Interested parties can see the status of my kitchen remodel here:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=87830&id=504992848&l=e4c77aa939

In other news, Sushi King in Columbia was a delightful dinner choice for composerscott and me. The food was good, even if it wasn't as cheap as one might have wished -- the "Pretty in Red" roll was yummy.

...To let you all know that I did NOT in fact turn into a zombie and eat my cats, the neighbor, and the pizza delivery guy.

Kitchen stuff starts ASAP this coming week. I've begun packing up the kitchen, and find myself vaguely digusted by the stuff in the corner -- you know, the stuff you don't use that often and when you dig it up it's got that "please clean me!" grime layer on it. I am sweaty and not yet done, but it'll be time to head over to Granny's for a father's day cookout. That should be a nice time, even though I won't be able to stay long.

Last night I went to my friend Bunky's place for a pool party. He has this fabulous pool: huge, saltwater, filtered by waterfall, heated, and with fiberoptic lighting. It rocked, and it was very relaxing to just play in a nice pool among friends. Later, there was a bonfire and some drumming, and I got to release a lot of stress there. Combined with a burger and an ear of sweet corn, some decent booze, and the company of friends I haven't seen in ages...well, it was a fantastic way to relax. Despite an hour drive home, late at night, I was energized and relaxed at the same time, and when I got home, I slept like a log.

nongamer is getting OLDER tomorrow!

I figured out what the smell was.

It's me.

Mystery of the missing cat is solved too. While I still can think straight, I'm sending the little one outside where she'll be safe.

Have phoned the police. Took a good twenty minutes to get through, they're sending someone. I told them to send SEVERAL people but it sounded a little nutty on the phone.

Hell, *I* probably sounded nutty on the phone, but then again 911 operators don't usually lose their calm like this woman did tonight. And that was twenty minutes ago.

It's kind of surreal. I forced myself to go into the bathroom and look at myself. It's no wonder my scalp was itchy. Still, the hair mostly came out cleanly, so hopefully someone can make use of it -- and it's a relief to be rid of it so long as the itching has stopped.

When I found the cat, I screamed, Tim next door knocked on the door, wondering what was going on. Before I realized it, there was a mess all over the floor and I *still* can't figure out where it all went. And I'm still hungry -- that's the crazy part.

Yeah, it's funny how detached I feel right now. I mean I'm suddenly full of energy. I kinda feel like I should go out, but then again, the police are on their way.

I know I should feel bad, or ashamed somehow. But whatever's happened, it just doesn't bother me anymore.

Ah. Somehow I got distracted. Did I put the cat out or not?

Finally got irritated when I woke up again. Still no pizza.

Even more bizarre - I phoned the pizza place and they said the guy left hours ago, but never returned.

Oh wait -- there's a pizza car outside.

...except it must belong to a visitor, it doesn't look like it's moved for hours.

The cats still want no part of me today. In fact, I don't know where Fuu is hiding. The stupid little one got freaked out by something and she's hiding under the sofa.

I'm in a foul, grumpy mood. Have been eating like a crazy person and I think maybe I may have something wrong with me. And that SMELL....it's not exactly bad, just smells a little weird, and I haven't figured out where it's coming from. I thought about emptying the litterbox but I don't think that's it.

I don't know what happened to that pizza I ordered. I dozed off for a while, so maybe I missed the pizza guy.

Like, nutty hungry. Ate pretty much everything in the house. Then fell dead asleep.

When I woke up today everything felt a bit stiff and my scalp was itchy. Coughed up what felt like half a lung. Now everything smells a little....off. There is one thing, a new smell that I haven't identified yet, but I think perhaps something in the house has gone off.

Ugh, I really needed to do laundry, too....

Fell asleep on the couch, still craving something.

The cats are avoiding me.

Think I'll order pizza. I don't feel presentable so no going out....not when a meal will come to me.

If you aren't tech minded, or into problem solving madness, just skip this entry.

RECAP:

* [CLIENT] wanted something pretty simple: link to a particular blog in a new blogging site.

Complication: new blogging site sets a particular set of three domain-wide cookies that render our site utterly unusable.

Maddening factors at play:
* The cookies are inherited from the top-level domain, and there are several places where they might be obtained.
* We don't use any of the problem cookies within our site. It doesn't care whether they even exist. However, just having them in the collection of cookies rendered the entire set of cookies inaccessible, and threw server errors.
* Problem occurred no matter how we got to blog site -- even building a custom RSS reader caused browser to acquire the problem cookies.
* Problem only affects our site; myriad other technologies and code bases are in play elsewhere in Client's world.
* Because of how cookies work, the only place I can test is on client's servers.

So we knew precisely what cookies were the problem, but once they had been set, ANY interaction with the cookie collection caused an unrecoverable error. So we couldn't override the cookies, either.

Glimmer of hope:
* If we set local cookies with the same name BEFORE visiting the blog site, ASP saw those rather than the universal ones we didn't care about. So long as the visitor hit us first, there was no problem.
* Blog site confirmed that deleting those cookies would not harm interaction with their site at all -- they'd just be rewritten if needed.

So the problem became this: how can we kill a cookie that we can't see?

News from On High:

Blog site discovered that the cookies are written in a newer encoding standard, and classic ASP simply does not understand them at all. They confirmed with Microsoft that it was a known bug and that Microsoft had no plans AT ALL to fix it, as Classic ASP is effectively abandoned.

Well that's all well and good -- we've seen it coming for some time -- but we have a massive and complicated site that will take time to rebuild in .NET. Recoding for this is NOT an option.

The answer was this:
1. Before anything else is processed on the page, write local versions of those three cookies.
2. Surround the cookie-writing block with error handling; on error, bounce over to a cookie-killing ASP.NET page, and pass in the originally requested page with all the relevant info.
3. Cookie killer page overwrites the bad cookies, and sends back a page that immediately redirects the visitor to the originally requested page.

There was an issue in timing of writing the cookies and redirecting (I ended up using a meta refresh to handle that part, and writing the destination page with a message on the actual response page, so that if meta-refresh didn't work you could click the link), thanks to some finicky stuff about when cookies versus other information gets sent back to the browser.

It took hours of me tweaking the code, and probably 60 trips back and forth to the dedicated VPN box from my dev machine (about 90 feet each way), but eventually we got it loaded up and tested out.

In the end, it worked! So now visitors either get inoculated (with local cookies), or they hit a page that fixes the problem.

Caveat: Making it possible to click a link to a website and return later ....took 10 people two months and a LOT of hours to find out it was broken functionality on Microsoft's part, and then about 1 day to build an effective work-around.

I've been busy as hell lately, as Otakon has cranked into high gear and work has ramped up and all this planned downtime winds up being squished into the corners of my life....

Anyway, most of my posting lately has been very brief -- chatter on Facebook, primarily, but also the occasional post here or lengthy reply. For the handful of people who actually read this and wondered what was up, I'll just say "sorry" and move on.

Anyway, it's con season. That means lists.

1. Finish a bunch of stuff for work by this afternoon.
2. Finish laundry currently in dryer.
3. Get press releases together for upcoming guest announcements.
4. See if I can't get the storyboard notes translated quickly.
5. Take care of paperwork for medical card.
6. Fax credit card stuff to hotel.
7. Send a note to interpreter staff to put them in touch with travel agent.
8. Figure out what I can delegate out to Mike.
9. Get bios to publications
10. Sort out plan for Dad's birthday.
11. Get to see UP and LAND OF THE LOST.
12. Obtain about 15 plastic tubs and begin packing up kitchen.
13. Follow up with contractor on status of cabinets and estimated start date.
14. Fix headlight issue (later today!).

Well anyway that's my life. How's yours?

Assuming my part of this gets done quickly, it's gonna be a busy week for guest announcements.

1. Completed catering request on Friday, aka "$3.50 + tax + service charge PER CAN OF SODA" goddammit! Guests will now have food and drink available in the green room. Sent off to Matt.

2. Being in a train, undisturbed and without Internet for 3 hours on Sunday gave me time to finally catch up on a bunch of email. LOTS of work got done, yay!

3. Tonight we announce Musical Guest #2 (collect the set) and within the next 24-48 hrs I'll draw the winners of the "Guess the Guest" contest. Stay tuned at 9pm, give or take a few minutes...

4. Tonight I will also finalize contract for Musical Guest #3 and Musical Guest #4, with luck. Announcements (and contests, if time permits) as soon as I can manage them.

5. Tonight I need to send out reminders to a few american guests that I need confirmation and info so we can announce them. Then I need to give ALL their names to Akira to arrange travel.

6. Tomorrow, with luck, we'll get final confirmation of a Seiyuu guest, and with luck will announce by end of week.

7. Hoping to hear by Weds of this week on two more J-guests.

8. Owe my staff an email with info-dumpery in it. In particular I need to begin summoning interpreters.

Last Night:
* Launched official Guess the Guest contest for the first of two musical acts slated for Sunday performance.
* Prepped a cool cross-promotion for VAMPS, where you could win tickets to the VAMPS show Thursday, as well as a pass to bypass the pre-reg line for Otakon. Probably launch that today, drawing mid-june. Also, you can submit questions to be answered on video by the band. Watch them butcher your name as they reply to your goofy questions in a virtual Q&A at Otakon (they will actually be flying out to Seattle on Friday). Details will be provided.

Your results:
You are Jean-Luc Picard

Jean-Luc Picard 65% Geordi LaForge 65% Deanna Troi 65% Will Riker 60% Mr. Scott 55% James T. Kirk (Captain) 50% Mr. Sulu 50% Leonard McCoy (Bones) 45% Chekov 45% Uhura 40% Beverly Crusher 40% Worf 40% An Expendable Character (Redshirt) 40% Spock 22% Data 22%

A lover of Shakespeare and other fine literature. You have a decisive mind and a firm hand in dealing with others.

Click here to take the Star Trek Personality Quiz

For those of you who follow me here...

We announced Kanon Wakeshima, cellist/vocalist and all-around renaissance gal (and Mana friend) as our first musical act.

There are at least three more to be announced.

Just got a signed contract back from first-to-be-announced Saturday Musical Guest for Otakon.

Just got confirmation on two musical acts for Sunday; agreement will follow ASAP as we've already sorted out the details (well, 95%). Additional guest tied to this will be confirmed in coming week.

Had dinner last night with promoter for Friday musical act. Looking v. good for that one too, will send draft contract this weekend with quick turnaround expected. Also they are probably filming a video in Baltimore while they're here -- that will be kinda cool. :)

One of our planned J-guests (a seiyuu) had to back out, but that's why we don't announce until we've confirmed in writing. Suggested replacement is being sounded out right now.

Got an offer out of the blue from a dub actor who hasn't done a lot of cons, but who looks promising (provided it is actually the person and not a fake). Have requested confirmation, but if so may work out.

Should be announcing at least two of those guests next week.

Yay! Movement! Finally!

Stop it.

Stop trying to scare the living shit out of us. javascript:void(0);

Stop feeding us alarming, but misleading, information designed to scare the inattentive. For example, when you tell us that "planners prepare for global pandemic", that is technically true, but that is not remotely what we're facing with the swine flu situation -- as the article actually says. You know that most people don't read past the headline anyway.

The current swine flu situation highlights the worst truths about our joke of a media -- it's become so devoid of integrity across the board, so screwed regarding motives and methods, that it's a joke. There is no investigation, no wise guiding hand, not even the "if it bleeds it leads" sensibility -- just an endless barrage of parroted information. The goal is to get it out there first before anyone else, don't fact-check, don't understand or explain, don't THINK....

There is a swine flu problem. It's relatively limited. The appropriate authorities are taking the appropriate steps: warning travellers so that it's not spread unnecessarily, issuing health alerts so that first responders and medical care givers can keep an eye out, and preparing/stockpiling/staging flu medications in case things go wrong. That's it. That's what they SHOULD do.

But "US health system takes reasonable steps to prepare for minor outbreak" is just not that newsworthy.

Former Head of FDA Kessler goes dumpster diving, and explains why we can't stop eating foods we know are terrible for us.

Turns out there is literally a change in your brain chemistry. If we can figure out why a lucky 15% of people (one in eight) are resistant to the chemical siren song of sweet, salty, fatty foods, then perhaps we can turn the corner on tasty overeating.

Possible spoilers ahoy -- but none that will ruin your enjoyment of the movie.

This is a huge success. There were a LOT of smiles leaving the theater.

I wanted to see this movie again. I want THAT series every week, with THAT cast. And I think -- and I hope -- that any non-fans who see it will feel the same way. The movie is fast-paced, fun, and action-packed. The danger is real, the stakes are high, and the plot is clear. Even the technobabble is probably within most folks' tolerance levels (and always explainable in simple terms).

It's a good movie.

* Karl Urban is channeling Deforest Kelley to an almost uncanny degree. We find out why a man who is suspicious of technology and dislikes space travel would join StarFleet, and how he really got the "Bones" nickname.

* Zachary Quinto has the unenviable task of playing Spock while the original looks on -- and he acquits himself admirably. The moments with his parents are as revealing here as you could want, and watching him and Kirk and Bones and the rest figure out how to relate to each other is fascinating.

* Chris Pine, as Kirk, does not try to out-Shatner Shatner. He makes the role his own -- and in the process displays all the brains, pluck, determination, luck, charm, and arrogance that make Kirk Kirk. He brashly demands that you pay attention to him, and you root for him.

* The others all put their own stamp on the pivotal roles, while still echoing what the fans love about them: Scotty's brilliant and possibly a bit mad; Sulu's skilled and a swashbuckler at heart; Chekhov is youthfully exhuberant and talented; Uhura has a keen ear and a warm heart. Sarek is what you'd hope for; Pike is what Kirk needs and a fine mentor.

* One of the things I *loved* about this movie is that every one of the main cast has something to do -- and they do things that show off why that character is the best at what they do. These are brilliant young folks -- the rising stars of Star Fleet. Literally among the smartest, most talented people Earth can produce. And for almost the first time, I believe it.

* There is even a little romance from an unexpected source.

* Another guest secured; awaiting bio info
* 2 cool events booked
* Movement on 2 of 3 planned musical guests

Also bought chicken for staff meeting. Tomorrow I shall make marinade.

Decided to take the entry private. Thanks for comments on it, but I don't really want to leave it out there.

(Fired over the port bow by Mark Pope)

- X what you saw
- O what you haven't finished/saw sizable portions
- XX or Bold what you loved
- x- or Strike for what you disliked
- Leave unchanged if neutral
(modified for ease of formatting)

( Read more... )

So the big plans for this past weekend were:
FRI: Come home to new stove, celebrate with some cooking.
SAT: Go up to Mystickal Voyage, visit with friends I haven't seen in ages, possibly visit some family too, hook up with another friend for dinner.
SUN: Clean the house, get some Ota-chores and followup done, finish taxes.

How'd I do?

Friday: Good
- Hit the grocery store en route home
- whipped up some sausage-based pasta sauce
- fried burgers for dinner, but only ate one (plus some broccoli) for dinner
- went to bed fairly early and slept in a bit.

Saturday: Good
- Arrived later than I'd hoped at Mystickal Voyage, but it turned out the Coffee thing had been moved to Sunday. I did get to shock the hell out of Bunky, and I bought some sage and other herbs. (The intent with that stuff is to burn them like incense; the house needs a bit of cleansing.) Since Bunky had an all-day class to teach, I hung out for a while and then headed out.
- Hung out with Mom for a bit, had a few minutes with my nephew, then headed out for dinner meet-up.
- Met with Tom and his S.O. for dinner in Fells Point. A bit of confusion finding the place (it had moved since I was there last) but the sushi was quite good. Dropped them at their hotel, then came home.
- went to bed fairly early and slept in

Sunday: fair
- made pancakes and sausage using new stove's griddle top
- fixed clog in vacuum cleaner, vacuumed house, swept, mopped.
- tidied clutter in LR and DR.
- opened up the house to fresh air
- hauled out leafblower and emptied my patio of detritus. Dismayed to find that one of my tables outside broke during the winter (probably when the landscapers moved all my stuff around one day to clean the leaves out of my patio). Broken $150 table is not worth free leafblowing, so I think I'll need to get a lock for the patio gate.
- read Stephen Fry's THE HIPPOPOTAMUS (review later)
- relaxed with kitties and nice breeze
- realized while eating pasta dinner that my nice open windows had allowed pollen to affect me. Early to bed.

So I didn't do TOO poorly, but thanks to sinus trouble my sleep got interrupted this morning and I'm feeling drowsy now. Spring is officially here.

Yeah, so I announced a HUGE guest for Otakon today as a secret on the forums.

The guest? Toshiro Mifune -- the go-to-man for all the Kurosawa masterpieces.

( Read more... )

Stuff we did to my boss for April Fools Day pranks
* Swapped out guest chairs for desk chairs
* Replaced whiteboard with cork board
* Replaced plant with a different plant
* Replaced photo of family with a different family
* Replaced coffee mug with different mug
* Swapped monitor cables

(For the record? It wasn't all my idea. Rebecca's an instigator.)

Stuff I found done in my office:
* Monitor switched off
* Lord of the Rings poster flipped upside down
* Chair adjusted wrong

So last night Lori-lori came over to eat dinner with me and watch CHUCK and HEROES.

Dinner was:
* NY Strip Steak (huge!) seared in a hot cast iron pan (a bit of garlic and montreal steak seasoning) and popped in the hot oven until it was perfectly medium rare
* Homemade smashed potatoes
* Quick gravy (made by browning 1 chopped piece of bacon, removing the cooked bacon, and adding butter and flour to make a roux -- then adding canned beef broth to make standard brown gravy)
* Wilted Spinach with garlic and bacon bits (chopped garlic barely browned slowly in olive oil, then fresh spinach wilted in that, then cracked pepper and crumbled up crispy bacon from the gravy prep)
* Steamed baby carrots, finished with a small bit of butter

But also, I had to cook the pork loin I'd thawed. It'll be dinner tonight for three people.

GARLIC THYME ROASTED PORK LOIN

This is effectively a very simple dry rub. A VERY light amount of olive oil is used to prevent sticking.

Set oven to 450 degrees.

Place about 1.5 lbs boneless pork loin (which usually means two loins in a single packet at Costco-equivalent places) at room temp in a mixing bowl and season all sides *liberally* with garlic powder (NOT SALT) and whole dried thyme leaves. Add a hearty pinch of coarse crushed black pepper and a pinch of kosher salt, then flip and repeat. Pop into a baking dish that has had a light drizzle of olive oil on the bottom, and drizzle a thin line of olive oil over the loin(s). Pop in the oven for about 20 minutes, then check with a meat thermometer. Pull it when the thermometer reads 5-10 degrees below the marked setting for pork, then let it rest about 10 minutes before slicing into 1/2-inch slices. You can drizzle any leftover drippings over the pork as well. Yummy!

Last week -- emergency laptop replacement: $2k
This week -- planned stove replacement: $1k
This coming month -- planned kitchen remodel: $????

Yup, I'm charging ahead on the kitchen remodel. I already had the money set aside, figure it's the right time to do it. With luck it'll all be over with by Memorial Day.

Kitchen remodel will entail replacing all cabinets and countertops, moving fridge, adding a third wall of cabinetry, and moving some of the existing cabinets into downstairs loo to manage the clutter. A bit of paint may be needed. (The floor's fine and will stay as is.) New sink, too.

The main reason I'm able to do this is that I've had the money set aside since last year, and then I've also got a sizable tax refund coming in a week or two.