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Today's weight... 147.somethingorother My Theoretical DilemmaFor those of you following my theoretical dilemma at home... ( part 1) ( part 2) Thank you for writing to us at Amazon.com.
First let me apologize for any inconvenience caused. Please be assured that we are here to make things easier for you.
I've checked your order and found that you purchased "Ralph Marlin Art Series Guitar Strap, The Thinker" from Musician's Friend, one of our registered third-party sellers on Amazon Marketplace.
When making a purchase from an Amazon Marketplace or Merchant seller, it is important to note that your order is not being fulfilled by Amazon.com directly. Because of this, we are unable to send the replacement order for the Amazon Marketplace or Merchant order.
I'm sorry to learn that the item you received was not as described for order. In a case like this, we do ask that you first contact the seller to explain the situation and to make appropriate arrangements.
To contact the seller... OK, I KNOW I chose the bike lock order-- something wacky must have happened on the intarwebs. And it's clear that no actual human read my "complaint." How hard do I have to fight to return a $600 digital projector that a company (theoretically) sent to me in error? Seriously?
Sweet and Tasty Synth-popI don't usually pimp random adds, but the band ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) overloadromance seemingly added me randomly, and I think I'm in lurve with this Indonesian synth-pop group. Give 'em a listen! It's not the most complex or thought-provoking music... but the hooks are catchy as heck. I keep playing them over and over again. I can't decide which I want more... MP3s for my player, or English lyrics to Layang Layang. OK, MP3s. But I'd like the lyrics anyway.
I <3 CowonSpeaking of mp3 players, I just purchased one. It started innocently enough. Newegg sent me an ad for a pretty 4GB player that cost about $50. I was intrigued-- as much as I love my Cowon iAudio U2 (link goes to the 512kb version; the 1GB is apparently no longer available), it's several years old, and only holds 1GB of music... which was fine when I just used it to work out. But now that I can listen to music at work... it would be nice to have something that could hold a bit more music. Well, that offer for a $50 MP3 player got me to researching. Which is never a good thing. I'm a wicked-thorough researcher. And I finally decided that the music quality of everything I was looking at didn't even approach my old U2. So, I considered getting an 8GB Cowon D2. Newegg had it for an amazing price. And it has an SD slot, so it can be expanded with additional cards... but only to 4000/songs per card (the D2 has a file limitation on its media... besides, SD cards only go to 32GB by design according to the current specification). But then I figured, once upon a time, I thought 1GB would be more than enough room for me. Heck, Bill Gates thought back in 1981 that "640K ought to be enough for anybody" ...so it stands to reason that I might be happier with something even larger. So, I ordered a 16GB Cowon D2 and a 16GB SDHC card (the price of which has risen $5 since I ordered it!). That should be enough to hold all my music right now-- even the stuff I probably wouldn't load onto it. And if I really want to add more, I can always get more cards (ah, an expandable MP3 players-- what a beautimous idea!). Heck, I can take the SD card I have in my camera and throw a few episodes of South Park or whatever on it if I ever think I'm going to be stuck in an airport or something. The screen's small, but it does play video beautifully, I'm told. And the thing is, the D2 is customizable and has an active enthusiast following. You know how much I love to tinker with my gadgets. So I'm pretty psyched :) I nearly waited for Cowon's new offerings (the ubersexy S9 and D2-on-steroids O2) to be released in November, but they don't really suit my needs like the D2 does. I don't need a massive screen, I do need great portability and superb battery life. So the D2 it is. I believe it's scheduled to arrive Tuesday.
columbinusI saw a high school production of columbinus tonight... and was amazed. Not only by the quality of the performance, but by the simple fact that the director, who's a friend of mine, managed to get it produced. Some art is fluff, but the best art is challenging, and this particular piece is challenging to both its performers and its audience. It is graphic in both language and subject matter. If you get the chance to see columbinus, DO IT. Especially if it's put on by a high school. Even if the quality of the production and the performances isn't as high as the one I saw, it will be worth seeing. I can pretty much guarantee it.
I Always Feel Like Somebody's Watching Me When I got home, I was struck by the strong and very unsettling feeling that there was somebody hiding in the bushes or hiding within my house. The feeling was so intense that I nearly went to a hotel for the night. Now, I'm not prone to flights of fancy or easily frightened... so WTF? Was it just a weird, unexpected side-effect of watching the portrayal of disturbed kids with guns? It doesn't seem to quite add up, but I'm at a loss for any other explanation. I searched the house and all seemed fine. I didn't go into the garage, but I locked the door to it. Zack just got home, so I feel a bit more at ease now. Thank goodness. That much unused adrenaline can't be healthy.
Workity-workI'm still enjoying my job at the VA, though the petty politics are bizarre. I try to keep as far away from that as I can. I still don't have a desk, but the new office should be done by the end of November. It's unclear who's staying in our office and who's moving down the hall, but it looks like I'll be getting a desk in the office I'm currently working in (which is preferable-- it's smaller and quieter and has more windows). A bit of weirdness... I discovered recently that the other temp agency is paying their temps (or at least one of 'em) $5 more an hour than I'm getting. That's pretty significant. I think I need to talk to somebody at my temp agency about that. Or perhaps I'll need to speak to the other temp agency about that. In the meantime, I'm watching usajobs.com for openings.
Jane Eyre The play is becoming all-consuming... which is good, because we're WAY behind. I can't believe we open in two weeks! Colour me freaked. And I have so much to with the playhouse as their Marketing Director that I don't know how I'll get caught up with that while I'm working all day and rehearsing every night. I suppose it will all get done somehow or other. I have been having a bit of fun being the dialect coach, though. And I just ordered my copy of Scrooge! from Samuel French... let's see if I like it enough to submit it to direct next year :) Oh-- here's something bizarre that I don't think I shared with you... when I first agreed to assistant direct, I had considered auditioning for the role of Miss Scatcherd, the child-hating schoolmarm. I figured, it's an alto, character part, and I've played two other women-of-indeterminate-age-who-hate-orph ans in the two musicals I've done there so far... might as well shoot for a typecast trifecta, right? I dropped the idea when I discovered that I'd be out of town for the second night of auditions. I knew the vocal director wanted to have a strong ensemble, and my being the AD would preclude Miss Scatcherd from being an ensemble player as well. Well, we lost our Miss Scatcherd. Guess who they asked to do the role? Life's funny :)
The Men in My LifeThings with P are rotten. He got stupiddrunk the other night and started berating me again. I'm sorry, but verbal abuse is still abuse and I just can't take it anymore. I've started looking at apartments, but it might be several months before I feel comfortable enough to go anywhere. I just can't consider moving with a ton of debt and a temp job. I wish there were some way to defuse him when he gets like that. Although we're not actually romantically involved, I do love him and he's really not a bad guy when he's not being a drunken prick ;) Things with Z are good. He turned 19 last week ^_^ I can't believe he's all growed up! He got an awesome guitar and custom pickups for his bday (under the condition that we help him sell his old one to defray the cost). It's SO GOOD to hear him playing again (remind me about that a month from now when the loud metal coming from his room starts fraying my nerves!).
So, anywho, that's enough of an update for me right now. I hope you are well and happy and following your bliss :) ~Hugs to those who need 'em, those who want 'em, and those who don't run away quickly enough~I'm feeling all kinds of:  synthpoppy
What I hear: Overload Romance - Dance Will Drop
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Just for the record, according to federal law, if you receive merchandise that you didn’t order, you have a legal right to keep it as a free gift. Still. Hi there! When I received this item, I also received a second, much larger, box with an identical packing slip and shipping label. To my surprise, the box did not contain another bike lock, but an Epson EX50 3LCD Multimedia Projector, XGA, 2200 Lumens (B001FOR1F2).
Why is anyone's guess.
As tempting as it might be to cry "finders keepers!" and cite federal law while projecting movies on sheet in my back yard and charging the local kids a buck to watch it, this appears to be the result of an honest shipping error and I'd be happy to help this nifty geektoy make its way to its rightful owner.
Please advise :) Wonder what they'll say? Oh, and this is all theoretically-speaking, of course.
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OK. Let's say, theoretically, that you ordered a bike lock from Amazon.com. And theoretically, not one, but two boxes arrived on your doorstep-- one rather small and bikelockish, and the other quite large and not very likely to contain any sort of bike locking mechanism. Now, imagine that these two theoretical boxes contained the same packing slip (for precisely one bike lock) and shared the same shipping label, as well. Suppose that the smaller box contained, perhaps somewhat unsurprisingly, a bike lock, and the large box contained a $600 Epson EX50 3LCD Multimedia Projector, XGA, 2200 Lumens. What would you do? Poll #1276392 Enquiring minds want to know
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: AllWhat would you do with this theoretical projector? Other? I'm just wondering, is all. I'm feeling all kinds of:  curious
What I hear: and I've got laser eyes (not really)
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Today's weight: 149.8
Thursday night, I had dinner by myself (all you can eat salad bar!) and went to the dart tournament. Man, that was weird.
There were fourteen (I think) competitors, of a variety of skill levels. At the start, competitors are paired at random, and then play against other teams-- one round of 501, one round of cricket, and one round of group's choice as a tiebreaker. Winners move on to play other winners, losers get to continue play in the losers' bracket.
My partner, whom we'll call "Scott,"* was already pretty drunk when we began. I played decently well, but not great. We lost. In between games, he wandered off to the parking lot to get stoned... which was probably a bad idea. In the middle of the next game, he stumbled face first into a brick wall. He survived, but I bet he's hurting now.
Because of the unfortunate accident, the opposing team was given a choice-- allow me to play with a new partner, or accept a forfeit by our team and move on. They chose the latter. The manager on duty (who runs these things) was nice and bought me a couple of beers as a consolation prize.
I ended up playing a number of rounds with a nice guy whom we'll call Ed*. He gave me some good coaching, and we later played a couple of very strong players. Considering I'm not that strong a player to begin with, and I was already pretty buzzed, I did quite well... better than I was playing at the start of the night.
All in all, it was an enjoyable time. The dart players are a tight, supportive group, and they welcomed me warmly.
I went home and washed the dishes (grumble, grumble) and went to sleep.
I was late to work the next day *blush*. A bit hungover, too, truth be told. Went raiding with my WoW guild last night and slept in all morning. Man, I was tired!
I was going to go to a party this afternoon, but just didn't feel up to it. I'm not sure what the evening holds in store for me, but I hope it's pleasant.
~Hugs to those who need 'em, those who want 'em, and those who don't run away quickly enough~
* If only because I think that was his actual name
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Today's weight: 150.4 Work has been amazing. The first day, Tuesday, was a test in and of itself-- find Building T-6 at the VA Medical Center for paperwork, and then find the fingerprinting area in the basement of the Medical Center proper. The "T" in "building T-6" stands for "trailer." Basically, there are a number of trailers scattered around the property, seemingly at random-- there is absolutely no rhyme or reason to their placement. There is also no guidance as to parking, which is impossibly bad. The experience was akin, I would think, to that of a rat navigating a large maze. The cheese, it would seem, is a plastic badge with a bad photograph, and fingerprints on record forever. I prefer stilton, but hey. :) I had to consult my compass* twice. At least they gave me a map to get to the fingerprinting place. All in all, I managed to navigate the entire maze quite handily, if I do say so myself. When that was done, I had to go downtown, to a large locked set of double doors. From there I navigated a cubicle maze, down another hall, across the street to another building, which seems to be where I'll be working. Oddly, nearly half of the organization at these two satellite locations are temps. Glorified data entry, my arse. The information I'm expected to understand and access is deep and complex**. I have three or four sets of usernames and passwords, and must be able to understand and use not only medical terminology, but bureaucratic doublespeak as well. I also have to remember a variety of door codes anytime I want to take a pee. I've been trained for three days already, and more training in store. I'm in the Special Victims Unit section of RTSU. I've learned dozens of acronyms during the past few days, but For the life of me, I can't remember what RTSU means. It's possible that I was never told. Eventually, I'm told, I'll be working, processing authorizations for veterans who are in need of special treatments. I'm not entirely certain how this will happen, as I haven't actually got any sort of desk.
Tuesday night, Paul and I had steaks at Stonewood and saw my favourite Shakespeare company do Hamlet. I'm so thrilled they actually came to town. Last night, we had a couple pints of Guinness and played some darts. I actually beat him for a change in a very competitive and high-scoring game of cricket. We might check out the darts tournament tonight at a local pub just for shiggles. Anywho, that's my update for today. I'll have to catch up with comments on this and my previous entry later-- I'm wiped, and the cats are hungry. I hope you are well and happy, and are coming to realize just how much power you wield as a positive force of change in this world. ~Hugs to those who need 'em, those who want 'em, and those who don't run away quickly enough~* Yes, I carry a compass, as well as chopsticks, a set of darts, and countless other Useful Items and Nifty Gadgets in my Bag of Holding.
** Unlike yours truly, who is shallow and simple.
*** "I'm sorry Mr. Smith, but our records show that you still have one good kidney, so I'll have to deny your dialysis this week. Please submit form XR-511-T if you'd like to challenge this decision."
**** Honestly, though, I'm qute impressed with the professionalism, kindness, and genuine concern my coworkers have for these patients. It's really not a bad place to work.I'm feeling all kinds of:  tempy
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TODAY is a new day. Well, duh, of course it is! Way to point out the obvious, Ldy. Fine. More to the point, today marks the first day of a new week and the first of a new season. Sooooooooo... I'ma gonna get offa my duff* and start updating again. Regularly. Really! Honestly! Truly! I was looking back at some entries in 2003 and discovered, to my chagrin, that I used to be somewhat entertaining. I could take five minutes out of my busy workday and be, well, funny. I could update my LJ several times a day in this fashion. This was while working a 50-hour a week job and rehearsing for shows every night. I have absolutely no excuse for my recent reticence. Don't expect me to be entertaining anytime soon, though. It may take some time before I get my funny back. I haven't been myself since moving, really. Which brings me to the following bit of sage advice: "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." -Eleanor Roosevelt- I really need to remember that one. And to stop handing out those "Hi, my name is Ldy! Make me feel inferior!" cards. Getting those printed was probably a bad idea, in retrospect.
JapanJapan was marvelous. I had at least three of the best meals of my life there. Osaka, specifically, suits me particularly well. Suits, in fact, suit me particularly well... I had to buy one to attend the International Statistics on Vacuum Technology meeting. Why was I attending the International Statistics on Vacuum Technology meeting? I'm not entirely certain, but I'm making them a new logo. I didn't journal or even take notes on my trip, so I'm going to have to play catch-up soon to figure out what I did and when and with whom and how much shōchū was involved. I'll probably do it here; hopefully, after I've uploaded the 293478923847 photographs I took.
Workity I've been unemployed for over a year now. Sure, I had the voice acting thing, but that didn't pay many bills. So, tomorrow, I start a temp job at the VA hospital. Going from Vice President with Minions to Claims Processor with Lunchinnabag is a bit of a tumble for me, professionally, but hey, at least it will help pay some bills and help me get a move on. It's clear to me that the busier I am, the busier I become. Friday, I had a meeting with a dear friend of mine who is not only kind, funny and generous to a fault, he's also, perhaps, the most successful person I know. He also knows just about everybody in town, and is going to write an email to a number of those everybodies to help me find a "real" job. How lucky am I? 'Til then, I'll be processing claims and entering data like nobody's business.
Theatre I have yet to attend a rehearsal for Jane Eyre. I got in from Japan late Tuesday, and rehearsals don't start at the theatre until tonight. That said, I am aware that rehearsals have been going on, probably at the Vocal Director's place; I'm just out of the loop is all. I haven't heard from anybody on the production staff, so I'm assuming I haven't missed much-- or at least, not much I'd be expected to contribute to.** These are vocal rehearsals. They're the dominion of the Vocal Director, and I'd probably just get in the way. I'll go tonight and say "hi, I'm your Assistant Director," nod a few times, tell everyone how good they sound, and then crawl back into my corner. I at least got said Vocal Director to send me a cast list... it looks like we have a wonderful cast and I'm very eager to start working with them :) I need to finish my plan for getting everyone on board the British accent train. At the risk of being called The Worst AD Evah, I may ask the Director if she minds if I miss Tuesday's rehearsal (also vocal)... my absolute favourite Shakespeare company is coming to town, and they're doing Hamlet. *swoon!* As Marketing Director, I have a number of things that I really need to do for the theatre today. I'll jump on those once I'm done here. Oh-- one bit of news on that front--I'm guessing that our summer musical was board-approved last Tuesday-- it's going to be Peter Pan. We're bringing in a full flying rig and everything. Which brings me to my next topic...
The State of Me I've been depressed, overweight and generally rather unhappy of late. But all of that is beginning to change. Today I'm going to start my weight loss regimen again. I just weighed myself, and I'm at 151.8... my goal is to get to 125 and core-strong by May. Why May, you ask? Well, I want to audition for the title role of that summer musical. Heck, Mary Martin was 47 when she performed the film version of the role, so why not, right? Oh, and I plan on taking voice lessons, too. It can't hurt :) There are others in our theatre who'd be an excellent fit for the role and whom I'd genuinely enjoy seeing *cough lomercough* ;), and I'm sure the audition notice will bring a few talented performers I don't even know out of the woodwork to audition... but I have to at least give it a shot. Worst that could happen is that I don't get the role, and I'm in the best shape of my life and better able to sing on my 41st birthday. I can live with that :)
OK, I think that's enough for one update. It's good to be back again; I hope I can keep up with my grand plans of frequent updatingness this time. ~Hugs to those who need 'em, those who want 'em, and those who don't run away quickly enough~* Technically, I suppose, I'ma gonna get ONTO my duff.
** dangle dangle dangle
*** obligatory footnote with no note to foot goes hereI'm feeling all kinds of: Falling forward
What I hear: I'm flying, in my head
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go back in time!
38 (71.7%)