toastykitten

Yesterday, at Costco, we spotted an outdoor mat. We promptly bought it, because our front door has been empty since we moved. It's a really nice mat.

Later, he says to me, "I'm going to get a mat that says 'Welcome to Ohm'."

I give him a blank stare.

"An ohm is a unit of electrical resistance."

So Mark asked me yesterday why I didn't install "noscript". I had no idea what the heck "noscript" was, but today since I am using his desktop, I discovered what it is. It is something (I think a Firefox extension) that does not let me view Youtube videos. I can't decide if this is a curse, or a blessing.

We were at a party last night for a friend who is moving to Portland. (It seems like all the geeks are moving there.) It was really, really nerdy and I'm kind of glad I did not wear my "I heart NERDS" shirt because that would have been just overkill. I actually didn't know anyone there, as this person was more Mark's friend. But I got to meet a lot of nerds, and girl geeks in particular - one owned a hosting company, one went to school at Harvey Mudd. One of them is currently working on a nonfiction book on women in science and engineering. We talked a lot about that, and also about writing and publishing in general. I felt kind of sad because I have not been writing anything in particular for years, and she seemed to have this commitment to her work that I just don't feel.

Of relevance: Zeldman commissioned a study for stats on women working in web design. Results: unsurprising. Comments on post: unsurprisingly annoying.

What was weird about this party was that we couldn't find people who watched tv. Not that this is a prerequisite for being our friends or anything, but Mark and I really like watching television, and love talking about certain shows. It was a pretty nice party overall.

I finally started reading an actual book again. I was in the middle of A History of God by Karen Armstrong, and then I stopped. For the past few weeks I've been doing crossword puzzles during my train ride, but now I'm back. The History of God is pretty fascinating, and I'm learning a lot, but Armstrong has some pretty strong tics that can get kind of repetitive and annoying.

So we didn't actually end up at H&M. Jess got there first and it turns out there was a two-hour wait to just get into the store. We ended up shopping in Macy's and Urban Outfitters instead. And my shopping urge is still not quenched. Grr. Later we found out from a more fashion-informed friend that there will be a third H&M opening right next to the H&M on Powell, and one in Sun Valley Mall, so Jess, you won't have to BART over to SF for that!

This is my stash: A pair of pants and and a shirt from Macy's. I think I should just get a Macy's card, so I can get the coupons and additional discounts. If anyone needs cookware, their pots and pans are 40% off the lowest price right now. Tim Biskup and Pete Fowler coasters for 2 bucks each for a set of four, and the Lewis Black book, hardcover, for $5 from Urban Outfitters. The set of coasters I really want, though, is the Junko Mizuno ones, which I haven't been able to find anywhere. I love the Urban Outfitters sale section. There's always some good stuff there amidst all the junk.

Later Mark and I watched a movie with some friends. It was called Exit to Eden, and is based on an Anne Rice novel, stars Rosie O'Donnell and Dan Aykroyd. That is all you need to know. Anyway, it's funny, and weirdly dated. Mark mentioned that all the women had "eighties' asses". Ok, I'd never heard of that, so I asked him what that was. He said, "Long, flat asses." Apparently asses come and go in style - the trend right now is "bubble butts". What I don't understand is how one would be able to shape an ass into a particular style. Maybe women did different workouts back then?

Spelling errors are my pet peeve, especially glaring ones that any educated adult should be able to catch. I caught a few this weekend:

TiVo's new download service (for series2 owners) includes CNet's reviews of current gadgets. (Let's just say CNet editors are not necessarily TV people.) In this segment, someone held up a sign that misspelled "capacity". Seriously, shouldn't someone have caught that?

In Firefly, on the last disc, there are a few really sweet special features. On one of them, they talk about Serenity, the ship, and its role as its own character. Someone holds up a blueprint of the ship, and on it, the dining room was misspelled as the "dinning room". Apparently in the future, we no longer dine, we din.

Women in Free Software, by Fernanda G. Weiden

Great article on barriers to entry for females in the free software world; don't read the discussion threads unless you want to bang your head against the wall, which might, in fact, actually be less painful than listening to people say stuff like "There's no such thing as a gender barrier; it's UP to YOU to make it happen!"

Apparently 9/11 is an occasion for gaudy, tacky memorials. SBC Park put up one right around their Willie Mays statue. I shit you not, it was a gigantic glitter American flag ribbon, surrounded by huge purple banners of names or some such thing; I didn't get close enough to read. (I wondered where the SUV was.) I couldn't take my eyes off the huge, ugly thing; it seemed to me to represent the worst aspects of American culture - the sentimentality, the exaggeration, the thoughtlessness, when it should have been a day of reflection, of remembrance.

Speaking of Ugly Americanism, I bought Vanity Fair again. I should just subscribe to them already.

(Is it me, or is it kind of disingenuous of James Wolcott to be bitching about "the media", when he is the very friggin personification of it? I mean, I agree with his stuff, but come on, he works for a national magazine!)

My HMO has a website. When you click on the "Contact Us" link, it takes you to an email form. There is no listing for a phone number, in case you might want to talk to an actual person. If you use the email form, you get a note saying that they won't be able to get to your email until at least 48 hours later. Last time I sent my HMO an email, it took them almost a week to respond.

I hate my HMO.

I hate my DMO, too.

I am trying not to watch the news, because I'm afraid of what I might hear. Reading stuff is making me sick already.

So I finally started staying at my apartment last night, and I just woke up. My living room is a total mess, and I have almost no furniture, and no food, but none of this matters because I have an Internet connection!!

Sometimes I wonder if I'm really nerdier than I think I am.