Personal

The stuff about me and my life. The “diary” side of blogging.

All about love

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This was posted a long time ago to the alt.music.nin newsgroup, where I picked it up. I have no idea where it originally came from. It’s been bouncing around on my hard drive for a while, and I figured this was as good a time as any to resurrect it. Enjoy!

Notes on love (by primary schoolchildren)

Concerning why love happens between two particular people
  • “One of the people has freckles and so he finds somebody else who has freckles too.”\
    Andrew, age 6
  • “No one is sure why it happens, but I heard it has something to do with how you smell…That’s why perfume and deodorant are so popular.”\
    Mae, age 9
  • “I think you’re supposed to get shot with an arrow or something, but the rest of it isn’t supposed to be so painful.”\
    Manuel, age 8
On what falling in love is like
  • “Like an avalanche where you have to run for your life.”\
    John, age 9
  • “If falling in love is anything like learning how to spell, I don’t want to do it. It takes too long.”\
    Glen, age 7
On the role of beauty and handsomeness in love
  • “If you want to be loved by somebody who isn’t already in your family, it doesn’t hurt to be beautiful.”\
    Anita, age 8
  • “It isn’t always just how you look. Look at me. I’m handsome like anything and I haven’t got anybody to marry me yet.”\
    Brian, age 7
  • “Beauty is skin deep. But how rich you are can last a long time.”\
    Christine, age 9
Reflections on the nature of love
  • “Mooshy…like puppy dogs…except puppy dogs don’t wag their tails nearly as much.”\
    Arnold, age 10
  • “All of a sudden, the people get movie fever, so they can sit together in the dark.”\
    Sherri, age 8
Concerning why lovers hold hands
  • “They want to make sure their rings don’t fall off because they paid good money for them.”\
    Gavin, age 8
  • “They are just practising for when they might have to walk down the aisle someday and do the holy matchimony thing.”\
    John, age 9
Confidential opinions about love
  • “I’m in favour of love as long as it doesn’t happen when”Dinosaurs\” is on television.\”\
    Jill, age 6
  • “Love is foolish…but I still might try it sometime.”\
    Floyd, age 9
  • “Yesterday I kissed a girl in a private place…we were behind a tree.”\
    Carey, age 7
  • “Love will find you, even if you are trying to hide from it. I have been trying to hide from it since I was five, but the girls keep finding me.”\
    Dave, age 8
  • “I’m not rushing into being in love. I’m finding fourth grade hard enough.”\
    Regina, age 10
The personal qualities you need to have in order to be a good lover
  • “Sensitivity don’t hurt.”\
    Robbie, age 8
  • “One of you should know how to write a cheque. Because even if you have tons of love, there is still going to be a lot of bills.”\
    Ava, age 8
Some surefire ways to make a person fall in love with you
  • “Tell them that you own a whole bunch of candy stores.”\
    Del, age 6
  • “Yell out that you love them at the top of your lungs…and don’t worry if their parents are right there.”\
    Manual, age 8
  • “Don’t do things like have smelly, green sneakers. You might get attention, but attention ain’t the same thing as love.”\
    Alonzo, age 9
  • “One way is to take the girl out to eat. Make sure it’s something she likes to eat. French fries usually works for me.”\
    Bart, age 9
How can you tell if two adults eating dinner at a restaurant are in love?
  • “Just see if the man picks up the cheque. That’s how you can tell if he’s in love.”\
    Bobby, age 9
  • “Lovers will just be staring at each other and their food will get cold…Other people care more about the food.”\
    Bart, age 9
  • “Romantic adults usually are all dressed up, so if they are just wearing jeans it might mean they used to go out or they just broke up.”\
    Sarah, age 9
  • “See if the man has lipstick on his face.”\
    Sandra, age 7
  • “It’s love if they order one of those desserts that are on fire. They like to order those because it’s just like how their hearts are — on fire.”\
    Christine, age 9
Titles of the love ballads you can sing to your beloved
  • “How Do I Love Thee When You’re Always Picking Your Nose?”\
    Arnold, age 10
  • “You Are My Darling Even Though You Also Know My Sister.”\
    Larry, age 8
  • “I Love Hamburgers, I Like You!”\
    Eddie, age 6
  • “I Am In Love With You Most Of The Time, But Don’t Bother Me When I’m With My Friends.”\
    Bob, age 9
  • “Hey Baby, I Don’t Like Girls But I’m Willing To Forget You Are One!”\
    Will, age 7
What most people are thinking when they say “I love you”
  • “The person is thinking: Yeah, I really do love him, but I hope he showers at least once a day.”\
    Michelle, age 9
  • “Some lovers might be real nervous, so they are glad that they finally got it out and said it and now they can go eat.”\
    Dick, age 7
How was kissing invented?
  • “I know one reason that kissing was created. It makes you feel warm all over, and they don’t always have electric heat or fireplaces or even stoves in their houses.”\
    Gina, age 8
How a person learns to kiss
  • “You can have a big rehearsal with your Barbie and Ken dolls.”\
    Julia, age 7
  • “You learn it right on the spot when the gooshy feelings get the best of you.”\
    Brian, age 7
  • “It might help to watch soap operas all day.”\
    Carin, age 9
When is it okay to kiss someone?
  • “When they’re rich.”\
    Pam, age 7
  • “It’s never okay to kiss a boy. They always slobber all over you…That’s why I stopped doing it.”\
    Tammy, age 10
  • “If it’s your mother, you can kiss her anytime. But if it’s a new person, you have to ask permission.”\
    Roger, age 6
How to make love endure
  • “Spend most of your time loving instead of going to work.”\
    Dick, age 7
  • “Don’t forget your wife’s name…That will mess up the love.”\
    Erin, age 8
  • “Be a good kisser. It might make your wife forget that you never take out the trash.”\
    Dave, age 8
  • “Don’t say you love somebody and then change your mind…Love isn’t like picking what movie you want to watch.”\
    Natalie, age 9

Nekkid

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Here’s a really interesting Flash presentation about being naked — sixteen volunteers photographed in various states of undress, with audio clips of interviews discussing various views on nudity, comfort and discomfort, and similar things.

Very nicely done, and being someone who’s been occasionally described by my friends as a “closet nudist” (if I’m at home, and the apartment’s warm enough, why bother with clothes?), I wholeheartedly approve.

(via Xeni Jardin)

Disgusted and depressed

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I’m getting so tired of…well, everything.

Every morning I get up, and every evening when I get home, I pop open my newsreader to browse through the day’s news and headlines. And every time, I find more and more that disgusts me, outrages me, and quite simply, makes me want to go back to playing ostrich and pretending that the world outside my own private little bubble doesn’t exist.

Iraq is in chaos due to our meddling, and that seems to be entirely acceptable. US soldiers stand by and watch while making racist comments (“Goddamn Iraqis will steal anything if you let them. Look at them.”), and Rumsfeld brushes off reports of hospitals being looted and priceless historical artifacts being destroyed as something that just happens (“Surprise me? I don’t know. Disorder happens every time there’s a transition.”). Meanwhile, it looks like the pieces are being set up for us to move into Syria (“PRESIDENT BUSH yesterday accused Syria of having chemical weapons. In the clearest sign yet that Washington is turning its sights on Damascus? links to terrorism, two of his most senior Cabinet members also warned the country against harbouring Iraqi officials.”).

Prominent Republicans continue to tighten their noose around America, working to extend the Patriot Act indefinitely, and Patriot II is still bouncing around Capitol Hill somewhere. Fully expecting Bush to run roughshod over any opposition in the 2004 Presidential race, rumblings are already being floated of who to put on the Republican ticket in 2008 — with the current front runner being Florida Governor Jeb Bush (“”If Jeb is in the mix” for the nomination, says a top GOP official, “it’s his.””).

I’m getting so tired of all of this. This isn’t the America that I grew up in, and have leared to respect over the years — even at times when I didn’t agree with its actions, the ideals our nation was founded on were strong, and until now, they’ve generally stood the test of time. Not anymore, however.

Admittedly, little of any of this has affected me directly. I’m lucky enough to be a white male, and therefore not too likely to be arrested and held indefinitely without being charged with a crime, as has happened to Mike Hawash. However, how much longer before we all start feeling the effects of the current regime’s drive for power and control? Not long at all, I’m afraid.

Anyway. Just grumbling, I guess — a little bitching and moaning to start my week off. Out of time now, though, so hi-ho, hi-ho, it’s off to work I go. Hope your weeks are starting off better than mine.

(Various links above via Chronicle Corvidae, Xeni Jardin, Stavros, and Tom Tomorrow [here, here, and here])

Ghosts, goblins, and Things That Go Bump in the Night

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Elizabeth: Six feet of addictions, Dyanna: Very superstitious…, Kirsten: Hey baby, what’s your sign?. There’s something of a mini-meme regarding obsessions, superstitions, the occult, and all things that go bump in the night running around right now.

(Hrm. Random side note — not all things that go bump in the night. I’d elaborate, but I try to keep this website somewhere in the PG to PG-13 range, and it’s a bit early in the morning to go veering into R territory. But I digress [oh, boy do I digress…]…)

I figured I’d go ahead and just start tackling the subjects in order. Given my tendency to babble, however, you’ll have to click on to keep reading…

Read more

Springtime storms

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Finding this post of Jeremy’s made me laugh today, simply because I’d spent part of the walk to work snapping away with my camera…

A storm of cherry blossom petals

Spring has definitely hit Seattle. The past two days have been really warm, and today the clouds that we’ve been living under for the past few weeks finally broke, letting sunshine flood the world again.

One of the things I like about living in the Lower 48 after so many years in Alaska is the riot of colors that nature produces. Alaska, while very pretty, tends to be rather monochromatic for much of the year — the white snow in winter, and the green of birch and pine in the summer. Even in fall, we only get a couple weeks of yellow when the leaves turn.

Winters here in Seattle tend to be pretty drab, but from spring through fall, the colors are just amazing. The sudden blooms of flowers and trees spreading througout the city bring everything to life again. We’re blessed with a fairly large number of cherry trees (or, at least, cherry blossom trees — I’ve yet to see any actual cherries), and the storms of pink petals swirling throughout the city are gorgeous.

More petalstorms

Theft is for the birds!

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This got passed on to me via e-mail at work today:

Bill owns a company that manufactures and installs car wash systems (Magic Wand Car Wash Systems, just in case you want to buy one). Bill’s company installed a car wash system in Frederick, Md. Now understand that these are complete systems, including the money changer and money taking machines.

The problem started when the new owner complained to Bill that he was losing significant amounts of money from his coin machines each week. He went as far as to accuse Bill’s employees of having a key to the boxes and ripping him off. Bill just couldn’t believe that his people would do that, so they set up a camera.

Scoping the territory

That’s a bird sitting on the change slot of the machine.

Make it quick!

The bird had to go down into the machine, and back up inside to get to the money!

Caught red...beaked?

That’s three quarters he has in his beak!

An accomplice at work

Another amazing thing is that it was not just one bird — there were several working together.

Once they identified the thieves, they found over \$4000 in quarters on the roof of the car wash and more under a nearby tree. The theory is that the birds were “cleaning” the coins out of the Auto Cashier in order to prepare it as a nesting place…but those coins just kept coming back!

(via Tim)

Random thought

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Was the phrase “another day, another dollar” coined (no pun intended) at a time when that was actually the average payscale?

I don't like Mondays

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Gah.

Home, tired, grumpy. Pissy, actually. The worst thing is, I’m not entirely sure why. Guess it was just a “Monday.”

I’ve had a slight headache for about a full day and a half now. Nothing major, and Tylenol kills it, but it doesn’t quite seem to go away. So that was a fun way to wake up.

Stumbled through my usual morning blahs (never having been a morning person), and made it off to work. Got to work, and was immediately handed a large pain in the butt job that I’d worked on Friday, but that had had a couple small problems. Fixing that took about the first hour of my day. Finished that off, started writing down my time on the billing sheet, and asked what the date was. The seventh? Oh, crap — that means Mom’s birthday was yesterday, and I’d completely spaced e-mailing her, posting something here, or calling her. Hence the mid-day “Happy birthday” post from earlier.

From there on out, it was just a grumble of a day. No job seemed to be simple, none of the customers seemed to give actual clear instructions of what they wanted, and Windows was fighting me at every opportunity. Every day I have to work with that damned operating system, it reminds me more and more why I’m a Mac person. Things that should be easy never are, and even the things that I know how to do are made more difficult than they should be. Grrr.

We have the beta of Office 2003 on our machines. Word just keeps getting bigger and bigger, and more and more bloated. There are now so many options that it’s almost impossible to actually find any one particular option if you’re not already familiar with it. You go looking for something, and you just end up buried in a sea of menu options and poorly worded checkboxes. Information overload.

I hate hate hate Word’s “Auto Format” feature. I know how to type, dammit, and I don’t need Word guessing/assuming that when I type one line and put a couple returns after it, that I really wanted that line to be twice the font size, in a different font, bolded and italicised. Dammit, if I want something formatted one way, I’ll format it. I want the program to do what I tell it to.

Oh, sure, people keep telling me that I can turn all those things off if I want. First off, where? I spent ten minutes digging through Word’s preferences trying to figure out how to kill that “feature.” I think I eventually found it, but I’m still not convinced. Secondly, why should I have to turn all these things off? Features are great, but in my world, they should be disabled by default. Then, if you need/want/use them, you can turn on the ones you want. But you shouldn’t be faced with an out-of-the-box configuration that has every little doodad turned on, just because it can be!

If I could ask one thing of the Word developers, it would be a simple dialog box that would appear on the first run, and could be (easily) found later on, that would switch between “brainless” mode (with every little doodad active), and “I actually have a clue” mode (where you can acutally work without the program getting in the way). Of course, they’d probably have to name them something else. Bummer.

Publisher (which, admittedly, as a long time PageMaker user, I’m already strongly biased against) is the worst offender in the “you’re too stupid to actually know how to do anything beyond drool on the keyboard” camp. “Wizards” are constantly popping up, asking me if I want to do this, or if I really wanted to do that, or if this is really the pre-formatted template I wanted to use, yadda yadda yadda. Just get out of the way and let me do my work!

Not only that, but for some bizarre reason, Publisher is the only Office application that can’t run multiple windows/documents within one session. Any other Office app can have multiple documents open at once, and if you close them all, the application stays open so that the next document opens faster. Not Publisher, though. Every document is a seperate instance, and when you close a document, you close that instance of Publisher. Close the last one, and Publisher disappears, so the next time you have to open a Publisher file, you have to sit and stare at the spash screen while the program loads. Sure, that’s only a matter of a few seconds, but when you’re dealing with tens of Publisher files per day, it adds up.

Anyway, yeah. Windows sucks. Office sucks. Microsoft sucks. I want to use a computer, not fight with it. Coming home to my Mac — even an old, slow, desperately in need of being replaced, 350Mhz blue and white G3 — is such a relief at the end of the day.

Then, I finally get to leave, and I walk into my apartment building and practically get a contact high while I’m in the entryway. Now, I’ve got nothing big against pot, or pot smokers, but it’s not something that I choose to do, and I’d rather not have to smell it every damn day when I get home. Apparently someone in one of the apartments right near the entryway to the building is one heck of a smoker, and roundabout 10pm is their time to toke up, because I’ve been catching whiffs every day when I get home for about the past three weeks, at least. Tonight was the worst it’s been — the smell was incredibly strong, strong enough that I was surprised that I couldn’t actually see the smoke, and I could still smell it at the top of the stairs on the fourth floor.

Ugh. Anyway. I think I’m done for now. Just had to bitch for a while. Time to go find some food…

Happy birthday, mom!

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I’m a day late posting this — I didn’t really think about the date this weekend, until I had to ask at work today what the date was (“It’s the seventh?! Ack!”) — but happy birthday to mom!