A few weeks ago I decided that I just enjoy the mudane details of everyday life more than your average person. I think everything I do is just so interesting. I'd like to claim it's some sort of Buddhist "in the moment" sort of thing, but I think it really just comes down to me being easily amused and narcissistic.
Yesterday my iPod decided to take a vow of silence, apparently to protest my attempts to use it to transfer data from work to home. It stopped speaking Windows. Despite some gentle reassurances that I would let it go sit next to my iMac for companionship (Apple has made it quite clear that they only sell anthropomorphized electronics that have feelings and make sad faces instead of giving you those cold, impersonal error messages. So I thought some positive reinforcement and spending some time with another happy Mac might do it some good. I also considered trying to feed it some Prozac through the dock connector, but it appears that despite the iPod's tendency toward emotional instability, Apple has not yet added antidepressant capabilities to it.) it still insisted on crashing Windows Explorer and iTunes every time it was connected to the computer. So off to the Apple Store I went.
The Apple Store is not actually in Tucson, because your average resident of Tucson is not classy enough to be a Mac owner. I had to drive up into the foothills and arrived at an open air mall that had VALET PARKING. Do they have a shuttle bus to take you the 15 feet from Talbots to Crate and Barrel too? I don't see how valet parking could possibly be relevant in a mall situation. We're in the middle of a drought, but this place is covered in non-native (and therefore thirsty) plants and had fountains everywhere. Upscale retail is creepy. Anyway, I go to the Apple store and they replace my sick iPod with a new one. Mission accomplished.
Since I was halfway into the Santa Catalinas, I drove home on 1st Ave because it avoids having to drive down a twisty mountain road. On my drive down 1st Ave, I noticed all sorts of new things. I finally drove by the hideous apartments that were recently built and had only ridden past on my bike and now know they are at 1st and Wetmore. One of the pawn shops was bought out by SuperPawn and is proudly advertising that they are "Under New Management". Yeah, I'm sure that will really help clean up the pawn shop's image. I passed one of my favorite Tucson businesses, the House of Hubcaps. Seriously, that never gets old. I laugh every time. The Woods public library has some sort of neon sign I'd never noticed before, confirming my suspicions that 1st has special zoning regulations that require garish, hideous, and preferably glowing signage.
I drove back to work to put some files onto New iPod, and when I left the office my car barely started. I drove home and it died in the parking lot of our apartment complex. This is the third time the Trashmobile has died in the past two weeks, and it's beginning to get a little old. The first time there was something actually wrong with it, but the second and third times are because the DEALERSHIP BROKE MY CAR! Sigh. Hopefully they will fix it today.
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
An unusually mundane day
Can something be unusually mundane? By definition, no. So I guess I'm having an ordinarily mundane day. Oh, the mundanity!
The most exciting thing that has happened today is that I found the PHP function I've been looking for to finish writing a form processing script. I'm so excited I could fall asleep. Or maybe I'm just tired.
Now I'm going to go read a book about Javascript. The day is getting more and more exciting by the minute.
The most exciting thing that has happened today is that I found the PHP function I've been looking for to finish writing a form processing script. I'm so excited I could fall asleep. Or maybe I'm just tired.
Now I'm going to go read a book about Javascript. The day is getting more and more exciting by the minute.
Friday, February 10, 2006
End of an era
Tonight Fox is airing the last four episodes of Arrested Development. I'm going to forgo the excitement that is the Winter Olympics opening ceremony to watch them. I then have an hour and a half blocked out for mourning the loss of my dear offbeat television comedy.
Ever since the beginning I've known it was too good to be true. Anything that I find as funny as Arrested Development can never last on network television. Seriously, I should be a one woman test audience to predict doomed shows. Apparently Showtime is in talks to pick up the show, but it's far from a done deal.
This is going to be a rough TV season end for me. I'm losing Arrested Development, Alias and The West Wing plus Six Feet Under earlier this year. Actually, now that I write that, it doesn't seem nearly as bad. The West Wing should have been cancelled when Aaron Sorkin left the show and has sucked since Season 5. Alias is past its prime, although I think a Spy Daddy spinoff would be fantastic. I miss Six Feet Under a lot, but at least HBO didn't let it drag on like they are with The Sopranos.
Ever since the beginning I've known it was too good to be true. Anything that I find as funny as Arrested Development can never last on network television. Seriously, I should be a one woman test audience to predict doomed shows. Apparently Showtime is in talks to pick up the show, but it's far from a done deal.
This is going to be a rough TV season end for me. I'm losing Arrested Development, Alias and The West Wing plus Six Feet Under earlier this year. Actually, now that I write that, it doesn't seem nearly as bad. The West Wing should have been cancelled when Aaron Sorkin left the show and has sucked since Season 5. Alias is past its prime, although I think a Spy Daddy spinoff would be fantastic. I miss Six Feet Under a lot, but at least HBO didn't let it drag on like they are with The Sopranos.
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
Things I hate
In no particular order, complete with ordinal numbers to confuse the matter:
- web apps that don't tab correctly
- the turn of the century
- my new computer monitor
- the overcrowded bike racks at my apartment complex
- paranoia
- pharmaceutical reformulation patents
- websites that require registration
- del.icio.us
- decorative fruit trees
- end-user license agreements
- Mondays
- IE specific Javascript
- people who don't know how to drive safely near cyclists
Thursday, January 26, 2006
New Glasses
I got new glasses yesterday. I'm back to plastic frames and I think they are pretty damn cute. But the part you look through is way smaller than my old glasses, so I'm getting used to that. I've also felt like everything has been about 2 inches closer than it really is, and I'm hoping that is me getting used to new glasses and not some sort of rift in the space-time continuum. I'll attach a picture when I get non-lazy enough to actually take one.
The eye doctor said I should take my glasses off when I'm working at the computer or reading to prevent me from getting more nearsighted. Uh....problem is I can't really see my computer screen that well without my glasses on. And then I forget to put them back on and walk down the hallway and someone says hi to me and I don't know who they are. So I might have to settle for the inevitability of my eyes getting worse. Apparently the human eye wasn't designed to spend 90% of its time focusing on something 18 inches away.
The eye doctor said I should take my glasses off when I'm working at the computer or reading to prevent me from getting more nearsighted. Uh....problem is I can't really see my computer screen that well without my glasses on. And then I forget to put them back on and walk down the hallway and someone says hi to me and I don't know who they are. So I might have to settle for the inevitability of my eyes getting worse. Apparently the human eye wasn't designed to spend 90% of its time focusing on something 18 inches away.
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Material Girl
I used to be a little obsessed with the attainment of material goods, but as I've gotten old and wise, that has faded quite a bit. I still have a few obsessions (yarn, bike stuff, yoga dvds I have no intention of ever doing) but overall I just don't buy that much stuff anymore.
That being said, I occasionally have serious thing-lust. For example, I lust after all varients of iPods even though I already have a perfecty functional iPod. One of my latest lusts is t-shirts. I really want these t-shirts from threadless.com:
Actually, Threadless sells out of designs all the time, so I just ordered "The Communist Party". I'm taking a wild guess on fit, but I think it will probably work. $17 for a t-shirt pretty much blows my clothing budget for the next two months, but I'll probably survive. Too bad though, I also really want the "Hugs Not Drugs" t-shirt I saw at Target. That's the next in my t-shirt collection, although it is of lower priority because I can't wear it to work. I'm still deciding on the work appropriateness of the commies.
Update: She who hesitates is without a cool t-shirt. I put the shirt into my shopping cart and then had a huge debate with myself over ordering a second shirt. As I was falling asleep last night, I remembered I'd never placed the order and thought about getting up to do it. Alas, when I got to work this morning, "The Communist Party" was completely sold out. I requested a reprint, although I'm sure I'll be waiting a while.
Update again: I guess Threadless made some sort of inventory error, because I just checked again and they had it in stock! Hooray!
That being said, I occasionally have serious thing-lust. For example, I lust after all varients of iPods even though I already have a perfecty functional iPod. One of my latest lusts is t-shirts. I really want these t-shirts from threadless.com:
 |  |
Update: She who hesitates is without a cool t-shirt. I put the shirt into my shopping cart and then had a huge debate with myself over ordering a second shirt. As I was falling asleep last night, I remembered I'd never placed the order and thought about getting up to do it. Alas, when I got to work this morning, "The Communist Party" was completely sold out. I requested a reprint, although I'm sure I'll be waiting a while.
Update again: I guess Threadless made some sort of inventory error, because I just checked again and they had it in stock! Hooray!
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Hello, readers!
Well, the word is out. Hi peeps! I apparently have some readers now. I'm a fair-weather blogger, so don't be surprised if I don't update for months at a time. I mean I've only made 20 posts in a year. But I'm a little excited to have people reading. Cool!
Victor Garber
Victor Garber is the only celebrity who I have ever wanted to write a fan letter to. If I ever wrote that fan letter, it would read something like this:
Dear Victor Garber,
You make me happy to be alive.
Love, Heather
For those of you who don't know, he is best known currently for his role of Spy Daddy Jack Bristow on the television show Alias. The quotes are so mundane that I won't even bother to repeat them - his magic is all in the delivery. Rent the DVDs, especially the Pilot where Sydney's finacee calls Spy Daddy for his blessing. It's classic.
He also recieved an Emmy nomination this past year for his guest appearance on Will and Grace. Just picturing him saying "It's sinfully delicious" almost makes me die laughing.
James got me the best birthday gift ever this past year, which was an autographed Victor Garber Alias trading card. It's shiny and metallic, but more importantly, it has been touched by the One True Garber. I have it in a frame and briefly considered putting it on my desk at work (which is woefully underdecorated, with a Penny Arcade comic, a stolen social norms campaign poster, a poster of an Intel 386 processor with a real 386 processor stuck to it, and a birthday card from my coworkers) but then I decided that I would have a hard time expressing why a television show trading card was such a cherished posession. I mean without sounding creepy and obsessed. Because I am creepy and obsessed.
Dear Victor Garber,
You make me happy to be alive.
Love, Heather
For those of you who don't know, he is best known currently for his role of Spy Daddy Jack Bristow on the television show Alias. The quotes are so mundane that I won't even bother to repeat them - his magic is all in the delivery. Rent the DVDs, especially the Pilot where Sydney's finacee calls Spy Daddy for his blessing. It's classic.
He also recieved an Emmy nomination this past year for his guest appearance on Will and Grace. Just picturing him saying "It's sinfully delicious" almost makes me die laughing.
James got me the best birthday gift ever this past year, which was an autographed Victor Garber Alias trading card. It's shiny and metallic, but more importantly, it has been touched by the One True Garber. I have it in a frame and briefly considered putting it on my desk at work (which is woefully underdecorated, with a Penny Arcade comic, a stolen social norms campaign poster, a poster of an Intel 386 processor with a real 386 processor stuck to it, and a birthday card from my coworkers) but then I decided that I would have a hard time expressing why a television show trading card was such a cherished posession. I mean without sounding creepy and obsessed. Because I am creepy and obsessed.
Friday, January 13, 2006
Things I learned today
I learned and did some cool things today! I feel smart!
First, I learned how to pass command line parameters to an application in Windows XP from the GUI. You make a shortcut, then go view the shortcut's properties. On the target line, after the actual target to execute (like C:\Heather\whatever.exe) you put a space and then add the parameters. So it looks like this: C:\Heather\whatever.exe -do -this.
When you combine this with the ability to add a keyboard command to a shortcut (also under Properties), you can pretty much conquer the world. Or at the very least launch and minimize your calendar to the system tray with a keyboard command. I already have keyboard commands for all my frequently used folders, which is a huge click saver.
Other computer related stuff: I upgraded to Thunderbird 1.5, which broke all my extensions but seems to be a big step in the right direction, especially the inline spell check and the ability to delete attachments from IMAP messages. I also installed the minimize to tray extension for Firefox and an app that minimizes Sunbird to the tray as well. Sunbird is actually a lot better than the old Thunderbird calendar extension, although I'm looking forward to an actual release of Lightning, an extension that will integrate the two.
A final Mozilla note: a quick check at my webpage stats at work reveal that Firefox is now up to 12.5% of our users. Even my parents are using it. If that's not a bad sign for Internet Explorer, I don't know what is.
First, I learned how to pass command line parameters to an application in Windows XP from the GUI. You make a shortcut, then go view the shortcut's properties. On the target line, after the actual target to execute (like C:\Heather\whatever.exe) you put a space and then add the parameters. So it looks like this: C:\Heather\whatever.exe -do -this.
When you combine this with the ability to add a keyboard command to a shortcut (also under Properties), you can pretty much conquer the world. Or at the very least launch and minimize your calendar to the system tray with a keyboard command. I already have keyboard commands for all my frequently used folders, which is a huge click saver.
Other computer related stuff: I upgraded to Thunderbird 1.5, which broke all my extensions but seems to be a big step in the right direction, especially the inline spell check and the ability to delete attachments from IMAP messages. I also installed the minimize to tray extension for Firefox and an app that minimizes Sunbird to the tray as well. Sunbird is actually a lot better than the old Thunderbird calendar extension, although I'm looking forward to an actual release of Lightning, an extension that will integrate the two.
A final Mozilla note: a quick check at my webpage stats at work reveal that Firefox is now up to 12.5% of our users. Even my parents are using it. If that's not a bad sign for Internet Explorer, I don't know what is.
Monday, January 09, 2006
Oh God....
I installed World of Warcraft on my computer. I fired up James' guest account. I created two characters. I played with James and later with Ted. I'm pretty sure life as I used to know it is over. I'm seriously considering buying the full game. I'm seriously considering spending $15 of my money per month to engage in this timesuck of an activity.
The folks at WoW are pretty smart. I know nothing about other MMORPGs, but there is a very big social component to the game. You can group and play with friends. You can chat in game with just your group, or with just your friends. Lately James has been playing with two of MY friends. He talks to my friend Jackie WAY more than I do, and I was beginning to feel left out. To them, the solution was obvious: I needed my own account.
Uh, no. I hate video games, especially 3D ones, because I always run into walls. The utter pointlessness of games is never lost on me, even 12 hours into playing SimCity when I'm fretting over the gravity of my traffic control problems and cursing my Sims for not taking the damn bus. It's just not my cup of tea.
Except that it is. After a few hours of running into cacti, I began to get the hang of it. I begin to like it. I begin to run AROUND things instead of into them. I make plans to upgrade some of my computer components (thanks Ted!). It's all over. I'm hooked.
The folks at WoW are pretty smart. I know nothing about other MMORPGs, but there is a very big social component to the game. You can group and play with friends. You can chat in game with just your group, or with just your friends. Lately James has been playing with two of MY friends. He talks to my friend Jackie WAY more than I do, and I was beginning to feel left out. To them, the solution was obvious: I needed my own account.
Uh, no. I hate video games, especially 3D ones, because I always run into walls. The utter pointlessness of games is never lost on me, even 12 hours into playing SimCity when I'm fretting over the gravity of my traffic control problems and cursing my Sims for not taking the damn bus. It's just not my cup of tea.
Except that it is. After a few hours of running into cacti, I began to get the hang of it. I begin to like it. I begin to run AROUND things instead of into them. I make plans to upgrade some of my computer components (thanks Ted!). It's all over. I'm hooked.
Thursday, December 29, 2005
Insomnia
I've been having a hell of a time sleeping at appropriate times lately. Being in the wrong time zone is exacerbating matters, meaning that I'm sitting here at 2:24 am typing on my lame blog, hoping the one person I know on Skype will sign on. I should go meditate or just try getting in bed, but lately intertia seems to take over around midnight. Oh well, it's only midnightish Tucson time.
We're in New England for Christmas, or the "holiday closure" as the U of A would say instead of saying they are forcing us to take vacation time this week. We spent most of Saturday travelling, then were at my parents' house in Massachusetts until this morning. Today we drove from their house to James' parents house in Maine. Friday evening we swing by Boston en route to NYC to see Sweeny Todd on Saturday. Saturday night we return to Massachusetts just long enough to turn around and go back to the airport to fly home Sunday morning. It's felt a little whirlwind so far, but it is fanastic to see our families.
While I was at my parents', my childhood friend Becca came to visit with her new baby Arianna. Well, Ari's actually been here for 10 months, but it was the first time I got to meet her. She is of decidedly above average cuteness, and at least for 6 hours yesterday was very well behaved and non-fussy. She's the kind of infant who could totally dupe an unsuspecting individual into thinking parenthood could be a good idea. Photographic cuteness evidence is attached.
We're in New England for Christmas, or the "holiday closure" as the U of A would say instead of saying they are forcing us to take vacation time this week. We spent most of Saturday travelling, then were at my parents' house in Massachusetts until this morning. Today we drove from their house to James' parents house in Maine. Friday evening we swing by Boston en route to NYC to see Sweeny Todd on Saturday. Saturday night we return to Massachusetts just long enough to turn around and go back to the airport to fly home Sunday morning. It's felt a little whirlwind so far, but it is fanastic to see our families.
While I was at my parents', my childhood friend Becca came to visit with her new baby Arianna. Well, Ari's actually been here for 10 months, but it was the first time I got to meet her. She is of decidedly above average cuteness, and at least for 6 hours yesterday was very well behaved and non-fussy. She's the kind of infant who could totally dupe an unsuspecting individual into thinking parenthood could be a good idea. Photographic cuteness evidence is attached.
Monday, November 21, 2005
El Tour Wrap Up
Saturday was my big charity bike ride, El Tour de Tucson. It's 109 miles around the perimeter of Tucson. I've ridden 104 miles before, but it took me something like nine and a half hours and involved things like sitting at picnic tables and eating turkey sandwiches. El Tour is THE big deal bike ride for cyclists in Tucson, and it's kind of the culmination of the season, even though you can pretty much ride year round in Tucson.
The start was seriously intimidating. Being me, I only managed to drag my sorry self to the start line with about 15 minutes to spare. James did some last minute number pinning and unloaded my bike while I kept myself busy by being confused and nervous. I lined up in the silver section and pretty soon we were off. The start went much more smoothly than I anticipated and everyone in my section gave everyone else lots of room.
I joined a paceline with some Team in Training folks from Central California. They were good riders and lots of fun to ride with. We planned to stop at the first rest stop, but somehow I missed it and lost them. The next 25 or so miles was spent looking for people to draft without much success. Finally I met up with a guy from Phoenix whose name I forgot within seconds of him telling me, and we rode together for a while.
The ride is great especially because the intersections are controlled and bikes pretty much get to go no matter what. The flip side is it's a really bad day to be driving in Tucson. James and I were supposed to meet in a parking lot at Oracle and Rancho Vistoso. I arrived within minutes of my planned arrival time and hung around for about 20 minutes. As it turns out, James was stuck in El Tour traffic at that very intersection that whole time. We missed each other, and poor James spent the whole day driving around looking for me and never finding me.
At this point I've totally given up on making it in 7 hours to get a girly gold award thing. I rode solo a while, rode and chatted with some people, and generally had a fun time. I had plenty of energy the whole time and generally was in less pain than I usually am on training rides. I'll chalk it up to adrenaline.
The best part of the ride was definitely the final push up my old nemesis, Silverbell. I stopped at a rest stop just after Rattlesnake pass to fill my bottles and take off my armwarmers. I had a bizarre conversation with a volunteer who tried to tell me that it was "all downhill from here" and that we were currently at a higher elevation than the start. I knew this wasn't true at all, and argued with him for a minute. But then I looked at my watch and realized I had a chance of making it in my original goal time of 7 hours. So I hopped back on my bike and was off. I was still looking for people to draft with me, and I asked this guy who had been with me for the past few miles if he wanted to pull each other in. He said sure, and I mentioned we could probably make it in 7 hours, and he got really excited about helping me meet my goal. So Val and his friend Warren from Durango Colorado hammered all the way up Silverbell letting me draft most of the way. I did a few short pulls, and we were really hustling. It's the fastest I've ever ridden that section of Silverbell. Heather 1, Silverbell 0. Alas, we got stopped at stoplights three times, and finished in 7 hours, 1 minute and 12 seconds. I'm pretty happy with that result. I was shocked that I made it that quickly, and now I'm excited to see how fast I can do it next year.
Jonathan finished in just under 6 hours, so he got gold and won the recumbent division.
Here's a picture of me at Rattlesnake Pass. I still have my armwarmers on, but it's probably 70 degrees.
The start was seriously intimidating. Being me, I only managed to drag my sorry self to the start line with about 15 minutes to spare. James did some last minute number pinning and unloaded my bike while I kept myself busy by being confused and nervous. I lined up in the silver section and pretty soon we were off. The start went much more smoothly than I anticipated and everyone in my section gave everyone else lots of room.
I joined a paceline with some Team in Training folks from Central California. They were good riders and lots of fun to ride with. We planned to stop at the first rest stop, but somehow I missed it and lost them. The next 25 or so miles was spent looking for people to draft without much success. Finally I met up with a guy from Phoenix whose name I forgot within seconds of him telling me, and we rode together for a while.
The ride is great especially because the intersections are controlled and bikes pretty much get to go no matter what. The flip side is it's a really bad day to be driving in Tucson. James and I were supposed to meet in a parking lot at Oracle and Rancho Vistoso. I arrived within minutes of my planned arrival time and hung around for about 20 minutes. As it turns out, James was stuck in El Tour traffic at that very intersection that whole time. We missed each other, and poor James spent the whole day driving around looking for me and never finding me.
At this point I've totally given up on making it in 7 hours to get a girly gold award thing. I rode solo a while, rode and chatted with some people, and generally had a fun time. I had plenty of energy the whole time and generally was in less pain than I usually am on training rides. I'll chalk it up to adrenaline.
The best part of the ride was definitely the final push up my old nemesis, Silverbell. I stopped at a rest stop just after Rattlesnake pass to fill my bottles and take off my armwarmers. I had a bizarre conversation with a volunteer who tried to tell me that it was "all downhill from here" and that we were currently at a higher elevation than the start. I knew this wasn't true at all, and argued with him for a minute. But then I looked at my watch and realized I had a chance of making it in my original goal time of 7 hours. So I hopped back on my bike and was off. I was still looking for people to draft with me, and I asked this guy who had been with me for the past few miles if he wanted to pull each other in. He said sure, and I mentioned we could probably make it in 7 hours, and he got really excited about helping me meet my goal. So Val and his friend Warren from Durango Colorado hammered all the way up Silverbell letting me draft most of the way. I did a few short pulls, and we were really hustling. It's the fastest I've ever ridden that section of Silverbell. Heather 1, Silverbell 0. Alas, we got stopped at stoplights three times, and finished in 7 hours, 1 minute and 12 seconds. I'm pretty happy with that result. I was shocked that I made it that quickly, and now I'm excited to see how fast I can do it next year.
Jonathan finished in just under 6 hours, so he got gold and won the recumbent division.
Here's a picture of me at Rattlesnake Pass. I still have my armwarmers on, but it's probably 70 degrees.
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Soy yogurt
I haven't eaten soy yogurt in six years. The reason I know this is because it roughly coincides with when I met James. Not that James got me to stop eating soy yogurt, but because I remember that when I met him, I was on a Jackiesque food kick involving soy yogurt, lemon-ginger echinacea juice, and baby carrots.
This morning I ate breakfast, which is notable in itself. But the real surprise of the morning came in how much soy yogurt (or "cultured soy" as it is apparently called) has improved in the past 6 years. Not once did I think I was eating cherry flavored tofu or rotten soymilk. It tasted like a less tangy yogurt. Damn, I might even go buy some more.
This morning I ate breakfast, which is notable in itself. But the real surprise of the morning came in how much soy yogurt (or "cultured soy" as it is apparently called) has improved in the past 6 years. Not once did I think I was eating cherry flavored tofu or rotten soymilk. It tasted like a less tangy yogurt. Damn, I might even go buy some more.
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Dork Machine
I've been working on beating my computer into submission so that it does exactly what I want, when I want it. My first attempt was installing ActiveWords, a program that recognizes keywords and uses those keywords to launch programs, open directories or files, or replace the typed text with a prechosen phrase. However, it was having problems recoginizing Firefox as my default browser, pretty much rendering it useless. And it hung in the background, slowing my computer down by logging every keystroke and trying to recognize my special words.
Luckily, I work with some people who are quite good at these things. Apparently, Windows has all kinds of built in functionality that has somehow escaped my knowledge. That's actually not surprising, because despite having used Windows for about 10 years, I've never felt the need to learn much about how anything worked. This has been a very successful defense against accidentally falling into a desktop support role at any of my jobs.
So thanks to my co-worker Will, I now know how to do scheduled tasks and customized keyboard shortcuts. I hit ctrl + alt + W and my five weather websites open up in tabs in Firefox. It rocks my world.
Luckily, I work with some people who are quite good at these things. Apparently, Windows has all kinds of built in functionality that has somehow escaped my knowledge. That's actually not surprising, because despite having used Windows for about 10 years, I've never felt the need to learn much about how anything worked. This has been a very successful defense against accidentally falling into a desktop support role at any of my jobs.
So thanks to my co-worker Will, I now know how to do scheduled tasks and customized keyboard shortcuts. I hit ctrl + alt + W and my five weather websites open up in tabs in Firefox. It rocks my world.
Saturday, October 29, 2005
Static cling
Last night I went to a Halloween party. It was one of those "costumes aren't mandatory but we'll definitely make fun of you for being insufferably lame" sort of parties.I went as static cling, which was a huge hit. Credit must be given where it is due - to Chris' sister Terra, who came up with the idea. (Terra's other fantastic ideas included my personal favorite "The Grapes of Wrath" - get grapes, throw them at people.) I teased up my hair, pinned socks all over my clothes, and stuck a balloon on my head. Photographic evidence is attached.
I don't usually go to parties. In fact, I don't really have any friends in Tucson, so my social life is limited to bike rides with my coworkers and lots of quality time with James. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But I don't usually go to parties.
I had a surprisingly fun time. I knew enough people that it wasn't uncomforatable, and since it was a costume party you always at least had your costumes to talk about. James stayed home, not really liking "costumes" or "parties" or "people he doesn't know". I chatted with some grad students from my department, had a few drinks, and generally had a good time
Thursday, October 20, 2005
Bike Madness
So I've been going on bike rides every weekend, and I'm truly obsessed. I haven't had lots of energy for riding during the week, but I get out every Saturday for a nice long ride with my coworkers.
This past weekend, Jonathan and I rode out to Sonoita, which was my first 100-mile ride. In bike parlance, a 100 mile ride is called a "century" and it is officially a "big deal" when you complete your first one. The ride was actually 104.3 miles. I rode it on my brand new Specialized Jett Gel saddle, which appears to be the answer to my desperate prayers for a saddle that would let me ride until I was tired and not just until I couldn't stand sitting on the damn saddle anymore.
The ride out to Sonoita is beautiful. The first part is the usual trip out to Vail, via the New Old Vail Road. Apparently it is now called "Mary Ann Cleavland Way" since having two Old Vail Roads was even more confusing than your typical Tucson road name confusion. After a stop at Quik Mart in Vail, we rode out AZ highway 83 to Sonoita. It's a climb most of the way, until you reach the top about 10 miles outside of town. And by town, I mean the first gas station with food and water that you come to. I actually have no idea if there's anything else in Sonoita, other than windswept desert grassland and at least one Harley biker club that cleans up their section of adopted highway on Saturday. But the ride is beautiful, and I can see why 83 is designated a scenic drive. It's a sort of "Best of Southern Arizona" embodied in a 30 mile stretch of road.
We stopped at a gas station/deli with some excessively quaint name that was clearly designed for tourist brochures. I got a turkey sandwich and some Propel fitness water and thoroughly enjoyed the break from pedalling. We refilled our water bottles and headed back home. Since it was a climb and I'm relatively slow on the downhills and flats compared to Jonathan, the ride clocked in at an epic 9 hours, with 7 hours and 40 minutes of actual bike-in-motion time.
Now that I've completed a 100+ mile ride, I'm much more confident in my ability to finish El Tour de Tucson. Just four more Saturdays of training rides before the big event.
This past weekend, Jonathan and I rode out to Sonoita, which was my first 100-mile ride. In bike parlance, a 100 mile ride is called a "century" and it is officially a "big deal" when you complete your first one. The ride was actually 104.3 miles. I rode it on my brand new Specialized Jett Gel saddle, which appears to be the answer to my desperate prayers for a saddle that would let me ride until I was tired and not just until I couldn't stand sitting on the damn saddle anymore.
The ride out to Sonoita is beautiful. The first part is the usual trip out to Vail, via the New Old Vail Road. Apparently it is now called "Mary Ann Cleavland Way" since having two Old Vail Roads was even more confusing than your typical Tucson road name confusion. After a stop at Quik Mart in Vail, we rode out AZ highway 83 to Sonoita. It's a climb most of the way, until you reach the top about 10 miles outside of town. And by town, I mean the first gas station with food and water that you come to. I actually have no idea if there's anything else in Sonoita, other than windswept desert grassland and at least one Harley biker club that cleans up their section of adopted highway on Saturday. But the ride is beautiful, and I can see why 83 is designated a scenic drive. It's a sort of "Best of Southern Arizona" embodied in a 30 mile stretch of road.
We stopped at a gas station/deli with some excessively quaint name that was clearly designed for tourist brochures. I got a turkey sandwich and some Propel fitness water and thoroughly enjoyed the break from pedalling. We refilled our water bottles and headed back home. Since it was a climb and I'm relatively slow on the downhills and flats compared to Jonathan, the ride clocked in at an epic 9 hours, with 7 hours and 40 minutes of actual bike-in-motion time.
Now that I've completed a 100+ mile ride, I'm much more confident in my ability to finish El Tour de Tucson. Just four more Saturdays of training rides before the big event.
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
Silverbell 2, Heather 0
This weekend's long group ride was West Silverbell, an 84 mile trek out to Silverbell Mine and back. It's actually about as flat a ride as you can get in Tucson, but it kicked my ass. I knew I was in trouble when we were still 30 miles away from home and I was tired.
Ordinarily, I would just strategically avoid Silverbell for the rest of my natural life and not worry about it. Unfortunately, El Tour de Tucson finishes with a ride up Silverbell. On paper, it's not that bad. Just a slight uphill grade. Maybe 1-2%. But it goes on for 10 miles. And there's ALWAYS a headwind and it's always the end of a ride. The whole road just makes me want to curl up on the side of the road and go to sleep.
Ordinarily, I would just strategically avoid Silverbell for the rest of my natural life and not worry about it. Unfortunately, El Tour de Tucson finishes with a ride up Silverbell. On paper, it's not that bad. Just a slight uphill grade. Maybe 1-2%. But it goes on for 10 miles. And there's ALWAYS a headwind and it's always the end of a ride. The whole road just makes me want to curl up on the side of the road and go to sleep.
Monday, August 08, 2005
Mondays are hard
So it's Monday again. Mondays are easily the toughest day of the week for me. I go to bed too late Sunday night because I don't want the weekend to be over. Then I wake up Monday morning and have to drag myself into work approximately on time. Monday morning is the time that people forget their passwords or have their computers accidentally unplugged by cleaning staff over the weekend or need someone to fix the giant mess they've made trying to upgrade something over the weekend. I usually have one of those to fix on Monday morning, and email to catch up on. And then I have to decide what to do. It's the problem with having a job that is self directed - which project do I work on? And what on earth was I working on Friday when I left?
I hunt around for sticky notes, both real and virtual, and find a few things to do. Not surprisingly, they're all stuff I've been putting off because it is unpleasant. I choose the least unpleasant to do, which means that the really unpleasant stuff will still be waiting for me next Monday. It seems that by the end of each week, I know how to do my job and what I am working on. Then I go home for the weekend and when I come back Monday, my brain has abandoned me completely. I really need to start working on projects from start to finish so that I don't have to keep so many projects in my brain-RAM all the time.
I hunt around for sticky notes, both real and virtual, and find a few things to do. Not surprisingly, they're all stuff I've been putting off because it is unpleasant. I choose the least unpleasant to do, which means that the really unpleasant stuff will still be waiting for me next Monday. It seems that by the end of each week, I know how to do my job and what I am working on. Then I go home for the weekend and when I come back Monday, my brain has abandoned me completely. I really need to start working on projects from start to finish so that I don't have to keep so many projects in my brain-RAM all the time.
Thursday, June 16, 2005
let's go ride bikes
A few months ago (three months, to the day, to be exact) I got a road bike. It is, in a word, awesome. Considering I upgraded from the cheapest Target mountain bike, the difference is remarkable. I used to go for 15 mile rides and get off the bike with my legs all wobbly and feel like I was going to die. Now I can ride 30 miles with ease, and 50 miles without dying.
Riding bikes has changed my entire veiw of the world. In spring (February here in Tucson) I noticed the wildflowers blooming long before James because I ride past them every day. I notice people's landscaping, and which houses in my neighborhood are occupied by university students, and when the public schools aren't in session, all because I'm traveling by at 15 mph instead of 35. It is wonderful to be able to slow down and not only see what is around you, but also smell and hear and even feel. I feel more connected to the natural world living in the middle of the city riding my bike than I ever did driving near my parents house.
The side benefit of riding my bike and loving it is that bike riding is technically exercise. It's way too fun to actually be exercise, but it is. So I've actually been exercising, and getting more fit. It's a nice side benefit.
Riding bikes has changed my entire veiw of the world. In spring (February here in Tucson) I noticed the wildflowers blooming long before James because I ride past them every day. I notice people's landscaping, and which houses in my neighborhood are occupied by university students, and when the public schools aren't in session, all because I'm traveling by at 15 mph instead of 35. It is wonderful to be able to slow down and not only see what is around you, but also smell and hear and even feel. I feel more connected to the natural world living in the middle of the city riding my bike than I ever did driving near my parents house.
The side benefit of riding my bike and loving it is that bike riding is technically exercise. It's way too fun to actually be exercise, but it is. So I've actually been exercising, and getting more fit. It's a nice side benefit.
Monday, June 13, 2005
Blogging....false start
As James will tell you, I'm not very good at keeping houseplants alive. They just don't let you know that they are dying. Instead they just sit there in the window, shriveling and dying from too much heat and not enough water. My cat won't shut up if I haven't fed her, and therefore, I haven't starved her to death yet.
It seems blogging falls into the houseplant category, rather than the cat category. The idea of coming up with something to post that isn't just "I continue to exist" on a day-to-day basis is a little overwhelming for me. But, I'm going to try again. Really...
So, the entry will just state the obvious. I continue to exist. If anything more interesting happens, I'll let you know.
It seems blogging falls into the houseplant category, rather than the cat category. The idea of coming up with something to post that isn't just "I continue to exist" on a day-to-day basis is a little overwhelming for me. But, I'm going to try again. Really...
So, the entry will just state the obvious. I continue to exist. If anything more interesting happens, I'll let you know.
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