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interimlover inspired me to do this little exerciseThings I do not see the appeal of:
1. obsessing about logic and strategy for games you don't even play
2. Being bored or experiencing a lack of passion
3. Being right all the time (you are doing it wrong)
4. Wearing adidas, jeans, and a t-shirt every day
5. Hanging out in a public park in the middle of a major city all day on a weekend day
6. Going to a dance club by yourself
7. Polyamory
8. furry cats
9. small dogs
10. stale coffee
11. reading only non-fiction
12. Putting stickers on your car or your laptop, or displaying logos or slogans
13. insecurity and demureness
14. elizabeth tyler
15. recent rap (after 2000)
16. libraries (a stamped 'finish by' date makes me nervous)
17. children
18. crowded bars where you are pushed up against and it smells like hops
19. waiting for a month after a movie opens to see it
20. facial hair
21. burning man
22. most drugs
23. regrets
What about you?
Am I wrong about any of these? Are you a devotee? Why?
Stuff from
interimlover's list that he doesn't like that I do:02. Harry Potter (I sorta like the movies!)
03. musicals (I guess it's fun to experience the joy of being a huge dork and singing in public)
05. yelling at other cars that exhibit bad behavior or at the TV (I do yell at other cars, but mostly comments like "seriously?!" - it's a tension reliever)
09. perpetually full inboxes (you're doing it wrong) - (I'm definately doing it wrong. at #472 now)
13. video games that have no end (MMORPGS). This doesn't apply to arcade or puzzle games. (most open ended mmorpgs are rp social experiences that are always available when you want them)
22. obsessive documentation of vacations ( love taking lots of pictures and writing a lot of stuff down. I want to remember what happened later. I'm glad I still have the journals I wrote when I went to the north pole)
Her Majesty's Secret Beekeeper
3520 20th Street (Between Mission and Valencia!)
For this week only, Open all week 12-7.
Normal hours: open from 12-7 Wednesday - Sunday
There's a syndicated feed here:
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hmsbeekeeprfeed
On November 15th, I'll be joining more than 100 authors at the SomArts Cultural Center in San Francisco. Our goal: Write as much of our novels (did I mention I'm writing a novel this November?) as possible over six hours of food, drinks, and fun.
All the money I raise will go directly to the Office of Letters and Light, whose free programs such as National Novel Writing Month inspire tens of thousands of kids, teens, and adults to write books every year. Thank you so much for your support of my writing and for your contribution to the Office of Letters and Light's literary mission! If you can think of anyone else who might be interested in sponsoring me, please forward this page along to them!
NaNoWrimo is a very cool event that gives the pep talks, support, write-ins, and and deadlines that help people become authors. I think this is really cool. I've tried to do NaNoWrimo a couple of times, but I always let work and other things get in the way. Not this time.
The money I earn here will go toward supporting this program, and making it even better. Please consider donating to this effort!
You can donate online with a credit card. All donations are secure and sent directly to Office of Letters And Light by Firstgiving, who will email you a printable record of your donation. Please send my page on to anyone who might like to donate! CameoThe organization that continues to call you even after you opt out is called "Warranty Help Desk", "Warranty Solutions". They call you and request personal information about your finances and your vehicles. You should never disclose your personal information over the phone to an unknown company. This company cannot adjust your factory warranty, and they have zero knowledge about your car warranty, or if you even own an automobile.
Attorney Generals from 20 states are currently involved in a nationwide investigation seeking to stop this scam. The primary targets of this scam are the elderly, who do not realize that they are being sold worthless services and having their personal information stolen. They are selling a service contract with so many stipulations, conditions, and caveats, it is worthless.
This company is also 'spoofing' their calls. This is what consumer advocates call it when a fraudulent car-warranty company masks information to hide outgoing call numbers. It's a violation of the Telemarketing and Consumer Fraud and Abuse Prevention Act. My caller I.D. showed robocalls coming from a number that once belonged to a woman in Lawrenceville, Ga. It's now a disconnected line.
Consumers should observe the following tips and warning signs:
• Beware of any mailings that appear to come from your automobile manufacturer offering extended warranty coverage.
• Never give out personal financial information such as bank account numbers or Social Security Numbers over the phone.
• When considering an extended warranty, or any other telephone or mail solicitation, always insist on getting the complete terms and conditions of your agreement in the form of a written contract before you agree to sign up, pay any money or provide your credit card information.
• Never give out personal financial information such as bank account numbers, credit card numbers of Social Security Numbers over the phone, unless you are absolutely positive that you know the party with whom you are dealing.
• The Federal Trade Commission says consumers, before signing any extended coverage contract, should fully understand its terms and coverage. The agency also stresses that what consumers are actually buying is not an extended warranty but a "service contract." "A service contract is a promise to perform, or pay for, certain repairs or services. Although a service contract is sometimes called an extended warranty,' under federal law, it is not a warranty," the FTC said. "A warranty comes with the original price of the car, whereas a service contract costs extra. It is mainly this separate and additional cost that distinguishes a service contract from a warranty."
• There are many things to consider when you're offered an "extended warranty" or service contract." Consumers should beware that certain "extended warranties" do not always provide the peace of mind and financial protection that consumers expected. Many of these contracts, when closely scrutinized, exclude so many items that they really provide very little coverage for outrageous prices.
• Check out a business with your state Attorney General's Office and your local Better Business Bureau before you agree to do business with them.
Initially this call will state "this is the second notice that the factory warranty on your vehicle is expiring", and that they can get the warranty coverage back if personal information is divulged. Once you give them the vehicle information, and your personal information, they will transfer you to a overpriced and unethical (but legal) car warranty company such as VSI Vehicle Services Inc, National Auto Warranty Services of Missouri, Consumer Protection Services of Missouri, Auto One Warranty of California, Great Atlantic Warranty of Florida, Warranty Activation Headquarters of Missouri, Automotive Warranty Advisors of Florida, and Pacific Guard.
The telemarketers for this company are based all over the country, but the headquarters is in Tustin, CA. This company's business is in automated telemarketing calls including debt and mortgage consolidation. They change their name often. Most employees don't know if the company is a scam, but the turnover rate is very high. This company does not sell anything. Once they have you interested in resolving your factory warranty issue, they transfer you to another company which then sells you a worthless service contract.
What you can do:
File a complaint with both the FCC and FTC:
The FCC complaint website is at http://esupport.fcc.gov/complaints.htm.
FTC complaints do require that your number be listed in "Do Not Call" for at least 30 days before you can complain. The FTC complaint website is at https://www.donotcall.gov/complaint/comp
Contact your Attorney General:
http://www.naag.org/attorneys_general.ph
Hopefully these investigations will help!
LJ Meme originally uploaded by Cameo.
take a picture of yourself right now.
don't change your clothes, don't fix your hair...just take a picture.
post that picture with NO editing.
post these instructions with your picture.
- Location:94107
- Mood:
dorky - Music:Bush - Mouth (The Stingray Mix)
Edit: Taken. yay!
The NYT Story from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/28/dinin
"RRIE DASHOW dropped a large dollop of lemon sorbet into a glass of Guinness, stirred, drank and proclaimed that it tasted like a “chocolate shake.”
HOW’S IT DO THAT? Franz Aliquo, who calls himself Supreme Commander, right, supplied miracle berries grown by Curtis Mozie, left, to party-goers in Long Island City, Queens, last weekend.
Those who attended sampled the red berries then tasted foods, including cheese, beer and brussels sprouts, finding the flavors transformed. Beer can taste like chocolate, lemons like candy. Mr. Aliquo says he holds the parties to “turn on a bunch of people’s taste buds.”
Nearby, Yuka Yoneda tilted her head back as her boyfriend, Albert Yuen, drizzled Tabasco sauce onto her tongue. She swallowed and considered the flavor: “Doughnut glaze, hot doughnut glaze!”"
You can buy the fruit at:
http://www.miraclefruitman.com/
Go to a party at:
http://flavortripping.wordpress.com/
Buy the power form at:
http://miracleuk.info/international/
After about 14 hours of driving, I finally got to Cambridge around 10pm to move into my new apartment. I started carrying things up the flight of stairs in my place, and some random stranger stopped and said "you really shouldn't leave the truck alone in this neighbourhood, Central Square has a lot of theft and homeless. Do you have anyone that can help?"
I explained that I was just moving here for work and didn't know anyone yet, and certainly no one that I knew well enough that could help me right now. He then said he could help, and started carrying all my stuff up the stairs for me. He probably helped me for about an hour and a half without saying anything, and then as I was walking up the stairs, he said he had to go, and welcome to the neighbourhood. He waved and was gone before I could reply.
I still think of it now and again, and it was really one of the best moving experiences I ever had. Nice people kick ass.
whatifoundthere. He got a new-age vehicle with didgeridoos, but I got multi-cultureal but still firmly north african femme exotica.Instructions:
- The first article title on the Wikipedia Random Articles page is the name of your band.
- The last four words of the very last quotation on the Random Quotations page is the title of your album.
- The third picture in Flickr's Interesting Photos From The Last 7 Days will be your album cover.
- Use your graphics programme of choice to throw them together, and post the result.
A pinch of this,, a dash of that, and a huge handful of this created a drum, warbling female voiced concoction:
This is more like my dream album from my freshman year in college. exotic, smokey, warbling, mysterious, and too many unknown cultures.
- Location:Palo Alto, CA
- Mood:
bouncy - Music:The Studio - No Comply
The movie was a bit of a disappointment... It was beautiful, but left out the key plot points in the story, and replaced it with a 5-minute exposition of all the mystery of the novels. Worth seeing if you are a fan that wants to see a lot of the places made real, then it's worth your while. I just wish they'd do an extended version.
http://www.letschangethegame.org/
From the site:
Let's Change the Game is a competition to design an ARG (alternate reality game) to help the work of Cancer Research UK. The winning designers will receive funding to develop and run their game, and will be mentored by some of the best ARG designers in the world. Entry is open to anyone who wants to enter.
The team with the best game design gets £1000 ($2000) development money, plus advice from top game designers and access to Cancer Research UK's resources - which include over 600 stores, thousands of volunteers and hundreds of live events.
- Music:Bjork - There's more to life than this
- Music:Bat for Lashes
Jude from Borderlands helped me compile a list of Scifi/Fantasy books that take place in San Francisco- so I put it up on Amazon (I keep my Borderlands wishlist up on amazon just to have a central hosting place- I've not ordered from Amazon since 1999 or so).
So if you have any other ideas- let me know!
http://cameo.yelp.com
How much wood would a woodchuck chuck? Assume for purposes of this question that a woodchuck could chuck wood. Make sure to show your work.
My answer:
The Woodchuck, more commonly known as a groundhog, is a burrowing animal, and does not normally (up)chuck wood. The groundhog can, however, chuck dirt, and can displace 1 m³ or 320 kg of dirt when digging a burrow.
A woodchuck has a finite amount of possible chucking that it is capable of in one year. As the typical groundhog chucks dirt during it's traditional activity of underground burrowing, we will assume that the amount of wood that the groundhog is capable of chucking will be limited by the difference in density of wood (0.31 grams per cubic centimeter) and that of dirt (1.2 grams per cubic centimeter).
So if you want to assume a Woodchuck is limited by area of the volume, and not affected by it's density, then a woodchuck would move 1 m³ or 80 kg of wood per year. If you believed the gating issue was density and not area, then a woodchuck could potentially move 4 m³ or 1280 kg of wood per year.
A woodchuck hibernates for roughly eight months per year, leaving the animal about 120 days during which it can burrow and chuck. That would allow for about 10.7 kg of wood chucking per day.
edit: Mr.D of Mosedale suggested that I did not prove that a woodchuck has a finite amount of chucking per year, but I merely made an assertion. This is true- Phil of Puxatawney, Pennsylvania does not actually hibernate because he is kept indoors year round. Therefore, Phil (and other non-hibernating ground-rats) has a chucking potential of roughly 12 m³ or 3900 kg of wood per year.
another edit: I found out via the interweb that woodchucks in captivity can live up to 10 years. so that's about 120 m³ or 39,000 kg of wood for lifetime captivity chucking potential.
- Location:San Francisco, CA
- Music:The Ink Spots - I'll Get By (As Long As I Have You)
Yesterday, Maciej and I cooked all day - we made heirloom tomato and basil tarts in puff pastry, as well as a couple lavender-infused creme with blueberries in vol la vents. I think they came out pretty nicely. I even drove one over to the kind mr.
gordonzola before we drove the other to a birthday party at Azie.Whip up some puff pastry dough - this is the Recipe I used
Unfortunately, I didn't make the blueberries- that was Maciej's job. I'll bug him later about what he did.
for the creme, I took heavy whipping creme and put about 2 tablespoons of dried lavender buds in it, then boiled the creme for about 2 minutes, then let it infuse for about 30 minutes, then drained the buds out and put it in the refrigerator. Take out the Mascarpone to warm up. After about 30 minutes when it is good and chilled, mix it briskly until it forms soft peaks. Fold in 1/2 of the creme into the mascarpone, making sure they are mixed in together, then fold in the last 1/2 of whipped creme.
Meanwhile, Maciej lightly simmered the blueberries in a mix of cointreau liqueur, sugar, port, lime juice and zinfandel vinegar. Once the berries changed color and were barely cooked through, he took them out but left the liquid in. He then reduced the remaining liquid further and added a bit of creme of tartar to keep the sugar from crystallizing.
Then, when the blueberries and creme were prepared, we cut the puff pastry into a series of similar circles - and used an egg wash to paste one circle on top of the other- very lightly.
We popped the shells into the oven for 25 minutes, then while they were still hot, we cut holes in the centre with scissors and knives- they actually came out pretty well.
They we layered creme/blueberries/creme/blueberries, the glaze on the top garnished with a dollop of creme.
very lavendery, but they came out light and flowery.
- Location:San Francisco
- Music:Peter Gabriel - I don't remember
I wonder why I'm so quiet these days.
I wish I was writing and painting. I just always have work on my mind.
I'm happy, though.
I posted a lot of photos to flickr. http://www.flickr.com/photos/kiad/
I miss a lot of you.
