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| Most of this journal is open, but I'm in the middle of an issue that I'm keeping friendlocked right now. For that reason, I'm not adding new friends unless I know them already from elsewhere. I hope this is a temporary thing so I can get back to adding people soon. It's nothing personal at all, just me being overly cautious. So feel free to friend me, but if I don't friend back, don't assume it's anything against you...I'll add you when I can. | ||||||
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Blatherings
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November 4th, 2009
July 23rd, 2008
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| NPH singing but soooooo not Dr. Horrible, in case anyone needs a fix. | ||||
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July 20th, 2008
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| I was googling around for clothes line options and came across this story that, once again, makes me yearn for my homeland: Ontario wants to end clothesline ban by summer | ||||||
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July 19th, 2008
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Two cool lego-related things I gacked from ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} indomitability a month ago and kept meaning to share but kept forgetting until now...http://www.gravestmor.com/strips/es http://gizmodo.com/5014234/artist-repai The second almost looks like an overlay because of the contrast between the lego and the real bricks. | ||||
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July 18th, 2008
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| Part III of Dr Horrible is up now! http://drhorrible.com/act_III.html And remember, it all goes away on Sunday... | ||||
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| I'm going to start making an effort to look at flist again daily by keeping a window open for it. I know I've been bad for ages, pretty much since Peo was born. But I'm trying to get more computer time for me, in and around other life issues (which hopefully will be over with soon so I can do a mega-update), so we'll see how it goes. I will still have to be somewhat selective in reading and commenting, probably focusing more on my closest friends and my parent friends than others. No offense meant to anyone else. If big stuff has happened to you since I last read your stuff, I'll try to skim backwards and catch up, but again, I can't make any promises, so please don't be mad if I ask what's up. If I'm asking, it's because I like you and care and I feel bad about not being caught up with you. As always, I am not going to be a slave to a cosmic comment count...if it bugs you that I don't comment enough on your stuff, feel free to defriend me. | ||||
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| Over the monitor, I just heard Peo happily singing in her bed (or more likely under it...since the bars came off she goes under there ALL THE TIME...it's eerie, you go to get her up and and hear a baby talking from the bed but there's no baby there, like creepy ghost baby). Anyway, the important part is that she just made up her own complete song, as in, multiple musical lines that vary and then come to a conclusion. The words were just, "la la la I love my duckie" over and over again, but she repeated it 6 times, different notes each time but in a clear melody, and on the last line she ended with a flourish. I guess someone inherently understands the basics of musical construction now. :) And yes, I know, I need to find a way to hook up a recording device to the monitor... | ||||||
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July 17th, 2008
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| Joss Whedon's latest fun: http://drhorrible.com/index.html | ||||
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July 15th, 2008
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| Not dead, just swamped. News to come soon, we hope. In the meantime, spied this today: When Building Green Harms The Environment and the slideshow I've long been bugged by bogus green/natural claims, and they're getting worse. It should have been a good thing to have green living catching on, but it's turning out to be a lame and useless fad like everything else. Then in the long run when it doesn't work, the average dumbass consumer will blame environmentalists instead of recognizing that their own ignorance was to blame. Gahhh. It's one thing to make an informed trade off or make a slightly less green choice than someone else because your reasonable lifestyle demands it, but just wantonly consuming more products because they call themselves "green" is really pathetic. Like Sierra Club endorsing Clorox's new so-called green cleaners, which so aren't green and are made by a company whose very name indicates poison. Grrrrrr, teh stoooopid (and the bleach), it burrrnnnnnzzzz! | ||||||
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July 5th, 2008
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| GAHHHHHHH The moving truck was supposed to be here Thursday. Fuckers didn't even send it out of Vegas until Monday and only after we complained. Now we're hoping it'll be here this coming Monday. This means we have no toys for Peo other than the few we brought in the car, no furniture other than the air bed and Peo's mattress, hardly any food prep implements, no TV, no computers (using Corran's work machine right now, since the cable guy was just here, FINALLY...didn't even have internet until 20 minutes ago), etc. So I still can't check email (well I could log on the web end but it sucks and doesn't sort spam so I'm not wading through thousands of unfiltered spam messages, that would be stupid), so don't expect replies from me any time soon. And here I finally got some net time for the first time in forever and from the wailing in the other room I gather that Peo has knocked over her duckie head cup and spilled juice (precious last servings of Trader Joe's stuff we brought in the car with us) and from Corran's grumblings it sounds like she may have broken her duck head cup too so my first chance to be online is being cut brutally short. THIS SUCKS ASS. PS phone still doesn't work after AT&T being out here twice already, Sears couldn't connect the dryer because of an ancient gas line issue so we had to have a plumber come in to do that at a cost of an extra $150, and there have been a pile of other problems. IT HAS NOT BEEN FUN. | ||||||
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June 29th, 2008
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| I have discovered how to do a reasonably good impression of both Ernie and Bert's voices. 1) You have to be driving up and down significant elevation changes so your sinuses get all inflamed and impacted. 2) This should be through dry country so your throat is also sore and a bit swollen. 3) You should be on your second hour of listening to Ernie and Bert singing. 4) For Bert, squeeze the song through your blocked nose as much as possible with a grimace on your face as well. For Ernie, open the back of your mouth and throat as if you're about to yawn but don't open your jaw/lips enough to yawn. 5) Now sing. It's actually kind of creepy how good I got it. | ||||
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June 26th, 2008
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| I will be offline for about a week and not answering any email, posts, etc. | ||||
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June 22nd, 2008
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| Corran just informed me that Peo was watching her new Muppet Show Season 3 DVDs while he was making dinner, and when Alice Cooper came on, she watched briefly but then got freaked out and ran away into the other room. He says he had to spend quite some time consoling her (although apparently she was not actually crying...I would have heard that and gone downstairs myself) and she's okay now but apparently no fan of Alice Cooper! | ||||||
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June 21st, 2008
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| Parenthood is staying up beyond the point of exhaustion late at night sorting through piles/bins of toys looking for the Boober/Wembley car out of the Fraggle car set you gave your kid a few weeks before, because you're already on thin ice having convinced said child to not flip out at the missing car earlier in the day and you KNOW if you go to bed without finding it, you're going to have to find it before anything else can get done the next day, and do it at that point with the toddler screaming in tortured anguish the entire time. Not to mention the toddler following you around dumping out bins you'd already sorted. But we found Boober/Wembley. They are now reunited with Mokie, Red, and Gobo on the living room table. Hopefully this will make for a peaceful morning. zzzzzzzzzzzz......... | ||||||
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The Electric Car Lives
But this is the bit that I want to highlight in particular:
Is this true? Because I've wanted an electric car for ages, and probably would have bought one by now if they had been available in my area at a price I could afford, and neither has even been close. I'd have to make sure it's safe, fits our needs (ie can put a kid in the back seat safely, doesn't make me motion-sick with a digital display, etc.), but in general, I want one. Out of curiosity, how many of you would buy a totally electric car like the one described in the article, assuming you could afford it and it was on sale where you live? Poll #1208726 Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All Would you buy a fully electric car as described in the article if you could afford it and it was available in your area?
View Answers 100% Yes, absolutely, and only the lack of availability/affordability has kept me from buying one already. 75% Probably, but I'd have to check it out in more detail first just to be sure. 50% Perhaps, but I'd need a lot of reassurance to be comfortable. 25% Hmmm...interesting concept, but probably not for me. I wouldn't totally rule it out, but chances are I wouldn't buy one. 0% Absolutely not. I have zero interest in an electric car. If you probably or definitely wouldn't consider an electric car, why not?
View Answers Looks/styling aren't appealing to me. It's not "sexy" to drive an electric car because it's like a golf cart. Doesn't fit my hauling/passenger requirements. I don't want this or any other car, because I don't drive and have no intention of ever driving. I worry that I'd run out of power on the road. I worry that I'd forget to plug it in at night, or I don't want to have to plug it in. I don't believe there's sufficient gain in an electric car as long as my electricity is produced by burning coal or through other polluting means. I lack confidence in the ability of the car to operate properly relative to a regular car. The whole concept is new and scary to me, so I don't want to get involved in it at all. I worry it would cost more to maintain/repair than a regular car. I worry that it's less safe than a regular car. Other (please state in comments). For the record, if you do want one and are getting frustrated by the constant media coverage that says nobody wants one, make a point of telling car dealers that this is what you want. When we were shopping for Corran's car and choosing between a Prius and a Fit, we made it absolutely clear that fuel efficiency was our top concern. When the Prius dealer told us in an uber-reassuring voice that we wouldn't need to plug it in at night (presumably this is a concern they get a lot, because we didn't ask about that, he just said it), I responded that I'd be happy to do that for a higher-efficiency vehicle. Only when enough of us make it clear to the auto makers and sellers directly that we want change will they bother to change. These people aren't environmentalists or even oil company lackeys...they are interested in one thing only: PROFIT. Indicate that you will buy something, and if they get enough numbers, they'll make what we want. Another thing to do is seek out surveys regarding car buying/driving and make sure your voice is heard. I've been doing polls for several big, reliable companies for years now and I get excited whenever they ask me about cars because I've long had the opportunity to scream out for higher fuel economy long before the recent price hike made it fashionable. Believe it or not, companies will often come around to do what we want if we make it clear enough that it's in their economic interest to do so. But it takes many voices, so if this is something you want, even if you can't buy it today, speak up and be heard. | ||||||
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7 (33.3%)
June 17th, 2008
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| WTF? Who in their right mind uses lead on CHILDREN'S CLOTHING?!! GAHHHH! The Children’s Place Recalls Camouflage Pajama Sets Due to Excessive Lead | ||||||
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| Finally taking a break long enough to read the gazillion articles I've had open for ages. Here are the ones worth sharing: Germans eye kindergarten for next engineers Duracar Delivers with Eco-Trucking Although I did find it so typically American that the writer says, "This niche may lack the sex appeal of sports cars or SUVs..." Gahh. Only dumbasses find sex appeal in gas-guzzlers. Should Government Aircraft Spray Chemicals on Residential Areas? Big no from me on that one, thanks. I don't like a lot of bugs but I like poison even less, and while I can live with ecofriendly ground-level pest control, I don't want to be inhaling it, and I sure as hell don't want it being dropped on my property without my consent. Hypermilers Push the Limits of Fuel Efficiency I hadn't heard of the pulse-and-glide thing...not sure I want to try it, though, because of the steering and braking being off. What would be nice is if the engine itself could be programmed to do that in a safe way for entire vehicle operation. Looks like it's better suited for the Prius than my Civic. BTW, on gas prices...I'm totally fine with them being high. Really. We own a Civic and a Prius. Fuck anyone who bought an SUV and was happy to waste three years ago and is now boo-hooing high gas prices. You're the asshats who helped bring on the higher demand, idiots. And as always, I don't want to hear any boo-hooing about how you HAVE to have an SUV. You don't. I know extremely obese people who drive much smaller, much lighter, much more fuel-efficient vehicles, so size doesn't count. I shop at Costco just fine in a Civic so don't give me hauling BS. There are offroad-capable vehicles with decent MPGs for those who need to go offroad. As far as I'm concerned, gas should cost MORE. If it gets high enough, maybe the US will actually start implementing better public/shared transit systems. Hah, yeah, I know...wishful thinking... DARPA Wants 'Fracture Putty' To Fix Broken Bones That sounds cool. Must consider for Colonial books application...although actually it's already written into two storylines that their standard way of fixing broken bones is a quick-acting-then-dying nanobot application (all other nanotech in the Colony is heavily regulated to guard against unwanted replication and all of those other potential hazards). But I've got a storyline in a later book where for a particular reason that isn't available, so this is verrrrrrrrrry interesting... How to harvest solar power? Beam it down from space! The next batch are all via Craftzine's blog, which I stumbled on awhile ago looking for something in particular (and I do subscribe to the paper magazine). Wish I had time to read it all the time, but I don't! Very cool toy kitchen made from recycled cardboard Circuit Boards and Sprinkles - cool jewelry made with resin Soft toy Guggenheim Make a Robotic Snap-O-Lantern! - I really need to learn how to do some of this basic robotic stuff. Yarn from old newspapers by Greetje van Tiem Flower Pot Canisters - brilliant! Cute skeleton paper doll template Building a Robotic Dalek Pumpkin DIY: Eco Chopstick Birdhouse How to make a sponge ball (less wasteful alternative to water balloons) Lucky Ducky Freebie pattern (sewing) Recycled Denim Fiesta Skirt: A Tutorial - been meaning to do stuff with some of Peo's old pants that are too short in the leg but still nicely fit the cloth-diaper-butt, and will presumably later fit when her actual butt is bigger and in underwear. And I'm stopping there because there's wayyyy too much good stuff on that blog and I have to get back to work. | ||||||
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June 16th, 2008
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| Despite the fact that I'm far too busy with that friendlocked project to be thinking of other things, my brain has decided to start pondering Peo's birthday cake in October (because yes, the cakes I do take that kind of time to plan out). Assuming she's still obsessed with Fraggles and/or other muppets at that point, I'd like to do something along those lines. But I don't want to have their hair be gobs of icing; I want something more fuzzy-looking, like the ostrich feathers that float in the air on the real Fraggles. So I was pondering different possible ways to do that...maybe learning how to do spun sugar, other sugar techniques, etc. Just now before getting her up I figured I'd do a quick Google search on making sugar hair in cake decorating. Um...what does it say about me as a cake decorator that when I Google for information, my own website comes up fourth? It's not actually related directly, it's the Orc Head thing and it mentions how I made the hair for that, but it's kind of eerie to be looking for advice and not be able to escape my own stuff! Oi. | ||||||
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June 15th, 2008
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| I have to confess something...I don't understand the obsession with knitting blogs. I get having a blog and if you're into knitting, talking about your knitting. I even get having a blog that's exclusively about knitting, since some folks don't like to mix all of their personas. I've been asked many times to start a knitting blog and I keep telling people that my knitting stuff is in my regular blog along with my politics and parenting stuff, because that all matters in my life and I don't have time to separate it out, nor do I wish to. Those who want to read about my knitting without the rest of it can use the knitting tag. But apparently knitters are supposed to blog regularly, possibly even daily, about what they knit, their progress on projects, what they're designing if they are designers, etc. That's totally cool if people want to do that, but for me, I'd rather spend my time KNITTING than blogging about it. And really, would anyone want to read my daily updates about knitting? Okay, I'll concede that there are major knitting celebrities out there who do get read by gobs of loyal fans. I know this because I hear it talked about it in knitting groups. I knew someone who was positively giddy about getting to meet the Yarn Harlot in person. But I honestly don't get being that into reading so many knitting blogs, and certainly not of just any knitter following any pattern day after day. I sort of get reading about the construction process as a learning tool, I guess, or maybe pattern reviews, but any time I've gone and read some of the big-name knitting blogs because someone has told me I absolutely had to do so, I find that I'm really not all that interested. A lot of it seems to be about going to knitting conventions or festivals and hob-nobbing with other big names in knitting. I honestly don't care about any of that. I just want to knit. And on the designer side, I might post about something I'm designing if I'm looking for input, but most of the time I prefer to keep my designs secret until they're ready so I don't get someone else swooping in, stealing my idea, finishing it first, and claiming it as their own (and this TOTALLY happens in any craft...all the crafters reading will know a story of it...plus someone did try to do it to me on a major pattern but I got wind of it and beat her to the punch). So I'm not going to talk about anything in a blog that I don't want to be used against me. I was just interviewed for one of the big knitting magazines and they wanted to know what science-mathy thing I'd do next, but all I'd give them were vague hints because I don't have time to work on it right this second and I don't want someone else to get the idea and do it first. Anyway, point is, I don't get the obsession with knitting blogs. But then, I don't get the obsession with lots of blogs in general. I get reading what your friends and family are up to and what opinions they have on current events. I get reading blogs by experts who review products or things like that. I get reading sensible political blogs, although I seriously don't understand how people spend so much time snarking each other in comments in completely useless ways. I certainly don't understand the need, much less the ability, to comprehensively read a bazillion blogs each day...I guess some people have a LOT more free time than I do. Hell, I don't even have time to make this post, really. I suppose I get podcasts more, in terms of knitting, because at least you can knit while listening/watching the podcast. I've been asked to start a podcast several times, but I have no idea what I'd say. "Um...hi...this is me knitting. Still knitting. Whoops, now I'm purling. Back to knitting. This is going to be...um...can't tell you yet. Hang on a second while I write down some notes for the pattern. There. Yup, back to knitting. Now this is me getting bored of podcasting my knitting and instead turning on a good movie to knit to. Stop watching me and go watch something more interesting." Seriously...why do people want me to blog and podcast about my knitting when that's pretty much what it would be? eta: just to be clear, I'm not saying people shouldn't blog. Don't snark me and act like that's what I'm saying. It's the obsessive fan base that confuses me. | ||||||
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June 14th, 2008
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| Hahahahaha....I just got email from someone pissed off about my anti-Promise-Keepers cake because I apparently shouldn't have such "strong" opinions on a cake site, and then she goes on in insane detail about God and creation and Adam and Steve and how if I would only read the Bible that I'd learn all about... @#$(@&)!#%(^*&)!NO CARRIER ****THIS IS KIM'S BRAIN**** ****INPUT ERROR #314159: OVERLOAD OF RELIGIOUS BABBLE IGNORANCE**** ****SYSTEM SHUTDOWN COMMENCING**** | ||||||
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Blatherings
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