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Eek. Life and my innate laziness kept me away from the blog for far too long. The monthly posting of sites I find interesting hasn’t been updated in what seems like forever.
So, without further delay, here’s part 1 of what I’ve been doing online lately. Warning – no theme or rhyme/reason here.
NaNoWriMo is getting close. Essentially, it’s a challenge for yourself, a contest where the only prize is finishing. You write a novel in November. Start on 11/1 and finish on 11/30. Novel is defined as 50,000 words. I did this last year and won. Okay, I wrote over 60,000 words so I met the requirements for winning, but I didn’t finish the story and haven’t touched it since. Maybe one day. Not sure what I’m writing this year, but I’ll be blogging about it as a distraction from actually doing it. Why not join me?
Because those of you who follow me and Soleil Moon Frye on Twitter don’t get enough excitement in your day, here’s what’s amused me on the Internet so far this year.
Listen to Your Mother
Creepy, late-19th century short, short story.
Kind of Cool; Kind of Straightjacket-y
Jewelery made from Barbie doll pieces. Eight-year-old boys around the world feel vindication.
Gmail Stickers
The Apple and Google empires often vie for my heart. I’ve never put one of the apple stickers on anything I own. Maybe if they still made the multi-color ones that looked like the old Apple IIe logos. But now Google has released its own set of stickers. For the price of a self-addressed, stamped envelope, they’re yours. And come on, who doesn’t love glitter stickers and unicorns?
Speaking of Unicorns
Don’t ask me to explain it. Don’t ask me what it means. Don’t ask me what precise mix of hallucinogens you need in your bloodstream. There’s something bizarrely beautiful about it. Thanks Woody for sharing it with us on New Year’s Eve.
Very Very Late
You’ve already voted. Doesn’t matter who for. It’s over. But I came across this and thought, “Hey, let’s show people how behind the curve I really am.”
Ron Howard’s Call to Action
As Joe Hill states in his blog, this Obama video has been everywhere. But, as usual, I’m a little slow on the uptake and Hill’s right, the video is funny enough to share and share again.
Plus linking to his entry is an excuse for me to remind you all to vote next Tuesday. And to do some research and thinking before you do. Don’t just pull the lever, color in the circle, touch the screen or punch out the chad blindly.
We all have the right to vote, but rights come with obligations. And in this case, the obligation is to vote intelligently for the candidate that you believe will do the best for the country and for your interests. So think about it, and think about the other people on the ballot. Who’s running for state senator or congressman in your district (do you even know what federal and state district you’re in)? Who’s running for city council or sheriff or whatever other local offices are up for grabs this year?
Think about it. And vote!
Last week I went to San Diego for work. The trip was nice, got some good work-type stuff accomplished in San Diego while in-the-office work stuff threatened to completely fall apart. Always fun to be out of the office when you’re really needed there. The weather was perfect as it tends to be in San Diego, and the company was delightful.
Still, I was ready to be back home on Friday afternoon when it came time to leave. My flight plan was a 5:45 p.m. from San Diego to San Francisco, a three-hour layover and then the red eye back home. Both planes looked incredibly packed when I checked in online, but I managed to get an economy-plus upgrade for the red eye. More about that later. Read the rest of this entry »
Wherein the author discusses hypermiling, decapitation, pipes and wall hangings. In other words, thoughts that are too long for twitter but not long enough for a complete post.
When gas crept up and over the $4 mark, I heard a lot about hypermiling (and more here and here). I gave it a whirl. Not the dangerous stuff like drafting off trucks or coasting with the engine off. I kept to more practical things. Instead of highway driving at 70 mph or more, I decided on 58 mph with cruise control whenever possible. I discovered my car’s momentum will carry me through most exit ramps without the need for more acceleration or hitting the brakes. I’ve figured out that coasting in to stop signs and slowly starting up from stops is good. Read the rest of this entry »
