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February 21, 2007

Playground Bullies are Fun!
...especially when you've been out of school for a couple decades.

Anyhoo. Here's a little mantra that bears repeating: people on the Internets are real.

Some of them even have... feelings. You might want to sit down a moment and catch your breath back after that last bit; I know it came as quite the shock to me when I found out.

Not to say I'm wearing a halo. I've been guilty of offenses. But I'm cognizant, I suffer internally for each and every one (for days, weeks, months), and I make a concerted effort to remember and type by the ethic of reciprocity.

Those forum emoticons gushing love and adoration can be so deceiving. Because, there are places, apparently, where unwritten policy stands that if you slip up unwittingly, there'll be a virtual knife in your back so fast your avatar will spin.

Of course this behavior isn't limited to forums. Think about the hate mail to which some of your favorite popular bloggers are subject. How about that community blogging site, where nastiness is the order of the day?

Anonymity can be pretty bitchy, any way you slice it. And some days, it's pretty difficult to take the bad with the good.

It's not okay to say anything you want, anything that passes through your brain, in any way you see fit. That's not how society -- yeah, even a virtual society -- stays sane and afloat. You can call it honesty all you like, even brutal honesty, but really? It's just cruelty for the sake of it.
02/21/07 12:39 PM |  Comments


February 13, 2007

Did They Get "Pigs in a Twinkie" from Joel McHale?
A Twinkies Cookbook? The idea leaves me alternately fascinated and upchucky. And then it can't help but evoke thoughts of Hamwinkies.
02/13/07 02:20 PM |  Comments


February 12, 2007

Yipes Stripes
So last night we had dinner at the riverfront. Afterwards, as we approached the fence above the banks to have a look at the water, D. spotted a skunk ambling over the shore. Skunks have an amusing waddle, and the bub has never seen one real and live, so we watched from our safe distance.

A few yards later, he encountered a vicious pack of... wild kittens! It was hilarious, the way they stalked him, the scrawny orange one right on his bushy tail. You'd probably think, as we did, that this story could have only one possible conclusion. But Pepe had either been de-sprayed, or enjoyed a high tolerance for the stupidity of youth, because those cats never got what was rightfully coming to them. Or at least not that we got to witness.
02/12/07 09:55 AM |  Comments


February 11, 2007

I Need to Get Out More. But I've Done Some Things.

A meme, because it's Sunday. Though it's not what you'd call a Sunday-ish meme. Via Kate.

Level 1
( ) Smoked A Cigarette
( ) Smoked A Cigar
( ) Kissed A Member Of The Same Sex
(x) Drank Alcohol
(x) Smoked Marijuana

SCORE SO FAR: 2

Level 2
(x) Are / Been In Love
(x) Been Dumped
( ) Shoplifted
( ) Been Fired
( ) Been In A Fist Fight

SCORE SO FAR: 4
Level 3
(x) Had A Crush On An Older Person [More Than 10 Years]
( ) Skipped School
(x) Slept With A Co-Worker
( ) Seen Someone / Something Die
( ) Been Involved in a Traffic Accident

SCORE SO FAR: 6
Level 4
( ) Had / Have a Crush On One Of Your Blogging / Facebook / or MySpace Friends
(x) Been on a Plane
( ) Been to Paris
( ) Been to Australia
(x) Thrown Up From Drinking

SCORE SO FAR: 8
Level 5
( ) Eaten Sushi
( ) Been Snowboarding
(x) Met Someone Face-to-Face from a Blog / MySpace / Facebook
( ) Been in a Mosh Pit
(x) Played the Lottery

SCORE SO FAR: 10
Level 6
( ) Been In An Abusive Relationship
(x) Taken Pain Killers
(x) Love / Loved Someone Who You Can’t Have
(x) Laid On Your Back And Watched Cloud Shapes Go By
(x) Made A Snow Man

SCORE SO FAR: 14
Level 7
(x) Had a Tea Party
(x) Flown a Kite
(x) Built a Sand Castle
(x) Gone Muddin’ / Cow Tippin’/ or Dumpster Divin’ [You Might Be a Redneck If…]
(x) Played Dress Up

SCORE SO FAR: 19
Level 8
(x) Jumped Into a Pile Of Leaves You Didn’t Gather
(x) Gone Sledding
(x) Cheated While Playing a Game
(x) Been Lonely
(x) Fallen Asleep At Work / School

SCORE SO FAR: 24
Level 9
(x) Watched the Sun Set
( ) Felt an Earthquake (grrrRRRRR)
(x) Killed a Snake
(x) Forgot Where You Parked Your Car
(x) Woke Early to Listen to the Radio Report a Possible Snow Day

SCORE SO FAR: 28
Level 10
(x) Been Tickled
( ) Been Robbed / Vandalized / Mugged
(x) Been Cheated On / Cheated on Someone
( ) Been the Subject of School Gossip
( ) Received Acupuncture

SCORE SO FAR: 30
Level 11
(x) Won a Contest
( ) Been Suspended From School
( ) Had Detention
( ) Had to Transfer Schools to Avoid Scandal
( ) Been In a Jet Ski / Boat Accident

SCORE SO FAR: 31
Level 12
( ) Had / Have Braces
( ) Trespassed a Backyard to Swim in a Pool
( ) Eaten a Whole Pint of Ice Cream in One Sitting
( ) Had Sex With Someone and Never Knew Their Name
(x) Danced in the Moonlight

SCORE SO FAR: 32

Level 13
(x) Hate(d) the Way You Look
( ) Witnessed A Crime
( ) Been in Court [Excluding Jury Duty]
( ) Pole Danced
(x) Questioned Your Heart

SCORE SO FAR: 34
Level 14
(x) Squished Barefoot Through The Mud
(x) Been Lost in Another State
(x) Been So Cold that It Burned
( ) Swam In Flood Water
(x) Convinced You Were Dying

SCORE SO FAR: 38
Level 15
(x) Cried Yourself To Sleep
(x) Played Cops And Robbers
(x) Recently Colored With Crayons / Colored Pencils / Markers
( ) Sang Karaoke [Rap/Hip Hop don’t count]
(x) Paid For A Meal / Cigarettes / Beer With Only Coins

SCORE SO FAR: 42
Level 16
(x) Done Something You Told Yourself You Would Never… EVER Do
(x) Made Prank Phone Calls
(x) Laughed Until Some Kind Of Beverage Came Out Of Your Nose
(x) Laughed So Hard You Farted
( ) Sneezed So Hard You Shit Yourself

SCORE SO FAR: 46
Level 17
(x) Kissed In The Rain
(x) Written a Letter To Santa Claus
(x) Watched The Sun Set / Sun Rise With Someone You Cared About
(x) Blown Bubbles
(x) Made a Bonfire On The Beach

SCORE SO FAR: 51
Level 18
( ) Crashed A Party
( ) Traveled More Than 5 Days In a Car Full of People
(x) Gone Rollerskating / Blading
( ) Crashed a Wedding
( ) Eaten Lunch / Dinner on Free Samples at a Grocery Store

SCORE SO FAR: 52
Level 19
( ) Worn Jewelry You Could Never Afford
( ) Jumped Off A Bridge
( ) Crashed a Funeral
(x) Screamed “Motherfucker!”
( ) Vandalized Property or Spray-Painted Graffiti

SCORE SO FAR: 53
Level 20
(x) Got Your Tongue Stuck To A Pole / Freezer / Ice Cube
( ) Kissed A Fish
(x) Worn The Opposite Sex’s Clothing
( ) Sat On A Roof Top
(x) Had a Wish Come True

SCORE SO FAR: 56
Level 21
(x) Screamed At The Top Of Your Lungs
( ) Completed / Attempted a One-Handed Cartwheel
( ) Talked On The Phone For More Than 6 Hours
( ) Stolen a Friend’s Boyfriend / Girlfriend
( ) Purchased Illegal Drugs

SCORE SO FAR: 57
Level 22
(x) Picked and Ate an Apple / Orange / Mystery Fruit Off the Tree
( ) Climbed a Tree in the Past 10 Years
( ) Made or Been in a Tree House
( ) Chopped Down a Tree
( ) Fallen from a Tree

SCORE SO FAR: 58
Level 23
(x) Believed In Ghosts
(x) Been Too Scared to Watch Scary Movies Alone
( ) Have had More Then 30 Pairs Of Shoes
( ) Gone Streaking / Skinny Dipping
(x) Visited a Jail / Prison

SCORE SO FAR: 61
Level 24
( ) Played Chicken in a Car / Bike / Grocery Cart
( ) Been Pushed into a Pool with All Your Clothes On
(x) Been Told You’re Hot By a Complete Stranger
(x) Broken a Bone
( ) Voted for a Candidate to Please a Girl / Guy

SCORE SO FAR: 63
Level 25
( ) Caught A Fish Then Ate It Later
( ) Recorded Yourself Performing a Sexual Act
(x) Caught A Butterfly
(x) Laughed So Hard You Cried
( ) Cried So Hard You Laughed

SCORE SO FAR: 65
Level 26
(x) Mooned/Flashed Someone
( ) Had Someone Moon/Flash You
(x) Cheated On A Test
(x) Forgotten Someone’s Name
(x) Cut Your Own Hair

SCORE SO FAR: 69
Level 27
(x) Rode A Roller Coaster
( ) Went Scuba-Diving / Snorkeling
( ) Had Sex with More Than One Person in One Night
( ) Black-Mailed Someone / Been Black-Mailed By Someone
( ) Woke Up Somewhere Not Knowing Where You Were

SCORE SO FAR: 70
Level 28
(x) Been Used By a Best Friend
(x) Fell Going Up The Stairs
( ) Licked A Cat / Dog / Iguana
( ) Bitten Someone
( ) Kissed a Stranger at Midnight on New Years Eve

SCORE SO FAR : 72
Level 29
( ) Been Shot At / Held at Gunpoint
( ) Had Sex in the Rain
( ) Flattened Someones Tires
(x) Rode Your Car / Truck Until the Gas Light Came On
( ) Asked and Paid for Two Dollars or Less of Gas

Total Score: (Out of a possible 145) 73
WHAT YOUR SCORE MEANS:

0 - 29: Check Your Pulse. Seriously. You Might Be Dead.
30 - 58: You’re on Your Death Bed. You Still Live With Your Mother, Don’t You?
60 - 87: You Need to Get Out More. But You’ve Done Some Things. Cheers!
88 - 116: Lee Harvey! You Are a Madman! I Want To Party With You, Cowboy!
117 - 145: You Scare Me. Really. You Do. But I Like It… Can I Touch the Hem of Your Garment?

02/11/07 01:32 PM |  Comments


February 10, 2007

hork hork hork hork hork hork hork
Do you have a slightly off-kilter sense of humor? Do you like antique illustrations?

Then do I have a daily webcomic for you.
02/10/07 08:04 AM |  Comments


February 09, 2007

Rainy
Here's a little rainy-day video for you.

It's good to be inside with a big mug of coffee. Later, I'm going to try my hand at rice pudding. Days like this are just made for sweet, creamy comfort food.
02/09/07 02:14 PM |  Comments


February 08, 2007

Back on the Wagon
I'm trying to post daily again, now that my burnout seems to have passed. No promises, but we'll see how it goes. So, some housekeeping, then.

Because I don't have my "real" computer, and I've been irreversibly spoiled by having two screens, I probably won't be on any messengers at all for the forseeable future (not that I've been, anyhow). Also, don't send mail to my domain address, because I don't want Outlook on my laptop, either, so I won't get it until ??? If you need my Gmail (which is now far and beyond my preferred mail client), let me know via comment. Or know that it's just my First.Last at gmail dot com.

Bembo's Zoo is clever and adorable Flash fun, and it's actually teaching Daniel to point and click.

I'm thinking of bringing the Reusablog over here as its own category, and setting up a separate feed for it. Because it's just taunting me, the way it stands now, and (perhaps perversely) I'll be more apt to post if the self-imposed pressure is off.
02/08/07 11:47 AM |  Comments


February 07, 2007

February... In Like a Hyena?
I made it through January pretty much unscathed, but then February comes, and bites me in the ass right off the bat.

I'm just bitter because my PC bit it yesterday. The one that I use for classwork. And stuff. And as much as I adore and worship my laptop for what it is, the one thing it's not is CS2-worthy, nope. So D. is valiantly trying to restore my desktop just enough to limp along until a new setup can be ordered and received, but it looks bad right now. I should be grateful that this week's homework didn't include any designing, just blahblahblah reading and a virtual worksheet.

I've been using Pixenate to do some quick-and-dirty photo editing via browser, and recommend it highly if you can't/don't want to mess with downloading software.

To ease through what's left of our "winter," I made this crockpot oatmeal yesterday (see), and froze it in single-serve plastics (generic, six for $1.50). I admit, I was a bit worried about the texture, but it had a hearty bite, probably helped along some by the walnuts. It was even good enough for the bub, and he's a very discriminating customer. The only thing I'd change is the cooking time -- four hours might have been plenty. But then, YMMV, because my "low" setting has always seemed a little fast.

I had a bit of retail therapy tonight. We were in desperate need of another set of sheets, but I've been spoiled by the cool sateen sheen of our current set (the red and white ones you're tired of seeing in my photos), and didn't feel like settling for less, but didn't want to think of them as an investment, either. So back to Ross, where I picked up a lovely Nine West beige-y floral number, retail value $120, for just $30. Nothing to perk up the old adrenaline like a good bargain.
02/07/07 09:21 PM |  Comments


February 06, 2007

Return of the Native
Just catching up on my Michigan news this morning:
MARQUETTE — U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials announced Monday that gray wolves will be removed from federal threatened and endangered species lists in the western Great Lakes states, including Michigan.

Thanks to years and years of study and dedication by countless people, a crucial part of the Great Lakes ecosystem has finally come close to being restored.

An amazing feat of human cooperation. It gives me hope.
02/06/07 03:31 PM |  Comments