The Business of Selling Yourself in America

Many of you have probably heard of the law (H.R. 4040) passed in August which seeks to establish consumer product safety standards and other safety requirements for children's products and to reauthorize and modernize the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) (legalese.) Unfortunately, an unintended effect of this law may very well be the end of many small businesses. There is lots more information to be had on the subject, my jumping off point was the Handmade Toy Alliance . This proved to be an excellent resource for all of the information I needed. The actual law itself is 68 pages long and can be read in it's entirety here. There are also wonderful abridged versions here and here by some crafter momtrepreneurs.

To make a long story short, it would appear that SOMETHING is being done in Washington. I recieved a well written email this morning from my congressman Providing me with a place to provide feedback to the CPSC. Here's a copy of the letter so that you can provide your comments too.



December 22, 2008

Jennifer Lastname
123 House Street
So Cal, CA
12345

Dear Jennifer:

Thank you for contacting me with your thoughts regarding consumer safety. It's a pleasure to hear from you.

As you know, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 4040 (Rush-IL), the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Reform Act, which seeks to establish consumer product safety standards and other safety requirements for children's products and to reauthorize and modernize the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The CPSC's mission is to protect children and families against unreasonable risk of injury and death from over 15,000 types of consumer products.

Like you, I am concerned by the uncertainty many Americans have with the safety of products that are imported and sold in the U.S. For this reason, I voted in favor of H.R. 4040 when it passed the House of Representatives on December 19, 2007, by a vote of 407-0. President Bush signed H.R. 4040 into law on August 14, 2008 (P.L. 110-314).

I agree with you that this bill, while favorable with respect to enhancing the effectiveness of the CPSC, also has several provisions that may harm small businesses instead of solely focusing on increased product safety. I am currently unaware of any legislation at the present time that has been introduced in the House to address these concerns, but you will be interested to learn that the CPSC is currently accepting comments on Section 102 of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, Mandatory Third-Party Testing for Certain Children's Products until January 30, 2009. I would strongly encourage you to email your comments to Sec102ComponentPartsTesting@cpsc.gov

Thank you again for contacting me. Should you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to let me know.


Sincerely,

Duncan Hunter
Member of Congress





Low Standards Tee by Fatamerican at Etsy.com

My Review of SmartWool Saturnsphere Socks - Women's

Originally submitted at REI

Multicolored socks are simply more fun, and these striped Saturn socks from SmartWool fit that bill.

SmartWool Saturnsphere Socks - Women's

The only socks I have ever loved.

By Sailor Jenny from San Diego, CA on 12/19/2008

 

5out of 5

Gift: No

Fit: Feels true to size

Pros: Durable, Good Design, Cushy, Comfortable, Stylish, Regulates Temperature Well, Wicks Away Moisture, Colorful

Cons: Pricey

Best Uses: Travel, Daily Use

Describe Yourself: Casual Adventurer

These are the socks that I put on after wearing dress shoes all day. I love the colorway(s) and the patterns because I can be funky and comfortable. My feet don't get hot and sweaty like they do in cotton socks, and they're WAY more comfortable than even hand knit socks (which I still love, just not under shoes or to walk in.) Every trip to REI, I scour the clearance bins for just one pair. Definitely my favorite!

(legalese)

Get outta my dreams . . . .

And into my blog.

Seriously, every day whist sitting in the inevitable traffic I come up with something that I MUST SHARE! And then get home and forget it all. I spend a good amount of time waiting for laundry and reading blogs, or ducking work and reading blogs (shhhhhh . . . Jeff, don't tell on me!) or waiting for baby to settle and sleep and reading blogs. I comment on some, am ravenous about a few, and I feel bad that I'm not the web presence I wish I were.

So instead, here's a comprehensive list of all the other places to find me on the web. Most link to each other somehow, but here they are in one place.

Facebook. I spend a lot of time here reconnecting with old friends. Not so much making new ones.



I do that here on Twitter! If you really want to know how I am right this minute, that's the best place to find me.

Often I'm on Etsy, shopping for wonderfulness. Lately I shop for yarn and other fibery goodness. Which I then share . . .



On Ravelry. Or will, anyway, once I'm a little more comfy there. It's knitting time, what with the cold, the rain, and the fact that I'm not sure how much time/energy I'll have on the ship.




So until I get that voice recorder I've been wanting, check me out in these places and please try and keep up with my sporadic updates. Meanwhile, check out Petra's blog for laughs and that acrid New England attitude you've come to love.


(Yarn by simplytwisted, who rocks.)

The List

The List
So I came across this list on http://www.curiousmess.com/ and thought I would take part too!
You're just supposed to go through the list and bold the things you've done. Bolded more than I thought I would, but a few of those are still on my list of things to do before I die. (Old Faithful, Niagra Falls . . .)

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community.
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar.
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury.
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day


Bucket List earrings by bearrunroad.

Prioritizing. Organizing. Rethinking.

Prioritize Notepad, RedVelvetArt



*Diana, this is for you.




All over the news all you hear is that the economy is in the toilet; the government is paying to bail out people who made bad decisions because they weren't fully informed and companies who did so knowingly; neighbors are pitted against neighbors and by all accounts it's turmoil.


I'm doing okay. WE'RE doing okay. But it's got me thinking, and for the very first time in my life - doing. I grew up pretty priveleged. Solidly upper middle class. Great schools, great friends (all of whom are still great folks) great opportunities for success, all without doing much. Then at 18, I enlisted. I know you all see the news about how hard it is to be a young military family, and it is, but it gets a lot easier. We are once again middle class. My kids want for nothing. (Okay, Sam wants a pocket bike and a cell phone, no and no.) They have plenty of opportunities, and yet so many are denied them because of pure unadulterated American discrimination.




Semaphore Love block print card, nydampress

So I've spent a lot of time in the last few months/weeks trying to do what I can to fix that. And I'm realizing lately that more than ever, what I need to do for ME is to succeed at my job. We all know that I AM a United States Sailor, but I'm an Atheist, too. And I believe that equality is for everyone. And I believe that Barack Obama truly has the best interests of my country and my children at heart. And I believe that the best way to stick it to all of the discriminatory Americans who don't want my friends to marry who they love, don't want someone with Muslim blood (I didn't know religion was blood borne) to become president, and don't want young women to be able to make choices that may save their lives without Daddy breathing down their necks; is to continue to fight for their right to say whatever they want. To continue to fight for their right to disallow my children to be boy/girlscouts, to require that god be thanked before every little league game, to allow prayer before every town meeting. So I registered to vote, I've volunteered, I've contributed. And I plan on succeeding at my day job. And leading sailors into whatever we're ordered to do, with no discrimination, no favoritism.


Success in View, SailorJenny

We in the military lament so often on the freedoms we DON'T have. We leave for long periods of time, often unable to talk to our families at all, sometimes they can't know where we are. We work 24/7, we stand duty for long hours, we do often thankless jobs in the face of disaster for countries who've been our enemy . But never before and probably never again have I worked in a less discriminatory environment. We take care of our own, everyone wears blue. There's no men, women, colors, only sailors.

So I've put the jewelry on hold. I'm not really sure I can function in a real world environment just yet. I have so much more to do between the Navy and my own home, that having that one more thing on my plate just proved too much. My things will stay on Etsy, and there will be more. But they're therapy, not a business. My business is my country and my family.

The Future of the Fleet

Vintage Number One Teacher Coffee Mug, DoNotDestroy

I've been spending a whole lot of time NOT here, and most of my Facebook and Twitter updates have been that I was studying. I'll probably be MIA for another two weeks or so, and I thought I should explain myself.

My day job is to train sailors on new/replacement skills, specifically maintenance of equipment. I have learned an immense amount abut instruction and learning; and really people in general. Now it's time to move on and become a little more qualified. I'm working on my Master Training Specialist qualification, which will help me to become a better instructor and leader, and the fundamentals of curriculum development. (A side effect of which is that MTS is a easily recognized skill in the corporate world . . .)


"The Navy's MTS program recognizes instructors who have demonstrated excellence in leadership, technical competence, application of instructional methodology, and desire to improve fleet readiness through quality instruction."

It is pages of memorization, and once all of the training is complete, a 3 step process. I passed my test, which was Phase 1. Next is my Pre-board on Monday afternoon, a test of my fundamental knowledge on the subject. When I pass that, I have another week to prepare for my final Board, which is the application process, where I get to create curriculum and teach to demonstrate my ability. So phew, I'm tired. I'm stressed from memorizing instruction numbers and acronyms, and I just want this done. I'm so close.

I'll be back, and probably in a really good mood when this is all over!

Bittersweet week.

"With No Anchor, With No You" - thedreamygiraffe -$20


I aplologise for my probably inconspicuous absence, but I've been here, being sad and keeping busy. My shipmates know (and now you do too), that I was up for a big promotion this year. It's an annual promotion, selected by board after a grueling exam, and I thought I had a good shot this year. I did, really. But for whatever reason, I was (am) not what they were looking for. Circumstances being what they are, I have a hard time escaping my failure. You see, El Jefe has already attained this level in his career. Two years ago, he was selected and the carnival ride that is the transition period began. El Jefe means The Chief. And he is.

Advancement into the Chief Petty Officer grades is the most significant promotion within the enlisted naval ranks. At the rank of Chief, the sailor takes on more administrative duties. In the Navy, their uniform changes to reflect this change of duty, becoming similar to that of an officer albeit with different insignia.

I was eligible for advancement with several of my friends, a few of whom were selected. Mike, Mike, and Jeff; you guys deserve it and I can't wait to shake your hands when it's all over. That part makes it sweet. El Jefe has been chosen to "sponsor" one of his own selectees - an honor in and of itself. He's through the roof proud, and so am I. But I'm still sad. My friends are moving on without me, El Jefe's caught up in the work of the next 5 weeks (the process is a long one . . .) and I haven't really had time for myself to just be sad. It's hard to vent to him, he's very supportive, but hard on me. And he's very busy himself. Sigh. I really just need to take a day off, but I've taken on a bunch more work - both to busy myself and numb the pain, and to do what I can to come closer next year.

Must go study!!