.
I received this image in a piece of spam, and thought I'd share the scare...
Monday, October 31, 2005
Sunday, October 30, 2005
Talk About Last Minute...
.
Friday 2:50 pm CDT, my son says, "Um... Halloween is Monday. I don't have a costume."
"Right, we talked about this. " I'm thinking but not saying. "It was part of a discussion about finances, age, and a lack of viable trick or treating areas."
My son continued, "I was thinking of re-using some costume parts and going as Malcolm Reynolds."
So. The Gambit coat still mostly fits, because we gave it extra room for the body armour to fit underneath. The sleeves are several inches too short, but I have leftover fabric to sew on some "cuffs" to compensate. I believe this is why people trick-or-treat after dark. Costume flaws don't show up much.
We've scavanged up a shirt that just might work. I'm scanning the internet for close-ups of Mal's coat collar, because it's a lot smaller than Gambit's collar. Thank the gods we still have the holster from last years Han Solo Costume. We have a few toy guns; and if I get time, I'll make a few grenades or a bandolier or something. That way, if people ask "Who's Malcolm Reynolds?" L can answer a character from the movie Serenity... He's heavily armed... gimmie candy.
LOL.
.
Friday 2:50 pm CDT, my son says, "Um... Halloween is Monday. I don't have a costume."
"Right, we talked about this. " I'm thinking but not saying. "It was part of a discussion about finances, age, and a lack of viable trick or treating areas."
My son continued, "I was thinking of re-using some costume parts and going as Malcolm Reynolds."
So. The Gambit coat still mostly fits, because we gave it extra room for the body armour to fit underneath. The sleeves are several inches too short, but I have leftover fabric to sew on some "cuffs" to compensate. I believe this is why people trick-or-treat after dark. Costume flaws don't show up much.
We've scavanged up a shirt that just might work. I'm scanning the internet for close-ups of Mal's coat collar, because it's a lot smaller than Gambit's collar. Thank the gods we still have the holster from last years Han Solo Costume. We have a few toy guns; and if I get time, I'll make a few grenades or a bandolier or something. That way, if people ask "Who's Malcolm Reynolds?" L can answer a character from the movie Serenity... He's heavily armed... gimmie candy.
LOL.
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
What, Exactly, Were You Looking For?
.
Yeesh. I just checked my Sitemeter. Here are a few of the jewels I've been hit with this past week:
Query: how does a target of psychic vampire attacks get a strong internal system
Reply: You should picture yourself lifting weights, but make the weights giant bulbs of garlic.
Query: pyrrolizidine alkaloids blogspot
Reply: Thank you for your blogspot-only search. It led me to many comfrey lovers, and showed just how much research some bloggers put into their writing.
Query: On the Sims Unleashed my meter bars are both filled to 100 so how do I get married?
Reply: You wait until the "propose" option appears, and click that. *note* Proper capitalization and punctuation earns you bonus points.
Query: "Make a Gambit costume"
Reply: I think I wrote out the directions last month, or something. Interestingly enough, I get hits to look at the picture of L's Han Solo costume; but nobody wants to know how to make one themselves. Gambit took a lot more work.
Query: recessive ginger gene
Reply: Exists in cats, posibly dogs... not people. In people it's at least 1 and as many as 6 variations in the melanocortin-1 receptor gene. Also known as MC1R. Despite internet speculation, persons with these functional variations are not half-aliens, the spawn of fallen angels, witches, cursed, more sexually active than others, or a separate "race" from homo sapiens sapiens. They're just people.
And there is no redhead scolarship. If there was, I'd have used it.
.
Yeesh. I just checked my Sitemeter. Here are a few of the jewels I've been hit with this past week:
Query: how does a target of psychic vampire attacks get a strong internal system
Reply: You should picture yourself lifting weights, but make the weights giant bulbs of garlic.
Query: pyrrolizidine alkaloids blogspot
Reply: Thank you for your blogspot-only search. It led me to many comfrey lovers, and showed just how much research some bloggers put into their writing.
Query: On the Sims Unleashed my meter bars are both filled to 100 so how do I get married?
Reply: You wait until the "propose" option appears, and click that. *note* Proper capitalization and punctuation earns you bonus points.
Query: "Make a Gambit costume"
Reply: I think I wrote out the directions last month, or something. Interestingly enough, I get hits to look at the picture of L's Han Solo costume; but nobody wants to know how to make one themselves. Gambit took a lot more work.
Query: recessive ginger gene
Reply: Exists in cats, posibly dogs... not people. In people it's at least 1 and as many as 6 variations in the melanocortin-1 receptor gene. Also known as MC1R. Despite internet speculation, persons with these functional variations are not half-aliens, the spawn of fallen angels, witches, cursed, more sexually active than others, or a separate "race" from homo sapiens sapiens. They're just people.
And there is no redhead scolarship. If there was, I'd have used it.
Thursday, October 20, 2005
Homecoming
.
Eep. L has a date for the homecoming dance. She said yes. It's his first date ever.
Homecoming dinner and dance- $40
Long stem rose- $3
Gas- $12
Your son on a first date- SPEECHLESS.
*edit*
Ok, it's not a date, date. It's more of a date-like thing. L has been friends with this girl since she was in kindergarden. Just recently he realized that not only is she his friend, but she's an attractive female too. Bonus!
So here's someone he already knows he gets along with, someone he can have fun with, someone his own height... a perfect choice for his first school dance.
Will they dance? I doubt it. It's more likely that they will sit at a table with his classmates, eat a lot of buffet food, and go home.
Her dad would like to come along as a chaperone. I think that's a great idea. I haven't been able to reach anyone at the school to ask if it's ok, but I can't imagine it being a problem.
.
Eep. L has a date for the homecoming dance. She said yes. It's his first date ever.
Homecoming dinner and dance- $40
Long stem rose- $3
Gas- $12
Your son on a first date- SPEECHLESS.
*edit*
Ok, it's not a date, date. It's more of a date-like thing. L has been friends with this girl since she was in kindergarden. Just recently he realized that not only is she his friend, but she's an attractive female too. Bonus!
So here's someone he already knows he gets along with, someone he can have fun with, someone his own height... a perfect choice for his first school dance.
Will they dance? I doubt it. It's more likely that they will sit at a table with his classmates, eat a lot of buffet food, and go home.
Her dad would like to come along as a chaperone. I think that's a great idea. I haven't been able to reach anyone at the school to ask if it's ok, but I can't imagine it being a problem.
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Wool
.
Let me tell you about wool. Lovely, lovely wool. I finally bought a skein of Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool to play with. I got it home and began knitting up a test swatch. It's soft and springy and knits so much easier than acrylic yarn. Just casting on was a pleasure. Then my cat came along. Hunter is a sniffer. He has to sniff every single thing that comes into the house. He sniffed the yarn trailing from my needle, then he sniffed all along the needle, then he sniffed the yarn going into the skein. He was lovin' the sniffin', I tell ya! When he got to the skein itself, he buried his kitty face in the yarn. Then he bit it and tried to run away with my brand new wool. I swear he was thinking, "Yeah, this here is MINE."
I cried out, "Hey!" and he dropped the skein and took off. I'm a good cat mommy. I knit him up a mouse and let him go to town. His sister came up, sniffed the mouse, and stole it fom him. Hilarity ensued.
When I'm not knitting the new wool, it stays in a ziploc bag. I hope that keeps the kitties out of it.
.
Let me tell you about wool. Lovely, lovely wool. I finally bought a skein of Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool to play with. I got it home and began knitting up a test swatch. It's soft and springy and knits so much easier than acrylic yarn. Just casting on was a pleasure. Then my cat came along. Hunter is a sniffer. He has to sniff every single thing that comes into the house. He sniffed the yarn trailing from my needle, then he sniffed all along the needle, then he sniffed the yarn going into the skein. He was lovin' the sniffin', I tell ya! When he got to the skein itself, he buried his kitty face in the yarn. Then he bit it and tried to run away with my brand new wool. I swear he was thinking, "Yeah, this here is MINE."
I cried out, "Hey!" and he dropped the skein and took off. I'm a good cat mommy. I knit him up a mouse and let him go to town. His sister came up, sniffed the mouse, and stole it fom him. Hilarity ensued.
When I'm not knitting the new wool, it stays in a ziploc bag. I hope that keeps the kitties out of it.
Monday, October 17, 2005
Names
.
I make up names for everything I encounter in physical therapy. There are names, of course, for the exercises and treatments... Like "ultrasound hurty-thing" and "flying saucer" (a device that's a disk mounted on half a sphere)Today I got a new one. The pillow. Um, ouch. The pillow looks at first like a blue, textured freeweight, minus the hole in the middle. But it's squishy and filled with air. It stretches the whole bottom of my foot and I have to work all kinds of small muscles to keep my balance. I tried to do the pillow one-footed. I really, really tried. And I'm not quite there yet. (sigh)
Anyway, I really wanted to talk about the other patients I meet at PT. I have names for them, too. There's Muscular Stretchy Guy. He's an athlete recovering from a shoulder injury. He does a lot of stretches. The Pink Lady does a lot of leg exercises. Some days she's the Yellow Lady. She has 2 identical sets of workout clothes. Identical except for the color. So her name changes according to which outfit she wears.
One day, I shared space with a woman who had a 2 foot scar running from her thigh to her shin. I dubbed her Major Surgery, but there's a new Major Surgery now. I met him today. He's had 2 back surgeries and has lost a lot of sensation in his extremities. It's weird to see a physically fit man struggle to lift a 3 lb. weight. For you Canadians, that's about 1 and a half kilograms.
I also met Coma Boy today, AKA I've Been Shot, "The doctor says I'm lucky I didn't lose my leg", and Mr. I Can't. I think I'm going to stick with Coma Boy. It seems nicer than Mr. I Can't. He was a little bit miffed about having to share his PT with me and Major Surgery. I didn't mind. It gave us all a chance to talk. Coma Boy wishes he could see more progress. I'm thinking that if you're missing half your calf, there are certain things you just won't be able to do. You have to learn new ways to do them, and that takes a lot of time. Our PT got on him for not doing his exercises frequently enough. Believe me, it's easy to let those exercises slide. However, the PT always knows when you've been slacking. She busted me on it last visit. She knew just the right button to push, too. She noted that my calf muscle was smaller. Grrrr.
So today I was proud to say, "I've been a good girl this weekend. I did my "lifts" several times a day." Jodie (my PT) said, "Hear that?" to Coma Boy, "SEVERAL TIMES a DAY. Not several times a month." Apparently that was the thing that might push his button. I didn't mind.
.
I make up names for everything I encounter in physical therapy. There are names, of course, for the exercises and treatments... Like "ultrasound hurty-thing" and "flying saucer" (a device that's a disk mounted on half a sphere)Today I got a new one. The pillow. Um, ouch. The pillow looks at first like a blue, textured freeweight, minus the hole in the middle. But it's squishy and filled with air. It stretches the whole bottom of my foot and I have to work all kinds of small muscles to keep my balance. I tried to do the pillow one-footed. I really, really tried. And I'm not quite there yet. (sigh)
Anyway, I really wanted to talk about the other patients I meet at PT. I have names for them, too. There's Muscular Stretchy Guy. He's an athlete recovering from a shoulder injury. He does a lot of stretches. The Pink Lady does a lot of leg exercises. Some days she's the Yellow Lady. She has 2 identical sets of workout clothes. Identical except for the color. So her name changes according to which outfit she wears.
One day, I shared space with a woman who had a 2 foot scar running from her thigh to her shin. I dubbed her Major Surgery, but there's a new Major Surgery now. I met him today. He's had 2 back surgeries and has lost a lot of sensation in his extremities. It's weird to see a physically fit man struggle to lift a 3 lb. weight. For you Canadians, that's about 1 and a half kilograms.
I also met Coma Boy today, AKA I've Been Shot, "The doctor says I'm lucky I didn't lose my leg", and Mr. I Can't. I think I'm going to stick with Coma Boy. It seems nicer than Mr. I Can't. He was a little bit miffed about having to share his PT with me and Major Surgery. I didn't mind. It gave us all a chance to talk. Coma Boy wishes he could see more progress. I'm thinking that if you're missing half your calf, there are certain things you just won't be able to do. You have to learn new ways to do them, and that takes a lot of time. Our PT got on him for not doing his exercises frequently enough. Believe me, it's easy to let those exercises slide. However, the PT always knows when you've been slacking. She busted me on it last visit. She knew just the right button to push, too. She noted that my calf muscle was smaller. Grrrr.
So today I was proud to say, "I've been a good girl this weekend. I did my "lifts" several times a day." Jodie (my PT) said, "Hear that?" to Coma Boy, "SEVERAL TIMES a DAY. Not several times a month." Apparently that was the thing that might push his button. I didn't mind.
Saturday, October 15, 2005
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
General Zod For President
Panopticon; people taking pictures of video surveillance cameras.
Print out a religious tract. Spread the word. That way, when the world ends, you'll be first in line. Muahaha.
Or, if you really want to scare people, hand out the real thing. (I'm not making fun of Christians. Really. I'm making fun of hate and fear.)
And let's not forget the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Click the link and be touched by His Noodly Appendage. Ramen!
Panopticon; people taking pictures of video surveillance cameras.
Print out a religious tract. Spread the word. That way, when the world ends, you'll be first in line. Muahaha.
Or, if you really want to scare people, hand out the real thing. (I'm not making fun of Christians. Really. I'm making fun of hate and fear.)
And let's not forget the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Click the link and be touched by His Noodly Appendage. Ramen!
Sunday, October 09, 2005
Stupid
.
The stereotype is that redheads have a temper. What isn't talked about or assumed is the consequences of said temper. So when the spice rack came loose and spilled it's contents across the stove, I had a little temper tantrum. Which resulted in broken glass on the floor. Which I stepped on. With my right foot.
No, it's not deja vu. It's a tiny little cut. Yes, I still walk around my home in bare feet. No, I will never learn.
I expect my physical therapist will laugh at me tomorrow.
.
The stereotype is that redheads have a temper. What isn't talked about or assumed is the consequences of said temper. So when the spice rack came loose and spilled it's contents across the stove, I had a little temper tantrum. Which resulted in broken glass on the floor. Which I stepped on. With my right foot.
No, it's not deja vu. It's a tiny little cut. Yes, I still walk around my home in bare feet. No, I will never learn.
I expect my physical therapist will laugh at me tomorrow.
DARPA Grand Challenge
.
I haven't watched any news since Thursday, so I completely missed the DARPA Grand Challenge. (sigh) As of this posting, 4 vehicles have run the entire course and TerraMax is still on the move. TerraMax was one of my favorites from last year.
Another favorite of mine is the team from Palos Verdes High School. Because I don't think colleges and businesses should have all the fun. Unfortunately, their vehicle -the Doom Buggy- hit a parked car on Friday during a trial run, and didn't make it to the Grand Challenge. It's a shame, too. I wanted to see the highschoolers win.
The Spirit Of Christianity made it to the national qualifying event, but didn't go on to the Challenge itself. At first, I wondered what possessed a bunch of Christians to create a machine of war. I mean, the whole purpose of the DARPA Grand Challenge is to forward the technology on unmanned vehicles. It's sponsored by the Department of Defense. It's so that we can go wage war without risking the lives of American soldiers. Yet, war includes death. I thought Christians are pro-life...
Anyway, when I got to their website, I simply enjoyed all their lovely pictures. I guess geeks come in all religions. Shame on me for my bias. :(
About the winners:
GrayBot began it's life as a Ford Escape hybrid SUV and finished the course in 10 hours, 18 minutes.
H1ghlander left the factory in 1999 as a diesel powered Hummer. It ran the course in 10 hours and 4 minutes.
Sandstorm completed the course in just under 10 hours, coming very close to winning the two million dollar prize. Which just goes to show that a HMMWV from 1986 can still get the job done. Now if they could make one that runs on something other than gasoline...
And the winner is... Stanley! This diesel powered VW Touareg ran the entire 132 miles in 9 hours and 56 minutes. Kudos to Stanford's School of Engineering for their hard work and successful run!
.
I haven't watched any news since Thursday, so I completely missed the DARPA Grand Challenge. (sigh) As of this posting, 4 vehicles have run the entire course and TerraMax is still on the move. TerraMax was one of my favorites from last year.
Another favorite of mine is the team from Palos Verdes High School. Because I don't think colleges and businesses should have all the fun. Unfortunately, their vehicle -the Doom Buggy- hit a parked car on Friday during a trial run, and didn't make it to the Grand Challenge. It's a shame, too. I wanted to see the highschoolers win.
The Spirit Of Christianity made it to the national qualifying event, but didn't go on to the Challenge itself. At first, I wondered what possessed a bunch of Christians to create a machine of war. I mean, the whole purpose of the DARPA Grand Challenge is to forward the technology on unmanned vehicles. It's sponsored by the Department of Defense. It's so that we can go wage war without risking the lives of American soldiers. Yet, war includes death. I thought Christians are pro-life...
Anyway, when I got to their website, I simply enjoyed all their lovely pictures. I guess geeks come in all religions. Shame on me for my bias. :(
About the winners:
GrayBot began it's life as a Ford Escape hybrid SUV and finished the course in 10 hours, 18 minutes.
H1ghlander left the factory in 1999 as a diesel powered Hummer. It ran the course in 10 hours and 4 minutes.
Sandstorm completed the course in just under 10 hours, coming very close to winning the two million dollar prize. Which just goes to show that a HMMWV from 1986 can still get the job done. Now if they could make one that runs on something other than gasoline...
And the winner is... Stanley! This diesel powered VW Touareg ran the entire 132 miles in 9 hours and 56 minutes. Kudos to Stanford's School of Engineering for their hard work and successful run!
Saturday, October 08, 2005
No Kidding
.
There I was, driving down the highway, when this large yellow truck pulled in front of me. I caught a flash of something shiny and thought, "What the hell?"
Then I started laughing.
These things were swinging beneath the truck.
I'm not sure why the owner opted for silver. I would have gotten brass, myself. I mean, after all; if I want to make a statement about the toughness of my vehicle, I'd opt for balls of solid brass.
.
There I was, driving down the highway, when this large yellow truck pulled in front of me. I caught a flash of something shiny and thought, "What the hell?"
Then I started laughing.
These things were swinging beneath the truck.
I'm not sure why the owner opted for silver. I would have gotten brass, myself. I mean, after all; if I want to make a statement about the toughness of my vehicle, I'd opt for balls of solid brass.
Monday, October 03, 2005
The Wait Is Over!
And the prognosis is good.
What happened was, my stepfather-in-law (henceforth called SFIL) has been feeling tired for a while. He weighs himself every day and has maintained the same weight for decades. He lost 6 pounds in 3 days. So he went to the doctor. A CT scan showed a mass in his abdomen, about 11 cm long, 11 cm deep and 2 1/2 cm high. That's a good sized tumor. They removed it today along with his spleen, an adrenal gland and part of his pancreas. It does not appear to have metastisized. His prognosis is very, very good.
I'm so relieved!
And the prognosis is good.
What happened was, my stepfather-in-law (henceforth called SFIL) has been feeling tired for a while. He weighs himself every day and has maintained the same weight for decades. He lost 6 pounds in 3 days. So he went to the doctor. A CT scan showed a mass in his abdomen, about 11 cm long, 11 cm deep and 2 1/2 cm high. That's a good sized tumor. They removed it today along with his spleen, an adrenal gland and part of his pancreas. It does not appear to have metastisized. His prognosis is very, very good.
I'm so relieved!
Saturday, October 01, 2005
Waiting Is Hard
.
I got some news last night that a family member probably has cancer. We won't know how bad it is until after surgery on Monday. There's so much I want to say, and so much I don't want to say publicly. I love this person. I don't want them to suffer. I don't want them to die. And waiting for Monday is hard.
.
I got some news last night that a family member probably has cancer. We won't know how bad it is until after surgery on Monday. There's so much I want to say, and so much I don't want to say publicly. I love this person. I don't want them to suffer. I don't want them to die. And waiting for Monday is hard.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
