Friday August 15, 2008
#thewaywewere
Meg Fowler started a Twitter meme today, #thewaywewere. I posted two:
When I was 5, I liked wearing empty glasses frames. We knew I'd eventually need glasses. Didn't get lenses till third grade.My elementary school cafeteraia had good food. Peanut butter & honey sandwiches. Chocolate drop cookies. Great meat loaf.
Thinking back...
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Continue reading "#thewaywewere"
Tuesday August 5, 2008
Algebra
The San Francisco Chronicle is researching a story on Algebra class.Remember that algebra course you probably had to take in high school? Chances are you either loved it — or it led to a hatred of math. Now [California] is going to be requiring eighth graders to solve for that elusive "x." For a story she is working on that will run later this month, education reporter Jill Tucker wants to talk with people about their memories of algebra class and whether the knowledge ever comes in handy in real life.I grew up in central Pennsylvania. In my school system, we had "Math I" in 7th grade. If you did well in that, you went on to
- 8th grade Algebra I
- 9th grade Geometry
- 10th grade Algebra II
- 11th grade Trigonometry
- 12th grade Calculus
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Sunday August 3, 2008
Twitterings - July 2008
These are my Twitter entries for July 2008.- I love Twitter but that didn't stop me from buying a FailWhale t-shirt. Available in standard white or classy black, at http://failwhale.com 10:32 AM July 02,2008
- Spent much of the day working out a Javascript program to sort lists (including TOC) in TWiki. Eventually, success! Blog entry coming soon. 10:16 PM July 03,2008
- @Ihnatko 1776 is my favorite play and one of my favorite movies. I saw the play on Broadway in 1972! I have many lines and songs in memory. 11:28 PM July 04,2008
- @dlpasco Cider T. Cat is most handsome. Bebop sends headbutts and says "we do not care for the poppopfizzleboom noises. Pls make them stop." 11:31 PM July 04,2008
- I'm trying a new way to feed TWiki friends to Twitter. This one uses pyTwerp. If it works (:-) this tweet will appear in @twikifriends rsn. 02:08 AM July 05,2008
Continue reading "Twitterings - July 2008"
Tuesday July 1, 2008
Twitterings - June 2008
These are my Twitter entries for June 2008.
- Mac OS X TimeMachine got badly confused. It has no log to speak of; "failed" is not a helpful error message. Deleted some backups. OK now. 12:16 PM June 05, 2008
- Interesting pricing of bell peppers (per pound) at grocery. Green $1.59; Red $2.49; Orange or Yellow $5.99. Why such a dramatic difference? 09:13 PM June 05, 2008
- Transferring the contents of 500mg Vit C gel caps to half doses. Cat helping with the empties. Snuffle. Patpat. Munch. He ate most of them. 08:53 PM June 06, 2008
- Lovely day. Clear, blue sky. Wind speed 5mph. Bees floating about without being blown off course. Opening windows. Enjoying this Saturday. 11:07 AM June 07, 2008
- Found at the store, Canada Dry Sparkling Green Tea Ginger Ale. (Well, of course it's sparkling). Liking both ingredients, I tried it. Tasty. 05:58 PM June 08, 2008
- Speaking of ginger ale, a co-worker says he has twice been served a Coke + 7-up mixture passed off as "ginger ale" by a bartender. So wrong. 05:59 PM June 08, 2008
Continue reading "Twitterings - June 2008"
Sunday June 1, 2008
Twitterings - May 2008
These are my Twitter entries for May, 2008
- @strawpoll - sometimes half empty, sometimes half full, maybe just bigger than it needs to be. It depends on the day and what's in my glass. May 01, 2008
- Weird bugs in twhirl. It supports multiple accounts, but forgets the second every time. I'm getting tired of reopening and reconfiguring. :( May 02, 2008
- Second twhirl problem. It can't run under two Mac OS X accounts at the same time. It crashes. Not so for other apps. Maybe an Adobe AIR bug? May 02, 2008
- @strawpoll - 2. my email preference is and has always been for a desktop client. Though, I must admit web clients can be handy on occasion. May 05, 2008
- Synchronicity - @strawpoll recently asked: Is the glass half full or half empty? Half of respondents answered each way. 50:50 half 'n half. May 05, 2008
Continue reading "Twitterings - May 2008"
Thursday May 1, 2008
Twitterings - April 2008
These are my Twitter entries for April.
- I have discovered the Skype plugin for Adium (Mac OS X). Skype needs to run in the background, but the look and feel is now all of a piece. 12:40 PM April 01, 2008
- Bebop had his teeth cleaned today. The vet gave him a mild painkiller shot to keep him from fighting. It also made him VERY affectionate. 01:58 PM April 08, 2008
- I have co-workers on a conference call. Three of them, scattered throughout the area. I can hear every word perfectly. I hate the workplace. 09:20 AM April 09, 2008
- A small flock (7 or 8) of white pelicans just circled over my building. Awesome. The Blue Angels in bird form. Air ballet. 11:09 AM April 10, 2008
Continue reading "Twitterings - April 2008"
Saturday April 19, 2008
Twenty-fifth
Rich and I celebrate our anniversary on the first Saturday after Income Tax Day. The day holds special significance for us. It's the day of Mike Tuchman's "After Tax Season" party for DC Mensa.
Although we first met over six months before that night, and had run into each other at various events in between, Mike's party represents the special moment captured forever by Gary Larsen in one of my favorite Far Side cartoons. (Cartoonists must have spies at parties. That's definitely a Mensa party. :-)
Rich suggests we can probably blame Mike's infamous Green Punch. I think we were just made for each other (you only need to look at the picture to see that!). But whatever the reason, that party marks a Very Special Date for us.
It's been 25 years and we're both just as attractive as we were then! I love you, sweetie.
Monday March 31, 2008
Twitterings - February/March 2008
These are my Twitter entries (including Snibbles) for February and March.February 2008
- @ryananderson- re: possible MicroYahooSoft, my emotions are largely triggered by my dislike of seeing M$ "buy" any company. 09:27 AM February 01, 2008
- M$ has a track record of assimilating companies, killing off the useful parts. Also, I dislike monopolies. Diversity is A Good Thing (tm). 09:29 AM February 01, 2008
- @eigosays he's cut out people he followed who make Blog update announcements. I LIKE the people I follow to send blog updates to Twitter! 12:45 PM February 01, 2008
- Classic Twitter Post - lunch! Turkey, warm, with mayo and cranberry sauce on excellent sourdough bread (Raymond' s; local to the SF area.) 12:56 PM February 01, 2008
- @megfowler- I've not seen the "ignored" variant. What bugs me is when they complain to everyone else BUT me. Just tell me the problem, OK?! 01:18 PM February 01, 2008
- Snibbles: The Hawaii Chair??: This would drive me bonkers. http://tinyurl.com/238yp4 03:21 PM February 01, 2008
Continue reading "Twitterings - February/March 2008"
Thursday January 31, 2008
Twitterings - January 2008
These are my Twitter entries (including Snibbles) for January.
- @rentzsch - we've been running Mac OS X 10.4 as a dedicated server for a year now. Replaced FreeBSD 4. We're very happy with the results. 11:30 AM January 01, 2008
- @rentzsch - point taken (sigh). If you walk beyond the lights, things do get a little weird. 11:46 AM January 01, 2008
- @rentzsch - Lightbulb Moment! I missed the meaning of the ultimate S. Yes. We tried and discarded OS X Server as a platform. Too odd. (Duh). 12:48 PM January 01, 2008
- Freecycle is wonderful. Rich just gave away two large boxes of foam blocks. One man's junk... 06:04 PM January 01, 2008
- The Emotional Toll and Opportunity Costs of Corporate Battle - I added my thoughts in the comments. http://tinyurl.com/3yf9s5 02:54 PM January 03, 2008
Continue reading "Twitterings - January 2008"
Tuesday January 1, 2008
Twitterings - December 2007
These are my Twitter entries (including Snibbles) for December.- Snibbles: Ratatouille: Have you seen it yet? It's WONderful! http://tinyurl.com/2y2msu 03:37 AM December 05
- Snibbles: Cranberry Sauce: We found a simple and tasty recipe for cranberry sauce. http://tinyurl.com/3e42n7 03:33 AM December 09
- Got my Pleo yesterday! Woke him up and petted him. Cats were... fascinated (from a safe distance). 08:30 AM December 11
- Brought Pleo into Work today to show off. I do wish he went for more than an hour on a charge though. Not much time. 11:33 AM December 12
- My Pleo has a name. I'm calling him Yoshi. 04:10 PM December 12
Continue reading "Twitterings - December 2007"
Monday December 31, 2007
2007 - Year's End
all corners
of this floating world, swept.
-- Basho
Treasures
- Four cats. Soft fur.
- Richard; my best friend.
- I have a job that, most of the time, I like.
- I have Co-workers I like.
- The SF Bay Area — a good place to live.
- Plenty of books.
- We have our health.
- Rich has a job.
- Madeline Isabella Carranza
Continue reading "2007 - Year's End"
Saturday December 1, 2007
Twitterings - November 2007
These are my Twitter entries for November.- We have a Mandatory "Corp Purpose, Strategy and Culture" meeting scheduled from 3:15 to 6:15 pm today. I'm so not looking forward to this. 01:25 PM November 01
- The meeting this afternoon is not only mandatory but with seating assignments. Welcome to adult kindergarten in Silicon Valley. 01:26 PM November 01
- Enjoying the sun being up (just barely) when the alarm clock goes off. More light when I get to work. At least for a few weeks. 10:09 AM November 05
- Scary comparison: Yahoo! vs Google front page. Time lapsed: 10 years. http://tinyurl.com/333s8s 10:11 AM November 05
Continue reading "Twitterings - November 2007"
Thursday November 1, 2007
Twitterings - October 2007
These are my Twitter entries for October.- The AC doesn't work well in the older model CalTrains. On the other hand, the car isn't crowded. And I'm under the air vent. :-) 05:22 PM October 01, 2007
- Our favorite grocery store is being remodeled. The front windows are covered in plywood, wall to wall, floor to ceiling. Claustrophobic. 08:10 PM October 01, 2007
- I'll be shopping at a different store until the windows are uncovered. 08:11 PM October 01, 2007
- Working from home; surrounded by fur. Cat by my left hand. Cat above the keyboard. This is the way Work should be. 03:01 PM October 02, 2007
Continue reading "Twitterings - October 2007"
Monday October 1, 2007
Twitterings
I've been using Twitter since early September. I'm having fun with it.
These are my entries from September.
- Reading back issues of randsinrepose.com
- Black sedan this morning, license: BT MBEEL
- Afternoon. One tiny patch of blue sky. At least it no longer looks like rain is imminent.
Continue reading "Twitterings"
Monday February 13, 2006
We've Come a Long Way, Baby
When I wrote my Masters Thesis in 1984, I used nroff (a text formatting program) under Unix on a Sun 1 workstation (ser number 285). Rich wrote a driver for an IBM selectric typewriter which we connected as a printer. I hand-fed each sheet of paper, aligned it, pushed the button, checked the result, and reprinted the page if anything was wrong.
It was all pretty high tech for the time. The Macintosh had only been announced in January of that year (and we didn't have one). The laser printer, now so common, would have been prohibitively expensive at that time (even if our computer could use it). A thesis printed on a "standard" dot-matrix printer would have been unacceptable. I was doing pretty well not to hire a typist!
Fast forward...
...
Continue reading "We've Come a Long Way, Baby"
Sunday December 25, 2005
40 Years of A Charlie Brown Christmas
2005 marked the 40th anniversary of "A Charlie Brown Christmas", the longest-running animated television special in history. I have watched at least 20 of those half-hour presentations, beginning with the very first one. (The only reason I haven't seen more is that, for the past 25 years, we have rarely watched television at all.)
...
Continue reading "40 Years of A Charlie Brown Christmas"
Sunday October 31, 2004
Ghosts of Halloweens Past
Happy Halloween
Heart's Gladness is... Halloween Memories
My sister and I never wore "store-bought" costumes for Halloween (those stiff nylon things with plastic masks). Our mother was a consummate seamstress and a very creative person (she's still creative although I don't think she sews much anymore). Our costumes were always home-made and definitely creative.
One year I was an... I'm not sure what she was exactly... but I was a little round lady in a red and white polka dotted dress, with a mob cap and a frilly parasol. Whatever she was, I loved her dearly and played dressup in the costume for years after.
One year I was Frankenstein's monster; the monster was about 7 feet tall. His monster's head was made from a KFC bucket, covered in white paper and colored green, with eyes and hair made from construction paper (and ears that stuck out!). I held a crosspiece of 2x2 wood which wore the monster's shirt (a stuffed sweatshirt of my Dad's, with stuffed arms). I also wore a pair of my Dad's pants (belted just under my arms) and pair of his shoes. The trick-or-treat bag was attached to the monster's hands (in stuffed gloves). I could barely see, looking down at my feet beyond the hem of the shirt and my sister, dressed as Igor, guided me around. It was a great costume.
...
Continue reading "Ghosts of Halloweens Past"
Sunday May 2, 2004
Weekly Wrap-up (Apr 25 - May 01)
April marked Rich's and my 21st anniversary, Squirrel's 4th anniversary with us and Raven's 1st anniversary! Happy, happy, everybody!
The weather for the first half of last week was HOT — record high temperatures caused by a strong high pressure ridge. Yuck. We opened windows, turned on fans, and wore shorts. The weather finally broke on Thursday and the rest of the week was lovely, sunny, clear, and warm but not too hot.
Raven and Bebop had their annual health checkups on Monday morning. Neither of them enjoyed it much. I was treated to kitty stereo on the drive to and from the vet. AwroOOOOO.
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Continue reading "Weekly Wrap-up (Apr 25 - May 01)"
Sunday April 25, 2004
Weekly Wrap-up (Apr 12 - Apr 24)
One of my online writing groups, Journal Writing, posts several regular summarizing prompts, including"Wednesday's mid-week reflection"
Take some time to write in your journal. What's happened so far this week?"Summary Saturday"
What's the most important thing that's happened this week?and a bi-weekly prompt called "Check In".
The list is like journaling. Sometimes life takes over and we don't have time to write like we'd like to, thus the check in.A summarizing entry seems like a good idea. This is my summary of the past two weeks. ...All members please take a minute to respond to this email. Let us know how you are doing, what's going on with you. How is your writing? How many pages have you completed in your journal since we last had roll call? Read any books you could recommend. Tried any new writing methods?
Continue reading "Weekly Wrap-up (Apr 12 - Apr 24)"