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August 2000 »
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[
weblogs
]
2000-07-28
Weblog quality:
Daniel and I were talking about what annoys and gratifies in the realm of weblog links, and he came up with a pithy summary (when I whined about how I hate links/entries where there's no context): "The text of a weblog entry should convey its information with or without the actual link. The link should provide greater detail, not the only detail." Yeah, what he said! I will continue to avoid weblogs that bug me, and partake of those that I find have value whether or not I choose to follow the link (and which give me enough information to make a decent decision about whether or not following the link is worth my while). The trouble is that some, like metafilter, are a hodge-podge mix of good entries and terrible ones. Oh well.
[
canoe
]
2000-07-28
I'm getting an outrigger canoe!!!
For my birthday, I'm going to get a one-man outrigger canoe. Oh goodie, I can hardly wait! I'm planning on buying one of these, but first I have to call the sellers and pay for it, hopefully later today. It should in theory ship off from Hawaii on Tuesday and get here maybe mid-late August. I still can't believe I'm actually going to have my own canoe. This is such an amazingly wonderful thing that I'm still sort of in denial about it.
[
humor
]
2000-07-27
Funny:
Jim Loy's Four-Way Stops (Simplified)So, when there's doubt about who got there first, who should go first? Here's a handy rule: "I go first, you go second, everyone else hesitates." My car is the one with the dents in each door.
[
beauty
]
2000-07-27
Andy Goldsworthy:
Daniel sent me a couple of good links for Andy Goldsworthy (the guy who makes breathtakingly beautiful sculptures outdoors using whatever natural materials are available). There's a nice article at Smithsonian Magazine Online, and of course a Yahoo category.
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canoe
consume
]
2000-07-25
File under gift ideas:
Mini fiberglass outrigger canoes, made to scale! Wow, neato! Of course, no prices are listed, so I have no idea how much this would set you back. Remember my birthday's coming up soon, on August 3rd. :)
[
consume
design
]
2000-07-25
Speaking of gift ideas...
I sure would like a half-pint Klein bottle. It's only $30.
[
beauty
family
good
]
2000-07-21
Sweet moments to remember:
This morning, Elena was sleeping while I was getting ready. She made some noise like she was waking up, so I came in. She wasn't really ready to get up, and I held her a little and she fell asleep across my chest, with her head on my left shoulder. I just layed down and stayed with her, and enjoyed it. I patted her little back, and held her close. I beheld and admired her little moon face, and kissed her. I decided it didn't matter if I got to work later than usual, nothing else mattered but this tender time with her. So we did that for about half an hour. I'm so glad I did that... when I'm an old woman, I'll still be glad. She's growing up so quickly - it seems strange to think of her as a baby anymore, she seems like such a little girl.
[
books
cognition
people
school
]
2000-07-21
On rewards & motivation:
This guy seems to be well-endowed in the clue department. He talks about how competition and reward systems simply don't work, and actually make things (morale & performance) worse. This holds true for the classroom, parenting, and management. Very fascinating, I think I may get one of his books.
[
design
]
2000-07-19
File under Neat Stuff:
This morning on the way to work, I saw one of those big flatbed trucks that carries pallets of stuff, plus a forklift for unloading the pallets from the truck at the destination. I am not sure exactly why, but I think those things are so clever. I just find them intellectually delicious, somehow. Especially picturing how the forklift puts itself into place on the truck - that it lifts the forks, slots them into the back of the flatbed, then pushes down to lift itself up. That is so incredibly cool!
[
beauty
random thoughts
]
2000-07-19
File under Mysteries:
Again on the way to work, I saw a plant which I see just about every day. This plant is big and vigorous and green and looks like some fern on steroids or something, and it's growing on a pole. That is, a light pole, of the sort that holds up streetlights. It's at this corner of a frontage road and a highway bridge. I have no idea how it's in/on the pole (some kind of hole in the side?), how it got there, or how it manages to flourish. And oh, flourish it does. The thing has many sets of leaves draping towards the ground, several feet long. How does it get water? How does it get nutrients? I am almost tempted to go by one day, stop my car, and try to snip a cutting from it, to propagate and keep alive. Because if this plant can survive on a frickin' light pole, then surely my habitual plant neglect is something it can withstand easily. I am totally mystified. I will try to get a picture of it sometime, and revisit this issue.
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