CircleCount helps you better understand Google+

2013-05-19 02:40:03 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 10 +1s)

Another rose bloom.  Not quite in focus, gives it a bit of a soft look.

2013-05-18 16:14:00 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 20 +1s)

Of our two dogs, Paris is voice trained, and Gizmo is not, so she doesn't need a leash, and he does. When I opened the front door this morning to take them out, Paris took off running, and Gizmo jerked on the leash. There was a squirrel in the front yard!

"Paris!" I yelled, and she stopped dead, her head turning and her eyes on the squirrel as it scampered up a tree across the street. "Come!" I said, and she trotted over nonchalantly.

Hope you're having an exciting morning, too. I'm off to see Iron Man 3 with my free ticket from my MAP frequent movie goers ticket. Later!

2013-05-18 00:58:27 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 22 +1s)

The roses are starting to bloom.

2013-05-17 15:10:42 (7 comments, 0 reshares, 21 +1s)

Gizmo says Good Morning, and Happy Friday. Big weekend plans, anyone? I'm going to see Ironman 3.

My wife is going to Georgia Sunday, so I'll be a geographic bachelor for a week. Maybe I can get some things done around the house.

2013-05-16 18:04:46 (8 comments, 5 reshares, 27 +1s)

The biologist in me just went...WHOA!!!!

2013-05-16 18:01:23 (19 comments, 2 reshares, 15 +1s)

G+ What's Hot Serves Based On Gender

I heard a rumour this morning that if your profile is set to male, you'll get different What's Hot (Explore) content than if you're set to female.

So I opened a tab with my profile which was set to female, and from that opened a fresh tab with WH.  Then I immediately changed my profile to male and opened another WH tab to compare as closely in time as possible the difference.

Holy. Fucking. Shit.

When I'm a girl, I get piles of those graphical platitudes I hate.  I have understood all along why +EcoSnark gets those more than my real profile, because she shares them to her NerdSmacked community to make fun of them (see https://plus.google.com/communities/117382348426379346016 ).  I don't plus them or share them, but they're always there.  I loathe them and it's why I have had theslide... more »

2013-05-16 13:08:13 (18 comments, 0 reshares, 10 +1s)

There are balloons everywhere here at work. I hate them.

Another group decided to give selected people in our group balloons and candy. These were people that had helped on various projects, none of which I was involved in. The balloon givers went to the various cubes and taped these balloons on strings to a corner.

So now every day when I come in, the balloons taunt me. "You didn't get a prize!" And they're mylar balloons, so who knows how long they'll float?

I wish I had a slingshot. Or a bb gun.

2013-05-15 20:47:11 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

"Boatswain, this sailor has been gundecking his maintenance reports, and trying to bamboozle us by pretending to be sick so he'd be put on the binnacle list. Have the Master-at-Arms escort him to Captain's Mast."

"Aye aye, sir."

2013-05-15 15:43:29 (19 comments, 1 reshares, 9 +1s)

2013-05-15 12:47:39 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 16 +1s)

On my desk at work, Woody from Toy Story and his larger friend.

2013-05-15 00:22:39 (10 comments, 0 reshares, 22 +1s)

Honeysuckles in bloom.

2013-05-14 22:00:11 (6 comments, 1 reshares, 6 +1s)

Friends,
I’m looking for true stories on how watching Star Trek (any series) affected your career decisions later in life. Did you go into a career in Science or Aviation or even become an Astronaut due to Star Trek and Science Fiction?
I want to hear your story. Please send me an email of your story on what about Star Trek made you choose your career path. Send a email with your story in the body of the email to: ShatnerScifi@gmail.com
My best, Bill

2013-05-14 14:30:01 (7 comments, 0 reshares, 16 +1s)

My company has a Chief Medical Officer, and yours doesn't. I win.

2013-05-14 12:47:38 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 7 +1s)

#TuesdaysAreForHaiku

The night slips away
The rising sun shines brightly
A beautiful day.

2013-05-13 17:18:55 (12 comments, 0 reshares, 16 +1s)

I'm in a cole slaw mood today. Not that bitter stuff, I'm talking about sweet, creamy cole slaw. This may be a southern thing, I know.

Two recipes that use sweet and creamy cole slaw come to mind. The first is slaw burgers. Easy enough, just what it sounds like.

The second is called a scrambled dog. Take a plain hot dog in a bun and place it in a dish of the same shape, just a little bigger, like one of those to-go plastic contraptions. Take a knife and slice the hot dog into one inch squares. Pour chili over the top, then onions, then cole slaw. Add mustard and ketchup if you want.

Now I'm hungry.

2013-05-12 16:35:31 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 28 +1s)

This is me and my Mom, when I was just a baby.  RIP, Mom, thanks for everything you did for me and the family.

2013-05-12 04:05:54 (12 comments, 0 reshares, 16 +1s)

This will be a quiet weekend, as far as posting goes.  Mother's Day is always a tough day for me.  Rest in Peace, Mama.

2013-05-10 14:25:06 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 9 +1s)

#ConvertAtSpeed

So, I'm driving the Mustard convertible to work this morning, in the fast lane, keeping up with the traffic, when the world explodes. Full-speed wind is blowing in my face.

It wasn't an explosion. The top had come unlatched and blown backwards,and I wasn't expecting the blast of air. I managed to get off the interstate safely.

I parked and tried to latch the top again, and it wouldn't go all the way forward. I had to call my stepson to help me push it far enough forward to latch.

Hopefully it blew open because it wasn't latched well, and not because there's something wrong with the latching mechanism.

The day can only get better now, right?

2013-05-09 20:04:44 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 9 +1s)

My PC at work has so much security and encryption that when I do a restart it sounds like a driver revving the engine at NASCAR.

2013-05-09 13:10:10 (11 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

#Smile

H/t to +Tejas Richard

What makes you smile?

I smile a lot because I'm usually a happy guy. Here's one example. When I step outside and the sky is clear and it's sunny and warm, I smile.

What's your smile trigger?

2013-05-08 19:54:55 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Welcome, new Circlers.  I make from one to three public posts a day.  If you'd like to see more specialized content, let me know which of these subjects you're interested in:

•   Writing - things of interest to writers.
•   Science Fiction and Fantasy - books and movies.
•   Television and Movies - my favorites.
•   Local - for people local to St Louis.
•   Horror - books and movies.
•   Tattoos - the good, the bad, the ugly. 
•   Japan - everything Japanese related.

And/or you could tell me why you circled me.

2013-05-08 13:04:10 (10 comments, 5 reshares, 26 +1s)

This story just keeps getting better and better...

When Anderson Cooper asked if he would like a reward Charles pulled his paycheck out of his pocket and said "I get a paycheck. Give the reward to the girls they rescued."

2013-05-08 12:57:41 (7 comments, 0 reshares, 7 +1s)

#OutOfBreath

The furbabies have put on too much weight, so I've Taken Measures. The first thing was cutting them down to one treat a day. Second was one cup of dog food for each of them per day. Third was exercise.

We took them for a walk around the block yesterday. Paris isn't accustomed to wearing a harness and leash, but she did well. It took about 15 minutes.

Her big brother Gizmo, our other Pomeranian, didn't do so well on the walk. By the time we got home he was panting and wheezing. It took him about ten minutes to recover.

I think today we'll go on a shorter walk, and build up to longer walks.

2013-05-07 14:42:08 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 13 +1s)

#TuesdaysAreForHaiku

Waves of calm ripple
Spreading through my inner self
And then all is still.

2013-05-07 02:43:56 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 9 +1s)

HIRL lunch photos.

2013-05-07 02:41:04 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 17 +1s)

I HIRL'd with +Harold Chester and +Rod Uding

2013-05-06 19:03:09 (10 comments, 0 reshares, 24 +1s)

I HIRL'd with +Harold Chester and +Rod Uding

2013-05-06 18:44:26 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 22 +1s)

We had a nice HIRL. +Jenna Lee Lovesmore and +Rod Uding will be posting a few more pics. Next time we'll have to do this on a Saturday night, with copious amounts of alcohol.

2013-05-06 16:52:45 (6 comments, 6 reshares, 23 +1s)

I saw this and I haven't stopped laughing 

2013-05-06 16:29:48 (20 comments, 0 reshares, 10 +1s)

HIRL today at 12:30 with +Jenna Lee Lovesmore and +Rod Uding at Denny's for lunch.

2013-05-06 12:55:58 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 10 +1s)

I feel like I'm trapped inside a thousand paper bags and I'm trying to claw my way out, and with every layer I rip through there's a little more air and light and I feel just a little more awake.

Time for some coffee I think.

2013-05-05 23:06:10 (3 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

Welcome, new Circlers.  I make from one to three public posts a day.  If you'd like to see more specialized content, let me know which of these subjects you're interested in:

•   Writing - things of interest to writers.
•   Science Fiction and Fantasy - books and movies.
•   Television and Movies - my favorites.
•   Local - for people local to St Louis.
•   Horror - books and movies.
•   Tattoos - the good, the bad, the ugly. 
•   Japan - everything Japanese related.

And/or you could tell me why you circled me.

2013-05-05 17:09:37 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 13 +1s)

I hate when people ask me to share things.

2013-05-05 00:59:16 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Better health care at a lower cost.  There are a lot of good ideas here.

2013-05-05 00:20:35 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

One of the things I miss about the military is drill and ceremony, fancy words for marching and parades.  As a non-commissioned officer in the Army, and later as an officer in the Navy, I marched people around.  

Just like the marching band at high school football games, we did some incredibly complex maneuvers, and I gave the commands.  It feels good when everybody is doing exactly what they're supposed to, everybody is in step, everybody is lined up correctly, and everything goes right.  It takes lots of practice, though.

2013-05-03 15:10:32 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 7 +1s)

2013-05-03 13:01:35 (7 comments, 0 reshares, 14 +1s)

This morning I dressed, put on my tennis shoes and took the dogs out. About halfway through their morning necessities, I had an excruciating pain on the side of my left little toe.

I made it back inside, took off my shoe, and felt around inside the shoe. I found a tiny rock. Minuscule. I felt like the princess from the Princess and the Pea.

My feet weren't always this wimpy. When I was in grade school in the hills of North Carolina, every year when school was over for the summer my shoes came off, and I was bare-footed until school started back in the fall.

I miss that.

2013-05-03 02:46:48 (5 comments, 2 reshares, 11 +1s)

nice to see a judge with a sense of humor 

2013-05-02 17:55:40 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 8 +1s)

As a senior programmer analyst at my current job, I work with various business analysts who give me specs for particular projects. One of the business analysts I've been working with resigned to join a startup, and we went to his going-away lunch. It was nice to get out of the office for a couple of hours.

How's your day?

2013-05-02 03:49:42 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 8 +1s)

Some pictures of the Blues playoff game against the Kings.  The yellowish pictures are the ones with the flash, which came out a lot better than the ones without the flash as far as capturing moving shots.  I wouldn't have thought the flash would make a difference from where I was, second from the top row in the arena, but evidently it did.  The white non-flash shots are interesting if you like motion blur shots.  Oh, the Blues are wearing, surprisingly enough, dark blue, and the Kings are wearing white.

2013-05-01 16:12:49 (26 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

#SappyIsSappy

Do you use pet names? Not for the furry kind of pet, more like terms of endearment. Do you have a name for your Significant Other(s) that you only use with them? My wife calls me Sugar Bear and I call her Hunny Bunny.

What pet names do you and your SO use?

2013-05-01 13:43:05 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Parfois je pense que le monde est étrange et marveilleux. Parfois pas.

2013-05-01 13:29:44 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

The good: Seeing the St Louis Blues win the first game of the NHL playoffs.

The bad: I got home at midnight and was up at 6 AM to go to work. It's going to be a long, sleepy day. Time for more coffee.

2013-05-01 04:27:00 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

#LetsGoBlues  

The St Louis Blues beat the LA Kings 2 to 1 in sudden death overtime, breaking a two-year losing streak against the Kings. Let's go Blues!

2013-04-30 21:54:12 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 21 +1s)

Pink Dogwood blooms.

2013-04-30 20:11:27 (11 comments, 0 reshares, 14 +1s)

#LetsGoBlues

Tonight I'm going to see my first major league playoff game, the St Louis Blues versus the LA Kings.

Who's following the NHL playoffs?

2013-04-30 14:02:56 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

#Locality

I'm trying to get a handle on who's local in my circles, which means an hour or less from St Louis. Maybe we can get a HIRL organized for a Friday or Saturday night.

2013-04-30 12:55:33 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 9 +1s)

#TuesdaysAreForHaiku

Code whirls through my brain
Spills out into my program
I am so content.

2013-04-29 17:31:26 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 9 +1s)

12 Cats and Dogs That Are in Love

Enjoy the fun loving photos, and have a Great week...

2013-04-29 14:52:37 (2 comments, 8 reshares, 9 +1s)

#PetFoodStamps

If you'd like to help people having a hard time who need help feeding their pets, please consider donating.