...to say the 'I' http://carla.rationalmind.net/ en Copyright 2006 Mon, 20 Jun 2005 20:20:21 +0000 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Online grocery shopping After a year of slavering after my sister's access to FreshDirect, I discovered that Acme Markets, in the Pennsylvania/New Jersey areas, offers online grocery ordering and delivery. I think the $9.95 delivery charge is worth it for me not to have to drag myself to the store. I'll report soon on how it works out. http://carla.rationalmind.net/2005/06/online_grocery_shopping.html http://carla.rationalmind.net/2005/06/online_grocery_shopping.html food Mon, 20 Jun 2005 20:20:21 +0000 I'm trying to get this up and running again... Please bear with me. http://carla.rationalmind.net/2005/02/im_trying_to_get_this_up_and_r.html http://carla.rationalmind.net/2005/02/im_trying_to_get_this_up_and_r.html blogging and me Thu, 10 Feb 2005 15:26:57 +0000 I really do plan to start blogging again... soon. Once it seems like this is working! http://carla.rationalmind.net/2005/02/i_really_do_plan_to_start_blog.html http://carla.rationalmind.net/2005/02/i_really_do_plan_to_start_blog.html blogging and me Thu, 10 Feb 2005 15:02:01 +0000 I'm coming back... Very soon. For real, this time. And I'm looking forward to it. Thanks if you've been checking the site all this time. http://carla.rationalmind.net/2005/01/im_coming_back_1.html http://carla.rationalmind.net/2005/01/im_coming_back_1.html blogging and me Wed, 05 Jan 2005 19:20:30 +0000 That day Tomato Nation is an internet writer I enjoy reading. Today, she has posted a bittersweet essay: Still Here.
It's still here. Things still happen on it. You've got a friend's birthday party written in it, and another friend's wedding. You know that a whole day can't go anywhere, really, but it seems like theyâ€"the "they" in "you know, they say"â€"would have canceled it at some point, found a way to skip over it like the thirteenth floor of a building. But no, it's there, and as it gets closer, you wonderâ€"how long will you do this?
* * * I was home with the family in New York this weekend, and I didn't get on the computer, but I meant to post my favorite Ayn Rand quote of all time, the one I always think of when times are rough. It's this sentiment that got me through that awful day, and that I continue to meditate on during each anniversary of September 11th.
"We do not think that tragedy is our natural state. We do not live in chronic dread of disaster. We do not expect disaster until we have specific reason to expect it, and when we encounter it, we are free to fight it. It is not happiness, but suffering, that we consider unnatural. It is not success but calamity that we regard as the abnormal exception in human life."
â€"Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged
]]> http://carla.rationalmind.net/2004/09/that_day.html http://carla.rationalmind.net/2004/09/that_day.html blogging and me Mon, 13 Sep 2004 17:42:24 +0000 Ayn Rand sighting Marketplace Morning Report, and the feature was called "Trophy Buildings"â€"go here to listen to it on Real Player, as I did to get the full scoop. Essentially, with the three-year anniversary of Sept. 11, Marketplace was asking questions about the real estate prospects of so-called "trophy buildings," such as the Citigroup Building in New York. At the beginning, the feature included a clip from the film The Fountainhead of Gail Wynand describing his lifelong vision of the Wynand Building: "It will be the tallest building in New York...a monument to my life." It ended with (paraphrased):
Ayn Rand argued the value of such buildings over half a century ago in The Fountainhead. [roll clip]
[Wynand] "This will be the last skyscraper ever built in New York, the last achievement of man on earth before mankind destroys itself."
[Roark] "Mankind will never destroy iteself, Mr. Wynand, nor should it think of itself as destroyed so long as it does things such as this."
[Wynand] "As what?"
[Roark] "As the Wynand building."
The feature ended there. Pretty cool, huh?]]> http://carla.rationalmind.net/2004/09/ayn_rand_sighting.html http://carla.rationalmind.net/2004/09/ayn_rand_sighting.html media and culture Fri, 10 Sep 2004 23:23:01 +0000 Round-up I wanted to write a real post tonight, but I'm tired from my first day on the job. While there was little difficult mental exercise, the strain of smiling while asking stupid questions and trying to remember all the little details necessary for working in an office wore me out (as did a certain lack of sleep). On the bright side, I think work is going to be great. I'm also hoping that once I get a real routine going, I'll be able to organize my time to allow for some real blogging. If only I had a dictaphone that could convert recordings into Word documents, I could put my two-hour round-trip commute to good use by "writing" posts in the car. Ah well, I'm still being productiveâ€"I do love books on tape/CD. Currently, I'm learning basic conversational Russian (in 10 easy lessons!), a birthday present from my mom (the big day is tomorrowâ€"9/9). But once I get my first paycheck, you'd better believe that part of it will go towards purchasing some audio lectures from the Ayn Rand Bookstore, such as Concretizing the Principles of Objective Law. Oh right, the rest of the world: CB of "My War" is back. I hope it goes better this time. Cox and Forkum hit hard again. I've got an essay brewing to go with the image, but it might take a while. On a related, but side note, I'd like to ask a question of those Objectivists who are patient enough to continue hitting up this site once in a while. (Those of any other philosophic persuasion are also welcome to comment, but I'm particularly interested in some O'ist opinions.) What, if any, is the role of emotion in argument? Will a persuasive essay/op-ed always be strengthened by the near-elimination of an emotional tone, in order to let cold facts and reasoning stand on their own? Finally, go to Books for Soldiers if you're interested in sending some "care packages for the mind" to our men and women in the sandbox(es). The discontinuation of the "Any Soldier" program due to security concerns made it harder for those of us who would like to show our appreciation, but luckily, there are tons of groups that have sprung up to fill the void--I think this is one of the best. I went to the Goodwill, picked up 10 books for $2.50 total, and found three guys whose interests matched what I found. If you go with the flat-rate envelope, you can brighten someone's day for under five bucks. I included a self-addressed postcard so that each soldier could let me know that he received his package, and one Specialist not only wrote a nice message on the card, but sent an additional letter. Trust me, it will be worth it when you hear back from them.]]> http://carla.rationalmind.net/2004/09/roundup.html http://carla.rationalmind.net/2004/09/roundup.html blogging and me Wed, 08 Sep 2004 21:22:10 +0000 Updates Ukraine At the end of July, I posted that Ukraine was planning to withdraw its troops from Iraq. Well, Alex told me I was wrong, and it turns out that he was right: Ukraine Defense Minister Vows to Keep Forces in Iraq. Sibelius I forgot to add this to my post about Sibelius: If you want, you can add a Karelia Suite ringtone to your cell phone! (I don't think I have to mention that I will not be doing this.) Real life Woohoo! I've been holding off for a little bit, but I can't any longer: I recently got my first real (meaning post-college) job! It was a bit of a surprise, but a very pleasant one. I applied, was interviewed, and was hired, all in five days! I'll be working as an editorial assistant at a publishing house that produces non-fiction (reference-type) books for middle and high schoolers. I start after Labor Day, so this week has been slightly frantic, but in a good wayâ€"I've already had a nice, looong vacation.]]> http://carla.rationalmind.net/2004/09/updates.html http://carla.rationalmind.net/2004/09/updates.html blogging and me Wed, 01 Sep 2004 11:44:57 +0000 Wanted: two cures 1. A cure for the common cold. Yes, I know, we don't know how to get rid of viruses and blah blah blah. But seriously, I find it nearly impossible to think when I can't breathe, and for all the miracles of modern medicine, we really should be able to find, if not a cure, then something that will reduce the symptoms to nil. Dayquil doesn't cut itâ€"for some reason, pseudoephedrine raises my blood pressure and my heart rate. Not to mention that it's pretty ridiculous for someone to get a cold in the middle of August. 2. A cure for my computer. It's bad enough that it's a Mac, and much harder and more expensive to find software and accessories that will function on that platform. But, when I finally put up the cash and the RAM to install OS X, I find out that, while OS 9 was too old to run most software, OS X (Panther!) is too new to run most of the stuff I want. I like Macs, but at this point, my next computer will be a PC (and a laptop, to boot). Blogging of substance will recommence when I can think coherently for more than ten minutes. http://carla.rationalmind.net/2004/08/wanted_two_cures.html http://carla.rationalmind.net/2004/08/wanted_two_cures.html blogging and me Fri, 27 Aug 2004 16:04:32 +0000 Generosity lot of stuff. This morning there was a knocking on my door, and a postal truck on the street. I dashed into my robe and down the stairs to my front door (I live on the second floor of a house), and found an extremely sweet mailman. He gave me the delivery confirmation to sign while he went to his truck to haul the huge black footlocker to the front door. "I know where this is from," he said, a smile in his voice. "I just retired from the military." Looking in, he could see the staircase, and the footlocker still in his arms, asked if I'd like him to carry it up. At 5'9'', I was taller than him by three or four inches, but, while I can carry a lot, I knew that this "parcel" would be a struggle for me. I accepted, and while he skipped up my stairs and slid the footlocker on to the hallway floor, he asked, "when is he coming home?" "In a few months." I thanked him, and he was out the door before I could process it allâ€"before I could think about all I would have said, had I been in a better state of mind. Words like, "thank you, sir, for all you've done." All I could do was shut my yellow-ribboned door. * Yes, when alone, I can be extremely impatient. I'm pretty good at not showing it, though.]]> http://carla.rationalmind.net/2004/08/generosity.html http://carla.rationalmind.net/2004/08/generosity.html lists Fri, 27 Aug 2004 09:56:23 +0000 Too bad CB at Fear and Loathing in Iraq has left the buiding. There has been a lot of frenzy at and about his site in the last few days, since his blog came under review by his command and was featured on NPR. Conspiracy theories will abound, I'm sure, but it seems to me that it probably just got to be too much for someone who also happens to be living in a war zone. Well, it is too bad, because he was certainly a unique source, but he probably made the best decision for his own sanity. I wish him the best.]]> http://carla.rationalmind.net/2004/08/too_bad.html http://carla.rationalmind.net/2004/08/too_bad.html iraq Fri, 27 Aug 2004 09:43:48 +0000 Grilled Shrimp, corn, and black bean salad The recipe can be found here, at Epicurious, of course. Note that they call it a "tostada" salad, but I omitted that descriptor as well as that ingredient. This dish was absolutely delicious. Because there are a variety of picky eaters in my family, I left out the cilantro and cumin in the vinaigrette, and added a minced garlic clove to make up for it. But I didn't really need to, because the jalapeño lent so much flavor (and without any heat). I lined the parts of the dish up, buffet-style, so everyone could personalize their mixture: shrimp, black bean-tomato-corn mixture, red onion-green onion mixture, lettuce, dressing, and chopped cilantro for those of us who do like it. I also cooked the shrimp on a grill pan rather than on a real grill, though I'll bet that would make it even more scrumptious. I really can't imagine other changes that could make this any better. A perfect summer supper.]]> http://carla.rationalmind.net/2004/08/grilled_shrimp_corn_and_black.html http://carla.rationalmind.net/2004/08/grilled_shrimp_corn_and_black.html food Thu, 26 Aug 2004 22:44:13 +0000 Sibelius's Karelia Suite Lemminkäinen Suite. For Christmas, I requested a CD of the piece, and thus became quite familiar with his Symphony No. 1 and Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47, and less familiar with his second symphony. While I would name Sibelius as one of my favorite composers, it was not until a few weeks ago that I decided to explore more of his work. I purchased a double CD of Symphonies 1, 4, 5, and 6, and the Karelia Suite, performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker and conducted by Herbert von Karajan (it's amazing how cheap even imported, quality classical music can be). I specifically bought this CD because a member of the forums at Objectivism Online compared Sibelius's 5th Symphony to Ayn Rand's description of Richard Halley's "Concerto of Deliverance" in Atlas Shrugged. My preferred method of "getting to know" classical music is to play it in the background as I go about my business, then, once familiarized with it on a basic level, I return to those sections that I have found the most captivating. This is the method I decided to use for listening to Symphony No. 5, so I have been playing the CD pretty much every time I sit down at the computer for the last few weeks. The first three tracks of this volume are actually Sibelius's Karelia Suite, Op. 11, and just a few days ago, I realized that the Ballade, the hauntingly beautiful second movement, had caught my ear. It begins with a quiet, distinctive melody played low in the horn section, then picked up by the strings, and punctuated by woodwinds. Almost-unceasing cellos play a steady undercurrent, granting the movement a steady momentum through the false ending about halfway through the seven-minute section. After a few moments of near silence, middle-range strings (I'm very bad at identifying instruments) pick up the initial theme. I find it very hard to describe the emotions evoked by this transition, so I'll do it in a way that seems trite, but fairly accurate. It sounds like part of a soundtrack directly following a battle sceneâ€"when the heroes look around and see that, while many have died, they, the forces of good, have triumphed. It would be appropriate in Band of Brothers. The piece continues contemplatively, and about five minutes in, the full string section enters, evoking rejuvenating sunshine. Another false ending, and a single woodwind enters: the voice of the hero. The only disappointing part is the ending, which fades out with little recollection of the quiet grandeur of the rest of the movement. There is a final movement in the Suite that is heroic and joyful, but it is the second that really catches my ear with its dramatic push toward victory won, even at a high cost. Of course, I am no music expert, and in fact my interpretation is quite different from that in the liner notes, which describes the Ballade as "the singing of a medieval Finnish minstrel with a melancholy singing tune for strings." But, Sibelius has not disappointed me yet, and I would recommend his music to anyone inclined toward the Romantic tradition. Feel free to leave your classical music suggestions in the comments!]]> http://carla.rationalmind.net/2004/08/sibeliuss_karelia_suite.html http://carla.rationalmind.net/2004/08/sibeliuss_karelia_suite.html media and culture Thu, 26 Aug 2004 20:50:08 +0000 For al-Sadr? Cox and Forkum show (again) how devastating their work can be with a single cartoon: ForalSadr.gif Click the link above to read their commentary, too. P.S. Can anyone help me figure out to make it so that the edge of C&F's cartoon doesn't get cut off like that?]]> http://carla.rationalmind.net/2004/08/for_alsadr.html http://carla.rationalmind.net/2004/08/for_alsadr.html iraq Tue, 17 Aug 2004 10:47:28 +0000 Heh. Kerry Unveils One-Point Plan for a Better America
"My national-defense policy will be guided by one imperative: Don't be George Bush. As will my plans to create a strong economy, protect civil rights, develop a better healthcare system, and improve homeland security."
Heehee. (It's The Onion, folks.)]]> http://carla.rationalmind.net/2004/08/heh.html http://carla.rationalmind.net/2004/08/heh.html media and culture Tue, 17 Aug 2004 10:41:41 +0000