| idea of the day | 2007.07.31 |
the most troubling review of new zealand i had to date was from a guide book where an english traveler stated -
its disappointing to have traveled half way around the globe and to another hemisphere only to arrive in a place so similar to home.
the xenophobic reaction of immigration new zealand to a latino visitor’s visa application makes me wonder if its going to be all that different than the united states either…
| idea of the day | 2007.07.30 |
look to the right and you’ll see how much time you have left to plan a dinner party with us before you’ll have to fly to new zealand to do so.
of course, this is apparently contingent upon the immigration of new zealand approving our visa applications which has become much more questionable than we ever would have imagined.
| a long way gone | 2007.07.27 |
its hard to be critical of this story because the author goes from running through the forests of sierra leone slitting people’s throats as a child soldier to graduating college in the united states. but from a literary perspective the book is only so-so. its the humanistic perspective that saves it. from the author: “visualize the banana tree as the enemy, the rebels who killed your parents, your family, and those who are responsible for everything that has happened to you,” the corporal screamed. “is that how you stab someone who had killed your family?” he asked. “this is how i would do it.”
| idea of the day |
the world is a sadder place with the passing of the last of my grandparents
marjorie ann boundy
1926.09.05 – 2007.07.27
| idea of the day | 2007.07.26 |
there is an assumption amongst the unenlightened that all mac computer users are apple zealots. i am a mac user but wouldn’t characterize my affection for my macbook pro as zealotry.
however, i moved one step closer yesterday when a mac specialist consulted with the store manager and decided to replace my definitively more than one year old wireless keyboard by cracking open a new box and switching its contents with mine.
but i wasn’t supposed to tell so you never heard this here…
| idea of the day | 2007.07.25 |
the coworkers found out last week, natalie bought the tickets yesterday so its official, in three weeks i’ll be taking a week off from blog and just about everything else while we move to wanganui, new zealand.
| idea of the day | 2007.07.24 |
i imagine that when dr. david banner transforms in to the hulk it hurts a lot. of course he doesn’t scream or cry out because he’s a super hero but it has to hurt.
“drift asleep” and “half awake” imply a calm, peaceful place somewhere between being asleep and awake. a place i used to know well as i cheerfully passed between one and the other.
so i imagine both my children must experience the change from being asleep to being awake like dr. david banner as he tears through his clothes on his way to becoming the hulk. but unlike the hulk, my children are not super heroes and every morning and night begins and ends with crying. and if you were to listen close enough you will find that some of that crying is now coming from me too….
| idea of the day | 2007.07.23 |
son: tell me again about which animals are meat.
mom: well, cows make beef. actually they don’t cook beef they are beef.
with explanations like this you can see why our kids ask us to explain things more than once…
| idea of the day | 2007.07.20 |
he told us his name was garrett and his fourth birthday was still weeks away but garrett swam like he had been in the water for years. he was wearing googles and was exploring the bottom of the pool and after a while began treading water near the pool’s filter.
garrett had been there for a few minutes when he drew his hand out of the filter and brought with it a large dark brown object. five grown adults immediately vacated the pool at the sight of the unfortunate rabbit and garrett sensed trouble and let go allowing the rabbit to drift slowly back in to the filter.
we notified the two male life guards that an animal had drowned in the pool and they did the only sensible thing by seeking out a female to remove it. as we walked away from the pool we all agreed it would be best to skip dinner at the lodge that night…
| idea of the day | 2007.07.17 |
provided the new zealand embassy gets over itself and realizes i’m not trying to smuggle a mexican in to their country – four weeks from today we’ll be living down under.
| idea of the day | 2007.07.16 |
what kind of a software company thinks this is an appropriate error message to render its user?
a startup error has occurred. notes is not configured correctly. please re-install notes.
even worse, following its so called “solution” didn’t remedy the problem…
| idea of the day | 2007.07.13 |
this is truly an unlucky day because my daughter who isn’t even two years old yet doesn’t realize that the reason we’re not giving her milk this morning as usual is that a little later on she’ll be under general anesthesia to have a procedure done.
no amount of hearing how routine this is will make me feel better until tomorrow when i see her acting normal again.