The moments that make up the dull day

So my boss has offered me the chance to work on my scheduled vacation days, so, you know, I don't have to take as much vacation. Oh sure.

So that's what I'm even doing today, because that's what I do. I like my vacation days and would like to eventually use them for a real vacation.

However, something has gone kablooie with the external hard drive I've been working from. So I'm spending the day repairing the thing instead of progressing on real work. Sigh.

Hope your weekends are going much better.

Obscure Updatery

For thos of you who don't know what this is about, don't worry. It isn't anything I feel I can talk about openly. Just know that it't not an emergency, it's a planned proceedure. And this will take me away from blogging for a little bit (although I'm finding I have some time right at the moment).

For those of you in the know, just a little updatery. Everything went the way we thought it would. They did end up having to open up instead of laproscopocally. We're resting well, in more pain than is usual. And we are looking at a discharge date of tomorrow.

Sorry for being semicryptic but I know some of you were concerned and getting in touch with everybody isn't possible at the moment. I'm disabling comments for this post. Just know we should be back to our regularly scheduled programming early next week.

Anatomy and Physiology I

Over and done. On the last tests I scored a 48/50 on the practical and 98/100 (106 possible with bonus). While I scored higher than the average (84/100), I still didn't break 100, which is disappointing. Seven people did (highest score was 104). But then, I also missed the last week of lecture because I had to be in Natural Bridge (photos forth coming) for business. If I've done the math correctly, I'll still have a 101% grade.

So now that class is done, I can apply for the Radiologic Tech and Nursing (Evenings/Weekend option) programs. Expected wait time, two years. Maybe longer. My app credentials are, tested out of basic math (well, I did pass Calc II in a previous life), 99th percentile on the placement test, A on Cell Biology and an A in A&P I. I wonder if that qualifies me?

While waiting to get in the program, I still have a few classes I can take: A&P II, Med Term II, Microbiology, and a speech class (because the butt-head chair doesn't want to return calls, no, serious, I've been giving public speeches for 8 years every month, I've been a panelist at conventions, etc. and you don't want to talk about testing out?). All the other prereqs and outside program courses will then be done. Oh, yeah, I also have to take CPR (of which I used to be an instructor back in the day) and get a ton of immunizations.

There we are. Fortunately I have the same professor for A&P II, he's really good. Tough, but he knows his subject and he imparts the material with humor and enthusiasm. Four weeks until classes start again.

Hey, ho, way to go Ohio

Well, as Dan knows, I'm a notorious cheapskate when it comes to paying for anything online. At my home, my local community can get cable modem access form the local little telecom. Except for my development. Apparently the cable the developed buried has too much noise to signal ratio and the local telecom is unwilling to replace it, or to install the signal repeaters where they have line extenders. About four years ago I was supposed to be a beta tester for their new DSL equipment. Never was. After it was installed (two years later), I asked how much per month.

$45, for DSL, from a 3rd tier provider (no, seriously, I've done the trace routes, 8 or more hops before getting to a backbone router, you aren't a 1st tier no matter what you want to tell me). Yeah. In 2008, $45 for DSL. So I said no to that.

Now I need to have broadband in the home so I can connect to my work servers. The local telecom is offering a bundle where adding broadband will get it to me for $30. Still highway robbery when DSL is $20-$25 elsewhere. And, again, not exactly sparkling service.

Then can install it on January 18th. You know, because we've had a big snow storm. Uh, yeah. Telecom FAIL!

So, you know, when I hear about letting business regulate themselves, or removing regulation blah blah blah. Yeah, not so much. A month plus time frame because of the "big snowstorm?" Really? Hello, roads are clear. I just went stomping through my yard with boat shoes on (I didn't want to take the time to lace up the boots). A month? You know, if I could actually get tech support from you all ("we don't know macs" - um, bits are bits), or I cared about the other crap you offer, I might be a little more agreeable, but basically over the ten years I've been here I've been reduced by to just needing the local telecom as a dial tone to the internet. Because I can't get anything else to work (yeah, I'm sure you've solved the problems by now, when I can't get your email to work for a month, sorry, don't need it anymore).

Really, 10 seconds away for ordering a Verizon MiFi device. It might cost me more, but it'll be faster, and I probably can get it tomorrow (if I had time to get to the store).

Linkee-poo stares into the snowy abyss

Dan point to a leaked document (no, not those leaked documents) about the EPA registering an insecticide that may have helped contribute to bee colony collapse. Great. Thanks, guys. BTW, you're the ones who are supposed to be protecting us from this kinda crap. This is what happens when you run your government "like a business" and put ideology above empirical data.

Tobias is talking about economics. Specifically how Germany went from the economic drag in the EU, to it's main driving force (in fact now Germans worry about other countries dragging them down). The article he links to also has some good info, and is in direct contrast to where the US Economy went. Notice how their stimulus helped them respond quickly when the world economy showed signs of recovery. Notice how they're heavily unionized, and not focused on the finance sector. Hmm, pretty much the opposite of what we're doing (and especially opposed to those loud voices doing armchair quarterbacking of the economy). The article doesn't mention, however, that one of the reasons the German economy wasn't considered so strong was the lingering effects of unification, which it seems they've finally surmounted.

Ken McConnell wants to remind you to buy his new novel, Tyrmia, this Friday. Ken's doing some cool work. You should check him out. You know, if you like big space stories told from a personal view.

And you may have heard of a judge in VA finding the individual mandate clause in the HCR Act as unconstitutional. How can you miss it. It's been on the news every 15 minutes, if I counted correctly. It's horrible, it's tragic. We're all going to hell in a handbag and that nasty law can get tossed out now. You know, except that two other Federal Judges have already ruled it Constitutional (didn't hear about that? Ah, your liberal media at work). And the judge in question has made a few basic errors. Not to mention, part of his decision is based on a conflict with a VA Constitutional Amendment which was passed specifically to disallow an individual mandate. Except, last I checked, Federal Law trumps State Law (which trumps Local Law - there are exceptions, as when the local law is more restrictive/punitive than the higher law, but it can't change the circumstances or definitions). Of course, the judge is a GW appointee, and so puts ideology before actual facts, IMHO. Oh, you haven't heard he was a GW Judge, unlike when a decision is handed down form a Clinton appointee and you hear about it all over the place? Yep, your liberal media at work again.

Commercials These Days - the Curmudgeon is Curmudgeonly

There's this Heineken commercial which shows an event with dancing (probably a wedding). The player gets two Heineken from the bar and goes to ask hot chick to dance. On way to table he sees another player strike out. There's a moment of being shaken, then he develops a plan and moves in, gives the girl the Heineken, and then asks the older lady sitting next to the hot girl (presumably the mother) to dance, while eyeing the hot chick he dances with the mother. Hot chick then gives the eyes down, head lowered, "he's so cute look, I'll give in," movement.

Instead my brain says, "Aw, he so cute working my mother to get to me." Yeah, that's the kind of guy you want to date.

Then there's the new Ketel One Vodka ads. The one with the hunt club (guys who go to bars to pick up chicks, but often then leave together recounting how they could have had the hot chick, if they wanted to) that's standing outside the club in the rain and then hail a cab, only to have the cab taken by two hot chicks. Three guys, two hot chicks. But it doesn't matter because the guys let the hot chicks have the cab and then give each other a "well, we scored points with that." Yes, you scored points with the hot chicks you'll never see again, oh, and who probably didn't realize you gave up the cab for them.

Tag line? "Ketel One Vodka, for guys too dumb to get out of the rain while waiting for a cab."

The ubiquitous "buy a car as a present" commercials. Really? Ah, the gift that keeps sucking your wallet dry. It's a wonderful gift with a 60 month recurring bill. Also add in to this the "get a cell phone for the holidays." Uh, yeah. Gee, thanks. Glad you got me the $50 a month data plan and four year contract. I don't know what to say.

And then there's the "Santa Sells Everything" ads. Gee, I'm glad there's a War of Christmas, because if I saw one more commercial that has Christmas Lights, Santa, etc I think I'd have an overdose of saccharine cookies and egg nog. Hell, even the TCM set where Robert Osborne gives us the low-down on the movie (actually, I really like that) has wreathes with candles.

And then, because you can believe everything you read on billboards, the Rapture is coming March 21, 2011. Damn, I won't have my book done by then. I wonder if I can a money back guarantee on that? Another candidate in the long line of Millerites.

And thinking about billboards, remember how we were going to see the GW Bush, "Miss Me Yet" billboards all over? Yeah, I haven't seen any either. I guess we don't miss him at all.

One Linkee-poo, all the others are delayed on account of snow

Let the waffling begin. Yeah, see, tax cuts don't add to the deficit, because it's only spending that adds to the deficit, not anything like, say, cutting your revenue source without cutting spending at the same time. No, nothing like that. Hey conservatives (ie. the Tea Party) who promised to hold peoples' feet to the fire, I'm waiting. And to paraphrase someone, how's that "can you hear us know" chanty thing working so far (and keep in mind, the conservatives aren't even in power yet). But, as I see the news, the Tea Party isn't so much against the tax cuts as they're against more "stimulus" spending (actually mostly more tax cuts) and extended unemployment. Which reminds me, heard a news report last week how one Tea Party activist is angry about any (and I mean any) unemployment benefits ('cause it indoctrinates people to not work and expect to be on the dole) even though when he was unemployed for 6 months last year he made damn sure he got his checks from unemployment (I believe it was as I was dial flipping in Virginia and landed on Rush). Irony, surely thou art dead.

Linkee-poo contemplates the snowpocalypse

Forecast for tomorrow, via WYSU, "A fair amount of snow." The final is tomorrow. And I need to get studying.

A few years ago I did a post describing an epiphany about editing. That was the realiziation that not only did I need to edit the words I was using, but I also needed to edit the story. I don't think I described it very well (although I grok it, I think). However, Benjamin Tate does a better job of describing what I meant. Yeah, scene economy. Add in a little of scene timing and order and you have what I was getting at.

Random Michelle shares excellent comparison. Yay cookies! And for the "Do you know someone who visits terrorist-related websites?" Why, yes. Yes I do. Most of them work at Ft. Meade.

Well, that didn't take long. I'm sure if we don't call them earmarks those people who elected us on our platform of ending earmarks won't really notice. Ah, that principled conservatism.

Linkee-poo is saying it's cold outside

When I was in art school, one of my favorite photography subjects was the sky. And I took some pretty cool pictures. None, however, match up to these. I love heavy weather (including the album) and those photos are just fabulous.

Tobias shares the apps he can't live without. I'm surprised to find several I'm already using that I never talked with Tobias about.

And a PolitiFact article on Bernie Sanders' claims (of income distribution inequity). Kinda strange to have an actual Socialist (as opposed to the "Obama=Socialist" errors going on, which stem from the November 2008 RNC meeting where they came out saying that basically "Liberal" no longer had the stigma they had worked so long to engender it with - see GOPAC Memo - so they decided to use "Socialist" instead) speaking truth to power. The article has links to the research that shows the inequality.

Story Bone

From misreading my blog reader (I sometimes transfigure several lines of text into one mashed up text, it's my own reading disability).

"Reading at the speed of Star Trek."

I have no idea what it means, but it's pinging in the back of my head. Maybe it'll do something better for you.

Oh Lord, stuck in Roanoke, VA

Trying to get back to Ohio. Currently sitting here in the airport. My original flight was delayed. However the earlier flight was also delayed. And then there's the larger plane out of Philly that they brought in and are transferring to the earlier flight, which was supposed to leave at 5:30am. So they're transferring those of us on the 11:20 flight to the earlier flight, which will now leave at about the same time as my original flight. You all got that so far?

Joy. But the good news is that I should make my connecting flight. However I haven't had any time to crack open the book to study. And with the doubled up flight I doubt I'm going to have the room to do so on the flight. Happy happy. Fortunately I think we're benifitting from the legendary southern gentileness.

Not a good way to start the day.

Did You Ever Notice

That there are people in this world you just don't seem to be able to have anything go well for them? Especially when it involves dealing with other people who are providing services. That their food is delayed or their bookings get screwed up or reservations get dropped.

Have you also ever noticed how those people typically aren't the nicest people to deal with, even when you're not in those situations described above? The people you'd rather gnaw your own arm off instead of having to deal with them?

Yeah. I'm beginning to think there is some causality here. One that they don't seem to understand.