Mock Turtle Soup

Last night I saw Thurgood. It was excellent...

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 13:44:50 -0600

Last night I saw Thurgood. It was excellent. Today I gave Obama $100. We're about to go out into the close, overcast day and get the makings of a big old fry-up for breakfast. Happy Fourth!
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You can't have eudaimonia without good habits, man...

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:16:49 -0600

You can't have eudaimonia without good habits, man. I realize this. I've got a good life, and I'm pretty happy in a free-floating way: enough to eat, a limitless city, a place to retreat to, and a girl to curl up with at night -- but I'll never be eudaimonia happy until I'm able to control my habits. It's the hardest damn thing.

Here's a list of the things I already reliably do every day:

Check (and mostly answer) my email
Get through my RSS reader and blog trackers
Wash the dishes
Clean the cat box
Read printed text (most days)
Feed myself
Shower (most days)

Here's a list of things I'd do every day if I had the self-discipline of a godlike superbeing:

Everything in the previous list
Practice at least one of my instruments, if not all three
Practice ASL
Practice steno, both speed and dictionary building
Learn Python incrementally but steadily and start working on Plover in earnest
Work out 30 minutes a day, incorporating both cardiovascular and strength training
Cook meals from scratch regularly without using processed ingredients
Gather background material for Mold and Gammon (My poor scrapped NaNo Novel; someday I actually want to write the thing)

I'm laughing bitterly just thinking about it. But nothing ventured, et cetera. I've registered four calendars on Everyday Systems's HabitCal: Fingerspell, CCP, Twist, and Pushups. Every day that I complete a quiz of any length at my current speed level on ASLPro's Fingerspell site, every day I practice one of the 5-minute takes from my RMR CDs, every day I complete my allotted portion of pushups according to Hundredpushups.com (using hand weights as pushup bars since it's too hard on my wrists to do them the normal way), and every day (I blush to write it) I spaz around like an idiot on my Twist Board for the duration of even one mp3 of my choice, I'll give myself a green square. I'm intrigued by the ShovelGlove, also from Everyday Systems, but I'm going to try to keep to these ludicrously easy goals for at least a month before I purchase any new equipment. We'll see how it goes.
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This is brilliant. Also gorgeous. Via Sola.

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:43:17 -0600

This is brilliant. Also gorgeous. Via Sola.
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I saw Derek today! Oh, but it was lovely...

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 22:41:24 -0600

I saw Derek today! Oh, but it was lovely. And I started ASL up again, after a week off. It's just me this time, so the class is going to be much more intense, with lots of homework. I'm excited, though a little nervous. Tomorrow we're having one of K.'s friends over, and this Saturday is Dances of Vice. I might also be previewing a play somewhere in there. It's been a marvelous summer, and it ain't over yet.
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Got the CCP results back. Failed, as expected...

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 20:39:33 -0600

Got the CCP results back. Failed, as expected. Screw it. I just ordered RMR CDs (the better to speed-load with, even though I don't plan to take the RMR until after I've finally passed the CCP), and I'm going to get business cards. After nearly every recent gig I've done, someone's asked me for one, and I've felt like a fool having to scrawl my information on a piece of notebook paper. When I get my certification, I'll get new cards. Ex-frikkin'-celsior.
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Three views of my workspace...

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 16:32:29 -0600

Three views of my workspace. I don't know why, but I'm really interested in people's workspaces. This was the first print I ever bought when I was a freshman in college, and it still hangs on our bedroom door. I like seeing the systems people set up to direct their thoughts and the talismans they keep around them. Workspaces and studies are as intimate as bedrooms, but more of their nuts and bolts are on display. And, of course, I love ogling tech. It's very nice of the internet to indulge my sordid proclivities. I just joined the Lifehacker Workspace Show and Tell Pool, and these are the pictures I asked the ever-gracious K. to take for my contribution. Follow the links to see the annotations. Also, feel free to join the pool or blog your own spaces!

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Alison Bechdel does a great comic on summer...

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 13:27:31 -0600

Alison Bechdel does a great comic on summer reading. I've been reading a fair bit this summer, though far less than I did as a kid (or even as a pit musician in a tourist town with limited internet access), and most of it's been pure fluff. I'm looking at my last 15 books on LibraryThing, and maybe four of them (Fire Upon the Deep, Midnight's Children, the Cornish Trilogy, And Life As We Know It) have any claim at all to literary merit. The rest are just romps. I mean, those four are pretty much romps too, but they could at least purport to be thinking romps. I've been going to the Mid-Manhattan branch of the New York Public Library a fair bit, which means more books for no money, and that's good. The majority of my reading is done on the subway or in bed at night when I can't sleep. It's just hard to justify taking time to read during the day when I've wasted so much time slacking on the internet (like, you know, writing this blog entry) instead of freelancing my way to fame and riches. Okay, back to transcripts.
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I just want to state for the record that my...

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 11:51:07 -0600

I just want to state for the record that my girlfriend is staggeringly awesome and not just because she completely saved my ass last night.
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"Having sex with a newt I don't have a problem...

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 10:20:41 -0600

"Having sex with a newt I don't have a problem with. It's drinking beer mixed with ginger beer. That's just wrong."

-- K.
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While I'm posting videos, here's another one...

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 12:18:47 -0600

While I'm posting videos, here's another one. Abney Park are very silly and kind of gimmicky, but this song amuses me. It's just mindless, pretty, faux-Ottoman steampunk, which is really all you need sometimes.

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I first heard about Andrew Bird through Remi, and...

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 12:16:27 -0600

I first heard about Andrew Bird through Remi, and I liked that song he did for the kids' show, and I liked that he was a Suzuki guy and whistled and wore a hat, but I listened to a few more of his songs and they didn't work for me. I was wondering whether I should buy one of his albums and listen more closely or just blow him off. This song decided me. I really like this song on the basis of the music alone. I haven't tuned into the lyrics yet. And the video is grand. I'm putting him on my list.
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Since I'm updating the mix, it occurred to me last...

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 08:34:19 -0600

Since I'm updating the mix, it occurred to me last night that Jonathan Coulton's I'm Your Moon could serve very well as an alternative track for Sola's "planetary conjunction above an oblivious crowd". Depending on how you define "planet", of course. {sniffle}
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Going off to my first SJC alumni seminar with K...

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 16:39:54 -0600

Going off to my first SJC alumni seminar with K. tonight. It's on Dostoevsky, and I'm not sure what to make of it yet. Mr. Stickney will be there, which should be lovely. Let's see if I can still do this, huh? It's been a while.

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Here's the other version of Fred's sunset song...

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:40:13 -0600

Here's the other version of Fred's sunset song. You'll want to download it; for me, at least, the Firefox Quicktime plugin is only playing the first five seconds of it. But Winamp plays it just fine. Very odd. What's wrong with this file?
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Synesthesia Meme Muxtape is up!...

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 19:03:33 -0600

Synesthesia Meme Muxtape is up!

Commentaries and actual track information available on request. The last one should read: "Anne - Singing shanties with drunken invisible teenagers on the traintracks and riverbanks at night", but @*&#$ Muxtape wouldn't let me rename it (or, oddly, upload a file with the id3 tags changed). I also wanted to put a different artist's version of Fred's song up, but it wouldn't let me. If you're interested in the other version, Fred, let me know and I'll email it to you. Oh, and I've got two slots left, so comment if you want more.
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Habakkuk's abacus, Habakkuk's abacus, Habakkuk's...

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 11:08:52 -0600

Habakkuk's abacus, Habakkuk's abacus, Habakkuk's abacus, Habakkuk's abacus, Habakkuk's abacus!
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Reveling in necessity is my favorite form of...

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 00:44:34 -0600

Reveling in necessity is my favorite form of hedonism.
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Via Drew Mackie, via Leonard. ...

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 14:35:22 -0600

Via Drew Mackie, via Leonard.

1. You guys tell me what kind of music you want.

2. In a few days, I'll post one mp3 for each of you.

You can't request music by band name or genre. You have to describe, in terms of color, mood, texture, taste, or any other creative way you can think of, what you're looking for in a song, and I'll do the best I can with what I have. Yes, that means that I may end up posting a song that you wouldn't normally listen to. That's part of the fun.

I can't use more than one song by any given band. The point of this meme is to give you a taste of new stuff, not to pirate whole CDs. If you like what you hear, you'll still need to buy it yourself. If two of you come up with identical descriptions, I have to find two bands that both fit, or use one song for both of you.

I can't make the song permanently available. Unless the song in question is already available on the band's website (in which case, I'll provide a link to their site instead of posting an mp3), I'll be taking the songs down in a few days, or posting them on a temporary host so that they'll expire after a few days.

I think I'm going to use Muxtape for this purpose, so I guess my limit for this round is 12.
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Fb V jnf unysjnl guebhtu zl svefg genafpevcgvba...

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:54:35 -0600

Fb V jnf unysjnl guebhtu zl svefg genafpevcgvba cvrpr, enpvat fvatyrzvaqrqyl gb trg vg qbar nf dhvpxyl nf cbffvoyr naq fubj gurfr crbcyr jung V jnf jbegu, jura na rznvy cbccrq hc ba zl Tbbtyr abgvsvre. Vg jnf sbe n eha bs npnqrzvp PNEG wbof bire gur arkg guerr zbaguf. Qb V qebc rirelguvat gb nafjre gur rznvy naq gnxr gur wbo? Ab. V chg vg nfvqr naq tbg onpx gb gur genafpevcgvba. Ab qvfgenpgvbaf! Ab qrynlf! Veba-gvtug jbex rguvp ervtaf va fynpxre vzchyfrf! Sbhe ubhef yngre V'z svavfurq, naq V jevgr onpx gb gur PNEG crbcyr gb npprcg gur wbo. Gurl fnvq V pbhyq unir vg, ohg nf bs guvf nsgreabba gur pyvrag unfa'g tbggra onpx gb gurz naq vg frrzf vapernfvatyl yvxryl (nf gur PNEG crbcyr vasbez zr) gung gur jbex unf nyernql orra fanccrq hc ol nabgure svez. Gur genafpevcgvba wbo rnearq zr $110, gubhtu V ubcr vg'f gur svefg bs znal. Gur PNEG jbex jbhyq unir phzhyngviryl arggrq zr nebhaq $6,000. V srry cerggl fghcvq.
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I seem to have gotten the job. Yeee...

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 18:22:46 -0600

I seem to have gotten the job. Yeee! Also, some of my overdue invoice money came in today, with a promise of more to come, and I found out I'll be able to take the next level of ASL at a ridiculously low price. I'm feeling a lot calmer about everything pecuniary, and everything else is as lovely as it has been all summer. I even kind of like the heat; it makes me feel like a happy sweaty porpoise*. Life is good.

*I know, of course, that cetaceans lack sweat glands. It's a figure of speech.
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I'm thinking of either selling my cornetto or...

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 21:57:25 -0600

I'm thinking of either selling my cornetto or trading it in for a good recorder. It kind of tears me up inside. I love, love, love cornetto music. It's ethereal, androgynous, nimble, and pure like nothing else. But it's just ridiculously hard to play. I was never able to make it sound better than an airy blat, and that was on a good day, after six months of steady practice. After six years of lassitude, I have barely enough chops left to play above the staff on my trumpet for more than five minutes. How am I ever going to build my embouchure up to cornetto heights? I don't see it happening. My finances are almost completely tapped out right now, but I've got a couple transcription leads (including, yes, that company I was whining about in an earlier blog post, though I don't want to jinx it). If I can build my reserves back up and be assured of a relatively steady income, I want to start taking recorder lessons with a guy I found on Craigslist. He teaches right near where I'm taking ASL (I hope to continue, though that's uncertain for non-financial reasons) and not too far from Pratt, which is where I'll be spending most of my time in the Fall. So I'm thinking about it. Maybe I'll make a Muxtape of cornetto music, like Dredged-Up Cornetto but better thought out, to make me decide. I dunno.
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Photo by K.

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 22:45:20 -0600

Photo by K.
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This question was constantly on my mind all...

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 17:33:43 -0600

This question was constantly on my mind all through middle school. I used to carry around an Altoids box full of rock salt to use as ready cash in case such a thing were to happen. It never did. {sigh}

via io9.
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If Martin gets to foodblog, I get to foodblog too...

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 22:47:34 -0600

If Martin gets to foodblog, I get to foodblog too. Dinner tonight was grilled rainbow trout with tarragon, broccolini sauteed with garlic, boiled new potatoes with butter, and a tomato, cucumber, and avocado salad. Dessert was fresh peaches with Greek yogurt, and to finish I had half a toasted pita with butter and Marmite. K. had the other half without the Marmite. Dude. Yum.
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This comic made me bawl. Via Kate Beaton.

Sat, 31 May 2008 13:03:02 -0600

This comic made me bawl.

Via Kate Beaton.
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The Adagio of K. 488...

Fri, 30 May 2008 22:24:52 -0600

The Adagio of K. 488! That's what we played in the SJC Orchestra sophomore year! I've been trying to remember its number for years!
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Hey, I just thought of a tool that would be...

Sun, 25 May 2008 15:24:53 -0600

Hey, I just thought of a tool that would be invaluable for writers of pastiche and period pieces. If this thing already exists, let me know where it is, 'cause I need it. An anachronism detector! You've got an engine hooked up to an unabridged dictionary (ideally the OED) and you feed it a text file (up to novel length) and a date. It works for a while and then spits out a list of all words in the text file that had not yet been coined by the date you entered. You go back and fix them and your literary cred (or at least your potential to avoid making historically-minded readers cringe) just shot up by at least 41%!
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Ask Neal Stephenson about Anathem...

Fri, 23 May 2008 15:49:27 -0600

Ask Neal Stephenson about Anathem. I already asked him one. I've been thinking about how much I adored the Redwall books when I was a kid, even though they really weren't all that good, because I've always wanted to be a monk and live in an Abbey. But there was never any God in those books, and it's sort of strange to see what contortions Jacques had to make to keep him out of them.
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"Prickwillow's Museum of Fenland Drainage" is my...

Wed, 21 May 2008 23:50:31 -0600

"Prickwillow's Museum of Fenland Drainage" is my new favorite phrase ever.
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I applied to a dozen or more transcription...

Wed, 21 May 2008 17:27:21 -0600

I applied to a dozen or more transcription companies yesterday. No word back from anyone, though I did just get a new three-hour CART assignment in June. So I did my usual desultory search on Craigslist a few hours ago -- they're not usually good for much, and my first terrible transcription job came from there -- and found the ideal company. I went to their website and started jumping up and down, I liked their style of persnickety grammatical braggadocio so much. So I write up a long suave cover letter, slap my resume into it, and send it off with soaring spirits, only to have it returned four seconds later because the address doesn't exist. Now, the posting itself doesn't mention the company's name; I deduced it from the gmail address they'd used to post with (and summarily discarded, I guess). So I went to the site and pasted my letter into their client request form. Now I'm all anxious. I really want to work for these people. Did they already hire someone? Is that why they canceled the gmail address? Will they think I overstepped by using their web form? Should I have sent it to the email address they had on the site instead of the form so at least if it bounced back again I'd get a notification? Should I send it again, or would that annoy them? Argh! I'd forgotten how nerve-wracking job searching can be. I keep thinking back to that first disastrous transcription job. They were nice enough people and the work itself was fine, but they had no clients to speak of, and I sat in my room every morning, getting broker and broker, waiting for the secretary to call and tell me not to bother coming in that day. Then my computer broke and I had to buy another one, I got my captioning job, went through the three month minimum wage probation period, and came out of it $3,000 in debt. My ever-saintly godmother had to bail me out, or who knows what would have happened -- and that was when my rent was almost half of what it is now and my student loans were deferred. Never again. I'll find work. I have to.
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