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[Barmymoo]

No offence Patrick actually no, I don't mean that. Tagging is the stupidest type of graffiti. If you have to vandalise someone's property, at least make it artistic or thought-provoking.

[öde]

If you want to do graffiti, make sure you put what you want, instead of forcing yourself to come up with something someone else considers artistic or thought provoking. Art isn't there to be aesthetically pleasing, and it doesn't need to be deeply philosophical. You don't need any talents or skills to be an artist, you just need to do it.

[The Seldom Killer]

Barmy- I agree. You see tags thrown up everywhere and at that density it renders itself meaningless. I can appreciate when places that are really difficult to access are tagged but that's about it. At least you can respect the challenge to acheive that.

Other than that it just seems to be a matter of saying "I was here". Great, but on a bus shelter or a junction box or the same wall that everyone else has hit, is that really the best you can come up with. Sure, art doesn't need to be aesthetic, philosophical or anything else really, but art is a two way street and challenging the artist is a valid response, even if nothing should come of it.

[snalin]

So I guess I'm gonna be a brother. Mom leaves for Nepal in two weeks, probably comes home after tree weeks after that with three years old Maldavi. It's a first for me, so it's pretty exciting.

[öde]

Other than that it just seems to be a matter of saying "I was here".

"I was here, I don't like traditional outlets for my boredom and creativity, I have little regard for the conventions of society and the law. Etc, etc"

[Patrick]

Eh, that building hasn't been occupied for 20 years. It is literally crumbling to earth more and more as every train passes by it. I see absolutely nothing wrong with hitting that spot in order to draw pretty pictures. I draw the line when it comes to places that actually have a purpose, where people have to clean it up. It's just a place to put shit where you know it will be covered up by other taggers in a week, maybe less.

[The Seldom Killer]

That seem pretty reasonable. To be fair, saying that you've been "out taggin' shit today" does make it sound like you've been out taggin' like a cockwomble. Out of interest, do you have any demo's of your work?

[Patrick]

Well there's a screw-around board in the backyard and I draw on my filing cabinets and stuff, but it's nothing that I'm particularly satisfied with. At some point I'll post something, but visual-type art has never been my strongest suit. Still, fun to play with.

[Barmymoo]

Hm. That does slightly change my view, because after twenty years you would be able to establish adverse possession (squatter's rights) so if no one has made any attempt to get rid of the graffiti I think it's morally the same thing. Graffiti of any kind on a building that is obviously being used and where the owner is trying to get rid of it is just a dickish thing to do. I also don't think most taggers are tagging for artistic reasons when it's just a scrawl - like TSK says it's just a "look at what I can do" and a "fuck you" to the owners.

(Is my lawyer showing through? But I hated mindless graffiti before I even knew about law - one of my primary school projects was inventing a graffiti wall for the local playground where people could come and spray to their hearts' content, in the hopes that they'd stop painting all over our swings and getting the park shut for cleaning every week.)

[A Wet Helmet]

Well it looks like work is going to send me to sunny southern Florida for a week in the middle of all this cold and dreary winter.  Put me up in a really nice hotel on the beach and everything. That sucks.

Oh wait, no it doesn't.   Fucking warm weather! Sunshine!   Hell, I don't even care if it rains everyday as long as it's well above freezing.  Can't wait, hates the cold I do.

[scarred]

My first article for the KEXP blog is now live! It's pretty basic but I am still excited about it.

[Allybee]

I just live in a 150 year old house where the roof might actually cave

pulled this out of my ass but turns out I was right! opa

[Tom]

My aversion to tagging stems from knowing too many upper-middle Bondi stoner/skater/surfer kids around who think shit is as deep and rebellious as anything when you draw a giant tomato with itty-bitty bat wings and scrawling dicktation in toilet-stalls is the height of wit.

That said, I love graffiti (if we're going to make I'm going to make up arbitrary categories). I love seeing these ideas spread out across cities on walls bridges fences trains busses public spaces  roads telephone booths (the few that remain) whatever anyone uses as a canvas i love that they're not permanent and that they exist for as long as they can for as long as someone cares about their/an idea. I don't like/appreciate all of it but goddamn is it special. 

[nekowafer]

Okay so I'm not good with this whole socializing thing. Groups of people make me nervous, and I always find a way to stick my foot in my mouth when speaking to anyone at any gathering anywhere. So I avoid them. But this has left me kind of lonely and stuff and so I've decided I need to get out more.

I have two things I can go to this weekend. First is a fundraiser for my favorite ferret shelter at the local stand-up comedian place called Magooby's. I've already bought the tickets, just for the sake of helping out the shelter, but I can't say that I really want to go. First of all, I very recently lost 4 of my 5 ferrets due to various illnesses, mostly cancer. And everyone will want to hug me (I am so against touching) and remind me of this and it will be depressing. Also, I don't think I'll like this comedian guy much but who knows.

The second thing is a "Slumber Party" with a friend from work. As in, let's talk about sex toys and stuff kinda party. I can be open about my sex life in one-on-one conversations, and on the internet, but in front of a group of people I will shut up and not even want to say the word. Plus, I will be the youngest by a good 15 years. My co-worker, her mother, her best friend, and another co-worker that is super annoying will be there. I don't know that I'm okay with that group of people, especially when it concerns sexy things.

I don't really want to go to these things but I also don't want to miss out on the little bit of social interaction available to me.

[The Seldom Killer]

So what would be your ideal social situation?

[nekowafer]

Oh yeah and my boyfriend wouldn't be going to either so I wouldn't have anybody to hide behind (or an excuse to not talk to anyone else).

So what would be your ideal social situation?

That's a good question. I seem to do well with one or two other people, with at least one being someone I know - though if the boyfriend is there, I will always hide behind him and avoid interacting with others. So sometimes it's better that he's not there. I guess I am least awkward in a small group of people with one or two that I know, that will find me funny and be okay with me being mostly quiet. This seems to be somewhat hard to find, though.

[The Seldom Killer]

Hmm, I should have posed that a little better really.

What would you like to be doing in a social situation. Drinking, chilling, baking, throwing horseshoes, riding rollercoasters, all of the above, etc... ?

Once you've got your end result sorted out, reverse engineer from there.

[nekowafer]

Oh, I see. I don't really have a preferred venue - anything relaxing where I am not required to interact if I don't want to. Like I don't like playing games with a group of people but sitting around at a coffee shop somewhere is fine. I am trying to find more people to hang out with but I have a pathetically small group of friends, and no car. Which is part of why I'd feel bad turning these things down.

[Patrick]

We had this dude from South Africa come to open mic last night. He played and sang traditional stuff on the djembe. And I swear to god, I've never heard that bar be that quiet before. He had everybody at a complete standstill to listen. I have NEVER SEEN THAT at open mic before and I think it's just about the coolest thing that's happened the whole time I've been going.

Last night was a great night for newcomers, as it turned out. Had some dude named Jeff come up. He played and sang, and it was some of the best stuff I've heard there in a long time. The guy who drummed for him turned out to be the brother of a friend of mine, so that was cool to finally meet him. I'd heard a lot about him and now we're gonna start trying to get a band together.

Also, I woke up to the news about Egypt this morning, and so I'm in a really good mood. The last few years haven't really done much to give people hope that things can change for the better, so I'm really glad things worked out.

[redglasscurls]

Snubbed by a computer again. Second job I've applied for in a row with the National Park Service where they have ignored my application before it was ever even seen by a human being. Trying not to cry at my desk at my shitty ass current job.

[Lines]

Why???

Blag thrud, this quarter our student teaching is taking place at the School of Creative and Performing Arts and today was my day to teach the first grade class my teaching group was assigned to. We're teaching about stories and quilts! The kids really seem to like it, according to the teacher, but today was nerve wracking for me. All the kids were SUPER hyper because they are celebrating Valentine's Day today (the school is closed Monday), so I got them when they were all hyper and loud and it was scary when I had to stand in front of them. Gah. But they calmed down when I read them a story at the end and I did like talking to them about the drawings they were doing. I just need to get used to kids, I guess. Well, kids between the ages of 2 and 10. I still think I want to teach middle school or high school, but the little ones are growing on me.

[Barmymoo]

Little kids are the best. I used to think I'd rather work with older children if I taught, but little children still have the spark of wanting to learn (usually) and the things they come out with are just hilarious. Hearing the five year old here explain the water cycle is amazing (apparently it involves invisible pipes similar to the phloem in plants).

[pen]

Five year olds understand the water cycle at all?? I can't imagine it.

[Barmymoo]

This is the child who questioned me to the limits of my understanding on the process by which carbon monoxide causes poisoning in the body. I was explaining molecular bonding using Silly Bandz. She is extremely smart, has a great memory and is fascinated by science (but I think someone may have explained the water cycle and plants badly, and at the same time).

[pen]

That's incredible.  I can't even begin to think how my mind would be blown if my own kid started talking about stuff like that.

[tania]

this semester and for my thesis in general i am planning on doing research with high school kids on restorative justice initiatives in schools and how it's helped them with competency development and reintegration. i spent the last six weeks (basically half the semester) networking and finding people within both the school district and community justice initiatives who would be willing to assist me, and rewrote my proposal for the ethics review committee a billion times trying to ensure nothing was left out at all. everyone seemed really optimistic and helpful and everything was going really smoothly and i finally got to a point where had absolutely everything i needed to get started and all i had left to do was to contact the appropriate people at the school district itself to find out what i would need to send them for approval, which everyone seemed to indicate to me would be a really fast and easy process. i called the appropriate woman and left a message and got a voicemail back today that essentially said "no, you can't do any research at all, sorry."

i am really fucking freaking out about this! my deadline for this research credit is april and everything i have been working on was for this project so it's way too late for me to even attempt something else at this point. this feels like it came out of nowhere and i don't even know what to do now. i sent her a very long email explaining in detail that this will be an extremely short-term and minimal risk project that will require little to no actual school resources in any way and that i actually already have all the people i need to help me out and i really hope that helps but it's basically my last chance and i'm completely losing my mind waiting for a response because if she still says no i don't know what i'm going to do at all. fuuuccck fuck fuck fuck fuck my life

[jhocking]

Five year olds understand the water cycle at all?? I can't imagine it.

On a related note, I had a conversation today where I admitted disappointment over the fact that if I have a kid I can't immediately start teaching them how to build a robot.

[Katherine]

Why can't you?

[Alex C]

A whole bunch of national brand food items were on sale and cheaper than the in-house or more local varieties today, so now I have a bunch of food in my cupboards that I typically associate with suckers. It's kinda weird owning wonder bread. I don't even really use mass produced sandwich white for anything but the occasional grilled cheese.

[Allybee]

okay so this week started out really shitty, and then i decided not to let things that have no long-run consequences and up until this afternoon I was building enormous momentum - doin' homework, went to the gym, eating healthy, making things HAPPEN

and then i remembered how fail I am with boys

back to petfinder it is

[Storm Rider]

i have the flu and i want to die

[tania]

school district won't allow me to do my research for a bunch of fucking stupid bureaucratic piece of shit reasons that don't even make any sense. not a single person i have contacted for this project understands why. but that's it. two months of extremely hard work and sleepless nights officially wasted. i've really fucked up my life and i don't know what to do. i'm really fucking sick of this. i can't do this

[Lines]

Can you talk to a professor/advisor for an extension or anything? Or have them tell the school district to stop being stupid?

[jhocking]

Why can't you?

Unless your definition of "building a robot" is so broad it encompasses activities such walking, talking, and going to the bathroom by yourself, you really have to work up to that one.

i have the flu and i want to die

You already have the flu, so maybe!

[Coward]

You build robots? What kind?

[tania]

Can you talk to a professor/advisor for an extension or anything?

no

Or have them tell the school district to stop being stupid?

no, it's their call

[jhocking]

You build robots? What kind?

Not often, but that's from a lack of time. I wish I had more time because I certainly know how to build electronic gizmos and program them; for the last couple years I keep meaning to make an animatronic jack-o-lantern for Halloween. In grad school I routinely built stuff like toy cars that drive around a track by themself, or rooms with sensors that react to people walking around.

Thing is, the reason I don't have time is because I'm too busy programming things like iPhone games and AR artworks, so really I just wish I had time to geek out more than I already do.

[Johnny C]

tania – what's your thesis supervisor said about this?

[JD]

Apparently my brother can't use his yearly disability pass with a bus that was specifically made so disabled people can get from place to place. My dad had to fork out 40 bucks instead to get him there and back.

[Coward]

...really I just wish I had time to geek out more than I already do.

Know the feeling, bud.

I recently read an article about PackBots and found it quite interesting. To be honest, I don't really know much about robotics but it seems it will be an exciting and rapidly expanding field in the near future.

[jhocking]

If you're curious for a light introduction to that stuff you should look up Arduino.

[StaedlerMars]

Yeah, I need to go find some light sensors/LEDs and then I am going to be programming the shit out of my arduino.

[jhocking]

This study pleases me on several levels:

http://youarenotsosmart.com/2010/05/11/the-dunning-kruger-effect/

[nekowafer]

That's awesome, I didn't know there was actually a term for that little phenomenon.

[Jace]

I love working at a place with people who have no idea how to schedule.
I have worked on pretty much every monthly anniversary for my entire current relationship except for one.
I now have to work on Valentines day. This is the first Monday I'm working in around 4 months, out of fucking nowhere.
I'm scheduled to come into work Friday at 5pm. My other job doesn't end until 5:15, and then there is around a 30-45 minute commute because of traffic.
Heavily considering telling them tomorrow that I can't work Monday or Friday at all this week, and requesting they change it to Tues-Thursday like I have continually asked my schedule to be changed to.

[The Seldom Killer]

A quick wash of the bike this morning has now developed into removing the rear brake assembly and completely dismantling it. I'm not sure that this will end well.

Whilst that dries I'm going to apply for jobs and make a pretty Valentines Day cake.

[Dollface]

Dear diary

my laptops hard drive said kaput and now my right arm is dangerously withered.

[David_Dovey]

I love working at a place with people who have no idea how to schedule.
I have worked on pretty much every monthly anniversary for my entire current relationship except for one.
I now have to work on Valentines day. This is the first Monday I'm working in around 4 months, out of fucking nowhere.
I'm scheduled to come into work Friday at 5pm. My other job doesn't end until 5:15, and then there is around a 30-45 minute commute because of traffic.
Heavily considering telling them tomorrow that I can't work Monday or Friday at all this week, and requesting they change it to Tues-Thursday like I have continually asked my schedule to be changed to.

Did you explicitly ask for V's Day off ahead of time or were you just assuming they'd give it to you? Same for the other days? The reason you're probably working that Monday is because someone else asked for it off. Your bosses aren't psychic.

[jhocking]

I have worked on pretty much every monthly anniversary for my entire current relationship except for one.

I find it quaint that you consider your monthly anniversary to be a big deal.

For what it's worth, Mondays are my busy day when I wake up at 6 and get home at 10:30. (two jobs, second one's only once a week though)

[Tom]

Urrgh, I am not a fan of cats. Zac brought in a mouse in the early hours of the morning. Thankfully the thing had a heart attack and was not a bird, so apart from a number of feces the cleanup was minimal. Death by domestic cat is one of the worst ways for an animal in the suburbs to go.