It is an ex-hamster
I just laid our hamster to rest. Her name was Sarah Butterscotch because my daughter couldn't decide which of those two names she liked better 2 years ago. She was very cute, but had seemed increasingly sluggish this past week, and this afternoon she made what my daughter referred to as "a really weird noise" and by this evening she had expired.
She lead a typical hamster life- most of it in the cage with a week-long break to live one in my closet behind my pants when we were away on vacation plus 48 hours behind my daughter's bed. She was 2 years and 2 months old, which is equivalent to about 75 human years, making me about 19 months old in hamster years.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Sporty
I've been fortunate to have attended several of the most famous sporting events of the last 50 years, the best ones being the Mets winning their first world championship in 1969, the Knicks winning the NBA championship in 1970 (the "Willis Reed game"), and the Yankees winning in 1977 (Reggie Jackson's 3 consecutive home runs). I also watched every minute of Villanova's 1985 championship game. So every time something amazing happens in sports I think about how it stands up.
To me it stands as the most exciting game I didn't see. I was driving to pick up my daughter at the airport for part of it and heard it on the radio. At the airport the TVs are permanently tuned to CNN so I saw none of it there. We listened to more of it on the way home, and saw the last 3 minutes in a jumble as soon as we came in the house because my kids were being annoying, But I did see that last shot...
BTW, if anyone's interested in the evolution of the media, in 1970 the NBA final wasn't important enough to be in prime time on one of the national networks (this was before cable), of which there were 3 at the time. So it was shown on tape delay at 11:30 PM after the local news. So I got to see it at Madison Square Garden, drive home, and then watch it, not live but first broadcast, on TV.
I've been fortunate to have attended several of the most famous sporting events of the last 50 years, the best ones being the Mets winning their first world championship in 1969, the Knicks winning the NBA championship in 1970 (the "Willis Reed game"), and the Yankees winning in 1977 (Reggie Jackson's 3 consecutive home runs). I also watched every minute of Villanova's 1985 championship game. So every time something amazing happens in sports I think about how it stands up.
To me it stands as the most exciting game I didn't see. I was driving to pick up my daughter at the airport for part of it and heard it on the radio. At the airport the TVs are permanently tuned to CNN so I saw none of it there. We listened to more of it on the way home, and saw the last 3 minutes in a jumble as soon as we came in the house because my kids were being annoying, But I did see that last shot...
BTW, if anyone's interested in the evolution of the media, in 1970 the NBA final wasn't important enough to be in prime time on one of the national networks (this was before cable), of which there were 3 at the time. So it was shown on tape delay at 11:30 PM after the local news. So I got to see it at Madison Square Garden, drive home, and then watch it, not live but first broadcast, on TV.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
The Cleaner
I am not an orderly person. One of the my favorite lines is what Einstein said when someone commented on how messy his office was. "They should see what it looks like in here." he said, pointing to his head.
So speaking as a disorderly person (non-orderly? or "Speaking not as an orderly person..."?), I think I can opine authoritatively on what constitutes a mess. There are two complementary principles in play. A mess is when you have the too many different things in one place, and when you have one kind of thing in too many different places.
A good example of the former is my keyboard drawer. Among other things, it contains eye drops (3 bottles), flash drives (2) a battery, a glasses case with no glasses inside, a pack of gum, post-it notes, two bike lock keys, an earring (not mine), the keys to the biology lab in my former school building and to my ski rack, cards from supermarkets and other stores, including gift cards, frequent traveler programs, health care providers, health clubs, governmental entities and banks, a watch, two receipts, a DVD-R with figure skating recorded on it, a foil ball containning 3 ibuprofen, American and Canadian pennies, and of course, a keyboard, mouse and mouse pad. This variety makes it very hard to find anything aside from the biggest items, like the eyedrops, watch, and, of course, the keyboard.
One obvious example of the latter is trash. Trash belongs in the trash recepticle, and all kinds of problems ensue when trash is in places other than those recepticles, which it almost always is. The trick is, what is trash? Which leads me to my other example- keepsakes. If you have keepsakes in multiple locations, you are guaranteed to have a mess. One of the best pieces of cleaning advice I ever ignored was, "If you're saving something because it might come in handy someday, throw it out." Keepsakes are the emotional version of things that might come in handy someday. It's nice to have some, but too many can make it hard to find the things that actually are handy.
I am not an orderly person. One of the my favorite lines is what Einstein said when someone commented on how messy his office was. "They should see what it looks like in here." he said, pointing to his head.
So speaking as a disorderly person (non-orderly? or "Speaking not as an orderly person..."?), I think I can opine authoritatively on what constitutes a mess. There are two complementary principles in play. A mess is when you have the too many different things in one place, and when you have one kind of thing in too many different places.
A good example of the former is my keyboard drawer. Among other things, it contains eye drops (3 bottles), flash drives (2) a battery, a glasses case with no glasses inside, a pack of gum, post-it notes, two bike lock keys, an earring (not mine), the keys to the biology lab in my former school building and to my ski rack, cards from supermarkets and other stores, including gift cards, frequent traveler programs, health care providers, health clubs, governmental entities and banks, a watch, two receipts, a DVD-R with figure skating recorded on it, a foil ball containning 3 ibuprofen, American and Canadian pennies, and of course, a keyboard, mouse and mouse pad. This variety makes it very hard to find anything aside from the biggest items, like the eyedrops, watch, and, of course, the keyboard.
One obvious example of the latter is trash. Trash belongs in the trash recepticle, and all kinds of problems ensue when trash is in places other than those recepticles, which it almost always is. The trick is, what is trash? Which leads me to my other example- keepsakes. If you have keepsakes in multiple locations, you are guaranteed to have a mess. One of the best pieces of cleaning advice I ever ignored was, "If you're saving something because it might come in handy someday, throw it out." Keepsakes are the emotional version of things that might come in handy someday. It's nice to have some, but too many can make it hard to find the things that actually are handy.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Facebook
I see there's a group called "We will not pay for Facebook." This is a perfectly reasonable statement with any easy solution- don't use Facebook and you'll never have to pay for it.
I spent a lot of years in the cable TV business and we used to get shrieks of horror every time we raised our rates, and I'd always think, well if you don't want to pay, then don't buy the service. Nobody's forcing you to watch TV. I don't like having to pay for potato chips and I especially hate it when they raise the price of potato chips. I think potato chips are the best food ever, but I don't need them, and nobody needs TV either.
I think a lot of people think they need Facebook, because it's the only way to stay connected to their friends. So then I guess the problem is that they don't want to pay for something they need, especially because it's been free. This resentment is particularly acute because the most avid users are adolescents who really aren't used to paying for things in general. No offence, kids, but tough noogies. Welcome to the real world. I don't like paying for gas and water and electricity, and at least water used to be free. But I feel like I need those things and so I pay. And telephone? The best comment on that was by Ernestine, the obnoxious telephone operator played by Lily Tomlin, who said, "If you don't like the phone company, try using 2 dixie cups and a string."
I've followed online business models from before the World Wide Web was invented way back in 1993, and Facebook, like many other online businesses that don't sell something, has been trying from day one to figure out how to make money. Many of those business no longer exist. Investors will pay for future profits for a while, especially when something gets huge really fast like this did, but in the long run, if nobody will pay for Facebook, it will disappear.
I see there's a group called "We will not pay for Facebook." This is a perfectly reasonable statement with any easy solution- don't use Facebook and you'll never have to pay for it.
I spent a lot of years in the cable TV business and we used to get shrieks of horror every time we raised our rates, and I'd always think, well if you don't want to pay, then don't buy the service. Nobody's forcing you to watch TV. I don't like having to pay for potato chips and I especially hate it when they raise the price of potato chips. I think potato chips are the best food ever, but I don't need them, and nobody needs TV either.
I think a lot of people think they need Facebook, because it's the only way to stay connected to their friends. So then I guess the problem is that they don't want to pay for something they need, especially because it's been free. This resentment is particularly acute because the most avid users are adolescents who really aren't used to paying for things in general. No offence, kids, but tough noogies. Welcome to the real world. I don't like paying for gas and water and electricity, and at least water used to be free. But I feel like I need those things and so I pay. And telephone? The best comment on that was by Ernestine, the obnoxious telephone operator played by Lily Tomlin, who said, "If you don't like the phone company, try using 2 dixie cups and a string."
I've followed online business models from before the World Wide Web was invented way back in 1993, and Facebook, like many other online businesses that don't sell something, has been trying from day one to figure out how to make money. Many of those business no longer exist. Investors will pay for future profits for a while, especially when something gets huge really fast like this did, but in the long run, if nobody will pay for Facebook, it will disappear.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Yankee Online Stupidity
The New York Yankees made a big deal about how they started selling individual tickets today. Only one problem. The search engine is unusable. If you ask for "Best Available," you get the "legends" seats, which are only about $2,000 apiece. Try to search in cheaper sections or to get one of the "specials" they trumpet and you get "Sorry, no seats available. What a waste of time.
The New York Yankees made a big deal about how they started selling individual tickets today. Only one problem. The search engine is unusable. If you ask for "Best Available," you get the "legends" seats, which are only about $2,000 apiece. Try to search in cheaper sections or to get one of the "specials" they trumpet and you get "Sorry, no seats available. What a waste of time.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Passover or Practice makes Imperfect (Updated slightly)
Yesterday I went shopping for Kosher for Passover stuff. It seemed the perfect day because the supermarkets have their Passover aisles in order, everything's not all gone like it is during Passover itself, and on Saturday most observant Jews (which generally does not include me) wouldn't be shopping.
This all proved to be correct. What really struck me is the immense variety of foods that are now available. When I was a kid, it was matzo brei or eggs for breakfast, matzo and tuna for lunch, and roast something with potatoes for dinner. And that was about it. This year I find myself owning blueberry muffin mix, ravioli, pizza, chocolate covered ice cream pops and I forget what else. Today I was informed that one of the large conservative synagogues around here told their congregation that rice and legumes were now okay, bringing the Ashkenazi guidelines more in line with the more relaxed Sefardic rules, so now we can add peanut butter and risotto to the mix.
So here's what I'm thinking. Passover treads a fine line here between the spirit and letter of the laws. It's not a holiday built around suffering and deprivation per se, but I always felt the soul of the holiday was to feel a oneness with our ancestors who escaped from Egypt and endured serious hardships on their way to freedom. So then because the Children of Israel didn't have baking powder back in the day it's okay to make stuff that rises with baking powder? Even though one of the most famous passages from the story involves not having time to let their dough rise, giving birth to the wonder that is matzo? I guess baking powder rises faster than yeast, but really.
I have a good friend who, explaining why he was having a beer during passover, said, "I don't remember reading anything about the CoI (my new abbreviation) not having the time to brew beer." Well, that may be so, and though I'm perfectly happy to stick with wine for 8 days, I can't say I'm completely unmoved by this. But the bible doesn't say anthing about not watching television or driving SUVs on Shabbos either, but many people draw that inference from other laws.
I guess the problem is that the observance of Passover is a metaphor, and it's difficult to make strict metaphorical rules. Symbolism is by it's very nature an individual thing. A friend of mine once sent me this long joke about a conversation between a man writing the rules of kashrut and God (and I apologize if this is either familiar or told incorrectly- it's a metaphor). The man starts with the prohibition of boiling a calf in its mother's milk. He then goes on to derive all of the basic rules, from cloven hoof to shellfish, and stops to get God's assent as he goes through. For each rule, God says okay and the man eventually finishes. As he walks way from the shrine, God calls out to him and says, "Oh, and one more thing- make sure you don't boil a calf in its mother's milk."
I don't have any answers for this, but I do think the questions are interesting.
Yesterday I went shopping for Kosher for Passover stuff. It seemed the perfect day because the supermarkets have their Passover aisles in order, everything's not all gone like it is during Passover itself, and on Saturday most observant Jews (which generally does not include me) wouldn't be shopping.
This all proved to be correct. What really struck me is the immense variety of foods that are now available. When I was a kid, it was matzo brei or eggs for breakfast, matzo and tuna for lunch, and roast something with potatoes for dinner. And that was about it. This year I find myself owning blueberry muffin mix, ravioli, pizza, chocolate covered ice cream pops and I forget what else. Today I was informed that one of the large conservative synagogues around here told their congregation that rice and legumes were now okay, bringing the Ashkenazi guidelines more in line with the more relaxed Sefardic rules, so now we can add peanut butter and risotto to the mix.
So here's what I'm thinking. Passover treads a fine line here between the spirit and letter of the laws. It's not a holiday built around suffering and deprivation per se, but I always felt the soul of the holiday was to feel a oneness with our ancestors who escaped from Egypt and endured serious hardships on their way to freedom. So then because the Children of Israel didn't have baking powder back in the day it's okay to make stuff that rises with baking powder? Even though one of the most famous passages from the story involves not having time to let their dough rise, giving birth to the wonder that is matzo? I guess baking powder rises faster than yeast, but really.
I have a good friend who, explaining why he was having a beer during passover, said, "I don't remember reading anything about the CoI (my new abbreviation) not having the time to brew beer." Well, that may be so, and though I'm perfectly happy to stick with wine for 8 days, I can't say I'm completely unmoved by this. But the bible doesn't say anthing about not watching television or driving SUVs on Shabbos either, but many people draw that inference from other laws.
I guess the problem is that the observance of Passover is a metaphor, and it's difficult to make strict metaphorical rules. Symbolism is by it's very nature an individual thing. A friend of mine once sent me this long joke about a conversation between a man writing the rules of kashrut and God (and I apologize if this is either familiar or told incorrectly- it's a metaphor). The man starts with the prohibition of boiling a calf in its mother's milk. He then goes on to derive all of the basic rules, from cloven hoof to shellfish, and stops to get God's assent as he goes through. For each rule, God says okay and the man eventually finishes. As he walks way from the shrine, God calls out to him and says, "Oh, and one more thing- make sure you don't boil a calf in its mother's milk."
I don't have any answers for this, but I do think the questions are interesting.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
More bad language
Aside from bromance, the other word I'm seeing a lot is octomom. I really like that one. What's best about it is that if you didn't know the story you'd have no idea what it meant. We know octo is 8 (except October is the 10th month, but we'll leave that for another time), but 8 what? Feet? Teeth? Tongues? Stomachs? Antennae? It conjures up all kinds of science fiction visuals.
Aside from bromance, the other word I'm seeing a lot is octomom. I really like that one. What's best about it is that if you didn't know the story you'd have no idea what it meant. We know octo is 8 (except October is the 10th month, but we'll leave that for another time), but 8 what? Feet? Teeth? Tongues? Stomachs? Antennae? It conjures up all kinds of science fiction visuals.
Did I miss something?
I like to think of myself as reasonably culturally literate, but when did "bromance" become a word that no longer needs explanation? It's not hard to figure out what it means, but I've seen it used so frequently and casually of late (mostly to describe the movie, I Love You, Man) that I was wondering if it's been around longer than I thought.
I like to think of myself as reasonably culturally literate, but when did "bromance" become a word that no longer needs explanation? It's not hard to figure out what it means, but I've seen it used so frequently and casually of late (mostly to describe the movie, I Love You, Man) that I was wondering if it's been around longer than I thought.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Checking in again
Sorry to be repetitive, but I've been sick for well over a month. I'm not really really sick. I've missed days of work here and there but I've pretty much been working for the last 3 weeks. But I've been anywhere from uncomfortable to in pain. It's put me in a bad mood and I haven't felt like doing anything.
So I'm going to try to reenter blogging life, but don't be surprised if there's a cranky tone to a lot of it.
Sorry to be repetitive, but I've been sick for well over a month. I'm not really really sick. I've missed days of work here and there but I've pretty much been working for the last 3 weeks. But I've been anywhere from uncomfortable to in pain. It's put me in a bad mood and I haven't felt like doing anything.
So I'm going to try to reenter blogging life, but don't be surprised if there's a cranky tone to a lot of it.
Monday, March 09, 2009
Aside from the whole sick part...
In the animal kingdom, the weak and sick get weeded out and left behind to fend for themselves, because that's what's appropriate for the common good. The human equivalent of this is that if you stay sick long enough, no matter how much your family loves you, they will eventually get tired of your being sick and will become more concerned with the inconvenience that it causes them. Stay sick for over a month, like me, and you risk becoming a pariah.
Once that happens, you're stuck. If your inclination is to try to act like nothing's wrong, you feel awful and/or get sicker, but at least people are nice to you. Acting like you're still sick will help you feel better, but you won't be treated well. At this point, in my usual fashion, I'm balancing between the two- trying to keep up as much normalcy as possible, while getting the rest I need.
In the animal kingdom, the weak and sick get weeded out and left behind to fend for themselves, because that's what's appropriate for the common good. The human equivalent of this is that if you stay sick long enough, no matter how much your family loves you, they will eventually get tired of your being sick and will become more concerned with the inconvenience that it causes them. Stay sick for over a month, like me, and you risk becoming a pariah.
Once that happens, you're stuck. If your inclination is to try to act like nothing's wrong, you feel awful and/or get sicker, but at least people are nice to you. Acting like you're still sick will help you feel better, but you won't be treated well. At this point, in my usual fashion, I'm balancing between the two- trying to keep up as much normalcy as possible, while getting the rest I need.
Monday, March 02, 2009
Sunday, March 01, 2009
Classless
I'm aware that the ownership of the Philadelphia Inquirer is headed by a Republican activist, but it still angered me to see the headline as an immediate reaction to Obama's budget, "Worries About Class Warfare." Now I heard the same thing parroted on "Meet The Press." Who exactly is worried, and why is it only called class warfare when it favors the middle class versus the rich and not the other way around?
It's clear to anyone paying attention that the 8 years of the Bush administration have witnessed a vicious and sustained attack by the rich against everyone else, driving income disparity to levels unheard of in American history and beyond. It's one of the major reasons the vast majority of Americans thought the country was on the "wrong track" coming into the most recent election. So now, given a budget that returns the tax burden to the way it was 10 years ago, this is class warfare? It takes deeply warped thinking and a spectacular sense of entitlement to come up with that.
I'm hopeful that our collective sense of fairness will overcome this disingenuous line of thinking, but I guess we'll have to cross pur fingers and see how it all plays out.
I'm aware that the ownership of the Philadelphia Inquirer is headed by a Republican activist, but it still angered me to see the headline as an immediate reaction to Obama's budget, "Worries About Class Warfare." Now I heard the same thing parroted on "Meet The Press." Who exactly is worried, and why is it only called class warfare when it favors the middle class versus the rich and not the other way around?
It's clear to anyone paying attention that the 8 years of the Bush administration have witnessed a vicious and sustained attack by the rich against everyone else, driving income disparity to levels unheard of in American history and beyond. It's one of the major reasons the vast majority of Americans thought the country was on the "wrong track" coming into the most recent election. So now, given a budget that returns the tax burden to the way it was 10 years ago, this is class warfare? It takes deeply warped thinking and a spectacular sense of entitlement to come up with that.
I'm hopeful that our collective sense of fairness will overcome this disingenuous line of thinking, but I guess we'll have to cross pur fingers and see how it all plays out.
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