Tuesday, February 3rd
After a week of sleep deprivation, 13 hours of straight sleep sounds like heaven, doesn't it? On the other hand, that's 13 hours without caffeine, 13 hours without a cigarette, 13 hours without solid food, and 13 hours without fluids of any kind. I have a horrible headache. But hey, at least I'm not tired.
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Friday, February 6th Sometimes, one must sit down and think about all the good things in one's life. Like, for instance, a gigantic bag of Jelly Bellies & a recorded Doctor Who.
But, then one must consider how those wonderful things could be better. Like, for instance, the Jelly Bellies could be in the flavors I want, rather than whatever Reasor's had. Like cappaccino flavor. Mmmmm. And the Doctor Who's that I record could be in order, so I don't feel quite so lost all the time. Well, not all the time, but mostly.
And so... there's the half-full & the half-empty. Take your pick.
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Monday, February 9th I've added a couple of links. My link-list is sorely out-of-date, and I will someday fix it... but for now we'll just bandaid the problem. Also, if you have something you want me to link to, send me the address & I'll check it out. Just because you send me a link doesn't necessarily mean I'll link to it. Now on to the actual post:
Yes, this is a rant post. Yes, I know the dictionaries acknowledge the usage of the word 'miracle' in these ways. That doesn't mean I like it.
Usages of the word miracle that irk me:The miracle of childbirth
It's a miracle no one got hurt!
Any usage that does not imply divine intervention.
Some words that are spelled the same and sound the same mean completely different things. With most words of that type, the context in which it is used makes it relatively obvious to which meaning one is referring. For instance: to lie down vs. to tell a lie. Sound the same, look the same, but it's pretty obvious that one is not really related to the other.
'Miracle', on the other hand, can mean something which appears to contradict natural laws, or it can mean something lucky, or merely something wonderful. Since we already have a word for lucky (lucky), and a word for wonderful (wonderful), I think it's better to reserve the word 'miracle' for something impossible.
So, if I had things my way, children wouldn't be miracles, they would simply be wonderful*, or some synonym. They're not impossible or even unlikely, babies happen all the time. Also, when a competent pilot lands a plane and everyone survives, he would be a hero, and the situation would be lucky. Lucky there was a river right there, lucky a good pilot and good crew on board.
*If you're into kids. If you're not, they're just regular, or possibly scary. But not miracles.
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Saturday, February 14th It's Valentine's Day, which is for couples to celebrate love. Or some-such.
Or it could be anti-Valentine's Day, the day for people who are single and O.K. with that.
Either way, here's a picture:
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Monday, February 16th So, generally speaking, I'm not that good at procrastinating. It tends to make me nervous and anxious.
But, having a laptop and being able to browse the internet while watching TV on the couch sure makes it easier.
I filed my taxes a couple of weeks ago, and I had all the paperwork spread across one of the rooms in neat little piles. And they're still there. And in the other room, I've been meaning to clean out the old electronics and put them in a closet, and generally create some extra space. And I decided to do this a month or so ago. I have only booted up my lovely 2-monitor system once since I got the laptop. I think it might be getting lonely.
Laptops are either very very nice, or vicious. Or possibly both.
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Thursday, February 19th So, since we now have a fancy DVR thing, I've been recording TV shows to watch when I'm bored or when only re-runs are on. And I recorded a MonsterQuest, on the History channel, where they go looking for 'The Swamp Stalker', aka 'Bigfoot'. There are many anecdotes, you know, big-hairy-walks-on-2-legs, the usual. And I just finished watching it.
It was, actually, quite intriguing. I even stopped browsing the internet because I was so engrossed in it.
But, as always, there is only one way for those shows to end. "Well, we didn't find any evidence per se, but there's a lot of really great stories, and some difficult to explain stuff, so we'll keep looking." Roll credits. If you're into Invader Zim, it was more-or-less exactly like 'Mysterious Mysteries of Strange Mystery'.
Oh well, at least it was entertaining. And in case you we're wondering, I do actually believe in Bigfoot.
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Wednesday, February 25th So another holiday. Ash Wednesday is really the holiday here, not Mardi Gras. I think I'm starting to suffer holiday burnout. It started with Thanksgiving, which is a respectable holiday in all ways, and then we go straight into the Midwinter Festivals, and then top it off with New Year's. But you think it's over then and it's not. There's just holiday after holiday after holiday. Sure, I don't observe all of them, but that doesn't seem to change things.
In other news, Fancy Feast. I've been trying to get my cat to eat soft food for a while, because she's losing her teeth and keeps dropping the dry food all over the place. And I've been trying to find food she likes. And... Fancy Feast is the clear winner.
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Friday, February 6th Sometimes, one must sit down and think about all the good things in one's life. Like, for instance, a gigantic bag of Jelly Bellies & a recorded Doctor Who.
But, then one must consider how those wonderful things could be better. Like, for instance, the Jelly Bellies could be in the flavors I want, rather than whatever Reasor's had. Like cappaccino flavor. Mmmmm. And the Doctor Who's that I record could be in order, so I don't feel quite so lost all the time. Well, not all the time, but mostly.
And so... there's the half-full & the half-empty. Take your pick.
Top of Page
Monday, February 9th I've added a couple of links. My link-list is sorely out-of-date, and I will someday fix it... but for now we'll just bandaid the problem. Also, if you have something you want me to link to, send me the address & I'll check it out. Just because you send me a link doesn't necessarily mean I'll link to it. Now on to the actual post:
Yes, this is a rant post. Yes, I know the dictionaries acknowledge the usage of the word 'miracle' in these ways. That doesn't mean I like it.
Usages of the word miracle that irk me:
Some words that are spelled the same and sound the same mean completely different things. With most words of that type, the context in which it is used makes it relatively obvious to which meaning one is referring. For instance: to lie down vs. to tell a lie. Sound the same, look the same, but it's pretty obvious that one is not really related to the other.
'Miracle', on the other hand, can mean something which appears to contradict natural laws, or it can mean something lucky, or merely something wonderful. Since we already have a word for lucky (lucky), and a word for wonderful (wonderful), I think it's better to reserve the word 'miracle' for something impossible.
So, if I had things my way, children wouldn't be miracles, they would simply be wonderful*, or some synonym. They're not impossible or even unlikely, babies happen all the time. Also, when a competent pilot lands a plane and everyone survives, he would be a hero, and the situation would be lucky. Lucky there was a river right there, lucky a good pilot and good crew on board.
*If you're into kids. If you're not, they're just regular, or possibly scary. But not miracles.
Top of Page
Saturday, February 14th It's Valentine's Day, which is for couples to celebrate love. Or some-such.
Or it could be anti-Valentine's Day, the day for people who are single and O.K. with that.
Either way, here's a picture:
Top of Page
Monday, February 16th So, generally speaking, I'm not that good at procrastinating. It tends to make me nervous and anxious.
But, having a laptop and being able to browse the internet while watching TV on the couch sure makes it easier.
I filed my taxes a couple of weeks ago, and I had all the paperwork spread across one of the rooms in neat little piles. And they're still there. And in the other room, I've been meaning to clean out the old electronics and put them in a closet, and generally create some extra space. And I decided to do this a month or so ago. I have only booted up my lovely 2-monitor system once since I got the laptop. I think it might be getting lonely.
Laptops are either very very nice, or vicious. Or possibly both.
Top of Page
Thursday, February 19th So, since we now have a fancy DVR thing, I've been recording TV shows to watch when I'm bored or when only re-runs are on. And I recorded a MonsterQuest, on the History channel, where they go looking for 'The Swamp Stalker', aka 'Bigfoot'. There are many anecdotes, you know, big-hairy-walks-on-2-legs, the usual. And I just finished watching it.
It was, actually, quite intriguing. I even stopped browsing the internet because I was so engrossed in it.
But, as always, there is only one way for those shows to end. "Well, we didn't find any evidence per se, but there's a lot of really great stories, and some difficult to explain stuff, so we'll keep looking." Roll credits. If you're into Invader Zim, it was more-or-less exactly like 'Mysterious Mysteries of Strange Mystery'.
Oh well, at least it was entertaining. And in case you we're wondering, I do actually believe in Bigfoot.
Top of Page
Wednesday, February 25th So another holiday. Ash Wednesday is really the holiday here, not Mardi Gras. I think I'm starting to suffer holiday burnout. It started with Thanksgiving, which is a respectable holiday in all ways, and then we go straight into the Midwinter Festivals, and then top it off with New Year's. But you think it's over then and it's not. There's just holiday after holiday after holiday. Sure, I don't observe all of them, but that doesn't seem to change things.
In other news, Fancy Feast. I've been trying to get my cat to eat soft food for a while, because she's losing her teeth and keeps dropping the dry food all over the place. And I've been trying to find food she likes. And... Fancy Feast is the clear winner.
Top of Page