Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in BlackPaws' LiveJournal:

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Saturday, May 10th, 2008
4:28 am	Happy birthday, Sarah!!! *HUG* Current Mood: chipper (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Wednesday, April 9th, 2008
11:29 pm	I finally fully join the 21st century... For a long, LONG time, my main browser and mail client was Netscape 7.4. I stuck with it all this/that time because I had no other mail client I particularly wanted to use, and it was incorporated into my browser. Finally, I started using Firefox last year. But since it didn't have a mail client built-in, I still used Netscape (7.4, recall) for mail. I considered Thunderbird, but the native profile transfer ability caused an irretrievable hanging of the program. Well, after finally realizing just how easy it was to take my mail and addresses from Netscape to Thunderbird without going through any profile transferring whatsoever (just copy a few files and paste them into another folder), I am now Netscape free. No longer am I using a years-old version of a browser whose support has ceased. I am now fully vested in open source software that works and is easy to back up. Finally. :D Current Mood: accomplished (Comment on this)
Friday, March 14th, 2008
6:36 pm	Any economists out there? Or those interested in economics? Because I've come across a couple of things I'd like opinions on. (And I'd like to apologize to one of my friends in advance for this "pessimistic" post. :D) E-mail me if you're unable to comment here, or post to your own journal if you're unable to do that. I really am interested in opinions. 1) James Howard Kunstler's The Long Emergency is one of several books of an emerging "industry" in discussing peak oil. Kunstler is especially pessimistic; in his view, oil production is declining, even crashing. It's too late to find any sort of viable alternative that will allow the world to function the way it is. The inescapable result is BILLIONS of deaths as food and other imports become unavailably expensive (especially, I'm sure, on islands like Hawaii and NEW ZEALAND - see, Mr. Croft, THAT is pessimistic >:D), world war over oil, and (I kid you not; read my first link) the sacking of California by overseas pirates. In an NPR interview, he sees this happening within the next FIVE YEARS. The more outlandish predictions aside (Kunstler has apparently long had a burr in his saddle over the wastefulness of suburbia), what're your thoughts on how bad the oil thing is going to get? To you technology buffs, is it truly much too late to see any viable alternative before the whole system goes kablooey? 2) Many experts, looking at the housing bubble collapse and the subprime debacle, seem to think we're headed for another Great Depression. The Fed's recent rate-cutting is seen as a major panic in the highest level of government, which is seen as evidence that we're spiraling towards an economic collapse unseen since the 1930's. Any truth to this? Current Mood: thoughtful (6 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, February 27th, 2008
11:55 pm	A gripe... I was sharing with Leo earlier... The price of gas is up a quarter a gallon in just 26 days. And there are all sorts of buzzing and message board threads around about just how bad things are going to get, economically. I'm currently freelancing/hoping to work in an industry that makes definite NON-essential stuff, so it does make me concerned (though the actual company I mainly deal with now is owned by a big corporation, which I suppose is one of those times when such a thing is GOOD). Hopefully things'll be okay... Current Mood: annoyed (Comment on this)
Tuesday, February 26th, 2008
6:38 pm	Message board quote that got me thinking... Believing absurd things with no proof is stupid. And people should look down on those who do. ... I simply don't smile and pretend like the ludicrous idea of theism is a fair choice. It's a childish choice and I find those that choose it unworthy of respect. I know perfectly nice religious people and I'm friends with at least two, but I certainly don't respect their intellectual integrity or reason. The quote above is typical of some militant atheists on this particular message board who believe that faith itself (as it relates to the "supernatural" or non-scientific, not in people) is a harmful thing that bespeaks of irrationality and intellectual bankruptcy. I know many folks who believe in were-type stuff are atheists (insofar as the strictest definition of the word - not believing in God). Still, as anyone who knows me well knows, I tend to latch onto things that make me doubt, and this is one of them. I obviously won't start to look down on anyone I know and like, but it certainly doesn't do my own already shaky faith much favors. Any thoughts from the faithful? :) Current Mood: thoughtful (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Friday, February 15th, 2008
6:21 pm	Random thoughts and bits! Just to fill in the public listing for this LJ, how about some of what's been going through my brain lately! * I admittedly don't know much about global politics and economy, but this old Atlantic article has me pretty worried. Granted, it doesn't take much to do THAT, but the thought of national economic collapse (especially what that means for the people I love and the companies I enjoy/work for) is pretty mind-blowing for me. Anyone have any thoughts on this? (geistbear, feel free to e-mail me instead if you have anything to share, but can't comment here. :D) * My upstairs neighbor broke up (rather messily) with her boyfriend. On Monday night, he spent about an hour, maybe an hour and a half, standing or sitting outside her door, knocking every three minutes or so and begging for her to open the door. It only ended when she finally opened the door to yell at him and slam it shut in his face. Of course, since the wall with the front doors is the same one right next to my head in the bedroom, I heard all this. It sounded, and felt, pathetic. Did I mention this started at around 2 in the morning? I felt like going out there and yelling, "Dude, she doesn't want to see you. Go away." OTOH, at least I know my upstairs neighbor's name (Liz). * If you like puzzles, and have a Nintendo DS, you must, must MUST pick up "Professor Layton and the Curious Village." Do it. Now. * Didja know that if it's really cold somewhere, that proves global warming doesn't exist? (Well, it doesn't, but I hear this from certain places enough that I'm mighty sick of it. :P) * I'm hoping to see a different accountant for taxes this year. For my '05 taxes, I owed a certain amount, but got ALL of it back from the IRS months later. For my '06 taxes, I don't believe my income changed in a significant way, but I paid about the same amount (or a little more) and have gotten NONE of it back. I have no idea why, but I hope/suspect a new accountant can take a look and tell me. * Still no substantial updates on the job front, but there are a couple of irons in the fire I hope will develop into SOMETHING, even if temporary/low paying. But I got paid (relatively) early for a recent freelance bit, which is good. (If any of you hear anything that would fit me, lemme know!) That's it for now. More as it develops! Current Mood: okay (Comment on this)
Monday, December 3rd, 2007
6:38 pm	*pounds head against brick wall* When you're applying to nine different jobs one after the other in a short time, errors can creep in. So of COURSE, the one cover letter where I accidentally refer to another job title is the one for the Word Processor position, where accuracy is vital, which I trumpeted in the rest of the cover letter, and one of the ones I thought I was actually qualified for! I think the response I got, "we don't have any [wrong title] positions open," was a gentle way of saying, "we don't think you can use you, 'cause you screwed up." Gah! Current Mood: frustrated (Comment on this)
Wednesday, October 10th, 2007
6:42 pm	Man, I feel like a heel... Background: On Wednesdays, I usually go out to browse a local comic store and bookstore. I generally stay out 'til about 4. Today, I lingered at the bookstore and went grocery shopping. Further background: My grandparents are visiting my aunt. I drove up Sunday night to visit, a road trip of some 70 miles or so (and on 45 minutes sleep, no less). I left Monday, and forgot to call when I got back. But I figured, on some level, that they'd assume I got back. When I left my apartment this afternoon, I was eating lunch when I realized I'd forgotten my cel phone at home. Ehh, forget it, I thought. Who'd be calling me? When I got home, I found six messages on my cel phone and four on my answering machine. Eight were frfrom my grandmother, frantic because she hadn't heard anything from me. The other two were from my uncle and aunt (the latter ducked out of a meeting to take a call from my grandmother) asking me to call her! Please note I'm over thirty. But man, I feel like a huge putz. It figures that the ONE Wednesday in the past month I don't bring my cel phone, this happens. She's over eighty, and I worried her so much! Granted, it was a pretty needless worry, at base - I mean, I am an adult - but still! (I wonder if this is where I get my tendencies from...? :) Current Mood: guilty (Comment on this)
Monday, October 1st, 2007
9:31 pm	Stephen Colbert is right! According to a poster on Slashdot: The Nunavut language has a special word that means "bears are evil", for which there is no English equivalent, as we have no special word that refers specifically to the type of evil that can only be associated with a bear. Smart people, those Nunavut. Current Mood: amused (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Tuesday, September 4th, 2007
4:14 pm	Job possibility... Hmmm... It's doing writing for a traffic-related website. A couple of interesting things about it: 1) It's part time - the hours are 6 AM to 9 AM. This is obviously because of the nature of a traffic website. The job might get more hours in the future. 2) It's a 30 to 40 drive from my apartment. Of course, at those hours, the traffic is likely to be pertty good. It starts at $12/hour. I'm inclined to pursue it further, but I wonder if it might be better for me to hold out for a full time job. As it is, this would be JUST shy of covering my rent. Ah, well, I'm just gonna express interest and refuse later if anyone can point out a reason this might be a bad idea, or if it just doesn't go well. Current Mood: contemplative (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, August 22nd, 2007
11:49 pm	Job hunt musings... Trying to think of different things to do with it, or some other way to jump start it. Any thoughts? I search a lot online, of course, and I have gotten occasional leads from it, but none have come to fruition yet - they often involve experience I don't have (but that'd be true in any case). I'm in contact with multiple contracting agencies, none of which have turned up anything for me in years. There's an employment service place (I think it's one of those government funded places; not sure) near my apartment, but it deals mostly in blue collar stuff. Any other ideas? Current Mood: confused (Comment on this)
Saturday, July 28th, 2007
12:48 am	*sniffsniff* Damn. I smell something vaguely like cooking and vaguely like burning, but I have no idea where it's coming from. It seems too late for it to be coming from outside, through my open window. Because of this odd buzzing I heard once or twice earlier (something like scratching velvet with fingernails very quickly three times?), I thought it might be coming from my computer, but I can't tell. It seems to be working fine so far - the HD itself confirms to check out, thanks to its internal diagnostics. Heck, I can't connect either smell or noise to the computer for sure anyway. The thing's over six years old, but it's a Mac, which is good for longevity. :) Hmmm. I guess I'll either find out what it is soon, or it'll become irrelevant... Current Mood: confused (Comment on this)
Sunday, July 1st, 2007
12:24 am	Password blues... I just have too many. I try to leave myself oblique clues to them, but often it doesn't help, and I end up getting even MORE irate when the password I *think* the clues lead to doesn't pan out. How do you all deal with this? Current Mood: frustrated (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Tuesday, May 29th, 2007
10:14 pm	Good free webhosting? A recent discussion has gotten me interested again in a personal website. What's a good place I can put it for free? I know about GeoCities, but I've heard some not-nice things about it, so if you know of better alternatives (or think that GeoCities ain't that bad), please let me know! Input appreciated! Current Mood: curious (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Thursday, May 24th, 2007
4:20 am	Resume thoughts... I've been told by a non-employer reader that my resume, frankly, suxx0rs. Now, it's been in front of more professional eyes without a word, but that may be more of a bad thing than good. It's also gotten me a few interviews and such, but, of course, that doesn't mean it can't be better. Quite the opposite; I'm sure it probably can be. Any general ideas on how to 'sell myself' on this thing? I could use some suggestions; I'm always feeling like I'm not qualified enough everywhere I look, like the job description is glowering at me and telling me to look elsewhere. Also, given my concentration of most of my career in one industry, any help getting that first major job in another industry will be more than welcome. Thanks in advance! Current Mood: thoughtful (Comment on this)
Wednesday, May 9th, 2007
1:16 am	Happy birthday, Sarah!!! Enjoy enjoy enjoy! *hugs!!* Current Mood: chipper (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Sunday, May 6th, 2007
5:52 pm	So, comic book author Robert Kirkman... Has: * A superhero title (Invincible), which is very popular. * A horror title (Walking Dead), which is very popular. And his newest creation? * A superhero/horror title (The Astounding Wolf-Man - involving a werewolf protagonist, of course). See a progression there? Wonder if the popularity will follow? (PS for those interested: First issue was given away free yesterday for Free Comic Book Day, and the second issue hits in July.) Current Mood: predatory (Comment on this)
Thursday, May 3rd, 2007
10:43 pm	Random philosophical musing... Y'know, I've come close to death a couple of times. Sometimes, when I lie awake at night and I remember those times, I wonder: did I really die then? Is this thing I think I'm living now just some sort of purgatory to test me, or a last-second dream before the final curtain? But then I decide that the world is too screwed up and strange to be anything but the creation of mortals. :) Current Mood: weird (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Wednesday, May 2nd, 2007
11:25 am	Happy birthday, kjaeros!!! *insert appropriate Kojak quote here!* Current Mood: jubilant (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Saturday, January 27th, 2007
4:53 pm	Happy birthday, Ipequey! Celebrate something fierce, now! :D Current Mood: jubilant (Comment on this)