9.29.2002
I'm sitting here in my room on the 9th floor of the Adam's Mark hotel in Buffalo, NY, and after a long day of traveling and a bit of sightseeing, I am tired as a dog. The flights here were good, though I've never been in a plane as small as these two were - two seats on one side and one on the other, with very little headroom. It was especially cool to change planes at LaGuardia - I got a great view of NYC when we were landing and an even better view when we took off. This is gonna sound really stupid, but all I could think was, "The trade towers aren't there." It was like I had to see it for myself with my own two eyes. I have always been amazed by the sheer number of tall buildings packed into the tiny space that is Manhattan, and somehow, to me, there was no glaring hole or void where the WTC should have been. From a distance, it just appeared that the skyline had swallowed up the gap and moved on. I did, however, feel as if I was viewing something very sacred. I hope that I am always able to remember the lives that were lost on that day in that spot, no matter what is done to memorialize it.
It is very weird to be traveling solo - an unexpected side effect of being in The Raleigh Ringers, I think. I'm not sure when I last traveled to an unfamiliar place and stayed in a hotel alone, but I've done so much traveling in a group in the last 9 months, I kind of had to remind myself that no roommate would be following me into the room this time, and that the people down the hall are strangers, not friends, although many of them seem to be here for the same reason I am.
I did decide to do a bit of sightseeing - after all, how many more times will I come to Buffalo (well, hopefully at least once so I can see Niagra Falls, which won't be happening on this trip)? The traveling alone issue really rears its ugly head when you want to go out and wander around taking pictures. I lost count of how many people tried to start up conversations with me. They possessed varying degrees of sanity and a multitude of intentions. At least three men tried to pose for the camera, another asked if I was a tourist, and a woman asked if I was from out of town and seemed disappointed, thankfully, when the answer was yes. I sure didn't expect to attract so much attention late in the afternoon on a Sunday, and I was quite glad when I reached my hotel before dark (but not before having a conversation with another, this time more normal, man on the sidewalk about digital versus film cameras and Nikon lenses). I like to think that my body language and friendly-but-firm tone of voice is what causes strangers to leave me unharmed, but maybe it was just my lucky day.
At any rate, I'm tired, and I think before long I'm going to crawl into my king-sized bed and get a good night's sleep.
It is very weird to be traveling solo - an unexpected side effect of being in The Raleigh Ringers, I think. I'm not sure when I last traveled to an unfamiliar place and stayed in a hotel alone, but I've done so much traveling in a group in the last 9 months, I kind of had to remind myself that no roommate would be following me into the room this time, and that the people down the hall are strangers, not friends, although many of them seem to be here for the same reason I am.
I did decide to do a bit of sightseeing - after all, how many more times will I come to Buffalo (well, hopefully at least once so I can see Niagra Falls, which won't be happening on this trip)? The traveling alone issue really rears its ugly head when you want to go out and wander around taking pictures. I lost count of how many people tried to start up conversations with me. They possessed varying degrees of sanity and a multitude of intentions. At least three men tried to pose for the camera, another asked if I was a tourist, and a woman asked if I was from out of town and seemed disappointed, thankfully, when the answer was yes. I sure didn't expect to attract so much attention late in the afternoon on a Sunday, and I was quite glad when I reached my hotel before dark (but not before having a conversation with another, this time more normal, man on the sidewalk about digital versus film cameras and Nikon lenses). I like to think that my body language and friendly-but-firm tone of voice is what causes strangers to leave me unharmed, but maybe it was just my lucky day.
At any rate, I'm tired, and I think before long I'm going to crawl into my king-sized bed and get a good night's sleep.
Last night Chris and I wandered into the Apple store at The Streets at SouthPoint mall in Durham. One word: wow. I was blown away by how cool everything looked. I have really never used a Mac and though I read great things about their stability and their usefulness in graphics work, I just had no idea what they were really like. Maybe it just appealed to me because it was something different, but I think that when the time comes to get another computer, we will take a long hard look at making the switch.
Okay, people, the time has finally come for me to tell you about "the book." There are three pictures of Hannah and two of Henry in "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Labrador Retrievers" by Margaret Bonham. No, it's not a coffee table book, but it's a start, and I am really pleased with the pictures they chose to use (the captions are a little cheesy though - I had nothing to do with those!). Amazon.com's page for the book is very informative, but if you want to see the pics, you'll have to actually go to a bookstore.
9.27.2002
Last Friday I got a great deal at Office Depot on a Linksys 4-port router (apparently Office Depot will soon no longer carry the Linksys brand - they are switching to Siemens?, which is such a huge company I can't even figure out if they do indeed sell networking hardware for consumers - so OD's Linksys products were all on sale) and bought a network adapter card for the laptop, too.
I ran into some trouble installing the card last Friday, because it needed a Win95 cd which I didn't have at the time. I was also unable to find the files anywhere on the web. On Saturday I was able to borrow someone else's Win95 cd and retry the installation, but when it asked for the cd and I pointed it to the cd drive, it told me it couldn't find the files. Stupid Windows. This was all taking place in a moving vehicle and I had work to do, so I got it sort of halfway installed and haven't had a chance to play with it again since then. I was able to hook up to the free in-room ethernet connection in one of our hotels and browse using Opera, but IE was a no go.
So last night I decided to play with the router and see if I could get our home network set up. Internet sharing was working just fine, but file sharing was not because I couldn't get each computer to recognize the other at the same time. I still haven't had the means or the time to get a good install done on the network card for the laptop, which apparently is the key, because Win95 flat out told me that I didn't have a network card last night, as in, "you need to purchase a network adapter card" -- even though I was browsing the web using Opera and the high-speed connection from the router and was hooked up to MSN Messenger. Again, stupid Windows. If someone gave me a ton of money (mainly so I could replace software) I think I might be willing to ditch ol' Bill Gates and move to a Mac or at least Linux.
I ran into some trouble installing the card last Friday, because it needed a Win95 cd which I didn't have at the time. I was also unable to find the files anywhere on the web. On Saturday I was able to borrow someone else's Win95 cd and retry the installation, but when it asked for the cd and I pointed it to the cd drive, it told me it couldn't find the files. Stupid Windows. This was all taking place in a moving vehicle and I had work to do, so I got it sort of halfway installed and haven't had a chance to play with it again since then. I was able to hook up to the free in-room ethernet connection in one of our hotels and browse using Opera, but IE was a no go.
So last night I decided to play with the router and see if I could get our home network set up. Internet sharing was working just fine, but file sharing was not because I couldn't get each computer to recognize the other at the same time. I still haven't had the means or the time to get a good install done on the network card for the laptop, which apparently is the key, because Win95 flat out told me that I didn't have a network card last night, as in, "you need to purchase a network adapter card" -- even though I was browsing the web using Opera and the high-speed connection from the router and was hooked up to MSN Messenger. Again, stupid Windows. If someone gave me a ton of money (mainly so I could replace software) I think I might be willing to ditch ol' Bill Gates and move to a Mac or at least Linux.
9.26.2002
Things are gradually getting back to normal after a couple of wild weeks, and I am so glad. Last night I got a full 8 hours of sleep, maybe more, for the first time in quite a while. I'm still tired, but that was a huge step in the right direction. And I'm finally getting my motivation back to do things around the house when I get home from work. Hopefully tonight will be productive - more on that later, if I do what I'm planning to do. Tomorrow night I'll be tie-dyeing gloves with RRs and Saturday is free, except for getting ready for my trip to Buffalo. I fly out Sunday morning.
9.24.2002
9.20.2002
I'm saying this without much research to back it up, but sometimes it seems to me that the same people who feel that the government could have prevented 9/11 are also the same people who are crying about restrictions on civil liberties as a result of the attacks. Sorry, but you can't have it both ways! If you want the government to catch terrorists, they've got to have a means of gathering information.
9.19.2002
There won't be too many updates here for the next few days, continuing with yesterday's pattern, I guess. I'm still working on that website project, which is scheduled to launch on Monday, and I'm leaving after work tomorrow for Pennsylvania with the RRs. It will probably be Monday or Tuesday before things settle down enough for me to blog again. In the meantime, if you just can't stand not knowing what I'm doing (ha!), picture me sitting in front of a computer... 9 times out of 10 you'll be right.
9.17.2002
I had my first test in my networking class this morning, and I am happy to say it went well. The instructor graded them as soon as we turned them in, so I hung around to find out my grade, and still left the campus before 9 am (the class is supposed to go until 10). I'm glad that's over, and now I know that future tests need not cause too much anxiety as long as I go to class and keep up with the reading.
9.16.2002
No time for a well-thought out post, but here's a quick update: Got lots of stuff done this weekend -- we now live in a clean house, not a pigpen. Working on a big website redesign project -- not this site. Test tomorrow in networking class. Going out of town this coming weekend, with lots to do beforehand. Neck hurts from staring at the computer practically all day, every day, but same activity makes for a happy mind. Getting a much needed haircut this afternoon. Hannah chipped another tooth. Brushed all three animals this weekend and it looked like a tri-colored animal had crawled into the trash can. Henry's as sweet as ever. Junk food is good sometimes, but I can't eat it like I used to -- it makes my stomach hurt. Red Fusion soda is more aptly named Red Confusion because it tastes like a bland cross between Cheerwine and Dr. Pepper. I saw Cheerwine ice cream at Food Lion.
9.13.2002
I'm not sure how long this site's been around, so if this is old news, I apologize. If you haven't seen it, though, go check out the September 11 Digital Archive. Read some emails and stories, look at some pictures, and consider submitting something. I really believe in the importance of preserving accounts of that day and the days that followed for future generations.
9.12.2002
A poll: What size is your browser window and why? I'll start: Mine is always maximized. I like to get the "chrome" as far to the edges of the screen as possible, and it's easier on my eyes to look at one window at a time.
It's about time somebody studied this. I said "Coke" until I moved further north and people made fun of me for using "Coke" to describe a non-cola drink (such as Mello Yello). After 3 years in the Pepsi country that is State College, PA, I'm now more likely to say "soda" or just refer to the drink by it's proper name.
Wow. An 11 megapixel camera?!?! This makes me really glad that I chose the 35mm SLR over a 3.3 megapixel digital back in May. It won't be long before the digital equivalent of 35mm film is affordable.
9.11.2002
11 September 2002
I am writing this from work. I have my headphones on and am listening to the memorial service taking place in New York. Name after name after name is being read. Names of all those who died as a result of two planes being flown into the World Trade Center a year ago this morning. I am going to listen as much as I can to the services. Lots of others are as well. C-SPAN, NPR, and WUNC, have all been filled to capacity this morning. Lucky for me I am probably the only person who knows about TriangleRadioNews.com so I have been able to listen to that without interuption.
Tonight Katherine and I will watch at least some of the tv coverage that will be on. Probably Fox coverage with Brit Hume. We'll remember, be sad, be angry, be inspired, talk about what we were doing a year ago today, be thankful that we and our friends and family members were and are safe and sound. We'll be reminded about why we are at war. That there are people out there who for the last decade have been organizing, plotting, planning and carrying out acts of destruction against soldiers and citizens of the U.S. We'll be reminded that we didn't start this war. That the first shots were fired by others.
These are very important things to remember.
There are those who lost friends, co-workers and family members who probably won't benefit from all the media coverage today. They have lived with their loss for the past 365 days. Their wounds are still open and they are still grieving. They remember. Sometime this late spring/early summer I grew weary of tv news and stopped watching for a while. This is a good day to start watching more closely and faithfully again, as I have grown forgetful and complacent about last year's events. It's time to start remembering.
I am writing this from work. I have my headphones on and am listening to the memorial service taking place in New York. Name after name after name is being read. Names of all those who died as a result of two planes being flown into the World Trade Center a year ago this morning. I am going to listen as much as I can to the services. Lots of others are as well. C-SPAN, NPR, and WUNC, have all been filled to capacity this morning. Lucky for me I am probably the only person who knows about TriangleRadioNews.com so I have been able to listen to that without interuption.
Tonight Katherine and I will watch at least some of the tv coverage that will be on. Probably Fox coverage with Brit Hume. We'll remember, be sad, be angry, be inspired, talk about what we were doing a year ago today, be thankful that we and our friends and family members were and are safe and sound. We'll be reminded about why we are at war. That there are people out there who for the last decade have been organizing, plotting, planning and carrying out acts of destruction against soldiers and citizens of the U.S. We'll be reminded that we didn't start this war. That the first shots were fired by others.
These are very important things to remember.
There are those who lost friends, co-workers and family members who probably won't benefit from all the media coverage today. They have lived with their loss for the past 365 days. Their wounds are still open and they are still grieving. They remember. Sometime this late spring/early summer I grew weary of tv news and stopped watching for a while. This is a good day to start watching more closely and faithfully again, as I have grown forgetful and complacent about last year's events. It's time to start remembering.
9.10.2002
A few photos:
A happy dog.
Another happy dog.
A drawing by Katherine, circa 1982 (click for a larger version):
A happy dog.
Another happy dog.
A drawing by Katherine, circa 1982 (click for a larger version):
9.09.2002
Sorry I've been so quiet these last few days, but now I'm here with a recap of the weekend.
Friday night I came home from work and collapsed on the couch with Chris. We fell asleep and didn't wake up until about 8:30 pm. We got up and stayed up till about 12:30 or so, and then slept from then until 9:30, so I felt like a new person on Saturday. Chris took his car for an oil change and state inspection and got some pine straw for the backyard while I went to Wal-Mart, worked on the RR website, and did laundry. We had an early dinner so we would be ready to watch the race at 7:30. I half-watched and half-worked on web stuff the rest of the night. There were a lot of wrecks early in the race, which meant lots of cautions and at least one red-flag period, and it seemed like there were more commercials than anything at some points. I did sit down to watch the end and I was glad to see Dale Jr. turn in a 4th place finish.
Sunday we went to church, came home long enough to eat lunch, and then headed out again to drive around looking at potential neighborhoods for house-shopping. First we drove over to Knightdale. We were really disappointed at what we saw (although we figure we must have been looking in the wrong areas) and decided to head up to Wake Forest. We saw lots of great neighborhoods up there, but they seem to be just a bit out of our price range as it stands now. Then we drove back down to Rolesville and slowly made our way home, stopping at what seemed like every little subdivision in the area. We found one out that way that we really liked, called Forestville Farms, but we're by no means done. The next time we get some time we're going to look around more directly north of Raleigh, say from Wake Forest west. It gets kind of mind-numbing after a while, though. We stopped at Arby's for dinner, got home just as it was getting dark, and spent the rest of the evening doing other tasks such as grocery shopping and more laundry. All in all it was a great weekend - both productive and relaxing - and it was nice to just spend time with Chris and actually get to talk to him. Lately our schedules have been so full that some days we barely see each other, so this weekend was good for catching up.
Friday night I came home from work and collapsed on the couch with Chris. We fell asleep and didn't wake up until about 8:30 pm. We got up and stayed up till about 12:30 or so, and then slept from then until 9:30, so I felt like a new person on Saturday. Chris took his car for an oil change and state inspection and got some pine straw for the backyard while I went to Wal-Mart, worked on the RR website, and did laundry. We had an early dinner so we would be ready to watch the race at 7:30. I half-watched and half-worked on web stuff the rest of the night. There were a lot of wrecks early in the race, which meant lots of cautions and at least one red-flag period, and it seemed like there were more commercials than anything at some points. I did sit down to watch the end and I was glad to see Dale Jr. turn in a 4th place finish.
Sunday we went to church, came home long enough to eat lunch, and then headed out again to drive around looking at potential neighborhoods for house-shopping. First we drove over to Knightdale. We were really disappointed at what we saw (although we figure we must have been looking in the wrong areas) and decided to head up to Wake Forest. We saw lots of great neighborhoods up there, but they seem to be just a bit out of our price range as it stands now. Then we drove back down to Rolesville and slowly made our way home, stopping at what seemed like every little subdivision in the area. We found one out that way that we really liked, called Forestville Farms, but we're by no means done. The next time we get some time we're going to look around more directly north of Raleigh, say from Wake Forest west. It gets kind of mind-numbing after a while, though. We stopped at Arby's for dinner, got home just as it was getting dark, and spent the rest of the evening doing other tasks such as grocery shopping and more laundry. All in all it was a great weekend - both productive and relaxing - and it was nice to just spend time with Chris and actually get to talk to him. Lately our schedules have been so full that some days we barely see each other, so this weekend was good for catching up.
9.07.2002
9.05.2002
I tuned in to NPR yesterday morning while driving to class, and heard a story about wardriving. Pretty interesting stuff. We've studied wireless a bit in our networking class, but the NPR segment motivated me to go beyond the textbook to really figure things out. Yesterday I educated myself about home networking, looked at several desirable gadgets, and even found maps of wireless access points in the Triangle. However, by last night I was pretty much convinced that there's no good reason to spend the cash to set up a wireless network for our desktop and our recently acquired laptop. The card is still a temptation, though, just as something to play around with...
Babies Go High Fashion
You've got to be kidding me. I'm all ready to let my future kids wear "ratty hand-me-downs;" in fact, this past weekend I snagged a few newborn outfits that were part of my childhood doll clothes collection. I guess I just haven't figured out that it "is essential for [my] child to look good." Maybe that's one of those things that only comes to you after labor.
You've got to be kidding me. I'm all ready to let my future kids wear "ratty hand-me-downs;" in fact, this past weekend I snagged a few newborn outfits that were part of my childhood doll clothes collection. I guess I just haven't figured out that it "is essential for [my] child to look good." Maybe that's one of those things that only comes to you after labor.
9.04.2002
According to Barnes & Noble, the book with the photos of Hannah and Henry won't be available until September 28, rather than the September 6 date I was originally given. That's a whole extra 3 weeks to wait! I'm getting tired of waiting!! My only hope of seeing it sooner is if the author sends me my complimentary copy ahead of time... maybe I'll give her a call...
9.03.2002
Ack, small crisis. The pet supply store we've been buying dog food from suddenly went out of business. A bit of information gathering revealed that a new PetSmart store is responsible for the demise of Discount Pet Supply... guess where we won't be shopping at all from now on? Anyway, H & H eat California Natural, which isn't carried by a lot of stores, so we've got to figure something out pretty quick.
Jefferson turns 2 today... Happy Birthday to the cat with many names... we call him Jefferson, Jeffersonian, Jesserfonian, Jessesfone, T.J... well, okay, most of those weird nicknames originated with me. Anyway, we're going to get him some new mice (the furry catnip kind) tonight -- that's pretty much the only type of toy he likes, and the dogs have gotten hold of quite a few of them, so his supply is running low. We should also make sure to give him a good game of keep away. He's a pretty cool cat -- he has kind of a strange love/hate relationship with us, but I guess that's typical. I can't believe he's 2 already, as it's hard to imagine what life was like without him streaking around the house and attacking my ankles.
9.01.2002
Today's been another good, relaxing day so far. Chris and I have spent much of the afternoon going through boxes of stuff from my childhood. We finally made it through all of my 1st grade papers; after dinner (fried chicken - yum!) we'll have to start on kindergarten. I think Mom must have saved everything, which is awesome, but it's time to pare down and clean stuff out of their basement. Since Chris has to work tomorrow, we drove up in separate cars, and he's going to take some of my stuff back to Raleigh with him when he leaves tonight.
