Meme from Jess

GALADRIEL

Possessing a rare combination of wisdom and humility, while serenely dominating your environment you selflessly use your powers to care for others.

Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.

People piss me off

It well and truly pisses me off when people don't do what they say they will. You want to quit because after three days you decided wiping someone else's butt isn't for you? Fine. You say you're going to help me until I find someone to replace you?

Then do it.

Show up when you say you're going to. Don't decide a couple of shifts after that to just not show up and not call -- ESPECIALLY after I thanked you for being honest and quitting rather than just not showing up and not calling.

I can't even blame it on her age (19) because I have two other attendants (barely 20) who have both been honest and don't pull this airhead BS. They might not have always been available when I needed them in the year they've worked for me, but they have NEVER failed to show for a shift without a call.

And this at the end of a day where I accomplished nothing because I was fighting depression.

Stupid children.

What your name means

There are 21 letters in your name.
Those 21 letters total to 86
There are 7 vowels and 14 consonants in your name.

What your first name means:
English Female Aurora. The first appearance of daylight; daybreak. Dawn. From the English word dawn.
Anglo-Saxon Female Awakening.


Your number is: 5

The characteristics of #5 are: Expansiveness, visionary, adventure, the constructive use of freedom.

The expression or destiny for #5:
The number 5 Expression endows with the wonderful characteristic of multi-talents and versatility. You can do so many things well. The tone of the number 5 is constructive freedom, and in your drive to attain this freedom, you will likely be the master of adaptability and change. You are good at presenting ideas and knowing how to approach people to get what you want. Naturally, this gives you an edge in any sort of selling game and spells easy success when it comes to working with people in most jobs. Your popularity may lead you toward some form of entertainment or amusement. Whatever you do, you are clever, analytical, and a very quick thinker.

If there is too much of the 5 energy in your makeup, you may express some the negative attitudes of the number. Your restless and impatient attitude may keep you from staying with any project for too long. Sometimes you can be rather erratic and scatter yourself and your energies. You have a hard time keeping regular office hours and maintaining any sort of a routine. You tend to react strongly if you sense that your freedom of speech or action is being impaired or restricted in any way. As clever as you are, you may have a tendency to make the same mistakes over and over again because much of your response is glib reaction rather that thoughtful application. You are in a continuous state of flux brought by constantly changing interests.

Your Soul Urge number is: 9

A Soul Urge number of 9 means:
With a 9 Soul Urge, you want to give to others, usually in a humanitarian or philanthropic manner. You are highly motivated to give friendship, affection and love. And you are generous in giving of your knowledge and experience. You have very sharing urges, and you are likely to have a great deal to share. Your concern for others makes you a very sympathetic and generous person with a sensitive and compassionate nature.

You are able to view life in very broad and intuitive terms. You often express high ideals and an inspirational approach to life. If you are able to fully realize the potential of your motivation, you will be a very self-sacrificing person who is able to give freely without being concerned about any return or reward.

As with all human beings, you are prone to sometimes express the negative attitudes inherent to your Soul Urges. You may become too sensitive and tend to express emotions strongly at times. There can be significant conflict between higher aims and personal ambitions. You may resent the idea of giving all of the time and, in fact, if there is too much 9 energy in your nature you may reject the idea. You may often be disappointed in the lack of perfection in yourself and others.

Your Inner Dream number is: 5

An Inner Dream number of 5 means:
You dream of being totally free and unrestrained by responsibility. You see yourself conversing and mingling with the natives in many nations, living for adventure and life experiences. You imagine what you might accomplished.


Find out what your name means here

What Symbol are You?

What is your SYMBOL?

You are a CASTLE!! Strong, you care about protecting the people you love. You find that you can be a comfort to your family as you seek out spiritual enlightenment. Many people find you to be a refuge. You find it hard to fall in love, but when you do, all bets are off! Loved ones, find it hard to enter in your heart, as that is where you focus all of your desires. You keep all of your feelings well-guarded.
Take this quiz!








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Lakyn Pictures

Lakyn Frances





The Whole Family

Welcome to the world, new little cousin

My cousin Josh and his wife Kyla had their baby girl this morning at 12:33 -- after 18 hours of induced labor.

And people wonder why I don't want to have children.

Lakyn Frances A. was 8 pounds 8 ounces and 21 inches long. She is Josh's third child and Kyla's first. Frances was Kyla's grandmother, and Josh couldn't remember how they came up with Lakyn. They "just wanted something unique." With a son named Hadley (7 years old) and a daughter named Jenika (6 years old next month), he's just sticking to his pattern. I like it. I will post pics when I get some.

Quick post

No internet at home and a hundred things to do in the office, so a few quick notes.

Moved to the new apartment on Tuesday. Like it so much better.

Also had an accident on Tuesday. New attendant (only her 4th day) was turning the lift on the strange, thicker carpet, when the lift tipped over. Amazingly, with the apartment in total disarray and thus so many things I could have fallen on, I only fell on the floor. Nothing twisted, jammed, broken, or otherwise damaged -- my guardians were on duty and sharp that day, bless 'em! My neck was sore the next day, but yesterday and today I'm back to my semblance of normal. I'm still claiming "head injury" whenever I have a brain-fart because it's fun! ::grin:: Yes, the attendant wanted to quit, but I think I've coaxed her out of it. The damn lift is just unsteady when the legs are together, the carpet is thick, and she is too small a person (literally about 90-95 pounds and lucky if she's five feet tall) to have stopped the momentum. S--- happens, but no one got hurt. Moving on.

Can't find Reba's cape. I remember exactly where we put it during the move, but it's not there now. It's not anywhere (yes, I'm completely unpacked except for books). The company takes 4-6 weeks to get you a vest (cape) because each one is handmade to your desire. I could get one in about two weeks if I get a patch instead of embroidery, but the patch won't look as nice on the purple cape. ::sigh:: I don't know what I'm going to do.

Dropping stats. Too much calculus, too much theory, too many proofs, not enough programming instruction to analyze data. I guess I'll just have to teach myself.

OK, I need to walk up to Walgreens for Mucinex. See ya!

Groovy gimp videos

This first is thanks to my friend Kim. This one was posted by the same person.

Now if my apartment complex would learn a lesson from these. Maybe if I say the automated door is for enrichment?

Moving

Well, I'm moving to an efficiency apartment within the complex. I don't consider it a capitulation to the management because:

1. I will continue to pay the exact same amount of rent I am paying now, not a slightly increased amount ($553/month, not $580) or even the actual efficiency price ($908 during aademic year, $764 in Summer).

2. They are ripping up the cheap, stained, nasty carpeting and replacing it with vinyl so that it doesn't snag on Reba's nails.

3. The PP staff will be moving my stuff from one apartment to another.

4. I will still rent furniture from them rather than having to buy some.


There are also decided advantages in this for me:

1. I will never EVER get a roommate.

2. The building is quieter.

3. This particular building is the only one in the complex that has its own gated parking lot accessed by a clicker given only to residents of the building.

4. The handicap spot is an honest-to-goodness van accessible spot, meaning that even if someone is parked in the other gimp spot, I can still get in and out of Moby without having to back her out of the parking space.

5. My window faces South, so I will have tons of light.

6. I have a little strip of concrete patio outside my second door that is mine all mine! I actually have space for plants/herbs and plenty of light with which to grow them.

7. The energy of this apartment is dramatically different than my current apartment. I feel comfortable in it.

I move on Tuesday. And I also have the marketing director trying to help me get my primary door automated.

Farewell and peace on your journey, Signor Maestro

Crowd mourns Pavarotti in his hometown
By TRISHA THOMAS and COLLEEN BARRY, Associated Press Writer

MODENA, Italy - Admirers massed by the hundreds in Modena's main piazza Thursday night to pay their final respects to Luciano Pavarotti, the tenor cherished by many as "the last, great voice" of Italian opera.


The crowd applauded as pallbearers carried the white casket into the cathdral, where a funeral Saturday will draw dignitaries from opera, politics and culture. The tenor died early Thursday in his hometown at age 71 after a yearlong battle with pancreatic cancer.

While Pavarotti moved the world with a wonderous voice, his legacy went beyond the opera house. The tenor collaborated with classical singers and pop icons alike to bring opera to the masses, rescuing the art from highbrow obscurity in the process.

In many ways, Pavarotti fulfilled the public's imagination of what an opera star should be. He often wore a colorful scarf and a hat, be it a fedora or a beret, and while he didn't always have a beard, it was hard to imagine him without it. His heft — as well as a restaurant on his property in Modena — underlined his gourmet appetite.

But above all, his crystal clear voice, prized for its diction, made him the most celebrated tenor since Caruso. "Pavarotti was the last great Italian voice able to move the world," said Bruno Cagli, president of the Santa Cecilia National Academy in Rome.

On the Piazza Grande, hundreds of people gathered for the first evening of public viewing. Police on horseback stood at attention as mourners shuffled up the steps into the cathedral to view Pavarotti, dressed in his trademark white tie and tails, a white handkerchief and white rosary clutched in his hands.

His wife, Nicoletta Mantovani, stood off to the side of the casket, chatting calmly with well-wishers.

The atmosphere wasn't sad or tearful but warm, as Modena residents celebrated their native son, many bringing their children to see what they said was an unforgettable moment for the city and world.

Simone Sarrau, 32, waited in line until nearly midnight to pay his respects.

"He's a symbol. He's a symbol of Modena, a symbol of Italy, he's international," Sarrau said. "I think this demonstration of affection is justified, and it's not just Modena its in the whole world. He's a one-of-a-kind. There's only him, and there will always only be him."

Mayor Giorgia Pighi said the singer had been a beacon for the city.

"Thanks to Luciano Pavarotti, the name of Modena has gone around the world as the name of a city much bigger than it actually is," Pighi told Associated Press Television News before the casket arrived.

The viewing was scheduled to end at midnight and then resume Friday at 6 a.m. and last, but for a few hours of closure overnight, until shortly before the funeral.

Authorities planned for a massive outpouring of grief: Giant television screens were to be set up near the cathedral where Italian Premier Romano Prodi, among others, would pay their final respects.

From the world of music, tenor Andrea Bocelli planned to sing the hymn "Panis angelicus" at the service, the ANSA news agency reported.

Within hours of Pavarotti's death, Modena authorities had posted information on the city Web site detailing the extraordinary public transport services that would be put in place to help get mourners from parking lots to the city center for Saturday's service.

Amid an outpouring of tributes, the Vienna State Opera raised a black flag in mourning and the Guards band at Buckingham Palace played Pavarotti's signature aria "Nessun Dorma" at the Changing of the Guard ceremony.

In his heyday, Pavarotti was known as "the King of the High C's" for his ease at hitting the top notes. The Venezuelan soprano Ines Salazar recalled hearing him warm up backstage and thinking it was a recording. Even when critics complained he had lost his voice, audiences didn't mind.

While opera lovers treasure recordings with soprano Joan Sutherland, Pavarotti slipped into the CD collections of the hipper set mixing notes with Elton John, the Spice Girls, Cheryl Crow and Liza Minnelli, among others.

He was the best-selling classical artist, with more than 100 million records sold since the 1960s, and he had the first classical album to reach No. 1 on the pop charts.

U2 frontman Bono said Pavarotti was "a great volcano of a man who sang fire but spilled over with a love of life in all its complexity."

"No one could inhabit those acrobatic melodies and words like him. He lived the songs, his opera was a great mash of joy and sadness; surreal and earthy at the same time," Bono said in a statement. "Even when the voice was dimmed in power, his interpretative skills left him a giant among a few tall men."

Some of the greatest opera stars were in his debt — from the young talent whom he fostered to Spanish tenor Jose Carreras, who said Pavarotti had supported him in moments of difficulty, including his battle with leukemia. Some would argue opera owed itself to "Big Luciano."

"When I wanted to construct the Bastille opera house in Paris about 30 years ago, they told me I was crazy. Opera was dead, they said," former French Culture Minister Jack Lang told the news agency ANSA. "Pavarotti returned opera to popularity and contributed to its rebirth."

Pavarotti sought to commercialize opera, scoffing at accusations that he was sacrificing art. He relished that the hugely successful "Three Tenors" concerts with Placido Domingo and Carreras reached 1.5 billion people, filling stadiums.

In his 1995 autobiography: "Pavarotti: My World," he said the first of the "Three Tenors" concerts was a major event for each man. "I hope I am not immodest to think it was also unforgettable for most of the people who were present."

In a statement from Los Angeles, Domingo said he "always admired the God-given glory of his voice — that unmistakable special timbre from the bottom up to the very top of the tenor range." In Germany, Carreras told reporters he was "one of the greatest tenors ever."

"We all hoped for a miracle ... but unfortunately that was not possible," Carreras said.

Pavarotti was born Oct. 12, 1935, the son of a baker who was an amateur singer. He had a meager upbringing, though he said it was rich with happiness. In his teens, Pavarotti joined his father, also a tenor, in the church choir and local opera chorus. He trained to become a teacher, but at age 20, he took part with the Modena chorus in an international music competition in Wales. When the group won first place, Pavarotti began to dedicate himself to singing.

With the encouragement of his then-fiancee, Adua, he started lessons, selling insurance to pay for them. In 1961, Pavarotti won a local competition. He followed with a series of successes in small European opera houses before his 1963 debut at Covent Garden in London, where he stood in for Giuseppe Di Stefano as Rodolfo in Puccini's "La Boheme."

Having impressed conductor Richard Bonynge, Pavarotti was given a role opposite Bonynge's wife, Sutherland, in a production of "Lucia di Lammermoor" and, then, in a tour. It was the recognition Pavarotti needed. He also credited Sutherland with teaching him how to breathe correctly.

Debuts followed at La Scala in Milan in 1965, San Francisco in 1967 and New York's Metropolitan Opera in 1968. Pavarotti, who had been trained as a lyric tenor, began taking on heavier dramatic roles.

In the mid-1970s, Pavarotti became a true media star. He appeared in television commercials and began singing in hugely lucrative mega-concerts outdoors and in stadiums around the world. Soon came joint concerts with pop stars.

His name seemed to show up as much in gossip columns as in serious music reviews, particularly after he split with Adua Veroni, his wife of 35 years and mother of their three daughters, and took up with his 26-year-old secretary in 1996.

In late 2003, he married Nicoletta Mantovani in a lavish, star-studded ceremony. Pavarotti said their daughter, Alice, nearly a year old at the time of the wedding, was the main reason they finally wed after years together.

He was pained when he made headlines for tax evasion, saying he couldn't bear not to be seen as a good person, and reached a deal with authorities to repay roughly $12 million to the Italian government.

He had as many nicknames as hats. To some, he was simply "the Maestro." To his countrymen, he was "Big Luciano," beloved for both his talent and for spreading across the globe an image of Italian style and flair, a man at ease on the arm of Princess Diana as he was under a stadium spotlight.

And yet, at heart, he was a local boy. Pavarotti returned to his native Modena to convalesce after falling ill this summer, receiving a steady stream of well-wishers, including local officials and businessmen.

His oncologist, Antonio Frassoldati, said Pavarotti remained "serene" even as his medical condition worsened, and fought until the end. "I was struck by his character, his desire to live and to be involved in every decision," Frassoldati told Sky Tg24.

When he died before dawn Thursday, his wife, Nicoletta, four daughters and sister were among those at his side, manager Terri Robson said.

Pavarotti himself was clear on his legacy. "I think a life in music is a life beautifully spent, and this is what I have devoted my life to," he said in a quote posted on his Web site after his death Thursday.

This is because I just couldn't get into DS9, isn't it?

What does it mean?

You watch one or two series, but you don't try to impress your neighbors with your trivia knowledge. You're a fan, but you try not to take it too far.


At least I'm an officer. I wasn't into DS9, I didn't get to watch Voyager much, and I've never seen an episode of Enterprise. But let me see TOS or TNG, and I can tell you everything that will happen in the ep within the first two minutes. Will SFI still let me in?

Although I DID try Earl Grey the first time because of Jean-Luc. That gives me five bonus geeky points, yeah?

Presentations and Publications

I am now officially committed to giving a fifteen minute presentation at the Gulf Coast Conservation Biology Symposium being held on the 28th here in town. Well, it'll actually be about ten minutes because we have to allow time for questions. I'm going to give a brief (i.e., extremely watered down) summary of how FA is used in conservation and how research needs to be improved so it can be used more effectively. That last bit is the new drum I'm beating since it is the basis for my dissertation.

So, tell me if this sounds like a young, sexy, totally amazing biologist is going to be talking with you today:

Fluctuating Asymmetry as a Conservation Tool

Fluctuating asymmetry (FA), the random deviation from perfect bilateral symmetry, has been used in a variety of field and laboratory studies as an indicator of developmental stress. FA differs from other, genetically determined asymmetry types in that it can be influenced by the environmental conditions in which development occurs. FA has been investigated as a conservation tool in nearly all taxa, and many scientists conducting these studies assert that FA can be used as a general indicator of stress, i.e., different classes of exogenous stressors can cause bilateral asymmetry. One survey of the available fish literature shows that to date this claim has not been validated. One way to investigate if FA is a general indicator of developmental stress would be to expose a single species to different classes of stressor and determine if FA is exhibited to the same degree.


So? Are you ready to listen to more about my brilliant work? ::grin::

Speaking of brilliant work, my review article was rejected. It was a long shot getting it in to Biological Reviews, but it was worth a shot. When I get settled more and have a chance to get caught up in stats, I'll read the reviewers' comments, work on it some more, and resubmit it somewhere else. It's good stuff, dammit!

Oh, dear Higher, please no!

New Orleans mayor may run for governor
By JOHN MORENO GONZALES, Associated Press Writer

NEW ORLEANS - Mayor Ray Nagin could be days away from announcing he will run for governor of Louisiana - a move many in this stricken city regard as preposterous.

If Nagin runs, he will do so on his stewardship of New Orleans. But this is a city in great distress two years after Hurricane Katrina, with large swaths still empty, an appalling murder rate and a painfully sluggish recovery. Nagin's disapproval rating stood at 65 percent in a recent poll.

"He's clearly seeing his election potential differently than most of Louisiana. Statewide, Ray Nagin is dead in the water," said G. Pearson Cross, an assistant professor of politics at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. "One thing is clear: New Orleans has not had the forceful and dynamic leadership necessary to get recovery on the right track."

But Nagin, in a City Hall interview late last month, struck an optimistic note.

"What I'd like to make sure everybody understands around America is that this city is overcoming a lot of odds. It's like a miracle city in some respects," New Orleans' fourth black mayor said. "Our citizens are doing incredible things out there in spite of a lack of resources, or broken promises."

A member of Nagin's inner circle told The Associated Press last month that the second-term Democratic mayor planned to announce a run for governor shortly after Labor Day. He has already taken several fundraising trips, and his technical adviser secured the Internet address naginforgovernor.com.

Of the possibility of a run for higher office, the 51-year-old Nagin said: "The only way I would do something like that is if I thought it would help this recovery."

The sign-up period for the Oct. 20 election ballot opened Tuesday and runs through Thursday, with Republican Rep. Bobby Jindal — the front-runner in all the recent polls — the first one to get into the race to succeed Democratic Gov. Kathleen Blanco, who decided not to seek re-election after she was widely criticized as weak and indecisive following Katrina. Democratic state Sen. Walter Boasso of hard-hit St. Bernard Parish is also runnning.

Nagin's detractors call him ineffective and bristle at the thought that he would consider higher office with nearly three years left on his term, city services in traction, and the black community that re-elected him suffering acutely since the storm. Privately, some said they suspect Nagin knows he has little chance but wants to use the publicity to ensure a political future in Louisiana.

In an Aug. 21 editorial, New Orleans' Times-Picayune newspaper wondered: "Why is he worrying about all this just now, when he's got so much else on his plate?"

But Nagin points to areas where he believes he has made a difference, citing the population's rebound to 60 percent of its pre-Katrina level. Nagin boasted that higher police salaries have led to the biggest recruiting class since the hurricane, and added that a new garbage contract has cleaned up the French Quarter and helped keep the city's tourism-based economy rolling.

But David Bell, a juvenile court judge and community leader in mostly black eastern New Orleans, said Nagin's efforts are often seen as incremental and misdirected. Bell alluded to Nagin's hiring of planner Ed Blakely as his recovery chief, and Blakely's promise of "cranes in the sky" that have yet to be seen.

"It's great to have large vision. But I think right now the public is more concerned about potholes, and the sewer lines, and the water lines," Bell said. "Those are the things that restore faith."

Publicly accessible records of Nagin's daily calendar are not detailed enough to show how he spends his workday, but it appears he has no communication left with the governor's office. State records show he has met formally with Blanco only once in the past six months.

Marie Centanni, a spokeswoman for Blanco, would not comment on Nagin's performance as mayor or possible bid for governor, other than to say: "He sounds as if he's already running." A spokesman for another Nagin target, Don Powell, federal coordinator for the Gulf Coast rebuilding, declined to comment.

Nagin, a janitor's son who grew up in New Orleans' Creole neighborhood of Treme, was a cable TV executive with an MBA from Tulane University before he was elected in 2002 with strong support from the white business elite. He soon delivered on promises to crack down on City Hall graft.

But after Katrina, he was bitterly criticized for not evacuating the city sooner, and many wrote him off after his emotional, sometimes ranting, calls for federal help in the aftermath of the storm. Nevertheless, he scored a surprising re-election last year. This time, working-class blacks were his base.

Since the storm, he has made eyes roll and alienated many voters with some of his off-the-cuff remarks, including assurances that mostly black New Orleans would always be a "Chocolate City."

More recently, he said that news coverage of the city's violent crime has at least one advantage — it "keeps the New Orleans brand out there, and it keeps people thinking about our needs and what we need to bring this community back."

Some voters, though, say they see larger truths in the comments known around here as "Naginisms." For example, Katrina has pushed rents out of the reach of the working-class blacks who have defined the city.

Brigid Harrison, a law and political science professor at Montclair State University in New Jersey, studied Nagin's response to Katrina versus New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's handling of the World Trade Center attack. She noted that while Giuliani was quick to give President Bush credit for his response to the disaster, Nagin skewered the federal government after Katrina.

"The rhetoric has gotten in the way of building policy," Harrison said.

But Nagin takes a different view: "My legacy will probably be one of honesty and integrity and bringing that to government in a meaningful way. I'm sure my legacy will also be this guy said things pretty straight and wasn't your typical politician."

Back in NOLA

Well, I suppose I ought to go ahead and get this entered. I left late from Wichita because they were having light issues on the plane (emergency lights wouldn't come on). Naturally, no one mentioned this until the guys had already put me on the aisle chair and taken my chair down. Slightly uncomfortable, but I got to lean on the leg of a cutie patootie for 20 minutes, so I reckon I shouldn't complain too loudly. Despite the late departure, I still made my NO connection. A friend of my friend Erika was on the NO flight, and he recognized me. I was not thrilled (he's one of those guys who doesn't know what he wants, so he's jerked my friend around quite a bit), but I was polite nevertheless. Our family rules: (1) If we like you, we tease you. (2) If we don't like you, we don't talk to you. (3) If we really don't like you, we are polite to you.

Sat next to an adorably sweet couple who were on their way to NO for Southern Decadence, and we all (the entire plane) sat on the tarmac for about half an hour when the airport shut down because of weather. At the captain's announcement, about half the plane loudly expressed their frustration. My philosophy? There was lightning bouncing all over the place and we were sitting in a metal tube -- I'm OK with sitting on the tarmac for a bit. My seatmates and I took naps.

After arriving in NO, finding my friends, and gathering all my stuff (carry-on bag, laptop, wheelchair, two suitcases, oxygen concentrator -- oh, and Reba), we went for a late supper at Applebee's. They screwed up my and Marlo's orders which made me want to cry because it was almost 11:00 and I hadn't eaten since about 1:00. Stupid people.

Saturday Marlo and William took me to Whole Foods and Walmart for grocery shopping ($150 at Walmart -- ACK!). Sunday I bummed around here doing nothing. Today I read a chapter in stats and interviewed two potential attendants. And now it's almost time to go to bed. Night y'all.

From Nate, who got it from Anita

Your Score: Semicolon

You scored 15% Sociability and 70% Sophistication!

Congratulations! You are the semicolon! You are the highest expression of punctuation; no one has more of a right to be proud. In the hands of a master, you will purr, sneering at commas, dismissing periods as beneath your contempt. You separate and connect at the same time, and no one does it better. The novice will find you difficult to come to terms with, but you need no one. You are secure in your elegance, knowing that you, and only you, have the power to mark the skill or incompetence of the craftsman.

You have no natural enemies; all fear you.

And never, NEVER let anyone tell you that you cannot appear in dialogue!

Link: The Which Punctuation Mark Are You Test written by Gazda on OkCupid, home of the The Dating Persona Test