Musings and Meanderings

True Blood Drinks

2009-01-13T19:05:15Z

As all of you have probably picked up by now, I'm not a teetotaler. *s* On hand, I have some red wine, one or two bottle of blush/rose wine, coffee, lots of different hot tea choices, water (filtered from the refrigerator dispenser), and some selection of sodas. (Soda selection doesn't include coke or pepsi IIRC last time I looked. The s.o. and I don't drink soda nor do most people we know so I don't tend to have it on hand.) Anything else you may want, feel free to bring.

Oh yeah, we also have two guest bedrooms and a pullout sofa (queen sized bed) in the media room all on the second floor. (We're going to watch True Blood in the family room on the first floor.) If someone needs crash space, we've got some spare beds.

True Blood Viewing

2009-01-05T19:14:32Z

So, I've volunteered to host a viewing for the first season of HBO's new series True Blood. This is the new Alan Ball (the creative genius behind Six Feet Under) series based on the Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris.

If you're part of RTSFS and interested in attending, comment, I'll friend you and then add you to a private group that will contain all the postings related to the upcoming event.

Have you? (AKA 99 Things to Do)

2008-12-15T17:00:46Z

Meme picked up from K.A. Laity
Bold the ones you have done.

1. Started my own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped (no way in hell)
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught myself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty (walked around the base count? It was closed for removation.)
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon (why? *s*)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors (which ones???)
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language (working on it)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris (didn't feel like waiting in line)
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma (can't - wish I could)
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter (want to!)
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar (yuck)
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London (too many other things I wanted to do there)
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person (from a plane count?)
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had my picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee (hopefully never again)

I have to agree with Kate that there seems to be a lot of things missing from this list and that this is very euro centric. It also seems to be christianity specific. (Hey list developer, there are a lot of other religions out there!) Can't even say judeo-christian as there's nothing judaic in the list. Oh well.

Interesting list anyway. *s*

Feral Cats Part 2

2008-12-03T17:50:25Z

Today I spoke to one of the local groups that spays/neuters feral cats. I was really quite surprised when they told me that feral cats should be released after 24 hours post-surgery confinement. Having never dealt with feral cats on this level before, I am only familiar with how our cats have been treated post-surgery - they're usually confined and babied for a few days while they have their elizabethan collars in place. Plus, once released to "general population" there's always a hiss-fest afterward due to the newly returned having a funny smell.

The other thing that rather surprised me was being reassured that it was fine to do this at this time of year even though they would have to spend the night in the trap in our unheated garage. The reassurances I received were that a) they live outside and b) the garage is quiet and insulated even though there is no heat. I'm still concerned about this as all animals tend to be a little fragile after undergoing anesthesia and surgery. Not uncommon problems are the inability to maintain body temperature. (We almost lost Hemi during surgery for this very reason; she had an unusually strong reaction to the anesthesia.)

I don't know, I'm just uncomfortable about this. Don't take that wrong - it's not doubt about whether or not TNR is the right thig to do, I know it is. It's doing it right now that has me concerned. Even *right* now is not an option as the earliest opening in the schedule isn't until January which means it will be even colder.

In the meantime, I think I'm going to go ahead and buy a trap. (This company's models 606 and 608 seem to be the highest recommended ones.) I was actually pleasantly surprised by the price. Though not cheap, they are still a lot less expensive than I expected. Once I have one, I may even talk to the newsletter editor for our neighborhood and propose an article on feral cats and how to deal with them with an offer to loan my trap . All the lots in our neighborhood are 1/2 acre or larger and with lots of trees. I've seen quite a few what I believe may be ferals around. I love cats, even feral ones but it's not a good life. We really don't need more feral kittens.

Feral Cats

2008-12-02T19:37:20Z

Let's try this a second time.... (teaches me not to type elsewhere and then do a cut and paste into LJ)

For a few months now, we've been feeding what is turning out to be a small feral cat colony. It all started when, in late fall, we saw a mother leading around a very tiny kitten. Watching them for a few days, it became very obvious they were feral and very thin. Those who know me know this is not something I can not just sit back and watch. At first, I was "sneaking" food onto the front porch but now Ron is just as apt to refill the food and water bowls as I am.

Baby, as we have taken to calling the kitten, has gotten to be quite sleek and playful. Not to mention demanding. *s* S/he (for the sake of brevity, to be referred to as a she from here forward), looks forward to dinner every night which is eaten from my hand. She's also getting to expect her share of the breakfast treat that the indoor crew enjoy every morning. Not surprisingly, she pretty much lives on our front porch these days and even has a particular chair she sleeps on every night. I've even managed to coax her into the house a time or two. I suspect she may be capable of being made into an indoor Baby.

Meanwhile, I've counted four other cats who consistently show up to eat at our house. They've all gone from skinny, malnourished wrecks to healthy looking adults in the past couple of months. I suspect that several of them have moved "house" and taken up residence in the woods behind our house to be closer to the food supply.

With the general overall improvement of health, my mind is starting to wander towards the Feline Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) programs. I know that none of the adults are capable of ever becoming house cats at this time but I also don't want this little feral colony to continue to grow. It's not fair to them and it's only a matter of time before the neighborhood starts euthanizing them if the colony grows too large.

I've done some investigating and there appears to be a few resources in our area. One group looks like it may work on a national level so I have requested and received additional information from them - http://www.alleycat.org/ So far, in reading through what they have sent me, I'm pretty impressed by the collection of information they have amassed for our area. It contains everything I have found on my own and more.

So I guess I'm going to be doing some trapping but I may need to wait a few months until warmer weather gets here. I know we risk entering kitten season again by then but the only place I have to keep a recuperating feral cat is in the garage and the garage is not heated.

Wow! Two days in a Row!

2008-11-25T17:14:57Z

I'm doing a happy dance today because for me it is Friday with an exceptionally long weekend to follow. So what if I'm going to spend the day tomorrow cooking in preparation for having Ron's family over for dinner on Thanksgiving? I like to cook and tomorrow I get to make cheesecake! I love to make cheesecake but I only do it when there are going to be plenty of people around to eat it because if I don't, too much of it goes to waste.

Right now, the menu is shaping up: honey brined roast turkey, glazed ham, sweet potato casserole (NO marshmallows and more savory than overwhelmingly sweet), sausage and apple stuffing, garlic and onion mashed potatoes, turkey cream gravy, "traditional" green bean casserole, cranberry / orange / fig dressing, and pumpkin cheesecake with praline topping. Those are the known dishes at the moment. I know I'll be throwing in a few more things. Plus, my m-i-l will be bringing over assorted home made breads to save me from doing that also. I am so thrilled that our "new" (we've been in it 18 months) house has two ovens and plan to put them to work!

In between prep work tomorrow, I hope to be able to sneak in a few more pages of my current book. I'm two-thirds of the way through Phil Rickman's The Fabric of Sin. I'm a big fan of Mr. Rickman in general (been reading him ever since I discovered an import of his first book in a dealers' room at a con, now his work is much easier to find) and love his Merrily Watkins series. Phil weaves so much history into his books that I find myself constantly reaching for reference texts. (Phil, if you're reading this, my s.o. would like you to know he does not appreciate the increase in the size - and weight - of my book collection due to your influence. Me, there is no such thing as too many books.) As usual, this is an excellent installment in the series revolving around mysteries of the Templars. And no, refreshingly, it's also not the whole done-to-death Mary Magdalene Templar story line. Then again, I wouldn't expect Mr. Rickman to go that route either.

Anyway, next up after that will be the probably be To Dream of the Dead, the latest in the Merrily series. It's funny, I'm really good at postponing enjoyment of a treasured author's latest works but all bets are off once I dive in. I must devour everything. It's like being able to ignore the chocolates until I've tasted just one. Once I do that, next thing I know, I'm recovering from a choccie hangover. *s*

Trying to get back in the habit....

2008-09-24T20:33:49Z

Of posting to this thing.

Anyway, I received this photo link today and thought it was pretty cool. (I was a space geek long before I ever did a stint at NASA. *smile*)

www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_1179.html

It's been a while since one could see two shuttles on their launch pads at the same time.

Stupid Tech Support

2008-09-24T17:25:08Z

It has been a week for stupid answers from tech support people. I know, most stories are about stupid people calling tech support. My experience has been (for the most part) the exact opposite - tech support being absolutely clueless.

Last week it started when I emailed tech support for a company that I do business with professionally. What this means is that we use their product at the school where I work and I am the admin - I provide support inside the school for the product and only contact the company when I encounter a problem which I can not solve. Usually this means a software bug. Last week, I began to have a problem that I couldn't resolve so I contacted the tech support group. Not once but twice they responded that I needed to clear my cache and try again logging in again. (Problem was the system wouldn't take my administrative credentials.) Now, they know who they are dealing with an IT professional which means they are supposed to know that, by the time I've reached out to them, I've already tried these simple things. sigh Interestingly enough, after I lost my temper over the second time I was told to clear my browser cache and explained everythign I had already done to solve the problem myself, tehy could give me no answer to the problem. But, amazingly enough, the problem also mysteriously went away in a few hours without any explanation nor any further action by me.

However, today was a good one. I'm still laughing about it to myself. Unfortunately, it won't make much sense or be very funny to those who aren't familiar with computers. I was paying bills during lunch and noticed a problem with one of the online sites. Since I also noted that had just added some new features to the site, I figured this was just a bug in the code so I decided that professional courtesy dictates that I should give them a call to report it.

First stop, automated voice support hell. Not even the standard back door of hitting 0 worked to bypass it to connect me to a live person. Worse yet, it was four layers of nonsense before I finally got the option to speak to a person. Once there, I explained and was promptly shunted to the internet department (the only support phone number listed on the website went to billing) where I promptly got caught up in v-support hell again. ( Why didn't I hang up? Visions of people like my mom and dad getting this messed up bill online danced through my head so I remained determined to report it.)

Finally, I reach a real live person. I explain to him who I am (name, address, dob, phone number) and what I do for a living (usually this helps as it lets people know I'm not a novice when it come to the web), and then finally explain the problem. "To solve it", the man told me that I needed to "turn my browser off for ten minutes to reset my IP address.". I couldn't help myself - I swear - I lost it and cracked up laughing. When I stopped laughing, I asked him what this was supposed to do and he repeated what he had said. So, no, I didn't mishear him either.

8 Things & 8 Tags

2008-07-29T17:52:03Z

*laugh*

Here's the rules:

RULES:
* 1. Post these rules.
* 2. Each tagged person must post 8 things about themself on their journal.
* 3. At the end, you have to choose and tag 8 people
* 4. Go to their pages and send a message saying you tagged them.
* 5. No tag-backs

Yeesh, eight things. Right now, I'm still so tired from Trinoc*coN that I'm still not thinking straight.

Okay, here we go:

1) I'm the only one of my parents' children without a felony conviction. No wonder I feel like an only child sometimes when it comes to being dependable and responsible.

2) I turned down a spot in the Air Force Academy much to my father's chagrin. It was the second year they were admitting women. Enough said?

3) To earn the congressional nomination to the academy, I beat out a room of 30 high school boys on the exam we were given. The "boys" laughed at me and told me to go home when I walked in the room because "the academy did not accept women".

4) I spent several years shooting on a rifle team in high school. I'm a pretty good shot. *g* I still own a Mossberg .22 calibre match rifle.

5) I sang back up vocals for a band way back when. Couldn't do it now as my voice changed after sinus surgery some years ago.

6) I was *crippling* shy until after I graduated form high school. Yeah, me. *g*

7) I'm missing part of my left eyebrow after being attacked by the class bullies on my way home from school in second grade because I was too smart. I tend to be a trifle subconscious about it so usually fill it in with eyebrow pencil.

8) I would love to have a macaw or a cockatoo but those who know me know that I have a strong weakness for rescuing cats. Cats and birds don't mix well. *g* Especially not six cats.....

Now who am I going to tag... lee_martindale,laurajunderwood, laurahcory1, chuckie58 aka Mildred, Repairman Greg, Will, acls2x aka The Boy Toy, Carol

Who do I think *won't* respond? acls2x naturally *g*

The Dreaded System Implementation Project

2007-11-15T23:26:18Z

is heating up. Finally. That might seem strange and contradictory but it really isn't. You see, the longer it takes before it gets started the less time I have to complete it. The start date may be fluid but the deadline isn't. It's finally heating up is the reason why I'm here at 6:05 p.m. still in my office; updating my live journal account while waiting for my Palm to finish its sync and the other little end of the day routines to finish. (Don't tut tut me - you know who you are *smile* luv ya - as I actually feel really good about it for the first time in quite a while because progress is being made.)

Warning: whiplash inducing change of subject ahead.

Was yesterday National Idiots Day and did some one forget to inform us? It certainly felt like it as almost everyone near and dear to me seemed to have a collision with one some time yesterday. I'm not talking you average idiot, I'm talking your "You are too stupid to be let out of the house" type idiot. Yeesh. It crossed my mind at some point that it was a particularly dangerous and scary day for our country with Bush in the White House on National Idiots Day. (Hmmmm... Do you think it may have been declared in his honor?) I was just really glad to get home yesterday and lock the doors.

Palm has finished its sync and everything else is done so I think it's time to close down the office (I'm the last one here as usual these days) and go home. Hope all of you have a good night.

Coming Up Out of the Pit of Despair

2007-11-13T22:17:09Z

Finally seemed to have beat the cold into submission. I *so* hate being sick but when I'm sick just leave me alone and let me drink tea. Lots and lots of hot tea.

I did manage to finish Faith Hunter's book Host over the weekend. Interesting ending which makes we wonder if she's debating about whether or not to end the series there. I would be perfectly satisfied if she did. I certainly don't think we need any more series without end a la Robert Jordan Wheel of Time series or V.C. Andrews Dollanganger series. ( I know, both of those authors are dead but FH isn't. Those were just the two series that I could think of that should have been killed a long time ago.)

Lately, I've been hankering for a good ghost story. Unfortunately one of the problems with being an avid reader is there isn't too much out there in the mainstream that I haven't read, modern or historical. Ferreting out the little known is difficult especially since I belong to a horror discussion list that has a lot of really knowledgeable people in the many diverse types of media that make up the horror genre. Not too much gets by them collectively. Over the past 19 plus years that I have belonged to this group, they have greatly expanded my reading list which is a blessing and a curse. All I can say is thank goodness for the internet which has allowed my search and acquisition capabilities to catch up with my wanted list.

On the other hand, if you think you might know of something I might be interested in reading, feel free to let me know.

Bleh

2007-11-09T18:40:42Z

I've managed to come down with a cold. I hate being sick. I also hate not being able to go to work as things just pile up. Fortunately, due to a problem with the software, my big CRM project is temporarily on hold otherwise I would have drug myself into the office.

My historical fiction reading streak is on hold. Yesterday, I finally finished Margaret George's Mary, Queen of Scots. At almost 900 pages, it was a long book. Then again, that's typical for all of MG's books. Having just finished the series by Philippa Gregory about Henry VIII (The Constant Princess, The Other Boleyn Girl and The Boleyn Inheritance), I must admit I missed the way she dated each section so you knew where you were at in time. I want to read Philippa's The Virgin's Lover about Queen Elizabeth (haven't order the book yet) and then I think I'll call it a break for a while.

Meanwhile, the latest from Faith Hunter, Host, arrived the other day so I'm happily reading that between coughing, sneezing and blowing my nose. This is the third in the series that began with Bloodring and then continued in Seraphs. It's an interesting post-apocalyptic dark fantasy tale with the main setting for the story being a town in the NC mountains.

Symbols

2007-10-25T17:08:37Z

My son and his cousin are having a bit of an argument over symbols. Will, having been raised by a fiercely independent mother has a respect for strong women and understands the power of symbols and stereotypes. My niece, I suspect, doesn't not understand the subtle implication of association with these things.

The two of them are bickering over her use of the playboy bunny symbol as wallpaper on one the popular social networking sites. I'm not sure how Will approached talking to her about the use of it so I'm not certain of the details of the tiff. What I do know is that he has learned his distaste of those types of symbols and stereotypes from me.

My view of the playboy emblem is that it symbolizes women being objectified. Yes, I know playboy models may be educated and smart but that's not what the symbol stands for - women only appreciated for what they look like and their youth. All disposable commodities, all easily replaced by the next pretty young thing. I wonder if young girls/women are drawn to the symbol (and it seems to be pretty popular these days with young girls) because they think it implies that they're young, sexy and desirable? Do they realize the negative side of it or do they know and not care? (That's a truly disturbing thought for me. )

So, what do you think?

Weekend is Over and I Still Hate Time Warner Cable

2007-10-22T21:17:14Z

I spent most of the day Saturday working but it really is so much easier to do when I'm at home. However, Sunday was a ME day. I haven't really had one of those for a while. I got up, fed the cats, made breakfast for my partner and I, lazed around the house, played with the kits, read a lot, made dinner, cleaned up the kitchen, and then tried to watch tv.

TV in our house is a real sore spot at the moment. When we moved in to our new house at the end of May, we learned that we didn't have a good line of sight to the Dish Network satellite unless it was on a post in the front center of our yard. No, don't think so. So we ended up going with Time Warner Cable. Four months later and it feels like it's just like old times with Time Warner with one problem after another. Granted, they were not the cause of the first problem though it took them forever to acknowledge the issue and then fix it. (The contractor while working on the house next door cut our cable line. Only Time Warner could fix it. *sigh*) They thought I was a b*tch then since I am not a happy camper when my high speed internet is down. This time around, no one to blame but themselves so I'm really unhappy.

We hate commercials and hate watching anything on anyone else's schedule so most of the stuff we watch is recorded on a DVR which is built in to the cable box. Last week, said DVR began to spontaneously reboot. The s.o. called the cable company and they came out on Thursday to tell us it was a problem with low power on the cable line into the house. They did nothing aside for that. (Like the s.o. said, why didn't they just call me to tell me this instead of making me sit their in the house waiting for them to show up?) Well, wouldn't you know, it starts doing this again Saturday night. I called this time and they told me the earliest they could get out for a service call was Tuesday. Now, it seems to me that if you've already been out once and didn't fix the problem then that should give you some kind of priority for a return appointment. Nope. Good old Time Warner still hasn't changed.

Last night, it started cycling endlessly. Boot, flicker, blank, boot, flicker, blank over and over. It started this after the s.o. went to bed (or I fear the box would have went through a window) while I was recording (and watching) Brothers and Sisters and also recording Shark. When it started cycling, I was about 20 minutes into watching B&S and about 40 minutes into recording both shows. *sigh* Told the s.o. this morning to just erase them since we've lost the ending of both. I know I can probably check out the web and watch them there but it's a lot more comfy to watch them on the 50" HDTV while sitting on the couch then it is to watch them on the 22" HD monitor. Besides, isn't that why I pay for cable in the first place?

It may be time to check out DirecTV to see if we have a decent line of sight to their satellite.

TGIF!!!

2007-10-19T19:50:37Z

Though I need to do some work related research over the weekend, I can do that from home. Being able to work from home makes all the difference in the world as I can stop and start on my own time frame and do it in my PJs if it pleases me. However, it looks like that will force me to postpone painting the master bathroom over the weekend.

Painting, for me, is a two day project. First day is taping everything off and the second day is when the actual painting is done. I've had the paint to get this particular project done for about two months now but still haven't gotten that darned round tuit. I had originally planned to paint the bathroom and the master bedroom at the same time but decided to break it up into separate parts so it would give me fewer reasons for procrastination. Ah well.

In my down time which includes walking back and forth between car and office (much to the amusement of my colleagues), I've been reading Phillippa Gregory's series on the wives of Henry VIII. This is the first time I've read any of Ms. Gregory's historical fiction. I've finished the first book, The Constant Princess, which is about Katherine of Aragon and am now 2/3 of the way through The Other Boleyn Girl. The main character in this book is Mary Boleyn, sister to Anne Boleyn. So far an entertaining read though I want to go back and (re)read some of the historical accounts of that time period.

So far there has been one thing about the books that really bugged me. The Constant Princess has this very abrupt ending that makes no sense. The story - all of a sudden - jumps years, talks about her matrimonial trial very briefly (a couple of pages) and then ends. I f I was the author, I would have just left the tail end off since it seems to serve no purpose. If it's there to try to get people to read the next book, ending it several pages earlier (before the jump) would also suffice. Just weird. I must admit that if I didn't already own all three books at that point, I may have thrown the book down in disgust, never to pick one up again.

On the other hand, once this trilogy is done, it will be back to horror. I've had several books that I ordered some time ago arrive since I began to read PG's trilogy so the stack is calling me.

Frantic Pace of Life These Days

2007-10-18T15:54:47Z

When I started working for Duke way back when, we had what felt to be an ebb and flow structure to the business of IT. We knew summers would be frantic; with system upgrades, new software implementation, network changes, etc. But we also knew that we would get a bit of a lull once the end of September hit. The past few years have not been that way. It feels like we are at full speed all year round and this year has been particularly bad.

Some people have told me that I should just be grateful that I have a job but that doesn't strike me quite right. Yes, I am glad I have a position that I really love but does that mean that we should silently sit back and bear the stress of running at top speed without a break? Sounds to me as if that is the recipe for burn out.

I know that I am very fortunate that I have a wonderful partner with a great life at home that enables me to balance out the stress at the office and avoid burn out. If things were different though I could see the makings for a major crash and burn.

It's been forever

2007-10-17T16:46:35Z

I can't believe how long it's been since I last posted. I need to get back into the habit of writing for myself once again. I lost the habit quite some time ago (let's say years) due to the fact that I do a lot of writing as part of my professional life. Technical writing. blah. It's boring but so very necessary as the time spent documenting things and writing user guides saves me a lot of support time down the road. It's also why I rarely get on my computer these days from home since I spend my entire work day chained to one or two (or three...) *sigh*

Anyway, for my peace of mind, I'm going to make a promise to myself to start writing something just to write.

For the joy of it. For the ability to express myself. To keep me sane.

I feel like my writing skills are lagging which makes sense to me as I believe writing is a lot like art (also a neglected past time of mine) where the skills need to be exercised regularly in order to keep them up or, hopefully, improve them.

Happy Birthday to ME!

2003-09-12T20:51:37Z

Am I the only person in the world who loves her birthday? Birthdays, to me, are special. Unlike Christmas or Valentine's Day, only a special few celebrate September 13th as their birthday.

This year, I'll be 42. Yeah, I know, women aren't supposed to like to talk about their age. Hell, I'm just glad I'm here to celebrate another one! Nothing brought this home quite like 9/11. I turned 40 two days after. When people asked me if I was upset about turning 40, how could I be? There were thousands of people who would never have that opportunity again so how in the world could I have the audacity to be depressed?!

I usually start "claiming" my next birthday several months ahead of time. After all, in June I was closer to 42 than I was to 41. This is the first year that I also screwed up in a funny way. I had gotten so used to telling people that I was 42 already that when someone asked me how old I would be this year, I told them 43. The s.o. thought this to be particularly funny.

Tonight, we're celebrating by going to a restaurant for dinner with friends. What better way to do it? *smile*

Oh well. To all you others born on the 13th of September, I hope you have a great one!!!!!!

I'm a Geek

2003-09-04T15:14:10Z

and d**ned proud of it!

I carry a swiss army knife in my handbag; can tear apart a computer with the best of 'em, know how my car engine works; can change the oil in my car and the brakes; carry jumper cables, rope, maps and a variety of other thing in the trunk of my car; can do basic rewiring in my house; put in a pond in my backyard; can program my VCR (like that's hard); interconnect my surround sound receiver, DVD player, digital video recorder, television and the rest of my audio stuff; used to do lots of hardware work with mainframe computers; and other "untraditional" stuff.

OTOH, I also love to cook, sew, do needlework, garden, can my own preserves and other more "traditional" things.

Funny thing is that people look at me and set expectations for who I am and what I am without ever truly knowing me. Yesterday, one of the guys here at work left his lights on and killed his battery in his car. When I walked out to my car, he asked me if I had jumper cables in such a way that I knew he expected me to say no. When I told him I did and then popped the trunk of my 5 speed Altima to get them, he was clearly surprised. The question that immediately flashed across my mind was why the shock? I couldn't imagine not carrying jumper cables in my car.

I may not look like a geek (BTW, just what *do* geeks look like?) but I *am* one. And, like I said, damned proud to be one. It's stupid not to be one.

Blue Man Group

2003-08-27T16:53:02Z

We went to see the Blue Man Group last night at Alltel Pavilion. Wow. I only have one regret - we didn't hear about the concert until a few days ago otherwise we would have had tickets much closer to the stage. Teaches me not to watch much television and to only read The NY Times and WA Post.

Over the years, I've been to a lot of concerts and this had to be the best show I have ever seen. The three Blue Men were backed up by five drummers with full kits, two guitar players, one bass player, a keyboardist, and a vocalist besides the guest appearances from opening acts Tracy Bonham and Venus Hum.

Tracy Bonham was up first. I was familiar with some of her stuff. I like her work so it was nice to get a chance to see her live. Her appearance didn't surprise me as I was also aware that she provided some of the vocals on The Complex so figured she would be making an appearance or two during the BMG.

I didn't have my copy of The Complex yet so though I had heard several pieces off of it (which is why I wanted to go to the show), I wasn't familiar with Venus Hum. They came up after Tracy and their lead singer, Annette Strean just amazed me. I don't know why, but the first comparison that came to mind is The Changelings but a little more techno.

Another interesting point to their performance was the use of a Flash presentation projected onto the white fabric drape that was behind them. Three performers on stage with two of them working from laptops while performing. It was pretty cool.

After Venus Hum left the stage, the dueling L.E.D. signs started up. These were text streaming signs set up on the left and the right sides of the stage. The signs were programmed to appear as if they were entities in their own right. It was hysterical. From rants about The Man to pleas from the "words on the left" (we were sitting stage left) to ignore the words on the right. They even have their own websites: http://www.wordsontheleft.com , http://www.wordsontheright.com and http://wordsinthemiddle.com It was a great way to entertain the audience while we were waiting for the tear down of the opening acts and the main act to begin.

What can I say about The Blue Man Group? I was already enthralled with The Complex from hearing it played on Radio Paradise. The show was phenomenal. The effects were amazing such that they really brought out the geek in me as I wish that I could be backstage to see how all the technical stuff was done. The show was everything I thought it would be and more.

Today, I checked out their website to see where else they're going to be. I must admit that the thought crossed my mind of letting Ron know that a much appreciated late b'day prezzie for me would be front of the auditorium seats to their November 7th show in Charlotte. *grin* First time I've ever truly wanted to see a show twice.

Back to School

2003-08-20T18:52:14Z

I hate the first day of school. No, I'm no longer in school but I work at one, a university to be exact.

First days bring parking headaches, students trying to deal with nine billion computer problems (oh yeah, did I mention I work in IT?), parking headaches, lots of noise, parking headaches, lines in the food court and computer VIRUSES.

Why is it that these otherwise intelligent people open attachments on their computers from people they don't know or have no text in the message just an attachment and one they were not expecting? Why does no one have virus scanning turned on on their computers? If they do, why haven't they updated their virus dat files at least in this millennium? After all, the university has a site license for a major anti-virus product and it's downloadable free of charge by any student here!

Yesterday I got over one thousand copies of this particular virus laden email in my inbox. Over one *THOUSAND* copies! I think that's an all time record for the start of school. Of course, then the infection spread to staff and faculty who decided to investigate what this was all about. *sigh*

Today the virus flow has trickled down. So far, only a couple of hundred copies have had to be purged from my inbox.

Only nine more months to go.....