C.I.T.O.K.A.T.E.

atdt1991 posted a video of a Maypole. Penguicon managed to dodge all kinds of holidays for next year's weekend, but May 1 through 3 falls right smack dab on Beltaine, or so I'm told. So I asked the folks from ConVocation to create/preside/run/sanction/administer (or whatever the correct verb is) a Maypole in the parking lot or atrium or something. They are very happy to do so.

The video is enlightening. I thought they were supposed to skip merrily around the pole while strewing flowers, or something. Space seems a little bit tight for skipping merrily, to say nothing of strewing of any kind. They have room to walk sedately, in accordance with fire regulations.

It reminded me I had not reported my experience of participating in Festifools! It was a fantastic way to spend April Fools Day! I cut loose operating the arm of a giant parade puppet. Skipping, jumping, twirling, rythming, jiving*, narrowly dodging collisions with the crowd, and acting in a ridiculous manner. Making the puppet gesture to the crowd, pick its nose, and join me in acting like a fool. Which was, you know, the stated point of the event. I cut loose so much that the arm came off, and I was soon trying to keep it waving around in the general vicinity of its ghostly, invisible joint.

Unfortunately my fellow puppet operators did not cut loose at all. Some of them were there to get a grade. Some, I suspect, were there because a girl who needed a grade asked them for help. They strode meekly like the pictures of dignity, and did not really accept the concept of acting like fools in public.

You might be noting at this time, that I really don't grok dancing. So why was I "dancing" here (if you can call it that)? I am quite happy making a fool of myself in the context of goofing around. It is the main criteria applied to the definition of success at Festifools, hence the name. Not true of the dance floor. (In fact, the only time I've gotten out on the dance floor, it was using a puppet/costume. It creates the context of merriment.)

What fun. I can hardly wait for next year's Festifools. Wow, I really ached afterward from all the running around. I have fairly good endurance for holding my arm aloft for puppeteering. Not as much as Jim Henson, but I do alright. Next year I definitely want to build my own giant paper-mache puppet.

*Yes! Jiving!

Instructables

When I squeed at John about it, he said "Oh, yeah, they have some weird stuff there."

How did he know about this site and NOT tell me?????

For the last couple weeks, I've been telling people that I was feeling better. It was true, but "better" is a relative term. Certainly, I felt better than when I was feverish and couldn't stay awake more than two hours at a time.

However, I did not realize just how much more improvement I had yet to go until my doctor got the sinus x-ray results and called to say that I still had a bit of an infection and he'd called in a prescription for a stronger antibiotic for me. I'm 4 days into the new antibiotic.

In those four days (actually, in the last three days, since the first day it hadn't really kicked in yet), the difference in how I feel has been amazing. I still left work early on Monday, but it was to go shopping and then to a doctor's appointment regarding the thyroid cysts (end result: nothing to worry about, couldn't have caused the symptoms that caused us to run the initial thyroid tests. I'm to have another ultrasound in 6 months to see if anything has changed; if not, no worries. If there are changes, then we re-evaluate.)

There was some gardening on the not-crappy days, some shopping, some car maintenance, lots of running errands, some laundry, and today I cooked dinners for the week. I think I've done more since Saturday than I have in a month.

The downside is that it's the same antibiotic that caused me to not sleep in February, and I've had a few nights of tossing and turning a bit. There's a good chance that by the time I've finished the full dose, I'll be cranky and bitchy from lack of sleep. However, last time that went away as soon as I stopped taking the antibiotic and caught up on sleep, so it should only be a little bit of irritation before it's all good again.

As you all probably know by now, a huge tropical storm devastated Myanmar (once called Burma, only people still seem to call it that) on May 3, killing thousands, injuring thousands more, and destroying tens of thousands of homes.

In addition, a massive earthquake struck China's Sichuan province yesterday. The death toll so far is in the tens of thousands, and tens of thousands more are still missing.

These people need help. I know the Myanmar government is being weird about accepting it so far (I think they're worried that people will use this chance to smuggle help to its rebels and smuggle rebels out), and I'm not sure how the Chinese will be about accepting help, but they need help, and plenty of it. If you're interested in donating, here are the websites of my two favorite agencies for international disasters:

Oxfam
Doctors Without Borders

There's also <a href="http://www.redcross.org/>the Red Cross/Red Crescent</a>. Their site says they are already on the ground in China distributing food, so this may be one of those times when the Chinese don't mind getting help from the outside world! The one good thing about times like this is that people come together for people they don't even know, families from half a world away who got dumped into a lot of trouble by Nature. Most of you may already be donating at school or through your church, synagogue, mosque, or temple. If so, don't mind me. But if not, I figured I'd show the ways I try to help!

Congratulations to everyone on yet another fantastic release. As I said in my last Fedora State of the Union speech, I am so lucky to have the opportunity to devote my days to Fedora, and I am so proud of what our community continues to achieve.

Paul, I'd like to acknowledge publicly that I think you did a wonderful job with all the press interviews release work. Our senior-level Fedora leadership team has grown tremendously over the past few years, and that is a direct result of the incredible work that happens at all levels of the community, and Red Hat's executive management rewarding the entire Fedora Project for its success with increased investment.

The fact that Daddy Shadowman continues to invest more and more into Fedora is all the proof you need of the incredible value that our community provides.

Consider going to the National marrow donor program to join the Mother's day bone marrow donor drive going on through May 19th.

Generally to become a bone marrow donor it costs a fee that covers the cost of the test kit used to type you for donation. During this drive registration is free for the first 10,000 people to register online and the first 36,000 people who register in person.

They have an especially dramatic shortage of minority bone marrow donors. Please spread the word.

Turns out I don't qualify to donate - deferred due to chronic back and neck problems. But you may be able to.

http://scalzi.com/whatever/?p=749

A while back I took a picture of Athena in one of her more glowery moods and Photoshopped it for my own amusement, and recently Krissy suggested that she’d like the resulting Photoshop on a t-shirt or mug. So I obliged her. Having now performed my uxorial duty, I’m now making the designs available to the rest of you through the magic of Zazzle. If you ever wanted a coffee mug or t-shirt of my daughter doing her best “demon spawn” look, now’s your chance.

Ironically, all profits (I think a dollar or so from each sale) are likely to go to Athena’s college fund. But, you know, honestly, don’t feel obliged. Zazzle prices are moderately expensive, and Athena’s college fund is doing perfectly fine these days. And I think the market for Athena paraphernalia is, rightly, small. But it might be fun for her to go to school with one of these shirts on.

Dear everyone who needs to be told to fuck off who I haven't yet told to fuck off,

Fuck off.

Sincerely,
-=ShoEboX=-

I am back, and oh, how I have missed everyone!

The laptop had a lobotomy, and we have all the data backed up from the original. I will be getting a new hard-drive, to make sure this doesn't happen again, and the laptop has been wiped clean. I am so relieved. Also, my site was suspended temporarily, as I didn't have access to funds, but all is restored. I hope no one was too worried!

Plenty of news, unfortunately plans have not progressed too much further with Operation:Scotland. We are still waiting on financial things to sort out on both ends, but we are working as hard as may be on getting ready to be together. My bonnie lies over the ocean, heh.

He recorded the following for me some time ago, and I asked if I could share it with you, now that I have a working computer again.

Tam o' Shanter
As read by hairyscotsman



Shall be working to catch up, but seeing as I have a friends list over 200 large, it will be a challenge. If there is anything very important that I missed, let me know? Also, if you haven't given me your number since the new phone in February and you want me to have it, please email it over.

http://www.cartoonlabs.com/comics/index.php?date=2008-05-13&show=sinfest

Sinfest
Tatsuya Ishida

My printer asks silly things of me. Like just now, it wanted more paper.

Fickle machine.

Yes, it's been a long time since I've posted one of these. I have been running in the past month-and-a-half; I just hadn't been posting about it, and it's been intermittent, a week on and then two weeks off, etc. So I keep having to start again from scratch.

Today was one of those starts from scratch.

THE PLAN:
4 minutes warmup walking
5 repetitions of 1 minute running/3 minutes walking
4 minutes cooldown walking

WHAT HAPPENED:
Succeeded, though I mucked around with the timing to get more downhills. Most of it resulted in shorter intervals, though, so I think I came out ahead. It's getting warmer, too. Wishing now I had stayed more into the habit while the weather was still cool, so I'd be more used to it by now. Ah well.

PODCASTS:
Stack Overflow (may unsubscribe; starting to think Joel Spolsky is a bit of a blowhard)

http://scalzi.com/whatever/?p=748

No? Hmmm. Let’s fix that.

There. Don’t you feel better now?

*~EDIT~*

This Is My Life, Rated
Life:	7.5
Mind:	8
Body:	8.2
Spirit:	8.4
Friends/Family:	6.5
Love:	9.1
Finance:	9.1
Take the Rate My Life Quiz

Here is one of the essays that came out of my "Women Writing for (a) Change" writing class.

Today is the last class . . .I'll miss it, but I am already anticipating the class I am taking this summer . . .

Your opinions of and reactions to this essay are welcome and appreciated :-)

Coming Home
By Andrea Dale, (c) May 13, 2008

Clearly understanding what I am thinking and feeling, enables me to change. But understanding my exact internal thoughts is a skill onto itself.

At one time, I faced "living alone" with a resigned, deep sadness and almost maniac desperation. I distracted myself by playing CDs, surfing the internet, reading a book, or just leaving the house. I fussed about friends who didn't call, bugged my boyfriend for conversation, and well, went a little nuts sometimes. I existed in a muddle of tangled feelings, running aimless circles in the dead-quiet house around me.

I knew friends who found solace in living alone and I wondered "How does that happen?" I desired that serenity and comfort for myself.

But how could I relish doing things on my own out of the house, but not in the house? How confusing. I often inhale restaurant meals, hike at the park and attend various events, quite happily on my own. As a consultant and writer, I typically work solo, tucked away in my home office in the basement. I didn't feel "alone" there either.

It was the living alone in my house which frustrated me.

While I was cooking dinner I thought "What do I see in my head, when I think of the phrase 'living alone' ?" I stood next to the stove, shut my eyes and visualized my living room when I was home.

I wasn't sitting in my chair reading, or strumming my guitar, or even sweeping the floor.

Nope. I was shocked to discover an empty room, full of dust.

Wow.

I did not include myself, as part of the definition of "living alone." I interpreted the phrase as "living with no one."

When I mentioned this realization to a friend, she said "Oh, you discounted yourself."

No, that's not true. I did not think I wasn't worth living with, no.

But. When I was divorcing, many friends said to me, "Oh, you will be lonely." And I swallowed their assumption whole. I didn't take the time to decide what living alone meant to me.

And because I value myself, I took me out of the "picture." For without Andrea, I would feel alone.

Well, I don't think of living alone, as living with "no one" anymore. At the end of a busy day, I no longer walk upstairs into loneliness, because I now come home, to me.

Grant Bocacioacoisloasaurus of Throwing Toasters has announced that for the next month, all proceeds from the "Laughter Is A Powerful Weapon" Vol. 1 and 2 compilations will be donated toward Myanmar and China relief efforts.  These are great comedy music comps, featuring, among others, Luke Ski, Barnes and Barnes, Power Salad, Worm Quartet, Tom Smith, The John Schwartz Project, Raymond & Scum, Carla Ulbrich, Henry Phillips, and Weird Al himself.

You can pick up these discs from CDBaby for a mere $9.99 each via the links below:

Vol 1 - http://cdbaby.com/cd/fmsc
Vol 2 - http://cdbaby.com/cd/fmsc2

-=ShoEboX=-

http://scalzi.com/whatever/?p=747

Will almost certainly not be Bob Barr. Nor do I actually plan to vote for the man. Nevertheless, should he actually win the endorsement of the Libertarian Party later this month (as I understand is expected), I expect he’ll pop into the position of my “Backup Candidate,” i.e., the person I’ll vote for if Barack Obama spontaneously combusts/is abducted by aliens/massacres a kindergarten full of adorable baby seals and gorges on their blubber live on national television. If it comes to that point, I’ll vote for Bob Barr before I vote for John McCain. Of course, if it comes to that point, we’re probably all in trouble in other, disturbing ways. But let’s not worry about that now.

Note that admitting I’d vote for Barr before McCain is a fairly serious statement on my part, because when Barr was actually in Congress, he was a conservative Republican and a bit of a prick. He impinged on my consciousness primarily as one of Newt Gingrich’s bilious felch monkeys; the one who led the charge to impeach Bill Clinton, and then got all blotchy and red when it became clear that neither Clinton nor most of America were in the least concerned about the trial. However, since Barr left Congress, he’s done lots of stuff I respect, like regret his vote on the Patriot Act and work to reverse its damages to our constitutional rights, leave the GOP and join the ACLU, and generally get cranky about what’s been done to the country during the Dubya administration.

Now, I’m not going to forget he was once one of Gingrich’s felch monkeys, mind you. It’s something you don’t just gloss over. But on the other hand one doesn’t leave the GOP and become a member of the Libertarian Party because one feels it’s really going to light a fire under one’s career in Washington, now, does one. One feels his commitment to libertarian principles is reasonably genuine, otherwise he’d just have stayed where he was. As a presidential candidate, Barr offers a genuine alternative to what McCain would offer — which, if you believe minority whip Roy Blunt, would be a third Bush term.

But let’s be real, here: the question not really whether I put Barr ahead of McCain in my voting queue, since I had no intention of voting for McCain in the first place. The question is whether some folks who might otherwise vote for McCain will do so, and whether there will be enough of them to constitute a genuine drag on McCain in the election. Regarding the former, sure, I think there are folks who’ll jump off the McCain Express for Barr, since when you get right down to it, Barr’s small government, states-rights, “fair tax”-loving, immigrant-phobic positions are more classically Republican-y than anything McCain is going to manage, and McCain is a candidate that apparently lots of Republicans tolerate but none of them actually love, and only a few more than that seem to even like.

Regarding the latter, well, I don’t suspect Barr will pull huge numbers from the GOP. But as Nader showed in Florida in 2000, you don’t need to have huge numbers to screw a candidate, you just need enough to throw a spanner into the works. It’s entirely possible Barr could get those numbers, particularly, I think, in the South and the West.

And you know, I’m fine with that. Barr’s not going to be President, but if he helps make McCain not president, too, I’ll honor him for his service to the country. He has my backup vote.