b.

beth 2.0

2006-11-06T22:43:00.000-08:00

i realize i'm about 5 years behind the rest of my peers doing this, but i finally have my own domain *drumroll* ......
it is...... http://bethgo.com yay!
i don't have a good explanation for why it took so long to do so, however the last three days of getting this all up and running has impressed upon me that self hosting your own blog/website is still not for the average joe and jane consumer.
am i excited to have all sorts of flexibility and control? yes!
do i look forward to munging up my blog as i learn what the hell i'm doing? of course!
am i at all envious of the folks who sucked down years of html knowledge the last 10 years? *nods emphatically*
i have to say it; i feel the same sense of endless possiblity that i did when i left aol in 1994 to journey forth onto the wall-less world wide web. yippee!!
b.
ps: this is my last official post here - so if you want to stay tuned to my further adventures please point your rss readers to: http://bethgo.com/feed/

pack your bags.

2005-04-22T02:05:00.000-07:00

entry from my new (and hopefully last) blog. the wow one just wasn't working for me. for any of you who are still hangin in there because i'm still on your rss feed: you rock. weeeeeee. b.

world of warcraft.

2005-04-10T01:41:00.000-07:00

if you want to follow the adventures of my alter ego in wow-land, come on over... b.

/played

2005-03-08T11:23:00.000-08:00

dmitri says it much better. i'm looking at 20 days = 480 hours. that said i still get a least two to three runs in a week. i work a steady 40-50 hours, and i manage to remember to feed the dog. not bad. not bad at all. b.

oscars.

2005-03-08T11:20:00.000-08:00

i know this is a little late to be posting. but i've decided that martin scorsese is the susan lucci of film making. bless his heart. b.

happy birthday HAL

2005-01-12T15:40:00.000-08:00

according to my spot (msn direct) watch diversions channel today is the day that HAL was built in 1997. happy birthday to the little guy. buy the book. see the movie. build your own. happy 05. b.

netflix.

2004-12-09T16:44:00.000-08:00

i'll work in getting a sticky link to the side with a nice button, but for now here is my netflix queue for your viewing pleasure. b.

yay! one of my favorite obsessions.

2004-11-09T15:13:00.000-08:00

we could be sisters at only three years apart. happy belated birthday to my soul twin. b.

update

2004-10-07T13:54:00.000-07:00

many folks have asked how i've been and what i've been doing, so it seems like an update post is in order. the quick and dirty version: weight lost: 55 lbs new puppy is now almost a dog! went to star wars galaxies fan fest in june (i'm officially a nerd now) i love my new job (program manager/business development for microsoft learning) i can run 3 miles in less than 30 minutes i'm a yellow according to insights traffic is still horrible my latest gadget is the hp h6315 starting to write about gaming the longer version is that i'm currently incubating on what is likely to be my next full-time endeavour. unfortunately i do not know what that is. what i do know is i miss seeing and talking with people from around the world on subjects that i feel passionate about. a nice spell of hibernation has done its work, but i'm looking to get out there and shake it up a bit. thinking about writing a book. as soon as i do you'll probably be the first to know. as always my virtual door is open if you want to talk with me. feel free to use my ms addy: bethg @ microsoft.com or my gmail addy bethgo @ gmail.com b.

spotted.

2004-05-07T09:48:00.000-07:00

love what dave is doing with his spot watch. in a desperate attempt to feel like a woman with many friends i logged in to im as "beth (send a message to my watch)" this week. received some love. felt good. 5/3/2004 12:28 PM pt (9 mph) spot watches are cool, it's all about pre and post customer education in my opinion. 5/3/2004 12:39 PM Peter Hey, blog slacker! :-) Trying to get past your 100-message monthly limit on MSN Direct? 5/3/2004 2:01 PM Jonathan Kay (M) Testing the watch ;) 5/3/2004 2:32 PM Andrew - BHO hijack = Move to Mozilla Hi beth, I think i killed my Suunto... :-( I hope yours is working fine 5/4/2004 11:33 AM Jill - Let the training begin! since you asked for watch messages :) 5/4/2004 1:41 PM KevinU This atom transfer made possible by MSN Direct. 5/4/2004 4:44 PM EdS you are a dork:) b.

blog intervention.

2004-04-26T10:00:00.000-07:00

i need help. i think of things i want to write about every day. all day long i'm mind blogging, but it never translates into action. realistically i know i'll never be a scoble, or a doc, or a halley, but 3-4 posts a month is downright embarrassing. do any of you regular bloggers have advice for how a once not so much, now very much so busy person (dog, exercise, new job, etc) can get back into the rhythm of regular blogging? all advice accepted here: bethg @ microsoft . com b.

woes of motherhood.

2004-04-08T19:55:00.000-07:00

the puppy came home to live with us this week. since he has come home i've had so many questions that i'm becoming a bit overwhelmed by my new all-important-responsible role of puppy mom. for example, i picked up one of these and brought it home for willie (pup of note). he is happily chewing away, when i notice the little lable reads "see our website for feeding instructions". according to the instructions greenies are not for dogs under 6 months (willie is almost 5), not for toy dogs (willie is a toy breed) and not for dogs who gulp (how do i know if my dog gulps). i especially tune into the part that reads "CAUTION: As with any edible product, monitor your dog to ensure the treat is adequately chewed. Gulping any item can be harmful or even fatal to a dog." ok so i've just given my dog something that could potentially kill him. greeeeeaaaaat. where can i find a new puppy mommy discussion group? rss feed? help!? i do subscribe to this newsletter and it rocks. but this week i'll be hunting down some good pet owner blogs, as well as looking for a decent forum or two. i'll let you know what i find. b.

passed!!

2004-04-06T18:42:00.000-07:00

as of 11:45 a.m. on wednesday march 31 i am a microsoft office specialist - weeeeee! i have to say the test had a few head scratchers that had me thinking that i would not be going home a victor. possibly the biggest impact is that i actually learned a lot from the whole process. i learned that in the united states after you graduate from your studies you are rarely tested on knowledge acquisition or application. i'm honestly not sure if i would have internalized the new skills i learned for using word 2003 if i had not known i was going to be tested. needless to say i think i have already saved 2-3 hours of my life within the last week because i'm much more efficient when working in word. i'm almost embarrassed to share some of my new skills because they seem so obvious i can only assume i'm was the lone person on earth who did not know how to do them. thanks to all for the well wishes the past week. stay tuned for excel next! b.

test day!

2004-03-30T21:29:00.000-08:00

is tomorrow. i'm taking the Microsoft Office Specialist exam for Word 2003 tomorrow at the compusa in tukwila. i can't believe i have test anxiety... i finished the step by step elearning for Word 2003 and took the post assessment - good news - i am improving. Assessment results -Core Training for Microsoft Office Word 2003 Post Assessment.htm looks like charts and graphs are my weak area. the other question i answered incorrectly had to do with making modifications to an existing template. just a dumb goof on my part. at any rate - i should know tomorrow if i have what it takes to be a Microsoft Office Specialist in Word. stay tuned.... b.

so not a specialist.

2004-03-26T21:30:00.000-08:00

i took a practice exam for word 2003 knowledge. this is what i discovered. i stink at word. check it out. Assessment results -Core Training for Microsoft Office Word 2003 Pre-Assessment.htm needless to say i've worked through about half of the lessons in the step by step book, and learned quite a few things. i'm compiling a list of the top 11 things that are cool in word 2003. why 11? because 11 is better than 10. b.

eating your own dogfood.

2004-03-25T11:50:00.000-08:00

if you follow microsoft lore at all you probably know that this is a common phrase used around the company. the concept is simple: if we are going to ask our customers to use our products, we better make sure we are too! in fact much of what sits on my desktop at the moment is still in beta so that i can help the developers work around issues and suggestions as they move towards a public release. in that spirit it is time for me to eat my own chow and become a Microsoft Office Specialist Master Instructor! this is no small feat mind you, it requires i become certified in all the Office applications, as well as validate my ability to teach/instruct. my first certification goal is to pass the new Microsoft Office Specialist Word 2003 exam, and i've been using a few tools to prepare including Office Online, a Microsoft Word 2003 Step by Step book and some online training from the Microsoft eLearning Library. in terms of how i think becoming a Microsoft Office Specialist will help me on the job, i'm curious to see if taking the time to get trained, and then validating that training with certification will show in the documents i create. to that end i may even post some before and after documents for all to see. finally earlier this week i had a great conversation with Margie Semilof over at Tech Target.com who has posted a write up of the Microsoft Office Specialist certification. pay attention to the Robert Half information - it's pretty cool what they are doing with Microsoft Office Specialist. b.

12 minute run.

2004-03-08T20:57:00.000-08:00

remember the presidential test for physical fitness? if you were in middle school during the 80's i'm guessing you do. of the various activities that we were tested on, there were two that haunted me - were my nemesi (if there is such a word) year in and year out. they were the bar hang and the 12 minute run. without going into too much detail i'll share this much: 1. i never "hung" for more than .5 second 2. i never ran for 12 minutes so to find myself on a relatively quiet sunday afternoon running almost a mile in 12 minutes at 32 years of age and still 29lbs away from my goal weight - well let's just say right along with freddie mercury and the gang i was feeling very much the champion. short term goal is to see if i can run for 14 minutes straight. weeeeeeee. and i'll just keep eyeballing the bar we have installed in the doorway to the laundry room.... b.

exercise and sunshine.

2004-02-26T17:43:00.000-08:00

is interfering with my ability to blog. for the last week it has been beautiful outside; warm and sunny. because of that i've been compelled (or strongly encouraged to spend time outside walking). i've also been exercising a lot because i want to be more than halfway towards my goal weight by the time phase two of my program begins. so much has fallen by the wayside since i began this quest towards greater health and fitness. a few of the casualties are: i made it 1/3 of the way through zelda windwaker and then quit. i only log onto star wars galaxies to check my in game email. i no longer obessively blog before bedtime i have not eaten chips, dips, cheese, crackers or any combination thereof since november now i can: see my toes fit in an airplane seat zip up my kick ass boots all the way run in four months i will: finish my first triathlon in under 3 hours see my feet wear my fabulous red chinese pants stop traffic. b.

aaaaaarghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

2004-02-26T17:35:00.000-08:00

i just wrote the best post and then i lose connection as it's posting and it is gone. lost. forever. my brain hurts. b.

we are all william.

2004-02-19T19:28:00.000-08:00

why the fascination? because inside all of us is a little bit of william dying to get out. b.

oh the irony.

2004-02-19T19:27:00.000-08:00

just saw a lincoln/mercury luxury suv commercial with the peter gabriel song "big time" playing as the soundtrack. what?? what?? i had resigned myself to the music i brooded to growing up being used to sell stuff after mazda co-opted the smiths how soon is now? for one of their commercials. but this musical gaffe is so obvious it belies belief. can't decide who i am more annoyed with: lincoln or gabriel. *sigh* b. suc cess I'm on my way, I'm making it I've giot to make it show, yeah so much larger than life I'M going to watch it growing the place where I come from is a small town they think so small they use small words -but not me I'm smarter than that I worked it out I've been stretching my mouth to let those big words come right out I've had enough, I'm getting out to the city, the big big city I'll be a big noise with all the big boys there's so much stuff I will own and I will pray to a big god as I kneel in the big church big time I'm on my way-I'm making it big time big time I've got to make it show yeah big time big time so much larger than life big time I'm going to watch it growing big time my parties all have big names and I greet them with the widest smile tell them how my life is one big adventure and always they're amazed when I show them round my house, to my bed I had it made like a mountain range with a snow-white pillow for my big fat head and my heaven will be a big heaven and I will walk through the front door

my new favorite tabtop.

2004-02-19T19:15:00.000-08:00

the m200. i love this machine! toshiba went all out to experiment with utilities that enhance tablet usage. i was three sentences into my review when i realized 1: this puppy has been out awhile and 2: there are people who have done a far better job reviewing it this is an amazingly in-depth review (granted it's in french - hint use google translations) good overview review (conveniently in english for those of us who chose the spanish route in high school) photo review by lora nice write up on the accelerometer functions although i was/am a die-hard slate user (fujitsu 4100 followed by the nec versa-lite), i was tired of switching back and forth between my work machine (a dell axim) and my tablet. i would say i definitely use the m200 as a tablet 50% of the time and as a laptop for the other 50% (hence "tabtop"), and despite the extra weight (almost 2lbs heavier than the nec) i'm coming around to the notion of having two machines in one. biggest drawback: probably the fact that i am monk's long lost little sister and i obsessively clean the screen each day as they seemed to have use a special coating on the screen which makes the smudges more apparent. this. this i can live with. b.

mel brooks is my homey.

2004-02-17T18:27:00.000-08:00

woke up yesterday with this. it occurs to me that having a case of vertigo is a lot like having the spins without the booze. two words: not fun. one word: fascinating. i'm completely fascinated by the fact that i essentially have a level in my head, or virtual whiskers. call it what you will there is something physically that keeps you standing up straight and keeps the room from swaying. seems like such a simple little thing, yet having it be out of whack is completely unnerving. although i have to say this is way more unnerving. a 17 year old boy was surfing the internet and found himself on a missing children's site. turns out his mother had kidnapped him from his father when he was three years old. the story was #1 on countdown with keith oberman tonight. b.

roll your own film festival.

2004-02-17T18:02:00.000-08:00

i found this article on slate in late december. i had already become a big david edelstein fan from listening to him (on npr) review donnie darko and some of my other favorite flicks on the drive back and forth to msft. at any rate i found our tastes to be similar enough, that i trusted his recommends and made a mental note to try and catch some of them. fast forward to a week later, and i'm updating my netflix queue and it occurs to me to go back and find the slate piece. turns out you can add movies that have yet to be released to your list and netflix will move them up as the dvds become available. i've already got american splendor and thirteen on the way. can't wait for bus 174 and elephant. now the ultimate feature should be a way to publish this list out with links to netflix. sort of like blogrolling for movie fans. b. ps_ i updated my blogroll to the blogs that i read religiously. trying to figure out how to create a reference roll for the ones i get to less often.

blogging from afar.

2004-02-16T15:02:00.000-08:00

another blogging dilemma. to blog or not to blog from remote locations? i was in vancouver, b.c. this past saturday night with my sony tr2 (japanese version w/bluetooth) and was able to hop online while on the train (gawd bless amtrak for powerplugs at each seat). i didn't blog because it occurred to me that by doing so i was essentially alerting the world (okay the 10-20 ppl who read my blog) that i was away. it seems even sillier as i write this that i would imagine some local soul would: a. read my blog religiously - even tho i haven't posted regularly since october b. know where i live c. be inclined to commit breaking and entering d. all of the above, and have no date for valentines day. still for some reason it just seemed risky. so my question is, how many of you openly blog about your comings and goings - and - has that ever presented itself as a problem? b.

so what the hell happened to me anyway?

2004-02-13T19:25:00.000-08:00

it goes something like this: november 11, 2003 ~ started an intense diet and exercise regime offered by my health club. it's called 20/20 lifestyles and it has changed my life in more ways than you can imagine. not only am i down almost 25lbs. (almost half-way there!), but i am running! me running! eek. if you, like me, dreaded the 12 minute run each year in gym class, had nightmares about it, did everything you could to get out of it, then you can imagine how wacky it is that i have embraced my inner runner. i've been also on a major food/diet overhaul. after doing meal replacement (yum - liquid food) for awhile i've slowly added back in each of the food groups, and as a result have a great understanding of how both hunger and cravings function for me. number one lesson learned was over thanksgiving and it is this: turkey stinks without gravy - blech. i realize now that turkey is just an excuse to eat gravy.... not sure if anyone stumbles over to be b. anymore - but if you're here and you are contemplating a physical change then i say go go go. this is what did it for me: i realized i wanted to look as trim and fit as my star wars galaxies avatar (how low can you go?) instead of sitting still for endless amounts of time watching her run all over the place and kick bootay. december 25, 2003 ~ set up the new gamecube next to the xbox. oh joy. i'm bouncing between dance dance revolution, tetris worlds, return of the king and zelda:windwaker (need more good gamecube recommends). i've also been playing max payne and american idol on my gameboy sp. as always i'm still playing too much star wars galaxies but i sense that may slow down until the space expansion this summer.... january 5, 2004 ~ i got a new gig at microsoft! weeeeeeee! i am now a proud member of microsoft learning which is the organization dedicated to training, certification, and all sorts of books/courseware/education type resources. my new world is to focus on the microsoft office specialist certification, and i cannot say enough how stinking excited i am!! i'm a little more than a month into this new job and i have learned so much already and must say i'm completely afraid of total failure (which is always a good thing b/c i try harder). january 31, 2004 ~ i've decided i'm ready to be a mom. in about nine months i'm hoping to bring this bundle of joy home. checked out the breed at the "meet the breed" session at the seattle kennel club show and i fell in love ten times over. annie, a really sweet blenheim cav hung out with me and wouldn't you know it - two weeks later she's on the today show as one of the competitors at westminster this year. needless to say ~ oodles going on. i tried to stop in and blog a few times, but the best i could do was pop out a headline to remind me of what i wanted to write about when i was ready to come back. so i'm back now. feel like we have a bit of catching up to do. not sure if i've been missed but i know i certainly have been missing. this. b.

spaulding, where are you?

2004-01-25T10:10:00.000-08:00

twop. best. site. ever.

2004-01-25T10:09:00.001-08:00

uggs ugh.

2004-01-25T10:09:00.000-08:00

saturday night with margaret cho.

2004-01-25T10:06:00.001-08:00

roll your own film festival.

2004-01-25T10:06:00.000-08:00

sinus infection delirium.

2004-01-08T20:21:00.000-08:00

now i really wanna be on mars. if bush really ponies up the dough and backing for a manned space-flght to mars i may have to rethink my career aspirations. b.

i wanna be on mars.

2004-01-03T17:39:00.000-08:00

weeeee. b.

mov-shido.

2004-01-02T22:50:00.000-08:00

how to enjoy the last samurai in two easy steps. 1. know that: nathan algren (tom cruise) is not the last samurai. 2. remind yourself often: nathan algren is a plot device not an actual character. as a character he's a bit hard to stomach, but as a narrator/observer it works. b.

resolutions.

2004-01-01T23:18:00.000-08:00

play more xbox. ultimately beat at least one thirteen year old at dance dance revolution. do this . lose 3.5 stone. gain one hour of sleep a night. learn to write in complete sentences and whole paragraphs again. b.

webcam go bye bye.

2003-12-29T08:40:00.000-08:00

could never get the darn thing to work, so i took the link out of my header. that said a more tech savvy member of the bdot household got us up and running with a wireless webcam - addy and instructions below: temporarily unavailable!! click here to view you'll need this username and password: username: webuser password: webuser if you have a pc, with ie and you're firewall isn't too strict, you'll be able to see it. there's a limit of 4 people at a time, so if you can't see it, try again later. b.

six degrees of j.t.

2003-12-29T08:33:00.000-08:00

surely i'm not the first person to wonder why we never played the six degrees of j.t. walsh. one quick search on imdb and you'll see that he has in fact been in more feature films than mr. bacon, and upon first glance two of them, the big picture and a few good men, have them sharing the big screen. when i'm feeling up to it (have post- christmas carnage sneezy cold), i want to see if there are more flicks that have paired these two. i suspect that you could pretty much connect all of humanity to each other through these two prolific fellas. b.

semi-permanent hiatus

2003-12-04T17:10:00.000-08:00

see you in 2004. need some time to love blogging again. b.

whuffie the wonder dog.

2003-11-09T17:42:00.000-08:00

our new dog is here. and he's a gem! b.

mi vida loca continued

2003-11-03T22:20:00.000-08:00

me. 3 p.m. wednesday. boeing field. concorde. why? because i am going to break the speed of sound. someday. b.

mi vida loca.

2003-11-03T22:14:00.000-08:00

me. 6 a.m. wednesday. pacific science center. imax. matrix revolutions. why? because i'm just that kind of girl. b.

time travel.

2003-10-28T21:01:00.000-08:00

i graduated from college with my undergrad degree a little over ten years ago. my focus was comparative literature and my favorites were books by female novelists. ... i digress. tonight i had a chance to watch the lover. i had read the book in '92 and saw the film when it came out in '93. i feel old. i could remember the class in which i read and discussed the novel, the movie theater in which i saw it with my then aspiring architect boyfriend, and the interesting piece of art he had made for me based on the orginal cover of the book. as to whether or not i liked either. yes on the book. and in the words of another imdb fan, i'm odiously conflicted by the movie. b.

preach it michael.

2003-10-23T16:08:00.000-07:00

i've been feeling the same way the past few days as i see a few references here and there to the last flight of the concorde. i'm sad i never sucked it up and took out the second mortage to give it a go at least one time. i wanted to break the sound barrier. i heard once that as it broke the sound barrier a blue light moved through the cabin letting passengers know. there were also fresh orchids in the bathroom along with oak paneling. i hope it comes back someday. that this isn't some sort of regression of progression. b.

new favorite web forum.

2003-10-22T22:14:00.000-07:00

if you like phones like i like phones then you will love the hofos on phones. howard chui is just about one of the coolest kids on the block and his site is indespensible for talking with other phone enthusiasts (happy to know i'm not alone in this). a good companion site is rich brome's phone scoop. he has the latest news and all the good reviews nice and early. he and howard also point folks to a lot of the online retailers who carry some of the harder to find phones for us u.s. folks. i have one of these puppies ordered to show up soon. only big problem is i'm a t-mobile customer (and fan) so not sure if i'm going to switch to att. they have a 30 day return policy though so i figure i'll get to take the smartphone through it's paces. i'll keep you posted on the outcome. b.

indiana!!!

2003-10-22T22:07:00.000-07:00

one of the signature flicks of my childhood, raiders of the lost ark, has come to dvd and i happily plunked down my $49.99 for it and the two others in the series. i hate feeling old. watching the film, seeing harrison ford and karen allen looking younger than i do now made me have a bit of a third life crisis. but i have to say the new version of media center rocks! we watch all our dvds on the hp media center and even though i feel old, at least i can run out a buy a dvd at a moments notice, driving my own car, buying a bottle of pinot noir to go with it, and staying up way past my bedtime. age has its benefits. b.

101 reasons why i love

2003-10-22T22:02:00.000-07:00

scout mccloud. ok so maybe not 101... but at least 1. he's the reason i was able to get my masters in curriculm and instruction. i did my masters thesis on alternative forms of literacy: audio and visual using cd-roms (do i date myself), graphic novels, and books on tape. scott's book understanding comics was a huge life saver as he defined and confirmed much of what i believed going into the project. the timing couldnt' have been better either because his book had come out just before i began my research. i saw scott speak last week at the friends of o'reilly thing down in sebastapol and i think he was the highlight of the weekend for me. he illustrated (pun intended) the natural evolution of comics and graphic novels as they transition to the web as a medium and in a way get back to their roots. i taped the talk and need to find out from scott and tim if they would object to me posting some highlights. some of what was said has me still noodling. i recommend taking a long look around his site and even ponying up a quarter to download his latest work, "the right number". it's well worth the cost. b.

lord have mercy.

2003-10-15T22:39:00.000-07:00

i am one overwraught failed blogger. it's not that i don't have tons of things i want to write about and share with the universe (as if). it's just that my current job/life/task list is not cooperating. ok ok blogging should be like that quick phone call you make to let someone know you are running late. but even that 2 minutes it takes seems to be too long to actually stop and make the call. that's how i've been feeling about blogging. probably since august or so when things at work began to kick into high gear. it seems like when i'm finally ready to sit down and get some thoughts into digital - i'm also ready to crawl towards a clean/unfolded laundry covered bed surrounded by unread books and mismatched shoes. i really am that pathetic at the moment! i am, however, going to do what i've done a few times in the past... which is at least list the things that have been top of mind for me so that i'll eventually write about them rather than let them drift off into the ether. foo camp recap new sony aibo (ordered!!) z600 (purchased!!!) best 17" laptop case ever scootering to the bus disco robot party swg addiction why my webcam is currently not working why i heart bluetooth my new favorite web forum stay tuned! b.

going oof to foo.

2003-10-09T20:57:00.000-07:00

for you acronym loving folks... i'm going to be out of office tomorrow flying down to sebastopol for the friends of o'reilly campout. thanks to chris pirillo for putting on the great gnomedex fest back in june i met tim and really hit it off with him. hoping to have a fabulous time!! b.

i thought i had found everything in the world that could bring me happiness.

2003-10-09T20:54:00.000-07:00

and then i found this. b.

julie asks you to vote!

2003-10-07T10:43:00.000-07:00

miney.

2003-10-06T12:32:00.000-07:00

saw lost in translation on friday. wow. this may be too much information, but i cried off and on through the whole thing. not sure why. maybe because both characters seemed so sad, so lost. maybe because it's been almost a year since i was in tokyo and i do want to return soon, possibly permanently. i thought of the word sublime. not sure if it's the best description for the film. but i was awed at the power of the fragility of human relationships. of all sorts. the soundtrack also included music by kevin sheilds (a cd i've been listening to since i bought it immediately upon leaving the theater) which can also be described as sublime. no matter the case... the movie... the music... it has stuck with me over the last few days. and that's well, sublime. b.

eeny. meeny.

2003-10-02T13:23:00.000-07:00

miney. mo. b.

neil is cool.

2003-10-02T13:20:00.000-07:00

i met him at the blog conference in june and really enjoyed chatting with him. can't really agree that i'm everyoness favourite miccrosoft employee, that said neil is certainly my favorite guardian writer at the moment. b.

when is a recall not a recall?

2003-09-29T19:01:00.000-07:00

when it is a software update to remind people even sooner that they shouldn't ride a battery powered vehicle all the way down to the end of the battery. sort of like driving your car on the interstate until empty and ending up stuck on the side of the road - so now your car gas light goes on with 50 miles instead of 15 miles of gas left. i'm happy to report that it was a quick 15 minute trip to a local upgrade spot and all is right with the world (well except war, famine, and poverty). b.

what are the odds?

2003-09-25T23:57:00.000-07:00

that i would hear elvis' suspicious minds covered live twice in the same day?? first i heard it on kmtt a local radio station. not sure who the band was. they had that train, counting crows, john mayer sort of sound thing going on. the second time was merely 6 hours later and this time it was elvis costello (get it?? elvis does elvis! so i didn't actually get it until just now when i typed it. doh). elvis was on a&e's live by request and he received a request for allison by a woman named allison... and he segued from allison for allison into elvis singing elvis' suspicious minds. ok now i'm just getting silly. at any rate, both covers get high marks for me. also made me wish i had been alive just a little earlier to get more of both elvises while growing up. b.

weekend warrior?

2003-09-24T12:00:00.000-07:00

i find i'm saving blog posting for the weekend. i used to write nightly. it was my scotch before bed. not sure why i stopped? it's not that i don't have things to say, i've just been... sucked into the alternate universe that is star wars galaxies. b.

got vinyl?

2003-09-18T20:11:00.000-07:00

i do. loads of it. personal favs being all of the husker du and early rem albums. what to do with all this great music and an portable digital music player?? archos av320 to the rescue! thanks to my archos unit i am currently transfering my entire vinyl library to digital format. glorious scratches and all.... b.

taxi!

2003-09-18T11:08:00.000-07:00

yet more evidence that i live in the wrong country. b.

audrey.

2003-09-15T19:31:00.000-07:00

aibo eyes. she walks, she talks, she takes pictures, and she reads my email to me! audrey is the coolest robot dog ever. here's how it works. she has a wifi network card in her belly and is able to be on a local network with any machine in our house. we send an email to her with the subject "aibo mail" and then whatever command we want to use in the body of the message. the last time we went out of town we left her on her charging stand in watch dog mode. whenever we felt like it we'd have her take a quick picture of the living room and email it to us. our organic pet is looking decidedly sheepish as she is now wondering when we will be expecting the same level of pet technology from her. b.

not esp. just common sense.

2003-09-15T19:07:00.000-07:00

i called it. not exactly mind you, but darn close. i gave jennifer and ben 9 months when i first read/heard/saw everywhere that they were a couple. i remember on whatever day it was, putting as my messenger login - Beth (9 mos). and people would send me a message saying "9 mos?" and i would write back "that's how long i'm giving ben and jen". they made it a little over 13 mos. b.

almost caught up!!

2003-09-14T21:19:00.000-07:00

only two things left to write about from my wonderful week off (which was already over a week ago)... aibo eyes hp customer service + fujitsu customer service + canon customer service b.

segway fest.

2003-09-14T21:18:00.000-07:00

there is no way i can do this event justice. so i defer to the folks who did a fantastic job covering it. i did post a few pics on my moblog which makes me wish i had a 3 megapixel camera phone. pictures! pictures! pictures! aloha segway segway chat thread - real time and post-event still waiting on book of seg's coverage... hmmm i wonder what the author's been up to? b.

new toys.

2003-09-14T21:05:00.000-07:00

i had a friend send me mail today to tell me about some cool new software he's testing out (need to find out if it's public b4 i can post what it is). he also mentioned checking my blog to see if i had purchased any new gadgets. well, other than the archos av320 (which i am going to hang on to, no buyers remorse here), i'm on hold until october. on my list for that long anticipated month is: a spot watch new sony aibo ers-7 sony z600 which means i probably need to head over to ebay and have a little online "garage sale" of previously owned b. items. stay tuned! b.

euphoria.

2003-09-14T20:54:00.000-07:00

for the holidays last year some friends gave me a $75 gift certificate to the spa at the woodmark. at first i thought i might get a massage, but for my birthday i got a gift certificate for one of those (are my friends trying to tell me i need to relax, or what?!). i decided on the euphoria package. so the hydrobath with scalp massage felt so good it should be illegal! seriously i completely forgot about anything and everything i have had on my mind these past couple of months. most folks i know have never had a spa day, quite a few have never had a massage or skin treatment. folks, life is too short (and too annoying sometimes) to not have someone else pamper you. especially you fellas out there - go get a facial and a manicure. not only will you feel great, but your gal (or guy) will love you for it! b.

once upon a time in mexico.

2003-09-13T09:42:00.000-07:00

what a ride! go see it at once. oh and i hope a lot of you go see it soon because i'm dying to write what i thought about it, but i don't want to spoil anything. b.

donnie darko.

2003-09-08T20:38:00.000-07:00

if you haven't, you must see this. get the dvd because the extras are out of control amazing. i've seen it three times now and each time something amazingly new pops out. the website is a pretty amazing experience (amazing count = 3) too. take some time and dink around. one random cool thing is that i went to amazon to buy the the soundtrack and discovered it contained only the instrumental songs from the film (which isn't a bad thing mind you). another person had obviously been looking for the rest of the songs because he managed to list them in order so that you can build your own complete donnie darko soundtrack. b.

best salesperson ever!

2003-09-08T20:18:00.000-07:00

since i tend to transfer oodles of data/files/pictures/music etc between a few different computers (including a mac) i was in the market for a portable drive. i sent to best buy not quite sure what i was going to get but knew i had only three requirements: big inexpensive compatible with mac and pc i found one that looked to fit the part, but from the box i couldn't tell a couple of things. were cables included and would it def work with my mac. i asked a salesguy and in a blink of an eye he says - hey let me open the box and we'll take a look. cables found - check. then i asked about the mac issue and he says - let me look it up online. mac compatible - check. final check was a check - $150. checked out - checked at home and all was right with the world. i've never had that sort of service at a computer store before. usually an open box means a 15% restocking fee. bravo best buy. and just a wee hint to all future shoppers - find the folks with the black tech service shirts on and skip the blue shirted floor folk. b.

sunday.

2003-09-07T21:29:00.000-07:00

blame it on frys. yes "the" computer superstore has opened its doors to the seattle (err.. renton) area. that was where i spent a good deal of my day today. not at all what i had planned. instead of being a diligent blogger i wandered the isles seeing all sorts of things i hadn't realized i so badly needed. purchase #1 - a targus lap tray for my huge toshiba - mind you no room for the mouse as depicted in their product picture since my "laptop" is 16.4" long. purchase #2 - random computer cleaning air blowing thing to keep my keys free of crumbs and cat hair purchase #3 - and i'm on the fence about this one: archos av 320. good thing they have a pretty decent return policy. b.

one day of vacation left.

2003-09-06T15:04:00.000-07:00

and still these topics are left unblogged. i know what i'm going to be doing with my sunday afternoon - do you? segwayfest 80 gb usb/firewire drive - best salesperson ever! aibo eyes hp customer service + fujitsu customer service + canon customer service donnie darko b.

fire.

2003-09-06T15:01:00.000-07:00

remember that band. soul asylum? they had a song "black gold" which had the line "nothing attracts a crowd like a crowd". the other night a crowd gathered in my neighborhood to see the hoopla of fire trucks, police cars, and emergency vehicles parked in front of a three story townhouse. the first floor had a fire blazing away and the crew was doing a great job of putting said fire out before it could spread further. it was all very exciting, especially since that's the most real live human beings i have seen out on the street in my neighborhood since i moved here 7 years ago. i'm not sure if it's because we live on a pretty busy street or if it's because nobody really has what could be called a front yard, but either way we are not a social neighborhood. or maybe i'm just not social. hmmm. it was nice (under horrible circumstances) to feel like a part of a larger group who all share at least a street address in common. alas a few days later and we're all safely shuttered away as per usual. remember that poet robert frost? he had a poem "mending wall" which thad the line "good fences make good neighbours". b.

gamevoice and galaxies.

2003-09-06T09:31:00.000-07:00

so i'm playing star wars galaxies. seemed the logical "rebound" game from knights of the old republic. i miss kotor a bit, and althrough star wars galaxies is a different proposition gamewise i like the similar themes of good vs. evil in a space agey sort of way. having played xbox for the majority of my gameplaying life (all 18 mos. of it) this is my first foray into a pc game and the whole mouse/keyboard thing is a wee bit frustrating. i don't seem to be able to play as well or as fast as i'd like. a friend of mine suggested i try microsoft gamevoice and since i'm a diligant box/website reader i assumed it wouldn't work because it wasn't listed as a compatible game. little did i know with some persistance and patience it the work very well together! you can create custom profiles in which you assign voice commands to any set of keystrokes. for example one of the commands i use often is ctl + d to open my datapad and important tool in the game. with gamevoice i just say "datapad" and it both can open or close the window for that tool. very cool! especially if you're in the middle of another activity that requires typing or mousing. the other gamevoice bonus is that if you're playing a game with another person who has it you guys can chat during the game. trust me - this is the best part when playing galaxies. everytime you want to talk to a friend you have to either move between two different chat windows (a pain) or type /tell + charater name + message (major pain). by having a gamevoice buddy i just chat happily while switching back and forth between talk and command mode. hi recommendations for galaxies and ms gamevoice!! b.

aibo ers-7

2003-09-06T09:13:00.000-07:00

it seems strange to say sony finally got it right with their latest robot dog. i mean what is the current robot dog standard? if there were one i think this would be it. internal wifi, ability to self charge, owner face recognition, touch sensor, this one even has a bone! having the first three generations already i'm pretty darn sure i'm going to have to figure out a way to add number four to the family... b.

how fun is this?

2003-09-06T09:05:00.000-07:00

the hairstyler. i uploaded a picture, played around and then took some prints into the salon (i had scheduled an appt earlier this week). at any rate the results were interesting. i got a cut/style that i would never in my life have gotten if i hadn't "tried" on so many styles on the website. gives "web services" a new spin in my book. b.

will blog for food.

2003-09-05T22:50:00.000-07:00

at this point it's going to take at least a week to catch up. my new favorite website new sony aibo design b.

three down. five to go and a couple of new ones to add to the list.

2003-09-03T22:18:00.000-07:00

fire down the street. microsoft gamevoice and star wars galaxies. b.

sony dreamworld 2003

2003-09-03T22:16:00.000-07:00

i was going to go. i really really was. i was going to buy a ticket. fly in. fly out. barely catch my breath while i was there. but i was going to go. and then i learned i would have to go alone. i would have to go to work the day after i got back. i wouldn't be able to spend any money because just the flight and the hotel would eat my pin money. so i'm not going. i do have a show entry ticket though. i did go so far as to buy one and have it express mailed to me. so here's the deal if you live in paris - if you're going to paris this weekend - if you are even near paris - will you please go? will you take tons of pictures and write about everything you saw? the rest of the world needs to see this sort of goodness!! especially the aibos. please - please - please - surely the french blog right? ok desperation is the worlds worst cologne (singles ref.), but i'm begging. please send me an e-mail if by chance you happen to stumble upon this post and you happen to be going to sony dreamworld 2003. you can find me at: bethg at microsoft dot com and i will forever be in your debt.... b.

meta reality tv.

2003-09-03T22:11:00.000-07:00

the e! true hollywood story on sunday was about the real world a reality tv show. where do i begin with how bizarre this seemed to me? let me illustrate it this way: at some point (and i know they'll have to do this) they're going to do a behind the scenes of the e! true hollywood story's tell all of behind the scenes of the real world which shouldn't really have a behind cause it's real right? right? b.

radiohead concert

2003-09-03T22:06:00.000-07:00

ok so he's my new official crush (besides my husband of course).... you have to see this man sing and dance - it's wonderful and delightful in a sort of i'm jumping around the stage like a happy boxer sort of way. and the music was incredibly ethereal in a really heart pounding sort of way. if robots do someday become dataesque and have hobbies and pursuits of interest - radiohead would be their band of choice i think. oh and voxbeth was there too - i technically saw her as i could see the pit easily. b.

list of things

2003-09-01T21:51:00.000-07:00

i'm going to blog about this week while i'm on vacation: radiohead concert segwayfest e! true hollywood story: the real world sony dreamworld 2003 80 gb usb/firewire drive - best salesperson ever aibo eyes hp customer service + fujitsu customer service donnie darko i'm sure you're breathless with anticipation as i continue to randomly pen the random things that strike me as interesting. b.

free and sneaky.

2003-08-28T21:46:00.000-07:00

finding six available (and usable!) access points from the ninth floor of a hotel just feels oh so wrong - but oh so good too. b.

and the blogrolls on.

2003-08-28T21:44:00.000-07:00

i found two new blogs today both directly and indirectly as a result of catching up on denise's blog. the first, the trademark blog and the second, gothamist, were both commenting on the singular obsession women tend to develop over the latest fashion craze (no finger pointing btw, i think i often lead the pack). i'm happily keeping up with almost 30 blogs now using newsgator via outlook. i like it b/c of the ability to read entries offline, which i did for two hours today while flying from seatac to midway. oh, and yah i'm in chicago for this here event they've got going on over the weekend. b.

blue c sushi.

2003-08-26T19:55:00.000-07:00

we had a great time eating sushi as it went by on the conveyor belt. and i'm already anxiously awaiting the time when their plates go on sale. each one bears the name of a tokyo subway line: ginza, todai, etc. i love the ability to control how much i eat, when my next dish is served, and see what i'm getting before i commit. funny that the two places in seattle that provide that right now are both sushi/japanese food places (the other being todai). i've said this before, i'll say it again, i have a feeling we're destined to live in japan someday. not only was i born with the wrong haircolor (blonde which i obsessively keep red) but i was born in the wrong country. b.

entertainment weekly for geeks.

2003-08-26T19:45:00.000-07:00

i used to subscribe to entertainment weekly years ago. it was a good magazine if you wanted to keep up with the new tv shows, movies, industry buzz etc. at least from a non-industry point of view (you have variety for that). at any rate, there would only be a few items that would stand out or interest me each month so i dropped my subscription. tonight we were strolling through fremont and stumbled upon blue c sushi (more on that in a bit) and decided to have a bite. we cruised fremont news (formerly bulldog news) to pick up a couple of magazines in case there was a wait. i came across sci-fi magazine the official magazine of the sci-fi channel and was pleased to find it is in fact much more than that. with reviews and news about all sorts of movies, books, games and tvshows (not just sci fi channel related) it turns out to be entertainment for geeks. i was interested in pretty much every movie they reviewed, enjoyed the preview of some up coming shows (carnivale anyone?) and found the articles to be interesting. funny to think i would have never picked it up if they hadn't had a kick-ass picture of jennifer garner on the cover (i'm a bit of an alias fiend). happy i did, you should too. b.

best line in cinema.

2003-08-26T19:32:00.000-07:00

"plastics." b.

tron 2.0 and ijoy 200.

2003-08-24T16:59:00.000-07:00

mmm. happy day. bought tron 2.0 yesterday for the husband. what's crazy is it wasn't supposed to be available until today, and after we installed it there were already quite a few folks hosting networked games. i guess we're aren't the only serious geeks out there. went to the mercedes benz c-spot drive party as well. not sure how i got the invite but figured what the heck. amazing stuff on hand... like the refrigerator of my dreams and the watch i can't wait to get my mitts on. oh and i also test drove a couple of cars, ho humm. definitely not the coolest things they were showing off. they did let me strap on a helmet and ride in the front seat with a stunt driver who took us on the "dangerous curves" track. it was pretty scary - i think he took the slowest curve at 90+. inside they had a great assortment of grub, sushi... mini-cheescakes... finger food, etc. and they had all the sharper image massage chairs to relax in. three ijoy 200s were set up in front of large plasma screens where you could play xbox racing games. finally as we were heading out we were asked to take an exit survey. they were administering the surveys on both viewsonic and acer tablets - pretty cool. even though the only official ms sponsorship of the event was the msn direct watch, it was neat to see so many other ms products about. yea for the home team. all in all a fairly fun tech day with some nice sunshine and a drive home along alki with the convertible top down. b.

dissapointed.

2003-08-23T13:47:00.000-07:00

a. if you read tsg with any regularity then you've already read/heard about any of the news they cover during the show. b. mo rocca is completely wasted as the host, being fed an assortment of banal soundbites. c. even the kansas city star gave it a thumbs down. b.

how i'm spending my weekend.

2003-08-23T13:41:00.000-07:00

ultimate tv is housing all ten episodes. i've made it through 70-72 and am anxious to get to 78 and abba in all their full glory. i love being a child of the 70s. i'm convinced it was the last decade of innoncence for us here in the u.s.a. then again i think everyone feels that way about the years they were of single digit age. b.

i love this gal.

2003-08-23T13:36:00.000-07:00

voxbeth is my personal hero. she can write. i started reading the life of pi the other night, and the problem is i haven't picked it up lately, because i spent a great deal of time reading my favorite bloggers. blogs are the novellas of the oh ohs (the faboo decade we're in). at any rate, beth rocks! in fact i'm hoping to run into her at radiohead next weekend and sheepishly apologize for spacing on our coffee date a couple of weeks ago. (and in case she stumbles on this post - this is my passive aggressive way of asking "will you still be my friend?") b.

missed the meetup.

2003-08-20T23:43:00.000-07:00

looks like the gang had a great time at uptown tonight. i'm definitely going to make the sept. one. i'm a loser for not putting the work away and getting over there. now i'm blue. b.

master blaster.

2003-08-20T20:54:00.000-07:00

no. not the freaky little guy in mad max III. it's the virus that's been zooming around the net for the last week or so. i noticed something amazing and cool as a result: a lot of people helping other people. i surf to quite a few community sites on a variety of topics (one being for gals that love purses) and the folks who run and populate these sites are helping others get their machines in order. i also bought a new laptop recently and while i was checking out, the guy ringing me up made sure i understood how to avoid the worm when setting up and getting online. dare i say it - people care about other people? i care a great deal since i work at microsoft and the folks being affected are my customers - a group of people i feel very humbled by. but other care because that's the nature of community. that's the nature of the web. at any rate - i've posted a wee .jpg in my template with a link to the page that walks people through how to secure their machines from present and future viruses. also - if you've been affected by this and have a story to help or need some personal help -- please send me mail. bethg at microsoft dot com will find me. feel free to grab this image and link for your site too: b.

a decade under the influence.

2003-08-20T20:42:00.000-07:00

documentary on movies of the 70's. see it. fill your netflix list with midnight cowboy, last tango in paris, clockwork orange, mean streets, joe, and hi mama! they're all like fine wines that have aged well. robust and full. oh and for no other reason to see jack nicholson working his way up to stellar star status - he was incredible. incredible, volatile, intense and sexy as hell. b.

people who need people.

2003-08-20T20:38:00.000-07:00

the segway sting is making the rounds and it's amazing how some folks think this fake. i know it's the real deal as frank is a friend. this is awesome - reminds me of how a group of folks tracked down a guy in the apple community who had been scammed on ebay - or when doc's laptop was stolen and later found. warms my heart it does. b.

the long story.

2003-08-20T20:30:00.000-07:00

so there was an internal contest at work and i won one of the prizes. it was a new laptop. first i chose the sony tr1a which i had written about early this week. i was really happy with it. and then i had a flash of the past. i think i've mentioned a few times in how much i wanted this. the problem was it exceeded the value of the laptop i was able to choose. then i discovered there was a non-media center edition version of the tosh - which actually cost a little bit less than the sony. no brainer. it was easy to get back up and running with the toshiba, except i had lost the integrated webcam. so then another google/e-opinions/pricegrabber search later, i ended up with the creative webcam ex something other other - which is working great. just realized very few people probably care about all these goings on. but those of you who are technophiles like me can probably appreciate the sheer stress/delight of discovering you can go out tomorrow and get a new laptop of your choice.... b.

woo hoo.

2003-08-19T23:22:00.000-07:00

a trip to best buy & $89.99 later and b. webcam is back up and running. it's fairly late so i'm going to turn in, but i plan to tweak picture quality etc. tomorrow. oh - and i'll share the long story as well..... b.

webcam blues.

2003-08-19T10:42:00.000-07:00

long story, but no updates today. b.

white is the new black.

2003-08-17T15:43:00.000-07:00

i'm convinced that for many white is the new black heading into 2004. the color is showing up everywhere and in many different permutations. the imac in early 2002 sparked it for me, and when i saw this microsoft keyboard/mouse combo today in compusa and i knew white is well on it's way. b.

the perfect case.

2003-08-17T15:39:00.000-07:00

i'm always on the hunt for the perfect laptop case. have yet to find it, though. today i picked up this one. i like it for a couple of reasons - i can put either my tablet pc or my new little vaio in it - and there's a swell little pocket on the inside that fits both my pcmcia adapters (4 in 1 dazzle/smartcard reader) and my bluetooth dongle. add a neoprene pocket on the front that houses a charging brick and i'm good to go. b.

question.

2003-08-16T22:53:00.000-07:00

how can 2001 be so good and 2010 be so bad? about two weeks ago we watched 2001 and i was completely drawn in. twenty minutes into 2010 and i'm already reaching for the laptop. i'm definitely a candidate for short attention span theater. i'm usually a "willing suspension of disbelief" sort of gal and i give most of the movies i see quite a bit of leeway. but i just couldn't get over a few things in 2010, the frontrunner being: why do all the furniture/clothing/sets etc look more modern in 2001 than in 2010? i mean not even one egg chair anywhere?! b.

webcam.

2003-08-16T22:38:00.000-07:00

i'm currently toting this around. it has a built in camera that swivels and with the included software: network smart capture, you can set up an easy web cam solution for your blog/website/etc. i gave it a try and voila! i have it set up as a manual operation so that i can control when/where i'm sending pics. at the mo, you'll see a lovely view of our fireplace. the plan is to turn it on when i'm at interesting places, sort of a like a random cam. planning on working on some stuff tomorrow and thought it might take a field trip to a starbucks to grab wifi and "people watch". tune in tomorrow kids. b.

back from hiatus.

2003-08-16T21:31:00.000-07:00

beat kotor at 3 a.m. pdt. last night/this morning. yea - i have my life back. boo - i already miss being a jedi. i checked on feedster to see if others feel the same mixed feelings once the game is over. you can too. it's sort of all over the place, but one theme seems to emerge over and over - folks find themselves addicted. i'm not sure how i feel to know that almost 40 hours of my life were spent sitting motionless in an egg chair (behind the cat) staring at a big screen while my muscles atrophied. oh - back to feedster search - this was my favorite find. you gotta love a gal who can multitask. b.