Friday, October 12, 2007
PBS had a tribute to John Denver this evening. It reminded me of a reaction I had back in the very late 70s or early 80s, when John Denver was at the top of the charts with one song after another. I was driving, and there was a new John Denver song playing on the car radio, and then the announcer said "And that was Annie's Song by John Denver." Well, back then, car radios weren't all that good, and what I heard was "And that was any song by John Denver", and I laughed and thought, "oh, yes, they do all sound alike!"
Not to knock JD, I loved him, too, but hey, they DID all sound alike!
--------------------------------
If you have children in school, or know anyone who has children in school, you MUST watch this video. It's about 15.5 minutes long, but it's interesting, important, and frightening. The teaching of math is changing again, and not in a good way. As a former math teacher, this scares me!
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr1qee-bTZI)
There have been several responses to the above video. At http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOH9gwImyXg, a guy has timed the old algorithms against the new methods.
At http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9skRrnN2_HU (Part 1) and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1tPHInrEk0 (Part 2) a college professor attempts to defend the new against the old on the grounds that students must understand the concepts behind what they are doing, and must learn the logic, as opposed to simply memorizing the algorithms. However, he admits that he is unfamiliar with the new books and methods. He apparently doesn't realize that the new methods DON'T get one closer to the concepts. Taught correctly, the old algorithms should be backed by concepts. I can assure you MY students understood what they were doing!
Finally, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tx5KDyvlG3Q is an amusing (and very well done) look at the topic.
----------------------------------
It's been two weeks since I've seen The Man. We were supposed to get together in Newburgh last night, but work pressures intervened, so it's tomorrow. I'm heading to NJ for the Saturday performances at Rakkasah, and he will join me there.
----------------------------------
Whoops. A PBS program on child brides in India is starting. Gotta sign off.
.
Friday, October 12, 2007
Thursday, October 11, 2007
1505 Taxes and Cascade
Thursday, October 11, 2007
I got a $500 rebate check yesterday, under the STAR program (School Tax Relief Program, which includes a school property tax rebate program and a partial property tax exemption). The amount of the rebate depends on one's age and income level, and amount of taxes paid. They (Albany) determine your income from the income tax forms filed the previous April.
Now, I appreciate the rebate. But what bugs me is that it costs the state money to cut all these checks and mail them. I paid my school taxes several months ago, using money from a money market account, $500 of which I will now return to that account. So I'm out those months of earnings on that $500.
In these days of computers, would it really be so difficult to figure the rebate before I pay the school tax, and simply discount the tax bill by that much? Duh?
---------------------------------
This (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/09/science/09tier.html?_r=1&oref=slogin) is a New York Times article on "mistaken consensus".
I've seen mistaken consensus in action in The Company. It's when some person considered an expert comes up with a conclusion that a few others accept without question. Then, since there are now several "experts" espousing this conclusion, others accept it too. It cascades. Next thing you know, it's common wisdom. "Everyone knows" it's true.
Then, a few skeptics decide to actually test the truth, and are unable to support the conclusion. In fact, they may even prove it false. But since the conclusion is generally accepted (by experts who have never tested it, based solely on the acceptance of others who had never tested it, the cascade), these skeptics are shouted down, and even ostracised, to the point where dissension could become professional suicide - in a "reputational cascade".
The example used in the article is "Dietary fat is bad for you." 'Tain't true. The article traces the origin and mistaken cascade of the myth, and the difficulty combating it.
I witnessed several mistaken cascades within The Company. The source was almost always someone who stood to profit from the myth (not that they knowingly spread misinformation - they likely fully believed it - just that it wasn't true), and, on the basis of the myth, was promoted beyond harm by the time it was disproved. And, unfairness piled upon unfairness, the disprover was usually professionally injured by early dissension, and the final disproving of the myth never fully repaired that damage. ("Harumph! Not a team player! Rocks the boat! Yeah, ok, she was right, but still...")
Sigh. Yeah. The disprover was often me. It's a real credit to my talents that I actually did quite well on appraisals, raises, promotions. When I wasn't in the doghouse, that is. Which would last until I managed to kickstart a competing consensus cascade of my own.
There's a lesson there.
.
I got a $500 rebate check yesterday, under the STAR program (School Tax Relief Program, which includes a school property tax rebate program and a partial property tax exemption). The amount of the rebate depends on one's age and income level, and amount of taxes paid. They (Albany) determine your income from the income tax forms filed the previous April.
Now, I appreciate the rebate. But what bugs me is that it costs the state money to cut all these checks and mail them. I paid my school taxes several months ago, using money from a money market account, $500 of which I will now return to that account. So I'm out those months of earnings on that $500.
In these days of computers, would it really be so difficult to figure the rebate before I pay the school tax, and simply discount the tax bill by that much? Duh?
---------------------------------
This (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/09/science/09tier.html?_r=1&oref=slogin) is a New York Times article on "mistaken consensus".
I've seen mistaken consensus in action in The Company. It's when some person considered an expert comes up with a conclusion that a few others accept without question. Then, since there are now several "experts" espousing this conclusion, others accept it too. It cascades. Next thing you know, it's common wisdom. "Everyone knows" it's true.
Then, a few skeptics decide to actually test the truth, and are unable to support the conclusion. In fact, they may even prove it false. But since the conclusion is generally accepted (by experts who have never tested it, based solely on the acceptance of others who had never tested it, the cascade), these skeptics are shouted down, and even ostracised, to the point where dissension could become professional suicide - in a "reputational cascade".
The example used in the article is "Dietary fat is bad for you." 'Tain't true. The article traces the origin and mistaken cascade of the myth, and the difficulty combating it.
I witnessed several mistaken cascades within The Company. The source was almost always someone who stood to profit from the myth (not that they knowingly spread misinformation - they likely fully believed it - just that it wasn't true), and, on the basis of the myth, was promoted beyond harm by the time it was disproved. And, unfairness piled upon unfairness, the disprover was usually professionally injured by early dissension, and the final disproving of the myth never fully repaired that damage. ("Harumph! Not a team player! Rocks the boat! Yeah, ok, she was right, but still...")
Sigh. Yeah. The disprover was often me. It's a real credit to my talents that I actually did quite well on appraisals, raises, promotions. When I wasn't in the doghouse, that is. Which would last until I managed to kickstart a competing consensus cascade of my own.
There's a lesson there.
.
1504 Sheesh. Some People....
Last year I replaced all the windows in my house with those expensive, double-pane energy efficient kind. Yesterday, I got a call from the contractor who installed them. He was complaining that the windows had been installed a whole year ago and I had not paid for them yet.
Helloooo.... Now just because I'm blonde doesn't mean that I'm automatically stupid! So I told him what his fast talking sales guy had told ME last year....namely, that in just ONE YEAR these windows would pay for themselves.
"Helloooo"? (I told him) "It's been a year." There was only silence on the other end of the line. So I finally just hung up. He hasn't called back, probably too embarrassed about forgetting the guarantee they made me.
Bet he won't underestimate a blonde anymore!
.
Helloooo.... Now just because I'm blonde doesn't mean that I'm automatically stupid! So I told him what his fast talking sales guy had told ME last year....namely, that in just ONE YEAR these windows would pay for themselves.
"Helloooo"? (I told him) "It's been a year." There was only silence on the other end of the line. So I finally just hung up. He hasn't called back, probably too embarrassed about forgetting the guarantee they made me.
Bet he won't underestimate a blonde anymore!
.
1503 Some Amusement
The Top Ten Reasons Why Trick-or-Treating is Better Than Sex
10. You're guaranteed to get at least a little something in the sack.
9. If you get tired, you can wait 10 minutes and go at it again.
8. The uglier you look, the easier it is to get some.
7. You don't have to compliment the person who gives you some.
6. It's okay if the person you're with fantasizes you're someone else, because you actually are.
5. Forty years from now you'll still enjoy candy.
4. If you don't like what you get, you can always go next door.
3. It doesn't matter if the kids hear you moaning and groaning.
2. There's a lot less guilt the morning after.
1. You can do the whole neighborhood.
10. You're guaranteed to get at least a little something in the sack.
9. If you get tired, you can wait 10 minutes and go at it again.
8. The uglier you look, the easier it is to get some.
7. You don't have to compliment the person who gives you some.
6. It's okay if the person you're with fantasizes you're someone else, because you actually are.
5. Forty years from now you'll still enjoy candy.
4. If you don't like what you get, you can always go next door.
3. It doesn't matter if the kids hear you moaning and groaning.
2. There's a lot less guilt the morning after.
1. You can do the whole neighborhood.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
1502 The Geeks and the Brauhaus
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Mensa dinner tonight at the Mountain Brauhaus, near Mohonk. It was a tad expensive for this group, but the food was very good. We sat down at the table at 6:30. We got our entrees at 8:00. I was amused because after the wait of an hour and a half, five of the six at the table had inhaled their dinner within 12 minutes of its arrival (I'm a bit slow). The waitress apologized for the slow service. The place was mobbed (on a Wednesday night!) and they were short handed.
Angie's friend Nate sat next to me, and he says "sexy lingerie" is garter belts with stockings with seams up the back, and stiletto heels. Nobody else at the table had much of an opinion (Les looked confused), but Nate seemed to really get into the topic. Angie was looking at him like he'd grown a second head.
My exploration continues. I may have to write a book.
Not much else to report. I'm slow paying bills again. They're on the list every day, and they just don't get done. Good thing I don't have a mortgage, or I'd be out on the street by now. They probably won't get done tomorrow, either.
One of my guilty pleasures is Beauty and the Geek (don't knock it if you haven't watched it all the way through). This time they have a twist. It had always been male geeks and female beauties. This time there's also one female geek and a male "beauty", Sam.
I don't know who picked him. He's NOT even remotely good looking. He makes me cringe, with his dead eyes, self-satisfied mouth, and sticking-up-on-top hair. I'd like to see him gone, but then his partner the girl geek would go, too, and I like her.
.
Mensa dinner tonight at the Mountain Brauhaus, near Mohonk. It was a tad expensive for this group, but the food was very good. We sat down at the table at 6:30. We got our entrees at 8:00. I was amused because after the wait of an hour and a half, five of the six at the table had inhaled their dinner within 12 minutes of its arrival (I'm a bit slow). The waitress apologized for the slow service. The place was mobbed (on a Wednesday night!) and they were short handed.
Angie's friend Nate sat next to me, and he says "sexy lingerie" is garter belts with stockings with seams up the back, and stiletto heels. Nobody else at the table had much of an opinion (Les looked confused), but Nate seemed to really get into the topic. Angie was looking at him like he'd grown a second head.
My exploration continues. I may have to write a book.
Not much else to report. I'm slow paying bills again. They're on the list every day, and they just don't get done. Good thing I don't have a mortgage, or I'd be out on the street by now. They probably won't get done tomorrow, either.
One of my guilty pleasures is Beauty and the Geek (don't knock it if you haven't watched it all the way through). This time they have a twist. It had always been male geeks and female beauties. This time there's also one female geek and a male "beauty", Sam.
I don't know who picked him. He's NOT even remotely good looking. He makes me cringe, with his dead eyes, self-satisfied mouth, and sticking-up-on-top hair. I'd like to see him gone, but then his partner the girl geek would go, too, and I like her.
.
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
1501 Heat
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
I just heard on TV that "they" expect heating oil to go up by 22% this winter. A few weeks ago I paid $1500 up front to lock in the August price for $1500 worth of oil. It was painful pocket-wise, but I guess it was a good decision.
Today I drove two hours and forty-five minutes to drop some stuff off on Daughter's back porch, then turned around and drove home. She and SIL were both still at work, and both had stuff scheduled for this evening, but I wanted them to get the stuff. So, quick trip.
On the way down and back I listened to a CD that a friend would like me to be familiar with. When I stopped at a rest area to get some food, I said to myself, "Ok, there are 14 selections on the album, and you've been listening to it for five hours. Name or describe three songs." I could think of only one. Worse, right now I can't remember even that one. Sometimes I worry about me.
.
I just heard on TV that "they" expect heating oil to go up by 22% this winter. A few weeks ago I paid $1500 up front to lock in the August price for $1500 worth of oil. It was painful pocket-wise, but I guess it was a good decision.
Today I drove two hours and forty-five minutes to drop some stuff off on Daughter's back porch, then turned around and drove home. She and SIL were both still at work, and both had stuff scheduled for this evening, but I wanted them to get the stuff. So, quick trip.
On the way down and back I listened to a CD that a friend would like me to be familiar with. When I stopped at a rest area to get some food, I said to myself, "Ok, there are 14 selections on the album, and you've been listening to it for five hours. Name or describe three songs." I could think of only one. Worse, right now I can't remember even that one. Sometimes I worry about me.
.
1500 Restroom
Dear Date:
Remember my trip to the restroom before dinner, the day of our Central Park walk? When I came out of the ladies' room, I found you wondering what had happened to me, and that while I was in the ladies' room, the hotel had chased all the men to the upstairs facilities, and turned the men's room into a temporary ladies' room.
I found the following on a joke website, and it's scarily close to my experience that day.
---------------------------------
When you have to visit a public bathroom, you usually find a line of women, so you smile politely and take your place. Once it's your turn, you check for feet under the stall doors. Every stall is occupied. Finally, a door opens and you dash in, nearly knocking down the woman leaving the stall.
You get in to find the door won't latch. It doesn't matter, the wait has been so long you are about to wet your pants. The dispenser for the modern "seat covers" (invented by someone's Mom, no doubt) is handy, but empty. You would hang your purse on the door hook, if there was one, but there isn't - so you carefully, but quickly drape it around your neck, (Mom would turn over in her grave if you put it on the FLOOR!), yank down your pants, and assume " The Stance."
In this position your aging, toneless thigh muscles begin to shake. You'd love to sit down, but you certainly hadn't taken time to wipe the seat or lay toilet paper on it, so you hold "The Stance." To take your mind off your trembling thighs, you reach for what you discover to be the empty toilet paper dispenser. In your mind, you can hear your mother's voice saying,"Honey, if you had tried to clean the seat, you would have KNOWN there was no toilet paper!"
Your thighs shake more. You remember the tiny tissue that you blew your nose on yesterday, the one that's still in your purse. (Oh yeah, the purse around your neck, that now you have to hold up trying not to strangle yourself at the same time). That would have to do. You crumple it in the puffiest way possible. It's still smaller than your thumbnail.
Someone pushes your door open because the latch doesn't work. The door hits your purse, which is hanging around your neck in front of your chest, and you and your purse topple backward against the tank of the toilet. "Occupied!" you scream, as you reach for the door, dropping your precious, tiny, crumpled tissue in a puddle on the floor, lose your footing altogether, and slide down directly onto the TOILET SEAT. It is wet of course.
You bolt up, knowing all too well that it's too late. Your bare bottom has made contact with every imaginable germ and life-form on the uncovered seat because YOU never laid down toilet paper -not that there was any, even if you had taken time to try. You know that your Mother would be utterly appalled if she knew, because you're certain her bare bottom never touched a public toilet seat because, frankly, dear, "You just don't KNOW what kind of diseases you could get."
By this time, the automatic sensor on the back of the toilet is so confused that it flushes, propelling a stream of water like a fire hose against the inside of the bowl that sprays a fine mist of water that covers your butt and runs down your legs and into your shoes. The flush somehow sucks everything down with such force that you grab onto the empty toilet paper dispenser for fear of being dragged in too.
At this point, you give up. You're soaked by the spewing water and the wet toilet seat. You're exhausted. You try to wipe with a gum wrapper you found in your pocket and then slink out inconspicuously to the sinks. You can't figure out how to operate the faucets with the automatic sensors, so you wipe your hands with spit and a dry paper towel and walk past the line of women still waiting. You are no longer able to smile politely.
A kind soul at the very end of the line points out a piece of toilet paper trailing from your shoe. (Where was that when you NEEDED it??) You yank the paper from your shoe, plunk it in the woman's hand and tell her warmly, "Here, you just might need this."
As you exit, you spot your hubby, who has long since entered, used, and left the men's restroom. Annoyed, he asks, "What took you so long, and why is your purse hanging around your neck?"
This is dedicated to women everywhere who deal with a public restrooms (rest?? You've GOT to be kidding!!). It finally explains to the men what really does take us so long. It also answers their other commonly asked questions about why women go to the restroom in pairs. It's so the other gal can hold the door, hang onto your purse and hand you Kleenex under the door!
.
Remember my trip to the restroom before dinner, the day of our Central Park walk? When I came out of the ladies' room, I found you wondering what had happened to me, and that while I was in the ladies' room, the hotel had chased all the men to the upstairs facilities, and turned the men's room into a temporary ladies' room.
I found the following on a joke website, and it's scarily close to my experience that day.
---------------------------------
When you have to visit a public bathroom, you usually find a line of women, so you smile politely and take your place. Once it's your turn, you check for feet under the stall doors. Every stall is occupied. Finally, a door opens and you dash in, nearly knocking down the woman leaving the stall.
You get in to find the door won't latch. It doesn't matter, the wait has been so long you are about to wet your pants. The dispenser for the modern "seat covers" (invented by someone's Mom, no doubt) is handy, but empty. You would hang your purse on the door hook, if there was one, but there isn't - so you carefully, but quickly drape it around your neck, (Mom would turn over in her grave if you put it on the FLOOR!), yank down your pants, and assume " The Stance."
In this position your aging, toneless thigh muscles begin to shake. You'd love to sit down, but you certainly hadn't taken time to wipe the seat or lay toilet paper on it, so you hold "The Stance." To take your mind off your trembling thighs, you reach for what you discover to be the empty toilet paper dispenser. In your mind, you can hear your mother's voice saying,"Honey, if you had tried to clean the seat, you would have KNOWN there was no toilet paper!"
Your thighs shake more. You remember the tiny tissue that you blew your nose on yesterday, the one that's still in your purse. (Oh yeah, the purse around your neck, that now you have to hold up trying not to strangle yourself at the same time). That would have to do. You crumple it in the puffiest way possible. It's still smaller than your thumbnail.
Someone pushes your door open because the latch doesn't work. The door hits your purse, which is hanging around your neck in front of your chest, and you and your purse topple backward against the tank of the toilet. "Occupied!" you scream, as you reach for the door, dropping your precious, tiny, crumpled tissue in a puddle on the floor, lose your footing altogether, and slide down directly onto the TOILET SEAT. It is wet of course.
You bolt up, knowing all too well that it's too late. Your bare bottom has made contact with every imaginable germ and life-form on the uncovered seat because YOU never laid down toilet paper -not that there was any, even if you had taken time to try. You know that your Mother would be utterly appalled if she knew, because you're certain her bare bottom never touched a public toilet seat because, frankly, dear, "You just don't KNOW what kind of diseases you could get."
By this time, the automatic sensor on the back of the toilet is so confused that it flushes, propelling a stream of water like a fire hose against the inside of the bowl that sprays a fine mist of water that covers your butt and runs down your legs and into your shoes. The flush somehow sucks everything down with such force that you grab onto the empty toilet paper dispenser for fear of being dragged in too.
At this point, you give up. You're soaked by the spewing water and the wet toilet seat. You're exhausted. You try to wipe with a gum wrapper you found in your pocket and then slink out inconspicuously to the sinks. You can't figure out how to operate the faucets with the automatic sensors, so you wipe your hands with spit and a dry paper towel and walk past the line of women still waiting. You are no longer able to smile politely.
A kind soul at the very end of the line points out a piece of toilet paper trailing from your shoe. (Where was that when you NEEDED it??) You yank the paper from your shoe, plunk it in the woman's hand and tell her warmly, "Here, you just might need this."
As you exit, you spot your hubby, who has long since entered, used, and left the men's restroom. Annoyed, he asks, "What took you so long, and why is your purse hanging around your neck?"
This is dedicated to women everywhere who deal with a public restrooms (rest?? You've GOT to be kidding!!). It finally explains to the men what really does take us so long. It also answers their other commonly asked questions about why women go to the restroom in pairs. It's so the other gal can hold the door, hang onto your purse and hand you Kleenex under the door!
.
Sunday, October 07, 2007
1499 Sunday Warming
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Today I went to a ... panel discussion? (but there was no discussion, really. It was three presenters) ... on global warming, organized by Mensa and sponsored by Sierra Club and two SUNY environmental groups. Today's portion was the science and why it's worrying. Next Sunday is the politics. The following Sunday is what can be done.
It was at 3 pm in the lecture center at SUNY New Paltz. I have a problem with that campus. It's huge, and no matter what maps I print out, the minute I enter the campus, I'm lost. Somehow, the way the roads twist around, and end suddenly, and unexpectedly become one-way, I lose all sense of direction. North becomes west, labels on the map bear no relation to signs on buildings. I always just park in the first legal-looking space I can find and ask someone to point me in the direction of the building I want.
Our current Mensa programs person is a prof at SUNY New Paltz, so she seems to think the campus is the ideal place for events. "So convenient." I hate to admit the place scares me.
I found the talks interesting. There were a lot of townspeople and students there, which was nice, but only three of us Mensans, two of whom were the organizers of the event, and me. That was disappointing, but I could have predicted it - there was no free food!
The first speaker addressed what "global warming" is, what causes it, where the greenhouse gases come from, and why it's dangerous. Even a small change causes a shift in ocean and air currents, increasing the effects.
The second speaker addressed a question I've had, which is "How do we know what the temperatures were all those thousands of years ago, when, like, there was nobody out there waving a thermometer around." There are several things they look for in ice and ocean floor cores, one of which is the proportion of two particular oxygen isotopes (I'm not a chemist and may be using the wrong term - ignore me) in the shell remains of ocean critters, and the air trapped in ice. He showed the relationship of temperature fluctuations over a few hundred thousand years in relation to the amount of methane and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and how they determine those amounts.
The third speaker addressed the environmental and economic effects of rising temperatures on the state of New York. (I figure one good outcome is a shorter snowmobile season. I HATE the damn things. Noisy ground-tearer-uppers, operated by idiots with no respect for private property.)
We three Mensans went out for dinner after the program. The other two were saying that the second speaker was completely over their heads, and maybe they should review content ahead of time. I said that he's the one I found most interesting, the others talked about stuff I already knew, and I didn't find him dense at all. Oh, well.
They've had some difficulty finding politicians willing to speak at next week's session. Several well-known federal and state representatives at first agreed to participate, and then one after another they cancelled. To hot a topic, perhaps? Too small an audience? They've had to settle for poli-sci types.
I had a question I've been carrying around for two years now, and I should have asked it of the second speaker, but I forgot. The movie about the march of the penguins - the penguins walk a gazillion miles across ice shelves into Antarctica to breed and raise their chicks, because that's where they have been going for eons. Now, is it possible, even probable, that back when penguins started going there, it wasn't so terribly far? That either the ice shelves didn't extend so far out, or the ocean was higher? If so, where does that fit on the time/temperature charts he was showing us? Is there an explanation?
I'm so annoyed that I forgot.
.
Today I went to a ... panel discussion? (but there was no discussion, really. It was three presenters) ... on global warming, organized by Mensa and sponsored by Sierra Club and two SUNY environmental groups. Today's portion was the science and why it's worrying. Next Sunday is the politics. The following Sunday is what can be done.
It was at 3 pm in the lecture center at SUNY New Paltz. I have a problem with that campus. It's huge, and no matter what maps I print out, the minute I enter the campus, I'm lost. Somehow, the way the roads twist around, and end suddenly, and unexpectedly become one-way, I lose all sense of direction. North becomes west, labels on the map bear no relation to signs on buildings. I always just park in the first legal-looking space I can find and ask someone to point me in the direction of the building I want.
Our current Mensa programs person is a prof at SUNY New Paltz, so she seems to think the campus is the ideal place for events. "So convenient." I hate to admit the place scares me.
I found the talks interesting. There were a lot of townspeople and students there, which was nice, but only three of us Mensans, two of whom were the organizers of the event, and me. That was disappointing, but I could have predicted it - there was no free food!
The first speaker addressed what "global warming" is, what causes it, where the greenhouse gases come from, and why it's dangerous. Even a small change causes a shift in ocean and air currents, increasing the effects.
The second speaker addressed a question I've had, which is "How do we know what the temperatures were all those thousands of years ago, when, like, there was nobody out there waving a thermometer around." There are several things they look for in ice and ocean floor cores, one of which is the proportion of two particular oxygen isotopes (I'm not a chemist and may be using the wrong term - ignore me) in the shell remains of ocean critters, and the air trapped in ice. He showed the relationship of temperature fluctuations over a few hundred thousand years in relation to the amount of methane and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and how they determine those amounts.
The third speaker addressed the environmental and economic effects of rising temperatures on the state of New York. (I figure one good outcome is a shorter snowmobile season. I HATE the damn things. Noisy ground-tearer-uppers, operated by idiots with no respect for private property.)
We three Mensans went out for dinner after the program. The other two were saying that the second speaker was completely over their heads, and maybe they should review content ahead of time. I said that he's the one I found most interesting, the others talked about stuff I already knew, and I didn't find him dense at all. Oh, well.
They've had some difficulty finding politicians willing to speak at next week's session. Several well-known federal and state representatives at first agreed to participate, and then one after another they cancelled. To hot a topic, perhaps? Too small an audience? They've had to settle for poli-sci types.
I had a question I've been carrying around for two years now, and I should have asked it of the second speaker, but I forgot. The movie about the march of the penguins - the penguins walk a gazillion miles across ice shelves into Antarctica to breed and raise their chicks, because that's where they have been going for eons. Now, is it possible, even probable, that back when penguins started going there, it wasn't so terribly far? That either the ice shelves didn't extend so far out, or the ocean was higher? If so, where does that fit on the time/temperature charts he was showing us? Is there an explanation?
I'm so annoyed that I forgot.
.
Saturday, October 06, 2007
1498 Kitty Update
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Jasper is still growing. He's the first lap cat I've had in a lifetime of cats, and he's getting too big for my lap!
Miss Thunderfoot is still snarling, but she knows attacking makes me unhappy, so there's a little less of that. Yesterday, I was sitting on the side of the bed with Thunder asleep beside me, when Jasper jumped up onto the bed. Thunder woke and hissed, but I turned her around so she wasn't facing him, and petted her until she calmed down and went back to sleep. Jasper had enough sense to stay on the other side of the bed.
Until....
For all of her ten years, Thunder has had a whippy tail. Doesn't matter whether she's happy or angry, interested or asleep, her tail flicks constantly. So there the two cats are on the bed, Thunder asleep and no longer snarling, Jasper stretching out and exploring the possibilities of a bed, and then he saw the flicking tail, and couldn't resist.
Idiot cat.
If I hadn't moved fast and grabbed Thunder around the hips as she lunged, Jasper'd be sporting one fewer ears today.
.
Jasper is still growing. He's the first lap cat I've had in a lifetime of cats, and he's getting too big for my lap!
Miss Thunderfoot is still snarling, but she knows attacking makes me unhappy, so there's a little less of that. Yesterday, I was sitting on the side of the bed with Thunder asleep beside me, when Jasper jumped up onto the bed. Thunder woke and hissed, but I turned her around so she wasn't facing him, and petted her until she calmed down and went back to sleep. Jasper had enough sense to stay on the other side of the bed.
Until....
For all of her ten years, Thunder has had a whippy tail. Doesn't matter whether she's happy or angry, interested or asleep, her tail flicks constantly. So there the two cats are on the bed, Thunder asleep and no longer snarling, Jasper stretching out and exploring the possibilities of a bed, and then he saw the flicking tail, and couldn't resist.
Idiot cat.
If I hadn't moved fast and grabbed Thunder around the hips as she lunged, Jasper'd be sporting one fewer ears today.
.
1497 Bits
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Cornell University researcher Robb Willer has concluded that men whose masculinity is challenged become more inclined to support war or buy an SUV.
"I found that if you made men more insecure about their masculinity, they displayed more homophobic attitudes, tended to support the Iraq war more and would be more willing to purchase an SUV over another type of vehicle," Willer said. "There were no increases [in desire] for other types of cars."
Those who had their masculinity threatened also said they felt more ashamed, guilty, upset and hostile than those whose masculinity was confirmed, he said.
I believe it. Don't know why it took a study to confirm it.
It leaves me wondering what effect the movement toward equality of the sexes over the past 50 years has had on male actions and reactions, having far reaching effects on energy economy and peace initiatives.
Ladies, confirm your man's masculinity. The world needs it.
------------------------
Psychology professor Richard Haier of the University of California and colleagues from the University of New Mexico have found that in general, men have nearly 6.5 times the amount of gray matter related to general intelligence compared with women, whereas women have nearly 10 times the amount of white matter related to intelligence compared to men.
"These findings suggest that human evolution has created two different types of brains designed for equally intelligent behavior," said Haier, adding that, "by pinpointing these gender-based intelligence areas, the study has the potential to aid research on dementia and other cognitive-impairment diseases in the brain."
In human brains, gray matter represents information processing centers, whereas white matter works to network these processing centers.
Hmmmm. Men, nearly 6.5 times the gray. Women, nearly 10 times the white. And he concludes that this is a design for "equally intelligent behavior". Uh huh. Would that be the same conclusion if it were reversed? Isn't a chief indicator of intelligence the ability to pull together disparate bits of information?
---------------------------
Last year I inventoried shoes in my closet. I had more than a hundred pair, some 30 years old, many unwearable, lots of high heels I've refused to wear since retiring. I cleaned out.
Last night I went after bras. There are five that I wear over and over, mainly because they're always on the top of the heap. I found I had 47 altogether, and none of them are more than four years old. My weight and style of dress have changed drastically over the past six years, up and then down, and I've had to keep buying to keep up.
I tried them all on. Seven are too large. They'll go out. Nine are too small. I'll keep them in hopes for the future. Four are suitable for sleeping in. The remaining 27 fit, sort of.
Some of the 27 are flat-out uncomfortable. Whatever possessed a manufacturer to use that stiff nylon thread in seams? No matter how you snip, or match-melt, or sew a scrap of fabric over, somewhere a thread end works loose and stabs all day. And even though they're sexier, I simply cannot abide a narrow strap. They cut my shoulders. A few have straps too far apart, and they fall off my shoulders. Those will each get one full day of "test wearing", and then live or die based on how happy I am to take them off in the evening.
Several flatten or round me rather than lift and shape, but I bought them and will keep them because they have adjustable straps, or plunging fronts, which is useful with some clothing.
I keep buying strapless bras, searching for a good one, and failing. Seems like they all have stiff or padded cups, and in my size the cups are pointed! Agh! I look like I'm wearing missile nosecones. They fit, but they don't work. They embarrass. I'll keep the least pointy, but the rest may as well go.
So when I work it down to fit, comfort, and shape, for daily wearing, I end up with (ta rah) five (not including the "specialty" ones).
What is really interesting is that size seems to have very little to do with fit. The one I'm wearing right now, that fits perfectly, is the same size as all the ones that are way too large, and a few of the too small ones are the same size. Of those that fit, they are three different sizes.
What is really annoying is that when I find a bra that's perfect, it seems like I must have bought the last of a discontinued style. I can never find it again, in stores or online. That's sorta how I ended up with so many. A never-ending, frustrating, search for perfection.
.
Cornell University researcher Robb Willer has concluded that men whose masculinity is challenged become more inclined to support war or buy an SUV.
"I found that if you made men more insecure about their masculinity, they displayed more homophobic attitudes, tended to support the Iraq war more and would be more willing to purchase an SUV over another type of vehicle," Willer said. "There were no increases [in desire] for other types of cars."
Those who had their masculinity threatened also said they felt more ashamed, guilty, upset and hostile than those whose masculinity was confirmed, he said.
I believe it. Don't know why it took a study to confirm it.
It leaves me wondering what effect the movement toward equality of the sexes over the past 50 years has had on male actions and reactions, having far reaching effects on energy economy and peace initiatives.
Ladies, confirm your man's masculinity. The world needs it.
------------------------
Psychology professor Richard Haier of the University of California and colleagues from the University of New Mexico have found that in general, men have nearly 6.5 times the amount of gray matter related to general intelligence compared with women, whereas women have nearly 10 times the amount of white matter related to intelligence compared to men.
"These findings suggest that human evolution has created two different types of brains designed for equally intelligent behavior," said Haier, adding that, "by pinpointing these gender-based intelligence areas, the study has the potential to aid research on dementia and other cognitive-impairment diseases in the brain."
In human brains, gray matter represents information processing centers, whereas white matter works to network these processing centers.
Hmmmm. Men, nearly 6.5 times the gray. Women, nearly 10 times the white. And he concludes that this is a design for "equally intelligent behavior". Uh huh. Would that be the same conclusion if it were reversed? Isn't a chief indicator of intelligence the ability to pull together disparate bits of information?
---------------------------
Last year I inventoried shoes in my closet. I had more than a hundred pair, some 30 years old, many unwearable, lots of high heels I've refused to wear since retiring. I cleaned out.
Last night I went after bras. There are five that I wear over and over, mainly because they're always on the top of the heap. I found I had 47 altogether, and none of them are more than four years old. My weight and style of dress have changed drastically over the past six years, up and then down, and I've had to keep buying to keep up.
I tried them all on. Seven are too large. They'll go out. Nine are too small. I'll keep them in hopes for the future. Four are suitable for sleeping in. The remaining 27 fit, sort of.
Some of the 27 are flat-out uncomfortable. Whatever possessed a manufacturer to use that stiff nylon thread in seams? No matter how you snip, or match-melt, or sew a scrap of fabric over, somewhere a thread end works loose and stabs all day. And even though they're sexier, I simply cannot abide a narrow strap. They cut my shoulders. A few have straps too far apart, and they fall off my shoulders. Those will each get one full day of "test wearing", and then live or die based on how happy I am to take them off in the evening.
Several flatten or round me rather than lift and shape, but I bought them and will keep them because they have adjustable straps, or plunging fronts, which is useful with some clothing.
I keep buying strapless bras, searching for a good one, and failing. Seems like they all have stiff or padded cups, and in my size the cups are pointed! Agh! I look like I'm wearing missile nosecones. They fit, but they don't work. They embarrass. I'll keep the least pointy, but the rest may as well go.
So when I work it down to fit, comfort, and shape, for daily wearing, I end up with (ta rah) five (not including the "specialty" ones).
What is really interesting is that size seems to have very little to do with fit. The one I'm wearing right now, that fits perfectly, is the same size as all the ones that are way too large, and a few of the too small ones are the same size. Of those that fit, they are three different sizes.
What is really annoying is that when I find a bra that's perfect, it seems like I must have bought the last of a discontinued style. I can never find it again, in stores or online. That's sorta how I ended up with so many. A never-ending, frustrating, search for perfection.
.
Friday, October 05, 2007
1496 Hot
Friday, October 5, 2007
It's well into October, and it's 85 degrees out there. Weird. I switched from A/C to heat several weeks ago (a major pain), and I've been suffering. I know that if I switch back, it'll get cold immediately.
-------------------------------------
Another kind of heat wave has passed through. A friend has expressed surprise that at my age and experience level, I am completely unfamiliar with sexy lingerie. I don't own any. All I have is functional and utilitarian underwear.
I'm wondering if it could be interesting. So I've been wandering around Victoria's Secret and Frederick's online shopping sites, and I'm very confused. (Also a bit embarrassed. I really can't imagine ME in any of that stuff!)
Where's the line between slutty and sexy? Is there one? A friend says no, not in the bedroom. If you wear it outside, then you get slutty, but in private, nothing is slutty. I also can't figure out when one would wear it. So she educated me. Hmmmm. Doesn't sound like you'd get anything else done of an evening....
That led me to wondering why it never entered my mind or experience before.
Ex#1 spent most of our marriage in Germany, in the army, and when he finally got out, I wasn't interested in encouraging him. Ex#2 wasn't interested period, and would have been annoyed at any expression of interest on my part. Jay thought the sexiest thing was panties and a tight white T-shirt, and that was my usual sleeping attire, so he was happy as a pig in mud. On other fronts (and there were many in my twenties and early thirties) men were happy just to finally get me out of my clothes.
A lot of men I've "known" best, would quite frankly have been turned off by many of the things I've seen on Frederick's. Sort of an "Eeek! What the heck is that!" reaction.
So, I'm gathering opinions. Suggestions, please, as to what works and when, and how. Male and female, please. Anonymous, if you like. I'm really at sea here. Maybe even leave links to suggestions. (BTW - thongs are out. I find them irritating, painful, and extremely annoying, no matter what size I've tried.)
Thanks.
(P.S. I bought this, in black, 'cause I sorta liked it, and some "c-less" panties ('cause they were on sale), and a merry widow ('cause that I can use anyway), so I'm sorta on my way. Tip-toeing lightly.)
.
It's well into October, and it's 85 degrees out there. Weird. I switched from A/C to heat several weeks ago (a major pain), and I've been suffering. I know that if I switch back, it'll get cold immediately.
-------------------------------------
Another kind of heat wave has passed through. A friend has expressed surprise that at my age and experience level, I am completely unfamiliar with sexy lingerie. I don't own any. All I have is functional and utilitarian underwear.
I'm wondering if it could be interesting. So I've been wandering around Victoria's Secret and Frederick's online shopping sites, and I'm very confused. (Also a bit embarrassed. I really can't imagine ME in any of that stuff!)
Where's the line between slutty and sexy? Is there one? A friend says no, not in the bedroom. If you wear it outside, then you get slutty, but in private, nothing is slutty. I also can't figure out when one would wear it. So she educated me. Hmmmm. Doesn't sound like you'd get anything else done of an evening....
That led me to wondering why it never entered my mind or experience before.
Ex#1 spent most of our marriage in Germany, in the army, and when he finally got out, I wasn't interested in encouraging him. Ex#2 wasn't interested period, and would have been annoyed at any expression of interest on my part. Jay thought the sexiest thing was panties and a tight white T-shirt, and that was my usual sleeping attire, so he was happy as a pig in mud. On other fronts (and there were many in my twenties and early thirties) men were happy just to finally get me out of my clothes.
A lot of men I've "known" best, would quite frankly have been turned off by many of the things I've seen on Frederick's. Sort of an "Eeek! What the heck is that!" reaction.
So, I'm gathering opinions. Suggestions, please, as to what works and when, and how. Male and female, please. Anonymous, if you like. I'm really at sea here. Maybe even leave links to suggestions. (BTW - thongs are out. I find them irritating, painful, and extremely annoying, no matter what size I've tried.)
Thanks.
(P.S. I bought this, in black, 'cause I sorta liked it, and some "c-less" panties ('cause they were on sale), and a merry widow ('cause that I can use anyway), so I'm sorta on my way. Tip-toeing lightly.)
.
1495 Look-alikes
At www.MyHeritage.com, you can give them a photo, and they use face recognition techniques to find celebrities you look like. Ahem.
The first photo I used was so bad I'm not allowing anyone else to see it, but it's me unadorned. This is what I got:
So then I tried a photo I like better, and got this:
What's with all the men?! Unfortunately, I can see the Jesse Jackson, but please explain how I can have a 49% intersection with Iman, AND 51% with Alan Greenspan! Well, we all have two eyes, a nose, and a mouth, I guess.
Third try:
Oh Good Grief! All men! And two full beards! I give up.
----------------------------------------------
A little later, having returned from licking my wounds, I decided to try my mother's high school picture:
I guess it's not the system. It's me. I wonder how people know I'm female? The perfume, I guess.
.
The first photo I used was so bad I'm not allowing anyone else to see it, but it's me unadorned. This is what I got:
So then I tried a photo I like better, and got this:
What's with all the men?! Unfortunately, I can see the Jesse Jackson, but please explain how I can have a 49% intersection with Iman, AND 51% with Alan Greenspan! Well, we all have two eyes, a nose, and a mouth, I guess.
Third try:
Oh Good Grief! All men! And two full beards! I give up.
----------------------------------------------
A little later, having returned from licking my wounds, I decided to try my mother's high school picture:
I guess it's not the system. It's me. I wonder how people know I'm female? The perfume, I guess.
.
1494 Loan
Me: Can you lend me twenty dollars?
He: Yeah, sure, ok.
Me: But give me only ten of it.
He: Only ten? Why only ten?
Me: Because then you owe me ten, and I owe you ten, and we're even.
He: Yeah, sure, ok.
Me: But give me only ten of it.
He: Only ten? Why only ten?
Me: Because then you owe me ten, and I owe you ten, and we're even.
Thursday, October 04, 2007
1493 Rebellion
Thursday, October 4, 2007
If there's a problem that we're aware of, and we know what we should do, but it seems like whatever we do won't be enough to make any real difference, instead of doing the right thing anyway, or doing nothing, the human tendency is to do exactly the opposite of what we know we should do.
Like if we know we're overweight, and our attempts to lose weight don't seem very effective, we give up and eat MORE than we know we should.
Or if someone tells us our SUV wastes gas and contributes to global warming, we're likely to buy a Hummer.
Or if someone is riding us at work, we'll leave early.
I wonder why.
.
If there's a problem that we're aware of, and we know what we should do, but it seems like whatever we do won't be enough to make any real difference, instead of doing the right thing anyway, or doing nothing, the human tendency is to do exactly the opposite of what we know we should do.
Like if we know we're overweight, and our attempts to lose weight don't seem very effective, we give up and eat MORE than we know we should.
Or if someone tells us our SUV wastes gas and contributes to global warming, we're likely to buy a Hummer.
Or if someone is riding us at work, we'll leave early.
I wonder why.
.
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
1492 Long Lunch
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Piper and I had agreed last week that we would go over my account and have lunch sometime this week, but Monday and Tuesday were taken up with museum business, and I want to keep Thursday and Friday open for higher priority socializing, just in case, so that left today.
I had so much I wanted to do today. I need to make some medical and veterinarian appointments, do some laundry, shovel out the kitchen, and get the recycle out. I should have known better.
Nothing but lunch got done.
Tomorrow is another day.
.
Piper and I had agreed last week that we would go over my account and have lunch sometime this week, but Monday and Tuesday were taken up with museum business, and I want to keep Thursday and Friday open for higher priority socializing, just in case, so that left today.
I had so much I wanted to do today. I need to make some medical and veterinarian appointments, do some laundry, shovel out the kitchen, and get the recycle out. I should have known better.
Nothing but lunch got done.
Tomorrow is another day.
.
1491 Sunshine
You've heard the newsreaders' reports and our government's assessments of the conditions in Iraq. Sunshine, a 15-year-old blogger in Iraq, has a different view. Her blog is "Days of My life". I highly recommend it.
Some quotes from her most recent post:
The terrorists are like cancer everyday they increase in size and yet no one can vanquish them. they kill innocents in the name of a sect or religion while they don't belong to any. they are only pretenders who don't have ethics, believes, nor humanity .they try to disperse us, and make us live in fear & danger, they want us to be hopeless, everyday many explosions happen, many innocents get killed and many Iraqis get kidnapped, there are more than 5 millions orphans in Iraq, and so many widows, my friend and I counted 12 car bombs in 48 hours, in one of the sides of the city, we didn't count the mines, nor how many times we heard shooting (they are so many to number).Many times I say the terrorists won't succeed, evil don't win, but I sometimes feel they are achieving their goal.
"My mom's aunt live in the most dangerous part in Baghdad, she said 'when the militias threaten the Sunnis, we hide in our Shiites neighbors' houses, and when the militias threaten the Shiites they come and hide in our houses.'"
A different view of the Sunni/Shiite relationship, eh?
.
Some quotes from her most recent post:
The terrorists are like cancer everyday they increase in size and yet no one can vanquish them. they kill innocents in the name of a sect or religion while they don't belong to any. they are only pretenders who don't have ethics, believes, nor humanity .they try to disperse us, and make us live in fear & danger, they want us to be hopeless, everyday many explosions happen, many innocents get killed and many Iraqis get kidnapped, there are more than 5 millions orphans in Iraq, and so many widows, my friend and I counted 12 car bombs in 48 hours, in one of the sides of the city, we didn't count the mines, nor how many times we heard shooting (they are so many to number).Many times I say the terrorists won't succeed, evil don't win, but I sometimes feel they are achieving their goal.
"My mom's aunt live in the most dangerous part in Baghdad, she said 'when the militias threaten the Sunnis, we hide in our Shiites neighbors' houses, and when the militias threaten the Shiites they come and hide in our houses.'"
A different view of the Sunni/Shiite relationship, eh?
.
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
1490 Museum Guests
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
I had my keychain camera at the Maritime Museum, so I took some pictures of visitors.
This one is a catamaran:
This is a big tour boat:
The gondolas did arrive, but I didn't get any pictures. I missed seeing them coming up the Rondout. By the time I noticed them they were moored.
.
I had my keychain camera at the Maritime Museum, so I took some pictures of visitors.
This one is a catamaran:
This is a big tour boat:
The gondolas did arrive, but I didn't get any pictures. I missed seeing them coming up the Rondout. By the time I noticed them they were moored.
.
1489 Museum Done!
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
I went back to the museum today, and the new guy came in, and we processed a few payments that had come in, and sent out membership cards for them, AND sent out renewal reminders for October renewals. So now he has gone through the complete cycle once. I told him to call me when he's ready to do the next batch, and I'll sit in.
He did worry me at one point. He was supposed to be creating a new member record, and I glanced over, and instead of filling in a blank record, he was overwriting an existing record. Huh? It worries me that he didn't seem to see anything wrong with that, that he didn't recognize that there was a problem.
The really surprising part is that I'm not worried about it. Not so very long ago I'd be afraid that he'd screw up the data base, that records will go missing or be duplicated, I'd be riding him to understand every aspect so he'd anticipate the ramifications of his actions, and eventually I might go to the powers and say "Um, I don't think he can handle it...".
Not now. I'm very surprised at how little I care. I really don't care. I have been telling those folks that the data base is a mess and should be redesigned, and I even contributed a significant amount of money last year earmarked for hiring a DB expert, and nothing has been done. And now I'm just happy to be out of it.
After we update the database, we do a backup onto a floppy disk (yeah, floppy). So if he does screw it up, it can be repaired. Well, today, he did the backup following the instructions. It was interesting that the system went through the whole process, including where it says that there are already copies, should it overwrite? and we answer yes and then it says backup complete.
However, he had forgotten to put the floppy in the drive. There was NO floppy in the drive.
So, uh, where did the backup copy go? Hard drive? The same hard drive the original is on? Not wise.
Given the new guy's propensity to destroy records, maybe I should follow up on that. Alert Russ that either there IS NO backup, or the backup is somewhere other than the floppy everybody thinks it's on.
.
I went back to the museum today, and the new guy came in, and we processed a few payments that had come in, and sent out membership cards for them, AND sent out renewal reminders for October renewals. So now he has gone through the complete cycle once. I told him to call me when he's ready to do the next batch, and I'll sit in.
He did worry me at one point. He was supposed to be creating a new member record, and I glanced over, and instead of filling in a blank record, he was overwriting an existing record. Huh? It worries me that he didn't seem to see anything wrong with that, that he didn't recognize that there was a problem.
The really surprising part is that I'm not worried about it. Not so very long ago I'd be afraid that he'd screw up the data base, that records will go missing or be duplicated, I'd be riding him to understand every aspect so he'd anticipate the ramifications of his actions, and eventually I might go to the powers and say "Um, I don't think he can handle it...".
Not now. I'm very surprised at how little I care. I really don't care. I have been telling those folks that the data base is a mess and should be redesigned, and I even contributed a significant amount of money last year earmarked for hiring a DB expert, and nothing has been done. And now I'm just happy to be out of it.
After we update the database, we do a backup onto a floppy disk (yeah, floppy). So if he does screw it up, it can be repaired. Well, today, he did the backup following the instructions. It was interesting that the system went through the whole process, including where it says that there are already copies, should it overwrite? and we answer yes and then it says backup complete.
However, he had forgotten to put the floppy in the drive. There was NO floppy in the drive.
So, uh, where did the backup copy go? Hard drive? The same hard drive the original is on? Not wise.
Given the new guy's propensity to destroy records, maybe I should follow up on that. Alert Russ that either there IS NO backup, or the backup is somewhere other than the floppy everybody thinks it's on.
.
Monday, October 01, 2007
1488 Museum Sigh
Monday, October 1, 2007
Last Wednesday the new guy and I had agreed to meet today at the Maritime Museum to continue the transfer of the membership responsibilities.
I got there on time. He never showed up, and did not answer his phone.
So I finished up the September payments myself, and printed and mailed the membership cards. Sigh. I thought I'd be finished with this part today. Since he didn't get to do the membership cards, that means I have to babysit with him the next time cards have to be done. There are so many tiny "if-then" details that you just can't document, and so many things you have to SEE done to understand it. Wasted opportunity today.
Renewal reminder letters for October have to go out to people by the end of this week, and I'll be very annoyed if he can't make it in for that. Doing things myself gets them done, but doesn't get it transferred to him.
Oh, well. Maybe it's not all bad....
There are some real Venetian gondolas, with singing gondoliers, traveling down the Hudson River, headed for NYC. They started from Albany this morning, will be staying overnight up the river (Athens, I think), are expected to arrive at the Maritime Museum docks by 4 pm tomorrow, and will be camping overnight on the museum grounds tomorrow night. If I have to go in tomorrow, maybe I'll get to meet them and visit the gondolas.
.
Last Wednesday the new guy and I had agreed to meet today at the Maritime Museum to continue the transfer of the membership responsibilities.
I got there on time. He never showed up, and did not answer his phone.
So I finished up the September payments myself, and printed and mailed the membership cards. Sigh. I thought I'd be finished with this part today. Since he didn't get to do the membership cards, that means I have to babysit with him the next time cards have to be done. There are so many tiny "if-then" details that you just can't document, and so many things you have to SEE done to understand it. Wasted opportunity today.
Renewal reminder letters for October have to go out to people by the end of this week, and I'll be very annoyed if he can't make it in for that. Doing things myself gets them done, but doesn't get it transferred to him.
Oh, well. Maybe it's not all bad....
There are some real Venetian gondolas, with singing gondoliers, traveling down the Hudson River, headed for NYC. They started from Albany this morning, will be staying overnight up the river (Athens, I think), are expected to arrive at the Maritime Museum docks by 4 pm tomorrow, and will be camping overnight on the museum grounds tomorrow night. If I have to go in tomorrow, maybe I'll get to meet them and visit the gondolas.
.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
1487 Who is Robert Devaren?
I get maybe four spam emails a day on my AOL id, and six on the Yahoo id, which is pretty good, I guess. Almost all of it goes directly into the spam folder, so I don't even see it unless I open that folder.
Other people report more. I have to wonder what web sites they visit.
Most of what I get are offers for drugs. When Jay was sick and I couldn't get out to the store, I bought a lot of sickroom supplies online, like bed pads, hospital gowns, swabs, adult diapers, and so on, so I guess I'm on those lists. And I visit a lot of investment advice sites, so that accounts for all the new stock offers.
On AOL I'm still using Jay's userid, which is decidedly male, so that might account for the penis enlargement and Viagra ads, and the "come see my explicit video" offers.
Altogether I have ten or more email ids, on four different services, and they are all very different from one another.
But now there's a new twist.
On about half the spam the past two weeks or so on ALL of my email ids the subject line is personally addressed to somebody named "Robert Devaren". Like: "ATTN: Robert Devaren You are eligible for...", or "Robert Devaren it's time to renew your subscription".
Always "Robert Devaren", never any other name.
I Googled "Robert Devaren", and there is a guy by that name who bowls at Burnt Hill Lanes, in Burnt Hills, NY, which is near Schenectady, just up the road about an hour.
Isn't this odd? A friend says that spam generators will sometimes chose a name that seems close to the email id to make it look more like they "know" you, but "Robert Devaren" is nowhere NEAR either my real name or Jay's, and nothing like any of my ids.
It doesn't make any sense.
.
Other people report more. I have to wonder what web sites they visit.
Most of what I get are offers for drugs. When Jay was sick and I couldn't get out to the store, I bought a lot of sickroom supplies online, like bed pads, hospital gowns, swabs, adult diapers, and so on, so I guess I'm on those lists. And I visit a lot of investment advice sites, so that accounts for all the new stock offers.
On AOL I'm still using Jay's userid, which is decidedly male, so that might account for the penis enlargement and Viagra ads, and the "come see my explicit video" offers.
Altogether I have ten or more email ids, on four different services, and they are all very different from one another.
But now there's a new twist.
On about half the spam the past two weeks or so on ALL of my email ids the subject line is personally addressed to somebody named "Robert Devaren". Like: "ATTN: Robert Devaren You are eligible for...", or "Robert Devaren it's time to renew your subscription".
Always "Robert Devaren", never any other name.
I Googled "Robert Devaren", and there is a guy by that name who bowls at Burnt Hill Lanes, in Burnt Hills, NY, which is near Schenectady, just up the road about an hour.
Isn't this odd? A friend says that spam generators will sometimes chose a name that seems close to the email id to make it look more like they "know" you, but "Robert Devaren" is nowhere NEAR either my real name or Jay's, and nothing like any of my ids.
It doesn't make any sense.
.
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