2003-09-30

 

Quote of the Day: "OS X's filetype binding policy is about as graceful as a sickly orangutan tap dancing to Coltrane's 'Interstellar Space,' quietly whimpering in anguished desperation."

posted by bethanye 1:54:00 PM   

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2003-09-29

 

Our stuff is here. We have our birth certificates and appointments at the DMV. Stevie has something like 200 lbs. of anime to unload as of yet, and we don't have enough shelf space.
But it's nice to have our stuff.
I think I'm going to decorate for Christmas this year, now that we have all of our decorations.

posted by bethanye 9:46:00 AM   

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2003-09-27

 

Big movie night here tonight. First, we started with Below, which on the whole wasn't too bad. Plus, it was a submarine movie -- and I loves those submarine movies. Don't ask why! I just do.
Next, we watched Gods and Monsters, which was pretty damn good as well. Better than Below from a straight "is this a good film" standpoint, but they were an interesting back-to-back.
Our stuff shows up tomorrow morning, and I'm looking forward to having everything in one place again. Also, Jenna's back from Germany. Maybe we'll get pedicures on Sunday.

posted by bethanye 12:31:00 AM   

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2003-09-25

 

If sparkling mineral water and PowerAde are "low sodium beverages", what's a high-sodium beverage? Salty Dog? Sea water? Brine?

posted by bethanye 12:43:00 PM   

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Big yawn! I'm so sleepy this morning!

posted by bethanye 9:20:00 AM   

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2003-09-23

 

Mi pobre Cerdito... Iggy just sent word that his father died in a car wreck en route to Iggy's house in Albuquerque. The funeral was yesterday. My heart goes out to him and his family.

posted by bethanye 1:53:00 PM   

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"As God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly!" Goodbye, Gordon Jump.

posted by bethanye 12:22:00 PM   

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"Darkness" by the Police is such a great song. I used to listen to it over and over when I was about fourteen.
iPods can re-introduce you to things you never expect.
Mine just played "Darkness" -- then immediately followed up with "Bittersweet Symphony". An appropriately improbable combination.
If you have access to "Ghost in the Machine", check out the very last track.

posted by bethanye 11:24:00 AM   

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A quote from Robertson Davies:

In opera you must have a prima donna...always soprano always the heroine often a fool; and a tenor who plays the lover to her; and then you have the contralto who is a rival to the soprano or a sorceress or something; and a basso, who is the villain or whatever threatens the tenor... so far so good. But you can't make it work without another who is called in the profession fifth business because he is the odd man out, the person who has no opposite of the other sex. And you must have fifth business because he is the one who knows the secret of the hero's birth or comes to the assistance of the heroine when she thinks she is lost. The prima donna and the tenor and the basso get all the best music and do all the spectacular things but you can't manage the plot without fifth business. It is not spectacular but it is a good line of work, those who play it sometimes have a career that outlasts the golden voices.

My new business cards have the title "Fifth Business". Kid you not.

posted by bethanye 9:46:00 AM   

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2003-09-22

 

An open letter to my friend.
Hello, friend.
Did you know that not a single day goes by that I don't think about you a dozen times? Not one. I constantly think, "Oh, my friend would love that." Or hate it. Or be confused by it. I speculate on your opinions.
If it seems that I don't have much to tell about what's going on with me these days, there's a good reason. There's really not much to tell. Sometimes I worry that because your life is so difficult and stressful right now, you won't want to talk to me. Things are pretty darn good for me, and I would hate for you to resent it. I'm hesitant to tell you about how easy (certainly by comparison) I have it. It sounds like gloating, and besides which, it's boring. Who wants to hear that crap?
I know -- I KNOW -- that I would be nothing without you. Without your support for so many years. Literally nothing -- either dead by my own hand, or trapped by bad decisions and circumstances that you helped me escape. Nothing.
Sometimes when I try to help, I know you resist from pride. You have so much pride, you know, but not so much that I think it makes you difficult.
Well, maybe sometimes.
But it's not a vice-like pride. It's a determined pride. Focused determination. You're determined to make your own way, your own life, to not be dependent upon anyone else. It's admirable, especially considering that your mother only really encouraged you to be dependent upon relationships. Be a wife. Don't bother going to college. Find some nice guy to take care of you. It might have been nice, but not very realistic, I think. And you don't expect that anymore. The only one who can make you happy is you, my friend, and I think that you might be one of the only people in your life that understands that. Your family doesn't. I think that your parents must envy you, you know. You're the strong one. The one who controls her own life. It's something that they have never experienced, that sense of owning themselves and their futures.
Now that I think about it, most people never get that sense of owning their own destiny. They grow up hearing about how God made Man with Free Will, never to understand that the exercise of Free Will is by rights theirs. We are rare, you and I, my friend.
But back to me trying to help... I understand that you don't want to accept it. I know you'd never ask for it unless you were desperate. But you must try to understand that I owe you a debt, my friend, and there's no way that I can ever repay it. All of these gestures, those past and those to come, are only tokens. You're not the only one to whom I owe a debt, but all you have given me by far outweighs everyone else. I am who I am today in no small part because of you. And I like me. I like me a lot, most days. How magical that is, don't you agree? To go from curled up in a corner to feeling like I have value.
The child may be the father of the man, but the child's friends play no small part, either. Take some credit.
I want you to be happy. I want you to have everything. But for the moment, I just want you to know that I stand behind your decisions and choices. That I'll try to point out any mines that I see in your path, but that you know where they are better than I do. That you always have a home with me, no matter how long you need it. It's always there -- even though "there" isn't as convenient as it used to be.
Be strong. I love you.

~~b

posted by bethanye 12:25:00 PM   

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I am officially incapable of eating watermelon without getting it on my shirt. Officially.

posted by bethanye 11:59:00 AM   

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2003-09-19

 

Badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, MUSHROOM, MUSHROOM!! Here.

posted by bethanye 2:36:00 PM   

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Birth Certificates have been ordered. That's one more chore to cross off the list.

posted by bethanye 11:33:00 AM   

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Mustn't forget the Friday Five.

1. Who is your favorite singer/musician? Why? Well, I do love me some DMB. And old REM. And David Bowie, especially his older stuff. And TMBG, but you have to be in the right mood for it.
2. What one singer/musician can you not stand? Why? I cannot stand Peter Cetera. I don't know precisely why. But I freaking HATE that guy!
3. If your favorite singer wasn't in the music business, do you think you would still like him/her as a person? I dunno. Probably not. I mean, I'm not sure I'd like any of them in real life -- except maybe Dave Matthews, and that's only if not feeling the burden of being a "role model" means he's not as conscientiously deep. I think that must affect really famous people to some extent -- at least the ones that aren't complete 100% full-of-themselves narcissists before they become famous. How do you handle the responsibility of people wanting to be like you? Like being a parental figure for anonymous throngs. Yuck. No thank you.
4. Have you been to any concerts? If yes, who put on the best show? Probably David Bowie's Glass Spider tour. That was an amazing show. REM Green Tour was a good show. No, wait. I know. I saw Béla Fleck and the Flecktones open for DMB a few years ago -- and they were absolutely amazing. That was a great evening. In fact, Béla's playing the Fillmore on 28 November. I should go!!
5. What are your thoughts on downloading free music online vs. purchasing albums? Do you feel the RIAA is right in its pursuit to stop people from downloading free music? I think Apple might finally have the right idea on this one. I mean, it's one thing for me to make a mix tape and give it to, say, 10 friends. It's another thing for me to post that mix tape and have it downloaded by 100,000 strangers. I think that fair use allows for the former, but not necessarily for the latter. But the RIAA has just handled this all wrong. Suing individuals just shows them for the greedy bastards they are. CDs should not come with the outrageous profit margins that they do. If they would drop the CD price below $10, I think a lot of this would be less appealing. Especially since there are no guarantees of the quality of recording you get when you download from KaZaa, for example.

And that ends this edition of the Friday Five.

posted by bethanye 10:20:00 AM   

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Arr!! Time to talk like a pirate.

posted by bethanye 9:08:00 AM   

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2003-09-18

 

Wait a minute... It's Thursday? Where the hell did this week go?

posted by bethanye 10:57:00 AM   

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OH, and before I forget. Here's the summary of this morning's NPR dream:
I dreamed that I was friends with Madeline Albright. And that she looked so much different than she did when she was in office. Maddy had had some work done, so much that she looked precisely like Paula Jones. And I went to see her do a book signing, and Juan Williams interviewed her there. Basically, it was Ms. Albright's voice coming out of Paula Jones's face. How freaking strange is that one?

posted by bethanye 9:58:00 AM   

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I don't remember being allergic to anything when I lived in Dallas, but I'm definitely allergic to something here. And I'm not sure what.

posted by bethanye 9:56:00 AM   

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Oh, for the love of Mike... There was a severe weather advisory in the Weather Underground patch to your left. What? Hazardous weather? HERE? No way! I had to check it out for myself -- and this is what I read:

This hazardous weather outlook is for the San Francisco Bay area and the central California coast.
.Day one... Today
No hazardous weather is expected through the period.
.Days two through seven... Friday through Wednesday
No hazardous weather is expected through the period.
.Spotter information statement...
Weather spotters are encouraged to report significant weather conditions according to standard operating procedures.

What a ripoff!

posted by bethanye 9:30:00 AM   

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2003-09-17

 

If the meat of the week is pork... Try this: Pick up some soy-ginger sauce (Whole Foods brand) next time you pop by there. Also get a pork tenderloin and a few heads of baby bok choy. Marinate the pork medallions in the soy-ginger sauce (20 minutes will do it), and then stir-fry up the whole thing (including the marinade) with some cornstarch at the end to thicken up the sauce. Maybe toss in a few snow peas, but the bok choy is the foundation veggie here. Serve over steamed rice.
A Stevie special, and one of my favorites.
Also, next time pork is on sale, get one of those nice big boneless pork loins. Open up the pack, pat dry, then wrap in plastic wrap and freezer foil and FREEZE. Later, if you want pork chops, pull out the frozen pork log and slice some chops off (a serrated knife is really best for this job). Very economical, and easy.
Pork is yummy and versatile! But this does remind me of "That would have to be one charming mother-f*cking pig... Ten times more charming than that Arnold on Green Acres..."

posted by bethanye 9:36:00 PM   

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Best spam I've gotten in awhile:

austins the name spammins mAh game you mess wit da 47 man, pshh you aint g0t n0 plan step t0 mah elite mailin skillz, joo best head to da hillzzzzz when 47 gets j00 ya best call up yah crew, or imma come rat -ta -tat tat 0n y0 punk azzz with MAH GAT!

WTF?

posted by bethanye 11:40:00 AM   

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2003-09-16

 

I need more information about this physics question. How big are her boobs? I mean, it changes wind drag, right?

posted by bethanye 10:13:00 PM   

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OMG -- Farah's Miss Belize. How weird is that? A geek is Miss Belize! Maybe Farah should try for Ellen's title of "Sexiest Geek Alive."

posted by bethanye 1:03:00 PM   

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I have been looking at this too long. On this page, there's an advertisement for "AspUpload" -- which I of course read as "AssUpload". Must break for lunch!!

posted by bethanye 12:31:00 PM   

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For the record, I am XML'ed out. It's tiring to try to ingest such a huge body of information in a few weeks. Note the use of the word "try" in that sentence. I'm not exactly succeeding -- but I haven't exactly failed yet, either.

posted by bethanye 12:01:00 PM   

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2003-09-15

 

Begin anecdote:
When I was nineteen, I worked for The Plano Star Courier doing paste-up and typesetting advertisements. Mostly, real estate ads. You know the kind -- little picture of a house above a little blurb about the house, maybe with a picture of the realtor inset in the corner. We did tons of those things. Between car ads and the real estate ads, we were plenty busy. At any rate, one day they didn't send in the name of the realtor for this specific house. Just a listing. No other information. I figured, "I'll just put in a placeholder, and when they see that in the proof process, they'll let me know who it is." But they didn't catch it. Which is why it ran saying, "Call the Mystery Realtor at 555-1234." I got in some trouble for that one, but not too much. Apparently, the only one who was really pissed off was the Mystery Realtor herself -- and I thought since they signed off on the ad that it was her own damn fault.

posted by bethanye 3:51:00 PM   

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Did I read this correctly? Molly's cooking? She's cooking real food?

I am very impressed.

posted by bethanye 9:25:00 AM   

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59% of people have purer souls than I do? That's a surprise to me -- I guess it's working in the advertising industry. Curious about your valuation? Go here.

posted by bethanye 9:23:00 AM   

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2003-09-14

 

Meow! Seems that Canadian Liberal Leader McGuinty is "an evil reptilian kitten-eater from another planet." And here I thought the White House had rounded up all of them as "advisors."

posted by bethanye 10:51:00 AM   

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2003-09-13

 

I change my mind about being warm. Now I'm too warm. It's around 96° -- with no air conditioning!

posted by bethanye 2:21:00 PM   

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2003-09-12

 

Oops, almost forgot the friday five.

1. Is the name you have now the same name that's on your birth certificate? If not, what's changed? Nope. My birth certificate says "Bethany Anne McKinney". I now spell my first name with a lowercase "b" and an "e" at the end. And Anne is my mother's name, which I couldn't wait to drop. So, the middle name is out, and the maiden name is now the middle name. And then my husband's family name is the new last name.
2. If you could change your name (first, middle and/or last), what would it be? Oddly enough, I don't think I would change it. It's unusual enough that there aren't too many of us, but not so weird that people can't figure out how to pronounce it -- mostly.
3. Why were you named what you were? (Is there a story behind it? Who specifically was responsible for naming you?) Page two of the baby book. Not even in the list -- still in the introductory text. "Doesn't 'Bethany Kent' sound better than 'Bess Kent'?"
4. Are there any names you really hate or love? What are they and why? I can't think of any off the top of my head, either way. There are individuals that I loathe, but it would be petty to hold it against their names, don't you think?
5. Is the analysis of your name at kabalarians.com / triggur.org / astroexpert accurate? How or how isn't it? Oh, this was fun. The astroexpert one wasn't as interesting, but as for the Kabalarian one...

   Although your name of Bethanye gives you a good appreciation of material values, business ability, and skill in organizing and managing others, your success is restricted by a lack of self-confidence and initiative. This name brings out a practical, materialistic quality, with a strong desire for a good standard of living in an environment where you are in contact with refined, successful people. You try to further your interests through pursuing the association of people with influence. Being well-groomed and well-dressed at all times is important to you as you always strive to make a good impression on others. Your interests are more focused on your social life and convivial living, with any pressing or difficult issues being put off as long as possible.

   Who the hell are they talking about? As for triggur.org -- good for a laugh, try it!

And thus ends another edition of the Friday Five.

posted by bethanye 3:37:00 PM   

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At this very moment, it is around 68° in Dallas. And it's -- no kidding here -- 91° at the house in El Cerrito. WTF is up with that?
Still, it's kinda nice to just be warm.

posted by bethanye 3:21:00 PM   

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2003-09-11

 

I was just introduced to a customer as a "big-time engineer". What was that girl smoking? As IF! I wish I could be a big-time engineer someday...

posted by bethanye 9:42:00 AM   

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2003-09-10

 

Mmmm.... I do love me some TiVo! How did the world exist before TiVo? I just don't know...
Tonight is the season premiere of Enterprise. Not the best show in the world, to be sure, but certainly not the worst of the Trek offerings. At any rate, were it not for the wonders of TiVo, we wouldn't have caught the season finale last week. Therefore, we would be somewhat lost tonight.
Stevie's geeking, so he'll have to watch it later. But K&J don't have their new TV et al set up in the new digs yet, so they're coming over tonight to share the joy that is Enterprise (a.k.a. "It's very cold in space -- check out T'Pol's nipples!").
I am happy that the whole pro blogger experience has moved to the free service -- yay Google! But I am disappointed that in non-IE browsers, some of the better functionality (such as formatting, for example) is not yet implemented. But I have spell-check now. Can't bitch too much.

posted by bethanye 5:18:00 PM   

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2003-09-09

 

Yawn! Not much going on this evening. I ate beets. I'd never had beets before. Roasted beets, with a little butter on them. Tasted kind of like sweet corn, only without the little bits in your teeth afterwards. I recommend 'em! The Joy of Cooking is an amazing book. Plus, we used some of the lovely saffron that Molly and JR brought back for us from Spain... mmm... saffron rice...

posted by bethanye 8:02:00 PM   

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Done deal. We're having our stuff shipped in from Dallas. It will be here on 28 September.
And that's it. No more stuff in storage. We'll have all of our things back.
Wow.

posted by bethanye 2:10:00 PM   

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My GOD!! I love something positive.

posted by bethanye 10:07:00 AM   

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2003-09-06

 

Bits and pieces. One, I got carded earlier today... for lottery tickets! I haven't been carded for beer in months, but for lottery tickets? Gimme a freaking break!
Two, I had a full-fledged panic attack earlier. When we were driving into the city, and there was this huge hill in front of us... I just freaked out -- crying uncontrollably, gasping for breath... Luckily, Stevie was driving. Unluckily, he was about useless in the comforting department. He didn't say anything, didn't look at me, nothing. Later, when I was calm, I pointed out to him that this concerns me for future potential crises. What happens if I'm horribly injured or sick? What will his response be to that?
Three, the bassoon has now had her check-up... and she is fabulous. So easy to play, to hit all the notes high and low. I didn't have to strain even a little bit when I played after the nice bassoon-repair-man was finished. And it wasn't horribly expensive, either.

posted by bethanye 2:23:00 PM   

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2003-09-05

 

The friday five:

1. What housekeeping chore(s) do you hate doing the most? Cleaning the shower. It takes forever and is stinky.
2. Are there any that you like or don't mind doing? Hmm... Honestly, Stevie does almost all of the cleaning these days.
3. Do you have a routine throughout the week or just clean as it's needed? On the whole, we do it a little at at time. I guess our routine is the "Oh, hell! Someone's coming over! Clean up the house NOW!" routine.
4. Do you have any odd cleaning/housekeeping quirks or rules? Like JR with the dishes? I don't know... I don't think so. I bet Molly knows of some quirks I have that I don't notice.
5. What was the last thing you cleaned? I wiped the toothpaste residue out of the sink this morning. Does that count?

posted by bethanye 4:27:00 PM   

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Ha, ha! I finally have a post on "Best Of" at TMF. I've never really tried for one before, per se, and the one that got it is pretty dark. But it's mine, so here it is in its entirety, for your probable lack-of-enjoyment.

Re: Exploitative? Possibly. Good Idea? I think
The thing that stuck out the most to me though was the use of posters - giant posters of aborted fetuses on sticks, waved in the air by protesters shouting "protect the children!".

As bus after bus of children drove by on their way to school.

Many of you already know that I had a somewhat unconventional upbringing. Some of the choices my parents made put my sister and me into positions we should never have been in. However, that aside...

When I was little -- probably second grade to seventh grade -- my mother often spent Saturday mornings at a women's clinic in Dallas. My sister and I regularly joined her. The anti-choice protestors outside the clinic were fierce. By the time my sister and I had been to the clinic a few times, they knew our names, ages, and where we went to school (in a nearby suburb). They also would try to call us over, away from the not-even-close-to-watchful eye of our mother. They would say things about how "didn't we want babies" or "next lady that comes into the clinic, tell her that you know the baby inside of her doesn't want to die." This went on for a year, maybe; every Saturday visit there was some "Hey b. Hey, Melissa. Come over here and talk to us!" attempt. My little sister was a terrifying cynic even at age five, and I remember her telling them that she just didn't buy what they were selling (essentially). They kept up the soft sell for quite a while, until it was obvious that we (Melissa, in particular) weren't going to budge. Then it got a bit uglier.

One incident I remember more clearly than the others. I was in maybe the fourth grade -- how old is that? I remember who my teachers were at the time. I also remember that one of the protestors called to me by name from behind some security bars. He said that they knew my teacher (also by name) -- which is why I went up to him. He made some small talk at first. Then came the big question -- "Can't you see abortion is wrong? How would you feel if your mother had aborted you?"

I thought about it for a second. No one had ever asked me that before.

"Well, I wouldn't know the difference, if I hadn't been born. And I think that they would be better off. If my mother had had a choice, then she probably would be happier now."

I was a pretty depressed little kid.

Another incident I remember from around the same time -- there was a march that culminated in a gathering in Lee Park. This was a few years later -- my sister (two years younger than me) was in the third or fourth grade. There was a point where everyone joined hands and made a glorified "Red Rover" line. Or at least that's what one of the anti-choice protestors thought. We were lined up -- me (sixth grade, maybe?), a friend of my mother, Melissa, my mother, and a bunch of adults. Melissa was clearly the youngest and smallest person in the line. And this guy turned his picket sign sideways and ran at her full-speed, pushing Melissa down with the stick of the sign when he reached her. It was one of the regulars from outside the clinic. He knocked her down, bruised her liver and a rib, stepped on her wrist as he went past her (which thankfully wasn't broken)... and then went back to be congratulated by his comrades.

Protect the children, my a$$.

~~b

posted by bethanye 4:19:00 PM   

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2003-09-04

 

Nice to see the weather is slightly less miserable in Dallas. About to go home for the day, and help Jenna pack for her three-week trip to Munich. Her first time out of the country, and she is a nervous (but excited) wreck! It will be a fabulous experience for her.
But while I'm waiting...
I washed my hair in the basement Monday night. By myself. Now, generally, I'm just fine in the basement by myself, but that night... I just creeped myself out. Every time I went to rinse my hair in the sink -- and close my eyes while I did it -- I was afraid that I would see a shadow that I couldn't explain. That something would be there when I opened my eyes.
It freaked me out!!

posted by bethanye 4:31:00 PM   

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2003-09-03

 

Oh, my. Just put a reference to a Sybian in your blog, and suddenly everyone's Googling you.

posted by bethanye 5:46:00 PM   

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"I fear that I am ordinary, just like everyone." Or should I pick a different Smashing Pumpkins line? That one comforts me so... I do think that I am ordinary, though "my life has been extraordinary, blessed and cursed and won." Mellon Collie's been constantly running on the iPod for a week! I can't stay away from it.
It actually thundered (and rained a little) last night. The sound of thunder first woke me up, then knocked me right out. Something comforting about that sound...
Work is going well. Life is pretty good. My hair is recently shorn (again), and it feels so good. I swear my next haircut is shaved bald... but that will have to wait for awhile. Maybe sometime next year.
Do you think that if I bought a bicycle, that I would actually ride it to work? I think I might be just too lazy... but it would be so good for me. Maybe, maybe. More details to come.
Plus, I got my first "Minger" friendster email. Oh, my. They seem to have shut him down again.

posted by bethanye 5:23:00 PM   

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