Wednesday's child

[altivo]

It's true, I was born on a Wednesday. "Wednesday's child is full of woe..." Well, no, not really that bad I hope.

It was a beautiful day, and I got to be outdoors in it for a bit this morning since I don't go into work until 12:30 on the W day. From there on out until time to go home, it was literally a circus and a shooting gallery combined. The boss had messed up the desktop on her Windows somehow. She blamed it on yesterday's power outage, but I'm not buying it. The quick launch toolbar had disappeared, and she tried to reconstruct it by dragging icons from the desktop, making a royal mess that didn't work. When she finally went out on an errand so I could sit down at her desk, it was easy to get the toolbar back. She had turned it off through the menu for the bottom tool bars. (She's erratic with the mouse, a wild clicker with bad aim.) I turned it back on and all the icons she expected were still in it. Then I went to the control panel and removed a bunch of junk, like Yahoo tool bar, Zango tool bar (whatever that is.) and Google Earth. Should free up some disk space and maybe make the machine run faster too.

I was the only senior staff there in the evening, because she's taking off on another trip across country. Fortunately I had a very capable part time assistant, but we seemed to get more than our share of looneys and weird people in three hours. You know, the ones who are hard of hearing and insist on shouting at you and want you to shout back at them? The ones who have always lost their library card and need yet another replacement. The ones who call on the phone to find out if they returned that book because they can't remember and actually it was their daughter who checked it out only she's moved to Nashville now and sent it back in the mail, no not to the library but to her mom only mom can't remember it coming in the mail and wants to know if maybe she returned it in the "night drop..." No, it hasn't been returned and it isn't our book, it was borrowed for her from Rockford College. Oh, well could I call Rockford and see if they have it? No, because they use the same system we do. If they had checked it in, it would show on my terminal. It hasn't been returned. And on and on. Meanwhile people are lining up at the desk to check stuff out...

Then at one minute to eight I finally locked the doors and started turning lights off only to have a woman show up and start pounding on the glass. "It's not eight yet!" she insists. Actually it's after eight by my watch, but OK. She only wants to pick up stuff being held for her at the desk. So we let her in and are treated to five minutes of argument about whether the videos are held on her card or her husband's. Lady, we'll let you have them. Just shut up and go away.

As happens every year, the Harvard gas stations raised their prices higher than everyone else in surrounding towns for Memorial Day weekend, and therefore got less business than usual. Now they are in a panic and dropping their prices to try to make up for what they lost. They never learn. Down from $4.21/gal for unleaded last Thursday to $4.07/gal this morning. I won't be surprised if they go even lower tomorrow or Friday. Meanwhile the other guys outside of town are holding steady at $4.13 to $4.16, right where they've been for two weeks.

Tickling my brain to remember how to program in 8080 assembly language for a CP/M 2.2 system. Fortunately I still have my books on the subject, and it's coming back to me. Using an Altair simulator on Linux to do the work, because the target machine is a notebook computer that has no development tools in its ROM-based system. Fortunately it does have xmodem file transfer capability through a standard serial port, so I can get executable binary code into it once I have it in the correct form.

Oh, and Tess went out to the pasture early today, since I was home in the morning and wouldn't be here at her more usual time. The neighbor's rat dogs ran through the hedge to yap at us again, rattling her a bit but not so badly this time. I wish she'd just squish one of them and get it over with. Neighbor was on the other side of the hedge, where I couldn't see her, shrieking at the dogs to come back. Of course they ignore her, since they have had no obedience training whatsoever. Tess was out for two hours, and I thought she'd be unwilling to come back in so early, but it was no problem. She met me at the gate and followed me right back in without complaint.

Comments

[chibiabos.livejournal.com]

I've never given any canine companion of mine any "obedience training," yet have never had problems with any of them coming when called.

I could and did take Covy on walks with no leash, and she would not allow me to get more than a certain distance of about 10 yards from her. If she were doing anything, even relieving herself, and I kept walking, she'd suddenly spring at and past me if I got beyond the maximum allowable distance from her.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

You were tightly bonded, probably for many reasons. That's unusual, though, even for people who care pretty deeply about their pets. I've had that kind of closeness with one dog, and Gary has had it with a couple others, but we can't always achieve it.

Still, simple obedience is neither difficult nor painful. Come, sit, and stay are essential to the dog's safety. I think that people are lazy, especially with the tiny dogs, because they can just grab them and hold them so they figure they don't have to bother with the education part. Or, worse, out here in the country they figure it's OK to let a dog run loose, without any consideration for the dangers to the dog (coyotes, tractors, bigger dogs, humans) or the danger the dog can pose to others. (I know of a case, for instance, where a yappy little dog spooked a horse badly enough so the rider was thrown and killed. A freakish incident, but these things shouldn't be allowed to happen.)

[chibiabos.livejournal.com]

I've never been closer with any dog than I was with Covy, and she and I were very tightly bonded, that's true.

But, even without training, I was able to get the dogs of several of my roommates, including neurotic huskies who wouldn't listen to anyone, without yelling or trying to sound commanding/authoritative. Several of my roommates' -- these were zoo roommates, no less -- dogs would run off, and not respond at all to their 'owners' ... but when I'd get home and call for them, they'd come within minutes.

Unfortunately, this special bond for dogs isn't complete or magical. There are occasionally dogs who fear me at work. However, my boss has remarked I seem to be a lot better than most men.

Oh, and checking http://www.searchforancestors.com/utility/dayofweek.html, apparently I, too, am a child of Wednesday. :P (10 March 1976)

[altivo.livejournal.com]

You have a gift, obviously.

Given a dog who hasn't already been abused and neglected, I can usually establish a pretty good rapport without trying to dominate or threaten or whatever. With dogs that are already aggressive or fearful, though, I'm not so good. Little "yap" dogs seem almost autistic to me, totally disregarding their surroundings except where it interests them for the moment.

[chibiabos.livejournal.com]

Covy was abused, and actually I seem to fare better with abused and neglected dogs than those that have been "pampered" by more normal owners. My boss' dogs love me, and while certainly my boss has never abused or neglected a dog, all three of her dogs are rescues from abuse and neglect.

SFAIK, the dogs at work (there's maybe 5 out of my boss' 300 or so client dogs) who do fear me have all had 'normal' owners.

[soanos.livejournal.com]

Well I never...

I am a wednesday's child, too. (14 Dec 1977)

And yes. I am full of woe. :P

OMG!

[altivo.livejournal.com]

You and I have the same birthday. Well, not the same year, but the same day and month. XD

[chibiabos.livejournal.com]

Much woe here. I am, in fact, very awe-woe-ful.

[schnee.livejournal.com]

Zango is a piece of malware. Benjamin Edelman has a couple of write-ups about it.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the links. She lets her adult children put things on her computer all the time. No doubt one of them installed that, but apparently it does uninstall when you do the normal Add/Remove programs thing. She has AdAware and Spyware Search and Destroy, which may have kept it from functioning, as she hasn't been complaining about pop-ups or anything lately.

[schnee.livejournal.com]

*noddles* You're welcome. Good to hear it hasn't been bothering her too much, at least...

[goldenstallion.livejournal.com]

Whinnyhi.

I am still amazed at your library. I thought that librarys were for old fogies these days. I mean, the customers of course. Giggle.

Still laughing at the Rolling Stones song "What a Drag it is Getting Old". Uh. oh shut up.

Took the van to Pep Boys for new inner ball joints and it needed (I had noticed but hoped for the best) an entire new steering unit rack-and-pinion hydraulic so drove home with great steering (yaay) but $665 poorer (OW!). Is this what savings is for I thought it was for fun stuff oh well?

It was getting accident-bad so this is good since a roll-over would cost one helluva lot more.

Of course Bear bumped the bumper of another truck on the way taking me to pick up the van and the cops and everything. Oh well it was Bear's fault. Sigh.

Two days to go on my Equine Exchange picture so gonna come home and continue working on it tonight. Saturday is the deadline. Black unicorn anthro I am very happy with how the digital picture is coming along but have hours to go still. Will show it to you of course.

Ten hour day today. Sigh.

See ya my friend.

Steed

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Libraries are different things to different people. Yep, we do have a substantial older clientele who come to read the newspapers and magazines, or check out bags full of mysteries, romances, and suspense novels. We have a lot of kid traffic too (and many people seem to believe libraries are "just" for kids.) The kids still check out books, not as much as I'd like to see, or the authors I'd like to see, but at least they are taking books home to read. No, Captain Underpants does not measure up even to the Harry Potter books in my opinion, let alone to the really excellent children's authors.

Glad you got the van fixed, but sorry it was so expensive. Still, I need you safe and so do Bear and your ponies. Even though you can ride the Goldwing to work when the weather's good, it isn't always so good. Besides, you do have to go shopping once in a while. ;p

Waiting to see the new picture...
Love,
Rider

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

I wonder if you'd have the same problems working at my local library :) Probably, although I don't do any of those annoying things that perplex you so :)

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I'm sure you don't do any of that stuff, but someone else does it for you, I'm equally sure of that. The woman on the phone was the worst yesterday. I hate talking on the phone anyway, and she was the kind who wanted to keep going and going and going, repeating herself several times. I'm sure she was hoping I'd say, "It's an old book, we don't need it any more, just forget about it," but I can't do that.

[chibiabos.livejournal.com]

According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monday%27s_Child, the original 1887 version had Wednesday's Child as "Wednesday's child is loving and giving," swapped with Friday which was, in that carnation, "full of woe."

[altivo.livejournal.com]

It's called the "folk process." I'm suspicious of the 1887 version quoted there, though. The rhyme is certainly older than 1887, whatever the original was, and that version has to rearrange many lines in order to keep the rhymes intact.

The explanation they give for a presumed original isn't much better. "Wednesday's child has far to go" because Woden is a wanderer makes not much more sense than "Wednesday's child is full of woe" because the day is named for "Woe"-den. ;p

?

[gabrielhorse.livejournal.com]

Which is the child that "has far to go"?

Re: ?

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Thursday. As I learned it:

Monday's child is fair of face.
Tuesday's child is full of grace.
Wednesday's child is filled with woe.
Thursday's child has far to go.
Friday's child is loving and giving.
Saturday's child must work for a living.
But the child that's born on the sabbath day
Is bonny and blithe and good and gay.

Years ago (must have been around 1973 or 74) Chicago had a gay dance bar called "Sunday's Children" or just "Sunday's" because of this rhyme. I was actually in the place once, which is remarkable for me.

Re: ?

[gabrielhorse.livejournal.com]

*chuckles* Why is that remarkable?

Re: ?

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Remarkable because I've only very rarely gone into such establishments, gay or straight. I don't like loud noise or music at all, I don't like smoke, I don't like crowds, and I've never been into cruising or random hook-ups.

On that occasion I had come to Chicago with a group of friends from Michigan, with the express intention of going to a particular show. We couldn't get tickets, as it turned out, and the others wanted to go dancing instead. I was sort of stuck because if I left the group I had nowhere to go at all. It was amusing for a short time, but got tired fast.

We ended up in Sunday's because we were refused entrance to the much more popular Dugan's Bistro a block away. The reason? There was a woman in the group and they wouldn't let her in.

Re: ?

[gabrielhorse.livejournal.com]

*smiles* I was never into random hookups either- I can't say they didn't happen, but I never went to any establishment expecting one. I've only been to a few gay clubs in my time, but always with a close friend or two. They do get old fast. "Having a good time" is as boring for me as my workouts would be for someone like you ^_^ The only reson I've ever gone was out of curiousity... though I am glad on one particular occasion I did go because I came in very useful drving a friend home who was in no shape to drive. When he sobered up he was suprised to find I even had a license, let alone that I could pilot an automobile. I never said he was free from society's judgemental nature, but I'm glad I could help him nonetheless. To me the only interesting thing about going to clubs is you get a chance to meet people whom you never would otherwise- I liked to see what makes them tick and get inside their crowded heads once in awhile :P

BTW I can't swear to it, but I think I'm a Thursday's child. It's a stupid little thing, isn't it?

Re: ?

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Easy to check. Go here:

http://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/

Put in the year you were born, and check the calendar it generates.

Re: ? I'm a what?

[gabrielhorse.livejournal.com]

Hah! I was a Sunday's Child :P *puts hand on your shoulder* It's just a silly little thing, I'm proof of that :P

Re: ? I'm a what?

[altivo.livejournal.com]

*snickers*