Scott's new guitar

Sore throat, feeling blah. What's with all the colds? I'm exercising, eating properly, but cold germs seem to like me a lot recently. After I uploaded my comics yesterday morning, then went back to sleep.

My friend Scott bought a guitar yesterday! We had lunch at a fast food sushi place on Queen Street, then browsed Steve's Music Store. Scott bought a guitar, a case, tuner, and an extra set of strings. He already knows two chords, and he and I are already making plans to call our band "Suburban Curtains" (as opposed to Urban Tapestry). :-)





Cathy came over for dinner, and we watched Gladiator on DVD afterward. Very laid-back, fun Saturday. I even got my requisite weekend nap in :-). Jeff was out most of the day and night playing Magic.

Going to the Sound of Music Singalong tonight...still trying to think of a costume. Hopefully I'll some interesting pics to post tomorrow.

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Today's Blatherpic:

	Scott paying for his guitar at Steve's Music Store.
	Scott tries out his new guitar!
	Cathy playing my harp.

Italian progrock & more spam

So Parki has me hooked on Italian progressive rock. Or at least I'm hooked on the album he gave me recently: Forse le lucciole non si amano piu by the group Locanda Delle Fate. Apparently `Locanda delle fate' means `Inn of the fairies' or `Fairy Inn' and `Forse le lucciole non si amano piu'' means `Maybe the fireflies don't love each other anymore.' (Luisa, do you agree with this translation?)

Anyway, it's perfect work music. I don't understand the lyrics so they aren't distracting, and the music is interesting but not so interesting to take my attention off my work. Some really nice vocals...because I don't understand what they're saying, they become part of the instrumentals for me. So maybe the truth isn't that I like Italian progressive rock, but more that I like the fact that I don't really understand it. :-)

After a few hectic weeks, I'm gradually catching up on work again. Sent out five queries this week, and I have an article to write on spec (about the Renaissance harp).

What I'm currently reading: "A Beautiful Mind" (the biography upon which the movie is based, rant on this coming soon) and "The Hobbit" (I'm posting reports online as part of ongoing book discussions in the Talking Tolkien community book chats).


Had lunch with Kimberly Stinson yesterday. When Doug and Jeff and I shared the Inkspot office on Mowat Avenue, she worked for the National Book Network in the office next door (she still does). Kim's great, lots of fun to talk to. We ate at Shoeless Joe's and caught up on each other's lives.

Kim gave me the heads-up on the fact that F&W Publications just got sold. I wonder if this is going to affect my Market Watch column? (F&W are the ones who support the column) I've added a link to Market Watch in the left-hand navigation bar, by the way, in case any of you are interested. I update it every day, usually throughout each day.





When I went to meet Kim, I had to stop by and peer into the old Inkspot office (see above photo). It's empty right now; apparently the small publishing company that was supposed to move into the office changed their minds at the last minute.

Very weird to see it empty. And yes, I did feel a little gut-punch of nostalgia re: Inkspot. A shame that I only got to use the office for such a short time, too. I remember being so excited when we first moved in, having fun with the webcam (no, I have no intention of putting up a webcam in my home office :-)), all the storage space, working with Amanda.

But working at home has its advantages. Like the fact that I can work in my pajamas. :-)

Went out for sushi with Allison and Jodi. I was pretty tired on the subway ride to Richmond Hill, though, and fell asleep. A very nice young woman woke me up at the end of the line (which is the subway station where I meet Jodi). If she hadn't, I'm sure I would have kept slumbering away while the train went back downtown again. Embarrassing either way. :-)

Hey, and I ran into my brother-in-law Kaarel when I was hurrying up to the Kiss-n-Ride! He was on his way home from work.





Spam follow-up

Lots of feedback about yesterday's Blathering.

Julie, glad you like the cartoon! The permalink URL is here (same as it is now).

Melissa says she's trying out a shareware program called Spamkiller. "The main drawback for me is that Spamkiller checks my mail (first), then I re-download it with Eudora to actually read it (you can read it in SK, but it's a bit lame there). What I like about it is a little button for spam/suspected spam: "send error" That button sends a message back to the sender "this email account doesn't exist". So far so good (I've been using it for a week or so). Oh, yes: you can also set up new filters pretty easily (for friends, maillists, etc). We'll see how it works during the rest of the 30-day trial period."

Steve Brinich's comment made me laugh out loud: "I recently got a spam with the subject 'WHY ARE YOU STILL LOOKING AT OUTDATED PORN?'. I wasn't aware that there had been a recent breakthrough in that art, much less one so fundamental as to render all previous efforts obsolete...."

Those who don't like reading the word "penis" should probably skip the rest of this Blathering.

Jeff forwarded me a spam which was so ridiculous I have to wonder if anyone would ever take it seriously. Though I guess some must, else why are there so many penis-enlargement ads out there? Are there that many guys who are insecure about the size of their penises or think that size does matter? I don't get it.

Anyway, the subject header was "Enlarge Your Penis Scientifically". As opposed to enlarging one's penis UNscientifically. I don't know which one sounds the most frightening. Inside is the text: "No B.S.!!!! Gain 1-4" REAL Inches! You Will Have A Bigger Penis Using Our System Or We Will Pay You. CLICK HERE to get Penis Power! Because Bigger IS BETTER."

And then comes a bit that confuses me (after I recover from laughing, that is):

"If you join our Big Babes club now, you will be entitled to a bonus 'Busty Big Babes' club membership at a discount price on a trial basis! Make your bigger penis work with bigger boobs - ACT TODAY."

So is this ad geared toward those wanting penis enlargement or breast enlargement? Or both? Is the potential market for the combined services so great that it warrants spam mail?

What a strange world we live in.

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Today's Blatherpics:

These photos were all taken yesterday.

	Me.
	Kim Stinson.
	Old Inkspot office at Mowat Ave.
	Jodi and Allison at a sushi shop.

spam rant

Getting more ticked off at spammers lately, in all forms.

I tend not to answer the phone during the day because the calls tend to be marketers. I'm not sure which ticks me off more, the ones who won't let you go (so I end up hanging up on them) or the recorded calls. Fax spam especially ticks me off because it uses up ink and paper, and those ink cartridges are expensive.

I'm not nearly as easily upset by e-mail spam as I used to (though I guess the rant below may seem to indicate otherwise :-)). Bryan installed a spam-blocker a while back, but I asked him to take it off for me because it turned out that e-mail that I -wanted- was being blocked as well.

An e-mail spam I got yesterday was especially annoying, however. The subject header read "Last chance to unsubscribe!". The text:

"debbie,
Thank you for subscribing to MLM Marketing News

This News Letter    is mailed to over 5,000 people every Friday. Each friday the News Letter discusses such topics as How to successfully participate in a MLM organization

If you no longer wish to receive my News Letter, please write me back with the word 'unsubcribe' in the subject. Otherwise, you will receive my News Letter once per week.

To subscribe a friend to my News Letter:

have them send an Email message my Email Address above with the word 'subscribe' in the subject. They will be added automatically.

Thank you,

Meghan Stevens.

Note this is your last chance to be removed!"

Never mind the fact that Meghan doesn't know how to spell the word "newsletter" or "unsubscribe" and never took the time to learn the fundamental rules of grammar or spelling or punctuation (or how to use a spellchecker, for crying out loud). Illiterate spammers tick me off more than spammers who know how to write.

Never mind that even typo-free, this letter would have been laughably abysmal as a marketing tool (unless the purpose was to generate a lot of bad PR) and that the only subscribers she's likely going to get are people who are morbidly curious to see exactly how bad the "News Letter" is going to be.

The thing that ticks me off the most, however, is the elevation in levels of obnoxious irritation, that spammers like Meghan think it's now acceptable to THREATEN recipients of their unsolicited garbage with continued mailings unless they take a specific action.

(seetheseethe)

End of rant.

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Jeff cooked dinner last night, a yummy chicken and rice dish. We finally did get to watch Magnolia (with our newly-repaired DVD player! See yesterday's Blathering). We both had mixed feelings about the movie...reallyreally liked parts of it, but were somewhat let down by other parts. I think I might have to see it again. I loved the music, especially all the Aimee Mann songs! To Dave Weingart: you're right, "Wise Up"'s a great song. :-) I have Aimee Mann's "Whatever" CD (thanks for the recommendation, Rand), which I love.

Ruth's book, Pants Off First!, is going into its second printing!

gadget girl lust

I'm still lusting after an all-in-one organizer / phone / e-mail wireless gadget that's smaller and lighter, and I'm poised to trade in or sell my cellphone and Palm when something's available that's also semi-affordable. Gadget Girl Lust. Or rather, Gadget Girl Lust Somewhat Tempered By The Fact That Gadget Girl Is Still Ramping Up Her Freelance Writing Income. (Hey, speaking of freelance writing...my articles are slated to appear in this month's issues of Harp Column and Applied Arts magazines, woohoo!)

I was on the verge of giving up my cellphone since I don't really use it that much, but am hesitating because I still see the value in having a cellphone for emergency or urgent calls. It's already come in handy quite often that way, and the convenience has (at least thus far) outweighed the hassle/cost.

I still like my Palm Vx, but don't use it as much as I once did because I have trouble hot-synching it with my iBook for some reason (it generally takes me at least 2 or 3 tries with reboots of my iBook, unplugging and replugging the Hotsynch cord) and also because carrying my cellphone and Palm and digital camera is too bulky for my waist pouch (which I tend to use instead of a purse).

Too bulky. Ha. Things have sure changed since those giant desk calculators from the dinosaur age, haven't they?





Jeff and I had planned to watch Magnolia last night, but discovered that our DVD player wasn't working. I was highly amused at Jeff's reaction: irritation mixed with delight. Irritation because it was just one in a long string of tech breakdowns we've been having lately (our microwave went kaputz last month so we're now using a tiny microwave from the old Inkspot office...so tiny, in fact, that NONE of our plates or bowls will fit into it). Delight because it meant he got to take our DVD player apart. :-)

I confess I've never shared Jeff's fascination with taking things apart and putting them back together (dunno if this is more a guy thing, or just a technie/not-so-techie thing)...the closest I ever came was when I decided to take apart my flute in high school one day to clean it, but then couldn't get it back together properly; I had forgotten to make note of the fact that some of the little metal rods attached to most of the keys had to be positioned back exactly right, or notes wouldn't sound. Bad call. I finally had to ask a classmate for help (a technonerdboy classmate, incidentally).

I did enjoy a computer hardware lab course at the University of Toronto, but have always been much more interested in the user interface side of things than the guts of the computer.

Anyway, Jeff did end up fixing the DVD player, yay! :-)

I'm thinking about getting a non-digital camera. I love my tiny Elph, but as my freelance writing ramps up, I'm realizing that it might be useful to have a camera that can easily do prints as well. One of my recent assignments was doing a profile of Ruth for ArtCalendar magazine. They prefer 8x10 prints over digital images, and they needed them in a hurry (by this Friday). Fortunately I already had some 4x5" prints of Ruth in her home studio, and fortunately they were okay with that; I'm FedExing them today. But what if similar situations crop up with future markets?

Anyway, I can't afford a higher-quality digital camera right now, so I'm going to opt for a cheap point-and-shoot type instead. I'll stick with my Elph most of the time, but will take the print camera if I need pictures for an article.

Any suggestions? I'm looking for an inexpensive, small, point-and-shoot camera that will take decent photos. I used to have a non-digital Canon Elph, but it never worked properly after our canoe got dumped in the lake years ago when we got sideswiped by a friend's motorboat. :-)

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Today's Blatherpics:

	Jeff delving into the innards of our sick DVD player.
	Close-up of DVD player guts.

more tearjerking

I posted a photo of Luis at the top of yesterday's Blatherings and was amused to see Alisa's response in
Blatherchat:

"Oh my GOD...is that maniacal looking dude at the drums actually my husband?! Hahahaha! I can't wait to show him this when he gets back from the store with Hailey. Thanks, Deb!! I must admit, he does have a certain sexy appeal. It's just been forever since he actually looked like that!"

She also included a link to what Luis looks like now (see photo at the top of today's Blatherings). Apparently Luis's response to seeing the old photo was just a "Man, I miss that shirt." :-D Check out the Garcia family site for more photos.

Allison' comment re: yesterday's photo of Luis:

"...I remember clearly the day that photo of Luis was taken. John and I had just moved into that rental townhouse and one week later we had Luis, Adam and Rand over to record tracks for the UT CD. It was enough to give me pause... the neighbours didn't even know us yet and here I was agreeing to set up a full drum kit and electric instruments for a day of recording. I was sure the noise would get us drummed out of the neighbourhood (no pun intended, well, maybe a bit) before we even unpacked our boxes! I remember sitting around the night before the session writing letters to all my nearby neighbours explaining our plans for the day and how I could assure them it wouldn't become a habit! Debbie and Adam drew little cartoons of UT and Ookla on the letters and I delivered them all. They must have done the trick because despite a -very- loud recording session we didn't get any complaints and we're still in the neighbourhood."

But back to tearjerker media...

Interesting to read the comments in Blatherchat on this topic. I agree with Frank, Allison & Chris about the STTNG "Inner Light" episode! That's my all-time fave Next Generation episode. My favourite Classic Trek episode is "City On The Edge of Forever" (also a tearjerker). For Voyager, my favourite is the episode where Janeway finds herself as a daughter in someone's life (episode name?), ends up emotionally attached to the pseudo-father.

I tend to be a weeper at movies. Certain scenes in Lord of the Rings -still- make me cry despite having seen it five times now. I cry during E.T.'s sappiest moments (yes, I know I'm being manipulated!! but I cry anyway!!). I cry during the Cantel commercial when the daughter has a fight with her dad and then opens up a Christmas present on the drive home (wouldn't it have been ironic if the ringing phone made her have a car accident??) and finds it's her Dad on the new phone, telling her he loves her (I'm getting teary-eyed just remembering this scene, I can't believe it! What a sap!!).

I even cry while reading books, sometimes having to put away the book temporarily and go hunting for tissues before I wrinkle the pages. The Great Gilly Hopkins (a children's book) still always gets to me. And The Bridge To Terebithia. And Emergence (when Terry thinks Candy is dead).

Do any books make you cry? If so, I'd be interested in hearing which ones (please avoid posting plot spoilers, though). Answer in Blatherchat, thanks.