Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Miami's chicken busters
I just returned from a multimedia seminar, and the managing editor for multimedia, the guy who hired me (and I suspect all, if not most, of us), showed us an example of how a print story with lots of action translated well -- and BETTER than -- into video. And let me tell you, the video is definitely worth it. Here they are: the story about Chicken Busters and the video that the page links to.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
the bike theft
Among the many, many stories I get to read everyday, this one about a "fairly routine" bicycle theft takes the cake. Too bad my headline didn't make it to press.
On the homefront, still no wireless. Miami is projected to rain for the next seven days, and I am going to explore Little Havana tomorrow. I've made of list of places to go and things to see in Miami. Should be an exciting week. :)
On the homefront, still no wireless. Miami is projected to rain for the next seven days, and I am going to explore Little Havana tomorrow. I've made of list of places to go and things to see in Miami. Should be an exciting week. :)
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Miami
After a harrowing trip down I-95, I arrived in Miami in one piece. Along the way, a terrible thunderstorm in Central Florida that allowed me to see no more than maybe 10 feet in front of me, just enough to see the taillights of the car in front of me. At one point, I had my emergency blinkers on in case the car behind was also in the same predicament.
Miami is an interesting city. The downtown area seems undefined by any clutter of skyline that I can decern, but I am sure it is there. The beachfront (unsurprisingly) is lined with highrise condos, half of which are still under construction, which gives my daily commute from northern Miami a view of crane, crane and more cranes. It's quite lovely.
My apartment has Internet, but my landlady is a bitch and does not think that getting my wireless up and running is important enough to her time. She has a "computer guy" who supposedly knows how to do everything and who she supposedly called several times .... I doubt she has called. At all. I don't know what else I should do.
The first night, she supposedly had a friend who knows how to do this sort of stuff, but I ended up setting up the router for her when it came to be midnight, and nothing happened. It was working fine until we disconnected her ethernet cord, and she didn't have internet at all. She called Comcast to fix HER internet, but Comcast wouldn't fix the wireless and told her to call Linksys. She never did. This morning, I asked about the wireless AGAIN, but she AGAIN said she's calling her guy ... nothing. She said (again) that I can use her computer at any time, but THAT'S NOT THE POINT. I WANT MY INTERNET ACCESS. I run my life on google, and it sucks ass to have to use someone else's computer all the time.
She doesn't seem like she wants me to hardwire my computer and run cables in her immaculate (and unused) home, but I am THIS CLOSE to doing it because I can't stand it anymore. I'm going to try one more time tomorrow morning before I do something drastic about it. This is so fucking frustrating.
Happiness level: 6
Miami is an interesting city. The downtown area seems undefined by any clutter of skyline that I can decern, but I am sure it is there. The beachfront (unsurprisingly) is lined with highrise condos, half of which are still under construction, which gives my daily commute from northern Miami a view of crane, crane and more cranes. It's quite lovely.
My apartment has Internet, but my landlady is a bitch and does not think that getting my wireless up and running is important enough to her time. She has a "computer guy" who supposedly knows how to do everything and who she supposedly called several times .... I doubt she has called. At all. I don't know what else I should do.
The first night, she supposedly had a friend who knows how to do this sort of stuff, but I ended up setting up the router for her when it came to be midnight, and nothing happened. It was working fine until we disconnected her ethernet cord, and she didn't have internet at all. She called Comcast to fix HER internet, but Comcast wouldn't fix the wireless and told her to call Linksys. She never did. This morning, I asked about the wireless AGAIN, but she AGAIN said she's calling her guy ... nothing. She said (again) that I can use her computer at any time, but THAT'S NOT THE POINT. I WANT MY INTERNET ACCESS. I run my life on google, and it sucks ass to have to use someone else's computer all the time.
She doesn't seem like she wants me to hardwire my computer and run cables in her immaculate (and unused) home, but I am THIS CLOSE to doing it because I can't stand it anymore. I'm going to try one more time tomorrow morning before I do something drastic about it. This is so fucking frustrating.
Happiness level: 6
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
coming up this summer
It's hard to believe that that this time next week, I will be, once again, sitting at a computer, happily editing copy. As most of you know, I am in grad school to teach, and I still am. But I cannot tell you how much I miss daily interactions with adults who write in proper English. Everyday, I get e-mails from my fellow teachers with gross grammatical errors that makes me want to burn some bridges and tell them how to use commas and semicolons correctly. I do not exaggerate when I say that I can print out five examples of deplorable grammar in e-mails and documents everyday. But I guess that is most workplaces.
I relish in correcting the Daily Oral Language exercises with my students because I get to teach them the proper way to capitalize and to use punctuation. For the past two weeks, the joy of my time at school was helping 27 students proofread their paragraphs about their favorite memories of this school year.
So I am not giving up on teaching; rather, I am fed up with teachers. I need to be with my fellow grammarians for a little while. I imagine that I will always long to return to newspapers and copy desks, but I am waiting for my last year of school, when I get to observe and teaching in a high school classroom, to decide, if needed, which road I am to take.
On a final note, my frustration does not extend to my students, though. I love them! They are brilliant, funny, ridiculously creative ... and they give me hugs! They totally listen to you when you give them advice ... And they are unafraid to cry. Maybe I should teach elementary school?
I relish in correcting the Daily Oral Language exercises with my students because I get to teach them the proper way to capitalize and to use punctuation. For the past two weeks, the joy of my time at school was helping 27 students proofread their paragraphs about their favorite memories of this school year.
So I am not giving up on teaching; rather, I am fed up with teachers. I need to be with my fellow grammarians for a little while. I imagine that I will always long to return to newspapers and copy desks, but I am waiting for my last year of school, when I get to observe and teaching in a high school classroom, to decide, if needed, which road I am to take.
On a final note, my frustration does not extend to my students, though. I love them! They are brilliant, funny, ridiculously creative ... and they give me hugs! They totally listen to you when you give them advice ... And they are unafraid to cry. Maybe I should teach elementary school?
Column One: a look behind the veil in Saudi Arabia
Megan Stack, a reporter at the L.A. Times, has reported from Saudi Arabia for a few years, and she wrote a first-person narrative for the paper's Column One about her experiences as a woman in Saudi Arabia. It's definitely worth a read.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
not for a little longer
If y'all can't tell, I have obviously not done anything with this blog recently. I have a good reason. My computer is out of commission for a little while, and I hope to have it back soon. I will definitely have it back before June 8, so that is something. :) For right now, please enjoy yourselves and shift your attention to my friend James Rufus Koren, who is a reporter in the L.A. area. He's also a pretty funny guy. Ciao for now!
Thursday, May 17, 2007
the intelligence tests
As you all know, I have been a research subject for about a month or so now, and about two weeks ago, I underwent a series (three) of various intelligence tests. I took a test that had Test of Achievement on the cover, the WAIS-III and another one. They all tests basically the same stuff. Here is the breakdown by category.
math
timed -- mixed set of basic arithmetic, written word problems, verbal/aural word problems, mixed set of higher-level math (quadratics, fractions, square/cube roots, logs, deferentials, integrals, sin/cos/tan, etc.)
language
fill in the sentence with a specific set of words or phrases, fill in the sentence with a specific part of speech, verbal definitions, spelling of various difficulty
general knowledge
logical reasoning (why is free press important? why is it important to study history?), comparisons/find the similarity between words (apples and strawberries, trees and water), 10 questions of generally known facts (number of continents, who wrote "Hamlet," who wrote "Faust") I'm proud to report that I knew all the facts except for the speed of light.
memory/organization
listen to a few stories, repeat it as well as you can and answer a set of verbal comprehension questions and do it again in 10 minutes, remember a list of 12 random words, repeat it, repeat it in specific order of categories, remember faces to names, do another activity, remember faces to names again, do it again, remember shapes, do another activity, remember the shapes again, repeat a list of increasingly long numbers and do it again with a different set of numbers, but do it backward, do it with another set of numbers AND letters, but repeat it with the numbers first then the letters, follow verbal directions by pointing to a picture (point to the cat in from of the tree and then the boy on the horse but before you point to the blue bird but only if the girl sitting on the bench is eating an ice cream cone .... GO)
There are probably some that I don't remember because it's been awhile, but basically, the proctor was impressed by my general knowledge, my spelling, my incredible memory (I told you guys!) and my math skills. I sucked at following the complex directions. That section was SO hard. I am, I am happy to report, ABOVE AVERAGE! :) woohoo.
math
timed -- mixed set of basic arithmetic, written word problems, verbal/aural word problems, mixed set of higher-level math (quadratics, fractions, square/cube roots, logs, deferentials, integrals, sin/cos/tan, etc.)
language
fill in the sentence with a specific set of words or phrases, fill in the sentence with a specific part of speech, verbal definitions, spelling of various difficulty
general knowledge
logical reasoning (why is free press important? why is it important to study history?), comparisons/find the similarity between words (apples and strawberries, trees and water), 10 questions of generally known facts (number of continents, who wrote "Hamlet," who wrote "Faust") I'm proud to report that I knew all the facts except for the speed of light.
memory/organization
listen to a few stories, repeat it as well as you can and answer a set of verbal comprehension questions and do it again in 10 minutes, remember a list of 12 random words, repeat it, repeat it in specific order of categories, remember faces to names, do another activity, remember faces to names again, do it again, remember shapes, do another activity, remember the shapes again, repeat a list of increasingly long numbers and do it again with a different set of numbers, but do it backward, do it with another set of numbers AND letters, but repeat it with the numbers first then the letters, follow verbal directions by pointing to a picture (point to the cat in from of the tree and then the boy on the horse but before you point to the blue bird but only if the girl sitting on the bench is eating an ice cream cone .... GO)
There are probably some that I don't remember because it's been awhile, but basically, the proctor was impressed by my general knowledge, my spelling, my incredible memory (I told you guys!) and my math skills. I sucked at following the complex directions. That section was SO hard. I am, I am happy to report, ABOVE AVERAGE! :) woohoo.
psychological research
For the past week or so, I've been taking tests and answering questions (the R on my keyboard just completely fell off ... but I digress) in hopes of qualifying for a psychological research study on childhood memories. I answered 17 pages of an online survey. I passed that and will be paid $20. I went to McLean Hospital (Harvard Medical system's psychiatric/psychological hospital, apparently) for a three-hour interview and 17 more pages of probing questions about my childhood. I passed both the interview and the survey, and I will get $50 more. :) Next, I go in for a battery of psychological tests -- IQs, memory, etc. I guess to make sure I'm not crazy or mentally disabled as a result of my childhood (haha). Or to prove that I am definitely of average intelligence. :)
So that is the background. Now, let me tell you what happened on my way to the interview last Thursday.
McLean had mailed me a taxi voucher because I told them that I don't have a car in Boston so getting there directly from work, even getting out early, is going to be a bit dicey. So I was told to go to Harvard Square (no problem, a 20-minute bus ride away) and call one of two cab companies to pick me up. I was supposed to call about 20 minutes before I get to Harvard. Well, I decided not to do that because I figured that I can just hail a cab at one of Harvard's numerous taxi stands. My plan didn't work. No one will take the voucher, so I had to go get some cash and pay for it. I was already running late.
We get to McLean about 5 minutes before my appointment time, but we get lost in the vast campus. It's like UCLA and other sprawling places, but much worse because there are no real directions or signs. We were both frustrated, so I ask him to just drop me off at the building we're nearest. The 20-minute ride to McLean Hospital came out to $21, plus tip, so I hand the newly withdrawn $40. He took it and searched for change. Turns
out he only hd $20s, so he couldn't make change. He asked around for change, but no one had any, so he finally gave me back my $20 after we exchanged a few nonverbal rounds of
him: Well, what're you going to do? You gotta pay me.
me: Hell if I know. You should've come prepared.
him: Well, you better do something about it because I have to get the fare.
me: Well, too bad. That's all the cash I gave. What're YOU going to do about it?
He finally gave me a $20 back, so he was short $5 (tip). Then I had to call the study people to find out how to get to their office because I didn't see ANY yellow builldings. :(
So that is the background. Now, let me tell you what happened on my way to the interview last Thursday.
McLean had mailed me a taxi voucher because I told them that I don't have a car in Boston so getting there directly from work, even getting out early, is going to be a bit dicey. So I was told to go to Harvard Square (no problem, a 20-minute bus ride away) and call one of two cab companies to pick me up. I was supposed to call about 20 minutes before I get to Harvard. Well, I decided not to do that because I figured that I can just hail a cab at one of Harvard's numerous taxi stands. My plan didn't work. No one will take the voucher, so I had to go get some cash and pay for it. I was already running late.
We get to McLean about 5 minutes before my appointment time, but we get lost in the vast campus. It's like UCLA and other sprawling places, but much worse because there are no real directions or signs. We were both frustrated, so I ask him to just drop me off at the building we're nearest. The 20-minute ride to McLean Hospital came out to $21, plus tip, so I hand the newly withdrawn $40. He took it and searched for change. Turns
out he only hd $20s, so he couldn't make change. He asked around for change, but no one had any, so he finally gave me back my $20 after we exchanged a few nonverbal rounds of
him: Well, what're you going to do? You gotta pay me.
me: Hell if I know. You should've come prepared.
him: Well, you better do something about it because I have to get the fare.
me: Well, too bad. That's all the cash I gave. What're YOU going to do about it?
He finally gave me a $20 back, so he was short $5 (tip). Then I had to call the study people to find out how to get to their office because I didn't see ANY yellow builldings. :(
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Helvetica turns 50!
The font Helvetica (about which I am neutral) is turning 50! Your internal nerd and my external nerd celebrate with it! As far as fonts go, my top five are, in order of love:
1. Arial
2. Arial Narrow
3. Times New Roman
4. Courier New (perfect for fudging those papers) with tightened kerning
5. Dauphin
My bottom five are:
1. Comic Sans
2. Comic Sans
3. Lucinda Handwriting or anything Lucinda-related
4. Papyrus
5. Rave
1. Arial
2. Arial Narrow
3. Times New Roman
4. Courier New (perfect for fudging those papers) with tightened kerning
5. Dauphin
My bottom five are:
1. Comic Sans
2. Comic Sans
3. Lucinda Handwriting or anything Lucinda-related
4. Papyrus
5. Rave
My personal hatred (yes) is when people write ALL-CAP abbreviations in script. It looks ridiculous. Example: AAJA (Asian American Journalists Association) orMADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving). Everytime you do that, imagine me cringing.
Monday, May 07, 2007
supernova, potato, whatever
Apparently, NASA scientists have seen the brightest supernova ever recorded. The artist's illustration of it, though, makes it look like an exploding potato ... with diamonds on the inside.
NASA via AP(Wash Post)
NASA via AP(Wash Post)
boy had spiders in his ear
A 9-year-old in Oregon heard "Rice Krispies" sounds in his ear, and when his doctor irrigated it, he found two spiders.
Palfrey gets new attorney
According to the Washington Post, federal court has appointed a new, better, more reputable lawyer for Deborah Palfrey. Montegomery Blair Sibley has been replaced.
Friday, May 04, 2007
Palfrey's lawyer's story's interesting, too
Montegomery Blair Sibley, the lawyer representing Deborah Jeane Palfrey in the D.C. prostitution (madam, escort service) case has a most interesting background of his own.
new header!
This is a photo of a bench at the Museum Park next to the Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green, East London. It was beautiful -- covered in newly fallen autumn leaves that crunch with every step. Made me want to roll around on it.
If you know me, you would know that I obviously didn't. Ew.
If you know me, you would know that I obviously didn't. Ew.
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
stubborn rash
It's still here. In fact, the original patches (fields?) have now dissipated, but in its place are new patches (fields?) of itchy, red fun. The stronger antihistamine the doctor gave me (hydroxyzine) is only working marginally well. What I REALLY want is a scratch test so I know what the hell is going on.
Monday, April 30, 2007
rash-tastic
I have developed hives and rash in multiple areas. Hives on: arms, armpit and butt/lower lower back. Rash on upper thighs near hips, armpits, just above and below armpits, back in the area of my bra straps. It's really itchy. It's not as bad as the beechwood allergy attack, but this time, I have no idea what triggered it.
It started around 2:30 this afternoon at work, when the kids are watching the DVD of their play, and I felt really itchy in my armpits and on my arms. I looked in the mirror after dismissal, and I have a rash. I asked the school nurse fo Benedryl cream and went to my last poli sci lecture. It got worse when I got home. It sprea to its current state, and I took Benedryl pills about an hour and a half ago. We'll see how it goes. Tomorrow morning, I'm heading to MGH walk-in clinic to wait in line for three hours just in case.
I have pictures of aforementioned rash and hives, but I'll save my flab-ulous photos for the docs just in case. :)
It started around 2:30 this afternoon at work, when the kids are watching the DVD of their play, and I felt really itchy in my armpits and on my arms. I looked in the mirror after dismissal, and I have a rash. I asked the school nurse fo Benedryl cream and went to my last poli sci lecture. It got worse when I got home. It sprea to its current state, and I took Benedryl pills about an hour and a half ago. We'll see how it goes. Tomorrow morning, I'm heading to MGH walk-in clinic to wait in line for three hours just in case.
I have pictures of aforementioned rash and hives, but I'll save my flab-ulous photos for the docs just in case. :)
Sunday, April 29, 2007
new Hillary Clinton bio comes out
Carl Bernstein, who reported on the Watergate scandal, has a book coming out on Hillary Clinton's "true" story of her life. It's unauthorized, but it's apparently very well sourced and written.
worse than the worst
The Washington Post has a blog entry about the Barkley Marathons, an endurance test equivalent to Mt. Everest climbs.
Friday, April 27, 2007
an amazing cellist dies
I've been playing (learning) the cello for only about five months, so I'm definitely not up on my cello/cellist knowledge (as proven by each visit to the cello repair shop), but apparently, one of the greatest cellists in the 20th century died today.
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