I just heard a high quality mp3 of Nellie McKay’s “Won’t U Please Be Nice”
and WOW. I’ve never really heard this girl before, but WOW.
You should go listen. And I should buy a CD from her.
August 31, 2004
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If I could give my posts titles, this one woul dbe “BONK!”
Do you know what it’s like to put on a pair of headphones? First you’ve got to stretch them apart so that they will fit onto your head. Next, you move each earpad over an ear, then you let go.
What I just did was skip the second step. I let go before the earpad was over my ear, and I bonked myself in the eye. I was surprised by how much force that little stretching and unstretching motion produced. Wow.
August 29, 2004
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It is SO hard to find a wheelchair accessible apartment! Kendra and I recently started talking about getting a place together- but we can’t find ANYthing. It’s not like we find stuff and don’t like it, or find stuff and can’t afford it- there just isn’t anything out there. That’s what it seems like. I just spent more than an hour looking for stuff, and I’ve been chipping away at it for days now. I found one place that could work, but the public transit there is crappy. There are lawsuits pending- so I hear. If the bus line doesn’t work, it’s a half a mile to the BART station that would take her to school. I wouldn’t mind a walk that far- but for kendra to do that by herself… at night? I don’t think that’s very safe.
August 27, 2004
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i was just thinking about when I was a bit younger- my dad used to hate it when I would greet him with “Hey, dad!” and “hey, whats up?”
I think it might have been the “hey”. He said it sounded like I was going to tell him something, or ask him something. Really, it was just my way of saying “hi”. Kids are like that, they use words a little differently than the older generation.
Eventually he got used to it, and he even says “Hey, joe” to me now. BUT- i finally figured out why it used to bother him. I work in an engineering office now, and when you don’t want to disturb someone, you just leave them alone. When you need their attention, you say “hey” and they’re sort of obligated to look up from their work and give their attention. That’s often how you learn about some fire you need to put out, or are reminded of something you really shouldn’t have forgotten. It’s something that I’ve come to know, and now understand a little better where he’s coming from. If you’re reading this, Hi dad!
August 26, 2004
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Last night I was walking home late, and a homeless guy started talking to me. I was obviously just walking and trying to avoid him, but then he got kind of insistent that I listen to him. I couldn’t really ignore him, so we talked a little while- he was asking for money. I told him that I felt funny giving anyone money, but I would buy him some food.
We walked a few blocks to a late night donut place, and I told him to get what he wanted. I told him to get some real food, like macaroni salad or fruit salad or yogurt- the sort of thing they sell there. He didn’t want that, so he got a couple of danishes. Cream cheese and cherry, I think. I sat and talked with him for a while, and I was really shocked at what he told me.
He told me that he’s a master electrician and a vietnam vet, but can’t get a job. That’s when he started drawing circuit diagrams for me. He drew up a diagram for a heavy duty industrial switch; I understood what he was talking about then, but it wasn’t until now that I realized what that switch could really do. This was the sort of switch you use for thousands of watts- much more than what you’d have in your home. It was sort of a two-stage switch, with an emergency cutoff. So the guy started telling me about the local politics, and how things have changed for the worse.
Overall, it really gave me something to stop and think about. We’ve got so many homeless people here. What’s up with that? What can we do?
August 25, 2004
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random thoughts:
Place your hands over your ears, then let them away slowly. You’ll notice that sounds around you don’t all get louder and softer in the same way. The way they change depends on the frequency. You’re creating an acoustic filter between your ear and the outside world with your hand by creating some sort of a resonant cavity. I can’t exactly explain it, but this has fascinated me since I was a little kid. I used to do it when the vacuum cleaner was going, or when I was bored and had only road noise to entertain me in the back of a school bus or minivan.
Another random thought… later
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Walmart.com – Creative Labs NOMAD Jukebox Zen Xtra 30 GB MP3 Player
Wow… once i start getting paid, I think I may have to get one of these.
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I kind of enjoy the San Francisco fog. It seems strange, I know, but it makes the buildings look so much taller when the tops dissapear into the mist.