<![CDATA["Demo Reel"]]> http://homepage.mac.com/sister_geek/iblog http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss en Sandra Fisher Lakin 2004-2008 Sun, 31 May 2009 22:38:31 -0700 Sun, 31 May 2009 22:57:42 -0700 iBlog 1.4.6 2003-2008 Sandra Fisher Lakin "Demo Reel" Journal almost, but not quite entirely, unrelated to filmmaking 2003-2008 Sandra Fisher Lakin "Demo Reel" Movies & Television <![CDATA[The Once and Future Blog ]]> http://homepage.mac.com/sister_geek/iblog/C1784769463/E20090531223811/index.html iBlog is too old. Its creator has stopped supporting it. And Apple, in their infinite wisdom, are changing up how hosting works on the dotMe (formerly dotMac) servers. All of which are leading me to begin posting here:

A Study in Silver (http://silverdrag0n.wordpress.com/)

This blog will remain online; I don't want to lose the entries and comments. The old entries will eventually be migrated to the new blog. And if anyone out there is still checking this blog, I hope to see you at Wordpress...



]]> Sun, 31 May 2009 22:38:11 -0700 http://homepage.mac.com/sister_geek/iblog/C1784769463/E20090531223811/index.html <![CDATA[[taps twice] Er... is this thing on? ]]> http://homepage.mac.com/sister_geek/iblog/C528861120/E20090316210540/index.html I'm back. I think.

I still have NaNoWriMo as a to-do in the Infinite To-Do list.

My spirits dropped right along with my retirement accounts in November and are just beginning to perk up.

Still working at Major HMO. Still "temp" after two years. Have moved up to data analyst from secretaryhood -- a major improvement. And after today's "staff reduction" announcement (which did not, thankfully, include me) a direct position, after all, may be no shield even there.

If I could retire, I would.

I will be gradually moving this blog somewhere else. I'm not sure where; but iBlog is getting creaky. I will let y'all know. ]]> Mon, 16 Mar 2009 21:05:40 -0700 http://homepage.mac.com/sister_geek/iblog/C528861120/E20090316210540/index.html <![CDATA[NaNoUpDate 11/17/08 ]]> http://homepage.mac.com/sister_geek/iblog/C528861120/E20081117233802/index.html I stopped.

It gained on me.

Flu sucks.

Good night. ]]> Mon, 17 Nov 2008 23:38:02 -0800 http://homepage.mac.com/sister_geek/iblog/C528861120/E20081117233802/index.html <![CDATA[Late Afternoon Near the Fire Line ]]> http://homepage.mac.com/sister_geek/iblog/C1873682429/E20081116234825/index.html


Have come down with the flu. No energy to write, but surprisingly, energy to paint. I knew when I saw the sun reflecting off a white surface through the smoke, how to paint this...
]]> Sun, 16 Nov 2008 23:48:25 -0800 http://homepage.mac.com/sister_geek/iblog/C1873682429/E20081116234825/index.html <![CDATA[The Lesson of the NaNoWriMo ]]> http://homepage.mac.com/sister_geek/iblog/C528861120/E20081113014120/index.html Don't stop.

Don't ever stop.

If you stop, it gains on you.

Never, ever, ever stop. Genius doesn't matter. Perfection is an illusion. All that matters is the doing.

Goal reached before bed: 12334 words.

Goal before the next bedtime: 14427 words. ]]> Thu, 13 Nov 2008 01:41:20 -0800 http://homepage.mac.com/sister_geek/iblog/C528861120/E20081113014120/index.html <![CDATA[Saving all my words for NaNoWriMo... ]]> http://homepage.mac.com/sister_geek/iblog/C528861120/E20081112224309/index.html But I added a link to the chart widget that explains what the heck it means... ]]> Wed, 12 Nov 2008 22:43:09 -0800 http://homepage.mac.com/sister_geek/iblog/C528861120/E20081112224309/index.html <![CDATA[It's BAAAACCCCKK.... ]]> http://homepage.mac.com/sister_geek/iblog/C528861120/E20081101212927/index.html Yes, NaNoWrimo is here again. 50,000 words or bust....

[if nothing else, it's made me change the images in the sidebar ---> ]]> Sat, 01 Nov 2008 21:29:27 -0700 http://homepage.mac.com/sister_geek/iblog/C528861120/E20081101212927/index.html <![CDATA[Food for Thought ]]> http://homepage.mac.com/sister_geek/iblog/C528861120/E20081025061800/index.html The following article by Paul B. Farrell describes well a conclusion I'd arrived at independently:
Wall Street's 'Disaster Capitalism for Dummies'
14 reasons Main Street loses big while Wall Street sabotages democracy
It's hard to get cranked about election results, although I will vote -- for every office on my ballot which sports a candidate who is neither Democrat nor Republican. Anything but what we've got. And yeah, I AM going to write in Mickey Mouse for any office in which I don't have a REAL choice.

Anything but what we got, folks. Anything. It's time to trash the "two-party system" -- there's nothing sacred about it and other republics seem to get along just fine with twenty parties and plenty of REAL debate.

[On the lighter side, I'll be twittering from Santa Barbara today. Ta-ta!]
]]> Sat, 25 Oct 2008 06:18:00 -0700 http://homepage.mac.com/sister_geek/iblog/C528861120/E20081025061800/index.html <![CDATA[Mini-review: Journey to the Center of the Earth ]]> http://homepage.mac.com/sister_geek/iblog/C873789365/E20081023221548/index.html The Professor gives it a C-.

If you missed Journey to the Center of the Earth in the first-run theaters, you didn't miss much. I caught it at a second-run theater, and missed my $3 and my 90 minutes. This poor excuse for 3-D effects was aimed solidly at the 12-14 year-old-male audience. Brendan Fraser gave a better performance in "George of the Jungle." Or, it may just be that his amusing muscular charm was wasted on this lack of a script. With dialogue like "I call dibs on the [pretty blond female] mountain guide," eviscerating Jules Verne's tale, I spent my time trying to look at my watch and wishing I'd sat on the end of the row. Please don't spend money to see this turkey. ]]> Thu, 23 Oct 2008 22:15:48 -0700 http://homepage.mac.com/sister_geek/iblog/C873789365/E20081023221548/index.html <![CDATA[Plans Have Been Made ]]> http://homepage.mac.com/sister_geek/iblog/C21384291/E20081022234414/index.html The Hubby will be out of town this weekend - so instead of our usual date, I'm planning a day-long outing by myself.

Amtrak tickets have been purchased. Cash will be obtained. Camera will be packed. HSM Lilith Bicycle will be tuned up, and may even acquire a black water bottle and cage to match her new black bell and black rack pack with expanding panniers.

After all, nothing causes one to blend with the Santa Barbara natives like cycling. Pity I can't afford to stay overnight... ]]> Wed, 22 Oct 2008 23:44:14 -0700 http://homepage.mac.com/sister_geek/iblog/C21384291/E20081022234414/index.html <![CDATA[Wednesday Quiz: What's your ideal Halloween costume? ]]> http://homepage.mac.com/sister_geek/iblog/C651528912/E20081022230743/index.html In time to make plans if need be:

Your Halloween Costume Should Be
An Alien

Why am I not surprised?
]]> Wed, 22 Oct 2008 23:07:43 -0700 http://homepage.mac.com/sister_geek/iblog/C651528912/E20081022230743/index.html <![CDATA[A Plea to Other Los Angeles Cyclists ]]> http://homepage.mac.com/sister_geek/iblog/C21384291/E20081021083105/index.html When you are cycling in Los Angeles County, PLEASE:
  • DO NOT cycle on the wrong side of the street! Cars don't expect you. Other cyclists don't expect you.
  • DO use the little flashing lights! Spend five bucks and get one for the back of your bike, at least. Day or night, it makes a HUGE difference in your visibility. A flashing headlamp doesn't hurt, either.
  • DO NOT cycle on the sidewalks and just pedal at full speed across a street. Those driving cars will not see you because you are travelling too fast to be where they're looking for a pedestrian.
  • DO NOT make all of the above mistakes after dark! I nearly hit an unlighted cyclist in the sidewalk on the wrong side of the street at 9pm last night. It would have been totally his fault as he was breaking several traffic laws. Neither he nor I would have felt better for that.
And while I'm at it: LAPD, PLEASE start ticketing cyclists operating illegally!!!!
]]> Tue, 21 Oct 2008 08:31:05 -0700 http://homepage.mac.com/sister_geek/iblog/C21384291/E20081021083105/index.html <![CDATA[Additional Notes on Excellent Adventure ]]> http://homepage.mac.com/sister_geek/iblog/C21384291/E20081019232122/index.html
  • Original Google Maps "walking" distance from my apartment to my place of business in Pasadena: 15.5 miles.
  • Original Google Maps distance from my apartment to the place in Glendale where I gave up: 8.9 miles, or slightly less than 2/3 of the way to Pasadena.
  • After adjusting to avoid obstructions that Google didn't know about: 9.1 miles.
  • Actual distance I rode (counting backtracking and confusion): 9.9 miles.
  • Actual riding time: about 80 minutes.
  • Average speed: 7.4 mph.
]]> Sun, 19 Oct 2008 23:21:22 -0700 http://homepage.mac.com/sister_geek/iblog/C21384291/E20081019232122/index.html <![CDATA[Lilith and Silver Dragon's Excellent Adventure. ]]> http://homepage.mac.com/sister_geek/iblog/C21384291/E20081019173911/index.html I went on a long bike ride today -- partly just for the hell of it, partly because I stopped riding when I caught bronchitis -- what? Two, three weeks ago? -- and wanted to force myself back into thinking of biking, and partly because I wanted to see if a pure bicycle commute from North Hollywood to Pasadena was even practical. I used Google Maps to plan a route (using their "walking" option) and set out at 2:10 pm, armed with 40 oz. of Diet Rite Cola and three bus tokens.

The first part of the route -- through North Hollywood, Toluca Lake and Burbank -- was easy enough: pretty flat, with the slightest downhill grade, following more or less the path of the Los Angeles River. I found myself crossing into the northwestern corner of Glendale at about 2:40, and reflected that a 30 minute ride put me in range of the L.A. Zoo (a favorite destination) and the shops and movie theaters of Beautiful Downtown Burbank. This is MUCH faster than a bus would get me to either place (the MTA #96 route is slow, riddled with stops every two blocks, and incredibly convoluted; as the only eastbound MTA local through Burbank, it makes a point of passing every major employer and every public building... it took me an hour to reach downtown Burbank on it, and 90 minutes to get to the Zoo. Bleh.)

In Glendale, things got tougher. The northwest is the Industrial Armpit of Glendale; and Google Maps is not aware that Air Way and Kellogg Ave. don't go through (they enter the Glendale DWP and don't emerge.) I backtracked to Grandview, and got onto San Fernando Road going south along the railroad tracks, which is where Google Maps wanted to put me.

San Fernando Road is an ancient highway (as ancient as they get in Los Angeles County; it was part of the original Camino Real connecting the missions.) Worse, it traverses the intersection of Interstate 5, California 134, the Los Angeles River, and a significant tributary creek I can't find the name of. There are few routes that cross all these hazards -- and San Fernando road itself was under construction right at the bottleneck. One lane of cars was getting through each way. No room for bikes, sidewalks closed.

Well, crap. Fool that I am, I'd not gotten a map of that area from Google, so I noodled around the twisting residential streets east of San Fernando road until I found Concord Ave., which had a bridge over the creek and an underpass under the 134. South on Concord, I rejoined the Google route, turning east at Broadway.

By this time it was about 3:10 pm and I needed to be back in NoHo to be able to get to my recovery group meeting. So I gave it up and found the 780 Rapid bus stop, taking it and the Red Line train home.

I am so happy with Lilith! (Dahon Vitesse HG7). Not only is her gearing perfect for the trip, but getting her home on the bus and subway is a delight. Just put her in the bus bike rack for the bus leg, then roll her into the station and fold her for the subway ride. Unfold her and ride her home, slick as a whistle and getting admiring glances everywhere I go.

Off to that recovery meeting -- by car (pout.)

Update 10:06 PM:
I've concluded that a pure bike commute to Pasadena is NOT practical. Just past downtown Glendale (where I gave up today) the route joins Colorado Blvd. (AKA Historic Route 66). Colorado winds into the foothills of the San Gabriels, going uphill with a LOT of up-and-downhill riding. And Colorado has one of the few bridges over Arroyo Seco. There is no other practical route to Pasadena without going south and adding five miles to the ride. I was biking for an hour and twenty minutes, and although I covered two-thirds of the distance, I suspect that more than half the journey was ahead of me in terms of time (or vertical distance!) Even allowing for the 15 or so minutes I spent lost in Glendale, that puts it at about 2 hours one-way, unless I suddenly become amazingly more fit, or Lilith equally amazingly more speedy. Four hours of biking on top of a full work day is not in the Silver Dragon's plans. So, back to "bike to the Commuter Express stop, bus to Pasadena, then bike to office." Cheaper than driving, not cursed with perky carpool buddies, and a third the time of biking, it seems the sanest option when I don't need to go to class or tutor a student after work.

Now I just need to start DOING it again!
]]> Sun, 19 Oct 2008 17:39:11 -0700 http://homepage.mac.com/sister_geek/iblog/C21384291/E20081019173911/index.html <![CDATA[Wednesday Meme/Quiz: Brush Up Your Shakespeare ]]> http://homepage.mac.com/sister_geek/iblog/C651528912/E20081005235632/index.html My apologies for not posting this Wednesday:

Via Random Thoughts and Vents, a brain teaser regarding the Bard:

Shakespeare's Characters

Score: 83% (10 out of 12)
]]> Wed, 15 Oct 2008 05:56:32 -0700 http://homepage.mac.com/sister_geek/iblog/C651528912/E20081005235632/index.html