Indirect comment to cflute's recent post - REDACTED

I'm not really sure how to go about this. And it's getting late. So I'm going to take the easy way out...

REDACTED: That was bloody stupid of me, wasn't it? Bears can be clumsy sometimes. I'm leaving this in place for the sake of the comments, which I found very valuable, but if you want me to remove yours just let me know.

This post should have been sent in email or a private message. I'm really sorry about any damage I caused with it, and will try to be more careful and less clumsy in the future. In particular, I need to stop posting about what I think is going on in other people's heads -- I'm extremely bad at it.

I will, however, stand by what I think is the point I ought to have been making, which is that when somebody has demonstrated that they don't have full control of what's going on in their own head, it will take more than a few weeks of good intentions to get it back. It may take a year or two of hard work.

And that I think such a person's friends would be doing them a service to remind them of that fact.

Done yesterday (20110113 Fr)

Not all that good a day; I spend my lunch hour on IM rather than out walking. Not sure what I can do about that. And a lot of my time and even more of my mindspace went down the rabbit-hole of a difficult but necessary post (trigger warning: domestic violence). Somebody has to say these things, even if C doesn't want to hear them.

I did, finally, track down the problem I've been having with printing. Apparently, CUPS gets confused if the print server's name is associated with 127.0.0.1 in the hosts file, instead of with its actual IP address. Sheesh!

There are links under the cut. Most of them will be triggery.

( raw notes )

Songs for Saturday: Wheelin'

This song was written in response to a challenge: my sister-of-choice Naomi (whose birthday is today!) told me that she'd go with me to ConChord 2008 if I promised to sing a song either by her or about her. By a month before the con I still hadn't learned any of her songs, and was still struggling to write something, when I happened to think back on how easy a time Colleen had had getting through the airport with a wheelchair. This just fell out, then, as the answer to ``I can walk, damnit! What do I need a wheelchair for?''

I'm also using it as a prompt in today's Crowdfunding Creative Jam.

Steve.Savitzky.net/Songs/wheelin/ [pdf] [ogg] [mp3]

Wheelin'

© 2008 Stephen Savitzky. Some Rights Reserved.

When you see her in the evening in a bright green dress
Walking fast down the hallway you might never guess
That the lady has a weakness she's reluctant to confess.
No, you might not notice when she's dancing reels
That she made it through the airport on a set of wheels,
And she still isn't certain that she likes the way that it feels.

    With her lover right behind her lookin' tired but proud
    They were wheelin' their way through the airport crowd;
    And the way it made her feel made her want to weep out loud. 
    'Cause they were cuttin' past the line at the TSA
    Asking healthy young people to get out of her way
    Savin' her strength to make it through another day.

When she has a good day she can walk a mile
Dance through the evening with grace and style
Greet her lover at the door with a tight embrace and a smile;
Next minute she's collapsing like she's half-way dead
With a fire in her body and an aching head
And she'll pay with pain and the rest of the weekend in bed.

    So with her lover right beside her lookin' calm and cool
    She walks up to the counter feeling like a fool
    And tries to tell herself that a wheelchair's only a tool.
    Soon she's wheelin' past the line at the TSA
    Feeling weird watching people getting out of her way
    But it's the easiest journey in years to the end of the day.

Well, her body is a battleground and life's a war,
And she's lost against her limits many times before;
But she's still fighting with a few new tricks in store;
Because a wheelchair is a weapon, not a mark of defeat
And she can stay standing longer with some time off her feet
The battle isn't over, and winning will be sweet.

    With her lover right behind her lookin' fierce and proud
    They'll be cutting a swath through the airport crowd
    The way it makes her feel will make her want to laugh out loud.
    'Cause she'll be wheelin' past the line at the TSA
    Watchin' tough young punks scurry out of her way
    Savin' her strength to make it through another day.

    Yeah, savin' her strength--to fight another day.

Hippo, birdies...

... to my dear friend, singing partner, and sister-of-choice pocketnaomi!!!!!

May your next year be filled with love, joy, and music!