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Below are the most recent 25 friends' journal entries.
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| Thursday, August 21st, 2008 |
dollraves
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12:15a |
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| Wednesday, August 20th, 2008 |
technomom
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11:55p |
I’m Allergic to Our Bedroom Originally published at Enemy of Entropy. Please leave any comments there. More specifically (I hope), something in it. Not Sam, happily, but every time I go in there, I’m all stuffed up within a few minutes.
We keep that room closed and have a window a/c unit in there, because the house a/c just doesn’t keep up so well.We had to put a unit in Katie’s room, too–it really wasn’t factored in to the tonnage on the a/c unit when someone finished a former garage, and it doesn’t have enough ducts. Now we need one for the guest room. I’m wondering if there’s something about the air not circulating to the rest of the house that’s causing dust to settle in there?
The cat is seldom allowed in the room at all, and we don’t have any other pets. There aren’t any plants in the room.
We haven’t been using the air cleaners, because I can only get their filters by mail-order and just didn’t get around to getting new ones. I guess I need to order them and see if that helps.
Bah.
In nicer news, the girl and I went to the nice library today. I had gone through my “to-read” shelf at Good Reads and requested a bunch of books. More of them than I expected came through all at one time, whereupon I learned that they allow a maximum of 75 books to be checked out at once. Whoops! I had to put two back.
I have plenty to read now, though! |
ursulav
|
11:55p |
Art Reception!
Just a reminder, gang, my art show reception is this Friday, from 6-8, at the Jordan Arts Center in Cary. (Harrison & Maynard, under the water tower.)
See original art in person! See the artist looking frazzled and silently wondering whether she will get all her illustrations done on time! Free cheese! |
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officialgaiman
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2:31p |
I've wiped the file? .... I've wiped all the files? .... I've wiped the INTERNET? I don't even have http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2008/08/ive-wiped-file-ive-wiped-all-files-ive.html posted by Dan Guy
The official feed now includes the byline at the top, as requested by several people using feed readers that don't display the author properly. For those who, like me, had trouble making out the words, here are the lyrics to "I Google You", posted by Mr. G in the comment thread to a blog post. The whole discussion there is interesting. Many people wrote in to offer suggestions for a collective noun for Johns, most of them thinking along similar lines. Among the most intuitive were: a flushing, a trick, and a gospel. Interesting search queries by which people arrived at neilgaiman.com over the past month: [oops nudity] - 51 hits, [community suffering] - 27, and [good omens slash] - 6. And now many more people will be ending up here for each of those. Lastly, let's go to the mailbag!
From: John Lorentz
Subject: Sometimes Real Life Is Too Strange
Neil,
A few nights ago, some crooks took advantage of some gullible people here in Portland by posing as Wells Fargo security guards and met people coming to make use of the night deposit slot at a local bank.
"The night deposit slot here is out of order. But if you'll put your deposit in this bag, we'll deliver it to another branch in the morning."
On the news tonight, our local NBC affiliate (KGW) pointed out that this is exactly like a scheme described in AMERICAN GODS, giving the page number in the trade edition of the book and holding that page up to the camera. (They don't have the video up of the version of the story with the reference to your book--if they post it, I'll send you the link for when you finally return to good Internet service.)
So if there's a sudden surge in sales of American Gods here in Portland, that's probably why.:)
John
This is actually not the first time such news was reported here.
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webkinz_fun
[ jazmynjakes ]
|
7:55p |
I've tried to look through tags and past entries to answer this myself, but I'm not having any luck with my search. I know some people have pasted pics here, showing 'inside' items that they've been able to put in 'outside' rooms. Lava lamps or something, going around the outside of a garden come to mind. I have something I'd like to put outside, but I can't find a small table or podium or whatever to put out there to set the item *on*. Oh! As I just wrote that, the 'toadstool' came to mind! I think *that's* what I'm remembering from the posted picture. I hadn't known, until then, that the toadstool could go both indoors and outdoors. Well, if it *will* go in a garden, are there any *other* items you've found will go outside to hold items? Current Mood:  confused |
attachedparents
[ dragonfly_magik ]
|
8:34p |
gentle mouth, please
So, my 15 month old daughter has bitten two 10 month old babies in the past few days. The first one a stranger in the ice cream shop that she was playing with and then a friend's son today in their home. It's bizarre because for the past month she has been running after children her size and hugging/kissing them. Now, every once in a while she sneaks in a bite- today on the poor little boy's cheek!
I am not sure how to help her with her impulse other than to watch her like a hawk around other children, tell her gentle mouth, please if it does happen again and then pointing out to her the emotions of the child she has bitten. If anyone has any other advice- please- I want this phase over soon but am feeling pretty helpless.
cross posted to my journal |
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wilwheaton
|
7:04p |
evil and awesome (but mostly awesome) http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wwdn/~3/370432852/evil-and-awesom.html Way back in April, John Scalzi wrote on his blog:
Arrangements have been made. Wheels set into motion.
At this point, it is inevitable. Unavoidable.
Implacable would not be too strong a word.
What has begun?
I cannot tell you.
Suffice to say it is evil. And yet awesome, in its way.
And it will be visited upon one of you.
Cryptic, but amusing. I know John well enough to know that he's a devilish schemer with a wicked sense of humor. What, I wondered, was he up to, and who, I pondered, was the unsuspecting victim?
Months passed, and then - on my birthday, no less - he wrote:
Finally. It is done.
And it will be visited upon one of you.
Soon.
Yes, soon.
You should prepare yourself.
Although nothing can truly prepare you.
Because it is evil. Yet awesome.
And it is coming.
It can be held back no longer.
And when it arrives, you will know.
And you will tremble before it.
BWA HA HA HA HA HAH HA!
I had no idea, in April or in July, that I was the intended recipient victim of John's evil, yet awesome scheme.
But more on that in a moment, because some context is in order before we get to the punchline.
I had big plans to road trip up to Vegas with two of my friends and visit Star Trek the Experience one last time before they sent it to the land of wind and ghosts. Unfortunately, gravity and physics had other plans, and I'm not doing much of anything until PAX.
If you've spent any time reading my blog, or if you've read my first two books, you know that The Experience is very special to me, delivering some important perspective when I needed it most:
Until this moment, all I have been able to remember is the pain that came with Star Trek. I'd forgotten the joy.
Star Trek was about sitting next to Brent Spiner, who always made me laugh. It wasn't about the people who made me cry when they booed me offstage at conventions. It was about the awe I felt listening to Patrick Stewart debate the subtle nuances of The Prime Directive with Gene Roddenberry between scenes. It wasn't about the writers who couldn't figure out how to write a believable teenage character. It was about the wonder of walking down those corridors, and pretending that I was on a real spaceship. It was about the pride I felt when I got to wear my first real uniform, go on my first away mission, fire my first phaser, play poker with the other officers in Riker's quarters.
Oh my god. Star Trek was wonderful, and I'd forgotten. I have wasted ten years trying to escape something that I love, for all the wrong reasons.
I was looking forward to this road trip, because love Star Trek, and I love science fiction, but when I hurt myself, my motivation to play through the pain evaporated. See, I've been feeling some Star Trek fatigue recently. There are a lot of factors, including being dooced from the Vegas con and the return of the alt.wesley.die.die.die morons, but the bottom line is: I feel like all the stuff I didn't like about Trek has started to overwhelm the things I love about it. I haven't written a TNG review for TV Squad in months, because it hasn't been as fun to revisit those first season days as it once was.
The thing is . . . maybe I'm taking the whole thing a little too seriously. I mean, honestly, why in the world should I give a shit about some random Internet guy who is obviously stuck in 1990? Sure, it's upsetting that I was the only series regular to be excluded from the biggest Star Trek convention of the year, but it's not like I don't have other things to do with my time, and other conventions to attend.
A tangible reminder to not take this stuff too seriously arrived at my doorstep recently. It was, as promised, evil and awesome:
(More images at Flickr)
For those of you who are scratching your heads right now, that is, in fact, an authentic black velvet Wesley Crusher painting. It was sent anonymously, and all of my friends (truthfully, it turns out) said they had nothing to do with it (I guess I should have asked John's co-conspirator, our mutual friend Burns! if he was involved) so I didn't say anything publicly about it while I attempted to uncover the identity of my mysterious benefactor.
This morning, I sent John an e-mail with some of the awesome comments on yesterday's post about Zoe's Tale. In the ensuing conversation, he outed himself as the evil genius behind this particular artistic scheme.
For the last few months, I've been focused on the pain that came with Star Trek. I'd forgotten the joy.
Star Trek isn't about petty grudges or anonymous insults from emotionally stunted people who are stuck in 1990. It is something I did twenty years ago, that inspired a generation of kids to pursue science and engineering. Star Trek is a fantastically entertaining show, even when it's really, really awful, and I can feel proud of being part of it, without letting it define the beginning and end of my creative life.
Without knowing that I needed a reminder not to take this stuff so seriously, without knowing - in April, when the wheels were set into motion - that around the beginning of August I'd be feeling pretty lousy about getting cut from the show I look forward to attending every year, John did what good friends do: pick you up when you're down, and provide reality checks when you need them the most.
Star Trek is something that I shouldn't take as seriously as I've taken it lately. I'd given idiots way too much control over how I felt about it, and how I felt about that part of my life where Star Trek and me intersect. I'd lost perspective, and it took a velvet Wesley Crusher to bring it back.
It hangs behind me in my office now, evil and awesome, a reminder to remember the joy, and not take things so damn seriously.
 |
chalice_circle
[ scarcrest ]
|
7:22p |
Follow-up on the use of the term "church" for our congregations Just in case anyone's interested ... here's my follow-up to the post from a few days ago about the use of the term "church" to describe our congregations and the way it rankles some conservative Christians. It basically states that other people's reactions to our use of the term isn't the first thing on our minds; it's not like the religious right takes the feelings of the left to heart. Also, here's an update on the Knoxville shootings: the suspect was in court today, hit with a 10-count indictment that includes two counts of first-degree (premeditated) murder and six counts of attempted first-degree murder. |
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wilwheaton
|
3:56p |
privacy is a fundamental human right http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wwdn/~3/370301880/privacy-is-a-fu.html Bruce Schneier writes another thoughtful and insightful essay on privacy:
Privacy protects us from abuses by those in power, even if we're doing nothing wrong at the time of surveillance.
We do nothing wrong when we make love or go to the bathroom. We are not deliberately hiding anything when we seek out private places for reflection or conversation. We keep private journals, sing in the privacy of the shower, and write letters to secret lovers and then burn them. Privacy is a basic human need.
[...]
[I]f we are observed in all matters, we are constantly under threat of correction, judgment, criticism, even plagiarism of our own uniqueness. We become children, fettered under watchful eyes, constantly fearful that -- either now or in the uncertain future -- patterns we leave behind will be brought back to implicate us, by whatever authority has now become focused upon our once-private and innocent acts. We lose our individuality, because everything we do is observable and recordable.
[...]
How many of us have paused during conversation in the past four-and-a-half years, suddenly aware that we might be eavesdropped on? Probably it was a phone conversation, although maybe it was an e-mail or instant-message exchange or a conversation in a public place. Maybe the topic was terrorism, or politics, or Islam. We stop suddenly, momentarily afraid that our words might be taken out of context, then we laugh at our paranoia and go on. But our demeanor has changed, and our words are subtly altered.
This is the loss of freedom we face when our privacy is taken from us. This is life in former East Germany, or life in Saddam Hussein's Iraq. And it's our future as we allow an ever-intrusive eye into our personal, private lives.
I reject the notion that we have to choose between privacy and security, and I agree with the oft-repeated quote about the foolishness of sacrificing the former in pursuit of the latter.
O UJXUY QAFCQ RFZUJ SLGNT U
We deserve privacy, and we don't have to give it up to have security. They work very well together. Encoding messages for my friends and family is fun, but I sure don't want to feel like I have to do it all the time, just because I can't trust my government - and, increasingly, my neighbors - to leave me alone.
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webkinz_fun
[ kimmzy ]
|
4:05p |
Name Help!
I have a skunk and blue jay awaiting names. I've narrowed the choices down to 5 for each.
Skunk:
Domino
Tux
Jolly Roger (a pirate flag)
Checkers
Yin Yang
Blue Jay:
Periwinkle
Smurf
Neptune
Toronto
Commelina (it's a type of blue flower)
Vote or suggest! I'm open. It was quite difficult to find names for these two Kinz. There aren't so many cartoon or famous versions of them. This is probably one of my favorite parts of adopting a webkin; choosing a name. |
markedformetal
|
12:56p |
disappointed
I didn't get the job at BITCH Magazine.
At least they emailed me and told me so.
I can only assume the winning candidate was both a ninja and a pirate.
I applied for 15 more jobs today.
_____
[EDIT: As of two minutes ago, I was also rejected by Amazon.com.]
Current Mood: bleh |
attachedparents
[ sandandsilk ]
|
12:44p |
I am having one helluva time handling my 22 month old and a newborn at the same time. Does anyone have any tips or tricks? I'm reaching my wits end and it's only the third day it's just been the three of us... ETA: Actually, what the issue really is how my son is reacting to the new baby. It's not that he's jealous, persay, it's more like his feelings are hurt that there is another little thing around. He has moments where he gives the baby hugs, offers him toys (including his FAVORITE car!), etc. But other times, he gets very upset that I'm nursing his brother (he's been weaned for almost a year!), that his brother is in my arms or the sling while we have breakfast, that his brother is even next to me on the couch when he and I cuddle, etc. Half the time, the newborn is asleep when all this is going on so it's not as if he's actively taking my attention from the older brother! Fortunately, baby boy 2 is SO mellow that he rarely is even bothered by his big brother's temper tantrums, no matter how loud they get, heh. Current Mood:  distressed |
chalice_circle
[ prince_mab ]
|
11:08a |
Three children were talking about their religions.
"I'm a Catholic," said one, "And our symbol is the cross."
"I'm Jewish," said the second, "And our symbol is the Star of David."
The third child said, "I'm a Unitarian Universalist and our symbol is a candle in a cocktail glass!" |
ursulav
|
11:55a |
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chalice_circle
[ uuworld ]
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10:58a |
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attachedparents
[ ftmichael ]
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10:45a |
New Unschooling Organisation Unschooling United is a new non-profit organisation dedicated to in-person support through free monthly meetings and phone support. Their goal is to help families find their path in unschooling and to promote the freedom, respect and trust that all children deserve. http://www.unschoolingunited.com/ Current Music: Virgin Radio |
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xkcd_rss
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4:00a |
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| Tuesday, August 19th, 2008 |
technomom
|
11:55p |
McCain Blogger Flubs His Roll Originally published at Enemy of Entropy. Please leave any comments there.
If you’re a gamer, you’ve probably heard the hoorah by now. Michael Goldfarb, a blogger on McCain’s official campaign site added a lame anti-gamer slur to his rinse-and-repeat “but he was a POW!” bullshit. Sam (and many others) responded to the twit (who keeps comments disabled on his blog–afraid of a little commentary, Goldfarb?). This isn’t the first time McCain’s people have attacked their opponents with comments about D&D, either, as some of the folks on Boing Boing have pointed out.
Goldfarb was responding to a post on the Daily Kos that called McCain on his plagiarism during a media event this weekend. The DK blogger has a nice response.
Goldfarb has supposedly apologized, but oddly enough, his “apology” isn’t posted on his blog, or anywhere else on McCain’s site as far as I can tell. If he isn’t man enough to make the apology in the same venue in which he posted the attack, that says a lot about him and the entire McCain campaign.None of it is surprising to me, but it is still telling. |
chalice_circle
[ prince_mab ]
|
11:14p |
 "The inherent worth and dignity of every person" "Justice, equality and compassion in human relations" |
eris_star
|
9:31p |
I have feet! Sewing machine feet, that is. I made my usual Tuesday trip to see Grannie today. We got some good errands accomplished. She asked me if there was anything around the house that I would have a use for, and we started talking about sewing stuff. Grannie never got into the fancy costuming aspect of sewing, but she at one point was the supplier of nearly all the clothes worn by her mother, Oma, and Aunt Lune (as well as a great many of her own clothes). But she doesn't really sew very much any more. We ended up digging through some of her old sewing paraphernalia, and she pulled out a random little box stuffed with sewing machine feet. Now, her machine has a long shank. Most machines (including mine) use a short shank (these also occasionally get called other things). You generally can't use short-shank feet on a long-shank machine, and vice cersa. She handed me the box and said I could have any that fit my machine, and to bring the long-shank ones back. Incidentally - ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) synj_munki, Grannie Gebser says you're "to be commended" for getting me into sewing. :) ( My new feet: ) |
apothecarium
[ owie_myheart ]
|
6:39p |
sorry to bother...but question >
Okay, so its my last year of highschool...And I am really becoming quite passionate towards herbalism, holistic/living/healing/raw food-nutrition....
should i take
AP BIOLOGY
OR
HUMAN ANATOMY ???
awnsers/ opinion/thoughts/suggestions...greatly appreciated
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grrm
|
3:06p |
Wildlings at Gencon Gamers attending last weekend's GenCon in Indianapolis found a surprise waiting for them at the Dark Sword Miniatures booth -- a half dozen new figures in the "George R.R. Martin Masterworks" range, being rolled out for the first time as special convention pre-release.  The talented Jeff Grace sculpted these new additions to the Dark Sword range, six wildings from beyond the Wall, to face off against the Night's Watch figures featured in the first wave.   Two are spearwives, the women warriors of the far north, but don't look for ludicrous chainmail bikinis on these gals. Fur and leather are a lot more practical in the wild.   The wildlings were a special GenCon run, available for purchase only at the convention, but Dark Sword expects to make them available for mail-order in another month or two, as soon as the rest of "wave 1.5" is ready. Gencon attendees also got a glimpse at prototypes of some of the other figures in the iopeline, including a court lady, two gold cloak guardsmen, and a stunning 54mm sculpt of Daenerys and her newborn dragons, fresh from the fires of Khal Drogo's funeral pyre, all from Tom Meier. Watch this space for pictures for those figures, when they are available. We'll also have pictures of the winning entries in the painting contest. My friends at Dark Sword tell me that some of them were truly spectacular. I look forward to seeing them. Current Mood:  happy |
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wilwheaton
|
7:51p |
scalzi's new book is out http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wwdn/~3/369251466/scalzis-new-boo.html 
What kind of friend would I be if I didn't remind everyone that John Scalzi's newest book, Zoe's Tale hit bookstores today?
John says:
I’m really proud of Zoë as a character; I think she’s one of the best I’ve ever written. I also think that that in many ways Zoe’s Tale is the best book in the entire Old Man’s War sequence, which is saying something, considering it’s the fourth book in the universe, and two of them have got Hugo nods. But there it is: The amount of work I had to do to get Zoë right is also reflected in the rest of the book as well. It’s good.
I’m also happy to say that the goal of making this a standalone novel seems to have been achieved: I’ve heard back from folks who have read the book cold, without having read the other books in the sequence, and it’s worked for them. This is good news because, as most of you know, Zoe’s Tale was written with an eye toward opening up this universe to younger readers who might have missed the other books; it’s the book I can point to when someone asks if they can give a book of mine to their daughter or nephew or whomever.
I'm currently reading (and loving) Soon I will be Invincible,* but as soon as I finish it, Zoe's Tale is at the top of my list, leapfrogging over a giant stack of books that just said, "Hey! We've been waiting in line here! Come on! No cuts!"
Sorry, giant stack of books, but I like the Old Man's War universe so damn much, it always gets cuts.
... okay, back cuts behind Immortal Iron Fist. Sorry, The Terror, you'll have to keep waiting. (But if Zoe's Tale is anything like the other books in the Old Man's War universe, you'll only have to wait a few days. I usually have a damn hard time putting them down.)
*Link and title fixed. I was in a hurry to get out of the house when I wrote this post this morning.
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alchemist
|
2:56p |
Finally! (gays and the church and acceptance) Got this from pseudomanitou. Basically, it lays out what my heart has told me is true and that I've not been able to put into words for quite some time. Well, that and someone who had more time, energy, and drive for research than I do as well. Read the whole thing before passing judgment. But the summary is : - Being homosexual does not mean you go to hell, or are in any way less a child of God than a heterosexual. - Excluding homosexuals is not Biblical. Prohibiting same-sex marriage is not Biblical. http://www.godmademegay.com/Letter.htmAs a straight Christian[1] in a committed heterosexual relationship[2], I am glad to see enlightenment slowly working it's way into the mainstream faith, and not just stuck in the more liberal communities.[3] And I hope that this dissertation by a Baptist(!)[4] pastor will start to open the hearts and minds of more and more people. [1] I often do not declare my faith so specifically. Often this is not because I'm ashamed, but because of the negative stereotype Christianity often carries with it due to the bigoted, narrow-minded, insane, and un-Biblical views of it's loudest and most visible proponents.[5] [2] In case anyone forgot *grin* [3] The ELCA ( http://www.elca.org), of which I am a member, is fairly liberal. My faith community is more liberal than them in many aspects. [4] Often the most conservative group of the Protestant sects. This blows my mind, but warms my heart. [5] Summed up perfectly with this comic : http://www.somethingpositive.net/sp10192006.shtmlAlthough reading the whole storyline is worth it - start here : http://www.somethingpositive.net/sp10042006.shtml |
apothecarium
[ blindherviolet ]
|
2:48p |
Question about Fennel
I have recently had the pleasure of having a severe panic attack for the first time. I am doing lots of researching and am doing several things to alleviate these wretched things from my psyche.
One thing I have read is that Fennel is great for anxiety in conjunction with stomach and gastrointestinal upset. It recommends to use it as a tea. My question is, can I use Fennel seed for a tea or should it only be the leaves? I ask because I have a decent stock of Fennel seed already.
Thanks! |
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