Wednesday, November 17, 2010

So You Think...

...libraries are irrelevant, unnecessary, and unwanted?

Think Again!

Big Human Chain Helps Small Town Library (video)

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Two Videos

Cat vs Printer - The Translation
Of course I laughed at the original video but this version - OMG!

Language by Stephen Fry
This one is longer, but well worth it if you have any love of language.
(Discovered through Phil Plait's Bad Astronomy blog - his post title is "Grammar nazis get Fryed" which is also quite brilliant.)

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Dear CBS

PLEASE, PLEASE, I am literally on my knees as I type this, BEGGING you - give Hawaii 5-0 a real chance. Don't cancel it after only a few episodes.

Hawaii is my home and I love it (my dad would say irrationally so). I was skeptical when I first heard about the re-make, but I just watched the pilot and was hooked before the credits started and was a devoted convert soon after. Great actors, great action, great use of scenery and local color (although, really, we make that last part kinda easy, don't we?).

The show is off to a great start. Hawaii and her culture and her people have so much to offer - give us a chance to show you.

Mahalo.

Tuesday, August 03, 2010

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Time Flies Fast Enough

Well said, sister! It's always made me crazy that the dates on the magazines are so far ahead and how we had to make room at Borders for the next year's calendars in August.

Sci-Fi Letdown

I do love me some sci-fi, but it does have its problems.

Friday, July 16, 2010

Too Many Years

This is SO depressing...

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Sunday, July 11, 2010

House Anniversary

One year ago some very good friends gave up part of their weekend to heave everything I own (a considerable amount that's still difficult to believe) out of the rental house, into a U-Haul, and then into my new digs. It was extremely generous of them and I am still grateful as I sit here, one circle around the sun later, enjoying my first anniversary in my home.

Tuesday, July 06, 2010

Enjoying the Back Porch

This is another of Dad's big projects that we are all enjoying (although I still need to seal the boards with Thompson's). The old porch was built out of two different types of boards, one of which became the front deck; the other, the cross beams for the new room.



Saturday, June 05, 2010

Email Subject Line

One of the best email subject lines I've ever seen:

There Is a Kitten in This Newsletter. You're Welcome.

And there was, and it was adorable, and I was thankful.

Here's hoping your email today will offer you at least something interesting - even if you aren't lucky enough to get a kitten.

Friday, May 28, 2010

Home Improvements

Here are some of the results of Dad's visit. There will be a part two with more photos eventually...

We lifted the composite boards from the covered back porch and moved them out here. Although I helped a little with the framing, Dad laid this all on his own.

Note the new security screen door. We also installed one of these on the back door to increase the air flow in the house with the added bonus that the cats love sitting in front of them and watching the world outside fly, creep, and crawl by.

This new room encloses the washer & dryer, water heater, water pump. Once I get it finished and painted it will be the screen for the projector. Unbelievably, none of the cats has climbed on top. Yet.


Obviously I have some painting to do here, too, around the new, smaller vanity and mirror in the master bath.


The new vanity and mirror in the guest bath are an even bigger improvement: the old vanity stuck way out (see below).


Old vanity:


A HUGE mahalo to Dad for these and all the other projects he completed. More photos soon...

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Tsunami

Mahalo to all those who called to urge me to flee the oncoming waters. No worries, though - I am more than a mile outside the evac zone.



That is, until California stops just dancing around and finally collapses into the Pacific - on that day, I promise that I will head for the top of one of our very tall mountains.

Friday, February 12, 2010

Got Snow?

I try very hard to resist the urge to be obnoxious about how wonderful the weather is here in Paradise. Suffice it to note that one of the local sayings is "Lucky you live Hawaii." I'm sorry, though, this I cannot resist...

From the Associated Press: There's snow in every state except Hawaii.

Really, after that title, there's no more to say. Except, of course, "Lucky I live Hawaii." Where this afternoon, when it cools down a little, I will don shorts, short-sleeved shirt, and sunglasses and go take a walk by the ocean. Okay, so there was a little more to say :-}

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Feelin' Good

I'm feeling rather good about myself today. My professional self, at least - the personal me needs some a lot of work.

My second contract renewal application was approved (!) so I now have a job through June 30, 2011 (although with a pay cut, but that's another story). I will have to apply for tenure this October to see if I stay employed after that (and I'll be applying for promotion at the same time). But for now, I not only have someplace that wants my professional efforts but I also have some extremely gratifying and validating comments from both my director and the committee that reviewed my dossier. Hmmm... how shall I celebrate?

Closing Tabs

Scalzi discusses a relic:
"The real irony of this {floppy} disc is that the amount of memory you can write to it (1.44 MB, if memory — heh – serves) isn’t enough to store the jpeg of the picture of it which came out of my camera (1.49 MB)."

I don't make New Year's resolutions, but I can really get behind this sentiment from Cherie, which although technically isn't a New Year's resolution was posted around New Year's: "I resolve to keep on keepin’ on. It’ll either be enough, or it won’t."

Map Wish

I wish there was a program or website that had the outlines of countries and a list from which you could select cities and areas to be plotted on the map which you could then print. For example, an outline of Britain and then I could click the boxes for London, Oxford, Cambridge, Sussex, York, etc. and I would get a map with only those places I'm interested in instead of a map with so much stuff that it all ends up being kinda meaningless.

Of course it would also have to be able to show areas from different historical periods.

I'm no computer programmer, but surely in today's marvelous digital world that's not too difficult a task, is it?

New House Pix Postponed

I know that I promised some of you that I would post new pix of the home after the winter break, but I'm going to postpone for two reasons. First, typically, I didn't get as much done as I had hoped - a perpetual problem that I encounter every weekend. Sigh.

The other reason is that my dad is coming (!) in March to help with some minor repairs and improvements and I know the place will look a gajillion times better :-) after his visit, so I really will post new pix after he leaves (2nd week of April). Really.