The New Musings of a Quiet Geek

Though the media has tried to push Christmas upon us since even before Halloween, I finally succumbed yesterday. I actively play Christmas music and even started my shopping yesterday. (I know. Wow!) The knee recovery is progressing. I'm now in phase 2 of the physical therapy. Phase 2 isn't all the different from the first one except I can bend my knee past 45 degrees. (In fact, I can bend it all the way to 90!) Did anyone watch the James Taylor tribute on PBS last night? That was the best tribute I had seen since the Bob Dylan one in '92. (OK, the Johnny Cash and John Lennon tributes of a couple years ago didn't totally suck...) My one problem with it was they used up David Crosby, Sheryl Crow and Jackson Browne on one song instead of spreading the wealth. My problem with the John Lennon tribute was neither Paul or Ringo was there. I think Paul would have been nice here since JT first signed with Apple Records but the line-up they had was great. Like the Dylan tribute,...

So, we didn't go away for Thanksgiving this year as I came down with an intestinal thing Tuesday night spending about 42 hours straight on a "porcelain cruise." Thankfully, I was able to eat a little something on the actual day and was feeling well enough to preform my duty as greeter this morning at church. Woo Hoo! Lately, I've been keeping busy revising databases. I noticed about a month ago that the All Creatures Great And Small page only had the two stars, Christopher Timothy and Robert Hardy, appearing in thirty of the ninety episodes. Why the hell wouldn't James Herriot appear in a show about James Herriot? I mean one or two episodes maybe but over fifty? In any case, I starting submitting corrections and I noticed last night that someone else has been doing the same bringing the numbers up to fifty-something now. Even more recently, I've been working on applying labels to the archived posts on this here blog. It seems I've taken many quizzes over ...

Hope you enjoy the new template. I hadn't changed it in awhile so there we go. Today was our church fair complete with lunch, raffle and silent auction. I bid on a David Ortiz plaque and a Manny Ramirez poster. The bidding on the plaque got too steep for someone you has little income (Who'd pay 45 bucks for that?) but the poster may yet be mine! My local branch library is looking for a part time reference librarian. I received a letter today informing me that, while I'm still in the running, the search has been reopened due to the feeling the deadline for applications was too soon. I choose the pessimistic view that I'll do but they'd prefer someone better...(Truthfully, I basically wrote their collection development policy for a class and live only a block away.) I just love the first sentence of the second paragraph: You are The Hermit Prudence, Caution, Deliberation. The Hermit points to all things hidden, such as knowledge and inspiration,hidden enemies. The ill...

Recently, I finally finished one of my birthday books. Yoda: Dark Rendezvous , written by Sean Stewart, overall is the best Star Wars book I've read in quite some time with three really engaging lightsaber battles but, to be more accurate, the last 100 pages was the best Star Wars novel I've ever read in my life. Yoda has always been one of my favorite characters and the dialogue/interaction between him and Count Dooku was really good . Obviously, since most novels take place after the movies, they can't have the old Jedi Master in them but I was really hoping here to get more of him here. What species is he? Why is he the only member of his race ever even mentioned? What about the rest of his backstory? No answers to any of these questions were present here. While it's impossible to skip the first 230 pages, I do recomend this novel to all those who didn't dislike the storyline of the prequel movies and to those who miss reading Star Wars novels that don'...

I had a physical therapy consult yesterday. She wanted me to stop one of the exercises I was doing as it could haerm the incision area if done wrong but added 4 more. Some I'm supposed to do 2-3 times a day while a few I only do twice. I can actually bend my knee somewhere between 30 and 45 degrees now without pain. Woo hoo! (Well, obviously I can't with the brace on...) Not my next appointment which is Monday but the one after that I have to go in Wednesday at 7AM! Since I have to wear sweatpants anyway, I'm thinking of just going in my pajamas... In other though not really different news, I've been getting a lot of attention due to my brace when I've gone out in public. So far, it's just been guys who can relate to knee problems and not hot chicks so I'm not really liking it...

I went in for my post-surgery check-up yesterday before doing my patriotic duty and voting. I have no idea what exactly he did to my knee during the examination but that hurt like hell. Then, the med tech came in with my new brace and to remove my stitches and I had a panic attack. I had my leg up on the table with no brace and she needed me to stand up to fit the new brace and I couldn't move my leg! It was so embarrassing. The new brace is different in that my knee can now be bent to 20 degrees instead of being completely straight all the time. Also I don't have to wear it at night. I may have mentioned this already but I now can put weight on the leg and am taking less medication. I have also started doing two isometric exercises. The doctor wants me to call for a PT consult as soon as possible and gave me a schedule on how he wants the therapist to proceed: starting light and getting more intense over the next three weeks. I can't believe I answered all the quest...

Nothing really new to share so here's a quiz: Which Classic Story Role Do You Play? - You Are The Wayward Heart "Feel Better." You are best described as 'Emotional Support'. Anytime an emotional issue comes up or something stresses people out, you are there to help them feel better about it. Whether you are the prankster of the bunch, the funny one, the wild one, or just the shoulder to cry on - your traits favor what it takes to keep people going. You like large groups of people and have many friends. When something hits home for you, however, you have a hard time with it. You also have difficulty paying attention or focusing on one thing. Above all, though, if people are happy, you are happy. Take this quiz ! Quizilla | Join | Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code Could my boobs be any bigger?

As some of you know, I had knee surgery bright and early on Monday morning. (Actually, it wasn't bright as the sun wasn't up when we left the house that morning.) I was home by lunch. Thursday was the first night I slept in my own bed instead of a cot in the living room. It was also the first night I slept through the night but I won't gross you ladies out by explaining why. The first two days or so, I was entertained by watching the first season, or introductory miniseries, of The 4400 which I bought with birthday money. It's really too bad it was only 5 episodes...I've also been reading birthday books but I write more after I finish one. Today, was my first shower and man was my hair nasty! Yesterday, my father rented The Sentinel . That was a very good movie in that it was very fast moving. It was also good in that Eva Longoria didn't exceed her grasp...

The major event of my birthday this year was going to another play but, unlike last year, this was at the Ivoryton Playhouse instead of on Broadway. We saw "An Inspector Calls." The play was very well acted and the plot was very suspenseful. The only drawback I can stress is that when the first act ends, there was some confusion as to if it was intermission or actually over. It could have been over but no one came out to give bows or anything. There was no mention of how many acts in the program as is usual and the director never gave a hint either way when she introduced it. It turned out all right but... This was the most "community theater" experience I've had here in Connecticut in that you could eat in the theater but the actors were still mostly professional. It was a very good time. Yesterday, I went with my mother and a colleague of hers to a Christian Education conference. I personally went to a workshop on children's literature where most age app...

Tomorrow is my birthday. Yay! Last night, I discovered some trivia about the day I'm going to now share with you because I'm geeky like that: I knew I shared a birthday with Hillary Clinton, Pat Sajak and Jaclyn Smith but I also share the day with Natalie Merchant and Dylan McDermott. Quite the posse... What really blew my mind was the events of the day. I knew about the Shootout at the OK Corral and that The Who recorded "My Generation" like 12 years earlier (than my birth not the Shootout) but I discovered last night a possible reason I have a huge interest in Star Trek : The spaceshuttle Enterprise, named by President Ford for the ship on the show, had its fifth and final test on that same day in the same year as my birth! In an unrelated matter, I have Jessica Simpson's new song "I Belong to Me" stuck in my head and I want it out!

The interview yesterday went well I think. It's hard to tell when the interviewer has a pokerface the entire time to get a totally accurate impression but I still feel pretty good about it. I certainly asked more questions than I ever have in interviews previously and I even mentioned that I had looked at what databases they had on their website which I had done one other time but I think it worked better here. The only thing that could sink me is if they found someone who had professional budget management experience. She really hopes to have someone in place by Election Day but I guess this is dependent on when she can meet with the board so it may not be until December. I'm not postponing the surgery unless I have a good reason to. As far as living there, there is a apartment building right next door. I don't know if there's any vacancies but that would be great if I could work that out. Not that anyone asked but, the doctor's appointments went well on Thursday....

Remind me to complain how boring and unexciting my life more often because as soon as I did, it got really exciting really fast. Last night, we had four visitors arrive from Korea. They like ziti and garlic bread. Go figure. They will be staying until Sunday night. I told my mother (AKA Hyacinth Bucket) she was making way too much salad but did she listen? No. Now we have this huge-ass bowl of salad in the fridge...What's really irritating is first the fork we use to serve catfood went missing now Susie's dish is missing as well... Tomorrow, I have a physical to prepare for my surgery then I go to my orthopedist's to fill out consent forms. Woo Hoo! I hope I can find time for a haircut as well because... Friday, I have a job interview at a library in Massachusetts! It's a reference job but I also will be conducting a book group. I've never done that but it sounds really fun. Sure, I'll be stuck reading many book that sucks but isn't that what book group i...

Thursday night we went up to Maine to celebrate the 8oth birthday of my grandfather's wife. As I suspected, especially since my partners in crime couldn't make it, the affair was fairly yawn-worthy. The highlights included my aunt, my mother and I speculating just what kind of sandwich my mother was eating. My aunt said if you don't know what it is, it's usually chicken and then I said something like, "let's go with that..." Another highlight was when I mentioned to another aunt that the eclair piece I was eating seemed to have the cream sucked out of it. My "grandmother"'s son sang, as did she actually. During his performance of a Christmas song he wrote, (Yes, you read that correctly.) his wife was wandering around the room doing other tasks but piped in when he needed a backup singer... Friday night, we saw a movie with my uncle and grandmother from the other side of the family: Monster-in-Law . I've noticed I've been giving go...

Last night, my father and I rented two movies from Blockbuster as TV was crap. The family movie was Marilyn Hotchkiss Ballroom Dancing and Charm School . I don't mind non-linear offerings (Hell, I love Alias and Lost ) but this movie did it in a very aggravating way I think. Though his name appears on the package and others that have infinitely more to do don't, Danny Devito only appears in one scene but it's a good scene so I suppose we can forgive whoever made that decision. Speaking of the cast though, amazing. There isn't one cast member you haven't seen somewhere else. I wasn't sure if I'd recommend it when I started watching it but it grows on you. The "Me Movie" watched today was Ultimate Avengers II . You can read what I thought of the first one here but I thought the plot of this one was much more original. I recommend watching the first one beforehand anyway, however, because it will make more sense. You Are 7 Up Understated and s...

I don't have anything to say of any import except to say the career is still going nowhere so the move to Portland is looking good. Now what I really wanted to comment on today was the political scene here in Connecticut. There are only two congressional incumbents who's jobs aren't being threatened; my district congressman being one of them. The other three districts however seem quite heated and so I'll have to watch a buttload of political ads that have nothing to do with me for the eternity until election day. Being from the two district state of Maine, I didn't have this problem there as the incumbent of the other district never had a serious challenger so this is rather new to me. (Not my first election down here but it seems especially annoying this year.) I will say this: the Republican incumbents all seem to stress their opponents will raise taxes. First off, not very original. (Not a cigarette tax! No!) Secondly, one of the main reasons I can never be a ...

Your Learning Style: Innovative and Independent You are determined and driven. Confident in your abilities, no field is too difficult for you. You Should Study: Astronomy Biology Chemistry Design Engineering Philosophy Physics Political Science What Should You Study? I would say subjects 1,4,6, and 8 maybe but to the rest, I say, "No way in hell!" Take the quiz: Who would you be in the War of Armageddon? Mortal You're a mortal. If you're caught in the end days, you must be careful, for you will have a choice to make. You can join the forces of good or evil. To join the forces of evil means to be damned for all eternity... To join the forces of good means to be destroyed by the forces of The Antichrist, but it's the only way to save soul. You tend to teeter, leaning sometimes to good and sometimes to evil. You usually look out for yourself while things are happening around you. This probably won't work in end days, the battle will leave none untouched. Quizzes ...

I, along with everybody else who attended except for 4 people, saw Akeelah and the Bee last night. That was a great movie. Very inspirational. As I expected the number in attendance was almost exactly the same as last time but I did have a better time. We could have used more food I think for some reason... The new series Heroes is rebroadcast on Fridays which is good because Mondays at 9 isn't good for me. The review in the paper was correct the Japanese guy's story was the only thing interesting in the premiere episode. I'm not really sure where they're going with this series. I thought it would be like My Secret Identity , especially considering Jerry O'Connell is part of Tim Kring's other show Crossing Jordan , on a more global scale but since they all except one end up in New York so I'm not so sure. The second series, or 37th if you will, of Doctor Who premiered last night as well. David Tennent makes a very good Doctor I think but so far they...

Yesterday morning, I watched the third library movie: The Last Samurai . First and foremost, I want to comment on the movie's cinematography. Beautiful and breathtaking scenery. I also like how in one scene, the camera panshot allowed them to hide a decapitation behind a tree and not make it obvious that's what they were doing. Great job. Tom Cruise played the drunken 19th century American asshole very well and I honestly thought he portrayed the level of soften during the course of the film quite well. In an article I wrote for my high school newspaper, that was republished in The Lewiston Sun-Journal actually, I said Cruise "actually acted" in Jerry Maguire . This movie makes his performance in that look like amateur theater. Best of all, like The Red Corner and the Chinese language before it, the Japanese actors here speak Japanese in scenes that don't have English speakers, and, when they either probably don't know English or don't want the Ame...

I forgot to mention that on Sunday afternoon the Alfred E. White Chorale, a local gospel choir, performed at my church. They were very good. The choir director became overwhelmed with emotion after their own rendition of "The Lord's Prayer" and then again after the concert was over. During the concert, one of the other women had a hot flash. Still, it rocked! This morning, I now believe why the Aniston-Pitt marriage fell apart. I watched Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Pitt and Jolie had almost Hepburn-Tracy chemistry in this film. It added quite a lot to what would have just been a straightforward action film. Overall, I loved it but I really must comment on not the plot itself which was actually fine. (I mean I could watch Angelina kick ass all day...) No, the real problem was the background or basis of the plot. I'm giving away something here but unless you think wrestling is real, it's fairly easy to deduce anyway. If you have a problem with your agent consortin...

I have forty minutes before the next set of pop culture challenges unlock on Gold Rush so I decided to update the old blog. Over the weekend, I finished reading Vanish by Tess Gerritsen. I've liked her writing and the fact she's a Maine author is pretty cool. Another cool aspect of her writing is the recent books especially have been set in Boston. In this book, a scene took place on the same street I had my internship which is kind of funny IMHO. Vanish isn't as good as earlier books as she seems to be getting away from the medical field more and more. The real problem I had with it was more suspense than mystery. I'm not saying it was Columbo where you know who the murder is right off but Gerritsen has written novels that exercised the brain more... After I returned this to the library, I borrowed three movies. The first, which I watched this morning, was Sarah Silverman: Jesus is Magic which is more or less a concert film. It was hilarious in that quirky-S...