myopicgreen has something to say about flirting and sexy-time touching at conventions, and how she wants it to be even more awesome at Penguicon.
NOOOoooooo, my favorite Corey!
•March 10, 2010 • Comments Off on NOOOoooooo, my favorite Corey!Corey Haim found dead of overdose
Not to be confused with my favorite Cory – he doesn’t wear a red cape, after all.
His -mom- was in the apartment at the time.
zap!
•March 1, 2010 • 2 CommentsRemember that power problem I’ve been having, where my computer shuts down if I stand up suddenly, or if I walk across my carpet a few feet away, or if I touch the light switch on the opposite side of the room, or if lucy touches the plastic of the case?
Well, after much troubleshooting (and replacement of my power supply, the surge protector, speakers, and the outlet), we might be onto something – a serious problem here at the homestead.
See, yesterday I bought a not-cheap surge protector that has indicator lights for ground, overload and building fault.
When plugging into the livingroom (and bedroom, which I suspect is on the same circuit) outlets, I get the “overload” light, which is supposed to come up when loading the surge with over 20 amps, according to the manual. There was nothing plugged into the surge OR the other outlets – I unplugged my lamp, computers, TV, etc.
I tested other outlets, and the bathroom gives a building fault error. In fact the kitchen/dining area are the only “safe” outlets, so I am running a new extension cord from there to get online.
As my neighbor came home around this time, I mentioned it to him and tested his outlets, too – both of the ones nearest my side come up as a building fault.
So, you could say I’m more than a little concerned.
Maintenance (and his electrical buddy, I guess) are coming out today, and I’m working from home to meet them, ’cause this is complicated to explain and serious as an apartment fire, know what I mean? (Thanks again, mom, for making me get renter’s insurance!)
Education copy of Windows 7
•February 27, 2010 • 8 CommentsSo, in about 2 days, my Release Candidate copy of Windows 7 will expire. And start shutting down every two hours.
That’s pretty hugely sucky.
Can one of you fine folk acquire for me an Education copy of Windows 7? Should only be 30 dollars, and I will pay you back immediately.
A matter of life and death
•February 23, 2010 • 14 CommentsThis is what I want from you:
I want you to relax and enjoy the moment.
Any moment. Every moment, to the best you can.
I’m not saying there aren’t things to worry about – I’m saying you are doing your body and mind a disservice by not finding some way to appreciate as much as you can about each moment that you are alive. These are not disposable moments that exist only to lead you to the next – these are days of intense human experience, these are days of hard lessons, and these are days of beauty amidst tragedy.
It sounds ridiculous every time it’s said until the day it clicks, and you marvel at the connections you have with others (however tenuous), at the things you are able to do (however ordinary), at the natural world (however constrained), and at the world as it has come to be (however dark).
I became a different person, the day I was able to see the pain and anguish of a shitty day, of a seriously heartbreaking situation, of failure, and consciously seek out the joy. No coverups, no pollyanna, no tricks.
Considering the person I was, I feel confident in saying this is a matter of life and death.
If you could do one thing for me, for yourself, and for everyone in your life, please (pretty, pretty please) do this:
There will be a moment today in which you will be stressed – a conversation, a situation, a worry about your future. Stop, and without pretending the situation doesn’t exist, choose to experience joy, right now.
At that moment, you are choosing to be alive. You are choosing to care about yourself. That is what I want from you.
Made it back to work safe
•February 16, 2010 • 3 CommentsAfter 5 hrs of sleep and a long flight, I got a ride in to the office.
Turns out, I don’t need to be here, heh, so now I need to find a ride home.
I need an icon for “totally drained, dude”.
Well we know where we’re goin’ but we don’t know where we’ve been
•February 14, 2010 • 1 CommentI seem to have survived four days in sunny (but very cold) Orlando, FL.
I have put out more video in the past three days, by the minutes, than I normally do in a week.
It’s been the most painful trip I’ve made so far, despite meds – it’s clear that I need to spend a lot more time and energy doing PT for my back, as I really can’t frolick about (especially not with heavy equipment) like I could, say, six months ago. *laugh*
The hard drive started crashing frequently yesterday, which delayed the first show by hours. I worked it out – a few random files would cause the hard drive to spin down every time they were accessed. It could probably be fixed with a format and scan, but we don’t have the time for that. Instead, I bought a shiny new external drive, and it has done me right thus far.
Only two more shows left to do tomorrow, and we’ll be done. We’re supposed to be on a plane by 8:15AM Tuesday, but I’m going to try to delay my flight so I can handle the packing of our equipment, which I am more paranoid about than if it were my own child. Oh, you say that’s harsh but if my child falls three feet, I won’t have to pay for it for a long time.
Maybe that was a bad example.
I haven’t seen any of my fine friends from Florida while I’ve been here, but frankly, I would have felt crappy if they’d made it all the way to the Peabody and I had to say, “just hang out in the corner over there until I get to you some time around 11pm.” I haven’t kept track of social media pretty much at all – just a glimpse here or there, ‘cept the TED conferences ’cause they’re the bees’ knees.
Possible ways to spend the next hour before crashing out:
Wander the area
Sit at my desk and play the flash version of Dragon Age
Read one of the three books I brought that I haven’t touched
Watch The Daily Show online, in bed
I think we have a winner.
Stress test!
•February 10, 2010 • 21 CommentsI was talking to a few friends recently about the weather and about traveling, and at the same time I was reading Passive Aggressive notes from that one blog (like the anonymous tip to the girl seen leaving her boyfriend’s house and how inappropriate that was), and I started wondering whether my friends, on the whole, are the sort to let things wash over them, unfazed, or the sort to take things to heart and become anxious over them.
No pressure or judgment here, I won’t make fun of anyone.
LJ cut short my poll questions, so if you please, comment with A) whether you feel like you are in control of your own anxiety/stress/discomfort and B) your coping strategies for stress/anxiety/discomfort in situations out of your control.
NOTE: that last one about mortality could be confusing – stick to 10=cucumber and 1=fetal position. :)
Protected: SkennCon commentary via twitter
•February 8, 2010 • Comments Off on Protected: SkennCon commentary via twitterIt’s always making the convention badges that gets me excited. :D
•February 5, 2010 • Comments Off on It’s always making the convention badges that gets me excited. :DSent out the final itinerary for SkennCon a few minutes ago. I can’t wait! It’s a smaller group this year, so we’re going to have to be even more boisterous to make up for people who can’t be there. ;) At least this year the last-minute tickets didn’t explode in price – it’s 40 each way. Must be due to the lack of travel in general, this year.
We’ll be in Chicago from around noon Saturday until around 3 (I think) on Sunday, with definite Lunch, Dinner and Hottub plans and a pretty freewheeling schedule beyond that. If you’re in Chi-town this weekend, send me a call or text, and maybe we can all meet up!