The Fantastic Adventures of Boo Boo Kitty
and the
Arizona Cowgirl "I have examined all the known superstitions of the Word, and I do not find in our particular superstition of Christianity one redeeming feature. They are all alike, founded on fables and mythology. Millions of innocent men, women, and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burnt, tortured, fined, and imprisoned. What has been the effect of this coercion? To make one half of the world fools and the other half hypocrites; to support roguery and error all over the earth." - Thomas Jefferson

Shopping list America 2010

Jun 22, 2010 1:17:41 PM

1. Iron pills
2. Nature's miracle cat version
3. mothballs
4. Tea from perennial tea room
5. Treated macrame products
6. Decent shoes
7. Two more suits
8. Estee Lauder daywear
9. tortillas
10. External hard drive
11. Contact solution
12. Hair dye

Posted by webcowgirl @ Jun 22, 2010 1:17:41 PM [Link]

A Day in the life of a Test Manager

Feb 21, 2010 8:49:25 PM

This represents almost exactly what I did on a typical day at work as a test manager in a large, waterfall based organization that outsources its development work but keeps some of its testing inhouse.

8:52 Arrive and fire up laptop
9:02 Laptop won't start. Give up and go to meeting.
9:18 Leave and go to next meeting (was double-booked 9-9:30).
9:20 Arrive at meeting with tea (mine) and cookies (to share)
9:32 Boss arrives to same meeting (he also was double booked)
9:45 Bored. Do estimated budget for self for the month.
10:58 Adjourned. Back to test to fiddle with laptop. Quick Tweet from phone.
11:09 Computer still won't connect to internet. Reboot.
11:12-20 Chat with colleague re: my first 5 months
11:20 Multitasking! Read and answer email _and_ check blog stats, post a mostly-written review to blog
11:55 Informal conversation with minion regarding Optimost
12:06 Quick check of twitter
12:15 Discussion on "done-ness" of test effort
12:25 Make desperate dash for the bathroom
12:30 Get caught outside bathroom and asked question on resourcing for big project
12:35 Return to desk and answer question about resourcing for different medium project
12:39 Check Yahoo/Gmail
12:43 Lunch. Run vital errands nearby.
1:20 Return to desk and actually eat my burrito (bought while out). Take phone calls.
1:30 Continue eating, but now read email and weekly reports. Reschedule 4 PM meeting.
1:39 Make fresh cup of tea. Discuss project with stink of death about it (Project Voldemort)
1:43 Read test strategy. Nibble on caramel rice cakes.
1:46 Get call from employee that his father is ill and he needs to leave immediately. Make a new cup of tea then return to reading test strategy for Very Big Project.
1:53 Reject test strategy, write brief note explaining why.
1:56 Update to-do list
2:00 Meeting re: contract that needs test hardware. End meeting making bad jokes.
2:25 Read messages on my phone
2:27 Make a list of employees training goals for the next fiscal year
2:30 Discuss problems with test plans not being approved but being marked that I've approved them
2:34 Check blog stats. Read Twitter.
2:41 Call husband and ask him to buy me a slow cooker.
2:50 Take online test on my risk assessment abilities.
3:05 Write emore emails
3:14 Return to team training schedule
3:27 Send email re: project Voldemort
3:39 Schedule meeting for next week
3:50 Start up online chat with friend
3:38 Continue chatting and update document on remediation actions needed to get troubled project out of risk
4:07 Finish updating doc. Continue chatting.
4:09 Call employee re: meeting & chat.
4:12 Block spam comment from blog and chat.
4:13 Fill out weekly timesheet and chat
4:27 Dig in pocket for money for colleague's going-away card and chat
4:31 Tea.
4:37 Actually get tea after getting hijacked on way to hot water.
4:51 Another talk about resourcing
4:55 More talk on Project Voldemort
5:02 Call husband again to ask when he's leaving work
5:10 Call company offering training to confirm start time & location
5:50 finally go home

Posted by webcowgirl @ Feb 21, 2010 8:49:25 PM [Link]

Books read, 2010

Jan 9, 2010 3:08:53 PM

Last year I failed to read 50 books, though I got really close to it with 47 total, including some really good classics. I'm joining a book club again this year, so I should be able to get my total up a little more - or at least add to the list of quality books I'm reading.

January
1. In the Company of Cheerful Ladies - Alexander McCall Smith (2*)
2. Steel Remains - Richard Morgan (3 1/2 *)
3. From Dead to Worse - Charlaine Harris (2 1/2*)
February
4. Their Eyes Were Watching God - Zora Neal Hurston (4*)
5. Managing the Test People - Judy McKay
6. Saratoga Fleshpot: A Charlie Bradshaw Mystery - Stephen Dobyns
7. Coram Boy - Jamila Gavin
March
8. Dead and Gone - Charlaine Harris
9. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
April
10. Master and Margarita - Mikhail Bulgakov
11. Love in a Cold Climate - Nancy Mitford
12. Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson
13. Empress of Mars - Kage Baker
May
14. The Awakening - Kate Chopin
15. The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman
16. Grave Secret - Charlaine Harris
June
17. Our Tragic Universe - Scarlett Thomas
18. The Scar - China Mieville
July
19. Delphine - Madame De Stael
20. What Would Barbra Do: How Musicals Changed My Life - Emma Brockes
21. Fuller Memorandum - Charles Stross
August
22. Palace Walk - Naguib Mahfouz
23. Fragile Things - Neil Gaiman
24. Persuasion - Jane Austen
25. Shockheaded Peter - Heinrich Hoffman
26. Don't Tell Alfred - Nancy Mitford
27. Count Karlstein - Phillip Pullman
28. Wind in the Willows - Grahame Greene
September
29. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
30. Dead in the Family - Charlaine Harris

Posted by webcowgirl @ Jan 9, 2010 3:08:53 PM [Link]

Books bought, 2010

Jan 9, 2010 3:02:11 PM

Last year I managed to dial down my purchases (and increase my borrowing of books) to the point where my total books bought (42) was not only less than it had been for the entire time I've been tracking this, but finally less than my total books read (47). I think that's quite an accomplishment! That's not to say I have room for all of my books, and it doesn't include all of the books I received as gifts (about 20 this year), but at least I'm getting more focused about my purchases.

January
1. The Master and Margarita* - Mikhail Bulgakov
2. The Magic Mirror of the Mermaid Queen - Delia Sherman Hardcover
3. Make More of Squashes (Make More of Vegetables)- Patricia Harbottle
4. Sublime Stitching- Jenny Hart
5. The Women of Nell Gwynne's - Kage Baker
February
6. Handbook of Walkthroughs, Inspections and Technical Reviews: Evaluating Programs, Projects and Products
7. Shades of Gray - Jasper Fforde
March
8. Girl with the Dragon Tattoo* - Stieg Larsson
9. Empress of Mars* - Kage Baker
April
10. Some book on testing -
11. Some book on measuring testing
May
12. All Woman Volume 1 (sheet music)
13. Fantasy Cross Stitch - Julie Hasler
14. Victorian Needlepoint - Beth Russell
15. Modern Painters II - Ruskin
16. Delphine - Madame de Stael
17. Our Tragic Universe* - Scarlett Thomas
18. Writing in the Dark, Dancing in the New Yorker: An Arlene Croce Reader - Arlene Croce
19. The dance in mind: Profiles and reviews 1976-83 - Deborah Jowitt
20. What is Dance?: Readings in Theory and Criticism - Roger Copeland, Marshall Cohen
21. Girl Who Played With Fire - Stieg Larson
July
22. Secret Museum - Walter Kendrick
23. School of Venus - Michel Millot and Jean L'Ange
24. Fuller Memorandum - Charles Stross
August
25. Sexing the Cherry - Jeanette Winterson
26. Don't Tell Alfred - Nancy Mitford
27. Lyonesse - Jack Vance
28. The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eyes - A.S. Byatt
29. The Female Man - Joanna Russ
30. Across the Wall - Garth Nix
31. No Name - Wilkie Collins

Posted by webcowgirl @ Jan 9, 2010 3:02:11 PM [Link]

Live performances, 2010

Jan 7, 2010 6:46:52 PM

Last year was a watershed in terms of how many shows I saw (116, many of which I didn't enjoy), and this year I'm determined to see less.

1. Into the Hoods - Queen Elizabeth Hall
2. The Little Dog Laughed - The Garrick
3. EGBDF - National Theatre
4. Silence: The Musical - Above the Stag Theater
5. Rakes Progress - Royal Opera House
February
6. 11 and 12 - Barbican
7. Life in Three Acts - Soho Theatre
8. God's Garden - Linbury Theater
9. Nuevo Ballet Español’s “Cambio de Tercio” - Sadler’s Wells
10. Megan Mullally – Vaudeville Theatre
11. Disconnect – Royal Court (Jerwood Theatre Upstairs)
12. Eva Yerbabuena, "Lluvia" – Sadler’s Wells
13. As One, Rushes, Infra – Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House
14. Lost Soul Music (The Devil You Know) – White Rose Theatre at the Pleasance
15. Maria Pagés and Company – 2010 Sadler’s Wells Flamenco Festival
16. Gala Flamenca (Molina, Galván, Liñán, López) – 2010 Salder’s Wells Flamenco Festival
March
17. London Assurance - National Theater (London)
18. Legally Blonde – The Savoy Theatre
19. Dunsinane – Royal Shakespeare Company at Hampstead Theatre
20. Henry V – Southwark Playhouse
21. Measure for Measure – Almeida Theatre
22. Blaze – Peacock Theatre
23. Macbeth – Cheek by Jowl productions at The Barbican
24. Homage to Nureyev – various dancers at the London Coliseum
25. White Guard - National Theatre (London)
26. MacMillan Triple Bill (Concerto, Judas Tree, Elite Syncopations) – Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House
27. La Fille Mal Gardee – Royal Ballet
28. Cloud Dance Festival, Night Two - Pleasance Theatre
29. Cole Porter’s “Paris” – Lost Musicals, Sadlers Wells
30. Ballet Russes Encounters - Peacock Theater
31. Swan Lake - Ballet Nacional de Cuba, Lndon Coliseum
32. Spring Storm - National Theatre
April
33. Maurice - Above the Stag Theater
34. Pirates of Penzance - Wilton's Music Hall
35. Cinderella - Royal Ballet (Royal Opera House)
36. Magia de la Danza - Ballet Nacional de Cuba (ENO)
37. Hair - Gielgud
38. Posh - Royal Court
39. Last Five Years - Barbican (Guildhall Music School)
40. Women Beware Women - National Theatre
Mayhttp://www.dawndoll.com/weblog/admin/editentry/532
41. Xanadu - Bob Carr Center, Orlando
42-46. Various performances for the Lufthansa Festival of the Baroque
47. Royal Ballet Mixed Rep (Electric Counterpoint/New Scarlett/Carmen) - Royal Opera House
48. Ingredient X- Jerwood Theater
49. Paradise Found - Menier Chocolate Factor (DOG!)
50. Salome - Richmond Theater
51. Rambert Dance Company (something and Curva Linhea) - Sadler's Wells
June
52. Royal Ballet Mixed Rep (Chroma/Tryst/Symphony in C) - Royal Opera House
53. Shochiku Kabuki’s “Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees” – Sadler’s Wells
54. Joe Turner - Young Vic
55. The Mousetrap -
56. Michael Clark Company "come been gone" - Barbican
57. All My Sons - Apollo Theater
58. Dream of the Dog - Trafalgar Studios
59. Dangerous - Above the Stag
60. Day Before Spring - Lost Musicals, Sadler's Wells
61. Calamity Jane - Gatehouse Theater
July
62. Swan Lake - Mikhailovsky at London Coliseum
63. Hofesh Shechter, Political Mother - Sadler's Wells
64. Cipollino - Mikhailovsky at London Coliseum
65. Triple Bill (including Halte de Cavalerie) - Mikhailovsky at London Coliseum
66. Duchess of Malfi - ENO and Punchdrunk
67. Laurencia - Mikhailovsky at London Coliseum
68. Phillip Glass' Dracula - Kronos Quartet at Hackney Empire
69. Concert - Munich, Germany
70. Concert - Munich, Germany
71. Bach and Friends - Concert, Munich, Germany
72. Giselle - Bolshoi at Royal Opera House
73. Premieres - Carlos Acosta at London Coliseum
74. Blink Twice - Above the Stag
75. Russian Seasons, Petrushka, Paquita pas de deux - Bolshoi at the Royal Opera House
76. Spartacus - Bolshoi at the Royal Opera House
August
77. Earthquakes in London - National Theater
78. Le Corsaire - Bolshoi at the Royal Opera House
79. A Rat's Tale - Marine Theatre (Lyme Regis)
80. Cirque Invisible - Queen Elizabeth Hall (Southbank Center)
81. Great Game Part 3 - Tricycle Theater
82. Deathtrap - Noel Coward Theater

Posted by webcowgirl @ Jan 7, 2010 6:46:52 PM [Link]

Movies watched, 2010

Jan 7, 2010 6:17:31 PM

Last year I failed to see more movies than I did the year before (a mere 15). This year is looking good because of the Ozu festival at the BFI.

1."I Flunked, But ..." (1 1/2 - just not coherent enough) and "A Straightforward Boy" (1 1/2, a movie fragment)
2. Where Now Are the Dreams of Youth (1932 - 2* as hitting some strong emotional content but still feeling disconnected and was falling asleep)
3. Dragnet Girl (1933 - 2 1/2, story really weird but awesome cinematography in places and despite stilted performances, fun to watch)
4. Sherlock Holmes (2009 - 3, also jerky in places and not at all historically accurate but just an awfully good time)
5. A Mother Should Be Loved (1934 - 1 1/2 as too fragmentary and falling asleep again despite being only 80 minutes long)
6. The Only Son (1936 - a talkie at last! 2 1/2 due to some excellent cinematography but the acting still seemed stilted)
February
7. There was a Father (1942 - heartbreaking tale of a father and son constantly split up after father quits teaching job due to terrible screwup; heavy war sacrifice element. First time w/either Shuji Sano or Shin Saburi. Print in bad shape and sound very distorted.)
8. Hen in the Wind (1948 - unforgettable, harsh movie about a woman who prostitutes herself just once to pay for medical treatment for her son)
9. Early Summer (1951 - an extended family all is focused on marrying off the youngest daughter Noriko like there's something wrong with her, but when she chooses a man _with a daughter_ suddenly nobody wants her to get hitched. Lots of humor in this one. Especially liked the scene where the older brother is listening to his sister and wife from behind a screen.)
10. Brothers and Sisters of the Toda family (1941 - kind of like King Lear, you lose your money and nobody wants you around anymore, only this time it's a widow and her daughter being shuttled around between the different family members. Print somewhat damaged, sound fuzzy but excellent movie overall)
11. Late Spring (1949 - only daughter living with her widowed father, she wants to stay with him forever but he wants her to get married. Great scenes of traditional Japanese society - Noh, tea ceremony - and wonderful trip to Kyoto. Great insight into Japanese values. 3 1/2 *)
12. Late Autumn (Akibiyori, "Shining Autumn [Day]" - 1960 - only daughter living with her widowed mother both have to deal with their friends trying to get them married off. Half of movie set in sake bars or nice restaurants. Don't see it hungry. 2 1/2 *)
13. End of Summer (1961 - family embarassed by patriarch's antics as he nears death, including taking up with his childhood sweetheart, now turned Geisha (sorta). Big focus on death, nice scene of smoking crematorium chimney at the end - 3 1/2*)
14. Early Spring (1956 - insanely long movie about a husband fooling around on his wife and the games they both play with each other. "Sirkian" ending. Nice scene with old salaryman talking about how it's all leading to death anyway. 3*)
15. The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice (1956 - irritating married couple seem to have little in common, but when young niece shows a backbone, somehow the husband comes into his own and eventually the wife learns to understand him. 2 1/2 *)
March
16. Chicago (silent version, 1927) - 2 1/2
17. Alice in Wonderland (2010) - 1 1/2 (I got bored and nearly walked out)
April
18. Mic Macs - 2 1/2
May
19. Hot Tub Time Machine - 3
July
20. Dracula (the original)
August
21. Toy Story 3

Posted by webcowgirl @ Jan 7, 2010 6:17:31 PM [Link]

Movies watched, 2009

Mar 16, 2009 8:28:12 PM

Last year I watched 18 films. It's my goal to watch more than that this year - hopefully more like 24.

February
1. Barry Lyndon (1975 - directed by Stanley Kubrick) - 3
March
2. Salome (1923, directed by Charles Bryant, starring Alla Nazimova) - 2 1/2
3. A Fool There Was & The Vampire (1915, directed by Frank Powell, starring Theda Barr, and 1913, directed by Robert Vignola & starring Alice Hollister)
4. Alraune
April
5. Dr. No - 3
June
6. Red Cliff - 2
July
7. Star Trek - 4
8. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - 2
September
9. Cruel Story of Youth (Nagaisa Oshima, 1973 or so) - 2 1/2
10. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs - 2 1/2
October
11. Red Heroine (1933?) - 2 1/2
12. Kamui (2009?) - 3 1/2
November
13. Bright Star - 4
14. Ponyo - 3
December
15. The Red Shoes (1948) - 4

Posted by webcowgirl @ Mar 16, 2009 8:28:12 PM [Link]

Brownie recipe (Betty Fergola's Fudge Brownies from "Best of the Best from Kansas Kitchens")

Feb 16, 2009 8:31:45 PM

This recipe is from the Grange cookbook my grandma gave me. I like it because it uses butter and melted chocolate, not shortening, oil, or cocoa.

4 eggs beaten well
2 C sugar
1 C melted butter
4 sq chocolate (four ounces - use something that's either especially made for baking or really really dark, like Thornton's 85% dark bar) or 9 T cocoa
2 C flour
1 C chopped pecans
2 t vanilla
dash of salt

Continue beating eggs and gradually add sugar, vanilla and salt until light and fluffy (note that since there is no leavening in this recipe, all that the lift you will get will be from the eggs - if you're not worried about having any fluff to your brownies, then you can not sweat this bit too much). Melt chocolate/cocoa and butter together, just until melted. Let cool. Add to egg mixture. Add flour and nuts (if you want the nuts). Pour into a 9 x 13 inch pan that has been sprayed with Pam (I buttered mine). Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. cool in pan and frost if desired or dust with powdered sugar.

Conclusion: YUM. And I might even consider adding more melted chocolate.

Posted by webcowgirl @ Feb 16, 2009 8:31:45 PM [Link]

Books read, 2009

Jan 5, 2009 9:02:53 PM

Last year I continued to increase over previous years with 43 books under my belt, including the rest of In Search of Lost Time. This year I'm aiming for at least 50.

January
1. Shakespeare's Christmas - Charlaine Harris
2. Gridlock - Ben Elton
3. Johnathan Strange and Mr. Norrell - Susanna Clarke
February
4. An Ice Cold Grave - Charlaine Harris
5. Gulliver's Travels - Johnathan Swift
March
6. End of Mr. Y - Scarlett Thomas
7. Spook Country - William Gibson
8. Silent is the Grave - Deanna Raybourne
9. The Horns of Elfland - Ellen Kushner, ed.
10. The Scent of the Night - Antonio Camillieri
April
11. The Leopard - Giuseppe di Lampedusa
12. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency - Alexander McCall Smith
13. Shakespeare's Counselor - Charlaine Harris
14. Skeleton in the Grass - Robert Barnard
15. PvP Volume 1: PvP at Large - Scott Kurtz
16. Rude Mechanicals - Kage Baker
May
17. The First Casualty - Ben Elton
18. Dead as a Doornail - Charlaine Harris
June
19. Islands in the Net - Bruce Sterling
20. Dancer's Rise - Jo Clayton
21. Alain de Botton - The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work
22. When you are engulfed in Flames - David Sedaris
23. The Whitby Witches - Robin Jarvis
24. Yum Yum Dim Sum (World Snacks) - Amy Wilson Sanger
July
25. Thursday Next: First Among Sequels - Jasper Fforde
26. Saturn's Children - Charles Stross
27. The Terracotta Dog - Andrea Camilleri
28. Tears of the Giraffe - Alexander McCall Smith
29. An Uncommon Reader - Alan Bennet
August
30. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
31. Chart Throb - Ben Elton
32. Moon Called - Patricia Briggs
33. The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse - Robert Rankin
34. The Ladies of Grace Adieu - Susanna Clarke
35. Morality for Beautiful Girls - Alexander McCall Smith
36. The Witches - Roald Dahl
September
37. The Kalahari Typing School for Men - Alexander McCall Smith
38. Definitely Dead - Charlaine Harris
October
39. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
40. The Full Cupboard of Life - Alexander McCall Smith
41. Black Man - Richard Morgan
December
42. Popco - Scarlett Thomas
43. Firebirds - an anthology
44. The Shape of Water - Antonio Camillieri
45. Johnathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels - Liz Bellamy ("Critical Studies of Key Texts")
46. All Together Dead - Charlaine Harris
47. Black Butterfly - Mark Gattis

Posted by webcowgirl @ Jan 5, 2009 9:02:53 PM [Link]

Books bought, 2009

Jan 5, 2009 8:59:50 PM

Last year I bought 66 books - a real drop over previous years. I was in New York and picked up a few right at the start of the year - um - but I haven't bought any quite yet.

February
1. Frommer's Sicily*
March
2. The Scent of the Night* - Andrea Camilleri
3. Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde - R. L. Stevenson
April
4. Fragrances and Flavors of Sicilian Cuisine - Grafiche Milan Cards, ed
5. Eating in Sicily) - Bonechi (ed)
6. Sicilia in Bocca* - Antonio Cardella
7. The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work* - Alain De Botton
8. Goodbye to Berlin - Christopher Isherwood
9. The Lost Continent - Bill Bryson
May
10. The Terracotta Dog* - Andrea Camillieri
11. The Double - Jose Saramago
12. Moon guide to Scotland
13. The Scottish Islands: Skye and the Western Isles - James and Deborah Penrith
14. Devon, Cornwall & Southwest England - Lonely Planet
June
15. The Witches - Roald Dahl
16. Dead Famous - Ben Elton
17. The Sunday Philosophy Club* - Alexander McCall Smith
18. Chart Throb* - Ben Elton
19. Past Mortem - Ben Elton
20. The Shape of Water* - Andrea Camilleri
21. The Collector Collector - Tibor Fischer
22. The City and the City - China Mieville
23. Saturn's Children* - Charles Stross
24. PopCo* - Scarlett Thomas
July
25. Tears of the Giraffe* - Alexander McCall Smith
26. Casanova's History of my Life - John Julius Norwich
27. Eroticism & Art - Alyce Mahon
28. 20th Century Erotica (Volume II) - Gilles Neret (Taschen)
August
29. Eric of Melnibone - Michael Moorcock
30. London Stories - London Walks
31. Waltzing with Bears: Managing Risk on Software Projects
32. Black Man - Richard Morgan*
33. Managing Expectations: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now!
September
34. Surviving the Top-ten Challenges of Software Testing: A People Oriented Approach
October
35. The Dante Club - Nathaniel Pearl
November
36. Time Out's "Madrid"
37. Tears of Eros (exhibition catalog)
38. 25,000 Years of Erotic Freedom - Alan Moore
39. Time Out's "Istanbul"
December
40. In the Company of Cheerful Ladies - Alexander McCall Smith
41. Frommer's Istanbul Day by Day
42. Black Butterfly: A Lucifer Box Novel - Mark Gattis

* = read it

Posted by webcowgirl @ Jan 5, 2009 8:59:50 PM [Link]

"Only weak men fear able women" - Marion Boyars