Tuesday, December 30, 2003
Trust no one
The stinkiest media performances of the year
Current mood: Hungry
Posted by Lynniechan @ 06:48 PM EST [Link]
Monday, December 29, 2003
Lunch hour
Thank you for this afternoon, PT. You are one of my oldest and dearest friends. Please don't be a stranger.
Current mood: Happy
Current music: Torch Song | Shine on MePosted by Lynniechan @ 06:27 PM EST [Link]
One is never enough
A sad sight: Me rolling my office chair between my laptop and the iMac, which are across the (teeny) room from each other, because I've got two different programs running, one on each computer.
Current mood: Upbeat
Current music: Meat Beat Manifesto | Think FastPosted by Lynniechan @ 06:11 PM EST [Link]
Should auld acquaintance PLEASE be forgot
I've had no less than three unrelated, dissociated people tell me this past week that 2003 was a terrible year overall (and you can make that four, if you include my recollections). There were some big highlights -- my pilgrimage to Japan, for one -- but by and large, this year wasn't on one to look back fondly. The latter part of the year has been particularly troublesome. I'm looking forward to making a fresh start in 2004.
And speaking of, I have a new year's resolution to share. I'm allowing myself only one, because it's huge: Come this time next year, I want to be well on the road to doing what I want to do for the rest of my life.
When I turned 30, I promised myself I would take more pride in my appearance and not to be fat any more. I think I accomplished that. And since then, I have had more confidence in myself and my abilities -- and my ability to do what I say I'm going to do.
And for 2004, I promise to work on my future.
Current mood: Introspective
Posted by Lynniechan @ 02:02 AM EST [Link]
WTF
Before some movie trailers tonight, one of those slides they show between movies [PDF] announced that someone's garden gnome had been stolen, and the guy wanted it back. It had an 888 number to call and a Web site. I quickly dismissed it as part of some gimmicky ad campaign to lure you to a Web site that would inundate you with more ads. But now I can't tell whether it's legit or not -- I just saw a link to it from fark.com. If this is from some yahoo, this is one expensive way to get attention. I still want to think it's an ad for something.
Current mood: Full
Current music: Cyberaktif | Nothing StaysPosted by Lynniechan @ 12:05 AM EST [Link]
Sunday, December 28, 2003
Scenes from last Sunday
Here are a few pictures from our day trip to Jacksonville to see the Saints-Jaguars NFL game, which ended with the Saints losing by a point in one of the craziest finishes ever. Incredibly, we left at the 2-minute warning and missed the end! As we pulled out of the parking lot, I switched on the radio to an AM station just to confirm that the game had in fact gotten over. We heard the broadcaster breathlessly exclaim the score amid wows and unbelievables -- 20-19 -- and our jaws dropped to the floor. That'll teach us to try to beat the traffic.
Junior sports the tickets, as well as his LSU hat and sweatshirt
BF & I brave the afternoon chill
The scene
The greatest femullet ever, hunted as we walked outCurrent mood: Sleepy
Current music: REM | What's the Frequency, Kenneth?Posted by Lynniechan @ 11:28 PM EST [Link]
Friday, December 26, 2003
People who should not have been allowed to breed, part I
Current mood: Full
Current music: Public Enemy | Night of the Living BaseheadsPosted by Lynniechan @ 03:19 PM EST [Link]
Wednesday, December 24, 2003
They may as well charge us for the air we breathe... oh wait
It's a crime that Starbucks still continues to charge $6 an hour for high-speed Internet and wi-fi access. Community Coffee houses, which I believe is a Louisiana-only coffee house chain, offer free access -- both wi-fi and standard network plugs are available in their stores. Get with the program already, Starbucks.
I'm about to check out the new "McCafe" at the McDonald's near my house. I hear some of them offer free access. I'll let you know how it turns out.
Current mood: Frustrated
Current music: Orbital | BelfastEDS: Several hours later: The Mickey D's "Bistro Cafe" didn't offer Internet access as far as I could tell. But they had lots of paninis.
Posted by Lynniechan @ 07:55 PM EST [Link]
Wednesday, December 17, 2003
Why not
Copy this whole list into your journal.
Bold the things that you have in common with me. Whatever you don't bold, replace with things about you. Things I have in common with infinitefetish are in bold.
001. I have never broken any bones.
002. I love animals.
003. I have never had short hair.
004. I procrastinate.
005. I have lived abroad.
006. I procrastinate a lot.
007. I am old enough to have seen The Empire Strikes Back in a movie theater when it first was released.
008. My favorite color is black.
009. I rarely have trouble falling asleep.
010. Rice pudding is my all-time least favorite food.
011. I had never kissed anyone until my first year of college.
012. My favorite subject in school was biology.
013. I hate being in direct sunlight.
014. In grade school, a boy once asked me why I was so ugly.
015. I spend much of my free time on a computer.
016. My parents have never been separated or divorced.
017. I use instant messenger at work.
018. I rarely watch TV.
019. I hate shopping for clothes.
020. I am disgusted by trash on a table when I am eating.
021. I am repulsed by smoke and have therefore never tried to.
022. I have been to a Monkees concert.
023. I have owned two bunny rabbits.
024. Not counting times that I have been ill, I have slept as long as 14 hours of a day.
025. I use AIM.
026. I'm liberal.
027. I dislike crowds.
028. Growing up, I loved educational toys, especially science, radio and aeronautical kits.
029. I like kinky.
030. I would love to have more time.
031. I have never stayed overnight in a hospital.
032. I have "run" a 5K.
033. I live with my boyfriend.
034. I really need to clean my house.
035. I got two Ds in college.
036. I hate roaches.
037. I love storms.
038. I have my own computer.
039. I go through CDs like many people go through books.
040. I liked mainstream pop music of the 80s.
041. I really enjoy thoughtful gifts, even if they cost nothing. Still, I'll like almost anything just because the person took the time to pick it out.
042. I get along with most members of my family.
043. I like laughing.
044. Sometimes LiveJournal creeps me out.
045. I hate jewelry but love silver.
046. I am a nonconformist.
047. I designed my own Web page.
048. I once rolled over the score on the Atari 2600 version of Asteroids.
049. I have made LJ icons.
050. I love to burn CDs.
051. I once played the violin.
052. I am opinionated.
053. I have "leave me alone face."
054. I have never fired a gun.
055. I've never gone hunting.
056. I have to have music when I do cardio.
057. I have taken tennis lessons.
058. I used to have very neat handwriting, but I no longer do.
059. I wish I read more books.
060. I've never swum with dolphins.
061. I have been to Iceland.
062. I love food.
063. I can dance.
064. I am angered by close-minded people.
065. I don't do juice boxes anymore. I'm usually drinking from a water bottle or diet coke can.
066. I like to give gifts.
067. I have to have at least a sheet covering me at night, even if it’s really hot.
068. I don't have a regular bar.
069. I hate routines.
070. I own few DVDs.
071. I am constantly battling boredom.
072. I need some alone time to stay sane.
073. I'm online a lot.
074. I want to travel more.
075. I'm old enough to have played Atari games.
076. Most of my friends from college are of the opposite gender.
077. I rarely get drunk.
078. I've never had a DUI.
079. I have never been arrested.
080. I think too much.
081. I love wood and tile floors.
082. I have a satchel and messenger bag fetish.
083. I think I am boring.
084. I have an average size car.
085. I enjoy talking about current events.
086. I am not planning on having any children.
087. I have a low tolerance for loud people.
088. I see "floaters" almost all of the time.
089. There is probably something else I should be doing rather than this.
090. I go to the doctor annually.
091. I love sushi.
092. My family calls me by a different name than my co-workers.
093. I used to hate getting my picture taken.
094. I would like to write the melody to a song someday.
095. I love long, sleek black hair.
096. I love scrambled eggs.
097. I am a native Floridian.
098. I dislike the beach but will go if friends are going.
099. I like to say swear words.
100. I always get kissed good night.Current mood: Sleepy
Posted by Lynniechan @ 03:01 AM EST [Link]
Stolen directly from fark.com
But I couldn't resist...
Current mood: Amused
Posted by Lynniechan @ 02:07 AM EST [Link]
Welcome to hell -- one in an occasional series
I believe that when I go to hell, I will be locked in a small, windowless room with a computer that has a 9600-baud modem connection, and the only sites I will be permitted to browse will be Flash- and Java-enhanced.
Current mood: Bored
Posted by Lynniechan @ 01:11 AM EST [Link]
Monday, December 15, 2003
why jonny kant reed
I've been anal retentive about proper English for some reason. I'm sure the feeling will pass.
But in the meantime, to have a little fun with it, I've started a moblog of grammatical and typographical fuckups. But they can't just be typos on an interchangeable sign in front of Schlotzky's. They must permanent engravings, prints, pictures and fixtures with embarrassing jackups. Engrish will be considered on a case-by-case basis, depending on its level of amusement.
I feel like a hunter. Sort of like a Mullet Hunter with a greater purpose.
My first submission is brought to you by the Mall at Millenia (sic), which in itself is doubly egregious. I always feel obligated to put the "(sic)" at the end of the name so people don't think I misspelled it.
The first entry is an inscription at the base of a sculpture in the food court. I'm sure Euripides would forgive the misuse of the apostrophe in his quote. And now that I've gotten a second look at it, the entry is worth 2 points, because the colon is misused. Sheesh.
Feel free to send me submissions. I will try to post them, if I can figure out how to post other people's photos to the moblog.
I hope there aren't too many typos and errors in this post. It's late.
Current mood: Asleep
Posted by Lynniechan @ 03:54 AM EST [Link]
The break-in
Our home was broken into a few nights ago.
No one was hurt, and nothing was stolen.
The perpetrator damaged our front door. He kicked in a beveled decorative panel, the one nearest the doorknob, presumably hoping to reach in and unlock the dead bolt. Wooden pieces of our front door were scattered in our foyer.
But the alarm system went off, and the perp ran -- better to just flee and victimize another house than risk getting caught. The alarm system we just had installed saved us and paid for itself.
I received a call from the security system company shortly after it got dark. The man on the other end said that an alarm had been tripped at our house, and a deputy was being dispatched to check it out. I thought little of it, thinking it might just be an animal or a faulty sensor and asking myself what the odds are that we are being burglarized.
Less than an hour later, I got another call -- with a caller ID of our home land line. OMG. It was the deputy, calling from inside our house. He said he'd let himself in via the hole in our front door. He did a walk-through of the house and said that he didn't notice anything that was obviously missing, such as a TV, but that we should come home and not only check out the door but make sure ourselves that nothing was missing.
We dashed from work, my computer still running, half a coffee getting cold. It was a bad night to leave -- a person from each of our departments had called in sick, so both departments were barely getting by.
It had never taken so long for a light to change or for us to get home. Only when you are in a frantic hurry do you end up behind a city bus or catch every red light.
We pulled into the driveway, and we could see the hole in our front door. I thought for sure Kitty had fled out the hole long before we got there. She used to be a stray, so she's always looking for ways to get outside. I only hoped she'd come back to us someday. As for Amber, since she's deaf, she might not have heard a thing and may still have been sleeping peacefully in our bedroom. I wasn't as worried about her.
Two deputies greeted us before we went in. One was in uniform, the other was a plainclothes deputy with a badge hanging around his neck who said he lived in the area and stopped when he saw a deputy's car with its lights on in front of our driveway. "We looked around pretty thoroughly and don't think anything's missing," Uniformed Deputy said. "But your Garibaldi almost lost his head," said Plainclothes Deputy.
For anyone who's been to my house or old apartment, "Garibaldi" is Michael Garibaldi, chief of security of Babylon 5. I have a life-sized cutout of him in our computer room. (I also used to have a life-sized cutout of Deep Space 9 doctor Julian Bashir as well, but he had seen better days and would no longer stand up on his own. So I retired him.)
"I'm impressed you know who Garibaldi is," I said. "I really should prop him up in the window from now on so people think someone's home." It still manages to scare me every now and then.
Amber was perched near the front door. She must have come into the living room thinking we were home, but found two large, strange men switching on lights instead. She's completely unafraid of people, so she just made herself comfortable there to watch the activity.
We searched the house. I mentally noted that all the closet doors were open and a few of their contents pushed aside, presumably by the deputies.
Nothing had been taken. I breathed a big sigh of relief that the laptop I purchased days before was still sitting on the office desk.
There was Kitty! She hadn't left after all! I guess she got spooked and hid in the bedroom. She peeked her head around the corner and looked up at us. Whew. What a relief.
While Uniformed Deputy ran to his car to get a report for us to fill out, Plainclothes Deputy engaged me in nerd talk, telling me he used to watch Babylon 5 religiously (so did I, for a while) and that he recently had been watching Stargate. I don't follow that one, but my dad is a rabid fan. Getting back on topic, he said that there had been some small reports of criminal mischief in the area, but nothing really serious. He was aware of a group of young hoodlums who lived nearby -- we weren't too happy to hear that -- but he seemed to think they weren't dangerous and were more of the vandal variety. We all shook hands again and thanked him one last time for stopping by before he left.
Uniformed Deputy came back with a short report to fill out. We asked what we could do about the break-in attempt and if the perp would be caught. "No way, really," he said. "He didn't take anything and doesn't appear to have gotten in. The only thing we can do is file a report for criminal mischief and increase patrols in the area." What about fingerprints? "We only fingerprint when a felony has occurred." Stephen finished up the report and we thanked Uniform for his quick response to our house.
Now that the deputies were gone, the house was quiet again. It was just me, Stephen -- and a gaping hole in our front door big enough for a small person to slip through.
We needed a carpenter or handyman to come out and replace the door stat. But in the meantime, the only thing we could do was to patch the hole.
I raced to Lowe's and bought a sheet of plywood while the BF waited at home. We nailed it over the hole, which would have to do until the door was replaced. We couldn't both go back to work, though. There was no way we could leave the house unattended with the front door in that condition. I stayed, while the BF hurried back to work.
A couple of hours later, while I passed some time on a computer, I heard the security alarm chime, meaning a door or window was ajar. My heart nearly jumped out of my chest. I tiptoed into the kitchen -- foolish, now that I think about it -- to see if I could see anything. My breathing was shallow. What could have caused the alarm to chime? Was this a false alarm? I wasn't taking any chances. I tiptoed back into the computer room and quietly called the BF. "I just heard the alarm chime," I whispered, shaking. "I'd feel better if you came home." The BF was home within 20 minutes, to his credit. He went around the house twice with a flashlight -- I feared for his safety -- but the search turned up nothing. I can only assume that that time was a false alarm...
* * * Several days later now, and our old wooden front door has been replaced by a fiberglass one. At the same time, we had the door to the carport -- a very, very old, weak door, which would have been the better door to break into -- replaced as well by a thick wooden door.
But to our dismay, the fat lazyasses we hired to do the installation botched several things, and did an all-around shitty job. The doors are functional, and the new expensive, warrantied deadbolts are doing their job. But the molding around the front door has been cracked in several places; a painted baseboard on the inside is missing and presumed thrown away during their cleanup; the screen door that was in front of the front door could not be reinstalled, so they just tossed it aside; they cracked the new carport door near the top hinge; it is slightly crooked; instead of using new hinges we bought, which are stronger, they used the old hinges on the new carport door; and the doorknob latch is missing two screws. And those are just the obvious, major problems.
We're already out $800 with all the replacement parts and the installation, and now we're going to have to hire another -- more professional -- carpenter or handyman to come out and fix the fuckups the first handymen did. Their job was absolutely unacceptable.
Last week was not a good week. I don't have to go very far out on a limb to say it was one of my worst weeks ever.
Current mood: Exhausted
Posted by Lynniechan @ 03:19 AM EST [Link]
Friday, December 12, 2003
One for every mood
$65 more for a candy apple iPod?
Current mood: Frazzled
Posted by Lynniechan @ 12:23 AM EST [Link]
Thursday, December 11, 2003
The copy editor in me, part II
Pet peeve: "... playing a duel role..."
Is he going to fight himself for it?
Current mood: Distraught
Posted by Lynniechan @ 11:43 PM EST [Link]
Tuesday, December 9, 2003
Guilty pleasure of the month
I'm so totally hooked on VH1's "The Fabulous Life of..." series. It's so People and Us Weekly. Plus, I love its presentation style of still photos and cutouts constantly zipping and zooming around the screen -- just like a 1/2-hour Shockwave animation.
Current mood: Unproductive
Current music: Underworld | Two Months OffPosted by Lynniechan @ 10:11 PM EST [Link]
Beefy queen
I have lost several pounds in the past week. I'm worried that I'm losing muscle, because I haven't been working out as much as I had been prior to the Charles and Hooch regattas. Rowing practices have quieted down -- practices have been boring and plodding, focusing more on drills and technique than racing -- so the need to keep in shape has diminished.
I thought I'd never, ever say this, ever, but I don't want to lose any more weight.
I was at a comfortable, healthy 143 a month ago, and I wasn't and am not embarrassed to tell people my weight any more. I like being somewhat muscular, and I like being strong -- but that's mostly a product of my desire to try to keep up with all of the other healthy, strong women I row with and not to feel like an anchor in the boat.
For the first time, I think I need to increase my workouts to gain weight.
Current mood: Chipper
Current music: Electric Light Orchestra | Turn to StonePosted by Lynniechan @ 09:58 PM EST [Link]
Monday, December 8, 2003
The copy editor in me
This morning at practice, a group of rowing ladies were talking about the club's holiday party. They kept saying they were going to put out "luminaries" to light the driveway of the hostess's house.
I wanted to say, "Um, it's luminarias. A luminary is an enlightened person," but I had to bite my lip for fear of being an annoying know-it-all nerd.
Current mood: Procrastinating
Current music: Pet Shop Boys | Two Divided by ZeroPosted by Lynniechan @ 06:02 PM EST [Link]
Rowing matters
Our best rower dropped a bombshell to our group this morning: She's pregnant and due in June. N. -- yes, the same N. of the Secret party -- will go on rowing "maternity leave" next month sometime. I'm very happy for her. She just turned 30, and we all had off and on joked to her that she better stay celibate during race season or we were screwed. Just jokes! I did the math, and it's quite possible that the baby was conceived while we all were in Boston. She also had a birthday that same month. So there were at least two reasons in October for her and hubby to celebrate. :)
We have a new coach. Well, have had. I will not print his name here, because his name is likely to be easily Googled, but he is from Yugoslavia and had been on their junior national team. Our longtime coach suddenly quit right after the Hooch in November. He had his problems -- battling alcoholism, dealing with a newborn -- and we all knew it was only a matter of time before he had to simplify his life. The first thing to go would have been coaching ORC, which he did solely as a labor of love (OK, and some pocket change to buy more drinks). He kicked our asses every morning, and I think a bunch of us wish he were back. I know I do. The new coach's style is 180 degrees away from the old one's, and it's been a challenge to erase years of muscle memory and relearn new rowing technique. Current mood: Chatty
Current music: Garbage | SpecialPosted by Lynniechan @ 05:33 PM EST [Link]
Bliss
I am in love with my new PowerBook. I spent some of my night last night copying crap over from my old machine to new, so that my BF can have the iMac (mostly) to himself. The iMac has a DVD burner in it, and the PowerBook only a lowly DVD player, so if I need to burn DVDs, I will have to use the iMac. No biggie. I saved myself a couple hundred dollars on the laptop, and I didn't need 2 DVD burners anyway, seeing as how I don't burn many DVDs (at least not this year).
They are both connected into a cheap Linksys router, which makes for a little home network in itself. I was shocked at how easy it was to access the iMac from the PowerBook. Just a few clicks, and I could see the contents of the iMac in a window on my laptop. How conveeeeenient.
Now back to my endless hours of fidgeting of settings, colors, icons and preferences so that my new computer is set up like my old one.
Current mood: Diligent
Current music: Fila Brazillia | Strange ThoughtsPosted by Lynniechan @ 05:11 PM EST [Link]
Scrooged
I'm in full Christmas-shopping mode right now, which I'm not too happy about. It's not that I'm disgruntled about having to buy gifts -- it's that I am at a complete loss as to what to get certain people. I pride myself on not having to fall back on getting someone a gift certificate, scented candle or Hallmark coffee mug, which to me, say, "I didn't know what to get you so I got you this."
I never used to want to know what people wanted because in the spirit of gift-giving, I wanted to surprise them. I loved Christmas shopping and spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars each Christmas, spending hours per person trying to find that perfect thing that fit their personality like a glove.
Now, though, the luster of Christmas shopping has gone, and I ask people point-blank, "What do you want?" It just makes it easier that way, a quick stop into the crowded, noisy mall, and you know that they'll enjoy and use what you bought. (Yes, I still in fact do step foot into the mall, mostly because I am a procrastinator, and an online order might not make it here in time or is out of stock.)
I still love this time of year, though. I love the cold air and the beautiful Christmas lights.
Current mood: Dumpy
Current music: VNV Nation | EpicentrePosted by Lynniechan @ 04:49 PM EST [Link]
Thursday, December 4, 2003
Someday...
... I must go back here to see the Northern Lights.
Current mood: Impatient
Current music: Finitribe | ForevergreenPosted by Lynniechan @ 03:23 PM EST [Link]
Monday, December 1, 2003
Boo-yeah
I ordered a 12-inch Powerbook today! The thought of spending a week in Louisiana and away from decent, convenient computer access was more than I could bear.
That's one thing crossed off my Fat Chance wish list.
Current mood: Ecstatic
Current music: Massive Attack | TeardropPosted by Lynniechan @ 06:32 PM EST [Link]
Transcendental procrastination
Today was one of those (many) days I just didn't have the energy to do anything, despite getting enough sleep. It's purely mental. I just don't have any motivation. I don't want to work, I don't want to do any housework -- it seems the more that needs to be done, the less my motivation for doing it -- but my attention span is too short to watch a movie.
So, true to form, I chalked the day up to a do-nothing, mental-health day and played games instead. (I've had lots of those lately. I wonder when I'll be out of this rut.)
I decided to waste some money at Rocky's Replay, since I hadn't been there in a long time. I guess there's an old saying that time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time. That should be my motto.
The first thing I did was hit the hoop shot machine, because I'm pretty good at that for some reason. I shot my best score yet -- 60 points. Also played San Francisco Rush 2049 and a couple of other old favorites. I always have to give DDR a try, even though I'm horrible at it. I like it, yet I'm terrible at it, because I'm such a clutz. Naturally, some young punk who played it on the most difficult levels sat on a barstool next to me and watched me embarrass myself by fumbling around and scoring a C on the beginner level. I'm lucky I didn't fall (again)!
One thing that struck me, though, was the lack of completely new, innovative games. It just seems like nearly every game out there is a sequel to or a variation on a previously popular game. Don't get me wrong, I love Soul Caliber 2, but it's just like its predecessor. More weird games from Japan, please! They did have a racing game I hadn't seen before called Initial D, but there was a horde of boys crowded around the four linked machines, and I didn't want to butt in. I can't say how new of a game it is because I'm so out of touch with games these days. Signage and all of the instructions were in Japanese, though, so that was cool.
And now, back to reality. Time to look like I got something productive done before the BF gets home.
Current mood: Satisfied
Current music: Tears for Fears | Laid So Low (Tears Roll Down)Posted by Lynniechan @ 12:33 AM EST [Link]