April 30, 2005

Guess what?

It's raining. it's windy. is that thunder I hear? or the wind in the rafters?

Lightening!!!

Posted by Rebecca at 10:54 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Don't get stuck in the sand

Yesterday Jesse gave her two months notice. She'll be vacating the northern penthouse at Casa Sprout the end of June. We're not sure how to break it to Diez. I'm sure, eventually, he'll go back to eating, but his happiness will never be the same.

This announced departure prompted my mother to contact my brother (original northern penthouse tenant) for the first time since Christmas. It's upsetting to think she's going to encourage his return. So much so, I called my brother leaving a message to that effect.

This afternoon, as I returned mother's laptop (I was tasked with tech support duties), I asked my dad his opinion on the matter. Mom was mad, accused us of ganging up on her. I just don't want her to encourage his return. She used the word 'mooch' in describing his possible return.

It's not mooch, it's the stigmatism of living with your parents. Your every departure and return is noted. Any purchases and packages in the mail is monitored. Privacy is a figment of someone else's imagination.

It's uncomfortable.

My brother departed nearly five months ago. So far he's doing fine. Granted a little lost in the social scene, but then again none of us was raised to be social. If he were to return, reoccupy the northern penthouse, all would be lost. He would end up back at his dead end job. He would continue to dabble in hobbies and waste daylight on computer games. The cape has that effect, sucking you into quicksand, lulling you into complacency.

If you don't walk in the sand, you can't get stuck.

Posted by Rebecca at 10:32 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

April 29, 2005

Not so yummy...

Someone just handed me a small package of candy. I tried a piece, apple flavor, then turned I read the ingredients. Let me just get beyond the first one, sugar, and thank them for not using artificial sweetners. Now let me ask you, carnauba wax, isn't that what is used on cars to make them shinny? What is this doing in my candy? Is it actually edible? Does the FDA have study information as to the health effects of consuming wax?

I wonder if the new movie 'house of wax' will be sponsoring any new candy flavors as a promotional tie-in...

Posted by Rebecca at 12:33 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Not so hot...

I thought I had just found some cuties. I mean, look at them! Hot stuff. OK, admittedly a tad bit too young for me, but still, I can admire a good looking thing when I see it. And look, they are showing me their bling-bling! How hot is that?

Very!

So imagine my disappointment when it turns out they had stolen their bling-bling. Geez guys, couldn't you do like the stars and 'borrow' it for the photo? Now, instead of meeting you at some high society function thrown by the Gotti's, I'll have to meet you through singlecriminals.com.

Crap.

Posted by Rebecca at 12:17 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Yummy

Another visit from hottie FedEx guy, Brendan Fraser look-alike. I realized, though, that he isn't a very good look alike.

Posted by Rebecca at 10:27 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 26, 2005

Dreamboat

FedEx guy, Brendan Fraser look-alike.

Call me!

Posted by Rebecca at 10:26 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 25, 2005

Muscle Dog Beach

Where I work, free t-shirts are often received as a token of 'thanks' for corporate donations. Unfortunately, none of us are big t-shirt fans. Lucky for me, today I found someone who was. Someone that can turn these t-shirts into walking advertisements.

Mr. Diezel Dog (email: diezel dot dog at gmail dot com)

Here he sports his first, and most likely not his last, t-shirt. He's supporting the recently completed MDA Shamrocks for Muscular Dystrophy (Jerry's Kids) campaign. It runs every spring, ending on St. Patricks day.

Vegas odds makers are taking calls as to how long this particular shirt stays white.

Posted by Rebecca at 06:48 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

More Mutt Mitts!

Orleans starts to clean up after dogs
ORLEANS - Dog walkers this summer will soon have a new outlet to dispose of their pets' waste, as part of a compromise that gave animals access to a section of Nauset Beach.

Over the next few weeks, the Orleans Pond Coalition will start installing mutt mitt dispensers at various coastal access points around the town's coastline.

Some of the twenty-one dispensers, which were purchased by the Pleasant Bay Alliance, will be placed at the Rock Harbor town landing and at the end of Willie Atwood Road. Other areas include town landings at Cove Road, Snow Shore, Mill Pond Road, Priscilla's Landing and Doane Way.

Shaw's and Stop and Shop supermarkets will refill the dispensers at no cost for the town, thanks to successful lobbying by Selectman Jon Fuller.

One of the town's most heated issues this winter involved a potential ban on walking animals on the Outer Beach section of Nauset. Selectmen agreed to allow animals to roam under certain conditions, providing owners take steps to care for their pets which include leashing them and picking up waste.

Volunteers will keep track of how many mitts were used and how much dog waste was left behind and will report back to town officials at a later date.
-CCT mid-day update

Posted by Rebecca at 05:48 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 23, 2005

Data mining at the martK?

I was on a mission for a planter box. I wanted one that was wider then the six inches I've been seeing around town. I want to build a wooden box, so essentially I was in search of a liner. My search brought me to the martK in the big city of Hyannis. Wandering through the front door, I took a right into the health and beauty section. Since I'm already drop dead gorgeous, I was obviously there for my health. I picked up an ice pack.

Limping through the doggie isle I selected a large bag of beef rawhide chews. Dinner? Perhaps. I then darted to the near-rear of the store for the tool isle. All hand, non-power, tools were 20% off. I picked up a Pocket Square, sand paper for my Mouse, and some screwdrivers. The garden shop had the wide planting box I needed, so I loaded all my recently found loot into it for continued easy shopping.

A stop in the housewares department and Martha offered me some baskets for my never ending bench project. Perfect at half the price of B&B. To the check outs.

Here is where things get interesting....

I picked isle 5 since there was no line and the head cashier counter is right there for calling in any price issues. Turns out is was a cashier in training, and English was not her first language. before you all go jumping on my case, if I went to Quebec for some shopping, they would say French wasn't my first language, so get a grip She rang up the baskets, dog chews and ice pack with only the security tag on the icepack giving her a problem. Why they have a security tag on a $6 item I don't know. Next came the screwdrivers. She passed them over the register and it beeped, but I noticed the total didn't show on the register. It was flashing something in a colored box. Since the cashier had her back to the register screen, she didn't notice this, moving on the scan the sand paper. But it wouldn't scan, the register was waiting for her attention. I pointed out that the screwdrivers didn't scan, and she turned to the screen. Suddenly there was a flood of non-English flowing from the cashier to the trainer. I was then asked for my birthdate. I thought this was an error. My birthdate? I asked back. Yes, my birthdate. No, I'm not giving you my birthdate. There was another flood of non-English and a date of 12/08/1999 was entered in and the register quickly rejected it. More non-English, then a birthdate of 12/08/1968 was entered. The sale continued without incident from there.

Why was the martK asking for my birthdate when a sale item was rung in? It's not like screwdrivers are an age restricted product like a pack of smokes, or a case of brew, which martK doesn't even sell. Did they really need to know my birthdate for me to get an item at the sale price, versus carrying some keychain tag like the stupermarkets make me do? I really wonder what would have happened if my true birthdate had been given, matched up with my debit card used for purchase, and then stolen by some computer hackers. What next, my mother's maiden name when I go back for some cheap socks?

And no, I don't give out my zip code when asked at the Tree either.

As far as I'm concerned all this data mining from stores should be stopped. What retail locations should be doing is asking people that leave without making a purchase what can be done to change that. Don't harass the people that are spending money in you stores, try and get the ones that aren't.

Posted by Rebecca at 08:26 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

April 22, 2005

Email from beyond

Yahoo opens up dead Marine's email

By Stefanie Olsen, CNET News.com

The erstwhile Internet firm has given the father of a US Marine killed in Iraq access to his late son's email, but only after a court order obliged them do so

Complying with a court order, Yahoo agreed to give the family of a US Marine killed in Iraq access to the soldier's email.

On Wednesday, an Oakland County probate court in Michigan ordered Yahoo to give the contents of the email account to the father of Justin Ellsworth, 20, who was killed in November by a roadside bomb in Fallujah.

Yahoo complied with the mandate on Thursday, despite the company's policy of not giving email passwords to anyone other than the account holder.

"We are pleased the court resolved this matter," said Yahoo spokeswoman Mary Osako.

The case highlights uncertainty about the privacy of people's digital life in the event of their death, and about the responsibilities ISPs have toward family members.

Experts say there has yet to be a definitive court ruling on the status of email as to whether it is an extension of the deceased's estate at the time of his or her passing. But, they say, it would stand to reason that email account information and the data within the account would be treated equally to other possessions.

"If an ISP's terms of service run contrary to what would seem to be a reasonable holding by a probate court, then you would need to have a hearing to find which position would win out — whether the public interest is better served by releasing personal data or by upholding a privacy holding in an ISP's terms of service," said Ray Everett-Church, principal for privacy consultancy PrivacyClue.

Still, privacy experts say ISPs are within their rights to ask the courts to make such a ruling. "If it turned out some shenanigans were going on, Yahoo would be in breach of its own privacy policy," Everett-Church said.

Some email providers, such as America Online, allow next-of-kin to access email accounts of the deceased by submitting documents proving the relationship and by faxing a copy of the death certificate. AOL does not require loved ones to go through the courts.

Yahoo's terms of service prohibit the company from disclosing private email communications. Yahoo will turn over an account to family members only after they go through the courts to verify their identity and relationship to the deceased.

Despite its compliance in the case, Yahoo said it will not reverse its company policy, choosing instead to honour the privacy of account holders.

Yahoo delivered to Ellsworth's father, John Ellsworth, a CD of his email documents, according to a spokeswoman. The company also plans to provide him with printouts of the communications early next week.

John Ellsworth could not be reached for comment Thursday. But in an interview with Detroit radio station WJR, he credited Yahoo for acting quickly and responsibly once the legal issues were settled, including helping him decrypt the information on the CD.

"I do appreciate Yahoo's take on this, and I'm glad we were able to come to an agreement," he said.

When I die, I want all my email destroyed. No one should be sifting through my spam, love mail, hate mail, fan mail, etc. If Diezel should still be around, he can keep his address. That seems only fair.

Posted by Rebecca at 07:37 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Joint problems

Sometime last week I hurt my ankle. This came a week after the unflexing foot incident. The painful ankle is causing me to limp, putting extra pressure on the opposite knee. I hobble like an old person and it's embarressing.

I've been saying to myself, Self, get an ankle brace, but I haven't listened to myself very well. Maybe today will be the day. Maybe today the icepack will finally work it's "reduce swelling" magic. Maybe tomorrow I will feel up to walking around without holding on the anything and everything that could possibly prop me up.

I don't like being a gimpy walker, but I also don't like the pain that is stabbing me everytime I move.

Damn body falling apart. Now I remember why I shouldn't celebrate my birthday.

Posted by Rebecca at 05:15 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Sovereign Bank, feeding the stereotype

I'm a girl. I like to do 'girly' things. That being said, I don't like to be pigeon holed as only doing girly things. When I heard the latest Sovereign Bank radio commercial, I screamed (fortunately I was in the shower).

Have you heard the commercial? It has two women friends chatting about one's husband in the backyard, all night, measuring for an addition financed by Sov Bank. All night measuring, and there is a Lowes tie in too. What gets me pissed is what the addition contains: a workshop for him and a gourmet kitchen for her. WTF?!?! Like I, as a girl, wouldn't love a workshop? Like (straight?) men out there wouldn't like a gourmet kitchen?

This is crazy I say! I want the woman to want the workshop to store her gardening tools, and the man to want the kitchen for it's large grill top stove!

Obviously, I am not an advertising executive. Apparently, I'm also not in the target audience for Sov Bank's home equity loan with Lowes tie in.

Maybe it's time to change radio stations....

Posted by Rebecca at 07:58 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 21, 2005

In praise of Spiffy Lube

I'm not one to be a fan of the Spiffy, but I had such a good experience today, I thought I'd share:

First off, I'm about 1000 miles overdue for an oil change. I'm terrible about this. Arriving around 5:30pm I was sure they wouldn't be happy to see me. I was waved in as usual and the guy gave me a 'perfect' sign as I put the car in park. He greeted me as I climbed out and talked about vacuuming just the front, as my back seat was loaded down with whatnot stuff. I asked about synthetic oil since that is all the rage. "How many miles on the car?" he asked. Oh, about 82000 or so. "Have you used synthetic before?" Nope. "Then don't bother, save the money." Was this Spiffy Lube? Had some alternate universe taken over? He asked for my keys and off I went to the waiting area. Just a few minutes later he had me step in for the service review. It's all on the computer now. Before he started, he praised my clean air filter, which I had replaced myself a few weeks ago, and noted my wipers were good. I have spares in the trunk, so it wouldn't have won him a sale anyway.

On to the big stuff: First was the automatic transmission service. I've never had this done, but at $89 it would have to wait. Second, I had a side blinker light out. Coincidentally I have actually replaced that same orange cover, the bulb should be no problem. Pass on that. Next was the teflon additive for $20. He said it would help with the breakdown and heat. Since Saturns are notoriously hot, what the hell, throw a bottle in. Lastly was the serpentine belt. I have to go back to my last Spiffy visit when I was advised to replace this. At the time I declined. I couldn't see this 19 year old, potential high school drop out, replacing this very important belt. Call me out for discrimination if you must, but I wasn't comfortable with the situation. Back to today's Spiffy visit and again the advice on getting the belt replaced. I asked the tech who was going to do it. "I am, my hands are just as dirty as anyone else." And truly they were. I asked what kind of training he had. "15 years in the business of auto repair." You won me over, replace the belt. Another $59.99 out of my pocket.

You should probably want to know that none of the employees working at the Spiffy lube was under 25. And only one was under 35. I had a senior, experienced staff on tap. And I was pleased. While the belt wasn't replaced in the 15 minutes he had quoted me after I said I didn't want to keep anyone from dinner (I was the only customer), it was replaced in 18 minutes. All hands were on tap and I was able to keep the old belt as a souvenir. He did show me all the cracks in it, so now I actually know what do look for. Education is a powerful thing people!

All in all it was a good visit, though my $4 coupon didn't make a huge dent in the $114 bill. The best part of the trip, which you may not find as cute as I do, is that when I requested my window sticker be notated for only 2000 miles, the lube tech said, "like having your clock five minutes fast", to which I replied that my watch is ten minutes fast, so yes, like that.

I'm sure that even with the sticker being set at 2000 miles, I'll still be late for the 3000 mile change.

Posted by Rebecca at 09:07 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

We all get it, why don't you?

On a commute from West Barnstable to the harbor, I was treated to rush hour Hyannis style. This is ok, it's school vacation week. Less cars on the road for the purpose of coddling children to bully camp. And since it was around 9am, I was also treated to the 'I'm to lazy to give myself enough time to get to work' crowd.

All that was nothing compared to the other site I saw... wasted WATER!

Now, if we all go back to grade school science I'm sure you'll remember about evaporation. Things like water in the evening to conserve water and also less stress on the grass. Someone at the Hyannis golf course on rte 132 needs to go back to school!

• What is the point of watering the greens at 9am?
• Don't you think most of that water is just evaporating on this near 80° day?
• Don't you think some golfers would enjoy their round without getting soaked?
• Don't you think the water table, while high now, could use some moderation in it's usage?
• Don't you think the grass would have liked to be watered last night?
• Don't you think you should take advantage of off peak water rates?

Yeah, you need to be schooled. Then again, so does every one of the cape's golf course operators. None of these sprinklers should be on during the day. Common sense people. I guess the golf course people weren't in line the day they handed it out.

Posted by Rebecca at 06:47 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 20, 2005

Geekified

Like I didn't have enough email addresses (8 at last count), I picked up another one:

#9: Diezel.Dog 'at' gmail.com

I guess any email to this address I should answer as if I were Diezel Dog. That would be funny!

Posted by Rebecca at 09:54 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Wednesday, up through dinner time

First thing back at work Tuedsay afternoon and I realized A) glad I wasn't around for spring cleaning and b) wish I wasn't so far behind. I am having a hard time catching up while putting new fires out.

Wednesday and back to class for the first time in a week. I like Patriots day just for that reason.

After work I made a stop at the Depot's Hyannis branch. I don't know why I bother. Who actually can find anything there? I left without spending a dime. Instead I stopped at the hardware store in Cotuit. Even if they don't have what I'm looking for, they aplogize. Happily the ever friendly staff helped me find exactly what I was looking for. $30 later I was merrily skipping out the door. Take that you tiny useless Depot!

Tip: Don't food shop while hungry. You will buy more then you need of stuff you already own. I now have 8 cans of tuna fish. 8!

My Wednesday afternoon nap was a bust, but I was able to spread out my patio grass. Not perfect, but if I can keep Diez from digging up the yard long enough, I hope to level the soil out for a nice seating area.

I guess some chairs are in order...

Posted by Rebecca at 05:35 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 19, 2005

All good things must come to an end...

I'm back from Blogcation. I survived, as did my nephew. For Diez, it was a tad touch and go. Jealous and not happy as second string to a 19 month old.

Posted by Rebecca at 06:32 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 18, 2005

Change of plans

I was going to take a class this summer, but I've changed my mind. I'm going to take the summer off from school. This will give me a chance to look for a real job. Hopefully I can secure one. Once that is done, I can better plan on taking classes in the fall. I'm sure that taking classes during the day won't be an option if I get a new job, and I didn't want to take a summer accellorated class when I really don't have the brain power to focus on it.

And seeing as I have gone to school the last two summers, I think I deserve a break. It's been non-stop school for three years now. Time to live a little and enjoy the sandbar like to tourists do.

If anyone knows of an interesting job openings, let me know!

Posted by Rebecca at 07:49 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 17, 2005

Sweet reward for hanging tough

It's been a struggle this winter for one of my indoor plants. First came the bugs, then the spiders, and finally some serious growth issues. Just a month ago I was all but ready to give up. I had even asked my dad for a spot in the greenhouse to see if a warm humid vacation was the cure.

The plant stayed inside with me, and I made a point to turn on the grow light everyday. From first thing in the morning, till well after sunset, the light was on. I also kept a close eye on the soil moisture. Two of the most important things I did was some serious pruning and aggressive bug treatments.

I'm not sure if it's because spring is in the air, or all my studious attention, but the plant is looking on the mend. There is lots of new growth, and unspotted leaves aplenty. Not to mention a fresh sprinkling of scented flowers.

I'm very happy as this is probably the first group of plants I've successfully wintered. The curly ficus has thrived over the winter and will earn a bigger pot this spring. The aloe is also growing like gangbusters and is in desperate need of space.

Maybe this summer I'll let Fish go hydroponic and get him a plant too. I'll keep you all posted of course.

Posted by Rebecca at 08:07 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 16, 2005

Back in Business

Sprout Farm opened for business yesterday. So far they are just featuring plants. It's too early for veges, don't get greedy!

Be sure to stop by and check out the green houses if you are in the area. If you can't make it, be sure to check out the pictures on their website. It also lists approximate times for vege availability.

You know you want some... don't lie!

Posted by Rebecca at 07:46 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

April 15, 2005

Rolling off my mind...

(After I typed this, it proved to be a rambling rant. So sorry)

As I was speeding down the road, I almost hit some quad riders that were crossing to some conservation land. It got me thinking...

There are so many trails in various conservation areas in desperate need of clearing and maintaining. While all of these trails have been designated as 'walking' trails, I think they should possibly be opened up to dirt bikes and quads. Something like this:

1. Motorized vehicles allowed on designated trails only from September 30 to May 1st.
   
2. Motorized vehicles must be registered in the town which controls the conservation area in question. IE: you live in Falmouth, register quad in Mashpee, you can ride in Mashpee, but not Falmouth (unless you register there too).
   
3. Each town vehicle registered in issues sticker which is affixed to vehicle, good for one riding season, non-transferable. Cost only to cover cost of sticker (not for profiteering by towns)
   
4. Riding on trails only during the hour of 9am to 10am. Hours strictly enforced with heavy fines for operation outside of this hour. Say, $100 for the rider? $50 for the sticker holder? (yes combined $150 fee for EACH offense) Revenue from tickets to split between town administration (police, etc) and conservation fund (maintenance of signs, etc).
   
5. Designated trails strictly enforced and heavily advertised at parking areas and common (designated & authorized) entry points. Allows for sensitive areas to be protected.
   
6. Riders can have sticker fee waived in exchange for participation in two (2) organized trail clearing events for the town in question. Want fee waived in Barnstable? help out at two organized trail clearing events.
   
7. Strictly enforce state laws for operation of motorized vehicles (age, licenses, etc)
   
8. since passing will be difficult on many trails due to narrow widths, low speed limits will be in place. Tickets to owners and riders.

Before you all jump on my case about enforcement, think about it. There are only so many points of entry/exit to conservation trails, and most riders will gravitate to certain trails. This will require trailering. Police sit and wait by these trailers around 10am and just write up tickets as people emerge from the trails late, or underage, or what-have-you. And if they are emerging from a trail not designated as one of the ridable trails, there you go, ticket.

Why allow these vehicles on the trails? They have the ability to keep the trails clear without all the manual labor involved. By periodically changing what trails are designated for riding, excessive wear and tear can be minimized. Also by allowing quads on some of the trails, this will widen the trails, making them easier for walkers to enjoy.

I'm only saying an hour a day, during the off season, and only for people that register in the town they wish to operate in. Other people will quickly learn how to follow the rules after a ticket or two. This will also give owners of these vehicles the opportunity to legally enjoy them within limits, as opposed to breaking the law on the power lines.

And because it is only one hour a day, walkers have the rest of the day to enjoy the trails. Signs will be aplenty for both riders and walkers to be on notice about when motorized vehicles are in use.

Sure, some trails will be more popular then others. By changing the designated trails towns can keep these vehicles traveling the trails less traveled.

And as for how to enforce the speed limits... I'm sure once someone crashes (yeah, head on) and wrecks they'll learn.

Let's face it, some of these riders/owners are going to ride on these trails whether legal or not. I'm just suggesting a legal way to ride, as well as focusing the horsepower on trail maintenance & clearing.

I remember growing up and having dirt bikes on the trails behind my house (combination of paper roads, ancient ways, and conservation trails). These trails rarely needed clearing. All the bikes took care of that. Now that no one dirt bikes the trails anymore, it is left up to people to walk out there and trim the brush. Let's face it, there aren't enough people with the time or energy to wander deep into the woods for that. Let the riders do it.

Posted by Rebecca at 06:58 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 14, 2005

Blogcation

I will be on Blogcation through April 19, 2005.

I've written a few entries for 'future' posting to keep you all entertained in my absence. I may write a few more if I have any spare time, but I'd like to spend my precious unpaid days off relaxing with my family and celabrating my birthday.

See you all real soon!

Posted by Rebecca at 04:38 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

More bday greetings to me

Since I am a member of the Loyal Listener club, WCTK wished me a Happy Birthday!

Posted by Rebecca at 06:58 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

B-day greetings to me

I received this birthday card from Milen. The theme is so in keeping with my bathroom decor!

Posted by Rebecca at 06:17 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 13, 2005

Vehicle drama

I know my car. I've been with it for four+ years, and it's been the best match for both of us. Today I stopped at the dealership to make my appointment for the suspension to be checked and a child seat anchor installed. I know I need this because my manual says it is an option that is installed for free by the dealer. Well the service guy doesn't believe me. He goes digging through the car! OK, pal, do your best, it ain't there. I would have seen it when I installed my speakers a few years back. Then the service guy has to pull out the big bible of parts to find what I need. Of course it's not in stock. He was nice and is having it FedEx'd over night. My appointment is tomorrow after all, and nephew is showing up tomorrow night, so this must be done!

In describing my creaky suspension, service guy suspected sway bar links that are/have rusted and/or loosened. I said is sounded simply (as in difficulty level) expensive (as in $$) to fix. He said about $225(!) since I know this is probably just parts, I'm going to have to wipe out my fun fund to pay for this.

Damn it James, your predictions are coming true!

I'll be dropping the car off before work in the morning, walking down Main St to the South St office. If you see me using the best mode of transportation besides motor scooters, give your horn a toot (I know you'll be driving...). Heck, if you stop and say hi (not creepy dirty old man whistling at hot young chick hi), I'll even sign autographs, take your picture, and feature it here. Hope to see you all tomorrow!

Posted by Rebecca at 12:38 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 12, 2005

Reply to post on Solon Economou

In reply to this post:
WXTK SUX!

1. The two morning guys hate EVERYONE that doesn't agree with them, can't accept opinions contrary to their own, and label EVERYONE as liberal. I can't stand them. I like the show when they are on vacation or out sick. That's the only time I can stand to listen for more then a minute.
   
2. Rush and G.Gordon: not local at all. One guy yelling to hear himself yell, the other talking to hear himself talk. No new or relevent information for six hours of the 'XTK programming day.
   
3. Howie Carr: Sometime decent, can take a joke, and has semi local information. Features a lot of callers and emails, which is nice. He even read one of mine last year.
   
4. Satellite Sisters: ok show if you can stand dippy women chatting about nothing in particular. And it's played twice a weekend.

Sure, there is tons of pop crap on the radio, but isn't that the prime demographic advertisers want? Personally I like country, but have to listen to a RI station to hear it. Without it, I would probably not listen to commercial radio. CD's & MP3's are what keep me sane (thought my sanity is questionable). I also like some pop music, as well as rap, rock, standards of the 40's & 50's and believe it not, opera.

Solon Economou has no commenting or contact email to post this response to.

Posted by Rebecca at 04:15 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

A world of dread

My car is sick. Something is squeaking in the rear suspension. The trouble my brother forcasted would happen once the beasty was paid off is coming to fruition.

I'm bummed.

After work today I'm stopping by the Saturn dealership to make an appointment. I'm sure to be chocking back tears. Why is it we pay so much money for a car that continually breaks? It also needs an oil change. I'll hit SpiffyLube on Thursday before heading to the airport. I may even spring for the good oil. All these repairs and upkeep is going to push back my scooter purchase. That makes me even more bummed. Wait until the actual repair bill shows up. Full blown water works will be in effect.

Speaking of vehicles...

The brother is having a difficult time with his insurance company. Something to do with being out of state. I spent some time on the net last night trying to find information related to attending school out of MA, but retaining MA license, insurance, etc. I found if you come to MA, you have to fill out some form and have equivalent insurance from your home state, but no information about the reverse. I'm afraid he may get into an accident, file a claim, and be turned down for the simple act of going to school out of state. Florida states that when you attend school there, you don't have to change residency. I wish MA would have some clear cut information my brother could quote (chapter and verse) when dealing with the insurance company. In the mean time, he should just drive carefully. And he said gas was $2.31/gallon!! At that price, can't really justify a Sunday afternoon drive in the country.

Posted by Rebecca at 07:45 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

April 11, 2005

Brain full yet?

I'm thinking of taking the below class this summer. What a crazy woman I am...

Computer Aided Drafting I
This course is a first course in computer aided drafting including an introduction to AutoCAD, drawing, editing drawings, applications, using advanced functions, producing hard copy and customizing AutoCAD. The emphasis of this course is in developing drafting techniques using the computer as the drafting tool. Specific topics include system set up, 2-D drawing, editing drawings, multi-view, drawing, orthographic views, dimensioning, sectional views, and graphic patterns.

Posted by Rebecca at 05:03 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Help me please!

I want to come up with four or five good sentences that describe me and/or my blog. I need EVERYONE's help!! Take a minute, think of something and post it as a comment. You can post more then one.

I'm a terrible judge of myself, so I need outside help.

And if you're sentence is choosen, you can add to your resume the job of "web consultant"!

Posted by Rebecca at 01:00 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Mr. Furry gets a bath

I'm getting company this weekend. To celebrate my birthday, my sister and nephew are flying to see me, spend a few days hanging out, and I'm taking some days off from work(!). This will be the first time I see the nephew walking, getting into trouble, but still not being all that talkative. Since this is a big deal, I was asked to wash Mr. Furry.

Admittedly, he hasn't had a bath all winter. It's not exactly easy to give an 85lb. pitbull a bath. I called PetStupid and they charge $25 for a bath with nails and ears. I can't see spending the money, driving Diez (a.k.a. Mr Fuzzy) 30 minutes, and paying someone else to do what I'm perfectly capable of doing.

So lucky Mr Furry was tricked (I know, I feel the guilt) into his collar and leash. I tied him out on the deck (I hear ASPCA calling...) for a wash. After his wash, I dried him off with his big blue towel. All his bedding and towels had been washed earlier, so after the bath he had nothing but clean places to sleep. That was after he slowed down from his attempt at 'air drying'.

I love a clean Mr Furry. His fur is naturally oily, and seems to attract ever speck of dirt there is. Last night and this morning I was able to pet him, and love him, without getting all icky. I may just give him one more good scrub later this week to insure he is as clean as can be.

So if you see my Mr Furry this week, be sure to give him a good pat on the head, or even a hug if you are so inclined.

Posted by Rebecca at 07:56 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 10, 2005

Geek humor

By eeka - Apr 8, 2005, 8:28 PM Post #77 of 96

DAMMIT it ate my post. That was a giant HEEEEEEEE that showed up fine in preview mode.

By Dave - Apr 8, 2005, 9:04 PM Post #78 of 96

It looked nicer before it got converted to JPG.

By adamg - Apr 8, 2005, 10:05 PM Post #79 of 96

That's funny, it doesn't look JPGish.

By eeka - Apr 8, 2005, 10:07 PM Post #80 of 96

Well, it's a CHOOSING jpg.

By adamg - Apr 8, 2005, 10:10 PM Post #81 of 96

Choosy Webmasters choose GIF; I thought everybody knew that.

By eeka - Apr 8, 2005, 10:17 PM Post #82 of 96

You down with BMP? (YEAH YOU KNOW ME)

By adamg - Apr 8, 2005, 10:22 PM Post #83 of 96

Sure, but I worry about those PNG tankers in the harbor - all it takes is one nut with a dinghy and blammo - flaming pixels all over the place!

By Dave - Apr 8, 2005, 10:34 PM Post #85 of 96

Stop it with the image formats already! Are you trying to start a tiff?

By adamg - Apr 9, 2005, 10:16 PM Post #91 of 96

For the record, I am not in the least concerned about PNG tankers exploding in the harbor and showering pixels over everything, because there's no such thing as a PNG tanker, given that PNG is a format for computer graphics, and unlike newspaper ink, pixels exist only on a computer network, not in large drums; then again, choosy Webmasters really don't choose GIF, because that's a fairly old graphics format. And BMP and TIFF? What can I say about *those* formats that hasn't already been said? Sure, they're lossless, but high-fidelity reproduction brings with it a phenomenal overhead of computer bits. JPG, ah, how I love thee, except when it comes to graphics with lots of text. PNG? Nothing wrong with it, except it always makes me think of Papua-New Guinea.

---

Full conversation here. Warning though, the conversation is actually about map locations and possibly ficticious vacation sites in the Boston burbs.

Posted by Rebecca at 10:18 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Things I learned yesterday, and an 'oh yeah' moment

Let me just say, my 'craft' project turned into a disaster. This should tell you about some of the things I learned.

1. Even with a straight edge, I can't draw a straight line
   
2. My eyes are crooked
   
3. When setting a budget, keep in mind it will be blown.
   
4. I need to get over my feeling of intimidation and visit real lumber yards
   
5. You can get a sunburn in April. (pass the aloe if you please)
   
6. car trunks with low lift beds make great work spaces
   
7. don't offer to help mom with her computer after 7pm
   
8. Don't go to WorstBuy
   
9. Summer traffic has arrived well before Memorial day weekend. damn.
   
10. A hungry Diezel will not enjoy being outside. Check food bowl first
    
11. If normal job is that of a desk jockey, don't think that standing for a few hours straight will feel good
    
12. I still need to find a strong man for my life
    

I'm sure I learned more then that, but I'm still pretty sleepy this morning.

now for the 'oh yeah' moment...
I changed the snowman out. You'll now see a nice sunset pic at the top. I took that Friday night. I also have another one that was much more orange, so I think this one was the better of the two. And before you look at it kind of puzzled like, yes, it's stretched panoramic wise.
End 'oh yeah' moment

My project turned out like crap due to bad choice of wood. But I learned a lot in terms of assembly. Like I'm perpetually crooked, which means I can't eyeball anything. And the palm sander is MIA, so the project is unfinished. Actually, for a first try, it's not so bad. Still, pitiful.

After the project I had a late lunch/early dinner and rested on the couch. This didn't last long. Mom came upstairs about her monitor dying. This isn't a surprise since it's been making zapping sounds for a week now. From what I can tell, the ray part of the CRT wasn't powering up. You know, that sound of mega power drain when you turn the monitor on? Yeah, that sound was missing. So I brought Irma downstairs and we did some quick shopping. Sure, if we had planned ahead we could have ordered a cheaper monitor and waited around for shipping, but we didn't. We waited for the thing to die, putting us in desperate scramble mode. So to the WorstBuy site we went. Purchased on-line for instore pickup. I do this since the prices in the store can be higher then the online prices. After getting the confirmation email, we drove to the store. It was now past 8pm. Get in the store and get in line behind a couple buying a complete computer system. They were well into the process. After 15 minutes we thought they were done. I heard the clerk tell the total for the bill to be four numbers, and the first was a 3(!). Well, just then the other line opened up and we jumped it. The monitor was still in the back, so it had to be called to the front. We wait more. The other couple is still in their line, and it appears the check is being called in for confirmation. I have one word for you people, Visa CheckCard! (ok, two words, but one name) The monitor comes up, but someone is now in front of us doing a return/exchange. They finish up and the CSR checks us out. Finally. Twenty minutes to do a simple pickup. The couple with the computer system is slowly rolling out the store behind us.

After a stop for juice and milk it's home to hook up the new monitor. It's a flat screen 17", for reduced power consumption. In the connection process I find out that the color printer that has been sitting there 'not working' wasn't even plugged in! So I plug it in, and the monitor, then power up. Looks good. Since mom asked me to switch her email over from OE to Thunderbird, I spend a few minutes doing that. While there, I also update Firebird. I wouldn't have them run the updates, since they aren't updates like M$ products. Mozilla releases incremental updates, but they are the full program. The prior one must be uninstalled before the new one installed. Simple, quick, and no data (like bookmarks) are lost. At 10:30pm I finally finish up. I'm tired and can't wait to crawl into bed.

But that's when I discovered my sunburn! I had been wearing a long sleeve tshirt, but my neck and face had been exposed, and my neck had burned. I find this funny since I distinctly remember facing the sun to avoid shadows in my workspace (the driveway). So instead of crawling into bed, I smear aloe on my neck and face. While waiting for it to dry, I check email on Irma. That's when the battery starts acting up. I've reset it, and it's behaving better, but this morning my monitor on the main computer is waving at me.

Maybe I should start looking at a new one....

Posted by Rebecca at 09:23 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 09, 2005

Uh-oh...

Me thinks Irma's battery has died. (Irma is my laptop, for those that don't know). Stop blinking you damn light!

Posted by Rebecca at 11:03 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Who pays for these anyway?

To whom it may concern:

I would like to thank you for changing the poopy bag of choice along the Cape Cod canal from Dispos-a-scoop to Mutt Mitts. I've always enjoyed my walks along the canal accompanied by my furry friend Diezel the Dog, but always found the Dispos-a-scoops too big, with their cardboard handles and metal scoop ring, to fit in my pocket. Yesterday, my first trip of the season, I was happy to see the switch. I've used the Mutt Mitts while walking around Eagle Pond in Cotuit and found it to be a very well thought out and convenient product.

While I have your attention, can I offer a suggestion? Could you possible place a trash receptacle along the recreation road about a half mile from the parking lots? I walk from the Sandwich basin and the first quarter mile is littered with abandon dog poop. I know most of this is due to people too lazy to pick up after their pooches, but I also know some of it isn't picked up because there is no way to dispose of used Mutt Mitts until a person returns to the parking lot. You see, there are no trash receptacles between the Sandwich basin and the Bourne bridge, yet the personnel that empty the trash ride up and down the recreation road right by all these non-trash receptacle sites. You'll find that most dogs take care of business within the first quarter mile, and the rest by the half mile mark. This is why I think you would be wise to put a trash receptacle at the half mile mark.

Again, thank you for improving my time along the canal.

It didn't take me too many walks to realize Diez would take care of business shortly after arrival. I now start our walks by circling the parking lot, which has plenty of trash receptacles, until he goes. Most people don't. And let's face it, no one wants to take a walk holding a used poopy bag, or back track a half mile to dispose of the bag. A simple receptacle at the half mile mark (which, incidently, is by the tanker pier), and a note at the Mutt Mitt dispenser, would certainly help to decrease the copious amounts of abandon poo.

In an abstract thought, I think it only fair that the Army Corps take my suggestion seriously since A) I pay taxes and B) my taxes provides their funding and C) my suggestions make sense.

Posted by Rebecca at 07:21 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 08, 2005

Hey, Jesse, remember this?

Comcast customers lose Internet access

Comcast customers around the Cape reported interrupted Internet service last night.

They weren't alone.

Service nationwide disintegrated shortly before 7 p.m., said a Comcast employee who would not give his name. He called the situation "a national break" and said the company's technical support staff was "inundated" with calls about the problem.

It was unclear at deadline when Comcast's Internet connections would be restored.

"Our engineers are working to restore service," a recording on the company's phone line said.

Posted by Rebecca at 07:46 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Streaming country!

Cat Country, 98.1 out of Providence, is now streaming over the net. This has me VERY happy since I can't listen to the station at work (damn over powering local stations...). Now I will be able to stream it, not missing out on any great contests, like the mystery voice contest.

Posted by Rebecca at 06:57 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

The current aquifer level is....

Rain, rain come today
sun can shine another day

I awoke to the sound of rain dripping down the gutters. I guess it's my own fault for placing my bed in a corner where their is a loud gutter. The pitter patter, silent in snow fall, started me thinking about the aquifer. In one of the Boston papers there was an article about how many towns were still going to have water bans this summer, but the Quabbin was filled to the brim, ready to serve the MWRA. So what level is our local aquifer at? Is there some giant underground rain gauge? Is it digital, on the internet, and can I post a link to it? Is there some eco-tourism stop for all the luxury busses to stop at where riders can read up on aquifer?

And while I'm thinking about it....

Oil, pollution & fuel spills float, right? So when the wells were drilled around Otis for monitoring and pollution cleanup, did they readjust the depth of these wells to correspond to the level of the aquifer? Could this be why they are claiming progress, because they are now pumping clean water from below the plumes as the aquifer levels have risen?

And just how long does it take for snow melt or rain to reach the aquifer?

Just for the record, I have well water. I prefer well water. It tastes better then any chemically treated town water. When I traveled to FL in my early 20's, I couldn't drink any water (like if I ordered a glass at a restaurant) because the chlorine taste was like drinking pool water. And since all the glasses were washed in that same chlorine rich water, even ordering a soda gave a hint of chlorine. Turns out that I should have been drinking bottled water & soda all along. While in the Navy one of the first things you learn after surviving boot camp, is to always purchase bottled water when wandering ashore in foreign countries. Then again, outside the US people walk more so convenience stores are just kiosks on the street and bottled water is readily available. Gosh, I miss traveling, though I don't always miss the questionable toilet facilities...

Posted by Rebecca at 06:34 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 07, 2005

The bloggers are coming, the bloggers are coming!

One foghorn if by bridge, two foghorns if by ferry!

A call to arms, or more correctly, fingers.

Also, Blogfest is coming to Boston.

Posted by Rebecca at 07:59 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Do blogging and love mix?

I blog. A lot. And I'll be the first to admit that since I started blogging I haven't dated. (Though, I blame it on being in a declining demographic for the cape)

Jesse started to blog. And Drew was blogging about his bike commute. They fell in love (with each other) and the blogging stopped.

Doug blogged about the red sox, and his love of blonds. He started dating a non-blond and now the blogging is on permanent hiatus.

While these are only a few examples, it did get me wondering if blogging and love can mix. I try to imagine how I could blog and be in love: what would I write about without causing tiffs or revealing too much personal info? And since I do blog so much (I shoot for once a day minimum), would I be able to find love between posting entries?

Inquiring minds want to know...

Posted by Rebecca at 07:47 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

April 06, 2005

just a suggestion...

I was watching the Affordable Housing group meeting on the town cable channel last night. I think around 8:30pm. My roommate is always worried when she sees me watching any of these meetings, as she knows I'll fall asleep any second, thus hogging the couch. That's beside the point.

The meeting talked about a lottery for a new 40b project in town, who was eligible, how people found out about it, etc, etc. This didn't strike me as a formal meeting, like, say, the planning board, or the ZBA, but it was a meeting just the same. Towards the end there was casual chat about how various members were not going to be able to stay on the board since the new charter didn't allow holding seats on multiple boards/committees. There were also little digs about how people in the town didn't seem to care or weren't interested in serving.

Well I have a suggestion. How about not meet so frickin late at night? I mean, really, PJ time is like 9pm and if I* wanted to help out in the town with one of these groups, I'd have to say good-bye early every time. Sure, you can point to people working during the day, not able to find sitters for the kids, but geez, something (anything!) has got to be better then late at night. Just consider the average lower brain power after 4pm and you can see why four hours later there would be no juice left to think creatively.

Of course, you can keep meeting very late, near my bedtime, and I will never have a problem falling asleep.

* I don't think I should serve on any committee since I am not a property owner in the town. I just live and play here. Thanks to M&D for the penthouse suite!

Posted by Rebecca at 02:06 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

view from the cheap seats

It's construction day 1,054.

Did you ever notice how road construction takes forever? I remember many times in Japan they would dig a trench, do some work, pave it over in the evening, just to dig it up the next day and start again. The big steel plates to cover things are great, but anyone that has driven down Ocean St this past week knows that there should be some limit to their usage. Ocean St is one giant steel plate just begging to cave in.

Posted by Rebecca at 12:43 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Flashback coming on...

(guy) Hey, where ya going?
(girl) I'm going to Thompsons clam bar,
cuz that's where the tastiest clams are
(guy) Is the seafood good?
(girl) The best by far!
(both) Let's go! to Thompsons clam bar

Take route 28 to the clam bar sign
for the tastiest eating from noon til 9
At Wychmere Harbor, in Harwichport
that's where you'll find Thompsons clam bar

Sadly, Thompsons is no more. I think it's some kind of million dollar condo/timeshare place.

Posted by Rebecca at 11:37 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Cranky warning

I received a 4am wake up whine from the furry guy. I wasn't able to fall back asleep, so essentially, I didn't get enough sleep last night. I'm warning you all that I am very cranky today and will not put up with any funny business.

I hope to avoid being famous today, not just due to my cranky mood, but it seems like a large number of famous people are turning up dead. We're beyond trifecta here, I think we'll safely reach a triple trifecta by the time things quiet down. I don't want any part of that kind of fame.

Oh, and let me tell you about my shopping!! I wanted a table saw (what girl doesn't?). So I did a little online poking around at the Depot and Lowes. I then wandered over to the Sears website. It was kind of like winning a free scratch ticket off of a scratch ticket. They had your basic portable table saw for just $60! The website has a feature where you can buy online and pick up at the store. Worst Buy has this feature too, but I hesitated to buy such an item site unseen. After work I zipped by Sears at the mall. I must say, at 4pm on a gorgeous day I was the ONLY person in the tool department. I had all the helpful employees to myself. They pointed out the table saw and surprisingly, the price on the website was the same in the store (take that, Worst Buy!). I had an employee help me load one into my carriage and another employee rang me up. I was out the door and on my way home without spending anything more then planned, or dealing with online purchasing. Now that I've told you all, and I've already got mine, you too can head to the mall and pick up this bargain. I had to get mine first before I shared this shopping gem with you.

Posted by Rebecca at 06:54 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

April 05, 2005

Announcement!

Today I reached the end of the internet.

Now, could someone please give me directions home?

Posted by Rebecca at 06:23 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Continued fame, without the fortune

Hey, since I continue to be famous, I thought "Self", cause that what I call myself, "Self, you should be so kind as to place a link back". I thought, "yes, Self, that's a great idea!" So Self, since that's what I call myself, used the available image offered and placed a link.

Wanna see?

Go left (main blog page), then scroll down. Yeah, Self placed the link under the Paypal link, but geez, give Self a break, ok? Self never made a dime off of that Paypal link and they've never linked back to Self. Self certainly does get tons of spam from Paypal though.

(psst, Self, you may want to remove that Paypal link)

Self, eat your lunch! and stay away from microwaved meat.

Posted by Rebecca at 12:27 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Say bye-bye

I need to swap out Frosty (left side pic). I'm taking suggestions!

Posted by Rebecca at 07:51 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

Think about this...

From yesterday's "mid day update" from the Times:

Soon after Bruce and Irene Jones made the decision to return to Australia last winter talk turned to selling the couple's three-bedroom home. One obvious option: listing the place with a local real estate agent. But Bruce said he had little faith in brokers. "It seems like most of the people who can't do anything productive on Cape Cod happen to become real estate agents," he said last week.

Then in this mornings edition:

Day-care teachers in Massachusetts earn $15,500 to $39,000 a year, said Dick Powers, spokesman for the state Executive Office of Health and Human Services. Queeney said most of her 26 employees have associate's or bachelor's degrees. But when she tried hiring more people with those degrees, they'd move on to kindergarten jobs in the public schools. Currently, Stepping Stones employees with a four-year degree start at $25,000. They get insurance, paid vacation, holidays and eventually, contributions to a 401(k)-type program for small businesses, said Queeney.

If I had a four year degree and the choice between working at a pre-school for $25k a year and a real estate agent selling $500k houses, I'd choose being an agent. This just shows people can't make a living on the cape doing 'traditional' type jobs that sustain people elsewhere. As for Bruce Jones thinking that "people who can't do anything productive" go into real estate, I'm guessing he's not in the pre-school business either.

Posted by Rebecca at 07:48 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 04, 2005

Just didn't get it...

W. over at CapeCodToday.com emailed me back after I asked him to change the page description summary.

Edited by request

Sorry W., you didn't understand my sarcasm. My point was that I don't write about local news items and I don't think CapeCodToday should clump all blogs as local media as you have done. Blogs, by definition, don't have to be about anything news related. Rosie O'Donnel writes poetry. Were she to live on Cape would you list her blog as 'local media'? Unfortunately, you don't understand that blogs aren't necessarily about news. While it's great that you want to link to Cape based blogs, the category of 'local media' is completely off base for blogs like mine. I am not local media, I am a single person blogging whatever comes to mind, from school to porn and anything inbetween. I do it for personal enjoyment, typing practice, and vocabulary challenges.

If I were considered 'local media' the only thing I would have to blog about would be very limited, but include the following:

1. Relating to my earlier post about nitrogen loading on the Mashpee River, it should be noted that a similar issue is occurring on Shoestring Bay. Along the Santuit River (which feeds into Shoestring) a condominium development was built in the boom-boom '80s. The septics were to be placed so many feet away from water (river and bay). When the distance was measured out, they essentially laid the measuring tape along the ground until they met the required number of feet. What so wrong with that? They measured up a 50' hill and installed the septics less then half the original distance to the water. Instead of worrying about nitrogen loading, direct sewage dumping was the worry. More on this next...
   
2. Willowbend GC has been allowed to obscure local paper roads and cut off access to these same roads. While they claim they are still accessible to the public, many people don't realize that when they tresspass to walk along the cart paths they are really walking on public roads. Why was Willowbend allowed to obscure the paper roads? Because they all but paid off the town by agreeing to connect those previously mentioned condominiums to the GC septic treatment plant
   
3. But Willowbend isn't off the hook just yet. They also have pulled much more then their fair share of water off the Santuit River, exacerbating the nitrogen problems.
   
4. They also have blocked a water access point for a small neighborhood community. How neighborly.
   
5. The town conservation commission has no teeth. When a local home owner/builder desired more sunlight to shine on his oversized house, he cut down a huge white pine that was located on conservation land. What happened to him? Nothing! The fact that this same home owner/builder has landscaped his yard right into the conservation land and paved over a paper road for his own driveway also has never been dealt with. And it never will.
   
6. Personally, I wish the Wampanoag tribe had won back in '79. I think they could have done a far better job at town land management then anyone in the past 25 years has.
   

Thank you. Now I'm off to study.

Posted by Rebecca at 06:48 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Day 6

It's day 6 of Doug's undefined Blogcation. Will the withdrawal symptoms ever end? Will Doug return from Blogcation once an appropriate mourning period is over?

Will the rest of us survive?!?!?

Posted by Rebecca at 05:33 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

I have an allergy

I think I am allergic to microwaved meat. Not fried fast food under heat lamps meat, just previous frozen then microwaved meat.

Damn, kind of cuts down on my lunch choices.

Posted by Rebecca at 02:08 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

I've achieved MEDIA status

This shows just how boring life on the cape is...

CapeCodToday, has listed this blog in a category they call "local media". While I'm very flattered, let's face it, I have no real news to report.

Well maybe I should! Let me try...

Mashpee River pussy willows flattened by winter storms!
The marsh and willows along the Mashpee River, south of Rte 28, have been flattened by the heavy snows of this past winter. While this offers some of the best river viewing in many years, it provides no cover to nesting birds such as ducks and geese. This could be a good thing, since residents often complain that the river has too much nitrogen and stinks at low tide.

How is that for a news clip? Does that help with my 'media' status?

Posted by Rebecca at 01:22 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 03, 2005

Pope got me thinking...

The pope was a pretty well watched guy. He had a 'hole posse just there to do the dishes and other such mundane tasks. Heck, I'm sure he didn't even write his own email. I guess with being so well watched and cared for, no small detail of his life has been left un-noted.

How about that?

Now that he has moved on, I'm sure many new books will be written about his life. But what if I had been the pope? Let's move beyond the whole religion thing, and let's assume for the purpose of this entry, that right now, I am the pope. How well has my life to date been watched and documented? What if, as pope for the blog entry day, I were to die? Oh, what interesting tidbits would my computer reveal about me?

Hmmm... I guess I better delete that porn...

Posted by Rebecca at 08:35 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Marilyn Manson

Does most (all) of Marilyn Manson's music sound like the song on the orignal Matrix soundtrack?

Posted by Rebecca at 08:26 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Daylight Save Me

Change your clocks!

1. Alarm clock
   
2. bathroom clock
   
3. shower clock
   
4. cell phone (reconnect to network)
   
5. laptop (turn it on)
   
6. car radio
   
7. palm pilot (never seems to auto roll)
   
8. livingroom clock
   
9. livingroom TV
   
10. bedroom TV
    
11. VCR (on second thought, nevermind)
    
12. kitchen clock, wait, never changed in the fall
    
13. watch, both time zones
    
14. microwave
    
15. camcorder (no rush)
    
16. penguin clock
    
17. digital camera
    
18. verify all three computers
    

So far, that's all I've got. Tomorrow at work will generate it's own list.

Posted by Rebecca at 08:17 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 02, 2005

Apology

After totally calling out Doug a few months ago for his Duran Duran choice, I have to admit he may have been on to something. Just today I picked up their Astronaut CD (actually, the dual disk). It is pure, classic, fresh, Duran Duran. To hear the full on sound of the original band, the one that put MTV on the map, the one that became known as the second British invasion, the one that sold more posters to teenage girls, is just incredible. I reached track 8, "Finest Hour" and it was just like going back and hearing "The Chauffeur" from the old days, though the digital mastering does improve the overall sound quality versus the Rio album. And if all of us age as well as these guys have, well, let's just say the plastic surgeons of the world would be out of business.

Posted by Rebecca at 10:03 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Call for answers

Someone explain to me the physics of couch slumping?

every time I 'sit' on the couch, I eventually end up in a very horizontal position. Why? I was watching some show and I saw a guy do the same thing, a slouchfest. What is it about sitting on the couch that causes one's body to not stay vertical?

Posted by Rebecca at 08:41 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Paging Dr. Router

This little story should tell you my age.

When I was in the eighth grade I had a class called "industrial arts". For one half of the year the class focused on home ec stuff like sewing (we made an apron) and cooking (an apple pie). The other half of the school year was small construction. We made a cutting board to learn sanding, moved on to a small stool (mine was still hanging in there a few years back), and if you made it through that, a bird house. Most girls, and I do mean to sound sexist, never made it past cutting out the pieces of the stool. Pieces everywhere, no assembly. I completed my stool, but didn't want to one-up the guys in class (all the cutie 'bad boys') by making the most awesome bird house in the history of MMS.

Strangely, I still love making stuff. I still sew more them probably all my class mates from that eight grade industrial arts class, and I'm sure I'm probably one of the few with a cordless black & decker drill. Better yet, I know how to use it.

So after my bathroom issue last weekend, I decided I need some storage added to my bathroom. My choice was a wood bench with cubby space for wicker baskets. While not quite in keeping with my tropical theme, I thought it would work. So I spent some time online hunting for just the right piece of furniture. Do you think I could find it? Nope!

You can't safely put MDF or particle board or just about any man-made wood into a steamy bathroom and expect it to hold up. So I'm on to plan B.

Build my own. I have purchased one of the wicker baskets (there will be three in all) for sizing and I have a picture of what I want, though the dimensions are wrong. I priced out pine (I'm cheap like that) at the Depot and will spend time this week writing my plans out so as to not miss a single detail.

While this sounds all good, I have a technical problem. I need a router. I want to do some 1/4 round edges on an inside curve. The outside curve and edges can be sanded, but this inside curve will require a router. And I don't own one.

So one of two things needs to happen: 1) I get over my fear of spending money and invest in a router (well over $50) or 2) some totally cool person has one I can borrow for small fee (I have some pennies around here somewhere...). If neither of these things happen, my whole awesome project, as well as perpetual flashbacks to eighth grade industrial arts class with the bad boys, just won't happen.

And in case you were wondering, I turn 32 this month. And there is no longer an industrial arts class taught at any Mashpee school.

Posted by Rebecca at 08:38 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Surprise, surprise

You scored as agnosticism. You are an agnostic. Though it is generally taken that agnostics neither believe nor disbelieve in God, it is possible to be a theist or atheist in addition to an agnostic. Agnostics don't believe it is possible to prove the existence of God (nor lack thereof).

Agnosticism is a philosophy that God's existence cannot be proven. Some say it is possible to be agnostic and follow a religion; however, one cannot be a devout believer if he or she does not truly believe.

agnosticism		83%
atheism		71%
Islam		67%
Satanism		63%
Judaism		54%
Paganism		50%
Buddhism		46%
Hinduism		42%
Christianity		25%

Which religion is the right one for you? (new version)
created with QuizFarm.com

Posted by Rebecca at 07:52 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack