Friday, December 31, 2004
Tsunami scientific data
This site has compiled a great deal of the scientific data gathered from and about the earthquakes and tsunamis. Look at those seismographs...
Kobayashi worked at Mainichi?
If this article is true, then Kobayashi is ludicrously stupid.
It really makes me wonder. Is he innocent? Was he forced to "confess"? Or is he guilty...and if he's guilty, why did he leave such an obvious trail, but deny that he'd committed the crime? Why would he admit to kidnapping her, and only later admit to killing her? Why would he go around talking to people about it? Why did he leave the girl's things in his apartment? (And if he's innocent, where did he get the girl's things?)
It seems like they've got the right man, but his actions are so erratic that it really clouds the issue. I wonder if they have an insanity defense in Japan...
I just want the child-killer, whoever and wherever he is, off the streets.
[Edit]: This article at Asahi corroborates Mainichi's story, and gives us more insight into Kobayashi.
It really makes me wonder. Is he innocent? Was he forced to "confess"? Or is he guilty...and if he's guilty, why did he leave such an obvious trail, but deny that he'd committed the crime? Why would he admit to kidnapping her, and only later admit to killing her? Why would he go around talking to people about it? Why did he leave the girl's things in his apartment? (And if he's innocent, where did he get the girl's things?)
It seems like they've got the right man, but his actions are so erratic that it really clouds the issue. I wonder if they have an insanity defense in Japan...
I just want the child-killer, whoever and wherever he is, off the streets.
[Edit]: This article at Asahi corroborates Mainichi's story, and gives us more insight into Kobayashi.
Thursday, December 30, 2004
He confessed
Earlier, he said he only kidnapped her, and didn't murder her. Now he's changed his tune, and is accepting responsibility for both.
Tsunami videos
This is a torrent for four videos of the tsunamis as they came ashore.
Here is a torrent with five more.
I've finished downloading the first set, and I've watched them.
They looked different than what I expected. I guess I was thinking there would be a huge wall of water that towered above everything and then smashed down. This is more like a huge wall of water that just keeps moving forward, so that it's difficult to tell the scale. You really only get a good idea when you start to see things being swept away.
The last video in the file, tsunamiphuket3.wmv, is probably the best one in terms of showing the danger people faced. I really wonder how that guy managed to get footage like that and not get sucked into the water.
I'm presently downloading the second batch.
[Edit]: I just watched the second batch. In that one, Tsunami1.asf is the best at depicting what happens. I could see the huge wave rising up and crashing in. It was like it came out of nowhere.
The weird thing about the movies where the waves first start up is that it seems like people were standing there waiting for them to happen. I read somewhere that there are people who go out on the beach during tsunami warnings just so they can see them. What are they, nuts?
Here is a torrent with five more.
I've finished downloading the first set, and I've watched them.
They looked different than what I expected. I guess I was thinking there would be a huge wall of water that towered above everything and then smashed down. This is more like a huge wall of water that just keeps moving forward, so that it's difficult to tell the scale. You really only get a good idea when you start to see things being swept away.
The last video in the file, tsunamiphuket3.wmv, is probably the best one in terms of showing the danger people faced. I really wonder how that guy managed to get footage like that and not get sucked into the water.
I'm presently downloading the second batch.
[Edit]: I just watched the second batch. In that one, Tsunami1.asf is the best at depicting what happens. I could see the huge wave rising up and crashing in. It was like it came out of nowhere.
The weird thing about the movies where the waves first start up is that it seems like people were standing there waiting for them to happen. I read somewhere that there are people who go out on the beach during tsunami warnings just so they can see them. What are they, nuts?
"Cognitive overload"
I am reading a really fascinating article in the Seattle Times about "cognitive overload", the effect of the information age on our brains.
Here are a few interesting parts.
I am really interested in this field of study. People who are good with piling zillions of things into their days have no time to relax; people like me, who never learned proper time-management skills, feel inferior because of the lack of the ability to do what the multitaskers do. There is so much out there that is available to us that we either are too overwhelmed to do any of it, or we dive in headfirst and lose sight of the forest because of the trees. Either way, we're shooting ourselves in the foot.
I was intrigued by the fact that switching quickly from task to task actually decreases productivity. I had never even considered that that might be the case.
I do know that when I am focused on something, and I mean really focused, I get extremely annoyed at being interrupted. (Interestingly, this includes sleeping ;>)
I also know that there are times when I simply refuse to open AIM. I typically leave my email client closed, and let AIM send me a message when I have email. That way, if I want to be able to focus without being disturbed, I can just shut AIM off. No more IMs, and no more emails. It works well.
One problem I do have is dealing with Bloglines...I'll browse over there out of boredom, and then feel obligated to read everything I see. Focusing like this would be okay if I didn't keep switching to different windows, I suppose.
At any rate, I'll be looking at my life from now on and trying to come up with ways to balance the information high and the restive, spiritual needs of my brain.
I hear that the new Trillian creates Wikipedia links to various words in normal chats...this seems a little too multitasky, don't you think? Also, I'm wondering what David Allen would think of all this. Getting Things Done is all about managing your work and getting it out of your psychic space, but does this free up time for resting, or simply give you more time to do more work?
Here are a few interesting parts.
We're shooting through technological rapids that have opened doors and changed the dynamic of work, how we communicate and live, and sometimes even think. All these tools have made our lives easier in many ways. But they're also stirring deep unease. Some are concerned that the need for speed is shrinking our attention spans, prompting our search for answers to take the mile-wide-but-inch-deep route and settling us into a rhythm of constant interruption in which deadlines are relentless and tasks are never quite finished.Okay, ADD kiddies, now go read the entire article ;>
[...]
This is such a topic of study that it has sprouted a number of terms, from "online compulsive disorder" to "data smog." Two Harvard professors see evidence of what they call "pseudo-attention deficit disorder" — shorter attention spans influenced by technology and the constant waves of information washing over us. When the brain gets excited over some rapid data and is stimulated, it releases a "dopamine squirt," they say.
"We have so many options, reward centers that we never had before," says John Ratey, who teaches at Harvard and is a psychiatrist specializing in attention deficit disorder. "I think that's why we're seeing more of this. There are more demands on our attention and less training for us to stop and take it all in. We seem to be amazing ourselves to death."
[...]
John Seely Brown, who was director of the Palo Alto center when [David] Levy[, who is now working to create the Center for Information and the Quality of Life,] worked there, says so much attention has been put into computing firepower that little has been done to factor in human bearings and texture. He says we have been victims of "tunnel design."
"Suppose you tape two empty toilet-paper rolls and take them over your eyes. Walk around like that, only looking through them for 30 or 40 minutes," he says. "I guarantee you will collapse into a sniveling heap after a while because everything is a surprise. It's our peripheral vision that keeps us located and ready for what may come at us."
[...]
The Seattle-based Take Back Your Time organization, through its Web site and book of the same name, says we're working more than ever and more than workers in any other industrialized country. Many don't take earned vacations. The bottom line, says John de Graaf, the movement's national coordinator, is compromises in health, marriages, parenthood, community and social activism. Productivity made possible by technology has inordinately been applied to work and consumption, he says, at the expense of leisure.
"We are not only working faster but even longer, and filling our limited leisure with busy activities, leading to an increasing sense of time poverty," he says. "We have let the new technologies become a technological leash, leaving us always on call and constantly subject to interruptions and new work requirements."
I am really interested in this field of study. People who are good with piling zillions of things into their days have no time to relax; people like me, who never learned proper time-management skills, feel inferior because of the lack of the ability to do what the multitaskers do. There is so much out there that is available to us that we either are too overwhelmed to do any of it, or we dive in headfirst and lose sight of the forest because of the trees. Either way, we're shooting ourselves in the foot.
I was intrigued by the fact that switching quickly from task to task actually decreases productivity. I had never even considered that that might be the case.
I do know that when I am focused on something, and I mean really focused, I get extremely annoyed at being interrupted. (Interestingly, this includes sleeping ;>)
I also know that there are times when I simply refuse to open AIM. I typically leave my email client closed, and let AIM send me a message when I have email. That way, if I want to be able to focus without being disturbed, I can just shut AIM off. No more IMs, and no more emails. It works well.
One problem I do have is dealing with Bloglines...I'll browse over there out of boredom, and then feel obligated to read everything I see. Focusing like this would be okay if I didn't keep switching to different windows, I suppose.
At any rate, I'll be looking at my life from now on and trying to come up with ways to balance the information high and the restive, spiritual needs of my brain.
I hear that the new Trillian creates Wikipedia links to various words in normal chats...this seems a little too multitasky, don't you think? Also, I'm wondering what David Allen would think of all this. Getting Things Done is all about managing your work and getting it out of your psychic space, but does this free up time for resting, or simply give you more time to do more work?
They may have caught the sicko
Police arrested a 36-year-old man Thursday on suspicion of kidnapping a 7-year-old girl who was murdered in Nara in November.Japan Today: Man admits kidnapping 7-year-old Nara girl, but denies murder
Wednesday, December 29, 2004
More tsunami stuff
Some good tsunami news
Toddler survives two-day tsunami ordeal
Four-year-old Vathanyu Pha-opas has been reunited with his parents after a monster wave which hit southern Thailand left him stranded in a tree without food and water for more than two days.I'm not sure I would call a four-year-old a "toddler"...but nevertheless, I'm glad to hear that the little boy is safe.
Sixth sense saved animals from tsunami?
"The strange thing is we haven't recorded any dead animals," H.D. Ratnayake, deputy director of the national Wildlife Department [in Sri Lanka], told Reuters on Wednesday.Does this mean we should pay more attention to what animals do? (I think we should, regardless.)
"No elephants are dead, not even a dead hare or rabbit," he added. "I think animals can sense disaster. They have a sixth sense. They know when things are happening."
Cory Doctorow on Wired on BitTorrent
I've been a fan of Cory Doctorow's writing since I first read Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom. Today he reminds me why he impressed me--but in a completely different way.
This essay is at once sobering, and a complete hoot.
BitTorrent write-up in Wired
(Side note: I have noted with much amusement that since Cory's moved to Great Britain, he's altered his writing style to match British English, including not only lexical differences--"lift" instead of "elevator"--but also spellings, such as "colour" instead of "color", and slang. There isn't much of that in this article, though...it gives me the impression that Britishisms haven't found their way into his natural writing style just yet.)
(Side side note, written 2005/11/7: It occurred to me recently that Cory Doctorow is from Canada, so some/all of the "Britishisms" might have come from his original dialect.)
This essay is at once sobering, and a complete hoot.
Which brings me back to Clive's casual note that Microsoft DRM can keep media "out of pirate hands." It's a statement that's so categorically untrue, it seems to come from a parallel universe with different laws of physics and economics. BitTorrent proves the futility of DRM as surely as DRM turns honest customers into studio-hating downloaders.Check it out:
BitTorrent write-up in Wired
(Side note: I have noted with much amusement that since Cory's moved to Great Britain, he's altered his writing style to match British English, including not only lexical differences--"lift" instead of "elevator"--but also spellings, such as "colour" instead of "color", and slang. There isn't much of that in this article, though...it gives me the impression that Britishisms haven't found their way into his natural writing style just yet.)
(Side side note, written 2005/11/7: It occurred to me recently that Cory Doctorow is from Canada, so some/all of the "Britishisms" might have come from his original dialect.)
Morning misadventure
I went to make my oatmeal this morning, and realized that the pan I usually heat water in was dirty and in the dishwasher. Rather than pull it out and wash it, I chose one of the small pans with detachable handles...and rather than attach the handle, I simply filled it with water and set it on the stove.
When the water had come to a full boil, I was then faced with the problem of how to get that water into my bowl. So, naturally, I tried to pick up the pan with an oven mitt.
The oven mitt promptly caught fire.
After putting the oven mitt out, I enjoyed a long struggle with the pan to get the handle put on. It has a latching mechanism that has to be attached just so--easy enough when the pan is cool, but rather difficult when you're afraid to touch the pan even with an oven mitt, and when heat from the eye is enough to feel as though it's burning your hand. Finally, with a swift thrusting motion, I got the handle on enough to latch. I poured the water I needed into my bowl, dumped the rest, and left the pan in the sink.
All that for a bowl of oatmeal.
When the water had come to a full boil, I was then faced with the problem of how to get that water into my bowl. So, naturally, I tried to pick up the pan with an oven mitt.
The oven mitt promptly caught fire.
After putting the oven mitt out, I enjoyed a long struggle with the pan to get the handle put on. It has a latching mechanism that has to be attached just so--easy enough when the pan is cool, but rather difficult when you're afraid to touch the pan even with an oven mitt, and when heat from the eye is enough to feel as though it's burning your hand. Finally, with a swift thrusting motion, I got the handle on enough to latch. I poured the water I needed into my bowl, dumped the rest, and left the pan in the sink.
All that for a bowl of oatmeal.
Tuesday, December 28, 2004
63,000 dead
From MSNBC, 8:29 p.m. ET Dec. 28, 2004:
I am still having a hard time comprehending all the deaths.
The end of the article discusses how tsunamis work, and our lack of early warning systems.
Stricken Indian Ocean nations worked swiftly on Wednesday to bury thousands of bodies as experts warned disease could kill as many people as the 63,000 already dead from the violent crush of Sunday's tsunamis.Will has been discussing the U.S.'s apparent lack of action, so I found this part of the article interesting:
While governments and rescuers tried to cope with the aftermath of possibly the deadliest tsunamis in more than 200 years, the United Nations mobilized what it called the biggest relief operation in its history. A top World Health Organization health expert warned that diseases could double the natural disaster's death count before the situation can be stabilized.
Meantime, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said Tuesday the United States "will do more" to help the victims. "Clearly, the United States will be a major contributor to this international effort," he said on NBC's "Today" show. "And, yes, it will run into the billions of dollars."That of course makes it sound like we were embarrassed into helping. That's really the kind of image we need right now...
He also said he regretted a statement by Egeland, the U.N. official overseeing the relief effort, suggesting America was being "stingy" by only making an initial pledge of $15 million in aid.
I am still having a hard time comprehending all the deaths.
The end of the article discusses how tsunamis work, and our lack of early warning systems.
Officials in Thailand and Indonesia conceded that immediate public warnings of gigantic waves could have saved lives. The only known warning issued by Thai authorities reached resort operators when it was too late. The waves hit Sri Lanka and India more than two hours after the quake.I hope they're able to come up with something quickly, even if "Tsunamis as large as Sunday's happen only a few times a century." We need to learn from this.
But governments insisted they couldn't have known the true danger because there is no international system in place to track tsunamis in the Indian Ocean, and they could not afford the sophisticated equipment to build one.
Australian Prime Minister John Howard and the head of the British Commonwealth bloc of Britain and its former colonies called for talks on creating a global early warning system for tsunamis.
The U.N.'s Egeland said the issue of creating a tsunami warning system would be taken up Jan. 18-22 at the World Conference on Disaster Reduction in Kobe, Japan.
Tsunami pictures
Here are some interesting pictures of tsunami from above. It's hard to get an idea of 3D scale, but you can infer a few things from some of them.
I fasted today
I have drunk 66 ounces of water today. I haven't eaten anything more than a small nibble on a piece of roast beef because Sean said it tasted funny--guess it was going bad, I didn't like it either. At around 4 or so, I took a nap, during which I dreamed of eating a baked potato that cost me 300 calories.
These holidays have really messed me up. I've had so much bad food that my face is breaking out (ew). And yesterday I couldn't seem to stop myself from snacking. So today I just decided that I would not eat anything.
It's actually a lot easier to not eat anything than it is to just eat a little. Once you've started eating, it's difficult to stop at a reasonable point. But if you haven't started eating at all, you can just pretend you're putting it off until dinner.
I figure, though, that my system needs flushing out, and that fasting today will help me remember some of my resolve tomorrow.
I've heard lots of different things about fasting, that it's good for you, that it's bad for you. Muslims fast all day during Ramadan, to a crazy degree--they will not consume anything, including water and toothpaste, while the sun is up. I found myself wondering today if that kind of fasting is helpful in a desert setting. (Muslims are very particular about being clean, too, so it's interesting that during Ramadan they have to be sure and do their washing before the sun comes up and after it sets. I'm not really sure why this is. And let me stress that this is all second-hand knowledge from an old friend of mine who converted to Islam; I may not be remembering correctly.)
In any case, I have fasted before, though it's been a long time. I have never fasted for longer than a day. Always I have been concerned with flushing out my system. This time was a little different, because now I am taking vitamins and calcium daily, and I didn't skip those, but I hardly see how that can hurt me.
(An aside: DietPower says that my Nutrition Quotient for the day is 100--an "A+"--advises me that to be even more healthy, "Get more calories, less vitamin B12." For some reason I find that infinitely amusing.)
Tomorrow I plan on being back on track...starting my day with oatmeal, eating a sensible little lunch, and enjoying a nice dinner.
Sean says he wants pizza tomorrow; obviously his goal is to destroy my diet at every turn. ;P And speaking of Sean, off I go to make his dinner.
These holidays have really messed me up. I've had so much bad food that my face is breaking out (ew). And yesterday I couldn't seem to stop myself from snacking. So today I just decided that I would not eat anything.
It's actually a lot easier to not eat anything than it is to just eat a little. Once you've started eating, it's difficult to stop at a reasonable point. But if you haven't started eating at all, you can just pretend you're putting it off until dinner.
I figure, though, that my system needs flushing out, and that fasting today will help me remember some of my resolve tomorrow.
I've heard lots of different things about fasting, that it's good for you, that it's bad for you. Muslims fast all day during Ramadan, to a crazy degree--they will not consume anything, including water and toothpaste, while the sun is up. I found myself wondering today if that kind of fasting is helpful in a desert setting. (Muslims are very particular about being clean, too, so it's interesting that during Ramadan they have to be sure and do their washing before the sun comes up and after it sets. I'm not really sure why this is. And let me stress that this is all second-hand knowledge from an old friend of mine who converted to Islam; I may not be remembering correctly.)
In any case, I have fasted before, though it's been a long time. I have never fasted for longer than a day. Always I have been concerned with flushing out my system. This time was a little different, because now I am taking vitamins and calcium daily, and I didn't skip those, but I hardly see how that can hurt me.
(An aside: DietPower says that my Nutrition Quotient for the day is 100--an "A+"--advises me that to be even more healthy, "Get more calories, less vitamin B12." For some reason I find that infinitely amusing.)
Tomorrow I plan on being back on track...starting my day with oatmeal, eating a sensible little lunch, and enjoying a nice dinner.
Sean says he wants pizza tomorrow; obviously his goal is to destroy my diet at every turn. ;P And speaking of Sean, off I go to make his dinner.
"There's a boogie in your nose." "Oh, dear!"
So, I just got this email from Slate, regarding Microsoft's sale of said magazine to the Washington Post.
This is the reason I'm posting about it:
Our records indicate that you have signed up for certain Slate Magazine services, such as a newsletter subscription or "the Fray" readers forum. In order to permit the new owners of Slate Magazine to maintain your account and continue providing you with these Slate Magazine services, Microsoft intends to transfer your name and email address to WPNI.No biggie. I'd like to continue receiving Dear Prudence in my email, though email subscriptions seem horribly outdated to me now.
This is the reason I'm posting about it:
However, if you do not consent to having your information transfered as part of this sale, you may opt-out by sending a notice to optout@slate.com before Januray 10, 2005.Well! I guess I have some time then! It won't be Januray until ever!
Falling into other worlds
I don't read a whole lot these days. Time was (like, maybe, middle school), you could always find me with a book...though I wasn't as well-read as some of the other geeks. But the reading just sort of dropped off.
I started up again, sort of, after getting married; I reread, for example, the Anne of Green Gables series, and I tried to read the Lord of the Rings series (I managed through the first one, then stalled at the beginning of the second), and I reread the Johnny Maxwell Trilogy (the first one is the best), and I even finished reading some new things, The Time Traveller's Wife and the Harry Potter series.
But I'm not always reading, and lately it has occurred to me why that is.
You see, I'm rereading the Harry Potter books, and they are all I can think about.
It's gotten a little warm. Maybe I should go biking. But no, I'm almost finished with this chapter. I'll just read a little more.
Oh, it's dark now, guess I can't go riding. I should probably figure out what I'm having for dinner, and stop snacking.
Hmm, Sean's home and I haven't worked out dinner yet. Oh well, I can't stop reading now.
Okay, fine, I'm cooking. I'll take a little break to check my Bloglines and the AMRN while I'm eating. ...no, never mind, scratch that, I'm going to eat my fajitas on the couch while I'm reading.
Damn, it's getting late. Let me shut down the computer and go to bed. Okay, here are my clothes for tomorrow. I'll just bring the book in here and read a couple chapters before I go to sleep.
Oh, hmm. I don't want to stop reading, but at this rate I will only get about five hours of sleep. And here's a section ending. I will stop here. I will stop here!
Ugh...I can't get up now. I'll just snooze until 20 minutes before I have to leave, and skip the shower this morning.
Bleh, why didn't I bring the book to work? I'm sooooooooo boooooooooored.
Yeah.
I get a little too caught up, don't I?
The bad thing is, I know what's coming. When I get to the end of Book Five, that'll be it. I'll be done with Harry Potter until July (or until I reread them again). Wrenching myself back out of an imagined world is far more difficult than falling into it; just look how hard it was for me to put the book down long enough to sleep! But once there is literally nothing left for me to read, it will be far worse.
It will be like being in mourning.
I started up again, sort of, after getting married; I reread, for example, the Anne of Green Gables series, and I tried to read the Lord of the Rings series (I managed through the first one, then stalled at the beginning of the second), and I reread the Johnny Maxwell Trilogy (the first one is the best), and I even finished reading some new things, The Time Traveller's Wife and the Harry Potter series.
But I'm not always reading, and lately it has occurred to me why that is.
You see, I'm rereading the Harry Potter books, and they are all I can think about.
It's gotten a little warm. Maybe I should go biking. But no, I'm almost finished with this chapter. I'll just read a little more.
Oh, it's dark now, guess I can't go riding. I should probably figure out what I'm having for dinner, and stop snacking.
Hmm, Sean's home and I haven't worked out dinner yet. Oh well, I can't stop reading now.
Okay, fine, I'm cooking. I'll take a little break to check my Bloglines and the AMRN while I'm eating. ...no, never mind, scratch that, I'm going to eat my fajitas on the couch while I'm reading.
Damn, it's getting late. Let me shut down the computer and go to bed. Okay, here are my clothes for tomorrow. I'll just bring the book in here and read a couple chapters before I go to sleep.
Oh, hmm. I don't want to stop reading, but at this rate I will only get about five hours of sleep. And here's a section ending. I will stop here. I will stop here!
Ugh...I can't get up now. I'll just snooze until 20 minutes before I have to leave, and skip the shower this morning.
Bleh, why didn't I bring the book to work? I'm sooooooooo boooooooooored.
Yeah.
I get a little too caught up, don't I?
The bad thing is, I know what's coming. When I get to the end of Book Five, that'll be it. I'll be done with Harry Potter until July (or until I reread them again). Wrenching myself back out of an imagined world is far more difficult than falling into it; just look how hard it was for me to put the book down long enough to sleep! But once there is literally nothing left for me to read, it will be far worse.
It will be like being in mourning.
Oh, the humanity!
It's horrible! Terrible! What are we going to do?!?!?!?! Languages keep changing! Jesus Christ on a stick, man, can't you see this is serious? The natural evolution of language over time just isn't right! We've got to freeze it somehow...got to make it stop...make it stop...
Monday, December 27, 2004
How you can help
Here's a page with information on how you can help the victims of the quake and tsunamis in Asia.
The South-East Asia Earthquake and Tsunami: News and information about resources, aid, donations and volunteer efforts.
The South-East Asia Earthquake and Tsunami: News and information about resources, aid, donations and volunteer efforts.
The Force is with me
Your Lightsaber is Blue
Blue is often associated with depth and stability.
It symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom,
confidence, and truth.
What Colored Lightsaber Would You Have?
brought to you by Quizilla
Earthquake/tsunami death toll exceeds 13,000
Here's a link to CNN's article.
It's just so difficult to comprehend. All those people.
Fortunately, Dawn is all right, as are Goei's family in the area. I hope they all continue to be so blessed.
It's just so difficult to comprehend. All those people.
Fortunately, Dawn is all right, as are Goei's family in the area. I hope they all continue to be so blessed.
Sunday, December 26, 2004
Soon, the answer to the mystery will be revealed...
Yes...soon, I will head up to Mari's for the Post Christmas Leftovers Munching and Elf Watching Party, and then I will discover whether or not her "peanut butter blossoms" are the same thing as my Black-Eyed Susans.
(The horror!)
[Edit 23:57: They are not, in fact, the same thing. Her "blossoms" are what I call Cyclops Cookies; they're the big peanut butter cookies, rolled into balls by hand and then squished with a Hershey's kiss in the middle. My Black-Eyed Susans are pressed cookies in the shape of flowers with chocolate chips in the center. In addition to those, I made Coconut Snowmen (from Taste of Home), Spritz Christmas Trees (covered in white chocolate, from the Wilton cookbook), Chocolate Crinkles (from Cookies for Kids, which is also where the Cyclops recipe comes from), and Hint of Berry Bonbons (from Taste of Home--they didn't turn out extraordinarily well, but meh). Mari also made shortbread, which was fabulous, plus sugar cookies, chocolate chip cookies, and some other kind of cookie that I don't remember. Good stuff. Brooke brought s'mores on a stick and chocolate-dipped pretzels...evil. Chris brought his appetite ;>]
(The horror!)
[Edit 23:57: They are not, in fact, the same thing. Her "blossoms" are what I call Cyclops Cookies; they're the big peanut butter cookies, rolled into balls by hand and then squished with a Hershey's kiss in the middle. My Black-Eyed Susans are pressed cookies in the shape of flowers with chocolate chips in the center. In addition to those, I made Coconut Snowmen (from Taste of Home), Spritz Christmas Trees (covered in white chocolate, from the Wilton cookbook), Chocolate Crinkles (from Cookies for Kids, which is also where the Cyclops recipe comes from), and Hint of Berry Bonbons (from Taste of Home--they didn't turn out extraordinarily well, but meh). Mari also made shortbread, which was fabulous, plus sugar cookies, chocolate chip cookies, and some other kind of cookie that I don't remember. Good stuff. Brooke brought s'mores on a stick and chocolate-dipped pretzels...evil. Chris brought his appetite ;>]
Fifth-largest earthquake since 1900 causes huge tsunami, leaving thousands dead
Quake and tsunami devastate south Asia
It's strange, and scary, to think about how far we've progressed and yet how little we know about the world we live in. We are a long way from understanding and predicting our planet's fearsome weather.
My thoughts are with everyone in south Asia.
(Here's the Reuters USA version of the story: 6,300 Dead as Quake, Tsunami Devastate Asia. It's interesting to compare the differences between the two articles.)
It's strange, and scary, to think about how far we've progressed and yet how little we know about the world we live in. We are a long way from understanding and predicting our planet's fearsome weather.
My thoughts are with everyone in south Asia.
(Here's the Reuters USA version of the story: 6,300 Dead as Quake, Tsunami Devastate Asia. It's interesting to compare the differences between the two articles.)
Saturday, December 25, 2004
I want to go geocaching
I was thinking the other day, when I was deep in the woods on a trail and wasn't sure where I was going, that it would be nice to have a GPS device. I'd heard of geocaching before, but I'd never quite been sure what it was, or remembered to look into it. Fortunately, MSN has an article about it today.
Doesn't that sound cool? Check out how many caches are near 30907 (Augusta/Martinez, Georgia). This one sounds neat...I want to see the "labyrinth"!
So, I guess I can add a GPS device to my list of things I want but can't afford ;>
Actually, the MSN article indicates that cell phones are working to add GPS capability. Nextel has already done so (I was aware of this, as we were using the GPS at work to track drivers back in the beginning). And since Nextel and Sprint are merging, I may get the chance to have my very own GPS phone soon. (I wonder if the service will be subscription-based...)
Doesn't that sound cool? Check out how many caches are near 30907 (Augusta/Martinez, Georgia). This one sounds neat...I want to see the "labyrinth"!
So, I guess I can add a GPS device to my list of things I want but can't afford ;>
Actually, the MSN article indicates that cell phones are working to add GPS capability. Nextel has already done so (I was aware of this, as we were using the GPS at work to track drivers back in the beginning). And since Nextel and Sprint are merging, I may get the chance to have my very own GPS phone soon. (I wonder if the service will be subscription-based...)
Friday, December 24, 2004
At first it seems silly to want to change your name to "Variable"
...but if your name is "Snaphappy Fishsuit Mokiligon" to begin with, "Variable" doesn't seem so bad, does it?
Yes, I would totally change my name if I was that guy.
(When pronouncing "Mokiligon" I keep wanting to say "McGonagall" ;D)
Yes, I would totally change my name if I was that guy.
(When pronouncing "Mokiligon" I keep wanting to say "McGonagall" ;D)
Thursday, December 23, 2004
Eric Burns is awesome
Yes, I know I already said that. But look at this:
I'm what I consider a spiritual agnostic (I think there is more to this world than the eye can see, but I don't know the shape and form of what that is) who honestly respects Faith and has no time for intolerance. That's good for my good Liberal cred, but I tend to get in trouble with my peeps when I defend Christians in the same breath I defend Jews, Muslims, Pagans or Atheists. Especially at Christmas.I swear, this man is my hero. Read the whole article. He rules.
Dude, it's Christmas. In American society, that's become a thoroughly secular ritual, in a land where we need all the secular rituals we can get. If that secular ritual grew out of a Christian tradition... well, said Christian tradition grew out of pagan traditions too, and besides, who gives a damn?
Getting through the holidays without gaining it all back
I was good over Halloween, and I was good over Thanksgiving (I even lost weight over Thanksgiving). But now that Christmas is here I've hit a stumbling block.
Baking cookies is a horrible thing when you are trying to diet. I have a nasty habit of sampling the goods.
Since I've been busy, with baking and shopping, I haven't had the time to exercise...and I've been lax about getting dinner ready, meaning that we've been eating takeout and fast food.
Yesterday was my first step in turning this all around--I went biking and burned something like 700 calories--and I'm proud to say that, at last, I have maintained instead of gained. I just need to keep it up.
I saw this article on MSN this morning, and thought I'd share it. There are some good ideas in there for how to keep from pigging out at all the holiday parties...I'm going to three this weekend, so I can definitely use the advice!
Baking cookies is a horrible thing when you are trying to diet. I have a nasty habit of sampling the goods.
Since I've been busy, with baking and shopping, I haven't had the time to exercise...and I've been lax about getting dinner ready, meaning that we've been eating takeout and fast food.
Yesterday was my first step in turning this all around--I went biking and burned something like 700 calories--and I'm proud to say that, at last, I have maintained instead of gained. I just need to keep it up.
I saw this article on MSN this morning, and thought I'd share it. There are some good ideas in there for how to keep from pigging out at all the holiday parties...I'm going to three this weekend, so I can definitely use the advice!
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
WOO-HOO!!!!!
Went biking today. Finally.
And I found the coolest place!
I sort of knew it existed--a couple of times, when passing over the railroad tracks at Augusta Water Works, I'd noticed people biking down a small trail alongside the tracks. I'd wondered where exactly it went, but I'd never braved it.
Today, as I approached the tracks, I realized that I was on the verge of turning around and riding back after a mere 20 minutes of biking. I wasn't interested in going forward and trying to get downtown today. It seemed too far for not much payoff--I knew I would be too tired to do much exploring in town. And I was in the mood to explore. As I told Brooke, exploring is the best way to burn calories ;>
So I turned and went on the trail.
It went along the tracks for awhile, then cut off into the woods. It forked, and I rode down a euphoric drop to a clearing with a few railroad ties dropped in it. There was a view of the river below through the trees. Glancing around, I discovered the continuation of the trail, and headed off.
I honestly have no idea where I was. The trail wound around and around, occasionally coming out alongside the water and then plunging back into the trees. It was BMX to the max...twists and turns, hills and gulleys. There was even a tiny little footbridge that I rode over in a rush of adrenaline.
At one point the trail finally broke free of the trees and curved along an enclosed body of water. I'm really not sure what it was, but there was a road just beyond it. I don't know what road it was either, but I do know that I had turned right to get to that point, away from the water I'd been riding alongside before. The train was ahead at that point; I heard it sound its whistle. As I continued along, I noticed that I was riding along the train tracks, and eventually I made it back to where I'd first gone in.
Time in the forest: 30 minutes.
It was so beautiful, all of it. Leaves and pine needles covered the forest floor. Trees bowed over the trail. Dark, fallen trunks peppered with white mushrooms had chunks sawed away so that I could pass through them. Vines hung down and occasionally smacked me in the face :)
There were two colors of wood sign everywhere the trail forked, a red one and a white one. I think the red one meant "rough trail"; for some reason I always went towards the red, and I always ended up on a hill that was way too steep (up and down, both), or catching my pedal on a root, or careening around a curve that would have deposited me in the river (after a long fall down a tree-covered hill) if I hadn't braked properly.
Syuusuke was awesome...he handled everything without a complaint. Braking on pine needles wasn't nearly as slippery as I expected, either.
I kept talking to myself while I was in there, shouting, "This is so much fun!" and "Brooke will love this!" and "HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE!!!!"
All in all, I had one hell of a time. I was so ecstatic as I finally emerged from the trail that I yelled at the first person I saw, "Have you ever been back in there? It's crazy!" The person, an older gentleman in a camoflage jacket riding a very tall bike, and I got into a conversation about the trail, and then my bike (it's got a unique shape, after all), and then we wished each other well and headed off in separate directions. I was giddy during the 20 minute ride back.
I definitely have to take the camera in there sometime.
And I found the coolest place!
I sort of knew it existed--a couple of times, when passing over the railroad tracks at Augusta Water Works, I'd noticed people biking down a small trail alongside the tracks. I'd wondered where exactly it went, but I'd never braved it.
Today, as I approached the tracks, I realized that I was on the verge of turning around and riding back after a mere 20 minutes of biking. I wasn't interested in going forward and trying to get downtown today. It seemed too far for not much payoff--I knew I would be too tired to do much exploring in town. And I was in the mood to explore. As I told Brooke, exploring is the best way to burn calories ;>
So I turned and went on the trail.
It went along the tracks for awhile, then cut off into the woods. It forked, and I rode down a euphoric drop to a clearing with a few railroad ties dropped in it. There was a view of the river below through the trees. Glancing around, I discovered the continuation of the trail, and headed off.
I honestly have no idea where I was. The trail wound around and around, occasionally coming out alongside the water and then plunging back into the trees. It was BMX to the max...twists and turns, hills and gulleys. There was even a tiny little footbridge that I rode over in a rush of adrenaline.
At one point the trail finally broke free of the trees and curved along an enclosed body of water. I'm really not sure what it was, but there was a road just beyond it. I don't know what road it was either, but I do know that I had turned right to get to that point, away from the water I'd been riding alongside before. The train was ahead at that point; I heard it sound its whistle. As I continued along, I noticed that I was riding along the train tracks, and eventually I made it back to where I'd first gone in.
Time in the forest: 30 minutes.
It was so beautiful, all of it. Leaves and pine needles covered the forest floor. Trees bowed over the trail. Dark, fallen trunks peppered with white mushrooms had chunks sawed away so that I could pass through them. Vines hung down and occasionally smacked me in the face :)
There were two colors of wood sign everywhere the trail forked, a red one and a white one. I think the red one meant "rough trail"; for some reason I always went towards the red, and I always ended up on a hill that was way too steep (up and down, both), or catching my pedal on a root, or careening around a curve that would have deposited me in the river (after a long fall down a tree-covered hill) if I hadn't braked properly.
Syuusuke was awesome...he handled everything without a complaint. Braking on pine needles wasn't nearly as slippery as I expected, either.
I kept talking to myself while I was in there, shouting, "This is so much fun!" and "Brooke will love this!" and "HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE!!!!"
All in all, I had one hell of a time. I was so ecstatic as I finally emerged from the trail that I yelled at the first person I saw, "Have you ever been back in there? It's crazy!" The person, an older gentleman in a camoflage jacket riding a very tall bike, and I got into a conversation about the trail, and then my bike (it's got a unique shape, after all), and then we wished each other well and headed off in separate directions. I was giddy during the 20 minute ride back.
I definitely have to take the camera in there sometime.
Pride
I get so offended when people tell me step-by-step what to do in a situation I've dealt with many times--a situation, in fact, that I was the first to deal with, and am still the only one to deal with.
I mean, really offended.
I don't need an instruction manual on how to perform tasks and work with systems that I created, thanks.
I mean, really offended.
I don't need an instruction manual on how to perform tasks and work with systems that I created, thanks.
Tuesday, December 21, 2004
Snopes is an opinion site
However, as I stressed in the comments on my previous post, this is not a bad thing. It just means I have to redefine what Snopes is in my head.
Today, we have a story about an urban legend involving a woman who forgot to actually enclose the money she intended to send with her Christmas cards. It's a funny joke. In the discussion, we get this bit of feminist deconstruction:
The unanswerable question here is, would guys be into holiday stuff if the culture placed the responsibility for holiday merriment on their shoulders? Or is there something ingrained, genetic, that causes men not to care about this sort of thing? Do men find holidays tiresome because they are not in control? Are they bamboozled by the idea of a deluge of "woman stuff"?
A related question: if women simply stopped doing holiday stuff, would men get bored eventually and start up some traditions of their own?
The World May Never Know, but it's interesting to think about. In the past, as I recall (I was never much of a student of history while in school, much to my later dismay), men were far more involved in social activities--in fact, social activities were male dominated. When and how things changed is interesting to me. Was it the women's movement that eventually wrested social power into the hands of women? Was there something else going on?
Regardless of the cause, I think that women are still learning how to manage social affairs. My husband has a very simple, honorable approach to his dealings with friends. He helps without expecting anything in return. He takes care of his friends when they need him. And he's very matter-of-fact about it; to him it's clear-cut when he should do something and when he should stay out of it.
Meanwhile, I find myself constantly confused by relations with other women, wondering what to do when. I, like all of us, think in a conniving way, rather than a straightforward one, when considering my objectives. There are layers and layers of complexity added to each relationship that somehow make sense in my head but are not easily reproducible. In the past I've wondered if this complexity was simply part of how the female brain works, but now I think it's more a matter of what we are taught growing up. There haven't been that many generations between now and suffrage. Before that, women didn't know how to control social situations because they didn't control them. They had no frame of reference. All they did know was how to manipulate from behind the scenes to get what they wanted. That is what women specialized in, and that is what they taught their daughters.
In this modern world, we have a set of very intelligent people who are sadly ill-equipped to deal with their power. We can take lessons from our mothers on this, but I think we'd be well advised to start looking to men as well. Maybe it doesn't have to be as complex as we are making it.
It's something to think about. I know I'm far from a definitive answer.
Today, we have a story about an urban legend involving a woman who forgot to actually enclose the money she intended to send with her Christmas cards. It's a funny joke. In the discussion, we get this bit of feminist deconstruction:
One further element of the tale deserves comment: the sex of the transgressor. Traditionally, during the holidays, our culture stresses activities which are still seen as more a woman's province than a man's. Cooking, decorating, baking, shopping, card and letter-writing, entertaining, and concern for others are at the forefront of the season, and whereas a man who fails to do well with any of these barely provokes comment, a woman is seen as having fallen from grace much more ingloriously if she comes up short with any of them. The busy executive in the story thus has to be a woman for the transgression to be perceived as utterly embarrassing because a man who failed to enclose the checks wouldn't make for nearly as horrifying a tale. Moreover, the story contains an element of punishment for women leaving traditional duties behind in favor of competing in the business world. Working outside the home may cause them to have less time for family and friends, thus legends like this serve to warn women against taking up such lives by pointing out what could be lost or compromised.I found this really interesting. It is definitely true that men are not the backbone of holidays. For example, I don't expect Christmas cards from my single male friends. The few exceptions (thanks, Mr. J! thanks, Uncle Steve!) really just underline how odd it is in our culture for a man to think about things like that. My husband would be perfectly happy if we never celebrated a single holiday ever again, birthdays included. Back home, if something was going to happen for a holiday, like a dinner or a group present, it was almost always the girls who had to coordinate it. And of course, you don't see too many guys baking Christmas cookies.
The unanswerable question here is, would guys be into holiday stuff if the culture placed the responsibility for holiday merriment on their shoulders? Or is there something ingrained, genetic, that causes men not to care about this sort of thing? Do men find holidays tiresome because they are not in control? Are they bamboozled by the idea of a deluge of "woman stuff"?
A related question: if women simply stopped doing holiday stuff, would men get bored eventually and start up some traditions of their own?
The World May Never Know, but it's interesting to think about. In the past, as I recall (I was never much of a student of history while in school, much to my later dismay), men were far more involved in social activities--in fact, social activities were male dominated. When and how things changed is interesting to me. Was it the women's movement that eventually wrested social power into the hands of women? Was there something else going on?
Regardless of the cause, I think that women are still learning how to manage social affairs. My husband has a very simple, honorable approach to his dealings with friends. He helps without expecting anything in return. He takes care of his friends when they need him. And he's very matter-of-fact about it; to him it's clear-cut when he should do something and when he should stay out of it.
Meanwhile, I find myself constantly confused by relations with other women, wondering what to do when. I, like all of us, think in a conniving way, rather than a straightforward one, when considering my objectives. There are layers and layers of complexity added to each relationship that somehow make sense in my head but are not easily reproducible. In the past I've wondered if this complexity was simply part of how the female brain works, but now I think it's more a matter of what we are taught growing up. There haven't been that many generations between now and suffrage. Before that, women didn't know how to control social situations because they didn't control them. They had no frame of reference. All they did know was how to manipulate from behind the scenes to get what they wanted. That is what women specialized in, and that is what they taught their daughters.
In this modern world, we have a set of very intelligent people who are sadly ill-equipped to deal with their power. We can take lessons from our mothers on this, but I think we'd be well advised to start looking to men as well. Maybe it doesn't have to be as complex as we are making it.
It's something to think about. I know I'm far from a definitive answer.
Next Harry Potter book due in July
Yes, that is a long-ass time from now. But I'm just glad to finally have a date! Whee!
Eric Burns is awesome
Check out this snippet from today's "double-snark":
I was actually really impressed that he knew all that about the printing, just by feeling and looking at the paper. That's the kind of knowledge you get by doing. I need more of that.
Let me finish up the ComiXpress discussion by talking about quality of printing. This is black and white, including the cover (I believe that covers at least can be printed in color over at ComiXpress, but that's not what Hynes and Grant elected to do). It's about the right size for what we think of when we think of comic books, and it's nicely put together. More to the point, my brain thinks "comic book" when I hold it, not "saddle stapled bunch of paper," which is a good sign. It prints to glossy paper for the cover, and then what feels like a seventy pound laser safe paper for the interior. From the reproductive qualities, I assume it's produced on the current generation of Docutech printer/copiers, or a competing brand that does the same thing as the Docutech. There is a little bit of streak in the greys, owing to xerographic instead of offset printing, but that's expected and hardly a dealbreaker.Does he rock, or what?
Yes, I used to work at Kinko's. I own my McPast, damn it.
I was actually really impressed that he knew all that about the printing, just by feeling and looking at the paper. That's the kind of knowledge you get by doing. I need more of that.
Christmas cards, hasshin! (クリスマスカード発信！)
That phrase probably isn't very clever to the Japanese...in fact, if a Japanese person reads it, she'll probably say, "What a dork." (Maybe she'll assume I'm a military otaku.)
Regardless, the Christmas cards are out. They may actually arrive on time. It depends on our illustrious postal service.
The international cards probably won't be on time, but you never know.
I do know, however, that the card going to my host family in Japan will be on time...because it's a New Year's Card. Yay Japan! It's actually supposed to be a postcard, but I didn't have any that were fitting. Also, I was going to take a picture of it to share, but I forgot before I sealed the envelope. Doy.
This is what I wrote:
あけましておめでとうございます
皆様の御健康をお祈り申し上げます
平成十六年 元旦 <-- see this? I messed up and wrote Heisei 16 instead of Heisei 17...;P
ヘザー・メドズ
For those of you who can't decipher it from the About.com article, I'll romanize and translate:
I'd told Sam yesterday that I was going to write an actual letter, but time constraints got the better of me...plus, after finding the standard style for the postcard, I wanted to follow it as best as I could.
Hopefully my host family won't hold my mistake against me...that's what I get for copying the kanji from the About.com article instead of figuring out what it would be on my own ;P
(I also don't know if "medozu" is the best way to represent "Meadows"...meh. And I forgot to draw a rooster on the card!)
Regardless, the Christmas cards are out. They may actually arrive on time. It depends on our illustrious postal service.
The international cards probably won't be on time, but you never know.
I do know, however, that the card going to my host family in Japan will be on time...because it's a New Year's Card. Yay Japan! It's actually supposed to be a postcard, but I didn't have any that were fitting. Also, I was going to take a picture of it to share, but I forgot before I sealed the envelope. Doy.
This is what I wrote:
あけましておめでとうございます
皆様の御健康をお祈り申し上げます
平成十六年 元旦 <-- see this? I messed up and wrote Heisei 16 instead of Heisei 17...;P
ヘザー・メドズ
For those of you who can't decipher it from the About.com article, I'll romanize and translate:
| akemashite omedetou gozaimasu | Happy New Year! |
| minasama no gokenkou o oinori moushiagemasu | Wishing everyone good health. |
| Heisei juurokunen gantan | Heisei Era, year 16 (oops), the morning of January 1 |
| hezaa medozu | Heather Meadows |
I'd told Sam yesterday that I was going to write an actual letter, but time constraints got the better of me...plus, after finding the standard style for the postcard, I wanted to follow it as best as I could.
Hopefully my host family won't hold my mistake against me...that's what I get for copying the kanji from the About.com article instead of figuring out what it would be on my own ;P
(I also don't know if "medozu" is the best way to represent "Meadows"...meh. And I forgot to draw a rooster on the card!)
Losing weight?
I met a woman today who was featured in the March issue of Shape Magazine for losing 266 pounds. She's the daughter of one of my coworkers, and she used to work for Smoak's Bakery back when they were still open. By watching her fat intake and portion sizes, she has kept the weight off for 7 years. When my coworker made fudge the other night, this lady came in, leaned over it, inhaled deeply, and said, "Ah, that's good." She never ate any of it.
She said today that she works out 5-6 days a week.
Obviously, diet and exercise are the keys. I just need to get back on the horse. These past couple of weeks have been bad. Parties at work, cookie-baking at home...I've started to just snack and snack and snack, and since it's been cold, I haven't been biking. Here's the graph of my weight for the duration of my diet, since it started on October 3:
As you can see, I've sort of stalled. I need to start working out more, and not wussing out when it's cold. There's a workout room over at the apartment office; I can go there.
And I need to stop snacking :P My coworker's daughter said in Shape that TV was causing her to overeat out of boredom, so she stopped watching it and started reading instead. I need to cut down on the habits that cause me to eat out of boredom, too.
Today at work was really bad...I had nothing to do after finishing up my work (I got done in like an hour and a half), and I had to sit there smelling the gingerbread house. When my coworkers all brought in food for another party, I just kept nibbling and nibbling. I even drank punch instead of water. I don't know how much pumpernickel bread and spinach dip I ate; I know I ate way too many sugar cookies.
I've tried to put it all in DietPower. Hopefully I was close. If I am, I ate something like 1300 calories. (Eeep.)
I want to say that it'll be good when the holidays are over, because then I won't have all the temptation...but to be honest, I can't just count on that. I have to make a permanent change within myself. After all, Christmas happens every year. ;P
She said today that she works out 5-6 days a week.
Obviously, diet and exercise are the keys. I just need to get back on the horse. These past couple of weeks have been bad. Parties at work, cookie-baking at home...I've started to just snack and snack and snack, and since it's been cold, I haven't been biking. Here's the graph of my weight for the duration of my diet, since it started on October 3:
As you can see, I've sort of stalled. I need to start working out more, and not wussing out when it's cold. There's a workout room over at the apartment office; I can go there.
And I need to stop snacking :P My coworker's daughter said in Shape that TV was causing her to overeat out of boredom, so she stopped watching it and started reading instead. I need to cut down on the habits that cause me to eat out of boredom, too.
Today at work was really bad...I had nothing to do after finishing up my work (I got done in like an hour and a half), and I had to sit there smelling the gingerbread house. When my coworkers all brought in food for another party, I just kept nibbling and nibbling. I even drank punch instead of water. I don't know how much pumpernickel bread and spinach dip I ate; I know I ate way too many sugar cookies.
I've tried to put it all in DietPower. Hopefully I was close. If I am, I ate something like 1300 calories. (Eeep.)
I want to say that it'll be good when the holidays are over, because then I won't have all the temptation...but to be honest, I can't just count on that. I have to make a permanent change within myself. After all, Christmas happens every year. ;P
I've found Hino Rei
Kitagawa Keiko is good. I thought she played Rei very well in the live action series, and her looks aren't bad either.
But look at this girl.
Absolutely gorgeous, sultry, mysterious, with a hint of sadness, surrounded by red.
It's Rei.
But look at this girl.
Absolutely gorgeous, sultry, mysterious, with a hint of sadness, surrounded by red.
It's Rei.
Capsule living/working
Via BoingBoing, some photos about the Nakagin Capsule Tower in Ginza, Tokyo. I should try to visit that building the next time I go.
Discover me!
The New York Times has an article about bloggers who become novelists.
I need to start writing more interesting things so that thousands of people tune in daily, and a publisher will write me and say, "Hey, want to do a book?"
Yes. That would be awesome.
I need to start writing more interesting things so that thousands of people tune in daily, and a publisher will write me and say, "Hey, want to do a book?"
Yes. That would be awesome.
Monday, December 20, 2004
...and before I hit the sack
Canada has a marijuana board game. Now you too can experience the thrills and pitfalls of growing your very own pot!
Earlier than expected
I was going through my nightly rituals, and when I got to the part where I go potty I found that my period has started. I just took the last progesterone dose for the month this morning (they always stop on the 20th).
When I first started on these hormone treatments, in October, the period started on the 23rd. The second month, it started on the 21st. And now it's starting before even a day has passed.
I wonder if this is a good thing, a bad thing, or if it means anything at all.
When I first started on these hormone treatments, in October, the period started on the 23rd. The second month, it started on the 21st. And now it's starting before even a day has passed.
I wonder if this is a good thing, a bad thing, or if it means anything at all.
Will Clear Channel absorb Elvis, too?
Lisa Marie Presley is keeping Graceland but selling the bulk of the Elvis estate, including rights to her father's name and image, in a deal worth approximately $100 million.Scary!
Elvis Presley Enterprises Inc. announced an agreement Thursday to sell 85 percent of its assets to businessman Robert F.X. Sillerman, founder of music and sports promoter SFX Entertainment.
[...]
Sillerman founded SFX Entertainment in 1977 and ran the company until it was bought by Clear Channel Communications in 2000.
It looks to be a sweet deal for Lisa Marie, and hopefully Sillerman will have similar success. The question is what will happen when Sillerman moves on to another venture...
Imagine Clear Channel, even bigger than it already is.
The world is ending, isn't it?
When Tycho turns a phrase, he really turns a phrase
Sometimes Tycho's going for something when he writes, and I can kind of see where he's going, but he doesn't quite make it. Other times, he's dead on. Today's rantlet* on file sharing fits the latter category.
This sentence, and many others like it, brings joy to the depths of my language-loving soul.
This sentence, and many others like it, brings joy to the depths of my language-loving soul.
This would have happened anyway of course, but just as the injudicious use of antibiotics creates devastating and unstoppable pathogens these applications will reach a true apex of distributed power, jamming a spigot into the very heart of pay media.Check it out. First post, item II.
(I originally wrote "essaylet", which I like better, but it's hard to pronounce, which automatically knocks it out of the running for "cool new word that will soon be printed in the New York Times". "Rantlet" it is.)
O_o Double HA!
Oh wow, if I'd been drinking milk it would have spewed out my nose.
Last panel of today's Questionable Content. O. M. G.
Last panel of today's Questionable Content. O. M. G.
Things seem to be ramping up on Elf Life.
Yes, I am still reading that.
Baughb is finally back on center stage. And he's reminding me why I originally started reading. It's because he's kooky, a little deranged...and a lot smart.
I can't wait to see what he does next.
Baughb is finally back on center stage. And he's reminding me why I originally started reading. It's because he's kooky, a little deranged...and a lot smart.
I can't wait to see what he does next.
Bizarro Mainichi op-eds (or something)
Check these out, they're good for a chuckle. (And written in what seems to be British slang, but all of my readers who aren't David, don't despair! You can guess the meaning by context.)
Japan's dim crims go bananas in Year of the Monkey by Ryann Connell (How's that for a headline?)
Skool's out for Japan's terrible teechas in 2004 also by Ryann Connell (Another winning title! The pattern seems to be "Goofy joke, followed by reference to the year".)
Japan's dim crims go bananas in Year of the Monkey by Ryann Connell (How's that for a headline?)
Skool's out for Japan's terrible teechas in 2004 also by Ryann Connell (Another winning title! The pattern seems to be "Goofy joke, followed by reference to the year".)
I'll take this
Just in case you have several hundred bucks to spend on me for Christmas.
Valdesta Classico 750 Digital Piano New B Stock
(Thanks to AJ for finding something else I want that costs way too much money. ;>)
Valdesta Classico 750 Digital Piano New B Stock
(Thanks to AJ for finding something else I want that costs way too much money. ;>)
Going to a "luncheon" today...
...at Sean's work. I have no idea what it will be like or anything.
But because of it, I get to leave early today. I'll be heading home as soon as Audrey gets in.
Fortunately, I've pretty much finished everything I can get done at the moment. The only problem is submitting the timesheets for the drivers, because I want to add a new one on, and that has to be done by the guys out in California, who may not even be open yet. The new guy may have to wait until the next pay period to get his check :(
I haven't eaten anything yet...I figured it would be smart not to eat until the luncheon. I'm not sure why I thought that. I'm sitting here starving.
My weight keeps yo-yoing...silly holidays!
But because of it, I get to leave early today. I'll be heading home as soon as Audrey gets in.
Fortunately, I've pretty much finished everything I can get done at the moment. The only problem is submitting the timesheets for the drivers, because I want to add a new one on, and that has to be done by the guys out in California, who may not even be open yet. The new guy may have to wait until the next pay period to get his check :(
I haven't eaten anything yet...I figured it would be smart not to eat until the luncheon. I'm not sure why I thought that. I'm sitting here starving.
My weight keeps yo-yoing...silly holidays!
Just a quick note
I just typed "chick" instead of "quick". What does that mean, Dr. Freud?
I've been busy lately...spent the end of last week working hard on menu updates and corrections and formatting, because we're about to publish the menu guide!!! :D Going to work on that this morning too.
We also had an office Christmas party on Friday :)
This weekend has been busy with Christmas stuff, too...I went to Wanda's house on Saturday and helped her with her tree, and then she and I and her daughter Beth went shopping: Wal-Mart, K-Mart, and JC Penney. At Penney's I met up with Cheryl and Reid, and we did our Christmas shopping for each other and Grandma Flo. Then they gave me a ride back to Wanda's house so I could get my car. We were out until after midnight!
Then yesterday I cleaned up, wrapped presents, and started my marathon of cookie baking. The peanut butter flavored Black Eyed Susans are done, and the spritz Christmas trees are just waiting to be coated in white chocolate :) I have three other types of cookie in the fridge waiting to be finished and baked, as well as those three balls of gingerbread dough I haven't used yet. I'm thinking I'll just make them into little men.
I also worked on Christmas cards...late as usual, and I'm still not done. Out of country people, expect yours very late. Others, you may still get them on time...if there's a Christmas miracle or something...
Well, I need to get to work on those menus! Happy Holidays, everyone!
I've been busy lately...spent the end of last week working hard on menu updates and corrections and formatting, because we're about to publish the menu guide!!! :D Going to work on that this morning too.
We also had an office Christmas party on Friday :)
This weekend has been busy with Christmas stuff, too...I went to Wanda's house on Saturday and helped her with her tree, and then she and I and her daughter Beth went shopping: Wal-Mart, K-Mart, and JC Penney. At Penney's I met up with Cheryl and Reid, and we did our Christmas shopping for each other and Grandma Flo. Then they gave me a ride back to Wanda's house so I could get my car. We were out until after midnight!
Then yesterday I cleaned up, wrapped presents, and started my marathon of cookie baking. The peanut butter flavored Black Eyed Susans are done, and the spritz Christmas trees are just waiting to be coated in white chocolate :) I have three other types of cookie in the fridge waiting to be finished and baked, as well as those three balls of gingerbread dough I haven't used yet. I'm thinking I'll just make them into little men.
I also worked on Christmas cards...late as usual, and I'm still not done. Out of country people, expect yours very late. Others, you may still get them on time...if there's a Christmas miracle or something...
Well, I need to get to work on those menus! Happy Holidays, everyone!
Thursday, December 16, 2004
What I want
I was trolling Hotjobs, as I'm prone to do, and I came across this entry:
Assistant Manager: I would be in charge of stuff.
Martinez, GA: I live right near there! I can get there by walking ten feet that way!
Vision Care Holdings, LLC: This sounded unique. Like some great vision for the future. I wanted to know what kind of vision it was, and how this "Assistant Manager" would be a part of it.
Those of you with common sense will probably have guessed that it was not, in fact, an exciting, paradigm-shifting thought-position...that it was, obvious by the name, a retail prescription glasses store.
Eyeglass World, to be exact.
The sheer disappointment I felt--"Gah, retail"--really made me pause. What sort of job did I think it was going to be? Why did I assume it would be something other than hawking products? What do I want, what am I looking for, that makes me see groundbreaking, experimental management positions where none exist?
I want to be part of something--I want to be in charge of something--that is unique, exciting, dangerous, big, important, and highly rewarding. I want to be an idea person who actually gets things done. I want to be flexible, a troubleshooter, constantly growing and adapting. I want to face new challenges, to create challenges for myself that lead to the development of better things.
I was reading about Google's new Suggest feature (in beta) at the Google blog the other day. It reminded me of how I felt when I first looked at Google's employment page, and how I felt when I recently applied to a local company that seems more Silicon Valley than CSRA. Like I was on the verge of something cool, but I couldn't quite get there.
I mean, listen to this:
I'm not a programmer, though. I studied programming some in high school and college, but I'm not gifted at it, and I don't even particularly like it. It's a means to an end for me.
What I want is to be able to revolutionize within the fields I am interested in.
That, I think, is why I feel so lost when I try to figure out what I'm going to do for the rest of my life. I have no idea where to even begin.
Assistant Manager Vision Care Holdings, LLC Martinez, GAYou can't imagine how fast I clicked. Here's why, I think.
Assistant Manager: I would be in charge of stuff.
Martinez, GA: I live right near there! I can get there by walking ten feet that way!
Vision Care Holdings, LLC: This sounded unique. Like some great vision for the future. I wanted to know what kind of vision it was, and how this "Assistant Manager" would be a part of it.
Those of you with common sense will probably have guessed that it was not, in fact, an exciting, paradigm-shifting thought-position...that it was, obvious by the name, a retail prescription glasses store.
Eyeglass World, to be exact.
The sheer disappointment I felt--"Gah, retail"--really made me pause. What sort of job did I think it was going to be? Why did I assume it would be something other than hawking products? What do I want, what am I looking for, that makes me see groundbreaking, experimental management positions where none exist?
I want to be part of something--I want to be in charge of something--that is unique, exciting, dangerous, big, important, and highly rewarding. I want to be an idea person who actually gets things done. I want to be flexible, a troubleshooter, constantly growing and adapting. I want to face new challenges, to create challenges for myself that lead to the development of better things.
I was reading about Google's new Suggest feature (in beta) at the Google blog the other day. It reminded me of how I felt when I first looked at Google's employment page, and how I felt when I recently applied to a local company that seems more Silicon Valley than CSRA. Like I was on the verge of something cool, but I couldn't quite get there.
I mean, listen to this:
The project stemmed from an idea I had a few months ago, and since then I've been working on it in my 20% time, which is a program where Google allows their employees to devote 20% of their working hours to any project they choose. What's really amazed me about this project is how in a matter of months, working on my own, I was able to go from a lunch table conversation to launching a new service. In my opinion, this is one of the things that really makes Google a great place; that the company's systems, resources and, most important, people are all aligned to make it as easy as possible to take an idea and turn it into something cool.That is the kind of thing I want to be doing--not necessarily as an employee, though that seems to be the only road for me right now, but just in general. I want to be doing cool things that change how other things work. I want to mess with stuff and make it better.
I'm not a programmer, though. I studied programming some in high school and college, but I'm not gifted at it, and I don't even particularly like it. It's a means to an end for me.
What I want is to be able to revolutionize within the fields I am interested in.
That, I think, is why I feel so lost when I try to figure out what I'm going to do for the rest of my life. I have no idea where to even begin.
Wednesday, December 15, 2004
A horsey predilection
According to About.com's About Japanese Language, the Japanese would think the following of me if they knew I was born in the year of the Horse.
Horse (uma) --- Born 1990, 1978, 1966, 1954, 1942, 1930, 1918, 1906
People born in the year of the Horse are skilful in paying compliments and talk too much. They are skilful with money and handle finances well. They are quick thinkers, wise and talented. Horse people anger easily and are very impatient.
I really shouldn't laugh...but I did
Baggage screeners at Newark Liberty International Airport spotted - and then lost - a fake bomb planted in luggage by a supervisor during a training exercise.This really isn't funny at all. But I've got the giggles...I just can't get over the fact that they "somehow lost track of the bag"!
[...]
In Tuesday night's test, a TSA supervisor secretly placed the bomb, which was designed to resemble the plastic explosive Semtex, inside a bag that was put through screening machines, [Ann Davis, a spokeswoman for the Transportation Security Administration,] said.
A baggage screening machine sounded an alarm, but workers somehow lost track of the bag, which was then loaded onto a Continental Airlines flight.
This headline is bad. Very bad.
(That title was sort of a nod to Guardian 452, my beloved Bob, because I have spent the past few days watching ReBoot. But that totally has nothing to do with the following.)
Look at the name of this article:
Japan Today: WWII Chinese sex slaves lose appeal
So, what, they got ugly?
Look at the name of this article:
Japan Today: WWII Chinese sex slaves lose appeal
So, what, they got ugly?
Knee-deep in work, but I wanted to post this before I forgot
Apparently the only thing keeping me from a European vacation is the unfinished state of David's guest bedroom.
(What? Money? Okay fine, two things are keeping me from a European vacation...)
Sick bastard
The "Nara schoolgirl killer" needs a new nickname. May I suggest "friend or close relation to the Ariyama family"? After all, now he's targeting Kaede's 2-year-old sister.
I want this terrorist murderer caught, tried, convicted, and punished to the full extent of the law. You watch, though. When he is caught, he'll thank the police, saying, "I'm glad I was arrested. I couldn't stop myself."
I've been thinking about highly-structured communities and the effects they might have on people. Yesterday I was musing fondly about how it might be to go to a Catholic church--I would know what I was doing far more often, due to the rituals and the guidance from the Pope. But people who grow up in a more rigid culture seem to end up wanting to break out of it more than anything.
So I'm wondering if this killer has broken free of whatever societal constraints held him--"I was a mere salaryman, scraping for cash, drunk every day, living in a shoebox, but now I'm a murderer"--and is now searching for a way back in. Having grasped the "freedom" he wanted, he just kept going until it got out of hand, and now he doesn't know what to do other than grow so radical that the system finally stops him.
(Please bear in mind that I have never even attended a psychology course.)
I want this terrorist murderer caught, tried, convicted, and punished to the full extent of the law. You watch, though. When he is caught, he'll thank the police, saying, "I'm glad I was arrested. I couldn't stop myself."
I've been thinking about highly-structured communities and the effects they might have on people. Yesterday I was musing fondly about how it might be to go to a Catholic church--I would know what I was doing far more often, due to the rituals and the guidance from the Pope. But people who grow up in a more rigid culture seem to end up wanting to break out of it more than anything.
So I'm wondering if this killer has broken free of whatever societal constraints held him--"I was a mere salaryman, scraping for cash, drunk every day, living in a shoebox, but now I'm a murderer"--and is now searching for a way back in. Having grasped the "freedom" he wanted, he just kept going until it got out of hand, and now he doesn't know what to do other than grow so radical that the system finally stops him.
(Please bear in mind that I have never even attended a psychology course.)
Carving oneself up with beer
Here's the original article on how a man in Australia lanced through his stomach with a jetstream of beer, but I prefer how Mark Frauenfelder over at BoingBoing explained it.
Tuesday, December 14, 2004
This is the best thing I've heard all day.
Yahoo! News: Oddly Enough - Taxi Driver Shoots Man in Bin Laden Mask
Seriously, if Osama Bin Laden jumped out in front of your car waving a gun, what would you do? (Since I don't have a gun, I'd probably just run him over.)
Leonel Arias, 47, told police he was playing a practical joke by donning the Bin Laden mask, toting his pellet rifle and jumping out to scare drivers on a narrow street in his hometown, Carrizal de Alajuela, about 20 miles north of San Jose.Go Sandoval! Too bad it wasn't really Bin Laden ;P
Arias had startled several drivers that way on Monday afternoon. But when he jumped out in front of taxi driver Juan Pablo Sandoval, the motorist reached for a gun and shot him twice in the stomach.
Seriously, if Osama Bin Laden jumped out in front of your car waving a gun, what would you do? (Since I don't have a gun, I'd probably just run him over.)
Police declined to detain Sandoval, saying he had believed he was acting in self-defense.Damn straight he was.
Come to the U.S.! Get fat!
Yahoo! News (UK Reuters): Oddly Enough - Thin immigrants get fat in U.S
This isn't really surprising, but it's good that a study like this has been done. It underlines the inherent problems in our dietary culture.
Now we just need to understand more completely what they are, and how to combat them...
This isn't really surprising, but it's good that a study like this has been done. It underlines the inherent problems in our dietary culture.
Now we just need to understand more completely what they are, and how to combat them...
Monday, December 13, 2004
Let's perform a completely unscientific, sloppy study of our new drug, then conveniently forget to tell the president about the bad results
MSNBC: Officials warned of concerns about AIDS drug
But U.S. sent medication to Africa anyway, documents show
Jesus.
Also, isn't it nice how drugs with potential side effects are okay for Africa, but not for the US? Nice little double standard there.
What a load of shit.
But U.S. sent medication to Africa anyway, documents show
Weeks before President Bush announced a plan to protect African babies from AIDS, top U.S. health officials were warned that research on the key drug was flawed and may have underreported severe reactions including deaths, government documents show.It's nice to know we've got fine, ethical people working at the National Institutes of Health.
The 2002 warnings about the drug, nevirapine, were serious enough to suspend testing for more than a year, let Uganda's government know of the dangers and prompt the drug's maker to pull its request for permission to use the medicine to protect newborns in the United States.
But the National Institutes of Health, the government's premier health research agency, chose not to inform the White House as it scrambled to keep its experts' concerns from scuttling the use of nevirapine in Africa as a cheap solution, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press.
Jesus.
Also, isn't it nice how drugs with potential side effects are okay for Africa, but not for the US? Nice little double standard there.
[T]he German-owned company [Boehringer Ingelheim] no longer is seeking FDA permission to use nevirapine for protecting U.S. infants because better treatments have emerged, [Dr. Patrick Robinson, a top Boehringer AIDS specialist,] said.I guess our babies are more important than African babies.
What a load of shit.
Here are some news items.
Yahoo! News: Oddly Enough - Retiree Duped by Naked Invitation
Yahoo! News: Oddly Enough - U.S. author Wolfe wins bad sex award
(But yow, read those example passages...they are uniquely horrible.)
Here's a really nice (and amazing) piece:
Yahoo! News: Oddly Enough - After 233 Kids, Foster Parents Quit
An 81-year-old German dropped his trousers and lost his wallet when two young women asked him to join them in a nude photo shoot but they fled with his belongings as he stripped, police said Monday.All I can think of is when that happened to George in Seinfeld. (Well, I can also think about what a horrible sentence that is. But you should expect that from me by now.)
Yahoo! News: Oddly Enough - U.S. author Wolfe wins bad sex award
American author and journalist Tom Wolfe has won one of the world's most dreaded literary accolades -- the British prize for bad sex in fiction.Maybe someday I'll win that!
The prize is awarded each year "to draw attention to the crude, tasteless, often perfunctory use of redundant passages of sexual description in the modern novel".
(But yow, read those example passages...they are uniquely horrible.)
Organisers said Wolfe, who is based in New York, was the first writer in the 12-year history of the competition to decline his invitation.Awww...he's probably pouting.
Here's a really nice (and amazing) piece:
Yahoo! News: Oddly Enough - After 233 Kids, Foster Parents Quit
"We had been married 20 years, and life was good," Imogene Gorsuch wrote in a diary, describing the decision to start taking in children in the late 1950s. The pair also raised three sons and a daughter of their own.What a great couple. I really admire them. Being a foster parent is one of the hardest things you can do. You'll see an example of why in the article.
"Blessed with a comfortable home, adequate income and everything we needed, we had a desire to share this with others less fortunate," Imogene Gorsuch wrote.
The horror of "round robin" Christmas letters
Yahoo! has a funny story today about those Christmas letters you get from friends and relatives chronicling the past year. I'm of two minds about the practice--on the one hand, it's nice to know what everyone's up to, but on the other, as the article points out, they often seem like gloatfests. I sent a small letter with my Christmas cards last year...I'm not sure I'm going to do anything of the kind this year, simply because I'm so disorganized. I haven't even bought cards yet (doing that today, hopefully).
What do you think of these "round robin" letters, readers? Have you ever gotten one? Have you ever written one?
What do you think of these "round robin" letters, readers? Have you ever gotten one? Have you ever written one?
Sunday, December 12, 2004
~74 minutes at ~11mph
Those are approximate because I paused the timer and odometer during the times I rode around looking for the trail, or stopped and walked for safety, while I was downtown.
Yes friends, I rode from the Savannah Rapids Pavilion all the way down to Broad Street, lost the trail, found it again, and continued on under a big overpass and past a rehabilitation clinic. This was Very Far, farther than I've gone before. I reset the odometer without checking the distance when I got to the point where I turned around, just past the clinic, so I'm not sure how much distance I covered. On the way back from there, though, taking essentially the same route (I ended up on Washington Road briefly, but that led me to an exit which led me to Eve Street which led me back to the trail), I covered 7.18 miles.
That doesn't seem like very far, does it?
Why does it take so long to drive from where I live to downtown?
I want to look at a map.
Regardless, if I'd stayed on Broad Street, I would have come to 13th Street, and then I could have headed over to North Augusta and gotten on the Greeneway. Would that have been a hoot, or what?
I feel great. What a good workout. And I've been losing a pound a day for the past couple days, which I don't mind at all. I figure today makes up for not exercising yesterday, so hopefully I'll lose some more by tomorrow.
Yay!
Yes friends, I rode from the Savannah Rapids Pavilion all the way down to Broad Street, lost the trail, found it again, and continued on under a big overpass and past a rehabilitation clinic. This was Very Far, farther than I've gone before. I reset the odometer without checking the distance when I got to the point where I turned around, just past the clinic, so I'm not sure how much distance I covered. On the way back from there, though, taking essentially the same route (I ended up on Washington Road briefly, but that led me to an exit which led me to Eve Street which led me back to the trail), I covered 7.18 miles.
That doesn't seem like very far, does it?
Why does it take so long to drive from where I live to downtown?
I want to look at a map.
Regardless, if I'd stayed on Broad Street, I would have come to 13th Street, and then I could have headed over to North Augusta and gotten on the Greeneway. Would that have been a hoot, or what?
I feel great. What a good workout. And I've been losing a pound a day for the past couple days, which I don't mind at all. I figure today makes up for not exercising yesterday, so hopefully I'll lose some more by tomorrow.
Yay!
Saturday, December 11, 2004
The entire nation of Iraq has been murdered by a U.S. soldier!
He's going to jail for 3 years, according to this article on Yahoo. A rather light punishment for killing an entire country, don't you think?
See below for Yahoo's headline as it appears right now, and apparently as it has appeared since 6:08 pm. Click that picture to see a full, unaltered screenshot.
You see, this is why editors are important!
Update 12/12 11:31 am: It's still like that. You'd think someone would have noticed by now...
See below for Yahoo's headline as it appears right now, and apparently as it has appeared since 6:08 pm. Click that picture to see a full, unaltered screenshot.
You see, this is why editors are important!
Update 12/12 11:31 am: It's still like that. You'd think someone would have noticed by now...
Friday, December 10, 2004
So.
Yesterday was a little emotional, wasn't it?
I'm better now. Yesterday was more productive than usual--the previous two days, I'd taken long naps in lieu of getting anything done. Too much sleep can be a bad thing.
This morning, after going to bed at 9:45 and getting up promptly at 5, I feel refreshed.
Yesterday's schedule was interesting. I'm thinking of making it my regular routine. I got up, took my pills, got dressed, and ate my breakfast as usual. Work was typical; I left at 10. After piddling around for a couple hours at home, I went biking, and when I got home I took my first shower of the day. Then I planned this week's dinner menus, and ran out to the grocery store to pick everything up. When I got home, Sean was there, and I started fixing dinner--a mixed greens and baked chicken salad, with a side of fettucine alfredo. While we were waiting for the chicken to cook, we snuggled in bed together.
After dinner, I got online and messed around some more, and cleaned up the dishes, and finally went to bed on time.
It was a good day. I got the grocery shopping done, I exercised, and I made dinner. Those last two are things I want to do every day, and the first should be weekly or biweekly. I'm not sure when or why I stopped doing my old routine, but this one seems comfortable. Taking a shower in the afternoon seems to revitalize me for the rest of the day, too.
I feel a little grubby this morning, though. Maybe I should do a sponge bath in the mornings, if I'm going to leave my shower for the afternoon.
Progesterone starts tomorrow. And, speaking of pills, I've decided to cut my multivitamins in half--that is, take half a pill a day, instead of a whole one. Getting too many minerals can be bad. I'm going to be eating more green food this next week (and hopefully permanently), and I don't want to overdo it on anything.
So, after work today, I'll be going biking again. I haven't decided which trail I want to go to. If I go to the Greeneway, I may go to the Activities Center to park, instead of Martintown Road. That way, I'll have a nice decline to ride down at the end of my workout. We'll see. (At this point, I don't want to try starting from the other end...though that may come in the future.)
I'm also wondering if I should try to start up my morning workout again. Maybe not as intense...maybe just some good stretching and warming up for the day. If I do that, of course, then I'll have to shower afterwards, and I'd end up taking two showers a day. I guess I don't mind being super-clean, but it just seems like a waste--plus, the more you shower, the less healthy your skin is, or so I understand anyway. So I'm not sure on that.
Creating a good schedule is hard now because of Sean's new rotating shifts. One week he works 7 to 3, one week 1 to 10, and the other two weeks are his original 9 to 6. I need to stop and think about how I can break up the things I want/need to do to match that schedule...so that I can be home when he's home, and so that I can get things done when he's not.
And, finally, I need to decorate my Christmas tree, and organize my desks--computer, and "study". The study desk is basically ready, but I need to get some junk out of it that I don't need anymore, and put some supplies there so I can sit down and study Japanese whenever I want. My computer desk is just messy, as usual ;P
Oh. And I really should finish reading Getting Things Done...;P
I'm better now. Yesterday was more productive than usual--the previous two days, I'd taken long naps in lieu of getting anything done. Too much sleep can be a bad thing.
This morning, after going to bed at 9:45 and getting up promptly at 5, I feel refreshed.
Yesterday's schedule was interesting. I'm thinking of making it my regular routine. I got up, took my pills, got dressed, and ate my breakfast as usual. Work was typical; I left at 10. After piddling around for a couple hours at home, I went biking, and when I got home I took my first shower of the day. Then I planned this week's dinner menus, and ran out to the grocery store to pick everything up. When I got home, Sean was there, and I started fixing dinner--a mixed greens and baked chicken salad, with a side of fettucine alfredo. While we were waiting for the chicken to cook, we snuggled in bed together.
After dinner, I got online and messed around some more, and cleaned up the dishes, and finally went to bed on time.
It was a good day. I got the grocery shopping done, I exercised, and I made dinner. Those last two are things I want to do every day, and the first should be weekly or biweekly. I'm not sure when or why I stopped doing my old routine, but this one seems comfortable. Taking a shower in the afternoon seems to revitalize me for the rest of the day, too.
I feel a little grubby this morning, though. Maybe I should do a sponge bath in the mornings, if I'm going to leave my shower for the afternoon.
Progesterone starts tomorrow. And, speaking of pills, I've decided to cut my multivitamins in half--that is, take half a pill a day, instead of a whole one. Getting too many minerals can be bad. I'm going to be eating more green food this next week (and hopefully permanently), and I don't want to overdo it on anything.
So, after work today, I'll be going biking again. I haven't decided which trail I want to go to. If I go to the Greeneway, I may go to the Activities Center to park, instead of Martintown Road. That way, I'll have a nice decline to ride down at the end of my workout. We'll see. (At this point, I don't want to try starting from the other end...though that may come in the future.)
I'm also wondering if I should try to start up my morning workout again. Maybe not as intense...maybe just some good stretching and warming up for the day. If I do that, of course, then I'll have to shower afterwards, and I'd end up taking two showers a day. I guess I don't mind being super-clean, but it just seems like a waste--plus, the more you shower, the less healthy your skin is, or so I understand anyway. So I'm not sure on that.
Creating a good schedule is hard now because of Sean's new rotating shifts. One week he works 7 to 3, one week 1 to 10, and the other two weeks are his original 9 to 6. I need to stop and think about how I can break up the things I want/need to do to match that schedule...so that I can be home when he's home, and so that I can get things done when he's not.
And, finally, I need to decorate my Christmas tree, and organize my desks--computer, and "study". The study desk is basically ready, but I need to get some junk out of it that I don't need anymore, and put some supplies there so I can sit down and study Japanese whenever I want. My computer desk is just messy, as usual ;P
Oh. And I really should finish reading Getting Things Done...;P
Thursday, December 9, 2004
OMFG
Hai just linked me to "THE COOLEST SITE EVAR" (his words, but it's true!). Look at that!!!
Anyone want me to try to translate it? ;P I know that at the end she's saying "And with that, we've made it pretty", but I'd have to screencap the other stuff to get an idea...I'm not so good with the listening comprehension ;_;
Anyone want me to try to translate it? ;P I know that at the end she's saying "And with that, we've made it pretty", but I'd have to screencap the other stuff to get an idea...I'm not so good with the listening comprehension ;_;
An economy run by schoolgirls
I've been reading this article all day (it's long, and I've had other stuff to do):
ASIAN POP The Gadget Gap: Why does all the cool stuff come out in Asia first?
The article states that Japan's tech culture is driven by teenagers, boys and girls alike, rather than by business, which is what drives America's tech culture. Here's an interesting snippet:
Good article.
ASIAN POP The Gadget Gap: Why does all the cool stuff come out in Asia first?
The article states that Japan's tech culture is driven by teenagers, boys and girls alike, rather than by business, which is what drives America's tech culture. Here's an interesting snippet:
The cell-phone craze was born soon after the launch of NTT DoCoMo's wildly successful i-Mode wireless Internet service in 1999 gave rise to a phenomenon known as "keitai [mobile-phone] culture," fed by a generation of kids known as oyayubisoku, or "thumb tribes," whose handset addiction has shaped public health (as more and more "thumb princes and princesses" succumb to repetitive stress injuries); sexual mores (as enterprising schoolgirls subscribe to cell-phone "dating services," where they are introduced to lonely and generous older men); media consumption (as magazine vendors and bookstores find that browsers now snap high-quality cell-cam pictures of articles they want to read rather than purchasing their products); and impulse commerce (as Japanese cell phones increasingly become equipped with "e-money" devices that allow them to be used to purchase small items).This perception of technology-as-fashion means that the coolness factor drives most technology purchases in Japan...which explains why they get all the cool stuff first.
Unlike in the United States, where consumer electronics is an overwhelmingly male-driven industry, the critical vector in the propagation of keitai culture was its embrace by adolescent girls. That this demographic drives the market is no coincidence. Like many Japanese marketers, NTT DoCoMo had determined that i-Mode would live and die based on whether teen fashion queens adopted the handsets as the season's must-own accessories. A year and a half of aggressive marketing later, with 30 million active users, DoCoMo became the world's largest Internet access provider, surpassing longtime leader America On-Line. More than 10 million of these users are young women.
"A couple of months ago, Newsweek Japan did a special issue that listed the 100 most influential Japanese people in history," says Douglas Krone with a chuckle. "Along with ancient emperors, best-selling authors, inventors and scientists, they listed 'Japanese Schoolgirls,' because they've been so influential, inside of Japan and out."
Good article.
Here's one for the history books
Famous Atheist Now Believes in God
At age 81, after decades of insisting belief is a mistake, Antony Flew has concluded that some sort of intelligence or first cause must have created the universe. A super-intelligence is the only good explanation for the origin of life and the complexity of nature, Flew said in a telephone interview from England.This bit is particularly interesting:
[...]
Yet biologists' investigation of DNA "has shown, by the almost unbelievable complexity of the arrangements which are needed to produce (life), that intelligence must have been involved," Flew says in the new video, "Has Science Discovered God?"
"I'm thinking of a God very different from the God of the Christian and far and away from the God of Islam, because both are depicted as omnipotent Oriental despots, cosmic Saddam Husseins," he said. "It could be a person in the sense of a being that has intelligence and a purpose, I suppose."I wonder how Christians will react to having their god described as a "cosmic Saddam Hussein".
Excellent snark - the "Rebel Heroes" of the comic strip page
I don't know how Eric Burns manages to write as much as he does. And everything he writes is good. For an example of something extraordinarily long and yet packed with thoughtful discussion, see his latest: Sacred hamburger: the role of our heroes in the decline of the newspaper comics page. (Whew, even that title is long...)
This is a logical, well-written, thoroughly researched piece, and it deserves the attention of everyone who is even remotely interested in comics. His conclusion may surprise you.
This is a logical, well-written, thoroughly researched piece, and it deserves the attention of everyone who is even remotely interested in comics. His conclusion may surprise you.
North Augusta Greeneway
When I first started biking, it was with Mari, Kelly, Brooke and sometimes Chris at the North Augusta Greeneway. Back then I used Mari's spare bike, a little BMX-looking red dirtbike that was a bitch to ride. I was often way, way behind everyone else, and I frequently stopped to rest my legs. Part of this, of course, was because I was just starting, but I believe that a significant portion of my trouble was caused by the bike itself. It wasn't made for riding fast, I don't think. I think it would be better suited for mountain trails.
When I got my new bike, and finally rode on the Greeneway with people again (Mari and Brooke, I think?), I stayed out front the whole time, and didn't stop until the end of the trail where we always turn around. :)
Mari's old bike had broken me in, and now my new bike means I can go further faster, and see lots of neat things. Last week I explored the Augusta Canal Historic Trail, and took pictures, both on Thursday and Friday.
Today I decided to get some shots of the Greeneway.
What a perfect day to go. The fall colors were out in full force, blanketing the trail and rustling in the trees. It was overcast, looking like it was going to rain at any moment, and it was a little humid, but no bad weather occurred, and the cloudiness meant that the sun wasn't beating down on me whenever I broke out of the trees.
I felt like I was communing with nature, somehow, especially when I stopped and just looked straight up at the waving trees, the breeze washing over me.
I parked at the lot off Martintown, because I didn't feel like driving all the way to the Activity Center, where we usually park. This meant that I had a choice of directions. I chose to go to my right, towards the bridges and Mari and Kelly's old apartment, and then work my way back up. It's uphill on the way back, which is a major drawback of parking at that spot, but I figured I could treat myself to a breezy ride at the very end by going past my car and to the other end of the trail on my way back.
For the first 15 minutes, which is how long it took me to get from there to the very end of the trail (at that odd golfing community near the Augusta 13th Street bridge over the Savannah--don't remember what that street is called in South Carolina), I did an average of 14 mph. This was crazy! Of course, the reasons I could go so fast were 1) it was downhill; 2) the trail is easier to get traction on, as it is paved, not dirt/sand/gravel like the Canal trail.
At that point, I turned around and started taking my pictures. (If you only look at one of them, check this out...I think it's neat! That's the Lamar Building in the background.)
I did about 30 minutes of riding to get from there to the other end of the trail. This time doesn't include stopping for photos; that's all biking time. I didn't go all the way to the very end...I stopped at the drinking fountain, which is something like six yards from the end of the trail, took a long drink, sat on the bench for awhile, and then turned around and headed back. The ride back was pretty much a breeze, although I was starting to really feel it in my legs.
It was a really good way to get rid of some of that excess emotional energy I'd built up, and the Greeneway was just beautiful today. I'm glad I went.
I'm going to try to be a better person.
I have hurt two people recently, two people who are extraordinarily close to me, and who I would be devastated to lose. I hurt them because I'm selfish, and because I react emotionally without thinking.
This can't go on. I can't let it. And I won't.
One of my coworker's aunts is 84 years old, is suffering from Alzheimer's, and is about to die. My coworker stays with her two days a week. Yesterday she was called to go see her, as the doctor said she didn't have much time left. Somehow, the aunt has held on through the night and to this morning, but she could go at any time.
My coworker spoke about her aunt this morning. She said, "She has a way of making everyone feel like her favorite." She said that her aunt has friends everywhere, that everyone who knows her calls her Aunt.
All I have ever wanted, seemingly, is to be Important. I mull over my own life constantly, worrying about whether or not I'm going to be rich and famous. I pester everyone else with my problems, then get irritated if they tell me about theirs. I give not out of a sense of kindness or a desire to help, but because I want to feel better about myself, or because I feel obligated. And I write people off easily, thinking that being bothered is the worst thing that can happen to me, and that I should only allow people who don't irritate me or cause trouble for me to be around me. The very few exceptions I've made to this rule have mainly been family members. On the Internet, it has been especially easy for me to write people off.
I realized this morning that my coworker's aunt was loved by many not for being rich and famous, but for being who she was. A beautiful person who cared about others, who made them feel special. She's dying right now surrounded by people who love her. As my other coworker said, "What a wonderful way to die."
If I become rich and famous, and if the cost is all my friendships, what will surround me when I die?
I realize that this isn't black and white. I'm not completely Ebenezer Scrooge. I have been a good person--sometimes.
But sometimes isn't good enough, especially if I spend the rest of the time hurting people I love.
It stops now.
This can't go on. I can't let it. And I won't.
One of my coworker's aunts is 84 years old, is suffering from Alzheimer's, and is about to die. My coworker stays with her two days a week. Yesterday she was called to go see her, as the doctor said she didn't have much time left. Somehow, the aunt has held on through the night and to this morning, but she could go at any time.
My coworker spoke about her aunt this morning. She said, "She has a way of making everyone feel like her favorite." She said that her aunt has friends everywhere, that everyone who knows her calls her Aunt.
All I have ever wanted, seemingly, is to be Important. I mull over my own life constantly, worrying about whether or not I'm going to be rich and famous. I pester everyone else with my problems, then get irritated if they tell me about theirs. I give not out of a sense of kindness or a desire to help, but because I want to feel better about myself, or because I feel obligated. And I write people off easily, thinking that being bothered is the worst thing that can happen to me, and that I should only allow people who don't irritate me or cause trouble for me to be around me. The very few exceptions I've made to this rule have mainly been family members. On the Internet, it has been especially easy for me to write people off.
I realized this morning that my coworker's aunt was loved by many not for being rich and famous, but for being who she was. A beautiful person who cared about others, who made them feel special. She's dying right now surrounded by people who love her. As my other coworker said, "What a wonderful way to die."
If I become rich and famous, and if the cost is all my friendships, what will surround me when I die?
I realize that this isn't black and white. I'm not completely Ebenezer Scrooge. I have been a good person--sometimes.
But sometimes isn't good enough, especially if I spend the rest of the time hurting people I love.
It stops now.
Crown Princess Masako recovering?
I mentioned the plight of Japan's Crown Princess recently. Now I see an article indicating that she claims to be recovering.
"I've had some hard times, but I feel that my condition is gradually getting better," she said. "It may still take some time before I can fully resume my official duties, but I want to work toward recovery so that I can quickly show myself in a healthy state."I wish her the best.
That's it, kid, I'm sending you to military school ==> That's it, kid, I'm sending you to Iraq
Just yesterday at work, Audrey was talking about how back in World War II, when someone committed a crime, they were offered the choice of going to jail, or joining the army. This morning, I see this headline on Japan Today:
Takebe suggests delinquents, potential criminals join SDF in Iraq
I'm not sure how you would determine that someone is going to commit a crime...that seems a little strange.
Takebe suggests delinquents, potential criminals join SDF in Iraq
I'm not sure how you would determine that someone is going to commit a crime...that seems a little strange.
The things we don't notice
It's weird.
I have been working in this office for as long as 2go-Box has been here. That's been since February or something. And in all that time, I never noticed, until just now, that the stripes on the wallpaper alternate.
There's an antique-looking beige "canvas" of sorts, and then there are these bold strips consisting of five stripes. The outermost stripes are red with a squarish curled Egyptian pattern in gold along them. The three inner stripes are alternately green and blue. I just now noticed that the pattern of green and blue alternates from bold strip to bold strip; first it's green-blue-green, and then it's blue-green-blue.
What state of mind am I usually in, that I never noticed this before, and what state of mind am I in now that let me notice it?
I have been working in this office for as long as 2go-Box has been here. That's been since February or something. And in all that time, I never noticed, until just now, that the stripes on the wallpaper alternate.
There's an antique-looking beige "canvas" of sorts, and then there are these bold strips consisting of five stripes. The outermost stripes are red with a squarish curled Egyptian pattern in gold along them. The three inner stripes are alternately green and blue. I just now noticed that the pattern of green and blue alternates from bold strip to bold strip; first it's green-blue-green, and then it's blue-green-blue.
What state of mind am I usually in, that I never noticed this before, and what state of mind am I in now that let me notice it?
This is how it seems to work, at least recently
Me: I don't have anything to be upset about right now!
Life: Oh, my bad. Here you go.
Life: Oh, my bad. Here you go.
Wednesday, December 8, 2004
SitRep
Well, the thing I was upset about isn't really an issue now. I went directly to the person, instead of continuing to draw my own conclusions, and while it turned out to be was very similar to what I'd heard, there were subtle differences that were enough to make me feel that I was important, that I hadn't just been forgotten, or added in as an afterthought.
And that, my friends, is a run-on sentence. I leave it unrevised for your reading enjoyment.
And that, my friends, is a run-on sentence. I leave it unrevised for your reading enjoyment.
Show those kids who's boss!
Yahoo! News: Oddly Enough - Parents Go on Strike, Move to Front Yard
I don't think I could do that. I'd have to have a tent with an Internet connection...
I don't think I could do that. I'd have to have a tent with an Internet connection...
Dude!
This is the sort of linguistics that gets press, even though there is so much more to the field. But even so, this, like all of linguistics, is absolutely fascinating. I love the field I majored in.
Yahoo! News: Oddly Enough - Linguist Deciphers Uses of Word 'Dude'
Yahoo! News: Oddly Enough - Linguist Deciphers Uses of Word 'Dude'
Weird dreams
I had some weird dreams last night, due to being upset I suppose.
In one of the dreams, I was using the cookie press/icing pump that Mom sent me to pour chocolate everywhere. Connor and Logan and this other kid were there. Connor asked if he could use the pump to put chocolate on his cookies for lunch. I said sure, if it was okay with Dad. AJ, however, said, "You had cookies for breakfast, and you're having cookies for dinner. You don't need to have cookies for lunch."
Connor went into a corner, facing it, and started crying really loudly. I knew he would get into trouble for throwing a fit, so I ran over to him quickly. As I did so, I heard Logan starting to cry, too. I had to act fast.
"Connor," I said, "don't cry. If you cry, Daddy will get mad, and then no one will be happy. Don't worry, you can have cookies at dinner. It's okay not to have them at lunch, right?"
As I was speaking and hugging Connor, Logan ran up and started hugging me too. Both of them calmed down and stopped fussing after awhile. Disaster averted!
That was one of the dreams. The other two I'm thinking of (I know there were more) were both naked dreams. In the first naked dream, I was at the office. In the morning, no one is usually here, and I suppose that's why I wasn't wearing a shirt. Dream logic. However, when I went out of the office to head into Robert's to get something, I saw a woman standing in the hallway. She had blond hair, so I'm thinking she was Tracy, who works at the end of the hall. I quickly covered myself and ducked back into the office. As I frantically searched for my shirt, I realized that the blinds were all open, and, since it was dark outside and bright inside, I had been giving everyone full view of the shirtless me.
The second naked dream was weirder still. I was at home, completely topless this time, and someone was moving in next door. Only it wasn't across the way, like normal. These people's new apartment could only be reached by going through our apartment, in through our front door and then down a hall that was approximately where our bedroom is now. This means that when they were all coming in, they could see straight into my living room...just as I was walking towards the door. I shrieked and covered up, and they all said "Sorry", but then they simply continued to come in and move their stuff. I was confused, because the hallway to their apartment was where my bedroom should be, so I didn't know where to go to find clothes.
I'm not sure what that was all about.
In one of the dreams, I was using the cookie press/icing pump that Mom sent me to pour chocolate everywhere. Connor and Logan and this other kid were there. Connor asked if he could use the pump to put chocolate on his cookies for lunch. I said sure, if it was okay with Dad. AJ, however, said, "You had cookies for breakfast, and you're having cookies for dinner. You don't need to have cookies for lunch."
Connor went into a corner, facing it, and started crying really loudly. I knew he would get into trouble for throwing a fit, so I ran over to him quickly. As I did so, I heard Logan starting to cry, too. I had to act fast.
"Connor," I said, "don't cry. If you cry, Daddy will get mad, and then no one will be happy. Don't worry, you can have cookies at dinner. It's okay not to have them at lunch, right?"
As I was speaking and hugging Connor, Logan ran up and started hugging me too. Both of them calmed down and stopped fussing after awhile. Disaster averted!
That was one of the dreams. The other two I'm thinking of (I know there were more) were both naked dreams. In the first naked dream, I was at the office. In the morning, no one is usually here, and I suppose that's why I wasn't wearing a shirt. Dream logic. However, when I went out of the office to head into Robert's to get something, I saw a woman standing in the hallway. She had blond hair, so I'm thinking she was Tracy, who works at the end of the hall. I quickly covered myself and ducked back into the office. As I frantically searched for my shirt, I realized that the blinds were all open, and, since it was dark outside and bright inside, I had been giving everyone full view of the shirtless me.
The second naked dream was weirder still. I was at home, completely topless this time, and someone was moving in next door. Only it wasn't across the way, like normal. These people's new apartment could only be reached by going through our apartment, in through our front door and then down a hall that was approximately where our bedroom is now. This means that when they were all coming in, they could see straight into my living room...just as I was walking towards the door. I shrieked and covered up, and they all said "Sorry", but then they simply continued to come in and move their stuff. I was confused, because the hallway to their apartment was where my bedroom should be, so I didn't know where to go to find clothes.
I'm not sure what that was all about.
Tuesday, December 7, 2004
Dynasties and suns on c|net's news.com.com thingamajig
When reading the article linked in the previous post, I saw an ad that looked like this:
However, when I clicked it, it went to a homepage called "Japan's sun rises again".
It's nice that they are fluent in cliche. I'm just wondering why they changed the name of the section.
It's about Japan's failing economy and the measures the country is taking to rectify the situation. Maybe someone got annoyed at the pessimistic tone of the original name, and demanded something more upbeat.
Go teh rising sun.
(On Pearl Harbor Day, no less.)
However, when I clicked it, it went to a homepage called "Japan's sun rises again".
It's nice that they are fluent in cliche. I'm just wondering why they changed the name of the section.
It's about Japan's failing economy and the measures the country is taking to rectify the situation. Maybe someone got annoyed at the pessimistic tone of the original name, and demanded something more upbeat.
Go teh rising sun.
(On Pearl Harbor Day, no less.)
I love the title of this article.
What corporate America can't build: a sentence
The contents are pretty amusing, too :)
(And it's so true!)
The contents are pretty amusing, too :)
(And it's so true!)
"If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything."
I watched Back to the Future today. When I'm upset, angry, scared, or depressed, I like to immerse myself in fantasy worlds.
The theme of this movie is so hopeful. Everyone has it within them to be great. They just have to work at it, to bring that greatness into the world and achieve their dreams.
It's like Brooke said to me earlier today. All I need is a game plan.
The theme of this movie is so hopeful. Everyone has it within them to be great. They just have to work at it, to bring that greatness into the world and achieve their dreams.
It's like Brooke said to me earlier today. All I need is a game plan.
I feel like a professional writer
This morning I got an email from my boss requesting 10-15 word restaurant descriptions.
Do you know how hard it is to add interest and flavor with only 15 words?
Don't get me wrong, I'm doing it just fine. But it's these demands! Demands I tell you! How can my tortured artist soul survive?!
;D
Do you know how hard it is to add interest and flavor with only 15 words?
Don't get me wrong, I'm doing it just fine. But it's these demands! Demands I tell you! How can my tortured artist soul survive?!
;D
Monday, December 6, 2004
"Mmmmm. Sacrilicious."
[17:06:05] <COSLeia> Thirty-two pastry chefs in the southern Italian city of Naples unveiled on Saturday what they say is the biggest ever nativity scene made entirely of chocolate.
[17:06:05] <COSLeia> Over 4,500 hours and 7,275 pounds of chocolate have gone into creating the creche which is 19 feet, 8 inches wide, 9 feet, 10 inches high and -- to the delight of chocoholics -- totally edible.
[17:06:58] <Ironside> Wow. Human's have a real talent for wasting time....and perfectly good chocolate
[17:07:18] <COSLeia> haha
[17:07:22] <Z_Archer> What's a 'Creche'?
[17:07:24] <COSLeia> well, they're going to set it up downtown and let people eat it
[17:07:31] <COSLeia> a nativity scene
[17:07:39] <COSLeia> I guess that's the French word for it
[17:07:44] <Z_Archer> Mmmmm. Sacrilicious.
[17:08:24] <Ironside> heh
[17:08:47] <Ironside> But will people be able to eat the baby jesus?
[17:09:00] <Z_Archer> Once he's broken into edible pieces, yes.
[17:09:14] <Ironside> LOL
[17:09:56] <Z_Archer> Being able to eat a baby-jesus sized chocolate... You'd have to be pretty confident about your weight.
[17:06:05] <COSLeia> Over 4,500 hours and 7,275 pounds of chocolate have gone into creating the creche which is 19 feet, 8 inches wide, 9 feet, 10 inches high and -- to the delight of chocoholics -- totally edible.
[17:06:58] <Ironside> Wow. Human's have a real talent for wasting time....and perfectly good chocolate
[17:07:18] <COSLeia> haha
[17:07:22] <Z_Archer> What's a 'Creche'?
[17:07:24] <COSLeia> well, they're going to set it up downtown and let people eat it
[17:07:31] <COSLeia> a nativity scene
[17:07:39] <COSLeia> I guess that's the French word for it
[17:07:44] <Z_Archer> Mmmmm. Sacrilicious.
[17:08:24] <Ironside> heh
[17:08:47] <Ironside> But will people be able to eat the baby jesus?
[17:09:00] <Z_Archer> Once he's broken into edible pieces, yes.
[17:09:14] <Ironside> LOL
[17:09:56] <Z_Archer> Being able to eat a baby-jesus sized chocolate... You'd have to be pretty confident about your weight.
Sunday, December 5, 2004
Calories, gingerbread, pictures, and an avalanche on Mt. Fuji
I've already eaten 2/3 of my calories for today! Those Marie Callender's pot pies are deadly!
I hope I can get some exercise at some point. Brooke will be here to do gingerbread houses soon, though, so I don't know when I can squeeze it in :/
(It looks like Mari and Wanda won't be able to make it. I don't want to give up on Mari, but...she's out with her mom. ;P)
Because I don't feel like making separate posts, I'm going to stick in some unrelated thoughts. (This is going to really annoy me later when I switch away from Blogger to software that allows me to use post categories, but whatever.)
First, here are the pictures from when I went biking with Brooke on Friday. They cover, essentially, the parts of the trail I didn't get pictures of on Thursday. I'm not going to go through them all right now and discuss them. Instead, I'll probably go back and add captions to them on smugmug later.
Second, there was a freak avalanche on Fujisan, but fortunately the nine people who were in the area were unhurt. I don't know, I just think it's interesting ;P Maybe because of Jeff Laitila's excursions on that mountain (please see "Mt. Fuji...A Testament to Pain" and "Mt Fuji saaaaan(of a bitch!)" for how Jeff achieved "blithering idiot" status).
Fin
I hope I can get some exercise at some point. Brooke will be here to do gingerbread houses soon, though, so I don't know when I can squeeze it in :/
(It looks like Mari and Wanda won't be able to make it. I don't want to give up on Mari, but...she's out with her mom. ;P)
Because I don't feel like making separate posts, I'm going to stick in some unrelated thoughts. (This is going to really annoy me later when I switch away from Blogger to software that allows me to use post categories, but whatever.)
First, here are the pictures from when I went biking with Brooke on Friday. They cover, essentially, the parts of the trail I didn't get pictures of on Thursday. I'm not going to go through them all right now and discuss them. Instead, I'll probably go back and add captions to them on smugmug later.
Second, there was a freak avalanche on Fujisan, but fortunately the nine people who were in the area were unhurt. I don't know, I just think it's interesting ;P Maybe because of Jeff Laitila's excursions on that mountain (please see "Mt. Fuji...A Testament to Pain" and "Mt Fuji saaaaan(of a bitch!)" for how Jeff achieved "blithering idiot" status).
Fin
Peh. Actors
Either Tom Hanks didn't realize how big a deal the remembrance ceremonies for the 60th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge were going to be, or he just figured that since he's Tom Hanks, he could wait until he felt like telling the Belgium tourist office he was coming, and let them do the work of finding him a place to stay.
Either way, the tourist office scrambled to find him a room, as all the hotels had been sold out for a year in advance.
I mean, maybe he didn't know he could fit it into his schedule until now, but it just annoys me. The tourist office wouldn't do all that work if I had called them up and said I wanted to come.
Either way, the tourist office scrambled to find him a room, as all the hotels had been sold out for a year in advance.
I mean, maybe he didn't know he could fit it into his schedule until now, but it just annoys me. The tourist office wouldn't do all that work if I had called them up and said I wanted to come.
Sooooooooooo tired
This morning I got up at some ridiculous hour, like 7:30 or something. I started doing laundry and getting supplies ready for tomorrow, which is Gingerbread House Building Day with Mari and Brooke (and maybe Wanda). I had to run out to Wal-Mart (joy, shopping at Wal-Mart in the Christmas season on a Saturday) for some baking supplies, and then I quickly put the leaf in the table, dumped all the supplies out on it, made and ate lunch, and folded the last load of laundry.
Sean and I spent the afternoon and evening at his parents' house, chatting with Cheryl and Reid and their guests, Grandma Flo and Mema and Papa Stan. Cheryl and I strung Christmas lights on the tree, and by the time we were finished everyone was starving. Reid went and got us all some Wife Saver. Unfortunately, Grandma Flo had to leave early (though her goodbye took about half an hour, as she stood at the door and continued chatting).
After Mema and Papa Stan left, Cheryl and I resumed work on the tree, and Reid popped in Hero. I missed a lot of the beginning due to hanging ornaments, but after awhile I was so intrigued that I just sat down and watched it, and only helped with the tree after it was over. It was a really neat movie.
Sean headed home first (we'd driven separately for this reason), and after finishing the tree and then going through Cheryl's closet to pick a couple of Santa statues to borrow for decorating the apartment, I followed suit.
I should have gone straight to bed, but instead I got out all my Christmas decorations and put most of them up. All that's left is to decorate the tree; it's in place and waiting for me, but I'm way too beat to deal with it right now.
Despite the fact that I feel like I could pass out at any moment, I'm happy :) It was a good day. I love Christmas :)
Sean and I spent the afternoon and evening at his parents' house, chatting with Cheryl and Reid and their guests, Grandma Flo and Mema and Papa Stan. Cheryl and I strung Christmas lights on the tree, and by the time we were finished everyone was starving. Reid went and got us all some Wife Saver. Unfortunately, Grandma Flo had to leave early (though her goodbye took about half an hour, as she stood at the door and continued chatting).
After Mema and Papa Stan left, Cheryl and I resumed work on the tree, and Reid popped in Hero. I missed a lot of the beginning due to hanging ornaments, but after awhile I was so intrigued that I just sat down and watched it, and only helped with the tree after it was over. It was a really neat movie.
Sean headed home first (we'd driven separately for this reason), and after finishing the tree and then going through Cheryl's closet to pick a couple of Santa statues to borrow for decorating the apartment, I followed suit.
I should have gone straight to bed, but instead I got out all my Christmas decorations and put most of them up. All that's left is to decorate the tree; it's in place and waiting for me, but I'm way too beat to deal with it right now.
Despite the fact that I feel like I could pass out at any moment, I'm happy :) It was a good day. I love Christmas :)
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