Cotton Candy
Topic: Poetry
Walk, walk, walk, walk
Along the street and tired
Eyes lift to the clouds made of
Orange cotton candy in a sky
Thinking of losing the day.

Walk, walk, walk, walk
Feet tired but look at the sky.
Look at the moon in a fat crescent
Welcoming the evening and
Silvering the twilight.

Walk, walk, walk, walk
Others walk and fade into
The twilight. The dark.
Just a little more and then
The bus. Sit on the bus.

Terrible, horrible, no good day (days?)
Topic: Whatever
I messed up my computer on Sunday morning and spent the entire day restoring it and trying to fix it. One problem is that it's a Windows 98 and so old that when I had to download new updated versions of some programs, they didn't like it. The new programs (and may I say that it's really tacky that you can't download old programs) made other programs not work (and may I say that I am so ticked at Microsoft I even started looking at getting a Linux operating system).

I do need to upgrade my OS and it would be interesting to try Linux and if that doesn't work, move on to a new Microsoft upgrade (Ugggg!). I don't dislike Microsoft for making money but for trying to control my computer. The Internet Explorer is the biggest problem. I had to get a new MSMoney which requires the latest version of IE but the latest version of IE closes down when I try to get around in Yahoo so I had to install Netscape to use with Yahoo and am so pissed off at all this messing around.

I was still thoroughly stressed on Monday since I was so upset on Sunday (no computer!) and didn't sleep well so I then managed to not have a real happy Monday. This morning I have a dentist appointment, but it's only a cleaning, so I'm hoping a more leisurely arising and such due to the cleaning, will lead to a better day.

Autism
I took the
The Autism Quotient Test at Newsweek and got a score of 31. That's a bit high I think. Average is 11-22, men usually score 17 and women 15. 23-31 is above average, 32-50 is very high (high functioning autism or Asperger Syndrome score about 35). I've known I was a bit skewed toward the autism side on the continuum but I do think that 31 is a bit high. Maybe it's because I've been helping with training for two weeks at work and all that perkiness and being "up" have really got me down.

I've always had a problem with all the social cues that everyone gets and can't read people very well. I function ok though and enjoy social occasions to some extent as long as I can have some down time by myself. It's better as I get older since I don't worry so much about what people think of me. I do know that I'm considered cold and unfriendly by some people, which isn't true but I don't really know how to change that. Let's change that last sentence a little I do know sort of know how to act friendlier but it's often such an effort and I don't know why people need me to constantly reaffirm that I love them. We aren't talking about significant others or family members but people I just meet at work or wherever.

Ever since I read much about autism or asperger I realized I leaned toward that. What is irritating is I seem to have more of the the social ineptness than the genius and brilliance in math or such. Damn, you'd think that if I have to be a klutz at relationships I should have some compensating ability, but I haven't found it yet.

Ok I scored high on the autism test, I score high on the ADD tests, I'm INTP and I'm still functioning and raised two really wonderful children. Not bad.

Sky at evening
Topic: Walking through the world
I'm still trying to get in five miles a day of walking except when I ride my bike to work so I'm beginning to see some beautiful sunsets since between walking the five miles, the bus ride to take care of the rest of way home and stopping at a store, it's getting close to 7:00 pm when I get home. There were some beautiful pink clouds to the west but to the west the cky was that clear twilight light blue that is so beautiful. I always think of it as eggshell it looks so fragile and delicate.

Wilcat Welcome
Topic: Whatever
I helped for two hours yesterday morning and I am so sore today. Actually just my upper arms. Wildcat Welcome is when we help the students move into the dorms. It really is fun. We had a dorm that is mostly freshman and the parents and kids were a little hyper but grateful for the help. A couple even tried to tip us even though that's not allowed.

Yesterday was the first day they could move in. We arrived at 9:00 when they could start coming and it looked so empty but within a few minutes we had all the work we could handle. At least the dorm we were assigned to had an elevator. One down the road had no elevators and three floors. A couple of us helped helped one girl carry some stuff to her third floor room in that one and it was hard but she should stay in good shape.

In the afternoon I spent a couple hours helping made Id cards for the students, and a few employees. It was fun. We have the same setup as DMVs and the end product is a little plastic card. I don't use mine much except for checking books out of the library and getting into our building when we work on Saturday when you not only have to swipe your Catcard to get in the building but to make the elevators move. The students use them for everything so parents were anxiously putting cash on the cards and worrying about the meal plan.

Last week I spent an afternoon at the international students orientation since I work in the tax area of our payables and payroll, so I have truly been a part of welcoming the students this year. Usually I just notice that there seem to be more people walking around the university. It is nice to see them back, not just because they are why we are here, but there's an energy they bring.

Fresh basil
Topic: Food
I'm trying to grow some herbs on my balcony and it's so so. The tarragon and rosemary are trying to die. The cilantro is just sitting there, but the basil and mint are growing like crazy. I picked a bunch of the basil and mint and hung them up to dry and then realized the basil would be great with the chicken breasts I needed to cook.

I chopped a handful of basil leaves finely and added a couple cloves of minced garlic. I mixed this with olive oil and rubbed it all on the chicken breasts. These were broiled about 12 minutes on the first side and 6 minutes on the second side. I had the broiler a little far away at first so it took longer than I expected.

I softened some chopped onions in olive oil and added black rice (forbidden rice) and let it heat in the oil for a couple minutes. Then I added vegetable broth and some tarragon (dried, bought) and salt, covered it and let it cook till the water was gone.

With the chicken and rice I had grapes and carrot sticks so it was a yummy supper. The best part is that I cooked up two packages of chicken breasts so I cut the rest into chunks and put portions in plastic baggies and froze them. These are great for lunches as they are really finger foods, if you just let them thaw, and the next week is going to be so busy I doubt I will get a real lunch hour.

Lower the carbs
Topic: Food
It's still too hot to cook much but eating all those sandwiches is putting a few pounds back on so I went out and bought all kinds of fruits and veggies so I'll eat f & v instead of bread. I also bought some chicken so I'll need to cook that but I plan to keep it as simple as possible.

I just received a new issue of Cooking Light so I'm sure that by the time I've read through it I'll be psyched up to cook something.

Working and walking
Topic: Walking through the world
I had to work today and my niece is getting married and I couldn't be there so the first part of the day rather sucked. It was cooler today so I decided to just walk to my usual weekend errands in an effort to improve the day, so I did and managed to rack up 5.55 miles, according to my GPS. This is only outside, where GPS tracks and only when I remember to turn it on. I have to turn it off when I'm on the bus so it doesn't count the miles done on the bus.

I just don't like riding my bike everyday but if I don't keep track of my walking I tend to take it easy. I'm trying to walk five miles any day I don't ride my bike to work.

I do feel better but my feet hurt. I haven't done as much walking recently because of the heat so I'll have to keep it up to get my feet in shape. I also need to wear walking shoes instead of sandals, but it is just too hot for closed shoes.

The foods of summer
Topic: Food
Since the heat hit I've degenerated to eating deli food, frozen dinners and cottage cheese with whatever fruit I have on hand. Basically anything to keep from cooking. I'm still eating lots of fruit but I just can't handle much cooking. In the fall I'll start looking at recipes again.

Actually I do cook occasionally but it's things like boiling eggs for breakfast and making toast. I am becoming good at making great sandwiches. In fact I've got quite a selection of sliced meats and cheese and I picked up some good bread today, parsley swiss and cinnamon raisin. It really is possible to eat well without cooking. Sort of!

Evolution's Rainbow - by Joan Roughgarden
Topic: Books - Mystery
Joan Roughgarden is a transgendered woman. Ok, she used to be a man, or, at least, had a man's body. I think this is a very interesting and important book but I did get confused as to what people were when she was talking. She started with showing the many sexual and gender types in animals and then leads into the many types of sexual and gender types and expressions in humans. Part of this is the many types of genetic diversity in humans that isn't really talked about.

I've always thought that sexuality was on a continuum but it seems to be more like a tree. I also never really considered that there was a difference between gender orientation and sexual orientation. She brings up the cloning and genetic manipulation and how so often this is also a part of trying to make people be "right", "perfect", "the way they are suppose to be".

This is an excellent book.

With Intent to Kill - by Dell Shannon
Topic: Books - Mystery
After getting home I spent the rest of the day doing a little cleaning and finishing up books that I had started. Here's two of them and I have more to go. I have such a bad habit of starting too many books at once and then not being able to finish some of them so I'm trying to finish them.

This is the 19th Lt. Luis Mendoza mystery. It starts with Higgins' own daughter's birth, though he couldn't be happier having his two step children, the children of Dwyer who was shot down in a bank. Meantime the detectives of LAPD Homicide are keeping busy.

A man is shot while walking his dog. A policeman is shot when pulling a car over for a traffic violation. A young lady is found strangled by the railroad tracks which turns into an interesting mystery. A telephone lineman is shot by a paranoid householder. They are sure a candy maker has just killed for the third time and may get away with it again.

Geopsychology Walking
Topic: Walking through the world
I actually got up early enough today that it was still cool and at 7:00 I started out to try a little Psychogeography walking. See my entry on July 3rd, about the Utne article, though the correct link to Glowlabs is http://glowlab.blogs.com/.

I decided to go with the First Left, Second Right and First Right, starting with walking west on Broadway right outside of my apartments. I wandered through the residential area south of Broadway which made for interesting wandering since many of the streets are cul-de-sacs and I had decided that I wouldn't consider that a valid turn. Some streets are blocked by walls due to the commercial buildings on Wilmot. I walked along some nice residential areas and crossed a wash at Harvard and Malvern, where I stopped to take some pictures. I finally ended up at Wilmot and Barnan.

I crossed Wilmot and wandered south of Park Mall ending up in a park that runs along the south and west sides with a wall between the park and the mall. I had sort of realized there was a park there but had never walked through it. It's nice though there's not much there, just trees, grass and a couple back stops if someone wants to hit a ball, but no real ball fields. I pretty much quit counting at this point as it was 8:00 and getting hot.

I walked through the park and entered Park Mall to enjoy the cool. I kept getting passed by the power walkers taking advantage of the room to move before the crowds appear. I figured I had done enough walking and walked over the Starbucks where I sat and read for an hour. What a great way to start a day.

Schooled to Kill - by Dell Shannon
Topic: Books - Mystery
This is the 17th Lieutenant Luis Mendoza mystery. Yes, I am reading them all again, if I can find them, though not in order. An eight year old girl is raped and left in Elysian Park and all the detectives look at their own children more protectively. I thought it was interesting that the girl's teacher allowed to her walk home alone six blocks to pick up a book she had forgotten to bring. This was written 1969 and now, 2004, it would be unthinkable for an eight year old to walk six blocks by themselves much less be allowed to by a teacher. It's rather sad really. I doubt there are any less children being abused since if you are a sicko, you'll find a way.

A guy comes into the station to report that a total stranger has asked if he wants to kill someone for money. A body is found in the trunk of a car that has been parked in a neighborhood for a couple days. A lady is found dead in a Union Station restroom from a bungled abortion. A man goes starts shooting at people in the street from his house. The usual craziness of humanity.

At home Luis, a confirmed cat person, is confronted by an English sheepdog that stowed away in his wife's car. Their four cats, and Luis, are not happy but the dog loves them and along with Alison refuses to send the dog to the pound to be killed.

Walkin' the Line - by William Ecenbarger
Topic: Books - Nonfiction
William Ecenbarger set out to follow the Mason-Dixon line from where it starts at the southeast corner of Delaware to the western end 233 miles later between West Virginia and Pennsylvania. He gives us the historical facts of how Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon, between 1763 and 1768, surveyed the line that separated Maryland from Delaware and Pennsylvania in order to settle a dispute going back to the 1600s.

He interweaves this with how things look now and how they were before, during and after the Civil War when it divided free states from slave states and became not just a state line but an icon and rallying point. He has so many sad stories but among them are happy ones of the slaves that made it to freedom and stayed free. One of the saddest chapters is that being too close to the line wasn't safe for African Americans as slave catchers would capture escaped and even legally free slaves and sell them back into slavery. How terrible to finally be free and then be caught again.

It's very interesting as I have often heard the term Mason-Dixon and even had a vague idea where it was but never heard actual facts about how it came about.

Long ride
Topic: Cycling
I rode 19.69 miles (love my odometer) and I'm tired. About 12 was in the afternoon as I had to ride to another office further away and then home. Toward the end I got a few drips of rain but never enough to really cool things off.

Since I was near 5th St, just east of Granada, I rode just north of 5th to 4th Avenue. Then I rode south to just before the underpass where I curved east and onto the bike route that connected with the Snake Bridge, which I rode across Broadway. I'm trying to find a good way to ride to Broadway and Campbell and then on home without having to get on Broadway too much since there is no bike path till Columbus where it shares the bus lane. That is dangerous since people are whipping in and out of shopping centers and stores and I've nearly been hit several times.

I rode the back streets to Columbus and then got tired of winding back and forth and rode on the sidewalk till I got home. Even so I had to stop fast a couple times since people whipped right in front of me. I know, I know. That's bad but I was tired. I'm really enjoying riding my bike again but I am eagerly awaiting cooler weather.

P.S. I just noticed that my total odometer since I got it last week is 100 miles, exactly. Cool!

Gadget time
Topic: Cycling
Last week I got an odometer/speedometer for my bike. It's so much fun. I did check that it was 7.5 miles to work and it's almost exact. Usually just a little over because of minor side trips. I only rode three days last week and today was my first one this week due to fear of rain. I have 65 miles on the odometer which is a little over the 15/day for last week and 17.44 today since I went down to 22nd to the Albertsons on the way home.

I did see some lightning today but it wasn't close but I was a bit afraid a couple times last week. If only I could go by the forecasts but they don't always know what's going to happen and what does 40% chance of rain mean anyway? It wasn't bad today as the clouds kept off the direct sun and even with the high humidity and heat I had much more energy riding home.

I've found that when it's this hot I just don't ride much on the weekends since it's hot by the time I get up. During the week I ride to work when it's comparatively cool and once I'm there, I have to ride home nd it's starting to cool down when I leave work, usually.

No Holiday for Crime - by Dell Shannon
Topic: Books - Mystery
This is the 20th Lieutenant Luis Mendoza mystery. The officers of Homicide are now part of Robbery/Homicide and they are learning to cope with new duties and getting to know the members of Robbery that have been transferred over. It's also Christmas and crime really does not have a holiday.

One of the new officers is a woman, Policewoman Wanda Larsen, and they don't know what to do with her. As you can see this was written a while ago, 1973 to be exact. Evidently they never consider that she might go out on a call, though in later books she finally makes them let her go. The other officers are keeping their fingers crossed that they aren't picked in the lottery to babysit the Rose Parade.

A young lady is found on the grounds of the Science Museum. She was on her way home to Utah, for Christmas, from Santa Barbara and no one knows why she wandered off from the Greyhound station during a layover. A rash of low haul burglaries hits one area, but no one knows how the burlar always knows the people will be gone. A cleaning man is found stabbed to death in a building that is closing for the Christmas Break. Trucks full of liquor and high end food are being hijaked.

Detective Jason Grace and his wife finally cut through the paperwork to adopt the baby found during a murder several months before. Luis and Alison try to straighten out the mixture of English and Spanish spoken by their three year old twins, but a try at Celtic stories doesn't help.

A new PDA
Topic: Whatever
Ok, so does anyone else care? I care! I have been looking at getting a new one for over a year now but just couldn't decide. Do I need Wi-FI (we have it at work so it would be nice)? What about MP3s? Yes I do want that one. Photos? Absolutely. I finally ended up with the PalmOne Tungsten E and spent last night setting it up. It has a crappy cover so I'll have to get a better one but the color is so nice. My old one is a PalmIIIxe with 8 mg memory and no color. It was so full. This one has 32 mg and I bought a huge card for it so I can put books and photos on it. It's so cool!

I was a bit apalled to find that the battery doesn't come out. What if it gives out? Do I have to get a new Palm? That would suck. Anyway I'm having fun playing with it now and loading all kinds of stuff, half of which I'll probably delete later because I never use it.

Busses are running! Yeah!
Topic: Busses, Cars & Trains
Suntran, Tucson's bus system, went right up to the line of last night for a strike, but they pulled it out. What a relief. I can ride my bike and they usually have three or four routes running the Sunday schedule manned by supervisors, one of which is the #8 Broadway bus which I ride, but many people don't have those options. They always go on strike in August, too, when it is so hot here.

Berger and the Missing Documents - by ?
Topic: Current Affairs
It sounds like a murder mystery. What was murdered was our credulity. How can even the most credulous person who passionately wants to believe in Kerry, the Clintons and the whole Democrat party, really believe that Berger accidently put high security documents in his pants and then, once he had them at home, misplaced them. Ooooh! You know Republicans have gone to jail for much, much less than this. If this was Condolezza Rice she would be sitting in jail right now because the uproar from every major media would have been overwhelmingly against her and would have believed the worst.

Too many other blogs have covered this so much better than I ever could since I'm not even sure how the whole classified doc system works. Here are just a very few of them.

James Lileks
Commonsense and Wonder
Instapundit and again Instapundit
Peeve Farm