« June 2005 |
Main
| August 2005 »
While getting the URL for Merlin's email handling tips for a friend, I got sucked into reading more and came upon this lovely idea:
The Forehead Ticket Trick
So, you’re going to a ticketed event, like a concert or a ball game. It’s out of town. You’re carpooling with four other people. How do you ensure that everyone in the car has their ticket with them?
The car doesn't move until each person takes out their ticket and holds it to their forehead.
Been doing it for 20 years, and you’d be amazed how often it saves the day.
from Merlin Mann's 43 Folders site.
Looking for something sillier? Try his 5ives.
Posted on July 31, 2005 at 09:30 PM in linky goodness | Permalink | Comments (2)
It was beautiful today. My friend B.J. and I went down to have a look at the tall ships visiting the city and wound up sitting on the edge of pier 30 enjoying the lovely weather.
Posted on July 31, 2005 at 07:41 PM in San Francisco | Permalink | Comments (4)
Movie today: Judgment at Nuremberg 5 (maybe even 6) out of 5 stars
One of the best dramatic films I've ever seen. Highly recommended.
Dr. Ernst Janning: Judge Haywood... the reason I asked you to come. Those people, those millions of people... I never knew it would come to that. YOU must believe it, YOU MUST believe it.
Judge Dan Haywood: Herr Janning, it came to that the first time you sentenced a man to death you knew to be innocent.
Posted on July 31, 2005 at 07:22 PM in Film | Permalink | Comments (0)
Movies today:
The Vikings (1958) - 3 stars out of 5
Outrageous action flick, but for the era surprisingly historically accurate details of costume and sets. Except of course Janet Leigh's garments, particularly that bullet bra physique. Still all that footage of the Sognefjord redeems any flaws; truly one of the loveliest places in the world.
Blind Spot: Hitler's Secretary (2002) - 5 stars out of 5
Amazing interview. Highly recommended documentary.
"You know, I never had the feeling that he was conscious of pursuing criminal aims. For him they were ideals. For him they were great goals. And human life meant nothing to him in comparison. But that only became so apparent to me afterwards. You see, in the inner circle surrounding him, in his private sphere, I was shielded from the megalomaniac projects and the barbaric measures. That was the awful thing, that's what gave me such a shock later, when I realized what had been happening. When I started working there I thought I was at the source of information and, in fact, I was in a blind spot. ... And that was the great illusion... the great lie that I had made myself believe."
Posted on July 31, 2005 at 01:04 AM in Film | Permalink | Comments (1)
New post in Discardia: Getting to the Happy Home
Posted on July 30, 2005 at 02:32 PM in Discardia | Permalink | Comments (0)
Movie tonight: Bend It Like Beckham
Excellent. Tremendous fun. Every family with pre-teen and teen kids should watch this one. Great, believable characters. Wonderful story. (And Jonathan Rhys-Meyers is hot hot hot!)
Posted on July 30, 2005 at 12:32 AM in Film | Permalink | Comments (0)
This is so simple but the results are fantastic. It's just zucchini quickly cooked in a virgin version of the classic cocktail, the Caesar. As with most drinks, I follow the Paul Harrington recipe.
Slice the end bits off a small (but not tiny) zucchini (~6" long, 1.5" diameter), and then cut it into 1/4" slices.
In a sauce or saute pan, put the following ingredients:
4 oz Clamato
dash Worcestershire sauce
pinch of black pepper
pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon horseradish (a bit less if you're wussy)
1/8 teaspoon celery seed
Turn the heat on to medium-high under the pan and add the zucchini.
Stir to coat in sauce & celery seeds.
Bring to boil, stirring occasionally.
Reduce heat to low-medium and cover.
Allow to cook about 3 minutes until zucchini softens just slightly.
Serve (with spoons available to eat the delicious sauce).
[I'm just awaiting confirmation from my Latin consultants regarding the correct form for the name of this recipe]
Posted on July 23, 2005 at 03:01 PM in Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (1)
I have big news. This November I will be traveling to Africa.
I'm really excited about this. It has just come about because of work; I'll be visiting our South African user group's meeting in Johannesburg, but will also take time off to journey about a bit. Where, I haven't quite decided yet, but I've just bought a fat Lonely Planet guidebook and am getting ideas.
If you've traveled in Africa and have advice, please add a comment.
One thing I've just read is that music cassettes are very widely used. I'm thinking I'd like to make a mix tape of songs by friends to give as a gift. If you're a musician and want to send out a song in my "Hello, Africa!" tape, please email me.
I'm hoping to come back with some sounds of Africa. If you have advice on unobtrusive recording options (I'm not talking "furtive"; I mean not boom mikes), especially ones that are lightweight, please leave a comment about that as well. I don't really have any experience with field recordings, so there'll probably be more posts to come about acquiring that skill.
(Somehow audio souvenirs of my trip are more compelling to me at the moment than the idea of photos. Interesting.)
This is going to be exciting.
Posted on July 22, 2005 at 07:32 PM in travel | Permalink | Comments (2)
In my subway station, Castro Street, there are now many ads for a popular mouthwash's new pocket breath freshener strips. The ad pictures a pretty woman in a white summer dress peeking coyly to the side at the handsome man standing beside her (in an elevator, I think). He is looking up abstractedly into the middle distance with a slightly suppressed smile.
The ad text says
"When there's only an instant to make a first impression..."
(or words to that effect)
Now I live in the Castro, one of the neighborhoods of the world most densely populated by homosexual men. There are a lot of good looking men here. A whole lot. (And that's rather pleasant, I find).
But I know where I live and the odds that implies, so when I saw the ad for the first time, my brain finished the sentence it opens:
"...minty fresh breath won't help you much if he's thinking about cock."
Posted on July 21, 2005 at 10:11 PM in mundania | Permalink | Comments (3)
Working late is for chumps.
I am apparently a chump.
But, I am a chump who will be a good deal more ready for her big meeting on Friday.
I should not write the rent check in the morning before work because apparently I can't write out big numbers in text properly before 9am.
Thanks to a visit from the landlady (for a replacement check), I have clean dishes. (She's not THAT nice, though she is nice; I did them, like we all do so much of our cleaning, out of Guest Fear).
I really should finish one of these 15 books I'm reading.
This weekend is gonna be great. Even if I don't do anything at all, the combination of not-being-at-work and not-being-sick is so exhilarating!
One nice thing about cold San Francisco summers is that you still get to make winter favorites like roast vegetables.
Mmm, parsnips.
Posted on July 20, 2005 at 10:34 PM in mundania | Permalink | Comments (1)
Blog (noun) A weblog or similar brief journal usually containing links and commentary thereon. Term coined by Peter Merholz.
Visit Typepad or Blogger to start your own. (I began with hand coding, then switched to Blogger when it first became available, then to Movable Type when I wanted more control over my weblog and to have it hosted at a place of my choosing (Hurricane Electric). Now I use Typepad, built by the same folks who made Movable Type and I love it).
You may write to Dinah @ this domain.
Except where otherwise noted all text is copyright 1965-2006 Dinah Sanders. Images are copyright of their original creators. MetaGrrrl logo and photos of and by Dinah are copyright 1998-2006 Dinah Sanders. Inkspot Books and the Inkspot logo have been Service Marks of Dinah Sanders since 1993. Publication (yes, including on the web) without express written permission prohibited.
