We have a new address. If you want it, e-mail me.
Oh yah... Never hire Berger/Allied to do your move. Never. Just don't. One of their guys tracked some grease/oil in all over the carpet, they scratched our floor, they didn't bring over our deck swing, and they broke some of our stuff. Once they got it here, 30% of it went to wrong rooms in the house even though I 1) told them what room to put it in and 2) every bin was labeled. It could be that three of the five guys didn't really speak English.
By the way, I didn't know we owned so much crap. We filled most of semi trailer. We have too much stuff.
The unpacking has begun!
Oh yah... Never hire Berger/Allied to do your move. Never. Just don't. One of their guys tracked some grease/oil in all over the carpet, they scratched our floor, they didn't bring over our deck swing, and they broke some of our stuff. Once they got it here, 30% of it went to wrong rooms in the house even though I 1) told them what room to put it in and 2) every bin was labeled. It could be that three of the five guys didn't really speak English.
By the way, I didn't know we owned so much crap. We filled most of semi trailer. We have too much stuff.
The unpacking has begun!
Bad:
1. I seem to have a cold
2. Zach is driving to Montana tomorrow so I won't see him again until THURSDAY*
3. I have to be to work early tomorrow
4. I have to be to work early tomorrow for an all day meeting
5. My phone is pretty broken
Good:
1. I am done Christmas shopping
2. I fixed my slow drain in my bathroom
3. My dad is going to help me convert my new radiator to steam tomorrow
4. Potluck at work on Tuesday
5. I spent most of yesterday with my friends which made me very happy
6. Serinia is home!
7. The boys will be here over New Years
8. I go to Montana on Christmas Eve for 5 days
9. I have so much fun when everyone in my family has Sunday dinner together like we did tonight
*When he goes to boot camp and OCS, I am going to have to work to make me forget that he is gone. I get it now how you can not be dependent on someone but still want them around all the time.
1. I seem to have a cold
2. Zach is driving to Montana tomorrow so I won't see him again until THURSDAY*
3. I have to be to work early tomorrow
4. I have to be to work early tomorrow for an all day meeting
5. My phone is pretty broken
Good:
1. I am done Christmas shopping
2. I fixed my slow drain in my bathroom
3. My dad is going to help me convert my new radiator to steam tomorrow
4. Potluck at work on Tuesday
5. I spent most of yesterday with my friends which made me very happy
6. Serinia is home!
7. The boys will be here over New Years
8. I go to Montana on Christmas Eve for 5 days
9. I have so much fun when everyone in my family has Sunday dinner together like we did tonight
*When he goes to boot camp and OCS, I am going to have to work to make me forget that he is gone. I get it now how you can not be dependent on someone but still want them around all the time.
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/syndicated.gif){kind=small}
Actress Brittany Murphy of "Clueless" and "Sin City" fame died this morning after suffering cardiac arrest. She was only 32 years old.
I must admit, I've never been a huge fan of Brittany's work, but whenever anyone dies this young, it's a tragedy. Of course numerous tabloids are already speculating that her death was a result of a drug overdose, but no one knows anything for sure at this point, and honestly, who cares? People who are healthy and in their thirties do die of heart attacks sometimes, and it's terrible. My thoughts go out to Brittany's family.
| I watch a lot of movies by streaming them from Netflix. I have a half-decent computer, with a video card, for this purpose. However, it's time that I invested in a wireless mouse, so I can stream movies and sit on the couch and set it all up. I read an article, probably it was in the New York Times, where people used a wireless mouse that was shaped like a donut. This didn't involve a laser, it worked more like a Wii. Does anyone know which mouse I mean? Or have a wireless mouse that they recommend? |
Today I saw Vampyr, an old 1930's German vampire movie. It was light on story and acting, but very experimental and odd. I remember one scene which involved a child skeleton, a baboon skull, and a BABY skeleton. All this was in the background, it had nothing to do with the movie, it was just AMBIENCE.
It made me WTF several times. You also get to watch a freaky scene where someone gets murdered by being buried alive in flour.
yeah, ew.
I also finally got around to watching Das Boot, which was fantastic. It all takes place aboard a Nazi submarine. It's a grim, dying-face-down-in-the-muck kind of movie, but it was very good.
It made me WTF several times. You also get to watch a freaky scene where someone gets murdered by being buried alive in flour.
yeah, ew.
I also finally got around to watching Das Boot, which was fantastic. It all takes place aboard a Nazi submarine. It's a grim, dying-face-down-in-the-muck kind of movie, but it was very good.
Howard Dean opposes the current healthcarereform bill.
http://www.salon.com/news/healthcare_re
"What irks him the most in the current bill, he said, is that it permits insurance companies to charge as much as 300 percent more to some customers than others. So even though they must provide coverage to anyone who applies -- known as 'guaranteed issue' -- the price differential that can be charged to older or sicker customers virtually erases that promise. "If you have to pay $20,000 a year for insurance, what good does it do if you have guaranteed issue?" he asked rhetorically."
http://www.salon.com/news/healthcare_re
"What irks him the most in the current bill, he said, is that it permits insurance companies to charge as much as 300 percent more to some customers than others. So even though they must provide coverage to anyone who applies -- known as 'guaranteed issue' -- the price differential that can be charged to older or sicker customers virtually erases that promise. "If you have to pay $20,000 a year for insurance, what good does it do if you have guaranteed issue?" he asked rhetorically."
Who makes the best eyeliner? I am concerned with sensitive eyes, smearing, and ease of application?
I just realized that tomorrow, for the first time ever, I'm driving west across North Dakota. I've driven east across it a zillion times (after driving west across South Dakota, which is a very pretty state), but never the other way. This is good, actually, because it means that the state will get increasingly less dull. There's a definite boringness gradient in North Dakota, with the Montana side being moderately interesting because of badlands, and then comes Dickinson, and then there's literally NOTHING for the next six or seven hours. It's a terrible, terrible drive.
But by heading west, I'll hopefully be mostly awake during the big flat empty. This might actually be a bad thing, honestly, as it'll mean I'll be a lot more likely to die of boredom instead of highway hypnosis. Highway hypnosis is like freezing to death, where you just kind of go to sleep and never wake up. North Dakotan boredom is like being doused in gasoline, lit on fire, then tossed into a vat of lemon juice while your biggest enemy beats up your mother. Seriously, it's the worst state in the country.
But by heading west, I'll hopefully be mostly awake during the big flat empty. This might actually be a bad thing, honestly, as it'll mean I'll be a lot more likely to die of boredom instead of highway hypnosis. Highway hypnosis is like freezing to death, where you just kind of go to sleep and never wake up. North Dakotan boredom is like being doused in gasoline, lit on fire, then tossed into a vat of lemon juice while your biggest enemy beats up your mother. Seriously, it's the worst state in the country.
- Mood:
good
Brittany Murphy is dead?
Awww. And I liked her. Holy crap. 2009 is NOT the year to be a celebrity.
Awww. And I liked her. Holy crap. 2009 is NOT the year to be a celebrity.
- Mood:
disappointed
"the White House clearly intended from the start that the final health care reform bill would contain no [public option] provision and was actively and privately participating in efforts to shape a final bill without it."
why? because Obama and Rahm Emanuel didn't fight the public option's detractors, the way they worked against the liberals who hated the war buildup in June.
http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenw
remember kids, it's never too early to start campaigning against Barack Obama!
why? because Obama and Rahm Emanuel didn't fight the public option's detractors, the way they worked against the liberals who hated the war buildup in June.
http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenw
remember kids, it's never too early to start campaigning against Barack Obama!
any truly great change in the world involves sales.
if you have a good idea but can't sell it, you're Ignaz Semmelweis, who's convinced correctly in 1847 that there's "cadaverous particles" on the hands of doctors that handle dead bodies, and that they have to wash their hands afterwards, but nobody is buying it. Semmelweis was correct, but died in an asylum.
Sales involves two things. It combines the ability to explain something, with the arrogance to say that the seller alone has the best idea.
It doesn't involve being correct or even truthful, which is why sales has a bad rap, there are many talented salespeople who are great at selling terrible things.
if you have a good idea but can't sell it, you're Ignaz Semmelweis, who's convinced correctly in 1847 that there's "cadaverous particles" on the hands of doctors that handle dead bodies, and that they have to wash their hands afterwards, but nobody is buying it. Semmelweis was correct, but died in an asylum.
Sales involves two things. It combines the ability to explain something, with the arrogance to say that the seller alone has the best idea.
It doesn't involve being correct or even truthful, which is why sales has a bad rap, there are many talented salespeople who are great at selling terrible things.
This week at the Riverview:
Christmas Story at 5 and 7, $1 ticket or nonperishable food item
Inglorious Basterds at 9.
Christmas Story at 5 and 7, $1 ticket or nonperishable food item
Inglorious Basterds at 9.
last night I trotted out what I had so far of the game.
I showed it to a few "RISK" players, and really, they wanted another RISK game. They listened to a couple of the game concepts and said that it was bad, because there's no dice rolling in it.
They said that it's likely that someone who develops the ultimate weapon, the battleship, will take their battleships all over the world and wreck everyone's stuff. Once you have a stack of battleships, you'll rule the world.
Kinda like the real world, but my game has countervailing features built into it. If you have kudzu, you can't lose gunmen. If you have embassies, you can't lose them either, although the embassy could be blown up and then the troops. Also, if you have a happy little country with cute animals and college students in it, and someone wrecks things with their battleships, the United Nations will punish them.
Also, if one person becomes superdominant, you can only make one move per turn. Move one soldier or group, one battleship. If you try to fight two enemies you'll quickly find yourself unable to react enough.
I made this game because RISK is terrible, it's appallingly long and involves endless dice rolling. And you end up losing after 6 hours of play, because you had two guys in a square and you should have had three.
In the real world, a country can "win" through several different win scenarios: if you're a Jihadi, you can do fearsome damage to a greater enemy. If you're a Cute Country, you have lots of fun things to see and do, and get rich by fleecing tourists. If you're the US, you have the baddest battleships and corporations and control the world geopolitically. If you're a very civilized country, you get the United Nations, have enlightened citizens, and work for world peace.
I'm frustrated by the inability for people to understand my game, frustrated by my inability to explain it, bah. I'm putting it on ice, if I thaw it someday, it'll be very different from what it is now. Perhaps it won't even have a game map or pieces.
I showed it to a few "RISK" players, and really, they wanted another RISK game. They listened to a couple of the game concepts and said that it was bad, because there's no dice rolling in it.
They said that it's likely that someone who develops the ultimate weapon, the battleship, will take their battleships all over the world and wreck everyone's stuff. Once you have a stack of battleships, you'll rule the world.
Kinda like the real world, but my game has countervailing features built into it. If you have kudzu, you can't lose gunmen. If you have embassies, you can't lose them either, although the embassy could be blown up and then the troops. Also, if you have a happy little country with cute animals and college students in it, and someone wrecks things with their battleships, the United Nations will punish them.
Also, if one person becomes superdominant, you can only make one move per turn. Move one soldier or group, one battleship. If you try to fight two enemies you'll quickly find yourself unable to react enough.
I made this game because RISK is terrible, it's appallingly long and involves endless dice rolling. And you end up losing after 6 hours of play, because you had two guys in a square and you should have had three.
In the real world, a country can "win" through several different win scenarios: if you're a Jihadi, you can do fearsome damage to a greater enemy. If you're a Cute Country, you have lots of fun things to see and do, and get rich by fleecing tourists. If you're the US, you have the baddest battleships and corporations and control the world geopolitically. If you're a very civilized country, you get the United Nations, have enlightened citizens, and work for world peace.
I'm frustrated by the inability for people to understand my game, frustrated by my inability to explain it, bah. I'm putting it on ice, if I thaw it someday, it'll be very different from what it is now. Perhaps it won't even have a game map or pieces.
As excited as I am about Christmas, I'm almost as excited for January. I want to stay home and make jewelry. I'm trying hard not to wear myself out this year. I'm only hosting only one event. I resisted the urge to let my parents stay with us for their second week in Minnesota. Pink and I need a break. Generally, because work, school and the holidays is enough. Specifically, because we've born the brunt of Xmas over the last couple of years. At least it feels that way. It might have something to do with my Mom's ailing health.
Last night was the first official Xmas party of my family's season. SW hosted beautifully. She served pan-fried porkchops with mashed potatoes and gravy. It's one of my favorite meals and hers are best of all. She's the mashed potato queen. She made ten pounds of potatoes and served the gravy in a teapot! In the words of her husband, "She is a goddess." After dinner, we laid around in food comas on the big purple sofa and opened presents. It was awesome.
My cousin (whose family we were celebrating with) mentioned that my Mother was a lot perkier than normal. I felt nicer, too. Generally, we see her family at the end of the Christmas festivities when another big dinner feels more like a chore than a pleasure. In our post-mort this year, we should look at alternating the order of parties.
Today I work and study. Tomorrow test and or tests, depending on how much studying I get done tonight. My comm theory TA is supposed to be sending my grade via e-mail. If I'm getting at least B I might not even take the final. We'll see.
ETA: I really hope I get a sandwich maker fort Xmas, but I forgot to ask for one.
Last night was the first official Xmas party of my family's season. SW hosted beautifully. She served pan-fried porkchops with mashed potatoes and gravy. It's one of my favorite meals and hers are best of all. She's the mashed potato queen. She made ten pounds of potatoes and served the gravy in a teapot! In the words of her husband, "She is a goddess." After dinner, we laid around in food comas on the big purple sofa and opened presents. It was awesome.
My cousin (whose family we were celebrating with) mentioned that my Mother was a lot perkier than normal. I felt nicer, too. Generally, we see her family at the end of the Christmas festivities when another big dinner feels more like a chore than a pleasure. In our post-mort this year, we should look at alternating the order of parties.
Today I work and study. Tomorrow test and or tests, depending on how much studying I get done tonight. My comm theory TA is supposed to be sending my grade via e-mail. If I'm getting at least B I might not even take the final. We'll see.
ETA: I really hope I get a sandwich maker fort Xmas, but I forgot to ask for one.
I'm doing yoga. I'm listening to my iPod, so I don't hear him approach. He taps me on the shoulder.
Aiden: Mom. I need to know how to spell my middle name. Do you know how to spell it?
Me: Do I know how to spell it. I named you!!
Me: T-H-...
Aiden: [looks at me like I am stupid]
Me: T.......H.......
Aiden: T-T-T-Tomiss, Mom! There's no H!
Me: .....
PS. Thomas, duh
And then it was Sunday, and I slept until 7:45. Much more humane.
Yesterday was cleaning day. I was, as they say, a cleaning machine. The poor Western house had been a little neglected lately. Especially at the holidays (and even more so now that there are no kittehs at home to be fed and petted) - chezChele in The Park becomes a stop-and-drop-off point. You'd think that the place couldn't get messed up that way, but you'd be wrong. It ends up being little piles of dropped off stuff everywhere, with coffee cups strewn in-between.
So I straightened and vacuumed (with the little crevice attachment!) and dusted and polished and now it is REALLY clean, and smells like bleach and lemon. Ahhh. And when both North and West houses are clean I feel much better about all of life.
We were going to try braving the Mall O' last night, but then we returned to our senses and went to Highland instead. Then it was time for a little dinner with Ms T-Rex. I believe we are DONE with the Christmas shopping. *knocks wood*
Now it's time to ride bikes and then off to the WILDpeeps house for more Holiday merriment.
And once again.. no "OMG tomorrow is Monday" angst. Ithink.. no, I KNOW - that things work out exactly the way they're supposed to. It's a SuperAdventure.
Ciao.
Yesterday was cleaning day. I was, as they say, a cleaning machine. The poor Western house had been a little neglected lately. Especially at the holidays (and even more so now that there are no kittehs at home to be fed and petted) - chezChele in The Park becomes a stop-and-drop-off point. You'd think that the place couldn't get messed up that way, but you'd be wrong. It ends up being little piles of dropped off stuff everywhere, with coffee cups strewn in-between.
So I straightened and vacuumed (with the little crevice attachment!) and dusted and polished and now it is REALLY clean, and smells like bleach and lemon. Ahhh. And when both North and West houses are clean I feel much better about all of life.
We were going to try braving the Mall O' last night, but then we returned to our senses and went to Highland instead. Then it was time for a little dinner with Ms T-Rex. I believe we are DONE with the Christmas shopping. *knocks wood*
Now it's time to ride bikes and then off to the WILDpeeps house for more Holiday merriment.
And once again.. no "OMG tomorrow is Monday" angst. I
Ciao.
Profile
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
bertine- Bertine
- bertine.org