MetaChat - Three Point Status Report

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05 October 2006

Three Point Status Report 1) Although I think everyone in the Meta Community is pretty damn smart, I think paulsc is very smart, empathetic, and opinionated (with backup) and have a huge intellectual crush on him.→[More:]
2) I think I will want to buy a Curriculum for the grant. Recommendations for training packs for nerdy laypeople (non-educators) teaching IT Literacy to other non-nerdy laypeople are gratefully received. Getting nervous about the grant in general. Oy, if I have to do this project I am going to be a very busy bunny.
3) I looked up Toastmasters because I want to become a damn fucking good agile public speaker (and debater too). Here in Scotland the skillz flow mightily with the Irn Bru. My friend Peter says I should do speaking exercises with Google and a tape recorder so that's what I'll start doing. This involves getting a random topic and having 2 minutes to come up with a 5 minute speech , and other such challenges.

post by: By the Grace of God at: 06:31 | 35 comments

I totally agree about paulsc. I always read what he has to say and a lot of times agree with it.

posted by essexjan 05 October | 06:53

1) I am drunk. Really drunk. Like, about to fall over and it's not even the middle of the afternoon.
2) Tomorrow I have to go back to the city in which I live and I really don't want to do that.
3) My back really hurts.

I've heard Toastmasters is really good, but I don't know who paulsc is.

posted by cmonkey 05 October | 06:55

Toastmasters is good. A guy I know who works for a congressman does it and it's gotten him really good at public speaking (and is funny!) Unfortunately the closest group's Aberdeen, boo.

Woofliness is good, cmonkey. Maybe you can get work abroad?? Did you get a full medical checkup after the stupid nazi punks?

Essexjan I bet is a good public speaker!

posted by By the Grace of God 05 October | 06:58

Woofliness? That sounds fun.

I did get checked out, and recieved a clean bill of health. Even my blood pressure is OK! And it sounds like I'm on a path to getting transfered to the Germany office, so I might be living and working abroad by the end of 2007 if I work my shmoozing skills hard enough. I sure hope I can pull it off...

posted by cmonkey 05 October | 07:15

What's wrong with the Silver City? Apart from the fact that it's 125 miles away? Ok then. Embra has Capital Communicators. I can't vouch for them, but they're part of Toastmasters International.

As you've just found out, public speaking is a drug. So like any drug, research it and talk to people who do it a lot (people who aren't too fux0rd up by it, which might rule out the Famous Celeb), and think about what you want to do with it.

But I think this is great. You're obviously someone who wants to change the world for the better and have all manner of skills needed to do so. You've just discovered that you have yet another.

Maybe Scotland's first real Prime Minister will be a woman. Go for it, I say.

posted by GeckoDundee 05 October | 07:40

Em, that wasn't three points though, was it?

1) A potential major PITA at work turned out to be at worst a very minor one

2) A lot of the people I work with (occasionally) turn out to hold me in very high regard

3) I know something that cmonkey doesn't.

A good day all round, I reckon.

posted by GeckoDundee 05 October | 07:43

1. I have already finished the work I brought home with me today.

2. I have conditioned my hair and will leave the conditioner on it all day and will rinse it off tonight. This makes my hair very soft.I have no plans to go out. Today is a 'chill' day.

3. It is raining and the cats think it's my fault and want me to make it stop. They are both sitting at the patio door looking outside with grumpy expressions on their little cat faces. But if it was not raining they would both be in bed (mine) fast asleep anyway not outside because they are just contrary like that.

posted by essexjan 05 October | 07:47

3) I know something that cmonkey doesn't.

Aww jeez, gimme a hint or something, please!

posted by cmonkey 05 October | 07:50

I know who paulsc is and appreciate his contribution to MeFi.

But, yeah, if I'd been drinking overpriced Zywiec (and I've yet to encounter an underpriced bottle in either hemisphere*) all day, I'd want it de-cryptified too. Sorry.

*You killed a little something inside of me cmonkey. I always held out hope that, at least in Poland, Zywiec wouldn't be overpriced and overhyped. It's not a bad beer, but it's hardly Pilsner Urquel (which is always cheaper).

posted by GeckoDundee 05 October | 08:01

1)I desperately need to do laundry. my underwear is not only walking around by itself, it's dancing.
2)At noon today, I must log on ticketweb and get those Dictators (and if possible, Patti Smith) tickets.
3)My pants actually fit me nicely today.

posted by jonmc 05 October | 08:01

1) I have, literally, just come down with a cold. Now I'm sniffing, sneezing and coughing all over the lab. Good times.

2) I have to mark lab reports and am having trouble writing positive comments and constructive criticisms.

3) I want to go home and play some gamecube.

posted by LunaticFringe 05 October | 08:07

Update: Patti Smith is sold out, except for $33 day-of-show tickets.

wish me luck with the Dics.

posted by jonmc 05 October | 08:19

wish me luck with the Dics.

...I totally misread this.

posted by LunaticFringe 05 October | 08:24

hardy-har-har...

posted by jonmc 05 October | 08:25

1) I just had a very yummy BLT pannini and a glass of red wine. Now I've got a stiff coffee in front of me.
2) GeckoDundee, you are unbelievably sweet. I can never be Prime Minister of anything because I've got The Worst (tm) skeletons in my cupboard, though!
3) Costings. Better do them instead of faffing about on MetaChat.

also, cmonkey: paulsc is a very frequent AskMe poster - you'll find him giving difficult but essential advice in relationship threads, and displaying his surprising breadth of knowledge and eloquence on business, politics, and many other topics as well!

also 2: Good luck getting tix, jonmc! I got Scotland v. France tix for Saturday - that's going to be ridiculously fun.

posted by By the Grace of God 05 October | 08:26

Ticketweb isn't listing the Dictators yet, but they are listing the Bad Brains for next wednesday whose tickets go on sale at the same time. That's odd.

posted by jonmc 05 October | 08:35

1) I'm so angry with myself right now for reasons listed in this post. I'm also not comfortable with having just posted something like this.
2) I have an idea for an article and I think it's a great idea.
3) I got a book (Estonian translation of Evgeny Zamyatin's "We") today that I have to review. I think it's a great book.

posted by Daniel Charms 05 October | 08:52

(Good thing I was checking. I just called CB's and the ticket vendors had fucked up their page and not listed the show)

posted by jonmc 05 October | 08:53

1) Scotland v France sounds like rubgy (surely not?). Or will there be headbutting? (Not that an answer to that would clear anything up).
2) Skeletons should always be aired, and any culture that preys on them ought not to be allowed democracy. (The People's Republic of Scotland will inevitably put this right and thereby show a shining example to the rest of the world. I expect to be ambassador to Australia BTW).
3) Yeah, paulsc has no green questions and over a thousand answers. They're all very good answers and not "male answer syndrome" stuff.

posted by GeckoDundee 05 October | 08:55

They fixed it. Way To Go me!

posted by jonmc 05 October | 08:56

"...paulsc is a very frequent AskMe poster - you'll find him giving difficult but essential advice in relationship threads, and displaying his surprising breadth of knowledge and eloquence on business, politics, and many other topics as well! ..."

I wasn't always as I seem today. But then somebody gave me a copy of Dianetics, someone else I thought I loved had me read Atlas Shrugged, I became infatuated with the works of Bertrand Russell and George Bernard Shaw, and I finally found an analyst I could trust.

So, I was pretty much all set to begin selflessly helping others, as soon as Tim Berners-Lee got off his duff, and mathowie knocked together his lemonade stand.

Can I say here, that I'd like to thank the Academy?

posted by paulsc 05 October | 08:59

I desperately need to do laundry.

Why do you need to do it? Isn't that what a wife's for?

*ducks, runs*

posted by essexjan 05 October | 09:00

Well, we live on the third floor, jan. I just do the heavy lifting and then adjourn to the bar. Pips handles all the delicate work.

posted by jonmc 05 October | 09:05

Why would you like to thank the Academy?

posted by GeckoDundee 05 October | 09:09

*Sigh* Jon, you're just not starting this married life thing out with the right attitude.

posted by essexjan 05 October | 09:17

1) I hennaed my hair last night. I added caffeine, in the form of green tea, to the mix and it seems to have brightened up the color and made it a lot "stickier". My hair is very red and very shiny, and I feel pretty.

2) I'm trying to plan for both NaNoWriMo and a cross-country trip that will take place in November. And also trying to keep from crushing on a guy, but I'm kind of doing poorly there.

3) I'm feeling very strong, content, and confident lately.

posted by Fuzzbean 05 October | 09:18

"Why would you like to thank the Academy?"
posted by GeckoDundee 05 October | 09:09

No reason, actually. Call it a prophylactic attempt at spreadin' the love.

posted by paulsc 05 October | 09:26

And they say Yanks don't get sarcasm ;-)

I'm wating for a bunch of phone calls and emails to be returned: the driver from Carmel who picked me up at Kennedy claimed that the credit card system wasn't working and insisted I pay cash ( I refuse to take taxis in NYC if I can help it--too many bad situations, and I've had enough of Supershuttle); I've left a message with customer service, the managment company told me that I need to send them a cashier's check for the deposit for the application to do work on my condo's kitchen and I've been paying for this work out of my brokerage account; I need to find out if they can write one. My neighbor who has been in charge of a group who's trying to get rid of the management company had his assistant call me while I was still away, but hasn't returned my call. The contractor for the kitchen needs to complete a form that I gave him two months ago and his phone numbers are no longer in service, though I still have his email. I'd rather not deal with the kitchen designer--a horrible woman who simpered that I ought not to have my place during the initial consultation-- right now.

What am I going to do? Be very bad with a movie glut day and check my messages when I come back.

posted by brujita 05 October | 09:50

They have Toastmasters at my company, and they put up flyers all over the walls. Whenever I see one of them, I giggle to myself and think "Toastse!"

Cmonkey: Good luck on the Germany thing. I'll miss seeing you at meetups, but it sounds like just what you are looking for at this point. [Are you going to be at the October 28 meetup?]

posted by matildaben 05 October | 10:20

Tell me more about prophylactic attempt at spreadin' the love.

posted by GeckoDundee 05 October | 10:50

Prophylactics: allow you to spread the love without the bugs!!!!

posted by By the Grace of God 05 October | 10:52

Fucking christ. Evidently we don't have any formulae to cost shit, so I am going to have to HAND FUCKING CALCULATE THIS WHOLE GODDAMN THING.

posted by By the Grace of God 05 October | 10:56

1. Hungry
2. Behind
3. Did I mention I was hungry? watch me sneak out for lunch...

posted by muddgirl 05 October | 14:08

Paulsc, on looking back at those comments, I realise I might just look like an idiot. I was actually trying to do an ELIZA impersonation, after you refered to her in your comment. I'll try to be friendly and stop trying to be smart now, I think.

posted by GeckoDundee 05 October | 19:26

1. I recently added paulsc as a contact at mefi - he's definitely a muse and an all around mensch
2. I'm going to play a lot of WoW tonight
3. Tomorrow is the property inspection for the house (1/2 duplex) the mister and I are going to buy (my first time buying a home! nervous!)

posted by deborah 05 October | 22:19

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