Monday, December 30, 2002
Fight the power
The dark side of technology.
Posted by Lynniechan @ 11:47 PM EST [Link]
Sawing log entries
Normally I work an early shift on Mondays, but in a way I'm glad I don't have to come in early tomorrow (today, really, 'cause it's so late). It often is excruciating for me to have to go in before noon, although leaving at 6 and having my night free is nice. I've never been a morning person; I've tried and tried and never have I been able to make the adjustment. I'm practically catatonic and drooling on myself on mornings I have to be up at 9 a.m. And I stare wide-eyed at the ceiling for hours if I go to bed before midnight. So I guess it's my lot in life to be wide awake and typing blog entries at 3:30 a.m. I love how quiet the house is at this time of night, though -- no TVs, radios, clanging dishes, washer -- and driving around town at this hour is zen-like (which oddly reminds me of the movie Night of the Comet, a gloriously campy '80s sci-fi flick in which the Farrah Fawcett-haired lead character races down eerily-silent freeways, left abandoned by a comet that killed almost everyone on earth).
Posted by Lynniechan @ 04:00 AM EST [Link]
Sunday, December 29, 2002
I wanna dance
I'm trying to listen to Skinny Puppy and work at the same time. I can't.
Posted by Lynniechan @ 06:55 PM EST [Link]
Hours of amusement
OMG F-ing LMAO in the car on the way to work listening to this. Soooo politically incorrect. I love it.
Posted by Lynniechan @ 05:39 PM EST [Link]
Ordinarily special
Yesterday was a Good Day. You know, nothing special -- I didn't particularly accomplish much, but I was in a good mood, and that's what matters. Had a nice, long, chatty lunch at Jax 5th Avenue, then did a little bit of shopping before coming back home and relaxing for a bit. Ate in -- mom's Christmas leftovers -- for dinner. We got the new DVD player hooked up -- SHWEET -- which wasn't nearly as complicated as I thought it was going to be, thank goodness. Those "video/audio in/out" gadgets frighten and confuse me. I watched a bit of Mr. Show, which I had bought months ago in anticipation of getting a DVD player. F-ing hilarious. It was my first DVD purchase, and you know, you never forget your first... Later, we went to SuperTarget and raced around the aisles looking for specials as the "get out in five minutes..." announcements were broadcast. I love knowing I got a really good deal on stuff. Then we headed over to our fav pool hall, Corner Pocket, and the BF dispatched me in four games in a best-of-five match. Oy, he's good at just about everything he does.
I have this mentality that if I sit around the house all day -- don't go out to a club, don't buy myself something, don't see any of my friends or see a movie, for example -- then it was a boring waste of an off day. But it's days like yesterday that make me appreciate the opposite.
Posted by Lynniechan @ 04:05 AM EST [Link]
Friday, December 27, 2002
Me so hungry
I hate that I eat like a freakin' savage now, scarfing down my dinner like I haven't seen food in days because I don't have time at work to step away from my desk and eat it at a normal pace.
Posted by Lynniechan @ 08:34 PM EST [Link]
Thursday, December 26, 2002
Flicked off
I saw The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers last night, and -- this may be blasphemy -- for some reason I can't put my finger on, it wasn't the earth-shattering, awe-inspiring, dwell-on-it-for-days movie that it should have been for me. Maybe it moved a bit too slow? It certainly wasn't slow at the end. And the special effects were breathtaking, no doubt. I can't figure out what it is that won't let me give it an "A." Definitely a "B+," though.
Aside: I think I've seen my last movie at Winter Park Village. It's always insanely packed full of Beautiful People with their Bushmobile SUVs or herds of yammering Gap-ad teens; there's never anywhere to park; and the theaters are just plain filthy. Tonight was terrible. I think I'm past the novelty of stadium seating enough now that I'd rather go to an out-of-the-way old-fashioned theater that's less crowded.
Posted by Lynniechan @ 02:18 AM EST [Link]
Tuesday, December 24, 2002
{Cough}
The side panel on my computer at work keeps popping off and hitting the ground with a whump, revealing the computer's innards, which are covered with dust bunnies upon dust bunnies. The company I work for can afford to send people around the world on a whim but doesn't have the resources to keep the Doozers' equipment up to date, clean or in shape. "Just remember who the stars are around here," a co-worker reminded me.
Posted by Lynniechan @ 11:38 PM EST [Link]
We wouldn't want them figuring out the truth, now would we?
PHILADELPHIA -- She is Barbie's oldest friend, happily married and visibly pregnant with her second child -- and some parents think she's a little too real for their children.
The pregnant version of Midge -- which pops out a curled-up baby when her belly is opened -- has been pulled from Wal-Mart shelves across the country following complaints from customers, a company spokeswoman said Tuesday.
"It was just that customers had a concern about having a pregnant doll," Wal-Mart Stores spokeswoman Cynthia Illick said.
In Barbie-land, Midge married boy-doll Alan in 1991, and the happy couple already has a 3-year-old son, Ryan.
The pregnant Midge, who wears a tiny white wedding ring, has a detachable magnetic stomach that allows easy "delivery" of the baby.
Posted by Lynniechan @ 11:04 PM EST [Link]
Monday, December 23, 2002
What's your animal personality?
There's a great deal of similarity between the mountain goat and its fellow ungulate the sheep. But this enigmatic creature stands out from the crowd with its unique combination of alertness, generosity and unassuming charm. For the mountain goat is a loner. An edgy, introverted soul who abhors crowds and puts is nimble legs to work in the great outdoors.
[MORE]
Posted by Lynniechan @ 01:05 AM EST [Link]
Beach bum
I have not worked out in more than a week. I feel like a beached whale.
Posted by Lynniechan @ 12:21 AM EST [Link]
Sunday, December 22, 2002
Home grown
The low drone of the car is still faintly ringing in my ears after 11 hours on the road. But I'm hearing it at home, and that's the key. I never appreciate how much I enjoy sleeping in my own bed until I'm away for a while. And as I get older, it gets more and more exhausting, both physically and mentally, to travel. I still love traveling and always will. But shorter is better these days. Boyfriend and I hope to take two weeks off sometime in 2003 to visit Japan. I have wanted to go for years now but am not looking forward to being away from home for so long.
Posted by Lynniechan @ 01:51 AM EST [Link]
Saturday, December 21, 2002
It's a girl
Congratulations to Stephen's sister and brother-in-law, who welcomed a healthy (and very quiet) girl into the world yesterday morning! Stephen is an overjoyed uncle and is resting comfortably. :)
Posted by Lynniechan @ 12:40 AM EST [Link]
Thursday, December 19, 2002
The Master's Mommy
I recently chatted with a stay-at-home mom who has a master's degree. I'll admit up front that I know little about her family or personal life, so let's take that out of the equation. The thing that miffed me: the thought of an extremely well-educated woman not working, not pursuing the career she presumably spent up to six years of college studying -- and pouring money into.
I've always told myself, "Judge not, lest ye be judged" -- a religious quote, yes, but one general enough, like the Golden Rule, to be meaningful even to non-religious people like me. And I'm also a firm believer that keeping house and taking care of kids is a full-time job and beneficial for children.
Then why am I so bitter about the Master's Mommy? I think a part of it is simply 'cause I don't relate to it, and that's why I keep having to repeat that quote to myself. If I had put that much effort into school, into a thesis, I damn well would be using it. I, I, I. That's the judgmental part of me talking.
Again, stay-at-home moms are a good thing. But why pursue a degree -- a graduate degree -- and cast it aside? I just wish more women -- specifically, intelligent women who have been privileged enough to have been able to go to college and earn a degree -- had the desire and ambition to rise above traditional women's roles. You've been handed the tools; do something with them.
The BF has told me in the past that I could quit my job if I had to or go part time if I wanted to. But for as many complaints I have about my job, I could never do that, and that's more of a selfish decision than anything else. I want to -- need to -- feel as though I'm putting in an equal amount of effort into our relationship, and that includes financially. Maybe that's part of the shift in thinking with us GenXers. I'm fiercely independent (but willingly sharing my life with my partner, of course), and I want to be able to stand on my own two feet if something bad should happen. (An optimist would say that nothing bad will to happen if you live your life properly and carefully. But the GenXer in me says live freely but always be prepared for the worst.)
You could say that the Master's Mommy sacrificed her career for the sake of her children, and that's admirable. I'm guessing here, but I figure the couple had discussed having a parent at home full-time, and since he made more money than she did, it made more sense for her to stop working than him. That's fine. I think another part of my resentment comes from my belief that fulfilling my life and my needs is as important as his, or even the children's. Not any more important, mind you, just as. A recent Newsweek My Turn column was by a woman who, after a decade of marriage and homemaking, had discovered that it wasn't in her heart. She got a divorce to pursue a career in the music industry (she wasn't a musician but I think an exec of some sort). When her husband asked for full custody of their daughter, she did not protest. Many appalled friends spurned her, asking, "As a mom, how could you abandon your daughter?" Even her daughter resented her for a long time. Now, years later, she and her daughter are best friends, and she still keeps in touch with her ex.
I'm not advocating that extreme an example, but I respected her bravery and the strength it took to stand up for what she needed to do for herself. You only live once, and at the end of the day, I want to feel as though I made the most of it.
Posted by Lynniechan @ 02:52 AM EST [Link]
Alley cats
Not much to do in this quiet town, so we went bowling -- for the first time in more than a year. League play had just ended, so the alley was still crowded, in a state of disrepair and smoke-filled, which sucked. Later -- after waiting 20 minutes for a lane -- as I bent over to put my purse down on a chair, the bottom of the large styrofoam cup I was carrying fell out, and Sprite poured out all over the seat. Luckily, my purse and I didn't get too wet, but then I was admonished by a bowling alley worker for bringing my drink too close to the bowling area! Jeez! No sympathy. No "Sorry, miss, we'll get you another Sprite." As far as the bowling went, I broke 100 in both games. That was decent. But the BF was en fuego, spanking me with his 175 in our second game. To add insult to injury, he obliterated me at a game of air hockey we played while waiting for a lane. Was not a good outing for me, though I'm happy Stephen had a good time.
Posted by Lynniechan @ 02:40 AM EST [Link]
Wednesday, December 18, 2002
Dinner is lunch
I've found myself having to say "supper" instead of "dinner" and "dinner" instead of "lunch" in order to avoid confusion.
I've always known the meal hierarchy as
Breakfast
Lunch
DinnerBut here, as in many parts of the south, it's
Breakfast
Dinner
Supper (SUP-pah)Other quaint language nuances:
* A "dressed" sandwich is a loaded sandwich (specifically, a po boy);
* "On ice" means anywhere in the fridge, not just the freezer;
* "For true" means "really," as in, Me: "Wapner's on at 9." You: "Fah true?"Posted by Lynniechan @ 02:33 AM EST [Link]
Proud
Read an excellent profile in Newsweek recently of Condoleezza Rice. (Note to Tex: I can bring it in for you.) I don't necessarily agree with her opinions, policies and decisions. But Condi is independent, strong-willed, determined and holds her own with the big (white, male) dogs. There are so few women who get where she's at.
Strong, intelligent broads rule.
Posted by Lynniechan @ 02:24 AM EST [Link]
Geek salad
Ya know, I had Sprint PCS's wireless Web access about a year ago. But the painfully slow connection speed rendered it grueling and practically useless, and I dropped it. For me, what I've used instead is HeyAnita, an 800-number service that dispenses sports scores (partial, even), weather information and news headlines. Call somebody? Yeah, how old-school. But I won't pay for a slow, text-only Web connection when, faster and for free, I can call a machine to read to me what I want to know.
(Aside: Now Sprint is pimping that PCS Vision, supposedly a new-and-improved, full-color version of their wireless Web access. It ain't worth it. I checked it out when the BF and I shopped for his cell phone. Still slooooowww as molasses. Wait for better technology to come around before shelling out another 10 to 20 bucks a month. For now, use yer cheaper Web-disabled phone to phone a friend and ask s/he what you need to know. Spare yourself from the squinting and thumb-twiddling.)
And then there's this:
Most readers of this column might be chained to their desks or leashed to their suite of office rooms. Their version of wireless is Wi-Fi, a technology that allows broadband but semi-mobile (i.e., don't leave the office or the coffee shop) wireless Internet access. They might not have noticed that hundreds of thousands of other people have begun using GPRS or CDMA2000 wireless Internet access. These are medium-band (56kbps to 144kbps) wireless packet switching networks that operate anywhere indoors or outdoors that GSM-frequency cellular phones do. The wireless devices using GPRS or CDMA2000 are mobile PDAs, laptops with cell modems, and cellular phones equipped for Internet access.
Don't I have enough toys? Nahhhh. I would love to have that handy during the 10-hour drive staring me in the face. Slower than wi-fi, but hey, you cantake it with you.
Posted by Lynniechan @ 02:16 AM EST [Link]
Tuesday, December 17, 2002
Shoot me now (maybe I'll get a writeup)
OMG, I just typed in this longish entry, and due to an unfortunate and clumsy series of events, including my apparent inability to recall how to drive this archaic AOL dial-up connection, I lost it. OMG.
Anyway, the point of The Post You Never Saw was that I just checked orlandosentinel.com to see what was going on, and I haven't been missing much.
The business I'm in is interesting yet sad, 'cause if there isn't breaking news going on -- read: 9-year-old girls being kidnapped, planes or cars crashing, politicians resigning in disgrace -- the media beat a dead horse (Trent Lott, United Airlines, Iraq inspections) until something fresh comes around, at which time said dead horse is immediately dropped, and the pack of hungry wolves runs after its next meal.
If you've never seen Bowling for Columbine, do. A central theme in the movie revolves around the media and its need to keep the masses in a state of paranoia. If Americans weren't fearful of what could happen to them, would they want to watch the news? Shocking, fear-inducing news makes for good ratings -- and keeps a finger on the trigger.
Posted by Lynniechan @ 02:34 AM EST [Link]
Monday, December 16, 2002
AHuffs don't play well with others
I e-mailed this guy out of the blue recently, intrigued that, among many other similarities, he's another online "AHuff." I stumbled upon his site via links from a couple of other blogs. While reading his site, I was struck by how many things we had in common: We're both GenXers (he's actually a few years younger than me, but he managed to squeak into the demographic); we both have cats; we both are sometime journalists, sometime designers; we both have ties to New Orleans; and we both had attended a Chicago Cubs game earlier this year (he lives there).
I never heard from him.
I introduced myself in my e-mail and mentioned our similarities... Then I apologized if I creeped him out with my e-mail. Did I freak him out? I stressed that he wasn't obligated to respond; I merely wanted to say hi. But I did hope to get a friendly-neighbor reply from him anyway, maybe even start a casual correspondence. I hope I didn't freak him out. I didn't mean to.
Posted by Lynniechan @ 01:01 AM EST [Link]
Get a Life Club lifetime member
Number of Christmas parties attended so far: 3
Number of times I've gotten drunk: 0I wish I didn't have so many responsibilities. Or should I say: I wish I didn't care as much about my responsibilities; then they wouldn't burden me.
I'm determined, dammit, to party one time before the holiday season is up. I think New Year's Eve may give me a good excuse.
Posted by Lynniechan @ 12:32 AM EST [Link]
Saturday, December 14, 2002
Visitations
I got an e-mail today from a stranger who is thinking about going to Iceland. He was doing research online and had come across my photos. The photos convinced him he should go. How cool. Hi, N., if you're still tuning in.
Posted by Lynniechan @ 05:11 AM EST [Link]
Someday
Strange but true: Someday, I want to go to Pitcairn Island. It's such a remote place -- one of the most remote on the planet -- and has a tragic but fascinating history. There are only 44 people left on the island. And I find it incredible that the descendents of Fletcher Christian and The Bounty's crew -- some of whom live on Pitcairn; others are on Norfolk Island or in Australia or New Zealand -- still have the crew's surnames.
Posted by Lynniechan @ 04:09 AM EST [Link]
Almost there...
Whew, what a productive night. I got a gajillion (technical term) Christmas cards written. I still need to track down addresses for about half of them, though. Some are outdated, some I never had. But at least they're written, sealed and just waiting for the finishing touches. I take pride in doing them every year. It's tedious, and unfortunately many of the messages are brief. I wish I had time to write something personal in each one. But I hope the people to whom I send cards know that I put a lot of time into them and that those people are special to me and worth the effort.
Pretty much have the shopping part done. There just may be a couple of small extras to pick up, but I have all the necessary people covered. Now for the hard part: wrapping the gifts.
Posted by Lynniechan @ 03:56 AM EST [Link]
Wednesday, December 11, 2002
:::snort snort:::
Slug (file name) of the day: Booty12
Posted by Lynniechan @ 06:33 PM EST [Link]
Serendipity
Yesterday, after turning north onto Orange Avenue from Sand Lake Road, I did not catch another red light until I got to Colonial Drive. Colonial Drive. Boo-YEAH!!!!!
Posted by Lynniechan @ 05:20 PM EST [Link]
Tuesday, December 10, 2002
More
I know this is old, but it's so beautiful and so sad that I occasionally go back to watch it. I am inspired by the time, effort and creativity that went into it. You have to listen to the music that accompanies it.
Posted by Lynniechan @ 05:49 PM EST [Link]
What was that song?
The most interesting application from a content producer's point of view seems to come from British Shazam. The mobile application lets you point your phone (any phone) toward any music source (say in a bar, an elevator, or a passing boom-box), and it will give you a text message with the name of the artist and the track. It is based on pattern recognition of the frequencies and 1.5 million music tracks.
Posted by Lynniechan @ 04:53 PM EST [Link]
Welcome to 2002
We just got the BF a cell phone and plan to take the plunge and discontinue our land-line service altogether. We stand to save $30 a month. Yaaay for technology.
Posted by Lynniechan @ 03:23 AM EST [Link]
I'm not sucking up
I've been going back and forth for years trying to decide whether my job sucks or blows, and I've made it no secret to friends that I'd take another job in a heartbeat if it payed paid [EDS: yes, I can't spell] me enough. My new boss is so nice, though, that since he started a few weeks ago, my job hasn't sucketh so bad. He's the first boss I've had that I thought could do my job if I called in sick; the first boss I don't have a problem talking to; the first boss whom when he asks me to adjust something, I don't seethe and bite my lip because I suspect it's for his own nitpickings ("Move that down a pica"). I don't have any allusions that I'll be doing what I'm doing forever (hence, the art classes). But for the time being, my job is better. Thanks, R.
Posted by Lynniechan @ 01:27 AM EST [Link]
He made it
Final Nude Dude update: He was there tonight. He was a shorter guy, maybe 5-7, starting to bald a bit in front, slightly muscular but with sloping shoulders and a small roll around his waist. He just looked like an average guy. He seemed shyer than the woman. Between longer poses, he would sit with his arms between his legs to cover himself. For reasons I can't explain, I got a slight nervous feeling in my stomach when he started to take off his clothes. I noticed a few others in the room didn't want to look directly at, um, it, at first. But just like the session with the female model, we all loosened up with each gesture sketch, and by the end of class, everyone had done some amazing drawings. For me, I found it harder to draw the man. My sketches of the man weren't at good as the ones of the woman. I think it's because men are more solid and their muscle structure is typically more defined. Women have curves and soft lines. With men, you have to firm up your stroke a bit, be bolder.
That was my last class of the course, which saddens me. That was probably one of the most enjoyable classes I've ever taken. The instructor was constructively critical but very knowledgeable and sweet. Soon, I will have to start working on Monday nights, so I won't be able to take another class that night. I hope a course in something else I'm interested in will be offered next session on one of my days off.
Oh, and as requested, here are two sketches from two weeks ago of the woman model.
womansketch1.html
womansketch2.htmlPosted by Lynniechan @ 12:23 AM EST [Link]
Addendum to I'm free on Tuesday
I'm not so much upset that I will not get to see tomorrow's concert, although that is a small part of it. I'm much more disappointed that our get-together apparently meant more to me than my friend, who called me the day before to tell me that something had come up and she couldn't go. We had only planned it months ago. I didn't ask her what came up. I only hope it was important.
Posted by Lynniechan @ 12:00 AM EST [Link]
Monday, December 9, 2002
I'm free on Tuesday
I was supposed to go to an Orlando Philharmonic concert tomorrow night, my first. I'm upset now 'cause my friend had to cancel on me. That's the second time in a month she's had to give me a rain check. Oy. I even took the night off for it. I haven't seen her in more than a year, even though she lives in town. I miss her and was looking more forward to catching up with her than the concert itself, though the concert would have been enjoyable. We've tentatively rescheduled for another one in March. But my beautiful dress will have to sit in the closet until then, and who knows whether I will see my friend before then.
Posted by Lynniechan @ 05:55 PM EST [Link]
Nude Dude update
Nude Dude update: The male nude model didn't show up last week because of a prior committment ("Tiff: How anticlimatic"). He's supposed to be in class tonight. Looking forward to it. (Er, the class, that is.)
Posted by Lynniechan @ 01:05 AM EST [Link]
Sunday, December 8, 2002
The good, the bad
I've had a good weekend. All of last week was pretty good, really: Got the blog working again, had a few strong papers at work -- and I actually felt like I participated in the design process, went to a couple of Christmas parties, got the BF a cell phone as one of his Christmas presents (we'd been talking about doing that for a long time now, so that's finally crossed off the to-do list), got the tree up, received a birthday present, bought a nice outfit -- and didn't have to fret or sweat bullets or search high and low for just the right thing -- for a concert, had a couple of good workouts, yadda.
After having such a good week, I was telling the BF last night that I feel like something really bad is going to happen to make up for all of this recent good fortune.
Damn my pessimistic/fatalist/cynical attitude. I wish I could just enjoy and be grateful for what I've received instead of recoiling at what may or may not come next.
Posted by Lynniechan @ 09:16 AM EST [Link]
Making a list, checking it twice
The Christmas tree has gone live. It's twinkly and pretty (albeit barren of balls and ornaments along the bottom 'cause the cats keep thinking what lovely toys we've put out for them. I swear, the tree will end up on its side before Dec. 25). It's chilly outside. I'm finally starting to get into this Christmas thing. But I've done something I've never done before, and I'm not sure it's in the spirit of Christmas.
I made a wish list.
And I gave that list to several friends and loved ones.
On the one hand, I'll end up getting what I want and need. My friends and loved ones won't have to fret over what to get me. And heck -- I had no trouble coming up with things for my list. :)
On the other hand, isn't it part of the Christmas spirit to be surprised when you unwrap your gifts? Am I zapping all of the excitement out of it? Am I officially old?
Your thoughts?
Oh great -- I just heard the sound of breaking glass. I think we've lost another ornament to the cats.
Posted by Lynniechan @ 09:00 AM EST [Link]
Saturday, December 7, 2002
I'm BAAAAAcckkk!
Finally! It took me awhile to figure out Greymatter, the new blog software I'm using. (And, of course, in the time I was "out," I had a lot of things to say.) Greymatter seems cool enough, but it has a steep learning curve, especially if you're not an uber-nerd. I'm just a regular nerd, so I could figure it out, but it took me longer than it should have. Let's just say it involves Telnet and chmod and all sorts of fun Unix stuff. I'm still not done customizing all of the windows, but it's far enough along that I can bring it back live. I've put a link to "Blog v.1.0" on the right, and I don't think I've lost anything.
Ohhh, gotta go and help put up the Christmas tree. I'm not in as much Christmas spirit as I normally am, which disturbs me. I hope putting up the tree will help.
Posted by Lynniechan @ 03:42 PM EST [Link]