riffraff814

Male or Female

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 21:07:41 GMT

ross_teneyck took this, and it sounded interesting.

I'm apparently 25 or so points into the male side of brain measurements. *sigh*

20/20 on angles. boo-yah. male
64% on spot-the-difference. balanced
hands -> right brain dominant
8/20 empathy. around male avg.
13/20 systematising. around male avg.
7/10 eyes. female
1.05 right, 1.02 left for fingers. genetic freak along with ross.
prefer masculine faces
11/12 on 3D shapes. male, or at least an engineer. *rolls eyes*
8 and 12 words. female
ultimatum. I know that you can usually get away with grabbing more than 50%, but that's still what seems fair to me, so, eh.

glasses lag time

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 20:30:54 GMT

I have always hated the lag time between "is the first or the second better. *twist* Now, is the first or the second better. *twist* Now is the first or the second better. *flip* *twist* *clack* Please read the bottom line" and "here are your new glasses".

I'm currently 1 week out from "read the bottom line" and probably 1 week away from "here are your new glasses".

I *hate* the lag time.

drunken library website browsing?

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 04:09:51 GMT

So, I got this email from the Seattle Public Library on Wednesday saying "the book you requested is on our hold shelf for a week". I was, um, confused. I didn't remember requesting a book. And when I went to see what book it was, I really didn't remember the book.

Well, I picked it up on Friday. I'm hooked. I'm so glad I knew I wanted to read this some time in the past and I told SPL to remember and tell me about it when they had a copy for me to read.

It's just, um, disconcerting, because I *really* have no memory of this.

The book is _Against The Machine: Being Human in the Age of the Electronic Mob_, by Lee Siegel.

intro to social media

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 01:36:27 GMT

So, I joined the SLA. No, not that one, the Special Library Association. I'm currently attending their national conference (which was nicely located in my hometown so that attending it wasn't a huge investment of time and money). For those of my friends who aren't immersed in the fine gradations of the library world, Special Librarians are the subset that work in "nontraditional" library environments. Like, say, at Boeing, organizing external journal subscriptions for the company and also trying to manage internal information that's getting published between departments. There's lots of variety within Special Libraries. And anyone can be a member, pretty much, if you're so inclined. But it tends to be librarians.

But wait, you say, she's a webdev. I mean, there's that library degree, but it's not like she's the LL librarian or anything. Well, I kinda am. I'm trying to work on the problem of managing internal information. Which, from some angles, looks just like the "traditional" special librarian. I also still do webdev stuff most of the time. But, yes, I'm trying to see if the special library world has stuff I can drag back into LL and help people find the information they need.

So *anyway*, that out of the way, one of the initiatives the SLA is undertaking is to get the membership conversant in all the new forms of social media there are out there. And, on the one hand, I'm probably already fluent in most of the things they're trying to teach. On the other hand, it's important to know about those people who, unlike me, are *not* completely on the cutting edge all the time. I mean, we are hoping to expand our resident base in SL to people who aren't the early adopters who put up with all our crap, right? So, what the heck. I'll run through the program. I'll comment about it here. And I'll try to remember what it was like not to know everything already...

Anyway, consider this "one of the 23 things". I have blogged. I will take it as read that I've managed to get a blog account. And I *certainly* don't need *another* blog. I've already got 2 internal to LL, and I don't feel I have enough to say in a professional capacity that I want a whole nother channel for it. We'll see if I decide to run off and become a leader in my field like all my friends and coworkers. In which case I'll probably need a more formal blog voice, and stuff.

books about "issues"

Sat, 17 May 2008 02:36:44 GMT

So, this morning Sam and I had a small interaction which made me realize it was time to go purchase It's So Amazing for our bookshelf.

And, at the bookstore by my office, I wandered in, found the kid's section, and started trying to sort out where they would keep it. First I looked in the "Science & Nature" section, but didn't see any obvious topic groupings. Sorta went straight from animals to machines. Then I looked briefly over in picture books, but that was serious Dr. Seuss territory. So, then I just scanned the "subject headings" over the different shelves. When I saw "Issues", I knew I had found my area.

Yep, there among all the variants on Everybody Poops, I found the illustrated versions of Our Bodies, Ourselves.

And one book titled Sometimes My Mommy Gets Angry, which I picked up (i.e. looked at, but didn't purchase), cuz, well, sometimes I get angry. Turned out to be about having a bipolar mom, which, as it turns out, is not one of my issues, thankfully.

Anyway, yeah. "Issues". *sigh*

5 years

Sat, 10 May 2008 21:28:02 GMT

Happy anniversary, armchairgamer.

Seattle area hijinx

Fri, 09 May 2008 16:19:20 GMT

Hey there,

If you live in the Seattle area, and you're not busy tomorrow, come to my house!

My extended family is installing a giant play structure in our yard. And more hands make light work, after all. (I think they're maybe in over their heads, they swear it's easily doable with just the hands we already have lined up.)

We'll provide food, drink, and child care (if you happen to bring some along, the house is kid-friendly, and the resident 3.5 year old and 16 month old will enjoy making new friends).

Ping me in comments with your email if you don't know where we live. I'll send address and directions. I will be screening the comments just so you don't have to spam-protect the emails, etc.

bracelet abacus

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 10:18:45 GMT

http://www.sutherland-studios.com.au/free/rowcounter.html

If any of my friends who bead happen to have beads and time to make this for me, that'd be fabulous! Otherwise, I'll probably get around to it eventually. Have to find a bead store in Seattle, but I'm sure that'll be easy.

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 23:44:50 GMT

Finn gave me his first open-mouth toddler kiss today. So sweet. I was hugging and kissing him like I do when I get home, and he turned his face so I couldn't kiss his cheek and pushed his o-shaped mouth on mine. Then got up and toddled off -- kissy time is over mom.

Sam is sick -- general cold, no ear infection this time. But mopey and prolly shouldn't go to school. Exhausting for Dan. Usual load for me.

Three word quiz meme

Sun, 09 Mar 2008 03:08:58 GMT

1. Where is your cell phone?

on the couch

2. Your boyfriend/girlfriend?

married to me

3. Your hair?:

going grey fast

4. Where is your father?

in Brown Deer

5. Cheesecake?

not my binge

6. Your favorite thing to do?

7. Your dream last night?

didn't have one

8. Your favorite drink?

bourbon straight up

9. Your dream car?

public transit bay-bee

10. The room you're in?

basement tv room

11. George W. Bush?

nearly over please

12. Your fears?

sometimes overwhelm me

13. Nipple rings?

had one, eh.

14. Who did you hang out with last night?

Dan, my man.

15. What you're not good at?

where to start?

16. Your best friends?

Dan and CLV

17. One of your wish list items?

ice cream maker

18. Where did you grow up?

Wauwatosa & Caltech

19. The last thing you did?

just now? dishes.

20. What are you wearing?

15-year-old hand-knit sweater (yes, hyphens make words. bite me)

21. Tattoo on the lower back?

stretches during pregnancy.

22. Ketchup?

makes toddlers eat

23. Your computer?

full of data

24. Your life?

nearing middle point

25. Your mood?

tired of tantrums

26. Missing?

time to myself

27. What are you thinking about right now?

more wine maybe

29. Your work?

really interests me

30. Your summer?

last one blah

31. Your relationship status?

married, thank goodness

32. Your favorite color(s):

any vibrant one

33. Last time you laughed?

earlier today? probably.

34. Last time you cried?

last wednesday, definitely.

35. High school?

horrible social pain

36. This quiz:

interesting thought exercise

wall decals

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 20:08:33 GMT

http://www.whatisblik.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=B&Product_Code=TH-124

That link is for montyy0 again. But, the wall decals in general are quite cool. I was hoping to find one that was a giant sun for my daughter's ceiling (she and I have decided that would be cool, but I'm a bit daunted by free-hand painting...). No such luck. Perhaps we'll have to spend some time sketching in pencil, then I'll try to do the paint job when she's not home. Cuz, um, that happens a lot that I have time at home when she's not there. *sigh*

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 19:36:57 GMT

Rush is playing Summerfest. June 27. $50/bleacher seat (all ticketmaster convenience included) I'll be in town the following weekend for a family reunion. Can I justify making it a 2 week vacation and trying to work from there so as not to burn as much vacation time? Must discuss with Dan...

Ooh. Or see them in Seattle, on lawn seats, on May 31. Slightly pricier tix than Summerfest, though.

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 20:24:00 GMT

For montyy0

http://jacek.meratalk.com/2008/02/08/new-cj-kissing-squidogram-for-valentines-day/

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 17:14:59 GMT

My brain just remembered that Ron Stowell's dead. Which sucks. (both the dead part and the remembering). I dunno if I have time to process now, but I suspect I need to make some time soon. It seems to be on the to-do list.

video game

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 21:49:09 GMT

Wonder if I can use it for behavior modification...

http://www.fatworld.org/

Downloading it now, we'll see how it plays.

Oh, and I was right, the crazy has passed, for now.

my crazy

Wed, 09 Jan 2008 17:42:00 GMT

So the last couple of evenings, as I've gotten a bit tired, my mind has started playing with all sorts of "times I messed up socially" -- even dragging up some stuff from college days, when I'm afraid I wasn't *nearly* as socially competent as I am now (which, well, I'm not exactly a social butterfly...). And there's no reason for me to be reliving these moments, yet I find I am. And it sucks. A rerun reel of the uncomfortable times.

And last night, I suddenly got worried that I was *adding* to this reel. With current social interactions. So, I vowed to shut down a lot of my social outputs *before* I did something awful. And I even remembered this morning.

Of course, I also, this morning, feel a lot more even-keeled. But still antsy and worried. *sigh* I'm hoping this blows over in a couple of days. It's familiar, and I *think*, in the light of day, I may have even correctly correlated it to a temporary (but kinda out of my direct control) situation. So, y'know, in a few days I won't feel so crazy, if I'm right.

Just a matter of not screwing everything up right now. I think I can do that. And even continue to do things (instead of sitting quietly in a dark room waiting for the moment to pass).

uh oh

Wed, 09 Jan 2008 02:35:42 GMT

Sam apparently left her "favorite, has to have it, comes to mealtimes, bedtime panic, turn the car around we left it at home, same name as her cousin" teddy bear at the grocery store.

It used to be a commodity item at Target. It was a "tie it on to the present" decoration when she was born. It was largely ignored for the first 2 years of her life.

I don't see it on the Target website. So, the minute Sam is "in bed" (she "reads" a bit after story time is over), I'm calling Safeway to see if it's in the lost and found, and also going to Target to see if they still have it. I'm afraid, however, cuz it's not on the Target website any more...

It's the pink bear laying face down on Sam's right in this shot.

mostly better

Fri, 04 Jan 2008 20:03:49 GMT

So Finn got over the tummy ills pretty quickly, and Sam only got it a little. Grandpa required an extra week to recover. Dan, Sam, and I progressed to a *mean* cough. Dan and Sam have nice phlegmy coughs, but mine was odd and different. Ped said Sam would be fine with rest (um, 3 year old, please sit still for a couple of days). I went to my GP and found out I have developed asthma in my dotage. So now I get to use inhalers. And, oddly enough, my cough goes away while within the "4 hour" window after taking the dose. So, um, yeah. We're mostly better.

lump of coal?

Mon, 24 Dec 2007 21:52:29 GMT

Boy howdy, I dunno what Dan and I did to deserve this, but we've got a tummy virus ravaging the home front. Grandpa and Finn can't keep anything down, and mommy just isn't eating to prevent same. Dan already had it (lucky sot), and Grandma will probably get it *just* in time to take it to visit Colorado. (I fear the retribution in future years...) Sam, well, she was pukey for her 2nd Xmas (the one when she was 16 months old), so perhaps she'll escape relatively unscathed. She still seems to have an appetite, which is good.

Anyway, Santa, if you could drop off some health, we'd appreciate it cuz we're failing our die rolls down here.

Very cool game idea.

Sat, 22 Dec 2007 22:29:28 GMT

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

meme about kids.

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 18:41:15 GMT

Oh, this does seem kinda in bad taste after reading this really horrible story but, eh.

khaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnn!

Sat, 15 Dec 2007 03:40:08 GMT

Amazon. You suck.

OK, so I want a Wii. I'm also not insane and I don't want one bad enough to pay more than retail. I do want one bad enough to hang out on amazon.com waiting (yes, there are websites which track these things. yes, I use them to watch amazon for me during the day while I'm working).

So, on the bus ride home, I used my cellphone to log into amazon. And watch for a wii. Got home to find out that they think I've been phished, they've changed my password, and I should go on the site and do the "change my password" routine. Well, ok, if it turns out that I have been phished and someone was buying stuff, great. Thanks for the fraud protection. If it turns out that I miss out on buying a wii, I'm gonna be pissy. Wait, I'm already pissy.

So I figured out how to talk to someone at amazon. And I did. And she did remarkably well in her second language. There were a couple points where she would speak quickly, and the VOIP would get blippy, and I wouldn't be able to understand her. But, we got past it.

And she couldn't reset my password. She thinks it'll be 3 hours til she can fix it.

I think it'll be better for me if I don't know whether they have any wii's in stock.

I mean, yeah, losing out on a wii, I'll live. I have *serious* investment in my amazon.com account! s3 stuff! wish lists set on private where I keep track of books I want for various reasons! agh!

ETA: Oh, and ftr, at about 10pm, I managed to get a hold of a fellow who was able to fix things. So I have my account back.

Writer's Block: What Winter Means To Me

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 22:30:59 GMT

What does winter mean to you?

View other answers

Happy birthday to my son and husband. The shortest day/longest night of the year. A chance to start again.

A most peculiar encounter

Thu, 06 Dec 2007 05:15:38 GMT

So, I went to a new doctor today. GP. Need to have one "on staff" to handle my annual thyroid med prescription. Plus, it's nice to have someone you can call if you're sick and need to get in somewhere tomorrow. So, I wasn't really sick, just going to establish a relationship. Oh, and maybe see if they have any new magic pills that would turn me into a supermodel tomorrow.

It was most peculiar. I tell the guy that I'm planning on starting an exercise program, and you're usually told to consult a doctor before embarking on a change like that, plus, y'know, I *weigh* too much, and all. And I'm planning on joining Weight Watchers again tomorrow cuz I managed to lose 50 pounds between kids with WW, karate, and Wellbutrin. Oh, and could you up the Wellbutrin dosage I'm on?

The doctor sorta leaned back and said that he thought WW was too aggressive. I was sorta confused, cuz they only recommend a pound or so a week, on average. He said, to be honest, that a *maintainable* weight loss program was more like 1/2-1 pound a month. (This was the point at which I started to consider perhaps he understood the actual current research on weight loss.) He also said that if you compare the native metabolism of "the guy who can eat anything he wants and never gain weight" and "the guy who just has to look at food to put on weight", there's only a 15% difference. And you can make that up by doing 20 minutes of aerobic exercise (in the optimal heart rate range, etc) and ditching 1 bread serving per day. My jaw dropped (figuratively... I was actually a bit teary, as I usually am when actually discussing these issues in person). He just said a lot of stuff about making small maintainable changes. It was seriously refreshing. I mean, I'm overweight. Qualifying for surgical removal of major parts of my digestive system. For real. And here was a doctor saying he wanted to see me in a month and it would be reasonable for me to only have lost a pound in that time. Freaky.

So, yeah. I think I've established a relationship. I think I could keep this doctor for a while. Good thing. He's quite close to the house we've bought. I don't think I'll move until he retires. Which should be a good 20 years. I hope.

I think I'm gonna try a month of WW anyway. But I'm definitely doing core again, instead of points. And just focusing on healthy whole foods and more exercise. I think I get something out of it. Of course, if the leader sucks, I don't need to waste my time. It's not like I don't know, on an intellectual level, what I need to do, in order to be healthy. It's the emotional side that I battle with.

Ride safe, Evel Kneviel...

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 21:46:44 GMT

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/more/11/30/kneviel.ap/index.html?cnn=yes

*sigh*