Apr 01
I finished the fourth Harry Potter book – The Goblet of Fire last night. Since last summer I’ve read all of the books and quite enjoyed them. But this fourth book has been the best since The Sorcerer (Philosopher’s) Stone. They are obviously aimed for younger readers but that said, the fourth (and latest) book had some darker undertones that made it more engaging than the previous two. I recommend the books. They’re fun.
Mar 20
It also happens that this morning I noticed new, green buds on a tree outside my balcony for the first time this year.
And it’s raining. – All very appropriate for Spring.
It use to be that Spring was my least favorite time of the year due to the exceptional amount of rain. Spring also use to seem like a tease, one day it would be warm and maybe even sunny and the next it would be cold and raining again. But more and more spring reminds me that Summer is coming. (And for me, it always feels like Summer my mid to late May, even if it is still technically Spring.)
I love summer, it’s is easily my favorite time of the year and the least gray and overcast. Don’t get me wrong, I like a good moody, overcast day on occasion but Pittsburgh seems to have more than it’s fair share. And by the time Spring comes, I’m more than ready for the world to have some color in it again.
Unfortunately the day also started with three idiots.
Driving slow in the fast lane, the moron almost made me miss my turn on my drive to work.
As I put my turn signal on to turn into the parking lot this morning I noticed another car coming from the opposite direction with no turn signal. This morning cuts me off, without a turn signal and pulls in ahead of me.
As I’m waiting in line to catch my shuttle into work I notice a smoker standing in front of me. As the shuttle pulls up this moron tosses her cigarette into a drain even though she is not two feet away from a trash can!*
I made sure that I spritzed her with my umbrella as I shook it off onto her.
Mar 15
The Ides of March.
It’s 70 degrees. My porch door is open. Spring can not come soon enough.
Mar 08
I’ve been burned out on computers for several weeks now. During the new year I added a new printer that acted like a virus and really messed my system for awhile.
Since I had to fix many printer related problems I took the opportunity to upgrade my system from 8.6 to 9.2. This upgrade did not go handily, in fact I’m still not done. The differences between system 8.6 and 9.2 are pretty fundamental and have meant that I’ve needed to upgrade most of my considerable stockpile of software as well. – I dread the idea of upgrading to OS X at this point.
My computer exhaustion was also worsened by problems I discovered on the (private) Friends and Family portion of this site after I’d spent many hours adding a new section to it.
All of this upgrading and trouble shooting has made me particularly computer weary as of late and I haven’t even been turning my computer on at nights, let alone updating my site. (Keep in mind that I also sit in front of a PeeCee eight hours a day, that alone is enough to make anyone sick of technology.)
Feb 06
This is like shooting fish in a barrel, but in case you missed it: from AP – WASHINGTON, Jan. 29, 2002:
“(CBS) No longer will the attorney general be photographed in front of two partially nude statues in the Great Hall of the Department of Justice.
The department spent $8,000 on blue drapes that hide the two giant, aluminum art deco statues.
ABC News reported that Ashcroft ordered the statues covered because he didn’t like being photographed in front of them.
Since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, Ashcroft has been photographed several times in front of the female statue that represents the Spirit of Justice. The statue has its arms raised and a toga draped over its body, but a single breast is completely exposed.
The other statue, of a man with a cloth covering his midsection, is called the Majesty of Law.
Both statues were installed in the 1930s when the building was finished, according to the Justice Department.”
Ladies and Gentleman, our attorney General at work.
Feb 02
Today also happens to be 02-02-02. I’m sure that numerologists are having a hay day with today’s date. Our primate brains are great at noticing patterns but unfortunately we also tend to try and make meaning out of those patterns where there is no meaning. Still, 02-02-02 looks neat. And it is a good day to pull large rodents out of their holes and hold them up to the light to prophesy the weather.
Jan 12
Today is a very great day. To find out why, click here to read the Friends and Family News. (Password required).
Jan 07
Behold! No banner ads! That’s right, I laid down 15 buckoroos so that you – my faithful viewer aren’t troubled by distracting ads at the bottom and top of my Web pages. That’s ‘Glen Green Dot Com’ for you.
Jan 06
Almost any good Web site should be considered to be constantly under construction and so no apologies should be made. However, I feel that I must make some apologies for the extensive construction to be found here. As I migrate over my old content, viewers are likely to find an occasional dead or not yet active link. Please bear with me.
Jan 05
2002 – Welcome.
Far above the Ephel Dúath in the West the night-sky was still dim and pale. There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.
– JRR Tolkien
The Return of the King
The Lord of the Rings
I’d have to say that I’m rather pleased with my choice of quote on several levels.
On the surface, the quote is appropriate given my obsessive fandom of my all time favorite book – The Lord of the Rings, from whence the quote came. Given my track record of loving the book and the recent Fellowship of the Ring, first installment the quote isn’t a surprise choice.
But perhaps more importantly the quote is about hope. And hope is just something that we can’t ever get enough of and a new year is as good as a time as any to remember that.
It can be faint sometimes, but I still have hope for humanity.
“For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
Glen Green Dot Com – World View as it first appeared in January of 2002.
Dec 17
I originally credited Ron Edwards for much of the inspiration for publishing a Web site. I now need to credit Teddy Carroll* for much of the inspiration for improving my Web site. I intend to take some direct cues from Teddy, such as a note on the book(s) I’m reading, the music I’m listening and the movies I’m watching.
One of the tricks I’m still trying to solve relates to how much content I should make public and how much I should password protect. My general litmus test is, ‘What would I not want a con man to know about me or my friends?” I’m open to suggestions on the matter.
[important]* Sadly, since this essay was first published in 2001, Teddy’s site has gone the way of the dodo. A loss, I can assure you. [/important]Dec 16
I’m going to try and rework this site a bit. When I first laid it out I put zero thought into structure or design. But since I have done a fairly faithful job of updating the site I’ve decided to try and tweak the site to make it a bit less sloppy. I still don’t intend to worry about aesthetics too much but I hope that the informational structure will be improved.
During this reconstruction the majority of the site will be down. Hopefully I can update it by small but sure measures.
Clicking on “Friends & Family News” at the top will still ask you for the same password. After it has been entered you will be directed to the “Friends & Family News” page.
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