| On generosity |
[Jul. 6th, 2008|12:35 am] |
A salute to the Laurel who, upon having to "take a few years off", decided to empty his garage of all old and half-completed projects in the most chivalrous way possible -- by giving them away to newcomers with instructions on how to finish.
There were half a dozen new players from our canton at the event, and each and every one got at least one thoughtful and useful item to enrich their game... provided they were able to finish it themselves. I, as an aspiring and often flat-broke fighter, got a helm. Free. It just needs a few rivets.
Rather than let his old projects gather (more) dust, he engaged half a dozen people (one was at his second event) and demonstrated generosity and kindness as an example to all. Also, his wife can now actually park the car in the garage.
From each of us he exacted only one promise -- make sure it gets finished and used.
So let's spread this idea far and wide -- your backlog of un-, half- and never-gonna-be-finished projects can be handed out to newbies with practical advice and the statement: "Finish it and it's yours." |
|
|
| PS |
[Jul. 5th, 2008|03:24 pm] |
Thank Maude the goats went home when they did. I think the fireworks last night would have caused them to jump many fences. I am glad they were properly secured in SJ. No word yet on bebe goats.
Oh, and W says we can't get our own goats. No more pets. We will be able to "adopt and fawn over" more pets eventually but for now, he thinks we have enough to look after. |
|
|
| |
[Jul. 5th, 2008|03:16 pm] |
I'm allergic to books. Or, nothing makes my eyes watery except old musty books. I expect more allergies as I age but for now... I am reading a book published in 1967-- Karen Horney's Feminine Psychology
Essays include:
The problem of the monogamous ideal
The distrust between the sexes
The dread of woman
and
The denial of the vagina
I wish I could hold it a little closer, or that a newer edition was available. I would not like to work in a bookstore. I will leave that for W. And I know he gets itchy eyes from it.
Anyway, Horney is pretty cool. These essays were written in the 20's and 30's. I should get back to reading them so I can have my slideshow on Monday. "Setting Unrealistic Goals: My Neuroses in Action"
The "in Action" part gives it oomph, no? Maude. Back to it then. I hope people are going outside today and having fun. This is my last weekend working on school and then a nice 6-week break, rah :) |
|
|
| VW with good gas milage |
[Jul. 5th, 2008|12:55 pm] |
Here is an article about a new model VW that will be released in a limited edition in 2010. The car gets 100 km/l (which is about 282 mpg).
 |
|
|
| swim practice stuff |
[Jul. 5th, 2008|11:39 am] |
|
( Read more... ) |
|
|
| 22 Years Ago |
[Jul. 5th, 2008|07:47 am] |
I don't talk to my sister much. I think one factor that lead to that was that she got married 22 years ago today, and I had been asked to fill in for our father in the ceremony. Unfortunately, ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) munchor's mom was relatively pregnant, and didn't want me traveling the 90 minutes away to be part of the ceremony, so that morning she told me she felt like 'today is the day... it's happening'. Let me be clear that she had said the same thing every morning for three weeks, and I was pretty sure she was manipulating me, but what could I do? She hated my family, and was jealous of any time I wanted to spend with them. Those of you who flist munchor can see that his birthday is in three days, but I was a last minute drop-out of the wedding ceremony anyway.
Unrelated Note: Some large fraction of a year ago (maybe 6 months) something (I've forgotten what) landed sharply on my big toe, just before the nail. Over the months the bruise & undernail scab have grown out and now they are half trimmed off. I've come to view this thing as almost a low-maintenance pet (like a goldfish). It has been interesting following its progress. It reminds me... many years ago, before it was made fashionable by Britney Speares, Gillian Anderson, Paris Hilton, Emma Watson, and others, a girlfriend shaved for me. Several weeks later she commented that watching it grow out, and go through all the stages was like having a pet.
Youk's triple: I was watching part of the Red Sox game yesterday. Kevin Youkilis hit a ball that bounced out of Johnny Damon's glove, and landed on the top of the padded fence, where it bounced a few times reversing its direction of spin, then settled, and rolled off the fence into the field of play. Damon scrambled a bit, picked up the ball, and threw it in. Youk ended up on third. In the roughly ten million at bats in the history of major league baseball, that might be the first time that's ever happened.
A Cartoon:
 |
|
|
| [public service announcement] |
[Jul. 5th, 2008|08:03 am] |
| [ | Tags | | | health | ] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | home | ] |
| [ | mood |
| |  anxious | ] |
| [ | music |
| | fridge buzz | ] |
PSA: I am currently experiencng one of my Bad Spells. Will be heading off to Rockport later this morning to put myself into the hands of my mom until further notice. Might be offline for a while, but will try to check e-mail. |
|
|
| A bad idea |
[Jul. 5th, 2008|01:46 am] |
| [ | music |
| | not fireworks at the moment | ] |
Drinking coffee at 6:30pm. I am not jittery or unhappy, I just shouldn't be up.
Also I have eaten a lot fruit-- I found the most perfect figs and cherries at WF today.
Bed. I should be in bed. |
|
|
| [tech] PSA: Gmail gives you the plus convention!! |
[Jul. 4th, 2008|05:44 pm] |
Oh my goodness, I had no idea: Gmail gives users the plus ("+") convention!!
This is, IMHO, one of the single most powerful and desirable features in an email system; it's rarely available, so most people have no idea what it is or why they'd want it. If you're one, allow me to rock your world...
The plus convention -- which as I recall comes out of CMU's Andrew system -- is quite simply that mail addressed to your username "+absolutelyanythingyouwant" will be delivered to you.
In other words, if you're xample@gmail.com, Gmail will also also deliver to you email addressed to "xample+foo@gmail.com" and "xample+bar@gmail.com" and so on. You can give these alternative emails out -- to friends, enemies, businesses, email lists, etc. This means you can have secret, privilged addresses that spammers don't know about.
This has many fine advantages, but best of all it can be used to make you pretty much proof against phishing and to dramatically assist your spam problem.
The simplest application is coming up with a password suffix, e.g. "xample+rutabaga" and giving that to trusted parties. Then you can white-list (exempt from spam processing) any incoming email to "xample+rutabaga" and treat any email to "xample" with suspicion.
Now, the trick is that you must consistently reply to the emails people send you at "xample+rutabaga" as "xample+rutabaga" not "xample", or then when they reply at the next round, they'll be replying to "xample", not the privileged address. Happily, Gmail will do that, if you're using Gmail to send email. Under "Settings" on the "Accounts" tab, the first thing is "Send email as". This is where you'd "Add another email address" -- "xample+rutabaga@gmail.com" -- and then click "Reply from the same address the message was sent to". Voila! Also, there's a "Learn more" link there which you should probably investigate.
Note that the "from" field of an outgoing email you're composing in Gmail is also selectable on the fly, so if you're emailing someone you've never emailed before (e.g. grandma) and want to give them the privileged addresses, you can just select it in before sending. That's just a matter of remembering to do it.
Now, a single password shared between all your buddies has an obvious problem. What happens if one of your posse uses MSOutlook? Yeah, they'll get a virus which harvests email addresses from their inbox -- from everyone they've corresponded with, which includes you -- and sends those email addresses to spammers. Bummer. Then your special, privileged, secret heretofore spam-free address is in the hands of the enemy and will start getting spam and phishes.
Similarly, if you're using your special, privileged, secret address to do business on line -- e.g. corresponding with EBay vendors -- what happens if they have a security breach and your email is stolen by the bad guys? What if you're subbed to an an email list that has a security breach? (Don't laugh: it's now happened to me twice.)
There's many approaches to deal with this. ( Here's the one I use. ) |
|
|
| Thrusting Tip guidance |
[Jul. 4th, 2008|11:47 am] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | Home | ] |
| [ | mood |
| |  curious | ] |
Greetings all good gentles here,
As I slowly rehabilitate my weapons and armor to re-enter the Dream, I'm running into a snag. I've read the current Heavy Combat guidance and handbook, but I'm not seeing anything specific on thrusting tips for single- and double-handed weapons barring the requirements for coverage and give. Having been out of the loop for about 5 years now, I'd like to remake my swords and I've seen a few armorers selling the pre-fabricated rubber tips (with foam spacers and such) which would seem to meet the "progressive give" requirements from the EM handbook. Are they still allowed within the lists? I vaguely recall hearing that they might have been disallowed, in which case I'll have to fabricate something, but it would certainly speed up my work if I could use the pre-fab tips. Any davice much appreciated!
In service
Squire James |
|
|
| "You know, we're like Spenser Tracy and Katherine Hepburn." |
[Jul. 4th, 2008|12:54 pm] |
Lis and I, I mean.
'Cause, for one thing, you've got that "kinda goofy-looking-but-kinda-cute guy" with "stunningly drop-dead gorgeous woman" thing going on.
And then . . .
Well, so, Lis and I are having breakfast. And she looks at the bottle of metheglin between us. And she asks for a glass.
I look at her, look at the bottle, glance over to the cabinet with the glasses, which is marginally closer to her than it is to me, and I roll my eyes. She says, "Fine," and walks over to the cabinet.
She gets the most ridiculous huge glass she can -- a stemmed, footed, and handled Irish coffee mug -- attempts to pull the cork out, managing it only on the fifth try, pours herself a tiny little drop into the bottom of the ridiculous glass, then jams the cork far enough into the bottle that it will likely need tools to get it out.
And, no, she didn't do any of that on purpose to show why I should have just gotten it for her.
You know the sort of old sitcom thing where the husband is left at home to cook, and the whole kitchen blows up in a slapstick humorous way? In several Tracy/Hepburn movies, the same thing happens when SHE tries to take over the cooking from HIM, since HE'S the one who's competent in home-making stuff.
And that's true of us, too. |
|
|
| I love my country. |
[Jul. 4th, 2008|12:19 pm] |
I am proud to be an American.
I am ashamed that George W. Bush is an American, but I am proud that I am one. |
|
|
| Holiday weekend, with odds and ends |
[Jul. 4th, 2008|12:03 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  busy | ] |
I'm off work today, of course. And no, not for Rosh Chodesh Tammuz. :-D The TigerParents are up for the weekend, and we're going to have a ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif) tremontstshul Shabbat picnic dinner at the fireworks tonight. Also, jessruth comes up tomorrow for a quick dress-fitting trip.
On Wednesday, I had my first casualty of working at a school: ( I got my car window broken! )
I haven't heard about this anywhere other than through Goldstar Events, but I am pretty sure it might be of interest to some: Walking With Dinosaurs: The Live Experience at TD Banknorth Garden. July 16-20 only! Based on the award-winning BBC TV series! Audio-animatron-eriffic! Rawr!
hatam_soferet pointed to a really nice essay the other day on anti-procrastination. People struggling with I-can't-do-anything (especially of the depressive variety) should read it. Now. And bookmark it.
We made these for dinner the other night: Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burritos. "Vegetarian burritos are filled with a puree of sweet potatoes, black beans, onions, chiles, garlic, and cilantro. They are rolled up like enchiladas and baked. Serve topped with homemade salsa. From Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites (Clarkson Potter Publishers)." They actually don't taste much like sweet potatoes at all (to me); I think chipotle sauce would be a nice addition to the filling for next time (I also melted a little cheddar on top in the last 5 minutes). And the preparation method was slightly more bother than I normally would take, but I think it will be an interesting "company dinner" variation for future use.
On which note, off to lunch! Happy July 4th! |
|
|
| Quick Notes |
[Jul. 4th, 2008|07:31 am] |
Today is the 56th anniversary of my parents wedding, but they probably aren't celebrating as they got divorced 39 years ago, and my Dad died 27 years ago. So, it is pretty much just a date on the calendar with fireworks and parades.
Speaking of calendar, it is also alexx_kay's birthday, and also of a close childhood friend Henry Clay (HC) Osborn (the fourth?).
I mentioned a while ago that a bird had built a nest on the grill on our porch, and laid some eggs there. A few days ago, the bird kicked one of the eggs out of the nest, and clawed through the shell. The other two should be hatching soon.
The Red Sox finally ended their losing streak, and the starting pitcher got a complete game shutout (resting the obviously weary bull pen).
Josiah was supposed to be in a parade today with his cub scout pack, but they will all be equipped with squirt guns, and he doesn't want to get dampened, so he's opted out of attending. When did he get Hydrophobia?
Last night Piper and I walked to the center of town for the activities on the Green, and got some food (including fried dough). I saw the sky darkening, and we started walking home, but not quite soon enough. with about a mile to go, we started feeling some sprinkles. With about 7 tenths to go, the heavens opened up and we got soaked. With about half a mile to go, we stepped into an open garage with friendly neighbors in it. |
|
|
| [humor] Did you want some epistemology with that? |
[Jul. 4th, 2008|01:06 am] |
ironychan, who works at a deli counter, had a heck of a day today:[...]
By the middle of the afternoon, I'd sort of snapped. [...]
A customer looked at the display and wondered aloud, "what do I want?" "Self-actualization?" I suggested. She blinked at me. "What?" "Some philosophers believe that all anyone really wants is to be loved unconditionally," I added. "The Epicureans, on the other hand, taught that happiness is achieved by hedonism, doing whatever you want, while Buddhists believe that true happiness can only be attained by not wanting anything." The customer stared. "But being a store," I said, belatedly realizing that Customer Service was probably about to get a very interesting complaint, "we're not so into the 'not wanting anything'." |
|
|
| Dear maude |
[Jul. 3rd, 2008|09:15 pm] |
1. What drink wakes you up best in the morning?
coffee
2. During the day, what do you drink to keep going?
coffee
3. Do you drink the recommended 8 glasses of water per day? Why/why not?
no, because I don't believe in that
4. What are the ingredients of your favorite mixed drink? (Doesn't have to be alcoholic!)
coffee, cream
5. Are you a coffee drinker? How do you take your coffee, if so?
heh |
|
|
| |
[Jul. 3rd, 2008|07:43 pm] |
The boys and I went to the pool this afternoon. Rhysy was scared of the water. He clung to me and didn't want to do much. Not interested in the water at all. I think this is because he's been rolled in the ocean a few times. But the pool thing is new. Of course at home, he plays in the goat pool with water (W cleaned it out) but... anyway. Not much swimming which was fine. I stayed mostly dry.
Mr Gabe took a swim test-- across the pool and then 3 mins treading water. (3 mins? not sure) anyway, he swam across fine but could not tread water properly. All that means is that he can't swim in the deep end of the big pool with the inner tubes and the rock-climbing wall (over the pool). I don't want him over there if he can't pass the test. So he will try again.
W took him to the psychiatrist and they decided to take him off meds for the summer. Or as long as it lasts. Instantly, I can see a difference: Gabe is eating like a horse again.
And Jesse is a dear sweet thing. I need to do something with him that he likes. It'll be nice to have more time when school is out.
Without daycare & boys' school I am gone all day M/W and with kids all day T/Th/F/Sat. Oh well after next week it'll be the 5 of us home Sun/M/W. We'll see how that goes too. Definitely more time for family road trips and day trips and solo trips with the boys. |
|
|
| Games today or Sat? |
[Jul. 3rd, 2008|04:39 pm] |
|
Anyone interested in coming over to play games tonight or possibly Sat afternoon? |
|
|
