After saying good-bye to our Egyptian tour-guide, we flew from Cairo to Amman, Jordan. A few pictures behind the LJ-cut.
Yesterday I woke up to the radio saying "Paul McCartney's appearance in Halifax has caused quite a stir!" and imagined him spontaneously popping in to existence downtown, abusing his secret teleportation powers to get a haligonian donair, perhaps. (Ick, why, Paul McCartney, why?) But no, he just flew there in an airplane, on a pre-planned trip, to play a concert. I was quite charmed to see Halifax's mayor and the NS premier put on goofy wigs and pose for an Abbey Road shot to join all the fuss. Hee hee.
I just worked 3 10-hour shifts in a row for the first time in er, a while. Normally I do this every two weeks, but basically the whole first half of 2009 has been a confusing patchwork of vacation juggling in the pharmacy. (Mostly my fault of course! Although my opposite number did go on a three week cruise.) Ooh, ooh, I'm out of practice! I'm very sore just from the amount of standing this involves. I was going to say I feel like I ran a marathon, but I have run a half-marathon before and this is NOTHING like that, so I feel like I just.. uh.. ran a 5-k? And not too fast? This is getting less interesting by the word. Well anyway. I'm back to my normal work schedule until, hmm, labour day I'm taking one day off, and then nothing else until OVFF in October. And I'm realizing again that dude, my normal work schedule is really awesome. I work 7 days out of 14 and I get a 4-day weekend every second week. I'm such a slacker. But I'm a slacker who gets paid well enough to fly off to random locations on really quite a lot of those weekends. Hooray! Motivation to work full-time: lacking. Not that I could physically hack working full-time anyway, not in a profession where you stand all day.
I figured out this morning that I'm going to have flown enough this year to get MVP status with Alaska Air for next year. Besides the dubious benefit of getting to board early with the first class people (oh boy, an extra 15 minutes crammed in to an airline seat!) (Actually, at some airports, that really is better than waiting at the gate, not naming any names, LOGAN.) this means I get all kinds of extra bonus miles on flights next year, which means MORE CONS! I am so madly in love with their mileage plan. My credit card gets me miles with them, and we put all the big household expenses on it, with the result that I've gotten, hmm, 7 free flights in the last two years. I gave a bunch away because travelling is more fun with company, but like, my being at Duckon at all was totally "Brought to you by the Alaska Mileage Plan!"
I read Starship & Haiku, which I'd won in the Interfilk auction at Concertino, during my commute this week. It was nothing at all like what I expected based on hearing Kathy Mar's song of the same name. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was quite a grisly post-apocalyptic story, mixed with a grim little piece of hope. It's the same kind of mix you find in a lot of Octavia Butler's work. I was surprised to find such an excellent novel from an author I'd never heard of before - Somtow Sucharitkul - but google tells me most of his books were published as S.P. Somtow, which sounds more familiar. (He is the director of the Bangkok opera! He sounds like quite the character.) Time for a trip to Pulp Fiction to look for more! Because the 300 books in the to-read pile stacked precariously by my bedside aren't enough, obviously. The song somehow manages to be absolutely faithful to the book's spirit and still have the same message I originally got from it, despite the book being so vastly different from what I had in mind from the song.
Now I am working on book 5 of the Merchant Princes, Charles Stross' crazy economic-science-fantasy-soap-opera series, mixed with slowly creeping through Consciousness Explained, which seems to me to call for a few days of digesting assertions between chapters.
Joe is off playing paintball this morning. I somewhat guiltily hope that he's not very good at it, because then his outfit will be way more fun to photograph when he gets home. Or do they just issue you a burlap sack or something? Oh well, I already have enough incriminating photos for this week: yesterday was Blackmore Memorial Mustache Day at his office. Theobald Blackmore was some character in one of the WWII games his company makes, who, I hope I'm not spoiling anything for you here, dies in the game. He had a goofy mustache. Now once a year everyone in the office grows a scraggly beard and then shaves it off, leaving only a mustache, for BMMD. (And then shaves that off too, because the dress code doesn't actually call for 1970s Pornstaches on everyone.) Or the girls (not that there are a lot in the office - welcome to the games industry!) glue on fake moustaches. Oh hah, the company already posted their pictures! Seph is the one crouching down who looks like the Dread Pirate Roberts. Swoon! That's my handsome, handsome man. Ooh, I totally have an appropriate icon for this.
I just worked 3 10-hour shifts in a row for the first time in er, a while. Normally I do this every two weeks, but basically the whole first half of 2009 has been a confusing patchwork of vacation juggling in the pharmacy. (Mostly my fault of course! Although my opposite number did go on a three week cruise.) Ooh, ooh, I'm out of practice! I'm very sore just from the amount of standing this involves. I was going to say I feel like I ran a marathon, but I have run a half-marathon before and this is NOTHING like that, so I feel like I just.. uh.. ran a 5-k? And not too fast? This is getting less interesting by the word. Well anyway. I'm back to my normal work schedule until, hmm, labour day I'm taking one day off, and then nothing else until OVFF in October. And I'm realizing again that dude, my normal work schedule is really awesome. I work 7 days out of 14 and I get a 4-day weekend every second week. I'm such a slacker. But I'm a slacker who gets paid well enough to fly off to random locations on really quite a lot of those weekends. Hooray! Motivation to work full-time: lacking. Not that I could physically hack working full-time anyway, not in a profession where you stand all day.
I figured out this morning that I'm going to have flown enough this year to get MVP status with Alaska Air for next year. Besides the dubious benefit of getting to board early with the first class people (oh boy, an extra 15 minutes crammed in to an airline seat!) (Actually, at some airports, that really is better than waiting at the gate, not naming any names, LOGAN.) this means I get all kinds of extra bonus miles on flights next year, which means MORE CONS! I am so madly in love with their mileage plan. My credit card gets me miles with them, and we put all the big household expenses on it, with the result that I've gotten, hmm, 7 free flights in the last two years. I gave a bunch away because travelling is more fun with company, but like, my being at Duckon at all was totally "Brought to you by the Alaska Mileage Plan!"
I read Starship & Haiku, which I'd won in the Interfilk auction at Concertino, during my commute this week. It was nothing at all like what I expected based on hearing Kathy Mar's song of the same name. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was quite a grisly post-apocalyptic story, mixed with a grim little piece of hope. It's the same kind of mix you find in a lot of Octavia Butler's work. I was surprised to find such an excellent novel from an author I'd never heard of before - Somtow Sucharitkul - but google tells me most of his books were published as S.P. Somtow, which sounds more familiar. (He is the director of the Bangkok opera! He sounds like quite the character.) Time for a trip to Pulp Fiction to look for more! Because the 300 books in the to-read pile stacked precariously by my bedside aren't enough, obviously. The song somehow manages to be absolutely faithful to the book's spirit and still have the same message I originally got from it, despite the book being so vastly different from what I had in mind from the song.
Now I am working on book 5 of the Merchant Princes, Charles Stross' crazy economic-science-fantasy-soap-opera series, mixed with slowly creeping through Consciousness Explained, which seems to me to call for a few days of digesting assertions between chapters.
Joe is off playing paintball this morning. I somewhat guiltily hope that he's not very good at it, because then his outfit will be way more fun to photograph when he gets home. Or do they just issue you a burlap sack or something? Oh well, I already have enough incriminating photos for this week: yesterday was Blackmore Memorial Mustache Day at his office. Theobald Blackmore was some character in one of the WWII games his company makes, who, I hope I'm not spoiling anything for you here, dies in the game. He had a goofy mustache. Now once a year everyone in the office grows a scraggly beard and then shaves it off, leaving only a mustache, for BMMD. (And then shaves that off too, because the dress code doesn't actually call for 1970s Pornstaches on everyone.) Or the girls (not that there are a lot in the office - welcome to the games industry!) glue on fake moustaches. Oh hah, the company already posted their pictures! Seph is the one crouching down who looks like the Dread Pirate Roberts. Swoon! That's my handsome, handsome man. Ooh, I totally have an appropriate icon for this.
The New New Toaster Oven
So I bought that new toaster oven because the handle had come off my 1991-era Black and Decker and all the reviews said the new B&Ds were awful (they'd been bought by a different company). It turned out to steam and burn toast at the same time (water running down the inside of the door!), and I had to finish both Bagel Bites and a marinated quarter-breast of chicken in the microwave to get them cooked enough to be safe. I use the toaster oven enough that I really needed something better, but I hadn't found it when I looked before.
I went back looking again last week and thought about a Cuisinart for a while, but not only was it much more expensive, it's too big. I taped together some pieces of paper to make a template and kept trying to make it work, but it wouldn't. I then read all the reviews for it, and found one where the reviewer also thought it was too big, but then bought this Delonghi toaster oven, which is smaller. I read all the reviews there, and they're pretty much universally good, except people think the default toast setting is too high. I turned down two sides of the template and it could go where the toaster ovens have always gone here.
I ordered the DeLonghi and it arrived Wednesday. Using the lower toast setting, it makes perfect toast. I got Bagel Bites that were crisp, hot in the center, and had browned cheese on top. The marinated quarter-chicken breast was excellent. I cleaned and packed up the other toaster oven and will take it to the charity thrift shop next time. The DeLonghi is almost three times as expensive, but worth it to get something that works.
Today was the city's haz-mat half-day so I got up early and delivered two dead compact fluorescents and the obsolete laptop. Then I headed off to the post office where the two people in front of me at the APC machine were both trying to do something it wouldn't do -- make it take cash (debit or credit cards only) and take a letter (must need at least $1.10 postage because they can't make money otherwise). I finally convinced them that it wasn't going to work and got my package out.
I'm really sleepy now so I think I'll take a nap before I come back and read LJ and ML.
I went back looking again last week and thought about a Cuisinart for a while, but not only was it much more expensive, it's too big. I taped together some pieces of paper to make a template and kept trying to make it work, but it wouldn't. I then read all the reviews for it, and found one where the reviewer also thought it was too big, but then bought this Delonghi toaster oven, which is smaller. I read all the reviews there, and they're pretty much universally good, except people think the default toast setting is too high. I turned down two sides of the template and it could go where the toaster ovens have always gone here.
I ordered the DeLonghi and it arrived Wednesday. Using the lower toast setting, it makes perfect toast. I got Bagel Bites that were crisp, hot in the center, and had browned cheese on top. The marinated quarter-chicken breast was excellent. I cleaned and packed up the other toaster oven and will take it to the charity thrift shop next time. The DeLonghi is almost three times as expensive, but worth it to get something that works.
Today was the city's haz-mat half-day so I got up early and delivered two dead compact fluorescents and the obsolete laptop. Then I headed off to the post office where the two people in front of me at the APC machine were both trying to do something it wouldn't do -- make it take cash (debit or credit cards only) and take a letter (must need at least $1.10 postage because they can't make money otherwise). I finally convinced them that it wasn't going to work and got my package out.
I'm really sleepy now so I think I'll take a nap before I come back and read LJ and ML.
Awhile back, I researched MS and found a great book about diets designed to help improve symptoms. I ordered the book and gave it to Glenn a couple of months ago. He has been using the diet for three weeks now.
The difference is huge.
He doesn't hobble anymore, or look drunk (heh). He says he can move easier and feels better. We're really excited to see what a couple more months will do.
This is awesome. We took a walk for lunch and he is doing great.
The difference is huge.
He doesn't hobble anymore, or look drunk (heh). He says he can move easier and feels better. We're really excited to see what a couple more months will do.
This is awesome. We took a walk for lunch and he is doing great.
It is like they exploded everywhere. I want them.
Finished The Trouble With Harry Hay" a couple of days ago. Interesting to read about how often he was somewhat reviled--just like Harvey Milk & (more locally) Tim Campbell. Not sure if I would have liked him, since he apparently had a rather badgering debating style, and it sounded like the wouldn't stop worrying you like a terrier until you finally saw the light capitulated.
(Side note to the quick note: This reminded me of something that happened at an ACT-UP meeting some time ago. I forget the issue we had discussed & were voting on but I was against, though not all that hepped up to vote "no" so abstained. Good God In Her Heaven, you'd'a thought I'd suggested we piss on Harvey Milk's grave. They just about had a fit, and them somebody had the "brilliant" idea of calling an absent member (who was sick) on the phone to get me to change my mind. Needless to say, It. Did. NOT. Work.)
I'm writing away at the "Five Word" meme, and may end up posting a word a day, since I got pretty in depth. (And it'd probably not hurt if I edit it a bit to get the rambles pointed the right way...)
I'm working on setting up a teach-in on ENDA, DOMA, EFCA (Employee Free Choice Act-if I'm remembering my acronyms correctly) for July 25th. I was thinking of doing it at church, but don't now what space is open. If anyone is interested it this, please let me know.
My "Self-Employed Medical Insurance got extended for six months--even though I haven't had any outside income since Janurary. All I need is $65 a month, so if anyone needs stuff done around the house, etc. let me know. Thanks.
I'm watching the discussion about forming a "Grand Unified Sibinghood of All Minnesotan Faaaaaaaans" with some amusement. For The Most part I'm keeping my trap shut since I really...well, I don't have much tolerance for "faanish" behaviour, fandom itself, and MNSTF/Minicon in particular. You know, Sue's a lot more mellow about everything--and she's the one who got tossed to garbage pail over a "flavour of the month". Me. Not so much.
(Side note to the quick note: This reminded me of something that happened at an ACT-UP meeting some time ago. I forget the issue we had discussed & were voting on but I was against, though not all that hepped up to vote "no" so abstained. Good God In Her Heaven, you'd'a thought I'd suggested we piss on Harvey Milk's grave. They just about had a fit, and them somebody had the "brilliant" idea of calling an absent member (who was sick) on the phone to get me to change my mind. Needless to say, It. Did. NOT. Work.)
I'm writing away at the "Five Word" meme, and may end up posting a word a day, since I got pretty in depth. (And it'd probably not hurt if I edit it a bit to get the rambles pointed the right way...)
I'm working on setting up a teach-in on ENDA, DOMA, EFCA (Employee Free Choice Act-if I'm remembering my acronyms correctly) for July 25th. I was thinking of doing it at church, but don't now what space is open. If anyone is interested it this, please let me know.
My "Self-Employed Medical Insurance got extended for six months--even though I haven't had any outside income since Janurary. All I need is $65 a month, so if anyone needs stuff done around the house, etc. let me know. Thanks.
I'm watching the discussion about forming a "Grand Unified Sibinghood of All Minnesotan Faaaaaaaans" with some amusement. For The Most part I'm keeping my trap shut since I really...well, I don't have much tolerance for "faanish" behaviour, fandom itself, and MNSTF/Minicon in particular. You know, Sue's a lot more mellow about everything--and she's the one who got tossed to garbage pail over a "flavour of the month". Me. Not so much.
With the arrival of our new telly, I started looking for samples of HD video clips to playback on my laptop through it.
One of the search results brought back “Resonant Chamber” from the Animusic‘s second DVD, entitled Animusic 2: A New Computer Animation Video Album.
To say that I was impressed is an amazingly understated understatement, and I just had to share it.
To enjoy the full 720p HD version of this video, visit the Animusic Download page - which I would highly recommend you do.
However, if you are less bothered about the image quality and just want to know what the fuss is about, or you have the patience of a peanut and don’t want to wait for the 200+MB download, here’s the YouTube video below.
Please note that the YouTube video does not even come close to the quality of the 720p download... not even in HQ mode!! Please consider this before pressing play!!
One of the search results brought back “Resonant Chamber” from the Animusic‘s second DVD, entitled Animusic 2: A New Computer Animation Video Album.
To say that I was impressed is an amazingly understated understatement, and I just had to share it.
To enjoy the full 720p HD version of this video, visit the Animusic Download page - which I would highly recommend you do.
However, if you are less bothered about the image quality and just want to know what the fuss is about, or you have the patience of a peanut and don’t want to wait for the 200+MB download, here’s the YouTube video below.
Please note that the YouTube video does not even come close to the quality of the 720p download... not even in HQ mode!! Please consider this before pressing play!!
We had new tires on our Trail Blazer when we got it. We have put over 50,000 miles on it, but the tires, we thought, looked fine until we noticed the front left is worn down to the core on the inside. We discussed putting new tires on it, but didn't. Roy made it home fine, but first thing Monday, we are going after new tires. We should have done it a while ago.
Settled in at home and have a bridge game in one hour. I only need about 8 points for Bronze Life Master.
Settled in at home and have a bridge game in one hour. I only need about 8 points for Bronze Life Master.
The mountain of things what get signed slowly abates. I need to have it in the mail today.
We watched Cube last night.
brunch on the porch
I've been listening to Royksopp's cool song "What Else Is There?" and thought I'd see if I liked anything else of theirs so I went to iTunes but all the songs have very long intros --all longer than the sample, so you basically get 30 seconds of "oompa oompa ooompa" and then it fades out. iTunes should grab their samples from the middle
I should be signing stuff, but Milla wants me to scratch her head and she's very persistent.
We watched Cube last night.
brunch on the porch
I've been listening to Royksopp's cool song "What Else Is There?" and thought I'd see if I liked anything else of theirs so I went to iTunes but all the songs have very long intros --all longer than the sample, so you basically get 30 seconds of "oompa oompa ooompa" and then it fades out. iTunes should grab their samples from the middle
I should be signing stuff, but Milla wants me to scratch her head and she's very persistent.
- Mood:
accomplished - Music:lonesome dove
I've got one dreamwidth invite code. First request gets it.
We are home and glad to be here!! However, the week with our granddaughter and her friends was so much better than I anticipated. We really enjoyed them.
They are going to see another set of grandparents today. The dogs are glad to be home, too.
I am almost done unpacking, and that is it for today.
They are going to see another set of grandparents today. The dogs are glad to be home, too.
I am almost done unpacking, and that is it for today.
Fabulous finds at the Marietta Market today. Tomatoes are here! Squash, Zuchinni, eggplant, okra.....life is good.
RT Excellent post by @MichaelHyatt on 'Twitter as a leadership tool' http://bit.ly/K707y
- 09:13:34: @billwarner If you're so into Citrix why not GoToMeeting instead of that Adobe thing?
- 15:45:58: @UnitedAirlines but how will your people ever learn? $3k damage requires $30k compensation.
- 22:34:43: Back from BRUNO. I'm astounded SBC survived to tell the tale.
- 23:42:18: @ragnarok1971 follow the update directions carefully and exactly, and check the forums/KB if you upgrade LVM SRs
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The fog was as bad tonight as it was last night. But by the grace of Mother Nature and my favorite 32mm eye piece stuck in a Barlow lens, I did manage to pick out Neptune. It helps considerably that Jupiter and Neptune are in the second of this year's three conjunctions...one needs only find Jupiter and then move up slightly :-)
The past week has been filled with upheaval, again, only this time for good reasons. Due to a manic, but much-needed spurt of home improvement, including extensive painting, I either haven't had access to my office or have had to navigate through clutter imported from elsewhere in the house on top of the clutter that was already there to begin with. While there's a lot left to do, however, I'm fairly confident that this stage of the renovation process is past the halfway point. If I'm scarce over the next several days, as I have been this week, it's not -- or at least not necessarily -- because more bad things have been happening. Also, I'm still reading my friends, on Live Journal and Facebook, when I get a chance.
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