Nmissi's diary

Have a funny...

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 22:56:16 GMT

http://www.catsthatlooklikehitler.com/cgi-bin/seigmiaow.pl?3884

Introducing the Dotlings

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 01:16:20 GMT

Mama Dot and the Dotlings

Just a few pix to start y'all, until I can get the others developed. We had battery issues the day they were born; had to get our pictures the old fashioned way. This is Dot and her brood.

Mama Dot is tired

They weren't letting her sleep at all, poor thing. She looks like she's thinking, "This might not have been such a good idea." Every time she tried to lie down, they'd start crawling over her and waking her up. The little black one there, we're tentatively calling Pixel, after a beloved cat that passed away some years ago. Anywhoo, he's a little bit of trouble, that one- can't find a nip unless it's shoved right in his face, and he keeps wanting to crawl on his poor mama's face.

Blood Donors Sought

Sat, 04 Apr 2009 07:22:33 GMT

You've no doubt seen this on your f-list already, but in case you haven't, here's the story: If you're in Texas, and eligible to donate blood, please consider making a donation for my friend Aaron. He is in the hospital recovering from a heart bypass. Click for more details.

Please keep Aaron and his loved ones in your thoughts and prayers.

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 17:53:33 GMT

Lord help me, but I love April Fool's Day online. Whole foods - selling organic air and giving away one free spider with every banana bunch. Expedia offering discount martian vacations. Gmail offering to answer your spam for you instantly. It will be answered by Cadie, Google's artificial intelligence- who clearly has the mind of a 13 year old girl who spends too much time on myspace.

The web's a wonderful place.

ETA: ooh. Thinkgeek has Squeezie Bacon and Tauntaun Sleeping bags. The sleeping bag's a pretty damn good idea if you ask me...

One "Senator" speaks on the lead law... chuckle time!

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 18:42:21 GMT

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 15:04:32 GMT

For those of you who haven't yet discovered the joy of snarking on cute animal pix, I give you the alternative to all the gushing over on" baaaaabyanimals . Seriously, check it out. Especially when Baaaaabyanimals makes your teeth hurt occasionally. :)

In the spirit of the CPSIA, Have a list of books I love which are now legally unsaleable:

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 19:50:29 GMT

I didn't read a ton of kid's books as a child. I read what we had in the house, which was largely classic novels. The elementary school library, and the scholastic book club handouts, introduced me to all kinds of wonderful kiddie books. Just for the hell of it, I googled to see which of those I remember fondly have been out of print since 1985 or before. Under the new law, these books are now illegal to sell.

Confessions of a Toe Hanger by Christie Harris

Runaway Alice by Frances Salomon Murphy

The Bad Times of Irma Baumlein by Carole Ryrie Brink

Tee-bo the Talking Dog on the trail of the persnickety prowler and Tee-bo the talking dog and the great hort hunt, by Mary Whitcomb

The Resident Witch by Marion T. Place

This is just off the top of my head, a few books I loved in elementary and have either picked up, or been looking for new copies of, every since. This is to say nothing of my beloved Alfred Hitchcock and the three investigators, or Encyclopedia Brown- both of which are now "in print" again. But surely more copies were available at used bookstores around the country than are sitting on shelves at an Amazon warehouse. Those books will no longer find their way into the hands of children, and I find that tremendously sad.

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 18:59:15 GMT

Just a quick note to let y'all know- if LJ goes away suddenly, I've got an acct over on Insanejournal. Actually, I've got accts everywhere, and they're all called Nmissi. Friend one, you friend me; if Lj goes away, I'll have to figure out how to link them all up.

This is not what I think of when I think of Christmas traditions...

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 19:05:24 GMT

I'm trying to be all culturally openminded and not hidebound by my upbringing... but y'all, I just don't know what to think. Somehow, the very idea of a pooping figure in a nativity scene just weirds me out.

This only happened because there was no math

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:34:06 GMT

There Are 0 Gaps in Your Knowledge

Where you have gaps in your knowledge:

No Gaps!

Where you don't have gaps in your knowledge:

Philosophy
Religion
Economics
Literature
History
Science
Art

Do You Have Gaps in Your Knowledge?

Sun, 26 Oct 2008 14:16:59 GMT

Your result for Howard Gardner's Eight Types of Intelligence Test...

Linguistic

14% Logical, 0% Spatial, 86% Linguistic, 49% Intrapersonal, 25% Interpersonal, 24% Musical, 4% Bodily-Kinesthetic and 18% Naturalistic!

"Verbal-linguistic intelligence has to do with words, spoken or written. People with verbal-linguistic intelligence display a facility with words and languages. They are typically good at reading, writing, telling stories and memorizing words and dates. They tend to learn best by reading, taking notes, listening to lectures, and via discussion and debate. They are also frequently skilled at explaining, teaching and oration or persuasive speaking. Those with verbal-linguistic intelligence learn foreign languages very easily as they have high verbal memory and recall, and an ability to understand and manipulate syntax and structure.

Careers which suit those with this intelligence include writers, lawyers, philosophers, journalists, politicians and teachers." (Wikipedia)

Take Howard Gardner's Eight Types of Intelligence Test at HelloQuizzy

An Open Letter

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 14:52:33 GMT

I've been too kind; after the ugliness of the last election I took to locking my political posts to more reasonable people. As of today, that is over. I've bitten my tongue and taken about as much as I can. In the last week, my friendslist has been awash in insult and hatred. You don't like me anymore? You don't think I'm smart enough to vote? Defriend me, and I'll happily return the favor. I am sick and tired of being called stupid, evil, and unwomanly, just because I do not agree with you. I' m even more tired of seeing the same LIES repeated over and over, ad nauseum. At this point, I can't say that you don't know any better, that you're misinformed, that you're just scared. It's starting to look like a deliberate campaign of misinformation and propaganda. And no, I don't lay the blame at Obama's feet. I don't support his campaign, but even he seems disgusted by the depths to which his supporters have sunk in attacking this woman.

Item 1: Sarah Palin is both feminist and pro-life. These positions are not incompatible, indeed, if you believe in equal rights for all women, then that should extend to support the rights of all women to be born in the first place. Feminism is not a single issue position, and it should not be defined by one's willingness to kill.

Item 2: Sarah Palin is not a creationist, and she never tried to put Intelligent Design in public schools. She DID say that academic debate and discussion of the issue was healthy for students, a position I personally think no reasonable individual can disagree with.

Item 3: Sarah Palin accepts that climate change is happening, but questions whether that change is anthropogenic in nature. This position is shared by many reputable scientists in the field. On this subject, she and McCain have "agreed to disagree" in a perfectly civil fashion.

Item 4: She did not try to take sex-ed out of the public schools. She does not support extremely explicit sex ed programs, but neither is she an 'abstinence only' education supporter.

Item 5: Sarah Palin never tried to ban any books. She did fire a librarian as part of a widespread replacement of officials from the administration before her. She also rehired said librarian the following day. As to the book banning, she asked the librarian, theoretically, how she would react if asked to ban books. From this exchange it is impossible to determine that she wanted to ban anything; it is equally as likely she was attempting to ascertain whether the woman was fit to do her job.

Item 6: She owns guns, and she hunts. She supports the rights of people to defend themselves against dangerous predators. If this offends you, so be it. I suggest you move to Alaska and make friends with the bears and the wolves.

Item 7: She does not hate gay people. She supports traditional marriage, but she also vetoed a bill that would have denied benefits to same sex partners of government employees. From this I would ascertain that she is willing to fight on the side of the constitution, even when it conflicts with her religious beliefs.

Item 8: She never told her church that her son was involved in a holy war. She cited Abraham Lincoln in that we should not hope that God is on OUR side, but rather we should strive to always be on GOD'S side. Gibson claimed he cited her "exact words" in his spurious quotation. They were anything but, as she tried to tell him.

In other news, her children are all hers, biologically, and she apparently loves them all and views none as a burden. She didn't have an affair with her husband's business partner, she's not forcing her daughter to give birth or marry, the trooper she had fired was fired for cause, she supports drilling for our own oil, and funding for new energy technologies, and the Bush Doctrine is a compendium of policies and thus she was right to ask Gibson to which one he referred.

So far, I've seen one legitimate complaint against Palin, and that is that she has no foreign policy experience. The same may be said of many Presidents and Vice-Presidents past. It may also be said of Barack Obama. Considering the only way to acquire said experience is by becoming part of the entrenched Washington elite, I don't think that a lack of it should preclude any candidate from consideration.

In short? I agree with nearly all of her positions; she is more in line with my views than McCain is. She enables me to vote for him with a clear conscience and unbridled enthusiasm. I am not only happy about his choice of running mate, I am ecstatic, and very proud to support their campaign.

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 16:30:40 GMT

I need to find a better paper on this:

That actually sounds fricking fascinating, but not because of the writer's take on the info. All primates have thumbs. What I found interesting was that the dna caused activity in the throat as well as the hands and feet. Throat. Vocal apparatus. This could be amazing, where is the original data, dammit? I want the researchers' NAMES.

ETA: I've found two more articles, but not yet the original paper. Nothing in the others about the throat. Maybe the Popsci author got the details wrong?

ETA at 2:40 pm- John Hawks has provided further information- and it's just as exciting as it first sounded. It IS affecting development of multiple traits- among them, throat, mouth, and EAR. Fully half the human trait package- dexterity and speech- might be involved here.

This is so exciting! And I am a big ole geek. Also, I am sick and twisted. Because part of me went, "ooh, what if they put the enhancers in chimp embryos, and brought them to term? Chimps have their own version of Fox P2, they have their own version of Broca's area... if they developed more human speech and hearing apparatus... might they be able to speak? " It is a good thing I am not a scientist. I would be Dr. Frankenstein.

Writer's Block: Six-Word Story

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 16:50:37 GMT

Hemingway was once challenged to write a story in only six words. His response? “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” He is believed to have called it his greatest literary work ever. Can you write a story in six words?

Submitted By femspectre

View 506 Answers

A bloodstained book caught her eye.

Movie meme

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:08:45 GMT

What movie have you seen the most times in the theater? How many times?

Honestly? Probably the Rocky Horror Picture Show, because I saw it nearly every weekend in the summer, back in high school.

What was the last movie you walked out of in the theater?

I can't remember walking out of a movie, but I'm sure I have; I've just repressed it.

What is the first movie you remember seeing in a theater?

Oh, God. Which came out first, Close Encounters or Star Wars? those are the first two movies I remember going to see in the theatre. I remember reading the opening scroll off A New Hope to my mother under my breath, hoping I wasn't bothering anyone. She never would wear her damn glasses.

What is your favorite movie soundtrack?

Stand By Me. It was my first real exposure to fifties pop tunes, which it turns out? I love.

Have you ever dressed up as a movie character for Halloween? If so, who?

Heh. Who haven't I dressed up as for Halloween? Princess Leia, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty... I had a princess fetish back in the seventies/eighties before Disney realised that was a marketing Goldmine. Mamau made me the most wonderful princess gowns.

What was the first R-rated movie you ever saw? Were you allowed or did you sneak?

I spent the night at a friend, Kim's, house; her parents were shall we say, less than involved? They let us watch "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" on cable, when it first came out. Oi. My mother would've had a heart attack.
Then in middle school my friend Stacie and I snuck into a Wil Wheaton horror movie. I don't remember the name, just that it was god-awful bad. Not scary, just horrible. I think it was a lovecraft story that was butchered beyond recognition, if I recall rightly.

Star Wars (orig. trilogy) or Lord of the Rings?

SW is part of who I am, a major component of my childhood memories. But, er.. LOTR is a masterpiece, from beginning to end.

Pacino or De Niro?

ugly gangsters, I'll pass on 'em both, thanks. Can I have Ray Liotta instead?

Titanic…did it suck or was it great?

Storyline sucked. But for a Titanic nut like me? It was amazing. I couldn't care less what was going on in the scenes, I was there to gawk at the dishes and the furniture.

What’s your take on Cassavetes?

Who's that? I recognise that name, I think from Rosemary's Baby.

Favorite John Hughes character?

Duckie Dale.

Which movie gives you a boner (or makes you tingle)?

What a question! But I still get tingles watching the dance with Mr. Darcy in the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice.
Elizabeth: "We are each of an unsocial, taciturn disposition, unwilling to speak unless we expect to say something that will amaze the whole room."
Darcy: "This is no very striking resemblance of your own character, I'm sure. "
Nmissi- Swoon.

Which movie always makes you cry like the big puss you are?

I still cry at "Gone With The Wind" even though I've seen it a bluemillion times. Not the end, mind you, but when Melanie dies just before that. Oh, and the old Olivier "Wuthering Heights" makes me soppy, too.

What’s the furthest you’ve ever gotten in a movie theater? (i.e, second base…)

There is nothing remotely romantic or erotic about grubby chairs, sticky floors, and the overwhelming scent of stale popcorn.

Speaking of sports metaphors, what’s your favorite sports movie?

Don't laugh, but I love Happy Gilmore.

Favorite
(a)… teen movie?

Heathers. Still brilliant after all these years.

(b)…Quentin Tarantino movie?

Reservoir Dogs

(c)…Bill Murray movie?

Ghostbusters, probably.

(d)…romantic comedy?

The Princess Bride

(e)…gangster movie?

Either The Crays or Goodfellas. Or does Lock, Stock, and 2 Smoking barrels count as a gangster movie? Cause I love that one, too.

(f)…horror movie?

Poltergeist.

(g)…made for TV movie?

Dunno, the only one I remember really liking was the Ricky Ricardo movie with Maurice Bernard in it. I think it's the last time I saw good ole Maurice actually try to act.

(h)…director?

I don't keep up with directors, so I have no idea.

(i)…drug movie?

Gia.

Which movie have you seen already but will never, ever, ever watch again?

can't think of one.

Which movie are you embarrassed to really like?

I'm a little embarrassed by how much I like "Legally Blonde."

Which movie should be remade asap?

I can't think of any movie I like that I want to see remade. But I'd kill for a decent version of Heinlein's "Starship Troopers" to make me forget the horror of the last one.

What the F happened to (insert answer)? He used to be so damn funny!

Robin Williams

For the love of everything that’s sacred, please someone stop (insert answer) from making another movie!

Tom Cruise. Because at this point, I can't look at him anymore without thinking about how odd he is; he's permanently poisoned for me.

Which movie do all your friends love but you think is whatevs?

can't think of any movies, but I never could get into the new BSG. And I tried.

Which movie do you love but all your friends think is whatevs?

"Dead Again." Most of my friends haven't seen it, and aren't particularly impressed by it when I force it on them. But that movie made me love Emma Thompson and Kenneth Branagh.

If you could hump/date/marry any movie character, who would it be?

I have no idea. Firth's Darcy, or maybe Rhett Butler? I can't think of anyone else.

Best movie ever?
I can't pick just one.

Book you wish would be made into a movie, and who would direct it?
Honestly, movieness is usually a fate I wouldn't wish on a beloved book.

Happy Anniversary, "One Life To Live."

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:05:18 GMT

I had a really great post written up, but LJ eated it. :( I'm too lazy to do it again. But I wanted to tell my soap-loving friends- if you're not watching OLTL, you should be. The writers' handling of the 40th anniversary show has been brilliant; full of wonderful nods to history and great returning guest characters, as well as making good use of the current cast in different "flashback" roles. I am proudly outing myself as a drooling Ron Carlivatti fangirl. We need to clone him and get one over to GH, AMC, DOOL, and Y&R, pronto. The man knows show history, and how to honor it.

Bye Bye Poddy, I loved ya, girl.

Fri, 23 May 2008 23:58:32 GMT

Some kids were breaking into sheds/garages etc all around hte neighborhood last night. Leatha came over today to tell me about it, and I was surprised- the cops came, caught one, the others got away... and I slept through it all, never heard a thing. The one they nabbed had nothing on him, she heard- she didn't know if they'd got him to turn on the others yet.

Well, later I went out to go to the store... and my car was broken into. They got in through the window, ripped out the rubber gasket. They stole: My ipod, my ipod charger, an old Sony discman, headphones, and some ... coupons? Anyway... the cops took my information, including my serial number, and the engraving on the back of the ipod. Apple took a report as well, and flagged the serial number in their system. I phoned local pawnshops and put them on alert; if they see it, I'll be contacted.

What do you think my chances are that I'll ever see Podkayne again?

On Dishes and Birthdays

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 05:27:40 GMT

The floor wax is drying, the cake is done, and I'm reflecting.

A few weeks ago Mom and I saw a bunch of my "everyday" dishes at the peddler's mall. I didn't need them, but I really wanted them- 25.00 for eight plates, cups, saucers, and four each of the soup bowls, dessert bowls, luncheon plates, and dessert plates. I talked myself out of them (Having already so many, I didn't really need more) but she bought them, and brought them by last night. I told her she shouldn't have (she'd already fixed my stove and repaired my drain by way of a bday present) but I was soo glad she did.

This is boring, I know. But let me ramble a little about my dishes. When I was little, Mom didn't buy dishes. So in our kitchen was a mishmash of things given us by relatives, or that came free (or with trading stamps) from various businesses. Among them were a few pieces in the pattern "Forget Me Not," made by a company called "Japan China" or alternately, "Fine China of Japan."

Have a visual aid: http://www.tias.com/6246/PictPage/1922452322.html

Anyway, my great Aunt Lil had given these to my mom, and I loved to use them. Mom did have a set of really GOOD China- Hutschenreuther, actually. But it lived in the china cabinet and I only got to use it when I was very, very ill. (Then Mom would put my tea and my soup in it.) But for regular meals, I could choose from our vast array of mishmash, and I inevitably chose either the Forget Me Not, with its silver trim and dainty blue flowers, or the Carriage Horses pattern (a giveaway from the A&P.) But I was very hard on dishes, both in usage (I dropped them) and care (I tended to smack them on the edge of the sink a lot, when trying to put them in dishwater. If I dried them with a towel, inevitably I would break delicate handles or see plates literally fly out of my fingertips.)

By the time I was grown, we had only 2 Forget me not plates remaining. (And a stack of Carriage Horses saucers, oddly, that I failed to break.) And Mom had new Corelle that was more forgiving of my clumsiness. I took the two plates with me to my first apartment, and from there to my first house. In the years since, I have slowly amassed a truly dazzling array of Forget-Me-Not. At every yard sale, thrift shop, flea market... I have almost no willpower against the lure of more dishes.

Incidentally, when I picked my wedding china, I chose this: http://i6.ebayimg.com/04/s/06/c7/24/76_2.JPG

See any similarities?

So, in my good china, my Noritake, I have service for eight and all the serving pieces. And now, in my everyday, I-eat-toast-and-peanut-butter-off-this-dishware, I have:

Service for 32. In plates and cups and saucers, that is. Service for 40 in dessert plates, and merely service for eight in bowls and luncheon plates.

There are five people in my family, six if I count my Uncle's girlfriend. In all likelihood I will never ever need that many dishes. (and let us not discuss the white lacy china I couldn't pass up at a yardsale, the Christmas china I use 2 weeks out of the year, or the fact that I have held on to eight "Carriage Horses" saucers for 35 years in the hopes of one day acquiring cups to match them again.)

I am a little embarrassed, a little ashamed. But when I opened that box, I suddenly couldn't wait to rearrange my dish cabinet. That's what new dishes means to me. I added minestrone soup to tomorrow's menu just so I have an excuse to put eight soup bowls on my kitchen table. I find myself wanting to host a family reunion this summer. Yes, it'd be great to reconnect with relatives, and I've always wanted to do one....

But there's a little part of me that is jumping up and down and going, "Omygod, I might actually get to use all of my dishes!"

Do they have support groups for this sort of thing? "Hello, my name is Missi, and I'm a Dishaholic." If I needed to, I could probably feed a hundred or so persons easily off of what's hiding in my kitchen cabinetry.

Glasses, though, might be a problem. Unless Mom gets in on it. Mom never met a glass-glass at a yardsale that she didn't like.

An old link, but I just found it, so...

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 03:07:32 GMT

In case you've also missed it: The One Ring, in scary legalese...

Happy April Fool's!

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 10:44:28 GMT

My first giggle of the morning. Damn, it's a doozy. I wish it was real.

http://www.google.com/virgle/index.html

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 01:43:07 GMT

For those of you not entirely pleased with the latest SUP shenanigan's, there's a boycott planned.
http://beckyzoole.livejournal.com/394548.html?view=1936948&style=mine#t1936948

I think I'll participate. I don't object to a business making money- I'm capitalist through and through. But I do object to contracts being altered after they are agreed upon. And I really, really am not happy with the interests-bowdlerizing. I mean, hell, I don't look at other people's interests pages- but if I wanted to, I'm not sure how seeing "fanfic" or "bisexuality" or whatever is gonna harm me. SUP seems to have forgotten who generates the content they're selling to their advertisers, who generates the seats in butts looking at their damn ads.

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 16:13:43 GMT

Cool link for lang nuts: http://www.adn.com/front/story/334139.html

Basically it's new evidence for traces of Na Dene in Eurasia. Really neat stuff.

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 22:28:03 GMT

78%

Grrr "College Ripoffs 101"

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 18:56:27 GMT

My biology book came with a little disc and an access code for the website. Well, I just now tried to input said code in order to take a self test, to practice for the exam tomorrow.

I should know never to expect it to be easy. My code doesn't work. It is a new book, the code has never been redeemed before. But it's a little smudgy, I can't really tell if the first word is USCABE or USCABI... either way though, it wouldn't take it.

This is a nice book, an expensive book. Campbell and Reece Biology, 7th edition. They charge an arm and a leg for it. It seems to me that they could put the web info on an open-access site without any real difficulty or loss of profit. But instead they put a stupid code under a foil scratch off, like a lottery ticket, and its only redeemable once- so that they can sell more books, I guess. I filled out the web form they provide for login problems, but I doubt I'll hear back in time to help me.

Damn. I hate textbook manufacturers.

Roads

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 14:28:22 GMT

I just ventured out this morning. JCPS can't possibly go without another day's worth of funds, so they put the kids on a 2 hr delay today, but are open. I watched buses fishtailing on my street this morning, and decided I'd drive the kids in myself, to let the roads warm up a little more. Bad idea. The snow began again in earnest; it's now coming down heavy. According to this morning's weather report, this is supposed to be RAIN right now. Clearly nobody told mother nature; she's making fat white snowflakes for Valley Station.

Anyway, I'm home now. Coming home, though, I was almost hit by a sliding car. ut I swerved and he instead went into the ditch by the apartments. I was lucky, I swerved and my car did a little dance, 360 degrees, then I was fine and able to go on. The guy who went in the ditch is currently pouring what looks like cat litter under his tires; I wonder if that works?