December 6, 2004

I received a rather perplexing bit of email today. It was sent to the email address associated with this web page (as opposed to my "work" email address). It was from a woman in a nearby town asking for help finding an address. No context. No explanation. Just a request. To wit:

Subject: help, need to find address

I searched on mapquest....no avail...can you help? Is ther a 1234 Stony Point, Ridge? Stony something??? Thanks!

Note that I changed the address to protect the privacy of the woman making the request. She'd sent her message from her work email address which included her contact info. So, I knew it wasn't your garden variety of spam. But, why send it to me? I was very confused by this request.

So, I did a quick search on Google for "1234 Stony" (again, not the actual address in the email message) and found a likely address listed for a business here in Austin. So, I wrote back:

I'm at a loss. Can you tell me why you sent this message to me? Just to satisfy my curiosity a bit, I did a Google search for "1234 Stony" and it came up with [...info deleted...]. I looked that up on Mapquest (specifying Austin as the city) and came up with a map to that spot. That address looks like it's in a residential area so I'm guessing that's a business run out of someone's home.

Oddly, that address is very near my home. Which made me wonder: do we know each other from somewhere and I'm just forgetting?

She wrote back explaining what she was looking for and said (in part):

I went into City of Austin, because I could not find this on mapquest...somehow I got into an Austin UT site and your name/article/something was there and I thought hey, since she lives there maybe she would know, so I took a gamble and sent you a message. And lookie here, you answered!

Still very confused about how she found my email address, I wrote back:

Good luck [...info deleted...]. I still don't quite see how you ended up contacting me but I guess it worked out for you.

She wrote back one more time and the mystery was finally solved:

OK, this is how I located you....I went into search for Austin Texas, gave me many sites, I chose austin.about.com, then you came up on the "article" first-Joanna.org and about her website, s0 I just asked YOU the question. And I am glad I did. :) Thanks!

Naturally, I had to go look up the austin.about.com site and lo! I found this at the top of an "About Austin" page:

Joanna.org
I don't know Joanna but I stumbled across her website this evening when I was searching for information on nostalgic sodas (I'll have more on that in a few days I hope). Any way, Joanna lives here in Austin and writes fairly regularly about any number of things happening to her or around here. Poking around I find she's been doing this site since at least 1997. The excerpts from the UT Campus Watch are amusing and she posts occasional funny photos with commentary. There's also Joanna's Longhorn Baseball Page which UT sports fan will enjoy. Take a break and enter her world at joanna.org
Saturday December 04, 2004 #

Isn't that just bizarre? The link to my page was put up on the 4th. Two days ago. I had no idea. And, then I got this odd email request two days later. It was just so out of the blue. I couldn't begin to understand why someone would just send me a question like that. But, now it all makes some sort of sense. My, oh my. The web sure is a peculiar organism, isn't it? Too funny.

December 2, 2004

From today's Campus Watch crime report:

Criminal Mischief (Parking Lot F-11)
A UT staff member damaged a vehicle wheel immobilizer that had been affixed to the left front tire of the staff member's Honda Civic 2-door when the staff member drove out of the parking lot with the wheel immobilizer still attached to the wheel. Repair cost: $275.00. Occurred on 12-1-04 at 10:40 PM.

Excuse me? The staff member drove out of the lot with the wheel immobilizer still attached? The report does not say "attempted to drive" out of the lot. Nope, it says "drove" out of the lot. How in the world can that possibly work? Wow.

Also from today's Campus Watch crime report:

Fictitious Driver's License (Peter T. Flawn Academic Center)
A red wallet containing cash, various credit cards, a valid Texas Driver's License and a fictitious Texas driver's license was left on a copier. The wallet was turned over to a library staff member. Occurred on 12-1-04 at 7:55 PM.

Heh. You leave your wallet behind. By a stroke of great luck, it's found by a good samaritan who turns it in. Contents intact. But, you get into trouble anyway for having a fake ID. How sad is that?

. . . .

It's December 2nd so I'm gonna wish my surrogate dad a very happy birthday anniversary. When I was in college and my folks were living in South America, my best friend's family took me under their collective wing. They're a great bunch of folks. And, now "Dad #2" is having a birthday anniversary. He much prefers that terminology. As he is wont to point out, his birthday actually happened all those years ago when he was born. Today is, in fact, the anniversary of that day. Can't argue with that! So, happy birthday anniversary, Dad Mear!

November 19, 2004

So, I'm grocery shopping the other day and wander down the soft drink aisle to see if they've got Diet Coke on sale. Alas...no. But, there is something that catches my eye in a rather horrifying way:

It was a classic double-take moment. I mean...wow! Did I see that right? Not just cherry. Not just vanilla. But, cherry and vanilla. Both. At once. With Dr. Pepper. Dr. Pepper? Would you really add cherry or vanilla flavor to Dr. Pepper? How 'bout both of them at once?!?! What a peculiar idea. The 12-packs were even on sale. And, I was intrigued in a sort of "eeeeewww ... ick ... hmmmm ... well? ... maybe?" way. 'Know what I mean? It's hard to explain. I was somewhat repulsed. But, also intrigued. 'Hard to explain. But, it was easy enough to walk away. No way was I gonna buy a 12-pack of those things, flavor-untasted. (Is that the proper sight-unseen parallel?) So, I walked away. This evening, however, I stopped in at a convenience store to grab a Diet Coke and, once again, I felt that rather uneasy draw toward the Dr. Pepper products. And, lo...there was a Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper on the shelf. So, I bought one. And, it was okay. Not great. But, certainly not appalling. I probably won't bother getting another one. My curiosity has been satisfied. It's kind of like all the other "nostalgic soda shop" sodas that don't really measure up.

November 11, 2004

It's Veteran's Day. My heartfelt thanks go out to all veterans.

. . . .

And, now for something completely silly.

The phone rang last night so I hit the pause button on my TiVo. It was Kate on the other end of the line. We talked for awhile and the image frozen on the TV screen started to gradually permeate my consciousness. It was filling the TV screen. I started to feel just a wee bit intimidated. It was kinda spooky. To wit:

That dog just sat there and stared at me for the duration of our call. And now he's staring at you! Spooky, I tell you. Heh.

November 8, 2004

From today's Campus Watch crime report:

Public Intoxication (2 counts) / Resisting Arrest (2000 Speedway)
Two UT students were stopped after one of the students walked in the path of a marked patrol vehicle, "squared off" and advised the officer he wanted to fight with the officer. Both subjects were found to be under the influence of an alcoholic beverage to the point they were each a physical endangerment to themselves and others. The subject, who had expressed a desire to fight, continued to take an offensive stance toward the officer and used physical resistance as the officer attempted to place the subject in patrol vehicle. Occurred on 11-6-04 at 10:45 AM.

The guy "squared off" against a marked patrol car? That alcohol sure does make some people act just plain stupid, doesn't it? Wow.

November 6, 2004

Wow. Pretty much what he (or she) said. Not completely. But, pretty darned close.

. . . .

And, in the New York Times (no less), David Brooks writes:

But the same insularity that caused many liberals to lose touch with the rest of the country now causes them to simplify, misunderstand and condescend to the people who voted for Bush. If you want to understand why Democrats keep losing elections, just listen to some coastal and university town liberals talk about how conformist and intolerant people in Red America are.

Ahem.

. . . .

Update. Virginia Postrel has a few thoughts on the idea that it's the party that hates America that ends up losing.

Update #2. Norman Gueras poses a very interesting question.

November 1, 2004

And, another month goes by. 'Been busy and "computer-less" which makes this page just a wee-bit difficult to maintain. Things should be back to normal soon, though. The computer comes home tonight or tomorrow and things are calming down so...woo hoo! In celebration, my favorite entry from today's Campus Watch crime report:

Public Intoxication / Possession of a Fictitious Driver's License (San Jacinto Street and 21st Street)
A UT student, who was under the age of 21, was found leaning against the retention wall on the 21st Street Bridge over Waller Creek. The student stated he was "very drunk" and that he should not be drunk because he was "too young to drink." The student was under the influence of an alcoholic beverage tot he point he was a physical endangerment to himself. The student was found to be in possession of a fictitious driver's license which purported him to be over the age of 21. Occurred on 10-31-04 at 2:35 a.m.

Heh. The guy just couldn't understand how he could be so darn drunk...what with being too young to drink and all. Sigh...

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joanna@joanna.org
URL: http://www.joanna.org/archive/Nov2004-Dec2004.html
Last updated: October 4, 2004

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