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Here's my new song of the moment - Fleur de Saison by Emilie Simon...
And here's the new cat Denali, in the new house! ![]() She's a really good-natured cat. Zamboni is recovering well from being irradiated too. We've got all our junk out of the old house, which is a great relief. Now we just have to figure out where to put it. |
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So we bought a house.
This house. ![]() So once we have financing arranged and paperwork signed, then we'll be moving in in exactly one month. I'm simultaneously thrilled and terrified. :) |
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Congratulations! Zinny 0 Replies | Report Abuse Thanks Zinny! It's kinda scary. But still cool... 0 Replies | Report Abuse You'll be fine. You know as well as I do a house is the best investment a person can make. Zinny 0 Replies | Report Abuse Congratulations! Zinny 1 Replies | Report Abuse Thanks Zinny! It's kinda scary. But still cool... 1 Replies | Report Abuse You'll be fine. You know as well as I do a house is the best investment a person can make. Zinny 1 Replies | Report Abuse That's super nice, Tim! Congrats! :) 0 Replies | Report Abuse Thanks Megan! We're pretty excited about it... 0 Replies | Report Abuse That's super nice, Tim! Congrats! :) 1 Replies | Report Abuse Thanks Megan! We're pretty excited about it... 0 Replies | Report Abuse Wow, sweet digs, Tim. Your house has the distinct vibe of a place where actual grownups might live. Oh, and I like the large bush-like thing out front. 0 Replies | Report Abuse Yum, you won't believe the gardening possibilities this place presents. Very good decorative grass prospects! :) 0 Replies | Report Abuse I was gonna say something about your garden options but I thought I'd wait until you move in first. But, yeah, I can totally see how there would be numerous possibilities ornamental grass-wise. Especially in that open area on the left (assuming of course that it's part of the property). 0 Replies | Report Abuse Wow, sweet digs, Tim. Your house has the distinct vibe of a place where actual grownups might live. Oh, and I like the large bush-like thing out front. 1 Replies | Report Abuse Yum, you won't believe the gardening possibilities this place presents. Very good decorative grass prospects! :) 1 Replies | Report Abuse I was gonna say something about your garden options but I thought I'd wait until you move in first. But, yeah, I can totally see how there would be numerous possibilities ornamental grass-wise. Especially in that open area on the left (assuming of course that it's part of the property). 1 Replies | Report Abuse Very attractive. Does it have a garage? 0 Replies | Report Abuse No! That's the one thing that is missing. There is undercover parking underneath that deck, which should be ok for now... 0 Replies | Report Abuse OK I wasn't sure if that was or not. That much at least is useful. 0 Replies | Report Abuse Very attractive. Does it have a garage? 1 Replies | Report Abuse No! That's the one thing that is missing. There is undercover parking underneath that deck, which should be ok for now... 1 Replies | Report Abuse OK I wasn't sure if that was or not. That much at least is useful. 1 Replies | Report Abuse Congrats, Tim! Looks like there'll be lots of critters around the yard to play with... 0 Replies | Report Abuse The yard has both wallabies and bandicoots. And tons of birds. It's great! 0 Replies | Report Abuse Congrats, Tim! Looks like there'll be lots of critters around the yard to play with... 1 Replies | Report Abuse The yard has both wallabies and bandicoots. And tons of birds. It's great! 0 Replies | Report Abuse Bloody hell, it's gorgeous. Congrats. 0 Replies | Report Abuse Yeah, it's very nice. We're extremely excited! (and, we're also thinking about maybe getting another cat....) 0 Replies | Report Abuse Bloody hell, it's gorgeous. Congrats. 1 Replies | Report Abuse Yeah, it's very nice. We're extremely excited! (and, we're also thinking about maybe getting another cat....) 0 Replies | Report Abuse It looks absolutely fantastic! Good going! Another cat? Why not - you sure have the room to swing them now... 0 Replies | Report Abuse It's a great house - it definitely makes all the time we've spent looking worthwhile - it's definitely our favourite out of all the houses we've seen. 0 Replies | Report Abuse It looks absolutely fantastic! Good going! Another cat? Why not - you sure have the room to swing them now... 1 Replies | Report Abuse It's a great house - it definitely makes all the time we've spent looking worthwhile - it's definitely our favourite out of all the houses we've seen. 0 Replies | Report Abuse Wow!! Gorgeous house Tim!! This explains your absence around here. Get the spare room ready, I'm packinf my bags. I don't mind sharing a room with the cats! I adore that wrap around porch!! I fancy that's a good spot to watch birds from too! 0 Replies | Report Abuse The absence has been a combination of trying to get the house and trying to get my PhD finished by the end of the month... The house is great for both visitors and parties, so come on down! :) 0 Replies | Report Abuse Wow!! Gorgeous house Tim!! This explains your absence around here. Get the spare room ready, I'm packinf my bags. I don't mind sharing a room with the cats! I adore that wrap around porch!! I fancy that's a good spot to watch birds from too! 1 Replies | Report Abuse The absence has been a combination of trying to get the house and trying to get my PhD finished by the end of the month... The house is great for both visitors and parties, so come on down! :) 0 Replies | Report Abuse That is fantastic news! Beautiful! 0 Replies | Report Abuse Thanks Randy! We're very excited. 0 Replies | Report Abuse That is fantastic news! Beautiful! 1 Replies | Report Abuse Thanks Randy! We're very excited. 0 Replies | Report Abuse Congrats! It looks beautiful! We, on the other hand, are remodeling: which i'm going to dread for like a year. Just signing the load app meade me freak out. 0 Replies | Report Abuse Remodeling is definitely intimidating... One of the things that we like about this house is that we don't have to do anything to it - there is work that we can do at some point if we want to, but nothing crucial... 0 Replies | Report Abuse Congrats! It looks beautiful! We, on the other hand, are remodeling: which i'm going to dread for like a year. Just signing the load app meade me freak out. 1 Replies | Report Abuse Remodeling is definitely intimidating... One of the things that we like about this house is that we don't have to do anything to it - there is work that we can do at some point if we want to, but nothing crucial... 0 Replies | Report Abuse IT'S GORGEOUS!!! 0 Replies | Report Abuse It is! It looks great inside too! 0 Replies | Report Abuse I trust there will be pics...? 0 Replies | Report Abuse IT'S GORGEOUS!!! 1 Replies | Report Abuse It is! It looks great inside too! 1 Replies | Report Abuse I trust there will be pics...? 1 Replies | Report Abuse Looks like there's room to pitch a tent, just in case I ever need to quickly change countries...heh heh. 0 Replies | Report Abuse Well, there is... there's also room for guests if you just get a chance to visit... :) 0 Replies | Report Abuse I prefer the drama of hiding out, but thanks. 0 Replies | Report Abuse Looks like there's room to pitch a tent, just in case I ever need to quickly change countries...heh heh. 1 Replies | Report Abuse Well, there is... there's also room for guests if you just get a chance to visit... :) 1 Replies | Report Abuse I prefer the drama of hiding out, but thanks. 1 Replies | Report Abuse Congradulations! How wonderful. It looks awesome. You'll love owning your owen home. Please congradulate Nancy and the kids for us too. Start packing. 0 Replies | Report Abuse There's so much to do!! But, thanks - we're both very excited. :) 0 Replies | Report Abuse Yeah there is but hang in there. The prize is just around the corner. LOL! 0 Replies | Report Abuse Congradulations! How wonderful. It looks awesome. You'll love owning your owen home. Please congradulate Nancy and the kids for us too. Start packing. 1 Replies | Report Abuse There's so much to do!! But, thanks - we're both very excited. :) 1 Replies | Report Abuse Yeah there is but hang in there. The prize is just around the corner. LOL! 1 Replies | Report Abuse It looks great, Tim. You must be so excited 0 Replies | Report Abuse Very much so. Even more excited as soon as the loan is approved! :) 0 Replies | Report Abuse It looks great, Tim. You must be so excited 1 Replies | Report Abuse Very much so. Even more excited as soon as the loan is approved! :) 0 Replies | Report Abuse Wow! Sweet looking house, if I ever move out to Austrialia I'd like something like that. Looks like your kinda out in nature there as well. Here in California where I live, everyone is packed in here, and neighbors can be quite annoying sometimes. How are the housing prices there? 0 Replies | Report Abuse We were packed in pretty tightly when we lived in Encino... There are parts of Brisbane that are like that too - the tradeoff for being relatively secluded is that we have about a 30 minute commute in to work (which is nothing by California standards, but pretty hefty here!). The house prices here are ok - we looked at houses as low as $300,000 (in Aussie dollars), and as high as $600,000, but mostly we were looking in the bottom half of that range. This particular house is more American than Aussie - the room are all bigger than usual for here, which is one of the things we were looking for. 0 Replies | Report Abuse Nice, I'm not sure what the valuation of currency from Aussie to American but 600,000 doesn't sound bad. That house you just bought would easily go for at least a million and a half here, just looking at it from the outside, and that's probably a low guesstimate. 0 Replies | Report Abuse Wow! Sweet looking house, if I ever move out to Austrialia I'd like something like that. Looks like your kinda out in nature there as well. Here in California where I live, everyone is packed in here, and neighbors can be quite annoying sometimes. How are the housing prices there? 1 Replies | Report Abuse We were packed in pretty tightly when we lived in Encino... There are parts of Brisbane that are like that too - the tradeoff for being relatively secluded is that we have about a 30 minute commute in to work (which is nothing by California standards, but pretty hefty here!). The house prices here are ok - we looked at houses as low as $300,000 (in Aussie dollars), and as high as $600,000, but mostly we were looking in the bottom half of that range. This particular house is more American than Aussie - the room are all bigger than usual for here, which is one of the things we were looking for. 1 Replies | Report Abuse Nice, I'm not sure what the valuation of currency from Aussie to American but 600,000 doesn't sound bad. That house you just bought would easily go for at least a million and a half here, just looking at it from the outside, and that's probably a low guesstimate. 1 Replies | Report Abuse congrats that is a fab looking house, so when is the housewarming party and are all your tomatoe friends invited? Like I can fly all the way out there, so here is my gift of candles and wine for your new home....virtually. Now I have to find a pic of candles and wine. I'm jealous and am so happy for you! 0 Replies | Report Abuse Thanks! If any of my tomato friends ever make it down this way, they can definitely stay at the new place! 0 Replies | Report Abuse congrats that is a fab looking house, so when is the housewarming party and are all your tomatoe friends invited? Like I can fly all the way out there, so here is my gift of candles and wine for your new home....virtually. Now I have to find a pic of candles and wine. I'm jealous and am so happy for you! 1 Replies | Report Abuse Thanks! If any of my tomato friends ever make it down this way, they can definitely stay at the new place! 0 Replies | Report Abuse Wow, very cool. Congrats on your house and also I think I forgot to do this earlier (bad me), congrats on your job. I bet the kitties can't wait to move! And you're thinking about another cat! Cool! 0 Replies | Report Abuse Thanks! Yeah, there's a few things going on down here! :) We've picked out another cat - a Maine Coon... I'll write an entry about her soon. We're picking her up the day after we close on the house! 0 Replies | Report Abuse *butts in* *demands cat update* 0 Replies | Report Abuse Wow, very cool. Congrats on your house and also I think I forgot to do this earlier (bad me), congrats on your job. I bet the kitties can't wait to move! And you're thinking about another cat! Cool! 1 Replies | Report Abuse Thanks! Yeah, there's a few things going on down here! :) We've picked out another cat - a Maine Coon... I'll write an entry about her soon. We're picking her up the day after we close on the house! 1 Replies | Report Abuse *butts in* *demands cat update* 1 Replies | Report Abuse Man, that house looks great! Congrats! 0 Replies | Report Abuse Thanks! We're really excited about buying it. A lot of work to do over the next few weeks though... 0 Replies | Report Abuse Man, that house looks great! Congrats! 1 Replies | Report Abuse Thanks! We're really excited about buying it. A lot of work to do over the next few weeks though... 0 Replies | Report Abuse Your house is beautiful! 0 Replies | Report Abuse Your house is beautiful! 0 Replies | Report Abuse |
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Well, I've now reached an age where I should be wearing a hat, I guess. So I grabbed this one over the weekend:
![]() Apparently it takes a great deal of concentration to take a picture of yourself in a hat with a camera phone.... And actually, the hat has nothing to do with age -- I needed something for sun protection, and can't really see myself strolling around campus in a baseball hat. I saw this one in an antique/junk shop, it looked great, and it actually fit, so I grabbed it. Now I just need a cane... As part of the vinyl replacement project, I found a weird album by Heaven 17. That band was formed by the two people that originally formed Human League, but then quit one album before 'Don't You Want Me, Baby?'. The cd I found is a live album, with decent versions of some of the better H17 songs, along with a very good version of my favourite HL song (and in fact the only one that I can still stand listening to) called Being Boiled. Here's a video for the original version of the song... Of all the things I listened to in the 80s, all the synth-pop that wasn't made by New Order has aged the worst. Still, it's not a bad song. It seems like the kind of thing a man in a hat should be listening to.... |
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As long time readers of this journal will know, the cats have tried a number of major projects over the past couple of years. They've tried to build a particle accelerator, a trebuchet, a Hedy Lamarr missile guidance system, they've started a management consulting firm (Business Red in Tooth and Claw), and a few other things. None of them have really worked out that well, since it seems like the work involved interferes too much with their regular schedule of sleeping and hiding their vomit in obscure places in the house.
Well, it looks like they've got a another scheme going. This time, they've decided to build a theremin: ![]() While it's a pretty cool instrument, I'm not quite sure what they're planning to do with it (check out the info on it!)... I think they figure it will be easy to play since it doesn't require any physical contact - and it gets around their 'no opposable thumbs' issue... You can see that Gromit is working hard on the planning stage of the project: ![]() So while they've been working on that, I haven't been very productive myself this week. Here is my biggest accomplishment for each day of the week: Monday: Finally get physiotherapy for my toe. Successfully avoid all of the hidden vomit. Tuesday: Buy new socks. Wednesday: Buy more new socks just like Tuesday's new socks, since they ended up being really good. Thursday: well, today was Dress Like A Grown-Up Day at school, so I came in looking like this: ![]() Which is just as well, since my big secret thing was that I had a job interview for the position of Lecturer in Innovation Management in my Business School (Lecturer is equivalent to Assistant Professor in North America). The interview went pretty well, and I was offered the job this afternoon! So on February 1st, I'll be employed full-time again for the first time in about four years... This calls for a David Brent Dance! ![]() (I think he's dancing to a theremin solo....)
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WOW! CONGRATULATIONS!!! That's so bloody fabulous. Awesooooooooooooome. *yayayayayayayayyayayayays* *joins in celebratory brent dance* 0 Replies | Report Abuse Thanks Rebecca! :) 0 Replies | Report Abuse Oh, what the hell... *joins in dance, on cat tree* 0 Replies | Report Abuse Look out for Audubon's devil eyes! 0 Replies | Report Abuse WOW! CONGRATULATIONS!!! That's so bloody fabulous. Awesooooooooooooome. *yayayayayayayayyayayayays* *joins in celebratory brent dance* 2 Replies | Report Abuse Thanks Rebecca! :) 0 Replies | Report Abuse Oh, what the hell... *joins in dance, on cat tree* 1 Replies | Report Abuse Look out for Audubon's devil eyes! 0 Replies | Report Abuse Awesome, Tim! Good luck on your full time position. You look funny as an adult. ;) 0 Replies | Report Abuse I look [i]vewwwy[/i] serious, don't I? :D 0 Replies | Report Abuse Awesome, Tim! Good luck on your full time position. You look funny as an adult. ;) 1 Replies | Report Abuse I look [i]vewwwy[/i] serious, don't I? :D 0 Replies | Report Abuse Good deal! Taken in small amounts, employment builds character. Do you really have a theremin? They are beyond the beyond. 0 Replies | Report Abuse No, we don't have a theremin. It would be cool though to have one, wouldn't it? The good thing about the job is that I'll be doing basically almost exactly what I'm doing right now (and enjoying quite a bit), but I'll actually get paid for it. :) So it's a big jump forward! 0 Replies | Report Abuse Someone had a theremin on eBay and I was tempted, but then I thought that once I get it going the neighbors are gonna call the Men in Black. If I did have one I'd record it since it goes in its own weird direction with just little tweaks. 0 Replies | Report Abuse Good deal! Taken in small amounts, employment builds character. Do you really have a theremin? They are beyond the beyond. 1 Replies | Report Abuse No, we don't have a theremin. It would be cool though to have one, wouldn't it? The good thing about the job is that I'll be doing basically almost exactly what I'm doing right now (and enjoying quite a bit), but I'll actually get paid for it. :) So it's a big jump forward! 1 Replies | Report Abuse Someone had a theremin on eBay and I was tempted, but then I thought that once I get it going the neighbors are gonna call the Men in Black. If I did have one I'd record it since it goes in its own weird direction with just little tweaks. 1 Replies | Report Abuse Yay!! Congrats on your new job. Welcome back to the rat race! *remembers days of working part-time with intense longing* Those tricky cats! 0 Replies | Report Abuse I'm sick of part time (and part-time income)... I'm sure at some point I'll think it would be good to be back to that, but for now I'm thrilled to doing this! :) 0 Replies | Report Abuse Well, I admit, FT pay is a wonderful thing, plus FT vacation benefits. And it helps me to keep from wallowing in depression. Being super-busy is the best cure for that. 0 Replies | Report Abuse Yay!! Congrats on your new job. Welcome back to the rat race! *remembers days of working part-time with intense longing* Those tricky cats! 1 Replies | Report Abuse I'm sick of part time (and part-time income)... I'm sure at some point I'll think it would be good to be back to that, but for now I'm thrilled to doing this! :) 1 Replies | Report Abuse Well, I admit, FT pay is a wonderful thing, plus FT vacation benefits. And it helps me to keep from wallowing in depression. Being super-busy is the best cure for that. 1 Replies | Report Abuse Kudos on becoming a Lectroid. The Theremin is, like, the coolest musical instrument ever! [quote]Successfully avoid all of the hidden vomit.[/quote] Could I borrow this? My new one-woman show needs a title. Whenever I see your cats together they remind me of a group of lab-coated psychiatrists. For instance, in the bottom picture, they look like their making their daily rounds at a mental asylum. 0 Replies | Report Abuse A Lectroid! Perhaps I'll start talking in a Jamaican accent and wearing silver pants... Cats as psychiatrists, eh? I'm not sure - they're pretty damn crazy themselves...:D 0 Replies | Report Abuse Kudos on becoming a Lectroid. The Theremin is, like, the coolest musical instrument ever! [quote]Successfully avoid all of the hidden vomit.[/quote] Could I borrow this? My new one-woman show needs a title. Whenever I see your cats together they remind me of a group of lab-coated psychiatrists. For instance, in the bottom picture, they look like their making their daily rounds at a mental asylum. 1 Replies | Report Abuse A Lectroid! Perhaps I'll start talking in a Jamaican accent and wearing silver pants... Cats as psychiatrists, eh? I'm not sure - they're pretty damn crazy themselves...:D 0 Replies | Report Abuse Oh, and hey, it's the reappearance of The Beard! 0 Replies | Report Abuse Yep! I've been growing it back since I broke my toe... 0 Replies | Report Abuse Oh, and hey, it's the reappearance of The Beard! 1 Replies | Report Abuse Yep! I've been growing it back since I broke my toe... 0 Replies | Report Abuse That pic still cracks me up! Hey, your hair's looking good, Tim...are you happy with it these days? 0 Replies | Report Abuse :D Yeah, I got it cut again a couple of weeks ago, and this cut is much better than the last one! 0 Replies | Report Abuse Have you found a stylist you're gonna keep? 0 Replies | Report Abuse That pic still cracks me up! Hey, your hair's looking good, Tim...are you happy with it these days? 1 Replies | Report Abuse :D Yeah, I got it cut again a couple of weeks ago, and this cut is much better than the last one! 1 Replies | Report Abuse Have you found a stylist you're gonna keep? 1 Replies | Report Abuse Congrats Tim!!!! :) 0 Replies | Report Abuse Thanks Jenni! It's good to get a payoff after all the work I've put in the past few years... 0 Replies | Report Abuse Congrats Tim!!!! :) 1 Replies | Report Abuse Thanks Jenni! It's good to get a payoff after all the work I've put in the past few years... 0 Replies | Report Abuse Yay! Congratulations Tim :) 0 Replies | Report Abuse Thanks Tracey! :) 0 Replies | Report Abuse Yay! Congratulations Tim :) 1 Replies | Report Abuse Thanks Tracey! :) 0 Replies | Report Abuse |
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First off, check out this article about a guy in Melbourne that was just cleared of murder charges. Unfortunately for him, this happened 84 years after he was hung. Whether or not you think that killing someone is an appropriate response to them violating the whole 'thou shalt not kill' directive, the apparently pretty high percentage of innocent people on death row still has to give you something to think about with regard to the death penalty...
![]() I'm happy to see that The Onion likes to think about toast too... you can buy this as a joke present! ![]() I guess the big news from last week is that Nancy organised a surprise birthday party for me. We went to my favourite thai restaurant, and I was (mostly) surprised! I'm not positive about this, but I think this might have been my first official birthday party in about 25 years!! In any case, it was good fun. Even though I wore my shirt that makes me look like a clown... I've decided that Jasper Fforde must be some kind of genius... I read a bunch of his books last month, and they're all really good. (check out his website - it's pretty hilarious just on its own!) Those are the first three books in his Thursday Next series (which has four books in total). They're all fantastic! They're set in a parallel alternate universe, where people can travel back and forth in time, some have the ability to read themselves into books, and literature is as important as movies, television and the internet combined are in ours. Thursday is a cop that works in the Literatec division - investigating literature related crimes. In the Eyre Affair, an evil genius guy uses an invention of Thursday's uncle Mycroft to travel into Jane Eyre where he kidnaps Jane and holds her for ransom. This removes all mention of Jane from the existing copies of the book, which for most fans makes the book a lot less interesting. Thursday has to figure out how to rescue Jane and get her back into the book, while also dealing with a range of other problems. This description can't come anywhere near to doing justice to the inventiveness of the books. They are wildly imaginative, and great fun to read. The Eyre Affair stands alone, but the other three are essentially a trilogy with a long, interlinked plot. The villains in the last three aren't nearly as good as the two in the first book, which makes them slightly less compelling. But still, Fforde has created a great set of characters and a crazy version of the world (where Shakespeare plays have fanatical audiences that treat Richard III like the Rocky Horror Picture Show - Audience: When is the winter of your discontent?). The books are densely packed with literary references and jokes, but they are plenty enjoyable even if you don't get many of them. I recommend them very highly! |
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You and your toasters. I'm guessing you area against capitol punishment, me too. *frowns* Zinny 0 Replies | Report Abuse Yeah, I've always thought that if we're not supposed to kill people, we're not supposed to kill people... 0 Replies | Report Abuse It would seem like common sense to me! I mean aren't we just as bad for killing as they are? I'm glad it's against the law in Canada. Zinny 0 Replies | Report Abuse You and your toasters. I'm guessing you area against capitol punishment, me too. *frowns* Zinny 1 Replies | Report Abuse Yeah, I've always thought that if we're not supposed to kill people, we're not supposed to kill people... 1 Replies | Report Abuse It would seem like common sense to me! I mean aren't we just as bad for killing as they are? I'm glad it's against the law in Canada. Zinny 1 Replies | Report Abuse Oh crap. I forget your birthday. For penance, and comic relief, I will run around tarred and feathered in manner of bird trapped in oil slick. You may provide your own soundtrack. Yay for a proper party though, especially THAI food. *drool* 0 Replies | Report Abuse There's got to be a better punishment than that! :) The party was very nice. And the thai food was excellent (my advisor has been talking about it all week - how it's maybe the best thai meal he's ever had!). 0 Replies | Report Abuse Oh crap. I forget your birthday. For penance, and comic relief, I will run around tarred and feathered in manner of bird trapped in oil slick. You may provide your own soundtrack. Yay for a proper party though, especially THAI food. *drool* 1 Replies | Report Abuse There's got to be a better punishment than that! :) The party was very nice. And the thai food was excellent (my advisor has been talking about it all week - how it's maybe the best thai meal he's ever had!). 0 Replies | Report Abuse Hey, the guy next to you dressed for the colour scheme! Smart thinking indeed. Thanks for the recommendation. There seems to be a bit of Borges overlap going on... 0 Replies | Report Abuse Fforde is [i]much[/i] less serious than Borges. But a very entertaining read! I think Ted's shirt was probably an accident more than exceptional planning... 0 Replies | Report Abuse I walked into the secondhand bookstore a few minutes ago (after buying six cheap pens, a bottle of Famous Grouse malt and 750 ml of sweet jerepigo - all in all, it was a good trip) and saw that they have all four books in this series. So, I bought The Eyre Affair to test it out (and, Iron in the Soul, as a counterpoint). I think I'll read it right after Labyrinths... 0 Replies | Report Abuse Hey, the guy next to you dressed for the colour scheme! Smart thinking indeed. Thanks for the recommendation. There seems to be a bit of Borges overlap going on... 1 Replies | Report Abuse Fforde is [i]much[/i] less serious than Borges. But a very entertaining read! I think Ted's shirt was probably an accident more than exceptional planning... 1 Replies | Report Abuse I walked into the secondhand bookstore a few minutes ago (after buying six cheap pens, a bottle of Famous Grouse malt and 750 ml of sweet jerepigo - all in all, it was a good trip) and saw that they have all four books in this series. So, I bought The Eyre Affair to test it out (and, Iron in the Soul, as a counterpoint). I think I'll read it right after Labyrinths... 1 Replies | Report Abuse Grrrrrrrrr. This didn't even show up on my 'view your friends entries' page. *shakes fist at RT* *belatedly sings happy birthday* *jazz hands* Which is the book that features [i]my[/i] Heathcliff? *childishly possessive* 0 Replies | Report Abuse Heathcliff is in The Well of Lost Plots. Even without showing up on 'view friends entries' you still caught this within a few hours of it being posted... And thanks! *Brent dance* 0 Replies | Report Abuse Grrrrrrrrr. This didn't even show up on my 'view your friends entries' page. *shakes fist at RT* *belatedly sings happy birthday* *jazz hands* Which is the book that features [i]my[/i] Heathcliff? *childishly possessive* 1 Replies | Report Abuse Heathcliff is in The Well of Lost Plots. Even without showing up on 'view friends entries' you still caught this within a few hours of it being posted... And thanks! *Brent dance* 0 Replies | Report Abuse Happy Birthday Tim! I loved the Eyre Affair - maybe now I'll read the rest of them... :) 0 Replies | Report Abuse The others don't flow quite as naturally as The Eyre Affair does, but if you liked it, I'm pretty confident that you'll like the others as well. 0 Replies | Report Abuse Happy Birthday Tim! I loved the Eyre Affair - maybe now I'll read the rest of them... :) 1 Replies | Report Abuse The others don't flow quite as naturally as The Eyre Affair does, but if you liked it, I'm pretty confident that you'll like the others as well. 0 Replies | Report Abuse My true concern is that in 2005, 16,700 innocent lives were taken due to homicide in the US. But their voices are never heard. I'm sorry, what were you saying about death row? 0 Replies | Report Abuse I'm saying it doesn't seem to be working very well as a deterrent then, does it? I think your point is an important one - but I also think that state implemented murder leads to its own set of problems, which are also substantial. 0 Replies | Report Abuse My true concern is that in 2005, 16,700 innocent lives were taken due to homicide in the US. But their voices are never heard. I'm sorry, what were you saying about death row? 1 Replies | Report Abuse I'm saying it doesn't seem to be working very well as a deterrent then, does it? I think your point is an important one - but I also think that state implemented murder leads to its own set of problems, which are also substantial. 0 Replies | Report Abuse I have a lot of issues with the death penalty it self. I'm pretty much against the concept of it as a whole. It's so sad to me that they found this poor man innocent after all these years. His family isn't going to get any justice. So whole thing doesn't help. I know a lot of folks who will disagree with me though. Sorry I'm off my soap box. LOL! Any who, I like that shirt you wore. It very distinctive. 0 Replies | Report Abuse It's ok - I was on my soapbox too! :) Nancy loves that shirt as well... 0 Replies | Report Abuse Man, I forgot your birthday. Man! I'm sooo sorry. I hope you enjoyed it. 0 Replies | Report Abuse I have a lot of issues with the death penalty it self. I'm pretty much against the concept of it as a whole. It's so sad to me that they found this poor man innocent after all these years. His family isn't going to get any justice. So whole thing doesn't help. I know a lot of folks who will disagree with me though. Sorry I'm off my soap box. LOL! Any who, I like that shirt you wore. It very distinctive. 1 Replies | Report Abuse It's ok - I was on my soapbox too! :) Nancy loves that shirt as well... 1 Replies | Report Abuse Man, I forgot your birthday. Man! I'm sooo sorry. I hope you enjoyed it. 1 Replies | Report Abuse Happy belated Birthday!!! And thanks for the book recommendations. I think my son would love this series. He has enjoyed all the Neil Gaimen books so far. I am almost finsihed the Anansi Boys. If I remember right, you weren't big on that one, but I really liked it, best of my Gaimen's so far. Neverwhere will be next. 0 Replies | Report Abuse Thanks Linda! I actually liked Anansi Boys pretty well, though not quite as much as American Gods or Neverwhere. The Fforde books are similar to Gaiman in some ways, but more lighthearted. I think you'd like them though... 0 Replies | Report Abuse I gace my son the web site, and he seemed interested. I just put in a big order with amazon (I really should go to the library!) so it'll have to wait til next time. This time I want to finish the Boudica series. I can't stop thinking about how much I loved that book. 0 Replies | Report Abuse Happy belated Birthday!!! And thanks for the book recommendations. I think my son would love this series. He has enjoyed all the Neil Gaimen books so far. I am almost finsihed the Anansi Boys. If I remember right, you weren't big on that one, but I really liked it, best of my Gaimen's so far. Neverwhere will be next. 1 Replies | Report Abuse Thanks Linda! I actually liked Anansi Boys pretty well, though not quite as much as American Gods or Neverwhere. The Fforde books are similar to Gaiman in some ways, but more lighthearted. I think you'd like them though... 1 Replies | Report Abuse I gace my son the web site, and he seemed interested. I just put in a big order with amazon (I really should go to the library!) so it'll have to wait til next time. This time I want to finish the Boudica series. I can't stop thinking about how much I loved that book. 1 Replies | Report Abuse Happy Belated Birthday, Tim!! :D Cake--what kind of cake did you have? [/carbo deprived] 0 Replies | Report Abuse We had the densest chocolate cake with chocolate frosting in history. It was great! 0 Replies | Report Abuse Happy Belated Birthday, Tim!! :D Cake--what kind of cake did you have? [/carbo deprived] 1 Replies | Report Abuse We had the densest chocolate cake with chocolate frosting in history. It was great! 0 Replies | Report Abuse Happy Birthday, Tim!!! Birthdays are fun - especially when you look like a clown. 0 Replies | Report Abuse Thanks Glenn! I've never made a big deal out of birthdays, but it was a fun party. And I did look like a clown... 0 Replies | Report Abuse Happy Birthday, Tim!!! Birthdays are fun - especially when you look like a clown. 1 Replies | Report Abuse Thanks Glenn! I've never made a big deal out of birthdays, but it was a fun party. And I did look like a clown... 0 Replies | Report Abuse You don't look like a clown. I mean, all you need is a slighty used fedora and an oversized trenchcoat, and just like that, you could be the organ player for The Specials. 0 Replies | Report Abuse :D Heh, hadn't thought of that angle... 0 Replies | Report Abuse That's what I'm here for. :) Seriously. That's a pretty cool shirt. Oh, man. I just noticed that the USB Toaster is meant to be plugged into your laptop. Weird, wild stuff. 4 slices in 30 minutes?!? F[u]u[/u]ck, yeah! Anyway, it kinda reminds me of your I-Pod Jeans. 0 Replies | Report Abuse You don't look like a clown. I mean, all you need is a slighty used fedora and an oversized trenchcoat, and just like that, you could be the organ player for The Specials. 1 Replies | Report Abuse :D Heh, hadn't thought of that angle... 1 Replies | Report Abuse That's what I'm here for. :) Seriously. That's a pretty cool shirt. Oh, man. I just noticed that the USB Toaster is meant to be plugged into your laptop. Weird, wild stuff. 4 slices in 30 minutes?!? F[u]u[/u]ck, yeah! Anyway, it kinda reminds me of your I-Pod Jeans. 1 Replies | Report Abuse Happy Belated Birthday! *hugs and kisses* Those books look very interesting. I had never even heard of this guy. Thanks for the link...I'll check it out! 0 Replies | Report Abuse Thanks! The books are apparently hugely popular in the UK and down here, but less so in the US. But I really enjoyed them... 0 Replies | Report Abuse The web site is a real treat. I plan on ordering several books from the link I found that took me to a bookstore in America that sells online. Thanks again! 0 Replies | Report Abuse Happy Belated Birthday! *hugs and kisses* Those books look very interesting. I had never even heard of this guy. Thanks for the link...I'll check it out! 1 Replies | Report Abuse Thanks! The books are apparently hugely popular in the UK and down here, but less so in the US. But I really enjoyed them... 1 Replies | Report Abuse The web site is a real treat. I plan on ordering several books from the link I found that took me to a bookstore in America that sells online. Thanks again! 1 Replies | Report Abuse That was nice of Nancy. :) But I don't recognize you without your beard, it took me a minute to pick you out. :D 0 Replies | Report Abuse :D The beard is mostly back now... It was pretty nice of Nancy to do that. She's got TONS of work stuff going on right now, so it was great of her to take the time to get it set up. 0 Replies | Report Abuse I'm glad it is mostly back. I'm so used to it so you look unrecognizable without it. :) And that's even sweeter of her if she had a lot of work stuff to do. Here's hoping you guys both get a nice break soon. :) 0 Replies | Report Abuse That was nice of Nancy. :) But I don't recognize you without your beard, it took me a minute to pick you out. :D 1 Replies | Report Abuse :D The beard is mostly back now... It was pretty nice of Nancy to do that. She's got TONS of work stuff going on right now, so it was great of her to take the time to get it set up. 1 Replies | Report Abuse I'm glad it is mostly back. I'm so used to it so you look unrecognizable without it. :) And that's even sweeter of her if she had a lot of work stuff to do. Here's hoping you guys both get a nice break soon. :) 1 Replies | Report Abuse |
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There are a few stories/ideas banging around in conversations in comments that I thought might be worthwhile to collect into a more coherent form. Of course, I'm really sick today so coherency isn't exactly a strong point... but I'll give it a go.
First story: When Nancy was training in neuropsychology/geropsychology she was working on a major research project. While she was talking about with colleagues on the phone, I kept hearing her talk about the 'beady eye test'. It seemed to be a pretty important one, but I sure couldn't figure what having beady eyes had to do with anything. As I heard more, I figured out that this test was somehow measuring the beadiness of people's eyes on a 20 point scale. Eventually, I decided I had to figure out what the hell was going on with this test. So I said to Nancy 'What does the beadyness of eyes have to do with anything?' Her response: 'What??' Me: 'You know, beady eyes, this beady eye test that you keep talking about...' Nancy 'Ah, you mean the BDI - the Beck Depression Inventory!' It turns out they weren't looking at beady eyes at all. They were trying to figure out if the old people were depressed. While that makes more sense, it's less funny... ![]() Second Story: I had a fairly high level of discontent with several aspects of my university experience. One of them was being forced to pay LOTS of money for textbooks. In many cases, it seemed like we were forced to spend huge money for books written by the profs teaching the courses, and these were often very, very bad books. At least in my expert opinion. So this made me mad. It made me even more mad when at the end of the year the university book store wouldn't buy back many of the worst books we had to buy. So starting my second year of uni, at the end of each I would take the worst book that the book store wouldn't buy back, and in the middle of the night before going home for summer, I would find the tree closest to the door of the prof that made me buy the book, and nail the stupid book to the tree. I'm still not really sure why. But I did. Turns out if you do a google image search for 'nail book to tree', nothing comes up... Last Thing for Today: ![]() In chatting with Beth about my current lousy hair cut, it came up that I don't use product on my hair. Her feeling is that this would make Kyan from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy quite angry. She's probably right. Which got me thinking about how I'd do if I was getting one of their makeovers. Here's what I think: Kyan: would be angry. No hair product. No face moisturising. The soap in the shower is from the grocery store (but it does smell like pine trees - I'm not sure if I'd get any credit for that or not...). Ted: would be appalled. Nancy is a pretty good cook, but we rarely have time to prepare meals, so there's not much in the house in the way of 'ingredients'. And I'm not so good in the kitchen. Really, we need more help than Ted could give us. We need someone to move in and cook things! Jai: why does Jai exist? My episode would not fall into the 20% of episodes where he teaches someone to dance, so he'd just be window dressing. As usual. Thom: I think I'd be ok with Thom. We have lots of furniture and furnishings that have some style. I'd love to see what he'd get me with his $10,000 budget, but I don't think he'd be mad at me like Kyan and Ted... Carsson - not sure how I'd go here. I used to have a strong style, and a pretty good one. I don't so much anymore. I'd be very interested to see what kind of clothes he thinks are good for a 'soon to be a university lecturer'. I've actually gotten a lot of pretty good clothes over the past 18 months, so I'm in a lot better shape than I was when we were actually watching their show. But still... Of course, I'd never make it on their show in the first place, because I don't think I'm quite enough of a basket case, but mainly because I'd actually love to see what they come up with. Not fighting them makes for bad television.... |
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Aww, you're sick today? Feel better soon. *hug* Those stories are great. Love the second one. :D I wonder if any of the professors found the books? And I've never actually seen a full episode of Queer Eye, I just know one of them is cute, and there's that blonde guy with the huge nose. I think that one is Carson right? 0 Replies | Report Abuse Thanks Jenni! I feel miserable at the moment, but I just got back from buying some cold medicine, which will hopefully help some... I've always wondered if any of the profs found the books, or if the maintenance guys just took them down. The blonde/huge nose is Carson, yes. I think it's a pretty entertaining show, but we got kind of bored with after 10 episodes or so. But it's good for what it is... 0 Replies | Report Abuse I hope the cold medicine helps. :) I'm stubborn, and never take any medicine, mostly because we don't have any in the house. And I can't stand the taste of cough syrup. I heard they actually cancelled Queer Eye recently. I guess that fad is one that is done with, at least for now. 0 Replies | Report Abuse Aww, you're sick today? Feel better soon. *hug* Those stories are great. Love the second one. :D I wonder if any of the professors found the books? And I've never actually seen a full episode of Queer Eye, I just know one of them is cute, and there's that blonde guy with the huge nose. I think that one is Carson right? 1 Replies | Report Abuse Thanks Jenni! I feel miserable at the moment, but I just got back from buying some cold medicine, which will hopefully help some... I've always wondered if any of the profs found the books, or if the maintenance guys just took them down. The blonde/huge nose is Carson, yes. I think it's a pretty entertaining show, but we got kind of bored with after 10 episodes or so. But it's good for what it is... 1 Replies | Report Abuse I hope the cold medicine helps. :) I'm stubborn, and never take any medicine, mostly because we don't have any in the house. And I can't stand the taste of cough syrup. I heard they actually cancelled Queer Eye recently. I guess that fad is one that is done with, at least for now. 1 Replies | Report Abuse Hahahaha. The BDI test!! I cracked up at that. I love the ideas of nailing the book to the tree, but shoot, it wasn't the trees fault! As for men and products. My men (that I live with) will NOY use product, period. The closest David ever came to product would be using Axe bodywash, Snake version, he says it's a great exfoliator. Now Thom would have a heart attack in my house, I call it early American Mish-Mosh. I admit it. I have no design sense, and while I can dress well, I cannot accesorize, and always have the salesperson help me if it's an important event I need to dress for. I was born without that gene. 0 Replies | Report Abuse I did feel bad for the trees. But they were big and strong, and the next fall I'd always go to make sure that they were ok... :) I haven't been good at accessorizing either... it's only within the past year or so that I've tried buying jewelry for Nancy... 0 Replies | Report Abuse Well, you do a great job in picking clothes for her! My husband has excellent taste in jewelry, much better than mine! 0 Replies | Report Abuse Hahahaha. The BDI test!! I cracked up at that. I love the ideas of nailing the book to the tree, but shoot, it wasn't the trees fault! As for men and products. My men (that I live with) will NOY use product, period. The closest David ever came to product would be using Axe bodywash, Snake version, he says it's a great exfoliator. Now Thom would have a heart attack in my house, I call it early American Mish-Mosh. I admit it. I have no design sense, and while I can dress well, I cannot accesorize, and always have the salesperson help me if it's an important event I need to dress for. I was born without that gene. 1 Replies | Report Abuse I did feel bad for the trees. But they were big and strong, and the next fall I'd always go to make sure that they were ok... :) I haven't been good at accessorizing either... it's only within the past year or so that I've tried buying jewelry for Nancy... 1 Replies | Report Abuse Well, you do a great job in picking clothes for her! My husband has excellent taste in jewelry, much better than mine! 1 Replies | Report Abuse That's funny - yesterday I had the urge to write an entry that tied up people's comments, too! You guys are getting sick too often. 0 Replies | Report Abuse This I caught from Nancy. I tried and tried to fight it off, but in the end... succumbed. 0 Replies | Report Abuse We're having a cold spell here - below freezing again as winter rages against the light. It means lots of people are sick again - I'm fighting it like crazy too. 0 Replies | Report Abuse That's funny - yesterday I had the urge to write an entry that tied up people's comments, too! You guys are getting sick too often. 1 Replies | Report Abuse This I caught from Nancy. I tried and tried to fight it off, but in the end... succumbed. 1 Replies | Report Abuse We're having a cold spell here - below freezing again as winter rages against the light. It means lots of people are sick again - I'm fighting it like crazy too. 1 Replies | Report Abuse You and Nancy need to start eating fruit. *nags* I still think the book nailing was an act of genius. And am also opposed to product in my hair. 0 Replies | Report Abuse You might be right about the fruit... The book nailing always seemed like an event of some sort when I did it... not sure why! I [i]hate[/i] using hair goop. Your hair is beautiful though - I bet it looks pretty nice with or without product... 0 Replies | Report Abuse You and Nancy need to start eating fruit. *nags* I still think the book nailing was an act of genius. And am also opposed to product in my hair. 1 Replies | Report Abuse You might be right about the fruit... The book nailing always seemed like an event of some sort when I did it... not sure why! I [i]hate[/i] using hair goop. Your hair is beautiful though - I bet it looks pretty nice with or without product... 0 Replies | Report Abuse I'm sure the Beady Eye Test exists and it probably has something to do with dating. No one knows why Jai exists. And Carson tops the list of people that I don't know personally and yet want to punch in the face. 0 Replies | Report Abuse I'll have to look for a reference for that version of the beady eye... :) I can see how Carson is annoying, but he's also pretty funny sometimes - I don't know if I'd go so far as wanting to punch him... To me Ted always seems like the guy I'd most like to hang out with, but Thom is the one that is incredibly talented - he is unbelievably good at figuring out how to fit the space with the person. 0 Replies | Report Abuse I think I dislike Carson so much because he's so bitchy about clothes and yet has worn some rather questionable outfits himself. Ted ROCKS!!! 0 Replies | Report Abuse I'm sure the Beady Eye Test exists and it probably has something to do with dating. No one knows why Jai exists. And Carson tops the list of people that I don't know personally and yet want to punch in the face. 1 Replies | Report Abuse I'll have to look for a reference for that version of the beady eye... :) I can see how Carson is annoying, but he's also pretty funny sometimes - I don't know if I'd go so far as wanting to punch him... To me Ted always seems like the guy I'd most like to hang out with, but Thom is the one that is incredibly talented - he is unbelievably good at figuring out how to fit the space with the person. 1 Replies | Report Abuse I think I dislike Carson so much because he's so bitchy about clothes and yet has worn some rather questionable outfits himself. Ted ROCKS!!! 1 Replies | Report Abuse The beady eye story was great. My first thought was, a test like that makes sense because beady eyed folk are pure evil and they need to be tested. On the queer eye, I try not to watch it anymore. I found myself loving kashmere and I bought a pug. I'm in rehab now. 0 Replies | Report Abuse I think they have other, more accurate tests to identify the people that are pure evil now... I stopped with Queer Eye when I discovered I had an overpowering need to own a pair of driving moccasins. Actually, I liked the show pretty well, but after 10 or 15 episodes, it ended up being very much the same every time. 0 Replies | Report Abuse The beady eye story was great. My first thought was, a test like that makes sense because beady eyed folk are pure evil and they need to be tested. On the queer eye, I try not to watch it anymore. I found myself loving kashmere and I bought a pug. I'm in rehab now. 1 Replies | Report Abuse I think they have other, more accurate tests to identify the people that are pure evil now... I stopped with Queer Eye when I discovered I had an overpowering need to own a pair of driving moccasins. Actually, I liked the show pretty well, but after 10 or 15 episodes, it ended up being very much the same every time. 0 Replies | Report Abuse I TOTALLY don't trust people with beady eyes! :D Seriously, it's a feature I find most unbecoming. Loves me some big pretty eyes. I think that nailing the book to the tree thing is pretty cool. Sort of oddly and ineffectually rebellious. I love your analysis of the Queer Eye guys. I recently read a critique of them in this uproariously funny gay guy's blog (rather popular, I'm guessing...it wasn't just some RJ journal)and he tore them all a new one. Hilarious. 0 Replies | Report Abuse Now if we just had a good test for eye beadiness....... :) I wouldn't tear all the Queer Eye guys a new one - but it would still be a funny read I bet... 0 Replies | Report Abuse I actually like my Queer guys. But it was still a funny read. 0 Replies | Report Abuse Man, you guys. All your talk of tearing new ones is making me hungry. 0 Replies | Report Abuse I TOTALLY don't trust people with beady eyes! :D Seriously, it's a feature I find most unbecoming. Loves me some big pretty eyes. I think that nailing the book to the tree thing is pretty cool. Sort of oddly and ineffectually rebellious. I love your analysis of the Queer Eye guys. I recently read a critique of them in this uproariously funny gay guy's blog (rather popular, I'm guessing...it wasn't just some RJ journal)and he tore them all a new one. Hilarious. 1 Replies | Report Abuse Now if we just had a good test for eye beadiness....... :) I wouldn't tear all the Queer Eye guys a new one - but it would still be a funny read I bet... 2 Replies | Report Abuse I actually like my Queer guys. But it was still a funny read. 1 Replies | Report Abuse Man, you guys. All your talk of tearing new ones is making me hungry. 0 Replies | Report Abuse If you were on Queer Eye, Jai would probably tell you to get rid of all your DOA albums. Unfortunately for him, that?s moment you stab him in the neck with one of your owl-centric figurines. Highest rated episode ever! 0 Replies | Report Abuse That's probably about right, actually.... :D 0 Replies | Report Abuse If you were on Queer Eye, Jai would probably tell you to get rid of all your DOA albums. Unfortunately for him, that?s moment you stab him in the neck with one of your owl-centric figurines. Highest rated episode ever! 1 Replies | Report Abuse That's probably about right, actually.... :D 0 Replies | Report Abuse I'm just seeing this entry now. Better late than never. The whole profs-using-the-crappy-books they wrote is a huge pet peeve of mine now more than it ever was when I was an undergrad/grad student. Now I will say that the book I primarily use to teach entry-level composition was written by a few faculty members here and it's decent, but not without problems. The thing is that some of the instructors are afraid to voice our concerns about the book because we'd be afraid we'd possibly hurt some feelings. What's all the rage in textbook publishing these days is the DIY book, especially for edited anthologies of readings. A group of professors did that for another composition class, and the readings reflect the interests of this small group. Everything in that book is about social class and poverty. My worst offender is a textbook for a remedial reading class written not by a prof at our college, but a friend/colleague at a neighboring college. It's horrible. Not only is the content garbage, but the book apparently never went through any sort of proofreading, nor did the author do any of her own, it seems. The book is on its fourth edition in a short span of time. (That's another issue-"new" editions of books that make the "old" ones obsolete come book buyback time.) 0 Replies | Report Abuse That 'new' edition issue is really bad - and the authors justify it by saying that students want things that are up to date. Which is utter crap... Nancy is working on writing a geropsychology textbook, and she and her co-author are looking at going with one of the publishers that does the DIY textbooks... Our uni has a nice service where we can get journal articles that the studens can access through the library printed into a book of readings. In our school we print these free for grad students, which is good. This semester I'm focussing more on these articles than I am on the text (which is only so-so). 0 Replies | Report Abuse I'm just seeing this entry now. Better late than never. The whole profs-using-the-crappy-books they wrote is a huge pet peeve of mine now more than it ever was when I was an undergrad/grad student. Now I will say that the book I primarily use to teach entry-level composition was written by a few faculty members here and it's decent, but not without problems. The thing is that some of the instructors are afraid to voice our concerns about the book because we'd be afraid we'd possibly hurt some feelings. What's all the rage in textbook publishing these days is the DIY book, especially for edited anthologies of readings. A group of professors did that for another composition class, and the readings reflect the interests of this small group. Everything in that book is about social class and poverty. My worst offender is a textbook for a remedial reading class written not by a prof at our college, but a friend/colleague at a neighboring college. It's horrible. Not only is the content garbage, but the book apparently never went through any sort of proofreading, nor did the author do any of her own, it seems. The book is on its fourth edition in a short span of time. (That's another issue-"new" editions of books that make the "old" ones obsolete come book buyback time.) 1 Replies | Report Abuse That 'new' edition issue is really bad - and the authors justify it by saying that students want things that are up to date. Which is utter crap... Nancy is working on writing a geropsychology textbook, and she and her co-author are looking at going with one of the publishers that does the DIY textbooks... Our uni has a nice service where we can get journal articles that the studens can access through the library printed into a book of readings. In our school we print these free for grad students, which is good. This semester I'm focussing more on these articles than I am on the text (which is only so-so). 0 Replies | Report Abuse heh heh the beady eye test, that's hilarious. You know, there is an actual art of face reading, it's Chinese-based, I think. They analyze the shape of your features to determine your character. I think it's mostly crap along the lines of astrology but nonetheless it's worth looking up if you're into that sort of thing. 0 Replies | Report Abuse Probably about as useful as phrenology... :D 0 Replies | Report Abuse heh heh the beady eye test, that's hilarious. You know, there is an actual art of face reading, it's Chinese-based, I think. They analyze the shape of your features to determine your character. I think it's mostly crap along the lines of astrology but nonetheless it's worth looking up if you're into that sort of thing. 1 Replies | Report Abuse Probably about as useful as phrenology... :D 0 Replies | Report Abuse I have many textbooks I have not even opened. This is not because they are crap (I wouldnt actually know), this is because I was PHENOMENALLY lazy at Uni. Once I embraced my laziness in second year, I had way more beer money. 0 Replies | Report Abuse I was very lazy too, but I still often opened my textbooks.... but maybe because for the last two years of uni the beer was essentially free so all I needed money for was pizza! :) 0 Replies | Report Abuse You got FREE BEER at your Uni?!?! What is this place, some sort of Utopia? 0 Replies | Report Abuse Well, it was only semi-free - we had these things called 'eating clubs' and you'd pay an annual fee to them, in return they'd give you three meals a day (if you managed to wake up for breakfast) plus beer (though you had to choose wisely, not all of them kept the taps on). Despite that, it was definitely NOT a utopia... I have many textbooks I have not even opened. This is not because they are crap (I wouldnt actually know), this is because I was PHENOMENALLY lazy at Uni. Once I embraced my laziness in second year, I had way more beer money. 1 Replies | Report Abuse I was very lazy too, but I still often opened my textbooks.... but maybe because for the last two years of uni the beer was essentially free so all I needed money for was pizza! :) 1 Replies | Report Abuse You got FREE BEER at your Uni?!?! What is this place, some sort of Utopia? 1 Replies | Report Abuse Well, it was only semi-free - we had these things called 'eating clubs' and you'd pay an annual fee to them, in return they'd give you three meals a day (if you managed to wake up for breakfast) plus beer (though you had to choose wisely, not all of them kept the taps on). Despite that, it was definitely NOT a utopia... |
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OK, somehow, by just mentioning cleavage in yesterday's entry (which I'd really like you to read, if you haven't yet), it seems as though several of the absolutely fantastic women that read it felt that their own personal cleavage might somehow be inadequate. This is not the case!! Let me remind everyone that Helena Bonham Carter is much more my type:
![]() My discussion of Claudia Cardinale was not all meant to be any kind of general commentary on the nature of cleavage.... Speaking of HBC, she's designed a line of clothing! Here's a quote from her regarding this: "I certainly have no pretensions to be some sort of grown up designer, and I am always being told-off in the press for my dress sense but in all honesty I have never dressed for the approval of others, never tried to be 'in' or dress fashionably. I am just myself." Just part of why I love her.... ![]() Oh. My. God. New David Brent videos!! They're very, very funny! The first one is very good, and has a new song. The second one is just hilarious from start to finish. Fans of The Office must see these if they haven't yet! For those of you that doubted the stupidity of my current haircut, I took a couple of pics with my phone on the ferry this morning. Judge for yourself (and don't say I didn't warn you!) ![]() Why is there no Bad Androgynous Haircut Barbie? Oh wait, there are...they're "homemade," though. You can definitely see both the Prince Valient and the Alfalfa elements in that one... Here's another where the hair looks a little more like it should, but the flaws are still quite obvious. ![]() [center]"Hope I get to Krispy Kreme while the 'still warm' light is still on. I like kittens."[/center] [left](captions stolen from Beth...)[/left] [left]And so, to help you get those images out of your head, here's Helena auditioning for a part in Once Upon a Time in the West:[/left] [left]*Helena looks to the left*[/left] [left] [/left][left]*Helena looks to the right*[/left] [left] [/left][left]*Helena pats Gromit*[/left] [left] [/left][left]*Helena dons a silly hat. And leaves*[/left] [left] [/left]
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So make your own Rebecca-style entry. Here's mine:
"There must be some Tommy Hilfiger event horizon, beyond which it is impossible to be more derivative, more removed from the source, more devoid of soul. Or so she hopes, and doesn't know, but suspects in her heart that this in fact is what accounts for his long ubiquity." -William Gibson ![]() (postcard by Stella Mars, who is a genius...) |
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WOO-HOO!!!! Cello Girl days are so fun!!! 0 Replies | Report Abuse Sorry to just spring it on people! :) 0 Replies | Report Abuse When Tim speaks, I obey. ;) No...seriously, it's totally fun. Keep springin'. 0 Replies | Report Abuse WOO-HOO!!!! Cello Girl days are so fun!!! 1 Replies | Report Abuse Sorry to just spring it on people! :) 1 Replies | Report Abuse When Tim speaks, I obey. ;) No...seriously, it's totally fun. Keep springin'. 1 Replies | Report Abuse *squeals* I'd jump up and down in celebration but that could burn a calorie. So's off limits. *filling up nicely* I loooooooooooooooooove that quote. *points and laughs at Hilfiger* 0 Replies | Report Abuse The quote's from 'Pattern Recognition' - have you read it? It's pretty good... 0 Replies | Report Abuse I haven't. You know, I've sworn allegiance to fiction. 0 Replies | Report Abuse *squeals* I'd jump up and down in celebration but that could burn a calorie. So's off limits. *filling up nicely* I loooooooooooooooooove that quote. *points and laughs at Hilfiger* 1 Replies | Report Abuse The quote's from 'Pattern Recognition' - have you read it? It's pretty good... 1 Replies | Report Abuse I haven't. You know, I've sworn allegiance to fiction. 3 Replies | Report Abuse |
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How do you hide the fact that your lead singer makes Tom Cruise look gigantic?
![]() Here are some tips: [list][*]Have all official band photos cut off at the waist, so people can't see the box he's standing on[*]Always have him stand 5-10 feet in front of everyone else when there aren't any boxes around[*]Two words: strobes + jump cuts errrrr jumpcuts (Illustrated perfectly in the great video for Walk Away)[*]Fire the rest of the band and replace them with a bass player that is also vertically challenged...[/list]Simple, eh? (I've never understood how that voice comes out of Andrew Eldritch's body!) For some reason, Zamboni and Gromit seem to think that they can help me sleep: ![]() They are incorrect. |
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ok, I've made it to Beijing. I realised on the plane that there were tons of things that I wanted to include in that last entry, but I forgot them. I'll do a couple of big wrap up entries when I get home.
And in the meantime, I'm back in Beijing! Which is cool, but unfortunately, this time around my internet access is extremely poor, so this is probably my last entry until I get home on Thursday. And then I'll be able to post pictures and all kinds of cool stuff. For now, I have to go back and dodge more of the horrific Beijing traffic. ![]() Everyone have fun for the next few days! EDIT - I went with some of my advisors to a great restaurant last night that is a 'locals only' type place - it was great fun, and it included Chinese belly dancers!
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have fun tim. I can't beleive we missed each other in Bejing. :( ;) 0 Replies | Report Abuse Next time Terr! :D 0 Replies | Report Abuse have fun tim. I can't beleive we missed each other in Bejing. :( ;) 1 Replies | Report Abuse Next time Terr! :D 0 Replies | Report Abuse Chinese belly dancers?? They don't even have bellies! 0 Replies | Report Abuse I don't go out of my way to see belly dancers, but I have to say that this woman was the best I've ever seen. By far! Are you thinking of coming back to China at some point, or are there too many other places to see first? I can't believe the changes here in just 8 months.... 0 Replies | Report Abuse I would like to visit a brother whose living in Beijing currently, actually (just moved). He took a photo of the Round Monument in the Temple of Heaven that, 9 months previous, did NOT have the beautiful temple structure that his camera captured! Yes, it is quite shocking, some of these apparent developments... 0 Replies | Report Abuse Chinese belly dancers?? They don't even have bellies! 1 Replies | Report Abuse I don't go out of my way to see belly dancers, but I have to say that this woman was the best I've ever seen. By far! Are you thinking of coming back to China at some point, or are there too many other places to see first? I can't believe the changes here in just 8 months.... 1 Replies | Report Abuse I would like to visit a brother whose living in Beijing currently, actually (just moved). He took a photo of the Round Monument in the Temple of Heaven that, 9 months previous, did NOT have the beautiful temple structure that his camera captured! Yes, it is quite shocking, some of these apparent developments... 1 Replies | Report Abuse Dude, have a good time in Bejing! Sad that you don't have good internet, but take lots of pictures and stuff. :) 0 Replies | Report Abuse Beijing is a blast! I just bought about 30 dvds for about $25! (and I got the complete Season TWO of Lost!! It'll probably be a crap picture, but at least I can get caught up! :) ) 0 Replies | Report Abuse Really? Season two of Lost? That's great! Be sure to tell us what you think of it. :) 0 Replies | Report Abuse Dude, have a good time in Bejing! Sad that you don't have good internet, but take lots of pictures and stuff. :) 1 Replies | Report Abuse Beijing is a blast! I just bought about 30 dvds for about $25! (and I got the complete Season TWO of Lost!! It'll probably be a crap picture, but at least I can get caught up! :) ) 1 Replies | Report Abuse Really? Season two of Lost? That's great! Be sure to tell us what you think of it. :) 1 Replies | Report Abuse I think I said this the last time you were in Beijing, but here it goes anyway... Holy shit! You're in fuckin' China! Seriously, man, I can't believe you get to go there. 0 Replies | Report Abuse I was thinking of you yesterday - there were some amazing Cheong Sams at the conference dinner! :) 0 Replies | Report Abuse I was gonna say, don't forget to pick up some shiny cheongsams. :) 0 Replies | Report Abuse I think I said this the last time you were in Beijing, but here it goes anyway... Holy shit! You're in fuckin' China! Seriously, man, I can't believe you get to go there. 1 Replies | Report Abuse I was thinking of you yesterday - there were some amazing Cheong Sams at the conference dinner! :) 1 Replies | Report Abuse I was gonna say, don't forget to pick up some shiny cheongsams. :) 1 Replies | Report Abuse Is that what happens to foreigners who go to "locals only"-type places? If so, I think tales of Chinese immigration authorities are totally baseless...although, that blindfold is a dirty stunt. 0 Replies | Report Abuse They had a dancing contest, and that guy was the 'winner'... Our belly dancer was prettier than that one though. A few of the locals ended up doing dumb stuff on stage too. It was pretty much a blast! 0 Replies | Report Abuse Is that what happens to foreigners who go to "locals only"-type places? If so, I think tales of Chinese immigration authorities are totally baseless...although, that blindfold is a dirty stunt. 1 Replies | Report Abuse They had a dancing contest, and that guy was the 'winner'... Our belly dancer was prettier than that one though. A few of the locals ended up doing dumb stuff on stage too. It was pretty much a blast! 0 Replies | Report Abuse That belly dancer looks hot!! Hope you have a grand time Tim!! 0 Replies | Report Abuse They also had what they bill as the world's only male belly dancer, who also seemed pretty hot. It was a fun time! :) 0 Replies | Report Abuse That belly dancer looks hot!! Hope you have a grand time Tim!! 1 Replies | Report Abuse They also had what they bill as the world's only male belly dancer, who also seemed pretty hot. It was a fun time! :) 0 Replies | Report Abuse Is the blindfolded guy supposed to be arousing, too? 0 Replies | Report Abuse I don't know. Are you aroused?? No one in the audience our night was very arousing at all.... 0 Replies | Report Abuse Is the blindfolded guy supposed to be arousing, too? 1 Replies | Report Abuse I don't know. Are you aroused?? No one in the audience our night was very arousing at all.... 0 Replies | Report Abuse HA! Miss Behavin' just cracked me up. :D Great pics, yo! But... I do believe a head on collision is about to occur in your first pic. :eek: Remind me never to drive in Beijing. 0 Replies | Report Abuse Beth is hilarious! The pics are good, but not mine. I can't download all of my shots for another couple of days (I finally fly home tomorrow night!). Driving in Beijing would be mind boggling. I actually can't imagine even trying it. I've never seen anything like it! 0 Replies | Report Abuse HA! Miss Behavin' just cracked me up. :D Great pics, yo! But... I do believe a head on collision is about to occur in your first pic. :eek: Remind me never to drive in Beijing. 1 Replies | Report Abuse Beth is hilarious! The pics are good, but not mine. I can't download all of my shots for another couple of days (I finally fly home tomorrow night!). Driving in Beijing would be mind boggling. I actually can't imagine even trying it. I've never seen anything like it! 0 Replies | Report Abuse So then... why the blindfold? Nobody asked... or did I miss it? I mean, he's the winner... winner of what? And why wear a blindfold for winning? 'splain? 0 Replies | Report Abuse Yeah, it's not really a contest you'd want to win - you sit on the chair blindfolded until the girl puts the snake on your shoulders, so it's not much of a reward. On the other hand, it didn't take much skill to win either... So the blindfold is really just there for the entertainment of the audience. :) 0 Replies | Report Abuse So then... why the blindfold? Nobody asked... or did I miss it? I mean, he's the winner... winner of what? And why wear a blindfold for winning? 'splain? 1 Replies | Report Abuse Yeah, it's not really a contest you'd want to win - you sit on the chair blindfolded until the girl puts the snake on your shoulders, so it's not much of a reward. On the other hand, it didn't take much skill to win either... So the blindfold is really just there for the entertainment of the audience. :) 0 Replies | Report Abuse Beijing? WOW! 0 Replies | Report Abuse That's what I was saying while I was there! 0 Replies | Report Abuse Beijing? WOW! 1 Replies | Report Abuse That's what I was saying while I was there! 0 Replies | Report Abuse |
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