from 1980-1982 during the killings, and let me tell you, there are a lot of people breathing a collective sigh of relief regarding the arrest of the BTK serial killer. He had absolutely perfect camoflauge...worked for the city and a home security company, on the surface a good church member, etc. Now, I have to admit, his picture gives me the creeps, but apparently it was a shock to his family and acquaintances.
I'm glad he confessed, and hopefully they'll be able to find closure for the victims' families as details unfold.
Born, like other comic book characters, out of an otherwise trivial but life-changing animal bite, the Rabid Librarian seeks out strange, useless facts, raves about real and perceived injustices, and seeks to meet her greatest challenge of all--her own life.
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Monday, February 28, 2005
Friday, February 25, 2005
Yay! I got a raise
I got my performance appraisal back and I'm going to get a 4% raise (56 cents an hour), which should (I'll have to check, since I have retirement and flexible spending coming out of my cheques, too) bring me back up to above my rent in one cheque. Yipee!!!
John brought this to my attention in a comment
LISNews.com Revenge of the Blog People!
I draw your attention specifically to the comments on LISNews to this, as well as the original essay.
Here's a copy of what I wrote in the comments that were originally on the post to do with Summers and his language:
Oh, and by 'us', I mean librarians--especially librarian bloggers--rather than bloggers in general, just in case there's any confusion.
I draw your attention specifically to the comments on LISNews to this, as well as the original essay.
Here's a copy of what I wrote in the comments that were originally on the post to do with Summers and his language:
Thanks John. I have read many things by Michael Gorman over the years (and agreed with most of them). He is a curmudgeonly cataloguer after my own heart. However, in this instance he really did generalise his extremely limited experience with bloggers to the whole species, something that someone used to categorising specific subjects probably 'Ought Not Do'. I'm sure he'll get more flak now. Maybe we should introduce him to library blogs. Surely he accepts that most of us do sustained reading.
Oh, and by 'us', I mean librarians--especially librarian bloggers--rather than bloggers in general, just in case there's any confusion.
Heaven help me, I found an error at Snopes
Being a fan of theirs (and urban legends in general), I naturally sent a correction. So...give up on the geeky reference? You can check it out here: Star Trek music. The urban legend page that got it (a little) wrong was at Urban Legends Reference Pages: Television (Unthemely Behavior)
Oh, Gods, does that mean I'm doubly a geek?????
Oh, Gods, does that mean I'm doubly a geek?????
Beyond Antares (yeah, I know, it's a geek reference)
5 points if you can tell me where it's from, who's involved, etc., 10 points if you can quote it. Anyway, this is also kind of geeky, and unfortunately I live a little east of the line of daylight, so I'm not sure I'll be able to see anything, even with my binoculars, but it's an interesting thing to look for, and there will be a ocuple of other occultations this year, one of which will only be visible from the South, so I may luck out then.
Stellar Eclipse: Moon to Hide Bright Star March 3
Stellar Eclipse: Moon to Hide Bright Star March 3
How to put insomnia to work for you
Since I've been on Abilify, it has had the strange side effect of making me a morning person, as in I'm waking up between 4 and 6:30 in the morning, and I don't have to be at work until 10. It also means I need to take evening naps to get enough overall sleep.
But, it's got some benefits:
Cool, but disconcerting.
But, it's got some benefits:
- Morning is a great time to clean, wash dishes, etc.
- Yoga and relaxing baths. Enough said.
- Working out at the gym is great, although I have a harder time getting my generally low heartrate up...so it's best to do yoga first.
- Studying or reading in the quiet wee hours is nice.
- Listening to books on tape can put me back to sleep.
- I'm showing up to work about an hour early.
- I'm more productive.
- I have more time to blog.
Cool, but disconcerting.
Thank you Richard Zach
for your list of Logic Symbols that incidentally bridges the differences between the MIT Course I'm studying and the Hurley book I'm using as a reference.
Of course, I said I'd finish the MIT course by March 1st. I'm almost halfway through, but I also have THREE DAYS! So you've been a great help.
Of course, I said I'd finish the MIT course by March 1st. I'm almost halfway through, but I also have THREE DAYS! So you've been a great help.
Thursday, February 24, 2005
He's right, you know...
There's been a flap over Harvard University President Lawrence Summers' comments during a speech on women in the sciences regarding other underrepresented groups:
So all sorts of people are reading all sorts of meanings into the words rather than just taking them at face value. Rather than looking at perceived insinuations into biology, I suggest people consider what most historians, social scientists, and statisticians, realise, that taken at face value, he's right, and it's backed up for social reasons. Jews are underrepresented in farming because of long years of restrictive laws in mediaeval and modern Europe that allowed them in many areas to go into certain professions like business, medicine, or law--something of a concern to Zionists wanting to settle in Israel to such a degree that groups organised clubs to teach Jews farming techniques (and it had a lot to do with the development of kibbutzim, too). Although blacks were once very much in the minority in organised sports, this is no longer the case. Whether it is because more have proved themselves capable or whether society--both black and white--tends to believe that blacks have more rhythm and athletic ability overall is of course a matter for debate. There were very real prejudices against Catholics through the early part of last century, especially immigrant Irish, Italians, and Poles, who were seen as 'dirty', 'overpopulated', and a whole host of racist stereotypes. White Anglo-Saxon business types had long-established avenues of interaction (especially men's clubs) that tended to exclude Catholics from admission either overtly or covertly (if your father had to be a member, for example, it left you out of the loop as a newcomer).
I might add one other historical note on librarians...although predominantly female at this time, it was originally seen as a man's profession, a form of scholarship that was inherited from the monasteries and universities of old. That changed with Melvil Dewey, who saw that a lot of overeducated women (who had gone to college but were not expected to do much more than work a few years as stenographers or teachers before marrying) were a virtual goldmine of knowledgeable workers. Of course, it didn't hurt that they were also cheap labour (since all those outdated ideas of paying men who are the main breadwinners more were common). Women had traditionally expected to work in service jobs with low pay. One might argue that the library as public good rather than something to be hoarded evolved through women who otherwise would have been nurses, social workers, or teachers. Ironically, as technology has become more important, and wages have begun to go up, men are entering the field again in greater numbers. I'm not sure how much of that is causal or just correlative. But as my library teacher made us aware, the profession--and just about any profession--evolves over time in sometimes unexpected ways, meeting various challenges as a result of the larger society and historical trends.
I'd liken this whole thing to the case a few years of the word 'niggardly' causing a stir despite the fact that in meaning and etymology it has nothing to do with another more sinister word, while other words (like 'gyp' for instance, which is derived from 'Gypsy' and I'm sure should be offensive to the Rom) meet no challenge because people don't give them a second thought. Why don't we focus on real problems, people, like real bigotry, hunger, illness, poverty? Goodness.
Of course, according to Newsweek, Summers' problems have less to do with this as with his alienation of the faculty during his tenure. I don't know the man, and so I can't really comment on that...I just know it's easy to read all sorts of things into simple statements when there's an axe to grind. As someone attempting to learn to think more logically, I have to look at the truth value of his statement. I don't know the figures for Catholics in banking, but regarding the others I'd say the statistics would back his statement up.
the data will, I am confident, reveal that Catholics are substantially underrepresented in investment banking, that white men are very substantially underrepresented in the National Basketball Association, and that Jews are very substantially underrepresented in farming and in agriculture.
So all sorts of people are reading all sorts of meanings into the words rather than just taking them at face value. Rather than looking at perceived insinuations into biology, I suggest people consider what most historians, social scientists, and statisticians, realise, that taken at face value, he's right, and it's backed up for social reasons. Jews are underrepresented in farming because of long years of restrictive laws in mediaeval and modern Europe that allowed them in many areas to go into certain professions like business, medicine, or law--something of a concern to Zionists wanting to settle in Israel to such a degree that groups organised clubs to teach Jews farming techniques (and it had a lot to do with the development of kibbutzim, too). Although blacks were once very much in the minority in organised sports, this is no longer the case. Whether it is because more have proved themselves capable or whether society--both black and white--tends to believe that blacks have more rhythm and athletic ability overall is of course a matter for debate. There were very real prejudices against Catholics through the early part of last century, especially immigrant Irish, Italians, and Poles, who were seen as 'dirty', 'overpopulated', and a whole host of racist stereotypes. White Anglo-Saxon business types had long-established avenues of interaction (especially men's clubs) that tended to exclude Catholics from admission either overtly or covertly (if your father had to be a member, for example, it left you out of the loop as a newcomer).
I might add one other historical note on librarians...although predominantly female at this time, it was originally seen as a man's profession, a form of scholarship that was inherited from the monasteries and universities of old. That changed with Melvil Dewey, who saw that a lot of overeducated women (who had gone to college but were not expected to do much more than work a few years as stenographers or teachers before marrying) were a virtual goldmine of knowledgeable workers. Of course, it didn't hurt that they were also cheap labour (since all those outdated ideas of paying men who are the main breadwinners more were common). Women had traditionally expected to work in service jobs with low pay. One might argue that the library as public good rather than something to be hoarded evolved through women who otherwise would have been nurses, social workers, or teachers. Ironically, as technology has become more important, and wages have begun to go up, men are entering the field again in greater numbers. I'm not sure how much of that is causal or just correlative. But as my library teacher made us aware, the profession--and just about any profession--evolves over time in sometimes unexpected ways, meeting various challenges as a result of the larger society and historical trends.
I'd liken this whole thing to the case a few years of the word 'niggardly' causing a stir despite the fact that in meaning and etymology it has nothing to do with another more sinister word, while other words (like 'gyp' for instance, which is derived from 'Gypsy' and I'm sure should be offensive to the Rom) meet no challenge because people don't give them a second thought. Why don't we focus on real problems, people, like real bigotry, hunger, illness, poverty? Goodness.
Of course, according to Newsweek, Summers' problems have less to do with this as with his alienation of the faculty during his tenure. I don't know the man, and so I can't really comment on that...I just know it's easy to read all sorts of things into simple statements when there's an axe to grind. As someone attempting to learn to think more logically, I have to look at the truth value of his statement. I don't know the figures for Catholics in banking, but regarding the others I'd say the statistics would back his statement up.
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
This blog has evolved
In The Truth Laid Bear: The Blogosphere Ecosystem, it's now a Slithering Reptile in rank, rather than a Crawly Amphibian. Woo hoo!
I feel better today
D took me home after work yesterday and helped me get some gas in the car. It had run out without any real warning this time. Grrr. Although we're all pathetically poor, she was able to spare enough to get me up to a half a tank. Yay!
Tonight I'm having her and her husband and another friend over for dinner. I'm looking forward to it. It's been a rough week or too for virtually everyone I know, so it'll be nice to just sort of chill with friends. I've made a curried bean dish and I'm going to add veggie loaf and homemade whole wheat bread, and D is bringing cookies and drinks. It's a little heavy on grains, but hey, you work with what you have, right? We're going to play board games or cards. I may actually turn on the UK-Auburn game once dinner is over, since there will two sports fanatics involved. We'll see.
I'm still getting up every morning at 6:30 (long before my alarm goes off), but I've offset it by taking naps in the evening. I may not be able to do that today; it depends...the bread machine makes the bread after I set it, the beans are ready and just need to be heated, so all I have to do is make the veggie loaf, which shouldn't take too long. I vaccuumed yesterday, and the house has been clean for a good long while, so the most I'll do is about 10 minutes of straightening and do the cat box/take out the trash, and everything's ready. Dinner isn't until 7, so I may just get a nap in after all.
D got a preview of the house yesterday, but the others haven't seen it in awhile and I've done a lot of work, unpacking books, etc., since. I'm curious as to what they think. It's so nice not to be living out of boxes anymore. I think I was afraid to unpack for awhile because I wasn't sure I could keep a hold of the apartment, the way my finances have been--and it's been close, most recently this month--but I'm happy with my quiet neighbourhood, my neighbours, my apartment seems like home, etc. I've even planted bulbs out front to come up this spring, which thankfully isn't too far away. I saw cardinals mating this morning and noticed that the honeysuckles are starting to leaf out. Spring is my favourite time of the year (although my allergies don't agree, but fall is probably worse for that). I'm a spring baby, after all, and it won't be very long until I reach two anniversaries...the eighth year since starting my job and then a couple weeks later, my thirty-eighth birthday. 38! That sounds so old, but I don't feel that way at all.
Well that's enough for now. I'm going to go eat something to start my day out well. Hope your day is going nicely.
Tonight I'm having her and her husband and another friend over for dinner. I'm looking forward to it. It's been a rough week or too for virtually everyone I know, so it'll be nice to just sort of chill with friends. I've made a curried bean dish and I'm going to add veggie loaf and homemade whole wheat bread, and D is bringing cookies and drinks. It's a little heavy on grains, but hey, you work with what you have, right? We're going to play board games or cards. I may actually turn on the UK-Auburn game once dinner is over, since there will two sports fanatics involved. We'll see.
I'm still getting up every morning at 6:30 (long before my alarm goes off), but I've offset it by taking naps in the evening. I may not be able to do that today; it depends...the bread machine makes the bread after I set it, the beans are ready and just need to be heated, so all I have to do is make the veggie loaf, which shouldn't take too long. I vaccuumed yesterday, and the house has been clean for a good long while, so the most I'll do is about 10 minutes of straightening and do the cat box/take out the trash, and everything's ready. Dinner isn't until 7, so I may just get a nap in after all.
D got a preview of the house yesterday, but the others haven't seen it in awhile and I've done a lot of work, unpacking books, etc., since. I'm curious as to what they think. It's so nice not to be living out of boxes anymore. I think I was afraid to unpack for awhile because I wasn't sure I could keep a hold of the apartment, the way my finances have been--and it's been close, most recently this month--but I'm happy with my quiet neighbourhood, my neighbours, my apartment seems like home, etc. I've even planted bulbs out front to come up this spring, which thankfully isn't too far away. I saw cardinals mating this morning and noticed that the honeysuckles are starting to leaf out. Spring is my favourite time of the year (although my allergies don't agree, but fall is probably worse for that). I'm a spring baby, after all, and it won't be very long until I reach two anniversaries...the eighth year since starting my job and then a couple weeks later, my thirty-eighth birthday. 38! That sounds so old, but I don't feel that way at all.
Well that's enough for now. I'm going to go eat something to start my day out well. Hope your day is going nicely.
Have you tried A9 yet?
It's Amazon's new search engine. They profiled it on the local news. It automatically brings up images on the right and webpages on the left. So far, it looks like it's about as relevant as Google in terms of casual searches. There are these buttons for 'site info' you can pick, too. For example, choosing it for this site sends you to: Amazon.com: website info: rabid-librarian.blogspot.com/
In-te-rest-ink, no???
In-te-rest-ink, no???
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
I'm down
and tired. Tired of feeling like I'm taking three steps back for every one forward. Tired of not being able to take care of basic needs doing what I love. Tired of being alone and working without a net. Tired of a few seconds making more difference than a whole day. Tired of lots of things.
But, I have good friends who when I'm down cheer me up, who help when they can and when they can't still help anyway. I'm healthier than I've been in years. I just wish I were in a position that wasn't quite so precarious, that I could give rather than take, at least give something other than my time, which I have a fair amount of, or my love, which is surprisingly intact. I know that the latter is the more important than checking accounts and jobs and bills and rent and all those trappings of modern life that strangle us on a daily basis. But I have to live in a world where those trappings are necessary, and I feel like I'm going under.
I need a change, desperately. So much goes back to the fact that I'm no longer happy taking less than I should. So much of my stress comes from trying to fill in the gaps left by an eroded job that I'm barely holding on to and desperately want to quit. Every time I think that it gets better, something happens to push it all back up like so much bile. I've come to realise it's not my attitude; I've changed it to no avail. It's the situation, and it's not getting better.
I know things will improve, and there will probably be some risks on the way, something I've avoided, even done stupid things over and over to avoid in the past. But I wish it would happen sooner or later.
Thanks for listening. I know it's probably just good old-fashioned whinging, but if I didn't write this up, no matter how rambling or nonsensical it seems, I don't think I could keep my head up above the water much longer.
But, I have good friends who when I'm down cheer me up, who help when they can and when they can't still help anyway. I'm healthier than I've been in years. I just wish I were in a position that wasn't quite so precarious, that I could give rather than take, at least give something other than my time, which I have a fair amount of, or my love, which is surprisingly intact. I know that the latter is the more important than checking accounts and jobs and bills and rent and all those trappings of modern life that strangle us on a daily basis. But I have to live in a world where those trappings are necessary, and I feel like I'm going under.
I need a change, desperately. So much goes back to the fact that I'm no longer happy taking less than I should. So much of my stress comes from trying to fill in the gaps left by an eroded job that I'm barely holding on to and desperately want to quit. Every time I think that it gets better, something happens to push it all back up like so much bile. I've come to realise it's not my attitude; I've changed it to no avail. It's the situation, and it's not getting better.
I know things will improve, and there will probably be some risks on the way, something I've avoided, even done stupid things over and over to avoid in the past. But I wish it would happen sooner or later.
Thanks for listening. I know it's probably just good old-fashioned whinging, but if I didn't write this up, no matter how rambling or nonsensical it seems, I don't think I could keep my head up above the water much longer.
Saturday, February 19, 2005
I'm finally going
I've mentioned this before, but this is the first month I've actually been able to go to the Lexington Scrabble Club meeting. Wish me luck!
UPDATE: It went pretty well. I played three games of Scrabble. I found out that I got on the list because the organiser had Googled Scrabble and Lexington and found a post here (a rather embarrassing post, really, so I reddened a little when I heard that). But hey, it got me out of the house, and I did pretty well considering I'm a very casual player who doesn't memorise high-score words but just have a pretty decent vocabulary. I was the only woman there this time (a friend laughed and said, 'do you realise you WERE the babe factor!' but there are normally more people. I knew one of the people from the Unitarian church years ago. Everyone was nice and I got along with them. Yeah, it was a little bit of a geekfest, but hey, it's Scrabble fanatics we're talking about. And I'll never escape my geekiness, I suspect, so I fit in just fine. I'll go next month and see how it goes. But I have to admit, it was fun, and the only trepidation I had was as a pagan entering the lair of a large Baptist church's rec building. But that turned out to be okay, too.
UPDATE: It went pretty well. I played three games of Scrabble. I found out that I got on the list because the organiser had Googled Scrabble and Lexington and found a post here (a rather embarrassing post, really, so I reddened a little when I heard that). But hey, it got me out of the house, and I did pretty well considering I'm a very casual player who doesn't memorise high-score words but just have a pretty decent vocabulary. I was the only woman there this time (a friend laughed and said, 'do you realise you WERE the babe factor!' but there are normally more people. I knew one of the people from the Unitarian church years ago. Everyone was nice and I got along with them. Yeah, it was a little bit of a geekfest, but hey, it's Scrabble fanatics we're talking about. And I'll never escape my geekiness, I suspect, so I fit in just fine. I'll go next month and see how it goes. But I have to admit, it was fun, and the only trepidation I had was as a pagan entering the lair of a large Baptist church's rec building. But that turned out to be okay, too.
Sorry to be sparse in my postings
but I've been off work the past couple of days avoiding eviction, running out of gas, and taking care of a family member who needed me. For now, though, I'm at the library releasing another book, appropriately enough, it's Fahrenheit 451. I'll post in greater detail on Monday, but suffice to say everything's doing better now, but it was touch and go crisis-wise for awhile, and I really appreciate my boss suggesting I take PTO when I called obviously freaked out. On the other hand, my meds helped me get through without breaking down more than about 5 minutes at one point, and I think that's an improvement. :)
Thursday, February 17, 2005
Another book released to the wild
HG Wells, War of the Worlds, an extra copy I had picked up somewhere.
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
This song really speaks to me
'Breathe (2 am)' by Anna Nalick from the album Wreck of the Day
2 am and she calls me cause I'm still awake
Can you help me unravel my latest mistake
I don't love him and winter just wasn't my season.
Yea we walk through the doors so accusing their eyes
Like they have any right at all to criticize
Hypocrites you're all here for the very same reason.
Cause you can't jump the track
We're like cars on a cable
and life's like an hourglass glued to the table,
No one can find the rewind button girl
So just cradle your head in your hands.
And breathe, just breathe, whoa breathe just breathe
May he turned 21 on the base of Fort Bliss
Just today he sat down to the flask in his fist
Ain't been sober since maybe October of last year
Here in town you can tell he's been down for while
But my God it's so beautiful when the boy smiles
Wanna hold him but maybe I'll just sing about it
Cause you can't jump the track
We're like cars on a cable
And life's like an hourglass glued to the table,
No one can find the rewind button boys
so cradle your head in your hands
And breathe, just breathe, whoa breath just breathe
There's a light at the end of this tunnel you shout
'cause you're just as far in as you'll ever be out
And these mistakes you've made
You'll just make them again if you'll only try turnin' around
2 am and I'm still awake writing this song
If I get it all down on paper it's no longer inside of me
threatenin' the life it belongs to.
And I feel like I'm naked in front of the crowd
Cause these words are my diary screamin' out aloud
And I know that you'll use them however you want to.
But you can't jump the track
We're like cars on a cable
And life's like an hourglass glued to the table,
No one can find the rewind button now
Sing it if you understand...yeah breathe
Just breathe, ohho breathe.
This is too cool for words
What can I say, I'm a history geek. I found the HyperHistory Online site whilst doing some research for KET. This took a LOT of time and effort to put together, obviously. If you're interested in seeing various cultures, art forms, religions, and historical figures compared to one another over time, be sure to check it out.
Monday, February 14, 2005
Saturday, February 12, 2005
I fell down
Not surprisingly, since I'm probably one of the biggest klutzes this side of the Alleghenies, but I fell up some stairs yesterday whilst taking a Rottweiler out (it always seems to involve the Rottweiler; she's just such a big girl with no sense of her own strength). Mind you, I fell on my hands, smack on my surgery scars, which was NOT fun, and really, really, really hurt. I have a bruise on my left thigh the size of my fist, a cut and lump on my left forearm, and I think I've sprained my left wrist. I also have a blood blister inside my scar on the left. Of course, that being the most recent and still-healing incision, I fell mostly on that side. But at least I kept a hold of the dog, albeit barely. :) This is why Cerys, who weighs 40 lbs and is older and pretty much just wants to roll and mosey, is the perfect dog for me. As much as I love mastiff-type dogs, I'm not sure I should ever have one, but if I do, I'd better have really good health insurance, too....
:)
:)
Friday, February 11, 2005
The Plan
I can't believe I'm proposing to do this, but...
1st Summer Session, May-June:
Work at the hospital, 8 am-noon
Program design, 1-2:50 pm, Monday-Thursday
Java I, 3-4:50 pm, Monday-Thursday
Microcomputer Applications, 5:30-8:00, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday
Work at Distance Learning, Wednesday afternoons
Plus, if necessary, take Writing I via computer (I used Honours--a humanities programme, in lieu of English when I got my bachelor's, so I never actually took English 101...don't know if they'd accept that.)
Friday afternoons: Run errands, visit friends
Weekends: Rest, study, game.
2nd Summer Session, June-August:
Work at the hospital, 8am-noon
Operating Systems, 1-2:50 pm, Monday-Thursday
Data Communications and Networking, 5:30-9pm, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday
Writing II via computer
General Psychology via computer (I never took it, despite having a sociology degree, hence all those classes that could be either PSY or SOC).
Work at Distance Learning, Wednesday afternoons
Study Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday afternoons between classes, staying on campus
Friday afternoons: Run errands, visit friends
Weekends: Rest, study, game
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!
Can we say full schedule???????? But it gets all my prerequisites out of the way for fall and I'd rather take the lower classes during the summer, where you meet almost every day, rather than the higher ones. Still, ack...thank the Gods I don't have kids, although I may be utilising doggie day care so Cerys won't be alone so much.
1st Summer Session, May-June:
Work at the hospital, 8 am-noon
Program design, 1-2:50 pm, Monday-Thursday
Java I, 3-4:50 pm, Monday-Thursday
Microcomputer Applications, 5:30-8:00, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday
Work at Distance Learning, Wednesday afternoons
Plus, if necessary, take Writing I via computer (I used Honours--a humanities programme, in lieu of English when I got my bachelor's, so I never actually took English 101...don't know if they'd accept that.)
Friday afternoons: Run errands, visit friends
Weekends: Rest, study, game.
2nd Summer Session, June-August:
Work at the hospital, 8am-noon
Operating Systems, 1-2:50 pm, Monday-Thursday
Data Communications and Networking, 5:30-9pm, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday
Writing II via computer
General Psychology via computer (I never took it, despite having a sociology degree, hence all those classes that could be either PSY or SOC).
Work at Distance Learning, Wednesday afternoons
Study Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday afternoons between classes, staying on campus
Friday afternoons: Run errands, visit friends
Weekends: Rest, study, game
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!
Can we say full schedule???????? But it gets all my prerequisites out of the way for fall and I'd rather take the lower classes during the summer, where you meet almost every day, rather than the higher ones. Still, ack...thank the Gods I don't have kids, although I may be utilising doggie day care so Cerys won't be alone so much.
This could mean the world to many diabetics
World-First Living Donor Transplant of Islet Cells a Success
A mother donated islet cells (which produce insulin) from her pancreas to her daughter, and the transplanted cells started making insulin within minutes. This opens up new possibilities for those with Type I diabetes, especially since there is less risk the cells will damaged in living tissue as opposed to cadaver donations.
A mother donated islet cells (which produce insulin) from her pancreas to her daughter, and the transplanted cells started making insulin within minutes. This opens up new possibilities for those with Type I diabetes, especially since there is less risk the cells will damaged in living tissue as opposed to cadaver donations.
Wednesday, February 09, 2005
Another one from D...where does she find these???
Subject: GIRLS NIGHT OUT
Two women, who had been friends for years, decide to go for a Girls Night Out, and were decidedly over-enthusiastic on the cocktails. Incredibly drunk and walking home, they needed to use the bathroom. They were very near a graveyard and one
of them suggested they do their business behind a headstone or something. The first woman had nothing to dry herself with she thought she'd take off her panties, use them, and then threw them away.
Her friend, however, was wearing a rather expensive underwear set and didn't want to ruin hers, but was lucky to salvage a large ribbon from a wreath that was on one of the gr aves. So she dried herself with the ribbon.
The next day the first woman's husband phoned the other husband and said, "This girl's night out thing has got to stop right now. My wife came home last
night without her panties."
That's nothing," said the other husband, "Mine came home with a card stuck to her ass that said, "FROM ALL OF US AT THE FIRE STATION, WE'LL NEVER FORGET YOU."
Two women, who had been friends for years, decide to go for a Girls Night Out, and were decidedly over-enthusiastic on the cocktails. Incredibly drunk and walking home, they needed to use the bathroom. They were very near a graveyard and one
of them suggested they do their business behind a headstone or something. The first woman had nothing to dry herself with she thought she'd take off her panties, use them, and then threw them away.
Her friend, however, was wearing a rather expensive underwear set and didn't want to ruin hers, but was lucky to salvage a large ribbon from a wreath that was on one of the gr aves. So she dried herself with the ribbon.
The next day the first woman's husband phoned the other husband and said, "This girl's night out thing has got to stop right now. My wife came home last
night without her panties."
That's nothing," said the other husband, "Mine came home with a card stuck to her ass that said, "FROM ALL OF US AT THE FIRE STATION, WE'LL NEVER FORGET YOU."
Tuesday, February 08, 2005
I wish I could bottle this
I just got out of the gym and I feel grreeaaattt! I love being able to do exercises in the pool [despite inhaling a bit of water] on top of my treadmill and bike routine, and the sauna is very relaxing. It was really crowded (they had some special event) but I didn't have to wait for machines. I just wish I could go back to lifting weights, at least with my arms. I can with my legs, of course, but I'm only up to 3 lbs. on the arms post-carpal tunnel surgery.
Speaking of bottles, I finally think the insomnia I was having as a result of not being able to get my paroxetine has finally settled down, and although it was a very productive few days (I have a nice clean home and a rearranged office) I basically crashed some over the weekend. A little OCD goes a long way, let me tell you. But now I'm up to 80 mg of the paroxetine (Paxil) in the morning and 7.5 mg of the Abilify in the evening and for the first time in a long time the brain fog that I'd put down to blood sugar or just brainlessness is easing up. I stay another week at 7.5 and then go up to 10 mg. Apparently my body needs more dopamine to stay in place. The downside is that the thing that helps me think clearer is $45, but now that I've gotten it, I can hopefully get a reimbursement and just keep paying the same back monthly. :)
I also finally got my aquarium up and running thanks to a kind soul through Freecycle who gave me a pump/filter. I have a few plants, some platies (like swordtails, but without the swords...and several are pregnant), a glass sucker that isn't a plecostomus, a betta, and ten freshwater shrimp to keep the tank clean. It is so relaxing to watch them.
I did yoga this morning and I'm going to try to make it an everyday thing. I've been waking up at 7 in the morning, before my alarm, and I've actually been coming in a little early for work because 1) I don't want to be late, since that is an issue that could cost me my job and 2) I've run out of stuff to do at home. There are still some boxes in one closet to go through, but otherwise, to walk in, everything has a place. It's heaven. And I have plenty of room for yoga, even though the entire living room is ringed with books.
I suppose that's all for now. The library will be closing in a few minutes. I sooooo miss my internet connexion at home, and I haven't a prayer of getting one any time soon. Maybe when I'm back in school this summer...I hope so. Right now I don't even have a computer at home, since John (my stepfather) is trying to breathe life into it again.
Take care. I'm sorry I haven't been updating. One, I've been a little crazy. Two, I don't have ready access to the Internet when I actually think to post. But I'll keep plugging along, and eventually I'll be back more often. Bye.
Speaking of bottles, I finally think the insomnia I was having as a result of not being able to get my paroxetine has finally settled down, and although it was a very productive few days (I have a nice clean home and a rearranged office) I basically crashed some over the weekend. A little OCD goes a long way, let me tell you. But now I'm up to 80 mg of the paroxetine (Paxil) in the morning and 7.5 mg of the Abilify in the evening and for the first time in a long time the brain fog that I'd put down to blood sugar or just brainlessness is easing up. I stay another week at 7.5 and then go up to 10 mg. Apparently my body needs more dopamine to stay in place. The downside is that the thing that helps me think clearer is $45, but now that I've gotten it, I can hopefully get a reimbursement and just keep paying the same back monthly. :)
I also finally got my aquarium up and running thanks to a kind soul through Freecycle who gave me a pump/filter. I have a few plants, some platies (like swordtails, but without the swords...and several are pregnant), a glass sucker that isn't a plecostomus, a betta, and ten freshwater shrimp to keep the tank clean. It is so relaxing to watch them.
I did yoga this morning and I'm going to try to make it an everyday thing. I've been waking up at 7 in the morning, before my alarm, and I've actually been coming in a little early for work because 1) I don't want to be late, since that is an issue that could cost me my job and 2) I've run out of stuff to do at home. There are still some boxes in one closet to go through, but otherwise, to walk in, everything has a place. It's heaven. And I have plenty of room for yoga, even though the entire living room is ringed with books.
I suppose that's all for now. The library will be closing in a few minutes. I sooooo miss my internet connexion at home, and I haven't a prayer of getting one any time soon. Maybe when I'm back in school this summer...I hope so. Right now I don't even have a computer at home, since John (my stepfather) is trying to breathe life into it again.
Take care. I'm sorry I haven't been updating. One, I've been a little crazy. Two, I don't have ready access to the Internet when I actually think to post. But I'll keep plugging along, and eventually I'll be back more often. Bye.
Monday, February 07, 2005
From D
The FBI had an opening for an assassin.
After all the background checks, interviews, and testing were done there were 3 finalists, two men and a woman.
For the final test, the FBI agents took one of the men to a large metal door and handed him a gun. "We must know that you will follow your instructions
no matter what the circumstances. Inside the room you will find your wife sitting in a chair. Kill Her!"
The man said, "You can't be serious, I could never shoot my wife."
The agent said, "Then you're not the right man for this job. Take your wife and go home."
The second man was given the same instructions. He took the gun and went into the room. All was quiet for about 5 minutes. The man came out with tears in his eyes, "I tried, but I can't kill my wife."
The agent said, "You don't have what it takes. Take your wife and go home."
Finally, it was the woman's turn. She was given the same instructions, to kill her husband. She took the gun and went into the room. Shots were heard, one after another. They heard screaming, crashing, banging on the walls. After a few minutes, all was quiet. The door opened slowly and there stood the woman. She wiped the sweat from her brow. "This gun is loaded with blanks" she said. "I had to beat him to death with the chair."
MORAL: Women DO follow instructions, so be careful what you ask for.
Friday, February 04, 2005
Thinking of this today
--I was telling D about this song, which I love...
The little boy went first day of school
He got some crayons and started to draw
He put colors all over the paper
For colors was what he saw
And the teacher said.. What you doin' young man
I'm paintin' flowers he said
She said... It's not the time for art young man
And anyway flowers are green and red
There's a time for everything young man
And a way it should be done
You've got to show concern for everyone else
For you're not the only one
And she said...
Flowers are red young man
Green leaves are green
There's no need to see flowers any other way
Than they way they always have been seen
But the little boy said...
There are so many colors in the rainbow
So many colors in the morning sun
So many colors in the flower and I see every one
Well the teacher said.. You're sassy
There's ways that things should be
And you'll paint flowers the way they are
So repeat after me.....
And she said...
Flowers are red young man
Green leaves are green
There's no need to see flowers any other way
Than they way they always have been seen
But the little boy said...
There are so many colors in the rainbow
So many colors in the morning sun
So many colors in the flower and I see every one
The teacher put him in a corner
She said.. It's for your own good..
And you won't come out 'til you get it right
And are responding like you should
Well finally he got lonely
Frightened thoughts filled his head
And he went up to the teacher
And this is what he said.. and he said
Flowers are red, green leaves are green
There's no need to see flowers any other way
Than the way they always have been seen
Time went by like it always does
And they moved to another town
And the little boy went to another school
And this is what he found
The teacher there was smilin'
She said...Painting should be fun
And there are so many colors in a flower
So let's use every one
But that little boy painted flowers
In neat rows of green and red
And when the teacher asked him why
This is what he said.. and he said
Flowers are red, green leaves are green
There's no need to see flowers any other way
Than the way they always have been seen.
Flowers are RedLiving Room Suite, 1978)
by Harry Chapin (
The little boy went first day of school
He got some crayons and started to draw
He put colors all over the paper
For colors was what he saw
And the teacher said.. What you doin' young man
I'm paintin' flowers he said
She said... It's not the time for art young man
And anyway flowers are green and red
There's a time for everything young man
And a way it should be done
You've got to show concern for everyone else
For you're not the only one
And she said...
Flowers are red young man
Green leaves are green
There's no need to see flowers any other way
Than they way they always have been seen
But the little boy said...
There are so many colors in the rainbow
So many colors in the morning sun
So many colors in the flower and I see every one
Well the teacher said.. You're sassy
There's ways that things should be
And you'll paint flowers the way they are
So repeat after me.....
And she said...
Flowers are red young man
Green leaves are green
There's no need to see flowers any other way
Than they way they always have been seen
But the little boy said...
There are so many colors in the rainbow
So many colors in the morning sun
So many colors in the flower and I see every one
The teacher put him in a corner
She said.. It's for your own good..
And you won't come out 'til you get it right
And are responding like you should
Well finally he got lonely
Frightened thoughts filled his head
And he went up to the teacher
And this is what he said.. and he said
Flowers are red, green leaves are green
There's no need to see flowers any other way
Than the way they always have been seen
Time went by like it always does
And they moved to another town
And the little boy went to another school
And this is what he found
The teacher there was smilin'
She said...Painting should be fun
And there are so many colors in a flower
So let's use every one
But that little boy painted flowers
In neat rows of green and red
And when the teacher asked him why
This is what he said.. and he said
Flowers are red, green leaves are green
There's no need to see flowers any other way
Than the way they always have been seen.
Tuesday, February 01, 2005
One last post for the night
I had to laugh at this post from Anne. Yes, it's how any self-respecting woman should feel about Colin Farrell, and most of us would still wind up in bed with him. It's certainly about how I feel about him. You want to hate him, but...
I saw Saturday Night Live (a repeat, but I'd missed it the first time) with him hosting, and I have never laughed so hard for 90 minutes as that night. Whether it was his sex tips, his rendition of Bono (yes, thank you writers of SNL, for pointing out the unos, dos, tres, catorce issue with 'Vertigo') was just dead on. His stint of commentary opposite Tina Fey explaining Alexander's bisexuality was a priceless bit of double entrendres. Sure, I know the material was the writers', but he delivered it so well, and he utterly sent up the bad-boy, sex-starved image. I loved him as the husband who didn't want to go through with the orgy at the key party. I hope Anne got to see it.
The thing about Colin Farrell is that no matter what else you may think, the dude can act, and he'll charm your pants off with Irish wit no matter how much you want to despise him. I still haven't decided how much of it's all an act and how much is true, although I lean towards the former, to be honest. Not the natural charm, that is, but the bad boy.
I must add that although I enjoy Scissor Sisters and I had actually caught that 'Take Your Mama' was about coming out to mom, I'd never quite seen them in public or realised how terrifically gay they are (well, actually, the drummer is straight)...but does very well with his ruffles, thank you. (Yeah, I know, I'm not up on my lesbian slang. What can I say, I'm a bisexual who's sung in a not-quite lesbian chorus but otherwise have mostly been around gay men whole life.) I took one look, though, and gaydar a buzzing, I felt like I was watching The Village People, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, and a host of others rolled into a rather unique package. Apparently two of the members met whilst visiting a mutual friend here in Kentucky. I'm not surprised...gee there are times I think we're the centre of the gay universe, before people go off to the coasts. Is there something in the water, I mean that makes horses strong and people hankering for their own kind? Or maybe it's just that whole Louisville, Lexington, Cinci triangle. My grandparents used to own a boat dock inside that triangle and they had many couples come up even in the 50s. I'd really like to see a gay history of the area.
I saw Saturday Night Live (a repeat, but I'd missed it the first time) with him hosting, and I have never laughed so hard for 90 minutes as that night. Whether it was his sex tips, his rendition of Bono (yes, thank you writers of SNL, for pointing out the unos, dos, tres, catorce issue with 'Vertigo') was just dead on. His stint of commentary opposite Tina Fey explaining Alexander's bisexuality was a priceless bit of double entrendres. Sure, I know the material was the writers', but he delivered it so well, and he utterly sent up the bad-boy, sex-starved image. I loved him as the husband who didn't want to go through with the orgy at the key party. I hope Anne got to see it.
The thing about Colin Farrell is that no matter what else you may think, the dude can act, and he'll charm your pants off with Irish wit no matter how much you want to despise him. I still haven't decided how much of it's all an act and how much is true, although I lean towards the former, to be honest. Not the natural charm, that is, but the bad boy.
I must add that although I enjoy Scissor Sisters and I had actually caught that 'Take Your Mama' was about coming out to mom, I'd never quite seen them in public or realised how terrifically gay they are (well, actually, the drummer is straight)...but does very well with his ruffles, thank you. (Yeah, I know, I'm not up on my lesbian slang. What can I say, I'm a bisexual who's sung in a not-quite lesbian chorus but otherwise have mostly been around gay men whole life.) I took one look, though, and gaydar a buzzing, I felt like I was watching The Village People, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, and a host of others rolled into a rather unique package. Apparently two of the members met whilst visiting a mutual friend here in Kentucky. I'm not surprised...gee there are times I think we're the centre of the gay universe, before people go off to the coasts. Is there something in the water, I mean that makes horses strong and people hankering for their own kind? Or maybe it's just that whole Louisville, Lexington, Cinci triangle. My grandparents used to own a boat dock inside that triangle and they had many couples come up even in the 50s. I'd really like to see a gay history of the area.
In the last week or so I have:
- filed my taxes (I have to pay both, bummer).
- requested that my school application be moved to the summer, since that's the first time there are classes for me to take in my field.
- applied for 2004-2005 financial aid for the summer sessions.
- applied for 2005-2006 financial aid for fall.
- checked out the various possibilities of testing out of several classes.
- totally rearranged my office at work in anticipation for some furniture from another office.
- traded a table for a bookshelf at work. :)
- picked up a filter through Freecycle so I now have a working aquarium again. Now for fish and a light...but for now I'm happy with the gentle waterfall sound in my home once more.
- continued to work on the house. Got it nice and neat only to bring out the final push of books to sort and put up on shelves. Hope to finish tonight.
- went to the gym on Saturday and am going to tonight, too.
- along with laundry, that is.
That's a lot of positives on top of the normal stuff, so it sort of trumps being broke and going psycho for about 30 minutes ('I got better' follows in my best Python voice).
KET's going to be slow this week...my boss is out of town and there really isn't much left to do...I was too speedy, I guess. But I really like the feedback she gave me on the lesson I wrote the other day. It amazes me how much people like my writing. I mean, I don't see it as that special, but even a therapist once acted like she'd been blown away by my prose when I wrote one of those, 'I'm tired of repeating so here's the story of my life.' Pity that's in my medical record...I should have kept a copy and posted it here. Still, it makes me think that if I could ever get to a point where I could rub two thoughts together for any length of time I might have a shot at writing after all. And certainly this blog is good practice.
Well, I guess that's all for now. I have a book I'd ordered at the library come in. It's Walter Tevis' Mockingbird. Tevis was a Kentucky author best known for The Man Who Fell to Earth and The Colour of Money. My writing teacher, Gurney Norman, knew him and used him as an example to take my love of science fiction and my knowledge of the South and Kentucky and blend them together. I don't know if you've ever read the book for The Man Who Fell to Earth--the movie had David Bowie--but it was originally set in this part of the country. Anyway, Mockingbird is also science fiction, set in a dystopic world where robots abound and humans are pampered, bored, and dying rather than continue in drugged bliss. Some begin to find meaning in their lives through the very near defunct act of reading. Some have described it as a sort of sequel to Fahrenheit 451. Definitely it should be on any librarian's list, so I'm going to read it and I'll review it here.
Well, that's enough for now. Take care, and good night. Oh, and happy Imbolc. Ah, to have flaming cheese!
So let me get this straght (no pun intended)
Joshua Cottrell, 23, has been convicted of the lesser charge of manslaughter for killing Richie Phillips, 36, supposedly because as they were in a motel room (and why was that?) Phillips made sexual advances towards Cottrell, who panicked, put him in a headlock, choked him with a luggage strap, and then proceeded to stuff his body in a suitcase and throw it into a nearby lake, all to protect himself from being raped or sodomised by someone who, by the way, he was already voluntarily in a motel room with, and indeed some have charged that he lured the man to his death by pretending to want sex. He could have been convicted of capital murder. I could see that they may not have been able to prove it was premeditated. But still, his actions afterwards (taking the victims money, belongings, and vehicle, attending parties like nothing had happened, etc.) make the whole thing sound fishy. The good news is that since he is already a felon due to a conviction for auto theft, he could be sentenced as a persistent felon and get a maximum of 40 years for the various charges (he was also charged with the theft of the victim's things and tampering with evidence, also felonies).
So...if a guy comes on to a woman, can she kill him without it being murder? I mean, really, the correct response is to walk away, send them packing, or possibly give them a bloody nose or bruised testicles...not kill them and stick them in a suitcase. If things go badly, there's the novel concept of calling the law and accusing the guy of date rape. Granted, most men wouldn't make that charge, and that's a shame, because it's within their rights and they're entitled to the same protections as female victims. My point is this wasn't a situation where a stranger just came out of the bushes with murderous and rapacious intent.
I knew someone a long time ago who got his face beaten in because he picked a guy up in his car (something, in my opinion, that tends to happen often precisely because society doesn't always accept a nice couple living next door having a real relationship, rather than hanging out in skanky underworld settings), had oral sex, and then the guy (much bigger and badder) beat the living snot out of him. The story (and I am ashamed that I went along with this fiction, and even defended his stupidity to my friends) was that he was 'just giving the guy a ride'. Um. No. He wasn't. He put himself in a stupid situation because of a sexual addiction and could have easily wound up dead. And I bet you that the guy who beat him up, who oh so willingly wanted someone to service him but would never admit it, would have claimed that the guy I knew attacked him. Certainly back then (this was the 80s) he would have gotten away with it. Today, sadly, he might still. What can I say, it's a crazy world.
So...if a guy comes on to a woman, can she kill him without it being murder? I mean, really, the correct response is to walk away, send them packing, or possibly give them a bloody nose or bruised testicles...not kill them and stick them in a suitcase. If things go badly, there's the novel concept of calling the law and accusing the guy of date rape. Granted, most men wouldn't make that charge, and that's a shame, because it's within their rights and they're entitled to the same protections as female victims. My point is this wasn't a situation where a stranger just came out of the bushes with murderous and rapacious intent.
I knew someone a long time ago who got his face beaten in because he picked a guy up in his car (something, in my opinion, that tends to happen often precisely because society doesn't always accept a nice couple living next door having a real relationship, rather than hanging out in skanky underworld settings), had oral sex, and then the guy (much bigger and badder) beat the living snot out of him. The story (and I am ashamed that I went along with this fiction, and even defended his stupidity to my friends) was that he was 'just giving the guy a ride'. Um. No. He wasn't. He put himself in a stupid situation because of a sexual addiction and could have easily wound up dead. And I bet you that the guy who beat him up, who oh so willingly wanted someone to service him but would never admit it, would have claimed that the guy I knew attacked him. Certainly back then (this was the 80s) he would have gotten away with it. Today, sadly, he might still. What can I say, it's a crazy world.
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