Wandering through E-Space

...or, 'I shoulda stuck with the Wizard of Oz.' D.W.Q.M.: The First Doctor: "Pretty soon we shall be having visitors." Ben: "Visitors? What, 'ere? Well, who do you think's bringing them, Father Christmas on his sledge?" Ah, the Christmas season doesn't start until you've frozen your butt off waiting for the Christmas lights downtown to be turned on. :) I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving! Mine was pretty good, considering...just kidding, it was good. :) I have a pretty set way of how the weekend usually goes-Thursday morning I get up, turn on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, and during the commericals, make the stuffing and get the turkey ready for the oven. After the parade, I start the turkey and watch the Wizard of Oz while it is roasting in the oven. Then dinner, rest, clean up, dessert, and maybe a movie. Friday I get up early and brave the crowds, shop around, then in the evening, I head downtown for the beg...

D.W.Q.M.: : "A question! Isn't anyone going to pay attention to that computer over there?" -the Third Doctor Corny promo of the week: "Can Starbuck buy Starbuck a Starbucks?" -Dirk Benedict (Lt. Starbuck of BattlestaR Galactica) joking around with the new female (what the heck?) Starbuck of the SciFi miniseries BattlestaR Galactica in front of Starbucks. Corny line of the week: "This can't be right...these files are too big." "That's not the only thing that's too big..." Abby and Duckie, checking a harddrive full of porno for hidden files. (Navy: NCIS) I've added another section to my website-I think I'm going to call it my 'Travel Dog' section-it is a collection of pictures that Persephone , Paul, and I took of my Krismutt when we went to Cincinatti a couple of weeks ago for Kari's wedding. I have already have had two of my coworkers in stitches, so I hope you will enjoy them too!! :) You can...

D.W.Q.M.: "One day I shall come back...Just go forward in all your beliefs, and prove to me that I am not mistaken in mine." -the First Doctor Tomorrow (November 23rd) marks the 40th anniversary of Doctor Who, the longest runnng scifi show in history. Happy Birthday, Doctor!!! ;) As a tribute, and to add another geeky nail to my geeky coffin, I decided to post some stuff that i've learn over many years of watching and reading about Doctor Who (some 20+ years of watching and reading) LOL. First I'll start with the quote above-it is from the 10th Doctor Who story, 'the Dalek Invasion of Earth', with William Hartnell. The segment was reused again for the 20th Anniversary special, 'the Five Doctors'. It was shown just before the opening credits. Hartnell had already passed away before the 20th, and another actor was cast to reprise his roll, so I thought it was a nice touch adding that segment to the episode. :) Ok, more geekiness... -s...

I signed up for Sky and Telescope's astro alerts awhile ago, and I received this in my inbox earlier today (well, it actually came last night, but I didn't check my email last night) So, rather than try to summarize what it said, I thought I would post part of the message: "The location of the auroral ovals have migrated substantially equatorward. This means that locations that are normally far from the auroral oval may be located inside the oval. As a result, the potential for observing periods of moderate to strong auroral storm activity exists for a large area of the middle and low latitude regions. "The areas that are particularly well placed are those in New Zealand and Australia and Europe. The arrival of the disturbance provided western North America with a powerful show (bright red auroral activity visible well into the United States). Unfortunately, sunrise quickly extinguished attempts to view activity from the eastern regions. " The distu...

D.W.Q.M.: "We are being dragged towards a relative continuum displacement zone." -the Fourth Doctor Okay, I know it's really late, so that's why I'm writing it at home now (about 2am) and posting it when I get into work-the connection is much faster there-trying to post at home would just add on another half an hour-and I'm already up too late! ;) (yeah, those who know me are saying, 'well, this is normal for you.' I'm trying to get to bed earlier, really, I'm trying. ;) ) Well, almost everyone knows I get excited over the smallest things, so you won't be too suprised with this entry. As I was leaving P^2s home tonight (or last night, since it's really Friday morning now) I spotted a meteor just as I walked out the door! The sky was unusually clear for Cleveland, and the meteor was very bright in the sky. November is the time for the Leonids, and they officially peaked the morning of the 18th, which was unfortunately clo...

D.W.Q.M.: the Second Doctor: "The power cable generated an electrical field and confused their tiny metal minds. You might almost say they had a complete metal breakdown." Jamie: "Oooh." The Second Doctor: "I'm so sorry." Since I haven't made any taco night email posts lately, I thought I would post this one I got from Jerm today: I eat tacos / Oh such tacos / I eat tacos and nachos and cheese" "...the power of / Burritos of the night..." "Tacos / All alone in the hot sauce" "Hot sauce, Mild sauce / Hot sauce, Mild sauce" "Seventy Six Tacos in the big white bag" "TacooOElla'sHome, where the sauce comes seepin' down my chin" "My Taco / I just met a meal named My Taco" "Ho-taco Hey-taco Taco Taco Ho / Taco Hey Taco Ho Taco" "Taco / and beer / I need more beer / Hey, why don't you get me beer?" "Don't cry for me, It's jus...

D.W.Q.M.: "I'm not going to just sit here like a spare lemon waiting for the squeezer." -the Brigadier A few months ago, the President of our university announced plans for a new logo and new overal image that is supposed to make CWRU more marketable, more well known in higher education circles. As far as I can tell, all it has managed to do is PO many alumni-especially the alumni of Western Reserve. We will no longer be referred to as Case Western Reserve University...oh, no, from now on, we are going to be called, 'Case.' Our school name will still be Case Western Reserve University, but when talking about our school, just call us 'Case.' yeah, whatever. As my friend Michelle once commented, "Havard, Yale, Case....no matter how much money they put into it, it will never grow ivy." ;) Skip ahead, skip ahead, skip ahead. Present time, Taco night-the players? Myself, P^2 , and Jerm. We were watching Jeopardy just before Enterp...

D.W.Q.M.: Sixth Doctor: "I am another aspect of him, as he is of me." Jamie: "Eh?" Sixth Doctor: "I was him, he will be me." Jamie: "Who will I be?" The events of the following story happened approximately one week ago...just been to busy to post it. ;) Sunday, November 2nd, approximately 10am, EST. ring, ring Romana: "mmmm...hello?" Romana's Little Sis: "hey, did i wake you?" R: lying through her teeth "No, wassup?" RLS: "Well, you know the Vikings play the Packers tonight in MN, right?" R: "yeah, so?" RLS: "I want to make a bet with you..." R: "Oh...?" RLS: "If the Vikings win, you have to take me out to dinner, and if the Packers win, I'll take you out." R: thinking ahead "ummm...could it be as cheap as McDonalds?" RLS: "yeah, that's cool-it could be White Castle for all I care-the only thing is it has to b...

D.W.Q.M.: "I'll never be cruel to an electron in a particle accelerator again." -the Fourth Doctor Hmm...ok, so maybe the title of this entry isn't as funny unless you've played Apu in Simpson's Road Rage... Oh, well, I tried. ;) Before I go on... Novelty Item of the week: The Fast Food Novel, aka, the Romance Novel, or the Mc-Novel (ah,yes, this is what we talk about at lunch in the library-books! Imagine that... ;)) They are $$cheap, fast, easy reads... Chemical Compound of the week: NUCO 2 , Nitro-urano-carbon dioxide.... what?!?! Persephone's brother and his boss were driving on the highway last weekend and saw an overturned truck with that compound on it...or what he thought was a compound. So he called Perseph to see if she knew what it was. She didn't recognize it, so she did a Google search, and found out that it was a beverage company! Silly little brother. ;) More Solar update info: Both regions 486 and 488 have...

D.W.Q.M.: "Was that bang big enough for you, Brigadier?" -the Fourth Doctor This will be a relatively short entry, as I should be getting ready for bed so I can get up and go to work tomorrow! ;) Woo! Region 486 released an X-8 flare yesterday! They expect this to hit Earth sometime after midnight on November 4th (hey, that's Paul's birthday!) They also think this will be the last CME, since region 486 is almost out of visual range. check out http://www.spacew.com/cme/index.html for more info, and note that it says the predictions are based only on preliminary data, and may be revised without any warning. I would say if you are going to go looking for auroras, check the map just before you go out to see how high the activity is. Also, Region 488 produced it's first major flare. rated X-2, just a few hours ago. :) (01:31 UTC) Well, that's all for now-'nite all!!!

D.W.Q.M.: "I accept without reservation the results of your excellent potassium-argon test." -from The Image of Fendahl First of all, I would like to print a retraction-Karen noticed an error in my 10-31 entry. I accidently gave you Cleveland's geographic latitude instead of the magnetic one. The magnetic latitude is 51, not 41. Thanks, Karen! :) (and that's what I get for trying to write a blog entry while im-ing 3 friends and taking a phone call at the same time. ;) ) Solar activity, for the most part, has settled down for now. Higher latitudes may still see some aurora displays, but those of us in the middle latitudes will not unless activity picks up again. Region 486 has finally started to decay, although NOAA's 3-day solar-geophysical forecast says that both regions 486 and 488 are still capable of producing some major flare activity. Needless to say, it's been an exciting week!! BTW, if you are interested, NOAA's Space Weather Now ...

D.W.Q.M.: "Eurkea!" -the Third Doctor Persephone, Northern lights take 2 was a success!!! Yay!!! I went outside tonight (thursday) around 7pm EDT to wait for Persephone, Heather, and Jon (the four of us were going to dinner). I step outside my apartment, and notice that just above the roof, the sky was looking redder than usual-not 'the-sun-is-setting" red or 'hey-there's-a-fire!' red, but red as in 'northern lights' red. I couldn't believe it, since we've been disappointed the past couple of nights. So quickly ran around my building so I could get a better look, and lo and behold, I was seeing the aurora borealis!!! The northern lights! Here in Cleveland!!! I was soo excited-I gave Jerm a call 'cause a promised him I would (i hope he was able to see it from his apartment-there are an awful lot of trees in the direction of the display i saw) When Persephone, Heather, and Jon arrived, I began waving my arms around and ...

D.W.Q.M.: "Oh, by the way, talking of eggs, I want a four-hour scan below the hydrogen line tomorrow; I'll give you the precise wavelength later." -One of the astronomers in "Terror of the Autons" I'm sure some of you will hate me, but I have to say it, I just have to say it: "Stupid warm front!!!" There, that's better. The warm front that came through last night also brought clouds and a few sprinkles-not good if you're trying to catch a glimpse of the northern lights!! According to NOAA there is going to be plenty of solar activity over the next few days. The active regions(there are currently three active regions-486, 488, and 484) of the sun are likely to produce more major flare activity (although probably not as big as the X17 on Tuesday). Yesterday region 486 (same region as the X17) produced another flare-X10. 486 has been the most active, with 488 looking promising also. 484 flares have been C and M class. I...

this is an update on the Aurora Borealis, as well as a test to see if I can get my blog to republish correctly! ;) Around 4am EDT, there was a reported sighting of the Aurora Borealis in Watersville, OH (near Toledo)!!!! Chances are good that we might actually see something, provided the weather holds up. (of course, as with most astronomical events of this type, we might see something, we might not. Here's hoping for the best!)

...Can you picture that? ;) D.W.Q.M.: "One day we'll know all the mysteries of the skies, and we'll stop our wanderings." -Susan Foreman Ah, the Sun is at it again. Last week we witnessed a solar storm that many hoped would trigger the aurorae (northern and southern lights). Well, I don't know about you, but it was too cloudy here in Cleveland to see anything. Sounds like there wasn't much to see, anyway. Never you fear, Aurorae lovers! We have another chance-and a much , much bigger one at that. First, a little astronomy lesson (I love this stuff!!!) Solar flares are classified as C (weak), M (moderate), and X(strong) with a corresponding number-the higher the number, the bigger the flare. Last week's solar flare was classifed between X1 and X5, according to SOHO (the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory. The one that was emitted yesterday was classified as X17!!! That's the third largest one ever recorded!!! Now, this doesn...

D.W.Q.M.: "I know it's irrational, but human beings are quite my favorite species." -the Fourth Doctor Before I begin, I'd like to say 'Hi!' to Carol from New Zealand! I came across her blog after I had updated my own-the name 'Aragorn' caught my eye (LOTR, need I say more? ;) ) Carol is originally from the U.K. and is currently taking a career break(from the police), working(with horses and other animals) and living in NZ. I've been reading her blog since August, and finally decided to drop her a line-she was delighted to have another state-side reader. :) This weekend P^2 and I took a trip down to visit Sasha and her family before they move to VA this weekend. Before we headed down, Persephone and I canvased Coventry Village in search for the perfect going-away gift. Since Sasha loves gargoyles, we decided to try High Tide and Rock Bottom first. We walk in, and we see this skeleton dressed in a black cloak and red glasses wit...

D.W.Q.M.: "I often think dimensional transcendentalism is preposterous, but it works." -the Fourth Doctor I'm sorry I haven't written anything lately-I've been too lazy at home and during my lunch hour to write! My Halloween decos are finally up, and I even have a new building for my Spooky Town village! woo-hoo! It turns out that my sister is starting a Halloween village-she's collecting Spooky Town houses, too. I didn't know where she was getting them, but when I talked to her, she started describing a building that I had in my collection! Ah, yes, she is truly my sister. :-D We're both really excited, and it'll be really cool to see how she sets hers up! (hmmm...better tell her to take a picture) There's a section in the Spooky Town home page where people send in pics of their set ups-boy, they can be really fancy!! Maybe I should look into getting accesorries (like people, trees, pumpkins, etc) rather than houses, to make my ...

D.W.Q.M.: The Fourth Doctor: "Should we try using our intelligence? Leela: "Well, if you think that's a good idea." Breakfast cereal of the day: Captain Smack Puffs- 'the heroin that smokes like a joint' Brought to you by Paul. :) Interesting gadget of the week: A coffin that, with the press of 2 buttons, explodes into a jet ski-MacGyver style, of course. :) Most Exciting Sports moment of the weekend: the Fourth Inning of the 2nd Boston Red Sox/New York Yankees playoff game. Cleared the benches! 'nuff said. Goal for the Week: To finish putting up all of my Halloween decorations! Well, I'm over halfway there-99% of my lights, 95% of the halloween garland and 100% of the wall and window decos are up. I just have to arrange a few Halloween figures around, and find a place for my lighted Halloween village, and then I'm all set. I love lights-just ask anybody who has been to my apartment. ;) Things are pretty slow here at the li...

D.W.Q.M.: "There's no point in being grownup if you can't be childish sometimes." -the Fourth Doctor Ahh..inner childhood... My inner child is ten years old! The adult world is pretty irrelevant to me. Whether I'm off on my bicycle (or pony) exploring, lost in a good book, or giggling with my best friend, I live in a world apart, one full of adventure and wonder and other stuff adults don't understand. How Old is Your Inner Child? brought to you by Quizilla We could all use a little break to discover our inner child. :)

D.W.Q.M.: "I've reversed the polarity of the neutron flow." -the Third Doctor THANK YOU, PAUL!!! He fixed my modem problem!! I'm online at home again! Well, at least for now, until the next problem. LOL, look at me, I'm sounding like, as Col. O'Neill put it, 'Mr. Glass-is-half-empty.' ;) Nah, it'll be alright, if the same problem should arrise, Paul showed me what to do. When Arthur asked what he did, Paul said he did the software equivalent of 'taking the screw out and putting it back in.' For those unfamiliar with the story behind that statement, when Paul's vcr was acting up, Jer looked at the vcr, took out one screw, then put it back in, and it worked!!! :) Now, if only we could solve the mystery of the disappearance of my Network Neighborhood icon from my desktop.... :-D This is Romanadvoratrelundar checking in from home! Yay!