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EDIT: The site in the link is back as of May 16th.
It’s not serendipity, but what describes this: I’ve found that quite often when I blog something or talk about something with someone, that soon after there will be something related on the net. For example, I just posted my opinion of Republicans a few posts back, and now I have come across this:
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2011/05/04/kill-the-poor-and-other-republican-plans/
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It’s still Friday, and I’ve now been up about 25 hours. Not a record for me, but still. Gorgeous day. I apparently am still in a quiet period, as I seem to have nothing to say. Well, except I miss my life, the one I had before I got sick. Oh, well.
Oh, wait. Facebook. I signed up a few weeks ago, much against my better judgement, and have been cringing ever since. So I finally just deleted the account. There’s nothing there that I can’t live without, and their business practices just make my skin crawl. So goodbye Facebook.
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Still working on the sleep thing It is never-ending. Is that meant to be hyphenated? Up all night, slept all day, Up at 3pm. 3pm. Oi. 
Edit: Trying out the Windows Live blog function. It is pretty simple to use, but not sure what the point is.
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Well, people. (Are you still out there, people?) I have been rather miserable and withdrawn for the past week or so, every day feeling worse than the day before. Guess what? It’s allergies. Allergies were making me miserable. Not sneezing or the normal allergy stuff, but headachy, dizzy, very very tired, and closed down. Allergies. Who knew? Taking allergy pills now, and feeling much, much better. If only there was a pop-up in the brain to let us know what is causing things, life would be so much easier. You know. Something like:
“Windows (your brain) has detected a problem with the operating system. To repair (This info would NEVER pop up in the real Windows) see your doctor for allergy medication”, or thyroid medicine, or whatever will fix whatever is wrong. But no. We are forced to suffer, guess, or trek to the doctor’s with an ‘I don’t know what’s wrong, I just feel terrible.’
Anyway, I am hoping to get back to more regular blogging. We may have had a moment of unity over Bin Laden’s demise, but that doesn’t mean the battles are over. The Republicans still have their ‘do in the poor folks so they’ll just disappear and we can have everything for ourselves’ agenda, and the Democrats are still caving left and right instead of standing up for what is right for the citizens they are supposed to represent. See? I’m better. A little anger coming back. It’s a good thing.
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This is me lately. Not a lot to say, or motivation to say it. Tired and pain. My life so far.
I did have a nice birthday last week. A friend took me to lunch, then we did a bit of shopping and went for a ride. It’s spring, see the pretty flowering trees and shrubs? Yes. Yes we did.
Saturday I went to another friend’s house and stayed overnight. Birds, pine trees, talk, wine, shushi. Sunday was sitting on the deck, enjoying the sun and the breeze and the cardinals and other birds. Glorious Her husband came home Sunday afternoon with two rainbow trout he’d caught on his fishing trip. We had that and steak with fries for dinner. Steak, my favorite food. All in all, it was a really good weekend and I’m glad I was well enough to go. I have been recovering ever since, but it was worth it.
They say La Nina is causing the really terrible weather this country has been having, but what about the rest of the planet? Climate change is real, people. Be prepared.
I’ve been reading more than ever. A lot of fan fiction (Torchwood/Sherlock), but I also have the free Kindle app from Amazon on my computer, and bought some books and downloaded a bunch of free ones. I really like the Kindle app, so long as they don’t take down my books like they did last year for some users. I forget which book it was, but if you bought it, isn’t it yours? Not in the cyber-world, it seems. Nothing in the cyber-world actually belongs to you, I think. Interesting.
So I’m not in the best frame of mind I’ve ever been in, which means the humor is sadly lacking. I’ll feel better soon, though, she says confidently. LOL
>Crossposted to LJ
Posting the link, but also just the text because there are videos with commercials on the page.
abcnews.go.com/US/rutgers-roommate-charged-invasion-privacy/story
Text only:
By JESSICA HOPPER
April 20, 2011
A college student accused of secretly filming Rutgers University freshman Tyler Clementi having a same sex encounter in his dorm room just days before Clementi leapt to his death allegedly destroyed evidence and sent false tweets to try and throw off investigators, according to an indictment released today.
Dharun Ravi, a former Rutgers University student, was indicted on 15 counts including charges of invasion of privacy, bias intimidation and tampering with evidence by a grand jury in Middlesex County, N.J. Prosecutors allege that not only did Ravi invade Clementi’s privacy, but he tried to cover it up.
Both Ravi and his alleged accomplice, former Rutgers student Molly Wei, are accused of filming Clementi during a “sexual encounter” in his dorm room with a man and then streaming it live on the Internet.
Evidence against Wei has not yet been presented to a grand jury.
Prosecutors allege that on Sept. 19 of last year, Ravi filmed Clementi with the purpose of intimidating him because of his sexual orientation.
Ravi “disclosed a photograph, film, videotape, recording or other reproduction of the image of [Clementi]…whose intimate parts were exposed,” the indictment reads.
When Ravi became worried about being charged with a crime, he sent false tweets in an attempt “to mislead a public servant who was engaged in such proceeding or investigation,” the indictment reads.
He also attempted to destroy tweets from his twitter feed, prosecutors allege. In addition, the indictment says that Ravi tried to convince other students to not testify against him.
PHOTO: Tyler Clementi and Dharun Ravi
Facebook; West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North/AP Photo
Former Rutgers University student Dharun Ravi, right, shown in this West Windsor-Plainsboro High… View Full Size
Rutgers Offers Gender-Neutral Housing Watch Video
Tyler Clementi’s Parents Plan to Sue Rutgers Watch Video
Rutgers Remembers Tyler Clementi Watch Video
Clementi, an 18-year-old freshman, was so distraught after the streaming of the video, he jumped to his death off the George Washington Bridge into the Hudson River.
His family released a statement applauding the charges.
“The grand jury indictment spells out cold and calculated acts against our son Tyler by his former college roommate. If these facts are true, as they appear to be, then it is important for our criminal justice system to establish clear accountability under law. We are eager to have the process move forward for justice in this case and to reinforce the standards of acceptable conduct in our society,” said Jane and Joe Clementi in a statement.
Grand Jury Indictment in Rutgers Videotape Case
A talented violinist, Clementi grew up in the New Jersey suburb of Ridgewood, where friends who knew him reeled from his sudden death.
Messages on social networking sites left by Ravi suggest that he may have had an aversion to Clementi’s sexuality from the start of their freshman year.
Ravi tweeted on Aug. 22, “Found out my roommate is gay,” according to Forbes.com, and then posted a link to a gay men’s website where Ravi said Clementi had placed posts.
Gawker reported it was that same website, JustUsBoys, that Clementi was believed to have turned to once he found out that Ravi had secretly filmed Clementi’s sexual encounter with another man.
“So my question is what is next,” the posted cti2mo, believed to be Clementi, wrote on Sept. 21. “I could just be more careful next time … make sure to turn the cam away.”
In the same post, “I’m kind pissed at him (rightfully so I think, no?)”
Since Clementi’s death, a message reading “in loving memory” appears next to the handle “cit2mo.”
A Twitter page that appears to have been operated by Ravi but has since been taken offline shows messages in which the accused student takes credit for the alleged videotaping of Clementi.
Ravi apparently tweeted about his roommate on Sept. 19 before live streaming Clementi’s sexual encounter, writing, “Roommate asked for the room till midnight. I went into Molly’s room and turned on my webcam. I saw him making out with a dude. Yay.”
And two days later, another message went out to Ravi’s 148 Twitter followers: “Anyone with iChat, I dare you to video chat me between the hours of 9:30 and 12. Yes it’s happening again.”
The next day, a chilling post from Clementi showed up on his Facebook page. He wrote in a message dated Sept. 22 at 8:42 p.m., “Jumping off the gw bridge sorry.”
ABC News’ Emily Friedman contributed to this report.
>Big Brother, anyone?
Got an iPhone or 3G iPad? Apple is recording your moves – O'Reilly Radar
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Because I cannot understand the people who voted for these Republicans. Might as well stick your own hand in the meat grinder, for as much benefit as your going to get from right-wing tea-party conservatives. Is it just me? http://maddowblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/04/15/6478241-gop-abandons-political-middle-democrats-happy-to-move-in
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I know I haven’t posted in a while. Just haven’t had anything to say, really. I had some good days interspersed over a week, then a lot more pain mixed with a few less pain days, and in general I’ve been kind of in a funk. It’s spring, and life is passing me by. Of course, life is always passing me by, but it’s spring. I want to participate.
Had some laptop issues, yet again, and I could not fix them. Nothing I tried worked. So I moved everything to Dropbox and did a restore to factory settings, which is pretty neat. I didn’t even know you could do that, but I was looking around for solutions and came across it. Apparently, Dell has a partiton with the original settings and you just follow the directions and Damn, there it is, good as new. I love this stuff. Of course there were 73 Windows updates, but it didn’t take THAT long. LOL So now I am slowly adding back my stuff: Amazon Kindle, Winamp, VLC, and putting back my pictures and things from Dropbox. Playing on the computer is about the only thing I do that doesn’t hurt or wear me out.
I think the trees across the street are going to open their blooms tomorrow or the next day. My favorite part of spring.
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I admit, the picture is pretty cool. It split right along the yellow line. What????
But I just watched the Nova about the quake. Seeing pictures like this one, watching the clips on YouTube, were one thing. But seeing an hour of devastation…it’s just horrific, and very frightening.It is unimaginable what the Japanese people have gone, and are still going through. There are thousands of people with no food or water.
I live on an earthquake fault here in New England, and have experienced more than one mild one in two different places I’ve lived. If one plate shifts, will another, and then another? If Yellowstone erupts from plate movement, then what? When you really let yourself think it through, it is quite terrifying. But nothing anyone can do except be as prepared as is possible.
I put this in the folder called “Things Not To Ponder Too Much Or You’ll Give Yourself Nightmares”. It’s pretty big folder.
On the illness front, I’ve had quite a lot of good days where I got a lot done, interspersed with quite a lot of pain days where I did nothing. And so it goes. I forget her name, but you know who used to say that. Don’t you?
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Just read an article in the local rag about a high school teacher who was told to resign or be fired after she posted a picture on Facebook showing her holding a glass of wine and a mug of beer; another who unflatteringly described some students and teachers; and a college professor who vented about work and was suspended. The part that puzzles me is this: If those weirdos from down south can demonstrate at funerals in the name of free speech, what can’t these teachers post their thoughts and pictures on Facebook? Free speech applies to all of us, doesn’t it? Anyone?
>Wrote a post, hit something??? erroneously and it’s gone. But here’s a vid. No one deserves what the Japanese people are going through while I sit here in my solid apartment building being warm, well-fed, and with fresh water on demand. If you can help Japan in any way, please do so.
Here’s another:\\
>There are films of the earthquake and tsumani all over, and it’s truly sad and horrible. So much loss and devastation. Here’s how to help:
http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/03/11/6246445-japans-earthquake-how-to-help?ocid=xnetr1-3
I thought I’d post a little humor here, because it’s a little hard to cope with such a really awful event. Laughter helps me deal with things, I hope it helps you just a bit, too. Here goes:
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On the illness front, I’ve had a very good few days, in spite of lots of leg pain. I’ve rearranged some things, sorted out some things, cleared up some things, had the maintenance guy come and fix the leak in my sink, finished the third book of the trilogy my friend John loaned me, reorganized files on my laptop, and got up at 9am four days in a row. Four. Days. In. A. Row. I am so tired it isn’t funny, cause I’ve been getting no more than three or four hours sleep each night. Getting up at nine doesn’t mean I can get to sleep any earlier. Is that fair, I ask you? No. No it isn’t. But it’s been a great few days anyway. I’m happy.
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I am having another good day. Yay, me. Not too much pain, energy, mental energy, it’s all good. Also, it’s in the 60’s today. Spring is springing, the grass is rizing, soon there will be flowers. Spring. Trying to get things done a little at a time. The best part of fuzzy brain is that you don’t care about things getting done. The worst part of not having fuzzy brain is when you do care, but pain keeps you from getting them done. So today is all-around good. No fuzzies, little pain. Hooray.
I am still trying to figure out the bed thing. Maybe I should just chuck it all and buy a new mattress. Yes, money is growing on those trees right across the street, folks. Of course it is. But it’s okay. As my friend Tess always says, I WILL get if figured out. She has a lot of faith in me, it seems. LOL
Windows are open, hearing outside sounds. Not too much traffic, so it’s just pleasant. It always takes time to adjust to having the windows open after a long winter. Usually the traffic is more, people have their car radios blasting, the fire station down the street is busy sending out trucks here and there. Noise, noise, noise. By the time winter rolls around again, I barely notice it. Except when I’m on the phone and have to wait for the sirens to get far enough away that I can hear the person I’m talking to.
I am happy today. I heard from my friend in Finland after a few weeks of silence, I feel good, I am getting things done. It’s a good day. Oh, except my sink has a major leak and I cannot run water or it just comes out underneath. It started when I used the dishwasher, and only then, but before I called about that, the whole thing just went haywire. Calling tomorrow. Wish they’d give me a new frig, too, and a new carpet, or even better, a wood floor. I don’t like carpeting. No. I don’t. Off to do something or other. It’s SPRING!!!!
EDIT to add this, cause it’s just cute:
http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/video/xhe8zq?theme=none
>I had a good day today. Balanced my checkbook, sorted through paperwork, filed, did some cleaning (minor, very minor), and found this video. It’s so darn cute, even if it is a commercial.
strangely peculiar 