tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89491475311577461032024-03-13T04:26:35.496-07:00A Clever SheepThe most dangerous of creatures is a clever sheep.WGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00966911193249054169noreply@blogger.comBlogger215125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8949147531157746103.post-4933106225698627882009-02-22T17:38:00.000-08:002009-02-22T17:44:43.345-08:00My son is obsessed with a small red-headThe Little Pirate hasn't been much of a fan of movies, TV shows, or even video games, particularly. That's not to say they don't suck him in the same way they do me - he will settle down if he gets to play with Mommy's cell phone, and he absolutely <em>adores</em> both Handy Manny and the Little Einsteins....but other than that, the TV being on is mostly something he ignores.<br /><br />That is, until recently. My son is absolutely in love with a short red-head. No, it's not either of the two you'd think....not Red or Little Red. No, it's something much more sinister.<br /><br />My son loves Strawberry Shortcake.<br /><br />Yes, you read that correctly. Thing#2 has a Strawberry Shortcake DVD that runs about 5-10 minutes long, and at the end there's this song they sing about how shooing away all of the nasty crows and taking care of their plants will make things grow better. It's insidious, but it pulls his attention in a way that nothing else will. He'll be playing (or, lately fussing a lot - he's cutting three teeth right now...good times, lemme tell ya) in the living room doing his own thing, and if somebody puts that in, he'll freeze in place for the duration, glued to the TV. When the song is over, he'll sit there waving his arms while the credits roll, and then give me a goofy grin as though to say, "Play it again, Daddy!!!!"<br /><br />I gotta get this kid on Transformers immediately, that's just all there is to that.WGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00966911193249054169noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8949147531157746103.post-53815834095129922812009-02-17T22:15:00.000-08:002009-02-17T22:30:00.860-08:00BlehIt's been a while since I was able to blog, get online, or do much of, well, anything. This is entirely due to a certain company I mentioned before as having very poor customer service.<br /><br />After the house fire we had back in November, I asked this company to suspend our service, and told them why. They said they would - I received no bills, and got the occasional person telling me that our home phone number had been disconnected. I thought nothing further of it.<br /><br />So imagine our suprise, and Red's fury, when four days after we moved back in, we discovered in the mail a phone bill saying our service was disconnected as of the beginning of January, for non payment of the $300 phone bill from November to current. I was livid - we spent three hours on the phone with these people, and finally extracted from them a promise to do something unspecified right away if we'd have the fire marshal fax them a copy of the report on the fire.<br /><br />Fine, whatever. So we asked the fire marshal to do that, and he did.<br /><br />A week went by. Then another week.<br /><br />I finally had had enough, and last Thursday I had some time, so I called and was what I call polite and Red calls being diplomatic in an evil sense. By the time I was done talking to them, they'd decided to just make the whole bill problem go away. They said they'd waive the entire bill, set us up with a new connection. Then I decided, well, if we're feeling all try-to-keep-the-customer-happy here, let's see how far it'll go.<br /><br />"So will you take the same package you had before?" the lady asked.<br />"No, I don't think so, actually," I said. "See, I've had an offer from one of your competitors....they're offering to give me faster broadband for six months, for less than I'd be paying for two months of services with you. Just under $300 for six months, in fact. Can you give me a good reason why I shouldn't switch, because I've got to tell you, between the economy and the problems I've had with your company over the last six months, I'm inclined to. I have no brand loyalty here."<br />"How about we give you three months at $18 and $46.99 per month forever, with a faster tiered speed than you had before?"<br />"Tell me more."<br /><br />I ended up getting a new modem, faster service, and since we didn't opt for the $80 in extra phone package stuff since we're going to go with T-Mobile's VoIP service (for $10 a month), that's all I'll be paying. In short, I got a free new modem, free new router, and a faster connection for about half what I was paying before.WGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00966911193249054169noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8949147531157746103.post-40007027062156185392009-01-21T17:37:00.000-08:002009-01-21T18:04:05.248-08:00An encounter with the Keystone Konstruction KompanyThis is my first encounter with construction, at least from a they're-building-this-around-me perspective....so if I'm snarking here about things that should really be expected, bear that in mind.<br /><br />Over the last two and a half months, we've gone through one broken promise after another on when things would be done, what would be accomplished, had many unexpected and wholly unpleasant suprises along the way, and yet somehow, when the "Final Inspection and Finishing Touches" were supposed to have been done <em>yesterday</em>, according to the guy with the checkbook, who Red refers to as God (at least as far as our friends from the Keystone Konstruction Kompany are concerned, he is), I had high hopes that at long last we'd see the backside of plumbers, electricians, drywall hangers, carpet installation, inspectors, various catch-all-contractors, and other assorted people trapising though. Sadly, my hopes were dashed yet again.<br /><br />Following Red's big showdown with the property manager last week, many things have been accomplished. We are, in fact, all back in our home and what we were told was the last of the construction stuff was finished today in the form of trim and trash cleanup. Mind you, more has been done in the last week than in the previous 72 days put together - there's a laundry list of it, but the short version is that everything has been done.<br /><br />Or so we were told.<br /><br />One would think that, since there's a definite order that things are done in in construction jobs, each individual item would be dealt with. For instance, providing lovely cabinets with flush doors would be followed immediately by putting handles on them. Insulation comes before drywall and paint, and so on. This is not the case with the KKK I've referenced, evidently. Over the last five days Red and I have been speculating a little on why the kitchen is so cold all the time. We found out today - there's NO GODDAMN INSULATION IN THE ATTIC SPACE.<br /><br />How do you miss something like that? Seriously? We found out today, after the construction guys turned our heat back on a month ago, that half of the top floor of the house is totally without insulation between the actual kitchen and the attic space above it. 1/2" of drywall, some paint, and the plywood of the roof is the only thing keeping the heat inside my house. For obvious reasons we are NOT going to be paying the heating bill until this gets addressed, just as we took a $385 gas bill to the property managers last week (which, Red said, made the girl accepting it look like somebody had just booted her in the giblets).<br /><br />Add to that the company that was coming in to do the cleaning. Now, the ladies that were here for four days did a bang-up job of cleaning the drywall mud off the floor that the drywall guys were too retarded to put a sheet down for, along with everything else. I talked to the cleaning company back in November when they were talking about doing the carpets here and said, "Well, if you guys are going to be here with the equipment anyway, let's take care of my furniture while you're at it." The guy from the cleaning company quoted me a price of $175 for doing deep cleaning of a reclining rocker, a full length 8' sofa, and two love seats. They charged my Visa for it shortly thereafter.<br /><br />Nothing further was heard from them until last week, when they caught the aftershocks of Red's explosion via what I can only imagine was a frantic call from the property managers. They called us on Friday apologizing for not getting it done already, but correctly pointing out that cleaning it before now wouldn't really have helped since the construction guys can't evidently figure out how to clean up after themselves with both hands, a road map, and a flashlight. They scheduled it for this morning, when Red and the Little Pirate would be at home.<br /><br />Unfortunately, nobody told the cleaning guy that he was supposed to come out. Red called them at about 1:00 this afternoon asking them when they were planning on coming, and their response was, "Uh....oops. Our bad, we didn't put you on the schedule," and sent a subcontractor. This was the point at which more fun ensued, when he got in, saw the furniture sitting there ready to be cleaned (where it's been for the last two and a half months, mind you), and asked which couch and which loveseat we wanted cleaned. Evidently, according to our records, that was all we'd been charged for.<br /><br />I called the original cleaning company and asked them - I had made it very clear the first time around what I wanted done, the guy that had been <em>at the house and seen the furniture already</em> was the one that had given me the quote, and I'd paid for the service. As far as I'm concerned, that should be that - they should be providing the service I had bargained for, and if their records don't reflect that, tough shit. Oh, no, says the woman at the other end of the phone, we would never quote you a price that low, you must have misunderstood, and did you get this in writing? I hadn't, of course, which is an error I won't make again. Red, meanwhile, gave the guy that was actually here at the house a nice smile and asked him politely, and he ended up doing what we wanted anyway without charging us extra.<br /><br />As I said, I think I'll let her deal with people from now on.<br /><br />I blame President Obama. The fire happened November 4, and Election Day was November 6th. It can't be a coincidence.WGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00966911193249054169noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8949147531157746103.post-10024869969697373732009-01-20T18:43:00.000-08:002009-01-20T18:49:12.539-08:00I couldn't agree moreVia <a href="http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/">Jawa</a>:<br /><blockquote><p><br /><em>My personal opinion is that this inauguration was no more historical than any other except for the very first one. Calling it "historical" because the President is anything other than a white male is keeping the race debate in everyone's face and therefore keeps us divided as a country.<br />My issue with Obama, or any of the Democrats who ran for President last year, is their left-liberal Socialist policies, not their race or gender.</em> </p></blockquote>That's about all I have to say about that. Hopefully Obama will be a good president...we'll see.<br /><p></p>WGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00966911193249054169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8949147531157746103.post-2983465747387783442009-01-17T10:18:00.000-08:002009-01-17T10:46:19.295-08:00Redheaded ArmageddonI told <a href="http://www.electricvenom.com/blog-bites/the-rumors-of-my-demise-were-only-somewhat-exaggerated-2/#comments">Kate</a> yesterday I'd post something about the <a href="http://acleversheep.blogspot.com/2008/12/house-is-house.html">achievements</a> she wasn't aware she'd made.<br /><br />Remember I said I got the Definitive Word that we'd be back in the house by the 12th of January? Please note - I'm writing this from the living room of the family we've been staying with since November. It is not the 12th of January...that came and went.<br /><br />Rewind a bit to earlier this week. We got word from the property owner about two weeks ago that things would be done, then word from his wife that it'd take a bit longer (to last Wednesday). Okay, we thought - it's been two and a half months, another two days is not going to kill us. Went over to the house before work, moved cats so they wouldn't be in peoples' way, and went to work in the conviction that soon, all would be right with the world.<br /><br />Imagine my suprise, then, when we arrived a teensy bit after noon, and not only was nothing further done, it was rampantly obvious that nobody had even been there. I consider myself a reasonable guy, most of the time, and I have my self-interest (and that of my family) in mind, so the call to the property manager was as polite as I could make it.<br /><br />Red felt no such compunctions, being a) redheaded, b) pissed off, c) a mother anticipating explaining to her children for the seventy-second consecutive night why they had to sleep on somebody else's floor, and d) having a high blood content of a medication that significantly increases her aggressive nature as a side-effect of its primary purpose. All I could do was stand back and respectfully urge that she either try very hard not to permanently maim anyone or hide the bodies afterwards and be very thorough in her cleaning. She declared that the time had come, as we'd actually been planning, for a visit to the property management people to hand off the utility bills for the house (the contractors had reconnected everything in our name without our permission - remember that snow I mentioned? Furnace running to heat the house, windows left open for over a week....$400 gas bill we are <strong>so</strong> not going to be paying...).<br /><br />Holy shit.<br /><br />I think the next time I have a problem...with anybody....I'm going to allow her to handle it, because Oh My God did she get results.<br /><br />Red isn't one of those women that stops making sense and goes into hysterics when she's angry. Instead, she develops this laser-like precision and zeroes in on her target's weakest point - in this case, it was an obviously upset mother with a crying baby asking why the property manager seems to never have any idea what's going on with the repairs, plopping down over $500 in utility bills, and mentioning all of the other goodness I may have mentioned over the last couple of months about this.<br /><br />Oh yeah.<br /><br />We went back after I was off work...mind you, four hours earlier, <em>nothing whatsoever had been done</em>. Carpet, wall to wall, was done for the entire upper floor. While we were there, the property manager called me to reassure me for the eight hundredth time that he was looking into things, and I decided to drop Kate's suggestion on him. I haven't actually spoken to an attorney, as of yet, but he of course didn't know that...I simply told him that I'd spoken to a friend of mine who is an attorney (yes, Kate, I know you're retired, but that wasn't significant in this context) and she had suggested speaking to somebody local about <em>constructive disposession</em>. Having taken Kate's suggestion and Googled it already, I had a pretty good idea what the term meant. I think it got his attention though.<br /><br />The following day (this would be Thursday), the property manager called Red again. The owner was evidently coming down. Countertops would be installed. Appliances would be delivered. Things would be done, and by God he was going to make sure that they did. Red went by the house....you'd think she'd stuck a stick into an anthill the way these guys were scuttling around. The tile guy didn't actually get there for the countertops till that afternoon, having had to come from the coast very late the night before, but he got quite a bit done nonetheless.<br /><br />We went by late yesterday. The countertops are finished aside from some edging - they're this really dark greenish-black marble, 8x8 tiles laid edge to edge and almost seamless. Edging around the windows has been replaced. The storm damage to the big tree outside has been cleared. The vents on the stairs and the railing for the stairs have been put back. Lights have been installed. The dedicated electrical line for the sauna is in place. The trash has been removed from the kitchen. The appliances have arrived and are sitting ready to be installed on Monday morning. Plumbing for the washer and the vent and electrical for the dryer are done.<br /><br />Red got no less than three calls from the property manager yesterday assuring her that he'd been checking with the contractor and giving her updates. I think she scared him.WGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00966911193249054169noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8949147531157746103.post-28179593674195595482009-01-11T20:05:00.001-08:002009-01-11T20:05:59.267-08:00Not quite random requestIf I ever get the urge to offer "help" to a tweaker again, somebody kick me.<br /><br />Please?WGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00966911193249054169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8949147531157746103.post-70842551711317314552009-01-03T19:40:00.001-08:002009-01-03T19:42:45.432-08:00OverheardMe: ...How about a mouse like this one, except bright green?<br /><br />Little Red: Um, no?<br /><br />Me: Why not?<br /><br />Little Red: Because I don't need one?<br /><br />Me: Why?<br /><br />Little Red: Because I don't have a home?<br /><br />Me: Why?<br /><br />Little Red: Because you suck?<br /><br />Me: Why?<br /><br />Little Red: I don't frickin' know, ask your gay partner.<br /><br />Red: *paralyzed with laughter* Look, he's blushing!<br /><br />Me: I'm totally blogging this, you two.WGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00966911193249054169noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8949147531157746103.post-87274333069659488832008-12-31T18:36:00.000-08:002008-12-31T18:44:27.871-08:00A house is a house....<a href="http://acleversheep.blogspot.com/2008/11/well-that-was-fun.html">A while back</a>, I posted something about the house fire, and I haven't mentioned much else about it. Today I got the Definitive Word From The Property Owner saying that everything should be done on or by the 12th. Of January.<br /><br />The damage to the home was really minor - one interior wall had to be rebuilt, and the plumbing & electrical had to be redone. The owner, though, chose for his own reasons to redo the kitchen entirely - walls stripped, cabinets ripped out, even the very sheetrock torn off of ceiling and walls. All of it. Fine, I guess, it's his house after all, and not mine, but <strong>come on, </strong>my family's been homeless now for two months!<br /><br />Anyway, I've heard this "we'll be done really soon" line before, so I asked him, "Say, um, we're really tired of being homeless. How about we get a propane stove to cook on for the next week, and you guys just finish around us?" He hemmed and hawed a bit, then said he'd check with the subcontractors about it, saying something about liability and having kids, etc. The thing is, that arguement really doesn't pass the sniff test - how else do people have work done in their homes that they're living in, if not having the contract guys literally do the work around them? The kids will be gone while they're working (school, obviously), and I'll be at work. Red and the Little Pirate can be elsewhere, so what's the deal?<br /><br />Red's theory is that they just don't want anybody watching to make sure they're not doing a half-assed job, and I'm beginning to think she's right.WGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00966911193249054169noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8949147531157746103.post-11764930816751953942008-12-29T20:03:00.000-08:002008-12-29T20:05:20.153-08:00Totally NSFWI've seen links from a number of other people on this one....and I'm forced to agree. <a href="http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/12/11/quite-simply-the-best-commercial-ever-made/">This</a> is definitely the best commercial <strong>EVER</strong>.<br /><br />Not safe for work. Not even a little.<br /><br />Filed under "art" because....damn.WGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00966911193249054169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8949147531157746103.post-14319680856415943032008-12-29T18:30:00.001-08:002008-12-29T18:32:48.289-08:00As ice storms go...<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_lUBiI-qSe1Y/SVmIGk0wMbI/AAAAAAAAAJk/GwPkZ7X-ZGM/s1600-h/snow-apples-08.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285405284241519026" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_lUBiI-qSe1Y/SVmIGk0wMbI/AAAAAAAAAJk/GwPkZ7X-ZGM/s320/snow-apples-08.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_lUBiI-qSe1Y/SVmICTIyTAI/AAAAAAAAAJc/vDqjxVnVMPk/s1600-h/Icy-branches-02.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285405210774227970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_lUBiI-qSe1Y/SVmICTIyTAI/AAAAAAAAAJc/vDqjxVnVMPk/s320/Icy-branches-02.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lUBiI-qSe1Y/SVmH8H-R4pI/AAAAAAAAAJU/HqR8h4w3XOQ/s1600-h/Icy-branches-01.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285405104698155666" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lUBiI-qSe1Y/SVmH8H-R4pI/AAAAAAAAAJU/HqR8h4w3XOQ/s320/Icy-branches-01.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />This one was really something,<br /><div></div></div></div>WGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00966911193249054169noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8949147531157746103.post-88015183938411254352008-12-19T18:01:00.001-08:002008-12-19T18:14:31.503-08:00Being snowed in...well, at least for OregonOregon's a little strange, at least the Willamette Valley is. Other places get snow a foot deep, and it barely fazes them (at least, as long as the snowplow guys don't <a href="http://queenofsnark.com/gene-pool-rejects/no-wonder-youre-blue-collar/">pile 12' of snow in Kate's yard</a>, anyway). Salem gets a couple of inches, and people have to stay home. I reconcile it by observing that the people that aren't fazed by snow have never seen Oregonians driving in the rain.<br /><br />Here's Red, Thing 1, and the Little Pirate headed out for a stroll earlier this afternoon. As I couldn't drive anywhere, I went along with the gang for the photo op.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_lUBiI-qSe1Y/SUxTxWonz0I/AAAAAAAAAJA/N8l0NY-wo0w/s1600-h/Alan-goes-for-a-stroll.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281688570353405762" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_lUBiI-qSe1Y/SUxTxWonz0I/AAAAAAAAAJA/N8l0NY-wo0w/s320/Alan-goes-for-a-stroll.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />One of the area middle schools has a hill that is simply awesome for kid-sledding. Red swiped some kid's sled, plunked the little guy on it, and took him for a ride. I think he looks bored....although he was pretty stoked when he got to the bottom and realized that it was <strong>fun</strong>.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lUBiI-qSe1Y/SUxS-hIsrNI/AAAAAAAAAI4/29kuexc6qFY/s1600-h/Alan-and-Mommy-sledding.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281687696998968530" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 259px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lUBiI-qSe1Y/SUxS-hIsrNI/AAAAAAAAAI4/29kuexc6qFY/s320/Alan-and-Mommy-sledding.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div>WGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00966911193249054169noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8949147531157746103.post-3335988953150733472008-12-18T21:28:00.000-08:002008-12-18T21:38:24.091-08:00Dinosaur's First Snow<div align="center"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_lUBiI-qSe1Y/SUszGg23tgI/AAAAAAAAAIw/rU8up8iTtr8/s1600-h/Snow,-you-say.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281371175014348290" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 225px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_lUBiI-qSe1Y/SUszGg23tgI/AAAAAAAAAIw/rU8up8iTtr8/s320/Snow,-you-say.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-size:130%;">Snow, you say?</span></div><div align="center"><br /><div align="center"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lUBiI-qSe1Y/SUsy5Gvz7TI/AAAAAAAAAIo/t6sH-3zXFcg/s1600-h/Dinosaurs-first-snow.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281370944667118898" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lUBiI-qSe1Y/SUsy5Gvz7TI/AAAAAAAAAIo/t6sH-3zXFcg/s320/Dinosaurs-first-snow.jpg" border="0" /></a> <strong>RAWR!!!!!!!</strong></div></div>WGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00966911193249054169noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8949147531157746103.post-51163983759545806102008-12-15T23:15:00.000-08:002008-12-15T23:17:15.486-08:00Entertainment....thatta wayGo <a href="http://fuckyoupenguin.blogspot.com/">here</a> and visit. You'll be glad you did, and you'll never look at cute animals the same way again.<br /><br />(h/t <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.rachellucas.com">Rachel</a> )WGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00966911193249054169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8949147531157746103.post-65539391173510950882008-11-27T22:04:00.000-08:002008-11-27T22:07:22.955-08:00Epic winToday, I got to have Thanksgiving dinner and do very little of the actual work.<br /><br />I got to watch my scantily clad vixen Red (her words, people, not mine) parading around the kitchen making a pumpkin pie from scratch.<br /><br />All in all, a good day with much to be thankful for.WGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00966911193249054169noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8949147531157746103.post-67174494020540237412008-11-25T19:03:00.001-08:002008-11-25T19:05:14.353-08:00Coolest iPhone app I've yet seen.Koi Pond on your phone? Cool.<br />Virtual beer? Cooler yet.<br />Amazing portability and ability to do all of those cool-shit-factor things that we want our toys to do? Very, Very cool<br /><br />I haven't yet seen anything, though, that made me go "wow" the way <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=5471+Alesia+Ct+Se,+Salem+97306&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=38.638819,93.164063&ie=UTF8&ll=44.876978,-123.055694&spn=0.008454,0.022745&z=16&g=5471+Alesia+Ct+Se,+Salem+97306">this one did</a>. That's just awesome.WGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00966911193249054169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8949147531157746103.post-16142435324895030422008-11-19T16:45:00.000-08:002008-11-19T16:50:23.301-08:00If I had a Roomba, I think my cats would do this.<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQ-jv8g1YVI">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQ-jv8g1YVI</a>WGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00966911193249054169noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8949147531157746103.post-30949240099551231132008-11-11T20:33:00.001-08:002008-11-11T20:37:16.519-08:00Change in commenting policyI've decided to have some fun with the trolls that have been making an appearance here lately. Commenting is still open, but I may go to some level of moderation to make it happen.<br /><br />That is all.WGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00966911193249054169noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8949147531157746103.post-49596516459424741622008-11-10T22:25:00.000-08:002008-11-10T22:28:39.096-08:00Gratuitous baby photos, November edition<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lUBiI-qSe1Y/SRklyd-A4lI/AAAAAAAAAIg/rxWkGhkMeXw/s1600-h/Alan-in-the-sun02.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267282788154925650" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lUBiI-qSe1Y/SRklyd-A4lI/AAAAAAAAAIg/rxWkGhkMeXw/s320/Alan-in-the-sun02.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_lUBiI-qSe1Y/SRklt3081YI/AAAAAAAAAIY/rgJmBbx3jiU/s1600-h/Alan-in-the-sun01.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267282709196887426" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_lUBiI-qSe1Y/SRklt3081YI/AAAAAAAAAIY/rgJmBbx3jiU/s320/Alan-in-the-sun01.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />I shot both of these yesterday morning. He was sitting on Red's lap right between two picture windows, the light was great, and he was having a great time giggling. I actually had a hard time getting a decent shot of him because he wouldn't quit moving around. :)<br /><div></div></div>WGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00966911193249054169noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8949147531157746103.post-82601539114110664862008-11-04T19:48:00.000-08:002008-11-04T19:57:55.032-08:00Well, that was fun.No, not the election.<br /><br />My family and I are all just fine, and all of our material posessions are fine, if somewhat the worse for wear. About 1PM today, Red called me frantically, and all I could get out of what she said, past the baby screaming and her sobbing, was that the house was on fire.<br /><br />We are very, very fortunate. The fire started due to a short between the 220v outlet for the dryer and the dryer vent. I think, and the fire marshal agreed with me, that the dryer vent had not had a good seal behind it, and had blown lint up into the wall daily for several years, and that was what actually provided the fuel side of the fire triangle. From there, it went up.<br /><br />The fire guys got there and got the walls pulled apart in time to prevent the fire from actually penetrating the attic. The stud cap at the top of the wall slowed the spread of things just long enough that they were able to get there in time. It's quite a mess, though - the microwave integrated into the wall was pulled out a tad too fast, and came down on top of the convection oven - both appliances are now casualties of Election Day 2008.<br /><br />As far as smoke and water damage go - very little of both, except to the kitchen ceiling and back wall behind the stove/oven. Unfortunately, the house isn't habitable, in spite of the fact that the roof is intact, as the wall that contained the fire also housed most of the house's electrical junctions, the air conditioning conduits from the forced air, and the hot water pipes from the water heater. The property manager assures me that they'll get the insurance adjusters out there tomorrow with some luck, and he'll try to pressure them into moving quickly on repairs. It looks to me as though at most 4-5 days of repairs are ahead of us, if all goes well.<br /><br />I'll post updates as I can - we're at my parents' place at the moment, and their network is working. Remind me later to tell all of you about how the move went last Friday. :-sWGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00966911193249054169noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8949147531157746103.post-14255842159288604592008-10-22T21:08:00.000-07:002008-10-22T21:09:30.963-07:00And the vote is in!Oregon ballots have arrived, and mine goes out in the mail tomorrow. Probably no suprise, given the banner thingy over yonder on the right, but yes, I voted McCain/Palin. :)WGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00966911193249054169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8949147531157746103.post-64450113915638239582008-10-22T19:44:00.000-07:002008-10-22T19:45:49.375-07:00This should have been done long ago......but since it wasn't, I think <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27314032/">this story </a>is Very Cool Indeed.<br /><br />Man's Best Friend just got an upgrade in being a Best Friend. I wonder if this qualifies as making them Man's BFF?WGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00966911193249054169noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8949147531157746103.post-83869305748851355752008-10-21T07:53:00.000-07:002008-10-21T08:00:15.033-07:00Huh? *scratches head*The employer I work for has an internal messaging system, much like a very dumbed-down version of any free IM program. It does the job....mostly.<br /><br />One of the drawbacks of having an agency-wide IM program, though, is that while it's cool to message, well, anyone, it also means you can <strong>be</strong> messaged by anyone. Such was the case yesterday.<br /><br />Receptionist from my last office: WG, there's a client here to see you.<br />WG: I'm sorry to hear that.<br />RFMLO: can u take a call please?<br />WG: I suppose.<br />RFMLO: what extension are you at now? my phone list is old.<br />WG: Well, I quit working in that building about five months ago. I'm on the other side of town now, did you explain this to whoever it is?<br />RFMLO: her ssn is xxx-xx-xxxx<br />RFMLO: her name is ___________<br />RFMLO: can i have her call u<br />WG: You should perhaps have her call her worker. She was never my client even when I did work there.<br />RFMLO: ok i have her call u from lobby<br />.....................long pause............................<br />RFMLO: hello r u still there?<br />WG: Yep.<br />RFMLO: she says she is getting somebody else's voicemail.<br />WG: That'd be because it is somebody else's voicemail.<br />RFMLO: ok thank you.WGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00966911193249054169noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8949147531157746103.post-54784924404223567942008-10-15T20:16:00.000-07:002008-10-15T21:03:38.888-07:00Of TrollsEarlier today, I frequented <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.electricvenom.com">Kate's main blog</a>, as I try to do daily. She doesn't get trolls very often; usually when she does, they're following the link from one of her Pajamas Media posts, or some other mention of Obama.<br /><br />Anyway, on <a href="http://www.electricvenom.com/asides/whats-obama-hiding/">this post</a>, the first two comments were both from trolls, although they seemed to be of different varieties, and it got me to thinking. How many kinds of trolls <em>are</em> there? Just like that, as Stephen King says, my Muse shat upon my head, and I had the makings of the sort of deep, insightful witticism that keeps all six of you coming back for more. You know who you are. Here are the major species of Troll - if you know of a subspecies, or you're angry because you're a troll that didn't get mentioned, by all means leave me a comment and contribute.<br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-size:180%;">A Troll Primer:</span></div><br /><strong>CAPS LOCK TROLLS</strong><br />Caps Lock Trolls are a main species of troll one finds frequenting blogs, distinguished primarily by their inability to find the Caps Lock key. They are usually fairly incoherent, and one of the best takedowns I've ever read of this sort of idiot is located <a href="http://maddox.xmission.com/hatemail.cgi?p=1#CAPSLOCK">here.</a><br /><br /><strong>Elitist Trolls</strong><br />These guys are pretty easy to spot. Nearly every arguement they use to try to enlighten you is preceeded by some kind of disclaimer about their own qualifications, and it's often, if not usually, followed by a point they're making after having read a 3-column article in Newsweek, Time, or People magazine in the bathroom and done very little, if any, actual research. They usually have little actual understanding of, well, anything, beyond their own shallow worldview. Arguing with one is fun...and by fun I mean of the yank-his-chain-again-and-see-if-he'll-do-that-again variety. Classic example? Michael Moore.<br /><br /><strong>Pompous Windbag Trolls</strong><br />PWT's are a little more difficult to deal with, largely because they <em>drone</em>. Speaking to one is impossible, because they never actually stop talking; discussions aren't discussions at all, they're an attempt to bludgeon you into a whimpering, bleeding, quivering ball with mind-numbing boredom. Trolls of this variety actually do often know what they're talking about, but rather than actually make a point, one flows into the next seamlessly, preventing any actual dialogue from taking place. The best (and often, only) successful tactic is to put a mirror up and allow them to talk into it, and exit the room quietly. Usually, the troll will not notice.<br /><br /><strong>Clever Troll</strong><br />Clever Trolls are often, if not always, impressed first and foremost with their own cleverness, and they nearly always want to tell you about it. (I will confess, this is the side of troll-dom that I am closest to, when I do indulge my trollish instincts.) Clever Trolls usually have a good arguement to make, but tend to trip themselves up by being a bit <em>too</em> clever. An excellent example of this sort of troll is Al Franken, whose very cleverness during his SNL years is making his run for office in Minnesota this year somewhat difficult. Saying clever, but insulting and degrading, things about minorities may make people laugh, but it can come back and bite you in the ass....trolls of this stripe are also deprecatingly referred to as "fucking jerks".<br /><br /><strong>Insane Troll</strong><br />We've all seen them, or encountered them either online or in person. These guys are the waaaaaaaaaaaay out there bunch, that occasionally wander back into the warm light of civilization. I personally think they exist for no other reason than to make the rest of us feel better about ourselves. Here's a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_c6HsiixFS8">classic example</a>.<br /><br /><strong>Clueless Troll</strong><br />These poor, poor trolls are the saddest ones of the lot, because they don't really <em>mean</em> to be trolls. They can't really help it. Clueless Trolls are the lemmings of the troll world, following whatever suicidal herd instinct they hear that impels them to hurl themselves with little but enthusiasm into the cause of the moment. They form instant assessments of complex problems, rarely, if ever, have any idea what they're talking about, but are great for spreading memes of one sort or another. Whatever it is, they're excited about it.<br /><br /><strong>Evil Trolls</strong><br />By way of comparison, trolls of this variety are not enthusiastic about anything. They're bitter, angry, want to simply drag everyone around them down into their own funk. According to one of the candidates running for a political office this year, they're usually religious gun owners living in rural America. I disagree - Evil Trolls are found everywhere, and the root of their evilness is disillusionment. Evil Trolls are one of the usual ends for Clueless Trolls who have lost their mojo - sort of like a caterpillar into a butterfly, but backwards and uglier.WGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00966911193249054169noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8949147531157746103.post-90190380328840286532008-10-14T22:13:00.000-07:002008-10-14T22:14:28.639-07:00My best friend and I, in a nutshell.<a href="http://www.leasticoulddo.com/comic/20081013">I'm the one with the Blackberry.</a>WGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00966911193249054169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8949147531157746103.post-50951608182283497702008-09-30T19:14:00.000-07:002008-09-30T19:16:58.923-07:00Badass Of The WeekWith a headline like " <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26956958/?gt1=43001">Man jumps in, punches shark, gets his dog back </a>"....how can you <em>not</em> admire that....? Wow.WGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00966911193249054169noreply@blogger.com2