geekette meets technology

I luuuuuurrrvvvvv my new iPhone. An awesome piece of technology. And huzzah for free apps! NPR News is my favorite so far - I can read the news headlines. AroundMe is really cool also - it shows the X closest to your current location (coffee shops, restaurants, ATMs, parking, gas stations, movie theaters ...). Please tell me about your favorite apps - I've only had an iPhone for a week, so I'm still a noob.

Dating sucks

Latest sniff from an online dating site:

"I saw your profile and your beautiful Picture, I can't let go, So i decided to write you this letter so that we can get to know Our selves better. I must confess you are very beautiful and I like you. Please don't ignore me ... hope to hear from you soon. Thanks and remain bless,"

Clearly I am a L-O-S-E-R.

Introducing Sven

This is Sven.



Sven is a coat rack.

I'm going to take him to my office this week. On the days when we wear coats, we end up draping them over our chairs or on the couch or someplace. It's ridiculous. I was in Ikea today with my friend and new colleague Bess Sadler, and the woman ahead of us in line had Sven's brother. She said they were in the children's section. I should look in that area more carefully, I guess. I made Bess wait as I dashed back upstairs (in Ikea, this means weaving around people with carts, finding the "shortcuts", getting disoriented, battling traffic flow and so on). I am so pleased to have rescued Sven, though. And he's going to love our office. And we're going to love having him around.

First Earthquake!

Felt like a big truck driving down Albany Street when I was laying in bed in my Center Street house. Only a little more, and a little longer.

I think I'm getting the hang of this California thing.

gross little story about shindy

Most of you have heard the tale of Shindy the kitten getting really ill, going to the vet, creating a stumper for the vet, staying overnight for observation and getting hydrated via I.V. and then returning home ... to eventually pass a shoelace, explaining the cause of the whole incident. The vet informed me that she could have died, not only from dehydration at not being able to keep anything down, but due to intestinal bunching or some such.

Since then, I am vigilant about keeping shoelaces, rubber bands, string, twine and other such objects in cat proof places. I also tell all my guests and cat sitters about this rule. Eight years of success!

Most of you also know that Shindy's favorite toy, when I lived in Ithaca, was the "string", which was actually a shoelace given to me by my dear friend Heidi. Shindy would follow the string anywhere, any time. I kept it tied to a strut on the leg of the kitchen table when it wasn't in use, so she could play with it on her own, if she wanted.

Unfortunately, when I gave away the table before I moved out west, I forgot about the string. So it was back to twist-ties ... which she doesn't eat, for some reason.

Here in California, I got a couple of packages shipped to me with plastic strapping. Turns out plastic strapping is just as appealing to my little tortie as the string. There are lengths of it lying around my apartment here, ready for play action. Sometimes Shindy will sort of push a length along with her head, which is super cute. It also means "don't you want to play with me? now now now now now now now now now?"

Well, I bought something or other that had one of those thin hard plastic one use straps (you thread the 1/16" strap through the little box and tighten it and you can't loosen it). I cut off the strap, and Shindy was interested in it, and it seemed like a safe enough toy. Very similar to a fully plastic twist tie, but made of harder plastic, and a bit thicker. She played with it on and off for months.

This morning, I discovered a lovely hairball, placed for once in a location where I would see it easily, and NOT on a carpet. It seemed to have a shoelace in it. But no, it was the black plastic tie thingy. And I remembered I *thought* she might have been swallowing it one day when I looked up, but it was too late for me to do anything about it.

Cat: older, but not any wiser.
Owner: further cat-proofing vigilance indicated.

Eavesdropping ... and Happy New Year

Okay, these are shamelessly stolen from an SF Chronicle article:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/01/01/DDTS1AVBBR.DTL&tsp=1
I found them hilarious. Please send in yours.

"No, I don't want sex today. I had sex yesterday. ... OK, here's my stop." (Woman on cell phone on 38-Geary)

"If you don't get a cell phone, then we're not friends anymore." (Woman to woman, shouting at a cafe in Berkeley)

"I hate people from San Francisco. They won't shut up about their Mexican food." (Woman to woman on beach in Cape Cod)

"Do chickens even have wings anymore?" (Man to woman, overheard at Andronico's on Shattuck in Berkeley)

"You can never really have too many animal-print shoes, can you?" (Woman to friend, overheard at Nordstrom in Corte Madera)

And from the comments:
"2009......My wife & I eating brunch elbow to elbow @ local popular eatery......Super Hot chic & skateboard look dude......next to us....You could tell they had drunk monkey sex night before.......at the table she says....yes I love reading etc. etc...my hobbies are I work with red cross spend quality time evolving bla! bla! what do you do?
he responds.....Well I'm unemployed...have been forever....(has no money for the food).....and i read comic books...Her response (jaw hanging open)...WHHAAAAAAAA!!!!!! The dear in the headlights look was priceless.......she left for the girls room.....never returned to the table.......
our Best meal ever.............Gawd ! How we love San Francisco!"

Okay, all you peeps - get your butts out here. The mexican food is awesome.