11.01.02

A few bits of randomness for ya as we head into the (for me, three-day) weekend.

I've run across a few really great little apps for OS X recently that are making me a very happy little puppy. Since it appears by my web stats, that over 60% of Hair Flap readers are on Mac (I knew I surrounded myself with people of good taste. ;), I thought it might be nice to mention them here.

The first app is called Wraparound. It's basically the OS X version of my beloved CursorWrap which I had been using since the days of MacOS 8.6. Wraparound (and CursorWrap for thouse of you still in OS 8-9) enables your cursor to go off the edge of the screen and pop back up on the opposite side. If you go off the left, it shows up on the right; drag up past the top and there you are at the bottom. It sounds too simple to be useful at first, but trust me after a week or two of using it, you won't be able to use a computer without it and not feel like you're trapped in a cage. It's easily one of the simplest productivity boosters I've ever used.

The second is called Searchbar. This one makes your life easier by allowing you set a hotkey combination (in my case, it's option-spacebar) which will pop up a little box that enables you input a web search on the mighty Google, or any other of a gaggle of included search engines that are included.

After you hit the return key, the box disappears and brings up the results of your search in your default browser. Again, this sounds too simple to be worth the download, but you immediately notice how much time you save by not having to open a browser window, select the address field, type 'google.com', wait for the page to load, enter your search and press return again. Streamlining, baby. We're cutting the number of steps in half, and if you use Google as much as I do, that's a lot of saved time that adds up. I love it!!

In other news, Nicole finally got around to updating A Life Less Ordinary. Not only is there loads o' new content, there's also a funky new layout for Halloween!! I've been meaning to mention that for a week or so now, but I keep updating when I'm half asleep and always forget to mention it. Sorry, Nicole.

Well, it's Three-day Weekend Heaven starting in 4 1/2 hours, baby! For a change I'm going to do absolutely nothing and just try and catch my breath from the breakneck pace it seems like I've been running at for the past month. I promised CuteRomanianGirl I would try and cook her dinner at some point, so that could be a disaster/fun-entry in the making. What makes me think that evening will be ending in going out to a restaurant? :P

10.31.02

I thought some of you might find this interesting (the rest of you can piss off. ;) The other day, the Third Year students participated in the school's Adopt Program, which is basically the Fukuma version of Adopt-a-Highway except we go and clean up the local park and the road between here and there. As most of you have probably been Jr. High age at some point, you can imagine that much more slacking and socializing goes on than cleaning. Which is fine by me, because I can talk to the kids without them being paralyzed in fear that their English skills are being evaluated for a grade.

I happend to have my camera in my bag, so I tagged along (sans appropriate clothing because I didn't know about it before hand) and tried to catch the scene. I'm not really in writing mode today, so I'll let the photos do most of the talking.

Ishii-sensei explains the flogging procedures that will be followed if the park isn't spotless by the time they leave.

The troops hike off to take Hill 186, aka Mizugame Park.

Non-stop, action cleanin' that would make John Woo proud!!

Kumate-sensei was trying to muscle in on my photojournalisitc turf.

Shimamura-sensei praises his little maggots, er... students and gives them furlough to go home until first period, tomorrow.

On the way back to school, I saw Mikiko studying on the sidewalk in front of the baseball field. Why? Only she knows the answer to that, and I'm afraid to ask.

10.30.02

Just when I think Fletcher can't get any weirder, he goes and eats a head of cabbage. Not in a salad, not cooked, not nothing. He just puts in a bowl and eats it like potato chips, occasionally dipping a piece in a dish of soy sauce. Weird.

Man, has it chilled down here quick! Just last week I was riding to school in just a long sleeve shirt and today already I'm busting out my scarf. If I can just manage to avoid catching the cold that seems to be going around, I should be all right. I did manage to avoid that afore-mentioned and much-hated Daylight Saving Time switchover though, so I should be able to avoid a silly cold.

Just to quell any rumors that might be brewing over yesterday's post, yes, it's true, I hate DST with a flaming rancor that I have reserved for the very few things in life that go out of their way to deserve it. Fortunaately, this menace doesn't exist in Japan so I don't have to deal with it this year, but it looks like it managed to get me worked up anyway.

It's just so damn useless and yet inconvenient that it infuriates me to no end. Actually, that's not even it; it's that it's stupid and inconvenient, yet people keep doing it!! It's like resistance to the metric system. There is a better way, so why are you fighting it!? Anyway, if you didn't check out the link I mentioned yesterday, I strongly suggest you take a look at StandardTime.com and see why you should sign the petition to kill DST once and for all.

10.29.02

And now, an original poem by Scott Piekarczyk:

Daylight Saving,
Daylight Saving,
Daylight Saving Time...

Oh, how I loathe you.

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