September 2003 Archives

Neal Stephenson's appearance at BookPeople on Wednesday would be an excellent opportunity to make him mine. Or at least make him nervous. But I have given up the stalking, so I must content myself with feeling lucky that he is actually interacting with the public.

The Austin Chronicle's Naked City reports an outbreak of silliness being used for evil:

On Sept. 18, the Texas Citizens Action Network -- a coalition of right-wing groups that figures heavily in the policy formations of our state's current Republican leadership -- sent out a press release describing the liberal activist group MoveOn.org as "the activist arm of the Communist Party USA."

Their claim was apparently based on a website link.

One possible response to behavior like this is to analyze Texas CAN's website and those of its members with similar logic, as was done in the article to great effect. You just don't hear the phrase "nazi porn princess" regularly in casual conversation these days.

Other possible responses unfortunately require fascism to be effective.

My mother called this morning and asked how my life had been in the last couple of weeks. I told her about the computer dying and that I had cried about it, and she said "I'm sure! It must feel like your house getting washed away in a flood!"

She understands me. :)

Guess who gets a new computer?

Well played indeed...

I don't mind being told how much environmental damage is done by what I buy, but I've pretty much heard it all already. It's so much better when I'm shown specific friendlier alternatives.

Otherwise it's pretty much just a lecture, and how many of those do we ever listen to?

Icky squelchy feeling is something I associate with stepping into mud, not stepping into my carpeted closet. But lo, yesterday my carpet squelched. Apparently water has been seeping into it for quite some time from the shower next door, which means that Maintenance must now appear and cuts holes in the walls and bang on stuff.

It also means that The Dog is now gated into the kitchen, which is only slightly larger than the icky squelchy closet. So she has a bed, food & water bowls on a towel, and exactly enough room left over to stand still. My annoyance at having to unpack my entire closet yesterday pales in comparison to the boredom she is currently experiencing. I would have left her books, but she would probably eat them (another reason why I get to make the household rules).

The folks at Laboratory Computers are now responsible for bringing my machine back to life. Replacing the power supply resulted in nothing but a burning smell and a deep fear for the CPU. *sigh*.

The only upside is that I got a lot of quilting done this weekend because all my other hobbies are apparently dependent on the computer. It was just the sewing machine and me...and the DVD player going through about 15 episodes of Farscape in a row. ;) What *would* I do with my time if there were no electricity?

I ditched the cell phone, changed from cable to DSL, got a perfect hosting plan with Cornerhost, switched from Blogger to MT, imported all my blog entries with no hassle, and then I made the mistake of believing that I had all my telecommunications needs decomplicated and firmly under control.

Now my computer won't power up.

The first evening without it was fine. I decided the universe was sending me a message about repetitive stress injuries and people who aggravate them through overuse of keyboards and mice. Those people would be me, by the way.

Last night was the second night, and it was not fine. Without television or an internet connection I felt completely disconnected from the universe. When I took The Dog for a walk, I was mildly shocked that the world continued to exist beyond my front door.

I-ROCK is fixing the computer tonight, because he is awesome. If it were not for his generosity, I would have to start dating again just to have tech support available.

I told E. a while ago that *someone* who really loved me would buy me the Firefly boxed set for christmas. Guess what, it's me! Hurray for pre-ordering.

The Flooded Lizard Kingdom extends its heartfelt gratitude to Movable Type for providing The Princess with a wonderful transition from her old blog to this new space. A national day of appreciation has been added to the Flooded Lizard Kingdom calendar in honor of MT.

Once the celebration is over and The Princess has completed the 7.6 billion other projects she's supposed to be working on, she will direct the lizards in adjusting the look and feel of the new MT blog to a more harmonious design.

Huzzah!

So on Friday, The Dog smacked her skull into my forehead as she jumped off the couch to catch a tennis ball that was still in my hand.

Now I have an invisible but painful bruise and swelling just above my right eye. More interesting is the palm-of-my-hand-sized area just above my temple that feels like it had a Novocaine shot several hours ago, and the entire-hand-sized area behind that in my scalp that feels (when I touch it or brush my hair) like it fell asleep several hours ago and is almost done waking back up.

I'm not sure when to start worrying about this, but if I decide that it's time to seek professional help, I have to tell someone how it happened. It's not that I fear dark consequences. It's the part where I have to admit that I have an injury from a dog running into my head.

I can't ever remember when Mother's Day or President's Day fall, but I know that I will remember when Talk Like A Pirate Day is.

Excerpt of dog's activities for the day:

1. Thrash violently at any movement by girl while dog and girl are on couch, as if afraid to be crushed.
2. Lie placidly in bathroom doorway as girl steps over dog repeatedly to get in and out of bathroom.
3. Pretend to find food on kitchen floor and lick linoleum.

Excerpt of girl's activities for the day:

1. Look at precariously balanced, delicate object perched on ledge in home.
2. Conclude that there is insufficient space on ledge for additional object.
3. Place additional object on ledge.
4. Yell "Oh f&*k g@dammit!" as delicate object falls over onto computer monitor, throwing small metal objects across desk and onto floor.
5. Retrieve and replace small metal objects in delicate object and delicate object on ledge.
6. Retrieve small plastic bust of Darth Maul and replace on top of monitor.

I think The Dog is winning.

I am 29 and have yet to get a driver's license. In NYC, this is normal. In Austin, this is just odd. It also keeps me from going to the grocery store at 8:30 on Saturday mornings because none of my friends get up that early and the #3 bus just doesn't run often enough to make it worthwhile. So I have a learner's permit (my fifth or sixth), and I will most likely be purchasing an automobile in January.

However, there is a distance between permit and purchase called learning to drive. My friends have so far been generous with their time and their smashable objects - but I'm just not getting weekly practice and the skills I need to pass the test. I'm ok with not getting really comfortable until I have my own car and can practice regularly, but I don't feel like I'm making enough progress by depending on the kindness of others.

So I'm looking for a driving school.

I like Mighty Girl as much as I do (which is a lot) because she so often captures tiny but hilarious snippets of conversation. Less is more, and less is a riot. I am jealous of her ability. But I think this ranks, and I'm not making it up:

Me: Are you sure you heard coyotes, or was it actually Coyote Ugly?

I-ROCK: Well, I didn't hear anyone dancing on tables. And I didn't hear any breasts.

Write a letter to yourself in the future.

Go on.

Here's the first draft of mine, to be sent in May 2004:

Dear The Princess, c. May 2004,

Thank goodness you're out of that tiny apartment with the loud A/C and the semi-stalker neighbor. I hope you kept your promise and made sure that your new roommate is sane and has a steady source of income and will pay rent and bills. Right now our little household is financially stable, so let's keep it that way.

I also hope you kept your promise to continue your long break from dating, since we know that you needed a big Time Out. If you did not, then you should be reprimanded for acting against your own best interests. How are you going to find someone who treats you well if you forget what "well" means at the first hint of a crush? The rush of boundary collapse is an addiction you cannot afford. Let's assume that you did take the time to reflect and remember who you are. Good job.

Moving on to brighter things, since it's a lot of work to write a letter to the future just to lecture yourself on things you may not even have done:

You rock. For choosing "not having" over "having something that sucks" in so many ways, for working hard enough to get to the job you were meant for, and for the steps you're now taking to build your confidence in your ability to be an artist after you had it stomped thoroughly out of you in 9th grade. I know that last one is hard, but it's going to work out. I promise.

Remember to hang up art now that you're in your new place (it wil make you feel settled faster), and definitely check the battery in the smoke alarm and the window locks. And your mail forwarding.

Thanks,
The Princess, c. September 2003

Long long ago in the galaxy that I live in, vegetarians and vegans could buy and eat marshmallows that did not conflict with their ethical/moral principles. Then the factory that made them burned down.

Now we can have marshmallows again.

Humans are cool because they so often do strange and whimsical projects.

Things I emailed to myself so I wouldn't forget to blog them, but then did until now:

1. Movie listing from Zap2t, around June 8th: "Porn 'n Chicken **+ (2002, Comedy) Ivy League students meet in secret to watch pornography and eat chicken."
   [I'm not sure what else it could be about, honestly.]
2. Quote from Waco Tribune-Herald editorial, August 3rd: "Another general voice of reason, Republican State Sen. Jeff Wentworth, needs his temperature taken. In supporting a change in Senate rules taking away the two-thirds requirement that stopped redistricting. Wentworth said it's OK for redistricting, because that's a Party matter. No, Senator. It's a constitutional matter. And the Constitution doesn't mention political Parties."
   [If the folks in WACO can figure this out...]
3. Interesting (and likely unintentional) juxtaposition of two headlines on News 8 Austin, August 7th and 8th: "City suggests conserving water." with "Country club wants water permit to keep golf course up to par."
   [Another reason why golf only makes sense when played in Scotland.]
4. Subtitle on news article in the Austin-American Statesman (I think), August 20th: "Israel says it will retaliate, noting no progress will be made until violence stops."
   [I know the Israelis didn't put it exactly like that.]
5. Closing remarks on the Odessa American editorial page, timeless: "This newspaper is dedicated to furnishing information to its readers so they can better promote and preserve their own freedom and encourage others to see its blessings. Only when man is free to control himself and all he produces can he develop to his utmost capabilities. We believe that freedom is a gift from God and not a political grant from anarchy. It is self-control. No more. No less. It must be consistent with the truths expressed in such moral guides as the Coveting Commandment, the Golden Rule and Declaration of Independence."
   [Coveting Commandment? Like "Thou Shalt Not?" or like "Coveting Makes the Capitalist Economy Go Round?"]