What Are Ya Havin’?
This is an Unhosted Cafe.
BYOB
Nosh on the table.
Nosh on the table.
|
No adults allowed.
|
Please recommend (and unrecommend the Cafe/Lounge from earlier)
|
May the 4’s be with you
Lounge Closed. 24/7 Cafe Opened
whoever and wherever you are.
It’s ‘Morning’ Andi. Remember, you’ve been annexed and are currently on Australia time.
Our weather is heading back into the warm-ish temps, which is gonna make the firefighters’ work harder. On the plus side, we’ve got showers forecast starting Sunday and for most of next week. If they can keep the fires contained until then, the rain should put them out.
The wind must have changed dirrection again. Yesterday we had smoke haze, but today we are clear.
Three – four days? Those fire fighters have one hell of a job. An older brother of a friend of was was a forest fire fighter in the NW. The stories he could tell!
Most of the firefighters here are volunteers. The population of Tasmania is less than a half a million people, and except for the greater Hobart area, widely scattered.
The only fire of any real worry is up on the northeast coast, and it’s been burning for over a week now. The worst case scenario is that it will get into a state park that has very steep terrain, where it can rebuilt its strenght and head towards the little coastal town of Bicheno. Pretty much everything is riding on keeping the fire within its current boundaries.
Three men from a local family, from who I buy my animal feed, are fighting that fire. It makes it hard to run a family business when half of the family are hours away, but it’s what rural people do. ‘Cause next time they might be the ones in need of help.
So much of Australia reminds Americans of the early days of westward expansion. KS’s family was part of that movement and she has old documents of people in her family who paid their taxes by bringing two mules and cart and spending a week helping build a road.
That’s right.
Thanks for your report, keres. I send you precipitative good wishes.
Tea with honey, and an English Muffin with peanut butter. Nummy.
How’s everyone this fine day?
You must have been my the door for the Lounge to open. Morning, keres.
I keep an eye peeled for a new lounge – it’s the only way I can get a word in edgewise. 😉
Actually, by the time I get up the old lounge is languishing, so I usually wait for a new one to chime in.
I think it’s great that you can participate at all, considering the distance. It’s one of those nifty internet things we take for granted, but is still special.
Since it’s already thursday at your place, i’m one day closer to my vacation.
Any news on Ryan?
As of 20 minutes ago, no. Hi, mary. Sorry to skip out fast last night, but I hit the wall.
I figured you just couldn’t go any more. You’re not the engergizer bunny 🙂
I’ve got another birthday just around the corner. I have been a “bunny” for decades.
if you’re going to mention your birthday in the cafe, you need to give us the exact date
I thought you’d never ask, Jan 1st.
🙂
Can’t help recalling some of the 24 hr parties of our youth with this one.
How goes it, Miss O?
How about you … How’d you make out w/ your pkg? The last I had read in the previous cafe was that you had rec’d a pkg and were going to open it.
Hi Ho all. What’s going on?
Good to see you … 🙂
We’re looking at all the snow dada’s getting … see down below for photo.
Howdy, Miss O. Sorry for the delay — I got snookered into prepping/cooking/eating dinner.
🙂
The package was lovely — got a few little cool things: herbal products & a bag of organic/far-trade coffee, beautifully wrapped & a very pretty, handmade Solstice card, the best of all. Very cheering.
Oh, it is, definitely.
The best part of it is that the sender’s a truly great woman, a friend & former partner that I truly care for. Her tokens of affection please me enormously.
duly noted
I expect KS is too busy grading finals to get online tonight, so I can say that hers is October 24th. She’ll kill me if she sees this post. She is a very private person.
having an FBC party is the easiest way for a private person to have a public party — nobody sees you blush.
You’re right, but let’s let this thread die so KS won’t see it. OK?
Nope but if she’s at the hospital she isn’t going to have any way to get in touch.
Poor planning on her part — doesn’t she know that letting US know should be her primary concern?
Yeah, does she think Ryan’s needs should come before those of the froggy bottom? Sheesh.
We need to set her straight. Maybe we should all go down to her place in January and do it in person. Putting us all up would be her punishment. 🙂
Heh. That would be funny. And it’s not that long a car drive for me…
on a semi-serious note, since she was so good about having mr nature email me when ryan was originally hit, i’m guessing that things are fine so she’s not worried about letting us know — especially since this isn’t one of the more troubling kinds of surgery.
You’re probably right. I’m just antsy.
I’m far enough along in Omnivore’s Dilemma to be impressed that you’d give your sister such a depressing book.
I have no idea what it’s about. She mentioned that it was something she would like. Why is it depressing?
It’s about what’s happened to farming and food — he sets out to answer the question ‘what should we eat?’.
I’d be interested in having a look myself, actually.
It’s very good and very readable. I recommend borrowing your mom’s library card.
I’ve got a tourist’s temp card for the library (thank goodness).
Since she lives in Chicago I won’t have to listen if she wants to read parts out loud. 🙂
That set to me to wondering if any of my sister’s had ever read any book aloud to me — it’s interesting because we talk about books all the time (and always have) but I’m sure we’ve never done this.
We’re big on reading excerpts. As in … “hey, listen to this …” and then reading a paragraph. My sister does it all the time.
And then she claims that she doesn’t and she HATES it when people read to her. 🙂
Jim and I read stuff to each other all the time — so I guess I need to be lying down on the couch in my house for the urge to read aloud to strike.
Why should hating people to read to her stop her from reading to other people?
KS and I read to each other all the time, especially on long drives. We always the Harry Potter books out loud. The most interesting book was “The Instance of the Fingerpost.” I had read it while we were camping and loved it. Then we took turns reading it out loud and got much more out of it by discussing it as we read.
I’ve always loved reading aloud this way — an entirely different experience than the solitary.
Then again, what isn’t?
🙂
My sense is that everything’s just fine.
In fact, if Ryan got the same anesthetics that I did for a similar surgery, she’s having a very nice time in recovery.
Ryan reacts badly to medication so she’s probably not getting the fun effect of that floating feeling.
She reacts badly? How so?
vomiting — SN says she has hard time keeping almost any medication down.
OK — so she’s probably ok with IV/subcutaneous.
Paging Her Lusciousness. Come in, please.
I need some technical advice and I thought I’d lay the problem out here before actually doing any work to try and find an answer. I’m looking for a way that two or more people could be connected over the internet and each have access to the electronic equivalent of a whiteboard. They could each write on it and see what the other has written. The exchange would have to be in real time. Ideally they would have voice and visual contact as well.
The goal is to be able to teach math to a student over the internet, but still be interacting, observing, questioning, and answering in real time. So as a student was writing a problem, drawing a picture, or using manipulatives (a 2nd issue), I could observe his or her process, intercede when needed, and assess the students progress.
Sounds like you just need a web cam at each end (says the former educational technology specialist). They work great for distance learning. The camera can be positioned to focus on a whiteboard or just a piece of paper.
It wouldn’t allow you to “write” on the same sheet, but you could make corrections on a similar setup (i.e. your own white board) that your student could see real time.
Or, there are virtual whiteboard host services like this one.
If you and your student were both on it and could have a phone line open as well, you could simply talk on the phone while you reviewed each other’s contributions to the whiteboard.
That’s probably the least expensive option, in terms of buying equipment.
Now you mention the Mac. I’ll see if I can find a host that works with Macs. Back in a bit.
I was thinking of something like this, but I’m concerned that I couldn’t watch the child while he or she is working. You get a lot information from that kind of observation, especially with younger children. I was thinking along the lines you suggested, using one of these with iChat, but I’m still concerned about things like being to see and access the common workspace.
take a look at webex
Looks interesting, but I’m a Mac user and it isn’t supported. Thanks for the suggestions.
what if you run your mac in windows emulation mode?
I was gonna suggest that as well.
Here’s some freeware the looks like it has possibilites
It looks like there are actually a lot of virtual peer to peer service that accomdate both PC and Mac.
Do a google search for “virtual whiteboard Mac” and you’ll get lots of options.
If you could be more specific about the computers both you and your student will be working on, and whether you have phone as well as internet, broadband, etc. I could give you more specific advice.
I worked for 15 years doing just this sort of thing for three US universities and one community college.
keres, You are too nice for this to be your intention, but I have been shamed to get off my butt and start searching. I’d like to supplement my income, especially during the summer, by teaching/tutoring on-line. KS and I are considering a business where she provides the psychological assessment and I provide the mathematical assessment & instruction for elementary students who are having trouble with math. Possibly even to rural school districts who have virtual schools. We are not adverse to investing in upgraded equipment, we would have to, in all likelihood. I would really like a change from the sinking ship with insane officers that is the Detroit Public Schools.
Well, why didn’t you say so? Sheesh. I know more about the dreaded intertia than most people ever will.
The big problem, as I see it, is the variety of equipment at the other end.
It wouldn’t be too hard to set up a ‘picture in picture’ screen with the kid on camera and virtual whiteboard up as well, although you might even want to set up your computer for two monitors side by side, to get even better visuals.
As for your client’s end of things, they’d most likely need a camera and broadband to make it work.
Does that give you a starting point? There are other possibilites of course, but those seem like the best things to explore as a way of getting started. If broadband at the client’s end proves to be a stumbling block let me know and I’ll expand on your options (satellite, for example).
It sounds like a good service, hang in there.
This is a good solid explanation of a lot of what we’ve been talking about.
Keres, I have bookmarked all your excellent selections. I’m putting this away until I get back from my m-i-l’s next week. Then I’ll have time to really think about it. Thanks to you and andi and mary for your help.(I hope I didn’t forget anyone.)
That’s possible, of course, but I have the 20 year Mac users deeply held aversion to Windows or anything Microsoft. I can get over it, but never without exhausting all other options.
One of my best friends teaches Freshman math at a school that’s pretty high tech — I’ll ask her if she’s heard of anything. I know they use smart boards and students who miss class can review the entire class on computer. But I don’t know if they use anything interactive.
Thanks, mary.
I have to wonder whether a two-way webcam setup wouldn’t work about as well. It sounds like you want to not only watch the student do the figures and work through the logic, but observe expressions and mannerisms to tell if they’re frustrated, bored or the like.
Microsoft has virtual conferencing software that would probably do what you want, but I don’t think it’s been ported to the Mac, and besides, it’s Microsoft. I did a brief (really brief) (you wouldn’t believe how brief) Google search and didn’t find anything that looks like what would be your ideal system.
Good luck. This sounds like this could be a useful service.
Thanks for looking in Omir. Everyone’s been very helpful, which is understandable as we all have so much free time on our hands this time of year!
we ordered barbecue chicken pizza because I can’t eat red sauce because it has oregano in it, and guess what the bozos at the pizza place sprinkled on my barbecue chicken pizza?
And of course, I didn’t realize it until I had a bite in my mouth,because NOBODY ever puts oregano on with barbecue sauce. I quickly spit it out, but I’m afraid I ingested a particle.
Dammit. Now I have to worry about having an episode of allergic esophagitis days before Christmas (it hurts like hell and takes a while to calm back down), AND I’m hungry.
Thanks for listening to me whine….
Antihistamines! Quick! Anti-inflamatories, anti-everything. Ice water, anything to keep the swelling down.
But don’t worry. 😀 I’m sure you’ll be just fine.
Actually, I have yet to find anything that works except not eating oregano. It is the weirdest dumbest allergy in the world.
there’s no reaction.
Are you allergic to a lot of herbs or just oregano?
Thankfully, just oregano, which I don’t even miss. Basil would be another story.
who puts oregano on barbeque? I’m not allergic to oregano but that sounds awful.
Hope you caught it in time.
Yeah, oregano and barbecue totally don’t belong together. Schmucks.
What kind of idiots make pizza in NC?
Iirc, there’s a pretty terrific pizza restaurant in downtown Asheville. Resembles a hippie theme park, though.
Iirc also, I don’t believe CG’s in NC.
I am so out of it. Of course, CG doesn’t live in NC. Sometimes I wonder about my brain!
I can definitely relate, Teach. At least for me, I believe it has something to do with geezerhood.
for those of you wishing for a white christmas…this one’s guaranteed up here now..Looks like this….only deeper:
can’t even see the table, and it’s 19″ high, and still coming down at about an 1″ per hour.
Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
Wow! That’s white indeed. Hope you’re set & settled in for the duration.
Thanks once again for a lovely image, dada.
alley’s impassable at the moment so it’ll prob be fri before I can get the car out.
This one has pretty much closed the city, and the Univ down…don’t know how Denver’s fairing…but I’ve got close to 2′ w/ another 1′ predicted for tonight…this won’t be going away before christmas…:{)
I heard that 25 is closed from Pueblo to the NM border and from Pueblo to Denver requires chains.
Glad you don’t need to get around, dada. I’d imagine the scene is fantastic from your place.
Solstice brings the sun’s return very soon, as well.
Here’s to fine shelter in winter & a beautiful view of Earth!
Looks like once again we here in Slug City are going to get a wet Christmas.
I’ve lived most of my life in areas where one might reasonably expect it to snow in the winter, and I can’t remember ever having a Christmas where it snowed. The closest I think I ever got was in 1996, when it missed Christmas by about seven hours. That was the year Seattle shut down because of the big Boxing Day storm. I hadn’t been watching the news and didn’t know it was coming. Boy was I surprised.
It looks like you’ve got toast and hot cocoa weather. That’s what I like on snowy days, anyway.
Looks like you’re getting the snow for all the froggies who aren’t … 🙂
Be safe!
Hi yO!…How’s the GWN?
might be a bit of a challenge … 🙂
I’ve renamed it the GGN … Green for White.
We’re supposed to get freezing rain on Saturday and rain on Sunday.
Hiya dada. Send some of that snow our way and quit hogging it all.
The surgery went fine but a little long – 3.5 hours. She had a lot of scar tissue from the accident and he rebroke the nose (with a hammer and chisel the Nature boy tells me via Discovery Channel!)and shaped it and then took excess cartilege from the bulb of her nose and straightened out her nostrils. As expected all of the different pain meds they tried made her throw up and the nausea drugs made her dizzy and very very sleepy. So it’s a tradeoff…do you want to throw up or be so dizzy that you just wish you could throw up?
I can’t believe they allow you to go home in the state she was in – barely conscious and unable to walk. They carried her into the car and her brother carried her like a baby up to her bed. She’s still out like a light but I go in every 30 minutes or so to change her bandage and make sure she’s rousable.
Glad the surgery went OK, but hate to hear what she’s going through. You take care of yourself too, and don’t get worked into a frazzel.
Good to hear that it went well … and at least by being home she can be in her own bed.
How are you holding up?
It’s hard seeing your child in pain, but I’m okay. She just seems so tiny and helpless lying there and I’m instantly zoomed back to her being two years old.
it’s been a long day.
Sitting around in waiting rooms is exhausting for some weird reason. You get sleepy and bored but you can’t really curl up right there, so you get up and walk, read bad magazines, change chairs. I just hate it!
Thank you for checking in with us, SN! It should all get better from here.
Hugs & best wishes.
Glad to hear she’s okay, and sorry that the drugs have made her such a mess. How are you doing?
I’m great. Are you having any oregano symptoms yet? Ryan is that way about pears.
Not yet (fingers crossed), so I’m hoping my oregano gag reflex saved me. 🙂
Aww, best wishes for rapid healing to the kiddo.
Glad she’s home and that all went well.
Good News! You’re breathing a little easier now also, I ‘ll bet.
I am glad the surgery went well. I am sending warm thoughts of Love & Healing!!!!
with an Ozzie 12 Days of Christmas for you all to learn and sing. Especially Andi, as she is an honorary Taswegian.
That would be a Hoosier Taswegian (Taswegian?)
If you still feeling chatty, here’s the place to go.