Shannon and I have been exchanging haiku via email because what else would one do this close to Christmas? And because of this I came up with a small song on the way home. I took note on my iPad when I made a quick stop at Toadstool and since I have not posted in awhile (ok, quite awhile), I have decided to post it here. It goes to the tune of Inky Dinky Spider. I was not trying to write a song for this tune, the rhyme just came and then it turned out that was the tune. Anywhere you go!
It is getting colder, each and every day
And I am getting older, in the normal way
My joints are getting older, because they're part of me
And, they say that it's colder, then it used to be
Chilly air and Asthma, the wheezing soon begins
Because of Renaud's Syndrome, frost bite is setting in
The winter winds are howling, the temperature is low
And my primary complaint is, we still don't have snow.
:)
Have a Merry Christmas everyone, and a Happy New Year!
Friday, December 17, 2010
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Art in Space Contest
http://www.etsy.com/nasa/enter.php
From Etsy - your art can be flown into space - on the last Space Shuttle Mission.
How cool is that? How sad is that? Bye Space Shuttle Missions...
You just have to post a NASA space exploration inspired piece of handmade art to an Etsy store between October 12 and November 2. If people want, to try, I'll create a store. Let me know!
On a side note, our two new contributers (Dad and Sam) need to start contributing!!!! :)
What Etsy Posted (see the link above for the official post):
From Etsy - your art can be flown into space - on the last Space Shuttle Mission.
How cool is that? How sad is that? Bye Space Shuttle Missions...
You just have to post a NASA space exploration inspired piece of handmade art to an Etsy store between October 12 and November 2. If people want, to try, I'll create a store. Let me know!
On a side note, our two new contributers (Dad and Sam) need to start contributing!!!! :)
What Etsy Posted (see the link above for the official post):
Three, two, one…blast off!
NASA and Etsy invite you to celebrate artistic exploration and commemorate the end of the NASA Space Shuttle Program with a creative challenge: Share an original handmade item or work of art inspired by the NASA Space Shuttle Program and space exploration at large.
You could win a trip to an upcoming launch as NASA’s VIP guest, Etsy shopping sprees, and cool merchandise from NASA and Etsy. Your artwork might even be flown on the Space Shuttle!
How To Enter
1. CREATE an original, handmade artistic item inspired by the NASA Space Shuttle Program and space exploration.
2. LIST the item you create in your Etsy shop during the contest entry period, October 12 – November 2, 2010.
3. TAG your item listing with one of the following contest tags that best describes your creation (“SpaceCraft” + category of entry)
- "SpaceCraft2DOrig" for 2D original art (painting, drawing, hand-pulled print, mixed media or flat collage)
- "SpaceCraft2DRepro" for 2D art reproduction (a photograph or computer-generated print)
- "SpaceCraft3D" for 3D art of any size or material (anything not 2D)
Dear People, Please Learn Your Email Address
It's not hard. I promise. And really, if you can't manage this, you shouldn't be on the web. It's a dangerous place. Full of scams and spam; viruses and Trojan Horses - that's right little Greeks will escape from your computer and attack you with canned pig meat and breath diseases on you while trying to sell you snake oil cures. It is far from safe.
I have discovered, in recent years, people are having a hard time with this simple concept. As an early adopter of Gmail (back when you needed an invite - ohhh! how exclusive!) I got a really good email address with no funny words or extra numbers, just a regular email, old school style. Life was good.
Then, in last few years, I started getting emails. People giving their friends my email. I got invites to frat parties and Christmas letters and updates on families I don't know (but might be related distantly to). Then I started getting pictures from cell phones, babies in car seats, pastrami sandwiches. People are weird. Then Richard Reilly struck. He is the bane of my existence. He gave my name to the Apple store where he lives, in TX and whenever he makes a purchase, I get his receipt. Then he took a flight and booked a rental car in Vegas. And I got the flight itinerary and reservation information. Then he sent Christmas presents from Harry and David to his mother and his friends. I got that order info as well. By the way, Rob's mom, he sends you less then his friends. Bad Son. Then he purchased land and the lawyer sent documents to me - YAY! I wrote to the lawyer and ask him to tell Rob to stop using my email!!! It didn't work. He signs up for golf sites and espn and keeps placing online orders. I have gotten email for Robert Reilly, Rita Reilly and Rebecca Reilly (who used my email to sign up for linked-in, which then mail bombed me with all her new linked-in network buddies! Hurray!) and a woman named Nora who was emailing some R Reilly or other and then got mad at me for 'getting on to her stuff' it took me two emails to explain to her that she had a wrong email. Two. It's just not right. Something has to be done.
I think there should be a test before you are allowed on the world wide web. This test should verify that you know your own name, where you live, and the current day month and year. When you pass this test, you will get limited access to the web - you will be allowed to select one of the numerous web mail providers (hotmail, aol, gmail, yahoo mail, etc.) as your primary web mail provider. Anyone who picks AOL will fail the test. Next, the test will ask you to provide the email address you just created. It will send an email to that address and prompt you to log back in to your email and click the link. The link will enable your access to the web. If you can't create an email account, or can't log back in, or don't get the email (aka you created an email account and can't remember it just 2 minutes later) then you will fail the test and not be allowed on the web. If this rule existed I would be SO happy because, apparently, an unfortunate number of R Reillys would fail this test. I would also be a little sad because, apparently, an unfortunate number of R Reillys would fail this test.
However, the people are not only culprits in this crime against my email account. People entering wrong email addresses is not a rare problem. It is not uncommon. Any engineer worth his/her salt, should know how to design a site that verifies an email address provided by a user before using it to spam an email account into oblivion or before sending clear text passwords out. In my ideal world wide web, any sites that do not properly verify email addresses would be listed on a Site Of Shame and people would be allowed, no, encouraged, to hack their pages regularly, without fear of prosecution. Linked-In you would be on that list. And so would you, small golf club website that Richard Reilly joined. Richard, you should change your password.
However, this will never happen, but still I hold out hope. The word in the tech world is that new 'closed' technologies like the iPad are going to change everything. Some say this will wreck the world wide web, privatizing the internet and destroying the freedom that has been created. But I do not hold with these doomsday-ers, if most of the people start using apps and stop using the web then engineers can take over again. That's right, one day engineers will rise up - well, at least out wait - and will once again rule the web and they will post interesting articles. Stephen Hawking and Tautology will be top Google searches. Best of all, no one will think my email address is theirs!
I have discovered, in recent years, people are having a hard time with this simple concept. As an early adopter of Gmail (back when you needed an invite - ohhh! how exclusive!) I got a really good email address with no funny words or extra numbers, just a regular email, old school style. Life was good.
Then, in last few years, I started getting emails. People giving their friends my email. I got invites to frat parties and Christmas letters and updates on families I don't know (but might be related distantly to). Then I started getting pictures from cell phones, babies in car seats, pastrami sandwiches. People are weird. Then Richard Reilly struck. He is the bane of my existence. He gave my name to the Apple store where he lives, in TX and whenever he makes a purchase, I get his receipt. Then he took a flight and booked a rental car in Vegas. And I got the flight itinerary and reservation information. Then he sent Christmas presents from Harry and David to his mother and his friends. I got that order info as well. By the way, Rob's mom, he sends you less then his friends. Bad Son. Then he purchased land and the lawyer sent documents to me - YAY! I wrote to the lawyer and ask him to tell Rob to stop using my email!!! It didn't work. He signs up for golf sites and espn and keeps placing online orders. I have gotten email for Robert Reilly, Rita Reilly and Rebecca Reilly (who used my email to sign up for linked-in, which then mail bombed me with all her new linked-in network buddies! Hurray!) and a woman named Nora who was emailing some R Reilly or other and then got mad at me for 'getting on to her stuff' it took me two emails to explain to her that she had a wrong email. Two. It's just not right. Something has to be done.
I think there should be a test before you are allowed on the world wide web. This test should verify that you know your own name, where you live, and the current day month and year. When you pass this test, you will get limited access to the web - you will be allowed to select one of the numerous web mail providers (hotmail, aol, gmail, yahoo mail, etc.) as your primary web mail provider. Anyone who picks AOL will fail the test. Next, the test will ask you to provide the email address you just created. It will send an email to that address and prompt you to log back in to your email and click the link. The link will enable your access to the web. If you can't create an email account, or can't log back in, or don't get the email (aka you created an email account and can't remember it just 2 minutes later) then you will fail the test and not be allowed on the web. If this rule existed I would be SO happy because, apparently, an unfortunate number of R Reillys would fail this test. I would also be a little sad because, apparently, an unfortunate number of R Reillys would fail this test.
However, the people are not only culprits in this crime against my email account. People entering wrong email addresses is not a rare problem. It is not uncommon. Any engineer worth his/her salt, should know how to design a site that verifies an email address provided by a user before using it to spam an email account into oblivion or before sending clear text passwords out. In my ideal world wide web, any sites that do not properly verify email addresses would be listed on a Site Of Shame and people would be allowed, no, encouraged, to hack their pages regularly, without fear of prosecution. Linked-In you would be on that list. And so would you, small golf club website that Richard Reilly joined. Richard, you should change your password.
However, this will never happen, but still I hold out hope. The word in the tech world is that new 'closed' technologies like the iPad are going to change everything. Some say this will wreck the world wide web, privatizing the internet and destroying the freedom that has been created. But I do not hold with these doomsday-ers, if most of the people start using apps and stop using the web then engineers can take over again. That's right, one day engineers will rise up - well, at least out wait - and will once again rule the web and they will post interesting articles. Stephen Hawking and Tautology will be top Google searches. Best of all, no one will think my email address is theirs!
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Monson Village Run...Attempt II
Is this better, Mom?
The boys love Monson Village!
Imgs temporarily removed....
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
The boys love Monson Village!
Imgs temporarily removed....
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Monson Village
Monday, September 13, 2010
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
What I'm Reading: Stark Decency
Toadstool Bookshop: Stark Decency
It turns out that the small state of New Hampshire had a german prisoner of war camp during world war II. It was requested by the paper mill companies in northern NH who were desperate for workers to cut pulp wood. This book is a fairly quick read, on an interesting piece of history that has largely been forgotten. It's a little repetitive in places, but overall it's well written and it's a fascinating story. So, if your looking for an interesting local story, I recommend it!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
It turns out that the small state of New Hampshire had a german prisoner of war camp during world war II. It was requested by the paper mill companies in northern NH who were desperate for workers to cut pulp wood. This book is a fairly quick read, on an interesting piece of history that has largely been forgotten. It's a little repetitive in places, but overall it's well written and it's a fascinating story. So, if your looking for an interesting local story, I recommend it!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Chaos Theory
Some Random History:
(included to up the intellectualness of this blog for my big bother)
A long time ago, somewhere on the planet earth, someone had thread and two sticks and figured out that using these seemingly primitive tools you could make cloth. I suppose before that someone had grass or reeds or overly fuzzy sheep and figured out they could make yarn. THEN they grabbed two sticks and proceeded to make cloth. Most likely they made lots of mats, wash clothes, blankets and scarves before they figured out more complicated, but useful things like the sock, sweater and snuggie. Anyway, realizing they were on to something good, they taught their friends and family who taught their friends and families and so on and so forth and so this concept passed through the centuries.*
In 1862 Alexander Parkes publicly demonstrates the first man-made plastic, which he calls Parkesine. He was very humble.
In the 1950s, there were two bored Canadians, Harry Wasylyk and Larry Hansen, who put their Canadian brains together and fought off brain freeze by inventing the plastic bag.**
From roughly 1957 - 1976, with the help of the brains of several different people, the Internet was invented. Completely unrelated to this, somewhere in the United States a future Nana learns to knit. Perhaps this is the start of:
The Butterfly Effect (which was coincidentally just mentioned on warehouse 13):
(aka how knitting rescued a key from being lost forever)
Somewhere in the US, some lady named Kay Gardiner learns to knit. Somewhere else in the US, Ann Shayne learns to knit.
In France a crazy person chops up plastic bags and hooks the resulting loops together, creating plastic yarn that they use to knit a chair. The pattern is published in a magazine.
A Nana teaches her granddaughter how to knit. The cute and sweet and charming granddaughter teaches her aunt, the aunt teaches her mother-in-law.
Kay and Ann meet on the Internet, become friends and write a book. Kay reads about a French plastic bag chair and realizes it can be modified to work with old clothing and can be used to make rugs. She dubs this "calamari knitting" and includes a story about it in her book.
The mother-in-law buys her daughter-in-law (aka the aunt) a gift certificate for Christmas. The mother-in-law comes to visit and she and the daughter-in-law go to the yarn store to spend the gift certificate. They buy a book that has an article on calamari knitting. The aunt tells her niece (aka the granddaughter) and the niece's father overhears. He donates some old pants to the cause, pants that were going to be thrown out, that were, in fact, on the trash bin. The niece tells the aunt "you should clean those, they're dirty" and gives a look. The aunt cleans the pants along with other laundry and discovers a mysterious key. The aunt calls around and discovers it's her brother's (aka the niece's father) post office box key, saved from the pocket of the pants that were going to be thrown out.
And that is the story of how knitting saved a key and is why Joe owes a thank you to a lot of people the next time he opens his PO box.
------------------------------------------
* non-verified, historically questionable account, but some things must be forgiven when spinning a good (or at least moderately ok) yarn.
** the "bored" part was not historically verified. Also it is possible they were not fighting brain freeze, but were trying to figure out a cheap way to keep their feet dry. These two theories will be explored in a future blog post. Or not.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
(included to up the intellectualness of this blog for my big bother)
A long time ago, somewhere on the planet earth, someone had thread and two sticks and figured out that using these seemingly primitive tools you could make cloth. I suppose before that someone had grass or reeds or overly fuzzy sheep and figured out they could make yarn. THEN they grabbed two sticks and proceeded to make cloth. Most likely they made lots of mats, wash clothes, blankets and scarves before they figured out more complicated, but useful things like the sock, sweater and snuggie. Anyway, realizing they were on to something good, they taught their friends and family who taught their friends and families and so on and so forth and so this concept passed through the centuries.*
In 1862 Alexander Parkes publicly demonstrates the first man-made plastic, which he calls Parkesine. He was very humble.
In the 1950s, there were two bored Canadians, Harry Wasylyk and Larry Hansen, who put their Canadian brains together and fought off brain freeze by inventing the plastic bag.**
From roughly 1957 - 1976, with the help of the brains of several different people, the Internet was invented. Completely unrelated to this, somewhere in the United States a future Nana learns to knit. Perhaps this is the start of:
The Butterfly Effect (which was coincidentally just mentioned on warehouse 13):
(aka how knitting rescued a key from being lost forever)
Somewhere in the US, some lady named Kay Gardiner learns to knit. Somewhere else in the US, Ann Shayne learns to knit.
In France a crazy person chops up plastic bags and hooks the resulting loops together, creating plastic yarn that they use to knit a chair. The pattern is published in a magazine.
A Nana teaches her granddaughter how to knit. The cute and sweet and charming granddaughter teaches her aunt, the aunt teaches her mother-in-law.
Kay and Ann meet on the Internet, become friends and write a book. Kay reads about a French plastic bag chair and realizes it can be modified to work with old clothing and can be used to make rugs. She dubs this "calamari knitting" and includes a story about it in her book.
The mother-in-law buys her daughter-in-law (aka the aunt) a gift certificate for Christmas. The mother-in-law comes to visit and she and the daughter-in-law go to the yarn store to spend the gift certificate. They buy a book that has an article on calamari knitting. The aunt tells her niece (aka the granddaughter) and the niece's father overhears. He donates some old pants to the cause, pants that were going to be thrown out, that were, in fact, on the trash bin. The niece tells the aunt "you should clean those, they're dirty" and gives a look. The aunt cleans the pants along with other laundry and discovers a mysterious key. The aunt calls around and discovers it's her brother's (aka the niece's father) post office box key, saved from the pocket of the pants that were going to be thrown out.
And that is the story of how knitting saved a key and is why Joe owes a thank you to a lot of people the next time he opens his PO box.
------------------------------------------
* non-verified, historically questionable account, but some things must be forgiven when spinning a good (or at least moderately ok) yarn.
** the "bored" part was not historically verified. Also it is possible they were not fighting brain freeze, but were trying to figure out a cheap way to keep their feet dry. These two theories will be explored in a future blog post. Or not.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Friday, August 20, 2010
Important Things You Need To Know
Being Friday, I think it's important to round up the Important Things that have been going on. I decided this when the morning show that was on informed me, "It's Friday. Now THAT'S News." It sure seems to pass for it.
Important Things to Know from The Morning Show
Important Things to Know from CNN.com
Important Things to Know from Fox News
Important Things to Know from NHPR.org
Important Things to Know from The Morning Show
- It's Friday (I'm glad they haven't stopped reporting the day yet.)
- Sometimes you feel like fries, sometimes a baked potato. Sometimes it depends on how many fries you have had during the week, after all it's important to have "everything in moderation." (Mom once told us they only got french fries when they went to the fair. Apparently that was deprivation, not to be confused with moderation).
Important Things to Know from CNN.com
- From their "Single? Welcome to the Club" feature: "More than half the unwed are women." (there's a shocker)
- From the Headlines: "Tainted egg sickness likely to spread" (I thought it was salmonella, or more commonly food poisoning, but apparently people are suffering from The Tainted Egg)
Important Things to Know from Fox News
- From the Tasteful "Features and Faces" section: "Cougar Love Just a Theory?" reveals that a thorough study of an unnamed number of online daters confirms that "the phenomenon of the 'cougar' is a myth, confined to the world of celebrities." (At least we know we can count on Fox news to get to the heart of the matter)
- From their "Mosque Debate Could Linger Into November", check out their forums! (the racist-sexist-misogynistic-general-bias-generating-hate-fear-and-anger reporting department had so many stories this week! Good job guys! Anyway, Fox set up a forum where you can help them do a better job reporting!!! So navigate over to the "Why American's Believe Untruth" Forum and leave your suggestions. I'll suggest they rename the forum "Why American's Believe Terminal-logical-inexactitudes.")
- From Fox Health: "How to Tell If You Are Cheating" (Umm... Ok...)
Important Things to Know from NHPR.org
- From their Headlines: "Bill Binnie's full-page ad says newspaper uses 'Communist Marxist Source' to attack him." (I want to meet this source. I wonder if he's left over from the 50s, or if he escaped from Inception)
Monday, August 16, 2010
The Choice: Flying or Invisibility, what super power would you choose?
NPR's This American Life posed this question to some random people - I missed the beginning of the show, so I do not know how they were selected.
My immediate response was flying. Why? Because then you can get places fast. And if you happen to end up someplace dangerous, you can fly out of harms way. In fact, I'm not sure I get the point of invisibility. In our modern world, this 'super power' almost seems built-in to our way of life.
Upon further reflection, I thought I would not like to fly very high because it gets cold quite quickly, and I do not like the cold. Also, I would not like to increase altitude quickly, because with a tendency for sinus issues, changes in air pressure can be painful. Also, in the winter, I would not fly if there was a snow storm, I think the cold ice hitting your face would hurt, and the wind might make flight hard, so on those days I would work from home. Also, I would not fly if there was a lightening storm, for obvious reasons. Still, flying would be fun and useful. Invisibility... not so much. Invisibility, as a super power, I dismiss you.
On NPR there was a suggestion that those that want invisibly are more full of guile and trickery and that those that want to fly are lying, or have a super hero complex. The idea was presented that invisibility is a 'villainous' trait while flying was 'heroic'. One person stated that everyone really, in their heart of hearts, wants invisibility. Several people stated it was a hard choice, and they flip-flopped between the two.
I would suggest that drawing such conclusions from a false choice, such as the one presented, is a bit silly. Still, since it's Saturday, maybe there is some truth to this, considering how the modern world has developed. People who were thinking about invisibility listed, as pluses, that they could sneak onto airplanes and travel for free (hello? If you could fly you could travel for free without being crammed into a plane). They also listed variants on the 'sneaking in to...' theme, which can be summed up by reviewing the most popular uses for the Internet. That's right, people also want to see Toy Story 3, for free. So, maybe that is what a majority of the population wants, though at this point it does seem redundant.
For me, barring finding myself at Hogwarts with a need to do unsanctioned research in the restricted section, I really don't see invisibility as being a practical super power. In fact, in real life I have sort of an inverse cousin of this superpower. People think they have seen me places when they have not seen me. These are not doppleganger situations. For example, one year the office had a Christmas party, and people kept telling me they saw me at the party. This was fascinating, because I had not attended. Conversations would go like this:
"So, do you remember the bread sculptures at the Christmas party?"
"bread sculptures? No. But I wasn't there."
"Yes you were, I remember seeing you!"
"Really? And did I say anything to you?"
"Hrmm. I know you were there."
Ok then. This has happened to me more than once. And I am not a quiet person, in fact I have a reputation for being loud (which I have decided to blame on my hearing-impaired father).
So, there is no question in my mind. Flying is the best choice. And it's not even like it has to be heroic or noble. You could be a really good villain if you could fly. You could put cats high up in trees, you could break into museums and banks through roof access panels, you could smash glass ceilings in mall food courts releasing trapped birds and stopping the horrid din of echoing voices. Though that last one might be too heroic for a villain. I really do not get the appeal of invisibility. So, I have decided, to do a non-scientific, unfunded, social experiment. I asked people (and by people I mean family and friends) to write down which super power, of the two, they would choose and why. I have told them that first they should write their gut reaction, then they should think about it and put their final decision.
Here are the results:
We had 2 people change their answer, the results posted are the final results.
Flying: 4
Invisibility: 5
Flying by gender: 3 f, 1 m
Invisibility by gender: 2 f, 3 m
Flying supporting reasons:
1. Fast Transport (most popular answer)
2. Dreams of flying, association with feelings of freedom
3. Travel to remote place, where you can be invisible
Invisibility supporting reasons:
1. Sneakiness (most popular answer)
2. Get free stuff
3. Get free admission
4. No place to fly
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
My immediate response was flying. Why? Because then you can get places fast. And if you happen to end up someplace dangerous, you can fly out of harms way. In fact, I'm not sure I get the point of invisibility. In our modern world, this 'super power' almost seems built-in to our way of life.
Upon further reflection, I thought I would not like to fly very high because it gets cold quite quickly, and I do not like the cold. Also, I would not like to increase altitude quickly, because with a tendency for sinus issues, changes in air pressure can be painful. Also, in the winter, I would not fly if there was a snow storm, I think the cold ice hitting your face would hurt, and the wind might make flight hard, so on those days I would work from home. Also, I would not fly if there was a lightening storm, for obvious reasons. Still, flying would be fun and useful. Invisibility... not so much. Invisibility, as a super power, I dismiss you.
On NPR there was a suggestion that those that want invisibly are more full of guile and trickery and that those that want to fly are lying, or have a super hero complex. The idea was presented that invisibility is a 'villainous' trait while flying was 'heroic'. One person stated that everyone really, in their heart of hearts, wants invisibility. Several people stated it was a hard choice, and they flip-flopped between the two.
I would suggest that drawing such conclusions from a false choice, such as the one presented, is a bit silly. Still, since it's Saturday, maybe there is some truth to this, considering how the modern world has developed. People who were thinking about invisibility listed, as pluses, that they could sneak onto airplanes and travel for free (hello? If you could fly you could travel for free without being crammed into a plane). They also listed variants on the 'sneaking in to...' theme, which can be summed up by reviewing the most popular uses for the Internet. That's right, people also want to see Toy Story 3, for free. So, maybe that is what a majority of the population wants, though at this point it does seem redundant.
For me, barring finding myself at Hogwarts with a need to do unsanctioned research in the restricted section, I really don't see invisibility as being a practical super power. In fact, in real life I have sort of an inverse cousin of this superpower. People think they have seen me places when they have not seen me. These are not doppleganger situations. For example, one year the office had a Christmas party, and people kept telling me they saw me at the party. This was fascinating, because I had not attended. Conversations would go like this:
"So, do you remember the bread sculptures at the Christmas party?"
"bread sculptures? No. But I wasn't there."
"Yes you were, I remember seeing you!"
"Really? And did I say anything to you?"
"Hrmm. I know you were there."
Ok then. This has happened to me more than once. And I am not a quiet person, in fact I have a reputation for being loud (which I have decided to blame on my hearing-impaired father).
So, there is no question in my mind. Flying is the best choice. And it's not even like it has to be heroic or noble. You could be a really good villain if you could fly. You could put cats high up in trees, you could break into museums and banks through roof access panels, you could smash glass ceilings in mall food courts releasing trapped birds and stopping the horrid din of echoing voices. Though that last one might be too heroic for a villain. I really do not get the appeal of invisibility. So, I have decided, to do a non-scientific, unfunded, social experiment. I asked people (and by people I mean family and friends) to write down which super power, of the two, they would choose and why. I have told them that first they should write their gut reaction, then they should think about it and put their final decision.
Here are the results:
We had 2 people change their answer, the results posted are the final results.
Flying: 4
Invisibility: 5
Flying by gender: 3 f, 1 m
Invisibility by gender: 2 f, 3 m
Flying supporting reasons:
1. Fast Transport (most popular answer)
2. Dreams of flying, association with feelings of freedom
3. Travel to remote place, where you can be invisible
Invisibility supporting reasons:
1. Sneakiness (most popular answer)
2. Get free stuff
3. Get free admission
4. No place to fly
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Name all the games we had on the Odyssey, Go!
Unlike Picasso and Vincent, I did not have the latest or coolest video game systems. We had the odd, church auction game systems that no one knows existed. How unlucky ;) Turns out we should have kept it.
<-- This one is selling for $199
If my parents paid more than $20, I'll eat my socks.
Few people know the Magnavox Odyssey even existed. Even fewer know it had some of the best games ever. I know this, but I can only drag this pitifully short list out of my memory banks:
Monkey Shines - featuring a creepy blue monkey cover, this involved climbing ladders and monkeys that turned red and tried to kill you.
Helicopter Rescue - You had a helicopter. There were people on buildings that needed rescuing. Good thing you were there.
Lord of the Rings (shared) - this was the lord of the rings game before the movies. I remember it was long. I think it had 2 cartridges.
Pole Position - Or some race game, I think it was pole position. No home game system is complete w/ out a race game.
Some keyboard game (I don't remember the point or the name)
???
Help!
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Party House
Sorry for the huge blogging gap! There was a delay due to work combined with a required two week party. Now everything is back to normal-ish again. Vincent and Picasso miss all their friends.. "What happened to the party?" they ask. OK, they didn't really ask, but they've been moping around the house for two days now. The Patch Hill Party Dogs are suffering from post party blues!
Vincent in his Party Hat
Vincent in his Party Hat
I believe the first pic is him registering a general complaint. Sorry bud, Noah says everyone needs a party hat.
Picasso's Perfect Sit
Picasso sitting so nice, almost like he's begging, but no one would teach him that! He's looking at you doggie grand parents..
UPDATE: In a transparent effort to keep someone at home with them, they did not perform their doggie jobs of waking me up if I sleep past 7. Instead, they let me sleep until 8. 8!!???! Bad Doggies.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
I Would Post More Tomorrow, But I'll be Heckabusy
Heckabusy - adj An imagined level of extreme busyness
There's only one more day left in the pledge drive, and if you wait to call,
the phones will be heckabusy.
- NPR Host
Monday, July 12, 2010
National Match Your Coffee Cup Day
I can only assume the ridicule is because they did not realize it was July 12th, National Match Your Coffee Cup Day (MYCCD). The faceless followers of the Patch Hill Party Blog, who are quite intelligent, might be thinking, "I have never heard of this holiday, are you making it up?" Maybe. "Um, " the Faceless Followers continue, "What makes you think you can start a holiday?" And to that I say, this is a Party Blog. I'm pretty sure our mission statement has something in it about creating holidays.
Also, that weird pirate guy started a holiday and if he can do it, I'm certain I can. I'm kind of smart and definitely not as mental as that guy. As proof of both points, I present the following facts:
1. I have not appeared on Wife Swap
2. I do not dress like a pirate
For those that know me, we are not counting the eye patch in six grade, because that was forced upon me when a pencil embedded itself in my eye, thank you Ryan Shaw, and was not worn by choice. For those of you who don't know me, yes, I am the person who had their eye poked out by one of the pencil throwing masses. The eye is fine, it didn't actually get poked out, just impaled slightly. The pencil missed all major eye nerves and vessels, and healed perfectly. So I just had the opportunity to walk around for a few weeks looking like a dork++, button shirt tucked in to jeans that rolled up to reveal a flannel plaid lining plus an eye patch. Sweet.
Luckily, I already knew how to program, and computer rooms had been invented, so, not only did I have friends, but we had a hideout. Anyway, the whole incident was not as impressive as my friend Darlene, who fell backwards while sitting in a chair, and impaled her hand clean through on a pencil that was, thanks to the miracle of shag carpeting, sticking straight up. She still has a scar. On the up side, getting stabbed with a pencil helps one fit in with ones programming peers. There is a worrisomely high pencil-stabbing-incident-rate among those that go on become software engineers. But I digress.
Why should you participate in MYCCD?
1. On MYCCD day, it's easier to find the owner of orphaned cups that get left on your desk or in the kitchen.
2. MYCCD helps socialize engineers, they may actually look at their coworkers to confirm matching status.
3. MYCCD supports local business and Saves the Planet. People will have to buy reusable cups to avoid MYCCD ridicule.
4. MYCCD is fun, fun, fun! (Ok, that's just drunk sincerity.)
As this list proves, when the Patch Hill Party Blog invents a holiday, not only does it help people, it helps save the entire planet. Beat that weird pirate guy.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPaddyWagon
Friday, July 9, 2010
July Fourth Photo Album
I finally posted larger photos, I know, I know, a day late and a dollar short. Well, now you can take a look (and hopefully enjoy) all the pics! This includes a look at the two new plants I bought at Trombley Gardens and planted right at the start of our 100 degree heat wave. I have Great Timing. I've been giving the new plants lots of water, and they seem to be doing well, so that's good. Also, the lilacs from VT that we transplanted are doing much better than we first thought. We thought we only saved two, but it looks like four of them survived!
Official iPad Complaint
Since my blog has so many followers, I know you must be among them Mr. Steve Jobs. So, I am going to register a complaint. iTunes updated this morning. After the update, I downloaded a pile of app updates, moved my latest photos into my photo folder and plugged in my iPad to sync it. You must understand, sir, I manually sync my music. Manually. But this morning, I got one of your auto music syncs.
Now, I have never been a fan of your auto sync, as it violates a fundamental programming law: it deletes things without permission. I feel you really should be punished for this violation, but since you provide a workaround, even though the default is wrong, I was willing to overlook it. Now, I am not so sure.
Apparently the setting was adjusted. Due to the 100 degree temps, the Server of All Music Storage, was off. Not that it is any of your business. What is your business is my work day music listening pleasure and iPad happiness were interrupted. Lena Horne, Scott Joplin, X-Ray Spex, Lena Horne, X-Ray Spex, Lena Horne, etc. I started thinking shuffle had gone wonky. Then I looked at my song list.
For some reason, Mr. Jobs, you seem to see nothing wrong with deleting my stuffs without my permission. I like my stuffs Mr. Jobs, and your clean up was not helpful, nor was it appreciated. It is reminiscent of my mother's bedroom cleaning technique of putting anything that was on the floor into a trash bag and throwing it out. Only music I bought on my iPad remains. Now I will have to sync everything over. And it will take forever. And I will be displeased.
And by displeased, i mean more displeased than i am currently. I am predicting increased displeasure. While my displeasure is increasing, just thinking of future increases, I would like to add that your music sync sucks. I have to go to a separate special menu item to get music I purchased on my iPad to sync to my server. What The Fudge? Why is app sync so smooth and music sync so crappy? Do your teams not talk? We already know you apparently only hire males. You should seriously think about your hiring practices. Not only would hiring female programmers help you comply with US labor laws, it would also help communication and help you avert bad product names that land your logo on feminine hygiene products.
But I digress. Ah. Warrior in Woolworths. Again. My day is almost done, but fear not Mr. Jobs, I still have energy, and I think you have earned a complimentary house cleaning. Mom, get out the trash bags, someone needs your help...
- Posted, while miffed, from my iPad
Now, I have never been a fan of your auto sync, as it violates a fundamental programming law: it deletes things without permission. I feel you really should be punished for this violation, but since you provide a workaround, even though the default is wrong, I was willing to overlook it. Now, I am not so sure.
Apparently the setting was adjusted. Due to the 100 degree temps, the Server of All Music Storage, was off. Not that it is any of your business. What is your business is my work day music listening pleasure and iPad happiness were interrupted. Lena Horne, Scott Joplin, X-Ray Spex, Lena Horne, X-Ray Spex, Lena Horne, etc. I started thinking shuffle had gone wonky. Then I looked at my song list.
For some reason, Mr. Jobs, you seem to see nothing wrong with deleting my stuffs without my permission. I like my stuffs Mr. Jobs, and your clean up was not helpful, nor was it appreciated. It is reminiscent of my mother's bedroom cleaning technique of putting anything that was on the floor into a trash bag and throwing it out. Only music I bought on my iPad remains. Now I will have to sync everything over. And it will take forever. And I will be displeased.
And by displeased, i mean more displeased than i am currently. I am predicting increased displeasure. While my displeasure is increasing, just thinking of future increases, I would like to add that your music sync sucks. I have to go to a separate special menu item to get music I purchased on my iPad to sync to my server. What The Fudge? Why is app sync so smooth and music sync so crappy? Do your teams not talk? We already know you apparently only hire males. You should seriously think about your hiring practices. Not only would hiring female programmers help you comply with US labor laws, it would also help communication and help you avert bad product names that land your logo on feminine hygiene products.
But I digress. Ah. Warrior in Woolworths. Again. My day is almost done, but fear not Mr. Jobs, I still have energy, and I think you have earned a complimentary house cleaning. Mom, get out the trash bags, someone needs your help...
- Posted, while miffed, from my iPad
Location:My Desk
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
4th of July
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Dad's Guide to Facebook
Img temporarily removed..
Hey Dad! We were talking about Facebook tonight on the phone, so I decided to provide you with this handy Facebook usage guide. This will help you be all hip and trendy on The Facebook. First rule, drop the 'the', it's just Facebook. Second, note how short the 'wall' replies are. Everything on your wall can be seen by your friends, including replies from people you know and they don't. Don't bother figuring that last line out, just assume everything you see is public. For long messages, you should just send a message (menu on right under the mini Picasso pic). Oh, that reminds me, pic is picture. No one says picture anymore, due to the fact that it is > 1 syllable.
What kind of messages show up on your wall? Some are auto generated, and some are posted by friends. It is important to understand the types of messages that are expected / acceptable in the brave new world that is Facebook. Please refer to the above sample page, it is an actual page, altered only by the red, helpful and very legible, numbering system. The numbers can be matched to the numbers below for a complete Facebook posting guide.
1. Automatic: Look! A friend of mine, has a new friend! Heartwarming.
Your response: No comments or 'likes' are necessary. If you also know the new friend, and are not yet Facebook friends, then say hi and send a friend request! If you ever friend someone and find out you don't know them, you can un-friend them quietly. Surprisingly enough, Facebook figured out it's tacky to tell the world that you un-friended someone. They will tell/sell just about any other information you put on their site.
2. Friend Status Update: "I'm interested in the environment, blah blah blah"
Your response: You can 'like' this to show support. If you hate environmentalists or like smoking, no posting for you. You would be missing the point of Facebook. Posting long or overly argumentative replies will show that you are either crazy, old or maybe both. If you really feel like arguing, you should start a blog and post about the scandal that was created when you had to kick your Facebook friend out of your Rock Band.
3. Friend Status Updates: everybody likes ducklings
Your response: you can like this, or post a related comment. Good job Beth, excellent example. Truthfully this post should be the definition of Facebook. Facebook, in the end, really is the duckling butt of the web.
4. Friend Status Update: thanks everyone
Your response: you can post a related reply. Friends sometimes post on your wall, or in reply to a status update, to let you know some small vital piece of information. Like here, we find out a package is on the way. Nice!
5. Automatic: Philomena scared a bear! Wowzwer!
Your Response:No response or like needed. This is autogenerated from an annoying Facebook App. App is short for application (>1syl). Facebook apps should not be confused with iPad apps. iPad apps are cool.
6. Friend Comment: LOL even though this is not funny and I'm not Laughing Out Loud
Your Response: None required. This is more to let you know what LOL stands for, and that now people use it like like, or like we used to like use like when we were like younger. In other words, frequently. For awhile the simple smiley :) was popular, but that has been usurped by this as a more popular method of showing a comment is light hearted. I blame the elaborate 'emoticons' for this annoying new trend. LOL! LMAO is a variant of this and stands for Laughing My fAnny Off. ROTFLMAO, is the elaborate version of the saying meaning, Rolling On The Floor Laughing My fAnny Off. You also may see people posting WTF. This is to express confusion, outrage and the like. It, of course, stands for What The Fudge.
So, that is the ins and outs of posting. You have passed stage one! Good goin' ol' guy! Only a few more concepts to go!
I'm pretty sure you are familiar with the menus on the left, but do you know about the helpful info on the right. If it's a Facebook friend's birthday, it will tell you on the right, so you can post Happy Birthday on their wall. Also, it will help explain the loads of Happy Birthday messages you get on your birthday, or on some random day if you entered a bogus birthday into Facebook. Your Facebook friends aren't more organized or thoughtful then you, they just happened to log in and see the reminder. It's like they virtually care.
Sometimes Facebook uses the right hand side to suggest friends, or remind you about friends you haven't talked to in awhile. Just seeing the reminder will make you feel closer.
Facebook also uses their highly advanced algorithm to suggest interests. As number 7 shows in the above sample page, Facebook had cleverly determined that many people who like 'reading' also like contemporary r&b. They think, since I like reading, I might like this too! Clearly 'readers', much like Dr Who fans, come from such a small fringe group, their interests are likely to overlap.
So now you know Facebook helps you find friends you can talk about duck butts with, while also suggesting interests you have no interest in and allowing you to keep close to your friends and family without actually corresponding. Soon, you too will be saying 'Thank God for social networking!'
P.S. You are not allowed to post 'You're Welcome' as a comment. :^p
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Hey Dad! We were talking about Facebook tonight on the phone, so I decided to provide you with this handy Facebook usage guide. This will help you be all hip and trendy on The Facebook. First rule, drop the 'the', it's just Facebook. Second, note how short the 'wall' replies are. Everything on your wall can be seen by your friends, including replies from people you know and they don't. Don't bother figuring that last line out, just assume everything you see is public. For long messages, you should just send a message (menu on right under the mini Picasso pic). Oh, that reminds me, pic is picture. No one says picture anymore, due to the fact that it is > 1 syllable.
What kind of messages show up on your wall? Some are auto generated, and some are posted by friends. It is important to understand the types of messages that are expected / acceptable in the brave new world that is Facebook. Please refer to the above sample page, it is an actual page, altered only by the red, helpful and very legible, numbering system. The numbers can be matched to the numbers below for a complete Facebook posting guide.
1. Automatic: Look! A friend of mine, has a new friend! Heartwarming.
Your response: No comments or 'likes' are necessary. If you also know the new friend, and are not yet Facebook friends, then say hi and send a friend request! If you ever friend someone and find out you don't know them, you can un-friend them quietly. Surprisingly enough, Facebook figured out it's tacky to tell the world that you un-friended someone. They will tell/sell just about any other information you put on their site.
2. Friend Status Update: "I'm interested in the environment, blah blah blah"
Your response: You can 'like' this to show support. If you hate environmentalists or like smoking, no posting for you. You would be missing the point of Facebook. Posting long or overly argumentative replies will show that you are either crazy, old or maybe both. If you really feel like arguing, you should start a blog and post about the scandal that was created when you had to kick your Facebook friend out of your Rock Band.
3. Friend Status Updates: everybody likes ducklings
Your response: you can like this, or post a related comment. Good job Beth, excellent example. Truthfully this post should be the definition of Facebook. Facebook, in the end, really is the duckling butt of the web.
4. Friend Status Update: thanks everyone
Your response: you can post a related reply. Friends sometimes post on your wall, or in reply to a status update, to let you know some small vital piece of information. Like here, we find out a package is on the way. Nice!
5. Automatic: Philomena scared a bear! Wowzwer!
Your Response:No response or like needed. This is autogenerated from an annoying Facebook App. App is short for application (>1syl). Facebook apps should not be confused with iPad apps. iPad apps are cool.
6. Friend Comment: LOL even though this is not funny and I'm not Laughing Out Loud
Your Response: None required. This is more to let you know what LOL stands for, and that now people use it like like, or like we used to like use like when we were like younger. In other words, frequently. For awhile the simple smiley :) was popular, but that has been usurped by this as a more popular method of showing a comment is light hearted. I blame the elaborate 'emoticons' for this annoying new trend. LOL! LMAO is a variant of this and stands for Laughing My fAnny Off. ROTFLMAO, is the elaborate version of the saying meaning, Rolling On The Floor Laughing My fAnny Off. You also may see people posting WTF. This is to express confusion, outrage and the like. It, of course, stands for What The Fudge.
So, that is the ins and outs of posting. You have passed stage one! Good goin' ol' guy! Only a few more concepts to go!
I'm pretty sure you are familiar with the menus on the left, but do you know about the helpful info on the right. If it's a Facebook friend's birthday, it will tell you on the right, so you can post Happy Birthday on their wall. Also, it will help explain the loads of Happy Birthday messages you get on your birthday, or on some random day if you entered a bogus birthday into Facebook. Your Facebook friends aren't more organized or thoughtful then you, they just happened to log in and see the reminder. It's like they virtually care.
Sometimes Facebook uses the right hand side to suggest friends, or remind you about friends you haven't talked to in awhile. Just seeing the reminder will make you feel closer.
Facebook also uses their highly advanced algorithm to suggest interests. As number 7 shows in the above sample page, Facebook had cleverly determined that many people who like 'reading' also like contemporary r&b. They think, since I like reading, I might like this too! Clearly 'readers', much like Dr Who fans, come from such a small fringe group, their interests are likely to overlap.
So now you know Facebook helps you find friends you can talk about duck butts with, while also suggesting interests you have no interest in and allowing you to keep close to your friends and family without actually corresponding. Soon, you too will be saying 'Thank God for social networking!'
P.S. You are not allowed to post 'You're Welcome' as a comment. :^p
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:The Facebook on The inter-tubes
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Apple Gummies and Cold Thoughts
Poor Mara has no AC. So, I promised to send her cold thoughts. They will count, though they will not actually solve her problem in any way. So I was thinking of what cold thoughts to send her and I finally settled on Kasugai Apple Gummies, our favorite candy from college.
Why Kasugai Apple Gummies? Well apparently their apple juice is pressed from the cheeks of snow-country children. Creepy, but surprisingly good! So, here are your cold thoughts Mara, enjoy!
Img temporarily removed....
Every drop of apple juice, carefully pressed from the reddest apples, shining in colors of the cheeks of a snow-country child, is yours to enjoy in each soft and juicy Kasugai Apple Gummy.
You can just see the snow-country childs, running through snow covered fields, sliding down snow-country memorial steps on dining trays of colors...
After their cheeks are pressed, they will probably be off to finger paint in watercolors.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Why Kasugai Apple Gummies? Well apparently their apple juice is pressed from the cheeks of snow-country children. Creepy, but surprisingly good! So, here are your cold thoughts Mara, enjoy!
Img temporarily removed....
Every drop of apple juice, carefully pressed from the reddest apples, shining in colors of the cheeks of a snow-country child, is yours to enjoy in each soft and juicy Kasugai Apple Gummy.
You can just see the snow-country childs, running through snow covered fields, sliding down snow-country memorial steps on dining trays of colors...
After their cheeks are pressed, they will probably be off to finger paint in watercolors.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:There
Monday, June 28, 2010
Weekends Rock
This weekend I went to a graduation, ate so much Indian food I thought I would die and watched the world cup. Yeah, the US lost, but still, I got to formulate my list of Minimum Required Soccer Changes that must be implemented if anyone ever wants soccer to seriously catch on in America.
Here is my list of Minimum Required Soccer Changes:
1. After getting 'injured' any player who sits or lays down on the field and makes no attempt to get up should get a yellow card.
Reason: This is just not how we roll in the US. In the US, when your bone sticks through your ankle, you keep playing. The press will film your bloody sock and you will be a hero. Unless you start talking politics. Injured players should get up, or at least make an honest attempt to get up. Any player who sits or lays down and does anything resembling a performance by Sarah Bernhardt should get a yellow card. Anyone laying randomly on the field should get a red card.
Exceptions: Unconscious players would be exempt from this rule
2. Refs should be forced to use instant replay 'technology'. These calls are so bad, even I can tell they're wrong. If there is a contentious call and a ref refuses to watch the replay, then each member of the audience should be given the option of kicking the ref at the end of the game.
Reason: No one in the US will take a game seriously when the calls are SO bad. Especially when Refs take away, and seem to not see, goals. In a game where getting one goal is average.
3. Refs in soccer should alternately be called umpires.
Reason: This one is just for my mom. But seriously the overlap with baseball could only help.
4. When the game stops, the clock should stop. Why can't you just stop the clock, world cup clock people? Do you not have stop watches in the rest of the world? Is the concept of pause really that hard to master? Are you scared of the new technology it would require?
Reason: Here in the US, adding random time to the end of the game goes against our basic sense of fairness. It has nothing to do with the fact that your apparently oh-so-trustworthy refs are the ones deciding that random amount of time. Honest.
After accomplishing all this , I then went home, hung out with friends and built a Lego party house. What is a Lego party house? Well, it's when you take your pitiful collection of remaining Legos (= all legos acquired in child hood - lost legos - legos mom gave away - legos that were eaten by the dog + legos you have received as stocking stuffers as an adult) and use them to build a house. Our houses often feature dog or camel heads on top and sometimes giant spiderwebs (thank you Harry Potter). This particular Lego house had two floors and a set of stairs down the back of the house. The stairs down the back of the house are completely ridiculous, I know. But the three year old kept asking how bob the builder was supposed to get downstairs. I said he could jump, but for some reason this was not acceptable. So he added stairs. Sometimes you just can't reason with a three year old. Anyway, in the end, there was only one word to describe the house. Awesome. Oh and THEN we watched the Doctor Who Finale. A perfect end to the day.
As if that wasn't enough fun for one weekend, I headed out to see Silent Sunday at Wilton Town Hall theater with my best friend from (some amount of unnamed years ago, let's use n) Shannon. It was Buster Keaton Silent Sunday, so Sherlock Jr. was followed by Go West. Sherlock Jr. was great. It was funny and clever and had cool special effects. The movie is about a guy who works at a movie theater and is studying to be a detective. He likes a girl, but gets framed for stealing a pocket watch by another guy and she turns him away. Did you catch all that? The other guy was totally a dirty rotten scoundrel. Luckily the smart girl figures it all out, while Buster is sleep-sleuthing his way through a movie that echos his life. It was really funny.
Then there was a short intermission featuring a dancing pig - it was kind of creepy. Then it was time for Go West. Go West is apparently a take off on a Charlie Chaplin film. I liked it, but not as much as I liked Sherlock Jr. It was funny, but I think you needed to see the Chaplin movie to get more of the jokes. There was one shot where they focused in on this random old guy. It felt like we should know him, but I had no clue who he was! Beth would have liked this film. Buster plays the roll of an incompetent cowboy who loves a brown cow and wants to save her from the slaughter house. Ah, animal activism 1925s style!
I forgot to fill out a comment card, if i had it would have said:
Music, brilliant, as always. More of the stuff like Sherlock Jr, less stuff like creepy dancing pigs with wolf teeth and sausage tongues. :)
Anyway, this summer is comedy summer - so check out silent Sunday at the Wilton Town Hall Theater, or risk being lame.
So, that was my fascinating weekend in a nutshell. Oh, and I stopped by A&E, and got Winter Spice tea and Madagascar Vanilla tea and Scottish Breakfast tea. Yum. A&E is so nice. And while I was there, I saw Jen's photos! They asked her to put up some of her photos and they are really lovely, so everyone (who can) should stop by and check them out! I especially like the blue heron.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Here is my list of Minimum Required Soccer Changes:
1. After getting 'injured' any player who sits or lays down on the field and makes no attempt to get up should get a yellow card.
Reason: This is just not how we roll in the US. In the US, when your bone sticks through your ankle, you keep playing. The press will film your bloody sock and you will be a hero. Unless you start talking politics. Injured players should get up, or at least make an honest attempt to get up. Any player who sits or lays down and does anything resembling a performance by Sarah Bernhardt should get a yellow card. Anyone laying randomly on the field should get a red card.
Exceptions: Unconscious players would be exempt from this rule
2. Refs should be forced to use instant replay 'technology'. These calls are so bad, even I can tell they're wrong. If there is a contentious call and a ref refuses to watch the replay, then each member of the audience should be given the option of kicking the ref at the end of the game.
Reason: No one in the US will take a game seriously when the calls are SO bad. Especially when Refs take away, and seem to not see, goals. In a game where getting one goal is average.
3. Refs in soccer should alternately be called umpires.
Reason: This one is just for my mom. But seriously the overlap with baseball could only help.
4. When the game stops, the clock should stop. Why can't you just stop the clock, world cup clock people? Do you not have stop watches in the rest of the world? Is the concept of pause really that hard to master? Are you scared of the new technology it would require?
Reason: Here in the US, adding random time to the end of the game goes against our basic sense of fairness. It has nothing to do with the fact that your apparently oh-so-trustworthy refs are the ones deciding that random amount of time. Honest.
After accomplishing all this , I then went home, hung out with friends and built a Lego party house. What is a Lego party house? Well, it's when you take your pitiful collection of remaining Legos (= all legos acquired in child hood - lost legos - legos mom gave away - legos that were eaten by the dog + legos you have received as stocking stuffers as an adult) and use them to build a house. Our houses often feature dog or camel heads on top and sometimes giant spiderwebs (thank you Harry Potter). This particular Lego house had two floors and a set of stairs down the back of the house. The stairs down the back of the house are completely ridiculous, I know. But the three year old kept asking how bob the builder was supposed to get downstairs. I said he could jump, but for some reason this was not acceptable. So he added stairs. Sometimes you just can't reason with a three year old. Anyway, in the end, there was only one word to describe the house. Awesome. Oh and THEN we watched the Doctor Who Finale. A perfect end to the day.
As if that wasn't enough fun for one weekend, I headed out to see Silent Sunday at Wilton Town Hall theater with my best friend from (some amount of unnamed years ago, let's use n) Shannon. It was Buster Keaton Silent Sunday, so Sherlock Jr. was followed by Go West. Sherlock Jr. was great. It was funny and clever and had cool special effects. The movie is about a guy who works at a movie theater and is studying to be a detective. He likes a girl, but gets framed for stealing a pocket watch by another guy and she turns him away. Did you catch all that? The other guy was totally a dirty rotten scoundrel. Luckily the smart girl figures it all out, while Buster is sleep-sleuthing his way through a movie that echos his life. It was really funny.
Then there was a short intermission featuring a dancing pig - it was kind of creepy. Then it was time for Go West. Go West is apparently a take off on a Charlie Chaplin film. I liked it, but not as much as I liked Sherlock Jr. It was funny, but I think you needed to see the Chaplin movie to get more of the jokes. There was one shot where they focused in on this random old guy. It felt like we should know him, but I had no clue who he was! Beth would have liked this film. Buster plays the roll of an incompetent cowboy who loves a brown cow and wants to save her from the slaughter house. Ah, animal activism 1925s style!
I forgot to fill out a comment card, if i had it would have said:
Music, brilliant, as always. More of the stuff like Sherlock Jr, less stuff like creepy dancing pigs with wolf teeth and sausage tongues. :)
Anyway, this summer is comedy summer - so check out silent Sunday at the Wilton Town Hall Theater, or risk being lame.
So, that was my fascinating weekend in a nutshell. Oh, and I stopped by A&E, and got Winter Spice tea and Madagascar Vanilla tea and Scottish Breakfast tea. Yum. A&E is so nice. And while I was there, I saw Jen's photos! They asked her to put up some of her photos and they are really lovely, so everyone (who can) should stop by and check them out! I especially like the blue heron.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Revenge for the vuvuzela onslaught
It turns out there is a practical use for the annoying song found via the link two posts ago. If you are stuck in a house where a Certain Individual refuses to turn off or mute the world cup, then fear not, now you can combat annoying noise with more annoying noise. That's right. Turn on you iPad/phone/laptop/computer and launch the song. Turn the volume up and let it play.
First minute
CI: what is that?
U: Oh just something from the Internet, it's a funny song
Third minute
CI: It's really annoying, can you turn that off?
U: I'm listening to it.
The song gets quiet and your victim thinks it is over. Then it gets louder.
Fifth minute
CI: ok, it's really annoying, I can't hear.
U: Really? I was thinking the same thing.
Tenth minute
CI: come on! Did you start it over?
U: No. We haven't even gotten to Halloween yet.
Let me know when you're ready to negotiate.
Sixteenth minute
CI: fine. I'll mute the TV, if you turn that off.
Revenge for the vuvuzela onslaught is yours.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
First minute
CI: what is that?
U: Oh just something from the Internet, it's a funny song
Third minute
CI: It's really annoying, can you turn that off?
U: I'm listening to it.
The song gets quiet and your victim thinks it is over. Then it gets louder.
Fifth minute
CI: ok, it's really annoying, I can't hear.
U: Really? I was thinking the same thing.
Tenth minute
CI: come on! Did you start it over?
U: No. We haven't even gotten to Halloween yet.
Let me know when you're ready to negotiate.
Sixteenth minute
CI: fine. I'll mute the TV, if you turn that off.
Revenge for the vuvuzela onslaught is yours.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Here
Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon
Images temporarily removed..
It's late and I'm thinking about vacation. Last October we visited Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon. It was a great vacation. Bryce Canyon is one of the most amazing places on earth. The views are spectacular. Since it's not actually a canyon, but is in fact the edge of the Colorado Plateau, the scenery stretches below you and disappears into the horizon. Castles, ruins, knights, chess pieces, grottos, bridges and spires. It's amazing.
Img temporarily removed....
Zion is also beautiful, but you have to hike to discover the best parts of it. We spent more time in Zion than at Bryce, so we had a great opportunity to really enjoy the park. We hiked Angels landing and the Emerald Pools trail, drove the auto road and walked as far as we could on the narrows trail. It was a wonderful time. I think it's time to start thinking about another vacation.
It's late and I'm thinking about vacation. Last October we visited Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon. It was a great vacation. Bryce Canyon is one of the most amazing places on earth. The views are spectacular. Since it's not actually a canyon, but is in fact the edge of the Colorado Plateau, the scenery stretches below you and disappears into the horizon. Castles, ruins, knights, chess pieces, grottos, bridges and spires. It's amazing.
Img temporarily removed....
Zion is also beautiful, but you have to hike to discover the best parts of it. We spent more time in Zion than at Bryce, so we had a great opportunity to really enjoy the park. We hiked Angels landing and the Emerald Pools trail, drove the auto road and walked as far as we could on the narrows trail. It was a wonderful time. I think it's time to start thinking about another vacation.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Socks, Rockets and Thieves?
(AP) The story of the breakup of a small local cover band has taken several unexpected twists and turns. AP reporters tracked down Ethel, after receiving an email from her stating her location. They confirmed she has indeed left the state and, in fact, she has left the entire region. Such a drastic move left many reporters questioning the reasons for her actions. Several questions were directed towards Ethel when she arrived home, but she deflected all questions, stating the AP should talk with her representative.
After a few moments of confusion it was discovered that her representative was a stray tabby cat named Sunshine, who was sitting on a hand written letter. The letter disclosed the following information:
Ethel decided to leave the band Socks and Rockets after Creative Differences with Certain Individuals could not be resolved to her satisfaction. Ethel felt Selling Out would be in everyones best interest, while her band mates wanted to Stay True to the Music. After exhausting all avenues of communication, Ethel decided it was time to move on and start a career in the opera/hip hop/holiday/children's hybrid genre. Research shows the popularity of these genres should create profitable opportunities. She asks everyone to refer to the following link:
http://boingboing.net/2008/04/17/25-minute-compositio.html
Sunshine
Ethel's Representative
July 25, 2010
This is where the story becomes really strange. Sources informed the AP Ethel had been connected to a string of violent library robberies in the area. Eyewitnesses stated that one of the robbers was rapping something that sounded like "buy a bow, buy a gun, for Christmas at Target" Which is reportedly similar to lyrics Ethel has been working on for a new song, allegedly titled Children Love Yom Kippur. Police confirmed they had questioned Ethel in the case, but the investigation is still open and no charges have been filed. Ethel's Facebook page states she had "... already testified to not being in area at the time."
When asked to which "area" she was referring, Ethel replied "No comment." Needless to say, Sunshine stayed quiet as well.
- Posted using BlogPress from the AP iPad
After a few moments of confusion it was discovered that her representative was a stray tabby cat named Sunshine, who was sitting on a hand written letter. The letter disclosed the following information:
Ethel decided to leave the band Socks and Rockets after Creative Differences with Certain Individuals could not be resolved to her satisfaction. Ethel felt Selling Out would be in everyones best interest, while her band mates wanted to Stay True to the Music. After exhausting all avenues of communication, Ethel decided it was time to move on and start a career in the opera/hip hop/holiday/children's hybrid genre. Research shows the popularity of these genres should create profitable opportunities. She asks everyone to refer to the following link:
http://boingboing.net/2008/04/17/25-minute-compositio.html
Sunshine
Ethel's Representative
July 25, 2010
This is where the story becomes really strange. Sources informed the AP Ethel had been connected to a string of violent library robberies in the area. Eyewitnesses stated that one of the robbers was rapping something that sounded like "buy a bow, buy a gun, for Christmas at Target" Which is reportedly similar to lyrics Ethel has been working on for a new song, allegedly titled Children Love Yom Kippur. Police confirmed they had questioned Ethel in the case, but the investigation is still open and no charges have been filed. Ethel's Facebook page states she had "... already testified to not being in area at the time."
When asked to which "area" she was referring, Ethel replied "No comment." Needless to say, Sunshine stayed quiet as well.
- Posted using BlogPress from the AP iPad
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Socks and Rockets Splits
The popular local cover band Socks and Rockets has officially split up after a dispute with the band leader and lead guitarist, Ethel. Details of the dispute remain unknown, but sources say Ethel has left the state. Ethel has a reputation for not showing up for gigs and practices, and was often the topic of conversation. Locals wondered if she was really committed to the group. The temperamental and unpredictable Ethel is also known for frequently calling the drummer 'narc' during performances. Although the band was small they had about 1000 fans, and once made $25 for playing a gig.
The remaining band members, Sean of the DEA and Rar have formed a new band, they already have almost 10,000 fans and have been invited to play in New York and Chicago.
The remaining band members, Sean of the DEA and Rar have formed a new band, they already have almost 10,000 fans and have been invited to play in New York and Chicago.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Why I love my iPad
I love my iPad because:
1. It has all my music and entertains me all day long.
2. It has my books, both Kindle and iBook, so I have my books wherever I go. Surprisingly enough, it's easy to read a book on the ipad. I thought i wouldn't like it, but I was wrong. And all classics are free. Well, a lot of them are at least. Some even have pictures of the cover and even some pages of old editions of the books (I'm talking about you, Yankee in King Author's Court). Awesome.
3. I always have drawing stuff with me, so I can create a masterpiece any where. Ok, I can doodle anywhere.
4. I have the Internet wherever I go, on a screen you can actually read!
5. It is small, light, quiet, convenient and stays cool. Everything a computer should be.
6. My photos look amazing on my iPad, and it can act like a digital picture frame.
7. A certain 3 year old can use my iPad and stays occupied when we go out to eat :), course we have to build a party house out of legos when we get home, but it's all good.
8. I can type (yes it's easy to type) or write my notes
9. I actually have a calendar that I use, and for the first time ever I know when Things Are Happening
10. I can bring up allrecipies.com, see the whole recipe, and make it, no printing needed - and my iPad does not take up much space on the counter.
11. iPad gets you friends. Ok, they just want demos, still, people are nice to you for awhile...before they start calling you a dork for walking around the hall typing emails. That is NOT dorky, btw, they are just jealous. My mom told me so.
12. I can fly and fly and fly and fly and still I can watch movies and the battery doesn't die.
13. I can update my blog from my iPad.
14. Seriously. Books, movies, internet, photos, music, drawing, photo editing, notes, games, all in a convenient package. What's not to love?
Sent from my iPad.
1. It has all my music and entertains me all day long.
2. It has my books, both Kindle and iBook, so I have my books wherever I go. Surprisingly enough, it's easy to read a book on the ipad. I thought i wouldn't like it, but I was wrong. And all classics are free. Well, a lot of them are at least. Some even have pictures of the cover and even some pages of old editions of the books (I'm talking about you, Yankee in King Author's Court). Awesome.
3. I always have drawing stuff with me, so I can create a masterpiece any where. Ok, I can doodle anywhere.
4. I have the Internet wherever I go, on a screen you can actually read!
5. It is small, light, quiet, convenient and stays cool. Everything a computer should be.
6. My photos look amazing on my iPad, and it can act like a digital picture frame.
7. A certain 3 year old can use my iPad and stays occupied when we go out to eat :), course we have to build a party house out of legos when we get home, but it's all good.
8. I can type (yes it's easy to type) or write my notes
9. I actually have a calendar that I use, and for the first time ever I know when Things Are Happening
10. I can bring up allrecipies.com, see the whole recipe, and make it, no printing needed - and my iPad does not take up much space on the counter.
11. iPad gets you friends. Ok, they just want demos, still, people are nice to you for awhile...before they start calling you a dork for walking around the hall typing emails. That is NOT dorky, btw, they are just jealous. My mom told me so.
12. I can fly and fly and fly and fly and still I can watch movies and the battery doesn't die.
13. I can update my blog from my iPad.
14. Seriously. Books, movies, internet, photos, music, drawing, photo editing, notes, games, all in a convenient package. What's not to love?
Sent from my iPad.
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