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April 5th, 2012
09:40 pm - Internet feed fixed and more good news
Last night I set up tethering on my iPhone so I could get work done while I had to wait for the guy from Comcast to fix things. It was faster and more reliable than Google's free wifi. It's also expensive, so I will see about canceling it when I'm sure I won't need it.
The Comcast repair guy showed up a little after 2pm; apparently someone doing the dispatching decided I wasn't there and had told him not to come for my noon-2pm time slot, but this got resolved when I called at 1:55pm going "Where's my technician?"
As required, he had to check all my in-house connectors and then the feed coming into the house. As I had already figured out, there was no Internet signal coming in. I don't know how he figured it out, but three houses down someone had put a hardware filter on the line that blocked the Internet signal. He of course removed it, and my Internet service came back. What neither of us could figure out is why someone put a filter on the main feed rather than the feed going to the house that wasn't supposed to get Internet access.
Before that I had a follow-up appointment with my gynecologist. ( Results behind the cut-tag. )
Current Location: home
Current Mood:  relieved
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April 3rd, 2012
11:24 pm - Comcast sucketh again
I have no cable modem signal coming into my house. Comcast thinks it's my cable modem, but I tried plugging another cable modem in and it still got no signal. I told Comcast support that there was no cable signal coming into my house. They were nice, but they didn't seem to be able to figure out that there was no signal coming in. This means that until my modem situation is fixed, I cannot get onto the Internet from home, save for a few posts from my iPhone. Posted via LiveJournal.app.
Current Location: US, California, Santa Clara, Mountain View, W Middlefield Rd, 1691
Current Mood:  annoyed
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November 26th, 2011
12:27 pm - Decisions, decisions...
I currently have a "dumb" phone that's on its last legs. I'm looking at upgrading to either an iPhone 4S or a Samsung Galaxy. My service provider is AT&T, and yes, I'm way overdue for my upgrade. Here's what I care about:- Ease of use.
I expect there to be a learning curve, especially since I'll no longer be able to dial by feel. Which is easier to use as a phone, including the speaker feature? - Searching while talking.
Can I look up stuff on my smartphone while I'm talking on it? If so, how awkward is it? - PDA functionality.
Let me be blunt: I Miss My Palm Zire 72. I want to be able to use my smartphone as a calendar, alarm clock with customized alarms, and as a list-tracker. Do either have apps that can do this? My iPod Touch's alarm clock is way too soft to wake me up; I've heard the iPhone is way better this way, though. I have no experience with the Android platform. - Available apps.
What's out there for each platform? I know I can run apps on an iPhone that'll save me money (which will help offset the monthly data fee). Do these exist for the Android? - Upgradability.
Can I upgrade the hardware or software at all? The iPhone appears to be software upgradeable but not hardware upgradeable, while the Galaxy appears to be the other way around. Please correct me if I'm wrong here. - Battery life.
How do they compare? - Tethering.
I'm going to have to pay for a measured service plan no matter how I roll it, so how easy is it to use either one as a MiFi hotspot? Yes, this is very important to me. - "Regret factor."
Will I still feel good about this phone a year from now? I like buying tech gear that's going to last me a while and keep me happy, which means I tend to go for the top of the line. - Other stuff.
Since I don't have a smartphone, I don't know what I'm missing or what to look for beyond what I've mentioned.
So...which is better, and why?
Current Location: Home
Current Mood:  curious
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November 12th, 2011
11:35 pm - Goodbye, Keris
I just learned about the sudden death of ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=92.1) keristor a few hours ago. I am in shock.
I first met Chris Croughton at my first full Worldcon, Magicon, in Orlando in '91. I enjoyed hanging with him at cons where we were both in attendance. He was friendly, fun, and someone I always looked forward to seeing. I also chatted quite a bit with him online (the two of us both being tech-geeks and around the same age). I remember how he beamed when he accepted his Filk Hall of Fame award when he was at FKO with the N'Early Music Consort. He later told me about how hard it was not to "burst out" to anyone about it.
I enjoyed his cheerfulness, his knowledge, and most of all, his sense of humor.
Damn.
Current Location: Mom's house in NJ
Current Mood:  sad
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October 12th, 2011
12:07 am - Lots of little things have been going on
In a nutshell:- Paul Metz's memorial, followed by a double birthday party.
Can we say "emotional see-saw?" I offered to speak (I knew him a long time, got to watch him grow up, and I'm a "professional voice"). I was fried after that. dimakoi and I carpooled, shlepping from one affair to the other. We got out of the memorial later than planned because we kept running into folks we hadn't seen in ages and who we missed. When we finally got to the party, I was too tired to change into something more appropriate for the party (Hawaiian themed), even with Hawaiian shirts lying in front of me. I needed the party after the memorial, but I was frazzled.
- Steve Jobs died.
If I said I was surprised by this, I'd be lying through my teeth. It was a case of deja vu for me because my father lost his fight with cancer within a month of being told he had to sell his dental practice. Like Steve Jobs, Dad was a workaholic. Dad was also 56 when he died.
As for Steve, I didn't really know him, but I met him on a couple of occasions and even got to chat with him briefly. He was very nice to me, although I suspected it was partly because I was one of the few reporters who wasn't asking a question that showed a lack of understanding about computers. (For the record, I asked about the pronunciation of his name; back then, you'd hear it as both "johbs" and "jahbs," and I cared enough to get it right.)
- I made plane and car rental arrangements to go to New Jersey next month.
I'm visiting my relatives for the first time in 3 1/2 years. Am I nervous? A little. Am I looking forward to it? Yeah. When my cousins and I get together, we kind of fall into place as if we hadn't been apart. I'm going to my cousin Sophie's Bat Mitzvah, and as usual, I've been searching for the right fabric. At the Fabric Outlet in San Francisco I found a knit ultrasuede in a smoky blue and pale pink that's sort of smudged and swirled almost like a tie-dye. It's color-appropriate for my palette and for the time of year (November). Better yet, it was 40% off! I wanted to make something with a little stretch because I expect to gain weight before the affair. I'll have been at my mother's house (aka The House Of Food) for two days, and Mom will likely want to feed me 3 1/2 years of home cooking in less than a week. Mom is starting to fill her two refrigerators and full-sized freezer with stuff she knows I'll want to consume.
Btw, I'm flying into Philadelphia, so if any of you want me to shlep a care package from the Silicon Valley to your kid going to school out there (I'm not naming names, but you know who you are), please let me know. I'm taking two large suitcases, and I plan on filling one with stuff that isn't coming back with me.
- My energy is slowly coming back.
Once the clostridium difficile infection left my body, it was as if someone stopped sucking out my energy with a hypodermic needle. This Is Good. Sometimes I am exhausted after work, but I kick ass when I'm on the clock.
- My kitchen appliances are all dying at once.
Before I spend my work money on anything fun, I need a new refrigerator, stove, and dishwasher. If I had the $$$ I'd get a dual-fuel range, but I don't, so I'm going with the cheapest electric non-flat-top stove I can stand. I've been researching this, but any additional input is welcomed.
Compared to some of the stuff other folks I know are going through (esp. my fiancé), my life has been pleasantly dull for a change.
Current Mood:  tired
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October 7th, 2011
12:40 am - Thought of the Month
Nobody cares about what their friends look like. They care about what their friends smell like.
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September 18th, 2011
01:10 pm - Paul Metz Memorial
When: Saturday, October 1st, 11:30am
Where: 1st Congregational Church of San Jose, 1980 Hamilton Avenue, San Jose, CA - nearest cross-street is Leigh Avenue
Service will be in the sanctuary with a reception to follow in the Fellowship Hall.
As for helping Stephanie, Brendan, and Morgan:- Someone has set up a fund to help Stephanie and the boys. For more information on how to donate, contact patrice.lajoie.carney@gmail.com.
- Some of Paul's PayPal colleagues have set up a fund. For information, click here.
Current Location: Home
Current Mood: sad
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August 29th, 2011
10:23 pm - Paul Metz: 12/21/1961-8/27/2011
My dear friend Paul killed himself this past Saturday. I knew he was in bad shape mentally, but I hoped he'd pull out of it.
Paul was the kind of guy legends are made of. ( Stories about Paul behind the cut-tag. )The world was a better place because he was in it. I miss you, my virtual kid brother.
Current Location: Home
Current Mood: sad
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July 27th, 2011
June 2nd, 2011
01:53 pm - Well that explains a few things!
Last week my adorable but not technogeeky fiancé was at my house and said, "You somehow managed to get a cord caught in your shredder."
This sounded absurd. First of all, I rarely use my shredder; he uses it more than I do. When I do use it, there aren't any cords near the blades. The rest of the week I continued on with my job search, life, and so forth, wondering why there were no new messages on my answering machine. I figured he was clearing it remotely (he gets messages on my machine).
Last night I tried answering the phone that has the answering machine attached, only it was dead. In a classic case of "Yeah, you can smell this one coming," I followed the power cord and phone cord and discovered the latter had somehow been cut in half. I have no idea how he got the phone cord stuck in the shredder; all I could do was burst out laughing. Fortunately, I had a spare phone cable (hey, I'm a geek!) I could use to hook up the machine.
The reason I was in the computer room was I was suddenly unable to connect to my home network. Around a month ago my backup drive stopped appearing on my home network. I had tried power-cycling it. I reseated the connection. No luck. I've been having to power cycle the router a lot in the last couple of months because my wireless printer kept falling off the home network.
Last night my wireless router was D-E-A-D. The power was connected. It was plugged in. This router is I-forget-how-many-years-old; it's 802.11g, and at the time it was the top-of-the-line protocol available. The only reason I can connect to the net wirelessly right now is there's a Google WiFi transponder across the street from my house. It's slow, it's clunky, and it's not secure, but at least I can sort of get to the net till I go out and buy a new router.
Yesterday someone asked me if I'd ever configured a router. Heh. It's time for me to turn into the Good Router Configuration Fairy. I bet my other networking problems are suddenly going to go away real soon....
Current Location: home
Current Mood:  blah
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April 23rd, 2011
12:41 am - Because you needed to know this
Current Location: Home
Current Mood:  amused
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April 18th, 2011
11:59 pm - Why I love northern California
This was my view when I arrived home from work this evening:
That's not a blur on the photo; that's a double rainbow.
Current Location: home (working)
Current Mood:  awed
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February 3rd, 2011
09:29 pm - Why Apple rocks
On the way home, something horrible happened to Studmuffin (my new MacBook Pro). I'd been having random problems with the graphics for a while, but it went really wonky when I got home from Conflikt. I took Studmuffin to the Apple Store Monday evening after work. They quoted me "five to ten business days." I'm typing this on my fully-repaired Studmuffin now. This was way faster than I expected to get my computer back.
To think, folks wonder why Apple customers are so loyal....
Current Location: Home
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December 23rd, 2010
01:01 pm - What happened to my life???!?
I used to have a life. It was a very busy one, but I enjoyed every minute of the business, whether it was hopping from one job to the next, practicing guitar, arranging music, or going to science fiction and filk conventions.
The other day I had a job interview. One of the questions I was asked was what I did when I wasn't working. All I could think of was cuddling my dog and way too much elder care. Way too much. I've hit what I call "trauma point" with it, and it scares me. When I'm not doing elder care, I'm busy coming up with ways to avoid doing elder care. Sometimes I'll carpool to his house with dimakoi so he can't arm twist me into staying there. Other times I'll leave Lady home so I have an excuse to go back home (gotta take care of the dog, right?). I love him and his parents, but I don't like staying in a nursing home, waking up to the smell of elder-poo in the morning or getting hit head-on by the smell of elder-pee when I open the guest room door to go to the bathroom.
Since the interview I've started finding time to arrange music and do other things for myself despite the needs of my fiancé and his parents. My own mother went in for knee replacement surgery last week, yet I was busy taking care of his parents instead of my own.
I am hoping I didn't blow the interview because I've been arm-twisted way too much into doing tasks that totally suck out my soul.
Current Location: Home
Current Mood:  discontent
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June 3rd, 2010
10:51 am - Laugh OTD
This morning a recruiter called to ask me if I was available for a contract. I of course said "yes."
"Do you have Oracle database experience?"
"I think so." (I worked at Oracle for three years.)
"Do you know what 'SQL' [pronounced "see-quel") is?"
"Of course! Structured Query Language."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"I ask because we sent two candidates to the client, and neither of them knew what it was. When the interviewer asked what 'SQL' stands for, the candidate asked, 'Can you spell that?'"
Current Location: Home
Current Mood: amused
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April 23rd, 2010
02:07 am - Yippee! Ow! Yippee! Ow! Yippee! Ow!
The other day I went to the worker's comp dentist to have my teeth looked at.
The good news: I'm getting feeling back in my lower front teeth (the ones that lost it after I broke my jaw).
The bad news: It hurts, and it's going to continue to hurt as the nerves grow back.
Current Location: Home
Current Mood:  surprised
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March 16th, 2010
12:29 am - I had to share this video
This comes from Soviet TV, 1976, and is easily one of the worst lip-synch jobs I've ever seen:
My favorite part starts around 1:25 where he yodels and then tries to hit the bottom of his range.
Current Location: home
Current Music: Я очень рад, ведь я, наконец, возвращаюсь домой (the "Trolololo..." song)
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March 13th, 2010
12:03 am - Twittering OTD
Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter
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October 28th, 2009
11:05 am - A second test
Blog It on Facebook seems to want to let me post to LJ using an app where I have to specifically post to LJ. This is from that app. This is soooo not what I want.
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12:22 am - Facebook -> LiveJournal
I know there's a way to have one's LiveJournal posts go to Facebook. What I would like is the reverse -- for my status updates on Facebook to go to my LJ the way my Twitter posts (tweets?) do with LoudTweet.
Does anyone know of something out there that'll do this? Thanks in advance....
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October 27th, 2009
12:03 am - Twittering OTD
Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter
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October 22nd, 2009
11:49 pm - RIP, Soupy Sales
Enough folks are posting obits that I figured I'd instead post some video. Note that this is NSFW unless no one can see your screen.
The background: It was Soupy's birthday in 1959. The crew was playing a practical joke on him for his birthday by putting a stripper behind the door during his live TV show. Luckily for Soupy and his career, the version where you could see what he was seeing never got aired.
Update: YouTube yanked the original video, which included the version folks actually saw on TV. I found this on the Internet Archives.
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October 14th, 2009
01:05 am - Thunderbird problem
On my Windoze box (XP Professional), Thunderbird suddenly lost all my folders in my IMAP mailbox. I've tried tweaking the profiles, editing the profiles, deleting the .msf files from the profiles, and deleting and re-creating the mailbox -- to no avail.
How can I get Thunderbird to access all my folders again? They're still on the server (it's a Linux-based IMAP server and I've got shell access).
Any and all help would be appreciated.
Update:
When I go to "subscribe" to the folders under my IMAP folder, they don't exist, even when I click "refresh".
I have tried removing and recreating my mailbox to no avail; it still comes up as if the folders don't exist when I try to "subscribe" to them.
Current Location: Home
Current Mood:  anxious
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October 11th, 2009
04:55 pm - Time for a foodie entry
I've been doing a lot more cooking over the last few months, and I figure I ought to share a little bit.
This week I got to try out a Vidalia Chop Wizard at Warren's house. He didn't know his folks even had one. I used it to make soup this week, and it worked like a champ. You have to cut vegetables down to size, but that didn't surprise me. Whoever bought it had thrown out the box and whatever documentation came with it, so I didn't know it was dishwasher-safe. Still, I was very impressed. When I can justify the expense, I Want One.
I've been looking at food choppers. Grandmom used to have a device similar to the "Slap Chop" for chopping nuts, so I was curious. I tested out a "Slap Chop" this week and was underwhelmed, as the thing didn't rotate as promised. I also tested one by Cuisinart and couldn't get the thing back together. The only one that appears to be dishwasher-safe is the KitchenAid one. More research is necessary. I made the mistake of buying a food chopper for $5 at the Grocery Outlet, only to find out the chopper I bought doesn't rotate. Meh. Useless. The garlic stuck to it. I want the performance Brian Boitano gets with his, which apparently was under $20.
This past week's soup was French Lentil with Turkey Kielbasa. ( Click here for the recipe. )
The soup was a major hit. Everyone took seconds. I was able to let it cook while I did other things (like work, help Warren's mother, work, eat, work....).
Current Location: Home
Current Mood:  accomplished
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October 5th, 2009
01:20 pm - Silicon '09 review
The short version:
What if somebody threw a great convention and hardly anybody came?
The longer version:
Silicon was both fun and depressing. I heard that there were around 500-600 attendees, but until the evening, they seemed to get swallowed up by the Doubletree, which is no longer right-sized for this convention. The convention had negotiated a reduced parking fee of $8.00 which didn't include in and out privileges. That was IMHO $8.00/day too much to pay to park my car.
[Disclaimer: I missed Friday. I was busy running errands and was too tired when the day was over to party. Most of what I caught was Saturday with some Sunday.]
It could have been that the economy played a large part. Most of the folks I came across were either unemployed, underemployed, had received notice that there was a pending layoff where they were working, or had taken a pay cut in the last year. It seemed more like the publicity was lacking. The folks in charge know there were problems with the web site, but there are other ways to publicize a convention. Heck, I've been involved with local press in one way or another since the late 1980s, so I know how to publicize something and what gets an assignment editor's attention. The lack of people milling around when I arrived and the small-sized dealer's room and art show were kind of depressing. Still, when times suck, folks like me come to the convention to network and, most of all, to get our minds off our current situation. In this, the convention succeeded marvelously.
The panels and science exhibits were excellent. The guests were excellent, especially the toastmaster, kproche, who could liven up a funeral. Getting to bring Lady was a plus, and she enjoyed the con, too, save for her "costume" as the "Killer Rabbit" from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" as part of the "Knights of the Log Table" team. She smiled on stage as I got to announce, "The teeth are real," then as soon as she got off the stage, she shook her body and "removed" her costume. Folks got photos, and I hope they get posted.
Lady and I spent most of the night at KJEve's Karaoke party. We missed the San Jose Westercon party, which I heard later was the only one with anything approaching food (if you call crackers and dip "food"). Lady and I eventually nibbled on the crackers (which hurt a bit for me to do, but we were both famished), which had made their way to the winning Ultra Fanzine Lounge. Most of the parties had pretty good wine, however. We also spent time in the Internet Lounge, which was staffed by really sharp and helpful folks. I was trying to do some tricky and oddball things, and I wound up putting them through their paces.
The highlight of the convention for me was that karaoke party. At one point a guy dressed as Captain Kirk from the original "Star Trek" was singing Prince's "When Doves Cry" when a small group of large, burly Klingon guys walked in behind him from the terrace and started giving him strange looks. The whole room was doubling over laughing while the Captain Kirk guy was totally oblivious to what was going on until one of them wrapped his arm around him. The Captain Kirk guy didn't miss a beat and kept going to the point where he had four Klingons dancing behind him at the end of the song. Folks were snapping photos; I think someone even caught some of it on a portable video camera. If it shows up on the net I'll point to it.
My only significant complaints were the lack of a filk track and the menu at the hotel's coffeeshop, which has gone way downhill. The "baby menu" they served this weekend sucked because it was too limited and too pricey at once. There was only one item on the menu I could eat, and that was the Popcorn Shrimp appetizer for a whopping $12. The "entrees" on the menu were all burgers or sandwiches, both of which are painful for me to eat. If I could have parsed it, the "obvious" item to have ordered would have been the burger with bacon and cheese. I don't know whose idea the limited menu was, but folks, you need to serve real food. Caesar salad with dead animal in it for $14 does not constitute "real food." If it involves my having to chomp through a piece of thick or hard bread, it's not "real food." If it is hard to chew or mostly involves parsing with my mouth and not with utensils, it's not "real food."
I missed Sunday's programming because I had already planned to go elsewhere, but I'd heard the Match Game SF rocked. Later that day I went to BASFA's 1000th meeting, which was fun.
To the folks who run Silicon: You have a great convention. You make money for really good causes. Now we just need to get the rest of the planet in on it.
Current Location: Home
Current Mood:  satisfied
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August 11th, 2009
12:40 pm - Writer's Block: Commercial Appeal
I can't find video of it, but there was a commercial in the 1960s they showed a few times during Saturday morning cartoons.
The setting: A group of kids, both male and female, run out of the house and onto an outdoor swingset -- only dressed in underwear. As they do this, some lady is singing the following to "Happy Birthday:"Happy Underwear to you
Happy Underwear to you
Long wearing, easy caring
Happy Underwear to you. I will never know where tehy found a bunch of kids willing to go running around in their undies on national television
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August 3rd, 2009
09:24 am - Medical question
Given someone experiencing the following:- a couple of ulcers on their big toe
- infected bone underneath the ulcers
- when they go to the hospital they are suddenly diagnosed with Type II diabetes
- they have never been treated with antibiotics for the toe
- there's cellulitis (infected skin) on the top of the affected toe and foot
Can this person's big toe possibly be saved, or does it have to be amputated?
More to the point, is cutting off the big toe hyper-aggressive treatment if antibiotics weren't tried first?
I'm trying to find this out ASAP for a friend who looks like he's about to have his big toe lopped off this afternoon.
Current Location: Home
Current Mood: scared
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August 2nd, 2009
11:13 am - Privilege Meme
Ganked from firecat....
Instructions and Scoring
Take the questions one at a time. Don’t relate them to any before or after.
Add 1 point if the item describes your situation (Y)
Subtract 1 point if it does not (N)
Put zero (0) if it does not relate to your situation (ie if you have no children and the question relates to children or if cell phones were not available at the time mentioned).
===================================
( Quiz behind the cut-tag )
My score is around 49. I had to guess a few of the questions (for example, how do you answer if your father had a doctorate-level degree other than a PhD?) and wasn't sure what to do when both yes and no applied to some (significant other and myself within the same ethnic community, as both "yes" and "no" apply, given that we're both multi-ethnic).
Current Location: Home
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July 25th, 2009
10:36 pm - The healing continues
I'm now in the "feeling congested" stage. The dressings don't need to be changed much, but my ears are blocked and my nose is all stuffy. The nature of the dressing on my nose is such that I now know what it's like to have a big moustache.
The "sinus headache" I had this morning appears to have been mostly a caffeine headache. The iced coffee I had seemed to nuke it rather quickly. Given that I had no coffee or cola yesterday, this doesn't surprise me.
I had recorded some movies for the purpose of keeping myself in bed, and now I'm slowly going through them. It's hard to see over the dressing, and when I have to ice my head, I am rendered into a state of "Helen Keller" because I can barely hear and cannot see through the ice pack.
Still, I can't begin to gloat about how I feel like a huge weight has been lifted from my body. I had been fighting what had amounted to a non-stop sinus infection for over half a year, and I feel a marked difference. My brain is still a tad foggy from the congestion, but various parts of me (even my foot reflexology points!) that had been affected are feeling great. My ability to focus my eyes has markedly improved, too.
Warren thinks I'm "brave." My mother does, too. IMHO there was no "bravery" involved. I didn't have to worry about the wrong organ being operated on, I didn't have to worry about being anything other than "intact" after surgery, and I knew there'd be no scars. At this point whether I work at home or in the office Tuesday will be more contingent on whether I need to change my dressing alot or whether I look gross than how I feel. I will likely do some work from home tomorrow just to take some pressure off myself.
My friend Phil, who is two weeks ahead of me in his own recovery from the same kind of surgery, suggested chocolate pudding as something easy and fun to eat. I expect to make some a little later, although right now I'm craving something not-sweet and am not sure how I want to deal with that. Yesterday's salad went down the easiest of the various parts of dinner, so I might try to make a wilted spinach salad with a raspberry or blackberry vinaigrette (yes, I have such stuff in my cupboards!).
Current Location: Home
Current Mood: relieved
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July 24th, 2009
10:09 pm - Sinus surgery successful
I'll be brief because I'd rather not get gross.
I was prepared. I put on good underwear. I wore a skirt and a red top, blazer, and sandals so I wouldn't have to worry about stains. This turned out to be a major win.
The sinus surgery went well. I came in with a killer sinus headache and awoke without one. Dr. Burt said that despite my diligent cleaning of my passages with a neti cup this morning it was "gross." It took me a long time to eat afterwards because I had to keep going to the bathroom to change dressings. I'm finding the easiest things to eat are those that are frozen liquids, such as ice cream and sorbet, preferably without chunks of stuff to choke on while I try to breathe and eat at the same time.
Current Location: Home
Current Mood: relieved
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July 6th, 2009
06:33 pm - Michael Jackson parody
Those of you who speculated that I'd already come up with a parody were right.
I performed it several times at Fiestacon and got laughs. Trying to moonwalk on carpeting while wearing rubber-soled shoes isn't easy.
Anyhow, for those of you who are curious...( the parody is behind this cut-tag to hide it from those who might squick out at the thought. )
Current Mood:  silly
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July 1st, 2009
06:18 pm - Tacky question OTD
Is it too soon to perform a Michael Jackson parody?
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June 28th, 2009
01:00 pm - I thought these things were supposed to happen in threes
First it was Ed McMahon.
Then Farrah Fawcett.
Then Michael Jackson.
Now Billy Mays.
I wasn't totally surprised by McMahon or Fawcett going. He was in ill health, and she was in the endgame of dealing with cancer.
Michael Jackson was a shocker. The man was only about a month and a half younger than me. I don't know why, but I figured Madonna would be especially spooked, given that she's a whopping 12 days older than he is. Now that we know about his addiction to prescription pain killers, his death is more sad than surprising.
Billy Mays dying totally shocked me. I was even more shocked when I learned he was only 16 days younger than me. I was never particularly fond of his ads, but my respect for him jumped when I started watching the Discovery Channel's TV show Pitchmen, which I've found to be curiously addictive. Apparently the man would test every product to make sure it worked the way it was supposed to before he endorsed it.
I fear the rash of celebrity deaths aren't going to end.- Walter Cronkite is apparently quite ill and "not expected to recuperate," according to United Press International.
- Patrick Swayze's latest TV series just got cancelled while the National Enquirer, the oft-unreliable tabloid that has been scooping the mainstream press in the last few years, claims he's "dying."
- Zsa-Zsa Gabor is in her 90s and is reportedly in the hospital with pneumonia.
Current Location: Home
Current Mood:  uncomfortable
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June 27th, 2009
12:06 am - Twittering OTD
Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter
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May 31st, 2009
04:04 pm - Much-delayed Baycon report
Short version: It wasn't the Worst Baycon Ever, and it was far from the best. Sometimes it's the folks attending the con that make it, and this was one of those times.
The bulk of the problems that plagued this year's Baycon seemed attributable to screwups rather than to malice. Several notable people and things were absent (besides the Author GoHs and Fan GoH):The "A Shot in the Dark" panel was so missed several folks took it upon themselves to make it happen, despite the objections of the person in charge of Programming. First it was supposed to happen on the mezzanine at 5:30pm Sunday. When we gathered we were told to go to one of the programming rooms. We went there and were told, "You can't use this room. If you wanted this item on programming, you should have talked to [the gal in charge of programming who didn't want the panel to happen]." Brilliant. fierynotes and trogula then offered their hotel room, so around 20 or 30 of us shlepped up to room 718. Just as things were getting started, someone was sent up from Programming. "You can't hold an open party on a non-party floor. You'll have to close the door." We were glad that was all they made us do! Suffice it to say it was the Best Panel Ever and was well worth missing dinner (and I'm hypoglycemic!) and a place for most of us to sit.
The number one line in conversation seemed to be "What are you reading these days?" It's been years since I've heard that as a conversation-starter at a con, even though IMHO it ought to be. I had interesting conversations with lots of folks that way, including some I'd never met before at places like the hotel sushi bar (which appreciated our vigorous business) and random places waiting in line. The best scheduled panel, IMHO, was the one that involved making liquid nitrogen ice cream. If nothing else, I now know where I can get my grubby little hands on a dewar of liquid nitrogen.
It was great seeing lots of folks I haven't seen in months or years, as well as those I see regularly. I could fill a page just listing them and even then I'd probably miss a bunch of folks. It wasn't great having a sinus infection (the same one I've had more on than off since December) during the con, which is why I didn't try to get a concert this year or even filk, for that matter.
Current Location: Home
Current Mood: drained
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May 4th, 2009
08:19 pm - Animals and Life
As I continue to grapple with the sudden loss of two people who were each dear to me, along with the loss of Warren's brother, I look for signs of life.
Yesterday Warren and I went out to the stable where dimakoi's roommate keeps her horse. dimakoi was in charge of feeding that day, so we were getting our "horse fix."
There's something about inter-species interaction that I really enjoy. Connecting with another being who has their own, very different way of communicating really thrills me. I'm still learning "horse speak," which is different from "dog speak" or "cat speak." When a horse leans over to give me a "hug" or a "kiss," though, there's no mistaking that for anything else (yes, horses "kiss"). The horses seem to like me, which makes me feel good. Dogs and I already have a good rapport; somehow they can tell I'm a "dog person" (or an "animal person").
This morning and afternoon I've spent extra time on Lady. She's overdue for a haircut, and I was debating whether to try to do it myself. There's something calming about just brushing her for both of us. She rests patiently while I groom, and I get to handle lots of soft, white, cottony doggie fur. There's something soothing about the "doggie love noises" she makes. I've got a killer headache right now. I suspect the weather is playing a strong part. I don't know whether I want to try to eat something spicy to get endorphins going (which could also aggravate my jaw pain and won't help my weight) or try to sleep it out (I'm not at all tired).
With all the stuff going on around me it's easy to forget to take care of oneself. I don't dare do that. I've got a small white creature depending upon me.
Current Location: Home
Current Mood:  contemplative
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May 3rd, 2009
12:12 am - Death and Taxes
My boss at Omneon and I have a running half-joke about how she has relaxing weekends while mine always either involve "death or taxes." My first three weekends involved Warren's parents' taxes; the weekend after that I attended a mass for Warren's late brother. Last weekend I signed my e-mail to her saying "FINALLY...a weekend without death or taxes."
The next day I learned otherwise. Michael Moore, the DJ on our sister station, KRTY, asked me "Are you going to Maria's funeral?"
"Maria WHO?" I replied.
"Maria Carrillo -- in Traffic."
"She DIED???!?"
Maria Carrillo, KRTY's Traffic Manager, had collapsed while playing bingo the prior weekend. Turns out she'd had a heart attack, then a stroke, then another heart attack, and was finally taken off life support earlier that week. There were no notices around the station, which shocked me, because she performed a vital role for the organization. Even though she officially was in charge of KRTY's logs she often worked on ours at KLIV. One of her sons had even worked in sales at the station, so I especially felt obligated to pay my respects since I knew one of the principal mourners. I went to her viewing last Sunday. It was really sad. I chatted with her older daughter, Maria, and with Jose, her son. Jose had to excuse himself to help his grandmother to the casket. Yee-ouch. Warren couldn't bear to go in. "I've had more death than I can handle." I didn't blame him.
This Friday my boss was in the Sunnyvale office. "Let's keep our fingers crossed," she said.
Then drfilk died. Yeouch. John wasn't at all on my "people I'd expect to die early" radar. It sounded like he was healing well, then kaboom. When I first saw pondside's post I couldn't believe it. I'd hoped I was misinterpreting something. I wish that were the case.
I don't know what I could say about drfilk that hasn't been said. I'm in shock.
I don't know how many years I've known John, but I can't remember not knowing him from the time I started getting active in filking. I remember him being a regular at Musicon and an occasional Worldcon attendee. One year he even rode his motorcycle out to Los Angeles to attend Westercon.
John was always fun to talk with, friendly, warm, and just plain interesting. When he and hsifyppah started doing music together I got to see what he could do musically in a brighter light. He was a fantastic musician, not just because he played well, but because he made others around him sound good by just being with them. I was ecstatic to hear he and hsifyppah were Interfilk Guests at Concertino. John provided Brooke with a foundation she could relax upon to do her music, and Brooke returned the favor by causing folks to notice John as a musician.
My heart goes out to Brooke, John's family and closest friends, and to anyone who knew him. Those of you who didn't know him missed out on a great experience.
Current Location: Home
Current Mood: sad
Current Music: I Want to Die (Like They Do in Sci-Fi)
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May 2nd, 2009
04:56 am - No, that wasn't a nightmare that woke me up!
On Saturdays, since there's no local news on TV before 5am, I wake up to whatever my TiVo is recording, which in this morning's case was the Food Network. Since I often will incorporate whatever's going on around me into my dreams, I thought I was in the middle of a nightmare.
The scene: Giada DeLaurentiis is presenting a "feast" to her family and friends.
Female Guest: What's in the pasta?
Giada: Basically, it's a vegetable bolognese -- lots of vegetables in it, especially porcini mushrooms.
I can't remember the last time I woke up that fast!
Current Location: Home
Current Mood:  awake
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April 11th, 2009
09:14 pm - A Dare to Anyone Who Reads This
I cannot find video anywhere on the Internet of the old Geritol "My wife, I think I'll keep her" commercial from the 1970s. I've found a few other retro Geritol commercials, but not the one I'm seeking.
On a mailing list I'm on, someone brought up this commercial, and a substantial chunk of the list had no idea what the rest of us were referring to.
If someone can point me at it, please do!
Current Location: Home
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April 4th, 2009
12:05 am - Twittering OTD
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April 1st, 2009
11:17 am - Teaches me for using Wikipedia to look something up!
Sometimes you have to share....
I was using Wikipedia to look something up for work when I came across today's Article Of The Day.
I'm moved to tears...of laughter.
Current Location: Omneon
Current Mood: amused
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March 24th, 2009
12:08 am - Twittering OTD
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March 23rd, 2009
12:05 am - Twittering OTD
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March 17th, 2009
12:33 am - Literal videos
A former KLIV colleague, John Lee, pointed these out to me on Facebook. The concept: What if people in the music videos were actually singing about what they were doing? The result is "Literal Videos." ( Click this to see four of them by the guy who originated them )
Apparently some of the videos have been pulled off of YouTube because Warner Records thinks there's some kind of copyright violation. The Electronic Frontier Foundation is already taking up the cause, noting that this is clearly fair use as a parody and that the guy who did them isn't making any money off them.
Current Location: Home
Current Mood: silly
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12:05 am - Twittering OTD
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March 1st, 2009
12:05 am - Twittering OTD
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February 22nd, 2009
12:04 am - Twittering OTD
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February 21st, 2009
08:01 pm - KLIV's Latest Contest
Last week on KLIV we had the "Mystery Voice Mashup" in which a listener had to identify a sequence of five newsmakers, and identify them in the correct order.
Next week there's a new twist: "Mystery Voice on Helium"
I can't wait.
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12:04 am - Twittering OTD
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February 18th, 2009
12:04 am - Twitter OTD
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