fidlmath

Diana the Spider Wrangler

Hooked again

At Coopergreen's suggestion, I checked out videos by eggman913 on You Tube and immediately came across this one.  If the music [Chet Atkins playing Don MacLean's Vincent] hadn't gotten me, the scenes of my favorite area of the U.S. would have.

posted by: mafidl at June 26, 2007 12:53 | link | comments |

women in art

This was forwarded to me by colleague, R, in an email and I just had to share it - I suppose it was done in Photoshop? or some sort of advanced version? BTW R's title for it was "Morph and Mindy".

posted by: mafidl at June 26, 2007 00:08 | link | comments (7) |

walking on water

Here is a video I found when I watched the one on Neutronnorman's blog
How on earth did he do this?

posted by: mafidl at June 25, 2007 13:05 | link | comments (4) |

video

There was a link on another blog to a truly amazing video.  When you start watching it, it seems as if it's going to be just another sad example of nature taking care of her creatures - even the predators.  But about half way through, something unbelievable happens - even miraculous for the little prey.  I was crying at first, but then my tears became those of happiness - even though it meant empty bellies the predators this time.

posted by: mafidl at June 24, 2007 17:10 | link | comments |

Google let me down

Well Google, or my ability to use it, just let me down.  Another blogger [dogpile - windhazel] gave a Dorothy Parker quote that was apropos to a comment I'd left on her blog.  It reminded me of one that I had heard a few years ago [probably more than a few].  She was referring to a statue of Hearst's mistress, Marion Davies, which resided in a recessed area of the staircase at William Randolph Hearst's mansion [San Simeon?] in California. 
The way I remember it is:
"I'd love to pay honor to the lovely madonna who lives in the hall in the niche
But who could adore the world's greatest whore, but the world's biggest son of a bitch."
So far I can't find it either referencing Dorothy Parker or the first few words of the quote.
If anyone knows or can find that and, if needed, correct me, I'd appreciate it.

posted by: mafidl at June 24, 2007 16:23 | link | comments (2) |
humor, gossip

Not again?! *#%$%$%$*&!!!

I'm batting 1000 right now.  I hit the wrong key, left the blog window and so managed to delete the post I just wrote.  That's certainly indicative of what's going on with my computer life right now.  What I'd written about was the fact that, somehow last night, I managed to delete my main email inbox contents.  Not only that, but I then went to the trash folder, didn't notice how many were in it [would have been well over 300, nearly 400] and deleted all of those.  No, I wasn't drunk, had only had small glass of beer much earlier.  No, I don't have that excuse - it was just late and I was more tired than I realized, apparently.  Recently, I've been accessing my junk mail folder several times a day, since it seems to accumulate a lot in any several-hour period.  Then I check to see if anything I need has wandered into it, select all and delete.  Immediately after that, I choose the trash folder, noting how many are in it, and do the same thing there.  It is actually mindboggling to me that I did delete the inbox messages - since the only number I recall noting in trash was 23, not 300+.  Anyhow, at the suggestion of my colleague, M, I called our University Technology Service [which, among many jobs, manages our webmail] only to find that I'll have to call back after 10 this morning to talk to someone who manages the webmail.  It seems that the entire system is backed up every night, according to M, and maybe my inbox emails can be found and returned to me - I hope so.  I do move a certain number into various folders I've created, but there are a some that, although on topics that I want to be able to re-visit, don't fit into those folders.  I do weed them out every few weeks.  It seemed to me that 300+ is a lot to have in the inbox, but colleague M, has over 500 and colleague R, over 1500!  R doesn't use folders - obviously?
This came the day after I had decided to balance my checkbook.  Several months ago I opted to not receive paper statements any more, thinking that I could manage the whole thing without paper and hence, save a tree, as *they* say.  That hasn't proved to be true, since my system for reconciling my statement and checkbook requires physically checking off items simultaneously from both of those.  Maybe I can just check them off on the checkbook, but so far that doesn't seem sufficient - so wind up printing my statement. Well, I'm at least saving the bank's postage and handling, for which they should be grateful, yes?  Anyhow, this time I thought I'd gotten the whole statement, but had missed 8 or so items. When I was in Utah with my daughter, L, I had gone through this process successfully, actually managing to print the same statement that the bank used to mail me - but this time I couldn't recall how I'd done that.  Consequently, when I used my usual method [minus the help sheet] of totaling all, it seemed that my balance was over $400 above the bank's, there being some 8 or so items not on the statement, but from early enuf in the period that they should have been there.  I then did something uncharacteristically sensible - decided to leave it and came back to it several hours later.  It turned out that what I wanted was there, but didn't seem to be a link, so I'd missed it.  When I did find it, I also found the missing items, and then was only $0.20 off.  Now in Utah I'd greatly non-plussed daughter L.  I had spent an hour trying to find out why I was $0.01 [yes that's 1 cent] off - and by gosh and by golly, I found it.  This time I haven't bothered with the $0.20, just noted the difference in my checkbook, and gotten on with my life - believing that I spent enuf time on the bloody thing already.  Now that I'm remembering that $0.20, I might just go back and try to find it.  Just kidding!?  Well, maybe, ..... but after my bike ride.

posted by: mafidl at June 23, 2007 08:19 | link | comments (3) |

blogging less?

Maybe this depends on the time of day that I access Motime, but it seems to me that there are a lot fewer individuals blogging here than over the past year or so that I have been doing it.  I'm wondering if it's just my perception.  I don't believe a day passes that I don't at least check out Motime, and probably do it more than once each day.  This isn't a new phenomenon for me - I don't think it's just Summer, but maybe I'm wrong.  There are days when I either don't have anything to say [not that what I do say is that interesting to many] or am just too lazy to try and think of something.  People who know me would be surprised at the idea of me not having anything to say.  My close friends, including my daughters, occasionally have to tune me out.  My older daughter has a habit of saying something like "Filter, Mom" when I go on and on.  Which reminds me - did you know there is a group for such people?  It's called "On and On Anon" - you have to say it to appreciate it, I think.
Younger daughter, L,  called me today - wondering why I haven't called her for a few days.  She said it had been a week, but I find that hard to believe.  The reason is that since her sister, J, and friend, K, arrived safely at her place in Salt Lake City, I've been able to relax a bit. [In case you were wondering - yes their initials are J, K and L! so there!] Also, I've talked to her sister a couple of times and knew everything was OK.  In fact, J went apartment hunting the day after she arrived and found a place - good news, indeed.   Also, L took her to the DI [Deseret Industries - more or less the Utah equivalent to Good Will or Salvation Army] and  found J a futon and table for her new place - it is a great place to shop for many things.
Does this sound a bit like I am procrastinating from getting organized and ready to start teaching next week?  Nah.

posted by: mafidl at June 19, 2007 14:26 | link | comments (4) |
family

deja vu all over again

I have a somewhat uneasy feeling that I've already posted this before, but oh well.  Since there is a pretty good chance that I will be moving, one way or the other, in a year or so, I've decided to get started on eliminating some of my accumulated "stuff" - which includes quite a few items that belonged to my parents and that I acquired when I closed their house in Holly Hill, FL back in the late '80's.  Also, I decided, when I moved into my current abode, that I would sell the dining room set that belonged to my folks since the early '40's and which was purchased from Macy's or Gimbel's basement [back then that meant a storage area, not a budget department].  I will probably also try to sell other stuff, like my complete set of china dishes - all that and more has been in boxes since I moved here, pending organization [not my strong suit] and sale.  Anyhow, I have found this video of George Carlin's routine to be pertinent.

posted by: mafidl at June 18, 2007 21:05 | link | comments (2) |

Sigh

I'm pretty much in the same boat with IML.  Nothing interesting going on right now.  I don't start teaching until June 27, so should be getting a lot of work done - unhuh.  I am doing small projects - such as going to the music store to 1. recover my thrice repaired older [Epiphone short scale] bass, 2.  take my new mandolin back for a couple of things to be fixed on it, 3. taking my new [Peavey] bass for adjustments, and 4. picking up a gig bag and chord book for the mandolin.  I actually got the violin out yesterday for the second time since returning from my trip and played for a few minutes.  It's been more than 10 years since I've done more than play a little, so I'm way beyond rusty.  It feels sorta good, so I'll keep it up.  It sure is different to play with acrylic nails, which I've had to have pared down considerably to be able to play at all [left hand].  Back in the '70's when I lived in Australia and played with the Canberra Symphony, at least occasionally, there was a woman who, at first, was married to the concert master, looked and dressed like a model with perfectly coiffed blond hair and long, mind you long, nails.  She played very well, was a professional in fact, and I never could figure out how she managed fingering with those long nails.  I've since seen typists and on occasion, pianists, with long nails - but they typed or played with their fingers flat, which always looks awkward to me. 
Weather? every afternoon around 3 or 4 we're having thunderstorms - a lot of rain and some pretty strong wind gusts and I manage to be out in it, usually.  Got soaked for 2 days in a row.  Yesterday, as day captain at Metrozoo, I had to go in an electric cart to pick up several volunteers.  Our former cart had heavy, clear plastic drop down zip curtains, which kept us dry, at least in the cart.  I'm not sure how old it was, but several months ago it decided to die, and we are currently borrowing a curtainless cart from the Zoo.  The curtains were a pain to roll up, but were very nice to have in this weather. 
Guess that's all for now.  Hot weather when it isn't raining [just heard the afternoon's first thunder] but for some reason I was moved to make veggie beef soup today.  It's in the slow cooker and smells great [probably better than it tastes - but, we'll see.]  I've found that cabbage helps to make it interesting, also okra, but I didn't have any of that today, so ...
Oh yeah - I've made an appointment to take Voodoo in to the head vet on Thursday.  It's pretty obvious that he's continuing to lose too much weight.  This morning, however, I successfully crushed half of a Viokase tab, sprinkled then mixed it into some canned catfood he likes.  He first refused it, but I took him and it into the little bathroom downstairs, closed the door, sat on the throne and encouraged him to try it.  He finally ate about half of it, then when released, ate a bit of food from each of the other cats' bowls - which didn't have the Viokase in it, but it was at least in his system.  I'm going to try doing that 2-3 times a day and see if he starts to put on a little weight.  Poor guy, always hungry, but not getting the nourishment his body needs due to the pancreatic insufficiency.  I'm hoping Dr. Rocky might have some sort of new treatment - but not getting my hopes up too high.

posted by: mafidl at June 18, 2007 15:19 | link | comments |
music, weather, kitties, zoo

A riddle and fun with the IRS

Two of my colleagues sent me a couple of things that I can't resist sharing.
The first: is from R:

On his trip to Great Britain, George Bush had a meeting with Queen Elizabeth.
 
He asked her, "How does one manage to run a country so smoothly?" 

"That's easy," she replied, "You surround yourself with intelligent 
ministers and advisors." 

"But how can I tell whether they are intelligent or not?" 

"You ask them a riddle," she replied, and with that she pressed a 
button and said, "Would you please send Tony Blair in."  When Blair 
arrived, the Queen said, "I have a riddle for you to answer for me.
Your parents had a child and it was not your sister and it was not 
your brother.  Who was this child?" 

Blair replied, "That's easy. The child was me." 

"Very good," said the Queen. "You may go now." 

President Bush went back to Washington and called in his chief of 
staff, Karl Rove.  He said to him, "I have a riddle for you, and the
answer is very important.  Your parents had a child and it 
was not your sister and it was not your brother.  Who was this child ?" 

Rove replied, "Yes, it is clearly very important that we determine 
the answer, as no child must be left behind.  Can I deliberate on this 
or awhile?" 

"Yes," said Bush, "I'll give you four hours to come up with the answer." 

So Rove went and called a meeting of the White House staff, and asked them 
the riddle.  But after much discussion and many suggestions, none of them had a satisfactory answer.  So he was quite upset, not knowing what he would tell the President.  As Rove was walking back to the Oval Office, he saw former Secretary of State Colin Powell approaching him.  So he said, "Mr. Secretary, can you answer this riddle for me?  Your parents had a child and it was not your sister and it was not your brother.  Who was the child?" 

"That's easy," said Powell, "The child was me." 

"Oh thank you," said Rove. "You may just have saved me my job!" 

So Rove went into the Oval Office and said to President Bush, "I think 
I know the answer to your riddle.  The child was Colin Powell!" 

 
[W  a i t  f o r  i t !]
 

 

"No, you idiot!" shouted Bush. "The child was Tony Blair!"


The second one I will give as a link - suffice it to say that it has to do with mathematics and the IRS and is from M. Have fun with it. 


Comments by R and another colleague, also R: 

* But they forgot the line for the taxes of symmetry. * 

   No place for the vertax, either.  

posted by: mafidl at June 16, 2007 01:06 | link | comments (3) |
politics, humor, mathematics

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