24 September 2009

Some of my favorite German metal

Before I discovered Pandora, I listened to a lot of Internet radio broadcasting from other countries. I was mainly interested in music in languages other than English. My favorite was a metal/alternative station in Germany, which introduced me to all sorts of great songs and bands popular in Europe, but then they started broadcasting ads not just between songs, but in the middle of them. o.O After that, I moved to a Dutch station, but their music just wasn't the same and some of the announcers were annoying (yes, even in Dutch). I found Pandora and, although they didn't have very many of the songs from that German station, they also didn't have ads, and thus I was going to live happily ever after.

I'd still be at Pandora if it weren't for their new 40-hr per month cap. I run out of that after the first two weeks. T.T I'll happily give them money to let me listen to more (only $0.99 per month for unlimited) just as soon as they accept PayPal, but in the meantime, now I'm on Youtube.

It's nowhere near ideal. I have to go back every five minutes to hit "replay" and find new songs all by myself instead of having it all stream past me. However, I've been looking up songs I used to like. Some of it is finally making it onto Youtube. Such as:



And, as I wander, I find more good stuff that I hadn't heard before. For example, my new favorite:



5. Marz by Megaherz and Ohne Dich by Eisbrecher have the same singer. Megaherz is so named because they wanted to make "metal with heart." These two songs succeed well, I think. Both are actually love songs in disguise, though angsty rather than sappy. Yay emo metal. :D

Then, for something completely different, there's also Gottmensch by Schock:



and Vollmond by In Extremo:



and Walpurgisnacht by Schandmaul:



which isn't technically metal, but it comes to mind whenever my friends in Europe talk about Walpurgis Night, which is a major holiday over there.

And finally, because I can't very well post about German metal without mentioning Rammstein:



Dalai Lama is one of the few songs that doesn't have extremely disturbing lyrics. Rammstein is totally awesome so long as you don't go looking for translations to anything. o.O

21 September 2009

My favorite comic strip

I discovered Foxtrot by Bill Amend while I was in grad school. I now own all eleven of the treasury collections. Here's one of my all-time favorites, which came out while Star Wars was also out:


(copied out of Assorted Foxtrot, click to embiggen)


I laughed and laughed at that one, then tacked it to my office wall so I could laugh some more. I still laugh at it. Nothing like three punchlines in one. :)

Sadly, the daily strip is no more (though there are still weekly Sundays). Which is probably just as well - better to end while things are still funny, than to start recycling the same jokes over and over for decades. Here's my favorite strip from the very last treasury, which came out in May:


(copied out of Wrapped-Up Foxtrot, click to embiggen)


More of these are available for browsing at GoComics.

17 September 2009

Injustice

Cop: "Do you know why I'm stopping you?"

Me (what I actually said): "Umm ... ahh ... urk."

Me (what I should have said, now that I've had several days to think it up): "Yeah, because it's a smalltown speed trap, and I'm a non-local who didn't realize that the speed limit would suddenly drop from 45 to 20 for two blocks in the middle of a highway. And because I didn't do the obvious, logically safe thing of slamming on my brakes in the middle of a highway, I shall now be forced to give you lots of money. It might possibly cause some financial ruin, but hey, you just want my money and I'm a non-local so who cares."

Cop (after handing me the ticket): "Now, try to slow down."

Me (what I actually said, just before I went back to driving exactly the way I was driving before (because the 20 mph zone was over)): "Yeah, sure."

Me (what I wanted to say): "Up yours."

-.-

10 September 2009

Health Care Thoughts

TO:
Rep. John Barrow
Sen. Saxby Chambliss
Sen. Johnny Isakson

Please support President Obama's plan for health reform in 2009. We need to bring stability and security to those who currently have insurance, affordable coverage to those who don't, and rein in the cost of health care.

We are not the first generation to tackle the cause of health reform, but we must be the last.

We need this. It's an excellent, well-thought-out plan. Please don't destroy it.

Sincerely,
MWT

I signed the above shortly after the speech. Most of it is pre-written but there's room for individual comments on the form. It automatically pulls up your particular representatives when you fill in your street and zip code. I think people who live in red states especially should sign it.

On the whole, I like the proposed plan. It won't be as nice as what other countries have - but it accounts for all the ideas and concerns from all sides, it's realistic and therefore has a chance of actually passing, and it's an important first step in the right direction. Here's a flowchart that summarizes it pretty well (click for larger version):



My favorite part (from the speech) was:
Under this plan, it will be against the law for insurance companies to deny you coverage because of a pre-existing condition. As soon as I sign this bill, it will be against the law for insurance companies to drop your coverage when you get sick or water it down when you need it most. They will no longer be able to place some arbitrary cap on the amount of coverage you can receive in a given year or a lifetime.

These are exactly the sorts of things I worry about most. Back when I had health care, I wondered what would happen if I passed my lifetime cap - would I just be expected to drop dead at that point? (Apparently the answer is yes.) And now that I don't have health care, the pre-existing condition clause is a bit worrying, if I were to develop something before finding a job where I had health care again. (And, I might add, until the speech I hadn't known that people got denied health care for pre-existing conditions they didn't even know they had. o.O)

Part I liked least:
... individuals will be required to carry basic health insurance - just as most states require you to carry auto insurance.

I understand the reasoning behind it. But the exemption bar had better be high. Better would be to just put all the people below the exemption bar on a public option for free, though that raises some questions on how it would affect the whole self-sufficiency thing.

In general, I think the speech has brought the health care reform conversation back on topic and moved it forward another step. Hopefully good things will happen from here.

08 September 2009

Through the eyes of small children

Yes, Kenza. I really am a boy on the inside. Thank you for noticing. You have no idea how much it pleases me that you can see what all the grownups cannot.

I think that the next time a six year old asks me that, if it happens again, I'm not going to evade with an answer about wanting to talk to her mother about it first. I'm just going to say yes.

03 September 2009

My Past Two Months As Described By Twitter Posts (abridged)

Assuming anyone is even still looking, posting here has been rather light and fluffy for a while, possibly even verging on nonexistent. >.>

I've been busy. I got official notice of being laid off in late June (with warning hints back in April), my last day was Monday, and in between I've been wrapping up work at work, job hunting at home, trying to put together a demo website of my leet skillz, and taking care of an enormous number of details involved in preparing for a move (because, if I actually found a job, I'd need to move to it). I still haven't gotten to the packing part of the proceedings yet, but I'm down to only five boxes left in my storage room. Once those are sorted, packing will commence. I'm also shedding all sorts of unused-but-still-useful items to Goodwill and Freecycle, and trying to eat everything in the pantry.

Instead of writing longwinded posts here, I've been putting short updates over on Twitter instead. For those not on Twitter, here's an abridged version:

    booting up my vintage 1996 Powermac G3, so I can get my CV off it. It was written in Wordperfect 3.5 ...
    3:41 PM Jun 20th from twhirl
    ... and right after it's done, I find that I'd helpfully converted to Word back then just so I wouldn't have to do that. T.T
    3:44 PM Jun 20th from twhirl
    I have no idea how to explain what I did for work for the last six years. >.>
    7:12 PM Jun 20th from twhirl
    Perk of being a grownup: I didn't feel like eating the rest of my fish and veggies, so I left it on the table and got ice cream instead.
    7:57 PM Jun 20th from twhirl

    Plowing and sowing.
    2:37 AM Jun 21st from twhirl
    @thc1972 I find it kind of relaxing. Rearranging trees even more so. ;)
    2:43 AM Jun 21st from twhirl in reply to thc1972

    Had a great coding day with PHP. Probably the last I'll be fiddling with that particular database though, ever.
    11:42 PM Jun 22nd from twhirl

    Ahh, the mid-90s. When credit card numbers were printed on every receipt in full, thereby causing me to keep them all forever.
    2:50 PM Jun 24th from twhirl

    This week's task: writeups for "How to do Kayar's job"
    5:37 PM Jun 25th from web

    It's hailing. o.O
    4:18 PM Jun 26th from web

    Threw out a bunch of coupons that expired back in 2001.
    9:29 PM Jun 27th from twhirl
    Also, found the rejection letters from my previous job hunt. They said "your resume was very impressive but we had someone better."
    9:30 PM Jun 27th from twhirl

    I don't even remember what my SAT score was. T.T
    3:36 AM Jun 29th from twhirl
    I can now claim to know someone who's been defenestrated.
    3:14 PM Jun 29th from web

    Insomnia until 8am. Skipped yoga at 11 in favor of sleep. Tired now.
    12:57 PM Jun 30th from twhirl
    I can see the window. :)
    5:12 PM Jun 30th from web

    Off to drive across half the country.
    10:19 AM Jul 1st from web

    Kentucky sucked. T.T
    2:14 PM Jul 2nd from web
    @jerisisco visiting my mother to pick up some clothes I left here last December.
    2:27 PM Jul 2nd from web in reply to jerisisco

    Stuffed to the gills on lobster, fish, duck, beef, and some sort of dark green veggie. And bubble tea.
    9:40 PM Jul 3rd from web

    Just found the absolutely most perfect job. *drool* http://honolulu.craigslist....
    2:18 PM Jul 4th from web
    Mother insisted I sort through everybody else's old papers while I was here. As if I'm being punished for carting mine off WITH me. T.T
    6:16 PM Jul 4th from web

    Dear Kentucky: the only thing I'm interested in doing in your state is peeing.
    8:56 AM Jul 5th from web
    ... and on that note, I'm off for another day-long drive.
    8:56 AM Jul 5th from web
    @Stonekettle Mammoth Cave would be great if it weren't for the cesspool of inbred racist assholes surrounding it.
    10:54 PM Jul 5th from twhirl in reply to Stonekettle
    @jerisisco Definitely a roadtrip person. I have grand "someday" plans to do a month tour of the entire US.
    10:55 PM Jul 5th from twhirl in reply to jerisisco
    Back in Savannah now. No semi wrecks this time.
    10:58 PM Jul 5th from twhirl

    I've successfully horrified a Frenchman by describing Wonder Bread. I think my day is complete. :)
    5:35 PM Jul 6th from web

    Applied HI last night. Was down about not finding a third place to app. Got email from WI today about an interview. Feeling better now. :)
    1:41 PM Jul 7th from web

    Did a "hot" yoga class during a southern summer. Mmm... sweat. Think I'll go back to only doing those in winter now.
    12:08 AM Jul 9th from twhirl
    Sore all over. Yay yoga. :)
    1:53 PM Jul 9th from web

    waiting around for a phone interview to start. T -24 minutes...
    2:06 PM Jul 10th from twhirl
    @CarolElaine the tofurkey seems to have been well accepted. Interview went well. :)
    3:47 PM Jul 10th from web in reply to CarolElaine
    @jerisisco Yes, that was for WI. Haven't heard back from HI. Thinking to put in the app to SC this weekend.
    6:35 PM Jul 10th from web in reply to jerisisco

    Found former housemate's birth certificate. Hope he didn't need that in the past ten years... >.>
    10:26 PM Jul 11th from twhirl

    Went to normal location of yoga class. Found a kirtan concert there instead. Been a while since I've attended a live concert. :)
    12:30 AM Jul 13th from twhirl
    Eating coffee yogurt. Mmm.
    4:08 PM Jul 13th from web

    First tutorial for the boss on "how to do my job": completed. Part II on Thursday.
    5:30 PM Jul 14th from web

    My brain is total and utter mush today.
    7:00 PM Jul 15th from twhirl
    Why does seaweed salad have to be so expensive?
    7:56 PM Jul 15th from twhirl

    Trying to describe who I am in terms of what I do for work is kind of really depressing.
    1:51 AM Jul 16th from twhirl
    Today's agenda: "How to do My Job Part Deux" ... boss said he was coming back with a notepad shortly. ;)
    3:12 PM Jul 16th from web
    @random_michelle Nothing new from WI, but I'm not expecting anything until next week.
    5:29 PM Jul 16th from web in reply to random_michelle
    Also, incidentally: my official last day will be Aug 31.
    5:49 PM Jul 16th from web

    WI said no.
    3:37 PM Jul 17th from web
    This just in: my sister's company is about to do layoffs too. Yay 100% immediate family unemployment. T.T
    8:48 PM Jul 17th from web

    Have: one beet (I think that's what it is). Need: recipes. ;)
    5:44 PM Jul 18th from twhirl
    Something tells me I'm not allowed to play with the neighbor kid anymore.
    7:22 PM Jul 18th from twhirl

    Ahh, the smell of roofing tar in the morning.
    2:50 PM Jul 20th from web
    Realized last night I need to start packing. No clue where I'm going yet, but I'm almost certainly going somewhere.
    7:29 PM Jul 20th from web
    I've gone from symphonic metal to sappy love songs. Hmm.
    9:10 PM Jul 20th from web

    I think the word "fen" is cringingly pretentious.
    10:40 PM Jul 21st from web

    Today I learned that TVs can't be recycled because they contain lead.
    5:35 PM Jul 22nd from twhirl

    The more I browse job ads, the less I think I'm qualified to do anything.
    2:02 AM Jul 23rd from twhirl
    The roofers have reached the part that's right over my office. Yay whams and swaying and the smell of tar.
    2:30 PM Jul 23rd from web
    Anyone know a good (hopefully) free) place to host a SQL database with PHP?
    6:48 PM Jul 23rd from web

    Tinkering with my very first MySQL database on nearlyfreespeech. Now to find out how it differs from PostgreSQL...
    2:38 AM Jul 24th from twhirl
    I think my middle mouse button is dying. :(
    2:05 PM Jul 24th from web

    Threw out a bunch of utility statements circa 1997-2001. Relived the whole AT&T vs. MCI battle in the process.
    10:48 PM Jul 25th from twhirl

    Having a much lazier weekend than I really have time for...
    1:55 PM Jul 26th from twhirl
    Tomatoes finally repotted.
    5:38 PM Jul 26th from twhirl
    Having some writer's block on an app letter. T.T
    11:22 PM Jul 26th from twhirl

    Quite a storm moving in over here.
    5:44 PM Jul 27th from web
    power outage imminent...
    6:04 PM Jul 27th from web
    Yay being plugged into the emergency generator. I can keep working in the dark. :)
    6:09 PM Jul 27th from web
    Home early. Other people decided it'd be too dangerous for me to drive after dark, and insisted.
    8:07 PM Jul 27th from twhirl
    Making lots of confetti.
    8:56 PM Jul 27th from twhirl

    I have an 8:45am meeting. It's 4am now. I'm not even slightly sleepy.
    2:56 AM Jul 29th from twhirl
    Now it's 6am. Maybe I should just stay up until after the meeting.
    5:02 AM Jul 29th from twhirl
    Us non-morning people need to unite and rebel already. -.-
    7:38 AM Jul 29th from web
    Looks like all my non-laid-off coworkers are going to face furoughs.
    8:31 AM Jul 29th from web
    Err, furloughs. I think my brain wants to shut down now. >.>
    8:34 AM Jul 29th from web
    Slept, yoga'ed, got drenched in the afternoon thunderstorm. I think I'm awake now. :)
    5:32 PM Jul 29th from twhirl
    found my college rejection letters. Woo. I've been rejected a lot in my life. >.>
    9:24 PM Jul 29th from twhirl

    It occurs to me, after I've dumped all my confetti into the trash, that I could probably have recycled it.
    1:47 AM Jul 30th from twhirl
    Pound pound pound. Yep. The roofers are right over my head again today.
    2:11 PM Jul 30th from web

    Today's thunderstorm is arriving. Will we lose power again? Dun dun DUN!
    4:46 PM Jul 31st from web
    Sorting lots of work papers. Which is a really huge change from all the home papers. Gigantic. Really.
    10:53 PM Jul 31st from web
    Moral of the story: don't be a packrat. >.>
    11:05 PM Jul 31st from web
    Making pseudo-borscht. Very pseudo. ;)

    3:01 PM Aug 1st from twhirl
    Would it be so bad to just sit around on unemployment for the next year?
    11:21 PM Aug 1st from twhirl

    Oh look. Rain. Again.
    2:36 AM Aug 2nd from twhirl
    Found a job ad for MD that I might stand a chance on.
    5:16 AM Aug 2nd from twhirl
    Why must pistachios be so addictive?
    2:54 PM Aug 2nd from twhirl
    Yoga class schedule changed for the month and tonight's was strenuous. I probably won't be able to move tomorrow...
    8:41 PM Aug 2nd from twhirl

    Goodwill Trip #2: completed. Yay progress. :) In other news, I have 2281 steps already today when normally I have less than 2000 total.
    2:25 PM Aug 3rd from web
    Lots of little positive things make life seem good, even while I'm heading for certain dooooom.
    5:29 PM Aug 3rd from web

    Made a triple batch of lentil chili. Phase I of "eat everything in the pantry" nearing completion.
    2:31 AM Aug 4th from twhirl
    Kind of really hoping that rose-colored poo is normal after having eaten beet soup. o.O
    6:23 PM Aug 4th from web
    Surprising amount of memories contained in my work-related papers. It's been a fun-filled 8 years.
    7:32 PM Aug 4th from web

    Today's featured thunderstorm moving in. Just as I was thinking to do laundry. T.T
    2:13 PM Aug 5th from twhirl
    First freecycle post submitted. Yay new adventures in getting rid of my stuff!
    6:21 PM Aug 5th from twhirl

    working on moving out of my office. This is kind of depressing...
    4:00 PM Aug 6th from web
    This is the time to remember, for it will not last forever.
    7:14 PM Aug 6th from web

    Found last night: appeal letter to some high school discipline. Tried to argue 1st Amendment right to be rude to my teachers. o.O
    2:07 PM Aug 7th from web

    Laundry done. Arranging for random strangers to take bunches of my stuff. Dishes next.
    5:08 PM Aug 8th from twhirl
    Newly-developing phobia: ending up in a workplace where I have to wear real clothes. o.O
    9:30 PM Aug 8th from twhirl
    @pie_r_round as opposed to shorts and tshirts and baggy sweatpants >.>
    9:32 PM Aug 8th from twhirl in reply to pie_r_round
    @jerisisco I don't even know *how* to dress like a manager. Me and matching = epic fail.
    9:39 PM Aug 8th from twhirl in reply to jerisisco
    @pie_r_round sounds like my sister. She's been horrified for decades. ;)
    9:48 PM Aug 8th from twhirl in reply to pie_r_round
    @jerisisco I could take those directions and guarantee you an outfit that will horrify you. >.>
    9:49 PM Aug 8th from twhirl in reply to jerisisco
    @jerisisco I think my goal is to find a job where I can continue to not dress. ;)
    10:11 PM Aug 8th from twhirl in reply to jerisisco
    @jerisisco yeah, I have one. Just the one. Purchased in 1999 I believe. >.>
    10:15 PM Aug 8th from twhirl in reply to jerisisco
    @jerisisco I've also worn it to weddings a couple times. Yes, with the same attendees both times.
    10:16 PM Aug 8th from twhirl in reply to jerisisco
    @jerisisco And that was arguably better than some of the other things I've worn to weddings.
    10:17 PM Aug 8th from twhirl in reply to jerisisco
    @jerisisco have I mentioned that my sister is perpetually horrified? ;)
    10:19 PM Aug 8th from twhirl in reply to jerisisco
    I've only recently figured out that women *like* shopping. o.O Apparently it's like playing dressup dolls, except with real people.
    10:25 PM Aug 8th from twhirl

    am I supposed to do something special with expired drugs? or can I just toss them in the regular trash?
    1:16 PM Aug 9th from twhirl
    anyone have any ideas on how to get rid of old checkbooks? (i.e. wrong addresses, no longer have account, etc.)
    3:16 PM Aug 9th from twhirl
    Why did I used to think carbon copies of checks was a good idea? T.T
    3:41 PM Aug 9th from twhirl
    Woo. I have carbon copies of checks I wrote in high school. All of them, from the looks of it.
    4:57 PM Aug 9th from twhirl

    waiting for the fishtank claimants to show up
    12:55 PM Aug 10th from twhirl
    Woot. Fishtank people came on schedule! That's 5 out of 6 show-on-times.
    1:05 PM Aug 10th from twhirl
    The bowl I'm using for my evening chili has a hairline crack, and now I'm losing my soup. T.T
    8:14 PM Aug 10th from web
    It's Mental Fog Day. Today's work takes more mental acuity than I can presently muster, so I went home early.
    10:57 PM Aug 10th from twhirl

    Discovered chocolate soymilk. Yum. :)
    1:56 PM Aug 11th from web
    @CarolElaine It's Silk. :) The yoga place had a freebie "try it!" stash, so I did, then two more times, then figured I better buy. ;)
    3:01 PM Aug 11th from web in reply to CarolElaine

    Can still play with neighbor kid - but only when her dad isn't looking.
    5:36 PM Aug 12th from twhirl
    Heh, asked the local pharmacy what to do with expired drugs and they said "trash." :p
    7:50 PM Aug 12th from twhirl
    @Kate_Baker I found some excedrin once that was so old it had needlelike crystals shooting out of each pill.
    8:04 PM Aug 12th from twhirl in reply to Kate_Baker
    @aravain apparently he has issues. Mom, however, seems to like me just fine.
    8:11 PM Aug 12th from twhirl in reply to aravain
    Made a gigantic batch of beef barley soup. This'll alternate with last week's chili. Next week: maybe something without beef. >.>
    10:39 PM Aug 12th from twhirl

    Found another job to apply for - but it only lasts 4 months. On the other hand, I'd be able to call myself a whale biologist.
    2:39 AM Aug 13th from twhirl
    Yep, everybody else here is getting furloughs with their 8% budget reductions. Sucks to be them.
    2:39 PM Aug 13th from web
    Lots of impressive lightning going on out there.
    4:46 PM Aug 13th from web

    Joe Blow's hypothetical leg lump seems to be disappearing. Hooray!
    3:02 AM Aug 14th from twhirl
    Passed a truck with a "Proud American" flag sticker. Is it bad I immediately translated that as "racist bastard" ?
    1:28 PM Aug 14th from twhirl

    Found the rude email that caused me to write an infraction appeal letter invoking 1st amendment rights. I was ... rude. o.O
    1:49 AM Aug 16th from twhirl
    Also, oddest thing found so far: hair. In an unlabelled envelope. Not mine. No idea whose it is. O.o
    1:50 AM Aug 16th from twhirl
    Found and emptied two more boxes of old paperwork. More coupons that expired in 2000. Also, my stash of early versions of my thesis.
    9:09 PM Aug 16th from twhirl
    Found lots of detritus from 1986 visit to Taiwan. Ticket stubs, maps, etc. Guess now I know where we went. ;)
    12:51 PM Aug 16th from twhirl

    Workday part one: an hour training session on how to use our new timesheet system that will only apply to me for one month.
    1:33 PM Aug 17th from web
    Next up: sorting 8 years of old work emails.
    1:33 PM Aug 17th from web
    Got some "exit interview" questions in advance. I'm gonna write a manifesto!
    4:20 PM Aug 17th from web

    back from ashtanga yoga. Different. Amazingly I kept up pretty well.
    7:15 PM Aug 18th from twhirl

    Just applied to a job in Oregon. Maybe this one will actually send some sort of response?
    3:35 AM Aug 19th from twhirl
    @thc1972 this one is with a fisheries commission. It doesn't *look* exactly governmental, so maybe they'll be more friendly?
    3:39 AM Aug 19th from twhirl in reply to thc1972

    My inflatable globe doesn't want to deflate.
    6:04 PM Aug 20th from web

    If it's shorter than it's wide then you turn it on its side, now it's longer than it's wide and it's a phallus.
    1:12 AM Aug 21st from twhirl
    chocolate soymilk > vanilla soymilk
    7:16 PM Aug 21st from twhirl

    Hopefully going to crank out my manifesto this weekend.
    3:33 PM Aug 22nd from web
    manifesto two thirds done. got past the cranky ranty part. trying to move on to the positive conclusion...
    9:40 PM Aug 22nd from web

    final length: 15 paragraphs. Now to sit on it until next week...
    12:30 AM Aug 23rd from web
    Found the stack of notebooks I went looking for back in Feb when I started sorting boxes the first time.
    2:38 PM Aug 23rd from web

    I have lots and lots of blank cards.
    4:56 PM Aug 24th from twhirl
    I can now do wheel pose. :)
    9:31 PM Aug 24th from twhirl

    On Mar. 6, 1999, I bought gas for $0.869. Ahh, the good old days.
    1:21 AM Aug 25th from twhirl

    Added 3 paragraphs to the manifesto about how bad the IT dept sucks. Because their response to my latest help request was "we don't care."
    12:04 AM Aug 26th from twhirl
    Sore all over. Wheel pose has introduced me to a whole new set of muscles I didn't know I had...
    3:45 PM Aug 26th from twhirl
    once again trying to come up with a cover letter that will probably be ignored
    10:55 PM Aug 26th from twhirl

    App to a job in Long Beach CA is away. Will someone actually reply to it? Tune in next time for another exciting installment of my job h ...
    2:35 AM Aug 27th from twhirl
    ... of my job hunt. Stupid 140-char limit. :p
    2:37 AM Aug 27th from twhirl
    Found box of pottery made by siblings and I as kids - still wrapped from a 1991 move. Why do *I* have this? T.T
    3:19 PM Aug 27th from web

    RT @NKnauth Required reading if you wish to discuss US healthcare reform: http://bit.ly/JoAxC
    2:27 PM Aug 28th from web
    Figuring out table partitions on my next to last day. May have bitten off more than I can chew...
    9:41 PM Aug 28th from web

    No, you can't fit a full-size concert grand harp into a VW Rabbit. >.<
    1:01 AM Aug 29th from twhirl
    Found even more early drafts of my masters thesis. Also the extended intro I spent weeks writing that my advisor told me to toss entirely.
    6:21 PM Aug 29th from twhirl
    app to become a whale biologist is away.
    11:03 PM Aug 29th from twhirl

    Kinda wish people would quit talking about all the awesome food they're eating. I've only eaten out once this month and it was Arby's. T.T
    3:02 PM Aug 30th from twhirl

    Last day. Trying to get a postgresql sequence to increment right. Stupid inheritances. :p
    3:31 PM Aug 31st from web
    Err, belay that last. It's because I'm actually a total idiot. *slinks off*
    3:42 PM Aug 31st from web
    Officially terminated now, with all paperwork and everything. Now, back to work on this database....
    6:42 PM Aug 31st from web
    @jerisisco I ended up with 159 emails I wanted to keep from the work system, when all was said and done and deleted. ;)
    6:43 PM Aug 31st from web in reply to jerisisco
    @jerisisco the 159 were what remained after I deleted thousands. ;) Luckily I don't get much email though.
    6:47 PM Aug 31st from web in reply to jerisisco
    Me: how do I forward email? IT: "we don't let you, and we only do it for faculty." Me: ...
    7:03 PM Aug 31st from web
    I think my favorite mental phrase, "You gotta be kidding my fuckin' ass" applies.
    7:08 PM Aug 31st from web
    About to write my goodbye email to the whole place.
    7:31 PM Aug 31st from web

    Unemployment applied for. Time in the agency: 2 hrs. Time until I hear whether they'll give me money: 1 month. The waiting begins!
    2:48 PM Sep 1st from twhirl
    Discovered at ashtanga yoga tonight that I can do a decent headstand if I'm next to the wall.
    6:55 PM Sep 1st from twhirl
    ah, and I got rejected by the Santa Cruz job.
    6:57 PM Sep 1st from twhirl

    Got a flyer saying that people on food stamps can also sign up for govt-funded phone. I think that's an awesome idea.
    about 13 hours ago from twhirl


Today I did almost nothing of note. Tomorrow I dive back into the chaos. If there's another lull somewhere, maybe I'll post again this month...