Aeryn's blog

I've moved!

noreply@blogger.com (aeryn) — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 17:23:00 +0000

Check out my new blog here.

I've officially moved over to my new gmail account, so come visit me there!

Update & crap

noreply@blogger.com (aeryn) — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 07:51:00 +0000

Things are pretty good here. Well, they range from down right wonderful to pretty good, I suppose I should say... When did things get so complicated anyway, my friends? One of the continual disappointments of adulthood has been the fact that things don't get any easier. On the contrary, they seem to get more complex the older I get... I think I may have made a mistake tonight. One I don't know if I'll get a change to rectify. One I really hope I will. Or at least, I hope that my idea/plan doesn't backfire on me... I suppose that what I really want right now is to talk to someone who understands me intuitively, some one who loves me... I'd settle for a hug though... Any takers?

Things I'm Thankful For Today

noreply@blogger.com (aeryn) — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 22:20:00 +0000

-Everything!

Yup, you heard me right. I am thankful for everything! Life is wonderful, and beautiful. Sure it's also heartbreaking at times, and hard, and dirty, and full of confusion. But over all, it's pretty damn wonderful! The pain is what makes the good parts that much more beautiful. This past week has been an amazing confluence of things I have been working towards finally coming to fruition. I don't think I've been this happy in quite a while. And it's not over any one specific thing. Everything is going well.

I'm off for a weekend of adventure in Montreal. See you all next week!

Quick updates, since I promised I'd blog more.

noreply@blogger.com (aeryn) — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 03:16:00 +0000

I've finally found a leech-wife. I'm sure that most of you will have no idea what I'm talking about. But for the one or two of you who do know, I adore you for getting the reference. I've got this thing mostly out of my blood, and am feeling really good about it.

I had a dtae! Yes, a real date, with a very nice (and very nice looking) man. It went really well. There is going to be a second date, somewhere in the near future. I'm very excited about it. Thinking about him makes me smile and feel all gooshy inside. I'm not going to rush things though. I'm content to let things happen slowly, and enjoy it as it happens.

Otherwise, work is going well, the summer is flying by, and things are pretty good in my world. I feel like things really are starting to calm down a bit. Hopefully I'll get a breather for a bit, and get to put everything I've learned in the past year and a half into action before the next growth cycle begins. Life is good though. I'm happy, overall.

Mr. Wizard Dies

noreply@blogger.com (aeryn) — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 12:18:00 +0000

TV's 'Mr. Wizard' Don Herbert Dies at 89

LOS ANGELES - Don Herbert, who as television's "Mr. Wizard" introduced generations of young viewers to the joys of science, died Tuesday. He was 89. Herbert, who had bone cancer, died at his suburban Bell Canyon home, said his son-in-law, Tom Nikosey.

"He really taught kids how to use the thinking skills of a scientist," said former colleague Steve Jacobs. He worked with Herbert on a 1980s show that echoed the original 1950s "Watch Mr. Wizard" series, which became a fond baby boomer memory.

In "Watch Mr. Wizard," which was produced from 1951 to 1964 and received a Peabody Award in 1954, Herbert turned TV into an entertaining classroom. On a simple, workshop-like set, he demonstrated experiments using household items.

"He modeled how to predict and measure and analyze. ... The show today might seem slow but it was in-depth and forced you to think along," Jacobs said. "You were learning about the forces of nature."

Herbert encouraged children to duplicate experiments at home, said Jacobs, who recounted serving as a behind-the-scenes "science sidekick" to Herbert on the '80s "Mr. Wizard's World" that aired on the Nickelodeon channel.

When Jacobs would reach for beakers and flasks, Herbert would remind him that science didn't require special tools.

"'You could use a mayonnaise jar for that,'" Jacobs recalled being chided by Herbert. "He tried to bust the image of scientists and that science wasn't just for special people and places."

Herbert's place in TV history was acknowledged by later stars. When "Late Night with David Letterman" debuted in 1982, Herbert was among the first-night guests.

Born in Waconia, Minn., Herbert was a 1940 graduate of LaCrosse State Teachers College and served as a U.S. Army Air Corps pilot during World War II. He worked as an actor, model and radio writer before starting "Watch Mr. Wizard" in Chicago on NBC.

The show moved to New York after several years.

He is survived by six children and stepchildren and by his second wife, Norma, his son-in-law said. A private funeral service was planned.

No, I didn't drop of the face of the earth!

noreply@blogger.com (aeryn) — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 13:06:00 +0000

Hi folks! Yeah, I know it's been quite a while. Where have I been you ask? Well, mostly I've been busy with work, running, and getting out and enjoying the summer. It's hard to sit down in front of the computer to read the news and reply to emails when it's so nice out. It's almost impossible to sit here for long enough to write a blog post!

So the smaller things first -

Work has been good. I'm learning how to do the bookkeeping. Which will get me off the floor a little bit more, which I'm 100% ok with. It's been going well though. I really like all (three) of my co-workers, which is really nice. It's a lot of fun most days.

It's been great to hang out with friends more often lately. There have been lots of cook outs, and dinners, and get-togethers of all sorts. I'm really looking forward to having next Monday and Tuesday off though. Two whole days with nothing to do! It sounds like some foreign type of heaven to me!
For example, this was my last weekend -
Friday night - Up to Montreal to see Ferry Corsten. Which was a really great time, and something I really needed. I find raves to be very therapeutic in a lot of ways. I think that music as as close as we can get to the Divine, so dancing all night is this wonderful release for me.
Saturday - Leave the rave at 10 am, go get breakfast in Montreal, get home in the afternoon, sleep for a couple of hours, then downtown for JazzFest. The original intention was to see the Skatallites, but we overslept. :( It was still very fun though!
Sunday - Get up at a reasonable hour, go and run my first 5K, and then have a cook out that afternoon / evening, fall asleep on the couch watching a movie with friends.
So as you can see, my weekends have been busy. My weekdays seem to have become quite busy too!

Yes, you did read my Sunday events right! I ran my first 5K on Sunday, it it was actually a lot of fun! It was a benefit for the Humane Society, which made it seem even more right that it be my first race. The weather was beautiful for a run, and I did much better than I thought I would. Of course, this means that I'm going to have to work even harder now to beat my time during my next race. What was that time you ask? Just under 28 minutes, unofficially. The official times still haven't been posted, but since I'm confident in my ability to read, I'd say it's safe to go with the unofficial time. Thanks again to Karen, Marc, Ravyn, Jon and LeeAnn for their donations. The animals also say thank you, I'm sure! My next race will probably be the Williston Fun Run, in the beginning of July. Well, that's not counting the Catamount Tuesday Night Trail Series 5Ks. Those are a bit more informal, but still a lot of fun.

Well, that's it for now. I've got to get to work. I'll try to post a bit more regularly. Really I will. Maybe it will stick this time! Well, one can always hope, right?

Oh, one last thing- I want to read this book, just because of the author's clever web page .

Playlist

noreply@blogger.com (aeryn) — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 02:25:00 +0000

Really, it's just one song today. There are a couple of others that I can relate to, but this one, well, it sums everything up perfectly.

Euphoria (Firefly) by Delerium

And I've loved
And I have served
And I have sinned
But I have learned
As long as you are true
To the life that you live
This is the time to feel love

I feel a stirring deep within
Slowly picking up momentum
Like the tide coming to shore
Over and under in it's course

This feeling emblazed inside
Every nerve like a firefly
Hovering above me, glowing
Glow, glow, glowing divine

Every nerve like a firefly
Every nerve like a firefly
This feeling emblazoned inside
Every nerve like a firefly

I never want to lose
What I have finally found
There's a requiem, a new congregation
And it's telling me
Go forward and walk under a brighter sky
Every nerve glowing like a firefly

Every nerve like a firefly
Every nerve like a firefly
Glowing

I feel a stirring deep within
Slowly picking up momentum
Like the tide coming to shore
Over and under in it's course

I never want to lose
What I have finally found
There's a requiem, a new congregation
And it's telling me
Go forward and walk under a brighter sky
Every nerve glowing like a firefly

Every nerve like a firefly
Every nerve like a firefly
Glowing

yup

noreply@blogger.com (aeryn) — Thu, 31 May 2007 13:00:00 +0000

I should have seen it coming. Maybe one of these days I'll learn. I doubt it though. After all, I don't really want to learn.

Faith in humanity? Restored, mostly.

noreply@blogger.com (aeryn) — Wed, 30 May 2007 23:25:00 +0000

By Rob, the bike mechanic. Who works at Old Spokes Home. Thank you Rob for the assistance when the chain on my bike fell off.

I was sitting on a bench about 2 miles from home still, looking at it and hoping I had put it back on correctly when he went by. He actually turned around and came back to see if I needed any help. And tweaked my bike so that it wouldn't happen again, as well as making a couple of other adjustments for me. At 7 at night, on his way home from work, with the sky threatening to open up and downpour at any moment.

I love Vermont, I love Vermonters, and I am so happy to be back. I feel like this, and other things that have happened lately, are good karma coming back to me after all of the misery and hurt I've endured this past winter.

This one little thing really made my day. It amazing how one small act can affect you so much. Thank you Rob!

Memorial Day

noreply@blogger.com (aeryn) — Mon, 28 May 2007 21:14:00 +0000

Happy Memorial Day everyone. No matter what your political affiliation, I hope everyone out there has taken the time to remember those who have died in war.

Click here to see the faces of all 3,813 American service men and women who have fallen in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

Happy Easter!

noreply@blogger.com (aeryn) — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 12:59:00 +0000

Happy Easter everyone!

Whether you are celebrating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead today, or honoring an older Deity like Eostre, may you have a blessed and lovely day.

The underlying message is the same either way. Both traditions speak of rebirth and renewal at this time when the earth is coming alive again. Both speak of hope, and of miracles existing in our lives.

I have felt the hand of winter very hard upon me this year, and spring is more welcome than I can say... I've never been one to make New Year's Resolutions. Spring Resolutions always seemed to make more sense to me. This year my resolution is to love more perfectly. To love those who have hurt me, and to forgive them. To approach every person with compassion and understanding, to never let myself be swayed by hurt feeling, or to react out of anger. As the world changes and awakens around me, I will be striving to make changes in myself, to foster a rebirth of my spirit. In the coming year I will love even those who have caused me incredible amounts of pain. I will recognize that there is something good, something lovable in them, even if I can not see it.

May the coming of spring, and the hope and renew of the season give you a reason to rejoice as well. Blessed be.

Random stuff

noreply@blogger.com (aeryn) — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 17:27:00 +0000

Election 2008

noreply@blogger.com (aeryn) — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 21:41:00 +0000

That's all I have to say.

Well, okay, maybe not. If you have a chance, and a decent Internet connection, you should check out Expert Voter. They have videos of 2008 presidential candidates expressing there views on key issues.

Smarty Pants

noreply@blogger.com (aeryn) — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 18:23:00 +0000

I especially like the last one...

It's been one hell of a week...

noreply@blogger.com (aeryn) — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 21:43:00 +0000

Sorry I haven't been posting anything folks. As stated above, it's been one hell of a week. I went home for a few days, which was nice. I really needed to get away from everything to preserve my sanity. And when I got back I seem to have stepped into a shit storm of drama. Which confused the hell outta me. I have never, in my adult life been involved with drama of this level.

This is how I felt on Monday-

(This is from Natalie Dee's webcomic, btw.)

It was really hurtful to me, because all of this crap was going on surrounding me, and I was the last to know about any of it...I feel that a lot of things got blown out of proportion, and that all of this could have been avoided by the instigator of all of this talking to me, not talking to everybody else about me.

How do I feel about all of this drama? Well, that's any easy question to answer -

Really, I hate drama. I don't understand why it needs to happen at all. If people were just upfront about things, there would be no drama. Which would be a beautiful, beautiful thing...

One of the things that suck the most about all of this is that it's caused a lot of hurt to some people that I care about very much. And that's just not okay with me. Which again, could have been avoided by this person talking to myself and another person instead of about us...

*sighs* The whole situation just sucks, a lot. I'm not going to go into details here, because I think that it's unnecessary, and unproductive. I will say that I am very hurt by all of this, and a bit confused as to why it happened. And I am still pissed about it. I'm trying not to be angry, because I know that anger will solve nothing. The only thing anger will do is make me miserable. Of course, it doesn't make it much easier not to be angry. I'll be happy when all of this is over with, and I can go back to my normal drama free life...

This is how I feel now -

and

Teh C[_]t3n3ss - random kitties

noreply@blogger.com (aeryn) — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 22:38:00 +0000

(Thanks for showing me this one Jon!)

Teh C[_]t3n3ss - gaming & tech edition

noreply@blogger.com (aeryn) — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 01:04:00 +0000

Because I'm suffering from cabin fever...

noreply@blogger.com (aeryn) — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 01:39:00 +0000

... here are some pictures of flowers that I took last spring.

And ok, this one is from last summer, not spring, but I'm putting it in anyway!

If you want to see any of them in more detail, let me know. I'll give you the link to a higher resolution copy.

It's about friggin' time!

noreply@blogger.com (aeryn) — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 01:24:00 +0000

The second half of Twin Peaks is finally coming out on DVD! April 3rd, of this year. How long have we been hearing "in a few months" or "early next year"? I had all but given up hope. I'm so very excited about this!

Earth and stars

noreply@blogger.com (aeryn) — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 03:38:00 +0000

NASA Earth Observatory

This is pretty cool. A lot of interesting photographs and animations of, well, Earth.

Some pretty cool satellite images of earth. I particularly like the Ancient Observatories section.

Need some perspective? Take a look at how small we are...

Feeling a bit destructive? Or just want to see if you can knock the earth off of it's rotation? (If you do, let me know!) Try playing around with the Earth Impacts Effects Program. It's "an easy-to-use, interactive web site for estimating the regional environmental consequences of an impact on Earth. This program will estimate the ejecta distribution, ground shaking, atmospheric blast wave, and thermal effects of an impact as well as the size of the crater produced." It's all text based, but so fun!

The photo gallery from the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Lots of really cool pictures of space.

And they finally feel like they have a pretty good idea what causes the Aurora Borealis.

Google, Terror Preparedness, New Money, and Mona Lisa

noreply@blogger.com (aeryn) — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 00:22:00 +0000

Have you all heard about this guy Aaron, who has a Really Good Idea? At least we think it's a Really Good Idea. No one really knows. Well, except for him, and a few people at Google. You see, he wanted to pitch this idea to Google, but to a real person, not a web form. So he flew to California, went to the Googleplex, and asked for a meeting. And he got it! Follow his story on Can Google Hear Me.

Unsure of what to do in case of a terror attack? Have you been to the Department of Homeland Security's website? Were you left confused by the vague pictures? This chart can help you understand them. Or at least give you a good laugh.

Did you hear that they're making new dollar coins? With the presidents on them? (Only the deceased ones though.) Check out the quite thorough Wiki page on the new dollar coin program.

Scholars are pretty sure that they've found Mona Lisa's grave. And that the mysterious half smile that has left people wondering for centuries? It was most likely the contented smile of a happily expectant mother who's thoughts are turned inward toward the child she is carrying.

Happy Birthday Scott!

noreply@blogger.com (aeryn) — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 00:56:00 +0000

Teh C[_]t3n3ss! food edition!

noreply@blogger.com (aeryn) — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 16:03:00 +0000

Enjoy!

Giant stone balls, elements, bugs, and a village with out sun

noreply@blogger.com (aeryn) — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 00:14:00 +0000

Costa Rica's giant spheres made out of stone

Banana plantation workers in the 1930s, unearthing large numbers of giant, man made stone spheres. (one was over 2 meters in diameter and weighed over 16 tons!

Similar spheres have also been found in several other places around the world, including most recently in
Bosnia & Herzegovina.

The thing that I find really interesting, is how they were most likely made.
According to University of Kansas archeologist John Hoopes:

"The balls were most likely made by reducing round boulders to a spherical shape through a combination of controlled fracture, pecking, and grinding. The granodiorite from which they are made has been shown to exfoliate in layers when subjected to rapid changes in temperature. The balls could have been roughed out through the application of heat (hot coals) and cold (chilled water). When they were close to spherical in shape, they were further reduced by pecking and hammering with stones made of the same hard material. Finally, they were ground and polished to a high luster. This process, which was similar to that used for making polished stone axes, elaborate carved metates, and stone statues, was accomplished without the help of metal tools, laser beams, or alien life forms."

Don't quite remember your Periodic Table? Chemical Elements has an interactive one to help you brush up on your elements!

Not sure what the difference between a millipede and a centipede is? What's That Bug can tell you! (And show you!)

And the next time you think that winter in Vermont sucks, remember that it could be worse! You could live in the Swiss town of Bondo. They are looking at getting a giant mirror installed to make up for the fact that they don't get any sunlight for three months out of the year! No sun at all for three months! I don't think I could do it...

The Foam Monster That Ate Ellsworth Air Base

noreply@blogger.com (aeryn) — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 23:52:00 +0000

I couldn't resist sharing this. It's from strategypage.com

Here's the story:

"The U.S. Air Force is taking a lot of ribbing because of photos showing one of their hangers filling with fire suppressing foam. The pictures were from a test of the foam system conducted on August 23rd, 2005. The new foam system had just been installed, and had to be tested. The system had to be able to put down one meter (39 inches) of foam in four minutes or less. To that end, the system was allowed to generate foam for the full four minutes. It turned out that the system worked better than expected, practically filling the B-1B bomber with foam within four minutes. For the people working in the hangar, this was a good thing. A major accident could fill most of the hanger with smoke and flames within minutes. Knowing the foam system could outrun any fire or explosion, and save the lives of the people working in, or near, the hangar, was reassuring. But, let's face it, it was also funny as hell."

Now that we've got that out of the way, wouldn't it be great to get to run around in an airplane hanger full of foam? Really, it would rock...

It starts...

And then it really gets going...

Note that he's climbing up to the second story there -

Okay, maybe not quite this much foam, but I still wanna play in it...

As you read the note on it, recall that these are bombers they're talking about.

Not even the tarmac was spared. For scale, note the person standing next to a truck on the far left.

Okay duckies, I know you're out there, and I know that you're reading this, so comment away! What do you think, do you want to play in a hanger full of foam? Maybe if we get enough of us together, we can rent one or something...