maighread

Offline for a week or so. Back soon.

Today I learned:

+ That even if you're running late, a ten minute nap is great. (And will keep away the crankiness when you hit driving foo that will make you even more late.)

+ I've been driving the jetta all wrong. I was in conservative low rpms shift mode when the darn thing really wants zippy gas fast higher rmps shift mode. I've also learned that the ford shift and the vw shift are vastly different. And 6th gear makes me go faster, yes, that's it.

+ I really love seeing people I haven't seen in a long time, looking all kinds of healthy & happy. Yay, happy shiny people!

+ Sometimes, when you throw your hands up in the air and just go with it, things work out.

+ Peach Sangria is waaaaay sweet and provides a lovely & refreshing reset button should you be feeling frazzled.

+ Those top ten things on the list that needed to be done NOW? I'm going to get to one of them. Maybe two. And call it a day. It's ok. (Although a trip to get cat litter is now imperative for tomorrow. Yikes, cat butt.)

It must be allergy season. I sneezed three times today.

pimpin' the company. 'cause I like the guy you'd be working for. Feel free to pass along to anyone who might have an interest.

Principal Software Engineer
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A.
Static Haiku

Blue static electricity,
Like Vadar I am.
Ow, my finger hurts.

Tennies, cords, dry office
air, an acrylic sweater...
oh crap! Light bulb hair.



B.
I checked. FTD does not have an "I'm sorry my former cat projectile vomited on your hair" bouquet.


C.
I need to learn to knit.
http://zakkalife.blogspot.com/2007/09/zakka-tissue-cozy.html
Tissue cozies! So damn cute!

A. When I heard the Pat's were losing, I laughed. Sorry, but would have been so ironic as to be funny. (For the record, I like watching the Pat's but I'm just not hyper about the record breaking win. It's interesting, as are the other stats, but eh...[http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/gallery/11_26_07_pats_records/])

2. The donut pie worked out pretty well actually.

iii. Twin Peaks Marathon. Spiff.

Product rave: Lush's King of the Mods. It's a creme style gel that doesn't smell nasty or get crunchy and manages to tames those frizzies quite nicely. (Plus it was free! No idea why - maybe I hit the store just after the holiday sales pitch push but before the holiday sales rush & amped up college chic saleswomen were in the gifting mood?) Anyway, is good. Get thee a sample.

While needing some chill out time, discovered grape vodka last night. Holy crap. There's no alcho...whee, I just fell off my barstool! Luckily The Best Fried Cheese & Plantains ever were there to balance out the drinks & shots. What say we get take out and stumble towards home, eh?

In other news, I keep dreaming that I'm supposed to warn someone of something, but I can't. The phone doesn't work, I don't know how to look up the number to call, I can't catch my breath, I keep forgetting who I'm supposed to warn. It's funny, since I'm laughing, but sad too since I "know" "something" "unhappy" is going to happen. Not a nightmare - but a bit haunting.

But it sounds crappy. And lame. (Fox has signed up for 7 episodes.)

And I hate Dushku as a main role actress.


Here's how Fox describes the series:
Echo (Eliza Dushku) [is] a young woman who is literally everybody's fantasy. She is one of a group of men and women who can be imprinted with personality packages, including memories, skills, language—even muscle memory—for different assignments. The assignments can be romantic, adventurous, outlandish, uplifting, sexual and/or very illegal. When not imprinted with a personality package, Echo and the others are basically mind-wiped, living like children in a futuristic dorm/lab dubbed the Dollhouse, with no memory of their assignments—or of much else. The show revolves around the childlike Echo's burgeoning self-awareness, and her desire to know who she was before, a desire that begins to seep into her various imprinted personalities and puts her in danger both in the field and in the closely monitored confines of the Dollhouse.
http://www.eonline.com/gossip/kristin/detail/index.jsp?uuid=972f7d73-e0a2-43ea-abad-0abf6afba1f3

Dushku's words of wisdom:
"She's fierce and she's hot, but she's also so complex, and she's going to be so tripped out because she's in this world, which I can identify with, where there are people who can click a button and succeed in making you be what they want you to be. It's this whole mindtrip of objectification," [she says.] "It's going to have sex and heartbreak and violence and hilarity. That, to me, is a hot show."


The concept might work in written format. Or with a male main character. But with Dushku at the helm it's just going to turn into 42 minutes of bad teen fantasy with awful dialog, Dushku's dopey "I'm badass" half lidded look, and all the women in skin tight revealing outfits. And we already saw that fail in Dark Angel, among others.

I think Whedon just had too much scotch at that lunch.

Also in Whedon gossip, it sounds like his projected 2009 movie is not doing so hot. "Goners" seems to currently be stalled out in rewrites. foo. =/

What will it take to remind you how good your life is?

Ok, I'm sure there is another side to the story somewhere...but I'm having trouble seeing it. Exxon can afford to pay out, but it sounds like they don't want to, and the federal court is letting them.

Anchorage Jury: "You were bad! Pay 5 Million Bajillion Buttons, do not pass go!"
Exxon: *whine*
Federal Court: "We've never made anyone pay that much before. You have to make it a lower number."
Anchorage Judge: "oooookaaaay. Pay 4 Million Bajillion Buttons."
Exxon: *whine*
Federal Court: "Ok, this happened in 1989, and the jury said that they needed to pay up in 1994, but we made a law in 2003 that said punitive damages could only be 9 times the general damages. So you gotta lower it because the ruling you made in 1994 breaks the 2003 law."
Anchorage Judge: "Fuck you. They were BAD and that law doesn't apply. Now it's 4.5 Million Bajillion Buttons PLUS interest."
Exxon: *whine* "We only want to pay 25 buttons."
Federal Court: "Anchorage, you suck. We're taking over. Exxon, my dear silly boy, you shouldn't do that again. According to the 2003 law we could charge you 9 times general damages but because you picked up your mess so fast, please pay only 5 times general damages. Now you run along home and be good."

****

Court Cuts Valdez Judgment Against Exxon
By DAVID KRAVETS, AP Legal Affairs Writer

Friday, December 22, 2006
(12-22) 20:09 PST SAN FRANCISCO, (AP) --

A federal appeals court on Friday cut in half a $5 billion jury award for punitive damages against Exxon Mobil Corp. in the 1989 Valdez oil spill that smeared black goo across roughly 1,500 miles of Alaskan coastline.
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Last Minute News Flash
SEE THE ONION CELLAR TONIGHT FOR FREE - OPEN DRESS REHEARSAL

The American Repertory Theater has decided to make today's dress rehearsal for The Onion Cellar open to the public and FREEEE.
today: friday december 9th.

First come, first served, but at this late hour of announcement I can't imagine we'll be turning people away. The theater seats three hundred.

Address is zero arrow street (corner of arrow st and mass ave)
in cambridge right outside of harvard sq.

Be there at around 8:30, we're trying to start the dress rehearsal at nine. A dress rehearsal means that there may well be a delay or some technical glitches.

( Read more... )Al Gore’s Truth-Telling Environmental Documentary: An Inconvenient Truth.

October 24th 6:30pm
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**EDIT** I feel compelled to say "this is not my religion, nor to I endorse any particular religion or religious outreach", however, I do think this movie is worth seeing and it's free. They (the promoters) specifically targeted religious institutions in an attempt to get the movie seen in a wider range of audiences. Hence, we are screening it for free. No, you don't have to stay for the discussion. Sit in the back and sneak out the side door. That's my plan. On the other hand, if you're into religion and/or looking to see a reform jewish synagogue's take on environmental organizing, you might find this interesting since a brand new, fresh out of HUC, sparkly Rabbi will be running the show.

The apocalypse isn't going to be sudden mushroom clouds and hordes of headless horsemen. It will be a slow erosion of the realities that comfort us. One day this is lost, the next that, until you're a raw bundle of cells blindly reacting to the latest news and fighting off the impulse to silence it all.

As we age, the increase of death and illness of those we love begins to weigh heavy. Gone are those years of yesterdays where our tears fell when siblings got the larger slice of pie or we didn't win the big game. The pie is spread decidedly thinner and we're all on a diet anyway. The Game is no longer "a game" but now mortgages, and the demands of children, and a boss who's eye is on the bottom line.

Somewhere out there is advice on how to combat the depression & celebrate each little treasure trove of the beautiful parts of reality. Find that advice which works for you and hold it tight in your grubby little palm.

***

In other cheery news: money. argh. Those of you with good dental plans, make use of them because if you don't have them and you need work done, it is the suck.

Also: death & sickness. We've got plenty, thanks. Please go try knocking on someone else's door.

Currently on the scale: Upcoming wedding of cousin vs. grandfather in intensive care with internal bleeding and a DNR. **EDIT** Call from dad. Bleeding found & stopped. Outlook positive. Oh gosh, death did go knocking on someone else's door. DO NOT ANSWER YOUR DOOR!

Dr. Jones is home. He's getting 100mL LRS once a day (this is the under the skin stuff to help his failing kidneys), clavamox 62.5 mg once a day (to kill the mouth infection), chlorhexdine oral rinse twice a day (again, for the mouth infection), pepcid ac (to calm his tummy), and instructions to eat anything he wants and as much of it as we can convince him to eat. There's also a prescription for aluminum hydroxide gel (binds to the phosphorus to keep it out of his system).

He's pretty lethargic but has wandered the apartment with lots of rest breaks. Periods of panting & some laboring. He doesn't mind being petted, but really isn't interested in it & prefers to escape into the corners of the room to flop down & rest. And only one meow in the 2 hours that he's been home. =( This is not good quality of life.

Tomorrow morning I'll put a call into the regular vet (Fresh Pond) for Wed or Tuesday. It may be worth testing his levels again. If they continue to drop, and he appears happy & is eating, it is good. If they have risen/stay the same, and he continues as he is tonight, uncomfortable & not really eating, it is not good.

There really isn't any further treatment plan that will give significant relief & I can afford to do.

Did you know that they do kidney transplants in cats? yeah. wow.

His levels still aren't good.
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*edit*

I hate you Newark International. And your fucking weather management too.

As of noon, Dr. Jones was resting comfortably. He's getting fluids, antibiotics, & meds to make all those go smoothly. He was given food this morning & had it eaten within a few hours, which is encouraging. They'll check out his kidneys & levels again tomorrow. Levels really need to be down pretty close to normal before he can come home.

No verdict as of yet as to what really will need to be done if/when his levels are down.

In work related news, we're chugging along as best we can. "Business" is the usual around here for this time of year. We're almost done with the day & we've only made a few minor errors here & there. High turnouts due to the weekend. I've just managed to slice my thumb open with a plastic knife while trying to cut a bagel in half. I'm short bus special.

L'Shana Tova.

(Also, thank goodness for my new neighbor who called me up & had me stop by for much needed food late late late last night. She rocks the caspa.)

It is a terrible thing to be looking at a sheet of paper and trying to figure out what your littlest & most meowly love is worth.
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so I've just been given the news that the next 24 to 36 hours are really important to Dr. Jone's survival. I love the little guy. Think good thoughts his direction. Here's hoping that Vescone in Waltham is a good critical care facility.

Please file under: "No, really, you're making me cry."

Bottle of medicine for cat = 25 mg
Dosage amount needed = 1 ml
Numbers on the side of the eyedropper provided w/med = 12.5 mg and 25 mg.

You bloody fucking fuckity fucks. I hate you.

ml to mg, anyone? Bueller? Bueller?