Month: November 2004

Well, not really lost, just left at home. My watch, that is. Feels a little odd, but a little freeing too. I tend to be more than a little obsessed with time – though I don’t really have a reason for it. Fortuantly, my computer will pop up a little message to tell me when I have to go to a meeting, so that won’t be a problem.

Didn’t do much last evening – except spend too much money at the craft store. Got some really excellent ideas for projects, should keep me out of trouble this weekend.

Otherwise, it was mostly video games and the Angel DVD – a relaxing evening.

The boss is out today – so I’m getting some of his calls already. It’ll be a busy day, I suspect.

Well, I should get back to work…

Well, not really baking. More like heating a polymer clay until it hardens in a low temp pseudo-kiln – i.e. my oven. The stuff is called sculpey – a clay-like substance for modeling in plastic. You mold it like clay and then bake it to harden it into a solid plastic. I wanted to make a “little plastic castle” – like in the Ani Difranco song – so I tested it out a little bit last night.

The instructions were clear – 130 degrees, for 15 minutes per 1/4 inch thickness. Well, my test case was a little thicker than 1/4 inch and my over starts out at 200 degrees – any lower than that falls into the “warm” catagory. So, I did a whole bunch of estimating with frequent checking – they made a big deal out of not over-baking. Finally just cranked it up and gave it another 5 mintues – that seemed to do the trick. Tonight I’ll try using a dremel on it and maybe a little painting, just to see what it can do. Should have a little plastic castle by the end of the week.

In other news…I did laundry. That was pretty much it. Oh, and watching Angel DVD – lots of ass was kicked last night in the episodes I watched.

My neighbor Josh loaned me a game – X-Men Legends. Looks like fun – I’ll have to give it spin tonight.

Back to work for me…

Got a notice that I failed to pay my School District Tax for 2001 – for the district that my parents live in from 2001. I’ve never lived there and I’m guessing it’s just a clerical error. The problem is that I got this same notice several months ago and replied to it as indicated. And now I’ve got the same notice again, this time with a threat of an additional $500 fine.

So, I’m on the phone with them now – on hold.

Okay, talking to Shawn now – seems like an okay guy. Fingers crossed.

Apparently, the previous notice was for 2000, so this is a new one. And it appears that the wrong school district was associated with my address. Shawn made some updates and it looks like I’m okay. He also cautioned me to avoid using the preprinted address label in the future, since it may have been the source of the problem. Great.

So, that’s all cleared up. I’ll proably still get a warning for 2002 and 2003 at some point, but at least I know what the problem is and can address it.

Well, back to work…

Talked to my Dad last night – his mom was in a car accident and had to be taken to the hospital. She’s okay, but they had to keep her overnight for observation. A little scary for all of us – I’m concerned that she may no longer feel comfortable driving – that will dramatically cut down on her independence.

Been trying to blog all day – lots of trouble with the system. Same kind of stuff that made me stop blogging last time.

Still getting comments from people about the costume – all positive.

That’s about it for me – back to work…

Well, I meant to blog this yesterday and had it all typed in – but Blogger took a gigantic crap and I lost it all. So, here goes take 2 – or at least the highlights:

“Darkness falls across the land”

The people have spoken and they are idiots. GW is a lunatic and his screw-ups are legendary. Apparently, a majority of the county forgot about those and are going to give him 4 more years to screw things up. Keep in mind, though, that it was a small majority – a whole bunch of people, including me, were hoping to get rid of Bush. We’ll be watching…

End Political Rant here…

In other news, my sister wore pink yesterday – one of those breast cancer awareness braclets. Considering that she hates the color with a passion that borders on lunacy, this is really saying something. She asked that I alert the media – which I’m unable to do – but I can record it for the ages in this blog.

In still more news… gave my boss a ride to pick up his car after work. Major brownie points.

Watched some more of the Angel Season 4 DVD, finished Dune: Battle of Corrin, and generally chilled out.

And now it’s time to go back to work…

I went and voted this morning before work. Couldn’t find the address, so I was a little later getting there than I expected. I arrived at 6:40 (polls opened at 6:30) and there was a line out the door. And it was sort of one line, though there should have been two since there were two precints. There were no signs or clear markers – you just had to ask around to figure out if you should veer left or right. I paid attention and had no problems. And I had my voter card and picture ID, in case there were any problems. No way was I going to be denied the chance to vote.

A very primitive set-up, but it seemed to work. Fingers crossed.

I’m glad it’s over – the signs in the yards on every street, the mudslinging, the endless debates and discussions.

But if the war-monger wins, I’m moving to Canada. I wonder if the University of Toronto is hiring?

Back to work…

It can now be told – I was a Giant Lego-man for Halloween. And let me tell you, it totally rocked!

Let’s start out with big props to Jeff for his invaluabe help on the costume. He’s wicked with a can of spray paint and the end result was exactly what I envisioned. Also a shout out to Debbie – her help with the “suiting up” in the morning when I got to work was much appreciated.

So, the costume. Red sweatshirt, blue sweatpants, yellow-ish workboots. Red cardboard box for the torso, shaped to match the lego style. Bright yellow cardboard head with a section of screen so I could see out. Cut PVC pipe connectors and dowel rods for the hands. I’ll have pictures up on my site this week sometime.

I visited a lot of people on Friday – and startled a few. The funniest part was walking on campus and seeing people notice me and try not to react. Come on, people. You’re not too cool to laugh at the 6 foot tall lego man. Enjoy it – it’s freaking Halloween!

Since my face was totally hidden, a few people guessed it was me based solely on the fact that I do this every year. I think one recognised my voice, but a few people had to wait until I’d lifted off my lego head before they were sure it was me. 🙂

Great reactions from people, lots of fun. My own little moral booster for the campus. And hey – I got some candy too!

More later, including a link, once I’ve caught up on work…