Sara7272's Open Salon Blog

Christian La Croix, Theatrical Glamour Reduced to Bankruptcy

Wed, 5 Aug 2009 13:08:32 -0400

It is a sad day in the world of fashion, as I read the announcement that one of my favorite designers, Christian LaCroix, has filed for bankruptcy protection.

True, I have never been a fan of the pouf skirt.

True, his designs were more theatre than fashion.

But my lifelong love affair with the dramatic has fed an appreciation of his take on haute couture — the movement he communicated in his designs, the colors, the fabrics, the moods... I was smitten from my first view of a wedding dress in a Parisian shop window back in... well, the year is unimportant. It is the impression that lingers.

I dreamed of being adorned in the sort of glamour that harkened to a more elegant past, of how the fabric would feel against my skin, swaying gently with every step. I imagined my unbridled femininity elevated and expressed with such eloquence.

With the designs of Christian LaCroix, I felt something magical and longed to relish in it.

To become more marketable, what leaves Monsieur LaCroix's atelier will probably be reduced to a branded tee shirt and a pair of jeans constructed for the flabby masses.

Truck Testicles? You're Kidding, Right?

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 18:07:58 -0400

Just after lunch the other day, a colleague poked her head in my office and asked, “who owns the red truck out in the parking lot?”

“What red truck?" I asked, " No one here... why?”

“It has balls hanging off the back.”

"Balls?"

"Yeah, you know. Truck testicles."

Heads turned. At this moment, every employee within earshot rushed to the window to get a look, then moved to the window in the other room to get a better look.

I'm not a cultural anthropologist, but the only place I had ever seen a moving violation that vulgar was in a rural area of the deep south. I imagined that the worship of truck testicles was the southern equivalent to the spiritual practices of an isolated, primitive civilization.

And that's when we began debating where the tradition may have started. Did it have something to do with ranchers and cattle out west? Or was it really just redneck wishful thinking?

With no action in the parking lot, the novelty wore off and the group dispersed. We considered taking bets on what the driver of such an endowed truck might look like. I was willing to place my money on one of the characters from Deliverance (1972). The mystery was solved a few minutes later. Employees from all four corners of the office ran back to the window to catch a glimpse as two men dressed in sleeveless tees adorned with bright logos for a heating and air conditioning (or was it plumbing?) business approached the truck. One had a scraggly ponytail. The other sported (not surprisingly) a mullet.

And with the truck's larger-than-life appendage swinging, they drove off, never knowing how they had relieved the boredom of an otherwise monotonous day at the office.

Can You Live Without a Home Internet Connection?

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 20:06:25 -0400

I found myself without a working DSL modem a few days ago after the recent storms that passed through my region. As I left for work that Friday morning, two phone company guys behind my house were working on the overhead cables, which they said had taken a direct lightening hit. But they didn't seem to think that my sudden lack of Internet connection was related at all.

I felt a serious problem coming on. In addition to my full time job, I am enrolled in a couple of online classes in Web development and upload assignments on a regular basis. I do a bit of moonlighting as a freelance writer. No Internet? That has potential to cause a minor panic.

A happy coincidence was that I received my new laptop later that day – a 13-inch Macbook Pro. Timing couldn't have been better. I transferred my files, retrieved my login info, and headed off to a restaurant with free WiFi. There, I was able to download a free FTP program and upload my assignments. You can imagine my big sigh of relief. I swear, I will never live without a laptop again.

So I am considering a new challenge: living without a home Internet connection for two months. My DSL service through AT&T costs me 49.99 per month (I do not have a landline telephone).

I would probably spend that much at a café, considering that a cup of coffee or tea costs about $1.50. Multiply that by 30 days, and you get $45.00. Add tax and voilà, it's the same as the DSL fee.

The advantage? I can be as mobile as I wish and not be stuck at home in front of the computer. Not to mention the fun I have eavesdropping on people's conversations. The disadvantage is that my battery has a limited lifespan (although I know where a wall plug is at the café).

The phone company says they will have someone out Tuesday to look at the DSL line. If it is not their fault, it might be the wires in the house. Or the phone line. Or the Ethernet cable. Or the modem. Do I feel like spending money on any of those things? The answer is no. So if it is not the DSL line outside, I am going to cancel my subscription and spend my summer out and about with my laptop, having a little fun.

Hypermiling. Try it!

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 18:06:52 -0400

Hypermiling—Fill the tank and see how long you can make it last.

Properly inflated tires? Check.

Removed unnecessary objects from vehicle to reduce weight load? Check.

Pissed off other drivers? Check.

We’re ready to roll!

I’ve been practicing a number of hypermiling techniques since gas prices first began to rise a couple of years ago. On the highway, mine is the little white car in the right-hand lane (a safe distance) behind a slow moving truck.

On side streets, I’m the driver who doesn’t bother to step on the gas pedal when there is a stop sign half a block away. And oh yeah, I like to coast and can tell just where, and with how much pressure, I’ll have to press the accelerator to gain just enough speed make it to the next intersection and stop—without using my brakes. (Ok, I exaggerate just a tad… sometimes I do have to brake a little.)

The problem is other drivers. There are definitely those who would rather roar past me on the highway or speed toward the next stop sign or red light and wear their brakes out as quickly as possible.

But I’ll be laughing all the way to the gas station.

There are hypermilers who are far more extreme than I am, over-inflating their tires, following too closely behind larger vehicles (like cyclists in the Tour de France or race car drivers on a racecourse), or turning off their engines to coast… I draw the line at those methods because they are not safe.

You don’t have to own a hybrid to get better gas mileage (or kilometrage) from your current vehicle. Just drive the speed limit on the highway, and avoid getting in a situation where you’ll have to use the brakes unexpectedly. After all, any increase in fuel efficiency is a good thing.

More information about hypermiling:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18923454/

http://www.hypermilingforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3

Data Nerds Find Happiness with New Search Engine

Fri, 29 May 2009 12:05:18 -0400

I must be a “serious data nerd”, to borrow a phrase from a recent CNet article regarding the new search engine, Wolfram Alpha. I can easily geek out on trivial bits of information that could only be important in the context of… well… I’ll think of one.

It’s not like I’m actually using the data for anything practical.

I can enjoy the fact that Wolfram Alpha tells me that “farinaceous” is a synonym for “granular”. And that it can spout the material composition of carbon steel, along with its thermal and mechanical properties.

I’m puzzled as to why it doesn’t know what to do with, say, “kitty litter” or “BDSM”. Those search terms generate a somewhat contrite “Wolfram Alpha isn't sure what to do with your input”.

Apparently, Wolfram Alpha is not so fond of compound words or abbreviations. Or kinky sex.

Our data-loving search engine suggests that I search for The Grapes of Wrath. I do and it produces John Steinbeck, 1940 (69 years ago it is keen to add), and tells me it won a Pulitzer for fiction.

A search for Cyrano de Bergerac turns up Cyrano’s full name, date and place of birth and death, and his occupation (playwright). It mentions nothing of the book by the same name, or its author, Edmond Rostand (also a playwright).

So what is Wolfram Alpha good for?

Well… Quickly solving a mathematics problem. Finding a chemical compound. Translating a musical note to a tonal frequency. Expressing the color chartreuse in its hexadecimal form (important information for a web designer, no?).

In short, expect statistics at Wolfram Alpha, not practicality.