Unbecoming Levity

Organizational Album

Abacquer — Tue, 08 Mar 2005 01:39:25 -0500

This album is primarily for organizational purposes (I have WAY TOO MANY photo albums). Use the topic list in the left sidebar to select a photo album from this category.

Flow Diagram

Abacquer — Tue, 09 May 2006 10:49:14 -0400

Ah software. This is what my whiteboard looked like a week or so ago. I had to take a picture of it so that I could document it without having the actual whiteboard. Customer-specific text has been smudged out in this screenflow diagram, but you can at least get an idea of the complexity from this. Freeky huh?

A few days ago I had to erase it to start something new on the whiteboard... believe me it wasn't easy to erase all that work!

Political Sign

Abacquer — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 23:01:57 -0400

Yep, I actually have a political sign on my front lawn. Mr. Dinatale stopped by my house the other day, and was nice enough to spend a good 15 minutes chatting with me about issues that were important to me and to him. I liked him, and since he's running for the seat of that wacko Emile Goguen, I am only too happy to support him.

LG VX8300

Abacquer — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 16:50:40 -0400

I got a new phone! I've never had a phone cam before and I'm not sure I'll use it but it's neat just the same. I emailed the above picture to myself from the phone.

Mini Bananas

Abacquer — Fri, 24 Nov 2006 01:29:30 -0500

Awwww... wook at the cute widdle bananas. Aren't they adorable?

These are Chiquita Minis. I've never eaten one, but I can't get over how cute they look.

From the article Baby bananas are hitting U.S. markets (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review):

Some baby bananas, both yellow and red, are simply smaller versions of the bananas that dominate the U.S. market. Others, however, are among the more than 1,000 banana varieties that are naturally pint-sized; examples include manzano, burro and pisang mas. The last is being sold in the United States as Chiquita Minis.

These babes-in-peels taste pretty much the same as their larger brethren, but they don't necessarily possess the same nutritional profile. They're all rich in potassium, but the Chiquita Mini, for instance, contains vitamin B2, not found in regular bananas, says David Lund, director of innovation and product development for Chiquita. A Chiquita Mini contains 80 calories...

1957 Coke Machine

Abacquer — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 07:33:56 -0500

Saw this old Coca-Cola vending machine in little take-out place called "Tory's Steaks" in downtown Leominster, MA and just liked the looks of it. It is indeed functional, as the little sign atop it atests--"Yes it works." Although the price has changed a bit, now $1.50 instead of ten cents, and only one of the slots holds bottled Coke.

The food was great by the way. I had a chicken parmesan sub with french fries. Mmmm.

Black Lamp Candle Warmer

Abacquer — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 01:17:26 -0500

My Mom recently gave Patty this candle warmer as a gift. We've been using it a lot and really like it.

It is perfect for big scented Yankee Candles, and lets you heat them to melting without any open flame. You don't need anything as hot as a flame to melt wax, which will soften and even melt at much lower temperatures. In addition, the heating lamp heats the top surface of the candle evenly, so you get more wax turned to liquid and thus a nice strong scent.

Black Lamp in Use

Abacquer — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 01:19:26 -0500

Here it is in operation melting a delicious-smelling Brown Sugar & Raisins Yankee Candle.

One downside is that the wick on the candle may sink into the wax in this sort of situation, which would be problematic if you ever needed to light the candle with a match.

I Drink Stuff

Abacquer — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 07:37:23 -0500

My Little World

Abacquer — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 12:56:32 -0500

Gawd I want to get out of this room.

And the Highways Ran Red...

Abacquer — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 15:21:10 -0400

That's not an optical delusion. A week ago there was a big mess on 495-N in Massachusetts--a tanker truck spilled several large containers of red dye onto the road. A week later the road is still red, and the redness continues for several miles up the road. As you can see the far side of the road is also tinged with red.

I have no idea if the dye is permanent, but it's been there for a week now. Here's a news article showing what the road looked like then. I didn't drive on it that day, but I feel bad for the owners of all these cars which must be spattered with the crud. According to the news article, the dye washes off with soap and water.

Lunch Today

Abacquer — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 09:01:50 -0400

Lunch today consists of angel hair pasta with tomato sauce that Patty made (num!), Snyder Pretzels, freshly washed green grapes swaddled in a paper towel (I will not eat the towel, although it is an excellent source of fiber), Figgy Newtons, Keebler Cheese Crackers, and a banana.

I'm hungry already. I may eat some of this in the car on the way in.

Someone's Got a Sense of Humor

Abacquer — Tue, 01 May 2007 09:48:00 -0400

I found my Lara Croft cutout had been promoted to receptionist when I got to work yesterday. Later I switched her with my Spock cutout, since it was a little sexist to assume that the receptionist had to be female.

Blog Cabin

Abacquer — Sat, 05 May 2007 08:27:49 -0400

Isn't that a lovely looking house? Actually it's not a house, it's going to be a pet shop. I love the look of the building right now which is going up across the street from my office. When I go out walking the air is full of the smell of fresh lumber near my office park's entrance.

Thousand Pounder

Abacquer — Mon, 07 May 2007 10:31:20 -0400

Here's a giant rock I helped my neighbors pull out of a hole in their backyard. They are building a retaining wall (visible at right) and are trying to reshape the yard so that water will not run down into their basement. That rock is about a yard wide. It was a real monster.

World War Memorial Arch -- Whitman, MA

Abacquer — Sat, 26 May 2007 17:12:58 -0400

As promised here's a picture of the WWI memorial arch that is the center of heated controversy in Whitman, MA.