"wishing" written by Museumchick on estrip.org

Category: family

04/23/08 09:20 - 57ºF - ID#44120

wishing

I wish I could help out my parents more with financial stuff and things that they need. My dad had to stop working a couple of years back because of illness that was pretty serious. He has a good attitude about his disease, even though he's in pain most of the time. My dad gets a pension which is decent and my mom works part-time, but the medical bills are high.

I'd like to help them with their bills. I also wish I could buy them a stove that actually worked, and a good dryer. I'd buy them the materials to fix the porch. I'd treat my mom to a vacation because is under a lot of stress much of the time.

I don't make a very big salary. After paying rent and bills- it's hard to find much extra. I wish there was more I could do for the people I cared about.

Everything is going well here. It's a little stressful the next couple of weeks with papers/projects/grading/teaching etc. I've really been liking the school and my job lately. I've felt a lot better about both this semester. I may have a couple of part-time jobs this summer that might be decent. I'm not 100% sure if they are hiring me, though.

Thank you all for the advice about the internet stuff. I have been using safari as my default browser, and I really like it. I may try firefox too.

Permalink: wishing.html
Words: 245
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: tech

04/12/08 08:32 - 39ºF - ID#43993

a (silly) question

I was wondering... if you had to make a choice between Internet Explorer and Safari as a web browser, which one would you pick? I've always had IE, and recently Safari was downloaded for me along with the newest version of Itunes. I was trying to figure which would be the best as my default browser.

It was another gorgeous, warm day here. I love it! I went to a coffee shop and just sat outdoors and did my work. I felt so much better to be able to do that in the fresh air.

The sky today:

jenks writes at 03:09:22 04/13/08 - Comment #33868: anything but IE.

zobar writes at 01:27:43 04/13/08 - Comment #33863: My web-development browser is Firefox, but my web-browsing browser is Safari. Firefox is quick and has better geek tools, but Safari's even snappier and, at least on a Mac, looks better. IE is sluggish, does terrible things to web pages, is difficult to develop for, and kicks puppies.

But if you're the kind of person who's ok with puppy-kicking, maybe you're also the kind of person who's ok with using IE. Just saying. (-:

- Z

metalpeter writes at 11:30:38 04/13/08 - Comment #33855: First of all Nice Picture. In terms of what one to use as your default. I would say I like Firefox myself but it isn't my default. The thing you need to remember is that some sites work best with each one, it is really about what interface you like the best. I myself like firefox the best. I think for fun you should play around with all of them. Go to all your main sites with each one and do different things and see how there downloads are and viewing picture sites and things like that and just keep your default your default one for now. It might even be that your default is different from how you go online. For example my mother has Verizon DSL I think it is and goes on line with MSN I think. I can go on that way but I don't have MSN mail or anything so I just click on firefox or sometimes Safari just to test it out and then go on the web.

paul writes at 01:22:23 04/13/08 - Comment #33847: Wow I think I left out some words there, lol.

paul writes at 01:01:11 04/13/08 - Comment #33846: I still prefer firefox. but I also use safari a bunch. Anything beats IE. Firefox on PC will allow for you to get lots of cool extensions that browsing the web that much cooler or efficient. I would suggest Firefox.

james writes at 09:10:15 04/12/08 - Comment #33845: I used Firefox for years until I switched to a Mac. Safari has a lot of the same features and plugins available. But if you are running Windows, Firefox is pure gold.

libertad writes at 08:41:53 04/12/08 - Comment #33843: That is such a beautiful pic! I use FireFox and I like it a lot.

Permalink: a_silly_question.html
Words: 100
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: life

04/07/08 02:40 - 62ºF - ID#43935

the first sounds

After work today, I sat outside under the trees, listening to podcasts and eating lunch. It felt so great to be out in the warm weather and fresh air. I've been feeling happy in general lately.

One of the podcasts I was listening to (NPR Science Friday) is about some of the first recorded sounds, some created by french scientists before Edison developed phonographic technology. Some of those first sounds are actually on this website (

).
There are actually photoautograms sounds from 1857 on it. It's not very discernible, but I still find it interesting. The first guy who really developed this kind of technology was a french scientist. He wasn't interested really in the idea of records. Mostly, he just wanted to translate sound into a record on paper. I guess that was where he and Edison differed.

Oh, and I went with a friend lately to a good Indian restaurant downtown (Gandhi's). I wasn't sure if that was the one (e:James) had suggested to me, but I liked it. They made excellent Naan(?) bread and a chicken dish that I can't remember the name of.

Permalink: the_first_sounds.html
Words: 190
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: photos

04/05/08 01:24 - 46ºF - ID#43912

some recent pictures

Picture I took of the Catskills:

A winter's night:

Pine Cone:

Sunset:

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

Category: news

04/01/08 07:35 - 38ºF - ID#43866

interesting story from NPR

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

Category: dating

04/01/08 09:06 - 60ºF - ID#43856

i'd rather be with you

I went to see Aaron this past weekend. I had a wonderful time with him. On Friday night, we watched some movies and lounged around. On Saturday, we drove to Rochester, and he showed me around the museum that he is interning at (Rochester Museum of Science). I had never been there before. It's almost two museums in one: a science part, and a history part. I enjoyed a lot of the interactive science exhibits. We also went to lunch at a Japanese restaurant. I went back to Albany on Sunday on the greyhound.

It's always so hard to say goodbye to him, to be without him again. I get so sad not to be able to wake up next to him in the morning. Being long distance from someone is difficult. On the other hand, I'm really glad for the time that I do have with him. Maybe it's not in as a high of a quantity as I'd like, but it's great in quality. He's so good to me, and such a wonderful person all-around.

It may just be possible that I'm actually happy with someone. Strange, isn't it????

Permalink: i_d_rather_be_with_you.html
Words: 191
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: photos

03/23/08 06:44 - 32ºF - ID#43771

spring holidays

So I've been on vacation since thursday. I'm here in Jimmytown for a few more days.

Friday was Purim:

(for the megillah reading, people often dress in costume and boo/cheer with noisemakers.

(Hamantashen... a really good pastry that is often made at Purim).

My mom, who went to temple with me.

My sister, who I think is beautiful:

Last night, I hit the local bars with Roberta. The funny thing is that we didn't really drink anything-we just met up with our friend Matt and some people that we know. It was pretty fun. We also went for coffee at this fun greasy spoon place near my house and talked about old times. Her baby has grown so much. I've only been gone a few months, but she's already walking and has teeth now.

Today, I went to church with my dad. I'm not too much of a church person, but it was nice going with him.

Crazy Me:

Permalink: spring_holidays.html
Words: 172
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: albany

03/14/08 05:40 - 44ºF - ID#43669

what we all do behind your back

I'm somewhat ashamed to admit this, but once in awhile, I look up my students on facebook.(Hopefully, that doesn't make me some horrifying stalker type). I think its mostly because I am curious who they are. You only see such a small slice of them in class (usually of being disinterested). So it's kind of interesting seeing aspects of their actual personalities and interests that I wouldn't get to otherwise.

It does surprise me a little just how much information some of them put out publically about themselves. It seems unsafe to me to put information such as your address, phone number, workplace, class schedule, etc. public for everyone to read. Plus, I wouldn't put stuff about drinking and/or sex out in the open like that when I know professors or employers could read it. maybe I'm just paranoid about stuff like this.

Permalink: what_we_all_do_behind_your_back.html
Words: 145
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: news

02/28/08 04:22 - 13ºF - ID#43500

american prisons

1 in 100 US Adults are currently behind bars:

That does not seem like a good thing for the most part, on many levels.

Oh, and I agree with you (e:metalpeter) about "Across the Universe". I love that movie, and thought the music and the visuals for it was awesome. They should have nominated songs from it, but I think it had to be an original song.

metalpeter writes at 09:12:25 02/28/08 - Comment #32232: I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought about that for across the universe and Now that you say it you are right that it was for best song.

In terms of the race thing. I think the numbers speak for them selves they really do. I hate to say it but race is a factor, it isn't the only factor but it is a big one. Lets face it if "Mr White boy" gets a black guy who is accused of something and a white guy accused of the same thing even if he doesn't want to he will fight harder (even if he is a shitty lawyer with shitty pay or maybe he is good) for the black guy. Deep down he doesn't care if he is innocent cause if he is locked up he can't sell drugs to his cousin or break into his house. I'm not saying that he thinks these things but they are ingrained in there. But the reason that the % is so high for blacks (when you take in there % of society it gets really scary) is because of Poverty. Then when Dad goes to jail and never see his kids guess what happens son is fucked up and becomes a criminal and the cycle continues. But you just can't say race isn't a factor it is a big one. But poverty is why most people go to jail. Oh wait I forgot they did a crime. But why most people get away or don't get away with something does have a lot to do with the legal team and if they can pay for jury experts and the poor can't.

james writes at 08:29:36 02/28/08 - Comment #32229

What amuses me about these statistics is that they always, always, always break them down by race. As if helping blacks and hispanics is suggested as the cure. They never do these stats by class.

America has been playing the race game to death and aren't getting anywhere because we refuse to talk about class.

gets off soap box*

museumchick writes at 07:44:01 02/28/08 - Comment #32221: (e:tiburon1724) -I edited the one comment I had out, because I didn't mean to make it sound the way it came out probably sounding. It really bothers me that there is such a high prison rate from a lot of perspective- a moral and ethical one, as well as a financial one. I'm also strongly against the death penalty.

tiburon1724 writes at 05:55:35 02/28/08 - Comment #32217: send 'em all to the chair...imagine the savings

ajay writes at 05:46:41 02/28/08 - Comment #32216: If we stop criminalizing marijuana possession, this number may come down dramatically.

There is *no* reason to lock up a person for possessing a piece of a plant that grows wild in some areas.

Permalink: american_prisons.html
Words: 95
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: news

02/25/08 10:34 - 26ºF - ID#43452

primaries and oscars

Thanks (e:ladycroft) and (e:leetee) for the comments from my last post. I'm doing okay. I was kind of sad for the past couple of days, and really missing somebody- but I'm feeling better today.

I actually watched the Oscars last night while I worked on some school stuff. It wasn't bad. I mostly wanted to see it because Jon Stewart was hosting the show. The Oscar Orchestra is annoying, though. I hate how they cut into people's speeches.

I think the primaries have been the real entertainment this year. It's been the most interesting primary season that I've seen in my lifetime (granted, I was born in 1982).