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(no subject)
Feb. 15th, 2015 06:09 pmAbout 11 AM, I went outside to brush the snow off my car so I wouldn't have to do it in concert dress when I went out for the 1PM call before our Concerto Concert. I left the door unlocked and had neither my keys nor my phone, as ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
sylvansafekeepe was home.
A few minutes into the task,sylvansafekeepe heads out for the day. We exchange grimaces about the wind and the cold and the snow drifts. A few minutes later, I wonder whether he locked the door behind him.
He did. Cursing, kicking of snow, and throwing of the car brush ensue (it should be noted that I do not holdsylvansafekeepe in any way accountable for what transpired).
It's cold, and I have someplace I need to be in two hours. It so happens that one of the panes of glass on the front door doesn't quite fit in the frame. I can get my fingers around the glass and maybe, I think, by pulling and tugging I can get it out of the frame. Did I mention it was cold out? Anyway, the pane flexes but doesn't really budge. Maybe I should be wearing gloves, I think, but with my thin liners, I can't really get into the crack like I can without them. So it's back to pulling and flexing the pane and *CRASH*. This was, of course, the inevitable endgame. Rather unfortunate that my hands were involved rather than, say, an elbow.
I reach through the void, unlock the door, step in. Survey the damage. Not too bad. Oh look, a gash in my thumb. Let's deal with that first. Some water, soap, a cotton ball, and a band-aid and I'm no longer leaking. Probably doesn't merit stitches and, anyway, I have someplace I need to be (and we're already down one trumpet whose back went out, but we only need two for this concert anyway). Pick up glass. Tape trash bags over window. Storm door keeps things from blowing too badly. Call landlord. Landlord is useless and can't come out until Thursday (reason #18 why I've been making eyes at the real estate market). Eat something. Shower. Don tuxedo. Go to concert.
Thankfully, the adrenaline wore off sometime during the pre-concert rehearsal, because depriving the brain of oxygen because I'm forcing it through a brass tube while running on adrenaline is just asking for a vasovagal incident (I have something of a history of these, and it runs in the family; this is also why eating something before leaving was a priority).
sylvansafekeepe was home.A few minutes into the task,
sylvansafekeepe heads out for the day. We exchange grimaces about the wind and the cold and the snow drifts. A few minutes later, I wonder whether he locked the door behind him.He did. Cursing, kicking of snow, and throwing of the car brush ensue (it should be noted that I do not hold
sylvansafekeepe in any way accountable for what transpired).It's cold, and I have someplace I need to be in two hours. It so happens that one of the panes of glass on the front door doesn't quite fit in the frame. I can get my fingers around the glass and maybe, I think, by pulling and tugging I can get it out of the frame. Did I mention it was cold out? Anyway, the pane flexes but doesn't really budge. Maybe I should be wearing gloves, I think, but with my thin liners, I can't really get into the crack like I can without them. So it's back to pulling and flexing the pane and *CRASH*. This was, of course, the inevitable endgame. Rather unfortunate that my hands were involved rather than, say, an elbow.
I reach through the void, unlock the door, step in. Survey the damage. Not too bad. Oh look, a gash in my thumb. Let's deal with that first. Some water, soap, a cotton ball, and a band-aid and I'm no longer leaking. Probably doesn't merit stitches and, anyway, I have someplace I need to be (and we're already down one trumpet whose back went out, but we only need two for this concert anyway). Pick up glass. Tape trash bags over window. Storm door keeps things from blowing too badly. Call landlord. Landlord is useless and can't come out until Thursday (reason #18 why I've been making eyes at the real estate market). Eat something. Shower. Don tuxedo. Go to concert.
Thankfully, the adrenaline wore off sometime during the pre-concert rehearsal, because depriving the brain of oxygen because I'm forcing it through a brass tube while running on adrenaline is just asking for a vasovagal incident (I have something of a history of these, and it runs in the family; this is also why eating something before leaving was a priority).
(no subject)
Sep. 14th, 2014 03:34 pmI am still young enough to occasionally think I have the talent to do anything I want.
I am starting to be old enough to think that I know how to solve any problem with which I am presented.
So this morning, having failed to navigate around my downstairs neighbor's car and getting my right front tire stuck on the tree stump next to the driveway, I found myself hacking away at said tree stump with an ax.
I am starting to be old enough to think that I know how to solve any problem with which I am presented.
So this morning, having failed to navigate around my downstairs neighbor's car and getting my right front tire stuck on the tree stump next to the driveway, I found myself hacking away at said tree stump with an ax.
(no subject)
Jun. 27th, 2014 10:24 pmIt's really a shame that the upper right-hand panel of today's Girl Genius is too big to be turned into a user icon.
(no subject)
Dec. 10th, 2013 10:18 pmAn inversion fog filled the Grand Canyon Thanksgiving weekend. Follow the link to the park Facebook page for more nifty pictures.
Penn & Teller funded a documentary on investigating the secrets of Vermeer.
A map of the Good Roads around Philadelphia, circa 1897.
Idle Words is required reading, though it updates infrequently at best. The latest is on Australian fauna.
HNIC is the best (Youtube).
A slideshow of 20 awesome pictures of the Earth from space.
An oral history of the WKRP Turkey Drop episode.
Economic principles such as Zipf's Law apply to the sizes of cities.
A life-sized LEGO bridge, sort of.
This is a very curious marketing campaign for camera bags.
Protect your personal space with this porcupine vest.
Krulwich on the biological underpinnings of Rube Goldberg machines.
Penn & Teller funded a documentary on investigating the secrets of Vermeer.
A map of the Good Roads around Philadelphia, circa 1897.
Idle Words is required reading, though it updates infrequently at best. The latest is on Australian fauna.
HNIC is the best (Youtube).
A slideshow of 20 awesome pictures of the Earth from space.
An oral history of the WKRP Turkey Drop episode.
Economic principles such as Zipf's Law apply to the sizes of cities.
A life-sized LEGO bridge, sort of.
This is a very curious marketing campaign for camera bags.
Protect your personal space with this porcupine vest.
Krulwich on the biological underpinnings of Rube Goldberg machines.
(no subject)
Dec. 1st, 2013 11:14 amHopefully you've had time to fully digest your Thanksgiving meal, because here's a smorgasbord of links:
A German math professor tossed a bunch of legos in his washing machine to see how they'd stick together.
I'm totally the sort of person who'd try cooking in a coffee maker...if I owned a coffee maker.
Tricksy parents arrange their kids' dinsoaurs every night to make it seem like they've been up to no good.
Apparently, turtle cozies are a thing and they're adorable. Also, did you know that turtle's can't be *SQUISH*ed because their shells protect them?
Australian researchers developed a robot to herd cattle (YouTube).
Star Wars links: Death Star wall tiles, a gingerbread reindeer AT-AT, and Millenium Falcon bakeware.
Tracking satellites and space junk using the reflections of terrestrial FM pop stations.
The history of English, in ten minutes, and a virtusoso example of how to use language (both YouTube).
Photographer recreates famous photographs in LEGO.
Mesmerizing and sobering time lapse map of every nuclear explosion.
This kickstarter turns old CRTs into coasters and tiles.
Giant concrete arrows are remannts of a primitive guidance system for early transcontinental flights.
Sometimes even Amtrak gets lost.
Dividing up the US by watershed.
A farewell to the world's longest (regular) flight.
A wonderful collection of really weird bus stops.
Your periodic reminder to never mess with Canada.
And finally, a 16-foot long model of an Airbus A380-800 (YouTube). Watching it fly is very disconcerting because it seems much more maneuverable and acrobatic than the real thing.
A German math professor tossed a bunch of legos in his washing machine to see how they'd stick together.
I'm totally the sort of person who'd try cooking in a coffee maker...if I owned a coffee maker.
Tricksy parents arrange their kids' dinsoaurs every night to make it seem like they've been up to no good.
Apparently, turtle cozies are a thing and they're adorable. Also, did you know that turtle's can't be *SQUISH*ed because their shells protect them?
Australian researchers developed a robot to herd cattle (YouTube).
Star Wars links: Death Star wall tiles, a gingerbread reindeer AT-AT, and Millenium Falcon bakeware.
Tracking satellites and space junk using the reflections of terrestrial FM pop stations.
The history of English, in ten minutes, and a virtusoso example of how to use language (both YouTube).
Photographer recreates famous photographs in LEGO.
Mesmerizing and sobering time lapse map of every nuclear explosion.
This kickstarter turns old CRTs into coasters and tiles.
Giant concrete arrows are remannts of a primitive guidance system for early transcontinental flights.
Sometimes even Amtrak gets lost.
Dividing up the US by watershed.
A farewell to the world's longest (regular) flight.
A wonderful collection of really weird bus stops.
Your periodic reminder to never mess with Canada.
And finally, a 16-foot long model of an Airbus A380-800 (YouTube). Watching it fly is very disconcerting because it seems much more maneuverable and acrobatic than the real thing.
(no subject)
Nov. 12th, 2013 10:01 pmA brief history of the coloration of cheese.1
More fun with the NYC Subway.
Ignore the article on robot umpires, instead watch the mini-doc on the adorable couple that did the MLB schedule by hand for 20 years.
Speaking of adorable, here's some drawings of Superheroes at their day jobs (more on tumblr here).
Oh look. Stuxnet has spread to the International Space Station.
More fun with the NYC Subway.
Ignore the article on robot umpires, instead watch the mini-doc on the adorable couple that did the MLB schedule by hand for 20 years.
Speaking of adorable, here's some drawings of Superheroes at their day jobs (more on tumblr here).
Oh look. Stuxnet has spread to the International Space Station.
(no subject)
Nov. 7th, 2013 04:39 pmA gallery of Halloween pizzas...from Pee-Wee Herman! (Facebook link)
Iran has a bunch of fake American chain restaurants.
Thomas Kinkade's cutesy-wutesy scenes get visited by Stormtroopers.
Some folks have fun with the NYC Subway conductor inidication boards.
A quick check as to whether it's appropriate for those folks who want to start celebrating Christmas early.
With the Astrodome seemingly running out of time, this ode is quite poignant.
Brittney Griner on basketball, gender, sexuality, and life.
This article on the conflict of interest between athletic trainers taping ankles and the shoe companies really makes me question the economics of college sports.
This compilation of reactions to the Chelyabinsk meteor is awesome and terrifying.
Mike Merrill sold shares of himself on the market to very interesting results.
Teaching a grocery store checkout robot how to handle a knife.
Great news! Engineers aren't psychopaths (actual headline).
Two super-detailed rail maps of California and the Northeast Corridor.
Iran has a bunch of fake American chain restaurants.
Thomas Kinkade's cutesy-wutesy scenes get visited by Stormtroopers.
Some folks have fun with the NYC Subway conductor inidication boards.
A quick check as to whether it's appropriate for those folks who want to start celebrating Christmas early.
With the Astrodome seemingly running out of time, this ode is quite poignant.
Brittney Griner on basketball, gender, sexuality, and life.
This article on the conflict of interest between athletic trainers taping ankles and the shoe companies really makes me question the economics of college sports.
This compilation of reactions to the Chelyabinsk meteor is awesome and terrifying.
Mike Merrill sold shares of himself on the market to very interesting results.
Teaching a grocery store checkout robot how to handle a knife.
Great news! Engineers aren't psychopaths (actual headline).
Two super-detailed rail maps of California and the Northeast Corridor.
(no subject)
Oct. 31st, 2013 07:33 pmSorry I'm late.
Adrian Cardenas on quitting baseball because he was having trouble to separate the game and the job.
Why hot water freezes faster than cold water.
Who wouldn't want a Whisky Advent Calendar?
The American Mustache Institute has sent a cease and desist letter to the Boston Red Sox.
Many of the techniques in this report on geoenegineering and climate change seem like the sort of things that feature heavily in the plots of bad sci-fi movies.
The SDSU baseball team plays a scrimmage each year in full Halloween costumes.
The guy who made the guacamole video made a new video using old tools to represent sea creatures.
Nifty gallery of robot bartenders.
Smartphone attachment generates scents on command.
Empirical proof that bacon makes everything better. And yes, they're working on a bacon scent for the above-linked gadget.
This wacky cello redesign has visual effects.
Tumblr: Selfies at funerals. Kids these days.
I assume you've already seen the Pterodactyl Hunt video and the Star Wars Bloopers video, but maybe you haven't.
Adrian Cardenas on quitting baseball because he was having trouble to separate the game and the job.
Why hot water freezes faster than cold water.
Who wouldn't want a Whisky Advent Calendar?
The American Mustache Institute has sent a cease and desist letter to the Boston Red Sox.
Many of the techniques in this report on geoenegineering and climate change seem like the sort of things that feature heavily in the plots of bad sci-fi movies.
The SDSU baseball team plays a scrimmage each year in full Halloween costumes.
The guy who made the guacamole video made a new video using old tools to represent sea creatures.
Nifty gallery of robot bartenders.
Smartphone attachment generates scents on command.
Empirical proof that bacon makes everything better. And yes, they're working on a bacon scent for the above-linked gadget.
This wacky cello redesign has visual effects.
Tumblr: Selfies at funerals. Kids these days.
I assume you've already seen the Pterodactyl Hunt video and the Star Wars Bloopers video, but maybe you haven't.
(no subject)
Oct. 22nd, 2013 10:30 pmDepressing article on changes to the ocean environment from sailor repeating a trip from ten years ago.
Two NBA players split a cow.
Mike Doughty on revisiting Soul Coughing songs.
A breakdown of all possible World Series matchups. Not updated for this year.
I need to find an excuse to make these Grilled Cheese Roll-Ups as an appetized.
Quicksand recipes from Radiolab.
Meet normal barbie, made from the dimensions of the average 19-year old female.
Meet Harry Beck's menagerie.
I think this set of musical notations described by cats is missing something: b = *SQUISH*
This video for Josh Ritter's Evil Eye is the trailer for a 70s horror movie.
On the with healthcare.gov, which seem to be caused by the whole thing being broken into many different contracts with not enough communication between them. Shocking, isn't it.
Hey look, here's two articles that would have made much more sense had I posted them last week:
Feminist hulk smash shutdown.
Government shutdown shutters White House garden.
Halloween costumes for rodents. And you thought there'd only be one *SQUISH* in this collection of links.
Japanese couple gets married on crazy-busy commuter line.
Kickstarter: Obduction, a 1st person adventure game from the guys who brought us Myst.
A tar pitch drop is eminent and the host university has setup a webcam so that it can be seen.
This gorgeous superyacht design has a really nifty exoskeleton.
STARPATH is a sprayable surface treatment that makes walkways glow.
Please don't lick the models at this chocolate fashion show.
Turn your bathroom into a transporter room with this shower curtain and bath mat set.
Two NBA players split a cow.
Mike Doughty on revisiting Soul Coughing songs.
A breakdown of all possible World Series matchups. Not updated for this year.
I need to find an excuse to make these Grilled Cheese Roll-Ups as an appetized.
Quicksand recipes from Radiolab.
Meet normal barbie, made from the dimensions of the average 19-year old female.
Meet Harry Beck's menagerie.
I think this set of musical notations described by cats is missing something: b = *SQUISH*
This video for Josh Ritter's Evil Eye is the trailer for a 70s horror movie.
On the with healthcare.gov, which seem to be caused by the whole thing being broken into many different contracts with not enough communication between them. Shocking, isn't it.
Hey look, here's two articles that would have made much more sense had I posted them last week:
Feminist hulk smash shutdown.
Government shutdown shutters White House garden.
Halloween costumes for rodents. And you thought there'd only be one *SQUISH* in this collection of links.
Japanese couple gets married on crazy-busy commuter line.
Kickstarter: Obduction, a 1st person adventure game from the guys who brought us Myst.
A tar pitch drop is eminent and the host university has setup a webcam so that it can be seen.
This gorgeous superyacht design has a really nifty exoskeleton.
STARPATH is a sprayable surface treatment that makes walkways glow.
Please don't lick the models at this chocolate fashion show.
Turn your bathroom into a transporter room with this shower curtain and bath mat set.
(no subject)
Oct. 16th, 2013 10:17 pmIn lieu of links this week (maybe Friday), here's some orchestra humor:
"Alright, let's go to the third movement. Now, about that viola cadenza..."
*violas perk up and look wide-eyed at the conductor*
"Just seeing if you were paying attention."
*A discussion of the location of a double bar and rehearsal number 2*
"Do you have oboe cues?"
"Don't follow me!"
"Alright, let's go to the third movement. Now, about that viola cadenza..."
*violas perk up and look wide-eyed at the conductor*
"Just seeing if you were paying attention."
*A discussion of the location of a double bar and rehearsal number 2*
"Do you have oboe cues?"
"Don't follow me!"
(no subject)
Oct. 8th, 2013 10:43 pmThis is your face. This is your face in 457 MPH winds.
Supermarket meat section manager makes sculptures out of the ground beef for sale (tumblr).
Using a roll of paper to make an analog video game.
I don't watch Top Chef. But I quite enjoy @keithlaw's really snarky recaps (Keith is a baseball analyst for ESPN. His personal blog tends to cover books, board games, food, and music. I'm kind of a fan).
Three from Ars Technica:
A brief history of Buran, the USSR's response to the Space Shuttle.
Breaking down the Gravity trailer with the guy in charge of spacewalk (EVA) training for NASA.
How the Feds caught the guy running Silk Road, aka Dread Pirate Roberts. Now I want to reread Reamde.
On the actual cause of Yuri Gagarin's death.
An extremely circumstantial set of evidence attempting to prove that Boba Fett killed Owen and Beru Lars (uh, may contain spoilers for various things set in the Star Wars universe).
I really like the ads for Galaxy Gear, Samsung's entry into the smart watch world. Too bad the watch itself seems like a bit of a failure. Also, I'm pretty sure one of new iPhone 5C commercials features some Klingon speakers.
Some headlines need no additional commentary: NHL Player Escapes Locked Bathroom With Help From Twitter.
Supermarket meat section manager makes sculptures out of the ground beef for sale (tumblr).
Using a roll of paper to make an analog video game.
I don't watch Top Chef. But I quite enjoy @keithlaw's really snarky recaps (Keith is a baseball analyst for ESPN. His personal blog tends to cover books, board games, food, and music. I'm kind of a fan).
Three from Ars Technica:
A brief history of Buran, the USSR's response to the Space Shuttle.
Breaking down the Gravity trailer with the guy in charge of spacewalk (EVA) training for NASA.
How the Feds caught the guy running Silk Road, aka Dread Pirate Roberts. Now I want to reread Reamde.
On the actual cause of Yuri Gagarin's death.
An extremely circumstantial set of evidence attempting to prove that Boba Fett killed Owen and Beru Lars (uh, may contain spoilers for various things set in the Star Wars universe).
I really like the ads for Galaxy Gear, Samsung's entry into the smart watch world. Too bad the watch itself seems like a bit of a failure. Also, I'm pretty sure one of new iPhone 5C commercials features some Klingon speakers.
Some headlines need no additional commentary: NHL Player Escapes Locked Bathroom With Help From Twitter.
(no subject)
Oct. 1st, 2013 11:02 pmSo it turns out that connecting Watson to Urban Dictionary wasn't such a good idea.
On the business of corn mazes (or is that maizes?).
I forgot my cell phone.
A script for the pilot of a 2002 Muppet Show reboot, by ESPN Fantasy Analyst Matthew Berry.
4 fonts designed to foil OCR.
In which scientists capture an image of a Hydrogen bond.
A retrobituary for Elizabeth "Lizzie" Magie, the original inventor of Monopoly.
On the business of corn mazes (or is that maizes?).
I forgot my cell phone.
A script for the pilot of a 2002 Muppet Show reboot, by ESPN Fantasy Analyst Matthew Berry.
4 fonts designed to foil OCR.
In which scientists capture an image of a Hydrogen bond.
A retrobituary for Elizabeth "Lizzie" Magie, the original inventor of Monopoly.
(no subject)
Sep. 18th, 2013 10:49 pmTeaming a med student with chefs-in-training to focus on nutrition.
Edward Thorp and the story of the first wearable computer, used to beat a roulette wheel.
SuperHot is a first person shooter in which time only moves when you do.
New York is using E-ZPass readers to measure traffic data at places other than toll boothes. I'm really not sure how I feel about this.
Cowboys Stadium uses more electricity on game day than Liberia.
Edward Thorp and the story of the first wearable computer, used to beat a roulette wheel.
SuperHot is a first person shooter in which time only moves when you do.
New York is using E-ZPass readers to measure traffic data at places other than toll boothes. I'm really not sure how I feel about this.
Cowboys Stadium uses more electricity on game day than Liberia.
(no subject)
Sep. 17th, 2013 10:41 pmThe world's largest walking robot is a fire-breathing dragon.
Online dating lorem ipsum generator.
Chipotle films horrifying trailer for anti-big food video game.
Remember the adorable dumb ways to die video that was a don't play on train tracks PSA? It's been turned into video game.
Map divides Earth into 665 rougly-equally populated districts.
Dude gets drunk whenever he eats carbs because of brewer's yeast in his gut.
Volvo demonstrates how easy it is to steer their new truck by using a hamster to drive.
Army Intelligence and Security Command has an Information Dominance Center modeled after the bridge of the Enterprise.
Beard-winning writer pens memoir touching on eating experiences in the Soviet Union.
Watching a baseball game with Google Glass (incidentally, I saw a pair in the wild a week or so ago in Suburban Station).
Advertising a TV by making it seem like a window.
The headline here says it all: Bid to cross Atlantic in flying rowboat fizzles.
Online dating lorem ipsum generator.
Chipotle films horrifying trailer for anti-big food video game.
Remember the adorable dumb ways to die video that was a don't play on train tracks PSA? It's been turned into video game.
Map divides Earth into 665 rougly-equally populated districts.
Dude gets drunk whenever he eats carbs because of brewer's yeast in his gut.
Volvo demonstrates how easy it is to steer their new truck by using a hamster to drive.
Army Intelligence and Security Command has an Information Dominance Center modeled after the bridge of the Enterprise.
Beard-winning writer pens memoir touching on eating experiences in the Soviet Union.
Watching a baseball game with Google Glass (incidentally, I saw a pair in the wild a week or so ago in Suburban Station).
Advertising a TV by making it seem like a window.
The headline here says it all: Bid to cross Atlantic in flying rowboat fizzles.
(no subject)
Sep. 12th, 2013 10:42 pmCritter found thatuses gears to coordinate 400G jumps.
Apparently, I've been eating (instant) ramen wrong.
The trailer for Monty Python & the Holy Grail, recast as a serious action movie.
McDonald's buys 18th century house with intent of tearing it down to build a standard golden arches. Preservationists quickly get house registered as landmark. McDonald's restores house and converts it into a fancy-pants fast food joint (full disclosure: I own some MCD stock).
Frog photobombs NASA lunar launch. Or, NASA lunar launch bombs frog.
Apparently, I've been eating (instant) ramen wrong.
The trailer for Monty Python & the Holy Grail, recast as a serious action movie.
McDonald's buys 18th century house with intent of tearing it down to build a standard golden arches. Preservationists quickly get house registered as landmark. McDonald's restores house and converts it into a fancy-pants fast food joint (full disclosure: I own some MCD stock).
Frog photobombs NASA lunar launch. Or, NASA lunar launch bombs frog.
(no subject)
Sep. 11th, 2013 10:40 pmThis chart is probably old news and is very, very flawed, but I like the concept.
Examining tree growth in forests before and after the Clean Air Act.
Examining tree growth in forests before and after the Clean Air Act.
