What you did today

[Blarghagh]

Feels like Christmas. Thanks for the sympathy I just managed to find a temporary space to stay until we, being me and my girlfriend, find a more permanent home already, so I'm not in trouble of being homeless and therefore I think your sympathy would be better focused on those poor people in Connecticut that I just read about.

Edited December 15, 2012 by TrueNeutral

[Labadal]

Yep, that was very sad to read. It doesn't make things better when I think about how I'd feel if it happened to kids here at my workplace.

[Gorth]

Dusted off my Chtulhu Carols boxed set and listened to a bit of seasonal music. Trying to find a place to hang my Christmas Tentacle (which came with the set), so great Chtulhu can give me gifts when I've been a good cultist.

[Raithe]

A Very Scary Solstice? That's a good album.

 

Don't know why but it's being a hard saturday to start. Aimless procrastination on everything, and I can't seem to keep thoughts focused today for any serious time.

[Gorth]

A Very Scary Solstice? That's a good album.

 

That's the one indeed

 

Sounds like you need a break?

[Nepenthe]

Spent the day at the clinic due to tachycardia that started last night. Got meds and a couple of days off. Happily the on-call guy happened to be a cardilogist, didn't have to go to the hospital.

 

I seem tobe taking the imminent end of my career bad.

[Hurlshort]

I hope you get some good rest and things start to look up for you, Nepenthe.

[alanschu]

Feels like Christmas. Thanks for the sympathy I just managed to find a temporary space to stay until we, being me and my girlfriend, find a more permanent home already, so I'm not in trouble of being homeless and therefore I think your sympathy would be better focused on those poor people in Connecticut that I just read about.

 

 

HELLS NO! I WILL FEEL BAD FOR YOU AND YOUR MISFORTUNE AND YOU BETTER DAMN WELL DEAL WITH IT!

[LadyCrimson]

Jim Craig is still one of my heroes.

 

Edit: ... it must be winter, because lately I have very little to say/not in a talking mood. heh

[Malcador]

Spent the day at the clinic due to tachycardia that started last night. Got meds and a couple of days off. Happily the on-call guy happened to be a cardilogist, didn't have to go to the hospital.

 

I seem tobe taking the imminent end of my career bad.

 

Sounds like what my old manager at my current workplace had, had to quit due to stress. Hope the days off help, work's not worth your health.

[Tigranes]

My etymotic has torn wire casings in several places and is dying in numerous ways after just a year of use. To be fair, I should have taken better care of them - there have been many instances of accidental snaps and pant-pocket carrys. So of course, this time I look for a more durable and well-built set of IEMs, but eventually pick one for looks + sound quality anyway. I had considered other modestly-priced options like Hifiman RE-262 and Shure SE215, but...

 

http://www.amazon.co...ils_o00_s00_i00

 

 

 

Monster's Miles Davis Trumpet.

 

Actually, the reports are that the build quality is very good in most places, you just never want to pull them by the cable. But they're pretty, so much is forgiven. Will see how the sound quality and fit works for me when I get it on Wednesday.

[Nepenthe]

Classic subtle Monster design right there. :D

[Gorgon]

I'm considering these bluetooth ones. Audio quality is excellent once the components don't have to be so tiny, of course you have to be able to not bother that you look like a nerd wearing those at all times. Fortunately I have that quality. Bluetooth has become viable because the devices now have built in transmitters and recievers which was previously prohibitively expensive.

 

The bluetooth earplugs however are for some reason all crap. Made for looking like an idiot while making calls on your smartphone.

 

[Tigranes]

Actually, I wouldn't mind headphones except I hate having things on my head - I don't even own any caps/hats because I can't stand it. Similar problem with having wires go over the ear, round my neck, etc, which really limits me to specific types of IEMs.

 

Nepenthe, it is rather gaudy, but I find earphones are so small it's OK for them to stand out, I just don't understand why everybody makes black ones that all look the same, a bunch of wires stuffed into pods.

[Nepenthe]

Sure, could be a lot worse and yes, there's room for a little bit more color in earphones.

 

I've found that having to separately power my headphones would defeat any gain I'd get from not having to use a wire. I use a etymotic iphone model with a microphone, ok for commutes but if ever have to become a cubicle slave, would need to radically upgrade.

[Gorgon]

Actually you have more battery life than normal. When the headphones use their own battery source it doesn't suck as much life out of your phone. If the headset runs dry you can still use a standard cable.

[LadyCrimson]

Read that Ed Harris and Gary Oldman do voices in CoD. I'd love to hear some of that. But I don't want to play/buy the game. There must be a "most/all the voice lines of...." videos on YT somewhere...

 

Hubs and I spent the afternoon finally making a cheap/quickie platform out of 2x4's over the fireplace brick area to rest the old, very long, wood/wicker cabinet thingie that we put the TV on. Recovers more floor space, raises the TV a bit, and essentially "hides" the fireplace. Much better, both in function and appearance. We don't need the use of the fireplace.

[JFSOCC]

Yesterday I went along with my mother to a meeting of young immigrants of whom the status is either in dispute, or who have been declared illegal.

We have a law here in the Netherlands that immigrants are not allowed to work without a status, which means these kids are completely screwed over.

I got to hear stories of 20 year old men who had to endure the horrors of war (having to scavenge for food, getting told by militia to drop what little tainted food you could find after days of hunger when you arrive at your doorstep. finding parents dead from eating poisoned grass because they had taken to eating the grass out of sheer desperation. Being forced into choosing recruitment with the bad guys and access to food, or starving. seeing family raped and tortured.)

So out of desperation they find themselves fleeing, coming to the Netherlands without speaking the language, knowing anyone here.

One kid only managed to find his way to a shelter after finding others who spoke farsi .

Then you'd think the horrors end when they found their way into civilization.

 

Well you'd be wrong. Dutch immigration imprisoned most of the people I spoke to, for several months, then dumped them outside without any means, a prohibition on doing work, no addresses for help. That's before their status is determined by the way.

And when it is determined they're illegal. (because they couldn't prove that they were fleeing a war... however ridiculous that is, but that one afghan kid had left without much of anything, and didn't expect to be needing to prove it. So their choice is go back to a place they don;t know anymore, is torn apart, where they have no contact. Or stay in the Netherlands illegally, with no hope for work, a home, or education.

These are people who want to contribute to society but are denied because they can't prove a negative: they can't prove that they didn't come here for economic reasons.

 

That Afghan kid is sleeping in someone's shed. two others I spoke to were living on the streets.

They have committed no crime, came from horror and have now fallen into horror again.

 

It certainly put things in perspective for me.

and there was a whole bunch of them. it was a small meeting in a church, with both priests and imams present, and there were about 30 kids there. If my government can't help these kids, then I have a serious problem with my government and their ****ed up immigration laws and standards. I haven't even yet mentioned half the abuse and racism these kids have endured from Dutch police, immigration, and even ordinary people.

 

Let's just say it was an eye-opener.

Edited December 17, 2012 by JFSOCC

[Raithe]

Shuffling around today doing various pieces of shifting, carrying work for my mother, and dealing with the dogs. Can't seem to focus on other work at the moment, not sure whether it's seasonal thing, christmas mood, or complete procrastination for various reasons.

 

Think I might just try running some TOR for an hour and see what my headspace is like then.

[Hurlshort]

Thanks for posting that, JFSOCC. It always amazes me how often people ignore the human element in these types of issues.

 

 

 

I got to play hockey last night in the HP Pavilion, which is where the San Jose Sharks play. It was pretty awesome, we had a crowd of about 40 people instead of the 17k they normally have, but it still was an amazing experience. I scored the game winner with a couple minutes left, so it was a nice competitive game too.

[Labadal]

Yesterday I went along with my mother to a meeting of young immigrants of whom the status is either in dispute, or who have been declared illegal.

We have a law here in the Netherlands that immigrants are not allowed to work without a status, which means these kids are completely screwed over.

I got to hear stories of 20 year old men who had to endure the horrors of war (having to scavenge for food, getting told by militia to drop what little tainted food you could find after days of hunger when you arrive at your doorstep. finding parents dead from eating poisoned grass because they had taken to eating the grass out of sheer desperation. Being forced into choosing recruitment with the bad guys and access to food, or starving. seeing family raped and tortured.)

So out of desperation they find themselves fleeing, coming to the Netherlands without speaking the language, knowing anyone here.

One kid only managed to find his way to a shelter after finding others who spoke farsi .

Then you'd think the horrors end when they found their way into civilization.

 

Well you'd be wrong. Dutch immigration imprisoned most of the people I spoke to, for several months, then dumped them outside without any means, a prohibition on doing work, no addresses for help. That's before their status is determined by the way.

And when it is determined they're illegal. (because they couldn't prove that they were fleeing a war... however ridiculous that is, but that one afghan kid had left without much of anything, and didn't expect to be needing to prove it. So their choice is go back to a place they don;t know anymore, is torn apart, where they have no contact. Or stay in the Netherlands illegally, with no hope for work, a home, or education.

These are people who want to contribute to society but are denied because they can't prove a negative: they can't prove that they didn't come here for economic reasons.

 

That Afghan kid is sleeping in someone's shed. two others I spoke to were living on the streets.

They have committed no crime, came from horror and have now fallen into horror again.

 

It certainly put things in perspective for me.

and there was a whole bunch of them. it was a small meeting in a church, with both priests and imams present, and there were about 30 kids there. If my government can't help these kids, then I have a serious problem with my government and their ****ed up immigration laws and standards. I haven't even yet mentioned half the abuse and racism these kids have endured from Dutch police, immigration, and even ordinary people.

 

Let's just say it was an eye-opener.

 

It's a messed up situation. 4 guys I knew personally were deported back to their home countries. The way some of them managed to actually make it here is a half miracle in itself. They all had work and wanted to prove their worth. They weren't here just for kicks. Now they're back in Syria and look at that ****ing place now. We have other immigrants that have no intention to work, they just leech on the wellfare programs. How they got to stay is a very interesting question to me. Life (people) isn't (aren't) always fair, I guess.

[Calax]

got a D in my math... but I'm at the poitn where I don't care as much about my GPA as I do at just being DONE.

[LadyCrimson]

Reading some of the things going on in the world today...it's often depressing, yet they are reminders that within the privilege of my own life, every day is one to be thankful for what I have. Never take anything for granted.

 

Hubs largely has Xmas week off etc., and I'm not sure what we're going to be doing, besides being disgustingly lovey-dovey at all times. Could use a new co-op game.

[Orogun01]

Read that Ed Harris and Gary Oldman do voices in CoD. I'd love to hear some of that. But I don't want to play/buy the game. There must be a "most/all the voice lines of...." videos on YT somewhere...

 

Hubs and I spent the afternoon finally making a cheap/quickie platform out of 2x4's over the fireplace brick area to rest the old, very long, wood/wicker cabinet thingie that we put the TV on. Recovers more floor space, raises the TV a bit, and essentially "hides" the fireplace. Much better, both in function and appearance. We don't need the use of the fireplace.

Gary Oldman has a long history of voicing for the COD franchise, coincidentally enough the most notable one sounds just like his character in Airforce One.

[Calax]

 

Gary Oldman's character in the first blackops. I think he also showed up in World At War. Might be a bit spoilery.