tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-186479482012-01-20T19:20:42.111-06:00The senses consume. The mind digests. The blog expels.<br><br> Certain individuals keep telling me that I should be a writer (Hi Mom). This is probably as close as I'll ever come to making that happen.Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.comBlogger3701100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-75525302213600391222011-12-14T07:22:00.001-06:002011-12-14T11:48:18.537-06:00

My wife and I are generally on the same page when it comes to matters of religion, money, and (not insignificantly) whether the free end of a toilet paper roll goes under or over. We do have some differences in the way we communicate, however. When she casually mentions that she means to do a load of laundry today, my natural response is to acknowledge this intelligence with something along the

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-3167672648233684862011-08-07T20:17:00.003-05:002011-08-09T06:47:07.669-05:00

It's still absurdly hot, here in the Lone Star State, so when Sweetie started muttering about her grocery list, this morning, I threw myself on the grenade and volunteered to go. No sense both of us getting all sweated up, and there wasn't a lot of produce on the list so how bad could it be? So I hied myself over to yon neighborhood Kroger, parked way the hell out where only the wild shopping

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-32107422077058569232010-09-20T07:12:00.001-05:002010-09-20T21:03:50.423-05:00

Did I miss the memo about today being National Spillage Day?* It's not even 7am yet, on my patch of the earth, and already I've seen two mini-BP events! The first came when I stopped at Kroger to fill Dorian's tank with gasoline. The woman on the other side of the pump must have negotiating world peace on her iPhone and was distracted, because she didn't bother to shut off the pump before

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-43720777079907985952010-09-05T21:10:00.002-05:002010-09-06T08:29:57.422-05:00

Earlier this evening, Turtle did me a proper by scooping the cat box and leaving the contents in a plastic grocery bag by the kitchen door. A little later than that, I returned the favor by walking the bag out to the trash cart. It was dark already, so I strapped an LED light to my forehead and made my way through the back yard and around the side of the house. As I walked, I noticed dozens of

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-52732343423151059262010-08-21T13:00:00.000-05:002010-08-21T13:00:28.429-05:00

I recently learned via Turtle that our neighbor across the street is recovering from cancer surgery. Yesterday, when I got home from work, the neighbors were just going in their front door, and from out of the blue came the thought that I should give my neighbor my yellow LiveStrong band as a show of solidarity. My neighbor and I are not close. He doesn't acknowledge my greetings when we're out

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-2297943478080516462010-05-06T07:40:00.001-05:002010-05-06T07:44:22.842-05:00

I've had to work some long hours this week, and last night I also dreamed that I had to work really late. In my dream, I was in a high-rise office building, which was mostly dark by the time I got ready to leave. As I stepped off the elevator in the lobby, the only person around was the guy at the security desk, and I could see that it was dark outside. I walked to the car in the pouring rain,

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-71266405987980675912010-04-14T19:19:00.000-05:002010-04-14T19:19:01.890-05:00

When a guy at work dresses down a subordinate for checking Facebook on company time and then spends the next forty-five minutes nattering on to his boss about his kid's sports activities, is that an example of irony? Or hypocrisy? A guy comes into the men's washroom and stands at the urinal. He has earbuds in and his iPod turned up so loud that I can identify the tune even as he talks very loudly

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-73121009597931026152010-04-14T06:48:00.002-05:002010-04-14T19:23:25.420-05:00

As I started setting up my cubicle for the morning, I noticed I was missing my cell phone. [crap] Then, I realized it was probably not lost but still in my gym bag [yay!], back at the house. [crap] But then I remembered that I had loaded my gym bag with clean workout clothes and placed it back in the trunk of my car [yay!]. All I had to do is go back out to the car and get it. [crap] Of

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-4450953591815183362010-04-10T11:14:00.010-05:002010-04-14T19:37:58.472-05:00

A few weeks ago, I was chatting with Dad on the phone. Our conversation wandered into genealogy territory (as our conversations often do), which led me to my sharing an anecdote about how Mom used to entertain me by making ink blots with a fountain pen she had when I was little. “You know, you ought to start writing stuff like that down,” he said. He reminded me of a book he had put together a

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-3365809599716060512010-02-13T11:26:00.000-06:002010-02-13T11:26:10.438-06:00

Once again, Valentine's Day lurks around the corner, snickering evilly, knowing that I have failed to come up with any grand romantic gesture to prove my love and pass The Test. Fortunately, My Lovely Bride grades on a curve (or claims to do); but I still like to do something, usually involving roses. So it was that I ventured out this morning in the wind and freezing fog to Kroger. I was

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-58454442645956587002009-11-29T08:40:00.111-06:002009-11-29T11:14:20.576-06:00

A couple years ago, we residents of Allen started hearing about the two big malls planned for construction just up the road from our house. With the malls would come a shiny new event center, and with the event center a Central Hockey League (CHL) hockey franchise of our very own. I was pretty sure I'd never heard of the CHL, but a friend pointed out that our as-yet-unnamed hockey team would be

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-78824158217513618502009-10-15T08:09:00.000-05:002009-10-15T08:09:06.117-05:00

The moment we walked in the door, Turtle gave me a strange look and I knew we were thinking the same thing: cat pee. We checked the obvious things first. I scooped the litter box; Turtle tracked down each protesting cat and gave it a thorough sniffing. Finding that neither was the source of the problem, we spent the next half hour moving from room to room, scenting the air like lions on the

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-88750915084878074682009-10-04T13:41:00.006-05:002009-10-04T19:41:30.709-05:00

This weekend, I've attempted to make a dent in my home maintenance to-do list, which means I had to make a run to the home improvement emporium. I needed weed and crabgrass killer for the nutgrass and other weeds I discovered while mowing yesterday, and some bags of pre-emergent for the next crop, which typically emerges in January. I needed fluorescent tubes to replace the long-dead ones in my

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-3208492962044056002009-06-22T07:03:00.005-05:002009-06-22T07:45:52.037-05:00

Most of you know, by now, that I've never reproduced. (Some – myself included – would say that this is a good thing, but that's a discussion for another day.) But don't let my lack of biological offspring deceive you into thinking that I spend Father's Day sitting alone and bitter, surrounded by power tools purchased to dull the pain. Oh no.For instance, this year the cats gave me a humorous

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-52694060666614838382009-04-01T19:15:00.004-05:002009-04-01T19:21:03.155-05:00

[5:20am, scant seconds after silencing the clock radio with a slap across the top of its head] Turtle: I'm sorry. Foo: What? Turtle: The cupcakes. [dramatic pause. freshly-wakened neurons stretch, sputter half-heartedly, and ultimately shrug non-existent shoulders] Foo: What the hell? Turtle: 'Cause my leg kicked out. Foo: Honey, what are you talking about? Turtle: I don't know.

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-80673433905805121042009-03-14T08:27:00.023-05:002009-03-15T17:11:48.556-05:00

Most anyone who has read this blog for any period of time knows that I had a smallish run-in with thyroid cancer, back in 2001. Most cautiously agree that I'm cured – except the life insurance providers, of course – but ensuring that I stay that way demands a certain level of vigilance. What that means is that I must periodically submit myself to a week-long protocol of injections, followed by

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-8589067609860542562009-03-10T07:08:00.007-05:002009-03-10T07:29:26.615-05:00

Act I[6:30am CST]Co-worker: [from a cubicle in the next row] Who's that I hear rustling around? Who's crazy enough to be here at this time of the morning?Foo: It's just me.Co-worker: What are you doing here so early?Foo: I've been here this early for about 14 years.Co-worker: That's just crazy.Foo: Think about that, the next time you consider dragging me into a meeting at 4:00. It could be just

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-58187823808403047302009-03-04T07:33:00.000-06:002009-03-04T07:33:59.589-06:00

Every workday for the past seven years, I've gotten out of bed, showered (and sometimes shaved), and then packed myself a lunch. If I'm reasonably awake, I make a sandwich, select some sort of fruit cup and maybe a pudding, bag up some manner of Frito-Lay product, and pack it all neatly inside a purpose-made Cordura® nylon lunch bag. If I'm not so awake, I may grab a hot pocket or a Lean Cuisine

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-11462174126474237872009-02-25T20:02:00.001-06:002009-02-26T07:21:20.818-06:00

I suppose it was bound to happen, eventually. This past weekend, I was down at Geek Heaven MicroCenter picking up a new surge protector I needed after rearranging Turtle's office. After standing in the checkout line for… well, ever… I finally got my turn at the register. I swiped my credit card and prepared to snatch my receipt before sprinting to the door. “Sir,” the kid behind the register

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-82903523471251899522009-02-10T12:47:00.015-06:002009-02-10T12:55:51.888-06:00

You know the economy is in the toilet when… The boss calls your team in for an emergency meeting. He prefaces his remarks with something like, “Well, I have some Bad News. I know this is something you're not going to want to hear, but…” He then proceeds to announce that there will be no raises this year. You're not only not surprised, but you realize that, under the circumstances, it doesn't even

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-56534874302863672542009-02-05T18:06:00.059-06:002009-02-05T18:36:14.795-06:00

Wow. It's been a month to the day since my last post here. That and the fact that you haven't seen any comments from me in your blogs should give some idea how I've been spending my time. If you're not the clue getting sort, let's just say I've been working. A lot. Before you start to suspect this is the beginning of a whinge, let me assure you that it's not. In an economy as bad as ours is (and

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-40320296172857394012009-01-05T06:56:00.002-06:002009-01-05T07:15:54.122-06:00

In the earlier years of internet availability, it was pretty unusual for some new time sink web toy to come along without my noticing. These days, I seem to be the last to know. Maybe it's because I'm a lot busier than I used to be, or maybe I'm just getting old, but I arrived a little late to the blog party. I only got on Twitter a month or so ago, not because I could see the point (lacking, as

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-54625793904291570342009-01-05T06:05:00.002-06:002009-01-05T06:28:20.562-06:00

6:05am, and I'm in a little earlier than usual, thanks to a 4:57 wake-up call that came in the form of a cat throwing up a hairball all over the afghan under which Turtle was sleeping. It's probably just as well that I got an early start, though. By the time we went to bed last night, the local news outlets were already whipping themselves into a lather about the potential for rain – and not

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-55878256789122658382008-12-30T08:45:00.000-06:002008-12-30T08:53:41.838-06:00

I don't usually pay a lot of attention to music or video mashups, but there was one that came across Blip.fm recently that blew my mind. And so I'm sharing the love. Check out DJ Lobsterdust's “Epic Black Rock”, a slick Frankenstein's monster of a rock juggernaut made up from Faith No More's “Epic”, AC/DC's “Back In Black”, and Queen's “We Will Rock You”.

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-21782534509221249012008-12-30T06:46:00.003-06:002008-12-30T06:52:52.153-06:00

Thieves Target Salvation Army, Three Other Dallas Charities Police are looking for thieves who broke into several Dallas charities over the holiday weekend, including the state headquarters of the Salvation Army on Harry Hines. Detectives do not believe the burglaries were committed by the same people. Link Not committed by the same people? Oh, well… that's not so bad, then.

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-64322432064033509942008-12-28T08:13:00.001-06:002008-12-28T08:17:38.306-06:00

Oh. That seems straightforward enough. (A tip of the propeller beanie to my lovely bride, who sent me the link to this video.)

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-58349056480228616632008-12-25T13:32:00.002-06:002008-12-27T08:02:15.648-06:00

Ah… another glorious 70-something-degrees Christmas day in North Texas! Here, at the Turtle 'n' Foo house, we'd like to extend to all of you our best wishes for an enjoyable and blessed Christmas day.

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-56364213125457969502008-12-22T12:00:00.003-06:002008-12-22T12:45:48.789-06:00

In a sweetly magnanimous holiday gesture toward my friends and/or coworkers, Turtle sent goodies to work with me today. She lined an 11"x14" cake pan with festive tissue paper and packed it with an assortment of snickerdoodles, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, peppermint fudge, cranberry bread, and (the infamous) cinnamon popcorn. She gave me clear instructions regarding the manner in which these

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-4403144622436264012008-12-21T11:58:00.002-06:002008-12-21T12:11:28.071-06:00

A fellow blogger (who will remain unnamed only because I'm not sure she'd want the publicity) recently turned me on to new(?) web site called Blip.fm. Think of it as Twitter, but with music as the focus and cross-pollinated with Google.I've always had eclectic musical tastes and used to think that disc jockeys had the absolute best job in the world. At least, until I came to realize that most

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-40834145913382438272008-12-21T11:13:00.003-06:002008-12-21T11:49:57.222-06:00

Yesterday, Turtle went on a holiday baking spree, and the house smells like cookies and fudge and popcorn drizzled with melted “red hots” (cinnamon candy). Turtle: I hope I didn't scald myself. I spilled molten red hots all over the leg of my jeans.Foo: You okay?Turtle: I… yeah. I think so.Foo: Then can I start calling you “sugar britches”?Turtle: That depends on how you'd feel about living with

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-45161704620981294302008-12-14T13:21:00.005-06:002008-12-14T13:21:01.161-06:00

17 May, 2002Good news today. I had my full-body scan, and the verdict came back alles klar ('all clear'). What a enormous load off my mind and a relief for all those who care about me and have been praying for just such a result.Of course, I had to get the information from one of the other doctors. Mine was 'out of town', which was just as well, as far as I'm concerned. God help him to see more

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-9199051885015403182008-12-13T13:20:00.006-06:002009-06-22T07:15:22.380-05:00

2 October, 2001Went back for another follow-up today, and the doctor says he thinks everything is right on track. I told him that I thought my dosage is still too low, and he said that we'd just have to wait for the blood tests to come back on that.(Note: A week and a half later, I got a copy of the test results in the mail, along with a new prescription for a higher dosage.)24 March, 2002I'm

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-45411437521819252502008-12-12T13:17:00.007-06:002009-06-22T07:16:05.996-05:00

1 August, 2001I had my appointment with the endocrinologist this morning. No poking or prodding or bleeding, this time around, but I got some answers about where we go from here. He seems pleased with my recovery to date and confirms that I'll be off my hormone pills until August 13. At that time, I'll go to his office and take my "magic bullet", which is how he refers to the I 131 treatment. No

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-77302707726259267102008-12-11T12:00:00.008-06:002009-06-22T07:16:43.923-05:00

25 July, 2001Went to see the doctor (surgeon) today. More blood work to check my calcium and phosphorus levels. There's not really anything new to report about my condition, except that the doctor is happy with my healing and has set his assistants to working out the next steps with the endocrinologist. So far, I've had a call back saying that the endocrinologist's office is saying I'll probably

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-18403590040038552292008-12-10T13:13:00.006-06:002009-06-22T07:17:45.234-05:00

3 July, 2001: The AftermathHere's what happened. I went in to the hospital this past Friday, June 29, and things got underway pretty much on schedule. My buddy Kyle took me there and hung around to keep me company, which I was glad for, because I'm a big crybaby and was feeling pretty nervous. Around 12:00, John, the day nurse, came in, gave me some pills to take, and warned me that I'd be

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-6735672821882880972008-12-10T07:54:00.000-06:002008-12-10T07:57:52.733-06:00

Here's one of those headlines that sends you off in an entirely different direction from the story: Mexican Citizen Busted At Border For Crabs.

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-87719902000884598482008-12-09T13:04:00.008-06:002009-06-22T07:18:27.309-05:00

25 June, 2001: Meeting the SurgeonI had my first appointment with the surgeon who will be removing my thyroid, and we spent about an hour getting acquainted and discussing the procedure. A trim, neat man in his late 40's, he spoke with a soft Texas drawl and drew diagrams of the throat and thyroid on a napkin (I wish I'd kept this to scan). He used this impromptu teaching aid to explain

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-34121453116610299512008-12-08T13:00:00.005-06:002009-06-22T07:19:06.871-05:00

5 June, 2001: On Pins and NeedlesWell, needles, at least. I had my biopsy this morning and, while it falls way down my list of Bad Things™, it's not an activity in which I'd care to participate on a regular basis. True, the needles themselves weren't diameter of a coffee stirrer, as one of my 'friends' had claimed, but there's a bit of fishing around; by the 5th and 6th samples, I was pretty

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-70716421671204850282008-12-07T08:30:00.005-06:002009-06-22T07:19:52.120-05:00

22 May, 2001: Status UpdateI had my appointment with the endocrinologist and, although he shared with me that my situation doesn't fit any of the classic profiles for thyroid problems, he was able to tell me, with some certainty, the following: My pituitary is working fine and doesn't indicate any kind of tumor. Basically, the pituitary secretes a Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (or TSH), which

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-82447211223023471342008-12-07T08:02:00.007-06:002008-12-07T08:18:48.886-06:00

Q: Why do computer programmers confuse Hallowe'en with Christmas?A: Because Oct 31 == Dec 25Yeah, I know: lame. But if I'd written it as “318 == 2510” the joke wouldn't have been obvious.

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-89464223756617521432008-12-06T13:26:00.003-06:002008-12-06T13:55:10.046-06:00

Q: What's small, blue, and full of everything from Benny Goodman and baroque allegros to The Offspring's Hammerhead? A: My new iPod Nano. That's right: after reading about all of you and your fancy-schmancy music devices (and frequently talking about one for myself), I finally caught a sale at Best Buy and picked one up. It's not my birthday yet, and Turtle and I aren't really planning a lot

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-32603067244142954742008-12-06T12:41:00.010-06:002009-06-22T07:20:31.088-05:00

In 2001 BB ("Before Blogging"), I was diagnosed with a malignant but slow-growing variety of thyroid cancer. While going through some old directories on my computer, I stumbled on a web page diary I kept at the time to keep friends and family up to date. I figured I'd post those entries here because, in retrospect, the whole experience was sort of funny.25 April, 2001: Mysteries and MayhemA

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-79024193268451474312008-11-22T15:49:00.007-06:002008-11-22T16:37:29.025-06:00

Last weekend, I volunteered to go along with Turtle to the grocery and push the cart. She can manage on her own – though the how of that remains an amazement – but I like to help out when I can. The one rule is that I'm only along to serve as brute labor. Requests such as, “Would you grab a package of macaroni and cheese off that top shelf?” are fine, but questions requiring decision making (a la

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-36905016402712884962008-11-22T12:32:00.002-06:002008-11-22T15:48:55.884-06:00

By this time last week, I'd packed up my desktop workstation, my technical books, and the rest of the contents of my cubicle. Unseen hands and backs were conveying these things to a new location about five miles down the road, in colorful plastic rental crates that smelled faintly of orange cleaner. Based on the tour of the facilities that we'd received a couple months ago, I wasn't feeling

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-3412577859062846202008-11-16T08:16:00.000-06:002008-11-16T08:43:00.962-06:00

I've long felt that I do some of my most inspired thinking just after waking in the morning, while in the shower. On those occasions when I share this information with family or coworkers, the listener tends to smirk and imply that my inspirations may not be entirely technical in nature. Which is why I was interested to find Cameron Moll's posting, “Why thinking in the shower may be an ideal

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-68599869573651299102008-11-04T18:37:00.001-06:002008-11-04T18:39:59.644-06:00

I was wondering what Turtle's up to when I'm not around…

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-49736109624372821762008-11-04T07:17:00.003-06:002008-11-04T08:43:30.982-06:00

I need a break from all the election hoo ha. How about you?Now, if you've got that song stuck in your head and need to dislodge it, I recommend this.

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-20805095219773981242008-11-02T06:34:00.004-06:002008-11-02T07:38:29.565-06:00

It's good to be home. It was good to be on vacation – even better than I expected, since I couldn't get a VPN connection and so couldn't do any of the work I'd intended to take on as a compromise to not going at all – but it's always good to be back home. Everything's still standing, which tells me that the cats didn't get too angry about being abandoned and that the neighborhood kids didn't

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-53437818916504686652008-10-24T15:11:00.001-05:002008-10-24T15:11:48.306-05:00

I got a card in the mail last week notifying me that it was time to renew my driver's license, and would I kindly take time off from work to schlep to the nearest outpost of the Texas DPS to address the matter. No biggie. I took today off so that I could prepare for tomorrow's drive to Florida in leisure, so I got myself around, rounded up the check book and my social security card (do you know

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-32287073719050844542008-10-14T07:09:00.008-05:002008-10-14T18:15:55.615-05:00

It's 6:50am and I've been at my desk, working, since twenty past six. Only one or two others are here this early, and they're elsewhere on the floor. It's very quiet, and only every third or fourth ceiling fixture is lit. It's very peaceful. I hear someone get off the elevator, talking loudly on her cell phone and jingling her keys. I hear the noisy flip-flap of sandaled feet approaching from

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-84772371531219128292008-10-13T08:13:00.003-05:002008-10-13T08:27:50.427-05:00

Or more to the point, tax.I recently received an email that provided a comparison of the taxation proposals for the two major presidential candidates. I found this information to be quite nauseating enlightening, but these days there's no telling where the information being passed around in emails might have come from. I'm sure Snopes is getting a real workout.Anyway, I checked out The Tax

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-5132614478213102762008-10-09T14:53:00.002-05:002008-10-10T06:46:06.482-05:00

Or maybe eye shadow on a javelina.Aaanyway… it's not political. It's a new blog skin.Now playing: Aimee Mann, I'm With Stupid

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-61899609453470454452008-10-08T06:33:00.007-05:002008-10-13T07:48:00.803-05:00

Over on Pickled Beef, Tink asked for a little help in restoring her faith in humanity. I don't get out much and so didn't see any continuum-altering opportunities for good deeds, but I did what I could.About half a mile from our house is a nice recreational park. It's mostly an open field used for kids' soccer practices and the occasional Sunday morning cricket match (seriously.), with a splash

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-73481417372853235782008-09-26T06:41:00.020-05:002008-10-13T08:33:16.692-05:00

I've been watching quite a bit of television this week. It's “National Stay At Home Week”, so I pretty much had a gun to my head. Maybe that's why I'm just now starting to see the adverts for Votexas.org (a URL so clever that my well-trained fingers find it difficult to type). So far, I've seen half a dozen of the TV spots and heard a couple on the radio. Of these, one depicted a male

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-20719958950053850922008-09-24T06:52:00.003-05:002008-09-24T08:41:26.848-05:00

As a consequence of our latest acquisition, we'll be pulling up stakes and moving to a new office again, in a couple months. The facilities manager for our region came and did a presentation a couple weeks ago and did her best to reassure us that the new quarters were going to be “really nice” – but I don't think my subconscious is buying it.When my alarm went off this morning, I was in the

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-62221426671663500562008-09-19T12:04:00.007-05:002008-09-20T17:29:44.265-05:00

I arrived at the office this morning, docked my laptop, and booted up the coffee pot. I had barely begun pulling down the day's latest code changes when I heard a noise – kind of a creaking screech, and only once. About 15 seconds passed before I heard it again.Great, I thought. The A/C system's about to start making a racket again.The third time, I stood up to try and locate the source of the

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-86901306237980482312008-09-10T07:04:00.005-05:002008-09-10T08:03:43.996-05:00

Jeepers! Blogspot hasn't deleted this thing yet?When I recently came up for air and poked my head out of my cubicle, here are a few bits of interesting news that had transpired while I wasn't paying attention:Large Hadron Collider. Wait. There's a machine that could create an earth-devouring black hole? How did this happen, and why wasn't I notified??Lance Armstrong. Come on, now. You didn't

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-89404870593320033282008-08-19T08:02:00.003-05:002008-08-20T07:20:57.847-05:00

In honor of this year's hosts, I'd just like to say, “我有一個活鱒魚在我的內褲” 。But seriously, the Beijing Olympics have been a lot of fun for me:I'm not generally a big fan of swimming – not watching it, and certainly not doing it. But seeing Michael Phelps' historic run has turned me into something of a bandwagon jumper. Just amazing.Ditto women's gymnastics. Never mind that part of me cringes every time

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-42126592792906395052008-08-07T06:28:00.004-05:002008-08-07T06:36:13.788-05:00

The conversation went something like this:Turtle: Did you put on a fresh pair of jeans today?Foo: Yeah.Turtle: …Foo: Why? Is there something on them?Turtle: No. Did you lose weight?Foo: Some. I'm down to 160, last time I checked.Turtle: Oh.Foo: What is it? Are you saying these jeans look bagged out already?Turtle: Well–Foo: Wait… I'll put my wallet in my pocket. That'll help.Turtle: Now your butt

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-12053548333467661212008-07-22T16:00:00.006-05:002008-07-22T20:46:04.573-05:00

This past Saturday was the 24th annual Tour de Paris, one of my favorite rides each season. This year was especially notable because Turtle decided to take advantage of the relatively flat route and go for a personal best distance on the 30-mile route. I was signed up for my usual 100K but had promised myself to back off last year's 18.9 mph pace.We rolled out of bed at 4am, got everything loaded

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-45498776599586273562008-07-15T21:02:00.005-05:002008-07-22T14:28:35.435-05:00

At around 1pm today, I received an e-mail with an offer of employment. Same salary, slightly reduced job title.I guess I didn't realize how unsure I really felt about my future, because I actually got choked up when the letter came.Thanks again for all your prayers and support. Maybe I'll type aloud the name of my new employer, once I know how the company feels about this whole blogging thing.

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-54863934088606879432008-07-15T06:59:00.021-05:002008-07-15T21:34:35.652-05:00

After nearly a season's worth of encouragement from my friends and riding partners, The Stradas, I finally took my first taste of randonneuring. Granted, it was only a 100K (≅ 62.5 miles) “populaire” – next to nothing for these folks, many of whom hardly consider it worth getting out their bikes for fewer than 100 miles – but it gave me a sense of this type of riding.We met in a school parking

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-45524999944691900012008-07-09T13:44:00.003-05:002008-07-22T14:29:23.553-05:00

Okay, maybe that's overstating things just a bit, but I received an e-mail this morning from my manager that brightened my day. He says that I, along with the rest of my immediate project team, will not be among those to be laid off. I don't have any other details, since I've been off this week, trying to burn some floating holidays that I'll lose if I don't use them in a hurry. But knowing that

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-10189994683564515972008-07-01T07:15:00.005-05:002008-07-04T09:26:32.421-05:00

I guess it's that time of year again. I learned last week that the company that acquired my employer a little over a year ago has itself been acquired. And all that that implies.Right now, I'm enjoying the rudderless feeling that comes with not knowing whether or not I'm going to be one of the people who receives a job offer from the new owners. I guess I'm not overly concerned, since the buyer

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-27084798004319755092008-06-15T06:43:00.014-05:002008-06-16T19:05:12.911-05:00

The weather report for the 17th Collin Classic was for a 30% chance of rain with a high of 95 °F. No surprises there; the Collin Classic has a history of being the first ride of the season that really makes heat management an issue. I've participated in this ride each year since 2004, and I can recall a couple years when I took a little too long on the course and barely managed to drag myself

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-42219456412067716912008-06-08T07:58:00.007-05:002008-06-30T20:30:40.496-05:00

A few months ago, the Norton Internet Security package that came installed on my laptop popped up a window and informed me that a free upgrade to the 2008 version was available. I figured this meant that Symantec was dropping support for the product I had installed, so I accepted and installed the 2008 upgrade.I should have known better.Since installing Norton Internet Security 2008, the most

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-63140546677409836012008-06-06T07:11:00.005-05:002008-06-06T07:35:49.827-05:00

I'm sure the notion of being able to interact with your Windows computer by poking and stroking the display sounds really great to a lot of people. Not me. I find overzealous co-workers' fingerprints on my monitor only slightly less irritating than the wingnut on the other side of my cubicle wall, who has recently added thunderous flatulance to his extensive repertoire of humming, slurping,

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-35995652446484730332008-06-05T18:11:00.006-05:002008-06-06T07:24:50.628-05:00

Okay, I get it. By the end of the summer, we spoiled Americans will be shelling out $6 for a gallon of gasoline. The Europeans must be giggling themselves silly, and they probably have the right. After all, even I (arguably an American) am appalled (chagrined. disgusted.) when I see all my fellow road hogs out there guzzling a couple dinosaurs a day, just so that they can drive their Expeditions,

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-27577396656949350402008-05-28T19:05:00.010-05:002008-05-30T21:35:00.253-05:00

In 2001, Turtle and I were conducting our long-distance courtship and doing our part to keep TWA in business. A typical visit had me catching a flight to St. Louis on Thursday after work. We'd spend the weekend trying to soak in as much of each other as we could before Turtle dropped me off at the airport and send me back to Texas on Sunday afternoon. It got to be pretty routine, but there was

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-59096795345476570882008-05-06T04:52:00.010-05:002008-06-01T09:31:48.101-05:00

As I look back on last year's post-ride report, I can see that I waxed rather poetic about my first MS 150 experience. This year's ride, though no less deserving, won't get quite the same treatment mostly because it's more difficult this year to find the time to wax.Last year, we had rain the first day, high winds the second day, and generally gloomy weather all weekend. This year, we had two

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-43803971892496042772008-04-29T19:29:00.009-05:002008-04-30T06:56:36.831-05:00

I've been having a disappointing amount of trouble (or a troubling amount of disappointment, perhaps) getting my climbing legs this year. Last season, I felt like a mountain goat; this year, I just feel like an old goat. I haven't had to walk this many hills in the entire time since I switched to the recumbent bike.To say I've been feeling dispirited is an understatement. Turtle's gotten tired of

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-63712296763682804772008-04-11T07:27:00.001-05:002008-04-11T07:27:47.904-05:00

And you thought eating at Jack In The Box was a death-defying act.Dinner in the Sky

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-61893325781914660002008-04-10T17:51:00.008-05:002008-04-10T19:01:15.357-05:00

Spring in Texas means storms. Lots of storms. Noisy, windy, disconcerting storms in such quantities that one is tempted to mute the alarm on the weather alert radio just to avoid being wakened every 15 minutes, as some squall line or another claws its way inexorably eastward from Weatherford to Paris. “One” being me, in case that one got by you.So it was business as usual when last night's news

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-80888994748416022852008-04-08T21:15:00.005-05:002008-04-08T21:26:57.821-05:00

Brian Dettmer slices away layers of pages in books to expose the interior illustrations and create from them layered three-dimensional sculptures. I admit to being a bit squeamish about the notion of carving up the New Testament, but this is amazing stuff.See at Centripital Notion and Aron Packer Gallery.

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-1050879841238932742008-04-08T04:44:00.007-05:002008-04-08T06:47:37.793-05:00

In the interest of full disclosure – and because I don't really have anyone else to make fun of write about, just now – I feel I should share something that happened this past weekend.It was a bit brisk outside when I started getting myself together to ride Saturday morning, so I was procrastinating a bit about getting my stuff together. Finally, I'd convinced myself that it really wasn't that

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-56284807659086345362008-04-07T07:36:00.004-05:002008-04-07T07:50:13.430-05:00

I know that I sometimes veer a bit too far into the realm of geekdom for the tastes of some, but I hope you'll bear with me today, as I share a couple links.Scratch, Chicken. Scratch.Sometime between when the nuns gave me poor marks on my report card for holding my pencil “wrong” and my twenty-something years, I developed an artish passion for handwriting and calligraphy. The most significant

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-50186728023536904682008-04-06T07:00:00.009-05:002008-04-06T09:04:35.598-05:00

With about four weeks to go until the Frisco-to-Ft. Worth MS 150, things are finally beginning to fall into place. On the hells heels of a two-week period when I worked over 140 hours, my manager assures me that we're out of panic mode. That means I should have a few full weekends when I actually get to try to put some miles under my wheels instead of sitting inside, pecking away on my

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-63626676591223369052008-03-27T20:18:00.011-05:002008-03-29T08:36:00.437-05:00

The last time I can remember the WKU men's basketball team getting this far in the NCAA tournament was in the last century. I was living in Dallas in 1992. WKU alumni made up about a third of the 80 or so employees at the company where I worked. My best buddy from college lived on the other side of town, but he came over and joined the bunch of us to watch the game at Joe Willy's and cheer on the

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-2855659423122063472008-03-24T20:25:00.010-05:002008-03-25T19:54:53.549-05:00

(I admit it. This started as a comment on another blog, but these days I have to fan my faint sparks of inspiration as I find them.)I ended up having to spend most of the long weekend working, but on general principal refused to crack open the work laptop on Easter. So, while I was flipping channels, trying to find something interesting to watch while waiting for the NCAA game between WKU and USD

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-89569362637092018742008-03-23T17:30:00.008-05:002008-03-24T19:55:31.934-05:00

(I actually began this posting on 2/29 and am only now finding time to get back to it. I hope it's not too dated.)Last night was another of those nights. You know the kind: you sleep solidly, but your subconscious comes up with such such a full itinerary that by the time the alarm clock goes off, you're ready for a nice nap. On last night's agenda: primary elections.I dreamed I'd gone down to my

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-55534287048937774112008-03-06T17:32:00.009-06:002008-03-09T10:08:27.044-05:00

Conventional wisdom has it that if we're going to get any snow here in Texas, it's going to happen in February. Riiight...Don't get me wrong. I'm not under any illusions that this is a noteworthy snowfall in any locale that actually gets snow more than once every other year, but considering the amount of chaos that even rain causes around here, it's enough to turn a half-hour afternoon commute

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-71814470448513976722008-02-23T12:42:00.017-06:002008-03-16T20:13:50.465-05:00

Donate Online!Last May, I rode in my first ever Sam's Club MS 150 (Frisco/Ft. Worth). Along with the rest of my team, I rode a little over 150 miles over two days. Thanks in large part to the support of the blogging community, I was able to raise $500 for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.Well, I'm back for more, and I hope to do even better this year.On May 3-4, I'll be riding with The

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-28313223768950346872008-02-23T11:26:00.001-06:002008-02-23T15:42:37.126-06:00

Hi gang! Remember me? I'm the guy who used to post here with annoying regularity* in those halcyon days before my employer got bought out, I got assigned to a different development group, and I was issued a laptop computer as a perk** of my new position.It's not that I don't think of you guys. I do. Weird and snark-worthy things are happening to me on a regular basis, but by the time I get to a

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-73600902024020759292008-01-27T14:22:00.000-06:002008-01-29T07:01:06.503-06:00

Circa 1981. Shot with an Olympus OM-1N on Tri-X (and a tri-pod)Just a little something to show that you can never stash some mementos of your past far enough to the back corner of the attic. This one – a self portrait for a basic photography and darkroom course I took in college – resurfaced today among some outdated atlases, a folio of Escher prints, and my deed to a one-foot square plot of land

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-16346507160522588832008-01-15T06:44:00.000-06:002008-01-28T07:14:09.671-06:00

I've never put much stock in a lot of the psychological manure thought up by the classical psychologists. Although Carl Jung always struck me as being less full of crap than many, the notion of synchronicity sure seems like a large wheelbarrow load of the stuff. And yet when, two days after posting my album cover made from a photo of a classic Rolls Royce, I was tailgated home by a late model

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-91339763350031878512008-01-12T09:08:00.000-06:002008-01-15T12:11:16.094-06:00

While we're on the subject of album covers, check out the fun they're having over at Flickr: The LP portraits Pool.

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-47487418588362475142008-01-10T20:21:00.000-06:002008-01-12T09:50:08.168-06:00

Via Gwynne via Eric via... aw hell, you get the idea. The idea behind this meme is to take three somewhat random bits of content and create from them a fictitious band, album, and album cover (or CD insert, if you must).Here are the rules:Visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:RandomThe first article title on the page is the name of your band.Visit http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3The

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-80479811430888614682008-01-01T19:57:00.000-06:002008-01-03T20:10:55.527-06:00

I know what some of you are thinking: “Foo never writes about riding anymore. So he had a crash and wrecked his shoulder. So what? It's cycling, not rowing.”Well, to these naysayers I'd just like to retort, “Nyehhhh!”Thanks to the prompting of Squirrel Bait (remember her from last year's MS 150), a sizeable contingent from last year's team and one new member hit the road at 1pm to log our first

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-55579799147086235872007-12-29T13:17:00.000-06:002008-01-15T07:52:28.950-06:00

My mother's father – or „mein Großvater“ – wasn't German, technically. He was born in 1902, on a farm in northeast Ohio, to first-generation Americans whose parents came to this country from the Alsace region of France. This was always a little confusing to me, when Grandpa used to tell us that his grandparents came from France but spoke German, not French. Once I got involved with my family's

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-527453635426695882007-12-28T14:13:00.004-06:002008-10-08T19:48:15.979-05:00

On Christmas, while we were out in the garage opening our presents, my father-in-law walked over and handed me a small, heavy box secured with a rubber band. Inside, I found three well-used, brass-case pocket watches.“I don't know anything about these,” he said. “Whether they're worth anything, I mean. I found them when I was going through some of the stuff we were redding up at Mom's house. They

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-58355223120709889072007-12-26T10:00:00.000-06:002007-12-26T11:09:59.384-06:00

This year, instead of packing up and taking to the road for the holidays, Turtle and I hosted her mom and dad, her sister, and her niece here in Texas. For the past week, I'd been dusting, vacuuming, cleaning, sneaking in a few last-minute shopping expeditions, and driving halfway to Oklahoma to find a wet (not “damp”) where I could buy fixin’s for adult liquid refreshments.My father-in-law is

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-27192859070070160962007-12-20T08:38:00.000-06:002007-12-20T09:25:39.279-06:00

In a move that almost certainly had nothing to do with Opera's lawsuit [cough], Microsoft has announced that an in-development version of Internet Explorer 8 has successfully rendered the Acid2 browser test.Taking this announcement at face value (no pun intended), one might be tempted to think that Microsoft's browser development team has finally seen the error of its non-standard rendering ways.

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-69382569842828679862007-12-18T21:10:00.000-06:002007-12-20T18:10:08.485-06:00

Perhaps in response to Andy Clarke's recent call for the disbanding of the CSS working committee – in turn prompted by Opera's lawsuit against Microsoft – James over at The B-List has uncorked a truly perceptive analysis of The future of web standards.Read it, if you're geek enough to care.

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-84225141892502707652007-12-15T09:12:00.000-06:002007-12-15T10:09:43.716-06:00

I'm taking a break from putting together my task list of things that need to get done before my in-laws arrive for Christmas and thought I'd "send up a flare" to let everyone know I'm still around.The move to the new office building is complete. At 6' x 6', my new cube – more of a stall since it has only two full walls – is less than half the size of the one I was in before, and this has

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-9037398866927713152007-12-03T06:55:00.000-06:002007-12-03T07:19:27.472-06:00

I'd apologize for the lack of original postings here, but I don't want to sound like a stuck record. I could post about my confusion and frustration over the way in which things are being managed (or more to the point, not being managed) since my company was purchased earlier this year – but I won't. I'm pretty sure the only people who aren't in exactly the same boat are those who work for

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-85176707362420400412007-11-29T21:10:00.001-06:002007-12-03T20:04:01.059-06:00

My first attempts at contributing to The Dictionary of Image (pool) on Flickr.RootsRootsOriginally uploaded by FooRider ContentmentMovementThe inner workings of my great-grandfather's Seth Thomas black mantel clock. It was given to him and my grandmother on the occasion of their wedding and again, to Turtle and me, on the occasion of ours.WornCashew-nut

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-31387456538194476992007-11-27T08:08:00.000-06:002007-11-27T08:32:29.461-06:00

That would be “unidentified fecal objects”, in this case. Don't laugh; this is serious business. Until my dad posted a link to the “Space Toilet” video on YouTube, I had never really given a lot of thought to the engineering implications of bodily functions in outer space. The video appears to be taken from a serious presentation by Col. Chris Hadfield of the Canadian Space Agency, but you'd

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-66613952084279349872007-11-17T09:20:00.000-06:002007-11-27T07:28:27.161-06:00

When it comes to art – what ever you reckon art to be – I'm one of those people who knows what he likes when he sees it. Sometimes, I even have a flash of inspiration for some imagery I'd like to create, but I don't have the PhotoShop skills to pull it off.Paul Grand has the eye and the skills. Combining photography with typographical elements and a helping of age (or grunge), his is a style that

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-53736378192096321212007-11-16T17:53:00.000-06:002007-11-16T18:26:34.576-06:00

Almost exactly a year ago, I was taking advantage of my use-'em-or-lose-'em vacation days to get some doctor appointments out of the way. My internist and his PA heard a heart murmer that they hadn't heard the previous year, which prompted an echocardiogram and two attempted appointments for cardio stress tests. The scheduling nurse couldn't pull her head out of her... Cosmopolitan long enough to

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18647948.post-24997680580612111242007-11-11T07:44:00.000-06:002007-11-11T10:00:32.305-06:00

For those of us who just can't get enough of secret codes and fine art and music, there's a new twist on Leonardo Da Vinci's "The Last Supper".Discovery News : Discovery Channel: "[R]ather than conspiracy theories, the new code points to a hidden musical score, a sacred text and a three-dimensional chalice."The first I'd heard of this theory was this morning, while I was watching ABC's Good

Foohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326549003460148154noreply@blogger.com4