|
Holiday Cards!
|
Dec. 20th, 2009 @ 03:14 pm
|
|---|
|
Finally sending out my Holiday Cards! If you don't get one it's because you didn't give me your address, or your address has changed since last year, and your card is lost at the post office. (Or blessing some stranger's mail box!)
It isn't too late for me to send you one! If you would like one, head on over to my Holiday Card post right here! and leave me your address!I feel:  busy |
|
Memories from The Attic
|
Dec. 19th, 2009 @ 08:25 pm
|
|---|
|
Given the recent outcry about ending check service in the UK, I was surprised to see the statistic that 64% of Americans use online banking (which presumes more tech familiarity than, say, using an ATM). Most of this seems to be just checking balances rather than actively doing things with the accounts though, so maybe we're not in a better state after all.
I loved the Angel shout out in yesterday's Dollhouse, though I thought it went farther than simply a reference ( Read more... )
|
|
SPN 2009 Recs: Fanfic
|
Dec. 18th, 2009 @ 07:15 pm
|
|---|
|
Second rec installment for 2009... ( Read more... )
|
|
Doings elsewhere
|
Dec. 17th, 2009 @ 10:57 pm
|
|---|
|
Seems to me it was past time to be doing this but at least one cancelled show is going to air its already produced episodes on YouTube. Then there is the new reality show that is going to air on Hulu before it gets broadcast on TV (but hey, if you're a "select international audience" you'll be able to watch it, too.)
Picked up from ![[personal profile]](http://s.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png) meret, maybe we'd get more female writers writing in Hollywood if no one ever met them. (And if you think the story is depressing, the comments have got quite a few more stories).
To offset the depression, my favorite outtake from Colbert's Sports Illustrated photo shoot.
|
|
next week's column: Santa's Spirit
|
Dec. 17th, 2009 @ 04:27 am
|
|---|
|
A guy can write only so many Christmas columns, so for the past few years I’ve looked back to see if any of my old ones were worth a reprint. In other words, I got lazy. Here’s one of my favorites, from 2006:
SLIGHTLY OFF THE MARK
( “You’re striking out on the stealth thing, Santa,” I told him, while wondering how soon my alarm clock would go off. )I feel:  contemplative Mood music: Here Comes Santa Claus |
|
good news and good news
|
Dec. 16th, 2009 @ 03:21 am
|
|---|
|
The doctor thinks I only have a sprain to my knee, so no extra testing for now. He gave me a knee brace, a 9 day supply of Celebrex for the swelling, and instructions to take it easy for a week or so. He also confirmed what I'd already discovered about my prostate readings, which is that my PSA test of 5.6 is just barely over the normal range and nothing to be all that concerned about; I'm officially putting any worries on that subject off until my urologist appointment on January 14.
Oddly, my knee hurts a little more now -- I suspect the swelling was actually padding the injury and masking the pain, a bit. I didn't stop to think that Celebrex isn't a pain reliever, so I need to go looking for my ibuprofen.
Better news: Emily got all A's in her most recent college semester -- 4.0 grade point average! Yay her! Smart girls are hot. ;-)
|
|
Brrr
|
Dec. 15th, 2009 @ 08:35 am
|
|---|
|
It's 4 degrees below zero. I'm glad it's warmed up a bit. Yesterday, I had to bring in the bird feeder, scrape ice off it, and run hot water over the lid so that I could open and fill it. But it's very pretty out there, with lots of snow on the ground.
It's also nice to see Christmas decorations going up. My favorite so far is about a half mile from my house. Someone has set up store mannequins in pink prom dresses and attached gold wings as part of his display. It looks like he's filming Attack of the Freaky Paris Hilton Angels.
During the time it took to write this, the temp dropped to minus 3. I'd probably feel warmer if I got rid of the Weather Bug at the bottom of the screen. |
|
|
Dec. 15th, 2009 @ 12:59 am
|
|---|
|
When Emily and I got down to Fort Wayne yesterday morning for my urologist appointment, we found out the lady from the health clinic gave me the wrong date -- it was supposed to be January 14, not December 14. I'm looking at this as a good thing: My guess is that if they were really worried about my PSA rating they would have gotten me in right away. Most likely they're waiting a month to see if the reading changes any, which would tell them a lot after getting a baseline to go by.
So we did some shopping instead, and when we got back to Albion I stopped at my regular doctor's office to make an appointment for my knee. They were able to get me in the same afternoon, but we'd both been up more than 24 hours by then so I changed that to this morning, instead. I have a feeling an x-ray will be the result ...
On other health news, Jillian's H1N1 seems to be all healed up, and Emily's cracking the whip on my cholesterol ... not that I won't cheat a little over the holidays, 'cause that's what holidays are for! ;-) |
|
SPN Recs: Graphics, RPS and Misc
|
Dec. 14th, 2009 @ 07:10 pm
|
|---|
|
It's not the end of the year yet, but I'm leaving town next week, so I figured I'd start posting some recs for the year this week and wrap up when I return. ( Read more... )
|
|
Television ratings suggest sci-fi fans have lives
|
Dec. 13th, 2009 @ 05:57 pm
|
|---|
|
Two interesting bits of info from Nielsen. One from last month noted that TV viewing hours are higher than ever in history, even though you wouldn't expect it from the all the constant fretting about declining network ratings. In fact "The average household watched eight hours and 21 minutes a day."
At the same time, the most time-shifted programming on TV is sci-fi heavy whereas the highest rated stuff is sports, reality programming, and the obligatory procedural. This data suggests that many sci-fi viewers (nearly half the audience for the top ten shows) have other things to do while the show is actually on.
And this isn't even counting all the people who watch it through torrents or streaming sites.
And now, a question. Does anyone use water filters in their homes that are either carafes, faucet attachments or counter top filters, and if so what do you use and are you happy with them?
|
|
next week's column: The Mustache Who Saved Christmas or: A Hairy Situation
|
Dec. 11th, 2009 @ 10:29 pm
|
|---|
|
Santa’s back! I announced his demise in my last column, but some good elves -- I’m thinking my daughter Charis and her boyfriend -- reconditioned the jolly old elf while I was in Missouri last week. They cleaned his graying beard, replaced his burned out bulb, and removed the wrinkled, unreadable “Ho ho ho” from his hand. When Emily and I arrived home there he was, waving from the front yard: jolly again, cleaned up, and maybe a little tipsy from eggnog.
So, to celebrate, I present you with one of my occasional attempts at poetry. Here’s the story of another time when the Christmas spirit was saved, inspired by my girlfriend’s nickname for me as well as, possibly, too much pasta just before bedtime.
THE MUSTACHE WHO SAVED CHRISTMAS
( You don’t free a mustache, everyone knows –
They’re usually led around by the nose. )
|
|
A heartwarmer for the holidays
|
Dec. 10th, 2009 @ 10:41 pm
|
|---|
|
I rarely look around YouTube, but when I stumbled over this tonight I suspected many on my cat-loving flist would want to see it as well. A lovely vid of firefighters saving (quite a few) cats from a fire.
|
|
Media Studies 2.0
|
Dec. 9th, 2009 @ 05:13 pm
|
|---|
|
I picked up a rec for this from ![[community profile]](http://s.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png) veni_vidi_vids and have to agree that this is one of the best series vids for Queer as Folk I've yet seen. I love the way the various characters get their moments and there's a real feeling of the large ensemble that made up this cast. If you haven't seen it yet, check out Unconditional by dreamrequiem.
Wow, are we having a winter storm here. Barely any snow as of yet but I couldn't sleep this morning from the force of the wind outside rattling the building. It's even distracting me now that I'm awake, and we had to go rescue some of the balcony Christmas stuff already. I'm just really glad I don't have to go catch a bus today.
I've posted the following to sim_studies but also wanted to include it here.( Read more... )
|
|
Icons, and Social Programming
|
Dec. 8th, 2009 @ 04:10 pm
|
|---|
|
1) ICONS! On DW: "You can now rename icon keywords and the comments that use that icon will continue to use it -- it will no longer revert to default."
One of the main reasons people need more icon space is so that their old icons don't disappear if they want to add new ones. This is a much needed, great new feature. (There are some nice new features for community maintainers too). Also, DW is running a poll asking people how many icon slots they would like to see offered in the future, so if this matters to you, go vote. Plus, there is another poll about whether you would like to be able to "retire" icons from your icon page. This means that the icons will remain attached to their old appearances in posts and comments, but you won't have them currently available for use, and thus won't have to sort through them on your icon page when you're looking through the batch of icons you currently are actively using.
Just as an aside, it's pretty nifty to have new options spring out of current discussions so quickly. There is a major personal touch in the way DW is run.
2) Reading this Sequential Tart posting that asked "Are Dolls at all culpable for crimes committed by imprints? Do we ever really stop being ourselves? Do our selves really exist at all?" made me think of the latest Castle episode. About partway through I asked Mike, "Doesn't this make you think of Dollhouse?" all the more so due to Marc Blucas' being a guest star. Then, too, the "ice holes" made me think of Stephen Colbert.
3) Speaking of that Sequential Tarts post, there was this line: "As Topher pointed out to Boyd …we're programmed every day, by the media and by our social interactions; does it really matter how the programming is done?" ( Read more... )
|
|
Alas, poor lizard
|
Dec. 7th, 2009 @ 10:41 am
|
|---|
|
Somehow, I was struck by this plaintive little story in the local paper:
Mason City officials say one person was injured in a fire that apparently started when a shoe placed next to a heat lamp in the top of a fish aquarium overheated.
The fire happened Sunday afternoon at a mobile home. Officials say the fire was contained to the aquarium that was a housing a lizard.
Fire Capt. Richard Paulson says one person was injured and taken to a Mason City hospital. The person’s name was not immediately released.
Paulson says the lizard died in the fire.
Poor lizard. And I can just imagine the kind of living space where a shoe is likely to wind up on top of an aquarium. |
|
|
![[info]](http://www.insanejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}