instant idiots

Why I mostly ignore instant messages: Random Idiot: hey, 24 m in SF here, cute pic on yr profile cygnoir: i’m not single and i’m not looking. Random Idiot: i’m married cygnoir: k, good luck with that. cygnoir clicks the “ignore” button. Usually I don’t respond at all, since it is pointless. One of these losers once argued the ethics of infidelity with me. Yeah, okay, whatever you need to tell yourself so you can look your partner in the face and lie, lie, lie. Because it bears repeating: there are many random idiots in the world, online and off. You do not owe any one of them your time, patience, respect or kindness. Give those to your friends; give those to...

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Posted on 31 May 2006 | 8 comments

move-tastic

The long weekend was move-tastic. We got a lot done, and by “a lot” I mean “ridiculous amounts exceeding all of my expectations in the best way”. All of the MSG‘s stuff is in the new place, and we unpacked a lot of it, plus we did not kill each other. Now come the tricky parts, magic incantations involving stereo components and rearranging the living-room furniture and such. I’m already in love with Potrero Hill, and thrilled that I get to spend my weekends there. For now, though, I’m exhausted, and simply looking forward to the low-key events of this evening: getting a haircut, uploading photos to Flickr, and starting Season 5 of...

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Posted on 30 May 2006 | 2 comments

see you soon

Thank you to everyone who offered to solve my “Lost” problem. Inkbot and I ended up watching it on ABC’s website, which wasn’t a bad experience, all told, plus it was free and fast. I will be offline for most of the three-day weekend, helping the MSG move into his new digs. Have a wonderful holiday, and see you soon!

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Posted on 27 May 2006 | Comments Off

web two dot wtf

If Thomas Hawk is claiming all rights to Web 2.1, etcetera, I hereby claim all rights to Web Two Dot Ass. Read more at the informative and entertaining Thomas Hawk’s Digital Connection: Tim O’Reilly Sends a Cease and Desist to a Non Profit Over the Use of the Term “Web 2.0,” What a Load of Crap.

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Posted on 26 May 2006 | 2 comments

thanks, TiVo

Thanks, TiVo, for recording the mildly entertaining yet ultimately pointless “let’s review nearly everything from season two” episode of “Lost” yet NOT THE TWO-HOUR SEASON FINALE. I checked all the settings — date/time, “keep episodes until I delete them”, season pass priority of #1, etcetera — everything was set correctly. I thought the new Overlap Protection feature was supposed to prevent this from happening, but I guess it doesn’t work if it’s protecting a show from overlapping itself. My brain just broke, typing that sentence. What sucks the most about this situation is how dependent on TiVo I have become. I don’t own a video iPod. ABC doesn’t repeat these episodes, at least not...

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Posted on 25 May 2006 | 10 comments

princess of the comments

princess of the comments

princess of the comments Originally uploaded by cygnoir. Teehee, my comment on ze frank’s the show made it to #2 yesterday! I was princess of the comments! If you aren’t watching it by now, you really should. Ze takes on current events. And earth sandwiches. And duckies. And he...

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Posted on 24 May 2006 | 1 comment

watch for falling tags

After over a week of using WordPress for this site, I must say I am quite impressed. It’s fast, easy to tweak, and just plain purty. It’s also forcing me to learn more PHP. I have a few things I’d like to fix: Install the Last.fm plugin. (ditched in favor of feedlist plugin) Install the Gravatars plugin. Fix weird placement of Gravatars. Fix weird rendering on monthly archive pages like this one. Embed my LibraryThing widget on my books page only.  (figure out JavaScript problem) Do something real with my CV page. (as opposed to surreal?) Separate the “Cygnoir, Too” list items with commas. (if that doesn’t too smushed) Find a way to incorporate the old cygnoir.net logo, which I miss. Figure out caching for Flickr photos in...

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Posted on 22 May 2006 | 3 comments

three-part messages

This LiveJournal post floored me. I transcribed part of it to an index card I keep in my planner for easy reference: Three-part messages are not some sort of major philosophical construct — they’re just a tool. Like a hammer, or a pencil. Their purpose is to let you request a change in someone’s behavior without triggering the automatic “You can’t tell ME what to do!” reaction that hijacks the whole interaction and keeps the person from even hearing the request. Often, if it weren’t for that reaction, the person would have no objection at all to making the requested change — but first it has to be heard and understood. [read...

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Posted on 19 May 2006 | 2 comments

robo-huh?

My reply to the MSG‘s frustrated, rhetorical query: “do you understand what about WIRING money takes 2-4 business days?” the wiring thing has plagued me for years. it is faster for me to send my dad a check via USPS and for that check to clear his bank and mine than it is for me to wire it. in 2006. we’re >< this close to robot hookers with built-in jetpacks and espresso machines and yet we can’t figure out the electronic transfer of any sum of money. our culture is doomed.

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Posted on 19 May 2006 | 4 comments

napmares

If napping is bad, why does it feel o so good? Curling up in my flannel sheets underneath my velvet down comforter and handmade afghan … yum. But nightmares that occur during naps — napmares, I call them — are the worst. There’s not enough time for slow-on-the-uptake lucid dreamers to do anything. My napmares often include situations in which I’ve done something foolish, bad enough that it impacts someone I care about, and I don’t know why I’ve done it because I’m inserted into the timeline right after I’ve been found out. This latest napmare involved harassing an ex. It was ridiculous, something I’d never do in waking life, and I felt horrible about it. Not only had I hurt him, but I had upset the...

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Posted on 19 May 2006 | 1 comment