February 25th, 2005
Google is becoming a reflection of language.
One thing that empowers us, as a crowd, to do is reclaim language that has been subverted. That is, if enough people take action. Some people make petitions to try to change what Google does. That’s passive. It’s a reflection. Change what’s in the mirror insteadof changing the mirror.
Google ranks links by many algorithms. Some of these include how often a presented link is chosen for a search term. It also includes links from other webpages. Spammers know and try to abuse this, which is one reason blogs are spammed with links that the readers obviously don’t care about, over and over again. But that’s another topic.
It’s been done before, of course– more than once. I wonder if MSN Search will be a mirror as well.
Categories: Updates From the Void |
Tags: Me | No Comments
February 24th, 2005
So tired.
I guess I could describe this week as hellish. But it wasn’t actively unpleasant. It didn’t make me squirm inside and try to avoid it, like some other things do. It didn’t make me cringe and fear and try to dissociate from it. It wasn’t like being forced to sit still in a crowded space for a long time, for example: one of the primary reasons I hate travel. I wasn’t miserable. I was just busy.
It was just long, and hard, and stressful. I’m staggering with exhaustion. The details aren’t really important. Stuff happened at work that required a lot of people to coordinate a lot of work and work long hours. There was a lot of excitement. I wished I worked with a crew who found that kind of thing more amusing than they do. They’re not stiff, but they don’t get happy-giddy-functional in an emergency, either. They just get mad and driven.
I’m so tired. I have to pack tonight. I haven’t practiced my violin two nights running, I don’t know if I’ll be able to tonight and I’m gone tomorrow through late Sunday evening. Maybe I’ll get up early to practice on Monday so I can get SOME play in before class. I wish I hadn’t missed the last class, or had written down my teacher’s email address on paper I didn’t have. I’m desperately afraid they skipped someplace else in the book and I’ve been practicing the wrong things. And I think there’s only 3 or 4 more weeks of class.
I miss people. I wish video conferencing were common. Maybe I wouldn’t dislike talking on the phone as much if there were visual cues as well.
Categories: Updates From the Void |
Tags: Me | 1 Comment
February 23rd, 2005
Invitation plans mostly cancelled this week, tobe replaced by work. I was at work until 11:30 PM and then doing more work from home until 3:30. Whee. In betweeen, I watched about half of the four hour Xenosaga cut-scene DVD. It was pretty sweet!
I ache a lot, my hip and shoulder. I think it’s from sitting at my desk so long yesterday, even though I took frequent walking breaks. I also slept really poorly when I did make it to bed.
This weekend is my bridal shower. My bridesmaids have been keeping it a secret from me. Not that I’m having one, as they’re flying me down there… but what will be happening. I’m very curious, and looking forward to it. It doesn’t quite seem real, though.
Categories: Updates From the Void |
Tags: Me | No Comments
February 23rd, 2005
Invitation plans mostly cancelled this week, tobe replaced by work. I was at work until 11:30 PM and then doing more work from home until 3:30. Whee. In betweeen, I watched about half of the four hour Xenosaga cut-scene DVD. It was pretty sweet!
I ache a lot, my hip and shoulder. I think it’s from sitting at my desk so long yesterday, even though I took frequent walking breaks. I also slept really poorly when I did make it to bed.
This weekend is my bridal shower. My bridesmaids have been keeping it a secret from me. Not that I’m having one, as they’re flying me down there… but what will be happening. I’m very curious, and looking forward to it. It doesn’t quite seem real, though.
Categories: Updates From the Void |
Tags: Me | No Comments
February 20th, 2005
No, seriously, my feet are damn cold. It’s been really clear and cold up here the past few days. But there are the white winter flowers blooming in the front yard.
Today, Kevin worked up the text and layout for the basic invitation while I worked on releasing the first volume of Hitherby Dragons. If you are a sibling of mine, or somebody who hasn’t encountered the site before, I strongly encourage checking it out and maybe even picking up a collection. It’s the best thing on the web, and for a good cause, too.
Anyhow, after getting the invitation text worked up, Kevin played Hunter: The Reckoning some. Then, amazed at horrible it was, we went to the mall to look for our tableware and buy invitation materials.
We couldn’t find our tableware anywhere. Total failure. At the paper store, Kevin finally realized what a monumental and costly task making invitations is, and had an eensy freak out, which we solved by only buying samples (a second set, actually. I couldn’t find the set I bought over Thanksgiving). Hopefully tomorrow we’ll go back and get the rest of the paper. I did get a pretty stamp and a wax seal, though– papertoy luxuries I’ve been waiting a lifetime for an excuse to own.
At home, we played with the paper some, and then spontaneously decided to go see Hitch. We dragged Ray away from City of Heroes and off we went. Hitch was great! Then, home again, and Kevin assembled one of the possible invitations and I ordered postage stamps.
The current plan is to work on printing the invitations and materials this week, and then address them next week (after my wedding shower) and then mail them out at the beginning of the week after next. Hopefully that works out. I need to contact the banquet coordinator at the reception site to talk about the menu.
Anyhow, that’s the wedding update.
I’ve been working on structuring a story lately while Kevin plays PS2 games. I’ve been enjoying sitting on the couch with him a lot. I haven’t really taken full advantage of my post-Christmas wireless access until the last week or so– I still sat in my office for most of my net use. However, yesterday I ended up turning my office computers off for 24 hours or so because I simply hadn’t spent much time in there other than for computer games. The amazing cold helped keep me away– my office is unheated.
Still practicing the violin. I missed last week’s lesson because I was sick, and there’s no lesson this Monday because of President’s Day, but I think I’m on schedule: learning to read music and play Ode To Joy. I actually have two lesson books I’m looking at: the one she assigned, and another one that has many of the same pieces, but with different arrangements and a different approach to the teaching. Hers is much better, but variety helps keep me practicing. I also tracked down a basic fiddle tune called Old Joe Clark that I started trying to learn. One thing I keep forgetting with a new song is to play it pizzicatto a few times first, so I can learn the tune and fingering before trying to learn the bowing. It’s two different instruments being played at once, after all.
Categories: Updates From the Void |
Tags: Me | 2 Comments
February 18th, 2005
I will learn to play Happy Birthday on my violin! For you!
As for other stuff, I saw your note on gifts and have not yet made a decision. My head is sooooooo full. And empty. At the same time.
Categories: Updates From the Void |
Tags: Me | 2 Comments
February 15th, 2005
1.) Cramps
2.) Headache and sneezing
3.) Intermittent nausea
4.) I fell down today and landed very hard on my hands and knees. Ow.
Categories: Updates From the Void |
Tags: Me | 3 Comments
February 10th, 2005
Okay, so we went today, and it was a wonderful time. I took 200 pictures with my new camera + new memory card. I have posted eighteen of them. I also posted commentary, so please go see!
Now I am spending some time trying to write, or at least be creative and work on story design. The Nobilis play by email game that Neil is running has been totally occupying my brain, but at least it’s been creative writing (much I’m quite proud of) rather than wedding planning. So I’m trying to harness that energy and use it for a project where I have more control over the pacing.
Categories: Events |
Tags: Events | 2 Comments
February 9th, 2005
My mind is a great blankness. There is work. There is violin. There is NWN, unfinished. There is .hack, unfinished. There is FFXI. There is sleeping.
Categories: Updates From the Void |
Tags: Me | 2 Comments
February 3rd, 2005
One reason I procrastinate is because my natural tendency is to accomplish tasks with lots of slow, thoughtful brooding, which provokes anxiety. If I accomplish a task quickly, I have no time to brood. Either way, once it’s done, I tend not to worry anymore.
This seems like a vote in favor of procrastination.
Categories: Updates From the Void |
Tags: Me | 1 Comment
