It's just an ordinary day - Friends

The bout of insane creativity continues - that's 5 sets of lyrics in 10 days. (See previous LJ entries if you don't believe me)

Part of it is definitely down to having the Moleskine, and carrying it with me everywhere - being able to scribble down ideas, snippets whenever I can is really helping. I'm also sure that the quality of said little notebook helps - it's nice having something that looks and feels good to work in. And telynor is dead right about a fountain pen too. :) Having picked up a black Lamy Safari at Rymans yesterday, I've discovered two things:

• it makes me write slower and neater, because
• writing becomes a joy, above and beyond just a means of getting words down on paper. I find myself writing things down more!
  

I haven't owned a fountain pen since senior school (barring a few calligraphy pens at university), and I'd forgotten how tactile and pleasant the act of laying ink down on paper with a nib is compared to using a biro or even a gel or fibre tip.

10 INPUT "Number of hours you've been sleeping:", H
30 IF H = < 3 THEN NEXT ,
20 ? "Hello world." ,
30 GRUMPH ,
40 ? ":(" ,
50 END

There were a couple of hours of debate on FISA this afternoon. The vote is, reportedly, going to happen around 8am Pacitic time tomorrow. You can see some liveblogging of today's debates at Emptywheel. It was mostly Dodd, with also Arlen Specter talking a good game again, just as with the military tribunals law, before he votes for the evil he's condemning anyway.

It never rains but it pours. Earlier this evening I went over to pick up a disused 2-cubic-foot electric kiln, which I will most likely convert to gas so I can fire more than just a teacup or two and a few glaze tests. (I think I have now been given at least half a dozen kilns, three of which are currently in use.)

By the time I left I had the kiln (which is on a rolling stand), its lid, two shelves, a bunch of shelf-posts, some grog to donate to one of the local studios, and...

...another Dob. This one is an Orion 8" Newtonian, which came with an Orion 17-mm eyepiece. There is a remote chance of more eyepieces, but the former owner is moving; if there are others they are probably packed somewhere, and may not materialize for some time.

This scope is nowhere near as badly beaten up as the Celestron, but the mirrors were grossly out of alignment, and the objective mirror was expectably filthy. (No protective cap on the tube, several years in a dusty basement room...) I spent a pleasant 30 minutes or so cleaning and then aligning it; this goes much faster the second time ’round. There is some damage to the coating on the main mirror, but overall it cleaned up fairly well. The diagonal was not as dirty, but was much too close to the primary, and I had to back it out quite a bit to get it centered in the view through the eyepiece holder.

Once I got all of this resolved, I dragged it outside.

To my surprise, the view of Jupiter is at least as good through this scope as it is through the larger one, save for the fact that the mount on this one is much more wobbly. The splendor may have to do with the slightly higher magnification I’m getting with the 17-mm eyepiece; I am not pushing either scope to its limits, so I am probably working in a realm in which more magnification gives me more detail. (There is also the possibility that I should take another shot at aligning the Celestron, to see whether I can improve on what I did the other day.)

I tried to take a photo, but the wobbliness is so bad that I was completely unable to do so. I got a few large blurry blobs, one or two of which may even show a hint of a moon as a much smaller blurry blob. Sigh. I am now thinking about ways to stabilize the device...

Cheers —
jon

There's something pretty neat about getting some 8x10 prints done from a baseball game I've worked and seeing how good it looks compared to the usual stuff you can find for sale from the pros.

Where is it written, exactly, that the first minute+ of any dance remix must be nothing but drumbeats over and over and over before the song gets to anything interesting? Memo to producers everywhere: this is where I use my fast forward button, lest I go completely bonkers. Aaaaagh.

The song I'm listening to is awfully good, but suddenly I wish I'd bought the radio edit. :)

(Also, randomly, this icon reminds me: ( DW spoiler. ))




eta: Yep. The radio edit's better.

&lt;a href="http://ads.addynamix.com/click/2-2125147-2"&gt;&lt;img src="http://ads.addynamix.com/creative/2-2125147-2" border=0&gt;&lt;/a&gt; It's the North Devon winters that drive us all to sea
To the cold banks searching for the shoals
I am a week away from harbour and the nets are drifting free
Still empty and there's nothing in our hold
So we turn to the north for the last time
It's one more haul and then we'll head for home
Four hours up on deck then four hours down below
Thinking of you waking all alone

Seven days and seven hours have passed
Since we said goodbye
Beside the old sea wall
And every sunrise, every sunset
I dream of you
Over the orange ocean
And I pray
And as I wait I remember
Your gentle touch and your face
And I miss you
And I love you

Where are you love are you out there in the night?
Think of me the wiating fire still burns
Where are you love it's the early morning light
That wakes me oh when will you return?

I am deep in the heart of a storm rolling sea
A hundred miles from safety on the shore
But lost in your arms that's where I should be
Rescue me and I'll sail no more

Where are you love are you out there in the night?
Think of me the wiating fire still burns
Where are you love it's the early morning light
That takes me
On a rising tide
And breaks me
By the waterside
Then wakes me
As the waves collide
When will you return

-Show of Hands

i've been horribly unmotivated. today i uploaded my vacation pix (took some figuring out of software but i'm sorta good at that) which still need to be fixed up/sorted (anyone know of osx freeware that's nice for that? i seem to have lost graphics converter with my last hard disk death). i scheduled and rescheduled a variety of stuff i have to do. i need to figure out whether i want to earn an mhc or an msw, if i can't find a science job and decide to return to school. i keep turning away signs of it work, which may or may not be wise. and the dog is in my lap.

i think i need a sketchbook in my room and to work on drawing if all else fails.

anyway then eventually went to the ponies. we groomed our own, but i rode ljufur and elf my elf rode stjarni. ljufur was quite good for me, with walk on, halt, turns and serpentines, and tolting -- he tends to be pacy but can do four beats if encouraged. the first time i asked for trot i got canter, which was not so bad; the second time it took a bit but eventually he stretched his neck way down and i got a few nice trotty strides. good pony! then i got on stjarni, who was clearly peevish (either he didn't like seeing me on ljufur or he didn't like the way the elf rode?) but eventually we got one nice clean tolt around the ring, and seeing how the barn had closed half an hour earlier, then we went home.

and now i can't find my 2007 bank statements, which i need for my (re-)meeting with my tax accountant in the morning, since i put them "somewhere" after the original meeting in february. i totally hate myself sometimes :( i am such a mess!

My car's air conditioner gave up the ghost many years ago. Which means that on warm and hot days, I drive around town with the windows down.

Normally, I am only as cranky about this as you might assume.

Today, however, I was worried that NPR might have caused people in other cars to think I was insane. As I was leaving work (where I get paid hourly, 2.5 hours after they had stopped paying me, but at least 3 hours away from having finished all the work that they miraculously expect me to magically do), I was listening to NPR, which told me that someone has written a parody of the children's classic Goodnight, Moon.

The parody is called Goodnight, Bush. I only heard a few lines; I missed the story itself. But you can take a peek at the first few pages if you'd like.

What I heard made me laugh so hard that I positively cackled and banged my hand on the stick shift. It was that funny. NPR helpfully has a link to their piece on it, in case you missed it and want to listen too.

Sadly, I didn't realize it was an actual published book ( see above comment about hearing the teaser but missing the story). If I had, I would have picked up a copy. I was on my way to the bookstore of pick up my opening day copy of Naomi Novik's A Victory of Eagles.

Despite all my online time, I like the ritual of tromping off to a bookstore the first day of a book's release and picking my own copy off the shelf.

I went to my local B&N and checked the "new releases" shelves, and didn't see it there. Then I checked the "Sci Fi and Fantasy" section, and didn't see it there.

Then I went to the info desk and asked, and the very nice employee said "Well, it says we have 5 or 6 copies but that we just got them in yesterday. Maybe they haven't put them out yet."

So we tromped around, enlisted the help of someone else who worked there, and finally I had my very own shiny hardback copy. Yay for new Temeraire. I hope they shelf the other copies soon.

twitter sez:

• 00:11 @Firni HEY FIRNI! WHY DOES YOUR DAD SUCK? #
• 08:13 @Firni in case you don't know about it, www.qrz.com/ham/ has online practice tests. #
• 18:23 @arkma happily, my coiffure doesn't correlate with tank integrity. ... unless it's some *other* tank, elsewhere. BELL'S THEOREM OF HAIR! #

I used the knit bath scrubbie I made for myself out of a bunch of the yarn I still had left over from Knitters Revenge, and I was really impressed with how soft it felt, like a really plush washcloth. I think I would call it a win. It will still be interesting to see whether it survives prolonged use, since it's the kind of yarn I could see pilling after too much wear and tear, but I hope not, cuz it was so much nicer than the regular scrubbies, and I managed to wring it out really well, so I don't even think it will have a hard time drying out! Stay tuned for whether any of this holds true! :D

So is anyone else interested in coming over either Wednesday or Thursday for Stitch n Bitch? Beuller?

I will post again tomorrow, ya know, during the day or something!

( The done dids: )
Am currently having a hard cider and about to do more reading. Argh.

( To do tomorrow: )
I really really really want to write. I have bunnies. Narnia bunny, HP bunny, History Boys bunny. I really really really don't have time. Where's a Time Turner when you need one!? *cries*

lonelydumptruck is havnig html issues and I am just lost.

For some reason, his journal will not do lj-cuts or user names at all. They just show up as the code. I've tried every trick in my limited arsenal to no avail.

Is this a known problem with free accounts or are we both just coding impaired?

Propagated from ogam.

Frankincense a potential anti-depressant?

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080520110415.htm

I think somedays I enjoy Facebook's ads more than Facebook itself. The Free Baby Website will always hold a special place in my heart, and I continually keep an eye out for anything else that might prove blog worthy--because, hey, when I get outside material, I don't have to think up a topic.

So, you can imagine my delight today when Facebook, utilizing my personal information, helpfully threw up this ad:





I immediately began composing an entry that began something like, "Imagine my delight today when Facebook, utilizing my personal information, helpfully threw up this ad claiming they knew what my favorite products were..." Naturally, I was going to use my scathing wit to mock their presumption, but then I noticed something.

I actually own some of those products.

And not just the generic type of item. I mean, down to the brand. Here's what (after detailed scruitiny, magnification, and web searching) I was able to identify:

*Welch's Fruit Snacks
*Opti-Free Contact Solution
*Snuggle Fabric Softener
*Extra-Strength Tylenol
*Finest Natural Vitamins
*Acuvue Contacts
*Purell Hand Sanitizer
*Centrum Multivitamins
*Banana Boat Sunscreen
*Planter's Peanuts
*Neosporin Antibiotic Ointment

I own five of those items. Right now. In my condo. So the question is, gentle readers, which five do I own? Post your guesses, and I'll send a copy of, oh, something to the winner. Probably Storm Born. Contest runs until Wednesday the 9th, 11:59pm Pacific Time. If multiple people guess correctly, I'll draw someone. Have fun!

Post-script: the link to get said items didn't actually work. Oh Facebook, how long will you continue to toy with my affections?

Cats from the Seattle Animal Shelter's Foster Care Program will be available for adoption on Saturday, July 12th at the Yesler Community Center (map), 917 E. Yesler Way
Seattle, WA 98122, from Noon until 3pm.

Adoption fees range from $82 to $87 (payable by cash or check only). Free or discounted adoptions available for holders of "Gold Cards" and "Flash Cards" (see below for more info).



This Includes:

• Initial vaccinations

• Deworming

• Feline Leukemia testing

• Certificate for a free health exam at a local vet

• Spay or neuter

• Microchip - about the size of a grain of rice, the microchip is injected
under the cat’s skin, providing an identification number associated with
the animal. Animal shelters can then “scan” a lost animal and retrieve
its records from the microchip.

• Seattle pet license



Older Pets FREE to Seniors and Adults with Disabilities:

Seniors age 60 or older with a City of Seattle 'Gold Card' or adults with disabilities with a 'Flash Card'
are eligible to adopt a cat aged six years or older, FREE OF CHARGE (and a 50-percent discount on a pet license) or a 50-percent discount on adoption fees for cats aged 2 to 6 years. For more information about the "Gold Card" and "Flash Card" programs, call the Mayor's Office for Senior Citizens at (206)684-0500.

Call 206.386.PETS or visit www.seattleanimalshelter.org for more information about pet adoptions.

Ganked from haddayr who is honest so would tell me if I'm Hitler

Your result for The Best Thing About You Test...

Discipline

Discipline is your greatest virtue.

Take The Best Thing About You Test at HelloQuizzy

Thanks to roomie for remembering the quote word per word.

I'm sure everyone out there is devouring Victory of Eagles right now (whoo, release day!) but for those of you who are finished and want desperately to chat with someone about it, my review is over here/