Went to see Shooter (enjoyed it, but wouldn’t recommend it to my parents on grandmother).

And read. (My latest recommendations: What Angels Fear by C.S. Harris and Moonshine by Rob Thurman.)

Eat.

And buy things I can’t get in Morgantown.

Especially things relating to food:

Joseph Beth’s Bookseller
Fresh Market (grocery store)
Sur La Table (kitchen)
DSW (shoes for Michael)
Wild Oats (grocery store)
William-Sonoma (kitchen)
Papyrus (stationary store)
Aveda
Half Price Books
Jungle Jim’s (grocery store)
Newport Aquarium
Barnes & Noble
Graeter’s (6 pints of ice cream plus dry ice & cooler)
Sur La Table (kitchen)
Hush Puppies

That would be 3 bookstores (plus two where I didn’t buy anything) 3 grocery stores, and 3 kitchen related stores.

Plus ice cream and the aquarium.

And that pretty much sums up the first part of my vacation. The second part? Lying on the sofa reading. And probably some eating of ice cream.

I’d say that makes a perfect vacation.

Oh no! Not the dreaded fdg! Whatever shall we do?

It’s like an evil plan of bad weather.

It’s like the weather gods saying, “sunny, warm weather for everyone ELSE.”
(more…)

For those of you who aren’t Americans, or for those Americans who have been living in denial about how the Bush Administration treats returning veterans, things are not going very well for some of the veterans in VA hospitals across the US. As I and others warned years ago, cutting veteran’s benefits really couldn’t come to to any good.

But not only do they refuse to accept blame for the results of their actions, we now see someone trying to make an infestation of bats in a clinic in Oregon sound like a good thing:

“Eradication has been discussed but the uniqueness of the situation (the number of colonies) makes it challenging to accomplish,” according to the report, which said the bats were being tested for diseases. “Also, the bats keep the insect pollution to a minimum which is beneficial.”

(via my brother)

Not only is it the first day of spring, but it actually feels like spring outside!

Yay!

While searching for information on Adobe Acrobat, I found the information I needed in an Amazon review. While scrolling up to look at the specifications, I noticed an interesting recommended accessory for Adobe Acrobat 7.
(more…)

They are drilling concrete in the room next to me.

You can not even imagine how loud it is.

Even through my headphones and over the music in my headphones I can still hear it. Luckily, it’s techno, so the noises occasionally blend in with the music.

Because I’m always getting them confused…

Regency Period: 1790-1825
Romantic Period: 1825-1840
Victorian Period: 1840-1869

Edwardian Period: 1900-1910

If forced to choose, I’d probably take the clothes of the Regency period over any of the other periods.

But really, I much prefer that I can wear jeans and t-shirts.

http://www.maggiemayfashions.com/costumehistory.html

By the way, I’m still writing reviews over at the Random Reading portion of this website. I’m just not cross posting those reviews here. So if you were wondering where the book bits were, they’re over there.

That said, if you’re looking for something to read, I highly recommend:

Night Watch and Day Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko
Snake Agent by Liz Williams
The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
and
Fables: 1001 Night of Snowfall by Bill Willingham

I’ve read a lot more, but those of some of my favorites from the past couple months.

Happy Ides of March!

Unless, of course, you are a ruler who thinks you have a divine right to leadership, and have made members of the Senate very unhappy with you.

In that case, bathing might not be recommended today.

Happy Pi Day!

3.1415926… !

If I’d have remembered sooner, I’d have made pie to celebrate.

You know what annoys me? People who are and were opposed to universal health care and increases in taxes who then are shocked (shocked!) and upset when they discover that *they* have to pay for long term care.

Who the hell else is going to pay for it?

/cranky

And more from the BBC…

It really isn’t how you look, it’s how you move.

New York University researchers have found that to be found attractive, a woman had to move in a feminine way - swaying her hips.

Politicians are the same everywhere, apparently.

Israel recalls ‘naked ambassador’

Israel has recalled its ambassador to El Salvador after he was found drunk and naked apart from bondage gear.

Reports say he was able to identify himself to police only after a rubber ball had been removed from his mouth.

futile \FYOO-tul\ adjective
1 : serving no useful purpose : completely ineffective
2 : occupied with trifles : frivolous

I wasn’t particularly aware of the second definition. But the first definition often seems quite appropriate.

Here is why people hate tech support.

I received THIS announcement in my e-mail this morning.

8) REMINDER: Daylight Saving Time changes affect online calendars
Daylight Saving Time (DST) has expanded a total of four weeks to include the periods from March 11-31 and Oct. 28-Nov. 4. The Office of Information Technology has automatically updated Windows XP computers on the WVU administrative network with a patch that reflects the changed period for DST. However, some Windows XP computers not on the administrative network may still need the Microsoft patch installed manually. GroupWise and other online calendars rely on your computer’s current time and date settings. Therefore, GroupWise appointments created before the patch is installed and scheduled from March 11-31 or Oct. 28-Nov. 4 will display one hour later than the correct time after the patch is installed. BEFORE the patch is installed, print all calendars that you manage for the extended DST periods so that you will have a correct record of appointments. AFTER the patch is installed, correct the start times for all existing appointments in the extended DST periods.

Shouldn’t this have gone out BEFORE daylight savings time? Our department sent out notices about this in February.

Not that it was too hard not to be an extremist, since most of the answers were way out there.
(more…)

Wednesday we got half a foot of snow. Thursday we woke up to 9 degrees Fahrenheit. Today, the temperature was 21 F when we left for work. Right now it’s 59 F and sunny.

Some weeks, it really feels like Mother Nature is purposely screwing with us.

nacelle • noun
a streamlined casing on the outside of an aircraft or motor vehicle, especially one housing an aircraft engine.
• the passenger compartment of an airship.
— origin early 20th cent. (originally denoting the car of an airship): from French, from late Latin navicella, diminutive of Latin navis ‘ship’.

Okay, I thought Star Trek totally made that word up.

We had what could be the last snowfall of the winter. A shocking 5 or 6 inches in town (Preston County will probably be digging out for days).

Unfortunately, I (once again) failed to take any pictures, so you’ll have to trust me that it was quite beautiful.

This weekend? Temperatures in the 50s and 60s. Go figure.

foist \FOIST\ verb
1 a : to introduce or insert surreptitiously or without warrant *b : to force another to accept especially by stealth or deceit
2 : to pass off as genuine or worthy

Couldn’t tell you why, but I’ve always been particularly fond of the word foist. Maybe it’s the way it sounds like what it is.

The creepy unattractive mail-order bride guy was back (without his brother)–and this time perusing on-line dating services.

Either his wife has gotten permanent residency and was finally able to leave him, or else he’s even scummier than I thought.

Only been in here since 8 Jan, yet today the lock on our office door broke.

Maintenance guy came right away to fix it, and he just has to insert the master key to “reset the pins” but still.

Better yet, when I called down to maintenance, I had to say, “my office doesn’t have a number, so I can’t give you one, so don’t bother to ask for one.”

Luckily, the new facility is easy to find.