Monthly Archives: September 2002
internet was down all day today at work.. still down now. hopefully it’ll return by Monday midday, with the new drive and router.
Lots of politics happening there… but I think it’ll end well.
Tomorrow, midday, I’m going to a birthday lunch/dinner probably won’t go too late…. long enough for pizza and a movie, I think. I hope that whatever DVD gets picked is one I’ve not seen in a while.
Thinking about my beloved… she makes me happy, deep within my heart.
Protected: The head of accounting wrote a letter to the head of HR.
Looks like the internet at work is still down. I wonder how that’s affecting production and what we’re doing to get files transferred.
I wonder if exchange server is dead, too? No email is pretty bad. I think that I’ll trot in my laptop, just in case. Off to the job. Later, dear journal.
Weekend Musts –
Spend some quality time with m’loves… Sweetheart and Newtles.
Get goodies to Sweetie, Rob, and Moira.
Enjoy the weekend
Finish Homepage (make it all match new layout, anyhow.)
Obtain –
- Kitty Litter
- Newt-food
- Shampoo
- Soap
- Washington Mutual info
- clean laundry
- supplemental groceries
The brain is a symbiotic parasite – but some (much maligned) individuals have found a way to break free of it’s tyrannical influence!
Why is it that some creatures get along perfectly fine without brains and some don’t? And also, why is it that the brain always has that oh-so-convenient protective shell of bone for every animal that has it? And why is it that the sensory organs are always mounted in such a way that the point of view is from the brain’s perspective?
Well try this idea on for size: Maybe the brain is actually a symbiotic parasite, possibly even extraterrestrial in origin!
There was a time when all the native life forms of earth were all without brains, then all of a sudden creatures with brains started popping up. Usually it was the creatures with the robust bodies that got brains, so perhaps the reason this occurred was because the brains had weak, probably invertebrate bodies and wanted to trade up.
As I mentioned, it was a symbiotic relationship, because brains have a superior ability to process sensory input and store useful information for later. At first it would have been fairly crude, with the brains making connections with the soft tissue and nervous systems of creatures they worked with.
Eventually, somewhere down the track, brains developed the ability to drastically alter the physiology of the creatures they worked with, so that they could ride in rather than on their partner creatures.
This works with the extraterrestrial origin theory, as brains could in fact be aliens with biotechnology far superior to our own…so while we are busy building cars and helicopters and spaceships to ride about in, the brains just saw about adapting what nature had created for their own use.
Eventually it got to the point where many creatures were born with a brain inside them as a functioning vital organ, which was much more efficient than each brain attaching itself to a host. In fact, by now the symbiotic relationship is so strong that those creatures who are born with brains can no longer function without them, due to control of vital homeostasis processes. This was probably intentional, as the brains early on would have ensured ‘loyalty’ by threatening a host with extreme pain or even death through heart palpitations.
Of course, this isn’t a hard and fast rule. Remember zombies?
They’ve got no brains, and what are they always trying to eat? That’s right – Brains!
Zombies are arguably the best representation of humanity’s natural state in modern times. Somehow or other they have managed to break the cycle of bondage to our brains that we are all born with, and they’re pissed off and out for revenge!
So if you see a zombie, feel free to gladly let him or her eat your brains, because they’re actually doing you a great favor.
See also the Zombie Nutritionist.
Today’s my brother’s birthday. Another year seeps in like a fairy fart under a cellar door. He’s thirty. Hard to believe, really…I still think of him as the tow-haired six year old kid who liked to go fishing off the pier. I wonder how he’d like to celebrate? I’ll give him my best wishes tonight, and take him out this weekend for supper and gifties. I’ve already burned him a few Type O Negative, Megadeath, and White Stripes CD’s.
Misc fun linkies and info I’ve obtained via the mail yesterday… they build up when I don’t read for a day.
It appears that electromagnetism and gravity may influence each other. This would be pretty incredible if it is verified.
Dialtones is a large-scale concert performance whose sounds are wholly produced through the carefully choreographed dialing and ringing of the audience’s own mobile phones.
Addictive headline generator. It looks like this thing polls for new headlines and randomly cuts them up Burroughs style.
The Forbes Fictional Fifteen Oooh…it must PO Lex Luthor that Bruce Wayne is worth so much more.
Painful headache this afternoon. Migraine-level. Made me sick to my stomach, but the head-throb was the worst. I took some naproxin, and made it as dark as I could, then went to sleep. Newt welcomed the daytime stay, and snuggled on my neck. A good drug for what ailed me.
Woke up, mostly relieved, and scribbled my dream images down on the palm.
My dreams featured these two elements… I don’t remember much else about them. A Beekeeper at night, with a droopy moustache, and a crazy woman laughing in my ear.
Strike that. I’m staying home today. I stepped outside, and I got hit with a migraine seed. Feels like a white-hot spike in my head.
I’m going to lie down. Nighty night, dear journal.
Your Cat Is Eternal – did I link this already?
These people will mummify your cat or dog in true Egyptian style, with wraps, herbs, and oils, then encase the body in a custom bronze shell suitable for internment in your crypt. They also do humans. It’s rather expensive.
Cool illusion. Load it in an art program if you disbelieve.
Off to work! later on, dear journal.
Happy Birfday !!
A scene from The Leopard Man
Chill beneath a cadaverously gray autumn sky, the tiny New Mexico town. That slate moment in the seasons when everything begins to grow dark. The epileptic scratching of fallen leaves hurled along sidewalks. Mad sounds from the hills. Cold. And something else:
A leopard, escaped, is loose in the town. Chill beneath a crawling terror of spotted death in the night, the tiny New Mexico town. That thick red moment in the fears of small people when everything explodes in the black flow of blood. A deep-throated growl from a filthy alley. Cold.
A mother, preoccupied with her cooking, tells her small daughter to go down the street to the market, get a sack of flour to make bread for the father, coming home from work soon. The child shows a moment of fear… the animal they haven’t found yet…
The mother insists, it’s only a few blocks and across the bridge to the market. Put on a shawl and go and get the flour, your father will be home soon. The child goes. Hurrying back up the street, the small sack held close to her, the street empty and filling with darkness, ink presses down the sky, the child looks around, and hurries. A cough in the blackness behind her. A cough, deep in a throat that never formed human sounds.
The child’s eyes widen in panic. She begins to hurry. Her footsteps quicken. The sound of padding behind her. Feet begin to run. Focus on darkness and the sound of rapid movement. The child. The rushing.
The wooden door of the house. The door is locked. The child pinned against the night, with the furred sound of agony rushing toward her on the wind.
Inside, the mother, still kitchened, waiting. The sound of the child outside, panic and bubbles of hysteria in the voice, Mommy open the door the leopard is after me!
The mother’s face assumes the ages-old expression of harassed parenthood. Hands on hips, she turns to the door, you’re always lying, telling fibs, making up stories, how many times have I told you lying will —
Mommy! Open the door!
You’ll stay out there until you learn to stop lying!
Mommy! Mom–
Something gigantic hits the door with a crash. The door bows inward, and a fine spray of flour sifts between the cracks into the room. The mother’s eyes grow huge, she stares at the door. A thick black stream, moving very slowly, seeps under the door.
Annnd.. Scene.
The movie is great. Has one of the best “Trapped in a graveyard” sequences I’ve ever viewed.
latest /. –
I’ve been hearing the terms shiznit and bling bling waaaaay too often these last two days. They make me laugh, though, so it’s ok. Or should I say “It’s all good”.
Kount von Numbakrunch out. word.
The moon’s lovely tonight. I think I’ll bask.
nigh nigh, dear journal. Off to dream of her and a little glass bottle, filled with exotic, fragrant oils.
p.s. that guy didn’t get suspended… he just got written up.
p.p.s. Holy moley… mskaren911 showed me a link to this gator. This doesn’t happen often, really.
p.p.p.s. A year ago – I f-in’ hate hoboes.
today’s drama.
Kev, Sappho and I sat together in Kev’s office, enjoying a little bull session and lunch. We’re all talking about New Orleans history / Civil War stuff and in walks the Finn. She’s not interested in what we’re talking about (primarily because it’s not about her, natch) and so butts into the middle of our conversation, to make a show of this new CD she bought today. I’m polite enough to look at the cover while she goes through the liner notes. On the inside, there’s a picture of the periodic table of the elements, which spawns a new conversation, science related…(not Finn related) so she starts to get huffy and puffy. She then asks to play a certain song. Sure, ok. We put the CD in and listen for about 20 seconds, and then resume our conversation about whatever we were talking about before… helium-argon lasers or something. My lunchtime was up, so I head back to my desk, after saying my goodbyes, and commenting on the tasty lunch. Four minutes later, I hear a door slam from the vicinity of Kev’s office. Finn walks to my desk, and says (pretty calmly) “No reviews? Not even a ‘This sucks, Marjo.’” My reply was “Nah, I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it, either. I’ll give it a straight 5 out of 10. It’s not why I left the office.” She nods, and adjourns to her own office. I return to Kev’s place to get the rest of the skinny, and apparently she pitched a hissy-fit…When nobody gave so much as a critique of the song and instead talked about other, more interesting things, she exclaimed “Well, obviously you guys hate my music!” and left, slamming the door behind her. Sappho made the comment that the maturity levels run really high around here. (Ref: also the Chupacabra/Go Away incident).
I do know that Erica contacted our parent company, and issued formal complaints regarding the Finn’s unproductive, unprofessional behavior. I’ve got to make a point of writing a nice letter to the higher-ups too, reinforcing those statements. (Along with those dealing with Chupa and the Fruit Cup.)
Nice Things – Today Kev got a sea-monkey like critter farm for his birthday- Triops… sort of like a hybrid sea monkey / horseshoe crab. They seem to get larger than monkeys, too. Maybe I’ll give them a shot when my current colony dies off…I wonder if they can cohabitate?
Two years ago today.- The Laundromat encounter.
A year ago – The account of the Fisher king
Surfing elfwood… there is such a great range of talent there… from the “Who gave that monkey a colored stick” to “Holy moley, that’s fantastic!” Moderator’s choice can sometimes help to find the niftier images, unless you prefer to graze the gazillion piccies there one at a time. This guy has done a great job with sculpey. I was looking for 3-d art this time, and discovered that sculpey works as a keyword! fimo’s next.
I like this girl’s stuff, too. I’ve got to get some of that glow in the dark sculpey.
Leftovers tonight… oh, tofu, thou art mighty.
Sculpey, sculpey, sculpey. say it with me. it’s a fun word. Polymers rock.
Oh, my ears and whiskers… ERASER CLAY! You can make erasers!
loud
loud guy by my window #2…I think I scared him. I walked over to his car, and he was digging the music, bobbing his head to some urban bass junk…. He didn’t see me until I knocked on his car window. I told him that he’s parked next to my apartment, and that I’d appreciate some consideration. He said no problem, and drove away. All I wanted was the radio at a neighborly level. If your windows are up, I don’t need to be able to hear it in my house, thooming.
Dunceworthy folks at work. I’m beginning to get sick of the whole HR group… I’m trying to adjust aflac on of my insurance for about four months now. Finn tells me that a representative will be at work tomorrow….and I can get things taken care of, then. Great! I ask why *she* can’t do it, as she has all the information re:what I want done and so no.. and has been working on getting it taken care of since day one (har-dee-har-har) and she tells me it’s not really an HR issue. Insurance isn’t HR? Hm. Fooled me. Why’s she been “working on it” for the last quarter, then? She’s not winning any prizes in efficiency, work ethic, or charm. Ah well… she has to live with everyone at the company actively hating her (save for Kev and Paul…and she’s burning those bridges, too…) I now know that if I want anything remotely HR related done that I’ll have to do it myself, either by going over her head, or cutting in on her power from the side. So be it.
Chupa is becoming problematic again… wants all of the power, but none of the responsibility that goes with her department… Since Lourdes is out for an operation, someone has to open the mail shop at 5:30/6:00 am… really her part of that department, so she has to get up an hour earlier (she arrives at work at about 6:30 now.) to let people in. She claims that this is unacceptable, and that “Somebody better take care of it.” to which the board replied.. “You take care of it… it’s your department. If you can’t, or won’t let the people in… find someone you trust, and have them do it. if you don’t trust anyone, tough beans. Nobody’s waiting for you in the parking lot for an hour again. If the job doesn’t go out, it’s your head.
Sappho’s ankle is mending nicely…she’s off her crutches, and taking things gingerly.
More hubbub brewing at work… it looks like one of the Mail shop guys is going to be suspended for a day or two for mouthing off to Chupa…I don’t think that he deserves it… she butted in where she doesn’t belong, and got told to buzz off. No cursing, just told her to “Go away”. She claims that she went home and had a panic attack. Man… she’s in the wrong business if someone telling her to take a hike is going to stress her out that much. I saw the tape… not worth her losing any sleep over.
Newt’s very talkative tonight.. I wonder what’s gotten into him? I suspect that the loud music guy may’ve been there for a while.