I'll be off the grid for much of the ten days between 10/20 and 10/30 as I travel here, there, and then to yon. My posts will definitely be irregular, and may also be infrequent. I'd love to blog the conference, but since we're taking just one laptop between the two of us, will be visiting people and attending functions each evening, and I'd also like to see a little bit of DC with Alex... you might not see alot here until we get back.
This week has been a blur of itemized lists, printing tourist info, making and canceling and making reservations, shopping for 3-oz toiletries, and packing for two destinations on one trip.
Today, my itinerary is: work (primarily using my wiki), run some errands, pay any bills due in the next 10 days, and then we'll drive to Alex's sister's house to spend the night (she and my brother-in-law have graciously agreed to drive us to DFW airport at the crack of dawn tomorrow).
...And now, on to transcribing notes about the wonders of federated searching!
10.16.2006
Surrealism
...No, I'm not talking about Max Ernst.
This weekend Alex and I helped his parents fix up a rental property they recently purchased. A house which is one street from the house Alex and I rented during our first year of marriage. A house which features the exact same floorplan as that rental.
It was like stepping back in time five years, only with better carpeting.
Alex worked there on Saturday while I was up at UNT, and yesterday I joined him (during the Day of Deluge) in tiling the kitchen backsplash with about 25 sf. of ceramic tile. I've got to say, I'm impressed with our work; we've tiled three floors together, but never a wall. We were both pleasantly surprised by the fact that it's much easier, there's no on-the-knees or back bending involved, the adhesive is easier to work with than mortar, and ceramic tile just cuts darned faster than granite. I am also proud to report that I figured out how to change out an outlet (by myself--no question-asking!) and promptly replaced about ten outlets in the house (by that time we ran out of new outlets to use).
Now I'm realizing that it's far less than a week before DC and Abilene, and that I have two trips to prepare for in far too little time. My errand list is frightening. One of the errands involves getting my bridesmaid dress (received in the mail Saturday) in for alterations before I leave--but before I can get it altered, I have to find a strapless bra for it. It fits my waist, but the thing is at least 6 inches too long (and its numerous flowy chiffon layers mean I can't hem it myself), and let's just say that in the chest area, it looks a tad... deflated. Being as the bodice is beaded, I'd rather not deal with the nightmare of having it altered, so off to Vickie's Secret it is.
Oh, the miracles they work.
Update:
Perhaps not so miraculous, then. Two hours of the frustrating humiliation of trying on strapless bras later, I have two extremely questionable candidates and the distinct desire to drive home and drown my sorrows in a tub of Dreyer's Slow-Churn Raspberry Chip Royale. I think perhaps I'm better suited to the part of flower girl than bridesmaid; at least I know those dresses fit.
Ah, well. I may have to stuff the bodice of both strapless bridesmaid dresses with two pairs of woolen socks, but at least they're gorgeous.
This weekend Alex and I helped his parents fix up a rental property they recently purchased. A house which is one street from the house Alex and I rented during our first year of marriage. A house which features the exact same floorplan as that rental.
It was like stepping back in time five years, only with better carpeting.
Alex worked there on Saturday while I was up at UNT, and yesterday I joined him (during the Day of Deluge) in tiling the kitchen backsplash with about 25 sf. of ceramic tile. I've got to say, I'm impressed with our work; we've tiled three floors together, but never a wall. We were both pleasantly surprised by the fact that it's much easier, there's no on-the-knees or back bending involved, the adhesive is easier to work with than mortar, and ceramic tile just cuts darned faster than granite. I am also proud to report that I figured out how to change out an outlet (by myself--no question-asking!) and promptly replaced about ten outlets in the house (by that time we ran out of new outlets to use).
Now I'm realizing that it's far less than a week before DC and Abilene, and that I have two trips to prepare for in far too little time. My errand list is frightening. One of the errands involves getting my bridesmaid dress (received in the mail Saturday) in for alterations before I leave--but before I can get it altered, I have to find a strapless bra for it. It fits my waist, but the thing is at least 6 inches too long (and its numerous flowy chiffon layers mean I can't hem it myself), and let's just say that in the chest area, it looks a tad... deflated. Being as the bodice is beaded, I'd rather not deal with the nightmare of having it altered, so off to Vickie's Secret it is.
Oh, the miracles they work.
Update:
Perhaps not so miraculous, then. Two hours of the frustrating humiliation of trying on strapless bras later, I have two extremely questionable candidates and the distinct desire to drive home and drown my sorrows in a tub of Dreyer's Slow-Churn Raspberry Chip Royale. I think perhaps I'm better suited to the part of flower girl than bridesmaid; at least I know those dresses fit.
Ah, well. I may have to stuff the bodice of both strapless bridesmaid dresses with two pairs of woolen socks, but at least they're gorgeous.
10.14.2006
Weddings, Playoffs, and Other Great Events
So not only will I be wearing this in LA next month, but in March I'll be wearing this darling dress for a darling friend! (Hmm, I had Jaime wear her silver Doc Martins in my wedding, since we had silver dresses--I wonder if she'll require me to wear my black Docs with this dress? Wedding-Punk!)
I'd have already been interested in reading another Firefly/Serenity comic, but I'm doubly interested since there's an essay by Geoff Klock in it. Hooray!
Sandra Tayler has some great insights on taking criticism for creative writing; just in time for NaNoWriMo, too (join the UNT group)!
Wow, wow, wow--it's unfortunate that it didn't work out in the end, but Jim Henson Co. was courting Ursula Vernon about a movie option for Digger?! The very thought of how awesome that movie would've been... ah, well.
The Tigers and the A's... the Mets and the Cards... this doesn't bode a very personally-exciting World Series for me in any combination. The last time I had a strong opinion about any of these teams was the Subway Series--in which I rooted for the Mets by default, of course, since they're not the Yankees--and the I-70 Series--in which I rooted for the Cards simply because my parents were rooting for the Royals (and which I will never to my dying day live down, because Alex and his family are also devoted Royals fans).
So I guess depending on which NL team wins, I can either root for the Mets, or I can root against the Cards and try to atone for past sins.
I'd have already been interested in reading another Firefly/Serenity comic, but I'm doubly interested since there's an essay by Geoff Klock in it. Hooray!
Sandra Tayler has some great insights on taking criticism for creative writing; just in time for NaNoWriMo, too (join the UNT group)!
Wow, wow, wow--it's unfortunate that it didn't work out in the end, but Jim Henson Co. was courting Ursula Vernon about a movie option for Digger?! The very thought of how awesome that movie would've been... ah, well.
The Tigers and the A's... the Mets and the Cards... this doesn't bode a very personally-exciting World Series for me in any combination. The last time I had a strong opinion about any of these teams was the Subway Series--in which I rooted for the Mets by default, of course, since they're not the Yankees--and the I-70 Series--in which I rooted for the Cards simply because my parents were rooting for the Royals (and which I will never to my dying day live down, because Alex and his family are also devoted Royals fans).
So I guess depending on which NL team wins, I can either root for the Mets, or I can root against the Cards and try to atone for past sins.
10.12.2006
10.10.2006
A Shower of Links
Rain: much-appreciated for my cracked yard.
Same Rain: much-un-appreciated when it completely soaked my pants this morning at work (got a hair dryer?).
Still the Same Rain: much-re-appreciated for its beauty on the window panes, once inside and (relatively) dry with a warm bagel and coffee.
I finally read Ender's Game, after many years of noble intentions. (Thanks, Kali, for reminding me!) I found it very, very interesting--and liked it--although it wasn't exactly what I expected. I'm glad I didn't read it in high school, though; I think the violence would have been a bit much for my sheltered self.
Same Rain: much-un-appreciated when it completely soaked my pants this morning at work (got a hair dryer?).
Still the Same Rain: much-re-appreciated for its beauty on the window panes, once inside and (relatively) dry with a warm bagel and coffee.
I finally read Ender's Game, after many years of noble intentions. (Thanks, Kali, for reminding me!) I found it very, very interesting--and liked it--although it wasn't exactly what I expected. I'm glad I didn't read it in high school, though; I think the violence would have been a bit much for my sheltered self.
- On making up words (a librarian's prerogative, apparently).
- AL Championship Series begins TONIGHT! ARG, why will I be in class??? I think for once, I can't root for the underdog. I'm sorry, I'll normally root for anyone against the Yankees Empire, but it just goes against the nature of the universe for the Tigers to beat the Yankees. It's just... wrong.
- Very interesting take on the season 2 (yes, 2, as in on DVD) opener of "Lost." Those of you who've watched the season 3 opener (Auntie K, I'm looking at you!), read the post and see if the correlation between to two strikes you, as well.
- FaerieChat Session (guess the Shakespearian spoof!).
- Work underway on Clone Wars... Can't say I'm thrilled about the move from 2-D animation to CG, but I'm willing to suspend judgement.
- I [heart] Unshelved.
- What's hard: coming up with meals that are: healthy, convenient, tasty, and cheap. Any pointers?
- I just re-found a poem that I based a painting title on. It makes me feel more than a little silly that, although I remember the painting, I'd forgotten that I got the title from somewhere else. At least I still remember where I got the title for "Tree and Leaf" from.
10.09.2006
Battlestar Fever (Spoiler Alert!)
(My apologies to my non-cable/satellite-connected friends. I have felt your pain; but I couldn't hold out any longer.)
So a reader asked what I thought of the BSG premier on Friday.
...Wow... Um, wow.
So, I did watch those ten webisodes--we saw six before the premier, and the other four afterward, once our extremely twitchy DSL shaped up (don't trust SBC Yahoo, even if your only other option is a semi-reliable wireless connection from a provider that never returns your phone calls and only remembers to bill you every other month or so). Ahem. The webisodes were a little more relevant to the premier than I'd have expected--clearly, you didn't have to see them, but it sure explained the question that immediately leapt to Alex's mind, which was how the heck Duck got into a Toaster-Police grad ceremony in the first place.
Um... about that. We're still wondering how Jammer, standing directly behind Duck, didn't seem to show even a scratch. Um... explosion. So--are we looking at #9 of 12 models, here? Seems pretty fishy to me.
Oh, and while we're on the subject of newly-revealed toasters, let me say that the addition of Quantum Leap's Dean Stockwell to the cast just makes me all warm and fuzzy inside my scifi heart. That, and the lovely Erica Cerra is just popping up everywhere--mom to secretly-adopted half-breed toaster baby on BSG, tough deputy on (now-on-hiatus) Eureka, and a vampire sorority chick on Smallville (in an episode that featured Carrie Fisher, no less)! I half expect that when I'm once again able to tune into new episides of SG-1 and Atlantis, she'll turn up as a friendly alien.
But back to BSG. I'm almost sad that Six is around in the flesh--will we get anymore of that tantalizing what-the-heck-is-up mental version of her (and Gaius, for that matter)? We got a peek of her again when the in-the-flesh Six was shot, so I've got hope. I still don't quite trust either Boomer, although I really really want to. I have to say that Tyrol's still my favorite character in the entire series (love the beard!), and if they've killed off his gal Cally, I'm gonna be really hacked. (And then immediately suspect that all is not as it seems.) And dude, is Apollo in a fat suit, or did they really make the poor guy eat 10-lb. bags of Doritos all hiatus long? And what was in the water over the summer, because everybody got married! I know they've got to repopulate and all, but is the original Boomer's unrequited (I assume) love for Tyrol going to be our only remaining romance?
Oh, wait, how I could I forget about Starbuck holding hands with that rotten toaster. I hope she's faking it, because I've got high suspicions that he pushed the kid down in the first place to gain Starbuck's sympathy.
You've got to love the complicated shades of grey in this show, which is what's made it what it is since the beginning. We've not only got complicated, flawed human beings, but we've got toasters to hate (Doral), toasters to love (Six), toasters we love to hate (Brother Cavil), and toasters we aren't quite sure about (Boomer 1 & 2).
...So, is it Friday yet?
So a reader asked what I thought of the BSG premier on Friday.
...Wow... Um, wow.
So, I did watch those ten webisodes--we saw six before the premier, and the other four afterward, once our extremely twitchy DSL shaped up (don't trust SBC Yahoo, even if your only other option is a semi-reliable wireless connection from a provider that never returns your phone calls and only remembers to bill you every other month or so). Ahem. The webisodes were a little more relevant to the premier than I'd have expected--clearly, you didn't have to see them, but it sure explained the question that immediately leapt to Alex's mind, which was how the heck Duck got into a Toaster-Police grad ceremony in the first place.
Um... about that. We're still wondering how Jammer, standing directly behind Duck, didn't seem to show even a scratch. Um... explosion. So--are we looking at #9 of 12 models, here? Seems pretty fishy to me.
Oh, and while we're on the subject of newly-revealed toasters, let me say that the addition of Quantum Leap's Dean Stockwell to the cast just makes me all warm and fuzzy inside my scifi heart. That, and the lovely Erica Cerra is just popping up everywhere--mom to secretly-adopted half-breed toaster baby on BSG, tough deputy on (now-on-hiatus) Eureka, and a vampire sorority chick on Smallville (in an episode that featured Carrie Fisher, no less)! I half expect that when I'm once again able to tune into new episides of SG-1 and Atlantis, she'll turn up as a friendly alien.
But back to BSG. I'm almost sad that Six is around in the flesh--will we get anymore of that tantalizing what-the-heck-is-up mental version of her (and Gaius, for that matter)? We got a peek of her again when the in-the-flesh Six was shot, so I've got hope. I still don't quite trust either Boomer, although I really really want to. I have to say that Tyrol's still my favorite character in the entire series (love the beard!), and if they've killed off his gal Cally, I'm gonna be really hacked. (And then immediately suspect that all is not as it seems.) And dude, is Apollo in a fat suit, or did they really make the poor guy eat 10-lb. bags of Doritos all hiatus long? And what was in the water over the summer, because everybody got married! I know they've got to repopulate and all, but is the original Boomer's unrequited (I assume) love for Tyrol going to be our only remaining romance?
Oh, wait, how I could I forget about Starbuck holding hands with that rotten toaster. I hope she's faking it, because I've got high suspicions that he pushed the kid down in the first place to gain Starbuck's sympathy.
You've got to love the complicated shades of grey in this show, which is what's made it what it is since the beginning. We've not only got complicated, flawed human beings, but we've got toasters to hate (Doral), toasters to love (Six), toasters we love to hate (Brother Cavil), and toasters we aren't quite sure about (Boomer 1 & 2).
...So, is it Friday yet?
Exercise Your Freedom
...Tomorrow's your last day to register to vote--so do it now!
And for all you proud citizens of the Best State in the Union... Austin's KVUE has a video of the gubernatorial debate last Friday (avoid the annoying registration process), and KERA also provides clips in this story and this one.
And for all you proud citizens of the Best State in the Union... Austin's KVUE has a video of the gubernatorial debate last Friday (avoid the annoying registration process), and KERA also provides clips in this story and this one.
10.05.2006
PC: Definition of the Phrase "It's Personal"
Can someone explain to me how it's even possible for a computer-driven device to have a personality?
I've had my share of tempermental bits of technological equipment before. During the three years that I worked as Dr. Brunner's student assistant, his HP inkjet printer gave me fits. But although it seemed to be infuriating on purpose, it was a logical problem, as the majority of the issues were paper-jam-related.
This printer, however, has a bonafide grudge against me. Several weeks ago, it randomly printed every blessed document I sent to it--but it must have been gracious on purpose because it was Monday, as evidenced by the fact that every print job I have sent before or since, no matter how short, is missing pages. I just sent a print job to it: ten copies of one page each, and it printed nothing. I sent the job a second time, and it printed them--but it had a definite smirk when I retrieved the papers.
Logically, if my computer's having some issue communicating with the printer, shouldn't I get all or nothing? Why do I keep getting only 5 pages printed of a 9-page document, or 3 pages of a 5-page doc? Why did it take me three separate prints this morning to print a 12-page document?
Honestly, if there are any real insights as to a logical solution to, or even a reason for, this problem, I will gratefully listen. I'd like to think that this isn't personal, considering the thing is a mass-produced item of plastic and metal.
Brief Overview, This Week in TV:
Eureka's season-ender (boo!), Lost's season opener (yay!), and BSG's season opener (wild, crazed screaming ensues). I read a quote yesterday from the current season of Gilmore Girls (it's four more seasons on DVD before I catch up) that I thought truely displayed the show's awesome genius:
"Don't underestimate me, Luke. I read books. And I watch Battlestar Galactica."
On a parting note, let me reassure you that my sudden lack in posts here isn't because I've forgotten or lost interest--in fact, I'm regularly making notes for posts, but haven't had the opportunity to post. The few minutes a day I've had for blogging has been spent on my professional blog lately. So, if you're desperate enough for my ramblings to read library-related info, hop on over.
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