tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33834922011-08-31T08:15:40.382-07:00Created by a victim of associational thinking. A grab-bag of my favorite topics: Internet studies, literary theory, social implications of computing, the triumphs and frustrations of a humanities-type who can't leave computers alone. <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/unbound/flashbks/computer/bushf.htm">Vannevar Bush</a> had some cool ideas.lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.comBlogger7191100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1153423804607614362006-07-20T12:30:00.000-07:002006-07-20T12:30:04.680-07:00

mymemex.net is here - be warned, it's sparse and super-uncustomized at the moment, but here. please update things accordingly, if anyone out there still reads me, that is.

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1153320767929251202006-07-19T07:52:00.001-07:002006-07-19T07:52:47.930-07:00

Interesting BBC article about blocked blogs/blog hosts in India and questions about freedom of speech:BBC NEWS | South Asia | India bloggers angry at net ban: "The country's 153 internet service providers (ISP) have blocked 17 websites since last week on federal government orders.Some of these sites belong to Google's Blogspot, a leading international web log hosting service."Seems that bloggers

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1153320727753128192006-07-19T07:52:00.000-07:002006-07-19T07:52:07.903-07:00

Interesting BBC article about blocked blogs/blog hosts in India and questions about freedom of speech:BBC NEWS | South Asia | India bloggers angry at net ban: "The country's 153 internet service providers (ISP) have blocked 17 websites since last week on federal government orders.Some of these sites belong to Google's Blogspot, a leading international web log hosting service."Seems that bloggers

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1152929333212174262006-07-14T19:08:00.000-07:002006-07-14T19:08:53.303-07:00

A 2002 paper from the Center for Activity Systems Analysis at UC Irvine (and don't ask how I got there!). Though not exactly within my field of expertise, I find the abstract extremely intriguing - particularly this bit: "This paper argues that peer-to-peer communication and local area wireless networks should play a central role in any system to distribute traveler information services. Instead,

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1148672657155343882006-05-26T12:30:00.000-07:002006-05-26T12:44:18.316-07:00

I'm blogging from my room in the beautiful Peabody Hotel Memphis, where RSA is taking place. I arrived yesterday and managed to have a late lunch at the Rendezvous (I don't really like ribs, and these were fantastic!), take a stroll along the Mississippi (it's way wider here than it is up in the Twin Cities!) catch a few performaces at Isaac Hayes, and see Ruby Wilson at B.B. King's on Beale

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1147109144695817192006-05-08T10:25:00.000-07:002006-05-08T10:25:44.993-07:00

I had to come out of hiding for this: Beatles lose to Apple in trademark case. An interesting decision in ongoing litigation between the two Apples. The decision? Apple Computers is not in breach: an earlier confidential settlement specified that Apple would not sell music using its Apple logo/name, but it specified sales of physical items, apparently, and iTunes distributes digital files (of

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1145327405919610692006-04-17T19:30:00.000-07:002006-04-17T19:30:06.023-07:00

Digital Copyright Law, EFF Report Highlights More Unintended Consequences | Technology News Daily: "'Rather than being used to stop 'piracy,' the DMCA has predominantly been used to threaten and sue legitimate consumers, scientists, publishers, and competitors,' said EFF senior staff attorney Fred von Lohmann. 'This law is not being used as Congress intended, and a review of the past seven years

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1142271198866631132006-03-13T09:16:00.000-08:002006-03-13T09:33:19.236-08:00

Four years and three days ago, I published the first entry on this weblog. Yesterday, I claimed, in response to a friend announcing her creation of a livejounral, that I would never blog again. That, of course, was a momentary impulse expressed in a hyperbolic manner, but my follow-up to that was, "four years is enough, don't you think?"My answer this morning has to be a noncomittal "maybe, maybe

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1140752114976186992006-02-23T19:35:00.000-08:002006-02-23T19:35:15.073-08:00

Love it:PC World's Techlog - Google's Latest: Page Creator: "But it's a bit strange that Page Creator is a cutting-edge, extremely interactive Web service that...lets you create really old-fashioned, passive Web sites. "isn't technology grand?

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1140473467850024302006-02-20T14:11:00.000-08:002006-02-20T14:11:07.946-08:00

Dear lord. Saw this coming - hoped it wouldn't, but here it is. Actually, I'm surprised it took so long. The Impact of Emerging Technologies: RIAA Questions Legality of Ripping CDsBack to not blogging and to nursing repetitive stress injury and neck and back injuries from recent car accident. Ouch - someone get me an ibuprofen,please?(by the way, car = totaled, Laurie = not too smooshed, airbags

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1138399944411790672006-01-27T14:12:00.000-08:002006-01-27T14:12:24.413-08:00

Google cache not a breach of copyright | The Register

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1138399820354842842006-01-27T14:10:00.000-08:002006-01-27T14:10:20.483-08:00

I haven't read A Million Little Pieces (my book club actually read it this month and met on Wednesday to dicuss, but I've been ducking book club and non-academic reading lately). I haven't, but I still intend to. I think the uproar over the truth of the memoir is fascinating. There's so much posturing, backpedalling, Oprah-consulting. While sympathetic to the positions of those who have been

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1136987901565804812006-01-11T05:41:00.000-08:002006-01-11T05:58:21.713-08:00

Wow, what a holiday season! We had a wonderful time in Florida, where all of E's immediate family and a few members of mine all gathered together to celebrate the holidays (and where we celebrated the warmer weather!). I had a good break from the computer, a positive development for me and my repetitive-stress-plagued arms. Which brings me to the topic of this post:I'm having problems with

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1134935881464699242005-12-18T11:58:00.000-08:002005-12-18T11:58:01.526-08:00

Via Google News and this Taipei Times article, the WTO Director-General's Ministerial Conference Diary.

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1134744496702331732005-12-16T06:48:00.000-08:002005-12-16T06:48:16.786-08:00

Emerging from grading to note that this is, for lack of brainpower and analystical function right now, "interesting": BBC NEWS | Health | Key gene 'controls skin colour' Also falling under the heading of "cool" - the fact that this research is coming out of Penn State, still near and dear to my heart, and that the research involves zebrafish, because they apparently share certain genetic

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1134443361070656642005-12-12T19:09:00.000-08:002005-12-12T19:09:21.160-08:00

Here's another news snippet, this one from today's Google Alert for intellectual property and copyright: Newsday.com: Just Google 'thou shalt not steal'. Read it. It's actually got a few valid points, but some of the author's points are - well, let's just say I disagree with some of what she has to say. Like, say, much of this excerpt: "Most writers don't leave much money when they die, but

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1134410588150152272005-12-12T10:03:00.000-08:002005-12-12T10:03:08.213-08:00

Ouch. This Register article is pretty harsh on Wikipedia - and on the larger implications of the false bigraphical entry that has been causing so much furor lately. I have to admit, I am not a big follower of Wikipedia news, and I haven't read a Register tech article in a while. I am kind of surprised at the tone of this article - and that of other Wikipedia-oriented coverage. I'm also surprised

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1133024028211499112005-11-26T08:43:00.000-08:002005-12-12T19:16:18.986-08:00

So, following the referrer log links and then doing a little sleuthing, I turned up the current blog of one of the first people to blogroll me whom I hadn't met in person (he derolled me shortly thereafter, but these things happen, especially when you're an infrequent and sometimes spazzy blogger). Interesting.Also, for anyone following the saga of the lost flashdrive (um, just me, probably, and

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1133016869130809842005-11-26T06:29:00.000-08:002005-11-26T06:54:29.193-08:00

Still here, folks. We had a great Thanksgiving, courtesy of our former housemate's mom, who hosted a fantastic, fantastic dinner at her brand-new house. Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, turnips (which I discovered I like), herbed biscuits and honey butter, gravy with and without giblets, 2 kinds of pie, red wine, white wine, Apple Spice beer (actually not bad - tasted more like a cider, though)

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1132354406264283122005-11-18T14:53:00.000-08:002005-11-18T14:53:26.336-08:00

Slashdot | Copyright and Webcomics - A New Trend? The /. post references this Publisher's Weekly article that reports . . . an English-language manga publisher has decided to stop specifying joint ownership for works they publish, and instead allows authors to retain full ownership of their work. This is an interesting turn of events, especially since, as the PW article points out, the comic

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1132333814752572872005-11-18T09:10:00.000-08:002005-11-18T09:12:39.553-08:00

Just a note, because I'm busy girl today, but check this headline:PC Pro: News: Sony's DRM woes expand to include copyright infringementThat copy-protection hullabaloo? Well, the DRM software apparently infringed the copyright of some open-source code (specifically, LAME, licensed under the LGPL).Read licenses, Sony. Make sure your contractors respect copyright. Surely your high-powered lawyers

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1132161953877530462005-11-16T09:25:00.000-08:002005-11-16T09:25:53.950-08:00

I am much less of a music fan that I used to be, but there are still a few bands that just rock my world. They Might Be Giants is the big one, but a very close second is the naughty Maryland girl who goes by the name of Mary Prankster (and who I just happened to discover because she was opening for TMBG at the 9:30 club). She rocks, in a bad-girl-with-tattoos-and-surplus-attitude kind of way. But

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1132156460717703032005-11-16T07:54:00.000-08:002005-11-16T07:54:20.786-08:00

Today is day 1 of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS - this link wasn't working at time of posting, for some reason) Tunisia - phase 2 (phase 1 was in Geneva in 2003). Between this summit, Minnesotan and Californian delegation visits to China, and Bush's trip to Asia, questions of knowledge ownership, intellectual property, piracy, etc. are all over the news. I, of course, am

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1131985049907555692005-11-14T08:17:00.000-08:002005-11-14T08:17:30.003-08:00

From The Patry Copyright Blog: There is Collective Bargaining in Kansas, Dorothy. Very interesting post about academia and the ownership of copyrighted works, as well as the dynamics of public-sector collective bargaining. Patry says this is fast becoming a hot topic, but I just want to point out that it is by no means a new one. IP has been a negotiating point for faculty and graduate student

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1131721726559955622005-11-11T07:08:00.000-08:002005-11-11T07:15:24.000-08:00

Check out the BBC NEWS | Africa | Q&A: Liberia's election: it appears that the first presidential elections in Liberia in 14 years were, according to observers, "free, fair, and transparent," and have also resulted in the election of the first woman president in Africa.A good section from the BBC Q&A:Is it a surprise that Mrs Johnson-Sirleaf seems to have won?To some extent. Liberia remains a

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1131655598892679962005-11-10T12:46:00.000-08:002005-11-11T07:09:02.676-08:00

So call me slow on the uptake - I didn't catch this right away, but can't let it go without passing commentary: would you ever really considernaming your kid for Google?Naming's rough, I know - so hard to find something different without being too weird, while trying to not tap into the collective unconsciousness that results in all of our kids being called Mikayla and Skyler, Hannah and

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1131493131639660502005-11-08T15:38:00.000-08:002005-11-08T15:38:51.726-08:00

There go my holiday plans. In September, aware of the Northwest strikes and the potential problems with flying on NW over the holidays, I decided to avoid NW when booking our holiday trip to Ft Lauderdale, Florida. The cheapest non-NW tickets that fit our travel constraints were on ATA. Well, effective December 1, ATA will no longer fly between the Twin Cities and Chicago (or Newark, but that

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1130795400453072302005-10-31T13:50:00.000-08:002005-10-31T13:51:40.576-08:00

The fine folks over at Copyfight give us this today: Alito on Copyright.The story sounds a bit ominous at first, citing Alito's "marked tendency to enforce contracts as written" (and Copyfight here is quoting Laura Quilter quoting Ideoblog). Quilter and Copyfight's Donna Wentworth note that this may be of great concern, especially for those interested in EULAs, shrink/click wrap licenses, and

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1130633575071743512005-10-29T17:52:00.000-07:002005-10-29T17:54:31.716-07:00

Hallowen Treats Originally uploaded by johnsonla. This morning's colorful holiday breakfast treats, before predation. Happy Halloween!

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1130455313179780112005-10-27T16:21:00.000-07:002005-10-28T07:07:07.546-07:00

From BBC NEWS: Strawberry smell trademark denied: "The company argued that while strawberries may look and taste different, they all smell the same, and as a result could be trademarked.The court took a different view, and smell experts found that instead of just one aroma, strawberries can in fact have up to five different, distinct scents."Wow. Can you imagine the smell that, perhaps, brings

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1130336451359741532005-10-26T07:20:00.000-07:002005-10-26T07:22:55.753-07:00

Catching up on some ccc-ip list messages, including a link to an article from Friday's Inside Higher Ed. The article takes the integration of a CCC permissions "building block" into (mega-CMS, after recent merge with WebCT) Blackboard as a starting point to discuss the erosion of fair use in the academy. I agree with the author, and especially like the following:Between What’s Right and What’s

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1130283129787176922005-10-25T16:32:00.000-07:002005-10-25T16:33:26.603-07:00

Happy Fall! Originally uploaded by johnsonla. We had the kiddo's pictures taken the day after her first birthday - which is way too long ago already - but anyway, as the weather gets cooler, I thought this might be an appropriate one to share. Enjoy autumn while it lasts!

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1130169692299617732005-10-24T08:50:00.000-07:002005-10-24T09:03:11.000-07:00

So after following the discussion about it on the TechRhet listserv over the past few days, I decided toI used OpenOffice 1 for a while, but got frustrated with it and reverted back to Word. I didn't like the way it handled opening and saving files, especially files that were originally saved by Word or other non-OO applications. I DO love the ability to export directly into .pdf format, though,

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1129919756320157592005-10-21T11:35:00.000-07:002005-10-21T11:36:57.256-07:00

Hmm, even if I could afford such a thing, kid o's Modern Dollhouse just seems a little bit excessive.So does the $50.00 stuffed zebra.Granted, the store is very cool-looking, in a minimalism-that-is-unachievable-with-real-children kind of way. Maybe I'll plan a visit, next time I'm in NYC. But you can almost guarantee that I will leave empty-handed.

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1129909607073186582005-10-21T08:46:00.000-07:002005-10-21T09:26:03.270-07:00

Not exactly up my usual Intellectual Property alley, but definitely of interest from the prespective of feminist engagement with technolgies, is Digital Dangers, a "discussion paper" that explores the connections between ICTs (information & communication technologies) and trafficking. The central concern of the paper is nicely summed up in the following two paragraphs:The word ‘trafficking’

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1129727759928468492005-10-19T06:15:00.000-07:002005-10-19T06:17:41.993-07:00

Hee hee! I love this:Unhappy Birthday is a site that (wink wink) encourages you to turn in offenders who sing 'Happy Birthday' illegally. If all goes as planned. ASCAP and Time-Warner will be flooded with reports of infringement! This should keep their lawyers busy for years!Not only is this a really funny copyright-related joke (at least in my geeky opinion), but the site also provides good

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1129668151761020022005-10-18T13:29:00.000-07:002005-10-18T13:42:31.986-07:00

I've been in a joining mood - or something - for the last several days. We signed up for netflix over the weekend (finally!). Today I got a "reminder" email about joining Friendster (which I have been invited to join several oter times - all long enough ago that I wasn't even aware that people I knew were still hanging out there, you know, given the tendency to move on to bigger, better, and

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1129164577373251382005-10-12T17:40:00.000-07:002005-10-12T17:49:37.383-07:00

Ladies and gentlemen, I think I still do. Have a brain, that is. I have been puzzling over some ideas having to do with feminism, intellectual property, and international issues. For MONTHS. I have primarily been banging my head against _____ (you name it: computer screen, keyboard, books, journal articles, my kitchen couter - wait, that's because of dirty dishes and the messy lunacy that is

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1129088139203069252005-10-11T20:35:00.000-07:002005-10-11T20:35:39.266-07:00

From the New York Times: Wayne C. Booth died yesterday at the age of 84. Many in the fields of rhetoric and literature (among others, I am sure) will miss him. We have benefitted from his numerous and profound contributions to our field(s).

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1129055421727771472005-10-11T11:28:00.000-07:002005-10-11T11:31:43.066-07:00

I always forget and the date slips by, so I'm writing an early post this year. Exactly one month from today is my 4th blogiversary (not here @ memex, though - memex turns three in March).

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1129054713756067022005-10-11T11:18:00.000-07:002005-10-11T11:18:39.300-07:00

So, it has, admittedly, been a while since I last checked in at infoAnarchy, but it really is a little dreary over there. eDonkey quits and winMX shuts down, and anonymous p2p networks launched - these are the main stories at the moment - all which point to the chilly p2p landscape right now. So much potential. So little legal wiggle room (apparently). Anyway, all is not lost, so it seems. The

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1128978408732842612005-10-10T14:06:00.000-07:002005-10-10T14:06:48.796-07:00

So it's a few days old, but I have been under a communicative rock at this conference, where I gave a paper on new-ish research on women and intellectual property in an international context. Anyway, apparently while I was waay far away from computers with internet (somewhat intentionally), it appears that the US has begun to lose its control of the internet. Good thing? I suppose that depends on

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1128380815429305072005-10-03T15:57:00.000-07:002005-10-03T16:06:55.436-07:00

Well, this poor blog's died and been resuscitated so many times . . . shall we put it through one more revivication? Or just let it languish? I am personally undecided at the moment. If you have a comment that doesn't involve online gambling, viagra, or other commerce-oriented content, sound off.Sadly, I continue to recieve approximately the same average number of daily hits, even though I

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1123432018448433392005-08-07T09:18:00.000-07:002005-09-16T07:41:20.920-07:00

Well, we've been in the new place for a week and a day. Of course, between the allergy-induced colds & sinus infections we both developed, and Eric starting his new job, we're still unpacking and getting settled, but it's getting there. The apartment is great - big, new, nice amenities. Lots of room for the little one to play. It almost makes up for being as sick as I've been. Speaking of which,

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1122384927778525212005-07-26T06:35:00.000-07:002005-07-26T06:37:08.556-07:00

newcar Originally uploaded by johnsonla. After months of research and more than a week of serious looking, we are now the owners of a pretty Phantom Gray 2003 Toyota Camry. And I think we got a pretty good deal on it, if I do say so myself!A former corporate fleet car, our new acquisition is a bit high where mileage is concerned, but a mechanic friend said it looked clean and well-maintained

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1121958834930914432005-07-21T08:13:00.000-07:002005-07-21T08:18:25.173-07:00

A few days old, but scary, nonetheless, is this story about the introduction of biometric payment at "one of the least technological chain of grocery stores in the US."Piggly Wiggly wiggles themselves into the 21st century, but at what cost?: "Piggly Wiggly is the first chain to roll out biometric payment pads to their entire corporation. The idea behind the biometric pads is that you can link

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1121894801750969102005-07-20T14:26:00.000-07:002005-07-20T14:26:41.820-07:00

Tom Vanderbilt's June 18 Slate story, "Self-Storage Nation - Americans are storing more stuff than ever", had a special resonance for me when I came across it yesterday. I have never rented one of these little units, but it's been a consideration from time to time. Moving looms on the horizon here, and as I look at all of the junk (*cough*, errm, crap) we (*cough* ok, I) own, I can easily see

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1121791204875404612005-07-19T09:40:00.000-07:002005-07-19T09:40:04.940-07:00

In a query about using PDAs in first-year composition on the TechRhet list, someone linked to this article about the use of handhelds for assesment of literacy skills in the elementary classroom. Not only does this sound like a very cool use of technology - one which assists teachers in the classroom and allows them to do quickly what used to take weeks - but this is going on in the school

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1121380485520403762005-07-14T15:34:00.000-07:002005-07-14T15:34:45.600-07:00

Copy, Right? is a cover-song oriented blog. Quite interesting, in both the content served up and the copyright (domestic and international) issues raised. That said, Thai covers of Ray Charles, Elvis Presley, the Beatles . . . all in one post. I'm keeping an eye on this one! Link via Weblog Wannabe.

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1121361050086262612005-07-14T10:05:00.000-07:002005-07-14T10:10:50.093-07:00

Our rental application was accepted, so we are moving, and soon. We go to sign the lease on the 29th, and I just booked movers for the 30th. Real movers! Can you believe it? So we can move and still have friends at the other end (we have come very close to losing friends over moves before because of the quantity and weight of items we own).Digits may be uncrossed now. Oh, wait, recross them -

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1121265828453958102005-07-13T07:43:00.000-07:002005-07-13T07:43:48.483-07:00

Why not? Originally uploaded by johnsonla. Next in the "my kid is cute" series of photo-posts. She's not climbing the walls (yet), but she's very definitely trying to climb the shelves.

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1121264582647088632005-07-13T07:04:00.000-07:002005-07-13T07:23:02.680-07:00

So, pending accptance of our application, we're moving here. It's practically next-door toEric's new place of employment (less than a mile, crow-flying-measurements, maybe two miles, as the car drives). It's a little further than next-door for me, and considering we're possibly going to keep daycare in Eagan through kiddo's birthday and maybe longer, I'm looking at a potential 60 to 90 minute

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1121221256153692432005-07-12T19:20:00.000-07:002005-07-12T19:20:56.213-07:00

This story definitely showcases the weird and wacky in copyright-related litigation: "HOT SULPHUR SPRINGS - A man has been attempting to use a novel defense - he copyrighted his name, and when government officials sent citations for traffic violations and property taxes, he claimed the government officials infringed upon his copyright. In response, prosecutors accused him of breaking an

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1121053845294949382005-07-10T20:50:00.000-07:002005-07-10T20:50:45.303-07:00

Three-grain tempeh stir fry Originally uploaded by johnsonla. Dinner tonight. Both tasty and pretty, so I thougth I would share. Ginger-sesame marinated three-grain tempeh stir-fried with pepper, green beans, and broccoli, served on steamed brown rice. Very yum.

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1121053493186017412005-07-10T20:26:00.000-07:002005-07-10T20:44:53.196-07:00

So many things going on right now! E. accepted a new job this past week, and since it is quite a commute from where we currently live, we're moving. We were planning on moving anyway, but it looks like it will be by the end of this month or the beginning of next month - NOT our original timeline! So, we spent all of Tuesday afternoon and part of Wednesday afternoon apartment shopping. I went and

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1120570440902680692005-07-05T06:34:00.000-07:002005-07-05T06:34:00.960-07:00

While caffeinating and listening to Future Tense on NPR this morning, I heard about Global Voices Online, a blog maintained through Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet and Society. From the About page: We have two main goals: 1) To call attention to the most interesting conversations and perspectives emerging from citizens’ media around the world by linking to text, audio, and video blogs

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1119930898707659202005-06-27T20:54:00.000-07:002005-06-27T20:54:58.713-07:00

Little fairy & fireflies Originally uploaded by johnsonla. We took her in for nine-month photos yesterday. Despite an afternoon appointment, teething-induced fussiness, and generally less cooperation than at the six-month sitting (trying to eat or fall off of props, refusing to smile, trying to kiss the baby in the mirror in the fairy pictures), we managed to get several cute pictures.

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1119705924202826742005-06-25T06:06:00.000-07:002005-06-25T06:25:24.443-07:00

It's just after 8 am, and I have been up for an hour and a half. The teething baby is the reason for this morning's early exit from a snuggly bed. She has acquired two lower teeth and is now in the process of adding upper teeth. The teething process has made my otherwise wonderful, cheerful baby into a pathetic, and sometimes monstrous, individual.It's really not all that problematic that the

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1119380177143419212005-06-21T11:48:00.000-07:002005-06-21T11:56:17.150-07:00

I can't find anything lately. OR I can only find things after way too extensive search procedures. It just took me ten minutes to find both members of a pair of shoes. I spent part of this morning looking for something important which disappeared Thursday. AGAIN. Have yet to encounter even minute evidence of its existence, much less the item itself. In the looking process, I realized that other

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1119023180029654432005-06-17T08:34:00.000-07:002005-06-17T08:46:20.083-07:00

It's Friday, which is my all-day-at-home-with-baby weekday. I enjoy Fridays generally, and enjoy playing with the little one, especially as she's gotten older. This Friday, however, is (while still fully enjoyable) a completely different story.The munchkin is crawling like a pro now - this, and the addition of the first two teeth, have been her developmental accomplishments for the last month -

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1117732324648867382005-06-02T10:04:00.000-07:002005-06-02T10:12:04.680-07:00

As I write this, my counter reads 9,999. I'm almost to 10,000 visitors! Never mind that some people get that many hits in a few days. I'm satisfied with my small readership and the smattering of people that arrive via (sometimes very odd) google searches.Home from Rhetoric camp, and recovering and recuperating for a day or two before seriously digging back in to the work of the summer: reading.

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1117161064081215562005-05-26T19:26:00.000-07:002005-05-26T19:31:04.106-07:00

The gathering of rhetoricians known as the RSA Summer Institute is now in full swing. The week-long seminar folks have been here since Sunday, and today the weekend workshop people began arriving. Apparently we are going to be about 150 strong over the weekend! Some people have been commenting that this feels a lot like summer camp, in some ways. I've been busy, too busy to write up or post notes

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1116970898476621292005-05-24T14:31:00.000-07:002005-05-24T14:41:38.483-07:00

It was too soon to write another post entitled, "crap, crap, crap." Besides, I am at a gathering of rhetoricians, and am therefore more acutely aware of my use of language.What I am bemoaning this time is that I am seemingly fated to have awful conference presentation times. The program for Feminism(s) and Rhetoric(s) 2005 is up (can someone remind me to register as soon as I get home from Kent?

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1116870380677035132005-05-23T10:34:00.000-07:002005-05-23T10:46:22.196-07:00

I'm at Kent State right now, at the first ever RSA Summer Institute. I am blogging from my room - for some reason I am picking up wireless in my own room (and I appear to be the only one able to do this).Today is the first dayof the week-long portion, and if the morning session was any indication, this week is going to be energizing, exciting, and really, really thought-provoking. I'm going to

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1116480085856578522005-05-18T22:11:00.000-07:002005-05-18T22:21:25.863-07:00

Another semester done and over with. Grades were in this afternoon before the end of the business day - I think this may be some kind of record for me. Usually if I have a midnight deadline (and grades were due 11 minutes ago) I will be entering final grades at 11:55 and hoping there's not an ill-timed server crash or something equally disastrous.Also in the good news department: I found a cheap

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1116010585891199892005-05-13T11:52:00.000-07:002005-05-13T11:56:25.896-07:00

crap crap crap.I am going to the RSA Summer Institute in Kent, OH in about 10 days. I've really been looking forward to it. I have also been planning to drive, which I have been looking forward to somewhat less. It's just that tickets are so very expensive (I think mostly because the Institute intersects with Memorial Day weekend), and then transportation from the airport to Kent is yet another

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1116005135341541842005-05-13T10:15:00.000-07:002005-05-13T10:25:35.350-07:00

Just a reminder, in case you overlooked it. This used to be one of my favorite things, the occurence of a Friday the 13th. As an older kid/adolescent, I decided that lucky number 7 was bogus, and 13 was where it was at: lucky number, best day, etc. Of course, I didn't know then that oh so many nonconformist kids were doing the same thing, making us all into conforming nonconformists. Oh,

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1115923966646405082005-05-12T11:31:00.000-07:002005-05-12T11:52:46.880-07:00

I skipped putting up the mother's day post I wrote, for various reasons, but I will not skip letting everyone out there know that Eric and I reach a pretty cool milestone today: as of today, we have been married for five years. Congratulations to us! Come on, everyone, wish us a happy anniversary and many more to come. Aww, thanks!Sorry, I am a little punchy: sleep-deprived, under grading stress,

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1115392901838524432005-05-06T08:21:00.000-07:002005-05-06T08:21:42.146-07:00

According to The Register (and numerous other sources over the past few days), scouts in Hong Kong can now complete a proficiency badge in Intellectual Property. This effort has apparently been spearheaded by the MPA, and will be given to scouts who attend seminars aimed at educating them about IP. One site quips that, of course, IP is important for every scout. Actually, I would argue that it

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1114962670439508762005-05-01T08:45:00.000-07:002005-05-01T08:51:10.440-07:00

My mom's high school graduation picture.Mom in front of the family home on Easter 1966. She was 22.The family sometime in the early 80s (probably 1982 or 1983). Left to right, me, my stepdad, my little sister on his lap, and my mother.

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1114924599081652402005-04-30T21:54:00.000-07:002005-04-30T22:19:59.043-07:00

My mother passed away a week ago today. I have been back in Maryland for the past several days helping with arrangements and laying her to rest.My mom had Multiple Sclerosis, and was diagnosed with it early in my childhood. She also battled breast cancer in the late 1980s. In 1996, she moved into a nursing home. She would have been there for nine years in May. She would have turned 61 in July. We

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1114039224934393182005-04-20T16:20:00.000-07:002005-04-20T16:20:24.933-07:00

Doing a research-related search on ethos, I came across this page devoted to Awful Ethos: really bad mistakes students have made in papers. My favorite: (8) The Middle Ages came next, and King Alfred conquered the Dames. King Arthur lived in the age of shivery. King Harold mustarded his troops before the Battle of Hastings. Victims of the blue-bonnet plague grew boobs on their necks. also: (

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1113917902255758352005-04-19T06:25:00.000-07:002005-04-19T06:38:22.256-07:00

I'm trying to decide whether to go to this or stay home and work. Am out of coffee in the house, so I am going to have to leave at least to caffeinate and figure I might as well head to campus while drinking my coffee . . . ?So, I've got a question: I was raised by people with kind of an old-fashioned sensibility about certain things. No elbows on the table, respect elders, no white shoes before

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1113846797512529412005-04-18T10:53:00.000-07:002005-04-18T10:58:10.116-07:00

Take a look at this headline story from MPR (this link might be time-sensitive . . .)By a margin of 483 votes (out of 3,075 total votes cast), the third recent unionization drive at the University of Minnesota has failed.I will go be sad now. That is all.

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1113404578485422762005-04-13T07:56:00.000-07:002005-04-13T08:02:58.486-07:00

I haven't done one of these in a long time - mostly because searces that bring eople here haven't been interesting lately (everyone is looking for information on the memex, on persuasive speech/paper topics (?), or on drylighers). This one, though, had me laughing hysterically and trying to figure out the context: a paper? maybe? a theoretical approach to candy?M&M Mars DeterminismI'm the

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1113317419590463102005-04-12T07:50:00.000-07:002005-04-12T07:55:17.460-07:00

Everyone on the St Paul campus, make sure to get out and vote at Borlaug Hall TODAY.Tomorrow you can vote on the West Bank (Carlson), and Thursday and Friday on East Bank. More information can be found at the GradTRAC/UE site.I've got to run (office hours too soon, and me still at home and not ready to walk out the door . . . there were certainly advantages to teaching online!), but check out

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1113315485553320152005-04-12T07:10:00.000-07:002005-04-12T07:18:05.553-07:00

I have a flash drive. It's a bit over a year old (bought it in late August or early September of '03). It has ceased working on my iBook - the laptop does not even recognize that anything has been attached. No disk icon appears on the desktop, no change in the finder window, nothing. The little activity light on the drive does light up briefly, but then nothing happens.I just moved all files off

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1112882001551484362005-04-07T06:46:00.000-07:002005-04-07T06:53:21.553-07:00

I've had the iPod mini since Sunday. That's not long, but long enough for me to have become entirely smitten! I went out day before yesterday and purchased a silver case for my new toy, and also got the very cool iTrip. For the first time in forever, I have a variety of good music in my car! My Hyundai Accent has only cassette, and the tape deck adapter I got stopped working - it's not the

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1112837572028005822005-04-06T18:29:00.000-07:002005-04-06T18:52:57.550-07:00

As I said before, we had the kiddo's six-month pictures taken over the weekend. Here are a few small samples of the cuteness that lives in my house:

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1112792648783207002005-04-06T06:04:00.000-07:002005-04-06T06:04:08.783-07:00

This morning on the CNET main page, blogging makes the day's top stories:Your own personal soapbox: two blogger services reviewed - Internet. The article isn't much, and the reviews are pretty limited, but just goes to show that yet another media source is making the "blogging is here to stay" pronouncement.

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1112712084114704932005-04-05T07:38:00.000-07:002005-04-05T07:41:24.116-07:00

my kitty, you know, the bad one? found him chewing on my iPod headphones this morning. Right up where the cord connects to the ear bud. Peachy. Another thing I have to monitor with extra vigilence.You know those nanny shows? Think they have something like that for pets? "Pet behavioralist emergency" or something? If so, sign me up, because even the good kitty is only "good" relative to the evil

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1112707718399038452005-04-05T06:08:00.000-07:002005-04-05T06:34:54.650-07:00

For the folks not in Minnesota, I apologize for continuing to bring up geographically-linked news, but I think this one is important. Graduate students at the University of Minnesota are running a tight, quick, seemingly well-organized unionization drive. I think this is great, and while everyone is entitled to their own opinion and own vote, I think that grad students who have their own best

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1112634391728067622005-04-04T09:56:00.000-07:002005-04-04T10:06:31.730-07:00

I fiirmly believe in giving praise where praise is due. I am the kind of person who fills out comment cards and sends emails to corporate offices when I have had a great experience, rather than only using those channels of communication for griping. I mean hey, I gripe here on my blog, right?Well, I am going to give praise here, too. The University of Minnesota's technology help line and whomever

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1112590507782281212005-04-03T21:26:00.000-07:002005-04-03T21:55:07.783-07:00

Today is my birthday - I have another 34 minutes to enjoy it! Birthdays, it seems, become less fun with the passing years. This one, on the other hand, was just wonderful. I got phone calls from the people in my life who love me most. I got to talk to my mother for the first time in weeks and weeks, which was a very special treat. I spent much of the day in my jammies playing with ym new toys.

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1112429161658896622005-04-01T22:06:00.000-08:002005-04-02T00:09:31.626-08:00

Late here, so this is brief, but take a look at this entry : Ed Foster's Gripelog || Copyright Decision Deals Blow to New Technology[/april 1]

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1112305142835161322005-03-31T13:31:00.000-08:002005-03-31T13:39:02.836-08:00

I know it's been a long time. Yes, I was healthy enough to make it to SF. More on that later, I guess.What really inspired me to log in and write a post is my extreme frustration with technology:-MS Word freezes (on my laotop) every time I save.-I can't get my email. Either using Entourage, my Mac default, or by logging in to UMN Webmail.-My laptop won't recognize my flash drive.-When I try to

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1110308157849607032005-03-08T10:35:00.000-08:002005-03-08T10:55:57.853-08:00

I jinxed myself. I joked to a few people that we'd had it all, we had to be getting better, because the family (mostly me) had had everything we could have.Never say that. Especially not out loud. The deities of perversity will ensure that you get sick. And probably, they will ensure that you get really, really, good and awfully sick. Which is what they did to me.Last Wednedsday afternoon I began

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1109264098535011442005-02-24T07:31:00.000-08:002005-02-24T08:54:58.536-08:00

Well, procrastinator that I often am, I just booked hotel/flight reservations for our upcoming (in less than three weeks) trip to San Francisco. Readers in the English/Rhet/Comp world will know that this is because of CCCC. At least ostensibly. Eric and I have also decided to make the conference into a bit of a Spring Break vacation, so we're taking a day or so on either side of the conference to

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1109007797674405992005-02-21T09:25:00.000-08:002005-02-21T09:43:17.676-08:00

I am sick. Still. I swear I am never going to get better. I feel like a miserable pile of crap. I woke up feverish this morning at about 3:30 and declared to Eric that I thought I might expire. I proceeded to sucumb to fever-induced tears, some "every joint and lymph node in my body aches"-type moaning, and a ton of noseblowing and highly bronchial coughing until ibuprofen kicked in and lowered

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1108771337042833632005-02-18T14:52:00.000-08:002005-02-18T16:02:17.046-08:00

I seem only to be posting about illness, mothering/parenting, or baby stuff lately. And to keep with that trend . . .I just gave my baby, aged four and a half months, a nebulizer treatment to deliver albuterol to her sick little lungs. It was, not to exaggerate, awful. I had to use a mask much like this. Now, dear reader, I am sure you can imagine the reaction of even the sweetest-tempered baby

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1107980518978977532005-02-09T12:16:00.000-08:002005-02-09T12:22:06.113-08:00

There's nothing cute about"acute sinusitis," my diagnosis after almost two and a half hours (grrr) at the doctor's office yesterday. Two weeks of antibiotics, an inhaler, ibuprofen for fever/body aches/blinding sinus pain, and generic-style sudafed should get me all fixed up. In the meantime, I still feel like someone ran me over with a cement-mixer. And then poured the cement directly into my

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1107874460532948702005-02-08T06:31:00.000-08:002005-02-08T06:54:20.533-08:00

"I cannot go to school today," Said little Peggy Ann McKay, "I have the measles and the mumps, A gash, a rash, and purple bumps. My mouth is wet, my throat is dry, I'm going blind in my right eye. My tonsils are as big as rocks, I've counted sixteen chicken pox And there's one more--that's seventeen, And don't you think my face looks green?" I love that Shel Silverstein poem. And even though the

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1107633071373293392005-02-05T11:40:00.000-08:002005-02-05T11:53:21.103-08:00

The wee one is snoozing on my belly right now (making for about the most awkward typing position I have ever attempted), so I thought I would take this moment to add to the previous post: today she sat up. She can't get to a sitting position by herself, nor can she maintain the uprightness of her head and torso for long, but she can do it for short periods. It's like all of a sudden she decided

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1107533502566923232005-02-04T07:57:00.000-08:002005-02-04T08:11:42.566-08:00

Our little one has had a very big, exciting week. On Sunday she turned four months old. On Monday, we went in for her four-month well-baby visit, and yes, there were shots! She handled them very well, though (much better than last time - scroll down to 12/2 post - blogger has, surprisingly, screwed over my archives YET AGAIN). I did give her Tylenol before the doctor's visit this time, and that

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1107009914513505152005-01-29T06:45:00.000-08:002005-01-29T06:45:14.513-08:00

The NY Times Style section has an article today on parent blogs: Mommy (and Me) discusses the rise of the parent blog (apparently over 8,000 this year, double last year's stat). Apparently the mommy blog (or daddy blog) is becoming quite a popular blog sub-genre. Why? Well, apparently we're the generation that spawned reality TV (I'd argue that, but OK), and us reproductive-years folk are also

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1105464960094301792005-01-11T09:21:00.000-08:002005-01-11T09:36:00.093-08:00

Eric and I went out to do some errands last night: we got a nifty fleece-lined shirt for him (to replace a great big thick canvas-like shirt he's had for years, and looks it!) and to get new cellphones. Originally this was supposed to be a new phone for him only, as certain keys on his keypad had pretty much ceased functioning, but we've got AT&T Wireless, which has recently been folded into

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1105386164986049732005-01-10T11:26:00.000-08:002005-01-10T11:42:44.986-08:00

I'm sitting here finishing up lunch: leftover sugar peas and some tempeh, lightly pan-fried in olive oil spray and soy sauce. I'm having this wholesome lunch instead of my usual instant mac&cheese or sandwich because Eric and I are giving the diet another go. We've been South-Beaching it since Jan. 2. I'm trying to lose the weight I wanted to lose before I found out I was pregnany AND the

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1104859059949934522005-01-04T09:17:00.000-08:002005-01-04T09:17:39.950-08:00

Learn about a coat manufacturer conspiracy to change the weather in the upper midwest at Fight Big Overcoat.org umm, this is, of course, not a serious thing . . . it was in the right-coloumn adspace on weather.com when I checked to see how frigid it was this morning. I'm pretty resistant to ads, but this one piqued my interest. turns out that, with some (minimal) digging, this is nothing other

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1104437320701517912004-12-30T12:07:00.000-08:002004-12-30T12:08:40.700-08:00

An editorial from the Philadelphia Inquirer says it well.

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383492.post-1104129715267265912004-12-26T23:28:00.000-08:002004-12-26T22:41:55.266-08:00

We spent yesterday at the home of our housemate's mom, and had a pretty pleasant time. There was yummy breakfast to start out with, and then present-opening that was conducted in the drawn-out show-and-tell manner (unlike some of the "everyone tear into everything and scream excitedly" christmas mornings I have participated in). I got exactly what I wanted, and some things I didn't know I wanted,

lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03626680937648675422noreply@blogger.com0