“Hello, everyone. *cough* You all are probably wondering why I'm doing a voice post at this particular time. Well, the long and short of it is that we don't have any power right now. We just had a big storm come through and, um, I feel like I'm in the Dark Ages. <whiny voice> I wanna get on my computer! <laughs> Can't do anything right now! We haven't had the power out for this long of a time in a while. I mean, it went out around 7...:10 or so this morning and it's...I don't even know what the time is right now. The clock is not working. It's like probably almost 10:00 and...not really much to say at this point except that I'm bored out of my mind! More power to y'all who actually have power. <cough> You're probably all surfing LiveJournal right now and ya know checkin' on friends lists and I’m…prohibited from that right now. Whine! Um, I’m trying to figure out something else to say because after I hang up there’s nothing else to do, so I’m gonna be bored -- even more bored – out of my mind after I hang up from this thing. Ho, hum… Sitting here twiddling my thumbs. <whine> I should just go back to bed! Sigh. <cough> Well..nothin’ much to say besides what I just said, so I shall…talk at y’all later. Bye bye now.”
A Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On So, some of you may have ether heard on the news or experienced it yourself. At around 5:40 AM EDT, I awakened to my bed gently but rapidly rocking back and forth. At first, I thought that I still found myself in a semi-dream state. Indeed, it only lasted for what seemed like a few seconds, though I may have actually slept through the initial seconds of it. (Various reports had it lasting from 10 to 40 seconds.) To confirm that I wasn't just dreaming, I turned on the local news affiliate and, surely enough, they were just beginning to report that others were reporting having experienced various manifestations of that shocking shakiness. :-) I tried to call in and report my own experiences though the phone line was far too busy. In any case, the epicenter was later determined to have been located in southern Illinois and the E.Q. was measured as a 5.4 on the Richter scale.
That makes, let's see, 4 e.q.'s I've experienced in my short life. There was the one in '87, one when I first began attending my undergrad. institution, one in 2002 with its epicenter in the town where I was doing my undergrad work and now this one!
Also, could someone please tell me why I always end up reading the Book of the Revelation during my daily devotional times whenever we have these things? LOL I was actually in the process of reading a chapter from it right when the '02 one happened! Zoinx!
“Hello, all. I haven't posted in a while so I thought I'd give a voice post, even though there's really no reason to. Um, it's just really, well, it's a little chilly out here right now. I'm actually waiting for a rideto get back from a class to my, uh, residence and it smells really good out here; someone's grilling something somewhere and it just so reminds me of spring and lovely weather and I want a hamburger now. Um, [laughs] because it smells like someone's grilling hamburgers. And, there's some lovely music coming out, uh, intermittently from the, uh, music building that I'm right beside here on campus. And, someone's practicing vocalization and their voice is really beautiful. Um, anyway, like I said, it's sort of, sort of chilly but overall decent out here. It's cloud, but, you know, it's , it's, uh, above 32, so, I can't complain. Um, not much else really going on. This semester's getting really hectic, um and, uh, I've got a ton of papers I'm working on at one time and my sleep patterns have been sporadic, and, um, yeah, it's just been that time of the semester again and [wind blowing], so, uh, anyway, not really much of a reason to make a voice post; there's nothing really significant here. I just wish I could pass this lovely of someone grilling something on to you all, um, but, anyway, until Star Trek technology really comes into being, um , that will have to wait. [wind blowing] Uh, uh, OK, can't really think of much else to say, except that I wanna sleep right now. Uh, hope my ride comes soon. I think it will. So, I'll talk to talk to you all later, or write to you all later as the case may be. Bye.”
My Favorite "Boy Band" Ever! Hey, there! I knew the subject line would be enough to grab your attention. I had a bit of free time and was surfing 'round YouTube and came across a video of my most favorite boy choir ever! Seriously, their voices are ANGELIC! They're called Libera and I thought I'd share their beautiful music with those who have never heard them before. The song I'm posting is indeed their signature song. Their music is fairly easy to locate on Amazon and other sources. Here's the link:
This is a version of the Sanctus done to the tune of the Canon. Their voices are so very very pure and most elevating. This choir's music is truly sublime...and I don't say this lightly.
“[singing to the tune of "O Christmas Tree"] Oh number Pi, Oh number Pi,
Your digits are unending,
Oh number Pi, oh number Pi,
No pattern are you sending!
You're three point one four one five nine
And even more if we had time.
Oh number Pi, oh number Pi
For circle lengths unbending.
[ends singing]
Happy Pi Day, everyone! [coughs] I'm sure you loved that lovely little ditty. You can find it all over the place online by the way. These are not original lyrics of mine by any means. Just, uh, look up "Oh Number Pi" and you should be able to find the lyrics anywhere. Uh, anyway, for those of you who don't know, it's also Einstein's birth date, so, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, EINY!!! We love ya! [coughs] In any case, I think I shall celebrate today by finishing a book I've been working on for a while now. Um, it's, uh, physicist, theoretical physicist Brian' Greene's _The Fabric of the Cosmos_ . I would recommend it to anyone who has an interest in theoretical physics and quantum mechanics and all that other nifty stuff. [coughs] Um, in any case, I will probably be finishing that today, so, anyway... Again, happy Pi Day to everyone. Now, go celebrate by making a pie. Bye, all.”
Let's ee here...um...um...3.1415926...er...53...I think...er...58?... Grr... I once had this memorized to nearly 20 decimal places and I just haven't practiced it in so long! (Maybe I should spend half of my day reading that book and the other half of it boning up on my Pi memorization!) Honestly, though, methinks I'll never break the record... I actually have a Pi screensaver that I'll look at occasionally to keep at least some of it in my head. I made that saver myself, as I really couldn't find any others like what I was looking for out there. I simply went to a web page with Pi out to abotu a google (hehe) decimal places and copied as much as I could into the text setup for the Mafquee screensaver. Indeed, it's as easy as Pi (!) to do.
Despite the fact that I am ostensibly a liberal arts major, nothing more, nothing less, I am a complete "closet" science/mathematics enthusiast. I've celebrated Pi Day since at least my SOphomore year in college. I actually sang the above song to one of my Caculus classes that year and my instructor was practically rolling on the floot laughing his rear off! Of course, he was like that anyway; had such a great personality and his enthusiasm was so contageous! He also really went the extra mile to see that I could manage all of the visual elements of the class and that I had every opportunity to succeed and, indeed, to excel.
I said above that I am a "closet" science/mathematics enthusiast. I am such in the conceptual sense of the phrase (especially in terms of mathematics). LOL While I continue to cultivate an interest in the most esoteric areas of mathematics, when it comes to actually messing with equations on paper, you can just about forget it. For one thing, I tend to reverse groups of 2 numbers in my mind all the time, which can make things challenging to say the least. (And this, despite my number-color synesthesia!)
Oh, yes, and NPR had a little snippet on the morning news about the day! Yayness!
In addition to all this, circles / spehres / the like are some of my faaaaaav-orite shapes! Which brings me to my Pi Day (and indeed my FIRST EVER) Poll:
What is your favorite number and why? (Don't answer "Pi" even though it's a poll for Pi Day, unless you *really* mean it!)
OK, so I am way too obssessive...
P.S. This one's for you, johnmill79, since I know how much you like my voice posts! :-)
ETA: OK, so, as I mentioned above, this is my first time creating a poll. Is it actually showing up as a poll for the rest of you or does only the question show up? I'm only seeing the question! Grrrr! How do I get this to work? Anyway, I'm obviously NOT an expert in programming. If it isn't working ofr the rest of you, just submit your answers in the comments.
ETA2: Just checked Facebook and I'm so very sad that they don't have a SuperPoke option to throw a pie at your friends...at least as far as I can tell. The closest thing they had to that was to throw a cake at someone. So, I guess I'll have to settle for the next best thing: ***throws a pie to all of her LJ friends*** Yeppers, I'm obssessive!
“Ahh, hello, all. I'm just [sighs] outside... Actually, I'm home on Spring Break as I mentioned in my previous voice post and just outside in my bakcyard and it's very, very warm today here. It's, like, 64 degrees in the shade. Not sure what it is in the sun, but it's, uh, it's very lovely and it makes one certainly long for spring and then summer. Of course, for me, it's mainly -- I'm longing for spring. Spring is the most -- is my most favorite time of the year , I think, out of any of the seasons. Um, you can hear some birds off, sort of, in the distance, though not many. Our, our chimes are going on. Uh, we have a pair of chimes out by our swing here in the yard and also closer to the house. [dog barks] And a little dog across, er, yeah, across from us is barking. Hold on, let me see if I can get her to bark. Pooch-y! Hey, Poochy! Speak! Poochy! Speak! Oh, Puccini! SPEAK! [laughs] Guess he's not -- [dog barks] Speak! Say it again! [dog barks twice] There ya go! Good girl! Good girl. Yay! I thought she wasn't gonna do it for a minute. Um, anyway, I shall talk with you all later. I'm very much anticipating my return to university on Sunday, I must admit. I - I - I quite enjoy the relaxation for a few days. [dog barks] Wath do you want, Poochy? She's still tryin' to bark at me. [dog barks] As I was saying, (now, she's getting annoying), um, [coughs] as I was saying, I enjoy the relaxation and stuff for a few days and certain the hom cooking, but, uh, um, [dog barks] you know, it's nice to get back to actually doing something once the newness of such things wears off. [dog barks louder] Want a treat, Poochy?! I guess that's what you're wanting, isn't it, 'cuz you know when we're out here, you generally get your treat. What?! What?! Well...? [dog barks loudly] Ah, there y'are! Good ol' hound howl! [barks] OK, Poochy, you can stop, now. Um, [coughs] anyway, I'll talk to y'all later...before this gets too incredibly annoying to you as well. Bye.”
“And a happy Spring Break to everyone, if you all are on Spring Break, that is! As you can hear, (maybe, if my phone is sensitive enough) I'm just kinda...sitting out here...on an exotic Celtic shore listening to a beautiful Celtic floutist serenading me. I'll let you take a listen... [gull calls; waves crashing on the shore; flute song] You can hear the sea-gulls, can't you? [more of the same] Oh, it's so lovely out here! NOT!!! [she coughs] Actually, I'm still awaiting, uh, to, uh, go home, you know, back to my exotic little small town, um, where there's nothing to do. Um, actually, if you could've guessed, I have a recording playing with some cool new agey / Celtic music, but, uh... But, I may have had you going there for a while. Um, in any case, I'm, yeah, still waiting and getting things ready to, uh, to return from university homeward, just to kinda laze around for several days. Yeah, for me, that's vacation enough, so. Anyway, hope everyone is having a wonderful time. Talk to you or write to you all later. Bye.”
“Hello, all. It's, like, 1:30 in the morning right now and I'm still very awake. Um, as some of you may know, I can't really have a lot of caffeine because of a heart condition. I can only have maybe about 45 mg per day, uh, without it starting to make my heart race at over 100 beats a minute at rest and so, um, even the smallest amount of caffeine now can just completely mess with my energy level. Um, I had only about, what?, about maybe 15...20 mg of caffeine in some green tea that I had , some iced green tea, bottled iced green tea that I had about, oh, a good 2, 3, maybe 4 hours ago...and I'm still really awake, even with that small amount. I haven't had any other caffeine today. In any case, you might be hear -- I don't know how good these speakers are -- but you might be able to hear , um, some classical music going on in the background, well, it's classical music , um, with hymns, you know, it's, uh, classically-based hymns, and, um, I was just getting some prayer time in that I haven't had in ages , because I've been so terribly busy, I just haven't had a chance to just sit and ...and meditate and pray, so I've been doing that, to, you know, keep myself occupied while I'm still awake. You know, make make use of the time, as it were...all the time that you have, you know, by doing something productive. Oh, I love this hymn, by the way... [begins softly humming the hymn she is hearing] OK, I'm gonna stop singing now 'cuz I'm probably really off-key and I have a very noticeable alto range, not much range above that. So...especially this time of night. Usually when it gets late at night or when it's early in the morning when I wake up, I have this, um, sort of crackly low voicewhich is rather , rather annoying when you're trying to sing during those times of the day. Not that I make a habit of singing early in the morning or late at night, but, you know, if I ever have occasion , say, in the shower, , um [chuckles], it can be rather interesting. It must be rather interesting when I'm singing opera in the shower late at night and poeple are probably hearing me from upstairs and in the room across from -- rather, beside me. Uh, but I'd hope that I sing well enough to, um, [chuckle], to please them in some way, although like I said with my range the way it is, I probably don't. Uh, yeah, like I said, soprano's not exactly my natural range, but I love just the sound of beautiful soprani, so I try to do my best at imitating and indded emulating them. In any case, I've probably rambled far too long and am taking up a lot of disk space on LiveJournal and y'all's computers, so, um, not much else to say. I just hope I can get to sleep... I have to get up at , at, uh, 7:30 in the morning, and that 7:30 is gonna come very quickly if I don't get to sleep soon. Anyway, I'm gonna go and tryanscribe this and see if it helpes me get to sleep, so I'll talk to you all later. Bye.”
How to Cook a Conductor Some of you have probably heard this before, but for those who are music enthusiasts, it is indeed a humorous treat: http://www.jcarreras.com/fun/jokes010.htm
I just finished listening to this read over NPR's Weekend Radio (http://www.publicradiofan.com/cgibin/program.pl?programid=682 to listen online!), a very funny show that combines quirky classical/classical crossover music with nifty (and often "nerdy") comedy skits.
Last Night's Lunar Eclipse So, here's a time lapse video I found in YouTube of last night's lunar eclipse for those who didn't have a clear view of it last night or for those who want to see an enlarged version. (For those who can't see the image, there's also some informative audio commentary!)
Fortunately, though it was cloudy for much of the rest of the day, it cleared up last night, though I myself had a hard time seeing any remaining light from the moon when it was totally eclipsed.
February MK, why does the fact that the speech on my version of ZoomText incorrectly pronounces February "feb-you-ary" annoy me so much? :-)
Also, why does everyone, from the hickiest hick to the most intellectual of intellectuals insist, contrary to every phonological rule I know, on deleting the -n from "an" before vowels anymore? *sigh*
Oh, yeah, and why can't the Leader of the Free World correctly pronounce "nuclear" after ALL THESE YEARS and ALL THESE NUCLEAR CRISES? (I'll give him credit; at least Obama can do that!) *shakes head*
Current Mood: nerdy Current Music:Anderson Cooper 360
Has your family tried 'em? Yep, that's right. It's now time for...the long awaited post-APHC blog entry!
Before my family and I went to the show, we went out to TGI Fridays -- a restaurant whose steaks I have only recently begun to love. I had an 8-ouncer along with a few glasses of the Blackstone Merlot.
So, the show was spectacular, as you could've guessed. 'Twas loaded with Indiana / IU references (as those of you who listened likely noted). We were sitting practically center in the second row back from the stage. They really hyped IU's music department (more music than skits, actually), but the performers were spectacular; I saw many-a-violinist tonight. Heh. The IU music department was included in many of the skits (most notably the Guy Noir one)
To top it all off, GK had a blind pianist who just joined IU's music department on to perform. His name's Ignasi and, while I have known of his presence here at IU for some time now, I only got to meet him for the first time after the show. Go us blindies! :-)
After the show, I got to mingle with the cast at that V.I.P. reception I mentioned in my earlier post...though there were actually quite a few people there. I briefly met Tim Russel and talked a good amount of time with Rich Dworsky (whom I "idolize" as a pianist!) and Fred Newman (their travelling sound effects guy). When I introduced myself to Dworsky as a 3rd year graduate student in Classical Studies, he, naturally, assumed that I was speaking of music rather than antiquity, but, when I clarified the matter, he started spouting off the limited Ecclesiastical Latin he know (Not quite sure where he picked it up.). My parents and some others we knew took some pics of me with these folks. (I'll have to get them off our cell phones / cameras and post them up here some time soon!)
Finally, the big moment arrived when Garrison came onto the scene. Everyone completely crowded around the poor guy...myself included. The Big Man talked with folks and signed things. When I got up there, again, I introduced myself as a 3rd year classics student and he was like, "Do you know of Fr. Reginald Foster?" (!!!) And I was like, "OMg, yeah!" (though not in such overly-emotional/enthusiastic terms) He apparently knows the guy somewhat well, though I didn't have time to ask precisely how GK came to know SF... Heh. I was wearing a Lake Wobegon hat with the town's Latin logo ("sumus quid sumus") on it and he signed it for me while my folks took pictures.
So, now, I have 2 (count 'em!) autographed pieces of memorabilia! The first one was his Pretty Good Joke Book that I had sent to me after having gotten a joke on the air during one of his joke shows (about five years ago now).
Having met all of those people, I am so glad that I didn't turn into a giddy little school girl -- a situation in which I was terrified that I was going to find myself!
The only person we couldn't find during the reception was Sue Scott. :-( But, yeah, overall, 'twas a marvellous evening.
After the show, my family and I briefly stopped at Starbucks and I picked up a decaf late (which I'd been craving for a while).
Then, I returned to campus and my parents departed. And, here I am now, writing this and wondering if I left anything out. Hopefully not.
Oh, yes, and the acoustics in the IU Auditorium were much, much better than those at Purdue. :-p
“Hello, all. I'm just, um, walking back from having grabbed some breakfast this morning, and, um... [cardinal song] ...I don't know if you can hear it, but it sounds like spring out here! It's really amazing... [cardinal song] ... I don't know if you can hear that but I- I'm hearing a cardinal that's right up next to me, uh, singing a lovely little song and there are some other birds around, too. I haven't heard this many birds in a long time... [cardinal song] ...Haha. Sorry. I have to keep on letting you hear this beautiful cardinal. Um, but, uh, anyway, just thought I'd say "hello" to everyone... [cardinal song] ... Hahaha. Um, (another cardinal), uh [inaudible], but, anyway... What was I going to say? Ah, yes. Um, I'm planning on going ot see a lovely little public radio programto which I have been devoted for almost 2 years -- excuse me -- 10 years, and, um, basically, um, I've been listening to it religiously for that amount of time. Uh, it's called A Prairie Home Companion (I'm sure that some of you will know what I'm talking about.), and the - the - the crew and all that are - are performing , um, live here at the IU Auditorium tonight starting at 5:45, and I am *so* terribly looking forward to it, you have no idea, although I did see one in, uh, when they came to Purdue about, um...five years ago or so but the a... [cardinal song] ...the acoustics in that auditorium were just dreadful. I'm mean that - that university is supposed to be known for civil engineering, um, but, um, yeah, whoiever designed that auditorium ... [cardinal song] ...should not be a civil engineer, hehe, if they were. Um, but, anyway, I'm - I'm very much looking forward to it. But, I'm actually attending a V.I.P. reception afterward... [cardinal song] ...um, with the cast and all that, so I shall either leave a voice post or write to tell ya how it went after I get back from there. (trying to wait for another cardinal sound here) [cardinal song] Ah, lovely little cardinal, sing your song! Uh, anyway, I'm like totally getting nostalgic for last spring and summer and I'm hoping that, um, that these seasons come quickly. [cardinal song] Hahahahaha. I can;'t believe it's not shutting up when I'm sitting here talking right next to it. Uh, [sighs], anyway, I shall...talk with you or write to you all later! Bye!”
ETA: So, yeah, that was indeed a lovely start to today, at least as compared to the beginning of yesterday... I mean, though ti's cold (it was below freezing when I recorded that voice post), it is so lovelily (Doesn't that just trip off the tongue?) sunny out today!So, needless to say, that little morning blessing has utterly destroyed my crappy mood of yesterday (though a call from a long-time friend last night was also helpful). GO OBAMA! Well, not really, but...
The Obamanon OK, this has been bugging the stuff out of me for at least the past few days now.
I am getting a little tired of all of this hype about Obama.
(Before I go on, please note that the following is just my, albeit passionately-expressed, opinion and people have every right to disagree. In fact, I would encourage comments and even corrections whwere I may be making inaccurate statements! But, please keept it rational and civil.)
From what I have observed, Obama is a mere rhetorician, albeit a moving one, but he is nothing more. I shall admit to having been taken in by his rhetorical skill when he spoke at that now famous Democratic National Convention and I even vaguely recall commenting that he would make a great comment. Not so much anymore. I ask you, "where is the policy?" Sure, he speaks of "change", but "change" in/to what? I just don't see much substance. And, when I *do* see substance, his substance appears strikingly similar to Hillary's substance.
In addition, it seems that much of his support is based largely on a kind of cult of personality and, if he winds up being president, that and if he ever tries overstepping constitutional boundaries (which may, admittedly, be a big IF), that could get dangerous really fast.
To me, he seems like an overly-ambitious upstart who thinks (and is apparently quite correct) that he can move the masses with empty rhetoric. I mean, the whole phenomenon surrounding him is, frankly, downright spooky!
Sure, maybe many Americans are tired of "Washington as usual" and are ready for a less cynical, more optimistic message, but we nevertheless need to keep our heads on straight.
And, what about all of these influential organizations' and super-delegates' endorsements? Maybe they just think that he (rather thab Hillary) can beat McCain during the general election? I certainly hoep that their reasoning is that logical...
Sure, if he winds up winning the nomination, I'll vote for him. I'm certainly not voting for McCain.
The Media has been promoting the notion that most democrats who are for Hillary aren't against Obama and vice versa. Pssh! Am I the only one who feels so strongly about this?
I'm for Hillary.
ETA: Much of this rant-esque posting may be related to general post-Valentine's Day angst. Add to that the news of another school shooting, this time even closer to my terrain. (They'll probably find that it in some way related to Valentine's Day and some relationship or other of the shooter's having gone awry. When will it ever end?)
Indeed, I have been in a more than a little crappy mood all day today. So, with this in mind, take it as you will.
Now, I'm gonna grab myself some Golden Peak Green Iced Tea; the stuff seems always the improve my mood.
Creepy Mouse Pad *Twilight Zone music*
MK, guys... Have any of you ever gotten a tingly sensation in your fingers from touching your laptop's touchpad? this has happened on a number of occasions and it's really starting to creep me out. Now, guys, I'm only a little liberal arts major and only cultivate an amateur interest in the sciences, so, WTW (what in the world) is going on here and is it dangerous?
The Super Bowl GO GIANTS!!!! YAY-UH!!!!! That is such sweet revenge...especially after what they did to our Colts (previously) perfect season... Go Eli! Go Eli!
Just wanted to let y'all know I just downloaded LJ Talk! I'm usually on from 11:30 PM - 12:30 AM (EST), so if anyone wants to chat, feel free to voice or IM me!
A, Shall We Say, Cuter Link OK, so I'm a little less irate now... *slight grin*
In any case, I must admit that the following web site is pretty cute, even if her mom's put her up to it simply for the attention. A little kid doing the news...who was ON the news (CNN, to be precise) a while back as well:
![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
aurora_nebulosa's journal
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