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Friday, July 04, 2008
no more glasses
Been a while since I posted, I know. I recently got my eyes fixed; this is my first post-LASIK self portrait. There shall be many more!
Life has been good. I've recently gotten involved/reinvolved with some wonderful people I knew years ago. The quad is continuing to solidify, and we're all very happy with how it's going. Everything's great.
Which is probably why I haven't posted lately, because...everything's great. :)
Life has been good. I've recently gotten involved/reinvolved with some wonderful people I knew years ago. The quad is continuing to solidify, and we're all very happy with how it's going. Everything's great.
Which is probably why I haven't posted lately, because...everything's great. :)
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
take the stephen colbert puppet challenge!
Sunday, May 18, 2008
the real mccain...?
Friday, May 16, 2008
my letter regarding the DSM-V'
(sent to apa@psych.org)
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I was disturbed to read recently of Dr. Kenneth Zucker's appointment as chair of the task force for Sexual and GI Disorders on the DSM-V. I feel that he is not an appropriate person for this position, because of his use of "reparative therapy" on children who may be experiencing Gender Identity issues, as outlined in this essay: http://obsidianwings.blogs.com/obsidian_wings/2008/05/close-my-eyes-i.html
As I am sure you are aware, the DSM is seen as the "shrink's bible" and is furthermore widely used in determining eligibility for disability compensation. Given the DSM's influence, I feel it's wrong to appoint as the chair of an editing task force a professional whose work is so questionable for the very people who will be affected by the DSM classification in question. If Dr. Zucker's work has been defunded by his own government, it probably shouldn't be influencing the DSM either.
I would urge you to rethink your appointment of Dr. Zucker to this position, and appoint someone instead whose work is not so damaging to the people who will be affected by the DSM editorial changes. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Mary U. Herrmann
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I was disturbed to read recently of Dr. Kenneth Zucker's appointment as chair of the task force for Sexual and GI Disorders on the DSM-V. I feel that he is not an appropriate person for this position, because of his use of "reparative therapy" on children who may be experiencing Gender Identity issues, as outlined in this essay: http://obsidianwings.blogs.com/obsidian_wings/2008/05/close-my-eyes-i.html
As I am sure you are aware, the DSM is seen as the "shrink's bible" and is furthermore widely used in determining eligibility for disability compensation. Given the DSM's influence, I feel it's wrong to appoint as the chair of an editing task force a professional whose work is so questionable for the very people who will be affected by the DSM classification in question. If Dr. Zucker's work has been defunded by his own government, it probably shouldn't be influencing the DSM either.
I would urge you to rethink your appointment of Dr. Zucker to this position, and appoint someone instead whose work is not so damaging to the people who will be affected by the DSM editorial changes. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Mary U. Herrmann
Labels: politics
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
hey, um, galileo? uh...sorry....no hard feelings, right?
Thursday, April 24, 2008
a "childlike sense of wonder"
Saturday, April 19, 2008
ah, good, i'm alive.
So the trip to see my family was great, but then right after that we came down with these horrendous colds (except for Bun, lucky him). This morning I'm feeling like I really care about stuff again, at long last. Gawd, I hate being sick.
One of the days we spent at my folks', I took Chris driving around the southern part of Berkshire County. He wanted to see where Alice's Restaurant had been (of course!) so I showed him and then took this lovely picture.
I've got a LOT to get done in the next few weeks. Among other things, I'm going to get my eyes done (LASIK, I mean). I've been wanting to do that for a long, long time. I hate wearing glasses, they're such a pain in the ass. Also, as soon as I can BREATHE again, I want to get back to the gym on a regular basis. Oy!
And then of course, there are all those boxes in storage to go through...yup, we have a lot to do.
One of the days we spent at my folks', I took Chris driving around the southern part of Berkshire County. He wanted to see where Alice's Restaurant had been (of course!) so I showed him and then took this lovely picture.
I've got a LOT to get done in the next few weeks. Among other things, I'm going to get my eyes done (LASIK, I mean). I've been wanting to do that for a long, long time. I hate wearing glasses, they're such a pain in the ass. Also, as soon as I can BREATHE again, I want to get back to the gym on a regular basis. Oy!
And then of course, there are all those boxes in storage to go through...yup, we have a lot to do.
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
not much going on
Whoops, haven't posted really. That's because there's not all that much going on that's new. Chris moved all our unpacked boxes out of our house recently, and this month, we're going to start bringing back one box a week and going through it. We dragged a lot of stuff to North Carolina that we didn't really want, because we didn't have time to go through it and throw it out, so I'm hoping that we'll be able to do that now. I imagine a LOT of stuff will be going to Goodwill, the half price bookstore, or an Ebay broker (depending on condition/value).
I spent some time in the PNW recently seeing my daughters; most of that time was spent with Cherry (who's 19 and lives in Olympia WA), but we also drove down to Portland OR to spend an afternoon/evening with my older daughter Chi. I had a lot of fun and can't wait to see them again.
Next week we're finally going to get to drive up to MA to see my parents. It's been almost six years since I last visited; that was entirely unintentional, and I'm hoping that I'll be able to get up there a few times a year from now on. We'll also be seeing my sister's family and (I hope) my brother's.
Other than that, life is great in general. Can't wait for it to get warmer!
I spent some time in the PNW recently seeing my daughters; most of that time was spent with Cherry (who's 19 and lives in Olympia WA), but we also drove down to Portland OR to spend an afternoon/evening with my older daughter Chi. I had a lot of fun and can't wait to see them again.
Next week we're finally going to get to drive up to MA to see my parents. It's been almost six years since I last visited; that was entirely unintentional, and I'm hoping that I'll be able to get up there a few times a year from now on. We'll also be seeing my sister's family and (I hope) my brother's.
Other than that, life is great in general. Can't wait for it to get warmer!
Friday, February 15, 2008
happy birthday, Chris
Happy birthday to my darling husband, Chris, who is 30 years old today. May you have many, many more, my darling. You are so wonderful.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
super boy
A pic of our "baby" boy, taken while watching Super Bowl XLII (he bet on the Giants, I bet on the Pats). OMG he is growing up. Anyway, he got tired of being teased for having long hair (one kid even called him "Britney Spears"), so he asked to have his hair cut. Chris, who has hair down to his ass, was disappointed, but my feeling is that the kids should have the hairstyle they want, not what we want. So I took him to get his hair cut, and this short spiky style was what he picked. He loves it, and OMG it looks so cute on him.
I had to pay him $5 when the Pats lost. Heh, next he'll be playing poker. ;)
I had to pay him $5 when the Pats lost. Heh, next he'll be playing poker. ;)
Saturday, January 19, 2008
the loveliness that is my husband
A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:
Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness; but still will keep
A bower quiet for us, and a sleep
Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.
Every once in a while I have to stop and marvel at the wonderful being that is my husband. I don't know what I've done to deserve him, but I'm very happy I have him. I'm one lucky girl.
Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness; but still will keep
A bower quiet for us, and a sleep
Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.
Every once in a while I have to stop and marvel at the wonderful being that is my husband. I don't know what I've done to deserve him, but I'm very happy I have him. I'm one lucky girl.
Monday, January 07, 2008
post-holiday post
The holidays, spent with Jason and Angela at their house and ours, were most wonderful. We drove to their house on the 21st (arriving very late, or early, depending on your point of view) and left the 26th; they drove to our house on the 28th (again, arriving late) and left the 6th. So basically, we spent about two weeks together with a couple of days' break in the middle. It was very, very nice.
I got a ton of knitting done, finishing three projects. I've got more to do, but it was nice to get my winter coat and my fingerless gloves off the needles (I also started and finished a simple drawstring bag purse, using the same yarn as my coat). I have a bunch of jewelry to make, also, so in my off hours I'll be keeping pretty busy.
I'm really looking forward to 2008!
I got a ton of knitting done, finishing three projects. I've got more to do, but it was nice to get my winter coat and my fingerless gloves off the needles (I also started and finished a simple drawstring bag purse, using the same yarn as my coat). I have a bunch of jewelry to make, also, so in my off hours I'll be keeping pretty busy.
I'm really looking forward to 2008!
Labels: general
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
t-mobile, redux
So the result of my complaining to T-Mobile about the Twitter stuff is that a) I was told that whoever told people that Twitter wasn't supported was WRONG WRONG WRONG (and indeed, it's fixed; I can Tweet again) and b) T-Mobile took me off contract and put me on month to month without my asking (because I had mentioned that T-Mobile doesn't work in North Carolina). The last is something I never would have expected, because I already knew when I signed my last contract (which I did when I bought my new phone in June) that T-Mobile didn't work in NC (the roaming is free so it doesn't really matter, except that I miss some features). However, it's not like it's really costing them anything, so I'm not going to say "oh no, keep me on contract" or anything. In fact Chris is going to look into asking for the same thing.
We'll be staying with T-Mobile, though, for the foreseeable future; this customer service experience, plus the fact that key family members use T-Mobile, means that we aren't going to leave. But I thought I'd mention the "rest of the story" and that if I wanted to drop 'em, I could.
We'll be staying with T-Mobile, though, for the foreseeable future; this customer service experience, plus the fact that key family members use T-Mobile, means that we aren't going to leave. But I thought I'd mention the "rest of the story" and that if I wanted to drop 'em, I could.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
my email to t-mobile
Hello,
I have been a customer of T-Mobile for several years now. I also make
extensive use of the Twitter blogging service, almost exclusively from
my phone. For several days now I have not been able to post to my
Twitter blog. Today I learned that T-Mobile, alone of all the major
cellular service providers, is blocking SMS's to Twitter.
I can't even imagine why T-Mobile would choose to do this, and it
saddens me. I already have issues with T-Mobile because this year I
moved (relocated by my employer) to North Carolina, and discovered
that T-Mobile doesn't provide coverage in this state, which itself
amazes me (I can still use my phone, but I'm missing features). I've
also have many, many problems with customer service since joining
T-Mobile. Typically, I'll sign up for or change my plan on the Web
page, get a confirmation, and then find out the change was never
activated, or some feature I've been using for months gets turned off
without notification. Getting any kind of satisfaction from Customer
Service in these situations is very difficult. But now to hear that
T-Mobile, again without notification, has cut off a very popular
service, and won't explain their decision...that's just amazing, and
not in a good way.
Oh sure, you've got your consumer contract holders by the short and
curlies. I can't really just drop T-Mobile for another provider at
this time. But the kind of attitude displayed towards me in the past
by Customer Service, and in this issue by employees like Marianne
Maestas in her response to inquiries on the subject are really
saddening. I suppose there is no reason you have to care about your
customers, but it would be nice if you would even tell us why you are
doing this.
Please respond to this email and tell us what's going on.
Thank you,
[my name and phone #]
Who knows if it'll have any effect. I can certainly live without Twitter, but I'm annoyed as hell.
ETA: Twitter Support is now saying that the problem is between T-Mobile and Twitter's aggregator, and that T-Mobile is actually actively working on it. Yay!
One wonders if the employee referenced above, whose name and nasty email is spread all over the Web, is going to have a job by Monday. :S
I have been a customer of T-Mobile for several years now. I also make
extensive use of the Twitter blogging service, almost exclusively from
my phone. For several days now I have not been able to post to my
Twitter blog. Today I learned that T-Mobile, alone of all the major
cellular service providers, is blocking SMS's to Twitter.
I can't even imagine why T-Mobile would choose to do this, and it
saddens me. I already have issues with T-Mobile because this year I
moved (relocated by my employer) to North Carolina, and discovered
that T-Mobile doesn't provide coverage in this state, which itself
amazes me (I can still use my phone, but I'm missing features). I've
also have many, many problems with customer service since joining
T-Mobile. Typically, I'll sign up for or change my plan on the Web
page, get a confirmation, and then find out the change was never
activated, or some feature I've been using for months gets turned off
without notification. Getting any kind of satisfaction from Customer
Service in these situations is very difficult. But now to hear that
T-Mobile, again without notification, has cut off a very popular
service, and won't explain their decision...that's just amazing, and
not in a good way.
Oh sure, you've got your consumer contract holders by the short and
curlies. I can't really just drop T-Mobile for another provider at
this time. But the kind of attitude displayed towards me in the past
by Customer Service, and in this issue by employees like Marianne
Maestas in her response to inquiries on the subject are really
saddening. I suppose there is no reason you have to care about your
customers, but it would be nice if you would even tell us why you are
doing this.
Please respond to this email and tell us what's going on.
Thank you,
[my name and phone #]
Who knows if it'll have any effect. I can certainly live without Twitter, but I'm annoyed as hell.
ETA: Twitter Support is now saying that the problem is between T-Mobile and Twitter's aggregator, and that T-Mobile is actually actively working on it. Yay!
One wonders if the employee referenced above, whose name and nasty email is spread all over the Web, is going to have a job by Monday. :S
Labels: rants
oh thanks t-mobile
I've used T-Mobile as my cell provider for the past several years (since, hm, 2003?). I've stayed with them mostly through intertia, since they have lousy customer service, plus they don't actually have coverage where I currently live.
Now that they're blocking Twitter, I'm strongly considering changing coverage. If we can sit down with Jason and Angela and find a provider we can all live with, we may switch. Stupid T-Mobile.
Now that they're blocking Twitter, I'm strongly considering changing coverage. If we can sit down with Jason and Angela and find a provider we can all live with, we may switch. Stupid T-Mobile.
Labels: rants
Friday, November 30, 2007
sure, i'll help screw with the salvation army
Want to get even with the Salvation Army
for discrimination in Jesus' name?
Click here to find out how!
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
NEVER FORGET.
Friday, November 16, 2007
yeah, this'd be me...
Friday, November 09, 2007
back now
I've put much of my web site's content back online. Some of it's edited but it's basically the same ol' same ol'. I'm not putting the old galleries back as I now use flickr for that. Enjoy!
Labels: general
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
some changes
I took my web site (and therefore this journal) down for a little bit because of some trolls. However, that's calmed down a bit now, so it's back up, albeit changed around a little bit. For instance, this journal is no longer on the front page.
The pics I'd posted from flickr are missing. Actually, they're still there, but because I made them private for a little while, flickr changed the URLS of the images slightly. You can click on the placeholders and see the original photos, but it's not worth it to me to edit the posts at this point.
The pics I'd posted from flickr are missing. Actually, they're still there, but because I made them private for a little while, flickr changed the URLS of the images slightly. You can click on the placeholders and see the original photos, but it's not worth it to me to edit the posts at this point.
Labels: general
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
hey, i'll vote for him!
Saturday, September 29, 2007
hey, they're only kids, they don't need rights.
Monday, September 17, 2007
if you don't know these ladies, you should
Three Weird Sisters' MySpace Page!
I first discovered Three Weird Sisters through the beautiful Gwen Knighton. Just recently the band invited me to view their MySpace page. I urge you to check it out!
I first discovered Three Weird Sisters through the beautiful Gwen Knighton. Just recently the band invited me to view their MySpace page. I urge you to check it out!
Saturday, September 15, 2007
in the spirit of "leave britney alone!"
Monday, September 03, 2007
on hatred of women (Joss Whedon)
Sunday, August 26, 2007
my new etsy shop
Etsy :: Lothie Dot Shop is my new online shop for jewelry and fiber art. I only have a few things listed now, but stop back often and see what's new!
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
happy birthday to dante
My baby boy just turned seven! Here he is all ready to take his new bike (from Memere and Pepere) out for a spin.
This one photo is public, but I've made all other photos of the kids on flickr friends and family access only, so you need a flickr account and I'd need to add you as friends/family to see the rest.
This one photo is public, but I've made all other photos of the kids on flickr friends and family access only, so you need a flickr account and I'd need to add you as friends/family to see the rest.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
oops
Wow, it's been forever since I've posted. Lessee, the basics:
- Had a little health scare this past month, but it turned out to have been a false alarm and I'm fine.
- I'm loving my job; seeing a lot of customers and doing what I do best.
- Gained a bit of weight but I'm starting to peel it off now. Hoping that continues.
- Spending a lot of time in Louisville. :)
- Working some more towards getting published.
- Knitting a lot.
- We found a church (UU of course) nearby and we'll probably start attending in September.
Labels: general
Thursday, June 28, 2007
okay, i'm back now
I finally got around to putting Lothie Dot Com back on the Net. Basically, when we got to North Carolina, we got the combo net/phone/cable package from Time Warner, but that meant no more static IP address. So we sat around evaluating this or that plan but came to the conclusion that we were okay with a non-static IP because given that we're "always up" it's not likely to just change randomly on us. As long as it doesn't change too frequently we can just keep our registrar updated with our DNS info, and we should be fine.
So here I am again. We haven't brought email back up and, frankly, I am not sure when we will...but other than that it's all good.
So here I am again. We haven't brought email back up and, frankly, I am not sure when we will...but other than that it's all good.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
this is it
Lothie Dot Com will be shut down sometime today. Shouldn't be off for more than a week, I'm thinkin'. See y'all on the other side!
Labels: announcements
Thursday, May 03, 2007
The Latest on Medical Marijuana
I was unsurprised to find this: AlterNet: DrugReporter: New Studies Destroy the Last Objection to Medical Marijuana
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
back to avalon
I haven't posted anything of substance in a while because things have been in flux and I have wanted to have all (or at least, most) of the details finalized before I said anything. But it looks like that time is now.
Chris and I (and of course Bun) are moving back East. I shouldn't really say "back" because we're moving to a place that none of us has ever lived in before, namely, Charlotte NC. It's a transfer from my company, so relo etc. is paid. We leave 5/9 and it's my hope that Lothie Dot Com will be back online by 5/14 or thereabouts.
It's very difficult to say goodbye to Los Angeles, my home for the last ten years. I really love it here and I certainly didn't foresee, a year ago, a move like this. But there are many excellent reasons for the move and I know that we will (continue to) be very happy.
Onto the next chapter!
Chris and I (and of course Bun) are moving back East. I shouldn't really say "back" because we're moving to a place that none of us has ever lived in before, namely, Charlotte NC. It's a transfer from my company, so relo etc. is paid. We leave 5/9 and it's my hope that Lothie Dot Com will be back online by 5/14 or thereabouts.
It's very difficult to say goodbye to Los Angeles, my home for the last ten years. I really love it here and I certainly didn't foresee, a year ago, a move like this. But there are many excellent reasons for the move and I know that we will (continue to) be very happy.
Onto the next chapter!
Labels: general
Monday, April 23, 2007
time is running out!
buy this book!
I've known Tom Limoncelli, the sysadmins' sysadmin, for years. He's just come out with his third book, available either in online or dead tree format!
The Complete April Fools' RFCs by Thomas A. Limoncelli and Peter H. Salus
Lothie Bob says check it out.
The Complete April Fools' RFCs by Thomas A. Limoncelli and Peter H. Salus
Lothie Bob says check it out.
Labels: geekery
Sunday, April 01, 2007
chess champ
Thursday, March 29, 2007
thanks for clearing that up, guys
Oh, hey, it's so good to know that we don't have to worry about that anymore: Evolution disproved by peanut butter!
Monday, March 26, 2007
Verbal Violence Is Not Okay!
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
spring concert hell
Looking back on the last few weeks, I have to wonder what I was thinking to take on so much. Singing in both the chorale and my choir, plus getting so involved in my church, has meant that not only do I have very little free time, but also I get very little sleep...particularly when the Spring concert season starts.
Both my choir and the chorale go on "vacation" from June till September. This means that for each, other than the holidays, Spring is the big concert season. This year my choir is very thin for various reasons and so there's a lot of pressure on me plus I've been doing a lot of solo work for services. So I'm actually singing about three times as much as I was last year, which is something I hadn't originally planned for.
Starting in February, I found I had a lot of rehearsing and performing to do. At the beginning of February was our church's biggest fundraiser, the Black and White Concert, in which I performed a couple of solos and a duet with our Music Director. The week after that was Vagina Monologues. After that it was several weeks of furious rehearsing for the chorale's big fundraiser, Cabaret, and then a performance of the National Anthem at a hockey game at the beginning of March. The Cabaret itself was the following Friday; in the middle of all this I'd caught a cold, so I was really struggling. Then PUC's 50th Anniversary dinner -- at which the choir performed and I did another solo and a duet, immediately followed by the interfaith Psalmfest at the Warner Grand in San Pedro, where the choir performed. It was all a bit much, such that I left work in the erarly afternoon yesterday, went home and slept for 12 hours.
Spring Concert season isn't actually over; I have a performance in mid-May for choir and then a performance right in the beginning of June for the chorale, and THEN it's over. But the insanity is behind me for a while and I can relax a bit. Last week the chorale didn't rehearse; this week they do, but the choir doesn't, nor do I have to sing at services next week. Time to relax a bit!
Both my choir and the chorale go on "vacation" from June till September. This means that for each, other than the holidays, Spring is the big concert season. This year my choir is very thin for various reasons and so there's a lot of pressure on me plus I've been doing a lot of solo work for services. So I'm actually singing about three times as much as I was last year, which is something I hadn't originally planned for.
Starting in February, I found I had a lot of rehearsing and performing to do. At the beginning of February was our church's biggest fundraiser, the Black and White Concert, in which I performed a couple of solos and a duet with our Music Director. The week after that was Vagina Monologues. After that it was several weeks of furious rehearsing for the chorale's big fundraiser, Cabaret, and then a performance of the National Anthem at a hockey game at the beginning of March. The Cabaret itself was the following Friday; in the middle of all this I'd caught a cold, so I was really struggling. Then PUC's 50th Anniversary dinner -- at which the choir performed and I did another solo and a duet, immediately followed by the interfaith Psalmfest at the Warner Grand in San Pedro, where the choir performed. It was all a bit much, such that I left work in the erarly afternoon yesterday, went home and slept for 12 hours.
Spring Concert season isn't actually over; I have a performance in mid-May for choir and then a performance right in the beginning of June for the chorale, and THEN it's over. But the insanity is behind me for a while and I can relax a bit. Last week the chorale didn't rehearse; this week they do, but the choir doesn't, nor do I have to sing at services next week. Time to relax a bit!
Saturday, March 03, 2007
ch-ch-ch-changes
I've updated my bio, a few of my FAQs, and my resume. I also updated my user guide back in December. Take a look! Links on my home page, on the left side.
Labels: website
Monday, February 19, 2007
home again
Had a great time at Cherry's. Next time, though, I'm renting a car and getting a hotel room. Still, it was nice to experience her dorm. We did a lot of shopping and I met a good friend of hers and my ex-husband Guy's, which was great. Anyway, I'd like to get up there again sometime this semester.
I do sometimes wish that my family (and other people, but my family is most important) would stop treating my life choices as a phase that I'm going through. If it's a phase, I've been going through it pretty much my entire adult life. It's who I am. But, then, I guess this is what they are too. *grin* Hey, at least I remain able to say about myself that the only people who don't like me are people who have never bothered to get to know me. That is a beautiful truth.
I'm relaxing at home today for the holiday, and then tomorrow it's back to work, whee!
I do sometimes wish that my family (and other people, but my family is most important) would stop treating my life choices as a phase that I'm going through. If it's a phase, I've been going through it pretty much my entire adult life. It's who I am. But, then, I guess this is what they are too. *grin* Hey, at least I remain able to say about myself that the only people who don't like me are people who have never bothered to get to know me. That is a beautiful truth.
I'm relaxing at home today for the holiday, and then tomorrow it's back to work, whee!
Labels: general
Friday, February 02, 2007
this works well
I haven't updated in a while because Angela and I were surprising Jason for his birthday by flying me out to Louisville for a few days, and I was petrified of saying anything anywhere that'd blow our cover. Anyway, I went and I came back and we all had a great time.
Currently I am far too busy. I have a concert this weekend (I am both organizing it and performing in it), and then next weekend I have a performance of The Vagina Monologues. The weekend after that, I'm visiting my daughter Cherry up in Olympia, WA. And on the fourth weekend she rested (I hope). Not that I'm complaining about any of this. I love to perform, and I love Cherry. <(^_^)>
Other activities of late have involved learning to play chess (I've been able to play on a very basic level since I was very young but I never did well) and rekindling my interest in Japanese. I took a year of Japanese back in 1994 and did very well, but of course with disuse I've become completely rusty. However, I'm going to dig out my old textbook and get back into it. This will make Cherry very happy as she's a fluent speaker, ne? And I think Chibi knows a good deal as well.
I'm thinking very hard about writing (the lyrics to) a song a day. I'd love to write and record the whole song but I'm not currently set up to do that, so I'm thinking, eh, a song a day for a month? Maybe. And then, when I have time, catch back up and record them, plus the ones I have up on my site already. Yup, I'm feelin' the creativity. That and I've been writing a lot. We'll see where all this goes. Not like I have a lot of time or anything!
Currently I am far too busy. I have a concert this weekend (I am both organizing it and performing in it), and then next weekend I have a performance of The Vagina Monologues. The weekend after that, I'm visiting my daughter Cherry up in Olympia, WA. And on the fourth weekend she rested (I hope). Not that I'm complaining about any of this. I love to perform, and I love Cherry. <(^_^)>
Other activities of late have involved learning to play chess (I've been able to play on a very basic level since I was very young but I never did well) and rekindling my interest in Japanese. I took a year of Japanese back in 1994 and did very well, but of course with disuse I've become completely rusty. However, I'm going to dig out my old textbook and get back into it. This will make Cherry very happy as she's a fluent speaker, ne? And I think Chibi knows a good deal as well.
I'm thinking very hard about writing (the lyrics to) a song a day. I'd love to write and record the whole song but I'm not currently set up to do that, so I'm thinking, eh, a song a day for a month? Maybe. And then, when I have time, catch back up and record them, plus the ones I have up on my site already. Yup, I'm feelin' the creativity. That and I've been writing a lot. We'll see where all this goes. Not like I have a lot of time or anything!
Saturday, January 20, 2007
the very latest delivered to your browser
My friggin' domain's been down for a week. What happened was the cable modem went kaput. Well, when we originally ordered the service, we ordered it from Comcast, but by the time we actually got it, they'd just been bought by Time Warner. We'd already had a minor bobble when TW changed our IP without telling us. When that happens, we lose a day because we have to change it with our registrar and then wait for it to propagate. So we were already annoyed.
But then, they gave us our new cablemodem, changed the IP again, and then it turned out that the new modem didn't work the way the old one did and we couldn't administrate the settings ourselves. Which meant we had to get a router, because we didn't have anything at home that would work. So we ordered one, and it came in Friday, and we reconfigured our servers, and now DNS is propagating and the site should pretty much work again.
This is like the 5th time in a year that our domain has been down for several days, and I am so tired of it I could scream. Before about March 2006, we went a couple of years without any major problems. We thought when we switched from DSL, the problems would stop (our DSL provider was great, but the phone company SUCKS), but just since we made the switch, we've had issues crop up a couple of times. It's enough to drive me to drink. *glug glug*
Other than that, things are good. I'm sort of seeing somebody sort of new. Ha ha, how's that for vagueness? But that's what it's like right at the minute. I've got several performances coming up, starting early next month and running through early summer. I'm still teaching RE, but I'm going to have to bow out of that because I've begun chairing the music committee at church also.
Chris is starting a new job in a couple of weeks, and Bun is doing really well at school. I'm still working out, although this past week was not so great for that because I didn't get enough sleep, so I'm hoping to do really well in the coming week. All in all, we're very busy, and very happy.
Sooo happy the damn domain's back up...
But then, they gave us our new cablemodem, changed the IP again, and then it turned out that the new modem didn't work the way the old one did and we couldn't administrate the settings ourselves. Which meant we had to get a router, because we didn't have anything at home that would work. So we ordered one, and it came in Friday, and we reconfigured our servers, and now DNS is propagating and the site should pretty much work again.
This is like the 5th time in a year that our domain has been down for several days, and I am so tired of it I could scream. Before about March 2006, we went a couple of years without any major problems. We thought when we switched from DSL, the problems would stop (our DSL provider was great, but the phone company SUCKS), but just since we made the switch, we've had issues crop up a couple of times. It's enough to drive me to drink. *glug glug*
Other than that, things are good. I'm sort of seeing somebody sort of new. Ha ha, how's that for vagueness? But that's what it's like right at the minute. I've got several performances coming up, starting early next month and running through early summer. I'm still teaching RE, but I'm going to have to bow out of that because I've begun chairing the music committee at church also.
Chris is starting a new job in a couple of weeks, and Bun is doing really well at school. I'm still working out, although this past week was not so great for that because I didn't get enough sleep, so I'm hoping to do really well in the coming week. All in all, we're very busy, and very happy.
Sooo happy the damn domain's back up...
Labels: general
Monday, January 15, 2007
if you care, you can help
Monday, January 08, 2007
woo hoo
I was afraid I was gonna try to wimp out on working out this morning, since I don't (currently) work out on weekends, but it didn't even occur to me, which is great. I think the fact that I have to leave at the same time whether I work out or not, and I can't really leave work any earlier unless I'm sick, really helps with motivation...in other words, there's no motivation NOT to work out if I can move at all.
I'd originally been thinking that once I started boxing again (which is next week) I'd drop the Friday workout, but now I'm thinking that I'll go Fridays but just not push harder than I feel I want to (because by Friday I'm really tired). I'm thinking Mondays and Fridays will be the "I made it to the gym, go me" days, and Tue/Wed/Thur will be my "kick it up a notch" days. Anyway, so today, I worked out for 25 minutes, burned a little over 160 KCal, and did 6 or so miles. That's not like some awesome kind of workout, but I did it and didn't feel like dying afterwards. That's much better than I did the first time I went to this gym.
I need to stop apologizing (even to myself) for how minor my workouts are. Yes, I need to push myself some (which boxing will do). But you know...I'm in my 40's, I'm WAY fat for my frame size, and I'm chronically ill (which is WHY I'm so fat and out of shape). It's a friggin' triumph that I do this at all. I know people who are younger and in much better shape who can't commit to any kind of workout. If I can just keep doing this, whether or not I end up burning off 1000 KCal every day or whatever, that alone will be pretty cool. Of course, duh, the more I can do, the better off I'll end up being.
Anyway. Monday workout = good.
I'd originally been thinking that once I started boxing again (which is next week) I'd drop the Friday workout, but now I'm thinking that I'll go Fridays but just not push harder than I feel I want to (because by Friday I'm really tired). I'm thinking Mondays and Fridays will be the "I made it to the gym, go me" days, and Tue/Wed/Thur will be my "kick it up a notch" days. Anyway, so today, I worked out for 25 minutes, burned a little over 160 KCal, and did 6 or so miles. That's not like some awesome kind of workout, but I did it and didn't feel like dying afterwards. That's much better than I did the first time I went to this gym.
I need to stop apologizing (even to myself) for how minor my workouts are. Yes, I need to push myself some (which boxing will do). But you know...I'm in my 40's, I'm WAY fat for my frame size, and I'm chronically ill (which is WHY I'm so fat and out of shape). It's a friggin' triumph that I do this at all. I know people who are younger and in much better shape who can't commit to any kind of workout. If I can just keep doing this, whether or not I end up burning off 1000 KCal every day or whatever, that alone will be pretty cool. Of course, duh, the more I can do, the better off I'll end up being.
Anyway. Monday workout = good.
Labels: fitness
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
good workout
So today I went back to the gym after three weeks off. I’d started going after Thanksgiving because I ate a lot and put on some weight, but then I broke up with Ryu and got really depressed and spent three weeks essentially lying around feeling sorry for myself.
Anyway. I went to the gym yesterday and had a so-so workout (part of the problem is that my goddamn bike crashed (the software I mean) in the middle). Today I went again and had a much better workout. I know I will seem like a wimp to the average person (basically I biked for 30 minutes at level 6, which netted me 200 KCal and a little over 7 miles)but for me, that’s a lot. Next week or the week after I’ll go back to my boxing classes. I really want to keep at this. God only knows how much weight I’ll lose, but I do want to build my endurance.
I also need to just eat less. It’s not that I eat huge amounts of food compared to other people, but under “perfect” conditions, I just don’t tend to eat much. So I need to work on that as well. I think the combo of that plus exercise will be awesome for me.
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
not exactly resolutions...
Happy 2007!
I don't really make resolutions for the new year; there are so many things that can happen in a year to change my life and my decisions about it, and making a resolution is far too concrete for such a fluid situation. But I do have a few plans for 2007:
- I do want to lose some weight. By the end of the year, if not sooner, I'd like to be below 200 pounds, the further below the better. Weight has been my big bugaboo for the past couple of decades, and I don't really hold out a lot of hope that this year will be any different from all the rest, but hey, I'm gonna try. Hey, I made it to the gym today...
- I want to spend this year applying myself hugely at work. I've had some triumphs there in the last year, but it's not enough. I want to live up to my potential.
- I want to write more. Writing makes me happy, and I'm good at it. By the end of 2007, I'd like to have done a lot more of it, and perhaps have sold some of it.
- I don't want to lose track of the other things I love to do, either. Music's gonna be huge in 2007; I better restring my guitars and regrow my calluses. I want to stretch myself a bit more, knitting-wise. I want to start drawing again. I want to cook more.
- I want to suffer fools less gladly. I am way too nice to people who are not nice to me. In the past couple of years I've become much more assertive about the kind of treatment I expect from others, but it's still true that I put up with far too much. I don't need to raise my expectations; where they are is fine. But when someone doesn't meet them, and shows no desire to try, I need to cut the ties much faster and more cleanly. Anything else just causes more pain for all involved.
- I want to read stuff I haven't read before, good stuff. I have this habit of reading the same books over and over again, like comfort food. To this end, I've begun getting rid of a lot of my old favorites, the trashy stuff that is, and I've been reading books that I've never read before.
- I want to (re)learn chess. I learned how to play chess when I was pretty young, but like a lot of things that I learned when I was young, my relationship with chess was very unhealthy and I associate it with a feeling of stupidity and inadequacy. I need to realize that nobody starts out being good at chess, and I could stand to stretch my mind in this way. I don't play well, and I won't for a while...but maybe eventually I will.
I think that's enough stuff to work on for the next 365...
I don't really make resolutions for the new year; there are so many things that can happen in a year to change my life and my decisions about it, and making a resolution is far too concrete for such a fluid situation. But I do have a few plans for 2007:
- I do want to lose some weight. By the end of the year, if not sooner, I'd like to be below 200 pounds, the further below the better. Weight has been my big bugaboo for the past couple of decades, and I don't really hold out a lot of hope that this year will be any different from all the rest, but hey, I'm gonna try. Hey, I made it to the gym today...
- I want to spend this year applying myself hugely at work. I've had some triumphs there in the last year, but it's not enough. I want to live up to my potential.
- I want to write more. Writing makes me happy, and I'm good at it. By the end of 2007, I'd like to have done a lot more of it, and perhaps have sold some of it.
- I don't want to lose track of the other things I love to do, either. Music's gonna be huge in 2007; I better restring my guitars and regrow my calluses. I want to stretch myself a bit more, knitting-wise. I want to start drawing again. I want to cook more.
- I want to suffer fools less gladly. I am way too nice to people who are not nice to me. In the past couple of years I've become much more assertive about the kind of treatment I expect from others, but it's still true that I put up with far too much. I don't need to raise my expectations; where they are is fine. But when someone doesn't meet them, and shows no desire to try, I need to cut the ties much faster and more cleanly. Anything else just causes more pain for all involved.
- I want to read stuff I haven't read before, good stuff. I have this habit of reading the same books over and over again, like comfort food. To this end, I've begun getting rid of a lot of my old favorites, the trashy stuff that is, and I've been reading books that I've never read before.
- I want to (re)learn chess. I learned how to play chess when I was pretty young, but like a lot of things that I learned when I was young, my relationship with chess was very unhealthy and I associate it with a feeling of stupidity and inadequacy. I need to realize that nobody starts out being good at chess, and I could stand to stretch my mind in this way. I don't play well, and I won't for a while...but maybe eventually I will.
I think that's enough stuff to work on for the next 365...
Labels: general
Thursday, December 21, 2006
oops holidays
You know what's sad...I'm entirely unready for the holidays. I didn't end up being able to make or buy cards, so I didn't do that. I haven't put together a menu, and in fact I don't particularly care what we eat Xmas day.
I think what I'm going to do, in the end, is spend the weekend knitting and baking. Those two things are going to restore me more than anything else I could do, besides sleep (which I'll also be doing a lot of).
It hasn't been a bad year, not at all. In fact, it's been a pretty fantastic year, on balance. But you know what? I'm glad it's almost over.
I think what I'm going to do, in the end, is spend the weekend knitting and baking. Those two things are going to restore me more than anything else I could do, besides sleep (which I'll also be doing a lot of).
It hasn't been a bad year, not at all. In fact, it's been a pretty fantastic year, on balance. But you know what? I'm glad it's almost over.
Labels: holidays
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
publishing
Well, I just self-published my first book on Lulu. It's called Becoming His, and it contains four short bdsm-themed erotic stories, available for download or printing.
I know that it's pretty short at 16 pages, but I wanted to put something out there; obviously I'll keep writing. I'm pretty happy with these stories, so I hope they'll do well.
I know that it's pretty short at 16 pages, but I wanted to put something out there; obviously I'll keep writing. I'm pretty happy with these stories, so I hope they'll do well.
Labels: writing
Sunday, December 10, 2006
nooz
So, let's see, the boxing thing is working out for me, though it's clear how out of shape I'm in. However, I knew that going in so it's not like a real surprise for me the way it might be for someone else. ;) I'm gonna stick with it, anyway.
SCC is done with holiday performances, I guess. They both went well but I would say that the second one, which was last night, was the better of the two. I'm trying to get the chorale to sing at my church so we'll see how that goes.
Haven't done much to prepare for the holidays because we've been broke. Tonight we have a party to go to for my chorale and then on Thursday is my company holiday party which I'm taking my girlfriend, Melinda, to. I bought a new "little black dress" for the occasion and I am sure we will look smashing together.
Not much else going on at the moment. I am currently in "fantasizing about sleep" mode, but what else is new -- I'm sure it'll all work out fine.
SCC is done with holiday performances, I guess. They both went well but I would say that the second one, which was last night, was the better of the two. I'm trying to get the chorale to sing at my church so we'll see how that goes.
Haven't done much to prepare for the holidays because we've been broke. Tonight we have a party to go to for my chorale and then on Thursday is my company holiday party which I'm taking my girlfriend, Melinda, to. I bought a new "little black dress" for the occasion and I am sure we will look smashing together.
Not much else going on at the moment. I am currently in "fantasizing about sleep" mode, but what else is new -- I'm sure it'll all work out fine.
Labels: general
Thursday, December 07, 2006
boxing!
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