Because I mailed a check nine days ago to the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority's post office box in Lisle, and they still haven't credited my account.

Because yesterday TigerDirect's web site said "Order Today, Ships Today" on Windows 7, yet the copy I ordered on Sunday has not shipped yet.

Tiger may get a call to see if I can just pick it up in Naperville tonight. It would be faster.

Posted via LiveJournal.app.

mood

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proud

Well, maybe not that famous. But my uncle (my father's brother) did get his name in the paper, in the Chicago Tribune's Getting Around column. (I read Hilkevitch's column regularly.)

See it here.

mood

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pleased

Friday night's concert was at The Chicago Theatre, an amazing 88-year-old venue in the Loop. Go there.

Here's the setlist, in order of where the tracks appeared on Steely Dan's albums (here is a link to someone else's version of the setlist; I was not smart enough to write it down during the show):

Can't Buy A Thrill: Do It Again, Dirty Work, Reelin' In The Years (encore)
Countdown To Ecstasy: Bodhisattva
Pretzel Logic: Rikki Don't Lose That Number, Any Major Dude Will Tell You, Parker's Band
Katy Lied: Black Friday (open), Doctor Wu
The Royal Scam: Kid Charlemagne, Don't Take Me Alive
Aja: Black Cow, Aja, Peg, Home At Last, I Got The News, Josie
Gaucho: Babylon Sisters, Hey Nineteen

As you can see, it was an Aja-heavy show, and nothing post-1980 (no Two Against Nature or Everything Must Go).

The set was also structured to give Donald Fagen breaks. Standing, walking, and playing the harmonica, he looks fine; at the keyboard, he looks like he's about to have a seizure. He pours a tremendous amount of energy into the show, and it clearly drains him. He also clearly loves performing for the fans, because otherwise he wouldn't put himself through that. (He also noted that this was the last show in Chicago on the current tour, but that they would be back, which means they plan to tour again -- and come to Chicago again.)

mood

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awake

It appears to be raining in Boston this morning.

mood

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damp

I remind you that we are NORTH of CMI.

http://images.intellicast.com/WxImages/Precipitation/spi.gif

The carpet guy said five inches. Probably not here; looks like the 5 inches would be west of us. But we are clearly in the two-to-four band.

mood

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taxed

Had four people in my class tonight. It's actually harder I think to teach four than it is to teach eight, though easier than thirty-five.

mood

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birthday

My mother should be calling shortly (at 23:01).

I went out to get some toilet paper (three women in the house for nine days, don't you know), and I thought about my birthday. It didn't feel so special. Jenni had done some things to make it special; I have some pretty flowers, and she left me a wonderful card. But I still felt disappointed. The basic problem was that most of this month, we'd had more people around; that was special. Now all the people are back home.

I'm still a little disappointed in a couple of friends that I didn't hear anything personal from today. But after I got home and checked my phone, I had messages from people I wasn't expecting. Similarly on Facebook, I had several messages from unexpected corners. I also got something special that I wasn't expecting (I'd thought about it, but I wasn't expecting it). So it has been a good day. I do feel loved, and not always from the same places I expect it.

mood

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accomplished

How long is the day (daylight hours) at 40° latitude on the winter solstice?

It took me a bit to figure out how to calculate the answer. Hooray for the Chord-Chord Power Theorem.

T(x) = π^-1 tan^-1 ( ( (tan(π/2 - x))² - (2^½-1)² ) / (2^½-1) )

where x = latitude, T(x) gives the fraction of daylight hours on the winter solstice. (This assumes an axis angle of exactly π/16; tan (π/16) = 2^½-1 .)

So the answer to my question is about 9½ hours.

mood

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awake

Not something which has happened much lately.

Two road trips in three days. Short one on I-72 to Springfield and back; lost tread on the left rear tire on the way. Went to the Fair; got punched in the shoulder by my uncle Jeff at Conservation World. Long one to Chicago and Cedar Rapids, making big loop around the state on I-57, I-94, I-90, I-294, I-88, I-80, I-280, and I-74. Lost tread on the right rear tire this time.

No longer have friends in the apartment. They all are home now.

mood

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loved

We made it out of the old apartment at 5:04 this morning, according to my car clock. Tim left first, then Ambie, then Jill, and finally Jenni, as I ran shuttle with the only working vehicle remaining (my 1993 Honda Civic).

We could not have done it without all the help from those who care about us. I know that we are loved. I was sad last night in finally closing the place, because both my other "final departure" experiences have been, well, sad. But after dumping the keys on our landlord, my emotion moved to that of being loved, because without that, we could not be where we are today: all moved into our new apartment.

Thank you to those who helped, and especially those who were asleep in the new apartment at 7:00 this morning as I drove Jenni to work.

mood

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awake

Twas a bright Sunday morning
And all through the house
Not a creature was stirring

Yes, at 9:00 no one is awake except me.

Still lots to do today. But first everyone must finish recharge.

mood

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awake

My laptop is being mean. I think I have to replace the battery in order to get it to work again. Hence (in part) my lack of onlineness.

We have a jillthepill. I enjoy this, and will miss her when we have to give her back.

We also have *fanfare* NEW APARTMENT. Makes the old apartment look like a dump.

More moving today, when all are awake. I got to sleep earlier than the women did last night.

Today we will also have an ambelies. Hee.

Final grades I got in Thursday for my class. I had 1 A, 1 B, 4 Cs, 2 Ds, and 4 Fs, of the 12 people who took the final. 124 in the summer is rough.

mood

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awake

I think we were within shouting distance of the Bears last night. We stopped at the Kroger in Bourbonnais on the way home, and there was a stop sign at Armour and Stadium Drive. Lights were on from somewhere south on Stadium. I read this morning tha the Bears were practicing "under the lights" Saturday night.

mood

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happy

I wish I could do more to celebrate such a special day.

, !

mood

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accomplished

Calculate 2^28.

This was a problem I found myself working on the way home from the County Clerk's office. My answer was off by 400, but I know where my mistake was.

Thought process:
I know 2^14 = 16384. This is 16384^2. I decided to estimate low: 16384^2 > 16375^2.
(16375)^2 = (16000 + 375)^2 = 16000^2 + 2(16000)(375) + 375^2.

16000^2 = 256000000.
2(16000)(375) = (16000)(750) = (8000)(1500) = (4000)(3000) = 12000000. So far I'm up to 268 million.

375^2 = (300 + 75)^2 = 300^2 + 2(300)(75) + 75^2 = 90000 + 300(150) + 75^2= 90000 + 45000 + 75^2.

(Here was my mistake. I should have calculated 75^2 = (100 - 25)^2 = 100^2 - 2(100)(25) + 25^2 = 10000 - 5000 + 625 = 5625; instead I half-caluclated it and got 5225.)

90000 + 45000 + 5225 = 135000 + 5225 = 140225. 268 million 140 thousand 225.

Well, if this is 16375^2, it's easy to get 16384^2: 16384^2 = (16375 + 9)^2 = 16375^2 + 2(16375)(9) + 9^2
= 268140225 + 32750(9) + 81
= 268140225 + (327500 - 32750) + 81
= 268140225 + 290000 + 5000 + -250 + 81
= 268140225 + 294750 + 81
= 268140225 + 294831
= 268435056

The correct answer, since I was off by 400 on the square of 75, is 268435456.

mood

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curious

It appears that someone else I went to high school with, the second attorney listed here, is running for General Assembly. I don't know what district. I'd like to find out.

mood

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*headshake*

I went to high school with the author of this post. She's a parent of a 5-year-old boy, as you can probably tell.

	mood	-	eclectic
	music	-	Barenaked Ladies - Aluminum

Waiting for Wednesday -- Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories
Wednesday Morning 3 A.M. -- Simon & Garfunkel
Next Time -- Barenaked Ladies
29 -- Gin Blossoms
Strawberryfire -- Apples In Stereo
Ikea -- Jonathan Coulton
I'll Set You Free -- Bangles
It's in Your Eyes -- Phil Collins
Stockton Gala Days -- 10,000 Maniacs
i i e e e -- Tori Amos
Some Fantastic -- Barenaked Ladies
Crowing -- Toad The Wet Sprocket
Looking for Love on Broadway -- James Taylor
The Way Things Are -- Fiona Apple
Alone -- Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories
Not Only Numb -- Gin Blossoms
Gimme What You Got -- Don Henley
No Questions Asked -- Fleetwood Mac
Promises Broken -- Soul Asylum
Pop Song 89 -- R. E. M.
Eat for Two -- 10,000 Maniacs
Aluminum -- Barenaked Ladies
Me And A Gun -- Tori Amos
Hold Me Down -- Gin Blossoms
Taffy -- Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories

It's nothing if not eclectic.