| Worldcon room-sharing |
[17 Aug 2012|10:10am] |
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I'm going to Worldcon, in Chicago, in a couple of weeks. I have a sleeping room for four people reserved in the main hotel. Unfortunately, two or the three people with whom I was to be sharing have had to drop out. Is there anyone out there in friends-listland who would like to or who knows anyone who might like to join us?
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| Anniversary |
[26 Jun 2011|06:11pm] |
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On this date, in 1991, Con_girl and I decided to try being a couple. Twenty years! OMGWTFBBQ[other acronyms and expressions of amazement and delight]!!!!1!!eleventy!! Yay!
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[16 Aug 2010|11:22am] |
Hello, all you lovely people.
Do you know anyone (yourself included) who prefers voice-activation over keypad response to prompts in automatic telephone customer service systems?
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[09 Jul 2010|11:54pm] |
I am embarrassed. Mortified. If you don't see me around it may be that I've died of it. I took a bus to Montreal to catch a lift to the Boston area, with a friend. When I got in the car, he asked everyone whether we had our passports. I hadn't even thought about it.
Years and years of not needing a passport to travel from Canada into the USA. I walked past it several times while packing. The idea was just not in my mind. May this be a lesson to me.
I suppose that it's not as bad as the time that I traveled with another friend, all the way to the northern suburbs of New York City on the wrong weekend.
My regrets to all whom I am missing, this weekend. I really wanted to see you.
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[06 Nov 2009|04:53pm] |
I’ve been somewhat in charge of building on a file system at work. There's been a bunch of thinking about what subjects will be covered by future documents. We’re building ships so there’s lots of hull this end engine that. There's also a section under Information Systems that includes such subjects as
Clocks
Speed Measurement
Compasses
Meteorological Instruments
Flags and Visual Aids
The member of this group of subjects that interests me today -- the one that pleases me inordinately -- is that I have an official file classification called
Bells and Whistles.
Now, I feel a need to create a category for dogs and ponies.
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[05 Nov 2009|10:29pm] |
www.forvo.com
Pronunciation guide and map. Neato!
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| More excitement and more boredom than I wanted |
[07 Mar 2009|01:50am] |
This evening, around 7:00, as I was walking home from the bus, with Raynedaze, I saw a police car sitting at the corner, in front of my house. A moment later, it took off at high speed. We wondered what was happening here, in my usually very quiet neighbourhood.
Moments after that was a series of bangs that sounded like gun shots. At least eight of them, probably more than twelve. It was not television so I did not count. The source of the sound was moving toward the intersection. I had to decide very quickly whether to get down near a building and try to be small or to get inside. The distance was such that I opted for home. I suggested that it might be well to remain beneath the window line.
Soon after, many police cars arrived in front of a house across the cross-street and about four or five doors down mine. More blocked off our intersection. Then a constable yelled that people should get indoors and away from windows.
There is still a police car on my corner.
It turns out (according to a news article) that someone had robbed a bank near the corner at which we'd descended from the bus and headed off behind the building. The bangs were shots. A man is dead. Presumably, the same man who went after the bank.
We spent a good, long time crouched or sitting low. We were unable to accomplish many of the tasks that I'd wanted to get to. When things were calm enough and the police were letting people through again, I went out to talk with a constable and ask about when they'd feel comfortable with Raynedaze leaving. He asked that we stick around for a while, in case they had any questions. I ended up giving a short narrative to a video and interviewer pair of news reporters who were standing nearby.
I made a quick chocolate cake for the officers who continue, guarding lonely crossroads in the middle of the night.
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| It's official |
[03 Mar 2009|10:44am] |
For the first time in almost twelve years, I have a job that does not have an end date written into it. I have a piece of paper bearing the signature of a person of authority to prove it.
I'll feel secure real soon, now. I promise.
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| Props to Con_girl and me for coming up with the question |
[21 Feb 2009|11:17pm] |
This question has now been the subject of enough good conversations that I've decided to post about it.
If you could have any prop you like from a movie or a television show (or a book, I suppose, though it's a bit harder to get agreement on exactly what that would mean), what would it be? I'm talking about the prop, here, not a working model not anything very big -- something that you could put on your coffee table.
I've heard a lot of interesting answers. This grew out of putting together in my mind the recent Star Wars memorabilia sale together with J. Michael Straczynski selling Babylon 5 stuff a few years back. Light sabers, Mr. Fusion units, the pendant from The Man Who Would be King...What's your favourite?
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| Not just any liquor store in a storm |
[11 Jan 2009|05:39pm] |
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I have been asked to find good places to buy port (wine) in the Boston area. We will be down there for Arisia and want to bring some back with us. Near the Arisia hotel would be good. I solicit your suggestions.
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[16 Feb 2008|08:15pm] |
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My copy of the 1988 Worldcon (NOLacon) restaurant and services guide has gone missing. I find myself wanting to look at it. Can any of you help me to find one to borrow or photocopy/scan?
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| Privacy |
[09 Mar 2007|03:45pm] |
This constitutes the beginning of my expressing how I feel about privacy. It started as rough notes and ranting and it is not finished. Much of it remains unformed and disjoint. However, a couple of people have brought up privacy issues recently and I thought that I’d just post it. Here goes.
I am an outgoing person. That doesn’t mean that I’m always open to communication and interaction with others. There are circumstances in which I have
no objection to approach by a stranger. Those circumstances are when I
have agreed (however implicitly) to be open to such in advance.
Meetings, parties, even bars count.
The facts that I have an outside door to my dwelling, that I have a
telephone, that I have an e-mail address, that I am, at times, in the
street are not an invitation to all and sundry to take my time.
Expecially, in the case of requests for my time for the purposes and
probably the benefit (possibly indirect) of the requestor, such as
begging or proselytisation
One might describe it as drawing a distinction between being approached
by a person and being approached by an ideology (or a meme).
Ideologies and businesses do not have personal rights, regardless of
how we may anthropomorphise them (e.g. in the law). People have personal
rights and those rights end where my nose begins. This is a simplistic
version of the nebulous ending point of others' rights. Yes, they may
make some (probably incidental) noise/smell/sight/taste/feeling in my presence without
automatically impinging inappropriately but when sensory input is aimed
deliberately at me or at any individual or group present, I think that that's a good
rule-of-thumb personal space beginning-point.
Initiation of business should not be available to all strangers at all
times. Business should be compartmentalised into a stated portion of
one's day or set of circumstances.
A person may approach me to warn of immediate and local danger. If
there is immediate danger that is far away, then I cannot offer immediate
help. It the danger is local but not right now, then then there is no
urgency to override my injunction against initiating inappropriate
contact.
A person may also approach me for interpersonal reasons. That is, for
friendship, social interaction.
Begging is not social. Begging is business. A beggar is trying to
sell me salve for my sense of generosity in exchange for money (and to get money, of course) . See above about initiating business exchanges.
I believe that it is axiomatic that personal privacy exists and that it
is inappropriate to infringe upon it without permission. This may not
be an axiom for everyone but...
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