http://www.jivemagazine.com/column.php?pid=3381 -- non-political, for some: why star wars fans hate star wars.
http://community.livejournal.com/techsupport/1200479.html -- non-political; "We may be experiencing some connectivity issues at $CAMPUS, please be patient, the fire department is on the way."
http://wibbble.livejournal.com/2584222.html -- non-political; the new face of surly tech support. My roommate: "He looks like he's about to eat somebody."
Via
petermorwood: http://www.superdickery.com/oneshot/51.html -- non-political. He warns for beverages. I think I will too. Fwd: You might be an Arizonan if...
You've signed so many petitions to recall governors you can't remember the name of the incumbent.
You notice your car overheating before you drive it.
You no longer associate bridges or rivers with water.
You know a swamp cooler is not a happy hour drink.
You can hear the weather forecast of 115 degrees without flinching.
You can be in the snow, then drive for an hour...and it will be over 100 degrees.
You discover, in July it only takes two fingers to drive your car, because your steering wheel is so hot.
You can make sun tea instantly.
You run your a/c in the middle of winter so you can use your fireplace.
The best parking is determined by shade.....not distance.
You realize that "Valley Fever" isn't a disco dance.
Hotter water comes from the cold water tap than the hot one.
It's noon in July, kids are on summer vacation and yet all the streets are totally empty of both cars and people.
You actually burn your hand opening the car door.
Sunscreen is sold year round, kept right at the checkout counter.
You put on fresh sunscreen just to go check the mail box.
Some fools will market mini-misters for joggers and some other fools will actually buy them.
Worse.....some fools actually try to jog.
You know hot air balloons can't rise because the air temperature is hotter than the air inside the balloon.
No one would dream of putting vinyl inside a car.
You see two trees fighting over a dog.
You can say "Hohokam" and people don't think you're laughing funny
You see more irrigation water on the street than there is in the Salt River
You have to go to a fake beach for some fake waves
You can pronounce "Saguaro", "Tempe", "San Xavier", "Canyon de Chelly", "Mogollon Rim", and "Cholla"
You can understand the reason for a town named "Why"
You can fry an egg on the hood of a car IN THE MORNING!
You hear people say "but it's a DRY heat!"
You buy salsa by the gallon.
Your Christmas decorations include sand and l00 paper bags.
You think a red light is merely a suggestion.
All of your out-of-state friends start to visit after October but clear out come the end of April.
You think someone driving wearing oven mitts is clever.
Most of the restaurants in town have the first name "El" or "Los."
You think 60 tons of crushed red rock makes a beautiful yard.
Your house is made of stucco and has a red clay tile roof.
Vehicles with open windows have the right-of-way in the summer.
Most homes have more firearms than people.
People who have black cars or black upholstery in their car are automatically assumed to be from out of-state or nuts.
You know better than to get into a car with leather seats if you're wearing shorts.
You can finish a Big Gulp in 10 minutes and go back for seconds.
Management asked me what my costume was. It was definitely notable, because I was wearing all blue, and even that is very notable.
My meeting went very well. I was in the same room as the meeting previous to mine (large room that divides into four; in the corner diagonal from the one where the meeting was). That one was notable for Obso1337 Manager having his son (about 4 and so cute and energetic) with him. The guy was trying to have the meeting, but l33t 2.0 was being very 4 and needing Daddy and needing entertainment. Finally Obso1337 Manager asked me to get l33t 2.0 playing a game on the computer. The 'net didn't load on that machine, so I used the Help Menu Exploit to load Windows Pinball. L33t 2.0 didn't know that game, so I started showing him how to play it. Inevitably, this led to team play of a one-player game, with l33t 2.0 operating the Z left flipper and me operating the / right flipper. There was discussion of whose turn it was to hit the ball. It was completely delightful.
That was not necessarily the most 100% efficient use of my time, but when one of the managers is the childcare for his son and there is a Big Cheese Meeting, that manager is going to be at that meeting, even if the Office Monkey does wind up being interim "here, you keep him quiet" person.
At the start of the meeting that I was to be at, Management remarked that I would be a remarkably good teacher, and had I ever considered that, especially in Special Education. Evidently I am very good at explaining things, and very good at patience, and very good with kids.
The meeting that was mine went well, despite the lack of Access on the laptop of the Big Cheese. The laptop of the Big Cheese was the machine that we were working with for the thing, and communication was so not happening, all across the board. If I'd known that I was the one arranging for all the equipment, I would have done so. I didn't know that I was, and it was almost a Baaraan Show. (That's a reference to a complete and total childhood humiliation, the sort of Public Speaking Gone Wrong experience that is the stuff of nightmares and the reason why I dreaded all reports/public speaking type things until high school. Trauma starts at age five or so...) Fortunately, it wasn't. We got the projector; we got the Big Cheese's laptop; we got my presentation and a copy of the DB on my memory stick; we made sure that my memory stick had no unfortunate images or unfortunately named files on the root directory (very important); we got me with my water bottle and knowing the contents of my database by having re-done a query specifically for show purposes in the two hours prior to the meeting.
My PowerPoint presentations are legendarily good. This one had a nice and subtle background, a harmonious color scheme, subtle animation, good content, and relevant illustrations. Pretty pictures are always of the good. This was very successful, because it wasn't flashy, but it did showcase my skills with the medium, and I didn't have to overtly control it, and then there was a pretty screen to put up at the end to invite discussion. I was going way too fast, but they slowed me down, and it came off (I think) as high-energy and excited rather than pushy or nervous.
Management had me come over to her office to help her with some e-mail issue. It was one of those things where my help wasn't entirely necessary, but I did that anyway. It was good to have some decompression time. Management is much with the love for external hard drives, and is techier than she strictly has to be, but doesn't realize it. She is totally impressed that I made my own external hard drive, even though the technical skill required for that is a HD, an enclosure, and a screwdriver. (Speaking of which, I really need to find the power cable for that. It's probably under my desk.)
I voted. Voting was uneventful. I produced relevant ID, got my ballots, played with my marker, turned it in, had the electronic scanner beep at me, took the long way around home as traffic = for the lose, and got home.
I'm behind on nano. Management knows about nano, and is totally impressed that I'm trying it.
I wound up on zhzh with the crew, hanging out in #election and accidentally hitting myself with chocolate.
