In booking a hotel for business travel this week, I ran across the following. At the hotel, you had to give a guarantee for late arrival after 6pm (which is pretty standard) and the following: "Please Move Bottom For Acceptable Forms Of Guarantee". To my added amusement, a quick search shows that this statement is used by quite a number of Fairfield hotels across the country.

One does wonder what forms of guarantee they are expecting, and if anyone would find them acceptable. :)

I saw this as the subject of an email: Back to School Bustle
My first thought was why anyone would want to wear a bustle to school...

Saw this in the back of a magazine, while looking how to change my address....

Unsolicited Material: The publisher and editors of [...] accept no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or illuminations submitted for any purpose. Article proposals should be submitted in writing and with patience. Self-addressed, stamped envelopes are not required, as they constitute too great a temptation for the editors.

Have a good week, everyone!

So, yes, I have now unpacked the memory card reader (actually a couple weeks ago) and can now post more pictures of my new place. I've had several groups of friends over to see it in the meantime. My current estimate of when I might get around to a housewarming is currently September. Some areas of the place are presentable (not at all because I hosted a meeting in my living room and needed space for the chairs...) The rest of the place is still full of boxes. My sister is coming to visit in August, though, so the project / computer / sewing / guest room will need to be seriously cleaned up by then so she can get to the bed! (No, you won't get to see pictures of the project room in its current state - no need to record that for posterity... as I snake between the ladder and some boxes to get out of the room.) :)

So, as it's been a while, here's the 'before' picture:




and here are a couple pictures of the 'after' state of the living room:





Have a sparkly and fabulous fourth!

After a super-crazy month at work (with all the deadlines we could think of on our two projects in two months, save the one that got moved to next Thursday) I knew I'd need a vacation.  Good thing I had the foresight to plan to go camping this weekend.  I'm leaving Thursday to meet up with a friend and we'll head out from there, to the Yosemite area.  I could really use a break!  Hopefully after that, I'll be saner, and when I get back, I hope to start to get back to being able to do social stuff again.  I miss seeing everyone (and how many times have I said that this year - it's gets more true every time.)

A friend and I decided to get together to cook dinner on Saturday.  He volunteered to bring various veggies, and we'd figure out what we're cooking once we got together.  He also volunteered to bring a pumpkin he'd had from his garden.  He didn't warn me that it was 10 or so inches in diameter!  That's a lot of pumpkin!  We ate some, I sent some with him, but I still have more in the 'fridge than will fit into my largest glass mixing bowl.  Guess what I'm eating this week! :)

Hello everyone, and have a very happy New Year! My year started off right, with more waltzing to live music with friends. Today I am spending much of the day baking cookies for Twelfth Night.

Wishing you all health and happiness in this new year.

I got to go visit my family on the East Coast for the holidays - the best present this year, definitely. We've made a lot of food (including several kinds of cookies, fudge (with marshmallow experiments!) and more. Yum! Holidays around my family are a good excuse to go nuts with the cooking and baking. It's all fun and tasty.

I hope you all are enjoying the holidays, with as many as you can celebrate packed in there!

From Kaa_the_naga...

You Are 26% Evil

A bit of evil lurks in your heart, but you hide it well. In some ways, you are the most dangerous kind of evil.

I started in earnest on my Christmas cards yesterday, which is so early as to likely be a record.  Despite my intent, most years I end up writing most of them on the plane flight to the East Coast to visit my family!  (I always do wonder if anyone notices the postmark of where their card comes from - for that depends on what layovers or business trip hops I have on the way.)

Someone showed this to me, and I had a great laugh.  Grad students gone amock!  Fun with nanotubes!  What silliness will they come up with next?

www.nanobama.org

Hello everyone,

Yes, I have finally started a Livejournal, to be able to spread news of what I'm up to and keep in touch with everyone.  It doesn't hurt that my work finally stated clearly that it wouldn't count as a publication (who knew?) so I wouldn't have to submit it for approval!  So, read on and I'll post occasional notes about what I'm up to, and all the silly things I see going on in the world, for your amusement and edification.  After all, knowing who was the president with the smallest picture might win you an important game of Trivial Pursuit some day.