Saturday, January 19, 2002
Ann's Bandwidth-Wasting Absurd Esoteric Microcosm Personality Quiz
..::more::..
Posted by Ann @ 02:03 PM CST ..::Link::..
Screw you, Weblogs.com
"Enter the name and URL of a weblog that has been updated." OK, so I do, maybe a few times a day (if I can remember) after I update my weblog. A few times a day. I tried it this morning and got the message: "Can't accept the ping because the site "ornamentalillness" has been identified as a ping-spammer." Ping Spammer my ass. Since when is one, two or three times a day (and only after my weblog has been updated) spamming when some people who have it set automatically via some sort of script update their sites many times a day are NOT spamming? WTF? I did notice something weird yesterday, and that was that I got about five hits from weblogs.com within the matter of about 20 minutes, which is unusual, but I have no idea how it happened. It certainly wasn't my doing; it must have been a glitch in the system that caused my weblog to appear several times on their list, although it wasn't by my spamming...like I have nothing better to do. Look, I'm as illiterate as they get when it comes to the geek side of the internet...all I can do is fill out forms...I can't hack them. If I could, do you think I'd be making crap wages as a freelance artist? If you don't want people manually pinging you (twice a day, thrice at most...oh my, that is soooo spamming) after they update their logs, take your form offline ferfreaksake, either that or fix the bugs in it, because something is very wrong.
Posted by Ann @ 09:07 AM CST ..::Link::..
DREAM
I must have been at a doctor's office or something. They were using this wand (like the kind they use at security checkpoints) to wave over my body to scan to see if I had cancer. I kept making it beep. Scary.
Posted by Ann @ 08:44 AM CST ..::Link::..
Lemon
Jane, that is the coolest looking lemon I've ever seen. Hope you're not in too much of a hurry to make lemonade out of it. Maybe you can preserve it--but don't make lemon preserves out of it!
It's sort of weird how we're drawn to these oddities of nature, and find them whimsical and appealing when they're in the form of a plant or something inanimate, but when they're an animal it freaks us out...at least I'm that way. Although I do admit to having found some freak-of-nature dandelions once (they had double stems...it was weird and disturbing) and ran screaming...and I wasn't even a kid when this happened.
Posted by Ann @ 08:36 AM CST ..::Link::..
Friday, January 18, 2002
Boomerang 'Batcave
The Dingbatcave's hosting service is raising its rates so that it's now comparable to what I'm paying to host my other sites, except that my other sites get more space and bandwidth allotment. I don't even need much for the 'cave, so I have a choice...stay put and feel cheated, move my domain over to my other host and get more stuff (which I don't even need), or get a subdomain with an existing account (like what I'm doing with ornamentalillness.com). I think I'll opt for the latter because I have very little cash flow and saving even $7/month helps. This means Stan will lose his personal email account though The Dingbatcave, (it will just all get sent to me now...mwahahaha) but he doesn't pay for it anyway. I don't know, even though I won't be losing the domain or anything (and nothing will be any different from a user's standpoint), it's still sort of like moving back into Mom's house after you've been living on your own, you know?
Posted by Ann @ 11:00 AM CST ..::Link::..
DREAM
There's this place I've dreamt about at least once before--it exists only in my dream and not in reality. It's in the northern-most part of Wisconsin by a lake. Geographically, this would be up by Bayfield on Lake Superior, but in my dream, for some reason, I think the lake is Lake Michigan, and to get to it one must travel east, even though it's the northern most part in the state...go figure...it's a dream...maybe it's up at the tip of Door County. It's this extremely fancy restaurant/country club that looks like an ice palace. It's built in the water, and to get to it one needs to travel out onto a peninsula. Sometimes the peninsula is covered by water or ice so maneouvering can get difficult. Once there, the place is warm and inviting...lots of windows, and it's full of people, usually business people , although I don't necessarily feel out of place. Sometimes I'm there for an art exhibit, but because it's so far away from Madison, by the time we get there it's late in the day and the sun is setting over the lake (yes, I know that sounds backwards if the lake is in the east, but you would actually see the sun set in the water at the tip of Door County) and the building is about to close. It's strange that I've dreamt multiple dreams about this place. It's amazing that one can invent something like this in one's sleep that isn't based on anything ever experienced.
I had that place in my dream last night, among a lot of other mixed up stuff. I can't remember it all in its proper sequence as it was quite a jumble. I just remember certain things, people, houses... I remember travelling to the place described above. Stan and I were following our friend Russ's car...I don't know if his family was with him or not. He was travelling really fast. I remember driving over round flagstones that were in the water. When I got there I had to find a bathroom. There were lots of fountains in the building, but I couldn't find a bathroom. Then I found a whole bunch of bathrooms, but the toilets in them were weird...it was like they were shaped for toddlers and they were messy. I remember the presence of someone that is an artist in Madison and would rather not have to deal with...she was in charge of the bathrooms or something. I wish I could remember the rest of the dream...something about tornados or something...it was too mixed up.
Posted by Ann @ 09:44 AM CST ..::Link::..
Thursday, January 17, 2002
Really? I was sure I'd be Eeyore (sp?)
Take the 100 Acre Personality Quiz!
That's weird...I've been told I don't talk enough.
Link via Stephanie.
Posted by Ann @ 06:39 PM CST ..::Link::..
House Project
Last spring Stan stripped most of the old faux-brick siding off the first floor of the house; this spring he plans on working on the triangular shaped areas up by the roof on the 2nd floor/attic area. Once this is all done, we will repaint it. The little icon is what it looks like currently (sort of...it's a very crude representation...I just wanted to map out the colors and where the basic shapes/windows are...none of the gingerbread trim elements we added are showing, neither are any trees/plants) and if you click it, this is what we have in mind...pale buff/cream colored main part, cinnabar 2nd floor, dark chocolate brown and gold trim. I got the new color scheme idea, from all things, watching HGTV. Someone was doing the interior of their condo in Asian-inspired colors including cinnabar, dark (almost black) brown and cream. Simultaneously, we were eating take-out Sushi that came on these little trays that contained red, black, white and gold. White is too stark for me, so is black, so I decided to soften the black with brown, and soften the white with buff/cream. Also, there's this house in Monona that I drool after whenever we drive by. It's an adorable cottage style, has three stories, lots of windows, and heart shapes in the shutters. It used to be painted silver. No, not light grey, silver. Metallic silver. I thought that was just very bold to do, to use metallic paint on a house. So, being influenced by the gold in Asian art, my own gold leaf that I work with (well, composition leaf, not real gold...that would get really expensive), and the bold attitude of my favorite little house that was once painted silver, I decided we should use actual gold paint (our own mix of mica flake--so it wouldn't tarnish unlike bronze powder--and polymer...we used the same thing inside on our bedroom ceiling but with white pearlescent mica flake instead). I really like the effect even from my little mock-up. I was thinking of a different color scheme entirely last year with pale buff, tan, pale blue grey and steel blue, but this one comes together much better. I hope we can start painting this year.
Posted by Ann @ 03:54 PM CST ..::Link::..
Wednesday, January 16, 2002
DREAMS
I can't remember my dreams too well from last night, however I do remember the 6th/7th floor of the inHumanities Building (my name for it) at the UW. I was walking around aimlessly, going from studio to studio. I also remember going to a support group with Stan for people who've lost their sisters (obviously, Stan was the reason why I was there as I have no siblings). I have no idea which sister of his (he has 4, one he grew up with--adopted; one from his biomom's side and two from his biodad's side) had died. It was sad, though.
I guess all his sisters would be in vulnerable positions, save for one on his dad's side we've not met yet (she lives in the UP and if they have as much snow up there as I've heard, then maybe she's vulnerable in that regard). The other sister on his dad's side is rather vulnerable emotionally; the sister on his mom's side is vulnerable because she's travelling alone in Italy right now, and the sister he grew up with is vulnerable because she's having problems in her marriage. Stan worries about all his sisters.
Posted by Ann @ 09:39 AM CST ..::Link::..
Tuesday, January 15, 2002
Halloween
Added the old costumes from Eyeblog in a little pop-up hyperlink over in the right column-->
Posted by Ann @ 11:52 AM CST ..::Link::..
DREAM
I dreamt my hair had a stark contrast between where I lightened it and the natural roots...a stark dividing line. I also dreamt that I was talking to Tim on the phone and there were these big pauses between when I asked him something and when he responded...like he was stoned out of his mind and spacing out. It was really aggravating me.
Posted by Ann @ 08:30 AM CST ..::Link::..
Monday, January 14, 2002
Grumblings
I want to write about something that's just been bugging me lately. Ann's Disclaimer: It absolutely, positively has nothing whatsoever to do with anything blog, journal, webpage or internet. ..::more::..
Posted by Ann @ 03:51 PM CST ..::Link::..
70s Music Flashback Weekday
Hooray! I'm STEVIE NICKS, vocalist and tambourine-ist of Fleetwood Mac! I'm very caring, generous, loving, and sweet. I enjoy twirling and banging away on my tambourine with the occasional wail. I'd give to charity any day of the week and if one person gets hurt, I'd call off everything to aid him. Too damn bad everyone thinks I'm a witch, though :\
I wail/bang away on songs like "Gold Dust Woman," "Sister Of The Moon," and "Edge Of Seventeen."
Which member of Fleetwood Mac are you?
Somehow I knew that answer before taking the test...no big surprise here.
Never been a big Fleetwood Mac fan. Never disliked...just not big fan. Had a couple albums as a teenager back in the 70s because it was the thing to do (yes, I'm that old, dammit). Enjoyed watching the VH1 show on them because it was like a rock and roll relationship parody...like Spinal Tap with women. Actually, I find the early pre-female/pre-American member British blues band incarnation more interesting musically.
OK, now bonus points for everyone who can pick up on the Steely Dan reference today. Now that's a band I couldn't stand, either then or now.
Posted by Ann @ 10:59 AM CST ..::Link::..
Don't call me Stinky! That's my DOG!
I, Ann, want you to think that I am deep, royal, and lovely...
But in reality you all see me as stinky, loving, and chewing.
And while we're at it I think sex is really wet, cold, and liquid.
Dr. LoKi thinks I need professional help!!!!
[ Take the Psych test...I DARE YOU!!! ]
Posted by Ann @ 08:49 AM CST ..::Link::..
Pretzel Illogic
Am I the only one who's developed an incredible craving for pretzels after the Bush incident? Not your skinny, dry, junk food pretzels in a bag, but the fresh, chewy, warm, humongous pretzels (with correspondingly large salt crystals to match). I'm absolutely CRAVING those. Must have pretzel now. Unfortunately, I know not where to get one, and it's icky out, so I'll just think about it instead. But you know how it is, you never think about something, and then it's in the news and you can't stop thinking about it...that's how it is with pretzels right now. I usually never give them a second thought.
I'm still puzzled how one could choke on a pretzel...especially the dry kind in a bag...they pulverize immediately upon contact with liquid. Doesn't he know to drink liquid with pretzels? It's baffling. And Stan doesn't think it was a pretzel at all. He thinks Laura smacked him one.
I think he was just practicing his fainting so he could barf on Japan some day like Poppy did.
Posted by Ann @ 08:33 AM CST ..::Link::..
Sunday, January 13, 2002
No subject, really.
I really wonder if the ability to remember dreams and the phases of the moon are at all connected. Seems like I go for days and days without being able to recall my dreams; other times I remember several per night.
Rented Scorcese's Mean Streets last night. Harvey Keitel was quite good looking back then. Robert DeNiro, however, was divine, despite the fact his character was whacked.
I enjoy watching movies alone with Stan the best. I get really enthusiastic about both music and movies, but it's hard to enthuse others as much, like when others don't appreciate it as much as you do, or when they don't take it as seriously and make fun of it all the time. Stan and I can see things eye to eye, so we'll laugh together and we're serious together. I'm really lucky we share that ability. There's nothing worse than when you're trying to watch a movie you love and someone keeps making fun of something about it...it's really insultory.