in operation.
What a relief!
And progress marches onward!
I do hope students will soon be able to have this educational tool at hand!

breaking up is hard to do

... but sometimes that option is the best for all concerned.
When talking about sodium content in food, breaking up seems extra difficult.
Most flora naturally contain sodium. It is one of the key nutrients that plants obtain from the soil and liquid around them.
That means almost every fruit and vegetable consumed will contain sodium.
Every grain - including oats, wheat, rice, barley, corn - also contains sodium.
With all of this sodium naturally present, why add more to food?
Well, as many would say, it enhances the taste.
For hundreds of years, humanity has used sodium chloride as a seasoning agent.
In fact, Roman soldiers were once paid with salt, as it was so highly prized.
Back then, not only was salt used for flavor, but also for preservation of foods.
After all, the refrigerator had not yet been invented.
(smile)

The American Heart Association has a new initiative, #BreakUpWithSalt.
I urge you to take the Pledge to Reduce Sodium.
That is a first step toward better health for you and everyone who dines at your table.
Then, take action by contacting owners of fast-food franchises, owners of food processors, owners of restaurants - just by clicking right here.
The AHA has done all the heavy lifting, essentially adding a megaphone for your voice to be heard.
Believe me, when we speak together, even those high up the ladder hear us.
Here's the latest message from AHA on the progress:

"About this time last year, more than 1,000 of you took back control of your food and sent letters to the CEO of McDonald’s, calling for the company to prioritize healthier options. Today, McDonald's took a first step in answering your call for change. The fast food restaurant has announced a commitment to offering healthier kids’ meal options for millions of families across the globe.
This is a big step in the right direction, and it’s because customers like you have shown your support for healthier foods. When you consider that 220 million happy meals are sold each year in the US, taking steps to make them healthier is good for kids.
We know there is more work to do with McDonalds and look forward to continuing to work with them and other restaurants."

Bravo!
Yes, the company only committed to making a change for children's meals...
and that result was in direct response to the expressed request of a small portion of the population.
Just over one thousand voices raised in protest caused that change.
Amazing.

I urge you to take action now, let your voice be heard. We all need to have sodium reduced in our foods, not only for the sake of the children, but also for our sake.
Contact the restaurant association to decrease salt content in the food offered.
Contact Congress to keep information about sodium content on nutrition labels.
Contact the CEO's of popular fast-food companies to decrease salt content.
Be the Voice Of The Future, for yourself and those you love.
That will be a lasting gift on this Valentine's Day... and is completely free.
(smile)

space cats in space!

Let me make this clear right now: Oskar and Klaus are not in space...
but their book is!!!
Get this: "The Mission To Cataria" has been orbiting the Earth on the International Space Station for about a month now! So says their fearless chronicler of their adventures, Mick Szydlowski. The photo - and the news - are directly from his facebook page. How cool is that?!
That means the book will soon be read aloud by an astronaut!!!
I am so excited for him and for them and for children everywhere!
Stay tuned...
(smile)

bobby bumps and history

As this is the day we celebrate the life of Martin Luther King, Jr., the conversation I've had the past couple of days with the art restorer has shown itself to be quite timely.
I do hope you will agree.
It all began with the January 13th update.

***** ***** ***** ***** *****
posted by Tommy Stathes
Jan 13, 2018 • 1:53AM PST
January 2018
Dear Backers,
Hope the new year is treating everyone well so far!
Production gears are starting up again after a fairly quiet and prolonged holiday season. Our project collaborators are finally able to start bringing the Bobby Bumps collection further toward the finish line once again, after about a month of being bottlenecked by work and family constraints.
Thankfully, all of the new digital organ scores by Charlie Judkins are "in the can" as they say. The previously unknown footage mentioned in earlier updates has been scanned, cleaned, and otherwise prepped for compositing.
One of the wildest films in this set, Bobby Bumps' Last Smoke (1919)...picture Bobby smoking, then hallucinating and dreaming of being in a harem with scantily clad adult women and lions running around!...is being sourced from a rare 28mm print in my collection. It just so happens that I have a heavily water damaged backup 28mm print (both of these are circa 1920 vintage!) and it only recently occurred to me that this second print contains a few frames here and there which are missing from the main print as a result of splices. As our collaborators start revisiting their tasks, I'm taking some time to determine if unique bits of replacement footage are crucial to the story, and if so, whether or not they can be sufficiently restored and reinserted into the film without glaring differences in picture quality. Stay tooned for a determination on that!
Beyond "Last Smoke" and some final tweaks on the rest of the films, such as correcting title lengths and tinting some (yes, these were mostly tinted in their original form), there are very few remaining production tasks: some graphic design for packaging and disc menus. Then, finally, authoring and mastering--which will be done by our friends at Thunderbean Animation.
Now, more than ever, it seems like next month's update will be the one where I can say the project has finally been handed over to Steve at Thunderbean, and we will simply be waiting on him, at that point, to wrap everything up so it can go to replication.
Fingers crossed...
In the meantime, here's an additional sneak preview of yet another film to be included in the set: Bobby Bumps Helps a Book Agent (1916). Check out the stellar quality in this one—it comes from a 35mm safety fine grain print made by Bray Studios in the 1950s. It's so rare to be able to see these early cartoons in such sharp quality. It's as if we're looking right at the original artwork, under the animation camera. The version in this video has been steadied shot-by-shot, and there will also be dust-busting work present for an even cleaner picture in the final version you receive on disc. Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6iyNXCMnDE
Sincerely,
TJS
***** ***** ***** ***** *****

I watched the new one right away! Then I responded with my feedback.
"Hahaha! That kid is a hoot! One of the things I like is the time capsule the series represents. Folks may object to the portrayal of folks of different ethnicity, but that's the way it was back then. I think it emphasizes how far America has come since that time.
I was surprised at how long the cartoon was - wow!
Very appropriate timing for this one, too, with all this cold weather we are having on the East Coast.
Thanks for the update, Tommy!
Faustina in Savannah"

He wrote me back this morning.
"Dear Faustina,
I'm so glad you enjoyed the update, and the cartoon I shared. Yes, it's just so fascinating to see how different things were in pop culture/media just a century ago...and I agree, it shows us just how far we've come. Sometimes it reminds me that we still have a long way to go in certain respects.
Hope you're staying warm these days, and I can't wait to finally wrap this Bobby project for everyone to enjoy.
Yours,
Tommy"

How timely, as I said at the beginning of this post.
Circumstance? I think not.
i thank You, God.

periodic table goes video!

Today is the first day of classes for 2018 and I realized that I had not yet shared some news here about my invention.
Sure, I had posted an update last month, but not about the video.
Why had I omitted that from my talk of my Periodic Table for the Visually Impaired?
I have no idea.
After all, now that my invention for chemistry students is officially Patent Pending, I can freely talk of it.
So, with no further ado, here's the scoop:
I now have a marketing video to let the world know about it!
I truly could not be more pleased with it!
I had been working with For Sale By Inventor on this one video since November 10 of last year.
The process has been akin to "Goldilocks And The Three Bears".
The first video was definitely not the one for me. For the voice-over, they had chosen a young woman whose tone had not been correct for such a serious piece. having been wed for fifteen years to a radio man, I had explained and they had tried again for me.
The second video, on December 11th, had a male voice which was much better suited for my periodic table! That's when I noticed that my name was listed oddly and someone in their graphics division had added Braille dots on the images. So, that bowl of porridge was not quite right, either.
(smile)
But the one completed right before Christmas was just right!
Good pacing by the male vocalist, images dot-free, and my name not catawampus - beautiful!
As well as being posted on FSBI's page for me, I have it right here, too!
That's a little inside joke to my bfe, the physicist.
(smile!)
The Elements of Touch Periodic Table is the new name I devised, too.
I very much like it!
Not only does it appeal to my tactile nature, but the name also has chemistry built in!
The folks at FSBI also thought it was rather clever.
(smile!)