Friday, December 28, 2001
Thursday, December 27, 2001
Wednesday, December 26, 2001
Tuesday, December 25, 2001
Monday, December 24, 2001
Sunday, December 23, 2001
Saturday, December 22, 2001
Friday, December 21, 2001
Thursday, December 20, 2001
Wednesday, December 19, 2001
Tuesday, December 18, 2001
Monday, December 17, 2001
Sunday, December 16, 2001
Saturday, December 15, 2001
Friday, December 14, 2001
Thursday, December 13, 2001
Wednesday, December 12, 2001
Tuesday, December 11, 2001
Tuesday, December 11, 2001
I got out of my self-centered funk for a
moment to think about the thousands of lives that were irrevocably changed 3
months ago. I didn't want to muse too much because then I would have
started crying a lot. And, back into a migraine.
Monday, December 10, 2001
Sunday, December 9, 2001
Sunday, December 9, 2001
Still no Christmas Tree for us....I had to do
an Imitrex injection. Oowwwwie!
Saturday, December 8, 2001
Friday, December 7, 2001
Thursday, December 6, 2001
Wednesday, December 5, 2001
Wednesday, December 5, 2001
Wow, I just cannot shake this migraine.
And, today it is getting so much worse!!!!! Owwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tuesday, December 4, 2001
Tuesday, December 4, 2001
As you might have guessed from all of my
previous short entries, I'm still quite caught up in
Dark Age of Camelot.
They did a major patch today and changed bunches of stuff (that's
descriptive, aye?).
Monday, December 3, 2001
Sunday, December 2, 2001
Saturday, December 1, 2001
Friday, November 30, 2001
Thursday, November 29, 2001
Wednesday, November 28, 2001
Tuesday, November 27, 2001
Monday, November 26, 2001
Sunday, November 25, 2001
Sunday, November 25, 2001
I have officially turned into a gaming geek.
It's not a fluke. I played the game again today for hours.
Galahad & I switched off, although now, I'm wondering if I can run it on 2
PCs simultaneously and how much that might cost.
I bet you're wondering which game. It's Dark Age of Camelot, an online role-playing game. Sounds silly & weird, huh? Somehow, there's lots of fun mixed in also. Plus, it's nice to "see" my brother online.
Gaming --- it's not just for geeks anymore. Or, I'm deep in denial and a complete GEEK! Maybe I haven't quite crossed the line fully. I haven't joined a guild in the game. They have real-life websites, etc. for those. Some people must really pour hundreds of hours into learning this whole culture.
By the way, I'm a Level 6 Blademaster! Sounds way cool, aye?
I bet you're wondering which game. It's Dark Age of Camelot, an online role-playing game. Sounds silly & weird, huh? Somehow, there's lots of fun mixed in also. Plus, it's nice to "see" my brother online.
Gaming --- it's not just for geeks anymore. Or, I'm deep in denial and a complete GEEK! Maybe I haven't quite crossed the line fully. I haven't joined a guild in the game. They have real-life websites, etc. for those. Some people must really pour hundreds of hours into learning this whole culture.
By the way, I'm a Level 6 Blademaster! Sounds way cool, aye?
Saturday, November 24, 2001
Saturday, November 24, 2001
My brother in Seattle invited Galahad to play
some online game that kind of sounded a little silly or weird to me. I
installed it and helped get him all set up. I even ended up listening
to my brother's tutorial on the phone for 2 hours. And, sad to say,
now I'm hooked.
Friday, November 23, 2001
Friday, November 23, 2001
some helpful holiday links, especially for those
whose pockets may not be as full as they might like.
Get Organized for Christmas
Frugal Moms : Gifts to Make
Home-Made Christmas Gifts
Frugal Christmas Stocking Stuffers
Christmas! ...Frugal Living
A Simple Holiday to You
Get Organized for Christmas
Frugal Moms : Gifts to Make
Home-Made Christmas Gifts
Frugal Christmas Stocking Stuffers
Christmas! ...Frugal Living
A Simple Holiday to You
Thursday, November 22, 2001
Wednesday, November 21, 2001
Tuesday, November 20, 2001
Monday, November 19, 2001
Sunday, November 18, 2001
Sunday, November 18, 2001
The combination of my chiropractic visit, more
meds, and some sleep has helped so far. I did wake up several times
last night, so it wasn't quite a good night's sleep. The good side of
that is that I was awake to watch part of the Leonid Meteor shower. Trés
cool!
Saturday, November 17, 2001
Saturday, November 17, 2001
OMG! Blistering migraine from visiting the
mall! It will be a LONG time before I do that again. None of my
medications worked. I had to pay an emergency visit to my
chiropractor, also (thanks, Doc!).
Friday, November 16, 2001
Friday, November 16, 2001
Find out how well you'll be able to see the
Leonid Meteor shower this weekend using this
tool.
The Moonlit Road
Eveline Frings
The Moonlit Road
Eveline Frings
Thursday, November 15, 2001
Wednesday, November 14, 2001
Tuesday, November 13, 2001
Monday, November 12, 2001
Sunday, November 11, 2001
Sunday, November 11, 2001
Day Four:
We opted not to go to a park today but rather visit the birds at the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey, for which Galahad is an adoptive parent.
Then, off to lunch at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. We had been told that it's a great place to stay but the prices were a little too high for my taste. So, we enjoyed the facilities without having to pay much for them, only an overpriced lunch. This really is a fabulous place. The animals are taught to graze right near the scenic overlooks built into the hotel. One of the guides there, a young Kenyan man, explained to us that all of these animals were born into captivity. If it's true, then these animals must be happier than where they were previously living --- in a cage.
We opted not to go to a park today but rather visit the birds at the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey, for which Galahad is an adoptive parent.
Then, off to lunch at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. We had been told that it's a great place to stay but the prices were a little too high for my taste. So, we enjoyed the facilities without having to pay much for them, only an overpriced lunch. This really is a fabulous place. The animals are taught to graze right near the scenic overlooks built into the hotel. One of the guides there, a young Kenyan man, explained to us that all of these animals were born into captivity. If it's true, then these animals must be happier than where they were previously living --- in a cage.
Saturday, November 10, 2001
Saturday, November 10, 2001
Day Three:
Today is EPCOT day. Serendipity! It's the 6th annual International Food & Wine Festival.
My blister & migraine are progressing along nicely. Luckily, Galahad is in Seventh Heaven with his Disney experience!
Today is EPCOT day. Serendipity! It's the 6th annual International Food & Wine Festival.
My blister & migraine are progressing along nicely. Luckily, Galahad is in Seventh Heaven with his Disney experience!
Friday, November 9, 2001
Friday, November 9, 2001
Day Two:
Not as early of a start for the Magic Kingdom. All of the tourists start out early. One hour later, there is no line. We took the ferry over and met some English soccer players.
We visited the Swiss Family Treehouse. Then, off to the Pirates of the Caribbean. I was still taking medication for my migraine and trying to time the rides so as not to get sicker when the meds were in full effect. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad kicked my ass! Vertigo was all over me after that, but after a few gulps of water, I was feeling better. I was terrified to conquer Splash Mountain but felt that I should face my fears head on. We got a FASTPASS® for that as it appeared to be a very popular ride. So far, we had not waited in any lines longer than 20 minutes.
Dinner at Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe. Yummy hamburger topping bar with a plethora of choices.
I started to get a blister on my toe. And my head is still hurting.
Other than that, we had a marvelous time. Galahad especially loved It's A Small World. And, I ooohhed & aaahhed about
the fireworks over
Cinderella's Castle.
Not as early of a start for the Magic Kingdom. All of the tourists start out early. One hour later, there is no line. We took the ferry over and met some English soccer players.
We visited the Swiss Family Treehouse. Then, off to the Pirates of the Caribbean. I was still taking medication for my migraine and trying to time the rides so as not to get sicker when the meds were in full effect. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad kicked my ass! Vertigo was all over me after that, but after a few gulps of water, I was feeling better. I was terrified to conquer Splash Mountain but felt that I should face my fears head on. We got a FASTPASS® for that as it appeared to be a very popular ride. So far, we had not waited in any lines longer than 20 minutes.
Dinner at Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe. Yummy hamburger topping bar with a plethora of choices.
I started to get a blister on my toe. And my head is still hurting.
Other than that, we had a marvelous time. Galahad especially loved It's A Small World.
Thursday, November 8, 2001
Thursday, November 8, 2001
Galahad & I left for Orlando last night for his
super, Park-hopper spectacular, spectro-magical, illumination, adopted
raptor, Cirque du Soleil, perfect Happy Birthday weekend in circle vision.
Day One:
Early start for Animal Kingdom. The weather couldn't have been any better with a note from Mother Nature.
However, I've been fighting a migraine since yesterday. Today, I took lots of medication with me to the park. It turns out I needed it all! Maybe the exotic flora & fauna contributed to my demise.
I especially liked the fruit bat exhibit. Fascinating creatures. And the Dinosaur ride was lots of fun. We were warned that the Kali River Rapids would get us soaked, but Galahad's good joss kept us nice & dry. Everyone else in our raft was drenched.
Dinner at Bongo's.
Then, the late show of Cirque du Soleil's La Nouba, which was stupendous.
Day One:
Early start for Animal Kingdom. The weather couldn't have been any better with a note from Mother Nature.
However, I've been fighting a migraine since yesterday. Today, I took lots of medication with me to the park. It turns out I needed it all! Maybe the exotic flora & fauna contributed to my demise.
I especially liked the fruit bat exhibit. Fascinating creatures. And the Dinosaur ride was lots of fun. We were warned that the Kali River Rapids would get us soaked, but Galahad's good joss kept us nice & dry. Everyone else in our raft was drenched.
Dinner at Bongo's.
Then, the late show of Cirque du Soleil's La Nouba, which was stupendous.
Wednesday, November 7, 2001
Wednesday, November 7, 2001
The "Big O Hike" on the Florida National Scenic Trail around Lake Okeechobee will begin November 17, at South Bay Campground & RV Resort in Palm Beach County, Florida, and end up nine days later on November 25 -- right back where it started.
Hiking around Lake Okeechobee atop the 35 foot high Herbert Hoover Dike can be done at one's own pace. Not everyone has the time nor stamina to complete this nine-day 110-mile odyssey. It's up to the individual to decide whether to hike a day, a weekend, or the full nine days.
People can join in any time. This hike is not a backpacking ordeal. Gear is left behind in campgrounds or motels and only day packs are needed. Daily hikes are held in the early part of the day and afternoons are for relaxing or sightseeing. Dinners are usually enjoyed at a variety of local restaurants and Thanksgiving Dinner is celebrated at the historic Clewiston Inn.
For information, contact:
Hike Leader - Sundra "Sunny" Piskura or call (561) 439-4381
Hike Coordinator - Paul Cummings or call at (561) 734-4416
Florida Trail Assoc. HQ - Gainesville, FL 1-800-343-1882
Satellite image of Lake Okeechobee
Monday, November 5, 2001
Sunday, November 4, 2001
Sunday, November 4, 2001
We're all anxiously awaiting the fate of
Hurricane Michelle with bated breath. It looks like, at the minimum,
we will get hit by the outer bands, with winds between 39 - 56 mph. Do
I bring in the potted plants in case the wind launches them like missiles?
Or leave them out and let them get a good watering? Today is also the
second anniversary of my mother's death. That feels kind of weird.
I'm not sure how I feel about it, which is the weird part.
Saturday, November 3, 2001
Friday, November 2, 2001
Thursday, November 1, 2001
Thursday, November 1, 2001
Alternative
Health Resource
Well, my chiropractor wasn't as pleased with my yoga progress as I was. Apparently, I threw myself all out of alignment. He did encourage me to continue but to go easier. Somehow, I never can take the easy way --- I feel cheated.
Well, my chiropractor wasn't as pleased with my yoga progress as I was. Apparently, I threw myself all out of alignment. He did encourage me to continue but to go easier. Somehow, I never can take the easy way --- I feel cheated.
Wednesday, October 31, 2001
Wednesday, October 31, 2001
Happy Halloween! I went to my second yoga class last night. I'm feeling better about it and I'm not as sore as I was last week.
Tuesday, October 30, 2001
Monday, October 29, 2001
Sunday, October 28, 2001
Saturday, October 27, 2001
Saturday, October 27, 2001
We stayed out way too late last night. I'm
completely used to my eight hours of sleep and got only 7. That messed
me all up. After a few hours of lounging in bed watching cartoons, I
mustered the energy to go outside. And, what a gorgeous day! The
temperature dropped down to the 70s, and the wind kicked up nicely.
Around 2-ish, Galahad & I decided to go to Morikami park. We had been meaning to go for years now. Wow! We loved it but ended up rushed since they close at 5pm.
On the way home, we dropped by my brother's house to network his computers together. It was my first experience with a Linksys router and with Windows XP. This was trickier than I expected. Fortunately, we got his Internet connectivity up but were unable to sustain shared folder & printer connectivity.
Around 2-ish, Galahad & I decided to go to Morikami park. We had been meaning to go for years now. Wow! We loved it but ended up rushed since they close at 5pm.
On the way home, we dropped by my brother's house to network his computers together. It was my first experience with a Linksys router and with Windows XP. This was trickier than I expected. Fortunately, we got his Internet connectivity up but were unable to sustain shared folder & printer connectivity.
Friday, October 26, 2001
Friday, October 26, 2001
We went to Gigi's
at Mizner Park for dinner tonight. We were meeting up with friends,
otherwise we never would have gone here. It's very much the social
who's being seen with whom and wearing what scene. Anyway, I was
extremely entertained and very happy that I don't care about this scene
anymore. Galahad ran into an old friend of his. Hopefully, they'll
stay in better touch this time.
Wednesday, October 24, 2001
Wednesday, October 24, 2001
I went to a beginner's yoga class last night
with a friend. Man, that kicked my ass! I am so sore today, but
a good sore. Who knew I had all of these muscles in all of these
places?!
Tuesday, October 23, 2001
Monday, October 22, 2001
Sunday, October 21, 2001
Saturday, October 20, 2001
Saturday, October 20, 2001
Galahad & I went to a fruit tree sale.
While we were trying to decide which of the three (if any) coconut palm
trees to buy, some man came by and took two. Of course that decided it
for us. As soon as I picked myself off of the ground from laughing so
hard, we took the little one who was left. I named her Mei-Lin.
Afterwards, on our way home we passed by a grand opening for a sushi
buffet. Normally, I don't care for those, but I was starving.
Plus, I figured they would have their best quality fish to make a good
impression. We ate soooo much. Yummy!
Friday, October 19, 2001
Thursday, October 18, 2001
Thursday, October 18, 2001
Make your own greeting cards
Card Inspirations
sex education site for teens
blood alcohol content calculator
sex education site for teens
blood alcohol content calculator
Wednesday, October 17, 2001
Wednesday, October 17, 2001
ONE
(author unknown)
As the soot and dirt and ash rained down, We became one color.
As we carried each other down the stairs of the burning building, We became one class.
As we lit candles of waiting and hope, We became one generation.
As the firefighters and police officers fought their way into the inferno, We became one gender.
As we fell to our knees in prayer for strength, We became one faith.
As we whispered or shouted words of encouragement, We spoke one language.
As we gave our blood in lines a mile long, We became one body.
As we mourned together the great loss, We became one family.
As we cried tears of grief and loss, We became one soul.
As we retell with pride of the sacrifice of heroes, We become one people.
We are.......
One color
One class
One generation
One gender
One faith
One language
One body
One family
One soul
One people
We are The Power of One. We are United. We are America.
(author unknown)
As the soot and dirt and ash rained down, We became one color.
As we carried each other down the stairs of the burning building, We became one class.
As we lit candles of waiting and hope, We became one generation.
As the firefighters and police officers fought their way into the inferno, We became one gender.
As we fell to our knees in prayer for strength, We became one faith.
As we whispered or shouted words of encouragement, We spoke one language.
As we gave our blood in lines a mile long, We became one body.
As we mourned together the great loss, We became one family.
As we cried tears of grief and loss, We became one soul.
As we retell with pride of the sacrifice of heroes, We become one people.
We are.......
One color
One class
One generation
One gender
One faith
One language
One body
One family
One soul
One people
We are The Power of One. We are United. We are America.
Tuesday, October 16, 2001
Monday, October 15, 2001
Sunday, October 14, 2001
Sunday, October 14, 2001
I've been fighting a horrible migraine all weekend. There are little empty Imitrex wrappers all over the house. Galahad keeps discovering them in the oddest places. Usually, when I grab one, I need to distract myself until it kicks in.
We went to the Everglades in the afternoon. Galahad wanted to go on a canoe trip, but I wasn't quiet up for it, either mentally or physically. The gators really freak me out.
The water level is finally near normal. It was so high that we saw only one large gator and two babies. The rest must have made their way back to deeper parts. Mostly, we saw some cool birds and turtles. Fortunately, it's not grasshopper season anymore. We saw only 3. Those freak me out worse than the gators, I think. Here's a photo, taken by a great nature photographer whose name escapes me right now. (If you're him, I meant to give you credit.)
By the way, depending on your display settings, these are actual size. They're very large! Last time, they covered the ground and were hopping all over like a plague of locusts. They also come in bright red colorings.
We went to the Everglades in the afternoon. Galahad wanted to go on a canoe trip, but I wasn't quiet up for it, either mentally or physically. The gators really freak me out.
The water level is finally near normal. It was so high that we saw only one large gator and two babies. The rest must have made their way back to deeper parts. Mostly, we saw some cool birds and turtles. Fortunately, it's not grasshopper season anymore. We saw only 3. Those freak me out worse than the gators, I think. Here's a photo, taken by a great nature photographer whose name escapes me right now. (If you're him, I meant to give you credit.)
By the way, depending on your display settings, these are actual size. They're very large! Last time, they covered the ground and were hopping all over like a plague of locusts. They also come in bright red colorings.
Saturday, October 13, 2001
Friday, October 12, 2001
Thursday, October 11, 2001
Thursday, October 11, 2001
Well, it's been a month since this horrible new world started. It's gotten so many people closer together and more appreciative of what we have. However, the flip side of that is that it takes the fear of loss to make one appreciative of what one has or had. It really sucks to live in a fearful state at least once a day. I'm not terrified, but I'm a lot more suspicious and paranoid now, especially with this whole anthrax exposure so close by. Anthrax explained by the CDC
Wednesday, October 10, 2001
Wednesday, October 10, 2001
I'm really excited to find out that we have a
NOBU
sushi restaurant in South Beach now. However, I am a little
nervous that my checkbook is not large enough to cover my habit. My
only saving grace is that it's about 45 minutes away, and you all know how
much I hate to drive, especially when I'm hungry.
Tuesday, October 9, 2001
Monday, October 8, 2001
Sunday, October 7, 2001
Saturday, October 6, 2001
Friday, October 5, 2001
Friday, October 5, 2001
All About the Florida Panther
Photo
Fact Sheet
Society
Habitat & Highways Campaign
Official education site A Vanishing Carnivore
Photo
Fact Sheet
Society
Habitat & Highways Campaign
Official education site A Vanishing Carnivore
Thursday, October 4, 2001
Wednesday, October 3, 2001
Tuesday, October 2, 2001
Monday, October 1, 2001
Saturday, September 29, 2001
Friday, September 28, 2001
Thursday, September 27, 2001
Wednesday, September 26, 2001
Monday, September 24, 2001
monday, september 24, 2001
my first day of new class. I'm still not
sure if I like my instructor or not. I'm reserving judgment.
Some of the students also leave something to be desired. I'm quite the
Negative Nancy today, huh? it must be the migraine I've had for days
now.
Wednesday, September 19, 2001
Tuesday, September 18, 2001
tuesday, september 18, 2001
don't everyday activities feel trivial?
I'm constantly adding new sites to those mentioned below, such as charities, tributes, etc.
I'm constantly adding new sites to those mentioned below, such as charities, tributes, etc.
Monday, September 17, 2001
monday, september 17, 2001
I haven't felt like posting these past few days. I haven't really felt like doing much of anything these past few days. I have always been the "sensitive" one in my family. Lately, it's all been too much for me. And then, I feel guilty about being sad because I didn't personally know anyone who died in these attacks. But, I have been watching and reading about all of their stories. And, I've been crying along with them all.
It seems that the U.S. is in a chess game for our lives. Every move we make right now has to be thought out to the end of the game. And, there doesn't appear to be any right answers.
To me, the most obvious answer is to help them to help themselves, but...
If we help the Afghani rebels overthrow Usama bin Laden and the Taliban, then are we back to where we were 20 years ago when we helped bin Laden do the same to the Russians? Did we just piss off or mortally offend some other extremist in the process?
It seems that the U.S. is in a chess game for our lives. Every move we make right now has to be thought out to the end of the game. And, there doesn't appear to be any right answers.
To me, the most obvious answer is to help them to help themselves, but...
If we help the Afghani rebels overthrow Usama bin Laden and the Taliban, then are we back to where we were 20 years ago when we helped bin Laden do the same to the Russians? Did we just piss off or mortally offend some other extremist in the process?
Sunday, September 16, 2001
sunday, september 16, 2001
Charities Review Council
American Institute of Philanthropy - charity watchdog group
Charities:
Red Cross
September 11th Fund
NY Times Neediest
Int'l Assoc. of Fire Fighters
TechTV assisting the Red Cross
AmeriCares
Give for Change
New York State World Trade Center Relief Fund
Mercy Corp Animal Disaster Relief Fund
American Institute of Philanthropy - charity watchdog group
Charities:
Red Cross
September 11th Fund
NY Times Neediest
Int'l Assoc. of Fire Fighters
TechTV assisting the Red Cross
AmeriCares
Give for Change
New York State World Trade Center Relief Fund
Mercy Corp Animal Disaster Relief Fund
Saturday, September 15, 2001
saturday, september 15, 2001
We Evacuate
By
Mary Marsicano
September 11, 2001
Both towers? Yeah? Both,
No two planes, I said two planes.
Accident? No fuckin' way,
two at once, impossible.
They got what? Oh Jesus!
Are you sure? The Pentagon?
Joe, hey, Joe, they got the Pentagon
What? What? I asked him? Who?
Two planes, he said, one right after the other?
What? I asked again, unable to comprehend
To admit what I feared I had comprehended
Two planes slammed into the two towers,
One into the Pentagon, one down near
Camp David. Hijacked, and
there's more not accounted for.
More? More?
More hijacked planes he said.
Whose planes, our planes? Military planes?
Commercial, commercial, outta Boston,
Boston? Oh my God, Boston? Dave's in
Boston, his home office is here. What if?
What if? What if? Oh, God, A phone,
I need a phone, I dropped my cigarette
Long forgotten anyway. Phones in Jury
waiting room. Yes, there are many phones.
Elevator, hurry,
Floor one, two, three, four, five, six
Oh god let me get to eleven. Please,
Get me to a phone. My baby, my son
My baby Dave, Do I know where
my children are?
First phone dead, dial tone on second phone.
but no connection. Third phone busy
Fourth phone won't react to credit card
Next try, busy signal. Fifth phone busy signal
No more phones, Try them all again, can't connect.
Need to hear my son's voice. Need to hear it..
Everyone turn in your stubs and you're excused.
You will get credit for today. Call us in the morning
To see if the courts are open. But now, leave.
Leave the building. Leave the building. Call tomorrow
Leave the building. Go home. Go home.
11, stop, 10, 9, stop take on more people,
8, 7, 6, stop, 5, 4, stop, 3, 2, lobby.
People, quiet, moving, quietly moving,
order, no panic, quiet, moving
The street. Where to go? North, go north,
No I said to the women next to me
Do not go into the subways, Fires, smoke
Maybe flooding, maybe bombs.
But how? She cried. How do I get home?
Walk, walk, I said walk. Walk where?
It's so dark, why is it so dark? She sobbed.
North, walk north, Oh, yes. She got it.
Walk north, which way is north?
That way I pointed. She nodded.
Started to walk. People everywhere, quiet,
Some crying, most shaking their heads
I can't believe? I just can't believe they said.
The ground shook, rumbled, growled, louder
Louder, huge. behind me, the building next to me?
Below me? The subway? Bombs?
Where? Louder - so loud. Is this it? Could this be
It? Will I ever see my children again?
My baby Grace? My precious daughters
Nicole's golden smile, Kris' smile? Her beautiful
Golden curly hair which she hates and I love.
Mike's all feeling eyes, Dave's smile?
"Hi, Mom. It's Mike, It's Dave, hi, Mom".
The ground shakes the noise is terrible,
Like thunder, but bigger, longer, louder
Some people scream. Some gasp.
Some swear, the tower implodes
upon itself and everything near to it..
Gone. Gone Gone,
People, gone, Steel and concrete, gone.
Windows gone, desks, file cabinets, computers
Arms, legs, whole bodies, Gone gone gone.
My husband's in there a voice screams
My sister, my brother-in-law, my daughter
my son, my cousin, my neighbor
my wife, my wife, my wife, sobs a man
Ginnyyyyyyyyyyyyyy an anguished cry.
Go north, I said, and I do, I go and I walk
And I look for a phone. I don't really
know where Davy is, my baby Dave.
My sunshine baby.
Take Broadway North. No, someone
Says, Don't take Broadway, it's shut off.
Yes, of course, yes, take Lafayette or Canal
People evacuating the area. I am one of the
People evacuating the area. This is not real
Americans do not evacuate the area.
They flow up the avenues, the cross streets
They come from the south, from the west
Heading east, heading north.
Dazed, quiet, tight lipped, or
mumbling, talking incessantly
Shaking their heads, Pasty white skin
Ties loose, jackets unbuttoned. Some brief cases
Some purses, no purses, people with canes.
Shoe shine man, old bent, pushing his cart
Some walking backwards, mouths gaping open
Looking back, disbelieving even as they see it.
Women and men walking barefoot? Where's their
Shoes? How did they lose their shoes?
With canes, old, bent, young, middle aged
arms around one another.
Fat, thin, babies in slings, mothers
Carrying children too big to carry.
White and pasty faces
Brown ashen faces
Yellow shallow faces
Quiet tears on big men's faces
Shoulders shaking in soundless sobs
Snow man, walks alongside me
covered, grey hair, grey face, grey
Suit, grey brief case, grey all grey
Except for a fringe of coal black
Hair at the base of his neck. Why?
I wonder, why? Oh he was looking up?
Yes, he must have been looking up
Holding hands, crying, quietly crying
Where's Tommy? Did you see Tommy?
No, No No I didn't see Tommy?
Did you see Pat? No, got to call home.
The sun is hot now but people shiver in the cold.
Cell phones, some work most don't
Stunned bodies sitting on curbs
Not talking just sitting, staring.
I didn't see Linda, a women said to
No one. She was right next to me.
Then she was gone. Just gone. She was
Right next to me, I tell you.
I don't really know where David is.
Not for sure I don't really know.
Lines at phone booths long, a half
Block, a block long. Keep walking.
Go north. Short line, only 10 people,
Tried again. Line busy, busy, busy
Walking North. Many more miles to go.
Hotel, phones in a hotel, go into the
Hotel. Line busy, won't take credit card
Can't call Mike. He could call Dave,
Can't charge a call. Can't call anyone
Use the restroom, Yes, you have many
Miles to go. Two women, say they were
In one of the towers. They are too white,
too quiet, they speak but they are too quiet
Hasn't really hit them yet, I think.
Walk North now, No! Head west, yes
Have to get more west. Closer to home.
Church open, come in, we have water,
We have phones, we have chairs to sit, come in.
Long lines at phones, so I keep walking.
Go west, further, no buses. Keep walking
West North. No that's wrong I am going
North West. No cabs, yes, North West.
No one says west north, for heavens sake
Crowds in TV stores.
Crowds around car radios.
A woman on the street,
Rolling, writhing, hands
Trying to calm her.
screaming, my son, my son
Faces that don't know where
Their loved ones are
Haunted, frightened.
Worse, the faces that have
Just realized that they do know
Where their loved ones were.
A phone, only three people in line
Wait, wait my turn. Everyone patient
Jack, if I get my wife do you want me
To have her call your wife?
Yes, yes I can't get through.
Everyone kind, my turn at last.
Dial, 1-800-He always answers his
own phone. Switch board. Recorded voice
If you know your party's extension?
Oh God, yes, but I don't really,
I mean it's in my purse
What if they cut me off,
I might not get through again
If you need to use our directory
Yes, thank god, yes, press one.
Enter first four letters of the name
Yes, yes, do it carefully, don't make
A mistake, don't get cut off
C A T A Hello? Oh thank God, it's him.
Now I cry, suddenly, unexpectedly,
Now I cry.
He's in Boston, I turn to the man behind me
He's still in Boston. He didn't leave Boston.
Cheers, thank god cry the strangers behind me.
I give the phone to the one behind me
Who still doesn't know the joy of hearing
That so loved voice.
He's so beautiful, he sounds so beautiful.
Now I can walk the rest of the long way
Home. I know where my son is and he's fine.
He's fine. He's just so fine.
Walk west, north west, no, go west. In the village now.
The beautiful West Village. This is My town, I think,
for I can think now of something other than my beautiful son.
This is MY CITY, MY TOWN, MY HOME, MY COUNTRY
How fucking dare they? We give them billions of dollars of aid
Tons and tons and tons of clothes, medicine, medical help, education.
We take their old, their sick, their broken, their homeless, their hopeless,
how FUCKING DARE THEY?!
Right on, Mama, says a voice beside me. I didn't know I was
Speaking aloud. Right on, Mama.
Tears are running down his face.
North. 6th Ave. check for buses. No buses,
No cabs. 7th Avenue, Good, getting closer.
Big crowd, why? What? Oh, St. Vincent's hospital
Blood donors needed someone shouts.
Yes, I can, yes, of course. Where? There?
Rh negative I answer. Good, go to head of the line.
Have you eaten? I don't remember, did I?
Here take a banana. Yes, thank you.
Line very long, too long, please we need
0 positive and 0 negative, first?
Police, sirens screaming, firemen,
Rabbis, Priests, Ministers, nurses, Doctors
all running to the nearest officer behind the
barricade around the emergency room entrance
All trying to help. I'm a doctor, where do you
want me. I'm a rabbi a young woman identified herself,
Thank God the cop cries, come with me.
Ghost chairs, I see ghost chairs, dozens of chairs
covered with white sheets waiting for the red, life blood
Yellow bananas orange juice, white chairs, red, red blood.
Am I 0 ? Don't remember, not sure.
Give those who know my space, they are crucial
I'll go to another location I say. Good, oh thank you.
Yes, please do that. I leave, feeling guilty that
I ate the banana and didn't donate.
Head west now, No, now go North. Well
Maybe 8th Avenue and then North?
Still so many people, coming in droves,
from the south, from the southwest.
From hell.
I pass NYU, students in one another's arms
Crying, frightened, what world will be left for them?
What world will there be for my little precious Grace Ann?
My beautiful innocent grandbaby.
Surely we can give her better than this?
We continue to evacuate the area. We evacuate
Masses of us, heading North...Torn clothing,
Covered in soot, carrying children too big to carry.
In America, In the United States of America
We evacuate the area.
By
Mary Marsicano
September 11, 2001
Both towers? Yeah? Both,
No two planes, I said two planes.
Accident? No fuckin' way,
two at once, impossible.
They got what? Oh Jesus!
Are you sure? The Pentagon?
Joe, hey, Joe, they got the Pentagon
What? What? I asked him? Who?
Two planes, he said, one right after the other?
What? I asked again, unable to comprehend
To admit what I feared I had comprehended
Two planes slammed into the two towers,
One into the Pentagon, one down near
Camp David. Hijacked, and
there's more not accounted for.
More? More?
More hijacked planes he said.
Whose planes, our planes? Military planes?
Commercial, commercial, outta Boston,
Boston? Oh my God, Boston? Dave's in
Boston, his home office is here. What if?
What if? What if? Oh, God, A phone,
I need a phone, I dropped my cigarette
Long forgotten anyway. Phones in Jury
waiting room. Yes, there are many phones.
Elevator, hurry,
Floor one, two, three, four, five, six
Oh god let me get to eleven. Please,
Get me to a phone. My baby, my son
My baby Dave, Do I know where
my children are?
First phone dead, dial tone on second phone.
but no connection. Third phone busy
Fourth phone won't react to credit card
Next try, busy signal. Fifth phone busy signal
No more phones, Try them all again, can't connect.
Need to hear my son's voice. Need to hear it..
Everyone turn in your stubs and you're excused.
You will get credit for today. Call us in the morning
To see if the courts are open. But now, leave.
Leave the building. Leave the building. Call tomorrow
Leave the building. Go home. Go home.
11, stop, 10, 9, stop take on more people,
8, 7, 6, stop, 5, 4, stop, 3, 2, lobby.
People, quiet, moving, quietly moving,
order, no panic, quiet, moving
The street. Where to go? North, go north,
No I said to the women next to me
Do not go into the subways, Fires, smoke
Maybe flooding, maybe bombs.
But how? She cried. How do I get home?
Walk, walk, I said walk. Walk where?
It's so dark, why is it so dark? She sobbed.
North, walk north, Oh, yes. She got it.
Walk north, which way is north?
That way I pointed. She nodded.
Started to walk. People everywhere, quiet,
Some crying, most shaking their heads
I can't believe? I just can't believe they said.
The ground shook, rumbled, growled, louder
Louder, huge. behind me, the building next to me?
Below me? The subway? Bombs?
Where? Louder - so loud. Is this it? Could this be
It? Will I ever see my children again?
My baby Grace? My precious daughters
Nicole's golden smile, Kris' smile? Her beautiful
Golden curly hair which she hates and I love.
Mike's all feeling eyes, Dave's smile?
"Hi, Mom. It's Mike, It's Dave, hi, Mom".
The ground shakes the noise is terrible,
Like thunder, but bigger, longer, louder
Some people scream. Some gasp.
Some swear, the tower implodes
upon itself and everything near to it..
Gone. Gone Gone,
People, gone, Steel and concrete, gone.
Windows gone, desks, file cabinets, computers
Arms, legs, whole bodies, Gone gone gone.
My husband's in there a voice screams
My sister, my brother-in-law, my daughter
my son, my cousin, my neighbor
my wife, my wife, my wife, sobs a man
Ginnyyyyyyyyyyyyyy an anguished cry.
Go north, I said, and I do, I go and I walk
And I look for a phone. I don't really
know where Davy is, my baby Dave.
My sunshine baby.
Take Broadway North. No, someone
Says, Don't take Broadway, it's shut off.
Yes, of course, yes, take Lafayette or Canal
People evacuating the area. I am one of the
People evacuating the area. This is not real
Americans do not evacuate the area.
They flow up the avenues, the cross streets
They come from the south, from the west
Heading east, heading north.
Dazed, quiet, tight lipped, or
mumbling, talking incessantly
Shaking their heads, Pasty white skin
Ties loose, jackets unbuttoned. Some brief cases
Some purses, no purses, people with canes.
Shoe shine man, old bent, pushing his cart
Some walking backwards, mouths gaping open
Looking back, disbelieving even as they see it.
Women and men walking barefoot? Where's their
Shoes? How did they lose their shoes?
With canes, old, bent, young, middle aged
arms around one another.
Fat, thin, babies in slings, mothers
Carrying children too big to carry.
White and pasty faces
Brown ashen faces
Yellow shallow faces
Quiet tears on big men's faces
Shoulders shaking in soundless sobs
Snow man, walks alongside me
covered, grey hair, grey face, grey
Suit, grey brief case, grey all grey
Except for a fringe of coal black
Hair at the base of his neck. Why?
I wonder, why? Oh he was looking up?
Yes, he must have been looking up
Holding hands, crying, quietly crying
Where's Tommy? Did you see Tommy?
No, No No I didn't see Tommy?
Did you see Pat? No, got to call home.
The sun is hot now but people shiver in the cold.
Cell phones, some work most don't
Stunned bodies sitting on curbs
Not talking just sitting, staring.
I didn't see Linda, a women said to
No one. She was right next to me.
Then she was gone. Just gone. She was
Right next to me, I tell you.
I don't really know where David is.
Not for sure I don't really know.
Lines at phone booths long, a half
Block, a block long. Keep walking.
Go north. Short line, only 10 people,
Tried again. Line busy, busy, busy
Walking North. Many more miles to go.
Hotel, phones in a hotel, go into the
Hotel. Line busy, won't take credit card
Can't call Mike. He could call Dave,
Can't charge a call. Can't call anyone
Use the restroom, Yes, you have many
Miles to go. Two women, say they were
In one of the towers. They are too white,
too quiet, they speak but they are too quiet
Hasn't really hit them yet, I think.
Walk North now, No! Head west, yes
Have to get more west. Closer to home.
Church open, come in, we have water,
We have phones, we have chairs to sit, come in.
Long lines at phones, so I keep walking.
Go west, further, no buses. Keep walking
West North. No that's wrong I am going
North West. No cabs, yes, North West.
No one says west north, for heavens sake
Crowds in TV stores.
Crowds around car radios.
A woman on the street,
Rolling, writhing, hands
Trying to calm her.
screaming, my son, my son
Faces that don't know where
Their loved ones are
Haunted, frightened.
Worse, the faces that have
Just realized that they do know
Where their loved ones were.
A phone, only three people in line
Wait, wait my turn. Everyone patient
Jack, if I get my wife do you want me
To have her call your wife?
Yes, yes I can't get through.
Everyone kind, my turn at last.
Dial, 1-800-He always answers his
own phone. Switch board. Recorded voice
If you know your party's extension?
Oh God, yes, but I don't really,
I mean it's in my purse
What if they cut me off,
I might not get through again
If you need to use our directory
Yes, thank god, yes, press one.
Enter first four letters of the name
Yes, yes, do it carefully, don't make
A mistake, don't get cut off
C A T A Hello? Oh thank God, it's him.
Now I cry, suddenly, unexpectedly,
Now I cry.
He's in Boston, I turn to the man behind me
He's still in Boston. He didn't leave Boston.
Cheers, thank god cry the strangers behind me.
I give the phone to the one behind me
Who still doesn't know the joy of hearing
That so loved voice.
He's so beautiful, he sounds so beautiful.
Now I can walk the rest of the long way
Home. I know where my son is and he's fine.
He's fine. He's just so fine.
Walk west, north west, no, go west. In the village now.
The beautiful West Village. This is My town, I think,
for I can think now of something other than my beautiful son.
This is MY CITY, MY TOWN, MY HOME, MY COUNTRY
How fucking dare they? We give them billions of dollars of aid
Tons and tons and tons of clothes, medicine, medical help, education.
We take their old, their sick, their broken, their homeless, their hopeless,
how FUCKING DARE THEY?!
Right on, Mama, says a voice beside me. I didn't know I was
Speaking aloud. Right on, Mama.
Tears are running down his face.
North. 6th Ave. check for buses. No buses,
No cabs. 7th Avenue, Good, getting closer.
Big crowd, why? What? Oh, St. Vincent's hospital
Blood donors needed someone shouts.
Yes, I can, yes, of course. Where? There?
Rh negative I answer. Good, go to head of the line.
Have you eaten? I don't remember, did I?
Here take a banana. Yes, thank you.
Line very long, too long, please we need
0 positive and 0 negative, first?
Police, sirens screaming, firemen,
Rabbis, Priests, Ministers, nurses, Doctors
all running to the nearest officer behind the
barricade around the emergency room entrance
All trying to help. I'm a doctor, where do you
want me. I'm a rabbi a young woman identified herself,
Thank God the cop cries, come with me.
Ghost chairs, I see ghost chairs, dozens of chairs
covered with white sheets waiting for the red, life blood
Yellow bananas orange juice, white chairs, red, red blood.
Am I 0 ? Don't remember, not sure.
Give those who know my space, they are crucial
I'll go to another location I say. Good, oh thank you.
Yes, please do that. I leave, feeling guilty that
I ate the banana and didn't donate.
Head west now, No, now go North. Well
Maybe 8th Avenue and then North?
Still so many people, coming in droves,
from the south, from the southwest.
From hell.
I pass NYU, students in one another's arms
Crying, frightened, what world will be left for them?
What world will there be for my little precious Grace Ann?
My beautiful innocent grandbaby.
Surely we can give her better than this?
We continue to evacuate the area. We evacuate
Masses of us, heading North...Torn clothing,
Covered in soot, carrying children too big to carry.
In America, In the United States of America
We evacuate the area.
Friday, September 14, 2001
friday, september 14, 2001
Map of
countries affected
N.A.T.O. explained
Article by Leonard Pitts, Jr.
Map of the area
The martyr strategy (disturbing)
Nostradamus website (no I don't believe in all of it, but it is interesting anyway. His writings have been misinterpreted quite a bit. Many people twist them to mean what they want.)
Another Nostradamus site
Different perspective
CNN's 'Beneath the veil'
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
N.A.T.O. explained
Article by Leonard Pitts, Jr.
Map of the area
The martyr strategy (disturbing)
Nostradamus website (no I don't believe in all of it, but it is interesting anyway. His writings have been misinterpreted quite a bit. Many people twist them to mean what they want.)
Another Nostradamus site
Different perspective
CNN's 'Beneath the veil'
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Thursday, September 13, 2001
Wednesday, September 12, 2001
wednesday, september 12, 2001
here are some sites for info:
Timeline of events
Find people you know / Let others know you are safe
Timeline of events
Find people you know / Let others know you are safe
Tuesday, September 11, 2001
Tuesday, September 11, 2001
OMG!!!! How
horrible. My heart and thoughts go out to everyone touched by this
travesty.
Monday, September 10, 2001
monday, september 10, 2001
starting to get a migraine. :-(
supposedly there is a front and a tropical storm moving in.
Sunday, September 9, 2001
sunday, september 9, 2001
we watched
Band of Brothers
on HBO, about WW II. How or why do we have these horrific wars?
Saturday, September 8, 2001
Friday, September 7, 2001
friday, september 7, 2001
well, it's been a couple of weeks since I
re-formatted my laptop. I guess it's time again...
Thursday, September 6, 2001
Wednesday, September 5, 2001
wednesday, september 5, 2001
I browsed the shelves of Levenger's --- I love that store. I wish they would lower some (or most) of their prices, though.
Tuesday, September 4, 2001
Monday, September 3, 2001
Sunday, September 2, 2001
sunday, september 2, 2001
lucky for us it's a three day weekend.
Galahad got worse, but I got better. Good thing since one of us needed
to be relatively healthy to take care of the other one. I didn't mind
doing it one bit, but boy was it exhausting. How do people do this all
the time? How does he take care of me so much when I'm migrainous?
Saturday, September 1, 2001
saturday, september 1, 2001
Still not feeling so good. I woke up at 7am, took an Imitrex, choked on it, and went back to sleep for a while. Galahad seems to be fighting a flu. We tried to run some errands but both of our conditions deteriorated throughout the day. We barely made it up to bed by 6pm. I think I caught his flu. I went to take a vitamin C and choked on it somehow. I've taken hundreds of thousands of pills, easily, in my lifetime. Today, I had trouble two different times. What's wrong with me?
We watched Anime all night while drifting in & out of consciousness.
We watched Anime all night while drifting in & out of consciousness.
Friday, August 31, 2001
friday, august 31, 2001
TGIF, big time! My aching lid!
Migraine time again. I got it yesterday, took some meds, and woke up
in pain again. Sucks to be me today. And, I have a busy day
ahead of me.
Thursday, August 30, 2001
thursday, august 30, 2001
How to Avoid a Shark Attack
"If you do find yourself in a shark's jaws, the best thing to do is kick, punch or try to jab the shark in the eyes or gills," George H. Burgess, director of the International Shark Attack File at the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville said. "Sharks respect size and power. Whether that is kicking or beating on the animal, those are things the shark understands and respects."
"If you do find yourself in a shark's jaws, the best thing to do is kick, punch or try to jab the shark in the eyes or gills," George H. Burgess, director of the International Shark Attack File at the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville said. "Sharks respect size and power. Whether that is kicking or beating on the animal, those are things the shark understands and respects."
Wednesday, August 29, 2001
wednesday, august 29, 2001
here's a website that lets you look up all kinds of useless trivia about our 50 states.
Tuesday, August 28, 2001
tuesday, august 28, 2001
I had quite the ordeal with Sprint PCS again today. I went in to get my phone diagnosed. Two f*cking hours for them to tell me it's fine. if it were fine, I wouldn't have been in there. and, of course, the signal strength was fabulous in the store. they kept looking at me like I am crazy. I raised my voice a few times and noticed very loudly that everyone else in the store looked unhappy to be there. I would imagine that if their phones worked properly, they would not look so angry.
they opened up a "trouble" ticket. and, I might hear back within a business week, or I might not. how did they get so big? how can they stay in business? why did my company pick them as a national vendor? why am I asking you all of this?
they opened up a "trouble" ticket. and, I might hear back within a business week, or I might not. how did they get so big? how can they stay in business? why did my company pick them as a national vendor? why am I asking you all of this?
Monday, August 27, 2001
monday, august 27, 2001
for those of you getting that email about the
colored bread twisters denoting freshness, here's the full story.
Sunday, August 26, 2001
sunday, august 26, 2001
I watched
Madonna's concert on HBO tonight. I'm not as impressed as I could
have been on the actual songs; however, the stage show was 10 times better
than a Broadway show! Plus, she looks amazing.
Friday, August 24, 2001
friday, august 24, 2001
it was so wonderful to sleep in my own bed last
night! I'm still recuperating from my week of extroversion.
today is the 9 year anniversary of Hurricane Andrew.
today is the 9 year anniversary of Hurricane Andrew.
Thursday, August 23, 2001
thursday, august 23, 2001
last day --- yippee!!! I'm almost delirious from lack of sleep and exertion of being social.
last night, I persuaded my group to dine with me at Mark's in South Beach. I have not laughed so hard in quite a while. if you've never eaten there, it's pretty high-falutin'. the menu can be tricky to decipher at times, but the food is exquisite. anyway, it must have been just too much for someone who's not used to that. thank goodness it wasn't crowded, and thankfully, I didn't know anyone there.
one of my colleagues actually brought back a menu to show his friends & family at home, so that they could get a good laugh, too, at the intricacies of the food selection.
last night, I persuaded my group to dine with me at Mark's in South Beach. I have not laughed so hard in quite a while. if you've never eaten there, it's pretty high-falutin'. the menu can be tricky to decipher at times, but the food is exquisite. anyway, it must have been just too much for someone who's not used to that. thank goodness it wasn't crowded, and thankfully, I didn't know anyone there.
one of my colleagues actually brought back a menu to show his friends & family at home, so that they could get a good laugh, too, at the intricacies of the food selection.
Wednesday, August 22, 2001
wednesday, august 22, 2001
we went for dinner at a yummy restaurant last night --- sushi, of course, and Thai food. my group has some very traditional diners in it who are a little hard to please at times.
I'm even more tired today, even though I didn't go out after dinner last night like so many others. I keep going to sleep at my regular time and waking up 90 minutes earlier. it's starting to wear on me.
I'm actually presenting some of the information at this conference, which is very challenging for me as well, given my inherent introversion. fortunately, my whole department has some of that going on, so my manager took that into consideration when planning this. my role has not been too problematic socially, but I did have a few instances of panic knowledge-wise.
I'm even more tired today, even though I didn't go out after dinner last night like so many others. I keep going to sleep at my regular time and waking up 90 minutes earlier. it's starting to wear on me.
I'm actually presenting some of the information at this conference, which is very challenging for me as well, given my inherent introversion. fortunately, my whole department has some of that going on, so my manager took that into consideration when planning this. my role has not been too problematic socially, but I did have a few instances of panic knowledge-wise.
Tuesday, August 21, 2001
tuesday, august 21, 2001
I'm down in Miami beach at a conference. our hotel is absolutely amazing, but I miss my Galahad. Plus, I'm exhausted. getting up at 6:30am is extremely challenging for me.
Monday, August 20, 2001
monday, august 20, 2001
I'm chilling in my new leather Executive office
chair, purchased at Costco yesterday.
Saturday, August 18, 2001
Friday, August 17, 2001
friday, august 17, 2001
I've been so busy doing other people's webs that
I haven't spent much time on mine.
here's a cute little game.
I tested my DSL connection on two different sites and got completely different results. one is dslreports.com and the other is cnet.com
here's a cute little game.
I tested my DSL connection on two different sites and got completely different results. one is dslreports.com and the other is cnet.com
Wednesday, August 15, 2001
wednesday, august 15, 2001
last night we finally got to eat our pineapple that we had been growing for 2 years! Six bites of delicious sweetness --- it never grew past the size of a softball.
How to Grow Pineapple
How to Grow Pineapple
Tuesday, August 14, 2001
tuesday, august 14, 2001
still working on those websites -- kind of slow at work for me, can you tell? I'm learning all kinds of new formatting techniques but still nothing like the professionals. Ah, well, it's better than a poke in my eye.
Monday, August 13, 2001
monday, august 13, 2001
I am sooo tired. I stayed up way too late
last night reading & watching a movie. I always know it's a bad idea,
but somehow that doesn't stop me.
I started playing around, designing some friends' websites. it's kind of fun for me but also kind of tricky -- in that I'm doing it before I get too much input from them.
I started playing around, designing some friends' websites. it's kind of fun for me but also kind of tricky -- in that I'm doing it before I get too much input from them.
Saturday, August 11, 2001
Friday, August 10, 2001
Thursday, August 9, 2001
Thursday, August 9, 2001
Here's info regarding the SirCam worm and how to remove it once infected. TROJ_SIRCAM.A - Trend Micro Virus Encyclopedia
Mosquito Facts
Mosquito Facts
- Only females bite.
- They prefer adults to children, women to men and pregnant women most of all.
- They find ovulating women more attractive than those menstruating.
- But, mosquitoes are opportunistic — they bite whomever comes along first.
- Movement attracts mosquitoes, so swatting at them is a good way to get them swarming around you.
- The main things that draw mosquitoes to their victims are carbon dioxide, heat and lactic acid (left on the skin by sweat).
- Frequent bathing in cool water to lower the temperature of your body surface and wash away the buildup of lactic acid on your skin should reduce your attractiveness to mosquitoes.
- Contrary to popular belief, colors of clothing are not very important to mosquitoes because the other attractions are so much stronger.
- Most fabrics are only 1 mm thick, but a mosquito's proboscis is 2 mm long and can easily bite through clothing, especially clothing that clings to the skin.
- Citronella is not as effective as a lotion or spray containing DEET.
- DEET won't keep a mosquito from approaching, but it can stop her from biting by jamming the cells in the insect's antennas that are sensitive to lactic acid.
Wednesday, August 8, 2001
Wednesday, August 8, 2001
Way cool! A friend of mine was named Web Entertainment's Independent Artist of the Week.
Tuesday, August 7, 2001
Tuesday, August 7, 2001
- If you can stand more about this last clusterfuck of an election we just had, here are some great perspectives. It's written by real people (isn't that the dumbest expression?), about their real disillusions. {fray} hope - I voted 2000
Monday, August 6, 2001
Monday, August 6, 2001
- Now, I can't get my printer installed back onto my laptop. I'm thinking it's because I have Win2000 Service Pack 2 installed. Maybe I need to uninstall that, install my printer, and then reinstall the service pack. I'm frustrated and challenged all at the same time.
Sunday, August 5, 2001
Sunday, August 5, 2001
- We watched the movie 'Vertical Limit.' I didn't much care for it. Overly dramatic and highly unlikely.
Saturday, August 4, 2001
Friday, August 3, 2001
Friday, August, 3, 2001
Hey, BellSouth finally called me back yesterday. I told them that I already had to reformat my laptop to fix the problem since they couldn't help me for 5 days. The woman sounded relieved that it was one less thing for her to worry about. Nice!
For those of you who are forever answering stupid questions or remarks, there is now StupidRemarks.com.
For those of you who are forever answering stupid questions or remarks, there is now StupidRemarks.com.
Thursday, August 2, 2001
Thursday, August 2, 2001
- Laptop re-formatting number three. Or, is it four?
Recipes from famous foods.
Wednesday, August 1, 2001
Tuesday, July 31, 2001
Tuesday, July 31, 2001
Did I mention that I hate BellSouth and the way that they run their tech support? Yesterday, I was assigned a case number so that level 2 would call me back. Today, I called to check on the status of my case number. I was told that they don't work with case numbers. Aaaargh!
Okay, not too bad. Reinstalled Windows 2000, and Lotus Notes. Tomorrow I'll do the rest. And, guess what? My modem works. Yippee!!!!
Okay, not too bad. Reinstalled Windows 2000, and Lotus Notes. Tomorrow I'll do the rest. And, guess what? My modem works. Yippee!!!!
Monday, July 30, 2001
Monday, July 30, 2001
I still am having laptop problems. BellSouth sucks! I asked some of my friends for help on this, and their best advice is that the registry is probably corrupted. So, tomorrow, if I don't hear from BellSouth level 2 tech support soon, I will wipe out my laptop and reinstall everything.
Sunday, July 29, 2001
Sunday, July 29, 2001
- We watched the Godfather last night until 2am or so; but, I fell asleep before it ended. Galahad had to fill me in on the end. Then, we watched Godfather Two --- 3 hours and 20 minutes, with no intermission. How did people do that in 1970-era theaters? I could barely take that in the comfort of my own bed.
Saturday, July 28, 2001
Saturday, July 28, 2001
- Wow! I'm having quite the time with my laptop. It's all f**ked up, thanks to BellSouth & their ineffectual DSL. I spent 4 hours with their tech support today to try to undo the problems. No such luck yet.
Friday, July 27, 2001
Friday, July 27, 2001
- Feeling pretty good today. Last night was Tequila Night, but I didn't get to drink any since my head was iffy. We had a great time. Galahad's mother even came last night. I'm kind of bummed that a friend of mine told me he was coming and then never showed up. When we called him, he said he had a dinner party. I completely understand if other plans come up. I even try to understand if I get preempted for more preferred company. But, what I don't understand is why he couldn't just call me or email me and tell me he wouldn't be there. Should I ask him or, let it go? I felt really stupid holding a table for him and him not showing. It ended up working out okay because another friend showed up unexpectedly (bonus!) with a new girl, so we needed that spot.
I hate when I develop high expectations and then I get let down. It's a neurosis of mine. Because I know that about myself, I try really hard to either have low expectations or none at all. But somehow, I slip one of those higher ones in once in a while --- like last night for my friend. Now I feel let down by him, and really, he's a great guy, so I'm sure he didn't do it maliciously.
Galahad said he doesn't want to do another Tequila night with everyone again. I'm kind of there with him on that. It got me too tense last night trying to coordinate people and seats even though I had so much fun seeing some friends who I hadn't seen in years. And, on a side note, I met a woman who is from Eritrea. I thought she was making that up, but I checked Rand McNally and it truly exists. Amazing to learn of a new country that I had never ever before heard of. No one at our large table had heard of it, and quite a few of us are well-traveled and knowledgeable about many areas of the world.
Thursday, July 26, 2001
Thursday, July 26, 2001
Nice. It would seem that our new state nickname is "Florida - the Please Don't Bite Me State."
BTW, my head is still not better. Now, I know why though. We had the most amazing lightning & thunderstorm last night that I can remember. It went on for hours. The thunder came in big rolling amounts. And, the lightning just lit up my whole house. It woke up both of us out of sound sleep (in my case, medicated as well). Some day, maybe I'll figure out why my head hurts when the weather changes and how I can avoid it. Maybe voodoo?
BTW, my head is still not better. Now, I know why though. We had the most amazing lightning & thunderstorm last night that I can remember. It went on for hours. The thunder came in big rolling amounts. And, the lightning just lit up my whole house. It woke up both of us out of sound sleep (in my case, medicated as well). Some day, maybe I'll figure out why my head hurts when the weather changes and how I can avoid it. Maybe voodoo?
Wednesday, July 25, 2001
Tuesday, July 24, 2001
Tuesday, July 24, 2001
Great. All of the so-called leading weather experts are saying that hurricane season here on the East coast of the US will only be getting worse. Here's a photo of Floyd before it hit, luckily for us not Florida. I remember thinking that was such a scary sight. Three states at once, plus the Bahamas, were under Hurricane Warning. The Bahamas really got nailed, and then it weakened and went up to the Carolinas.
Here's a map of where they've hit in the last century or so.
Here's a map of where they've hit in the last century or so.
Monday, July 23, 2001
Monday, July 23, 2001
- Need to look up an acronym? Aren't you tired of people speaking in jargon just to make themselves appear more important? Me, too. Now, you can look up whatever the hell they were trying to say without letting them know you were completely lost.
Sunday, July 22, 2001
Sunday, July 22, 2001
- Want free jelly beans? A friend of mine suggested this, but I hate having stuff mailed to my house because then I'm sure that they sell my address to a bazillion other companies who send me even more mail. As you might have read previously, I'm always trying to catch up on my mail.
Saturday, July 21, 2001
Saturday, July 21, 2001
Wow, it's really storming here! We needed it though. I just heard that Orlando is being flooded. Weird how we can be in a drought and have flood conditions all at the same time.
Galahad and I read all day long. Nothing better than a good book, yummy food, and a rainy day.
Galahad and I read all day long. Nothing better than a good book, yummy food, and a rainy day.
Friday, July 20, 2001
Thursday, July 19, 2001
Thursday, July 19, 2001
The Jargon File - a little difficult to navigate in but well worth it
LIVE Lightning Tracker in Florida
LIVE Lightning Tracker in Florida
Wednesday, July 18, 2001
Wednesday, July 18, 2001
- Our banana tree fell over. I guess that means the bananas are ripe now! ;-) Or maybe a little overripe, so I will attempt to bake banana bread. I used to love my mother's banana bread. Then, my father took over the tradition when she couldn't anymore. So, it must not be too difficult, right?
For those of you who have no idea of my culinary skills, well --- it's not pretty. When I was little, I set fire to our kitchen while attempting to make popcorn. My older brother put out the fire for me. When my parents came home and saw what I had done, my father woke me up and made me scrub the kitchen until 3 or 4 am. Since then, I've never had a desire to go back into that room unless there was food readily available to eat. Once, as an adult, I burned a kettle when boiling water. (short attention span)
I looked up a recipe for banana bread, actually several recipes because I like to do German over-engineering. Then, I combined the features of each that I wanted. By the time Galahad came home late from work and a meeting, it was almost done. And, actually it's not too bad.
Tuesday, July 17, 2001
Tuesday, July 17, 2001
- I just seem to never be able to catch up on all of my mail, both email and snail mail. I think it procreates while I'm not looking.
Monday, July 16, 2001
Sunday, July 15, 2001
Sunday, July 15, 2001
- I woke up feeling like I had been hit by a truck and lived to tell about it. My migraine was barely there. One Excedrin kept it away. And now I was voraciously hungry. It had been lunch time yesterday since I had really eaten anything substantial.
They had gone out for Korean sushi the night before and brought back leftovers. What's better for breakfast than that? And, his wife made us chimpas (I probably spelled it wrong). They are like dumplings but of a different consistency with red bean paste inside and are really delicious.
And that began my final day of food orgy.
From there, we went to a Korean Chinese restaurant. [It confused me, too.] I had the ja-chung-myun, based on our friend's recommendation. It was absolutely scrumptious. For those of you who don't speak Korean, it's noodles with a black bean sauce but much better than it sounds. Everyone stared at us at this restaurant. We were the only round-eyes there. At one point, the whole table across form us turned and looked at us. I was trying to give the benefit of the doubt and asked Galahad if there was a beautiful painting just above my head. But, no, it was an air conditioning vent. Oh well, I get curious, too.
We came back to his house, where his wife made us some fried dumplings and bulgogi. And then, it was off to the airport. Somehow, I still had room for the snackie goldfish on the plane.
It felt so good to be back in our own bed at midnight. I swore I would never leave again --- until my next trip.
Saturday, July 14, 2001
Saturday, July 14, 2001
- Time to check out and see the city for the day. Then, off to NJ to visit a good friend, who happens to be Korean.
We went to Battery Park and walked around and had lunch. I started getting a headache, so I medicated very quickly. But, somehow, not quickly enough. So, I medicated some more. But, not enough apparently.
By the time we got to NJ, I was in serious pain. Luckily for me, our friends there understood about migraines. [He gets them, too, but that's a whole different story.] I went into our room and gave myself an injection. That felt like nothing more than a mosquito bite. By this point, my stomach wasn't doing too well, so I was a little nervous about taking something else. Pain won out, and I took an Amerge tablet. That usually does the trick, but it's very hard to get, so I ration it. Nothing. I was into full blown panic mode by this time, asking to go to the emergency room. Fortunately for me, first friend's wife (also a good friend of mine) offered to massage my neck and shoulders to relieve some of my pain. She is amazing at it (she also deals with similar pain to mine sometimes). By 10pm or so, I was feeling nice and drowsy despite the pain. About f**king time -- I had taken enough meds to stop a charging rhino.
Friday, July 13, 2001
Friday, July 13, 2001
Last day of class. Things are starting to come together a little bit, but this class is still not at all what I expected. We all agreed to work through our lunch and break and just leave early for the day.
So, I met up with Galahad and a friend of his and went out to lunch at a Ukrainian restaurant. We puttered around all day wandering our way through the village and SoHo. Basically we would stop and have a drink (fine tequila for Galahad, a sip for me and then water, and Coke for aforementioned friend) at any place that had a restroom clean enough for me to pee in. I did lower my standards quite a bit, so we didn't have to go back to my hotel. We also stopped every time I got hungry, so I could have a little snack.
Our friend's wife drove into the city after work and met us for dinner. Spain was the country of choice for this.
So, I met up with Galahad and a friend of his and went out to lunch at a Ukrainian restaurant. We puttered around all day wandering our way through the village and SoHo. Basically we would stop and have a drink (fine tequila for Galahad, a sip for me and then water, and Coke for aforementioned friend) at any place that had a restroom clean enough for me to pee in. I did lower my standards quite a bit, so we didn't have to go back to my hotel.
Our friend's wife drove into the city after work and met us for dinner. Spain was the country of choice for this.
Thursday, July 12, 2001
Thursday, July, 12, 2001
Breakfast at the deli across the street. Yummy, inexpensive and best of all, no hairs in it!
Class is getting better. Lunch --- we added one more person to our group and went for Italian food. Mmmmmm!
Destiny's Child was at the MTV studio for TRL. There was quite a crowd in the street for them. Of course, they all came over to the window and waved at everyone. They seemed to take the time to read their fans' signs, too, which I thought was nice.
I saw some very talented kids doing a break-dancing show on the sidewalk. I tipped them $1 but left when they got hostile instead of happy with their proceeds.
Dinner was Afghani. The appetizer was scrumptious, but I could take or leave the main meat dish.
Yay, Galahad finally arrived! I walked over to Port Authority and met him as he came off of the shuttle from LaGuardia airport.
Class is getting better. Lunch --- we added one more person to our group and went for Italian food. Mmmmmm!
Destiny's Child was at the MTV studio for TRL. There was quite a crowd in the street for them. Of course, they all came over to the window and waved at everyone. They seemed to take the time to read their fans' signs, too, which I thought was nice.
I saw some very talented kids doing a break-dancing show on the sidewalk. I tipped them $1 but left when they got hostile instead of happy with their proceeds.
Dinner was Afghani. The appetizer was scrumptious, but I could take or leave the main meat dish.
Yay, Galahad finally arrived! I walked over to Port Authority and met him as he came off of the shuttle from LaGuardia airport.
Wednesday, July 11, 2001
Wednesday, July, 11, 2001
Ewwwww! I found hair in my breakfast --- not a great way to start off my day. I won't be eating at my hotel anymore.
Lunch was Thai with 3 classmates -- we gained one. I did get lucky with my little group. The class may not be the most informative, but I am having quite a bit of fun.
After class, some of my group suggested that we purchase half-price tickets to a Broadway show, so I went along for the ride. It turns out that half-price is still overpriced in my eyes. We paid nearly $50 for great seats to a so-so show, Kiss Me Kate. To be honest though, it seemed like many other people loved it. I thought it was rather low-brow humor. I did enjoy the costumes and the set, though.
I actually wanted to see Eat the Runt, but my classmates didn't, so I didn't push it since I had no real expectations of either show.
Before the show, I had a quick sushi dinner.
After the show, I walked right by Crystal Bernhard, who stars in Annie Get Your Gun.
Lunch was Thai with 3 classmates -- we gained one. I did get lucky with my little group. The class may not be the most informative, but I am having quite a bit of fun.
After class, some of my group suggested that we purchase half-price tickets to a Broadway show, so I went along for the ride. It turns out that half-price is still overpriced in my eyes. We paid nearly $50 for great seats to a so-so show, Kiss Me Kate. To be honest though, it seemed like many other people loved it. I thought it was rather low-brow humor. I did enjoy the costumes and the set, though.
I actually wanted to see Eat the Runt, but my classmates didn't, so I didn't push it since I had no real expectations of either show.
Before the show, I had a quick sushi dinner.
After the show, I walked right by Crystal Bernhard, who stars in Annie Get Your Gun.
Tuesday, July 10, 2001
Tuesday, July 10, 2001
First day of class. I froze last night! The damn hotel room has the air set at full blast. I called down to the front desk today, and they came and turned it off. Nice, huh? Full blast or off.
Class was fun but didn't feel very meaty yet.
Lunch, on the other hand, was marvelous. Two classmates and I ate at Ruby Foo's. They have Pan-Asian cuisine.
For dinner, I went out to a Turkish restaurant with a friend. It was fabulous! Get ready to read about my week-long orgy of eating.
Class was fun but didn't feel very meaty yet.
Lunch, on the other hand, was marvelous. Two classmates and I ate at Ruby Foo's. They have Pan-Asian cuisine.
For dinner, I went out to a Turkish restaurant with a friend. It was fabulous! Get ready to read about my week-long orgy of eating.
Monday, July 9, 2001
Monday, July 9, 2001
Fly to NYC! I forgot how hot it can get here. And, I really forgot the smells and the dirt and the noise.
I'm staying at a hotel in midtown Manhattan. I love being near everything and being able to walk everywhere. I feel so healthy with all the exercise I'm getting, but that is counteracted by all the pollution around me. My room is on the 10th floor with one very slow elevator, so I've been taking the stairs down all the time. I decided not to try climbing up just yet. I wouldn't want to have a heart attack in the city and not be able to get my ambulance through all the traffic.
I'm staying at a hotel in midtown Manhattan. I love being near everything and being able to walk everywhere. I feel so healthy with all the exercise I'm getting, but that is counteracted by all the pollution around me. My room is on the 10th floor with one very slow elevator, so I've been taking the stairs down all the time. I decided not to try climbing up just yet. I wouldn't want to have a heart attack in the city and not be able to get my ambulance through all the traffic.
Sunday, July 8, 2001
Saturday, July 7, 2001
Saturday, July 7, 2001
Well, I just sunk to a low level this morning. There was a squirrel in our mango tree, which I didn't want there anymore. I wouldn't have minded so much if he just ate one or two mangoes. The problem was he was eating a bite out of several mangoes. We were sitting in our living room watching cartoons, minding our own business when this squirrel just mocked us like that. I went out, yelled at him, and clapped my hands loudly. Poor thing. He just froze up with fear for three whole minutes. I felt so terrible that I went back out with cracked nuts as a piece offering. Do you know what that bastard did? He went right back to eating the freshest prettiest mango in the tree. Then, a woodpecker came over and started nibbling also. That set me off again, and I ended up throwing the nut shells back at him to scare him out of the tree. He stopped temporarily.
Then, right back to that perfect little mango hanging just so. Galahad charged out the back door, picked up a BBQ grill brush and winged it at the squirrel. Damn if that wasn't the best aim I ever saw! He hit the branch it was on from over 60 feet away. I was so thrilled to see my man out there brandishing this grill brush like a club, defending his territory and fending off maniacal squirrels.
Then, right back to that perfect little mango hanging just so. Galahad charged out the back door, picked up a BBQ grill brush and winged it at the squirrel. Damn if that wasn't the best aim I ever saw! He hit the branch it was on from over 60 feet away. I was so thrilled to see my man out there brandishing this grill brush like a club, defending his territory and fending off maniacal squirrels.
Friday, July 6, 2001
Friday, July 6, 2001
Very cool! I saw one of my very best friends online last night. What's the big deal you might ask? She now lives in Australia, while I am still here in Florida. And, she just gave birth to her first child. If she ever sends me his photo, I'll put it up someday. [hint, hint]
Thursday, July 5, 2001
Thursday, July 5, 2001
- I guess I'm not the only one with a problem with Sprint PCS. Check this page out -- Sprint PCS sucks.
Wednesday, July 4, 2001
Wednesday, July 4, 2001
- Happy Independence Day! We are just gorging ourselves on mangoes from our tree. They are fabulous but falling too fast to keep up with.
Tuesday, July 3, 2001
Tuesday, July 3, 2001
Fortuitously or not, I happened to be in the vicinity of the Sprint store this morning. So, I stopped in of course. (See yesterday's entry if you're confused.) I asked for my software update which they gave me. And, I may have vented a bit of my past frustration and let him know how shitty their service is. To this, my Sprint helper asked me not to engage in any more profane remarks that apparently offended his 24 year old ears. I apologized and asked for a manager.
First, I was told that she wasn't available. When I wouldn't leave this poor innocent boy alone, she magically materialized. Amazing how that works! They were willing to give me 60 minutes of additional time. Does anybody get the fucking point that I'm not looking for additional minutes that I can't use anyway?!!! I guess not. That would take way too much comprehension on their part and too much thinking outside their small realms. God forbid that they actually make an unhappy customer a happy one. Her whole attitude was "That's not my problem. I did what I was supposed to do." [I know you're dying to know if my phone is any better after the software update.]
Did I tell you yet that I'm supposed to get this software update every 3 - 4 months at random? They won't notify me when it's ready. I just have to check back in. When I mentioned to the manager that it would have been nice for the Sprint employee who initially activated my phone to mention this at that time (or the Radio Shack employee who sold the phone to me), she responded with, "Did you tell her you were getting dropped calls?" This is the fucking manager! What part about getting my phone activated didn't she understand?!!! Then, when I finally (maybe) got her to understand that, she told me that it was written in the Terms & Conditions in my user manual if I had bothered to read that. How she kept a straight face during that pronouncement, I'll never know. Who the fuck reads those cover to cover? It's over 150 pages long and much of it in tiny kill-my-fucking-eyes print.
And, NO, my phone isn't noticeably working any better. Yes, I was going to write one of my famous letters to let Sprint know EXACTLY how I am feeling. But, since this is a company phone, I am trying to follow company protocol first before I make another fucking scene.
Please excuse my profanity.
First, I was told that she wasn't available. When I wouldn't leave this poor innocent boy alone, she magically materialized. Amazing how that works! They were willing to give me 60 minutes of additional time. Does anybody get the fucking point that I'm not looking for additional minutes that I can't use anyway?!!! I guess not. That would take way too much comprehension on their part and too much thinking outside their small realms. God forbid that they actually make an unhappy customer a happy one. Her whole attitude was "That's not my problem. I did what I was supposed to do." [I know you're dying to know if my phone is any better after the software update.]
Did I tell you yet that I'm supposed to get this software update every 3 - 4 months at random? They won't notify me when it's ready. I just have to check back in. When I mentioned to the manager that it would have been nice for the Sprint employee who initially activated my phone to mention this at that time (or the Radio Shack employee who sold the phone to me), she responded with, "Did you tell her you were getting dropped calls?" This is the fucking manager! What part about getting my phone activated didn't she understand?!!! Then, when I finally (maybe) got her to understand that, she told me that it was written in the Terms & Conditions in my user manual if I had bothered to read that. How she kept a straight face during that pronouncement, I'll never know. Who the fuck reads those cover to cover? It's over 150 pages long and much of it in tiny kill-my-fucking-eyes print.
And, NO, my phone isn't noticeably working any better. Yes, I was going to write one of my famous letters to let Sprint know EXACTLY how I am feeling. But, since this is a company phone, I am trying to follow company protocol first before I make another fucking scene.
Please excuse my profanity.
Monday, July 2, 2001
Monday, July 2, 2001
- Wow, it's been so nice to read every night instead of watching TV. Except, I think I have eyestrain. Galahad & I are just plowing through books.
I called up Sprint to complain about my cellphone service, or lack thereof. They were completely unhelpful. I prepaid for 2500 minutes and was able to use only 400 or so because my phone either had no service or it dropped my calls. They offered me a courtesy 15 minute credit. Bumbocloth! (Jamaican for WTF, or so I'm told.) They also told me that I had to get a software update for my new phone. I just bought the phone and the service about 30 days ago. Apparently, it's already out of date. It would have been nice for Sprint to let me know this when I first got it instead of letting me suffer all this time to the point where I detest them, their service, and their phone.
Sprint did inform me that they do not guarantee their phone to work inside any building. Why exactly do I need their phone then?
I drove over to Radio Shack, where I bought the phone, to get my software update. It turns out that even though they have a HUGE sign that says Sprint PCS Communication Store, that they're not *really* a Sprint PCS store. Nice, huh? Can you feel my frustration with me? It turns out the the closest Sprint store is across town.
Sunday, July 1, 2001
Sunday, July 1, 2001
Galahad & I went out last night to listen to a friend perform at a West Palm Beach bar. While it was nice to get out and socialize, I still prefer being a recluse most of the time. I don't have to worry about someone smoking near me and getting me sick. I don't have to worry about the proper response to an acquaintance who's definitely had too much alcohol to drink and says stupid shit. Although, I guess if he's had too much to drink, then he probably won't remember if I say something stupid back. Somehow, that never seems to work. If I'm mean, drunks usually get oversensitive and overly emotional and beg me not to be mad.
Saturday, June 30, 2001
Friday, June 29, 2001
Thursday, June 28, 2001
Thursday, June 28, 2001
I get to start testing fresh (although I should have been testing all week) with my data. Yay!
Probability of ending the Florida drought
Probability of ending the Florida drought
Wednesday, June 27, 2001
Wednesday, June 27, 2001
Went over to a colleague's house who has a whole network that simulates our standard office. Similar problems there. Finally, at the end of the day, we made the decision to use my personal test data instead of the generic sterile data that was created for this purpose. It looks like that is what was causing me so many problems. The man who put it together didn't understand completely what he was doing.
Tuesday, June 26, 2001
Tuesday, June 26, 2001
QA Testing new version of my company's software and its compatibility with our billing software. Somehow, I'm not doing too well. I'm finding too many problems which stop me dead and not having enough time to actually test.
Yesterday, I tried loading the data from a CD they sent me, but it crashed my laptop twice -- Windows 2000, the uncrashable. I guess I had a bad CD. So, they overnighted me a new CD for today.
Yesterday, I tried loading the data from a CD they sent me, but it crashed my laptop twice -- Windows 2000, the uncrashable. I guess I had a bad CD. So, they overnighted me a new CD for today.
Monday, June 25, 2001
Monday, June 25, 2001
48 hour rain forecast for Florida. How do they do it? And, what do the acronyms ETA, MRF, & NGM mean?
Sexiest Geek Alive
Sexiest Geek Alive
Sunday, June 24, 2001
Sunday, June 24, 2001
Two parties for us today. We are such recluses these days. Okay, bite the bullet & be social. The first one is a 1 year old birthday party for one of Galahad's former employee's son. And, the second is a good friend of mine, who has these large parties with lots of food.
We are absolutely exhausted, but we had lots of fun. I really need to get past my social anxiety. Too much working at home?
We are absolutely exhausted, but we had lots of fun. I really need to get past my social anxiety. Too much working at home?
Saturday, June 23, 2001
Saturday, June 23, 2001
Galahad & I went to the library today and then to the store to get snackies. Mmmmmm! I started reading Carl Hiassen's "Sick Puppy." OMG, that is so f*cking funny! Somehow I ate too much, though. Pizza & Pringles® & biscotti -- Oh my! I hardly ever overdo it when it comes to eating. Time for the Alka-Seltzer®.
We were going to go see the movie, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, but then we both got caught up in our books.
We were going to go see the movie, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, but then we both got caught up in our books.
Friday, June 22, 2001
Thursday, June 21, 2001
Thursday, June 21, 2001
- Tequila Night Tonight! I love going to these. We found out about this one at the last minute, so we've invited as many people as we could find at such short notice. Baja Cafe, home of over 200 types of tequila, hosts these parties every so often, where they invite a major tequila company or margarita-additive company to pour out samples. They have this great hollow ice sculpture of a cactus, in which they pour the tequila through, and it comes out the bottom nicely chilled.
Wednesday, June 20, 2001
Wednesday, June 20, 2001
- That felt like a much longer trip than it was, somehow. As soon as my plane landed, I had to go to my local office and work all day there. I didn't get home until almost 9PM.
Tuesday, June 19, 2001
Tuesday, June 19, 2001
Off to Orlando.
I met up with my niece & my former roommate for dinner at Ran-Getsu, a sushi restaurant of course. They hadn't seen each other since my niece was a little girl and had been rendered homeless by Hurricane Andrew. She, her mother, & her infant brother stayed with us while they looked for another apartment. What a weird sushi experience. The company was wonderful, but they have a show there. It felt like I was at SeaWorld. They feed the koi every couple of hours and make a production out of it.
I met up with my niece & my former roommate for dinner at Ran-Getsu, a sushi restaurant of course. They hadn't seen each other since my niece was a little girl and had been rendered homeless by Hurricane Andrew. She, her mother, & her infant brother stayed with us while they looked for another apartment. What a weird sushi experience. The company was wonderful, but they have a show there. It felt like I was at SeaWorld. They feed the koi every couple of hours and make a production out of it.
Monday, June 18, 2001
Monday, June 18, 2001
Time to start boycotting Zephyrhills water. Too bad because I really like it.
BUT:
BUT:
- It doesn't look like it's coming from a healthy place.
- Florida can't afford to lose any water right now, especially to put millions into Nestle corporation's pockets.
Sunday, June 17, 2001
Sunday, June 17, 2001
Happy Father's Day to all you fathers out there, even to the ones who aren't very good but who are trying hard to be better!
Saturday, June 16, 2001
Saturday, June 16, 2001
- Yay, it's finally raining! Good thing because I just couldn't get up early to water my plants.
Friday, June 15, 2001
Friday, June 15, 2001
I got paged last night again while I was sleeping. I almost ignored it but thought that since I was acting manager, I should answer it. Good thing I did since I was the third person paged. MCI is doing a terrible job lately with our pagers. The first two people never got theirs, I'm sure. Mine were coming in about an hour late. Maybe sunspot activity?
Somehow yesterday I got a stiff neck. I think my chiropractor damaged me for making fun of chiropractors in relating the Simpson's episode about same. I have iced it this morning and took an Aleve but still feel not so good. Owww.
Somehow yesterday I got a stiff neck. I think my chiropractor damaged me for making fun of chiropractors in relating the Simpson's episode about same. I have iced it this morning and took an Aleve but still feel not so good. Owww.
Thursday, June 14, 2001
Wednesday, June 13, 2001
Wednesday, June 13, 2001
I really had to wear my manager hat today. I had my first irate client who wasn't one of mine. ;-) I think I calmed her down a bit. I let her rant for awhile, and actually she kind of had some valid points. I never really know what to say to that. Am I supposed to say, "You are so right. We f*cked up so badly!" ? If any of you out there have suggestions, I'm all ears.
After I finally hung up with her, I raced out the door to watch my nephew get awarded his brown belt in karate. Very Cool!
After I finally hung up with her, I raced out the door to watch my nephew get awarded his brown belt in karate. Very Cool!
Tuesday, June 12, 2001
Tuesday, June 12, 2001
Last night, we heard this giant crash at 1:30am. A large oak tree had split in half & fallen down right in front of the house. Fortunately, it didn't hit anything. Wonder what caused it? Lightning maybe but there wasn't any just then. We were weirded out because we had just been standing Monday evening chatting with a neighbor in the spot where it hit. Dude!
Off to a client site...
Wow, this whole managing thing is kind of tricky. I'm holding down the fort for my department while our manager is on vacation. Who knew he did so much?
Off to a client site...
Wow, this whole managing thing is kind of tricky. I'm holding down the fort for my department while our manager is on vacation. Who knew he did so much?
Monday, June 11, 2001
Monday, June 11, 2001
- Wow, back to work.... I just got hit with a sh*tload of business emails to answer. Nice.
I'm feeling overwhelmed.
Sunday, June 10, 2001
Sunday, June 10, 2001
Galahad got brave & decided to tackle some more landscaping. (We had originally planned to drive down to Miami with my brother for a bamboo show. But, we had done enough driving already.) The heat was absolutely heart-stopping. I tried to help a little, at least to keep him company, but my head started hurting. There was a major front moving in which slammed into me. I took a triple dose of Imitrex just to get to sleep.
Saturday, June 9, 2001
Saturday, June 9, 2001
- What a long drive we had last night. I was singing KC & the Sunshine band trying to stay awake. I know! It worked, though. Although Galahad was driving, I felt that not only was it polite to stay awake but safer as well. He kept saying to go to sleep, but I insisted on bad vocals quite a chunk of the way back. He thanked me for it later. I know how miserable it is to stay awake while driving when tired.
We pretty much slept all day today, waking up only to order & eat pizza.
Friday, June 8, 2001
Friday, June 8, 2001
- Today, we have to check out of the Banyan. :-( but... our friend, Bill Blankenship (not his real name), is taking us out on his boat.
Wow, what a great time mixed with not so great. On our first stop, Mr. Blankenship explained that we were swimming where the bull nose sharks breed in the winter. He said it's packed with them then. That really made me want to get into the water.
While in the water, just swimming around, somehow I got seasick. I know, WTF?! Galahad & Mr. Blankenship went off snorkeling as I was lying back in the boat trying to settle my stomach. Galahad was having a marvelous time, as was Mr. Blankenship, since he had a buddy to snorkel with. He was disappointed that I had not brought a snorkel nor had I mentioned that tidbit before we left his house. I was actually perfectly content to hang out by the boat, swim around, and laze around on the boat. He had a large Bimini top, so there was plenty of shade for me. I tried eating a bite of my sandwich to settle my tummy. Then, I decided that maybe I'd better not eat too much. Me, not eat! You can tell I didn't feel good, aye? It was a beautiful day, and I actually enjoyed myself when my stomach settled down a bit. Can you imagine if we had taken the Dry Tortugas trip?! Two hours each way on a high speed boat. I might have been okay because I don't always get seasick. But what if I hadn't been?
Our next stop was to an underwater shipwreck. They both had fun snorkeling there. Galahad tried his hand with the spear gun. However, there were so many rules of which fish he could spear & which he couldn't that he never found one he could. This fish had to be at least 26 inches, that one at least 12 inches -- too confusing. Plus, they all look so similar. He did see a small jewfish, which as I understand it, is still fairly huge.
Next stop, picnicking at a uninhabited island. I was so happy to be walking on land again. I almost got my toes snapped at by a crab that was within a few inches of where I was walking barefoot in the shallows. Sitting on that island, enjoying lunch, & listening to the gentle slap of the waves on the shore, I felt like we were in a Corona commercial.
One final stop of the day before our long drive back up to the mainland. We went to another shipwreck that was used as target practice by the Navy many years ago. Lots of cormorants hang out atop it now and nest there. Galahad & Mr. Blankenship circled a few times trying one last time to catch some dinner. No sushi for us tonight. [Look at these links I found while looking up cormorants.]
Back to dry land for a landlubber like me. He punched it (do they say that about boats?) on the way back. I was bouncing all over the place -- I thought I might bounce out. It sure was fun and what a lovely breeze. All the personal watercraft kept following us & jumping our wake.
We stayed & chatted for a while with Mrs. Blankenship. I hadn't seen her in a year.
Thursday, June 7, 2001
Thursday, June 7, 2001
Yesterday, we tried to make plans to take a boat out to the Dry Tortugas. Both boats were sold out, which may have actually been quite fortuitous for me. More on that later...
We thought we would sleep in seeing as how we had nowhere to be, but the killer chickens took care of that plan. There are hundreds of wild chickens roaming the island & cock-a-doodle-dooing at 5:30 or 6am. We had both just heard last week what a problem they were, and now we literally heard firsthand. Sucked to be us just then.
We spent the whole ENTIRE day lying around by the pool until it was dinner time. Galahad drank a never-ending supply of margaritas from their Tiki bar, while I ordered another sandwich every time I got hungry. Mmmmmm. Fortunately for my sensitive cancer-prone skin, there was always plenty of shade and a nice cool breeze to keep us copacetic. We just read our books & relaxed until they closed the Tiki bar. Then, on to the shower and dinner again. Luckily for us, we managed to find another sushi restaurant again, Origami. We actually went to an Italian restaurant on the recommendation of one of our resort-neighbors. However, once we saw the sushi restaurant next door, well there was really no decision left to be made. The fish is so fresh & absolutely delicious.
We thought we would sleep in seeing as how we had nowhere to be, but the killer chickens took care of that plan. There are hundreds of wild chickens roaming the island & cock-a-doodle-dooing at 5:30 or 6am. We had both just heard last week what a problem they were, and now we literally heard firsthand. Sucked to be us just then.
We spent the whole ENTIRE day lying around by the pool until it was dinner time. Galahad drank a never-ending supply of margaritas from their Tiki bar, while I ordered another sandwich every time I got hungry. Mmmmmm. Fortunately for my sensitive cancer-prone skin, there was always plenty of shade and a nice cool breeze to keep us copacetic. We just read our books & relaxed until they closed the Tiki bar. Then, on to the shower and dinner again. Luckily for us, we managed to find another sushi restaurant again, Origami. We actually went to an Italian restaurant on the recommendation of one of our resort-neighbors. However, once we saw the sushi restaurant next door, well there was really no decision left to be made. The fish is so fresh & absolutely delicious.
Wednesday, June 6, 2001
Wednesday, June 6, 2001
- Not a very comfortable bed, and the sheets were scratchy. Now Galahad can see firsthand what I go through when I travel for business. Except then it's worse, because I'm missing him, lying in an uncomfortable bed with scratchy sheets.
Well, off to Key West...
We stopped for lunch at some little place named Boondock's. I love all of these little casual places to eat.
Checked into the Banyan Resort. We love that place!
We walked over to Mallory Square to watch the sunset & some of the local artists & freaks. Then, off for a LONG walk to Kyushu, a sushi restaurant -- what else? That was fabulous & worth the very long walk. We happened by a police officer while we searching for & hiking to this place. So me being a woman, I asked for directions. He gave us directions (since of course he knew where it was - the island is only 2 x 3 miles). And then, I asked if it was safe to continue walking that way since we had just passed through a tropical mini-crack town. He had the f&*ing gall to be offended. Like Key West never has anything bad happen there. That's where so many of the drugs come in. What a dillweed.
Tuesday, June 5, 2001
Tuesday, June 5, 2001
Time to drive down to the keys...
We're staying at the Cheeca Lodge in Upper Matecumbe Key. On the way down, we took Card Sound road & ate lunch at a quaint place named Alabama Jack's. It was so beautiful & relaxing. The laughing gulls entertained us while we ate.
After we checked in to our room, we drove back a few miles to tour a wild bird sanctuary at mile marker 94. We saw all kinds of birds, but definitely a plethora of egrets, herons & pelicans. Many had permanent wing injuries -- poor things. Somehow, we didn't plan well and left our mosquito repellant at the room when we checked in. So, we were bitten unmercifully. Poor Galahad is allergic to them, and his bites swelled into giant welts.
Well, I certainly feel like a Peeping Peggy, but I found someone else's photos on the web with scenes from the keys. If you want to peep also and have a look at some of the things I saw & some I didn't but that they saw, click here. Found some more and these are better. I guess I have no pressure now to get ours developed & up on the web.
Note to self: Never leave photos up that others should not see.
We went to Lorelei's for dinner & sunset. The food was grand, the ambiance was perfect, and the company was exquisite.
We're staying at the Cheeca Lodge in Upper Matecumbe Key. On the way down, we took Card Sound road & ate lunch at a quaint place named Alabama Jack's. It was so beautiful & relaxing. The laughing gulls entertained us while we ate.
After we checked in to our room, we drove back a few miles to tour a wild bird sanctuary at mile marker 94. We saw all kinds of birds, but definitely a plethora of egrets, herons & pelicans. Many had permanent wing injuries -- poor things. Somehow, we didn't plan well and left our mosquito repellant at the room when we checked in. So, we were bitten unmercifully. Poor Galahad is allergic to them, and his bites swelled into giant welts.
Well, I certainly feel like a Peeping Peggy, but I found someone else's photos on the web with scenes from the keys. If you want to peep also and have a look at some of the things I saw & some I didn't but that they saw, click here. Found some more and these are better. I guess I have no pressure now to get ours developed & up on the web.
Note to self: Never leave photos up that others should not see.
We went to Lorelei's for dinner & sunset. The food was grand, the ambiance was perfect, and the company was exquisite.
Monday, June 4, 2001
Monday, June 4, 2001
Hey, did you know it's National Headache Awareness Week? Think of me whilst you observeth it. Carry some extra aspirin around just in case you run into anyone who is in need of it.
Wow, I just saw green parrots in my backyard. Very cool.
OMG, I just stumbled across such a funny site. Well, maybe funny isn't the proper word. More like f&%^ing ridiculously funny! Check it out.
Wow, I just saw green parrots in my backyard. Very cool.
OMG, I just stumbled across such a funny site. Well, maybe funny isn't the proper word. More like f&%^ing ridiculously funny! Check it out.
Sunday, June 3, 2001
Sunday, June 3, 2001
What a great day we had yesterday! Our first day of vacation --- absolutely lovely!
We went walking through a nearby arboretum in the rain. It was so peaceful.
Then, I tried to find a white bikini top, which turned out to be nearly impossible. I'm getting a little bit pissy about this female swimsuit thing. I bought some board shorts and wanted a bikini top to match. What a f*$@ing arduous task! I'm tired of worrying about every single inch of my body. Men have it much easier in this matter. They don't care. Well, I'm almost at that spot of not caring. If I truly didn't care, I wouldn't be looking for a white bikini top. Rather, I would have bought the white jog bra that I saw yesterday, but didn't look very flattering on me. You know, that smooshing effect. So, here I am, trying not to care too much --- wearing shorts instead of strings covering strategic spots like I used to. Much more comfortable now. But, I'm probably still going to try the string thing on top. My niece suggested a white tank top, but then I have that transparency-when-wet factor to worry about. I will be out in public and maybe don't want to be that brazen anymore. Hopefully, a bikini top will have a liner sewn inside.
I'm going to have a great vacation if that's the least of my worries, huh? Now, if I can keep my migraines at bay for a while...
We went walking through a nearby arboretum in the rain. It was so peaceful.
Then, I tried to find a white bikini top, which turned out to be nearly impossible. I'm getting a little bit pissy about this female swimsuit thing. I bought some board shorts and wanted a bikini top to match. What a f*$@ing arduous task! I'm tired of worrying about every single inch of my body. Men have it much easier in this matter. They don't care. Well, I'm almost at that spot of not caring. If I truly didn't care, I wouldn't be looking for a white bikini top. Rather, I would have bought the white jog bra that I saw yesterday, but didn't look very flattering on me. You know, that smooshing effect. So, here I am, trying not to care too much --- wearing shorts instead of strings covering strategic spots like I used to. Much more comfortable now. But, I'm probably still going to try the string thing on top. My niece suggested a white tank top, but then I have that transparency-when-wet factor to worry about. I will be out in public and maybe don't want to be that brazen anymore. Hopefully, a bikini top will have a liner sewn inside.
I'm going to have a great vacation if that's the least of my worries, huh? Now, if I can keep my migraines at bay for a while...
Saturday, June 2, 2001
Friday, June 1, 2001
Friday, June 1, 2001
Finishing up the last few things before my vacation! Yippee! My new pager arrived today. I don't even feel like messing with it. I think I'll wait until I need it next week. Also, I got my new Sprint phone hooked up. What an onerous task that was.
Damn, my migraine is back!!!!!!
Damn, my migraine is back!!!!!!
Thursday, May 31, 2001
Thursday, May 31, 2001
Another demo this morning. The client put me through some paces but overall seemed pleased with our software. Yippee, I can go home & see Galahad now.
I bought my new cellular phone today. Way too many choices out there. And, mine isn't even cellular. That was so last year. Mine is PCS, and I can hook it up to my laptop and dial out. How cool is that?!
I bought my new cellular phone today. Way too many choices out there. And, mine isn't even cellular. That was so last year. Mine is PCS, and I can hook it up to my laptop and dial out. How cool is that?!
Wednesday, May 30, 2001
Wednesday, May 30, 2001
I'm flying up to Orlando today. I'm not too pleased about it since I still have a migraine.
Ken Jenne, Broward County Sheriff, was on my plane. I can't believe how much security they have for him. I guess he's important, but who knew how much? He was filling out an application for a gubernatorial-appointed application.
My demo at the client went well. Everyone was very friendly. Now, on to my drive to Tampa..
Ken Jenne, Broward County Sheriff, was on my plane. I can't believe how much security they have for him. I guess he's important, but who knew how much? He was filling out an application for a gubernatorial-appointed application.
My demo at the client went well. Everyone was very friendly. Now, on to my drive to Tampa..
Tuesday, May 29, 2001
Tuesday, May 29, 2001
Time to make an emergency visit to my chiropractor. Hopefully, he can fix my head!
Monday, May 28, 2001
Monday, May 28, 2001
It's lovely to have another day off. I almost took it in stride as just an extra weekend day except that Galahad happened to put on NPR. They had quite a show on. It made me contemplate just how fortunate I am to have not lived during a major war. Somehow, the Gulf War counts but doesn't really. Also, it made me silently thank all the men & women who did go off to fight for my country's sake.
I ended up getting a killer migraine. Maybe it was the pizza?
I ended up getting a killer migraine. Maybe it was the pizza?
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