Are you playing with the word "shower"? Also, I hope the Nuggets have a tattoo artist on staff. It would have to be cheaper.

I frittered up a spaghetti squash frittata.

I spent the whole day doing various things that I hoped would calm my honey before he left---not fifteen minutes ago!---for an important job interview. Come to think of it, that's pretty much how I spent the weekend.

Drove down to campus and spent two hours setting stuff up in my new (smaller, alas) office. Brought poor Snark with me, so he frittered the time away in much the same way, helping me run cables in from the office next door and then sitting around using my work computer while I put together a desk lamp and the little shelves I bought to hold my electric tea kettle and stuff. But now my office looks pretty sharp!

so what was their verdict?

Watched videos of us playing rock band last night on a home-made stage with rented stage lights and amps and everything.

Ran errands.

Watched Forces of Nature. Try not to watch this movie.

Grading.

Soccer tonight.

Got up lazily, walked to brunch, bought some local chocolate, visited a brewery, ogled a giant pile of electronics on their way to being recycled, drove through miles of winding countryside.

I'm spending the day "studying for exams". So far, I've watched an episode of Doctor Who and bought shoe polish.

rock climbing

Rode my new bicycle all over the place and then worked on a chapter.

Home Depot

Trimmer repair (bought and replaced bolt)
tree-trimming;
Wood fence repair
Note:need box of nails

I wish good luck to JM's fellow.

I baked one loaf of bread, made the dough for three more to be baked over the course of the next week, and made swiss cheese/thyme ice box cracker dough, to be baked sometime this week when the oven is already hot.

I cleaned out about half the garage, took care of my kids for a few hours, and am about to go for szechuan before seeing the new Jet Li/Jackie Chan movie. Pretty fucking good day.

I just woke up five minutes ago.

Watched my kids test for their high yellow and high green taekwondo belts. It's wrong to watch a martial arts demonstration and be overcome by the adorableness of it all, I suppose.

Today's to do list, with a measly four times crossed off, is here

Notice how we'd all rather talk about ourselves than take Ogged bait about showering with gay guys.

"Showering," eh? So that's what the kids are calling it these days...

Are you playing with the word "shower"?

Nope, the real thing. Something going on where I swam today.

I bet Ogged had homosexual sex with the other men, because they're all voraciously gay. They're so gay, they probably have sex with other men. Homos.

Tomorrow I will bring several bottles of sparkling water and a nice water glass to campus so that I can give my office the extra touch of foolish decadence it truly needs. Boy, I love having an office of my own, even if it doesn't have a shower.

Wow, rob. I almost submitted something for that superheroes essay book. It's like my worlds colliding, except you have enough of a work ethic to re-read a comic book, and I don't.

19: I read a story that said that homosexuality is all a big hoax, and that there really aren't any men who actually have sex with men. They're just trying to freak everyone else out. I hadn't known that.

A link to this is pretty much obligatory at this point. Apologies in advance.

Er, this:

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/34118

22: And was this story called The Bible?

3: JM is a remarkable girlfriend. I hope her guy appreciates her.

Wrote a thank you email to the hostess of the wine (5 sauvignon blanc 5 pinot noir) and cheese thing we went to last night, while recovering from drinking and judging 10 wines. It included people involved high in the Clinton campaign (with whom I was ruder than I should have been).

Argued rules of evidence with people who ought to know them better. And generally cracked the whip for some pretrial filings tomorrow.

Chauffured to and watched hockey practice.

Gonna get a ticket to a ballgame later in the week when I get home from hockey.

Also, btw, awesome post title, Ogged.

Hmm I had missed this Onion article (from the related articles on the previous one)

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/40998

I ate half a pound of almonds, a macaroon, some bass, potatoes, green garlic, onions, and bacon, and drank a very small amount of coffee. Then I read two essays about german romanticism by Fred Beiser.

And tonight, a shaker tart!

Well Spent

I bet you are. (Non-explicit pwnage by bp on preview acknowledged.)

Spent the morning snarfing delicious charoset from the fridge listening to mixes and then got an unexpected lesson in mortality and youth as my cheating son (turns out he had been practicing) whomped me 4 games to 1 in racquetball. Young people are fast!

I totally blasted my lats.

Not really. I just like saying that.

And tonight, a shaker tart!

Ben likes much older women?

29 is one of those genius Onion movements when they sum up years of endless nattering in, what, 1500? words.

--Work
--Tried to get kids to finish cleaning and doing laundry
--Watched Casablanca with my 14 year old (he fell asleep; I concluded, sadly, that Rick is a better man than I (I would have sent Renault and Laszlo off on the plane, keeping Ilsa for myself))
--More work
--And for later--figuring out my hours for billing (what fun!)

25: No, the Bible is a major part of the hoax. It says that homosexuals exist and should be stoned, no matter how badly they are already.

You don't even know, B: I did his shift at the co-op for him. That meant hauling around boxes and stocking produce for three hours. The rest of the weekend I did a fair amount of tiptoeing around him and listening to him be a little stress-pants.

I mean, it would be a pretty cool job, if he gets it, but the commute up to N/w H/v/n would be a bitch.

Did you tell him that the most important thing is to be relaxed and confident?

It doesn't make any difference, really, as soon as he gets back ask him if he was relaxed and confident, and if he wasn't, explain to him that that's where he fucked up.

Is a "Shaker tart" some kind of pun on their never having sex?

As he left I told him "fuck them, you don't want that stupid job anyway."

I'm kidding, of course. Instead I said: "have fun, when you get back I'll make steak and we'll have sex." I am the bestest girlfriend ever.

JM, if you and your honey ever break up, will you go out with me?

Woke up late, ate a meandering breakfast/lunch (brunch?) of Weetabix cereal with dried cranberries and salami on ciabatta. Talked to sedering boyfriend on phone, made plans for the week to see Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay when it opens.

Knitted. Then I blogged, and am now reading about workplace discrimination based on parenthood/caregiver status. Trying to figure out what to write in my dissertation prospectus and what to do for a 15 minute oral defense. And planning on baking black bottom cupcakes and beef stroganov. Oh, and I never changed out of my pajamas and mismatched socks.

Now you make me feel embarassed to say "I would eat w-lfs-n's shaker tart."

That was stereotypical enough for almost anyone.

Picked up a few more seedlings for the spaces left in the garden: Cherokee Purple tomato and 2 peppers.

Ran twine for the beans, making two trips to the hardware store for nails.

Tacked the ethernet cord along the molding.

Coming soon: making Clean Out the Fridge Casserole.

Read the paper, drank coffee. Then, I took a camera that I've been lent [to see if I want to buy] out for a 'spin' -- walking through the local ancient woodland [features in the Domesday Book, etc] photographing tree stumps and the like. The bluebells are out. Cooked some seafood risotto, and drank some white wine. Watched a not very good biblical history documentary.

Went to the same deli I've been eating brunch at every Sunday for the last 13 years, got Magpie's car smogged at an insanely well-run hippie smog place in Berkeley, then went up to Telegraph and bought a shitload of music (which included a copy of this, which I've been looking for for *years*) at Amoeba and Rasputin's. Jesus H. Christ am I glad to be well past my undergrad days.

Josh, do you mean Saul's Deli?

Yum.

Oh hey, speaking of cameras! I need a new digital camera. I'm hoping to get press credentials to the DNC in Denver, in which case I will write the camera (or at least a portion of it) off as a business expense.

I know very little about photography, want something that's pretty easy to use, and that can handle both long-distance (like, in a convention center) shots and low-light situations. And frankly I don't want to spend $500, writeoff or no. Also, the smaller it is, the likelier it is that I'll use it, because I hate carrying shit around. What should I get?

42.---If I have another go-round, I'm going to try and find a Mormon wife for myself.

Josh, do you mean Saul's Deli?

Damn straight. I get the Sunday Times at Black Oak and revel in fulfilling another ethnic stereotype.

47 and 48.----Right next to my old church. I still have fond feelings towards that place.

I may know some Mormon lesbians through my ex-wife. The youngest is almost 40, though.

I had a photographer friend recommend the Canon SD1000 to me, and I really like it. Not super powerful, but it's 7.1 mpx, 3x optical, 4x digital.

We used to come out of church and walk by you guys kicking back outside Saul's or Peet's and think, sinners! But everybody looked so happy and harmless, so our double consciousness always threw us for a loop.

My favorite is the corned beef hash, with the two poached eggs on top, and a sesame bagel. And I eat it all. Pass the shmear! Man, I totally need to bus myself over there.

I used to live right near there, and now I live near Piedmont Ave. in Oakland, which has no good breakfast places.

Dude, we need a Bay Area brunch meetup.

Woke up around noon, then realized I had to get to Compton. I had a little bit of a problem with some kids in the neighborhood, but getting in my car and playing some music helped me calm down. You should see the hydraulics I've installed, they're pretty badass.

Then I went over to hang with some friends, drank a little, smoked a little. Caught up with my girlfriend; her dad's a pain in the ass.

Unfortunately I got into an accident on my way home. That's gonna be a bitch to deal with.

I know absolutely nothing about cameras, but careful inspection of mine reveals that it is a Canon PowerShot SD600 Digital Elph. I have found it to be small, easy to use, and to take excellent photos in most conditions. The battery life is pretty good -- by which I mean I used it selectively during my 10-day trip last fall and it died as I walked through the last archway of the last garden of the Alhambra. Perfect timing.

Thanks, Belle! It's small. Small is excellent.

I spent all weekend (and most of the week) freaking myself out by doing practice exams for the Series 7 and never scoring higher than a 68% (70% is needed to pass). Then an hour ago I discovered I was taking the "open book" practice tests closed-book, and the real practice tests were much easier - just rolled a 74%. So now I'm ready for tomorrow, feeling relieved and more than a little sheepish.

57 is hilarious.

My favorite is the corned beef hash, with the two poached eggs on top, and a sesame bagel. And I eat it all. Pass the shmear! Man, I totally need to bus myself over there.

Oh yeah, for the longest time the deli hash was the only thing I'd order. I've branched out a bit in my old age though.

I used to live right near there, and now I live near Piedmont Ave. in Oakland, which has no good breakfast places.

You've been to Mama's on Broadway at 40th, right? We used to go there when we lived near Lake Merritt. Tropix on Piedmont also used to have a pretty good brunch, but I haven't been there in years.

Dude, we need a Bay Area brunch meetup.

Name the date.

Fretted over having drunk more and spent more money than I'd intended last night. And having slept later than I'd intended.

Came into office. Graded. Graded some more. Did administrative things. Graded some more.

Caught up on communication with various campus offices about accommodations for a blind student.

Graded some more. Planned class for tomorrow.

Going home now to read stuff to teach this week. God, today kind of sucks.

62: after my oral defense exam/papers? Say, mid-May. Is that your real email address in the field?

w-lfs-n, can you come visit me? We can make this a proper little shin dig.

I have branched out to the deli hash, which is basically the same thing. I love corned beef. What else should I try there? It is always so tempting to just stick with what I love, and leave the pancakes to Sconehenge/Fatapples and the french toast to La Note.

Now you make me feel embarassed to say "I would eat w-lfs-n's shaker tart."

It's not mine—or rather, it is mine, but I'm not making it.

I seem to have lost my copy of The Complete Walker, which vexes me.

64: Yep, my e-mail's real. Drop me a line. Mid-May may or may not work, depending, but we'll figure something out.

The malawach is excellent, presuming you have a relatively high tolerance for butter. It's a flaky flatbread, sauteed, with grated tomato and garlic. It's a special, not on the regular menu, but they have it pretty regularly.

and leave the pancakes to Sconehenge/Fatapples and the french toast to La Note.

Heh. I've lost track of the number of times I've been to La Note... and I always always always get the Cote Sud. Mmm, merguez.

No problem, B!

Witt has good taste and judgment: the Canon Powershohere it's at. Oh, and by the way B, the aforementioned camera--I got it for $200 or so. Not bad, and sometimes there are sales at Amazon that make it less than that. It fits in my pocket, and here are a bunch of shots I took with it. (just for you, B, did I create a pseudonymous album, even though you know who I am thanks to w-lfs-n's IE) I have liked its usability outdoors and indoors, flash/no flash, macro setting, video capabilities, etc.

w-lfs-n, can you come visit me?

Always.

Sticky keys from my malfunctioning keyboard: Powershohere s/b "Powershot is where".

Also, right on. How do you pronounce "malawach" so that I don't sound like I completely goyim when I order it. Is it like the way I should say "rugelach"?

Sounds delish!

68: aw. I am listening to your mixes.

How do you pronounce "malawach" so that I don't sound like I completely goyim when I order it. Is it like the way I should say "rugelach"?

Excellent question. It's not Yiddish, so I have no clue, honestly. I'm sure any Yemeni who heard me order it would laugh at my pronunciation.

Woke up to gorgeous sunshine. Hey, what about the predicted showers?

Off to do a Sunday-morning presentation to a group of religiously observant castouts. (Or whatever you call it when the church rejects you.) The game went over well; I should remember to have my audiences play games more often.

Also, the food was good.

Over to my sister's to wrestle with forms. Student e-mails; can I help his aunt? Detective work reveals information needed by aunt is available in Vietnamese. (Aunt does not speak English.) I am a Google genius. And modest, too.

Laundry. Political argument. Long write-up of issue for colleague. Laundry. Review and smile over last night's photos from surprise b-day party (not mine).

Dinner w/ crowd. Oh, now it's pouring rain. Dessert. Take pictures of adorable cake-eating niece.

Home to plan for the week. Look at Unfunkked thread. I wanna hear that stuff!

Cala, I'm not sure how "re-reading a comic book and deciding to write a freshman-comp-level essay about it" came to be thought of as "having a work ethic"

73: It's more than most freshman can be bothered to do.

Put off each and every one of the things I need to do.

Since you asked, mowed the lawn then modified the kids' old bike trailer so it would comfortably carry a puppy.

i downloaded all unfogged mixes, and listened to the music, called my friends, watched netflix, ate vanilla cherry icecream, now boiling water for the instant ramen :( coz i'm lazy to cook
should be reading some papers, can't concentrate
now this is called 'frittered away', not all these useful fulfilling activities people describe

76: ogged asked you to do those things?

He's got a very persuasive manner.

76: New puppy? Real, or still potential? And what kind?

Went on a long bike ride with three friends. Purchased tools for changing a flat (for a bike tire). Learned how to change a flat on my bike. Reapplied my knowledge to the same tire. Paid for lunch for four people.

Took a hot shower (alone). Then a three-hour nap (also alone).

Now for groceries and dinner.

Read, talking to your friends is not frittering. What did you see via Netflix?

(Also, it's "cherry vanilla" ice cream. You've got to get the desserts right or you'll never pass as a Mongolian-American.)

My sunday:

Taught my gun class

tried to figure out my new blackberry

danced with my daughter

cleaned up my son's vomit.

Busy day

Was feeling pretty good about my day until all the East Bay folks decided to make me feel jealous. Saul's was great. I used to live right up the hill. Jimmy Bean's on Gilman is a pretty good brunch too. Piedmont may not have any decent brunch places, but Bay Wolf was pretty good. And I just read that the mini-French take-out place Gregoire has a new branch in Piedmont. That was always pretty damn good. And a pizza from the Cheeseboard was always a good brunch substitute. Damn you all.

right, cherry-vanilla, though i'm a Mongolian, not American in any way, sorry
talking to my friends felt good
netflix, can't concentrate on one film, keep skipping and browsing, strange day

I attended a gala Patriots Day ball. Noticed that the mean age of the participants seems to have declined, and that the proportion of participants sporting 18th century period costume has declined in equal measure. Got moderately drunk, danced with Fleur and her girlfriends. Cheered the fife and drum corps as they played. Sang along badly with the "patriotic singalong"; was one of the few people still articulating the words by the end of verse two of "America the Beautiful". Wished those stupid fucks from Fox News were there to see a few hundred people waiving the stars & stripes and belting out "You're a Grand Ole' Flag" in a town that went 2-1 for John Kerry, just so I could see their heads explode. Joined the march to the village green to watch a reenactment of Samuel Prescott riding in to warn the townspeople that the British regulars were on the march.

Spent the next day playing with my daughters and finally getting around to doing my tax returns. Turns out I owe the federal government money.

Was there Morris dancing?

I sat next to lurker/commenter Magistra at the Patriots ball, and discussed her plans to go to Philadelphia to canvass for Obama this week. I realized that I have a number of immediate family members who will be voting in upcoming primaries. Resolved to call them and talk up Obama. Had an interesting conversation with my mother, who is leaning toward Hillary. She has been registering voters, and had some pretty disturbing anecdotes of comments she has heard about Obama: "Ain't no way I'm votin' for an Ay-Rab." "I cain't vote for a man that won't wear an American flag pin." "I don't want to vote for either of the Democrats, but I can't vote for a Republican because my granddaddy would turn over in his grave." [I kinda liked that last one, actually.]

OTOH, my mother said that when she did voter registration at the high school, Obama seemed to be the overwhelming favorite. I think I might have convinced her to vote for Obama with the argument that it would really reflect badly on our state if Hillary won because of all the ignorant redneck voters.

modified the kids' old bike trailer so it would comfortably carry a puppy.

Aww!

83: You teach a gun class?? Condolences on the vomit.

I've spent a lot of time this weekend trying to organize my fucking itunes so I can actually *listen* to the shit I've collected.

Concealed carry, right? It's come up here before.

Yes. I teach the legal portion of a conceal handgun class.

When are you coming to take it?

BitchPhd on the East Coast.

Yes. I teach the legal portion of a conceal handgun class.

When are you coming to take it?

BitchPhd on the East Coast.

Who teaches the illegal portion?

GUFFAW

Was there Morris dancing?

No such luck. Imagine a blend of a high school homecoming dance, the Fourth of July party at the local VFW hall, and the wedding of the prettiest daughter of a genteel-poor old yankee family.

Had an interesting conversation with my mother, who is leaning toward Hillary

I just spent an hour and half on the phone with my mother going over her voting preferences. If it's Obama vs. McCain, she wouldn't vote, she said. By the end of the conversation, okay, she said, she'll vote for Obama if only to keep McCain out.

Victory, then. (Her understanding of the matters at hand was a little alarmingly underinformed. And actually, the extent to which I swayed her by use of certain buzzwords and phrases was thought-provoking as well.)

and the wedding of the prettiest daughter of a genteel-poor old yankee family.

I went to Boston for the weekend and realized, yet again, that I really like New England. Broiled tomatoes for breakfast! just like my (admittedly, not New English) mother used to make.

I spent the entire day on airplanes or in airports, basically collecting data on the hair-trigger anger points and lack of common human decency found in people who flip out if a baby cries for a few minutes. Is this your plane, mate? Did you buy 20 tickets? Do you think that by angrily looking over at me you are reminding me that I forgot to push the "Off" switch on my son? Would you like to remind me where it is? What sort of a gigantic, frat-boy, buzz-cut, armband-tattooed asshat do you have to be to ram your seat back into the knees of a nursing mother as a way to gratify your combination of entitlement and poor impulse control? And as for you, blonde sophomore chick, if an upset 4-year-old is the worst problem you have this month, your life must be fucking wonderful.

On the other hand: rental car suttle-bus guy, you were great. Lady who helped me with the car seat; you're awesome as well. Oncologist guy at the luggage carousel: thanks! And when the guy mentioned above gets the cancer I wished on him, try and make him better.

Hahahah Gonerill. that made me laugh. There really isnt anything like traveling with a child to bring out the human decency and the human capacity for assholeness.

I've been there, my friend. I've been there.

Cleaned out the garden; assembled a bright red steel chair, and now I'm happy because white people love designer chairs; went to see Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day but it was gone so I saw Forbidden Kingdom instead, which was pretty good except for the dorky juvenile lead. The Southie hooligans were hilarious.

I teach the legal portion of a conceal handgun class.

As in, how to carry a concealed weapon without breaking the law? Nice.

97: Bless your rant. Child-hating assholes deserve to be beaten.

As in, how to not shoot someone. As in, how to not violate the law.

I spent the entire day on airplanes or in airports, basically collecting data on the hair-trigger anger points and lack of common human decency found in people who flip out if a baby cries for a few minutes.

I've often thought that some sociologist somewhere should do a study...

A few months ago, Mr MC was on an airplane with our son, and decided to read him a story. Was the child crying or shrieking, or making any noise whatsoever? No, he was not. Was Mr MC shouting the words to the story, rather than reading in a tone somewhat lower than normal conversation, a tone that couldn't possibly bother anyone whatsoever who wasn't an antisocial asswipe? No again. And yet the young woman in the seat behind was apparently "disturbed" by the low murmur of a parent reading to his child, and actually pressed the call button to alert the flight attendant to this disturbance of the peace. The flight attendant dug in her heels: "I'm sorry, but I'm not going to ask a father to stop reading a story to his son."

How much is there to teach?

HOW NOT TO SHOOT SOMEONE

1. Don't point a loaded gun at them.
2. If you do point a loaded gun at them, don't pull the trigger.

How much is there to teach?

Maybe there's a bonus section on pistol whipping.

Recovered from long day bottling and drinking wine. Contemplated organizing office and doing work; watched Red Sox achieve stunning come-from-behind victory instead. Went to organ recital, came home to have really big artichoke for dinner. Contemplated getting to work in earnest; wrote comment while daughters harassed me instead.

How to make sure a gun you happen across is unloaded.

105:

you neglected to mention:

"Shipping wine to Will!"

My class is very fun. You naysayers would enjoy it.

Sometimes, I even use naughty language for effect.

105:

you neglected to mention:

"Shipping wine to Will!"

My class is very fun. You naysayers would enjoy it.

Sometimes, I even use naughty language for effect.

105:

you neglected to mention:

"Shipping wine to Will!"

My class is very fun. You naysayers would enjoy it.

Sometimes, I even use naughty language for effect.

How much is there to teach?

I have always wondered whether it is actually possible for a gun to go off accidentally while being cleaned. I figure that it is a) technically possible, b) more likely to happen when a totally inexperienced person is messing around with it, and c) much much MUCH less common than its appearance in the media and police transcripts as an explanation would suggest.

will? gswift? Anyone have actual data on this?

Over to my girfriend's where she is having her parents over for the week. Then over to the hospital for three hours to get stitches out. I've had better, but thanks for asking.

Okay, I get the point already, will.

Go read about salvatore culosi to see what happens to the police when their guns "accidentally" go off.

asl:

What happened?

103: Yeah but, what if you're "hunting" pheasant (where they release about 500 birds or so for you to shoot at, at your leisure), like Dick Cheney likes to do, and there's no way to bag a brace without perhaps shooting some old man in the face? I mean, there are some genuine ethical dilemmas to consider.

Witt:

I do not have any statistical info on that subject.

Aciddental/negligent discharge of a firearm is almost always somebody pulling the trigger on accident, or someone pulling the trigger on a gun they think is unloaded.

Someone claiming it went off while cleaning probably took it out to clean it, and did something like take the mag out but forget to check the chamber, and pulled the trigger.

Less likely with a revolver as to clean it you'll swing out the cylinder, and it's pretty noticable if there's rounds still in the cylinder. Much easier to drop the mag out of an auto and then pull the trigger before you lock the slide back.

113- Her parents clearly resented my being there. GF knew I was coming over, but not them....oh, er, sorry, last weekend got my finger pinched in a door. 12 stitches.

Child-hating assholes deserve to be beaten.

What about kids who keep kicking the seat in front of them and don't stop when asked? Are those of us who don't have children allowed to express displeasure, or is that just more proof of child-hatred?

I figure between the gun talk and the discussion of parent-child behavior in public, this thread should be good for 1500 comments, easy.

116: OK, but if I'm understanding you correctly, none of those are accidents in the sense of the gun malfunctioning. The gun is functioning just fine; it's the human being who is being negligent, careless, or ignorant. Right?

I really don't know guns, which is why I'm asking. I was just reminded of it because will talked about his class, and I recently saw an article about a state trooper who accidentally shot his six-year-old while cleaning his gun. I generally read "gun went off accidentallly while being cleaned" as a euphemism along the lines of "walking along the train tracks" for "committed suicide" and "after a long illness" for "died of HIV/AIDS."

119- The latter we've had already. IIRC, B said it's ok to tell the kid directly and everyone else disagreed.

No, not malfunctioning. If you're cleaning a gun, it should be unloaded, and if it's not, it's because you fucked up. It's an accident in the sense that a car crash while driving drunk is an accident.

I believe that gswift is correct. It is almost always human error. Just like slicing your finger witha knife. The knife didnt malfunction. You did.

Witt:

Come to Richmond and shoot guns with BR and me.

120: who accidentally shot his six-year-old while cleaning his gun.

Well, the kid had been kicking his seat.

117 once i dropped a saucepan on my big toe
when i cook i almost always cut my left index finger, there are numerous small scars on its cuttable edge :)
12 stitches, it's serious, take care

In Oregon a guy around 20 was killed while playing a game which consisted of shooting as close to the other players as possible without actually hitting them. Three players were partway through their second box of shells. The father of the triggerman, the mayor of a small Oregon twon, as quoted as wondering why everyone was making such a big deal out of this.

118: You're allowed to express didspleasure, yes. But it's worth keeping in mind that it's actually kind of difficult for children to sit still for long periods of time, first; that second, the parents really don't have complete and total physical control over their children; and that third, because children's legs are short, they often *can't* sit in seats made for grownups without their feet sticking straight out in front of them, which makes it actually quite difficult to avoid kicking the seat in front of you if you move at all.

In short, it's one of those things, like other people's loud conversations, or arm rest hogging, or huge suitcases, or whatever, that one sometimes just has to fucking put up with when one is in public.

today started out well: me & a friend in a japanese hot tub for half an hour, and then coffee in the sun, a walk home past blooming gardenia trees, and i found truffle salt at the local butcher shop!!

but then i went on a crazyblinddate tonight, to meet a guy who studied drama at university but now runs his own company doing work in artificial intelligence.... who it turns out is also a divorced ex-Mormon (his wife divorced him due to religious differences) with three children who are living in Seattle. And he is glad his three children are living in Seattle where his ex-wife has already promptly remarried because children are overwhelming, and besides you can keep in touch by Webcam. Also I ignored the prime virtue of c.b.d. and let it go on for a couple of hours, which is probably the crucial point, because I am very tired and grumpy now! Do not want to date guys who are glad not to be living near/with their 3 under-five-year-olds and only visit them a couple times a year!

it will be an even more special end to the evening if one of you pipes up to say, "hey wait, that was me" -- but hopefully not.

What Cala and Will said.

The classic example is this DEA agent who manages to shoot himself in the leg while lecturing a room full of kids on gun safety.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QW8JwakEqno

121:!! B. said it's okay to tell the kid directly as long as you do so in a way that's *in*directly supportive of the parents and assumes that they're *trying* to get the kid to stop.

If you're just being a dick by snarking at a kid as a way to implicitly criticize their parents, then no.

last weekend got my finger pinched in a door. 12 stitches.

Jesus Christ! A door or a portcullis?!

children are overwhelming

Well, he has a point.

Well, he has a point.

"Distate for my own children" is more of a third or fourth date topic.

mmf:

But you got a great story from it!!! That is what is so awesome about crazy blind dates.

I am sitting here, threatening my 16 yr old brother with bodily harm bc he will not finish his paper.

"But, I have writer's block."

Being the good older brother, I say, "welcome to the club. Write something down before i kick start beating you!!"

Speaking of overwhelming children, have I told you people that PK has been sick FOR AN ENTIRE WEEK? He's missed a week of school. With a nose that will NOT stop running (plus cough). His upper lip looks like we abuse him by burning it with cigarettes, poor child.

It's made me lose my will to live, I tell you. I've hardly been able to leave the house in a week. I'm losing my mind.

Congrats to mmf! for trying CBD.

132: Actually, I did kind of enjoy the moment of surprise and disbelief when he said "I have three children" and I couldn't help saying, with total conviction, "you're kidding."

he did not come off at someone at the stage of life to be having children. (which, well, yes).

132: Actually, I did kind of enjoy the moment of surprise and disbelief when he said "I have three children" and I couldn't help saying, with total conviction, "you're kidding."

he did not come off at someone at the stage of life to be having children. (which, well, yes).

Bitch:

The beauty of divorce!!

My sick child is now at his mother's house. As we parted ways, I said to him "Dont forget to kiss your mother [with your infected,, throw-upy lips]."

Awww, poor PK. Spring colds suck.

I agree with witt. Good for mmf for going on cbd.

But, more importantly, thank you to mmf for sharing details of cbd!!!!

"Finger pinched in a door" is a euphemism. Sort of like "ran into an open door".

I would have had to have mononucleosis to stay home from school a week.

BphD, may be you can try to give your son some selenium supplements to prevent future viral infections, kids' dose of course
do your doctor treat your son with acyclovir per os? coz just cream never helps at least me
and one have to be very patient to not pick up the scales, could end up with scars, i'm talking from my extensive experience fighting herpes simplex
it could be like a hidden primary cause of MS you know, so have to take it pretty seriously
take care you and your son
good night, all

thanks! and sorry for double-posting with typos - the beers and my grump have gone to my head. good night!

Happy 4/20, Sifu, Apo, wherever you are.

Wow. I have completely pissed away this day.

-Got in at 4am from a gig in Blacksburg. I was the DD on a very windy and rainy trip home along I-81.
-Having had far too much caffeine, I watched a movie (Michael Clayton) and piddled on the internet till 8am.
-Slept till 4pm.
-Went to a café and piddled while sipping coffee.
-Went to the bike shop; learned how to use my (apparently more complicated than I realized) new bike pump.
-Ate leftover pizza from the amazing Dr. Ho's. Whole cloves of roasted garlic? Check.
-Piddled more on the internet while watching a PBS documentary on some mountain gorillas in Rwanda.
-Band meeting. Turns out Truman Sparks won't be breaking up after all. It was oddly business-like, which is good for us.
-Read this unfogged thread.

I don't think it's very nice to piddle in the middle of a cafe. Pee puddles!

Then you went and piddled on the Internet! Now there's pee everywhere.

The internet did seem extra grotty today.

Just doing my part to add some extra liquidity to the marketplace. Tough times, these are.

147: I am glad that Truman Sparks is not breaking up, because the TS I heard made me go YOWZA! I am slightly envious of your rocknroll lifestyle, as my own band as been faltering due to general booking/rehearsing laziness. And funerals.

I would have had to have mononucleosis to stay home from school a week.

I know. It's insane. But seriously, the loads of snot? Combined with the fact that children can no longer bring otc medications into school w/out a doctor's note? Combined with my thinking, every day, "surely he'll go back tomorrow"--to the point where I was actually getting him up and getting him dressed every morning until the coughing and/or ten minutes of nose-blowing made me realize nope, not today either? I just couldn't.

144: Thanks for the advice, but really: it's just a cold. I'm not worried about it, just ready for it to go away.

139: You made your sick child have to pack up and move house???? You are a terrible, terrible parent.

152: Thanks, Wrongshore. Sorry about the funerals.

Awoke around 7:30 to insistent cats. I woke Rah to confirm that he had not already fed them, something I could have sorted out from his snoring but was too half-asleep to do. Fed cats. Slept again until 11am, got up, downloaded mixes, played The iTunes Game and did laundry in prep for a follow-up interview tomorrow at a gig I really sort of madly want and sort of madly fear. Realized at 2:15 that I was running late for D&D, threw myself through ablutions and dashed to a friend's house with new mixes blasting from the stereo. Pretended for a few hours to be a bookkeeping student who happens to be the distant descendant of a devil; fretted about what to do with an evil sword. Came home to glance at Unfogged and then snuggle on the couch while watching Babylon 5 on DVD as Rah dozed, draped across me. Failed to resist an Unfogged check on the way to sleep.

it's actually monday here now. today I: got up at 4:30 to give my kid ibuprofen and asthma inhaler; got up a few more times to change her and help her sit up on the pillow to breathe better. gave her to my maid (have I mentioned I can never move?) so I could sleep and have weird-ass fever dreams till noon; gave her more medicine; talked to my sponsor and my anorexic sponsee; looked at unfogged; thought black thoughts. my younger daughter was back at the ER with 104+ fever saturday and I have the virus too. her birthday is tomorrow and the party next saturday and if she's too sick to have a party I am going to freak the fuck out. not that that'll do much. not that I'll even do that either since I'll be busy making her feel better.

Alameida!

The mixes have healing powers I (perhaps cavalierly) advise!

Feel better, everybody.

-Band meeting. Turns out Truman Sparks won't be breaking up after all. It was oddly business-like, which is good for us.

Excellent news.

thanks, tweety. the mixes are indeed soothing.

146: yo.

Today I: stumbled blearily from the house of my girl.

Went home. Fixed the mail slot, by clever application of new screws and wood filler.

Took the very old, very skinny, pukey cat to the vet. Verdict? Healthy and strong as an ox! Thanks, $500!

Went to a Seder! Told, with old friends, old stories.

mmf!: dtmfa.

I had some delicious lemon tart with a pinenutty top crust.

And I graded! Disjunctive normal form w00t!

Oh hey, speaking of cameras! I need a new digital camera. I'm hoping to get press credentials to the DNC in Denver, in which case I will write the camera (or at least a portion of it) off as a business expense.


I know very little about photography, want something that's pretty easy to use, and that can handle both long-distance (like, in a convention center) shots and low-light situations. And frankly I don't want to spend $500, writeoff or no. Also, the smaller it is, the likelier it is that I'll use it, because I hate carrying shit around. What should I get?

That list of criteria: small, good low light performance, long zoom, under $500 is a pretty tough list. It's like saying, "I want a new car: it needs to be as a small as a mini, cost under $2000, and stand a good chance of beating a Ferrari from a standing start". There's really going to be nothing that comes close to matching an dSLR without accepting a lot of compromises.

What do you want it for? How far away are you likely to be from your subject?

Bear in mind the people who normally sell photographs they take in that sort of environment -- in conference centres, in poor light, at a distance -- are using image stabilized long lenses that probably cost as much as a decent second hand car on cameras with exceptional low-light sensors that, in turn, cost at least as much as another decent second hand car. We're talking many thousands of dollars.

If, on the other hand, you just want to capture a few snaps when up fairly close in a 'citizen journalist' stylee, then you should look for a compact camera with optical stabilisation -- lets you take longer exposures with longer lenses without visible shake -- and/or strong 'high iso' low light performance -- which lets you take acceptable pictures in lower light. Very few compact cameras, with the exception of a few models from Fuji have good high iso performance. Fuji are so far ahead of the competition on low light performance it's not funny. However, they (Fuji) don't have the advanced stabilisation technology of Canon and others. Which matters more -- high iso performance or stabilisation -- will depend on how low light you want to go, and how far away you're going to be from your subject.

http://www.dpreview.com/articles/compactcamerahighiso/page3.asp

Has an interesting comparison of various cameras performance in low light.

Take a look at the conclusion:

http://www.dpreview.com/articles/compactcamerahighiso/page5.asp

You can probably find a compact camera that'll produce acceptable images for small 'on screen' use or tiny prints. But that'll be it.

OMG I forgot the best part of my day: convincing my (heretofore uncregonized) lurker friend that Ben w-lfs-n was not, in fact, being appallingly anti-semitic when he talked in his post about the inferior intellectual potential of the Jew.

"unrecognized", jackass.

165: case in point, really.

167: that'll show him.

BTW, if I was buying for myself, and didn't need a huge number of megapixels or a very long zoom, I'd buy a Fuji F31fd.

If he can figure it out.

170: he has, as a jew, a leg up.

What, you mean he gets his shabbas goy to do his work for him, or something?

Lying in bed, wide awake, having finished Yggles' book, it seemed obvious that I could churn out several pages of screenplay.

Sitting in front of my computer, it seems that my brain is actually asleep, and is not at all interested in my screenplay.

Ah, coffee, you minx.

Most husbands, nowadays, have stopped beating their wives.

My Sunday - 17k hike in the Wicklow hills. Wet with poor visibility. Took about 6 hours incl. half hour stop for lunch. We spent about 1 hour in the pub afterwards, I had a hot port and then tea. Food for the day all made at home - porridge with a few raisins for breakfast, lunch was sandwiches (cheese, s.d. tomatoes and baby spinach) + cherry tomatoes + flask of tea + good dark chocolate + an orange, supper was soup and filled pitta bread.

Ate leftover pizza from the amazing Dr. Ho's. Whole cloves of roasted garlic? Check.

mmmm Dr. Ho's!!! So good. I'm going to have Dr. Ho's next weekend!

BPhd:

I would have gladly kept him. He wasn't stuck in bed at that point.

emir:

That sounds like a wonderful day!

173: Are you a pro or are you doing Script Frenzy?

New puppy? Real, or still potential? And what kind?

Real, not yet arrived (still only five weeks old). Golden retriever--same as our late, much-loved dog. So no slagging the breed.

153 i used to have herpes simplex eruptions like every 2-3 months, then i took some herbal selenium containing traditional medicine prepared from Astragalus and did not have it at least last 3-4 yrs

re camaras: as inexpensive ones go, the newest Canon Powershot is supposed to have image stabilization and much improved low-light performance, which is good, because the one I have sucks in low light. I think the new one is right around $500.

cameras

Image stabilization is great (though it only helps so much in low light, because your subject will often move too). I like the Lumix cameras of various stripes that family members and I have owned. Most, including the compact point-and-shoot models, have Leica lenses.

Seconding RFTS on the Lumix cameras. I got my mother one for Christmas and she is wild for it (even though I bought her a strange rust-colored one because it was cheapest: Bad Daughter!).

re: 181

All the tests I've seen have the Fujis way ahead on low light performance. However, those were a few months back, so perhaps Canon have made big improvements.*

* although a quick google and read through of a few reviews suggests probably not. Most of them still point to not especially great high iso performance. Which is maybe not surprising if they are going for maximum megapixels instead (and given that there's more or less a direct trade-off between megapixels and noise levels).

re: 185

Further to that, though, the same reviews point to excellent image stabilisation performance. So, if the subject you are photographing isn't moving, the stabilisation might well mean you can get pretty good results in low light anyway.

Also, the thing that annoys me about lots of newer digital compacts is that they don't have a viewfinder.

187: You know, this bothers me a lot, too, but I am unclear as yet whether it bothers me because it really is a flaw or if it bothers me because I am an irascible old lady, hostile to change.

re: 188

It's a definite flaw. If you know how to hold a camera properly, you can minimise shake, and get much steadier pictures. Holding it properly requires getting it tight into the body with the arms braced and the camera pressed up against your head/face. Basically turning your two arms and head into a three-point support system for the camera. People with steady hands and good technique can hand-hold for very long exposure times.

Holding it out at arms length on the other hand, is basically attaching the camera to a great big 'vibration amplification' system.

Also, holding it out at arms length means you need to view the screen -- which involves a whacking great backlit LCD. There's time when you don't want to be photographing while holding a big light in the air.

I am still annoyed that my cameras do not take perfect pictures.

I have searched vain on dpreview.com for a camera that has an operator-error correction function.

BR has lots of trouble with my camera as well. Whenever she tries to take my picture, the error code for subject failure comes up.

re: 191

Personally, I find the camera adds about 50lbs (to me).

OT: our former Czech exchange student and his wife were in town from Chicago, so I was practicing my Czech.

re: 193

Cool.

"Dobre rano, jak se mate? kseš čai?"* etc etc

* probably at least one spelling mistake.

In Oregon a guy around 20 was killed while playing a game which consisted of shooting as close to the other players as possible without actually hitting them. Three players were partway through their second box of shells. The father of the triggerman, the mayor of a small Oregon town, as quoted as wondering why everyone was making such a big deal out of this.

I remember an Austrian who accidentally shot his mayor; claimed he mistook him for a fox. The mayor, who survived, was quoted as saying he wasn't bitter.

Stories like this are why the British army doesn't say "accident" in these cases, but "negligent discharge"; which is traditionally cause for a fine, even if nothing is broken and no-one hurt.

||

A new company has moved into our building "S/aracen E/nergy C/onsultants." For some reason I find this hilarious.

>>

FWIW, I have an older Fuji point and shoot (an E550). Here's a pic taken using it (one of many on my Flickr accounts). I was always really pleased with it's ability to accurately render color, even in darkish settings, and the Zeiss lens is really great (I don't think the new Finepix's have Zeiss lenses, but am not sure).

By contrast, here's a pic in similar lighting conditions (cloudy day in Minnesota) I took with my Canon 30D SLR, which is probably too much camera for my skills--I think you can see the difference in relative picture quality--the $1200 (at the time) Canon does a really nice job.

Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say is that if you can swing it, you get what you pay for with the switch to the higher-end cameras.

nattar:

194 demonstrates the grand total of my knowledge of Czech.

Stories like this are why the British army doesn't say "accident" in these cases, but "negligent discharge"; which is traditionally cause for a fine, even if nothing is broken and no-one hurt.

So they're issuing them live ammunition again? Good to hear.

Did I mention that Kobe showered with us?

200: did he let you touch it?

178: The latter. But I hope to become the former.