Exit stage left...pursued by a bear

Mozy on down to Mozy

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 02:46:44 GMT

Back up your data with Mozy and save 10%!

"Mozy is easy to use and doesn't require any software or hardware on your computer. Full disclosure: If you sign up for online backup service Mozy using this link, I'll get . . . something."

Just type in SAVE10 at checkout and save 10% on a MozyHome Unlimited annual or biennial subscription!

View >>

Who's Annoying Whom?

Sat, 10 Jan 2009 23:07:33 GMT

The title of this video is "Cat Annoys Sleeping Guy All Night." This guy set up a time-lapse camera to find out what his cat did while he was asleep. Well, that guy is the most restless sleeper I've ever seen. I think the cat would have been content to lie next to him if he didn't keep moving around and making the cat think he was awake and wanted to play.

Another interesting quiz

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 14:04:09 GMT

Wow! I haven't posted here since October? Guess mini-posts on Facebook have taken over from actual blogging. Here's a quiz I found at dargie's:

I took the 43 Things Personality Quiz and found out I'm an

Organized Lifelong Learning Extrovert

Palin as President game

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 17:33:10 GMT

http://www.palinaspresident.us/
Turn up the sound and click on everything (except the red phone). Click on the door lots of times. This site is supposed to be updated daily, so try it again tomorrow.
Thanks to brainstormfront.

36 Things About You

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 03:25:07 GMT

I'm reposting this from dargie's journal, where you can see my responses in the comments. I want to know 36 things about you. Short and sweet is fine.

Comment here and repost a blank one on your own journal.

01) Are you currently in a serious relationship?
02) What was your dream growing up?
03) What talent do you wish you had?
04) If I bought you a drink what would it be?
05) Favorite vegetable?
06) What was the last book you read?
07) What zodiac sign are you?
08) Any Tattoos and/or Piercings? Explain where.
09) Worst Habit?
10) If you saw me walking down the street would you offer me a ride?
11) What is your favorite sport?
12) Do you have a Pessimistic or Optimistic attitude?
13) What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator with me?
14) Worst thing to ever happen to you?
15) Tell me one weird fact about you.
16) Do you have any pets?
17) What if I showed up at your house unexpectedly?
18) What was your first impression of me?
19) Do you think clowns are cute or scary?
20) If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be?
21) Would you be my crime partner or my conscience?
22) What color eyes do you have?
23) Ever been arrested?
24) Bottle or can soda?
25) If you won $10,000 today, what would you do with it?
27) What's your favorite place to hang out at?
28) Do you believe in ghosts?
29) Favorite thing to do in your spare time?
30) Do you swear a lot?
31) Biggest pet peeve?
32) In one word, how would you describe yourself?
33) Do you believe/appreciate romance?
34) Favourite and least favourite food?
35) Do you believe in God?
36) Will you repost this so I can fill it out and do the same for you?

Back up your data NOW!

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 00:30:47 GMT

Last week my computer at work died. The IT guys didn't know if it was a power supply issue or a hard drive crash. They had admonished me periodically to make sure that all my data was backed up to a network drive, but of course I had at least a week's worth of work sitting in folders on my desktop where it would be handy to get at. I know, I know . . .

It turns out that all my data was recoverable, thankfully. I don't know why I'm so trusting at work (maybe because we do have an IT department to help me out with these kinds of problems). At home I use two different backup systems: one system backs up my important files to an external hard drive, and the second system backs up my files to a server somewhere in The Cloud.

I want to tell you about Mozy, my backup to The Cloud solution. You get 2 GB of offsite storage for free, and it's easy to use. Once you set Mozy to back up from important places on your computer, you don't have to tell it again. But I'm not being completely altruistic in telling you this. For every person who signs up for a free Mozy account and actually backs up some files using my referral link (https://mozy.com/?ref=355K4F) I'll get an additional 256 MB of free backup space. (The same goes for you if you sign up; you'll get your own referral code.)

So don't say that I didn't warn you - and give you a quick, easy and free solution.

P.S. Mozy works on both Macs and PCs. And if you need to back up more than 2 GB of data, you can subscribe to Mozy home for $4.95 a month (and I don't get a cut of that).

Geek Beauty

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 03:14:10 GMT

Lichtenberg Figure
Originally uploaded by Barb Young

My husband gave me this beautiful Lichtenberg figure for my birthday. Lichtenberg figures are branching, tree-like or fern-like patterns created by high voltage discharges within electrical insulating materials (in this case, plexiglass). They're created in particle accellerators, something my husband knows a lot about! I really can't explain all the technical details, but there's a lot more on the Captured Lightning web site.

Guess this old hippy is an old hippy

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 04:07:18 GMT

Your result for The Fashion Style Test...

Hippie Kid

50% Flamboyance, 55% Originality, 42% Deliberateness, 39% Sexiness

[Flamboyant Original Random Prissy]

The idea of "good taste" is alien to you because how can one style be judged better than the other? You are also not the one to follow what someone has currently decided is "fashionable." To you it's most important that you feel good in your clothes. You like it if people notice an interesting detail you're wearing and you have some taste for extravagance but you don't spend hours composing outfits. This laid-back attitude leaves you plenty of time for other things in life and still most people remember a few interesting outfits they saw on you. I don't know if you wear hippy clothes but perhaps they would match your philosophy?

The opposite style from yours is Uptown Girl/Boy [Tasteful Conventional Deliberate Sexy].

All the categories: Librarian Sporty Hottie Office Master Uptown Girl/ Boy Brainy Student Movie Star Fashionista Glamorous Soul Fashion Enemy Bar Cruiser Kid Next Door Sex Bomb Hippie Kid Fashion Rebel Fashion Artist Catwalk God(ess)

Take The Fashion Style Test at HelloQuizzy

Geranium is finally blooming

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:26:34 GMT

CIMG1052
Originally uploaded by Barb Young

At 10 weeks the mini geraniums finally started to bloom. Some marigold flowers have already dried up and been deadheaded. The mimulus (left rear) put out two puny flowers, then was completely overshadowed by the other two plants and died. You can see a second geranium flower stalk to the left of the light support, but the light dome is as high as it goes, so I don't know what's going to happen to the flowers when they hit it. I might have to deadhead them before they're actually dead in order to get the plant to put out more flowers. Everyone at work is still fascinated by the Aerogarden, and I get lots of visitors who come by to check its progress.

My lettuce patch

Sun, 04 May 2008 13:32:50 GMT

CIMG1018
Originally uploaded by Barb Young

Here's the Aerogarden in my kitchen, at week six after planting. I harvested one salad a few days before this photo was taken. There isn't enough lettuce production for both my husband and I to have a salad together, and you can't cut and save the leaves in the refrigerator because they're very delicate and wilt quickly. The salad greens kit grows beautifully (and looks beautiful), but isn't very useful, saladwise.

Mini flowers are blooming

Sun, 04 May 2008 13:30:33 GMT

CIMG1021
Originally uploaded by Barb Young

Here's my Aerogarden3 (mini) with three flowers at seven weeks after planting. There's one white mimulus flower at the left and another you can't see in this photo. One bright marigold flower and several more buds that should open soon. However, even though the mini-geranium has lush green leaves and is growing like crazy, there's no sign of any flowers back there. People in my office whom I'd never talked to much before come by almost every day to check the garden's progress. I'm sure I've "sold" a half-dozen Aerogardens by now.

Aerogarden 3 mini

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 18:39:15 GMT

Aerogarden 3 mini
Originally uploaded by Barb Young

Our third Aerogarden, "the baby," arrived yesterday and was promptly planted with the "Splash of Color" seed kit. I have it at work on top of a low filing cabinet. Lots of people have stopped to ask what it is, so I hung an Aerogrow advertising flyer above it to show what should be happening in a month or so. It really is small and cute. I only hope that the lights in our office building really do go off during the night, because the instructions say that the plants won't bloom without some hours of darkness.

Aerogarden - Week 7

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 13:06:26 GMT

I've already raised the lights twice and can't cook enough recipes using herbs to keep up with the growth. It sure is interesting to watch, though, and looks very nice on my kitchen counter. The next planting (when I have the heart to ditch the herbs, or whenever they go to seed) is going to be lettuce. I know I can keep up with that.

Farewell Orlando

Sat, 09 Feb 2008 20:55:14 GMT

Our beloved kitty Orlando died yesterday afternoon. He survived more than a year with chronic feline renal failure, but in the end he just didn't have the strength to go on. He was the runt of his litter and was very sick as a kitten, but he was with us nine wonderful years. I called him "Mister Paw" for the cute way he'd touch my face while sitting on my lap.

He was a gentle "big brother" to Elwood, befriending a tiny, motherless kitten who soon was much larger than himself. He had the softest fur, and a little white patch on his chest. I'll try to remember him as he is in these photos, our beloved sweet boy.

The Singing Dictionary

Sat, 26 Jan 2008 04:14:02 GMT

Wow! Three posts in one day. A record for me!

You know how Dictionary.com and other online dictionaries will pronounce a word for you. Well, apparently those dictionary voices enjoy karaoke. It's just hysterically funny. My husband is on his computer listening to a dictionary karaoke version of AC/DC's "Highway to Hell." Oh, just go give it a try. Dictionaraoke.org

Redecorating - again

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 14:00:32 GMT

Oh, and I redecorated the blog. This is cleaner and more what I was looking for.

Aerogarden - Week 5

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 13:47:18 GMT

It's been about a month since I planted my Aerogarden, and it's growing really well. The book says that the basil will grow taller than the other plants and need to be pruned back, but so far I haven't found this to be true. My fastest growing plants are the dill, cilantro and chives. I've given the chives a "haircut" twice to avoid moving the lights up, which would place them too far away from the smaller plants. More photos on Flickr.

The little bonsai tree that my grandson gave me has sprouted. (See the bowl to the right of the Aerogarden.)

How does my garden grow?

Mon, 07 Jan 2008 00:39:27 GMT

My daughter and son-in-law got me an Aerogarden for Christmas. I'm fascinated by watching the seedlings appear and grow. I planted the garden on Christmas day, so the little plants are almost two weeks old. It looks like the chives will need to be cut back before the other plants get tall enough for me to move the lights up to the next notch. I'm looking forward to cooking with fresh herbs into the spring. After the herbs are done, we may try the garden starter tray to get some flowers ready to plant outside. You can see larger photos and some closeups on Flickr.

Oh, and the little thing in the white bowl next to the garden is supposed to become a bonsai pine tree. My grandson gave it to me. I planted the seeds yesterday and figured it would benefit from the Aerogarden light. I don't really have a sunny windowsill to place it in.

"You the cat!"

Sat, 01 Dec 2007 14:07:36 GMT

So, is a cat that can do dog tricks smart . . . or not so smart?
http://glumbert.com/wii/view.php?name=cattricks

Learn vocabulary and donate free rice

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 19:43:38 GMT

The Free Rice web site was recently mentioned in Mark Hurst's Good Experience newsletter. The object of Free Rice is to identify increasingly harder vocabulary words. Every correct answer gets ten grains of rice donated to needy people in a developing country via the United Nations. Here's an article about the Free Rice site.

I'm up to vocabulary level 50 but am not sure that I can jump back in at that level if I leave the site and return later. I did notice that some of the supposedly harder words were easier for me. Maybe I just have a weirdly skewed vocabulary. I used parts of words that seemed familiar to make educated guesses, and just plain guessed on quite a few words. Thankfully, the quiz is multiple choice. Some of my stumpers were: cembalo, limnetic, paranomasia, and bosk.

No, I won't tell you what they mean. Go play the game yourself. But if you get nothing else done today, don't blame me!

My Little Sister and I are in the newspaper

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 01:56:10 GMT

Last December I volunteered with Big Brothers Big Sisters and was matched with my Little Sister, Lexy. Today's Aurora Beacon News had a nice article about us.

The Television Antennas of Venice

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 23:08:28 GMT

CIMG0828
Originally uploaded by Barb Young

I just love the contrast between the old and the modern. This was taken out a window of the Doge's Palace. If you go to Venice, be sure to pre-book the "Secret Itinerary" tour of the Doge's Palace. You'll get to see all the neat stuff like the cell that Casanova escaped from, plus a tour guide to explain a lot of the history of the place.

Headless in Venice

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 02:23:04 GMT

CIMG0919
Originally uploaded by Barb Young

Another nice shot from the Giardini Pubblici. If you want to see a larger version, just click on the photo to go to its page on Flickr.

Oh, and by the way, I've remodeled the blog.

More Venice photos

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 02:20:24 GMT

CIMG0915
Originally uploaded by Barb Young

I've uploaded the last of my Venice photos to Flickr. See the link in the post below. I'll try to annotate the photos to explain some of the stranger ones. The photo accompanying this entry was taken in the Giardini Pubblici (Public Gardens). I couldn't believe my luck at this shot, and I'm not sure how Grandpa squeezed in there.

My Italy photos on Flickr

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 16:38:31 GMT

CIMG0903
Originally uploaded by Barb Young

I've uploaded most of my photos from Trieste and Venice to Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/barbyoung/

I took a few more today that are still in the camera. We're heading home tomorrow, and after I upload the rest of the photos, I'll spend some time over the next week giving them useful titles and adding comments.