Libby Says...
Sliding Doors: This is a movie I've liked for a while, but I watched it again recently and it really made me think about how your life turns out. I don't really believe fully either in "fate" or "coincidence" -- I'm more likely to subscribe to the theory that the things we do and say, and the people we have contact with, have far-reaching influence on our lives. Sometimes I feel, though, that there is a peculiar luck to the dance. The movie is about Gwyneth Paltrow's character, and how missing a train in one "reality" and making the train in the other "reality" skews her life in two entirely different directions. At the end, however, you see that the realities converged; not completely, but closer than you would've thought from watching the movie through that point. It made me really think about the path of my life -- not only recently, but maybe especially recently -- and how the choices we make, the lives we lead, and the people who come into our lives move in an amazing dance. Reading right now: Meeting the Shadow: The Hidden Power of the Dark Side of Human Nature I started this book really late last night, so I haven't gotten too far into it, but it reminds me of an independent study project I did in high school: Satan in Legend and Literature. What I was really talking about was how we view evil in the world, both within us and outside of ourselves, and how the changes in how we depicted the personification of evil (Satan) in literature reflected our changing view of evil and of ourselves. This book is a set of essays exploring the theme in a slight different way, calling it (evil, but really more the "evil" within) the shadow and examining what it might be besides just "evil" (that is, the things that we repress, thinking they're inappropriate or evil, even if they're really not), what that represents within us, and how we can use it. Fascinating and powerful book... Recent read: Reading Lolita in Tehran My old book club in San Diego is reading this for their July meeting, which I'll get to attend! So, I started it somewhat skeptically, but really got caught up in it, for the writing, the historical and sociological strory about Iran and the treatment of women there, and for the discussion of the books. It really made me want to back and reread Lolita and Gatsby and some of the other works that Nafisi's classes discussed. I felt for a moment like I was back in college, discussing literature with professors and classmates: I felt a bit of melancholy, missing those days, but pleased that I could still feel that way about books. I don't think I've felt it for a while. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Steve has had the new template out for a while, but Chris upgraded me a day or so ago. I think everything is working ok, but I'm still working on getting the comments inline instead of in the popup... If I get some time over the weekend, after getting caught up on my correspondence and returning phone calls and running and rowing (if the dang rain will hold off for a little while) and all the other 80 million things I'm behind on, I might try to work on a new color-scheme too... We'll see. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
On my Lotus Informer blog today, I talked about spam. And in addition to the spam, I talked about my Blackberry, and how the evil of spam is exponentially worse when it comes via a Blackberry. (As an aside, about that Blackberry. In the last 48 hours, I've been teased about my Blackberry quite a bit. Chris and Tom and Michael referred to it as my crackberry while I was at the e-Pro editorial conference over the weekend, and my friend Philip has been referring to it as my POD -- Personal Obsession Device.... Do you think I spend too much time with my Blackberry?) Okay, really, that first line was all an excuse to talk about the fact that I think my friends think I'm addicted to the Blackberry/POD/Crackberry... I don't think I actually have much else to talk about now that I'm in complete sugar coma thanks to a Strawberry Creme Frappuccino with the double evilness of the added chocolate syrup..... Have you had one of these? For those of you who've seen me in the last 6 or 7 weeks, you know it's been pink month (ok, pink months) and the advent of the strawberry evil drink seems to fit right in with that. I recommend it highly. But it's even better if you have them add chocolate syrup. Sheer evil. Thank god I'm running 7 miles tonight or I wouldn't dare, but hey, why not, I ask you... (Hmmm, in re-reading that entry, I suspect that it's perfectly clear that I'm not in a sugar coma, but more like a sugar high. Perhaps I should stop writing now..........) Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
For those of you who are Firefox fans: A new preview release (version 0.9) is out and available for download!
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This is the coolest toy! My friend Chris (whose blog is still non-functional) sent me a link to a site where you can make your own cartoon/icon of yourself (or someone else, I suppose). His is adorable -- but then again, he's an artist, so he's good at observing facial features. I'm not an artist, so mine is more about what I hope I look like than what I probably actually do look like. Anyway, very fun, although a huge time-wasting device. ;-) I give you the Libby at work at a Starbuck's: Try these on for size: Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
I'd like to extend a warm welcome to a newly available blog written by, uh, well, ok, me. This is e-Pro's new soon-to-be-group blog, The Lotus Informer. I'll be main correspondent there, although I'll also have coverage from our other technical editors and authors (and you, if you'd like to contribute!). The blog does accept comments, so hopefully you'll consider it a "real blog," unlike how you sometimes feel about other "corporate blogs." In fact, I expect to be even more opinionated there about all things Lotus and related technology than I have been here. You'll also find links to other blogs, with some commentary, and some technical tips. In any case, I hope you'll stop by, plan to visit regularly (yes, RSS is coming, although it's not configured yet), and participate as much as possible. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Oh my. I knew it. The blog phenomenon has now gone too far. (If any of you have already blogged this, please forgive me for not doing a search and linking to you, but I'm having a violent reaction and just had to share it.) I blithely went to Amazon.com this morning, intending to look up a book called Telemachus, by Robert J. Thieblot. (I did eventually go back and find it, by the way, as you can see from the link.The "J" is actually quite vital to the whole "finding it" endeavour.) I got quite sidetracked on my way there, however, by the new front page of Amazon.com that was presented to me. Welcome, it said, to Libby's Plog (and in very, very small print: beta). My first thoughts were "what the hell is a plog?" and "what is it doing here?" Well, apparently the nice folks at Amazon.com anticipated those questions and provided a What is a Plog? link. Their plog is a blog that is intends to enhance my shopping experience by taking a personalized look at things I've bought or rated and giving me information related to them as my front page. I'm not sure how I feel about it yet, and I'm not sure that you'll see a plog if you go to Amazon.com right now... Go, check... do you? Here's a quick image of mine so you can see what I'm dealing with... I have to say that I am somewhat interested in knowing what they've seen fit to tell me, but it seems a bit wordy (which some of you might be thinking about this blog right now)... Perhaps I should suggest that they use the "Read More... link" technique after a few words? And why "Plog" I wonder? Just so they could trademark it? I mean, I get that it's P for personalized, but aren't all blogs pretty personalized? I mean, if I'm writing it, it's pretty much my personal thoughts. Ah well. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
I subscribe to an "A Word A Day" e-mail from Wordsmith.org, which I find fun. But then again, I'm a word geek. Today's word seems to sum up the last few months of my life: bouleversement (BOO-luh-vers-MAWN) noun 1. Reversal. 2. Violent uproar, upheaval, or disorder. [From French bouleversement (upheaval), from bouleverser (to overturn), from boule (ball) + verser (to turn).] "The merger of the Chapters and Indigo bookstore chains began as a hostile takeover, a David-and-Goliath bouleversement in which small, scrappy Indigo toppled huge, swollen Chapters with a well-aimed shot." Rebecca Wigod; At Last, Canada Becomes a Genre; Vancouver Sun (Canada); Aug 25, 2001. "The timing of this week's bouleversement in Brussels was rotten. It is less than a month since Prime Minister Tony Blair decided to break cover, stand up in the House of Commons, launch his 'national changeover plan,' and make it plain to anyone who had ever doubted it that he really did intend to lead Britain into the promised land of the euro, the single European currency. After a long period of cautious equivocation, the prime minister had, in his own words, 'shifted up a gear' ..." Walter Bagehot; Moses Blair And His Promised Euroland; The Economist (London, UK); Mar 20, 1999. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
I've just stopped at a Starbuck's to check my oh-so-vital mail after leaving the Lotus Workplace launch events here in Houston. The launch was pretty good -- there weren't too many parts of the announcements that I wasn't already familiar with, but it was good to be at an IBM event here in my new city. I've been doing a bit of work, preparing for next week's Lotus Informer Digest e-mails and working on some writing awards, but I've also been doing a bit of people watching. Coffee shops are the most amazing places. The two people on either side of me are studying; three or four people are working on laptops, like me; a few people are reading (the woman directly across from me is reading one of Diana Gabaldon's books -- I might have to re-read now that I've been reminded! I quite like them.) There's a Houston Police Office having some coffee and doing some work on his laptop and being basically friendly to most of the shop; two girlfriends are having one of those gossipy, happy conversations that always soothes your soul when you're having one; a few guys are having a business meeting (actually, it sounds either like a job interview or a start of a new business agreement); two Australian ex-pats and their babies were sitting here for a while... Just interesting to see the varied ages, stages, and pursuits of the folks in this coffee shop. It reminds me why I like them so much. It also reminds me to keep making new friends and trying new things -- just because people are so darn interesting. Off to run now -- I have 2 hours before I have to be teaching at the dance studio, so it's just enough time to get in a 3 mile run and take a shower. My activity schedule has been filling up a fair amount of late: rowing on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday/Sunday; dancing on Wednesday and sometimes Friday or Saturday; running on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday; swimming and yoga when I can fit them into my mornings; I might start taking a belly dancing class on Saturday afternoons... Some of those things are good for helping me with one of my problems: too much alone time! While working from home is wonderful in lots of ways and is becoming more and more popular, it does have as a drawback being a fairly isolating experience, especially when you live alone. Being active is helping with that a bit -- at least I get out of the house every day! Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Via my friend Chris (whose Weblog is down for the count, so no linkage right now).... Something Awful has some pretty awful (that is, evilly funny) take-offs on a USPS Safety Notice. Don't say I didn't warn you. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Well, it's no Mission Bay, San Diego, but tonight I watched the moonrise and sunset while rowing on Clear Lake. The sky was this amazingly clear blue that reminded me of a slab of turquoise with clouds and moon like veins and spots of quartz embedded deep in the stone. The only sounds were my oars and the boat, or an occasional bird or duck. Soul restoring. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link |
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