Would you hire this woman?
 |
|
Saturday, April 20, 2002Thursday, April 18, 2002
Another day, another web startup
Today I helped Christina start up her own web venture, "OceanSci.Net." (Don't bother clicking yet, the domain server redirection probably won't roll over until Saturday.) To you and me, this means that Christina needed a web server more permanent than the university server to put her resumé. It also needed to be more professional than "stomptokyo.com" and with fewer vanity connotations than "christinaholland.com," which is already registered anyway. (Looks like some Swede named Mickey erected a tribute site to his girlfriend.) To the rest of the world, it means that there is now (apparently) a business that specializes in online resume services for ocean science professionals. Heck, maybe we'll put up the resumes of some of Christina's classmates for authenticity. The Blob I tried out Emeril's food processor recipe for pizza dough the other night. I haven't forsaken the ways of Alton Brown, but I don't have a stand mixer like Alton's anyway. It was taking an awfully long time to do the dough in the bread machine, and the food processor does a marvelous job. Emeril's recipe can be done only an hour ahead of time, too. I must have been overzealous with the yeast (I used baker's instant instead of the active dry stuff that comes in pouches), because the dough rose to twice its size in about thirty minutes instead of the hour that Mr. Lagasse recommends. If I hadn't checked up on it, we might have been taken unawares by the beige blob. I fought it back, however, and we had some tasty pizza with turkey sausage, although the crust was a bit bland. I probably cut back too far on the salt. Travel plans I am still debating about flying up to Atlanta for Alton Brown's book signing on the 9th of May. I better make up my mind quick. Plans are definitely set, however, for the New Orleans Worst Film Festival in June. If you ever felt the urge to come see one of these b-movie festivals, this is the one to attend. It's only twelve hours on a Saturday, and there's plenty of touristy stuff to do in N'awlins besides. Plus, early June is the ideal time to go. Flights are cheap, hotels are cheap, and the Quarter is much less crowded. June 8 is the date. See you there. Genius bar, my ass Stopped into the Apple store at International Plaza in Tampa tonight to ask some pointed questions of the Apple employees there. My printing question immediately got me bumped over to the "Genius Bar," where a taciturn old Mac repair guy comes out of his workshop in the back of the store to answer the more difficult questions. This guy specializes in replacing power supplies and reseating RAM; my inquiries about print queues and file metadata were unwelcome, although he did smile and make the proper pacifying noises. He expressed interest in my Visor and then professed shock when I told him that the eyemodule sticking out of one end was a digital camera. I knew right then I was dealing with the wrong person. Christina sat on a bench in the Apple theater and watched with amusement my attempts to wring useful information out of a retail store employee. Back to the web I go, to commiserate over missing features in OS X with the other Mac misanthropes. Oh well, at least I got to play with Photoshop 7. Tuesday, April 16, 2002
Gotta get me some letterhead
Self-published authors and small publishers, who are just about the only creatures that inhabit newsgroups like alt.publish.books (there are some wannabe-published-authors too), grouse often about their inability to turn a profit. I've discovered many of the reasons why, and they all fall under the heading of hidden costs. Jim Cox of the Midwest Book Review goes on at length about the need for publishers to present a professional appearance: One of the principle reasons why self-published titles submitted for review consideration get passed over is that some have non-professional qualities in their accompanying cover letters and publicity releases. A little more than a third of self-published titles arrive with the cover letter written on plain typing stationery -- not on letterhead stationery. About a fourth of the self-published titles arrived with a print-out of their Amazon webpage substituted for a proper publicity release. I think I can do better than a printed Amazon page, but I suppose Mr. Cox has a point about letterhead stationery. Publishing is one of the stodgiest of industries, and I can easily see snoots upturned at the sight of standard xerographic paper without a color imprint at the top. Great, there goes another $100+ for some pretty paper. Monday, April 15, 2002
Summer's here. The shades go up in the car windshield whenever we park, and we've been using the A/C at night in the bedroom for a few weeks now. I always try and hold out on closing up the windows and cooling the whole apartment (our power bills always soar up about $50 - $60 higher a month), but soon Otis will start to throw up from the heat and that's our cue to shut the place up. Of course, he hates that too, because it means no open doorways or window screens to observe the outside world. Otis does love watching the "kitty TV."
Obviously, I don't know enough freaky people. Then I could fill this blog with tales of their freakdom and really entertain you. Unfortunately, it is just me with my tales of cat puke. My sister and her photographer went to London.  Apparently I come by this trait honestly. My father also went to England, but from the album he sent out you'd think that it was a Pamela-does-London-for-Vogue tour. (If Sassy were still in existence, I would have used that.) I am equally guilty of being the Phantom Tourist. This is a reminder to hand the camera over to Christina now and again. Sunday, April 14, 2002
A visitor to my Pia Zadora - The Mystery site sent me the following mail:
IS IT POSSIBLE TO SEND ME A PHOTO OF PIA,AND SIGN IT TO DAVID IT WAS FUN LOVE PIA. EVEN IF YOU HAVE TO SIGN IT YOURSELF.AND WRITE THE DATE 8-1981. Apparently, it is now my public duty to forge Pia Zadora's signature on photographs (which I naturally just have lying around the house) and, in the process, to imply that Ms. Zadora had sex (or perhaps some other "fun" activity) with the recipient twenty years ago. Cool. I am currently wondering what sort of reply I should send to this poor degenerate. Your suggestions are welcome. |
|
