June 30, 2004
Published
Jon's mother has been officially published-- a chapter in They Change Their Sky: The Irish in Maine. Although she is not Irish herself, she has done quite a bit of research on the Irish immigrants in the region of Maine she grew up in. Her degrees in history don't hurt either. Hopefully I'll get to read her contribution sometime.
Posted by criminal at 09:28 PM | Comments (1)
June 29, 2004
Long Weekend
I left work on Friday looking forward to a long and relaxing weekend.
I met Jon and his family that evening as they got home from their trip to California only to see them off again in the morning when they left for Virginia and their grandmother's 90th birthday party. I planned to spend the rest of the day reading and doing laundry at Jon's. Sunday would be more of the same, but with some lawn-mowing and sunbathing thrown in for good measure. On Monday, my day off, I hoped to go to the RMV in Lowell and finally transfer my archaic driver's liscence to Massachusetts. Jon and his family were supposed to be back on Monday afternoon, in time to catch dinner and maybe a movie with me. Then back to the daily grind on Tuesday.
It was after 1pm on Saturday and I hadn't even read 30 pages in my book when Jon called. "What would you think about coming to Virginia for the weekend," he asked. Apparently, one of the first things his grandmother and aunt said when they walked in was "where's Sarah?" So I booked a flight on AirTran (so cheap!) for later that afternoon, rushed to do enough laundry to wear, showered, fed the cat, closed up the house, and hurried off to LoganExpress. Because of some misplaced signage, I very nearly missed the bus to the airport. But I made it to the airport, onto the plane, into Virginia, and finally to Virginia Beach to meet Jon's grandmother after 9. We spent Sunday setting up and throwing her big birthday bash. I met more members of Jon's family than I can remember, but then again, it seems he can't remember them all either. By the time it was all said and done, we had just enough time to play a round of mini-golf. The next morning found us in the airport again, waiting for our flight. Except for a short weather-related delay and the limo driver's detour through Chelsea and Sommerville to avoid tolls, the trip home was good. And the rest went pretty much as planned.
Posted by criminal at 04:11 PM | Comments (0)
Any Materials Girls?
...or boys. Madonna loves people of all genders equally. So there's still one ticket to Thursday's Madonna concert if anybody is interested in going. It's going for about $60. Let me know ASAP if you want to join me.
Posted by criminal at 03:30 PM | Comments (0)
June 25, 2004
Five on Friday for June 25, 2004
1a. Something you like about your personality. I'm quite flexible and easy going. 1b. Something you dislike about your personality. I'm sometimes so flexible that I can't pick a favorite and end up in limbo.
2a. Something you like about your body. I love my strength. And my beautiful new(ish) boobs. 2b. Something you dislike about your body. I would have to say that I'm not particularly fond of my skin -- the complexion and color is fine, but it's prone to blemishes, scarring, and lacks the elasticity someone my age should be able to enjoy.
3. The best compliment you've ever received. Almost everythying Jon says to me.
4. Your proudest moment. When I realize a couple years ago that I had lost about 75 pounds on my own. With no special diet or plan. Just a little education and exercise.
5. Your most embarassing moment. Quite possibly having my skirt ripped off during a friendly shoving match in the Campus Center.
Posted by criminal at 03:52 PM | Comments (1)
June 24, 2004
True Blue
I am going to see Madonna at the Centrum on July 1. The Material Girl, live and in person. Honest. My old roommate Lauren had extra tickets, so I'm on my way. I am so excited I could burst. Madonna was my idol for years. I still love her fresh take on music and style.
Posted by criminal at 11:10 PM | Comments (0)
Too Much Time
Why on earth would anyone spend years of their life crossing out words they considered indecent in public library books? That poor man needs help and quite possibly a new hobby.
Posted by criminal at 11:44 AM | Comments (0)
June 23, 2004
Pale Moonlight
And even though I know how very far apart we are
It helps to think we might be wishing on the same bright star
And when the night wind starts to sing a lonesome lullaby
It helps to think we're sleeping underneath the same big sky
Somewhere out there if love can see us through
Then we'll be together somewhere out there
Out where dreams come true
[Somewhere Out There, An American Tail]
Posted by criminal at 11:51 AM | Comments (0)
June 22, 2004
Up to the Challenge?
I want to do this. Maybe I can convince a few other people to join me for the Fallon Five fun run/walk. It's only a mile. Or maybe a 5k at the CRIM. That would be cool.
Posted by criminal at 10:57 PM | Comments (1)
A Day Off
I took the day off, using up one of my precious vacation days. Well, at least they were precious until I realized that I'd have more than 20 of them in a few short weeks. Use 'em or lose 'em. Since I was going to miss a few hours this afternoon for doctor's appointments, I decided to take the entire day and try to get a few things done. Aside from sleeping in, I accomplished quite a few things: read Extra Virgin and Anna Karenina for a couple hours, did my dishes, put away clean laundry and towels, took more stuff down to the basement, dropped off books and things at Goodwill, planned a couple meals for Barbie's visit, went grocery shopping to get supplies for aforementioned meals, visited my doctor, browsed a local consignment shop for furniture finds, sorted and set out my recycling and garbage, made pasta salad, put the first coat of polyurathane on my new coffee table, cut more pieces for my mirror frame, made a crafty present for Jon, sicked Tia on a particularly ugly Riley Bug, and watched the Red Sox. Hopefully I'll have enough energy to do the last few dishes and clean up the living room before I go to bed and make it to the gym in the morning.
Posted by criminal at 10:34 PM | Comments (0)
June 21, 2004
Jeepers Creepers, Where'd I Get Those Peepers?
I think I have a peeping tom. It may be my imagination, but I could've sworn I saw someone standing outside my window in the shadows of the building next door. And it looked like he was doing something unmentionable as I stood in my pajamas, stain-sticking the shirt I had just changed out of. I tried to tell myself that it was just the breeze blowing the shrubs around, and turned away from the window and the three inch strip revealed by my shade. Then Tia jumped up, excited by something outside. I freaked out and calmly walked to my windowless bathroom, unable to hear for the pounding of my blood. As I realized that every window and door was locked, I started to relax. Despite my love of sunlight and open windows, I think I'll be pulling all my shades and blinds for a while. I'm not normally very jumpy or easily frightened, but still, I hope it was just a childish hallucination, like spotting monsters in my closet.
Posted by criminal at 02:14 AM | Comments (1)
June 19, 2004
Lovable Pirates
One of the people that I discovered pirating my images and bandwidth earlier in the month left a comment requesting that I remove my link to her site. And I fully intend to comply -- once she removes her to an image on my server that is. In her comment, she also gave plenty of excuses for her actions. So I wrote her this stern but kind response, which I hope she found enlightening:
Thank you for your explanation.
Unfortunately, it does not absolve you of your indiscretion. Because you like and participate in art, and associate with artists (I have read enough of your blog to know that you have an interest in theatre and music) I suggest that you familiarize yourself with U.S. Copyright law (http://www.copyright.gov). It holds that any art, including the photography on my site, is automatically copyrighted. In addition, notice of copyright is not neccessary. If you had looked at the code of my site, you would have seen that such a notice was present -- it was hidden to simpify the design.
You say you have learned your lesson, but from your abuse of my artwork, it is obvious that you have not. Once you gain permission to use an image on the Internet, you are responsible to host it yourself. That means you need to download it, store it on a computer you have access to, and link to it there. There are numerous tutorials on general web development and Internet ettiquette available to help you avoid this kind of situation.
I was not incensed by your use of my art, but your handling of it. You chose to link to it on my server, using the bandwidth that I have paid for to provide service to my site to decorate your own. It's the Internet equivalent of running an extension cord from your neighbor's house to power the TV you stole from them. Just because it's a small house doesn't make it any less of a crime. That kind of offense would make anyone angry enough to resort to name-calling. I am sorry you took offense to what I wrote in my journal, but to claim innnocence because you haven't taken the time to learn the rules and technology is a form of laziness. And I hope you work to correct that.
Since I would like to cooperate, I checked your site today. It still displays my "scarlet letter," meaning that you are still linking to images on my server. Once you have proven to me that you have learned your lesson by unlinking my images and the others you have "borrowed," I will amend my post and unlink your site.
Part of me feels mean for branding her with a scarlet letter. I could just shrug this whole thing off, chalking it up to the popularization of the Internet. But the larger part of me really wants to make sure she really learns what she has done wrong. Ignorance is never a liscence to break rules. Is that too harsh?
Posted by criminal at 09:50 PM | Comments (3)
Holy Mother of Millar
The Red Sox are out in San Francisco with Jon and his family. An unlike the family, who played SpyGlass today, their game wasn't off to a good start. The Giants beat up on Tim Wakefield by scoring at least one run in each of the first four innings. By the top of the fifth, our boys were down 7-2. The damage wasn't too bad when I left poker night, but on the way home Wakefield gave up a 3-run home run. I thought the rest of the game would be an exercise in humiliation and preservation. So I turned on the radio instead of the TV and opened a good book. The next thing I know, it's the fifth inning and Ortiz and Manny have belted out back-to-back home runs. We start moving runners. And then it happens: Millar comes up to pinch hit for the weary Wakefield with two men on base. I hear the crack of his bat as he makes contact. The announcers turn on the excitement as Barry Bonds races back to catch the deep ball. Then it's over the wall, bouncing off the top, just inches from Bonds' glove, lighting up the crowd. And just like that, we regained the lead and I earned my first Millar Card of the season. I was sure to call Jon to let him know.
Posted by criminal at 12:24 AM | Comments (0)
June 18, 2004
Five on Friday for June 18, 2004
1. What are your three greatest fears? Falling. Failing. Depression.
2. Name a crime or natural disaster you fear (or were a victim of). Drought.
3. What is your greatest fear about aging? The ever-increasing loss of brain cells and connective nerves that lead to general memory loss and slower cognition.
4. What was your most fearful moment? When I dialed a number on my missed calls list only to get the answering service for the emergency room in my home town but no voice mail to explain why someone I knew was there. (as it turned out, my father had a stroke and my step-mother was worried about leaving me a voice mail about something so important)
5. When people first meet you, what are you afraid they will think? I was about to write that I'm not afraid of first impressions, but then I remembered that I am often paralyzed by the fear that someone will think I am inconsiderate.
Posted by criminal at 12:45 PM | Comments (0)
Flavor of the Day
I finally ordered lip balm and lotion supplies. After sending out my survey last week, I was able to get a good idea of what flavors and scents would be most popular and pleasing. I would love to be able to just buy dozens and do actual taste tests to determine which to make, but at $3-7 an ounce, I can't really afford to do that yet. So I'm starting small. I have ordered lime and spearmint essential oils, vanilla flavor oil, and cool citrus basil, enchanted apple, and honey almond fragrance oils from Majestic Mountain Sage. I also want to order Chai Tea flavor oil and sweetener from Sweetcakes, but that will have to wait, since they have a $25 minimum order. If I'm still feeling adventurous, From Nature With Love has a bunch of very tempting flavor oils like almond, blueberry, brown sugar, cranberry, honey, maple, and pomegranate. I don't think I'll be able to pass up the blueberry.
Update: I did still feel adventurous, so I orderd most of the aforementioned flavor oils, along with some small sweet grass fragrance oil.
Posted by criminal at 11:51 AM | Comments (0)
Reboot
Mail is down. Ten minutes ago, our helpdesk said it was being rebooted and would be back up in a few minutes. I can't even open Outlook to check the mail I have saved locally, so I hope it's back up soon. And did I mention that Troy and Nick are out today? Amy called in too. So it's just me, the new guy (Alex), and Jake. I can barely contain my excitement.
Posted by criminal at 11:19 AM | Comments (1)
June 17, 2004
No Jon
Jon and his family left this morning for California and the beautiful Napa Valley. They'll be there for a week, then off to Virginia to celebrate his grandmother's birthday. I probably won't get to see him for another 15 days. I don't know what I would do with myself if it weren't for poker night tomorrow.
Posted by criminal at 05:31 PM | Comments (0)
June 16, 2004
Turn-Around
I placed an order for the new Phish CD on Amazon.com just a few minutes ago. I received my confirmation e-mail at 5:29. While waiting for that e-mail, I discovered that Target, my after work destination, was offering instant gratification at a much lower price. "Aww shucks," I thought, until that e-mail arrived, complete with a link to cancel my order. Try as I may, I couldn't find the damned CANCEL button. Apparently you can only cancel an order before it has entered the shipping process. And my psychadelic CD is already one step closer to me, according to the Amazon database. Not even ten minutes after I placed my order -- a mere 5 minutes after the confirmation e-mail was sent -- it was on it's way to me. Why advertise the opportunity to cancel if the opportunity never existed? On one hand, I'm upset that I'm spending $18 and waiting 3-5 days for a CD that would cost me $12 tonight. But on the other, I can't help but be impressed at their turn-around time.
Posted by criminal at 05:46 PM | Comments (2)
New Phish, Blue Phish, Last Phish.
Phish's latest album, Undermind, was released yesterday. I can't believe I didn't have it marked on my calendar. Especially since it will likely be their last. I'm tempted to buy it on iTunes, but then I won't have the disc to hold in my greedy little paws.
Posted by criminal at 09:17 AM | Comments (0)
June 15, 2004
1000
I really wanted to use this entry to complain about the temperature of the library (hovering around a sticky 81 degrees near my desk) but since it's my one thousandth, I won't. It's an interesting milestone. And within a few weeks, criminalgrace.com will be two years old. Some days it seems like I started this decades ago...
Posted by criminal at 09:58 AM | Comments (0)
Better
I feel better this morning, although a bit weak and light-headed. Last night I was able to eat some graham crackers, triscuits, and cheese without any difficulty. I opted for cereal and milk this morning. We'll see how that goes. I feel a little dehydrated, but I can't seem to drink my gatorade any faster.
Posted by criminal at 09:27 AM | Comments (0)
June 14, 2004
On the Positive Side
During one of the few moments when I wasn't in the bathroom this afternoon, the UPS truck delivered my package from Victoria's Secret. Hooray for new bras!
Posted by criminal at 05:30 PM | Comments (0)
Pepsi-Gizmo to the Rescue
I am a wreck. And I felt so good this morning, aside from that whole running late for work thing. Heck, I even felt good at what could've been The Most Dreaded Meeting of the Year, until the end that is. We ordered lunch from Ciao Bella and ate during our meeting. My angel hair primavera and chicken was excellent -- absolutely loaded with veggies and a light sauce. Within the hour I started getting intestinal cramps and had to run to the bathroom. I hoped that would be the end of it. By the time we made it back to our office I was feeling clammy and in quite a bit of discomfort. I thought I could work through what I figured was indigestion and gas, but I quickly changed my mind when I couldn't stay silent through the cramps or stay out of the bathroom for more than 10 minutes. It just kept getting worse. So I came home and collapsed in bed. An hour of vivid and strange dreams later, I felt better. Until I got up and started walking around. Then it was right back to the bathroom as the cramps and pressure started up again. I've taken some Pepto Bismal (or as my sister would've said 15 years ago, Pepsi Gizmo) and am drinking water. I'm not in as much pain as I was earlier, but I feel just as bad. I desperately want something sugary, but food is going to be off limits for a while. Especially those left-overs from Ciao Bella.
Posted by criminal at 05:22 PM | Comments (0)
June 11, 2004
Five on Friday for June 11, 2004
1. What was your very first login name? Why did you choose that name? She-ra. As in princess of power. I chose it because I thought I was powerful and wanted a name that reflected that. My first e-mail account was sthemm@gfn.org.
2a. Do you remember the first web page you ever visited? It was far too long ago to remember. The first I really remember visiting was for the Canadian Brass, because we had just gone to one of their concerts.
2b. What was the most recent web page you visited? Zoomerang.com to check on my bath and body product survey.
3. What was the first email you ever sent/received? Also too long ago to remember, although it was probably a welcome e-mail from the administrators and Genesee FreeNet. Oh wait. It was probably that nasty e-mail from them because I used a swear word in an e-mail that I sent from my mother's account because I didn't have one of my own yet.
4. What was the most recent email you sent/received? Information about the redesign project from Amy.
5. Do you have (or have you ever had) a web page of your own? What do you think you're looking at? My first site was hosted on geocities, back before they had subdivisions in the neighborhoods. I was Vienna/1811 because Alan was Vienna/1812.
It's about time for you to do your Five on Friday instead of just reading mine.
Posted by criminal at 04:30 PM | Comments (1)
June 10, 2004
Smoothalicious!
I've been bit by the crafty bug again. I want to start making lip balm again. And because that isn't enough, I also want to add body scrub. After experimenting with a few different concoctions last night, I decided it would be great fun. And since I work in a library full of women that would probably love to be my guinea pigs, I should be able to get plenty of good feedback. In order to decide what supplies to order, I need you to answer a few questions about your favorite flavors and scents in my neat little survey. If you have any problems taking it, please let me know.
Posted by criminal at 12:14 PM | Comments (0)
Barbie's Back
I got a call from Barb yesterday afternoon. She said she had a couple days off and wanted to come visit again, so I told her to come on over. Now that she's figured out that the drive is just over two hours, I suspect she'll be up quite regularly. Since I had plans for dinner with Liz, she went with us to Pho Dakao for some excellent Vietnamese food. Then we stopped at Living Earth (that store Amy hates because of all the hippies that give her dirty looks when buying loads of organic baby food) to pick up some ingredients for homemade body scrub. Tia was on her best behavior this time -- no hissing or teeth baring. Then again, Barb didn't try to molest her the moment she walked through the door, so that could have something to do with it.
Posted by criminal at 09:38 AM | Comments (2)
June 08, 2004
Stop. Thief.
These lazy idiots are using my photography, uncredited, on their sites. Not only that, but they don't even have the sense to download it to their own servers. So now they're not only using copyrighted work to decorate their lousy sites, they're stealing my bandwidth. I have turned on my host's built-in HotLinking protection. Unfortunately, it doesn't do everything that mod_rewrite does. And that's just a little out of my league. I need to figure out another way to make my scarlet letter for bandwidth thieves show up automagically on their sites. (Without renaming each of the pirated images, of course. I want a permanent solution.)
Update: OK. So it was a lot easier than I thought. I knew enough about .htaccess files and regular expressions to make it work for me. Now when you visit the sites linked above, you'll see my handiwork. At least until they take them down. I wonder if they'll even notice...
10 Days Later: Someone finally noticed. And since they have kindly removed my artwork from their site, I have reciprocated by removing the link to their site.
Posted by criminal at 06:07 PM | Comments (7)
I've Been Sorted
Congratulations on making Ravenclaw!
Well you're one smart little cookie, aren't you? You're wise and clever, and just love to use your wit and learning to your advantage, and sometimes even the disadvantage of others. Well, you nerd, there IS a world outside of that copy of 'Hogwarts: A History', ya know.. Oh don't worry! We all know you're special. You're just a naturally good learner, right? *mummble mummble* Not too much is known about your house right now.. Wow! You're not only intellegent, you're also an enigma!
be sorted @ nimbo.net
Thanks Jen!
Posted by criminal at 02:46 PM | Comments (0)
June 07, 2004
Time Suck
While surfing (and yes, I was actually "surfing" in the traditional sense) the Internet tonight, I found this nifty site. I tried a bunch of the games and found them simply cute. I didn't get hooked until I tried floats. Now my hand is all cramped. Despite my poor touchpad skills I managed to make it to level 5 with a high score around 2400. Then I found bauns which further entrhalled me. It's rare for me to get so caught up in a game, but a select few along these lines have been able to do it: Tetris, Atoms, and Jewel Thief are the only ones that come to mind. Try these, but be warned: they're like cute little black holes that suck you in.
Posted by criminal at 11:31 PM | Comments (3)
June 04, 2004
Quiz Time
Jessica Rabbit
Who 's Your Inner Sexy Cartoon Chick ?
brought to you by Quizilla
Posted by criminal at 10:18 AM | Comments (0)
Five on Friday for June 4, 2004
1a. The most famous person you've ever met. Dennis Rodman. Back when he was just "The Worm" and pulling down dozens of rebounds for the Pistons, I got his autograph. My cousin Tara, who was only three or four at the time, told him that he had a big nose. I was pleasantly surprized when he started giggling. He seemed pretty down to earth and friendly -- not at all the guy who went on to play for our arch rivals, the Bulls.
1b. A celebrity you'd like to meet. Martha Stewart.
2. A famous person whose diary you'd like to read. See number 1b.
3. The most annoying celebrity. Celine Dion. Or maybe Chris Tucker. Or maybe Don Orsillo (wonder if I'll get extra love for adding him...)
4. A person who ought to be more famous than he/she is. Paul Wight (the Big Show)
5. Your degree of separation from Kevin Bacon. 3!
1. I met Dennis Rodman at an autograph signing in 1991.
2. Dennis Rodman was in a movie called Eddie with a guy named Lou Criscuolo.
3. Lou Criscuolo was in Enormous Changes at the Last Minute with Kevin Bacon back in 1983.
How would you answer the Five on Friday?
Posted by criminal at 10:04 AM | Comments (0)
June 03, 2004
Fahrenheit 404
CNN announced that the trailer for Fahrenheit 9/11 is now available on Michael Moore's Web site. Apparently everyone wants to see it, because they don't have enough bandwidth to serve it to excited people like me. Darn it.
Posted by criminal at 10:33 AM | Comments (0)
Goodnight Sox
With the Red Sox playing on the west coast, where games start at 10 p.m., I haven't been able to stay awake for an entire game. I end up listening to the game in bed after 11:30 and falling asleep sometime around the 4th or 5th inning. And as I drift off to sleep, the Sox are always in the lead and playing to keep it. Imagine my surprize when I wake to find that they've lost. Both days. On Tuesday they blew a 4-3 lead going into the 5th. Last night they were up 7-5 into the 6th. No sooner than I go to bed, they start losing. Do I need to stay up so they can win? And an even better question: how stupid would I feel if I stayed up past 1 to watch them lose?
Posted by criminal at 09:39 AM | Comments (0)
June 01, 2004
Dr. Laura
Note to self: do not listen to WTAG (AM580) unless the Red Sox are on or you need weather and traffic information.
I turned my radio to WTAG for traffic on 495 this morning and turned it right back off when Tia started crying. When I got into the car this evening and turned the radio on, the station was at commercial, so I left it alone. The next thing I know, some quack is dispensing bad advice to people. Not being familiar with call-in advice shows, I listened for a few minutes as Dr. Laura told a woman whose boyfriend lived with his mom that he was a loser and she should dump him. There wasn't much back story: they were in their 30s, had been dating for three months, and he was happy living with his mother. She didn't give a crap about what kind of feelings the couple had for each other, how well suited they were for each other, or the circumstances surrounding the situation. She pronounced the man a loser and an unsuitable mate, told the woman that she was wasting her time, and proceeded to compare the situation to a movie called The Accidental Tourist. And the calls continued. Dr. Laura just seemed to get more annoying the longer I listened. I even started talking back to the radio. No more Dr. Laura for me... I can't voluntarily listen to such utter quackery.
Posted by criminal at 11:21 PM | Comments (1)
Millar Time
Up until yesterday, Kevin Millar hadn't hit a home run since April 23. That's a long stretch for a guy who blasted 25 last season. And it means no fun for those of us counting on those home runs to earn special favors from our significant others. I've been waiting all season for him to hit a home run in an odd inning so that Jon can owe me, but he still hasn't done it. He knocked one over the monster yesterday in the eighth. Darn it, I want home runs. In odd innings.
Posted by criminal at 02:44 PM | Comments (1)
Five on Friday for May 28, 2004
I was too busy to do my Five for Friday on Friday, so this will have to be good enough.
1. Do you believe life exists on other planets? Yes, but I'm not sure we'd recognize it.
1a. If so, what do you think will happen when we first encounter it? For our sake, I hope we don't encounter it until we're mature enough to do so. And based on our difficulties understanding the motivation of people from other religions and cultures on our own planet, we're a long way from that. With any luck, the aliens we encounter will be enlightened and benevolent as well.
2. Do you believe in reincarnation? Not in the traditional sense. I believe that the energy and little bits of matter that make me who I am will be redistributed throughout the universe and reincorporated into new things. They key is that I will cease to be me once that happens -- I'll become one with "the great hash brown in the sky," a really bad conceptualization of trancendentalist theory imparted to me by Mr. Ferriby, my American Lit teacher in high school. So, in a sense, I believe in reincarnation. 2a. If so, what/who would you like to come back as? In the above philosophy, "I" never come back. Bits of me may someday be incorporated into something cognizent, but I won't care or even know about it.
3. Do you believe in fate? No.
4. Do you believe in miracles? If you're talking about divine intervention, no. If you simply mean inexplicable, then sure.
4a. Have you ever witnessed anything you would consider miraculous? No.
5. Do you believe in ghosts? No.
Posted by criminal at 11:37 AM | Comments (0)