July 31, 2003
In a rush... Don't know
In a rush... Don't know if the lightning will kill the power or not? A little while ago it was pretty. Now, a nasty storm has rolled over us. Have before and after pics...
w.bloggar
This w.bloggar looks like a nifty tool. Post to you blog from a Windows application. No more logging into the web site, adding your own HTML coding, and stuff.
Plus it does spell checking. Who does not need that?
July 26, 2003
More photos
Last night @ A's
This morning as my Uncle and cousins are preparing to leave.
Annoying Mom's cats:
July 25, 2003
WebLog Expert
Have some quick and dirty web site stats from Weblog Expert. Will have to make sure to routinely download my web server log data routinely to my local drive so that I can re-run these and see how things improve or not.
Spent the evening with A and J last night. A's friend C is going to be by today. Will have to be in attendance as S might make an appearance. C + S = fireworks. Better than any afternoon or evening soap operas, let me tell ya. :)
July 24, 2003
Library Fire
"'I kind of wandered in there to see what was going on, and I saw this bookcase just go up in flames. It lit up,' Gallagher said." UGA fire damages library collection (Atlanta Journal Constitution).
The last place I'd want to be is in a library during a fire. Seems to be that every time I saw someone try to make a fire they used paper to kindle it. A building full of paper would be about the opposite of fire-retardent.
Knowing that so many books were damaged makes me sad. Apparently some of the Government Documents were stored on the second floor where smoke was exiting the building. UGA is one of the few institutions in Georgia that receives all of the GovDocs published by the U.S. Federal Government.
I used work in Government Documents in the local university's library. The U.S. Federal Government produces millions of pages of information a year. If you have interests in just about anything, then they probably have informaiton about that topic.
I really like politics, history, and science. So knowing GovDocs inside and out was a very useful experience.
July 21, 2003
Flooded
Tons of email filled up my Inbox while I was gone. Unresolved issues are coming to a head. They will be resolved cause I am tired of having them weigh me down. Maybe I need to put down some of the items I am juggling?
July 19, 2003
No Sunburn
Back from my vacation. Hit Mexico Beach, FL on Saturday afternoon and stayed with Mom, G-Ma, and bro there for a week. Had a great time. Loved being down there with the beautful white sand, the clear water, the afternoon storms, and the other scenery. :)
Spent lots of time chillin out on the couch, some time walking on the beach, and just enjoying the scenery. Maybe it should have been a 2 week vacation?
Anyway, there are pics, of course. These are the better ones or the 93 MB worth I took. Glad I got the 128 MB card instead of the 64,
Naw... have lots to catch up on over the next few weeks. Ought to be a busy week.
July 12, 2003
Gallstones
I'm no doctor, but it really sounds like I've got gallstones. The only thing with this description is the pain I have sounds a little too high.
July 11, 2003
Change
Friend of mine lives in a great house. Decent size kitchen, dining room, living room, 2 dens, mini-foyer, 4 bedrooms, and 2 bathrooms. The lot was overgrown with foliage. So much so that one really could not see the house from the street. BONUS!
This house sits on a street with which I am very, very familiar. Used to go to church and school about 2 blocks away. When I walked home from school in high school I walked down that road. It seems that every time I made my mom so angry she made me walk home I ended up walking down this read.
When my friend was about to move in, he asked me to move into the house. He had 3 of the 4 bedrooms accounted. Every time it appears that a roommate has moved or will move, he asks me about moving into this place. Actually, he has been trying to get me to move in with him every time there is an opportunity.
This house is really tempting. After all, I saw a for sale sign on it well before the real estate company bought the house and rented to my friend and his roommates. Before that house went up for sale, I had not even considered buying a house. When it did, I had these unceasing thoughts of what it would be like to own a house. I never even saw the inside until after they rented it. Love the house even better now.
Tres etrange... C'est vrai.
July 09, 2003
The Power of Song Lyrics
One difficulty I have with Psychology, is that "truths" found in the research mean that I should really be a bad person. For instance, violent song lyrics promote violent thinking. The inference is "and violent behavior".
Let's take a look at my favorite songs...
- Black by Pearl Jam
- Yellow Ledbetter by Pearl Jam
- In the End by Linkin Park
- Makes Me Wanna Die by Tricky
- Comedown by Bush
Can't say there is a happy song in there. Listening to this music should make me feel depressed, I think. They are not violent songs, but nor are they happy go lucky.
Actually reading the lyrics is pretty enlightening as I doubt I could give much more than a general impression of the song. I've never been a lyricie, poetic person. I just pay attention to the music and not the words.
July 08, 2003
D&D
I am going to have to buy this book...
... after reading this article.
July 07, 2003
Lake In The MIddle Of Nowhere
The road to Tally has a bridge that looks like it goes over a river. Actually, I just found it on MapQuest. It really is a lake. A fairly big one at that with no sign naming it.
On this last trip, I stopped to get pics of it.
Got Beer?
Back up at CJ's Sat night (3rd night in a row) to play pool. Was playing much better. Almost as though I'd had some practice or something.
Anyway, out of the blue, these 2 really cute blondes walk up to our table. My first thought was they must know the guy I am shooting against. He's a yunggin and these 2 can't be mid-20s. They both are looking at him anyway. When he does not acknowledge them fast enough while in the middle of his shot, they turn their attention to me.
At first, they were pretty chatty over basics... how we were doing, our names, where from. J remarked were going to some other bar later. I've never been there and never heard anything astoundingly must see about it... so, good for them, right? K wanted to know what our plans were after we left CJ's. We really were not sure, but Eks' roomate turned 21 that night so we probably were going to end up at Loozie's. K expressed her opinion that we should take him this other bar instead. Okay, I am very suspicious of this. Why would someone be so insistant on a specifc place?
Finally, J wanted to know what were drinking. I told her, "Just a sweet tea. I don't drink alcohol." They both looked pretty depressed about that. Just then, Eks returned and distracted me for just a second. I was about to introduce him, but found the 2 girls had disappeared.
Oh, well.
Later, I saw them with some military types who were drinking beer. Good for them.
July 05, 2003
Why All the Tall Women?
This has been a hella busy weekend. Tired. Maybe I'll go take a nap?
Thursday, proved to be a mad house over near our mall. The fireworks were shot off near there. My personal opinion is that people go elsewhere for their real 4th of July fireworks. Why stay here to watch these when with a 4 hour drive you can hit any of 10 major metropolitan cities that have great dollar fireworks displays.
Eks and I hit CJ's to play some pool (have a picture of the outside from this afternoon below). He beat me at every game except the last one. Dropped 3 balls including the 8 during my last turn.
We then hit Loozie's. It was not as crowded as I expected. Got to talk over loud music with a brother and sister Eks knew. The sister seemed nice enough. She went over to the bar to get another drink... I realize she had been slouching before. She was really tall. Maybe even taller than I am? Asked her when she got back. She's only 6'3". With heels should would be taller. Ouch. Was disappointed that she did not show back up before we left. Rather enjoyed her company. :(
Some more friends of Eks' showed. We walked down to another place that had a band. They were playing typical Southern Country bar songs... the same ones you hear over and over and over in the bars around here. Ran into my "cousin". Her dad's always been "Uncle W". So much so that when my Aunt J2 married a guy with the same first name, it wias hard to call him "Uncle W." as well. I have always been rather fond of B. She has always been very sweet to me and fun to be be around.
Finally, we ended up at Mikki's after going back to CJ's to pick up more of a crowd. We played some Cricket. My accuracy was horrid. It took us over 15 rounds to close out a game. The last game, in the last round, my opponent was up in points (a bad thing). All he had to do was hit 3 bullseyesto win. I also had to hit the 3 bulls. Closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Opened them, sighted, and threw. Bull!. Kewl. Just 2 more. Again, my eyes were closed and took a deep breath, opened, sighted and threw. Another bull! Whoah! Just one more to win! Closed my eyes and took several deep breaths. Calm down, dammit! Sighted and threw! Hat trick, bay-bee!
Have only hit a hat trick maybe 3 or 4 other times ever. I did hit a bull and a tripple 18 once to win a game of 301.
I've been throwing darts off and on since I was 12. More off than on. The only stretch of time where I threw more than 10 hours worth in a motnh was about 4 years ago when I was brought in for a season to play in the league. We did pretty good, I thought.
Friday, or last night, Eks and I watched Adaptation. Great movie! Cage and Cage are just awesome. The layers of layers of allusion and complexity really make it so kewl. It makes fun of itself. Might even have to read "The Wild Orchid".
We ended up at CJ's again for even more pool. Just was not into it, I guess. Could not drop anything. No, I made the shots about which I gave up making. The stuff I did just because I wanted to see what might happen were the only ones on which I dropped the ball.
Threw some more darts. This time with a guy that could challenge my dad. No way to win except step up to the next leve. Guess I couldn't. Well, in the last game I did bring myself within the possiblity of winning if I made the 3 bulls + 3 more to win on points..
Here are some pics of various things including clouds, Grace (the cat), Max (the dog), and CJ's (the place we play pool).
July 01, 2003
Mr. Personality
Myers-Briggs and the Keirsey simplification of MBPT is fairly well know personality test. Chances are you have taken such a test at some point. The results fall into 4 factors.
Introvert vs. Extrovert
iNtuitive vs. Sensor
Feeler vs. Thinker
Perceiver vs. Judger
Results are combinations. For instance, I generally test out as an INFP (or Introvert, iNtuitive, Feeler, Perceiver).
I have known about this stuff for years. Took my first test about 14 years ago. Used it in several experiments and reviews in college.
An aspect of my own personality just leaped up at me from this page.
INFPs are very aware of their own space, and the space of others. They value their personal space, and the freedom to do their own thing.
Maintaining mine and others personal space is something over which I have struggled for quite a long time. Others entering my "sanctuary" troubles me unless they were invited. Rarely are others so invited. Ironically, many people have partial insights into who I am. This results in people who think they have me "pegged" getting a surprise when talking about me with others.
Preservation of personal space also applies to emotional space. When someone is upset about something, I offer a shoulder on which to cry. However, I let this person go as far as they wish to go without really probing. I ask questions, but not really for myself. I just find that having to explain something to someone else is the best route to understanding yourself.
In general, I expect the same in return. My walls are there for a purpose. Sure, there probably cracks. However, thet are not meant to be broken down.
Reality T.V.
Back in the day, I watched the Real World on MTV. Was under no illusions the cast members were picked to cause strife and entertainment. I found it entertaining while I was watching. That was San Francisco, Miami, and Seattle. Did catch Hawaii in spurts while hanging out with a friend that hated that MTV got away from the music schtick.
Of the more current shows, I really have not been into the "Find A Mate" shows until recently. The Bachelor never really got me. This For Love Or Money did get me. See, I never believed that the females on the bachlor really cared about the guy. In FLOM, the women believe they are going to get a million should he choose her. Late in the game, Rob gets told by the host about the money and about things that the girls do not know yet. It tries to be deceitful and manipulative while portraying the cast members that way.
The longer this shows goes on, the more and more it feels "crafted". For instance, I think that they spend more time on the people who are going to advance. I think I picked up on subtle cues that Erin and Paige would make it to the end. There were definite cues that Rob would be brought into the loop about the money.
The most fun I have with the show is coming up with "improvements". How would I make a version of the show that is even more evil than FLOM.