LaserBlog.com

Make your own:
http://www.sfpg.com/animation/liteBrite.html#

(got link from fortysomething.ca)

It hasn’t rained in almost a week. Yeah, it “rains every day here in the summer” but since probably last Wednesday, it hasn’t rained RIGHT HERE at our house at all. All around us, yeah, but not here. Well, today, this morning, they started painting our house. They did almost the whole thing. Now it’s raining. It started raining at 5pm while the painters were still painting, it’s 7 and it’s still raining. Great. I hope that doesn’t screw up the paint job. Yay.

Speaking of “sick of this sh*t”, here comes another hurricane. I’m not too concerned as it really is not likely that it’ll hit this coast, but it’s still not fun to get ANY wind or rain.

I WAS going to go to the other coast this weekend, Saturday, to see a PUG breeder. But nnnoooooOOOOOooooo, a hurricane is due to hit that coast that day.

I mean, c’mon! I’m really sick of this. If it weren’t for M and his job, I’d just pack up and move up north. I hate it here and I’ve had it w/ hurricanes, rain, leaky/wet houses, etc.

Man.

I want a pug SO BAD. I want to go see that breeder as she is very reputable. Guess I’ll have to wait until after yet another hurricane.

Geez.

The builder came again. He’d opened up the west wall (the one that had been leaking for a long time) to air it out. For days, with no rain, and no sprinklers, it’s been dripping ice cold water. It’s 92 out and 78 inside. The water can’t be ice cold unless it’s coming from the condensit pipes running from the a/c. But he cut the wall open even more, and the ceiling, and found no pipe. We have no idea how the condensit pipe gets from the middle of upstairs to the side of the house on the ground.

This time he got aggrevated. It’s no my fault, I didn’t make it leak, and this is a REPOPENED ticked that was first called in when the house was under warranty.

I’m so sick of this. I really am.

I love these kinds of sites, these “found photographs” sites.

Here is “Look At Me“, an “online museum” of found photographs.

I had previously blogged this link as well, to Found Magazine. I think there are a ton of “found photograph” sites on the web. I find them fascinating. I don’t know why. I can just sit there and click thru all the old photos and wonder about the stories behind them.

I’m still not qute plugged in.

The Mac is still unplugged since the storm, so I can’t (easily) download video from the hurricane from the video camera.

My main PC, which usually just sits upstairs as a file server, is still unplugged. So I’m working off my backup drive, using it when I need access to my files and dragging changed files to it manually as a backup.

I need my PC and the Mac set up again.

It’ll happen, it just takes time. We have been so busy.

Once I’m plugged in I can share some of the hurricane photo/video. Everything is just so disorganized right now.

Catfish eats dachshund.

(via fark)

103 FF?

103 F*CKING FAHRENHEIT!

Well, not sure where the car thermometer is, in the car, under the hood, but either way you can’t even BREATHE it’s so friggin’ hot!

I hate it here, I hate it here.

Wow, this is pretty wild… (from wvs.topleftpixel.com photoblog)

Here is an explanation.

Five Finger Filet!!!!!!!
(flash game, a riot!)

I want one of these for my yard:
http://www.squizzle.com/picview.asp?id=2230

Saw this on GeekyChick:
Braille T-shirts

I saw this just now on the local news, and of course FARK had a link to an online story:

“Import company toys depicting planes crashing into WTC (pic)”

I don’t know why I haven’t been blogging as much. It’s like since the hurricane, I’ve been too tired and too stressed and nothing is new: house is moldy, I’m waiting for workers to fix everything. I’m not even surfing as much; blogs, slashdot, fark, you name it.

When I am surfing I’m surfing Pug forums and sites.

After Ireland I hope to get a pug, and I have time to get prepared; get the gear, read the books. Puppies are alot more work than I knew. I was a kid last time I had a puppy and I remember NOTHING of the work. I want to be a good pug parent, so I’m reading reading reading.

Nothing is new other than that really. House is still a wreck, stuff is slowly being fixed. We’re #64 of Fireservice’s waiting list (they fix water damage).

*sigh*

I’m tired all the time, more than ever.

Oh, and I’ve been busy all week working on a website for a client and the last few days have been the busiest w/ final tweaks. Right when a site is about to go live is when you start getting 25 calls a day “can we change this” “can we tweak that” “can we move this” “why is it greener on my friends’ computer”

We went to dinner tonight w/ a colleague/friend. It was really cool. The town to the south of us has WAY more things to do. U can have dinner on the patio downtown and spend three hours eating, drinking, laughing, watching the ppl go by. Not in this town. It’s Olive Garden or Outback, OR the trendy get-drunk-and-dance clubs. We had alot of fun.

But I’m tired now. Wine makes me TIRED. I had wine and then cappucino, but I’m still tiredddd.

Wish I had more to say, life is boring right now.

No news is good news I guess.

Where the HECK did the weekend go? I can’t believe I haven’t blogged since Friday. I’ve been so distracted by the pug in the dog store. Spent alot of time w/ him this weekend. I don’t want to support a puppy mill, so I’m searching for a “reputable” and “responsible” breeder, but it’s a tough thing. I’ve only found 2 breeders so far who will have pups when I’m ready (I need a month or two, so the house can get fixed, then cleaned, and then there’s the Ireland trip), but I have no idea if they are “reputable” or “responsible”. Getting THAT answered is tricky. Websites and dog clubs I’m finding don’t like to SAY, and most dont’ even answer their emails. It’s like a damned secret. One site in fact flat out says “We won’t tell you who is reputable, even though we have a list. It took us a long time to figure it out, and if you really care about where you get your pup, you’ll do the hard work too“. I mean, c’mon guys, if you don’t want people to support puppy mills (i.e. buy from the pet store) then help us out!

It’s so hard, cuz this lil’ guy in the store totally responds to me. He looks at me when I talk, he tilts his head one way, then the other, then the other. His face is so expressionable. But being purebred and from an unkonwn source, I know I might end up w/ high vet bills down the line or behavioral problems. It’s tough though, cuz I really love him. But I’m sure I could love another pug, and if I didn’t keep going back and spending so much time w/ this one, I might not have felt so strongly. I’m just obsessive compulsive.

Photos of the Pug Puppy I fell in love with:
http://public.fotki.com/laserone/2004/pugpuppy/
The images labeled “img” are camera-phone images. Images labeled with a “p” are Lumix photos. This little guy is at the pet store and I really want to take him home.

I was looking at the photos at FoundMagazine.com and got to wondering where all my stuff is. When I was 10, we lost everything we owned. Long story, mom’s 2nd husband went to work one day and never came back. This was after making us lose our house and having to put everything into “storage” (his friend’s garage). We floundered all summer basically homeless and then moved from New Jersey to Pittsburgh. Once there, we called jerk-off’s “friend” and he told us he’d “dumped” all our belongings. ALL of it. A garage full. Everything from my mother’s Lennox china to my very first stuffed animal ever that I had as an infant, family photos, toys, and I can only imagine the momentos my mother lost that she’s never even mentioned. Love letters? Engagement rings? Who knows.

I wonder if I’ll ever come across some of my belongings in a retro secondhand store, or on a website like this.

I want a pug. I’ve wanted one for a long time. The first time I fell in love w/ a pug wasin the early 90′s when an intern at the nature center where I worked (I worked in the planetarium) got a pug, and she named it “BJ”, for “Bundle Of Joy”. They are just so cute.

I finally found the perfect one today, and I’m heardbroken because he is perfect and expensive and it just happens to be during a month where money is tight, and money hasn’t BEEN tight for YEARS. :..( I love him. He licked my face all over. When you hold him and talk to him in a certain voice/way, he tilts his head at you, then tilts it the other way, then the other way, it’s SO FREAKING ADORABLE! Whaaaa!

I’m always thinking of things I would like to do if only we lived like 500 years and could have multiple careers and degrees. I’d like to learn a ton of languages, but lately I’m interested in studying human behavior. I am SO sick of people being selfish and mean and I’m always wondering WHY. Is it cuz we’re americans?

I was going to blog the other day about how people are being meaner than ever on the roads this week. I thought “Oh, but if you do that you’ll just sound like you’re paranoid or whiney”. And anyway, it’s all over the news about how everyone is “pulling together” and being “very patient and pleasant” throughout this whole ordeal.

But then M noticed the same exact thing, so I’m not imagining it at all. At least in THIS town, people are being bigger jerks than ever. I have never been cut off or tailgated as much as I have been this week.

I have a theory that it’s because in THIS town, most people have simply been inconvenienced by the hurricane, and not devisated. Maybe when humans are devistated, they pull together and try to be patient and help eachother. But since we are all rich spoiled americans, especially in this town, people are pissy and angry and short-fused and in a hurry, all because they were hot for one day while their power and a/c were out, or because their poor pool cage blew in and they can’t use their pool. My house is soaked, but I’m not taking it out on anybody. It’s just amazing how awful people are.

Another human behavior study I’d like to do is figure out why EVERY SINGLE TIME we are cut off or tailgated by some asshole in this neighborhood, WITHOUT FAIL they turn into Silverlakes, not ANY OTHER development in this area. What is it about THAT development? Is it because the houses there are cheaper? They’re NOT, so that’s not it. Is it a younger neighborhood? I’ve been thru there and it’s just like every other neighborhood around here: old farts, kids, and everything in between. But we laugh our asses off because when you see someone in THIS area being a prick on the road, without fail they turn into THAT development. It’s just so strange.

From nbc-2.com:

“Satellite photos show damage caused by Hurricane Charley
A side by side comparison of satellite photos taken before and after Hurricane Charley show the devastation to Charlotte County.”

http://www.nbc-2.com/News/stories/040817_pg_mobilehomes.htm

http://www.nbc-2.com/News/stories/040817_pg_apartments.htm

Aftermath images: http://www.nbc-2.com/News/stories/charley-slideshow.shtml (each is a gallery)

I laughed when I read the Fark headline below, but I shouldn’t laugh at all, it’s not funny at ALL:
from fark:
“People begin to figure out it’s stupid to live in a mobile home in an area prone to hurricanes”

It’s not funny at all, people died in those mobile homes, at least in Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte. It’s really sad. There was one couple who was “too old and too imobile to evacuate” and their bodies were found under rubble, by their wheelchairs. So sad. This hurricane ruined alot of people’s lives. It was obvious from the get-go that the mobile home communities suffered the worst, but the ppl who live there can’t afford better.

By the way, M is watching south park and lauging so hard I think there’s gonna be pee on the couch.

Tired. Stress realllllly makes you tired. The mold smell is REALLY getting old right about now.

The builder came and will take care of the west wall which is the leaky wall. No charge, and we’ve been out of warranty for a while now. They are trying really hard to please us. But this is the fourth time they tried to fix the water intrusion in this wall. He says it’s cracks in the stucco, again, for the third time. He wants to fix all cracks, caulk all windows, and reapaint the whole house. He has to convince one more guy and then his boss will OK it. I hope it goes well.

I’ve been house hunting and new houses in our area are alot. We got a great deal on this house 3 years ago and now similar houses are WAY more than what we paid. We’ll make a profit on our house if we sell now, but man, the new houses, even smaller ones, are way more than this is worth now. So, we may just try our hardest to keep this house dry so we can hold on to it longer. It’s appreciated 40k in 3 years, so if we can keep it dry, we can make a killing later (as I have NO intention of living in this stinkhole of a town/state for the rest of my life). I just hope this neighborhood holds it’s value. High-value homes are going up all around it but alot of ppl have had problems w/ their homes, so it’s POSSIBLE that values could go down if too much word got out about the problems. *sigh* One day at a time. So so so so tired.

from fark again:
“Blindfolded morning-show DJ gets intimate with station listener named “Man Boobs.” Was led to believe that he was copping a feel from a Penthouse Pet. (With nauseating pics)”

From fark:

“Air France told a woman with no limbs that a “torso cannot possibly fly on its own.” Obviously did not believe that a “torso” can still sue them back to the Stone Age”

Just sittin’ here waiting for the builder who is coming to look at the problem wall and the crack in the slab.

The roofers said they couldn’t come for a week but they came today, the very day after calling, and said our ridge vent is fine. It didn’t look fine to me so maybe the builder can check it out as a courtesy.

The roofers came earlier than they said, so did the phone company, and the builder is coming sooner than I thought he would, so maybe Fireservice will too (to fix water damange from windows and roof). The water damage is dry, I think, but we are concerned about mold growing in the walls and attick since it was wet and isn’t ventilated to dry well.

Baring it all for art’s sake
(from fark)

the photographer’s site: http://www.spencertunick.com/

hbo did a documentary on this guy:http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0259453/

Well, for some reason we have dsl internet starting this morning, but still no phone. That makes no sense to me but that is the case. The dsl light on the modem has been on for days but we have not been able to connect to the internet until now, but the phone still doesn’t work.

Drove to mom’s condo yesterday which is across town and closer to the water, and she had no power, no phone, no cell service, nothing, but at least she had no damage.

All the traffic lights are out and it’s total chaos here. Most of the hotels nearby are still full, because of all the island/beaches evacuations, they are still not allowed back to their homes yet, and they don’t think it will be until Thursday the earliest. Most stores and restaurants are closed because of no power or spoiled food. Most of the town still has no power and it’s Monday already. The gas stations have a 45-minute wait, and only some of them are open. The grocery stores have only canned food: their refrigerated and frozen food is all ruined. The traffic lights are out and the National Guard is directing traffic at the major intersections, but small intersections are a free-for-all and it is REALLY dangerous.

So my house is torn up, my house smells of must/mold/stank… We have to cut more holes in the drywall to air things out. Fireservice can’t come for ten days they are so backed up. Can’t get ahold of roofer yet.

Last night we opened up the wall that has apparently been leaking for a while and there was water running down inside the wall and we had NO rain that day and the sprinklers hadn’t run. What happened last time was the builders said they graded the lot wrong, and the soil line was above our floor line so the moisture was coming in thru the stucco/cement block, evaporating within the wall, collecting at the top (the beam of the second floor floor), and then when it collected enough water it ran back down, that’s why we saw active dripping when there was no rain or sprinklers and there are no pipes in that wall or floor. So they tore up the grass and regraded the lot and resodded and it fixed the problem. But it’s starting again. So either they were wrong or… I don’t know what.

I’m house shopping today. I’ve had it with this leaky house. There have got to be better built homes, ones that use that Tyvek Home Wrap that goes between the cement block and the stucco… or ones that KNOW how to grade a lot. I also have to dig for phone numbers.

Mom is at work (no, she just came back), M is at work. We don’t know if her condo power/phone is back on yet today (mom checked on her condo and still no phone or power).

I’m stressing. Really stressing. I think I’ll take a shower and go house-hunting. Maybe just drive around if the places aren’t open, but there are some new neighborhoods nearby that use tyvek home wrap.

I love this house, but I can’t risk dealing with constant water intrustion, getting sick from mold, or not being able to sell the house later on because there was some OTHER leak that we didn’t even know about, like say, in the attic where we never go.

I’m really stressing.

Power is on, thank god for a/c. No phone, no dsl. Cell phone works ok so am using cell phone’s internet on palm pilot (clie). Water in all windows and found even MORE water damage. Only 2 rooms spared. Roof leaked, water in attic and walls. Found water AND MOLD in 2 rooms so we’ve been leaking all summer. we ALSO found cracks in our slab so we are VERY upset. Was in tears last night. This is my dream home yet I may just fix it and SELL. This is the leakiest hoise I’ve ever seen. Most of town has no power, we are lucky. Barrier islands are trashed, town to north is wrecked. Updating moblog more than anything: http:\\laserone.textamerica.com

Have cell phone/gprs internet right now, but it is intermittant. Power is on and off, but mainly on now, after being off for 24 hours or so. Most of town is without power, nearby town is demolished, we are fine, but lots of water damage inside from water forced in thru windows and roof. No phone, no dsl, no cable. May plug satellite back in later tonight, be we have to pull carpets up and stuff tonight, fun. House is a TOTAL MESS, when it was predicted as a cat 4 coming our way, we pulled everything out of storage and THREW it into piles in the family room and living room so that we could cower in the closet under the stairs, we pulled a futon matress downstairs to hide under, and the house is a total pig stye. Every single sheet and towel is wet and musty from being put under windows and doors. It’ll take forever to get it all washed, fix the carpets, and clean the piles we threw all over the house in a panic.

live radar:
http://admin.winktv.com/public/x411.xml
Wish we’d set up a webcam!

Another local news link:
http://www.winktv.com/

They say power could be out for days/weeks. Things are not as bad here as other places, so I’m guessing that the power co will be prioritizing, so we may have to wait a while for power. I’m moblogging when I can’t blog here.

Our roof tiles are in the neighbor’s yard, neighbor’s houses u can see ridge vents coming up, tiles flapping in the wind, trip flapping in the wind, etc.