Saturday, February 23, 2002

Aaaaaigh! *Sheepish grin* Er, I very nearly forgot... So, *Waves, hugs, confetti* Happy Birthday, Scrubby! *Grin*
Posted by: Shannon M.: 12:35 AM |

And now I'm off to bed, 'cause it's late and I've had something of a long day, starting with Toulouse landing on my head at 7:45 and then being followed around by Yasminda... Went to an -excellent- hockey game, too. More later!

G'night.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 12:43 AM |

Hannah Storm, Olympic Blitherer Extarordinare for NBC's various channels, has disturbingly immobile hair. On the other hand, the funky little tufts that stick out behind her ears are a rather entertaining touch.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 12:35 PM |

*Grump* And of course since the Americans are just so damned -cool-, and because _everyone_ loves Canadians, Germany and TCR's silver medal game will not be televised.

...I like some Canadians. And some Americans. Just...not hyped to the seventh level of Christendom, or something like that.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 12:46 PM |

Fascinating. *Snicker* No, I have no idea why I find it so amusing. *Ahem* Anyhow... Link from Reny's LJ.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 12:58 PM |

I love Alton Brown and Good Eats.

...I really have nothing else to report.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 8:28 PM |

I think I will indulge in my right to self-expression right now. I think that the Mac platform rules. I think that I haven't posted a lot today. I think that I have the right to post as much as I like. I think I posted a lot last Saturday. I think Zeldman is a Mac Fan. I think that, if I were to have a Cafˇ Press store, I'd probably sell HappyPear shirts and quite possibly a few of my ECA quotes -- "I just live here" "Thank you for sharing!" "I don't know. It's not a Mac."

And now, I Think I'll quit being so snarky. Promisepromise.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 8:34 PM |

Friday, February 22, 2002

Reesa -- Maybe the screen resolution thing was my problem, I don't know. *Shrug* The first time I tried to paste after -just- pressing sysreq, it didn't work. So I tried the alt combo, and tada! I was able to paste. Maybe it's just a quirk of Ev's old machine -- anything that comes into contact with my family for at least two weeks develops its own set of strange personality tics.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 9:38 AM |

*Growls at Tripod and their damnable remote-image thing* That's it. I swear... If I EVER get any money, I'm getting my own bloody domain. No popups, no remote-image crap, no vagaries of someone else's size restrictions... *Mutters and yanks up Google*
Posted by: Shannon M.: 11:34 AM |

In other, happier news: no matter how many times I see the episode of Wildlife Emergency involving the poor mama opossum that managed to get herself stuck in a wire patio table and ended up losing a leg, it still makes me coo and aww and -want- an opossum, darn it.

...Adult opossums are just as cute as the babies. Aww.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 11:39 AM |

Thursday, February 21, 2002

How do you convince a cat that the worst the dog will do is get her soggy with drool, and that she should just get down off the bookcase and -deal- with the dog already? Yasminda hates to be left out of the "action", such as it is; -I- hate to exclude her; and Toulouse is just annoyed that Yasminda wants to be her friend. It makes my head hurt.

...It's either that or my sinuses.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 12:57 AM |

Notice: Just pushing the 'Prnt Scrn/Sys Req' button on the Wintel keyboard does nothing. Pressing alt+Prnt Scrn, on the other hand...

This note provided by a Mac User annoyed by bad instructions provided by Wintel owners.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 9:33 AM |

So, I -finally- spell-checked MooT Rewrite. Now you don't have to add a 't' to about, or wonder why I put two Ls in 'counselors'. Ooh.

I thought I'd already checked it. Surprise!
Posted by: Shannon M.: 12:16 PM |

Wow. I've only heard Island In The Sun, like, -maybe- twice. And I identified it in the Travel Channel's commercial. On the one hand, I like the song. On the other, I'm annoyed with TTC for being the replacement for TechTV. *Grumple*
Posted by: Shannon M.: 12:32 PM |

*Blinks at Reesa* Really? How does one convince the clipboard (or Wintel equivilent) to give up said screenshot? I couldn't figure that part out, so I tried experimenting with the command keys, which is where I found the alt+sysreq combo. (Or at least I'm pretty -sure- it's alt. It could be ctrl. I haven't done it in a couple of days.)

Also, to take one on a Mac running OS 8.1 or later, hold down the flower/apple/beanie/propeller key and the shift key, then hit 3. There should be a camera shutter sound, and you'll find your screenshot in the hard drive, as a picture file. Ferinstance, I took a picture of my music collection, and you can look at it here, if you wanna. (Note: This file contains nothing that will offend anyone*, unless of course you absolutely canNOT stand my taste in music.) ...And no, I'm not sure why I felt compelled to share this with everyone. Probably just backlash from John C. Dvorak's article and its followers, and in lieu of having pictures of Toulouse.

* i.e. Spike and Xander lolling around in bed, blood and gore, etc. *Snerk*
Posted by: Shannon M.: 9:56 PM |

Wednesday, February 20, 2002

Isn't that Weezer's Island In The Sun in the background for Travel Channel's Beach Week ad?
Posted by: Shannon M.: 12:10 AM |

Mounds brand baking coconut is a Nummy Treat. How do I know? Why, it says 'Moist and delicious!' right on the bag!

This post brought to you by too much Chocolatey Goodness and not enough sleep.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 5:47 AM |

The Gallery Of Regrettable Foods. The new version features some new books, and are hysterical as ever. I think. I need to go back to sleep.

...I miss Interior Desecrators, though. "Note: This is not a good room."
Posted by: Shannon M.: 5:57 AM |

"But amor vincit omnes, eh? Particularly when omnes is tied up and gagged in the basement."

And a link, 'cause I forgot it in the previous post.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 6:01 AM |

"Mm! Quivery citrus kudzu."
Posted by: Shannon M.: 6:11 AM |

Spam. In pancake batter. The answer is -NO-.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 6:16 AM |

Okay, I'm going back to sleep. I hope.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 6:17 AM |

And here I am, blurry and not-quite-awake, trying desperately to figure out how many comprehension-doodads I actually have to have in hand when I get to class tonight. I think I only have to have the one for chapter two, but I'm not sure...

Chapter Six test was Monday, and as per the usual the written part was more or less a breeze, while the videotaped oral part was a mess of stuttering, fumbling for words, and poor tolerant Misawa-sensei being reduced to asking me yes/no questions. Guh. I also made faces, because I _always_ make faces. I can't -think- when confronted with the camera.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 10:50 AM |

Tuesday, February 19, 2002

...Speaking of music, I vote that the "lounge-lizard version of Closer" is made available to the public. Or at least to me, since I'm probably one of a handful of people that would actually _enjoy_ it. Heh.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 10:51 AM |

Oh, yeah, I know I use _my_ blog to do no more than get hits and be popular, really. It's funny how many people think that blogs are something exciting and new. It's just an updates page in a newish form, with a different name.

I blog because it's a way to keep track of my thoughts and feelings, it's a place to be snarky and awed, it's a place to throw out bits of writing and opinions that I either want to share with others or want to come back and comment on later. I don't read a lot of blogs that I consider to be poorly written or dull, because they don't have anything of interest for _me_. However, I'm sure they're important to their owners, and so I simply stay away from them and let the authors get on with their lives. (Unless, of course, there's something terribly compelling that simply _needs_ to be shown to the world at large as an example of how NOT to do things.)

"I had a cheese sandwich" is fine, particularly if it's accompanied by a description of what kind of bread, cheese, toppings/condiments, steps for preparation... A recipe, basically. A recitation of woes (flat tire(s), etc), written correctly, can be hysterical. Just because it's mundane doesn't mean it's boring, or deserves to be ridiculed. Writing in third person tends to annoy Shan, to the point that she mocks it by doing it herself. Fortunately, she's found that few blogs she enjoys reading use this strange point of view.

Pictures of random stuff can be lovely, as well. Tom took a picture of a crumpled-up wrapper on a bedspread and it was fascinating. He's also photographed spiders, lizards, random pieces of decaying history, and the guts of a doorknob. Rambling about pets and books and movies and music and TV and school are fine, too. Hell, I've gotten great recs from people I don't even know because they happened to talk about stuff they'd seen/heard/read. I also ran across a book that I know I will NEVER EVER read after seeing it linked on someone's blog and being traumatized by the Amazon synopsis. *Shudder* Gick.

....Um. So. I think what I was trying to say was that people that look at blogging as a puzzling, slightly amusing trend (on par with baggy-ass pants and wearing a visor sideways and upside-down in winter) are not looking at it seriously enough or objectively enough. Yeah, Sturgeon's Law applies to blogging, too, but it applies to _everything_ to some degree.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 11:17 AM |

So, now that I've made the requisite 'Ethe is just easy' joke (thanks again, Mari!), I have to say that I thought that was the case. *Grins and pokes at people* All righty, now all I have to do is get Av and Kel to get done with their sudden surge of relationship-squishyness and....I-don't-know-what. Schmoop, maybe? Smarm? Something. But I should be writing on that rather than just blithering about it here...
Posted by: Shannon M.: 1:35 PM |

Some days I merely -think- tests have a few flaws, then others I _know_ they have great gaping glaring ones. Me, Legolas/Gimli? I don't think so, really.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 6:13 PM |

Because I have no life, I am going to the grand opening of the new Fred Meyers store, and I'm going to enjoy myself thoroughly. See, this store is about five miles closer than the one we usually go to, and has been under construction all winter. We have been anticipating this opening the way most people await, oh, NIN collection releases, or say the next Robert Jordan book. Yay! Groceries on the way home, or food on the way to school!
Posted by: Shannon M.: 6:16 PM |

Bleah. The Grand Opening is actually tomorrow -- tonight was a party for all kinds of bigwigs, though it -looked- like the store was open to the public.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 7:40 PM |

Also, the commentary for women's hockey sucks bigtime. Grr. Where're Gary Thorne and Bill Clement when you need them?
Posted by: Shannon M.: 7:42 PM |

Most of you already know my views on rah-rah jingoistic Americentric attitudes. Here's some more!

Go Finland, go Finland, go go go! Win win win! Yay Finland! Repeat ad infinitum, substituting 'Latvia', 'Lithuania', 'Lichtenstein', 'Norway', 'Sweden', 'Kazhakstan', 'Belarus', 'Ukraine', and various other small European countries that haven't been independent very long. Or at least have not been out from under the bad form of Communism for all that long, or however you want to classify them.

Also, listening to the crappy commentary for women's hockey brings my inner feminist to the fore, and she is easily pissed off. *Grumple* Thank the Lord for the fast-forward button, and for VCRs.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 8:44 PM |

Speaking of communism... After today's International Studies class, I was seriously considering becoming a Canadian communist. Why? Because we learned alllllll about the occupation of Japan by the Americans. That's where the Canadian part comes in, obviously; the communist bit is because I'm from a family whose last name is spelled c-o-n-t-r-a-r-y, and the whole anti-commie hysteria thing just makes me want to wave my red book and proclaim the worker as the lifeblood of the state, or something like that.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 8:50 PM |

Two totally unrelated things:

1) Trace Beaulieu, better known as Dr. Forrester and The Voice Of Crow T. Robot of MST3K fame, is the host of Animal Planet's People Traps. And he's _still_ funny.
2) I have 318 songs, totaling 17:46:10 and 1.19 gigabytes. And I'm not done! Ooh.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 10:55 PM |

I keep forgetting that Moon Baby by Godsmack should be added to Marc and Vic's soundtrack. Why? 'My soulmate lives in your body', and the whole existential-angst angle. Or it could just be the guitars.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 11:12 PM |

I had to take Yasminda to the vet today, for routine maintenence and annual tire rotation. Okay, so I'm kidding about the tires, but she did get shots and a checkup. Dr. Smith didn't say anything about Yas being overweight, and as she's -finally-, _barely_ broken the lower weight limits of the GSD standards (70 - 90 lbs), I'm guessing that she's okay in that area. Yasminda was -such- a good girl -- she didn't growl, bark, try to bite (not that she has, before, but still), or try to escape through the door into the back. She also wasn't interested in eating their little biscuit, but then, she never has been. She even let Dr. Smith trim her nails without too much fuss, which is amazing -- usually she tries to walk off in the middle of it. The vet also said that there is FINALLY an injectable version of bordatellla (kennel cough) vaccine. So, instead of muzzling Yasminda, backing her into a corner and basically putting her into a headlock in order to squirt the intranasal form up her nose, we only have to get her to sit still for thirty seconds (if that). And, aside from what appears to be a touch of arthritis in her back/hips, she's clear for obedience and agility, as long as I watch her to make sure she's not in any pain.

Also, I love our vet. We got there late (my fault, as usual) and they'd only -just- pulled her chart and hadn't even started the paperwork. And I got a newbie, so things were slow anyhow, which was fine with me -- gave me a minute to collect my self and my thoughts.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 11:53 PM |

Monday, February 18, 2002

What day are you?

Hee! I'm just going to say this does NOT apply to -physical- grace, since anyone that knows me knows I'm prone to tripping over lint on extremely low-pile carpet...
Posted by: Shannon M.: 12:24 PM |

And a new template! I like Pixel-Kiss's layouts, what can I say? I'll probably switch over to the one I think of as The Havothi Template at some point in time.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 12:47 PM |

Perhaps my problems lie in not having posted anything new.

...Indeed, that seems to be a good portion of them. *Pokes things* Ready to behave, now?
Posted by: Shannon M.: 12:57 PM |

Yay! I guess I'll just live with the date being smooshed up against the footer for right now, since everything else is working out.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 1:09 PM |

Two things:

First, mostly for Reesa but tweakable by anyone else that uses Sandbox At Night and hates fiddling with the links, a link template with instructions.

And secondly, Nightnoise's Snow Is Softly Falling, which is less a K/A Relationship Song and more a K/A Solstice Atmosphere Song. In short, it's something that they'd hear in a tavern or bar or something. It's 4.5 megs, zipped, not that zipping relly made that big a difference in the filesize. Enjoy, Or Something.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 2:08 PM |

Sunday, February 17, 2002

...I can't think of anything to say about your sister, Reesa, other than the obvious: what a stupid little twit. And I really wish I had something to offer you beyond what I've usually got, which is an ear and a shoulder. *Hug*
Posted by: Shannon M.: 12:31 AM |

It's after midnight, isn't it? I guess that means you'll find my next post over here.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 1:37 AM |

...No new layout, yet. Eventually, though, just like everything -else- in my life.

I should go to bed.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 1:39 AM |

Um, oops. *Blinks at the template* I think I mangled something when I was uploading folders.

Is this marginally better?
Posted by: Shannon M.: 1:41 AM |

And -hey-, my size tags for the 'posted by' and permalink things are working! *Bounce* At long last!
Posted by: Shannon M.: 1:44 AM |

Dear CNet: What on -Earth- was the guy evaluating PhotoShop Vs. PhotoImpact _smoking_, and where can I get some?

Thoroughly puzzled and not a little annoyed, Me.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 1:58 AM |

The template should be back to normal, now.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 9:50 AM |

"Helen cannot be exposed to Jesus (The Blessed Sacrament, the wafer god)"
"This is the highlight of the mass. This is when the wafer becomes god."
"Doesn't this information upset you? It should, beloved!"
"[...]AND THE LORD JESUS IS VERY ANGRY WITH THE VATICAN."
God's word is FINAL!
[...] "Thank you for giving me eternal life right now."

Oh, dear me. I've never liked the Chick Tracts, because they're basically (bad) propaganda. However, this one is rather amusing... And Wrong, Wrong, WRONG. I don't even -like- the Catholic faith because it's far too bureaucratic for my tastes, but I don't think it deserves to be attacked like this. If other people want to be Catholic, or if they truly believe in the system, more power to 'em. I don't mind the whole saints-and-angels parts of things, I like the tradition of naming people in the Biblicalname-Saintname pattern (see Marc-Paul and Family; my father's family is named this way -- dad's is John, one of my uncles is Francis [and it fits; he's much much better with animals than people]), I like icons and ritual and all of that. I just can't handle being told that I have no line to Heaven/God except through intermediaries.

I'd go into the flaws in the reasoning behind the points made in the stupid publication, but I'm sure anyone with a passing acquaintence with the Church can see them. My real question has to do with the statement that when Jesus died on the cross, He "did away with animal sacrifices and the Jewish religion." So... The Jewish faith was founded on nothing more than animal sacrifice? I think that the author(s) need to get themselves a dictionary and a research assistant, so that they can learn the meaning of the word 'research' and the phrase 'fact checking'. Bah. (Link from Harpy, quotes above from the really really crappy Jack Chick tract on Roman Catholocism.)

Posted by: Shannon M.: 11:28 AM |

*Blinkblink* Ooooh, the tracts are -thirteen- cents each, when purchased individually! Why? Don't they realize that '13' is an EVIL number!? *Ahem* Also, the 'Meet Jesus' link puts me in mind of a tour schedule -- 'Jesus will be appearing at the Potomac Mills Mall, February 21, from 12 to 5. He'll sign Bibles, heal the sick, and tell the top five Parables as counted down by WFSH, your number-one spot for Contemporary Christian Hits. Sponsoring Jesus on his Soul Salvation 2002 Tour, it's WFSH!'

I'm gonna get struck by lightning, aren't I?
Posted by: Shannon M.: 11:35 AM |

An Addendum to the Trading Spaces Post:

Besides, you can often find much spiffier/funkier/cooler/your-adjective-of-choice-here furniture in second-hand stores.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 1:41 PM |