Ultranormal

Author: Kevin Lawver

  • T-Shirt Budget!!!

    Because I taught that class on blogging, I now have a PayPal budget, which I’m now going to call my T-Shirt Budget. I used part of my new T-Shirt Budget to buy one of these (the torch one in gold).\
    I don’t know why having a t-shirt budget makes me happy, but it does.

  • Letters to the Editor

    Here’s what I sent to the local papers… Apparently, my local delegate is quite the fundamentalist.\
    To the Editor:\
    Delegate Dick Black’s extremist agenda has reached a point where he is literally willing to throw the baby out with the bath water. He wants to force women to carry unwanted pregnancies, and then he wants to abandon the children they produce. How else can one interpret his latest bill (HB 2921) that would prevent certain families from adopting children?\
    All indications are that children of gay parents leadnormal, fulfilled lives. The American Psychological Association has reviewed studies of children of gay parents and has concluded that “there is no evidence to suggest that lesbians and gay men are unfit to be parents or that psychosocial development among children of gay men or lesbians is compromised in any respect relative to that among offspring of heterosexual parents. Not a single study has found children of gay or lesbian parents to be disadvantaged in any significant respect relative to children of heterosexual parents.”\
    Thus, it seems that Black’s bill to prevent gays from adopting is nothing more than another mean-spirited attempt to doom parentless children to orphanages or a succession of foster families rather than allow them to be adopted by parents who will love and nurture them, while he requires mothers of unwanted children to bring them into the world.\
    There are seven thousand children in Virginia awaiting adoption. He has no backing in science, as there are no credible studies he can cite. Delegate Black is using prejudice and junk science to keep those children from having every opportunity to find a loving home to call their own. He is preying on our hidden and unreasonable fears to further his extremist agenda, and trying to marginalize those that doesn’t fit into his narrow world view.\
    Signed,\
    Kevin Lawver

  • Here Comes The Sun

    Ireland: Athassel Priory\
    I love this shot. The sun broke through the clouds while we were at Athassel Priory and lit up the whole place.\
    Man, I love Ireland. If it weren’t so expensive, cold and wet and had such horrible television, I would probably move there.

  • The Last Of the Ireland Pics

    Here we are, the last four Ireland Photosets:

    • Rock of Cashel
    • Hore Abbey
    • Cahir Castle
    • Athassel Priory\
      What fun. Saturday was a great day, even though I was completely knackered at the end of it, and had to run through Heathrow the next day lugging six liters of Club Orange and a backpack that must have weighed forty pounds. My calves are now shapely balls of pain. I’m also still suffering from jet lag, even though I slept for twelve hours Sunday night (from 7:15 to 7:15). Yeah, I didn’t even watch the Super Bowl.\
      But, here I am, back at work in a new office, with broken stuff and a headache I could write pages on (but I won’t, because my head hurts!). It’s good to be home.

  • Look Ma, Nothing In There!

    Look Ma, Nothing In There!

    Jen took these with the old digital camera while I was in Ireland. I love this picture. Brian has green mess all over his face (and I’m trying like mad to avoid the obvious booger jokes), and absolutely nothing in his mouth. His defiant baby snarl says, “Ha ha, mom, missed me!!”\
    It’s amazing how different Brian is since I left. He’s more alert, more responsive to the slightest little thing, and he can sit up by himself!! Nevermind his Marine Corps issue haircut, perpetrated by his mom and grandmother. He’s so darn cute, I can’t stand it.

  • Ireland: Cashel Rock

    Ireland: Cashel Rock

    I made it home safe and sound, and here are some pictures from Saturday. This is just the first set… I’ve got two more to post (hopefully some time today). Enjoy!

  • Random Thoughts As I Sit In The Airport

    I found a free wi-fi network in the airport, so I’m using it. I got here ridiculously early, got up before that, and broke a bag in the process (so I’m now carrying a metric ton of goodies in my now bulging backpack, along with lugging six litres of Club Orange). I’m nowhere near awake, but while I’m here, I figured I’d come up with a list of things for me to remember the next time I travel:

    • Bring blank CD’s: We had a rental car, and the radio got old about three days into the trip. In Ireland, the daily newspapers are having a “oh, yeah, well take this!” promotions war, so there are CD’s in the Saturday and Sunday papers. But, they’re free CD’s, so maybe one or two songs are actually listenable (last week’s Best of Irish Rock has some real gems on it). If I bring blank CD’s, I can burn whatever I feel like listening to that week, and then throw them away at the end of the trip so I don’t have to lug them home with me.
    • Bring less stuff, or bring an extra bag: I’ve never been on a two week business trip before, and have accumulated a whole bunch of stuff to bring home (never let me loose in a sporting goods outlet). Packing was a pain, even though dirty clothes seem smaller than clean clothes, there still doesn’t seem to be enough room for everything (hence the gigantic backpack). Maybe this one should be Bring less stuff home…
    • Take more drugs: I figured this one out the last time, but I think maybe I should have kept it up a couple more days this time. I get horrible jet lag. The only way I’ve found to conquer it, or at least placate it is Tylenol PM. It works like a charm. Take two the first couple nights, then go down to one for the next three days. Also, if you come to Ireland in the winter, it’s cold, wet and windy… and the environmental controls are typically European. If you’re an asthmatic like me, this is a bad thing. So, make sure you have your inhaler with you at all times. Take the wickedest decongestant you can find, and try to keep warm. It will help.
    • Download TV: I can totally justify this. I have TiVo at home, and these shows are sitting there waiting for me. I subscribe to HBO and Showtime, so I’m not stealing, since I’ve already paid for the shows. There, my conscience is clean. Use BitTorrent, grab Azureus, and check out tv-swarm. Get your torrents, leave your laptop on overnight, and voila, TV from home (because, really, TV here is pretty scary).
    • Bring a thumb drive: It made sharing TV with the other guys I was traveling with a lot easier (“I’ll trade you a Simpsons for a Desperate Housewives.”)
    • Get out of the city: It doesn’t matter where you are, get out of the city. You’ll have more fun and see more stuff.\
      There you go… Other than working, this trip was a lot of fun. Porter and Aaron were a lot of fun to hang out with, and the Dublin guys are a hoot. Ireland is a gorgeous country with beautiful people, and an impressive collection of FDOS (Falling Down Old Stuff). I’d recommend it to anyone looking for something other than amusement parks and cheap tourist traps. The people are extremely friendly and helpful. The countryside is so green you won’t believe it, and the food is an eternity better than anyone can express.\
      Yeah, let’s talk about that… I’ve now spent about twenty-five days in Ireland between this trip and the last one. In that time, I’ve not had a bad meal. Not one. I was told by lots and lots of people that Ireland’s just like England: everything’s boiled and the food is horrible. Far from it. I’d put Dublin’s restaurants up against almost anyone’s in the world. Even out in the country, Irish pub food is really good, especially BLT’s. Why? Because they use Irish bacon, the best friggin’ bacon in the world (no lies, better even than French bacon, and I love French bacon). If you come to Dublin, expect to eat too much… way way way too much. Don’t miss the Irish breakfasts, skip lunch, and then splurge on one of Dublin’s fantastic restaurants. Here’s a short list of my favorites:
    • Roly’s Bistro: By the American Embassy (which looks like a big militaristic waste bin with a scary metal eagle on it). The best meal I’ve had since France.
    • Odessa: The best beef, and the funniest waitresses.
    • Ouzo: Cute little basement cafe on Baggot Street. Great specials, and the steaks look divine.
    • Embassy Grill: Take away kebabs of the gods, across the street from Roly’s.
    • Red Arrow: No idea where, on the way to Long Mile Road from the canal. Hop in at dinner time for fresh cod and chips… and a heap of local color.
    • Baan Thai: Also across from Roly’s. Best Thai food I’ve ever had.
    • La Paloma: In Temple Bar. Great Spanish food, funny and friendly service, and (according to the guys) really good wine that’s not horribly expensive.\
      That’s just a smattering. There are a ton more that I can’t remember the name of at the moment. You won’t starve and your tummy will be happy… especially if your company is footing the bill.

  • Much Traveling Makes Kevin Sleepy

    Today, Porter went to:

    • The Rock of Cashel
    • Hore Abbey
    • Cahir Castle
    • Athessel Priory\
      All were amazing examples of FDOS (falling down old stuff). I took over four hundred pictures that have been imported into iPhoto, but not looked at yet. I’m tired, plus, I have to get up really early tomorrow to check out and get to the airport to catch a plane. I can’t wait to get home. Two weeks is too long to be away from my family. I miss them horribly.\
      The sun was out almost all day, and I think I got a sunburn. I know! I can’t believe it… a sunburn in Ireland in February. I am the dumbest pale person ever.

  • One Good Thing About Being In GMT

    I’ve yet to see anything sold out on Woot before I have a chance to decide if I want to order it, even the remote controlled cars. They’re always sold out before I see them. All hail being five hours ahead of the east coast (well, until I have to adjust to being five hours behind my current body clock).

  • St. Kevin the Penitent

    St. Kevin the Penitent

    Porter took this one. I was sitting, wheezing, in St. Kevin’s Cell and prayed to the patron saint of asthmatics (who I hope is Saint Kevin) to help me make it the rest of the way up the mountain. Then I laid down until an old man walking by made fun of me.