JISE

JISE moved

2009-12-12T12:39:00.000-08:00

JISE has moved to http://indepath.com/blog/.

2009-12-03T21:22:00.000-08:00

Just a test post ...

2009-12-03T09:48:00.000-08:00

Testing a post

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And testing here too

New Job

2009-10-10T09:37:00.000-07:00

I started a new night job this week, which has left me even less time than before in addition to screwing up my sleep schedule. More to come.

CBox Widget

2009-09-28T23:48:00.000-07:00

I've come to realize what a wonderful widget a chat box is. Maybe even a must-have for blogs using EntreCard - for droppers like me who don't *want* to drop and run, but can't think of a comment worth posting on some one else's blog.

You can get one here if you don't already use one.

I added mine today here with a link at the top for easy access for all you EC surfers.

Rough Week

2009-09-25T08:20:00.000-07:00

It's been a roller-coaster sort of week for me, up and down, and my "attacks" have returned ... But, like Boxer on Animal Farm, I just put my head down and keep on pulling.

More...

I did get a 50% raise from one of my article clients, which is fantastic. But I was so sick Wednesday I got no work done.

Yesterday I realized I am in no mental state to consider true recovery from my anorexia: some one (who shall remain nameless at least for now) commented that I *had* clearly gained some weight before, but had lost most of it again ... And my first thought upon hearing that was "so I *AM* fat!" and the second was "back to not eating, you fat sow." Now, to be clear, I am not even overweight in vanity pounds today: I don't have a scale but judging by how my clothes fit I am at a proper weight/weight distribution. But I *think* I'm fat, I *feel* fat, and there is nothing I can do to convince myself it is okay to eat when I have these fat-in-the-head issues going on.

Perhaps as part of that backslide, the panic attacks returned. I had gone almost four days without feeling anxious at all, and the last three days I didn't even need the meds to manage it. But yesterday I got slammed so fast with a panic attack I couldn't even fully register what was happening (which, in a way, was nice: panic attacks are no fun, so not being totally aware I was having one was just super).

So today I am just trying to keep myself going. Not the easiest thing to do, as anyone with "bipolar disorder" can attest. But I am too stubborn to do anything else.

Halloween Gear!

2009-09-23T14:54:00.000-07:00

Rawr dark tee by indesapien

Rawr light tee by indesapien

Working From Home

2009-09-21T09:02:00.000-07:00

I am living the dream so many of us have.

Working from home. Being my own boss, more or less (when you are the boss, of course, your customers or clients become your bosses).

The problem, naturally, is that the work is always there. I can't leave it at the office. And I have a hard time giving myself days off when I know that assignment is lurking, unfinished, waiting for me.

But I am working it out. I love the freedom of being able to set my hours as I like and listen to music or have a movie on in the background.

Better still, I get so busy I can hire subcontractors to help me out. If that's not the American dream, I am not sure what is.

Brief: Anxiety vs Panic

2009-09-12T09:13:00.000-07:00

It one of those things that is so obvious it gets missed.

Lots of people use "anxiety attack" and "panic attack" interchangeably, but they are not the same thing. The use of the different words should be a tip-off, but even I missed the significance.

Anxiety can lead to panic. Anxiety attacks can be diffused before panic sets in. Anxiety attacks are more mild and less consuming than panic attacks.

I don't know the professional views on this as well as I know my own experiences, of course. YMMV.

A couple of haunts

2009-09-09T18:04:00.000-07:00

As an amateur historian with a slightly morbid leaning, I find cemeteries a fascinating inlet to the people and times gone by.

Read more:

Within Joliet is Oakwood Cemetery, founded in 1855 to receive the remains of the city’s founding fathers. Over 18,000 interments have been performed there – and in the rear of the cemetery, there is a Woodland Indian burial mound estimated to be over a thousand years old, containing the remains of over 300 people. This burial seemed hasty, possibly indicating an epidemic or disaster long before the first Europeans settled the area.

It is just south of Hickory Creek, which runs through Pilcher Park to the east – a locale historic in its own right for its role in helping escaped slaves flee via the Underground Railroad during before and during the Civil War, and noted today by ghost-hunters and paranormal investigators alike for its spooky activity during both daylight and nighttime hours.

Further west, also along historic Route 6, is Aux Sable Cemetery. This location is also famous among those seeking chills and evidence of the afterlife. Ghost stories abound, as well as urban legends, but to date no credible evidence has been recorded.

Both sites are beautiful, well-kept memorial grounds. As with any cemetery, they are open to visitation only during the daytime, and trespassers at night risk arrest and prosecution – and perhaps a haunting that will last a lifetime.

The Boy's New Smile

2009-09-08T18:08:00.000-07:00

This is one from a year ago ...

While I was working at the computer Saturday my son was playing at his friend’s house on the trampoline. I don’t like the trampoline, and have a standing rule that the kids can’t be on it if there isn’t an adult outside watching them on it - not just outside doing stuff, but actually watching them.

Of course, just having supervision can’t prevent accidents.

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And he’s the kind of kid that, through his tears of pain, apologized for breaking an adult tooth! I got him calmed with the assurance that the dentist will be able to cap it and no one will ever know unless he tells them (or loses the cap); and got him back to smiling by pointing out he has a fierce fang now and a wolfish grin, and had better not bite his sister Blossom no matter how bad she torments him since he’d cut her up bad for sure (not that he’s ever bitten anyone, but silliness was called for).

I suppose it is the natural perversity of childhood that they can’t have these minor accidents during normal office hours; it’s always the middle of the night or on weekends. I almost hope he doesn’t get his cap done before Halloween: he plans to be a pirate, and the broken tooth would enhance his costume nicely.

Blogging

2009-09-08T13:40:00.000-07:00

I had a bunch of blogs for a while there, specializing by content. I give that up, though. Too much work. Blogging, for me, is closer to a hobby. I know a lot of people take it very seriously and see it as a viable source of income.

Now I have it whittled down to three, maybe four. JISE here will be my blog forever - even having the chance to switch to a WP blog, I like it here and I have done so much to get it to look the way I want.

Read on:

I had two blogs at Today.com, but they can suck it because they never want to pay people and I will only do so much work for free. You'll be seeing reposts of the content from there showing up here, eventually.

Kaleidoscopy at Absynthe Spectrum is one I am keeping: I use it to aggregate updates from JISE, Absynthe Spectrum, ASAP, and related content.

I have an LJ I don't use much any more, but I am keeping it because of the connections there and it's a good place for networking.

And the maybe-fourth is a co-written blog about weird things in Illinois. Haven't been to that lately but I suppose as I get caught up with other stuff I can contribute to it again, and possibly add it to the Kaleidoscopy aggregate.

Yeah ...

2009-09-07T06:48:00.001-07:00

It's been a while since I posted. Getting myself back on track today.

Read on...

I have, for some unknowable period of time, had "spells," something like epileptic seizures but possibly not epileptic at all.

Mostly these "neurological events" are "staring spells," wherein from my perspective I am just concentrating on something, and from the perspective of others I am staring, unresponsive for some seconds. After these events I usually feel vaguely nauseous; preceding them I often have "auras" or precursors, usually anxiety, although sometimes I get no warning at all. These events are difficult to spot because they are subtle.

I've had a few more dramatic events that more closely resemble generalized seizures, where I lose consciousness and muscle control, but typically do not convulse like a stereotypical "grand mal" seizure. These, thankfully, have been very rare: three I can think of over 20 years.

So on Wednesday, 9/2, I went into the hospital for three days of EEG observation. Of course during those three days my brain was cheerfully quiet. I otherwise got rather depressed, being stuck in bed away from my family, but no events for the doctors to see. Friday I was released with an ambulatory EEG unit, meaning my head is still wired (until 1430 today) but at least I could go home.

Things have still been uneventful for the most part. I am not really surprised: my brain rarely cooperates with me in general, so why should it when I most need it to?

In Brief ...

2009-08-29T05:43:00.000-07:00

It's been crazy-busy the last couple of weeks. Busy is good and crazy I am used to.

The Absynthe Community is off to a good start. If you are an aut or aspie writer, or other ND creative-type, come check it out.

I have also been pleasantly swamped with freelance work this week. You know those articles you read all over the web? I am responsible for some of those. The well-written ones, anyway.

We also got a puppy about six weeks ago. More on him and some pix later.

Absynthe Spectrum

2009-08-24T19:13:00.000-07:00

I have been quite teh bizee, setting up a new community for creative ND-types. While there are many writers' groups, and many aspie groups, I found no groups for aspie writers. So, of course, I made one. :)

AbsyntheSpectrum.com

Mental Seas

2009-08-05T19:20:00.000-07:00

In pondering the diversity of psychological landscapes, I developed an analogy that seems quite apt and suitable.

In part: Just because your mental sea is the North Atlantic doesn't mean you will hit an iceberg.

Mental Seas and Icebergs

I had the thought that mental illnesses and other concerns - depression, bipolar disorder, and so forth - are very much like icebergs. The part that can be seen is only a minor feature of the condition, what is "visible above the waves."

What is hidden beneath can be massive and do damage that can sink the mightiest ship.

Then I thought about where icebergs happen ...

Just as most people may never have to experience an adverse mental state that affects them significantly, most of the planet's oceans are ice-free.

Also, many ships pass through the northern seas - where icebergs can be found - without ever coming near the danger.

So it seems to me that some people have a southern sea mentality - no icebergs in sight.

Some have a northern sea, and strike an iceberg, or more than one.

And some who have northern seas manage to sail their whole lives without ever encountering the troubles that can lurk just beneath the surface.

Entrecard Absence

2009-08-04T22:51:00.000-07:00

I've been away from EC for a while, but I am now and then remembering to stop by there and return drops and approve ads and whatnot.

I have been busy, in part, working on a new website; also some editing and graphic design for a novel; also learning Linux.

Which raises a question ... everyone I have heard pronounce it says "LIH-nucks," but it is based on the work of a man named Linus, so it seems to be it should be pronounced "LY-nucks."

Virtual Disease

2009-07-28T19:18:00.000-07:00

I am recovering from an Internet illness: multiple (online) personality disorder.

So I am working on merging my different web identities. It isn't much fun.

Aberrant Physiology FTW

2009-06-23T17:37:00.000-07:00

I apparently have developed a weird mutant immunity to poison ivy.

12yo daughter has not. Yet.

Random Reading

2009-06-22T17:11:00.000-07:00

Today's random website find:

Texts from last night

I either didn't misspend my youth enough, or I am damn lucky we didn't have texting cell phones when I was out partying.

Haven't decided which yet.

Wintergirls

2009-05-12T09:09:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I read "wintergirls" by Laurie Halse Anderson.

I wish I didn't.

I'm glad I did.

New Personal Blog

2009-04-08T19:42:00.000-07:00

I set up a new blog at InsaneJournal (as Blogger doesn't have the ability to filter posts) because there are some rants that just aren't suitable for public consumption.

caliedo.insanejournal.com

Back from the deadish

2009-04-04T08:45:00.000-07:00

I am fighting my way back to the land of the living, or at least what passes for it nowadays. There's probably a lot of things I should catch up on for y'all, but that's not gonna happen this post. (And I'm discovering all these cute 'improvements' as I reanimate ... sigh.)

Briefly ...

2009-02-28T04:59:00.000-08:00

The last two weeks have pretty much been a tour of the third level of Hell. I've barely been online, and as I am a rather private person by nature I'm not likely to post much about it.

I will, however, share the fact that my dad is home from the hospital now and doing much better (on his couch, watching his soccer, without random medical people poking him every half hour). I plan to see him today but have to call first - as he said, he has a 5k run today, and then is helping this guy move furniture. (I wonder where I get my smartass sense of humor from ...)

The Dad Update

2009-02-19T10:53:00.000-08:00

Just got word that my dad is recovering well and will be moved out of the ICU today. They will also be giving him a nicotine patch so he will stop being so mean to the nurses. :)

Crazy Week

2009-02-17T07:59:00.000-08:00

This past week was fairly insane ... did more running around in five days than I usually do in a month. Then my dad had a heart attack on Saturday, so Sunday was spent at the hospital with my mom and brother. So now I'm even further behind than I usually am ...

Lessons from Cinema 2

2009-02-10T06:06:00.000-08:00

When the blonde asks if you're flirting with her, you're gonna die.
When some one asks if you're a god, you say yes.
When the computer asks if you wouldn't prefer a nice game of chess, do not insist on playing Global Thermonuclear War.

Subscription Poof!

2009-02-08T19:05:00.000-08:00

Dunno what happened, but my subscription count through Feedburner went from 20 on Friday to 0 on Saturday. I'd be twistedly proud of myself for that except some of my subscribers have told me they haven't unsubbed.

Well. Anyway. Since Feedburner is nagging about making the migration to Google, might as well do it now, since i don't have to worry about losing my subscriber count.

W00T!

2009-02-05T10:42:00.000-08:00

Milestone #2: JISE is one year old today!
Milestone #3: This is post #200!
Milestone #4: I got my new template just the way I want it!

No can haz!

2009-02-05T08:09:00.001-08:00

Nope, didn't work. DAMMIT!

No can haz!

2009-02-05T08:09:00.000-08:00

Nope, didn't work. DAMMIT!

Today's the day ...

2009-02-05T08:03:00.000-08:00

Hope this works!

Template Challenge

2009-02-04T07:22:00.000-08:00

I found a template I really like, and put a lot of work into it yesterday ... And it needs a lot of work. Unlike other templates, I can't just use Blogger's drag-and-drop GUI to arrange the modules. I have to go into the code and move things. So I'm also getting a crash course in JS and a refresher in CSS.

The really fun part is, half of the documentation comments are in Portugese (the native lingo of the adapter) which I don't read as fluently as Spanish ... sigh ... so I'm getting some edumacatin' in that too.

Blogger Templates

2009-02-03T11:24:00.000-08:00

This blog's first anniversary is coming up, and I'm contemplating a layout change ...

And as I was browsing the interwebs I found this great site, so I figgered I'd share. :)

Blog Templates

I'm Not Alone!

2009-02-02T15:00:00.000-08:00

Other people think geeks are sexy too:

as seen on Double X Geeks

January Top EC Droppers

2009-02-02T12:21:00.000-08:00

Who's the Bad Guy?

2009-02-01T17:26:00.000-08:00

Listening to a show on History Channel about the religious Apocalypse ... they've gotten to the bit about God casting the devil out of Heaven. And I can't help but think of "The Devil's Advocate," Pacino's insistence (as the Devil) that he is a fan of man.

Ramble ...

I've done some studying myself, and although it's clear that Satan's supposed to be the bad guy, I can't help but wonder. In some versions of the old stories, it was the bad guy that insisted Man be given free will, to choose to love God or not, unlike the angels which had no choice.

My favorite story (rarely found nowadays) is that the bad guy insisted Man not be left lonely in Paradise, but given a mate to love and be loved by, to cherish and be cherished by, and yes, to be challenged by. God wouldn't do it, so the bad guy did: Lilith, Adam's first wife. And she wouldn't kowtow to Adam, but insisted on being treated as his equal. And Adam threw a fit when she wanted to be on top for sex, and beseeched God to rid him of her. And God did, driving her from Eden; but she turned to that fan of man, Satan, and he gave her the strength and wisdom to find her fortune alone.

Of course, God gets all the good PR, and Satan and Lilith are cast as evil enemies of humanity. But I wonder. Wisdom carries its own painful price for those who dare seek it - how rational is it to think we should be punished further for daring to use these amazing brains supposedly given to us by a beneficent God?

Milestone #1

2009-01-31T17:47:00.000-08:00

Five Thousand Visitors to JISE!

Thank you, everyone!

"Not Your Typical"

2009-01-31T10:23:00.000-08:00

Gripe time ... as I am doing EC drops, I see blog after blog referring to "not your typical [blog/mommy blogger/mom next door/etc.]."

I suspect none of these people have bothered to read any other blogs.

They are typical. They talk about kids, budgets, marriage (or divorce), housework, shopping ...

I mean, really. Dictionary, maybe? Look up the word "typical" before deciding something isn't.

Gosh golly

2009-01-31T08:53:00.000-08:00

I was terribly slack the last couple of days, as far as keeping on track with projects and whatnot ...

But yesterday was an awesome day. I helped one of my best friends a bit with a relationship problem she was having with her beloved, although of course I worried that I was only going to make things worse. Seemed to work out all right though, and I have hope that things will continue to improve for her.

Then I spent the evening hanging out with my other best friend, and we talked of cabbages and kings and things that go with a life of style, and I found I was able to really open up about some things that I had never felt safe enough to talk about before.

Couldn't sleep for sh*t tho, and it'll be a drag-assy day. If that's the trade-off, I'll take it, gladly.

Friday?!

2009-01-30T09:49:00.000-08:00

Not sure how the week slipped by so fast! A good week, to be sure, both productive and pleasant ... But yesterday I managed to not post or tweet much, the day just whirled by.

Wonder what delights today will bring ...

And into another night

2009-01-28T19:07:00.000-08:00

Today wasn't quite as productive as yesterday, but I don't have any complaints, either.

Random thoughts...

I have been making progress with productivity, but now I feel I need to reconsider the order in which I am attempting to tackle my tasks.

And there are still things I want to get done online that I am not getting around to ... my email is totally out of control, mostly thanks to the dozens of groups I belong to and never participate in.

I haven't gotten to Facebook in a while, nor MySpace in forever (tho I hate MySpace, so, meh) ... I've mostly lost interest in using LiveJournal since they moved their servers out of the country. I did pop in at Tribe.net today, but only because of a message from one of the Wild Aspies Tribe members; I didn't even read any posts there.

And the list goes on ... Wild Wear tee-shirt designs I'm not making, friends' blogs I'm not commenting at, other social networking things I just don't have the mental energy to slog through.

I've been working on simplifying, but there's still more work to do.

Best of all, though, was today's technomancer luv ... Life as always is ups and downs, but I am learning better to appreciate the ups and let the downs roll by.

THIS IS SO WRONG

2009-01-28T17:05:00.000-08:00

Seriously. So wrong I couldn't accept the responsibility of ganking the picture. And this is ME saying it's wrong. So, yanno, only click over if you're not going to blame me for what you see.

Late Start

2009-01-28T09:57:00.000-08:00

Up late last night, and was left to sleep in despite my orchestrations to be awoken early. Sigh. Getting better at time management and staying on-task, tho.

And now, for no particular reason, the bunny with a pancake on its head. :)

Today

2009-01-27T21:36:00.000-08:00

Today was definitely a good day. Quite possibly one of the best I have had in quite a while. And it was all just little things going well.

Nice how things can work out that way.

More bits and pieces ...

2009-01-27T11:59:00.000-08:00

EntreCard is being horribly slow and still hasn't straightened out the widget issue for my Today^ blog ...

But on the plus side, Sheta^ called, and we got to talk for a while. Her Internet connection has finally been fixed so now we can get back to our usual online babbling. :)

Good start

2009-01-27T09:13:00.000-08:00

Got up early enough today to get some writing done - aimed for 3k words, got 3.6k done in under three hours. Go, me!

Also heard from Igora, Lady of the Drum; might be starting circle early this year, indoors of course, but sounds good to me.

Supper Success

2009-01-26T19:56:00.000-08:00

Everybody ate, and nobody died! It's certainly a red-letter day ... And to think all I had to do was follow the directions on the package.

Next time, I'll be really daring, and go for the chicken tartar ...

Stir Crazy

2009-01-26T18:53:00.000-08:00

I don't usually cook dinner - I am lucky to have a Husband who is not only an excellent cook, but enjoys cooking as well.

But tonight I venture forth into the strange territory of domestication and the alien realm of that place called the kitchen, and am at this very moment creating something that hopefully will be both edible and accepted by the pickier members of the household.

Wish me luck!

Favicon!

2009-01-26T10:51:00.000-08:00

Thanks to these folks^ at FreeFavicon.com, we now have the ever-so-spiffy JISE logo in place for our favicon.

w00t.

Taxes done!

2009-01-25T17:11:00.000-08:00

And here's hoping that next year's return is a lot more complicated to file.

Changes afoot ...

2009-01-25T14:20:00.000-08:00

... And some landmarks on the horizon.

February fifth marks this blog's first anniversary, and I'm closing in on 200 posts.

I'd bake a cake, but, well, who am I trying to fool? I don't bake, and the last time I tried to feed a blog it took three days to get the crumbs out of the USB port.

Past and Present

2009-01-20T12:47:00.000-08:00

I suppose, in a way, MLK's dream has come true, at least in my kids.

They don't understand what all the fuss is about with President Obama.

"He won the election, didn't he? Somebody always wins, right? So what's the big deal?"

We explained a bunch of times what the big deal is. But they don't believe us, I think. How lucky they are, to be able to scoff at the idea of a whole society discriminating against part of itself based on the color of the skin. In our little neighborhood, there is nothing to support these old tales of segregation.

"I knew he was gonna win, anyway," the boy said the other day.

"Oh?" I asked.

"Sure," he answered. "He's from Chicago."

Blog Directories

2009-01-18T08:25:00.000-08:00

I spent a good chunk of the last few days submitting this blog to directories. And I'll tell you, I am damn sick of typing the same information over and over and over and over and over ... (Has anyone else ever noticed that if you type or write the same word multiple times it stops looking like a real word?)

Being new to the directory game, I haven't developed an opinion yet. Most seem like a directory, nothing more: a list of blogs. A few are different, though, and strive to be more like a online community or social network.

One really stands out: SlogBite^. Although the site itself is a bit rough around the edges, that is to be expected with any new venture. It is the owner, Mel, who makes it shine: personal attention and a clear dedication to this project. It is still in pre-launch officially, but I feel confident in recommending it to other bloggers interested in increasing exposure through a directory.

My collection of mini-badges reside in the right sidebar, but I'm throwing them in here too for good measure.

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GetBlogs Blog Directory

Buzzer Hut | Promote Your Blog

Blog Folders Blog Directory

My Bloglog

UFO over Chicago?

2009-01-16T18:19:00.000-08:00

Articles at Many Rivers Blog of the Weird

Oh, the horror ...

2009-01-16T16:41:00.000-08:00

The song in this video is one of my daughters' favorites ... and the images are from a videogame fave of the Hubby and son.

Shared because ... well, why should I suffer alone? :)

Only As Old As You Feel

2009-01-12T09:36:00.000-08:00

"Listen, Mom!" my 12-year-old daughter, Blossom, said to me the other day. She was working at my old laptop, and as she struck the keys a metallic, mechanical sound issued from the machine. "I made it sound funny!"

"That's a typewriter sound," I told her.

"Listen!" she repeated, hitting (I know) the 'Enter' key, and eliciting that old-school ratchet-and-ding. After a few more feverish taps, she looked up at me. "A typewriter?"

"Yes," I said, suddenly feeling about a million years old. "Remember when we went to the museum last summer, and saw those old machines in the Newspaper display?"

"Ohhh," she said. "You had one in grade school, right?"

"Yes," I said again, finding a chair and easing my ancient bones into it.

"Neat," Blossom opined, typing a few more lines. "That was before CD-ROM, right? You had to use floppy disks."

"No, dear," I answered. "Something even more archaic. It's called paper."

Educating the Masses

2009-01-11T10:39:00.000-08:00

When my oldest daughter, Rose, started kindergarten, she was excited and I was sad - my baby was growing up! She had taught herself to read before she was out of diapers, and the classwork was so boring for her that she spent more time assisting the teacher than being a student. The next year, she was even more bored: the school asked if she could help with remedial reading for third graders, but even this didn't keep her busy enough to keep from disrupting classes. So before first grade was over, we decided to pull her out of school and teach her at home.

We tried "homeschooling" at first, but before long realized that her learning style was far better suited to "unschooling" - and in the years since, her siblings have also been flourishing in this loose, self-directed learning environment.

Now, my eldest baby is teaching herself Japanese, and has decided she will become a forensic scientist (joining me in yelling at the television when we watch "Forensic Files" and the investigators miss the obvious). Her younger sister, 12, is torn between cinema and diagnostic medicine (she loves "House, MD" and the new-to-her Sherlock Holmes mysteries); and my son, 9, wants to be an engineer (or maybe a pirate, or possibly a astronaut, or an invisible ninja) and has already taken apart and reassembled most of our clocks. And the youngest, well, she's bent on world domination, and heaven help anyone who stands in her way.

It would have been so easy to send them to "real school" - but I shudder with horror at the thought of what would happen to them in the local conformity factories. There is nothing in my world as thrilling as hearing one say "learning is awesome" and another responding "shh - I'm trying to learn this."

A passion for learning is probably the best gift a child can receive - and it's free, infinite, and will last them the rest of their lives.

Reconnecting with old favorites

2009-01-10T13:23:00.000-08:00

This week I've been able to enjoy some of my favorite old movies, and introduce the kids to flicks they've seen spoofed and referenced in pop media.

So, in no particular order (and as a way to cheat on posting because I am lazy), here's some blast-from-the-past cinema choices:

LadyHawke^ (1985) Rutger Hauer, Matthew Broderick, Michelle Pfeiffer

Real Genius^ (1985) Val Kilmer

Ghost Busters^ (1984) Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver

The Blues Brothers^ (1980) Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Carrie Fischer

Twelve Monkeys^ (1995) Bruce Willis, Brad Pitt

Big Trouble in Little China^ (1986) Kurt Russell, Kim Cattrall

Arsenic and Old Lace^ (1944) Cary Grant, Peter Lorre

Grosse Pointe Blank^ (1997) John Cusak, Dan Aykroyd

Back to it ...

2009-01-08T18:32:00.000-08:00

Well, if you're reading this, you too survived the holidays. I think we need an official non-holiday day to recover from the end-of-year madness.

If not for the colds and flu going around, it would be a good time to gather family close and snuggle in with something quiet and restful. But everyone's sick, it seems, so instead we have to grab what little bits of peace and happiness we can.

To you and yours and happy, healthy 2009!

Mood:

Recovering

Recent Choice Tweets

2008-12-19T21:53:00.000-08:00

I didn't dive into Twitter right off, but the more I've used it the more I find myself using it. :)

Some recent choice tweets:

From asdquefty^: "Next total lunar eclipse is in 2 years 3 days 9 hours, on 12/21/2010, just so ya know. Will be visible from North America and South America."

From datafaucet^: "Definition of EVIL: Ending the X-Men movies at 3 and continuing Saw to 6 or more."

Mood:

Amused

Urgent Communique from the FBI

2008-12-18T16:11:00.000-08:00

Yes, friends and neighbors, the FBI has been in URGENT CONTACT with yours truly.

I'm sure you've all heard of the "Nigerian Bank Scam." (If not, click here^.) Well, YOU MUST HAVE REST ASSURED that the FBI is totally on top of this.

Or ... maybe not. You decide.

"URGENT ATTENTION NEEDED (805)"

Monday, December 1, 2008 11:54 AM
From Federal Bureau of Investigation Mon Dec 1 09:54:57 2008
Return-Path: fbinewsreport@uk2.net
Authentication-Results: mta164.mail.ac4.yahoo.com from=uk2.net; domainkeys=neutral (no sig)
Received: from 80.12.242.113 (EHLO smtp2e.orange.fr) (80.12.242.113) by mta164.mail.ac4.yahoo.com with SMTP; Mon, 01 Dec 2008 10:03:38 -0800
Received: from smtp2e.orange.fr (mwinf2e13 [10.232.14.41]) by mwinf2e20.orange.fr (SMTP Server) with ESMTP id 215211C041F0; Mon, 1 Dec 2008 18:55:05 +0100 (CET)
Received: from User (unknown [78.36.144.155]) by mwinf2e13.orange.fr (SMTP Server) with ESMTP id 6C93470000BF; Mon, 1 Dec 2008 18:54:05 +0100 (CET)
Reply-To: robertmuelleriii_fbi@yahoo.cn
From: "Federal Bureau of Investigation" fbinewsreport@uk2.net
Subject: URGENT ATTENTION NEEDED (805)
Date: Mon, 1 Dec 2008 17:54:57 -0000
To: undisclosed-recipients:;

Federal Bureau of Investigation
Anti-Terrorist And Monitory Crime Division.
Federal Bureau Of Investigation.
J.Edgar.Hoover Building Washington Dc

Attn: Beneficiary,

This is to Officially inform you that it has come to our notice and we have thoroughly Investigated with the help of our Intelligence Monitoring Network System that you are having an illegal Transaction with Impostors claiming to be Prof. Charles C. Soludo of the Central Bank Of Nigeria, Mr. Patrick Aziza, Mr Frank Nweke, Dr. Philip Mogan, none officials of Oceanic Bank, Zenith Banks, Barr. Derrick Smith, kelvin Young of HSBC, Ben of FedEx, Ibrahim Sule,Larry Christopher, Dr. Usman Shamsuddeen, Dr. Philip Mogan, Puppy Scammers are impostors claiming to be the Federal Bureau Of Investigation. During our Investigation, we noticed that the reason why you have not received your payment is because you have not fulfilled your Financial Obligation given to you in respect of your Contract/Inheritance Payment.

Therefore, we have contacted the Federal Ministry Of Finance on your behalf and they have brought a solution to your problem by cordinating your payment intotal USD$11,000.000.00 in an ATM CARD which you can use to withdraw money from any ATM MACHINE CENTER anywhere in the world with a maximum of $4000 to $5000 United States Dollars daily. You now have the lawful right to claim your fund in an ATM CARD.

Since the Federal Bureau of Investigation is involved in this transaction, you have to be rest assured for this is 100% risk free it is our duty to protect the American Citizens. All I want you to do is to contact the ATM CARD CENTER via email for their requirements to proceed and procure your Approval Slip on your behalf which will cost you $250.00 only and note that your Approval Slip which contains details of the agent who will process your transaction.

CONTACT INFORMATION
NAME: MR. DANIEL SMITH
EMAIL: smithdanielng@yahoo.cn

Do contact Mr. Daniel Smith of the ATM CARD CENTRE with your details:

FULL NAME:
HOME ADDRESS:
TELL:
CELL:
CURRENT OCCUPATION:
BANK NAME:
AGE:

So your files would be updated after which he will send the payment information’s which you'll use in making payment of $250.00 via Western Union Money Transfer or Money Gram Transfer for the procurement of your Approval Slip after which the delivery of your ATM CARD will be effected to your designated home address without any further delay.

We order you get back to this office after you have contacted the ATM SWIFT CARD CENTER and we do await your response so we can move on with our Investigation and make sure your ATM SWIFT CARD gets to you.

Thanks and hope to read from you soon.

ROBERT S. MUELLER, III
DIRECTOR, FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20535

Note: Do disregard any email you get from any impostors or offices claiming to be in possession of your ATM CARD, you are hereby advice only to be in contact with Mr. Daniel Smith of the ATM CARD CENTRE who is the rightful person to deal with in regards to your ATM CARD PAYMENT and forward any emails you get from impostors to this office so we could act upon and commence investigation.

"ATM CARD PAYMENT"

Wednesday, December 17, 2008 10:47 PM
From Federal Bureau of Investigation Wed Dec 17 20:47:31 2008
Return-Path: robert@state.gov
Authentication-Results: mta138.mail.ac4.yahoo.com from=state.gov; domainkeys=neutral (no sig)
Received: from 80.12.242.150 (EHLO smtp2f.orange.fr) (80.12.242.150) by mta138.mail.ac4.yahoo.com with SMTP; Wed, 17 Dec 2008 19:47:48 -0800
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Reply-To: robertmuelleriii_fbi@yahoo.cn
From: "Federal Bureau of Investigation" robert@state.gov

Subject: ATM CARD PAYMENT
Date: Thu, 18 Dec 2008 04:47:31 -0000
Message-Id: 20081218034631.A86137000081@mwinf2f16.orange.fr
To: undisclosed-recipients:;

Federal Bureau of Investigation
Anti-Terrorist And Monitory Crime Division.
Federal Bureau Of Investigation.
J.Edgar.Hoover Building Washington Dc

Attn: Beneficiary,

This is to Officially inform you that it has come to our notice and we have thoroughly Investigated with the help of our Intelligence Monitoring Network System that you are having an illegal Transaction with Impostors claiming to be Prof. Charles C. Soludo of the Central Bank Of Nigeria, Mr. Patrick Aziza, Mr Frank Nweke, Dr. Philip Mogan, none officials of Oceanic Bank, Zenith Banks, Barr. Derrick Smith, kelvin Young of HSBC, Ben of FedEx, Ibrahim Sule, Larry Christopher, Dr. Usman Shamsuddeen, Dr. Philip Mogan, Puppy Scammers are impostors claiming to be the Federal Bureau Of Investigation. During our Investigation, we noticed that the reason why you have not received your payment is because you have not fulfilled your Financial Obligation given to you in respect of your Contract/Inheritance Payment.

Therefore, we have contacted the Federal Ministry Of Finance on your behalf and they have brought a solution to your problem by cordinating your payment intotal USD$11,000.000.00 in an ATM CARD which you can use to withdraw money from any ATM MACHINE CENTER anywhere in the world with a maximum of $4000 to $5000 United States Dollars daily. You now have the lawful right to claim your fund in an ATM CARD.

Since the Federal Bureau of Investigation is involved in this transaction, you have to be rest assured for this is 100% risk free it is our duty to protect the American Citizens. All I want you to do is to contact the ATM CARD CENTER via email for their requirements to proceed and procure your Approval Slip on your behalf which will cost you $250.00 only and note that your Approval Slip which contains details of the agent who will process your transaction.

CONTACT INFORMATION
NAME: MR. DANIEL SMITH
EMAIL: drdanielsmith@yahoo.cn

Do contact Mr. Daniel Smith of the ATM CARD DEPARTMENT with your details:

FULL NAME:
HOME ADDRESS:
TELL:
CELL:
CURRENT OCCUPATION:
BANK NAME:
AGE:

So your files would be updated after which he will send the payment information’s which you'll use in making payment of $250.00 via Western Union Money Transfer or Money Gram Transfer for the procurement of your Approval Slip after which the delivery of your ATM CARD will be effected to your designated home address without any further delay.

We order you get back to this office after you have contacted the ATM SWIFT CARD CENTER and we do await your response so we can move on with our Investigation and make sure your ATM SWIFT CARD gets to you.

Thanks and hope to read from you soon.

ROBERT S. MUELLER, III
DIRECTOR, FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20535

Note: Do disregard any email you get from any impostors or offices claiming to be in possession of your ATM CARD, you are hereby advice only to be in contact with Mr. Daniel Smith of the ATM CARD CENTRE who is the rightful person to deal with in regards to your ATM CARD PAYMENT and forward any emails you get from impostors to this office so we could act upon and commence investigation.

The Next Step

2008-12-05T09:11:00.000-08:00

It's darn hard to be productive with interruptions every 90 seconds or so.

The last two days have been largely dominated by indeteric study ... Yes, I just made up a word. :) As a word smith (and linguistical artist), I get to do that.

Sheta Kaey^ and I often run into problems communicating ideas because of terminology. She has studied the work of others and has a massive working vocabulary of terms used by mystics, magic(k) practitioners, and energy workers. I have not, and do not. (Not that I haven't tried; I get frustrated too easily with other people's attempts to explain, and admittedly disgusted with the ego that too often pervades the documentation.)

So we have agreed that the best route is coining new words, history-free, to share experiences. A few days ago the mission was a new word for energy work in general, something generic and without previous meaning so that it can be accepted and understood by anyone, regardless of background, prejudice, and experience.

At the time (more or less) I suggested "esoteria," but I wasn't satisfied with it, as "eso-" is only half of the equation (the other half being "exo-").

So, as these things often happen, this morning as I was attempting to do other things between interruptions, my speech center finally cooperated with "indeteric."

inde, from the Latin prefix for "next," "succeeding from," or "as a result of," and -ter-, Greek root for (?) knowledge, experience, reality, etc.

Thus, indeteria is "the next step of experience," the study of both overt and subtle actuality; indeteric is an adjective describing the focus of such study. (And just to be tidy with the etymology, "indeterium" would be the singular form, indicating a unit or specific sphere of study.)

Cross-posted

My First Award!

2008-12-01T10:54:00.000-08:00

A Rant and a Prayer

2008-11-29T10:36:00.000-08:00

Just to be clear, I am not Christian. I do have a personal relationship with Jesus, but I don't consider Him my Savior - I get the impression He trusts me to save myself should I need it (which doesn't seem to be the case anyway).

For years I have watched the holiday shopping insanity with bemusement and some sadness. When and why did Christians become not only okay with the massive commercialization of one of their highest holy days, but the worst offenders of this annual madness?

How is it that I, who knows full well Jesus wasn't born in winter and doesn't worship Him anyway, feels so deeply offended at the materialism attached to this holiday, and the Christians in my life knock themselves out perpetuating the greed and financial stress of "holiday gift-giving"?

I must have missed the memo that the Pope sent out telling everyone to forget the old school messages of peace, love, and tolerance, and the proof of your devotion lies in the size of your tree, the lights on your house, and the pile of presents you give away.

Most years I just watch in silence. This year I can't. A death by trampling in one store; two deaths by shooting in a toy store.

WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?!

Those of you taking part in this sort of thing have my unending disgust; those of you who don't only because you can't have my pity.

This is the year I take my stand and refuse to back down. I am not shopping for presents, and I am not accepting anything purchased. Some one has to point out the Emperor is naked, and in this case, he's not just naked, he's a rotting corpse with a death grin, and his poison is spreading faster than plague.

Am I alone in this? It doesn't matter if I am. I am shut of this whole business of holiday greed.

Jesus, on behalf of the sheep, I apologize. While Your message has been lost to many, I remember, and I keep it in my heart, and I will walk Your steps in serenity. Please help the blinded see their error, and give the weak the strength to share their love instead of baubles and trinkets, and comfort the bereft and hurting in this darkened season of pain and madness. Help us all to remember the joy and promise You gave, and be Your light in this time of need.

Dire-y!

2008-11-25T07:53:00.000-08:00

Perfect Xmess gift for the emo goths on your list!
124 pages, weekly style journal
featuring
Awful Anniversaries, Bad Birthdays,
Morbid Memorials, and more!
and artwork by
Sheta Kaey

A Little Story

2008-11-21T12:07:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time there was an administrative savant known as Cally. She could run an office like a finely tuned machine. She enjoyed the challenge and predictability of her work.

Then arrived the monster, a horrible entity known as a PPO which had been fiendishly designed to separate poor Cally from her sanity.

Finally, Cally admitted defeat: the monster could not be tamed nor slain. So she planned her escape and all was going well for her future freedom.

Then, on her last day, arrived the mystery package. It wasn't really a mystery as far as the contents were concerned: she knew by feel the package had applications. The mystery was, how badly would the applications be screwed up?

So with the tender of the monster near at hand, brave Cally opened the package and determined the three applications inside were indeed very badly done, incomplete and unsigned.

"See, this is what I'm talking about," Cally said to the tender. "Look at these things! If I hadn't already given notice, this would have put me right over the edge."

"Oh, I know," the tender said sympathetically.

"No, really," she replied. "I mean it would have put me right over, fire axes, stuff burning, body count, not a good time!"

And so Cally expressed her relief to be free of the monster's horrific influence, and now plans to live happily ever after and never again work in health care for any amount of money.

Twitter Haiku Day

2008-11-16T06:48:00.000-08:00

today is the day / try some haiku for Twitter / you might just like it! :)

Lessons from Cinema

2008-11-13T16:29:00.000-08:00

Don't bring me water.
Tell me you have also known thirst.

Some Miscellany

2008-11-09T15:53:00.000-08:00

First, an apology to my EC and blogging pals: assorted health issues have been preempting my timely participation and updatings.

Second, Twitter Haiku Day^ is next Sunday. Help Twitter go haiku!

History repeats

2008-11-05T05:30:00.000-08:00

Remember, remember
The Fifth of November
The Gunpowder Treason and plot
I know of no reason
The Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot

In 1605
The news did arrive
The Parliament building to blow
But who is to say
Who conspired which way
The truth we'll never know

Remember, remember
That fateful September
The Terrorist Treason and plot
I know of no reason
The Terrorist Treason
Should be swept away and forgot

Since that one fateful date
The evidence weight
Is proving us badly betrayed
But they cannot hide
The fact that they lied
Nor the depth of their evil crusade.

It's NaNoWriMo!

2008-11-01T14:20:00.000-07:00

My NaNoWriMo profile

Help yourself to a copy of the NanoRhino image!

NaNoWriMo ends in

The Beginning of the End

2008-11-01T07:52:00.000-07:00

I have been working as a temp at a hospital for too damn long.

Grumble!

Never in my professional life have I been a temp at the same client for five years. It's unheard-of. It's stupid, for starters. Add to that my whopping 71 cent raise during that time, and the fact that I have been expected to manage 300+ doctors, 120+ groups, and a dozen health plans that merge, buy, sell each other, and at random "lose" applications and terminate doctors for no reason, and it's a nightmare of slave labor. But really the worst part has been that there is no boss. The person overseeing the work I do had it dumped on him in addition to his regular job, more than 15 years ago, with the directive to keep the "loss center on life support until [they] figure something out."

I have repeatedly told him that this is madness, and they either need to get some one in charge to take care of the insanity, or let it die the death it is seeking. But no one listens. "Job security," he tells me. I wonder if the slaves heard the same about picking tobacco.

I've suspected since talk began about building the replacement hospital that one of the changes would be that my position in the department would be phased out. So as they talked about the future in the new location, I knew I wasn't going to be part of that picture, and I was okay with that: I don't want to be doing this for the rest of my life.

But then last week I heard a rumor about the bus routes being replanned, and this week found out for certain that the bus I take to work won't be running as of November 24. The closest other route leaves me almost a mile from the office, on a street with a bridge and no sidewalks.

So yesterday he's giving me a pep talk about "embracing" the chaos that is my job, "stepping up" and taking charge of the department, and then tells me that the largest payor, the only plan that really makes any money for the hospital and keeps this mess going, is losing membership in the area and will likely be suspending business.

Every time I opened my mouth to tell him the buses had taken the option off my hands, he got more peppy.

But when I got home, I realized that the anxiety was gone. I realized, I'm FREE!

Next week I get to tell my company and my clients that they need to get a replacement ASAP, and I will train that person to beat the dead horse, and then I never have to worry about that mess again. None of the problems are my problems anymore!

It doesn't matter yet that I'll need a new job, that I'm losing my sole source of income in xmess shopping season, that it's nothing less than cruel to dump this mess on some one else. Right now it's only the relief of being liberated.

Relief and the hangover from celebrating last night. It's all good.

Bad Spam

2008-10-29T05:59:00.000-07:00

Checking my email this morning, I had four messages in the Spam folder advertising child porn.

Most spam I just delete without concern. But in this case I wasn't going to just dump the junk. Gmail doesn't have a one-click reporting feature, so I did an online search and found that the Cyber Tipline of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children http://www.cybertipline.com/ has an online reporting form. (It includes options for reporting incidents in or from the UK, Australia, and Canada as well.)

I'm pretty liberal about live and let live, but the exploitation of children is something that no one should be okay with.

NaNoWriMo 2008

2008-10-22T15:00:00.000-07:00

It’s almost November! You know what that means ...

Nah, not the elections. More important than that, it’s National Novel Writing Month.

NaNoWriMo calls to us all to connect with the writer within and write 50,000 words.

Had an idea lurking forever that cries out to be shared with the world? Now’s your chance to get it out and let it shine. Can’t string a sentence together? No problem! The goal is just to write – good, bad or indifferent – and celebrate the wonders of the written word.

And there’s no need to go it alone. Sign up for free (free is great!) at the official National Novel Writing Month website, www.nanowrimo.org^. Connect with other writers – professional, amateur, and hopeful – in your area and around the world.

See you there!

Help yourself to a copy of the NanoRhino image!

Sunday Rewind

2008-10-19T06:24:00.000-07:00

Well. It's been an interesting month to say the least. :)

I've hit 150 posts and 3,000 visitors. Not bad.

I've got my dot-com going with products from Zazzle and Cafe Press, as well as helping to promote the collection "An Essential Jinx" by C.A. Broz.

Who knows what this week will bring ...

Mood:

Productive

An Essential Jinx

2008-10-18T13:00:00.000-07:00

The short-story collection introducing the Quasiverse, following Jinx.
From the internationally recognized rising star of occult fiction, C.A. Broz.

Mood:

Impressed

Grr!

2008-10-15T17:24:00.000-07:00

Trying to do cover art for a book and I have no inspiration whatsoever! It doesn't have to be fancy, the author says plain text on solid background is fine, but I want to do something at least a little more evocative than that.

Mood:

Frustrated

Internet-Taming Tools

2008-10-13T16:45:00.000-07:00

I don't know if anyone else has noticed, but the Internet is a mess. It's full of stuff!

As I'm trying to regain some control over my virtual life, I've found some useful tools for doing so I wanted to share.

Flock is a "social web browser" - that is, you can log into your Faceook or MySpace account and have your friends available in the sidebar. But that's only the beginning: web-mail, bookmarking sites, bloghosts like LiveJournal and Blogger, and media sites like Photobucket and YouTube also "plug in" to Flock.

Twitter^ is great for those bits not long enough for a blog post. If you also use Facebook, you can add the Twitter application and have Twitter update your Facebook status.

Digsby^ is a multi-platform chat client for Yahoo!, AOL, MSN, ICQ, Facebook, MySpace, GoogleTalk, Jabber ... You can also create a chat widget for blogs or websites right from the application (you don't have to go to the Digsby site).

Last but not least is Netvibes^ to bring it all together. I have Netvibes set as my Flock homepage, and the Twitter widget on the start page. There are plenty of premade modules one can add for newsfeeds, games, and more, or you can add your own content with handy HTML modules. And because it's saved online, you can access your start page from any computer with Internet access. You can see what I've done with mine at www.wildaspie.com^ and www.wildaspie.net^.

Mood:

Determined

Rough Week

2008-10-11T11:03:00.000-07:00

It's been quite a week ... But on the up side, I have gotten some organization in my online doings.

Twitter: I added a Twitter feed widget to the right sidebar here. You can follow me^ (caliedo) on Twitter.

Digsby: I added a Digsby chat client widget to the left sidebar. You can use it to chat with me right from this blog.

I redirected wildaspie.net^ to my Netvibes "universe." I have a Digsby widget and Twitter feed there too.

I redirected wildaspie.com^ to Netvibes as well: check out my Zazzle and Cafe Press shops.

I added a Digsby widget to my LJ^ - and although I hadn't been posting there much lately, I will be again, so interested parties are encouraged to comment there to be added to my "friends" list, as most of the entries are filtered (not public).

I made some new mood icons.

Mood:

Reeling

(insert catchy subject line here)

2008-10-10T14:46:00.000-07:00

A kaleidoscope, once shaken, cannot recreate the pattern that was lost.

Being shaken does not, however, change the fundamental nature of the kaleidoscope. It remains overall as it was, and part of its fundamental nature is its purpose: change.

More at my LJ^.

Mood:

Shock

Emergency Fundraiser

2008-09-30T18:46:00.000-07:00

The Wild Aspie needs your help!

I need to raise $300 to cover my deductible for oral surgery to have a wisdom tooth extracted. I’m not very good as asking for help and I hate asking for money, but I have set up a PayPal donation button ... Better still, check out my Zazzle shop and consider buying yourself a spiffy, Wild Aspie original T-shirt, and I’ll be able to apply my little commission from the sale toward my surgery.

Thanks!

Banned Books Week!

2008-09-28T11:03:00.000-07:00

Celebrating the Freedom to Read:
September 27–October 4, 2008^
(link goes to ALA's Banned Books Week homepage)

Check out the Banned Books Meme here^.

Mood:

Thoughtful

Wild Aspie Awards

2008-09-25T14:20:00.000-07:00

Wild Aspie Awards are coming, October 2008!

Awards will be given to blogs and websites exhibiting excellence in the following categories:

Artistic Expressions
Cryptozoology/Paranormal/Weird Stuff
Dare to be Different
Design/Layout
Education
Humor
Neurodiverse Author/Focus
Personal Diary/Survivor/Self-Improvement
Overall Excellence

For more info, visit the Wild Aspie Today blog^.

Mood:

Busy

Friends

2008-09-24T05:12:00.000-07:00

I don't have a lot of friends. I don't want a lot either. Social interaction, even with people I like, exhausts me, and sometimes I even get something like a hang-over following intense connections.

But there is no doubt that friendship is good for the soul, even for those less socially-dependent like myself. I recently made the acquaintance of a fellow I'll call "Silent D" who is bright and funny and a pleasure to chat with.

Neither of us is good at small talk, which is fine, because we don't waste time with frivolity when there are so many interesting things to discuss.

Mood:

Befriended

Back again

2008-09-23T05:29:00.000-07:00

I could sum it all up as my life sucks, but that sounds overly dramatic and whiny. I'm not particularly dramatic nor complaintic in general. Which is probably part of the current host of problems.

Drama

In May I broke a tooth, the molar in front of the lower left wisdom tooth. When the wisdom tooth emerged, there was of course no room in my jaw (no need to replace a lost molar) so it remained at the far back on the angle of my jaw, the top of it facing forward, that is, against the back of the molar in front of it.

Which of course in turn led to the dreaded cavities. I couldn't get that little area clean enough. But for years it didn't much bother me; if I was otherwise run down (tired or sick) those teeth would be sensitive to sweet, cold or heat, but that was all. But then one of the migraine medications, coupled with high stress, was making me clench my jaw. And finally, after a lot of punishment, the molar in front of the wisdom tooth cracked, exposing part of the nerve.

I have been in low agony since. I don't generally notice mild-to-moderate physical pain, and a lot of the time I am not really *aware* of the pain in my mouth, I don't really *feel* it so much as I notice it affects my cognition and mood. But with everything else I am dealing with now, I can't take another day of this annoyance, and today I go to the dentist and let her do whatever she has to so that the pain will stop.

And on the subject of medication, the shrink that put me on the Lexapro and then upped the dosage into mania-producing range has bailed on me. I have been waiting for his office to get me in with another doctor, and they haven't called me. My primary care physician doesn't want to manage my headaches, saying I have "too many kinds of migraines" for him to feel comfortable, since he is only a family practice doctor and not a neurologist.

AND in the last three weeks I seem to have developed Crohn's Disease-type symptoms, which coincides with a friend's cessation of same - she's been dealing with CD a long time, and I have always had the gut of a billy goat. So not only do I have my usual lack of appetite and apathy toward feeding myself, I know that most solid foods are going to pitch me into horrible cramps and other gastric distresses.

My 12 year old now is a few inches shorter than me and outweighs me by five pounds. :( We both need to get more active but I haven't been up to it. Some days I can barely drag to work.

The one bright spot lately has been making the online acquaintance of a young man recently diagnosed with AS. The nice thing about chatting with aspies is that there's no worries about not being good at small talk. It's also nice to be free to range a discussion from silly to serious and back again without concern that the other party will get lost.

Mood:

Sour

News from the Fronts

2008-09-14T22:03:00.000-07:00

Sheta (and her home) survived Ike! Yay!

Mood:

Relieved

And my uncle managed to be bitten by a bat.

A Few Good Laughs

2008-09-14T13:19:00.000-07:00

As I was doing EC drops, I was treated to this awesome post at Slightly Drunk.

I didn't just laugh - I guffawed. Check it out. :)

Mood:

Amused

Announcing Moods!

2008-09-13T09:35:00.000-07:00

Blogger doesn't offer "moods" like some other blog sites, so I made my own, starring my all-time favorite strip "Calvin and Hobbes^."

Mood:

Pleased

Customer Disservice

2008-09-12T17:38:00.000-07:00

I had a problem with my Internet access.

So I called tech support about noon yesterday. Ray tells me he sees the problem, it will be fixed, and our connection should be up again within four hours.

Four o'clock, check the connection. No dice. Call tech support again.

Tricia tells me she will expedite the order. Should be up in 30 minutes. I ask her if I'll need to reset the modem or anything. She assures me I won't, it should just come on and be fine.

It isn't. At five-thirty I call again. Another CSR (didn't catch her name) tells me she sees the calls at 12:04 and 4:10, with the expedite request. *She* says it could take four (more) hours, usually it's 48, but with an expedite it drops to 24.

Nine last night, still no connection. Call the tech support line. I get a recorded message telling me the "24/7" office is closed, to call back during normal business hours, or I can go to their website for help and information.

IF I COULD GET TO THE WEBSITE, I WOULDN'T BE HAVING TO CALL TECH SUPPORT, NOW WOULD I?

This morning, call again. Debra tells me that from what she sees, our connection was fine as of 10:25.

I tell her it certainly isn't, and I want to talk to a supervisor. She tells me she will find one, but the supervisor won't be able to do anything more than she would be. So I explain to her the repeated calls and the fact that every CSR told me a different time frame, and not a single one of them was right.

When I worked in sales, customer service, and customer retention (ick), I learned the same thing in all three jobs: Under-promise, Over-deliver. It's not that hard. If you are positive that connection will be fixed in four hours, you tell the customer it will be twelve. They won't like it. They will bitch and moan. But when they check in five hours, just because they are hopeful and impatient, and the problem is fixed *only* five hours into the time frame, they are happy. They thought they'd have to wait twice as long.

You never, ever, EVER tell the customer "30 minutes" unless you are delivering pizza.

So when I talked to the supervisor, I gave her polite what-for and suggested they give better training to their CSRs. These poor people sit in their cubes all day, having angry, frustrated people like me calling and verbally dancing on the edge of abuse. The last thing they need is shoddy training and craptacular tools making the customers angrier.

She agrees, then advises me she will connect me directly with a tech-support agent instead of just transferring me to their call queue, and suggests I reset the modem and reboot my computer while we wait so that when the tech comes on the line, we can skip that time-consuming part of the process.

"Wait a minute," I say. "I was told I wouldn't have to reset the modem."

"Well, yes you do," the supervisor informs me. "I apologize for the misinformation, but when the connection is affected like this, you always have to reset the modem from there, we can't do it from here."

So. I reset and reboot. By the time the tech comes on the line, I have my connection restored and don't need to talk to her. But I vent anyway, now completely fed up with the entire mess and as close to profanity as I've been in such a situation in a very long time.

"I appreciate you letting me know your concerns and I apologize for any inconvenience," Maria the tech tells me with the bland, rote-memorization they have all used. And then she twists the knife:

"Thank you for choosing [company] for your Internet service. We appreciate your business. Have a nice day."

Banned Books

2008-09-08T05:36:00.000-07:00

There's an email going around that's presented as a list of books VP-hopeful Palin wanted to ban. Turns out the list (as presented) is "just" a list of books that have been banned or challenged (meaning a request was made to ban them) as recorded by the American Library Association^ (ala.org^).

Me, I read "banned" books. Some books, I agree, have no place in grade school libraries ("A Clockwork Orange" by Anthony Burgess, as an example). But others - like the Harry Potter series - you've got to be kidding me. I can understand the discomfort of a strict Christian parent concerned that the content might lure a child into "the dark arts," but let's be rational a moment. The kid is *reading* for *pleasure*. With all of the competition literacy has for a kid's attention nowadays, let them read whatever they want, as long as they are reading! If you're really worried, try reading the book yourself first, and if you *really* find it objectionable, go to the library or bookstore and find something better.

Anyway, the Annual Banned Books Week is coming up! Bloggers are often (not always) readers too, so please get the word out.

Celebrating the Freedom to Read:
September 27–October 4, 2008^
(link goes to ALA's Banned Books Week homepage)

And though I don't usually participate in memes, for the sake of books (which, I admit, I obsess over) I am offering one here.

Banned Books Meme

1. Copy the list of books into a post at your blog.
2. Bold the books you have read.
3. Italicize the books you started or plan to read.
4. *Star* the books you really liked, felt changed your life, or would recommend to others to read.
5. Comment back on this post (i.e., the post you saw the meme at) with a link to your list.
6. Find a copy of one of these banned books and enjoy!

[Note: this list is from the anti-Palin email, not the ALA archive.]

*A Clockwork Orange* by Anthony Burgess
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
Blubber by Judy Blume
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
Canterbury Tales by Chaucer
*Carrie* by Stephen King
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
Christine by Stephen King
Confessions by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
*Cujo* by Stephen King
Curses, Hexes, and Spells by Daniel Cohen
Daddy's Roommate by Michael Willhoite
Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Peck
Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
Decameron by Boccaccio
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Fallen Angels by Walter Myers
Fanny Hill (Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure) by John Cleland
Flowers For Algernon by Daniel Keyes
Forever by Judy Blume
Grendel by John Champlin Gardner
Halloween ABC by Eve Merriam
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Prizoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
Have to Go by Robert Munsch
Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman
How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell
Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
*I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings* by Maya Angelou
Impressions edited by Jack Booth
In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak
It's Okay if You Don't Love Me by Norma Klein
*James and the Giant Peach* by Roald Dahl
Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence
Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman
*Little Red Riding Hood* by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
*Lord of the Flies* by William Golding
Love is One of the Choices by Norma Klein
Lysistrata by Aristophanes
More Scary Stories in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz
My Brother Sam Is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
My House by Nikki Giovanni
My Friend Flicka by Mary O'Hara
Night Chills by Dean Koontz
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer
One Day in The Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Ordinary People by Judith Guest
Our Bodies, Ourselves by Boston Women's Health Collective
Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy
Revolting Rhymes by Roald Dahl
Scary Stories 3: More Tales to Chill Your Bones by Alvin Schwartz
Scary Stories in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz
Separate Peace by John Knowles
Silas Marner by George Eliot
Slaughterhouse- Five by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
The Bastard by John Jakes
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
The Devil's Alternative by Frederick Forsyth
The Figure in the Shadows by John Bellairs
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Snyder
The Learning Tree by Gordon Parks
The Living Bible by William C. Bower
The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare
The New Teenage Body Book by Kathy McCoy and Charles Wibbelsman
The Pigman by Paul Zindel
The Seduction of Peter S. by Lawrence Sanders
*The Shining* by Stephen King
The Witches by Roald Dahl
The Witches of Worm by Zilpha Snyder
Then Again, Maybe I Won't by Judy Blume
*To Kill A Mockingbird* by Harper Lee
Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare
Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary by the Merriam-Webster Editorial Staff [N.B.: A dictionary? WTF?!]
Witches, Pumpkins, and Grinning Ghosts: The Story of the Halloween Symbols by Edna Barth

The Boy's New Smile

2008-09-06T11:41:00.000-07:00

While I was working on the "August EC Stuff" post my son was playing at his friend's house on the trampoline. I don't like the trampoline, and have a standing rule that the kids can't be on it if there isn't an adult outside watching them on it - not just outside doing stuff, but actually watching them.

Of course, just having supervision can't prevent accidents.

And he's the kind of kid that, through his tears of pain, apologized for breaking an adult tooth! I got him calmed with the assurance that the dentist will be able to cap it and no one will ever know unless he tells them (or loses the cap); and got him back to smiling by pointing out he has a fierce fang now and a wolfish grin, and had better not bite his sister Blossom no matter how bad she torments him since he'd cut her up bad for sure (not that he's ever bitten anyone, but silliness was called for).

I suppose it is the natural perversity of childhood that they can't have these minor accidents during normal office hours; it's always the middle of the night or on weekends. I almost hope he doesn't get his cap done before Halloween: he plans to be a pirate, and the broken tooth would enhance his costume nicely.

August EC Stuff

2008-09-06T10:49:00.000-07:00

I joined Entrecard about August 17, so I don't have a full month's info ... but it seems to be "the thing" to make these posts, and I do appreciate those participants that have dropped and|or advertised on my blog. So here goes:

Top Droppers
Whatever Comes To My Mind
PipeB Web Hosting
Top Form Secrets
The Traveling Pants
Juliana's World
Red Pine Mountain
The Simple Witch
Journal of Journey
Modern Witchcraft
My gypsygoods

Advertisers
(this is a partial list, sorry: I didn't think to start keeping track sooner)
Just Renae
Infinite Possibility
Crete Delights
Comely's World
Young Urban Professionals nOOk
Atom Sounds
Barefooted Me
Hawk's Photos

And my personal favorites (in no particular order) I would not have found without EC:
Eco-friendly Life and Toys
Homebound
Clean Solutions
Thyme2dream
My Name's Not Mom
Asdquefty's Journal
Red Pine Mountain
Ken Armstrong Writing Stuff
Wahm Cafe
The Shopaholic Nightingale
Environmental Chaos
PlasticLess
BlueStem Winery
Tiggyblog
Learn tricks of blogging
Easy Homemade Fragrance and Essential Products
My Autism Insights
Connect with your Teens through Pop Culture and Technology
Squidom.com
The Peanut Butter Blog
Just Renae - A Digital Scrapbooking Addict
The Transparent Hypnotist
Coffee Tickle
Geek Riddles

On a Personal Note: Blargh

2008-09-05T18:05:00.000-07:00

Today was one of those days at work that definitely call for a "TGIF." Maybe a "WTF" and a "DIAF" too.

(Acronyms)

TGIF: "Thank God It's Friday"
WTF: "What The F!ck"
DIAF: Die In A Fire

I have a simple job I like very much: coordinate enrollment of physicians in health plans. Mostly I create and track paper, a comfortable endeavor for someone like me who probably has OCD (but hesitates to cop to it because it would interfere with my dedication to being lazy). The problem with my lovely job is there are two faces of health plans: HMOs and PPOs. The HMO side is a breeze. The PPO side is nothing less than a nightmare.

PPO Nightmare

For starters, there is no director in charge of the PPO as there is for the HMO. That got dumped "temporarily" on a guy who is already overworked about 12 years ago. So the day-to-day stuff falls to me (which now, after five years, is fine, although at first it was scary as hell). Only that guy won't just let me handle it. He waits - lurks even - until the last possible minute, then second-guesses, pointlessly badgers, and nit-picks every little thing.

Four years ago, the president of the PPO Medical Advisory Board (the group of doctors that approves new physicians for membership in the PPO) died. He has yet to be replaced. He was the guy who signed the contracts, so I have four years of contracts, unsigned, waiting for either his replacement or the end of civilization, cluttering up my workspace.

The health plans keep buying each other, merging, splitting - and in all that, they lose our doctors. Just *poof* - gone. So I have to resubmit applications years later, and meanwhile their claims get rejected and they don't get paid for the work they've done, and their office managers call me - not the health plans - screaming or in tears or both to fix it.

And the doctors themselves do all sorts of cute footwork - going independent, then joining a different group, then going solo again, all without mentioning to us - and their claims get rejected and there is screaming and tears ... or they move their offices and don't mention it, and claims get rejected, and ... you get the idea.

So all week I worked on getting an update ready to send out to the health plans. A few new applications, a couple of resubmissions, a change of address, and some terminations. It took longer to do than it should because (1) I am having a hell of a time adjusting to the medication I'm on and (2) all of the applications had expired licenses and I had to wait until I got updated copies from the office managers.

The "temporary" director signs the cover letters for these updates. I had printed them out Thursday afternoon and left them for him to sign. He signed them all, then when I went in this morning to get them, he asks why a particular doctor isn't listed in the summary of changes. Because of the medication I couldn't remember off-hand and had to go back to my desk to check the database; meanwhile he's talking at me about "he's on staff, he was approved by the Board, why aren't we sending out his application?"

Finally I get words in edgewise: "Because his license is expired and I haven't gotten the new one."

AND THEN he has the GALL to ask me, "Well, did you call them?"

The only reason I didn't quit right then was because two things tangled on my tongue: "No, dumbass, I figured I'd just throw his application away and pretend I knew nothing about it forevermore," and "You know what? YOU call them, I quit."

The PPO doesn't pay me a cent for the work I do, and easily 85% of my workday is filled with PPO crap. I'm done. Monday I'm talking to the HMO director (the HMO is the side that actually pays the temp agency to have me there) and let her know that either the PPO has to (1) get a director, (2) demand accountability from the health plans if not the doctors and (3) start paying me, or I have to no longer do PPO work there. Otherwise I have to quit. I can't handle that level of stress at work with everything else I am trying to manage; I'll be damned if I do it for another week for free.

Tune in tomorrow when I should be less cranky and getting to some overdue posts on August's Top Droppers, great blogs I found through EC, and my paranormal adventure.

Back from Reality

2008-09-04T19:18:00.000-07:00

I took a couple days off from cyberspace ... it was one of those rare weekends that I felt "IRL" calling and couldn't ignore it.

We'll return to our irregularly scheduled ramblings tomorrow. :)

Meanwhile, feel free to check out my new "other" blog at Today.com (where you can get paid to post without renting out your opinion!).

Wow

2008-08-27T16:31:00.000-07:00

Did the EC card drops (and yes, I comment when a post "speaks" to me) and hit my day's 300 just by going through the cards that have been dropped on me since I signed up.

So now I wonder ... how do other EC participants pick and choose at this point? I suppose I can stop hitting the stock trading, sports and car blogs, since those things don't really interest me. Others, like crafting, diets, and pinoy, I like to browse, but I always feel something like guilt since I have nothing to add and can't much relate to. Same goes for the faith blogs - I'm spiritual but not religious.

How do the rest of you do it? (Those of you who, like me, feel compelled to be told "300 a day" otherwise you've let some blog down by not clicking.)

Hydrodynamics and Psychopomps

2008-08-27T12:19:00.000-07:00

This morning on my way in to work the hydrants were having problems, spewing water all over the streets (possibly a planned flush, but I didn't see any Water Dept. trucks or workers around). The one on the next hill up from the office was attracting a lot of sparrows to the flow, which had just started to work its way past the corner as I got off the bus.

I slowed to watch the birds playing, and noticed one of them hadn't been quick enough and had been flattened by a vehicle not long before. Poor thing ... and then I wondered, Will a human spirit guide it to some avian afterlife?

In some cultures, birds (most notably the crow in North America, the raven in Europe, and the sparrow on both sides of the Atlantic) are thought to conduct the spirits of the deceased from one plane of existence to the other (brought to popular media by "The Crow" comic books and movies, and perhaps a lesser extent by Stephen King's The Dark Half). Generally speaking, the dark birds take spirits from the land of the dead to the land of the living; sparrows take them the other way.

And then I saw ... The. Coolest. Thing. EVAH. I was still walking slow, watching the water coursing along the opposite curb. It reached the bottom of the dip between the hilltops, shot past the storm drain, and started flowing uphill.

I had to stop to watch, then cross the street to observe more closely. This determined rill just kept going, getting thinner and shallower but still making its way uphill. Finally it reached another drain and that was that.

So now I have to revise my typical point-of-lecture on water and electricity: they usually take the path of least resistance, and flow in very similar manners, but as with most other things in this Universe, once you think you've got it figured out, it will show you how little you knew.

Headaches and Migraines

2008-08-26T15:52:00.000-07:00

Doctors have yet to definitively decide the whys and wherefores of headaches. There are no nerve endings within the brain to create "pain," so why we can have headaches is a mystery. So, too, is a riddle that some people can have headaches and others - blessed that they are - never experience a single one.

Doctors do know some causes for headaches. Trauma - a bump to the head - can cause a headache; also hunger, dehydration, lack of sleep, too much sleep, hangovers (from alcohol, actually a combination of low blood sugar and dehydration), noise, eye strain, and muscle tension in the neck and shoulders (often caused by stress).

Aspirin - in its pure form a preparation of bark from the unassuming willow tree - is a known blood-thinner, and quite effective on most common headaches, which leads some to believe that headaches might be caused in part by increased blood pressure within the skull. (Of course, if your headache is caused by lack of food, water, or sleep, aspirin will not help you.)

More, on migraines:

Migraines are another matter. A migraine is a headache on steroids - bigger, stronger, with a nasty temper. Most come with extra concerns: sensitivity to light, noise, scents, even motion; nausea, dizziness, or light-headedness can occur as well. There are different kinds of migraines, and like their tamer cousins, not much is known about their causes. But unlike regular headaches, some migraines can actually cause tiny bits of damage to the brain as they occur.

I'm so special, I get to have three different kinds of migraines, and possibly a fourth (I'm still debating that with the doctors).

The "classic" or tension migraines are the most common type; they are usually caused by stress and can be treated with many over-the-counter (OTC) or prescription (Rx) painkillers, although there are also a multitude of homeopathic remedies and prevention techniques that involve ingesting nothing at all (like warm compresses on the forehead and|or back of neck, a nap, meditation, etc.). I started getting classic migraines when I was fifteen (about 18 years ago - egad, I've lived more of my life with them than without!). The likelihood of falling prey to them seems to run in families; when I got the first one, my mom knew right away what was going on. (Also, for some reason, if as a child you often got "brain freeze" from icy treats, you're more likely to suffer these kinds of migraines as an adult.)

Then there are "band" migraines (that's what I call them, I don't know if neurologists have a special name for them). A "classic" migraine usually hurts in a vaguely bandlike area of pressure across the forehead and around, like where a hat brim would be. But these others are more like a ladies' headband in placement of the pain, further toward the top of the head and just about following the hairline along the ears and toward the back of the neck. Where a classic migraine tends to be "stabbing" or "throbbing" in nature, a band migraine is, for me, more like a grinding sensation, and always comes with extreme intolerance of bright light (fluorescents are brutal) and sharp noises, and urgent nausea that never resolves into anything.

Then there are the "cluster" migraines. I've had these for a long time too, intermittently; for a long time I called them "Random Sharp Pains" because that's what they were: a sudden sensation similar to what I imagine being stabbed through the skull with an ice pick might feel like, lasting a few seconds, then passing without further effect. But about 12 years ago I learned that they are actually migraines, and when they do their stabbing act, they are actually causing tiny tears in the brain tissue. Contrary to what medical science thought for a long time, brain cells do grow back, so the damage can usually repair itself given time. And as I paid more attention to them, I realized they weren't so random: they only occur (for me) in four places, the parietal and temporal lobes.

I am fortunate to have found a medicine that prevents the cluster migraines, and another that prevents most of the classic and band migraines (and when I can't prevent those, I have another prescription to help, which doesn't get rid of the pain but does make it so I don't care that my head hurts).

But the last one, the one in contention, is the one worrying me the most right now ... it doesn't much feel like a headache, it's more like the feeling after a concussion, a ground-glass-in-the-head sort of sensation, and while I've had concussions in the past, I haven't had one in years ... and a couple of years ago, the first time I was getting these non-aches, I went for a CT-scan and I had a "hypodensate mass in the left posterior temporal lobe" - which is doctorese for "a hole in the language center" of my brain. It was unusual in that such things generally only occur in the elderly; it was downright bizarre that, at the follow-up scan two weeks later, it was gone without any sign of having been there, not even the light scarring that is usually found after such things heal.

On the plus side, with all the migraines, I don't much notice normal headaches anymore - usually one of my unfortunate family members points out (from a safe distance) that I seem a bit grumpy, then I think about it and realize my head hurts a little.

Yeah, It's a Monday ...

2008-08-25T14:51:00.000-07:00

Some random bits and pieces ...

My eldest daughter, Rose, really likes Gaia Online (no link for them! They've captured enough people without my help) - I'll be nice and not say she has an addiction. But I think I may be making headway in getting her to gain some self-control. Since I have family that uses Facebook^, the Hubby and I decided to let her get an account too. The upshot is, she's transferring some of her addiction to FB. But I also encouraged her to set up her own blog, and she's warming also to the idea of helping me do some reviews on my other blog.

Saturday the Hubby and I got to go out sans kids for the third time this year. It was the "Annual Summer Party" of some local friends; the husband thereof is a master meat-griller, and since the vegetarians that were invited didn't show, the only green in sight was the guacamole. The Hubby scolds me often for not eating better, but once in a while I get to indulge in a meal of just meat - especially since I was at my doctor on Thursday and have gained four pounds! (Yay, me - just six more to go, and I might have a butt again.)

This morning The Boy was complaining his hands were itchy; I suggested he wash them (which, with a nine year old, is always a safe suggestion). After he did he said his fingers still itched, and showed me some little blisters on the side of his middle finger. I recognized right away he'd gotten into some of the poison ivy that is all over the neighborhood; fortunately we have a bar of Burt's Bees Poison Ivy Soap^ and I told him to wash again using that. And then I discovered an interesting thing: my son didn't know how to wash using a bar of soap.

We've been using liquid soap in pump dispensers forever, it seems; generally we refill the dispensers with a 3:1 water-dish soap solution, since we use the antibacterial dish detergent, and that has been working great. But as I supervised his second washing, I saw he had no idea that holding the bar and both hands under a stream of water was not going to help him get the upper hand, so to speak, on the ivy oil. So I educated him on the "old fashioned" way of washing, the while marveling how the little things can seem like such huge, culturally significant changes.

And this afternoon I decided to take the new Flock^ browser for a test-drive ... it's built on the Mozilla FireFox^ technology, but is designed to work with many different social networking, file sharing, and feed aggregating sites and softwares. So far it works like a browser ... I'm not yet committed to an opinion, but rest assured I'll let you know when I form one.

Note to EC Surfers

2008-08-24T14:16:00.000-07:00

Apparently some IE users cannot see the EC widget/current ad card. I don't know why this is, or if EC has plans to fix this issue ... so all I can suggest is a better browser.

Let me know (comment on this post or send a message at EC, my card in the right sidebar links to my EC profile) if you have problems viewing the widget or current ad card.

Thanks!