Joanna L. Castillo tag:www.joanna.org,2012://6 2012-01-27T21:27:02Z Movable Type 4.31-en Campus Watch #59 tag:www.joanna.org,2012://6.1682 2012-01-27T21:14:40Z 2012-01-27T21:27:02Z A couple of recent installments prompted me to revisit this old standby. 2100 block Speedway Theft: The UT Police Department received information a mountain bicycle had been removed from the bike racks located on the north side of PCL. During... Joanna http://www.joanna.org/ A couple of recent installments prompted me to revisit this old standby.

2100 block Speedway
Theft: The UT Police Department received information a mountain bicycle had been removed from the bike racks located on the north side of PCL. During the investigation, the officers located the subject with the bicycle. The subject was identified as a current UT student. The student informed the officers he had taken the bicycle because he had his bicycle stolen. The student was taken into custody for Theft and transported to Central Booking. Recovered value: $1,350.00. Occurred on: 1-11-12, at 5:46 PM.

I can't help but wonder (a) if the story is true, was his bike really stolen?...and if so, why did he think it was okay to steal somoene else's bike? and (b) assuming the thief's story was true, was the bike stolen from him as valuable as the bike he chose to steal? Things I cannot help but wonder.

Entry #2...

100 block East 21st Street
Suspicious Activity: A UT Police Officer responded to a report of a subject singing from the top of a tree. During the investigation the officers located the subject and confirmed he was in-fact singing. The subject came down out of the tree and explained to the officers he found it entertaining to sing from a tree. Occurred on: 1-26-12, at 3:02 PM.

Just sittin' in a tree S-I-N-G-I-N-G instead of K-I-S-S-I-N-G. And who can blame the singing "subject"? Not I. Nope. Not I.

(Also, I like the "was in-fact singing" instead of "was, in fact, singing" thing. That hyphenated "in-fact" is kinda cute, doncha think?)

]]> Hiking boots tag:www.joanna.org,2011://6.1680 2011-11-03T21:19:31Z 2011-11-03T21:20:47Z Joanna http://www.joanna.org/ I clicked on one of those ads on Amazon (this one was talking about new boots) and clicked my way down to Women's -> Outdoor -> Hiking and came upon something that gave me one of those "Which one of these is not like the others?" moments. Looky here:

And, no...I don't need any hiking boots. I was just looking. But that is not the point. No, the point is: look! That $1,135.95 boot is most definitely not an outdoor hiking boot! Can you imagine if you actually tried to go hiking in those things? Yikes. Sometimes, you just gotta shake your head and move along. Or, stop and write a blog post 'cause you just can't believe your lyin' eyes.

]]> What my dead TiVo means to me tag:www.joanna.org,2011://6.1679 2011-10-21T23:50:13Z 2011-10-21T23:13:51Z My TiVo died a couple of days ago. If this had happened a few years ago it would've been a disaster of epic proportions. Now? Eh. I just don't seem to care about TV much these days. It all started... Joanna http://www.joanna.org/ My TiVo died a couple of days ago. If this had happened a few years ago it would've been a disaster of epic proportions. Now? Eh. I just don't seem to care about TV much these days. It all started with my declining interest in the soaps. It got to the point that I was using the FF button a lot when watching "my" shows. They'd stopped being entertaining to me. Instead, they were annoying me. The "heroes" in the shows were all a bunch of obnoxious pigs. The "heroines" were simpering fools. The writing, frankly, just plain began to suck. All they knew how to do anymore was glamorize the bad guys. The comings and goings of fan-favorite actors were driving story lines way too much. I finally gave up and walked away from the land of soaps. And, you know what? I didn't (and still don't) miss them.

As for prime time, I have no "appointment" shows anymore. If I don't see a show the night it airs...no biggie. If someone "spoils" something...again, no biggie. I frequently have 10 or 15 episodes of my favorite shows sitting un-watched on the TiVo.

Actually, I think this started with my declining interest in movies. I used to go to movies a lot. A lot. About 15 years ago, when it came time for the Oscars, I'd have seen most of the movies. These days? If it's not a Pixar movie, chances are incredibly slim that I've seen any of the nominated movies.

Mind you, I still like TV. A lot. But, if I miss something, I find that it's really not that big of a deal. So, I've ordered a replacement drive for my TiVo. But if I miss anything over the next few days, I don't think I'll really care. As for the shows that were on the drive? Well...too bad. They're not there anymore. And, I seem to be okay with that. Crisis averted.

The worst thing about not having Mr. TiVo is the inability to pause or rewind and catch something I missed the first time. Or FF through a commercial. In that respect, it's the Dark Ages all over again.

]]> I'm angry...very, very angry tag:www.joanna.org,2011://6.1677 2011-09-17T04:57:21Z 2011-09-17T05:10:10Z I am so angry right now. I haven't posted here about the fact that my parents lost their house in the Bastrop fire. It's heartbreaking. They've been out of state all summer. The fire raged through their neighborhood on September... Joanna http://www.joanna.org/ I am so angry right now. I haven't posted here about the fact that my parents lost their house in the Bastrop fire. It's heartbreaking. They've been out of state all summer. The fire raged through their neighborhood on September 4th and 5th. We're not sure when it actually burned down but I don't think that really matters. We got unofficial word on September 7th that the house was gone. It showed up on the county's official list of destroyed structures the next day. We couldn't get in to see it for ourselves for another week. My parents weren't planning on coming back to town for another month or so but they changed their plans and started making their way back to Texas. Yesterday (the 15th) was the first day residents of the neighborhood were allowed back into the area. Jennie and I were in line before the gates opened and drove straight to the house. Here's what the house looks like:

Heartbreaking. Like I said. The outpouring of love and offers of help from family, friends, and even strangers, has been overwhelming. You cannot believe how much I've appreciated every gesture.

Jennie and I walked around the house, peering through the ashes, trying to catch sight of things that could be salvaged. Out by the well shed, I found this:

What is it? Melted aluminum from the riding lawnmower engine?...or something else in the shed? No idea really. But, it melted, trickled out of the shed and down a bit of slope until it resolidified. So pretty. I came close to picking it up and putting it in the back of the car. But, then I decided to wait. My parents were due in today and I thought they'd like to see it in its natural habitat.

They got to town about 3 this afternoon. I met them on the west side of town and we drove out to their property. We walked around and looked at a few things. I led them out to the shed to see the accidental art piece.

And...

Nothing. It was gone.

Some miserable excuse for a human being went out the house after Jennie and I left yesterday (or maybe this morning before neighbors came back to continue trying to pick up the pieces of their lives) and took it. I just can't get over it. I'm so very, very angry at this faceless person. There's so little left at the house. And, what will they get for it at a scrap yard? That's likely where it's bound, right?

Ugh. I'm just so angry.

]]> Missing Grandma tag:www.joanna.org,2011://6.1618 2011-04-16T14:17:30Z 2011-04-16T13:28:26Z I was sitting on the couch, turned toward the TV watching something. Grandma came up, sat down behind me and sort of half-hugged me. She asked how I was. I cuddled into her and said I was okay. I asked... Joanna http://www.joanna.org/ I was sitting on the couch, turned toward the TV watching something. Grandma came up, sat down behind me and sort of half-hugged me. She asked how I was. I cuddled into her and said I was okay. I asked how she was. "Good."

Then I woke up and had a bit of a cry.

Turned on my iPod to listen to some music. Beehtoven's Piano Sonata No. 14 came up on shuffle. Nice. Perfect, in fact. And, the next song? "Bang Bang" by David Sandborn. Also perfect. In a completely different way.

]]> Frances M. Castillo, RIP tag:www.joanna.org,2011://6.1610 2011-04-08T05:14:26Z 2011-04-08T05:16:57Z Click on the photo for the story.... Joanna http://www.joanna.org/ [Grandma]

Click on the photo for the story.

]]> Smart phone fog tag:www.joanna.org,2011://6.1571 2011-02-02T23:45:08Z 2011-02-02T23:52:31Z Earlier this afternoon I was on the elevator at work going up to the fourth floor. It stopped on the third floor to let someone off. A student in a smart-phone fog (he was staring intently at the screen of... Joanna http://www.joanna.org/ Earlier this afternoon I was on the elevator at work going up to the fourth floor. It stopped on the third floor to let someone off. A student in a smart-phone fog (he was staring intently at the screen of his smart phone and was not paying attention to what was going on around him) got on and absently pushed the button for the ground floor.

I smirked but said nothing. I started to but then decided not to say anything when it looked like he'd seen the "4" light on.

The elevator went on up and stopped at the fourth floor. I got off.

But then...so did the student.

As the elevator door closed, he looked around...confused to find himself on fourth floor.

Sigh...

I'm very proud of myself for managing to not burst out into laughter. I did grin, though. And, he saw me being amused at his predicament. Oh well.

]]> How 'bout some Warren Hood music? tag:www.joanna.org,2011://6.1569 2011-01-27T05:41:20Z 2011-01-27T05:54:18Z I went to a house concert tonight. Since it was a house concert, it was completely acoustic...fantastic treat for those of us in attendance. Jenny Reynolds (accompanied by Stuart Adamson of The Flyin' A's) opened for Warren Hood (who was... Joanna http://www.joanna.org/ I went to a house concert tonight. Since it was a house concert, it was completely acoustic...fantastic treat for those of us in attendance.

Jenny Reynolds (accompanied by Stuart Adamson of The Flyin' A's) opened for Warren Hood (who was accompanied by Marshall Hood and Andrew Nofziger).

All of the performers did a fantastic job (no surprise there). I loved the music and had a great time.

Warren said he encourages people to record his live performances and share the recordings. I took him at his word and recorded 4 of his songs on my iPhone. I think they came out fairly well.

Enjoy!

]]> Campus Watch #58 tag:www.joanna.org,2010://6.1560 2010-11-08T21:27:07Z 2010-11-08T21:30:50Z Clearly, it's time for a new installment: Engineering Science Building (2501 Speedway) Theft: A grey and yellow Trimble surveying computer was reported stolen after being left unattended on the west side of the ENS while the work crew ate lunch.... Joanna http://www.joanna.org/ Clearly, it's time for a new installment:

Engineering Science Building (2501 Speedway)
Theft: A grey and yellow Trimble surveying computer was reported stolen after being left unattended on the west side of the ENS while the work crew ate lunch. Loss value: $40,000.00. Occurred on: 11-05-10, between 12:01 PM and 12:30 PM.

I'm sorry. What did you say? Forty. Thousand. Dollars???

Wow. I bet someone's in a lot of trouble. Wow.

]]> Twitter note tag:www.joanna.org,2010://6.1552 2010-09-23T02:20:44Z 2010-09-22T22:08:32Z Do you Tweet? Probably not. I do for some odd reason. Well, not that odd. I mostly use Twitter to pass along bits of info about the Texas baseball team or little notes about the music I happen to be... Joanna http://www.joanna.org/ Do you Tweet? Probably not. I do for some odd reason. Well, not that odd. I mostly use Twitter to pass along bits of info about the Texas baseball team or little notes about the music I happen to be listening to.

I also use it to find news about the baseball team, favorite musicians, and other odds and ends. Not too long ago (just checked...it was 5 days ago), I misread someone's tweet. She tweeted about a book signing and I read it as a book siNGing. I was momentarily confused...and wondered what a book singing was. Was she going to be putting on a show where she'd be singing excerpts from her book? I quickly realized my mistake, though, and let fly with my own tweet about the misunderstanding and posited that perhaps I needed to take a remedial reading lesson.

Sometime later that day I noted that I got a new follower from the UK and wondered what would prompt her to follow my tweets. But, I didn't think about it too long. Then, this morning (five days later, mind you...after I'd tweeted many other things) she (the new UK follower) tweeted to me that she was offering free online singing lessons. What? Why'd she single me out for this little bit of news? Not that I wouldn't benefit from singing lessons, I'm sure! I looked more closely and saw that her tweet was linked directly to (and in reply to) my tweet from five days ago about the singing/signing misunderstanding.

I'm guessing she has some sort of search set up in her twitter client that looks for the words "singing" and "lessons" in tweets and offers the free course up to folks. Clearly, though, she did not read my actual tweet. Or if she did, perhaps she's the one in need of remedial reading lessons? Hmmm...

]]> iPod shuffle musings tag:www.joanna.org,2010://6.1546 2010-08-03T19:23:34Z 2010-08-03T19:23:55Z Some people really hate listening to their music in Shuffle mode. They don't want the random appearance of songs from different genres, artists, or moods showing up. I pretty much always listen to my iPod in Shuffle mode, though. It's... Joanna http://www.joanna.org/ Some people really hate listening to their music in Shuffle mode. They don't want the random appearance of songs from different genres, artists, or moods showing up. I pretty much always listen to my iPod in Shuffle mode, though. It's the odd juxtaposition of Alan Parsons next to George Strait followed by a Mozart concerto followed by a Gillian Welch folk song that just makes me smile. And, frankly, that's usually the way my music flows.

Today though, just before I left for lunch, I was particularly struck by an incredibly mellow set of music that came across my iPod...with no input from me. Other than the fact that all of these songs have 5-star ratings. I keep a smart playlist that has 5-star songs that have not played on my iPod within the previous 2 months. It's the playlist that I usually have going at work...playing in Shuffle mode, needless to say.

So, here was the progression of songs that suddenly caught my attention...

  • "Mad World" by Michael Andrews -- the acoustic piano cover of the Tears for Fears song from the Donnie Darko soundtrack. I like the song but I really love this slower, version. Dunno where I first heard it but it's just lovely. (youtube link)
  • "She" by Jennie Reynolds -- I love pretty much everything Jenny sings. This song, though, is awfully special. The guitar picking underneath her mellow vocals is really nice. (amazon mp3 download link)
  • "Italian Shoes" by Patty Larkin -- so mellow. The drum beat could lull you to sleep as you try to figure out what Patty's trying to say. (amazon mp3 download link)
  • "Face of a Faith" by Nellie McKay -- for the most part, Nellie doesn't tend to be very mellow. But she is in this song. (amazon mp3 download link)
  • "Down from Dover" by Dolly Parton -- such a sad melodramatic song. I just found out that she was 18 when she wrote it. Which might explain the melodrama. Or maybe not. Maybe it's just Dolly being Dolly. I do remember the first time I heard this song...I was stunned at the end. (youtube video)
  • "Hummingbird" by Miss Murgatroid and Petra Haden -- the most bizarre song of this collection. Voice, violin, and accordion. Completely bizarre. But I love it so much. (amazon mp3 download link)
  • "First Sign of Spring" by Susan Gibson -- such a nice arrangement of the instrumentation to go along with Susan's vocals. (amazon mp3 download link)

It was those last two songs that really made me stop and go back and pay attention to the last few songs that had played. And, I was enchanted by the sequence.

Entertainingly, the mellow mood was killed by the very next song: the theme from Baretta (yes...the TV show). That was followed by an upbeat classical "ditty" by Mozart and then by "La Felicidad" by Flaco Jimenez. Not one of those songs fit into the pre-lunch mood. 'Loved 'em all though. Heh.

]]> Bang, bang, bang! tag:www.joanna.org,2010://6.1538 2010-06-10T18:28:31Z 2010-06-10T16:48:00Z I was taking a shower this morning (as is my wont) and minding my own business (naturally) when there was a sudden LOUD banging on the exterior wall...which scared me nearly to death. Let me explain. My shower is on... Joanna http://www.joanna.org/ I was taking a shower this morning (as is my wont) and minding my own business (naturally) when there was a sudden LOUD banging on the exterior wall...which scared me nearly to death. Let me explain. My shower is on the 2nd floor of my townhouse. It's pretty darned unusual for someone to be pounding on any wall at my house...much less a wall on the 2nd floor. I realized what was going on pretty quickly (home repairs I have no control over) and kept on with my shower. Then, I toweled off and got dressed. All the while, the banging continued. And, I just kept hoping that nobody would come crashing through the wall. Last week, the guys managed to drill a hole all the way through a stud in my living room (downstairs) that actually buckled the plaster near an electrical outlet and busted the faceplate off the outlet. So, it wasn't too much of a stretch to think they they might do more damage this morning.

Here's the thing. I live in a townhouse complex where the home owner's association takes care of the outsides of the buildings. And, I really don't have any control over what gets done or when it gets done. The siding on my building is currently being replaced (as needed) before the building gets a new paint job. I hadn't seen any workers around in a couple of days, though, since it had been raining. And, didn't hear a thing this morning until the loud pounding. Apparently that was the first bit of repair they decided to work on this morning. Yikes. I stopped as I was leaving to take a quick iPhone photo:

The photo's not that great but you get the idea. That patch of wall with no siding? That's about 4 inches from my shower stall. They scared the hell out of me. Thanks, guys.

]]> Campus Watch #57 tag:www.joanna.org,2010://6.1502 2010-05-12T18:21:49Z 2010-11-08T21:31:26Z This made me laugh when I imagined someone else being the subject of the report: Townes Hall (727 East Dean Keeton) Assault by Contact: A UT staff member reported she and another UT staff member had gotten into a verbal... Joanna http://www.joanna.org/ This made me laugh when I imagined someone else being the subject of the report:

Townes Hall (727 East Dean Keeton)
Assault by Contact: A UT staff member reported she and another UT staff member had gotten into a verbal argument over the proper way to clean a bathroom. The argument led to the second staff member assaulting the victim. Occurred on: 5-3-10, at 5:35 PM. Reported on: 5-11-10.

I can't help but imagine this report being submitted about a couple of my co-workers. Where the argument about the proper way to clean a bathroom is actually an argument about the proper way to do something else. If I wasn't afraid that one of them might do a Google search on their name and find this some day, I'd be more specific. Alas...

And, yes...it seems to be turning into Campus Watch exclusively 'round here. Sorry 'bout that.

]]> Campus Watch #56 tag:www.joanna.org,2010://6.1476 2010-04-02T19:28:31Z 2010-04-02T19:31:15Z I don't see that there's any way at all for me to pass this one up: Engineering Science Building (2501 Speedway) Suspicious Activity: A UT staff member discovered several poster sized pictures of some of the faculty members had been... Joanna http://www.joanna.org/ I don't see that there's any way at all for me to pass this one up:

Engineering Science Building (2501 Speedway)
Suspicious Activity: A UT staff member discovered several poster sized pictures of some of the faculty members had been hung inside a 4th floor hallway. Discovered on: 3-31-10, at 7:47 AM.

Very suspicious, indeed! 'Thought maybe it was gonna have something to do with April Fool's Day but this was a day too early. Hmmm...

]]> Campus Watch #55 tag:www.joanna.org,2010://6.1458 2010-03-08T22:28:30Z 2010-03-08T22:30:47Z I haven't posted one of these in quite some time. From today's Campus Watch crime report: Jester West Dormitory (201 East 21st Street) Public intoxication: Two UT students discovered a third UT student passed out next to an air vent.... Joanna http://www.joanna.org/ I haven't posted one of these in quite some time. From today's Campus Watch crime report:

Jester West Dormitory (201 East 21st Street)
Public intoxication: Two UT students discovered a third UT student passed out next to an air vent. They brought the subject into the dormitory and requested assistance. During the investigation, the subject began using very salty language towards the officers and towards Austin EMS as he was being treated for alcohol poisoning. The subject was transported to a local area hospital for additional treatment. Charges for Public Intoxication were filed. Occurred on: 3-07-10, at 5:25 AM.

Salty language. Never a good thing, eh? Heh heh.

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