On The Funway

Destination Dreamwidth

2017-04-07T18:16:18Z

I've ported everything prior to this post over to Dreamwidth; I'm gerisullivan there, too. This is likely to be my last post here.

While I've been posting to LJ rarely of late, my intention is to try to figure out enough of how DreamWidth works to reach and follow a similar audience there. The first step was finding a theme that I could bear to read; the default from back when Dreamwidth was in beta was typographically appalling.

I won't be cross-posting to LJ from anywhere. I have been posting and reading more on Facebook since finally relenting and joining it in August 2015.

Yep, it's LJ's new TOS. At this point, I'm not interested in having to wonder if what I write might violate Russian law, especially since I don't read the language. They've made it both too rude and too risky to stay.

I also turned off automatic payments. Since I had a paid account, technically this account is mine until May 2018. I haven't yet decided whether I'm going to delete it before then. Probably, but probably not this week or even this month. I'm looking for a Mac-friendly archiving tool; I used one successfully during a TOS scare several years ago, much my quick look yesterday only turned up a PC tool and a more-complex-than-I'm-going-to-deal-with answer for Macs.

Onward! See you on the Funway....

'Tis the season...

2016-12-08T23:27:20Z

replyhazy works at a place that has an ugly Christmas sweater party. She has decided to go "bigger and more horrible" this year. Earlier today, she wrote: "I have a hot glue gun. Don't try to stop me. The one thing that won't be attached to this sweater is good taste."

I love her attitude and hope she posts pictures!

Now on the FANAC YouTube channel...

2016-11-30T07:08:22Z

Film #13.39 from the Transtemporal Institute for Fannish Studies: Know the Hotel Staff

Filmed in the months before MidAmeriCon, the 1976 Worldcon. Featuring Dean Gahlon, Denny Lien, Jim Young, and a kazoo orchestra best left unnamed.

Kudos to David Dyer-Bennet and to Joe Siclari and Edie Stern for getting this and other tapes from the Scott Imes Video Archive online!

Other videos recently added to the FANAC Fan History channel include Joe Haldeman singing Stan Long and other videos from MidAmeriCon, Noreascon 2 and 3, Aussiecon, the Hugo Ceremony from Suncon (Attn: kaffy_r!), and more. So far, the only two I was present at when filmed were Outworlds Live! at Corflu IV (1987) and Ted White interviewing Walt Willis at MagiCon (1992).

One event totally blew me away: Science Fiction's 50th Anniversary Family Reunion at Noreascon 3 in 1989. It was brilliantly conceived and staged by Ellen Franklin. And, hey, coffeeem you're in it! (Starting at 1:03:40.)

As is SFWA's newest Grandmaster, Jane Yolen, back when she was "one of the middle-aged dinosaurs" (30:34-33:00). Highly recommended.

Town of Wales Board of Selectmen meeting minutes pertaining to 5 Main Street

2016-03-30T05:43:37Z

This post is primarily for residents of the Town of Wales who want to review past business and discussions that took place at Board of Selectmen (BOS) meetings regarding the 5 Main Street property and 5 Main Street Committee. I downloaded minutes from the Town website from August 8, 2014 through December 1, 2015 and extracted the sections pertaining to the property. Most of the boldface and other formatting did not survive the copying process. Any errors or omissions are inadvertent; the complete sets of minutes are available online. I found it interesting to read the minutes about the Old Stafford Road property sale and other BOS business from the last year and more.

Wales Board of Selectmen
Meeting minutes concerning the property at 5 Main Street
and the 5 Main Street Committee

August 8, 2014

Jeff Vannais informed the public that the BOS is exploring the possibility of purchasing the property for sale at 5 Main Street, adjacent to the Old Town Hall. After speaking with Counsel, he was advised that the BOS could make a preliminary offer on the property, and then present this to the public at a Special Town meeting to determine if the Town would be willing to purchase the property. Possible uses for this property, to be determined at a later date, could include parking, additional office space, etc. Mr. Milanese stated that the current asking price for 5 Main Street is $125,000. The BOS has submitted an offer, countered by the owners, and countered again by the BOS. The property would be purchased “as is.” A Special Town Meeting will be scheduled to inform Wales’ residents of the specifics of the proposed purchase, and to take a public vote on the issue. No action will be taken without this vote.

August 26, 2014

Purchase agreement for 5 Main Street: Due to the proposed low purchase price, the property would be purchased “as is,” with no contingencies. Jeff made the motion, seconded by Ed, to move forward with a Special Town Meeting, and to authorize the immediate posting of said meeting, upon the execution of the purchase and sales agreement. The meeting warrant should state that the BOS is asking the people of Wales to purchase in total the property located at 5 Main Street for the designated price, plus an amount equal to the closing costs, and that the use(s) of this property will be determined at a later date. The meeting warrant also should indicate that the funds for the proposed purchase would be drawn equally from the Capital Stabilization Account, the Regular Stabilization Account, and the Norcross Account. The motion passed unanimously. Susan will submit the warrant to Kopelman & Paige for their review.

Town Meetings: Jeff moved to hold a Public Informational Meeting regarding the proposed purchase of 5 Main Street on Wednesday, September 3, at 7:00 pm at the Wales Elementary School, with an alternate date of Thursday September 4, at 7:00 pm. The motion was seconded by Ed, and approved unanimously. The date of the Special Town Meeting regarding the proposed purchase of 5 Main Street will be determined at the next BOS meeting on September 9, 2014.

September 2, 2014

Jeff made the motion, seconded by Ed, to accept the Special Town Meeting Warrant (9/23/14) as presented by the Town Clerk, with the blank spaces filled in. There was a discussion about the purchase amount to be included in the Warrant. It was decided to use the wording, “the sum not to exceed $125,000” (the asking price) for the acquisition price. (The exact purchase price cannot be disclosed because the Town does not yet have a signed contract. The figure will be disclosed at the Special Town Meeting.) The motion passed unanimously. All Selectmen signed the Warrant, which will be emailed to the printer tomorrow. The mailing to the Town will be sent directly from the printer.

September 9, 2014

Ed inquired about the date for the Informational Meeting and Community Discussion regarding the possible purchase of 5 Main Street. It was decided that this meeting would be held on September 17 at 7:00 p.m. at the Wales Elementary School. All three Selectmen read and signed the proposed Purchase and Sales Agreement for the property at 5 Main Street.

October 21, 2014
5 Main Street CommitteeNovember 4, 2014
5 Main Street Committee</b>

The Board of Selectmen is looking to put together a committee to determine what should be done with the 5 Main Street property.

MOTION: To post that the Board is looking for interested individuals for the 5 Main Street Committee who are to come up with ideas on how to use the property. The posting should be done on the bulletin and cable channel and the submissions should be received by November 18, 2014. Motion made by Vannais, seconded by Boyce.

Discussion: Vannais stated the representatives from the other town’s boards that were discussed at the previous meeting sounded good to him. Boyce stated he would like to see diversity in the group and would like to get some interest before the closing.

VOTE: ALL in favor

November 18, 2014
5 Main Street/Committee

The Board has received three letters of interest from residents about the committee. They would like to have members from Planning Board, Conservation and Finance be a part of the committee as well. Milanese would like to have a plan for the next Annual Town Meeting. Boyce would like the planning to be thorough, and not rushed through.

The Board also needs to determine how to handle the upcoming cold moths for the property; if the heat should be run through the winter or if the building should be winterized. There are pros and cons to both options. Milanese would like to have a full board present before they make a decision on how to proceed.

December 2, 2014
5 Main Street

Milanese submitted a letter of interest to be on the 5 Main Street Committee. Boyce stated he thought it was assumed all the members of the Select Board would be part of that committee.

Boyce stated the closing for the 5 Main Street property is still tentatively scheduled for December 9, 2014. Milanese stated they should get an oil delivery to ensure they pipes do not freeze. Boyce stated he is still in favor of winterizing the property. Milanese would like to have that discussion with all three board members, but believes until that time they need to get 200 gallons delivered. Boyce would like to only get 50 gallons. Milanese stated they should find out what the minimum is and get that amount delivered.

MOTION: To contact oil companies for the lowest price and order the minimum amount of oil for 5 Main Street. Motion made by Milanese, seconded by Boyce.

Discussion: None

VOTE: TWO in favor, Vannais absent

December 16, 2014
5 Main Street

Milanese submitted a letter of interest to be on the 5 Main Street Committee. Boyce stated he thought it was assumed all the members of the Select Board would be part of that committee.

Boyce stated the closing for the 5 Main Street property is still tentatively scheduled for December 9, 2014. Milanese stated they should get an oil delivery to ensure they pipes do not freeze. Boyce stated he is still in favor of winterizing the property. Milanese would like to have that discussion with all three board members, but believes until that time they need to get 200 gallons delivered. Boyce would like to only get 50 gallons. Milanese stated they should find out what the minimum is and get that amount delivered.

MOTION: To contact oil companies for the lowest price and order the minimum amount of oil for 5 Main Street. Motion made by Milanese, seconded by Boyce.

Discussion: None

VOTE: TWO in favor, Vannais absent

December 30, 2014
5 Main Street

The closing for the property is finalized; all appropriate paperwork has been completed and the town now owns the property the Board needs to decide if they are going to winterize the building.
Milanese would like to winterize the building because there are too many variables. Although the pipes will be drained, there is no guarantee that all the water will be drained out and the pipes may burst. The building may develop moisture which could lead to mold. He would like to see the building kept around 45[degrees].

MOTION: To minimally heat the building at 5 Main Street through the winter. Motion made by Milanese, seconded by Boyce.

Discussion: Boyce asked if 45[degrees] would be enough to keep the building warm. Milanese stated currently the building was 48[degrees]. He would like to keep the heat set as low as possible. He will monitor the building and take extra steps like pouring antifreeze in the toilets.

VOTE: ALL in favor

Since the property is now owned by the town, the Select Board decided to set the first meeting for the 5 Main Street Committee for Wednesday January 7, 2015 at7:00 PM

January 13, 2015
5 Main Street

The Board would like to schedule the 5 Main Street Committee meeting for next Wednesday, January 21, 2015 at 7PM after the School Committee meeting at the Elementary School.

The building at 5 Main Street needs to be cleaned out. Milanese is proposing that the town has an open house to get rid of some of the contents, instead of throwing everything away. He would like to clean out the Old Town Hall as well at the same time.

January 25, 2105
5 Main Street

MOTION: To appoint Keith Hood, Leon Givner, JoAnne Higgins, Bruce Cadieux, Geri Sullivan, Andrew Bouraus, Michael Whalen, David Foote, David Bull, Richard Learned, Jay Hastings, Susan Hubbell, Cheri Fisher, Roy Lianson,. Carolyn Bochne, Nancy Baer, Mike Milanese, Gary Burdick, Jeff Vannais and Ed Boyce to the 5 Main Street Committee. Motion made by Boyce, seconded by Vannais.

Discussion: If other people are interested in serving on the committee, they are still welcome to be part of the committee.

VOTE: ALL in favor

MOTION: To authorize Milanese to contact an auctioneer for the contents of the 5 Main Street building contents. Motion made by Vannias, seconded by Milanese

Discussion: This will allow Mike to have the auctioneer look at the contents and determine if he is interested, not to entertain any type of contract

VOTE: ALL in favor

MOTION: To set aside the box of clock faces in the 5 Main Street building for resident Pat Wheeler. Motion made by Boyce, seconded by Milanese.

Discussion: Vannias feels as though setting something aside for one person is not right. He does not agree with it. Milanese stated he would like to withdraw the second on the motion. He agrees with Vannais’ statement.

February 10, 2015
5 Main Street Committee

Gary Burdick, Chair of the 5 Main Street Committee was at the meeting to present the town suggestions the committee has decided to bring forward to the Select Board. They are recommending to the Board that a licensed engineer /architect be hired to evaluate the building for a change of use from residence use to business use. Secondly they are recommending soliciting bids for the contents of the building. Burdick offered to prepare the outline of the bid and submit it to the Select Board for approval.

MOTION: To allocate up to $3,000 for the engineering study for the 5 Main Street building. Motion made by Boyce. No second

Milanese stated he would rather get estimates for the evaluation, rather than set an amount.

Police Cruiser Storage

Milanese stated it has been brought up about storing the police cruisers at the 5 Main Street property. Milanese believes that should be decided by the town. Vannais stated storing the cruisers there may lower the insurance so it is something he feels should be looked into. Milanese would like to get some additional information from the insurance company before making any type of decision.

February 24, 2015
5 Main Street

The 5 Main Street Committee submitted a bid specification to the Board of Selectmen to be printed in the Legal Ads of the newspaper for the entire contents of the building.

MOTION: To accept the bid specification the 5 Main Street Committee submitted to print in the legal ad section of the newspaper.

Discussion: None

VOTE: TWO in favor, Vannais absent

March 10, 2015
5 Main Street

Milanese stated he received a call from the previous owner that he would like to take a few mementos from the property and he is okay with that. Boyce stated that the contents had been put out to bid and someone has viewed the contents.

MOTION: To allow the previous owners into 5 Main Street under someone from the town’s supervision. Motion made by Milanese, seconded by Boyce.

Discussion: None

VOTE: ALL in favor

March 24, 2015
Bid Opening - 5 Main Street

An advertisement was placed in the newspaper for bids for the contents of the 5 Main Street property. One bid was received from the Wasiluk Brothers to remove all contents and leave the property free of contents and broom clean for $5,678.00. Milanese stated it wasn’t quite the type of quote they were looking to get; they were looking for someone to pay for the contents, but will keep the Wasiluk’s in mind.

MOTION: To allow Ron Poulin into the building to remove the items he would like. Motion by Milanese, seconded with a friendly amendment that anything he takes is not affixed to the building by Vannais.

Discussion: Boyce added he would like it to occur within a reasonable timeframe and would like him to enter the building with supervision, whether it is Gary Burdick or one of the Select Board members.

VOTE: ALL in favor

April 7, 2015
5 Main Street

MOTION: To sell the building on 5 Main Street plus one acre of land. Motion made by Milanese. No second

Milanese WITHDREW the MOTION

May 15, 2015
5 Main Street Engineer

Two proposals/quotes were received from engineers to evaluate the building on 5 Main Street for a change of use to the building. The 5 Main Street Committee submitted the two proposals to the Select Board to select one for approval. Milanese stated he would like to wait until Vannais is present also to make a decision.

</b>May 27, 2015
5 Main Street Committee</b>

JoAnne Higgins of the 5 Main Street Committee was at the meeting to discuss the progress of the 5 Main Street Committee. The committee had a presentation at the Annual Town Meeting which was very well received. Higgins stated the committee has made two recommendations to the board about the property so far, one in regards to the removing the contents which the timeframe of getting it done for the cost of a dumpster has now passed and one in regards of hiring an engineer to evaluate the building. The committee has received two quotes from licensed engineers, and is recommending McClure Engineers from Charlton.

MOTION: To hire McClure Engineering to conduct the evaluation of 5 Main Street and pay for the work out of the Norcross Fund. Motion made by Boyce, seconded by Vannais.

Discussion: Milanese stated he does not believe it is a wise idea to spend town money of another old house that is in the same shape as the town hall. He wants to resell the house. He does not believe the town should occupy the building. Peter Higgins a member of the audience stated it seems as though Milanese has tried to delay this from moving forward. The committee has worked hard on exploring the options for the property. He believes it time to move forward with it. Vannais stated although he too does not support the use of the building, the committee was formed to explore all options and determining if the building could be used by the town. If they decide not to do the evaluation, then the Select Board would be cutting off that option. It would not be right for the Board to only entertain ideas that they supported. Boyce stated spending the money is worth it to get the answers. Several different members of the 5 Main Street Committee stated they believed getting the answers from a qualified engineer was necessary to move forward.
Milanese stated he would like to see a proposal to do something with the property for the next Annual Town Meeting.

VOTE: TWO in favor, Milanese opposed.

June 16, 2015
5 Main Street

5 Main Street and the upstairs of the Old Town Hall need to be cleaned out. Milanese stated he would like to take the contents out and leave it on the street for free. Vannais asked about the people who had offered their services earlier. Gary Burdick, Chair of the 5 Main Street Committee knew of someone whowas willing to clean out the building for the cost of the dumpster.

MOTION: To authorize Vannais to contact the person who had offered to clean 5 Main Street for the cost of the dumpster. Motion made by Milanese, seconded by Vannais.

Discussion: None

VOTE: ALL in favor

August 11, 2015
5 Main Street

Gary Burdick, Chair of the 5 Main Street Committee was present to discuss the next steps for the property. He believes the engineers report on the building left out some important necessary information to move forward. There have been various discussions on what can happen with the property while deciding what will happen, including use the property for the Police and rent the property and have the renter pay the utilities. He also suggested getting an outside Board of Trustees to assist in making decisions for the best use of the property.

MOTION: To have the 5 Main Street Committee becomes the Trustees to take over the project. Motion made by Boyce, no second. MOTION failed.

Vannais stated what he felt the purpose of the 5 Main Street Committee was to find the best use for the building/property and get a feel for what the town thought was the best use of the property.

Boyce stated his motion was intended to allow the Committee to move forward with things like making decisions on cleaning out the property, not giving the signing authority to them.

Burdick stated they did the surveys and attended the town meeting and most surveys indicated using the property for some type of new building or municipal complex. He does encourage the Board to use the building for something though.

Milanese stated renting is a liability. And he wants to let the voters decide at town meeting if we should develop or sell the property before any decisions are made.
Burdick stated the surveys indicated the citizens would like to see the town keep the entire parcel.

Milanese stated everyone has a different opinion and he would like the voters to decide. He did speak with the building inspector and it would cost approximately 40,000 to demo the building. And we also need to ask if we even want a new building on Main Street.

Gerry Sullivan added it would be nice to have correct information on the land as well. There all sorts of rumors about what is and isn’t on the land. Perhaps that is another study to do.

JoAnne Higgins added one of the reasons the property was purchased was for 3 Main Street. If the property is sold, and the town no longer has the frontage, a driveway for the Old Town Hall will not be possible.

October 6, 2015
5 Main Street Committee

Various members of the 5 Main Street Committee were in attendance to discuss the results of the surveys they have been doing and attempting to get input from the residents what they feel would be the best use for the property. Various ideas were to use the garage to house the police cruisers, upgrade the building for town use, Raze the building and build a new town complex, raze the building and not build anything, place the house and an acre of land back on the market or create a memorial area. The most favorable uses of the property according to the surveys were create a memorial, house the police cruisers and raze the building to build a new town complex. The most unfavorable idea was to sell the house with one acre of land. The Committee had various recommendations for the Board for the property, which included possibly renting the building, winterizing the building so the town would not be spending money on heating the building, or razing the building to save money on insurance and heating. One suggestion if they decide to raze the building is to allow the Fire Department to use the building for training.

Other things the committee strongly suggests is have a property survey done, since it would be necessary to have to do various things on the property, like build, sell, etc. and to have a geotechnical survey to determine if the ground would be suitable to build anything on the property. It was added when this type of work is completed, it makes they town that much closer to being “shovel ready” and when grants come up, the Town of Wales would be looked at more favorably.

MOTION: To obtain quotes/proposals for both a geotechnical survey and a property survey for the 5 Main Street property. Motion made by Boyce, seconded by Vannais.

Discussion: Milanese stated he felt the Committee was only supportive of certain ideas. They are concerned about spending the money on heating the buildings but doing these surveys is going to cost the town over $10,000. Vannais stated he agreed that it is important to have all the information you can before applying for grants. And he clarified that the motion is just to obtain quotes, not to hire anyone to do the work.
VOTE: ALL in favor

November 4, 2015
5 Main Street Committee

Geri Sullivan and Nancy Baer were present to ask the Select Board about the status of obtaining quotes for the property survey and geotechnical survey for the 5 Main Street property.

Bishop explained various firms were contacted but not one proposal or quote has been submitted to date. The Board agreed they would like to extend the date until the next meeting, November 18 for the quotes.

December 1, 2015
5 Main Street Committee

The 5 Main Street Committee had suggested the Board gets quotes for a property survey and a geotechnical survey. Vannais stated to the committee that the bids are all over the place. What he thought they were trying to accomplish was to determine if the house was functional and is the land useable Milanese stated if you are trying to determine if the land is useable you could walk around and dig some holes. Boyce added they need to determine what constitutes a geotechnical survey. Gary Burdick, Chair of the 5 Main Street Committee stated the property needs to be surveyed. No matter what happens with the property, a survey is necessary.

MOTION: To select Sherman Frydryk to perform a survey on the 5 Main Street property, over the winter develop a plan for the geotechnical survey and use the town backhoe to do a preliminary investigation. Motion made by Boyce, seconded by Vannais.

Discussion:
Milanese believes moving forward with this is jumping the gun. They should wait for the voters to decide what to do with the property. He was in favor of purchasing the 5 Main Street property to improve the Old Town Hall, not to build a new municipal building Vannais stated no matter what they decide to do with the property; they will need to have a survey done. Milanese MOTIONED a friendly amendment to have a proposed subdivision to the property done along with the survey. No second. Amendment FAILED. Vannais stated he would like to have Bruce dig the test pits prior the closing the warrant. Justin Mathiu stated he thinks the Board shouldn’t do a geotechnical survey and not do the subdivision. The Board is picking what they want to do and not having options for the town. He thinks they should do the subdivision now and not waste another $4,000 down the road. JoAnne Higgins she works quite a bit with MA DOT and the requirements for a commercial driveway off a state road is 24’. If the town sells the house, they will lose the frontage required for a driveway for the Old Town Hall.

Recovering...slowly

2016-03-29T03:13:01Z

Last Friday, even though she was out of the office, my doctor has her staff move my April 6th follow-up and physical appointment to Monday in light of the pneumonia diagnosis. I was okay with that, especially given how rotten I felt that day. The good news is that Friday turned out the worst. Saturday morning brought a surprisingly large improvement, and each day since has been modestly better.

The doctor's appointment went well. I'm clearly on the mend. She ordered a couple more lab tests, and we'll confirm that the newly-discovered thyroid nodule looks benign, as 95% of them are. She confirmed that my plan to take it easy through the end of the antibiotics is a good one even if I start feeling fabulous before Thursday morning. Right now, fabulous feels farther away than that.

I *was* pleasantly surprised to not be thoroughly wiped by the appointment...and still very grateful Elaine drove me to it. Yet I came home and napped for hours on the sofa after more yummy soup for lunch. And I'm feeling very tired; a week without CPAP is probably catching up with me. But I'm still not going to risk shoving anything remaining down into my lungs; that's the last thing I need.

The narrative that makes the most sense at this point is the one my doctor put forth: a lung infection of some sort caused the initial symptoms that landed me in the ER Sunday night. The pneumonia diagnosis made after the lateral lung x-rays was likely spot on, with the IV antibiotics getting enough of a head start on it that it didn't show on the CT scan 16+ hours later. They also did the job well enough that I started feeling oh, so much better Monday evening. My doctor said the antibiotics stay in the system 24-48 hours, which matches the timing of my getting home and suddenly feeling hit by a brick a few hours later.

I can't blame the hospital for trusting the CT results; it's a better diagnostic tool for pneumonia than the xrays, and I didn't have any of the coughing that so often accompanies the disease. Well, not until Thursday night, that is....

Onward!

Andy Duncan's remarkable conversation with David Hartwell

2016-01-23T04:20:03Z

This past Tuesday afternoon, Andy Duncan returned a phone call from David Hartwell. After concluding their business, the conversation, as Andy put it, "roamed free." I am so very, very thankful that Andy shared the meat of that conversation with the rest of us.

"Do not stab any part of the body such as eyes or ears with the product..."

2016-01-13T10:42:36Z

No shit, here I was.

The Mac Mini showed up. My original plan was to install everything on the laptop then port it to the Mini, but the laptop was off the shelf and came with Yosemite. The Mini was custom-built and came with El Capitan.

I refuse to run two different operating systems as a matter of standard practice any longer. I've been doing it for years through pure laziness (and reluctance to mess with anything that's working). The headaches involved have all but driven me crazy, especially since 10.6 came out. (No, I don't remember the stupid name Apple gave that particular operating system. I wish they'd just plain stop with that particular cleverness and stick with numbers, where you can always tell which is the newest and how far behind you're getting.) Fair warning: you do NOT want to ask me what I think about what Apple has done with and to fonts over the past 26 years, especially in the last 12. No way, no how.

But when I went to upgrade the laptop to El Capitan before installing anything, the user reviews posted on the upgrade site gave me considerable pause. There were considerably more 1 star reviews than 5 star, and more 2 star reviews than 4 star. Many were from the past month, so it wasn't just the roughness at the beginning of the rollout.

So I changed my plan. I'll install everything on the Mini, confirm the applications I use work, and then port everything to the laptop. And if the applications don't work, I'll figure out how to install Yosemite on the Mini and go from there. But I really would like to start out on the current OS if possible.

Which brings us to Tuesday night's progress:

Mini is up & running with El Capitan 10.11.2 (this after installing all available updates).

I've done what's needed with the System Preferences.

I installed Firefox and set it to be my default browser.

Then I connected the new external Samsung SSD and attempted to format it. Hard fail. Second try, it hung on "waiting for the disks to reappear."

I tried again using the laptop. Yosemite gave less info, but it hung all the same.

The drive that had been formatted for exFAT showing that it had 993 GB of space now showed that it was unformatted and had 124 MB of space. Color me Not Amused.

Hey, at least I still have 12 days to return it. And I'm going to Cambridge tomorrow. But wait, there's more.

During all of this, I checked several online forums and such, and searched high and low for the user manual I'd been reading just a few minutes before. I hadn't moved from my chair, so it had to be Right Here. Somewhere.

Finally found it behind me: it ended up on top of my large printer when I was getting other stuff Out Of The Way.

Getting Started starts on page 4. Box Contents, and System Requirements, followed by the T1 File System. The latter explains how the drive is set up in exFAT to support both PCs and MACs, and then says,

"If you plan to use the T1 on a single OS, it is recommended that you format your T1 using the appropriate system for the OS."

Then there are instructions for what to do if disk writing becomes locked when switching the exFAT drive between different platforms.

The bottom of that page has info on the capacity of the drive.

No where does it say "Activate the T1 by following the instructions on pages 6-7 before reformatting the drive."

The PC activation app still showed up on the drive, but the MAC OS activation app said it was missing a driver. When I downloaded it, it wouldn't install on the drive, and installing it on the internal hard drive didn't appear to do any good (or harm) either.

Which is when that PC Ben gave me to work on the Video Archeology project (digitizing the Worldcon videos from the Scott Imes Video Archive) came in delightfully handy.

I headed upstairs to the guest bedroom where the PC is, fired it up, and connected the external SSD to the USB 3 port in front. The .exe file opened without difficultly and the external SSD activated on the PC Just Fine.

The name I gave it didn't take, but the drive activated. It showed it had a full TB of space available.

I brought the drive back downstairs and plugged it into the laptop. It showed that it was formatted and had a full TB of space here, too. As exFAT.

But this time, when I told Disk Utility to format the drive has HFS Journaled, it did. Immediately. Without pause or difficulty. And it even used the name I gave it.

I dismounted the drive and moved it over to the Mini. All's fine there, too.

Win.

The external SSD is astonishingly, ridiculously small and light. 2.09" x 2.8" x 0.36" tall at its widest point. The 4" USB cable weighs at least twice what the drive weighs.

Reading further in the User Guide, I note are only 3 bullets under the "Keep Away from Children, Infants, and Pets" safety warning. The last one is especially worth noting. After noting that there is a choking risk due to small parts, and advising that if a child is using the product to instruct said child on how to use the product correctly (and to monitor correct usage), the final bullet states:

• Do not stab any part of the body such as eyes or ears with the product, and do not put the product in the mouth.

And on that note, I'm going to post go to bed. Without stabbing anything or anybody. Not deliberately, at least.

2015 Nights Away From Home Meme

2016-01-03T05:41:56Z

Travel bumped back up last year after bottoming out at a mere 43 nights gone in 2014). The generosity of the Corflu Fifty carriend me across the Pond for the first time since 2002. Escaping the horrors of last year's winter for 19 days in March and early April would have been splendid under any circumstances, but to spend those days with friends all over England was utterly divine. Thank you all so much.

A mad dash around the Midwest in July found me staying overnight in Pennsylvania, Indiana, Illinois, Minnesota, and Michigan. I passed through ten states, stayed in eight cities, was gone for 12 nights, and drove over 3,000 miles. Eep. Fun, though. Then December found me on another road trip, this time south to Virginia, delivering 14 boxes of video tapes from the Scott Imes Video Archive to be digitized before MidAmeriCon II this summer. Once I was there, I headed further south to North Carolina for an utterly lovely working mini-vacation on North Carolina's Outer Banks. I lived in North Carolina from 1974-76 and have been wanting to visit it again ever since I moved east in 2004.

In all, I was gone from Toad Woods 66 nights, or 18% of 2015, which means I was home 82% of the year. The second digits in each number flipped compared to 2014 when I was gone 12% and home 88%. But that was the low point over the 5 years I've been keeping track. As long as I'm home at least 75% of the time, I'm happy to be traveling more.

Fourteen human visitors and one canine were here for a total of 32 nights. That was grand!

FYI, I spent a few hours in the Toronto airport in both March and April as part of my Corflu Fifty travels, but neither was an overnight stay.

2015 Overnights Away From Toad Woods

England
Cambridge
Chichester
Croydon
Folkestone
Ilford
London
Newcastle-upon-Tyne

United States
Chicago, IL
Rosemont, IL
Urbana, IL

Huntingburg, IN

Boston, MA
Danvers, MA
Framingham, MA*
Middleton, MA*
Peabody, MA

Lansing, MI

Minneapolis, MN

Kill Devil Hills, NC

Iselin, NJ

Brooklyn, NY*
Bronx, NY
Yorktown Heights, NY

Portland, OR

Erie, PA
McDonald, PA

Fredricksburg, VA

In flight
YYZ-LHR (over Atlantic Ocean)
PDX-BOS (over US)

Science-fiction Conventions
2015 conventions attended: Arisia (Saturday only), Boskone, Corflu, Eastercon. IIRC, this is the fewest conventions I've attended in a year since, well, forever. For values of forever equal to about 30 years, more or less. It feels like I must have left at least one out; did I seriously attend my last convention of the year at the beginning of April?!?!? That seems so unlikely, and yet.... Then again, both Tynecon 3: the Corflu and Dysprosium were grand — a complete high point of my convention year.

2016 conventions I hope and/or expect to be at: Boskone, Vericon, Corflu, ConQuesT, MidAmeriCon II, and Smofcon.

Overnight Visitors at Toad Woods

I think 2015 brought the most overnight visitors — 14 — to stay in the Zeppelin Hangar here at Toad Woods. Friends were here for just 32 nights compared to 44 nights last year and 41 the year before (those numbers primarily due to Gavi's attendance at Smith College and various nights she spent here in conjunction with that). But most of May was filled with five guests who stayed between 4 and 18 nights in conjunction with Gavi's graduation from Smith. Between a busy senior year at Smith and her graduate studies at the Courtauld Institute in London, Gavi was here for 9 nights in 2015. That's quite a drop compared with 27 and 31 nights in the previous two years. But I'm storing a bunch of her stuff; I'm sure she'll be back! :-)

Overnight vistors who had stayed here before:
• Fred, Susan, & Gavi Levy Haskell
• Ben Yalow
• Joe Siclari & Edie Stern
• Sheila Perry
• Patrick & Teresa Nielsen Hayden

First-time overnight visitors:
• Stuart Levy & Karen M/e/d/i/n/a/ Evans Levy
• Ken & Cindy Coviak
• Lydia Nickerson

& Shine, one of Sheila's Briards.

Hope you'll all come back soon, and often, too. It's sheer delight sharing the Zeppelin Hangar with you!

Links to past meme reports
2014
2013
2012
2011

Recipe: Egg & Mussel Salad

2015-12-30T00:24:11Z

Teresa Nielsen Hayden and I tossed around several possibilities and came up with a recipe using the cooked mussel meat I'd found at the grocery store. It went over very well when I served it on Christmas Day.

All quantities are estimates, well, except for the number of hard-boiled eggs I used. I'm confident that the recipe is very forgiving when it comes to the amounts of the ingredients.

Enjoy!

Egg & Mussel Salad
by Teresa Nielsen Hayden & Geri Sullivan

Ingredients
4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped up as if for egg salad

2.5-3 oz cooked mussel meat (unseasoned) – lightly chop mussels (halved or quartered at most; you can easily leave some whole)

About 1/3 cup homemade mayonnaise (I used Alton Brown's recipe, and also pasteurized the eggs — see below for links to both)

Penzey's Singapore seasoning blend to taste – I probably used 1.5–2 teaspoons

1-2 teaspoons capers, or to taste – lightly chopped (halved, not minced)

About 2 oz pitted black olives to taste, roughly chopped up

1 Shallot, thinly sliced and chopped

Ground pepper, to taste (I used Trader Joe's Rainbow Peppercorns)

Preparation
Add Singapore Seasoning blend to mayonnaise. Stir in thoroughly.

Mix everything together using a large spoon or spatula. If time permits, refrigerate for a few hours so flavors can blend.

I served it as an appetizer along with baguette slices and cucumber slices cut thickly enough to serve as the base (about 1/8" thick). Cocktail rye and crackers would likely also work well.

========

Homemade Mayonnaise by Alton Brown.

(GeriNote: I double the recipe and use a KitchenAid mixer for all of the whisking.)

========

How to Pasteurize Eggs

Spellcheck: Att'n Pamela, Att'n Karen J.

2015-11-19T07:04:39Z

Needed: the right and proper spelling & capitalization of Hippotopher/Hippotifer/you get the idea.

I've just had the delight of watching a couple of minutes of video with Jim Young interviewing Jon Singer, Bob Vardeman, and a small hippotifer at MidAmeriCon. Jon's interviewed as the head of the Bozos, Beaners, and Boogies Union, and the entire thing is charmingly bizarre, just as it should be.

So when DD-B or someone else makes a video snippet we can show, I want to make sure we spell all of the names correctly in the titles. :-)

Some recipes are just too simple

2015-11-14T07:25:45Z

I believe minnehaha K. was the first person to sing the praises of homemade mayonnaise and the simplicity of making it. I certainly learned how to make homemade croutons from her and don't think I've bought packaged croutons since.

Tonight, thanks to the raksallad (shrimp salad) I'm taking to a Scandinavian potluck tomorrow, I've finally made my own mayo for the first time ever. Yep, pretty durned tasty stuff.

Alton Brown recipe, modified by using sunflower oil rather than safflower (’cause I forgot which one I had in my cupboard while shopping, and the only olive oil I have on hand is extra virgin. Something like 3 bottles of it, but there you go). Preparation modified thanks to the Kitchenaid mixer debgeisler gave me when she upgraded. I don't have an immersion mixer, and if I have a blender, it's been so long since I used it that I stopped looking after 3 likely cupboards because I'm just not sure there's one to be found. I do have a hand-me-down 1970s food processor that's been amazing the couple of times I've used it over the last 7 years or so, but I don't really have the hang of it yet.

Anyway, I picked the Alton Brown recipe both because I trust him and it called for hand whisking. But I read enough comments on various recipes and doubted not only that my wrist and arm was up to the task, but was also pretty doubtful that I could coordinate the whole thin stream of oil while whisking thing.

So I turned to the Kitchenaid, and it did a spiff job.

Now to chop the shrimp, and mix it with the Créme fraiche, freshly-made may, Dijon mustard, ketchup (really?!) and paprika. I'm going with Penzey's smoked paprikia, ’cause that just seeem right.

The recipe came from scandinaviafood.com after printing out several different shrimp salad recipes all alleging to be Scandinavian. (Every family's grandmothers have their favorites, no doubt.) But a close read of it doesn't show the mayo ever being added! I'm betting that's a error of omission rather than an error of listing an extra ingredient, especially after reading other recipes.

I'm going to serve the raksallad as an appetizer with cocktail rye, crackers, and cucumber slices as choices for carrier devices.

One of the recipes I'm not using specifically said that the mayo didn't have to be homemade, which only served to put the idea in my head. And the rest of the recipe is just too darned easy. I like these potlucks not only because they're leading me to regularly make things I've never made before, but also to learn new cooking techniques in the process. Hence, the homemade mayo.

Yum.

Hope your weekend is as much fun as mine looks to be!

Happy Birthday, Don Fitch!

2015-11-02T09:21:33Z

Happy 87th birthday to the wonderfully incomparable don_fitch! As we begin this month of giving thanks, I send thanks and glee to the universe and fandom for bringing you into my life a few decades back, and to you for adding so much delight to it through your friendship, sensibilities, and skills with a slip-sheeter. And so much more, oh, so much more.

Know that your 88th year spinning ’round the sun starts with as much love as I can possibly send through the electrons, with equal measures of respect and admiration accompanying it.

Hugo Awards ceremony video replay

2015-08-27T01:53:37Z

The 2015 Hugo Awards ceremony is up and running on the Livestream.com website.

It's in 4 segments and includes the pre-show and post-show.

I've seen several comments about the UStream feed over the past few days. At this time, I don't know whether the video will eventually be posted there or not.

And the Big Heart Award goes to...

2015-08-23T03:57:04Z

...Ben Yalow!

Geri Sullivan: Girl Homeowner

2015-08-19T12:11:58Z

AKA: They'll let anybody own a house, whether they're fit to or not

Sunday evening: water flowing from hot water tap is first sorta warmish, then distinctly lacking in anything resembling heat.

Background: my boiler heats my water; I don't have a separate water heater.

I do various things: try another tap; go downstairs and peer at the silent boiler; shine a light and notice it appears to be seeping water onto the floor an a somewhat increased rate; turn the thermostat to heat and crank the temp up to 86 in an attempt to get the boiler to start up (*click* *click* *nothing*); and eventually go to bed, thanking the stars and calendar that it's August and who needs hot water anyway.

Monday: Call Boiler Guy. "This number is temporarily disconnected." Hmmm....that, combined with the fact that they didn't return repeated calls for a cleaning throughout the last utterly horrid heating season leads me to suspect they may be out of business.

Call place that delivers my oil, remembering a letter mentioning that they do cleanings now. Beside, it's Squier Oil. Of my Squiers. So, hey. Talk with Ed, the guy who worked with me to coordinate deliveries during aforementioned horrid heating season, when it was impossible to shovel a path to the fill cap. Mention need for cleaning, water on floor, furnace that won't come on. Arrange for Wednesday visit. Learn why a bit of seeping is better left alone. State that I think I'm beyond a bit of seeping. Learn a thing to try with the water valves, 'cause minerals sometimes build up and stop the auto-fill for the water.

Still no boiler action; still no hot water.

Leave for a couple of days. Stay with friendly cat in a lovely, comfortable home. It's good to have friends, especially friends who give you house keys for decades at a time. Answer phone call to schedule time for Wednesday visit; talk about some of the details with the scheduler. Shower. Ah, warm water is nice, especially in a house with central air. Make contingency plans about possibly needing to return.

Come home. Work. Clear out storage bins near boiler so new Boiler Guy(s) will be able to work. Attempt to sweep cobwebs from rafters. Tidy upstairs, well, at least somewhat. Faff around on FB and other, usual net destinations. Write and send funding request for Scott Imes Video Archive digitizing project.

Answer phone call confirming 10:30am appointment for boiler cleaning. Scheduler asks (in a confirming sort of tone), "And it doesn't come on when you push the reset button, right?"

Geri Sullivan, Girl Homeowner responds with a query of her own: "There's a reset button?"

Duh.

Get off phone, go downstairs and stare at boiler. Notice little red button and the instruction next to it: "Push to Reset."

Well, okay. Push button. Boiler fires right up.

Something like 10-15 minutes later, it turns off. I go to kitchen tap, set it to hot, and let the water run. It takes a bit longer than usual, but hot (not just warmish, *hot*) water is soon running from the tap.

They're still coming at 10:30. The boiler rather desperately needs cleaning and there's still all that seeping water on the floor. But I have hot water. And I'll probably remember that my boiler has an easy-to-find, easy-to-use reset button.

They'll let anybody own a house. There aren't any qualifying tests demonstrating competencies for living in it, using the appliances correctly, or repairing anything.

Just like they'll let anybody join Facebook, whether or not they know if long, chatty posts are appropriate there. Apologies to friends seeing this in both places.*

Onward.

*Yes, I joined Facebook. Really. After all these years of adamantly staying away it and everything. But I'm damned if I'm going to put the app on my phone. Not while they demand access to my frigging call history to install it. And other things....

Okay, okay, we all know I'm damned anyway. I'm on Facebook.

Worldcon Site Selection: Why I'm Voting for DC17

2015-07-29T15:06:38Z

My Worldcon Site Selection ballot went in the mail last week, with DC17 in first place. Many factors went into my vote, but the bottom line for me came down to the committee. The DC17 bid committee is gob-smackingly large, but that’s because it’s composed of bunches of next generation convention runners working with experienced oldpharts. I imprinted on a multi-generational fandom, developing close friendships with Walt Willis, Chuch Harris, James White, Vin¢ Clarke, and others when they were in their 60s and 70s and I was in my 30s and 40s. Now that I’m in my 60s, I love that my circle of friends has grown to include fans in their 20s and 30s as well as those in my age group and older.

That’s the personal side of it. From a fannish perspective, I’m glad (and relieved) to see the younger fans on the DC committee -- and those I’m working with on MidAmeriCon II -- eagerly learning about fannish traditions and sensibilities, and carrying the things I love about fandom forward into the future. And I'm glad to see the depth of experience present as well.

Articles I never expected to read in the Wall Street Journal...

2015-07-11T04:14:06Z

I have a few minor nits, but the Wall Street Journal mostly got this article about convention naming terminology and practices right.

The article even mentions Fancyclopedia, and links to it on fanac.org.

Other terminology I never expected to see in the Wall Street Journal, let alone pretty much correctly used? "Relaxacons." I especially like the article's close:

"No matter the size of the gathering, con-goers are sure to find a convivial convergence of confederates."

Kudos to Ben Zimmer and his "Word on the Street" column.

Tripping Down Memory Lane

2015-06-28T20:55:15Z

Thanks to benveniste, I've just digitized 320 slides including the 4 below. What a fun trip down memory lane.

(Clicking through takes you to a larger image. kaffy_r, I'll give you the full res versions when I'm in Chicago next month. Oh, yeah, I ought to tell you, I'm hoping to celebrate #61 with you, dr_whuh, and that carnyjack guy who is no longer on LJ.)

Minicon 20, 1985. Bob Berlien & the White Women, Musician GoHs

A short story I obviously needed to read

2015-06-17T03:20:20Z

Toad Words, by Ursula Vernon.

Recommended.

With a tip o'the link hat to ULTRAGOTHA on File 770.

Then and now...

2015-06-06T06:55:43Z

...for values of then = 50 years ago and now = merely two.

1965: Rolling Stones (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction

2013: Rolling Stones "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction at Glastonbury.

Mick Jagger was a month short of 70 for that Glastonbury performance. It shows in his voice, which is what sent me looking for the earlier footage. But the visuals, and the similarities and differences between the two performances -- in body language, in the audiences, in staging, and, well, everything -- is what has me intrigued and watching tonight.

I was alive for both, and present at neither. Thanks to the fact that we live in the future, I can watch both anytime I want, 24/7, on a large monitor while sitting in my office or pretty much anywhere at all on my phone.

14 miles WSW of Battle Creek...

2015-05-03T08:09:33Z

...was the location of a magnitude 4.2 earthquake that happened in Michigan early Saturday afternoon. Mostly startling rather than damaging, from the bits I've read, but some folks won't be driving up their street for a bit.

Michigan earthquakes are rare enough that it's getting reported and tweeted about not just all over the country, but worldwide, too. Not what I was expecting to see when doing a late-night email and net pass. I'm surprised to read reports of it being felt from Toledo and Detroit to Chicago. That seems like a large distance for such a mild earthquake.

My favorite report so far came near the end of the article on the Battle Creek Enquirer website:

Pennfield resident Laura Otte said she initially thought a medical helicopter was flying over her home near Bailey Park.

But instead, she said, the sound intensified.

"The large mirror on the wall by my chair was shaking and sending bouncing reflections around the wall which told me this was something very different," Otte said on Facebook.

She went outside and asked her neighbor if he felt an earthquake. He calmly said yes and continued gardening, Otte said.

Great neighbor!

Geri Sullivan: Girl Homeowner

2015-04-21T00:34:35Z

Replaced the upstairs toilet seat last night. The plastic hinges had broken, separating the lid from the seat. Turns out the plastic had grown brittle with age.

It got me thinking about how many toilet seats I've replaced in my life. None before first becoming a homeowner in 1980; none before moving into Toad Hall in 1983, as far as I can remember. Once for sure, probably twice during my 20 years there. I know I changed the toilet seat on the first floor here at Toad Woods a few or several years ago. I think I might have changed the upstairs seat at the same time, but that's a hazy possibility at most. This is the first time I remember replacement being due to broken hinges, certainly broken hinges where the lid comes off. Usually the seat itself gets scratched, paint chips, or the surface degrades such that it no longer seems or looks sanitary.

So four, maybe five, maybe even six seats in all. Not all that many given the 35 years we're talking about. If only all homeownership tasks were as trivial and infrequent.

I love living in the future: the protest edition

2015-04-15T03:32:53Z

The first hologram protest in history, according to the claims.

Take that, pepper spray!

With a tip o'the link hat to Bruce Townley.

Bonus Concert from Minicon!

2015-04-04T21:35:17Z

I just returned to my room a while after the Hugo Nominations announcement from Sasquan. When I picked up email, I found an announcement from Concert Window that The Nate Bucklin Band concert had just gone live, and the email was from 15 minutes before I picked it up. So I'm now watching and listening to Nate's concert and enjoying seeing and hearing the rest of the band, too!

Live at Minicon 50....

2015-04-04T01:21:35Z

...it's SisterTree opening for the Cats Laughing Reunion Concert!

Kudos to Corwin & Dee Brust, Beyond Conventions, Minicon 50, and all who worked on and supported the Kickstarter campaign to make this happen. So good!