Whew! Just got home from work. That's the longest day I've had in awhile.
Before I do the Silly Site, I have a message to pass on to Robin's dad. Dad, we know you've been having trouble with your email, so please go on AOL Messenger or iChat tomorrow so Robin can help you sort it out.
As April Fool's Day is tomorrow. I really hope this BoingBoing plug for Joey Skaggs' parade is real, as I'd love to see it during my lunch hour. Ah, but believe nothing tomorrow, especially things you read online!
The earliest internet post I could find for the following is from almost exactly three years ago, so that's where I'll give attribution, but I wanted to repro it in its entirety, just as Mom emailed it to me, because that's the kind of day (or at least evening) I think it's going to be:
Sayings of the Jewish Buddha
If there is no self, whose arthritis is this?
Be here now. Be someplace else later. Is that so complicated?
Drink tea and nourish life; with the first sip, joy; with the second sip, satisfaction; with the third sip, peace; with the fourth, a Danish.
Wherever you go, there you are. Your luggage is another story.
Accept misfortune as a blessing. Do not wish for perfect health, or a life without problems. What would you talk about?
The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single Oy.
There is no escaping karma. In a previous life, you never called, you never wrote, you never visited. And whose fault was that?
Zen is not easy. It takes effort to attain nothingness. And then what do you have? Bupkis.
The Tao does not speak. The Tao does not blame. The Tao does not take sides. The Tao has no expectations. The Tao demands nothing of others. The Tao is not Jewish.
Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. Forget this and attaining Enlightenment will be the least of your problems.
Let your mind be as a floating cloud. Let your stillness be as a wooded glen. And sit up straight. You'll never meet the Buddha with such rounded shoulders.
Deep inside you are ten thousand flowers. Each flower blossoms ten thousand times. Each blossom has ten thousand petals. You might want to see a specialist. Be aware of your body. Be aware of your perceptions. Keep in mind that not every physical sensation is a symptom of a terminal illness.
The Torah says, Love your neighbor as yourself. The Buddha says, There is no self. So, maybe we're off the hook
While searching for the citation, I also came upon the following:
What the Jewish Buddha Says:
* The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single "Oy".
* If you wish to know the way, don't ask for directions, just argue.
* Take only what is given. Own nothing but your clothes and a begging bowl - unless, of course, you have wardrobe space.
* Let your mind be as a floating cloud. Let your stillness be as a wooded forest. And sit up straight or you'll never meet the Buddha with a posture like that.
* There is no escaping karma. In a previous life, you never visited, you never called and you never wrote. And whose fault was that?
* Wherever you go, there you are. Your luggage, however, is another story.
* Be aware of your body. Be aware of your perceptions. But also be aware that not every physical sensation is a symptom of a terminal illness.
* Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out. Forget this and attaining enlightenment will be the least of your problems.
* The Tao has no expectations, it demands nothing of others, it doesn't speak, it doesn't blame and doesn't take sides. The Tao is not Jewish.
* Drink green tea and enhance your life. Experience joy with the first sip, satisfaction with the second sip and a Danish with the third sip.
* The Buddha teaches us that we should practice loving kindness to all sentient beings. Still, would it a crime to find a nice sentient being who happens to be Jewish?
* Be patient and you'll achieve all things. Be impatient and you'll achieve all things faster.
* In nature, there is no good or bad, better or worse. The wind may blow or not. The flowering branch grows long or short. Do not judge or prefer. Ask only, "Is it good for the Jews?"
* To find the Buddha, look within yourself. Deep inside you are ten thousand flowers. Each flower blossoms ten thousand times and each blossom has ten thousand petals. Maybe you should see a specialist?
* Let go of pride, ego and opinions. Admit your errors and forgive those of others. Relinquishment will lead to calm and healing in your relationships. If that doesn't work, try small-claims court.
* Though only your skin, sinews and bones remain, though your blood and flesh dry up and wither away, yet shall you meditate and not stir until you have attained full enlightenment. But first, a little nosh.
* Accept misfortune as a blessing. Don't wish for perfect health or a life without problems. What would you talk about?
* The Torah says, "Love thy neighbor as thyself." The Buddha says, "there is no self". So maybe you're off the hook. If there is no self, whose angina is this?
* My mind not only wanders, sometimes it leaves completely.
* Zen is not easy. It takes effort to attain nothingness. And then what do you have? Bubkes.
That list was dated January 2005, so I have reason to believe it's the "original" (as much as any of these things can be online). It's interesting to see what was slightly amended and what was kept as the list evolved. By the way, there are actual Jewish Buddhists according to Wikipedia, and would the Wiki lie to you, bubbelah? Happy Passover (beginning at sundown this evening)!
A fun date with Robin walking around the mall, where I finally got my mane trimmed (who knew I had naturally curly hair?) in time for tomorrow's family seder gathering. I can think of more than a few family members who'd be really good at Young Me Now Me (via the Comedy Central blog)...
Nothing like relaxing after a hard day at work (okay, remotely, but I logged seven hours today) than flipping through Kitty Wigs (via Cute Overload, paying tribute to the two JJs who have created the book). Flipping... see what I did there?... never mind...
Some nice words from Mike Gold via Cliff Meth. I had a chance to speak with Dick at Mike's 57th birthday party (Rob had met him previously) and I'm grateful for that memory. He was one of the gems, and a heck of a creative guy.
Mom, you'll want to watch this one at Ruth's place. Mark Evanier's introduction is almost as funny as the clips:
I've never heard of Al Kelly but I suspect people like Norm Crosby got a number of ideas from him. Amazing (and all very Jewish-sounding) stuff and nonsense.
Now that the blog's looking all spiffy, I wish I had more time to write in it. Alas, as I explained to Laura yesterday, our servers at work block that sort of thing (they also block personal email access) so the only time I can blog is when I'm home - and usually by the time I get home I don't feel like sitting at a computer again. Still, I'm more or less caught up with blog reading and am really itching to do a proper blogaround (dedicated to the late great Jon Swift), so maybe this coming weekend. In the meantime, enjoy this lovely video via Cory at BoingBoing:
If I'd seen this as a kid I might have wanted to become a mathematical biologist or somesuch. On the other hand, this is similar to how words dance in my head anyway, so I suppose it's a good job I became a writer who makes a living organizing and typing.
Holy moly, what a magnificent job Laura did in updating the blog! I'm looking forward to tweaking the widgets here and there (that sounds so wonderfully dirty, doesn't it?) when I have the time, but for now - wow! We were able to keep our design and everything! Yay, Laura!! Here, have some Thriller in Legos!:
Hi, Laura Gjovaag here. I'm Elayne's techie friend. I'm about to start making changes to this blog's template, so it may look very odd for the next couple of hours. Or rather, the sidebar will look odd. The rest of the blog should be up and running fairly quickly. I'll update this post when I'm done so you can tell me what I messed up.
Update: 8:43pm New York Time - I'm done with the main changes. There are a number of tweaks still to make, and I'm aware of a spacing bug on the sidebar on item pages that I need to fix. Otherwise, I think it looks ok. If you see anything truly amiss, let me know so I can figure it out.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Silly Site o' the Day
Lots of change in the air. We took the cats to the new vet (the one right by us retired) in order to get renewed prescriptions for Datsa's meds and special food, which was a fun 10-minute car ride but which we won't have to do for another three years (at least as far as shots are concerned). Went through my email to print what needed to be printed (found out how Word for Mac handles envelopes, which should come in handy) and saw an email from Laura suggesting I change Pen-Elayne's template because Google's probably retiring the old ones and making life (and archiving) hell for anyone who doesn't go along with the plan. Heck, it's free, so you'll see a new template soon. And a few dozen Democratic Congresscritters actually voted against health insurance reform for the wrong reasons, but at least the first hurdle's finally done and has laid the foundation for actual reform when we get more people in Congress with actual ovaries and testicles. Too bad the Obamanator didn't show up a year ago when it might have made all the difference. Oh, and I almost forgot, I screwed up on the time of Radio Free Oz's online premiere - it's 9 PM Pacific (aka midnight here on the East Coast), so it doesn't look like I'll be awake enough to join Firesign chat...
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Silly Site o' the Day
Can't seem to wake up. I think it might be due to allergy season, or the vernal equinox (happy spring, everyone!), or just working late every day this week and being "on call" today again. Oh, speaking of Captain Equinox, don't forget to tune into the re-premiere of that old '60s favorite Radio Free Oz - now online for the new century! There will be a special group listening party on the Firesign chat page tomorrow from 9 to 11 PM Eastern Daylight Saving Whozeewhatsit Time - see you there!
Datsa's currently meowing for attention but I just can't get him to look cute in a photo at the moment...
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Silly Site o' the Day
I simply adore the Bea Arthur character quote generator That's What Bea Said (via Melissa McEwan). Not only did her TV shows have great and funny writing, but I can actually hear her delivering those lines in her voice. Goodness, I miss that actor.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Silly Site o' the Day
Wore green. Stayed inside away from the madding and drunken crowds. Found this video from Serious Eats:
Off to bed now.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Silly Site o' the Day
It's my godson Jonny's birthday! Happy #14, Jonny! You're probably geeky enough to appreciate this (via io9):
And if you're not old enough to know what all the media references are, we'll just have to discuss it at the Passover seder table... "why is this periodic table different from all other periodic tables?"
Monday, March 15, 2010
Silly Site o' the Day
I finally got a desktop set up restored to my work computer, and I'm now able to zip through my work like nobody's business. I'm still trying to get used to the Mac at home, it really doesn't seem to like Flash games. My fans are still trying to cool down the laptop after a failed attempt at Cream Wolf (via Robyn at Serious Eats). Maybe I'm best off sticking to the simpler games.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Silly Site o' the Day
I guess it's a serious matter, but I still got a kick out of Mom sending me an email publicizing Move Over America:
It's amazing to me that more states have laws mandating this than forbidding texting while driving...
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Brief Blackout Report
We lost power for about an hour and a half tonight due to the storm and high winds, during which time Robin proved more than up to the task of employing flashlights and candles and hand-cranked radio and I wondered where I'd put our extra batteries. Power's back on now, just in time to lose another hour of sleep to Daylight Saving Time. Springing forward to bed now.
Silly Site o' the Day
My remote-office work is done for the day and I'm going to catch a kip now - not difficult to do in this windy storm! Have y'all had your coffee parties? I love the idea but of course I never touch the stuff...
Friday, March 12, 2010
Silly Site o' the Day
It's Friday, time to act a little immaturely, so I'll admit that I giggled like a schoolgirl at Gabby Sidibe's appearance on The Soup. I know it's been a few days since the Oscars, but I still like these Oscar ecards discussed on The Awl...
Still retraining myself how to do various things on the laptop, since before the PC turned sick I wasn't using the Mac for more than an occasional post. Just uploaded this week's kitty photos to iPhoto for inserting here.
I took this with one hand whilst cradling Datsa with the other.
And here's Amy all bundled in the comforter that really needs to be washed and stored away for the warmer months.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Silly Site o' the Day
Tonight on Firesign chat, Cat mentioned that his computer keeps warning him about a virus whenever he visits this site. Laura, any ideas? It's almost certainly not the malware, which has only infected my PC (not the Mac on which I've been typing blog posts) for less than a week. Maybe it's something to do with a ShadyURL (via BoingBoing)...
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Silly Site o' the Day
Those of you who've actually seen Up, unlike me, will probably appreciate this:
Via The Awl. When we're a 2-income household again the DVD of this movie is top on my to-buy list.
Tuesday, March 09, 2010
Silly Site o' the Day
Well, the malware proved too much for the house expert and any number of virus-attacking software programs. My PC is, to all intents and purposes, unusable. So I've got the laptop hooked up to my monitor, testing various programs from work via remote access (so far only one doesn't work properly, but unfortunately it's the one I need the most) and mourning the temporary loss of Atlantis Quest which, alas, is only made for a PC. I still totally blame Cablevision; if it weren't for them and ABC being buttheads on Oscar day I wouldn't have gone looking for what wound up being the malware in the first place. Ah well, I did enjoy the Oscars, at least, as apparently did Ben Grimm according to Bully. Click here for the entire Twitter feed.
Monday, March 08, 2010
Silly Site o' the Day
Absolutely nothing silly about this watch-Oscar-bait malware. It still persists on my machine, to the point where it may be irreparable. I feel like I ought to take up residence in the Images of Madness Livejournal blog(via Xeni at BoingBoing).
Sunday, March 07, 2010
No OscarsAnd We're On!
Not only can't we find any Academy Awards live streams, but one of the sites that promised live Oscar coverage filled my PC with malware that took Robin the better part of two hours to get rid of (and we're still not sure it's gone). Cablevision is promising free on-demand movies all day but that mechanism doesn't seem to be working. So it looks like we'll be watching stuff we've DVR'ed tonight. Yeah, you could say I'm majorly pissed. Update: It's back on, as of 8:43 NY time. Hoorah! Still no good guys here, but at least viewers are no longer caught in the middle.
From the Riggs Studio - Part 1
Now that the tax stuff's out of the way, Rob's literally gone back to the drawing board. Here's a nice character sketch he's done:
The face is very recognizable to me as the "Riggs style" (check out the Sir Apropos series to find countless other examples)...
Silly Site o' the Day
The good news is, not only have we finished filing our 2009 taxes but I'm done with ironing until the next laundry day! The bad news is, Cablevision and ABC are playing silly buggers resulting in the channel showing the Oscars being blacked out for Cablevision's NYC customers. I've watched the Oscars each year for as long as I can remember, and I'm not about to give in to faceless corporations' blackmail, so I guess we'll find some online site streaming them tonight. In the meantime, submitted for your consideration:
Can you feel it? Spring is in the air, for sure! The drive to do our local errands revealed lots of show piles still in the neighborhood, but our driveway/road is mostly clear and I only needed a t-shirt and hoodie to go out. Anyway, with spring an old blogger's thoughts turn to romance, I suppose, and via BoingBoing here's another clever wedding invite:
The BoingBoing post also has other cool online wedding links.
Friday, March 05, 2010
Silly Site o' the Day
Long work week, and it ain't over yet. On call tomorrow; if from home, I should get a lot of blog-reading done whilst monitoring work email. If from work, well, I suppose there's always Sunday. Got lots of healthy snacks for the weekend, at any rate, and am determined never to even buy this, much less use it:
Via Adam at Serious Eats. I love how the kid in the fake ad can barely keep from cracking up and losing it entirely...
Amy seems to like the mesh laundry bag we bought to keep our socks together:
The biggest problem now will be putting them away.
Thursday, March 04, 2010
Silly Site o' the Day
Okay, Robin just explained to me who Heath Robinson was ("the one I think of whenever you say Rube Goldberg") so now I get the reference by Neil Gaiman who passed this along:
And now we know the question as to how one tops synchronized treadmill dancing.
Wednesday, March 03, 2010
Silly Site o' the Day
I'm kinda Olympic'ed out, but since I didn't happen to catch any Johnny Weir moments this time around (yeah, I know, but on the whole I watched a lot less figure skating than usual), I really enjoyed this Current TV video passed on by Deeky:
And the Sarah Haskins cameo is always appreciated!
Tuesday, March 02, 2010
Silly Site o' the Day
Via an email from Carolyn Ibis, I didn't know (or remember) Aardman's Shaun the Sheep shorts (now apparently running on the Disney Channel), so I'm glad she led me to this game and its attendant site. Aardman totally rules, of course.
