BlogFerret

Ok, I held out for three days. Maybe that’s a record of some kind.

So what have we learned in 2009, Christine?

Well, Non-specific Writing-Persona Addressee, we’ve learned many lessons in the past year. In no specific order whatsoever:

• Craft beer is an exciting and rewarding hobby. It’s also not as difficult to get involved as one might think.
• Bi-polar disorder is not to be taken lightly. At the very least, people with bi-polar disorder should be monitored by a counselor and have access to an M.D. psychiatrist when/if necessary. Otherwise, bi-polar patients can find their relationships, financial status, and general well-being rotating rapidly counter clockwise into the giant metaphorical bowl-drain waterway of life. Trust me.
• Get some exercise. Even if it’s just a little bit. Every other day is good, and if you can get outside, so much the better.
• Beware of those who are so busy pointing out your faults they fail to recognize their own. They probably aren’t your friends. I can’t believe I’m doing this, but … (Matthew 7:3). And yes, it’s slightly out of context to serve my own purposes. When do you ever see a bible quotation that isn’t?
• Some people are mostly nice, but that doesn’t mean they won’t try to manipulate you. Be nice back, but don’t let them piss you off so much you cry. It shortens your life, and life is pretty short as it is.
• Stop drinking so much, eating so much, and eating so many things that are bad for you. Most of the time, but not all of the time… heheheh. But yes, your mother is right, you’ll feel better.
• If at all possible, get a cat or a dog. Why a cat or a dog? Exotics, such as birds and ferrets (hee hee!) cannot leave their cages and choose to hang out with you. Having a critter come and sit with you can sometimes mean the difference between the end of a shitty day and the end of a shitty day with a cat or a dog sitting next to you. The difference here seems infinitesimal, but it isn’t. Again, just trust me.

And so, Christine what do you plan to do about it in 2010?

Non-specific Writing-Persona Addressee, let me tell you, it’s going to be a shorter list with longer asides:

• Work on reducing clutter. Clutter isn’t that fabulous, and who really needs all this crap anyway? I can’t believe that my clutter level after Katrina (almost nil) and my clutter level now (don’t get me started) belong to the same person. Let’s see what we can do about it. Brain clutter is included here as well as physical clutter.
• Become more involved in bi-polar activism. I don’t know if “activism” is the right word, here, but I want to do something else besides being open about my bi-polar disorder. Oh, you noticed? Well, yes it’s true that I am very open and try to be matter-of-fact about the whole issue, because I’m trying as an individual to help reduce the stigma under which people with mood disorders (and other mental illnesses) labor. Why? Because I think it’s stupid, and it prevents people who really need help from seeking it out. Also, I think the level of awareness regarding mental health patients and what they go through needs to be raised. Once I feel more balanced and healthy, I plan to start volunteering or get involved with a group or organization which propagates these same beliefs.
• Brew more beer whenever possible.
• Try to think a bit more before opening my big mouth. Yeah, this is about as likely as Halley’s Comet returning before 2061, but I figure I can give it a shot.

So there you have it, kids. Please ensure that the car has come to a complete stop before exiting the ride. Also, for those of you reading via Facebook, MySpace, or LiveJournal, please click “view original post” before commenting if at all possible. That would rock. May you and yours enjoy a prosperous new year, and let’s try not to take ourselves too seriously this time around.

I have four words for the masses regarding the swine flu, and they are: “Give me a break!”

I admit, that when the whole thing began, I was a little nervous. I would be fine during the day but then I would go home and see the news, and people were totally wigging out. Last week, many drugstores here  sold out of their supplies of anti-virals. That means that doctors here were prescribing them for people who weren’t sick and might not even become sick.

A few schools have been closed here, to the point that my students haven’t been coming to class, even though it’s adult education and we just use the building of a school that has not been closed.

Sure, I got a little creeped out when I saw the reports about how fast the virus was spreading, but I managed to get over it. More and more the evidence is that if you take reasonable precautions (wash your hands! don’t touch your face!) you will probably be fine. My issue is that otherwise reasonable people are jumping on this bandwagon.

Read the rest of this entry »

I got an email on the Austin Zealots‘ Yahoo group today. (The Zealots are a local hombrewing club here in Austin, and a great bunch of people.) A member was expressing his disappointment with the contents of this article:

Austin home to a few good brewpubs

I read the article, and went to reply on the list, but as usual I waxed verbose and was forced to move my opinions to a forum in which I (mostly) reign supreme. I did this to avoid spamming the list with my copious rants and opinions. I’m sure people everywhere are grateful I have my own website.

In short, I share the disappointment of my fellow Zealot. Allow me to elaborate. Read the rest of this entry »

I would love to make my first post in a very long time one of clever insight, great content, and pithy sayings. Instead I will whine about how other people whine on their blogs.

****I am a big fat meanie in this post. You have been warned. If you don’t like it you can’t say I didn’t warn you. It’s my blog, and why should I be the only person who doesn’t post self-indulgent, meaningless, uninteresting crap on her blog?****

This post makes me a big fat hypocrite, because I whine on my blog all the time when I can be bothered to write in it. I actually have interesting things to write about in my blog instead of whining, because I have been out living my life. Unfortunately, I have no time to write about the interesting stuff, because I have been out living my life. Now that I have free time for a few minutes, I will spend time whining about myself as a whiner, and other people as whiners. I’m such a whiner.

I did have time to do slacking Google searches, however, and came across a blog about someone who had infertility problems, got IVF even though she couldn’t really afford it, and was busily complaining about how badly everything was going. The whole infertility thing is a hot subject, and I’m reluctant to comment on how I specifically feel about it — even though I’m already an asshole here, because I don’t feel sorry for a person who couldn’t have kids, and so made herself very sick and poor so she could have one, then was unhappy about it. Still what struck me is that the woman wanted to know how much she had to “prostrate herself to the universe” (I think those were the words) in order to “deserve” to be a mom.

Well, it sounds like she got what she wants, but now she “don’t want what she gots.” Something I learned in my mid-20’s or thereabouts: Life is not about what you deserve. People never get what they deserve. Really nice people get shit on all the time, and supreme bottomfeeding pursesnatching assholes get Mazeratis and six figure incomes. It’s not about “deserve”, it’s about your response to the hand you’re dealt in the cosmic card game of the universe.

The Ancient Greeks had this concept of fate, which was really “whatever the gods want to do with you.” The gods put you on sort of a “fate wave,” which left untampered with, would deal out to you over your lifetime a certain amount of happiness and a certain amount of suffering. It was only when you tried to mess with it, i.e. take more than your fair share of happiness, that you increased your suffering. We are dealt whatever life we are dealt. This doesn’t mean we should not use our talents and abilities to try and live the life we desire, but sometimes we need the self-knowledge to realize when something we want is our fair portion – that is, our lot in life – and when we need to adjust our response to the hand we’ve been dealt.

Or in other words, if you have a phenomenal verbal SAT score but your math score is low to average, don’t go to college with the intention of becoming a Mathematics PhD with a specialty in differential equations. According to the Greeks, you will only bring suffering upon yourself.

Just to put my $0.02 in: It is such a shame that people try to find so many ways to suppress or prevent the aquisition of knowledge.

Basic Science of Gay Sheep

Typekey sucks.  So yes, I’m about 3 years too late with that sentiment, but I was annoyed.

I do have a Typekey account, which I use to comment on other people’s blogs.  Lately, I must say that I haven’t had to use it very often.  Still, it annoys me to have to do so.

Why?  Because Typekey seems to be kaput.  When you click on a person’s nick who has commented via Typekey, you don’t get to see their profile or their website.  It just takes you to a page which promptly redirects you to a page that doesn’t load.

Look, if people comment on my blog, I like to be able to see if they have a website, too.  I also like for people to be able to go to my website if they read a comment on someone else’s site that fools them into thinking that makes them think I might provide an interesting read.  It’s what’s behind all this “virtual community” the sociologists and psychologists are rambling about these days.

I know I tend to be a bit self-serving, but I really feel like this problem is more than just an “I visit your site and contribute, so you should visit mine” thing.  Hah!  I have to admit to being a bit of a “maiden aunt” of the internet, though.  I believe in being “polite” in that way, and I freely admit to removing people from my links list because they were soliciting my participation in their site while not even bothering to put up a reciprocal link to mine.  I also believe, though, that one should at least visit someone’s website who comments on yours, if they have one, for the simple reasonn that if you really want to participate in and/or build an online community, then you need to try and connect in a meaningful way with some of your contributors.

I mean, sure, the copious commenters who have obviously been at the Wiki and have to post a twelve stanza poem every freaking time have perhaps betrayed too much of their natures already, but what about the person who only comments when he or she has something to say that is both relevant and intelligent?  Of course, here in my own little corner of the web my commenters are known to me and the comments are invariably of the latter sort.  Still, I have to say even the tumbleweed commenters have also been intelligent and relevant, and yes, I have visited your sites and probably will again even if I haven’t commented. Often I have nothing to add.

I guess I just wish people cared more.  These days, people just read all their stuff via RSS feed aggregators,and no one even reads comments.  Wil Wheaton says here that he cares, but admits that he himself reads all his stuff via aggregators.  Incidentally, he has also added some advertising to the ol’ blog, and perhaps this is why he’s so interested in getting traffic to his actual site rather than just being read through syndication? Now never fear, people, I refuse to commit geek blasphemy – I still love Wil.  In 7th grade I gave up watching Doogie Howser M.D. so I could watch Wesley instead!  At any rate, I seriously doubt Wil will ever hear of my criticism.  If he did, I assume he would leave an intelligent and relevant comment here, ’cause that’s just how he rolls.

Wil will never visit my weblog, though, because he uses the Typekey commenting system and is blissfully unaware of my web presence.  (Of course, never mind that he is a professional writer, actor, and charity poker player, with a fabulous family and house in California and probably doesn’t have time for such things.)

Did you notice we’re back around to Typekey again?  And you thought the ferret was taking you on yet another of her post-midnight pointless rambles! Shame on you!

Tune in tomorrow for my post on the Fujitsu Lifebook p1120: it lives! It, my Clie T1615C and my Nintendo DS are all gonna get together for a Sexy Party!  Okay, maybe not that last bit.