We (jmaynard and I) got started fairly early. We managed to be on the road around 7:30 AM and reached Mount Vernon, IL a little after 6 PM. It was less than 12 hours on the road, but still a long day. I suspect neither of use stayed properly hydrated, though I think I did manage to drink a bit more water than on the Penguicon trip. I still drank two glasses of water at Cracker Barrel before the food arrived.

Tomorrow's segment of the trip will be a bit shorter in mileage and not have the majority in IL, which is a 65 MPH speed limit state - unlike almost every other state in I've traveled. So getting to Huntsville should go fairly quickly and we can start out a bit later if we like. And maybe I'll manage to drink more water and not feel a bit off upon arrival.

And now the rant: Can we just nuke the snapsh*t idiots already? Please? A small one should do.[1]

I'm using the Mac Powerbook, and I'm not sure if I can edit the hosts file and have it take, which while admittedly something of a dirty solution it's the only solution that actually works every time, forever for getting rid of the craptastic snapsh*t barf when I view some folks journals.

[1] Rant applies to LJ, not IJ. IJ is clearly the sane one here.

NOTE TO SELF: See this and this.

Current Mood: Not as calm as I'd like to be.

Stop trying to out-stupid the Democrats. You are, unfortunately, succeeding and succeeding so very well that Ted Kennedy is now in the unusual position of actually making sense when he says that you are wrong and explains why. Now cut that out!

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Current Mood: pissed off
Current Music: Fools on the Hill - Capitol Steps

Sturgeon's Law: Ninety percent of everything is crud.

And thus most April Fool's Day jokes are crud.

The best I've seen this year is either the Astronomy Picture of the Day image of water on Mars or howardtayler's "moving" (or is it moving?) of Schlock Mercenary off of Keenspot.

The best I can recall from the past is the Great Comics Switch a few years ago - it didn't mess things up much if at all and didn't slap the comic reader in the face with idiocy. The next year, however, a truly idiotic stunt was done. Some comics were flipped left-for-right, making them readable only with difficulty.

A faire related website a few years set up the front page as if it had been change to a county or state fair site, which made it useless for the actual purpose for a day or so. This has been an on-going thing. A couple years back the guy who runs the site put the domain on ebay as the joke - except someone made a sizable bid and bought it - even with handing it right back, ebay wanted the seller's fee. The lesson was not completely learned. Now he just messes up the web-board of the site. This year it posts in StUpid lOSer mIXeD uP CaSe. Blargh.

Slashdot is getting filled with useless fake stories again this year. Had the folks running slashdot really been thinking they'd have simply re-posted one of the real stories over and over all day - poking a bit of fun at both themselves and those who shout "DUPE!"

Back when the magazine Popular Electronics still existed and used that name, they'd have *a* column and maybe *one* story that was an April Fool's Day special. That wasn't too bad. But they hurt themselves once when it seemed every story in the April issue was a joke. There was no April issue, really. It was replaced with this fake. They got complaints - and deserved them.

I suppose I'll now be accused of not having a sense of humor. An accusation which is itself humorous. It's simply that I prefer things claimed humorous to actually be funny. Most April Fool's Day jokes are not.

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Current Mood: mostly underwhelmed

An article arrived in the mail today. It was clearly advertising trying hard to not look like advertising. It wasn't in a normal envelope but in a pull-the-perforated-edge off thing. It was made to look as if it had been stamped "Check enclosed" (no check I've received in the mail has needed such advertisement, nor desired it.) The check was for $10. The program it would have started would have cost $11.99 per month. The program? So-called "Fraud Protection." Don't they see the irony in this?

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Current Mood: cynical

Infection from kinkyturtle as can be seen here.

1. Total amount of music files on your computer?
None. I don't keep files, musical or otherwise, atop my computer.
I keep the files in a toolbox, where they logically belong.

2. The last CDs you bought were...
A 16 month CD a few years ago and a 5 month CD a week or two ago.

3. What was the last song you listened to before reading this message?
Whatever the background music to the Weather Channel's local conditions report was.

4. Write down five songs you often listen to or that mean a lot to you.
"Five songs you often listen to or that mean a lot to you."

5. What 3 people are you going to pass this baton to and why?
I'm not. I don't like viral quizzes and thus will not foist this infection on others.

I "opt out" most of the "and then copy this" crap as I dislike the viral, infectious nature of such - and what I do copy I repair the terms of so I'm not in turn demanding others carry on the infection if they choose to respond. I find the naming of people as a means of spreading a viral, infectious quiz utterly revolting. I suspect, however, that this abomination will not die the instant death it so richly deserves but will become the new "in thing" for quiz-starters hoping to breathe life into quizzes whether they deserve it or not.

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Current Mood: annoyed

Dear Insurance Company A,

Your marketing folks might have thought that the plain envelope with a return address indicating rate adjustment and a letter with a big check mark by the word DECREASE rather than INCREASE would get my attention and get me to switch to you. They were half right. I now know you engage in deceptive practices by trying to pose as my actual insurer. You just landed on the fecal roster. I don't do business with places that start off by lying to me.

Dear Credit Card Company A,

You can stop trying to get me to get another card from you. I already have one. It's at a lower rate than you're pushing now, and that rate is a fixed rate. I don't need a 0% introductory rate or 0% rate on balance transfers. I don't have balances to transfer from higher rate cards. If I got the card you're pushing, it would be the higher rate card.

Dear Credit Card Company B,

You can stop trying to get me to get your credit card, or you can actually make an offer that's worth more than a warm bucket of spit. I have no need of high rate cards, let alone high rate variable cards, no matter what gimmicks and toys come with it. I don't need worthless points, as I accumulate so few on the fixed rate cards I do have and they all seem to only be good for items I consider to be worthless crap. That's not much of a reward. Oh, I also don't need airline miles, either. I neither spend nor fly enough for them to be worth anything to me.

Dear Credit Card Company C,

Calling a rate fixed and then revealing in the fine print (which I do read, unfortunately for you liars) that it's only fixed for a month at a time and varies from month to month is not being truthful. A fixed rate stays put for more than a month at a stretch. You get a place on the fecal roster too.

Dear Credit Card Company D (and others),

Enough with the phony baloney checks and "free" offers that if gone for enroll a person in an expensive program. The latest one, for a "free" credit report was particularly dandy. Unfortunately for you, I read the fine print. Oh, and in a few months I'll be able to get a free credit report that really is free.

Dear Mortgage Company Advertising on Radio,

Your "interest only" loan sounds good, except for the one huge thing you don't mention directly. Sure, the payments are lower, that's because it's interest only. What about principle? You don't mention that after all those years of low monthly payments the principle will be due in a huge balloon payment. But you want people to ignore that ticking sound, right? Why, at the end I suppose a person could refinance with another mortgage, and remain in debt. I, however, am not that person. My payments may be higher, but when they end, they'll end.

Dear Auto Dealership,

No, I'm not interested in buying a car when the one I've got runs just fine. I was even less interested in buying a car when I was still making payments. I am not interested in a lease, either; the payments don't stop. Oh, you say I get a new car every few years that way? Are your cars so bad they need constant replacement? Next time we meet we'll talk price and I'll be ready to walk out. Even if you were the only game in town, there are plenty of other towns. It's a mobile society, or did you somehow manage to forget that?

Dear Auto Dealership in Another State,

Stop wasting your time saying I'm entered in or can enter in some contest - which excludes people outside your own state. Just because you are stupid, don't expect everyone else to be just as stupid.

There. I feel a bit better now.

Current Mood: contemptuous

This is the short version.

Thursday: Travel.
Driving in MN: No problem.
Driving in WI: No problem.
Driving in IL: I have a renewed contempt for tollways and bad design. And for poor signage. And for hotel clerks who don't know the area. Evidently the right way to get to the Schaumburg Hyatt, at least for me, is via Elgin.
Arrived at hotel at long last - met some folks. Generally had a good time.

Friday: Attended a couple panels, saw a show or two, wandered around.

Saturday: Like Friday, but with the amazing sponsor's bunch. How good? There was smoked salmon available and I simply never got to it.

Sunday: Attended a panel, recovered sketchbooks from dealer's area and artist's alley, and drove home. Via Elgin since the supposedly closer access to I-90 was effectively blocked by a crowd of folks whose mental capacity indicates that they probably were designers of signs for Illinois tollways.

Conclusion: MFF was great, though I can't really say I did that much. It helped that I knew some people already and saw them repeatedly. I will almost certainly return. If the weather looks decent, I am very likely to plot a route that avoids I-90 in IL and aim for Elgin intentionally.

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Current Mood: relaxed

That message is one I expect to see if I made changes to some file and tried to exit the program without having saved the file. That's fine. I like that reminder. It's useful and has saved me headaches and re-work.

What I do not like is using Word, saving the file, printing it, and then being asked if I want to save changes. Huh? I made no changes. I printed the file. Printing is not editing. Or with Excel, I open a spreadsheet, look at it, make no changes - not even moving the highlighted cell or scrollbars! - and when I close the thing I get asked if I want to save changes. There were no changes. Why ask if I want to save changes when there aren't any?

Is it any wonder I prefer to use third party software whenever possible?

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Current Mood: annoyed

I like to believe I'm a fairly good programmer. I don't claim to be Wile E. Coyote, programming super-genius. But evidently some folks at work figure I can re-program external reality. (If I could, do you think I'd have left it in the condition it's now in?) This morning was "How is the ____ program coming along?" in regard to a problem that showed up yesterday afternoon during what should have been final testing.

After some digging and some more testing, I was able to demonstrate that the program actually did do exactly what was asked. Actually, two programs on two different pieces of hardware that had to talk to each other. Connected by cable, they worked just fine. Connected by a radio link, a necessity for this particular project, things got shaky. I have exactly zero control over the radios. But somehow I'm supposed to fix them in software on other hardware. I don't think so.

It turns out that not only were the radio-modems never properly configured, the guy who was setting them up didn't have the configuration tool for it. And that should have been a clue - we stopped using that brand of radio-modem a couple years ago. Gee, maybe there's a reason we switched brands? That was pointed this morning. Now, this afternoon, it finally dawns on the guy with radio-modems that maybe he should use the radio-modems that work.

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Current Mood: irked

Express

Doesn't that imply speed? Like Pony Express, the fast for its day delivery service, or Express Lane which is supposed to be faster than those other lanes?

Well, the United States Postal Service has revised the definition. Express Mail used to mean that if you sent something today, it'd get where you wanted it tomorrow. Not anymore. I had to Express something today[1] (because Airborne Express - there's that word again - wasn't swift enough to follow simple directions about where to pick up that something... but that's another rant).

Other package delivery services use Express in their name to indicate speed. It's not Federal Someday Get There, it's Federal Express. Why? It's a next-day service! Sure, you can now get a cheaper, slower FedEx service, but they still offer the point of their name: Getting stuff places fast. Airborne Express, had they been smart enough to understand a simple location description, would have gotten the parcel where it needed to be next-day. But since they weren't competent enough to handle a simple pick-up, I got to have this exchange at the Post Office:

Clerk: When do you want this to get there?
Vakko: Tomorrow.
Clerk: I can get it there Saturday.
Vakko: Saturday isn't tomorrow. Isn't the whole point of Express mail to get something there tomorrow?
Clerk: No, it's to have it tracked. (Or was it confirmed delivery)
Vakko: Nice of USPS to change the definition after telling everyone it was for speed.
Clerk: Do you still want to send it Express?
Vakko: *grumble* Yes... *what choice is there?*

What's annoying is the quiet redefinition of "Express." If it's just delivery confirmation, then call it that. If it's second-rate package tracking, than call it that. First rate tracking is what Registered Mail gets. But Registered ain't Express. Since they are not offering a truly Express (fast!) service, they have no business using the name and implying that that is what they have. Bait-and-switch seems a good description of what USPS is doing with its alleged Express Mail service. It's one thing if USPS simply can't do what other places do. I can accept that. But being lied to is another matter, and using the term Express Mail for two-day delivery is a lie.

So now, because of a bungle by Airborne Express and the false advertising of USPS, I've wound up having to pay $17.85 for inferior service.

[1] I had not known that this item needed to be shipped until last night. Had I known about it earlier, I would have sent it earlier.

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Current Mood: pissed off

They call this one an "Up front reward" and claim not to have some complex reward program and no teaser rates. The bait is a "free" Dell Dimension 2400 desktop computer. But there are a few catches. "Free" is not free, of course.

To get the computer one must transfer balances to get at least $5,000 on their card - and then keep a balance of at least $3,500 for at least 18 months... at 9.99%. That's also a variable rate. But what if you don't have that much to transfer? Why, there's always a cash advance (up to $2,500) option to boost debt and cash advances get that higher rate of not less than 19.99%. They point that this would be a saving if I transferred my higher rate balances. I pride myself in not having higher rate balances. My reward is very simple: not making interest payments.

It gets even better. The system they picture has a flat-panel display, which is an option. The DVD drive is also an option. Naturally both options cost more money.

Of course this offer is only to "credit-savvy individuals" who have earned it. Well, this credit-savvy individual knows better than to fall for this. It costs more in interest than simply saving up and buying the machine. And for that, I could certainly do better than a mere Dell if I wanted to get another computer.

Topping it off is the result of Googling:
http://milwaukee.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2004/03/29/story2.html?page=1

Verdict: Universal Savings Bank, meet Mr. Shredder.

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Current Mood: sensible

Before anyone gets the wrong idea, this is post is not about selfishness, but relevance.

Every once in a while I see or hear someone tell someone else to think of how fortunate they are and how there are those in far worse situations when something is wrong. The person who says this means well, but doesn't really help. The reminder that someone, somewhere is having a worse time of things does nothing to improve the situation with which one is dealing.

Stubbing a toe, for example, hurts. Being told that someone else has no legs doesn't do anything to decrease that pain. At best it is a distraction, and not a very good one. Now the person with the stubbed toe gets to feel bad about someone else's situation. Or maybe even feel guilty that he has a toe to stub?

It's not that the person with the stubbed toe is being inconsiderate. The other person, the one worse off, wouldn't be any better off if the toe-stubber thought of them or not at that instant. The net effect is a negative one. Nobody is helped. The legless person doesn't suddenly grow new legs because the guy who stubbed his toe thinks of him. The person with the stubbed toe feels down not only because of the pain in his toe. Now in addition to that, he might feel guilty for daring to think of himself, or he might feel that whoever tried to help seems to have just belittled his problem. Some friend that.

This sort of thing bugs me. It's well meant, but so counter to its own purpose that one has to wonder what someone was thinking. "I wept that I had no shoes until I met a man with no feet." Well, the footless man is worse off, true enough, but unless he happens to be a shoemaker you still have no shoes. The original problem remains.

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Current Mood: pensive

Windows XP sucks. That is all.

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Current Mood: pissed off

The rate request form mentioned in an earlier post arrived, as did notification of the new lower (but still higher than I care for) rate. They want me to specify a rate, and will reject anything not specific. They also say that any rate I then get under 19.9% will be variable. I don't need that crap. I'm still getting offers for cards with fixed rates well below that. The ones I don't shred immediately upon opening are for under 10%.

So I guess I'll be cancelling that card, after I look up the proper way to do it. Just phoning them isn't it, I know. I recall it should be a written letter, which a specific phrasing so that credit reports reflect that the cardholder, me, had it cancelled rather than the card issuer.

Huh. Just checked here and find out that a phone cancel isn't entirely a bad thing according to some. Still, I want a paper trail. It also mentions something different about how those looking at issuing a loan look at things. I'm not sure which is true. willowisp's followup to my earlier post said different, and the guy next to me at work had a similar experience - though my own has been that it seemed not to matter much. Oh joy, that same site has another article that contradicts the first one.

That's not really a big deal. I already have the mortgage and at a rate I don't expect to ever see again. Also, I don't have any plans to take out an auto loan anytime soon. If things go the way I'm planning, I hope to never take out an auto loan again.

Current Mood: irritated

Windows Explorer in XP, or whatever XP calls the file manager, is trying to be helpful. That means it is really being annoying. On the desktop is a shortcut for "Documents" that opens the file manager to a documents directory. This directory is, however, not the one I really want. I want C:\home\neubauer instead.

I figured I'd just change the shortcut and give it the properties I want. It almost worked. It will give me direct access to C:\home\neubauer\ BUT that's now seemingly a ghost of the real thing. I'm not really there in the directory tree where I can, if I want to, easily jump to another directory, like C:\usr\bin or some other that I want to get to fast from time to time.

Instead of doing what I want, the system is trying to guess what I need and getting it wrong. It wants to be helpful in the worst way. And it is that: helpful in the worst way. I don't want this incompetent help. I want it to get out of my way. The Win95 box's Windows Explorer comes up at C: and shows the whole directory tree. That is acceptable. At least I can navigate directly from there without having to go through the extra step of clicking a "Folders" button. Even Windows 2000 got it right. But XP just had to go improve things the Microsoft way. The result: it sucks.

I've put up with this silly XP behavior for a few weeks now and my patience is running out. Anyone know how, or even if, the XP file manager can be whacked into doing the right thing? I haven't looked into replacement file managers just yet, but it may come to that.

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SOLUTION (30 March):

It took a Google search for "Windows Explorer Annoyances" that lead to a page about Windows Explorer harf on Windows Me but, finally, I have what *I* want. The trick? Command-line switches that XP's help seems not to mention.

How about them apples? Windows XP is what you get when you infect the stability of Windows 2000 with the poor user interface choices of Windows Me.

Target: C:\WINDOWS\explorer.exe /n,/e,C:\home\neubauer\

Now I have what I want rather than what some imbecile in Redmond thinks I need.

Current Mood: annoyed

I remember reading a fictional story in TV Guide sometime in the 1980s about how one of the supposed major networks had trouble getting viewers to watch their admittedly shallow shows. Eventually some character suggested that rather than make better shows, which would be expensive and risky, they simply advertise them as "TV-lite" since they didn't demand much attention and let people do other things and still keep up with what little story there was. Thus they could do business as usual and ride the 'lite' bandwagon.

I now watch rather less television than I used to. I don't know what channel each network or station is on, but just a few. When I do watch, it's usually while I'm doing something else. While dressing in the morning I might have the Weather Channel on. If I'm exercising, I'll probably have a TV on. About the only program now that I make a point of watching, or at least checking on, is Nova - and I'll probably be walking on the treadmill for a good part of that.

I've looked at the TV Guide web site to see what's on and found that there's nothing much I really care to watch. If Nova isn't on, then maybe a M*A*S*H re-run if it's one of the better ones, or possibly Storm Stories if I haven't seen it before, which is unlikely. Maybe something on the History channel will be watchable. Most programming is actually annoying or even insulting ("I'm supposed to be entertained by this?"), and that's not even considering the commercials. It's TV-lite and I want something that requires a bit more than that. I want to be engaged in it enough to not notice how long or how fast I'm walking on the treadmill.

Minnesota or National Public Radio has invented a term for an effect of particularly interesting stories: Driveway Moments. A Driveway Moment happens when you're listening to something while driving and find it so interesting that after you get to your destination you stay in the car just to listen to the rest of the story. I haven't seen much of the equivalent on television. Every once in a while there is a Nova or something on the History channel or such that grabs my attention so that even after I've had enough time on the treadmill I'll sit and watch the rest. Those are exceptions.

I don't expect, nor do I want, something with a grand story arc that carries from episode to episode. I want something that if I miss one, it won't cause problems by making the next show not make much sense. I just want each show to stand on its own, be entertaining rather than annoying, and not be just more TV-lite.

Current Mood: blah

Fair warning about the links below: Some folks might find some of the language used in the postings linked below to be offensive. And I might use some forceful language myself.

There was a post by 2_gryphon. And Xydexx has what seems an interesting reaction (a poll without explanation) to it. Another, dour, pointed out that identifying symptoms is not in itself treatment. Someone else, I forgot to note who, pointed out this contrast.

2 says the post is him just letting of steam. Fine. No problem. But it's not just his blowing off steam. The "just die already" attitude is not unusual. While there may be those who are genuinely determined to be miserable, it's more likely that the case is one of learned pessimism. The thing with learning is that there is often a teacher of a sort involved, though probably not in the formal classroom sense.

When one finds that the supposed friendly pat on the back was no such thing as claimed, but just a ruse to attach a "kick me" sign, a lesson is learned. When one walks along minding one's own business and is actively tripped, a lesson is learned. When one is told a joke in such a way to make one the victim of it, a lesson is learned. Each incident alone might be small and forgettable, and maybe even forgivable - once. But if they are repeated, the lessons are reinforced. Those are but three examples. There are so many other things that can, and do, happen to some.

Would it be any wonder that someone who experienced this sort of thing, over and over and over again, would learn to be paranoid? After all, the pat on the back can't be trusted, so maybe it's best not to be touched at all. It's safer. One can't trust people not to trip, so keep your eyes open - and look down to see where their feet are. The joke is at your expense, so it's best not to play along. And this makes a person look like they're paranoid, and depressed, and humorless.

And then people, often even the ones who taught all those things, wonder what's wrong with that person that he is so miserable. It's because they taught him to be miserable. A simple apology, even if actually heartfelt, will not undo all that. Genuine friendship might, eventually, mitigate the effects. And then there are the objections that this person "doesn't want to be friends with anyone." No. That person probably wants that more than anything else in the world. But he's learned that opening up to people -- the evil teachers of the lessons of paranoia, depression, and mistrust -- only makes him a victim yet again. Defenses go up. And with each new lesson, the fort walls get thicker and the armaments get heavier. Getting though all that will take effort. And it'll be slow going.

The deserving targets of outrage and disgust are not the people who wound up like this, but the bastards who did it to them.

Current Mood: pissed off

per se -- by, of, or in itself; as such; intrinsically (source: Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary.)

I am noticing, with increasing frequency, that per se is being replaced with "per say." While they sound the same, which is the source of the problem, they are different. The term per se is Latin or at least derived from Latin, while "per say" is a pair of English words.

I wonder what "per say" could be used for? Speech that is limited in some way? "You will have your say, but you only have five minutes per say."

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Current Mood: blah

1. Jay was called away rather suddenly and so we won't be going to Rosenthorne Renaissance Faire tomorrow as we had planned. We might go Sunday. However I am probably going to go solo Saturday. I haven't gone to a faire alone for some time. Together isn't bad, but there is some need of coordinating times and who has what tastes in acts, when to leave and why...

This is a new faire so I'm not sure what to expect. The few reports I've heard were positive, but it'd be nice to know what vendors and acts were there. One report did say it doesn't fill a day, so I don't know how long I might stay.

And there is one other matter. How to dress? In garb things are different than in "normal" clothes. Each has advantages. "Normal" folks are more likely to get interacted with, so things can seem distant in garb. But paradoxically garb means people open up a bit more than otherwise, as you look like an insider. There is also the matter of weather. For those who've seen me in garb, it might look hot, but it isn't. It's far more comfortable than jeans & t-shirt in hot weather. Of course I'm not dressed noble, which is whole 'nother matter.

The only real kicker is that Minstrosity will be there next weekend, when Jay & I will be in Osceola, IA. Ah well. (That reminds me, I should find an address and get some photos sent to them.)

2. ( Nasal subject here. You've been warned. )

3. Bah. I really need to work on my weight. It's annoying as what is needed is simple in concept: Output (work) must exceed input (calories) so reserve (fat, hopefully) is depleted. Only in practice it's not so simple. Part of it is, pardon the language and no pun intended, is that a person can't simply just stop eating 'cold turkey' like one can stop doing other things (maybe it's not easy, but with food it's biologically impossible without ceasing to live a while later).

What brought this on? Besides not feeling as good I could (and it sucks to feel fat), I saw a few faire photos.. and I don't like what I saw. My own self image has me if not in great shape, at least less bulky. That shirt is supposed to be loose, dammit!

It comes down to motivation, which isn't too bad, but it has to be sustained - and that's a trick. I'm no longer as active as I once was, and that's not all bad. There are some jobs I don't miss. But I still eat like I am. And I have this thing where I "eat like a horse" in a sense. That is, if it's in front of me, I tend to eat it until it's gone. Stuff out of sight isn't so much a problem, but that bit about "cleaning your plate" is ingrained and isn't doing me any good now.

A modest reduction program, if adhered to, would get me to near a tolerable (I have no idea what ideal is) weight in about a year. That's a long time. And yes, I know it realistically means permanent changes. And for the record, I'm currently at about 220 lbs. again. Bah. I recall feeling overweight at 180, but right now 200 would be quite an improvement.

It also doesn't help that weight loss is "loss." With a culture that rather naturally finds loss and losing being negative, it's the one positive thing that is described as a loss. Lose your mind? Your pet? Your family? Lose money? Lose in court? Lose on the court? All bad. Lose weight? Good (for the most part - lets leave anorexia out of this, okkay?). Heck, "belt tightening" has a negative connotation. And food is, unfortunately, a psychological crutch. If it isn't for you, then lucky you. "Comfort food" "treats" and such.

Also, due to various things I tend to not enjoy most exercising - they're just work. The treadmill isn't bad, if I keep at it. Bicycling isn't bad, if there was a place to do it safely. Swimming would be ok, but I don't care to look like a bleached whale (not a typo). And "team sports" are right out. Probably also a matter of maintaining a schedule and not letting things get in its way. And that can only be done in morning (I'm not THAT much of a morning person) or evening - and the evening is disgustingly variable. If I had supper as soon as I got home every day, then exercised, maybe I'd have a chance. But if supper is pushed off.. then I feel like I'm wasting the evening... by the time I'm done with 30-60 minutes on the treadmill, it's late. Then it feels like it's just work-eat-sleep which is no good.

4. On my morning drive I usually pass a place that has a few horses and a couple llamas, I think. The last week or so I didn't see the horses there and wondered what had happened. Well, whatever happened, it wasn't all bad. There were four the past couple days: two mares and two foals.

5. I wonder if there's some place I could enjoy a dark night sky and not be considered suspicious. Ideally a nice dead-end road nearby for night walking. I miss that.

Current Mood: fat, bah.

Not so long ago Yakko pondered in this posting about the use of LJ surveys for gathering marketing information.

Now consider this week's Friday Five:

1. What brand of toothpaste do you use?
2. What brand of toilet paper do you prefer?
3. What brand(s) of shoes do you wear?
4. What brand of soda do you drink?
5. What brand of gum do you chew?

If that doesn't smack of a marketing driven survey, what does? (And just where does this Friday Five thing come from, anyway?)

Current Mood: Amused, mildly.