May 31, 2005

Trany: Part 1

I'm hopeful that this line of blogging won't be more then a day or two....

The car spent the day with Mark at Saturn. I, meanwhile, spent the day at work. I hadn't heard a peep from the shop, so at 3:02pm I called. I was worried, and I suspect they were screwing with me. They called me back at 3:39pm to tell me that the codes were for a bad first and second gear clutch, and the torque linkage was gone. I don't know what the crap all that means, but he recommended a used 'module'. Well just guess how much this module is going to set me back? Keep in mind it's used.... If you guessed $1550 you'd be right. I have 84400 miles on my little brat and I'm not happy about this. Dad suggested I take it to Aamco. I break the news to him that there is no Aamco on all of Cape Cod, but I did zip over to All-Pro transmissions. They have asked me to leave it with them tomorrow for a complete look-over. They recommended manually shifting the car in the meantime. I don't have a 1 on my shifter, so beyond not being able to climb Mt Washington, I figured 2 would be a good close second.

Other then forgetting that I needed to now shift the auto transmission, the ride home went very well. This makes me suspect my suspicion is correct. Tomorrow, to the shop!

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Hyannis, I have a problem

If anyone is in Hyannis around 8:15am and could give me a ride from the mall to South St, please let me know.

Posted by Rebecca at 06:08 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Uh-oh

I think I've lost my transmission. I'll let you know.

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May 29, 2005

Two coats and a fan

There is thunder and rain outside. How wonderful.

I put the second coat of white paint on my bench. I'm still not sure how I'm gonna smooth the whole thing out, maybe steel wool. Either way, I need to get this project out of the way so I can start the next. I'm thinking a shoe closet.

I must tell you a gross story from yesterdays haircut. The girl who cut my hair opened one of the draws looking for a comb or brush and I looked inside. There was a whole mess of used, dirty, brushes. Other peoples hair was all tangled in the brush bristles and this girl was looking for one to brush mine. If I had any sense I would have jumped out of the seat right then and there. The really sad part is I've seen this same thing the last two times I've gone for haircuts, and I've never visited the same place twice. So this unclean brush situation is spreading. Hopefully I won't end up with lice.

On a cute, happy, note. I stopped at martK after BoGo. I contributed greatly to Martha's income by picking up four plastic cups that look like glass and a wicker bread basket to go in my bathroom. It fit perfectly on top of the toilet tank and will hold my assortment of self tanning products.

And just as a product review: I tried the Neutrogena self tanning lotion today. I have used their spray (discontinued) for the last two summers. The lotion, however, is not as easy to apply since it is oil free, and isn't even close to streak free. As for the claimed five minute drying time, no such luck. After 10 minutes I was able to wipe some of the streaks out. I'm afraid of how stained my pants are from this whole experiment. Later this week I'm trying the Banana Boat version of the same product. I'm hopeful that it will prove a better product, but I'll let you know.

Posted by Rebecca at 07:34 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

May 28, 2005

Hair today, Hair tomorrow

My grandmother died of ovarian cancer when I was eight. She had been the one to take me to swimming lessons and to the beauty shop. I remember her humming along with the radio while I sat on the brown vinyl seat of the mustard color Chevy S-10. It was the '70's on Cape Cod, and life was overly simple. The sidewalks rolled up at night and in the winter. There were just a few diehard folks that made their life here year round, and my grandmother was one of them.

Even though I was eight, I didn't really understand death. I understood that I would never see her again, and I remember my grandfather hugging me at her burial. It's the long term meaning of her death that I have only in the last few years understood. My life would have been different if she had lived, and the entire family would probably be much closer. With her death we all seemed to go our separate ways, losing track of the past.

It's always the little things that get me thinking about my grandmother... Frank Sinatra songs, old yellow trucks, and seagulls. My trip today to Fantastic Sams has now been added to the list.

Over a year ago, when my graduation from college seemed like a figment of my imagination, I had decided that should I ever graduate I would donate my hair to charity. Locks of Love makes wigs for children with cancer using hair donations, and Sams takes the hair for free. Amazingly this week I graduated so today I fulfilled my promise to donate my hair. I remember my grandmother and the beauty salon with the blue-green vinyl seats. I remember the hair dryers the size of an astronaut helmet. And today I remembered my hated short hair. I never liked my short hair as a child, my grandmother would have it cut short out of necessity. Little tom boys don't brush their hair after all.

After my grandmother died, I hardly ever had my hair cut again. Sure, there were the occasional trims, and the drastic cut to get into the Navy, but beyond that, it's been long. Today I feel six years old again and all I want to do is cry.

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May 27, 2005

graduation, the 'blog this' edition. Part II

Preparation: I had left work early in anticipation of graduation. I figured a few hours would be better then 10 minutes. Arriving home, and having the first break in the monsoon season, I took Diez for a walk. After that I read some stuff on the net and figured a nap, no matter how short, would be a good idea. So I laid down for a half hour. When I next started moving I had 45 minute to prep.

Usually, I can do my hair in 15 to twenty minutes. Less if it's just a pony tail. But those times are for when it's wet. Dry my hair is impossible to work with. My assistant who had been all happy to help, never showed. After wasting 15 minutes trying to work the dry crazy hair myself, I asked mom to iron my gown. Yeah, I hadn't done that either. With just ten minutes to go, I watered my hair down under the sprayer of the kitchen sink, and treated it with mega detangler. I was able to finish my hair fairly quickly after that, and mom had the gown ironed. I wore my new power symbol shirt from think geeks. My plan was to use it as a super hero shirt with my graduation gown as my cape. Yeah, I'm crazy.

Waiting game:It was cold and windy as we all just hung out waiting for line up. My little group numbered just four. I guess my theory about the college shunting people from accounting into the Suffolk program is correct. We lined up in alphabetical order and then the marketing students lined up behind us. After that it almost seemed like a free for all. While waiting the photog from the times was taking pictures of individuals. He was a little jittery, like too much coffee maybe. His camera style reminded me of Austin Powers. If it hadn't been for the knit cap he was wearing I'm sure he would have given us a "Yeah, baby!".

The procession into the Tent found me third in line. First was Gail, who was reading out names, then there was Angela, who told me she too was a blogger, then me. Deloris was behind me. We had all had classes together at some point, so it was almost a little reunion. We followed the bag pipes and I almost wondered if my hearing would survive the trip.

Circumstance: There are lots of people speaking at this graduation. Some more polished then others. The ones that I expected to falter did excellent, especially the student speaker. The ones I expected to be shinny, Wendy in particular, faltered enough I wanted to recommend she retake Oral Communications. There were two alumni honored, one being the commencement speaker. Personally I think the poet sounded like the more exciting of the two, but was left with the man who had moved to China.

Since it was bitterly cold I expected the ceremony to hop right along so we could all get out of the wind. It didn't happen. The audience was restless, chatty, and uncontrolling their children. This had the effect of the crowd being louder then the speaker on the stage, and he wasn't able to focus. Often he paused, and not just for dramatic effect. He was visibly flustered by the audiences lack of decorum. I felt bad for him. Near the end of his speech, when he stated he was closing the speech, the crowd cheered. How sad. I didn't get to hear the wise words of Chinese he spoke to us graduates since the cheering hadn't completely died. I'm certain he will never return to our school or speak at another graduation for as long as he lives.

Chaos: Seeing as the Tent is in the round, there was no rhyme or reason to departing the stage after receiving the degree. Once back in my seat, listening to all the other names, I realized I should be very happy to be an early hand shaker. At the time I shook hands on stage, only a few other people had touched these same hands. Imagine being the last graduate in line, shaking the president's hand after she has touched over 450 other hands? Yeah, icky germs.

Since half the graduates had left directly, and there was a thinner audience then before, some Communications fell apart. The bagpipes failed to pipe us out and chaos in the tent ensued. This will be amusing to watch when aired on the cable TV channel since it's not like they have retakes at graduation.

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May 26, 2005

graduation, the 'blog this' edition

Pomp, circumstance, and freezing cold temps. Yeah, like that. I was actually shivering in my seat and the crowd was practically jeering the commencement speaker for taking sooo long. And he wasn't, it was just super cold.

I'll elaborate tomorrow after some much needed rest.

Posted by Rebecca at 09:46 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Early to bed...

I got up, put Diez out for potties, put laundry in the dryer, then brought Diez back in. I fed fish, turned on the grow light, and ate breakfast. Now that I've read all the news online, I'm ready to go back to bed. Maybe that's what is meant by 'early to bed'. Don't be afraid to go back to bed, even if you only left it 90 minutes ago.

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May 25, 2005

Prescription for doom and gloom

This past winter, when yet another snow storm had us all packed into our houses, I had the Southern Snowbird Watch Commander ship some sunshine up to me.

It's so sad that I have to look at pictures to remember what the sun looks like. Combine this with a grow light, and maybe the humdrum mood I'm in will melt away.

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May 24, 2005

Just catching up

I actually have lots going on, so here is a list of the low-lights:

• I have tix to Monday's Sox game. I haven't been to a game since before I could legally drive. I invited my friend Mike, but he doesn't sound enthused. He was like "you can take someone else...". Huh? I asked you! Come on already! There is still time for him to bail, at which point I may just go alone and enjoy the extra seating.
  
• My graduation party is going into 'rain delay' mode. Typical. Looks like June something or other for actual party date. Watch Saturday be sunny and warm.
  
• I was two coats of stain into my bench project when some little kitty thought it would be, well, the perfect bench. Let the sanding begin.
  
• Officially I start full time employment on Monday. I'm torn about it. Mom was like, 'you will keep your eyes open?' as in, for another job, while dad is happy I'll be making more then him. I'm in it for the health insurance. I'd love to get an all over once over for the first time in five years. To make sure the ticker is still good, ya know.
  
• A little side project of mine has been keeping my mind up until way past bedtime, and waking me up way before the birds. Tonight, I'm braking the cycle. Once this entry is done, I'm off to bed.
  
• The super geeky shirts I've been coveting from Think Geek arrived today. I have one set aside for Monday in hope of securing two seconds on the jumbo tron. The rest are just to make me laugh. First one goes on tomorrow.
  
• The weather. Ahhh, what is there to say that hasn't been said already? In case you missed it, the weather sucks, and not in a really good porn movie kind of way. Think industrial vacuum cleaner. That sucky.
  
• This afternoon I visited Stiples. I forgot just how much I like to shop. The whole interaction with the cashier, the listening to the stupid teenagers in the copy center argue about who's ass photocopy's best. Ahhh, yes, so much more stimulating then online ordering. But that's not what this is about! Leaving Stiples I pulled out onto route 28 and saw all the runway lights on. It was very cool because I don't think I've ever seen them on before. Took pic with the disposable camera, then got honked at for holding up traffic.

Posted by Rebecca at 09:34 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Ooo, me too!

Dave at Over the Bridge actually watches his traffic and noticed Codblogs.com. I'm there too! How super groovy!

No, I don't watch traffic, I play in it ;)

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

More what?

I forgot to tell you about my lunch yesterday. I picked out a Stoffer's meatloaf dinner. I could have had the smaller version, with just meat & potatoes, but the dinner had a veggie side of carrots and green beans.

Why this choice? The small packaged declared "with REAL potatoes" while the dinner declared "with MORE meat". You have to ask yourself some serious questions when picking out frozen food:

Which is more important, real potatoes or more meat?
And if the potatoes are now real, what were they before?
More meat replacing what? Fake potatoes?

I went with the more meat, and I was disappointed. Eight & 1/2 minutes later I had a greasy mess, and the veggie side was disgustingly dried up.

I ate one loaf (it came with two) and the potatoes. I hope they were real.

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May 23, 2005

Yet another

Test Entry

Posted by Rebecca at 09:16 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

When twelve packs attack!

I have a band aid on, and it's a long, crazy, story as to why.

It started early this morning when I didn't fix a brown bag lunch. Instead I stopped at Shaw's for frozen dinners. I grabbed a Stoffers meatloaf, Boston Market chicken, and a Marie Calendars pot pie. Remembering that there was no soda left at work, I picked up a fridge pack of Pepsi Lime (sale item).

At lunch I finished nuking my Stoffers and then went to bust open the 12 pack of soda. The directions say something to the effect 'push your fingers in here' and that's why I tried to do. Except the perforations weren't the best, and I might as well try to push my fingers through a cement block wall.

Ouch!

My right thumb nail broke, and well below the quick. It was now dangling and I could feel blood pulsing under the remaining nail, about to bubble to the surface. Glue, damn it, GLUE!!!

I had none. No super, no elmers, nothing. The best I could do was a band aid to do the C part of RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation). So now you all know what the second item on my shopping list is. The first being Margaret Thatcher muffins, the second being finger nail glue. It may be the third item too, can never have too much finger nail glue.

Hey, I spelled Margaret's name right!

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May 22, 2005

When did I get stupid?

Did you see the bright circle in the sky this morning? Did you hear all the freaking birds chirping at the ass crack of dawn? Hmmm, could it be a nice day out?

Early this morning I loaded Diez in the car (he knows what ride in the car means, apparently) and headed to the canal. I forgot his collapsible water bowl, so we only walked a mile out from the Basin before turning around. That took us an hour. Crying out loud. On the walk back, by the fuel pier, the sight of seaweed got me to thinking about scallops and eel grass. Someone once told me that the scallops are on decline because there is some disease killing the eel grass and all the scollop seeding in the world won't bring the numbers back up. So seeing the seaweed today, and remembering this little tidbit (true or false) got me thinking: Has anyone ever thought of artificial eel grass? There is astro turf for football, and herring runs for herring, why not artificial eel grass for scallops?

Then I saw a guy jogging with an artificial leg. It kind of sealed it that my 'artificial' thought might be pretty useful.

Posted by Rebecca at 11:35 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 21, 2005

Power hog

I've made a list of four goals for today. I won't go into specifics, since that would bore you to no end, but the list was made at 5am, which probably scares you. Anyway, a few of these items (keep in mind, they are all very geeky) will be made easier by the use of a specific program. Of course said program is only installed on one computer. It is an evil program after all, one that will lull me into thinking I'm smart, when it's actually dumbing me down. Better yet, that program, it's only on the slowest computer in Command Central. It's a computer you have to anticipate using the day before so it has time to boot up. Of course, this is the computers only function, making me feel smart, while sucking my brains out.

Posted by Rebecca at 06:27 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 20, 2005

What do you think?

Are the pics of Saddam in his underroos fake?

Will Storyland mini-golf in Hyannis be turned into another mini strip mall?

Why does Wendy's not mix the candy in the frosty when ordering a Fix-n-mix?

Is there a native american doing a rain dance every friday? And where can I find him/her to politly ask them to stop?

How much caffine is safe, and what isn't?

Where did all the people driving around at lunch today come from?

Is it too late to cancel summer?

Posted by Rebecca at 12:55 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Jam this!

This morning I've been rocking out to "Live" (3 different cds in shuffle mode) and singing like a crazy banshee.

But that's not what this is about!!

Since I didn't blog Wednesday, and now it's too late to go back and post post, this entry is subtitled "Should have been Wednesday's"

Pictures from the last roll of disposable camera!!

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

May 19, 2005

Sucking the life out of me

I had declared it to be shoulder season when I spotted upteen thousands of tour buses this week. I'm still trying to figure out just why people come here before the water has been tested and certified swimably warm. But that's not the only thing that has me declaring shoulder season...

I just found a tick on me!!!

To teach him a lesson, I burned him. To ensure he remembered, I burned him again. Next time... well, let's just say there won't be a next time.

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

Who is this?

This guy should get a blog!

Posted by Rebecca at 06:30 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

May 17, 2005

Test entry

Testing the more tags

passed!

Posted by Rebecca at 07:15 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Blog Sale

Since I don't have enough stuff to have a full on yard sale, I'd thought I'd list the few items I do have right here...

Blog Sale!!

• Supra Express USB 56k modem w/driver cd & shotgun technology, need USB a-b cable, self powered
  
• Rio PMP 300 w/software cd, parallel bypass connector cable, & 32mb Smartmedia card (used). Runs on AA battery.
  
• 4 port USB hub, PCI card w/driver cd, manual. Dusty.
  
• FM scan radio w/headphones. In box, runs on 2 AAA batteries
  
• Lego Creator software CD in case with manual. Build with virtual legos and then blow up. Pretty cool if you have the time.
  
• Ulead Video Studio v 3.0, 2 cd set. I may have the manual somewhere
  
• Microsoft Money 2004 standard cd & manual. I have no use for it.
  
• "Sting: songs of love" victoria's secret exclusive. 'won' it in a Yankee swap
  
• Yepp YP-30 MP3 player, in original package with manuals, driver cd. Runs on 1 AAA battery. Will need headphones if I can't find originals
  
• 2 AAA rechargeable batteries, green Radio Shack brand, Ni-MH
  
• 2 speed micro cassette recorder, w/used cassette. runs on 2 AA batteries. Radio shack model micro-36
  
• iomega zip 100, parallel cable & power supply. No disks or drivers
  
• IBM 770E, bad battery and/or charger, no power supply. Will load fresh Win 98 and Xircom drivers for network modem card. No floppy drive. Very heavy.

How does a Blog Sale work? I don't know. Make me an offer, and if it's reasonable, it's a deal. If you have questions about what software drivers come with what gadget, ask. Most of this stuff is older, so XP is questionable, but Win 98 almost guaranteed.

Posted by Rebecca at 07:55 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

May 16, 2005

Look!

I haven't blogged today!

Oh, wait. Shit.

Nevermind.

Posted by Rebecca at 07:52 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

May 15, 2005

MT riders

If you are riding my install of MT (you know who you are...) this is an FYI for you...

because I have bazillions of entries, and rebuilding my blog has been timing out, I've changed the rebuilding setting. Instead of rebuilding 40 (400?) pages, it only rebuilds 20 (200?).

This will only cause you problems if you start messing with the templates (layout) of your blog. Contact me if you are having issues.

If you have no clue what I just said, don't worry, disregard.

Note to James: I figured out what you were talking about, URL & link wise, and I spent oodles of time fixing it today. Are you feeling the love?

Posted by Rebecca at 06:43 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

gettin' down on the farm

So what's been growing on the farm, you ask? Well, let's see...

Flowers are here like ants on a picnic. Sales have been modest due to the weather, so variety and selection is still really good. If in the area be sure to drop by. And by drop by, I mean get out of the car and look around. While outside yesterday so many people (and I won't mention a popular luxury car brand that dominated the group) just drove through the parking area, some not even slowing down. How do you know that we don't have what you don't want if you don't get out and look. It's like me going to the stupermarket and just driving through, not going in, because they might not have 2% milk in the purple container. So get out and look. And if Mr or Mrs Farmer is out there (not that's not their real names), chat it up with them. Ask for your favorite item, and they'll tell you if they have it, if they will have it, or when they expect it to be ready.

And while you are stopping by, because I've now guilted you into getting out of your car (luxury vehicle or not), check out the fine craftsmanship of Mr Farmer. He's replacing the evil temporary carport that served as a shelter for the farm stand with a more permanent structure. It's wicked cool since he picked out some hi-tech plastic thingys to make the roof out of. Lets lots of light through, but is ridged like a corrugated tin roof. Personally I've never seen the stuff before, but it has really inspired me to want a tool shed outside even more. Don't ask.

What was I doing during all this construction? Taking pictures (duh!) and taking up my usual role as safety observer. Someone has to call 911 when an accident happens, and that would be me. Seriously! Ask the Southern Snowbird Watch Commander, he'll tell you. I don't participate, I observe.

Of course yesterday I could have been fired for my job as safety observer. Instead of making sure the whole dealio was on the straight up-n-up, I headed out into the woods to trim back some undergrowth along the back path. How safe was I? Well I had on my work gloves, does that count? And before you think I was causing mayhem (ooo, that's a thought...) I only trimmed the path behind the farm, stopping at the property line boundary blocks. See, I'm a good kid :)

Posted by Rebecca at 04:45 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

On a wing and a grill

In case you missed it, I love buffalo wings. Homemade, extra spicy, burn your mouth, eye watering, buffalo wings.

Thursday in a fit of food shopping, I picked up a few packages of wingettes. These are wings that have been cut into pieces (the two you want, not the stupid ends). Since all the prep work had been done, and the sale price brought them down to the same price per pound as the full, uncut wings, I was justified in my purchase.

When I cook my wings I like to grill them. Saturday morning, with the threat of sprinkles, did not endear me to being outside with the grill. I don't have an oven either, so broiling was out of the question.

I turned to the Beach. Hamilton Beach.

I have one of those grills, usually hocked on late night tv by the big boxer guy. You know the one, named all his boys the same to make yelling at them easier. My grill is by Hamilton Beach, and doesn't have a blue, red or clear plastic bun warmer.

I placed a chickens worth of wingettes on the Beach, closed the cover, and waited.

And waited.

Happily I can report that the Beach is the perfect place for grilling wingettes, 1 1/2 chickens at a time. You don't even have to trim off the excess skin if you don't want, though personally I do. Diez appreciates the prep left overs.

Once my wingettes are cooked, I load them into one of those disposable glad to be ziplocked containers. The container I preloaded with hot sauces of various flavors, brands and proportions. Once loaded, cover, hold tight, and shake.

Another plus to grilling with Hamilton, other then his good looks, is that the wingettes seem to stay hotter temperature wise, then with regular grilling. Only thing is I need to pull them off sooner next time, some of the wingettes were burned at the Beach. I recommend about 5 to 7 minutes per side of wingette.

Oh, and I learned that 10:30 in the morning is a little too early for hot wings. Yowswers!

Posted by Rebecca at 02:36 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

One scoop or two?

Friday evening I took by best bud Diezel for a walk on the canal. As usual, we started from the Sandwich basin. Within twenty feet of the Mutt Mitt dispenser, Diez left me a present to scoop up.

This is normal. He does this every time we visit the canal. Not wanting to tote the used poop scoop container, we back tracked to the parking lot to dispose of it. Finally we could get the walk going.

There was a barge being unloaded at the GMoCC. We rounded the bend by the tank farm and took in the scenery of the sun descending by the Sagamore Bridge.

I was feeling a little chilled by the cool breeze, so I made the command decision to turn around and head back. To my delight, Diez was more then happy to minimize stops along the way. We were making good time, and I was watching the canal traffic when something caught my eye.

There, on the dry side of the recreation road, in the shadow of the GMoCC, was exactly what I had asked for. I was so impressed and tickled purple that I took this picture. Can you see it? Right there, right there! A trash can! Just around a 3/16 mile from the Mutt Mitt dispenser, I now have a place to dispose of my used poop scoop. I'm so thrilled, you can't understand. No more back tracking our walks to the parking lot, no more toting used poop scoops.

Thank you, Army Corps of Engineer Recreation Area clean up people. You are now on my 'best friend' list. Don't worry, it's a wicked good list to be on. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Posted by Rebecca at 12:01 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 14, 2005

Cease & Desist

This is an official request for Cape Cod Today (CCT), and it's writers, to Cease and Desist from linking to this blog.

The reason for this is CCT's decision to use their own titles in the link listing. By using words not said or implied by me, people not familiar with how linking works are under the misconception that I typed these words. Case in point the link on CCT for my blog entry dated May 13, 2005 " * The Route 6-A Hysteric District [Girl on the loose] ". My actual title for this blog entry is "It's History". You're implication in the link title that I referred to the Historical District as "Hysteric" is completely off base. Your use of the word "Hysteric" in linking to my blog entry "It's History" gave readers the preconceived notion that I had made a mockery of the District. This was the case in one of the comments left to my blog entry:

It gripes me when people call them the Hysterical commission when they work so hard and patiently with people.

My blog entry in regards to the Historical District on Cape Cod was to illicit an explanation as to why a simple window replacement/upgrade would require hoop jumping. Your use of the word "Hysteric" caused people to think I was making a mockery of the district, it's purpose and the people in it. Even when I was offered a somewhat explanation, the seed of disgust had already been planted by your use of the word "Hysteric" when I was actually called:

...snarky...

Once I realized why I was being attacked by commenters, I asked you via email to read the comments to my entry. One of these comments was my own in which I told a previous commenter:

And I do take offense with the folks at CCT changing my entry title for their purpose, but they seem to do this with most of the linking to my entries. I wish if they were going to use my entries, they would use them as I intended them.

Your response?

The job an editor has is to get readers to read the story, article, blog, whatever.
....
If I can't build traffic, I'm out of business

Who's traffic do you need to build? Mine? I think NOT! "Girl on the Loose" (both versions) and the Cookieshouse domain are commercial free, paid for solely by me, out of my paycheck. I pay for all the bandwidth that visits my website. GOTL has existed for three years, and the Cookieshouse domain even longer. Hardly in need of any outside assistance for traffic since it is my own personal site. I have no editor other then myself. There is no business being conducted here that would go 'out of business' if no one read. In fact, for the most part, no one does visit this site unless incited by you to do so. That kind of traffic I don't need.

My Cease & Desist request consists of the following:

• No linking to GOTL, either version, and the Cookieshouse domain on the CCT website. This includes being removed from the list of Cape Cod Bloggers

When you first approached me for linking on CCT, you promoted it as a type of aggregator. I had high hopes that your blog section would become something similar to what "Universal Hub" and "Boston Feeds" are to the Boston area. Instead you have twisted what blogs are. You've taken the fun, personal observations and manipulated them for your own use. It's sad, really. CCT had such potential. I hope that some day you realize this, and move in that direction.

I want no part of doing this to bring monetary gain to someone else

For the record: If I had intended to make light of the Historical District I would have used a phrase such as "OleBuilding District". Any long-time reader knows my penchant for playing with titles, such as "martK", "stupermarket", and "Stop & Rob" for some examples. While the use of "Hysteric" for 'historical' may be commonly used in towns within the historical district of Cape Cod, I don't live in one of these towns and had never heard of this term. I don't think given the use of a time machine, I would have even considered this play on words. While some of my word play could be considered mean spirited, it has always been towards a large corporate body, and never so derogatory that people couldn't laugh at it. I consider the use of "Hysteric" in describing the Historical District as extreme harshness, not just because its use has now caused me distress, but because in reality, it is far too harsh to be considered a play on words.

GOTL has existed for three years and will continue to do so, with or without linking from external sites. It has been a personal labor of love on my part and will continue to be that way. I will not let outside influences control the direction of this blog, or the Cookieshouse domain as a whole. A heartfelt thanks to my few long time regular reader who understand and enjoy the writings I post here.

Posted by Rebecca at 06:29 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

May 13, 2005

Quick! Translate for me

I just watched the last five minutes of Star Trek on UPN. Huh? What? How the...?

Since I haven't watched all season, could someone tell me what the heck happened? I'm very confused. I know the series was canceled, but this is too much!

Posted by Rebecca at 09:59 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

High priestess

Test Facts:

The average score for the gals is 38, while the guy average is 56.

Of the Computer Geek Quiz Takers:
17% are scared of links
17% of Windows users curse it
4% of Linux users selected Bill Gates as their hero

With my score of 80, I am classified as a "Computer High-Geek". Since I am so superior, bow!

Posted by Rebecca at 08:25 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Two days!

Two days of dramas in my life. I fucking hate drama. Begone! Enough! Depart!

Posted by Rebecca at 12:03 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

It's history

I have a friend. He owns a house. The house isn't old, circa 1970ish. My friend has done some work on the house, fixing up the kitchen, working on the plumbing and installed a wood stove in the fireplace.

So imagine my surprise when he said he was having problems replacing his triple track windows. For you that don't know what a triple track window is, let me explain. It's a window with three exterior aluminum tracks: 2 for storm windows, 1 for a screen. All of which are only half the size of the total window. You can slide the storm and screens up and down depending on season and air flow desired. Needless to say, they suck. My friend's circa 1970ish house is loaded down with these suckers.

After rehabbing the kitchen and installing a wood stove, how hard could a bunch of windows be? You move to that slice of the sandbar sandwiched between route 6 and the bay side of the cape, then try to replace the windows. See, it's not about skill, it's about a snob sector known as a 'historical' district. I'm still scratching my head as to what's so historical about a circa 1970ish ranch.

Did this house play a role in the sexual revolution? Was this house once owned by the creator of the disco ball? Maybe some really important building designer thought of the ranch floor plan and thus all ranches are historical? Or possibly blessed concrete was used in the making of the foundation blocks?

Anyways, I don't understand the historical significance of my friend's circa 1970ish house. Or why he can't change out his triple tracks for something far more energy efficient and attractive. It's not like he's asking to tear the place down and replace it with a McMansion. Surprisingly, I know that the McMansion idea would be easier then the window replacement since this same scenario was applied two houses down the street.

Can someone explain to me the historical significance of a circa 1970ish ranch that isn't located anywhere near 6A, but is located in a quiet neighborhood in the sandwich slice zone?

Posted by Rebecca at 07:01 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 12, 2005

Hard working public safety people

Jesse was telling me a story about a cop and some weeds, and it reminded me of an old cop in the bog story...

Way back, before Willowbend, before I grew up, my dad would go jogging in the morning. It was a faze. One morning he was running through the bogs where Willowbend now stands. Back then, the bogs were basically abandoned, faded for sale sign falling over by the side of the road. So imagine his surprise when he came upon a local cruiser parked back in the bogs, well away from the street. He circled back on his run and the cruiser was still parked at the bog. The officer? He was asleep at the wheel.

Dad returned home and told my mom. One of them, I don't exactly remember which, called the police. We didn't have 911 back then. The dispatcher said they'd take care of it. A few minutes later, another cruiser was seen heading in the direction of the bog at a brisk clip. A few minutes after that, the two cruisers were seen heading back towards town.

I'm not saying this to bash on the police, quite the contrary. They all work very hard, extra shifts and details. I just find is a shame that the only time this particular officer could find to sleep was in the wee hours, tucked back in abandon cranberry bogs. Hopefully he didn't get it too much trouble.

Posted by Rebecca at 08:55 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Please do the following

I invite you to read Milen's comment left on my previous post. Then I want you to post a comment as to what you think.

The reason I'm doing this is he chose a public forum to air a complaint, and I'd like a 'public' response.

Thank you for your assistance in this matter.

Posted by Rebecca at 12:43 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Done!

I'm not sure if I should retire the 'school' category or not. Either way, I finished my last class, my final final, last night. I am graduation bound.

This is a huge cloud swept away from my personal blue sky. I don't have the ever present twins of homework & study looming at the door. I can go about my business without worrying about tests & projects. I'm free!!!

Wheeeeeee!!!!

So how was my final final, you ask? Well, it was open book, open notes. Everything but open mouth. I had spent my Wednesday afternoon organizing my open test materials. Making sure all the homework answers were present and accounted for. I then napped. It's hard taking a night class without an afternoon snooze, even just a short one. I had fully intended to go back to review, but Judge Judy & Joe Brown kept me glued to the tube. Before I knew it walk with Diezel time had arrived. No time to study, it was a quick jaunt then off to school.

The test was thick according to Milen. I looked though it, glancing at how many problems there were, then returned to the first to buckle down, dig right in. Surprisingly, the questions went in the same order as the text book. I was stumped on the first question of course. A schedule of a bond discount. I knew from doing the homework that the math calculated on the calculator should flow. There should be no punching of numbers twice. Even with the homework, notes, and textbook in front of me, I was stumped. I skipped ahead to the journal entries part and realized how my schedule needed to be fixed. Thank goodness debits must equal credits (and thank goodness I know this too). I fixed my schedule, plugged the numbers into the journal entries, and was off and running.

I still had to ask two questions of course. I learned from my first low grade test in this class, don't assume anything. So I had to ask about the present value of a lease and the expensing of machinery, but otherwise I sat in my seat. The same can't be said for Milen, who stood up part way into the test and stayed that way for some time. He was making me nervous, so I spoke out loud, asking him to sit. The instructor laughed. Hey guy, you try taking a test with someone standing over you!

I had stayed focused on my test, no looking up from underneath my ballcap until I had a feeling it was late. I looked up and it was 7:55pm. Yikes! Time flies when you are busy. Surprisingly I finished around 8:25pm and spent a few minutes double checking some of my math. It's the little things that knocks points off on a test, so it's best to check.

I turned in my test, said goodbye, and departed the 4C's campus for the last time as a matriculated student. I've signed up to take autocad in the fall, but we'll see if I still go when the bill arrives.

Posted by Rebecca at 06:49 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

May 11, 2005

You owe us our minutes back

OK, Corey says he's got the dirt, but he won't share. Instead we get this quote in CNN's article:

However, in an e-mail to The Associated Press Monday, Jefferson (Corey's lawyer) said Clark would "fully cooperate with any governmental agency that launches an investigation stemming from his claims."

What governmental agency is going to investigate consensual sex? Since when is consensual sex between two adults a crime? Should I be spying on my neighbors and reporting them to some governmental agency? Should I snitch on my roommate? Parents? Sister? Anyone with biological children since someone had to have sex to create them? Does this mean I should never date again because I'd have to report myself to a governmental agency? Is there some new law of the land I don't know about?

All this waste of time with all this gibberish, I demand a refund! You just wasted fifteen minutes of my life. I want my 15 minutes back. You owe me Corey. I'm sure I can get some governmental agency, like the Supreme Court, to look into you owing me something. Pay up sucker!

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

May 10, 2005

Traffic report

Insert helicopter here

Driving came to a standstill today when a slow moving obstacle was spotted on a blind curve. Here we see Snappy taking his sweet time crossing the road. It should be noted he ignored the crosswalk just a few feet down the road. Note

After police opened the road back to traffic, cars were still moving slow through the area. This was blamed on rubbernecking. People had to slow down to see Snappy waving at them. He was later escorted from the scene to be evaluated at the local Wildlife center. Note

Posted by Rebecca at 04:56 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Electrical update

Another circuit bit the dust.

There is no power in Jesse's room. At all. I guess it's a good thing she's spending time with grandma this week.

My room is now completely powerless, except I still have lights. My bathroom also has power, but I think it's just because I don't have a GFI outlet to trip off.

The kitchen and living room still have power. According to Jesse, it's a fritzy thing. Needless to say, I'm tired of it all. I need to charge my cell phone, but the charger is tangled in Command Central, which is powerless.

Will someone please come over and power me up? I need some power!

Posted by Rebecca at 08:01 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Split Decision

I admit, I don't pay for my news.

I read all my news on line. You're lucky if I turn on the local TV news, never mind the 24 hour mind numbing loop of cable news. Reading the news has been simple, but it's now getting downright annoying. Is this the price I have to pay for being cheap?

First it was the 'register user' thing. Enter an email address, create a password, and then get to read the news. Bugmenot was a great Firefox plugin, but many news sites have now defeated it. The Boston.com (Globe) site has started this recently, but since I don't allow cookies on any of my computers, I end up going through the three screen login each day. Why can't they have the login box on the page that tells you to login? Why do I have to go to a second page to login before I read the article? Sloppy execution.

Now comes the more popular story split. Start reading an article, then at the bottom, you are expected to hit a number, arrow or something, to read the rest of the article. Boston Globe started this a few months back (maybe more) and the NYTimes has always done this. Now the Herald is jumping on the bandwagon. For the Herald it makes no sense. None of the articles are long enough to justify splitting onto two pages. A case in point from today, this article about litter on the side of the road. I read along, get to the bottom of the first page, and am greeted with the prompt for the second. OK, I think, maybe there is some earth shattering zinger of information to wrap up this very stimulating story. I click "Next->>" and find a single line. A quote no less. That's it. No cool wrap up, no moral lesson learned. I feel highly cheated, my time wasted. Considering I didn't pay anything, that's a pretty funny thought.

So why are these articles getting split? I can only think it would be to generate page counts or views for advertising revenue. Look, look, I had all these pages looked at! Pay me more money for your ad! Ads, which by the way, I have blocked on Firefox with the adblock plugin.

Will this prompt me to pay the buck or two for the hard copy of the paper? Nope. I can't block all the crap ads in the paper and I don't read the sports section.

Posted by Rebecca at 06:53 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 09, 2005

How did this happen?

I usually don't write much about work. I've been in the office for more then two hours, and I'm still the only one here. One person called in sick (she left a voicemail), another hasn't shown up (he didn't leave a voicemail), and everyone else is too important to answer to anyone.

So here I sit, running the show. Watch for smoke signals later.

Posted by Rebecca at 10:38 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Thank you for not visiting again

How many hours now has the wind been gusting and the rain pelting? Too many, and that's saying it nicely.

Spring storm, you can move on now. Thank you, please do not pass go, do not collect $200, go directly to jail.

Damage at home consisted of the previously mentioned water in the electrical system, farm stand canopy sent airborne into the plastic covering of the large greenhouse, and general stuff everywhere. The flying canopy poked holes in the plastic bubble of the green house. The green house is fairly high-tech. Two layers of plastic sheeting with a fan pumping air in between. The greenhouse is essentially a giant plastic bubble. And this weekend it popped. So what? you say, well this is a big deal. With the greenhouse being so big, the plastic sheeting needs the tension of the bubble effect to keep from breaking apart in the wind. It's actually a little disconcerting to see all the plastic whipping in the wind. As soon as I see that, I make sure I tell an adult.

Fortunately there was enough breaks in the rain yesterday for dad to perform his first patch job. Not bad for the two years we've had the g-house. And from what I understand, the patch job was successful. The canopy, which was one of those portable carports, is going to be replaced by a permanent structure a little sooner then planned.

I encourage everyone to stop by and pick up some flowers. Pansies are even on sale. And to that guy in the minivan that stole $40 worth of hanging baskets on Saturday, you suck! Remember, what goes around, comes around. Just wait...

Posted by Rebecca at 07:02 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Things to know

To keep this blog the fun thing it is, I am spinning off the serious entries to another blog. This blog that you are reading now is the full, Standard Edition. The 'sarcasm' edition can be found here. Any entries posted to the Sarcasm Edition will also show up here.

So... if you don't have a need to be bogged down in the mundane, daily, garbage that gets posted here, but really enjoy the seriously good stuff, stick with the Sarcasm Edition.

If you have no life and enjoy wasting time with my daily dribble about nothing in particular, stick with this, the Standard Edition.

Posted by Rebecca at 06:14 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 08, 2005

Polling place abortion signs & monsters among us

**Warning: this entry is particularly long**

Saturday:
I voted this morning. Number 14 at precinct 2. I'm thinking turn out will be lower then anticipated because the weather is so bad. The drive to vote is always interesting. A usually pristine, quiet road is littered with garden signs encouraging you to vote for this person or that issue. I vote based on the signs. If you have so much time, money, and energy to post all those signs, you have too much time, money, and energy to get my vote. Based on that, you should be able to tell who I did, and didn't, vote for today. And yes, I wrote myself in for the Planning Board. I was directed to write-in, so I did. So did my dad, that's two votes for my newly announced campaign!

Going to vote is what I imagine going to an abortion clinic to be like. A dash through a human gauntlet, yelling, screaming, and waving signs. At abortion clinics they have laws to keep protesters back. At our polling station in town, we have a crack in the cement walkway. I prefer to go early when casting my ballot. The grandstanders haven't formed clear lines of opposition, or fueled up on too much coffee to embolden themselves onto passerbys. This morning's group was a particularly hardy bunch considering the weather conditions: a gusty 40mph wind driving rain and drizzel right into the face.

I have to back track and tell you that something Spyro said at lunch Friday made me realize I hadn't seen the ballot yet. After lunch I scoured the net in search of Saturday's ballot. I couldn't find it. This made me wonder who the heck is determining content on the town's website. Sure, it's great to announce the election time and place, but a look at the ballot would be a good idea. Next time, call me. I can scan if for you, and first time is free.

My search for the ballot led me to the Mashpee Emptyprize, that wonderful weekly paper full of happy fluff. Seriously, I wish it were twice weekly and posted more of the police blotter. I love the police blotter, but I digress. The Emptyprize was full of full page ads for and against the wind farm. How plopping a bunch of wind mills in the middle of Nantucket sound can be called a 'farm' I don't get, but that's not my point. One of the ads caught my eye because like so many before it, it was completely outragous in it's premise. Just look at this claim they are making and let's think about some recent sound bites in the news at large. Gas pump prices are climbing through the roof and the big oil companies are complaining that there are too many regulations from the EPA to build new refineries to make more gas faster.

Just think about that for a moment in the context of the claim in the anti-wind mill ad.

Figure it out? Yeah, there is no fucking way that anyone would even think about building an oil filled transformer in Nantucket sound if the huge oil companies can't even get through the EPA regulations to build oil refineries in the middle of oil country politically connected Texas! Who in their right mind thought this ad made sense? Who signed off on the stupidity of it? Oh, they should all be fired for incompetence!

Better yet, they can go work with the person who makes the decisions about what gets posted on the town website. Between the two positions of under-informed and incorrectly-informed we should find an interesting middle ground.

I'm digressing again. I find it sad that all this hub-bub is about scenery. I don't go to the beach in the summer. It's boring, hot, windy and 99.9% of the time hazy. How about that for a view? Better yet, since we're all complaining about seeing windmills in the water and how ugly it will be (face it, that is the chief complaint), let's talk about one of the eyesores the cape already has: The tax delinquent Mirant power plant! Oh yeah, that's all real healthy for the environment. Like the towns people of Sandwich just love breathing in the crap that spews from the tower. And most definitly the people of Bourne will be so thrilled to have trains, tankers, or cargo ships filled with amonia wandering through town. Yes, let's so complain about windmills we don't even have on one side of the cape and ignore the eyesore we've been living with for years.

I propose, and someone more politically active then me should really take the lead on this, that we let Cape Wind build a test windmill on the site of the Mirant plant. We can all see just how tall it is, how bright the strobe lights are, just what a tourist magnet it may or may not be. Anything has got to be better then looking at the Green Monster of Cape Cod.

Posted by Rebecca at 06:00 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 07, 2005

What does this say about me?

I'm staying up late, well past my bedtime, to watch a movie on tv that comes complete with commercials. This same movie I have on dvd and it is sitting on top of the same tv I'm watching.

I think Diez has the better idea.... he's snoring.

Posted by Rebecca at 10:21 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

This isn't the groovy entry

Short drama later...

There is water in the circuit breaker box! Not just wet fingers water, no, we're talking full on flowing tap opened to full blast. After slogging outside, a crack in the electrical supply sheathing is revealed. It had been covered with clear silicone caulk by someone at some point. So far, just my ground fault circuit is the only one tripping, but I'm sure the rest aren't far behind.

So my groovy entry, which is still in need of photo accompaniment, will have to wait. Command central is completely shut down, as is Jesse's bathroom. How they ended up on the same circuit, only an electrician could explain (they are on opposite sides of the house).

Wish me luck in surviving this.

Posted by Rebecca at 10:38 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Great idea on delay

I have a groovy idea for a blog entry but I have 3 problems:

1)There is a tripped circuit breaker in the house. Of course it's the one that 'command central' is on. I had to move the wi-fi to make this entry. Good thing the house has lots of hardwired ports.
2)I'm a few pictures short of what I want to blog about. Trust me when I say the visuals are needed.
3)I have to go vote. I'm also going to Wally World, but really the voting part is important too.

Hopefully I'll be able to get things back up and running today. But don't waste your time hitting the refresh button, I don't plan on posting until around lunchtime.

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

May 06, 2005

Eating that mushroom in Wonderland

I'm shy. Did you know that? Well, I am. I hide behind this blog, and to me, this is all the 'public' I need to be. When the invitation to lunch arrived yesterday, I must say, I replied without thinking. Thinking is a dangerous thing for me. It bogs me down, keeps me from my blog, and sensors how I speak. Even though I said yes, I immediately thought I should have said no. Oh well, the hat had already been tossed in the ring, so I went.

Hmm, how shall I say this in a PC sort of way?... I felt ignorant of 'things' in the general, vague, sense of the word. I had met a person a few years ago that accused most Cape inhabitants of having little knowledge of life outside the cape. I always thought I was doing good to keep up with this person and his conversations about 'worldly' things. In the time since I last spoke with this person, I thought I had been keeping up with the world in general. Today I realized I hadn't. In fact, I never was up on what was going on. I am an ignorant cape person, a sad fact that I will accept.

But why should I be sad about this? There are plenty of people who care about the big picture, see the whole pie, know everyone else's business. I should be happy to know about my slice, my frame, my grain of sand on this huge bar.

There, I feel better. Even though I don't know everything about everything, I am proud to know what I know about what I know. I shouldn't be ashamed of that fact. I refuse to eat the same side of the mushroom that made Alice small. I'm going to eat the other side. I'm going to be huge so I can squash you (and eat the caterpillar too, ha ha!).

I've always been a little concerned about being a featured blogger on CCT. I don't find myself particularly well read (I read the same romance novels over and over again), a good Jeopardy player (I loose the celebrity rounds), or model gorgeous (I own a paper bag with holes cut in it). Being 'featured' to me is a blessing and a curse. I am blessed that someone might read this drivel, and I am cursed that someone might read this garbage. I wonder if I should edit my thoughts, derail my fingers, or write in secret code to confuse the guilty.

I will stay the course, of course, since that is the path of least resistance. So when I'm featured, keep in mind it may not be written for you, or about you. It's just written for the sake of purging my packed brain.

It is filled to the brim, you know.

... this rant possibly to be continued....
(my train of thought derailed because I had to look up the spelling of 'sake'... how sad is that, I was on a roll!)

Posted by Rebecca at 05:13 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

How a dunkaccino is not like a cappuccino

I really like dunkaccinos. I drink one most days, Monday through Friday. It gives me a little tingly feeling, a slight energy boost in the mid morning hours.

Today at lunch I had a cappuccino. Now I'm feeling a little shaky. I want my finger to type certain letters, and different ones show up on the screen. I want to sit still, but my body is like "no, no, go run" and I don't even run!

I suppose drinking my coke isn't helping things either. Somewhere out there I know there is a study showing caffeine is good for you. I will use that to comfort me when this little high crashes into sleepy headache oblivion.

I'll share lunch stories later, once my mind settles.

Posted by Rebecca at 02:04 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Lying can be good

Mail Handlers Accused Of Stealing Servicemembers' Mail

SAN FRANCISCO -- Thirteen cargo handlers at San Francisco International Airport have pleaded not guilty to charges they stole mail destined for military service members.

The packages were intended for troops stationed in Okinawa, Japan.

A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office said since November 2003, there have been nearly 600 incidents of theft with an estimated $200,000 in losses.

Prosecutors in San Francisco said the cargo workers removed items like laptop computers, DVD players and Victoria's Secret merchandise from packages and then resealed them and sent them on to Japan.

The complaint said an inspector noticed the workers were paying unusually close attention to the customs declaration forms, which state what's in each package.
Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press

I always knew there was a reason I lied on all those customs forms. It never made any sense to fill them out to begin with, it's not like it was leaving the USPS system for delivery. The USPS is still in charge of military mail facilities, which is why we had to pay the extreme rates to ship stuff. I guess I should feel lucky I never lost anything.

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

Tee time

I've been invited to lunch today to a place I've never been, to meet people I've never met. Since I can't meet people before meeting them, I figured I better get the menu options out of the way. I have visited the restaurants website and picked out my lunch already. Simple. I'm sure I'll still peruse the menu when I arrive. I don't want to look like a snooty know it all that eats are fancy restaurants regularly and can order without much thought and consideration of the menu choices. Even going to the drivethru fast food joints I look at the menu each time before placing my order.

Only problem is the weather isn't looking good for outdoor munching. Not that we should be outside while the street is being repaved.

Posted by Rebecca at 06:52 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

May 05, 2005

Sign me up

From today's Herald article:

Some 50 elite Navy SEALs would practice sniper fire with paint balls and perform hostage extractions, water landings, sea-mine evasions and other urban combat maneuvers from June 6 to June 18 as part of the exercises to be conducted by the Naval Special Warfare Development Group.

They did this kind of training while I was in the Med with the Navy (96-97). It was cool, but a little scary. I didn't get to play hostage because I had to work, but I can tell you, the midnight snack raid on the kitchen did not go as I had planned.

You see, I was in the habit of making late night kitchen raids. For cookies of course. So out my room I go (we were stationed on the MV John P. Bobo at the time) straight down the hallway to the stairs. These were the aft stairs, like a short cut from where my room was. I open the door (yes, actual doors on a ship) and there is a stairway full of cammo guys, painted faces and high power weapons. I almost shit. They all looked at me, since apparently I wasn't suppose to be there, and one put his fingers to his lips in a silent 'shhh'. I backed out of the stairway, closed the door behind me, and quietly skittered back to my room. I had lost my appetite for cookies that night.

Did I mention I was in my PJ's? Oh yes, lovely hostage I would have made!

So fellas, call me. I have experience in this sort of thing.

Posted by Rebecca at 06:41 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 04, 2005

Heavy, itchy, eyes

I couldn't remember if I had made a blog entry today. Sadly, I had to look at my own blog to see what was going on in my life. I guess my late night sleepiness should direct me to bed.

I promise to be back tomorrow, bright eyed, Dunkaccino'd, and ready to blog.

Posted by Rebecca at 09:29 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Cops, the quiet edition

I looked up from my desk to see a cruiser parked out front. Just then a cycle cop showed up. I go to the front door, asking my co-worker why the cops, now numbering three, are in front of the office. Then the cruiser cop pops up across the street with a guy in cuffs! All quiet, mild mannered, and no nudity. One of the cycle cops checks the cuffed man's pant pockets while they all stand in the middle of the road. A few more words exchanged, and cuff man is plopped into the back of the cruiser. Chatting is ensuing, papers are being written on, etc, etc. This must be the boring stuff they cut out of TV.

Glad to see our finest are working hard to get the bad guys, though I kind of wish there was a little more drama...

(I'll try to post picture later...)
**** Updated:

Cuff guy in backseat

Taking up the road

Getting ready to pick up more bad guys

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

May 03, 2005

Mark your calendars

Four seas ice cream opens May 21 with 15% off quarts and pints. If you get in line before me, can I have cuts? And has anyone ever had anything other then ice cream?

Posted by Rebecca at 07:47 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

No comments, no email, so let's post here!

In reply to CC Living questions about transportation:

I think a rail link from Buzzards Bay (for example) to BOS and PVD would be much more efficient then a water ferry from Hingham to BOS. Water ferries are limited to the water (duh!), are pretty much point to point, and subject to weather conditions. While there is plenty of tracks around unused, and could probably be utilized for a rail link, even if a switch of train was needed, NIMBY will come up. It's one thing to deal with the occasional trash train, it's a whole different strawberry to deal with multiple commuter trains running through your backyard every day.

All we have to do is look north to GreenBush and you'll see how hard it is to reintroduce (since that essentially what the T is doing) commuter rail to any location. So we are all just left to dream...

Posted by Rebecca at 05:36 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Traveling Channel

I watched some Extreme RV last night on the travel channel. Now I want to do what Dave & June did. Now I just have to find a teardrop and a hunky guy to go with me.

Posted by Rebecca at 02:04 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Fueling up

First cup of tasty brew:
-two spoonfuls Nestle Frothe Mystical Hazelnut Mocha,
-one scoop Folgers coffee house mocha,
-half a spoonful of Swiss Miss Cocoa.

In another half hour, I get to have a breakfast hot pocket. And the warm coke from yesterday is still on the desk, for emergency purposes.

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

After effects

After late night with town meeting, I'm feeling the lack of sleep effects. Even taking a morning walk in the cool 40° air didn't wake me up. Today, I will be fueled by caffeine and sugar until I fall dead. Which may be a little early.

Reflecting back on the town meeting last night, I think there is way too much reading. If there has to be all this reading, designate a professional to speed things up. I was also pleasantly surprised by all the girl power from the audience. Considering it was almost all men, with the exception of Joyce (town manager) you have to give props to the girls for getting down and dirty. All the quiet whispers really need to be eliminated, like executive sessions. The moderator would announce an article and state right away, as if it was apart of the article, that a motion had been made and seconded. I didn't hear a motion, did you hear a motion? How about that second? Yeah, I didn't think so. Otherwise I was glad it ended, I was tired.

Just as I am now.

Saturday is some kind of town election, and I suppose I should go and vote. If the weather was nice I could walk, but then what would I do with Diezel? I guess I could find someone to hold him while I went inside. Elections should be made more dog friendly...

And now let me take a moment to talk about all the construction around Main St Hyannis..... AHHHHHH!!!!!! What a nightmare. Taking a detour just to run into another detour, and neither one gets you where you need to go. It doesn't help that this is one way street central, but a little warning that a giant gorge was going to be dug in the middle of the road would have been nice. I would have packed my sneakers and hoofed it. Today I hope to sneak in before they start, but that's not easy. They set up early, and go past evening rush hour. I have to wonder if the merchants in the area agreed to this nightmare, and who exactly is paying for it. And in case you missed it, traffic was backed up from Main St, down East Main st, onto rte 28, down 28 into Yarmouth, past the intersection of Higgin Crowell. Just like summer... except with lots of orange cones and traffic details. Don't get those bonus features in the summer!

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

Why Geeks and Nerds Are Worth It...

Reply to: anon-66795671@craigslist.org This entry not written by me!!
Date: Sun Apr 03 21:30:08 2005

In the wide world of dating, there are many options. Do you go for the flashy guy with the smooth smile, or the dude in the corner typing away on his laptop? The following are reasons why I think my fellow females should pay more attention to the quiet geeks and nerds, and less attention to the flashy boys.

1.) While geeks and nerds may be awkward, they’re well-meaning 9 out of 10 times. That smooth dude with the sly grin and the spider hands? Wonder what HIS intentions are... plus, I’ve never had a geek guy not call me when he said he would. Score major points THERE.

2.) They’re useful. In this tech-savvy world, it’s great to have a b/f who can make your laptop, desktop, and just about anything else that plugs into a wall behave itself.

3.) They’re more romantic than they’re given credit for. Ok true, their idea of romance might be to make up a spiffy web-page with all the reasons why they love you, with links to pics of you and sonnets and such... but hey. It lasts longer than flowers, plus you can show your friends.

4.) Due to their neglected status, there are plenty to choose from. You like ‘em tall and slender? There are plenty of geeks/nerds who are. You like ‘em smaller with more meat on their bones? Got that too.

5.) They’ve got brains. Come on now, how can intelligence be a bad thing?

6.) Most are quite good at remembering dates. Like birthdates and such, especially if they know it’ll make you happy. Due again to their neglected status, they’re more attentive than guys who “have more options”. Plus, with all that down time without a steady girlfriend, they’ll likely have mental lists of all the things they’d love to do once they GOT a girlfriend.

7.) Sex. Yep. Sex. I’m not really familiar with this myself, but I’ve friends who’ve been intimate with geek guys and it’s raves all around. They say a virgin wrote the Kama Sutra... all that time thinking about sex, imagining sex, dreaming about sex, (they are male after all) coupled with a desire to make you happy? Use your imagination.

8.) They’re relatively low-maintenance. Most can be fueled on pizza, Twinkies and Mt Dew. No complicated dinners needed here, so if you’re not the best cook, eh. Can you order a pizza?

9.) Most frequent bars as often as slugs frequent salt mines. You won’t have to worry much about your geek guy getting his “groove” on with club hotties because, frankly, he’ll be too busy rooting around under his computer wondering where that spare cable went. You won’t have to worry about him flirting with other women because, 9 out of 10 times, he’ll zip right by them in a perfect b-line towards the nearest electronics store. I’ve seen this happen.
Me: “Eww. Victoria Secret’s Models... They’re so skinny. How is that feminine? You can see her ribs!”
Geek Guy: “ooooooo...”
Me: “Hey!” *notices he is staring lustfully towards the computer store*
Geek Guy: “What?”
Me: “Never mind...”

10.) Although he may not want to go to every outing with you, you can arrange swaps, as in, you’ll go to his Gamer Con dressed as an elf princess if he’ll take you to the ballet. Plus, if he doesn’t want to go someplace with you, you won’t have to worry much about what he’s up to. You’ll probably come home to find him asleep on his keyboard in a sea of Mt. Dew cans with code blinking from the screen. It’s ok. He’s used to this. Just toss a blanket over him and turn out the light.

11.) His friends aren’t jerks. I can’t stress this enough. You’ll more likely get “Omg! A GIRL!! Can I see?!” than “Hey hot stuff back that ass up here and let me get some grub on...” They’re awkward geeks too and will, 9 times out of 10, treat you with the utmost respect and, more than likely, a note of awe. A cute girl picked one of their clan to date? It could happen to them! Hope! Drag some of your single girlfriends over, open up a pack of Mt. Dew, crack open the DnD set and get working. Nothing impresses geek guys more than a girl who can hack-n-slash (well ok maybe if she can code... a geek can dream).

12.) They’re rarely if ever possessive. They trust you, so you can be yourself around them. You like to walk around the house in a ratty t-shirt for comfort? He won’t care. He does too! They won’t get pissy if you don’t wear make-up or don’t want to bother primping your hair. If you gain a few pounds, they won’t try their best to make you feel like crap.

13.) They’re usually very well educated. Physics majors and the like. See #5. You won’t have to listen to him blathering on about his car (ok maybe a little), he’ll have loads of other interesting things to talk about. Politics, world events, how much the chicken burgers down at the local place rock, so long as you douse them in hot sauce...

14.) You’ll almost never have to hear, “Yaw dawg whazzap!!” plop out of their mouths. Unless it’s in jest. They spell properly, use correct punctuation, and are able to tell the difference between the toilet and the floor. They almost never get “wasted”, so you won’t have to worry about coming home to find him and his friends passed out on the floor amidst a pile of beer bottles. Mt. Dew cans, perhaps...

15.) And the final reason why geeks and nerds make great boyfriends: They actually give a damn about you. Not how you look (though that’s a plus), not how skinny you are, not how much make-up you primp yourself up with, but they like you for you. That kind of thing lasts longer than “DaMN baby you got a fine ass!!!” Believe me.

Posted by Rebecca at 06:14 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 02, 2005

Here we go!

All my opinion, freedom of speech and in the blogging bill of rights. Deal with it.

Why are we saying the pledge of allegiance? Why aren't we singing the national anthem?

Food collection, check
Election day Saturday, check
Good bye Ken, check

Hear ye, hear ye, call to order

Article 1: pay unpaid bills from last year. Why didn't we pay these to begin with? What's up with the green tie? I'm not thrilled about Joyce Mason. Pay the $20k from 5 years ago.

Remember, name and address

unanimous

Article 2: Pay snow and ice bills, $400k?!?! Geez!

unanimous

Article 2: Police money, $70k

unanimous

Special Town Meeting!!

Article 1: Accept report of town officers, waste of time, blah, blah

unanimous

Article 2: Fix salaries, defray expenses, blah, blah, blah.

Trash? Why is the town paying for trash? We own a freaking dump!

I'm still not liking Joyce...

Golden blazer, Ms King, you go girl!

Head of charter commission, moron, listen to what she said!

Missed the cards, damn, no one told me there'd be cards!

Line item 12, reduced to 0. Good

Didn't consult the accounting department? Moron.

8% increase to cover postage?

I need to become a building inspector! Wow!

We have a tree warden?

Herring warden? Fish babysitter? Joyce is really not answering questions completely. Good the girls are on her case.

School budget: Ms King is for it. Cook, for it.

Deficit spending for snow and ice

Wendy's mom, you go girl, get the damn guys. Two people, times $1000 equals $2000, not three, learn math.

Joyce is laughing at her towns people. Not cool.

Incorrect warrants, no one should be allowed to whisper.

(yes, Jesse is smart)

Oh, this guy is putting me to sleep. MONOTONE.....zzzz...

Oh thank god it's done...

Article 3: oh geez, more money... sleepy time... Capital improvements...

Ernie, hey, I met him the other day. Looks taller in person.

It's 8:55pm and all these numbers are loosing me...

Move along now, passed.

Article 4: Voctech funding. it's big. Passed.

Article 5: Road improvements. Passed

Article 6: cemetery fund transfer. No discussion. Passed.

Article 7: GIS for town. I thought we had it? Motion to postpone. Good idea. No discussion. postponement: Passed

Article 8: Waterways funds transfer. Strike board of selectman, put in Harbor Master. BoS has to be there. Passed.

Article 9: Council on Old People. Revenue used for expenditures. How much money can you make on old people, and how many expenses can they have?

For public officials, they don't speak/read well. Obviously didn't practice in front of the mirror.

no discussion. Passed

Article 10: Kidz Club funding. Enterprise fund? Wha? no discussion. Passed

Article 11:Kidz Club funds transfer.

Why do all these guys have on suit & ties? They don't wear those at the bi-weekly meetings.

no discussion, passed

Article 12: Reclass animal control, to obtain retirement. Group 4 retirement. Town contributions increases per Joyce. Group 4 is for public safety people. Animal control not public safety. Damn, passed.

Article 13: Dispense with reading. 2/3rds vote needed. Correcting a bunch of typos from the sound of it.

Mom's on TV! Don't like Larkin. Don't like his answer. Larkin is yelling at mom, town employees can be elected. Wonderful.

Motion to indefinitely postpone. Ms King, get um down!

Huh? Special acts? Why the frig didn't you get them out in the first place?

If all these acts were researched from the get go, how did they end up in the charter to begin with? Why didn't the acts of 1833 get checked before the charter was written. Love the old guy.

Larkin obviously doesn't understand people, and the fact that not everyone reads the paper. I didn't know about the acts, and I've been here all winter. No, I don't have confidence in you.

Motion to postpone.

No further discussion.

Card count, needs 2/3rds. Defeated. 133 to 87.

Article 14: not being read. Amendments and revisions. I think.

I'm calling it a night at 9:45pm, just so you know...

Oh no, monotone man again.... zzz...

Ms King. Lovely. Good motion. Wendy's mom, good comments. Motion to postpone. Seconded. Thirded. Mr Warwick. I love this guy. Motion to postponing.

Postponed!! Good call

Article 15: Amend BoA. indefinitely postpone motion. No recommendation from the Planning Board. Postpone motion passed.

Article 16: dispense with reading. Planning board recommends. I've got no idea what the article is. No discussion. Passed. What did we pass?

Article 17: Add sentence. Planning board recommends. No discussion. Passed

Article 18: Special permit modifications: Planning board recommends. Mr Homyer (sp?) Questioning wording. Correcting bylaws for change in numbers of members. No further discussion. 2/3rds needed. Passed

Article 19: motion to not read. I didn't hear it. Crazy. Use the mike, stop doing back handed deals. It is painful to listen to this person read. zzzzz......

Map of parcel. Missing. Commercial zoned. Buying land. Oh.

Jesse has made a motion for a better looking moderator. I second.

Passed.

Article 20: I'm up past 10pm!! I hope you all appreciate this! Buy more land, I think. 2/3rds needed. Passed

Article 21: not read. sell conservation land? Huh? What happened to conservation land? (hold on I just got an email for a margarita maker...) Habitat to build houses? No more discussion. 2/3rds needed. Passed.

Extension motion. 1/2 extension, 7 more articles.

Article 22: CPA (community preservation act) Ms King likes. Must vote for CPA on Saturday. No more discussion. Passes

Article 23: doesn't need to be read. I went to school with the person at the mike. Legal council needs a mike. I feel like he's hiding something from the voting public. Turn the mike volume down, feedback kills. Ms Lynch knows her stuff. Postpone due to technicality. Postpone passes.

Article 24: Taking of private roads? Huh? I don't get it. Pay roads? needs 2/3rds. Passes

Article 25: Part time janitor for council on old people. I could never have blogged so much live Motion to postpone. postponement vote passes

Article 26: part time clerk for council on old people. Pay little over $8k year. Motion to postpone. Postponement passes

Article 27: revolving account for council of old people. Checking account? Rockland trust has free checking. Motion to postpone. Same as article 9. postponement passes

Article 28: Transfer money to ball player account. Guy from the little league. Motion to postpone. Postponement passes.

Motion to adjourn.

Posted by Rebecca at 07:54 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Blogging the town meeting

While I'm not there at the school, sitting in the crowd, plopped on a bench, I do have it on the idiot box. So I'll blog it for you. And since I'm not there to say NAY or YEAH, I'll be completely unbiased.

Yeah right, I don't even know the issues!

Posted by Rebecca at 07:35 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Public is public?

If I take a picture of people in a public place, do I have to get a signed release from everyone? If you're in public, isn't it kind of a given that you are there, and thus, camera ready? OK, not always ready, or willing, but just kind of there.

And how about public meetings? Do I have to have a 'press' pass, or can I just snap pics? Do I have to stand up and ask everyone if it's ok? Granted, I don't always think that when I'm in public my pic is going to be taken, but I've watched enough of "What Not to Wear" to know it could be happening. And if I were to go into a mall or supermarket, which are usually classified as public until I get a no tresspass order, I know I'm being photographed and tracked.

So, what do you think?

Posted by Rebecca at 04:35 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

One down...

Finished up HRM 205 this morning. Really didn't care all that much about doing outstanding on the test. All I needed to do was pass, so last night, while watching "Family Guy" and sipping a Smirnoff, I studied. Debatable if it was helpful. Even if not, I was able to get my last load of laundry in the dryer before heading to bed.

Wednesday I'll learn my grade and it will be a wrap. Wednesday night is my presentation in ACC220, and the last real class. Next Wednesday night is the final. Thank goodness the instructor came to his senses and made the final open book & notes. I mean, let's face it, when given a problem in accounting there are so many directions to go in, you can't do it off the top of your head unless the material has been limited in focus to begin with.

This past weekend I happen to look over my cost accounting work from last summer's class at BSC. I was surprised how much I remembered, and just how much I had forgotten. I'm sure a little refresher would have me back up to speed in no time, but since I won't be doing it again, I'll just let it go.

I'm looking forward to this summer class free. The last three summers have been pretty packed. From moving back home, to taking classes, it hasn't been a day at the beach. In fact, I've only visted the beach during the summer once in the last three. That's pretty sad since it's only a few miles down the road from my house.

Hope your day is going at good as mine!

Posted by Rebecca at 12:04 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack