Unshelved	by Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum

Need to ship to a military loved one overseas?

DefenseLINK News: Postal Service Offers Free Shipping Materials for Military Families

Eilir raved on 14:22 Links to this post

Links to this post:

  <$BlogBacklinkTitle$>  

<$BlogBacklinkSnippet$>
posted by <$BlogBacklinkAuthor$> @ <$BlogBacklinkDateTime$>

Create a Link

Comments: Post a Comment

A little bit of humour from D

Listening to: WEKU
Feeling: Stressed but holding

One of the best things about e-mail. :)

A police officer pulls over a speeding car. The officer says, I
clocked you at 80 miles per hour, sir."

The driver says, "Gee, officer I had it on cruise control at 60,
perhaps your radar gun needs calibrating."

Not looking up from her knitting the wife says: "Now don't be silly
dear, you know that this car doesn't have cruise control."

As the officer writes out the ticket, the driver looks over at his
wife and growls, "Can't you please keep your mouth shut for once?"

The wife smiles demurely and says, "You should be thankful your radar
detector went off when it did."

As the officer makes out the second ticket for the illegal radar
detector under it, the man glowers at his wife and says through
clenched teeth, "Darn it, woman, can't you keep your mouth shut?"

The officer frowns and says, "And I notice that you're not wearing
your seat belt, sir. That's an automatic $75 fine."

The driver says, "Yeah, well, you see officer, I had it on, but took
it off when you pulled me over so that I could get my license out of
my back pocket".

The wife says, "Now, dear, you know very well that you didn't have
your seat belt on. You never wear your seat belt when you're driving."

And as the police officer is writing out the third ticket the driver
turns to his wife and barks, "WHY DON'T YOU PLEASE SHUT UP??"

The officer looks over at the woman and asks, "Does your husband
always talk to you this way Ma'am?"

******** I love this part.... **********

"Oh, heavens no, officer. Only when he's been drinking."

Eilir raved on 10:32 Links to this post

:::

Links to this post:

  <$BlogBacklinkTitle$>  

<$BlogBacklinkSnippet$>
posted by <$BlogBacklinkAuthor$> @ <$BlogBacklinkDateTime$>

Create a Link

Comments: Post a Comment

How it's going

I:

• Had a great four-day-weekend with lots of rest.
  
• Had a good visit with my family. I had just enough gas to get home and Momma sent me back with a full gas tank. Thanks! :)
  
• I changed my headlight in the car, asked John to help with the taillight, and picked up the new insurance card from my mom. They're going to go get the registration updated this week. Turns out they never got a bill and when they renewed my mom's truck in August, no one mentioned that they had another registration to take care of. Momma thought it was up-to-date and that they'd just paid extra when they first registered it.
  
• I got stopped the day after Thanksgiving 50 yards from where I was headed by another police officer, who wrote a warning, since I handed her the last citation. :) As such, I'm feeling a bit cursed, but hey, it's all workable, and the new registration should be on its way back to me soon.
  
• Went to see National Treasure on Saturday. It was very fun. Nice to know that with the exception of stealing the Declaration of Independence, I could have figured out most of the clues, although it would have taken a lot more time. Because it's a movie, it has to ignore things like how intricate archaeology is (I bet there are lots of archaeologists who would love to just go to a spot, dig down a foot, and find a plaque saying, yes, this is the ship you're looking for, and how did they suddenly unearth the ship with no apparent tools....? But it was generally believable with enough details not to get in the way and the mother of all treasures sure to give any historian an orgasm at the end of the run, and it was well worth the ride.) I was, however, the only person geeky enough to exclaim with glee during the trailers when the Earth blew up and it said 'Don't Panic'...apparently not many in the audience had read Hitchhiker's Guide, which is coming out as a movie next year. Or at least, not many others made the geek noise in response. :)
  
• Am exploring the Dreamlands in our Cthulhu game.
  
• Am getting a little nervous about the surgery but am doing a lot to get ready for it.
  
• Was actually seven minutes early for work this morning, the earliest I'm supposed to be able to clock in.
  
• Really want chocolate and a diet cola.
  
• Am escaping now whilst between jobs. Ciao.
  

Eilir raved on 14:16 Links to this post

Links to this post:

  <$BlogBacklinkTitle$>  

<$BlogBacklinkSnippet$>
posted by <$BlogBacklinkAuthor$> @ <$BlogBacklinkDateTime$>

Create a Link

Comments: Post a Comment

Kentucky Amber Alert

AMBER ALERT!!

12 YR WHITE FEMALE, 5'9", 185lbs. BROWN HAIR & EYES. WEARS GLASSES

THOUGHT TO HAVE BEEN ABDUCTED FROM NORTON MIDDLE SCHOOL IN PULASKI CO. THIS MORNING. LAST SEEN WITH ROBBY LOVINS, WHITE MALE, 31, 6'2", 271lbs BROWN HAIR, BLUE EYES, DRIVING A SILVER CHEVY SEDAN.
POSSIBLY HEADING IN THE DIRECTION OF INDIANAPOLIS, IN. ANY INFORMATION, CONTACT KY. STATE POLICE OR ANY LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY.
1330hrs

I'll update, but if you're in the region, please keep this alert in mind. Also, at that height, many people would mistake her for an adult. Scary.

[Update: Robby Lovins has been charged with rape in this case. He was apparently a family acquaintance and one of the people allowed to take the child out of school. I won't add links at this point to the news stories since some identify the girl (and I've deleted her name from the original post) and most are still very sketchy. But she is safe and back with her family, and he was arrested a county or so away after police negotiated the girl's release and his surrender.]

Eilir raved on 14:04 Links to this post

:::

Links to this post:

  <$BlogBacklinkTitle$>  

<$BlogBacklinkSnippet$>
posted by <$BlogBacklinkAuthor$> @ <$BlogBacklinkDateTime$>

Create a Link

Comments: Post a Comment

Didn't manage to post yesterday

: 'Nothing Else Matters' by Carol Tatum (yes, it's the Metallica song set to harp); I heard it last night on Echoes and really loved it; I love the song itself, but I am particularly fond of harp/folk/mediaeval style music, and this rendition mixes all of the above. [Although be sure not to let it loop...it will depress you terribly, just as with the original if you do that].
: A mix of gloomy and optimistic. The first from the weather (grey and icky) the second is because I really believe in making an effort to dispel the former.

Yesterday I was off from the hospital and returning a favour of getting up at an ungodly hour to help out a friend. I did work at the phone bank, and did respectably. Fortunately the rest of the time I was able to catch up on some sleep.

It's been a surprisingly busy day at work today, given that it's the day before Thanksgiving and most people seem to be gone. I'm going to have to work a little harder to make sure I keep straight to my schedule; I've had a warning on tardiness and they're going to start counting as absences. I had been doing much better for awhile, but I've been running a few minutes late more and more often--it's crept up on me. This time of the year, with the light waning, is always a little harder for me. But I can't argue that it's an issue. My job used to be more flexible--what mattered is that I worked the necessary number of hours and adjusted to working a little later if needed. Actually, one of the hardest things about the job these days is getting away on time, since I often have patron needs crop up at the end of shift. It used to be I could 'average' that out by coming in a little later or leaving earlier. But, that flexibility's gone, and I need to face it. Since I eat and work with some people who have more flexibility, I'm going to start timing myself at lunch with the PDA and make sure I leave right on time, even if I need to start the process of leaving a little early to be back there in time to clock out. I'm also going to have to remember to take my break. But getting here will be the hardest...I've set my clocks ahead, etc. I think it's psychological. I've always tended to run behind, but I actually do better at jobs where I'm not governed by the timeclock. I think I start to stress about being late because of some 'magic number' and it seems like, no matter how early I start out for something, there will be traffic jams, or something will come up to put a snag in things. I used to have the same difficulty in classes where the teacher was absolutely adamant that we be there on time. Otherwise, I was usually early or just on schedule. Maybe it's an anxiety thing, maybe it's some residual passive-agressiveness; I don't know. But I'm obviously going to have to work on it to keep my job, since eight occurrences pretty much leads to termination and technically anything after 10:07 is an occurrence. Sigh.

I'm not ready for Thanksgiving, really, and I'm positively growly at the idea of Christmas decorations and music playing. I think part of it is that money's tight and I can't really enjoy getting things for people, although I might be able to come up with some nice but cheap or even made gifts. I didn't even do anything special for D's birthday, although at some point I'd like to take her out to eat using my 2-for-1 card I got from KET for my phone work. I'm going home tomorrow, and I'm looking forward to seeing my family. I'm hoping to get some things finished up before my surgery which is (gulp!) next week. I'm only planning to be off a couple of days but I was gratified to realise that I have 21 days of personal leave and over 70 days of sick leave accrued, so I really should be spending some of it and not feeling guilty about it, and I'll have it should I need it.

This morning I had a special treat of seeing two wild duck pairs paddling up the creek behind my apartment. It took me awhile to find the females with their dull brown plumage against the thicket, although the drakes' bright marking attracted the eye easily. It put me in a good mood this morning, and that has mostly continued, despite the counseling about the tardies. I've just felt a little...not down, not depressed, just slightly deflated and tired. I blame the weather, because the sun is starting to come out right now and I'm already feeling better. How on earth did our ancestors make it in caves?

I don't work the phone bank tonight, so theoretically the weekend has begun. I think I'm going to celebrate by getting out and doing stuff rather than fretting about the usual money issues or end-of-the-year anxieties and just, well, enjoy a few days for a change.

If it's a holiday where you are, have a safe and loving one. And if not, hope you're doing well anyway.

Eilir raved on 14:24 Links to this post

:::

Links to this post:

  <$BlogBacklinkTitle$>  

<$BlogBacklinkSnippet$>
posted by <$BlogBacklinkAuthor$> @ <$BlogBacklinkDateTime$>

Create a Link

Comments: Post a Comment

Thanksgiving humour

Thanks, N.

Subject: The "Cold" Parrot

A young man named John received a parrot as a gift. The parrot had a bad attitude and an even worse vocabulary. Every word out of the bird's mouth was rude, obnoxious and laced with profanity. John tried and tried to change the bird's attitude by consistently saying only polite words, playing soft music and anything else he could think of to "clean up" the bird's vocabulary. Finally, John was fed up and he yelled at the parrot.
The parrot yelled back. John shook the parrot and the parrot got angrier and even ruder. John, in desperation, threw up his hand, grabbed the bird and put him in the freezer. For a few minutes the parrot squawked and kicked and screamed. Then suddenly there was total quiet. Not a peep was heard for over a minute. Fearing that he'd hurt the parrot, John quickly opened the door to the freezer. The parrot calmly stepped out onto John's outstretched arms and said "I believe I may have offended
you with my rude language and actions. I'm sincerely remorseful for my inappropriate transgressions and I fully intend to do everything I can to correct my rude and
unforgivable behavior." John was stunned at the change in the bird's attitude. As he was about to ask the parrot what had made such a dramatic change in his behavior, the bird continued, "May I ask what the turkey did?"

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Eilir raved on 14:00 Links to this post

Links to this post:

  <$BlogBacklinkTitle$>  

<$BlogBacklinkSnippet$>
posted by <$BlogBacklinkAuthor$> @ <$BlogBacklinkDateTime$>

Create a Link

Comments: Post a Comment

BookCrossing Programmer Dan Clune missing

Received this as a part of a newsletter:

BookCrossing's lead programmer Dan Clune missing since November 6

Never has the power of the Bookcrossing community been put to the test it has since the November 6th disappearance of our lead programmer, Dan Clune. Dan had worked full-time for BookCrossing in the Idaho office since April 2004. As the news and implications stunned those of us who knew and worked with him personally, we were equally stunned by the incredible support that has flowed in from our extended Bookcrossing family.

Dan was last seen shortly before 2 a.m. at the Long Bridge Grill, which sits at the south end of the bridge spanning the Pend Oreille River in Sandpoint, ID. Those who know Clune know it's out of character for him to miss work or stay out of contact with friends and colleagues, which has them worried for his safety. The Sandpoint community and police have continued to search the area for him, and his family has offered a $2,500 reward for information that leads to his return.

We are incredibly touched by the outpouring of hope and support that has literally poured in from the world wide community of bookcrossers. This is an extremely difficult situation for us, and every day we are faced with situations that bring Dan's absence home. Shortly before he went missing, he shared how amazing he thought BookCrossing was, and that he saw it as something that could change the world.

If you would like to help the family and search effort financially, you have two options. The BookCrossing founders have set up a fund to which you may mail checks:

The Dan Clune Search Fund
Panhandle State Bank
P.O. Box 967
Sandpoint, ID 83864

Or, if PayPal is easier for you, BookCrosser casualreader is managing online donations at his BookRelay.com site.

Thank you all again. We will do our best to keep you updated in our Announcements Forum, though you all have done a marvelous job of searching out news and letting each other know. This is understandably a hard subject for us, and we appreciate not only your prayers, messages of hope, but your hard work in keeping the BC community informed.

For more, including a picture of Dan Clune, check out this story. Mr Clune is 5'6", 140 lbs, with brown hair and eyes. It's a little frightening that someone could be with friends one moment and the next moment they're just 'gone'. Mr Clune was gettting ready to ride home with some friends and went back inside for a sweatshirt he'd left behind. Then, nothing.

Eilir raved on 11:04 Links to this post

:::

Links to this post:

  <$BlogBacklinkTitle$>  

<$BlogBacklinkSnippet$>
posted by <$BlogBacklinkAuthor$> @ <$BlogBacklinkDateTime$>

Create a Link

Comments: Post a Comment

Happy Birthday, D!!!!

And remember, 30 is just a milestone near the beginning of a long winding road taking you to all sorts of interesting places. I think this is the best decade of life (but then, I'm still on this side of 40, so who knows? Maybe it just keeps getting better?)

Eilir raved on 09:54 Links to this post

:::

Links to this post:

  <$BlogBacklinkTitle$>  

<$BlogBacklinkSnippet$>
posted by <$BlogBacklinkAuthor$> @ <$BlogBacklinkDateTime$>

Create a Link

Comments: Post a Comment

I'm being unsusually efficient

Perhaps in reaction to some screw-ups earlier this month, I have been doing some investigating, planning, and more importantly, carrying through with actions rather than hemming/hawing or otherwise babbling about it. In fact, the only person who knows what's going on is N, mainly because I've mentioned a couple of things in passing and we're working two jobs together, so I've seen her more than everyone else. I haven't really had a chance to tell D or Y about it yet, but it seems to be coming along quite nicely, and I hope they'll be supportive.

The Goal

Return to school, not to hide, not to simply survive on school loans, but to get a degree in a structured programme in an area with a lot of flexibility in terms of jobs and a growing need.

What I've Done So Far

Applied for financial aid. Spoken with financial aid about the difference in my income between last year (the records used for the application) and this year. They are sending me a budget appeal to go ahead and file. I've also spoken with the graduate school about readmission and any requirements necessary.

What I Need to Do

Fill out the application for readmission this weekend (I'm not in the web system, unfortunately). Speak with members of the two programmes (one a doctoral area, the other a graduate certificate)/visit the school. Explain my goals and how best to attain them. Gain post-bacculaureate status for spring, then apply for the doctoral programme and assistantships by January 15th for fall. Set up payment for an account so that I can register for classes. Register for two classes.

The Background

I wallowed for years in the graduate history department MA programme for several reasons 1) it was extremely unstructured, with an advisor whom I dearly loved but who did not set goals or require actions, 2) I suffered from a range of physical and mental illnesses that undermined my ability to move forward, most especially a social phobia of an intensity that oral defence of my entire career was difficult to even think about, and 3) I started right out of undergraduate work and had little life experience and maturity to help me make good decisions.

The Plan

Keeping in mind this background, I am interested in an area where I already have a firm grounding (I have a BA in this area, too) but which is a much more structured programme meant to get you in and through the course of study. The methodology is much more discrete, relying on studies, statistical analysis, etc., rather than history, which is as much art as social science. I am interested not in the theoretical aspects of the field, but the application, and that application can be done in policy making, business, government, etc....unlike history it is not limited to academia or cultural sites. Plus, I could make a real difference in the lives of others and build upon my experience within healthcare as a medical librarian. In a sense, it's a matter of coming full circle, because it's in the field I first studied in college, before going on to other areas. It allows specialisation but has wide-ranging applicability and study topics, and they never fail to excite me when I come across a new book or article that touches on it. It's an area where grants are written and obtained, articles published, and changes are instituted based on the results. And with the burgeoning multiculturalism, ageing, and cyberculture in our lives, it's become even more important.

What is it? I'll tell you eventually. But I'd like to speak with the faculty first. Believe it or not, I'm going pretty cautiously, rather than just jumping in. I've been looking through some articles outlining the field, for instance, and checking out UK's programme. Check for updates.

Eilir raved on 15:09 Links to this post

Links to this post:

  <$BlogBacklinkTitle$>  

<$BlogBacklinkSnippet$>
posted by <$BlogBacklinkAuthor$> @ <$BlogBacklinkDateTime$>

Create a Link

Comments: Post a Comment

Some e-mail humour to end the week on a fun note

From N:

16 THINGS THAT TOOK ME OVER 50 YEARS TO LEARN
by Dave Barry, Nationally Syndicated Columnist

1. Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.

2. If you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved, and never will achieve, its full potential, that word would be "meetings."

3. There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."

4. People who want to share their religious views with you almost never want you to share yours with them.

5. You should not confuse your career with your life.

6. Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.

7. Never lick a steak knife.

8. The most destructive force in the universe is gossip.

9. You will never find anybody who can give you a clear and compelling reason why we observe daylight saving time. (Ramona's editorial comment: "AMEN")

10. You should never say anything to a woman that even remotely suggests that you think she's pregnant unless you can see an actual baby emerging from her at that moment

11. There comes a time when you should stop expecting other people to make a big deal about your birthday. That time is age eleven.

12. The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age,gender, religion, economic status or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside, we ALL believe that we are above average drivers.

13. A person, who is nice to you, but rude to a waiter, is not a nice person. (This is very important. Pay attention. It never fails.)

14. Your friends love you anyway.

15. Never be afraid to try something new. Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark. A large group of professionals built the Titanic.

16. Thought for the day: Men are like fine wine. They start out as grapes, and it's up to the women to stomp the crap out of them until they turn into something acceptable to have dinner with.

From one of the ladies at Sistersound (the chorus I sometimes sing with):

Have you ever wondered why A, B, C, D, DD, E, F, G, and H are the letters used to define bra sizes??

If you have wondered why, but couldn't figure out what the letters stood for, it is about time you became informed!!

(A} Almost Boobs...
{B} Barely there.
{C} Can't Complain!!
{D} Dang!!
(DD} Double dang!!
{E} Enormous!!
(F} Fake..
{G} Get a Reduction..
{H} Help me, I've fallen and I can't get up !!

Send this to all that will appreciate it!!

They forgot the German bra...Holtzemfromfloppen!

I'm happy with mine; how about you?

Eilir raved on 11:38 Links to this post

:::

Links to this post:

  <$BlogBacklinkTitle$>  

<$BlogBacklinkSnippet$>
posted by <$BlogBacklinkAuthor$> @ <$BlogBacklinkDateTime$>

Create a Link

Comments: Post a Comment

Geek out!

Google Scholar is a new service that searches journal articles from a variety of services. It's library friendly, too, and explains to people why they can't expect to find everything online full-text for free. :) I must say, the FAQ is a particularly fun read, with questions like 'The description of my article is wrong and I am appropriately outraged. How do I have it corrected?' or 'But I need the article now and the library is closed for Founder's Day.' Check it out.

Eilir raved on 11:35 Links to this post

:::

Links to this post:

  <$BlogBacklinkTitle$>  

<$BlogBacklinkSnippet$>
posted by <$BlogBacklinkAuthor$> @ <$BlogBacklinkDateTime$>

Create a Link

Comments: Post a Comment

A great overview of DBT

I spent a year undergoing Dialectical Behavioural Therapy within a group of people with similar issues. Even though my problems weren't as severe as some, they affected most of my life and I wanted to make a change. It was very helpful. At some point I might incorporate the responses I wrote out as 'homework' into this blog (it's set up very much like a weekly seminar, with worksheets and exercises to complete). But it never hurts to review skills, and lately I've found I've been making some bad choices, not handling stress as well, and I blew up emotionally all over a friend who really deserved better, so I thought it was time to look at the exercises again. I came across DBT Self Help, which includes the worksheets and handouts Marsha Linehan (who founded DBT) came up with, with her permission to post them. If you want to learn more about this type of therapy--which essentially teaches the skills we should have learnt all along but some of were never taught, check it out. I highly recommend them.

Eilir raved on 13:36 Links to this post

Links to this post:

  <$BlogBacklinkTitle$>  

<$BlogBacklinkSnippet$>
posted by <$BlogBacklinkAuthor$> @ <$BlogBacklinkDateTime$>

Create a Link

Comments: Post a Comment

Know someone who practises self-injury?

I was looking up some stuff on DBT and found this useful link. The DBT Self-Help Guide has some good alternatives.

Eilir raved on 13:22 Links to this post

:::

Links to this post:

  <$BlogBacklinkTitle$>  

<$BlogBacklinkSnippet$>
posted by <$BlogBacklinkAuthor$> @ <$BlogBacklinkDateTime$>

Create a Link

Comments: Post a Comment

It's sad

when someone who dedicated three decades of her life to improving that of the Iraqi people is repaid for her work by being murdered by insurgents who care nothing for human life. My thoughts are with Margaret Hassan's family and friends--whether Irish, British, or Iraqi--and with those who tried to stop her murder. I think the vast majority of people, including those in the Middle East, would see this as a terrible act, and I can only hope that this sort of killing will no longer be tolerated. We need more Margaret Hassans in the world.

On another vaguely related note, I was driving away from work today when I came to an intersection where a policeman was taking the light offline and bringing traffic along our road to a halt. It was not at first apparent as to why for we sat for a minute or so with nothing happening. Then, slowly, they came.

Most funerals processions in the city are aided by the police to help keep the procession together through the various intersections. The first police cruiser was expected. But this was no ordinary funeral line, for several police motorcycles provided an honour guard accompanying a hearse followed by a painfully long line of mourners, including a fire van and a man on a motorcycle bearing a POW/MIA flag. I knew from the moment I saw the honour guard that this was the funeral cortege of Lance Cpl. Sean Langley, a Marine killed last week in Iraq. His mother is a member of the Lexington police force; his father is the assistant chief of police with the Veterans Administration. The 20-year-old--killed during his second tour of duty in Iraq--had planned to follow them into law enforcement.

Most people sat in their cars with a sort of respectful hush falling over the area. One tow truck drive about a block behind me loudly swerved into one of the side streets and sped away, unwilling to stop for a few moments. I'm not sure he could tell what was going on from his vantage point. But for the rest of us, it was a reminder that sometimes the things we rush towards are not so important, and that sometimes you really just need to come to a halt and consider what is important.

I have to admit, when I saw the hearse, I cried, which doesn't make sense, I suppose, given the fact that I didn't know Sean Langley. But I raised in a military family, and there is such a deep, ingrained fear of what may happen that these families live with every day, and it touches me even though no one in my family is currently serving. I've always abhorred war, but I've also respected the willingness to serve and sacrifice displayed by soldiers. Right then I had a terrible moment where I looked at the procession and thought to myself...'this young man died for me'. One can argue about the reasons or the folly of this war, but the fact is, those men and women serving do so because they believe in making a difference, in learning new skills, but also in protecting our way of life. Protecting their hometowns. Protecting complete strangers. It's true, we at home are not coping with the sort of chaos of a Fallujah. We can only imagine the horror that our soldiers and the civilians caught in the middle are facing. And each of us is responsible, in some way, for their deaths, because we fund the war machine, we elect the politicians who make the decisions, we send them off, and we are the reason they fight. So it's only fitting, I think, to take a moment to remember them, and to bury them with all due honour. I wish we were in a position where no more young men and women had to die. We're not, and we're not going to be for some time, so I just hope that they are given every support needed to come home safely. And even though I hate this war and in the broader view I'm not sure if this is all worth these lives, I also know that things happen, every moment, every choice, that make differences in the world, so that these deaths are not in vain. But I hope we get to a point where Iraq is stable and safe again and there will be fewer corteges bringing everything to a halt. I appreciate that we can at least safely bury our dead, whereas there are many places where families lose loved ones and cannot even be sure of paying final respects without more loss of life. So sad.