Another poem that strikes a chord with me...

Meditation on Ruin

by Jay Hopler

It's not the lost lover that brings us to ruin, or the barroom brawl,
or the con game gone bad, or the beating
Taken in the alleyway. But the lost car keys,
The broken shoelace,
The overcharge at the gas pump
Which we broach without comment — these are the things that
eat away at life, these constant vibrations
In the web of the unremarkable.

The death of a father — the death of the mother —
The sudden loss shocks the living flesh alive! But the broken
pair of glasses,
The tear in the trousers,
These begin an ache behind the eyes.
And it's this ache to which we will ourselves
Oblivious. We are oblivious. Then, one morning—there's a
crack in the water glass —we wake to find ourselves undone.

From: http://writersalmanac.publicradio.org/index.php?date=2009/03/27

GDC

WOW!

Do not let this man valet park your car...

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Audrey...

So our cute little Westie/Bichon has left us. Well, actually, we decided it was time for her to move on.

When we got her about 4 years ago, she was a great little puppy. Tons of energy but could also be cuddly. Then we had Chloe and she got an attitude. Especially when it came to potty training!! Very annoying to say the least. Also, she didn't like Chloe around. She generally slept somewhere on our bed and when Chloe came in in the morning she would start to growl. We never got the feeling she would bite Chloe but she sure resented her being around.

Despite all that it's hard to see her go!!

She came from a breeder in Forest Grove, BC, near my hometown!!
(If you follow the link and search the page for "Audrey" you will see her picture.)

My favorite Audrey incident:

Rachael named her after Audrey Hepburn. Not long after we got her we went to a doggy weekend at the Westin in Whistler. I took her out for a bathroom walk and when I got on the elevator to go back up a middle aged couple got on too.

Them: "Oh, what a cute little dog! Is she a Westie?"
Me: "Yah, she's a Westie/Bichon cross actually."
Them: "What's her name?"
Me: "Audrey."
Her: "That's my name."

The remainder of the ride was spent in silence!!

Au revoir Audrey! They're not all bad memories ;-)

GDC

The Hofmeister Kink

News to me!!

The Hofmeister Kink: A Lasting BMW Design Detail

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Facebook scam!!

I use Pidgin to IM via Facebook and Gmail. So this afternoon I'm futzing around and up pops a friend from our Massachusetts days who now lives in the Bronx. I've pasted in the chat record:

(2:54:39 PM) MA friend: Hey Gregg
(2:54:55 PM) Gregg Cameron: hoy!
(2:55:20 PM) Gregg Cameron: you need help? (this was obvious from his status: "needs urgent help")
(2:55:27 PM) MA friend: i'm stuck in london
(2:55:30 PM) MA friend: was robbed
(2:55:43 PM) MA friend: cash and credit card were stolen off me at gun point
(2:55:53 PM) MA friend: i need help getting out of here
(2:56:46 PM) Gregg Cameron: i yi yi
(2:56:50 PM) Gregg Cameron: nasty
(2:57:02 PM) Gregg Cameron: london on
(2:57:05 PM) Gregg Cameron: tario
(2:57:06 PM) Gregg Cameron: ?
(2:57:03 PM) MA friend: yes
(2:57:08 PM) Gregg Cameron: or UK?
(2:57:10 PM) Gregg Cameron: wow
(2:57:13 PM) Gregg Cameron: crazy
(2:57:10 PM) MA friend: UK
(2:57:20 PM) Gregg Cameron: ahhh
(2:57:39 PM) Gregg Cameron: what kind of help?
(2:57:37 PM) MA friend: i need your help please
(2:57:44 PM) Gregg Cameron: sure
(2:57:56 PM) MA friend: i need to get a plane ticket back home but i dont have enough money to get this
(2:58:03 PM) MA friend: i need you to loan me some money
(2:58:10 PM) Gregg Cameron: sure
(2:58:12 PM) Gregg Cameron: how/
(2:58:13 PM) Gregg Cameron: ?
(2:58:11 PM) MA friend: will refund you as soon a si'm back home
(2:58:15 PM) MA friend: i promise
(2:58:32 PM) MA friend: you can wire it to me via western union since i still have my passport
(2:58:39 PM) MA friend: go on www.westernunion.com
(2:59:07 PM) Gregg Cameron: ok
(2:59:30 PM) MA friend: it's explanatory
(3:00:10 PM) Gregg Cameron: yah
(3:00:10 PM) Gregg Cameron: it is
(3:00:13 PM) Gregg Cameron: how much?
(3:00:22 PM) MA friend: all i need is $950
(3:00:30 PM) Gregg Cameron: ok
(3:01:29 PM) Gregg Cameron: umm 950 pounds?
(3:01:50 PM) MA friend: no.. $950
(3:03:06 PM) Gregg Cameron: US?
(3:03:08 PM) Gregg Cameron: sorry
(3:03:15 PM) Gregg Cameron: have to get it right!
(3:03:24 PM) MA friend: yes
(3:03:33 PM) MA friend: 950USD
(3:03:46 PM) Gregg Cameron: OK
(3:03:54 PM) Gregg Cameron: just a sec I'll use my US cc
(3:04:18 PM) MA friend: ok
(3:04:31 PM) Gregg Cameron: you weren't hurt I trust!!??
(3:04:41 PM) MA friend: no..i'm ok
(3:05:15 PM) Gregg Cameron: rattled I'm sure
(3:05:18 PM) Gregg Cameron: nasty
(3:06:30 PM) Gregg Cameron: I'm not sure how to send you $US from Can to $US in UK
(3:06:52 PM) Gregg Cameron: I can try using their 1-800 #
(3:06:52 PM) MA friend: well then
(3:07:05 PM) MA friend: can you go to a store to wire it?
(3:07:21 PM) MA friend: look up the site, find an agent location
(3:07:43 PM) Gregg Cameron: working on it
(3:07:53 PM) MA friend: ok
(3:09:09 PM) Gregg Cameron: do you have your cell?
(3:09:19 PM) Gregg Cameron: are you at the airport?
(3:09:24 PM) Gregg Cameron: hotel?
(3:09:34 PM) Gregg Cameron: I'm just wondering if I can buy your ticket for you?
(3:09:39 PM) Gregg Cameron: instead.
(3:10:29 PM) MA friend: it's a long protocol... since the billing name is different from the passenger, it will take couple of days before i can get board on the plane
(3:10:39 PM) Gregg Cameron: ahhh
(3:10:42 PM) Gregg Cameron: yah
(3:10:53 PM) Gregg Cameron: sorry it's just that Rachael's working and Chloe's napping right now
(3:11:01 PM) Gregg Cameron: so I can't run out immediately
(3:11:19 PM) MA friend: that's why is better if you get the cash to me and i buy the ticket at the desk here
(3:11:34 PM) Gregg Cameron: sure
(3:11:36 PM) Gregg Cameron: I get it
(3:11:41 PM) Gregg Cameron: I'll try phoning them
(3:13:05 PM) Gregg Cameron: did you lose your cell?
(3:15:04 PM) Gregg Cameron: still there?

At this point I'm pretty sure something is fishy so I start calling his cell number and his bosses to see if I can get confirmation of what is going on. Around the boldface text I started to get a bit suspicious because even given the suggested situation this is pretty out of character!! Sure enough he answers his cell after a couple of tries and is totally confused by what I tell him though he catches on quickly!! Sometime during this I finally do a Google search ;-) and sure enough it's already been blogged about. Pretty much the exact same story. So I go back onto Pidgin and his status is idle and he never comes back. I send some text letting them know their scams been detected which on hindsight I probably shouldn't have done yet. My friend asks me to try and login to his Facebook account and sure enough, can't be done. Also, when I look for him in my friends he's no longer there!!! I do a general Facebook search for him and he's still there but I'm no longer his friend. Ha ha!! Pretty smart, they cut you out as soon as you're on to them, that way you can't go in and warn the rest of his friends via a post on his wall.

Pretty entertaining all in all but a big pain for him to lose his account on Facebook. Hopefully no one goes through with the money transfer!!!

Bottomline, keep those passwords secret and make them trickier than 1234!!

GDC

Symmetry cat

Fun with Flickr pictures...



Click for large version.

Acetonitrile shortage

Since my work doesn't involve HPLC I hadn't heard of the acetonitrile crisis until I stumbled on it yesterday. Seems that the olympics in China and Hurricane Ike both conspired to bring this on. Not really related to the recession like I immediately suspected...

GDC

Halliburton bailout?

Sometime last night it occurred to me that possibly the hardest bailout to sell to the American people would be that of Halliburton!! And you can throw in Blackwater and KBR too. After the cost of a tragic, fruitless war in Iraq that would be unreal.

GDC

Still here...

Yes, it's been awhile!!

Interesting things happening right now:

• Obama has allocated funds for Autism research. Finally!
• Where's Hillary Clinton?
  
• The new Cellomics HCS system should be delivered and setup in early April.
• A bit late but interesting, Hans Beck, the father of Playmobil died February 2.
• I have rediscovered TrackMania and it's just as addicting as the first time!! I think Chloe really likes it too ;-) The game is free though it has ads!! Pretty funny to see McDonalds billboards beside the track. The graphics are fantastic. Get it.

I'm going to start carrying a notebook with me. I now understand the fascination I see online regarding the 'moleskin' notebook! I'm hoping this helps me do a better job of logging life!

GDC