A Flimsy Pretext

A Flimsy Pretextall about surfacesnoreply@blogger.com (Tom)Thu, 14 Mar 2024 06:53:13 -0700Blogger http://www.blogger.com287125http://perhapstga.blogspot.com/en-ussurf reporthttp://perhapstga.blogspot.com/2007/03/surf-report.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tom)Thu, 1 Mar 2007 18:17:00 -0800tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6827766.post-1589265972337898419Surfed today for the first time in a year (2 years?) -- a long time. And it showed. knee to waist-high windswell at 36th St. Occasional chest-high sets. A bit bumpy. And real cold. But good enough.It's not that I am in significantly worse shape than when I last surfed regularly. But there are just some muscles that only get worked out by surfing -- mainly in the upper back and back of the0Grey's Economy: Mag Crewshttp://perhapstga.blogspot.com/2007/02/greys-economy-mag-crews.htmleconomicsunderclassnoreply@blogger.com (Tom)Wed, 21 Feb 2007 09:27:00 -0800tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6827766.post-2955150885881538293Another example of what gets hidden in GNP and other macroeconomic numbers:For Youths, a Grim Tour on Magazine Crews (nytimes.com)“The sales agents remain almost always in the red while the managers, car handlers and everyone else is in the black almost from the start,” Mr. Ward said between shifts at a restaurant in downtown Washington, where he now waits tables.Of the more than 400 sales agents0santa ana windshttp://perhapstga.blogspot.com/2006/10/santa-ana-winds.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tom)Wed, 18 Oct 2006 16:30:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6827766.post-116121444537705728Second serious Santa Ana winds of the year. Last were early September. Perfect surfing weather. See below:0<link>http://perhapstga.blogspot.com/2006/09/evolution-works-and-succeeds-thanks-to.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Tom)</author><pubDate>Sat, 9 Sep 2006 10:21:00 -0700</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6827766.post-115782261946947743</guid><description>Evolution works and succeeds thanks to the principle of forward-bound complexity. Unfortunately, all we have in life is forward-bound uncertainty. And maybe a few children along the way.</description><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">0</thr:total></item><item><title>The Housing Neutron Bombhttp://perhapstga.blogspot.com/2006/09/housing-neutron-bomb.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tom)Sat, 2 Sep 2006 09:08:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6827766.post-115721425200974394In the ongoing bust or adjustment debate over the housing market, I sided with the busters. It was largely instinctive, based on what I sensed of the parallels between the NASDAQ bubble in the late 90s and the housing market more recently. Of course, there were and are plenty of economists and real estate agents out there promising a soft-landing. But then there were plenty of people willing 0new masthead imagehttp://perhapstga.blogspot.com/2006/08/new-masthead-image.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tom)Tue, 29 Aug 2006 00:04:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6827766.post-115683526879863902to be displayed frieze-style across the masthead0the old templatehttp://perhapstga.blogspot.com/2006/08/old-template.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tom)Mon, 28 Aug 2006 16:38:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6827766.post-115680841444819006To go with the screenshot of this blog pre-transformation, the template:<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"><head><title><$BlogPageTitle$></title><$BlogMetaData$><style type="text/css">/*------------------------0the great reorganization beginshttp://perhapstga.blogspot.com/2006/08/great-reorganization-begins.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tom)Mon, 28 Aug 2006 16:04:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6827766.post-115680671198930243Could take an hour. Could take a week. It begins with a redesign using my Blogger Stack template as the foundation. Hopefully it won't take much more than an afternoon...For the record, here's a screenshot pre-transformation:0Monsoon and Fleashttp://perhapstga.blogspot.com/2006/06/monsoon-and-fleas.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tom)Mon, 26 Jun 2006 09:42:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6827766.post-115142704640601734Fleas approaching infestation. Cats avoid the carpet as much as possible. They'll leap across the furniture to avoid touching it. It reminds me of that game hot lava we used to play as kids. I treated them with the flea killer you drop between the shoulder blades. And I'm vacuuming every other day and immediately changing the filter. But it looks like they'll just have to ride it out. The 0Notes on the Solsticehttp://perhapstga.blogspot.com/2006/06/notes-on-solstice.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tom)Wed, 21 Jun 2006 15:48:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6827766.post-115093024238197465I noticed this week the petals are starting to fall from the jacaranda trees. Seems later than usual but I really have no idea what usual is.Still phlegmatic and coughing -- weeks after my cold. Someone in the office drove himself to the ER today where they pronounced pnuemonia. I wonder if I have a really mild strain.0Santa Ana Winds in June?http://perhapstga.blogspot.com/2006/06/santa-ana-winds-in-june.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tom)Fri, 16 Jun 2006 14:35:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6827766.post-115049379323961793That's what my dad just phoned to tell me. I can't confirm because I've been indoors all day, but it would be unseasonal.0Book to Readhttp://perhapstga.blogspot.com/2006/06/book-to-read.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tom)Mon, 12 Jun 2006 10:17:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6827766.post-115013270782935106THE PLACES IN BETWEENBy Rory Stewart.Illustrated. 299 pp. Harvest/Harcourt.Paper, $14.New York Times review0<link>http://perhapstga.blogspot.com/2006/06/this-is-saddest-thing-ive-read-in-long.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Tom)</author><pubDate>Mon, 12 Jun 2006 09:28:00 -0700</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6827766.post-115013095171656106</guid><description>This is the saddest thing I've read in a long time:The Smugglers' DueI was introduced to Deng Chen through an attorney who had helped him with some legal matters. Her specialty is trafficking, and when I told her I was doing some research on human smuggling and its victims, she cautioned me to be careful about using the word "victim" and, more to the point, not to confuse trafficking, which </description><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">0</thr:total></item><item><title>Recovered from Coldhttp://perhapstga.blogspot.com/2006/06/recovered-from-cold.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tom)Thu, 1 Jun 2006 10:22:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6827766.post-114918268781833090Still a bit phlegmatic, but as of last Saturday basically feeling back to normal. Never got too bad -- 1 or 2 uncomfortable nights at the beginning. Totally duration: 15 days. 15 days, really? Hmmm...0Young at Heart, Not in Earhttp://perhapstga.blogspot.com/2006/05/young-at-heart-not-in-ear.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tom)Fri, 26 May 2006 17:42:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6827766.post-114869092294058409One of those weeks:Sunday -- filing cracked and came out while chewing gumMonday -- birthdayWednesday -- car towedI know things could be worse, but my teeth and car are my greatest sources of anxiety. They're the things I always dream about breaking down on me at the worst time. And I always felt turning 34 was when I got old.Oh yeah, don't forget the cold. Day 15 -- still hacking and 0Health Noteshttp://perhapstga.blogspot.com/2006/05/health-notes.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tom)Sun, 21 May 2006 10:54:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6827766.post-114823428086067654Aftermath of cold still lingering. Took the afternoon off Monday. Have felt functional since then and increasingly better, but still a scratch in my throat and running sinuses.Filling fell out last night. Earlier in the week, I lost my nightguard in my sleep after dreaming that it was falling apart in my mouth and I was picking pieces out from between my teeth and pulling strands up out of my 0First Cold of Yearhttp://perhapstga.blogspot.com/2006/05/first-cold-of-year.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tom)Sun, 14 May 2006 09:24:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6827766.post-114762483953207974I was reflecting on Friday how I haven't missed a day of work since I left university over a year ago. The question was raised in my mind by the fact that I felt like I might have had that day a reasonable excuse for missing work, or would soon, as I was in the first day of a new cold.It started Thursday afternoon with the slightest itch in my throat. I noticed it around 3pm. I wonder now if 0Gift Guide for Kidshttp://perhapstga.blogspot.com/2006/03/gift-guide-for-kids.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tom)Sun, 19 Mar 2006 11:16:00 -0800tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6827766.post-114279584504037757Need to find a gift for a kid -- this is the site:Toys 'R Us Age Ranges [amazon.com]0To My Detractorshttp://perhapstga.blogspot.com/2006/03/to-my-detractors.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tom)Tue, 7 Mar 2006 15:24:00 -0800tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6827766.post-114177409351485276The resumé is true:(My memory is fuzzy, but I assume the final exam was being able to print your name on the certificate.)0Laws of Online World Designhttp://perhapstga.blogspot.com/2006/01/laws-of-online-world-design.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tom)Mon, 23 Jan 2006 10:19:00 -0800tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6827766.post-113804089141259767Sorta interesting. Even more interesting is to read "people" for "players", "life" or "society" for "game", and make any other appropriate substitutions and see how well these translate. For instance:Hans Henrik Staerfeldt's Law of Player/Admin Relations The amount of whining players do is positively proportional to how much you pamper them. Many players whine if they see any kind of bonus in 02006 New Year's Resolutionshttp://perhapstga.blogspot.com/2006/01/2006-new-years-resolutions.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tom)Mon, 2 Jan 2006 22:48:00 -0800tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6827766.post-113627128566234173Finally getting around to posting this. I don't think I posted one last year.Numbered as they come to me:1. Finish major project #1.2. Finish major project #2.3. Set up a Puppy Linux usb drive. (Did manage to get it running on my dad's computer yesterday.)4. Pay overdue patriot taxes.5. Get oil leak fixed. (I've tried!)6. Spend less time in front of computer (by Fall).7. Finish cat garden for 0Letter to Jimmy Wales, Wikimedia's founder and Board of Trustees chairhttp://perhapstga.blogspot.com/2005/12/letter-to-jimmy-wales-wikimedias.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tom)Wed, 14 Dec 2005 10:53:00 -0800tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6827766.post-113458656773423538Dear Mr. Wales,I've been reading a lot of attacks recently on the credibility and integrity of Wikipedia and its vetting process. As a recent grad student in English Lit and a past instructor of undergraduate composition classes, I have one idea that I think could both address this problem and help expand the Wikipedia's base of (potentially) well-informed and vigilant editors: start a program 0Letter to NPRhttp://perhapstga.blogspot.com/2005/11/letter-to-npr.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tom)Fri, 11 Nov 2005 09:37:00 -0800tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6827766.post-113173164517681471In your story about the hostility Smithsonian staff scientist, Richard Sternberg, suffered for approving an article on intelligent design, Dr. Sternberg states, "Why publish it? Because evolutionary biologists are thinking about this. So I thought that by putting this on the table, there could be some reasoned discourse." This sounds like euphemism for "let's create a stir." He succeeded in that.0Halloweenhttp://perhapstga.blogspot.com/2005/10/halloween.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tom)Mon, 31 Oct 2005 09:24:00 -0800tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6827766.post-113078501734463815Man, Blacks is probably going to be great around noon.0Another Incredible Day That's Not Coming Backhttp://perhapstga.blogspot.com/2005/10/another-incredible-day-thats-not.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tom)Fri, 14 Oct 2005 17:07:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6827766.post-112933511725064008I'm not sure the new Blogger photo feature help.On the philosophical side, I guess everyday ends up in the memory bin, however fantastic it may have been.D Street0