Google Map Overlays

I am probably late to the game in discovering all the fun Google maps add-ons. But just in case you're later than I am, here's a link to the directory.

Breaking the Silence

Since I last posted about my last day working from home, we've been up to a lot. Just not a lot of writing:

• Visiting our new nephew Brennan in Baton Rouge. He was 3 weeks old at the time and sweet as can be. Pictures soon to follow (issues in uploading pics, see item below about home computing).
  
• Wrapping up my last week on-site at my former employer in Chicago. I stayed with Elizabunny and had a great dinner with Dad and Linda on Friday night.
  
• Eating lots of meat. Especially rotisserie chicken.
  
• Wondering what the future architecture of our home computing environment will be, given the relinquishment of my laptop to my former employer. The IBM Thinkpad is on the fritz and Ryan's desktop is inconveniently situated at present.
  
• Lots of sinus rinsing. Elizabunny was sick with a particularly nasty cold when I crashed on her living room floor. I have somehow escaped it ... so far.
  
• Marveling at the ultrasound of the baby girl we are expecting in March!
  
• Starting my new job here in Atlanta.
  
• Being grateful for my sister-in-law and her stash of maternity clothes that saved me during my first week at said new job.
  
• Finally changing the light bulbs over the front door (they burn out SO quickly) so that the trick-or-treaters will be able to see the skeleton/ghost hanging on our front door and know we're handing out the goods.
  
• Consuming an entire gallon of Garrett's popcorn cheese and caramel mix (which surprisingly is the same ridiculous price on line that it is in O'Hare).
  
• Realizing it's probably going to be less painful to vote on Tuesday than to stand in line at the ONE early voting center available in Dekalb county.
  
• Thinking about volunteering at the Obama office in Decatur on Monday evening.
  

Just say No to Drunk Typing

"Mail Goggles" Prevents Regrettable Late-Night Email

This really would have come in handy say, oh, eight years ago.

(Thanks, FC!)

The Robot has Arrived

The Roomba arrived yesterday. I had to wait for it to charge overnight. I woke up today feeling like a kid on Christmas morning. I couldn't wait to get downstairs.

Ryan was skeptical, but he was amused by my excitement. The dog and cat appreciated the newest addition to the family the least. The cat was actually pretty indifferent to the little round machine that traipsed haphazardly across our open floor plan, and she even let it bump into her once (that got her out of the way). The dog panted nervously the whole time it was running. We did our best to muffle our snickering when the vacuum scooted towards her from under the couch -- her scrambling exit was swift and anything but graceful.

Our Roomba got stuck twice: once on some tangled cords under the sofa (they've been reworked and will no longer get in the way), and once when it tried to go up the half-inch bump of the fireplace hearth and got wedged between it and the guitar rack in the corner. I'll be playing with the iRobot virtual wall lighthouses to avoid that from happening next time. It also stopped once when it sucked up a rubber band that became so entangled in its rotating brushes that they stopped turning. Finding the problem was easy -- just as the users' guide promised, it sounded a beep that resembled “uh-oh,” then one additional beep which indicated that the brushes could not move.

After circling the floors for about 45 minutes (“Not as loud as I thought it’d be,” says Ryan), it found its home base and docked itself for charging, emitting a triumphant beeping sound. I inspected its work. Overall, I'm quite happy with the Roomba's cleaning performance. The floors feel noticeably cleaner underneath my bare feet today. A lot of dog hair was sucked up into the dust bin. It did not clean the dog hair from every inch of the floor, however. It also seems to have made our kitchen mats hairier than they were before; however, the clumps of hair it left around their edges are much easier to pick up than single hairs strewn about the floor.

We envision putting our new little pal to work a few times a week while we walk the dog -- it wouldn't be fair to her to leave it on while she's stuck in her crate alone. It will be a nice treat to come home to cleaner floors. We will still have to do some spot-cleaning of tiny corners the robot can't reach, and will probably have to pick up a few clumps of hair here and there as well. I also don't know how reliable this thing will be and how long it will last. Overall, I give it a B+ or even an A-.

I want to name our robot. Any suggestions?

The roomba can't get here fast enough

Wednesday, I wooted a Roomba.

Yesterday, I took the dog to the dog park.

She gleefully dashed down the hill after a set of rambunctious boxers, not listening as I called her back as she disappeared from my sight. I realized only too late that she was so excited because they were headed to her favorite (and my least favorite) part of the park.... a dirty little creek that runs through it.

By the time she recovered from temporary deafness, it was too late. She was covered in smelly creek water.

A quick bath in the front yard later and she's now shedding her summer undercoat at record speed. The house looks like it hasn't been vacuumed in weeks (and it's been four days). Downy white fur is scattered like snow all over my dark wood floors.

As soon as I get off work we'll be paying a visit to the back yard with the furminator, but I can't WAIT for the UPS guy to come back.