Archive | The nerdiverse

09 March 2010 ~ 3 Comments

Someone bought the haunted mansion.

If you’ve been around this limb for a while, you might remember me talking about the Croke Patterson Mansion.

From Legends of America :

Built in 1890 by Thomas B. Croke, this sandstone residence was one of the country’s most elegant homes. Now serving as an office building, it is also said to be one of the most haunted.

According to the legend Thomas B. Croke, only entered the palatial mansion one time and was so emotionally shaken by “whatever” was there, that he never returned. Just two years later it was sold to Thomas M. Patterson, who’s family kept the home for several decades. Over the next several years, the building served many purposes, including a dance studio, a radio station, and a boarding house before it was converted to an office building. During the renovation to office space in the 1970’s, construction crews began to experience a number of strange occurrences.

After a long days work, they would often return the next day to find that the tasks they had completed the day before had been “undone.” After this had occurred several times, guard dogs were left to protect the property from what the workmen thought might be intruders. However, the next day they found the two Doberman Pinschers dead on the sidewalk after having apparently jumped from a third-story window. Once the renovation to office building was complete, employees almost immediately began to notice equipment, such as typewriters, copy machines, and telephone that mysteriously began to operate by themselves.

When a séance was held to determine who was haunting the building, they found it to be the spirit of a little girl whose body was supposedly entombed in the cellar. However, when the basement was excavated, they found a hidden chamber was found, filled with sea sand, but no remains of a little girl.

A ghostly image has often been sighted gliding up and down the main floor stairway and otherworldly voices have been heard here as well. Thomas Patterson, former owner of the home, is said to have been spied numerous times in the courtyard between the mansion and the carriage house.

When the building still served as an apartment building, occupants on the lower levels were known to complain about wild parties taking place on the third level. But, when these parties were investigated, they would be met with only silent emptiness.

(Photo gallery of Croke Patterson mansion)

I’ve read that it’s the second most haunted building in Colorado and in the top ten buildings for the Western United States.

My first psychotherapy office was in the Croke Patterson Mansion from 1996-1997. (My office was the door to the left next to the second floor mirror.) when a Veterinarian purchase the office building with the desire to turn it into a private residence. He and his new wife moved into the home with her two children. They turned the house into a private residence then went bankrupt. The house has been empty for at least two years.

It’s been for sale for at least a year.  Originally it was for sale for 1.3 million dollars. At last check, it was $495,000.  D asked me a number of times if I wanted to look at it. Usually, I love to look at old houses, and I love to house shop. But I wouldn’t allow myself to get drawn into the demons, ghosts, and otherwise evil spirits of the place.

Someone has recently purchased the home.

May God have mercy on their souls.

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02 March 2010 ~ 5 Comments

ItStartsWith.Us

Recently I joined a cool program called ItStartswith.us

ItStartsWith.us is a cool program designed to get people involved in making a positive impact on other people. Once a week, Nate, the founder of ItStartsWith.us, sends out an email with a weekly mission. The weekly mission is a 15 minute simple idea that can positively impact another person.  So far, I’ve been asked to do something special for a child and reconnect with an old friend.

We were in Craig for the book signing the week of doing something special for a child. I was able to spend some time with my young friend, Caroline. Over dinner at her mother’s house, I went through all of her birthday wishes including American Girl baby items. Ok, it doesn’t sound like much of a challenge but trust me. This American Girl stuff is creepy. It was all I could do not to scream “WHAT THE HELL?”  We also bought our usual case of Girl Scout cookies. And hopefully, Caroline felt like a special girl.

I was able to reconnect with a friend from Junior High School via Facebook. Facebook is such a weird adventure where past and present combine. Anyway, I enjoyed getting a chance to find out more about a woman who was a good friend to me in a time that I needed it.

Doesn’t sound very hard, does it?

So why not join ItStartsWith.Us? It’s free, costs you only 15 minutes a week, and you get to do something positive for someone else. If you’re worried about what you’ll be asked to do, click here to download a copy of last years challenges. Again, they are easy, fun and you can really make a difference in someone’s life.

There’s no downside to this! Go ahead – join! :)

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23 February 2010 ~ 3 Comments

Cellphones pop popcorn

You won’t believe this until you see it. Amazing  2 minute video.


Pop Corn téléphone portable micro-ondes
Uploaded by sassiere. – Up-to-the minute news videos.

Of course, it’s a hoax. It’s a viral advertisement created by a bluetooth headset maker.

Still, just like the circus or a magic trick. It’s cool.

May you have a little magic in your day!

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12 March 2009 ~ 15 Comments

Depressants work!

For the last day or so, I’ve been involved in a clinical trail of the new depressant. I hadn’t realized how annoying my cheerful nature was. I am grateful that there is real medical treatment for my incessant good moods.

?
FDA Approves Depressant Drug For The Annoyingly Cheerful

In the future, I will strive to be more depressed and hopeless.

For those of you without a sense of humor or who happen to be related to me, this is A JOKE.

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26 February 2009 ~ 32 Comments

Thursday 13 – Thirteen programs I actually use (and are free!)

In the last six months, I’ve become a free software hound. It all started with a post about free software. My eyes were opened to a whole world of free and fabulous software. I wanted to share with you some of the software that I now use almost every day. And it’s free and fabulous!

Please note: ?I am not against people making money on their tools. I feel trapped by the endless updates. I don’t like the fact that some of my favorite and fabulous programs were jacked up by the latest update.?

Thursday Thirteen - Free and Fabulous Software

Thursday 13
Free and Fabulous

1. Edit Pad Lite:?This is a simple text editor. I’ve used it for years. Pros: When you don’t use it for a few minutes, it goes into your bar. I know that sounds simple, but I can’t tell you how many times it’s saved me. ?Edit Pad Lite Page

2. Free RIP:?I have a number of CDs that were created by people that Windows can’t find the licenses for. Why? Who knows? So rather than carting my entire computer to bed so I can listen to my SleepTracks.com insomnia tapes, I used this program! Ta Da! ?Free RIP rips my CDs into WAV, MP3, Vorbis, WMA or FLAC. Free Rip page

3. Free Commander:?This program makes it easy to move files between drives or onto CDs. Again, this sounds very simple, but it’s wicked helpful. ?Free Commander Page

4. Plurk:?Plurk is like Twitter only better. You can have conversations with people from around the world. I’ve learned so much about… everything. I’ve made great food from recipes, learned programming tips, received fabulous software hints and… wow…. I’ve received tremendous support when I’ve needed it – and given it when it’s needed. ?Give it a try. If you like learning and talking to people, you’ll love it. Plurk Page

5. Gmail:?I received my first piece of email in 1996. In 1996, email was a fun way to connect with people. Now? It’s all about the business and spam. Sigh. Gmail has fabulous spam filters. I’ve been able to organize my email into different boxes that filter into “personal”, “work” and “writing” categories. If you haven’t tried it, you owe it to your life to get it. ?Gmail.com

6. GTalk:?This is a free program from Google. You can speak, computer to computer, with people around the world. You can also IM or Text message your friends. I use this program to keep up with clients and friends. GTalk Page

7. Google Calendar:?Why do I love this program? Google text messages me before every appointment at times I designate. So when I’m writing, I have time to return to the present. When you set an appointment you can email the person you are meeting. They confirm. After years of wondering if my client’s knew they had appointments? This is a god send. Google Calendar Page

8. Skype:?I’ve had skype for a long, long time. But I’ve only used it for voicemail. For example, I used it when I was on the Colorado Trail to keep up with my voicemail. I’ve started to use it, this year, to contact people around the world via computer to computer. I’ve had fabulous conversations with writers. When my husband was in Mexico, we chatted a few times a day. All free. ?Skype Page

9. Avast and AVG:?I have these programs on different computers. I haven’t had a problem with any virus or trojan with this caveat. I caught a trojan from a blog. Avast was on it immediately, but it took some time to get rid of the trojan. But hey, it’s free. Avast?or AVG

10. GIMPshop:?If you know me, you know that I hate Adobe products. I know. I know. They are everything and forty bags of chips. (Hey, I hate Apple to… go figure.) Adobe products make me nuts. I started using GIMP sometime last year and couldn’t figure it out. Recently, I started using GIMPshop. It has most of the tool bars as Photoshop, so it’s familiar, easy, and phew, not Adobe. ?GimpShop Page

11. GNU Cash:?I’ve grown to despise Quicken. In a fit of desperation (read Quicken screwed up a years worth of household accounting when I’m trying to do our taxes), I found GNU Cash. Ahhh… Easy tutorials and very straight forward interface. Plus, you can download from your banks, etc. I am now in the process of setting everything into it. Go ahead, spend another $90 updating your Quicken. I’m using GNU Cash for my personal and business accounting. GNU Cash page

12. Other InBox:??This is a fabulous product. It’s designed so you can make email addresses on the fly. For example, if I see a newsletter or an article that I want to read, but it requires and email address? I just use an other inbox address. I don’t have to tell other inbox that I’m doing it. As long as I use my account, it goes to the right place. I use it for all my website contact forms. ?Ok, here’s the true luxury —>it sends a summary of your email every morning<—- swoon! When you get hundreds of email a day, this is truly delicious! I have a beta release version, but the full version should be available very soon. Other Inbox page

13. Todoist:?This is a powerful project management/time management tool. I use it to track all of my websites and projects. You can set priorities (a la Covey) and hierarchies by project. For any busy person, this is a fabulous way to keep all of your “To Dos” in one place. Plus, there’s a delicious check the box and disappear into history function! ToDoIst Page

What favorite free programs do you use? Leave them in the comments and I’ll add them here!?

?

  • This cleans out the PC?s registry way deep inside taking out all registry changes some programs leave behind. I?ve used it well over a year on three different PC?s flawlessly.” The Walking Mark
  • “The one piece of free software that I absolutely could not live without is Note Tab Lite, one of the most muscular text editors I?ve ever used. They have a pro version, but I?ve never felt the need for anything more than the freebie one. Best thing about it? One click lets you substitute it for Notepad in Windows so that it becomes your default text editor” ?Cameleon at Coffee Break
  • “A free program I use is SparkPeople, which is like weight watchers but free.” All Rileyed Up, Los Angelista
  • “I use ?SpyBot Search and Destroy. Oh, and Digsby! Yay for awesome free programs!” Mary?
  • “I?m hooked on Pandora and also on Just Hear It, which finds any song you want to hear.” Los Angelista
  • “About the only one I use is AdAware. Amazing how much garbage it finds every week!” Heather at Word Trix

Check out other Thursday 13ers?

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07 January 2009 ~ 7 Comments

2008 Reviewed…

Now that it’s Wednesday, and most of us have been back at work for a few days, I thought we could use a little amusement.  This creative and funny video is Uncle Jay explains the news in a little more than 3 minutes.

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05 December 2008 ~ 3 Comments

New Thoughts for Friday

The CEO suggested that I post a TED.com video once a week.

When I listen/watch these videos, I can’t help but feel hopeful and optimistic. These are the interesting, fascinating people of our time. I’m delighted to take a day to share them.

And since we all know that Fridays are light work days, I hope you have the time to watch.

I wanted to start with a video that I think I’ve posted before. In this video Mark Bittman discusses the history of food in the United States. Whether you are a veg or a omni, it’s worth taking twenty minutes to learn about what’s wrong with our food. If you only have a little bit of time, check out the history of food (starts around 7.44).

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19 October 2008 ~ 17 Comments

Unconscious Mutterings : Week 299

I love Sundays. I love Unconscious Mutterings (created by LunaNina.com).? I love, love, love them!

It makes me so happy that in the middle of this contentious time, we can come together for a few word prompts.? There’s so much hope in every single one of these postings.? We display our hope and potential here every Sunday

Bless you for playing!? Just leave your response in the comments.? Come back and see how amazing the collection becomes.

  1. Magical ::
  2. Shrimp ::
  3. Project Runway ::
  4. Economy ::
  5. Porch ::
  6. State of affairs ::
  7. .com ::
  8. Fifty cents ::
  9. Ripping ::
  10. Bull ::

My response:

  1. Magical :: Moment
  2. Shrimp :: y Biceps
  3. Project Runway :: Rocks!
  4. Economy :: of Simplicity
  5. Porch :: Swing
  6. State of affairs :: Affairs of state
  7. .com :: GoDaddy
  8. Fifty cents :: on a Dollar
  9. Ripping :: and Tearing
  10. Bull :: shit

Happy Sunday! I’ll post a link to you when you play! :)

Who played this week?

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08 October 2008 ~ 33 Comments

Thursday Thirteen : The issues, Claudia style.

1. Joe Six Pack:

2.? Moose:

3. Homeland Security:

4.? Bail out:

5.? 700 Trillion dollars:

6. Drill, Drill, Drill:

7.? Slide:

8.? Back on the trail:

9.? Padawan:

Update: I just learned that it’s ‘that one’ and not padawan.

10.? Market:

11. Key determinate in upcoming election:

12.? Swing Voters:

13. In the end, we will get through all of this together.

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13 August 2008 ~ 48 Comments

Thursday Thirteen – Odd but true facts about losing weight.

About a year ago, I decided to learn everything I could about the latest research in diet and weight loss.? I have worked out for over 30 years.? It was time to learn something new.

Here’s the best, all be it odd, facts about losing weight:

1. Calories don’t matter that much.
It’s not your number of calories but what’s in your calories.? You can’t over eat, but focusing on calories decreases our focus on quality food.? Further, there’s research that suggests that any reduction in calories sends your body into starvation – moment to moment.

2.? Sleep is vital to weight loss.
Sleep deprivation increases your body’s tendency to store fat – regardless of your caloric intake.? There’s also evidence that you will feel hungrier the less you sleep

3.? Stress makes you fat.
Under stress, your body releases cortisol which is our “fight or flight” hormone. Your body stores fat in direct response to stress. As a therapist, I worked with a woman who took a high stress job and within 30 days she gained 30 pounds. She ate and exercised exactly the same – and still gained 30 pounds right in her stomach.

4.? Hormones rule the world.
No amount of exercise and caloric reduction can over come our hormones.? For example, after you eat something very sweet, your insulin spikes.? When your insulin spikes, your body stores fat.? Period.

5.? Glycemic index is complicated and too often misquoted.
The Glycemic index is the rate at which a food increases your insulin response.? While it’s an interesting idea, you never eat one food by itself. For example, bread has a high glycemic index. But if you eat that bread with peanut butter or tuna fish, the sandwich has a low glycemic index.

6.? High intensity circuits strip fat from you.
The original research was done with HIITs and bodybuilders. Currently, trainers such as Jillian Michaels or Valerie Waters, put together exercise circuits that create high intensity workouts, build muscle and get rid of that nasty fat. (Valerie has been doing this super cool body assessment on her blog.? Check it out)

7. Running stairs is cheap and very effective.
Don’t waste your time on an eliptical machine!? Run the stairs in your building.? Find a place in your local part and run those. Even a short stairwell will give you better results than an hour slogging away at the treadmill.? Virgil Aponte calls himself the Stairs Guru – he gives away a lot of videos. Check it out if you need inspiration.

8.? Long slow cardio (mostly) doesn’t work.
Why do you think that the people at your gym continue to look the same?? Long slow cardio won’t help you lose weight.? You’ve got to do high intensity to lose weight.

9.? Whatever exercise program you are willing to do is the exercise program that works the best.
Let’s face it. No matter what the latest study shows, there’s a lot of exercise that you simply won’t do.? Find something you think is fun and do it. Don’t let anyone tell you it’s not enough. If walking is your thing, walk. Tennis? Play tennis.? You can increase intensity and do everything you need to do.? Just do what you love.

10.? Everyone’s metabolism is a little different.
There’s a bulk of research that shows that people can be slip into 3 types of metabolism: vegetable, protein and mixed.? They use these determinations on the Biggest Loser.? For example, I’m a ‘protein’ also called a ‘fast burner’.? I think about food all the time.? My husband is a Veg. He never thinks about food, eats what’s in front of him.? I need more protein and fat; he needs more carbs.? (For example, we became vegan – he lost 30 pounds and I gained 40 pounds.) For the test, check out Eat, Move and Be Healthy by Paul Chek.? Here’s a free test so you can test your metabolism.

11.? Anything premade with more than 5 ingredients should not be eaten.
Most of human life, people made their own food.? Only through the use of petrochemicals (made from imported oil) has there been premade food including frozen food.? My body cannot metabolise processed food.? Even if I keep calories equal, I gain weight when I eat processed food.? Period.

12.? Artificial sweeteners make you fat.
I haven’t found a good reason why this is true, but study after study shows that if you use artificial sweeteners, you will? get fat. Some people say the sweetener is confused by the body and stores as fat.? Some people point to the insulin spike caused by the sweetener.? Either way, if you want to be trim and healthy, don’t use this stuff.

13.? What is your favorite diet or weightloss tip?

  • “I decided to continue eating pretty much the same food I always ate, but slightly healthier options. Then, instead of 3 large meals a day, I changed to 5 much smaller ones.
    The upshot was, i ate the same food, the same amounts overall, and lost stabilised my weight.” Anthony North
  • “If you have serious problems losing weight, my advice to anyone is have your thyroid checked immediately.” Sue at the Urban Zoo
  • “I always have a difficult time with craving sugar every month?at the same time. I?ve found that exercise helps because it not only gets your body moving?but acts as an excellent distraction!!” Jennie
  • “I?ll vouch for interval training. And every time I change up the circuits I do at the gym, I see a change. (I just need to change them more often!)” Susan Helene Gottfried
  • “I?ve found that eating smaller meals more frequently works for me. Plus, I allow myself one day a week to not thing about diet and satisfy any food cravings I may be having. Knowing I have that one day as a reward helps keep me on track during the week.” Nicole Austin
  • “I learned from Adelle Davis that you can have a 1,000 calorie day diet and gain weight if you aren?t getting the right mix of fuel that the body needs. Eat 2000 calories and lose weight with the same premise.” Colleen at Loose Leaf Notes.
  • “I do not eat once the kids go to bed?.since they go to bed so early (around 8), it is a good rule for me. The only thing I do have is water.” Tommie at Tuesday Update
  • “I?ve developed this weird food allergy, am writing down everything I?m eating, all ingredients. No one should be forced to consume all those chemicals that are in packaged food. It is disgusting.” SJ Reidhead
  • “Cook things from scratch.” Puss Reboots
  • “The only way to lose weight is to establish a healthy lifestyle like the one you describe.” Forgetful One
  • “Don?t let exercise routine get better of you. Do different things, and within those different things, add additional variation (eg, different sets when swimming, etc.). And, it?s not the end of the world if you miss a day. Just leave yourself open to getting back into it when you?re ready, NOT out of guilt. Don?t let the fun of exercise get to be another JOB.” Edwin
  • “If you are stuck on your computer a lot, try sitting on an exercise ball!” Pamela Kramer
  • “Drinking water at least 6-8 glasses a day really helps!” Yasmin
  • “I read somewhere that when you don’t get enough sleep your body craves sugar and other fattening foods.” Jehara
  • “When you?re eating, make that the ONLY thing you?re doing. No TV, no reading, no blogging. You get the point. Focus on eating, what you?re eating and when you?re full.” Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
  • “For me, before taking on any weight loss program one should take consideration of any health issues. And it?s always sound to consult a doctor before jumping in on any of these program. Also, the more natural the process of losing weight, the better. Starving is not the way nor diet pills.” Tips and Tricks
  • ” I vote for your #11 about the amount of ingredients in food. There is a big difference between eating oatmeal made with Quaker Oats (ingredients, oats) and Quaker instant oatmeal with Brown Sugar and maple syrup, (ingredient list too long to post).? Also, if you are having massive sugar cravings try eating protein. You won?t want to but it almost always halts sugar and carb cravings.” Valerie Waters

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