Category: school

12/18/09 02:57 - 27ºF - ID#50593

Done!!

Yea!!! I'm done!!! I am school-free for 6.5 weeks! Yippeee!

Permalink: Done_.html
Words: 9
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: holiday

12/18/09 12:11 - 24ºF - ID#50590

More xmas lights, birthday

(e:mrmike,50589) reminded me of another failblog xmas lights photo that I think is hysterical and not at all a fail. Why is it a fail? I judge the xmas lights contest in Bloss (

appropriate for an atheist anti-xmas curmudgeon, don't ya think?) and if this was an entry it would totally win a prize. And it's much funnier than the santa peeing off the roof.

Happy birthday, (e:hodown)!

Permalink: More_xmas_lights_birthday.html
Words: 77
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: school

12/16/09 09:55 - 21ºF - ID#50579

4 p.m. tomorrow

At or before 4:00 p.m. tomorrow, I will be halfway done with my J.D. Unfortunately, I used up all my powers of concentration last week and can't focus for more than 10 minutes, so studying for tomorrow's fed tax final has been a real struggle. I've only left the house for hot chocolates at Taza.

My fat lazy China Cat Sunflower isn't very helpful although she doesn't interfere, either.

Permalink: 4_p_m_tomorrow.html
Words: 71
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: weather

12/10/09 04:52 - 21ºF - ID#50532

more white stuff

Allen & Elmwood around 2:15 p.m. today

My Santa Claus Tims

Permalink: more_white_stuff.html
Words: 17
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: school

12/09/09 11:53 - 43ºF - ID#50510

Studying studying studying

It's my fifth day of isolation. I ventured out for hot chocolate on Saturday and Monday. I need milk, sugar, cranberry juice and ginger ale but I've got too much studying to do to leave, instead, I'm writing here!

First final is tomorrow morning- Corporations (e:heidi,49944). I hate the Wall Street Journal. Here's a study limerick:

Walkovszky v. Carlton

Walkovszky was hit by a cab
Would Carlton pick up the tab?
No, limited liability
Has social utility;
Undercapitalization is fab!
- Jeremy Telman

Second final is Friday afternoon - taxation of nonprofit organizations - where I'll get to discuss the fine points of 501(c)(3) qualification and the Unrelated Business Income Tax (UBIT).

Sunday is the estrip potluck!! (see how bad I need it?)

Last final is next Thursday - federal individual income taxation. I'm looking forward to it because it's multiple choice, the test will be considerably easier than it could be, and the prof (whose name happens to be Heidi!) doesn't like gray areas so the exam is very clearly black & white.

And then I'm done! Halfway through my JD. Yea!

In other news, the Save Our School coalition packed the Mansfield High School auditorium (at least 450 people) Monday night to express its hope that the Southern Tioga School Board will renovate North Penn instead of closing it (e:heidi,50116) Newspaper article

The crowd sang the North Penn alma mater, did crowd cheers, the girls volleyball & basketball teams read off one fact about the potential impact closing... Jill said it was a very moving experience.

Permalink: Studying_studying_studying.html
Words: 279
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: geek

12/07/09 03:26 - 32ºF - ID#50492

Chrome vs. Firefox

I made a whole-hearted attempt to integrate Chrome into my online life, used it exclusively for over a week. I decided to return to Firefox because Chrome couldn't handle LexisNexis and would occasionally balk at Hulu. I really liked the right-click > open in new tab as the top option, the google search from the address bar, and my most visited sites on the page that opens when you choose new tab. I like the concept of "incognito" browsing, but I didn't use it.

Have you tried Chrome?

jenks writes at 04:04:17 12/08/09 - Comment #53469: my only experience with chrome is: when I am on locked-down computers at work, that run only @#$#@% IE, and I go to a site that won't work in IE (mac's mobileme, for one) and it recommends safari or firefox. But, since the computers are on lockdown, I can't install anything that needs admin rights, so I can't install firefox, but I can install chrome. It does seem to launch super fast, but I really haven't played with it. I use (and like) safari, myself.

theecarey writes at 02:05:54 12/08/09 - Comment #53467: On my netbook, I tried using Chrome three times now since February. I feel indifferent to it. I don't have anything particularly bad or good to say about my experience with it.
I keep going back to Firefox because it is what I know, it continues to serve me well and there haven't been any issues using it on either the netbook or the laptop.

I have also used, SRWareIron but haven't used it enough to form an opinion. Firefox just keeps drawing me back.

I never use IE.

tinypliny writes at 05:37:04 12/07/09 - Comment #53430: I first migrated from
IE to Opera (a decade back)
Opera to Firefox back and forth(around 7 years back)
Firefox/Opera to Chrome (when Chrome hit the net)
Chrome to Firefox (when there was just too many background shady processes and updates going on in Chrome, a month into Chrome)
Firefox to SRWareIron (when Firefox was UNBEARABLY slow and took a whole 4 minutes to boot - about a year or two back)
SRWareIron to SRWareIron portable (because I don't relish installing programs and believe everything should work out of the box without messing the registry and requiring admin rights on any computer)
SRWare Iron to Chrome Portable :::link::: (Current, a month into usage and liking it till now )

And no, I don't foresee going back ever to
a) Firefox
b) Any browser that requires installation/admin rights. Portable software is the way to go.

Permalink: Chrome_vs_Firefox.html
Words: 88
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: pets

12/06/09 10:54 - 31ºF - ID#50486

Cutest puppy

A's sister just texted me a photo of her daughter and one of the red-headed horde carrying Nisha. I have the cutest (and most tolerant) puppy ever.

Permalink: Cutest_puppy.html
Words: 29
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: estrip

12/06/09 05:02 - 35ºF - ID#50483

Birthday wishes!

Happy birthday, (e:Janelle)!

Permalink: Birthday_wishes_.html
Words: 7
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: tourism

12/05/09 10:43 - 30ºF - ID#50474

photo backlog: Lockport Locks

(2nd photo backlog post)

If you need to take your great-grandmother on a tourist adventure and she's not up to the Falls, you should take her on the Lockport Locks & Erie Canal Cruises.

Other than a pair of great-grandkids, A and I were the youngest people on the boat. The lock and lift bridge engineering is pretty neat but other than that the cruise was a snooze. Luckily I had acquired the tickets for free. Every time I sat down I got queasy so I took about 400 shots of the 2-hour cruise. The light was gorgeous that day.

Map of the Erie Canal

The cruise boat.

A full lock opening up to meet the level of the downstream canal.

Under the Big Bridge - at one point it was the widest bridge in the world

On the top, it's hard to tell that you're even on a bridge.

Captain/owner

Another Big Bridge shot

It's 26 miles to the Black Rock Lock.

Notification lights on the lockhouse

Old warehouse, two lift bridges, a barge

Lift bridges are cool. One guy operates them both - he drives the quarter mile between them many times a day to lift & lower them for boat traffic. You'd think they'd provide something more energy-efficient (segway? 4-wheeler? scooter? skateboard?) than a truck.

Looking at waiting traffic from under the lift bridge

Duck.

The great-grandkids on the boat.

Permalink: photo_backlog_Lockport_Locks.html
Words: 270
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: tourism

12/05/09 10:23 - 30ºF - ID#50473

photo backlog: Niagara Falls fireworks

I went to the Canada side of Niagara Falls near the end of August to photograph the fireworks (schedule:

). The shots aren't fantastic but it was a kinda cool experience. The whole point of shooting the fireworks should be that there are both fireworks and falls in the best shots; I didn't get any. It was a very humid night and the firework smoke just hung in the gorge. Also, my location was not optimal. Maybe next time.

Contextual image: