Keyboard of the Gods

Well it's finally happened. While Pete and I were looking around in Fry's Electronics, I decided to check and see what sort of keyboards they have now. I found a slim one that was fairly quiet and was looking for an open box to have a look and check the keys for noise.

Let me back track here - My old keyboard was a standard issue that came with my system last year when I got it. It worked fine at first even if it was very noisy but of late, several of the keys had started to stick. The clacking from the keys was maddening as well. It sounded more like machinegun fire than a computer keyboard. Now back to the first bit.

Pete happened to notice a keyboard on the top shelf that looked strange. Strange in that the keys appeared to be glowing. Immediately I thought, "gimmick". Still, we opened it to have a look and here was this thin, smart keyboard that had clear keys. When plugged in, all the keys are lit with tiny LED's. No more fumbling in the dark to find this key or that key. There is a nice clear blue light glowing from my keyboard. As if that isn't enough, the thing makes almost no sound at all when the keys are touched. No clacking at all.

I am in keyboard heaven right now! Never again will I wish to run my keyboard over with the car. I have reached keyboard nirvana with my AuraVision Illuminated by eluminX. I highly recommend one if you happen to need a smooth, quiet and clearly lit keyboard.

Especially for Pete on his birthday.

I hope you have a very nice day and that you enjoy dinner and your birthday goodies. ***kissss***



Created for Pete Ford, with love
September 26, 2004
by Kate Ford

Great funky music for the day:
Noori - Bally Sagoo
Malkit Singh - Jind Mahi
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - Tere Bin

And always, www.funk.co.uk streaming music,
where ever it is since I can't seem to locate the exact page.

Home-Tried Cooking Tips

The following is a list of things I've experienced while cooking that have made me realize that even the best of cooks do have a bad day now and then. Or brainlock, whichever works best. I am normally a pretty good cook - yes, people actually compliment me on my cooking abilities. Even if they do have to yell into my ear through rows and rows of gauze bandages.

I don't really recommend you trying these as most of them stink up the house with either smoke or alcohol from the medicine cabinet. And besides, some of them hurt.

1. When making cinnamon toast, always make sure you actually are getting normal margarine or butter when you reach into the fridge because no matter what anyone tells you, garlic butter does not go with everything.

2. Be sure that what you take out of the spice rack is in fact cinnamon and not paprika. It isn't nice with sugar.

3. Always, always use an oven mitt to remove extremely hot pans from beneath the broiler because, damn!

4. When eating a snack of packaged highly seasoned corn chips be sure to pay attention to what is actually falling into your mouth. Corn chips are good- big clumps of seasoning that didn't break up are not.

5. When grilling bell peppers, do make sure that what you are grilling are in fact small, red bell peppers and not habanero peppers, which are insanely hot and will immediately cause your face to ignite.

6. If you happen to mistakenly grill and pop into your mouth half of a habanero pepper, make sure you have the following on hand. Ice cream, milk, sour cream, a crash cart, a ventilator and a fire extinguisher.

Access Forbidden - I'm crushed. Really.

It's time for another game of, "Find The Link". Maybe we should play "Weakest Link" here and drum Goalie outta the Goon Union as I mentally refer to this. But no - there will not be any drumming out since I'm mostly (shaddap those of you who know me) nice. While I may rag him at every turn, I understand about the weird-o-meter link bit. Links...ahh yes, another great link there Goalie. LOL... When I clicked the crab link, the following is what I got to see. How nice for me.

You are not authorized to view this page
You do not have permission to view this directory or page from the Internet address of your Web browser.
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If you believe you should be able to view this directory or page, please contact the Web site administrator by using the e-mail address or phone number listed on the www.otterarchives.com home page.
HTTP 403.6 - Forbidden: IP address rejected
Internet Information Services
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Technical Information (for support personnel)
Background: This error is caused when the server has a list of IP addresses that are not allowed to access the site, and the IP address you are using is in this list. More information:Microsoft Support

I'm glad that I've seen this. Now I know what a 403.6 is. But can you tell me what a 408½² is? Ohhh no? Ohhhh I see... stumped now eh? Panicked? Looking for the right thing to say eh? Well I won't divulge what the answer is either. Ha! Suffer!

Escape from Mousetag 13. Film at 11½.

This is an emergency news broadcast of the mousetag system. We have been alerted that a jail break has occurred within the mousetag system. Attached is a

recent photo.


If you see this highly dangerous criminal, do not approach her. We have had a report that she went totally round the bend after realizing that a "wheel" had yet again been removed from the camp.

Developments as they happen,
The mouse news team

Avast Ye swabs pirates be upon Ye!

Ahhh, pillaging and plundering...It's a pirate's life for me!



Ye swabs need to be knowin' that next Sunday, September 19th is international "Talk Like A Pirate Day."

Yarr!

Pay Mad Cap'n Tom a visit, he be havin' pirates treasure to pillage.

Comments on my 9/11 post.

In the interest of comments made in regard to my post on 9/11 I will only say that the comment about flying a balsa wood plane into a building while laughing is not only offensive but juvenile, tacky, common and extremely hurtful. None of which serve any purpose.

Personally, I could care less what anyone thinks the government or media did to force us to see only what they wanted us to see. Did I miss something? News here in Dallas showed only the towers and the people involved with that. Nothing else.

I watched the news all day long and watched those terrified people die. No one had to tell me anything. I have never been a robot. I don't follow the same path that most others follow in sheep-like fashion. I live and think to my own tune. I decide what hurts me and what affects me and no one will ever change my mind about the events of 9/11.

The murder of 3000+ innocent people is not remotely ok nor did they have it coming. No one deserves to die that way. They simply went to work one day and ended up the sad victims of religious zealots and their ideas that innocents should die to make a point. These people were not soldiers nor were they involved in a military operation, they were innocent human beings.

I feel deep sympathy for ANYONE, Americans, Brits, AND Palestinians, ANYONE - who is murdered that way. In my opinion it is murder plain and simple and always will be.

My thoughts and feelings on the losses of 9/11 are in fact my own and they stem from my own personal pain and the deep sorrow that I felt and still feel for those people.

I have no idea what was shown on British news but here in Dallas, they showed it as it happened. ALL OF IT. Those people waited for help that would never come and then many of them leapt out of the windows rather than burn to death.

Their choice was one that I hope I never have to make because I don't know that I could ever be as brave as they were in handling what they surely understood to be their last breaths on earth.

Let's not forget about all the police, fireman and rescue workers that also died that day trying to save others. They all went in knowing what might happen yet they went anyway.

All of them are indeed - the police, fireman, rescue workers, and ordinary people that tried to help, victims. But I say again, in my heart all the victims of 9/11 will always be heroes to me.

September 11, 2001 Remembered

I am just an ordinary woman with a husband and two sons. Like most people, I live an ordinary life. A life created by years of comfortable and sometimes not so comfortable routine. Little did I know that the day of 9/11 would change my life forever. My heart and mind didn't want to comprehend what my eyes were seeing, yet I could not look away. My heart broke as I sat there unable to even stand up- watching in total horror as the plane hit the first tower.

For just a fleeting second, I thought it wasn't real- it simply could not be real. Not here, not in New York, not in the United States. With tears streaming down my face, I watched as people waited for help that could not save them, many of them leaping from the towers to escape the flames. I know without a doubt those lost on 9/11 took part of my soul with them forever.

From 9/11 I have gained a tremendous amount of compassion for others as well as a deeper appreciation and love of all life. Much more than I had ever thought possible. But it came at far too high a price. The sudden, horrific loss of so many human beings left its mark on my soul.

Like so many other people, I too am a victim. No longer do I feel totally safe, thinking nothing can touch my family. No longer do I immediately trust and accept that most people are decent and trustworthy. I look at those around me with more caution. Caution for who or what might actually be behind the eyes I'm looking into.

Still I try to live a decent, loving life where I can be good to people and help others. A life without fear. But I still find it difficult. You see I grew up being told that there were no real monsters. But there are.

I still cry for the fear and pain of those frightened souls that I could do nothing for. But I am grateful that they feel nothing more. They will always be heroes to me.

The blog matrix and extreme silliness.

I'd like to talk about blogs. Blogs are great. Discovering them has opened up an entire world of the minds of other bloggers. I was shown the truth of the blog matrix by none other than Deek. Tally ho Deeky.

It's great that most blogs contain so much of the writers identity as an individual. I try to be myself and write things the way I think of them in life. Normally that's pretty silly in one way or another. But then silliness is part of me.

One of my dreams is to meet at least one or two of the Pythons since their comedy team is the very essence of silly and my personal favorite. They are at least partially - I'd say somewhere in the neighborhood of two-thirds to three quarters- responsible for my silly posts. The rest I blame on my cat. No real reason, he's just an easy scapegoat. Wait - sorry, scapecat.

Anyway, back to the serious. I would like to hope that anyone reading my blog will find something that is of interest even if it happens to be ridiculous. I suppose I could post things that others might like more but then I wouldn't be true to myself. I like the complete drivel that I post now. In fact, only a few pieces on here are serious and some of those aren't even mine.

There are so many blogs out there where people leave the most amazing things. Their thoughts and feelings - small parts of themselves that others can enjoy and ponder.

Search, explore, look, read, learn, experience!

Oh the times they are not a-changing

Ok, ok maybe a bit. Maybe.

It is with semi-acute irritation that this post begins. Lately it seems that everything and everyone conspire to irritate me and send me into a spiral of snarfling, stroppy comments and flared nostrils. Now some of you might be able to get away with the flared nostril thing but I just don't have the nose for it. If anyone knows of a nose that looks good flared, please let me know.

BLOG ALERT! I have just been informed that Deek posted his last post on my blog out of the sheer goodness of his heart so mine would be caught up with his in the number of posts. All I can say is, thanks Deeky, Thanks heaps. Really. I mean it. That is not insincerity you hear in my voice either but genuine gratitude and heartfelt thanks.

I can only hope to repay you someday, somehow. Perhaps in small root vegetables. Possibly turnips or maybe parsnips. Maybe a nice mix of both.

Vegetables are all well and good however, I have gotten off the subject of this post which was written in regard to my irritation level being kept at such a constant high. Of course Deek and the vegetable brigade helped to calm me down considerably so again, I owe him many thanks. Deek thank you. Thank you so very, very, very very much.

There. I've done my much needed Python bit for the day. ...I feel better now.

Actually, all kidding aside, this guy has some seriously cool music and very nice websites. Don't miss the videos either, they're hilarious and always give me a great boost.

*funkbaby Get streaming funk! A variety of excellent streaming music.

*punkomelette My favorite funky punk omelette. Fun site and great videos.

*funk.co.uk Get the funk in here! Learn how to funk up your life.

*blog of funk The everyday, but never ordinary.

Check 'em out and get the funk into your day.

Well that's right.

The very little change or no change is about right. As long as this system is in place, that fact will remain so since each new office disrupts the one before it. Few officials if any actually do what they promise so the American people suffer.

I'm sick of it.

I want a lovely large color photo of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth so I can have at least one political figure on my wall that I can have respect for.

Thanks and this concludes our presentation for this evening. Good night and have a pleasant tomorrow.

This Blog Needs a New Government

.. now it's September and there's been precious little activity Stateside. This is because there is an election coming and of course the mightiest of democracies is preparing itself for one of two options: NO CHANGE or VERY LITTLE CHANGE.

This will cause one of two things to happen: the continuation of the rapid depletion of our natural resources with little or no regard for the future of humanity; or A SLIGHT SLOWING of that inexorable process WITH WELL-MEANING PLATITUDES ATTACHED.

I am not sure which will be worse. Hold it: yes I am. Bush sucks. Get rid of the fucker.