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07-09-2009, 06:33 AM
TsPoet

Quote:

Originally Posted by KnottedYet

Now that the Federal gov't has so *graciously* decided to allow me to *perhaps* change my name on my passport so that it matches my driver's license, credit cards, medical records, etc., maybe we'll get to go. Of course, they still won't allow me to change my name on social security, which is just mind-bogglingly stupid. So my professional license and work records are under my old name. Sheesh.

that's kinda funny in a sad way - I work at a Nat'l Lab and we recently had to fill out paperwork showing what name is on our Passport and Driver's license. We'll my DL has my middle initial and my passport doesn't. So, I've been 'grounded' as far as work travel until they can figure out what to do with that!
That said, right after I was told I couldn't travel, I needed to make reservations to travel for work and did so without a hitch. So, they aren't backing up their threat.
07-11-2009, 08:38 AM
KnottedYet

Quote:

Originally Posted by mickchick

Knot - Why not have a legal name change (court ordered)? Not sure what the process is like in your jurisdiction, but where I live it is very easy and can be done pretty much by mail (aside from notarizing the paperwork). Very nominal fee. The only bummer is going to social security in person, but if you get there early in the day, you can get in and out fairly quickly.

It's $100 and an appearance before a judge. I can (and did) use my marriage license to legally change everything else, it makes me mad that I should have to go through an entirely separate process for the Federal stuff. And pay extra for it. "Please, sir, can I have some more [civil rights]?"

ETA: the "perhaps" part of the passport change is that the latest Federal ruling states they will acknowledge marriage licenses for name changes (and ONLY for name changes) only for folks who live in a state that issues them or recognizes them from other states. My state doesn't issue them, nor officially recognize them from other states, but it DID let me use my out-of-state marriage license to change my ID/DL. I guess that's unofficial recognition, so it is in a bit of limbo for the federal passport as far as all the legal research I've tried to do.

Being a flaming h0m0 takes so much extra work.... :)
07-11-2009, 10:33 AM
Trek420

Quote:

Originally Posted by KnottedYet

Being a flaming h0m0 takes so much extra work.... :)

Ah but I'm worth it, right? ;)

What's funny is the first name on my birth certificate is not the one I go by, have any id under etc. I use a nickname, a Hebrew diminutive of my actual first name. It's what my family has always called me.

Anywho at some point I was renewing my passport. The form asks
"are there any other names you are known by?"
"sure, I'm known by this" by that time it was on my license etc.

It came back with that name. I just asked. But try to change your name because you're married that's a whole different thing.
07-12-2009, 10:38 AM
Reesha

Woohoo!!!! Massive thunderstorm in St. Louis. My kitty is scared and is hiding under the bed! :D

I will go to comfort her now.
07-12-2009, 10:43 AM
Zen

You're going under the bed too?
I'm avoiding work. About to set a table by the side of the road with a "Free" sign on it. I hope someone takes it.
07-12-2009, 10:46 AM
Reesha

Hehe, I coaxed her out with treats and she forgot all about the thunder! (well, at least until I stopped giving her treats)
07-12-2009, 12:10 PM
Crankin

We did a fast walk on the Battle Rd. trail today. What a resource to have in my own backyard. I have only been there once and my DH had never been. I am really stiff from my crash yesterday, but I knew I needed to move. We were going to ride on the trail, but being Sunday, I was wary of Sunday riders, tourists, and little kids.
There were a lot of families riding. One little girl had on a little Discovery Team jersey! It's nice that some adult cyclists take the time to do slower riding with their kids. Of course there were the "Sunday cyclists," there, too, some who scared me because of their shakiness on the bike and the fact I had to jump off of the trail twice because they were weaving. We decided to come back early morning, during the week and ride the trail on our hybrids and then head over to the start of the Minuteman trail and explore that. The Battle Rd. trail is packed dirt, so you could also ride a mountain bike on it and then ride some other close by mountain bike trails.
It's nice to find new things to do in your own backyard.
07-12-2009, 01:06 PM
lph

Erk. I just found the mouse that found its way into our bedroom one night last week and drove my dh insane cos he couldn't catch it or kill it, and me insane cos my dh was playing Search and Destroy in the middle of the night when I wanted to sleep, and that then ignored the mousetrap and disappeared.

It had curled up in my woolwear drawer and died. Erk. It was still intact, but most of my wool smells like dead rodent.

I am so glad I discovered this now and not when I'm packing for the mountains in a week, or worse, after the summer vacation.

So where is my dh when he's supposed to be around helping me with stuff liek this? ;)
07-12-2009, 01:41 PM
OakLeaf

At least my DH has a very good reason why he wasn't here to help me with the chainsaw this morning.

I did fine (with the electric chainsaw, anyway - too scared to fire up the gas one). We do find our competence when we're alone. :)

ETA: actually (and he will deny it now, I'm sure), he didn't want me using the gas chainsaw when I asked, last time a tree came down when he was home. He's always going on about me "not wanting him to help." Why don't men understand that women need to be competent to take care of ourselves? Then, when they're not here, it's "I'm sure you'll be fine" doing whatever thing it was they didn't want us doing when they were around, so that we have no practice at it. :rolleyes:
07-12-2009, 10:06 PM
lph

Heh. I'm fine doing the manly things with my dh around, more than fine, because we actively encourage each other to master new things, especially the classic gender role activities, but I wimp out a bit sometimes when my FIL and BIL are there too. But last firewood session up at the cabin my dh and I were there early so I got to play with the chainsaw for one full day first, and by the time FIL and BIL got there I wasn't giving it up ;) Cutting down trees is a lot more fun than all the hauling that follows.

But if he's home when I find a large spider inside I do ask him to please remove it for me. The big ones freak me out. And I think he likes it when I screech a little and go "I really need a man right now!" :D
07-12-2009, 10:53 PM
crazycanuck

spiders

I am normally on large spider duty if Ian's home as he's arachnophobic in a serious way...Then again, I don't mind looking at white tails & redbacks..from a distance. Being bitten by one might ruin my day.

At my former workplace, a huntsman (normally they're out east but i think a few have found their way over to wa) was crawling up the wall & wanted to throw it outside but it was too far for me to reach. I could only find one guy to help me as the chicks freaked..:rolleyes:
07-13-2009, 12:25 AM
Duck on Wheels

For spiders, I do what my dad taught me: Get the spider to crawl onto a sheet of stiff paper. Quickly cover the spider on the paper with a cup or glass, being careful not to squoosh any spider body parts. Caaaarefully turn the whole over, keeping the paper firmly on the glass/cup until outside. Then let the spider loose outside. Don't know how I would handle a dead mouse tho'. Probably with lots of paper towels or the inverted-plastic-bag-over-the-hand-as-for-doggie-doo to pick it up and lots of handwashing after. Eeeewww!

Congrats on the two courses, CC! What courses were they? Any fun ones planned for next semester?

Speaking of which: What's this about taking a new course, Trek? More telecom tech qualifications? Finishing the design degree? Credential to teach martial arts? Whole new thing altogether?
07-13-2009, 03:34 AM
BleeckerSt_Girl

1 Attachment(s)

Quote:

Originally Posted by lph

But if he's home when I find a large spider inside I do ask him to please remove it for me. The big ones freak me out.

Attachment 9632
07-13-2009, 04:21 AM
crazycanuck

planning

Duck-I did Planning 101 & a comms class that was a waste of everyone's time.

This semester-Diversity & Cultural Planning plus Transportation Planning. Who on earth schedules a friday afternoon class at a uni???
07-13-2009, 04:48 AM
Crankin

At schools here, there are no classes on Friday afternoons. In fact, many schools had no classes at all on Fridays, until Thursday started being a huge party night for undergrads, causing all kinds of issues. So many put Friday morning classes back on the schedule.
My department (grad students only) has no Friday classes at all.
07-13-2009, 05:05 AM
crazycanuck

weekend

I don't mind as it's an interesting class(Transportation & Society) and it'll encourage me to do some work over the weekend. Keep me extra busy ;)

I'm not too happy about a tutorial on tues from 5-6pm as i don't feel safe after dark in the Curtin Uni surrounding neighbourhoods. I'll be biking home & won't do the shortcut near my house either. I'll just wear the cool hi vis thing mimi gave us :) & lots of lights on my commuter.
07-13-2009, 05:23 AM
lph

Oi. Bleecker. You're not going to freak me out with something fuzzy dozing in a box. It's those large, nimble, athletic ones running around on my floor I don't like.

I'll catch the small ones with DoW's method, except glass first, then paper under, then pick up and throw outside, but those big fast ones... *shudder*
07-13-2009, 05:28 AM
Trek420

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duck on Wheels

Speaking of which: What's this about taking a new course, Trek? More telecom tech qualifications? Finishing the design degree? Credential to teach martial arts? Whole new thing altogether?

Either medical billing or solar power for telcom or both. The first one depends on if enough other folks (need at least 5) sign up so we can have a class at my jobsite, the other depends on if I can get my schedule changed.
07-13-2009, 06:35 AM
BleeckerSt_Girl

Quote:

Originally Posted by lph

Oi. Bleecker. You're not going to freak me out with something fuzzy dozing in a box. It's those large, nimble, athletic ones running around on my floor I don't like.

That is the molted skin of a pet tarantula i used to have. She molted out of it because it was too small. I posed and mounted the discarded skin in a box. After she wriggled out of it all damp and soft like a newborn babe, she expanded to a much larger size. ;D
07-13-2009, 07:33 AM
OakLeaf

Looks like it's freaking Ruby out anyway.
07-13-2009, 08:07 AM
Crankin

Lisa, I'm not normally skittish around bugs, but that picture is freaking me out.
07-15-2009, 11:38 AM
katluvr

Very quiet here today on TD.
Yep, large hairy spiders are a bit scarey.
I do LOVE all animals and rarely kill bugs (save them from the cats)--but I would probably freak out if I saw that!
Snakes are another creater that I am very "un-fond" of. The black racers we get in the yard are OK, but I would rather watch from "a far"!
Not much else freaks me out.
07-15-2009, 03:02 PM
OakLeaf

Here's my li'l buddy.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_3vDkQwuSTy0/Sh...er%20snake.jpg

He/she lives in my garage (no idea how to tell which). Been there a couple of months now. Sometimes on top of the blanket, sometimes tucked into it (so cute!), sometimes out and about I don't know where. I can't say that I've noticed any less mouse activity, but I hope the snake is deterring them. We did put the shop towels right next to the snake's blanket and the mice have left them alone, at least. :p
07-15-2009, 07:40 PM
Zen

Your buddy is very pretty. What kind is she?
07-15-2009, 11:54 PM
Duck on Wheels

Looks to me like a garter snake (aka garden snake). Very nice! You'll probably notice more of a dent in the local slug population than in mice, but still a very pretty, useful, and harmless animal to have around. A good neighbor. Congratulations :)
07-16-2009, 07:59 AM
Zen

I will name her Gertie.
07-16-2009, 09:27 AM
Biciclista

looks rather large for a garter snake, but maybe they are bigger in other regions?
oboy, there are 3 kinds, that explains it!!
http://greennature.com/article86.html
Garter snakes come in a variety of colorings. Generally, the Eastern garter snake can be identified by its dark body with three stripes, a thin one on its back and thicker ones on either side. The stripes are normally yellow. Eighteenth-century Moravian missionary, David Zeisberger, described garter snakes as, "a kind of striped, brightly marked snakes which are small and harmless.

http://greennature.com/article86.html
All garter snakes are characterized as small (two to three feet), thin and colorfully striped.

Florida has blue garter snakes, Texas has Checkered Garter Snakes, the West Coast has different versions of red garter snakes.

Apart from the species that have unusual field markings, multiple, similar looking, species can be found in many areas of the United States, sometimes making for identification problems.
close-up of a red-sided garter snake

Garter snake identification can be easy with a good picture. The suggestion may sound a bit frightening, however, keep in mind that garter snakes are typically unaggressive species with less than great eyesight.

They generally feel vibrations in the ground as their first indication of a human presence. Treading lightly and move slowly, makes it pretty easy to get within inches of one for a picture.
close-up of a northwestern garter snake or mountain garter snake

Once the picture is in hand, identification starts by noticing the color of the stripes running down its back, the color of its belly, and its facial markings.

The first and second pictures shows the Red-sided Garter snake, the first from a distance, the second from close-up. The close-up shows the snake's reddish color face, with the exception of the light color end of the lower jaw.

The third picture of a Northwestern Garter snake (Thamnophis ordinoides) was taken at close range using a flash. Sometimes they are called a Mountain Garter Snake, however, they should not be confused with Thamnophis elegans elegans, the Mountain Garter Snake of Northern and Central California.
Usually there are no more than a handful of garter species in any one area. With picture in hand and the use of a local reptile guide that also includes pictures, identification skills can only improve.

The Valley Garter Snake and Mountain Garter Snake links in the box on the right point to additional western species.
07-16-2009, 09:52 AM
OakLeaf

I'd say it's closer to 3 feet than 2. I didn't expect that it was big enough to eat adult mice, but I'm hoping its scent repels them. And if it will eat baby mice, all the better. It was definitely looking a bit "lumpy" last week. :p

Now, if I could get one of those big black rat snakes to move into the garage, maybe the garter snake can move into the car. :D
07-17-2009, 07:34 AM
katluvr

So did a lot of old threads get revitalized by that bit of spam that hit a few of the topics?
Hmmmmmmm
Or are some folks just out their searching for a topic to comment on?
07-17-2009, 07:45 AM
Biciclista

um I dunno.

Sometimes it seems like newbies will comment on Something old, but that underwear thing for sure was from a spammer.
07-18-2009, 05:47 AM
bmccasland

I'm Freeeeeeeee

For a week anyway.

I'm taking a week's vacation and not going anywhere. When folks at the office asked where I was going, I said "not here". The stress of the office, getting beaten up in the press by the press and by state officials has really gotten to me + the lack of response by our leadership. I had to be away. So I looked at my calendar - saw a week with no meetings, and put in for the time off. I just finished some major projects and thought I'd take advantage of the time before it filled up, as I know it will.

FREEEEEEEEE. :D

One of my plans is to take my bike over across Lake Pontchartrain to ride the rails-to-trails bike path that I've only riden a tiny portion of on the MS training rides. I'll need to look where the trail heads are to maximize my new scenery opportunities.

Monday morning is going to be sweet. Sleep in, bake some scones, sip coffee, and not go to work! (I'll also managed to time it to miss some major traffic headaches on my commute route that is going to have traffic snarled while a bridge is repaired). :D

FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!
07-18-2009, 08:21 AM
Crankin

That sounds wonderful!
07-18-2009, 08:54 AM
Tuckervill

Yay, Beth!

I had a forced vacation from my volunteer project (Regional baseball tournament) because I had a D&C yesterday to remove polyps from my endometrium. All clear! I scheduled the procedure during the lead up to the tournament because I knew it would be the only way I'd get to sleep a lot. lol.

I really hate seeing my name in the paper.

Karen
07-18-2009, 12:07 PM
bmccasland

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tuckervill

Yay, Beth!

I had a forced vacation from my volunteer project (Regional baseball tournament) because I had a D&C yesterday to remove polyps from my endometrium. All clear! I scheduled the procedure during the lead up to the tournament because I knew it would be the only way I'd get to sleep a lot. lol.

I really hate seeing my name in the paper.

Karen

Karen - hope you feel better. I like my solution of walking out the door than surgery for having time off. :p
07-18-2009, 01:04 PM
Trek420

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zen

Your buddy is very pretty. What kind is she?

Paging Nanci to Thread Drift :p
07-18-2009, 01:59 PM
crazycanuck

rain

Well, we're off to our 6hr & it's going to be one big puddle fest..It poured last night & is still raining a bit now. I can see similarities between last year's event & today. In 08, it was a beautiful day on the sat & POURED sun.

Extra blankets, towels, bike nicks, jackets etc are all packed.

the pea gravel will be nice & grippy. :D
07-18-2009, 04:07 PM
BleeckerSt_Girl

Yes, Karen, hope you recover quickly!
07-18-2009, 06:04 PM
Tuckervill

Thanks! I did. I'm back to 100% and ready to get back to work. :)

Many women have D&C's for very sad reasons, but I am fortunate I didn't have any emotional ties to my endometrial polyps. :-/ I just gave my uterus a "reboot". lol.

The worst part of the whole thing was when they started the IV drip and it seemed like my hand wouldn't take the juice! I could feel every drop going in, until I repositioned about 5 minutes into it. yikes! That's never happened before, and I've had plenty of IVs. But then, sweet unconsciousness. :) It's all good!

Karen
07-19-2009, 06:18 AM
Biciclista

i got my undriver's license yesterday!
http://undriving.org

it has unendorsements; walking, biking, transit, car share, and skip the trip. For some reason hitchhiking was not included.

it looks like a driver's license but the photo is a lot better; i'm hitchhiking. :D
07-19-2009, 07:38 PM
KnottedYet

I can't believe I didn't see this until today...

In the "Best of Craig's List", the Seattle bike wrench's list of helpful tips from the shop... a very jaundiced view of Seattleites and their bikes on the first days of sun.

Beautiful, just beautiful.

(I didn't post the link, because someone would accidentally-on-purpose click it, be offended, break out in hives, wail and gnash their teeth, and cry out at the injustice of it all. But probably not any of the Seattleites. We get it. We laugh.)