tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41461402012-01-27T18:49:23.266-05:00Seemingly impervious to the uptake of knowledge -- Henry Rollins.Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.comBlogger70611100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-39210385565101237812012-01-27T07:59:00.007-05:002012-01-27T09:16:44.146-05:00

The chittering insect overlords who bought my wife's company continue to dismember it with the apparent goal of erasing all traces of it and sending its former employees screaming into the night. Wouldn't be surprised to find them arriving with demolition equipment to raze the buildings and then pour salt where the buildings had stood so that the sites remained as barren and bleak as their

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-49613370126919706462012-01-26T07:34:00.008-05:002012-01-26T08:18:29.288-05:00

I 'm a volunteer editor for the Forvo site. People will sometimes complain about a given pronunciation -- it's hard to hear, or it's not done by a native speaker -- that sort of thing. I listen to it, and if the pronunciation's faulty, I delete it; if the complaint's not valid, I delete that. This morning I received a complaint that the phrase "Pass Christian" was mispronounced by one person.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-34030868748123291662012-01-25T18:53:00.007-05:002012-01-26T08:06:52.068-05:00

I read on another blog that Google is merging it's 'view' of the world. They announced it, up front -- but they did it in a way that made it sound nice - oh, we're making sure that you have the same privacy protections across all of our products. Only it turns out that what they're actually doing is merging their information gathering across all of those products, so that everything they know

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-69982173795576067852012-01-25T15:34:00.001-05:002012-01-25T15:35:51.491-05:00

Found here.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-83686235088999074522012-01-25T15:25:00.003-05:002012-01-25T15:26:52.136-05:00

Very classy.Found here.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-8057138940669899842012-01-25T15:03:00.003-05:002012-01-25T15:30:21.797-05:00

Pep Rally (n)1. An school event held to generate artificial enthusiasm2. A reason to keep a mentor from meeting with a kid who's on track to fail sixth grade for the second time, such reason making sense to the school administration but not to the person trying to get the kid to pass.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-37809864098723154142012-01-25T09:53:00.003-05:002012-01-25T11:05:40.821-05:00

When I was younger, I'd have thought that this was a funny video. Does the fact that I now think it's horrible say something me? I'm thinking yes, but I'm not sure what. Mostly, I suspect, that I don't like the bullies that some of our law enforcement people have become. Even in jokes.http://redux.com/stream/item/2119509/WTF-Where-s-the-little-girl#

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-61429703907854560072012-01-25T09:38:00.005-05:002012-01-25T09:44:37.849-05:00

Finds the most amazing things....

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-15315987751437821672012-01-24T16:03:00.004-05:002012-01-24T16:05:33.280-05:00

Would it sell? Is water wet?Found here.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-85271440068034645062012-01-24T12:00:00.001-05:002012-01-24T12:02:56.563-05:00

Landings at Dusseldorf. The technique is called crabbing, but I can think of other four-letter words that might describe it.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-62928911164723466582012-01-24T07:55:00.002-05:002012-01-24T07:57:42.189-05:00

It's not often that I come across a made-up word and think I wish I'd said that. But I found one in this sentence, found here.Here's the sentence. Spot the word.(W)hen I look at my smartphone, I see a wondrous fondleslab that fits perfectly in my pocket.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-57858971102088136122012-01-23T07:30:00.001-05:002012-01-23T07:31:20.997-05:00

Found here.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-30858140276224597332012-01-22T10:18:00.007-05:002012-01-23T07:32:54.042-05:00

"It just goes to support my theory that, while modest wealth can perhaps be had and maintained honestly, no one ever got to the ultra-wealthy column and remained there without doing unethical things or outright breaking the law at some point."Found here.My wife asked if this means that I think being wealthy is inherently evil. I said no..... but I agree with this person's attitude.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-7766530611649834422012-01-22T09:55:00.003-05:002012-01-22T09:57:00.748-05:00

Found here.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-44370352661116622382012-01-21T22:54:00.005-05:002012-01-21T23:27:03.152-05:00

This evening, we stopped by the local Barnes and Noble, and, while there, looked over the Nook Tablet. For what it is, it's not at all bad. Almost cures me of thinking maybe we should get a tablet...If and when, the tablet would not be an Apple. Windows, most likely, though I'm open to Android. To me, the iPads are toys -- eyeballing their apps, it looks like easily sixty percent of them are

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-43991668154801052452012-01-21T11:12:00.002-05:002012-01-21T11:14:02.520-05:00

This is the strangest Star Wars mash-up I have ever seen. Amazingly creative.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-30976643889971092292012-01-20T22:31:00.004-05:002012-01-20T22:37:50.603-05:00

Just started reading The Improbable Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, a collection written by multiple authors, some well known.Some of the stories are drivel -- aliens in London? Really? One or two come so close.... and then A Miracle Occurs. But so close! One built up the tension nicely, the evil thing is just about to happen -- and then, oh look, it did. Damn. Well, can't stop them all, old

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-63369758356705467522012-01-20T17:27:00.001-05:002012-01-20T17:27:46.208-05:00

I need to learn how to speak it.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-76891394190980952902012-01-20T17:05:00.001-05:002012-01-20T17:06:22.095-05:00

Wish I'd seen this a few weeks ago, but it's still pretty good.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-51180071793575089022012-01-20T16:46:00.001-05:002012-01-20T16:47:40.443-05:00

I'm not a big facebooker, but I like this idea.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-67442943920441207622012-01-20T08:49:00.002-05:002012-01-20T08:52:12.085-05:00

How would one get out of this thing?Found here.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-81082252890697649822012-01-20T08:29:00.002-05:002012-01-20T08:33:33.205-05:00

Sometimes, when I am studying French, I think idly about how people say the same concept differently in different languages. For example, time. We say 'seven thirty'; the French say 'sept heures trente', or 'sept heures et demi'. We say 'ten to eight', they say 'huit heures moins dix". I find myself wondering if the different ways of saying an identical concept have an effect on the way that

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-45099047585963295292012-01-20T07:55:00.002-05:002012-01-20T07:58:30.011-05:00

Normally, we think eh,we'll start on the taxes in February, get them done by mid-march. No problem.But this year - we're under the gun to get them done so that we can file the charmingly-named FAFSA form to request student financial aid. We're told that the earlier you file, the more likely that you'll be able to qualify. In the exact same year that they've changed how the accounting works

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-48892561210430298322012-01-19T08:25:00.002-05:002012-01-19T08:28:18.276-05:00

Apparently, yes. Botanicalls Kits let plants reach out for human help! They offer a connection to your leafy pal via online Twitter status updates to your mobile phone. When your plant needs water, it will post to let you know, and send its thanks when you show it love. It comes as a kit so that you can hone your soldering skills (or teach someone else) while you build a line of

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-7202552707996932512012-01-19T08:16:00.001-05:002012-01-19T08:17:16.699-05:00

Found here.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-7725436430911641712012-01-19T07:37:00.001-05:002012-01-19T07:37:36.430-05:00

Stuff That Must Have Happened: Pitching Mt. Rushmore -- powered by Cracked.com

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-29712995597496123912012-01-18T02:38:00.002-05:002012-01-18T02:39:49.078-05:00

Had some trouble sleeping. Part of it, strangely, is that one of the lead characters in the latest edition of a sci-fi series that I like, was killed off. Old age. Reading this a month before my daughter turns 18 -- makes me feel old.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-83869335345336437502012-01-16T10:21:00.003-05:002012-01-16T10:22:03.639-05:00

Found here.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-50519687927853120752012-01-15T16:45:00.002-05:002012-01-15T16:46:16.874-05:00

Found here

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-90569991119339573622012-01-14T21:15:00.002-05:002012-01-14T21:16:10.383-05:00

Okay, I tend to like articles that make me look good.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-25196942962980287502012-01-14T20:50:00.001-05:002012-01-14T20:51:53.699-05:00

Found here.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-16284433681736140712012-01-14T14:49:00.002-05:002012-01-14T14:50:40.209-05:00

Just looking at the long-range financial planning spreadsheet. Amazing how wonderful life can be just by flicking the Interest percentage up a point...or how devastated it could be by flicking the Inflation one.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-32363176797911277082012-01-13T17:44:00.018-05:002012-01-14T20:03:20.421-05:00

On the way back from school, my daughter and I got into a discussion about the plotline of the current Doctor Who. Neither of us really likes it. We both like the Doctor character (though I still prefer his immediate predecessor). We differ on the style, mostly -- I like the cerebral approach of the prior Doctor, while she likes the cute-and-funny approach of this one. I can live with

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-48186752114285783062012-01-12T13:55:00.004-05:002012-01-12T13:59:22.660-05:00

I found this picture in a collection of depression-era photography. Sometimes I look at that girl sitting on the lip of the truck bed and wonder whatever happened to her.(Not sure where I found it, but here's one place where it exists.)

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-55392827877619542342012-01-12T08:11:00.002-05:002012-01-12T08:18:05.850-05:00

I am in a relatively good mood. After two days of doing a lot of sleeping -- think 'about ten hours each night' -- I now feel awake again. My kludgy Visual Basic macro works (I was all set to call them yesterday afternood and say it was done till I noticed that some numbers on each page that ought to be different, were the same -- argh!); the trick was to define the array with a ReDim rather than

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-36757064135791258522012-01-10T19:42:00.002-05:002012-01-10T19:43:12.427-05:00

Found here.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-30901333192057317452012-01-10T17:50:00.002-05:002012-01-10T17:53:00.038-05:00

Busy, frustrating day. Project in Excel is going well, but I just hit an unexpected snag. I'm pretty sure that I can fix it, but I thought I'd be done by now. The mento and I met, and it was fun, but he was vague about how he's doing in some classes. Like, most of them. I even have nice problems: three books at once that I want to read. I do own two of them, so... and, oh yeah, I haven't

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-90582497128799982182012-01-10T12:51:00.000-05:002012-01-10T12:52:16.859-05:00

Hmm. I wonder how William F. Buckley Jr. would have assessed the competence of the current spate of Republican candidates.-Neil deGrasse Tyson

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-34770358176057840172012-01-10T12:21:00.003-05:002012-01-10T12:22:24.214-05:00

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-81668761389078386812012-01-08T21:35:00.001-05:002012-01-08T21:35:33.665-05:00

PostSecret is the most amazing site, hands-down.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-57377910904141673852012-01-08T15:23:00.002-05:002012-01-08T15:25:26.731-05:00

I'd never heard of the Square electronic payments system prior to today. Out of the box, I'd have said electronic payments? Yeah, that sounds really.....um....interesting. But you know what? It is.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-43097316321731419422012-01-07T09:24:00.003-05:002012-01-07T09:28:05.897-05:00

I am amazed at the weapons that the TSA finds every day. A razor that the owner says he uses for his skateboard? A tear gas canister? An Indian push dagger? Holy heck.That they can confiscate weapons in carry-on luggage, I agree with. Being able to confiscate weapons in checked luggage, no, that's not right. Like they asked me, or care what I think.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-17495369608969852502012-01-06T22:21:00.002-05:002012-01-06T22:22:04.222-05:00

I know that there are women who take it all off for photographers. But - good lord!

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-47106594891993619882012-01-06T21:41:00.003-05:002012-01-06T21:42:40.710-05:00

Found here.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-84471586143640399932012-01-05T20:59:00.000-05:002012-01-05T21:00:11.142-05:00

Once upon a time... from Capucha on Vimeo.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-15900872313332884632012-01-05T13:33:00.001-05:002012-01-05T13:33:55.955-05:00

My Journal: Almost A ParableThis was written on a blog that I read regularly. It's an excellent analogy about politicians.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-39390603225428672372012-01-05T11:57:00.000-05:002012-01-05T11:58:05.922-05:00

I very much want to believe that this story is true.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-5142956019085878882012-01-04T18:51:00.002-05:002012-01-04T18:53:44.579-05:00

I'm writing some very simple visual basic code, and practicing some very simple French. And failing miserably at both.Let's hope this is not a portent of the year, or I may find myself hoping that the Mayans were right.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-14144885210944571752012-01-03T16:27:00.000-05:002012-01-03T16:28:01.989-05:00

Found on The Brigade.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-40398685292617449412012-01-03T15:55:00.002-05:002012-01-03T18:24:57.986-05:00

I do wonder about that bag-carrying guy who says he wears glasses, though.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-22308227481791315012012-01-01T20:46:00.014-05:002012-01-02T07:35:56.378-05:00

Interesting day, today. Several different reasons.For one, I actually got to talk with a woman with whom I'd exchanged notes on the Forvo site. She's a volunteer editor near France, trying to learn English, and I'm a volunteer editor here, trying to learn French, so we've exchanged notes several times about the way to say things -- usually, how the French or the Americans would say something (

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-47403013378561740082011-12-31T22:29:00.002-05:002011-12-31T22:31:37.330-05:00

I was in a somewhat sour mood this evening, grumping about how our house isn't nearly as nice as my sister-in-laws, wondering if we'll actually upgrade this house so that we can stay in it forever, or have to take the financial or size hit of moving. And then I just talked quietly with my wife for about twenty minutes about what we'd like to do, need to do, want to do -- and then I felt a whole

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-40798466422075542782011-12-30T16:41:00.002-05:002011-12-30T16:41:58.382-05:00

I would like to say that I got the majority of these questions about geography.I would like to say that.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-27647593269184161762011-12-29T19:46:00.002-05:002011-12-30T16:42:16.870-05:00

Found here.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-58940391736036300262011-12-29T11:59:00.000-05:002011-12-29T12:00:10.670-05:00

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-54261028178399568702011-12-28T21:43:00.000-05:002011-12-28T21:44:04.873-05:00

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-57895249317900785632011-12-28T21:27:00.001-05:002011-12-28T21:28:19.431-05:00

Didn't do any French studying at all today. Did listen to French songs, though. Does that count?

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-6531197033893884392011-12-28T17:07:00.001-05:002011-12-28T17:08:09.586-05:00

Isn't it nice when you have someone like this on your side?

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-57151750237870720612011-12-28T17:02:00.001-05:002011-12-28T17:03:43.629-05:00

Helen Mirren Would Like to Play the Doctor,and We Would Be Extremely Okay With That.Me, too.Found here.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-55580666559466958182011-12-28T16:48:00.002-05:002011-12-28T16:50:09.636-05:00

Found here.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-32437870973773876902011-12-28T16:45:00.003-05:002011-12-28T16:46:41.613-05:00

Long, but well worth it, I think.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-50581183127381636402011-12-28T09:01:00.002-05:002011-12-28T09:03:34.417-05:00

My sister-in-law called to tell my wife that she'd just learned some horrifying news. Her daughter's current college roommate was in a terrible car accident, and is now on life support -- but they think that she is already brain-dead.Why is it that the first thing you think of when hearing news such as that is was it her fault?

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-27962276536081178392011-12-27T16:31:00.001-05:002011-12-27T16:31:40.274-05:00

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-56628749975196180582011-12-27T16:11:00.003-05:002011-12-27T16:12:57.257-05:00

If people conducting a non-violent protest had pepper spray used on them by the police, and the protesters retaliated by using it on the cops (though, of course, the cops do wear those nifty face masks) -- would that be a bad thing? Used to be, I'd say of course it would. Now....not so sure.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-9461073036712832072011-12-27T13:40:00.002-05:002011-12-27T13:40:51.394-05:00

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-45312579608571120702011-12-26T08:51:00.000-05:002011-12-26T08:52:11.389-05:00

This guy has more guts than me.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-33521565029735095182011-12-26T07:33:00.001-05:002011-12-26T07:35:05.098-05:00

Found here.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-8815886755008270652011-12-25T22:10:00.003-05:002011-12-25T22:16:14.556-05:00

We went to my mother in laws house for the day. My daughter drove all the way up, which was a little scary (she doesn't like driving the big vehicle) but she did okay. While there, my sister in law, a government minon of moderately high stature, spent too much time telling us how much money the government wastes. A little of that conversation went a long way, and there was more than just a

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-43326567012517405582011-12-24T21:06:00.001-05:002011-12-24T21:07:47.497-05:00

Found here.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-65107604185390099012011-12-23T09:48:00.001-05:002011-12-23T09:50:23.917-05:00

This morning, we discovered that just because you're replacing a bookshelf CD/Radio/Tape Player with a newer one does not mean that the newer one will have a volume control.Ah.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-35259953496448954952011-12-22T16:15:00.001-05:002011-12-22T16:17:38.738-05:00

From the LA Times....The TSA's 25 "viper" teams — for Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response — have run more than 9,300 unannounced checkpoints and other search operations in the last year. Department of Homeland Security officials have asked Congress for funding to add 12 more teams next year...TSA officials say they have no proof that the roving viper teams have foiled any terrorist

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-64217723815019536612011-12-22T15:52:00.002-05:002011-12-22T16:13:16.285-05:00

It's tough to be supportive of my mento when he is - again - up to 5 F's in his core subjects. One A (math), 5 F's.Not that I'm bitter or anything.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-39944606568720747502011-12-20T18:09:00.002-05:002011-12-20T18:10:50.684-05:00

I guess you go with the argument that works?Found here.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-63512805729381909182011-12-20T17:53:00.001-05:002011-12-20T17:54:39.370-05:00

From Wondermark.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-83674866195757609242011-12-19T10:39:00.005-05:002011-12-19T12:09:00.140-05:00

Sitting in the kitchen, wearing half of the Santa outfit. Today's the last one. I've been glad to do it, but I'll be glad when it's done, too.I've been reading Love My Rifle More Than You. It does not give me great hopes about my daughter being in the military, even though I know that she won't be going in -- if she goes at all - for five years, and when she does, she'll likely be on a ship or

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-18462625852857941582011-12-17T08:18:00.004-05:002011-12-17T08:35:37.451-05:00

He may be a hack, I don't know. He may never admit any failing of Barack Obama, I suspect. But I like him. (Though I wish he hadn't said "...our banker friends"... )

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-3971361455404304102011-12-15T21:00:00.001-05:002011-12-15T21:02:08.416-05:00

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-587530879761559242011-12-15T20:40:00.003-05:002011-12-15T21:07:32.081-05:00

Found here.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-58994236021950534212011-12-15T15:54:00.008-05:002011-12-15T16:04:12.013-05:00

This is from the Denver Post collection of photographs.University of California, Davis Police Lt. John Pike uses pepper spray to move Occupy UC Davis protesters while blocking their exit from the school's quad in Davis, Calif on November 18, 2011. Pike, the riot-clad police officer who pepper sprayed a row of peaceful Occupy Wall Street protesters at a California university last week, is a

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-3332865805288148112011-12-15T13:54:00.004-05:002011-12-15T13:56:57.204-05:00

This web site had a section about what will Barack do if he doesn't win re-election, and though I find that a hideous concept, I must admit that I'm intruiged by some of their ideas:Obama single-handedly wins the war in Afghanistan: "Sgt. Diaz stared at the cloud of smoke. 'I think... holy shit, I think there's someone alive down there,' he said, scrambling to pick up his binoculars. He lifted

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-78123880792036397072011-12-14T15:14:00.001-05:002011-12-14T15:14:45.296-05:00

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-71795448294288861392011-12-14T08:20:00.001-05:002011-12-14T08:21:52.003-05:00

I would almost do this. Found here.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-63672159942848071972011-12-12T18:20:00.005-05:002011-12-12T18:23:51.960-05:00

Cartoons like this one infuriate me. Not foaming-at-the-mouth infuriate, but how can they possibly be that stupid? infuriate. Mostly because they make me think of all the stupid people who will say yeah, things aren't perfect, must be his fault, Ahm gonna vote for.... who's runnin' again? The sort of person to whom any reasoned response sounds like evasion.Agh.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-22605900167106145352011-12-12T09:55:00.002-05:002011-12-12T09:59:23.487-05:00

One day.Four kinds of home-made cookies.Peanut Brittle. Also home-made.andChocolate-covered Pretzels. Ditto.All going into a container for shipment to friends in France. (And we won't wince much at the shipping cost.)But I think we're going to need more measuring spoons.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-40790365095922374152011-12-12T07:47:00.003-05:002011-12-12T07:55:56.541-05:00

I only vaguely know who Keira Knightly is, but I really like this photo.Found here.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-66638869358222568862011-12-11T20:56:00.002-05:002011-12-11T20:56:57.590-05:00

Found here.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-67190365455370693782011-12-11T19:24:00.007-05:002011-12-11T19:51:40.072-05:00

As a rule, I am not taken by books where the author gushes about someplace. I always have the feeling that were I to go there, I'd be bored, tired, and only occasionally pleased.But I have to admit that I'm liking Paris to the Past, a book which is simultaneously a political history of France through the centuries and an architectural history of the cathedrals that helped to define it.A lot of

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-89392422537995177362011-12-10T19:42:00.001-05:002011-12-10T19:42:18.337-05:00

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-42758785178273759942011-12-10T18:16:00.001-05:002011-12-10T18:17:58.027-05:00

Funny how it didn't occur to us that having a shorter vehicle necessarily means a shorter Christmas tree.On the other hand, this one is awfully wide!

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-7581694748970359722011-12-10T14:27:00.001-05:002011-12-10T14:27:56.898-05:00

Jane Austen's Fight Club from Keith Paugh on Vimeo.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-26150804116739530092011-12-10T11:20:00.005-05:002011-12-10T18:21:36.523-05:00

This is me practicing the passé composé tense, and in particular some of the 17 verbs that use a form of etré to 'assist' in verb formation for that tense. It's brute-force memorization -- though there are some similarities in the verbs' spelling or use, I can't rely on that. So -Je suis allé au parque.Je suis arrivé au parque.Je suis descendu le escalier.Je suis devenu furieux.Je suis entré la

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-9407416866680864572011-12-09T15:51:00.006-05:002011-12-09T18:39:39.532-05:00

We went to a mall today which had, among other things, an Apple store, so we took the opportunity to look over the iPad. Hefted it, went into some of the apps, generally tried to run it through its paces. After we were done, I asked my wife what she thought of it."It's a toy, not a tool. "Yup, that's about right. It could be a tool, with the right apps, but that's not how it's being marketed.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-17708792874507478192011-12-08T19:26:00.001-05:002011-12-08T19:28:26.015-05:00

I can't do much with Excel pivot tables, but I can do a little. So I figured that telling the pivot table to use data from multiple spreadsheets -- how difficult could this be?Ahem. The method's the same, but the results -- not optimal. Sometimes, not even comprehensible.Perhaps I'll understand it tomorrow.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-87190198300865923072011-12-08T19:19:00.003-05:002011-12-08T19:20:12.769-05:00

Found here.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-13579831647792618122011-12-08T17:10:00.001-05:002011-12-08T17:11:15.375-05:00

Virginia Tech is the alternate school that we'd like our daughter to consider. When we heard the news today, we both thought maybe a small school in a little town isn't such a bad thing....

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-50773251806476981422011-12-07T22:37:00.002-05:002011-12-07T22:38:27.197-05:00

Thirty years ago. Fascinating.http://www.computerhistory.org/highlights/stevejobs/video/

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-75537185495889399732011-12-07T21:08:00.004-05:002011-12-07T21:19:01.745-05:00

I like classy, thoughtful movies.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-22974343632282598662011-12-07T20:50:00.001-05:002011-12-07T20:51:22.058-05:00

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-56401927311447783062011-12-07T20:35:00.002-05:002011-12-07T20:45:43.262-05:00

Technically, I'm a Catholic. I say that because I'm more not a believer than I am -- I just go because of the accumulated guilt of a Catholic upbringing. For years, I said I went to church to give a 'good example' to my daughter (and yes, I know that a good example doesn't require going to church, but, hey, my mother was living with us....). Now my daughter's coming up on 18, and she's already

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146140.post-36146131014153740652011-12-07T10:02:00.005-05:002011-12-07T10:08:54.641-05:00

Found here. It's a 20 year old model.

Cerulean Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01212953653794261332noreply@blogger.com2