A Curious Statistical Anomaly

Sometimes during the bleakness of not being able to come up with the right words, you find yourself wandering the corridors of the internet and you find something that … well, I’ll let you be the judge.

I got to admit that this one has something going for it that many of the vampire, zombie, werewolf mashup don’t — it completely skips trying to fit in with any actual books and goes for the plight of women in 1810 in high society.

Comments? Thoughts? Is violence ever the answer to boredom?

Today my laptop decided to take the day off.  I didn’t know that’s what it had in mind.  I was working along thinking I’d do a few more things and then take a short break and up pops a low battery warning.  Now, I’ve got the ‘ol laptop plugged into the UPS which is plugged into the house circuit so no worries.  I keep on working.

I enter a stack of books into the database and between books this low battery warning keeps popping up.  So, I stop and check all the connections and everything is plugged in solid.  Sometimes you see my feet and those dangling cords sort of have their own battle.  But all is as it should be.  Keep on working.

Up pops a notice that the laptop is going into some sort of mode to help me conserve power.  What the?  I check the cords again.  Everything is fine.  This time I’m on my hands and knees under the desk checking the entire length of each cord — from laptop to the power brick and the  brick to the UPS.  Yup all the cords in and plugged in solid not wobbly.  I even checked to make sure the UPS was plugged in but knew it was because the printer and the lamp was working fine.

Okay, weird but not critical but I’m thinking I’ll start a backup just in case.  Close all the programs and start the backup.  Grab a book to read while it’s running and I get a Skype just as I get a message from the laptop telling me it’s shutting down soon.  Send word I’m going to be offline and hit send.  Black screen and a beep.

Try to turn it back on.  Dead. Nothing.  Nada. Okay.  What’s there to do but make tea and grab a book and pretend it’s my break.  I tried several times throughout the day to push the power button hoping it would some up.  Nothing.  Finally, Hyperion gets home from work and I tell him about the problem and ask if we should buy a new brick — last time this happened it was a bad power brick.  He says maybe I missed something and he follows the cords all fine and dandy and then pulls out the cords to pull them out in the light to see that they look fine and not broken or scuffed, plugs them back in and powers up.

Everything is fine.  My laptop sits here with this smug look of satisfaction.  I think it just wanted a day off.  I don’t know why it couldn’t just send me a memo requesting the day off.  I think it might be developing sentience and if not that it’s at least developing an attitude.

It’s a Saturday after a WSFA Meeting at a pet filled home and a long night of trying to breathe. This made me laugh. I hope it perks up your day.

Sherlock Holmes is and was a fictional character created by Sir. Arthur Conan Doyle. According to wikipedia, Sherlock Holmes first appeared in print in 1887.

During the Christmas holidays, a new Sherlock Holmes film was released in theaters. Directed by Guy Ritchie, Sherlock Holmes was played by Robert Downey Jr., while Jude Law and Rachel McAdams played Dr. Watson and Irene Adler. Many fans of Sherlock Holmes were upset by the film because this is not the Holmes they were expecting. The plot is a bit wild but within the acceptable canon. Holmes however is more scruffy and common than most people expected.

Personally, I thought that he was closer to the Holmes I thought he was when I first read the books as a child. This Holmes could disguise himself as a laborer and get away with it. He could mingle on all class levels and blend in. That, however, doesn’t mean that he couldn’t dress up and appear in the highest levels of British society and also fit in smoothly since, as I mentioned, he could blend in on all levels. Holmes adapts and the only thing he can’t stand is boredom and ignorance. So, take a chance and see the movie, whether you like it or not will depend on your inner vision of Sherlock Holmes.

The second major complaint that I heard/read was that there was paranormal and magical aspects in a Sherlock Holmes film. Tsk. Tsk. In point of fact, Sherlock Holmes doesn’t believe in magic or the paranormal. He attacks the problem in his own way looking for clues and facts. While the movie appears to have real magic occurring, never once does Holmes say it is so. By the end of the movie you’ll know what Holmes does, and that changes how you view what you’ve already seen. Again, strictly canon in the Holmesian universe.

10 Facts about Sherlock Holmes on FactsMonk.

For my own Holmes adventure, Hyperion and I were traveling from hither and yon and managed, as we usually do, to get lost. However, we found Gillette Castle State Park. It’s in East Haddam, Connecticut and was the home of William Gillette who played Sherlock Holmes on Broadway and for years it was his image that was used as that of Holmes in magazines, books, and other print media. Gillette was a bit of an inventor and the castle has some interesting features. The one that’s relevant to this post is that he had a room set up to look like 221B Baker Street including the VR in the wall made by bullet holes. If you’re ever in the area in Connecticut, check it out. It’s high on a bluff overlooking the river. There’s a ferry that makes trips across the river and the view of the castle from the ferry is spectacular. (Unfortunately, I couldn’t find our photos of the visit so here’s one from the Gillette State Park site.)

I loved the books when I was in my early teens. I liked them even more when I was in my twenties and could appreciate the convoluted plots and Holmes’ dry wit. But I guess what I continue to like is the reliance on facts before hypothesis that Holmes insisted on. My favorite line is the one, “Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.” This is even more astounding when you realize that Doyle fell for just about every scam that was about in his day — he was a stanch supporters of the girls who claimed to have fairies in the bottom of their garden, for example. But Doyle managed to have Holmes believe only in facts, science, and what he himself could deduce from clues.

In recent years, many authors have been writing stories using the Holmes character. I’ve reviewed several. Most remain true to the character as it was developed by Doyle. Even if they bring in paranormal appearing events, they manage to have Holmes stand true to his motto: “Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.”

Celebrate the birthday of Sherlock Homes. Read a mystery.

I don’t like to use universal terms such as all women, or even most women. So, I’ll just say when I was growing up I had some problems with the fact that I wasn’t as “pretty” or “girly” as I was told I should be. At a fairly young age, I decided to just be me. It’s mostly worked, except for those days when the niggling doubts and insecurities raise their heads. But as I get older that doesn’t happen quite as often and I handle it better.

However, many young women and girls are still raised with certain expectations and I’m hoping this video will help you look at the word “pretty” in a new way. Hopefully, it will give you a new lease on life and since it’s the start of a new year maybe it’s a good time for Katie Makkai, a veteran poetry slammer, to give us a new definition of the word “pretty”, and to get you thinking about the really important things in life.

Think about and go out and be pretty amazing, pretty witty, pretty darn smart, and anything you want to be.

I saw this quote today:

“The reason people find it so hard to be happy is that they always see the past better than it was, the present worse than it is, and the future less resolved than it will be.” – Marcel Pagnol

Well, I got thinking that really this is very close to the saying: You’re as happy as you make up your mind to be. Which is a paraphrase of a quote attributed to Abraham Lincoln.

Anyway, both of them got me thinking about how our attitudes effect us and those around us. Thinking about how,  when I have a bad night and don’t sleep and I start my day grumpy, it tends to stay that way. However, if I somehow see something or meet someone that makes me smile, the day makes a change from that point on. There was a meme going about a while ago that said that you should smile at someone and make them happy for the rest of the day. People complained that that was just to simplistic.

Thinking back on the holiday season, and often during it, I notice that people are nicer to each other during this time of the year. They smile more and are far more courteous that normally when they’re wrapped up in their lives and their problems. So, I’m thinking I’m going to try harder this year to be happy and make those around me happy too.

I challenge each of you to be nice to one person a day during this coming year. That means giving someone a genuine, “Hello”. Or, just letting someone cut in front of you on the road or in a store line — with a smile and “that’s okay”. Take the time to notice the world and the people around you and appreciate the sunshine, the rain, the wind (which right now is howling outside my window), and the sunsets.

To get you in the mood to try this “be happy” attitude, here’s Bobby McFerrin’s YouTube video, Don’t Worry, Be Happy. I can’t embed that one so go and watch it, but here’s Bob Marley, with the same song:

Try to start every day, happy to be.

When a year changes, I find that I’m much more introspective than I am when my birthday comes around. Maybe it’s all the talk about new year resolutions and changes to be made and habits to be dropped. So, when the new year arrives I find myself looking over my shoulder at the past year and trying to see the highs and the lows. I look forward to what I hope to accomplish in the coming year.

I looked at a few blogs earlier this evening and the Yarn Harlot‘s really struck me with her talk of change. Change seems to be the only constant in life. We change every day. I’m not the same me tonight as I was this morning when I got up. I’m certainly not the same me that existed 365 days ago. I’ve changed, grown, learned new things, forgotten other things, gained some skills and hopefully didn’t make the world any worse for my living in it.

I’ve got some resolutions of my own for the coming year. I hope to exercise more — yeah, I did pretty good last year til the fibro kicked in big time. So, I start this year with a clean slate on that front. I’ve got some resolutions about my writing and we’ll see how that works out.

I’ve got some plans to set a schedule for knitting, spinning, writing, and reading that I hope will see me through what is already shaping up to be an interesting year — rather in the sense of that curse “May you live in interesting times.”

I’m chairing a convention in 2010, Capclave. I’m hoping I don’t disappoint the people who gave me this opportunity for living in an interesting year. Check out the website and if you think you’ll be in the area during the convention sign up. It’s always a good time for those who enjoy science fiction and fantasy.

So, I’m looking forward to more changes in my life and hoping that they are always changes for the better. I also hope that all of you have a great new year filled with your own opportunities for positive change.

This is going to be a political and social rant, so those not interested can move along.

Okay, at first the Medical Bill submitted to Congress was not great, but it was a start. Over the months of discussion in the House and Senate, our Congress critters have managed to strip the bill of any utility to the people of this country who were looking to them to help them get medical care. I’ve heard that some members of Congress think that the falling approval of the bill is because it’s taking so long. NOT. The falling approval of the bill among the populace is because Congress has managed to remove everything in it that we wanted.

As it stands now the Senate bill is missing the Public Option, the extension of  Medicare (include 55 and over), the coverage of prior conditions clause, and has added yearly caps on spending. So, now there’s a totally useless bill that gives the insurance companies everything they wanted while giving the people without insurance nothing. Not only that, but health insurance is now mandatory and there’s a penalty for not having it. So, you force people who can’t afford insurance in the first place to get insurance that doesn’t cover anything and then penalize them when they can’t afford to buy it. Great work guys and gals.

And while I’m ranting. What’s with trying to slip the no funds for abortions into this bill. In case you’re not aware of it, abortion IS legal in this country and has been for a while. Suck it up folks. You know you can’t get it made illegal because the American people overwhelmingly want it legal. Trying to  stop it through the back door because you’re afraid of right wingnuts is no excuse to make medical decisions for people other than yourself. Abortion is not something a person does because they have a spare couple of  hours in the day — it is a very serious decision made between a woman and her doctor. Sorry to have to be the one to let you know that Congress is not part of that equation and shouldn’t be either. It seems that getting government off our backs and allowing us choice only applies when we do what you want.

I’ve got a good health care plan. It’s through my husband’s work (I’m self-employed, a freelancer). I’m also a cancer survivor, who also has asthma, allergies, migraines,  fibromyalgia, and arthritis. If we were to lose our current health care plan and had a lapse in coverage (even for one day), none of those things would covered. So, the very problems I have would be ones that I couldn’t afford to have taken care of. We currently pay about $10,000 per year out-of-pocket. That’s just the “medical” stuff that is allowed on our tax form. It’s probably closer to 13,000 if I added in the non-allowable but nevertheless medical costs. Remember that I’m not that ill — not really. I work. I function. I just can’t do a 9-5 M-F work schedule.

On many online forums that I belong to, we’ve been talking some about the health care bill. At first I wanted it passed. It wasn’t perfect but it was a good start and would help a lot of people. Now, I hope it doesn’t pass, or at least not in the current stripped down useless version as it exists now. Now it gives no coverage, and punishes people who don’t pay buy it anyway. Not only that but all the insurance cost are going to skyrocket. What makes me think the insurance rates will go up? The insurance companies said so. Unlike members of Congress, I do read and comprehend what I read. So, we have a useless bill that hurts people, doesn’t do the job, and punishes those who can’t afford this extra cost.

Remember what I said about my yearly out of pocket? We’re lucky. With careful budgeting, we can manage. But imagine those out of pocket expenses on a minimum wage job when you have kids. You can’t. But with the penalties for not getting insured, you be between a rock and a hard place.

So, I’ve come up with a way to see that Congress passes a decent bill that would cover everyone including no pre-existing conditions, a public option, and no caps. Whatever bill Congress passes, their current medical insurance for Congressional Members will be canceled — thus lapsing their coverage (no Cobra guys and gals). And, here’s the clever bit, members of Congress must now get health insurance under the rules and regulations of the bill they just passed. So, guess trying to get health care when it won’t cover your existing health problems will be a bit of an incentive to think about what it’s like for the average American family. Maybe if Congress had to live under the laws they pass, they’d spend a little bit more time thinking about the ramifications of their changes and less about how it effects the corporations who put money in their campaigns.

The older I get and the more I read about our government leaders and watch them in action, the more I believe I’m watching a remake of recess in any playground in America where all the children have been replaced with adults. I’m also reminded that Congress lost their bank because they couldn’t pay their bills, balance their personal checking, or remember to spend less than they had. These same people make the laws for this country — something is wrong with this picture and the mess that has been made of the health care bill doesn’t change my opinion.

America needs leaders. We need people who are dedicated to seeing that our founding documents are respected and followed. That laws are made to make life better for the people of this country. Americans work hard. They give their best and some give their lives to see that this country remains strong, free, and economically viable. The citizens of this country should not be sold out because it just might make a company happy and give them a better bottom line so they give more to help get “me” re-elected. The people of this country deserve better than that.

Besides, whatever made anyone ever think that a for-profit insurance company was the right way to provide health care?  Some ideas are just bad and perpetuating them is just plain wrong.

For once do the right thing. Put the things that the people need back into the health care bill. Stop the childish power plays and vote to give American’s the health care bill they need. And for heaven’s sakes stop the bickering, back-biting, and just plain dirty fighting.

That’s it for now. I could rant for hours but I think in my meandering way, I’ve expressed my dissatisfaction with the childish behavior of our government leaders in the face of real problems that need real solutions.