That was the day that was...what?

[lagilman]

Om nom nom. That short rib recipe? The leftovers, when reheated in a skillet with some of the sauce and wrapped in a tortilla, makes for a ymnmy -- and messy -- meal. If I had whiskers I'd be licking them, now.

Achievements of the day:
The cats have been brushed and clipped.
The kitchen is clean.
The last of the laundry is sorted and folded.
I have a new, ergonomic keyboard that is making me much happier.
I have been writing, and improvising yet another application of forensic magic.

I am debating if tonight's Sci-Fi channel offering [a very bad remake of Journey to the Center of the Earth] is worth mocking, or if I should give it a pass...


For anyone curious, the month's results of my sole new year's resolution to do more pleasure reading:

January:
Morning Child & Other Stories by Gardner Dozois
- I've known Gardner for umpteen years now, and while I know he's a smart editor and a good dinner companion, I sometimes forget how amazingly talented a writer of short fiction he is, too. Smart but not offputtingly Lookit-Me-Clever, thoughtful without being precious, and so well-crafted you can see exactly what he's doing but be damned if you can tell how. Not every story is perfect, but they're all damned good. If you read short fiction, or write short fiction, you probably should have this on your shelf.

The Black Tower by Louis Bayard
- historical police procedural, set in 1818 France. The tone is nearly perfect for the period, the details are wonderful, the story fascinating... and yet I found it slow reading, mainly because the POV character was not a good storyteller. Stylistic choice on the part of the author, but I think it as a mistake. Then again, he's a national bestseller with reviews from the NYT Book Review, so what do I know?

I never did finish KOP, despite it being on my bedside table for several months now. I may give it one more try, but....

Have started Peter Robinson's Friend of the Devil, while Marco Polo: From Venice to Xanadu by Lawernce Bergreen is now on the nightstand. Eclectic r meerkats.

Comments

[neadods.livejournal.com]

a very bad remake

There's your answer. Me, I'm going to probably throw a netflix movie in in a moment.

[lagilman]

well, if it was a good remake, there would be no mocking....

[tezmilleroz.livejournal.com]

What did you do to make them submit to the claw-clipping?

Have a lovely day! :-)

[lagilman]

That's my superpower: cats willingly (or, grudgingly) let me clip their claws.

Feline Farrier: Have Clippers, Will Travel.

(seriously: every kitten I get has their paws handled on a regular basis, until they accept clipping as Just Another Sign of Human Affection. Sadly, I haven't been able to convince them all that having their teeth checked falls into the same category...)

[autojim.livejournal.com]

Query: Which keyboard did you get, he asks while typing on his personal favorite, the MS Natural 4000 (so good I've bull-whipped the current and past two employers into getting same for me at work by saying the magic words: "Repetitive Stress Injury").

Now if I can just get a keyboard tray at work... the home computer desk (a "JERKER" from IKEA) is set to my preferred height already.

[fakefrenchie.livejournal.com]

Could you travel to Bridgewater MA to clips the claws of my brother's cat? And then come to France to clip Shadow's? No? Oh well.

[lagilman]

Bridgewater, maybe. The trip to France would have to be more along the lines of a training seminar, so if we could find un peu plus de chats-clients to help defray the costs... *grin*

[lagilman]

I looked at the MS Natural, but it felt too large for my hands -- I had to reach for keys that should be right at my fingertips, literally. So I went with the Logitech Wave.

Since I don't run Vista, a lot of the 'extras' are lost on me, but the ease of typing compared to the old keyboard is amazing, and the angle of my wrists is nearly custom-fit. Why I ever thought I could get by on a straight-edge keyboard I don't know (I was dazzled by the number of USB ports on the keyboard, clearly. I do miss that).

[lagilman]

The Desk of Perfection has an extra-wide keyboard tray that holds both keyboard, mouse, mousepad, and a mug, and then quickly slides out of the way when a feline comes to visit. It's one of the reasons I love this desk so very much.

Alas, I haven't quite gotten the chair-and-desk configuration set perfectly -- I think I may have to put the desk on 2" risers to make everything work. This... actually would work out well. Hrmmm..... *goes off to contemplate lumber and glue*

[autojim.livejournal.com]

Ah, yes, hand size does make a difference. My hands are proportionate, which is to say on the large size.

I don't run Vista, either, but I do use a few of the hotkey shortcuts, notably the calculator and mute functions.

I've got 4 open USB ports on my monitor, two more on the front of the computer, and one of the 5 on the back is open until I find which box has the new cradle for the Palm TX in it. I've also got a multiple-format card reader built into the machine, so I don't have to fill up a USB port for that.

[autojim.livejournal.com]

Nice desk. I like the Jerker -- it's adjustable, I can even set it up to be a stand-up desk if I want (admittedly, this is a non-trival changeover involving multiple Allen wrenches). The main problem I'm having right now is the gas cylinder in my chair is, after a bit more than 10 years, no longer keeping height consistently. Gonna have to break down and get another chair soon. Have to see if I can find an Aeron on clearance somewhere...

Scooter doesn't cause too much chaos on the desk -- he doesn't weigh enough to press the keys unless he jumps on them, but there is the ever-present spectre of cockatiel poop, so I try to minimize his keyboard time. He generally prefers to camp on my shoulder anyway. :)

[lagilman]

The new box has 4 USB ports on the back and 2 in front, which really should be enough for any mere mortal, but being able to plug the mouse into the keyboard meant one less wire dangling (I don't like wireless mice.. too easy for them to wander, especially with two office-cats).