General Geekery

I admit that I am geeky. I'm okay with that and Ray actually loves that part of me. He tells folks that I am the geek of the family. Funny man. I like computers, all kinds of blogs, pictures, my own and others, reading all types of literature and comics, watching the National Geographic, History and Military channels, playing with and reading and talking about new tech, as well as all things in between. I have a soft spot for ankle biter dogs and most cats. I can't stand disorganization, but can't keep my house tidy…hmmm…I blame that on Ray.

So, I thought I'd share some of the sites I visit regularly so you are able to better understand the geeky side of Priscilla.

Ready? No? Well, it's too late. You can't turn back now!

Gizmodo: Gizmodo was kicked off in 2002. It's a blog about gadgets and tech, new and old, and everything a geek would want to read or complain about. It's my first stop when I get online…every time. New posts are up all throughout the day. Also, you will find much humor and debate in the comments for the article. Sometimes they're even better than the articles!

TmoNews: I am a loyal T-Mobile customer. They may not have the best phones, but the customer service is top notch. TmoNews covers all things T-Moblie: new plans, policies, phones on all platforms, coverage expansions and all the rumors you can stand! Obviously this site caters to the needs of a niche, but the folks running this blog run a few other sites you might be interested in: phonedog (information on all upcoming phones for all carriers), DroidDog (all Android all the time), BBerryDog (the BlackBerry channel), and Today's iPhone (everything iPhone).

Neatorama/NeatoGeek: All things neat and/or odd and all things geek, respectively.

EPBOT: Per the bloggers own description, "Geekery, Girliness, & General Goofing Off". She has an interesting sense of humor that appeals to me and has made me literally laugh out loud. She's a great story teller, designer and finder of all things geeky and girly.

Cake Wrecks: This is written by the same lady from EPBOT, plus her husband every once in a while. It's a blog entirely about cakes that have been mucked up in one way or another by professionals. It's well written and witty. On Sundays you get Sunday Sweets, a reprieve from the disastrous cakes and get a eyeful of what cakes are supposed to look like.

LikeCOOL: This features gadgets and other items new, old, retro, conceptual and odd. It'll also like you up to places to buy and/or read more about these items and the folks who made them.

FAIL Blog: If it's a failure, it's here. Sometimes off color, but always entertaining. A constant reminder of how thick we can really be as a species. This is just one of many funny websites hosted by the CHEEZburger Network.

Very Demotivational: Also hosted by the CHEEZburger Network, but most definitely stands out from the rest. Someone takes a picture or sign and makes it into a poster resembling the motivational posters you have in your office, except with a less inspiring message. Definitely my kind of humor.

Message With A Bottle: This random guy quit his job to be a stay home dad and free lance writer. He noticed he was utilizing post-its for reminders for his work and decided to start making observations about things concerning his son and post them. It sounds lame, but the guy's got a great sense of humor to which I believe most can relate. We've all thought the majority of the things he posts.

Well, if you didn't have anything to do, now you have plans. Make your way through these and I hope you find at least one that peaks your interest. If nothing else, then you know a bit more about my personality, good or bad.

Do you have any sites/blogs you visit regularly? Go ahead and share them. I'm sure I can squeeze a few more in! J

WWII & Alaska?

Really? Why didn't I learn about this in school? Or was it taught and I slept through it? It couldn't have been our top notch history books? Maybe I was sick that week? I did have the chickenpox twice. Or maybe it was taught the last week of my senior year. When I hadn't missed a single day the last semester I decided that I could use a few days off and didn't attend. Hmm, let's not rehash that week. 

Getting back on task, why is it that just yesterday I learned that part of World War II was fought on American soil, and not Hawaii? I mean, we all know about Pearl Harbor, but what about Alaska?

Ray was flipping through the channels when he paused on the History Channel. The title of the show was "bloody battles" or something to that effect. As he changed the channel I heard someone say WWII and Alaska in the same sentence. I looked at him and asked if I had heard it right and he shrugged and turned it back. They were indeed talking about the Aleutian Islands, which are part of Alaska.

It turns out that on June 3, 1942 a small force of Japanese bombers attacked Dutch Harbor, thus the beginning of the Aleutian Island Campaign. Kiska was invaded on June 6^th and Attu on June 7^th.

Right: Buildings burning after the first enemy attack on Dutch Harbor, June 3 1942                                                                   

Left: Anchorage Daily Times June 3, 1942

Due to weather, geography and location restraints, it wasn't until May 11^th 1943 that a counterattack, code-named COTTAGE, began. 

Hauling Supplies in Attu

Castner's Cutthroats, or the 1st Alaskan Combat Intelligence Platoon, was part of the over 34,000 Allied troops fighting the Japanese, The platoon was made up of men who were familiar to the rough Alaskan terrain and weather. They were responsible for reconnaissance missions and served as guides for the Army. There were also 5,300 who were part of the 1^st Special Service Force, or the Devil's Brigade. This was a joint US-Canadian commando unit originally designed to fight in winter conditions. 

Troops fighting the snow and ice in Attua

The official end date of the occupation was July 28^th 1943 and the official end of the campaign was August 24^th, 1943. This was the United States first theater-wide victory in WWII. There were just over 1,600 American and Canadian lives lost during this battle.

Again, with the loss of life on US soil,and not in Hawaii, I sincerely wonder why this is news to me. Maybe I really was asleep.

*More pictures can be found at the below sites:
Wikimedia
Attu WWII Photos

Arbitrary Bits and Pieces About Joe

No, I'm not talking about Joe down the street, across town, the inn keeper or the latest guy to get arrested.

I'm talking about coffee.

There are so many names for it these days: Joe, java, black gold, morning mud, battery acid, bean juice, brew, and my favorite, wait for it, wakey juice. Love it!

It is believed that the craze started with goats. That's right, goats. Ethiopian shepherds noticed their goats were frisky after eating coffee berries. Mmm, berries. While there isn't a lot out there to support this theory, it's a good bedtime story, right? 

Back to fact...A coffee tree can grow up to 30', but this makes it difficult to collect the berries. Over the years, the trees have been cultivated to grow around 10'. Still a bit high for us short folks.

In 1675 King Charles II issued a proclamation closing coffee houses in England "because in such houses, and by the meeting of disaffected persons in them, divers false, malicious, and scandalous reports were devised and spread abroad, to the defamation of his majesty's government, and the disturbance of the quiet and the peace in the realm." Whoa! That's pretty serious. Fortunately the closings didn't last long. I bet there were some people out there with a bad case of the shakes during the closings!


Satori Kato, a Japanese scientist living in Chicago first invented instant coffee in 1901. George Washington, not our President, but rather a man from Belgium, living in Guatemala (Got all of that?), is credited with developing his own instant coffee and successfully commercially marketing it around 1910.

Coffee is the second most traded commodity, behind oil. You here that big oil? Stop pinching my wallet!

Latte art is the practice of making designs in the milk/foam topping (microfoam) of an espresso. There are different levels of snobbery concerning latte art. Purists insist the design must be created by the simple movements of the pouring vessel (free pouring), while others accept that the art may be created utilizing a stirring stick (etching). 


I think someone may have misunderstood my intentions when I placed my order for my beverage. I want to drink, guzzle, sip, knock back, devour, or otherwise consume it in its entirety. I have zero interest in showing it off to my friends, family and/or neighbors. Oh and if I'm paying more than $4 for the brew, it better be yummy or I'm coming back for you and your little dog too!

During WWII our GIs ordered espresso with water so they could dilute the flavor. This became known as the Americano preparation. I refuse to type disparaging remarks about those who serve our country, so all I'm going to say is…Really?!? Fine. Okay. I gotcha. Wait, really?!?

With all that said, there are many ways to prepare java. My favorite preparation is the macchiato.

How do you like your joe? (Tall, dark and handsome is not an option.)

Memories

As another birthday has come and gone I have spent some time thinking about the past and thought I'd share a few stories with you.

Growing up we had a square coffee table in our living room between the couch and the TV. The top was some type of ceramic tiles in an off white color surrounded by dark wood. It had four legs which connected the top platform to the bottom wooden platform of the table, which rested on the floor. My sister, Farrah, and I would squeeze under there together to where one could only see our feet sticking out. We would laugh and fight and have a great time while in this very small, confined space. No one ever really knew what we were really doing under there until one day my mom decided to lay under there with me. Farrah and I had made our own "weather map" on the bottom of the table. We had drawn, to the best of our ability, the US and had cold fronts, snow, tornadoes and hurricanes all over the place in crayon! You can just imagine the look on her face when she saw what we had done to her table! She actually took it well. It was one of the many times she would say, "Just don't tell your father." Somehow or another he found out and didn't take it well. My mom was, and actually still is, the master of keeping our dad calm and with the program, even after 25 or so years of being divorced. You should have seen him on my wedding day. I heard it was touch and go there for a while! I do wish we had pictures of our weather map. It would be interesting to see if our forecasts came true. Who knows, maybe we could have given Al Gore a run for his money!

Our stepfather, Johnny, had a number of issues which caused home to not be pleasant, but he had his moments where the person he could be would shine through. He was the master of making fun appear out of nothing, which was important because we didn't have anything! We had a plastic red bat and white ball that you could buy for $3. Our bases were "borrowed" from local construction sites. You know the round blinking lights on top of the orange barrels? Well they make wonderful bases for nighttime baseball! We would always give our mom a hard time because she would usually end up popping a blood vessel in her hand and we'd have to quit. In her defense, her hand would swell and she would have an awful bruise for a while, but we were kids and had no mercy for our fun being ruined!


There is one baseball story that sticks in my mind vividly. We were playing during the day and Johnny was pitching to us. It was my turn up to bat. I had always been a bit timid of the ball because I didn't want to get hit. I had seen my sister and cousin pinged by balls when they played and saw that it wasn't pleasant. He had been trying to work with me to stay "in the box" when pitched to and this time I was convinced I wasn't going anywhere. He pitched the ball to me, I stayed still, timing my swing, then BAM! I made contact. I instantly had a smile on my face. I hit the ball right on and it was going to fly. I knew I was going to make it at least to 3^rd base, if not home the moment the ball left the bat. Then I heard the noise. It was a dry thud. I looked across the "field" and there was Johnny with his hands up to his face. The ball had hit him. Wait, now he's down on one knee. I've really hurt him. Oh crap! Everyone ran to him and I ran in the house to hide. I just KNEW I was going to be in trouble. He came and found me after he had ice on his eye to let me know it was okay and that he would be fine, but it was really bad. His eye was swollen shut and had already started turning colors. I felt horrible. To this day, my family still laughs at the fact that I ran.

Keeping with the topic of black eyes, I have a story about Farrah. Johnny had taken us to a field to ride our go kart one day while mom was at work. It had rained the night before so everything was nice and muddy and we were looking to have a great time! Farrah had been riding the go kart for a while and it was my turn. She thought she was going to be cool and speed toward us then cut the wheel to skid out and throw mud on us. Well, it didn't quite turn out the way she planned. When she cut the wheel, the go kart kept sliding forward, toward us and the truck. We jumped out of the way and she slid into the tailgate. It turned out that the she hit her head on the tailgate and had an instant black eye and most likely a headache. It was officially time to go home. That afternoon when mom came home Farrah was laid out on one couch and I was sitting very quietly on the other. When she greeted me I burst into tears. She asked me what the matter was and I just looked toward Farrah. When she saw what had happened she lost it on Johnny. Now, while I am sorry my sister was hurt, I'm convinced the crying was for Johnny. My mom lit into him like the 4^th of July. It was BAD! Farrah and I laugh about it now, but we both know he knew it wasn't going to be good when mom got home that day. Oh, and we never did go back to that lot to ride the go kart. It's still my turn!


That's all I have to share for now. I'll think of some more to share later.


Maybe some of you have stories you want to share of your childhood or of times we spent together?

Snickerdoodle

When I was 18 my college roommate brought home a puppy for me. We named her Snickerdoodle, but called her Snickers for short. She was the cutest little dog and turned out to be a mess! When we would leave for class we would put her with her bed in the kitchen and confine her there via a baby gate. When we would come home she would sometimes have dislodged the gate and have gotten out. Eventually we had to buy a second gate and double stack them on top of each other because she would actually scale it and greet us at the front door when we returned home.

When she would get out she would leave us smelly surprises, on the carpet of course, as well as make us aware that there were items in the apartment which were too low to the ground. Those items would include, but not be limited to our laundry, tissues, and hangers just to name a few.

She had a wonderful little personality. She always seemed happy and energetic, but was always up for a nap. She loved people, but wasn't much for other animals. When Ray and I moved to Florida we took her to this great dog park in West Palm. It had three different parks: one for large dogs, one for medium dogs and one for ankle biters like Snickers. While there she would run around and sniff everything. When the other dogs would come around, she would stop what she was doing and look at them for a second then turn away and wander off. She noticed all the owners were on the benches under the trees and made her way to them. They loved on her and she ate it up. When the other dogs would come to the people, Snickers would wander off again only to return for the attention when the other pooches had dispersed.

She loved to ride in the car and put her head out the window, she made sport of stealing food off your plate, but as a mix of beagle and daschund, she had a habit of running off. The last time she ran off she was hit by a car and did not survive. It's been almost 2 years and as odd as some may find it, it was very difficult time. I actually called my boss and got scheduled off work the next day. It still bothers me that I could have done something different that day and she could be curled up asleep next to me right now.

It's interesting how our pets become more than just a dog or cat. They are our companions who greet us when we return home from school, work or a day of shopping. They are not judgmental and seem to, unlike our peers, love us no matter what. They are completely reliant on us for sustenance and care and have unwittingly placed their trust in us for their livelihood.


All of this to say that Ray and I have recently started talking about getting a pet. I know I want a cat, but I think a pooch would be good too. We keep coming back to beagles and found that we really like the under 13's. We've talked about a few of the different terriers too, but some of them are a bit too purse sized and I'm not sure Ray will be allowed to keep his man card if we were to get one!
Any pooch suggestions? Any stories to share?

U-Haul Fail

Let me share my frustrations with U-Haul with you.

Friday, I picked up Ray from the airport with just enough time to make it to our appointment with U-Haul to have a hitch installed and pick-up the enclosed trailer we would utilize to load up my bedroom suite for transport to Indiana. The folks there were timely and had our hitch installed in just over an hour. We left, ate lunch, and then went to another location to pick-up our trailer. As the kind man is hooking up the trailer we check to ensure the lights on the trailer work. Brakes…check. Blinkers…not so much. When you would turn on the blinker it would click once, then nothing. It wouldn't even work on the truck. So he unplugged the trailer from the wiring harness and we tried the blinkers on the truck…they worked. Maybe it's the trailer. So we unhooked from one trailer and hooked up to another, plugged in the wire for the lights, and again…brakes are good, blinkers are not. Hmm…sounds like the harness U-Haul installed has a bit of a glitch.

We return to the U-Haul facility who installed the hitch and harness and a young lady comes out, checks the wiring, determines the wires are good and states, "You probably just need a relay kit. Let me call my manager. He'll have to go get one." We're good with this. We simply need it to work so we can get the last of our belongings loaded up for the move.

She's gone for a while so I get on my phone and look up our truck and trailer/blinker issues and, yup, she's right, we need a relay kit. Ray called and talked to his brother and yeah, it sounds like you need a relay kit. I'm on the phone with my dad, yeah, a relay kit should fix that. We're standing around outside with the truck and are getting restless so Ray decides to go in and see how long it's going to take to get the kit there and installed. When he finally returns, his face is red and he tells me that the manager has decided that we don't need a relay kit and since he doesn't think we need one, they aren't going to go get one, but if we wanted one put on it was going to be up to us to get it and install it.

Now remember, U-Haul installed the wiring harness and the hitch. The lights on their trailers do not work with the wiring harness they have installed and they are now unwilling to expend any more effort to make it work.

I looked at Ray and communicated to him, in words that I will not type here, that they could come out, uninstall the wiring harness, remove the hitch and take back their trailer. I wanted my money back and we would leave the bedroom suite in Alabama and purchase a new one in Indiana.

We did just that. We arrived at U-Haul just after noon and left just after 6pm and had nothing to show for it. What a waste.

My advice: Use PODS. They drop the PODS container where you want it, it's even with the ground so there are no ramps to walk up while loading, you call them and they pick it up. You can either have them store it for you or tell them the location and date to drop it and they do. When it's empty you call them back and they pick it up. So very simple. We should have just called PODS like we did on the initial trip to Indiana. We just thought it was a good opportunity to go ahead and have the hitch installed on the truck.

Anyone else have a negative experience with U-Haul?

New Beginnings

The song says "Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end" (Closing Time by Semisonic). With a new beginning on the horizon, I find myself spending time reflecting on my journey thus far.

I moved to Florida, started a new job and got married all in a three month period. Makes you tired just thinking about it doesn't it? You should have lived it! Florida was wonderful. I met some great people, made a few friends and gained a new best friend in the process. The beaches and weather were amazing and I still miss a couple of the restaurants. There are days I still struggle with our decision to leave Florida, but the Lord had a bigger plan for us.

Alabama didn't quite welcome us with open arms. It was more of a barely cracked open door and a sideways glance. It took a while for us to find our place here. We were both promoted and worked crazy hours. The stay in Alabama has been right at 2 ½ years…I think the hours we worked are what have made it seem longer! I've definitely made friends here with folks who genuinely care and look forward to hopefully continuing those relationships on as I leave for Indiana.

Alabama brought about some challenges I wasn't ready to face, but have seemed to survive. Besides being in an overly stressful environment due to the nature of the grocery business and being in charge of the transportation of food to 100 stores (and sometimes more depending on if other DC's needed help),major health issues arose. Ray and I both gained a lot of weight during our stay here. We both ended up on high blood pressure medications and my anxiety kicked in again (something I've had under control for a few years). For a couple who aren't fond of doctors, we've gotten on a first name basis with ours.

As I look back over the last 2 years here, I am saddened by the fact that I am once again leaving a group of folks of which I have grown fond. I know the person taking my place will take care of them and continue to move forward, but it doesn't make it any easier to leave. I know my folks know that this was more than just a job for me. I know they knew I made it personal and honestly wanted not only what was best for our company, but for them as well. I know it sounds like a cliché, but it really is the people that make the work worth doing and my work was worth doing every day.

Friday will be my last day in my current position. Next week will be my move week to Indiana and I will start my new position at our optical facility the following week. I visited the facility a few weeks ago and I'm excited to join my new team. I believe this will be a great experience.


While I am downhearted about coming upon another end, I am excited for a new beginning.

Above all, I am thankful for Ray and I to be under the same roof again. It's been three long months and I do miss my husband. I've missed the support that comes from a face to face conversation, the comfort that comes from using him as my pillow on the couch, my personal heater under the covers and the relief I get when he hugs me at the end of a stressful day.

The chorus of the song says "I know who I want to take me home."

Ray, will you take me home?