Today I am feeling: delirious 
Well, PBS must be mind readers or something cuz today I was flippin' channels on my tv (rather than stickin' it on the Discovery Channel like I usually do on weekends) and while flippin' I saw some thingie behind some people talkin' there was this big ol' sign thing that said "Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth" and I was like well *#&@* ^#%*@^!!! It was a pledge break and if I had been flippin' earlier or later I wouldn't have even noticed what they were showing! I have been tryin' to get a copy of that video from the library cuz I've been on a Joseph Campbell kick lately, reading his books and stuff. But the library won't let you reserve videos and half the copies are lost or checked out anyway. And it's too bloody expensive to buy on Amazon.com so I even resorted to bidding for it on ebay <ashamed> fortunately the bids got too high though, so my dignity was salvaged.
Now, if I was a religious person, I mighta prayed to some god to answer my prayer to find a copy of Power of Myth on video and then I would probably now be saying oh, see? There is a god, and he answered my prayer! But alas, I'm not, but yet my "prayer" was still answered, so whattya know? Of course, maybe "answered prayer" is really just the meeting of want or need with coincidence and belief.
[ 11:52:00 AM ]
Posted at the speed of blight by NONOBADKITTY!
Today I am feeling: elvish 
It seems imood.com is no more, or at least the little mood icons no longer appear so I have removed them from my blog, so now you will not know what my mood is muhahahaha. Well, not unless I tell you in my blog. Kinda sucks though cuz now if I want a little picture with my mood I'm gonna have to make up a bunch more of them. The good news is I could add moods that imood didn't have, and I can just type in any old mood, like ... elvish!
Speaking of elves, yannow, I was thinkin' late last night (while watching one of those "special features" on the FOTR DVD) about elves, and how they said the elves symbolize beauty and wisdom and a connection to the earth and I was like damn no wonder I like elves, they're pagans! Hehe and they're magical and immortal too! And they have cute pointy ears and ... <cough> well, anyway, they also said that like the elves' days were coming to an end and they had to move on to the grey something or other and they were all bummed and stuff cuz they had to pass sorta the power of ruling the earth onto men. And I was like cool, that's like that Garden of Eden thing in the Bible where Adam and Eve are talkin' to a snake goddess chick and she's like ooh wanna be smart and they're like oh yeah cool, and so they eat this apple which is sorta representative of knowledge which really means technology. And it's symbolic of man's move from earth-based religions like paganism (which is like the female/nurturing/all life is equal stuff) to western religion like Judaism and Christianity where man is above all and has dominion over the planet and man can destroy the planet cuz like Jesus will restore it all when he comes back and so it's ok and stuff. And how man with his technology can control nature and stuff. And I was like, well, gee, no wonder the elves are bummed! I would be too! So now I like elves even more. And I realize even more the Bible is just like Tolkien, only older. <veg> Well, maybe not just like Tolkien, I think Tolkien writes better fantasy. ;)
[ 11:28:00 PM ]
Posted at the speed of blight by NONOBADKITTY!
Frumius' Adventures in Haven
Frumius Licewing and his newly coiffed and snowy-dyed pony Luna engage in the Onion Cleansing Ritual, attempting to summon the Goddess of Onions, whose cleansing of spirits will help them in their quest for mastery of fire (camping) and revelation (spirit speak).
All Ultima Online screenshots © Origin Systems, Inc. and Electronic Arts
[ 10:42:00 PM ]
Posted at the speed of blight by NONOBADKITTY!
Ok, I have a gripe. What is it with college employees and the inability to use email? Today I got an email from the department I got my AA in (Information Systems) which was some dumb spam-like newsletter or something. I tried to open it but it wouldn't open, in fact, it locked up OE. So I'm thinking, sheesh, it's probably a virus or something (good thing I upgraded Norton last night, eh? But that was due to another little virus problem ... more on that later ....) Anyway, I restarted OE and looked to see who the email came from (despite the 'from' thing at the top of the email I know better than to trust that, so I read headers) and I see that good grief, this person sent this same email to hundreds of other people! And didn't use the BCC: function (which means BLIND CARBON COPY which means the people you send it to can't see who else you sent it to, a handy feature for certain types of email. <evil grin>) Not only did this person (a staff member in the INFORMATION SYSTEMS DEPARTMENT) not use BCC, they didn't use the CC: function either, they used the To: line! The To: line! I didn't even know it supported that many outgoing addresses! Or maybe it doesn't and that's why it locked up on me. I copied and pasted all those emails into a file because I didn't wanna count how many there were, but the file is 78k. 78k! 18 pages!
Now, this is not the only time this little "I'm sorry I don't know how to use the BCC feature" problem has happened with a college employee. The other time was when I applied to a major state-operated university through their online application and got SPAM from the admissions office (which I had no idea I was signing up for by the way, I thought I was applying to the university and only applying to the university, but I went back and read the fine print and they did say they may "share" your email with relevant people, gimme a break.) This person also sent hundreds of emails out, with everyone's email address there plain as day for anyone to use for whatever nefarious purpose they wished. I wrote a little email back in that case though, explaining what BCC meant and how to use it. And then I cancelled my application to THAT school. Hehe. I didn't really wanna go there anyway, I just applied cuz I heard they're lame and I figured oooh lame, maybe they won't enforce those pesky general education requirements for admission (but they do so I couldn't have gone there anyway.)
I would think that a college campus would make sure people know how to use email before they hire people. I know they don't, partly from my experiences dealing with these people, and partly because my dad used to work for a major state-owned university system and he claimed he didn't know how to use email (now, he was hired decades before email existed on campus, so he's partially excused I guess.) It makes me wonder though, how many other employees/teachers dunno how to use it, cuz a few of them put their email address on their syllabus but if you write to them they seemingly ignore it (and often claim, at least in the case of the community college I attended, that they never got it, which was often true because the people who configured the school network didn't know wtf they were doing and I can personally attest to that because I found, more than once, that I, a lowly student, had admin privileges on the school's Windows 2000-based network <evil wicked nefarious grin> and can only assume so did every other student in the department.)
Anyway, enough whining about spam in email, now let's whine about viruses in email!
I recently (as in, oh, yesterday) got into a beta test for a game that I signed up for months ago. Within minutes (yes, minutes) of joining the required "community" for beta testing, I got not one, but two viruses via email. I have never, ever, ever, to my knowledge, received a virus via email. I was using an email address for this community that I only use for this community and the game associated with it (this beta test is for a sequel to a game I already play.) The only other company who has this email address is my ISP. Thankfully, trusty ol' Norton Anti-Virus caught it both times. But I decided to upgrade my AV since the subscription was gonna run out at the end of the month, so I did, so now I'm using NAV 2002 woohoo! No more NAV1995 for me! Hehe just kidding. I was using NAV2001. I used to use McAfee but I got sick and tired of the BSODs (blue screens of death for those Mac and *nix users out there.) I have yet to get a BSOD using Norton. I did get a RSOD (red screen of death) many years ago when I used to use Norton Utilities to uhm ... <cough> "customize" software and Windows95 was not happy with that. After a couple of those I decided not to do that anymore. (For those of you who do not know what a RSOD is, it's like a BSOD, only instead of telling you your system has become unstable or that it's stopped responding or some other useless message, it actually halts the system! Yes! It means that you have violated the integrity of your operating system so badly that not only has a program gone haywire, but the operating system itself is totally and completely incapable of communicating with your hardware! It is a Very Bad Thing.)
Anyway, enough whining. Anyone wanna copy of klez? ;)
Oh, and in case you're wondering why I'm particularly bitchy today it's cuz I'm sick. Those damn FOTR elves made me sick! Uhm ... I mean ... I have a cold, I dunno where I got it from cuz I've been living as a virtual hermit since I'm not working or going to school, so I probably got it from some video store employee or some elf or something. Uhm ... wait ... elves ... don't ... exist .... Right? Hehe.
[ 7:01:00 PM ]
Posted at the speed of blight by NONOBADKITTY!
Wow a very big day today! I got my elf movie (which is absolutely gorgeous on DVD btw, at least on my computer, it almost looks 3D in spots, not sure how it'd look on tv I don't have a DVD player except on my computer.) And I got into some silly beta test for some game whose name I cannot mention. <grin> And it's also Mole night, the final Mole, the one where we find out that Elavia really is the Mole! Well, maybe not, but we find out who it is.
But also some very sad news today, Timmy the Living Doll is dead! <sob> I hardly ever watch soaps cuz they're stupid but the show Passions is sorta a spoof of soaps and it's very strange, so I watch it once in awhile. But I saw on the news that the actor who played Timmy died yesterday. So now the only reason to watch is the witch and she might die soon too cuz she's very old, I used to watch her on Nanny & the Professor when I was very little.
[ 1:51:00 PM ]
Posted at the speed of blight by NONOBADKITTY!
Little Frumius met someone named Puffina today in Moonglow's tailor shop who liked his name so much she took him on a tour of the only public outhouse on Sonoma! She gave him free reign to use it any time he needed, since he and his pony are homeless due to Lord Blackthorn's recent legislation barring citizens of the same family from ownership of more than one house (or something like that.)
On the way back to town after his visit, he found a pony whom he befriended, or should I say whom Luna befriended. Since Frumius felt bad that his pony is so loyal but so lonely, he allowed her new friend to tag along on their adventures. His name is Carbon and he is a lovely chestnut gelding.
[ 7:13:00 PM ]
Posted at the speed of blight by NONOBADKITTY!
Ok, I am annoyed. I tried to change the icons on my Windows™ desktop to something more appealing like skulls or cat faces or something, but I couldn't figure out how to do it! Grrr ... I *know* I used to be able to in older versions cuz I used to make custom icons so my computer looked like a Mac or a Linux box or something other than Windows™. But in ME it doesn't seem to work except on the start menu, but I wanna change the desktop ones. The odd thing is I *can* change the official Windows™ ones, like the recycle bin or that annoying IE icon <veg> but not other stuff.
Sheesh, so now I'm gonna have to hack it or something. Oh, wait I can't hack Windows™ it's against the EULA. I think. I guess I'll just have to use Linux all the time now or something. ;)
In other news, a friend told me about a cool website today to partially quell (or heighten, depending on your perception) my current Joseph Campbell obsession. I heard of JC (interesting initials, no?) a few years ago when I was on the staff of an online newspaper for a virtual world I was a participant in. One of the other staff members was obsessed with JC and wrote a few articles about JC's thoughts on mythology and such, and I like mythology so I checked a couple of his books out from the library. I think I also saw that tv series on PBS years ago "The Power of Myth" but I am not sure, I have only very vague memories of something like it that was interesting at the time. I've been trying to get a copy of the videos from the library to watch them to see if they look familiar. I do have the book and have read it but it doesn't seem very familiar so I dunno. Anyway, I'm currently unemployed and not in school for another 2 weeks, so I have a lot of time on my hands. And JC's stuff is right up my alley, if I hadn't already been corrupted (from a Christian point of view anyway) by my own ponderings and eastern philosophy & pagan thought, Joseph Campbell's work woulda done it. I also took a class last spring semester about the anthropology of religion which rekindled my interest. So, if any of you out there are rich and wanna help corrupt me further (and/or further my elf obsession), buy me stuff! Hehe.
[ 4:04:00 PM ]
Posted at the speed of blight by NONOBADKITTY!
<sarcasm> I had a fun day today. </sarcasm> I went to a major video chain store who shall remain nameless but whom you can probably figure out who it is by the details I am about to supply. I bought a 10 week video rental card a little over a week ago cuz it was a good deal: 1 rental a week for 10 weeks for $24.99 PLUS (and this is the real reason I bought it) you get a free copy of The Fellowship of the Rings when it comes out. Free elves! And rentals for $2.49 each instead of the usual outrageous $3.97.
Anyway, the terms of the card state clearly in black print on white on the reverse of the card that the "week" begins on Sunday and ends on Saturday, so, today being Sunday, I popped in for my weekly rental only to be told that uhm ... no ... you gotta wait until Tuesday because it's one week from the last time you rented (which was indeed Tuesday last.) Befuddled and confused, I stood there like an elf with only one name and after several long seconds said, "Uhm ... but last week I rented on a Saturday and then on a Tuesday, that's only 3 days, not 7 days, why can't I rent one today?" Now the confusion was on the other elf ... erm ... person, and they honestly did not know. So, after my explaining that if I waited a week I would lose a rental and only get 9 instead of 10 unless I rented on the same exact same day of the week every week since the card is a 10 week rental which implies 10 weeks from the day you first use it (this was WAY beyond them, btw, I felt like drawing a picture explaining how the 'week' gets pushed back each time you rent 'late' but I didn't).
Anyway, after whining and arguing with the clerk who didn't have the "authority" to override what the all-knowing computer said (despite the huge sign right over her head stating in bright yellow and blue that "Our store employees are empowered, authorized and expected to take care of you", which I found rather ironic and quite amusing and wishing I had my camera with me) she called the manager, who was conveniently hiding in the back room and didn't wanna come out. After much more whining, the manager finally agreed to override the problem AND to put a blinking (yes, blinking!) alert on my account so that if this unfortunate computer glitch should happen again next week, they were pre-authorized to override it and give me my damn free rental. She also gave me an EXTRA free rental, so that I can come back anytime from now until Saturday and get my "real" free rental on my card. Whee! So, remember, kiddies, the whiny customer gets the free rental.
After all this whining at Bloc ... erm ... the video store, I was hungry, so I mosied down the street to a major sandwich chain who shall remain nameless ... and there was, I kid you not, a line with 33 people in it! Apparently a children's soccer team had just lost badly and felt the need to feed every single person remotely involved, and of course, they all had to order their sandwiches individually. If I had not had such a major craving for jalapeno bread, I would have left. So, I decided, hmmm ... I need a couple things at the grocery store, maybe I'll do that and come back and see if the line is smaller, so I did ... and the line at the grocery store was almost as long. Grrrr ... but by the time I got back to Sub ... erm ... the sandwich store, there were only 6 people in front of me! Yay! And I had ice cream melting in the car! Hurry up! Hurry! The guy in front of me could not for the life of him decide what size sandwich he wanted ... actually he did know, he wanted "medium" but they only have "small" and "large". It would normally have been amusing but I had ice cream melting in the car hurry up! And yes, I know it's my own damn fault the ice cream was melting I shoulda known better than to buy it but it was Chunky Monkey! If you've ever had Chunky Monkey, you will understand. I hope.
Anyway, after my more than hour-long ordeal of video and munchie madness I finally made it home in one piece, mostly sane but not very amused by it all. But I guess it beats having to go out and hunt your food and make your own entertainment. And the jalapeno bread and Chunky Monkey were well worth the ordeal.
[ 2:44:00 PM ]
Posted at the speed of blight by NONOBADKITTY!
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