August 28, 2005
Secret!
New site is here. Will be morphing all week.
**** UPDATE! *****
Use the link, the site is up, running, and I'm in love!
Posted by Rebecca at 06:31 PM | Comments (0)
Surprised?
If you've been following the madness this weekend it will come as no surprise that I'm switching to wordpress. MT can no longer handle the load of my blog. Once I get the layout right (php isn't my thing), I'll make the switch final. Stay tuned here, I will keep blogging here as I make the switch behind the scenes.
Posted by Rebecca at 06:03 PM | Comments (0)
August 25, 2005
Another note to Self
UPGRADE MT!!
Frig'n lazy ass geek
Posted by Rebecca at 10:01 PM | Comments (0)
I know, I know... RTFM!
I'm on talk.google.com now. Duh, stupid checkmark. Of course I don't know anyone else on talk.google.com...
If you want to add me, and I'm not sure just how to do it, my name would be rebesprout. And it's wicked, and I do mean wicked, funny to hear Bruce/Fuji Apple say that name.
Posted by Rebecca at 08:59 PM | Comments (0)
Note to self
Because, Self, you've got nothing better to do....
Move MP3's to file server (you know, the super-size hard drive that's not doing a whole lot...). Then set up Amdromeda to serve the music through a web page. Probably just local, don't want just anyone trolling through my unusual music selections.
Get to it, Self!
Yeah, yeah. Saturday. OK? Like during KBing... no one should need the network at that hour of the morning.
Posted by Rebecca at 07:02 PM | Comments (0)
August 24, 2005
Working in a timewarp
KBing class flew by tonight. When it came time to put on gloves I was shocked. Twenty minutes? So fast? Huh? The rest of the class went just as fast. Before I knew it, a whole hour had gone. Why can't the rest of the day go just as fast?
Tonight was actually a small class with just eight students. One new girl who couldn't figure out double kicks (you have to put your foot down in between kicks), and no ballerina girl (she was there last night).
And in case you didn't notice, and I'm sure you didn't, I put the current class schedule in the left column of the main page (if you came through codblogs.com, you need to hit main blog page in the right column to see the pastel version of the site).
I'm going to burrow into bed early tonight. I'm feeling the need for some extra sleep. First, tubbies with some obscene rap, heavy metal or rock music blaring. That's just the best!
(Oh, does anyone know how to burn a cd on a mac?)
Posted by Rebecca at 09:23 PM | Comments (0)
New profession
I think I've found my new career!
"Giant Fake Check Order Person"
I'm sure this is a high-skill job. I know that it will have it's own super category over at Monster.com. The jobs will be high paying, fast paced, and never dull.
I can't wait to add this skill to my resume. I'm going to be in big demand. Maybe I'll freelance!
Posted by Rebecca at 12:39 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Draco's home!
I'm so happy to read in the paper today that Draco the dog has been found alive. I suspect his behavior is something I could expect from Diez if he could ever get out of bed in the morning.
Draco has a big challenge ahead of him. He has to prove his fit of madness wasn't rabies, and he has to prove that he can be a 'good' dog to the neighbors.
While I think Diez would most likely go off and run with the coyotes, I think Draco knew he had stirred up a mess of trouble. Laying low for a few days was smart. It gave everyone, like the newspapers, a chance to calm down.
I've never met Draco, and I don't think I've met a dog of his breed, but I'm sure he's just as much of a couch potato as Diezel.
Deizel and myself wish Draco good luck in getting his spoiled puppy life back on track.
Posted by Rebecca at 07:45 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 23, 2005
Bananas are us
I'm having a potassium issue. At least I think I am. I'm finding my left arm going weak, practically numb, suddenly. Of course, it would be most noticeable during KBing class. During the day the darn thing goes all tingly like I fell asleep on it, which I didn't.
So today I've had two bananas. I'm hoping this will improve whatever problem I'm having. Next step is cutting the limb off. Hmmm... that's not such a bad idea!
Posted by Rebecca at 12:11 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
August 22, 2005
Feeling better!
Wow, I'm not sure if it was the hard-boiled eggs for dinner (yummy?) or the ever-awesome kickboxing class, but I am feeling much better. I guess time will tell if that icky smell that's been stuck in my nose has finally been flushed out.
I must squeal for a moment: a co-worker had some bathroom issues today. Each time I went into the little girls room, it smelled absolutely rank. I understand that bodily functions happen, and I know that sometimes they are uncontrollable, but please, PLEASE, leave the fan on if you've stunk up the place! We usually don't spray Lysol at work because another co-worker is sensitive to that kind of stuff, but today, today I had NO choice.
And that smell in the bathroom is not what was stuck in my nose. My nose was filled with moldy mildew. I'm hoping tomorrow everything, and I do mean EVERYTHING is smelling better.
Including me. Right now I'm very stinky. But a good kickboxing class will do that to a person. No wonder why there are no single guys there... the girls smell to bad to hit on.
Posted by Rebecca at 09:35 PM | Comments (0)
Upset
I'm not feeling good. Got tummy blahs and minor shakes. I could just fall asleep, instantly, too.
Of course, as each person that calls asks me "How are you?", I feel the need to tell the truth. As if telling people, even some total strangers, that I'm under the weather is a good excuse to my poor phone manners.
It's not that I have poor phone manners, I'm just not my usual chipper self.
Posted by Rebecca at 03:15 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 21, 2005
This could be a plus...
If you remember back about a week and a half ago, I mentioned KBing skills class. 15 minutes of learning a specific motion in correct form. They only did this twice (so far) and I learned two things: how to twist correctly, and how to lean for a roundhouse kick. While I haven't been able to put the leaning into practice during class (it's been crowded, and now my knee/ankle combo is acting up), I have truly enjoyed the twisting.
Strange? What's strange is that I figured out what the heck Teri was talking about. She says that the twist is done to bring power to your punches from the hips. Well, this is a misleading description. When I twisted with my hips she stopped me. The hips, it turns out, are the last thing to twist in a correctly done twist.
A correctly formed twist starts with the shoulders and continues down the trunk of the body, ending with the hips twisting the least. In fact, if you put your feet shoulder width apart, and bend your knees, the natural thing for your body to do is twist correctly.
Why am I telling you all this? Well since I started twisting like this, my back has been cracking! In the morning, before I ready for the day, I take a minute to twist. That crack in my back feels so good! And by stretching out my trunk muscles in the morning, in addition to class at night, I'm feeling much less stiff during the day.
What I really need now is an MP3 of Chubby Checker singing the twist song. That would be cool.
Posted by Rebecca at 09:27 AM | Comments (0)
August 19, 2005
See my comments on this important matter
Take the quiz: "What does your birth month reveal about you?"
April
Active and dynamic. Decisive and haste but tends to regret. Attractive and affectionate to oneself. Strong mentality. Loves attention. (Nope) Diplomatic. Consoling, friendly and solves people's problems.(Oh yes!) Brave and fearless. Adventurous. Loving and caring. Suave and generous. (Suave?) Emotional. Aggressive. (Perfect) Hasty. Good memory. Moving. Motivates oneself and others. Sickness usually of the head and chest. Sexy in a way that only their luver can see. (Really?)
Posted by Rebecca at 10:21 PM | Comments (0)
This proves Bill is evil!
I picked up a piece of hardware to capture video. It required a software download from a separate company. Sort of confusing. It's old equipment, but has a small following of software writers to keep it supported.
So I downloaded the software. I went to unpack it for use when BLAMO! Mac Office Trial starts installing. Huh? Where'd my Stuffit go? I don't know, but I dumped that fucking trial in the trash, then emptied the trash. A few reboots later, and none of the .sit files are working. I'm getting errors. A long frantic search of the net and I was able to find the expander software on the Apple site. Thanks Steve!
So I was able to finally unpack my software, test that the hardware was recognized, and happily be ready for the weekend.
Posted by Rebecca at 10:06 PM | Comments (0)
August 18, 2005
Shower me happy
This morning around 7am I turned on the Nickleback CD. The speakers in the bathroom whaled with the sounds of angry white boys from Seattle. As I climbed into the shower and started singing whatever chorus was on I thought to myself "Damn, I can't WAIT to go to kickboxing tonight!"
And now it's time to get ready to go. I've been thinking about this all day. I've completely lost my mind.
Posted by Rebecca at 06:54 PM | Comments (0)
When you abuse a trust
Today's article in the Globe about selling off land in a trust to the city in order to cover costs of keeping up the new "green way" is something you should read. When you are done reading it, let's think about how it could apply to other towns and cities.
Granted, part of the situation in the Globe article is unique in that the land in trust is outside of Boston. The article states this was done to avoid taxes. Shrewd and smart.
What personally concerns me is that this same land swap type situation could happen all over the cape. Many towns have little pieces of conservation or land trust property. You yourself may have bought a house knowing that it had easy access to one of these places, or you may abut some of this 'open space' thinking you would never have neighbors.
Now imagine someone offers your town a 'better' piece of land as open space. The town could be tempted to take that little piece of open space next to your house or in your neighborhood and sell it off to a developer so that the town could acquire the 'better' piece of land.
It's crazy. As the case in Boston points out, the land, the SPECIFIC piece of land, was put in trust for open space. Not for future swapping, not for future sale, and definitely NOT for future development. Just because the person that donated the land is no longer alive does not mean the trust should be dissolved or abused.
If the city of Boston can't figure out how to utilize this piece of open space that was entrusted to it, I could see passing on the trust to another city or town. The same open space use would pass right along with the land. What I can't see is selling the land, plopping in yet another subdivision, office park, or asphalt jungle.
We have plenty of those already, all over the state. It's time we start appreciating the open space we have.
Posted by Rebecca at 12:02 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 17, 2005
Today's challenge, should you accept...
Set up the print server to work with Fuji Apple. Found new site for MAC OS X tips. They had the answer. So simple, but one of the choices, the first in fact, wouldn't have been one I tried.
Test page printed this morning. Sweet.
Posted by Rebecca at 07:41 AM | Comments (0)
August 16, 2005
Slide to the side, back, back, hookie pookie
Don't break that sin, don't covet my mouse. My mouse has a wheel. Not just a scroll up and down wheel, but a click side to side wheel. It goes backwards and forwards on the web. I have the power!
And Diez had a cucumber. It's a small pile of seeds now. Do you think when he poops and the seeds come out, I have any chance of growing cucumbers in the dog poop pile?
I'm also happy to report that nothing, and I do mean nothing, exciting happened today. Except for those two trash cans the UPS lady delivered to me at work today. Or the dog I saw rescued on the side of the road after it jumped out of a truck. And then there is the fact that I didn't hit any traffic coming home.
I'm cooking in my mind this weekends movie project. I may work on story boarding Friday night. Remember, I have no life, so I can do these things.
Saturday, in addition to second KBing class being canceled (no Ricky or Teri either!), it's the 1st Annual Smini Golf Invitational organized by Codblogs.com. I've signed up, I just have to remember to go. I mean, that's prime nap time for a Saturday. There's still time to sign up if you want to be in my foursome. Or request to NOT be in my foursome.
I found the tutorials for iMovie and looked through them. I'm still kind of confused why I couldn't do my titles the way the tutorial did them. Next project I hopefully won't be beating my hand against the desk (I don't hit my head, that could cause concussions) and will be able to solve this problem.
And I've thought of a theme song, but I think the Slinky people would be mad. Maybe I should look into the power of Garage Band.
And in case you haven't figured it out, I think it's totally cool that most of the software I need/want came already on Fuji Apple. No buying a computer without fun stuff. You could argue the XP has this shit, but XP costs a bundle and doesn't boot up/shut down nearly as fast.
And Bruce, the voice of Fuji Apple, wouldn't be telling me the time every 15 minutes if I was using XP. I love Bruce. I love how he is just as obsessed with time as I am. A man after my own heart.
Posted by Rebecca at 08:33 PM | Comments (0)
August 15, 2005
Don't hate me because I'm a hot, sexy, babe
You can hate me because I'm a big fat liar.
So here's what kick'n today: I finally got the credit card that's financing Fuji Apple. I have already set up my aggressive repayment schedule in my online banking. I will NOT be paying finance charges. 90 days, same as cash. Wish it was more time, spread out longer, but that's life and I'm out to win.
Whoa, what was that? Motivational speaking crap? We'll have none of that in this blog!
I want someone, anyone, to explain to me why, if you quit a job, do you go and file unemployment? You quit! You said "F you!" as you stormed out the door (I just made that part up) and now you expect the company to pay for you to sit your ass at home? I don't think so pal!
Oh squishies, how do I hate thee, let me count thy ways... not knowing just how long the standard precautions will last during an intense KBing class. That's how much I hate you.
Speaking of KBing: I got pushed by a fellow student tonight!! Like "move out of the way, twerp!" kind of push. The guy is like 6'5", 225 muscles from head to toe and he pushed me! He had jumped over to an open dummy for a sequence and when that person returned from the bathroom he pushed me out of the way to have room on the dummy I was already sharing. Apparently he was joking, but when you're in the zone, as I was, getting pushed isn't a joke. He offered to let me hit him in return, and said he wasn't right in the head. Yeah, after sharing the dummy with him this past Saturday, I know that's an understatement. Nice guy, just not right. Oh, and I never did hit him back, even though he offered about four times.
After class I started driving home when I remembered I had to go food shopping. Damn, turn around idiot. I head into Stop & Rob all hot, sweaty and sexy. And wearing plastic sandals over socks, but I never said I was a fashion model. I grabbed some Triscuits, British Muffins, and a impulse buy of squeaky frogs. A buck for a trifecta of squeaky frogs which I'll send to Sean for his birthday. Jen will love them I'm sure.
Home and to the shower. On a whim I decided to do a little scrubbing. Heck, I was there, the water was there, the towel and Comet spray was there, so why not? Let me clue you in on something: My shower is a cross dressing man! I always knew my shower was masculine, like retired frat boy drinking beer on the couch all day Sunday during football season masculine. Well tonight I discovered my shower wears a skirt! On the bottom of the door, tucked the faux metal trim, was a little rubber skirt. And just like you would expect from a drunken retired frat boy, it was filthy. I cleaned it as best I could for a hot, sexy, naked, wet babe just back from KBing. Which is to say it still needs a lot of work.
So now that I've entertained you all, and continued my track record for the most continuous pointless blog entries by a hot, sexy, babe without photographic proof, I bid you all a good night.
Posted by Rebecca at 09:40 PM | Comments (0)
August 14, 2005
Testing Ecto
Ooo.... so far I like it... I'm on a 21 day trial. If it works out I'm willing to pay a little. So far it seems to be the first to look right.
And someone mentioned my KBing workouts looking sporadic. I'm still going 5 to six hours a week, just not boring you all with the details. Things like I only survived an hour and 20 minutes Saturday due to the heat are probably best left unsaid.
Posted by Rebecca at 08:15 PM | Comments (0)
A short short film
Here is my super short movie that took about 6 or 7 hours to make. Requires Quicktime, and I recommend turning the volume down. The waves sound real funky.
Posted by Rebecca at 09:33 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Multiple Item Entry
This is a multi item entry. I've been pretty remiss in my quality blogging, and felt the need to catch up. Click the "There's more" link below to see all the details. If you came here from Codblogs.com, there is no link and you can just keep right on reading.
I was walking Diezel one night after KBing and this guy was across the street walking this little rat of a dog. He started yelling above the traffic asking where I lived and if I remembered people from grade school. Yeah, I did remember those other people, but I couldn't remember this particular guy. And while he may enjoy reminiscing about stealing eggs and picking strawberries, these are the mental traumas from my childhood that keep me from being the great adult I should be.
It was all a little too creepy for 8:30pm on a dark street.
I'm starting to be a tad disappointed with my Fuji Apple purchase. I knew that Mac's were expensive, but I was told it was worth it. While my initial iBook purchase has nearly broken the bank, the fact that I've had to pick up more items to make the thing livable is crazy. There is only one, ONE! mouse button. Huh? WTF? So I picked up a mouse. One USB port down.
Next I wanted to work with iMovie program to make little video clips for the web. My capture card is on the PC and you would think that MPEG and AVI are the same, but apparently not. The MPEG would play ok in Quicktime, but once imported into iMovie, the audio was lost. I then tried using the AVI format and the reverse happened. I was forced to use iMovie to mix the separated-at-birth audio and video clips back together. This just seems crazy!
Well, it's not crazy until you realize that Apple expects you to have the latest and greatest everything. Which I don't. And I don't intend on trading in my hardly used VHS-C camcorder for a hardly used DV camcorder, just to capture movie clips and sounds.
Nope, we're going back in time! Back to 2001! When Belkin made a USB capture device for analog devices. I've ordered on for $35 off the web and have found the company making the driver updates. Apparently I'm not the only one that's still living in an analog world.
Oh, a new DV camcorder runs at a minimum $300. Even tax free weekend can't entice me to spend that much.
I'm still looking for blog posting software to run on Ms Apple. While most of you may like to open your browser each time, I can't stand it.
Last weekend I picked up a new doggie bed for Diez. He didn't like it. Wouldn't sleep in it. Then I gave him a pillow. No joke. It was a pillow my sister had used when she was here. Diez seemed to like that. What he liked even more was the piece of fleece with penguins and polar bears on it. A dog with a blankie, how sad.
My tax free shopping was a nightmare. First I picked up a new dryer used dad's credit card. He asked me to. I picked a nice model, made sure it was white (I hate beige appliances) and departed Sears a happy customer. WorstBuy, on the other hand, left a poisonous taste in my mouth. Why I continue to stroll through this nightmare I'll never know. They had blocked off the isles around the computers so that there was only one way into that section. The privilege of looking at computers was only gained by waiting in line and being escorted by a sales associate. That's right, you couldn't just walk around perusing the merchandise. You had to have a leach sucking out all the air around you until you made a choice. All I wanted was a mouse, but the line of people waiting to see the computers was blocking my view. I couldn't even find the USB hubs, which made me suspect they were in the vulture zone, and all the video capture devices were PC only.
I actually ended up at Stiples, found my mouse and hub, and saved an additional 12% from the coupons the Stiples rep at work had handed out a few weeks ago. Stiples doesn't carry video capture or my shopping trip would have been the perfect trifecta.
I had lunch at the 99's in Centerville. I made sure to get a seat where I could read the closed captioning on CNN versus the closed captioning of ESPN. While sitting there, writing notes (yes, I write notes for blog entries) this guy walks behind me and says hi as he keeps moving along. Fucking ex-boyfriends from high school, just go die already, ok? Thank you. I guess the only good thing is that when I see these losers doing nothing with there lives, because, let's face it at 30+ you should have a better, more career like job then waiting tables, I feel so much better about my own.
Next time you visit, be sure to ask Diez about his trip to McD's after the beach. He really enjoyed it.
Posted by Rebecca at 07:29 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 13, 2005
Teasing
It all started at the mall... I ended up with a mouse, a hub, and lint filter. Yeah, this could be a cool, interesting story, but I'm not going to tell you now. I'm going to leave my air conditioning, eat some ice cream, and work on a little fun project.
Posted by Rebecca at 03:32 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
August 12, 2005
Long day
You know it's going to be bad when you pull into the Dunkins lot at 8:30am and not a single car has a MA plate. Forget it. Just turn around a leave. Outside the greater NE region people don't know how to order at Dunkins, the line slows to a crawl, and no one get exactly what they want.
The great (ha!) state of NJ has migrated to our fair shores. Forget getting anywhere without being run over. Just stay home. You might be safe there.
Fortunately there was still a stock of food at the market. I stocked up on more condiments. Can you believe it?
And now to Ms. Fuji Apple... oh so sweet. I haven't a clue what I'm doing by the way. I must have installed Firefox successfully, along with my Sidebar extension because both are working. I'd like to put Firefox in that box on the bottom of the screen with all the Apple preloaded apps. I don't know how to do that. Wait... got it!
And then it was going back and I wasn't hitting back and I got lost on the net. *sigh* I also wanted an offline blogging application but I couldn't find one.
I did set up Bruce to tell me the time every fifteen minutes, then watched a bunch of Quicktime movie trailers. I don't have QT on my Win machines.
This screen is SO HDTV like, I can see why graphic people love the macs so much.
Posted by Rebecca at 08:55 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 11, 2005
She's here!
She's here!!!
But right now I stink, so I must shower and then head to bed. Truely this weekend it will be all about Fuji Apple and Fuji Apple salads at Panera Bread.
Or at least some really good ice cream.
Posted by Rebecca at 08:43 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Hitting the button on the head
From this interview at CNN.com:
CNN: Where are the women bloggers?TROTT: I think the women are there. I think what we see is a focus on topics that tend to be more male-dominated, so we don't get as much coverage. Men blog more about politics. Politics are more likely to get picked up by the media. Technology has always been male-dominated. So there's this sort of echo chamber.
But there's knitting, this family, these topics that have been relegated to being sub-par blogging, which I disagree with completely.
Seventy-five percent of our users on LiveJournal are female. And on Typepad and Movabletype it's almost a 50/50 split. There are women blogging, they just don't need to be so loud.
You know what? She is SO right!
Posted by Rebecca at 07:44 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 10, 2005
See you tomorrow!
OK, Miss Fuji Apple... no causing any trouble as you overnight at the FedEx depot. I will be by bright and early to pick you up.
Posted by Rebecca at 04:39 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Holy Crap, Holy Crap!!
Look how fast Fuji Apple is moving now!!
Aug 10, 2005 9:40 AM On FedEx vehicle for delivery WEST YARMOUTH, MA
9:15 AM At local FedEx facility WEST YARMOUTH, MA
6:40 AM At dest sort facility EAST BOSTON, MA
3:25 AM Departed FedEx location INDIANAPOLIS, IN
1:44 AM Int'l shipment release INDIANAPOLIS, IN
Aug 9, 2005 4:26 PM Departed FedEx location ANCHORAGE, AK
2:26 PM Arrived at FedEx location ANCHORAGE, AK
10:19 PM Picked up SHANGHAI CN
Package received after FedEx cutoff
Aug 8, 2005 11:30 PM At local FedEx facility SHANGHAI CN
11:18 AM Package data transmitted to FedEx
Posted by Rebecca at 11:07 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Advertisment
I'd like to invite you to KickBoxing tonight. Or tomorrow night if that's better for you. Class starts at 6:30pm and runs for an hour. Tonight there is a 15 minute skills session after class. Show up 10 to 15 minutes early and have Teri or Ricky show you the basic moves. And bring water. There is no locker room or showers, so show up prepared.
Where you ask? In Marstons Mills, turn at the lights with Brooks, just like you were going to shop there. Instead of going there, or to the packy, turn right towards Dominoes (there's no sign, just turn right). There is a stove (as in wood stove) shop on the left, drive on the right side of that building to the back. There are signs here, but the driveway is one-way. Park your car. Don't be shy. You'll be early. Most people show up at the last second, but you'll need the extra time to learn the basics.
The first class is free, so don't bring any money. There are community use gloves available. Be sure to pick a pair at the beginning of class as they seem to all disappear later. Wear good sneakers, or have clean feet since half the people are barefoot, including the instructor.
Hope to see you there!
(email or call me if you have questions)
Posted by Rebecca at 07:55 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 09, 2005
Time zone blessing and alergies
Fuji Apple apparently did catch a plane, traveled to Anchorage AK (I missed that stop on my military hops) and departed two hours later. I have no idea where she's heading now, but I assume she's traveled through US customs at this point. That what Anchorage is for, it's like the west coast version of Bangor ME. Planes stop in to be checked out and people checked against the no-fly list. I guess Fuji Apple is ok to fly!
I'm a bad doggie parent. My poor baby is going through a very viscous skin allergy. The entire right side of his body, from the front arm pit back, it covered with bloody hives, and I popped many of them open. I didn't realize he was whimpering in pain, I thought he was sighing in having some itch spot scratched. When I saw the blood on my hands, I knew what I had to do.
First I had to clean him up. Baby wipes work best for this. The 'dog' wipes cost more, so stick with the generic baby ones. After he was cleaned up I sprayed him with Lanocane. It's the stuff you spray on cuts and sun burns. It's the best stuff for cuts on Diezel. I worked that into the fur until he wouldn't sit for it any longer. Then I mixed up the allergy pill special. Two capsules cut open with the contents mixed into peanut butter. He likes creamy. I fed that to him.
He has five more treatments to go, each 12 hours apart. Sounds crazy, but after the last few summers like this I feel like a pro at treatment. Usually his outbreaks are on his tummy, which is white and easily exposes the problem. This outbreak is in the darker fur areas so you can't see the bumps until they've popped and blood is oozing everywhere.
And now to finish my Diezel story: He's sleeping in the bedroom tonight. He started out last night in the livingroom but at 1:40am decided to bark at something. I called him into the bedroom (he woke me up over the sound of the AC) and he was still woofing after I closed the door. I may let him out later, but I'd like to keep an eye on him tonight.
I contemplated letting him sleep in the bed with me, he was giving me the pouty face, but I remembered how Jesse couldn't get him out once he was in. Yeah, I don't think I want that.
Posted by Rebecca at 10:00 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Circling the runway in Shanghai
So Fuji Apple missed the plane. Can you believe it? I guess all that touring and sightseeing went to her head. She has promised to catch tomorrows plane and FedEx has assured me she will be on it, seatbelted in and tray table up.
I also contacted the Apple Store. Five days isn't the same as two, so I was refunded my expedited shipping costs. They must get a lot of calls for that because it was very painless. No arguing, no fighting.
Posted by Rebecca at 12:14 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
In addition...
Also, to add to my below entry: Dogs that are repossessed by the animal control officer will not be destroyed. They will be screened for temperament. Anyone that has seen Animal Cops NY knows what I mean. If they pass the temperament test, the dog can be placed into another home, with all the rules still being applied. If the dog fails the temperament test with flying colors, then it should be destroyed.
Some dogs don't do well with children, or have a food aggression. This is part of the temperament test. A dog could be placed in an all adult household, or a household that won't try to take food away.
And since I put SIX different breeds into the registration, there would be a bunch of dogs you wouldn't expect being picked up. This list is an example of breeds that could be registered. Mixes should also be registered. I can see a lot of dog owners trying to use that as a loop-hole. "Oh Buffy is only 99% Akita...". Yeah right, get it registered, build a fence, take a class, and get a chip. Just to name a few things.
I also think the registration should go with the dog. You sell the dog, or give it away, the registration goes with it. Again, like the RMV keeps the title with a car. Once you no longer own the dog, you have to notify the county registry where it went to. Deaths must be certified by a vet too.
How would we all know a dog is registered? How about another tag $$, like a rabies or town tag. The dog will still need those too. The county registration would excuse those from happening.
Posted by Rebecca at 07:25 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
menace of pit bulls? I think not!
Maybe I'm looking at this the wrong way, but I don't think a ban is the way to go. Face it, pot is illegal but it's still huge. Let's look at this as a money making potential.
All items marked with a $$ will make money for someone
- There should be a county wide (not town by town) registry of the top six impossible to insure breeds
- The registration process will be handled by each town hall $$
- After registration, property abutters will be notified (cost comes out of registration fees)
- Dog owner will be required to do the following:
- Within 6 months: pass approved obedience training $$
- within 4 months a 4' high minimum fenced enclosure $$
- permission from landlord in writing (if renting) or notice from homeowners insurance (if property owner) that dog is covered by policy. 30 days to complete.
- Within 6 months: pass approved obedience training $$
- Fines and fees structure for noncompliance $$
- Animal control automatic removal for excessive noncompliance (based on fines and fees structure)
- Minors must be trained to walk the dog ie: attended obedience class with dog. Register with county $$
- Only adult owners, with the exception of register minors, allowed to walk registered dogs
- dogs must be restrained with a slip collar, prong collar, or choke collar. Fashionable, leather studded collars not acceptable for walking dog $$
- dogs must be microchipped and have the chip verified every three years (to coincide with rabies vaccine)
- Dogs must remain leashed with in a 'dog park'. I don't know of any in the county, but it should be a rule for future application
My thought is to make it difficult to just go out and buy one of these dogs. Or adopt one as in Diezel's case. By requiring people to jump through hoops, you make the ownership thought unappealing. I also thought notifying the property abutters would be a good idea because who else is going to squeal that you haven't installed the fence then the person who probably doesn't want you to have the dog in the first place. The official notification to the abutters will have all the details of what the dog owner must do, the various time frames, and how to report a violation.
Having an official statement or standardized form signed off by the insurance company and/or landlord has the effect of another screening for potential issues. It could also be a potential money maker for insurance companies to charge a small processing fee.
I was kind of liberal with my time requirements because I know it can take time to install fences in winter, or to find a good training class. As long as the class was started in the time frame, that should be acceptable. Some obedience training can take a couple months, so it would be hard to squeeze in completion in a short time frame.
Of course all the administrative costs would be passed on to the person registering the dog. Since the system would be county wide, and the town would be notifying the abutters (must ensure it actually happens), that would be added in there.
I debated muzzles, but I'm not a fan of them. Most muzzles found in pet stores keep the dog's jaw closed. This is stressful and does not allow the dog to properly pant. A cage muzzle would be better (think Hanible Lecter), and I suppose some dogs do need them. This could probably be screened for during obedience class and noted on the registration. Kind of like how your poor eyesight is noted on your drivers license.
If you want to know what sparked this rant, click 'more' below. I'm really interested in feedback on this. Keep in mind I live in the town where the animal control officer hates all dogs.
August 7, 2005 -- Cape Cod Times EditorialThe menace of pit bulls
Cape towns should consider banning the dangerous breedIf Dennis Animal Control Officer Cheryl Malone is at the end of her rope over a pit bull in town, then it's time to put down the dog.
Malone is one of the Cape's most dedicated and patient animal control officers. She says Hydro, an 85-pound pit bull terrier, has been the most difficult dog she has dealt with in her nearly 20-year career. The last straw came in June when Hydro attacked and bit a local carpenter.
Fortunately, on Wednesday, an Orleans District Court clerk magistrate upheld the Dennis Board of Selectmen's decision to have the pit bull euthanized. Unfortunately, the decision is being appealed to Orleans District Court.
It's a shame that our boards of selectmen and courts have to spend so much time over a breed that has either been banned or severely restricted in several communities across North America, including Denver, Pawtucket, R.I., North Little Rock, Ark., Winnipeg, and the province of Ontario.
According to the Citizens Voice in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., pit bulls were being used by drug dealers in Pawtucket as guard dogs and had been biting people in higher numbers than other breeds. John Holmes, Pawtucket's animal control supervisor, said pit bulls can be especially dangerous because their jaws can pack 2,400 pounds of pressure per bite.
Katherine Houpt, director of the Animal Behavior Clinic at Cornell University, told Dr. Gregory Smith, who writes a syndicated medical column, that the pit bull was bred specifically to be used in the 1800s in a sport called ''bull baiting,'' in which spectators watched dogs tear apart an enraged bull. Once bull baiting was banned, organizers pitted the dogs against each other. As a result, some pit bull breeds have been bred to be genetically wired to kill dogs and other animals.
In Wilkes-Barre, the city administrator said about 37 percent of all dog attacks in the past 18 months were caused by pit bulls, far more than any other breed. Wilkes-Barre officials have proposed an ordinance that would require owners to muzzle their pit bulls in public, register the dogs with the city and get liability insurance.
Similar restrictions failed to solve Pawtucket's problem, Holmes said. ''You can put all the restrictions on them that you want, but anything that you do with these dogs is not going to work,'' he told the Citizens Voice. ''If there's not a problem with this dog and the people who own them, why are so many towns (banning them)?''
Dr. Smith said there are approximately 25 fatalities a year from dog bites. ''During an 18-month span, 12 of the 18 confirmed dog-related fatalities in the United States, or 67 percent, were caused by the pit bull, a breed that accounts for only 1 percent of the U.S. dog population. Now there is likely a pit bull owner out there who is saying, 'But mine is the nicest, sweetest dog and wouldn't hurt a fly.' Well, I'm sure just about every owner says that ... right up until the moment that their dog is mauling some small child.''
Posted by Rebecca at 07:12 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
August 08, 2005
Shanghai'd!
Fuji Apple is shipping from Shaghai China! An international traveler.... She'll be so disappointed to be stuck on the Cape the rest of her life.
Posted by Rebecca at 05:05 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Fuji Apple on the move!
After watching the order status start with 'processing' then go to 'sent to manufacturing', I was sure my new iBook wouldn't make it out of never-never land anytime soon. Surprisingly this morning all that changed. FedEx has been notified to pick up my new baby for 2 day shipping. Wednesday morning (or maybe afternoon, due to timezone differences) I could be writing you all from the keyboard of Fuji Apple.
Yippy!
Posted by Rebecca at 07:36 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
August 07, 2005
Not sure what they, or me, is talking about
I had lunch at the drive thru. People, if you have a large, complicated, must write down on paper, type of order, PLEASE, PLEASE go inside. This is not what the drive thru is for!
I ate my order while sitting in the car, in the lot. I was feeling anti-social. I turned on the local talk radio station which was featuring some blabbering syndicated show. Hanity? Colms? Something like that. They interviewed some senator with a funny name that likes to walk his dogs to stay in shape. I'm not kidding you.
Well the host asked the senator guest about a statement Jimmy Carter made. Something about how Gitmo is an embarrassment to the US and how it was a good excuse for terrorists to attack US citizens & military. Apparently the guest is of the same political party as Carter. The guest didn't agree with the statement made by Carter.
You know what? Carter is on to something. The towers fell in 2001, nearly FOUR years ago. How can any of the people we have locked up in Gitmo give us any good intel? It's not like they are calling home, getting visits from friends and family. They are cut off and any info they have is positively stale. An excuse to attack US citizens? Oh yeah. There is no reason to hold many of these people. If they did something wrong, try them in a court, put them in a jail back in their own country, and let's stop giving people an excuse to attack us.
A similar case can be made in Iraq where we are an occupying force. Can you imagine some country invading your home town, cutting off electric and water, and telling you life is better? I don't think so. It's impossible to imagine, yet these people are living it every day, and it needs to stop.
It all just needs to stop.
Posted by Rebecca at 02:14 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Something so wrong...
I slept in. I first got out of bed at 6:10am. Which is pretty late for me. I ate, read the news, looked at the sequestered plant, and then it hit me.
I was so tired. I went back to bed. It was 7:20am.
I didn't get out of bed until almost 9am. Wow, something must undoubtedly be wrong with me.
I checked some email, delt with a problem, then decided to shower. At some point, no matter how tired, the day must get going.
I have my little shopping list. I have on clean clothes, but I'm already sweating. I finished the sign from yesterday for my dad, and now I am departing.
Oh, one last note: CodBlogs has taken over organizing the Smini Golf Invitational. Be sure to check it out and sign up if you can join. Looks to be fun!
Posted by Rebecca at 11:05 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 06, 2005
Bad buggies
The plant has been sequestered to the shower. I found it infested, again, with those little bugs that form spider webs that keep the leaves from opening up.
First it went outside for a bath of bug spray. I can't spray it in the house because of Fish the fish.
Then I took it into the shower for a wash down. It will stay there over night.
Tomorrow I will take a look at the bug situation. It may get another bug spray treatment followed by another trip to the shower. Either way, I have to be careful that the bug spray doesn't get near Fish the fish.
Posted by Rebecca at 09:07 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Visualization
There is no spoon...
Posted by Rebecca at 08:13 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
See the sign?
I emailed a friend the other day. I hadn't heard 'boo' in a while, so I figured I'd touch base. Days later, still no response. Gee, I know summer is a busy time and all, but just email back.
I did single KBing this morning. I can't do a double dose of Teri. Usually Ricky teaches second session. Today he wasn't there, so I ditched.
I was asked to remove some pictures from a site that isn't mine. I love being other peoples webmistress.
I'm building a sign today. I need to let the paint dry. It's blank.
The sun was out. Now it's gone. I'm all bummed out.
Posted by Rebecca at 11:52 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 05, 2005
Working without a net?
My new iBook comes courtesy of some financing. The bank appears to be an Internet only bank. How odd. I'm finding myself a tad apprehensive about not having a 'brick & mortar' branch location.
If I think about it, I haven't actually visited my own bank in well over a year. I do all my banking online.
So why do I worry?
(and the internet only bank's website looks lame, just my opinion)
Posted by Rebecca at 05:42 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Extreme Shoes! the iBook cometh
Jesse sent me an email that Payless had new shoes. I looked but didn't find anything in particular that I liked.
But I was feeling a need to shop, and I had had this long conversation about computers with Milen yesterday...
So this morning I bought a 14" iBook.
More extreme then shoes, that's for sure! And not cheezey like a Dell (no slight to Dougy of course). If I can migrate from the ThinkPad to the iBook, from Open Office, FireFox, Thunderbird and most importantly the iRiver, I'll prep the TP for mom and get her off the old 380 that doubles as a boat anchor.
I just hope the old Mac I knew is still in the new Macs somewhere. Granted, I knew Mac back about 17 years ago, but who else can remember computers before the net? I do remember the big upgrade in my Mac Plus from 1mb memory to 2mb. It was a really big deal. MS Office fit on two floppy disks, and a 350 mb hard drive cost $400.
Wow.
Posted by Rebecca at 07:42 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Getting to know the slacker in me
I went to KBing last night. I hadn't gone in two days. While I kept up, it was very hot and the class was very crowded.
When I kicked the hard base of the bag instead of the bag itself, I knew that missing two classes in a row was not the way to go. While I love my family, I really need to attend KBing regularly at this stage. Reversion is much easier then perseverance.
And of course today is Friday, so no class. I'm sad all over again.
Posted by Rebecca at 06:59 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 04, 2005
Apple daze
Heard while at the beach:
Dad: I'm going to Roche Bros to stock up on fruit
Me: Oh, can you pick me up a Fuji Apple?
Dad: Just one?
Me: Yeah. NO! TWO Fuji Apples. One for Thursday and one for Friday.
Dad: Ok, I'll get you just two Fuji Apples
Heard a while later:
Me: I would have asked for two bananas also, but dad would have thought I was weird
Jen: He probably already thinks you're weird for asking him to pick up just two apples.
Heard much, much later:
Dad: I got your apples
Me: yeah, Fuji Apples!
Dad: I got you three
I guess two apples is weird, while three isn't.
Posted by Rebecca at 07:04 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 03, 2005
Cameras and Lamas might not mix
It was a trip to ZooQuarium, or the Aquacircus for you old school folks, that appeared on yesterdays itinerary. I prepped for the trip by replacing the batteries in my digital camera. My rechargeable battery rotation has ended with the loss of a battery. Where it went, who knows, but someone tell me WHY can't I recharge just one battery? Why do they have to be in pairs? So I found some generic replacements in the pumpkin (what? You don't store your batteries in a pumpkin?) and off we go.
Other then traffic, I was totally shocked by the fact that there were people there. I mean, PEOPLE. I've never seen people there. Granted I only venture that far in winter, but still. Inside with the aquariums the most disappointing feature was the open tidal pool. There were no star fish, no sea anemones, nothing to pick up. Unless you count two spider crabs, which I don't. I recommend they update their website.
The outdoor 'petting zoo' was ok, though Pop-star Sean was afraid to pet the animals. I think someone skipped shearing the sheep this spring. The sheep seemed pretty upset about wearing hot coats on a very hot day.
The Zoorific Theater is where I earned a couple bug bites. Pop-star was given a special opportunity to pet a box turtle after the show. He's mad crazy in love with turtles.
The sea lion show had me torn. It's not a very big tank for two, and I can't believe they ever had dolphins there. It seemed cruel, but knowing that these particular sea lions probably couldn't survive in the wild makes you happy they have somewhere to go. Pop-Star wanted to leave the entire show. He wasn't enjoying the whole educational angle.
On the way out, through the little gift shop, we picked up some plastic turtles for Pop-Star. Jen said she wouldn't have picked up any if I hadn't been there. This just proves Pop-star needs me in his entourage permanently.
We also had Japanese for dinner.
Why no pictures? Well the new batteries didn't work. Not that they are dead, the camera never said that, they just couldn't handle the power requirements. The camera's power up cycle would start, then the thing would freeze. Like the blue screen of death. Reset it, power up would finish, click button to focus picture, camera would freeze again. I thought it could be the heat, and even contemplated the possibility of having to purchase a new camera (oh no!). I ruled out the heat by trying again late in the evening. Same story. Finally I popped out the new batteries and put in some other new batteries (different generic brand) and the camera was happy again.
Now to hunt down that MIA rechargeable battery.
Posted by Rebecca at 06:40 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 02, 2005
Good geeky read
This article is long, yet totally awesome:
What could be a better mark of irreversible acceptance than adoption by the Amish? I was visiting some Amish farmers recently. They fit the archetype perfectly: straw hats, scraggly beards, wives with bonnets, no electricity, no phones or TVs, horse and buggy outside. They have an undeserved reputation for resisting all technology, when actually they are just very late adopters. Still, I was amazed to hear them mention their Web sites.
"Amish Web sites?" I asked.
"For advertising our family business. We weld barbecue grills in our shop."
"Yes, but "
"Oh, we use the Internet terminal at the public library. And Yahoo!"
I knew then the battle was over.
Posted by Rebecca at 07:59 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Too busy to take names
Did I tell you about my gloves? Teri asked me to mark my gloves so they wouldn't get poached by someone else. I suppose that could happen. I took a few days and thought of what I could mark my gloves with. I didn't want to be plain, with something like my name, so I had to be creative.
I picked up a yellow fabric pen from Micheal's craft store (not the 3 dimensional pen, the regular pen). I used a black Sharpie to outline my design, then I colored it in. For fun, I added a little sparkle with the glitter glue.
I ended up with yellow smile faces on each glove, and one has a twinkle in its eye. And last night they debuted at KBing.
A hit! Literally.
And I did awesome in class. I was so busy kicking butt, I was too busy to take names.
Posted by Rebecca at 07:03 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 01, 2005
Guilt, stress. Guilty, stressfull...
I've wanted to blog. Really I have. I'm dealing with tons of family stress, which is causing me to eat more, which makes me mad at myself.. and on and on the circle goes.
Pop-Star Sean and entourage weren't able to stay in the original accommodations. It has to due with excessive moisture and cat poop. Yes, that is not a glamorous thing for a pop-star. He is now camped out in my bedroom, displacing Big Baby Diezel (as he's known in the rap world). Fortunately we all keep pretty close to the same hours, but our optimum sleeping temperatures aren't the same. I like cold. The colder the better. They like it warm to hot. I have a fan.
Tomorrow or Wednesday we are shooting for a trip to Zooquarium. I know, tourist-trap chic, but where else would a pop-star be caught by paparazzi at?
As to my family stress: I don't like to spend oodles of time with my mom. It's a frustrating, tongue bitting, situation. And that's being nice. This morning she thought a toy train would be a fun toy. It was rated ages 4 and up. Pop-star Sean isn't even 2 yet. I know his entourage would like me to spend more time with the pop-star, but my tongue can't handle it.
Next summer's pop-star tour should consist of tons of mini-golf. And some bike riding. I have to keep looking forward to it.
Posted by Rebecca at 12:45 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Can you tell?
Your Logical Intelligence is Above Average
Your Verbal Intelligence is Exceptional
Your Mathematical Intelligence is Average
Your General Knowledge is Average
I cheated!
Posted by Rebecca at 10:16 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack