(no subject)

[vicarz]

Last night I had to go to therapy. By which I mean, I had a friend who was one amongst many who had a horrific commute and needed the liberal application of food and drink - in this case from Willow. I found that a "clear chocolate martini" is Ballston for "delicious drink that costs $2 less than your entrée," and you can put smoked tuna steak on pizza. Wound up in super cool conversation, again, but then wasn't home until a little later than planned. No problem until I heard something that sounded like dripping in the hallway...where the heat pump/ac is. I found a pipe that had condensation developing on it, which led a little path down outside the condensation tray. I addressed the issue by re-routing the drip with a piece of ribbon tied to the pipe and dipped into the tray. Hey, it worked.

I voted this morning in the oddest election - at 6:15 I was the very first voter. A nearly uncontested primary election was not necessarily the best or most economically logical use of my time, but I take a certain amount of pride in being civic. I also serve as the president of the condo board - I like to help community. This will make it seem rather odd when I go on a killing rampage as a knife-wielding maniac after plowing down the sidewalk in my car. Don't you worry, my pets, I'll post warnings on LJ first. Still, by serving my community of disaffected members of society I'm engaging in civic behavior ... it's just not immediately obvious to the casual observer.

Ok with my job again, liking it right now...but who knows for how long - and the EEOC is hiring. Do I apply?


Anyone else use windows media center with Arlington comcast cable?
Annoyingly I think comcast has their cable service so that if you want to switch channels when you record, you have to pay them for the service. My computer records, but it seems it wakes itself up to do so and then will record - but not change channels on the cable box. So I essentially have a $500 vcr that does other tricks. This may be due to the cable setup OR my own personal incompetence.

My offensive phrase / obscure band t-shirt got a yay from a gym employee last night. I did some mean squats last night. I can't do squat (heh) with any exercise that involves my elbow under pressure (overhead presses failed, pull-ups are out, lat pulls out) but my legs and core are making me proud. 245 is just about at mastery level, so I'll be moving back up - slower this time. I also think, especially while my workout is shortened by my owie elbows, that I'll move from warmups and one killer set to two sets. Maybe 245 for 10 and then 225 for 10. Long way off from 305, my summer goal (aka 3 plates). Big problem with squats is the penalty for failure is huge, and getting a spot is more difficult than other exercises.

http://www.wpfs.org/index.html has some great stuff next week when I'm out of town (night of the bloody transplant) but then when I return there is always alien warrior to fall back on. Aliens, kung fu, breakdancing, and morals!? Sign me up!

I was at a bbq and this dude's wife was in a tank top which she gracefully referred to as her "husband beating shirt." Nice. Very nice. I also found out that when you get married in Virginia, my tax dollars fund a bizarro family planning pamphlet that encourages using temperature and rythym to prevent unwanted pregnancies. Good. god. It's abstinence and wishing family planning for married heteros. Funded. By. My. Money. Fucking hate VA politics - oh, but I voted!


I admit it - this was essentially a twitter post.

Comments

[empressmiaka.livejournal.com]

lol I've never ever seen such a family planning brochure before.

[vicar.livejournal.com]

Virginia is not just the civilized north - it's funded by us edumacated folks, but the money goes this these morons and their insane agenda:
Marriage before the carriage. I don't disagree, but...spooky.

Study to explore marriage and abstinence...yep, just say no.

Can't find the pamphlet, but ... scary stuff.

[empressmiaka.livejournal.com]

lol the first one came out of a city called "Lynchburg". Enough said.

We have gigantic billboards over near the base that say, "MARRIAGE WORKS! GIVE IT A TRY!" and "Children of married parents do better in school."

Love the propaganda.

[vicar.livejournal.com]

VA has many cites that specify that marriage is just a man and a woman, no same sex, sweet holy heebie jeebies, just say no, and other special interest money siphons

I mean I'm a big favor of people being married before making babies, but the wacky programs make me cringe

No, not opinionated

[fractalwoman.livejournal.com]

I also found out that when you get married in Virginia, my tax dollars fund a bizarro family planning pamphlet that encourages using temperature and rhythym to prevent unwanted pregnancies.

Total bullshit. Those anti-abortion freaks come out of the panel that often there? I think if a person gets pregnant pre-marriage that they are just as capable as the next. They just have more work in their life.

Discouraging this behavior feels puritanical and religious bible thumping running its course in government. I could never move to Virginia for that purpose alone.

Re: No, not opinionated

[vicar.livejournal.com]

It's always a tough battle of avoiding the idiocy and being a voice of reason in the masses of morons. I respect both courses.

[shesquint.livejournal.com]

Um, I got married in Virginia, and we definitely didn't get any freaky weird family planning pamphlets.

Mosey on over to my journal for a mostly coherent description of elbow-helpin' exercises.

[vicar.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the soup-can workout! The right-wing is kinda on the ropes, but in their death throws they are getting hits?

[cobwellac.livejournal.com]

I'm going to have to order one of those chocolate martinis at some point; they're goooood. Does the a/c work properly? Leak or no, it needs to beat the heat!

[vicar.livejournal.com]

The A/C works fine, and since I "re-routed" that condensation issue its fine all around. I did notice the drain pan is growing nasty stuff, but there isn't much I can do about it other than clean.

http://www.martiniart.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=34

This recipe isn't good
http://cocktails.about.com/od/cocktailrecipes/r/choclt_mrtni.htm
but the line "powdered cocoa for rimming" is just so nasty I had to!

Switching Channels

[american-arcane.livejournal.com]

If the video in to the computer is going through the cable box first, the computer won't be able to change the channel on the cable box without an IR remote attachment of some sort.

The way I've got all my recording stuff set up I split the cable, have one run to the cable box, another run to the DVR, another run to the DVD recorder and then feed everything into one another and the TV via RCA cables. That way, by switching video feeds on the TV or the various devices, I can pretty much record from any source to any recorder.

Only limitation is that unless you're grabbing the feed directly from the cable box, you can't record channels in the triple digit range or anything that's scrambled.

Re: Switching Channels

[vicar.livejournal.com]

I wasn't sure - I have a splitter, but it seems like you won't be able to read anything without the cable box processing the signal first. I've had both systems, and comcast is real nasty about their signal.

Waiting for fios or...well something. I may wait for broadband wireless to be mroe common and cheaper and just ditch cable, phone, and internet at the same time for wireless phone and broadband.

Re: Switching Channels

[american-arcane.livejournal.com]

All the channels that you'd be able to get without the cable box should work just fine. Typically, those are 2-99, except when there are versions of the pay channels (HBO, etc.) in those numbers.

Unless VA Comcast does something more insidious than MD Comcast (or NY cable companies), things should be fine for the bulk of the channels.

The biggest problem you'll probably run into is signal strength. Had a serious problem with that in my last apartment. But it was due to old wiring, mostly.

I've never had the pleasure of working with FIOS. I was hoping I'd be able to get it when I moved from the last place, but no such luck. Guess I'll have to wait until I get a non-apartment place or there's a bigger FIOS push into apartment complexes.

Universal wireless broadband coverage would be nice... and it will, eventually, get here. The question is: when? And how much trouble it's going to cause. :)

Re: Switching Channels

[vicar.livejournal.com]

They do - you hook the tv from the box, and only the box can change channels.

Yeah the broadband wireless is out there, but ... what if it sucks as bad as a cell phone signal? What!? What!? Hello?

Re: Switching Channels

[american-arcane.livejournal.com]

Unless they've welded the cable to the TV, I think they're propagating a myth that only the box can change channels. :)

First thing I always do after the cable guy leaves after setting up the box (since there is no way to avoid having a guy come out and stand there on hold with the main office until they initialize the box and modem), is re-run all the wires so I can skip the cable box if needed.

Never in almost 30 years of dealing with cable TV have I come across a setup where you couldn't run the cable directly into the TV and get a signal for the basic channels.

Of course, it is pretty obvious that VA is the home of a Great Evil. So, anything is possible. ;)

FIOS

[justaputz.livejournal.com]

When FIOS comes to you if I "sell" it to you I get bonus points for work.....

Re: FIOS

[vicar.livejournal.com]

Our dev't doesn't have it avail yet - but I'll have to remember this, will be happy for your solicitations. Baby.

Re: Switching Channels

[vicar.livejournal.com]

I wish I understood what any of that meant?

Re: Switching Channels

[vicar.livejournal.com]

Ah...thanks! I'll have to try jamming it in to see if it works. It has a connector like thing but I wasn't sure how to hook it up.

EDIT Wow, fell for the myth...seems to workwhen connected directly. Program guide isn't working and it may be the cable isn't really good...pauses and weird echos, but it is running. Needs tweaking...

[vicar.livejournal.com]

315 is good for my weight class, but theoretically as I get stronger I could weigh more. When a dood is doing sets with 4 plates beside me, I get grunt envy.

20 reps? Sounds hellish and interesting.

I do set up the rack exactly as you say - I've done my "cambodian toilet" squats there enough to know that my lowest is just above the 3rd hole. I just don't want to have to fail...I've never had a squat spot, but I've also never been anything but close but made it. No fails yet, but I'm being cautious.

I spotted a guy last night on incline barbell press - I said I was happy to, but not familiar with the way to spot that. He showed me, worked out fine.

[telie13.livejournal.com]

I never got any pamphlet like that?

WEIRD.

Sorry I missed out, I am on the injured list as Elle might have mentioned.

[kelowna.livejournal.com]

family planning pamphlet that encourages using temperature and rythym to prevent unwanted pregnancies.

I don't see anything wrong with that at all.

Sex Education means providing ALL OPTIONS.

I don't see it as bizarro. I don't see anything wrong with abstinence.

Although I believe in the ability for a woman to chose to have an abortion I think its a pretty sick thing to rely on it as a form of birth control when there are other options. "Oh who cares if I get pregnant! I'll just have an abortion! teehee!"

--k

[vicar.livejournal.com]

The thing that is coded in this is the absence of condoms, pill birth control, IUDs (or was that IEDs?), or any reliable normal birth control methods.

Nothing wrong with abstinence, but those programs are actually associated with higher birth rates than any other type. All options is great, but our right-wing nuts have had success in getting abstinence only programs - not all options. Nothing wrong with not fucking, but using it as a sole method is bizarro.

I've never met anyone that took an abortion lightly. It's surgery. Ouch.