Proofreading
Saturday, January 5th, 2008Okay, I had never heard of Taylor Mali until this evening. This guy is a genius.
Archive for the ‘Speech’ Category
What Do I Make?
Friday, January 4th, 2008This is the original of something that has floated around the ‘Net for years. Some days, I too want to scream it . . . what do you make?
Central Park
Tuesday, June 7th, 2005Someone brought up the issue that Central Park has problems with the caches which are placed there. This is no surprise to me. splicingdan cuts to the chase on the issue. He discounts the park factor and places the onus directly on the cache owners.
The problem isn’t with the park itself, to be exact, Julz. It’s with the junk that people have placed there. Numerous vacation caches, missing owners, and crappy containers. And then there’s the people who are determined to replace missing caches (even though they’ve been abandoned) instead of letting them get archived.
Dan and I share many caching values. This was the gist of the Characteristics of a Good Hide piece. Maintenance! And it does not end when one places a cache. But far too frequently maintenance is an after-thought. And while the structure of the given listing site should obligate it to be proactive with this, ultimately the responsibility falls to the cache hiders. Does one truly think placing a physical cache in Central Park is going to positively impress the seeker? And if so, does he truly think it will continue to do so once the hider is back home hundreds/thousands of miles from NYC? Will it continue to positively impress the seeker once it is compromised? Once it is damaged? There is just so much which is wrong with many of the caches placed in Central Park.
And then we get this:
I agree, it’s time to refresh CP.
Those pearls of wisdom came from JMBella. Joe wants to re-populate Central Park with caches. Grand. Joe placed the Moving Violation traveling cache on 28 March 2005 (the twentieth anniversary of the Roger Waters Radio City show). Joe had not logged onto TC.com since 23 April 2005 when I wrote him on 17 May 2005.
Looking at a cache run that would involve this cache . . . Is it at the stated coords on the page? I am a little confused from reading the logs. Is this at all involved in the capture the flag thing you are doing over at GC.com? What if I move this cache to South Jersey or elsewhere? Is that permitted or do you want this to remain in the general area it is? Just trying to understand the spirit. Thanks!
That message has yet to be replied to. Asking around, I found out the cache had moved to a different location . . . by Joe. There is a listed cache which is unmaintained. The cache owner is delinquent in replying to requests. The owner has coordinates posted for his cache which he knows are false. Lovely. It is grand to know such responsibility exists in the community. I was not surprised at all to find out that GEO*TRAILBLAZER ! withdrew sponsorship. At least that archived the cache.
And now Joe wants to place caches in Central Park. I have no confidence such a cache will be maintained. Do you?
Trick Shots
Thursday, July 17th, 2003I was going to go caching today. 5:30 AM came and I just rolled over. I think I needed the rest. So, instead of tromping around the Pines, I am comfortable in my chair watching trick shot billiards.
Our US Congressman, a good Republican, announced last week that he would not honor his self-imposed term-limit that he took when he was elected in 1994 should he be re-elected next term. It is disappointing that he doesn't keep his word. More frustrating is Francis Sparagna. Francis wrote a letter to the editor stating the reasons why it is okay for LoBiondo to go back on his word. Among them is that Democrats have picked up seats where Republicans have kept the term-limit pledge. So? If the Republican had done a good job, or the local party was strong, that would not be an issue. He also states that we would lose good Republicans if they retire. Well, we are keeping less than honorable men if they stay. Grrrr . . .
GC.com changed the profile page to more fully display a user's stats. Unfortunately, totals are clearly absent. I understand the complexity of that issue, but it is time for a decision on this. Frankly, caches found should include traditional caches, multis, unknown (mystery), and letterbox hybrids only. Should there be a campaign for webcams and events, so be it. It is time for locationless to be ridded from cache totals. These are not caches. It is unfair to those of us who do not seek them to have them counted equally with the real caches we do find. My, how would the leader boards change!
I return to Toastmasters this evening. It's been six months. Time to get my ducks in a row. I need to start clearing my tasks.
current mood: content
Seeds
Tuesday, December 10th, 2002This was my eighth speech in the Competent Toastmaster series. It was originally given in 2002. This was the first speech I made which was not written out word-for-word. I began using the idea of an outline to speak around.
I marvelled to my wife the other day about how wonderful nature is. We were looking at the fallen pine needles in our yard. She suggested I rake them. I shared with her that the pine tree lost the needles on purpose. It will help keep the roots warm this cold winter. Isn’t nature great? It has a mechanism for everything.
Mr. Toastmaster, fellow Toastmasters, distinguished guests
Nature provides for many things. A mother horse nudges the fawn to stand up. Piping plovers migrate along the same routes year in and year out from the northern reaches of Canada to South America. An estuary acts as a filter to protect the waterways. And seeds sprout daily to provide food and energy for all these processes to work.
Seeds . . . interesting little things. A single seed can grow up to be a massive redwood or a hearty beach grass. A knotted pine or a tulip signifying spring.
All seeds need care: some water, sunlight, and nutrients from the ground.
I asked my Dad where do babies come from when I was about six or seven. He told me I had to plant a seed. I did . . . but no baby grew.
My father did plant seeds though.
Dad
Don’t miss work!
Stared at the ass-end of dogs every single day during the summer and every weekend during the school year.
To provide for his family.
Bridge
Boston
bored to death
Seed: graduate school
Seed: teaching
Dad
Stay out of the faculty lounge
Seed: meeting Patty
Seed: marriage
Seed: purchasing a home
Now look at us. Things are blossoming everywhere.
All this because someone planted a seed long ago in my father. He encouraged my dad to go to college. To be a man. To care for himself and his family. Those ideas blossomed fully!