No Strings Attached

Posted By Kathleen David on December 7, 2013

Recently I have been seeing a lot of lists and articles about behavior both good and bad. You can read about 10 habits of happy people or 20 habits of unhappy people or 7 strategies of important people or whatever. We are endlessly fascinated by how people do what they do or act how they act and we seem to like to distill that down into lists.

Part of this might be because I am keeping up with my Facebook feed which is off and on for me. Facebook seems to be made of lists and memes…and games lots and lots of games.

I know that blogging is still going on. I read various people’s thoughts on a variety of subjects still on Live Journal or another platform. I think I am starting to understand Tumbler. Pinrest is still not making much sense to me over all. I use to GetGlue but much less since the physical stickers are now gone and right after the Doctor Who marathon of stickers. I have a Twitter account but it is more for reading than commenting.

There was an article in the NYT about how one’s social footprint may influence which college they get into and what sort of scholarships might be offered to them. There was another article I read about Human Resources looking at one’s social footprint as part of the vetting process for a job. A candidate which looks good on paper and interviews well can find themselves not getting the job because of what they say on the Internet or what others say about them. So those “I was so drunk Friday night” messages present a person without self control and, if there is a pattern of these messages, a person with a potential problem. It seems that how you present yourself on the web is as important as how you present yourself in person.

I am thinking of joining Linkedin but I am unsure what I would do with it. I am looking for work but most of my leads have come from direct contact with people. Not that I have found a job or any freelance work recently. But this year has been about family needs more than anything else.

I am wondering what historians are going to make of our Internet footprints. What patterns are they going to see and what data will they mine? The world seems to be moving fast and we are moving closer together because of these electronic mediums. In some ways we have never been closer but in others we have never been further apart. And is there too much sharing?

I am grateful that I got on the Internet early in its existence.

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Posted By Kathleen David on December 6, 2013

Caroline had a nice 11th birthday. She didn’t get her sleepover but she did get to spend time with friends and celebrate the day. The pizza making went over very well. They liked that they could make it the way that they want it.

There is a lot of talk this morning both positive and negative about the live version of The Sound of Music that aired last night. I am going to be interested in the final viewing numbers. If this experiment worked, then we might see more live theater on TV, which is a good thing for theater in general. It puts live theater back on people’s radar. A majority of Americans have not seen a live theater performance (school productions aside) and wouldn’t it be nifty if they want to see them? Yes, they did the musical and not the movie but that was the point of doing a live performance.

Today Caroline is home because it is teacher/parent conference day. She is enjoying her long weekend by getting up early and playing with her dolls. I have a 10:30 appointment to talk to the teacher and get Caroline’s report card. Last year for this because we don’t have this in middle school around here.

RIP Nelson Mandela. He changed a country and the world forever. He died of old age which, considering what has happened to others who practiced non-violence, was a win for him.

I need to get some stuff done today or at least started after I finish the conference. We have cake on the kitchen floor due to a mishap so that need to be scrubbed up before it gets ground in. Also want to get the vacuuming done. I might start on the laundry today rather than tomorrow.

I applied for a job yesterday that I am really hoping I have a better shot at than the last job I applied for. I would be so good at it considering my skill set that I have built over the years. If not this one, I am hoping that another position at the same company opens up and I can be on the ground floor of getting into that one. It would be the kind of job that if I get it, everyone who knows me will say, “Of course she is working there.” Caveat: it is not with the Muppets or CTW as much as I would love a job there too.

I am grateful for opportunities that present themselves.

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Posted By Kathleen David on December 5, 2013

Dear Caroline,

Today is your 11th birthday. You just skipped off to the bus stop to go to school. This evening you are having a sleepover with a couple of your friends for your birthday party. We are going to make small personal pizzas and decorate cupcakes along with playing some games. You have been planning this for weeks. I hope it comes off the way that will leave you with pleasant memories.

So you start your second year in double digits. This past year you have proven to me how strong you can be. Considering all that happened in the past year and all that you have to put a brave face on for, I am very proud at how you acted. You put others needs in front of your own. You did what you could to help around the house so I could take care of other things. You proved how mature you could be when you need to be.

You can play the flute quite beautifully now. You have worked very hard for that skill and it is paying off with music that is lovely to listen to. You have worked from your green sash to your advanced green sash and now you are almost to your blue sash in Green Cloud Kung Fu. You work hard at learning the forms and enjoy weapons practice. You have come so far.

It has been interesting to see you interests blossom as you work to become your own person. Your food pallet continues to expand. You still love your sushi but you have added new foods and tastes as well.

This year is your last year in elementary school. Next year you start middle school, which will be a big change for you but I think you will adjust well to it. You are good at adapting to new situations. I have seen a lot of you doing that this year.

Know that your mommy and daddy love you very much as do your big sisters. We are in your corner cheering for you and watching you grow and fulfill the promise that you have shown us at such a young age.

I love you very much and I am here for you.

Love,
Mommy

PS I am grateful that you are in my life.

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Posted By Kathleen David on December 3, 2013

OK now that Ed Kramer’s trial is over and he has pleaded guilty however an Alford Plea which is where one pleads guilty without admitting actually wrong doing, I am going to speak about the whole messy matter.

A few things you need to know before you read this.

I have known Ed since we were both at Emory University. I was an undergraduate and he was in the grad school. I went out on a couple of dates with Ed but just didn’t feel right about it so we agreed that we were friends and went on our merry ways.

I have been to Dragon*Con since about the third one I think. I have been the tech director of Dragon*Con back in the 90s. I still go to Dragon Con. I have lots of friends involved in Dragon Con. I have known Pat Henry for just about as long as I have known Ed. So Dragon Con is close and dear to my heart.

When I heard that Ed was accused of child molestation, I had a hard time believing it. I knew Ed. I couldn’t see it. But that is the way of sociopaths that they can make themselves look innocent and normal in the eyes of everyone else.

But as the years went on and various things came out, I came to the conclusion that I was as bamboozled as everyone else who thought that they knew him. The more he fought going to trial, the more I realized what I though I knew about him was false.

And that is hard to swallow. You think you know someone and then you discover that you didn’t really.

Dragon*Con has become Dragon Con and removed Ed from the equation entirely. Because of Georgia Contract law, this was a lot harder to do than it would have been in other states. I can’t tell you everything I know here because I have been told in confidence but I can say that the board of Dragon Con has been working for several years to separate Ed from the convention. They couldn’t say anything one way or the other because then Ed would have sued them yet again and start the whole process over of trying to separate Ed again. Georgia law has a provision that no company can be dissolved while there are suits against said company. You can do the math.

So after 13 years he pled guilty and was sentenced to three years house arrest. There is a lot of uproar about the fact that he has house arrest. May I remind you that if he is under house arrest then all his medical expenses (which are apparently myriad) are his own not the state. And you know that they are going to be watching him like a hawk. He crosses the line and his butt is in jail for the next 25 years.

He can never go to a convention again since he is now a registered sex offender. They are probably going to be monitoring his calls and computer activity if he has any. He is in a box and will be there for the next three years. After that his activities will be monitored since he is basically on probation for the rest of his life. He has to pay restitution to his victims, which will cut into any money he has left along with his lawyer bills, which are massive by this point. And it leaves him open to any and all civil suits against him, which will cost him dearly one way or another.

This story is not over for him but it is for Dragon Con which is now 100% Ed free.

Personally I feel a bit used and dirty from the whole thing. I keep trying to see what I missed. How I didn’t know what he was at the time. I go over it in my mind and try to figure out what I could have done which is in all honesty nothing. And that is the scary thing, I didn’t know and couldn’t see what was going on. It makes me question so many things.

I am grateful that this whole mess has had some form of a conclusion. I hope that the victims get one as well.

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Posted By Kathleen David on December 2, 2013

So it is going to be a bit of a brain dump about a lot of things that are going to be rattling around in my head.

This year has been different on so many levels. I can’t say that I have led an uninteresting life. Those who have known me over the years can tell you that my life has been many things but boring is not an adjective that they can place on it. This year has seen so many changes both good and bad.

I have been rereading “Blink” by Malcolm Gladwell about snap decisions and first impressions. He postulates that some people seem to be able to make decisions based on their first blink or gut feeling about something. Sometimes they are good at it and sometimes they are bad at it. I am waiting for David and Goliath to be returned to our local library so I can read that one as well.

Bowling hasn’t being going well for me at all. I think I know what is going wrong with my release and can correct it but consistency is out the window. Either way I have my league tonight and I am trying to stay out of my head.

The NFL season has not been kind to me. At this point I don’t really care who ends up in the playoffs since all the teams I cheer for aren’t. 74 days until pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training.

Speaking of football, college this time, I did see the Auburn return against Alabama in the final seconds of the game. WOW! That was an amazing play and an amazing bit of luck for Auburn. So Auburn goes to 3 and ‘Bama to 4. I am still trying to figure out the playoff system that is going on or about to go on.

Thus endth the sports section of my musings.

This week is about the house. There are things I need to do while it is not bitter cold outside the house and a lot to do before Thursday night in the house. I have a list and it is a long one. So I am starting at point A and working my way through the alphabet.

Well that was a twist on Once Upon a Time last night. It amazes me that the show still surprises me. Two more episodes before the break until March. March!?!?! Anyone else remember when we got our 22 or so episodes and then repeats during the summer? They might take a break for Thanksgiving or Christmas but we didn’t have this two section seasons until Cable.

Frozen is one of the best Disney films in a long time. Yes, there are a lot of songs (think Beauty and the Beast) but there are also a lot of twists and turns and a couple of Disney tropes that get broken and smashed into dust. It feels like a Disney film rather than a Pixar film.

It looks like snow but I know that it is not going to.

The cats are being rather clingy. Millie has taken to sleeping near me if I am downstairs. I think they are still sorting out that their tribe went from 5 to 2 rather quickly this year, which is one of the big changes. Buying less food and it is easier to clean the litter boxes these days but I miss the three cats we have lost this year.

Ok my brain can feel the coffee kicking in. Time to get the day going and see how much I can get done in a 8 hour period.

I am grateful for my parents and they know why.

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