MeggBrown.com

“Disabling” Launch Services File Quarantine is a blessing. Every time I get a zip file from N+S for the Admissions site I have to click “OK” to the security pop-up message for every file—not just the zip. Using Terminal and BBEdit’s Disk Browser I was able to run a bunch of commands to “de-quarantine” the files before I opened them, saving a lot of clicking.

The only way to prevent this dialog from appearing is to remove this attribute, which can easily be done by doing the following from the Terminal:xattr - d com.apple.quarantine Downloads/Bean-Install.dmg

Take out the space between the – and d—WordPress wants to change that to a tag.

I seem to be doing much better sanity-wise today. Work still insane, but things are falling in place. Right-hand guy at work is back from vacation, so that helps a lot.

Almost took a video of the cat this morning as he was going crazy as I was making coffee. He thinks the bag o’ coffee is his catnip. Then again, he may have just made that mistake once, but now knows that if his starts going insane while I’m making coffee I’ll inevitably going into the living room and give a dose of catnip. I don’t give this cat that much credit. Milos, yes. Chai is like living with curious George.

When I pulled in this morning Security was camped out in visitor’s parking. Helped remind me that I was going to start parking in legal spaces today. So, I did. Let’s see if I remember where I parked when I leave tonight.

I just had the weirdest sensation I think I’ve ever experienced. My head went numb – actually felt like I was stuffed with foam – then got cold, and that worked it’s way to my toes really slowly — kind of felt like foam that got filled up with water (cold water), then I felt this strange force, like energy work it’s way from my toes up to my head, just as slowly as the cold worked it’s way down. Then I almost got sick, and now I am extremely drained. Felt like slow-motion, but probably just under 5 mins.

It was due to a totally conscious decision to fuck with my own head. Whether it was a test, or just curiosity I’m not sure, but I decided to look at Monica’s purchase history in Amazon, which has everything she ordered beginning with her first order in 2000. There it was, every weekend I stopped by and she started off with “Look what I just got.”

Obviously not ready to go through that stuff yet, but I know I need to farm it out of Amazon before it gets lost. I was happy to see things I remembered her talking about – and stuff for Garrett for when he was older.

My memory lapses when under stress, so I’m a little obsessed with keeping track of things. I don’t usually forget entirely – I know there’s a story or a detail that exists but I just can’t get to it; kind of like I can see the index of a book, but when I get to pages they’re blank. I’m kind of stuck with just having an index at the moment.

I find my own brain frustrating. I have too many thoughts at once. I try to do too many things at once. I have every single song that was playing on the ride home last night in my head at this very moment.

Yet, I can’t pick a single thing to work on, or anything to listen to.

So, I continue to have a ridiculous headache because I have 42 songs fighting in my head.

I had so many thoughts floating in my head yesterday that when asked if I wanted coffee – a simple yes or no question that 99% of the time is yes – I honestly couldn’t compute, or decide. Realized I was thirsty, so I went for water. I then got distracted by realizing just how distracted I was.

While my head was racing I appeared as a person without a thought, and very quiet.

I know that’s OK, and my friends love and accept me for who I am, and I am free to be myself. I’m just not quite sure what to do when it’s me who is upset with myself for being quirky.

I blame it on the full moon. Truth is, I’m probably losing my grip on what’s left of my sanity. I need to lock myself in my apartment this weekend and clean, organize, and purge – I can’t hope to feel on solid ground until I get things in order there first.

Then I have to give up coffee. And start running again. Or at least ride my bike — no more parking tickets would be a good step in the right direction. Hey, even bringing my lunch. I actually started adding up how much a month I’d have if I stayed away from visitor’s parking, brought my lunch, and dropped coffee. I bit more than I realized.

Those of you who see me this weekend might end up seeing a basket full of these….coconut macaroons. Taste and look far better in person.

Current mood: grumpy

When I walked in, late as usual, to dad’s birthday party with a few of their friends, someone commented on how I was 12 when they first met my folks (when we moved to NY.) Sure, makes me feel old too.

Anyway, party was a success. Cake turned out fine. Photos:
http://flickr.com/photos/stomer/sets/72157604153272401/

Stayed a little too late and conversation got awkward. I am close to making a rule that my parents are not to bring up or share any opinion about anyone I care about in NJ.

On top of everything I forgot my ipod at their house. Debating how long I can go without it.

I can’t believe I blogged about cake.

Tip: when spending the day making cake, eat something that consists of a meal. Woke up shaky, and craving bacon.

Been thinking about switching my schedule to a 4-day week. Might pitch it as a trial for the summer. This way I could have Fridays off and avoid shore traffic by going to southern NJ Thursday night, have Friday night dinner, then have Sat. open for time with kids, then Sunday to myself.

Been debating what I’m doing next weekend. Either going to southern NJ, to Boston to see my brother, or taking the long weekend for myself. Not sure.

The kitchen is trashed

Dad’s cake for tomorrow is a couple hours from done. Leaving work in the afternoon to finish it up. Finally figured out how to do the 70 shamrocks: marzipan. I remembered I had some mini flower cutters for working with sugar paste, so that’s worked out great — I’m just going to notch between every other petal and voila, shamrock. Did a test run — quick, easy, and pretty damed cute. Made candied carrot strips, which look cool, as a back-up plan. might just go with those.

Working on this cake seems timely — I spent the majority of the day thinking. Well, in between near misses — almost lost a toe when a bunch of stuff crashed off the counter. Don’t bake when you’re having a clumsy day. All fine.

Current mood: enlightened

So, I splurged on a pair of Bose headphones. I think I made the right choice — I can hear Yo Yo Ma move and breathe as he plays.

Still at the office. Trying to pay attention to code. Almost done.

Writing a new calendar. Detail work.

Currently listening : Bach: The Cello Suites Inspired By Bach, From The Six-Part Film Series / Yo-Yo Ma By Yo-Yo Ma Release date: 17 February, 1998

I’m having a hard time believing the price of dragees — those little silver or gold sugar balls you can stick on cookies. A jar, 2.2oz is $12.95 yet 2.2lb is $34.95. Um, huh? Grr. I can picture 2 pounds of dragees spilling onto the kitchen floor.

The only place I haven’t tried is the Culinary store. I don’t think I can trust myself to check out the CIA’s store, at least not alone. And now I can’t remember what I needed them for. Rivets on wheels were one thing, but that’s this summer. Something for Easter? Who knows.

Next cake: Dad’s birthday. Carrot cake, white frosting, 70 shamrocks (not sure of what — marshmallow? cookies? not sure.). His 70th birthday is on St. Patrick’s day. I’ve narrowed down the cake part to two recipes. Looks like work will get subjected to cupcakes again as I decide.

My mother tried to tell me my father wasn’t even Irish. Big debate on the proportions of my ancestry. We got it straightened out. Not that the Irish thing mattered (OK, maybe a little) but it would have just been one more thing I found out after so many years that was completely off the mark. And frankly, my father putting up with the shamrocks on his birthday/St. Patty’s day for all these years and not saying a word would be really out of character.

Anyway, I don’t even like cake. Never understood my obsession with making these things. My theory is I used to love decorating cookies with piping. Worked with a caterer for a bit around the time a doctor told me I should never take up tennis or anything requiring grip — like piping. So I gave it up. A few years ago I started working with fondant, which is more like clay, and is much easier on my cranky hands.

I could tell I was in the land of obsession when, after not finding a 1″ shamrock cookie-cutter, I looked up instructions to make my own. That, and I actually had all the materials to make one — like a sheet of copper, etc….

Ha! I just remembered — I needed gold dragees for a little pot of gold. Might drop it.