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(via LoudTwitter)

• 10:26 Stray thought I had while behind a muffler-challenged bike on the way to work this morning: National motorcycles reflect national character. #

• 17:16 I would like to snark on the older lady shaking' her booty to "Wipeout" at the laundrymat - but she's to cute. #

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And now, for something completely different.

In between slacking off at my job and slacking off at home (coincidentally, both are due in part to feelings of frustration, powerlessness, and irritation at Stuff Not Done The Right Way), I've been reading on the bus. Most recently, Daniel Dennett's Consciousness Explained.

Having already read The Mind's I, Breaking the Spell, and Elbow Room, I must say that I am reading with both anticipation and trepidation - Dennett is smart, but sometimes unfortunately disappointing. But, although I have only made it through the introductory section, I'm beginning to think this might be one of the excellent ones.

More on that when I finish (maybe!).

Yesterday I was going through some knitting stuff and found a project that I had started last winter. After considering it for a moment, I realized that while I still love the yarn, I wasn't crazy about it's current shape. I came up with something that I think will be nicer and frogged the whole thing. Then spent about an hour untangling and re-wrapping my skeins.

Today I saw the needles I'd been using sitting on my desk and noticed that they were two different sizes - one's an 8MM and the other is a 10. No wonder I wasn't loving that project.

• 14:58 Boss, leaving: "Going to turn up the music?" Aaron: "We'll put on musical genres you've never even heard of." Bax: "Post-Goth crunchcore!" #

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(Update: Now I'm really curious to hear something from this genre I made up on the spot. I'm picturing 'crunchcore' as a mixture of industrial and techno; post-Goth crunchcore would have to be an upbeat rejection of the genre's dominant dark themes, probably fusing or remixing in something bubblegum. This has the potential to be awesome in a way that only something that shouldn't exist can be.)

• 14:41 just read the latest nickname for Sarah Palin: Yukon Barbie. I like it. #

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• 18:42 My fortune cookie just now, verbatim: "Someone can readl your mind." I would be a lot less worried about this if I knew what "readl" meant. #

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• 16:01 How annoying. LoudTwitter didn't send the previous batch of updates to Livejournal. Also, it's September. That means summer's slipped by. #

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8/29 12:08 P.M.: I'm setting this up as an experiment: will I write more to my journal if I have a place to put thoughts that don't rate a post of their own?

8/29 12:15 P.M.: Such as - Never mind the talking dog. The REAL mystery of "Scooby Doo" is how two preppies ended up partnering with a lesbian and a stoner.

8/29 4:33 P.M.: http://zarfmouse.livejournal.com/264655.html - A good starting point for integrating Livejournal + Twitter with acceptable password hygiene.

8/29 4:35 P.M.: Twitter allows you 140 characters per 'tweet' (update). I seem to be very good at exactly hitting the cap. This marks four times in a row.

(Yes, I set up a Twitter account. Let me know if you're there. However, I don't really plan to use it for much of anything beyound an excuse to post stray thoughts to Livejournal. This will continue to be my journaling space.)

I could probably learn to live with the silence. Not being able to read would drive me crazy in very short order. Not being able to taste would render me unemployed, so that's out. And touch is another one that makes my life worth living.

In real life, I once lost my voice for a full week and it actually wasn't that bad. I wrote a lot of notes, made Bax order my lunch for me and generally functioned pretty well. What was amusing is how many people assumed that because I couldn't speak, I also couldn't hear. I had a good time trying to buy a money order when the clerk kept writing answers on my pad of paper rather than just telling me.

Assuming that the question refers to the five Aristotelian senses - sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste...

...I think I would have to go with sight. Hearing would be a less inconvenient disability, but to lose music? I cannot bear the thought.

• 11:10 New game! Hit Random-XKCD dynamic.xkcd.com/comic/random/ over and over and see how many times you get before you crash into #404! :( #
• 20:49 @kirabug Oregon Trail? Sweet! #

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• 11:51 I need a coaster at my desk. Or a really thick paper towel. #
• 12:14 Damn autodialers - stop calling me! #

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• 12:17 Need to go to the library, need to make calls, need to fish the cat out from behind the bikes. Browsing Threadless.com instead. *sigh* #
• 13:43 Cat has been fished and taken care of, one phone call made, one more to go. The Library calls me with it's siren song. #
• 14:19 Health department has been called, message left. Now library, laundry lunch. Maybe I should do those alphabetically? #

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And I do believe I just located the theme of my life.



Image courtesy of Threadless.com

First: "believe in" is the wrong phrase. I don't believe in torture, but it still exists.

Second: to my recollection, I have never encountered anything that appeared to be a ghost.

Finally: based on my knowledge of the sciences (from physics to biology to neuroscience to computer science), the existence of ghosts strikes me as not merely implausible, but downright ludicrous. fin.

I spent about five hours up to my elbows in Pine-Sol today, but the work kitchen is officially Clean.

The Christmas ornaments are out of the walk-in, the cobwebs are off the ceiling and everything smells like a springtime meadow as envisioned by a lab in New Jersey. All that's left is the oven and the floor, if I can find the really good commercial grade de-greaser, I'll soak the stove burners before calling it good.

I also discovered that I have zero cel reception out there. The location is only about five miles from home, but it's behind some significant hills. Hmm.

• 09:50 Idea: forecasts should show two 'numbers' for rain - probability and 'density'. Example: "30% chance of periods of rain" (rain 60% of time). #

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