Venting about eMacs

22 August 2006, 7:48 am by Giggles
Categories: Science & Tech, Venting

I’ve vented before about the hassle of having all new computers in my lab. Today’s vent is a small one.

On the old fruity Macs, the power button was on the front, underneath the screen. It was also slightly raised so you could feel it. For asthetic reasons I’m guessing, they decided to put the button down the side this time, towards the back. And then they made it as smooth and flush with the rest of the box as they could. And they also made it so it barely moves when you push it.

What this means for me is that when I go around and turn on all 33 of my computers, the easiest way is for me to do it from the back, which luckily I can. Otherwise I’d have to bend around all of them to try to find the silly button. As it is I still have to search for it a little.

Small vent, I know. But a slightly different button would make my life just that much easier.

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What I learned about salutes and biological warfare; and what Brett learned about sprouts

21 August 2006, 11:03 pm by Giggles
Categories: Learn Something

Last night I caught part of “Battlefield Britain,” a BBC show broadcast on PBS. They said that the origin of the salute can be traced back to the Middle Ages when soldiers wore full suits of armor. The generals would ride up and down the troops shouting out orders. But in order to be heard they had to raise their face shields up, which when you aren’t wearing armor, turns into a salute.

They also talked about the long bow. The archers would stick their arrows into the ground in front of them in preparation for battle to make them easily accessible. This also made the arrows extremely dirty since the archers would relieve themselves right where they stood. The arrows would get all kinds of germs on them. So if the arrow didn’t kill you out right, you’d probably die from an infection. Although the way they described it, that wasn’t likely either. Because once the battle turned from the archers to the soldiers fighting hand to hand (and frequently killing soldiers from their own armies since nobody wore uniforms and it was often hard to tell who was on which side), the archers would follow behind and stab any wounded on the ground.

Who’s bright idea was war?

And Brett wants me to blog that he learned tonight that you can grow sprouts in a jar in the kitchen. That way they don’t grow up to be plants.42D

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Newly Sharpened Pencils

20 August 2006, 8:49 pm by Giggles
Categories: Education, Happy Things, Random

Don’t you love New York in the Fall? It makes me want to buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address.
– You’ve Got Mail

I love that line. I love the movie actually, but that’s one of my favorite lines in the movie. It probably has to do with how giddy I get with new school supplies. I love writing with wooden pencils. I have a whole box of natural wood pencils that are my favorites. They aren’t painted yellow, so they are a wonderfully warm natural wood color instead. There is something about the way they feel in your hand as you use them that makes writing so much more enjoyable.

I would like a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils in my classroom, or apartment, or wherever. Maybe one of these days I’ll have to get around to putting that together. I don’t think you can really go that wrong with beautiful flowers and newly sharpened pencils.

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The Joys of Singlehood

20 August 2006, 8:33 pm by Giggles
Categories: Relationships, Venting

I showed up at the fabric store yesterday to work and met the new woman who started working there Friday. When she introduced herself to me, she told me her name, and the very next thing was that she was the woman with three single sons. Luckily, my brain was working, and I replied with my name and told her I had a boyfriend. She tried to continue the conversation by saying that unless you are married you still aren’t taken. I didn’t let it go much further than that.

Why do people think they have to set everyone up? And why is it that most of the people who have tried in the last few years think that if I share marital status with someone, then we have enough in common to make a relationship work? Some of them expand their criteria and also include general age range and religion. But really, why is that all the qualifications many people have when they are setting two people up? It’s slightly scary really. Makes you wonder what they have in common with their spouse, because these people are always married as well.

I’m reminded of Bitter-woman-who’s-husband-ran-off-with-a-Peruvian that I had to interact with at BYU’s education placement office. I had to deal with that office a lot to set up my file so I could get a job after graduation. Every time I went in, she either told me about her husband and what a jerk he was, or she would tell me about her single sons and tell me all about their many wonderful qualities, just fishing for me to take the bait. I never bit.

I am open to help in this department, don’t get me wrong. I know I don’t know everything, nor everyone. But I at least want the people providing this help to know me. It also helps when they realize that the person they find for me might not be the person for me, and they need to be okay with that. Because this is one area of my life where I’m going to be extremely picky.

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Here we go again – Round 5

18 August 2006, 9:58 pm by Giggles
Categories: Work

It’s strange to think that this is my fifth year teaching. Some of it seems so routine now. I’m not nervous about what comes next. I know what to do. I take charge of what I can and feel like I know what I’m talking about.

Meetings started Thursday. And it’s been straight meetings for two days. I have a new lab now, and since it appears to have finished updating, I get to spend Monday and Tuesday making sure the programs I need work. And then the kids arrive on Wednesday, and we are off and running.

I love my job. I work with great people. I work three days a week and see the kids only once a week. It’s a dream job and I doubt I’ll ever have one as good as it again. Yet I’ve been tense and unable to relax the last two days. I’ll have to figure this out.

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Random question about smells

16 August 2006, 10:28 pm by Giggles
Categories: Questions, Random

Why does my bathroom periodically smell like dead fish lately? It’s really gross. What could my neighbors possibly be doing in their bathrooms that would make my bathroom smell? Maybe I don’t want to know the answer to that question.

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What I learned about some impersonations

15 August 2006, 10:59 pm by Giggles
Categories: Learn Something, Random

I learned over the weekend that I do some impersonations that are at the very least humorous. I can impersonate a baby with gas and then one that has been burped. I can also do an Egyptian mummy.42D

I also learned I know more about morticians and embalming than I thought I did. And I really have no idea where I learned it all either.

And apparently I have a real cool accent. Or at least that’s what someone told me. I have no idea what they were talking about though.

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