Archive for February 2004

Feb292004

We’re back…

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Its really been four years since Billy hosted? That’s just wrong. I can’t even recall off the top of my head who hosted in between. Shows you how memorable they were.

Ian McKellen introduces LOTR:TROK for Best Picture. I can’t really believe the movies are done and that there won’t be another one at Christmas. I need to see the 3rd one again. Its still playing at my favorite theater, Merle Hay Cinema, in Des Moines.

Angelina Jolie and her nipples *ping* present for Art Direction. ABC zooms in for a head shot of Angelina. Gotta keep it clean for the network, but it is a fabulous dress. And LOTR:TROK wins its first Oscar of the night!! Let the fun begin! How many times will Peter Jackson be thanked tonight?

LOL! Robin Williams and Billy Crystal are too much fun together. Billy introduces Robin as the “reason for the 5-second delay.” Robin is awarding Best Feature Animation and he’s introducing it like Porgy Pig. If Finding Nemo doesn’t win, I’ll be truly shocked. And no shock applied, Finding Nemo wins! Aww, Andrew Stanton gives a cute tribute to his wife.

And now ABC will sell us more stuff…

Feb292004

Let the Madness begin!

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Awww, … Keisha Castle-Hughes just met Johnny Depp.

Sean Connery opens the show! *clap clap clap* Scottish brogue…

Opening montage… celebrate the magic of going to the movies.
I haven’t been to the movies in over a month, that’s just wrong.

And there’s Billy!!! Its one of the fun montage/clip things where they edit Billy into all the movies.
Naked Terminator Billy. He’s back!!

More naked screaming Billy!! LOL
Michael Moore gets stepped on by an Oliphant!

And he comes out wearing Jack Nicholson’s sunglasses. And they’re playing Harry’s arrangement of “It Had to Be You.”

Benicio del Toro needs to cut his hair!

YEA! Musical number! I’ve been singing “Oscar Oscar” all week.

“There’s Johnny Depp, the sexiest man alive. Did I just say that outloud?”
“Nominated for playing Jack Valentei’s worst nightmare, a slightly gay pirate.”

Mystic River done to the tune of “Old Man River.”
Lost in Translation tribute to the director Sophia Coppala to the tune of “Maria”
LOTR:ROTK to the tune of “My Favorite Things.”
OMG! Seabiscuit to the tune of “Goldfinger.”
Why am I not taping this?! Somewhere, someone is Tivo’ing it and I’ll download it off the ‘net this week.
Master and Commander to “Come Fly with Me”

And he ends it with a Louis Armstrong impersonation! BRILLIANT! Two thumbs up… I laughed I cried…

First award: Best Supporting Actor, presented by Catherine Zeta-Jones. This award will most likely go to Tim Robbins. Will he get all political? He just won, and we’ll soon find out… he’s wearing his little peace sign pin. Its tasteful on his all-black ensemble.
Clint Eastwood looks old. Leathery.
And Tim is rambling on about actual people related to the movie and him.
Now he makes a comment about people who’ve been abused. Nice speech. Way to stay on topic, Tim.

And now we go to commercial.

Feb292004

Let’s get the show on the road

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Yea! Pre-show interview with Johnny Depp. He looks so dapper and dashing.
More Catherine Zeta-Jones. She is so amazing in red. Let’s see what pictures Yahoo! News is offering up…

Johnny needs to smile more. I hope he wins!

And there’s Angelina Jolie with her recently removed “Billy Bob” tattoo.

12 minutes to go!

Billy Crystal is hosting again this year. Will the show open with a musical number? Oh I hope so!

6:30 minutes to go!

Feb292004

Oscar Oscar!

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The 76th Academy Awards are tonight!!! I love love love the Oscars!

Watching Joan and Melissa on the E! live red carpet coverage at the moment.

Just saw Johnny Depp, he’s cut his hair and he’s wearing a tux, oh be still my heart! Catherine Zeta-Jones looks smashing in red! LOVE IT!

I will be commentating all night on the coverage. I came home tonight and cleaned my apartment, ironed my clothes, and got all organized so I could just focus on this all evening.

Wheeeeee!

Feb242004

Don’t Open that Email!!

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Today has been a general technology nightmare at work. I’m writing this post on my own powerbook using TextEdit while I try and pass another hour at work.

This morning some brain donor(s) opened an attachment from a piece of spam and took down all our email servers and then our file servers. Who opens emails with attachments from people you don’t know?! These are probably the same people who would open a package that is ticking. To be honest, most people within the company don’t get much spam. I, however, get at least 30 pieces a day in my work account because I’ve used that email out on the web to sign up for work-related newsletters and webcasts and such. I’m sure if everyone in the company got as much spam as I do, the network people would do something about it and put some spam filters on the network. But since its basically just me, nobody cares.

Alas, our email access disappeared after I’d been at work for about half an hour. This hampered my productivity a little because I keep more files in my email than I realized, but I still had access to the network and the web. Then about an hour later, the network servers all started to slowly go down the drain and we lost our connections to those. Apparently the guy who opened the attachment had his whole hard drive wiped and the worm or virus spread to all the network servers that he was connected to (which, thankfully, wasn’t the main file server that we work on our website from).

At 1:30 this afternoon, we were informed to shutdown all our computers and that we should be able to restart and reconnect at around 2:15pm. It is currently 3:45pm and we still can’t work on the network. The rumor circulating is that we will probably be down for the rest of today and that the network people don’t have a clue how to stop whatever is playing havoc with the system. I could disconnect from the network and restart my machine locally, but there would be no point since all the work I need to do is either research on the web or using files from the network server.

I had just backed up all my local files and cleaned out my directories last week, so that doesn’t need to be done. I’ve caught up on all my journal and magazine reading. I had cleaned my desk last week and I just recycled everything in my big recycle box.

So here I sit with my powerbook. Typing this entry that I’ll have to wait until I get home to my internet connection to post.

I’ll take this time to share another computer-related gripe:

What is the deal with people not knowing what a wireless network is? Especially relating to home use. I’ve had to explain to at least four people in the last week that having a wireless network in your home is like having a cordless phone: it still has to be plugged into something and you have to pay for your internet access (unless you’re stealing bandwidth from your neighbor, but let’s not confuse these poor people anymore). I can’t figure out for the life of me why people keep asking if having a wireless network at home gives you free internet access. And I’ve had pretty tech and web savvy people asking me these questions. It boggles my mind.

I guess that’s my only other gripe. I still love my powerbook.

On a completely unrelated note, today is Mardi Gras and I’m painfully sad that I’m not in New Orleans right now. I’m wearing the beads I caught from Harry last year at the Orpheus ball. A few chicks that I know that are down NOLA way called me from the St. Anne’s parade this morning.

*sigh*

I’m going back next year. Its a must. Iowa Homecoming and Mardi Gras in New Orleans are two things that I must participate in on an annual basis.

Feb222004

I hate moving

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Getting a new computer after 6 years with the old one is like moving after living somewhere for awhile. You have to sort through stuff and see what is worth moving to the new residence. There is a lot of finding things you haven’t seen for a good long time and thinking, “I didn’t even know I had that.” I’ve been transfering files and installing programs on my new computer for a little over a week, I’m nearly done, and then I’ll tackle my next project: the renovation of my website including my blog.

I just got back from Wal-Mart and had one of those checkout people who think every item you purchase is worthy of its own bag. I bought about 35 items and came home with almost 20 bags, even though the largest item I got was a box [box] of Cheerios. At least I recycle.

Tomorrow we have a new guy starting in our department. As is common, we celebrate such events with food items. I decided I haven’t baked in a good long while, so I’m going to go nuts for the rest of the day and bake a whole bunch of stuff. We’ve decided that instead of putting the treats in the normal “treat area” (which is actually a hidden place in our graphic arts department since there is a non-communications department in our area and they would eat everything before any of us got any if we put it in the common break area. ah, office politics), all the treats are going to go in the new guy’s cube (which is right next to mine, he better be quiet and also not lame) and we’ll direct everyone that there are treats and so they’ll have to meet the new guy to get them. I would absolutely hate that and so, of course, it was my idea. Hee.

off to the kitchen I go…

Feb122004

Its heeeeerrre!

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My fabulous and wonderful new 15″ Powerbook G4 has arrived.
I’m typing on it right now!! Its an evening filled with updates and installs and its just so wonderful!

Back to the bliss…

Feb122004

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Feb122004

04.16.1985-02.11.2004

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Scamper, my oldest cat, died yesterday morning. He would’ve been 19 this April.
I’m going to take a moment and remember my cat.
The above picture is from about 13 years ago.

Read More

Feb102004

I need your vote!

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I have a picture competing in a photo contest on
this website: http://mardigras.neworleans.com/photo_contest/

My picture is in the second column from the left, the 5th row down and it is
entitled “Mardi Gras Morning.” If you could chose the button right below it and
then scroll to the bottom of the page, enter your email, and vote for me, it
would be really appreciated. The winner of the online vote gets $500!

Its this picture:

You can vote at least once a day between now at midnight friday morning. If
you’ve got mulitple email accounts and are so inclined to put in a few votes,
that would be fabulous too. If you have friends or co-workers that you
would/could pass this along to also, I’d be forever appreciative.

,