Crosshatch: parallel lines that intersect

bridge marker

2009-08-12T12:36:00.001-04:00

bridge marker
Originally uploaded by nonesuch

Er... "SEMCAS LARIBVS VIALIBVS EXVOTO SACRVM?" I think it says, uh, basically, "Romans built this." Am I right?

Actually, I found a monograph titled "Within the Confines of the Romano-Celtic World: The Gods of the Roads" by Francisco Marco Simón in which he says that this is one of 2 such inscriptions in Asturias, of 40-odd found throughout Celtic regions of the former Roman empire. He cites it as an example of how Celts reshaped foreign Roman ideas of religion to suit their own spiritual needs. He records the inscription as "Sem(pronius) Cas(sius) / Laribus / Vialibus / ex voto / sacrum." The Lares Viales were gods of the highways and byways, the deities who protected travelers. Evidently, they were particularly popular in Celtic lands. Simón writes:

In the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula, in the province of Hispania Citerior, Latin epigraphs document the establishment of the worship of certain deities, the Lares
Viales, with very few mentions in the rest of the Empire, and this has led various authors to suggest that these Latin theonyms were really referring to indigenous deities traditionally venerated in the areas in which these inscriptions appeared...

Thus, the Lares Viales are documented in the north-west of the Peninsula, with most of the occurrences in the conventus Lucensis and, to a lesser extent, in the Bracaraugustanus and the Asturum. As well as the thirty-odd epigraphs found in the north-west, the Lares Viales are also found on altars in other zones of Hispania Citerior corresponding to a substratum which might be considered Hispano-Celtic...

These authors have stated that the worship of the Lares, introduced by the Flavii in these barely Romanized north-western areas which steadfastly held on to their Celtic traditions, “smothered the Celtic religion as it was, and its barbaric nature disappeared under the cloak of the Lares” (1969, 231). This would have been an ambiguous process, since “it was especially in the provinces and among their inhabitants that the concept of Lares or Penates, a precise concept in Roman thinking, took on, accompanied by the epithet patrii, its broadest, vaguest meaning, that of a protective deity...."

snail and its trail

2009-08-12T12:27:00.001-04:00

snail and its trail
Originally uploaded by nonesuch

When I visited Spain this spring, I had kind of a love affair with the snails. They're so decorative. There is such variety in their patterns and coloration within such a limited palette; I never got tired of looking at them. I think it got a little tiresome to wait for me to take all their portraits, though, which was the only thing that kept me in check!

bullies

2009-06-12T08:13:00.005-04:00

Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. -Elie Wiesel, writer, Nobel laureate (b. 1928)

There was an article in the NYT this week about bullying. It said that the American Academy of Pediatrics plans to publish a recommendation for a new model of bullying prevention. The model was “developed by Dan Olweus, a research professor of psychology at the University of Bergen, Norway, who first began studying the phenomenon of school bullying in Scandinavia in the 1970s.” The programs are designed to “work at the school level and the classroom level and at the individual level; they combine preventive programs and directly addressing children who are involved or identified as bullies or victims or both.”

What's really cool: “the Olweus approach focuses attention on the largest group of children, the bystanders.” The article quotes a medical authority as saying, “Olweus’s genius is that he manages to turn the school situation around so the other kids realize that the bully is someone who has a problem managing his or her behavior, and the victim is someone they can protect.”

Read At Last, Facing Down Bullies (and Their Enablers)

the uselessness of my upcoming degree

2009-05-29T09:36:00.002-04:00

In an article for The Atlantic, Matthew Stewart has these encouraging words:

The first point to note is that management education confers some benefits that have little to do with either management or education. Like an elaborate tattoo on an aboriginal warrior, an M.B.A. is a way of signaling just how deeply and irrevocably committed you are to a career in management.

Read The Management Myth at The Atlantic's website.

Did yinz know about Aclyptico?!

2009-05-04T09:55:00.004-04:00

From the UK's Daily Telegraph:

Hollywood's superhero movies have bizarrely paid off. Meet Shadow Hare, a 5’7” man armed with handcuffs, a Taser, pepper spray, and tights. All that's known about him is that he's 21, and claims to have been abused as a child and brought up in foster homes, the Telegraph reports. He says he's going to clean up the streets of Cincinnati and that he's currently working with San Diego-based superhero Mr. Extreme to “track down a rapist.” Other members of the so-called “Allegiance of Heroes” include Wall Creeper from Colorado and Aclyptico from Pennsylvania. Local police are not taking the Allegiance seriously (surprise!), although four members have been filmed helping the homeless.

I am stunned. I had no idea that Pennsylvania had a superhero. Aclyptico. What do you think--is he from Pittsburgh or Philly? Surely not Harrisburg. I am intrigued.

Kudos from American Standard!

2009-04-08T07:53:00.003-04:00

Looking more like a bathroom!
Originally uploaded by nonesuch

American Standard complimented my use of their toilet and faucet in my bathroom remodel! Hee hee -- this tickles me for some reason.

Where my news at?!

2009-04-08T07:19:00.004-04:00

BBC America no longer broadcasts a news program in the morning. I cannot watch these bobo burlesque shows that masquerade as members of the fourth estate (I'm talking to you, Today Show), so what shall I do for morning news? Gah.

strange totemic charm

2009-04-02T08:44:00.002-04:00

strange totemic charm
Originally uploaded by nonesuch

The little witches left this at the top of my mom's driveway. Though I can only guess their purpose in this strangely crafted symbol, I think they mean no harm.

If this woodland charm is meant to influence my mom to continually purchase ridiculous amounts of Littlest Pet Shop merchandise for little girls' birthdays, then I can vouch for its effectiveness.

How does our garden grow?

2009-03-19T10:53:00.002-04:00

How does our garden grow?
Originally uploaded by nonesuch

I never started seedlings for a garden before -- one of the many things that's different about life with Daniel. He's kind of a farmer. This is good. And I imagine it will be very good indeed at dinnertimes this summer. :-)

The little greenhouse has a styrofoam insert with holes for specially made plugs of starter soil. He let me put the seeds in the plugs of soil. Each plug is sort of cone shaped, with a hole at the big end where you can insert seeds -- two seeds per plug, in case one doesn't germinate. You pick up the seeds with tweezers, one seed at a time. It feels ridiculously precise. I'm used to thinking of growing things as being kind of disorderly, but these little guys are starting life according to a plan. There are no square pegs in the styrofoam grid, fellahs. Get busy photosynthesizing.

A quotidian frustration made charming

2009-03-18T13:14:00.002-04:00

This post by Christoph Niemann in his New York Times blog illustrates the influence a good designer can exert when crafting the presentation of a topic, in this case a commonplace irritation:
My Life with Cables

Success! A hat he'll wear

2009-03-06T20:42:00.007-05:00

He will wear this one!
Originally uploaded by nonesuch

In accordance with The Cult of Done Manifesto, item #11 ("Failure counts as done. So do mistakes"), I am happy to report success after my initial failure to make Daniel a hat.

I have never had a boyfriend who would wear things I knitted for him, so I'm happy to know that it feels good. I thought it would.

Cult of Done Manifesto encountered on BoingBoing.

Abbreviated Instructions for Tubular Cast On (Circular Knitting)

Using smaller needles, cast on half the required number of stitches.
K1, P into the running thread between stitches.
Repeat these rows at least twice:
- K 1, bring yarn forward, sl 1 as if to P, take yarn back.
- Take yarn back, sl 1 as if to P, bring yarn forward, P1.
Switch to larger needles and K1, P1 for desired length.

Tubular Cast On - I learned it for my latest project

2009-02-22T15:09:00.011-05:00

Here's something I learned while knitting a hat which Daniel wouldn't wear:

Tubular Cast On (Sometimes Called "Double Knitting")
for K1, P1 Ribbing in Circular Knitting

In order to work tubular cast on, you must know how to cast on using the double cast on (also called "long-tail") method. For tubular cast on in circular knitting, you will cast on half the number of stitches you need. This will be an even number, because K1, P1 knitting in the round requires an even number.

You will need:

Circular or double pointed needles (DPNs) of the correct size to achieve your gauge over 1x1 ribbing
Circular or DPNs one or two sizes smaller, if desired (tubular cast on is very elastic, so you may want to use needles one or two sizes smaller for the cast on rows)
The yarn for your ribbing (main yarn)
Yarn of a contrasting color that is the same weight as your main yarn (contrasting yarn)

Now:

Using a slip knot, tie together the main yarn for your project and a length of scrap yarn of the same weight but in a contrasting color.
The scrap yarn will eventually be pulled or clipped out of the ribbing and discarded.
Put the slip knot on the needle.
Use the smaller needles if you are using 2 sizes of needles.
The yarn that makes the slip knot will not count as a stitch. At the end of the round you'll just push it off the needle.
Cast on half the number of stitches you need.
The main yarn for your project should form the loops over the needle.
K 1, P into the running thread between the stitches.
Repeat until the round is complete.
To work the last stitch, purl the running thread and the last stitch together.
Remove the slip knot from the needle.
Join the beginning and the end of your cast on row, being careful not to twist the stitches.
Repeat these rows at least twice:
- K 1, bring yarn forward, sl 1 as if to P, take yarn back. Repeat until the round is complete.
- Take yarn to the back, sl 1 as if to P, bring yarn forward, P1. Repeat until the round is complete.
Switch to larger needles and work K1, P1 ribbing for required length.
Pull or clip the scrap yarn out of the ribbing.

Wicked good method. Looks great.

I have a somewhat loose tension, it seems, because I achieve pattern gauges pretty reliably using needles 2 sizes smaller than those specified in patterns. I have had good luck using smaller needles for the first few rows of tubular cast on.

2009-02-10T14:24:00.001-05:00

Cool: the Yoshimoto cube, invented by Japanese Naoki Yoshimoto in 1971.

Video by körner union

2009-01-27T07:02:00.002-05:00

As mesmerizing as a video directed by a group with an umlaut in its name should be.

Am I crazy, or does this message read like porno spam?

2009-01-11T20:24:00.004-05:00

I have a 3 bedroom apartment that I rent out. Right now there's only one guy in the apartment renting one bedroom, because I had some tenants vacate the apartment in the middle of their lease term. They left me kinda high and dry. I had trouble finding 3 people who wanted to sign a lease together. After many prospective tenants asked me whether I'd just rent a single room, I decided to offer the bedrooms for rent individually. I hate doing this, and won't do it again if I can help it. I'd rather just have one lease signed by all the tenants.

Anyway, because 2 bedrooms are empty, I advertised them in the "Rooms and Shares" section of Craigslist. I've gotten a few responses, some weirder than others... Am I crazy, or is this message really reminiscent of those suggestive quasi-pornographic spam emails?

From: Raeann Rose
To: "fakeaddress@craigslist.org" <fakeaddress@craigslist.org>
Date: Sat, Jan 10, 2009 at 6:55 PM
Subject: Interested!!!!

Ciao!

My name is Raeann Rose and i am a student at the University of Pittsburgh school of nursing....I am also a young professional banker....Nursing is my second carreer path. You can look me up on facebook under Raeann Rose I am an impressionistic artist, who loves to cook, loves sports, and is a lot of fun:) I'm looking to rent ASAP for the time you have specified. My family is from Germany and Slovenia....I speak a decent bit of German....I am very neat, love the sciences....and am really looking forward to meeting you. Give me a call if you might be interested!

a presto,
Raeann Rose
412-nn-nnnn

Art celebrating whiskey

2009-01-09T16:26:00.007-05:00

Design consultancy Johnson Banks has developed this stunning exhibit of art from whiskey barrels that was designed to celebrate Glenfiddich Single Malt. My favorite is the piece designed for the 30-year-old single malt, an age-darkened barrel lid that states, "I will wait for 11,000 nights."

Wonderfully, the designers have shared posts (with photos!) revealing some of their process and inspirations. An unexpected Friday treat.

Aside: I love the term, "the angel's share."

No more farmshare

2009-01-09T07:47:00.005-05:00

I canceled the farmshare yesterday.

I enjoyed the vegetable boxes I got in the summer. They had an interesting variety of produce, and sometimes contained more than I could eat. The winter boxes have been disappointing, containing a reliable supply of dirty potatoes and weird prepared foods (I mean -- a ziploc bag of sauerkraut? Really?), and there's less in the box even though they're charging me more.

Last week, Daniel and I were doing our weekly grocery shopping at the Market District Giant Eagle, and while we were buying our apples we noticed a display of turnips, a root vegetable that had been included in a recent farmshare box. "Hm," said Daniel, giving me a significant look. "99 cents a pound."

The turnips were lovely, fat and firm and gorgeously purple and white. The ones in the farmshare box had been whithered and fading, still edible but in their last hours of viabilty. A vision of those flaccid, dirt encrusted turnips taunted me. They and their similarly undesirable brethren (moldy onion, wrinkled beets, and rotten potatoes) had cost me $19.50 the previous week. I looked at Daniel in disbelief. "I'm getting raped."

"I didn't want to say."

"Why not? I kept asking you if you thought the farmshare box was worthwhile!"

He shrugged. "I wanted you to draw your own conclusions." I gaped at him. "It's your thing. I didn't want to tell you whether to keep doing it."

I glared and turned back to the bin of turnips. They fairly glowed there on their bed of plastic moss. "Well, I want to support local farms," I muttered.

Daniel spun the plastic bag of apples to close it. Turning toward the produce scale, he said, "These are local."

Thus it came to pass that the farmshare operation made me feel like a fool, whereupon I cancelled my subscription.

I am pretty much in love with this:

2008-12-18T17:20:00.004-05:00

From a New York Times slideshow, "Making Home Into Art."

The wallpaper is a series of paper targets. For marksmanship. You know, good aim.

In a bathroom.

Why, why can I never have the good ideas myself?

Sometimes I Think J. Crew Is Just Messing with Me

2008-12-18T17:06:00.002-05:00

Maybe J. Crew hasn't heard about the recession?

It's becoming unthawed, is it?

2008-12-14T11:41:00.002-05:00

"Slowly but surely, the system is becoming unthawed, and it's going to take time for the system to become unthawed," he said. "What the American people have got to know is we've taken the steps to unthaw it, which is the first step to recovery."

--George W. Bush, in ABC interview of 1 December 2008

The new black

2008-12-04T10:25:00.001-05:00

“Sixty percent off is the new black.”
-- Patricia Marx in The New Yorker

She's a man, baby

2008-11-21T12:03:00.005-05:00

The Gender Analyzer purports to be able to tell the gender of bloggers by examining the contents of the blog.

"Results: We think http://crosshatched.blogspot.com/ is written by a man (87%)."

Greaaaat. I feel pretty.

Back to the drywall project. (Wait a minute....)

Effort is no myth

2008-10-08T13:32:00.001-04:00

"If you somehow pulled this off, then six months from now, you would be the fittest, best rested, most intelligent, best funded and motivated person in your office or your field. You would know how to do things other people don't, you'd have a wider network and you'd be more focused."
--Seth Godin, Is effort a myth?

Maverick Descendant Challenges John McCain

2008-10-08T08:42:00.005-04:00

From Who You Callin’ a Maverick? in today's New York Times:
In the 1800s, Samuel Augustus Maverick went to Texas and became known for not branding his cattle. He was more interested in keeping track of the land he owned than the livestock on it, Ms. Maverick said; unbranded cattle, then, were called “Maverick’s.” The name came to mean anyone who didn’t bear another’s brand. ...Considering the family’s long history of association with liberalism and progressive ideals, it should come as no surprise that Ms. Maverick insists that John McCain, who has voted so often with his party, “is in no way a maverick, in uppercase or lowercase.”

“It’s just incredible — the nerve! — to suggest that he’s not part of that Republican herd. Every time we hear it, all my children and I and all my family shrink a little and say, ‘Oh, my God, he said it again.’ ”

“He’s a Republican,” she said. “He’s branded.”

Library of Congress on flickr

2008-10-07T15:39:00.002-04:00

My newest flickr contact is the LIBRARY OF CONGRESS! Yeah, for real -- the Library of Congress is on flickr. Check it out.

What I learned from the NYT today

2008-10-03T09:25:00.003-04:00

Among the strongest critics of inflated executive pay have been Warren Buffett and the late management guru, Peter Drucker, who argued that C.E.O. salaries should peak at no more than 20 or 25 times those of the average worker. (Last year, C.E.O.’s got an average of 344 times the wages of the typical worker.)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/02/opinion/02kristof.html?em

“People love that toasted-rice taste,” he said. “It’s even a flavor of ice cream in Seoul.” (Japanese cooks, however, consider toasted rice overcooked and highly undesirable. The unwanted crust left stuck to the bottom of the rice cooker is called okoge — the same word used as slang for a single woman who spends a lot of time with gay men.)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/01/dining/01rice.html?em

Alex Payne's Rules for Computing

2008-10-02T15:36:00.004-04:00

Good rules for computing:
al3x's Rules for Computing Happiness
Although I am no techie, I am pleased to note that several of these are the same as my rules. One big difference between our sets of rules is probably that he can support his rules with rational arguments, which I cannot.

I love this!

2008-09-25T08:07:00.003-04:00

I think it's awesome that some guys were just fooling around one day and came up with this.

Daniel thinks it's creepy.

This freaks me out.

2008-09-23T16:27:00.004-04:00

I am just learning of Monica Bonvicini's 2003 art installation, "Don't Miss a Sec," which is permanently (and operationally) installed outside the Tate Modern in London:

http://www.snopes.com/photos/arts/toilet.asp

Free

2008-09-04T10:45:00.008-04:00

My mom sent me one of those email messages that periodically makes the rounds. It included an inspirational poem. Normally I just delete that stuff, but for a change it really meant something to me. It introduced me to Portia Nelson, a lounge singer and actress in the 50s (she played one of the nuns who sabotage the Nazis' car in The Sound of Music) who also happened to write poetry. I immediately ran to the library to check out her book of poetry, There's a Hole in My Sidewalk.

The title poem, "There's a Hole in My Sidewalk: Autobiography in Five Short Chapters," is the one that was reproduced in my mom's email. It goes like this:

I.
I walk down the street.
     There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
     I fall in.
     I am lost...I am helpless.
          It isn't my fault.
It takes forever to find a way out.

II.
I walk down the same street.
     There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
     I pretend I don't see it.
     I fall in again.
I can't believe I am in this same place.
          But, it isn't my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.

III.
I walk down the same street.
     There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
     I see it is there.
     I still fall in...it's a habit...but,
          my eyes are open.
          I know where I am.
     It is my fault.
     I get out immediately.

IV.
I walk down the same street.
     There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
     I walk around it.

V.
I walk down another street.

The book also had this untitled gem:

I am so free with you
I never wish to be
          free of you.

True dat. :-)

Rotary

2008-09-03T10:36:00.006-04:00

On the Library of Congress site, I found this poem reflecting on the disappearance of the rotary phone. It reads in part,

Why did no one think
to conserve the peal?

Just try once
to sing it to yourself:
it's gone,

like the sound of breath
if your body left.

What would you expect to see at "tranny.org?"

2008-08-27T11:31:00.003-04:00

I bet it ain't this:
http://www.tranny.org/

Good Guesser

2008-08-19T12:06:00.004-04:00

I got 32 points at Guess the Accent: http://www.languagetrainersgroup.com/accent_game.html

I surprised myself by not being able to correctly distinguish accents from Britain/Wales/Scotland/Ireland.

Test your own language prowess!

Clafoutis ("Gesundheit!")

2008-08-09T18:15:00.006-04:00

clafoutis!, originally uploaded by nonesuch.

I found this delicious recipe from Ceres & Bacchus via smittenkitchen. Naturally, I had to improve it a bit with a little rewrite, because that's my way.

From wikipedia, I learned that clafoutis is "originally from Limousin" (in the heart of France) and that "the dish's name comes from Occitan clafotís, from the verb clafir, meaning 'to fill up' (implied: 'the batter with cherries')." The article also stated that clafoutis is basically pancake batter fancied up by French cooks, and that clafoutis madness spread throughout France during the 19th century.

(Okay, it didn't say clafoutis madness; that is my own invention.)

I am a big fan not only of pancakes but also trendy recipes, so this recipe was a natural.

The first time I made the dish, I used cherries as recommended by smittenkitchen. The second time, I used plums because they were so much cheaper than cherries.

Both times it has been delicious.

Plum Clafoutis (kla-foo-tee)

* 3 eggs
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1/2 cup butter, melted
* 1 cup flour
* 1 cup milk
* 1/2 tsp vanilla
* 2 tsp rum
* 2 cups of plums, pitted and halved

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Beat the sugar and the eggs with a wire whisk until they turn lighter in color. Add butter gradually, whisking to incorporate. Add flour all at once, whisking until batter is a homogeneous mixture. Add milk gradually, mixing well. Add vanilla (and rum if you are using it). Mix well. The batter should be very smooth and shiny.

Butter a glass or earthenware baking dish, 9- or 10-inch cake pan, or oven-proof skillet. Place the fruit in the dish. Pour the batter over the fruit.

Bake approximately 30-40 minutes, until slightly browned and almost completely set in the middle. (I prefer it to be a little custardy in the middle, so I rarely bake for more than 30 minutes.)

Let sit at least 15 minutes. Turn out onto a plate; sift powdered sugar on top if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature. Store in refrigerator. Leftovers are excellent for breakfast.

Killing Me Softly with His Blog

2008-07-31T14:25:00.008-04:00

"The observant among you will probably be aware that the white person wet dream 'Be Kind, Rewind' is about to be released. This might be the biggest event in white person film since The Royal Tenenbaums."

--From #68 (Michel Gondry) in the list of Stuff White People Like from the blog, "Stuff White People Like"

Oh Heavenly God, I am so white! It's like the writer knows my innermost thoughts, feelings, and desires.

If this can't keep you late at work...

2008-07-29T18:05:00.004-04:00

...taking advantage of that sweet sweet T3 line, I don't know what can: it's Audiotuts' 240 Free Albums, Tracks and Links for Music Mashup Lovers.

I'm sorry, and you're welcome.

Western Spaghetti

2008-07-18T15:05:00.003-04:00

Behold one of the many brilliant and twisted films of PES:

Not Going to Lie

2008-07-17T08:41:00.002-04:00

“I’m not going to lie: I used to smoke crack in there,” said one homeless woman, Veronyka Cordner, nodding toward the toilet behind Pike Place Market. “But I won’t even go inside that thing now. It’s disgusting.”

-- "Seattle’s Automated Toilets Go Way of the Box and Chain, New York Times, 17 July 2008

Wearing the Bacon Colors

2008-07-11T08:27:00.002-04:00

Eyes on the prize, originally uploaded by nonesuch.

"I see bacon as a celebration of an American birthright. Four slices of Hormel Black Label, hissing in a cast iron skillet on a Sunday morning. To wear the bacon colors, to sport a bacon tattoo, is to announce your belief in the possibilities of bacon, in the American goodness rendered by a low-on-the-hog meat, transmogrified by smoke and salt."

- John T. Edge, director of the Southern Foodways Alliance

There are so many good, gleefully tasty nuggets in that quote, I can hardly stand it.

"Hormel Black Label."
Bacon: the meat that's "low on the hog."
"Wear the bacon colors."
"Belief in the possibilities of bacon."

Here's a link to the article, Bacon Mania, in Salon. John T. Edge is quoted in #7. I recommend the article for entertaining reading, even if you are not inspired to get a bacon tattoo. Full of good writing and information. There I learned that "Anthony Bourdain has called bacon the 'gateway protein' for its astounding ability to lure vegetarians back to the carnivorous fold." Good stuff.

The Downside

2008-07-09T21:04:00.001-04:00

Downside of living alone #1:
When you cut your finger real bad, you're the one who has to clean up the blood with your bandaged hand.

So Corny, It's Got to Be Good

2008-07-09T11:35:00.002-04:00

Click & Clack's As the Wrench Turns: "Campaign; Outsourcing"
Wednesday, July 9, 8:00 p.m. on WQED.

Setting the DVR now.

Robert Rodriguez Teaches You to Cook in Ten Minute Segments

2008-07-08T10:56:00.006-04:00

How sexy is this?!?

10 minute cooking school Sin City breakfast tacos

Crazy sexy. Especially when he says, "Get some low-fat cooking spray... naaah, just kidding -- use butter." Ooh. Talk about sinful... you're killing me softly with your song, honey.

Amazon Subscribe & Save

2008-07-08T10:36:00.003-04:00

Here is my shill/tip of the day:

Use Amazon's Subscribe & Save program.

By subscribing, you can get Olay Regenerist Night for $14.58 (which certainly meets or beats the lowest sale prices I've seen locally). In some subscription categories there's a plethora of products to choose from; in others there are just a few products or the products are only available in bulk -- I noticed this particularly for toothpastes. I don't want to commit to a specific toothpaste for the length of time it would take me to go through a 4-pack of big tubes. As a result, this Subscribe & Save progam doesn't work for all my toiletry needs.

When I find a product I want that's eligible for the Subscribe & Save program, I sign up for the longest possible interval between deliveries. (Delivery schedule: 1 unit once every 6 months.)

Then, when I need more, there's a page I can use ("Manage Your Subscribe & Save Items") where I see the following information for each product for which I have a subscription:

• Last ship date: June 18, 2008
• Estimated order placement date: December 18, 2008
• To skip the currently scheduled shipment but still receive the following shipment, click Skip this shipment.
• Running low already? click Send your next shipment now.

So if I'm running low on moisturizer, I click "Send your next shipment now" and the moisturizer arrives at my office door in about a week or so. On the same page I can cancel the subscription altogether by making it inactive.

Amazon says that the Subscribe & Save program is in "beta" mode, which is probably why it is not super visible on their site:

"In addition to being the second letter in the Greek alphabet, the word beta is also often used to describe a project or process that is being tested. With that in mind, we'd like to introduce you to a new program we call Subscribe & Save. During this beta phase we'll be making more products available for subscription ordering and gathering input from customers like you to ensure Amazon.com provides the best possible experience for online shopping.

"Even though Subscribe & Save is in beta, our program is completely functional, so feel free to browse our selection of eligible products and place new subscription orders through Subscribe & Save. But be sure to come back often, as we'll only be making our new program better.

Once it's out of beta mode, I hope it will have more options. I love the idea. The 15% discount and free shipping are awesome.

A "bit" difficult

2008-07-02T23:35:00.005-04:00

For some reason it was harder than I thought it should be to find a chart that would tell me which size of drill bit to use for a particular screw (in my case, a #6 wood screw). Therefore, when I finally found a chart here, I decided to reproduce it on my blog for my convenience and the enjoyment of anyone reading. (Hi, Mom?)


  Screw Gage    Shank    Shank     Pilot     Pilot
   Number        Hole    Size      Soft Wd   Hard Wd
       0         1/16    .060      1/64      1/32
       1         5/64    .073      1/32      1/32
       2         3/32    .086      1/32      3/64
       3         7/64    .099      3/64      1/16
       4         7/64    .112      3/64      1/16
       5         1/8     .125      1/16      5/64
       6         9/64    .138      1/16      5/64
       7         5/32    .151      1/16      3/32
       8         11/64   .164      5/64      3/32
       9         3/16    .177      5/64      7/64
      10         3/16    .190      3/32      7/64
      11         13/64             3/32      1/8
      12         7/32    .216      7/64      1/8
      14         1/4     .242      7/64      9/64
      16         17/64   .268      9/64      5/32
      18         19/64   .294      9/64      3/16
      20         21/64   .320      11/64     13/64

I knew nothing then

2008-06-28T12:27:00.005-04:00

That was a long time ago and now I know that
I knew nothing then, and if I had I wouldn’t
have gone on.

--Irene McKinney, “At 24″

Actual Terrible Movie

2008-06-16T23:14:00.003-04:00

Mental Floss challenges worthy readers to identify movie titles as "Troy McClure films" or "actual terrible movies." You may remember Troy McClure as the character on the Simpsons who was always reminding people of his tenuous claim to B-movie celebrity while hawking products. Here's the quiz:

http://www.mentalfloss.com/quiz/quiz.php

I scored 73% (11 out of 15). Hey -- better than random chance (and better than the 66% averaged by test takers so far). Yay, me.

Make your own ringtone

2008-06-15T21:19:00.006-04:00

More cool technology to pimp your life courtesy of Patrick:

Make Your Own Ringtone.

It's fun and it's free and I now have, as my ringtone, Darth Vader's Theme played on ukulele. Yessssss!

Hack your Comcast remote to skip commercials

2008-06-07T10:04:00.007-04:00

Thanks to Patrick, I now know that you can hack your Comcast remote to skip ahead 30 seconds -- handy for something like, oh, I don't know -- skipping commercials, maybe? :-) It never occurred to me that I wanted -- needed! -- to do this and as soon as I found out about it I couldn't wait to Google for the instructions. I found 'em! Here they are! I totally copied 'em from this guy (but of course I couldn't resist making a few edits -- occupational hazard, you know):

1. Choose an unused or unneeded button on the “silver” remote to be the 30-second skip command. (Patrick recommends the red "Help" button, as there is no Comcast "Help" feature).

2. Press the “Cable” button at the top of the remote to put it into Cable Box Control mode.

3. Hold the “Setup” button until the “Cable” button blinks twice.

4. Type in the code 994. The “Cable” button will blink twice.

5. Press (do not hold) the “Setup” button.

6. Type in the code 00173.

7. Press whatever button you want to use for the 30-second skip command.

Congratulations! You have just stuck it to The Man.

Does whatever a spider can

2008-06-06T07:52:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was World Environment Day. Alain Robert, France's "Spiderman," draws attention to climate change by scaling the New York Times building (as documented in the linked slideshow by the New York Times):

http://thesolutionissimple.org/

When he reached the top, the New York City po po promptly arrested him, which doesn't dilute the truth of his message but probably gratified everybody who was stuck in rush hour because of this stunt.

Right on, Alain!

I Am Cayenne Pepper

2008-06-03T11:09:00.000-04:00

You Are Cayenne Pepper

You are very over the top and a bit overwhelming.

You have a fiery personality, and you can give anyone a good jolt.

You can easily take things up a couple notches, no matter what crowd you're running with.

What Spice Are You?

Men explain things to Rebecca Solnit

2008-05-27T13:38:00.006-04:00

In honor of this awesome article on TomDispatch.com (Men explain things to Rebecca Solnit), I will describe a recent health care experience that made me think about differences in medical care that I may be experiencing based on the gender of the health care professional.

Today I went to the dermatologist's office for a followup visit about a plantar wart -- a wart that grows inward rather than outward because it's positioned on the bottom of your foot where you're constantly treading on it.

I saw a physician's assistant this time, instead of a doctor. Recently I've formed a healthy bias against seeing a PA instead of a physician, but that was for my annual checkups with the gynecologist. For that, you better believe I want to see the doctor. This was for a mere wart, which is treated with blasts of superchilly nitrogen -- a therapy I feel confident that I could even apply myself, if necessary. So I saw the PA today and noticed a few subtle differences between this visit and my last one.

1. For the last visit, I had a male doctor. The PA was female.

2. For both visits, I was sitting on the examining table with my foot in my lap (sole upward) when the health care professional came into the room. The doctor asked me to lie down on my stomach with the foot upraised. Gesturing to my foot and leg, I said, "So this won't work?" He said, "No -- just, mechanically, on your stomach is the better way." It's also a posture that doesn't let me see the action.

I expected the same thing from the PA, but she said, "No, that's fine," and treated the foot just as it was while I looked on.

3. The doctor stopped freezing the wart when I made a slight sound ("Ooh"). I told him, "No, that's okay -- go ahead," and he said, "No, that's fine, that's enough."

The PA said, "I know, ouch!" and kept on freezing it, and then after a pause she blasted it again for good measure.

4. I asked the doctor if I could have a band aid, and he said I didn't need it but asked one of the nurses to get me one.

The PA, unprompted, asked me if I wanted a band aid, and when I asked, "Do I need it?" said, "No, but often people want one anyway!"

These differences made my experience with the PA more satisfying, and I think that I received better medical care, honestly. I think the first appointment was a waste of time, because the doctor didn't really blast the nitro long enough. I liked being able to see what the healthcare professional was doing. I felt like the PA was more interested and in tune with me as a patient.

Remember, kids, don't do drugs

2008-05-24T10:38:00.001-04:00

These guys are awesome -- another web site I hate to love.
http://jezebel.com/tag/pot-psychology/

Not totally crotchety. Cranky, maybe

2008-05-07T17:54:00.000-04:00

moar funny pictures

Gin, Television, and Social Surplus

2008-05-06T09:37:00.005-04:00

I just read Gin, Television, and Social Surplus, the transcript of a talk given by Clay Shirky at the Web 2.0 conference in April. I'm abashed to identify with the villain of the piece (well, maybe she's less villainous and more clueless and slightly hostile) -- the television producer who listened to his thoughts about how social media are changing society forever and marveled, "Where do people find the time?"

For example, Twitter leaves me cold. I can't imagine why anyone would feel the need to post 140 characters' worth of stream-of-consciousness non sequiturs. Even worse, from the standpoint of me trying not to be left completely behind by societal evolution, I can't understand why anyone *else* would want to *read* someone's Twitter feed. It seems absurd.

There's no getting around it. I am officially crotchety.

THINK

2008-04-13T19:34:00.001-04:00

THINK, originally uploaded by nonesuch.

Next year, I'll
- charge business expenses separately
- keep all the receipts
- note deductible health care expenses (including saline solution)
- pay myself first
- discuss business at lunch
- record my mileage
- depreciate
- plan
- earn
- invest
- save
- think

Next year.

Tonight,

I think I need a drink.

Peace out, taxpayers!

Easter Shmeaster

2008-03-23T09:41:00.001-04:00

I am supposed to be at my sister's house at eleven, quiche in hand. The oven is still preheating. Damn damn damn.

survived his checkup at the animal hospital

2008-03-10T12:21:00.000-04:00

survived his checkup at the animal hospital, originally uploaded by nonesuch.

I took Zero to the vet on Saturday for his annual checkup. I was so proud of him; his behavior was excellent. Unfortunately, I was not impressed with the vet. I started going to this animal hospital because one of the vets there is a renowned regional expert on shepherds. The dodo vet we got yesterday doesn't even seem to like dogs. We have to go back next weekend because she was unable to draw a blood sample. No problem, I'd love to come back next weekend to spend another hour in your waiting room. Perfect.

kitchen table: extra leaf seldom needed

2008-03-09T12:20:00.000-04:00

kitchen table: extra leaf seldom needed, originally uploaded by nonesuch.

This is the funtime configuration of the kitchen table, when it's set up for more than just me and my junk mail. I like to see it this way.

Bread dough will kill you, fool

2008-03-06T16:38:00.001-05:00

Bread dough will kill you, fool, originally uploaded by nonesuch.

Dogs can't eat bread dough -- unless you turn your back. So don't turn your back.

Look how serious he is. How focused. His look seems to speak of a purity of motive, a nobility of purpose, as if his only wish is to protect and defend the bread dough, to guard it with zealous loyalty.

And inside his head, his thoughts are actually more like "Nom nom nom!"

Back off, dog! Bread dough will kill you.

He did get to enjoy some bread scraps, so don't feel too bad for him.

Sun comes up and we start again

2008-03-01T09:35:00.004-05:00

toaster, originally uploaded by nonesuch.

After the memorial service, there were so many flowers. Stacy's family shared some of them with me, and they were beautiful. Beautiful in my yellow kitchen. Stacy never came over to see my kitchen, never sat at my table or drank my tea, because by the time I'd renovated it to a state where it was usable, she was too sick to leave her condo. And certainly too weak to handle the capers of my annoying dog.

It makes me sad to think of this, but also -- the flowers are beautiful. Looking at them and thinking of Stacy is not a bad thing.

Stacy, traveling at last

2008-02-19T15:09:00.006-05:00

-->Stacy in Rome
Originally uploaded by nonesuch Stacy died this weekend after a five-year struggle with three bouts of cancer and the complications associated with cancer treatments. A few days ago in her blog, she talked about her struggle to breathe and her desire to visit Machu Picchu if her lungs ever recover.

"And when I'm dead, please don't philosophize
Or feel regret
Just remember me when I said
I had one hell of a life
One hell of a life
I had one hell of a life..."

(Katell Keineg, "One Hell of a Life")

6 degrees of cupcake

2008-02-15T13:06:00.002-05:00

6 degrees of cupcake

So, not to freak you out or anything, but these cupcakes were baked by the mother-in-law of a person who is famous.

(I know! Exciting, right?!)

Well, not famous-famous, like your mom would recognize his name, but famous like he made a black-and-white indie film that inspired many young adults to quit meaningless McJobs and strike out on a quest for creative fulfillment. Or like, to wish they could, you know? If it weren't for all the bills.

The reason the cupcakes have great personal meaning for me is that I once asked this famous person to marry me and he said YES (I have a witness), but then he reneged and ran off shortly thereafter to marry a hot journalist whom he had been dating. Men are so fickle. Bastards.

Anyway, having obtained one of the cupcakes via mysterious means (actually, it's fairly straightforward, but I'm keeping it a mystery for the romance of it all), I have done the obvious thing and enshrined it in my office as a tribute to lost love. It rests in state on my windowsill in a clear plastic bakery sarcophagus. All alone. FOR ETERNITY. Or until something starts to grow on it (ick).

the illusion of control

2008-02-13T15:43:00.002-05:00

the illusion of control

My big achievement for January was to make a tupperware drawer. (I know it sounds like I'm bragging, but if I can do it, you can do it!)

I had to displace a shoebox full of door hardware; 12 kinds of adhesive (seriously); some flashlights with dead batteries; a bag stapled shut which contained a remote control, warranty card, and owners manual for an air conditioner; many kinds of outlet covers; a broken scissors; picture hanging wire... the list just goes on and on. I mean, do those things belong in a kitchen? No! So I ruthlessly dumped them all into a Target bag, wiped the drawer clean, carefully lined it with adhesive cork liner (which has always suggested the height of kitchen drawer luxury to me, as if the housewares therein were of such fine quality that they had to be tenderly cushioned against the stress of *sitting in a drawer*), and arranged my tupperware in the drawer so that it could still close. And took a picture.

Now, ignore for the moment that the bulging Target bag is hanging on the doorknob of the closet in the hallway, where its numerous sharp corners graze my leg daily, and the broken scissors are slowly emerging from an enlarging hole. Disregard the fact that as a single person living alone, I rarely cook, and when I do cook I have no leftovers because I have a dog who has perfected the canine facial expression that means, "I am adorable... and STARVING!"

The important thing about this drawer is that it exists. Clean. Tidy. There is a container for every purpose and a lid for every container. Superfluous, stained, lidless, or hard to clean containers have been banished. And if it should ever happen that I have too much of a good thing (Pennies from heaven? It's raining men?), then I will be prepared to store some of it for later.

So although life itself remains a series of random and scary events over which I have minimal control, I have struck a small blow against the chaos. Or at least distracted myself momentarily from the chaos, which is equally good, I'm sure.

Ho ho h... ewww.

2006-12-15T14:50:00.001-05:00

Originally uploaded by elston.

I hated Santa when I was that age, too. Why do people do that to their kids? Just skip that developmental stage when Santa freaks the kids out; resume the annoying holiday snapshot opportunity when they're a year older and better able to visualize the sugarplums.

Kids are supposed to mistrust strangers -- especially strange men in the mall who offer to take your picture and give you candy. And want you to sit on their laps. Ewww.

The vanity of trees

2006-05-17T17:29:00.001-04:00

Yesterday in the rain I looked up at the tree shielding me from the deluge as I scurried across the parking lot. A pin oak. Its branches were graceful, its leaves beautifully displayed in silhouette against the opaque sky. I was struck in that instant by its beauty, which surprised me because I wasn't in one of those dreamy poetry-reading moods. It was as if I'd recently eaten some Amsterdam space cake or something. (Which I hadn't.) I thought, This tree is beautiful! Then I wondered whether the tree would be gratified in some way by my appreciation, if it could know about it -- assuming that there would be a way for trees to know things. Then I thought, maybe not, maybe visual appearance isn't a souce of pride to trees the way it would be for animals like us. Maybe they'd rather be praised for hardy pollen or something.

Then I thought, What the hell is wrong with me?