Banking on Tomorrow

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Banking on Tomorrow
"tomorrow is promised to no one"

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Carol H Tucker

Passionate about knowledge management and organizational development, expert in loan servicing, virtual world denizen and community facilitator, and a DISNEY fan

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beladona Memorial

Be warned:in this very rich environment where you can immerse yourself so completely, your emotions will become engaged -- and not everyone is cognizant of that. Among the many excellent features of SL, there is no auto-return on hearts, so be wary of where your's wanders...

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lesson learned

Today is the 4^th day of the 31^st week, the 3^rd day of the 8^th month, the 216^th day of 2016 [with only 143 shopping days left until Christmas], and:

Airplane Crop Duster Day
Esther Day
Friendship Day
Grab Some Nuts Day
Independence Day: Niger from France in 1960.
International Albarino Day
National Watermelon Day

In 8 the Roman Empire general Tiberius defeated the Dalmatae on the river Bathinus. In 1492 Christopher Columbus sets sail from Palos de la Frontera, Spain. In 1527 the first known letter from North America is sent by John Rut while at St. John's, Newfoundland. In 1933 the Mickey Mouse Watch was introduced for the price of $2.75 [which would be $38.29 today]. In 1936 Jesse Owens won the 100 meter dash, defeating Ralph Metcalfe, at the Berlin Olympics. In 1946 Santa Claus Land, the world's first themed amusement park, opened in Santa Claus, Indiana, United States. In 1949 the National Basketball Association was formed. In 1958 the nuclear-powered submarine Nautilus became the first vessel to cross the North Pole underwater [Captain Nemo would be proud].

Lesson learned: Sometimes NOT calling 911, really isn’t always the best choice.

Permalink | Wednesday, August 3, 2016

just plain tired

Today is the 6^th day of the 30^th week, the 29^th day of the 7^th month, the 211^th day of 2016, and:

Army Chaplain Corps Anniversary
International Tiger Day
National Cheese Sacrifice Purchase Day
National Chicken Wing Day
National Lasagna Day
National Lipstick Day
National Talk in an Elevator Day
Rain Day
System Administrator Appreciation Day

In 238 the Praetorian Guard stormed the palace and captured Pupienus and Balbinus, dragging them through the streets of Rome and then executing both of them. In 1836 the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France was dedicated. In 1914 the Cape Cod Canal opened. In 1948 the first Summer Olympics [XIV Olympiad] to be held since the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, opened in London. In 1957 the International Atomic Energy Agency was established. In 1958 Eisenhower signed a bill creating the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. In 2005 astronomers announced their discovery of the dwarf planet Eris.

It may be Friday, but I am exhausted and dragging after a severe allergic reaction to an antibiotic. No idea why it made me so sick. Thank heaven that the weekend is coming up and I can go home soon and just collapse.

Permalink | Friday, July 29, 2016

only child

Today is the 5^th day of the 30^th week, the 28^th day of the 7^th month, the 210^th day of 2016, and:

Buffalo Soldiers Day
Independence day: [Fiestas Patrias] Peru from Spain in 1821.
National Chili Dog Day
National Hamburger Day
National Milk Chocolate Day
National Refreshment Day
World Hepatitis Day
World Nature Conservation Day

In 1364 troops of the Republic of Pisa and the Republic of Florence clash in the Battle of Cascina, which was immortalized by the Michelangelo painting of the battle. In 1571 La Laguna encomienda, known today as the Laguna province in the Philippines was founded by the Spaniards. In 1854 the USS Constellation, the last all-sail warship built by the US Navy, was commissioned. In 1945 a US Army bomber crashed into the 79th floor of New York City's Empire State Building, killing 14 people. In 1996 the remains of a prehistoric man was discovered near Kennewick, Washington.

Thinking about Kennewick man and his history, reading about the blue hole found at the bottom of the sea and wondering what could be at the bottom, has me once again reflecting on the fact that the homo sapiens is the only mammal species on earth without any cousins – there are no other humanoid species currently alive. There have been others -- Neanderthals, Denisovans and homo floresiensis all co-existed at one point with cave men [back in the day we used Cro-Magnon to describe these early human versions that didn’t quite look like us] , but they are gone…. Where did they go? Why did they disappear? Wiped out by disease, something that we were naturally immune to, or suffer a bottleneck [whatever the cause] that they could not bounce back from? Killed by us, either through deliberate genocide or just by out competing? Absorbed through interbreeding and intermingling [there are DNA traces]?

Whatever happened, today’s humans are the only child of the evolutionary tree….

Think about it -- how would our history, our culture, our interactions been changed if we had cousins and siblings?

Permalink | Thursday, July 28, 2016

finding emo....

Today is the 4^th day of the 30^th week, the 27^th day of the 7^th month, the 209^th day of 2016 [with only 150 shopping days until Christmas], and:

Barbie-in-a-blender Day
Bagpipe Appreciation Day
Cross Atlantic Communication Day
National Crème Brûlée Day
National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day
National Scotch Day – it has been around since at least 1495, but no one can tell me precisely why we celebrate it on this particular day
Take Your Houseplant For A Walk Day
Take Your Pants For a Walk Day
Walk on Stilts Day

In 1054 Siward, Earl of Northumbria, invaded Scotland and defeated Macbeth [Mac Bethad mac Findlaích in Gaelic, and nicknamed Rí Deircc or the Red King], King of Scotland, somewhere north of the Firth of Forth. In 1694 a Royal charter was granted to the Bank of England. In 1866, after two previous failures, the first permanent transatlantic telegraph cable was successfully completed, stretching from Valentia Island, Ireland, to Heart's Content, Newfoundland. In 1921 researchers at the University of Toronto led by biochemist Frederick Banting proved that the hormone insulin regulates blood sugar. In 1929 the Geneva Convention, dealing with treatment of prisoners-of-war, was signed by 53 nations. In 1940 Bugs Bunny made his debut in the Warner Bros. animated cartoon "A Wild Hare." In 1949 was the initial flight of the de Havilland Comet, the first jet-powered airliner. In 1987 the RMS Titanic Inc. began the first expedited salvage of wreckage of the RMS Titanic. In 2005, after an incident during mission STS-114, NASA grounded the Space Shuttle fleet, pending an investigation of the continuing problem with the shedding of foam insulation from the external fuel tank.

So, about those three things I talked about yesterday?

The computer is still crashing with the same error message for Second Life and InWorldz using the Firestorm viewer. I have tried eliminating ambient lighting and shadows – which is recommended for low-end and old video cards [and this is NOT supposed to be either] – and will continue testing since the Alienware Tech said the openGL error has to do with shading.
Panda is not at all happy with me putting the lotion on her ear. She ran from me this morning and cried when I caught her, then headed under the bed immediately. Catching her tomorrow morning could be fun.
When I got home, the heating/air conditioning unit in the bedroom had been purportedly fixed and the “carpet specialist” came in to vacuum up the water and clean the carpeting. Despite blowing a fan on it all night, it was still very damp this morning and reeking vaguely of ammonia. We’ll see how it is this evening

I’m going through this update of what’s going on because my feelings are very close to the surface today – and I mean getting emotional over things that really don’t have a lot to do with me.. Watching Bernie give up last night, then reading about it today made me angry about things I cannot change. The idea that little Philae had been written off for good at 5AM EDT this morning brought tears to my eyes. Finding out that we have to circle back, refine, and expand the way that we track financial exceptions made me flush and flounder like someone was attacking my expertise. And not one of these reactions made any sense – I knew the score before the DNC, it is just a piece of machinery, and no one was pointing fingers as we continue to ratchet up our processes. So where is all this unfocused angst coming from?

Did you ever just stand outside yourself and look at you doing something in disbelief, asking “what!?” That’s me today – the moon isn’t full, I don’t have my period, things aren’t going badly, I’m not down about anything – so I really want to sit my psyche down and ask it what’s up with all this emotional turbulence Seriously, can I take something for this?

Permalink | Wednesday, July 27, 2016

taking it one day at a time

Today is the 3^rd day of the 30^th week, the 26^th day of the 7^th month, the 208^th day of 2016 [with only 151 shopping days until Christmas], and:

Aunt and Uncles Day ((now that is something I will never be -- I am an only child and can’t even be an “honorary” aunt since my closest friends are childless))
Bert’s Birthday
Independence Day: Liberia from the American Colonization Society in 1847 and Maldives from the United Kingdom in 1965.
National All Or Nothing Day
National Bagelfest Day
National Coffee Milkshake Day
One Voice Day

Finding positive news that isn’t about war or disaster in the list of things that happened on this day is difficult. As always, I post the earliest item no matter what it is.

In 657, in the Battle of Siffin, troops led by Ali ibn Abu Talib clash with those led by Muawiyah I. In 1745 the first recorded women's cricket match took place near Guildford, England. In 1775, the Second Continental Congress established the Post Office Department which later becomes the United States Post Office Department. In 1803 the Surrey Iron Railway, thought to be the world's first public railway, opens in south London, United Kingdom. In 1963 Syncom 2, the world's first geosynchronous satellite, was launched from Cape Canaveral [now Kennedy Space Center] on a Delta B booster. In 1971 Apollo 15 was launched on a manned mission to the moon. In 1977 the National Assembly of Quebec voted for the use of French as the official language of the provincial government.

It is said that bad things always come in threes, and this morning I completed the trifecta.

The first issue is the ongoing problems with the CPU – last night the Alienware Support team once again did a full clean install of the Nvidea drivers for my computer. It would appear that the last clean install didn’t remove all the bits and pieces of the drivers and the tech used a program called the Revo Uninstaller Pro to make sure that every last lingering smudge of presence was detected and deleted before reinstalling the drivers. We’ll see if that fixes the issue.
While cuddling Panda last night I noted there were three tiny splotches of bare skin showing on her ear, the one right above the healing bare spot on her forehead. I immediately rubbed the lotion on them and washed my hands. There isn’t any more that I can do to the apartment in the way of cleaning up, although I guess I could take another full day to wipe everything down and vacuum the apartment again…. Panda is scheduled for the second shampoo and dip on Thursday and I have a doctor’s appointment to make sure that I have not become a source of reinfection for her
And this morning, while making my bed I go to the side closest to the window and heat/air conditioning unit and… squish. Now this is not a feeling or sound that you expect to encounter while making your bed in your carpeted bedroom, so it gets my attention and I investigate further. Yup, the entire carpet is sopping wet! Last year there was an issue with my unit leaking into the apartment below, it took six tries and visits to my bedroom, but they supposedly fixed the problem. Apparently they did not and this year I am getting the water. I blot up as much water as I can with a towel, turn the A/C up so the unit stops running, then call maintenance – let’s see how long this goes before it is resolved.

There you go, three problems that are dragging on without a point of resolution and bugging me on a very personal level. Why am I going on about them? Well you see, although these are not within the realm of my control, they are still in the area of my influence -- I can at least make a stab at addressing them and maybe even impacting the outcome.

Such is not the case with the issues of the day that bedevil the world. As last night wore on, I will admit that I had to actively fight the impulses to [1] comment on and engage in debate about how the establishment deliberately worked against Bernie [the comments saying that we should all just grow up or go away really tested my resolve], or to [2] watch the speeches at the DNC last night and join the running Tweet stream, or to [3] turn on CNN to see the updates about the bombings, stabbings and shootings, drenching myself in the “WTF is going on with the world” vibes. While I am reading the news and keeping informed, I honestly do not see where doing any of those things is truly helpful. Problem is? I am not quite sure what to do about any of the public issues – thoughts and prayers, advocacy, even making contributions – none of these things that are within my power to do seem to have much impact at the moment on the ultimate outcome. Like too many folk, I feel both powerless and disenfranchised, and while I will indeed go to the polls to do my duty, I realize I have become that person known as a “depressed voter”

Me? I’ll just take it one day at a time for the moment, okay?

Permalink | Tuesday, July 26, 2016

yes I can hear you

Today is the 2^nd day of the 30^th week, the 25^th day of the 7^th month, the 207^th day of 2016 [with only 152 shopping days left until Christmas], and:

Culinarians Day
Feast of Saint James
Health and Happiness with Hypnosis Day
International Red Shoe Day -- founded in memory of Australian Lyme Patient, Theda Myint
National Baha'i Day in Jamaica
National Carousel Day
National Hot Fudge Sundae Day
National Wine and Cheese Day
Thread the Needle Day
Video Games Day -- the US National Video Game Team (USNVGT) was founded in 1983 in Ottumwa, Iowa

In 285 Diocletian appoints Maximian as Caesar, co-ruler. In 315 the Arch of Constantine was completed near the Colosseum in Rome to commemorate Constantine I's victory over Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge. In 1536 Sebastián de Belalcázar on his way to the fabled El Dorado, founded the city of Santiago de Cali. In 1538 the Spanish Conquistador Francisco de Orellana founded the city of Guayaquil [the original name was "Muy Noble y Muy Leal Ciudad de Santiago de Guayaquil"]. In 1609 the English ship Sea Venture, en route to Virginia, was beached during a storm at Bermuda to prevent its sinking -- and the survivors founded a new colony there. 1837 marked the first commercial use of an electrical telegraph by William Cooke and Charles Wheatstone between Euston and Camden Town in London. In 1861 the US Congress passed the Crittenden–Johnson Resolution, stating that the war was being fought to preserve the Union and not to end slavery. In 1869 the Japanese daimyo begin returning their land holdings to the emperor as part of the Meiji Restoration reforms (Traditional Japanese Date: June 17, 1869). In 1908 Ajinomoto is founded when Kikunae Ikeda of the Tokyo Imperial University discovered that a key ingredient in kombu soup stock is monosodium glutamate (MSG), and patented a process for manufacturing it. In 1917 Sir Robert Borden introduced the first income tax in Canada as a "temporary" measure (lowest bracket was 4% and highest was 25%). In 1946 an atomic bomb was detonated underwater in the lagoon of Bikini Atoll [the first detonations of nuclear devices since the atomic bombing of Nagasaki on August 9, 1945 to investigate the effect of nuclear weapons on warships]. In 1959 Lloyd J. Old introduced BCG, a tuberculosis vaccine, into experimental cancer research as a way to stimulate non-specific resistance to tumor growth. In 1965 Bob Dylan plugged in an electric guitar at the Newport Folk Festival, signaling a major change in folk and rock music. In 1973 the Soviet Mars 5 space probe was launched and in 1976 the US Viking 1 took the famous Face on Mars photo. In 1978 Louise Brown, the world's first "test tube baby" was born. In 1984 Salyut 7 cosmonaut Svetlana Savitskaya became the first woman to walk in space.

It has been a tough weekend for the world what with storms and earthquakes in the Pacific, shootings and bombings, and political conniving, not to mention the soaring heat indexes hereabouts. While I may be accused of deciding to emulate the ostrich, I just don’t see any rhyme or reason for harping on the painful realities. Instead? I chose to spend Saturday playing with my granddaughters and visiting with my daughter and son-in-law. Then Sunday I took myself to the movies and enjoyed the air conditioned comfort of a double header – and that is what I am going remember about this weekend.

Oh and FWIIW, I liked both Tarzan and Star Trek Beyond. Neither are what I would call great, both were entertaining. I liked this iteration of Tarzan and appreciated that the story moved forward from what we usually see about his life, although we did get the origin story in flashbacks [Rotten Tomatoes was not impressed though]. Star Trek was an awful lot of explosions and CGI, and it seemed more like an episode than a movie with a story that has been told time and time again, but there were several nice little character development moments: Spock and McCoy have that relationship down pat, the shot of Kirk and his closet, the poignancy of seeing Chekov for the last time, and a very moving tribute to Leonard Nimoy worked seamlessly into the events. All in all, it was a pleasant and much needed diversion from what we so insistently label “real life” and I feel all the better for it. I even changed my Facebook profile picture back to the smiling picture of me rather than the sad picture of holding a candle in the darkness….

Now to get through this Monday!

Permalink | Monday, July 25, 2016

hopefully....

Today is the 6^th day of the 29^th [and very long] week, the 22^nd day of the 7^th month, the 204^th day of 2016, and:

Feast day of Mary Magdalene, considered a saint by the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran churches
Fragile X Awareness Day -- Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is the most common cause of inherited intellectual disability and the most common known genetic cause of autism
Hammock Day
Lion's Share Day
National Penuche Fudge Day
National Ratcatcher's Day ((seriously, this is a profession))
Pi Approximation or Casual Pi Day ((because 22/7 is the lazy way to express Pi))
Spoonerism Day
Summer Leisure Day

In 838 the Byzantine emperor Theophilos suffered a heavy defeat by the Abbasids in the Battle of Anzen. In 1587 a second group of English settlers arrived on Roanoke Island off North Carolina to re-establish the deserted colony. In 1686 Albany, New York was formally chartered as a municipality by Governor Thomas Dongan. 1706 England and Scotland agreed on the Acts of Union 1707 which led to the creation of the Kingdom of Great Britain. In 1894 the first ever motor race is held in France between the cities of Paris and Rouen [and the fastest finisher was not given the official victory, which was awarded to Albert Lemaître driving his 3 hp petrol engine Peugeot].

I haven’t said a lot about politics, but I continue to be worried – and nothing that I have heard from during this presidential campaign either assuages or ameliorates the concern that my country is descending into a morass from which we will find it difficult to extract ourselves. But then again, the outlook was grim at the turn of the last century as well and I remain hopeful that we will muddle our way into the future ….

Eventually…..

Permalink | Friday, July 22, 2016

one small step....

Today is the 4^th day of the 29^th week, the 20^th day of the 7^th month, the 202^nd day of 2016, and:

International Cake Day
International Chess Day
Moon Day – 47 years ago Apollo 11's crew successfully made the first manned landing on the Moon in the Sea of Tranquility
Nap Day
National Fortune Cookie Day
National Lollipop Day
National Ugly Truck Contest Day
Space Exploration Day
Take Your Poet to Work Day
World Jump Day

In 70 Titus, son of emperor Vespasian, stormed the Fortress of Antonia north of the Temple Mount, Jerusalem and the Roman army was fighting in the street against the Zealots. In 1738 the Canadian explorer Pierre Gaultier de Varennes et de La Vérendrye reached the western shore of Lake Michigan. In 1807 Nicéphore Niépce was awarded a patent by Napoleon for the Pyréolophore, the world's first internal combustion engine, after it successfully powered a boat upstream on the river Saône in France. In 1903 the Ford Motor Company shipped its first car. In 1938 the US Department of Justice filed a suit in New York City against the motion picture industry charging violations of the Sherman Antitrust Act in regards to the studio system, a case that would eventually result in a break-up of the industry in 1948. In 1976 Viking 1 lander successfully landed on Mars. In 1999, after 38 years at the bottom of the Atlantic, astronaut Gus Grissom's Liberty Bell 7 Mercury capsule was recovered. In 2015 the United States and Cuba resumed full diplomatic relations after five decades.

"I always knew I'd live to see the first man on the moon. I never dreamed I'd also see the last." ~ Jerry Pournelle

Permalink | Wednesday, July 20, 2016

well it isn't Monday at least

Today is the 3^rd day of the 29^th week, the 19^th day of the 7^th month, the 201^st day of 2016, and:

Flight Attendant Safety Professionals' Day
Full Buck Moon at 6:56 PM EDT
National Daiquiri Day
National Flitch Day ((a flitch is a side of pig, salted and cured)) In 1854 was when the ceremony was revived on this day after not having it for 103 years. However it's really officially celebrated every Leap Year
National Raspberry Cake Day
New Friends Day
Stick Out Your Tongue Day

In 484 Leontius was crowned Eastern emperor at Tarsus (modern Turkey) as part of the rebellion against the Roman Emperor Zeno; because he was recognized in Antioch he made it his capital. In 1832 the British Medical Association was founded as the Provincial Medical and Surgical Association by Sir Charles Hastings at a meeting in the Board Room of the Worcester Infirmary. In 1843 Brunel's steamship the SS Great Britain was launched, becoming the first ocean-going craft with an iron hull or screw propeller and becoming the largest vessel afloat in the world. In 1900 the first line of the Paris Métro opened. In 1903 Maurice Garin won the first Tour de France. In 1983 the first 3D reconstruction of a human head in a CT is published.

Even as stories about politics [the Republican convention, Brexit, et al] and turmoil [coups, bombs, ambushes et al] plaster the headlines, fill the newscasts and clog up the internet pipes, I find myself retreating more and more into my 2^nd Life. Overwhelmed by the sheer scope of the insanity, I have been binge watching shows, reading series obsessively, playing games, taking online courses [altho the topic is interesting, the talking head on this one is not, alas], wandering [or at least trying to – different story] into Second Life and InWorldz to give my psyche some relief from the workaday world in which I live.

What do I do when I am in world? Retail therapy – costs a whole heckavu lot less to indulge in a shopping spree in world than it does in real life. Making living spaces – I find that I enjoy creating environments with landscaping, housing and furniture whether it is a tropical beach with a lighthouse or a winter hobbit hole or treehouse or a cave under the sea for mer folk. Wander and explore. Listening to live music, or poetry readings. Role play – Gorean or family or other -- not as much these days as those I was intensely involved with are no longer in world. And the people from literally around the world [boy are time zones a PITA when you are trying to be together] and the relationships formed with them, the communities, the groups, the feeling of belonging. I don't agree that being able to live and love in a 2^nd Life is "turning fake things into reality, and turning meaningful life into a kind of television " but very much see it as an addition or enrichment to my existence, rather like “augmented reality” [a term that is being bandied about quite a bit here lately thanks to some app….].

So, how do you stop the stresses and strains of society from darkening your spirit?

Permalink | Tuesday, July 19, 2016

what is it about OMGIM?

Today is the 2^nd day of the 29^th week, the 18^th day of the 7^th month, the 200^th day of 2016 [with only 159 shopping days until Christmas left], and:

Global Hug Your Kid Day
National Caviar Day
National Get Out of the Doghouse Day ((nope, can no do – I seem to be in permanent residence these days))
National Sour Candy Day
Nelson Mandela International Day -- Nelson Mandela was born in Mvezo in 1918 .
Perfect Family Day ((hah! Doesn’t exist, never has, never will, Norman Rockwell notwithstanding))
World Listening Day

This date is slightly more likely to fall on a Monday, Wednesday or Saturday – I wonder why certain dates just sort out to certain days, I’m sure there’s some mathematical algorithm that explains it totally.

n 390 BC a Roman army was defeated by raiding Gauls, leading to the subsequent sacking of Rome. In the Great Fire of Rome caused widespread devastation, raging six days and destroying half of the city. In 1536 Parliament passed an act declaring the authority of the pope void in England. In 1870 the First Vatican Council decreed the dogma of papal infallibility ((I'll have to admit that I was surprised to learn this was such a recent ruling -- certainly the concept of a charism entrusted by Christ to the whole church has been referenced often enough in medieval times)). In 1925 Adolf Hitler published his personal manifesto Mein Kampf. 1969 after a party on Chappaquiddick Island, Senator Ted Kennedy from Massachusetts drove his car off a bridge and Mary Jo Kopechne, died ((we never did learn the full story of that night, I think)). In 1976 – Nadia Comăneci became the first person in Olympic Games history to score a perfect 10 in gymnastics at the 1976 Summer Olympics. In 2016 @NASAVoyager is 18 hrs 41 mins 49 secs of light-travel time from Earth (2016:199:120000:1L)

Ran across an article about hiring someone to listen to old folks ((http://www.newyorker.com/humor/daily-shouts/jobs-caring-for-my-relatives-new-listings-available?mbid=social_facebook)) -- an old idea, modernized for the gig economy.

And that got me to thinking on more than one level about what that says about the state of our families and communities. You see, my knee jerk reaction was something along the lines of “wait, you can get paid for doing this?” Make $20 an hour while listening to someone -- that sounds pretty easy and it sure beats dog walking, neh? Those folks get $20+ a walk, and that can take longer than an hour ; on the other hand, you can walk more than one dog at a time [with some caveats]. Then again, just listening can turn pretty quickly into other tasks. Of course, this has always been an option of the well-off class – back in older times it was an impecunious relative [usually a spinster] who would come and live with the family and be a companion/servant in return for support.

And then I got to thinking about what this says about the role of the older generation in the lives of the younger generation. I sympathize with anyone who is caught listening to the same stories you don’t really want to hear, told again and again – Grandmom Riley’s younger sister, Great-Aunt Mary was a confirmed hypochondriac who could talk very loudly and very long about every ailment she felt she suffered and woe betide the victim she fastened on! And yet, while I was not always terribly happy with listening to my grandparents natter on, slowly a picture of a totally different life emerged and I found it interesting to think about how I might have grown up back in their day. I heard stories about the Great Depression, about the flu epidemic of 1918 and how it felt to lose entire families, and other small tales about how nicknames became used. It gave me context for the people who were sitting in front of me, the choices they made and how they came to be where they were. I look again at the story, and think what it means – I am rapidly becoming the older generation and realize no one wants to hear about party land lines, walking to school [uphill. Both ways!], when we thought it was funny that our parents didn’t understand how to program the VCR, demonstrating against ‘Nam in 1968, or not trusting anyone over 30. There are many stories about how the baby boomers ruined the world for their progeny and they always quietly infuriate me because I certainly was not a proponent of all that has happened since the 1980’s – but all those individual and family stories that are interspersed with the monologues …. Now to be farmed out as part of the gig economy rather than assimilated by the kids and grandkids.

No final conclusion to share as I ramble on about this. OTOH: it can be a life saver enabling irascible individuals to be included in family occasions easily. OTOH: it increases the isolation those same individuals are probably already struggling with. In the end it is neither good nor bad, just another idea where your mileage may vary, neh?

13^th day without a PC and the CPU is on its way back to me. Might even have it up and running in time for the full Buck moon or Thunder Moon!

Permalink | Monday, July 18, 2016

TGIF at last

Today is the 6^th day of the 28^th week, the 15^th day of the 7^th month, the 197^th day of 2016 [with only 162 shopping days until Christmas] and:

Be a Dork Day ((bonus cred if you can differentiate between a dork, a geek and a nerd))
Day of Rage
Gummi Worm Day
I Love Horses Day ((one of the oldest items on my bucket list is to learn how to ride, and to be able to own a horse))
National Give Something Away Day ((I hereby bequeath all of my anxiety and angst to the two presumptive presidential candidates))
National Pet Fire Safety Day
National Respect Canada Day
National Tapioca Pudding Day
Saint Swithin's Day -- tradition says that whatever the weather is like on St. Swithin's Day, it will continue so for the next forty days

The waxing gibbous moon is at 81% of full.

In 484 BC the dedication of the Temple of Castor and Pollux in ancient Rome. In 1482 Muhammad XII is crowned the 22nd and last Nasrid king of Granada. In 1741 Aleksei Chirikov sighted land in SE Alaska and sends men ashore in a longboat, making them the first Europeans to visit Alaska. In 1834 the Spanish Inquisition was officially disbanded after nearly 356 years. In 1870 Georgia became the last of the former Confederate states to be readmitted to the Union. Also in 1870 Rupert's Land and the North-Western Territory were transferred to Canada from the Hudson's Bay Company, and the province of Manitoba and the Northwest Territories was established. In 1910 Emil Kraepelin, in his book Clinical Psychiatry, named Alzheimer's disease after his colleague Alois Alzheimer. In 1916 Seattle, Washington, William Boeing and George Conrad Westervelt incorporated Pacific Aero Products (later renamed Boeing). In 1979 US President Jimmy Carter gave his so-called malaise speech, where he characterized the greatest threat to the country as "this crisis in the growing doubt about the meaning of our own lives and in the loss of a unity of purpose for our nation" (note: he never used the word malaise). In 2003 AOL Time Warner disbanded Netscape; the Mozilla Foundation is established on the same day. In 2006 Twitter was launched (the first tweet was by Jack Dorsey).

Day 10 of no PC: Supposedly my CPU is wending its way back to me via FedEx Ground, who is supposed to pick it up today if the creation of a shipping label can be trusted [delivery usually takes 3 – 4 business days so I cannot expect my CPU back until Wednesday] . The motherboard was replaced. The advantage of sending the CPU to the repair facility instead of having a tech come into the apartment for the replacement was that supposedly everything else [the hard drive, the graphics card, the power pac] was checked and tested – I have my doubts that they did anything but make sure the CPU would boot up and maybe reload WIN 10.

I am taking bets on [1] whether it will work with SL and D3, and if it does, [2] how long it will actually work. Any takers?

Permalink | Friday, July 15, 2016

not babbling but...

Today is slightly more likely to fall on a Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday. It is the 5^th day of the 28^th week, the 14^th day of the 7^th month, the 196^th day of 2016 [with 163 shopping days until Christmas], and:

Bastille Day
International Nude Day
National Grand Marnier Day
National Macaroni and Cheese Day
National Tape Measure Day
Pandemonium Day
Shark Awareness Day

In 756 Emperor Xuanzong fled the capital Chang'an as An Lushan's forces advanced toward the city. In 1771 the Mission San Antonio de Padua in modern California is founded by the Franciscan friar Junípero Serra. In 1798 Congress passed the Sedition Act, making it a federal crime to publish false, scandalous or malicious writing about the US government [try and reconcile that with free speech!]. In 1853 the first major US world's fair, the Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations, opened in New York City. In 1874 the Chicago Fire burned down 47 acres of the city, destroying 812 buildings, killing 20, and resulting in the fire insurance industry demanding municipal reforms from Chicago's city council. 1911 Harry Atwood, an exhibition pilot for the Wright brothers, landed his airplane at the South Lawn of the White House -- instead of being incarcerated for trespassing or terrorism, he was later awarded a Gold medal from US President William Howard Taft for this feat. In 1933 the Nazi eugenics program began with the proclamation of the Law for the Prevention of Hereditarily Diseased Offspring that calls for the compulsory sterilization of any citizen who suffers from alleged genetic disorders. In 1960 Jane Goodall arrived at the Gombe Stream Reserve in present-day Tanzania and began her famous study of chimpanzees in the wild. In 1965 Mariner 4 flew by Mars and took the first close-up photos of another planet. In 1969 the US $500, $1,000, $5,000 and $10,000 bills were officially withdrawn from circulation. In 1976 capital punishment was abolished in Canada. In 2015 NASA's New Horizons probe performed the first flyby of Pluto, and thus completed the initial survey of the Solar System.

My personal journal is titled “babbling” for a reason as I have always chosen to live my life out loud, as my daughter informed me a while back. I remember that I was always a chatty kid, when no one was around I nattered on to myself. If I wasn’t talking, I was singing, if I wasn’t singing – and if I wasn’t doing either I was trying to get answers to questions, reading or asleep. Teachers had a hard time getting me to shut up – I spent a lot of time in the 3^rd and 4^th grades out in the hallway because of it. As I got older, I realized that I had to cultivate the skill of listening and quickly figured out that if you asked questions, you got stories in return. I got good enough at it that I used to get the entire life history of folks, some of whom were chance met and never seen again, and came to love learning the narrative each person tells about themselves. – but without realizing it, I never acquired the habit or ability to do “small talk” and be interesting.

The cone of silence descends upon me while I am in what I call “crisis management mode” and lingers long after I have come through the immediate urgency. After Frank died in December 2004, the cone surrounded and muffled me to the point that I stopped communicating almost completely, except that I was able to still type and thus live online, in what I call my 2^nd Life [altho it is not limited to Second Life itself]. But in the past couple of years the questions have been drying up and I don’t know why. Maybe I have run into too many people who feel that my questions do not indicate interest and caring, but infringe upon their privacy, and I don’t know how to make non-boundary-crossing inquiries. Maybe I am just tired because I found that when I ask questions and hear someone else’s story that doesn’t mean they are really interested or invested in me or even care about my story.

not knowing small talk + not feeling comfortable asking question = a muted Carol

I leave it to you all whether or not that is a good thing….. .

Permalink | Thursday, July 14, 2016

too much at one time

Today is the 4^th day of the week, 13^th day of the 7^th month, the 195^th day of 2016, and:

Barbershop Music Appreciation Day
Bean 'n' Franks Day
Embrace Your Geekness Day
Fool's Paradise Day
Go West Day
Gruntled Workers Day
National French Fries Day
World Cup Soccer Day

In 1174 William I of Scotland, a key rebel in the Revolt of 1173–74, was captured at Alnwick by forces loyal to Henry II of England. In 1787 the US Continental Congress enacted the Northwest Ordinance establishing governing rules for the Northwest Territory, procedures for the admission of new states, and limiting the expansion of slavery. In 1814 the Carabinieri, the national gendarmerie of Italy, was formed. In 1923 the Hollywood Sign is officially dedicated in the hills above Hollywood, Los Angeles, California -- originally "Hollywoodland " but the four last letters are dropped after renovation in 1949. In 1939 Frank Sinatra made his first commercial recording, "From the Bottom of My Heart" and "Melancholy Mood," with Harry James and his Orchestra for the Brunswick label.

This is the 8^th day that I have not had a computer at home. If anyone tells you that you can manage on tablet and that will replace having a PC, laugh at them. You can do a lot of things on a tablet, but some websites and some programs just will not function properly.

Panda is having a very bad time since I adopted her back on the 2^nd . The blotch of bare skin on her forehead is continuing to spread and is all the way down to her right eye now. And not only did she get dumped in a carrier, hauled off to the vet, given a shot, had blood taken and got handled by multiple people on Monday but yesterday MaidPro came in and cleaned. I found her cowering under the bed when I got home and it took 1 ½ hours to coax her out, and she kept running back under every time I moved quickly. It didn’t help that I had to spread the ointment on the spot either and she really hated that smell. I got a call about her test results during the day at work today. The vet found a parasite in her stools for which she has to have medication for given orally for a week and it appears that she is close enough to hyperthyroidism to warrant further tests to be run on her blood sample. Although she curled up with me during the night, she is now flinching at every noise in the apartment building and running every time I stand up or make a sudden movement. I figure that her stress level is sky high while her trust level is down around whale poop at the moment.

Permalink | Wednesday, July 13, 2016

it has been a long week

Today is the 3^rd day of the week, the 12^th day of the 7^th month, the 194^th day of 2016 and:

Chick-fil-A's Cow Appreciation Day – supposedly if you dress Like a cow, you get free sandwich!
Different Colored Eyes Day
Independence Day: Kiribati from the United Kingdom in 1979; São Tomé and Príncipe from Portugal in 1975.
National Eat Your Jello Day
National Pecan Pie Day
Night of Nights (Maritime Radio)— celebrating the last commercial Morse code message transmitted
Simplicity Day

In 927 King Constantine II of Scotland, King Hywel Dda of Deheubarth, Ealdred of Bamburgh and King Owain of Strathclyde accepted King Æthelstan of England as their liege, leading to seven years of peace in their kingdoms. In 1493 Hartmann Schedel's Nuremberg Chronicle, an illustrated biblical paraphrase and world history which is one of the best-documented early printed books, is published. In 1527 Lê Cung Hoàng ceded the throne to Mạc Đăng Dung, ending the Lê dynasty and starting the Mạc dynasty. In 1561 Saint Basil's Cathedral in Moscow was consecrated. In 1562 Fray Diego de Landa, acting Bishop of Yucatán, burnt the sacred books of the Maya. In 1862 the Medal of Honor was authorized by the US Congress. In 1896 Revere Beach, the first public beach in the United States, opened. In 1962 the Rolling Stones performed their first concert, at the Marquee Club in London.

So how am I doing without a computer? It has been a full seven days now. I keep up with emails and most social media on Facebook. I play Scrabble and colored a couple of very elaborate designs [while declining to buy coloring books for the apps]. I watched a little TV and I have been devouring books, binge reading with abandon. I usually avoid the fantasy series, but of late I have to admit that being able to simply use the Kindle to go to Amazon and buy the next installment has been very gratifying. Interestingly, although I keep marking books as “currently reading”, because I am not rating them when I am through, it looks as though I am still reading them. In truth I have one book open on the iPad, another on the iPhone, a different book in the browser, a paperback in the bathroom and another on the Kindle so there are only five that are really in progress at anyone given time. Unless I decide that I need some fluff to eat by and I pick up a book that I have read many times and just plunge into briefly

It is going to be a while before I join the totally mobile, tablet oriented movement.....

Permalink | Tuesday, July 12, 2016

can you hear me now?

Today is the 2^nd day of the 28^th week, the 11^th day of the 7^th month, the 193^rd day of 2016, and:

All American Pet Photo Day
Bowdler's Day
Day of The Five Billion
Free Slurpee Day [AKA 7-11's Birthday]
International Town Criers Day
National Blueberry Muffin Day
National Cheer up the Lonely Day
National Mojito Day
National Rainier Cherries Day
National Swimming Pool Day
World Population Day

In 472, after being besieged in Rome by his own generals, Western Roman Emperor Anthemius was captured in St. Peter's Basilica and put to death. In 1405 Ming admiral Zheng He set sail to explore the world. In 1735, according to mathematical calculations, it is on this day that dwarf planet Pluto moved inside the orbit of Neptune for the last time before 1979. In 1801 French astronomer Jean-Louis Pons made his first comet discovery -- in the next 27 years he discovers another 36 comets, more than any other person in history. In 1804 the famous duel between Vice President of the United States Aaron Burr and former Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton ended up with Hamilton shot dead. In 1859 Big Ben, the great bell inside the famous London clock tower, chimed for the first time. In 1889 Tijuana, Mexico, was founded. In 1893 the first cultured pearl is obtained by Kokichi Mikimoto. In 1914 Babe Ruth made his debut in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher for the Boston Red Sox. in 1979, the abandoned US space station Skylab made a spectacular return to Earth, burning up in the atmosphere and showering debris over the Indian Ocean and Australia.In 2012 astronomers announce the discovery of Styx, the fifth moon of Pluto.

Posting here is all but impossible using the iPad because copy/paste is so difficult, so you all may be hearing from me rather intermittently for a time.

Permalink | Monday, July 11, 2016

the times get darker

Today is 6^th day of the 27^th week, the 8^th day of the 7^th month, the 190^th day of 2016, and:

Be a Kid Again Day
Coca Cola Day (Note: The actual date when Coca Cola was invented is unknown, so the birthdate of the inventor is celebrated.)
Collector Car Appreciation Day
Cow Appreciation Day
Math 2.0 Day
National Ice Cream Sundae Day
National Milk Chocolate with Almonds Day
SCUD Day (Savor the Comic, Unplug the Drama
Taos Pueblo Pow Wow [thru the weekend]
Video Game Day
Wayne Chicken Day

In 1099 some 15,000 starving Christian soldiers begin the siege of Jerusalem by marching in a religious procession around the city. In 1889 the first issue of The Wall Street Journal is published. In 2011 the space shuttle Atlantis is launched in the final mission of the US Space Shuttle program.

Yes #Black Lives Matter.
Yes #All Lives Matter.
Yes there needs to be accountability. And obviously there needs to be some pretty basic changes.

I was married to a cop, and I know what they go through – and they matter too. We ask them to stand between the law-abiding and the criminals, we ask them to protect us when we cannot protect ourselves. When they put on that uniform, pin on that badge, strap on that gun? They know that they are deliberately putting themselves into harm’s way – and so do their families.
Every.
Shift.

Permalink | Friday, July 8, 2016

dark times

Today is the 5^th day of the 27^th week, the 7^th day of the 7^th month, the 189^th day of 2016, and:

Chocolate Day
Father-Daughter Take a Walk Together Day
Global Forgiveness Day
Independence Day: the Solomon Islands from the United Kingdom in 1978.
National Macaroni Day
National Strawberry Sundae Day
Tell the Truth Day

Always bothers me a bit when the earliest recorded event is so late -- I suspect that my sources are just too Western culture oriented. In 1124 Tyre fell to the Crusaders. In 1534 Jacques Cartier made his first contact with natives in what is now Canada. In 1863 the United States began its first military draft; exemptions cost $300 [that would be $5,480.98 in 2016 money]. In 1928 sliced bread was sold for the first time (on the inventor's 48th birthday) by the Chillicothe Baking Company of Chillicothe, Missouri. In 1954 Elvis Presley made his radio debut when WHBQ Memphis played his first recording for Sun Records, "That's All Right." In 1959 Venus occults the star Regulus and the diameter of Venus and the structure of the Venusian atmosphere are determined. In 1981 Sandra Day O'Connor became the first female member of the Supreme Court of the United States.

Two shootings in two days. A powerful person gets let off scot-free for infractions that would land thee or me in jail for treasonous activity. And those are just the stories from the US recent news. IMNSHO FWIIW: this violence and polarization is a direct result of the hate spiels that are part of the Trump and Brexit campaigns. And like many others who are neither rich nor powerful, I feel helpless to say or do anything that will stem this dark tide.

I have often commented that the saying “May you live in interesting times” is actually an ancient curse [and wrongfully attributed it to the Chinese]. I think that the historians of the future will find this time of transition from the Industrial Revolution to where we are going [service or knowledge or attention or tech economy, whatever] interesting. We just have to live through the dark times, neh?

Permalink | Thursday, July 7, 2016

the PC saga continues

Today is the 4^th day of the 27^th week, the 6^th day of the 7^th month, the 188^th day of 2016 [with only 171 shopping days until Christmas], and:

Eid-Al-Fitr -- the festival at the end of Ramadan
First day of San Fermín, which lasts until July 14 (Pamplona)
Independence Day -- Comoros from France in 1975 and Malawi from United Kingdom in 1964.
International Kissing Day
National Air Traffic Control Day
National Fried Chicken Day
Take Your Webmaster to Lunch Day
Umbrella Cover Day

In 371 BC the Battle of Leuctra, where Epaminondas defeated Cleombrotus I, was fought and the outcome reduced Sparta’s influence over the Greek peninsula. in 1484 the Portuguese sea captain Diogo Cão discovered the mouth of the Congo River. In 1942 Anne Frank and her family go into hiding in the "Secret Annexe" above her father's office in an Amsterdam warehouse. In 1947 the AK-47 goes into production in the Soviet Union. In 1957 John Lennon and Paul McCartney met as teenagers at Woolton Fete, three years before forming the Beatles. In 1974 Garrison Keillor's radio show, "A Prairie Home Companion," debuted in a live broadcast from St. Paul, Minnesota.

I have made it pretty clear that the Alienware X51 purchased in December 2012 as never quite preformed up to my expectations of a mid-range gaming PC. I have had one problem after another in the past 3 ½ years, but at least the support has always been covered by the warranty. Today I sent off my CPU to Dell to be repaired. In the past, when something needed to be replaced [the memory, the hard drive, the video card], a Dell hardware tech came to the apartment and took care of the installation. In the past, if the OS needed to be reloaded [which we have done six times] an Alienware software tech got on the phone and remoted into my machine and took care of all the proper drivers, etc. This time though, they requested I send the CPU to them, stressing that I needed to include the power pac, so that they could thoroughly test the machine, replace anything that wasn’t working right, and test it before returning it to me in 5 – 7 business days after it arrives at their location. It is very inconvenient, but their argument was that fixing it piecemeal was obviously not working ((ya think?)) and that they really needed to escalate the level of support offered. For the first time, the senior support tech mentioned the possibility of actually replacing the CPU as a lemon.

Now that sounds well and fine, but forgive me if after all this time, I am a bit cynical about the outcome. Despite the excellence of the support I have received, and the outstanding patience of the individuals that I have dealt with over the phone, the fact is I spent over $2K for a computer that has been a black hole for time and energy for years and has never quite performed up to expectations. And you know what the replacement value of the rig is should I wish to upgrade to another Alienware product, specifically the Area-51? According to the website, I would get $50 and a gift card for $50 for upgrading In other words, Dell declared that machine worthless!

*sighs* We’ll see what happens next.

Permalink | Wednesday, July 6, 2016

back to EOM & EOQ stuffs

Today is the 3^rd day of the 27^th week, the 5^th day of the 7^th month, the 187^th day of 2016 [and there are only 172 shopping days left before Christmas], and:

Bikini Day – in 1946 the bikini goes on sale after debuting during an outdoor fashion show at the Molitor Pool in Paris, France.
Independence Day -- Venezuela from Spain in 1811, Algeria from France in 1962, Cape Verde from Portugal in 1975.
National Apple Turnover Day
National Graham Cracker Day
National Workaholics Day
Work Without Your Hands Day (SpongeBob Squarepants)

In 328 was the official opening of Constantine's Bridge built over the Danube between Sucidava (Corabia, Romania) and Oescus (Gigen, Bulgaria) by the Roman architect Theophilus Patricius. In 1687 Isaac Newton published Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica. In 1915 the Liberty Bell left Philadelphia by special train on its way to the Panama–Pacific International Exposition [This is the last trip outside Philadelphia that the custodians of the bell intend to permit]. In 1937 Spam, the luncheon meat, was introduced into the market by the Hormel Foods Corporation. In 1948 Britain's National Health Service Act went into effect, providing government-financed medical and dental care. In 1950 the Knesset passed the Law of Return which grants all Jews the right to immigrate to Israel. In 1954 the BBC broadcast its first television news bulletin. In 1954 Elvis Presley recorded his first single, "That's All Right," at Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee. In 1996 Dolly the sheep became the first mammal cloned from an adult cell. In 2009 the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold ever discovered, consisting of more than 1,500 items, is found near the village of Hammerwich, near Lichfield, in Staffordshire, England. In 201 NASA's Juno spacecraft entered orbit of Jupiter.

Everyone loves the long holiday weekends, neh? And everyone loves having a short work week, neh? But no matter what the calendar shows, today still feels very Monday-ish as we settle into the work that we so gladly left on Friday afternoon….

Permalink | Tuesday, July 5, 2016

Independence Day

Today is the 2nd day of the 27th week, the 4th day of the 7th month, the 186th day of 2016 [with only 173 shopping days left until Christmas], and

Alice in Wonderland Day -- in 1862 Lewis Carroll tells Alice Liddell a story that would grow into the book and its sequels.
Boom Box Parade Day
Earth at Aphelion
Fourth of July or Independence Day in the US
Independence From Meat Day
Indivisible Day
Invisible Day
National Barbecue Day
National Barbecued Spareribs Day
National Caesar Salad Day
National Country Music Day
Sidewalk Egg Frying Day
The first evening of Dree Festival, celebrated until July 7 (Apatani people, Arunachal Pradesh, India)
Trivia: three US ex-presidents died on this day: In 1826 the 2nd and 3rd presidents -- John Adams at age 90 in Braintree and Thomas Jefferson at age 83 at Monticello in Charlottesville; in 1831 James Monroe, the 5th president at age 73 in New York City.
NOTE for those who like long weekends: This date is slightly more likely to fall on a Monday, Wednesday or Saturday (58 in 400 years each) than on Thursday or Friday (57), and slightly less likely to occur on a Tuesday or Sunday (56)

In 362 BC at the Battle of Mantinea the Thebans, led by Epaminondas, defeated the Spartans. In 993 Ulrich of Augsburg was canonized as a saint. In 1054 a supernova, called SN 1054 and near the star Zeta Tauri, was seen by Chinese Song dynasty, Arab, and possibly American Indian observers -- for several months it remains bright enough to be seen during the day and its remnants form the Crab Nebula. In 1886 the people of France offered the Statue of Liberty to the people of the United States. In 1892 Western Samoa changed the International Date Line and Monday, July 4 occurs twice, resulting in a year with 367 days. In 1934 Leo Szilard, Jewish Hungarian-born physicist and inventor, patented the chain-reaction design for the atomic bomb. In 1939 Huỳnh Phú Sổ founded Hòa Hảo Buddhism. In 1946, after 381 years of near-continuous colonial rule by various powers, the Philippines attained full independence from the United States. In 1951 William Shockley announced the invention of the junction transistor. In 2012 the discovery of particles consistent with the Higgs boson at the Large Hadron Collider was announced at CERN.

Permalink | Monday, July 4, 2016

2nd day of the holiday weekend

Today is the 1st day of the 27th week, the 3rd day of the 7th month, the 185th day of 2016, and:

American Redneck Day
Disobedience Day
National Build a Scarecrow Day
National Chocolate Wafer Day
National Compliment Your Mirror Day
National Eat Beans Day
Stay Out of the Sun Day
Superman Day -- in 1939, at the NY World's Fair, the first public appearance of "The Man of Tomorrow", Superman (Ray Middleton) in full costume and a live Superman radio broadcast from the fairgrounds

In 324, at the Battle of Adrianople, Constantine I defeated Licinius, who flees to Byzantium. In 987 Hugh Capet was crowned King of France, the first of the Capetian dynasty that would rule France until the French Revolution in 1792. In 1608 Québec City was founded by Samuel de Champlain. 1767 Pitcairn Island is discovered by Midshipman Robert Pitcairn on an expeditionary voyage commanded by Philip Carteret. In 1819 the Bank of Savings in New York City, the first savings bank in the United States, opened. 1863, the Battle of Gettysburg ended after three days in a major victory for the North as Confederate troops retreated. In 1844 the last pair of great auks was deliberately killed. In 1884 Dow Jones & Company published its first stock average. In 1886 Karl Benz officially unveiled the Benz Patent-Motorwagen, the first purpose-built automobile. In 1886 the New-York Tribune became the first newspaper to use a linotype machine, eliminating typesetting by hand. In 1969 the biggest explosion in the history of rocketry occured when the Soviet N-1 rocket explodes and subsequently destroyed its launchpad. In 1996 the Stone of Scone was returned to Scotland. In 1930 the US Congress created the Veterans Administration. In 1962 Algeria became independent after 132 years of French rule. In 1985 we went "Back to the Future" for the first time.

And in 2016, Panda settled into her forever home. This was my first venture in actually picking out a cat -- Kula had belonged to my daughter and ended up with me, so we knew each other already when he moved in.

She is actually nine years old, and is really is a beauty -- all chocolate brown with bands of lighter tan colors [no gray that I have seen] around her neck and on her front paws. Eventually she will come out from underneath the bed long enough for me to get a good picture of her! Panda is very friendly, apparently really likes to be brushed, and curled up contentedly with me while I read last night -- but the apartment is very very different than the activity and smells of the cattery [as the owner of Seniors for Seniors calls the downstairs den where all the cats are kept] and I think it will take some getting used to. I didn't go to see Panda although I had read her bio on the page, I actually was interested in a male cat, Molo, but decided to see what happened when I walked in the door. I was greeted at first by Luca and very nearly came home with because he was pretty lively and friendly. Another little lady, a bob-tail named Ella, was really cute and stayed by my side for a while as I sat on the couch. Mittens was a huge blue, and she took over my lap for a while, and had to be moved off. I'm sure there were others that I would've liked to have me that just didn't feel like coming over at that moment; Panda had to be taken down from a very high perch where she had curled up away from everyone after she came up in the conversation about declawed cats -- can you beleive that after having her completely declawed, her heartless former owners just put her outside? Fortunately for her, she was picked up very quickly and ended up with S4S. She settled down with me very quickly -- she draped herself over my shoulder then sat in my lap looking up at me, started purring and even started playing a bit, something that surprised Marcy -- and that was what convinced me that Panda and I would do just fine.

If you live in the Baltimore/DC area, and are thinking about getting a cat, I really encourage you to visit Marcy and see if one of those cats there would meet your needs. You have to be vetted first, there is an application to complete on the website and they do indeed call and talk to the references you give. And then you have to make an appointment to visit the cattery. Once there Marcy is very helpful and patient -- she won't rush you at all. There are a couple cats that really have to be "only cats" and there are many who obviously get along well with other pets; the ages range from a little one who is just barely a year old to a very gorgeous gal of 12 years. A few of the older cats have been front declawed, but of course, that is not something that is commonly done anymore.

Now if you all will excuse me, I am going to re-read Gone with the Wind on this day when the Confederacy reached its high water mark, and lost the War Between the States.

Permalink | Sunday, July 3, 2016

the first day of a holiday weekend

Today is the 7th day of the 26th week, the 2nd day of the 7th month, the 184th day of 2016, and:

Freedom From Fear of Speaking Day (( "Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you will ever regret." ~ Ambrose Bierce ))
Hop-a-Park Day
I Forgot Day
International Cherry Pit Spitting Day
International Chicken Wing Day
International Day of Cooperatives
Made in the USA Day
National Anisette Day
Special Recreation for the Disabled Day
World Sports Journalists Day
World UFO Day -- in 1947 an alien aircraft supposedly crashed in the desert outside of Roswell -- the Army Air Force later said was a weather balloon

In 437 the Emperor Valentinian III begins his reign over the Western Roman Empire, but still under the influence of his former regent -- his mother Galla Placidia. In 1698 Thomas Savery patented the first steam engine. In 1776 the Continental Congress adopted a resolution severing ties with Great Britain although the wording of the formal Declaration of Independence is not approved until July 4. In 1921 Harding signed the Knox–Porter Resolution formally ending the war between the United States and Imperial Germany. In 1937 the last contact with Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan while they are over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to make the first equatorial round-the-world flight. In 1962 the first Wal-Mart store (called Wal-Mart Discount City) opened for business in Rogers, Arkansas. 1964 LBJ signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 meant to prohibit segregation in public places.

Permalink | Saturday, July 2, 2016

half of 2016 beckons.....

Today is the 6^th day of the 26^th week, the 1^st day of the 7^th month and the 183^rd day of 2016 – the exact midpoint of the year since there are 183 days left in 2016. Today we are celebrating:

American Zoo Day
Canada Day
Comic Sans Day
Devotion to Duty Day
Drive Your Corvette to Work Day
Early Bird Day
International Chicken Wing Day
International Joke Day
National Creative Ice Cream Flavor Day
National Financial Freedom Day
National GSA Employee Day
National Gingersnap Day
National Postal Workers Day
National Television Heritage Day
Second Half of the New Year Day
U.S. Postage Stamp Day
Zip Code Day

Permalink | Friday, July 1, 2016

another quarter down

Today is the 5^th day of the 26^th week, the 30^th day of the 6^th month, the 182^nd day of 2016, and:

Blink-182 Day
National Bomb Pop Day
National Handshake Day
National Meteor Day [AKA Asteroid Day]– in 1908 the Tunguska event occurs in remote Siberia .
National Organization for Women Day – formed in 1966
Social Media Day

The earliest notation is for 350 and is all about the Romans again -- the usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, was defeated and killed in Rome by troops of the usurper Magnentius. In 1859 the French acrobat Charles Blondin crossed Niagara Falls on a tightrope. In 1936 the novel "Gone with the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell was published. In 1953 the first Chevrolet Corvette rolled off the assembly line in Flint, Michigan. IN 1971 three Russian cosmonauts are found dead in their Soyuz 11 space capsule after it made what looked like a perfect landing in Kazakhstan. In 1972 the first leap second is added to the UTC time system -- the last leap second happened 2015 June 30th 23:59:60 UTC and so far the next leap second has not yet been announced. IN 2004 the international Cassini spacecraft entered Saturn's orbit after a nearly seven-year journey.

Permalink | Thursday, June 30, 2016

wishful thinking....

Today is the 4^th day of the 26^th week, the 29^th day of the 6^th month, the 181^st day of 2016, and:

Feast of Saints Peter and Paul -- a Catholic liturgical feast in honor of the martyrdom in Rome of the apostles Saint Peter and Saint Paul -- they weren't killed at the same time, but the celebration is of ancient origin and the day is thought to be selected as the anniversary of the translation of their relics
Hug Holiday Day
National Almond Buttercrunch Day
National Camera Day
National Waffle Iron Day

The earliest recorded event today is from 226 – Cao Pi died after an illness; his son Cao Rui succeeds him as emperor of the Kingdom of Wei. in 1534 Jacques Cartier became the first European to reach Prince Edward Island. in 1613 the Globe Theatre in London burnt to the ground. In 1776 Father Francisco Palou founded the Mission San Francisco de Asís in what is now San Francisco. In 1927 the Bird of Paradise, an US Army Air Corps Fokker tri-motor plane, completed the first transpacific flight, from the mainland United States to Hawaii. In 1974 Isabel Perón is sworn in as the first female President of Argentina after her husband died in office. In 1974 Mikhail Baryshnikov defected from the Soviet Union to Canada while on tour with the Kirov Ballet. In 1975 Steve Wozniak tested his first prototype of Apple I computer. In 1976 Seychelles was declared independent from the United Kingdom. In 1995 the space shuttle Atlantis docked with the Russian space station Mir for the first time, forming the largest man-made satellite ever to orbit the Earth. In 2007 Apple released its first mobile phone, the iPhone ((SRSLY? iPhones have only been around for nine years?!)).

Today was one of those days when you wake up convinced that it is one day and it is really another. No matter how many times I have repeated to myself that it Is Wednesday, it still feels very much like Thursday to me today. Perhaps the reason is that tomorrow is the end of month / quarter – and EOQ is a huge landmark and endpoint.

Perhaps the reason is an advanced case of wishing my life away, trying to hurry to the long weekend ahead…..

Permalink | Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Today is the 3^rd day of ISO week 26, the 28^th day of the 6^th month, the 180^th day of 2016 [with 179 shopping days until Christmas], and:

Insurance Awareness Day
International Body Piercing Day
INTERNATIONAL CAPS LOCK DAY
National Tapioca Day
Paul Bunyan Day
Tau Day – did you realize that pi is disputed?

In 1098 the fighters of the First Crusade defeat Kerbogha of Mosull. In 1846 Adolphe Sax patented the saxophone. In 1859 the first conformation dog show was held in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. In 1894 Labor Day became an official US holiday. In 1902 the US Congress passed the Spooner Act, authorizing then president Theodore Roosevelt to acquire rights from Colombia for the Panama Canal. In 1919 the Treaty of Versailles was signed, ending WWI. In 2007 the American bald eagle was removed from the endangered species list. In 2010 the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that Americans have the right to own a gun for self-defense anywhere they live.

An ongoing debate that I have run across is whether or not you can manage someone without knowing how to do their job. OTOH: the argument is that if a manager does not have a detailed understanding of the ins and outs of the daily work, then how can they assist their direct reports? OTOH: management in and of itself is a specific skill set that is applicable whether or not the manager understands the minutia, and sometimes having a fresh point of view is helpful in identifying processes and/or procedures that don’t work as well as they could or should.

I have been on both sides of this equation. I have answered to individuals that don’t have a good grasp regarding the ins and outs of Loan Servicing – they know the end result and that is good enough for them. Sometimes complete ignorance is preferable than a little knowledge where they don’t’ know what they don’t know and assume that they know everything! In this case, the burden was on me as a direct report to reflect the needs and challenges as well as the accomplishments of my department. If the manager was a good one, then their ability to listen, advise and provide advocacy in the organization overcame their lack of specific “how to” knowledge. And I have been the manager of a department where I did not know the process – it took me about six months before they accepted that I did understand enough to be able to assist them. Having a manager who does know exactly how to do your job can be a bit of a chore as well – sometimes they tend to micro-manage and insist that you do things the way that they would do them and are actually more resistant to new ideas. I have to guard against that tendency anytime that I manage Loan Operations for the simple reason that is my area of expertise and it is hard to step back and let others make the mistakes or do things differently when you are accountable for the outcome.

IMNSHO, my takeaway from asking this question is that the skills of a manager are under-rated, and many organizations are now suffering from an acute lack of execution as a direct result of having eliminated too many of their middle management.

Permalink | Tuesday, June 28, 2016

back to the real world

Today is the 2^nd day of the week [OMGIM], the 27^th day of the 6^th month, the 179^th day of 2016 [and there are only 180 shopping days until Christmas], and:

"Happy Birthday to You" Day – and we have been singing it since 1859
Decide to Be Married Day (( or not ))
Helen Keller Day (she lived June 27, 1880 – June 1, 1968)
Industrial Workers of the World Day
International Ragweed Day
National HIV Testing Day
National Indian Pudding Day
National Orange Blossom Day
National Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Day
Please Take My Children to Work Day
Sunglasses Day

In 1358 the Republic of Dubrovnik [AKA Ragusa] was founded when the channel that divided the city between the Romans and the Slavs was filled creating the present-day main street (the Stradun) which became the city center. In 1895 the first run of the B&O's Royal Blue from DC to New York City as the first US passenger train to use electric locomotives. In 1898 Joshua Slocum from Briar Island, Nova Scotia completed the first solo circumnavigation of the globe. In 1899 AEJ Collins scored 628 runs not out -- a cricket record that endured 117 years. In 1946 the Canadian Citizenship Act was passed by the Parliament of Canada establishing the definition of Canadian citizenship. In 1972 the video game company Atari was founded by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney in Santa Clara, Calif. In 1982 the Space Shuttle Columbia launched from the Kennedy Space Center on the final research and development flight mission, STS-4. In 1985 US Route 66 is officially removed from the United States Highway System. In 2013 NASA launched the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph, a space probe to observe the Sun.

There were many things that I could’ve done this weekend, lovely as it was outside. We were at the Baltimore Zoo [well I guess they have been calling it the Maryland Zoo for a few years now actually (since 2004)] for the breakfast with the giraffes – even though the kids left, I certainly could’ve stayed and wandered about a bit. There are a couple of movies that I want to see – Finding Dory and Warcraft are both still in the theaters. The pool is open. I could’ve taken a walk. And there are a multitude of projects and chores that I could’ve tackled in the apartment – and some of them really need to be tackled! So, with all this activity available, you know what I did?

Read.
Napped.
Read.
Noodled about online [as much as I could given the PC problems I chronicled yesterday].
Read.

Please note that long before the internet, my idea of a good time was to be able to lounge about with a book in my hand. It might be a Kindle these days, but while the rest of the world is plunged into action, I was plugged into what I have always considered my 2^nd Life [long before there was an SL to go to]. The only thing that would’ve made the weekend perfect would’ve been to have Kula curled up beside me while I was reading…. Well that and to be able to drink Coke and gnosh on cookies – I may be eating less and drinking unsweetened ice tea and water, but I would still like my Coke and cookies back..

Yup, there are real advantages sometimes to living alone – no one to interrupt, no one to nag, no one to worry – just me and my book.

Permalink | Monday, June 27, 2016

last Sunday in June

Today is the 1st day of the week [the last Sunday in June], the 26th day of the 6th month, the 178th day of 2016 [with only 181 shopping days left until Christmas], and:

America's Kids Day -- remember asking your parents how come there wasn't a kids' day when there was both a mothers' and a fathers' day?
Beautician's Day
Descendants' Day
Forgiveness Day
International Day in Support of Victims of Torture
Log Cabin Day -- created in 1986 by the Log Cabin Society and the Bad Axe Historical Society in Michigan
National Canoe Day
National Chocolate Pudding Day
Same Sex Marriage Day -- in 2015 the Supreme Court declared gay marriage legal in the US
Tropical Cocktails Day

In 4 Augustus adopted Tiberius [the stepson of Augustus, grand-uncle of Caligula, paternal uncle of Claudius, and great-grand uncle of Nero]. In 699 En no Ozuno, a Japanese mystic and apothecary who will later be regarded as the founder of a folk religion Shugendō, is banished to Izu Ōshima. In 1843 Hong Kong Island is ceded to the British "in perpetuity" as part of the Treaty of Nanking. In 1870 the Christian holiday of Christmas is declared a federal holiday in the United States. In 188 Henri Moissan isolated elemental Fluorine for the first time. In 1934 Roosevelt signed the Federal Credit Union Act, which establishes credit unions in the United States. In 1945 the United Nations Charter is signed in San Francisco. In 1960 the former British Protectorate of British Somaliland gained its independence as Somaliland and Madagascar gained its independence from France. In 1974 the Universal Product Code is scanned for the first time to sell a package of Wrigley's chewing gum at the Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio. In 1977 Elvis Presley performed for the last time in a concert in Indianapolis. In 2000 Pope John Paul II revealed the third secret of Fátima. In 2016 @NASAVoyager is 18 hrs 38 mins 55 secs of light-travel time from Earth (2016:178:120000:1L)

The saga of the crashing video card continues -- tech support has now authorized the replacement of the motherboard and possibly the hard drive again. To recap my odyssey:

the Alienware X51 was built in November and purchased in December of 2012 -- delivered in January 2013. Fortunately I purchased a full warranty at the same time. I did so because the last computer I had seemed to develope multiple issues within two years.
after multiple calls to support about the graphics performance, which included reloads of Windows and an update of the BIOS, two of the memory RAM was replaced in April 2014 when a test showed they had become corrupted. I start keeping my document and picture files on an external hard drive
the warranty expires December 2015 and I renew for another year.
another set of calls and re-installs of the OS and in March 2016 the hard drive was replaced after a test indicated it had become corrupted
on June 14th the video card was replaced after a complete failure [FPS of 1]
on June 22nd after two weeks of complaints about crashing, Win 10 has a full clean install. The video card errors start immediately

The question, which has been raised by an interested party who has been following my tweets and posts on the issues, about the adequacy of a 330W power pac for a full-sized midtier graphics card in a graphics-intensive gaming PC has not been answered. I have been told that if problems persist after replacing the motherboard, then it will be escalated to replacing the entire CPU -- something I find rather dubious since the machine is now 3 1/2 years old.

I have to say that the support staff has been pretty awesome. Most of the tech support I have received has been friendly and considerate -- they genuinely tried to help and a couple of the individuals went above and beyond, spending a couple of hours helping me with testing, reinstalling, updating. There have been a couple of incidents where communication was not very good: [1] I am not a tech and failed to tell them something they needed to know, and they didn't ask the right questions; [2] a heavy accent impeded my ability to understand exactly what was being said or get my point across. They are all pretty adept at doing workarounds -- many times after they went in and rummaged about, things would work well enough for a bit that I could function in game and in world after a fashion until the next more catastrophic event had me calling in again. Because I have a warranty, all of the software and hardware support has been free [well except for my time/energy], and when the items have to be replaced, a Dell tech comes to my apartment and does it -- no sending the CPU out for repairs, no trying to do it myself.

Through most of these travails, while I have been unable to consistently log into games or Second Life, I have been able to browse the internet, create and work on documents [never saving to the C drive anymore], etc -- all the things a PC is often used for. If that was what I wanted a computer for, then I would say the Alienware X51 works just fine. Unfortunately it was billed as a gaming PC -- not high end, mind you, but robust enough to handle itself -- and it has never performed up to my expectation in that regard. Despite the high opinion I have of the support staff, given the number of problems that I have had I very much doubt that I will ever invest in another Dell product. One considers the backup when one invests in a new rig, but the intent is not to have to rely on them to the degree that I have, neh?

Stay tuned....

Permalink | Sunday, June 26, 2016

not to choose is to choose

Today is the 6^th day of the week [TGIF], the 24^th day of the 6^th month, the 176^th day of 2016 [with only 183 shopping days until Christmas], and:

Celebration of the Senses Day
Drive Your Corvette to Work Day
International Fairy Day
Museum Comes To Life Day
National Pralines Day
Swim a Lap Day
Take Your Dog to Work Day
World UFO Day

In 217 BC Hannibal ambushed the Romans, led by Gaius Flaminius, and defeated them at the Battle of Lake Trasimen. [In terms of the number of men involved, this has been the largest ambush in military history and the earliest known example of a strategic turning movement.] In 1509 Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon were crowned King and Queen of England. In 1571 Miguel López de Legazpi founded Manila, the capital of the Republic of the Philippines. In 1793 the first Republican constitution in France was adopted. In 1880 "O Canada", the song that became the national anthem of Canada, was performed at the Congrès national des Canadiens-Français. In 1916 Mary Pickford became the first female film star to sign a million-dollar contract [a century later? that would be $22,963,592+]. In 1947 Kenneth Arnold made the first widely reported UFO sighting near Mount Rainier, Washington. In 1974 the Beach Boys' greatest hits album "Endless Summer" was released.

In 2016 the results of the #Brexit vote in the United Kingdom yesterday are in.

52% of the people living in the UK did not decide the outcome of this referendum – 37.47% voted to leave and the other 62.53% are now bound by that decision. The comment has been made [on Twitter] that “Exercising the right not to vote - is a legitimate option - in any non-mandatory democratic system - deal with it.” Granted that the person who said that is highly elated at the outcome and insulted at the idea that the 27.8% of the folks who did not vote might have altered the outcome – pointing out quite rightly that maybe they would’ve strengthened the tide of #Leave. Granted that the calls/petitions for a do-over are a bit ridiculous as well as impractical. And the gentleman is absolutely correct – unless you are willing to somehow force folks to go to the polls, choosing to not to choose is just as valid an option as going on record for one side or the other.

So why does this alarm me? I am worried about the impending presidential election here in the US. Right now it appears that the choice will be either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton – and I really fear that a large chunk of voters will look at the choices, decide that neither is acceptable, and just opt out because they feel it doesn’t really make any difference to them one way or the other. I worry about that declaration of powerlessness and hopelessness.. And the rest of us will simply have to deal with the outcome, just like the UK will now.

Permalink | Friday, June 24, 2016

I heard what you said but....

Today is the 5^th day of the week, the 23^rd day of the 6^th month, the 175^th day of 2016, and we are celebrating:

International Widows' Day – losing your loved one is bad enough, but in some places it is akin to a death sentence
Let It Go Day -- no it isn't related to Frozen
National Pecan Sandies Day ((one of my very favorite cookies! I used to like dunking them in orange juice))
National Pink Day
Pink Flamingo Day ((I’m still a bit put out that my daughter refuses to let me buy a set for her lawn))
Public Service Day
Runner's Selfie Day
SAT Math Day – the first SAT exam was in 1926
Typewriting Day -- In 1868 Christopher Latham Sholes received a patent for an invention he called the "Type-Writer."

In 229 Sun Quan proclaimed himself emperor of Eastern Wu. In 1180 the Genpei War in Japan started with the First Battle of Uji. In 1683 William Penn signed a friendship treaty with Lenni Lenape Indians [AKA Delaware or Renappi Indians] in what was to become Pennsylvania. In 1713 the French residents of Acadia are given one year to declare allegiance to Britain or leave Nova Scotia, Canada [some of them eventually went south and became the Cajuns in Louisiana]. In 1794 Empress Catherine II of Russia granted Jews permission to settle in Kiev [or Kyiv]. In 1947 Congress overrode Truman's veto of the Taft–Hartley Act [limiting the ability of unions to strike and lobby]. In 1958 the Dutch Reformed Church accepts women ministers. In 1960 t US FDA officially approved the first combined oral contraceptive pill in the world. In 1969 IBM announced that effective January 1970 it will price its software and services separately from hardware -- and the modern software industry was born. In 2013 Nik Wallenda becomes the first man to successfully walk across the Grand Canyon on a tight rope.

Yesterday was a day during which I struggled with communications, both sent and received.

One of the functions I have provided since I went from being a commercial lender into Loan Servicing at C&F in 1994 was providing a bridge between support functions and sales functions, smoothing over the inevitable misunderstandings that arise from two very different sets of priorities and focusing on servicing the bank’s customers. Inevitably, I also ended up being the liaison with the IT department – and that has continued to this very day – even though I describe myself as FFNT [fumble fingered non tech]. Apparently I know just enough to be dangerous and not enough to be really adept, but I pretty much know what I don’t know at least. Usually [for the most part] if I holler, IT listens. This ability seems to desert me when dealing with tech support on my Alienware X51 and my programs at home. While most techs are patient, I have run into a view that simply make statements that do not make sense [to me, the end user] and then refuse to explain when questioned. I am not sure whether it is [1] they don’t know the why only the wherefore [2] there is a language barrier [I would say that it is obvious for most of them we are not native speakers of the same language] or [3] they are sick and tired of what they see as stupid questions and see no reason to launch into lengthy explanations of something that should be obvious.

The issue I had last night was that I could not get my CPU to boot up using the installation media I had created to do a clean install of WIN 10. Two calls to hardware support and one to software support gave me no answer -- I was literally told it was not their problem and I would have to contact Microsoft. Fortunately I tried calling in one last time and got an installation expert who was perplexed too, and said he was going back to basics, then asked me if the flash drive was in FAT32 format. It wasn’t. And because that is the default format for flash drives, the other techs just assumed or took that for granted instead of checking, then discounted any discrepancy between what they expected and what I was saying as user error. What we had was a failure to communicate and the issue could not be addressed until that failure was found and rectified – someone had to ask the right question.

Bless that last expert’s heart -- once I changed the flash drive format and recreated the installation media, the process proceeded smoothly… Well as smoothly as things go when you are upending your 2^nd Life and have to reinstall everything, that is.

Permalink | Thursday, June 23, 2016

hey, I gotta live with me

Today is the 4^th day of the week, the 22^nd day of the 6^th month, the 174^th day of 2016, and:

Baby Boomer's Recognition Day -- anyone who was born in the 18 years from 1946 through the end of 1964. There is talk of moving the day to August 17^th
National Chocolate Eclair Day
National Onion Rings Day
Stupid Guy Thing Day – sexist much? I never did like the “cave man” and Venus/Mars thing

in 217 BC Ptolemy IV Philopator of Egypt defeated Antiochus III the Great of the Seleucid kingdom in the Battle of Raphia. In 1633 Galileo is forced by the Catholic Church to recant his view that the Sun, not the Earth, is the center of the Universe. IN 1839 the Cherokee leaders Major Ridge, John Ridge, and Elias Boudinot were assassinated for signing the Treaty of New Echota, which had resulted in the Trail of Tears. In 1970 Nixon signed the bill lowering the voting age to 18 in the United States.

Following up on my musing yesterday on the 38^th Law of Power, there was a dialog about authenticity online and the value of being yourself. The first article argued that being yourself wasn’t always the best choice, which was more or less what I was observing. The rebuttal was offered by one of the experts who was quoted in the article, stating her message had been misunderstood, she said it was about being “real”. In return, the author of the first article replied and pointed out the costs of authenticity – a point of view that I actually touched on yesterday in my blog post. The comment that struck home was"Aiming to be highly authentic leads us to filter less" and that it is the filtering and self-monitoring of how we react that provides the ability to get along.

The question becomes, I guess, is how much you can hold back, how much you can edit your response, before it becomes a charade or a mask, neh? And how much is my responsibility to be careful, and how much is the other person’s responsibility to be understanding? At what point in the interaction do all parties “assume goodwill”? And if Adam Grant is correct that the need to be seen as authentic drives a person to fuzz boundaries and share [too much?] their life online and in social media, then perhaps I have discovered why I am so vocal in my 2^nd Life, or as my daughter put it, I am living my life out loud in an attempt at transparency. Maybe I am figuring to know me is to love me – or at least know why you dislike me so much….

Permalink | Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Always be yourself....

Today is the 3^rd day [and not Monday!] of the 25^th week, the 21^st day of the 6^th month, the 173^rd day of 2016:

Atheist Solidarity Day
Baby Boomers Recognition Day
Global Orgasm Day
Go Skateboarding Day
National Cherry Tart Day
National Peaches and Cream Day
National Selfie Day
Tall Girl Appreciation Day
World Handshake Day
World Humanist Day
World Music Day

n 533 Belisarius' Byzantine expeditionary fleet sailed from Constantinople on a mission to attack the Vandals in Africa. In 1307 Külüg Khan [ the name means "warrior Khan" or "fine horse Khan"] is enthroned as Khagan of the Mongols and Wuzong of the Yuan. In 1900 China formally declares war on the United States, Britain, Germany, France and Japan, as an edict issued from the Empress Dowager Cixi in what became to be known as the Boxer Rebellion. In 2004 SpaceShipOne became the first privately funded spaceplane to achieve spaceflight.

Quote of the day: “Think as you like but behave like others.” ~ Robert Greene’s 38th Law of Power:

“If you make a show of going against the times, flaunting your unconventional ideas and unorthodox ways, people will think that you only want attention and that you look down upon them. They will find a way to punish you for making them feel inferior. It is far safer to blend in and nurture the common touch. Share your originality only with tolerant friends and those who are sure to appreciate your uniqueness.”

I have often made the comment that I am not good at office politics, and it is true. The only organizations I did well in were ones where I had a higher-up who liked and appreciated my knowledge, skills and abilities and perceived the value of my contributions – when I didn’t have [or lost] that advocate in the executive suite, I did poorly. I was aware my very robust individualism and the quirky sense of humor alienated the powers that be and I seldom was regarded with affection by my co-workers -- I was often criticized [yes even in formal reviews] for my vocabulary and told that I was “making a parade of my education” when that was not my intent at all. In fact, it is a mystery to me even this day that I might make others feel like I am putting them down when I often felt very much rejected and put-down! The boss that I liked the best, and went to work for again when he called on me, once told me that the real problem was that I didn’t know how to alter my style and communication to fit the environment I found myself in -- I don’t know how to fit in. In fact, I don’t know how to disappear in a crowd and I never did – back in my school days, teachers always knew my name even if I wasn’t in their class, and I never did figure out how [or why].

Did I crave attention? Complicated answer to that one given I always felt like I was on the outside looking in but I would say no because most of the attention I received was negative and rather hurtful – being a nerd before that was hip was painful. Did I seek notoriety? Simpler answer to that one – no, it just seemed to happen. I would walk into a new place full of hopes and resolves that this time would be different – and it never was. It had to be something I was doing something because the only common dominator was me but I never did figure out what I was doing wrong. The advice was always to “be yourself” but that seemed to be the problem!

My takeaway for today is that I violated 38^th Rule of Power consistently – and the consequences have followed me throughout my career. I am not sure I would’ve been much happier if there had been a disconnect between the mask/uniform worn at work/in public and the “real” me. After all, I have chosen to be “me” in my 2^nd Life [which is, if you haven’t figured out, inclusive of all the social media, conferences, worlds and games I am in] when I could’ve been someone else…..

Permalink | Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Monday, Monday.....

Today is the 2^nd day of the 25^th week , the 20^th day of the 6^th month, the 171^st day of 2016, and:

American Eagle Day
Anne and Samantha Day
Cuckoo Warning Day -- if you hear a cuckoo today, it will be a wet summer.
Flitch of Bacon Day – when it was celebrated annually, this was the day. Nowadays it is celebrated every four years [Leap Year] on the date set up by the town of Dunmow in England where the ceremonies now take place
International Surfing Day
Lambrusco Day ((any day is a good day for wine, neh?))
National Daylight Appreciation Day
National Ice Cream Soda Day
National Kouign Amann Day – only actually celebrated by one restaurant [with a helluva marketing department apparently] to celebrate the opening of B. Patisserie. The signature item of this shop is the kouign amann, the Breton pastry that literally translates into “butter cake.”
National Vanilla Milkshake Day
New Identity Day
Plain Yogurt Day
Ride to Work Day [motorcycles]
Ryan Moran Day [the first full moon in June]
The First Day of Summer [AKA the summer solstice] at 6:34 PM EDT. Having the full moon coincide with the summer solstice hasn’t happened since 1967. June’s full moon is known as the Strawberry Moon, by the way, although it has also been called the Rose Moon, the Honey Moon and the Mead Moon.
The Longest Day –((admit it, you thought about that movie too)) hereabouts we will have about 15 hours of daylight, but the earliest sunrise happened back on June 13^th and the latest sunset will be on June 27^th
Toad Hollow Day of Thank You ((says something about my cynicism of late that I misread this as “totally hollow day of Thank You” when I first saw it….))
West Virginia Day – declared the 35^th state in 1863 as a result of the secession of several northwestern counties of Virginia during the American Civil War [AKA the War Between the States]
World Humanist Day
World Peace and Prayer Day
World Productivity Day
World Refugee Day

In 451 at the Battle of Chalons, Flavius Aetius squares off with Attila the Hun -- and since the latter retreats afterwards, the former calls it a win [scholars differ on the Roman claim, as well as the importance of the battle in stemming the tide as Attila pretty much rampaged at will through much of Gaul and crippled the military capacity of the Romans and Visigoths]. In 1782 the US Congress adopted the Great Seal of the United States -- but calling it "the United States didn't happen until 1787. In 1840 Samuel Morse received the patent for the telegraph. In 1895 the Kiel Canal, crossing the base of the Jutland peninsula and considered the busiest artificial waterway in the world, officially opened. In 1948 Ed Sullivan comes to TV with a variety show called "Toast of the Town" on CBS. In 1963 the "red telephone" was installed in the White House and the Kremlin following the Cuban Missile Crisis. In 1975 the movie "Jaws" was released.

Sometimes things just don’t happen like you expected them to. I mean, we all remember back when we were kids and just couldn’t wait to grow up so that NO ONE could tell us what to do, when to go to bed, when to get up, what to eat, etc etc and so forth – and just look how that turned out, neh? I am beginning to think that retirement is the same kind of wishful thinking. While I know folks that are living what I consider pretty good lives [nice home, nice activities, good health, able to travel], I also know folks that are staying home and staring at the four walls, counting the pennies and pretty worried that their money won’t last as long as they do. Given my work history and the fact that I missed the pension boat, I was not surprised when the financial advisor I consulted a couple years back told me that if I scrimped and saved, living very frugally [with no vacations or dagnabit expenses] for six years, I could retire at age 72 – and look forward to life scrimping and saving and living very frugally. On Mondays, I have to remind myself that I made the choice to work as long as I could keep a job – which means as long as I can stay employed and my health holds out – so that I could enjoy a lifestyle that included splurges now and then as well as some travel. I didn’t expect to have to make that choice – like my friends, I expected to be able to retire after working for over 50 years – but this is the world I live in. Instead I am rather proud that I have worked longer [harder is prolly a totally separate issue] than anyone else in my family or amongst my friends and enjoy what trips I do take, my dagnabit moments, and my little indulgences while I can.

But Monday mornings? Still tough….

Permalink | Monday, June 20, 2016

Father's Day

Today is the 1^st day of the week, the 19^th day of the 6^th month, the 171^st day of 2016, and:

Family Awareness Day
Father's Day – first celebrated in 1910 in Spokane, Washington, changing the customary day for the celebration of fatherhood dating back to the Middle Ages of the 19th March, as the feast day of Saint Joseph. The 3^rd Sunday of June wasn’t made a permanent national holiday in the US until President Richard Nixon signed it into law in 1972
Garfield the Cat Day
Husband Caregiver Day
Juneteenth [AKA Juneteenth Independence Day or Freedom Day] commemorates the announcement of the abolition of slavery in Texas in 1865
National Eat an Oreo Day
National Martini Day
National Pets in Film Day
World Sauntering Day
World Sickle Cell Day

In 1179 during the Norwegian Battle of Kalvskinnet outside Nidaros, Earl Erling Skakke is killed. In 1269 King Louis IX of France ordered all Jews found in public without an identifying yellow badge to be fined [so the idea was not original with Hitler] 10 lbs of silver. In 1846 the first officially recorded, organized baseball game is played under Alexander Cartwright's rules on Hoboken, New Jersey's Elysian Fields [the New York Base Ball Club defeated the Knickerbockers 23–1. Damn Yankees!]. In 1949 the first NASCAR race was held at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. In 1964 the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was approved after surviving an 83-day filibuster in the United States Senate.

Fathers’ Day is always a very quiet day for me, for reasons that I have talked about before. And for the record? I called my father “Daddy” until around 8^th grade when he requested I stop and say “Dad”.

Hope you all had a good day today!

Permalink | Sunday, June 19, 2016

did I mention it was Saturday?

Today is the 7^th day of the week, the 1^st day of the weekend, the 18^th day of the 6^th month, the 170^th day of 2016, and:

Autistic Pride Day
Dollars Against Diabetes Day
Go Fishing Day
International Panic Day – given the saga of computer woes both at home and at work, I have this one down pat
International Picnic Day
International Sushi Day
National Hollerin' Contest Day
National Splurge Day
Polar Bear Swim in Nome, Alaska
Waterloo Day -- celebrating Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo, Belgium, in 1815 which marked the end of his military domination of Europe. “To meet your Waterloo” became a saying [indicating meeting a final and unconquerable challenge] by the mid-1800s. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIKMUfBXmmY

World Juggling Day ((and no, multitasking doesn’t count))
Worldwide Knit (and crotchet) in Public Day

In 618 Li Yuan became Emperor Gaozu of Tang, initiating three centuries of Tang dynasty rule over China. In 1178 five Canterbury monks reported to the abbey's chronicler, Gervase, that shortly after sunset they saw "the upper horn [of the moon] split in two" [in 1976 it was speculated this was possibly the Giordano Bruno crater being formed. It is believed that the current oscillations of the Moon's distance from the Earth (on the order of meters) are a result of this collision]. In 1767 Samuel Wallis, an English sea captain, sighted Tahiti -- he is considered the first European to reach the island. In 1873 Susan B. Anthony was fined $100 [that would be $2,222 in today's dollars] for attempting to vote in the 1872 presidential election. In 1901 Anastasia, daughter of Tsar Nicholas II, was born – her date of death is in dispute. In 1948 Columbia Records introduces the long-playing record album using microgroove plastic in a public demonstration at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. In 1983 Astronaut Sally K. Ride became America's first woman in space as she and four colleagues blasted off aboard the space shuttle Challenger. In 2006 the first Kazakh [AKA The National Space Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan or KazCosmos] space satellite, KazSat-1 was launched.

The Alienware X51 is not a bad machine – but it has never quite performed the way that I expected it too. On the other hand, the warranty and tech support have both exceeded my expectations. In the past 3 ½ years I have received hours of tech support, had the operating system totally reinstalled five times, new memory, a new hard drive, and now a new video card. Unfortunately there have still been some lingering issues….

Permalink | Saturday, June 18, 2016

Did I mention it was FRIDAY?

Today is Friday, the much anticipated 6^th day of the week and the end of the traditional work week, the 17^th day of the 6^th month, the 169^th day of 2016, and:

National Eat Your Vegetables Day
National Flip Flop Day – remember when flip-flops were not acceptable street wear?
Stewart's Root Beer Day
Ugliest Dog Day
Work at Home Father's Day
World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought -- United Nations observance day with the purpose is to highlight ways to prevent desertification and recover from drought. The theme for 2016 is: “Protect Earth. Restore Land. Engage People.”

In 1244, following the Disputation of Paris, twenty-four carriage loads of Jewish religious manuscripts were burnt in Paris. In 1462 Vlad III the Impaler attempted to assassinate Mehmed II [no record of any neck biting]. In 1579 Sir Francis Drake claimed a land he calls Nova Albion (modern California) for Queen Elizabeth I. In 1839 Kamehameha III issues the edict of toleration which gives Roman Catholics the freedom to worship in the Hawaiian Islands. In 1885 the Statue of Liberty arrived in New York Harbor after being constructed in France, shipped overseas in crates, to be assembled on the completed pedestal on what was then called Bedloe's Island. In 1928 Amelia Earhart embarked on the first trans-Atlantic flight by a woman. In 1940, the three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were occupied by the Soviet Union. In 1944 Iceland declared independence from Denmark and became a republic. 1960 the Nez Perce tribe is awarded $4 million for 7 million acres of land undervalued at four cents/acre in the 1863 treaty. In 1987 the dusky seaside sparrow becomes extinct as the last known bird dies. In 2016 @NASAVoyager is 18 hrs 37 mins 55 secs of light-travel time from Earth (2016:169:120000:1L)

I DID mention it was Friday, didn't I?

Permalink | Friday, June 17, 2016

let's talk

Today is the 5^th day of the week [AKA Friday’s Eve], the 16^th day of the 6^th month, the 168^th day of 2016 [with only 191 shopping days until Christmas] and:

Bloomsday – a celebration of James Joyce and his writing career
Career Nurse Assistants Day
Captain Picard’s Day
Fresh Veggies Day
International Day of the African Child
Ladies' Initiated in Baseball Day
National Dump the Pump Day – ride public transportation instead of pumping gas into your car
National Fudge Day
National Vinegar Day
No Orange Clothes Day – because in 1784 Holland forbad the wearing of orange clothes.
Recess at Work Day
Wish Fulfillment Day – so why today? Dunno, show off your awesome search skills and let me know!
World Sea Turtle Day

In 363 Emperor Julian fled from the Persians up the Tigris and burning his fleet of supply ships behind him. In 632 Yazdegerd III took the throne as the Shah of the Persian Empire, but he was the last ruler of the Sasanian dynasty. In 1846, at the age of 54, Pope Pius IX begins the longest reign in the history of the papacy [32 years]. In 1829, Geronimo, the Apache leader and warrior, was born. In 1884 the "Switchback Railway", opened in New York's Coney Island amusement park.   In 1933, President Roosevelt opened his New Deal recovery program, signing bank, rail, and industry bills and initiating farm aid. In 1961 Rudolf Nureyev defected from the Soviet Union ((I got to see him dance once, what an awesome sight that was!)). In 1963 A former textile worker from the Soviet Union, Lieutenant Valentina Tereshkova, became the first woman in space.

I am sure that I am not the only person who just doesn’t enjoy reading the news these days – there isn’t a single story, from politics to alligators to extinction to space to currency that doesn’t seem topolarize those who respond.   I am not sure the happy medium exists anymore when even the use of a colloquial phrase becomes a matter of discussion and dissent as we need to correct folks that we don’t agree with. ((Why yes, I did just end a sentence with a preposition. Thank you for noticing!)).

When I joined Howard Rhiengold’s Brainstorms community a very long time ago, I was struck by the lack of lengthy rules and Terms of Service.   He only had one rule for the community: “assume goodwill”.   If you examine that statement for a bit, chew it over, ponder on it, you’ll find that all interactions are improved by adhering to that exhortation -- because you drop assumptions of intransigence or malice and accept other points of view, other perspectives are possible. Agreeing to disagree becomes an option rather than going into them VS us mode, assigning blame or rightness – and maybe, just maybe, we’ll all learn something instead of exercising our vocal cords.

Permalink | Thursday, June 16, 2016

tragedy pouncing

Today is Wednesday, the 4^th day of the week and hump day in the traditional M – F workweek, the 15^th day of the 6^th month, the 167^th day of 2016, and:

Fly a Kite Day [AKA National Electricity day] – courtesy of Benjamin Franklin ((the actual day isn’t really known, but this is the day traditionally chosen for celebration))
Global Wind Day -- organized by EWEA (European Wind Energy Association)
Justice for Janitors Day – and it all started back in 1990
Magna Carta Day
National Day of Prayer for Law Enforcement Officers
National Lobster Day
Nature Photography Day
National Smile Power Day
Native American Citizenship Day
Nature Photography Day
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day
Worldwide Day of Giving

In 763 BC the Assyrians recorded a solar eclipse that is later used to fix the chronology of Mesopotamian history. In 1300 the city of Bilbao, Spain was founded by by Diego López V de Haro. In 1844 Charles Goodyear got a patent for vulcanization, a process to strengthen rubber. in 1846 the Oregon Treaty was signed between the United States and Canada establishing the 49th parallel as the border from the Rocky Mountains to the Strait of Juan de Fuca [although on this day in 1859 there was an altercation because of a marauding pig]. In 1878 Eadweard Muybridge took a series of photographs to prove that all four feet of a horse leave the ground when it runs and creates the basis of motion pictures [In other words, he created the first flip book]. In 1934 the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was founded. In 1969 "Hee Haw" premiered on CBS and has found eternal life “pickin’ and grinnin’” in reruns.

Today the news story gathering headlines was about a tragedy in Walt Disney World – a toddler grabbed by an alligator. Although it is an awful happening, it is especially horrific [and thus getting so much attention] because no one expects to have this kind of problem when staying on site – you always feel safe in Disney because things are so clean and pretty. The posted signs did say “no swimming” but there wasn’t any warning about not going into the water and the child was playing in the waves right in front of the family when the alligator lunged. I always thought the warnings had more to do with the swampish nature of the water – this wasn’t a pool or park, the resort was on a natural lake and I was always worried about bacteria or leeches or something even in the canals, and was never particularly eager to take out a boat [not feeling comfortable with the possibility of being dunked].

It is something folks that do not live in the Sunshine State don’t think a lot about – both alligators and crocodiles thrive in Florida as it is their native habitat, and they are not the least bit intimidated by humans. Floridians know the dangers, but I am not too sure that they realize tourists tend to be completely oblivious. Even going to the Gatorland Zoo, where they stress these are the area’s alpha predators that needed to be treated with respect and caution, my kids both came home with shirts that said “send more tourists, the last ones were delicious” and we thought it was funny ….. Wildlife officials believe there are over a million alligators [and almost 20 million people], but in the past 68 years there have only been 383 documented alligator bites in the Florida with 23 fatalities. Not even the magic of Disney can overcome nature – they can try and control it, they can manage the way we interact with it, but they cannot make it go away. This particular wild beast saw an opportunity and took it.

All this to simply say that I can imagine being in my happy place, having something totally horrible and life-changing happening…..

Been a tough time in Orlando, neh?

Permalink | Wednesday, June 15, 2016

the way we were....

Today is the 3^rd day of the week, the 14^th day of the 6^th month, the 166^th day of 2016 [with only 193 shopping days until Christmas], and:

Army's Birthday – founded this day in 1775
Family History Day
Flag Day – in 1777 the Stars and Stripes were adopted by Congress as the flag of the United States.
National Bourbon Day -- In 1789 whiskey distilled from maize was first produced by American clergyman the Rev Elijah Craig in Bourbon County, Kentucky. It was declared the national drink in 1964
National Strawberry Shortcake Day (( this not that ))
Own Your Share of America Day -- to encourage people to invest in American stocks, sponsored by the National Association of Investors Clubs
Pause for the Pledge Day -- in 1943 the US Supreme Court ruled schoolchildren could not be compelled to salute the flag if doing so would conflict with their religious beliefs [Jehovah Witnesses].
Pop Goes The Weasel Day – published in the US in 1850
World Blood Donor Day
World Pet Memorial Day

In 1158 Munich was founded by Henry the Lion on the banks of the river Isar. In 1949 Albert II, a rhesus monkey, rode a V-2 rocket to an altitude of 134 km (83 mi) and became the first monkey in space. In 1959 the first daily operating monorail system in the Western Hemisphere, the Disneyland Monorail System, opened to the public in Anaheim, California. In 1962 the European Space Research Organization was established in Paris – later becoming the European Space Agency. In 1966 the Vatican abolished the Index Librorum Prohibitorum ("index of prohibited books"), which was originally instituted in 1557. In 1967 Mariner 5 probe was launched towards Venus.

Now obviously if you google quickly, you can see a lot more happened on this day in history. I only list the first recorded thing that I see and the stuff that interests me – which doesn’t always include wars and succession. But then again, since I am not an established guru, if I leave something out, what difference does it make?

“There is no such thing as a historical fact.” That is my pithy summation of EH Carr's [in]famous statement that "'the belief in a hard core of historical facts existing objectively independent of the interpretation of the historian is a preposterous fallacy'". I read somewhere once that what we call "revisionist history" was nothing more than a function of "selective omission"; we wash what has happened through our filters, changing our narratives to suit our needs. Cue Barbara Streisand singing The Way We Were:

“Memories may be beautiful and yet
What's too painful to remember we simply choose to forget”

Ever wonder what historians of the future will say about us in these times? It is all about how we all want to perceived, neh? Yes, we can be dramatic - but instead of considering ourselves "drama queens," we prefer to call ourselves passionate and spirited. Instead of admitting to hate-mongering, we state we claim to be protecting ourselves [the country, the nation, the children, the way of life] against “them” [gays, immigrants, different religions, different races – anyone different, just pick one]. And then we mourn when someone snaps after listening to hate and does something unspeakable – but it isn’t “our fault, it is theirs’ and we have to respond to the threat “they” pose. I wonder if it will look like that to those who are looking back? IS this really who we want to be and how we want to be remembered?

Permalink | Tuesday, June 14, 2016

back to work

Today is the 2^nd day of the week, the 13^th day of the 6^th month, the 165^th day of 2016 and:

Kitchen Klutzes of America Day
Sewing Machine Day
Weed Your Garden Day

In 313 the Edict of Milan granting religious freedom throughout the Roman Empire was posted in Nicomedia. In 1373 Edward III of England and envoys of King Dom Fernando of Portugal signed a treaty in St Paul’s Cathedral forging the oldest known alliance that is still in force today. In 1970 "The Long and Winding Road" becomes The Beatles' last US number one song. In 1983 Pioneer 10 became the first spacecraft to leave the solar system as it crossed the orbit of Neptune and in 2016 @NASAVoyager is 18 hrs 37 mins 31 secs of light-travel time from Earth (2016:165:120000:1L)

Permalink | Monday, June 13, 2016

wherein the PC saga continues....

Today is Sunday, the 1st day in a new week. It is the 12th day of the 6th month, the 164th day of 2016, and

Abused Women and Children's Awareness Day
Crowded Nest Awareness Day
Ghost in the Machine Day
Little League Girls Baseball Day
Loving Day -- in 1967 US Supreme Court decision Loving v. Virginia declared all state laws against interracial marriages unconstitutional
Magic Day
Multicultural American Child Day
National Automotive Service Professionals Day
National Career Nursing Assistants' Day
National Children's Day [AKA Children's Sunday]
National Jerky Day
National Peanut Butter Cookie Day
Race Unity Day!
Red Rose Day
Superman Day
World Day Against Child Labor
Write to Your Father Day

In 1240, arranged by Louis IX, an inter-faith debate, known as the Disputation of Paris, starts between a Christian monk [a Jewish convert] and four rabbis after the convert translated the Talmud from Hebrew -- the outcome was Christians stopped viewing Jews as people of the Old Testament and started seeing them as enemies of their faith, a change that was to have dire consequences. In 1550 the city of Helsinki was founded by King Gustav I of Sweden [Finland was still part of Sweden back then]. In 1560, in the battle of Okehazama, Oda Nobunaga defeated Imagawa Yoshimoto [the battlefield is a park in Japan]. In 1898 General Emilio Aguinaldo declared the Philippines'independence from Spain. In 1939 the Baseball Hall of Fame opened in Cooperstown, New York. In 1942 Anne Frank received a diary for her thirteenth birthday. In 1967 Venera 4 launched (it will become the first space probe to enter another planet's atmosphere and successfully return data). 1972 the first Popeyes is opened in Arabi, Louisiana [gotta luv those biscuts]. And in 2016 @NASAVoyager is 18 hrs 37 mins 25 secs of light-travel time from Earth (2016:164:120000:1L)

While I can still get online, and do most things, tech support has finally agreed with me that my video card has gone bad. It is something that I have been grousing about for the past two years as my Alienware X51 just never seemed to perform as well as I thought it should [especially in Second Life and Diablo III] and I started calling the company and complaining. As annoyed as I have been with this particular computer, I have to say that the support offered has been exemplary as they methodically have worked through the problems. First they found a problem with the memory, and that was replaced. Then they decided it was a software issue -- Windows has been re-installed multiple times. The hard drive was replaced a few months back. Of course all that meant I had to restore my digital life from back-ups multiple times. And yet, the performance just wasn't there -- textures in game didn't seem to load properly, things kept lagging or stuttering -- and in the past couple of days I started crashing again. Hard crashes as in "oops, you aren't in this program anymore". The final straw was when the programs locked up the entire computer and I had to turn it off to get anything to work again. The final test tech support ran to see if it was the video card was to download and play a game called Heaven Benchmark 4.0 -- if you ever want to see if your video card is a problem, this is the program to use. The FPS [frames per second] should be around 100 and mine was bouncing around 3. So finally, the video card will be replaced!

Fortunately when I bought this computer back in December 2012, I paid for a three year full warranty. And when it expired in December, I paid for another year. I know that a lot of times buying a warranty seems to be a bit of a rip-off, but I am very glad that I got one. Total cost to me for these years of coverage was about $550 -- and considering that I have gotten hours [literally] of tech support, new memory, a new hard drive, and now a new video card -- I think that was well worth the cost. Especially since the hardware is installed for me, and I don't have to try to do it myself. And I don't have to try to disconnect and take the CPU somewhere, the tech comes and does it right here in the apartment. Now hopefully this computer should last for a while, neh?

Take the time to actually enjoy the 2nd day of your weekend!

Permalink | Sunday, June 12, 2016

it is my Saturday, neh?

Permalink | Saturday, June 11, 2016

meh....

Today is the 6^th day of the week, the 10^th day of the 6^th month, the 162^nd day of 2016, and:

Alcoholics Anonymous Founders' Day – in 1935 Dr. Robert Smith takes his last drink in Akron, Ohio
Ballpoint Pen Day
Banana Split Day [and tomorrow]
National Black Cow Day
National Herb and Spice Day
National Iced Tea Day
National Lemonade Day[s]
National Marriage Day
Poultry Day

In 671 the water clock (clepsydra) called Rokoku was introduced by Emperor Tenji of Japan. In 1829 the first Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge took place on the Thames River [they are still rowing 187 years later]. In 1886 Mount Tarawera in New Zealand erupts, killing 153 people and burying the famous Pink and White Terraces. In 1947 Saab produced its first automobile.

It isn’t that I don’t have anything to say. I have strong opinions about many things, including politics. I am not at all happy with the Democrats [if you don’t want to read the article, this quote says it all: “The Democratic establishment disarmed Bernie Sanders' political revolution in a swift and ruthless counter coup Thursday, lining up behind its own heir apparent, Hillary Clinton”] and the establishment for ignoring the issues of income inequity and intolerance. I plain don’t like Hillary – didn’t when she was Frist Lady, didn’t while she was Secretary of State. I just don’t trust her because she has proven again and again that she is all about wealth, privilege, and power [not necessarily in that order] – and she will do whatever it takes to make sure that she and hers come out on top no matter what happens to anyone else. I am not at all impressed that a woman is a candidate for the highest political office in the land and no, I won’t vote for her because she is a woman. Gals, we fought that battle decades ago just so we could judge folks by something other than their gender and I am sure not going to do it now.

#feeltheBern brought a sense of vision to the election, a feeling that we could make a difference, have a positive impact. Without the energy of Bernie’s followers, all the local races are at risk. The establishment moving to alienate them makes me question how Hillary does business once again. To top it off? There is a part of me that kinda believes the Koch brothers endorsement of her instead of the presumptive Republican candidate simply proves a cartel of old white rich men have set up Trump as a strawman just so Hillary will breeze into office in November. They want her because she will do their bidding; they are counting on folks voting against Trump even if they don’t want to vote for her – and it would serve them right if the reality show star actually won.

So it isn’t that I don’t have anything to say. I just don’t think that anyone cares or is listening just now – and I’m betting I am not alone. This is how apathy takes ahold, neh?

Meh....

Permalink | Friday, June 10, 2016

when it gets too real...

Today is the 9^th day of the 6^th month, the 161^st day of 2016, and:

Donald Duck Day – looks pretty good for 82, doesn’t he?
International Archives Day
National Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie Day
Toy Industry Day
World APS Day -- Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome
Writers' Rights Day

Quote of the day: “Never forget the three powerful resources you always have available to you: love, prayer, and forgiveness.” ~ H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

In 411 BC a coup overthrew the democratic government of ancient Athens and replaced it with a short-lived oligarchy known as The Four Hundred. In 68 Nero committed suicide [his last words were said to be “what an artist dies in me!”], ending the Julio-Claudian dynasty and starting the civil war known as the Year of the Four Emperors. in 1534 Jacques Cartier sailed into the mouth of the St. Lawrence River, looking for gold and a northwest passage to the Orient; names the river for St. Lawrence on his feast day. In 1537 Pope Paul III declared in his encyclical Veros homines that Indians are "truly men", beings with the qualities and faults of other humans; they should not be enslaved, and should receive the Roman Catholic faith. In 1732 James Oglethorpe was granted a royal charter for the colony of the future US state of Georgia. In 1959 the first nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, USS George Washington, is launched.

Today I am learning about triggers – one of the bloggers I follow has checked into a facility because she is worried about harming herself [no I am not going to link to her blog even though she posted about it]. Got me to thinking about how to recognize mine and how to cope with the implosion when one of those deep-seated fear trip-wires are inadvertently sprung. Not like you can avoid them -- even with good intentions, someone can hit the spot or you can even trigger yourself [yup, self- talk is a dangerous activity at times] – and suddenly you are floundering in a toxic stew of internal combustion, while your body deals with a rather muddy mixture of adrenalin et al. Sometimes I think our psyche is more like a minefield rather than a playground! And for someone like me who lives in their head and/or imagination so much, that is a pretty strong statement. While the mind does control the body, the body also works on the mind, breaking that feedback loop of mind-to-body-to-mind is essential in stopping a downward spiral it seems to me. That can sometimes be a bit of a challenge because the body just doesn’t pay attention once your head figures it all out. Seriously, instead of getting with the program, it just goes right on reacting and making you feel wretched. I’m guessing this is why folks do things that are incomprehensible at times – drunkenness, drugs or suicide come to mind first – because they just want to make it stop and don’t know how.

I always told my kids that “life is not fair, cope” knowing full well that little piece of advice is a lot harder than it sounds. So is “one day at a time” sometimes. Best to know your triggers and how they impact you ahead of time so that you don’t get blindsided, neh?

Permalink | Thursday, June 9, 2016

Wordless Wednesday

Today is Wednesday, the 8^th day of the 6^th month, and the 160^th day of 2016. It is also:

Best Friends Day
Betty Picnic Day
Jelly-Filled Doughnut Day
Name Your Poison Day
National Caribbean American HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
Upsy Daisy Day
World Brain Tumor Day
World Oceans Day – first celebrated in 1992, coinciding with the Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

In 68 the Roman Senate proclaimed Galba emperor. In 632 – Muhammad died Medina and Abu Bakr became the first caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate. In 1972 an iconic photo of the Vietnam War is taken when nine-year-oldPhan Thị Kim Phúc is burned by napalm and is seen running down a road by AP photographer Nick Ut.

Fortunately it is Wordless Wednesday because I am tired and out of words today.

Permalink | Wednesday, June 8, 2016

what I believe

Today is the 7^th day of the 6^th month of 2016 and the 159^th day of the year with only 200 shopping days left until Christmas. It is also:

Daniel Boone Day – on this day in 1769, the intrepid explorer realized that he had actually made it through the Appalachians using what became to be known as the Wilderness Road
June Bug Day
National Chocolate Ice Cream Day
Trial Technology Day
VCR Day – be kind, rewind!
World Pet Memorial Day

In 421 Emperor Theodosius II married Aelia Eudocia, who converted to Christianity and came to be called Saint Eudocia for her work blending the Hellenistic culture with the fledgling religion. In 1494 Spain and Portugal signed the Treaty of Tordesillas dividing the New World between them. In 1892 Benjamin Harrison was the first US President to attend a baseball game. In 1929 the Vatican became an independent city when the Lateran Treaty was ratified. In 1939 King George VI arrived at Niagara Falls NY, from Canada on the first visit to the US by a reigning British monarch. .In 1990 Universal Studios opened in Orlando, Florida.

I have been pretty vocal across social media that I am unhappy with the way this presidential election is shaping up here in the US. I don’t like or trust Hillary Clinton. I think Donald Trump is a reality show star, not presidential material. I am sick and tired of placating those who trumpet “moral values” and religion and the need to protect our country against just about everyone. And when it comes to faith one need only look into relatively recent history to read about the Holocaust and the Spanish Inquisition – those horrific acts don’t define Christianity, so why would we let ISIS define Muslims?

There is one polarizing issue that just flummoxes me – why do science and religion have to be considered mutually exclusive? I get that folks have different definitions of “climate change” and what caused it. I get that some folks don’t believe that mankind has walked on the moon or in the possibility of life on other planets. I get that the theory of evolution is a theory and that some folks feel that creationism should be taught as a valid theory. I don’t agree with these points of view, but I get that others feel their beliefs are more valid than mine. What I don’t get is when I am told that it has to be all one way or another and those who try to bridge the gap vilified for placating.

Permalink | Tuesday, June 7, 2016

true love....

Today is the 6^th day of the 6^th month, the 158^th day of the year with only 201 shopping days left until Christmas. Today is also:

"Thank God It's Monday" Day [always the first Monday in June]
Atheist Pride Day
D-Day -- but do you know the meaning of the “D”?
Drive-in Movie Day – in 1933 the first drive-in theater opened in Camden, New Jersey
National Applesauce Cake Day
National Gardening Exercise Day
National Higher Education Day
National Hunger Awareness Day
National Yo-yo Day – Donald Duncan did not invent this toy, or even name it, but we celebrate this day on his birthday because he was the one who mass-marketed it.
Ramadan – This major Islamic religious holiday actually started at sundown last night with the sighting of the new moon, and this year’s observance coincides with the summer solstice which will make the fasting during the day very long indeed [the longest in 33 years according to the BBC]
Russian Language Day – one of the language days set by the UN -- coincides with the birthday of Aleksandr Pushkin, a Russian poet who is considered the father of modern Russian literature

In 1508 Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, was defeated in Friuli by Venetian troops. 1833 Andrew Jackson became the first US President to ride on a train. In 1968 Bobby Kennedy died from gunshot wounds inflicted on June 5 while he was campaigning for president. IN 1984 Tetris, one of the best-selling video games of all time, was first released in the USSR.

Do you remember the first time you announced to your parents that you were going to get married? My granddaughter and her friend have let their parents know that is the plan at the tender age of three years old. I was seven when Dan Dudek and I decided that we were in love – unfortunately his parents and mine were not that close, they didn’t live in the same neighborhood so we didn’t go to school together, and we lost track of each other within the year even though we shared our first kiss together. But, what if? What if first kisses were really magic and Dan and I are still fated to find each other? What if an attraction is so strong that it can resonate across multiple timelines? What if the social contract is real, that you do indeed decide as souls where and when you will be born, and the two of you decide to be born in the same time and place so that you will be together? What if you really are childhood sweethearts that grow up to be wed and you build a life together all of your days? Would you want that?

I have been binge watching Once Upon a Time over the past week or so, and there are three themes, three things that are reiterated constantly throughout all the episodes, throughout all the seasons:

True love is the most powerful magic of them all
“I will always find you”
All magic comes with a price

Would you be willing to be with just one person for your entire life, until death do you part? Would you be willing to take the risks of loving that completely, that thoroughly, that dedicatedly? Would you think the price worth it? I look at the snapshot of those two three year olds together, frozen in time, looking into each other’s eyes, and my eyes fill with tears – and I hope with all my heart that theirs will be a different story than 99% of us, that they truly have found one another and will stay together.

And by the way -- Dan, wherever you are, I hope that you are happy with the path that your life has taken!

Permalink | Monday, June 6, 2016

trying to enjoy the weekend....

Permalink | Sunday, June 5, 2016

no regrets

Today is the 3^rd day of the 6^th month, the last day of the work week [assuming a M-F schedule] and the 155^th day of 2016. In addition to TGIF, we are celebrating:

Chimborazo Day
Hug an Atheist Day
Impersonate Authority Day
Love Conquers All Day
National Chocolate Macaroon Day
National Doughnut Day
National Egg Day
National Itch Day
Repeat Day

And the start of a weekend of:

Horseradish Days [always the first weekend in June]
Mike, The Headless Chicken Days [moved from May]
Positive Power of Humor and Creativity Days

In 350 Nepotianus proclaimed himself Roman emperor, entering Rome at the head of a group of gladiators. In 713 the Byzantine emperor Philippicus was deposed, blinded, and sent into exile by conspirators of the Opsikion army in Thrace. In 1828 the Gran Colombia–Peru War began over control of the territories of Jaén and Maynas. In 1839 Lin Tse-hsü destroyed 1.2 million kg of opium confiscated from British merchants – and Britain promptly started the First Opium War. In 1888 we learned there was no joy in Mudville -- "Casey at the Bat" was published in The San Francisco Examiner. In 1965 astronaut Edward White became the first American to "walk" in space, during the flight of Gemini 4.

Regret is a bitter, debilitating emotion that can haunt your days and make your nights miserable [the 3AM wakeup, you know what I mean]. It has been a long-standing “policy” of mine not to have regrets, not to dwell on the choices of the past, not to get caught by the “if only” thinking. This does not mean not feeling sorry – especially for damage done to others whether intended or not – or not wishing things had turned out differently, mind you. But despite this resolve on my part, there are a couple of things that do haunt me on a regular basis.

One regret that always comes to mind is the fact that I did not kiss Frank goodbye and tell him I loved him that last morning, one of a handful of times in our relationship that I did not close the door behind him. I was usually so careful to send him out the door with that last kiss and fond farewell because as a cop and then in security, I felt his job might take him away at any time. But that morning, he just exasperated me to no end as he puttered about, full of complaints/questions, and I decided that I had to start getting ready for work or I was going to be late. The last thing I said to him was “we’ll talk about it later” and I left him to get himself out while I was in the shower…. There is no remedy, no going back.

One of the other things that is bothering me is the decision to have Kula put to sleep back in January. Was I too quick? Did I explore all the options, or was I really thinking of my own ease? Was he really ready to go? When my father was dying in Idaho, my uncle, not I went because he thought with a Power of Attorney, he could refuse care for Dad, but the medical staff insisted that I had to be the one – and for three days I would get a phone call from Uncle Harry and would have to tell the staff not to put my father on any assistance and only pain killing meds. That was before cell phones, so I literally had to sit by my home phone and wait for those calls – I’m sorry I didn’t get to go out and see him, but I was okay with making the decision because I knew that was what my father wanted, just like I knew that he wanted to be cremated. But Kula couldn’t tell me what he wanted, I had to guess. This is not just about Kula, of course, but knowing at some point I might have to make that decision for another pet – or a person. How will I will I ever face that decision again without regretting my choice?

“If everything happens for a reason that means you made the right choice even when it’s the wrong choice”
~ Treyco

Permalink | Friday, June 3, 2016

June 2nd

Today is the 2nd day of the 6th month, the 154th day of 2016.

American Indian Citizenship Day
I Love My Dentist Day
National Bubba Day
National Leave the Office Early Day
National Rocky Road Day
National Rotisserie Chicken Day
Yell 'Fudge' at the Cobras in North America Day

And today my granddaughter is three years old. Frank would've been 78 -- it gives me an odd feeling to know that I am as old now as he was when he died 12 years ago.

Permalink | Thursday, June 2, 2016

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