| So there's this spider... |
[Aug. 24th, 2009|10:04 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  scared | ] |
...who keeps building huge spiderwebs between the hedge in my front yard and my car. I've knocked down a couple of them, once by walking into it while taking out the trash, and once because I, you know, had to use my car. I thought the last spiderweb had been destroyed, as he built it basically on top of my car, and I drove away, thinking he would be blown away and would find another home to build spiderwebs on. But a few minutes ago I went outside, and damned if there's not another huge spiderweb directly between my car and the hedge. Seriously, it's like 2 feet across. And he's just sitting there, in the exact middle of it.
I'm not really scared of spiders. Cockroaches I hate with a vengeance; every time I see one, every molecule in my body screams "kill it kill it KILL IT!!" I'm wary of snakes, I'm not a huge fan of lizards, and I'm scared to death of wasps, bees, and large flying insects regardless of whether they're actually poisonous. (I recently freaked out because of a huge moth.) But spiders don't scare me, I just keep my distance from them and examine them curiously from about two feet away. And they eat mosquitoes, so extra bonus.
And I've gotta give it to this one. He's a tenacious little fucker, to be sure. Not very smart, as he can't manage to create a spiderweb based in a more secure location than a large metal object that moves. Daily. And he can build spiderwebs that are two feet in diameter in a matter of 2-3 hours. (Why do I assume it's a he? I should research that.)
THE POINT: If I were a religious or spiritual person who looked for the meaning in things, I think I would see this as some sort of sign: build a foundation regardless of whether the foundation is solid. Buy a house and quit bitching about the lack of stability in your life; do what you want and roll with the punches. You're strong enough, you're smart enough, and you'll figure it out as it happens, because you always do. Don't be afraid to rebuild, because while failing is scary, never trying is even scarier.
But I'm not. And at the end of the day, it's just a spider.
...Right? |
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| LiveJournal, MySpace, and Facebook: A Personal Investigation |
[Aug. 24th, 2009|07:39 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  dorky | ] |
I've been on LiveJournal since 2000. I really like the blog atmosphere, the potential anonymity; you're only as known as you want to be, and should real life come knocking, it's easy enough to change faces. That's kind of an Internet standard anyway, so it's no surprise. But blogs are almost like a conversation; I've got this idea to share, I'm throwing it out there, and people can respond, or not, as they see fit. The community concept provides an easy way to meet like-minded people without having to troll multiple message boards on your lunch break.
MySpace is like that to an extent, but there's more media available, and you have your permanent ideas or media always available on your home page, but your blog is almost secondary. It's more of a digital representation of what you want the Internet to see of yourself; pictures, embedded media, color schemes, extremely involved design, etc. And it's relatively easy to use, for the cheap seats that don't want to mess around with things like style sheets or javascript. I don't see quite as much sense of community there, though.
Facebook is like...I dunno. The Internet on crack. It's got games, blogs, memes, some embedded media, a visually overwhelming (but largely colorless) home page, and Twitter-like status updates that boil conversations down to their very essence, which in turn removes a lot of the flavor. I don't think I have the ADHD required to actually be a Facebook junkie, but I have spent more time there lately. (The iPhone app helps make it a bit more palatable.) You can become a "fan" of something, but I don't see many people having involved conversations about specific topics.
So which do I prefer? Well obviously if it were Facebook, I would have updated my status to "zomg Facebook rules! haha" instead of posting this lengthy comparison here. While I'll probably also post this as a blog entry in my MySpace, I know it won't be read by anyone as far out as you guys. (zomg Canada!) I've consistently fought against the shortening of conceptual communication to netspeak, and I think there should continue to be a centralized place for more involved discourse, even if the subject isn't exactly theoretical physics. :)
I guess my conclusion is rather banal: for each type of communication, there is a medium for it. I plan to stay on LJ, enjoy MySpace, and attempt to be more open-minded toward the natural evolution of the 'net. After all, as fast as technology moves, you gotta keep up. But that doesn't mean I'm going to come up with my own Twitter feed. Not yet, anyway. |
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| SO CLOSE |
[Jun. 22nd, 2009|12:19 am] |
I don't know how much I've talked about it, but I'm getting my MIS (Masters of Information Systems -- I call it the MBA for IT) from University of Phoenix.
I have an A average. When I graduated with my Bachelors of English, I think my GPA was something like a 2.74. I'm mixed on this; I don't feel I've been through a full Master's program, but I will emerge from this with a brand new degree and a wonderful overview of what it means to work in IT. Now that I've got the overview, I need the details.
So far, my favorite classes have been programming and disaster recovery. They both speak to my need to be in total control of the situation, though why I didn't care for systems analysis I will never know. But I have...call them friends...who maybe can help me get the details down. I want to change jobs, understand more of the meat and potatoes of the computer industry, and get a better grasp of technology. I just don't know where to start.
In other news...I'M GOING TO SEATTLE ZOMG!!! Can you tell I'm excited? This is my celebration for my 30th birthday, even though my actual birthdate is in November. It doesn't even feel real yet, but it's starting to. Especially since I've got an enormous mound of laundry on my stripped bed waiting to be folded and packed. Man. I've gotta sleep, this is some bullshit...
More later :)
--M* |
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| Hey hey hey! |
[Jun. 19th, 2009|01:34 pm] |
I downloaded the LJ app for iPhone :D So far I can only post from it, but I'm hoping at some point it will provide a broader scope of services. The autotags are nifty :) Only four and a half more hours of the mind-numbing tedium that is work. And then? SEATTLE BABY!! I am currently taking souvenir requests, so act now, offer ends soon! :) Posted via LiveJournal.app. |
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| You know... |
[May. 28th, 2009|11:12 pm] |
I have decided that the worst conversation starter in the history of ever is:
"Is that a good book?"
Picture this. I'm sitting outside, on break, on a bench underneath a tree. I've got my nose deep in a paperback, and am apparently oblivious to the fact that you just walked up to me and have been standing there for the past 45 seconds. I'm either really enjoying the book, in which case the question has already been answered, or I'm ignoring you, in which case you shouldn't ask it anyway. And yet you ask, which forces me to break my reverie or my pretense, and answer you in some way that you will find meaningful.
Now, okay, there are exceptions. You're a cute guy, for example, and you think I'm pretty cute too. Or it's a book you've seen at the bookstore, and you want my honest, literary opinion of it, in which case you should probably ask a different question: something like "I've seen that around, does it live up to the hype?" or "How does that compare with his first novel?" or "What's the underlying theme?" (wherein you should also note how far into the book I am, but nicely done anyway). Something that means you're honestly curious about my answer.
But the question "is that a good book?" implies that you are simply trying to start a conversation for the sake of not feeling alone. And if you've ever been in the middle of a really good, focused read, you'll already know the irritation of being interrupted. My suggestion? Unless you're planning on asking me to dinner, pick a different damned bench, and watch the freaking squirrels. It's mating season. They're fascinating. Seriously. |
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| Another one for my readers |
[May. 28th, 2009|02:30 am] |
I have to highly praise Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. I'm on page 609 of 933, and I've been reading nonstop since 7:30 this evening (note the time of post!). A paragraph to share with you the awesomeness that is this writer:
"When the dancers slowly entered the space, singing love, they stopped as one and stamped their feet. They twirled in place, turning clockwise in perfect unison. Their arms moved with the grace of a swan's neck. Their hands and fingers rolled and swirled like silk scarves sailing the wind. Then suddenly they stamped their feet three times, and the musicians struck up a wild, enravishing rendition of that month's most popular movie song. And with the cheering in every throat around them, the girls danced into a million dreams."
This book is incredible, and I don't say that lightly. The language is...tangible; the images are easy, the plot is complex, and the characters are deep with emotion and personality. When I borrowed this from my friend Kristin, she said it had easily landed within her top five favorite books. It's quickly climbing the ranks of mine, and even the philosophy exposed here counters the Randian muck I waded through in high school.
Give it a read. Tell me what you think.
Crossposting to ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) bibilophiles |
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| And there's more |
[Apr. 17th, 2009|11:32 pm] |
Rick Perry.
You.
Are.
A.
Dumbass.
I was reading through some posts on various articles discussing Perry's thinly veiled threat that Texas would secede from the union if things don't get better. I spiderwebbed over to an article about State Rep Betty Brown (R) who, in a conversation about voter identification legislation, tried to convince others that Chinese people should change their names so Americans can pronounce them. /boggle
One poster's comment made me laugh, and then immediately after made me sad:
"There's stupid, and then there's Texas stupid."
Can you impeach someone just for being an idiot? |
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| Happy Days |
[Apr. 5th, 2009|12:15 am] |
I got myself a new office chair today!
I'd been dealing with my landlord's cast-off office chair for the past six months or so. It was hard, short, uncomfortable, and I hated it -- but it was all I had. I stopped by Best Buy today and found this baby:
Init Mesh Back Executive Office Chair
The online price is $199.99. To be sure, that's what it rang up as. But the sticker said $129.99, and after a short discussion and presentation of said sticker, that's what I paid. Sure, it looks like a 25th-century torture device, but man, is it comfortable! I've been sitting in it on and off for the past six hours (homework, streaming video from network TV sites, various internet experiences) and my butt hasn't fallen asleep yet. I can even curl up in it, utilizing various comfy poses, with impunity. I am, as they say, a happy camper.
There's another one at the Willowbrook Best Buy on 1960 by 249, if anyone's interested. Hope they didn't change the sticker. |
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| And I just can't hide it |
[Mar. 14th, 2009|01:30 am] |
| [ | mood |
| |  optimistic | ] |
I paid to use TurboTax for this year's return (yay, $525!) and, with that, got a free pass for Quicken Online. At this point, I can't say enough about this new thing I've discovered.
( Quicken Online Rocks!! ) |
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| (no subject) |
[Mar. 9th, 2009|12:47 am] |
Bored and watching old episodes of My Own Worst Enemy, I come across a scene between the main character and some integral IT guy. The dialog:
IT: [Blah blah blah] We have rules.
Main Guy: Why don't you give me an hour to watch baseball highlights, and I won't tell Mavis that you're playing World of Warcraft on our billion-dollar mainframe.
IT: (shamefaced, he minimizes a huge, expensive-looking window on a Hollywood FBI screen.) Fine.
My first thought on seeing the screen: "Hey, that's one of the best quests in the game!" (To be fair, it was a flying daily. :P) |
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| Wow |
[Feb. 15th, 2009|05:12 pm] |
Have y'all seen Dollhouse? Joss Whedon, Eliza Dushku strike again. I'm hoping this gets the awesome publicity and corporate credence that Firefly never did.
It's a good goddamn series. |
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| And into the 20th century |
[Sep. 28th, 2008|09:26 pm] |
So this weekend I bought an iPhone. Say what you will about Apple's monopolistic qualities or the overhype that the iPhone has gotten. I love this thing. I mean seriously. Who needs a man when you've got the internet at your fingertips, anywhere, anytime? 3G, baby, and 16 gigs. That's just plain sexy.
*tears up* It's...so...beautiful...
( But the naming convention is weird. ) |
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| Finally... |
[Sep. 18th, 2008|01:19 am] |
| [ | Tags | | | ike | ] |
| [ | mood |
| |  cheerful | ] |
I have power.
Not Thundercats (HOOOOO!!) power, but actual electricity combined with the DSL of Awesomeness. Let me just say that Ike SUCKED. The storm was nothing. The having to go without AC in a Houston August? FUCK THAT. Let me say that again.
FUCK THAT.
Alright, I'm better now.
I did fine, property-wise. Some fence damage. Jeff (friend first, landlord second, unless I'm late on the rent) stayed with me since, well, he lives on a boat in Kemah, and so he brought his cat and crashed on my couch for a couple nights. It was nice to have the company. When he found out his boat (as well as his Miata) was FINE, he skedaddled, and I can't say's I blame him; I'm not winning any Best Hostess awards. But whatever.
I finally got electricity back tonight. I was reading a book that Crystal loaned to me and all of a sudden the alarm goes off in an unending, unearthly beep. Then I hear whoops and hollers through the open-window screens with no real explanation. I have no idea what's going on until I hear my answering machine start clicking, and then I whoop and holler myself, close all the windows, and turn on the AC. Six days without air conditioning. I think that's a gorram record for me.
Perhaps I should let the University of Phoenix know I'm back online...
...maybe tomorrow. It's late, I'm tired, and there are covers to snuggle under now that I've actually got an ambient temperature of less than 80.
Whoop! Holla! |
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| Now with extra kitteh! |
[Aug. 18th, 2008|08:54 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  bored | ] |
***WARNING*** There is absolutely nothing substantial in this post.
I'm catsitting Slayer Murderface while Chris is in North Carolina for a week, and it's been really fun having another feline in the house. Of course, as usual, Willow is pissed as hell and they have hissing matches every 20 minutes or so. Unlike Willow, though, Slayer is a total attention junkie and is still in the cute, playful kitten phase. (Sometimes it's not so cute -- like when he digs in the catbox and throws all the...lumps...on the floor -- but I still gotta laugh.)
In other news, I realized I've hit my quota for online media. I've got a Livejournal, a MySpace page, and a Facebook, and I can't seem to keep up with any of them satisfactorily. I'm thinking of cutting down, and if I do, it'll be Facebook that gets the hatchet. It's ugly and tedious and extremely annoying.
But we'll see.
I just discovered Hulu! Hulu ROCKS! |
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| Haaaaa! |
[Jul. 23rd, 2008|11:29 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  procrastinatory | ] |
This is freakin' COOL!
Just, you know. FYI. |
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| Fred's an asshole. |
[Jul. 22nd, 2008|11:09 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  bitchy | ] |
So my company decided to push Fred on us. I think Fred is either an idiot, an asshole, or a retiree with brain damage. But apparently he's the new name in corporate optimism. So, in response to the self-help shlep, I wrote this...
( The Frank Factor ) |
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| OMG! |
[Jul. 19th, 2008|06:44 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  excited | ] |
I'm going to PAX!
I'M GOING TO PAX!
I'm excited. :) |
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| New userpic! |
[Jul. 10th, 2008|10:59 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  geeky | ] |
So thanks to cowboyzydeco's recommendations, I started reading manga. I began my journey with Densha Otoko and have moved on to Yotsuba and am enjoying it immensely.
I've always enjoyed the anime I've watched (with the exception of La Blue Girl, because hentai is uberWTF, but Cowboy Bebop rocked imo), and reading from right to left has been an interesting experience for me, especially as a proofreader. I found myself really relating to Yotsuba's crazy silly innocent determination, so I decided to look around for some images...and, well, Yotsuba + cats? Honey, someone's got me pegged. I just have this strange urge to caption it in Impact...
I know I'm still dipping my toe in the immense pool that is Japanese entertainment. But if I'm gonna dabble, I might as well enjoy myself. Right?
Right! XD |
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