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GRAFFITI -- June 29, 2009 thru July 05, 2009>> Link to the Current Week <<Last Week << Mon Tues Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun >> Next Week Welcome to Orb Graffiti, a place for me to write daily about life and computers. Contrary to popular belief, the two are not interchangeable. About eMail - I publish email sometimes. If you send me an email and you want privacy or anonymity, please say so clearly at the beginning of your message. |
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June 29, 2009
2053 - I suppose the good news is that since the rains have left, the weeds aren't taking over everybloodything. No, not everything, just the places that I water, like the gardens and the flowerbeds. Another upside - the lawns aren't growing crazy fast anymore. I'm able to safely mow just once a week. The Monday chores are all done, and it appears that both work and personal emails have calmed to a gentle roar. Oh, yeah. I just finished formatting and posting Jerry's new Mailbag. Now I'd better check in on my classes. Ciao!
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June 30, 2009
2218 - I've spent the evening of the last day of the first half of the year working on a research project about research projects for my required LIBS150 class. Oh, lucky me. But that's done. All I have to do is copy some other stuff into the plagiarism exercise and I'll be almost done with that course (Ha!). The Perl course is going fine, although I work at perfecting details a bit obsessively. Today was all about tape vaulting and Red Team meetings. There's really nothing exciting to say about either, because we're all good at what we do. Now, to put the dogs out one last time, and unwind for the night. Ciao!
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July 1, 2009
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "normal" | 3.2 | 2.8 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 4.6 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 43.3 |
| 2008 | - - | - - | - - | 4.60 | 9.22 | 5.02 | 3.72 | 1.86 | 4.28 | 1.07 | 2.77 | 2.90 | 35.44* |
| 2009 | 2.72 | 0.32 | 2.60+ | 4.74 | 8.42 | 6.98 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - - |
Row 1 - Normal rainfall Glenn Dale Bell Station, 1921-1987
* Only nine months measured in 2008;
+ Mar-2009 includes low estimate from snowfall
2152 - More school work tonight, and a little more rain. Nearly 26 inches of precipitation so far, here, this year. Speaking of which (years, I mean), WTF happened to the first half of the year? Did I misplace it? Sigh. Yes, it's good to be busy, compared to the alternative. But I hardly had time to smell the roses before the bugs ate the leave. I did finally get some rose-specific spray on those plants, but I fear it's too late. I'll stock some in early next year, for real. For supper I braised a couple of pork chops in white wine and freshly cut cilantro. Maybe too much on the cilantro, truth be told - it was bolting and on its way to the heavier sharpness of coriander. Oh, well. Yummy, anyway. Now to unwind. Ciao!
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July 2, 2009
No Post....
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July 3, 2009
0843 - Good morning. Coffee's down, and a small bit of breakfast. Slow start for this holiday weekend. The temps and humidity are still low, so we're airing out the top of the house before the day heats up. I've got work to do down in the workshop, and a small amount of reading yet to do for my Perl class. More later, and pics of the garden this weekend, too. Ciao!
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July 4, 2009
1048 - Yesterday was full of disconcerting lows and highs. Right after I posted on Friday morning, we got the news: our neighbor across the street stroked out and died around 5 AM, pretty much out of the blue. Very sad.
Later on, I got the unexpected news that UMUC had, after all, accepted my 30 year old UCSC credits, finally. Well, I say finally, but I don't know when they did it. They didn't actually tell me or anything. I was on the horn with my current advisor and griping about that; he said, "No, they're all there." Um, WHAT?!?!? Whuh? When? Grrr. Overall impression: Yay! Saves me three years worth of work (and money) at my current snail's pace. Later still, I had a nice email from Jerry, thanking me for the stuff I do for him.
I've got project work to do in the basement: I'm building a cabinet around the telco demarc and networking core gear. Yesterday, in between all the other stuff, I bought a bit of materials for that project, and used some scrap lumber to build the sawhorses that I've been needed for about forever. So, with those, I was able to use the circular saw to piece out the panels I needed in the garage. I can do tuning cuts for smaller stuff on the table saw, but 30" x 36" exceeds that capacity. So, after I go out and weed in the gardens for a bit, I'll head downstairs to do work on that. Speaking of the garden:
 Upper beds: tomatoes, beans, watermelon |
 Middle beds: peppers and squash |
 Lower beds: tomatoes and cucumbers |
 Herb beds: cilantro, leeks, chives, fennel |
Overall, the gardens are doing nicely. The cooler weather and rain has held back the peppers quite a bit. I'm hoping they get productive by the time tomatoes start ripening. Squash and cucumbers are in full production, and beans are close. There's a gap in the herb garden where the basil didn't germinate. I've been meaning for about three weeks to get some plants from the store in. Hope springs eternal.
Now, to work with me. Oh, yeah. Happy birthday, America. Good luck!
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July 5, 2009
 New telco cabinet |
2045 - So, there's the telco cabinet I built to cover up the ratty hacked up wall ( so ratty and so hacked up, in fact, that I wouldn't take a "before" picture). The door isn't up yet, although I fabricated it prior to taking this picture. It (the cabinet) has mounted in it the mini telephone connection block, and the two Verizon FiOS bits that are inside the house, mostly just UPS for the actual demarcation point, which is on the outside of the house. One day I intend to build a locking/entry-monitored outdoor "shed" for that stuff, too. The door is a fairly simple two-hinge attached thing with three blade-width slots cut into the top for ventilation. It's not a sealed cabinet, so there's plenty of air to leak in, I just want the hot air at the top to get a good shot at getting out. I also have the Verizon FiOS router and a UPS for that sitting on the bottom of the cabinet (not mounted). The two big wins here are cosmetic (that wall was really, really ugly) and dust-management. That doorless "closet" is in my woodshop. I figure that the cabinet will keep most of the dust and debris out of the electronics, and I won't have to blow them out with compressed air nearly so often.
We also got some basil planted (finally) today. No yardwork besides that. In the woodshop, I refettled the two-day old saw horses, making them a bit sturdier, and setting them up with sacrificial fir strips for the tops. That is, when the top gets too beaten up or saw-eaten, I can just flip the saw horse over, unscrew the top, and screw another one in.
Seven more warriors die in our service, DoD reported in the last week. Our condolences to the families and units of the fallen.
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Visit the rest of the DAYNOTES GANG, a collection of bright minds and sharp wits. Really, I don't know why they tolerate me <grin>. My personal inspiration for these pages is Dr. Jerry Pournelle. I am also indebted to Bob Thompson and Tom Syroid for their patience, guidance and feedback. Of course, I am sustained by and beholden to my lovely wife, Marcia. You can find her online too, at http://www.dutchgirl.net/. Thanks for dropping by.
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