She's A Betty

Spring Cleaning

Hello! I've been doing a little spring cleaning here at She's a Betty, and wanted to let feed readers know about it.

Recently, I've...

...added a navigation bar.

...signed up for Twitter (flash widget below). It's great for posting all those little links (funny speeches, good recipes) that don't merit a full post.

...trimmed the sidebar content (still revamping the links).

...added Goodreads Read & To Read widgets to the sidebar (friend me!).

...added the LinkWithin widget.

...switched the comments over to Typepad Connect (so now you can reply to other people's comments like in LiveJournal).  Typepad Connect is free and works with many blogging platforms, and I'm quite happy with it.

Let me know what you think!

She's A Zombie

RAAWWR! We're back from the dead. Sorry to vanish like that, and thank you to those still reading.

After working on this blog for 2 years, I wore myself out. I read over 100 feeds (some of them updated more than 10X a day), and with my new part-time job and writing work, I had no personal time at all. So I took a week off, and I enjoyed it so much that a week turned into a several-month hiatus.

I never intended to drop the blog or even take this much time off, so I never wrote a post explaining my absence. Sorry, y'all!  I'll try not to do it again.

Sorry...

...for being such a bad blogger lately. I'll try to post some this weekend to make up for it. While not blogging, I've been:

• writing my first comic book script
• working on my novel
• eating fried eggs and dark chocolate (not together)
• watching Korean dramas My Lovely Sam-Soon & The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince
• reading Anders Loves Maria, a bruising, beautifully drawn web comic
• listening to Wyclef Jean & Ingrid Michaelson
• working 30 hours a week part-time (in addition to writing work)
  
• trying to change part-time jobs

See you with some Etsy Finds tomorrow!

My Laptop Finally Died

It's been a long time coming. And, god bless the thing, it let me save a backup of my novel before shutting down for good. I'm hedging between trying to fix it, or just buying a new one (and I don't have the money for either). Suggestions? I'd like to spend less than $1000, but I also need something that can handle the rigors of blogging. Of course, posting here will be a bit stunted until I find a replacement.

More Math: Overheated Laptop = Sad Blogger

My laptop, which is a million years old, just shut off from overheating. I lost all my work, and I can't turn it on for a few hours until it cools off (I'm typing this on a friend's computer). So, no Vintage Finds today--I'll try to have them up for you tomorrow morning.

She's A Betty Now On MySpace

I've just set up a MySpace account for the blog, and would love to add any readers, Etsy sellers, and vintage sellers to shesabetty's friends! Just click on over.

Make That A Chronic Subdural Hematoma

We finally saw Dad on Saturday. It was wonderful to talk to him--he's slower than usual, but he made some jokes and laughed at ours. At the same time, he's bald and bruised--so bruised, in fact, that my brother found him scary. Imagine a bad boxing injury, multiply it by 5, and you've got the idea.

The truth is, Dad almost died. Had we called a day later, we would never have spoken to him again. We're thankful--very thankful--about the outcome, but now we have the luxury of worrying about what happens next. Will Dad be able to function as well as before? How will my parents make their payments while he's not working? How high will the medical bills be? How will my parents save for retirement? For Rod's college? I'm here to help my family any way I can, but I'm not sure that's enough.

This isn't a personal blog, and after this post, I won't write much (directly, anyway) about Dad. Let's just say this incident reinforced my approach to fashion.

I like fashion, I find it interesting, but it's only a tiny part of my life. I've always preferred books and electronics to clothes; I'd rather save money than spend it (I'm a window shopping blogger). I like beautiful things, but I like security more--and I'd much rather have the money to pay Dad's medical bills than any piece of clothing (even those by Azzedine Alaia). Most women, I suspect, feel the same way, and yet most fashion media comes from people who've made fashion their lives, and who maybe, unfairly, expect their readers to do the same. Maybe blogs can change that, I don't know. But I'm hopeful.

What's An Extra-Dural Hematoma?

Because my dad had one.

When we arrived back late Tuesday, we called Dad to check in. He sounded peculiar, however, and we learned that he had not gone to work that day. Since Monday evening, he'd felt dizzy. Half of his body was numb and couldn't move. He could not write. He had trouble talking. What's more, he hadn't called the doctor or even told his coworkers what was wrong, which suggested he wasn't thinking clearly.

We were in Alabama, 2 hours away, so Mom called their upstairs neighbors to check on Dad. They immediately took him to the E.R.

Happily, my dad did not have a stroke. Instead, he had an extra-dural hematoma, or a blood clot outside the brain. The clot bled undetected for several months, and the fluid put pressure on his brain. Dad underwent successful surgery this morning, and is now in I.C.U. He got the best possible doctor, has charmed all the nurses, and has already cracked some jokes. We feel very lucky.

I'm still in AL, and we only have dial-up here, which I won't use during the day in case someone calls about Dad. I'll be back in Atlanta on Friday, and regular posting will resume then.

Posting This Week

As you know, we're going to San Antonio this week. Thanks for all the tips! Unfortunately, I won't have internet access until Thursday, at the earliest. I may not have any until late next week, when we return--it all depends on our hotel. So have a good week! I'll post as soon as I can.

Why I've Deleted Some Negative Comments

A certain business owner threatened me with legal action today, over some comments made on this blog. As a result, I have removed the comments.

I fought very hard not to censor my site, and I encouraged the business owner multiple times to dispute the negative comments on this site. I even offered to post their rebuttals within the offending comments themselves. They refused each time, however, insisting that I remove the comments, and finally, today, threatening me with legal action.

I do not have the time or money, regrettably, to go to court on this issue. I also cannot determine if the comments are true or libelous. Therefore, the comments must come down, and further comments using that business's name will be censored, if not deleted outright. Again, I'm very sorry to do this, but for practical reasons, it must be done.

Finally, I will ask that in the future, if you wish to say something negative about a business, you must leave at least a valid email address, and you must have evidence to back up your claims. I also cannot promise that negative comments will not be deleted for the reasons mentioned above.