scottobear | Entries tagged with jeanne

Today is my bro's 32nd birthday. I'll be getting together with him after work tonight for supper and presents. No giving him cash or easily swapped out items this year... I'm going to help him fix up his truck so he can make some money doing post-hurricane cleanup around the tri-county area. Help him to help himself.

Samples of the courtyard before and after Jeanne came through. Who knew so many leaves were left after the first two 'canes? All the old leaves were just raked out, too. Ah well!

( 2 small piccies )

Hmm.. the piccies are loading slowly. Maybe I should move them to a non-pb server. [*Edit -pictures fixed*]

I miss being a dinosaur, but being a mammal has advantages, too. Thumbs and tool use are nice, as is having a brain bigger than a walnut.

There are things that are left over. I can smell fear on the other animals, sometimes. Fortunately, I'm pretty good at putting those that are frightened at ease unless they've got some sort of overactive fight or flight reflex.

Before I start to sleep, I can hear my breath like wind in the trees. When I dream, I sometimes have visions of things I can't properly put into words. Fragments / figments isn't the right way to define it, nor is memories. Pieces of things that might be real, could be imagination, spinning in an order to try to make some sense of itself. When I wake, the confusion is usually gone, and my mind is often clearer, even if I can't place how what happened during dreamtime fit together, or even if it can be jigsawed into a picture at all.

I'm weirdly blessed. No matter what happens in my life, I figure it'll work out, and it always does... maybe not always the way that I want it to, but it's always something that can be dealt with, pulled through, or worked around. If I fall down, I know I can get back up, generally on my own, or at least on resources that I can pool rapidly in a pinch. Is that optimism? I don't think so, because I know other folks that don't have such a charmed life. My brother is an example of what happens when someone abuses said charmed life. He's made every possible bad decision in the book, ones that should've gotten him killed a hundred times over. His life isn't wonderful, but he's regularly eating, living under a roof, and isn't dead. No matter what he's done to himself or others, it's always worked out in the end. Maybe it's a family thing?

That's not to say I don't have stress or suffer as a part of life, but it seems that I've got more fortune than famine in my life. So far, at least. In fact, I see even more happiness in the future, after a brief summer drought.... This time of year has always been kind to me.

Souls - Greek / Roman views

The ancient Greeks called the soul the psyche: the totality of one's mind and identity (similar to the modern use of the word). If this came back from the dead, it was likely to be as a shade or ghost. Such undead were often called larvae or lemures. The Greeks also believed in shadowy keres: a winged death spirit. This was not part of one's soul as such, but there was one for every living person, so it had a soul-like nature.

The ancient Romans called their soul a genius (for a man), or a juno (for a woman). This wasn't so much a personal soul as a familial one, and was typically associated with the head of the family. Actual spirits of the dead were called manes, which means "good people," and was also used for the undead. It isn't at all clear whether undead manes were supposed to be physical or spectral, but since the Romans often burned their dead, the latter seems more likely; certainly Roman heroes always seemed to encounter shades of the dead. On the other hand, manes seemed to be capable of burning and strangling the living when their descendants failed to propitiate them with offerings.

Rice Rant update - again via NG -

Anne Rice's tirade has vanished from Amazon, along with most of the responses to it. Probably a good thing. But at least it's left one hilarious web comic in its wake. (My respect for Ms Rice fell somewhat when I heard that the people who had sent back their books to her for a refund were getting them back from the post office marked "Return to Sender". If you're going to make an offer like that, you have to stand by it.)

How is it that I didn't know Dawn of War (Warhammer 40k on the PC) existed until yesterday? I'm going to have to pick it up... What's not to like about Goggle-wearing Ork space marines?

"Games Workshop has been involved in every aspect of the development of Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War. The result of this strong collaboration between Games Workshop and Relic Entertainment is a highly entertaining game that breaks many conventions of the RTS genre, while remaining true to the setting that Warhammer 40,000 tabletop gamers know and love."

via

eryx_uk

Massive power loss in storm's path; some outages could last 3 weeks

( Read more... )

Current Mood: Blessed / Optimistic

Current Music: The Real Tuesday Weld - Bathtime (5.3 meg wmv / save locally, don't stream)

Well, aside from a few power spikes that caused a reboot or seventeen, I seem to have come through the front end of the storm just fine. It's mighty moist outside, but wind has settled way down.

Here's some pictures of the empty streets around the Elbo Room yesterday (as opposed to the first day of the Hurricane season, which featured fembots.)

( 3 images of Las Olas and A1A / Ghost Town, pre-storm )

I'm getting more and more in the public eye with my current gig. Kiwanis meetings, getting together with state representatives at a cocktail party. I'm going to have to wear a tie at the latter, but can get away with more casual dress at the former.

I'm reminded frequently lately that two wrongs don't make a right. I see a lot of people acting badly with the excuse "I'm only hurting bad people". That's still being hurtful. (That's a trap I can fall into myself, if I don't watch it.)

MetaVNC, a window-aware VNC client

as in the screen shot, makes your remote Linux desktop transparent within Windows XP/2000 via

Last speaker of 400-year-old women's language dies

( Read more... )

Yet another Freaky Retro Website. I was especially disturbed by the 1985 commercial of a "Cool" Jason Alexander pushing McDLTs. If I ever meet him, that's the thing I'm going to mention. A full head of hair, white blazer rolled up at the sleeves, and way too much enthusiasm for a hamburger sandwich. There's a cool theme song section too... should you want to groove to ALF, Fat Albert, Inspector Gadget, The Snorks, or whatnot. (You know dang well that I snagged those, dear journal.)

MM's plans were canceled due to the storm, so I was released from being on call midday on Saturday. - EN (my new tech) was supopsed to go on call an hour and a half ago, but he's not answering his phone... it's dropping right to voicemail.

Ah well, if that's my biggest problem resulting from the hurricane, I'm way ahead of the game. 939,000 people are without power in Florida.

A Chinese/Asian view of the soul:

Traditional Chinese belief professed the existence of two "souls": the kwei (or k'uei) and the shen. The kwei (called the p'oh in life) returned to the earth at death, and dwelled in the grave. It symbolized yin, the feminine principle, and connected death, earth and femininity. The shen (called the khi in life) lived on as a spirit in the afterlife, although it could inhabit the grave for a while. It symbolized the masculine principle, yang. In general, it was kwei that became undead; shen undead were rare, and usually encountered only shortly after death. Traditional Korean belief is similar, except that the soul has an additional part that inhabits the funerary tablet or token.

Interesting Electoral vote prediction map.

The page has a fairly non-biased comparison between Bush & Kerry's Track records, too.

I'm surprised.. I thought it was currently a more even race. As of this post, Bush has about 59% (311), and Kerry about 41% (217).

Vampire queen versus Amazon (Confirmation at her Website here)

Writer Anne Rice, whose extravagant fictions about vampires and witches have made her famous and rich, vents her anger at readers who dare criticize her latest book Blood Canticle on the Amazon.com website and ends her lengthy, single-paragraph tirade by giving her home address in New Orleans and promising refunds to the disgruntled.

( Read more... )

Neil Gaiman's reply

My Favorite quote?

When you publish a book -- when you make art -- people are free to say what they want about it. You can't tell people they liked a book they didn't like, and there is, in the end, no arguing with personal taste. Different people like different things. Best to move on and make good art as best you can, instead of arguing.

I think Anne Rice going on Amazon and lambasting her critics was undoubtedly a very brave and satisfying thing for her to do, was every bit as sensible as kicking a tar baby, and, if ever I do something like that, please shoot me.

Current Mood: Blood and... Oranges?
Current Music: Gwen Stefani - What You Waiting For

Well, one benefit of all this wind and rain hubbub is that I'm becoming more intimately acquainted with weather websites out there.

Skeetobite Weather is especially sharp... it combines street level maps with weather data as hurricanes approach landfall.

( Current image, projected 8pm situation. )

See that dot under Fort Lauderdale? That's Newt and me, just outside the hurricane force winds and inside the tropical storm force winds (as of 11am this morning)

I'm wondering about hurricane shelters... I think that'd be a great place to work a crowd... a captive audience. You could pull off all kinds of snake oil or scams there.

Dan called to see if I wanted to stay with him again, but I declined... I'm in a pretty comfy zone right now. Always cool of him to ask to help... he's a good pal.

EN did well on Friday Night, two calls, and weathered a system slowdown issue. I'm glad to have him on the team.

Current Mood: I've got a couple of liters of diet cream soda and a hot pizza cookin' to last me through the storm! Hoo-hah!

Current Music: Japanese Train Station Tones

Threat increases as Jeanne's forecast shifts westward ( Read more... )

I'm not too worried about Hurricane Jeanne... but I am concerned about Jewish folks (Florida has something like 600k of 'em) not listening to TV or radio, and might not be as up to date on the weather as they should be. Jewish law says you put Jewish requirements aside if there is any danger. I also worry about Pensacola. So much debris is very dangerous...and folks are still trying to recover from the last hubbub.

On a lighter note, I'm amused by so many people referring to Jeanne's loopy path as a "Dipsy-doodle".

( recent status, rendered in phony-scotto doppler. )

Just in case, I packed up the office again, backed everything up. Big Kahuna was delighted when I showed her that her laptop is wireless... she's been using dial up from the road for so long.... it's a real release to be freed of cables, and get good network speeds.

The Internet has a diameter of about 10,000 pookies.

Take a look at their graphics and find out just what a pookie is.

Friday 5, a day late.

Pick a theme song that represents your life: lately? Up Around the Bend - Creedence Clearwater Revival

Do you talk to yourself? - Not as a practice, but I do reflect internally a lot.

Describe your relationship with your co-workers: - I get along pretty well... only rarely do I hit a bump.

Have you ever done karaoke? - Yup. Love Shack (b-52s) with a group... Daddy Sang Bass (Johnny Cash) on my own were the most fun.

Do you believe in love at first sight? - I think it's possible, though I'm more likely to believe in a blossoming relationship than a *whammo*.

I saw Miss Cleo on a local TV commercial! (or an *AMAZING* reproduction) I figure it was the real one, because she's a local, and needs money. The company was "Uncle Mel's Used Car Clearance"

Yet another view of the soul - Aztec

The Aztecs believed in a tripartite soul: the tonalli dwelled in the head, and contained vigor, life force, and magical energy. The teyolia resided in the heart, embodied knowledge and personality, and was the part of the soul that entered the afterlife. The ihilia, found in the liver, was the evil or animal part of the soul, responsible for passions such as hate or lust. Legend-wise, the tonalli is the part most likely to be manipulated by an evil sorcerer (perhaps being used to animate a zombie), while the ihilia is more likely to become an evil undead being in its own right.

My thoughts are on pinwheels and soft winds this morning.