Sunday, March 25, 2012
Friends
I was thinking about friends, the other night, as a result of this little imbroglio with the French kid. I would have liked to be her friend - for a while, thought I was, though, as I have said, that went down in flames. I think I wanted it so badly because I find it so difficult to make friends. Why is that, I wondered. And, along the same lines, when I think of the vague image of 'people I wish I had as friends', why do I always think “I like smart people”? They’re two separate questions, but for me, they’re intertwined.
When I was younger, I didn’t tend to think of that exclusion. I was not all that good at making friends then, either, but usually the organizations that I joined did that for me. The military, for example. The clubs that I joined, in high school. None of these particularly cared whether their participants were bright; all they cared about was whether you could do whatever you were there to do. Fix airplane radios, for one. Hit the right note in glee club, for another.
But without that structure, I found it difficult to establish a connection with other people. I would be friendly with them, and they with me, but there wasn’t a sense of Yeah, this was fun, we should get together again. It just didn’t jell. Different events would occur, but they didn’t establish a sense of continuity. Even now, that's true. As an example – from time to time, we invite some people we know locally – some friends – to come over to the house for dinner, and when they do, we enjoy it. But it never turns into a routine, something we do on a recurring basis. It’s always oh, it’s been a while since we had someone over, why don’t we do that?
As for the 'smart people' codicil, I'm not sure where that comes from. Certainly, I appreciate smart people; they have insights and thoughts that resonate with me. And it’s equally true that I don’t like dumb people (though I don’t think of them that way, it’s the classification that occurs to me). People who are fascinated by celebrities, for example. People who are avid fans of American Idol. People who think that Facebook is their life. It’s not that each of these is necessarily a bad thing, but if you think of each of those groups as a grouping in a Venn diagram, then where those groupings intersect, I see dumb people – and the more layers of intersections there are, the dumber they are. Not dumb as a box of rocks dumb, but I don’t have anything in common with those people dumb. So, taking the inverse, I think well, I must like smart people. Of course, even there, I manage not to connect. My brief tenure in Mensa, for example: I remember thinking These may be smart people, but they’re not saying smart things. Which is unfair, and I know it: I’m a smart person, and not only do I not go around saying smart things, but I can come out with some really stupid thoughts.
Perhaps my standard is askew. Perhaps I simply need to put myself into a situation where I can meet people who have a potential to be interesting to me, and the reverse, and see what happens. I read something, years ago, in an article whose subject I’ve long forgotten, that we think our neighbors dull, not knowing that they speak seven languages, like to skydive, collect Indian jade – because all we see is what we see, not what they are.
That sort of connection is why I joined Conversation Exchange - and I've met several people, including two who fit the criteria of bright and interesting. Unfortunately, the only other organizations that I can think of which might make such a connection are dating services -- and somehow, I think that my wife might object.
When I was younger, I didn’t tend to think of that exclusion. I was not all that good at making friends then, either, but usually the organizations that I joined did that for me. The military, for example. The clubs that I joined, in high school. None of these particularly cared whether their participants were bright; all they cared about was whether you could do whatever you were there to do. Fix airplane radios, for one. Hit the right note in glee club, for another.
But without that structure, I found it difficult to establish a connection with other people. I would be friendly with them, and they with me, but there wasn’t a sense of Yeah, this was fun, we should get together again. It just didn’t jell. Different events would occur, but they didn’t establish a sense of continuity. Even now, that's true. As an example – from time to time, we invite some people we know locally – some friends – to come over to the house for dinner, and when they do, we enjoy it. But it never turns into a routine, something we do on a recurring basis. It’s always oh, it’s been a while since we had someone over, why don’t we do that?
As for the 'smart people' codicil, I'm not sure where that comes from. Certainly, I appreciate smart people; they have insights and thoughts that resonate with me. And it’s equally true that I don’t like dumb people (though I don’t think of them that way, it’s the classification that occurs to me). People who are fascinated by celebrities, for example. People who are avid fans of American Idol. People who think that Facebook is their life. It’s not that each of these is necessarily a bad thing, but if you think of each of those groups as a grouping in a Venn diagram, then where those groupings intersect, I see dumb people – and the more layers of intersections there are, the dumber they are. Not dumb as a box of rocks dumb, but I don’t have anything in common with those people dumb. So, taking the inverse, I think well, I must like smart people. Of course, even there, I manage not to connect. My brief tenure in Mensa, for example: I remember thinking These may be smart people, but they’re not saying smart things. Which is unfair, and I know it: I’m a smart person, and not only do I not go around saying smart things, but I can come out with some really stupid thoughts.
Perhaps my standard is askew. Perhaps I simply need to put myself into a situation where I can meet people who have a potential to be interesting to me, and the reverse, and see what happens. I read something, years ago, in an article whose subject I’ve long forgotten, that we think our neighbors dull, not knowing that they speak seven languages, like to skydive, collect Indian jade – because all we see is what we see, not what they are.
That sort of connection is why I joined Conversation Exchange - and I've met several people, including two who fit the criteria of bright and interesting. Unfortunately, the only other organizations that I can think of which might make such a connection are dating services -- and somehow, I think that my wife might object.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Observation
If you can't bond with a 17 year old who's a different gender, age, and culture than your own -- well, too bad. It'd have been nice (and, okay, I admit it: I still kind of hope....and I still feel kind of stupid) but I'm not going to take any steps to make it happen. I don't need to bond with any adolescent except my own.
Update:
The aforementioned 17 year old posted on twitter to someone else that when she saw that person active on Facebook, she expected to hear from them. Apparently agitated that she did not. Which was exactly what I did - saw her active, pinged her. Granted, multiple times in two days, but without response.... and she didn't like it.
I successfully resisted the urge to ask her how she liked it. That would not have been mature of me. I did, however, think it. And it helps me accept the idea that - regardless of what I might have thought, and certainly wanted to think - we weren't actually friends.
Update:
The aforementioned 17 year old posted on twitter to someone else that when she saw that person active on Facebook, she expected to hear from them. Apparently agitated that she did not. Which was exactly what I did - saw her active, pinged her. Granted, multiple times in two days, but without response.... and she didn't like it.
I successfully resisted the urge to ask her how she liked it. That would not have been mature of me. I did, however, think it. And it helps me accept the idea that - regardless of what I might have thought, and certainly wanted to think - we weren't actually friends.
Buying Stuff
Today, I managed to be glum again (I can really milk these things), but my wife, who amazingly has not slapped me up side the head, had just the solution. We went to a local college book sale and we bought books. Oh, mama, did we. We needed a small carton to carry them all out.
Books make me happy.
Books make me happy.
Damp
An extraordinarily wet day, thus far. A fierce thunderstorm rolled in overnight, so loud that my daughter actually came into our bedroom and got into bed with us, which she has not done for several years. She said that when she heard a terrifically loud crash, she was sure that it was an atomic bomb, save that there was not a bright light -- which then arrived a moment later.
Now she is on her way to yet another color guard competition, and she will be gone overnight, returning around 8PM tomorrow night. We plan to delight ourselves by watching the rain fain, by finishing this year's taxes, and by looking at financial aid forms for the college where she still intends to go -- though she is, just slightly, beginning to think less of it. She was disappointed to not be accepted by two colleges, thinking that perhaps the reason she was accepted by the two that did was because they were military colleges. For one, there is that possibility, but the other is a public college with a good reputation, so I doubt it was just that. And I still hope she goes there, though it's unlikely.
Now she is on her way to yet another color guard competition, and she will be gone overnight, returning around 8PM tomorrow night. We plan to delight ourselves by watching the rain fain, by finishing this year's taxes, and by looking at financial aid forms for the college where she still intends to go -- though she is, just slightly, beginning to think less of it. She was disappointed to not be accepted by two colleges, thinking that perhaps the reason she was accepted by the two that did was because they were military colleges. For one, there is that possibility, but the other is a public college with a good reputation, so I doubt it was just that. And I still hope she goes there, though it's unlikely.
Friday, March 23, 2012
Some notes
I really don’t care for when Verizon’s voice mail calls me to tell me that it’s purging an old voice mail…and it won’t tell me what it was.
I am slowly regaining my sense of humor from that incident yesterday. Slowly. I discussed it at some length with a French woman I know. We’re not friends (we are, to me, though as we have seen, my judgement as to what a ‘friend’ is can be suspect, but she says not), but we keep in touch. It’ll be a while before I can laugh about it, though.
It’s a pretty day – spring is coming! – so I’m going to take a little bit of a walk.
And then this weekend, we’ll finish doing taxes – local ones; not too bad. Plus we get to pay the first part of real-estate taxes. Always a joy.
I am slowly regaining my sense of humor from that incident yesterday. Slowly. I discussed it at some length with a French woman I know. We’re not friends (we are, to me, though as we have seen, my judgement as to what a ‘friend’ is can be suspect, but she says not), but we keep in touch. It’ll be a while before I can laugh about it, though.
It’s a pretty day – spring is coming! – so I’m going to take a little bit of a walk.
And then this weekend, we’ll finish doing taxes – local ones; not too bad. Plus we get to pay the first part of real-estate taxes. Always a joy.
Exercise
I've seen it said that you should exercise until you are sweaty. Which is of course FAR beyond where I would do it. Yet I understand the logic.
I'm thinking "until you are tired"....and then relax a bit, and do it again.
I'm thinking "until you are tired"....and then relax a bit, and do it again.
TShirt
I hope that I never have the opportunity to buy this shirt for any woman I know....but I do like it.
Rules
If I had an index card with Rules of Life on it -- which I don't, but there are times when I think I should -- this past episode would make me add "Don't have more than shallow conversations with adolescents to whom you are not closely related. You'll go down in flames."
You'd think I would remember, but I don't. I try to treat them like adults, and I go down in flames, every time.
You'd think I would remember, but I don't. I try to treat them like adults, and I go down in flames, every time.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Observation
I am very fortunate to have the wife that I do.
I should just leave it at that, because that is totally accurate, but I'll continue so as to demonstrate.
After telling her that I felt like an idiot for caring about the emotional health and stability of the French girl I barely know, who, btw, got terminally pissed at me for unfriending her the second time, thereupon telling me that she absolutely didn't want to talk to me ever again -- my wife simply said "You want to help her. It bothers you that she has low self confidence. You couldn't know how she'd react."
Which is true. I just wanted to help, but I was very clumsy at it, to the point where doing something to further that goal became something of an obsession with me. My wife knows me very well.
Wow, huh? I am very fortunate.
As for the girl - well, yes, I'd still like to help her. But I'm hoping that, like an unscratched itch, the feelling will fade.
I should just leave it at that, because that is totally accurate, but I'll continue so as to demonstrate.
After telling her that I felt like an idiot for caring about the emotional health and stability of the French girl I barely know, who, btw, got terminally pissed at me for unfriending her the second time, thereupon telling me that she absolutely didn't want to talk to me ever again -- my wife simply said "You want to help her. It bothers you that she has low self confidence. You couldn't know how she'd react."
Which is true. I just wanted to help, but I was very clumsy at it, to the point where doing something to further that goal became something of an obsession with me. My wife knows me very well.
Wow, huh? I am very fortunate.
As for the girl - well, yes, I'd still like to help her. But I'm hoping that, like an unscratched itch, the feelling will fade.
Enthusiasm
I had occasion, the other night, to look through a series of post by various people, almost all teen-age girls, who are fanatical followers of Justin Bieber and other entertainers. This resulted in two conclusions:
I’m glad that my daughter never succumbed to that kind of frenzy.
I can see how people who are the source of that frenzy might succumb easily to thinking they’re above the standards of society. Even the standards that govern the actions of those in the stratosphere.
And one semi-guilty thought, which I won’t mention.
==============
I mentioned this thought to my wife, and she said that part of the reason she's like that is because we don't get particularly motivated by celebrities. I suppose that's something. I mean, I don't fault the kids who are rabid fans of Bieber's or others like him, but I'm stunned by how intense they can be. That's a lot of energy. Imagine if they directed it toward, say, success in school.
There I go, thinking like a parent again.
I’m glad that my daughter never succumbed to that kind of frenzy.
I can see how people who are the source of that frenzy might succumb easily to thinking they’re above the standards of society. Even the standards that govern the actions of those in the stratosphere.
And one semi-guilty thought, which I won’t mention.
==============
I mentioned this thought to my wife, and she said that part of the reason she's like that is because we don't get particularly motivated by celebrities. I suppose that's something. I mean, I don't fault the kids who are rabid fans of Bieber's or others like him, but I'm stunned by how intense they can be. That's a lot of energy. Imagine if they directed it toward, say, success in school.
There I go, thinking like a parent again.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Credit Where...
So according to Mr. Romney, it was Bush who averted the second Great Depression, huh? Well, he certainly did start the process. Didn't do it all, because he wasn't there, but started it, yes.
So this means that Romney acknowledge's Bush did the first bailouts, right?
Yeah. I'll be waiting for that one.
So this means that Romney acknowledge's Bush did the first bailouts, right?
Yeah. I'll be waiting for that one.
Le Speaking
Okay, so he has 300 million dollars, a chance of being the next President, and better hair. My French accent is still better than his.
Ruminations
It’s surprising to me how quickly my attitudes towards some people can change. Makes me think that I still have the emotional maturity of a 10 year old.
And that would be?
I cannot for the life of me figure out what it supposed to have happened in this picture. Other than that it was probably noisy, and definitely bloody.
Status
I’m in a generally glum mood.
I had problems with the computer this morning, for one. Antivirus choked, and it wouldn't restart. Then I couldn't get the damn PC to restart in Safe Mode so I could run the fix-it software. When your PC suddenly isn't relitable, it’s like striding purposefully into a room to do something and stubbing your toe – your worldview collapses down to that one aching point, and all you want it for it to stop hurting!!! Which it finally did, once I'd clawed through Avast's semi-written-in-English instructions.
PCs that make you hold down the Fn key to make function keys work, suck.
What I thought might be the beginning of a friendship with that French girl seems to have collapsed – please, no comments; I feel stupid enough already. I think she's making a mistake in her relationship, but it's her life; she didn’t ask me to care, and I suspect would resent it if she knew I did. Plus, I could be wrong. She knows the guy better than I do. Anyway, I got a blunt reminder that I am an American adult male and she is a French teen female. Worlds apart. I even managed to get her to snap at me (though not as fiercely as she did at her actual father, in a comment on Twitter). I still like her, still think she's an interesting person who's better than she thinks she is, but I suspect that we won't be rooming together next year.
And I got to go take a blood test this morning – few things are quite so fun as a sterile, cheerless medical office at 715 in the morning.
So, yeah – I could use a little niceness right about now. I'd bake something, but that'd speak to something else that's annoying me....
I had problems with the computer this morning, for one. Antivirus choked, and it wouldn't restart. Then I couldn't get the damn PC to restart in Safe Mode so I could run the fix-it software. When your PC suddenly isn't relitable, it’s like striding purposefully into a room to do something and stubbing your toe – your worldview collapses down to that one aching point, and all you want it for it to stop hurting!!! Which it finally did, once I'd clawed through Avast's semi-written-in-English instructions.
PCs that make you hold down the Fn key to make function keys work, suck.
What I thought might be the beginning of a friendship with that French girl seems to have collapsed – please, no comments; I feel stupid enough already. I think she's making a mistake in her relationship, but it's her life; she didn’t ask me to care, and I suspect would resent it if she knew I did. Plus, I could be wrong. She knows the guy better than I do. Anyway, I got a blunt reminder that I am an American adult male and she is a French teen female. Worlds apart. I even managed to get her to snap at me (though not as fiercely as she did at her actual father, in a comment on Twitter). I still like her, still think she's an interesting person who's better than she thinks she is, but I suspect that we won't be rooming together next year.
And I got to go take a blood test this morning – few things are quite so fun as a sterile, cheerless medical office at 715 in the morning.
So, yeah – I could use a little niceness right about now. I'd bake something, but that'd speak to something else that's annoying me....
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Jumbled
Most of my French/English conversation today was about the killings in Toulouse, and the American gun culture. Though we did evenually talk about movies -- my partner noted that the last three movies I saw or bought were French (even if one of them is in English).
He gets points for listening to me fight my way through the French, saying things that I'm sure came out like Why him it do we know it not good again?, without saying Bill, Bill, speak in English, at least. I was surprised, myself, at how intense I got.
He gets points for listening to me fight my way through the French, saying things that I'm sure came out like Why him it do we know it not good again?, without saying Bill, Bill, speak in English, at least. I was surprised, myself, at how intense I got.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Tiramisu
I found this recipe here. It's easy to make, and quite good.
1 cup heavy cream .. ...... 4 ounces bar cream cheese, room temperature
3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar......1/2 cup strong coffee or espresso, room temperature
2 tablespoons dark rum or brandy ......1 loaf pound cake, preferably marbled, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1/4 cup shaved semisweet chocolate...... Unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat cream, cream cheese, and confectioners sugar until combined.
In a small bowl, combine coffee and rum.
In a 2-quart baking dish, lay half the cake slices in a single layer, trimming to fit.
Brush with half the coffee mixture.
Top with half the cream mixture and half the chocolate.
Repeat.
Dust top with cocoa powder.
Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving.
Pound Cake Tiramisu
1 cup heavy cream .. ...... 4 ounces bar cream cheese, room temperature
3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar......1/2 cup strong coffee or espresso, room temperature
2 tablespoons dark rum or brandy ......1 loaf pound cake, preferably marbled, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1/4 cup shaved semisweet chocolate...... Unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat cream, cream cheese, and confectioners sugar until combined.
In a small bowl, combine coffee and rum.
In a 2-quart baking dish, lay half the cake slices in a single layer, trimming to fit.
Brush with half the coffee mixture.
Top with half the cream mixture and half the chocolate.
Repeat.
Dust top with cocoa powder.
Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Moody
Thinking about that Skype conversation, and how it concluded, I'm in a remarkably mellow mood. Okay, it likely won't last -- so I should cherish it, right?
Skypered
Just had an intense conversation with a friend on Skype. Started out where I wasn't even sure we were still friends. I was so alarmed, I stopped the dishwasher (I know, right?) so that the sound wouldn't distract me from the conversation. It eventually turned out okay, though. We're still friends. Got my heart going there for a while, though... I don't tend to make all that many friends, so I don't want to lose any of the few that I've got.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Friday
Had a little bit of an epiphany, yesterday.
I've been exchanging occasional notes with a French girl who lives in the south of France. She seems nice. She mentioned to me that she doesn't date much, and as a result feels lonely a lot. My heart, I regret to say, went out to her. The thought of this kid without people to hang out with - it bothered me. Then she mentioned that this summer, her boyfriend was coming to France. Boyfriend? It turned out that she had met him online -- on Omegle, I know now - eight months ago, and they had struck up a relationship. And not just a relationship. She now lives for this guy. Really - like someone she'd known for years. I was astounded. Someone she met on line?
Holy hell. I thought I should do something, say something to at least suggest to this kid that she's overplaying this. Back off a bit, calm down, relax. You've got plenty of time. Then she said that she was devastated because their plans, for him to come to Paris and stay with her aunt (did I mention that he doesn't speak a lick of French), and she would come up from the south to meet him, were derailed. Her mother talked to the aunt and said no, they can't do this. She's thinking of just giving up. Her life is in pieces.
Wow, I thought, again. Someone needs to tell her that it isn't. And she seems to trust me. I should say something. Don't do something you'll regret, kid. Don't be like the kid we know who was also lonely, not dating, and ended up having sex with a married guy, and now she works at McDonalds, raising her son with the assistance of her parents. That could be you, kid. Be careful. And then came the clincher. I was reading an article about the use of Twitter, and wondered if she used it. So I looked for the user name that she has on Forvo, where we first encountered each other, and, hey presto -- she did. The posts weren't particularly insightful - though I was a bit surprised to see that she had met a 62 year old American guy on Skype, and that it might be useful for her English practice - until I hit the one where she asked another person if it would be a good idea for her to send half-nude photos to the guy.
Wow and holy hell. Especially since the response to the question 'did he ask you to' was 'no...but I did it. He really liked it'. So I looked for the user name that she said the guy has, and he had posted something about this French girl he knew, he was going to see her this summer, and man was she HOT! Which, to my surprise, bothered me. This was my friend he was talking about. How could he say this?
And then I had the epiphany.
She's not my responsibility. She's a nice kid (I still think), and I like her (though now I question her judgement, just a little, even though I can kind-of see how she got there), but she's 17, and someone else's responsibility. Pretty soon, when she turns 18, she'll be her own responsibility. Sometimes you have to make your own mistakes. Sometimes, they turn out not to be mistakes, but difficult learning experiences. And who knows, she could be right about this guy. But however it plays out, she's not my responsbility.
I need to back off.
I've been exchanging occasional notes with a French girl who lives in the south of France. She seems nice. She mentioned to me that she doesn't date much, and as a result feels lonely a lot. My heart, I regret to say, went out to her. The thought of this kid without people to hang out with - it bothered me. Then she mentioned that this summer, her boyfriend was coming to France. Boyfriend? It turned out that she had met him online -- on Omegle, I know now - eight months ago, and they had struck up a relationship. And not just a relationship. She now lives for this guy. Really - like someone she'd known for years. I was astounded. Someone she met on line?
Holy hell. I thought I should do something, say something to at least suggest to this kid that she's overplaying this. Back off a bit, calm down, relax. You've got plenty of time. Then she said that she was devastated because their plans, for him to come to Paris and stay with her aunt (did I mention that he doesn't speak a lick of French), and she would come up from the south to meet him, were derailed. Her mother talked to the aunt and said no, they can't do this. She's thinking of just giving up. Her life is in pieces.
Wow, I thought, again. Someone needs to tell her that it isn't. And she seems to trust me. I should say something. Don't do something you'll regret, kid. Don't be like the kid we know who was also lonely, not dating, and ended up having sex with a married guy, and now she works at McDonalds, raising her son with the assistance of her parents. That could be you, kid. Be careful. And then came the clincher. I was reading an article about the use of Twitter, and wondered if she used it. So I looked for the user name that she has on Forvo, where we first encountered each other, and, hey presto -- she did. The posts weren't particularly insightful - though I was a bit surprised to see that she had met a 62 year old American guy on Skype, and that it might be useful for her English practice - until I hit the one where she asked another person if it would be a good idea for her to send half-nude photos to the guy.
Wow and holy hell. Especially since the response to the question 'did he ask you to' was 'no...but I did it. He really liked it'. So I looked for the user name that she said the guy has, and he had posted something about this French girl he knew, he was going to see her this summer, and man was she HOT! Which, to my surprise, bothered me. This was my friend he was talking about. How could he say this?
And then I had the epiphany.
She's not my responsibility. She's a nice kid (I still think), and I like her (though now I question her judgement, just a little, even though I can kind-of see how she got there), but she's 17, and someone else's responsibility. Pretty soon, when she turns 18, she'll be her own responsibility. Sometimes you have to make your own mistakes. Sometimes, they turn out not to be mistakes, but difficult learning experiences. And who knows, she could be right about this guy. But however it plays out, she's not my responsbility.
I need to back off.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Chocolat
I watched the movie Chocolat last night. I was surprised how much I enjoyed it -- I thought it was supposed to be the classic 'chick flick' -- and I really want one of those shops near me.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Framed
Just The First Frame shows a sample of a whole bunch of web comics.... in case you needed more reason to waste your day.
Classical Bond
I suppose I shouldn't be, but I'm always a little amazed when people can interweave music like that.
Monday, March 12, 2012
TV Tropes
Nobody can do forensic analysis as fast as the chick on NCIS. Nobody can do so many different things, and nobody can do it so quickly. The underlying concepts and methods are correct, though. Sometimes, TV gets them right.
This evening, my wife was watching a recorded episode of Numbers, a series whose schtick is that crimes are solved through the use of some kind of mathematical analysis. There's a fair amount of Then a Miracle Occurs, but its not the linchpin of the show. Since we haven't been able to hang out together much, I went downstairs to watch with her. The show revolved around a police technique that I'd heard about a few years ago -- the idea being that someone who commits a series of crimes (by which I think they specifically mean physical, hands-on crimes, not Bernie Madoff or the banking-industry type crimes) has a tendency to commit the crimes in a broad area which, roughly speaking, has his home, or home base, at the center. Find the approximate center, and you find where the person is likely to reside, or at least likely to hang out frequently. Apparently, the technique was originally developed in star evaluation, when people were looking for things that, by their very nature, were not directly detectable at the time, such as black holes.
It ran a lot more smoothly on the show than it likely does in reality, but it was still pretty cool. Even if it wasn't the chick from NCIS.
This evening, my wife was watching a recorded episode of Numbers, a series whose schtick is that crimes are solved through the use of some kind of mathematical analysis. There's a fair amount of Then a Miracle Occurs, but its not the linchpin of the show. Since we haven't been able to hang out together much, I went downstairs to watch with her. The show revolved around a police technique that I'd heard about a few years ago -- the idea being that someone who commits a series of crimes (by which I think they specifically mean physical, hands-on crimes, not Bernie Madoff or the banking-industry type crimes) has a tendency to commit the crimes in a broad area which, roughly speaking, has his home, or home base, at the center. Find the approximate center, and you find where the person is likely to reside, or at least likely to hang out frequently. Apparently, the technique was originally developed in star evaluation, when people were looking for things that, by their very nature, were not directly detectable at the time, such as black holes.
It ran a lot more smoothly on the show than it likely does in reality, but it was still pretty cool. Even if it wasn't the chick from NCIS.
Later
I was surprised to notice that it's been three days since I wrote anything here. Where has the time gone, I wondered. And then I thought Oh, take Saturday when you spent the whole day seeing your daughter's color guard performance...or the days when you spent two or three hours practicing French (you'd think by now I would be able to do a passable French accent, but when I did one for my French teacher, she burst out laughing)...or the time you took to read Six Frigates (I promised myself I will finish at least one real book before going to the library again, even though my list of That looks like it'd be interesting to read books is up to about 31).... or the time you spent cleaning out a small portion of what had been my mother's living room (you know, three months until its supposed to be a bedroom, and it still looks like junk yard Valhalla).
I did spend some time in an impromptu conversation with a teenage girl who lives in southern France, but that didn't count as French practice because she prefers to talk in English. That was pleasant. We'd met on the Forvo language site -- she'd responded to my request for some pronunciations - and we've kept in occasional contact since then. We touched on several things, including her plan to have her just-barely-18 year old boyfriend fly to France to meet her for the very first time (they met online, 8 months ago). She asked if I thought it was impossible, and I told her, truthfully, that I didn't think so. Difficult, yes; impossible, no . I added that she needed to keep her head straight, and be willing to compromise on occasion. I'm a little apprehensive for her -- that's a big step to take -- but I am also impressed by her willingness to pursue something that she wants, and I told her so. In fact, after I complimented her at one point about something she'd said -- she's obviously smart - she amazed me by saying that she doesn't actually get compliments all that often. I guess the guys who know her are singularly unobservant. To me, from what I can see, she's a class act -- and I tried to let her know that. Without sounding creepy. Not sure I succeeded, there.
But that's where my time has gone. So, um, yeah. To the few readers I have: Sorry. (I could say it in French, if that'd help.)
I did spend some time in an impromptu conversation with a teenage girl who lives in southern France, but that didn't count as French practice because she prefers to talk in English. That was pleasant. We'd met on the Forvo language site -- she'd responded to my request for some pronunciations - and we've kept in occasional contact since then. We touched on several things, including her plan to have her just-barely-18 year old boyfriend fly to France to meet her for the very first time (they met online, 8 months ago). She asked if I thought it was impossible, and I told her, truthfully, that I didn't think so. Difficult, yes; impossible, no . I added that she needed to keep her head straight, and be willing to compromise on occasion. I'm a little apprehensive for her -- that's a big step to take -- but I am also impressed by her willingness to pursue something that she wants, and I told her so. In fact, after I complimented her at one point about something she'd said -- she's obviously smart - she amazed me by saying that she doesn't actually get compliments all that often. I guess the guys who know her are singularly unobservant. To me, from what I can see, she's a class act -- and I tried to let her know that. Without sounding creepy. Not sure I succeeded, there.
But that's where my time has gone. So, um, yeah. To the few readers I have: Sorry. (I could say it in French, if that'd help.)
Friday, March 09, 2012
Wednesday, March 07, 2012
Smart
A few years ago, there was a Mensa convention in San Francisco, and several members lunched at a local cafe. While dining, they discovered that their saltshaker contained pepper and their pepper shaker was full of salt. How could they swap the contents of the bottles without spilling, and using only the implements at hand? Clearly this was a job for Mensa! The group debated and presented ideas, and finally came up with a brilliant solution involving a napkin, a straw, and an empty saucer. They called the waitress over to dazzle her with their solution.
"Ma'am," they said, "we couldn't help but notice that the pepper shaker contains salt and the salt shaker..."
"Oh," the waitress interrupted. "Sorry about that." She unscrewed the caps of both bottles and switched them.
Found here.
Exercise
It is universally true that the people who most need to exercise are least likely to do it. And if they look for guidance about starting, they see things that suggest 'that if they're just going to do a little, that's still good -- so start with two hundred jumping jacks, fifty pushups.... and then work up to actual exercise.'
I'm not one to talk, because I know almost nothing about it, and I'm one of those people who really needs to exercise. But I think the people who push exercise should at least acknowledge that there are people who don't like doing it, who don't foresee themselves ever getting a runner's high, and who have essentially given up on touching their toes from a standing position. And then, having acknowledged it, come up with something that those people can do, and be pleased with. No matter if its no more effort than the fit use in lacing their shoes.
I've been looking. Not much out there.
I'm not one to talk, because I know almost nothing about it, and I'm one of those people who really needs to exercise. But I think the people who push exercise should at least acknowledge that there are people who don't like doing it, who don't foresee themselves ever getting a runner's high, and who have essentially given up on touching their toes from a standing position. And then, having acknowledged it, come up with something that those people can do, and be pleased with. No matter if its no more effort than the fit use in lacing their shoes.
I've been looking. Not much out there.
Linguistics
One of the things that simultaneously fascinates and irritates me is that you really can't say certain things in French as you would in English. I suppose that if you're willing to butcher the language a bit, you can, but it really isn't built to allow the casual linkages that we do in English all the time. I asked my French instructor, after struggling with it on my own, how I would say "I try not to do that too much". She replied with a couple of possibilities - J'essaie de le faire moins (I try to do it less) or J'essaie de ne pas trop faire ça (I try to do it not too much). That second one is pretty close, but not exactly. Similarly, I was thinking this morning of "I didn't mean that"; Google Translate gives "je ne voulais pas dire ça" (I didn't want to say that).
Not to say it's impossible. (Pas dire c'est impossible? ) The other day, while I was talking with her, I wanted to say "not really", and what occured to me was "pas vraiment" (not truthfully). She said that was pretty good, and that I could also simply have said Jamais - never. Though apparantly Jamais can also mean sometimes, sometimes..... Sigh. I will get this, one of these....years. I did have a minor victory, the other day. I was talking via Skype to a guy in Lyon, and his wife came on. I told her (in English), that I'd been studying for 18 months, and was visibly startled. I choose to believe that that meant 'impressed' and not ' dismayed' !
Not to say it's impossible. (Pas dire c'est impossible? ) The other day, while I was talking with her, I wanted to say "not really", and what occured to me was "pas vraiment" (not truthfully). She said that was pretty good, and that I could also simply have said Jamais - never. Though apparantly Jamais can also mean sometimes, sometimes..... Sigh. I will get this, one of these....years. I did have a minor victory, the other day. I was talking via Skype to a guy in Lyon, and his wife came on. I told her (in English), that I'd been studying for 18 months, and was visibly startled. I choose to believe that that meant 'impressed' and not ' dismayed' !
Tuesday, March 06, 2012
Digging In
I just spent about an hour and a half going through minutiae of my mother's. I'd wanted to clean out the room, because we want to use it for our guests this summer. I knew my mother would have a lot of stuff squirreled away, so it might take a while.
After an hour and a half, I'd cleared -most- of what was on her table top. I took away from this two lessons:
First, if you need ballpoint pens with the names of New York funeral parlors, or hairdressers, or long-defunct banks, I'm your man. Ditto for half-used check registers, untouched notepads, and magnifying glasses. Also first or second generation calculators, a box camera, and some stainless-steel carving knives that aren't, quite.
Second, I should start pitching things myself.
After an hour and a half, I'd cleared -most- of what was on her table top. I took away from this two lessons:
First, if you need ballpoint pens with the names of New York funeral parlors, or hairdressers, or long-defunct banks, I'm your man. Ditto for half-used check registers, untouched notepads, and magnifying glasses. Also first or second generation calculators, a box camera, and some stainless-steel carving knives that aren't, quite.
Second, I should start pitching things myself.
Monday, March 05, 2012
Algerian
Do you know where Algeria is? Prior to yesterday, I had no idea, but that didn't really have much impact on my life, because I'd never been there, known anyone who'd been there, or known anyone who came came from there.
But yesterday, for the first time, I spoke, via Skype, with a native -- a woman who's from a small town in Algeria, currently living in France while she pursues a master's degree. She'd contacted me for help in practicing her English. I asked her how she likes being in France, and she said, quite heatedly, that she hates France. When the French come to my country, she said, they like it a lot, they relax, we treat them well. When people from my country come to France, they're rude to us, they treat us like second class citizens. I was surprised by this, and told her that just the other day, I spoke with a young woman who lives in the south of France, and had asked her about the French attitude toward foreigners. A book I was reading, French or Foe, had informed me that the French were cold and arrogant for years, until they finally 'knew' you. The girl said, no, no, they were very friendly and open. This woman strongly disagreed. I can't wait to leave here, she said. I'm here for another three years, and then I'm moving to another country.
Somewhat of a dichotomy, hey?
But yesterday, for the first time, I spoke, via Skype, with a native -- a woman who's from a small town in Algeria, currently living in France while she pursues a master's degree. She'd contacted me for help in practicing her English. I asked her how she likes being in France, and she said, quite heatedly, that she hates France. When the French come to my country, she said, they like it a lot, they relax, we treat them well. When people from my country come to France, they're rude to us, they treat us like second class citizens. I was surprised by this, and told her that just the other day, I spoke with a young woman who lives in the south of France, and had asked her about the French attitude toward foreigners. A book I was reading, French or Foe, had informed me that the French were cold and arrogant for years, until they finally 'knew' you. The girl said, no, no, they were very friendly and open. This woman strongly disagreed. I can't wait to leave here, she said. I'm here for another three years, and then I'm moving to another country.
Somewhat of a dichotomy, hey?
Windows 8: Son of Vista
It's unreasonable to hate something that I've never even seen, other than in articles, but that's my take on Windows8. That complete new look, obviously designed to work on a tablet, leaves me cold. When I feel the need to upgrade from Windows 7, it may just be to a Mac. I suspect I'll be running this operating system until it falls dead. Or Microsoft gets real.
Sunday, March 04, 2012
Links
Yesterday, I received a request from a person on the Conversation Exchange site who is going for a masters degree in Economics. She wants to improve her English. Great, I thought. I like economics, perhaps we can talk about that. Most of the conversations will be in English, of course, but some will be in French. Good for both of us. So I replied yes, I'd love to talk to you, here's my Skype contact information.
It's 36 hours later, and nothing. I know, I have buckets of free time, most people don't, chill.
Meanwhile, I just signed up for an ID on a site so that I could comment on it. They sent me a confirmation email. While I'm watching the 'downloading now', I find myself thinking hey, this could be that person.
Yeah, right.
It's 36 hours later, and nothing. I know, I have buckets of free time, most people don't, chill.
Meanwhile, I just signed up for an ID on a site so that I could comment on it. They sent me a confirmation email. While I'm watching the 'downloading now', I find myself thinking hey, this could be that person.
Yeah, right.
Friday, March 02, 2012
Brownies
I would not have suspected that a brownie made with, not flour, but ground up black beans, would be anything edible. Well, I ouldn't choose it as the winner of a brownie contest, but it's not bad.
Black Bean Brownies
1 19oz (540ml) can black beans, well rinsed and drained
3 large eggs
3 tbsp vegetable or canola oil
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2/3 cup white sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp instant espresso
1/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
Oven to 350
Rinse and drain the black beans well.
Add all ingredients except for chocolate chips in blender.
Blend until very smooth
Pour into an 8 inch square baking pan
Sprinkle with chocolate chips
Bake at 350 for 30-32 minutes.
Black Bean Brownies
1 19oz (540ml) can black beans, well rinsed and drained
3 large eggs
3 tbsp vegetable or canola oil
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2/3 cup white sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp instant espresso
1/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
Oven to 350
Rinse and drain the black beans well.
Add all ingredients except for chocolate chips in blender.
Blend until very smooth
Pour into an 8 inch square baking pan
Sprinkle with chocolate chips
Bake at 350 for 30-32 minutes.
Skyped
I spoke this evening to the fellow in Lyon with whom I've been exchanging conversations, and as part of that I spoke with his wife. She's quite fluent in English -- in fact, she has a slight British accent. We did speak a little bit in French. When I told her that I'd been studying her language for just over 18 months, her mouth dropped open. Either she was impressed , or dismayed.
I'm hoping the former. Hey, je parle francais, mais pas tres bien, y'know?
I'm hoping the former. Hey, je parle francais, mais pas tres bien, y'know?
Thursday, March 01, 2012
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Observation
What does it say when I find an article about exercise that sounds good to me -- and it's on a Senior Living web site?
Monday, February 27, 2012
Late Night
My daughter was lying on her bed with the sheet covering her face. She was overwhelmed by the requirements for a two page paper for her English analysis class. I did what I've done before -- sat down, talked quietly, asked questions. She's writing it now. But before she started she said that this was something I've done many times befoe. What was she going to do when she was in college?
I didn't have an answer for that.
I didn't have an answer for that.
HP
Apparently, HP has laid off some mainframe people again. No reason given. Implicit: Because we can.
My assumption is, they want to get rid of the mainframe business while keeping the customers, and they'll keep cutting staff until the customers vigorously complain. And possibly not even then.
My assumption is, they want to get rid of the mainframe business while keeping the customers, and they'll keep cutting staff until the customers vigorously complain. And possibly not even then.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Sausaged
This is the recipe we used for the sausage. We chilled the whole thing over night and then made some 3 ounce patties this morning. We liked it. It does not taste like a regular pork sausage, but it does taste like sausage that we've bought from a butcher. Next time, we might back off on the red pepper a skosh. Also, we'll likely drop down to 2.5 ounces. I like the larger ones, but my wife prefers something a little smaller. And heck, I can always eat two!
Sausages
1 pounds ground turkey breast ................. 1 medium apple, peeled, cored, finely shredded
2 cups cooked brown rice ................. 2 tablespoons shredded onions
2 cloves garlic, minced ................. 1 1/2 teaspoons ground sage
1 teaspoon salt ................. 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper ................. 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice ................. snipped, fresh parsley - optional
1. In a large bowl, stir together turkey, apples, rice, onions, and garlic.
2. In a small bowl, stir together sage, salt, red and black peppers, thyme, and allspice.
3. Sprinkle the spices over the turkey mixture.
4. With your hands, mix until well blended.
5. Shape into 8 patties.
6. Spray unheated large skillet with non-stick spray.
7. Add the patties and cook over medium heat for four minutes.
8. Turn the patties over and cook about four more minutes, or until they are no longer pink.
9. Sprinkle with parsley, if desired.
From Healthy Homestyle Cooking, Evelyn Tribole
Sausages
1 pounds ground turkey breast ................. 1 medium apple, peeled, cored, finely shredded
2 cups cooked brown rice ................. 2 tablespoons shredded onions
2 cloves garlic, minced ................. 1 1/2 teaspoons ground sage
1 teaspoon salt ................. 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper ................. 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice ................. snipped, fresh parsley - optional
1. In a large bowl, stir together turkey, apples, rice, onions, and garlic.
2. In a small bowl, stir together sage, salt, red and black peppers, thyme, and allspice.
3. Sprinkle the spices over the turkey mixture.
4. With your hands, mix until well blended.
5. Shape into 8 patties.
6. Spray unheated large skillet with non-stick spray.
7. Add the patties and cook over medium heat for four minutes.
8. Turn the patties over and cook about four more minutes, or until they are no longer pink.
9. Sprinkle with parsley, if desired.
From Healthy Homestyle Cooking, Evelyn Tribole
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Cooking
Hunting for a recipe in one of our cookbooks, I came across one for 'home style sausage', using ground turkey as the basis. The ingredients sound pretty good -- onion, apple, brown rice, spices - so we got the stuff and mixed it up. Tomorrow, we're either going to be staring at each other across the breakfast table in disbelief.... or we're going to be staring at each other across the breakfast table in disbelief.
I'm hoping its the first.
I'm hoping its the first.
TGV? Non, TMV
I just read an interesting article from the Washington Monthly about high speed rail, and about rail alternatives. It made the point that getting high-speed -- on the order of the TGV -- operational in the United States will be very difficult, perhaps impossible. A major consideration is cost; we're a big country, and even covering one part of it will be challenging. TGV-speed rail needs to be able to build straight rail lines that extend for quite some distance, and that's difficult to find anywhere but out west, where the number of potential clients is small. Connecting, say, Denver and San Francisco, or Salt Lake City, would be good, but where else? And then, of course, there is the cost: not only literal,which would be moon-shot-level, but political: many politicians want to be seen as stern on cost, and its an easy call for them to be against paying for something that won't be of benefit for twenty years, when many of them will be retired or just getting out of jail.
But, the article said, that does not mean that high-speed rail is a lost cost in the US. It's possible to improve the short-haul infrastructure, along the lines of the BosWash corridor. If the train goes faster than what's there now, even if not at TGV speeds, and is more convenient than flying or driving (the classic 'downtown to downtown' linkage that's apparently the norm for trains between European cities), it becomes more viable for inter-city commuting. Even moderately long distances, such as New York to Chicago, become possible. Call it the TMV. Train Moyenne Vitesse. Medium Speed Train. Not as sexy a name, but perhaps more practical. It would still be expensive to create, but the payback would be quicker, and, crossing fewer political boundaries, less likely to be opposed on purely political grounds.
I just wonder if anyone's willing to spend the political capital to get something that won't directly and immediately benefit them. I can think of only one President - in recent times - who's had that kind of guts.
But, the article said, that does not mean that high-speed rail is a lost cost in the US. It's possible to improve the short-haul infrastructure, along the lines of the BosWash corridor. If the train goes faster than what's there now, even if not at TGV speeds, and is more convenient than flying or driving (the classic 'downtown to downtown' linkage that's apparently the norm for trains between European cities), it becomes more viable for inter-city commuting. Even moderately long distances, such as New York to Chicago, become possible. Call it the TMV. Train Moyenne Vitesse. Medium Speed Train. Not as sexy a name, but perhaps more practical. It would still be expensive to create, but the payback would be quicker, and, crossing fewer political boundaries, less likely to be opposed on purely political grounds.
I just wonder if anyone's willing to spend the political capital to get something that won't directly and immediately benefit them. I can think of only one President - in recent times - who's had that kind of guts.
Planning
I showed my daughter an article about senior military colleges (senior? No idea why) such as the one that she wants to attend. The article itself was very brief, listing what the existing ones were, and a short squib about them, but the meat was the comments afterward. About a third were by people who strongly felt for or against the idea; some of them had actually gone to such schools, while the others wouldn't consider it. (And not always for the reasons one might expect). The remaining two thirds made thoughtful and useful comments either in support of going or in support of not going; a couple said what I'd told her - that military colleges aren't at all like the actual military. A couple of them said what she'd said -- that a school like those provides structure, whereas most colleges, whether they're straight-out civilian or partially military, do not. We've known for a while that she does better with structure, which is to say, better when the expectations and standards are clearly stated.
For the first time, she's seriously evaluating whether this is actually what she wants to do, and whether that college is the place to do it. (She's been accepted to a second school, one which also has a Corps of Cadets, but which incorporates the Corps in a much larger civilian student body. The primary college is much smaller, and is almost entirely Corps of Cadets.) I'm glad to see her doing this. Whether she decides to press on with her first choice, try for the other one, or do something else entirely, she will have thought about what she's doing, and why. And that's a good thing.
For the first time, she's seriously evaluating whether this is actually what she wants to do, and whether that college is the place to do it. (She's been accepted to a second school, one which also has a Corps of Cadets, but which incorporates the Corps in a much larger civilian student body. The primary college is much smaller, and is almost entirely Corps of Cadets.) I'm glad to see her doing this. Whether she decides to press on with her first choice, try for the other one, or do something else entirely, she will have thought about what she's doing, and why. And that's a good thing.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Design/Build - Yeah,Right
I mentioned awhile back that my idea of doing an upgrade to the house is putting a cardboard box in the hall closet to serve as a receptacle for gloves and the like. Hey, it's got a slat down the middle, whattya want?
Actually, my thoughts about upgrades go much further than that. One of my daydreams is to put a room over the garage and open our existing bedroom into that, moving the bedroom function into the new room and turning the existing bedroom into a combination storage area -- classy storage area -- and elevator point. Thinking ahead to when we're old ( my mother lived with us for years, and towards the end just could not climb the stairs any more). I know that doing all of this will be expensive, and I half-expect that even so, when it's done - if it's done - it won't be as good as I'd want it to be. Classy and sleek. Expensive, yes, but worth it. That's not what you tend to find from builders around here. And the few that can do it are pretty rigid in their thinking, too, and more expensive than I think they're worth. Champagne taste.... well, not quite. But not not, either. I'm probably fortunate that Because We Can works on the other side of the continent.
Oh, and an enclosed pool area would be nice, too.
Actually, my thoughts about upgrades go much further than that. One of my daydreams is to put a room over the garage and open our existing bedroom into that, moving the bedroom function into the new room and turning the existing bedroom into a combination storage area -- classy storage area -- and elevator point. Thinking ahead to when we're old ( my mother lived with us for years, and towards the end just could not climb the stairs any more). I know that doing all of this will be expensive, and I half-expect that even so, when it's done - if it's done - it won't be as good as I'd want it to be. Classy and sleek. Expensive, yes, but worth it. That's not what you tend to find from builders around here. And the few that can do it are pretty rigid in their thinking, too, and more expensive than I think they're worth. Champagne taste.... well, not quite. But not not, either. I'm probably fortunate that Because We Can works on the other side of the continent.
Oh, and an enclosed pool area would be nice, too.
Captured
A couple of sites that I really like have started using captcha. Don't know how -- perhaps Blogger uses it as a default now. I hate it. I find those things really hard to do. Other sites, I just say the hell with it and go elsewhere. These sites -- well, I'm willing to make the effort, but I don't like it!
Monday, February 20, 2012
Droning
Apparently, it will soon be legal for people to fly their own little drones right over your house, for whatever purpose they desire. Real estate appraisal? You bet. Checking for use of heat lamps to grow pot? No problem. Checking out who likes to sunbathe nude? Loop back there again, Gordo.
How long until DIY surface to air missiles are available?
How long until DIY surface to air missiles are available?
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Ce n'est pas un post
I learned today that this post, ostensibly by a woman who was getting back at a boorish boss, was a prank by the site that displayed it. Apparently, the people who own the site are known for this kind of thing. They derive hilarity from getting people to believe them. Put up something real-looking, then laugh at the rubes who took them seriously?
I used to like that site. And I probably will continue to read it. But now I think:
Assholes.
I used to like that site. And I probably will continue to read it. But now I think:
Assholes.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Police
I'm not a great fan of police procedurals, but I really liked this article by a member of London's Metropolitan Police. It's nicely done.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Waking Up
When I awoke this morning, this phrase was in my mind:
?
Sherlock Holmes and his two sons, Lincroft and Michaael.
?
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Renovation
This is how much we're into home renovation, and why I am so in awe of people like Caroline Anne who, I believe, has entirely rebuilt his house and is now rebuilding the rebuilt.
My daughter is eighteen. Before she was born - years before - we decided that the shelf in the hall closet wasn't working well, because things were getting jumbled together. So, as an interim solution, I took a cardboard box, taped a flap down the middle to create his and hers zones, and stuck in in the middle of the shelf. Gloves and hats inside, scarves and bulky gloves on top. And space on either side for all the other stuff that we have, though we're not exactly sure why.
The box is still there. Someday, we'll upgrade it. But only when it's provably needed. After all --
It still works.
My daughter is eighteen. Before she was born - years before - we decided that the shelf in the hall closet wasn't working well, because things were getting jumbled together. So, as an interim solution, I took a cardboard box, taped a flap down the middle to create his and hers zones, and stuck in in the middle of the shelf. Gloves and hats inside, scarves and bulky gloves on top. And space on either side for all the other stuff that we have, though we're not exactly sure why.
The box is still there. Someday, we'll upgrade it. But only when it's provably needed. After all --
It still works.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Le Jour
Quite the day. In no particular order --
-found out that the mento did NOT turn in two pieces of homework, despite being assured by his mother that he would do it.
-wasn't able to have a Skype conversation today with the woman I'd been talking with; that's okay, but still, I'd been looking forward to it.
-found out that a silver-plating service charges $30 a piece to replate old tableware (my grandmother's; at that price, who'd do it? Not me.)
-learned that the nurse practitioner I normally see won't be around for a while, as she is undergoing intensive chemotheraphy.
-learned that yet another person has been fired from the group where my wife works.
-found out that the mento did NOT turn in two pieces of homework, despite being assured by his mother that he would do it.
-wasn't able to have a Skype conversation today with the woman I'd been talking with; that's okay, but still, I'd been looking forward to it.
-found out that a silver-plating service charges $30 a piece to replate old tableware (my grandmother's; at that price, who'd do it? Not me.)
-learned that the nurse practitioner I normally see won't be around for a while, as she is undergoing intensive chemotheraphy.
-learned that yet another person has been fired from the group where my wife works.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
ConvEx, cont'd
I've been exchanging notes with a person on CE, and tomorrow we'll be talking again on Skype. I'll also be talking with a new person, a guy who lives in Lyon. I'm really enjoying it. Where else could I learn that 'to make dodo' (faire dodo) means 'to go to sleep'? I'm not progressing as fast as I would like -- I never do -- but otherwise, it's great!
Stratified
I tried making a strata today. It didn't turn out so well. The idea was to fry up some sausage, then make what is, essentially, a brioche, folding the sausage into it and then submerging it overnight in a mix of eggs and liquid. Despite what the fine folks at America's Test Kitchen (their motto: If its a kitchen tool, we have it) say, it didn't turn out light, airy, and tasty. More like sodden, greasy, and lumpy.
I'll probably try it again, but I'll scale the recipe way down and mess with the proportions of the ingredients. See what happens.
I'll probably try it again, but I'll scale the recipe way down and mess with the proportions of the ingredients. See what happens.
Black-Scholes
This is a fascinating and understandable short article about the Black-Scholes equation which was the underpinning for the massive growth of financial derivatives. I had to read the article slowly, and even print it out so that I could easily go back and forth in it, but I liked it. And I loved this:
Despite its supposed expertise, the financial sector performs no better than random guesswork. The stock market has spent 20 years going nowhere. The system is too complex to be run on error-strewn hunches and gut feelings, but current mathematical models don't represent reality adequately. The entire system is poorly understood and dangerously unstable. The world economy desperately needs a radical overhaul and that requires more mathematics, not less. It may be rocket science, but magic it's not.
Feels like it, though, doesn't it?
Despite its supposed expertise, the financial sector performs no better than random guesswork. The stock market has spent 20 years going nowhere. The system is too complex to be run on error-strewn hunches and gut feelings, but current mathematical models don't represent reality adequately. The entire system is poorly understood and dangerously unstable. The world economy desperately needs a radical overhaul and that requires more mathematics, not less. It may be rocket science, but magic it's not.
Feels like it, though, doesn't it?
ConJob
I found this at the masthead of a very conservative site. I think it's funny -- all these people are dead. Though funny probably isn't the right word. Sad would be better. They can't find anyone to respect who's alive.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Friday, February 10, 2012
ConvEx
I mentioned a while back that I was disappointed to have lost contact with a few people with whom I'd spoken in French, over Skype. These were people I'd met on the Forvo site - one in Switzerland, and one in southern France. I liked talking to them, both because they were interesting and because, well, I don't have a lot of people with whom I can speak French. Conversation's important. I still miss talking with them, and hope they surface again, but I've stopped trying to get in touch. You can only ping somebody so many times before you could be classified as a stalker, and nobody wants that.
But I've found a decent alternative for conversations, and so far it's been working out.
The site is called Conversation Exchange, and it's specifically aimed at people with language profiles like mine -- fluent in one language, studying another (or in some cases, two or three). Last week I got conversation requests from two people, and I've sent a couple out as well. As a result, I've had one lengthy Skype conversation and about 20 email notes with a woman who lives in Paris, a native French speaker who wants to improve her English. We talk or write in English sometimes, and I help her with minor errors, and we talk or write in French, and she does the reverse. As for what shall we talk about, the site has a long list of suggestions. In our case, we talked about driving in Paris versus driving in Boston, about politics, about recipes, and - as you might suspect - about learning another language.
I'm delighted.
But I've found a decent alternative for conversations, and so far it's been working out.
The site is called Conversation Exchange, and it's specifically aimed at people with language profiles like mine -- fluent in one language, studying another (or in some cases, two or three). Last week I got conversation requests from two people, and I've sent a couple out as well. As a result, I've had one lengthy Skype conversation and about 20 email notes with a woman who lives in Paris, a native French speaker who wants to improve her English. We talk or write in English sometimes, and I help her with minor errors, and we talk or write in French, and she does the reverse. As for what shall we talk about, the site has a long list of suggestions. In our case, we talked about driving in Paris versus driving in Boston, about politics, about recipes, and - as you might suspect - about learning another language.
I'm delighted.
Thursday, February 09, 2012
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
Olive Garden Expedition
Pour quoi? Parce que....
Aujourd'hui est le anniversaire de ma fille.
Felicitations!
Felicitations!
Monday, February 06, 2012
Found hereFrenching
I'm a little bemused, which is my trying-to-be-nice way of saying that I'm simultaneously a little pissed and a little dejected. I realized last night that over the past six months, I've lost contact with three different people with whom I spoke French -- one person in Switzerland, one just north of Paris, and one down by Marseilles. Just - gone. Send them the occasional note, nothing. This makes me sad. I'm about 90 percent sure it isn't me -- I've slowly come to understand that the world does not, in fact, revolve completely around me - but still, I wonder. And I'm bemused, either way.
Sunday, February 05, 2012
Fail Compilation
I think it interesting that the only time anyone expresses dismay in this compilation is when it's a woman making the comment. Guys, when they say anything at all, usually just laugh furiously.
Saturday, February 04, 2012
Fascinating
You can now get your own R/C Model of a Predator drone. I wouldn't, of course. At least, not until it had the missile-firing option.
Found here.
Friday, February 03, 2012
Mento
My mento didn't show up for a session today. The school didn't know why -- the family didn't call in, and they didn't respond to an email that's sent out when the kid's not there, without explanation. Same thing yesterday.
On the other hand, I found out that they did start the process of doing a psychological evaluation on him, since he's obviously smart enough. And as part of that, he told his mother that meeting with a psychologist would be ok with him as long as it wasn't in ninth period -- because that is when he meets with his mentor.
Wow.
On the other hand, I found out that they did start the process of doing a psychological evaluation on him, since he's obviously smart enough. And as part of that, he told his mother that meeting with a psychologist would be ok with him as long as it wasn't in ninth period -- because that is when he meets with his mentor.
Wow.
Scrounging
Making the first pass through my mother's living room, separating things into Immediately toss, Probably toss, religious materials, photographs. Lots of stuff to go. Haven't found any winning lottery tickets yet.
Don't feel like but this is her stuff! too much. A little, yeah.
Don't feel like but this is her stuff! too much. A little, yeah.
Thursday, February 02, 2012
Parable
I've heard this before. I can't believe it would work. But I want to believe that it would. Like a comedian I heard the other night said, if all of these countries are in debt to each other, why don't they just write off the bills and sleep well?
It is a slow day in a small Irish town. The rain is misting and the streets are deserted.
Times are tough, everybody is in debt, and having a hard time making ends meet, let alone climbing out of debt.
On this particular day a rich German drives into the town, stops at the local hotel and lays a €100 note on the desk, telling the hotel owner he wants to inspect the rooms upstairs in order to pick one to spend the night.
The owner gives him the keys and, as soon as the visitor has walked upstairs, the hotelier grabs the €100 note and runs next door to pay his debt to the butcher.
The butcher takes the €100 note and runs down the street to repay his debt to the pig farmer.
The pig farmer takes the €100 note and heads off to pay his bill at the feed co-op.
The guy at the Farmers’ Co-op takes the €100 note and runs to pay his drinks bill at the pub.
The publican slips the money to the local prostitute drinking at the bar, who has fallen on hard times and had to offer her services on credit.
The hooker rushes to the hotel and pays off her room bill to the hotel owner with the €100 note.
The hotel proprietor puts the €100 note back on the counter.
At that moment the traveller comes down the stairs, states that the rooms are not satisfactory, picks up the €100 note, pockets the money, and leaves town.
No one produced anything. No one earned anything. However, the whole town is now out of debt and looking forward to a brighter future.
And that, gentle reader, is how a successful bailout works.
Wednesday, February 01, 2012
Sticky
The other day, I saw a photograph on our French friend's Facebook page. She and three other girls were grinning into the camera, and each was wearing lipstick. I had forgotten how nice lipstick can look on a woman. Which then startled me. When did this kid become a woman? Okay, she's French, yadda yadda -- but a woman? Um, yeah. A cute, funny, interesting young French woman.
That makes me feel old. In my mind, she's just a kid!
That makes me feel old. In my mind, she's just a kid!
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