Saturday, August 13, 2005

My new mouse glows red and my keyboard glows green. Piano on RS. The spotted boxfish looks three-D from across the room. The coral reef scene looks like a squirrel fish and a porkypine and an eel and a spotted box and a carrot fish and I can't remember the striped butterfly kinds. and a brain. Strut their feathers well. I tried to play 1966 on the woofer but I couldn't feel it because it wasn't turned UP loud enough. Last Waltz = the greatest. Shouldn't be listening to Fake (blood in my eyes); should be listening to Something is Happening. I would like to feel the Nighthawks feeling. the fingers. This shift key is useless. i wonder if the left one works better. I will never know.

Posted at 10:52:00 PM by Laura.

I like the woofer!!

Posted at 9:05:00 PM by Laura.

Thursday, August 11, 2005

I went on my final secret project mission today. Had to stand on my tiptoes a lot. And switched arms often. Also bought the new Profit DVD set!!! (Not at secret project mission location.) It looks excellent. Tons of extra features including interviews and audio commentaries. V.v.v. nice set.

Here's a photo of my new dual-monitor desk setup. But my main monitor's desktop is a much deeper and more beautiful blue than it looks in the photo (it's the colour blue in the upper left ALB rectangle). And my retro phone is missing from its spot to the right of my mousepad because I'm going to get a new one from a different era of retro.

Posted at 7:59:00 PM by Laura.

This book is just incredible. I am officially obsessed with Charley Harper. (Didn't even read any of the book's actual text by George S. Fichter.) The General Curator Emeritus of the New York Zoological Park wrote in his foreword, "A word must be said on the unconventional illustrations by Charles Harper. At first glance, these may seem to be merely fanciful, but a second look reveals that they are not simply attractive pictures but actually emphasize the basic essentials of line, form and color. ...As a confirmed and much-abused realist in matters of animal art, I have been won over completely by Mr. Harper's clever and interesting interpretations."

Here are a few scans, but they don't really do justice to the breadth of the book. 1) "A red sponge beached by a tropical storm is promptly abandoned by its many tenants," 2) Queen Trigger! (Humu relative!), 3) Komodo dragons fighting (I especially love the tail in this one), 4) A coral reef scene. (Note the eel sticking his head out eelishly.)

The coolest thing is how true they are. They're stylized, but it's so easy to recognise exactly what kind of fish each one is (etc.). Also I really like the violence. The one of the anaconda crushing a jaguar is scary!

Posted at 1:26:00 AM by Laura.

Wednesday, August 10, 2005

I snagged the best ever book off the sale shelf at the Middle library. Didn't even look at it in the library (glanced at one page and immediately decided to take it), and when I started flipping the pages after I'd left, my mind was blown. It's a big hardcover Golden Book from 1968 called The Animal Kingdom: An Introduction to the Major Groups of Animals, and the illustrations are amazing. Charles Harper, whoever he is, is my new fav illustrator!! I'll scan in a page or two...

Posted at 5:40:00 PM by Laura.

Zi photos from the Boston Public Garden on Saturday. I was obsessed with the willows that dangled down into the pond. The first picture is me under one of the willows; the lighting was really strange, but I like how it came out, all eyes with a disappearing mouth. The second one's my huaraches (Susie-style feet photo) at the edge of the pond because I liked the tree reflection. And the last one's willow tresses and their reflections, meeting in the water. I officially like my new version of RelPaint. I used the slice feature.

Posted at 3:20:00 AM by Laura.

Board meeting tonight at the library! I have lots of great notes on my notepad.

Weird weirdliness: when I was telling Dean about how I was having trouble with my new shift key and he said he didn't have any problem with it, we realized that he always uses the left-hand shift key and I always use the right-hand one. Both of us find the whole idea of using the opposite pinky to control the shift key unthinkable--as awkward as trying to write with the wrong hand. i never would have even thought about this. Personally, I think using the left-hand shift key is just crazy (although I understood his reasons when he explained them to me). Very very weird.

Posted at 2:08:00 AM by Laura.

Tuesday, August 09, 2005

David, Marilou and Hunter just left! It was a great visit. David said "You have a very nice place" and "I approve" several times. :-) I took them out for lunch at this Filipino restaurant in Rocky (or, I guess it's actually in Wethersfield). Kainan. Marilou said it means something about food. (Like "eatery".) She knew all the items on the menu and how to pronounce them. It was good! Hunter is really smart (and cute.) Very nice, low-key, calm visit. I wasn't even nervous, and David could hear everthing I said even though I was speaking in my normal ultra-quiet undertone. I felt like myself.

Posted at 2:44:00 PM by Laura.

Oh: before I checked all my IE shortcuts ("favorites") for dead links and reorganized them, I had 1,031 files and 40 folders. Now I have 484 files and 55 folders. That's a lot of dead links. (Some of them were truly ancient.)

Posted at 2:42:00 AM by Laura.

David is coming to visit tomorrow! He's never seen our new place. (New = moved here in December, 2000.)

I'm still a little tired from Boston. (Couldn't sleep.) My new computer moved in yesterday! I'm still tweaking it, of course. My new keyboard feels weird. I can't get the shift key to work consistently; I guess I'm just not used to it. My new computer is very, very fast. And I like having two monitors. It makes getting all my toolbars and settings customized much easier, since I can put my new computer on my main monitor and my old computer (over the network, headless) on the second monitor.

Can't remember anything to say. I asked what "Market Price" was for that icy hand holding the caviar, and it was $95. (Did not order it!) Did not get the Ocean Tower, either (did not actually want to; it just looks cool, with the uni spines). Did get sweetbreads, though! Boston is so quiet compared to New York. No people, no honking taxis. Silent giant hotel room with beautiful huge marble bathroom and nice bright lights. I don't understand why the most comfortable bed ever didn't feel comfortable this time though. Tortured and sad about that. But the best coffee ever (tastes exactly like the coffee at Pahu I`a in Hawaii) didn't let me down!

Posted at 2:10:00 AM by Laura.

29th Voyage of the BWP Dragonfly

Taken at 4:54 pm on Sunday. Conditions: Mid 80s, sunny.

Frog Tallywag: IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII I [actual tally has crossways lines] = 305 Frogs! (at least) (I bet it's really double that)

Also: 4 turtles.

Posted at 1:40:00 AM by Laura.