Following Edge

(skateboard design linked from
http://tramseven.com
©scott larkin,
used without permission
trusting his love of liquor)

I got the smiling disease sticker I previously wrote about sending for. I am happy to confirm that it's neither a commercial effort or a religious cult, as readers previously speculated. Mostly an engaging artistic and social endeavor, I'd say.

Along with the sticker came a postage-paid postcard to return and a letter of explanation which "jim" had previously called a "manifesto" in his comment to my original message. I wouldn't call it a manifesto. The intro has that flavor in emphasizing the profit-driven nature of American culture which this sticker "campaign" is intended to rebel against. But, the remainder of the letter encourages you to creatively use the sticker and return a photo with, perhaps, your interpretation of the sticker or your explanation of what you did with it. Anne Marie thinks the author, Scott, is motivated by wanting some social interaction, but, while I think that could be part of it, I think he honestly wants to encourage creativity and artistry.

The postcard is blank on one side with encouragement on the printed side to create something there and drop it in the mail back to Scott. You might say the sticker and the postcard are totally different things, but my observation is that in both cases, he is providing you something available only from him which he is encouraging you to be creative with and to get back to him. While I find the letter and the concept not fully developed (because he's an artist and I'm move of an engineer), I find his "experiment" to be honest and interesting. I haven't yet decided how to use the creative opportunities he has offered me, but I'll stop thinking and start creating soon.

Scott provides his web site in the letter and promises to post the returned photos and postcards. While you can find some of the photo's there already, the postcards section is principally empty, but he announced that the first completed postcard was from Nate Beaty at Brainfag, another Oregon blog.

The remaining issue is my registration of smilingdisease.com last week after I saw the ad and decided that "smilingdisease" was a cool name. I have enjoyed over 50 hits resulting from the domain name and people finding me after (presumably) seeing "smilingdisease" elsewhere. I'm enjoying that, I suppose, even as proof of my feeling that "smiling disease" is an engaging name.

Scott wrote on the envelope he returned to me, "May I buy that domain name from you? You beat me to it. Email me". My first impression is that it's disingenuous to say that I beat him to it since he obviously thought about the word(s) before I did and since it's hard to "beat" someone to something that takes only 10 minutes and less than 10 dollars. That aside, I would have to say that selling him the domain name would mock his anti-profit-motive manifesto and I'm not interested in mocking him.

I'm enjoying the new domain name, so I don't think I'd want to give it up for at least six months or more. But, you know I've been looking for art for this blog and while Scott's art is not in the cartoon style I'm wanting for the heading, maybe I can get something else creative from him instead. I haven't emailed him yet. I'll keep you updated.

Anne Marie and "Grandma Bonnie" and I enjoy the pleasant arrangement of having vaguely equal shares of my daughter Lauren's time. She is really a great communicator, wonderful and engaging to be with, and very loving, so spending time with her is usually something I look forward to. However, she is also intelligent, stubborn and precocious in a way that make me happy to have breaks to become immersed in my work and in home or farm projects. I have especially noticed recently, as she has turned 4, that she is concentrating especially hard on being helpful and cooperative, but compensates by having a frustrating shouting-and-screaming episode for a few minutes exactly once a day.

Grandma Bonnie spent a couple of her usual "Lauren days" in each of the last couple of weeks working and vacationing in Palm Springs. (Poor Grandma!) It has made for some longer stretches without the breaks I appreciate. Not extremely difficult (after all, some single parents get very few breaks at all), but I am feeling a great sense of anticipation for Lauren being with Grandma Bonnie part of the next two days.

Especially with feeling my monthly "thyroid fatigue", and my recent frenzied work project, and my increasing involvement in very interesting programming work with Keith, I imagine myself taking a break and lounging around drinking margaritas. Of course, my weekend will probably actually involve intense programming work and home projects, but perhaps a margarita will be nearby.

There seems to be a lot going on here with numerous loose ends. Here are some updates on recent activities.

GMail invitations: I've determined that a GMail invitation is worth less that nothing, but no more less than the value of a potty chair. So, now to see if someone can be bribed to take a GMail invitation for even less, I am now offering a Black and Decker 18" Mulching Lawn Mower Blade for Electric Mowers (Part Number: 243550-00 works on Black and Decker Electric Mowers LM175, MM275, M575 and MM675) to the first person agreeing to accept and use a GMail invitation. It's new, but a little dusty/rusty from sitting in our barn for a year.

What is the Smiling Disease: I wrote about Smiling Disease stickers and smilingdisease.com just a few days ago and already this blog is the first result in searching Google for "smiling disease". Even though people are finding this blog left and right looking for info on Smiling Disease, I still haven't gotten my sticker(s) and don't know anything about it. Stay tuned.

Immortalize yourself at a discount: Only Kinsey has taken me up on my offer to "immortalize yourself at a discount" by supporting Eugene's new playground. The other two readers of this blog must be really cheap or have no interest in immortalizing themselves. My next step will have to be making more generous or narcissistic friends.

My stereo: Ben has bugged me a couple of times [1] [2] about details on my Linux-based stereo (PookCD), but after writing half a novel on the subject, my workload has kept me from finishing. Stay tuned.

My job involves building systems that automatically recover from problems. When they work best, no one knows how much work went into them, much like electric, phone, or other utility services that we all enjoy.

(This post has been briefly summarized for you due to possibly sensitive content.)

A curious ad appeared on the "free stuff" section of Craigslist Eugene (and earlier in Craigslist Portland).

It offers free stickers if you send a self-addressed-stamped-envelope (SASE) to:

Scott, PO Box 18233, Portland, OR 97218

It promises that "stickers are high quality, professionally produced, and ideal for both indoor and outdoor use. 2 inches by 3.5 inches" and promises an explanatory paper with the stickers.

Curious about it, I have sent off my SASE.

Additionally, the ad points out that "you'll notice there is no web address on the sticker", which is true, of course, since the only thing on the sticker is a graphic of a smiling woman and the text "smiling disease". I thought this was curious and interesting text and, since we all know that "www." and ".com" make any text into a web address, www.smilingdisease.com is now a valid web address (even though it will not take you anywhere more interesting than the place you're already at).

I'll keep you updated as I get my sticker and learn the story behind this. Why don't you send off for one also? It couldn't hurt.

Finally, 3 days after the event and 2 days after Kat did a fine job describing it, I'll give you the summary of the Eugene Weblogger January Meetup.

There were a few familiar faces and lots of new people, especially thanks to Kat's effort dragging in her friends and neighbors. The crowd included:

Kinsey of Tvindy who brought his new iPod Photo to show off. By the end of the evening, I even got to (unsuccessfully) try to help him with a technical problem.

Ben of Ben's Log at Junk 'n' Stuff who brought in both his new professional-grade digital camera and his new Blackberry cell phone.

Michael Moore of Following Edge who brought mint-chocolate cookies in a horrible Christmas tin.

Robert, who isn't reading or writing blogs yet, but is in the learning process to see if he should.

Alan, who claims to be too lazy to have his own blog, but seems to know the rest of us from reading our blogs since moving to Eugene. Alan really added to the social dynamic, in my opinion, and he was still socializing when I had to leave.

Kat of Schoolgirl Sophistry who brought one of her "rock-climbing workout" gifts and three of her friends and roommates:

Matt of IR Coffee Guy (IR is International Relations -- as in Political Science)

Torgie of Surrealize.net who I was excited to see is a cartoonist, but who I determined is a bit too edgy for my blog's artwork.

Shanna of Shannanigans

The meetup was great and ran past 8:00 when I had to head home to get Lauren into bed, but the bad news was that The Strand added a super-left-wing movie over our meetup just a few days in advance and, even though their schedule showed the movie starting at 7:30, it started at 7:00, leaving us only a half hour of quiet.

We'll definitely be meeting somewhere else next time, but I'm at a loss to figure a better location where parking is not impossible, where food and drink is available, where minors are allowed, and where we might find free Internet. Comment here with any ideas, otherwise I may just make another bad arbitrary decision.

If you're waiting for a summary of yesterday's Eugene Weblogger Meetup, you'll have to wait because of these chickens.

Anne Marie went crazy on EggBid last week and (among other things) bought this pair of Buff Silkies which arrived today via Priority Mail. This is the first rooster we've had, so tomorrow shall begin the authentically rural crowing on our little farm.

Despite a day traveling and the rigors of flight (which is not the specialty of chickens, especially silkies), they arrived in good condition and, after a brief break for food and drink, joined our other chickens in the "chicken shack".

Even though silkies are bantam chickens (half the size of regular chickens), the little rooster went head-on with the bigger hens and came out on top for the moment. As a result, he was crowing a victory crow for a while before settling down to sleep. I suspect he'll get slapped down by the bigger hens tomorrow. The "Buff" in his breed name refers to the color and not to his stature.

Just as our previous Buff Silkie, "Pamela Anderson", was an award winner with "best of variety" at the Oregon State Fair and "best of breed" at the Lane County Fair, our new rooster is a fine specimen with "best of breed" and "first place" from the Utah Fancy Poultry Show.

Welcome to "Paris Hilton" and "Marco Pollo".

Anne Marie is disgruntled with my "panty obsession", but it just isn't true. It's everyone else, not me! It started when I mentioned panties in three blog entries [1] [2] [3] in relation to my battle with Victoria's Secret to get what we deserved. That topic was really more about standing up to a corporation that undergarments. I will admit that I mentioned panties in a 4th blog entry about Christmas presents, but this doesn't add up to a panty obsession. Really!

Since my original "Pink Panties" article, there has since been a birage of people finding this blog looking for panties. Here's a peek at what the recent top search terms for my blog looked like on Blog Patrol:

You can see that panties easily beat out even a celebrity weatherman like Dave Sweeney.

Now Anne Marie has even more reason to steam. Victoria's Secret sent their latest "Free Panty Offer" to me instead of to her as they used to. The bad news? When we went in weeks before the expiration of the offer to choose from a wide-sided bikini, v-tanga, v-string or string bikini panty, they were out of the free panties (except for some extra-small string bikinis, which no one wants, I suppose). Now, I'm steamed at their deceptive offer, but I'm "holding my tongue" because I don't want to raise the panty ante on this blog.

Or did I just do it anyway? Oh, well.

People always comment on how cute Lauren is. I think this is partially because we encourage Lauren to be assertive and direct, which people find engaging. Of course, the flip side of that same quality is that she can also be difficult and stubborn at times. Often to the degree that it's almost humorous. Here's a one minute audio clip of a recent example. The main subject of the clip is "Valley River Center", which is our local mall (which Lauren somehow loves even though neither Anne Marie or I can barely tolerate shopping). The best line in the clip is "I don't want to see you unless you change your mind and want to go there... NOW"!

Of course, this is not the norm. It only happens once every day or two and usually not to that degree. Lauren wants me to make sure to tell you that shortly after the clip, she settled down and we agreed to go to the bookstore and to visit her grandmother at work. Everything turned out fine.

Much more often, Lauren is very sweet. Here's a very short clip of a sweet moment to offer a counterexample.

Hey! We've got ourselves a camper. Well, not exactly. Actually, I saw the camper on the "free stuff" section of CraigsList Eugene. One of the reasons that it was free was that it didn't have the "camper jacks" on the 4 corners that let you load it only a pickup. Since the jacks are usually more expensive than the camper is worth, this could be a problem. I wasn't feeling optimistic after seeing high prices locally and on eBay, finding none at local wrecking yards, and getting no response on the Eugene Free Recycle list. But, I found a fellow at a wrecking yard who had a son who had a camper that had jacks I could buy cheap (with an indication that only 2 may be reliable). After pestering this fellow for a week, I was able to get the jacks.

So, I spent some time with Glenn (the fellow trying to get rid of the camper) today trying to install the jacks and load the camper on my truck. You can see in the pictures that we started with one of the jacks ripping off the side of the camper and the camper crashing to the ground and got to the point where we the camper was high off the ground and we were very nervous. Happily, after a very arduous process, it was loaded and I got it off of Glenn's property, which was good news for him. I really enjoyed and appreciated Glenn's help today and I'm not just saying that because he provided invaluable help today. We could belong to the same "progressive, liberal techies living in the country with toddlers" club, if there was such a thing. I honestly hope to see him and his family again.

Now, on to the other reason that it was free... Glenn doesn't own the camper. It was abandoned on his property by a former tenant. This means that in order to get a title, the owner has to be determined by a letter to the DMV, legal notice has to be provided to the former tenant and camper owner, a possessory lien has to be entered and foreclosed, and the camper has to then be "disposed of" in compliance with the law. Good thing I love the law. My hope is that I will be able to end up with title to the camper at the end of this process, but at least I will end up reimbursed for "reasonable charges for removal and storage" of the camper which, at this point, will certainly be more than the camper is worth.

I certainly hope that we end up with the camper. It would be a boon to our vacation plans and don't you agree that it makes a striking combination with the "yellow truck"?

After seeing David's sorry artwork today (I know, the link doesn't work. Not my fault. David killed his blog.), I now have a renewed desire to find a cartoon artist to design a masthead (banner) for Following Edge (to replace the very palin "Following Edge" text you see up at the top.

My idea is to have a comic-style illustration showing me at the intersection of technical work, parenting, mini-farm life and whatever other crazy elements can be found here. The problem is that I've been looking for a comic artist that I really like probable in a slightly fringy Robert Crumb or Alison Bechdel [1] [2] style. The problem is that some of these type of artists get a bit too edgy or aren't interested enough in work to respond to my emails. Have you seen the table signs at Laughing Planet restaurant in Eugene or Portland (highly recommended for vegetarian food, by the way)? That's the kind of thing I'm looking for, but another example of an artist I can't get in touch with.

I'm hoping to find someone local(ish) so I can better communicate my idea. The diversity in my life that's the crux of my idea is pretty easy to observe on a daily basis. For example, here's a partial breakdown of my day today:

• Up early with Lauren. Breakfast is an unusual treat... birthday cake and milk... treats are usually not allowed for breakfast.
• After Lauren leaves for a day with her grandmother, I try to keep the company's main online sales web site up and running under the load of responses from a bulk email sent last night and incredible interest in the new Apple products announced at MacWorld today.
• Work... generate reports, check in with Keith about the project, take care of over 320 emails (200 more than usual due to the bulk mail last night), work on getting new network connections enabled in Eugene and Corvallis, etc, etc.
• Break from work for ramen noodles... pester an eBay buyer to pay me before a week has gone by, call about hydraulic jacks for the new camper (more on that soon, but let me know if you own a camper and can lend me your jacks for a few days.
• More work...
• Search in the barn for a cable to hook up the new "video enhancer" (nudge nudge, wink wink) for bypassing copy protection and recording VHS to DVD.
• Get in the yellow pickup with Anne Marie and mail two books we sold on Amazon yesterday (only two more books left [1] [2] in our Amazon inventory) on the way to the feed store
• Buy bales of straw and game gird feed for the pheasants that Anne Marie bought on EggBid. Also take two bags of wet cob and order 2 bags of "game bird breeder" food for the pheasants and 2 tons of hay for the horses and goats.
• Stop by Jerry's to get parts for the new pheasant aviary we'll be building this week.
• Stop for a late dinner and a beer at McMenamin's North Bank. Do most of a crossword.
• Stop for my evening coffee and desert. Change falling through a hole in my pocket and into my shoe brings humor to a foreigner at the next table.
• Return home and, after getting the mail (I love the mail), taking out the trash, and doing the evening chores, fail to start the tractor. Hoping to avoid an explosion, I carefully jump-start the tractor from our car. Success!
• Unload the straw and feed with the tractor. The tractor is a lot of fun (especially compared to carrying everything by hand). Everyone should have one!
• Come to bed and blog about it.
• And after this... back to work compiling open-source software to manage routing tables at the computer room so that Eugene and Corvallis can be back online.

You get the idea about my life? This day was very work and farm focused. Other days (especially Tuesdays and Fridays) are much more focused on home (laundry, I love laundry) and Lauren. Anyhow, I'll keep hoping to find an artist with the right style to describe it graphically since the example I've just given wouldn't fit well in the header of this page.

I was up all night... sewing. Well actually, I was sewing while working on required maintenance for a computer at work, but the sewing was very important. You see, today was Lauren's 4th birthday and we had a very nice party with about 20 guests, but Anne Marie always spends the days prior to a party thinking about any necessary improvements to our house that would improve the party.

So, it wasn't surprising when Anne Marie wanted to go look for bar stools for the spot in our kitchen that's really designed for them. The problem is that we wanted ones that could match our decor and had padded seats. While unpadded stools designed to look bad anywhere are only $20 - $30, as soon as you improve the appearance, it adds $25 per stool; as soon as you add padding it adds another $25 per stool; and if you want to get a stool with arms, add yet another $25 per stool. And of course, no one wants just one stool, so $100 can quickly become almost $500.

Just when this was becoming apparent, we made the ridiculous move of dropping into Pier 1 Imports where I have never counted on finding good deals. Sure enough, the rules for stool pricing held there, but as we were about to leave, I saw some good quality unpadded stools not matching our kitchen on sale for $29 and had an inspiration. "I can make padded cushions for these stools in a design matching our kitchen", I declared. Anne Marie blessedly did not roll her eyes and, after a brief explanation, went for it.

I was prepared to buy fabric, but thanks to Freddy's having no fabric and thanks to Anne Marie's inspiration, I found a way to adapt my plan to easily make padded seat cushions from placemats. I won't go into the detail of the design as Anne Marie thinks I should submit it to ReadyMade magazine (mentioned here previously). Even so, you can see the results of my almost-all-night work in these pictures. When Anne Marie got up this morning, she was reflecting on our egalitarian lifestyle as she hefted a bail of hay in the barn while I was in the "farmhouse" sewing.

I think the stools are nice, but the best part is that the materials were only $19, bringing our total for four padded and matching stools to only $135. Now that's cheap! (and I mean that in the best way!)

If that's not cheap enough, I'll tell you soon about a camper we're almost certain to get free!

And speaking of cheap, no one has contacted me yet about immortalizing themselves and supporting the new community playground at a really cheap price. Think about it and don't be so cheap.

A major new playground "destination" called "RiverPlay" is planned in Eugene's Skinner's Butte park with hopes that the construction will begin this year. Having grown up in Eugene, I know that the major features and playground equipment that have been in this park up to this point have been there since I was a child. While the city and the Rotary club are contributing funds and applying for grants that will cover the majority of the cost, a major effort is under way to raise the $210,000 needed to keep the project from being downsized or slowed down.

Happily, there are handfuls of local individuals and businesses able to do some heavy lifting by sponsoring picnic tables at $5,000 a pop, but that's not really in the ballpark for me. However...

I heard on the radio that they're selling custom engraved bricks that will be installed in the entry plaza of the new playground. At a minimum of $100 a piece, I am conflicted. Knowing from experience that the playground stuff is likely to be there for 30 years as the previous equipment has, I think it would be really cool to have my name or message engraved in the playground, but it's just a tiny bit expensive for me right now. I want to be a bit generous to make sure we have a truly cool playground for Lauren and her friends as she grows up, but maybe not quite that generous.

I figure there's got to be more people out there, like me, who want to be a bit generous and have their name in lights (or underfoot, actually). So...

Announcing Michael's "Wholesale to the Public" discount brick offer:

• Buy a RiverPlay custom-engraved brick with a two line (12 characters each) message of your choice (within limits, of course) for ONLY $82. That's right folks, almost 20% off the regular price.
• Or express your generosity and get immortalized on a meager budget with a "half a brick" custom-engraved one line (12 character) message of your choice (within limits, of course) for ONLY $41. That's right! Put your mark on Eugene's greatest park and playground at almost 60% off the regular price.

Act now -- only the first ten to fifteen frugal, but generous, souls can get these deep discounts. A great opportunity and, with this offer, a great opportunity for those of us who can't be that generous. Send me an email at the link above or leave a comment here and I'll collect your donation payable to the RiverPlay project and your custom message for your brick. Your donation is tax-deductible, you are supporting a great new playground for our kids, and you'll be a permanent part of the playground.

The January Eugene Weblogger Meetup will be January 19 at 6:30pm at The Strand (Theo's Coffee, Cozmic Pizza, Indira's Internet Lounge) in downtown Eugene at 8th and Charnelton.

The October and November meetups were extremely friendly and interesting and I'm hoping to see some of the same faces as well as to enjoy meeting more of you who we haven't met before.

Anyone blogging in Eugene or interested in weblogging or the local blog personalities should feel welcome to attend. There are well over 60 active weblogs on the Eugene Weblog List on followingedge.com and the diverse interests and backgrounds of the bloggers attending so far have made for a great events. The Strand also offers food, coffee, beer, free Internet access and convenient parking/bus access to compliment the great company at the meetup.

Given the recent holidays, I encourage you to bring a gift you received or got yourself in the last month to show off. Or maybe just a picture if it's too big to show off in person. As always, I'm eager to have input on the planning and location of the meetup. Email me or comment here on my blog.

If you can attend or would like to get more information about future plans, RSVP at the meetup.com site. RSVPing will really help me keep folks up to date.

January Eugene Weblogger Meetup
Wednesday, January 19 at 6:30pm
The Strand (Theo's Coffee, Cozmic Pizza, Indira's Internet Lounge)
199 W 8th Ave, Eugene, OR
http://blog.meetup.com/148/events/3905700/

Also, if you know of other Eugene webloggers, I'd appreciate links to their blogs. I've really been enjoying reading the weblogs of others in the Eugene area and feel like I know many of you a little bit. I'd love to see you at the meetup of hear from you by comment or email.

Obviously, I've determined after offering GMail invites for free a bit over a week ago that no one will take them for free. So now the question is: What is their actual value? Or: What do you have to give someone to take one?

Thus begins the "Dutch Reverse Auction" for GMail invitations. I will post periodically something that I will give you if you also take (and use) a GMail invitation. Each time the value of the item with increase. The first takers get them. Since my recent generosity ([1] [2] [3] [4] [5]) has left us only with a few household goods, I'll be offering up things from around the house instead of cash.

So, starting with the least likely item to convince you to take (and use) a GMail invitation...

A Safety1st Potty N' Step Stool. All original parts included. Not in original box. Used, but mostly clean. Email me if you're ready to take (and use) a GMail invitation and get this fine potty! If this goes, I'll know that the value of a GMail invite is no less than the negative value of a potty and the next GMail invitation will be offered with something of the same value. If it doesn't go, I'll have to offer something more valuable to see just how worthless a GMail invite is!

Stay Tuned...

Anne Marie and I had independently been thinking this week about how to support efforts to reduce the suffering of millions in the path of the Asian Tsunami. Everyone must be feeling compassion for the victims of this disaster, but some of us wonder how to support the folks that will most directly assist in the most direct way and others worry about how much they can help when their time and money already seem exhausted. In the last few days, John Kaza has confirmed that these misgivings mustn't delay us too much and Michael (of our namesakes Michael and Anne-Marie in Portland) pointed out that we can't expect our government to do the work. So, I'd decided that we would soon decide how much and whom to support.

And... as I believe happens when you put an intention in your mind (or heart, if you please), a blog entry came to my attention today indicating the request for tsunami relief donations for the Oregon Buddhist Vihara in Hillsboro, OR. Buddhist monks at the Vihara (temple) from Sri Lanka have recently were anguished worrying about their friends, family and home temple in Sri Lanka and have decided to visit Sri Lanka in less than 2 weeks and take whatever donations they receive to both help with their labor and with the donated resources. I believe the Buddhist concern for compassion and proper intention will help them use the donations for great good. So, even though I would normally be concerned that they aren't a "tax deductible" charity, Anne Marie and I are sending them a donation for the tsunami relief effort and a saparate donation for support of the Vihara.

While the Vihara has no web page, you can read an online account of one person's account of visiting and meeting the monks.

I encourage you to think briefly this week of the people whose homes and industries and families have been wrecked by the Asian Tsunami and concentrate on your compassionate feelings until you feel the natural desire to help as much as you can. Remember how most of us here are blessed with the opportunity to be generous even in a small way to these people that are suffering.

If you'd like to donate to the Oregon Buddhist Vihara, you must do it this week as they will be leaving soon. You can donate at any Bank of America branch through a deposit to account #004540092749. If you don't have the faith in the Buddhist monks that I do, you can also choose any organization from a huge list and make a meaningful difference for someone suffering. Certainly much more meaningful than allowing your generosity and compassion to be immobilized by doubts.