Quote of the Week

"Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?"
"I think so Brain, but 'instant karma' always gets so lumpy."

--The Brain; Pinky, in Animaniacs

Woohoo!

I don't have to go to work tomorrow!

And gabefinder will be going to Rites of Spring!

It's a good day. :)

feathers

I'm looking for a couple raven feathers.

I can't find them available anywhere. I have coyote teeth and fox claws, but I can't find raven feathers. And I don't get anywhere where there are ravens around. Crows, yes, but not ravens.

If anybody finds a couple molted feathers lying around, could you mail them to me?

Indigestion

Our problem staff has been terminated, as of this morning. Now the real chaos begins, as we try to do this job with one less staff. And yet, lunch was the first meal I've eaten in days that my stomach didn't promptly tie itself into knots around. Coincidence?

In the Nooooze!

"If we weren't in a 10-year drought, we wouldn't be having this conversation." --Dan Bates

A friend of mine, a civil engineer, says that most of his job is making sure water flows downhill. How come developers don't have to take this class in college or something?

And in other news, more excuses to skip school. This is actually a very serious issue, and the magnate school is probably doing it for the right reasons. But I remember being in high school during the Rodney King riots (don't laugh), and I'm sorry, the walk-out was an excuse not to go to fifth period. (For the record, I was one of three students in my Spanish class who showed up anyway).

Pretty Pictures

I love her hair.

I love the water in this one, and the shot that reveals nothing, but reveals everything inbetween.

Look at the lighting here. Yes, the lighting. Not her breasts. Well, okay, you can look at those, too, but that's not what takes my breath away.

The contrast in textures is strikingly exquisite.

Owwie.

Why is it that moving makes muscles hurt that I only otherwise exercise when bellydancing?

I also got myself with the roll of stretchy wrap. If the bruise on my cheekbone ever comes up, not only will I look like somebody's beating me, it'll look like they can't aim.

Fatigue

We have, within the IT department, reached a baseline level of fatigue at which we are beginning to make mistakes.

I came home from work and lay down. Phone rang. Never quite got to sleep. Got up and ate. Regretted it afterward.

My boss has given strict instructions that I am to get other people to move systems out to the van for the move of ten or so workstations to the temporary office. I think he's looking out for me. Or maybe he just thinks I'll drop them.

I'm going back to bed, now. Hoping for sleep this time.

spammity spammity spam

Okay, that's it. It's official. My beloved e-mail account is drowning in spam, despite my having boosted the filtering quite high and customized it to death. When you get 50-60 spam e-mails a day, an annoying number of them are just bound to get through.

I'm thinking of going with my own domain this time around, and paying for some service that allows you to do multipe e-mail addresses. I need POP/SMTP and webmail, and I'd like the flexibility of being able to use one address for registrations that might collect spam and need to be dumped, one for friends and family, and one for professional purposes. I'm looking at GoDaddy and Yahoo! right now in terms of registrar and e-mail provider. Anybody have any thoughts on either, or an e-mail provider they'd like to recommend?

ASIMO

While at Disneyland, we went into Innoventions for . . . not enough time. I felt like I barely got to look around. Innoventions is what they've done with that old, round building. It has an outer ring that rotates at 1 mph that brings you into the building, and inside are all kinds of exhibits and interactives in terms of science and technology.

The biggest thing we got to do while there was see a demonstration of ASIMO, Honda's humanoid robot which conquers the problem of bipedal locomotion. Walking is not nearly as easy as it seems--they've been working on it for 20-odd years. ASIMO is about 4' high--a height they determined was appropriate for human assistance, including or especially assistance of people with physical disabilities. It can recognize faces based on images it collects, spontaneously remind you to do things, and climb up and down stairs. And dance.

It has the voice of a child. This is . . . oddly creepy. It makes sense, given the height of the robot. But everyone I was with had the same reaction: It was just creepy. It should have been a woman's voice. We wanted it to be a woman's voice. There was this odd sense of "it's trying to be like our children." And we're the pro-technology crowd, mind you.

The way it could learn to recognize faces and greet people, and make spontaneous reminders, was impressive to me. Not more impressive than climbing stairs, but more disconcerting. It made me start thinking of terms like "limited artificial intelligence." Someone who answered my question about artificial intelligence summarized: "If it seems intelligent, then it probably is." If not intelligent, then . . . significantly autonomous.

The lead-up to the demonstration was a brief video on the history of robots, citing Leonardo Da Vinci's moving suit of armor as the first, and Mr. Lincoln as an early example of Disney's involvement with robots. Then is when I realized that we draw a line between "robots" and "animatronics" in common parlance. AIBO is a robotic dog. That thing on the assembly line is a robotic arm. But we call none of these things "robots." After talking with several other people, I've decided it's not just me: When we say "robots," we generally mean "androids."

I spent half the demonstration marveling with the rest of the crowd, and half of it thinking about the level of disconcertion and creepiness. I was reminded of the 1950s movies about people's first encounters with robots. And that's when I realized that we've had fifty or sixty years to get used to the idea of robots. Can you imagine what it would be like to see a robot for the first time with no idea what it is? This machine that looks like us, walks like us, and sounds like a human child? There's a level of threat there that's entirely subconscious and was, for me, completely unavoidable. This did not meet my control needs at all, but I couldn't seem to turn it off.

I heard that it's advised that until androids can look exactly like humans, that they look different enough that you can't mistake them for anything else but robots. Because of that psychological thing going on with regards to threat-level. I hadn't agreed with it . . . until I saw one in person. Now, I think I see the point.

So . . . ASIMO is very, very cool. The way the hip joints work is amazing. The technology is incredible. And Journey is . . .

. . . very, very disconcerted.

Quote of the Week

"It was either golf or drinking myself to death. There's less vomiting in golf."

--Alice Cooper

Robert Frost

Of all the bizarre conversations to have, Pete and I ended up sharing our favorite Robert Frost poems tonight. I had to recite mine for him. Poor Pete, subjected to a former speech and debate nut. ;)

Joel

Look what gabefinder did! She made my character, Joel! He's just about perfect. The only difference from how I see him in my head is that he's a little more anime in my head. But all characters associated with that game are a little more anime in my head, for some reason.

What you can't tell from the picture is that he's not that tall--only 5'7". But she got the eyes perfect. And his face . . . he's a very strong man with a face so delicate it's almost more suited to a woman. She captured that, somehow. I don't know how.

It's beautiful. Go look at her artwork. :) You can see the progression in what she's been doing with this rendering stuff. She finally got all the things I didn't like fixed, just in time for this one. ;)

Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things." - Peter Drucker

My brother read my mind. He sent me this lovely subject line.

I'm going to terminate an employee. I've only been a manager for six weeks at this job, and I already have to fire somebody.

He has a history of corrective actions taken against him. He made some improvement, but recently has been backsliding. Today he took a very rash action that went from the ears of the person who heard his words to the area director, and from there to the regional director. And the regional director looked to see who supervised him, and that person was me.

My boss and I spent a large chunk of the day teaming this issue. He finally sent me away armed with the corrective actions already taken (back when my boss was the immediate supervisor) and told me to find my own e-mail trail on this for the past few weeks, and make a recommendation to him regarding what action we should take toward this employee.

At the end of reviewing the information, I had come to the conclusion that today's incident was just the capstone. Metaphorically, he slit his own throat with it. I went to my boss and told him that I could not, in conscience, recommend that this individual continue working for our company.

The timing is really bad. We're in the middle of the corporate offices moving, in which we really needed this guy. But we can't make the decision based on that. So life will be crazier even than I thought in the next few weeks, but ultimately, we'll be better off for it. And because I came to the decision independently of my boss's evaluation of the same situation, I feel pretty good that I am making the right decision.

I wore my coyote earrings for the first time today, just on a lark. Or maybe it was an omen.

Question #6

How do you define artifical intelligence?

Question #5

What is a robot, to you?

Lunchtime Musings

It's 63 degrees outside and sunny. Absolutely perfect. And I'm stuck inside at my desk. This is my 10th straight day at work, and I'm not really expecting any time off before April 3rd. So of course, my boyfriend's family is going to be in town 3/31-4/2. Figures.

The travel agent says the cruise where the family reunion is taking place is full. That'd be a ship occupancy limit, not a cabin occupancy limit. So she is, in theory, checking in on a daily basis to see if someone cancels so that Pete can come along. I'm a little depressed.

The office move continues apace, for certain definitions of apace. We didn't have cables this weekend, so we couldn't terminate them. I'm not even sure we had walls. The CFO passed out due to pain and is currently hospitalized with what they think may be a middling-serious medical event. We can't yet pack certain items because we're still waiting for something to pack them in. And we don't know doing the fire alarms.

Everything is working as maligned.

Dishes are magically getting done. Lord knows I'm not doing housework; my roommate is hereby nominated for goddesshood.

I've agreed to sing alto in a trio for my mother's chuch on Maunday Thursday. The second or third weekend in April is roller derby. Fourth weekend is tentatively the Lord of the Pajamas party. Fifth weekend is Pete's conference in town and the performance of Stomp I bought tickets to in October so I could get good seats. First weekend in May is the Gaslight Theatre for a production of The Three Musketeers.

I'm really looking forward to Rites of Spring.

Larger than life

I was a local production of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown tonight. The cast was good, the production was pretty good. The direction was kind of flat. It's terrible to see actors with wonderful body control and delivery trapped into exchanges that just aren't quite right. There were a good few places where the character just needed to be allowed to run, and the actor was holding that back. And it wasn't the actor's choice.

I watched the most recent Disney The Three Musketeers the other night. This was my sister's favorite movie once; I recalled not caring for it so much, but I needed something silly. Both the best and worst thing about the movie is Tim Curry. He's so wonderfully evil, and yet . . . it's too much. The places where the movie clunks are the places where the characters are over the top, and the evil cardinal is the most over the top. One of those situations where they actually needed to pull back and be a little more understated.

In the armchair-quarterback opinion of someone who doesn't act, of course. ;)

Quote of the Week

"Life is full of doors that don't open when you knock, equally spaced amid those that open when you don't want them to."

--Roger Zelazny, from one of the Amber books--I'm at work and don't have my quotes list in front of me

Things not usually overheard . . .

"Are you saying my boobs aren't clean?"

"I was looking for a piratess and a storm trooper in a kilt. How hard could it be?"

"This year, [the middle of March is] kind of like a duck with a personality disorder."

Signals

I had a vexing experience this evening. I went to a small gathering at my parents' house. They sing in the Tucson Symphony Orchestra Chorus, and when their season ended today, they invited any of the chorus members to come over for a get-together. Probably fifteen or sixteen did. They also invited some friends who had been in the audience, and me.

One young gentleman was paying more attention to me than was reasonable. Note, I don't say "more than I'd like," because I'm not comfortable with attention at all in certain circumstances. He wasn't overt enough about it that I could be blunt, and I guess my subtle signals were too subtle for him.

I ended up avoiding him. Staying in the other room. Looking at whoever was speaking in the conversation, instead of him. Leaning up against the corner of the room so that no one could stand beside me. I kept seeing him watching me out of the corner of my eye. I kept waiting for him to leave. He left last of all. He told my parents, "Thank you for having us over. You have a lovely house. And a lovely daughter."

I had to stop and ask myself if I'd have been so uncomfortable, and so vexed if I were single. And I feel better that the answer is "yes." One of the reasons for my long single-ness is that I seem to give off the wrong signals. Nice young men--and occasionally women, I've since concluded--always read me as "not interested, please don't notice me." The only ones who ever paid that kind of attention to me were the creeps who couldn't see or ignored my sub-vocal signals.

At least I'm predictable.

Quote of the Week

"It looks like Pole Position."
"And I feel like Pac Man."

--April Dimenstein; Kendra Tarket

Sucked in by BlogThings, yet again . . .

Your Inner Child Is Surprised

You see many things through the eyes of a child. Meaning, you're rarely cynical or jaded. You cherish all of the details in life. Easily fascinated, you enjoy experiencing new things.

How Is Your Inner Child?

My inner child is so much happier than my real childhood was.

Fairly accurate, as these things go.

Klein Sexual Orientation Grid

I scored an average of 1.95

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

Heterosexual

Bisexual

Homosexual

Meaning

This result can also be related to the Kinsey Scale:

0 = exclusively heterosexual
1 = predominantly heterosexual, incidentally homosexual
2 = predominantly heterosexual, but more than incidentally homosexual
3 = equally heterosexual and homosexual
4 = predominantly homosexual, but more than incidentally heterosexual
5 = predominantly homosexual, incidentally heterosexual
6 = exclusively homosexual

Summary

The idea of this excercise is to understand exactly how dynamic a person's sexual orientation can be, as well as how fluid it can be over a person's lifespan. While a person's number of actual homo/heterosexual encounters may be easy to categorize, their actual orientation may be completely different. Simple labels like "homosexual", "heterosexual", and "bisexual" need not be the only three options available to us.

Take the quiz

Found on eBay

Somehow, I can't see Boone putting up with this.

Seen on the bumper . . .

. . . a yellow/American flag "ribbon" magnet with the text, "Yay, now I fit in!"

Whoever you are, I salute your sense of humor.

Rolf

Heehee. Pete got Rolf the Dog on that Muppet Personality quiz I linked to. I told y'all I had a special place in my heart for Rolf the Dog. ;)

Quote of the Week

"I do not think he is an evil man, but he is a great idiot."
--Nhi Vanye i Chya, in Gate of Ivrel, by C.J. Cherryh

Summary

Sick again. Fever and nausea. Consuming sugars and simple starches. Gaining weight. Blowing up like a balloon. Well, no, but it looks that way when I stand in front of the mirror. I swear, I never had body image issues until I decided my knees would like me a lot better for a lot longer at a size 10 or 12.

Work is gearing up for complete craziness and I'm lying down on the job. It sucks.

Disneyland shook my neck up a little, so I saw the chiropractor today. Strain in my neck ties in with stress-related TMJ in an unholy synthesis. I feel better now, but I don't recommend having your jaw adjusted if you can avoid it. It just feels creepy.

Eek. I managed not to post a Quote of the Week last week. I shall have to amend this immediately.

This is so very disconcerting . . .

And absolutely hilarious: The Passion of Christ 2: Judgement Day. It's also fairly bloody and may upset you if you're troubled by the mocking of religious figures. Or at least, religious figures as represented in cinema.

Quizzes

You can always tell when I'm catching up on people's LJ's/blogs, huh?

You Passed 8th Grade Math

Congratulations, you got 10/10 correct!

Could You Pass 8th Grade Math?

Do I get extra credit for doing it in my head? You'd think I used to teach GED Math or something.

You Have a Melancholic Temperament

Introspective and reflective, you think about everything and anything. You are a soft-hearted daydreamer. You long for your ideal life. You love silence and solitude. Everyday life is usually too chaotic for you. Given enough time alone, it's easy for you to find inner peace. You tend to be spiritual, having found your own meaning of life. Wise and patient, you can help people through difficult times. At your worst, you brood and sulk. Your negative thoughts can trap you. You are reserved and withdrawn. This makes it hard to connect to others. You tend to over think small things, making decisions difficult.

What Temperment Are You?

You Are The Chariot

You represent a difficult battle, and a well-deserved victory. You tend to struggle to get what you want, both internally and externally. You excel at controlling opposing forces, getting down the same path. In the end, you bring glory and success - using pure will to move forward. Your fortune: There is great conflict in your life right now, either with yourself or others. You must find a solution to this conflict, which is likely to be a "middle road" between the two forces. You posses the skills to triumph over these struggles, as long as your will is strong. You are transforming your inner self, building a better foundation for future successes.

What Tarot Card Are You?

Given that it was a meme, I'm amused by the results.

Your World View

You are a happy, well-balanced person who likes people and is liked by others. You question whether many conventional views on morality are valid under all circumstances. You are essentially a content person. Sometimes, you consider yourself a little superior. You are moral by your own standards. You believe that morality is what best suits the occasion.

What Is Your World View?

The Movie Of Your Life Is An Indie Flick

You do things your own way - and it's made for colorful times. Your life hasn't turned out how anyone expected, thank goodness! Your best movie matches: Clerks, Garden State, Napoleon Dynamite

If Your Life Was a Movie, What Genre Would It Be?

Um, no argument.

Arty Kid

Whether you were a drama freak or an emo poet, you definitely were expressive and unique. You're probably a little less weird these days - but even more talented!

Who Were You In High School?

Eh . . . if I were a little more social or hadn't already stuck my head in the stand, I could have been. As it was, I stood outside of everybody, pretty much. Whether I was a "nerd" or a "retard" was a subject of debate, which I think mostly means nobody knew me. Welcome to life as a shaman.

You Are 60% Weird

You're so weird, you think you're *totally* normal. Right? But you wig out even the biggest of circus freaks!

How Weird Are You?

Um . . . no. I'm so weird, I come *across* as being totally normal unless you know me. Or overhear me discussing lingere and sex toys in the middle of a department store.

What Your Underwear Says About You

When you're bad, you're very bad. And when you're good, you're still trouble! You're sexy, in that pinup girl, tease sort of way.

The Underwear Oracle

Who Should Paint You: Roy Lichtenstein

Larger than life, your personality overshadows everyone in the room A painter would tend to portray you with a bit of added flair!

What Artist Should Paint Your Portrait?

o.O I give up, do other people see me this way?

You Are Kermit

Hi, ho! Lovable and friendly, you get along well with everyone you know. You're a big thinker, and sometimes you over think life's problems. Don't worry - everyone know's it's not easy being green. Just remember, time's fun when you're having flies!

The Muppet Personality Test

I knew this. I have come to prefer Gonzo over the years, and I have a special place in my heart for Rolf the Dog, but I have always been Kermit.

Slow and Steady

Your friends see you as painstaking and fussy. They see you as very cautious, extremely careful, a slow and steady plodder. It'd really surprise them if you ever did something impulsively or on the spur of the moment. They expect you to examine everything carefully from every angle and then usually decide against it.

How Do People See You?

Hehehe.

You Are a Chick Rocker!

You're living proof that chicks can rock You're inspired by Joan Jett and the Donnas And when you rock, you rock hard (Plus, you get all the cute guy groupies you want!)

What Kind of Rocker Are You?

Not so much evil as bored.

How evil are you?

Because, in the absence of a good choice, I will pick the one that amuses me most. For "Choose your weapon," I picked Canada. It'd really hurt if you hit somebody with it.

Ka-zap!

Me and Amy on the Buzz Lightyear ride. I love how I'm half-hidden by the blaster. I was supposed to be her handicap, because I suck at shooting games, but I guess I don't suck as much as I thought I did. The blasters, they sucked. The sights were purely ornamental. You kind of had to aim on a mental line through the barrel of the blaster.

Hi.

Yes, I'm here. I'm back. In one piece. Achey as hell between the drive, the shaking around on the rides, and the hotel bed. I suppose I'm better off than Amy, who thinks she broke her elbow. Yet we had great fun. And I have stories to tell, about roller coasters and falling and traffic and sunglasses. And pictures. But right now, I'm very very tired. We're playing catch-up at work. So it may be awhile before I write it all down for you.

I want to go in the hot tub tonight, and there's no one to go with. Dammit.

Quote of the Week

"If there is anyone here whom I have not insulted, I beg his pardon."

--Johannes Brahms