The Recovering TV Holic's Confessional

listening to "Bellamy Brothers - Let Your Love Flow" on Blip

2009-06-14T14:09:00Z

I've forgotten how much I loved this song! Good Sunday Morning to All

listening to "Do I Move You - Nina Simone" on Blip

2009-04-20T13:44:01Z

I've been in a blues mood lately - so many great singers but none so unique sounding as Nina Simone. She really moves me :)

Firefox and Chrome: A Winning Pair

2009-04-18T15:46:14Z

Chrome's growing on me.

Ever since the Chrome Browser from Google came out, I've been resisting it. Partly due to obstenance, I didn't like being so in the grips of Google as I use Gmail, Gcal, Greader, Blogger and obviously Gsearch. I was loath to add another Google service to my daily routine. I was also reluctant to start with Chrome due to my love of Firefox. I have a sense of loyalty to that software because it's been such a satisfying experience using it all these years. So I was quite unwilling to give Chrome a chance.

Lately, however, I've found myself somewhat limited by my laptop's hardware i.e. memory and speed. Running iTunes, TweetDeck, BumpTop, Firefox and a few other resource hogs slowed my work/play flow which was irritating. So after a little while I started turning Firefox off but that proved to be problematic when I wanted to quickly check e-mail or a link. Starting my bloated Firefox (my own fault for beeing an add-on lover) took forever! So I decided to give Chrome a chance and I'm finding it a surprisingly useful addition to my daily routine.

Here are a couple of reasons why that is :

1. Speed - Chrome starts up significantly faster than an add-on laden, multi-tabbed Firefox. When you want to take a quick look at a website or check out a link, you don't need a bunch of add-ons and/or tabs to start up, all you need is the web page of interest and Chrome excels at doing just that.

2. Application Shortcuts - What an amazingly useful tool. Chrome allows you to create a desktop shortcut to a webpage but not in the full browser which means it opens even faster. Having such access means that you don't need to use up as many system resources when checking your e-mail or your blog or your calendar which makes it efficient, quick and most importantly a painless process when running a bunch of other applications at the same time.

3.Don't give up your day browser - I don't look at Chrome as a Firefox replacement but as a compliment. When I'm working, fully immersed on-line, I want all my Firefox add-ons and the flexibility they offer my web experience. However when I'm playing or laptop multi-tasking I really don't need all that flexibility, what I value then is speed and efficiency which Chrome delivers.

I look at the difference between the two browsers the same way as I look at Blogging and Micro-Blogging. One is full featured with rich content and the other is all about the quick snippet/link or blurb of "here I am". Both have their place and provide value. Yes, Chrome is growing on me. I still don't care for my addiction to Google services but if something's good, it's good.

listening to "Precious - Annie Lennox" on Blip

2009-04-15T12:45:16Z

I'm in the mood for something more up beat this morning - Annie Lennox it is then :)

listening to "dance me to the end of love - Madeleine Peyroux" on Blip

2009-04-14T12:28:12Z

I love this song, it puts me in just the right mood :)

Happy B-Day Gary!

2009-03-16T23:42:04Z

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Speak and you shall be heard

2009-03-03T02:19:18Z

Etc. is an abbreviation. It's short for the Latin phrase et cetera (/ɛt ˈsɛtəɹə/) which literally translates to "and the rest", in standard English usage it means "and so forth".

The reason for this bit of scholarly info is to draw your attention to the absence of an "x" in both, the phrase and its abbreviation.

So why in the name of all that is good and wise do such a vast number of people insist on saying "excetera" when meaning "et cetera"?

As an immigrant to this country I have a clear understanding of the difficulty of getting ones jaw around strange sound combinations. What surprises me is that such difficulties seem to exist for natives as well. Anybody ever hear "nucular" instead of "nuclear" or "aks" instead of "ask" ?

My personal experience tells me that learning how to speak correctly is a matter of will for those of us with properly formed mouths and ears. Yes, it is hard. Yes, the jaws can hurt. But I promise, anyone willing can. All it takes is the knowledge of how to pronounce a word (found in any dictionary) and practice, practice, practice.

Although language is a living thing, with words falling in and out of favor, pronunciation of a particular spelling does not change. The letter combination A-S-K will always be pronounced "ask" never, ever "aks".

And so I ask, if you ever have the opportunity to affect another person who has a hard time with such words, please do so.

I ask this not only for myself but also for the person with the difficulty. I believe that self-esteem grows only with the accomplishment of that which is difficult. Therefore in doing so you will help them avoid sounding illiterate as well as be instrumental in their development of higher self-esteem not to mention keeping me sane just a little while longer!

For the Creative Types and The Rest of Us

2009-02-23T18:46:45Z

I ran across this talk when immersing myself in the TED Conference website and fell in love with the concept presented here. I also think a lot of my friends will find this inspirational ....

Elizabeth Gilbert: A different way to think about creative genius

Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of Eat Pray Love, muses on the impossible things we expect from artists and geniuses -- and shares the radical idea that, instead of the rare person "being" a genius, all of us "have" a genius. It's a funny, personal and surprisingly moving talk.

Happy Birthday

2009-02-17T23:59:33Z

Hope you're having a wonderful day htbthomas !!!

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Back Up Plans

2009-01-08T14:04:26Z

So along with all the rest of my f/list, I've backed up LJ and created a new journal at IJ in case this one implodes. Feel free to friend me over there if you're doing the same.

Lost And Found

2009-01-01T23:46:57Z

   I love the holiday season. Though the winter chill and I aren't friends, for a few weeks during its grasp there's a warmth that spreads through me from within. I love seeing wreaths decorating the doors in my neighborhood, Christmas trees strapped to car roofs on their way to their respective homes and catching the classic "Miracle on 34th Street" or the more recent "Season of Miracles" on television.

    This sensibility isn't unusual and I won't claim to be the only person out there who cherishes the season from the corniest carol to the sappiest TV special. What I will claim for myself is a memory, a memory that goes back many years, one which above all the trappings of the season provides me with the most inner warmth. And as most of my stories do this one begins in Russia.

    New Years is and was quite an affair in Russia even when I lived there back in the 70's. I grew up anticipating the arrival of January 1st with the same ardour as my American kids anticipate the arrival of December 25th.   Growing up, I never even heard of Christmas for although pre-revolutionary Russia was a Christian state the arrival of Communism and the principles of Karl 'religion is the opiate of the people' Marx put a quick and decisive end to any celebrations that had religious origins.

    However as with most cultures that are trampled neath the boots of supposed progress certain, more tolerable, aspects of said culture permeate into the progressive one. And as the pagan Winter Solstice was absorbed by Christmas so it was that in Soviet Russia Christmas was absorbed by New Years.

    Every Soviet home continued to be decorated with evergreen trees. And with the exile of St. Nicholas, the kindly, white bearded Grandfather Frost came into prominence along with his grand daughter, the Snow Maiden.   Children would go to bed on December 31st and awake the following morning with gifts that were magically delivered by the chilly duo at midnight.

    Neither exile nor trampling boots of progress mattered to me. I loved New Years and in 1976 was shivering with as much anticipation as ever. I welcomed 1977 with my usual enthusiasm never suspecting that life as I knew it was soon to end. But it did and in May of that year my parents and I emigrated from the USSR leaving behind all that was near, dear and familiar to us.

    By September of 1977 I had crossed an ocean and many borders to finally alite in New York City, New York. But even then my travels weren't over as we moved again and again until finally a couple of months later a modicum of stability was reached in a Section 8 apartment in Jersey City, New Jersey.

    The cold and snow soon arrived heralding my beloved holiday. But although there was a hint of familiarity all was wrong. There were images of a kindly old man who brought presents but he was fat instead of slender and he wore bright red instead of classy ice blue. This jolly old man traveled alone whereas I ached to catch a glimpse of the lovely, flaxen haired Snow Maiden. And the crescendo came too early, by December 26th many decorations were being taken down and spent evergreens were already being piled on trash heaps.

    Even though it was all wrong my parents tried to make it alright. Our apartment was decorated for the season and on December 31st we dressed up and went out to celebrate New Years with other Russian immigrants. But for as much fun as I had, it was with a touch of sadness that I walked back into our apartment and made my way to bed.

    My room was dark, illuminated only by the hallway light behind me so all I could see were shapes. There was my dresser and my night table and there was my bed. But what were those funny shapes on it? My heart leapt to my throat - it couldn't be - could it? Were those packages - packages that weren't there before I left - packages that could only have been brought by a magical old man with a white beard clad in ice blue robes accompanied by his grand-daughter?

    I have no true memory of what happened next. Perhaps I sat in shocked amazement on my bed as my fingers caressed the presents or maybe I squealed in delight and jumped around my room, the gifts clutched in my hands. What I do remember though were the words I spoke when I realized what those odd shapes were : On Nashol Menya - He Found Me.

    What a beautiful thing it is to be found. For to be found one must have been lost and I had been; traveling for months in foreign lands unsure of what the next moment could bring, the ground constantly shifting beneath my feet. To be found one must also have been sought and I had been; although this was the domain of the jolly old elf, Grandfather Frost made his way across many borders and an ocean to make sure that my transition was less painful, that at least for a moment all was right.

    It took me a few years to realize who Grandfather Frost really was (were) and many more years to be able to adequately express my memories of that night and to say thanks. It is said that one of a parents many jobs is to help their child through the tough patches. Many are successful but few accomplish it with such a deft and gentle hand.

    In that magical instance, for the first time in a very long while, all was right and I was happy . Though the packages on my bed were presents, my true gift that night was the return of such joyous feelings. It's a gift that has remained with me all these years. Since then the arrival of the holiday season brings with it not only the cold and snow but also this precious memory and all the warmth and happiness that goes with it.</lj-cut>
     I love the holiday season. Though the winter chill and I aren't friends, for a few weeks during its grasp there's a warmth that spreads through me from within. I love seeing wreaths decorating the doors in my neighborhood, Christmas trees strapped to car roofs on their way to their respective homes and catching the classic "Miracle on 34th Street" or the more recent "Season of Miracles" on television.

    This sensibility isn't unusual and I won't claim to be the only person out there who cherishes the season from the corniest carol to the sappiest TV special. What I will claim for myself is a memory, a memory that goes back many years, one which above all the trappings of the season provides me with the most inner warmth. And as most of my stories do this one begins in Russia.

    New Years is and was quite an affair in Russia even when I lived there back in the 70's. I grew up anticipating the arrival of January 1st with the same ardour as my American kids anticipate the arrival of December 25th.   Growing up, I never even heard of Christmas for although pre-revolutionary Russia was a Christian state the arrival of Communism and the principles of Karl 'religion is the opiate of the people' Marx put a quick and decisive end to any celebrations that had religious origins.

    However as with most cultures that are trampled neath the boots of supposed progress certain, more tolerable, aspects of said culture permeate into the progressive one. And as the pagan Winter Solstice was absorbed by Christmas so it was that in Soviet Russia Christmas was absorbed by New Years.

    Every Soviet home continued to be decorated with evergreen trees. And with the exile of St. Nicholas, the kindly, white bearded Grandfather Frost came into prominence along with his grand daughter, the Snow Maiden.   Children would go to bed on December 31st and awake the following morning with gifts that were magically delivered by the chilly duo at midnight.

    Neither exile nor trampling boots of progress mattered to me. I loved New Years and in 1976 was shivering with as much anticipation as ever. I welcomed 1977 with my usual enthusiasm never suspecting that life as I knew it was soon to end. But it did and in May of that year my parents and I emigrated from the USSR leaving behind all that was near, dear and familiar to us.

    By September of 1977 I had crossed an ocean and many borders to finally alite in New York City, New York. But even then my travels weren't over as we moved again and again until finally a couple of months later a modicum of stability was reached in a Section 8 apartment in Jersey City, New Jersey.

    The cold and snow soon arrived heralding my beloved holiday. But although there was a hint of familiarity all was wrong. There were images of a kindly old man who brought presents but he was fat instead of slender and he wore bright red instead of classy ice blue. This jolly old man traveled alone whereas I ached to catch a glimpse of the lovely, flaxen haired Snow Maiden. And the crescendo came too early, by December 26th many decorations were being taken down and spent evergreens were already being piled on trash heaps.

    Even though it was all wrong my parents tried to make it alright. Our apartment was decorated for the season and on December 31st we dressed up and went out to celebrate New Years with other Russian immigrants. But for as much fun as I had, it was with a touch of sadness that I walked back into our apartment and made my way to bed.

    My room was dark, illuminated only by the hallway light behind me so all I could see were shapes. There was my dresser and my night table and there was my bed. But what were those funny shapes on it? My heart leapt to my throat - it couldn't be - could it? Were those packages - packages that weren't there before I left - packages that could only have been brought by a magical old man with a white beard clad in ice blue robes accompanied by his grand-daughter?

    I have no true memory of what happened next. Perhaps I sat in shocked amazement on my bed as my fingers caressed the presents or maybe I squealed in delight and jumped around my room, the gifts clutched in my hands. What I do remember though were the words I spoke when I realized what those odd shapes were : On Nashol Menya - He Found Me.

    What a beautiful thing it is to be found. For to be found one must have been lost and I had been; traveling for months in foreign lands unsure of what the next moment could bring, the ground constantly shifting beneath my feet. To be found one must also have been sought and I had been; although this was the domain of the jolly old elf, Grandfather Frost made his way across many borders and an ocean to make sure that my transition was less painful, that at least for a moment all was right.

    It took me a few years to realize who Grandfather Frost really was (were) and many more years to be able to adequately express my memories of that night and to say thanks. It is said that one of a parents many jobs is to help their child through the tough patches. Many are successful but few accomplish it with such a deft and gentle hand.

    In that magical instance, for the first time in a very long while, all was right and I was happy . Though the packages on my bed were presents, my true gift that night was the return of such joyous feelings. It's a gift that has remained with me all these years. Since then the arrival of the holiday season brings with it not only the cold and snow but also this precious memory and all the warmth and happiness that goes with it.

I LOVE WALTER

2008-11-05T02:04:38Z

Walter Bishob that is ..... the mad scientist on Fringe as played by the fantastic John Noble.

Birthday Mommy

2008-10-16T23:09:15Z

Happy Birthday Glitter Graphics

Hope you're having a wonderful Birthday Melisa :)

Where Are The Suns

2008-09-22T21:23:36Z

SciFi channel why do you continue to disappoint? Why isn't the last episode (Here Come The Suns)of Eureka up on the website before the next new one airs??? Is it to punish me for tuning in to Fringe last week and planing on doing the same this week? Is that it? Well it ain't gonna work! All I'm going to get is cranky with your network and continue tuning into FOX (I can't believe I just said that). *sticks tongue out then goes off to pout some more*.

The Last Lecture

2008-09-09T20:52:14Z

It's about an hour long and most definitely not a waste of time.

There's a book (available as an audiobook) which is much more expanded and also very worthwhile.

Randy Pausch Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams

Dr. Horrible - The Sountrack

2008-09-02T19:51:42Z

'Tis now available on iTunes. So all you crazy Dr. Horrible Adorerers can now Sing-Along anywhere you want to :)

Happy Birthday Jazz

2008-08-27T23:23:12Z

glitter-graphics.com

Hope you're having a wonderful Birthday!

Birthday Girl

2008-07-19T17:39:59Z

Wishing you all the best hon! May this year bring all you hope for!

Let's Dance

2008-07-06T18:18:24Z

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

Gary, Gary, Have You seen this!?

2008-06-17T15:43:47Z

Shiri's back on TV.... If you've not been watching ER, I bet you're gonna start :)

17 h 03m 46s

2008-06-07T21:39:06Z

That's how long it took to listen to the audiobook of Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. In reality it took two weeks and boy was it worth it! I'm so glad I got this thing in the audio instead of paper format because I would NEVER have been able to find the time or patience to sit and read this tome no matter how good ... which it was!

First of : Snow Crash and Neal Stephenson.

This is a cyber-punk novel - a genre which is ofter attributed to William Gibson and his Neuromancer. This story takes place in a technologically advanced near future in America. An America carved up into sections controlled by various forms of Mafia, Corporations, and the Government. The story involves sword play, computer hacking, drugs, a 3-D version of the internet called "The MetaVerse", religion, linguistics and dog-like "rat-things". If you think all these subjects can't be integrated into a fluid story you'd be very,very wrong! What a world build. Some books excel in story, some in characters and some in their immersive style. This one got all three right but the world build, the level of immersion that Neal achieved is superb! The only detraction I can name is the length which is understandable considering the detail that is required for such a clear description of this world. Which brings me to .....

Secondly Audible:

I don't know about anybody else but being a parent of two and working part-time has left me with "free time" that doesn't last for more than 10-15 minutes at a stretch. So sitting down and reading a deeply engrossing book is pretty much out of the question. Believe me, I've tried, and during the school year I simply can't read a heavy book (figuratively and literally). That's where Audible comes in. A pay- for on-line source of audio books and more. I would never have finished Snow Crash were it not an audio book. I could listen to it in the car, while shopping, doing laundry and even at work ... any time when I could listen I did and that's the only reason I was able to finish this book for which I'm extremely grateful.
For those of you interested there's a free audio book service but it works only with out of copyright books - Librivox . It's a great source with lots of books and great readers. And if you want to try out Audible they do offer a two week trial through the podcasts from the TWIT Network . Just listen to one of the podcasts and they'll give out the website that gives you the free two week trial ... something like : http://audible.com/twit or http://audible.com/windows.

Now I'll be very specific about my Snow Crash rec ... You'll love this if you like books like Neuromancer. Be prepared for a very rich story which is peppered with a bit of profanity. This book isn't for people who want a quick read or a mindless one - this book requires the readers concentration and patience. Neither the end nor the pay-off are what you'd expect them to be but it's so worth the read or listen.

Ad Me

2008-06-03T15:43:05Z

Perhaps not the best advertisements ever but definitely the most eye catching .... Gary the first one's for you :)

Enjoy ... personally I love the Martial Arts and Mr. Clean ads most.

Howl's Moving Castle : The Book

2008-05-17T17:02:14Z

So I just finished the book "Howl's Moving Castle". You know the one on which the movie is based. And I'm very surprised to report that I really like the movie more - much, much more!

I must be fair. I love the movie ... I watch it at least once a month. I love the story, the characters, the animation and the voice talent. So when I picked up the book I made the effort to distance myself from my memory of the movie and sadly, I failed. Every time something happened in the book that was in the movie, the scene just played out in front of my eyes. And the thing is - if the book and movie had more in common, maybe I would have liked the book more. The story in the book is a jumble of events with no clear theme - at least I didn't see it. And for me that's where the movie just shines - the theme of seeing ones own value runs through the whole movie and all the events that occur lead to the character evolution that brings the story to it's climax. For me the book had none of that ... I didn't see the characters change things just happened and the characters reacted and when the climax was reached the book ended.*shrugs*

Perhaps someone else on my f/list has read the book and has a different view - I'd love to hear it 'cause a part of me doesn't trust myself due to my admiration of the movie - so pipe up ;)

Dollhouse

2008-05-16T10:39:44Z

It's been picked up by frakking Fox as a midseason replacement, it's a Joss Whedon Show and it looks amazing ... so I think we all know what it's fate is likely to be. And you'd think with my recent disappointment about Moonlight still fresh I wouldn't set my self up again. And yet .... damn, the trailer looks good! I'm not sure if I should laugh or cry for what I'm getting ready to set myself up for. *Smacks herself in the head* As if that would help *rolleyes*

Here's the Website : Doll House

Cute

2008-05-16T01:41:15Z

more cat pictures