verbalobe's Friends

9:45AM - Quackle 0.96

http://web.mit.edu/jasonkb/www/quackle/

Questions? Comments? Problems?

Someone on the Quackle list said her dictionary was messed up but didn't post info about her OS etc. My guess is the problem is that she had her lexicon set to cswfeb07, which finally got nuked. How's it look? I haven't tried the Windows version yet myself.

6:14AM - Veinticinco

Discuss. 

11:41PM - High Point Antelopes

 There will be a special prize category in Orlando for LJ players and friends. (I'm not posting this to CGP or OSPD-Scrabble groups.)

The highest scoring ANTELOPE play, as included in the Canonical SF Scrabble Slakcerz Antelope List, will win a hand-made ANTELOPE tile bag. 

xpmorgan  will have the bag and I will leave up to him to figure out how people can report their plays.

I expect updates on decisive ANTELOPE plays, so that I can judge the success of my endeavour.

Good luck to all.

4:58AM - Happy People Dancing on Planet Earth

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap080722.html

What are these humans doing?

12:06AM - More Cricket

The first Test between India and Sri Lanka starts in about 45 minutes. Looking at India's side -- Gambhir and Sehwag opening, Dravid, Sachin, Ganguly, Laxman as batsmen, then Karthik, Kumble -- who can bat a bit -- and Harbhajan Singh (who needs to not slap anyone), Zaheer Khan, Sharma -- dang that's a good eleven. The Sri Lankan side will be hard pressed against them. Except for two things. One, they're at home, and they always do exceedingly well at home. And two, everyone is going gaga over Ajantha Mendis. He's being called the next Murali -- bowling all kinds of spin balls with a flick of the fingers. He took six wickets against India in the final of the Asia Cup -- can he repeat that sort of magnificent bowling in his maiden Test match?

We shall see.

PS -- Sadly, the Slinga Malinga, who bests Ryan Sidebottom for Best Hair in Cricket, is hurt again, and not available for this match. That could be a fearsome attack -- Murali, Vaas, Mendis, Malinga....

Malinga takes four in four balls against South Africa in the World Cup last spring:




UPDATE: Apparently it's monsoon season in Sri Lanka. They probably won't start for at least another few hours. Grr. Who schedules Test matches during monsoon season?

11:51PM - Washingtonian contest

Runner up: http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/people/8758.html

10:17PM - On an unrelated subject....

MERCY, MERCY, PUDDIN' PIE,
YOU'VE GOT SOMETHING THAT MONEY CAN'T BUY!

3:08PM - The Pre-Whorlando Report (silent t)

So, I was doing some quick analysis, in the most self-serving Scrabbler way possible.

3:33PM - on a happier note

I'm going to the Yankee game tonight! First game of the season for me. And they've been rolling lately. Woot!

11:51AM - monkey burgers

i have not posted food pics in a long time. that's because we had pretty much been eating out every night since moving, but we're now sufficiently settled to start enjoying our new kitchen! it's bigger and better in every way except one: flat-range electric cooking. it's sleek-looking and easy to clean, but i miss my gas stove.

so our meat co-op is over, but the gift just keeps on giving. the contents of our fridge seemed like they would translate well into burgers. i had never made them before, and olaugh was monopolizing the computers and didn't want to be disturbed, so i had no internet guidance. but screwing up burgers seemed pretty hard, and i managed not to do it.

mix ground beef with chopped basil, garlic, salt, pepper and an egg. resist urge to eat like steak tartare. saute sliced portobellos with shallots, garlic and white wine. grill burgers medium rare and serve topped with cheddar, mushrooms, lettuce and tomato.

10:06AM - Fun words from yesterday's cardbox additions

cool words I guessed correctly:

a) IIINQTUY
b) AAAPQRTU
c) AAGMOTYZ

cooler words which I didn't get but liked:

d) AABFILUX
e) ACGHLMOO


It seems that a) is a pretty common word--I just had always thought it was "den of inEquity", which of course if you think about it is pretty dumb. Glad I learned that... for all intensive purposes that's an embarrassing mistake.

And had I learned it earlier, I think I would have named my journal ACGHLMOO. Even takes a tail hook!

10:30AM - a special musical treat for my atheist friends

I recently came across a list I made in the 1980s of what I thought at the time were the 200 best music videos. (This was a period where I became unexpectedly addicted to MTV, back when they still showed videos.) I was surprised to discover one of two titles on the list that I simply didn't remember at all. 

Well, that's why they invented You Tube. (Who says I'm an old fuddy-duddy? Shut up,

bbstenniz)

And now I present this forgotten gem as a special musical treat for my atheist friends. (You know who you are.) But as you watch remember that some of us on this side of the fence dislike the types depicted here even more than you do.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=1lwYK8EHd_M

(I know there's a way to actually insert the video into this message, but I don't know what it is.)

 

5:47AM - No rest until Nationals

Some WTF? GUESSES from JT:
CRYLESS* - CRESYLS
HARDUPS* - PURDAHS
VERTHUM* - VERMUTH
PEESAWS* - PESEWAS
SAGRAGS* - SAGGARS
RUMBACK* - BUCKRAM
PYRICES* - SPICERY
ABYOUTH* - HAUTBOY (maybe YOUTH was a unit of measurement?)
SCOOTYS* - OOCYSTS

I think I can finish my review before nationals! I set realistic goals which I won't post, because I don't want to clue my opponents in to what I studied. Maybe posting bad guesses of words will cause my readers (and me) to try the phonies instead of he real word, because BUCKRAM is coming up often.

I may have to go yoga-less for several days soon, so I have not been taking days off... it feels like even my kidneys are sore! Today I may not be able to take the Ashtanga class because it might be too much. Maybe I can go but sit some poses out but I hate doing that. I think I can handle Bikram today because my body is so used to those poses and the heat will relax my muscles. Yesterday I did Forrest basics because Sundays class I went so hard, and because it was an instructor I haven't had before. I didn't realize how sore I was until I tried that class, yowie. But Sunday was a breakthrough class. I held crow for most of the pose, and I even got up into headstand (but quickly fell over and did a judo roll to gracefully come out of it.) After class the teacher told me I had it and I next class to go for it; headstands for me! I also felt stronger in the other poses, which translates to sorer now.

And I got in 5 games with DBL who seems to be getting better after each one of these matches, who will be the average rating of the average div 2 at Nationals. I went 3-2, but it was really 2-3 I don't consider my gift in the last game a win for me. I had trouble getting bingo racks, which is perfect training (and good karma) before a major event.

Bingos:( Read more... )

10:47PM - Fundraising for Africa - could it be done? And other questions

Well, after figuring out that I actually had to raise $1000 and not $2000 (thanks for making that so clear, CCI!), I am amazed to say that I think that I might have actually met my targets already!

If I break it down to what I have received:

$180 online (thanks to my old professor Sharon Sutherland, Cesar, Joanna, and Brian!)
$170 in random person interaction (thanks to Nadja, the Saldanhas, Yukari, Marilyn, and Matt)
$470 from this weekend's fundraiser (where I *really* overcooked and thank god my guests *really* overate; descriptions on that still forthcoming when I have the energy to describe 18 total courses; thank you Bill, Chris, Gab, Jesse, Kevin, Lam, and Ryan)
$50 so far from the roto (thanks to everyone who's entered! You all rule and you know who you are and if you know anything about Mahir, I kiss you!)
$200+ pledged by my family

= $1070+... I can't believe it. Kurt was right; my friends are awesome but I still can't believe they thought I was awesome enough to merit their awesomeness. You're all too nice.

Thank you all so much for supporting me. Let's keep going to see how much we can do for CCI (it is a very noble cause), but be it a kind word, the offer of free equipment (thanks to Yukari, Judy, Rachel), cash, or just being there in support, I couldn't have done it without every one of you.

Now, as for going to Africa: it really looks like it will happen. I'm still in shock. Two weeks ago, I had my tetanus shot, as well as the start of my physical. Today, I had my Hep-A/diptheria combined and meningitis ($275!). My blood results have come back well. My visa application is in the mail but I assume it's going smoothly. I'm happy that I'll get to go, and I think everyone generally is, though I'm not sure if my mom is in denial because she seems to think that the job interview on Wednesday is something I'll take if I'm offered the job (and it IS a very attractive job, but I also know that I might not get it, so I don't want to put all my eggs in *that* basket, and even if I get it I'm going to have a WHOLE lot of thinking to do, seeing as it really is the most ideal start to my career-track...). I think it's a bit of what Jean was talking about on her LJ, how moms unintentionally transfer guilt onto children... mine does it by trying to tell me that things I've done before are, in essence, not smart uses of time or personally developing (reading fiction, playing Scrabble... not sports or becoming some crazy-social being or continuously taking business courses or whatever) and how I continue to fall into the trap. I think she knows at some level that what she's saying is insulting me to a large extent and really hurts, but she also believes that it's her duty to 'look out for me', even if I don't feel that what she is doing counts as such.

Oh well, reflections are fickle and tainted by our perspective, much like looking at fireflies that are actually shorting icicle lightbulbs.

Take care, and go gently into the night, for it is good... and the light will always burn so long as we all believe it will.

PS: Join my roto! http://community.livejournal.com/orlandoroto (yes, I'm shameless)  

4:36AM - The Colliding Spiral Galaxies of Arp 271

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap080721.html

What will become of these galaxies?

10:14PM

i suppose i should make a post about scrabble to nudge myself into the mindset. unfortunately i haven't been thinking about it much in the last few months with everything else going on. i feel iller-prepared than i have for any other nationals, but that's okay, because it would be hard to sink lower than any of my past performances!

i scored over 400 in all five of my practice games yesterday but only won two of them. my mind wasn't working very well but the synergy flowed like wine and bingos came free and fast.

mine (15): SOmEWAYS, ATONIES, SEICENTO, FRETTERS, ANTBEAR, MATERIaL, sANTERA, NOISIER, QUAYAGeS, LUTHIERS, STEARINE, CATENOID, RAINIeR, RADIOMEN, RADIATOR (the last three in the same game, strangely)

theirs (13): GUSTIER, ARCHIVEs, WIELDIEr, OVATELY, ARMHOLES, DAVENINg, NAIVETE, SORBITOL, AUSTERE, WARDENs, NARRATED, UPSTARED, ELATIOn

fun with my first five racks against benphial:

BFILVY? going second i play IVY, best
BEFLSS? my neighbor scrabblek8 and i spend some time giggling over the fabulous phony words i could make, but little do we know one of the words we are mocking, BEEFLESS, is actually good. sad, sad. what's interesting is that my 20-point FLABS sims only a hair worse than the 63-point BEEFLESS.
EHKOPS? i see KYPHOSES and BAKESHOP, but not SHOEPACK. none of them play. i play KOPH.
AEGGSV? now i've drawn strangely to ES? twice in a row. don't know GAVAGES but it doesn't play anyway. i make my best play of VEG.
AAGSUY? double fudge with nuts, as satireblank would say. GUANAYS doesn't play, and i'm busy wondering whether CAYUGAS* is a word when he lays down the miracle Q that gives me my (heretofore unconsidered) 110-point play.

we had a delicious vietnamese brunch and i think at one point 13 people were at our place, some relegated for space reasons to the coffeeshop next door. among them were magratheazaphod freshly returned from a 35-hour journey from the far east (he fell asleep on the couch at one point but still managed to score 533 against me), millcake16 from the far north, and crosstables who brought me the greatest housewarming present ever. you really have not lived until you've woken up to "ooh-ooh-ooh-aah-ahh!" well, i guess he was getting kind of sick of it if he stole his daughter's monkey alarm clock.

9:16PM

What, I really thought I would be able to update?

9:56PM - Summer

It makes me think about becoming a tomatotarian.

9:16PM - Feeling Better/More "Vehicular Mishaps"/Orlando!

I've been in a serious funk for the last month or so, to the point that I was having second thoughts about Orlando, but now I'm feeling better, and excited about seeing everyone.

Despite all my hopes and plans, I ended up following the Tangredi Method - i.e., not studying AT ALL, so I'm planning to lose a lot of games - but, I'm still gonna bring my OSPD on the plane, and hopefully learn a few hundred words.  Had I known I was going to end up being such a SLUG, I'd have played in Div. 3, but hopefully, I'll get in some good games anyway.  I'm basically just going to be a hanger-on, rooting for Spouse and everyone else in the house.

Today - a month later than we were told - we finally got our new car delivered, and it is a beaut.  The color is gorgeous, and it handles really well.  Most importantly, Spouse has plenty of leg room. 

As for me, it's now three VMs in just one month.  Last week I had a run-in with a parked car, and just yesterday - as I was on my way to work, I had another accident.  I was trying to fiddle with the "lady," and I took my eye off the road and one hand off the wheel.  Next thing I knew, I had crossed onto the other side of the road, and barreled up a hill towards some condos.  Result: messed-up wheel alignment, and a flat tire.  Had to get someone to cover my class, and then wait for triple AAA.  For this reason, I told Spouse I do not want to drive to new car for at least one full year.  The new car's too nice to wreck so fast. . .

2:54PM - Next time I feel like throwing things...

I'll just let this thing deal with it.

Or if I need Flying Karamazov Brothers- class thing-throwing, the only thing this doesn't do is tell jokes while it's flinging.

What pinball machines dream of being.