2012-03-30

Comments – By Scope

I know a lot of you have been struggling with something I've been struggling with, too.  Google took away the little track back [X] check box.  Whenever I commented (with only a few exceptions), I always checked the little box to email me other people's comments.

I wanted to know what everyone was saying.  I liked the social aspect.  Heck, that little checkbox played a part in my wife and I getting together.  And for the last month, I've kind of missed it.  Like a lot.

So, while this is a work in process, SCOPE-TECH is bringing back the email following link!  Just click the "Subscribe by email" link when you comment.

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And here's how you can, too.


1 – You HAVE to flip over to the new Blogger interface, sorry.  It sucks, I know it.

2 – On your new blogger dashboard, click the little dropdown arrow I've highlighted and then click "Settings"  (Note, it's the last one in the list, I Photoshopped the picture to make it fit the screen better.)

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3 – On the lower right, in "Settings", click "Posts and comments"

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4 – In the drop down button for "Comment Location" choose "Embedded".

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5 – Click the big orange "Save Settings" button and you are good.

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That's it. 

Like I said, Cora and I tried it out a little tonight.  One of the good things about being married to a blogger, they can help you test issues like this, and are eager to, too, since they're experiencing your pain, too.  There may be a hiccup or two with this approach.  I know that Joshua over @ Vive Le Nerd tried it for one whole day before reverting back, so there could be dragons here.  But if you would, tell me if you click the link today, and let me know if you are getting the comments in a usable format, that would be awesome.

Tech? On this blog?  Go figure.

Oh, and bonus points if you get the joke in the title.

2012-03-29

While I Was Out

While I was out of touch for a little while, a couple little things have been put off while I was working on the situation.

The following picture I stole from Gizmodo.  That's not animated.  That's just messing with your mind.

Optical Ill

And the next one is pure Scope, because sometimes, I just can't help myself.

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So what you been up to?

2012-03-28

Sorry for the interruption…

To my dear friends and followers – Sorry about that.  Took the blog down for a day, then set all the old posts to draft, and then brought the blog back up.  Don't worry, I'm bringing back the archives, slowly, as I have time.

But, one bit of old business to deal with before getting back to new business.

There are some folks reading my blog that shouldn't be.

No, not "the daughter".  She knows it's not for her, respects that, and really doesn't care as long as it's not embarrassing stories about her.

No, these are some adults who I am going to politely and respectfully ask to click the little "X" in the corner, clear out your browser's history cache, and to not return.  If you choose not to respect me and my wishes on this matter, then I may find I have a hard time respecting you later.

And I have Google analytics on here.  Using a couple different matrices, I'm able to recognize your foot print when you visit.


"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

That is the FIRST Amendment to the United States Constitution.  It seems that even our founding fathers really didn't like the idea of bullies trying silence the voices of others.

To be clear:

  1. This is my place.
  2. This is my press.
  3. This is my voice.
  4. This is where I choose to peacefully assemble with my friends.
  5. I won't be bullied into silence.

That would be both un-American and hypocritical.  Right now, we are fighting to help the daughter's voice be heard.  I would be a hypocrite if I allow mine to go silent.

To be clear, again, the daughter knows all about my blog.  She even was following it.  But she doesn't READ it. 

Let me say this again, clearly: While she COULD read it, she DOESN'T read it.
Same goes with her mother's blog.

How do I know she's not reading it?  We have to hound her to get on Facebook and talk to her friends.  She's just not on the computer much.  They're not her thing.  And, since my blog isn't really "forbidden fruit", it's just not that tempting.  And I trust her to respect my privacy.  I've seen on my friends' Facebook pages where if the parents leaves their account signed in on the home computer, their kids will start posting on it.  My Facebook, my email, my whole computer are left unlocked 24/7.  I trust the daughter that when she needs to use it, she won't going nosing around.  She respects other people's privacy.

But, all this talk about blogs and what is appropriate content to write about is a side show.  A distraction to the main issue.  And the main issue is right over there –> on the sidebar of this blog.  That's the countdown to when the daughter turns 18.  When that  clock reaches 0 00:00:00 all the sideshow stuff becomes moot.  If the real problem hasn't gotten better ("fixed" is a might big reach), then she's legally entitled to solve it by just washing her hands of it and walking away.

And none of the adults really want that.  Life would be a whole lot easier for everyone concerned if she and her father had a better relationship.

And until her father realizes that this isn't a problem with her.
And that it's not a teenager thing. 
And that's it's his inability to see anyone else's point of view. 
And his inability to value her feelings. 
And his inability to admit he has treated her badly. 
And routinely. 
And for all her life.
No progress will be made.

And after 15.5 years, if progress is to be made, it will be made SLOWLY.  So look at that number again.  If we keep the focus on the sideshow, time will keep ticking away and soon the clock's going to run out and she'll walk away.

And yet, the focus recently has been on my blog?  My wife's blog?  Facebook?  Seriously?

The issue isn't:  That my wife celebrates the day the blood clot on her spine didn't kill her.  Blogging about it doesn't remind the daughter that she almost lost her mother and it doesn't drive a wedge between the daughter and her father.  The repercussions of the blood clot are with us all the time: the scar on the back of her neck, the occasional balance issues,  the nerve damage that has given her a numb side and a hyper-sensitive elbow.  That's every day life.  We joke about it and go on. 

The issue is:  That while her mother was in the hospital recovering from a surgery she wasn't excepted to survive, her father took her.  But since he didn't take her to school, and wasn't going to, that lasted only two days.  That's the kind of thing that drives the wedge deeper.

The issue isn't:  That someone was given a less than graceful nickname on a blog.

The issue is:  That someone told his daughter that since she's getting A's, that school must be too easy.  And when informed that she got into one of the toughest school's in Chicago, his response was "Thanks".  No, "Good job!" or "Way to go!" to her.  Just "Thanks" to us for the information.

The issue isn't:  That our blogs are not appropriate for a 5 year old child to read.

The issue is:  That my wife ex-husband still thinks that the daughter IS a 5 year child old that he can bully and intimidate and demand respect from.  Instead, she's a 15.5 year old young lady who deserves encouragement, praise and whose respect you have to EARN.

The issue isn't:  That the daughter's feelings and opinions toward her father MIGHT be influenced someday by what she COULD read on-line.

The issue is:  That the daughter's feelings and opinions toward her father HAVE been formed by 15.5 years years of interactions with him.  Seeing, feeling, and living with how he treats her and others.  I understand how he doesn't see that.  But she does.  So he needs to.

The issue isn't:  That my wife's ex told me that he wanted to beat up the first guy to break the daughter's heart.

The issue is:  That he doesn't see that person is him.

And the more that the focus is on the side show…

And the more people look for external sources for problems between the father and daughter when the real problem looks back at him in the mirror…

And the more that the hole keeps getting deeper…

And the less time left for a bridge to be built…

And the clock keeps its unrelenting count down.

Tick
o
c
k




[EDITOR'S NOTE: Due to the sensitive nature of this post, comment moderation has been turned on.  Comments may not get published right away, if at all.  Sorry about that, but even when told explicitly to not read, certain adults may not abide.  Thanks for your understanding in advance.]

2012-03-20

Please Stay Tuned…

UNDER-CONSTRUCTION 
This site is temporarily under construction.
Please stay tuned.

2012-03-19

Second Times A Charm

Oh, everyone knows about the first time.

It's something you look SO forward to.

Yearn for.

ACHE for.

Oh, and it feels SOOOO good when you finally have it.

That first pee of the morning.

"First Pee" is so celebrated, it's even immortalized in film.

But what about the equally important, but much less celebrate "Second Pee" of the day? After the first pee has vacated the premises, the kidneys kick in and start thinning out the blood again and filling the tank back up.

After you've been up an hour; "Ding!", round #2.

I don't leave the house without "second pee". Even if I think that the 2:00 am trip should count as "first pee" since it seemed to last 5 minutes. I doesn't. And leaving in the morning without a good second pee makes the morning commute WAY TOO STRESSFUL!


Now, since I've already freaked you all out enough by talking about "urine", one more thing about #1:

What the heck kind of tuna does Subway use? I mean, a good foot-long tuna sub for lunch on Friday for Lent, and my pee smells like tuna 'til Saturday noon. No other tuna seems to do that to me. Just Subway's. Man, I remember the first time that happened. I almost went to the hospital freaked out bout the pungent smell of fish streaming down into the bowl that morning. Like I was rotting inside.

2012-03-12

Handicapped Parking

This one is for So-Cal Gal & Skyler's Dad:

When you come to visit, there's a handicapped parking space directly across the street.  Just be sure to bring your hovercraft.

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2012-03-10

Daylight Savings Time - 2012

Well, folks, daylight savings time is upon us.  This is the weekend we turn the clocks back forward an hour.  And Monday is the day everyone looks forward to: Dragging their (and worse, their children's) sorry carcasses out of bed an hour earlier than normal.

YEAH TEAM!

Here @ Scope-Tech, it just wouldn't be right for this occasion to pass without note.  So, back again, is everybody's favorite couple, Larry & Sarah.

And, if you wish to revisit some of my older posts on the topic (because you're boring and have nothing better to do on a Saturday night, unlike me, who is going grocery shopping), the links are below.

2012-03-08

It Came From The Aisles – Out & About

This week, I've been talking about being out grocery shopping with my fabulous and lovely wife, Cora.  But, not all the great finds are in the grocery store.  And they can be both free and priceless.

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"Korean Live B.B.Q."?!?  Are they barbecuing live Korean's?  That's a very specific form of cannibalism that they are targeting there. I can't see that the market will be able to support that thing for long.

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The colorblind play full price, I guess.

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No.  I don't want any part of that.  No.

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Look, it's "Rumspringa Barbie" and her English slut friends.

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"Low Radiation"  That's a HELL of a selling point to put right in your face.  "Low Radiation – Cooking you slower, like the 'defrost' setting on your microwave."

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"The Stripper And Other Fun Songs For The Family" – What the hell kind of family do they live in?  I did look up the album (sorry for the glare) and yes, the song is the one you're thinking of (video link).  I didn't know anything about David Rose, so I looked him up.  The dude was married to Martha Raye, but divorced her for Judy Garland.

2012-03-06

It Came From The Aisles – WTF?

Note: For those of you who commented on yesterday's post, I have responded.


As I mentioned last time, my lovely and talented wife, Cora, and I do the weekly grocery shopping together.  It's kind of funny, there's an Aldi across the street.  Literally, across the street from our condo.  When I moved in, I gave them a try.  When Cora moved in, she gave them a try.  It's a poorly lit Hall of the Damned, we simply can't visit it.  Just down the street is a Family Dollar.  They have a surprising variety, and being in walking distance, a great place to grab that "one thing".  We tend to hit them up for cleaning supplies and their snack cake knock-offs that we call, "Faux-Ho's".

As mentioned, Dominick's is our preferred store, but there's also Jewel-Osco, Target,  and a new guy, Mariano's, an offshoot of Wisconsin's Roundy's chain has also moved into the neighborhood (Actually into the building that used to house the Dominick's we used to shop at).  And then there's the Entenmann's Outlet (aka "The Bread Store").  Killer prices on bread, bagels, English muffins, and donuts.  The clerk looks like a peroxide nightmare, but she's actually pretty nice.

All-in-all, we shop far and wide, and sometime, just sometimes, we are amazed at what we see:

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That's a very, very weird bit of of shelf placement for the 45 Piece Tool Set.

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Our local Dominick's has a parking lot on the roof.  I saw this weird, enclosed 3 wheeled, motorcycle.  Sorry for the bad shot.  Only had the cell phone camera, and she was pretty far away.  I've seen them before, in London, but never around here.

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"Fiber for Life"?  I'm not sure that I need a lifetime's worth of fiber in my bread.  Lordy!

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I don't think I need Uncle Joe's mint balls keeping me all aglow.  I think that's more of a therapy thing.

Speaking of "therapy"…

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I think I'll need some after staring deep into the "Red Eye".  See!  I'm hypo-mo-tized!

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And while not at the grocery store, I did pass this little wine shop in my neighborhood that had a very interesting display in the window.  Joshua, this is for you:

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A little Star Trek.  A little Dr. Who.  And Maybe some pirates?

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Next time, some more oddities from our shopping trips.

2012-03-05

It Came From The Aisles – Saving A Buck

On Sunday, the my wife, Cora, and I went grocery shopping.  Pretty standard weekend activity.  We grocery shop together every weekend.  It's kind of "our time" together.  One thing that's kind of cool is how we've gotten into saving money on the tab with about as little effort as possible.
We can't be like those "EXTREME COUPONERS" for a few good reasons:
  • We live in Chicago.  None of the stores double or triple your coupons, or allow for overages.
  • We live in a 2 BR condo & rent a mostly full storage unit.  Space is at a premium.
  • To quote my mother "I don't want to die with all my cash tied up in toilet paper."
  • Despite rumors to the contrary, we aren't freaks like that.
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Our two main grocery stores, Dominick's and Jewel-Osco (Safeway & SuperValu vs. Albertsons, respectively) both offer their discount club cards.  Weekly discounts on whatever.  We normally shop Dominick's, and one thing I like is that while they usually advertise things like, "2 for $5.00" but it's really priced @ $2.50 each.

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But now they've started something new, called, "Just For U" where you can load even more discounts "coupons" on to your card.  The trick is, you've got to go to the website, and put the deals on your card.  There are 3 sections: Coupon Center, Personalized Deals, and Price Match.  The Coupon Center are their deals for everyone.  Often, there's a deal for like, "$1.79 a gallon on milk, must buy 2".  Not shabby.  (The last two weeks, the milk is gone, but we've gotten a dozen free eggs each week.)
The personalized deals are based on your buying habits, and targeted at you.  I know that there are people out there who don't like the idea of the grocery store knowing what they bought, so the idea of getting tracked and targeted ads like this really bothers them.  But you know what, I don't care if the store knows that we buy their store brand of peanuts, and they offer us a deal on Planters peanuts @ 16 oz jar for $2.93 vs. the regular $5.99.  (A real personalized deal this week.)
AND, they've got a section where they price match some of the deals from Jewel-Osco and Target.  (Our local Target stores have been pushed by the city / county / state to offer more groceries, including fresh foods.)  This section usually doesn't have a whole lot, but it's better than nothing.
I know that sounds like a lot of work, but it really isn't.  Maybe 10 minutes on the computer, then printing it out, and having it with you, so you can remember what the deals are.
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But, as they try to make very clear, the savings do add up.  It's not always 39%.  Last week 'swas 29%.  The week before that 37%.  Not being Rockefellers, saving an extra $24 for a couple of minutes websurfing is a deal I'm willing to make.
Anybody else out there doing the "Just For U" thing?  How are your savings?  Does your store chain have a similar thing?
Next up:  It Came From The Aisles!!!