I'm so excited because I *finally* passed my Microsoft Technical Specialist exam. I took and passed exam #70-433 MCTS: Database Developer (on Microsoft SQL Server 2008). This should help on the job front. Well, at least I hope so. One more to go, the Admin test (#70-432 MCTS: Database Implementation and Maintenance on Microsoft SQL Server 2008), but I don't think I'm going to take that exam 'til mid-to-late January (for one thing, I've got a lot of studying to do -- and the holidays are like practically here).
No new snow yesterday. We did have snow today, but it was very, very wet - almost rain. We're supposed to get a nasty storm later in the week tho.
For the record, here's the weather from NOAA as long as I'm posting.
Temp: 31 F (-1 C)
Humidity: 85%
Wind Speed: Calm
Wind Chill: (none, winds calm)
Winter Storm Watch Tuesday (Evening) - Thursday
That's about all for now!
--Olivia
- Location:my home office
- Mood:
good - Music:Holiday Playlist
More snow today. It seemed to be snowing all day long, however I don't think there was much more additional accumulation.
The studying goes on for my Microsoft test (it's on Monday - wish me luck).
Here's the current weather from NOAA:
Temp: 26 F (-3 C)
Humidity: 71%
Wind Chill: 18 F (-8 C)
Wind Speed: S 8 MPH
Current Watches/Warnings: Hazardous Weather Outlook (snow)
(Snow is predicted for pretty much all week).
--Olivia
- Location:my home office
- Mood:
tired - Music:The Proclaimers
Sorry to be so long since posting - life has been a complete mess, but more about that later, possibly in another post.
Last night (December 3rd) it really started to snow, pretty late, just before I went to bed.
I woke up this morning to eight inches of snow on the front deck and the proverbial "Winter Wonderland" - and it was still snowing! Kent County (mine) and the county directly south of us (Ottawa) were both under a Winter Storm Warning from the National Weather Service. The rest of West Michigan was under a Winter Storm Advisory. Most of the local school districts were closed (Including GR Public), and throughout the day whenever I checked more businesses, churches, schools, and services were closed due to weather. According to the local news, scores of minor accidents littered the local roads; and the expressway I-94 was closed at midday due to numerous pile-ups. And the original weather alerts are supposed to last 'til 4pm today, tho' looking outside it seems like it's stopped snowing. Glancing out the back deck, I'd say we got at least 10 inches of snow total. Some of the LakeShore communities were reporting a foot of snow during the noon local newscast (NBC, WOOD CH 8).
Here's the current lowdown from NOAA:
Temp: 28 Degrees F (-2 Degrees C)
Humidity: 75%
Wind Chill: 19 F (-7 C)
Wind Speed: SW 9 MPH
Percip: Light Snow
Winter Storm Warning in Effect Until 4 pm
But I must admit, after the extremely wet and rainy October and November -- having nice, bright snow today and last night has raised my spirits a little bit.
Now -- onto the personal things, eg why I haven't been on here that much lately.
I lost my job in September. I really liked my job, so this made me depressed.
But, I DID go to my training class in Chicago (SQL Server 2008 - Microsoft's Database Platform). Overall, it went pretty well, EXCEPT that I was supposed to have four classes in 10 days -- and when I got there it was two classes in eight days, and I didn't get any refund for the difference. However, I did get to the Museum of Science and Industry, the Shedd Aquarium, the Hancock Tower, and the Field Museum during my trip. (Note for any travelers going to Chicago -- Citypass? Definitely worth it!!!) I was in Chicago for almost two whole weeks, so during the weekend between the first and second week of training I took the Metra train downtown. I also found that using the Metra is real easy, and inexpensive (this was true the last time I was on a business trip to Chicago). The CTA, otoh, is really confusing. Not too expensive (get a daily pass from a CVS Pharmacy or a 3-day pass in Union Station when you get off the Metra) but trying to figure out the bus lines, and even worse -- the schedules, on a weekend, was a bit of a mess. (I got where I needed to go eventually but it took a while sometimes).
Since getting back from Chicago, I've been trying to pass my Microsoft Exams. Right now, I'm still working on #70-433 (MCTS: Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Database Development). I failed the exam twice -- and I don't normally fail tests. The second time, though, there were equipment problems at the test office, so I got a free re-take (which is Monday), so I've been going through my books again, plus doing practice tests.
I just need to pass the &%$#@*%* thing, so I can go on to study for the Admin test (MCTS: Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Implementation and Maintenance), which I figured I'd take second because I thought it would be harder -- and now I'm beginning to think it would actually be easier. And then I can really, really job hunt. And I SO want to move out of Michigan, hopefully to a bigger city.
Oh -- and last weekend, my sister-in-law's mother fell down the stairs, broke her tibia, fibia, and patella, and she's STILL in a hospital in Traverse City. My sister-in-law was up there with her; leaving my brother alone with the twins. Fortuantely, she is getting better, and I haven't had to do too much extra running over to Grand Haven (just don't tell Microsoft that!)
OH -- and one other thing. This week, Weds, I found out my cat, Cal (short for Caligari) is diabetic. So now he's on special food (not a big deal) and needs insulin shots twice a day, which I need to give him. Fortunately, he's good about it - but it still freaks me out a little bit.
--Olivia
That'
- Location:My Home Office
- Mood:
thoughtful - Music:The Clash
How have the ways you used the Internet changed over the years? How did you use it ten or fifteen years ago compared to how you use it now? |
Well, I was an early adapter to the Internet -- using e-mail back when I was in college. 'Course, back then everything was text, but that wasn't a bad thing. Some of those early services like Listservs (now almost exclusively Yahoo Lists), Fanfic Net, various forums, etc are still around.
I think the biggest changes have been two-fold: Social Networking (AKA Web 2.0 or anything defined by User-generated content) such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and LifeJournal; and second - how I access stuff (I use my 3G-enabled Web OS Phone for an awful lot these days).
Social Networking is great because it allows you to keep up with friends, family, and acquiantences quickly as well as following news (iGoogle is great for that) or favorite celebs/causes/etc. 'Course, it can also get to be too much, and become a timesink - esp. the games on Facebook. And when it's not working right - that becomes a real bummer. I actually find I use Facebook and LiveJournal differently (tho' I do cross post stuff). Facebook I use for quick updates to friends, family, and people I know from work. LiveJournal is still where I feed my creative side when I have time -- posting about the fic I've posted to Fanfic Net (or other sites), write DVD and movie reviews, post my monthly Music Memes when I remember, and to be honest complain about "Life Stuff" I didn't dare post to Facebook where my boss could read it (since I no longer have a job at that particular place it's not as much of an issue).
Accessing the Internet from my phone is great! I have a Palm Pre, so it more or less runs off the Internet (which means I can read Fanfic Net wherever I am). But I actually get frustrated by websites that I can't view on my phone (no flash for example), like for example, I can't sign into Live Journal from my Pre (or Fanfic Net, for that matter - I can read stuff, but I can't post reviews, use storymarks, etc). But this morning, I checked my e-mail (both accounts), posted to Facebook, read the top status updates, checked the weather for my area at NOAA's website, and read a blog -- all from my phone while drinking my morning coffee on the sofa in the living room. I love that type of access!!! ('Specially since my main computer has dial-up, the Gateway has no Internet access at all, and the LapTop only gets Internet access in free Wi-Fi spots).
In some ways, I occasionally get nostalgic for the "old days" on-line -- when it was mostly college students, computer geeks, and media fans -- rather than now when everyone is on-line, but overall I think the progress made Internet-wise has been a good thing.
Now if I could just got high-speed at home!
--Olivia
- Location:my home office
- Mood: thoughtful
- Music:Cyndi Lauper
CHECK IT OUT!
--Olivia
Op-Ed: Tornado Scientist Risks Life for Ph.D. | Wired Science | Wired.com
- Location:my home office
- Mood:
okay - Music:nada
A brillian music vid -- with a lot of story behind it (and no, I didn't make this - I just found it). The music is "Banned from Argo", the original edition performed by Leslie Fish. Leslie Fish practically invented filking (the folk songs of SF and Media fandom, especially for Fish for Star Trek) - along with Julia Ecklar, another brilliant filker. "Banned from Argo" is a humorous song, gently poking fun at Star Trek (classic). This vid, tho' a little on the risque side (as is the song) has brilliant editing, and is just plain fun. It's Torchwood - so it includes a bit of Jack/Ianto, Jack/everyone and anyone - but not too much. Scenes are from Torchwood series 1 and Doctor Who series 1. Enjoy!
YouTube - Torchwood - Banned from Argo (fanvid)
- Location:My home office
- Mood: cheerful
- Music:nada
Hi all (esp. Nea) --
Conservatives led the charge in not only ruining America's world-wide stand in scientific evolution, but now CENSOR films that even MENTION evolution. I personally resent the idea that I can't even go to see a biopic about Darwin starring the wonderful Paul Bettany (Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World) because of a tiny minority of people who think they can control what the rest of us think, read, and watch. Please read the attached. --JM
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/c
- Location:Chicago
- Mood:busy
- Music:nada
Well, I started off earlier this morning, and it really helped the whole day flow better. I took the 8:12am (yep, MORNING) Metra train downtown to Union Station. Made my way through the station and took a cab to the Shedd Aquarium. Now, I might have been better off taking the CTA buses today - because it would have been a shorter ride, plus there were extra buses on because of 'da Bears game -- but I didn't *know* that would happen. And I did get to the museum a lot faster, about half an hour (an hour tops), after they opened. But the cab cost me $10.00. And the cab was more relaxing.
And I actually got to see the entire aquarium, including the dolphins, sea otters, and the Begula Whales. When my cab dropped me off I actually went in the handicaped entrance by mistake. But I got in right away because I already had my CityPass (I highly, highly recommend getting one if you go to Chicago). When I entered I was right near the Amazon Rising exhibit - so I spent a lot of time in there, reading the cards and looking at the various fish. I also saw some amazing bright blue poisonous frogs! They were like electric blue, amazing! And I went through the Local Waters/Great Lakes exhibit (very cool - to see swimming, fish I'd only heard of or seen on menus). They also had some amazing sturgeon, which went well with the Omnimax movie I'd seen yesterday at the Museum of Science and Industry. I saw the Oceans exhibit, the rivers exhibit, and the Wild Reaf Exhibit which was very cool -- they had a big round tank, and it was filled with all sorts of fish, sharks, and rays, and I got some great shots with my cameraphone (or I least I hope so if they come out). I also saw the Carribean Reaf exhibit. And I saw the other fish and sea anomes and such in their smaller exhibits. (Yes, basically I looked at fish all day). Pretty much saw the entire aquarium. I also walked down the Sea Otter Trail - saw the sea otters, the dolphins, and the Begula whales -- who were being fed. Later in the day, I happened across their animal show about how they train the animals - and saw flights of a male and female Red Tail Hawk, the Begulas exhibiting cool behaviors (like floating on their backs and spitting water on command - actually a food technique in the wild. And spinning, and showing their side fin (waving)). And very cool dolphin stuff. I didn't really get any pictures of the show tho' 'cause I was very high up and in the back. Just before leaving, when I was actually ready to walk out I found the "4-D" theatre. And remembering that my CityPass ticket included one show - I went to see "Pole to Pole" a shortened "4-D" version - from the BBC Series Planet Earth. 4-D had you wearing special glasses (which did fit over my glasses), and sprayed a small amount of water on you, and you felt wind, the seat shook and they even had the seat poke you in the back (that part I didn't like, since I woke up this morning with a sore back). The experience started with a short film/advertisement of the 4-D experience that was awesome! The stuff on the screen really did leap out at you and hover in mid-air, and they had lava and water spray and a stick coming at you - all sorts of stuff. The "Pole to Pole", mostly about Emperor Penguins (remember Happy Feet?), and polor bears, tho' they also got into elephant and water buffalo migrations in Africa. At times tho', as stuff happened on the screen you felt wind on you face or a light spray of water -- just the thing at the end of a long day in a museum. The only problem was the film was very short! But it was fun. I also really enjoyed the Shedd - it was pretty quiet most of the time I was there, and I find looking at fish to be relaxing (plus marine mammals of course). Oh, I also got into "Deep Ocean", where you can look at the dolphins and sea otters from an underwater pespective. Saw penguins too -- then discovered I was in a "closed for renovations" section (opps) and apologised profusely to an employee. I was embarrassed. First I said, "opps, I think I've wandered someplace I'm not supposed to be - I got lost." And I did explain I took the elevator. All I had been looking for at that point was the food court. BTW - nice restaurant in the Shedd, overlooks Lake Michigan so you can watch the sail and power boats and the joggers and bikers on the trail along the Lake -- but their hours for serving food were NOT good. (And the food court was closed for some reason).
After leaving the Shedd, I wanted to take a taxi to the Hancock Building (I did not feel like negotiating the buses again after the previous day - plus I didn't buy a CTA pass that day). But, the Bears were playing at Soldier Field -- so they weren't allowing taxis down to the stand in front of the Shedd. I ended-up walking to the Field Museum and then Soldier Field, which granted wasn't that far, but still - it felt far when I'd been walking all day. When I got to Soldier field there were people all OVER the place, and three Chicago police officers on horses (Yep, in uniforms, on *horses*) for crowd control. Now, I have seen cops on horses before - the city of Milwaukee had "mounties" on a regular route in downtown - for urban safety and crowd control. And, believe me, a 6-foot cop on a 16-hand horse is definitely intimidating! And I saw this guy asking the cops for directions. A also saw a foreign family taking pictures of the cops (and horses) and one even petting one of the horses's nose. (I couldn't BELIEVE that!) Anyway, since the other guy had asked for directions, I figured it would be OK for me to ask where to get a cab. The cop pointed just down the way a bit and told me that if the cab driver allowed me to I could get in when someone else got out. But she was nice about it. I just hadn't looked down enough or I would have spotted the loop of taxis myself. My taxi ride went right along Lake Shore Blvd -- very pretty. It was a gorgeous view of Lake Michigan. I also went right past Buckingham Fountain while it was in full flow mode - beautiful! The Hancock, while not as tall as the Sear Tower Building, was nice -- great views (absolutely GREAT views - I recommend it), and had a nice little guided tour on a Ipod-like device narrated by David Schwimmer (Chicago native who was in Friends). The only problem was mine, which conveniently hung on a lanyard, kept skipping, which wasn't convenient. My citypass allowed me fast pass access (no waiting in line) the audio guide and a free coffee. While I was there (fortunately after I'd walked around the entire building, looking out the windows and listening to the audio tour) the mist rolled in. It was like this white mist was eating the city, as the view slowly disappeared. Finally, the Sears Tower disappeared. It rained, then it cleared up. I walked through the open-air skywalk (very cool and damp tho'), then left. I ended-up paying cash for a bus to Union Station (straight shot, which was nice), and that went past some great Chicago landmarks -- the water pumping station (one of the few buildings to survive the fire), the Chicago Tribune Building (which looks like a castle on top), the stores of the Magnificent Mile, the Art Institute of Chicago, a huge Whistler Statute (you know that really dour painting of the farmer with pitchfork and his wife -- life size, color, statute), a Calder sculpture, a fountain that looks like a square silver thing with water falling down it in sheets. It was cool -- almost like being on a tour bus. Because of the rain and fog I didn't do the Sears Tower - cause I knew I wouldn't be able to see anything.
I did miss the 4:30pm train back -- and there was no 5:30pm train, so I had dinner at Union Station, in the food court and then had to sit and wait around for awhile for my train. Fortunately, I had a book in my purse to read. When I arrived in Schaumburg -- not only did I have to wait for the taxi I'd called from the train, but the driver couldn't figure out where he was going so I ended-up having to pay twice the fare I should have.
I finally arrived back at my hotel about 8pm. But it was a great day! I enjoyed it. And the Shedd is great - I always find it relaxing and cool to look at the fish. The new Oceanarium is also gorgeous!
--Olivia
- Location:Chicago
- Mood: good
- Music:nada
Well, today is Saturday - so I didn't have class and I got to explore downtown. I'm staying in Roselle, IL, near Schaumburg, which is way, way west of downtown. And I sure as heck didn't want to drive downtown (esp. in the Loop). I had printed out maps and schedules from Metra (Chicago Suburban Commuter Rail), and I've used Metra before, tho' it was about a year ago - so, I was all set there. Also, they had a special weekend pass rate - $5.00 for unlimited Sat/Sun rides. Now, considering that a one-way fare from Schaumburg to Downtown (Union Station) is $4.95 -- this was quite a deal. And I love Metra -- it's so easy, you just get on the train and go - nice and relaxing. I even read a book while I was on the train. (Not one of my textbooks -- those are way too heavy to lug around). I arrived in Union Station -- and yep, just as BIG and confusing as I remembered. Chicago Union Station is huge -- and both Metra and Amtrak trains go into there. And, a bit of trivia, part of the movie "The Untouchables" (Sean Connery, and I think Kevin Costner) was filmed there -- the gorgeous marble grand hall is still there and still really impressive. And I actually was in it today when I went to catch my return train. But I'm getting ahead of myself. So I get to this big confusing place and I'm actually trying to find info how how to get to the Museum of Science and Industry. I ended-up leaving the station, walking across the street to the CVS Pharmacy to buy a 1-day CTA pass ($5.95 -- so MORE than Metra). From there it was a little confusing (complicated by my inability to figure out basic directions in downtown Chicago). I ended-up taking TWO buses to get to the museum, with a 45-minute wait for the one (#10 - I wouldn't recommend it). On the return trip, I took a different bus downtown, had to wait about 20 minutes for my transfer and took the same E-W bus I has started out on earlier. I have now used the CTA on my own without any major disasters. Yeah!
At the Museum of Science and Industry I bought my CityPass ($69.00 for 5 attractions - MSI, The Field, The Shedd Aquarium, The Adler Planetarium, and either the Hancock or the Sears Tower -- plus discounts, coupons, VIP extras, very nice -- and basically if you go to two or more attractions - it's paid for itself). But, I was very disappointed -- I wasn't able to go to the Harry Potter Exhibit -- it was sold out. I still really enjoyed the Museum. I saw the Lego Architecture Exhibit, the Space Center -- with lots of collection pieces on loan from the Smithsonian -- including an actual Apollo space capsule. Plus the exhibit explored the entire history of the space race -- the Gemini, Mercury, Apollo and shuttle/international space station missions. It also talked about planned future missions including an return to the moon and a manned mission to Mars. I saw the model train set of Chicago -- that includes "The Train Story" -- trains going all the way to Seattle -- with model buildings, boats, etc. It was the most awesome thing! They also had a miniature circus - with moving parts. And I saw this thing that was amazing -- it was actually a giant pinpall machine -- and was made as an advertisement of Swizerland Tourism. It was called "A Tour of Switzerland" and was probably 10 or 12 feet wide and 8 to 10 feet tall. There was a large ball-bearing that went through the whole maze -- up a cable car, across trains, up and down ramps, on a boat trip, it was just cool! I saw the Tech Agriculture Exhibit - which was highly interactive and kinda' set-up for kids. My included OmniMax (Dome) Theatre show at no extra cost with the CityPass was "Mysteries of the Great Lakes". It was a Canadian-made film that touched on a lot of topics but mostly focused on Sturgeon (a hugh pre-historic fish) that they are trying to protect and re-introduce to the lakes. Many environmental topics were covered -- from Bald Eagles to Invasive Species. They also mentioned Great Lakes Ship wrecks (including the famous Edmund Fitzgerald). The flying shots were cool - and as always in Omnimax shows it felt like you were really flying in an helicopter. The film began with a brief explanation of how the Fresh Water Lakes were left behind at the end of the Ice Age. Ontario Hydro power was also mentioned as well as the large number of people living near the Lakes. (My user pic for this journal entry is of our first Newfoundland dog, Simon, sitting in the water of Lake Huron -- it's a small bay though, called St. Martin's Bay.)
Getting back was another CTA adventure (tho' not as bad as the morning). I got off the second bus right at Union Station, walked through the Grand Hall (on the old side of Union Station at Canal and Adams), walked up to the Metra ticket people to find out where my train was (I already had my ticket). The Metra guy was very nice, but he told me "Track 11 it leaves in 6 minutes". I BOOKED -- I went (after a bit of directions) right around the corner, walked, quickly to the track, which was towards the other end, walked into the platform area (the train was already there), and finally made it onto the train. But I made it.
Overall, I had a great day -- and the Museum was great! I'm a bit disappointed that I missed Harry Potter tho.
Anyway, it was fun. Tomorrow the Shedd!
--Olivia
- Location:Chicago
- Mood: tired
- Music:The Proclaimers
Everyone's doing this meme.
My username is: Olivia_Sutton -- I joined LJs when *Torchwood* had just started – and I was desperately seeking fanfic. I found some good communities here on LJs and was reading fics, but needed an account to leave comments. So, I created an acct with my fanfic net pseudonym. The name itself also has its own story. “Olivia” is actually my real middle name. “Sutton” is a misspelling of my Grandmother’s maiden name. I use her name to honor her (she was a British War Bride and a pretty cool person in her own right) and the misspelling keeps it safe (eg no identity theft – even tho’ it comes from my grandmother). Suffice it to say – I spelled what I thought I heard. I was off – by a lot. The same name without the underscore and with a space is my pen name for www.fanfiction.net
My journal name is: “Olivia Sutton’s Fanfic Journal” – I originally started it as a way to encourage myself to write more fanfic, and so I could join communities and comment on fic (and vids). I now use my journal for a bit of everything – so it’s more like a paper diary. When I write a new fanfic, tho’, I do put a link on my Journal – and I update my fannish resume once or twice a year and post it to my journal. I’m also a fan of film and of DVDs (including TV-on-DVD) so I post a lot of reviews to my journal: DVD sets, movies, books, even music occasionally. Generally, if I like something I’ll review it and post the review – hopefully readers of my reviews will like it too!
I got this from:
My username is: ![[info]](file:///C:/Users/Margaret/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.gif){kind=small}
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almightychrissy. Stop me if you think that you've heard this one before. Back in the day, the day in this case being roughly ten years ago, I was strictly "Chris" online. I did not want to be called Chrissy. My friend Nathan wanted to call me Chrissy. I told him if he wanted to do so, he needed to append the title "Almighty." He did, and it stuck.
My journal name is: the mapmaking sort of cartographer. One of my favorite video game characters is Wally from Monkey Island. He explains his profession in this manner.
My default userpic: Gets changed regularly. I just changed it to “I [heart] British Accents” because I’m a big fan of British TV.
I had more computer training. I fine in the morning, but we break for lunch at noon, and the afternoon is a bit of a tough slog. Usually about 3pm I get not just tired, but I feel like my brain can’t absorb anything else. Unfortunately we go ‘til 5pm. But I’m enjoying Chicago!
--Olivia
- Location:Chicago
- Mood: good
- Music:Love Shack
Well, I made it to Chicago, my hotel and the training center. Finished day two of training and things are going pretty well. And the weather's been gorgeous! Sunny and warm which is unusual for Chicago.
Sunday I drove from Michigan, where I live to Chicago, well, the suburbs, well - Roselle. There was construction on I-196 (Near where I live) but other than that, most of the trip was construction-free -- this was a big improvement over last month's trip to Milwaukee (Wisconsin) where Mom and I hit construction in every state we went through. I did have a little trouble finding the hotel, but I did make it - eventually. And boy was it nice to have a good swim in the hotel pool - not to mention the whirlpool. :-)
Monday the hotel was supposed to shuttle me to the computer training facility. There was an emergency in the hotel - I had to give up my elevator to two paramedics with a guy on a gurney. (Not that I minded of course). I think he had (or thought he had a heart attack). Anyway, this meant there was a police car, firetruck, and ambulance kinda' blocking the hotel shuttle bus. BUT the hotel had already called me a cab, so that was OK. And I didn't have to pay the cab fare - the hotel paid it. But the cabbie got lost!!! Now, a big part of using cabs in an unfamiliar area is because you have no idea where you are going -- and my cab driver had no idea either! First, he asks another car on the street (always a bad idea), then he pulls into a parking lot at a strip mall - gets OUT of the cab - and starts trying to find someone to get directions, I guess. So, by then, I'm running late, so I call the training facility to tell them I'm on my way -- but the cab driver's lost. And I ended-up getting directions (we were on the right street - the cabbie just didn't go down far enough) and handing my cell phone to the cab driver so he could listen to the directions. After that, we got there fairly easily.
The actual training on Monday went pretty easily - long, but things really did make a lot of sense. Oh, yes, and I got another nice swim in.
Today I actually had a shuttle bus in the morning. In the evening, they sent a cab -- and the driver was a bit of an idiot -- I kept telling him he had to go to the side of the hotel (it's on a corner - so the "front" faces the side/cross street -- and you can't get IN that way because it's a divided boulevard -- but if you come in from the building's "side" you can take the drive to the side (really the front) which is where the DOOR is to lobby and stuff. I know, sounds confusing -- the driver was even more confused, and pulled up to the side - where you can't get in, so I had to walk around the building, hauling my backpack. Still, it was nice out - so not bad.
Training again went well.
--Olivia
- Location:Chicago
- Mood: happy
- Music:Paint it Black
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afBk
- Location:Chicago!!!!
- Mood: happy
- Music:nada
The BEST Doctor Who fan-made music vids on the 'Net!!!! I particularly recommend "The Master Tribute", the 10th doctor tribute to "Fate's Wide Wheel" (I'd love to know who performs that song tho'), "Every Doctor Who Story 1963-2008" (the music/dialogue/ visual episode guide -- it's terrific!) and his "New Who" vid. If you like "Doctor Who" check it out! - Olivia
YouTube - BabelColour's Channel
- Location:my home office
- Mood:awake
- Music:nada at the moment
Be sure to read the ENTIRE article. Excellent sum up with facts and figures of WHY Health Care Reform is NEEDED and provening the various Republican and Conservative lies are lies.
It is further interesting to note that after YEARS of being against health care reform because the AARP found it inconceivable that someone could be under 65 and have a serious health condition and NOT have insurance - the AARP reversed itself and came out in FAVOR of National Health Care and in FAVOR of the Obama plan largely due to millions of senior citizens who who suddenly without health care because their employers pulled retiree benefits to make the employer more profitable. It other words - American Employers screwed-over loyal employees so their fat cats could be even richer.
But read the article.
Tackling Myths, Lies About Health Care Reform and Older Americans to Get to the Truth - AARP Bulletin Today
Olivia
- Location:My Home Office
- Mood:busy
- Music:Misc
DVD Review Star Trek (The Original Series) Season 2
By Olivia Sutton
DVD Specs
Technical Aspects: 8 discs, Episodes per discs varies from 2 - 4. Most discs have 4.
Number of Episodes: 26
Special Features: Many, including preview trailers of all episodes. Also includes the Star Trek: The Animated Series episode "More Tribbles, More Troubles" and the Star Trek: Deep Space 9 episode "Trials and Tribble-ations"
In my review for Star Trek Season 1, I forgot to mention the case design. The case design is cute - I dislike cute cases. Collectible cases look nice in a store but they are annoying to say the least when trying to put the DVDs on your shelves, alphabetically, with everything else you have. Most of my fancy DVD cases end-up getting displayed somewhere else - then I put either the internal cases on my shelves by themselves or the DVDs reorganized into plastic 2-sided slimline cases on my shelves instead. The Star Trek cases look like the transporter room and are hard, clear plastic. The case is split in half, and you fold it down to get to the paper insert, which is the size of a CD case. That's right a CD case, not the normal DVD size. Inside the paper insert (tilted sideways) is another plastic case, glued on one side that flips open like a book with a DVD on each "page". If you've ever seen the CSI box sets - it's like that, but CD size. Well, at least they didn't over-lap the discs! However, I discovered when I went to put Star Trek on my shelves where it would belong, alphabetically, between Stargate: Atlantis and Supernatural -- that because the cases are so short it just doesn't look right. Everything's basically the same height, then, opps, drop down, there's Star Trek. So, for the moment the three separate season sets are back on my "new acquisitions" shelf - despite my having watched all of them. The second annoying thing about the DVDs is that they are silver on both sides - no labels, pictures, etc. OK, this is an esthetic issue, but still - for something as expensive as Star Trek I was really expecting, and looking forward to nice portraits of the cast on the DVDs. Season 1 was DVD on one side and HD-DVD on the other so that explains it for season one, but I expected it to be different for Season 2.
OK, on to the review. Yep, the restoration work on Star Trek is still beautiful and the Technicolor colors really pop! The episodes truly do look gorgeous!
Many Star Trek connoisseurs consider Season Two to be the best season of Star Trek, and that very well may be true - having just watched all of it in just a couple of months. Season two dumps Yeoman Janice Rand - a character that, despite Grace Lee Whitney's excellent performance never really fit in - and adds Ensign Pavel Chekov - who's adorable. However, if you pay close attention, Chekov and Sulu never seem to be in the same episode in Season 2. It's like they were working opposite shifts!
Excellent episodes from Season Two
"Amok Time" -- Vulcans are like salmons - Who knew? Actually, this episode, which opens the season, is quite possibly the BEST Star Trek episode ever (Though "City on the Edge of Forever" could also be nominated for that honor). What makes the episode really work is the way it shows the friendship between Kirk, Spock, and McCoy -- which was the core of TOS anyway. And who can forget the famous last scene - just the expression on Spock's face is priceless.
"Journey to
"Mirror, Mirror" -- A classic, and I do mean, classic SF plot, that's executed with perfection and extremely well-written.
"The Trouble with Tribbles" -- A Star Trek episode that even non-aficionados know, and Star Trek's first attempt at humor (and a very successful attempt too!). Shatner gets to play to one of his strengths - light-hearted drama.
"A Piece of the Action" -- Another very, very funny Star Trek episode that actually also works in a SF context. And, I must mention something from the extra features - in a discussion of "Trials and Tribble-ations" the creators of DS9 said that they originally were considering going back to the planet in "A Piece of the Action" - only to have it be the planet of the TOS-style Star Trek fans. My first thought was - "Wait a minute - that's Galaxy Quest!" and my second was, "Oh man,
Honorable Mention
"The Doomsday Machine"
"I, Mudd"
"Wolf in the Fold" -- OK, parts of it are almost silly - but at least it focuses on Scotty!
"The Immunity Syndrome"
"Patterns of Force" -- The interaction between Spock and Kirk in this one is particularly good.
"Bread and Circuses" -- The interaction between Spock and McCoy is very good in this. Unfortunately, Uhura's revelation at the end sounds too much like The Twilight Zone and not at all like Star Trek.
"Assignment: Earth" -- Meant as a pilot - for a show that unfortunately never happened, it has an excellent cast and really good plot. Only moves from excellent to honorable mention because as a proto-pilot the
Still, if you are only going to buy one season of Star Trek (The Original Series) buy this one. You'll miss some great episodes - but you will also get some of Star Trek's finest moments.
- Location:My Home Office
- Mood: good
- Music:Balancing Man, Jen Cass
A few quick updates. Sorry to be out of touch -- it's been end-of-term madness, and I was out of town last weekend, and now I'm planning a business trip to Chicago, so it's been nuts. So, it random order.
Friday was my last day at ITT Tech. As far as I'm concerned I no longer work there, I have no hours, I'm not getting paychecks, it's "done and dusted" as the British say. But, seriously, considering how stressful and hostile the place had become in the last few months I think I'm probably better off. I'm a bit worried about how I'll get through the next few months, but well, to go with another quote, "Tomorrow is another day" (Scarlett O'Hara).
The steps I have taken are: I'm definitely going to go ahead and get SQL Server 2008 certified. I'm doing a two-week bootcamp at an approved Microsoft school in Chicago. Well, Schaumburg. Well, Bloomingdale. But NW Chicago suburbs. I checked out the three recommended hotels today, and found the one I want (suite hotel, in-room kitchenette with microwave, coffeemaker and fridge, free breakfast, pool, etc). And, it's not the most expensive of the three hotels. I also got a Metra rail map, found which Iine I'd probably use to get to downtown from the Roselle/Schaumburg area, AND found out I can get a $5.00 weekend Metra pass that's good for any number of rides. (Considering a normal one-way fare, if I calculated it right is $4.75 that's a deal). AND I discovered the Citypass (5 Chicago attractions for $70.00 is good for 9 days) I'm planning on treating myself to a weekend in Chicago, of city stuff - including the Museum of Science and Industry (and its special Harry Potter Exhibit), the Schedd Aquarium (the ocean/dolphin exhibit is back!) and the Hancock Observation Deck (I've been to the Sears Tower, but never the Hancock), plus the Citypass includes the Adler Planetarium and the Field Museum. I might get to the Adler. I doubt I'll make it to the Field. Tho' the pass is good for 9 days so if I use it the Saturday of the weekend between the two training weeks, it will still be good the Saturday after. And hopefully, some of those museums will be open on Sunday.
The training should be grueling. Week 1 is 5-days to get my MCTS: Database Developer on SQL Server 3008 and MCTS: Database Admin on SQL Server 2008. Week 2 (assuming I pass the exams for the MCTS) is my MCITP Database Admin on SQL Server 2008 and MCITP Database Developer on SQL Server 2008. The MCTS is like a Bachelor's level, and the MCITP is like a Master's level. And I'm doing this in 10 days. Eeep! But I already know a lot of SQL, I've taught database design, development, etc, and I've taken one Microsoft SQL course already (albeit an old one): Querying Microsoft SQL Server 2000 with Transact-SQL.
Phones-- yeah, I know, abrupt shift in topic. I did go out and get a new cell phone, before I found out I lost my job. It's a Palm Pre (touch screen with a Web OS). And I've discovered a fabulous new vice -- reading fanfic on my Palm in bed, on the sofa, or even in my car in the parking lot at work. I can actually pull up fanfic net right on my phone. I've tried pulling up Live Journal and I can get to my acct, but I can't post. I found the link for the Livejournal app tho' - so I'm going to try that. Also, because it is a Palm, it's like my old, old Handspring (with the Palm os), it has all these really nifty apps that help keep you organized. And, I can (and have) downloaded Excel spreadsheets and Word docs (OK, more fanfic) right to my phone. Facebook's on there, and so is Linked In.
Last weekend, I went on a trip to Milwaukee, Wisconsin with my Mom. We'd been planning this all summer. We were to leave the day after I found out my job was gone, but Mom encouraged me to go anyways. I'm glad I did - I had a marvelous time! We went to the Irish Fest - largest in the US, which runs Thursday to Sunday, tho' we were only there for Saturday. Still we had fun. I got to get some Ceille Dancing in. It's Irish social dance or folk dance (NOT step dancing - like River Dance). It a lot of ways, it's like American Square Dancing, except you're not always dancing in a square. Sometimes it's a circle, sometimes it's two couples, sometimes it's two rows of three, and sometimes it is the more traditional four couples. Or, there's likes like the bonfire dance - which is everybody in a big circle, or a long line of couples like the Haymaker's Jig. Trust me, it's a lot of fun. But it takes some stamina in a hot canvas tent in August -- even on the Lake Michigan shore with a breeze.
The weather was lovely - a bit warm, but not so much so that you were like dying from the heat. And if you did get too warm -- there was a really nice cool breeze coming off the lake, so you just moved closer to it and sat on a bench and relaxed for a bit.
We also saw DRUM! -- which was like a show -- it told the history of Nova Scotia in music, through four cultures: Native, African, Irish, and Acadian (French). It was AWESOME!!!!
We (Mom and I) also saw the Red Hot Chili Pipers. Yes, Pipers - not a typo. They're a "bag rock" band from Scotland. Basically, although they do some traditional Scottish pipe tunes -- most of their music and the show is very loud covers of great rock songs. And what showmanship! At one point the two traditional drummers were tossing their drumsticks back and forth - and still keeping time on the drums! The three bagpipers were tilting and moving their bagpipes. One even played the bagpipes laying on the ground. IT WAS AWESOME! Unfortunately, no lyrics -- everything was instrumental - but still, great band.
So it was a good trip -- even tho' getting thru' Chicago, to Milwaukee, was awful because of the construction (or destruction) of the roads. We hit construction in four states - Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin.
Take care,
--Olivia
- Location:My home office
- Mood: good
- Music:nada at the moment
Well, I was supposed to have a Saturday morning Database class for next term but when I got to work today, I found an e-mail stating it had been moved to Mondays and given to a full-time instructor (like what full time instructor? We don't have a whole lot of them.) Also, I had no class to teach at all for the next term. So, I'm SOL - I basically have no job.
Now, work was really getting on my nerves, especially being constantly attacked for being a Liberal Democrat in our small-time conservative town. But, pardon me, I don't think it's fair to be out and out ATTACKED at work by morons -- and then told if you respond to their baiting YOU'RE at fault, y'know? Not, that that happened, exactly, in so many words, but I kept getting into arguments with poorly informed idiots about health care etc. (I'm for National Health Care -- it is the ONLY way I'll get insurance).
In a way, it's kinda' a relief -- it's happened, the job is gone (and I wasn't fired, I just have no hours for next term, and this is the second time I haven't had a class to teach in the past three terms), and I can get on with other things. I'm concentrating on getting Microsoft SQL Server 2008 certified.
Take care all (I'll probably be more active on here, now that I'll be less busy).
--Olivia
- Location:My home office
- Mood:
depressed - Music:nada at the moment
DVD Review and Comments on Star Trek (the Original Series) Fully Remastered Edition
Technical Aspects: Season One - 10 discs, 29 episodes, 3 per disc
Special Features: Many, including preview trailers of all episodes.
My first comment is WOW -- oh, wow -- Star Trek has never looked so good! The original series must have been filmed in Technicolor because it looks absolutely fantastic! The bright primary colors of the uniforms really, really pop, especially the blues and reds. But consistently, every frame of every first season story looks good. The restoration work going into the set must have been immense - and it looks better than even The Man from UNCLE (which had some flaws and artifacts).
If only all DVDs, especially TV DVDs had such excellent restoration. The Technicolor look is worthy of the Errol Flynn and Olivia deHaviland's The Adventures of Robin Hood, Gene Kelly's Singin' in the Rain, or Judy Garland's The Wizard of Oz. Which just goes to show how truly beautiful Technicolor really was -- especially when properly restored. The other technical notion is that Star Trek, though filmed and filmed in Technicolor at that, was filmed in 4:3 ratio - the only ratio available at the time, especially for TV (If you watch the fully restored films mentioned above you'll note they also are properly 4:3 ratio - not widescreen.)
I did have a technical problem with my set -- discs 3 and 4 did not play properly. "Miri" skipped horribly, as did the opening CBS logo and episode 1 of "The Menagerie". I didn't check Episode 2 of "The Menagerie", because by then I knew I'd have to exchange the discs. I called Amazon (from whom I purchased the entire 3-Season set) and found I could not simply return the bad discs. They wouldn't even accept exchanging Season 1. This is annoying. I have found before, especially with DVD sets with extremely large pressings, that sometimes you just get bad discs. The problem with exchanging an entire set is that you don't want to exchange 1:1 and take the chance that different discs are bad, if you follow me. I've watched all of Season 1 - and found no more errors, so when my replacement arrives I should be able to take discs 3 and 4 out of it, put them in my original set and send back the replacement. And I'll only have six episodes to check instead of 29.
First season of Star Trek is a bit uneven - I missed Ensign Chekhov greatly, and in some episodes major characters are completely missing (chiefly Scotty and Dr. McCoy, tho' Sulu also disappears occasionally, as does Nurse Christine Chapel). However, there are some classic episodes as well. "The Naked Time", "Dagger of the Mind", "Shore Leave", "Tomorrow is Yesterday", "Speed Seed", "This Side of Paradise", "The Devil in the Dark", "Errand of Mercy", "The City of the Edge of Forever", and "Operation - Annihilate!" are all first season episodes. Of these, certainly, "Devil in the Dark" and "The City on the Edge of Forever" were personal favorites of mine.
But with the release of the new Star Trek movie (which I absolutely loved!) and now my taking the time to re-watch classic Trek, well, in the words of
--Olivia
- Location:My Home Office
- Mood: good
- Music:Enter the Haggis
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