Riddle Lake

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Mom's Birthday

2007-10-28T20:18:00.000-04:00

I recently took Mom home to New Hampshire to celebrate her birthday with family. Thanks to everyone who came. Mom had a great time and so did I. I hope we can make it back home again sometime soon.

I was experimenting with the camera in the Palm I bought recently, and I have to say the pics came out terrible for the most part. See for yourself. If you have any photos you'd like to share, send them along to me and I'll add them to mine.

Thanks again to everyone and love to you all,

Lynne and Mom

AT&T Censors Pearl Jan

2007-08-10T15:53:00.000-04:00

Over the weekend, AT&T gave us a look at its Orwellian plans for the Internet when it censored anti-Bush lyrics in a Pearl Jam performance. Where the hell are we living? What country IS this?

Read more about it at savetheinternet.com

Paul Interviewed on Air America

2007-06-29T16:19:00.000-04:00

As most of you know, my brother Paul is an author and a blogger who has managed to write a book and maintain a blog under some very difficult circumstances health-wise. But we're finally getting ready to self-publish his book entitled Original Faith. The book will be available later this year.

I've been working hard to promote the blog and book and recently put out a press release which was picked up by Air America. Long story short, Paul's interview on the nationally broadcast radio program "State of Belief" will air this weekend!

The interview was taped over the phone yesterday. The show airs tomorrow, Sat. June 30 at 10 AM EST (7 AM Pacific) and again on Sunday 7 PM EST (4 PM Pacific). The show is also available online and is archived. You can listen to him live online, or at your convenience since the archive the shows. They provide details on how to listen on their site.

For those of you who know Paul and have an interest in his work, we'd love to get your feedback on the interview. And for those of you who haven't met Paul, here's your opportunity. (Yes, he's my brother so I'm biased, but he's a great guy and his writing is truly amazing.)

To send Paul comments, visit his blog at www.originalfaith.com/blog.

Home Office Setup

2007-02-25T16:49:00.000-05:00

The home office is really starting to come together. Check it out:

I still have a bit of painting to do and I need a couple of end tables - maybe a coffee table, too. But it's just about where it needs to be.

Gnome at Home

2007-02-19T13:37:00.000-05:00

Karma's first encounter with Rodney, the gnome:

Commencing sniff test...

It may be edible.

To recover from his encounter with Karma, Rodney hits the bottle:

Getting food in Rodney seems to be a good idea, however, he needs a booster seat:

Time to sleep it off:

THE END.

One Hundred Rules for NASA Project Managers

2006-04-13T11:56:00.000-04:00

There are a lot of gems in this list. Here are some examples:

http://www.altisinc.com/Links/100_Rules.html

Rule #32: People have reasons for doing things the way they do them. Most people want to do a good job and, if they don't, the problem is they probably don't know how or exactly what is expected.

Rule #39: Reviews are for the reviewed an not the reviewer. The review is a failure if the reviewed learn nothing from it.

Rule #68: Remember the boss has the right to make decisions. Even if you think they are wrong, tell the boss what you think but if he still wants it done his way; do it his way and do your best to make sure the outcome is successful.

Rule #69: Never ask management to make a decision that you can make. Assume you have the authority to make decisions unless you know there is a document that states unequivocally that you can't.

Stuffed Animals

2006-04-08T22:28:00.000-04:00

Identity Theft

2006-03-26T23:23:00.000-05:00

You may have heard about the Fidelity Investments laptop which contained the personal information of 200,000 HP current and former employees that was stolen recently. Yep - my data was on there. And here I thought that my relationship with HP had ended.

So I've spent the last couple of days printing out my credit report so I can see what accounts I can close to better track activity. Then I registered a fraud alert with Equifax. I had mixed feelings about that one, but I thought in the end it made more sense to do it than not to do it. Of course, I'll have to keep doing it every nine months from now until a few years from now if I want it to mean anything. Evidently it is not uncommon for identity thieves to hold off on using the data for a period of a couple of years to give their victims a chance to cool down from the panic period and get lazy about monitoring their accounts.

There's a lot of information about identity theft out there, but there's nothing I've read that makes me any less nervous about what could happen. And there's just not that much you can do except keep on your toes. I've closed down all inactive accounts, put password protection on my bank accounts, registered a fraud alert... I don't know what else I can do that makes any sense.

I keep hoping the laptop was lifted by someone who just wanted the hardware. But even if that were the case, by now the media has made it clear that the robber has made of with something very valuable indeed. The temptation to make a bundle on the black market might be too much to resist. And whoever this person is, they are capable of theft. So selling other people's personal information for a price is something they would likely be capable of. I just don't see a silver lining on this one.

So keep your fingers crossed for me and the other 200,000 victims. Thanks Fidelity Investments, for you bone-headed data protection policies. (What the hell was that data doing on a laptop to begin with?)

What's up

2006-03-11T23:49:00.000-05:00

Man. Where does the time go?

I haven't posted in ages. Between SAP, side work, family and friends I have had no down-time to speak of in months. Lynnie needs a vacation.

Plaguing my brother and I on a weekly basis are the ongoing computer problems he's been having across multiple machines over the past several months. I can't for the life of me figure out what the hell is going on. Our latest "theory" is faulty power, if you can believe it. I'm running out of guesses.

Each of the three machines we have used at his house demonstrates the same basic problem. All three machines are running Windows XP SP2. The only programs Paul uses regularly are Word, IE and Skype.

The first sign of trouble is always the same. The Virtual Memory Manager informs him that it is increasing his page file. (I always set it up so that Windows manages his virtual memory rather than specifying a size manually.) Windows chugs along increasing the page file and then usually additional error dialogues begin popping up. Often times it is helpcenter.exe that starts generating error after error and you can't close them all. Sometimes he'll get a "Welcome to Internet Explorer" dialogue as if he has just installed IE. It makes no sense at all.

Usually at this point, it is impossible to close all of the error messages. The three-fingered salute won't even work - you can't close all the error dialogues. You close one and another takes its place. Even trying to shut down from within Task Manager doesn't work. You end up having to force the shutdown. (God knows how many garbage files are strewn about his system as a result.)

Three machines each have the same behavior, but only at his house. When I swap out a machine I can never recreate the problem at my place.

No malware or viruses have ever been detected and I always install the latest definitions and run checks regularly whenever I'm there, as does Paul.

So I'm completely stumped. I thought maybe it had something to do with Skype and the VOIP wireless headset he uses with it since the problems started only after he started using them. But uninstalling Skype and removing the headset did nothing.

So if you're reading this and have any suggestions at all, I'd love to hear them.

Memories from High School

2005-12-27T18:31:00.000-05:00

I had a very pleasant surprise today. My high school art teacher, Mr. John Robak, contacted me out of the blue. Friends of his had stumbled upon this site and forwarded the address on to him.

I can't get over how often that kind of thing happens. I do nothing to promote this site, and rarely update it, and still people stumble across it and pass it along. Gotta love the Web.

Anyway, it was so great to hear from him and it got me thinking about how we all influence one another in countless ways that are impossible to imagine at the time. In the case of Mr. Robak's impact on my life, it's fairly easy to see.

Me and every other girl in his class had an enormous crush on him. I swear that is half the reason I went to art school, right there. But the other half has everything to do with what an inspiring teacher he was. He was so into the subject matter and had such a dynamic and engaging way of teaching. (I will remember what "controposto" means until the day I die due to his jumping up on a desk once to demonstrate it!)

And I worked harder in his classes than in all my other classes combined. I really wanted to do a good job. His respect meant a great deal to me because I had such enormous respect for him. He made me think about myself in different ways. If it weren't for him, I can't say that I would have ever gone to college at all. He did wonders for my self image and encouraged me to put together a portfolio and start applying to art schools.

If he hadn't done so, it's likely that I never would have moved to Philadelphia to attend the Art Institute. And if that hadn't happened, I never would have met my closest friends including my college room mate, Nancy. And she never would have met her husband, Zane because they met at an office happy hour of mine. I wouldn't work where I do, know the people I know, or do what I do for a living if it hadn't been for John Robak.

We think of our lives as being so solid - so definite. But it's absolute chaos, out here. We have no real way of knowing the impact we have on other people. The simplest relationships can have far-reaching implications that we could never have guessed at the time.

It reminds me of It's A Wonderful Life. What would the world be like if John Robak had never been born? Would Somersworth, New Hampshire have become Pottersville? Probably not. But still, I shudder to think about it because I have no idea where I would be.

All I know is that the world is definitely a better place with people like Mr. Robak in it, and I've very grateful that our paths crossed years ago.

Question: If a tree falls in your backyard and there is nobody there to hear it...

2005-11-06T19:45:00.000-05:00

... will it still cost you $600.00 to get rid of it?

Answer: Yes.

Google Shmoogle. I work at SAP.

2005-11-06T19:37:00.000-05:00

So a couple of weeks ago while I'm sitting at my desk at work, I get a call from Google. The man on the line says he's from HR and is wondering if he could speak to me about some job opportunities.

HOLY CRAP. I'M BEING CALLED UP TO THE MAJORS.

I tell him I'm happy at SAP and not currently looking, but he is persistent and would like to speak to me when I have more time. He asks me to e-mail him with a phone number and time when it would be convenient to call.

I comply with his request when I get home. I don't want to relocate, but when Google calls, you listen. Bottom line, I was really flattered to be cold-called by a company like Google. (I don't have my resume posted anywhere except this site, but I figured out later that they must have found me through LinkedIn.)

Then the next day I receive a standard "Thank you for your interest in Google but we have no openings that match your skills and experience... yadda yadda yadda."

WTF?

My Brother's Blog

2005-11-06T19:32:00.000-05:00

Paul's blog has been put on hold. He says it's temporary and that he'll definitely be back. I certainly hope so. It's obvious that he has quite a devoted public. I think there has been some really great thinking on his blog and people have learned a lot from each other.

I'm not sure what it is that has caused him to put blogging down for the time being. We haven't been speaking much lately. I know he has a bathroom remodel in the works to help him to be able to get into the shower again. Or maybe he wants to focus on another round of manuscript submissions (which is what I'm hoping he's doing). But I haven't been asked to print or mail anything, so I doubt that's it.

Whatever it is, I hope it's taken care of quickly. Me and the rest of his public eagerly await his return to the blogosphere.

Fall Theme

2005-10-02T15:02:00.000-04:00

I created a fall theme for the site in keeping with the season. What I really should have been doing was updating my portfolio and resume. But now that I've spent a few hours with the new theme, I need a bit of a break from the computer. And besides... Karma is letting me know that it is time to do something else. She is sitting at my feet and occasionally letting out a plaintive little coo to indicate that she would like me to get off my rear and entertain her.

Cultivating Intelligence

2005-08-30T17:15:00.000-04:00

Two interesting items today on the cultivation of intelligence:

BRAIN CANDY
Is pop culture dumbing us down or smartening us up?
(book review by Malcom Gladwell)

LEARNING FROM LEONARDO
How to be a genius

If you can, go and see it.

2005-08-22T19:06:00.000-04:00

Spamalot was an absolute laugh riot. Even better than I expected, and I'm a huge Monty Python fan. (Quest for the Holy Grail is my favorite comedy of all time.)

What's Been Going On

2005-08-18T22:49:00.000-04:00

I've been super busy for a several months and have done jack squat with the site. I had such plans. But life is what happens while your busy making plans, as John Lennon once said.

So what's been going on? The basement remodel is in full swing. Bought the toilet and sink tonight. The carpenter and plumber will be here on Tuesday. I'm told four days for all the carpentry, plumbing and electrical work. That would be great, but I've never had a contractor do what they say they will when they say the will. But I'm feeling lucky. We'll see.

Tomorrow after work it's off to Home Depot for paint, faucets, the doors, etc. Then I'll be working on a new project Friday night and then heading to NYC Saturday morning to see Spamalot Saturday night. Tedi and I are going to do some sightseeing, see the show, have dinner, stay overnight in the city and head back sometime Sunday. Then it's back on the new project and then back to work on Monday.

I've been buying way too much silver jewelry and loving it. That site is completely addicting.

I've also got Paul on a gluten-free diet. I have to drop Grumblefish a line and let him know how that's working out, since he is the one who gave us the idea. So far, no improvement in Paul's health. He's actually feeling worse and he's been gluten-free for about two months, now. We're giving it at least six months, though. So lots of cooking is in my future. But I don't mind. It makes me feel like I'm helping, even if I'm not.

I made a second blog for Paul: Changes. It's doing very well right out of the gate, thanks to the existing blog audience. He's also been writing poetry again. Nothing yet on the book publishing efforts, but he's still at it. Hopefully he'll get some good news soon.

Free Silver Jewelry

2005-07-23T13:28:00.000-04:00

www.silverjewelryclub.com

Free silver jewelry. You only pay for shipping. A new item is available every few minutes.

4th of July

2005-07-05T22:10:00.000-04:00

Bob and I took a road trip to his cousin's house in Virginia over the holiday. His cousin has a beatiful house in the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains which they are turning into a bed and breakfast. They just posted their first Web site over the weekend.

Pat? Let me know if there's anything I can ever do to assist you with the site. After the hospitality you showered on me, you've got that and more coming.

The drive down included an unplanned hotel stay due to inclement weather. We were hit with the single worst rain storm I have ever seen. I was driving completely blind -- I couldn't even make out the tail lights of the truck in front of me. So we wisely opted to take and exit and bail out until the following morning.

Had a good time. Drank to much, laughed plenty, and met some really nice people.

Thanks, Bob-a-Booey.

What Love Is

2005-06-27T21:05:00.000-04:00

I've been posting anonymously to my brother's blog on a very interesting topic. Of course, I may blow my cover if anyone follows the link from his blog to mine, but... whaddeva.

Here's some of what is going on over there on the subject of love, and what I had to say about it:

Stella:
my final total summation of love, apart from notions of romantic love, then love is the reflection of the divine as experienced through the lens of another, whether it is a person, nature, art, pets, an act, or endless list of possible ways to experience love the divine, whatever it is that takes us outside ourselves and into a higher state of being. that is love, to me.

Me (posting as "Anonymous"):
Stella's definition comes closest to what I think of as Love. Love is the divinity within us recognizing the divine within another.It is not dependent on any particular object and it isn't dependent upon any favorable judgment of mine. God is in everything. The degree to which I can realize this and love everything is the degree to which I am sane.Love is the eye of God seeing its creation and saying "This is good."Love is a kind of worship.

My brother:
Anonymous: "Love is the eye of God seeing its creation and saying "This is good."Have you gotten hold of my book manuscript?! That's fairly close to a quote!Great amplification on what Stella said."Isn't dependent on any favorable judgment..." What about on the qualities of the loved one? That's something which, if I recall correctly, Freud had problems with. How, he wonderered, could love not depend on the beloved having laudable qualities? He thought the idea of a universal love, or "agape," rendered the idea of love meaningless.I'd need to know more about what "worship" means to follow that one.

Me:
Then you would like Meister ekhardt --- "The eye with which I see God is the same eye with which God sees me."

Maybe universal love only renders the conventional idea of love meaningless?

When you love a person for their particular qualities that is only the tip of the love iceberg.

When you love the whole iceberg (including yourself) without reservation, it becomes something closer to worship.

God seeing God with the eye of God. Unity.

Pretty interesting stuff. See the whole thread.

I need a new web host

2005-06-15T21:23:00.000-04:00

My web host, who shall remain nameless for the present, is really starting to irk me. My site goes down very frequently. The answer is always the same: routine server maintenance. Paleeease.

I've got to find a host that knows what hot swapping means. The thing is, you can never tell what it's going to be like until you go through the hassle of moving your site. I hear good things about GoDaddy - but they're new and hot right now, which makes me worry that they won't be able to scale like the big boys.

There has to be a way to get good metrics on downtime from hosts. Anyone that could offer this service would make a killing. Hmmmmm. You'd have to know a bunch of sites from a particular host and ping them at a reasonable frequency and capture the stats.... Ugh. No wonder no one does this!

Update: I just found these guys:
http://www.hosting-report.com/

But I must have a suspicious mind. How do I know they are truly independent?

Brain's Metaphor Center Identified

2005-05-30T13:46:00.000-04:00

Metaphors make for colorful sayings, but can be confusing when taken literally. A study of people who are unable to make sense of figures of speech has helped scientists identify a brain region they believe plays a key role in grasping metaphors.

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa003&articleID=000BE01D-E7E3-1294-A7E383414B7F0000

Predictable Behavior Patterns Interspersed with Moments of Grace

2005-05-30T12:56:00.000-04:00

My uncle and I were having a discussion yesterday about how little of who we are has to do with our making. I strongly suspect that what we think of as our personalities are no more under our control than is the color of our eyes.

We're all on auto pilot - responding to each other and situations in the same predictable and automatic ways we have for a our entire lives. Even if the desire to change is there, the ability to do so is not. This isn't a negative thought. It is just pointing out something that should be obvious (but that we pretend is not).

So what do we do? Where do we go with that kind of knowledge of ourselves?

I've done some reading about the selfless state of consciousness -- living in the present moment as a nameless point of consciousness as opposed to little person with a name, likes, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses, etc. I've had the privilege of being in that state for brief periods of time (so I know what I'm missing on a day-to-day basis).

When I think back to those moments of clarity and try to remember how they arose, I have a difficult time. The thoughts and activities preceding them seem random. They seemed to just happen on their own. Once started, I recognized what it was and I didn't resist for as long as I could handle it. But in the end, I was either distracted or came out of it when fear arose.

So I think I know something about how to maintain it: Don't resist it. Trust it and go with it. Drop the fear as soon as it arises and trust and let go. But I don't have a clue about how it comes to me in the first place, or what I can do to encourage it. Guess I'll keep reading.

Here's the best of the best with regard to the books I've read on this subject in recent years:

The Power of Now - Ekhart Tolle
On Having No Head: Zen and the Rediscovery of the Obvious - Douglas Harding
Loving What Is - Byron Katie
Collision with the Infinite - Suzanne Siegel

Funerals

2005-05-20T21:15:00.000-04:00

Zane's grandfather passed away after a long illness. The funeral is on Sunday. I haven't been to a funeral since Nan's dad passed away. I can't believe how long ago that was.

This will be easier for me than that was. I knew Nancy's father quite well and watching her suffer the loss was like losing part of myself. I didn't know Zane's grandfather at all but I know and love his parents and want to go to the viewing as much for them as for Zane and the boys.

It seems Zane already has come to terms with the loss, but if there is any remaining emotions that he hasn't yet faced, he is likely to do so on Sunday. Funerals seem to provide the opportunity to make the death real for anyone still in denial. I guess that's their true purpose -- even more than honoring and remembering the dead. It's the first step towards healing for the family and friends.

I wish I'd known Zane's grandfather. If his son, grandson and great grandsons are examples of the man he was, he must have been something pretty special.