How do you feel today? v. 3.0

[wayfriend]

Really love it up here in southern Massachusetts.

It's a nice time of year. New leaves everywhere. Some mild warmth. Everything rain-washed and clean. Midges, black flies, and mosquitoes unleashed. Lilacs in bloom.

[Sorus]

I call it the Flamelephant. Everyone sees something different in it.

I think it looks like a bird or birds with intertwined necks. You are so clever Lorin.

I saw a pelican at first glance. After staring at it for awhile, it looked more like two roads leading to a portal of some kind.

[I'm Murrin]

It's clearly two tentacles holding a tomato.

[wayfriend]

It's clearly two tentacles holding a tomato.

The lurker of the Saladgrave?

sorry.

[aliantha]

Those are very cool, lorin. The top one looks like a bird with a sinuous gray beak to me.

[lorin]

That's what I like about it, its ambiguity. I see an elephant, but when I turn it, I see a pelican.

But I like the lurker idea. Maybe it's the illearth stone he/she/its holding.

[sgt.null]

lorin - the eye from many fabled stories?

finding lots of stuff the I/m's are trying to steal and getting no praise/credit from my captain. instead she harps about the holiday meal running 20 minutes over.

the meal was one disaster after another and I stayed an extra 2 hrs, 15 mins for free to make sure it finished.

found the best homemade tattoo gun in my 14 yrs working for the prisons. it had three different sized needles and material to make two more. whoever it belonged to must be doing some quality (for prison) work.

talking with Julie about going back to volunteering for the aquarium at the Houston zoo.

[Sorus]

Ah, yes. If only one could find a paying job as fulfilling as volunteer work.

[Linna Heartbooger]

lorin- I love the intense colors and the orderliness of the picture frame.
And I vote "infinity pelican" (?) on that one piece.

(Sorry I'm like Ms. Jenny-come-lately to the party!)

Also- I saw your video of a clever crow (or raven?) feeding a cat and dog the other day.
It had me in stitches!
It just confirms me in my vote of "Birds!" in the age-old controversy "Cats or Dogs?"

Here are some of my strange creations.

I really like the top one.

Hi, Ananda!

Ah, yes. If only one could find a paying job as fulfilling as volunteer work.

Ahhh...
What volunteer work have you really loved, sorus?

finding lots of stuff the I/m's are trying to steal and getting no praise/credit from my captain.

I bet I know someone who'll praise you for your faithful diligence one Day.
Doesn't always make things feel "all better" though.. no, often it doesn't.

Also, I never asked a bunch about your zoo volunteering!
what critters were you working with?
octopus?



as far as checking in for "how do I feel today?"...
well, wacky. pretty emotional...
boo.
but there's some good stuff, too.

[SoulBiter]

heading down to Sanibel Island in Florida for the week. Sun, Sand, Ocean, relaxing....

Oh and a Thursday private Charter for fishing. Tarpon in the morning for sport and then later we move to catch something you can actually eat.

Tarpon get to be 200lbs but I don't expect to catch any that big.. but it could happen....


Below is the one I would like to catch

[Linna Heartbooger]

I notice that the head of that fish is larger than the head of the dude hauling it in.

That is a completely ridiculously-large fish!
Have fun!

[SoulBiter]

Oh and I found a recipe to cook Tarpon....

You'll need an open pit the length of the Tarpon. Use plenty of Coal.

1 Tarpon about 80 pounds.
1 plank the length of the fish...preferrably a soft wood like pine. Hard wood ( like oak) makes for tougher eating.
Olive oil, salt, pepper and paprika to taste.

Directions:

Pre-season the Plank with the ingredients listed above making sure to coat it all evenly.
Place the Tarpon on the plank. Wrap the Tarpon and plank in alluminum foil.
Place it on the coals.
Allow to cook for 45 minutes.
After 45 minutes remove the foil and toss Tarpon in the trash.
Plank serves up to 10 people.

[Menolly]

I remember Sanibel has an undeveloped, sea shell collectors heaven. I understand it is very different now, but still beautiful.

Have fun!

[sgt.null]

Linna - octopi, nurse sharks, lionfish, stingrays, sea turtles, river turtles, piranha, sea horses, jelly fish, starfish, electric eel, moray eel, electric catfish - among the many types of fishes I worked with.

[aliantha]

So...the phone saga, which I alluded to in the Efest thread.

Earlier this year, our Information Services department (I guess we can't have an IT department like everybody else ) sent out an email saying they would give new phones to anyone who was using their personal phones for work. The firm would pay for the phone and the data plan; all I would have to do is pick up the cost for voice and texts. I knew that would amount to a significant savings, plus I'd get an iPhone 5C to replace my 4S. Nothing wrong with the 4s -- just, y'know, new and shiny.

So I get the new phone and IS sets it up for me, and everything goes fine until one day when it stops getting work emails. I give up the phone for the whole day while our mobile phone guru plays with it. First she tells me not to back the phone up to iCloud. Then she tells me she needs to set up a new Apple ID for me, and not to sideload any photos because maybe that's what screwed things up. I sighed, sucked it up, and started using the lame backgrounds that came with the phone.

That worked for a little while. Then I stopped getting emails again. Our guru handed me off to another guy in the department, who kept my phone for another whole day and still couldn't get the emails working on it. The phone and the firm's server were talking via the MobileIron app, so my calendar worked and I had my contacts, but I wasn't getting emails.

A couple of weeks ago, the guy took my phone again for the whole day. This time, the whole thing crapped out. I lost my contacts (including all the personal numbers I'd typed in by hand because I'm not supposed to back the phone up to iCloud) and my calendar, and email still isn't working.

Every time they reset my phone, I have to re-download all my apps, reset my backgrounds and ringtones, turn off the damn autocorrect and key clicks, and all the rest of that junk. But it's having to re-enter all my personal contacts every time that's really getting old.

In the meantime, the firm gave me a loaner Blackberry. I hate that thing. And now the firm is paying for two data plans for me, which is ridiculous.

Supposedly IS has kicked the issue to MobileIron to figure out why my setup isn't working. That was about a week ago; no word yet. I am hoping to have it all ironed out by the time I have to leave for ABQ, but I am not holding my breath.

Other than that, things are mostly peachy....

[Iolanthe]

My new phone is being a pig! I set up the email, and it started downloading, but the ones that come on the phone don't go to my inbox and I started losing important emails with attachments. Sometimes the phone said I had 6 emails but only downloaded 1. Goodness knows where the others went. I keep having to go onto Virgin on the web to see what I have missed. Anyway, I went into the phone shop yesterday and got him to take the email off again. So now I don't have email on my phone. I suppose it all comes down to me not being able to use the thing properly.

[Orlion]

My phone works just fine

[Iolanthe]

Oh, clever Dicky. Shame you aren't coming to ABQ, you could have sorted mine out for me.

[Sorus]

'Always be wary of any helpful item that weighs less than its operating manual.'

[aliantha]

They don't give you operating manuals anymore, though. All the help files are online.

Still no email on my phone. Bah. I should ping IS again today.

So here's my life for the next few weeks:

Today and tomorrow, work as usual, and get ready for the Facebook party I'm throwing on Saturday for the launch of the newest book.

Thursday, continue getting ready for the party while consuming a liquid diet all day (booyah... )in preparation for a "routine" colonoscopy Friday. I am staying home from work on Thursday. I told Traveling Guy that nobody will want to be around me when all I can eat is broth and jello -- and that's even before I start drinking that junk they make you drink.

Friday, napping drunk all day.

Saturday, Facebook party. (Y'all come! I've got a ton of ebooks and stuff to give away. www.facebook.com/#!/events/591473764299769 )

Sunday, Batty gets home from cat-sitting.

Monday and Tuesday, work as usual.

Wednesday, I start vacation! I get on the big silver bird on Thursday. Cannot freaking wait!