Twitter Unfollowed Me.... UH UH No I DIDNT!

Problem: 

Twitter keeps un following my tweeps! 

(The average user doesn't care about Ruby or the lack of SQL, so I'll post tech light and then follow up with the XLS comparison next post)

Quick fix:

1.  Apparently the bug does not affect your lists.  (I've tested this over the past week, I haven't had an issue with it yet)

A little about lists: 

You can put people on lists without following them.   

In the past when I've been placed in "Twitter Jail" not being able to follow anymore Tweeps (but found that diamond in the rough), I wanted to make sure I continued to follow.

I simply put them into a private list as a holding pattern and then follow when I am released from Twitter Jail.

Quick Fix Solution to this irritating problem:

Place all the Tweeples into lists as an "insurance policy".  Then you don't really "lose" and you have some way of tracking the losses. 

2.  I've started testing out different stuff to manage lists but my favorite thus far:  

www.socialbro.com

If you look at the below screen shot you will see the "recently unfollowed"

The dropdown box at the top gives you some awesome flexibility.

The various interfaces can be a bit busy for an average user but has some awesome functionality when you dig into it a bit.  I've had fun playing with the dashboard.

I usually update it once per day and see how wacked out Twitter is acting on that day.

The export and compare function for the more geek heavy solution is up next.  SocialBro has an export function.

So if you combine Number 1 and Number 2 you should have a pretty accurate comparison without going deep into the next solution.

Im sure that there are really smart people that have come up with something far more elegant than my immediate band aid little solution.  If so could you share :-)

Comment below if you think there is something else I need to try to for a good solution (I'm great at breaking stuff, testing it, etc.)

Invictus ~William Ernest Henley

Invictus

Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance

My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms but the Horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years

Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate:

I am the captain of my soul.

~William Ernest Henley

Things that make you go Hmmm

Random Thoughts Going Through Susan's Grey Matter:

“If you must play, decide on three things at the start: the rules of the game, the stakes, and the quitting time” ~ Chinese Proverb

Clearly Communicating Rule One, Two and Three:  


Explaining the Rules (Rule One):

Date To Note: 28 April 2012 (Rule Three) 

Dear World:  

Please note April 28th=drop dead date. (Rule Three) 

No further consideration will be given to random variables post 1 April . (Rule One & Two)

Thank you, The Management 

Speak now or forever hold your peace. (Rule Two)

Mulligan Sequence On Boarding: Time To Create a New Ending.

I Miss My Neighbors: Part II

Im feeling nothing more than 140 today but I promised a few random pictures to a few people. 

The game with friends is:

Where in the world (Where's Waldo) is Susan (Carmen) San Diego Today?  

Here Fishy Fishy! Explorations w Fish

The fish story inspiration: 

From Twitter:

Me: Wishing I was floating in the warm waters of an ocean..it's Where I do my best thinking.. Bathtub will have 2 do 4 2day..#firstworldproblem

Scott: I've never been to the ocean :\

ME: ?????? Never? How about great lakes or lake Michigan?

Scott: nope.

Me:  D*mn.....growing up land locked I watched Cousteau & knew it was a place I had to find ;) ! It was all I thought & more ;)

Then my tiny wheels in my head start spinning.... I start thinking about how I stumbled my way into the ocean.  Remembering how many hours I spent in the bathtub as a kid sniffing the Coppertone Bottle dreaming about what it must be like to be in the ocean actually looking at fish, swimming beside them, exploring the quiet beauty of the ocean.  With those dreams in my noggin I made it a long way. 

I dreamed of water.  We went to Florida many times when I was growing up, I swam across entire lakes as a kid on a dare, or for lifeguard qualification tests at Campfire Girl Camp.

I fished my fool head off.  But as anyone growing up in the MidWest knows...The water is not exactly crystal clear to hang with and observe the fish.

Fast Forward

 A lot of people attack the sea, I make love to it.

~Jacques Y. Cousteau

I finally, I end up on the West Coast.  San Francisco (I thought EVERYwhere in CA was warm, palm trees & etc.  oops minor mistake believing what little TV I watched)  

I had a minor adjustment to make... instead of crystal clear warm water, flip flops and a bikini...I ended up in a full wet suit, mits, booties and hood (learning very quickly that peeing in your wetsuit is an awesome thing when your lips are blue) LOL... 

I learned to sail something larger than a 24ft boat on Lake Michigan.  The bay is pretty unforgiving with tidal pulls that would throw you out to the Farallon Islands.  We boat camped next to Angel Island after sailing all day, BBQ in floating and hiking the island.... (Reminds me I'll have to find a picture I took after getting hoisted up the mast).

I would get up at 4 am to surf in Pacifica, Fort Point or various other places before work or school... Had a big brown "thing" (seal) surf next to me (nearly scared me half to death) I stumbled across my first whale (Unfortunately, it was beached near the range at Ft. Barry) 

BUT STILL NO FISH TO HANG WITH THAT I COULD SEE

Fast Forward

My sister decides to get married on a cruise.  Yippee ;-) 

The cruise is going from Miami to the Bahamas for 4 days with a stop at a private island on the way.

We arrive at the private cove, Its gorgeous sunny, 80, I have my bikini (screw the lotion the chit chat and the fluffy coconut umbrella drinks)!  I have my snorkel gear ( I'm really really REALLY excited)  ready to finally get into seriously tropical warm water (Ok surfing Baja Mexico: Rosarita, & Ensenada are warmer than Half Moon Bay but not tropical) for the first time in FOREVER!!!!

Picture and entire cruise ship worth of people laying on the beach working on their tans getting their mellow on and I'm full blast into the water. Giddy as can be.

So I put on my fins, mask and prepare to finally pretend that I'm finally hanging out with Jacques Cousteau....Stick my face in the water for like 45 seconds and see FISH! 

IM so completely excited, I pop my head up and yell: OMG there are FISH down there!  Hystarically laughing.. I AM so happy I can't contain my excitement!

The ENTIRE beach stopped and looked at me....(yep, I'm a little touched...H*ll I'll never see them again so who cares) and I laughed harder, I cried I was so happy to finally see FISH!

It was such a huge moment in my life to finally fulfil a simple childhood dream. 

I spent the rest of the day smiling, swimming with a happy smile in my heart.

I've hung out with many fish all over the globe since that moment.  Me staring at them, them staring at me.  

"Don’t give up. There are too many nay-sayers out there who will try to discourage you. Don’t listen to them. The only one who can make you give up is yourself."

~Sidney Sheldon~

Random Thoughts... Out Loud

Random fun thoughts:


If I ever wrote a book two of the fun titles I've come up with are:

Tales of an Accidental Intellectual 

(My friend SG says : Suuuuuuuuurrrrrreeeee "accidental" ....besides you're blonde you can't be an "intellectual"....duh :-P )

That thought has now morphed into: 


Adventures of an Insatiably Curious (Though Often Clueless) Undefinable, Eclectic Creature & Her Menagerie of Really Smart Fun Friends ;)




I think one of the most amusing things to come out of my discussions in #140 chars on Twitter with my "followers" 

Disclaimer:

(I still have NO clue why they follow me LOL, except for a few)

Is that in an effort to stimulate Peace and Kumbaya they DM me that they think I (yes me) should sign up for (get this) match.com etc... Needless to say I thank them for their initiative (while ROTFLMAO) and move along.

What THE H*LL would I even BEGIN to say on a site like E-Harmony, Match etc.... (OH the humor never ceases)... Fill in the blank...

For My IC: Long Overdue

I need to take the time to thank all of my amazing Inner Circle for all your unconditional love, support and understanding.

It has been an intense year.  Thank you for listening to my humming bird on crack techno-political babble at light warp speed. 

Even though most of you didn't understand a damn thing I was saying...You did something that many didn't...You listened.  That simple...

Completely even keeled through the  chaotic cacophony of my completely made for movie situation I had been placed in, your support never wavered.  You stayed by my side listening when all I could do was breathe, and be silent, isolate and try to plan every permutation, combination possible.... 

I especially need to thank a few people for their complete presence:

G~ (you listened and gave me amazing advice and a place to lay my head that was safe)

K:  Giving me style and a fabulous laugh.

R: (It's been an amazingly long road since 1997 we have been on...thank you for all you have done and continue to do...especially my fluffy white therapist that sits by my side quietly because he knows I need love, and I don't think they have discovered a barking translator yet so he keeps good secrets)

RC:  You put up with me cause your wife does...LOL :D

P:  As your adopted dweller, I can't even begin to thank you and the family for being my sounding board, my surrogate parents, my rock and my favorite place to be during passover...you mean the world to me....up to the sky into the stars...(for G)

The "socialites" with PUBLIC people:  I can't tag you but thank you.

W:  Thanks for talking me out of the tree

G&M:  For listening and connecting me to wonderful people.

and the rest of the unmentionable crew.

First and foremost I need to thank: JG for holding my hand through all of this.  For letting the truth prevail, saving lives, money and giving me the right person to work with beyond a shadow of a doubt.  J, without you, I would either be road kill in the Jersey Flats, silent or who knows where....  Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Now the Trumpet of truth goes to M:  J, you positively picked the best person to write it... M, thank you for your time, persistence and amazing ability. Although I would have used much more strongly worded language.  You are amazing.  Thank you.

SG: We will not only survive, we will see, breath and rise with the Valkryies again.

WS, GC, JT.... Don't even know where to begin...

This is far from over, it is only the beginning....

I am one as you can see,

But close your eyes, go to sleep,

When you wake, surprise surprise,

It's not just one it's one plus three,

Because I am a starfish you see....

Cut my leg off and you'll find,

I will survive and be just fine.

Each and every one of you on my inner circle list have played a major role.  Not once did you EVER waiver.  This I will never forget.  I am like an elephant you see .....

Love to you all.....

I am thankful to be here for another day.

I Miss My Neighbors Pt 1

I havent been feeling very "wordy" or even like speaking in more than #140 characters this week.  

In leu of my usual banter, I thought perhaps I would post some interesting pictures from Susan's World.

Enjoy and embrace the diversity of this world....It is an amazing place and I havent even seen a fraction of it... More to follow....

The beginning of change NYC to Guam 2 Jan 09

The beginning of change NYC to Guam

When I hit the ground from NYC on 2 January 09 after flying the kids back I entered my empty house and sat down and cried.

It was a very lonely place with out my tropical monkeys to keep me company.

I went to bed, woke up the next morning and sat back strategizing on how I could possibly get my entire house packed into 2 shipments to the U.A.E. and NYC and the yard sale stuff by the 15th of January.

Then the knock at my window came.  I went out and it was my friend J.

He had been begging me to do this great ocean swim to a cave for as long as I could remember. Until now, I could never go at lunch because I only had a half hour. The kids (who are amazing swimmers & snorkelers) could not have made the swim.

I grabbed my tennis shoes and goggles, put on my bikini, jumped into J's island boonie beater truck and headed to a hidden beach.

The waters were very (understatement) rough. (I knew there was a tropical storm headed in..even on an average day this isn't something exactly most "normal" people would ever do) We threw caution to the wind, (calculated risk...he did the math, crazy submariner nuke nutter) and set out to swim past the reef into the place where you can not see the bottom (pretty creepy but beautiful) into the Philippine Sea.  Out and around the tip of a tremendous rock to a place not many will ever see.

Behold the giant cave (GET THIS) WITH a rope swing in it. (Que Pirate music (Japanese Pirate Music...Nah...ok thats a stretch)) The trick to get to the swing was timing & climbing. There's also the small matter of the intake to small cave to the left. If you got caught in the wrong current you would get pulled into and stuck in the small cave getting smashed against the coral. (YoHoHo and a bottle of rum LOL good thing I don't drink rum)

J gave me explicit instructions on how to catch the current at the right time and my foot positioning once I got the spot in the cave to climb up.

Thank you J.

On a normal day I would have laughed at this as an easy challenge but still been cautious.  Today the waves were enormous. It was fabulous, freaking surfing without a surf board.

The only time I think I ever remember such a strong current (until last recently, before another hurricane on another coast) was when I was a white water rafting guide in college...After rafting ended, we used have the guy who drove the truck drop our kayaks w/ boogie boards bungied on top downstream.

Walk down the trail, stand on the rail and jump off a bridge (trying not to get busted) into the river, ride the current to our kayaks get to the rapids, to take boogie boards and go into the rapids and surf and crash..until it was almost dusk.  Then kayak the rest of the way back to the campground and sleep till the next day...Rinse, repeat...LOL At any rate....The cave...

J went in for the first go at the rock and I watched…He missed….He went in for another go when the lull came it.. He made it! RAWR Success!

So out of the safety of my floating in the open Philippine Sea I patiently waited for a lull and then went for it….getting bashed by waves and currents all the way…(I've been swimming, surfing, in the water my entire life, this was a challenge) I swam in, missed the pull into the small cave (whew) and made it to the face. Got my feet on the rock and went to pull up higher to climb onto the first ledge and a huge wave came in and pummeled me against the coral face.

I only cut my hands, elbow and knees in a couple of places so no big deal. But boy was I tired from the fight with the currents.  I might be a "little touched" according to some, but not full blown stupid.  So instead of going back in straight away, I swam back out into the open sea and rested for about 10 minutes.

I really love just hanging out looking at all the beauty and silence (well the roar of the surf but thats music to my ears) So I floated on my tummy and looked at fish (the beautiful fish...man do I miss that place) Thinking I am all alone in the sea...I spy the spear fishermen who appeared below my feet LOL!

One pops up next to me, and I say "Haifa"! How’s the fishing? It was really quite funny to have a conversation with a few guys with spears in the middle of the sea while I was hanging out with my tennis shoes on and bikini and goggles LOL….Neptune was watching out for me that day.

I waited for a lull in the waves (not much of a lull with the oncoming storm) and went at it full force.  Gave it everything I had.  Got into the flow, felt out the pull, drew down and kept out of the pull into the small cave and finally caught my feet on the rock. Another HUGE wave was coming in, I could feel it tugging at me, the pull out waiting for it to come in….I climbed faster than I have ever climbed the face of any rock in Utah, Idaho, California, Wyoming, Oregon, Washington... anywhere.

I made it up to the first ledge by the skin of my teeth, just before the wave hit. It was inching at me...teasing me...baiting me to draw me back into the sea. It actually came up to the first ledge and almost got me.

Thank you J for being so patient with me.  J threw his arm down from the second ledge just in time to give me my three points of contact on the face to fend off the wave and use the leverage of the force to propel my body up instead of out.  (Thank G_D for strong MAN arms)

So the waves were coming in harder, inching higher and higher. We kept climbing higher into this amazingly beautiful coral cave. Finally, at the top, I rested.  Laying back taking all of it in. Soaking in the peacefulness. It was amazing.  Looking at the washed up creatures in the pools of water.

J the manly adrenaline junkie wasted no time and just had to swing off the rope!  So I was lucky to just hang and observe.

The rope swing was an entirely different challenge.  I'm not afraid of heights, swinging, gravity or kerplunking into the open ocean.  That is the fun part.  Its the particular nature of the swing on this very blustery day that has me kerfluxed.

Instructions and observations after watching J's first swing: Keeping mental notes in my mind: HUGE jump to swing body way out,  but at same arching lower back and rotating hips swinging legs at same time to position body weight to keep force ensuring you curve around to the left. WAY Important: If you want to miss the big *ss piece of coral on the right and then get pulled into the smaller cave.

Being pummeled with coral and low probability of getting your somewhat sane (minutely bleeding body) out of here alive and floating over to the Philipines during a tropical storm...wasn't on my agenda if I could help it.

So crazy man J goes up to the very top of the cave, flings his big ole manly dude body into the air and makes it. So amazing, breathtaking really.

I however am still resting.  Realizing that after all of this....I have to have enough energy to swim all the way back to Tipalo beach where our towels are (like another hour swim at least in these waves LOL) (This of course is less than 12 hours after I got off of a 33 hour flight from NYC LOL)!

J climbs and swings 3 more times. The spear fisherman out in the distance are watching and I’m quite sure thinking we are lunatics. I get my energy back and am done looking at the beautiful blue starfish and small fish in the tidal pool and tell J I am ready to swing.

He once again patiently gives me instructions on how to swing out and around… I push my hardest off the rock and WWWOOOOOHOOOOOO what a blast! Hit the water and have my usual happy kid smile on!

We swim back through the strong currents to the beach slowly going down and holding our breath trying to be spear fishermen without spears LOL…enjoying the waves, the water, the sun, the fish and a great experience with a wonderful friend.

Thank you J, I am so happy we finally got to do that swim. Unfortunately due to my ear we weren't able to do it again before I left.  But someday I hope we make that swim again.  Perhaps not right before a humoungous storm (I think we should go kite surfing next to gov Guam building instead LOL).  So many things left to see, taste and feel in this world....

So back to reality: we went back to my house and immediately both of my neighbor friends saw my arrival popped into my driveway carport, M and L giving me a firm but nice scolding telling me it was time to get down to business and off we all went  into sort out my house….

Love....The World...Love The Child...They Are "OUR" Future

“If you want to see the brave, look at those who can forgive. If you want to see the heroic, look at those who can love in return for hatred.”
― Krishna Dharma

新年快乐 Happy Chinese New Year 2012! Enter The Year Of The Dragon!....

I make it a point to incorporate many different "celebrations" into my life.  It's a part of Susan's Personal Nomadic Global Social Exploration Project.  (Sounds really fancy right?  Well, it actually not...LOL But it certainly was fun adding some fluffification to something so positively simple).


Why?  Many different reasons but primarily:  I believe that with knowledge, patience and understanding the world petrie dish might actually learn to listen instead of react.  If we proactively listen maybe we will learn to behave better on the world stage than the local kindergartners. So in my little petrie dish, I strive to learn about cultures, celebrations and people to engage and understand them. Which produces the desired effect (in my little petrie world) Respect, Tolerance, Kindness and creates a common ground in which we can begin to engage and push a mutually beneficial agenda (with appropriately managed expectations) providing for our growth forward instead of stalling it.  


I know you want to say it....Go ahead...I'm coming to terms with my "HippieDom" LOL  If you must label it, to make yourself feel better, please go ahead.


What in the world does this have to do with Chinese New Years Anyway?


One of the most important Chinese New Year customs (which I have failed miserably at for many years now to observe) is: 

Cleaning the house from top to bottom.  It is meant to clean all the "bad luck" that you gathered in the previous year. 

Quite frankly, I don't want ANY FORM of bad luck from my prior year (or all of my years) to carry into the New Year... My shoulders ache from the burden I've been carrying around.  I'd prefer a nice fresh start and a little yoga to stretch out those well worn and sore shoulders :D

So in Susan's petrie dish: Cleaning house means I've been going through hard disks, multiple journals (AKA random scraps of paper, actual journals, electronic entries of randomness) I have been barfing out all around the globe in one fashion or another since around 1987...

Cleaning out my mental house, organizing it and trying to make sense of all of it...

I've cleaned, now I'm digesting....Interesting food for thought...

Always learning and stretching...It's going to be an interesting 15 days of Celebrating Chinese New Years Susan Style...

Virtual Vomit On Boarding...

Wishing peace for all.

Ennuideluxe: The Katrina Diary, SOPA, and me.

ennuideluxe: The Katrina Diary, SOPA, and me.: I would like to clear one thing up, if I may. I'll try to be brief. My name is Amy Rohde, and I wrote a book, The Katrina Diary. It's gott...

Welcome Home Warriors: Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

To the remnants of "the former home of the free & brave" ....

Mr. President & Elected Officials:

How could you POSSIBLY RAM through something as fundamentally important to our Country as the NDAA When YOU CANT even pass a BUDGET?

How COULD you POSSIBLY bring OUR Warriors home to YOU and OUR President SIGNING a bill that takes away the very basic FREEDOMS so many put their lives on the line for AND DIED for?!

How COULD YOU: Then propose some viscous rhetorical statement of how you are going to slice & dice the Defense Budget (Most likely so during your election you can say see I saved you $XXX, just like I said I would) pass the buck to "Leon & Marty"  (REALLY?!!! Honestly, do they call you Barry?)

Threaten benefits?  PLEASE!!!! It's not the benefits that are killing us!

This is like telling CIO's you need to cut 20 Blackberry's to save a total of 3k per year....  When you really should be looking at Long Haul Comms Contracts that can save you a few mil per year....

It is our completely MISMANAGED, CORRUPT Inefficient, ineffective, NON AGILE methodologies that are killing us....WASTE, ABUSE....GALORE:

There have been efforts by many trying to show, empower you how to responsibly reduce billions, but we have been silenced.

The final straw: NOT Warrior BENEFITS.... AND DON'T tell me you are doing a better job of supporting those who have come home...When we have lost more bodies to suicide than in battle...

UNACCEPTABLE

YES I AM YELLING!  I am SCREAMING AT THE TOP  OF MY BLONDE HEAD!

This is my country, My Constitution, MY FREEDOM and I CARE.

Sincerely,

Your invisible voter
(potentially detained in the near future)

What it comes down to...

‎"Maybe that's what it all comes down to - love, not as a surge of passion (which is a big part of it)but as a choice to commit to someone, no matter what obstacles stand in the way. 


And maybe making that choice again & again each day, each year, says more about love than never having the choice to make at all." 


-Emily Griffin


Thanks to SEG for reminding me of this great quote.

The White Board

The answer to my dreams came in a most unexpected state.

Something I could not fathom, in any time or space.

At a time when most people would blink or fade away.

I stood, completely glued staring fate directly in the face.



I finally stopped asking how, why or when the calculations had been made.

The white board in my mind, on which I always contemplate,

This is often where you will find me constantly consumed,

From the outside you would think, Im only sitting silently,

Looking peaceful and in tune.  Or perhaps, just maybe I'm simply just staring across the room.


Occasionally I'll reach out, even pulling out the runes.

Certainly you will find me listening to my beautiful tunes.

Frantically searching for solutions while patiently wading through buffoons.


My White Board has finally become a giant blank slate.

How beautiful it is, glimmering in the light,

Clean but well worn, and happy with delight.

The plain and simple has finally become exactly what I like.


How, Why or When, something so wonderful landed at my feet.

Is no longer a question, not important for the journey but just a wonderful treat.

I've finally become so comfortable, that I think, perhaps tonight, I will finally sleep.

Waiting for that unexpected pleasure to drop in on my dreams.