Scanning: 05/31/05

I've gotten the green light to submit one of my old books to Project Gutenberg, a 1902 novel called A Girl of California. I bought it from UCSB's library discard sale because it had a lovely purple cover with an orange California poppy. My immediate thought was, "well, hey, I'm a California girl!" Now all these years later, I'm scanning it and eventually OCRing it and sending it through the proofing rounds.

But for the moment, I'm just scanning it. There are 248 pages to scan. I can do two at a time but then I will have to split the pages into separate images. While I have some OCR software I'm not sure I can make it work with in Classic. It took two hours to make my scanner work with OS X (10.3.9) last night due to insanity on Image Capture's part. Who the hell thought Image Capture would be a good way to run a scanner? I came very close to uninstalling the entire program.

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Two Alone: 05/30/05

While Sean took his nap I took a couple hours to enjoy an easy read—Two Alone by Sandra Brown. The hook has been used many times before: beautiful woman and cynical man find themselves stranded and must work together to survive and in the process end up falling in love. The book has two things going for it, it's short and the bulk of the book is focused on how they survive, not on how they fall in love. It's only in the last fifty pages or so when they have been rescued that the book becomes a full fledged romance novel. It was the perfect quick read for a hot afternoon.

Z is for...

When we were at the park (the one with the dinosaur) Sean started collecting sticks that looked like letters to him. He found a Y, an I, an L, and a K. When we were on our way home he told me about his sticks: "Y is for Yarn, I is for Ice, L is for Lion, K is for Keys and finally... Z is for 'all gone letters.'" He puts the cutest emphasis on "and finally."

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On the Loo: 05/28/05

No, not really, but we've given up and bought a book on how to potty train. Next weekend after Ian's qual, we (Ian mostly) are going to start potty training Sean. We got the book in Fremont after another day of riding BART.

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Walking Like Monsters: 05/27/05

Sean wanted to walk to the park because that's what they do in Monsters Inc. Sean is currently completely enamored with the film. He completely relates to Boo.

So that's what we did. We walked to the park. Sean climbed, and swung, and slid and threw things. We even played catch together for a while. I also got a chance to read some of Angels and Demons by Dan Brown (which I later finished).

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A Very Long Train Ride: 05/26/05

Today Sean and I rode BART to Berkeley to meet Ian for lunch. I think by the Coliseum station Sean was ready to get off but he sat patiently. At each stop he would announce to whomever was listening that we were "still riding the train."

We met a nice grandmother of three who was on her way to visit them by way of her pharmacist. We discussed the joys of being August babies. Everyone in her family was born in August except for one grand-daughter who was born July 31st. She complimented Sean, calling him a "good man." I couldn't agree more.

When we got to the station, I had some trouble getting my ticket put back in my wallet. So while I was fighting with my wallet, I called to Sean to stay near me (I needed both hands). He climbed on my back and said, "stick to Mama like glue." I'm glad he listens when it's really important!

Once we surfaced we met Ian in the coffee shop as planned. Sean was thrilled. We walked around the block to a nearby Indian buffet. It took a while to convince Sean that the food was good but he did eventually eat some nan, some rice and some other dishes. Ian then rode back with us on BART.

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Riding the Bike: 05/25/05

When we picked up Sean from day care yesterday, he was happily riding around the courtyard on a red bicycle (with training wheels). The last few times he's "ridden" his bike at home, he's just let me push on it. I think on my vacation (starting tomorrow!) I will take the bike out and let Sean ride it around our complex. It will be good exercise for both of us.

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Summer's Here: 05/24/05

We've had a week now of sun and heat. From looking at the weather report for next week and from feeling the day long dry heat I think we're in our summer weather pattern. It's this time of the year that I miss living on the coast. We're only fifteen miles as the crow flies from the Pacific Ocean but the mountain range that is the peninsula keeps that lovely fog from us. On the plus side, the tomatoes are loving the heat.

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Reading by Moonlight: 05/23/05

I went downstairs to get something I had printed and heard Sean reading to himself. Like his father, he tends to do his thinking and reading aloud. He was reading by the light of the full moon. Now that I've turned off the hall light and closed his curtains a little better he's complaining that "it's too dark!"

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Advice from Sean: 05/22/05

Sean's at the age that he likes to give advice. His most recent pearl of wisdom is: "Don't eat the fish shaped cat food because it will give you warts."

Sean's current passions are: his garden which is growing: tomatoes, a potato, garlic, rosemary, parsley, sage, carrots and a fern. His other passion is Monsters Inc. which we have rented from the local video store. We need to return it soon and will probably have to save up for a copy for Sean.

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Train Again: 05/21/05

Today being Saturday Sean insisted on riding the "train" again. So we rode again to Fremont. We stopped again at the bookstore and came home with three books: The Palace of Eternity by Bob Shaw, Homeland by R. A. Salvatore, and Mr. Sneeze by Roger Hargreaves.

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Under Construction: 05/20/05

Our HOA board has voted on a contractor to fix our decks, porches and siding. Work begins June 6th. I'm glad it happens after Ian's qual. exam. We'll need to get the crib out of the crawl space (we'll put it in the upstairs closet or in Sean's closet), and the stuff off the deck (trellises, plants, seat, and barbecue). As the contractors are starting on the top of the hill and working their way down the hill, we should be one of the first homes they work on. Hopefully that means we won't be inconvenienced for too long.

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Dry Clothes: 05/19/05

We now have a new dryer installed but it took some doing. When the townhouse was built, the wrong type of outlet was installed. So Ian had to go to the hardware store and get the correct one and install it before he could plug in the new appliance. He just called to say that he successfully switched out the outlets and the new dryer works beautifully.

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Waiting for the Tow Truck: 05/18/05

As of this update, Ian and Sean are still waiting for AAA to show up to jump start Ian's car. He must have left the lights on last night. His car doesn't beep when the lights are on and the engine is off like mine does. Sean has missed his breakfast at daycare so they will be stopping at Baker's Square for breakfast before Sean finally goes to school (whenever that is). Meanwhile, I'm at work, twenty miles away so it isn't feasible for me to go home and take Sean to school.

National Treasure:

We watched National Treasure last night and it was fun up until they got to New York City. The choice of where to hide the treasure just burst my suspension of disbelief. First of all, the location they picked has four subway tubes (discounting any discontinued lines) running underneath there. Then there is New York's HUGE sewer and power pipes running below the subways. My point is, I find it extremely hard to believe that the treasure had remained a secret for two hundred years given the last hundred years of rapid construction on Manhattan island. My husband though, between fits of laughter, replied that the "Masons must have built around the vault."

Update:

Just heard back from my husband. Sean finally got to daycare at 10:30 after getting the car jumped and having a late breakfast at Baker's Square. We also will have a new dryer tomorrow sometime. It is the companion piece to our washer and it has rack for drying shoes (very important for a family that likes to splash in puddles!).

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Wet Clothes: 05/17/05

Last night I started the dryer, heard the scream of doom and smelled the burning rubber of death. Our dryer which is probably old enough to attend college has given up the ghost. If it were newer and EnergyStar compliant we would get it fixed but we think in the long run it will be more cost effective and better for the environment if we replace it with a new and fuel efficient model. In the meantime, we either have to take our clothes to the laundromat for drying or hang them up to dry. Of course it should be sunny and dry on any other May in California but it's started to rain again!

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My Green Bubbles: 05/16/05

Ian restocked our bathroom with aloe vera bubble bath and milk bubble bath. All of a sudden Sean wants to take baths every night again (we had been on an every other day schedule for a while). Apparently he doesn't like the bubble bath we had been using. When he saw the new bottles of bubbles he joyously exclaimed: "My green bubbles! My white bubbles!"

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It's Not Dirty, It's Just Water: 05/15/05

Saturday it was very hot but last night it rained. Our weather is starting to remind me of Hawaii. Nonetheless, Sean and I walked to the park. For two hours we had the place to ourselves as it was rather wet and most people wanted to wait for the equipment to dry out. Sean wasn't too sure about the slides but I told him it was just water. As he was sliding, he would repeat: "It's not dirty; it's just water." He did end up thoroughly soaked from the waist down and needed a change of trousers when we got home but he had fun.

On the way home he found a giant pine tree branch with pine cones still attached. The thing is 2/3 his height and he insisted on dragging it home. He carried it all the way except for when we had to cross the street (I carried it then). The branch is now sitting by our front door under the mail box.

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More Trains and a Book: 05/14/05

We took Sean on BART again, this time to Fremont which gave him three stops to ride through. Of course, he was thrilled and let everyone else in our train car know. Besides riding the train we also got to ride an elevator and an escalator.

Two blocks west of the Fremont station there is a small strip mall. At the northern end of the mall there is a wonderful bookstore called Half Price Books. They seem to specialize in reselling books from publishers at discounted prices. I saw a bunch of titles from the few local publishing houses (including Scholastic which has a warehouse in Hayward). I didn't see any book that cost more than $5.

We found for Sean a lovely book about a mother cricket who teachers her son to sing cricket songs. In the book the crickets meet a variety of creatures: butterflies, dragonflies, a nightingale, an owl (big plus as far as Sean is concerned), spiders, and frogs. Even though I've now read the book to Sean about a dozen times I can't for the life of me remember what the book is called. I'll have to look the next time Sean and I read it.

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Football by Any Other Name: 05/12/05

Both sides of the pond are reeling over the news of Malcolm Glazer's take-over bid for Manchester United. In England the reaction is shock and indignity of an American buying the best known football club. In America there is the fear that Glazer will be too busy with his new team to properly run the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I think both reactions are equally valid. Even world renowned sports teams are still ultimately local affairs with local fan bases and and an understanding of that local culture.

While ownership of two different sports teams won't be the same thing as a merger of two companies, there will still be a culture clash between both teams and both fan bases. While both teams are football teams in name anyone who has heard of either will know that they play two different games. Football (American aka grid iron) and football (soccer aka footie) are two very different things. To put this take over bid in perspective, it would be like the owner of a cricket team purchasing a majority stake of New York Yankees. Shudder.

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Proof-Reading: 05/11/05

I'm sure this post will be amusing to anyone who frequents this site and has probably noticed my many typos. I have to admit to often not stopping to spell check this site, especially my blog entries. I tend to log in, type my ideas, post them and be on my way.

That doesn't mean I'm incapable of proof reading nor that I don't enjoy it (I actually do). I'm currently filling up some of my free time that for one reason or another I can't fill with reading a good book with proof reading books for Project Gutenberg. It takes a while to get the hang of the proof reading conventions that they use and of course each book has its own quirks but volunteering my time sure has turned out to be fun.

Today I'm proof reading a text book of German poetry (for English students). Some of the poetry is entertaining and some of it is rather corny.

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Another Meeting: 05/10/05

Tonight I'm attending my second Book Crossing meeting in Dublin. I have another small pile of books to give away at the meeting. Any that aren't taken I will leave in the coffee shop.

Playing House:

When we picked up Sean yesterday from school (day care) he and one of the girls were happily playing with some dolls and a doll house. She had the daddy doll and was busy having him do chores in the house. Meanwhile, Sean had the mommy doll and had her driving the kids around in the car. It was so cute watching him actually play with other kids. He's finally old enough to play with others rather than doing the toddler "parallel playing."

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Monday Again: 05/09/05

Given last nights gale force winds and pounding rain, I expected a tough commute this morning. It ended up being quiet on the highways and the weather was mostly clear. I did get some rain on the peninsula but nothing like I was expecting.

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Wet Mother's Day: 05/08/05

We woke up to rain today and it's been wet and blustery all day long. Ian is out working on his take home final and Sean and I are home. Sean's been reading his favorite books aloud to me. I think he's still at the "memorization" phase where he's mostly reciting the books and not actually reading them but it's still fun to have him read the book to me!

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Train Ride: 05/07/05

Sean's been asking to take a train ride for the last few weeks so today we took him on BART. We rode one stop to Dublin/Pleasanton. We also had to ride the various escalators at the two stations. Sean was thrilled with the ride. Once at the end of the line we got out and took a walk for about an hour, stopping for lunch, before returning to the station.

Unfortunately once we were home Sean wanted to "go again" on BART. It was however his nap time and Ian needed to go study. He has a take home final that he's working on.

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Planet Pluto: 05/05/05

One of the most popular searches that brings people to my site is for images of Planet Pluto. About five years ago I did a Bryce image of a cold planet with a huge asteroid or comet impact crater. In no place did I call it "Pluto" or otherwise refer to it as "Pluto." In fact, it's called "Planet X" but it brings a lot of visitors looking for pictures of the real Planet Pluto. For all of you looking for Pluto, I recommend this book.

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Bing Bang Boom: 05/02/05

Three times I woke up last night to imagined loud noises. The first time I thought I heard the fire alarm starting to sound but it hadn't. The second time I thought I heard someone exploding a paperback. The third and final time it was someone popping a balloon.

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Day at the Park: 05/01/05

Sean and I had a lovely walk to the park. We talked about flowers, trees and fences on the way there. It's so nice being able to converse with him now. On the way back he told me that he wants orange and purple balloons for his birthday party (when he will turn three). Yes, he knew that he's turning three soon! He sure is growing up.

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Steps: 7200