Hey, this seems like a good idea. Maybe we should start a book club? If Oakland [inlink]twisted,139[/inlink] can come together through reading books, there's hope for (e:strip). Maybe start with the book (e:theecarey) mentions in her comment to (e:jessbob)'s [inlink]jessbob,136[/inlink] post?


And another totally unrelated news item:

GPS-toting pigeons latest flock of bloggers (WHY am I not a headline-writer?)

I just smashed my thumb helping my downstairs tenant break into her unit (don't ask). I would take a pic, but it's pretty trivial compared to some peep [inlink]matthew,634[/inlink] injuries. Matt - I hope you've healed completely! No more dishes for you.

I've had a few more thoughts on religion (don't worry! I'm not going to go there) and on negativity (probably will go there - some day). But for now just wanted a virtual xxoo to make it better.

So Steve called tonight. He's definitely the best thing that almost happened to me. I'm glad he still wants to stay in touch.

I don't think I'm going to make it to the beach this week. It's pulling me pretty hard too. So much for living in the moment.

Happy Year of the Dog! Woof!

Ok. What's the password for "computer?" It's time for a real userpic. I mean, how lame is it that "computer" has defaultface?





Ok, maybe I don't have the rights to either of these pictures. Still! I seem to recall a conversation about a default initial userpic gallery and someone said "anybody can easily make a custom userpic."

p.s. - I don't' really have it in for (e:Paul), it just seems like it lately.

p.p.s. - omGAWD! Would you LOOK at that dead-on soul-piercing gaze! How could you not love him?

Two things I firmly believe. One is, no one person can hold all the answers. We may strive to find the answers through science, religion, intuition, drugs, listening to records backwards, or any combination of the above (including science AND religion). But there are always going to be unsolved mysteries, and I personally like that. You might think immaculate conception is inconceivable (pardon the pun) - and I completely agree. But hell, I think the carnal variety is pretty freaking miraculous too. Oh sure, I understand the whole egg and sperm thing - and I see the results of that experiment walking by me every day. Then again, I still find radio waves and satellite TV amazing and wondrous things, so maybe that's just me.

Suffice to say, I think science goes a staggering way toward illuminating the mysteries around us. I love learning about stuff, even if I don't completely understand it. I think I fall into the "glass half empty" view of science though. Seems to me the more we learn, the more apparent it is how much we don't know. And I actually like that too. I'm more afraid of answers that presume to definitively close a topic than of answers that beg more questions. Again, that's just me.

Which brings me to the second thing I firmly believe. Everyone should be able to express their views/beliefs in a way that does not impose or force them on others. I think estrip is an ideal forum for that. I love reading everyone's journal, even when I fundamentally disagree with some or all of what they're saying. If I had "your" upbringing, education, lucky breaks, tragic losses, supporters, dependents, betrayals, triumphs, regrets - hell, even hormones - I'd have a different point of view than I do now. And my point of view will undoubtedly change over time. Your post may or may not contribute to that, even if I don't think it will right now.

Ok, how many of you have already picked your "side" and started formulating your response to my post? Well, that means you've STOPPED LISTENING and I'M NOT DONE YET!!! Yeah, it's human nature, and I do it too. But I at least try to hear the other point of view. If I have a different point of view, I'm free to voice it and I hope you will too. We may agree or disagree. But if we get hung up on "I'm right and you're wrong" or "the group you affiliate yourself with is wrong for these specific reasons, therefore you're wrong" - that I object to.

Here's my plea:

To the scientists - before you respond to a post, test for these criteria. Does your response hold one person accountable for the specific failings of a larger group, and/or make a blanket judgment on a group based on insufficient/contextural data? If so, reformulate. Don't worry - you'll still piss people off.

To the religionists - before you respond to a post that targets any specific group remember this. Sometimes openly being a member of a group makes you an easy target. I personally don't think that means you're automatically in agreement with or accountable for every action of that group. In other words, don't let someone else make you throw out the baby with the bath water. If anyone is a member of a group that comprehensively embodies exactly what they're about, then either they really are a fanatic/extremist, or they're a member of a group of one. So pick the points you disagree on and expound all you want. If a pissing match ensues, I guess all I can say is, turn the other cheek. And I think you know which cheek I mean.

As for the clairvoyants, druggies and reverse lyricists - contact me directly and I'll see what I can come up with for you. ;-)

I've been reluctant to call anyone on this in the past because I hate to get in the middle of a pissing match. Come to think of it, I could use a really long shower right about now. I have a lot more to say, but I already know it will be taken out of context and used against me. So why bother.

In my dream my mother and grandmother are still alive. We were all traveling together and something suddenly happened that killed my Dad. We had to travel back home and it was a long and difficult journey. When we were close to home my grandmother said when we get back we should take my mother out to a nice place for dinner - some place where she could wear her white suit. The night we got back my sister had to go for a fitting for a wedding she was in, so I knew she couldn't have dinner with us. For some reason I thought my grandmother couldn't eat until 7PM, and with my sister not being able to eat with us, I decided the best thing would be for a family friend to take my Mom for dinner at a nice place at her regular dinner time. When I picked Grandma up and drove to our restaurant for dinner and my mother wasn't there, it suddenly dawned on me I should be with my mother that night no matter what. My grandmother thought we were meeting my mother there and she kept saying "where's Sonja? We have to be with Sonja now." Which obviously is so true.

I hate dreams like that.

I'm sure there are many personal inadequacies illustrated in that dream, but the one that stands out most for me is my tendency to overthink/overorchestrate things to the point where I miss the heart of the mattter. I don't think I was ever so heartless in real life as I was in my dream. But no doubt if my life were ever audited, the shortcomings would speak for themselveds.

More to come, but my friend Steve just called...

While I was waiting for my iMac to arrive I decided I'd better paint the freakin' living room.


It's bright!


So the living room is a wake-up color and the bedroom is a more soothing green.


I don't think I posted an exterior shot here before.


Buchanan Street in Japantown.

p.s. - maybe now I should start to think about putting in furniture.

Since my mind generally has the upper hand 24/7, and Steve Jobs now has my soul covered, I figured I better invest some time in the body department. So I'm back to doing yoga and pilates, etc.

(e:Terry) - make that doctor's appointment [inlink]terry,454[/inlink] (if you haven't already) and get a referral to a specialist (or a second opinion) if your primary care physician doesn't do it justice. You should NOT be in pain.

One other word of advice in addition to that (and this goes for just about everyone) - try a yoga class. Seriously, it's freakin' unbelievable the difference slight adjustments and a heightened awareness can make.

If you have any sway with the feds, I honestly think any corporation whose employees sit at a computer desk all day should be REQUIRED to offer yoga/pilates to offset the damage. We are on the verge of a computer-generated RSI epidemic. I am not kidding.

ok, off the soapbox.

aunt lisa me and my mom need help with our itunes

tyler

please respond


I love getting emails like that.

I had a weird dream last night that I finally decided to take advantage of the health care coverage I started shelling $162/mo out for last month. When I went in for my appointment, I chatted with the woman at the front desk for a while, then she gave me a form to fill out. I started filling out the form and realized it was a job application. All the people manning the front desk were busy chatting up other applicants, so I just kept filling it out, thinking maybe I'd end up getting a job with paid health care benefits, then I could make a medical appointment later. This guy comes over and asks me if I want to help test out the new ping pong table - I can finish filling out my form there. I go over and sure enough, 2 people are playing ping pong on one side of the table and they have 3 chairs set up on the other side and one chair is free. I sit down to finish the form and this facilities-type guy asks me if I want a Pod workstation? The guy who invited me to the ping pong table answers '"no, she wants a kneeling workstation like everyone else." I'm thinking wait a minute, what's a Pod workstation? Or a kneeling workstation? Do these guys know I haven't even finished filling out the form yet? I try to go back to the form for the third time and I'm still at the question "Have you been distracted much lately?" At this point we discover there's a hole in the carpet under the table and decide to tear it up to see what's underneath. There are a few other layers of crappy carpets, then what looks like it could be a nice wood floor.

Then a whole bunch of other crazy sh!t happens. But to finally answer the question, YES! I HAVE BEEN A LITTLE DISTRACTED LATELY!!!

Before I get distracted again, let me respond to (e:Jim)'s [inlink]twisted,288[/inlink] comment. Yeah, I did add more memory. Like so many things in life, if I had it all to do again, I would do things differently. Not that I'm unhappy with the ways things turned out so far, but I spent a bunch of time researching the best deal, which probably would have been to use the Macworld value code (MWSF) at Eunitek to get the $1649 promotional price. But when I went to do that, the price came up as only $1,614.05! Wow! But when I actually added the 20" Core Duo to my cart, the price stayed $1,614.05, but the item in my cart was the G5. I called them up and walked them through recreating it, and they told me to call on Monday to place my order. I said the point is, there may be a lot of unhappy customers ordering an iMac Duo but getting a G5, or being charged the wrong amount, or both. He had no answer for that.

Between that and a number of other near-misses, fantastic treatment at the Apple store where they let me try out the wireless mouse even though there's no way to keep one out for demo purposes and have it secured, free shipping from Apple.com and the $100 rebate for the printer ($50 more than any where else), I ultimately decided I would gladly give Steve Jobs my last cent. Which ironically is pretty much [inlink]twisted,288[/inlink] what happened. Ha! Post-Macworld euphoria might have had something to do with it too.

I had them put in a 1G SODIMM in place of the standard 512MB for an extra $100. Which is crazy I know because I could get the 1G for $100 and end up with 1.5G (my ex gave me the same advice). That is definitely one of the things I would do differently. If I had, my iMac almost certainly would have shipped a day sooner, and I would have gotten the full rebate (I'll still get $50 from Canon), which would have paid for the memory. D'oh! Best laid plans...

I also did not upgrade to the wireless keyboard and mouse, mostly based on reviews/advice to look at other manufacturers or wait for a multibutton wireless mouse from Apple. My ex says a single-button mouse would drive me crazy after being used to multibuttons/scrollwheels with my PC. I'm not so sure. I long for a wireless world in the worst way. The jury is still out on that judgment call.