Oongoon

We've moved!

2010-11-21T23:05:00.001-04:00

oongoon.wordpress.com (All the cool Information Professionals are doing it.)

They Voted With Their Pee

2010-11-19T09:51:00.002-04:00

Warning: Crazy Cat Lady material follows.

Linus has never cared about the kind of litter in his litterbox. He's been litter trained since the 3rd day that he's lived with me, and he's never peed outside the box under normal circumstances. (We had a couple of incidents where a door blew shut during the day trapping him in a room and he had no choice.) I have even seen him pee in an empty litter box sitting on the bathroom floor while I was changing out the litter.

Tikal, on the other hand, it very picky. If it's not to his liking, he will pee in random boxes around the house until the litter box situation is to his complete satisfaction. To this date, Tikal has been satisfied with Anderson's Clump and Flush, otherwise sold as the PC Green brand litter. I like it as well; it's made from corn and it's flushable and it's a pretty good odour absorber.

This past weekend I bought a bag of World's Best Cat Litter and set it up in a second box in the bathroom. The Anderson's has gone untouched since. I don't care for the smell of the World's Best Cat Litter but, but everyone else in the house (cat or human) thinks it's the bees' knees. And I do have to admit that it clumps a bit better than the Anderson's and is slightly less dusty, so there is a bit less tracking all over.

So World's Best it is. It's hideously expensive, but hopefully it will last pretty well so that I don't have to change it very often. The bag claims some ridiculously high number for how long it lasts. I'm hoping for two weeks.

Bruce's Dishwasher Rant

2010-07-01T15:03:00.002-03:00

An entertaining rant composed by Bruce, reposted here to entertain, and also to make my blog look better. :-)

So I like to think that posts are about issues, ideas, philosophies, and well thought-out arguments on globally relevant themes.

So here goes: Our @$%$# dishwasher is based on dishonesty. I bought it from Sears in 2008, all bright-eyed and trusting in the efficient modalities of the economy and the free marketplace. I researched, haggled, kicked tires, and finally bought this shiny new modcon. I was mildly dismayed when I began getting repeated calls (about 20 a day, it seemed) from insistent ladies with hidden caller IDs telling me that it would fall apart soon unless I bought an extended warranty. Are you joking? The sales literature says it is device of the highest quality and most excellent design. What gives? This subsided after I lost my cool with the telemarketers and threatened to call THEM at home.

All good. But recently we noticed that the dishes were no longer as clean as before. To the point where it was no longer washing anything on the top tray at all. I consulted the instruction manual, read the troubleshooting guide, confirmed that the water was on, the power was on, I was a proud republican, and that I otherwise deserved to have clean dishes. No hint of what to do other than Call For Servicing. Sounds expensive. Should we scrap it? Are they just so poorly made that they wear out in three years? The service call would cost at least $ 100.00, way more if things needed to be changed, not to mention waiting around for someone to visit.

So while I was punching my way through the menus on the 800 number, and became annoyed that they wouldn't help me unless I had both the incomprehensibly long model number and serial number (the serial number would allow for about 10^68 dishwashers in the universe; wouldn't you really be better off just to buy a new one, the subtext went...) I googled "Fix Kenmore DW". I found that I was not the only person with this issue. I found a website with a detailed explanation of how to clean the filters, complete with pics! Filters? WTF! Why doesn't the instruction manual talk about these? In any case, about an hour later, after having disassembled the inside of the tub, using unusual tools like a "Torx T-25 socket driver", I was able to remove several filters, junk traps, and a device with the mildly disturbing name of "the macerator" and reassemble everything to find that it worked PERFECTLY.

Talk about planned obsolescence. Let me understand this.. It has a one year warranty. It has filters and serviceable parts that are buried and inaccessible (unless you have a Torx T-25....) that are likely not to need cleaning until, say..., a year has passed... an instruction and installation manual that makes no mention of these things. You are apparently fine if you agree to the blackmail that is the service contract, but otherwise, hey, just scrap it and lay out another $ 900.00 for a new one. It's actually not broken at all, but you will feel so special if you buy something new, and undoubtedly better. Or not.

I am reminded of the movie Brazil.

Grrrr.

Good cues for a neutral spine

2010-06-21T09:50:00.004-03:00

I attended the Halifax Can-Fit-Pro conference on Saturday, and in one of the talks I picked up a nice cue for helping participants find a neutral spine and engage the pelvic floor muscles.

"Imagine your hip bone as a bowl of water. Now don't spill the water either out the front of the back of the bowl."

At this point it's easy to demo what "spilling water" looks like by tilting the hips forward and back.

Once the hips are in place, "lift up the pool liner" at the bottom of the bowl.

If people are wondering how to tell that their "bowl" is upright, I can cue them to find the triangle formed by the two hip bones and the pubic bone and then make sure that the triangle is completely vertical.

After all that, I think most people will be able to find their nice strong neutral spine point.

Next I cue them pull the shoulder blades down and chest open, and Bob's your uncle. I sometimes tell them to pretend there's a star on their chest (point to near top of breast bone) and then make sure I can see their star even as they hip-hinge over for bent-over rows or hamstring stretches or squats. "Show me your stars everyone!"

Oh and one more nice exercise modification I learned about: for a squat, get them to extend their arms forward, thumbs up, and put a dowel (or empty bar) across the biceps. Raise the arms a bit higher than parallel with the floor, and now squat without losing the bar.

Conferences are great!

I like Pilates

2010-06-03T16:00:00.003-03:00

So far, I'm really enjoying my Pilates class. It's a lot more challenging than I thought it would be, and I'm getting all the benefits I thought I would, plus some I didn't expect.

I took the class because I need some help with running a good safe Body Trim class, and Pilates is all about proper posture and lots of cueing. That is certainly happening; I am a lot more comfortable telling my participants to stabilize their shoulders, hips, etc, as we work through the exercises.

The second benefit I was looking for and got was a good core workout. I feel stronger every week. I sit a little straighter at work now, and I can sit on the edge of a crappy chair and maintain a nice straight back for several hours.

The unexpected benefits has been the discovery of some weak spots, like my neck and my left hip. The left hip makes sense since that's where my ankle problems are. Hopefully I can correct that. The big challenge has been my neck. I have never been able to do sit-ups without supporting my head, and in Pilates we do a lot of crunches or various sort. The instructor has been really helpful, spending time with me, trying to teach my how to hold my head up so that it's not hurting my neck. (Tuck in the chin but don't move the head forward.) (I know, it sounds easy.) I can do it while lying down or standing up, but as soon as I'm in a crunch position, I lose the alignment and neck start to hurt again. But I think I'm making progress. We have another five weeks to go; perhaps by the end I'll be able to hold up head up comfortably. I'm really hoping that the neck strength will also help with the neck/upper back soreness that I get from sitting at computers all day.

And one more benefit: I'm actually finding the class fun! Today we had only three participants, and we ended up laughing a lot when some of us just couldn't do some exercises. It's interesting to see how different people find different exercises easy and others impossible. I can't "roll like a ball" at all. I get stuck on my back like an upside-down turtle.

I'm going to try to take the same class in September if I can. (It will depend on my work/school/Dalplex schedule.)

Morning run - harder than I thought

2010-05-25T11:12:00.004-03:00

6:10am Alarm
6:50am I get up
7:15am I'm outside, thinking I'll water my garden plot first
8:00am I finish chatting with fellow gardener and get running.
8:45am Back home, shower, breakfast, etc.

I'm going to have to speed the process up a little. :-)

Learning to Sew

2010-05-24T20:02:00.003-03:00

The pattern: http://voguepatterns.mccall.com/v8643-products-10785.php

The result:

From Blog

Because what I really need is another hobby. :-D

The medium has changed...

2010-05-19T22:22:00.003-03:00

but the concept remains.

I Won a Kindle!

2010-05-06T11:35:00.004-03:00

Really! I answered a survey, and put down my email address for a chance to win either a Kindle, Sony E-Reader, or Netbook. I picked Kindle.

It's a pretty cool toy, I have to say.

The best feature is the screen. It's really contrasty, and very easy to read, even in full sunlight. (I took it outside to test this.) It really is like almost like reading on paper.
I also like the way the Globe and Mail gets delivered, wirelessly, every morning.

The worst feature is the amount of control that Amazon keeps. They even keep track of which parts of which book you highlight and publish the aggregate data somewhere.

I don't think it can replace a real book though, at least for my generation. While the actual reading is fine, I miss holding the book in my hands and knowing how far through I am just by the number of pages read. It's not the same as seeing "31%" at the bottom of the screen. But I can see how some of the younger kids who grew up with these things could get used to these e-readers very quickly. If nothing else, e-books will make moving day much easier. :-)

New World Symphony

2010-05-03T00:34:00.003-03:00

I went to tonight to see the Nova Scotia Symphony perform (among other things) Symphony #9, From the New World. It was wonderful! I'm too tired now to go on, but I'll try to write it up tomorrow.

(next day)

Meh, I just don't have the words. It was really nice. I don't think I'd ever really been to a performance of that size before. (I've always been to chamber music type events, or choral performances.) The guest soloist (Giora Schmidt) was really something. The New World Symphony went quite well, and I thought that the strings got it together very nicely during the whole piece.

It's hard not to walk out of such an event and not be pondering the meaning of life, beauty, feelings, and all that. It's neat how music can make us feel.

D.

Spring in the Garden

2010-04-29T10:31:00.002-03:00

The garlic I planted last fall has come up. Another gardener gave me a Shasta Daisy, which I planted right in middle of my 10'x10' plot. Someone else gave me some oregano which I put in the corner of my plot. Then I seeded some peas along one side, some kohlrabi in a circle around the daisies, and today I sprinkled arugula seeds all over.

At home I have started, in a seeding tray, two types of squash, three types of tomatoes, and some cabbage. (And more arugula.) (I love arugula.)

Last year my plot was much too bare, so this year I hope to make it very crowded and fun and full of good stuff.

Amusing CLEI Code

2010-04-23T13:49:00.002-03:00

First check definition of CLEI Code here: http://www.powersourceonline.com/magazine/2010/04/what-is-a-clei-code

My brand new stack of Cisco 2960s has the following CLEI code:

CLEI Code Number : COMFY00BRA

:-D

Fitness Update

2010-04-23T10:12:00.001-03:00

For the months of May and June, I will be teaching:

Beginner Step on Monday nights
Step Cardio Interval Wednesdays 9:30
Body Trim Thursday nights
Step Cardio Interval (or some other cardio) Friday 4:30

I'm also taking a basic pilates course Thursdays at lunch.

Should be fun! I hope my ankle holds out. It's been really cranky lately.

healthy option to tortilla chips

2010-04-06T11:16:00.000-03:00

Start with some kind of healthy tortillas, such as these Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Tortillas. Cut them into quarters and toast them in the toaster. (They're fairly grainy and stiff, so they stand up in the toaster pretty well.) Serve up with some hummus which you've whipped up while the chips were toasting. Add a cut-up pepper and carrot, and voila!

P.S. I was put off by the name too, but they're actually quite good and tasty. Sadly they're from California. I hope I can find a more local source of such good sprouted grain tortillas.

Summer Reading List

2010-03-17T22:52:00.000-03:00

(Books marked with a * were already started and then abandoned in the name of school work)

Arcadian Adventures With the Idle Rich by Stephen Leacock
Tipping Point my Malcom Gladwell
All Marketers are Liars by Seth Godin (*)
The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan
Full Leadership Development by Bruce Avolio (maybe)
In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan (*)
The Long Descent by J.M. Greer (*)
The Good Marriage by J. Wallerstein & S. Blakeslee
Literary Lapses by Stephen Leacock (*)
Design for the Real World by Victor Papanek (*)
something by Hemingway
some of Mark Twain's short stories (on Slartibartfast's recommendation)
The case for servant leadership by Kent M. Keith.
Think Twice: Harnessing the Power of Counterintuition by Michael J. Mauboussin

Other then reading, I intend to cook, garden, sew, and exercise.
Now I just have to get the last few weeks of school over with. :-)

Total Lack of Conservation of Mass

2009-04-21T21:39:00.000-03:00

I followed a recipe from my CSA farm which had me grate cabbage and carrots and onions and fry it all up a bit and then bake it with some egg and cheese. Somehow, a big food-processor bowl of vegetable matter ended up a slim layers of baked goodness in a small pan.

It was tasty at least.

The Carrot Challenge

2009-04-06T13:35:00.000-03:00

The carrots from the CSA basket have been vanquished in a most flavourful manner (nom nom):

Indian Spiced Carrot Soup with Ginger

The basket is almost all used up; all that's left is a bit of the squash and some apples. I might just make the squash apple soup again.

This Week's CSA Basket

2009-03-31T19:44:00.000-03:00

apples
pears
carrots
sprouts
grape tomatoes (greenhouse)
mixed greens
mushrooms
butternut squash

Tonight: apple squash soup with nutmeg + a simple salad
Tomorrow breakfast: mushroom omelete with sprouts on the side

The challenge: what to do with all those carrots

Funny Instructions

2009-02-27T17:40:00.000-04:00

I love the last picture of the instructions. Now every time I empty my portafilter into the knockbox, I have to make that sound. (You know the sound I mean.)

From Blog

It takes only 10 lbs

2009-02-26T14:32:00.001-04:00

We had a small class in Body Trim yesterday (Reading Week) and so I decided to use body bars, just to add a little challenge. (Normally we don't have enough body bars to go around.)

We did the usual lunges and squats, but this time I was holding and extra 10 lbs above my head. Today: ouch ouch ouch! What a difference that makes! I have to stop myself from moaning every time I get up out of a chair. My poor quads and glutes are so very sore.

I hope my participants are alright!

That's Mr. Auxiliary Game Warden to You!

2009-02-26T09:23:00.000-04:00

B. found this is a box of bits and pieces left from his dad:

From Blog

I'm sooooo average...

2009-01-19T10:09:00.000-04:00

... and I love it!

I spent a good part of my life having a hard time shopping because I didn't fit into any off-the-shelf clothing. But now, having settled into a comfortable weight, I'm actually a totally average size 8, or medium. For the most part, clothes just fit. I always have to get pants hemmed a bit, but that's okay. It's not expensive and not much trouble.

This weekend I needed a suit. I walked into Winsmoore (at The Bay in MicMac) and walk out with a well fitting suit (pants to be hemmed) in about 45 mins. Halleluia. I am normal, average, and all that. When it comes to sizes, that's great news.

I Think it was the Coffee Table

2009-01-16T15:56:00.000-04:00

I think what was stopping my ankle from recovering completely was me putting my feet up on the coffee table.

It's like this: For a long time, I had a tib. post. problem. That was nearly fixed when out of nowhere I started having a problem with one of the little ligaments in my ankle. (The tibio-talar one I think.) The physio said it was probably because my foot got a bit out of alignment and that put unusual strain on it. We worked on fixing it (while the tib post problem pretty much went away) but it kept coming back, and it was very unpredictable.

Over the holidays I was over visiting relatives and the ligament problem pretty much went away. I figured it was because I wasn't exercising. But then I got back home, and still didn't do anything, just lazed around, and it came back. WTF? The only things I was doing differently at home (that I wasn't while I was away) was walking barefoot on carpet, and putting my feet on the coffee table.

Waittaminute. The ligament problem started _after_ I moved to my current place and started putting my feet up....

So I stopped doing that, and voila, the problem is almost gone. It got a bit irritated when I taught two fitness classes in one day, but it's okay again two days later. And the original tib. post. problem is ... not a problem any more. I can feel that if I over-do it I can still overwhelm it and make it hurt, but just doing a step class doesn't hurt it.

So yeah. It turns out the problem was resting. I'm a gal that's happiest when she's moving. :-)

Coffee Mania

2009-01-13T10:49:00.000-04:00

As part of my Christmas drive to save the economy, I bought an espresso machine and a good grinder. What fun! I've had a bit of trouble sleeping because of the increased caffeine in my life, but it's great fun making espressos and cappucinos and cafe au lait and all that. (I haven't tried a latte yet.) I'm pretty happy with the way the espressos are turning out, but I'm still working on being able to froth milk properly. I want to get it all nice and even and thick so that I can do latte art. :-)

All done!

2008-12-04T16:29:00.000-04:00

The essay's all done, and while it won't get a stellar mark, I believe it will pass. Tonight I have nothing to do. Isn't that wild?

Well, I actually need to go back to my old house and work on packing my things. But no homework anyway.

Whoo!

Away till Wed.

2008-12-01T09:42:00.000-04:00

I will be away from fun computing till Wednesday night. I have this big essay to finish, and I have a nasty feeling that I'll write myself into a corner very soon and need rescuing. Luckily the prof is amazingly helpful.

Technology Fail #2

2008-11-24T10:32:00.000-04:00

The magnetic locks were still broken this morning. Nobody's swipe card worked. Nobody could get into the office.

One of my coworker gave us a break-in-and-entry lesson and opened the door in about two seconds.

I think the lesson is that if magnetic locks are going to be used, the doors must not be flexible. But we already knew that. Some months ago, when the locks were misbehaving, someone swiped his card and the gave the door a good tug, like usual, expecting the door to open. The lock didn't let go, and the glass in the door shattered as the door bent out of shape. (This started a big kerfuffle with signage on the doors, but that's a whole other story.)

Technology Fail

2008-11-21T18:33:00.000-04:00

I went to Dalplex tonight but left all my things (purse, wine I bought at lunch) at my office for later pickup. When I showed up, it turned out that the maglock system was off line. No access to office. No keys to go home. Wonderful.

Luckily security was pretty understanding, and we found a way in though an emergency exit door that set off a local alarm. The security guard sjust reset the alarm and it's all okay now. (Except that my poor ears are ringing, and probably so are the guard's.)

Sheesh.

D.

Real life lessons for the classroom.

2008-11-20T21:14:00.000-04:00

Remember those lectures when you just about died of boredom? Couldn't keep your eyes open? Fidgeted all throughout?

I no longer have those. Why? Because no school lecture can compare to the agony of a boring work meeting. After eight years of being in the work force and attending irrelevant meetings, I have perfected the skill of attentively sitting and listening to completely irrelevant information. Sometimes it's necessary just to be professional. The result: I can happily pay attention throughout any lecture at school. Easy pleasy!

So now I just watch my classmates get bored as I maintain an air of interested perkiness.

:-)

Dana

Vacant Property Insurance

2008-11-19T14:00:00.000-04:00

I have learned lately that if you're going to insure a house nobody lives in, it's wayyyyyyyy more expensive than insuring one that's lived in. It's about 4.5 times more to insure an empty home, and that doesn't even cover the contents, which the old insurance did.

I Woke Up And the Sky Was Purple

2008-11-16T17:49:00.000-04:00

From Blog

Needling

2008-04-01T21:15:00.000-03:00

As promised, I'm finally writing up a blog post on the needling treatment I've been getting. The official name is IMS, or Intramuscular Stimulation. You can visit the the official web site and read up all the technical details. Basically, it consists of taking very thin needles (acupuncture needles) and sticking them into a muscle that just won't relax. The muscle contracts in response, and in response to that, the brain sends "relax" messages to the muscle. Eventually the relax beats out the contract, and the stubborn muscle relaxes. (So the theory goes.) :-)

I find that while it doesn't work perfectly every time, it does sometimes manage to relax my tibialis posterior, which has been tight and inflamed since August.

Being the wimp for pain that I am, I have made a pretty good spectacle of myself during this treatment a few times. The needles are so thin that if they are inserted into a relaxed muscle, I can barely feel it. But every time the physiotherapist hits a good tight spot, it really hurts, and I wail. I always wonder what the other patients in the adjoining rooms must think. (And of course tight spots are what he's looking for.) This time around I refused any more needles in th bottom of my foot and let him do it only on the side of my leg. It went much better.

Corporate Brain Damage

2008-03-02T20:06:00.000-04:00

I've been receiving my Eastlink bills (phone and internet) by email for almost a year now. I opted for the paperless billing method right from the beginning. The only occasions on which we get paper from Eastlink are changes of contract or important notices.

We got a paper letter from them last week, and, omg, it was a letter to let us know that Eastlink is going to save paper by not sending us any more paper bills.

!!

D.

Still around

2008-01-25T23:13:00.001-04:00

I'm still around. I'm just busy with a million things. I'm trying to prioritize: health, fitness, friends.

Also, I'm stuck going back to Blue Bison and looking at cute pictures. It's all the fungus's fault.

D.

Feeling better

2007-12-26T09:58:00.001-04:00

Thanks for all the nice notes and hugs everyone. I had a bad day of it all yesterday, but in the end one of my friends sent her man to pick me up, and they tucked me on on their couch and fed me and gave me presents and I started to feel better.

Today I'm still pretty sick, but I'm well enough to putter around or at least sit and read, so it's not too bad.

And most of all, I'm happy to have lovely friends that care.

D.

Whhaaaaa

2007-12-25T08:51:00.000-04:00

I've changed my mind. Being sick is no fun at all, even if it gets me attention. I hate this. I have things to do, and hours are disappearing into the void.

Dana

Wallowing in a Pool of Self Pity

2007-12-24T17:47:00.000-04:00

Being sick generally sucks, but it does have one upside. One gets to feel sorry for oneself with some amount of legitimacy.

I'm not sure if this works for the quiet introvert that doesn't want to bother people, but for a drama queen like me, being sick home alone on Christmas Eve has all sorts of potential for getting fussed over. And let's face it, some of us just looove being fussed over.

I've kept the melodrama out of my Facebook status line to not abuse the kindness of my friends, but I think maybe I'll ham it up after the holidays.

;-)

D.

Trying to Write

2007-12-23T21:42:00.000-04:00

I finished (and got an A in, yay) my Introduction to Professional Writing course, and now I need to keep writing so that I don't get out of practice. My teacher suggested a blog. I don't much like the idea since I can't imagine anyone wanting to read what I wrote.

But then my friend Riiiim promised that she'd read my blog.

So like, you know, if someone else said so, I should do it.

So this is a blog in which I shall practice writing and grammar. So, unlike other blogs, please pick on the grammar and spelling. (Whoever this mystical "you" might be.)

My cat is a prima donna

2006-10-06T22:16:00.001-03:00

So today, while running around outside, my 11-year old cat yelped and came in limping. I made a vet appointment right away because he just looked so hurt and miserable! I couldn't check what was wrong because he'd try to bite me if I got near the hurt foot.

So I brought him in, and on the way, as usual, he peed himself and drooled until his front paws were soaking. (He doesn't travel well to say the least.)

The vet had a look (after cleaning him off) and found a broken claw allright, but the injury was miniscule! Just a little tiny place where she could squeeze out a drop of blood. She cauterized it (and charged me a nominal fee, thank goodness for nice vets!) and I took Mr. Drama Queen home. On the way back he continued to be very stressed and managed to poo in his cage and then spent the rest of the ride shouting what must have translated to "Let me out of here, there's poo!".

Urk.

Now we're back home and he's back to limping, except when the food can came out, at which point he magically lost the limp as he pranced over to get the goods.

And to think that normally the problem with cats is that the owners don't know there's something wrong because they are so stoic about pain.

Mission Accomplished

2005-02-27T14:01:00.000-04:00

The back door has been weatherstripped. Woohoo.

I'll have to think about what to do next.

D.

Reasonable Driving

2005-02-21T11:41:00.000-04:00

So like when you're driving, and you've relized that you're in the wrong lane to turn into the shopping mall that you're going to, for heaven't sake, just keep going, miss your turn, and just turn at the next chance you get.

Hey, you might even discover a new place in your neighbourhood. (Though most likely you'll discover that the mall has many entrances that are just as convenient as the one you missed.)

There is really no need to create traffic havoc by turning into the shopping mall from the middle of an 8-lane road.

Anyway.

As far as my Kyoto compliance work is going, I didn't actually manage to weatherstrip the back door, but I did replace the sweep on the bottom on the front door, and I have all the matrials ready by the back door.

D.

Happy Kyoto Day!

2005-02-16T23:25:00.000-04:00

Today the Kyoto protocol comes into force.

1. Of course it will hurt business and the economy. The point is to give up some of our wealth to try to limit the impact we have on climate.

2. Yes, this has something to do with you as a person. You can make a difference.
The David Suzuki Foundation has some great tips on what you can do to reduce your impact on the environment. Visit David Suziki's Nature Challenge to get some ideas of the things you can do to help. (I'm starting with weatherstripping our drafty back door.)