It occurred to me, as I was driving back from Wal-Mart feeling a little dizzy and in danger of falling asleep at any moment, that I'm kind of an all-or-nothing person.
On days when I "get stuff done", I tend to do a lot. Overdo it, my friends would say. And that might be true...but it makes up for the other days, the days when I don't seem to do anything.
I have always had trouble pacing myself. It shows in the procrastination-fueled all-nighters that characterized my college career. It shows in the way I started to run up a huge flight of stairs when I felt a renewed burst of energy during the hike through the temples on Hieizan, to which Todd and Jason each yelled his own version of, "Don't go so fast, you'll wear yourself out!" It shows in my cleaning habits, which are simply: when it starts to really annoy me, I scrub the hell out of it. (Don't be fooled by the cleanliness in these apartment photos. Sure, the place looks tidy. But it wasn't clean.)
I'm not sure if this is something I can change, or if it's just a part of who I am. But I think it does help to explain why I can't seem to meet my long-term goals.
To meet a goal, you have to work at it bit by bit. My most successful projects have been things I accomplished in one sitting, or at most a couple of days. Everyone always says that if you really want to accomplish a long term goal, you have to work a little bit at it every day. Every time I've tried to start a habit of doing that, with anything--be it exercise, or Japanese study, or writing a stupid novel--I've ultimately failed.
I'm starting to wonder, though, if I couldn't just change that to a weekly thing. Surely I can find a day every week to work a little on a long-term goal. And having seven days to do something takes a lot of the pressure off.
Of course, I might end up putting it all off until the very last day of the week...but at least then I could have six days to recover until the next time ;P
Saturday, December 31, 2005
Tired
I've kept myself pretty busy today. I got up at around 11 and immediately took my shower and performed my chore of cleaning the bathroom, exactly the way Cheryl does it. Hopefully I did it right ;P
After that I went to the Canal for some biking. There are pictures, but Sean's on a raid so I'll have to upload them later. There's also a really interesting story, but I don't feel like writing it right now :P
Suffice it to say that I rode all the way to Sibley Mill, cutting across the bridge at the green shed to stay on the Canal Trail and then going over the bridge at the Mill and heading back along Bartram Trail/the trail alongside the train tracks. In all, I rode 11.4 miles, and my odometer says it took me an hour and six minutes. It was actually longer than that, because I stopped many times for pictures and to relax. I'll get into details when I have the pictures uploaded.
My car decided to stall and then not start again in the parking lot, and not in a very convenient spot--I was at the bottom of the lot, turning to head up a lane, and I was going uphill. Cars had to maneuver a little to get around me, and I couldn't see a good place to roll the car to if it came to that. Fortunately, after I let the car sit for a few minutes it started again, and I was able to come home.
Gary was at the house when I arrived, and Steve was also over visiting. I asked Steve if I could put all the boxes we brought back from Kentucky in his spare room, and he said sure, so I set about doing that, starting with the stuff that was still in my car from my previous trip to Kentucky. While I worked, Cheryl, Reid, and Gary headed out, apparently to play pool. (They're still gone.)
It seemed like forever before I was finished with the majority of the boxes, and I was very tired. I'd lifted the box of dishes out of the SUV and put it in the garage before, but today I couldn't even get it off the ground. I guess all the biking wore me out. I asked Steve to help me...and he put the box on Reid's hand truck. (Duh!)
After that I took another shower, because I was really sweaty. Then I made "lunch", which at 5 pm was really more like dinner.
I have a few more things to do today. First I need to go to Wal-Mart and get supplies: TP, soap, bread, milk, etc. Then I need to do my second chore, which is dusting the guest bedroom (the room we currently live in). After that I should be good to go for Chris' party, which starts at 10. I'm planning to not dress like a hobo for the event. We'll see how successful I am.
In any case, I hope I can stay awake for everything!
After that I went to the Canal for some biking. There are pictures, but Sean's on a raid so I'll have to upload them later. There's also a really interesting story, but I don't feel like writing it right now :P
Suffice it to say that I rode all the way to Sibley Mill, cutting across the bridge at the green shed to stay on the Canal Trail and then going over the bridge at the Mill and heading back along Bartram Trail/the trail alongside the train tracks. In all, I rode 11.4 miles, and my odometer says it took me an hour and six minutes. It was actually longer than that, because I stopped many times for pictures and to relax. I'll get into details when I have the pictures uploaded.
My car decided to stall and then not start again in the parking lot, and not in a very convenient spot--I was at the bottom of the lot, turning to head up a lane, and I was going uphill. Cars had to maneuver a little to get around me, and I couldn't see a good place to roll the car to if it came to that. Fortunately, after I let the car sit for a few minutes it started again, and I was able to come home.
Gary was at the house when I arrived, and Steve was also over visiting. I asked Steve if I could put all the boxes we brought back from Kentucky in his spare room, and he said sure, so I set about doing that, starting with the stuff that was still in my car from my previous trip to Kentucky. While I worked, Cheryl, Reid, and Gary headed out, apparently to play pool. (They're still gone.)
It seemed like forever before I was finished with the majority of the boxes, and I was very tired. I'd lifted the box of dishes out of the SUV and put it in the garage before, but today I couldn't even get it off the ground. I guess all the biking wore me out. I asked Steve to help me...and he put the box on Reid's hand truck. (Duh!)
After that I took another shower, because I was really sweaty. Then I made "lunch", which at 5 pm was really more like dinner.
I have a few more things to do today. First I need to go to Wal-Mart and get supplies: TP, soap, bread, milk, etc. Then I need to do my second chore, which is dusting the guest bedroom (the room we currently live in). After that I should be good to go for Chris' party, which starts at 10. I'm planning to not dress like a hobo for the event. We'll see how successful I am.
In any case, I hope I can stay awake for everything!
Friday, December 30, 2005
Feeling accomplished
I've been working on a website for the past two days, and it is really coming together. It's purdy! The design is all CSS, which rules, but since the different browsers render CSS differently, I've had lots of fun testing in IE, Firefox, and Opera. (No idea how it will look in Safari...are there any other browsers I should know about?)
In any case, I've learned a lot about CSS in these two days, and hopefully I can use that information on future personal projects.
In any case, I've learned a lot about CSS in these two days, and hopefully I can use that information on future personal projects.
Million-dollar homepage
Have you seen this?
According to Reuters,
That's pretty nuts! And also pretty awesome.
According to Reuters,
...Alex Tew, a 21-year-old student from a small town in England, is cleverer than you. And he is proving it by earning a cool million dollars in four months on the Internet.Here's a screencap of what part of the site looks like right now:
Selling porn? Dealing prescription drugs? Nope. All he sells are pixels, the tiny dots on the screen that appear when you call up his home page.
He had the brainstorm for his million dollar home page, called, logically enough, www.milliondollarhomepage.com, while lying in bed thinking out how he would pay for university.
That's pretty nuts! And also pretty awesome.
Thursday, December 29, 2005
Some web stats
I just realized that I lost all my old logs, from before February of this year, because I had downloaded them and deleted them off my server to save space. ;P But anyway, I set up analog to run some regular reports, and here's what it spat out for the past few months:
0.47% of the requests were from Mom's IP address, meaning either Mom herself, or AJ at work. I'm not sure what AJ's IP is at home. A huge number, something like 3 or 4%, came from my own IP. Obviously I refresh my blog too much...but that still means I'm getting a fair number of other visitors.
Here are some interesting Google searches that led people to my posts:
People have come to my site 20 times via Derik (thanks man!). 22 people were linked to me from Dawn (thankies!). 23 people found me due to my self-linking in the Sushicam comments (yee!). Magazine Man has sent me 25 visitors (danke!). The Cynical Traveller steered 36 surfers in my direction (gracias dude!). Japundit is responsible for 62 visits (doumo!). Various image searches, based in several countries including the UK, Japan, and Italy, have scraped my filez. Google's Blogsearch has apparently resulted in 72 clicks, and I also seem to have come up in AOL Search and on ask.com (???).
My greatest referrer is myself, though :> People seem to click to other pages on my blog from individual posts quite a lot (I do it myself frequently). The post that led to the most internal clicks was this one, naturally, with a grand total of 46,597. I don't think those people stuck around very long, though.
| month: | reqs: | pages: |
| Sep 2005 | 5237 | 950 |
| Oct 2005 | 184709 | 48887 |
| Nov 2005 | 178097 | 35336 |
| Dec 2005 | 165351 | 36316 |
0.47% of the requests were from Mom's IP address, meaning either Mom herself, or AJ at work. I'm not sure what AJ's IP is at home. A huge number, something like 3 or 4%, came from my own IP. Obviously I refresh my blog too much...but that still means I'm getting a fair number of other visitors.
Here are some interesting Google searches that led people to my posts:
19: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=racist+quizSabembermoff!
19: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=tibetan+personality+test
16: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=postcard+virus&btnG=Google+Search
12: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=unseen+japan
11: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=sabembermoff&btnG=Google+Search
11: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=tibetan+personality+test&btnG=Google+Search
People have come to my site 20 times via Derik (thanks man!). 22 people were linked to me from Dawn (thankies!). 23 people found me due to my self-linking in the Sushicam comments (yee!). Magazine Man has sent me 25 visitors (danke!). The Cynical Traveller steered 36 surfers in my direction (gracias dude!). Japundit is responsible for 62 visits (doumo!). Various image searches, based in several countries including the UK, Japan, and Italy, have scraped my filez. Google's Blogsearch has apparently resulted in 72 clicks, and I also seem to have come up in AOL Search and on ask.com (???).
My greatest referrer is myself, though :> People seem to click to other pages on my blog from individual posts quite a lot (I do it myself frequently). The post that led to the most internal clicks was this one, naturally, with a grand total of 46,597. I don't think those people stuck around very long, though.
I have a job! Sort of! But not really!
Starting today I'm working full time at 2go-Box doing web design. I'm not sure how long the work will last, but I'm making good money, and it's very nice to get out of the house during the day.
Today went pretty well, actually; I like the design I came up with, and it should only need some tweaking and maybe the addition of some nice stock photos before it'll be ready to go. Then, of course, it'll be a matter of porting content over and building some web forms. Whee.
David made it to town safely; I saw him and Brooke last night at Fresh Market. It was my first time ever going there. I have to say that I like the place. It's got rather ambient lighting--when I first pulled up, I wondered if it was closed. They've got fresh meat and vegetables and a huge array of candy and spices and bottled stuff. It's just a neat place. They also do sushi, which I'll have to try sometime.
Today went pretty well, actually; I like the design I came up with, and it should only need some tweaking and maybe the addition of some nice stock photos before it'll be ready to go. Then, of course, it'll be a matter of porting content over and building some web forms. Whee.
David made it to town safely; I saw him and Brooke last night at Fresh Market. It was my first time ever going there. I have to say that I like the place. It's got rather ambient lighting--when I first pulled up, I wondered if it was closed. They've got fresh meat and vegetables and a huge array of candy and spices and bottled stuff. It's just a neat place. They also do sushi, which I'll have to try sometime.
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
America's Finest News Source
Topix.net sent me a story from the Onion today. :D
Public Outraged As Price Of Fast-Depleting, Non-Renewable Resource Skyrockets
Public Outraged As Price Of Fast-Depleting, Non-Renewable Resource Skyrockets
"America means having a right to cheap gas without having to say please," said Augusta, GA resident George Rizner, idling in his Hummer H2 in a protest near the Georgia State Capitol. "What are we supposed to do, walk?" Rizner then did doughnuts in a nearby parking ramp until his vehicle stalled.Well, I suppose the story does have Augusta in it!
...and we're back
Today and yesterday have been something of a whirlwind.
I got up at around 8:30 yesterday morning. (I seemed to be able to get up a lot earlier than usual while I was in Kentucky, probably because I was eager to do the things I had to do every day.) I read my webcomics and news and blogs and things, and then got ready for Uncle Jeff's visit. He and Mavis came by at around 10, and AJ and Faye brought Connor and Logan over and we all visited, except Sean, who hadn't been sleeping well the past few days and needed to get some extra rest for the drive.
Connor and Mavis and I played with his ESPN Sportscenter game for awhile, then played I Spy until finally it was time for Jeff and Mavis to leave. After they headed out I told Sean it was time to get up...but he was still very tired, so I decided to let him sleep. We'd packed up all the stuff from Aunt Carol and all the Christmas presents the night before, so really all that was left was to grab our clothes and toiletries and hit the road. I decided to visit Grandma by myself and then come back so Sean and I could leave. This gave Sean plenty of sleeping time, and he felt much better because of it.
At Grandma's, I was pleased to find that Gabrielle and her three boys were visiting. It was actually Joshua's birthday, so we sang to him and ate some cake. I hadn't seen Gabrielle in quite a while, so we sat at Grandma's table and talked for a long time. Uncle Steve came by and hung out as well.
Finally at around 3 I headed back to Mom and Dad's. Sean was up and in the shower by that time, so I set about packing up all the clothes and my computer. We hit the road at around 5:30.
Dad had suggested that we go south on 27 and cut across on 80 to get to 75, so we tried that. We actually ended up cutting across on 151 (or something like that) because there was a sign that said "to 75"...but that ended up being a 25 mile drive. Sean calculated that this way was actually longer than going north to Lexington and then turning around and going south again, but I don't know if I believe that. Regardless, it destroys fuel efficiency to be starting and stopping that much, so we probably won't do it again. It was pretty neat, though, to see the Christmas lights in Lancaster and the small towns along the way.
The ride was long, as usual. I faded in and out; having been up since the morning, I was rather tired. We stopped at Steak 'n Shake for dinner, both of us getting a double cheeseburger combo with an eggnog shake. Sean had bacon on his burger. It was sooo delicious...but I think I ate too fast, as I felt a little nauseated as we continued the drive.
After that we only had to stop once more a little ways outside Atlanta to get something to drink before finishing the drive. It was around midnight, and I went into the gas station to get the drinks, and this other customer was totally flirting with me. I didn't realize this at first. He said something about "I hope you have a lovely holiday," and I said, "You too!" in a pleased voice because I thought that was a nice thing for someone to say, and then as he was leaving he said something I didn't quite catch, so I said, "Good night!" and he said, "You won't tell me your name?"
Then I knew he was flirting. So I smiled at him, waved my rings, and said, "I'm married," which has been my typical getting-hit-on response.
After we made it home, we dragged most of our regular luggage into the house and fell into bed, leaving the boxes for this morning. We had to get up at 10 so we could unpack the SUV and get it back over to National/Alamo at the airport. Fortunately, we had no problem doing this. We then went to Sean's car to get the rest of his things out of it, and I took some pictures of the damage.
After that we had lunch at Arby's and ran a few more errands, and now finally we're back at the house relaxing (and doing laundry).
I had a great time on the trip to Kentucky :) Actually, I wish I was still there...
But we're home now, and I've got things to do, and David's visiting, and there's a party coming up, and life goes on.
I got up at around 8:30 yesterday morning. (I seemed to be able to get up a lot earlier than usual while I was in Kentucky, probably because I was eager to do the things I had to do every day.) I read my webcomics and news and blogs and things, and then got ready for Uncle Jeff's visit. He and Mavis came by at around 10, and AJ and Faye brought Connor and Logan over and we all visited, except Sean, who hadn't been sleeping well the past few days and needed to get some extra rest for the drive.
Connor and Mavis and I played with his ESPN Sportscenter game for awhile, then played I Spy until finally it was time for Jeff and Mavis to leave. After they headed out I told Sean it was time to get up...but he was still very tired, so I decided to let him sleep. We'd packed up all the stuff from Aunt Carol and all the Christmas presents the night before, so really all that was left was to grab our clothes and toiletries and hit the road. I decided to visit Grandma by myself and then come back so Sean and I could leave. This gave Sean plenty of sleeping time, and he felt much better because of it.
At Grandma's, I was pleased to find that Gabrielle and her three boys were visiting. It was actually Joshua's birthday, so we sang to him and ate some cake. I hadn't seen Gabrielle in quite a while, so we sat at Grandma's table and talked for a long time. Uncle Steve came by and hung out as well.
Finally at around 3 I headed back to Mom and Dad's. Sean was up and in the shower by that time, so I set about packing up all the clothes and my computer. We hit the road at around 5:30.
Dad had suggested that we go south on 27 and cut across on 80 to get to 75, so we tried that. We actually ended up cutting across on 151 (or something like that) because there was a sign that said "to 75"...but that ended up being a 25 mile drive. Sean calculated that this way was actually longer than going north to Lexington and then turning around and going south again, but I don't know if I believe that. Regardless, it destroys fuel efficiency to be starting and stopping that much, so we probably won't do it again. It was pretty neat, though, to see the Christmas lights in Lancaster and the small towns along the way.
The ride was long, as usual. I faded in and out; having been up since the morning, I was rather tired. We stopped at Steak 'n Shake for dinner, both of us getting a double cheeseburger combo with an eggnog shake. Sean had bacon on his burger. It was sooo delicious...but I think I ate too fast, as I felt a little nauseated as we continued the drive.
After that we only had to stop once more a little ways outside Atlanta to get something to drink before finishing the drive. It was around midnight, and I went into the gas station to get the drinks, and this other customer was totally flirting with me. I didn't realize this at first. He said something about "I hope you have a lovely holiday," and I said, "You too!" in a pleased voice because I thought that was a nice thing for someone to say, and then as he was leaving he said something I didn't quite catch, so I said, "Good night!" and he said, "You won't tell me your name?"
Then I knew he was flirting. So I smiled at him, waved my rings, and said, "I'm married," which has been my typical getting-hit-on response.
After we made it home, we dragged most of our regular luggage into the house and fell into bed, leaving the boxes for this morning. We had to get up at 10 so we could unpack the SUV and get it back over to National/Alamo at the airport. Fortunately, we had no problem doing this. We then went to Sean's car to get the rest of his things out of it, and I took some pictures of the damage.
After that we had lunch at Arby's and ran a few more errands, and now finally we're back at the house relaxing (and doing laundry).
I had a great time on the trip to Kentucky :) Actually, I wish I was still there...
But we're home now, and I've got things to do, and David's visiting, and there's a party coming up, and life goes on.
Monday, December 26, 2005
Mmmm
Tonight Sean and I went out to eat at Nagasaki Inn on Redding Road. They have hibachi tables and regular tables, and a huge menu. We were going to have hibachi until we saw the prices; we decided if we were going to spend that much we might as well have sushi.
I hadway too much food miso soup; salad with ginger dressing; Maguro Yamakake, raw tuna in a paste of mountain yam (the tuna was excellent and the yam was gloopy and almost tasteless, resulting in a very interesting and somewhat refreshing sensation); katsudon; a piece each of unagi and salmon nigiri; and hot tea. Sean had miso soup, a shrimp tempura appetizer, two Philly rolls, a roll with shrimp and crab meat covered in roe, and a coke.
After all that incredibly delicious food, I wanted some red bean ice cream to soothe my palate. Imagine my surprise when a parfait/sundae concoction arrived: red bean ice cream, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, cashews, raisins, and chocolate-dipped pretzels. Boy oh boy was it good. Sean loved it too.
We stopped by Hibari Market next door briefly before dinner, and I picked up two packages of Golden Curry, as I can never seem to find it in Augusta. (I think the only place that carried it was Winn-Dixie, which of course is gone now.)
I had
After all that incredibly delicious food, I wanted some red bean ice cream to soothe my palate. Imagine my surprise when a parfait/sundae concoction arrived: red bean ice cream, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, cashews, raisins, and chocolate-dipped pretzels. Boy oh boy was it good. Sean loved it too.
We stopped by Hibari Market next door briefly before dinner, and I picked up two packages of Golden Curry, as I can never seem to find it in Augusta. (I think the only place that carried it was Winn-Dixie, which of course is gone now.)
A lazy day
Today, I was supposed to look through boxes of stuff sent to me from my aunt Carol, but I didn't. Instead, I spent some time on the computer, and ate a delicious turkey and cranberry sauce sandwich Mom made. Then I showered, and then I played pool with Dad. After that I watched a bunch of Smallville with Sean, and then I went over to play with Connor and Logan before bedtime. After that I went to Ben and Manda's and forced them to watch Kyou Kara Maou. (Ben said it was "interesting" and "different". Not really a resounding endorsement...however, he did have a lot of fun repeating Japanese phrases, such as "Maken da te?! Now I know what to say if I'm ever in Japan and someone gives me a demon sword.") We watched the first 7 episodes (the beginning and the Morgif arc), and then episodes 45 and 42, just because they're two of my favorites.
And now I'm home. If I'm not too tired, maybe Sean and I will watch more Smallville. We'll see.
Oh, I didn't manage to get a family portrait like I was hoping, but I did get some representative Christmas shots yesterday. They start here in the December gallery. Check out this picture Mom took of me and Sean! I cropped it and adjusted the color levels.
Mom says we look cute together, but then again she's biased ;>
I think we're visiting Grandma tomorrow. I'm not sure if we will get to see Jeff and Mavis after all; it sounds like they're not coming in until Tuesday, and Sean isn't the type to stop on his way out of town :/
The visit is almost over. I'm not really looking forward to going home. We've decided to stay with Cheryl and Reid for another six months, like they offered. Originally we were planning to hurry up and get a rental instead. Having looked over our finances, though, it's really prudent to just stay and save our money. Sean's car is considered a loss by the insurance company, so very soon we'll have a new payment to deal with. Bleh. At least the insurance payout was a decent sum...
And now I'm home. If I'm not too tired, maybe Sean and I will watch more Smallville. We'll see.
Oh, I didn't manage to get a family portrait like I was hoping, but I did get some representative Christmas shots yesterday. They start here in the December gallery. Check out this picture Mom took of me and Sean! I cropped it and adjusted the color levels.
Mom says we look cute together, but then again she's biased ;>
I think we're visiting Grandma tomorrow. I'm not sure if we will get to see Jeff and Mavis after all; it sounds like they're not coming in until Tuesday, and Sean isn't the type to stop on his way out of town :/
The visit is almost over. I'm not really looking forward to going home. We've decided to stay with Cheryl and Reid for another six months, like they offered. Originally we were planning to hurry up and get a rental instead. Having looked over our finances, though, it's really prudent to just stay and save our money. Sean's car is considered a loss by the insurance company, so very soon we'll have a new payment to deal with. Bleh. At least the insurance payout was a decent sum...
Sunday, December 25, 2005
Seven Deadly Sins
| Greed: | Medium | |
| Gluttony: | Medium | |
| Wrath: | Very Low | |
| Sloth: | High | |
| Envy: | Medium | |
| Lust: | Medium | |
| Pride: | Very Low |
I don't know about that pride bit :>
The Gang of Four
Because...why not. (via Miss Em)
Four jobs you've had in your life
Coming to America, The Wedding Singer, Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (actually it's been many years since I saw this movie, but I know I would watch it over and over if I could), and The Fifth Element. Basically if a movie has a lot of substance, it takes me awhile before I can watch it again. But simple, well-done stories are infinitely rewatchable. For me these are mainly comedies, romantic comedies, and action flicks.
Four places you've lived
Err...I haven't lived in four places, unless you count those three weeks in Yatsushiro, Japan ;P The other places are Nicholasville, Kentucky, Huntsville, Alabama, and Augusta, Georgia.
Four TV shows you love to watch
Kyou Kara Maou!, Smallville, Friends, and lately Hana Yori Dango live action, though I'm afraid it might be over at just 9 episodes :/ (I'll know soon enough...)
Four Places You've Been on Vacation
Chicago (when I was a kid), Disney World (junior year of high school), Japan (2003), and Boston (2004).
Four Websites You Visit Daily
Bloglines, to read all my subscriptions (see Blogroll)
MSN.com, because it's my homepage
General Protection Fault, because it updates daily unlike many of the webcomics I read; this does not mean I like it better, however (right now I'm obsessed with Girl Genius)
Four of Your Favorite Foods
Unagidon, hamburgers, General Tso's chicken, Christmas cookies
Four places you'd rather be
Well, right now I'm at my parents' house, and I don't really want to be anywhere else. But in general, I'd rather be: in my own house; anywhere in Japan; in college; anywhere in the world on vacation.
Man, I'm in the mood to answer more questions! Ah well :)
Four jobs you've had in your life
- Sheet Music Salesperson: This was the second job I ever had, after my week and a half stint at Wal-Mart. I had a strong work ethic and was able to snag a 10 cent raise after a month or so, bringing my salary up from a pathetic $5.15/hr to a whole $5.25. Go me! This job was interrupted by cancer. I'd been working there maybe a month or two before I got sick, and then I was out for several months, and I finally came back for a month when I got well, but then I got the next job:Stereo Compiler: This is the most interesting one, except that it's boring--you trace maps in three dimensions from aerial photography. I had it figured out in a month and was one of the fastest workers after that, but I got so bored! This was also my second highest paying job to date.Night Desk Clerk: I'm sorry to say that this is still my favorite job. I sat around playing on the Internet all night in the UK dorms and got paid for it. (More, I might add, than I got selling sheet music.)Data Entry/Receptionist/Page Designer/Dispatcher/Shipping Coordinator/Product and Service Researcher/Web Designer/Email Newsletter Designer/Copywriter and Editor/Customer Service Representative: So yeah, I did a lot at that restaurant delivery service. You can see why I have trouble characterizing the position. Usually I just go with "Administrative Assistant". In any case, I was bored less in this job than any other.
Coming to America, The Wedding Singer, Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (actually it's been many years since I saw this movie, but I know I would watch it over and over if I could), and The Fifth Element. Basically if a movie has a lot of substance, it takes me awhile before I can watch it again. But simple, well-done stories are infinitely rewatchable. For me these are mainly comedies, romantic comedies, and action flicks.
Four places you've lived
Err...I haven't lived in four places, unless you count those three weeks in Yatsushiro, Japan ;P The other places are Nicholasville, Kentucky, Huntsville, Alabama, and Augusta, Georgia.
Four TV shows you love to watch
Kyou Kara Maou!, Smallville, Friends, and lately Hana Yori Dango live action, though I'm afraid it might be over at just 9 episodes :/ (I'll know soon enough...)
Four Places You've Been on Vacation
Chicago (when I was a kid), Disney World (junior year of high school), Japan (2003), and Boston (2004).
Four Websites You Visit Daily
Bloglines, to read all my subscriptions (see Blogroll)
MSN.com, because it's my homepage
General Protection Fault, because it updates daily unlike many of the webcomics I read; this does not mean I like it better, however (right now I'm obsessed with Girl Genius)
Four of Your Favorite Foods
Unagidon, hamburgers, General Tso's chicken, Christmas cookies
Four places you'd rather be
Well, right now I'm at my parents' house, and I don't really want to be anywhere else. But in general, I'd rather be: in my own house; anywhere in Japan; in college; anywhere in the world on vacation.
Man, I'm in the mood to answer more questions! Ah well :)
Saturday, December 24, 2005
Christmas
I made a cute little gingerbread man yesterday:
And today I decorated the living room and dining room and got them ready for presents and dinner.
Christmas is so much fun :) I love how nice the living room and dining room look. The pictures don't really do them justice.
I'm hoping to take some family portrait-style photos this time around. Sean's wearing a nice outfit he got from his parents for Christmas. Now it will just be a matter of getting everyone to stand in approximately the same place for a few minutes...!
And today I decorated the living room and dining room and got them ready for presents and dinner.
Christmas is so much fun :) I love how nice the living room and dining room look. The pictures don't really do them justice.
I'm hoping to take some family portrait-style photos this time around. Sean's wearing a nice outfit he got from his parents for Christmas. Now it will just be a matter of getting everyone to stand in approximately the same place for a few minutes...!
Gingerbread tragedy
Yesterday Mom cut out and baked the pieces to a gingerbread house, and we put it together and did a little decorating with Manda and Connor.
However, all was not quite right with the gingerbread, and today, when Mom and I put the roof on...
As I said to Uncle Steve on the phone, "Yeah, I guess it'll fall apart and we'll have to eat it. Darn!"
However, all was not quite right with the gingerbread, and today, when Mom and I put the roof on...
As I said to Uncle Steve on the phone, "Yeah, I guess it'll fall apart and we'll have to eat it. Darn!"
Friday, December 23, 2005
We're here
We got here at around 3:30 this morning, safe and sound. The Plymouth Torrent we rented handles well and rides comfortably, though it would have been nice to have better shocks (or something) during the more bumpy parts of the trip. I-75 was (as always) under construction, but the biggest delay we had was a huge backup on I-20 not too far from Augusta; Sean guessed that a tractor trailer had rolled, but we never actually saw what had caused the slowdown.
Before we left I made lunch out of last night's Christmas dinner leftovers: roast beef sandwiches from the roast, potato pancakes from the mashed potatoes, and peas on the side (which Sean didn't eat). It was pretty good. For dinner we stopped at a Taco Bell just on the north side of Atlanta, and I tried the spicy chicken burritos and the fiesta potatoes. They were delicious!
We filled up at Sean's default truck stop, a huge BP at the Ooltewah exit in Tennessee, and had our last bathroom break of the trip. Then we rode for about four and a half more hours, until finally we made it to Lexington.
Coming in to Nicholasville, Sean was as surprised as I was last time to see the ginormous Lowe's that has opened up on 165. "That's terrible," he said. Convenient for Mom, though, I suppose :>
Everyone was, as expected, asleep when we got here. We dragged in our things and got settled (I like to have everything just so), and finally fell into bed.
This morning I got up at around 10. I spent the morning in my new pajamas (a Christmas present from Cheryl and Reid), finishing wrapping my cookie-presents for everyone and putting them under the tree, then cleaning up the kitchen for Mom. AJ came over to get some work done and then went to run errands, and I finally took my shower and got dressed.
Grandma and Uncle Steve are coming by later to visit, though they said they wouldn't stay for dinner. I have cookies for both of them; their cards, unfortunately, are in the mail, and I have no idea when they will arrive. (Probably next Tuesday ;P) Tonight we're having Uncle Steve's chili, cornbread, and chips.
Christmas gift exchange with the brothers and their families will be tomorrow, and tomorrow will also be the big family dinner. We're having turkey and beef roast, whipped potatoes, sausage balls, corn casserole, broccoli casserole, cheesecake, etc. All the girls are bringing a dish or two. (Obviously, I'm making the corn casserole...)
Christmas Day, everyone will spend Christmas at their own homes (and Santa will visit Connor and Logan).
On the 26th, I should be seeing my Uncle Jeff and his girlfriend Mavis, who now live in South Carolina. I haven't met Mavis yet, so that will be nice. (Their card is also in the mail!)
And on the 27th, we'll be driving home. Back to the grind. :>
Merry Christmas :)
Before we left I made lunch out of last night's Christmas dinner leftovers: roast beef sandwiches from the roast, potato pancakes from the mashed potatoes, and peas on the side (which Sean didn't eat). It was pretty good. For dinner we stopped at a Taco Bell just on the north side of Atlanta, and I tried the spicy chicken burritos and the fiesta potatoes. They were delicious!
We filled up at Sean's default truck stop, a huge BP at the Ooltewah exit in Tennessee, and had our last bathroom break of the trip. Then we rode for about four and a half more hours, until finally we made it to Lexington.
Coming in to Nicholasville, Sean was as surprised as I was last time to see the ginormous Lowe's that has opened up on 165. "That's terrible," he said. Convenient for Mom, though, I suppose :>
Everyone was, as expected, asleep when we got here. We dragged in our things and got settled (I like to have everything just so), and finally fell into bed.
This morning I got up at around 10. I spent the morning in my new pajamas (a Christmas present from Cheryl and Reid), finishing wrapping my cookie-presents for everyone and putting them under the tree, then cleaning up the kitchen for Mom. AJ came over to get some work done and then went to run errands, and I finally took my shower and got dressed.
Grandma and Uncle Steve are coming by later to visit, though they said they wouldn't stay for dinner. I have cookies for both of them; their cards, unfortunately, are in the mail, and I have no idea when they will arrive. (Probably next Tuesday ;P) Tonight we're having Uncle Steve's chili, cornbread, and chips.
Christmas gift exchange with the brothers and their families will be tomorrow, and tomorrow will also be the big family dinner. We're having turkey and beef roast, whipped potatoes, sausage balls, corn casserole, broccoli casserole, cheesecake, etc. All the girls are bringing a dish or two. (Obviously, I'm making the corn casserole...)
Christmas Day, everyone will spend Christmas at their own homes (and Santa will visit Connor and Logan).
On the 26th, I should be seeing my Uncle Jeff and his girlfriend Mavis, who now live in South Carolina. I haven't met Mavis yet, so that will be nice. (Their card is also in the mail!)
And on the 27th, we'll be driving home. Back to the grind. :>
Merry Christmas :)
Thursday, December 22, 2005
Kentucky bound
We're leaving tonight for Kentucky, to spend Christmas with my family. We'll be taking a rental SUV. Whee!
I'm packing up the computer now, so I won't be back online until sometime after we arrive. Have a good one!
I'm packing up the computer now, so I won't be back online until sometime after we arrive. Have a good one!
Lake Cumberland cliff-climbing
They say memory of childhood events sharpens with age. I hope that's the case for me, because there are a lot of stories from back then that I'd like to tell, but I don't have enough detail to flesh them out over more than a few paragraphs.
Right now I'm thinking of the time Dad took us kids to his Uncle Lewis' place on Lake Cumberland, and we climbed a cliff. I actually wrote about it once, for my Advanced Writing class back at UK I believe, but I don't think any copies of that story exist anymore.
We were down on the beach, probably looking for fossils, arrowheads or driftwood--the beach there was pretty much all rock, though there were places that had sand. Beyond the flatter area near the water there was a rough incline of slate and limestone and shale (I think), stone that broke easily and therefore had a few layers of half inch thick, roughly round rocks piled on its surface.
There was a trail, of course; that was how we'd gotten down to the beach. But Dad knew that Uncle Lewis' place was atop that ridge, and he decided he wanted to climb it.
That meant that all three of us kids had to climb it too.
I was the oldest, but I was also scared. If we slipped from the cliff, we'd tumble back down onto nothing but rocks. Our dog, Misho, a beautiful Belgian Malanois who was smarter than Lassie, was with us, and obviously he couldn't climb the cliff. I knew he could find his way back by himself, but I said "What about Misho?" anyway, in the hopes that Dad would give up on climbing the cliff.
"He'll meet us up top," or something like that, was Dad's only response. I considered going with Misho...but I was a very obedient child. In my gut I knew that climbing the cliff was the wrong thing to do, but here was my father telling me to do it.
So I gazed longingly after Misho as he bounded off towards the woods, and then I did as Dad said.
He had us climb up ahead of him, so he could help us along. This was good, because there was hardly anything to hold onto, and the flat rocks kept slipping underfoot. Every now and then a scrawny plant clung to the cliffside, but for the most part there was nothing but stone. Often as we climbed Dad would prop his hand under our feet or bottoms to give us leverage. I to this day am not sure what he was holding onto.
I don't remember much about the climb. I know that it took a long time, and that it was difficult, and that I kept imagining tumbling down the hill and smashing down onto the rocks below and wishing that the water was closer so it might cushion the fall a little. And I remember a particularly long, ratty weed that I grabbed onto near the top; the cliff was much steeper at that point, and this weed helped me get up past the rocks and into the forested area near the top of the incline. Once I was there it was easy to climb through the woods the rest of the way to Uncle Lewis'. In fact, AJ and I got through that part so quickly that we then had to wait quite some time for Ben and Dad to catch up, and I paced around Uncle Lewis' front yard terrified that they'd fallen.
That is really all I can remember. I don't remember if Misho was there when we got to the top or if he showed up later; I don't remember where Uncle Lewis was during all this; I don't remember much from when Dad and Ben finally arrived, other than my intense relief.
Confounding my Lake Cumberland memories is the fact that I used to have a lot of dreams that took place there, including a very vivid falling dream. I have a memory of actually sliding down a cliff face atop those loose rocks, all the way to the bottom, and that may have actually happened, but I can't be sure that it wasn't just another dream.
I hope someday I'm able to see the events of my childhood in greater detail.
Right now I'm thinking of the time Dad took us kids to his Uncle Lewis' place on Lake Cumberland, and we climbed a cliff. I actually wrote about it once, for my Advanced Writing class back at UK I believe, but I don't think any copies of that story exist anymore.
We were down on the beach, probably looking for fossils, arrowheads or driftwood--the beach there was pretty much all rock, though there were places that had sand. Beyond the flatter area near the water there was a rough incline of slate and limestone and shale (I think), stone that broke easily and therefore had a few layers of half inch thick, roughly round rocks piled on its surface.
There was a trail, of course; that was how we'd gotten down to the beach. But Dad knew that Uncle Lewis' place was atop that ridge, and he decided he wanted to climb it.
That meant that all three of us kids had to climb it too.
I was the oldest, but I was also scared. If we slipped from the cliff, we'd tumble back down onto nothing but rocks. Our dog, Misho, a beautiful Belgian Malanois who was smarter than Lassie, was with us, and obviously he couldn't climb the cliff. I knew he could find his way back by himself, but I said "What about Misho?" anyway, in the hopes that Dad would give up on climbing the cliff.
"He'll meet us up top," or something like that, was Dad's only response. I considered going with Misho...but I was a very obedient child. In my gut I knew that climbing the cliff was the wrong thing to do, but here was my father telling me to do it.
So I gazed longingly after Misho as he bounded off towards the woods, and then I did as Dad said.
He had us climb up ahead of him, so he could help us along. This was good, because there was hardly anything to hold onto, and the flat rocks kept slipping underfoot. Every now and then a scrawny plant clung to the cliffside, but for the most part there was nothing but stone. Often as we climbed Dad would prop his hand under our feet or bottoms to give us leverage. I to this day am not sure what he was holding onto.
I don't remember much about the climb. I know that it took a long time, and that it was difficult, and that I kept imagining tumbling down the hill and smashing down onto the rocks below and wishing that the water was closer so it might cushion the fall a little. And I remember a particularly long, ratty weed that I grabbed onto near the top; the cliff was much steeper at that point, and this weed helped me get up past the rocks and into the forested area near the top of the incline. Once I was there it was easy to climb through the woods the rest of the way to Uncle Lewis'. In fact, AJ and I got through that part so quickly that we then had to wait quite some time for Ben and Dad to catch up, and I paced around Uncle Lewis' front yard terrified that they'd fallen.
That is really all I can remember. I don't remember if Misho was there when we got to the top or if he showed up later; I don't remember where Uncle Lewis was during all this; I don't remember much from when Dad and Ben finally arrived, other than my intense relief.
Confounding my Lake Cumberland memories is the fact that I used to have a lot of dreams that took place there, including a very vivid falling dream. I have a memory of actually sliding down a cliff face atop those loose rocks, all the way to the bottom, and that may have actually happened, but I can't be sure that it wasn't just another dream.
I hope someday I'm able to see the events of my childhood in greater detail.
Sound familiar?
Asahi.com: Bill to ban large commercial complexes from opening in suburban areas
It'll be interesting to see if this anti-Wal-Mart bill passes, and if so what kind of effect it will have on Japan. Obviously we never had anything like that here; the deserted downtown area lined with empty storefronts is a common image in the US.
Sparking howls of protests from the retail industry, the government and ruling coalition decided Wednesday to ban commercial complexes with a floor space exceeding 10,000 square meters from opening in suburban areas.That last bit is a little whack, but at least hospitals and schools aren't banned entirely from the suburbs.
The planned bill to revise the City Planning Law would force, in principle, large commercial facilities, such as supermarkets, restaurants, movie theaters and entertainment complexes, to open only in commercial and other designated districts of urban areas.
[...]
Some retailers' strategies for survival hinge on large shopping centers in suburban areas, where land is cheaper, ample space can be secured for parking lots, and a single complex can attract hordes of customers.
[...]
However, local shopping districts in urban areas are now suffering from a phenomenon known as "shutter streets." Store operators have been forced to close down as consumers increasingly spend their money in suburban shopping malls.
But after the revision, operators will be banned from opening huge outlets in suburban areas unless municipal governments redefine the purposes of such locations.
Special exemptions that have endorsed large-scale development projects in suburban areas with development plans will also be scrapped.
Public facilities, such as hospitals and schools, will also be required to obtain permission before relocating to the suburbs.
It'll be interesting to see if this anti-Wal-Mart bill passes, and if so what kind of effect it will have on Japan. Obviously we never had anything like that here; the deserted downtown area lined with empty storefronts is a common image in the US.
Ditto
I just saw this quote in an article on CNN, and it seemed weird to me:
Senate Republicans said they expected the House to approve a $493 billion defense spending bill -- shorn of the ANWR provision -- on Thursday. Ditto for the Patriot Act extension.Is "ditto for" an approved AP Style phrase? (I'd check, but...you know.)
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Hitting us while we're down
Sean was in a car accident today. Thankfully, he is fine.
The car took a lot of damage, though. It's currently over at the Toyota dealer. The radiator was damaged, so the car might be a total loss. We don't know yet.
Fortunately, insurance will mostly pay for a rental car, so we should still be able to go to Kentucky as planned.
Here's some irony for you. Sean used to have this bad habit of never answering his cell phone. He'd leave it in the bedroom and stay in the office and never hear it ring. I always used to think, "What if I get in a car wreck or something and I can't get a hold of him?"
Well, guess what?
I'm not sure exactly what I was doing when he called me four times, but I didn't even notice I had missed any calls until hours later in Wal-Mart.
The car took a lot of damage, though. It's currently over at the Toyota dealer. The radiator was damaged, so the car might be a total loss. We don't know yet.
Fortunately, insurance will mostly pay for a rental car, so we should still be able to go to Kentucky as planned.
Here's some irony for you. Sean used to have this bad habit of never answering his cell phone. He'd leave it in the bedroom and stay in the office and never hear it ring. I always used to think, "What if I get in a car wreck or something and I can't get a hold of him?"
Well, guess what?
I'm not sure exactly what I was doing when he called me four times, but I didn't even notice I had missed any calls until hours later in Wal-Mart.
Four-lane expansion for US 68 in KY
A new $20 million four-lane road will be built from just south of Southland Christian Church to just north of the Y intersection of U.S. 68 and Ky. 29 near Wilmore.The expansion should mean four lanes all the way from Lexington to Wilmore, I believe, as I'm pretty sure the construction they've already done has made it four lane up to Southland Christian.
Project Manager Keith Caudill said the District 7 Office is in the process of getting an appraiser to evaluate properties along the intended route for the new four-lane road.
"We're hoping by the spring of 2006 to start the right-of-way acquisition process," Caudill said.
The real reason this article was written was because they've dug up some fascinating historical artifacts from a slaveowner's home along the route.
The two-room house was owned by Mason Barkley, a hemp farmer who owned about 25 slaves, said Susan Andrews, project manager for AMEC Earth and Environmental.It's a really amazing find. The artifacts will probably be kept and studied by the University of Kentucky. It's too bad they can't just transplant the whole site and set it up as a museum!
The dig has peeled back earth to find evidence of a stone hearth where there was once a chimney. Bigger stones are pier stones where wood members were laid.
Another structure revealed by the dig is a detached kitchen and slave house from the 1840s. There is evidence of a stone cellar, and you can still see the stone steps that went down into the cellar.
Around the time of the Civil War, the shed was demolished and the cellar was filled, and a kitchen with a chimney was built onto the main house, Andrews said.
The site also has the remains of two kilns where clay bricks were made. Bricks were found in straight, neat rows.
Clay and water would be mixed and then the bricks would be formed by hand, Andrews said. They were thoroughly dried, stacked and then covered by a clay chamber. Then they would be burned for three days, and after the fire died down, the bricks were allowed to cool.
"A lot of big farms would make their own bricks," Andrews said. She is aware of only two similar kilns being dug up in the state.
Household artifacts have been found at the Jessamine site as well.
"We've found beads and jewelry, some of the things that have fallen through the floor," Andrews said. "We found pierced brass disks, which is something found a lot near houses occupied by slaves. We found hand-formed pipes, smoking pipes, lots of smoking pipes, actually.
"We've found broken dishes and glasses and bottles and buttons. In that cellar we found a huge part of a bone that might have been an ox. They must have had oxen up here and slaughtered one."
The site might add more information about slaves in Kentucky, Andrews said.
"There's not much known about how slaves actually lived, especially in the Upland south of Tennessee, Kentucky and West Virginia, because they lived differently than down South, where they had hundreds of slaves living on a plantation. Slaves didn't write, and most of the history was written by well-to-do white men, and you get a certain bias with well-to-do white men."
But before you go growling at the US 68 expansion for destroying a historical landmark, read this:
Parts of the existing two-lane U.S. 68 will remain as a service road and a bike path.Bike path!!!!! See, that makes it all okay ;>
Blogs as trial evidence
You need to be careful when writing those tell-all stories on your blog...the police may be reading.
I think a lot about the fact that blogs are public, and that you never know who is reading. This issue seems to come up a lot. I think a lot of younger writers don't consider the impact of what they write.
For example, you'll see a lot of younger people writing long diatribes about why they're mad at their friends...and they'll mention the friend by name or nickname, as if the blog's contents were somehow inaccessible to that person, or perhaps in an attempt to make the person see how angry the writer is. These standard and completely understandable teenage displays of anger and frustration can be very dangerous in a blog setting. With who knows who out there reading, the things you say could have a permanent impact on your or someone else's life.
And what happens when someone gets mad at someone else, and decides to lie about them on a blog in order to get them into trouble? I can't believe it hasn't already happened, somewhere.
Hopefully, blogs, like other Internet communications, will ride the crest of newness and become more stable, and "unwritten rules" will become widely accepted, just like they have for forums and chat rooms. Until then, though, I expect to see a lot more stories like this one...
Blake [Ranking] was sitting in the back seat as he and then-17-year-old friends Jason Coker and Nicole Robinette left a party when he pulled the steering wheel as a prank, causing the car to somersault off the road.(Losing control of your inhibitions is dangerous. If you're going to get drunk/stoned/whatever, do it in the relative safety of your own home.)
His blood alcohol content after the crash measured 0.185, more than double the legal limit.
Robinette, who was driving and had no traces of drugs or alcohol in her system, was seriously injured. Coker lay in a coma at Orlando Regional Medical Center until he died Jan. 11.
"It was me who caused it. I turned the wheel. I turned the wheel that sent us off the road, into the concrete drain ..." Ranking wrote in the blog. "How can I be fine when everyone else is so messed up?"
Ranking later retracted his words, deleting them from the blog and penning an explanation.
"People say I 'contradict' myself since I 'already admitting pulling the wheel.' I didn't 'ADMIT' anything. I went on a guilt trip, and I posted the story that I WAS TOLD . . . Nicole told me I pulled the wheel, I believed her," he wrote.
Still, the confession forced him to lead guilty Monday to manslaughter charges. He could have gotten 15 years in prison, but defense lawyer John Spivey and Assistant State Attorney Julie Greenberg recommended five years in prison, 10 years of probation and a permanent license suspension.
I think a lot about the fact that blogs are public, and that you never know who is reading. This issue seems to come up a lot. I think a lot of younger writers don't consider the impact of what they write.
For example, you'll see a lot of younger people writing long diatribes about why they're mad at their friends...and they'll mention the friend by name or nickname, as if the blog's contents were somehow inaccessible to that person, or perhaps in an attempt to make the person see how angry the writer is. These standard and completely understandable teenage displays of anger and frustration can be very dangerous in a blog setting. With who knows who out there reading, the things you say could have a permanent impact on your or someone else's life.
And what happens when someone gets mad at someone else, and decides to lie about them on a blog in order to get them into trouble? I can't believe it hasn't already happened, somewhere.
Hopefully, blogs, like other Internet communications, will ride the crest of newness and become more stable, and "unwritten rules" will become widely accepted, just like they have for forums and chat rooms. Until then, though, I expect to see a lot more stories like this one...
Cooking club!
I have wanted to start a cooking club for some time now, but I've never really done anything about it. "Wine@MSN.com" (whatever) has an article about the phenomenon, and their findings on what makes for a successful coterie of cuisine. Here's their list:
Friends? Romans? Countrymen? Interested in giving it a go?Choose members carefully. Successful cooking groups recommend six to 12 people per club, be it friends, co-workers, couples, singles or a heady mix of all. The only prerequisites are culinary enthusiasm and regular participation (although extra points are given for dishwasher ownership).
Pick a consistent time. For most, once a month is frequent enough to be regular without feeling like a chore. Sundays often work best for nine-to-fivers because it interferes less with other weekend plans.
Plan meetings around a theme. Themes such as sexy Spanish foods or Mardi Gras are festive, get members excited to cook and ensure that the dishes will work together. Plan menus and courses ahead of time, a lesson the Cooking Club learned after their first session yielded what Singer calls a "catastrophic menu" of pumpkin bisque, couscous and olive ravioli. From then on, a groupwide e-mail was sent to coordinate menu options and avoid future fusion confusion.
Meet at the entree-maker's home. This is purely a matter of convenience -- lugging a 10-pound roast around is just no fun.
Prepare assigned dishes in advance. Every member should contribute one dish; however, eight people cooking eight different dishes in one kitchen is a recipe for disaster. Have members do everything but last-minute assembly at home. Cooking independently will help develop confidence and, after all, it's enjoying the results en masse that's important.
Celebrate successes and chalk up blunders to experience. Remember, the object is to have fun — make that your group's mantra. Tempers can boil over in the kitchen and egos can bruise like an overripe peach. Mutual regard and support is what will keep your club cooking month after month.
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Holy cow
I spent pretty much all day working on AMRN stuff. Can you believe it?
It's been quite some time since I put so much energy into the AMRN. And now here I am refreshing the boards every few minutes like a ninny :) It's just like the good old days.
I accidentally deleted the entire GenDis earlier, but fortunately Google had a cache of the nice bit of writing I'd left there, so I saved it to my hard drive. :>
It's been quite some time since I put so much energy into the AMRN. And now here I am refreshing the boards every few minutes like a ninny :) It's just like the good old days.
I accidentally deleted the entire GenDis earlier, but fortunately Google had a cache of the nice bit of writing I'd left there, so I saved it to my hard drive. :>
Insomnia? Plus, some healthy eating tips
I woke up at 5 am, and lay in bed for fifteen minutes before giving in and getting up. This is similar to Sunday; my body has just decided that it's time to be awake, period. Kinda cool, as this hasn't happened to me in quite some time, but kinda weird, for the same reason...and also because I don't have anything particularly exciting to do today.
I do have a freelance project, though, so I'll work on that.
But first, of course, I've been reading news and blogs. And here's something interesting. There's some place(?) called Remuda Ranch that believes that labeling foods as forbidden actually causes us to eat more of them than we would normally. I think this makes a lot of sense. We always tend to want something we can't have more than something we can have every day, don't we? And so the article lists some good guidelines for eating, which I'll reproduce here just in case.
Now that I'm done with my Bloglines subscriptions, it's time for webcomics!
I do have a freelance project, though, so I'll work on that.
But first, of course, I've been reading news and blogs. And here's something interesting. There's some place(?) called Remuda Ranch that believes that labeling foods as forbidden actually causes us to eat more of them than we would normally. I think this makes a lot of sense. We always tend to want something we can't have more than something we can have every day, don't we? And so the article lists some good guidelines for eating, which I'll reproduce here just in case.
In other news, I'm glad to see that Miklos is still alive!Balance. Most of the time you eat, do so when you're hungry. Use food as fuel for your body. Balance also means that sometimes you eat simply when the food appeals to you or when it's appropriate in a social setting. Allow yourself to eat for enjoyment. Such balance provides you with physical satisfaction and decreases the likelihood of overeating certain foods due to a feeling of deprivation or denial.
Variety. Choose foods from a variety of sources. The USDA Food Guide Pyramid provides a structure for determining the number of servings from each food group that will provide the best variety. Eat different foods everyday.
Moderation. Portion size is key. Most restaurants aim to please by offering great value through large portions. Just because you're given a large portion doesn't mean you have to eat it all. Take some home for later.
Drink lots of water. Eight 8-ounce glasses of water is a good daily average.
Aim for three meals and one to three snacks a day. The idea that snacking between meals is bad is a thing of the past. By eating every two to four hours, you prevent your body from getting overly hungry -- which could set you up to overeat later. The body uses the fuel from food very efficiently when you're eating smaller amounts more frequently throughout the day.
Avoid radical and fad diets. Fad diets and yo-yo weight patterns only make your body work harder to maintain homeostasis. Weight fluctuations may increase your body's "set point" -- the weight at which your body wants to stay.
Now that I'm done with my Bloglines subscriptions, it's time for webcomics!
Monday, December 19, 2005
Should I link this or not? My mom will see!
Ah, well. I'm going to link it, because I think it's hilarious :D
The new Superman is giving movie bosses a headache - because of the size of his bulge.Reminds me of Prince Henry's tights in Ever After...they sure didn't edit those.
They fear Brandon Routh's profile in the superhero's skintight costume could be distracting, reports the Sun.
[...]
The Sun's source said: "It's a major issue for the studio. Brandon is extremely well-endowed and they don't want it up on the big screen.
"We may be forced to erase his package with digital effects."
Impossible ideal looks achieved by photo retouching
I was vaguely aware that magazine photos are retouched to remove "imperfections", but I had no idea that editing was done on this scale. Click through the entire Flash thing. It's astounding.
That girl looked absolutely fine before...hell, she was certainly skinny enough before they hacked five inches off her waistline. Most shocking to me, though, were the changes to her face. She wasn't perfect, but she had her own natural beauty. The image modifications made her look like an ethereal pixie...not by enhancing her existing features, but by redrawing them, turning her into a completely different (and impossible) person.
This, of course, was done as an example, so people can get an idea of what might have happened to the images we see in magazines. I commend Sweden's Ministry of Health and Social Affairs for the G!rlpower Project, and the Forsman & Bodenfors advertising company for their implementation.
(via BoingBoing, who linked to a demo of the campaign on the ad company's website)
That girl looked absolutely fine before...hell, she was certainly skinny enough before they hacked five inches off her waistline. Most shocking to me, though, were the changes to her face. She wasn't perfect, but she had her own natural beauty. The image modifications made her look like an ethereal pixie...not by enhancing her existing features, but by redrawing them, turning her into a completely different (and impossible) person.
This, of course, was done as an example, so people can get an idea of what might have happened to the images we see in magazines. I commend Sweden's Ministry of Health and Social Affairs for the G!rlpower Project, and the Forsman & Bodenfors advertising company for their implementation.
(via BoingBoing, who linked to a demo of the campaign on the ad company's website)
I must really work my triceps and calves when making cookies
...because boy are they sore today!
(I'm sure I'm not as sore as Brooke and Mari, though, because they took some time out for an intense bellydance workout while I was baking.)
(I'm sure I'm not as sore as Brooke and Mari, though, because they took some time out for an intense bellydance workout while I was baking.)
Streetcars
According to Happy News, New Orleans has its streetcars back. This story reminds me of the reconstruction of Hiroshima.
What Crappy Christmas Gift Are You?
| You Are Socks! |
 Cozy and warm... but easily lost. You make a good puppet. |
There's no more chili ;_;
I guess Reid took it with him for lunch.
So instead, I had some spaghetti with a weird spicy sausage sauce. It was pretty good.
But it wasn't chili!
So instead, I had some spaghetti with a weird spicy sausage sauce. It was pretty good.
But it wasn't chili!
Sunday, December 18, 2005
Today was awesome.
I packed up the car, stopped by McDonald's for a sausage biscuit, and made it to Mari's by 10:30 this morning. From then until around 10:30 at night I was in full bake-mode, punctuated by two breaks: one to watch the movie Elf and one to play Harry Potter Scene It. (I won!)
I made the following cookies:
All the cookies came out great, though. I had to get used to Mari's oven, but once I did everything went quite smoothly. At one point Mari and Brooke went out to pick up extra supplies and a pizza, and while they were gone I continued baking and watched Kyou Kara Maou 45, my favorite stand-alone episode. (Ah, Conrad, you asshat ;D) When they got back I took a break and we ate and watched Elf, which was a really good movie. I hadn't been sure what to expect from it, but it was fabulous. It never lingered on unimportant things, and every idea that was introduced got follow-through--the hallmark of a well-written story. (It also helps that the story was cute and funny and awesome.)
Later in the evening I was getting pretty tired, but I persevered. After playing Harry Potter Scene It, I continued baking while the others watched the Flash Gordon movie (with awesome music by Queen). At some point Brooke made homemade Twinkies with her brand new Twinkie set from Mari and Kelly. I was cookie'd out so I took my Twinkie home. I'll probably eat it tomorrow :)
By the end of the night I had managed to finish all my cookies, and I packed them up in tins and handed them out to Mari, Chris, and Brooke, taking most of the rest home in bags. When I got home I gave a tin to Cheryl and Reid.
Cheryl spent the day baking, too, and still isn't quite done. Meanwhile, Reid made chili, which was fantabulous. Hopefully I will be able to eat more of it for lunch tomorrow.
Number of pictures taken by me on this most satisfying of days? Zero. But Brooke took some, and hopefully I'll be able to share them.
And that's about it. I feel very accomplished and very tired. Good night, world :)
I made the following cookies:
- Coconut SnowmenBuried Cherry CookiesBlack-Eyed SusansChocolate CrinklesSpritz Christmas Trees
All the cookies came out great, though. I had to get used to Mari's oven, but once I did everything went quite smoothly. At one point Mari and Brooke went out to pick up extra supplies and a pizza, and while they were gone I continued baking and watched Kyou Kara Maou 45, my favorite stand-alone episode. (Ah, Conrad, you asshat ;D) When they got back I took a break and we ate and watched Elf, which was a really good movie. I hadn't been sure what to expect from it, but it was fabulous. It never lingered on unimportant things, and every idea that was introduced got follow-through--the hallmark of a well-written story. (It also helps that the story was cute and funny and awesome.)
Later in the evening I was getting pretty tired, but I persevered. After playing Harry Potter Scene It, I continued baking while the others watched the Flash Gordon movie (with awesome music by Queen). At some point Brooke made homemade Twinkies with her brand new Twinkie set from Mari and Kelly. I was cookie'd out so I took my Twinkie home. I'll probably eat it tomorrow :)
By the end of the night I had managed to finish all my cookies, and I packed them up in tins and handed them out to Mari, Chris, and Brooke, taking most of the rest home in bags. When I got home I gave a tin to Cheryl and Reid.
Cheryl spent the day baking, too, and still isn't quite done. Meanwhile, Reid made chili, which was fantabulous. Hopefully I will be able to eat more of it for lunch tomorrow.
Number of pictures taken by me on this most satisfying of days? Zero. But Brooke took some, and hopefully I'll be able to share them.
And that's about it. I feel very accomplished and very tired. Good night, world :)
Difficult decisions
Yesterday we did Christmas with Cheryl, Reid, and Grandma Flo. While I had already let people know that we weren't buying presents for anyone this year, I was still very uncomfortable receiving gifts and not giving anything back but a card. I wrote the most heartfelt thank yous and I love yous that I could in the cards, and they were pretty and I did calligraphy on the envelopes, but that's not the same as a real present. (The Christmas portraits I ordered from smugmug haven't arrived yet. I'm hoping they'll get here on Monday so I can hurry up and get all my cards out that day. The Christmas cookies I'm planning on giving as gifts will be baked today.)
Sean and I made the decision to be cheapskates together. I think we're at the lowest point we've ever been right now. I hope we'll have managed to pull ourselves back up by next Christmas. I want to go back to being completely normal.
I still think back fondly on my high school days, when I bought everyone I loved presents and baked cookies. I won't say high school was the best time of my life, but it was neat to have so much freedom and money all at once. I like being able to give gifts and make people happy.
Hopefully everyone will enjoy the cookies.
Sean and I made the decision to be cheapskates together. I think we're at the lowest point we've ever been right now. I hope we'll have managed to pull ourselves back up by next Christmas. I want to go back to being completely normal.
I still think back fondly on my high school days, when I bought everyone I loved presents and baked cookies. I won't say high school was the best time of my life, but it was neat to have so much freedom and money all at once. I like being able to give gifts and make people happy.
Hopefully everyone will enjoy the cookies.
Christmas anticipation
I woke up at 7:35 and got out of bed to go to the bathroom. The house was chilly, and pale blue light flowed into the living room from the patio doors and skylights. I'd set my alarm for 9, and as such didn't really need to get up yet, but I didn't even try to get back to sleep. I didn't want to. It seems like it's been a long time since I awoke with such great anticipation for the day.
It feels like Christmas morning.
Today, I'm baking Christmas cookies.
It feels like Christmas morning.
Today, I'm baking Christmas cookies.
Saturday, December 17, 2005
Watch out, San Francisco
From MSNBC:
The San Andreas Fault, which runs north-south, slips about 2 inches (5 centimeters) every year, causing Los Angeles to move towards San Francisco. Scientists forecast the cities will merge in about 15 million years.Start packing now!
I'm having a period
My last period was at the beginning of October. My doctor and I had just started waiting to see if anything was going to happen without the assistance of hormones, and that little tiny dribble was all I'd seen. On a random whim at the end of last month we decided to wait until January instead of going right back on the hormone, but I had pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I wasn't going to have a natural period ever again.
And now I'm having one.
I'm having a period.
And now I'm having one.
I'm having a period.
Because you and I both know there can never be too many questionnaires
Ganked from Miss Em.
- What is your name? Do you have a nickname?
My parents named me Heather Ann Aubrey. Ann was a popular middle name at the time! Now my name is Heather Aubrey Meadows. Hai calls me He-chan...and okay, I'll go ahead and explain it. It's pronounced "heh-chan", and "he" means "fart" in Japanese. He's not really calling me a fart, though. :P This all goes back to when I was in Japan in 2001. We had just learned the meaning of "he", and we were out at karaoke with a bunch of businessmen. They asked me if I had a nickname, and one of them suggested "He-chan", and then they all cracked up. I told this story to my Internet friends, and it stuck. Other Japanese-ish nicknames include Hea-chan and Heaza (it should be Hezaa, but who's counting?). People used to call me COS back in the day. Brooke calls me Hea Hea or Hea, and it actually sort of bothers me if anyone else calls me that, because that nickname feels like a special thing between me and her.
What is your hair color? Eye color?
My hair is blond. Its actual shade varies. If I get a lot of sun, it turns pale, especially in the front. Sometimes it is so dark my husband says I'm a brunette, but really it's dirty blond ;P My eyes are blue, just like the eyes of all my family.
What kind of distinguishing facial features do you have?
Gah, I don't know. Glasses? A huge forehead? The refusal to show my teeth when I smile? When I was younger, a teacher told me she liked it when I smiled, because I had "such pretty dimples". At the time this offended me because Anne of Green Gables didn't have dimples. (Diana did, and Anne wanted to look like Diana, but I wanted to look like Anne.)
Do you have a birthmark? Where is it? What about scars? How did you get them?
I don't have any birthmarks. Now that I'm getting older I've started to enjoy skin tags, random little red dots, and stretch marks here and there. As far as scars, why yes, yes I do have some! They are all the result of my cancer treatment. The biggest is the one across my abdomen that makes it look like I've had a C-section. Then there's the round one about the size of a dime nestled against the inside of my right breast; that's where my catheter was implanted, for several months. There are a few tiny scars all around my chest and neck where they attempted to implant the catheter and failed. They're really not all that noticeable though.
Who are your friends and family? Who do you surround yourself with? Who are the you are closest to? Who do you wish you were closest to?
Brooke, Hai, Mom, and my brother AJ are the closest people to me, I think. I have many other friends I care deeply about and wish I was closer to; Mari, for example. A lot of my Internet friends seem to fall into and out of my life, like Dawn and Sam.
Where were you born? Where have you lived since then? Where do you call home?
I was born in Lexington, Kentucky and grew up in Nicholasville. For nine months in 1996-1997 I lived in Huntsville, Alabama while attending UAH. For several months in 1997 and 1998 I lived at UK Hospital in Lexington. After that I lived in Nicholasville again until I finally moved here to Augusta in 2003. I still think of Nicholasville as my home. I also--and this is totally weird--have a kind of homesickness for Japan.
Where do you go when angry?
Back at the apartment, I would go to the bedroom when I was mad. Or, if Sean was in there, I'd frump on the couch. Here, I don't really have anywhere to go when I get mad, so I go online and blog.
What is your biggest fear? Who have you told this to? Who would you never tell this to? Why?
I always say that my biggest fear is having my loved ones die. I've told this to my blog readers many times. I would probably tell anyone, if they asked. I guess I wouldn't tell somebody who was trying to manipulate me, but they could probably guess it anyway.
Do you have a secret?
The only "secrets" I have are the dark opinions about other people that I refuse to air anywhere, because I've seen what harm that can do :> I am really an open book, otherwise.
What makes you laugh out loud?
Anything that makes me incredulous; clever puns; Magazine Man's funny stories (I was trying really hard not to plug him here, because I think his ego is starting to rival mine, but when I tried to think back to the times I've laughed out loud recently, the first thing I thought of was a quote from this post: "By jeezuz, you're busier'n a one-legged man at an ass-kicking contest."); Hai; jokes in anime; AJ; those times when Sean and I are teasing each other and we just sort of start staring and finally one of us disses the other and then we're both cracking up.
When have you been in love? Had a broken heart?
I first experienced what love might feel like in high school, when I had that all-encompassing crush. On the one hand, I felt helpless to control my emotions. On the other, I chose to feel them, because I was afraid of how bland my life would be without them. Love is kind of like that, but better. You do have to choose to stay in love, and there are some days when that choice is really hard. But then there are the times when you know you've made the right decision. I never had that until I met Sean. As far as a broken heart, I pretty much had that throughout high school :>
What is in your refrigerator right now? On your bedroom floor? On your nightstand? In your garbage can?
Stuff that's ours in Cheryl's refrigerator: rice, Gatorade, lunch meat, Swiss cheese, Slim Fast, string cheese, yogurt, eggs for the big cookie baking extravaganza tomorrow
Stuff on the floor here in the guest bedroom: Sean's laptop backpack; Sean's jacket; Sean's headphones; more of Sean's stuff; my shoes; the disassembled pieces of my laptop table (it's kind of broken); my purse; a pile of newspapers and memos to myself; my laptop bag.
Stuff that really shouldn't be on the pretty table next to the bed: a box of Kleenex; an empty water bottle; Aidmheil; my cell phone; my latest Netflix offering, Akira Kurosawa's Ran
Look at your feet. Describe what you see there. Do you wear dress shoes, gym shoes, or none at all? Are you in socks that are ratty and full of holes? Or are you wearing a pair of blue and gold slippers knitted by your grandmother?
I'm barefoot. Gee, that was boring.
When you thinks of your childhood kitchen, what smell do you associate with it? Sauerkraut? Oatmeal cookies? Paint? Why is that smell so resonant for you?
When me thinks of me childhood kitchen...hmm, I can't really think of a smell. My biggest memories of the kitchen are: 1) washing the dishes and hating it and feeling like Cinderella; 2) toddling in (I think I was 2) and yelling, "Mama! Dada!"; 3) seeing a big dead mouse/rat on the floor and running out into the utility room. Nope, still can't think of a smell.
You are doing intense spring cleaning. What is easy for you to throw out? What is difficult for you to part with? Why?
Gah, questions like this suck. I'm not going to answer it based on stuff I used to own, because I'm tired of living in the past with these questions. Let's just say I'm getting rid of some of the very few items I have amassed so far. It's easy for me to get rid of clothes that don't fit or are ugly, because I like to look nice. This wasn't always the case. I used to want to keep everything, because that gave me hope I could fit into it again. I will not, on the other hand, part with books or DVDs, because I get bored easily and like having plenty of things around to distract me. I used to keep every card that was ever given to me, and I will continue to do that because I think it paints a nice picture of the people in my life. (I still remember that birthday card Mari and the guys got me with Death in the rearview mirror.)
It's Saturday at noon. What are you doing? Give details. If you're eating breakfast, what exactly do you eat? If you're stretching out in your backyard to sun, what kind of blanket or towel do you lie on?
Today I actually got up at noon. Some Saturdays I would still be asleep, snuggled under a sheet and four blankets, because this house is cold enough to bother me, and I'm from Kentucky. Some Saturdays I would be up and out, biking with friends or hanging out. Today I pretty much jumped straight into the shower, because we're supposed to be doing Christmas today. (Of course, I have no idea when that's going to occur, because nobody ever tells me anything, and I always forget to ask until everyone's gone.)
What is one strong memory that has stuck with you from childhood? Why is it so powerful and lasting?
Biting my tongue off. I remember it because it was so weird. My brothers and I and our next-door neighbor Robin were sitting on the fence separating our lots at the trailer park, and taking turns jumping down to show off. When I jumped, my knees buckled and I fell into a crouch, and one of my knees smashed into my chin, snapping my jaw closed. My tongue happened to be between my teeth at the time. I think I was more stunned by the pain of my knee hitting my chin. I ran into the house. My mouth felt funny, so I tried to rinse it out in the sink...only blood just kept coming out. I can still see the bright red blood flowing out of my mouth into the white basin of the sink. The tip of my tongue had been severed on both sides, but was miraculously still attached in the middle. I ended up having to keep a cold washrag in my mouth for two weeks while my tongue grew back together.
You is getting ready for a night out. Where are you going? What do you wear? Who will you be with?
Oh, I is, is I? Well, I don't do the clubbing thing like Mari or the bar thing like Brooke [edit: Brooke is not a barfly. I did not edit this post under duress. FREE TIBET!], so I am probably going out to dinner or shopping with Sean or a few friends. If we're going to a nice restaurant I'll probably wear slacks and a button down blouse; otherwise I'll just wear jeans and a decent-looking shirt.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
This blog. I don't know if that's a good thing or not. But I am very proud of the fact that I've been writing here consistently for so long, and that I've managed to archive so many things here. (This includes the photography I've put on smugmug.)
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Waking up in the morning excited to do the things that have been planned for the day.
What is your current state of mind?
Annoyed, frustrated, nostalgic, and slightly headache-y
What is your favorite occupation?
If I knew that, I'd have an easier time finding a job, I imagine. (I wonder if this question means what I think it means?) Coolest job in the world: astronaut. Most appealing job in the world: travel photographer and diarist. Thing I can't stop doing, though it will probably never be my bread and butter: writing.
What is your most treasured possession?
My archives. Those being this blog, and my chat logs, and my photos, and all the other records of everything I've ever done.
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
I think hope is my greatest love. I am obsessed with it, obsessed with the promise of a better life for myself and for everyone I care about.
What is your favorite journey?
The ones that start with a single step. Har, har. Taking this question literally: I love any journey where I get the chance to explore, and I hate trips with no direction or planning or time for doing my own thing.
What is your most marked characteristic?
Self-deprecation, I imagine. It's my way of trying to be humble, but it's gotten me in trouble. I think I've unintentionally caused people to think little of me, which was never my intent. (My intent was to have people think, "Oh, she's awesome! And so modest!") Tied with this is probably my competitive streak, though in recent years I have managed to tone it down (yes, local friends, I used to be worse. Scary, isn't it?).
When and where were you the happiest?
During our honeymoon, when we were staying on Miyajima; specifically, mealtime, when we got to eat banquets of traditional Japanese food. Sean didn't particularly care for a lot of it, but I was in absolute heaven. I'd go back there in a heartbeat.
What is it that you most dislike?
Being ridiculed or underestimated. (Teasing is okay, though.)
What is your greatest fear?
Wait, this question again? I guess the answer can change from day to day, can't it? Well, aside from the fear I listed above, I am also terrified of the thought that I won't be able to achieve my dreams: living in Japan, having something (writing or photographs) published.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Right now, I probably spend too much money on distractions like books and DVDs. This is only because I am trying to escape my life :>
Which living person do you most despise?
Right now I'm not feeling particularly hateful. I don't want to give an assembly line answer to this sort of question. There are plenty of people out there worthy of hate...all the people who intentionally hurt other people, regardless of their reasoning. But if we intentionally hurt the people we hate because they intentionally hurt other people, then the cycle never ends, does it?
What is your greatest regret?
Sometimes--and I hate myself for this--I feel like I should have waited to get married, and gone to live in Japan for a year as an English teacher first, so that now I wouldn't keep thinking that I gave up my freedom too easily.
Which talent would you most like to have?
A gift for time management and the elimination of procrastination. There are so many things I could do, if I would just do them.
Where would you like to live?
Japan or Nicholasville, first and foremost. I'm really interested in living in any other country in the world, just to see what it's like. I'd also like to try living in a big city, and I think it would be awesome to live in Washington State or Alaska.
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Having minimal control of one's life.
What is the quality you most like in a man?
Intelligence
What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Empathy (am I sexist or what? You'd think I'd like intelligent women, too. And I do...but I'm so competitive, I want to be the smart one.)
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
I really think my competitiveness holds me back, both in personal achievement and in relationships.
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
The lack of tact. I mean, I am pretty blunt, but I can usually tell when I've crossed the line, and I apologize when I do. People who don't know when to shut up are grossly irritating.
What do you most value in your friends?
Their willingness to spend time with me
Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
Shibuya Yuuri, from Kyou Kara Maou. (Hey, it didn't say literary fiction, did it? ...and technically there are Kyou Kara Maou novels...)
Whose are your heroes in real life?
Whose wrote these questions? :P I wrote a pretty good hero thing for my MySpace, so I'll just paste it here: Magazine Man, Jeff Laitila, Justin Klein, and Miklos Fejer, for living their dreams and for being damn good writers; Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins, for being gutsy and turning their hobby into a career; my brother AJ, who is one of the bravest, most intelligent people I know; and my mom, whose loving, generous, and strong personality epitomizes everything to which I aspire.
Which living person do you most admire?
I guess all those people in the heroes list. Maybe the heroes were supposed to be dead people.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
I'm not actually sure what the virtues are. A quick Google search for "is a virtue" turns up the following choices: happiness, persistence, paranoia, lust, patience, coercion, lying, gambling, skepticism, endurance, arguing, humility, cynicism, talking to patients, disclosure, competence, cruelty, scrutiny, restraint, selfishness, consistency (online), viscosity, baking, silence, virtual reality, laziness, impatience, hubris, optimism, reliability...okay, that's ridiculous. Here's a site that lists the following: Faith, Honesty, Gratitude, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Patience, Courage, Respect, Generosity, Discipline, Compassion, Humility. I don't know, there can be too much of any of those, but across the board I think they are all pretty decent standards for living.
On what occasions do you lie?
I hate lying. I'm pretty good at it, which scares me, so I try not to do it often. Rather than lie, I will simply omit information. Typically I only do this to save someone's feelings, or because the situation is none of my business anyway and I don't need to be commenting on it. I will also do this to avoid owning up to a failure, so long as I know I can fix the damage. If I can't make things right, then I strive to be straightforward about it.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
Internet abbreviations. I overuse them on purpose, to be clever. ROFL. See? I try to avoid repeated phrasings in my writing, but often find myself saying things the same way again and again. I used to say "I know how that is" way too much, but I broke myself of the habit because it felt like a lie to say that. Right now I'm trying to minimize my use of the nonquestioning question "Really", because it sounds too gossipy.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I would somehow fix my attitude/time management skills so that I actually accomplish the things I want to do, like lose weight, travel, work, write something publishable, etc.
What are your favorite names?
That's interesting! I like slightly exotic names, or regular names spelled slightly differently (but not too overboard). I've always liked Abigail, for some reason. Biblical names are nice. I also like French and Japanese names.
How would you like to die?
Either in my sleep at a very old age...or while accomplishing something meaningful. The former is more appealing to me because it would mean I would have the chance to do lots of things in my life, but I also like the idea of a noble sacrifice. At this point in my life I can't think of an ideal that I would ever have the occasion (or motivation) to die for. However, I do know that I would die to save the life of someone I care about.
If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?
I don't know. If we're going with karma...I don't know if I've done enough good in my life, or will do enough good, to merit an upgrade. But I don't think I've necessarily been bad, so hopefully I wouldn't end up coming back as a dung beetle. I really would prefer to come back as another person, or some other kind of thinking and feeling organism.
What is your motto?
Life is what you make it.
In this house...
I never know what's going on.
I feel like a nuisance.
Whenever I try to help out, I do something wrong.
But the worst thing is having my mistakes paraded around in front of everyone.
I feel like a nuisance.
Whenever I try to help out, I do something wrong.
But the worst thing is having my mistakes paraded around in front of everyone.
Friday, December 16, 2005
More Christmas lights, and some photography discussion
Tonight I drove through the Millbrook subdivision off Oakley Pirkle and took some pictures of the lovely Christmas lights.
I don't know if it's a problem with the C3030 Zoom camera, with all digital cameras, or with the way I take photographs in minimal light, but I have had to deal with the problem of bright, floating pixels in my nighttime photography for quite some time now. Usually I just leave the pictures alone; you can probably find examples of the evil pixels in my smugmug somewhere.
Tonight, however, I wanted to clean my Christmas light shots up to make them look as good as possible. They are all blurry due to the fact that I took them from my car, which, even while in park, likes to jump around...but I thought I could at least get rid of the floating pixels and despeckle the images a bit (thanks for that suggestion, btw, Charles!).
It took me something like two hours to go through and clean up the 24 new images I've uploaded to my December 2005 gallery. Here, for your amusement, are before and after versions of one of the pictures.
I opened each image in Photoshop, eyeballed it for floating pixels, and drew over the pixels with the Pencil tool. Then I Despeckled and did Auto Layers. Obviously I'm not a professional, but at least the pictures look better than they did before.
I just need to learn how to take night shots correctly. What I do now is set the ISO to 400 (I can't adjust the shutter speed, I don't think), turn off the flash, hold the camera as steadily as possible, and hope for the best.
I don't know if it's a problem with the C3030 Zoom camera, with all digital cameras, or with the way I take photographs in minimal light, but I have had to deal with the problem of bright, floating pixels in my nighttime photography for quite some time now. Usually I just leave the pictures alone; you can probably find examples of the evil pixels in my smugmug somewhere.
Tonight, however, I wanted to clean my Christmas light shots up to make them look as good as possible. They are all blurry due to the fact that I took them from my car, which, even while in park, likes to jump around...but I thought I could at least get rid of the floating pixels and despeckle the images a bit (thanks for that suggestion, btw, Charles!).
It took me something like two hours to go through and clean up the 24 new images I've uploaded to my December 2005 gallery. Here, for your amusement, are before and after versions of one of the pictures.
I opened each image in Photoshop, eyeballed it for floating pixels, and drew over the pixels with the Pencil tool. Then I Despeckled and did Auto Layers. Obviously I'm not a professional, but at least the pictures look better than they did before.
I just need to learn how to take night shots correctly. What I do now is set the ISO to 400 (I can't adjust the shutter speed, I don't think), turn off the flash, hold the camera as steadily as possible, and hope for the best.
Koizumi goodness
I normally try not to filch other people's photos, but I just have to have this one:
The sight of the grey-haired premier gingerly steering the two-wheeler around the building had Environment Minister Yuriko Koike in fits of giggles as she arrived for a cabinet meeting.Nice to see that he's enjoying his present :)
The Brazilian Saga: Epilogue
I went back today for my second-ever Brazilian.
It was soooooooooo much better this time.
About three days ago I started to feel it: the trepidation, the anticipation of great pain. I made a few passive-aggressive self-piteous comments to Sean. This morning, while sitting on the john reading Kentucky Alumni magazine, I suddenly had to fight down a particularly nasty onslaught of bile.
Obviously, I was nervous.
I headed up to downtown early and perused a "2006 Style Preview" hair magazine, sipping water and admiring the ambience of La Dolce Vita. If you have to have hair yanked out of your most private places, it's nice to do it in a place that makes you feel about ten times cooler just because you're there.
M came and fetched me and guided me out of the hip salon side, filled with dance beats and guys with thick black belts studded with metal and a row of black chairs facing mirrors and blue lights, into a room on the more soothing spa side, with its calming trance-y New Age music, its low lights, its extraordinarily comfortable ergonomic bed.
I settled in and hosed myself down with numbing spray. I don't know if I put more or less on than last time, but I do know that I used quite a bit. Then I lay there waiting, letting the soothing music and comforting cradle of the bed help to calm me.
When M returned, she started on the opposite side from last time. I wondered if she kept notes and alternated on purpose, or if it was just a coincidence. I didn't ask. My insides were churning at the thought of the first rip.
It came and went with hardly a jump.
I concentrated hard on our conversation. This time we talked about Christmas, and home-buying. She has a house up for sale off Fury's Ferry, and wants to build in North Augusta. I tried to talk whenever she was about to tear the wax off, to distract myself, and for the most part it really worked.
But it was also just less painful in general than I remembered, and it seemed like it was over very quickly.
"That didn't hurt near as much as last time," I said in wonderment as M cleaned up.
"Oh, yeah. The first time is always the worst. Eventually your body builds up a tolerance, and the hair starts to grow in thinner too."
"It seemed like it was already softer, just after the first time."
"Yeah...you're lucky, your hair is blond. It's nice and thin. It takes people with dark hair years to get to the point you're at."
I left feeling very smug about being a blonde (hell, grow up hearing blonde jokes all your life and you take what you can get), but most importantly, I left with no residual pain. In fact, I felt absolutely fantastic, and still do.
It's true what I told M about the hair feeling softer after the first time. The wax left my skin far less irritated than shaving. Given that and the fact that the pain has diminished so much, I see no reason not to keep the Brazilian as a permanent part of my life.
///
If you haven't already, do check out the other chapters of the Brazilian Saga.
Foreshadowing
Part One: Oh the Hair, the Hair!
Part Two: I totally caved
Part Three: OW OW OW OW OW OMGWTF OW
Part Four: The Day After
It was soooooooooo much better this time.
About three days ago I started to feel it: the trepidation, the anticipation of great pain. I made a few passive-aggressive self-piteous comments to Sean. This morning, while sitting on the john reading Kentucky Alumni magazine, I suddenly had to fight down a particularly nasty onslaught of bile.
Obviously, I was nervous.
I headed up to downtown early and perused a "2006 Style Preview" hair magazine, sipping water and admiring the ambience of La Dolce Vita. If you have to have hair yanked out of your most private places, it's nice to do it in a place that makes you feel about ten times cooler just because you're there.
M came and fetched me and guided me out of the hip salon side, filled with dance beats and guys with thick black belts studded with metal and a row of black chairs facing mirrors and blue lights, into a room on the more soothing spa side, with its calming trance-y New Age music, its low lights, its extraordinarily comfortable ergonomic bed.
I settled in and hosed myself down with numbing spray. I don't know if I put more or less on than last time, but I do know that I used quite a bit. Then I lay there waiting, letting the soothing music and comforting cradle of the bed help to calm me.
When M returned, she started on the opposite side from last time. I wondered if she kept notes and alternated on purpose, or if it was just a coincidence. I didn't ask. My insides were churning at the thought of the first rip.
It came and went with hardly a jump.
I concentrated hard on our conversation. This time we talked about Christmas, and home-buying. She has a house up for sale off Fury's Ferry, and wants to build in North Augusta. I tried to talk whenever she was about to tear the wax off, to distract myself, and for the most part it really worked.
But it was also just less painful in general than I remembered, and it seemed like it was over very quickly.
"That didn't hurt near as much as last time," I said in wonderment as M cleaned up.
"Oh, yeah. The first time is always the worst. Eventually your body builds up a tolerance, and the hair starts to grow in thinner too."
"It seemed like it was already softer, just after the first time."
"Yeah...you're lucky, your hair is blond. It's nice and thin. It takes people with dark hair years to get to the point you're at."
I left feeling very smug about being a blonde (hell, grow up hearing blonde jokes all your life and you take what you can get), but most importantly, I left with no residual pain. In fact, I felt absolutely fantastic, and still do.
It's true what I told M about the hair feeling softer after the first time. The wax left my skin far less irritated than shaving. Given that and the fact that the pain has diminished so much, I see no reason not to keep the Brazilian as a permanent part of my life.
///
If you haven't already, do check out the other chapters of the Brazilian Saga.
Foreshadowing
Part One: Oh the Hair, the Hair!
Part Two: I totally caved
Part Three: OW OW OW OW OW OMGWTF OW
Part Four: The Day After
North Augusta Greeneway Trail System Rules and Regulations
Mari linked to a pdf of the new rules for Greeneway use that were adopted on September 19, 2005 via the City of North Augusta Resolution No. 2005-19. I was going to copy all the rules and put them here, but the pdf was made like a photocopy and I can't select text. Alas. (OCR, motherfucker! Do you speak it?)
So, just in case the official pdf goes the way of the dodo, I'm hosting a copy here. Some highlights:
Use of headphones is discouraged.
D'oh! Not that I have an mp3 player anymore...but I was kind of hoping to get another one and load it up with Japanese language practice files. (Or the audio only of Kyou Kara Maou episodes...)
Walk no more than two abreast.
I've been guilty of breaking this one, but then again I think it's a good rule; there's less congestion that way.
Cyclists must ride in single file.
D'oh!
Maintain control of bikes, skates and boards.
As I wondered over on Mari's blog, does this mean I can't ride hands-free anymore? I really enjoy doing that; I'll miss it if I'm not supposed to do it. I am in control when I ride like that, and if I'm too close to people I always grab the handlebars, but maybe it makes people nervous regardless...
All in all I imagine the rules are pretty fair. (It seems that neither Brooke nor Mari has a bell on her bike...for shame!)
Check out the list of "expressly prohibited" activities at the end of the file :)
So, just in case the official pdf goes the way of the dodo, I'm hosting a copy here. Some highlights:
Use of headphones is discouraged.
D'oh! Not that I have an mp3 player anymore...but I was kind of hoping to get another one and load it up with Japanese language practice files. (Or the audio only of Kyou Kara Maou episodes...)
Walk no more than two abreast.
I've been guilty of breaking this one, but then again I think it's a good rule; there's less congestion that way.
Cyclists must ride in single file.
D'oh!
Maintain control of bikes, skates and boards.
As I wondered over on Mari's blog, does this mean I can't ride hands-free anymore? I really enjoy doing that; I'll miss it if I'm not supposed to do it. I am in control when I ride like that, and if I'm too close to people I always grab the handlebars, but maybe it makes people nervous regardless...
All in all I imagine the rules are pretty fair. (It seems that neither Brooke nor Mari has a bell on her bike...for shame!)
Check out the list of "expressly prohibited" activities at the end of the file :)
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Straight women surprisingly not very particular
According to a study conducted by Meredith Chivers of the Center for Addiction and Mental Health and J. Michael Bailey of Northwestern University,
;D
(via BoingBoing)
The researchers found that while straight men are only aroused by females of the human variety, straight women are equally aroused by all human sexual activity, including lesbian, heterosexual and homosexual male sex, and at least somewhat aroused by nonhuman sex.So, be honest, girls. Is it true?
;D
(via BoingBoing)
So, how'd it go?
Really well, I think!
I should know something soon--the job may start as soon as January.
I should know something soon--the job may start as soon as January.
Hafla (bellydance party)
Tonight there was a hafla at the Warren Road Community Center for all the bellydance students and anyone else who wanted to come. Most of the women were resplendent in full bellydance garb; I and a few others just wore regular clothes.
When Chris asked me if I was going to dance, I said, "No," and held up my camera. "I'm covering this event for the blogosphere."
;>
There were bellydance videos, plenty of music, lots of delicious snacks, and much fun to be had. Brooke showed us how to wear hair falls and how to make tassels out of yarn. Jeannie showed us how to do tribal-style stage makeup. Towards the end of the evening, (almost) everyone participated in some tribal improv. Not only that, but there were plenty of bellydance items to buy, including CDs, videos, coin belts, tassels, and those cool stickers you can put on your face (like Mari, Bonnie, and Jeannie are wearing in the pictures above). I didn't buy anything, but it was cool to look at all the stuff!
All in all, it was a neat time to hang out and enjoy everything about bellydance.
See the rest of the photos here. And check out the very end; I've uploaded my first two videos to smugmug!
When Chris asked me if I was going to dance, I said, "No," and held up my camera. "I'm covering this event for the blogosphere."
;>
There were bellydance videos, plenty of music, lots of delicious snacks, and much fun to be had. Brooke showed us how to wear hair falls and how to make tassels out of yarn. Jeannie showed us how to do tribal-style stage makeup. Towards the end of the evening, (almost) everyone participated in some tribal improv. Not only that, but there were plenty of bellydance items to buy, including CDs, videos, coin belts, tassels, and those cool stickers you can put on your face (like Mari, Bonnie, and Jeannie are wearing in the pictures above). I didn't buy anything, but it was cool to look at all the stuff!
All in all, it was a neat time to hang out and enjoy everything about bellydance.
See the rest of the photos here. And check out the very end; I've uploaded my first two videos to smugmug!
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
A little publicity for Sunshine
Sunshine's blog has been discovered by actor [redacted], and featured on MSNBC TV. When Sunshine heard that [redacted] had mentioned her blog on the radio, she wrote him an email to confirm, and got a really great reply. Check it out:
[Edit 6:06 pm:] The actor's name has been removed from Sunshine's blog. Sunshine states in her revised post, "In the same day I wrote a letter & tried to send it to that famous actorI deleted his name at his request)". I removed his name from my post as well.
Yes, I did mention your website on the radio because I think it is great what you are doing and I want people here in the United States to see what you have to say about life in Iraq today. We get a very uneven view of things because all we have is the media and they are sometimes very one sided. The media pretty much only shows us all the terrible things, the bombings and the death toll but not the everyday life of the Iraqi people. We do not know how the average Iraqi citizen feels about things there and you write very well about your life in Mosul. Just being a kid and going to school and trying to have a good life. I know that there are many bad guys there who are making things very difficult for all of you. But I am very optimistic about the upcoming vote this week and I know that someday you will live in an Iraq your parents have never seen. A free Iraq where you have the right to chose your own leaders, go to work, become what you want, say what you want and have a good future where you will not live in fear.Awesome, all around. I hope more people start reading Sunshine's blog.
[Edit 6:06 pm:] The actor's name has been removed from Sunshine's blog. Sunshine states in her revised post, "In the same day I wrote a letter & tried to send it to that famous actorI deleted his name at his request)". I removed his name from my post as well.
The unmanned victory
I'm trying to figure this out.
According to poll numbers, more people are supportive of the US being in Iraq. Also, people think that the US can win the war, but won't. They also think that we should withdraw troops.
Does this mean people think we will win if we withdraw troops? How does that work?
(I know it's logical fallacy to draw these kind of conclusions from poll results. I'm just being silly.)
According to poll numbers, more people are supportive of the US being in Iraq. Also, people think that the US can win the war, but won't. They also think that we should withdraw troops.
Does this mean people think we will win if we withdraw troops? How does that work?
(I know it's logical fallacy to draw these kind of conclusions from poll results. I'm just being silly.)
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Kyou Kara Maou 58
「眞王陛下からお言葉が下さりました。
最後の箱、鏡の水底は地球にあると。」
Well, who's surprised by that? I'm certainly not.
:D
What was surprising was the puppet/doll that looked like ユーリの母御！
I'm starting to wonder if my theory is off...or maybe they're planting some stuff to make me think it's not who I think it is. The actions all make sense with my theory, it's just that a few of Murata's comments could go either way. But really, it's hard for me to believe that all of this craziness isn't just 眞王's way of training ユーリ.
Really wish I could screencap that look on Murata's face at the end of the episode...セクシー！
最後の箱、鏡の水底は地球にあると。」
Well, who's surprised by that? I'm certainly not.
:D
What was surprising was the puppet/doll that looked like ユーリの母御！
I'm starting to wonder if my theory is off...or maybe they're planting some stuff to make me think it's not who I think it is. The actions all make sense with my theory, it's just that a few of Murata's comments could go either way. But really, it's hard for me to believe that all of this craziness isn't just 眞王's way of training ユーリ.
Really wish I could screencap that look on Murata's face at the end of the episode...セクシー！
Serendipity
I could have had a job today.
I went to an interview at a national department store this afternoon. After I filled out the application, it became clear that I was an excellent candidate; unlike the other applicants, I was interviewed by a cheerful saleslady rather than the slightly grumpy HR person, and both women who looked at my resume were very enthusiastic about my education.
"How do you feel about starting...really soon?" the saleslady asked, and I could tell that "really soon" meant "today, if you're up to it".
"Really," I said. (You know, the kind of really that's a question but doesn't sound like one.)
"Well, we've lost some people due to health reasons, and it's so busy, we need someone now."
I considered. "There's nothing stopping me from starting immediately; I don't have anything else going on. But I was planning on going back to Kentucky for Christmas."
Do you see that, there? The part where I threw the job out the window? Yeah.
As I drove home, I felt terrible. What should I have done? I asked myself. Cancelled Christmas?
Maybe I should have, if it meant I would finally be gainfully employed.
I got home, checked the mail (It's a Wonderful Life just arrived from Netflix), let the dogs out, and sat down to whine on my blog about rocks and hard places.
Then my cell phone rang.
"Hi!" came the cheerful male voice on the other end. "This is So-and-So with Regional Magazine. I was wondering if we could get together and talk this week."
I was referred to this gentleman weeks ago; he'd said he'd call me when he was ready to hire. Now, apparently, he is. I'd be doing page layout and design for hundreds of magazine pages, on a deadline, but with great hours in a laid-back atmosphere.
We set up a lunch meeting for Thursday.
Just think. I could have had a job today.
I went to an interview at a national department store this afternoon. After I filled out the application, it became clear that I was an excellent candidate; unlike the other applicants, I was interviewed by a cheerful saleslady rather than the slightly grumpy HR person, and both women who looked at my resume were very enthusiastic about my education.
"How do you feel about starting...really soon?" the saleslady asked, and I could tell that "really soon" meant "today, if you're up to it".
"Really," I said. (You know, the kind of really that's a question but doesn't sound like one.)
"Well, we've lost some people due to health reasons, and it's so busy, we need someone now."
I considered. "There's nothing stopping me from starting immediately; I don't have anything else going on. But I was planning on going back to Kentucky for Christmas."
Do you see that, there? The part where I threw the job out the window? Yeah.
As I drove home, I felt terrible. What should I have done? I asked myself. Cancelled Christmas?
Maybe I should have, if it meant I would finally be gainfully employed.
I got home, checked the mail (It's a Wonderful Life just arrived from Netflix), let the dogs out, and sat down to whine on my blog about rocks and hard places.
Then my cell phone rang.
"Hi!" came the cheerful male voice on the other end. "This is So-and-So with Regional Magazine. I was wondering if we could get together and talk this week."
I was referred to this gentleman weeks ago; he'd said he'd call me when he was ready to hire. Now, apparently, he is. I'd be doing page layout and design for hundreds of magazine pages, on a deadline, but with great hours in a laid-back atmosphere.
We set up a lunch meeting for Thursday.
Just think. I could have had a job today.
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