ozarque ([info]ozarque) wrote,
@ 2007-10-18 08:11:00
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Personal note; running late.....
I'm way behind this morning, and nothing has happened on its regular schedule. My little dog is horrified -- she's a fanatic about exact scheduling -- and I'm not all that happy myself; I hate getting even more behind than I already was. Our power went off in a storm last night, and didn't come back on until 7:30 a.m., which meant I wasn't at my computer at 7:00 as I usually am; our generator will run the coffeemaker [thank goodness!], but isn't a safe way to run the computers and their power backup units.

And then once it got light we discovered that the wind had torn up our big sycamore tree out front... lots of sizable limbs broken and hanging down ... and all of that mess had to be cut loose, and cut into manageable lengths, and stacked out of the way. I'm sorry about the damage to the tree, but very glad the wind just happened to be blowing straight out of the southwest, so that none of the big branches landed on our roof. We slept through the whole commotion -- one of the advantages of living in an underground house.

It was worse by far in many areas around us, and I know that there were people hurt at Octoberfest in Tulsa ... I hope all of you, and those you love, came through the storms safe and sound.

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[info]writerwench
2007-10-18 01:36 pm UTC (link)
Oh goodness, what a disruption!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/october/16/newsid_2533000/2533219.stm
There's been quite a bit of news coverage this week of the 20th anniversary of The Great Storm - 15 MILLION mature, ancient, large trees were blown over in one night, just in the south-east of England. Roads were blocked, power out, and roofs taken off... we were so fortunate only to lose the glass out of the old greenhouse. Our road was blocked by a fallen tree - which, like most of those that fell on public land, was never replaced. We lost an enormous amount of tree canopy forever, that night.

I hope your sycamore tree will survive this assault. Yes, the winter storms are stronger, and beginning earlier, than in previous centuries. When it isn't continuing as warm and pleasant as summer, that is!

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[info]hilleviw
2007-10-18 02:34 pm UTC (link)
I'm so glad your home isn't broken, though share your sorrow about the tree.

My two little dogs are also fanatical about precise scheduling. They are beginning to consider forgiving me for going on a trip, and are now trying to herd me back into our routine, jetlag be damned. I can't fathom what their responses to moving will be.

Did your issue of Congregations arrive yet? I was howling with laughter at the beginning of the article about Robert's Rules of Order...I swear I've been at some of those church meetings, where the process is served but the people are not!

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Response to hilleviw...
[info]ozarque
2007-10-19 06:48 pm UTC (link)
Thank you; I am hoping the sycamore is going to be all right, however. It's such a huge tree that I think it will recover.

I did get Congregations, yes, and I agree -- the Robert's Rules of Order article is hilarious.

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[info]pperiwinkle
2007-10-18 06:56 pm UTC (link)
"- she's a fanatic about exact scheduling "

They're such tyrants!

And it's no good begging and pleading to sit down for just five minutes, the withering scorn and guilt for my lack of consideration for their feelings I have to endure just isn't worth it.

And, it's not like they don't have their own dog door and can't go out into the backyard anytime they want, noooooo, that's not good enough. We have to have our evening walk around the block come hell or high water, and it better be by 6:00, or there will be complaints filed.

Don't let that smiling face in my userpic fool you. Oh no,Frau Matilda is very strict!

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Wind everywhere
[info]maggieno
2007-10-19 07:09 am UTC (link)
It's been a day, hasn't it? Glad to hear that the house is okay.

Just watching a report about a cottonwood that came down on 6 cars and a repair shop in today's windstorm in Western Washington. Injuries and deaths here too from other trees (another cottonwood)falling on people and a wind surfer found turned over in the water. All told, over 200,000 without power at times during the afternoon. Ours was out for 8 hours.

Our dogs really, really don't like the roaring of the wind through the trees. It's too early for the leaves to have fallen, but they're dry and put up quite a shout. I usually take them out on leads when the wind is so high; I have visions of 50 mph blasts picking up the little 5.5 lb boy and blowing him into the next yard.

I'm just glad that we had planned on crab and salad for dinner and so didn't have to worry the lack of electricity!

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[info]ingulf
2007-10-19 07:57 am UTC (link)
[I'm tacking this onto the most recent item, because I don't know whether you check older ones for comments. ]

There is an interesting line of research described here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/blog/post/PLNK2DYCU7ANMP5E6

The research is looking into the question of why some people find it easier than others to learn computer programming languages. I thought you might be interested as programming languages have some things in common with math.

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all sorts of variations
[info]maggieno
2007-10-19 06:30 pm UTC (link)
Thanks for the link -- interesting.

I think there's yet another category: those who are capable of programming but who are utterly bored with it, no matter how important it may be in one's life. I've always was the kind of kid who was curious about anything, and the kind of student/adult who pick up at least a survivor's skill at just about anything. I'm good at puzzles and I'm good at readying.

And, I have proved to myself and others that I could do programming (enough for a push or two toward in the work place).

But -- it totally bores me. I had never understood how kids could zone out during a subject and just walk away into daydreams or actually out of the room. Then, I determinedly pursued those nudges into programming because being able to do such would solve some workplace problems.

For the first time that I remember in my schooling, kid's or adult's, I was so totally bored/indifferent to what was being taught that I mentally got up and walked over to the window to gaze out for the length of the class. The reaction stunned me -- it sure didn't fit my self-image -- and I've long wondered about it.

The puzzle factor has a lot to say about programming; also, the novelistic factor. But there must be many others, including an "indifference" factor!

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Re: all sorts of variations... response to maggieno...
[info]ozarque
2007-10-19 06:43 pm UTC (link)
Just FYI: I see every comment that comes in, no matter how long ago the post it responds to may be, because every comment is e-mailed to me directly.

(Reply to this)(Parent)
Response to ingulf...
[info]ozarque
2007-10-19 06:46 pm UTC (link)
Just FYI: I see every comment that comes in, no matter how long ago the post it responds to may be, because every comment is e-mailed to me directly.

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