beancounters

The one-man morning zoo

It's no longer a Dr. Donald D Rose-y morning.

The Bay Area has lost its voice — the voice of one of its wackiest, most upbeat personalities. Former morning disc jockey Don Rose — known to listeners as "Dr. Donald D. Rose" — died in his sleep Tuesday night at his home in Concord. He was believed to be 70 years old.

He was known for his on-air antics, telling jokes rapid-fire and working with his engineer to play dozens of sound effects before editing or digital technology became a part of the scene.

When I was a teenager in 1977, my family moved to central CA. Like most of my new friends, I preferred to listen to KFRC, and Don Rose, from cle-e-e-ear off in San Francisco, to the country-western and mariachi stations they had around our immediate area. He was great to wake up to, if you liked jokes and noise-makers and silly voices. And cowbell! Nowadays I prefer not to let any oh-so-chipper morning dj's jumpstart my brain ... but for a long time in my life, boy, Dr. Don was It.

Squirrel-spotting

Before and ...

... after! Those funky bush/tree items on the back fence have never been trimmed so radically. Now there's no place for the squirrels to hide from Daisy. Though they can still travel the wires above the yard and drive her nutso.

Here she is, looking out the window, checking the wires. Ever-vigilant; barely-moving. That's my Daisy. She's settling in for her morning nap. Right now, only the most outrageous rodent transgression could induce her to move her hiney up off this futon.

I'm on a four-day weekend as of now; gotta love it! The office is closed today, and I took Friday as a vacation day. But my prime directive is to produce a final draft of my part of the econ midterm, so it won't be all fun and squirrel-spotting.

The see-thru post

Blame Kimberly!

She's the one who posted a link about making your desktop transparent. Why would she do that? Doesn't she know how reckless and irresponsible some people are?

Well, the damage is done.

Now, how will we turn the thing back to normal?

New study area?

Little by little, the detrius that was once our handsome back yard tree is being removed.

This is the view out the window of the fourth bedroom. When we first moved here, this room became the crafts/quilting/guest bedroom. But I'm thinking it's the perfect room to change into my primary study. The den is too important to the rest of the family as the hub of computer and bill-related activity. My books keep getting lost or buried. Besides, this is a pretty cozy little room.

Never mind that it looks more like a crime scene than anything else. Heh.

Who made up this meme? Amazon?

Well, Tonya went 'n tagged me; and as we all know, when you neglect to answer a meme, God kills a kitten. Think of the kittens! And so without further ado:

You're stuck inside Fahrenheit 451, which book do you want to be? See, this is why I was glad not to be tagged up to now. I read this book when I was about 14, and from that time to this, I have never been able to decide what book to be. Seriously. There are so many choices. It's all the pressure of picking just the right one. So please, instead of making me commit myself, let me be one of those people in the novel who gets assigned to follow around some old coot and learn a Byron volume. I'll be perfectly useful, and I'll undoubtedly grow to love whatever I memorize.

Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character? Just two: Faramir and Ford Prefect.

The last book you bought is: Paradise Lost by Peter Schrag. My profs keep assigning chapters; rather than accept all those photocopied pages, I bought a used copy for myself.

The last book you read: Price of Government. It’s about how to bring the entrepreneurial spirit to the public sector. Next month I have to write a paper about applying POG to the California state budget. Should be a hoot.

What are you currently reading? Two (other) policy textbooks at the same time. But at bedtime, I’m making my way through the Honor Harrington series.

Five books you would take to a deserted island: Are you kidding? I'd take books on how to survive on a deserted island! But only four of them; the fifth book would be blank.

Who are you going to pass this stick to (3 people) and why? Maya for one, because she finds the most interesting books. And then Pops and Anthony, because I know their answers will be disturbingly similar. (And sweetie, you have to post it on your blog, not in my comments section. Think of the kittens!)

Early to rise

Not to put to fine a point on it, but ... ladies, the train, yes? When it arrives, it arrives at any time of day or night. And then, You're Awake.

Well. All the earlier to sit down with you good people. Because that's what I do. I sit down at the computer right after the shower and after starting a pot of coffee. Every morning. I can no longer relate to a time or place when I didn't blog or check e-mail reflexively all day long. There's this guy, Fred? He's my partner on the economics midterm. Don't really know him, but we get along well. He wrote me yesterday afternoon with a draft outline for our paper. Then I wrote him back with my own outline, and a note saying I suspect our prof is going to ask us to include a survey instrument, and would he, Fred, please write me back ASAP with his thoughts. Did Fred write me back? No. And you know why not? Because he's probably one of those people who use e-mail as a simple communication tool, the way our great-grandparents used to send telegrams in the olden days. You know - think, type, send, then get up, walk away, and don't. return. for the rest. of the evening.

It boggles the mind.

Is the coffee brewed yet? -- yes, here we go.

Do you like those flavored coffees? Personally, I believe they're From The Devil. Oh, I went through a heavy French Vanilla jag when they first came out, but now I don't even like the smell, because I know what lurks behind that aromatic delivery. No, give me plain unadorned French Roast, straight from the exploited workers' hands to my cup.

Hey, you're gonna laugh: Saturday BB and Bunny were searching his truck for something, and came up wiiith ... my old cell phone! It was wedged between the two front seats. How? I absolutely did not remember being in BB's truck any time that day, back when I was retracing my steps. I wish now I'd tried to ring myself there. But why would I have, if I didn't remember being there? Well, it's impossible to second-guess; must let it go. I have more pressing concerns now. Now I have to use all my parental control to keep Bunny from reactivating the phone for her own use.

Netdisaster

Oh, am I going to have fun with this. Thanks, Karen and Daisy!

For your ears only ...

Exacto-history

I had heard that some southern states only buy textbooks with no mention of sex in them; I didn't realize what an influential bloc had sprung up. According to this article, many southern states strictly follow the Texas Board of Ed's guidelines for textbook selection. As a result, textbooks are being published to conform to the TBE's twisted need to revise history and ignore sociological reality.

Here in CA, textbooks are selected by the district, not by the whole state; right away, you can see why textbook publishers would pander to Texas to get those lucrative statewide contracts, however disasterous the results.

[New York] health-education teachers who purchase new textbooks will have their choice of three nationally distributed textbooks. All three adhere to the so-called “abstinence-only” curriculum, which advises students to abstain from sex until marriage and avoids any mention of contraception or safer-sex options.

Holt Lifetime Health provides a list of eight tips for preventing STD infection. The list starts with “Practice abstinence” and moves on to such helpful tips as “Get plenty of rest,” “Respect yourself,” and “Go out as a group.” But the list omits Holt’s recommendation from the 1994 edition: “Using a latex condom properly during sexual inter/course reduces the risk of getting an STD during sex.” Since six out of 10 students have sexual interc/ourse prior to graduating high school, this might have been useful advice.

Chilling. It's going to take nothing less than a full-blown epidemic among our nation's teens to reverse this trend.

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The creativity summons

It's one of those funky PMS days when I hate everybody. Yet at the same time, I'm very upbeat and cheerful. I cheerfully wish everybody's heads were on pikes. That kind of thing.

This is me on the phone to my husband of 17 years, who has Heard It All:

Him: How are you today?

Me: I hate everyone. In alphabetical order.

Him: Oh? I'm sorry to hear that.

Me: But I'm far from your letter, so you're safe. For now.

On the road this morning, like every morning, I passed the street where my quilt shop lives. But suddenly this morning, I felt an almost uncontrollable urge to chuck it all - school, work, home - swerve onto that street, and spend the whole day at the quilt shop. Wouldn't that have been a good idea?

See, if the plan all came together, I'd never actually have to leave the shop. I could buy enough fabric to start a quilt, then grab a pattern, take it to one of the long cutting tables in back, and just go to town. Eat lunch out of the vending machine - along the way, discover, ooh! some kind soul has brought a plate of cookies! - then, back to work. Maybe I could borrow the shop's sewing machine and begin piecing.

At night, I could camp out in a corner of the shop, snoozing in a nest made of fabric bolts and sample quilts.

About two full days of effort, and I could have a queen-sized piece of patchwork, ready for the intimidating professional quilt machine. Of course, I would let another student do the actual quilting, yo. Because a quilt sandwich that big is too cumbersome for a regular-sized sewing machine, unless you're a fanatic, which - clearly - I am not.

Stick with Glade freshners, kids

Picasso Dreams brings us this book, found in a thrift store, which seems to be a handbook on how to recognize the devil in the details. The couple of pages posted here, all about evil spirits discovered in a package of incense, was priceless. I guess if you live in a world where you think inanimate objects can claim your soul, it does pay to be ever-vigilant. I mean, look around you. Those things are everywhere.

Come to think of it, I've played a Radiohead CD in my car about a thousand times. It that because it claimed my soul? That would explain so much! I do know for sure that the CIA agents who tape record me everywhere I go are sick to death of "Paranoid Android". They've begun to leave me notes.

Easta B. is in da house

Why should my google searchers have all the fun? Back by popular demand, the Hip-Hop Bunny.

LaCroix, Sweetie!

I've decided to go clothes shopping this spring. I'm soon to be a professional; it's time. Nay, it's high time.

Do you think the other policy students will be jealous of my new look?

Ponderings, near and far

Ahhh. I feel refweshed!

Took a nap yesterday, ate lots of veggies, skipped the wine (though it was tempting), and got a decent night's sleep. I think I'm good for the rest of the week.

But here in the office, I discovered I accidentally skipped a dentist appointment. That'll probably cost me. Duh! What's the point of maintaining an appointment book, and carrying it around, if you don't consult it regularly? I ask you. And the thing is, since I'm approaching 42, I wonder if there's any hope I'll learn to be more organized. If I haven't internalized it by now, will I ever?

I wonder the same thing about myself when I think about career clothes. I've lived in cubicle clothes for a decade now. Before that, I was even more casual. But when I complete this grad program I'll be eligible to be the Big Dog. Run entire agencies. And I'll have to dress the part. Is it really in me to do this every day? I can dress for interviews and the like - I can even put on makeup, if it's for one event. But every day?

Well, one day at a time. I'm dressed appropriately for my Excel Charts class, which starts in ten minutes. Must grab some coffee.

Too tired to change channels

It's a soggy mess out there, weather-wise. And there are no meetings or crushing deadlines looming at work. So I've decided to stay home and nurse a burgeoning headache.

I've been so tired the last few days. It's hard for me to go to bed early enough, even if I'm not studying. I don't know why. But when all my coworkers notice - even the normally insensitive ones - it's time to get a handle on the problem.

It got to be comical yesterday in the office. Everybody had something to say. It would go like this: "Hey, Pam. How should I input this on the --? Ohhhhhhh. You look so tired. Why don't you go home?"

A couple dozen civil servants can't be wrong when it comes to medical advice. So here I remain.

Bunny's off on Spring Break, but doesn't intend to spend every day at home with BB. The daycare center where she goes after school has planned some activities this week, so her little social calendar is rather full. Still, I think she'll consent to hang out with me for half a day and watch a little TV. Let's go see what Spongebob is doing. Eww, it's the Rugrats. I hate the Rugrats! They're never taught anything; they're forced to interpret the world through a dark morass of superstition and misinformation, usually fed to them by the Evil Genius, Angelica. Where are their parents?

THE best thing about Easter

Black jelly beans!

You know you're in the 21st c. when ...

... two family members, living in the same house, want to play Go Fish together ... so they sign onto Yahooligans using two separate computers. Then they yell back and forth between the rooms. "Rats! You got my jacks! I was about to ask you for jacks!" "Bwah-ha-haa!"

That's for coming up with a word like "deliverables".

In retaliation for the popularity of non-words in business, I hereby pledge to get these started here on the West Coast.

McSweeney's Internet Tendency: Thirteen Leading Synonyms for "Deliverables" in 2005.

Shuffleables

Stapleables

Shreddables

Tweakables

Postponeables

Blameables

Whineables

Deleteables

Paybackables

Retoolables

Hurlables

Buryables

Dropkickables

"Retoolables". ::snort:: Just wait'll I sit down in a meeting with Micromgr. again.

Salut printemps!

My mother gave me two sets of bulbs a few years ago. They've never looked this good before! It's a wonder what Nature can produce when leaves and flowers aren't being eaten by snails and/or pesky little dogs.

The red flowers were volunteers in my mom's back yard, long ago when I still lived at home. We never knew where they came from - they just appeared one year in the middle of the lawn. She kept after me to dig them up and plant them in a proper pot or flower bed. But I was too lazy; it was easier to just avoid them with the mower every few weeks.

I guess Mom transplanted some or all of them herself, because they grow in her flower beds around the yard now. Plus there were plenty of bulbs to give to me.

The smaller, round leaves are violets. Again, these originally started as a yard volunteer at Mom's. She let them take over a large part of the front yard. They became the inspiration for turning most of her yard into an amazingly large and beautiful flower bed. She gave me a few starter bulbs, which I planted about three years ago. I was sad to see they hardly sprouted at all, at first. What few leaves did turn up were promptly eaten by snails. But lo, we finally have good growth this spring. I think I'll pour a snail barrier this weekend to (try and) keep them safe.

Later: Look what's growing on my church's campus. Same kind of flower, but in different colors. It's too bad I didn't bring a trowel ...

Which tea are you?

You are Chamomile tea! Chamomile helps you
relax..and that's just what you are..relaxed.
Many people like you because when they are
relaxed, they are able to rest. You also help
people fall asleep.


Which flavor of tea are you? (with images)
brought to you by Quizilla

My favorite tea, so that's nice. We'll just ignore the claim that I help people fall asleep. Mkay? Didja hear me? Oh damn, it's true.

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