For the next 2 months (now through the end of March 2010) I'm going to donate 80% of my profits from selling stuff to Doctors Without Borders to help them with their work in Haiti. This goes for merchandise for my comic Abby and Norma, books of my comic Abby and Norma, and my handmade jewelry as well.
If I could donate proceeds from my book Born on the Wrong Planet, I would, but it's professionally published and I don't get my next royalty check for a while, so I can't run a 2-month campaign for that. When I do get it, though, I'll probably use some of it for charitable purposes, too. I'm just that kind of person.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Monday, August 31, 2009
John's first art show!
A big "congratulations!!!" to John Ricker, who just got his first art exhibit put up in the Boiler Room Cafe! If you are in Minneapolis and you want to have a very tasty snack in a pleasant setting, surrounded by freakin' crazy awesome photos, then go to the Boiler Room anytime between now and the end of September. Yay for John!
Friday, August 07, 2009
The answer to every question
Recently I've been thinking about how the most recent research on human intelligence seems to indicate that it's decided more by nurture than by nature. Going by the latest studies, it seems that the biggest factor in a child's intellectual growth isn't anything genetic, it's the degree to which the child's mind was stimulated during the first few years of life. Kids whose parents talked to them and played with them a lot as babies tend to end up doing better on intelligence tests.
But the trouble with those studies is that it doesn't really mean anything conclusive when you prove that parents who stimulate their babies' minds end up having more intelligent children. You have to separate the environmental from the genetic: for all we know, the type of parents who do the best job at stimulating their children's minds might be the type of parents who have genes for intelligence, and maybe they're passing the intelligence on through genes rather than through mental stimulation.
To test this, you'd have to do a similar study on people with high IQs who had adopted infants biologically unrelated to them. If the adopted babies' intellectual growth responded in the same way to mental stimulation as that of biological children, you could be pretty sure that the connection was mostly nurture and not nature, and it would be another point against intelligence being mainly genetic.
Unfortunately, you couldn't make as conclusive a deduction if the adopted children's development did not follow that of the biological children, because one could argue that the adopted children's development was stunted by their time in the adoption system before being placed with the family, or that the family subconsciously did a poorer job of stimulating their minds because they loved them less than they would love a biological child. This is the trouble with the nature/nurture debate: it is very difficult to prove anything beyond a reasonable doubt. The only possible conclusive proof of genetic determinism would be if genes were found that were always associated with high intelligence, regardless of the environment in which one grew up.
However, I find that unlikely, because my own view of nature and nurture is that they're inextricably mixed up with each other. A lot of genes can be turned on or off by environmental factors, and some people seem more ruled by their biology than others, while some seem unable to overcome childhood experiences that shaped their personalities. I think making any blanket statement about what shapes human minds is foolish, because in nearly all cases it's a mix of factors, and individual cases can vary hugely in what part of that mix is most dominant, and how dominant that part is. Once again I have to come to my usual conclusion that the answer to every question is "it depends."
But the trouble with those studies is that it doesn't really mean anything conclusive when you prove that parents who stimulate their babies' minds end up having more intelligent children. You have to separate the environmental from the genetic: for all we know, the type of parents who do the best job at stimulating their children's minds might be the type of parents who have genes for intelligence, and maybe they're passing the intelligence on through genes rather than through mental stimulation.
To test this, you'd have to do a similar study on people with high IQs who had adopted infants biologically unrelated to them. If the adopted babies' intellectual growth responded in the same way to mental stimulation as that of biological children, you could be pretty sure that the connection was mostly nurture and not nature, and it would be another point against intelligence being mainly genetic.
Unfortunately, you couldn't make as conclusive a deduction if the adopted children's development did not follow that of the biological children, because one could argue that the adopted children's development was stunted by their time in the adoption system before being placed with the family, or that the family subconsciously did a poorer job of stimulating their minds because they loved them less than they would love a biological child. This is the trouble with the nature/nurture debate: it is very difficult to prove anything beyond a reasonable doubt. The only possible conclusive proof of genetic determinism would be if genes were found that were always associated with high intelligence, regardless of the environment in which one grew up.
However, I find that unlikely, because my own view of nature and nurture is that they're inextricably mixed up with each other. A lot of genes can be turned on or off by environmental factors, and some people seem more ruled by their biology than others, while some seem unable to overcome childhood experiences that shaped their personalities. I think making any blanket statement about what shapes human minds is foolish, because in nearly all cases it's a mix of factors, and individual cases can vary hugely in what part of that mix is most dominant, and how dominant that part is. Once again I have to come to my usual conclusion that the answer to every question is "it depends."
I'm still back
So there's a bill that could cut down on teenage car crashes. Apparently, if this law passes, teenage drivers will face restrictions on how late at night they can drive, how many people they can drive with, and such. States that have implemented these restrictions have reportedly seen the number of fatal teenage crashes go down by as much as 40%.
But before I support such a bill, I would want to see evidence that it's not just pushing the most dangerous age for driving up a few years. One would think that, if you put those restrictions on teens at the age when the most teens die in car crashes, then the teens who survived would enter young adulthood with less experience driving at night and less experience driving with a lot of people in the car, and therefore suffer more fatal crashes later instead of earlier. Inexperienced people are always the most at risk, and unfortunately you always start out inexperienced at the thing you're starting, no matter what age you start at.
So what I want to know is: In the states where 40% fewer 16-year-olds died in car crashes, did the number of deaths actually go up for people over 16? If it did, then I don't see the point of this law.
Now, it's possible that a year or two of restricted driving gave these teenagers enough experience that they were able to become safer drivers in young adulthood, but until the ads plugging this new bill actually state evidence of that, I'm not going to jump to the conclusion that it's the right thing to do. When they're specifically stating that "fatal crashes among 16-year-olds went down 40%," but then conspicuously failing to mention what happened to rates of fatal crashes among other age groups, I've got to wonder.
Personally I'd rather have a bill that bans driving for all age groups, and requires the entire country to have a good rail transit system. I'm sure technology can come up with solutions for the types of situations where taking the train is inconvenient... and if we could pull it off, the number of lives it would save would be rather astounding. (Or maybe not, seeing that a huge percentage of transplant organs come from car crash victims, so maybe the deaths from lack of organ donors would cancel it out. Oh well.)
But before I support such a bill, I would want to see evidence that it's not just pushing the most dangerous age for driving up a few years. One would think that, if you put those restrictions on teens at the age when the most teens die in car crashes, then the teens who survived would enter young adulthood with less experience driving at night and less experience driving with a lot of people in the car, and therefore suffer more fatal crashes later instead of earlier. Inexperienced people are always the most at risk, and unfortunately you always start out inexperienced at the thing you're starting, no matter what age you start at.
So what I want to know is: In the states where 40% fewer 16-year-olds died in car crashes, did the number of deaths actually go up for people over 16? If it did, then I don't see the point of this law.
Now, it's possible that a year or two of restricted driving gave these teenagers enough experience that they were able to become safer drivers in young adulthood, but until the ads plugging this new bill actually state evidence of that, I'm not going to jump to the conclusion that it's the right thing to do. When they're specifically stating that "fatal crashes among 16-year-olds went down 40%," but then conspicuously failing to mention what happened to rates of fatal crashes among other age groups, I've got to wonder.
Personally I'd rather have a bill that bans driving for all age groups, and requires the entire country to have a good rail transit system. I'm sure technology can come up with solutions for the types of situations where taking the train is inconvenient... and if we could pull it off, the number of lives it would save would be rather astounding. (Or maybe not, seeing that a huge percentage of transplant organs come from car crash victims, so maybe the deaths from lack of organ donors would cancel it out. Oh well.)
Monday, July 06, 2009
I am back from the wild North.
Okay, first of all, if you want to stay in Duluth, I highly recommend the Mathew S. Burrows 1890 Inn. Cozy, pretty rooms, good food and good company, and not too expensive. Such a nice house that I had to take a video of it... a movie is worth a thousand pictures. I especially like the roomful of plants on first floor.
Second, I recommend hiking along Chester Creek.
There are plenty of other local outdoor attractions, too, from parks with fancy stone towers in them... to hidden beaches where people build unconventional homes.
Gooseberry Falls can be wonderful, but be careful if it's rainy (information from our last visit, when John broke his leg on a wet wooden bar) and expect huge crowds at major vacation times like 4th of July weekend (information from this visit).
And I don't have pictures of much else, since my camera has been working unreliably, but here are a few other tidbits:
The beach at Lutsen Resort is still my favorite place to find agates. Someone said Beaver Bay had the best agate-picking beach, but it turned out to be pretty inaccessible. We went on a safari through about a mile of brush on a tiny trail, halfway through which there was a threatening "No Trespassing" sign. Once we got to the beach, we saw people there, and didn't know if they were visitors like us or owners who might kick us out, so we turned back. So much for Beaver Bay.
Cascade Falls is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. It's only 300 feet from the road, in a majestically silent grove that feels like a cathedral, and the only sound is the incredible, powerful rush of the waterfall. Oh, and there's a big swollen tree in there that looks as if it has a giant tumor. Plenty to take pictures of.
Wisconsin Point is only about a half hour from Duluth, but it feels like someplace on the ocean. Sandy beach, tall dry grasses, big silent sky. You feel a thousand miles away from the world... or you would if there weren't a hundred people sitting out there waiting for the fireworks. Dang 4th of July.
Jay Cooke State Park is pretty nice. We went on a long hike in the woods, on a grassy trail that looped around and went back to the main trail, but got more and more overgrown as it got farther from the start point, as if most of the people who had tried to walk on it gave up before completing the loop. It wasn't that long, though, only about two or three miles, all of it pretty much the same in terms of scenery. It was said that we might see ladyslippers, but maybe it wasn't the season for them.
The gulls in Canal Park have always been, and always will be, one of my favorite attractions. Throw a few bits of popcorn at your feet and you will be surrounded by a crowd of them, eating, yelling, chasing each other away from the food. I love how the boisterous ones will stick their heads down almost between their feet for the first few yells, and then raise their beaks gradually up into the sky as they get louder.
I'm not sure what they're communicating. There were moments when I felt like moving into Canal Park and living among them like Dian Fossey among the gorillas, trying to figure them out. There's a fascinating book called "Ravens in Winter," written by a scientist who had been baffled by the social behavior of ravens, and had observed them for years trying to solve their mysteries. Their custom of calling each other when they found food was puzzling to him, since they didn't seem to have a reason to want to share. But as he watched them, he gradually found out lots of really interesting things about their social structure, and about the personality types of individual ravens, that made it all make sense.
I wish someone would do a study like that with gulls. They had feeding behaviors I couldn't figure out, either, which seemed to have something to do with their personality types. The more aggressive ones would sometimes chase the more timid ones away from food, but then ignore the food itself, like a dog in a manger. I'd have to become a gull-watcher for years to figure out why they do something like that.
Oh, and one more thing: John can skip rocks.
Second, I recommend hiking along Chester Creek.
There are plenty of other local outdoor attractions, too, from parks with fancy stone towers in them... to hidden beaches where people build unconventional homes.
Gooseberry Falls can be wonderful, but be careful if it's rainy (information from our last visit, when John broke his leg on a wet wooden bar) and expect huge crowds at major vacation times like 4th of July weekend (information from this visit).
And I don't have pictures of much else, since my camera has been working unreliably, but here are a few other tidbits:
The beach at Lutsen Resort is still my favorite place to find agates. Someone said Beaver Bay had the best agate-picking beach, but it turned out to be pretty inaccessible. We went on a safari through about a mile of brush on a tiny trail, halfway through which there was a threatening "No Trespassing" sign. Once we got to the beach, we saw people there, and didn't know if they were visitors like us or owners who might kick us out, so we turned back. So much for Beaver Bay.
Cascade Falls is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. It's only 300 feet from the road, in a majestically silent grove that feels like a cathedral, and the only sound is the incredible, powerful rush of the waterfall. Oh, and there's a big swollen tree in there that looks as if it has a giant tumor. Plenty to take pictures of.
Wisconsin Point is only about a half hour from Duluth, but it feels like someplace on the ocean. Sandy beach, tall dry grasses, big silent sky. You feel a thousand miles away from the world... or you would if there weren't a hundred people sitting out there waiting for the fireworks. Dang 4th of July.
Jay Cooke State Park is pretty nice. We went on a long hike in the woods, on a grassy trail that looped around and went back to the main trail, but got more and more overgrown as it got farther from the start point, as if most of the people who had tried to walk on it gave up before completing the loop. It wasn't that long, though, only about two or three miles, all of it pretty much the same in terms of scenery. It was said that we might see ladyslippers, but maybe it wasn't the season for them.
The gulls in Canal Park have always been, and always will be, one of my favorite attractions. Throw a few bits of popcorn at your feet and you will be surrounded by a crowd of them, eating, yelling, chasing each other away from the food. I love how the boisterous ones will stick their heads down almost between their feet for the first few yells, and then raise their beaks gradually up into the sky as they get louder.
I'm not sure what they're communicating. There were moments when I felt like moving into Canal Park and living among them like Dian Fossey among the gorillas, trying to figure them out. There's a fascinating book called "Ravens in Winter," written by a scientist who had been baffled by the social behavior of ravens, and had observed them for years trying to solve their mysteries. Their custom of calling each other when they found food was puzzling to him, since they didn't seem to have a reason to want to share. But as he watched them, he gradually found out lots of really interesting things about their social structure, and about the personality types of individual ravens, that made it all make sense.
I wish someone would do a study like that with gulls. They had feeding behaviors I couldn't figure out, either, which seemed to have something to do with their personality types. The more aggressive ones would sometimes chase the more timid ones away from food, but then ignore the food itself, like a dog in a manger. I'd have to become a gull-watcher for years to figure out why they do something like that.
Oh, and one more thing: John can skip rocks.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Assorted updates
It's been a while since I've posted any actual information about my life, so here goes.
Art fairs went okay, but not great. Bad weather for both of them. Earnings just barely covered expenses. But we learned a lot about running an art fair booth, and we'll be better prepared whenever next time is. Someday soon we'll become members of the Stevens Square Center for the Arts, so we can have our stuff in their gallery and make some connections in the art community. Looking forward to meeting more artists.
Birthday was fun. Spent it with various people, doing various things. Age getting close to 30, but at least it's mathematically satisfying. Goodbye, cube number 27; hello perfect 28, see you soon prime 29.
Going to Lake Superior over 4th of July weekend. Planning to stay in the Mathew S. Burrows bed & breakfast, which looks like a surprisingly nice place for as little as $95 a night. I'll let you know how we like it. But we'll try to spend most of our time outdoors. Hope to get in some serious rock hunting. I'm running low on good agates for my jewelry projects.
Anyway, enough boring real world details. I'll get back to you later when I have something totally weird to talk about.
Art fairs went okay, but not great. Bad weather for both of them. Earnings just barely covered expenses. But we learned a lot about running an art fair booth, and we'll be better prepared whenever next time is. Someday soon we'll become members of the Stevens Square Center for the Arts, so we can have our stuff in their gallery and make some connections in the art community. Looking forward to meeting more artists.
Birthday was fun. Spent it with various people, doing various things. Age getting close to 30, but at least it's mathematically satisfying. Goodbye, cube number 27; hello perfect 28, see you soon prime 29.
Going to Lake Superior over 4th of July weekend. Planning to stay in the Mathew S. Burrows bed & breakfast, which looks like a surprisingly nice place for as little as $95 a night. I'll let you know how we like it. But we'll try to spend most of our time outdoors. Hope to get in some serious rock hunting. I'm running low on good agates for my jewelry projects.
Anyway, enough boring real world details. I'll get back to you later when I have something totally weird to talk about.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Penguin parenting
You know how they say that penguins can recognize their babies' calls? How, in an ice field full of hundreds upon hundreds of penguins, mother and baby miraculously find each other by voice alone?
John and I have been wondering something. Do the penguins actually have the auditory acuity to distinguish each other's voices? Or is this all just a by-product of their well-known devotion to the community above all individual interests?
Think about it. In Antarctica, no penguin can survive alone. Cooperation is vital, even if it means putting aside one's own interests for the moment. When penguins huddle together to keep warm, each one takes its turn on the outside of the huddle to keep others warm, as well as taking its turn at the middle to warm itself. If a penguin community ever had a large number of individuals that were, well, individualistic, that community and its gene pool would die.
And it's documented that mother penguins whose babies have died will actually fight over a baby to adopt. They have no problem with raising babies that aren't their own.
So the question John and I are asking is, has anyone actually done a tagging or gene-testing study to determine that the penguins do find their own babies? Or is it possible that they just call out and adopt the first baby that answers?
I mean, that way, pretty much every baby gets a mother, and it happens faster than it would if they took the time to seek out their own young. From the point of view of the community, which is what matters for penguins, it would make sense.
I'm really curious. Any thoughts?
John and I have been wondering something. Do the penguins actually have the auditory acuity to distinguish each other's voices? Or is this all just a by-product of their well-known devotion to the community above all individual interests?
Think about it. In Antarctica, no penguin can survive alone. Cooperation is vital, even if it means putting aside one's own interests for the moment. When penguins huddle together to keep warm, each one takes its turn on the outside of the huddle to keep others warm, as well as taking its turn at the middle to warm itself. If a penguin community ever had a large number of individuals that were, well, individualistic, that community and its gene pool would die.
And it's documented that mother penguins whose babies have died will actually fight over a baby to adopt. They have no problem with raising babies that aren't their own.
So the question John and I are asking is, has anyone actually done a tagging or gene-testing study to determine that the penguins do find their own babies? Or is it possible that they just call out and adopt the first baby that answers?
I mean, that way, pretty much every baby gets a mother, and it happens faster than it would if they took the time to seek out their own young. From the point of view of the community, which is what matters for penguins, it would make sense.
I'm really curious. Any thoughts?
Thursday, April 02, 2009
Art Fair!
John and I will be at 2 art fairs this spring. If you want to see our art in person, and maybe buy it, feel free to show up.
Not much in other news. Except that yesterday morning I had a dream that my mom had sent me to Mexico in order to improve my social standing and thus her public image, and I was absolutely miserable, and then I woke up and my brain was like "Ha ha! April Fool! You actually are still in Minnesota and your mom is not actually a horrible person!" and I was like "Shut up, brain."
Anyway, I had a kind of sucky day from then on, but today is a lot better.
Not much in other news. Except that yesterday morning I had a dream that my mom had sent me to Mexico in order to improve my social standing and thus her public image, and I was absolutely miserable, and then I woke up and my brain was like "Ha ha! April Fool! You actually are still in Minnesota and your mom is not actually a horrible person!" and I was like "Shut up, brain."
Anyway, I had a kind of sucky day from then on, but today is a lot better.
Saturday, February 07, 2009
Hairectomy
In January 2009, I went from having 21-inch-long hair to having 1-inch-long hair. It's taking a lot of getting used to. I haven't had hair under 15 inches since my teens. But it's much more convenient, much cooler and cleaner-feeling.
I decided to do it after I read that hair can sell for up to $1000. My plan was to sell the hair and donate part of the proceeds to charity, thus accomplishing more good than I could by donating the hair itself.
But it didn't work out so well. It got hopelessly tangled during the haircut, and the person who had offered me money for it on Hairtrader.com never got around to telling me for sure whether he still wanted it. So I think I'm going to send it to Locks of Love and hope they can still use it.
I don't regret it, though. I'm very happy with the haircut. It's versatile-- I can look like my mother-in-law or I can look like a lesbian or I can look like a punk rock star, depending on how I style it. Works for all sorts of social situations I get into.
I keep reaching back to adjust my hair every time I shift position, and then realizing I don't have to. No more pulling my hair through after me every time my head goes through the collar of a t-shirt. John likes it better too-- he says it even used to get in his way. We'd be sitting on the couch and he'd accidentally lean on my hair. But now that, too, is a problem of the past. I should have done this a long time ago.
I decided to do it after I read that hair can sell for up to $1000. My plan was to sell the hair and donate part of the proceeds to charity, thus accomplishing more good than I could by donating the hair itself.
But it didn't work out so well. It got hopelessly tangled during the haircut, and the person who had offered me money for it on Hairtrader.com never got around to telling me for sure whether he still wanted it. So I think I'm going to send it to Locks of Love and hope they can still use it.
I don't regret it, though. I'm very happy with the haircut. It's versatile-- I can look like my mother-in-law or I can look like a lesbian or I can look like a punk rock star, depending on how I style it. Works for all sorts of social situations I get into.
I keep reaching back to adjust my hair every time I shift position, and then realizing I don't have to. No more pulling my hair through after me every time my head goes through the collar of a t-shirt. John likes it better too-- he says it even used to get in his way. We'd be sitting on the couch and he'd accidentally lean on my hair. But now that, too, is a problem of the past. I should have done this a long time ago.
A fun shop in Minneapolis
Today John and I went into a little store we had seen a whole bunch of times. We'd been curious about it before, but usually hadn't had the time to check it out. Well, today we did, and we're glad.
It's called Sunny Day Earth Solutions. When you first walk in, you may not be all that impressed-- right now it doesn't have a whole lot of interesting things sitting around in plain view-- but if you look closely, you'll start finding stuff.
I got myself a little bowl made out of recycled chopsticks:
that folds up really flat:
John got himself an LED flashlight:
that you charge by pulling a string:
It gives you about a minute of bright light per pull:
and when you're done pulling the string, it clips neatly onto the end of the flashlight:
So, kinda neat. But that isn't the really, really cool thing about this place. When you talk to the people there-- wow, then you'll get interested.
The guy we talked to is amazing. If you've ever been thinking about setting up solar power in your house or apartment, or switching out your light bulbs for LEDs, he can give you more information about those things than you ever knew existed. Take a look at his credentials page to see all the stuff he's done.
And you can buy those things in the store, too-- all sorts of solar panels, and LED lamps that screw into ordinary light bulb sockets.
We're definitely going to try and talk to him some more. Even though we already light our apartment with fluorescents, we could probably cut our electric bill down to a fraction of that by using LEDs instead. They're expensive when you buy them, but they sure pay for themselves. It would be really cool to run a least some of our electric equipment on solar power, too. And after going to this place, that doesn't seem as far out of our reach as it used to.
Trouble is, they're not getting much business lately... so I really want to spread the word about this place. It's Sunny Day Earth Solutions and it's at 1000 26th Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414. Check it out sometime if you're in the area.
It's called Sunny Day Earth Solutions. When you first walk in, you may not be all that impressed-- right now it doesn't have a whole lot of interesting things sitting around in plain view-- but if you look closely, you'll start finding stuff.
I got myself a little bowl made out of recycled chopsticks:
that folds up really flat:
John got himself an LED flashlight:
that you charge by pulling a string:
It gives you about a minute of bright light per pull:
and when you're done pulling the string, it clips neatly onto the end of the flashlight:
So, kinda neat. But that isn't the really, really cool thing about this place. When you talk to the people there-- wow, then you'll get interested.
The guy we talked to is amazing. If you've ever been thinking about setting up solar power in your house or apartment, or switching out your light bulbs for LEDs, he can give you more information about those things than you ever knew existed. Take a look at his credentials page to see all the stuff he's done.
And you can buy those things in the store, too-- all sorts of solar panels, and LED lamps that screw into ordinary light bulb sockets.
We're definitely going to try and talk to him some more. Even though we already light our apartment with fluorescents, we could probably cut our electric bill down to a fraction of that by using LEDs instead. They're expensive when you buy them, but they sure pay for themselves. It would be really cool to run a least some of our electric equipment on solar power, too. And after going to this place, that doesn't seem as far out of our reach as it used to.
Trouble is, they're not getting much business lately... so I really want to spread the word about this place. It's Sunny Day Earth Solutions and it's at 1000 26th Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414. Check it out sometime if you're in the area.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Speeches
We're happily settled in at our new apartment in St Anthony. I'm working at the downtown Target, and enjoying it quite a bit. We've gotten a car, which allows us some flexibility to find friends in the area. Meetup.com and its Speculative Fiction group at http://scifiwriting.meetup.com/2/ have provided some opportunities for social life.
Four speeches are now scheduled: one in Duluth on Oct 25, one for the Autism Society on Nov 12th, one for Fairview Community Center on Nov 19th, and one at Peace Church in Eagan on March 14th. The last is particularly significant, because the organizer has specifically told me:
"Please feel free to add this engagement to your web site as we will
welcome the general public and have room for up to 500 people in our
sanctuary!"
So, if you'd like to see us speak but you've never happened to be part of any of the groups we've spoken for, March 14th is your chance. It's open to anyone who wants to come. The speech will begin at 2 pm, and will go on until about 4 pm once you include the time that will be devoted to questions and book signings. Peace Church is at the following address:
2180 Glory Drive
Eagan, MN 55122
Hope that gives you enough time to make room in your schedule!
Note: If you do come, be sure to have $5.00 ready to pay the entry fee.
Four speeches are now scheduled: one in Duluth on Oct 25, one for the Autism Society on Nov 12th, one for Fairview Community Center on Nov 19th, and one at Peace Church in Eagan on March 14th. The last is particularly significant, because the organizer has specifically told me:
"Please feel free to add this engagement to your web site as we will
welcome the general public and have room for up to 500 people in our
sanctuary!"
So, if you'd like to see us speak but you've never happened to be part of any of the groups we've spoken for, March 14th is your chance. It's open to anyone who wants to come. The speech will begin at 2 pm, and will go on until about 4 pm once you include the time that will be devoted to questions and book signings. Peace Church is at the following address:
2180 Glory Drive
Eagan, MN 55122
Hope that gives you enough time to make room in your schedule!
Note: If you do come, be sure to have $5.00 ready to pay the entry fee.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
An ad on MySpace...
...since when is Naruto a graphic designer?
And a web designer, and a fashion designer? I mean, Naruto? I'm speechless here. The spiky yellow hair, the forehead protector, the fox whiskers (or something on the cheeks, anyway, too small to tell)... are they just trying to attract fangirls' attention? It isn't even an anime-related ad.
Screw this. I'm going to bed.
And a web designer, and a fashion designer? I mean, Naruto? I'm speechless here. The spiky yellow hair, the forehead protector, the fox whiskers (or something on the cheeks, anyway, too small to tell)... are they just trying to attract fangirls' attention? It isn't even an anime-related ad.
Screw this. I'm going to bed.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Moving
John and I are moving yet again-- this time into the city of St. Anthony, Minnesota.
Like Richfield, where we live now, St. Anthony is on the outskirts of Minneapolis... but it is closer to John's workplace, and on better bus lines. We'll save on gas, and may even be able to go without driving for long periods of time.
For a while, I'll probably have to take an hour-long bus ride to my current workplace (the Bloomington Target)... but eventually I hope to be transferred to the Northeast Target or the downtown Target, both of which are much closer.
Our new apartment will be ready for move-in around July 11th. I really hope this will be more long-term than our previous apartments. It's a lovely place.
Like Richfield, where we live now, St. Anthony is on the outskirts of Minneapolis... but it is closer to John's workplace, and on better bus lines. We'll save on gas, and may even be able to go without driving for long periods of time.
For a while, I'll probably have to take an hour-long bus ride to my current workplace (the Bloomington Target)... but eventually I hope to be transferred to the Northeast Target or the downtown Target, both of which are much closer.
Our new apartment will be ready for move-in around July 11th. I really hope this will be more long-term than our previous apartments. It's a lovely place.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Happy Namesday to me
May 18th is the feast day of Saint Eric, and therefore the closest thing to a namesday that I have, since there is no Saint Erika.
I was never very interested in St. Eric himself; I just liked it when my parents made me a cake for my namesday when I was a kid. Austrian heritage is good. You can get a personal cake two days of the year.
I've always liked my name, though it always has annoyed me when people spell it wrong. It's very strange, but I actually get "Erika" misspelled more often than "Hammerschmidt." I guess it's just that when people don't know how to spell "Hammerschmidt," they ask, but when they don't know how to spell "Erika," they guess. There are three common spellings of "Erika." There are no common spellings of "Hammerschmidt," since it's not a common name at all.
Another strange thing: when I studied in Mexico and Spain, nobody ever misspelled my name. This is strange because the usual misspelling I get around here is a replacement of the "K" with a "C," which is exactly what one would expect in a Spanish-speaking country, seeing that the Spanish language barely ever uses the letter "K" in any word, and always uses a "C" instead. But they didn't actually make that mistake, ever. I guess it's the same issue as with "Hammerschmidt"... the name "Erika" was so unfamiliar to them that they always asked when they didn't know how to spell it.
And it turns out neither "Erika" nor "Hammerschmidt" is really that bad, relatively speaking. When I decided to marry John Ricker, I thought about taking his name, since it seemed like an easier name to spell and pronounce than "Hammerschmidt." But after knowing him a while, I started to notice that "Ricker" actually got misspelled and mispronounced way, way more often than "Hammerschmidt." Seriously. I've seen him get called Richter, Riker, Stricker, Bicker... I've never figured out what is the deal with that.
So I kept "Hammerschmidt." "Erika Ricker" would sound silly anyway.
Anyway, in honor of my namesday, here is a song from the poetry page on my website:
Oh, beautiful for E and R,
for I and K and A,
Oh, beautiful for all of these,
Especially the K!
I'm Erika, I'm Erika,
God shed his grace on me,
But not on those who write my name
And spell it with a C!
I was never very interested in St. Eric himself; I just liked it when my parents made me a cake for my namesday when I was a kid. Austrian heritage is good. You can get a personal cake two days of the year.
I've always liked my name, though it always has annoyed me when people spell it wrong. It's very strange, but I actually get "Erika" misspelled more often than "Hammerschmidt." I guess it's just that when people don't know how to spell "Hammerschmidt," they ask, but when they don't know how to spell "Erika," they guess. There are three common spellings of "Erika." There are no common spellings of "Hammerschmidt," since it's not a common name at all.
Another strange thing: when I studied in Mexico and Spain, nobody ever misspelled my name. This is strange because the usual misspelling I get around here is a replacement of the "K" with a "C," which is exactly what one would expect in a Spanish-speaking country, seeing that the Spanish language barely ever uses the letter "K" in any word, and always uses a "C" instead. But they didn't actually make that mistake, ever. I guess it's the same issue as with "Hammerschmidt"... the name "Erika" was so unfamiliar to them that they always asked when they didn't know how to spell it.
And it turns out neither "Erika" nor "Hammerschmidt" is really that bad, relatively speaking. When I decided to marry John Ricker, I thought about taking his name, since it seemed like an easier name to spell and pronounce than "Hammerschmidt." But after knowing him a while, I started to notice that "Ricker" actually got misspelled and mispronounced way, way more often than "Hammerschmidt." Seriously. I've seen him get called Richter, Riker, Stricker, Bicker... I've never figured out what is the deal with that.
So I kept "Hammerschmidt." "Erika Ricker" would sound silly anyway.
Anyway, in honor of my namesday, here is a song from the poetry page on my website:
Oh, beautiful for E and R,
for I and K and A,
Oh, beautiful for all of these,
Especially the K!
I'm Erika, I'm Erika,
God shed his grace on me,
But not on those who write my name
And spell it with a C!
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
New book is out!
I've been dead to the blogosphere for a while, because many things have been happening... but one of them is that the new edition of my book has come out from AAPC! This means you can buy it from their site, and you do not have to buy one of the secondhand older editions that are being sold exorbitantly on Amazon. (Man, the laws of supply and demand can do some crazy things.)
I mean, you still can buy it there, if you think having a first or second edition is a good investment in case I get so famous that my early books become collectors' items. But personally, I doubt my early editions will ever get up to $70 again. (Plus, I'm pretty sure that if you buy off that Amazon listing, you will not know whether you are getting the first or second of my early editions. It says "second edition," but probably some of the people who put their books up for sale there did not know if they had a second or first edition, since the two look exactly alike and the only way to tell the difference is the presence of one new chapter in the second edition.)
Anyway, this latest edition from AAPC is very different from the two editions printed by my old publisher. The first of my old publisher's editions was 121 pages, the second was 123. AAPC's edition is 198 pages. I've added several new chapters: some about things that happened since the first printing, like my semesters abroad, my job and my marriage; some about earlier things I hadn't gone into before, like the series of semi-boyfriends I had in junior high school; and some about ideas and insights regarding the autism spectrum, like how extreme honesty in autistics is mistaken for pathological lying, and whether the Sally-Anne test really works.
Anyway, feel free to go check it out, and have a great Spring.
I mean, you still can buy it there, if you think having a first or second edition is a good investment in case I get so famous that my early books become collectors' items. But personally, I doubt my early editions will ever get up to $70 again. (Plus, I'm pretty sure that if you buy off that Amazon listing, you will not know whether you are getting the first or second of my early editions. It says "second edition," but probably some of the people who put their books up for sale there did not know if they had a second or first edition, since the two look exactly alike and the only way to tell the difference is the presence of one new chapter in the second edition.)
Anyway, this latest edition from AAPC is very different from the two editions printed by my old publisher. The first of my old publisher's editions was 121 pages, the second was 123. AAPC's edition is 198 pages. I've added several new chapters: some about things that happened since the first printing, like my semesters abroad, my job and my marriage; some about earlier things I hadn't gone into before, like the series of semi-boyfriends I had in junior high school; and some about ideas and insights regarding the autism spectrum, like how extreme honesty in autistics is mistaken for pathological lying, and whether the Sally-Anne test really works.
Anyway, feel free to go check it out, and have a great Spring.
Saturday, April 05, 2008
Random link of the week
The Rice Ball Page is a delightful combination of broken English and hideous web design. I highly recommend it. And yes, it even has some useful information about rice balls, though that's not the main attraction.
In other news, my comic Abby and Norma got a bit of an overhaul a while back. I think it looks quite nice now.
In other news, my comic Abby and Norma got a bit of an overhaul a while back. I think it looks quite nice now.
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
double pterodactyls
"Higgledy Piggledy, My Black Hen" isn't really a Higgledy Piggledy-- but shouldn't it be? Here's my attempt to make it one.
Higgledy piggledy,
Gallus domesticus,
Feathered in ebony
blackness intense,
Hastens to ovulate
(Oft decatuply) for
Aristocratically
Pedigreed gents.
Higgledy piggledy,
Gallus domesticus,
Feathered in ebony
blackness intense,
Hastens to ovulate
(Oft decatuply) for
Aristocratically
Pedigreed gents.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
A segue into humility
My pride as a language major has just been dealt a crippling blow. I've suffered a defeat at the hands of the word "segue."
I spelled it wrong, and my husband, who has only the most basic knowledge of spelling, knew that I had spelled it wrong.
My mistake was not for lack of having encountered the word before. I had read plenty of written examples of a word that meant "transition" and was spelled "segue," and I had heard plenty of spoken examples of a word that meant "transition" and was pronounced "segway."
Yet, somehow, I had never figured out that the two were the same word.
I had assumed that the word that was pronounced "segway" was spelled "segway" (I don't think it was because of the vehicle; I think my misconception of the spelling dates back to before the vehicle existed). And I assumed that the word that was spelled "segue" would be pronounced "seg," or "seeg," or "sayg."
The latter was because, to my knowledge, all words in the English language that end in "gue" pronounced it as a simple hard G. Spanish and French, two languages from which English has gotten many words, follow the same rule. Up until then I had found no exception to that rule in any language, and supposing that "segue" might be pronounced "segway" would require assuming an exception.
So my misconception was caused by my knowledge of a somewhat obscure spelling rule-- while my husband, who knows only the most basic spelling rules, had figured out the correct pronunciation of "segue" by sounding it out phonetically-- a technique that any literate fourth-grader knows you can't trust in this language.
I feel I've been punished for knowledge, and my husband has been rewarded for ignorance. I can't help but think life has been unfair to me. But I guess it just means I have to keep gaining more knowledge.
I spelled it wrong, and my husband, who has only the most basic knowledge of spelling, knew that I had spelled it wrong.
My mistake was not for lack of having encountered the word before. I had read plenty of written examples of a word that meant "transition" and was spelled "segue," and I had heard plenty of spoken examples of a word that meant "transition" and was pronounced "segway."
Yet, somehow, I had never figured out that the two were the same word.
I had assumed that the word that was pronounced "segway" was spelled "segway" (I don't think it was because of the vehicle; I think my misconception of the spelling dates back to before the vehicle existed). And I assumed that the word that was spelled "segue" would be pronounced "seg," or "seeg," or "sayg."
The latter was because, to my knowledge, all words in the English language that end in "gue" pronounced it as a simple hard G. Spanish and French, two languages from which English has gotten many words, follow the same rule. Up until then I had found no exception to that rule in any language, and supposing that "segue" might be pronounced "segway" would require assuming an exception.
So my misconception was caused by my knowledge of a somewhat obscure spelling rule-- while my husband, who knows only the most basic spelling rules, had figured out the correct pronunciation of "segue" by sounding it out phonetically-- a technique that any literate fourth-grader knows you can't trust in this language.
I feel I've been punished for knowledge, and my husband has been rewarded for ignorance. I can't help but think life has been unfair to me. But I guess it just means I have to keep gaining more knowledge.
Friday, November 02, 2007
Abby and Norma Latest News!!
Abby and Norma is now on a new website, with automatic updating so that I will never, ever be late in posting a strip again! Also, there is now an Abby and Norma Merchandise Page, with various shirts, hats, mugs and bags bearing these pictures:
(inspired by strip #42)
(inspired by strip #15)
(inspired by strip #51)
(inspired by strip #39)
(inspired by strip #36)
(not inspired by any strip, just a random idea I had)
(just a simple Abby and Norma logo).
Any ideas will be welcome.
(inspired by strip #42)
(inspired by strip #15)
(inspired by strip #51)
(inspired by strip #39)
(inspired by strip #36)
(not inspired by any strip, just a random idea I had)
(just a simple Abby and Norma logo).
Any ideas will be welcome.
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