Tuesday, October 27, 2009

A great, big, giant pile of financial how-to guides: http://ping.fm/Fx0UY

Friday, October 23, 2009

Wow, the word "platform" enjoys rather versatile usage in the English language AND involves some of my favorite subjects! http://ping.fm/EIXRp

Sunday, October 18, 2009

I am pretty sure, based on what I've posted to Delicious today, that I would thrive on Vulcan.
How do you know you're a geek? When you ask for this for Christmas (please, can I???): http://ping.fm/PTGTT

Words to Live By

"By clarifying what is useful and letting go of the rest, you can reduce your filing, make it easier to find what you do keep, and save valuable time and energy that you can direct to more meaningful tasks." ~from an article at Microsoft, http://ping.fm/iihTc

Sunday, October 11, 2009

"Necessary Evil": a Star Trek DS9 episode review

I just finished watching one of the most engaging episodes of Star Trek TV that I can remember seeing in a while. Glenn and I have been watching Deep Space 9 on DVD - after that, we will have caught up on the entire franchise, although I have never actually seen the original series start to finish. It's so campy I'm not sure I could get into it now, but you never know. Leonard Nimoy is just so friggin' cool, that should be reason enough!

However, I digress. The episode, Necessary Evil (reader beware! clicking on the link provided here completely spoils the episode if you've never seen it before! you have been warned), was your classic whodunit but with a twist. Because although it started out with a potential murder (Quark only got maimed), the investigation ultmately revealed the truth of an actual murder which took place five years previous, when the Cardassians still had control of the station.

This episode also provided a deep look into the storied past of the station known in the Alpha Quadrant as Deep Space 9: what the station looked like under Cardassian occupation, and how Odo met Kira, Quark, and Gul Dukat for the first time. Additionally, Quark's brother Rom proves there's more to the little Ferengi than meets the eye ... although he himself is never quite sure of it.

Everything came together to make this episode memorable and fantastic: the pacing, the acting, the writing, the directing ... everything! Even Memory Alpha (a Star Trek wikia) notes in the Background Information section that this episode is a "favorite amongst both cast and crew". It really comes through, too. Memory Alpha also draws the distinction in that same section that it "echoes strongly the classic detective fiction of the 40s" - but it does so in a very sophisticated way, not the more melodramatic, theatrical way a holodeck simulation conjures up. I don't want to give away too much information in case you, dear reader wish to find out for yourself how great it is. I rank it right up there with some of the best SG-1 episodes. I'm really just gushing here about how thrilled I am to have watched this great work of small screen magic! A great work of Star Trek magic, too.

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

Sche-dueling (a vent session)

I am growing more and more disheartened by the business of my weekday schedule at work. I estimated that I have 5 hours from the time my work shift ends until I have to lay down in my bed for slumber to do everything I need to do and get the amount of sleep I need. Now I don't know if I got too ambitious yesterday or if I just need to give myself time to get used to being on the five-day schedule again or what, but I did not get the 7 hours of sleep I was shooting for ... then again, it's not a typical 5-day schedule either. In fact, more and more I'm reaching the conclusion that this particular version of the 5-day schedule is worse than a typical one. Now ... now I know why the folks at work hate it so much.

Saturday and Sunday I only work 6.5 hours, which means I have to make up 3 hours during the week. Guess where those 3 hours go? One extra hour tacked onto my 8-hour days, to turn what is essentially a 9-hour day (counting my break period) into a 10-hour day. That's why I feel like I don't have enough time between shifts to do what I need to do - because I don't! When you factor in drive time (which in practice is not actually all that long) and grocery store trips, it cuts down that time even more. Guess I'll have to make sure to do grocery shopping on the shorter days and/or my weekend.

Okay, I feel better now. Actually now that I've got it written down like this, now it presents to me more of a challenge rather than a burden. I like challenges.

Thursday, October 01, 2009

Two frickin' awesome videos

The first one I watched tonight is a World of Warcraft how-to regarding Brewfest. I say even if you don't play WoW, have never played WoW, have never played an MMO in your life, you might enjoy it. WoW fans ... you will most definitely enjoy it. I enjoyed it so much I already watched it twice, just to enjoy the sheer artistic value of it! I plan on watching it again too!


The second one is a Duran Duran song I'd never heard before, and just when I thought I'd already heard their best ... along comes one of my fellow Blippers with this song. And can I just say it is Simon Le Bon-riffic? *squee*