This entry is still sore from the sledding.
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Saturday, December 23, 2006
My ass hurts (AKA I think I bruised coccyx)
Earlier today I went up into the San Bernardino mountains with Rece and Christine. This was a day of fun that I wanted Rece to experience, since he hasn't ever played in real snow before. We had tried to do so earlier in 2006, but the snow had turned into hardened ice. Today's snow was near perfect: powdery, with some patches of snowball quality material. It wasn't good for snow angels or snowmen, though (just to be clear). I wonder which of the more than 200 words the Inuits use for snow they'd call it.
We started off by going to Cedar Pines Park so I could show Christine the Rock Pile. Just before we reached it, we encountered two coyotes. We didn't have enough time to pull out the cameras before they took off. They were very pretty in their winter coats.
After that, we went up to Twin Peaks for some sledding (saucering?) at a spot I knew the locals went. There were just a few kids there at the time, which was nice. The area had been used quite a bit in the days before, which made for some well-packed snow. We had 3 different types of sleds: 2 saucer-type, and one "Super Tube".
I was the first to go and I chose the more traditional-looking saucer. My weight, the smoothness of the saucer, and the well-packed snow made for a very fast run. The white of the snow made it difficult to see any change in the slope from the top of the hill, but it turned out that there was enough of a bump at the bottom to give me quite a jolt. I found myself getting my ass slammed down onto the saucer, as I was tilted backwards, and I heard (and felt) a pop from my tail bone. It didn't feel quite right at the time, and has felt rather sore since it happened. I'm hoping that it's just a bruise.
Rece was a bit hesitant about sledding, which isn't unusual for him. He tends to be a bit of a chicken when it comes to traveling fast (roller coasters and the likes). After some cheering on, he made his run and didn't seem too bad off. He ended up making quite a few runs after we discovered a slope off to the side that wasn't so steep.
Christine went on two runs, herself. Her first run was on one of the saucer-like sleds -- one with more padding than the one I used. She also hit rather hard at the bottom and tweaked her back a bit. She (wisely) opted to use the inflatable "Super Tube" on her second run and ended up having a blow-out -- the tube ripped and deflated just as she got to the bottom (and into a ditch). Looks like it wasn't so "Super" after all.
After sledding we checked out the baseball field at a park across the street. It was an open field of snow and we had ourselves a snowball fight. We also met a nice fellow with a very cool dog. We all took turns throwing the dog's ball for her to retrieve.
The physical activity eventually began to take it's toll on us and we were getting hungry. So we said goodbye to the guy and his dog and went off to check on a geocache I have hidden up there. Seeing that it was in good condition, we continued on to Lake Arrowhead for a bite to eat and to walk around the shops.
Christine and Rece found some good deals on last-minute Christmas gifts and with her back aching, and my ass throbbing (that didn't sound quite right), we decided to call it a day and made our way back home.
Going back over today's adventure, I can't help but smile. This was definitely a good day!
We started off by going to Cedar Pines Park so I could show Christine the Rock Pile. Just before we reached it, we encountered two coyotes. We didn't have enough time to pull out the cameras before they took off. They were very pretty in their winter coats.
After that, we went up to Twin Peaks for some sledding (saucering?) at a spot I knew the locals went. There were just a few kids there at the time, which was nice. The area had been used quite a bit in the days before, which made for some well-packed snow. We had 3 different types of sleds: 2 saucer-type, and one "Super Tube".
I was the first to go and I chose the more traditional-looking saucer. My weight, the smoothness of the saucer, and the well-packed snow made for a very fast run. The white of the snow made it difficult to see any change in the slope from the top of the hill, but it turned out that there was enough of a bump at the bottom to give me quite a jolt. I found myself getting my ass slammed down onto the saucer, as I was tilted backwards, and I heard (and felt) a pop from my tail bone. It didn't feel quite right at the time, and has felt rather sore since it happened. I'm hoping that it's just a bruise.
Rece was a bit hesitant about sledding, which isn't unusual for him. He tends to be a bit of a chicken when it comes to traveling fast (roller coasters and the likes). After some cheering on, he made his run and didn't seem too bad off. He ended up making quite a few runs after we discovered a slope off to the side that wasn't so steep.
Christine went on two runs, herself. Her first run was on one of the saucer-like sleds -- one with more padding than the one I used. She also hit rather hard at the bottom and tweaked her back a bit. She (wisely) opted to use the inflatable "Super Tube" on her second run and ended up having a blow-out -- the tube ripped and deflated just as she got to the bottom (and into a ditch). Looks like it wasn't so "Super" after all.
After sledding we checked out the baseball field at a park across the street. It was an open field of snow and we had ourselves a snowball fight. We also met a nice fellow with a very cool dog. We all took turns throwing the dog's ball for her to retrieve.
The physical activity eventually began to take it's toll on us and we were getting hungry. So we said goodbye to the guy and his dog and went off to check on a geocache I have hidden up there. Seeing that it was in good condition, we continued on to Lake Arrowhead for a bite to eat and to walk around the shops.
Christine and Rece found some good deals on last-minute Christmas gifts and with her back aching, and my ass throbbing (that didn't sound quite right), we decided to call it a day and made our way back home.
Going back over today's adventure, I can't help but smile. This was definitely a good day!
This entry is trying to sit in a comfortable position.
Monday, December 18, 2006
Wet and angry pussy
A couple of methods for washing your kitty. What? What were you thinking this post was about?!
First Method
1. Thoroughly clean the toilet.
2. Add the required amount of shampoo to the toilet water, and have both lids lifted.
3. Obtain the cat and soothe him while you carry him towards the bathroom.
4. In one smooth movement, put the cat in the toilet and close both lids (you may need to stand on the lid so that he cannot escape).
CAUTION: Do not get any part of your body too close to the edge, as his paws will be reaching out for any
purchase they can find.
5. Flush the toilet three or four times. This provides a 'power wash and rinse' which I have found to be quite effective.
6. Have someone open the door to the outside and ensure that there are no people between the toilet and the outside door.
7. Stand behind the toilet as far as you can, and quickly lift both lids.
8. The now-clean cat will rocket out of the toilet, and run outside where he will dry himself.
Second Method
1. Know that although the kitty cat has the advantage of quickness and lack of concern for human life, you have the advantage of strength. Capitalize on that advantage by selecting the battlefield. Don't try to bathe him in an open area where he can force you to chase him. Pick a very small bathroom. If your bathroom is more than four feet square, we recommend that you get in the tub with the cat and close the sliding-glass doors as if you were about to take a shower. (A simple shower curtain will not do. A berserk cat can shred a three-ply rubber shower curtain quicker than a politician can shift positions.)
2. Know that a cat has claws and will not hesitate to remove all the skin from your body. Your advantage here is that you are smart and know how to dress to protect yourself. We recommend canvas overalls tucked into high-top construction boots, a pair of steel-mesh gloves, an army helmet, a hockey face-mask, and a long-sleeved flak jacket.
3. Use the element of surprise. Pick up your cat nonchalantly, as if to simply carry him to his supper dish. (Cats will not usually notice your strange attire. They have little or no interest in fashion as a rule.)
4. Once you are inside the bathroom, speed is essential to survival. In a single liquid motion, shut the bathroom door, step into the tub enclosure, slide the glass door shut, dip the cat in the water and squirt him with shampoo. You have now begun one of the wildest 45 seconds of your life.
5. Cats have no handles. Add the fact that he now has soapy fur, and the problem is radically compounded. Do not expect to hold on to him for more than two or three seconds at a time. When you have him, however, you must remember to give him another squirt of shampoo and rub like crazy. He'll then spring free and fall back into the water, thereby rinsing himself off. (The national record for cats is three latherings, so don't expect too much.)
6. Next, the cat must be dried. Novice cat bathers always assume this part will be the most difficult, for humans generally are worn out at this point and the cat is just getting really determined. In fact, the drying is simple compared with what you have just been through. That's because by now the cat is semi-permanently affixed to your right leg.
7. You simply pop the drain plug with your foot, reach for your towel and wait. (Occasionally, however, the cat will end up clinging to the top of your army helmet. If this happens, the best thing you can do is to shake him loose and to encourage him toward your leg.) After all the water is drained from the tub, it is a simple matter to just reach down and dry the cat.
In a few days the cat will relax enough to be removed from your leg. He will usually have nothing to say for about three weeks and will spend a lot of time sitting with his back to you. He might even become psychoceramic and develop the fixed stare of a plaster figurine.
You will be tempted to assume he is angry. This isn't usually the case. As a rule he is simply plotting ways to get through your defenses and injure you for life the next time you decide to give him a bath. But at least now he smells a lot better.
- Stolen from a craigslist post (which seems to have been stolen from someplace else)
First Method
1. Thoroughly clean the toilet.
2. Add the required amount of shampoo to the toilet water, and have both lids lifted.
3. Obtain the cat and soothe him while you carry him towards the bathroom.
4. In one smooth movement, put the cat in the toilet and close both lids (you may need to stand on the lid so that he cannot escape).
CAUTION: Do not get any part of your body too close to the edge, as his paws will be reaching out for any
purchase they can find.
5. Flush the toilet three or four times. This provides a 'power wash and rinse' which I have found to be quite effective.
6. Have someone open the door to the outside and ensure that there are no people between the toilet and the outside door.
7. Stand behind the toilet as far as you can, and quickly lift both lids.
8. The now-clean cat will rocket out of the toilet, and run outside where he will dry himself.
Second Method
1. Know that although the kitty cat has the advantage of quickness and lack of concern for human life, you have the advantage of strength. Capitalize on that advantage by selecting the battlefield. Don't try to bathe him in an open area where he can force you to chase him. Pick a very small bathroom. If your bathroom is more than four feet square, we recommend that you get in the tub with the cat and close the sliding-glass doors as if you were about to take a shower. (A simple shower curtain will not do. A berserk cat can shred a three-ply rubber shower curtain quicker than a politician can shift positions.)
2. Know that a cat has claws and will not hesitate to remove all the skin from your body. Your advantage here is that you are smart and know how to dress to protect yourself. We recommend canvas overalls tucked into high-top construction boots, a pair of steel-mesh gloves, an army helmet, a hockey face-mask, and a long-sleeved flak jacket.
3. Use the element of surprise. Pick up your cat nonchalantly, as if to simply carry him to his supper dish. (Cats will not usually notice your strange attire. They have little or no interest in fashion as a rule.)
4. Once you are inside the bathroom, speed is essential to survival. In a single liquid motion, shut the bathroom door, step into the tub enclosure, slide the glass door shut, dip the cat in the water and squirt him with shampoo. You have now begun one of the wildest 45 seconds of your life.
5. Cats have no handles. Add the fact that he now has soapy fur, and the problem is radically compounded. Do not expect to hold on to him for more than two or three seconds at a time. When you have him, however, you must remember to give him another squirt of shampoo and rub like crazy. He'll then spring free and fall back into the water, thereby rinsing himself off. (The national record for cats is three latherings, so don't expect too much.)
6. Next, the cat must be dried. Novice cat bathers always assume this part will be the most difficult, for humans generally are worn out at this point and the cat is just getting really determined. In fact, the drying is simple compared with what you have just been through. That's because by now the cat is semi-permanently affixed to your right leg.
7. You simply pop the drain plug with your foot, reach for your towel and wait. (Occasionally, however, the cat will end up clinging to the top of your army helmet. If this happens, the best thing you can do is to shake him loose and to encourage him toward your leg.) After all the water is drained from the tub, it is a simple matter to just reach down and dry the cat.
In a few days the cat will relax enough to be removed from your leg. He will usually have nothing to say for about three weeks and will spend a lot of time sitting with his back to you. He might even become psychoceramic and develop the fixed stare of a plaster figurine.
You will be tempted to assume he is angry. This isn't usually the case. As a rule he is simply plotting ways to get through your defenses and injure you for life the next time you decide to give him a bath. But at least now he smells a lot better.
- Stolen from a craigslist post (which seems to have been stolen from someplace else)
This entry is still snickering about the title of this post.
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
The diamond biz
I found this excellent article about how messed up the diamond market is and how essentially it's all just a fabricated and artificially controlled scam. Wake up people!
This entry doesn't like materialism, especially when
it stems from an artificially created market.
it stems from an artificially created market.
Monday, December 11, 2006
More Christmas Mash-ups!
Okay, I couldn't help it. Here's a list of some seriously messed up re-dubs of home holiday classics.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
This entry probably won't have any friends after today's posts.
Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown - NOT!
This is blasphemous and looney - but my, oh my, is it funny!
Merry Christmas, indeed!
Merry Christmas, indeed!
This entry can already feel the hot coals of hell
licking at his feet for posting this one!
licking at his feet for posting this one!
Friday, December 08, 2006
I Hate Drake
Okay, maybe I don't hate him personally, but this guy sure did when he was a kid. I found this video while reading through my RSS feeds (Boing Boing) and got a good laugh out of it. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did...
Oh, and as a warning, there's language that might be considered offensive to some people (yeah, you know who you are, fuckers) ... so just be careful who's within ear shot.
Oh, and as a warning, there's language that might be considered offensive to some people (yeah, you know who you are, fuckers) ... so just be careful who's within ear shot.
This entry was written while under the influence of cold medicine.
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Route 66 & Calico Ghost Town
This weekend was a lot of fun. Christine turned ... um ... 33 ... [ahem] this year and to celebrate we decided to take a road trip to Calico Ghost Town via Route 66.
The one bummer about the weekend was that Rece has been screwing up BIG TIME in school, which meant that he had been grounded, thus missing out on this adventure. Hopefully this helps him learn a valuable lesson.
So the three of us (Sam, Christine, & Gabe) hopped in my car and departed for San Bernardino where we'd connect with Route 66 at the original location of McDonald's. From there we drove up the historic highway, geocaching along the way. Once we got through Victorville, we got back on the I-15 and drove in to Barstow, where we had made plans to stay for the night.
Being winter, it gets dark quite early. We weren't anywhere near tired yet and were itching for something to do. On our way to the motel from dinner we noticed a drive-in theater, so we hooked up the laptop I brought along and looked up the movie times (love free wireless!). It worked out that we had plenty of time to get there in time to watch Flushed Away, so we made our way there, being sure to check out the (not so) happening main strip of Barstow. The bar at the restaurant connected to our motel was apparently the hot-spot that night.
I parked the car with the back facing the screen and all three of us packed into the cargo area (with the seats folded forward) and wrapped ourselves in bedding borrowed from our motel room. It was quite chilly (I was fine, but the girls were "freezing") and we laughed at the ridiculousness of the entire ordeal. The movie was entertaining and Sam got to experience her first drive-in movie.
We were up bright and early Sunday morning and enjoyed a tasty (hot) breakfast at the restaurant connected to the motel. After breakfast we set out towards Calico Ghost Town. Along the way we came across the location of the first Del Taco and we stopped to take some pictures. The following 45 minutes were spent driving my Ford Taurus wagon around Dukes of Hazard style in pursuit of a cache. Try as we might, we just couldn't find the right road to get there and none of these dirt roads showed up in Microsoft Streets & Trips (to no surprise). There were quite a few homes with many (inoperable) vehicles in the yard, our car was chased by a pair of large dogs, and I half expected for somebody to walk out of their front door carrying a shotgun -- yes, it was that bad. We never did find the cache, but despite all this laughter was a-plenty within our group; nothing seemed to dampen our spirits this weekend. Having given up on the cache, we drove on to Calico Ghost Town.
Now it had been a good 20 years since I had last visited the place, and it looked quite different than I remember. For a ghost town, it sure looked a lot more lively than before. Seems the place has become more of a tourist trap than an historic landmark. With this in mind, I just went on enjoying it for what it was and had a lot of fun learning about the real history of the place and checking out the mines. It wasn't too difficult to get a mental image of what it must have been like to have had lived here when it was all a bustle with over 3000 residents in its heyday. Once we'd had our fill of history and cheesy gun-fighting scenes (the one we watched was very bad), we stopped by the Calico Cemetery to seek out information needed for a geocache.
Departing Calico, we picked up a couple more easy caches and pointed the Taurus in the direction of a challenge: the BLACK BOX mystery cache series. This is a cache that requires one to find 3 other caches, each containing a piece to a puzzle that needed to be solved in order to be able to find the 4th, and final cache. I'm horrible with puzzle-style caches, but Christine loves them and seems to have a head for the stuff, so I was happy to join her on this one. The easier way to get to this cache was to find an access road that would get you part-way to the top, but after looking for 30 minutes and not locating it, we opted to park at the closest spot available and just billy goat it up to the top. No problem! It was only .37 miles from the car, yet took us a good 30 minutes to scramble up a loose, rocky, and steep slope to the upper access road. We swore quite a bit, between laughing, cursing the cache owner for clearly mis-labeling the terrain rating on this one. We found the cache, collected our first piece to the puzzle, then made our way back down. Round-trip this cache took over an hour to find once we left the car and it was then beginning to get dark. The other caches of this series, we decided, would have to wait for another day.
Back on the road, we made our way over to Route 66 to drive the portion between Barstow & Victorville (that we had skipped over the night before). We found one more cache along the way. Christine had wanted to go to the Mad Greek in Baker, but after explaining that it was near Death Valley and about an hour in the opposite direction of home, she resigned to skipping it. While driving, my memory sparked, sputtered, caught fire, caused a lot of smoke, and then revealed that it knew of a Mad Greek location in Corona. We pulled off the road so I could consult the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (Microsoft Streets & Trips) and was pleased to discover that Alzheimer's hadn't begun to settle in and that there was in fact a Mad Greek in Corona, but he's apparently undergoing psycho-therapy and doing quite well as of late. We dropped in to discover that madness wasn't too far off: they were out of gyros -- a Greek restaurant out of gyros. Yes, we gawked. Yes, we stared incredulously. No, we didn't go mad ... nor did we go Greek; we went Mexican ... Miguel's Mexican restaurant, to be exact.
With full tummies we made our way home, our minds also full with pleasant memories of all the fun we had over the weekend.
We took over 200 pictures, but I managed to prune the total down to 56 of them and put them up on my Flickr account. You can check them out here.
The one bummer about the weekend was that Rece has been screwing up BIG TIME in school, which meant that he had been grounded, thus missing out on this adventure. Hopefully this helps him learn a valuable lesson.
So the three of us (Sam, Christine, & Gabe) hopped in my car and departed for San Bernardino where we'd connect with Route 66 at the original location of McDonald's. From there we drove up the historic highway, geocaching along the way. Once we got through Victorville, we got back on the I-15 and drove in to Barstow, where we had made plans to stay for the night.
Being winter, it gets dark quite early. We weren't anywhere near tired yet and were itching for something to do. On our way to the motel from dinner we noticed a drive-in theater, so we hooked up the laptop I brought along and looked up the movie times (love free wireless!). It worked out that we had plenty of time to get there in time to watch Flushed Away, so we made our way there, being sure to check out the (not so) happening main strip of Barstow. The bar at the restaurant connected to our motel was apparently the hot-spot that night.
I parked the car with the back facing the screen and all three of us packed into the cargo area (with the seats folded forward) and wrapped ourselves in bedding borrowed from our motel room. It was quite chilly (I was fine, but the girls were "freezing") and we laughed at the ridiculousness of the entire ordeal. The movie was entertaining and Sam got to experience her first drive-in movie.
We were up bright and early Sunday morning and enjoyed a tasty (hot) breakfast at the restaurant connected to the motel. After breakfast we set out towards Calico Ghost Town. Along the way we came across the location of the first Del Taco and we stopped to take some pictures. The following 45 minutes were spent driving my Ford Taurus wagon around Dukes of Hazard style in pursuit of a cache. Try as we might, we just couldn't find the right road to get there and none of these dirt roads showed up in Microsoft Streets & Trips (to no surprise). There were quite a few homes with many (inoperable) vehicles in the yard, our car was chased by a pair of large dogs, and I half expected for somebody to walk out of their front door carrying a shotgun -- yes, it was that bad. We never did find the cache, but despite all this laughter was a-plenty within our group; nothing seemed to dampen our spirits this weekend. Having given up on the cache, we drove on to Calico Ghost Town.
Now it had been a good 20 years since I had last visited the place, and it looked quite different than I remember. For a ghost town, it sure looked a lot more lively than before. Seems the place has become more of a tourist trap than an historic landmark. With this in mind, I just went on enjoying it for what it was and had a lot of fun learning about the real history of the place and checking out the mines. It wasn't too difficult to get a mental image of what it must have been like to have had lived here when it was all a bustle with over 3000 residents in its heyday. Once we'd had our fill of history and cheesy gun-fighting scenes (the one we watched was very bad), we stopped by the Calico Cemetery to seek out information needed for a geocache.
Departing Calico, we picked up a couple more easy caches and pointed the Taurus in the direction of a challenge: the BLACK BOX mystery cache series. This is a cache that requires one to find 3 other caches, each containing a piece to a puzzle that needed to be solved in order to be able to find the 4th, and final cache. I'm horrible with puzzle-style caches, but Christine loves them and seems to have a head for the stuff, so I was happy to join her on this one. The easier way to get to this cache was to find an access road that would get you part-way to the top, but after looking for 30 minutes and not locating it, we opted to park at the closest spot available and just billy goat it up to the top. No problem! It was only .37 miles from the car, yet took us a good 30 minutes to scramble up a loose, rocky, and steep slope to the upper access road. We swore quite a bit, between laughing, cursing the cache owner for clearly mis-labeling the terrain rating on this one. We found the cache, collected our first piece to the puzzle, then made our way back down. Round-trip this cache took over an hour to find once we left the car and it was then beginning to get dark. The other caches of this series, we decided, would have to wait for another day.
Back on the road, we made our way over to Route 66 to drive the portion between Barstow & Victorville (that we had skipped over the night before). We found one more cache along the way. Christine had wanted to go to the Mad Greek in Baker, but after explaining that it was near Death Valley and about an hour in the opposite direction of home, she resigned to skipping it. While driving, my memory sparked, sputtered, caught fire, caused a lot of smoke, and then revealed that it knew of a Mad Greek location in Corona. We pulled off the road so I could consult the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (Microsoft Streets & Trips) and was pleased to discover that Alzheimer's hadn't begun to settle in and that there was in fact a Mad Greek in Corona, but he's apparently undergoing psycho-therapy and doing quite well as of late. We dropped in to discover that madness wasn't too far off: they were out of gyros -- a Greek restaurant out of gyros. Yes, we gawked. Yes, we stared incredulously. No, we didn't go mad ... nor did we go Greek; we went Mexican ... Miguel's Mexican restaurant, to be exact.
With full tummies we made our way home, our minds also full with pleasant memories of all the fun we had over the weekend.
We took over 200 pictures, but I managed to prune the total down to 56 of them and put them up on my Flickr account. You can check them out here.
This entry is happy that it doesn't live in, or anywhere near
Yermo, California -- despite the original Del Taco.
Yermo, California -- despite the original Del Taco.
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Bad holiday gifts of the future
Forget the crappy things you can buy folks THIS holiday season, check out the predictions for the future...
Crap of the future
Anywho... that article just gave me a good laugh.
How about another way that businesses can invade your privacy...
Pancakes? Papers, please!
It just seemed somehow to relate to my Stop! Receipt! post from yesterday.
Crap of the future
Anywho... that article just gave me a good laugh.
How about another way that businesses can invade your privacy...
Pancakes? Papers, please!
It just seemed somehow to relate to my Stop! Receipt! post from yesterday.
This entry wants to transmit its brain via BitTorrent!
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Stop! Receipt!
One of the things I find annoying when I actually force myself to go out shopping is for the place I'm purchasing goods from to insult me by insinuating that I'm a thief. No, they don't ever come out and blatantly say it, but by asking to see my receipt and look in my bags that's how I'm being treated. I bought these items and they are now my property. I am not keen on having to wait in line to get out of a store after already having had waited in line to buy something just because the business assumes that all of their customers are thieves and wishes to insult them by treating them as such.
This type of behavior is a violation of my privacy. I'd no more show these people the contents of my wallet as much as most women would allow a stranger to search through their purses. Yet time and again, businesses try to do so. If I signed a contract to do business with the company, then I don't have a problem with it ... Costco comes to mind.
With the holiday shopping season in full swing, I'm hoping that others do the same as I do: simply say, "No thank you" and continue walking past these receipt/bag checkers on their way out. They have no business snooping through your belongings, so why should you let them?
The reason I bring this up is that I read an article today that does a good job of articulating my point of view on the subject. Heck, and in the process I came across two other people that blogged about this very subject.
This type of behavior is a violation of my privacy. I'd no more show these people the contents of my wallet as much as most women would allow a stranger to search through their purses. Yet time and again, businesses try to do so. If I signed a contract to do business with the company, then I don't have a problem with it ... Costco comes to mind.
With the holiday shopping season in full swing, I'm hoping that others do the same as I do: simply say, "No thank you" and continue walking past these receipt/bag checkers on their way out. They have no business snooping through your belongings, so why should you let them?
The reason I bring this up is that I read an article today that does a good job of articulating my point of view on the subject. Heck, and in the process I came across two other people that blogged about this very subject.
This entry doesn't appreciate being treated as a
criminal simply for being a customer!
criminal simply for being a customer!
Kitchen Konversations
Today I spent my lunch in the office break room. Usually it's pretty quiet and I just read the paper. Today was a little more entertaining...
I was cleaning the inside of the microwave, as my food had splattered around the inside, when one of the ladies stopped in and gawked at me in amazement. She commented on how she'd like to get a pictures of a man cleaning out a microwave. She gave me a high-five on the way out.
As I sat eating my delicious re-heated lasagna leftovers (thanks Christine!) I picked up a conversation around the corner by the refrigerators. Three gals were standing around and staring into one of them, commenting in rather obvious awe of how clean they were. Then they opened the freezer to a chorus of "Ooooo...." and "Aaaah...". One came around the corner and noticed my grin and giggled, realizing how strange the conversation must have sounded like from where I was sitting.
Something tells me that some of the folks in the office could use a little time off.
I was cleaning the inside of the microwave, as my food had splattered around the inside, when one of the ladies stopped in and gawked at me in amazement. She commented on how she'd like to get a pictures of a man cleaning out a microwave. She gave me a high-five on the way out.
As I sat eating my delicious re-heated lasagna leftovers (thanks Christine!) I picked up a conversation around the corner by the refrigerators. Three gals were standing around and staring into one of them, commenting in rather obvious awe of how clean they were. Then they opened the freezer to a chorus of "Ooooo...." and "Aaaah...". One came around the corner and noticed my grin and giggled, realizing how strange the conversation must have sounded like from where I was sitting.
Something tells me that some of the folks in the office could use a little time off.
This entry cleans up after his messes!
Monday, November 27, 2006
Becoming an "antitraffic" driver
This guy's site makes a lot of sense and some of it is the same stuff that I've thought about as well. My commute, if one could even call it that, is under 10 minutes from home to work. This information probably won't do me much good, but I found it fascinating.
This post wants more people to become "antitraffic" drivers!
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Empty Inbox
My inbox is where I keep all pending work requests, unanswered emails, etc. For the first time in probably 6 months, I've managed to get it down to this...
This is a sight for sore eyes!
This entry likes to celebrate the simple things in life.
This entry likes to celebrate the simple things in life.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Immigration!? Egads!
If the information this guy goes over is correct, then some serious changes need to happen regarding immigration in the U.S. Heck, even if he's 1/2 correct, the numbers are staggering!
This entry has nothing against immigrants, but understands there
should be a limit to how many come into this country.
should be a limit to how many come into this country.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Scuttlebutt lives!
Yes, you heard me right! Scuttlebutt is still alive and well... sorta. Hey, he's still in his original configuration, just a bit dirty from smog and road grime. Anyhow, I've added a few more photos of the cute little fella to his photo set on my Flickr account.
This entry wishes it could perch upon a car antenna, too!
Road Runner - feh
Well after my previous venting about the forced switch to Time-Warner Road Runner service, I've made at least a little progress with things. I sent an email to their tech support, explaining to them my problems with email (via Outlook) and webmail. This was done from the office during my lunch break. Later that same day, I get home and magically Outlook is working again. Oh wonders of wonder! No response, no confirmation of receiving my email - but hey, at least one part now works!
The situation with their webmail logon and interface seems to have improved, but it still does the oddball thing about not accepting my username after the timeout period has passed - and only letting me in if I use my email address as my username... well, not all the time, but some of the time - and never when I think it's going to do it. Frustrating!
All right, that's enough venting for now.
The situation with their webmail logon and interface seems to have improved, but it still does the oddball thing about not accepting my username after the timeout period has passed - and only letting me in if I use my email address as my username... well, not all the time, but some of the time - and never when I think it's going to do it. Frustrating!
All right, that's enough venting for now.
This entry wishes he had gotten a pony for Easter.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Oh, come on!
From the DUH! department:
I find it ludicrous that NASA, the central hub for probably 95% of the smartest people in the world, didn't think to create a clock for the space shuttle that would understand the rollover of a year. We're almost 7 years beyond the Y2K scare; you'd think this would have been addressed back then - at the latest. How long has the shuttle been around, again? Uh, yeah, thought so...
I find it ludicrous that NASA, the central hub for probably 95% of the smartest people in the world, didn't think to create a clock for the space shuttle that would understand the rollover of a year. We're almost 7 years beyond the Y2K scare; you'd think this would have been addressed back then - at the latest. How long has the shuttle been around, again? Uh, yeah, thought so...
This entry just felt a little smarter.
Monday, November 06, 2006
Take THAT Global Warming!
If this guy is right, then there's some hullabaloo going on in the ranks of folks supporting the global warming theory. This is some strong evidence that the math just doesn't add up - and my friends know all about how I'm always doing the math!
Anywho, I found the article very interesting and hopefully it's as accurate as I hope it is.
Anywho, I found the article very interesting and hopefully it's as accurate as I hope it is.
This entry still doesn't think that the sky is falling. Ouch!
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Halloween Pics
As promised, I've posted some Halloween Pictures on my Flickr account. I'll post at least one more as soon as Christine sends me the one we took before I went trick or treating with Rece, Sam, & Anna.
This entry still craves sporkfuls of blood!
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Not Entirely Pleased With Road Runner!
Well, it's been about 2 weeks since the change from Comcast to Road Runner (Time Warner) took place. The connection seems to be the same - no outages so far, even with the change to my IP address (which I had held on to for over 2 years) I didn't notice any hiccups. The main problem I'm having is with email and webmail.
Outlook is my email client of choice, as it incorporates more than just email (calendar, contacts, etc). This is a pretty standard piece of software used all over the world for email communications. The information provided for POP3 & SMTP (standard formats to receive and send email) by Road Runner don't seem to be what I need and/or they aren't accepting my username/email address properly. So when I attempt to check email, I get the username and password screen. What especially odd is when I use the same log-on information to get into webmail (their web-based email system) it works... well, sorta.
So I manage, if I'm lucky the first time, to get myself logged on to webmail. I tend to leave it up and check on it from time to time for new mail. Every so often I'll go beyond the automatic log-out time period (which is normal) and it'll require me to log back on. This is where it gets confusing. The username I provided to get in the first time (successfully) won't work 75% of the time after the time-out period has been passed. What I have to use instead is my email address with the same password. To add to it, about 50% of those times it'll send me to an error page that says something to the effect it wasn't able to load the page properly. If I then click my shortcut to webmail - I'll get to the webmail interface just fine. See why I'm frustrated?
There's a handy link in the top-right part of webmail to "Live Support OnLine" which does absolutely nothing unless I have the Road Runner tools installed. See these tools were something I was tricked into installing when the change happened, when I thought all I was doing was migrating from one email system to another. It did the annoying "Internet Explorer - brought to you by Road Runner" crap in the title bar and changed the throbber (the icon that shows that IE is working on loading your page up on the top-right of the browser) to the face of the Road Runner character. Lovely. All I wanted to do was to make sure I was able to use the new email address I'm being forced to change (for the 4th time, mind you - MediaOne to AT&T Broadband to Comcast... and now to Road Runner). After the crap installed without my realizing it, I uninstalled it. This means that I'm limited in my support options. As if I would allow any outside company to take over MY computer!?
Okay, okay... I'm rambling a bit, I know. Call it a venting of frustration with yet another buy-out of my cable Internet service. My alternative is to start using Gmail on a regular basis, but I don't like their email thread system of email management. Looks like I'll need to call their support center - I hate having to do that! What to do...
Outlook is my email client of choice, as it incorporates more than just email (calendar, contacts, etc). This is a pretty standard piece of software used all over the world for email communications. The information provided for POP3 & SMTP (standard formats to receive and send email) by Road Runner don't seem to be what I need and/or they aren't accepting my username/email address properly. So when I attempt to check email, I get the username and password screen. What especially odd is when I use the same log-on information to get into webmail (their web-based email system) it works... well, sorta.
So I manage, if I'm lucky the first time, to get myself logged on to webmail. I tend to leave it up and check on it from time to time for new mail. Every so often I'll go beyond the automatic log-out time period (which is normal) and it'll require me to log back on. This is where it gets confusing. The username I provided to get in the first time (successfully) won't work 75% of the time after the time-out period has been passed. What I have to use instead is my email address with the same password. To add to it, about 50% of those times it'll send me to an error page that says something to the effect it wasn't able to load the page properly. If I then click my shortcut to webmail - I'll get to the webmail interface just fine. See why I'm frustrated?
There's a handy link in the top-right part of webmail to "Live Support OnLine" which does absolutely nothing unless I have the Road Runner tools installed. See these tools were something I was tricked into installing when the change happened, when I thought all I was doing was migrating from one email system to another. It did the annoying "Internet Explorer - brought to you by Road Runner" crap in the title bar and changed the throbber (the icon that shows that IE is working on loading your page up on the top-right of the browser) to the face of the Road Runner character. Lovely. All I wanted to do was to make sure I was able to use the new email address I'm being forced to change (for the 4th time, mind you - MediaOne to AT&T Broadband to Comcast... and now to Road Runner). After the crap installed without my realizing it, I uninstalled it. This means that I'm limited in my support options. As if I would allow any outside company to take over MY computer!?
Okay, okay... I'm rambling a bit, I know. Call it a venting of frustration with yet another buy-out of my cable Internet service. My alternative is to start using Gmail on a regular basis, but I don't like their email thread system of email management. Looks like I'll need to call their support center - I hate having to do that! What to do...
This entry just wants to keep his email address, his personal web sites, and his ISP the same!
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