life

Girl! NOT boy!

Blog Instead of being asleep at 16:51 on 8 September 2005, kitt created this:

Good lord, people! I'm a girl! I am not a boy!

When referring to a woman or an individual within a group of women, the proper pronouns to use are "she," "her," and "hers" (not "they," "their," and "theirs," as so many people like to use).

That means, if you're talking about me specifically, use "she," not "he."

Just because I like web technologies, make a living programming, and enjoy the tech world, doesn't mean I'm automatically a boy.

Grrrr....

Maybe I should drop the nickname.

Or give up and let Boris' nickname for me stick.

Sheesh.

Cursed vi

Blog Written with a loving hand by kitt some time around 16:13 on 6 September 2005

Pretty much the only way to switch from one editor to another, or one program to another that does the same job but with different keystrokes, or from one operating system to another, is to go cold turkey.

None of this half-ass, oh I'll just use this for a little while, until I learn all the commands and details I need to know to use it effectively crap.

Which brings me to my current pain point.

vi

Slowly, but surely, I'm learning how to use this editor. Slowly, but surely, I'm discovering, yes, even the great vi has issues, and that, truly, emacs would be reigning king if not for the control key pinky of death.

I'm going to go from the control key pinky of death to the escape key ring finger of death.

I have $80 that says...

Blog Yeah, kitt finished writing this at 10:59 on 31 August 2005

Last Friday night, Mischief descended on Wes' house for the inaugral event of the Shirley-Paul-I'm-gonna-kick-your-ass duodecathalon. The first event was, somewhat appropriately, a DDR dance off. Other events include Being Tall (Paul at 6'+ will probably win that one), Being Short (Paul will lose that one to Shirley's 5'5"), and others that, no doubt, include ro-sham-something.

The winner gets breakfast in bed. Said winner does not have to let the loser into the house. Should said loser wake up said winner before serving breakfast, the attempt doesn't count and the loser has to try again.

I arrived a little late, working on various projects. As I arrived, a ro-sham-eat had just finished up. Wes ran out of the kitchen and came back into the room dragging his dog's kennel. I looked at the crate, one made for the big, big dogs, and declared three people could fit in it.

Wes and several others looked at me like I was insane. Three people in that kennel? No way!

I responded, "Not only can three people fit in there, but if one is one of the small Asian women, the other two could be Tyler and I."

No one believed me.

Tyler was game, and, after taking off his shoes, crawled into the crate. He lay on his back, taking up most of the bottom of the crate. No, no, no way could more than two people fit in the crate, the men called out.

I asked Tyler to move to the back of the crate, and I "tried" to climb in next to him. The trick is, of course, to all great cons is to not quite fit.

Well, if I had truly been trying to con these guys.

When I didn't quite fit in the crate with Tyler, everyone started calling me on my "three people" declaration. I responded quickly by pulling out my wad of cash from my pocket. "I have 60, no, 80! Eighty dollars says I can fit in the crate with Tyler and Shirley or Pei. Eighty dollars."

Both Kevin and Paul immediately offered $20. Easy money they joked. Hand over the money, Kitt.

Silly boys.

I could get four people in that crate for $100.

Tyler unfolded himself from the bottom of the crate, I slid in next to him, and Pei zipped in, pulling the cage door closed behind her.

Easiest $40 ever.

EVAR.

Top Down? Top Down!

Blog kitt decided around 20:29 on 30 August 2005 to publish this:

When I arrived at track practice tonight, Doyle, Brynne and Warren approached me.

"You just drove here with the top down."
"Yep."
"But you never drive your car with the top down."
"She did last Friday. She had the top down last Friday night."
"She did."
"Yep."

Heh.

My mother reads my site

Blog Written with a loving hand by kitt some time around 21:56 on 29 August 2005

So, what happens when you discover your mother is reading your site and catching up on all the gossip that's fit to print?

You cringe, and think, "Uh oh, do I need to go back and edit some posts?"

So, then what happens when your mom takes note of her only daughter freezing her ass off in San Franscisco?

Easy, she buys her a sweater.

I now have, "My momma loves me, this I know, 'cause she bought me this yellow!" running through my head.

Curse those elementary school religious diddies!

Lessons from a light soul

Blog kitt decided around 01:08 on 27 August 2005 to publish this:

Ah, the lessons taught to me this week, may I remember them next week, too.

Lesson 1:

"You live in California. Top down! I'll always say top down!"

Experience life. Let the wind blow through your hair.

Lesson 2:

"What?!? That sucks! What did you lose?"

"I lost ... but, eh, it's okay. I deal well with loss."

Material possessions can be replaced. If they're lost, accept their loss and move on.

Lesson 3:

"I think people are the greatest fun."

Alright, here's the big one.

I'm not sure when or where I grew into suspecting people first, trusting them second. Certainly after college (I'd have to guess Amerigon if I were to guess at the source of much of my cynicism and suspicion). I probably had seeds of mistrust born from the awkwardness and self-consciousness of adolescense, but they didn't take root until that first "real world" job.

But having those (even tiny) suspicions meant I immediately put up a barrier between myself and everyone I met. I certainly wasn't open to learning who these people were, what motivated them, what interesting problems they were solving, what joys they found.

When I started dating Kris, he was amazed at how bitter I was at the world. He would teasingly mock me for my bitterness: "Life's not fair. The world is out to get you. Blah, blah, blah. So, can we move on?"

Step one, in learning the world isn't so bad.

Why he stuck with me through that step is beyond me.

Eventually, I figured this place isn't so bad. Ultimate, with its open and welcoming community, helped a lot. The group of friends from ultimate, acquaintances through best friends, fluctuated, but was always full of amazing people.

Step two, in learning the world has some good people in it, if you know where to look.

And then there's this week's final lesson.

It's a lesson I was finally open to receiving. That I could stand a door and say hello to a hundred people I had no idea who they were (but who, for the most part, seemed to know each other) amazes me a bit. Doesn't surprise Kris, though, who seems to think I'm a social butterfly (at least when I try to leave from an ultimate tournament and it takes me 45 minutes to cross 3 fields).

I'm comfortable around people I know. But for the first time, perhaps ever, I was (almost) comfortable around people I didn't know.

I think step three of this week's third lesson will take a little longer to sink in. At least I've started.

The third lesson?

People are the greatest fun.