Afternoon random

[urbpan]

A few minutes ago, just as I turned the corner onto my block I saw a wild turkey standing on a neighbor's stoop! I didn't crash the car, nor could I park it legally, so I completed the circuit of the block, parked in my spot, and ran to where I saw the turkey. It wasn't there, so I quickly scanned the area: the street (full of afternoon rush hour traffic), the roof (a four story apartment building; not likely, but possible), and all around. There, across the street, on the part of the Riverway we call the "hot springs" because of a probably illegal sewerage outflow we discovered, were two turkeys. They were casually strolling on the paved walkway. I had to wait until a break in traffic to cross the street, and once I got there they had descended the hill toward the river. I took a couple pictures, which I'll post a little later.

I've now been sick officially a full week. I feel like I haven't been sick this long since childhood. Who else has the time to be sick this long, other than children? I'm pretty sure I've got bronchitis, and that I'm not going to get better without antibiotics. I'm stubborn, though, so we'll see how long it takes me to go to the doctor.

Today is the anniversary of my check engine light troubles! That's right, one year ago today my check engine light came on, instilling dread and worry and starting a journey of auto repair that shows no sign of ending. I've had all my oxygen sensors replaced, replaced the engine pipe twice, and some other stuff's been done to it too. On my way back from a roller derby game, in a white-out snowstorm, the check engine light started blinking. I was in heavy traffic on a major road (93S) so pulling over was out of the question. Fortunately, it stopped blinking, and just stayed on steady. When I brought it in, the guy told me (in difficult English) that sometimes the sensor gets wet and the light goes on, but there's nothing wrong with the engine. Okay, sure, I can live with that. So now, for the past month the light goes on when it rains, then after a couple dry days it goes out. Just so long as it's dry the next time I have to bring it in for inspection.

Last year around this time, I asked you guys to recommend some new music for me. Several of you recommended Pandora.com, a site where you enter a song or songs or an artist or artists and it generates a radio station that plays music based on that. 11 months later I've tried it, and it's interesting. It notices things about my music that I didn't notice, creating playlists based only on how the music sounds. It has a hard time recognizing context and irony. It has forced me to accept that I listen to music for reasons other than the way it sounds, at least on paper. Music is too wrapped up in memory and time and culture to be described only by key, tempo, and instrumentation.

Comments

[smallerdemon.livejournal.com]

I had a hell of a three week long sickness about two years ago. It sucked beyond belief. It was the first time in years I had to take off three days of work in a row.

I second you on the music listening habits. I tried Pandora, but I find SOMA FM's more limited but human chosen selections and playlist more to my liking. I send them a paltry $2.99 a month donation since I spent the majority of my work day streaming their stuff into my workstation at work and the majority of my alone time at home with one of the stations streaming in.

Very cool on the turkeys.

Did you see the recent story about Wolverines being spotted in the Sierra Nevada mountain range? First spotting since 1922.

[miz-geek.livejournal.com]

How about last.fm?

And turkeys in Boston! How cool is that?

[ihavemeaning.livejournal.com]

Turkeys are taking over our area! Srsly!

When I moved to E. Mass, I rented a room with a rich selff involved self righteous older lady. You konw the type. (Q: What the hell was I doing moving to Newton? A: It was near acupuncture school in Watertown, and I didn't know anybetter.) Anyhow, I was hauling all my shit into rich lady's house, when I saw a very large bird casually strut by. I went inside and said to crazy lady, "I'm sure my eyes were playing tricks on me, but I think I just saw a turkey in the front yard."

Actually, it turned out to be a turkey.

Pandora is okay. Until you start approving of so much hip hop that they keep wanting to play top 40 shit from like 2003 on your ass. Then you abandon Pandora nad reminisce about the good days. Or at least thats how it worked for me.

PS there is a huge urban chicken subculture in Belmont. Just sayin.

[urb-banal.livejournal.com]

Before you go on anti biotics try oil of oregano. Nasty but it will whip those nasty bugs out of your body.

Anti biotics are not good unless you are going to die with out them.

[ndozo.livejournal.com]

Is it possible that hay you posted about was moldy? Maybe you have this: http://www.cdc.gov/nasd/docs/d001601-d001700/d001609/d001609.html

[baniszew.livejournal.com]

You could also try listening to Launchcast at launch.yahoo.com. It works kind of like Pandora, but instead of giving you music that sounds like the music you like, it gives you music rated highly by people who like the things you like. (It does have the drawback of having commercials unless you give them money, and only working on Windows with Internet Explorer.)

[sarache.livejournal.com]

My car ('99 Saturn SC2) does the same thing: after a hard rain, the check-engine light comes on for a day or so. This is apparently common enough that it's actually noted in the manual for the car. My feeling is that if it's that common, it would be good to *fix* it instead of just putting it in the documentation; but anyway, here's another data point to corroborate your mechanic's diagnosis.