- Wednesday, June 30, 2004
Food Woes and Whys
I've been noticing a lot of cereals adding a version with "real" strawberries, or bananas to their line-up. I don't understand why this seems like a good idea to anyone. Dried fruit sort of freaks me out. I like some of it, raisins, dried cranberries (they call these craisins ? for some reason). I think a little dried fruit in my trail mix is okay. But I don't like dried fruit in my cereal. Cereal is meant to be crunchy. Why ruin a good thing with a squishy but chewey and dried out piece of... things that sort of resemble fruit?
If I want to add fruit to my cereal, trust me, it won't be dehydrated. I have to give fruit a good inspection before I eat it anyway. If someone else selects it, slices it up and dries it out... how do I know it was quality? How do I know they don't sell the misfit strawberries to these companies to use them in the cereal? This is the type of thing that is probably contributing to my insomnia problem.
pero @ 3:44 PM | œ | 12 comments
Good Morning to Me, Too!
Everything seemed to move in slow motion. (Maybe that is because there was not any other movement in the room at the time, but go with it for the sake of the story).
I have this fantastic coffee grinder. It is the best - ever. Sometimes I grind more beans than I need - and when I do I store them in an airtight container.
This morning, I put the water in the coffee maker, and opened the airtight container - which looked as if it had just enough coffee for the amount of water I used. (good for me). I set the (open) container (which held the coffee grounds) on the counter, and turned around to get a sponge or something to clean up the coffee ground dust that came off of the lid. The spray cleaner bottle was empty. I set it down towards the back of the counter, leaving it out so that I would remember to buy a refill for it.
As I was returning the sponge to the sink, the empty bottle dove off of the counter, taking the container of coffee grounds with it onto the floor.
pero @ 9:27 AM | œ | 7 comments
Disclaimer? What Disclaimer?
Does anyone ever actually READ the disclaimers that come packaged with downloaded trial software and share-ware? Usually -- neither do I. I downloaded this "Theme Switcher" named ShapeShifter for Mac OS X, with the HIGH hopes of being able to customize some stuff and get rid of some of the annoying GUI elements the two theme choices have to offer. Namely the striped folders in the "Aqua" theme.
So I install it, and for once, I read the README that came with it. It boasted that it included the ability to restore the theme to the Default Aqua theme. I tried the software. Hated it! Uninstalled it. Still have to manually remove the adware crap that it came with. (this was also mentioned as a possibility in the readme, so that is OK, it was expected.) Their idea of the DEFAULT theme - is PURPLE!? What the feh... (sigh) Nevermind. This is just... crap.
(image borrowed from simplifiedsigns.org)
pero @ 11:31 AM | œ | 4 comments
Listen Carefully
"Your hearing capabilities are remarkable. Good enough that you could be an Air-Traffic Controller or a Speech Pathologist. It's rare that we see someone with that kind of range." said the Audiologist.
"Is that right?" I asked him. It wasn't that I was disinterested in the small talk, but I really had no idea that my hearing was - I guess considering that I am in my mid-approaching late thirties - that well preserved.
The initial examination was interesting. (at least to me) they placed a small ear plug into one ear and something that resembled one in the other. This second one was what made it interesting. As it was explained to me, I would feel pressure in my ears, similar to that one experiences during an increase in altitude. The 'ear plug' in the other ear seals your head up so the pressure can build. Once your head reaches the proper pressure, you hear a series of hums, clicks and buzzes. (Regretfully I don't know the name of this one). It is gathering data on the amount of time (? I am guessing) it takes for sound to bounce off of your eardrum. It was a short test, and not in the least bit painful.
The Speech Audiometry (hearing) test consisted of two parts. The first part, I am sure at some point everyone has experienced, consisted of sitting in a small room with headphones on. My back was to a window that offered a view of the larger room, from which the Audiologist administered the test from a large control panel. My instructions: "Listen for the beeps. If you hear a beep, press a button on this "mouse". [It wasn't really a mouse (computer or vermin); it more resembled an i.v. push mechanism -- (the button they give a patient in order to self-administer pain medication.]
The second part of the test involved listening for spoken word - after each word I was to repeat the word. At the beginning the voice was male. The volume varied. The words were common, such as "bus" "fun" "stop" and later progress into more syllables and decrease in volume. At some point the voice changes and the words are spoken by a female. From what I researched, the test is supposed to continue until the test subject is repeating 10% or less of the words with accuracy.
pero @ 8:37 AM | œ | 2 comments
Reality TV - Is Not Going Away
Much to my dismay, it is still running strong. Now, cable network TBS joins in the... mockery that used to be prime time television.
Most of the time, these shows boast attractive, less than scholarly women and men. They pick someone to be "it" and then they all compete for the attention of the "it". The part that makes no sense is that all of these people should not need to be on TV to find a date. Sure, they want to possibly launch a career in show business. How many people from Survivor, Big Brother and these other shows have you seen in movies? Maybe three? I just don't get it.
pero @ 5:57 PM | œ | 3 comments
It's Only Money... Right?
While I was running around over the weekend, I was persuaded to drop a pile of money on a new laptop. I bought the 15-inch Apple PowerBook Aluminum. I like the way they look, and they are slim and lightweight. It's fast. It's silver. It's brand-new. It's all mine.
Tim, who was involved in the death of my G4 PowerBook Titanium (the predecessor to the one I now have), not only talked me into getting the replacement, but he also floated some money (equivalent to the value of the old PowerBook) towards the cause. (giddyup).
In low-light conditions, the keyboard lights up (it's the coolest idea ever). The light color is light blue, which if you may already know - I also love. The hard drive is super-quiet, as is the DVD-R drive.
pero @ 11:45 AM | œ | 5 comments
I've Been a Little Busy Lately...
I'm cheating and posting this in leiu of something insightful. I came across this on a forum. Check it out. Perfect synchronization!
I will update soon, I promise.
pero @ 9:14 AM | œ | 4 comments
What the...
On the 10th of June I mailed a Birthday Card to a friend of mine. The envelope (and the card) are square rather than rectangle shaped, and the United States Postal Service deems that a nuisance; therefore, cards like this require extra postage. (I think that this is because square cards do not work correctly in their machines - ?)
Since I usually write addresses larger and more legible on envelopes, The square envelope had little room for a return address on the front of the card. So, I wrote the return Address on the flap (and smaller than the one on the front center of the envelope), assuming that since this was a common place to put a return address; and there would be no problems. Had everything gone right, the card would have arrived just in time for the birthday.
Instead, today, along with my mail, I received a square envelope. It had no rubber stamped messages, such as "insufficient postage" or "return to sender" - they simply had taken the card to the local post office, postmarked it (in the right place, on the side with the stamps and the address of the friend I was attempting to send the card to) and delivered it to... the address on the back flap. (My house). I have always tried to defend the postal service in our country when people insult them, their jobs or their collective intelligence. Now I see things in a different light.
I am curious, though... Why is there a Civil Service Test in the first place if something as common a return address placed on a triangle shaped flap on the back of an envelope is going to cause such confusion?
Stuff I Read Elsewhere (that made me laugh)
"...It's really kinda awkward reading a sex scene written by your mother." - cody @ 90% true
"I had no way of knowing what had flown into me..." - michael @ oblivio
pero @ 6:15 PM | œ | 5 comments
The Rotten Apple Kicked it.
I'm not sure it will be revived this time. I know it is "just a material thing", but I absolutely LOVED the freedom of the laptop and wireless networking.
The display panel (LCD) flaked out. It had been having issues with the bottom 2/3 blanking out. It sat on my table in pieces for about a week while a search for a replacement was in progress. My friend Tim found a cheap replacement for me and at some point while I was at work he decided to just install it for me. Something happened, (no idea what) and the used/new to me LCD - doesn't work. The backlight works but there is no picture.
I'm not sure what went wrong. BOTH the replacement LCD and the original one are backlit but have no picture. This makes me wonder if the Logic Board (the part I had replaced in February when I spilled the coffee into it) may be the problem. That part is under warranty, but I wonder if by wanking with the LCD may have voided that warranty (?)
At this point, I do not know what I will do. I don't want to spend more money on an older laptop, but I really really want to have a laptop. I liked having the Macintosh because 1) it runs on a linux based operating system and 2) having this, along with my desktop (which has Linux Mandrake and Windows XP) keeps me up to date on all three Operating Systems--which helps me when I help people troubleshoot or fix their systems. And--let's face it... Powerbooks are just sharp looking.
pero @ 10:29 PM | œ | 9 comments
Theft Prevention 101
Many electronics stores have placed an employee at the exit as a last-chance safeguard against shop-lifters. This person's job (on the days they get assigned the task) is to check each receipt and compare it to the items in the bag as customers leave the store. Although 99.98% of the time I am betting that this is not the most exciting way to spend one's day, I understand the purpose of this employee, and I respect their ability to (at the very least) feign enthusiasm while at their post.
Today, I upgraded my DirectTV to include TiVo (DVR). I purchased the (receiver) box, the splitter that one needs in order to watch one program and record another, the cable for the splitter and a new DVD, for a total of five items.
As I was leaving with the DirectTV box under one arm and a small bag in the other, I handed the employee (sentry) at the door my receipt and held my bag out for her to peer inside. She looked at the receipt, then into the bag as she mumbled, "1-2-3-4-5-6... Ok thank you have a good afternoon!"
SIX? I thought on the way out to my truck. I looked in the bag doing a mental inventory of my purchases. One large box, which was separate (not in the bag) and four items in the bag... for a total of five items. Makes you wonder, doesn't it?
pero @ 4:13 PM | œ | 6 comments
Broken Thumb
"Well, then quit pressing it," she said. I guess I deserved that, since it is the response most people seem to have when a person complains about having pain when pressure is applied to an area. The thing is, it hurts whether or not pressure is applied to it. The pain is here. In my left thumb. I do not remember doing anything to injure it, but for a little over a week it has been nagging me.
You are right. I probably should get it looked at. Pain that lasts more than a week like this could be any number of things. It's the bone that hurts, or at least I am pretty sure that it is not a ligament; so I'm quite certain it isn't sprained. I'd say it might be a fracture, there is minor swelling but but there isn't any discoloration.
One positive note: I still have my right thumb for the spacebar.
pero @ 9:31 PM | œ | 9 comments
Clint Eastwood Visits My Website.
When I "guessed" that yesterday's anonymous commenter was the celebrated Mr. Eastwood, I was not expecting to be right.
I can't be certain, but he seemed a little put off by my being able to identify him so quickly. It was not my intention to seem annoyed that he had attempted anonymity... I was really just taking a stab in the dark when I guessed that it might possibly be him.
Clint Eastwood reads my site... and he even left comments.
(Just in case I really have to mention this, it should be regarded as a possibility that this post might be partialy or entirely fictional.)
pero @ 12:01 AM | œ | 10 comments
The World Was Flat, Part II
(Continued from yesterday... the rest of the story) If realize I promised this yesterday but I got busy with other stuff.
I have no idea what I was thinking Wednesday night when I got home, other than the fact that I was annoyed at Dennis and his wife; over some borrowed DVDs and some issues involving Dennis not showing up the day before as planned.
Monday evening at his Bar-B-Q party (mentioned in the 01 June post), Dennis and his wife invited my kid and me to join them for the Harry Potter movie on Friday. They had purchased tickets in advance, but we would need two more. Dennis's wife asked him to trade the tickets they had purchased in for an earlier show. He suggested that he could come by and pick me up and I could go with him and get mine while he was there. (It would have been easier to just give him money and let him buy two more but, whatever.) I postponed grocery shopping and buying food for Molly (whom I have not fed yet) and generally got nothing done on Tuesday.
They also had loaned us Chamber of Secrets, since my daughter wanted to see it again (which coincidentally aired on Cinemax the next day, and if I had known that I could have avoided this next conversation entirely). They insisted that I borrow the DVD Monday night. I expected to see Dennis Tuesday anyway so I held onto it (all day). They call me Wednesday (while I am in the middle cooking dinner) and request that I drive it back to their house. (NOTE: they borrowed Mission Impossible: MI2 from me three weeks ago). I asked them if they were finished with it, and - of course, they cannot find the damned movie. "Are you sure we borrowed it?"
I am POSITIVE. I know where my movies are; I keep an inventory sheet and use a database to track them. I turn all of the food to low heat and drive their DVD to the house, where of course they want to stand around and talk. I can't stay, I have food on the stove, and all of that. "You seem annoyed," said Mrs. Dennis.
"I am extremely annoyed," I replied, "I am tired, and I have to get home because I have food on the stove." She asked me if I was still going to the movies Friday, and I said I wasn't sure because I had no tickets. "Dennis didn't call you? Did he come get you? Did you call him?" - she asked.
"Why should I call him? He was the one that made the plans. He said he had a meeting, and then he would call me when you had left for work and we'd go get the tickets. It wasn't my job to call him. I think we will probably just stay home Friday, it will be crowded anyway." (That is me sounding fed-up with the bullshit people try to pull all the time.) I wished them a good evening and I left. And when I got home, I left the keys and the phone in the truck.
pero @ 12:05 AM | œ | 9 comments
I Woke Up This Morning and the World Was Flat.
(A What's Up look into my recent life. Bonus features include: minor vent-age, and other small annoyances)
This morning, for the first time ever, the alarm-clock radio failed to wake me up. Being a light sleeper, I keep it set to a relatively low volume. On most days, the small static "pop" you hear when the speakers are waking up, before any other sound comes through them, is enough to jump-start my brain.
Today, I woke up nearly twenty minutes after the pop. This meant that I had to rush a not-quite-awake-yet nine year old to be ready for school on time. Rather than run around frantic in order to catch the school bus - which comes by fairly early since we are at the beginning of the route - I decided I could buy that (nearly) twenty minutes back if I drove her to school myself.
I could not find my keys. I ALWAYS put them on the small table by the front door. They were not there. I could not find my wireless phone. I ALWAYS return it to it's place on my desk (where the charger is located.) I have done things this way for over three years. Where are they? I check the counters in the kitchen, bathroom (unlikely but possible), coffee tables, end tables, the built-in shelves in the living room, the night stand by the bed; I checked everywhere. No phone. No keys.
Since I could not find my keys, I decided to check the truck, after all, if I did leave the keys in it, I would have also neglected to activate the alarm. (Which would mean I would be lucky if it was still out there at all.) The keys and the phone (with very low battery power) were on the seat of the truck. (My Rant about this will follow later today.)
pero @ 11:17 AM | œ | 4 comments
What I Learned this Memorial Day Weekend
Multiple Choice Quiz (check all that apply)
x =As I finished working my double shift, I was invited to a friend's home for a Memorial Day Cookout. I felt deserving of some time to kick back and actually visit with persons in my age group and I agreed to join them. My plan was initially to stay for a beer and maybe a little food and then after an hour / hour and a half tops, head back home to sleep. Halfway into my first beer (yes, I did stay longer than orignally planned) two women from up the street appeared, and then the small get-together started to look like a party. A phone call was made, another couple showed up. A husband of one of the two women soon joined us, with two more kids. I ate alot of food, visited and felt relaxed for a change. It was good fun, the type holidays are supposed to bring to mind.
(*) A. Some burned food.
(*) B. Burned fingers.
(*) C. Mostly good food, not enough ICE.
(*) D. Good food, fight over basketball game.
The other thing I learned is, working a doubleshift, then drinking beer and eating a LOT of heavy food... causes cryptic dreams that one can only remember in fragments. In one, I was sitting in a room of a friend from high school (at his parent's home as it was then). We had all just been out in the neighborhood, and my friend and his other buddies (I did not know them) had killed a guy. They were sitting around getting their story straight and had threatened to kill me if I ratted them out.
In the other, I was cooking chicken seasoned with coffee grounds.
Labels: Dreams, food, idiots, people
pero @ 1:57 PM | œ | 2 comments
