jane's daily blah

RSS Feed Homepage

Articles: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Oh, Vlad.
2007-11-26 17:09:00
You thought our upcoming election was going to be interesting?We've got nothing on Russia when it comes to interesting.Listen.

For you K-Pop lovers out there...
2007-11-26 02:05:00
...I snagged this off Diana's site, since as I'm no longer addicted to Korea's OnStyle network I'd've had no clue as to it's existence otherwise. It's an ad for Samsung's Anycall phones, filmed in a dystopian future where technology combines with music to save the masses from an oppressive brave new world-ish existence. [more info] I was never all that into K-Pop, but I've found this rather addictive. I think I miss Korea :-) And in case you're interested in more Korean-related weirdness, check out this episode of The Simpsons. You'll have to watch the first few minutes before you realize why I've linked you there though - but you'll see!
More About: Lovers

Pecan Thievery in Georgia!
2007-11-24 20:17:00
Pecans from *my* backyard :-)My mom brought this to my attention today: Apparently this year, pecan theft has become a major problem across the state of Georgia . Oddly enough, no one has stolen my pecans (see above photo). However, there are some interesting(ish) articles on the topic of pecan theft:Police, farmers step up pecan theft, prosecution, punishmentPecan thieves be forewarned: you will be arrested in GeorgiaSo, whose pecans are they?Pecan thefts rise in South Georgia
More About: Photography

Thanksgiving!
2007-11-23 19:13:00
All this week, the topic over at Blog Supergroup has been Thanksgiving , and my post just went online. Go check it (and all the others!) out.
More About: Hank

Just in time for holiday shopping madness...
2007-11-22 00:34:00
I've got everything you've always wanted right here! Okay, perhaps these aren't necessarily things you've always wanted, but I'd bet you'd definitely enjoy having them nonetheless... especially if you enjoy my photography. (All photographs featured in the items below were taken by yours truly!) Check out what I'm offering for sale - and click on the links if you're interested in purchasing them. The products are sold through lulu.com, which is a secure site for your online shopping safety. (And for you cats overseas, lulu.com does offer international shipping!)Photographs from Korea $25This book contains thirty pages of full color photographs featuring images from all over the Korean peninsula, throughout all four seasons.Photographs of Vladimir $25This book contains thirty pages of full color photographs of the historic city of Vladimir, the ancient capital of Russia. Photographs from Siberia $25This book contains twenty-seven pages of full color photographs from my journe...
More About: Shopping , Holiday , Photography , Pets

Korea-Kyrgyzstan Investment Pact
2007-11-20 02:15:00
Whaddyaknow. Check it out.
More About: Korea , Investment , Central Asia , Kyrgyzstan , Kore

BlogSlackergroup is back!
2007-11-20 01:38:00
Yes, Blog Supergroup is still alive... barely. You may have noticed that we haven't exactly been posting very often of late. My apologies. It's hard to come up with a completely new topic every week - especially when we've already covered so many broad topics. If you have any topics you would like to hear the BlogSupergroup address, please let us know - leave your suggestions in the comments here or over there. This week's topic is (appropriately enough) Thanksgiving. Please click here to read the first post, and we'll, um, try to continue posting all this week.
More About: Back

A Livia-sized hole
2007-11-20 01:26:00
I took Livia to the vet to get spayed today. Last night I caught myself shouting at her, "Go away! I do not want to have sex with you!" which is something one should never have to yell at a cat. I'd say she was fixed just in time... especially with her escapist tendencies and the three (un-catchable, and thus, un-fixable) tomcats who hang out around my house. I really need to invest in a humane trap. Anyhow, I took Livia to the vet in Mia's carrying case. Back in the Tokyo-Narita airport, Mia had managed to rip a small hole in it, big enough for her paw to poke out and amuse nearby travelers, but that was all. On Livia's way home from the vet, she managed to wedge her head through that hole. I ended up having to cut her out. Now I need a new pet carrier, too.You'll note, I've unzipped the bag...but her head is poking out somewhere else!
More About: Photography , Pets , Hole , Waycross

Dispatches from the hood
2007-11-19 01:21:00
Other than crazy naked Ronnie, I haven't had any problems since returning to the Waycross ghetto. This is most probably because the people next door (the drug dealing lesbian prostitutes who stole my electricity and my copper pipes, cut a hole in the wall of my house with a butcher knife and took a baseball bat to my mailbox) were evicted while I was in Korea. The people who live in that house now are a grandmother, a mother and her three kids. One kid is a baby, but the other two are probably around 6 and 8 and are really cute and like to talk to me about my cats. I actually hung out with them for about an hour yesterday. Sadly, it is really hard for me to understand them. They probably think I'm nuts because I keep asking them to repeat themselves. The people in the house behind me moved in while I was in Korea. There is (or perhaps I should say was...) a man, woman and three kids there. There was also - at least while the weather was warm - a large group of somewhat "gangsta" l...
More About: Hood , Dispatches

Koreans addicted to the Internet? Duh.
2007-11-19 00:50:00
Trying to have a conversation with Korea n students is often difficult:Jane: What did you do yesterday?Student: I played computer game.Jane: What did you do on your last vacation?Student: I played computer game.Jane: What did you do after school?Student: I played computer game.Jane: What will you do tomorrow?Student: Play computer game. Jane: What do you like to do for fun?Student: Play computer game. (Etc.)Now, I totally have an addiction to the Internet . However, I do go outside and do things, because otherwise, what would I have to blog about?? One of my favorite things about Korea is how available and cheap highspeed internet is (and was long before it was avilable here in the US). It was affordable to have in my apartment - much cheaper than the DSL I have here in Waycross. Additionally, there is at least one PC Bang on every corner. A PC Bang is a "computer room" where you can use the Internet, chat, play computer games, etc., all for like fifty cents an hour. (Or at least tha...
More About: Health , The Internet , Koreans

Curtains and Blinds
2007-11-18 16:55:00
I finally hung my last blind today - my living room and office now have blinds and curtains that I like... and as a result it is very bright in here, which is wonderful. Yes, it took me two and a half months to do this. I'm a tad lazy. There are still two blinds I'd like to replace (spare bedroom and bathroom) as they came with the house and are obviously old and funny-colored. But I think I'll leave them for now.And in case you're interested in the rest of my hermitage:My bedroom :-)The spare bedroom, with its dungeon-like wood-paneling. Yuck.The kitchen is so absurdly big it takes 3 photos to show it!Kitchen leftKitchen center(There used to be this hideous wallpaper border around the top of the room... you can see I did a stellar job removing it. Trust me, this looks better than that wall paper!)Kitchen right(you can see them poorly tacked together as a panoramic here)
More About: Blinds , Waycross

Finally! :-)
2007-11-18 00:16:00
Four weeks ago, I mailed my application for a visa to the Embassy of the Kyrgyz Republic, located in Washington, DC. I had been told that visas usually take about ten days to process. The day that my package arrived at the embassy, I got a voicemail from the embassy. Despite the fact that their website did not say to include a prepaid envelope for them to use to return my passport, they wanted to let me know that I needed to send them one. The year-long visa for Kyrgysztan costs $300. Surely out of that they could've spotted me some postage... but no. Anyway, I called back, just to confirm that there wasn't anything else they needed. I called the main number for the embassy, and began by saying I recently applied for a visa, and was told I needed to include a prepaid envelope... at which point the man who had answered (remember, this was the main embassy phone number) said, Oh, you're Jane Keeler! I learned that all I needed to do was to send them the envelope, and I'd be good t...
More About: Central Asia , Finally , Kyrgyzstan

It's All Politics
2007-11-17 17:54:00
I love NPR's It's All Politic s in general, and they had a pretty good post-debate podcast that you should totally give a listen to by clicking here.
More About: Election

Tonight's Democratic Debate
2007-11-16 03:23:00
Even though I don't own a TV, it occurred to me this evening to see if I could watch the Democratic debate in Nevada live online at CNN's website. While I'm not sure what clips CNN will post after the fact, I'm glad that I got the opportunity to watch it live. I hate having to pick through the things networks deem newsworthy to post on their sites - or worse, reading transcripts. That's one thing that has me a little bummed about the fact that I'll be out of the country and in a place with spotty internet next year - I won't be able to follow the 2008 election as closely as I would like. But, at least I can keep tabs on what's going on now.As far as tonight's debate, I'm not sure that I can name a winner. I can, however give you some of my thoughts:Dennis Kucinich is a weird little man. While I do agree with most of what he has to say, he's simply a weird little man. With pointy ears. And whom the moderators and other candidates tend to ignore. Like when moderator Wolf Bl...
More About: Politics , Women , Health , Issues

A weekend of utter nerdiness
2007-11-14 00:49:00
I flew out to Houston, TX this past weekend to visit my friend Glenn (whom I?ve known since high school). As per usual, I shopped around and found the cheapest available ticket package to get me there and back again. Oddly enough, despite the fact that there *are* direct flights from Jacksonville, FL to Houston, the cheapest way for me to get there was to fly Jacksonville-Miami-Houston. Like going around your fist to find your thumb, or whatever the hell that saying is. Well? I?m pretty sure you can guess what?s coming next. Yep, my plane was delayed out of Jacksonville just long enough that I was able to see my connecting flight to Houston rolling away from the terminal as I rolled in. This was around 3pm. I expected perhaps a two hour delay before they could get me on another flight, but sadly the next one out didn?t leave until 9pm! Let?s just say I got to know MIA?s Terminal E really well. Sigh.Luckily, the rest of my trip panned out a lot better than the first day. I suppose he...
More About: Photography , Weekend , Texas

Gah!
2007-11-08 05:10:00
I drove west out Valdosta Highway today, looking for things to photograph. I took a bunch of pictures, and I intended to write a good bit about them, too. However, I am going to Texas tomorrow (I'll be back Monday) and have yet to start packing. As such, no time for writing! I have uploaded all the pictures, however, and you can see them all here.
More About: Photography , Waycross

Can you resist this face?
2007-11-06 22:08:00
Please help - she needs a home!
More About: Photography , Pets , Face , Waycross

PLEASE! Tell me you want a kitten!
2007-11-06 05:27:00
So around 10:45pm, as I had literally just finished the below post on moody Miss Livia, I heard a terrible squealing outside my window. I peeked out through the blinds to see Orangie (one of the neighborhood tomcats, whom I can't catch to neuter, grrr) pinning something to the ground. I went out (barefoot, in my pyjamas) to investigate. Of course it turned out to be a teeny, tiny little grey kitten. What else would it be? Below are two videos of the little one. If you or anyone you know would like to adopt a kitten PLEASE let me know.Also, about five or ten minutes after I'd brought the kitten inside, I heard Ronnie's distinctive knock. Jesus, it's 11pm! But, I opened the door a crack (with the chain on, of course). Apparently he had seen me come out of the house and check in the road, and wanted to make sure that I was OK and that no one was bothering me. Which I suppose is a nice, neighborly sort of thing to do. You know, as opposed to getting naked and running around your nei...
More About: Pets , Waycross , Kitten

When she was good, she was very, very good...
2007-11-06 04:17:00
...and when she was bad, she was horrid. I took the following photo of Livia while she sat in my lap, purring away as though she were the sweetest kitty ever. Seconds later, she shredded my hand.
More About: Photography , Pets , Good

Took a brief trip to North FL today...
2007-11-06 02:17:00
...and had the following conversation:Jane: I'm going to Kyrgyzstan in January.Old Man: You in the military?Jane: No, I teach English.Old Man: You do that with the government?Jane: No, I'll be working for a local school.Old Man: Them those same Kurds who are in Iraq?Jane: [sighs internally] No, these are a completely different group.Suwannee River, Fargo, GA (near the FL/GA border)I may have peed in the bushes here. Just so you know.
More About: Photography , Today , Florida , North , Trip

Another reason to dress synthetic
2007-11-05 03:48:00
A friend of mine from when I was in Russia back in 2000 is now doing short documentary films, and recently had one aired on the BBC. Read the article and watch the video on forced child labor in the cotton industry in Uzbekistan here.
More About: Central Asia , Dress , Reason , Synthetic , Synth

Livia, the Bitch of Waycross
2007-11-05 02:50:00
As you may remember, I named the most recent kitten to appear on my doorstep Livia, after Xena's daughter who, in her evil incarnation, was known as Livia, the Bitch of Rome. Well, this cat is certainly living up to her name. While she does have periods of sweetness and light, she loves nothing more than to do her best to rip my arm to shreds. Luckily, she and Mia spend most of their time chasing each other about the house, thus sparing my arm too much unneccessary damage. I'm wondering if this kitten's stellar personality is the reason she was out on the street to begin with. Sigh. I've been listening to Kitty by The Presidents of the United States of America over and over, directing the lyrics at her. But of course I can't put her out until I get her spayed, and even then I'll let her back in if she asks. Yes, I'm a sucker.(Of course, she just seems cute and kittenish here.)
More About: Pets , Waycross

dogs are so easy to please.
2007-11-05 02:40:00
We took Shiva and Blix out for a run on and around our new land today. As with previous trips, their favorite part of the experience was the swimming. This of course meant that on the way home I had a wet, muddy black lab/pit bull (who smelled like she had been rolling around in a rotten deer carcass, because she had) sitting in my lap. Yuck.
More About: Dogs , Photography , Pets , Easy , Waycross

Thinking the unthinkable?
2007-11-04 01:51:00
My house, as you all know, is located in an area of town that is (aside from yours truly) essentially all black. This area has been traditionally all black since the founding of the city in the late 1800s. About two blocks from my house is Oak Street. Oak Street was once the thriving main street of the African-American community of Waycross , with theaters, restaurants, stores, etc. Oak Street, sadly, went the way of the rest of downtown Waycross, and while central downtown is doing its best at a revival, Oak Street is not. Currently, Oak Street has little more than two bars and a bunch of boarded up buildings. Recently, I've seen these signs springing up across the city:Think The Unthinkable? What a terrible slogan! How could I *not* go, in an attempt to see what they could possibly mean by this? Around noon today, my mom, aunt and I walked from my house down to Oak Street. I must say there was nothing "unthinkable" about the festival. In fact, there wasn't much of anything, reall...
More About: Photography , Thinking

My continuing history of not having cancer
2007-11-03 00:45:00
I was born with a whole bunch of moles and freckles all over my body. Two in particular, on my back, were rather large and irregular. While my pediatrician told my mother they were nothing to worry about, she did worry. And as I got older and learned about the signs of how to spot skin cancer, so did I. Additionally, throughout high school and my first couple of years of college, various people advised me that I should definitely have the two moles on my back - and possibly two on my left arm - looked at. When I was 20, I bit the bullet and went to a dermatologist in my hometown. He looked me over and thought that it was imperative that the two moles on my back, the two on my arm, and several others come off ASAP. Being young and naive enough to believe that my doctor was acting in my best interests (as opposed to the best interests of his wallet), I agreed. When the day for surgery came, he circled TWENTY-FOUR moles which he insisted needed to come off, including the two on my back...
More About: Health , History , Cancer , Conti

The world must be ending or something...
2007-11-02 23:32:00
...because today I willingly got on a horse. We went to look at a pony (er, small horse) for sale out in Manor (pronounced may-ner), a small community just to the west of Waycross. The horse was a Halflinger, a small, sturdy-yet-strong breed that originated in Austria. The horse itself was well behaved, although it certainly had an ornery pony streak. The owners had bought it for their kids, but they were somewhat clueless. They didn't know how to put on the saddle or bridle, and the bridle they had was too big for the poor thing, while the saddle was falling apart. Mom and I each took turns riding it around a small enclosure, but we didn't want to take it out into the Great Wide Open without properly fitting gear. Sadly, while we'd brought Val's old bridle (Val being the horse my mom had for many years, who tried to kill me several times), it was too big for this little guy. I'm fairly certain that all this little guy had to do was exhale and shake and that saddle would've sl...
More About: Photography , World , Pets , The World , Ending

Huh?
2007-11-02 02:50:00
I don't mind not having a television, but it would be nice to watch the presidential debates as they happen, instead of having to hunt up selected clips online or wade through boring transcripts. Now, watching two hours of political debate is one thing, but wading through the transcripts, reading the dry words without any of the political personalities bringing them to life is a bit much, even for me. Now, you can watch selected clips of the debate on MSNBC's website, here. But one has to wonder why certain clips were chosen. I mean, here's what I learned:Dennis Kucinich admits to having seen a UFO, and Shirley Maclaine is the godmother of his daughter. I'm surprised they didn't manage to work his young, super hot and super tall wife into the debate as well. Since I can't link you directly to the clip in question (curse you, MSNBC), here's from the transcript:Moderator: The godmother of your daughter, Shirley MacLaine, writes in her new book that you've cited a UFO over her ...
More About: Politics , Election

All dressed up with nowhere to go....
2007-10-31 19:22:00
...walkin' with a dead man over my shoulder. Seriously, I've had that song stuck in my head all day. It's true though; I *am* all dressed up and I don't have anywhere to go. Halloween is absolutely my favorite holiday of the year, and not having plans is hardly going to deter me from donning a stunning costume. This is because on Halloween I can dress exactly how I want and no one thinks it's all that bizarre. Yeah, I'm 29 years old and running mundane errands in my costume, but it's Halloween so it's okay. Trust me, I know from experience that if you go to WalMart (which I did today) on any other day of the year dressed like this, they treat you quite strangely. They may even have security follow you around. But, since it was Halloween, I simply got compliments on my costume. I even had one fellow in the parking lot ask me if I was supposed to be Marie Laveau. I think he was as much surprised that I knew who she was as I was that he did. People have been asking me all day w...
More About: Photography , Waycross

Boo.
2007-10-30 19:08:00
Dammit. This stuff doesn't taste like normal candy corn.
More About: Photography , Miscellany

How similar are we? (In case you missed this the first time around.) UPDATE
2007-10-30 02:26:00
Back in February, I linked to a quiz I created over at OkCupid - I've decided to re-post the link. It's the same quiz, so if you took it before, there's no need to do so again. But, if you missed this adventure the first time around, please TAKE THE QUIZ and tell me your score. I'm curious! Remember answer honestly for yourself, not for how you think I would answer. (And if you want to see the scores of the people who took the quiz back in February, you can do so by clicking here.)
More About: Time , Update , Miscellany , Case , First Time