Thursday
The morning started with a visit from the plumber. We’ve been having issues with a few things that are covered in our warranty.

In theory.

The insurance company said that a couple of them are not covered under “normal wear and tear.” Bastard asses. We have a commode that needs to be replaced (which I can do) and a shower that’s functional but has issues that render it unusable for the time being. On the “plus” side of things, he said that the proto-bathroom next to the HCC was set up nicely and should be fairly easy to put fixtures and walls in. It’s just a matter of money and time. And a jackhammer.

And, I get to mow the front lawn tonight.
(Or not. It rained this afternoon.)

NPR, News and Other To-Dos
Morning Edition: Southwest States Offer Amnesty to Artifact Thieves
Talk of the Nation: The Social History of the Afterlife
All Things Considered: Creative Spaces: Jazz Lab
All Things Considered: Remembering Henri Cartier-Bresson

Stray Toasters

  • Lightning’s latest/favorite trick: Climbing up your leg and back when you aren’t looking. And the little bugger’s quick, too! One minute, he’s nowhere to be seen… the next, claw-climb! (A variation of this trick is for him to climb the screen on the sliding glass door. And he’s shared this trick with Presto.)
  • linked me to A Softer World. I’m hooked.

  • I make a tasty pot of coffee.
  • Slashdot Poll: How long will Ken Jennings go?
    Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past month-and-a-half, you should know who Ken Jennings is. If, for some reason, you don’t know who he is…. He’s the longest-running, highest winning champion on Jeopardy!

  • sent me this. Doom.
  • I came across katiet.com when I read an article on Slashdot (The Saga of Katie.com). It’s an interesting site and has some good information about Internet identity safety.
  • For reasons that we have yet to determine, we’ve been (sporadically) getting The Salt Lake Tribune. Neither of us subscribed to it; we’ve considered it, but we haven’t made any effort to actually do so. Gleaned from yestermorn’s edition (on the front page, no less):

    HBO says ‘I do’ to drama about Utah polygamist
    HBO and actor-producer Tom Hanks thing Utah polygamists are ready for prime time.

    Hanks… is producing “Big Love,” a new drama series about a Utah polygamist and his three wives that will premiere in the summer of 2005, according to HBO, which approved the project Monday. The pilot has already been filmed and the network has ordered 10 more episodes.

    “Big Love” is a modern-day portrayal of a fictional polygamist family living in an “upscale development” in Utah, according to the script of the pilot episode.

    The show is a day-to-day look at one family that strives to be an even-handed depiction of the polygamist culture, according to a source within the network.

    It wasn’t known if any polygamist families were consulted for the series. But Mary Batchelor, director of the advocacy group Principle Voices of Polygamy, said filmmakers associated with the production requested to sit in on a Bluffdale meeting of the Apostolic United Brethren – the Owen Allred group – to learn more about how polygamists dress.

    “I look forward and am hopeful it will be an honest portrayal. I’m reticent. I’m wondering what their sources are,” said Batchelor, a former plural wife who still believes in the principles of polygamy.

    Vicki Prunty, director of Tapestry Against Polygamy, a support group for those leaving polygamous families, is reserved in her opinion of the show. “It just really depends on how it’s put together,” said Prunty, a former sister wife to Batchelor. “We would hate to see a production that misleads people into polygamy if they glamorized it, if they showed that the grass was greener on the other side. We’ll just have to watch and see.”

  • What do you get when you cross Bazooka Bubble Gum with Survivor? Something that looks like this.
  • Pearls Before Swine

  • iTunes (Part IV) – Mary, sweet mother of Jesus…
    I discovered just how bad the mp3 problem is. Not only did iTunes reorganize the mp3s, it completely renamed the files. So, now I not only get to tag or retag the mp3s, I have to rename almost all of the files. “Braincramp” doesn’t even begin to cover this one. This… this goes directly to “clusterfuck.” Do not pass ‘Go.’ Do not collect $200.

    Fortunately, MusicMatch can do batch renaming after I get the tags done. Whenever the Hell that is.

  • ALOE TALON BRONZER
  • : Take a look at this.

Namaste.