At least that's how it might be spelled. A parent on the phone told my colleague to pass along the parents' thanks to me for being "forgile" with their student. We think it's a good thing....
* a la Big Gay Al from Southpark
Here is an online petition to ask Google to add a "bike there" feature on Google-maps. I was just wishing I had this feature the other day; I know I would use it because we have many busy busy roads, and I have a very deep-seated distrust of drivers in this, ahem, fair city.
There is a notorious website out there where angry and naive college students can post and find information about their professors. I'll link to it, but it does not really deserve to be named expressly; I'm sure we all understand the difficulties college students face in giving professors honest, helpful, and meaningful feedback.
In response to said website, a very popular blog has sprung up for professor types to comment on their college students. Those of us in the biz, so to speak, find relief in knowing that we are not alone, horror in the prospect that there seems to be a plague that runs through colleges on a regular basis, and humor in watching someone else deliver the smackdown we so long to make ourselves.
So I was relieved, horrified, and amused to read the following entry (I've linked to the whole entry, but have only quoted the relevant part here):
I teach classes online. So I have my students reading an article about how text messaging and IMming are ruining our children's ability to spell. Here is one of my best responses to date! However the week is still young!
"i don't think that text messaging and iming is messing up our spelling and grammer at all I do it all the time and i can still spell the words out its just that when you are text messaging you are trying to do it fast its just a fast way to communicate not a replacement for spelling plaus every1 knows whut i am typing when i type b4 everyone needs spelling if no one could spell how would anyone have a job? i am not the best speller in the world but i dont think that any thing is running our spelling or young kids i think that they just have to step up the spelling with the math and reading you can read a word all day but u should be able to spell it like its nothing."
Isn't it wonderful when they prove our point while trying to argue against us? I wonder about the author of the article, though. S/he seems a little behind the times, because I was bemoaning spelling habits before texting and IMing were really out there. My position is that we've become such an aural and visual society that we're hearing things and seeing ads and commercials, and not really reading and learning the language. I'm not good at spelling and grammar because I'm an English major. My major did not teach me spelling and grammar (my foreign language studies taught me a LOT about grammar). I'm good at spelling and grammar because I read.
My two favorite examples of this are "should of" and "chip and dale". Okay, the first one is fairly obvious. When you hear someone say "should've," which is the contraction of the words "should" and "have," "should of" seems like a logical conclusion for the word(s) spoken. Incorrect, but somewhat understandable (I cringe when I see it in print when that should have been caught by and editor).
So what about "chip and dale?" Here's a screenshot of when I googled (note the new-ish verb there!) the term:
(click for a larger image)
This was the actual phrase someone used in an essay they turned in to me when discussing the Chippendale dancers (don't ask, I don't remember the details). You know, those two little chipmunks who take off all their clothes at women's only parties? No? You don't know them? Hunh. Again, I believe this is a student who doesn't read (apparently doesn't even read magazines or advertisements), and rather than look something up in a *gasp* book (because the internet had barely even been invented way back in the 90s), the student just relied on his/her auditory capacity.
I'm not sure I agree with the bar graph itself (I'd say lower neuroticism and higher conscientious), but the description is fairly accurate. I think I have better follow-through than this suggests, but I did have some difficulty answering those questions honestly.
My Personality
58 | |
7 | |
67 | |
23 | |
6 |
| You are poised, confident, and clear-thinking when stressed, however you feel enraged when things do not go your way. You are sensitive about being treated fairly and feel resentful and bitter if you think you are being cheated. You are not prone to spells of energetic high spirits. You enjoy a certain amount of debate or intellectual thought, but sometimes get bored with too much. You do not like to claim that you are better than other people, and generally shy from talking yourself up, however you are not adverse to confrontation and will sometimes even intimidate others to get your own way. You find yourself procrastinating and show poor follow-through on tasks. Often you fail to complete tasks - even tasks that you want very much to complete. |
The best Uggs |
My office is right across from the frat houses. Don't believe me? Here are two of them (greek letters have been photoshopped to protect the oblivious):
Which is worse? The hollering from the house on the left (the guy in the maroon shirt you can barely make out is the loud one) or the stereo from the house on the right?
And it's such a beautiful day, I just resent them because I can't be out there, either in my garden or at the dog park. This is the part of being an adult I really don't like.
| You Are An INFP |
 You are creative with a great imagination, living in your own inner world. Open minded and accepting, you strive for harmony in your important relationships. It takes a long time for people to get to know you. You are hesitant to let people get close. But once you care for someone, you do everything you can to help them grow and develop. In love, you tend to have high (and often unrealistic) standards. You are very sensitive. You tend to have intense feelings. At work, you need to do something that expresses your personal values. You would make an excellent writer, psychologist, or artist. How you see yourself: Unselfish, empathetic, and spiritual When other people don't get you, they see you as: Unrealistic, naive, and weak |
I just found a new charity site, Etsy for Animals. Crafters can donate merchandise for sale on Etsy, and the proceeds go to the group's chosen charity, a different one each month.
I found the site because this month's animal sanctuary is one of my favorites, the Rolling Dog Ranch, in Ovando, MT. One of the things that makes Rolling Dog particularly special is that they focus on animals with disabilities, the ones that most shelters would euthanize as unadoptable. They've had a particularly rough year so far in 2008 with animal losses, both due to age and illness.
Etsy for Animals is brilliant because it acts not only as a donation, but individuals actually receive something for their donations. Everyone wins.
and I don't like children!
Just found this little gem on my blog-friend Knitting with Dogs site. I haven't gotten nearly as far into Discworld as a civilized person should be, but at least I know who the author is, what the stories are like, and have read some already, so I do know some of the characters.
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Which Discworld Character are you like (with pics) created with QuizFarm.com | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| You scored as Esmerelda (Granny) Weatherwax You are Granny Weatherwax! The most powerful witch on the Disc! You often use headology rather than actual spells, and are a very good witch, despite the fact that you sometimes wish you were a bad one. You play a mean game of Cripple Mr. Onion, and have a very powerful stare. By the way, you should really get that broom fixed…
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ORIGINAL ENTRY I know I don't have a lot of regular readers, so everyone has a good chance of winning. I'm interested to see how much I can raise for the MS Society and the Animal Humane Society through posting on my blog. I'm going to try following the same contest rules I'm seeing on other sites. I will leave the contest open through midnight on May 9, though the Walk for Animals is actually on May 3. Click on the "original entry" link above to find the donation website.
If you submit a donation, you will receive one ticket for a random drawing. If you have a blog, please be sure to leave the address in comments, so I can spend some time there and personalize your gift. If you are blog-less/free, please tell me something about yourself and/or your interests.
I will give you two tickets for posting about my contest on your blog (if you are blogless, CC me on an email to at least one other person, and I will consider that as "advertising" also); be sure to leave me that comment also so that I can get those two more tickets.
I will give you three tickets for every person who donates who reaches me through your blog/email; be sure to leave directions that people reference you so I can add you up appropriately.
So, one donation, one blog mention, and one referral can earn you 6 tickets. Given that I have about 5 regular readers, chances of getting your name drawn are pretty dang good. :-)
Finally, I will send a special little something for the person who donates the most (I'll combine totals if you donate to both causes). And anyone who would like to help sponsor me with possible awards is more than welcome to send me an email at dtisinger [at] gmail [dot] com. Thanks for any help you can give.
The National Weather Service has placed us under another "Winter Storm Warning." They're predicting another 4-6 inches from tonight to Saturday morning. While not particularly bad, per se, this winter has been dragging; too long, too much grey, not enough sun. Just yesterday I was out in short sleeves clearing the leaves from my garden. Things are not only coming up, but there was an actual crocus struggling to survive under the wet, starting to mold, leaves. Clearing needed to happen. It's not like this is Wyoming, or something, where I've seen snow storms in June, TWICE!
Bleah.
Photographic evidence (we'll see what the real thing produces....) (as always, click the pictures to make them readable):
I just changed a couple of variables (there were some answers that stayed the same no matter what). I really had a hard time deciding between two choices on the "dream car" question, and none of the Saturday morning options were quite right. I feel like I identify with the German Shepherd Dog description more than the Golden, but I don't necessarily mind being a little Remy-girl....
"Golden Retriever
The Charmer
Laid-back, sociable and well-groomed, you've got your own hip little pack of groupies who just love to be around you. You have a brain inside that adorable little head of yours, though you use it mostly to organize your hectic social calendar. You never poop out at parties, and since you're popular with ladies and men, as well as children and adults, you dish out your wit, charm and luck to whomever is close enough to bask in it. The top dog likes you and wants to be your best friend, despite the fact that he doesn't really know what the heck you do. No one does, in fact, but everyone loves you all the same. A true foodie, you’ve got your keen ears fine-tuned to make sure you don't miss out on the opening of a trendy new place to nosh. But your youthful days of being able to wolf down food 24-7 are wagging behind you, meaning you've got to watch what you eat so you don’t pull a Brando and outgrow your coats."
or
"German Shepherd
The Perfectionist
Doggedly dedicated to getting the job done, you don't let silly little distractions get in the way of putting in a full day's work. And after you come home, chowing down on a little grub and taking a little catnap is all it takes to get you up and at 'em for round two, whatever that may entail. Your dogma emphasizes the importance of hard work, and you swim laps around your dog-paddling, time-wasting co-workers. Your cleverness leads to you often being entrusted with some pretty important tasks, which you are always more than happy to sink your canines into. You really dig being outdoors and love a bit of exercise, but you draw the line at the ridiculous stuff, choosing a game of beach volleyball over Pilates in the park any day."
Once again it is time for the annual fund-raising events that I've participated in for the last 4 years. On Saturday, May 3rd, Remy, Payton, and I will be joining the Animal Humane Society's Walk for Animals. The following Saturday, May 10, I will be riding my bike in the MS Allianz 30/60 Tour. I hope to ride the 60 mile route, but since my normal biking partner will be unavailable that weekend, we'll see how long I feel like going on my own. :-)
I thank you sincerely for anything you choose to donate, and even if you opt not to, I still appreciate your support. Here are the links for easy on-line donations, but I am happy to accept other forms of payment on the organizations' account as well.
Click on the title for the event description, and the link for my participant page.
Walk for Animals
http://events.animalhumanesociety.org/goto/dtisinger
MS Bike Ride
http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/dtisinger
...uncover the gardens this weekend. Yesterday was gorgeous (the whole weekend was nice). We opened windows. We opened the new windows on the bathroom porch (and puppy-boy even managed to overcome his fear of the bathroom and join me for the open window session on the porch). And I regretted spending time on the house rather than uncovering the gardens.
But, for once in my life, procrastination proved to be the better part of valor. Because this is happening today. Click the pictures for a larger view. I'll also have some pix from my office window later, because even though I remembered to bring the camera, I forgot to bring my card reader.
Updated include link to flckr photo set. The first couple are from earlier in the morning, and the next few from early afternoon. The last ones are through the new windows in our bathroom porch when we got home.
I've finally gotten some more house pictures uploaded, but they are mostly unannotated. We've also progressed well beyond some of these; I hope to have more sooner rather than later, but no guarantees.
The newly remodeled upstairs bathroom:
Looking in from the hall doorway
To the right:
The wooden door here leads to our funny little second story screen porch. This used to to be accessed from the landing/hallway, but now has been incorporated into the bathroom to give us some more space. The tile decoration at the top of the shower is the same tile from the kitchen backsplash.
To the left:
The new landing banister; paint is the same as the kitchen:
The banister itself has been raised to meet code. Behind the wall on the landing, we'll have a new small cupboard with something on the top to put plants on.
Repainted study and new sunroom doors:
These doors somewhat mirror the French doors on the main floor. The doorway has been expanded and the windowed doors added to incorporate the sunroom into the main room better. These doors are maple (?), and will be stained to more-or-less match the trim upstairs.
Paint colors for anyone who cares:
Study: Sherwin Williams Hazel no. 6471
Bathroom: Sherwin Williams Clary Sage no. 6178
Kitchen/Stairs/Landing: Sherwin Williams Hubbard Squash no. 44, from the Arts & Crafts line.
I left my hand unbandaged today. I prefer open air healing to the mushy skin that bandages can leave. However, that also means running the risk of bashing the injury repeatedly during the day without the padding that a bandage can provide. Here is a picture from today, and this is so much better than it was on Sunday.
If you're squeamish, don't click. If you want a closer view, you can make the picture bigger.
UPDATED: Now that I see the picture in its larger version, the picture actually looks better than it does in real life. I guess the camera just doesn't pick up the oozing as well. :-)
Took the kids for a walk Saturday morning. I wore the wrong shoes for the job, got lovely bubbly blisters on both feet.*
Made German pancakes for Saturday brunch, kept forgetting the pan handle was HOT! HOT! HOT!**
Picked up the kick stool to move it, bashed it into my shin.***
On Sunday, scraped the crap out of my hand by smashing it into a doorway.****
I need to be wrapped in bubble wrap before I can do anything.
* The walk was beautiful. Crisp, cool, sunny, gorgeous.
** The pancakes are like custard. Mmmmmm, yummy!
*** Got the Kahlua for a party. Didn't use any, but just knowing it was possible gave me a warm fuzzy feeling.
**** Still managed to accomplish the task, which was putting some towels away in our new cupboard in our new main floor bathroom. :-)
"I am not Roo," said Piglet loudly. "I am Piglet!"
"Yes, dear, yes," said Kanga soothingly. "And imitating Piglet's voice too! So clever of him," she went on, as she took a large bar of yellow soap out of the cupboard. "What will he be doing next"
"Can't you see?" shouted Piglet "Haven't you got eyes? Look at me!"
"I am looking, Roo, dear," said Kanga rather severely. "And you know what I told you yesterday about making faces. If you go on making faces like Piglet's, you will grow up to look like Piglet -- and then think how sorry you will be. Now then, into the bath, and don't let me have to speak to you about it again."
You scored as Kanga!
ABOUT KANGA: Kanga is Roo's mother and Tigger's foster mother. While she is a kind and motherly sort of person, the other inhabitants of the Hundred Acre Wood suspect that underneath, she is a Fierce Animal. Her hobbies involve talking about Roo's health and development, watching Roo while he practices jumping, and making Roo and Tigger take their strengthening medicine.
WHAT THIS SAYS ABOUT YOU: You are the kind of person who takes on other people's worries. You are efficient and a person of action - the type of person who Gets Things Done. Your friends tend to rely on you to get them moving and keep things running.
The problem is that you tend to forget about yourself in all of this. You need to remember that you are an important and worthwhile person, and sometimes it is okay to say "no" to people's constant requests and demands. Give yourself some time off.
| Link: The Deep and Meaningful Winnie-The-Pooh Character Test written by wolfcaroling on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test View My Profile(wolfcaroling) |
This one doesn't seem too far off for me...and it was a cute/fun little quiz.
well, no news.
The bank sent an appraiser to the house earlier this week. The husband was home, but it sounded like the guy was second-guessing our need for $$ since it looks pretty much done (you know, except for all of the gazillion little things). Thank goodness for the First National Bank of Mom for helping us complete the remodel.
Went to IKEA to get a replacement for the husband's monolithic beast of a desk. He picked up a few bits and pieces of this, while I finally got one of these (with footstool):
The camera and I are taking a little break. There is some setting or some function that I am just not understanding, because I can't seem to ever get exposure or color to come out right. I still have pictures on the card to upload from the remodel, but finding the time for the putting onto the computer then editing then blogging is just too much right now.
And it's still very much winter here. I'm pretty sure I complain the same every year, but it really feels like this winter is colder and bleaker and worse than it has been in the past. Not that much more snow, but cold. Then it will warm up, then get cold again. I can't wait to get working in the garden again...usually by early March I can at least see the soil, even if nothing is quite up yet.
We have suddenly found ourselves in a position that I would never have expected us to be in with this remodel. We both have good jobs, we're financially solvent, we have excellent credit, we have been with the same bank for many years, and yet, suddenly, we find ourselves with our line of equity frozen, in the middle of having our house torn apart.
Due to the housing market crisis and the losses big banks are posting, almost every bank across the country is freezing all home equity loans. Apparently, though, they're following a typical senior management policy of reacting without paying attention to the smaller details of what will this really mean, not only for customers, but for the staff who have to deal with the fallout.
We found out about the situation last Tuesday. We were supposed to have received information in the mail, but hadn't. A service representative caught the Husband at work to apprise him of the situation. When he explained that we're in the middle of a remodel (that will increase the value of the house, but that has currently rendered the house unsellable at this moment in time), he was referred to that person's manager. At that time, the Husband was assured that there should be a process in place for this kind of situation and that our case would be reviewed and that we would hear back in about 5 days.
Yesterday was day 7, so we called. Apparently, the manager with whom the Husband spoke was not authorized to say such things; the underwriters sent him a response saying he needed to contact us to explain {I'm fuzzy about what he was exactly supposed to explain]. In a compounding of errors, it turns out that person can't make outside calls, and the underwriters should have known this. Long story short, we were never contacted.
So now, we have to send the bank details about the project and they'll review the case, supposedly in another 5-7 days. If they decide to unfreeze our loan, we'll probably also have to schedule an appraisal in order to actually access the money. So we're looking at probably another 2-3 weeks.
The good parts of the situation:
1) We have a contractor who is willing to work with us (after all, this situation will significantly impact his business, too).
2) Because of the good jobs mentioned above, we could scrape the money up to finish (we're about 80% done at this point).
3) My mother can loan us some of the money to finish, at a much better interest rate.
The bad parts:
1) We've been living in the living room of our house for nearly two months, which means sleeping on a futon.
2) We haven't had a shower in our bathroom for that amount of time (we have a temporary shower situation in the basement, but the hot water hose split last weekend, so it's getting very important to get the upstairs bathroom completed).
3) We'll be borrowing money from family. That's not necessarily bad per se, but I'd rather owe the bank than friends/family.
The future impacts:
1) If we scrimp and save and finish ourselves, that means we will probably not be paying off our credit card, which means interest and a higher balance that we will still have to pay off.
2) If we ever find ourselves getting a home equity loan again, we'll just take the money and run rather than using it as a line of credit. Again, that means more interest that we'd have to pay.
So, while we are extremely lucky in that we can finish the job, and we can tell our contractor to keep working because he'll still be able to pay his subcontractors, it's just a sucky situation that we did not quite anticipate. Bleah.
We all know my position on designer dogs...mixed-breeds with fancy names and high prices. Maybe shelters are taking the wrong approach. Instead of saying they have lab-mixes who need good homes, they should go out and market Labraweilers or Rottradors. How about German Sheprador Retrievers? Lab- and -(r)ador seem to go with a lot of different names.
For the smaller set, you could have the Puget Hound or the Jack Russell Cock-a-poo. Or the Pootzu? Dogs would fly out of shelters if the staff could figure out the right combination to advertise the dogs.
Okay, so why am I ranting right now? I'm reading Susan Conant's Gaits of Heaven: A Dog Lover's Mystery
Until I saw today's Daily Puppy: a Standard English Goldendoodle. Hence the title of this post: NO, NO, NO, NO! I assume the "standard" goes with the "oodle", and "golden" is fairly obvious. But "English?" There is no "English Poodle" or "English Golden Retriever" that I know of. (Yes, the puppy is cute, adorable, and I'm sure very sweet, and, of course, he must be smart. But he's still an over-priced mixed breed.)
A mutt with any other name is just as sweet. Adopt a shelter dog if you absolutely must have a mixed breed.
Ah, how time can heal old injuries (and allow for new ones, but that's not the subject of this post). A friend recently reminded me that I never finished my tales of woe over traveling in January.
We left off where I had finally gotten the ticket situation mostly straightened out, with just about an hour before the flight departed. So, as any normal person would do in an unfamiliar airport (we moved just after DIA opened, and I really haven't flown in/out of Denver very often), I followed the signs leading to security, which happens to be down one level from ticketing. I know this, because as I was following the signs that were pointing down, I was also looking at the massive pool of humanity being herded through the security gates below me.
[time out for major rant: WHY DO WE LET THE POWERS THAT BE DO THIS TO US? WHY DO WE ALLOW OURSELVES TO BE HERDED LIKE CATTLE? THE TERRORISTS REALLY WILL WIN BECAUSE WE'RE SO PISSED WE COMMIT AIR RAGE AND END UP ON THE DO-NOT-FLY LISTS!]
Problem 3: The First Security Gate
I hurry down the stairs to the cattle-drive...um....security line, only to be met by a TSA agent in the process of closing off that security area and saying that we need to go to the one on the other side of the airport. (No, this isn't the guy I flipped off, but I was pretty darn close at this point.)
Problem 4: The Second Security Gate
Okay, I'm in line now. I ask an agent what time it is...she makes a very exasperated point of trying to find a clock on a wall somewhere (I never did see the clock), and huffs that it's about 2:10 (my phone is almost dead, there are no outlets in sight, and I've got to save the battery to let my ride know when I've landed). I'm watching two lines getting funneled into one (the one I'm in), and the one line moving at slower than a snail's pace. I just chose the first line I got to, but turns out that my line was the one with the air-puff machine. Who knows what this thing is supposed to do. It's a gate with doors on one side. You step in, it puffs air over you, you step out, then take off your shoes and go through the normal security gate. But that description makes it sound like it goes quickly. It doesn't, especially when you're in line. It's like going through the car wash...the other car is already out but the doors don't open for you. Actually, going through a car wash is even quicker than this machine.
The woman behind me is checking flight info on her phone and finds out her flight is delayed by 30 min. I jokingly ask if she's going to Mpls, but no such luck. My flight boards at 2:25, and by now it's around 2:20. At the urging of the people behind me, I go up to an agent to ask if there's anything that can be done to get me through quickly (DIA is a tram airport, so I know I've even got a way to go once I get through this mess).
This guy was the proverbial straw. He was such an arrogant, condescending prick as he told me there was absolutely nothing that could be done because everyone was in the same situation. It's impossible for the slime factor to show up in the written version of this story, but trust me, it was there. People around me are nice enough to let me move ahead, and my cheerleaders behind me tell me to just go to the front of the line (by this time, I'm in tears because I have a physiological reaction to stress that results in me dissolving into a weeping puddle). The nice people at the front let me in, I wait forever to go through the puffy thing, then wait forever for my bags to go through security. (Forgot to mention that while in line, the zipper on my carry-on bag breaks. Not too much of a problem, but I like to know my stuff won't go spilling out everywhere.)
While between the air-puffer and the regular security gate, I catch sight of the prick, and, on the spur of the moment, flip him off. Yes, I know this is not wise, but damned if I care at this point. I don't really want to leave Denver anyway, and it's freedom of speech, isn't it? I really didn't do anything wrong....
Finally get through security. I have no idea what time it is, but I know the flight's boarding and I've still got a ways to go (my gate is B37, which in Mpls, would literally be the end of the C concourse). Catch a tram, get to the terminal I need to be at when the first good thing happens! My gate is at the near end of the concourse!
Problem 5:The Mechanical Problem
Sure enough, the line is in place to board. I've sprinted hard enough to aggravate my exercised-induced-asthma, and can barely talk to the guy to get my boarding pass, but get that settled. Sit down to wait my turn (I'm in the last boarding stage), when the United guy comes on the intercom to announce that there is a mechanical problem with our plane and our flight will be delayed. When I don't have a connecting flight, and am just heading home, delayed flights really don't bother me. But I was pissed that I probably pissed a lot of people off cutting ahead, pissed that I couldn't really breathe because of my sprinting, and then it all turned out to be for nothing.
*******************
So, that is the saga of my family vacation flight. Again, WHY DO WE ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN? CAN'T SOMEONE BE ACCOUNTABLE? CAN'T WE RETAIN SOME OF OUR HUMAN DIGNITY? (I've seen especially elderly travelers completely humilitated by having to remove shoes, belts, etc.) DOES IT REALLY MATTER IF MY LIQUID CARRY-ON IS 3 OR 4 OUNCES? WITH ALL OF THIS fucking bullshit (yes, I said it) THE TERRORISTS REALLY WILL WIN!!!!!
Or, How I was Lucky Not to be Detained and Never Heard from Again
Whenever possible from here on out, I will not fly. At least not until the government/TSA gets a few brains and changes how they do things. Last weekend, I flew out to Denver to celebrate my paternal grandfather's 90th birthday party. My aunt, who organized the whole shindig, convinced all of the grandkids to come in (we're scattered almost literally from sea to shining sea: Washington, D.C. to Las Angeles). As a very generous gift, she used her frequent flyer miles to purchase a ticket for me. The story of my woes are shared amongst Denver International Airport, United Airlines, and most importantly, the TSA. See, I got so pissed that I actually fipped off a TSA agent. Yes, I really did. He was a prick (more later). I don't think he saw me, else I'd probably still be in a holding cell somewhere where my body would never be discovered.
Problem 1: Checking In
As a responsible traveler, I like to check in ahead of time. Especially when I'm going all carry-on, so really can just go to the gate. Um, nope. Not this time. Apparently, someone else can't buy you a ticket if your names are different unless you have the physical card with which the ticket was purchased (what happens if someone pays cash?).
So, I arrive at the airport and stand in line. A helpful United person tells me that for carry-on, I can just go to one of the self-serve kiosks. I'm skeptical, because I couldn't check in online, but hey, we're actually at the airport now. Maybe the kiosks are different. Nope. Can't do it. Helpful United person says, "of course you can, you just need any card that identifies you." So he takes me over to try. Nope, have to talk to a person. Get back in line.
Find out that someone can't buy your ticket unless you have the card. Only solution is to buy the ticket myself; my aunt says she'll just write me a check (still, very generous). Fortunately, I can buy the ticket (I know others who probably couldn't). Somewhat helpful United person with whom I am now speaking does a lot of typing and writing and writing and typing. In the end, I have a boarding pass, my reciept, and a receipt for my aunt showing the credit to her card.
I got to the airport 2 hours early, so still have plenty of time, which is good, because I should have checked my too heavy non-rolling carry-on that I have to lug to the far end of the concourse. Board the plane, someone's in my seat. No worries...he thought he was in F but he's in A. A is open, so I just take that. My seat light is burned out (evening flight). Again, no worries...I have a little clip-on flashlight so I can still read.
Get to Denver, catch up with family, celebrate birthday (to be described in a later post).
Problem 2:
Don't bother trying to check in online ahead of time. Get to Denver airport 2 hours before flight and plan to check stupid non-rolling bag. Stand in line for 20-30 minutes for a kiosk. Enter my credit card with which I purchased my ticket. Um, nope. I need to get further assistance. Even though this ticket should be on my card.
Stand in line for further assistance for 30-45 minutes. Really. Here's where I blame United the most; they only had 3 people working there. For a busy departure time. And in the "needs more help" line, everyone has some type of problem. The line keeps getting longer. I feel sorry for one woman flying with her two large dogs. But she has 3 people working with her alone, leaving just 2 people to serve the rest of the line.
FINALLY get to the person, who is just as confused as I am. She gets me straightened in the system, but all I get from her is an authorization card; I have to actually get my boarding pass at the gate.
Aty tuned for the rest of the drama. The good part is still to come.
With the downstairs mostly done, it's time to move upstairs. Here are some before pictures of the bathroom and very beginnings of upstairs demo.
We came back to the new cabinets AND the new appliances AND the tilework backsplash AND the new countertop.
After the sheetrock, the cupboards went in. They are quarter-sawn oak, and I can't quite remember the company. They aren't custom-fitted, so they aren't more expensive for that reason.
I've been a bit behind on my remodel blogging, so I don't have much commentary other than what's in the pictures. This group was taken before we left over the Christmas holidays. The sheetrock went in on the walls, then the cabinets went in in pieces.
* Les Miserables
Apparently, I'm far more interesting because I changed my name when I got married...click the continue link to see my maiden name's meaning....
| What Danielle Tisinger Means |
 You are powerful and competent, especially in the workplace. competent, yes. Powerful? not even interviewed for the last job I applied for People can see you as stubborn and headstrong. You definitely have a dominant personality. probably more true than I would like You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. and if I can't win, I don't want to play :-) You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. see "stubborn and headstrong" You have the classic "Type A" personality. I don't think I'm as high maintenance as what I consider the "classic 'Type A' personality" You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people. sure, if by "understand the world" you mean that I understand that life is not fair.... You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts. while I may get carried away, I never manage to stay in that other world, dang it You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals. um, yeah, that's me... You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing.yep You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long. the husband keeps saying, "I support your crafts, but can't you focus on just one or two for a while?" You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start. yes to part 1, no to part 2. I hate stopping in the middle, unless it's a project I don't want to do. Then I work piece by painful piece, but I almost always finish. You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. not really at all...most people think I'm a little stand-off-ish You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. until I get impatient with things not getting done/decisions not getting made, at which point I snap and do things/make decisions At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together.there are certain someones in my life who point out every tiny detail that I might forget, but generally I don't think part 1 is me at all. Part 2, yes...I'm very capable with "the important things." You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow. now you're talking You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily. ? while at the same time, I'm "tightly wound" and "it's easy to get [me] excited." Contradictory, yes, but I think both statements are true. Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is. not even one little bit. I'm the most depressed and cynical person a lot of people know. Eeyore is my fraternal twin. You are a seeker. You often find yourself restless - and you have a lot of questions about life. why isn't life the way I want it to be???? You tend to travel often, to fairly random locations. You're most comfortable when you're far away from home.travel, yeah, sort of. Random locations? nope. Comfortable far from home? not really You are quite passionate and easily tempted. Your impulses sometimes get you into trouble. bingo You are the total package - suave, sexy, smart, and strong. If "suave" and "sexy" = inserts both feet into mouth while running a marathon, then, yes. You have the whole world under your spell, and you can influence almost everyone you know. oh, if only. You don't always resist your urges to crush the weak. Just remember, they don't have as much going for them as you do. I usually don't crush the weak until they've really started to annoy me.... You are deeply philosophical and thoughtful. You tend to analyze every aspect of your life. You are intuitive, brilliant, and quite introverted. You value your time alone.not so much on the brilliant front Often times, you are grumpy with other people. You don't appreciate them trying to interfere in your affairs. yep You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something. One thing I do not like at all is being told what to do, especially if I think it is stupid and/or don't know why I have to do it and/or disagree with it. I also do believe in the act first, apologize later (if necessary) approach to bureaucracy. You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. if I have a ton of energy, why am I so dang tired?You're very intense.I can turn the intensity on, but it's not my normal style. You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun. yes to the first, possibly to the second |
We drove from Mpls to Wyoming today, the first leg of our drive to the husband's parents in Las Vegas (my mom is in Laramie, so we're leaving the kids with her while we go to Vegas, then spending some more time in Laramie on the way back).
We left Mpls in heavy, wet snow. Driving was pretty ugly because cars were breaking random tracks on the snow-covered road, tracks that weren't in any particular lane.
By the time we got to northern Iowa, the heavy snow had quit, but it turned into a sleety/haily snow, and the roads were definitely slick. We saw some cars off the road, but nothing looked too serious. At Des Moines, we turned west on I-80.
The husband and I have been driving in winter for the whole 15 years we've been together. We're used to seeing the aftermaths of accidents, the evidence of cars off the road, either whole or with body damage. But the accident we saw today will stay with me for a long time. It was about 1/2 hour west of Des Moines, and must have happened just before we got there--highway patrol wasn't even on the scene. Cars were backed up in both lanes, so we were predicting a semi across the road, or something to that effect (never mind the joker who decided to pass everyone on the left shoulder).
We got through pretty quickly, but as we passed, I could tell it was a pretty bad accident off to the right. There were several cars stopped that all looked fine (I think they were the samaritans who were first on the scene), but the bad one was the pickup that was off the road and up the embankment; it looked like it had rolled once or twice. I'm not at all sure about the details, but there was debris across the road, and there were a few cars going the other direction that had stopped, too. It's quite possible that the pickup had been traveling east, perhaps gone into the median and into the westbound lanes, and had rolled while trying to correct.
As we passed, however, I saw a person lying under a blanket, a blanket that had been pulled up over the head. The person's legs were curled up, and one hand was out from under the blanket. I'm pretty sure the accident was a fatality.
It wouldn't at all surprise me if we've passed other fatal accidents before, but I've never seen the evidence so starkly in front of my. We didn't need to stop because there were numerous helpers and the ambulance/patrol were just behind us. It really affected me far more than I ever expected something like that would. It was just so rough to see someone lying there like that, probably dead on the road, at Christmastime.
We arrived safely, without any problems. The husband is a wonderful driver when it comes to bad situations. But hug your loved ones, and please send good travel wishes to all who are traveling for the holidays.
I wasn't planning to linger on the "Science Friday" podcast I listened to last night discussing the impending demise of the world's coral reefs. But today's "Fast Track" is too similar to ignore:
On the Fast Track by Bill Holbrook 12/21/07
The podcast was especially depressing because the predictions are that even if every country/continent adopts the current environmental treaties like the Kyoto Treaty, the coral reefs will not be able to sustain themselves in the oceans. They'll die, and while their skeletons will slowly erode away, new corals won't be able to compete with the sea grasses that can live in the current state of the waters. This is a prediction for the middle of the century. Within 40 years. The only hope the corals have, the Stanford research guest says, is to completely revamp the way we look at how we live in the world, and adopt measures such as no gas-using automotives within the next two decades. Like that will happen.
The scariest part of the show was his analogy of the coral reefs being like the canary in the coal mine. While the reefs themselves are worthy of protection, they are providing an indicator of danger and a significant need for change.
I'm still looking for a mountain cave in which to hibernate and hermitize. Please let me know of any likely candidates. ;-)
Not what I would have guessed at first, but given some of the options for the questions, makes sense. These results are for what I would like to think my actual responses would be. See below for my second test results, possibly more what I would do, rather than what I'd like to do. I don't know if Marcie was a possible result, but she's the one with whom I've always most identified.
Perhaps the world's most uncoordinated bird, Woodstock is Snoopy's best friend, activity partner and occasional secretary. With his erratic flight patterns, he has trouble avoiding anything roughly between him and his destination and usually spends the winter holed up in Snoopy's kennel. Be extra careful playing baseball or football, as sports become a lot more challenging when the ball is six times bigger than you are.
| Link: The Peanuts Character Test written by timberlineridge on OkCupid, home of the The Dating Persona Test |
I love this!!!
My experience with men's a capella groups began with the King's Singers when I was in grade school (some of the popular hits that I'm supposed to know I know mostly through my King's Singers CDs...). I just love the ways the human voice can replace traditional instruments.
Today's official Dogs on Thursday is out sick (get well soon, Paula!), so I thought I'd take this opportunity to return to 3, 4, 5 (?!) of my favorite rants.
I was part of a conversation this morning that took about 30 seconds before my head was about to explode. We were talking about a Great Dane puppy that a co-worker is going to take for her mother. The pup needs a new home because her family can't give the time she needs. Why is that? The pup is 6 weeks old (Yikes 1)! She was purchased at 4 weeks, from a backyard breeder (Yikes 2) (the litter was originally 11 pups) whose bitch wasn't able to take care of the pups because she was bleeding excessively (Yikes 3)! The new owner had been looking for a dog for their 16 year old son who is missing his grandfather who recently passed away; when they found the ad for the pups in the paper (Yikes 4), they checked in, and the woman said that she had to purchase a pup because she couldn't leave them there (Yikes 5?). I was already familiar with the situation (co-worker and I had discussed it earlier), so we got through that part of the conversation in 15-20 seconds.
From there the conversation turned to a beagle that my co-worker is looking at for themselves; they were planning to go to a local humane society that just took in 3 beagle pups. Co-worker 2 mentioned that her daughter purchased a beagle from a local pet store (Yikes 6). Finally, the conversation ended with co-worker 1 talking about a cute pug-beagle mix she had seen (I'm not going to grace that with it's "cute" "breed" name--a mutt is a mutt) (Yikes 7).
So in the space of about 30 seconds, the conversation touched on: backyard breeding (potentially puppy milling on a small scale), neglect/abuse, improper weaning which has led to pup needing a new home, pet-store animal purchases, newspaper breeder advertising, and designer dogs. So, my head exploded.
My professor in my sophomore Intro to Lit course was a great believer in cutting out wordiness and over-blown language. While I am still prone to wordiness and abuses of language, one lesson rooted itself so firmly in my brain that it has become a personal foible: I cringe in near-pain when I hear people use (!) longer words when a shorter, plainer word would do. Don't get me wrong; I love language. There are people who can use long, possibly pretentious language, and make it beautiful. But I really don't like the word "utilize" in place of "use." There are appropriate times for "utilize;" I really like this summary from Dictionary.com in it's definition of "utilize":
Usage Note: A number of critics have remarked that utilize is an unnecessary substitute for use. It is true that many occurrences of utilize could be replaced by use with no loss to anything but pretentiousness, for example, in sentences such as 'They utilized questionable methods in their analysis' or 'We hope that many commuters will continue to utilize mass transit after the bridge has reopened.' But utilize can mean 'to find a profitable or practical use for.' Thus the sentence 'The teachers were unable to use the new computers' might mean only that the teachers were unable to operate the computers, whereas 'The teachers were unable to utilize the new computers' suggests that the teachers could not find ways to employ the computers in instruction.
I have similar objections to the word "colorway," as I have mentioned before. A friend refered me to a definition from wikipedia (I don't know exactly where):
"In visual arts, colorway or colourway is the scheme of two or more colors in which a design is available.
Colorway is describing the set of colors. A tweed that is basically blue with flecks of green and purple is a different colorway than a tweed that is basically blue with flecks of gold and orange. But they are both generally the same color."
The word does show up in this discussion of color in the "Yarn" entry:
"Yarn may be used undyed, or may be colored with natural or artificial dyes. Most yarns have a single uniform hue, but there is also a wide selection of variegated yarns:
Unfortunately, I can't take credit for the title of this post. It was in Crazy Aunt Purl's post yesterday, 11/30/07. This is pretty much how I've felt all year, but I never can think of clever ways to say it. :-)
Mostly pictures; I'll annotate with text when I have a chance.
I recently wandered around to some of the buildings near mine over the lunch hour. We have a few gargoyles, chimeras, and other interesting folks/critters adorning some of the buildings around campus.
So this evening when I opened my browser (my home page is the U of M home page), I found it rather amusing that the gargoyles were also featured there. Here is the text:
"Eye in the sky
One of four gargoyles--or chimeras--watches over the Twin Cities campus from the roof of Folwell Hall. The eight-foot-tall creatures adorned Folwell when the building first opened in 1907, then disappeared a few years later. The U had replicas made from looking at historical photos. This month marks the end of an 18-month restoration project on the exterior of Folwell, the grande dame of campus buildings. The U's 2008 Capital Request seeks funds for interior upgrades."
The picture won't be there long, because the webpage is a "dynamic Web 2.0 (?)" webpage that cycles information so that visitors to the site won't get bored. Or something. But if you get there in the next day or two, you'll probably see the gargoyle picture they chose.
This is my picture, more or less of the same critter:
Here is a series of these gargoyles on Folwell Hall (as always, click the pictures for larger images). I think they look more like dragons, myself. There are four of them, two on each long side of the building:
(It's pretty bad when the light starts failing at the end of a noon-ish lunch hour....)
Then there are the faces around the building. When you look through these pictures, it should come as no surprise that this building houses the language departments, the cultural studies departments, the ancient and near eastern religions departments, etc.:
More later...I haven't finished Folwell Hall, let alone shown my favorite campus gargoyle....
New windows in the kitchen today! I just took pictures of the new windows where the sink will be; the bathroom has a new window also, but it's not as exciting because there isn't any size change.
My uncle gave the Husband and me these T-shirts a few years back. Seems appropriate for Thanksgiving Day, somehow.
Really, though, there is a lot to be thankful for. Mom and Shilo made it out here safely, even though it snowed the whole way. We have good jobs, a good home, wonderful friends, great dogs, our health.....
Happy Thanksgiving to all.
More of the daily updates. I'm assuming no one will be here Thursday or Friday (or the weekend), so you'll be spared for a few days after tomorrow. :-)
A few shots of the new pipes:
And since the fridge is in it's new temporary home (see the shot of the dining room from the first post of this sequence), I can show you the framing for the new bathroom in the add-on porch segment of the kitchen:
Then there are the pipes in the ceiling. Here's what's left of the ugly, water-damaged ceiling:
