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title Irving Place
Tuesday, July 30, 2002


Ever wonder why the US is not very popular these days?


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/30/2002 08:02:06 AM link





Bored with your usual vacations? Adicted to action movies? Money to burn? This may be your answer.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/30/2002 07:45:06 AM link



Monday, July 29, 2002


In other news, our replacement roommate seems to be a welsher (no offence meant to the Welsh). It is looking like Brian and I are going to be stuck with her part of the July rent and utilities. I may not be able to afford to live by myself, but with my recent track record, it will be cheaper than having roommates.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/29/2002 10:57:18 PM link





Moving turns me into a big, whiny crybaby. I've never been good at it. I get hot and hungry and crabby. Plus, I am a klutz, and moving brings thing out. I have a growing collection of painful bruises from swift encounters with sharp objects.

I have a dream that someday I will be able to afford to hire movers. Alternately, I dream of never having to move again.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/29/2002 10:54:37 PM link





There is a river that runs past my workplace, and I like to go down and sit by it on my breaks. A few weeks ago, I found a nice fishing lure and some line snagged on a weed. I pulled it out, and since I had no need for it, I tied the line to a stick and left it sitting on a low rock, thinking some kid could find it and use it.

Today I saw that it was still there, and the lure was in the water. I picked it up, thinking to set it somewhere more visible. Just as the lure started to move, there was a flash in the water and a tug...I'd caught a fish! I pulled it out, and there was a medium sized fish, a bit longer than the length of my hand. I chuckled, unooked it, threw it back in, and headed back to work to wash the fish smell off my hands.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/29/2002 06:19:43 PM link



Sunday, July 28, 2002


I went to see Goldmember today. It was amusing, though far short of the original. The dance numbers cracked me up, but I could have done without all of the scatalogical humor. Hell, I could have dome without *any* of that. Beyonce Knowles did a good job with the character she was given. I wish they had made more use of Seth Green, but then again, you can *always* use more Seth Green


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/28/2002 09:56:44 PM link





Just finished off my Dreamery Black Rasberry Avalanche. Now there's a flaver to be reckoned with. Delish. The container art is also pleasantly surreal.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/28/2002 09:46:01 PM link





This has to be seen to be believed. In fact, I've seen it, but I still don't believe it. I'm still giggling, though

Update: Apparently, my disbelief was justified. I went back to look at it again, and most evidence of its existence has vanished. Check here if you want the scoop.

Update #2: Well, it's back, and funny as ever. I've heard there is a version with music, too. (YMCA.)


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/28/2002 09:32:04 PM link





Can any of you recommend a good web host? I am looking for a place to put irvingplace.net. Ideally, I am looking for someone that:

Isn't too expensive.

Provides decent service....that is to say, at least is not a complete dick.

Moderate storage space. Somewhere between 5-100MB.

Some of you have your own domains. Any recommendations/warnings?


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/28/2002 08:51:23 PM link





Speaking of the blackout, now that I am a little more awake, I can fully describe the events that transpired.

Shortly after blogging about the thunder and lightening, I was finishing up the "sexy voices" post, which I planned to save in Simple Text, and blog on the half hour. I was then going to shut the computer down for a bit, just in case. Just before I'd reached the end of assembling the list, everything died. No radio, no computer, no lights (no motor car, not a single luxury....). The was no warning flicker, just *boom* to black. (OK, not total black...I had my last four votive candles burning.) I waited a bit to see if the lights would come on. (Thank goodness I was out of the shower by that time!) Brian came up from downstairs with a flashlight. He'd been in the middle of packing. He said that everything was off all up and down our block, but that across the street all was well. We live at the border of our power grid, apparently.

I set my timer to 30 minutes, and sat by the window, watching the storm and eating some ice cream. The light show was quite impressive, to be sure. The timer went off, but no lights. I set it again, and again no lights. I was begining to dispair that I would ever finish that Thon, when there was a knock at the door.

There stood Lukifer, Powerbook in hand. He had read my last post about the storm, and when no new posts appeared, he figured something was up. With nothing to see by but a few candles, we got his laptop configured to my connection, dug out a phone cable (no Airport with no electricity), and gotten everything plugged in from behind a pile of boxes and furniture. Fifteen minutes after he'd arrived, I was back online.

Typing on the floor, in the mostly dark was fun, but we muddled through until the lights came back on. The computer gods were kind. Other than the "not properly shut down" error message, everything was just fine on the iMac. Big relief. It certainly was an adventure.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/28/2002 08:36:57 PM link





Now, some Blogathon thanks are in order.

Thank you to all who pledged.

Thank you to the organizers, for doing such a great job getting this all going.

Thanks to all who stopped by left helpful comments.

And a big thanks to Lukifer for providing chinese take-out, an emergency laptop during the blackout, and mega moral support.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/28/2002 08:23:43 PM link





So, am I a masochist? After 24 hours of blogging, I got done at 8AM and went to bed. By noon I was up and out of bed.

I realized that if I slept all day, my sleep schedule would be off, and I wouldn't be able to get to sleep tonight. So, I may be sleepy, but I am still packing boxes and hauling stuff downstairs and to the garage. After all, I have to have *all* of my things down in the garage by Tuesday night so I can clean and be out by noon Wednesday.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/28/2002 08:01:19 PM link





It has been fun. Off to bed I go.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/28/2002 08:00:50 AM link





Only one half hour to go. Buckle up, kids!


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/28/2002 07:36:57 AM link





Lots of soda for the past few hours. My teeth are really gonna hate me. Hmmm...

<reaches for an Oreo>

<stares at Oreo>

<reaches for an toothbrush>





   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/28/2002 07:08:31 AM link





I think, if the weather is nice today, I will find myself a nice spot outside to catch up on my snoozing.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/28/2002 06:44:04 AM link





My Blogathon really has been plagued by technical difficulties.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/28/2002 06:14:47 AM link





"Internal Server Error
The server encountered an internal error or misconfiguration and was unable to complete your request.

Please contact the server administrator, dev@pyra.com and inform them of the time the error occurred, and anything you might have done that may have caused the error.

More information about this error may be available in the server error log.

Apache/1.3.22 Server at blogspot.com Port 80"


Ah poop.



   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/28/2002 06:11:36 AM link





On the theme of family planning here is:

Getting lucky with Google*

Birth control

Condom

STD

Sex ed

Mamogram

Vagina

Penis

*Going directly to the first hit for these words.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/28/2002 06:07:54 AM link





I was just thinking of the Cathedral Pines, and how I'd love to be up north right now. The Cathedral Pines is a stand of virgin timber in the Nicolet Forest. The name is so appropriate to the place. So very peaceful.

I'll have to see about getting up there before the summer is over.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/28/2002 05:53:02 AM link





It isn't to late to sponsor me for Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin.

Why donate to PPWI? Because they need the money to continue doing the good work they do, but there are always those who are ready to pressure lawmakers to cut or deny funding. Recently, a rider on the budget made it through the Assembly that would have eliminated funding to "all options" care providers such as PP. Fortunately, it died in the State Senate. They will keep on trying, and so must we.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/28/2002 05:45:34 AM link





The sky is starting to get light. This time of day never does seem entirely real.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/28/2002 05:29:12 AM link





There can be something terribly charming about watching the right person sleep peacefully: a lover, a child, a patient. I can see why parents will sometimes stand by the cradle, crib, or bed doing nothing more.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/28/2002 05:27:30 AM link





The rest of (this part of) the world is dreaming right now.

I've often wondered about the standard interpretations ofdream symbols. Some of them are so off beat that it seems downright silly. I think a lot of it is bunk. A lawn = blood or circulatory system. Why? Who came up with this stuff and how?


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/28/2002 05:03:09 AM link





Silflay Hraka. For those of you who don't speak Lapine, it means "eat shit".

<Note period outside of quotation marks, British-style.>


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/28/2002 04:33:28 AM link





I am really enjoying reading A Blog of Chocolates. So much so, that I've been keeping a tab in Mozilla specifically for it.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/28/2002 04:01:38 AM link





So, has anyone (else) out there joined in the Nude Blogging movement?


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/28/2002 03:33:26 AM link





Well, the hours sans power were pretty stressful. However, the make-up for that is that I now have two computers on which to blog. I can blog at my desk on my iMac and then, when my ass gets tired, I can prop myself up on some pillows and use the Powerbook.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/28/2002 03:28:32 AM link





I always wanted to be a skater when I was a kid. Most of the boys in my grade school class were, and I wanted to be one, too. My dad, however, would hear none of it. I would break an arm or leg or something, so it wasn't happening.

Last summer, at the age of 25, I finaly realized that I didn't have to ask my dad anymore. I went out and bought my own damn skateboard. I've learned to skate in a straight line, how steer a bit. No tricks. I highly doubt I will ever be doing an ollie like that.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/28/2002 03:00:02 AM link





One of the earliest photos I ever took with an SLR. I was quite happy with it. In fact, this was one of the photos that made me decide to take the Intro Photo class at UW. And here I am today.



   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/28/2002 02:48:58 AM link





Guess what. The lights are back on. Rock out!


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/28/2002 02:15:13 AM link





Sexy voices:

John Mayer

Beth Orton

David Gray

Norah Jones

Rufus Wainwright

Lauryn Hill

Chris Isaak

Erykah Badu

Harry Connick Jr.

India Arie


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/28/2002 02:14:39 AM link





Another thing I will keep in mind is that running this thing on batteries will run it out in a few hours, unless power comes back. I may have to start putting it to sleep between posts.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/28/2002 01:42:29 AM link





The big suck is that I can't access my bookmarks, stored research, or many of the pics I was going to upload, unless and until the power comes back on.

Ok, time to surf and see what I've missed.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/28/2002 01:31:48 AM link





BTW, pardon the sudden influx of typos that I'm expecting. Typing in the dark, on the floor, well....ya do what you can.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/28/2002 01:29:33 AM link





OK, I am currently blogging by candlelight. The power has been out all over the area since about 11:30. It's still out. Lukifer showed up with his Powerbook. God bless the boy.

So, we dug out a phone cable, crawled behind boxes and furniture to plug it in, and now we're back in business.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/28/2002 01:28:29 AM link





Hoo-hah! Back online baybee!


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/28/2002 01:25:15 AM link



Saturday, July 27, 2002


Common sense says I should turn off the computer now. I think I'll wait a bit longer and keep my fingers cross. (Dumb kid that I am.)


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 11:22:10 PM link





Oooo, I hear thunder. I can't say that I like that right now.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 11:14:04 PM link





Quick plug for Comedy Sportz, Madison. Funny stuff, plus pizza and beer. Fridays and Saturdays, 8 and 10 PM. If you are down on State Street and don't know what to do, head on over there.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 11:07:14 PM link





Nude blogging will soon commence--I'm off to take a quick shower.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 10:39:58 PM link





Yes, I have been making mention of large pledges. However, pledges in any amount are great. $5, $10, $20....whatever you can do. After all, every bit helps.

(If it makes a difference, the standard amount that helps NPO's get matching funds, etc. is $35. That tends to be the magic number for pledges that help bring in other grants.)


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 10:34:46 PM link





Well I'll be. I've just managed to surf all the way around to my own blog. Now that's a lot of surfing.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 10:09:08 PM link





Memo to self:

Buy new chair for computer desk.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 09:52:26 PM link





Ew. Due to the current danderful situation, I may actually be blogging naked soon. I really need a shower.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 09:29:14 PM link





OK, now I'm all covered with cat hair. I am not a cat. Instead, I am itchy.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 09:13:00 PM link








A series I did based on a small segment of a photo. As a whole, the photo itself was a bust....too dark and badly composed. However, this one face stood out. The first thing I ever did with it was a pen and ink drawing back in art school. It was small (maybe 6x14?) but one of the most laborious things I have ever undertaken for art, and one of the drawing of which I am most proud. (Unfortunately, I've already packed up the drawing, otherwise I'd scan it and post it here, too.) Now, having learned Photoshop, I decided to see what I could do with the photo itself. Not bad, IMHO. However, I'm not mearly so proud of them as I was of the drawing.

Lesson learned: good things can come from bad photos.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 08:18:51 PM link





Doncha hate it when you are surfing a web ring and come to a site where the code doesn't work, or isn't even posted? Yeah, me, too.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 08:04:36 PM link





Whew. Still there. Much relief.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 07:56:44 PM link





OK, I'm afraid to look. The last bunch of posts seem to have disappeared off the edit page, including the one I just posted. I never actively deleted anything, but just to be on the safe side, I've gone into the page view and copied everything I posted (links and all) from the missing chunk.

I hope when I refresh the page, everything is still there. I'll cry if it isn't.

Wish me luck....


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 07:54:26 PM link





Yes, I got on the South Park portrait band wagon a while back. Never got around to post mine, though. Somehow, I like the one I did for Lukifer better.













   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 07:49:57 PM link





Here's an idea to stay awake as the hours get longer:

Blog Naked. (webcams *not* required).

Yup, just take it all off, grab a glass of lemonade and keep posting. Maybe start with a cold shower or something. Brrrrrrrrrrrr.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 07:32:48 PM link





Triple M is on a roll. They keep playing songs I *must* hear.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 07:21:47 PM link





Took a test. Yup:

My Bloginality is INTJ.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 06:55:47 PM link





“Shut your trap, Irving!” Jane said.

*Giggle!*

Ok, it's not personal. Its from a story that Monochromatic Girl is writing in sections for the Thon. Check it out.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 06:39:40 PM link





The thing is, I'm not one of those women who thinks that men are scum. Most of the men I know and have ever know have been great guys. However, reading something like that it isn't hard to see why some women might think so.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 06:29:15 PM link





I stumbled across this site and was amused at topics such as "How to Spot a Golddigger" (yes, because ya know all the chicks are just after your Pinto, man). That page led me to a page called Hypnotic Seduction. Ew. (Note the key words hidden behind the title graphic: "hypno,seduction,hypnosis,attract,women,seduce,psychic,mind control,nlpseduction, sexual, subliminal, seduce, mind control, pheromones, sex attractant,m aphrodisiac,adult, xxx, sex, pictures, nudity, hardcore, gif ,jpg, pictures, anal, pussy,pheromone,pher" Need I say more?)

What is it all about?

"Do You Want To Know A Simple,

Two Minute Hypnotic Technique Which

Lets YOU Secretly Put Any Woman Into

An Instant Trance

And Persuades Her To Ask YOU Out???"



Really? Tell me more:

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Dr. Robert Jacobs, Certified Hypnotist. I would like to take a moment of your time to tell you about a phenomenal technique I discovered which allowed me to meet, date, and seduce literally hundreds of women by hypnotizing them.

As a hypnotist, I realized that I could use my skills to
easily hypnotize and seduce any woman that I chose!

I wanted a fast, easy way to make women surrender to my will, so I could quickly attract and seduce the women I wanted. Finally, through relentless research, I've discovered an absolutely amazing method that allows Anyone to easily Secretly Hypnotize any woman, Instantly, without them even realizing it!"


"Look...simply imagine the incredible feelings You'll have after you possess this absolute, sheer raw power over women! "


Get...a....clue...pathetic...losers. Is it the sex? Or is the power thing?



   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 06:10:08 PM link





For some reason, I just thought about a joke my dad and my uncle used to tell all the time:

Forty-nine Steps to the Outhouse, written by Willy Makit, pictures by Betty Wont.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 05:40:06 PM link





Yummy. Someone (a cute someone) brought me sweet and sour chicken.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 05:21:50 PM link





Or you could be fashionable.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 04:53:23 PM link





Ever wonder about duck/duct tape?


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 04:44:46 PM link





I don't know what is worse. The fact that McDonald's has jumped on the flatbread bandwagon or the fact that they are using "New Sensation" by INXS in the radio commercials.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 04:31:41 PM link





Remember kids, when the pledge total reaches $200, the annoying ad goes away from the top of the page.

Also, the first pledge of $100 or more gets a framed copy of "Queen of Pentacles", the b/w photo featured above the archives.

It's for a good cause.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 04:18:24 PM link





This is a photo of "Keeper of Memories" by Brain Wilson (no, not the Beach Boy)that I saw at the Eljehjem Museum a little while back. I wanted to link to a photo of it on line, but I couldn't find one, or even info on the sculptor. So, I had to get my film developed and post my own.

Is that not one of the neatest, eeriest things you've ever seen?

Seriously, if I were the sort of person who could drop a huge amount of money on art (I mean someone else's art) I would so want to purchase this piece.









   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 04:06:32 PM link





Ben and Jerry's has and amusing site. Check out the Departed Flavor Graveyard (Flash). Alas, two of my favorites: Coffee Toffee and Heath Bar are among the casualties. Still, where there is New York Super Fudge Chunk, there is hope.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 03:40:31 PM link





Publish, darn you!


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 03:24:24 PM link





If I had the money, I would buy a hyrbid car. I really like the Toyota Prius. The Honda Insight is ok, but a little too sporty for my taste. Then there is the EV1 by GM (by way of Saturn). However, that is entirely electric and needs to be plugged in. Not teribbly practical yet, especially outside of California.

At the moment, however, I drive a 12 year old Cougar and am happy if I only have to fill up once a week.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 03:19:37 PM link





Well, I'm getting Narnia cleared out.

Yes, that's right. The entrance to Narnia is in my bedroom closet. You see, instead of ending at about door width like most closets, this one goes back and back and up and up. There are three levels extending back behind the wall, with a crawl space entrance in the ceiling at the far back. A fun place to go sit and hide out, though mostly used for storage. How prosaic, hey? However, the wardrobe was used to store old fur coats, after all.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 02:48:58 PM link





*Sigh* I've wanted to be a member of Metafilter for a long time, but membership was closed to new users. Now it is open again, but only to the first 20 people to sign up after noon, PST. I keep missing it. It feels like calling in to a radio contest, or standing in line outside of a trendy night club.

Someday, it will happen.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 02:20:39 PM link





Waaaaaaaah!


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 02:02:23 PM link





As I'm packing, I notice that I own a lot of shoes. I'm not really a clothes horse or anything, but I do own a lot of shoes. There is a bit of a stigma attached to this.

Funny thing, I actually perfer to be barefoot whenever I can. However, living in Wisconsin means you wear shoes a lot. I do believe that if you have to wear shoes, you might as well wear shoes that are appropriate for the occasion, task at hand, and outfit. Combat boots or sandals? Tennis shoes or dress shoes? I also have a number of shoes that go with costumes, and can't be worn with much else. (Like my Sound of Music, Frau Schmidt "bowling shoes".)

Just an observation.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 01:57:25 PM link





Must. Own. Less. Stuff.....


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 01:35:01 PM link





Bastard.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 01:05:48 PM link





Still monkeying around with my template.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 12:45:20 PM link





"Commas and full stops (periods) at the end of quotations should be placed inside the end inverted comma (quotation mark)."


And...

"Use quotation marks [ “ ” ] to set off material that represents quoted or spoken language. Quotation marks also set off the titles of things that do not normally stand by themselves: short stories, poems, and articles. Usually, a quotation is set off from the rest of the sentence by a comma; however, the typography of quoted material can become quite complicated. Here is one simple rule to remember:
In the United States, periods and commas go inside quotation marks regardless of logic. Click HERE for an explanation (sort of).

In the United Kingdom, Canada, and islands under the influence of British education, punctuation around quotation marks is more apt to follow logic. In American style, then, you would write: My favorite poem is Robert Frost's "Design." But in England you would write: My favorite poem is Robert Frost's "Design". The placement of marks other than periods and commas follows the logic that quotation marks should accompany (be right next to) the text being quoted or set apart as a title. Thus, you would write (on either side of the Atlantic):

* What do you think of Robert Frost's "Design"? and
* I love "Design"; however, my favorite poem was written by Emily Dickinson."


And...

"Now, keep in mind that this comma and period inside the quotation marks business is strictly American usage. The British don't do it that way. They are inclined to place commas and periods logically rather than conventionally, depending on whether the punctuation belongs to the quotation or to the sentence that contains the quotation, just as we do with question marks and exclamation points."


Well then, there you go.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 12:33:43 PM link





Well, the sun came out, so it looks like they won't have to have the picnic in a warehouse again this year. Bet it'll be muddy, though.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 12:26:14 PM link





One of the funniest blog titles I've seen so far: Amish Tech Support.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 12:11:29 PM link





I like slow speed films. I'm talking about film with an ISO of under 100. Sure, I frequently shoot in the 100-400 range, but there is something about the way the fine grain films look. So nice. It is getting harder and harder to find, though.

Before they discontinued it (am I sensing a theme?) I was very fond of Agfa Ultra 50, a color print film. I once shot a roll of Kodachrome 25. Again, discontinued. Thank goodness Fuji is still making Velvia 50 slide film.

I guess amatuers tends towards fast films, and professionals are going digital. *sigh* I'm not a Luddite, but man, I'm going to hang on to film as long as I can.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 11:46:52 AM link





Sponsors so far:

2 "anonymous"

Luke Arthur

Leann

Amy Westra

Thanks guys. See? All the cool people are doing it. Only $20 to go before the annoying ad goes away.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 11:28:10 AM link





Odd, I just noticed that while the time stamps that appear on the blog are accurate, the time stamps on my edit page are 6 hours ahead.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 11:05:38 AM link





Ok, the first pledge of $100 will receive a framed copy of "Queen of Pentacles", the photo to the left of the title.

Also, the current pledge total is $130. When it goes over $200, I will make the ad at the top of the page go away.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 10:56:21 AM link





Disclaimer:

My view are my own. I do not necessarily speak *for* PPWI. Go to their for their official stands.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number
7/27/2002 10:31:35 AM link





Ok, still trying to drum up pledges for Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin.

Why should you pledge? Because they need the money and it is the right thing to do. Pro-life? Well, Planned Parenthood provides more than just abortions....in fact that is just a teeny-tiny minority of what they do. Their mission is to provide education and reproductive health care for all people. Ideally, the education and contraception they provide will prevent unplanned pregnancies in the first place, before they even happen. (Hence the name.) No pregancy=no abortion.

For some women, Planned Parenthood actually provides the only health care they ever receive. They charge for services on a need-based sliding scale. Sometimes, they will even provide service for free. Poor people and students, those who are without insurance, can actually afford care that they wouldn't be able to get elsewhere. Breast and pelvic exams and pap shmears can save lives, but only if you can get them.

How about the sex ed? Shouldn't that be left to parents? I think that ideally, parents *would* be able to teach their kids everything there was to know about sex and sexuality. However, that isn't always the case. For one thing, some parents just don't do it. Should their kids be denied basic information? Should a teenager end up pregnant or with an STD because mom and dad were squeamish? Should someone reach adulthood and go out into the world only knowing what they picked up "on the streets" or from TV? It isn't just teens that need this info. Another thing with parents is that they may not have all the facts. When I was taking the volunteer educators class, we were all suprised at how much we didn't know. We were all grown, educated women, yet we had a good deal of misinformation about contraception, biology, and STD's. Planned Parenthood teaches classes for all ages and social groups. Classes can be for teenagers or classes can be for parents looking to talk to their kids.

You might not agree with every single thing that Planned Parenthood does, but I believe that the net outcome is worthwhile. Thanks.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 10:30:04 AM link





BTW, props to Nathan for taking the original photo from which my title piece came. I couldn't get over to Milwaukee to get one myself, but dude came through. I would like to state for the record that he does indeed rock da house.

I've Photoshopped a number of versions of this thing, so expect the image to change as my mood changes.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 10:10:52 AM link





Besides 24 hour Blogging, today I plan to get a lot of packing done. I've gotten to the point where it is mostly random stuff that doesn't pack well, or stuff that I think I might be needing. It is time to make the big push.

(I am also going to try to stay in my pajamas as long a possible.)


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 09:47:00 AM link





Tee-hee. While looking for information on Heyday Bars, I came across this page. It did make me giggle with it's tone of almost hysterical paranoia. However the "about us" page did raise a few valid points about freedom of choice.

I don't like smoking. (I also dislike Big, Corporate Tobacco.) Smoke makes me uncomfortable. I'm allergic, so I sneeze. I have asthma, so I cough. The smell of tobacco smoke gets very sour, and clings ot my hair and clothes until they are washed. The smell of someone who has just been smoking is totally obnoxious. Basically, secondhand tobacco smoke makes me ill.

I think people should be allowed to do what they want, so long as they aren't hurting anyone else. Second hand smoke does hurt me. I don't want to deal with it. I'd love to go out dancing or see a show at a bar without having to bring my inhaler and planning to wash my hair immeadiately upon returning home. Unfortunately, I don't have that choice in Wisconsin. Not everybody here smokes, but since it is allowed in bars, the people who do smoke light up constantly. I haven't been in a bar that wasn't hazy with smoke...even fancy expensive bars. (I hear that California doesn't have smokng in bars. I've gotta go see that.) This means that my choices are:

A. Put up with harmful smoke in order to attend and event that I enjoy.

-or-

B. Stay home or go elsewhere.

Smokers get to choose:

A. Go out and smoke.

-or-

B. Go out and don't smoke for a few hours.

-or-

C. Go out and go outside or elsewhere for a cigarette.

-or-

D. Quit smoking.

Does this seem fair? Not really. Someone else's life style choice and addiction is directly effecting what I can do and where I can go. Yes, I am aware that quitting is difficult. Yes, I am aware that having a nicotine fit and not being able to smoke for a few hours is uncomfortable. Boo-hoo. I didn't make you start smoking. You made your choice and I made mine. Quit whining.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 09:31:05 AM link





Oh, I do love publishing three times to get things to update. At least the template is behaving. (Knock on wood.)


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 09:01:01 AM link





Last night I went to the store to pick up some blogging caffeine, and decided to grab some cookies or ice cream for late night snacking. As I wandered down the cookie aisle (which was also the greeting cards aisle and the aisle for diapers. Go figure.) I looked in vain for Nabisco Hayday Bars. I haven't seen them in years. Those and the Nabisco Devil's Food cakes where two of my favorite cookies. In the Nabisco section, there were Marshmallow Pinwheels in the old style of brown package that the Heyday bars came in, but all of the other cookies were SnackWells. Now, SnackWells does make a Devil's Food Cake, but I get supspicious of the low-fat cookies. They taste fine, but they just seem....wrong.

I went home and Googled Heyday bars, wondering if I could order them from somewhere, only to discover the awful truth: they had been discontinued. NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!! They were the best cookies ever! *sniffle* I'll have to add them to Pudding Pops in my campaign to bring them back.

Hometown.favorites.com provides a long list of food products that are no longer made. Some make me sad (Keebler Grasshopper Chocolate Mint Sandwich) but others make me wonder why it was ever made in the first place (Pepsi Crystal).

Does anyone remember Royal's candy? I miss those, too.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 08:57:50 AM link





It is grey and raining outside, though pleasantly cool. Today is the day of my company's picnic. I missed it last year (when it was sunny) but made it the first year I worked there. 2000 was the Year of the Rain in Madison, and sure enough, that day was a torrential downpour. The picnic was supposed to be held at Lake Kegonsa State Park but we held it in the company's second (warehouse-y) building.

I was scheduled to work Saturdays, so I put in a half day and then headed across the parking lot to socialize and eat. I didn't mind the rain, as I had a big umbrella. However, I didn't realize how deep the puddles in the parking lot had gotten, and suddenly found myself hip-deep in water. Icky. I slogged around the party for afew minutes in dripping jeans and squishy sneakers, then headed back through the rain for my car, where I was lucky enough to have a pair of shorts and sandals to change into. Not quite warm enough for the day, but it was dry.

It was my first real socialization with co-workers, and I was still pretty nervous around them. Now I hang out with some of them so much that I look back on that day with amazement. What a shy little goof I was.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 08:28:36 AM link





Good morning, kids. Are we all here? OK then, let's do this.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 08:04:07 AM link





Well, there's the redesign, at least for now. I'll look at it again in 8 hours when the Blogathon begins. For now, I'm going to bed.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/27/2002 12:06:49 AM link



Friday, July 26, 2002


Ok, it is really amazing the calming effect that usingPhotoshop can have on me. I'm soooo mellow now.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/26/2002 09:54:50 PM link





Now *here's* a domain name: www.whyiseveryonesocranky.com.

I can tell you why I'm so cranky right this minute: it Friday night and there is nothing to do besides pack. I'm hot and I'm bored and no one else is home. I'm still on the bloody west side. None of the utility bills have been paid, even though I wrote my checks for them weeks ago. Work sucked for the most part today. I'm so crabby that I'm even annoying myself right now. AAAAAAARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*pant*pant*

I promise I will try to be cheerier and upbeat tomorrow.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/26/2002 09:10:43 PM link





<whine> Good lord, it is Friday night. Why am I home? </whine>


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/26/2002 08:06:59 PM link



Thursday, July 25, 2002


I caught a news story on the radio today about a church that was raising money by way of porta-potties. Unfortunately, I can't find the story online. It must be somewhere! I'll keep Googling.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/25/2002 11:33:03 PM link





Got into a strange arguement at work yesterday. It was argued that (for example), "I read that, too," is incorrect, and should instead be, "I read that, also," or "as well". I actually had to go borrow a dictionary to prove to them that "too" and "also" were pretty much interchangeable, and that either was correct in the sentence. Even then they were skeptical. Oy vay!

On a side note, you may have noticed that I sometimes put the comma or period outside the punctuation marks, rather than inside as is customary. I was taught to put it on the inside, but I find that it looks weird on the computer. Then I read somewhere (can't find the link!) that the convention was starting to change, for that very reason. I still do the old way by habit much of the time. I am trying to work out a consistent method, but it will take time.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/25/2002 10:17:22 PM link





<sarcasm> Oooooo Steve Earle is an unpatriotic America-hater. Thank God we still have Neil Young. </sarcasm>

Yeah, whatever. Subtlety and irony have gone bye-bye.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/25/2002 10:05:00 PM link





Ooooooo. The Down from the Mountain tour is going to be in Madison at the Kohl Center. Now way in hell I can afford the ticket, so I'll just listen to my O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack and be envious of the yuppies who *can* afford to go. Lucky stiffs.

On the other hand, I did win admission to the upcoming Josh Joplin solo show at Luther's Blues. Not a big Josh Joplin fan or anything, but I do love winning radio contests.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/25/2002 09:52:51 PM link





Publishing is going slowly. During the Blogathon this weekend, I really will update every half hour. However, I fear it may not end up looking that way.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/25/2002 09:21:03 PM link





This morning on Metafilter I read a link to am awful web page. Whiny, hateful, ill-conceived, ect. I thought about linking to it and making comments, but then it occured to me...why? Why give him more traffic? Besides, it hasn't been updated since 2000, so maybe the dude is feeling better.....maybe?

If you are really morbidly curious, you'll have to go to MeFi yourself and look for it. Neener.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/25/2002 09:12:11 PM link





Move over Miss Manors, the Etiquette Grrls are here.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/25/2002 08:09:07 AM link





Tee-hee. Maybe instead of requesting a pony, kids should learn to ask their parents for "an expensive couch."


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/25/2002 08:03:23 AM link





Dear lord, I have less than a week to moving day. So much to do before then. I always start to doubt that I will get erything packed in time, cleaned in time, etc. I also wonder about the security deposit. Brian accidentally dropped a stick of inscence drop on the living room carpet this winter, and there is a three inch burn that formed before anyone noticed it. It was new carpet when we moved in. Wonder how much off that'll be?

On the upside, only a week until I'm done whining about moving. That's always a bonus.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/25/2002 07:51:55 AM link





For the moment, I am going to ignore the template problems. The double posts are weird, but livable for the time being. I will be working on a redesign during the Blogathon this weekend anyway, so we shall see what happens. My worry, however, is that during the 24 hours during which I am supposed to update my blog every half hour, that Blooger is going to hiccup or crash completely, rendering publishing impossible. It isn't unheard of after all.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/25/2002 07:38:03 AM link



Wednesday, July 24, 2002


Sooooooo sick of this crazy template problem let me tell you. Bet you are sick of hearing about it.

Any other Blogger/Blogspot users having similar problems?


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/24/2002 11:57:35 PM link





Double posts? WTF?


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/24/2002 11:49:31 PM link



Tuesday, July 23, 2002


Roses don't burn well. Just thought you might like to know.

<Huh?>

Ok, some explanation. I save stuff. Sentimental stuff. I have a huge box full of old letters and notes. I save ticket stubs. For years I have saved dried flowers. At first I saved every flower I ever got, as they were a rarity. Most of them were carnations, with one or two roses mixed in. Eventually, I weeded out all the non-rose flowers, and had a large vase full of dried roses.

It sat high up on a shelf. I can no longer remember which came from friends and family, which were from lovers, and which I bought myself. The pinks and reds grew browner and browner in time.

As I am moving in one week, I am sorting through my stuff: packing, tossing, donating. I came across the vase of dried buds and thought, "Oh Cripes, how the hell do I pack this?" The truth be told, I didn't want to. It was starting to look dusty and morbid in a Miss Havisham sort of way. Out they go.

The trash can didn't seem right. Neither did the compost heap. Then it occurred to me that I still have a fireplace, and it is a rather cool night. Dried stuff is flamable, I like burning stuff (with in reason), and roses would smell like inscence, right? Well, a pile of dried roses might look flamable, but getting them to catch is a bit of a trick. Not much of an inscence smell either. Mostly just a general smoke smell. Ah well.

One less bit of stuff to clutter up my life and my space.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/23/2002 11:37:25 PM link





Hmmm. Well, alright then.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/23/2002 10:51:59 PM link



Monday, July 22, 2002


I had an Idea today. It seemed like a good Idea. I will have to think on it further.

At the moment, however, I only have a headache.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/22/2002 11:45:38 PM link



Sunday, July 21, 2002


Blogger, you are making me sad. Why are you being so uncooperative the week before the Blogathon?


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/21/2002 10:03:01 PM link





Ah friggin'-A. After all the work I did to get my template fixed, it's all broken again. Be-otch.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/21/2002 09:59:06 PM link





A girl I know recently wrote this. I thought was funny yet kinda true:

"Love and attraction are not logical.

You cannot approach it with logic (and expect it to work).

Think of logic as the Cryptonite of Love."


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/21/2002 08:37:49 PM link





Ok, enough packing and slacking. Time to go swim.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/21/2002 05:16:47 PM link





Willy Porter also has a new album coming out. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to be playing Madison any time soon.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/21/2002 05:14:50 PM link





Coldplay has a new radio single out, and I am quite enjoying it. I enjoyed their last radio single, too. If I had more of a budget for CD buying, I would pick up their albums. As it is, I will just have to catch them on the radio.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/21/2002 05:09:52 PM link





In other news, my camera from sovietcamera.com never did show up. I don't know if it ever got sent, if it got lost in shipping, or if it is just moving sloooooowy through the USPS. However, they never responded to any of my e-mails. In fact, everything bounced back to me from their Yahoo mailbox. I wrote to CCnow.com, the people who took take of the credit card transaction, and they also tried to amke contact about it. When they had no success either, they refunded my credit card. So, the downside is no shiny 120 camera for me. The upside is that I got my money back. Maybe next time....


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/21/2002 04:34:18 PM link





Currently stuffing my printer back into its box. Yup, I am one of those people who saves the original box to re-pack for moving. Gotta love packing material that is made to fit just right!


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/21/2002 02:51:56 PM link





I just got a look at myself in the mirror, and I'm still laughing. This is my current packing get-up:

Barefoot, dust-covered khaki shorts, bikini top (too hot for a shirt today), raggedy red bandana, and a doubled-up pony tail. I look like a cross between Aunt Jemima and a beach party refugee.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/21/2002 02:46:41 PM link





The Bourne Identity Reviewed:

I'd have to agree with The Onion's review

Update: Ack! Where did the rest of my post go? I had another three whole paragraphs here. Cripes, I soooo don't feel like redoing it.



   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/21/2002 02:14:48 PM link





Wonderful weekend. I had a good mix of activites. Missed out on the family reunion, but I've gotten a lot of packing done. I also got to:

1. Go to the farewell send off for two of my co-workers.

2. Hang out at the Terrace and eat ice cream.

3. Hit the Dane County Farmer's Market for shopping and people watching.

4. Saw The Bourne Identity. (Review to follow.)

5. Sushi.

6. More people watching on State Street.

7. More ice cream. (Yum.)

8. Watched the DVD of Heat, as Lukifer had never seen it, and what better movie to watch in this weather.

I had been thinking of going for a bike ride when I got to a breaking point in my packing this afternoon, but the heat index has put the kibosh on that. I may go swimming instead. Definately time for some lemonade.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/21/2002 01:48:09 PM link



Thursday, July 18, 2002


One more try, and then I'm calling it quits for the night. I'd really like to stay with Blogger, and not migrate to Movable Type but.....

<crossing fingers>

Here goes.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/18/2002 09:54:57 PM link





Oooo, and there goes the sitemeter icon.....


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/18/2002 09:47:09 PM link





Okay, so now the Powered by Blogger and Comments by Yaccs have gone away again.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/18/2002 09:46:09 PM link





And comments?....(Holding my breath...)


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/18/2002 09:39:32 PM link





Some success. I seem to have gotten the Blogger button and the sitemeter to stay in place.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/18/2002 09:33:09 PM link





By the way, my mouth is starting to hurt. I've taken something to dull the ache, but it only helps a bit. On the (small) up side, we were able to use nitrous this time. They realized that if they greatly increased the oxygen ratio for me, the awful pins-and-needles feeling in my limbs would go away. OK, so apparently they knew that last time, but there was a miscommunication.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/18/2002 09:24:47 PM link





Still working on fixing the template. Seems funny, given that I am planning a redesign, but I'd kinda like to make sure what I have now works properly before I change it to something new.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/18/2002 09:21:34 PM link





Of course, because you know *every* pregnant woman gets her test at Planned Parenthood. It is also not a medical record if it is medically related, but the test was given by a non-doctor.

Please, here are the rest of my civil liberties. Take them, please. I am sure that the government can take care of all my interests better than I can. Here are all my medical records. Here is a list of all the library books I've ever checked out. Would you like a copy of my church attendance? Excuse me, I must go iron my burqua.....


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/18/2002 08:13:58 PM link





This really pisses me off. It goes to prove that men and women are still not equal under law.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/18/2002 07:54:16 PM link





Well, two things I had planned on doing this summer where:

1. Go to my mom's family reunion.

2. See Aretha Franklin at the Madison Blues Festival.

However, I can't go to the reunion due to the fact that I have so little time left before I have to move, and so much to do in that time. Leaving ton for two days won't help.

I also found out this morning that Aretha Franklin has canceled her Blues Fest appearance. I guess that will save me some money. Probably couldn't afford a ticket anyway.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/18/2002 08:26:54 AM link





Had an awful dream this morning. I dreamt that a sweet older woman I know--a grandmother--was actually a serial killer of little girls. In the dream, she knew that I had discovered this fact, and I was rushing to gather hard evidence to take to the police before she could destroy it and/or kill me. Very disturbing, and I was glad to wake up.

I guess that will teach me not to read the news before going to bed.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/18/2002 07:58:28 AM link



Wednesday, July 17, 2002


Why?

Why?

Why?

Five-year-old girls should not be missing for over a year with no one noticing. Five-year-old girls should not be delibrately driven into the ocean. Five-year-old girls should not be stolen, raped, killed and dumped like a pile of trash.

Five-year-old girls should be given love and attention and space and hugs and finger paints and allowed to grow up to become little old women with blue hair who talk about how safe things were back in their day.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/17/2002 11:13:24 PM link







(And might I add, my that's some Big Hair.)


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/17/2002 10:59:14 PM link





Re: Mozilla

The unmanagable bookmarks are still a pain, but I am totally loving the navigator tabs. It makes it very easy to go back and forth between pages. Mozilla also seems to be a very fast loading browser, and doesn't crash all the time like some programs I could mention. <cough>


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/17/2002 10:57:56 PM link





The template problem is still a problem. Trying not to be terribly put out.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/17/2002 10:53:04 PM link





In today's mail:

"07/13/02

Dear Katherine,

You recently applied for employment at Lands' End........"

Recently? Um, 9 months ago? Yes, they've been calling me this week, trying to set up and interview for a crappy part-time job I applied for during my unemployment last year. Since I never called them back, they sent me a letter as well. All I can say is that I am so glad I *don't* need to get in touch with them anymore.



   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/17/2002 10:49:29 PM link





On the cheerier end of things, I went swimming after work tonight, and had a blast watching all of the families with little kids. I kept thinking, "I remember when that was me!"

"Mommy! Daddy! Watch me do this!" *splash*


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/17/2002 10:30:57 PM link





Today I got a call from my dentist's receptionist, to remind me that I have an appointment tomorrow for some more fillings....and to let me know that it will be around $1650. Ouch! Um, why didn't you guys tell me that when I made the appointment a month ago? Sure, my insurance will pay half, but half of that is still a lot. It is going to hurt in more ways that one. (Plus, it is close to the nerve, so expect whimpering tomorrow night.)

Needless to say, this came at a time when I was pondering the ability to climb out of the credit debt hole. Nope, not gonna happen. I should accept the fact that while I am a responsible person, while I work hard, full time, while I budget carefull and don't spend extravagantly, I will always be in the hole, barely scraping by. Everything on my credit card bill at this point is from medical bills (what the insurance didn't cover), dental bills (ditto....gotta love the US insurance system), and car repairs. No jet-setting trips to the Bahamas, no Prada bags, no Gucci shoes, no fine wine or four star meals...just big, unavoidable expenses. (Hmmm, should I start aSave Katherine page? Nah, I guess it's been done.)

It got me thinking...I am a responsible, hard worker destined for a life of scraping by. One among the millions. And, as far a scraping by goes, I've got it easy. Then there are hereditary rich-boys with little sense of ethics like George W. Bush, DickCheney, so many others in the current admin, and all those cheating CEO's that have driven company after company into bankruptcy while collecting their huge severance packages. They are scoundrels and thieves, but not only do they thrive, they get to claim the moral high road. (Well, Dubya does.)

It is kinda discouraging.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/17/2002 10:07:28 PM link



Tuesday, July 16, 2002


It is a nice cool night, but my room stays warm. I have to keep shutting the door and those wee white beasties, so the breeze from the fan by the open patio door gets shut out.

This is the time of year when I am reminded of my annual pet peeve....I can't take off my shirt in public, no matter how hot it gets. Oh sure, technically it may be legal in the city of Madison for a woman to remove her shirt any where that a man is permitted to. That doesn't mean she *can* though. A woman (especially a large breasted woman) takes off her shirt in public and all hell breaks loose. Stares, whistles, lewd comments, rude comments, sermons from the (self) righteous. Any harrassment or attacks....well, she was certainly asking for it, wasn't she?

Our culture has over fetishized the female breast. Toddlers are about the only females totally allowed to go shirtless. (Though I do remember being allowed to run about without a shirt in the yard, at least, until I was about 5 or 6.) Men desired them, therefore women must cover them, for the public good. What was the first thing Western missionaries would do when reaching a new tribe in a tropical local? Make the women cover themselves.

Unfortunately, the only way to disarm this stupidity is to for women to start going topless, for the cultural desensitization to occur. Pioneers in this movement won't have it easy. I know I don't have the courage to be one of them. I also won't be opening a car wash any time soon.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/16/2002 11:11:09 PM link





Well, I still can't get the code for even the Blogger button to stay on my template. So I am giving up futzing with it for tonight.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/16/2002 10:57:58 PM link





Wednesday, July 10, 2002

We're having trouble with a template server. Some Pro blogs are publishable right now. Others aren't. Non-Pro is not publishing. We're working hard on it. Thanks.
posted by Ev. | 3:38 PM


Well, I guess that is why my comments, counters, and the Blogger button are gone. I went into the template to fix the code by hand, as bits of it seem to have disappeared or gone screwy. I fixed the blogger button first, as that is part of the user agreement. Got it up and working, tehn went back in to check on the rest of it. When I went into the template, it was back to being screwed up.....none of my fixes to bring back the blogger button remained, even though I'd saved them. I guess I am going to have to wait until they get the problem fixed. I hope it is soon. Till then, patience will have to do.

(Suddenly nervous about Blogathon. By the way, you can still sponsor this blog until July 20th. Please do!)


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/16/2002 06:40:22 PM link





Bugger. My template has gone all wacky. Dunno how, but I am going to have to work on that.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/16/2002 06:17:35 PM link



Monday, July 15, 2002


Argh! I took some rolls of film in to be developed, and opened up my Olympus point and shoot to grad the film out of it. The display said that the roll was finished. The film always rewinds when the roll is finished. Guess what?.....

....Yup, the roll was finished, but hadn't rewound. Fortunately, I don't remember what was on that roll, so I might be okay. (Oh wait, was that my cute little cousin pics from my Uncle's B-day? Ouch.)


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/15/2002 09:53:01 PM link





It is sunny and hot. I think I'm going swimming.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/15/2002 06:28:21 PM link



Sunday, July 14, 2002


I went grocery shopping tonight. Didn't buy much, as I am moving at the end of the month, and I want to use up as much of my food as I can. However, it got me thinking about the change in my shopping habits.

When I was in college, I went grocery shopping once a week. I only bought what would fill one carry basket (ie one paper sack worth) because I had to carry everything home on foot, several blocks. I also limited my food budget to $15 a week. Ramen noodles were 6/$1. Bananas and baking potatoes were pretty cheap per pound. Canned fruit and veggies were another staple. I bought a lot of generic, and shopped with coupons. Meat was usually put of the question. It wasn't a very exciting diet, or probably very well-rounded, but it kept me going.

Now I have a car, a full time job, and access to an entire city's worth of grocery stores and markets. My grocery budget has gone up to about $25 a week. Still not much, but the extra $10 means that I buy no ramen and have a little more variety in my diet.

The hard part is buying food to make myself real meals. Anyone who has had to shop and cook for one will know this. Smaller portions mean higher cost. Perishables such as produce, meat, and dairy need to be used quickly, to prevent spoilage. Meals cooked for one result in leftovers galore. I refuse to buy much on the way of convenience food. Most microwave meals don't appeal to me. I end up eating a lot of pasta and rice, with calcium enriched orange juice as my main beverage choice.

Even having roommates hasn't helped this dilemma. Try as I might, I can rarely get my apartment mates to the table, or to the fridge for the leftovers. I really miss family dinners. As of August, I won't even have roommates to cajole into eating with me. Anyone wanna come over for dinner?


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/14/2002 09:07:05 PM link





Oooooh. Excitement at Metafilter.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/14/2002 08:40:14 PM link





So far I have but one complaint about Mozilla...it's those damn bookmarks. The heading says "Manage Bookmarks" but the truth is that they are completetly unmanagable. Duplicate entries that refuse to be deleted. Entries that refuse to move. Entries that seem to move on their own. Complete chaos, and it's starting to piss me off...at least, to the extent that I will let something that lame piss me off.

Any Mozilla users out there with suggestions on bookmark management?


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/14/2002 08:35:26 PM link






Error 503:Unable to load template file: /home/Templates2/3272702_a.html (server:page)

huh?


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/14/2002 11:15:46 AM link





Here's a question:

I am attempting to de-Microsoft my life. Part of this involves switching my e-mail program from Outlook Express to Eudora Lite. Can anyone out there tell me if it is possible (and how) to transfer my old messages, address book, and signature file from one to the other? (My platform is MacOS9)


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/14/2002 11:12:48 AM link





Just got Mozilla. Woo-hoo!


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/14/2002 11:10:43 AM link



Saturday, July 13, 2002


My life is being taken over by cardboard.

(Can't I just be moved already?)


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/13/2002 11:33:13 PM link





Help! On one of the blogs I read, there was recently a link to a great animation of a VW bug at a gas station, turning into a transformer robot. However, I never book marked it and now I can't find the damn thing. Has anyone seen it? I don't remeber where I found the link.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/13/2002 06:47:50 PM link



Friday, July 12, 2002


There is very little in the world like the feeling you get when you've been having a bad dream, and someone wakes you up from it, wanting to know if you are ok. Very comforting.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/12/2002 10:23:07 AM link



Wednesday, July 10, 2002


Dear Lord,

Please save and preserve this nation from your "followers".

Antonin Scalia,as a Supreme Court Justice, makes me rather queasy.

How is it the the right-wingers are able to deride the Muslim theocracies and jihad, yet be so willing to build a Christian one here?

(Click here to read a full transcript of Scalia's remarks.)


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/10/2002 10:05:58 PM link





Best wishes and prayers to Daniel and Oreta of Dreaded Purple Master. Daniel had a heart attack on Monday morning, but according to Oreta, he is doing okay.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/10/2002 06:58:01 PM link





I was following the Corsetorium webring around for a bit. Many wonderful sites, I'd suggest following the ring about for a while.Here is a nice example site. Truly fascinating. If there was ever a garment that inspired mixed feelings in me, it is the corset. I had to wear a corset once in a costuming class. Not terribly comfortable as lounge-wear, but neither was it painful--just....different. As a garment the corset has been a practical undergarment, a fetish object, and/or a torture chamber, depending on who was involved.

This article sums up the dangers of tight-laced corsetry. Some of them bring to mind the consequences of footbinding. Moderation in everything, people! Moderation!


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/10/2002 12:15:08 AM link



Tuesday, July 09, 2002


Love letters and lots of colors.

The US Postal Service has love letters.

More love letters...

Also: Love letters of the Civil War

And finally, How to write love letters.

Are love letters a lost art? Can e-mail do the same thing? I have a huge collection of notes and letters from high school, some of them lingering on the edges of love-letterhood, but no little bundles wrapped in ribbons.
My parents' love letters used to be kept in a pretty pink paper cigar box, until a flooded basement storage area reduced them to muck.

Will I ever write a love letter? (Especially now that postage has gone up again?) E-mail is something of a different medium, though it seems close on the surface. It seems more casual, and harder to preserve. Part of love letters' mystique is the fact that they are an object, a token.



   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/09/2002 11:40:09 PM link





The cats are both staring at me. <shudder>


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/09/2002 11:11:45 PM link





Kayjay has 4 sponsors for a total of 130.00 pledged.

C'mon people. 24 hours of blogging for a good cause. I'd think a few more of you could pony up. There will be a bit of a site redesign, and if I get at least $200, I will make that annoying ad at the top of the page go away.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/09/2002 10:40:22 PM link





BTW, last night I registered irvingplace.net. Nothing there at the moment, but eventually all this will be moving there. Less packing than my current move. (15 boxes and counting so far, and that's just the books!)


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/09/2002 10:36:04 PM link





On the road by 2010? Shall I start saving up now? Please?

(via Metafilter)


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/09/2002 08:34:08 PM link



Monday, July 08, 2002


Ah, the evils of PowerPoint abuse. Click to add title is brilliant.

In that note, I subbed with a fourth grade class who were learning to use...and abuse PowerPoint in their computer class. Sound effects, animations, the whole shebang....it really appeals to young kids. *sigh* Setting them on the road to bad design habits early.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/08/2002 08:20:10 AM link





There will be a new design on its way soon. (Many thanks to Nathan for the photo. Saved me a long car trip.)


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/08/2002 08:14:58 AM link



Sunday, July 07, 2002


Judge Goodwin tells it like it is.

I am pleased that people I don't always agree with (ie. conservatives) are with me on the pledge issue. Of course, these are conservatives who think with their intellect, not their automatic nervous systems.

Of course, we in Madison have already through this controversy before.

And, as far as "In God We Trust" goes, I'm quite happy with "E Pluribus Unum", thank you very much.

Here's another well reasoned essay on the subject.)


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/07/2002 01:42:46 AM link





I am working on a redesign for Irving Place. Should be done by the Blogathon. I currently have been pledged $130 from four people. If and when we make it to $200, I will have the ad removed from this site. C'mon people, it's for a good cause.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/07/2002 01:15:38 AM link





Hung out with the sis tonight. Dinner at Wasabi for ethnic food adventure. Besides having my favorite sushi roll, a Boston roll with cucumber, I had gyoza. Nummy pan fried dumplings with sauce. I also sampled some of the shrimp that Gretchy-gretch couldn't finish. Great food, excellent service and beautiful surroundings. It is easy to see why Wasabi is Madison's favorite Japanese restaurant.

After eating we hit the Memorial Union for ice cream and the Natty Nation show. The band was in fine form, stirrin' it up on a pleasantly sultry Madison night. As usual, the Terrace was jumpin' with a mix of everybody you could think of. We ran into a friend of my dad's, who we hadn't seen in years (until the other week at my uncle's birthday party, that is....). He sat with us for a while, and tried to convince us to work for the Barrett for Governor campaign.

We followed the show with a walk down State Street, listening to street buskers and running into more people we knew.

All in all, a good night.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/07/2002 01:07:21 AM link



Saturday, July 06, 2002


Watched "Streetcar Named Desire" last night. So sad. Poor fragile Blanche. Poor stupid Mitch.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/06/2002 05:46:48 PM link





Ok, not a big fan of Peggy Noonan, but this made me smile:

Blogging. The 24-7 opinion sites that offer free speech at its straightest, truest, wildest, most uncensored, most thoughtful, most strange. Thousands of independent information entrepreneurs are informing, arguing, adding information. Imagine if we'd had them in 1776: "As I wrote in yesterday's lead item on SamAdams.com, my well meaning cousin John continues his grammatical nitpicking with Jefferson (link requires registration) 'Inalienable,' 'unalienable,' whatever. Boys, let's fight. Start the war." Blogs may one hard day become clearinghouses for civil support and information when other lines, under new pressure, break down.

(via DPM)


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/06/2002 04:12:07 PM link





If you aren't outraged then you aren't paying attention.

(And just in case Americans try to act self-righteous.)


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/06/2002 12:18:21 PM link





I have this courtesy of my friend Kerri:

The Virtual Corkscrew Museum.

(I especially love the bit on "How to collect.")


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/06/2002 12:11:21 PM link



Friday, July 05, 2002


I am full of questions today. Here is another one. What happened to Jello Pudding Pops? Why don't they make them anymore? I want some. They were the best.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/05/2002 04:22:36 PM link





What is the flavor of Mt. Dew? Is it merely sweet and vaguely citrusy or does it have a particular taste that it is going for. 7UP and Sprite are lemon-lime. Coke and Pepsi are cola. What is Mt. Dew? Is it suppose to just taste dewy?


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/05/2002 04:21:41 PM link





I remember reading a story in a grade school reading textbook (Shoulder High possibly?). It was Chinese or Japanese, and involved a man who swallowed a cherry seed and ended up with a cherry tree growing out of the top of his head. Someone eventually pulled out the tree, and he was left with a hollw bowl that filled with water when it rained. I recall that the accompanying illustrations were very cool. I really would like to see this story again. Does it ring a bell with anyone out there? Maybe I should get in touch with someone from my grade school. If anyone out there knows of this story, let me know.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/05/2002 04:19:49 PM link





It occurred to me today, while listening to the Oldies station....not only are the Beatles the best rock band ever, they are also the best cover band ever.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/05/2002 04:16:07 PM link



Thursday, July 04, 2002


Flame on!


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/04/2002 06:47:07 PM link



Wednesday, July 03, 2002


Speaking of Dubya's theft....

(Yes, I've been reading Metafilter this morning.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/03/2002 08:00:33 AM link





Investigators Want Records From Planned Parenthood

Excerpt:

"DES MOINES, Iowa -- Planned Parenthood of Greater Iowa is fighting a judge's order to hand over the names of women who took pregnancy tests in Buena Vista County.

Storm Lake, Iowa, investigators are searching for the mother of a newborn baby whose body was found at a recycling center in May.

The legal battle is the first of its kind for Planned Parenthood of Greater Iowa. The case questions where to draw the line between patient privacy and investigating crimes."

This begs the question of whether the woman who dumped her infant even necessarily *took* a pregancy test, at Planned Parenthood or anywhere. If she did take a test, it was most likely over the counter. Women who dump their newborns have usually hidden their pregnancy. Taking a pregnancy test at a clinic would not seem like the action of someone who is going to put her newborn with the recycling.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/03/2002 07:54:54 AM link



Tuesday, July 02, 2002


Criminy. I just realized that I've been spelling "rehearsal" wrong several times in this thing. I don't feel like going back and fixing them right now. I will just hang my head in spelling shame.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/02/2002 11:06:12 PM link





Oy, what a bunch of trivia. :)


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/02/2002 10:57:54 PM link





I still don't have an "about me" section on this page. (Wait, isn't this whole site "about me"?) Here is a rough draft:

50 Random Facts About Me

1. I am four going on forty.

2. I dislike making telephone calls, yet I get absurdly excited and hopeful when the phone rings.

3. Trains make me nervous.

4. I like spiders (in moderation).

5. I can get veeeeeery shy and awkward with people I don't know very well.

6. I am very much a night person, yet I love sunshine.

7. I usually remember my dreams.

8. I am not a lucid dreamer.

9. I love dogs.

10. Not so much a fan of cats. They are ok at a distance, though.

11. Table saws make me nervous.

12. I can roll my tongue (and my "r"s), raise on eyebrow, and cross my eyes.

13. I can't do a handstand, a cartwheel, or walk on my hands, but I wish I could.

14. My two front teeth are partially plastic, as a result of #13.

15. I have had the chickenpox.

16. I use a Mac.

17. I don't understand the big deal about diamonds....yeah they're sparkley but there's no color.

18. Lillies of the Valley are my favorite flower.

19. My favorite colors are red, green, and blue (depending on hue and context).

20. I tend to be running late or very early.

21. I think the Beatles are still the greatest rock and roll band of all time.

22. I play piano, violin, and tin whistle....badly.

23. I sing alto....so long as I don't have to sing by myself. (Keep my in the choir.)

24. I am a decent, though rusty and mostly self-taught, percussionist.

25. I like my whole name Katherine Johnna, and miss hearing my middle name.

26. Variations on my name, such as Kathy, and misspellings make me cringe.

27. My first real concert was They Might Be Giants.

28. I like naps.

29. I love sushi. (Tuna or salmon rolls with avacado, cucumber and sesame seed rock my world.)

30. I like the idea of coffee, but not the beverage itself.

31. I like tea.

32. I love to read, and have a weakness for sci-fi/fantasy. I also love to read out of the children's and young adults' sections.

33. Sesame Street is one of the greatest shows ever.

34. I wish Muppets were real, especially Grover.

35. Where the Wild Things Are was my favorite childhood book.

36. I love photography.

37. I like to swim, and prefer to use an oddly done backstroke.

38. I am a good baker.

39. I believe in magic.

40. I am a Christian and raised Lutheran, but no longer claim any particular sect.

41. Popsicles are fun.

42. I have never left the country.

43. I share a birthday with Laura Ingalls Wilder, and read the Little House books over and over as a child.

44. I believe in ghosts.

45. I have a tattoo.

46. I am right handed.

47. I am left eyed. (It's an archery thing.)

48. I have green eyes.

49. I love red shoe lace licorice.

50. I am an Aquarius sun/ Taurus moon, and was born in the year of the dragon.




   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/02/2002 10:57:31 PM link





Cautiously hopeful. That is how I am currently facing the future. I feel like I am tiptoeing towards whatever comes next, but at least I am moving forward. So much to do!


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/02/2002 10:24:11 PM link





Here is a story that has been both Limbo'd and Blowtorched but I feel the need to point to it as well.

Tired of hearing about the 2000 election? Well, you should still be outraged. Seriously, the next time I hear someone blame the Nader voters, I might just start screaming. The Republicans were out to steal the thing, no matter what it took.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/02/2002 08:21:27 PM link





First the Pledge, now the death penalty. Judges are on a roll.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/02/2002 12:01:50 AM link



Monday, July 01, 2002


I am now officially a part of Blogathon 2002, I will be blogging for Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, and I'm looking for sponsors. Mark your calanders for July 27th.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/01/2002 10:04:23 PM link





Ugh. There was a power outage sometime last night on my side of town. I think I need to set a back-up alarm with my old annoying battery powered clock.


   This message has been brought to you by the letters kayjay and the number 7/01/2002 08:25:31 AM link



This is the stuff that hangs out in the basement.

Copyright for all images and text belongs to Katherine Olson, except whether otherwise noted.
(If I've cited something of yours and somehow missed the credit and/or link, let me know and I'll fix it.)



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