I spend hours watching people on surveillance cameras, and I've come to the conclusion -- much to my surprise -- that I'm right, lots of people are terrible at keeping out of the way of others. I'm always surprised when I turn out to be right, but that's OK, I like being surprised.

I used to think that people raised by Asian parents were, on the whole, better about keeping out of the way, but no, every race seems bad about this.

Please, everyone reading, try to realize where you are when you stand talking to a friend, or scrutinize a map, or stand in a daze. Are you on the stairs? That's probably not a good place to just stand there. Are you in a crowded elevator lobby? Not good for deep conversations. Are you standing between two closely placed bar tables in a dark club? Then get out on the dance floor. Someone is trying to get through.

Finally, if I tell you that you're in the way of others, don't get huffy at me. You're the idiot.

Posted by Nica @ 11:34 PM PST [Link]

I spend hours watching people on surveillance cameras, and I've come to the conclusion -- much to my surprise -- that I'm right, lots of people are terrible at keeping out of the way of others. I'm always surprised when I turn out to be right, but that's OK, I like being surprised.

I used to think that people raised by Asian parents were, on the whole, better about keeping out of the way, but no, every race seems bad about this.

Please, everyone reading, try to realize where you are when you stand talking to a friend, or scrutinize a map, or stand in a daze. Are you on the stairs? That's probably not a good place to just stand there. Are you in a crowded elevator lobby? Not good for deep conversations. Are you standing between two closely placed bar tables in a dark club? Then get out on the dance floor. Someone is trying to get through.

Finally, if I tell you that you're in the way of others, don't get huffy at me. You're the idiot.

Posted by Nica @ 11:33 PM PST [Link]

Today, well yesterday, I guess it's well past midnight, the cable guy came to my humble (and cluttered) abode. I got myself a cable internet connection. It works well. It operates well with Outlook, and lets me use Putty to connect with my webhost Eskimo North. Impressive speed. My husband has spent much of the day playing Neverwinter Nights online. Online games might well be the dress-up party of Generation-Y. It's all pretty nifty.

Posted by Nica @ 01:20 AM PST [Link]

I saw a couple of my pigeons, Soren and Marie, doing a little beak-to-beak wrestling. I then saw Marie hunker down. Hmmm...was she getting all submissive for Soren? Yes! I'm excitedly waiting for eggs.

Now I'll have to decide if I let them raise a family, or plan on some really small omelettes. I'll call them "omelettettes".

Posted by Nica @ 08:57 PM PST [Link]

Yesterday we had something near five inches of rain. For me it seemed like a very rainy day, but not truly record breaking. But it was record breaking.

The building where I worked had some problems with leaks, but it was the backing up of the downtown drainage system that really caused problems. Honestly, it was enough of a problem to be exciting, but not so much a problem to really be a disaster.

It was warm yesterday. Not quite sultry, but it didn't feel like the Northwest.

Today the sun came out. Everything seemed moist, but not drenched. The sun looked almost tacky after the murky light of the rains.

Posted by Nica @ 09:44 PM PST [Link]

Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein are both occasionally cropping up in the media through tapes released to Aljazeera. GWB seems convinced that they are still alive. The news coverage seems to usually take their status of "living and not dead" as true, if not explicitly, implicitly.

I'm rather surprised that most people are not fairly convinced they are dead. I think they are dead. I'm totally open to the notion that they are alive, but I honestly think the odds are against it.

The audio tapes supposedly of Bin Laden and Hussein are touted as evidence that they are alive. To me they indicate that they are dead. Both these individuals are known to have made video tapes before. These are folks who where comfortable in front of a camera. Now we are just getting audio tapes. Doesn't seem like these fellows would really enjoy making videos of themselves making it very clear to their followers that rumors of their demise have been exaggerated by stupid imperialists?

I really think these guys are dead. Funny thing is, I get the feeling that lots of people seem to prefer thinking of these men as still being alive even if they hate everything about them. Maybe OBL and SH personify evil and make great targets. Maybe we enjoy a good chase. Maybe people like the idea of the two men suffering a slow death on the run. I don't know.

Posted by Nica @ 09:59 PM PST [Link]

Maybe he was just trying too hard. Kill Bill appears to be Quentin Tarantino throwing every cinematic trick he has learned and loved. I really believe he worked hard on this, so I hate to admit that it just isn't that great. I like martial arts movies. I like anime -- "It has anime!" people would tell me. It is impressive in some ways, but like an embroidery sampler it is more impressive than fun.

For a movie so full of action, it can be surprisingly slow at times. The martial arts scenes are really nothing extraodinary, and at times dissappoint. The anime scene is interesting in style, but not in substance. The script is the real problem. The writing lacks a wit needed for a film like this.

It's like Tarantino got distracted by a sort of vague but grand vision of a cult movie he could make, but never got around to making sure it would be a good movie.

Posted by Nica @ 06:03 PM PST [Link]

I added a review of Real Fantasies. A neat book with fun pictures from an earlier time that really wasn't as different as we might think. A good book for art history buffs with interests in sociology.

Posted by Nica @ 10:07 PM PST [Link]

OK, Arnold, God willing, will be in the Governor's seat in California. Curious.

There is something else in politics which I find curious; there are no significant female presidential candidates. Back in the 70's and 80's having a woman President was something many thought inevitable. Now it's not even on the horizon. You would expect that women's groups would have lots of power pushing one or another woman to be Commander-in-Chief.

If the UK and India and many other countries had woman in the #1 slot, what's our problem? No lady President in the past, and none in sight for the future. Madeleine Albright was forth in line to the Presidency as Secretary of State and no lady has gone beyond her in power in this country. Curious.

Posted by Nica @ 09:13 PM PST [Link]

I was noticing Soren, my eldest pigeon, carrying about a little shred of newspaper that was left behind when the changed the paper in the cage. It seemed a little sad to me. My husband suggested I cut some newspaper into thin strips and leave the ribbons of paper in the cage. A few minutes later and all three all three of the birds were having fun putting together a little patch of clutter which I guess is their version of a nest. They were having so much fun that I cut some twine in lengths between about 3" and 8" for them, and they loved that even more. They picked up the short pieces of thick string and shook their heads doing a fair job unraveling the twine into finer threads. I also gave them some cotton balls which I thought they might use, but they don't seem impressed. I'll have to get some straw for them soon. I think they'll like straw.

Now I'm waiting for eggs.

Posted by Nica @ 10:29 PM PST [Link]

While most architects seem to argue over what modern architecture is, there seems to be little disagreement as to what was the first example of modern architecture. The Crystal Palace was for the Great Exhibition in the mid-nineteenth century. A big glass multi-purpose space. How modern.

The building caught my attention lately because I was reading about the very early days of television, and found out that John Logie Baird had a lab there in 1936 when the building burned down. First I was amazed that the building was still around almost to WWII times. Secondly I was amazed that it burned down. It was glass and metal.

I guess it makes sense that a building that was successful as a showplace would continue to be used, but then I found out that it was moved after the Great Exhibition. Again, very modern. And I suppose it had a long tradition of showing off "wonders" so early television experiments no doubt seemed wonderous to folks still getting used to talkies.

Frustatingly, nobody seems to know exactly how the pretty thing burned down. Baird mucking about with TV-tube prototypes may have had something to do with it. How sad. The Crystal Palace could still be standing now if they had been a little more careful. Oh, wait a minute. London was really pelted with bombs in the war. Glass buildings probably don't hold up against V-2's very well.

Oh well...it was doomed I guess.

Posted by Nica @ 10:40 PM PST [Link]