December 24, 2006
The night before Xmas...
The tree is decorated, the presents wrapped, the stocking filled. Brian's in bed already, I'm watching a rerun of House with the cat.
Tomorrow we go to the Foss house for breakfast and gifts. Then back home to roast another turkey and play with our toys.
All in all, it's shaping up to be a low-key but happy Christmas. Part of me wishes I had visited my parents, but I'll see them in January.
Merry Christmas everyone!
Posted by Laura at 10:00 PM
December 11, 2006
Tomorrow...the big day
Tomorrow morning Brian and I meet with the surgeon to discuss my hope to have surgery. If all goes well at that appointment, I should get a surgery date. I'm excited and nervous about being so close to actually having the surgery. While I've only been actively working on this since July, it's actually been a much, much longer process than anyone realizes.
When I was about 14, I watched an episode of Oprah after school one day. They discussed various types of "stomach stapling" operations. I remember thinking at that time how I wished I could have an operation like that. I knew I had a problem with food and my weight even then. Now, truthfully I haven't been dreaming and plotting to have my intestinal tract sliced and diced for the last 18 years, but I have thought back on that day several times these past months.
I wish I didn't have to do it...oh God, do I wish that. I don't want to have to work harder than everyone else just to be "normal." In college I had a friend named Kelly, who was about a size 6, and we ate most of our meals together. She ate anything she wanted and never gained an ounce, I ate the same things and my weight just creeped up. It pisses me off, truth be told. Not Kelly specifically but seeing anyone who maintains their size, seemingly effortlessly. I know it's not effortless...the slender women I know eat moderately and exercise. But I won't lose weight by doing what they do, I'll just maintain the status quo. So I need the gastric bypass tool to get to a better baseline. At least that's what I tell myself.
Posted by Laura at 09:42 PM | Comments (1)
December 01, 2006
Yep
Posted by Laura at 10:19 PM
November 30, 2006
I did it!
Well, I have to admit I'm surprised I was able to post every day. I cut it really close quite a few times. But I'm not known for sticking with things, so it's nice that I was able to this time.
Does this mean I'll keep blogging? Probably not daily, but maybe once in awhile. Definitely about the surgery, and I do want to post some stuff about the house too. And I did share one personal story, so maybe I need to get more of them out there...I don't talk to anyone about my past and my experiences, but I do value my memories and I've learned alot about people over the years too.
Something else I've learned this month is that I'm not happy with the person I am right now. 10 years ago I would have been blogging up a storm, and I had friends then, and talked to people, and the like. Now I don't really feel like talking to anyone, and more importantly, I don't feel like anyone really wants to hear what I have to say. That's probably a big part in why it's been so hard to think of stuff to write.
Also, I am sick of thinking of that long-ago Laura and wanting to be her again. I can't be, I'm not young and stupid. I need to figure out who I want to be now and what I need to do to be that person.
So yea, I think this was a good exercise. Thank you to Mrs. Kennedy and to everyone else who participated in NaBloPoMo, great job. I hope to visit some more sites soon and see who else is out there.
Posted by Laura at 09:31 PM | Comments (1)
November 29, 2006
crawling..on my hands and knees...
One..more..day....must...keep...blogging....
I think this exercise proves that I am not cut out to be a blogger. I just don't have anything interesting to say.
But, did you know that Everybody Loves Tana?
There are also two Grace Notes variations.
Posted by Laura at 11:46 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
November 28, 2006
Two Entries in One Day?!?!?!
To round out the month, I decided to visit a few of my NaBloPoMo brethren and sistren (a legitimate word). I'm visiting one per letter of the alphabet, starting with Z. In order to finish in 3 days I guess I have to visit 9 per day.
Zoot wisely agrees that she's "not one to question the excellence of pre-installed panties."
Just in time for Christmas, You're Doing It Wrong explains how to write a proper holiday newsletter.
Poor Xmichra! Her link on the NaBloPoMo page is all broken! I hope someone else visits her soon.
At Welcome to Karenworld, Karen shares 10 things that we don't know about her. I'm going to have to look into that Vaseline recommendation. My skin always gets dry this time of year.
Ok, 4 is my limit on schnitzengruben.
Posted by Laura at 12:54 PM | TrackBack
Shoes...
In my neverending quest to find comfortable shoes that fit my gigantic, flipper-like feet, I'm going to try these next:
Propet Twilite Walker (Women's) - Black Leather
Posted by Laura at 11:05 AM | TrackBack
November 27, 2006
Just a few days left...
My boss at GamersInfo.Net just asked for someone to fly out and help her drive to the Consumer Electronics Show in January. I can't go early enough to help drive, but she did say she needs some help covering the show, so I am looking into Brian and I going to Vegas for a few days.
I've been to E3 the past two years, but I've never been to CES, or Vegas for that matter, so I hope we're doing the right thing! If nothing else it should be a fun little mini vacation. It means officially skipping a holiday visit to my family, but I just saw them in October and the parents are coming out for my surgery, so I am hoping that's not going to be a big deal. Now I just have to hope that there will be enough flexibility in scheduling my surgery that I won't have to be on a liquid diet during the trip...that wold suck!
No trip to a big city with world-class dining would be complete without a fancy meal. I Just need to decide where I want to go...the breakfast at Bouchon sounds divine.
Posted by Laura at 10:17 PM
November 25, 2006
Day 25...limping towards the finish line
I ain't got nothin' here. Seriously.
Today we played some more Magic with Nathan. He beat us both, of course, but I think I did well considering. We also went over to Thom and Rebecca's for sushi. I dont't really like sushi but I can deal with some california rolls, and I just drenched everything in soy and wasabi anyway. It was pretty good.
In other news I have three new games that are urgently in need of review. Yeesh. One for the DS Lite, called Scurge, is annoying because of the weird perspective, so you move in certain directions but can't actually shoot in the directions that things attack you in.
The long weekend has been very nice and I really needed the time off, although it's still going by way too fast. Plus, icky work trip coming up...sigh.
Posted by Laura at 11:03 PM
November 24, 2006
It's a kind of magic...
So, last night when Nathan and Brian were playing Magic, Brian said we could go get some new cards and play together. I thought that might be fun, even though I've avoided playing before (I thought the fanboys were lame) because it's fun to do stuff with Brian. We tried to do the same once with the Harry Potter card game but the game was pretty weak.
On the other hand, I was a bit worried that I would make a fool out of myself, which is usually reason enough for me to decide not to do something. I have a bit of a problem with needing to be the expert at everything I do, so that does tend to get in the way. But I figured, what the hell, if I don't like it then
We picked up some starter decks of the latest expansion Time Spiral as well as some boosters. Brian and I played two games tonight and even though it took forever because I was trying to understand everything, I did actually win both games. Yay!
Nathan's coming over again tomorrow afternoon, so we'll see if we can acquit ourselves accordingly.
Posted by Laura at 11:20 PM
November 23, 2006
Well, it's over...
Another Thanksgiving come and gone...the turkey turned out well although there wasn't an available camera to take a photo. Nathan seemed to enjoy everything. He and Brian played Magic for like, 4 hours, which seemed to be fun for them although I was bored.
Big shopping day tomorrow, although it's gotten so nasty and commercial that I probably will skip it entirely.
Posted by Laura at 10:48 PM
November 22, 2006
La la la...
More Thanksgiving prep today. I brined the turkey, which involved one of those new Ziploc XL bags, a cooler, bags of ice, and a tube cake pan (needed to prop the end of the turkey up). Then I went out shopping which was surprisingly not too bad. Although Byerly's, hello? $20 for a mediocre veggie tray? When I can buy all of the pre-cut veggie ingredients and dip right next to it for $10?
Last year I swore I would buy a pre-made meal. Maybe next year!
Posted by Laura at 11:53 PM
November 21, 2006
Turkey Day Prep!
Brian and I went to Whole Foods tonight to pick up our turkey. 17.5 lbs for 3 people, all because Brian's afraid he won't get enough dark meat. Sigh. Now I just need to figure out the brining deal, and we'll be good to go.
On the way home we talked about sexual predators. I guess he saw an alert at work that a sexual offender was moving into our neighborhood, and got to talking to one of his coworkers about it. My personal view is that the way we treat sexual offenders after they leave prison violates their civil liberties. If they are sentenced to 5 years and then released, why should they then be subject to a lifetime of half a life? If the issue is that they need to be locked up for life, then lock them up for life. I know this is an unpopular argument because many people have a knee-jerk reactions to the concept of sexual crimes.
Posted by Laura at 09:03 PM | TrackBack
November 20, 2006
Christmas is coming...
Christmas is coming and I don't know what I want!! When I was younger and my older brothers and sisters would always claim they didn't want anything I always thought they were totally stupid. I mean, dude, free stuff, who doesn't want free stuff? But now I'm old and in the same boat. I don't want anything! And my mom is pressuring us for Christmas lists.
I don't usually ask for clothes because I don't want people to have to shop for my size. Plus, my size will be changing eventually. I also usually ask for cooking stuff, which Brian never wants to buy me anyhow.
I guess I want a bullet bottle thermos. I also want a recipe organizer. Some new slippers. I better flesh this list out a bit :)
Posted by Laura at 08:51 PM | TrackBack
November 19, 2006
Work sucks.
I'm so tired of this Sunday feeling, the feeling of dread as the clock winds down toward Monday. It seemed to be particularly bad today. I found myself looking at the clock and being happy that it was earlier than I thought.
Why do I hate my job these days? I think it's because I have so much to do and can't seem to get any of it done. I have been reading Getting Things Done but the effort required to get started with the program seems so overwhelming that I put it off, too. I tell myself that I like what I do but I don't know if that's true. Sure, there are some things I enjoy, but for the most part I hate what I end up getting dragged into. I don't want to support another project. I don't want to have to come up with some creative solution to a problem. I want to have a better understanding of what I actually have to do. What do people physically want me to deliver to them? When do they want it? That's what I want to know.
There's a work trip coming up that I usually enjoy because it means not being here, but it is shaping up to be a debacle. First of all, one of my co-workers is insisting that we share rooms. These are business suite type rooms so you get your own bedroom, but still. I tried to override her and get us all single rooms but it turns out that the hotel is booked so I guess she gets her wish. But geez, we're not on a school field trip here, we're not at a slumber party. Then there's just the issue of making sure everyone gets there, that we can find a restaurant that is sufficiently bland for all parties, and of coordinating the actual work that we have to do. Sigh.
Gee, now I want Monday to be here even more!!
Posted by Laura at 08:29 PM | TrackBack
November 18, 2006
Under the wire
Uh oh, only 20 minutes left in the day, I better start writing!
Today was a good day with a few annoying bits...Brian woke me up with coffee in bed which was really cool. I had to run on that aforementioned post office errand, then I went to Whole Foods to order the turkey, and battle the dirty hippies, which always makes me cross. Then I stopped at the UPS store to drop off a package, and I was trying to get it taped up in the car when someone HAD to park in the spot next to me and sat half-in the spot waiting for me to close my door. Grrr. Then, I was going to get lunch at Quizno's, but the Quizno's in that strip mall had disappeared. So I had Zantigo, which was disgusting.
But then I went home, and Brian had cleaned out the garage, and I got to play with my new knife sharpener, and we took a nap, and now I'm happy.
Posted by Laura at 11:37 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
November 17, 2006
I'm spent.
I got nothing. It's official.
Um, tomorrow I have to go to post office...is that exciting enough?
Oh, and we're trying to pcik out knobs and handles for our kitchen cabinets. These are the ones we've got so far:
But Brian thought they may be too dark so maybe we'll go with Aged Bronze insead of Oil Rubbed Bronze.
Posted by Laura at 11:20 PM
November 16, 2006
Day 16, I guess no one is reading...
I haven't even gotten any spam comments on these wide-open posts. Oh well.
I gave up caffeine today. I need to, for the surgery, and I wanted to have it out of the way when we meet with the surgeon on December 12. I've done it before, with varying levels of discomfort, so I know what I'm in for. On the other hand, one time I didn't get a headache at all...that was when I was in Europe and went for a week or so before having coffee. I drank a ton of water and it seemed to help. So that's my plan now...drinking tons of water!
Of course I fear that my requests for decaf coffee at the coffee bar are being disregarded, so I'll be saying "wow, I feel great!" because I'm not really going through withdrawal. Ah well.
Posted by Laura at 08:45 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
November 14, 2006
Odds n ends
If fantasy football and baseball aren't your thing, check out Fantasy Congress. If you want to play, I started a GamersInfo league...you should join.
Twisty, my favorite feminist, waxes (heh) eloquent on the subject of strippers and the failed attempt to ban lap dances in Seattle. I can't even begin to say it as well as she does. Enjoy.
I bought this knife sharpener
Posted by Laura at 06:40 PM | TrackBack
November 13, 2006
Day 13...a letdown
So Nathan and I didn't make it to the Decemberists show last night. We went down to First Ave but the line was around the block. We both agreed that we didn't like people enough to deal with it. I really don't like GA shows and every time I go to one I swear I'll never go to another, but then certain bands show up that I really want to see and I go anyhow. I think this time it was a good thing that we didn't go but I am still really bummed. One small consolation is that I can wait until they get back home to Portland, OR and keep an eye on their concert schedule...then I can plan to visit my brother Pat in Seattle at the same time.
So, instead of the concert we went to see Babel, starring a George Clooney-esque Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett and a bunch of other people. The point of the movie seems to be that we are all connected. Or it might be that all cultures revolve around guns, drugs, and sex. That, or else everyone just likes to see naked Japanese girls. Two hours into this carnival of human suffering, I began to wonder what the point was and why the director was trying so damned hard to connect everything. I was surprised to see that the move has gotten plenty of acclaim at Rotten Tomatoes, although I feel vindicated that my favorite movie reviewer, David Edelstein, agreed that it was pointless.
It's fun to actually get out of the house and do something for a change. I need to find some new friends desperately. One of my many problems is that I really, honestly don't connect very well with other women. In high school and college I had mostly male friends. It's hard to make new friends at this point, and the most promising prospects are likely to be women in the support group I will need to start attending soon (more on that someday), which actually fills me with a bit of dread.
Posted by Laura at 09:27 PM | TrackBack
November 12, 2006
Embarrassing revelations, part 1
I cry at the end of Rocky.
Posted by Laura at 02:48 PM | TrackBack
November 11, 2006
Plumb out of stories
After that last entry I'm spent. So I'm going to phone this one in.
Did you know that you can already start preparing for your Black Friday shopping?
Also, the post office was closed today which sucks because I needed to pick up a package.
Posted by Laura at 10:36 PM | TrackBack
November 09, 2006
Sigh
I don't feel like posting tonight so I'll just talk about what I did today. Tonight I went to orchestra practice. You see, I play first violin in a fledging community symphony orchestra. I generally enjoy myself even though there are so few of us that I feel quite a bit of pressure to play well - no one to hide behind - and I'm not very good. However, there's been some recent talk about reorganizing the group as a quartet or chamber group, and that means leaving out the oboe, flute, and clarinet players unless they want to play string parts. Understandably they aren't too thrilled about that and will drop out after we have our next concert. That saddens me because they are very good and it's unusual to get to play with wind players in a small group like this. But I do have to agree that since our recruiting efforts have been failing and we have about 9 regular members, we can't really call ourselves a symphony.
But tonight we played without a break and focused on a piece that the high school violinist recommended, called Idylls of Pegasus. It's pretty enough, but it seems to be a staple of...high school orchestras. And I'm not in high school. I want to play something with a bit more teeth. At least we have the Mozart Symphony No. 33 to keep us busy.
Posted by Laura at 10:34 PM | TrackBack
November 08, 2006
Wowee!
You know, I could never understand why my parents would want to watch election results, and presidential speeches, and the like. Now, every 2-4 years I find myself parked in front of the TV, flipping channels, looking to see who has the newest information. The only other time I do that is during awards season. At least I still can't stand the State of the Union.
Anyway, yay! Democrats on the move, yea. And to boot, Rumsfeld stepping down? I thought they were going to have to blast his body out of there. Here in MN we elected our first female senator but failed to boot the idiot Tim Pawlenty out of the governor's seat. How can we elect a Democratic senator woth 70% of the vote and yet still vote in a Republican governor? I guess enough people in this state think Tim's done a good job raping the state budget.
I do wish that the Democratic win were a little bit more decisive. I mean, yea we overshot our needed 15 seats by a few, but the Senate thing is still not assured, and even if it is, it's only a one-vote majority. It's not exactly what I would call a mandate. Still, I'll take it!
Posted by Laura at 02:20 PM | TrackBack
November 07, 2006
A little election story
To celebrate Election Day (you voted, right?) here's a little story from the Minnesota primaries in September.
What's in a Name? Possibly a Few Primary Votes
In the 4th Congressional District, two Republicans were vying for the party nomination to run against Betty McCollum, the Democratic incumbent who is so unconcerned about winning her seat again that she didn't even really campaign. Obi Sium is a genuine Republican candidate with a platform and a up-by-your-bootstraps immigrant story. His opponent, Jack Shepard, is running a campaign via Internet from Italy, since he's wanted on sexual assault, drug possession, and arson charges, which could result in his arrest if he comes back to the states. Shepard's entire campaign is based on both having the same name as a character from Lost and having a more conventional name on the ballot in still-mostly-white, Scandinavian Minnesota.
The worst part of the story, clearly, is the fact that despite some media coverage of Shepard's true identity prior to the election, he still received almost 5000 votes.
Posted by Laura at 02:10 PM
November 06, 2006
My own bunny
| adopt your own virtual pet! |
Shamelessly stolen from Fussy. Yay!
Posted by Laura at 09:39 AM | TrackBack
November 05, 2006
Where I wish I was this weekend
South Daota prepares to vote on abortion
Yes, the controversial abortion ban in South Dakota is on the ballot this November for approval by voters. Living in Minnesota and having been involved previously in the pro-choice movement, I am uncomfortably aware of both the idiocy in South Dakota and the fact that there are plenty of people that would like to make Minnesota #2 on this particular list. Last week, the ACLU, in conjunction with the South Dakota Campaign for Healthy Families, was asking people to volunteer to go to South Dakota for a last-ditch get out the vote effort. I wanted to go, but got sick and couldn't. I did make a last minute donation.
I wish I could speak eloquently on the subject of the ban, but it makes me angry that a woman in South Dakota could decide that an abortion is what she needs to do, and instead of being able to go to one of the 2 abortion providers that used to practice in the state (and still being forced to wait 24 hours before having the procedure), she instead must travel hundreds of miles out of state.
Posted by Laura at 10:39 PM | TrackBack
November 04, 2006
What else can go wrong?
Brian and I bought our first house six weeks ago. The excitement of having our own place has been dampened considerably by everything that's gone wrong so far. Here's a list. Maybe by getting this out, I'll exorcise the bad-stuff demons and no more bad stuff will happen.
1. The day of closing, the sellers had not completely vacated the house by the time of closing. Supposedly they thought they had until 4PM. Making matters worse, their realtor was a complete jackass. He caused a huge scene at the closing, then brought the sellers back to the house at 6:30PM even though they were supposed to be gone. Boy, that put a damper on our first day. Status: will never be fixed to our satisfaction. Our realtor wrote a nasty letter, but that was all that happened. On the other hand, if you live in the Twin Cities, MN and want to know the name of a realtor you should avoid, drop me a line.
2. Over the next two weeks, we scrambled to get everything out of our rental house. Brian complained of back pain especially when he lifted heavy stuff. In the last days, we called on our friend Thom to help and I put in a few late nights getting stuff done. We got out in the nick of time (even got our whole deposit back), but Brian's back pain persisted. Finally, one night he asks me to take him to the ER. The prognosis? He had a blocked artery in his heart and has a stent put in. He spends 3 days in the hospital. Status: sort of fixed (he still has some followup and stuff to do).
3. I received a water bill for June-September, which should have been the seller's responsibility. When I called the city, I found out that it's my responsibility to pay, or else it will turn into a lien against the property. My realtor is looking into it, but in the meantime, I had to pay the bill and hope I get reimbursed someday. Status: not fixed (but at least they aren't going to turn off the water.)
4. I received a late notice from the homeowner's insurance company. They claim that they haven't received the first year's premium payment. I speak with the title company who says that their check was cashed. So now the title company and the insurance company are duking it out and I have to keep my fingers crossed that they don't cancel my coverage. Status: not fixed.
5. I get a notice from the power company that they don't have a billing name or address for the property and they were going to turn the power off if we didn't call. Never mind that I had put in a request to start power at this address. I guess they lost it. Status: fixed.
So, I don't really get why we are having such trouble with utilities and insurance when we've never had any trouble with these things in the past. Plus, what's with Brian trying to kick it? Now, he's mostly recovered, my parents came out to help, and it's starting to feel like our own house. It took awhile, but I'm happy.
Posted by Laura at 08:21 PM
November 03, 2006
Ugh, sickness
While I'm glad that I didn't get sick until after my parents left, I would have preferred not getting sick at all. As far as colds go this one isn't bad, but I still feel like creepy crud.
So, in lieu of posting much today, here's a picture of my kitty, Lukas:
Posted by Laura at 10:51 PM
November 01, 2006
Into the Fray
My parents headed home this morning after 4 whole days of familial bliss at the new Spygeek Manor. They came out to help me get the house in order, in light of Brian's attempts to kick it (and subsequent invalidity) and it being our first house and all that. I did feel bad asking Mom to add a second coat of paint to our bedroom after she'd already spent two days on priming and painting, but hey, she volunteered. Dad built me some pull-out shelves for my kitchen cabinet and hooked up the icemaker and did all of those other things that handy Dads do, like wandering around with cans of WD-40 and lubricating random squeaks and rattles.
So, they've left now, on their way to Indiana to spend a few more days with my brother before coasting back to PA in time to vote. It was nice to see them but I think 4 days is my limit on parental interaction these days. Any longer and the constant need to repeat oneself, confusion over how to work the TiVo, and complaints about the too-strong coffee would have been the end of me, I am sure.
Posted by Laura at 03:55 PM | TrackBack
February 09, 2005
Stupid Camera Trix
Every once in awhile I come across some hardware or software issue that takes quite a bit of Google sleuthing to figure out. I keep thinking that I should document these tidbits in case someone else ever needs the same answer.
Nikon Coolpix 2100 AutoPlay and Nikon Transfer do not launch after connection
Today's issue was getting AutoPlay to launch on my XP Pro SP2 box when I attached my Nikon Coolpix 2100. It used to work on my old machine, also running XP Pro, but I couldn't figure it out. I checked the AutoPlay settings a million times and even installed the Tweak UI Powertoy from the MS site. I installed the AutoFix tool as well but it didn't tell me anything. I uninstalled the camera in Device Manager a half-dozen times and plugged it back in again...nothing.
So, how did I fix the problem? I came across a little entry on a forum that suggested uninstalling RealPlayer. So, I uninstalled RealPlayer and fired up the camera. Yep, AutoPlay works now.
Posted by Laura at 11:48 PM | Comments (1)
August 08, 2004
Of course!
Which Golden Girl Are You?
Posted by Laura at 02:48 PM
July 25, 2004
Yay!
Posted by Laura at 10:27 PM
July 11, 2004
Who didn't see this coming?
U.S. Mulling How to Delay Nov. Vote in Case of Attack
Can anyone deny that this is a little bit creepy?
Posted by Laura at 02:58 PM
June 25, 2004
Windfall
This is amazing. I was shafted out of $27.50 back in February by a seller on eBay who never sent me the goods from her auction. Since it was such a piddly amount, Paypal made only a token effort at recovery, which amounted to, "May she have her money back, please?" Not surprisingly, there was no response.
Imagine my surprise when I got an email from Paypal today telling me that I had gotten a refund from the seller! The transaction was reversed, account to the Paypal log. It must have been the threat of prosecution that made her give the money back. I wonder who she pissed off, since I doubt the cops were going to string her up for $27.50.
Posted by Laura at 05:46 PM
May 20, 2004
Stupid People
I know this has been posted everywhere already, but it's hilarious.
People type Maury Povich into Google, latch on to first site they see!
Posted by Laura at 03:56 PM
May 19, 2004
How I'm using MT
Mena wants to know how we're using MovableType since there was so much backlash last week. My MT install contains 5 blogs with 1 author, but those 5 blogs serve three websites. In my mind, I'm within the boundaries of the free license because I have three sites. If I have to count each blog instance, then I need to move up to the $69 license. At this time I wouldn't buy a license because upgrading holds little appeal and no one even reads my crappy blogs.
Partially due to the licensing debacle and partially because I couldn't find a good domain name, I decided to try out TypePad for a new gardening blog. I like it so far, but I think I'll balk when the fees start rolling in. If I weren't paying for web hosting already it wouldn't be an issue at all.
Posted by Laura at 04:30 PM
May 13, 2004
Movable Bandwagon
Yes, I'm preparing to gripe about the new MovableType 3.0 release and Six Apart's blatant money-grab.
I think the main points have already been covered: the free version limits you to 1 author/3 weblogs, large blogging environments will be forced to pay $699 for the big license, etc. Here's what hasn't been said, that's bothering me:
1. They admit this is not a feature release and that they want developers to come up with new extensions. So, for the privilege of doing 6A's job for them, developers get to shell out a few hundred bucks. That makes no sense to me at all. If you want the community to contribute, you have to make it freely available - i.e., open source.
2. The new styles suck...hard. They are all the same except for color. Even Blogger has better layouts. Again, they want us to do all the work, and pay for the privilege.
3. There has been quite a movement within the community to use MT as a total site management tool. Many such schemes involve creating additional blogs within MT to segregate the content. However, by limiting the number of blogs in each license, and pricing the licenses prohibitively, Ben and Mena are basically saying that they don't want their software to be used this way.
I have more than 5 blogs in MT right now, even though I only use one as an actual blog. Thus, I have to pay over 100 bucks to upgrade. All this for a few personal sites that get no visitors and make no money at all. Hell, if they did make money I'd have to pay 299 for a commercial license. So much for micropayments.
4. I wonder if this is an attempt to get small time bloggers to use TypePad instead, thereby producing a steady income for 6A.
5. I used to be on the MT users mailing list. The last note I received from them was the alpha release announcement. I wouldn't have even known about the new release if it weren't such big news everywhere today. Why did they stop using the mailing list?
That is all.
Posted by Laura at 10:49 AM
April 29, 2004
Kottkefilter
I'm kinda curious why Kottke turned off comments without telling anyone. Not only that, he deleted two comments on the Frisbee post that asked why comments had been turned off. Guess there's no need to read that page anymore.
Posted by Laura at 11:45 AM
April 20, 2004
They're inside, you see
I'm so, SO tired of hearing about women in relationships who get hand-me-down electronics. A case in point: dude's wife needs a computer, so he uses that as an excuse to buy himself a new computer and give her the old one. He's hardly the first man to do this, but it has to stop!
Women: if you need a computer, BUY YOURSELF A FRIGGIN' COMPUTER. You have just as much of a right to a decent computer as your husband/boyfriend/brother. If he tries to justify it by saying he needs a new one "for work" or some such, tell him to get his boss to buy him one. If he's freelance, he should have claimed the purchase of his current machine as a business expense. Thus, he shouldn't just be giving it to you anyway.
No, really, there is no excuse today for the weak trembling woman act. Every woman who tries it should be shot.
Posted by Laura at 08:57 PM | Comments (1)
April 12, 2004
Fuckheadwatch
Why have I listed this? An explanation from this woman's work.
Posted by Laura at 04:09 PM
April 06, 2004
Kinja slogan suggestion
Because the blogosphere isn't enough of a circle-jerk.
I frequently use kottke's links list to go to other sites that I like. However, I find that now I'm only going to the sites that do not have a public Kinja digest. Why? Because I'm tired of self-important blogger meme bullshit. The "blogosphere" (gag) is an Old Navy commercial. "This is what everyone else is doing, so naturally you will want to do the exact same thing."
Posted by Laura at 10:26 PM
February 24, 2004
Grey at the Temples
As an act of civil disobedience, spygeek.com is participating in
Grey Tuesday. I am protesting EMI's attempts to censor the Grey Album by DJ Danger Mouse. It's time we stopped corporations from preventing creativity and artistic expression in the form of sampling and other derivative works.
As part of my support of Grey Tuesday, I'm making the Grey Album available for download for 24 hours, and I turned my site grey for a day.
Update 2/24 10:17PM CST:
I am taking the songs down before I go to bed. I made it about 23 hours and 15 minutes. I even got a cease and desist for my troubles!
I hope everyone who downloaded from me will remember Grey Tuesday as a positive experience.
Posted by Laura at 10:19 PM | Comments (2)
February 22, 2004
Corn Kernels
I actually managed to compile a 2.6.3 kernel for my Linux box.
laura@sophia:~$ uname -a
Linux sophia 2.6.3.20040222 #1 Sun Feb 22 02:34:03 CST 2004 i686 GNU/Linux
Yippee!
It only took..um...4 tries. Not understanding all of the configuration options can be a real bear. Here's what I learned:
1. Don't enable framebuffer support unless you really, truly need to. I enabled it, not understanding what it was, and my monitor would turn off just as the kernel started to boot. Made it a little hard to figure out the problem. I even tried to log in with the monitor off so I could ssh in from my XP box. That didn't work so I assume that it didn't boot to a prompt. Fortunately I had a boot disk from a previous attempt.
2. Damn POS video card. Never buy a crappy SiS PCI video card. Yea, it was 20 bucks but it took me a long time to figure out how to get it set up.
3. Intel Etherfast Pro 100, and other Intel network cards, hide out under Ethernet (10 or 100Mbit) ---> EISA, VLB, PCI and on board controllers. I went with the e100, but there's also eepro100.
Well I hope that helps someone...here's hoping the machine doesn't start smoking!
Posted by Laura at 03:14 PM
February 08, 2004
Wall of Shame
I've been going through my CDs and selling off my obscure TMBG collection so I can buy an iPod. So, that makes me wonder:
Whatever happened to The Wall music stores? They were purveyors of CDs with the "Lifetime Music Guarantee". They would slap a sticker on the CD when you bought it and you were supposed to put the sticker on the jewel case. If the CD ever went bad (i.e. you scratched it or something) you could take it into the store and as long as it had the sticker on it, you could swap it out for a new copy of the same disc. I remember saving the sticker once and using it on another CD, and I also remember disassembling cases to get the sticker onto a different CD. I'm sure that type of thing helped put them under...but I still have discs with the stickers on them! I guess the definition of "lifetime" in this case is "until the stores go under."
Posted by Laura at 11:10 PM | Comments (1)
January 23, 2004
Yay for Redneck Neighbor!
You can still see the Redneck Neighbor page!
My neighbor is a RNIT (that's Redneck Neighbor in Training). Nowhere near as stupid as the original, but still. Here's some examples from our personal Xanadu:
1. He began putting up new siding on his house in Nov. 2002. This is Minnesota, so it's not usually a good idea to wait that late in the fall, because you never know when it's going to snow. He tore down the siding and began putting up new siding, but completed only one side of the house. This is a small single story A-frame house.
All winter, the rest of the house sat exposed to the elements. I shudder to think of the heating bills.
Spring comes and he finishes putting up the siding. Only, he decides to put brick on the front of the house. The bricks sit in stacks....and sit...and sit. Sometime in August he does half of one side of the front. October, he does the rest of that side. Currently, it is about 90% complete. Really! All he needs to do to finish is about two courses of brick at the top of the right side. Can you imagine being that close to finishing a project and leaving it? It's no more than 15 to 20 bricks total.
This is the same guy that built a complete garage in the back for his boats and completed it in two days.
2. He keeps a table saw outside, exposed to the elements all year round. Occasionally, he comes out and cuts something at 11PM at night.
3. He has a freakin' floodlight as a back-door light, and leaves it on all night. If I wander into the kitchen in the middle of the night, it's practically as bright as daylight.
4. There's a mound of dirt, 4 to 5 feet in diameter and 3 feet high, on the property line between our yards. Last summer, his wife(?) decided the mound of dirt would be a god place to plant stuff. So she planted a half dozen random plants in the top of the mound. They frequently left the hose running on the mound all night. Irrigation!
I'm sure there's more. I know, not as exciting without the pictures, but a reminder that we all know a redneck neighbor.
Posted by Laura at 08:06 PM
November 25, 2003
It will control you
Amazon.com: Kitchen & Housewares: Zojirushi NS-ZAC18 10-Cup Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker
What is Neuro Fuzzy Rice? Ok, actually this device uses fuzzy logic to detect when the rice is done. To quote a user review:
It almost has a happy little personality of its own.
Creepy.
Posted by Laura at 04:17 PM
November 06, 2003
Ah, Irony...Delicious, Sweet, Fragrant Irony
I can't get over how hard I laughed this morning at this CNN article.
CNN.com - Dems, GOP feud over Iraq memo - Nov. 5, 2003
My favorite quote, which comes from White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan:
"I certainly hope that people are not trying to use this issue, this important issue, for political gain," he said.
AhHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Oh wait, that's right...only REPUBLICANS are allowed to exploit an unjustified war for political gain.
Posted by Laura at 10:33 AM
October 23, 2003
African or European
I had a burgeoning migraine this morning, so I took one of my new 100mg Imitrex. I got all of the usual side effects, along with one I had never experienced before - "difficulty swallowing".
I never understood before what kind of difficulty you could have with swallowing unless you were, say, choking on a hot dog. Would your throat swell shut? Would you unable to execute the swallowing motion?
I can best describe the sensation as similar to the sore throat that feels like tight band. You know the kind. You get them with the flu. No matter how much liquid you drink, they never feel better, because it isn't so much a surface irritation as a death grip on your esophagus. When eating or drinking, you brace yourself for the swallow because you know it will hurt like hell.
That's how it felt, only it didn't really hurt much. When I took a swig of Diet Coke, it felt exactly like I had just forced down a huge gulp. I was still able to swallow, it just felt odd. I don't think I want that to happen again.
Posted by Laura at 03:15 PM
October 22, 2003
Dreamy
I had a dream last night that I actually remembered this morning. I dreamed that I had a dream about Meda. In the dream, apparently I went to sleep and had a dream about her. She was in a litterbox in the basement of my childhood home, right where the utility sink used to be next to the washer. Then in my dream, I woke up and was sad that I dreamed about her.
So who has a dream that they had a dream? I'm sad because I dreamed about her, and also because I am seemingly unable to dream about her directly.
I do remember that the dream-in-a-dream was just as vivid as if I had dreamed it myself. Wait, I did dream it myself. Hmm.
The cube denizens gave me odd looks when I told them this story over lunch.
Posted by Laura at 04:16 PM
I have no idea why I think this is so funny
Posted by Laura at 04:07 PM
October 21, 2003
Cowtow
I changed the title of this post to remove the reference to oral gratification because I'm getting way too many porn-seeking Google referrals. I guess I should have known better.
Of course, I could use the traffic...
Posted by Laura at 10:16 AM
Ain't we got fun
A colleague is moving here from the UK to work on our software project for the next two years. Yesterday we had a little meet and greet, which is really an excuse to get some drinks and snacks for the department. I stood around for the required time and then went back to my desk. My cube neighbor wanders down a few minutes later to tell me that the Office Idiot (who we call Kathy Lee even though he's a he) attempted to engage the Brit in conversation. That convo went something like this:
Kathy Lee: So you're from England.
Brit: Yes.
Kathy Lee: You know, I have an accent too. I have an accent because I'm from down south in South Dakota. I grew up on a reservation so I got to hear all sorts of accents.
Brit: Well, my ear's not finely tuned enough to tell you apart yet.
This is why we need to just lock Kathy Lee in a closet and never let him talk to people.
I'm still not sure how South Dakota is "down south". From here in the Twin Cities, it's more like "over there".
Posted by Laura at 10:10 AM
October 20, 2003
Lifeless
My office has a weird vibe. The ill-timed departure of Meda combined with the death of both Cagney and Lacey (the mice) a few months ago means that I have no more pets living in here. Lukas the cat still wanders through, of course, and Bun Bun is in the next room. However, it feels like a dead space. There is no feeling of life anymore, no feeling that I'm sharing the space with other souls.
I've started to pack up Meda's things, partly because I can't take the look on the cat's face when he stares at the cage, looking for his playmate, and partly because I want to stop looking back over my shoulder for her. My evening routine is all messed up - that's when I fed her and gave her treats. Brian says that he felt better when he put away Castor's cage, but it feels so final to me. Maybe this is the denial stage they talk about.
Someday soon I will get another rabbit, or a pair. I think I would prefer a bonded pair because rabbits are truly social creatures, and they usually like to have a companion. Trying to bring two rabbits together and have them bond is surprisingly problematic. Rabbits are highly territorial and live in a stringent heirarchy in the wild. Dominance and submission is important here. When the top bunny demands grooming, they better get it. Most humans don't realize that when they pet a bunny they are in fact being the submissive one in the relationship, because the bottom bun is the one who does the grooming.
Given all of that, I would definitely prefer a pair who already have all of those dynamics worked out. Pairs are often harder to adopt out because people don't want two bunnies, even though they occupy the same space and eat the same food, so it is really not any more trouble.
I will make a plug for the MN House Rabbit Society here. If you live in MN and have any interest in rabbits as pets, you should look these gals up. They are putting a tribute to Meda in the next newsletter.
I don't think that wanting to adopt another animal means that I am going to forget Meda. She was my first bunny. I cut my teeth on her. I like to think that I made her life better too. She went from a 1X3 wire-floored cage where she couldn't even stretch out, to a 2X3 foot cage with three levels, and a room she could explore whenever she wanted. I did my best, and I hope she understood that.
Posted by Laura at 11:17 PM
October 15, 2003
Good bunny
Meda's getting surgery today. She has a jaw abscess that's developed over the last few weeks, and even though we've been giving her antibiotics for a week, it seemed to get larger. So, the vet thought the best course of action was to cut her open and clean her up.
I left an article on the bicillin antibiotic protocol for rabbits for the vet to read. I hope she reads it and thinks it is worth a shot. It could help get rid of lingering infection for Meda. However, it requires regular injections, which I would have to administer.
I'm waiting for the vet to call and let me know the outcome...I'm nervous about her being put under. Smaller animals can have trouble sometimes. So, I'm completely distracted.
UPDATE: I got a call from the vet at 4:15PM. Meda was doing fine until they were getting ready to take her off the anesthesia. She developed breathing problems and died.
I didn't think when I said goodbye to her this morning that it would be the last time.
Posted by Laura at 03:34 PM | Comments (3)
October 11, 2003
Spamburgers
I installed SpamAssassin the other day. Kudos to Mike Steinbaugh's great article that helped me work through it. If you're installing SA as a local installation, on Dreamhost or otherwise, these instructions will help. Be sure to read the comments for some common errors people have been seeing.
I derive great pleasure from opening the Spam folder and checking out the detritus.
However, I now get almost no mail in my Inbox.
Sigh...
Posted by Laura at 12:28 PM
October 07, 2003
NBC iPod Love
I finally watched the Thursday night shows I taped last week...Friends, ER, et al. Glaring product placement: On both Scrubs and ER, a character with an iPod.
On ER, Dr. Carter listens to it constantly, which is impossible - it would have to run out of juice sometime, and he was in the Congo, so he didn't have a way to recharge it. When asked by another character what it is, he says "digital music player".
Posted by Laura at 08:43 AM
October 03, 2003
Beards
World Beard and Moustache Championships Carson City 2003
Posted by Laura at 04:41 PM
September 24, 2003
Site updates
I'm working on a site redesign, so things will be periodically disappearing and reappearing.
Of course, no one actually reads my pages anyway so I'm not sure why I'm bothering with this...
Posted by Laura at 11:10 AM | Comments (1)
August 18, 2003
American Flag Hermit Crab Shells
Ok, I have to admit I got the link from kafkaesque. But upon reflection, I'm not sure which observation regarding these patriotic shells disturbs me more:
That they are seem to be painted by an 8-year old with nail polish,
or
That they are OUT OF STOCK.
I know that if Elvis the crab were still alive he would rather have gone naked than be seen in one of these. Really.
Posted by Laura at 10:12 AM
July 28, 2003
Aetna can suck my is very very bad
So my company switched insurance at the end of May because they're a bunch of losers. They said on May 15, "oh, HealthPartners dropped us as of two weeks from now because there aren't enough of you enrolled". Left us with a few tense weeks wondering what was going to happen. So then we get the news that "Congratulations, Aetna has agreed to cover your sorry asses for twice the copay you were paying before."
Now I know what everyone I've told this story to has groaned. Aetna is the worse insurance company EVER. It's been 2 months and I have still not seen a new insurance card. And I've about put my head through the metal door of my coat closet (a neat trick, that) after trying to get my mail order pharmacy prescription transferred to the new company.
See, they want you to do the mail order pharmacy because it's cheaper for them, since they don't have to pay the store where you would normally fill the prescription. So they give you the incentive of "3 months for the price of 2". With HealthPartners, I therefore saved 11 bucks every time I got it refilled. Well, my new insurance increased the copays from $11 to a three-tier system of 15/25/40. So if everything worked out, I'd pay $30 for three months instead of $22. That's if they can give me the generic version of my BC pill. If not, I'm stuck paying $50 for three months. But that's still better than $75 if I went to Target to get it filled every month.
But here's the kicker - I can't get the prescription transferred! Seems that Aetna will only take prescription transfers from companies that they contract with, who do these transfers electronically. Since HealthPartners is a pretty small outfit, the only way they can do a transfer is for Aetna to call them and get the information over the phone. However, Aetna refuses absolutely to even entertain the notion.
So with two weeks left on my current pill pack, I'm faced with having to pay to see my doctor to get another prescription written out, or transferring the prescription to Target and getting it filled every month as usual. Which might not even work because the prescription was written out in 3-month intervals. Maybe I'll just stop taking the damn things.
I hate Aetna. I pay $40 a week for the privilege of getting fucked up the ass.
Posted by Laura at 03:29 PM
July 24, 2003
As if...
As if we needed more proof that Van from KS95 (in MN) is just a complete asshole, he was raving about the following site on the morning show today.
Basically a fat kid was doing some light saber moves on video, the video got out on the net, and now everyone thinks it's funny to spoof him and stuff.
And Van said it was the funniest thing he's ever seen.
Insensitive prick.
But it looks like the kid will get an iBook out of the deal, so that's at least cool.
Posted by Laura at 09:27 AM
July 06, 2003
I need me a sermon with my fried chicken
For some, Christianity and civics do mix
There is a quote in this article from Secretary of State Mary Kiffmeyer. "Social welfare was designed to be the role of the church, not the state."
What a surprise. A conservative Christian, who in highly involved in her own church, and who erroneously believes that demonstrations of religious faith should have a place in her office, thinks that churches should bear the burden of social services. Could have knocked me over with a feather.
Churches should not be the sole outlet for social services. Period. Of course, those who subscribe to a religious dogma that requires them to believe that theirs is the one "true faith" think that churches are the logical places for these services. But that's because that's where they'd go if they needed help. Actually, now that I think about it, they wouldn't go to their own church out of shame. So that's kind of funny - but of course I doubt Kiffmeyer would ever expect that SHE would need social services. Those are only for...the poor.
I just don't think that anyone who needs a meal or a bed or help with addiction should be forced to be the subject of evangelism. You're taking people at their very worst, their very weakest, and attempting to brain-wash them.
"Our god is a good god because he has provided you with a tuna sandwich."
"Our god can save you from all of your troubles."
So 3 days or months later, when that person is back because he didn't receive any lasting assistance, are they going to still think that message rings true?
Besides, shouldn't it be a personal decision which faith, if any, you choose to adopt? If I end up on the street tomorrow should I have to do research to figure out where to get help that doesn't conflict with my personal belief system? Don't you think that if I'm on the street, I need help right away, from wherever I can get it?
Social services need to be faith neutral. Otherwise it's just targetting potential new church members among the needy.
Posted by Laura at 06:45 AM
May 05, 2003
The end of an era
The redneck neighbor page is no more.
Posted by Laura at 09:43 AM
March 24, 2003
RIP: Castor, 1996 - 2003
I would like to say goodbye to Castor, a male albino ferret, who died today. Castor was Brian's buddy for the last 7 years. Over the years we came to an understanding. I understood that he would bite me if I left any skin exposed. He showed a particular penchant for the webbing between my thumb and index finger. Screaming and trying to shake him off tended to excite him all the more, as it was all part of the game.
Saturday afternoon Brian discovered Castor was having trouble getting into his hammock. When he took him out, Castor just lay on the floor. We rushed him to the emergency vet, who administered antibiotics and IV fliuds. When he failed to respond by Sunday evening, they did some X-rays and found he had fluid around his heart. At 11:30 on Sunday night, the vet called to say he had taken a turn for the worse. Brian had already decided that he would end Castor's pain if he wasn't better by morning, so he told the vet to go ahead with it.
I am, of course, a complete basket case. I can't handle animal pain or suffering at all, much less an animal that I loved. And I did love Castor even if he did bite me and made alot of noise in the middle of the night which kept me up when I had sought the couch to avoid Brian's snoring. Brian's being more stolid, but I know he will grieve for "shorty mac". We went to see him this afternoon, and I am glad we did because even though he was obviously not well, I felt that he recognized us, and hopefully didn't feel that he was all alone in this. I just wish he could have enjoyed his last car ride a little more. He loved car rides.
Castor will be meeting up with his erstwhile companion Pollux, who passed away several years ago. We still have the bunnies, cat, and mice to keep us company, but Castor was the only one that was truly Brian's, so I worry for him. I offered to postpone my trip and he told me not to.
I knew it was coming, and I wish I could say I didn't. I knew something was going to happen. Castor was getting older and I just felt like his time was short. I wish it hadn't been so sudden, or I wish it was more sudden, so he didn't waste away in a strange place. Brian requested a post mortem, maybe that will tell us what happened.
Ok, I've rambled enough. Bye, Castor. You were a good boy.
Posted by Laura at 12:28 AM | Comments (1)
March 19, 2003
Okay, WTF?
I get the regular newsletter from T-Shirt Hell and although I would never wear any of their shirts, I admire their balls in making them. Their newsletter always contains some "fan mail", i.e. hate mail. The following comment was in the most recent newsletter, from an offended site visitor:
"Every one has a right to their own opinion, but not when it comes to selling
clothing."
Uh, what? Why would selling clothing mean you no longer have a right to your own opinion? I guess I just don't see the connection. The respondent was a Brit, so this line of reasoning might not apply, but I would still say that all of those idiots who sell flag t-shirts and the like are selling THEIR opinion - that patriotism is good. And those people are actually violating the flag display rules which include a prohibition against using an image of the flag on an article of clothing...all the T Shirt Hell people are doing is toeing the line of good taste.
Besides, t-shirts with flags and eagles and W's mug on them offend me MORE than most of the shirts at T Shirt Hell...but then, I can take a joke.
Posted by Laura at 11:09 AM | Comments (1)
February 25, 2003
Yay
Posted by Laura at 02:48 PM
January 17, 2003
yea
Yahoo! Movies Kangaroo Jack (2003)
Posted by Laura at 04:39 PM
December 25, 2002
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas!
Now, can anyone tell me when Christmas Eve became a holiday? I worked yesterday because I have a crappy job where I get paid by the hour, and I didn't want to take the hit to my paycheck. Plus BLuR had to work. But I really didn't think much of it except that we were going to Ray and Carol's after work and I had gifts to wrap, etc. It certainly seemed like there wasn't anyone else working anywhere, though.
We leave the house at 5:00 to go down to the Neumanns, and decide to stop at BK on the way since we were both starving and didn't think there would be food there. Well the BK was closed and so was McDonald's. It was only 5:00PM! We came home at around 9:00PM and were unable to find an open grocery store to buy juice, and none of the pizza delivery places were open.
And when I complain, what do people say? "Well no one wants to work on Christmas Eve." Um...so? This is RETAIL we're talking about. You don't work retail with the expectation that you get off on holidays. In fact, in most retail you should expect that you will work on the weekends, and at night, and all of those times when no one else wants to work. Stores used to be open on Christms Eve...malls didn't USED to close at 4PM like they did this year. And yes, I do have experience in this area, my parents used to own a store. Granted, it was a convenience store so it was supposed to be open when other stores weren't, but it was also in a small town and you could argue that we could have closed for holidays, but we didn't.
I had a conference call last week with a colleague in England and at the end he asked about our holidays. He was surprised that we got off on Christmas Eve. Apparently they don't in Great Britain, but they do get two days' bank holiday on the 26th and 27th. I think they have it right.
Posted by Laura at 08:14 AM
December 22, 2002
A Trap of his own devising
Yahoo! News - Lott Says He Fell in a 'Trap'
I'm breaking my recent silence to post this. So Lott feels he fell into a trap. He says that people in Washington have had it out for him because he is a conservative Christian from MS. Since he's so new to politics and all that, I thought I should fill him in. Trent, in politics, people will have it out for you no matter what. This doesn't have anything to do with you being from MS. It does have something to do with you being a complete jackass.
Posted by Laura at 04:41 PM
November 27, 2002
T minus 18 hours...
What is it about the holidays that ends up bringing out the worst in people? I do have to admit my Thanksgiving experience thus far has not been bad. But when BLuR picks me up at work after a 1.5 hour battle with traffic, and actually has me drive home because he is so tired, and he LAUGHED when I told him I had to go to the store, I have to wonder. The store was fine, actually. Except for the employee who was explaining to this woman where to find the cheese. She sounded like she'd never been in a grocery store before. The woman, not the employee, who by virtue of his employment (and his uniform) had indeed been in the store before.
I called Mom today to ask how she felt about my visiting the first week in January. She said it was fine. Something is starting to feel a bit detached about the family. I think we're all just not communicating, and that's not good for us. Not that our communication is healthy. But I look at how I never gave my niece a birthday present this year, which is unlike me, and then I think, well her mom is a bitch, so it serves her right, but that's not really fair either. It's amazing how being separated from them has really meant that I'm growing in a totally different direction.
Since I'm peppering my entry with too many adverbs, I'm going to game now.
Posted by Laura at 09:34 PM
November 26, 2002
Users SUCK!
So, Nathan, Michelle, and I are eating our lunch in the lunchroom, and our boss comes wandering down. He tells us that our FAVORITE user, MBJ, has called HIS boss because she "couldn't get any help" from the helpline. PLEASE! So then what was the problem? User fucking error, as per usual. She can't seem to find her own sizable ass, even with a map, much less understand the system. Then when she needs help, she's a COMPLETE bitch.
So Nathan calls, and guess what? She's gone on vacation for the next week. Bitch.
Posted by Laura at 02:45 PM | Comments (1)
Well, not really
Well, I guess it didn't really go that smoothly. I was sure there was something that MT wasn't telling me. I created an entry and there was no page! NOthing showed up. So then, I figured, oh I have to point at the blog directory. OK...but I was getting this weird style sheet free page without my entry, unless I specifically pointed at index.html. I couldn't figure that out so I moved it all to the root dir. But then it was working, but there was no style sheet. Dammit!
Some viewing of the forums suggested I install some Digest thingie in my extlib directory. Added that and now all is golden. Wonder what that was all about?
Posted by Laura at 09:28 AM