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| message board November 2006
I'm truly a geek about a lot of things: music, gadgets, Apple products, new software, TVs, stereos, science fiction stuff, cars, ... well, it's a big list. One thing that makes me completely jazzed on geekish glee, but which isn't your standard geekish area of interest, is archaeology and ancient civilizations. I could spend a lifetime visiting and learning about ancient Greece, unearthed Maya cities, sunken Viking longboats, the Sphinx , or any of a million such things. So it should come as no surprise that I'm fascinated by these two (1 & 2) new news articles. The first one, about the ancient calculator, is fascinating not only on its own but because I have followed a number of earlier theories about what purpose this device might have served, and this latest theory and its support isn't so far off, just more exacting. The second story, about the old Roman burial site in London, follows on the heels of a number of recent finds in various parts of Britain over the last two years, almost all one burial site or another of over 1000 years of age. It's amazing stuff to me, and I wish I was there to learn more as these things are examined.
Here's the other article:
Posted at 1:13 AM
Neither rain nor wind nor dead of night ...or something like that. I did a whole list of little things this morning and this evening, but the big works for the day were in the yard. I finally got out there to take care of things, despite a week's worth of delays from weather or my grandma's weakness or unexpected rescheduled appointments. As much as I hate yardwork I was fighting to get out there for most of a day so that I could trim back the last of the plants, clear up the last of the leaves, mow the lawn, and do the final wrapping up and putting away of things to be ready for winter. I stayed out there during a light rain, raked in gusting winds, and mowed the lawn as darkness took over. As a result, I ache in a lot of places, have a headache, and am desperate for a long night's sleep, but in the final analysis it was all worth it - it's finally done. So now, with today's efforts, I don't have to deal with the lawn or plants or any of that stuff until Spring is well under way. Sure, I'll have to shovel snow now and again, but I'm ready for that, and I actually have far less of a problem with that than with yard work. I'm drained, and I have a whole list of things to do in the next couple of days, but I feel like I've completed something and taken a step forward. One step at a time, slow as that may be, but that's what I'll have to do if that's what it takes. Posted at 12:00 AM
..give me some of camera 3 ... (this has to be more obscure than any of you could make sense of) Posted at 11:26 PM
While most people are facing their busiest time of year - out shopping for presents and goodies, writing and sending holiday cards, coordinating get-togethers and parties, and making arrangements for extended family to stay with them - I am facing what has become my busiest time of year as well. The difference is that while I have been (and still need to be) out shopping, and while I hope to write and send holiday cards, I'm spending all sorts of time in other endeavors - researching and filling out insurance plans for my grandma, taking my grandma to all sorts of doctor visits, getting my grandma's clothing and goods sorted and packed for her time away in Maryland and Florida, trying to get various affairs of my grandmother's in order before she leaves, trying to work in the yard around all of those things and around the poor autumn weather, and a million other little annoyances and distractions, all of which seem to have to be completed within the thirteen days left before she leaves. And of course she makes none of this at all easy because she's always late, always reminiscing (which I don't mind in itself, but it eats away literally hours at a time that could and should be being put to better (or at least more urgent) use), and always finding some way (purposefully or inadvertently) to make things even more difficult to get completed. 'Tis the season to be jolly my ass. Posted at 12:00 AM
Pickles! Posted at 1:43 AM
Two weeks! Just two weeks to freedom! (...and not a moment too soon...) Posted at 11:46 PM
I hate it that I never seem to get caught up with all of the things that need to get done. I could accept that some things - things that have to be done recurrently, like the lawn - keep needing to be done, and I could accept that some things will just come up and have to be done - like arranging new insurance for my grandma for next year since her retirement plan is changing things. It's the rest of the stuff that annoys me, the tasks I set myself or my grandma sets me. They're usually somewhat involved and take some time, patience, and/or thoughtfulness, but they are accomplishable - at least in theory. Some things that should take some time but then be able to be finalized simply won't do so. The PowerBook Saga is one supreme example of what is now over a year's nightmare. More currently is my cleaning up of my iTunes library, a project which I had thought could be done in a few days and has now stretched past weeks into months. The thing is that it's not that I let these projects languish, either failing to start them in the first place (although I do have a number of projects like that, admittedly) or starting the project but forgetting about it or turning to more important things (and I have my share of those things, too). These are projects that I start and keep working on and on and on and on. Granted, I'm not spending every waking minute on them, but seriously, I'm really getting frustrated and disappointed by the fact that I just can't seem to get anything but the simplest, smallest, least important tasks completed. Everything else is a work in project with no clear end in sight. Is this something that happens as you get older? Is it the effect of time as it appears to go faster as you get older (not that it does, it just appears that way)? Or am I less efficient, less capable even? Is my depression affecting me in ways I'm not even fully appreciating? I just don't know. I truly don't understand it, and it's come to a point where it's seriously bothering me. I want to get a lot of these various projects done and out of the way so that I can get on to other things, things that I've made wait until I could focus solely upon them and nothing else. I don't know what to do about this except what I have been doing - keep trying to get the projects done - but it's starting to seem rather futile. But then life is futile for the most part, so why am I really surprised. Ugh. I need to go to sleep. All this is making my head hurt. Posted at 12:03 AM
Gobble, gobble! Doesn't that say it all? Posted at 12:59 AM
Taking care of a 92 year old woman is no fun. When she's not cantankerous, forgetful, cantankerous about being forgetful, and determined that whether she's right or wrong you can't ever be right - even when she's not those things, she's troublesome because she won't accept that she doesn't have a young body any more and just can't do some things. Usually that means that I have to stop her from trying to bend over and pull out some weeds in a flowerbed or stop her from trying to carry a bundle of clothes up from the basement, but it extends into all areas. Today, after falling fairly hard in her bedroom just after getting out of bed, she couldn't get up from off of the floor. She doesn't fall very often, fortunately, and when she does fall she usually just sort of crumples down right where she's standing rather than just tipping over and crashing. As a result, most of the few times she falls cause no lasting problems. Today, though, after just having gotten up, where the blood would only have just gotten going in her legs, she didn't have the strength to get up from the floor, using the soft mattress and bed to try to lean against and pull up against. She apparently strained to get up from her kneeling position for fifteen or twenty minutes before calling out for me. Strange as it is, even though I can sleep through tornados and cat fights and all sorts of things, I have a remarkable ability to wake up to certain important sounds, and the plaintive voice of my grandmother calling my name is one of those sounds. I woke from sleep wondering if I'd just been hearing things, but then I hear her voice softly calling my name again, and I quickly made my way downstairs to where she was kneeling. I tried a number of ways to help her up, and she was rather resistant (as usual) to having me pick her up, but I managed to half lift her up with her pulling on me, up to sitting on the edge of the bed. Herein, however, is where this tale really starts. Regardless of the fact that she was now off of the floor, she simply couldn't stand. We would try every few minutes with mixed success, but her legs would give out and she'd sit right back down on the edge of the bed. I suspect, having had the whole day to think about it, that she strained her legs as she strained to stand up on her own before I came downstairs (she later complained that her thighs felt very tight). In any case, I sat with her on the bed for the better part of an hour, trying every ten minutes or so to stand, and each time she'd stand for a little longer but then quickly sit down, having lost the strength in her legs. I spent more time trying to keep her from worrying about all of this that I did at anything else, because my grandma works herself up and exhausts herself with such concerns, and we didn't need that on top of everything else. Finally, after standing and having her just sort of shuffle side to side near the bed, we felt she was okay, and we got to walking over to the bathroom. Once that initial foray was done and her legs were in action, we had no other problems or even anything close for the rest of the day, so that was a relief. I'm interested to see what happens tomorrow, and I certainly hope she's back to normal. I do still think that it was the shock of the fall and the stress of straining her legs that made her legs so weak for a little while, but I am still a bit concerned, so I'll wait and see. It could certainly have gone much worse, so I'm thankful that things worked out as they did. It's just one more of the fun things about caring for an elderly lady, though, and the fun just never seems to stop. Posted at 12:07 AM
Brilliant! You must listen to this album now. NOW, I say! Posted at 1:05 AM
In the middle of a very long and tedious day of tasks, I took a moment aside, on a lark, and stopped by the local Honda dealership, where I proceeded to drool all over the new 2007 Civic Si Coupes. In fact I drooled all over the Civic Si Sedan first, which is remarkable because I've never been a fan of four door cars for the most part. The Civic is simply gorgeous this year, and I want one badly. Of course short of a lottery win or a new-found career as a bank robber - neither very likely - I won't be remotely able to afford even a Matchbox version of the Civic let alone the real thing. But as we all know, I can dream ... Posted at 11:51 PM
There was actually a time when Sundays were my day to completely relax and pamper myself - a pot of tea and toast smothered in honey, followed by another pot of tea, all after waking up late (that being 10 AM, which at the time was late since I generally awoke at 6:30 or 7 AM), and all of that while switching back and forth between the political news shows for the latest interests. Just me, maybe Simon, during the few years he was my roommate, but usually just me with no interruptions, no distractions from just relaxing deep into the couch and drifting into comfort and escape from work and family and stress. Where the hell has all of that gone, anyhow? Damnit, I want back my relaxing Sundays! Right now! Posted at 1:47 AM
This is a true example of charity ... and a true example of the spirit of Christmas (the season, not the religious event). As we now increasingly see gaudy displays everywhere with red and green and millions of lights; as we see Santa being made to promote capitalism and credit debt; and as we see frenzied people treating each other poorly in their harried rush to buy presents and arrange events, remember that none of these things is what Christmas is or should be about. Christmas is about charity, humanity, humility, and brotherly love and compassion. Take a cue from Secret Santa and see what Christmas really means.
Posted at 9:21 PM
Steve stopped by tonight, since he had finished up work by coming to Sandusky to do some repairs in a local branch. We left immediately for food, as we were both famished, and chose Chili's, getting lots of yummy food in short order. We talked and talked, and when the food was gone we came back to the house and talked a good deal more. We showed each other a lot of interesting sites on the net, watched some of Star Trek II while making fun of it and quoting lines, and eventually watched the latest episode of Doctor Who. By the time that was all done it was well after 1 AM, and Steve still had a long trip back to Toledo. It was a good visit, if short, and we talked about all sorts of things in a way we haven't had the chance to do for a very long time. I'm pretty exhausted now, but it was a decent day. Sleep should come easily tonight, and I'm all for that. Posted at 3:02 AM
Will wonders never cease?
Posted at 12:10 AM
I don't have the energy for any of this. Posted at 12:01 AM
Posted at 1:43 AM
So tired ... so tired ... Posted at 11:48 PM
Are these three alumni of the same villain's school? Posted at 11:35 PM
... with thoughts of honor and gratitude for those who have given their very lives for our futures, remember on this Veterans' Day ...
Posted at 2:49 AM
What a crazy busy day, and tomorrow will be even worse, based on what needs to be done. I'm not getting nearly enough sleep to account for all of this, and I won't have any mornings to sleep in late until at least Thursday (and that's probably being optimistic). Damn, this sort of crap just really isn't worth it. Posted at 11:23 PM
Ugh! I ache horribly in my arms - some in my neck and back and even my legs, too, but my arms feel horrible. I spent the whole day raking leaves and maple tree seed pods - AGAIN -, and while I'm pleased to say that I'm now quite done all around the yard, I'm not too excited about the price I've had to pay. I hadn't really fully recovered from my last day of yardwork just two days ago, and having a few more days of this aching is not something to look forward to. Yes, I'm a whiny little bitch about this sort of thing, and I wouldn't have this problem if I weren't so out of shape. But I'd like to point out t6hat I also wouldn't have this problem if I didn't have to take care of this damned yardwork like I do. I'll survive, of course, but the aching makes me want to bitch about this a little bit. That's the only compensation I get, so you'll just have to bear with me on this. Posted at 10:10 PM
Well, I'm happy to admit that it seems I wasn't enthusiastic enough last night. Not only does it appear that the Democrats have indeed secured the Senate (as well as the House, which was pretty clear last night) and not only did they increase their number of governors to 3/5 of all of those available positions, but it looks as though the Democrats made huge strides in state and local politics otherwise, all across the country, gaining 275 seats in various state legislatures and securing one-party control in 15 states. The dumping of Rumsfeld by Bush this morning, along with Bush's rather petulant speech, was designed to refocus attention away from the Democrats and make it seem like Bush is full of a willingness to change and to make bipartisan efforts with this newly Democratic Congress, but I simply can't believe at this point that anyone saw the whole non-event as anything more than one of Bush's photo-op attempts to redirect attention and claim to be the all-knowing, beloved leader. Regardless of his claims that he accepts yesterday's Republican "trouncing" as his responsibility since he is the head of the party, I don't honestly feel like he really does believe any of that. He doesn't feel responsible, just angry that he lost his rubber-stamp Congress; and he doesn't have any intention of trying to pull together bi-partisan efforts in concert with the Congress, he's just trying to set the stage so that anytime he doesn't support bi-partisan efforts, he can claim that he offered cross=party support first but the Democrats wouldn't work with them. Yes, I am still cynical of most everything, and Bush's intentions top the lists. Experience is a great teacher, and Bush has no credibility when he suggests he can change, work with Democrats, or do the right thing. Fortunately the Democrats have the power to work for change, regardless of Bush's intentions, opposition,m or even support. The new troops are finally in place in Congress, but the war to regain the honorable America has only just begun. I look forward to the gains we can make, and the new Congress can't start work soon enough as far as I'm concerned. Posted at 11:10 PM
Even now, after Midnight, election results are still up in the air. The U.S. House looks pretty solidly to have swung to Democratic control, which is good, but they need a decent majority to better secure passage of legislation. The Senate is anybody's guess right now as the last three races are all extremely close, but even if the Dems secure control of the Senate, they will have just the barest majority, making it very tricky to pass any legislation without full bipartisan support, something I don't expect from the Republicans who already are showing disappointment and anger with the results of this election. The Democrats have done well across the country in races for state governors, and I'm very pleased that Ohio not only has a Democratic governor (rather than the Republican evangelical homophobic freak Blackwell), but much of Ohio's elections have swung Democratic on a variety of levels: governor, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, state administrative positions almost across the board, and state supreme court justices. Ohio has desperately needed a change for years from the entrenched Republican corruption machine, and now there may be a chance to turn around the myriad of things that are wrong with this state and which have made it quite a disappointment. I can't say that I'm not disappointed that there wasn't more of "a wave" that would have made for a massive Democratic sweep, but I'm also not really surprised. I do hope that starting tomorrow, though, people will look closely at the elections across the country and see what was a very positive move forward for the Democrats in general. Even where they lost, Democrats held solid races with good numbers. Many races unseated long-standing Republican incumbents; many races were close, even if they were a loss; and even where losses were significant, the Democrats still had solid percentages in most cases. I think this shows the positive effect of Howard Dean's 50-state campaign, even after only two or three years of organization. If these foundational efforts continue to be supported heartily by the DNC and grass-roots Democrats then the Democrats will only continue to see much stronger voting results in each election to come from now on. The way things stand now, I doubt I'll know any more before tomorrow morning or afternoon. These nail-biting final counts seem to be dragging out interminably, and I have no plans of staying up all night to find that they're still counting as the sun comes up. I still would like to hope for big things, but it's a rough call right now. It would be great if tomorrow turned out to be a bright new day. Posted at 12:42 AM
I am tired and numb all over - and stiff in far too many places - but my neck isn't quite as badly painful as it has been over the past few days (although it may just be the numbness overwhelming things, perhaps). I spent most of the day using a leaf blower, a rake, and what were at the time functioning muscles, to clear up our front and back and side yard and the neighbor's front and back yard. The end result is lots of leaves, lots of maple tree seed pods, a number of little twigs, and a certain amount of grass, all formed into a massive mound that covers the entire boulevard (about 20' by 8' and 4' tall). I have no small worries that the whole thing will blow apart and refill most of the yard under the influences of one gust of wind, but there's not much to be done about it - there's too much stuff to bag up, and I can only hope that the city-wide leaf pick-up will clean through our street soon. The saddest part is that even after overworking my body for many long hours, until darkness forced me inside, I'm still not done. I have more maple tree seed pods to rake up (which are a bitch, because they get stuck in the grass and won't move), and I still have to mow the lawn after all of that. I also have a number of plants that have to be cut back since they have passed their time as Autumn has hit. It looks like I'll have to spend most of yet another day to finish the whole mess; not tomorrow, as it is supposed to rain and as I have to take my grandma to a number of appointments; but probably Wednesday, much as I hate it. Hopefully I'll be better able to move by then. That would help. Posted at 8:48 PM
Fuck Nietzsche, this neck pain and migraine may not kill me, but it sure as hell isn't doing anything to make me any stronger. Posted at 8:39 PM
Posted at 10:52 PM
I've had this quite awful pain and stiffness in my neck for the past few days, giving me headaches but also pretty ugly pains in my neck in pretty much any position I'm in - standing, sitting, laying, whatever. I've used my migraine medication; I've tried Tylenols specifically for muscle pain; I've tried long, hot showers; I've tried to take it easy; I've tried to sleep longer; I've tried to eat better; I've tried stretching - I've tried a whole lot, and I'm not getting past this yet. Today has been, in all fairness, much more bearable than the last two or three days by far, but I don't like this. I've wanted - no, wanted is certainly the wrong word - I've planned to rake up the massive amounts of leaves and maple tree seed pods from the yard and mow things so that my grandma will be content, and out big maple has dropped the huge majority of its leaves in the last two days, but I'm afraid I'll really screw up my neck and back if I push things, so I've put things off, waiting for some improvement. I may be an idiot, but I think I may just try the raking tomorrow anyhow, because the work needs to be done, whether I want to or whether I feel physically up to doing it. I hate yardwork anyhow, but having no choice but to do it when I feel like hell is certainly not my idea of fun. But then again, my recent life is not really known for its fun, sad to say. Posted at 10:21 PM
Today's Washington Post has a long overdue column about the negative effects suffered by overweight people due to teasing and jokes, regardless of how well-intentioned those jibes may be. For some crazy reason people seem to realize that it's not only tasteless and mean and potentially harmful to tease or joke about someone's anorexia or bulimia right to their face (or even behind their back for that matter), but people seem clueless to the damage they do by teasing or joking about people who are overweight. The sadly prevalent opinion in this country is that people who are overweight are lazy, gluttonous fools with no concepts of discipline or self-restraint. I would contend that much of the obesity epidemic that has taken hold throughout America is a result of depression, anxiety and various forms of stress. To simply believe that 30% of the nation has become obese during the past decade or so only because one-third of the population has suddenly become excessively lazy and gluttonous is ridiculous. Today's article doesn't look at those root causes (which is a shame), but it does look at the psychological damage done by demeaning people for excessive weight, even if such criticism was intended to motivate someone to lose weight (as the article points out, the opposite effect is much more common). So be nice to overweight people - be supportive. Ask if they want to go bike riding with you or play some hoops; praise them for the things they do well or the help they give; do something to lift their spirits rather than sink them - these are things that you can do to help.
Posted at 10:48 PM
Why must people fuck with me for no reason at all? Is it really that amusing? Is it really that safe a bet that I won't kill them? Posted at 11:49 PM
Journal, by Paul Cales, © November 2006
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November 30, 2006
