Not quite older than the internet.

darksumomo's post today reminds me that I've been on the internet for over 30 years, thanks to digex who got me an e-mail account at MIT so I could read and comment on the ARMS-D mailing list back in 1978. Maybe even 1977. Needless to say, I am not now, nor have I ever been, a student at MIT. I didn't even bother applying there, since I knew my math skills stunk on ice and I didn't realize they also had a liberal arts program. Who knew? I thought all those people went to Harvard or BC. Anyway, yeah - 31 years on the Internet. I'm sure there's people who have been on it longer, but it's something else I can shake my cane and yell at the kids about. :)

Not quite older than the internet.

darksumomo's post today reminds me that I've been on the internet for over 30 years, thanks to digex who got me an e-mail account at MIT so I could read and comment on the ARMS-D mailing list back in 1978. Maybe even 1977. Needless to say, I am not now, nor have I ever been, a student at MIT. I didn't even bother applying there, since I knew my math skills stunk on ice and I didn't realize they also had a liberal arts program. Who knew? I thought all those people went to Harvard or BC. Anyway, yeah - 31 years on the Internet. I'm sure there's people who have been on it longer, but it's something else I can shake my cane and yell at the kids about. :)

A NEW CHALLENGER APPEARS

Apparently garden clubs are the cancer that is killing Massachusetts. Rampant corruption in the Massachusetts Democratic Party and government of the Commonwealth (but I repeat myself) apparently isn't such a big problem for the AG, but garden clubs - yeah, THOSE need the full punitive weight of Massachusettes, or however Coakley's spelling it these days.
(Jules Crittenden)

A NEW CHALLENGER APPEARS

Apparently garden clubs are the cancer that is killing Massachusetts. Rampant corruption in the Massachusetts Democratic Party and government of the Commonwealth (but I repeat myself) apparently isn't such a big problem for the AG, but garden clubs - yeah, THOSE need the full punitive weight of Massachusettes, or however Coakley's spelling it these days.
(Jules Crittenden)

I confess...

...to being a horrible person and trolling my Facebook friends with this quote from Pumpkin McPastry of Sports Argument Stadium:

Doing steroids means taking tremendous legal, professional, and health risks in order to benefit your team and help them win. Doing steroids is the quintessence of being a team player.

All the more so because I really don't care about the steroid issue in baseball. Steroids are not some kind of magic juice that artificially boosts the power ratings of baseball players; they have positive effects on healing and muscle growth, apparently, but not to the extent that illiterate sportswriters and retarded fans are going on about. I'm okay with McGwire going into the Hall of Fame; he has done quite a few of the things commonly associated with Hall of Fame power hitters, and if it were a straight-up matter of counting up the stats he'd be a shoo-in. I don't think his apology for using steroids is going to move public opinion that much one way or the other, but I do think some water-brained baseball writers are going to use the whole sorry episode as an excuse not to vote for him. I submit that we should retroactively apply the same standards to Ty Cobb (a thuggish fellow who on one occasion attacked a man in a wheelchair), Babe Ruth (an alcoholic who used to conduct orgies in his room), and all baseball players who played before 1948, who played in a racist environment where they didn't have to compete against black players. I could probably come up with some other examples in the post-Jackie Robinson world of baseball but I've wasted enough time on this already.

I confess...

...to being a horrible person and trolling my Facebook friends with this quote from Pumpkin McPastry of Sports Argument Stadium:

Doing steroids means taking tremendous legal, professional, and health risks in order to benefit your team and help them win. Doing steroids is the quintessence of being a team player.

All the more so because I really don't care about the steroid issue in baseball. Steroids are not some kind of magic juice that artificially boosts the power ratings of baseball players; they have positive effects on healing and muscle growth, apparently, but not to the extent that illiterate sportswriters and retarded fans are going on about. I'm okay with McGwire going into the Hall of Fame; he has done quite a few of the things commonly associated with Hall of Fame power hitters, and if it were a straight-up matter of counting up the stats he'd be a shoo-in. I don't think his apology for using steroids is going to move public opinion that much one way or the other, but I do think some water-brained baseball writers are going to use the whole sorry episode as an excuse not to vote for him. I submit that we should retroactively apply the same standards to Ty Cobb (a thuggish fellow who on one occasion attacked a man in a wheelchair), Babe Ruth (an alcoholic who used to conduct orgies in his room), and all baseball players who played before 1948, who played in a racist environment where they didn't have to compete against black players. I could probably come up with some other examples in the post-Jackie Robinson world of baseball but I've wasted enough time on this already.

progress, sort of

Carlos came over this morning to collect P's bumper and check. It was way too cold to stand around yakking so we didn't.

Dropped by the H&R Block Foxchase office, which got a makeover in the offseason and now looks very nice, with new cube walls and a waiting area with a new flat-screen TV hanging off the wall. Very spiffy. Good news is that I might start working this week since they need to move a bunch of boxes out of the back room and into archive storage, less good news is that I probably won't be able to log any CSP hours until the 25th. On the other hand, CSP training will happen on Sunday for eight hours, which will be a Good Thing. Speaking of the CSP gig, there's a possibility that I might wind up working days at Foxchase since nobody has heard from the gal who was doing that last year. I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, it sure would be nice working a somewhat normal 40-hour week, but on the other hand I'd like to keep days open for possible substitute assignments, which frankly pay a lot better and also provide a possible career track that isn't immediately obvious at H&R Block. We'll see how it all works out, I guess.

progress, sort of

Carlos came over this morning to collect P's bumper and check. It was way too cold to stand around yakking so we didn't.

Dropped by the H&R Block Foxchase office, which got a makeover in the offseason and now looks very nice, with new cube walls and a waiting area with a new flat-screen TV hanging off the wall. Very spiffy. Good news is that I might start working this week since they need to move a bunch of boxes out of the back room and into archive storage, less good news is that I probably won't be able to log any CSP hours until the 25th. On the other hand, CSP training will happen on Sunday for eight hours, which will be a Good Thing. Speaking of the CSP gig, there's a possibility that I might wind up working days at Foxchase since nobody has heard from the gal who was doing that last year. I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, it sure would be nice working a somewhat normal 40-hour week, but on the other hand I'd like to keep days open for possible substitute assignments, which frankly pay a lot better and also provide a possible career track that isn't immediately obvious at H&R Block. We'll see how it all works out, I guess.