I’ve been cat sitting for folks who live out in the country, so I’ve been doing more driving than normal. I grabbed some random CDs, because I wanted new car music. One of them was unlabeled. It had a couple of Neko Case songs on it. I love this one, but every once in awhile it sneaks up on me and makes me teary.
Margaret is the fragments of a name
Her love pours like a fountain
Her love steams like rage
Her jaw aches from wanting
And she’s sick from chlorine
But she’ll never be as clean
As the cool-side-of-satin Pauline
One of the things that makes genealogical research difficult is transcription errors. I think I’ve probably mentioned this before, but I’ve got a wonderful visual example of what I’m talking about, so I thought I’d share. Also, it’s a minor triumph. I spent four hours last night trying to connect up a couple of stray Basquills. I wasn’t entirely successful, but in the process, I stumbled across the 1871 English census for a family I’d given up on. Huzzah!
So, without further ado, I’d like to introduce y’all to Rennie and Eline Basguel. Or, rather, Denis and Ellen Basquill. For a start, the enumerator bolloxed up Ellen’s first name. And then, for good measure, the transcriber turned Dennis into Rennie and Basquil into Basguel.
Denis is my great-great-great uncle, by the way (Walter’s elder brother). He and Ellen Carney were married in Forkfield, County Mayo, on 15 April 1862. They emigrated to England by 1871, then to the US (Denis came over in 1883 and Ellen brought the children in 1890). The family finally settled in Fall River, Massachusetts. (Yes, the home of Lizzie Borden. I wonder what they, as newcomers to this country, made of her parents’ murders?)
I’ve filed corrections with Ancestry.com, and they ought to show up in the next few days. In the meantime, I’m delighted with this minor accidental victory.
Remember that Web 2.0 assignment I mentioned doing for work? The one where we had to create a fakety fake blog? Well, everyone who finished the assignment got to go to a pizza party today. I didn’t go, because spending my break time socializing with coworkers is not exactly my idea of a reward. Not that I dislike my coworkers or anything, but I’d rather not spend my time at staff parties because they–staff parties–make me cranky.
Anyway, I guess they did a brief Power Point demonstration with shots from everyone’s fakety fake blogs. One of the shots contained a still of a YouTube video of someone’s kid. The folks who did the presentation sent a follow-up e-mail later this afternoon, with a link to the actual video, suggesting that we might need “an afternoon laugh.”
I made the mistake of watching it. Since it was ostensibly work related (and humorous!), I figured it ought to be pretty benign, right? Oh my. The video was of a kid crying and whining about having to eat a green bean. And then he vomits. And then the dad says, “Oh shit!”
WTF?!!!
On the other hand, it may be the best illustration I’ve seen of why kids shouldn’t be forced to eat things they’re vehemently opposed to. I mean, really, what the hell was accomplished by trying to make the kid eat a green bean? And is that a hill you want to die on?
There’s a new episode this week, which is exciting, but a mini fix is still in order, I think. This is pretty much my internal dialogue while watching the show.
I glanced out the window yesterday and saw a plume of black smoke coming out of the smokestack across the street. One of my coworkers said that they must be flue sanding. According to her, they periodically toss sand into the working smokestack to clean the built-up crud off the insides. I guess the heat from the fire makes the sand rise, but before it melts, it tumbles against the sides, sanding off the creosote and whatnot. I’d never heard of flue sanding, and a quick Google wasn’t very helpful. However, my coworker said that the smoke would only be black for a few moments, and she was right. I snapped three pictures, and by the third one, the black smoke was entirely gone.
ETA: YouTube to the rescue! This is about trains, but the concept is basically the same.
This has been stuck in my head for about a week now. (The music begins about 4:37, but the intro is worth sitting through if you aren’t familiar with the story.)
I especially like the way Mr. Winston noms on the plastic lid. Winston means business! Also, note that his human lets Winston lick his hands, then goes back for more finger food. For himself. That’s someone who loves teh kittehs.
red paper boat 