Measurements

Ring size: 17.6

Found: Cat

Two completely different responses to us attempting to locate the cat's owner.

First, a woman and her boyfriend called us today in response to the found cat ad we placed in the Sacramento Bee. Dawn fielded the first call as I brushed my teeth, and informed her that the cat was a he and not a she as the woman claimed. End of call.

Thirty seconds later, the woman calls back, claiming that her boyfriend thought it was a he while she thought it was a she, and so can they please see the cat in person?

Dawn hands the phone over to me and I talk with her for a while, requesting her to describe specific markings on the cat she lost so I can feel confident that I'm a) not wasting our time meeting in person, and b) not giving the cat to someone who's not the owner.

The back and forth between the two people isn't encouraging. Their cat has four white feet, it likes to sit in people's laps a lot, it sneezes a lot, it's sweet, it's not active, it's 1-2 months old. I tell them this cat doesn't sneeze, ever. Oh, it didn't sneeze that often, every once in a while. I tell them that this cat is active. It doesn't phase them--can't we just meet you in person to see the cat? I ask them to describe distinguish markings on the tail. It might have a bit of white on the tip (it doesn't). I ask them if they have photographs of their cat to share. Photographs! she exclaims, It's only two months old! What day did you lose the cat? Maybe 1-2 weeks ago. Can't we see the cat? *sigh*

She's hysterical that we're not caving in to her (now apparent) demands to show her the cat. I go back to talking with the boyfriend, tell him we'll call him back because I have to take Dawn to class, get his number, and hang-up.

During Dawn's class, I talk with a friend who has significant experience taking care of cats and she lets me know how large a 1-2 month old cat is--it's obvious our cat's not their cat, it's much larger.

Later this evening, we call them back after running errands. They're not home. I leave them a message letting them know that the cat we have can't possibly be their cat because it's obviously not 1-2 months old, and we're not interested in showing them the cat.

We leave to go to the gym and when we return we find a message on our machine from this woman stating, Hi, this is --- responding to your call about the cat. I don't care about you adopting the cat, I just need to know where it is! I don't know what planet you're from, but when you put an ad in the paper that describes my cat perfectly.... and then it cuts off, end of message.

Ok, obviously I'm not calling her back, ever. Yeesh!

This is the text of the ad in the paper: Found: Cat gray and white, near --- and ---. . Yep. Perfectly, just like the five million other gray and white cats in California.

Second, we saw a lost cat paper pie plate ad on a pole near our house and called the number. The man who answered the phone was the nicest guy, humorous, and after a few questions it was obvious it wasn't his cat that we had found. $50 reward if you do find it! he said. Complete 180-degree response from our encounter above.

Kitten

A cat literally walked into our arms two nights ago. We've wanted to adopt two cats since we moved into our duplex so this represented a bit of an early surprise for us.

We arrived home from the gym at 00:10 on Thursday. Remembering our landlord's encounter with a friendly kitten earlier in the day, we walked to the end of the driveway in search of it. Finding nothing, we walked back to where we had left our gym bags on the front walk. We continued talking as we walked toward the front door when we thought we heard a mew. We stopped, and I walked back toward our garage, calling out to any potential kitten. Mew. Mew. Was the sound coming from our backyard? I opened the gate and out trotted a kitten, maybe four months old. Dawn and I stood still as it walked around us, peering into the bushes, sitting on it's haunches. We whispered to it, and it padded to us. Dawn picked it up and held it, and we scratched it's white coat. It ground it's nose into Dawn's arm for warmth.

Dawn took the cat inside and I went off in search of cat litter and a litter box. Wal-Mart: closed. Where in the world to find cat litter after midnight? I began heading toward a 24-hour pharmacy in our old neighborhood. After a few blocks, I passed an all-night emergency pet clinic. Doubling back, I parked, walked into the security entrance, and got the information I needed from the attendants on duty. About 45 minutes later, I returned home from a closer 24-hour pharmacy with the litter and box.

After putting out water, cat food, and litter in the box, I searched for lost cat ads in the local zip code at five online sites, posting a found cat ad at each. I searched for what to do when you find a stray cat. It had no collar, it was healthy, friendly and not feral. We determined it was either lost or abandoned. The lack of collar indicated the latter.

It was about 3AM when we finally fell asleep. My first bit of late-night parenting. The kitten climbed into bed and slept between us.

It's been several days since posting the ads (including the Sacramento Bee and Craigslist) and flyers on our street. No word yet, so we're beginning to gear up for adopting the kitten, which includes a visit to the vet next week.

Best Kitchen Equipment

My grandma gave me a book entitled, Perfect Vegetables in August--a bunch of crazy and brilliant people cooked vegetables in every conceivable way to discover the best (and often, the most efficient) ways to prepare them.

In subsections throughout the book, they list their favorite kitchen equipment (listing here for convenience):

• Food mill: Moulinex ($15)
• Chef knives: Forschner (Victorinox) Fibrox ($30), Henckels Four Star, Wusthof-Trident Grand Prix (~$80)
  
• Inexpensive Balsamic Vinegar: 365 Every Day Value, Masserie Di Sant'Eramo, Fiorucci Riserva
• Jarred roasted red peppers: Divina peppers, Greek Gourmet peppers
• Cheese grater: Microplane grater
• Salad spinners: Oxo Good Grips ($26), Zyliss Salad Spinner ($21)
• Gratin dishes: Pyrex casserole dish
• Cutting boards: plastic boards
• Inexpensive nonstick skillets: Farberware Millenium 18/10 Stainless Steel 12-Inch Nonstick Skillet ($30)
• Vegetable peelers: Oxo Good Grips Peeler, Kuhn Rikon Peeler (wide strips good for celery root or winter squash)
• Supermarket Extra-Virgin Olive Oils: Davinci Extra-Virgin Olive Oil (best all-purpose), Pompeian Extra-Virgin Olive Oil (best mild oil), Colavita Extra-Virgin Olive Oil (best full-bodied oil)
• Herb choppers: generic single-bladed, two-handed mezzaluna represents only real alternative to chef's knife.
• Pepper mills: Unicorn Magnum Plus (huge capacity, awesome speed), East Hampton Industries Peppermate (detachable cup for measuring)
• Garlic presses: Zyliss press
• Vermouth: Gallo Extra Dry Vermouth (floral, fruity), Noilly Prat Original French Dry Vermouth (honeyed, herbaceous, woodsy)
• 3-4 quart Large saucepans: All-Clad ($140, but lacked rolled lips), Calphalon ($110, but heavy), KitchenAid ($119, but relatively short curved handle)
• Dutch Ovens: 8-quart All-Clad Stainless Stockpot ($150), 7-quart Le Creuset Round French Oven ($150), 7-quart Lodge Dutch Oven (cast-iron, $45).
• Grill tongs: Amco 16-inch stainless-steel kitchen tongs
• Canned tomatoes: Muir Glen diced tomatoes (packed in juice, not puree)
• Colander: Endurance Colander/Strainer
• Soy Sauce: Eden Selected Shoyu Soy Sauce (toasty, caramely, complex)
• Paring Knives: Wusthof-Trident Grand Prix ($28), Forschner (Victorinox) Fibrox ($6), Henckels Four Star ($20)
• Mayonnaises: Hellmann's (known as Best Foods, west of the Rockies) and Hellmann's Light
• Red wine vinegars: Pompeian vinegar, Spectrum vinegar
• Mandolines and V-Slicers: Progressive and Target slicers ($10, plastic V-Slicers), Bron-Coucke ($99, best classic mandoline)
• Black pepper: McCormick Whole Black Peppercorns (not in plastic bottle; sold as Schilling on the West Coast)
• Potato mashers: Profi Plus Masher ($16, silky spuds with little effort)
• Best large skillets: All-Clad Stainless 12-Inch Frypan (best overall); best-buys: Calphalon Tri-Ply Stainless 12-Inch Omelette Pan, Farberware Millenium 18/10 Stainless Steel 12-Inch Covered Skillet
• Dried pasta: Ronzoni (top finisher), DeCecco (best Italian pasta)
  
• Commercial chicken broths: Swanson Chicken Broth (and reduced-sodium). Broth in aseptic packaging tastes better than canned.
• Commercial vegetable broth: Swanson vegetable broth

KYDS Song

East London/Essex-based Bloc Party's She's Hearing Voices from their 2004 EP Banquet on the V2/Dim Mak Records labels. Video.

Hanging Flower Baskets

Ideas for flowers from Windmill Nursery in Carmichael:

• Cape Daisy 'Soprano' Compact Purple
• Diascia
• Nemesia
• Bacoba
• Pansys
• Dichondra Silver Falls
• Million Bells
• Dianthis
• Sedum Angelina

One example by Andrew, the owner.

We also enjoyed the Blue Glorybower tree, Arabian lilac, Ruby Sky Cornflower, and Big Sky Cornflower.

Also: Cape Daisy Lemon Symphony/Orange Symphony/Soprano White; Evergold ($6); Festival Grass ($25)

Ten Tips on Using Sect of Homokaasu's Rasterbator

In a previous post I showed an image of our completed wall art. I've compiled some tips to help anyone who wants to get the same results themselves:

1. Use a printer capable of borderless printing. My Canon PIXMA MP160 can do this only with a stiff paper (like the matte photo paper I used). Otherwise you're stuck with thin white margins on each panel-sheet.
2. Use a laser printer if financially possible. Looking back I regret not choosing a laser printer. I chose to use the Canon PIXMA MP160 because I didn't know how financially efficient it was. After printing 60 sheets and going through two color cartridges, the total cost came out to ~$60 ($28/each + tax). That's $1/sheet. If you can purchase comparably-priced color printing at a copy shop, do so. You won't have to worry about liquids dissolving the water-soluble ink used in inkjet cartridges. You'll probably have to request printing each 8.5"x11" panel-sheet on a 11"x17" sheet and then cutting it to size (full-bleed).
3. Don't use masking tape to stabilize the panels on the wall (in addition to a foam core hanger). I didn't think about this until after I finished, when my understanding property manager informed me that masking tape only comes off easily from the wall when it's fresh. When masking tape sits for a while, it bonds with the paint/wall and becomes difficult to remove. x_x An efficient alternative solution--use two hangers on the back of each board instead of one.
4. Use double-sided tape and affix it about 1/4" inside the edge of the paper. First, double-sided tape versus adhesive spray--we used adhesive spray on a trial project and noticed the edges didn't stick very well to the posterboard. We also noticed the over-spray left a bit of a tack on our fingers, and we didn't want any of that getting onto the panel-sheets. x_x Your mileage may vary. Second, don't attempt to affix the double-sided tape right on the edge of the panel-sheet. We found affixing the tape about 1/4" inside the edge of the paper much more forgiving. Start in a corner, dispense about three inches, press it into place, then repeat until done with the side. Dispensing anything longer than that and you risk the tape clinging in the wrong place--resulting in torn paper as you attempt to remove it and reaffix it. x_x
5. Use a spreadsheet to calculate the locations of the nails. I used this Microsoft Excel spreadsheet to calculate the hole locations. Feel free to use it and modify it to your specifications.
   
6. Mark center location of each foam-core panel. Based on a suggestion from an artist, we found the center of each panel by drawing two diagonal lines (between opposite corners) using a straight edge. Where they intersect represents the center. More efficient than measuring. I placed each foam-core hanger here to ensure the foam-core panels hung consistently.
   
7. Mark holes vertically first, then mark each row horizontally. With the help of a laser level and a tape measure, we marked the height of each row. Then, marking the distance between the nails onto a sheet of paper (since it was only 9.5") we used that instead of the awkward and inconsistent tape measure to mark the location of the horizontal nails in each row. We used a laser level and made a pencil mark every 9.5" according to the sheet of paper. Do this for each row--much, much more efficient than measuring each hole manually.
8. Number each sheet and foam-core panel. We had 60 panels, and we found it confusing to know how to orient them and in which order to place them. To simplify things, we laid out the panels on the floor to put together the image, then stacked them, numbering each one lightly on the back (consistently in the same corner). You can also do this as you print them. After using tape to affix the panel-sheets to the foam-core panels, re-number them consistently in the same corner to ensure correct orientation on the wall.
9. Use masking tape to outline the placement of the artwork on the wall before nailing. We didn't know quite where to place it on our wall until we used masking tape to get a visual idea of how big it really was. We weren't sure how to center it horizontally and vertically, but after affixing the tape-frame to the wall, we came up with our decision relatively quickly. The laser level once again helps with placement of the tape.
   
10. Take precautions if placing artwork in high-traffic areas. Will wind blow your 60 carefully-leveled pictures askew? Will your kitten find the low-hanging foam-core boards a lovely new scratching post? Will you feel paranoid about bumping and damaging the panels each time you pass them? We solved these problems on the fly with a loop of masking tape on the back of each panel and raising the panels a bit higher. Take your time, think things through, then affix the panels.
    

Katsushika Hokusai's The Great Wave Off Kanagawa (1831)

From the New York City Metropolitan Museum of Art:

The Great Wave at Kanagawa (from a Series of Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji), Edo period (1615–1868), ca. 1830–32
Katsushika Hokusai (Japanese, 1760–1849)
Japan
Polychrome woodblock print; ink and color on paper; 10 1/8 x 14 15/16 in. (25.7 x 37.9 cm)
H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929 (JP1847)

Description

The preeminence of this print—said to have inspired both Debussy's "La Mer" and Rilke's "Der Berg"—can be attributed, in addition to its sheer graphic beauty, to the compelling force of the contrast between the wave and the mountain. The turbulent wave seems to tower above the viewer, whereas the tiny stable pyramid of Mount Fuji sits in the distance. The eternal mountain is envisioned in a single moment frozen in time. Hokusai characteristically cast a traditional theme in a novel interpretation. In the traditional "meisho-e" (scene of a famous place), Mount Fuji was always the focus of the composition. Hokusai inventively inverted this formula and positioned a small Mount Fuji within the midst of a thundering seascape. Foundering among the great waves are three boats thought to be barges conveying fish from the southern islands of Edo (modern Tokyo). Thus a scene of everyday labor is grafted onto the seascape view of the mountain.

Tools used:

• Sect of Homokaasu's online The Rasterbator (creates PDF from source image)
• 60 8.5"x11" foam-core boards (eBay)
• 60 8.5"x11" Canon MP-101 matte photo paper sheets
• Canon Pixma MP160 Multifunction Printer (used two color cartridges on this project)
  
• 2,340" of 1/2" double-sided tape (holds photo paper to foam-core boards)
• 60 foam-core board hangers (Abreu Gallery)
  
• 60 picture nails & hammer
• Ryobi AirGrip Laser Level
• One roll of masking tape (holds foam-core boards in place on wall)
• Rubbermaid 3-Step Project Ladder

UPDATE:



A pic with IKEA Sansa low-voltage halogen track lighting system.

Cooking In the Backyard

Local organization Solar Cookers International make ovens that cook food in the backyard without using gas or electricity! Very efficient financially, but I'm not so sure about how efficient it is with respect to time.

The organization advocates for use of the cookers in areas where gathering scarce wood for cooking fuel represents a time-consuming source of labor. They also advocate cooking with the sun to pasteurize water. Clever!

Link: http://solarcookers.org/

Yallavva

Meet Yallavva. She lives in India, in the Bijapur district of the southern state of Karnataka, tahsil (county) Basavana-Bagevadi, in the community of Devalapur. She speaks Kannada, a Dravidian language, and I assume she also speaks Hindi, an Indo-European language. Hindu represents her families religion.

Born in 1995, she does not celebrate her exact date of birth, as is custom in her culture.


Her father Mariyappa (born 1960). I have never seen photos of her mother Durugavva (born 1965) or her brother Parashuram (born 2000). Both parents work as laborers. You can see their home behind them--crafted from stone with a corrugated metal roof.

Though she's healthy, Yallavva currently does not attend school due to economic conditions caused by poor rainfall in the last year. Her family receives water from a borehole operated by an electric pump year-round.

She's wearing her best dress and her nicest bracelets, necklace, earrings, and nose ring. Her hair looks neatly combed and tied back. She wears no shoes, as is customary.

I support Yallavva and her community through Plan.

Opting Out

From FindLaw:

For instance, as early as 1970, the U.S. Supreme Court held in Rowan v. United States Postal Service that a government regulation allowing citizens the choice to refuse to receive unwanted commercial mail was constitutional, despite a First Amendment challenge, for it protects individual privacy. As a result, a consumer has the right to affirmatively go to the United States Post Office, fill out a form and to ask never to receive unsolicited mail from a particular marketer.

This evening I called Comcast to opt-out of receiving their commercial postal mailings, and the representative informed me that I'd have to "throw it away"--they don't have a way for people to opt-out of their mailings.

I began this journey to become free of unsolicited postal mail after reading the inspirational story of local resident Matt Conens in the Sacramento News and Review. The article lists 41 Pounds and Green Dimes as two companies which help stamp out unsolicited postal mail.

According to Wikipedia, the USPS uses junk mail revenues to subsidize low-cost stamps for letters. So, in theory, the effect of eliminating junk mail on a wide scale might be the increase of stamp prices.

Junkbusters also exists as a helpful starting point. They note:

A U.S. Federal law gives you the power to stop any non-governmental organization from sending you further mail. You can download a copy or Form 1500 or ask for a copy to be mailed to you by telephoning a major Post Office in your area. Fill it out (it's very short), attach it to one of their opened letters, and lodge it at any Post Office. The form was originally intended to stop pornographic junk mail, but the Supreme Court of the United States has affirmed your right to stop any mail that you don't want. If the company continues to send you mail or sell your name they risk being prosecuted as criminals. Burnett comments that with this move ``name removal is virtually assured.'' (They will still store your name in their databases, but they are unlikely to continue renting it.)

This evening, I ordered the Green Dimes kit, paid the $1 to the DMA to have them remove my address, submitted my info to https://www.optoutprescreen.com/ and geared up to swat down local junk mailers with USPS Form 1500.

Wishing you a junk-mail-free existance!

Others:

• http://phonezilla.net/permanent/form1500.php
• http://www.planetmike.com/journal/category/advertising/junkmail/
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=794wbpg7A3Y
  

Leibniz Named Calculus

A simple question: Where did the name calculus come from?

It took us about 45 minutes to find the answer this evening. Apparently Leibniz came up with the word calculus in conjunction with various suffix words to describe the new concepts he had worked out:

calculus differentialis became the method for finding tangents and the calculus summatorius or calculus integralis the method for finding areas.

The etymology of calculus comes from the Latin calx meaning stone. The diminutive, calculi, indicates tiny stones, which people used for counting purposes. The words calculation thus came about to describe all manners of addition, subtraction, and so forth. Leibniz apparently chose the word calculus to describe a new manner of counting to arrive at solutions to problems. He used the phrases in his works published in 1684 and 1686.

Link:
http://www.math10.com/en/maths-history/history5/origins-differential-integral2.html
http://www-history.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/PrintHT/The_rise_of_calculus.html

Annie

Coming home from the gym Saturday night Dawn and I caught two songs from the original Broadway recording of Annie on Capitol Public Radio 88.9. Wonderful, one of my favorites.

Running Journal, Monday, 2007-07-30

Running Journal, Monday, 2007-07-30
Resting heart rate: n/a
Body Mass Index (BMI): (kilograms/(meters^2))
Weather: n/a
Temp: n/a
Time: 08:10-09:00
Terrain: flat

Comments: Treadmill exercise at the California Family Fitness gym at I-80 and Madison. Watched Pokemon and Ben 10.
Exercise Time: 45 minutes

Goal Time: n/a
Distance (running): 6.03 km (4.25 mi)
Total Running Distance For Year: 742.55 km (472.95 mi)
Weight (after exercise): 81.63 kg (180 lbs), 16% body fat
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: none

SomaFM Songs

San Rafael-based Two Seconds' Make A Run For It from their 2007 album Until We're Legal on the Popsmear Records label. Available on iTunes.

Seattle-based The Lashes' New Best Friend from their 2006 album Get It on the Red Ink label.

Bertrand Russell For Teh Win!!!

Late night silliness with Dawn :)

SomaFM Songs

Los Angeles-based Shiloe's The Rat from--their 2006 EP Please Remove Your Teeth From My Neck, distributed independently.

SomaFM Songs

June of 44's Doomsday from their 1998 album Four Great Points on the Quarterstick Records label. Math rock! ^_^

Tucson-based Calexico's Quattro from their 2003 album Feast of Wire on the Quarterstick Records label. Great guitar instrumentals.

Glasgow, Scotland-based Camera Obscura's Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken from their 2006 album Let's Get Out Of This Country on the Merge label. Female pop! :) Video.

Brighton, UK-based The Kooks' She Moves In Her Own Way from their 2006 album Inside In/Inside Out on the Virgin Records label.

I also heard Teddy Thompson on NPR's Fresh Air on July 18. What a voice!

SunRocket Member Bill of Rights

The founders of SunRocket moved on earlier this year and Ms. Hook took over the helm. SunRocket has a "Member Bill of Rights" page that states:

Dignity & Respect: You will be treated with the utmost dignity and respect in all dealings with SunRocket and company personnel.

Integrity & Trust: We endeavor to fully inform you of available options so you can make timely and informed choices. We will never abuse your trust through deceit, exploitation, neglect, manipulation, or discrimination

Goes to show the words in the contract only matter how well people adhere to them on any given day!

Original story

SunRocket VoIP Shuts Down Service

SunRocket Voice-Over-Internet phone service closed shop this afternoon. I began subscribing to SunRocket in 2005--I only wish they might have delayed the end until mid-August, when we finish moving! :)

Overall I found SunRocket's quality so-so, and the cost savings so-so. The service cost less--but I ended up paying more for bandwidth. Numerous people mentioned the cell-phone-like signal quality. I really enjoyed using SunRocket's web interface though--checking voice-mail anywhere, checking phone records, and so forth. SunRocket also provided a lot of extras--for free! Caller ID, voice-mail, call forwarding, call blocking, for example.

Happily, I'm moving to a location with fiber-optic internet and phone in a few weeks! :)

Regrettably, SunRocket failed to notify any customers in advance--so this afternoon the phone went dead as Dawn used it. We had advance notice of the impending closure due to rumors posted at dslreports.com over the weekend--but I'm feeling disappointment at the leaders' failure to exit gracefully.