The Dustbin

This is not for the children*

2010-02-09T19:36:00.000-08:00

It's for the Haitians!!!!

*meaning there's lots of swearing today.

Our office is rife with swearing. From the top down. I think I learned how to swear at my office. (Well, no, that's not true, but for someone's sake I'll say that's where I learned to swear.)

To get to the point, I've been working with the perfect storm of frustrations lately. AutoCAD 2010, the worst software update since Vista, drawings on another office's drive, and rain (which slows working on another drive down to an even worse level.) The trifecta of crappy circumstances one could argue. Last night these three items led me to put forth such a string of profanities that I was reprimanded by a co-worker for my language. I decided to install the swear jar in our area, just for our team.

Last night's conversation of what words would be banned and what their use would cost told us how difficult this would be. "Can I say 'effing?" "No." "Well shit. Wait, no Damn. Wait, Crap."

Today we collected $6.50. But it's for the Haitians (said like Cher from Clueless.)

My first infraction today occurred before i even made it to my desk. I was at a friend's desk, and I said fuck. She looked at me (she knew about the jar" and by her look I realized what I'd done. Was my reaction to keep my mouth shut? No. my reaction was to go, "oh shit, fuck." She called my team upstairs to let them know I owed $1.25 before I sat down to work. We got much better as the day went on. I think this is going to be VERY good for us.

because i can't really post anything else here

2010-02-04T08:09:00.000-08:00

for reasons i can't explain- i can at least post a survey i got tagged for on facebook.

1. What time did you get up this morning?
7AM

2. How do you like your steak?
medium

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
nine, but i should have gone with my instincts and seen the young victoria for a second time.

4. What is your favorite TV show?
currently: community- all time? impossible

5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
who knows.

6. What did you have for breakfast?
bagel, peanut m&ms, and a coke

7. What is your favorite cuisine?
let's just say italian for arguments sake.

8. What foods do you dislike?
indian, anything with lots of spices

9. Favorite Place to Eat?
il capprichio

10. Favorite dressing?
ranch

11.What kind of vehicle do you drive?
civic

12. What are your favorite clothes?
well tailored, good looking work clothes that are well out of my price range. and weekend clothes.

13. Where would you visit if you had the chance?
ireland

14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full?
half empty

15. Where would you want to retire?
i haven't seen everywhere yet, how would i know?

16. Favorite time of day?
6PM-10PM

17. Where were you born?
springfield, Mass.

18. What is your favorite sport to watch?
sports?

19. Who do you think will not tag you back?
i'm not tagging anyone

20. Person you expect to tag you back first?
see above

21. Who are you most curious about their responses to this?
see above

22. Bird watcher?
am i 70?

23. Are you a morning person or a night person?
depends on the day and the activities at hand

24. Pets?
none

25. Any new and exciting news that you'd like to share?
none

26.What did you want to be when you were little?
architect.

27. What is your best childhood memory?
life was pretty good (except for my parents liking my sister best!) so it's hard to say

28. Are you a cat or dog person?
dogs, but still, i'm not really a pet person

29. Are you married?
no

30. Always wear your seat belt?
yes

31. Been in a car accident?
yes

32. Any pet peeves?
people who call me "sar" especially when i see it typed out as i did in yesterday's email from my boss.

33. Favorite pizza topping?
pepperoni and sausage

34. Favorite Flower?
gerber daisies.

35. Favorite ice cream?
mint chocolate chip

36. Favorite fast food restaurant?
chick-fil-a

37. How many times did you fail your driver's test?
drivers test- zero. learner's permit test? once. but that's because they loaded the machine with the "truck and bus driver's test." sad thing- i only failed by one question. i could be driving the big blue bus right now if not for that.

38. From whom did you get your last email?
client

39. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card?
i don't have credit cards! (but if i did--- j. crew maybe?)

40. Do anything spontaneous lately?
no

41. Like your job?
redacted

42. Broccoli?
what about it? i'm trying to remember what leslie's boss told her about broccoli or cauliflower being invented in WW2, that was obviously not true, but he believed it.

43. What was your favorite vacation?
the one i'm taking next year to ireland

44. Last person you went out to dinner with?
diane

45. What are you listening to right now?
silence

46. What is your favorite color?
try to remember - apples in stereo

47. How many tattoos do you have?
zero

48. If you could be a different age, what would it be?
can i just go back to 30 for awhile?

49. If you don't already have children, do you want to have them?
i was thinking i might want some this morning when i was reading about the harry potter theme park- you know, so i have an excuse to go without looking like a total geek.

50. Coffee Drinker?
nope, but i'm a big fan of a venti, sweetened, black tea lemonade.

Celebrity Collage by MyHeritage

2010-01-30T08:13:00.001-08:00

MyHeritage: Celebrity Collage - Family histories - Ancestors

kaiser scorecard

2010-01-26T07:37:00.000-08:00

26 days in

+1
i've been having weird heart palpitations for the past few months. i've attributed them to stress, but i have mentioned them to doctors and been told it's nothing and not to worry. so i haven't worried.

i went to kaiser and was talking to the asthma doctor re: my medicines. she said, "now you know the warnings about advair?" "no, please fill me in." well, apparently advair is an old drug- qvar, with an extra ingredient for god knows what. the extra ingredient causes heart problems in some people, and has caused the FDA to put it on their "black list" ( or something like that) as the last level of watch before they pull a drug from the market. i said, "so why don't i just take the qvar?" i've been on it for 2 weeks now, and the heart palpitations have all but gone away. double bonus- qvar - $10 for 3 months. advair - $10 for 1 month. neither of the other 2 doctors who prescribed it to me told me about the FDA warnings.

+1
every visit has been $15 so far. and so far no follow up bills. knock on wood.

-1
so far they only cover 5 migraine pills a month. this could be a real problem. granted imitrex has gone generic now and if i have to shell out $150 for an extra 9 out of pocket, maybe i can, but it won't be fun. my last insurance covered 18 pills a month.

-1
it can take awhile to get an appointment. i started trying to get an appointment with a neurologist (to get migraine medicine) at the beginning of the year, and the first available is feb. 11. this is when i can talk to someone about re-evaluating the number of migraine pills i get, and also whether i can get botox covered. if i can't, i'll get my dermatologist to do botox. i'm actually not excited about my face being frozen. but i've had at best a low level migraine 60% of the time (i'm attributing it to stress) for months and something needs to be done.

so right now they're at zero.

but when i think of the $1200 asthma doctor bill i still haven't paid off, i feel like they should be at plus 40. i was going to start saving money for a trip to ireland, but i feel like i should put that off til the $1200 is paid off.

in memoriam

2010-01-17T20:14:00.000-08:00

dear ren,

you were a good phone, but you'd taken a beating. two and a half years of being dropped and sat upon took their toll on you.

it was time to send you to live with a nice family in the country.

this will be interesting

2010-01-04T19:54:00.000-08:00

i'm switching to kaiser.

i've got my first appointment set up for thursday and will see how it goes. i need to get switched over to kaiser, because a) they don't fill prescriptions that other doctors have written. b) they don't cover all my drugs so i have to get my drugs switched over to something they do cover.

i feel like this could be interesting. it seems like a good premise... if it works. if they treat the people like patients and really act as though they care about their health, this system will work. if all they are looking at is the bottom line and how to make as much money as possible, it won't.

it all started because of a $1200+ bill i received from going to the doctor for asthma. i had no idea my bill would be that high, and fighting it is frustrating. i feel like kaiser will eliminate all surprise medical bills. i called to make my appointment today and the guy flat out said, "your co-pay will be $15." and then said, "do you have... and listed off health conditions- so that he could get me in to the system as needing further treatment.

the next thing that led me to switch over was the cancellation of my old policy and the shockingly high price of the next available PPO. i just couldn't afford it, and the other HMO available didn't seem as organized as kaiser.

this is an experiment for a year. if i don't like it, next year i can go back. but i'm giving it a shot. i'll still be better off than millions of other americans.

two weeks peace from work

2010-01-03T19:36:00.001-08:00

my two weeks of peace from work-

visiting family

ice skating

chick-fil-a

barbeque

mr. gatti's

homemade soup

schweppes ginger ale

movies:

sherlock holmes- fun

avatar (3d) - pretty but pointless unless you're going to see it in 3d

nine- so boring

the young victoria- beautiful and a near perfect movie

new tv show addiction- dirty jobs with mike rowe (thank you netflix for having back episodes streaming online)

new years eve- party in valley then drinks at bar

new years day- japanese barbeque with good friend, and long drive to and from listening to:

karl pilkington guide to : law and order (funny)

karl pilkington guide to : the future (flat out hilarious)

books: a brief history of the dead

started: down and out in paris and london

started: sherlock holmes collection

and relaxing watching lots and lots and lots of online TV and old DVDs. please don't make me go back to work tomorrow.

my favorite gifts

2009-12-21T22:23:00.000-08:00

some presents stick out in your memory as the best gifts you've ever received.

1) my parent's rule was that i was not allowed to get my ears pierced until i was 13 years old, because that's when my sister got hers pierced. i wanted nothing more desperately than to have pierced ears, and at age 10 i think it was the worst thing going on in my life that i could not wear earrings. that year for christmas my sister gave me a gift certificate to get my ears pierced, because my parents had put the caveat on the rule saying, "well if your sister doesn't mind you getting them pierced early, then it's okay." it was kind of crappy of my parents to do, now that i look back at it. "hey, we don't want to be the bad guys, so let's make you look at it as your sister's fault." it was probably 5 years before i ever went a day without earrings.

2) my cabbage patch doll. i wanted one more than anything. everyone else had one. but i did not. my parents gave me the choice of taking sailing lessons or having a cabbage patch doll. i just got the impression that they would have been very disappointed in me if i had chosen the doll, so i sucked it up and took the sailing lessons. i believe to this day that a) i was too young at the time, and b) i am not suited to handle a boat. sometime after the sailing lessons ended, i came home from school one day and there was a cabbage patch doll sitting on my bed. my parents said they were proud of me for never complaining about the lessons and for realizing i made a choice and not asking again for the doll. stupid learning experiences. i really should have just chosen the doll from the beginning.

3) my red phone. my dad is almost NEVER involved with selecting any gift i receive. i have a love of rotary dial telephones. completely obsolete, and a pain in the neck to dial, but i love them. i wanted a red one, but i had never seen one. my dad was shopping in a store in austin and saw one, and bought it for me. it was amazing to open that on christmas morning and know that my dad was the one to have thought of the gift.

i know that i've received other gifts that i have absolutely loved, but those 3 really stick out in my mind.

oh blurg

2009-12-09T21:10:00.000-08:00

today just sucked. there's really no other way to put it. i can't talk about any of the events that sucked today- except for 1.

the effing $1200 bill from the pulmonologist because of the asthma attacks i've been having since the fires. that's $1200 AFTER INSURANCE.

i was thinking of this upcoming year and how money might not be as tight. i've refinanced my debt (1/2 the old monthly payment) and i'll pay off my car in january. i've still taken a pay cut due to furlough time at work, but once i pay off my car things will be a lot easier. i was going to try to start saving money again and had made a list of things i was going to buy that i need.

1) a new phone. my current one is one drop away from being held together with electrical tape. (seriously.)

2) a new mattress. my current one has a dent the size of the grand canyon in the middle of it (exaggeration.)

so, as my first 4+ months of car payments will be going towards paying off asthma attacks, i guess i have to put off a comfortable night's sleep and an un-kludged phone a little longer.

yes- i will still contact the insurance company to make sure this is legit. i should have met my deductible for the year, so i want to know that all the accounting is correct. although with all the other things that are wrong right now, i feel defeated and don't have the energy to fight this with all the other things i'm fighting.

i love articles on how to save money

2009-12-01T06:52:00.000-08:00

http://customsites.yahoo.com/financiallyfit/finance/article-108257-3338-0-everyday-savings-opportunities-youre-missing?ywaad=ad0035

okay, #1- drive more efficiently- drive 55 instead of 70. wow i'd love to drive at 55. i think my max daily speed is 35.

#2- before starting your car get your kids buckled in. no kids. no savings. check.

#3- conserve energy- set your thermostat lower and wear a sweater. um, no thermostat, i always wear sweaters. and sleep under 3 comforters and a wool blanket. no savings.

#4- walk or bike to work- then how would i get to my meetings?

#5- bring your own lunch (i try- so this is real)

#6- cut back on dining out- no brainer. take a cooking class and cook at home. well, cooking at home is a problem when portion sizes are for 4 and there's only one of me, but i do try.

#6.1- don't order the appetizer, dessert or the special. i already don't. the meal is enough. american portion sizes people.

#6.2- don't order the 2nd cheapest wine- order the cheapest wine. or how about how i do it, don't order wine? there's the real savings.

#7- quit smoking- yeah, that will save me a boatload.

#8- rent DVDs from the library for free. except that you have to drive to the library. i'd like to see their selection match netflix. plus netflix has instant viewing. please, if you're going to give me a tip give me apples to apples. not apples to rotten fruit i don't like.

#9- think before opening the refrigerator door. okay, i can think all i want but there's still nothing in there. imagining a cornucopia of food won't help.

#10- don't shop on an empty stomach, eat a light nutritious snack before going. but that means having a light nutritious snack to eat before i go? if i had that, i wouldn't need to go to the grocery store.

#11- don't sign up for extended contracts or warranties for electronics- who has money to buy electronics right now? not me.

#12- manage credit card spending- HA i'm probably the only person with a credit score of 750 who can't even get a credit card! (i tried so i could have one on hand for emergencies- car breaking down, etc- and was denied 3 times. oh well.)

#13- ignore the minimum payment on your bill and pay more! wow, i bet people would LOVE to do this, but people who are charging things on credit cards don't usually have the money to pay $200 instead of the $20 minimum, but nice thought.

i always read them in case there's something in there i can use. but they're usually things like, "don't drink starbucks coffee. it's $4 a cup and at $4x5days a week at $20 a week you've just spent $1000!" i have had 3 $3.80 iced teas in the past 3 months, because i gave up my twice weekly habit months ago to save money, but thank you article for telling me a way to save money that should be obvious to anyone with half a brain!

For my mom

2009-11-25T20:04:00.000-08:00

who has no idea what my taste in guys is... so that she stops suggesting men like michael weatherly.

in no particular order (because of formatting issues)

Gary Lightbody- my most longstanding, most favorite of all.

Ryan Reynolds- who should not be married to Scarlett Johanssen

Chris Pine- Thank God for Star Trek, because watching the Princess Diaries 2 to see him is a little embarrassing.

Joshua Jackson- I never watched Dawson's Creek, so I've only recently come to appreciate his greatness.

Cillian Murphy- can sit next to me on a plane any time. (he looks better in movies than he does in still pictures.)

And Gerard Butler- who is just perfect.

So there you go mom. Next time you want to suggest I find a famous guy (since apparently you think actors are in my realm and i can stumble across) to date- use them as your jumping off point.

my sister had my child.

2009-11-18T18:32:00.000-08:00

i know it sounds like the title of a maury povich episode, or at least a headline on a real, old-fashioned tabloid, but it's true. my sister had my child.

my sister's second daughter, lily, is the spitting image of me. sometimes it is a little weird. i will find myself flipping through my sister's latest kodak gallery, seeing lily looking just mostly like me and then all of the sudden... wham! a picture that is like looking in a mirror with a 26 year way-back feature.

what's even funnier about this is she got a fair few of my personality traits too. she loves to dress up as dorothy from the wizard of oz. she takes ballet. and as my sister puts it, she's a bit of a drama queen. (of course i don't remember being a drama queen. i remember having an older sister who bossed me around a lot because she thought she knew everything because she was 7 years older.)

anyway, this of course leads me to stand up for lily more than i will stand up for her older sister. my sister doesn't understand what it is like to be the younger child, bossed around by an older sister who thinks she knows everything. i'll always be there to buy her ruby slippers, to point out lily's side of the story, and show her what she'll look like in 26 years.

Jurassic Park 101

2009-11-07T22:25:00.000-08:00

the other day we were in the car talking about disaster movies (my favorites) and the end of the world. one of my co-workers said, "we're not killing the earth, just our ability to live on it." and i said, "of course, that's jurassic park 101."

that's the first time i had ever been introduced to the concept that the earth will survive. we can pollute the hell out of it, and we will, and other species will die, and we will destroy the atmosphere and most everything on it, but as drs. grant and malcolm tell us, "life finds a way."

i got in the mood to watch jurassic park and realized that movie came out in '93. i was 16. that was HALF MY LIFE AGO. god i'm old.

anyway, it was a great night. we went to see it opening night, and came out of the movie thinking, "dinosaurs must exist. we just saw them on screen." 16 years later and the special effects aren't as strong as they used to be, but honestly, they're still better than you see in a lot of b-movies.

a note on the book, while i was reading it (i have a very, very active imagination) i was so scared that there were velociraptors downstairs in the laundry room one night that i couldn't go put clothes in the dryer. i had never seen a velociraptor, as this was before home computers and the internet. i just knew they were scary and they were waiting for me and that i would die if i went downstairs to put clothes in the dryer at 11PM at night when all the lights were off.

the great iPod unheard project!

2009-11-06T06:47:00.000-08:00

every year since i've owned an iPod (2004), i've done "The Great iPod Unheard Project." i put the play count of everything in my iTunes back to zero, and put it all on a separate list, and then as i listen to everything, i delete what i've listened to off the "unheard" play list.

i've now owned my computer for almost a full year (minus the 7 days the mac geniuses had it.) and out of the 5410 songs (46.9 days - 22.53G) i'm down to 3828 songs (10 days - 15.8 G) being unlistened to.

i think what i'm going to have to do to finish this is start moving my regular stuff off my iphone and start putting only unheard stuff on it.

i try to do this as a way to clean some stuff out, and make sure that everything in there is worth it. obviously it was a bigger deal when i had a slower, crappier computer with less memory. the macbook can handle having the extra stuff in there, but still... why not clean?

weird things you thought when you were little

2009-11-04T21:22:00.000-08:00

a drive in was just mentioned on the TV show i'm watching, and it made me think back to the drive in in sarasota, FL where i grew up. for some reason i thought i owned the drive in. i will never have an answer as to why i thought i owned the drive in. every time we drove by it i would think to myself, "i own that." what on earth could have ever happened to make a little girl think she owned a movie theater. one of life's great unanswerable questions.

my halloween costume and my favorite target moment

2009-10-31T20:50:00.000-07:00

this year i decided to go as the columbia pictures logo. the picture here isn't great, but i love the costume. i'm wearing it again tonight but i'm going to try to pin the blue sash a little better so it looks more like the logo. i'm also going to remember to hold the torch higher for photos.

in doing my research i found out that the lady's figure in the real logo is based on the shape of the coca-cola contour bottle. how perfect. me and coca cola.

any mention of the shape of the coca cola bottle reminds me of one of my favorite days working as a cashier at target. a guy came through my line and was buying a 20 oz coca cola (in the plastic bottle) and that was it. he said to me, the stupid little target cashier who he was probably trying to impress, "you know i designed the shape of this bottle." i blurted out without even thinking, "no you didn't- earl dean did." he didn't say anything for about 30 seconds, just dumbfounded that his little target cashier knew that and finally said, "okay you're right but i meant the plastic version. how the hell did you know that?" it was actually extremely random that i knew that- i had just gone to a design lecture where the bottle got a nod, and somehow remembered the name. who knew i was going to get use that little factoid to put a pompous guy in his place?

bookquiz - from my sister

2009-10-31T18:34:00.000-07:00

Hardback, trade paperback or mass market paperback? always hardcover, if i think the book is something i'm going to read more than once and the store has hardcover. if they don't, trade paperback. honestly, when you have a barnes and noble card, the hardcover is usually $3 more expensive than the paperback. of course, every time i move i swear off hardcovers.

Barnes & Noble or Borders? barnes and noble. my barnes and noble card sadly pays for itself in 3 or 4 months (considering i buy books as presents most of the time too.)

Bookmark or dog-ear? neither? and then i forget where i am and go back and re-read. so then i say, "i should dog ear." but i re-read books so often that i don't know which dog ear belongs to which reading.

Amazon or brick-and-mortar? brick and mortar. i like wandering around discovering things, asking the staff for recommendations, and i don't like paying for shipping or waiting. i'm too much of my mother's child ("instant gratification isn't fast enough") to wait for books to arrive. my dream job is actually working in a book store. helping people find books and sorting things and putting them in order! amazing.

Alphabetize by author, or alphabetize by title, or random? not alphabetized at all. grouped by author, and then certain authors grouped together. funny with the funny. irish with the irish. history with the history, etc.

Keep, throw away, or sell? keep, unless i hated it. i rarely even lend, because i want my books back. plus i dont want other people's germs on my books.

Keep dust jacket or toss it? keep it. usually they're prettier than the cover. i'm still mad that my war and peace dust jacket was ruined. it was beautiful, but it's not like i'm going to buy the book again just for the dust jacket.

Short story or novel? both

Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket? HARRY POTTER!

Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks? read until i fall asleep. i wake up a lot in the morning with the light still on and the book on the floor.

“It was a dark and stormy night” or “Once upon a time”? Either

Buy or borrow? buy- see above about other people's germs on books.

Buying choice: book reviews, recommendations, or browse? all of the above. but very rarely do i buy books on book reviews. i tend to think that most of what is reviewed is pretentious. maybe i'm reading the wrong reviews. (take that michael silverblatt of bookworm)

Tidy ending or cliffhanger? i like tidy better, but cliffhangers give you a chance to write your own ending in your head, so really either.

Morning reading, afternoon reading, or nighttime reading? all the time reader.

Stand-alone or series? stand alone, unless the series is good enough.

Favorite series? depends. when i was little, anne of green gables. now- harry potter.

Favorite children’s book? i don't know that i have one. unless you count finding "don't let the pigeon drive the bus" as a 28 year old a "favorite children's book."

Favorite YA book? single book- the secret garden. series- anne of green gables.

Favorite book of which nobody else has heard? i'd say girl of the limberlost, but it looks like it was turned in to a TV movie in 1990, so maybe people have heard of it.

Favorite books read last year? impossible to choose.

Favorite books of all time? little women, pride and prejudice, mansfield park (it's my favorite of the austens)

What are you reading right now? still slogging through a short history of nearly everything. it's great, just dense. not exactly a "what happens next???" type book.

What are you reading next? a farewell to arms for book club.

Favorite book to recommend to an 11-year-old? gone with the wind, although i don't know that every 11 year old would get obsessed with atlanta circa 1861+ the way i did. i wonder what other 11 year olds were reading?

Favorite book to re-read? i re-read probably everything i read. i don't know why, but i do. so- favorite of those to re-read, little women, jane eyre, anything by jane austen, wuthering heights.

Do you ever smell books? depends on the book. no.

Do you ever read primary source documents like letters or diaries? not often. if i read stuff like that it's usually semi-fictionalized versions of them. i like my reading edited so that someone's making sure it's actually interesting.

the not so scientific science of the way i look

2009-10-19T20:07:00.000-07:00

first go read here.

then look at how ellen page's character dresses in whip it.

(btw- this picture doesn't even begin to give you any idea of how horribly this girl dressed.)

the first is an example of people trying desperately to be beautiful and all end up looking the same. and the other is an example of someone wanting so desperately to not look like everyone else that they end up looking ridiculous.

my goal isn't exactly something i think about every day, but it certainly is to walk the line between the two. as much as i can't stand looking like everyone else, combat boots, clothes that don't match and an inch of eyeliner is not the right kind of fashion statement. everything about the girls in the front of the club screams "trying too hard." and the ellen page girl would say, "look at them trying so hard." but at the same time i look at the ellen page character and think, "trying too hard."

i can't stand the thought that anyone would ever look at me and think, "trying too hard." which is why my clothes always end up being on the safe side and i almost never wear makeup. nothing i ever wear looks like i take a chance. i walk the safe middle ground. makeup makes me feel like i'm asking for attention.

i think this is why i have red hair. it's my one way of standing out without looking like i've tried too hard. it looks real, and no one can accuse you of trying too hard with your real hair color.

Blogject!

2009-09-23T22:17:00.000-07:00

I've been looking for a blog project for awhile now. They're all the trend (projects, not necessarily promoting them on the web.) Julie cooking all of Julia Childs' recipes. AJ Jacobs and the bible. AJ Jacobs and the encyclopedia. Terminal Man and the Jet Blue pass. Dave Gorman and the Dave Gorman project. Danny Wallace and the "Yes" project. See, projects are all the rage.

I found mine. I'm not unveiling the details to the masses yet. A few people know it, and think it's pretty good.

I'm thinking I'm going to start October 1st. Right now I'm working out the details. And trying to come up with the name. I almost wish I could unveil the details to get help with the name.

I'm actually really excited about this.

The Informant!

2009-09-20T19:38:00.000-07:00

I saw The Informant! today.

I left the house intending to see Bright Star, but was thwarted at every turn. Literally, all the streets were shut down. I got to the theater just in time to get in for The Informant! and unfortunately saw it from the 3rd row and now have a nasty crick in my neck. On one side of me was a man with no respect for personal space and the other side was a very obese woman. Despite all that, I loved the movie.

I knew nothing about this movie going in to it except that it was a true story and that the guy went to jail (thank you Jon Stewart.) I'm so glad I didn't, because it was hilarious.*

So, I'm not going to say anything, except that it was hilarious and I loved it. As usual, it probably could have been 15 minutes shorter, but oh well.

On a separate note... this ceiling system is driving me crazy...

I know I don't know every ceiling system out there, but I should have seen this one. This office is supposed to be circa 1992. I started working in commercial offices in 2000. It would still be out there, somewhere, in 2000. I say it needs to make a comeback.

*A Beautiful Mind was ruined for me because I knew they had changed all the facts for the movie. The movie isn't as good if you know he's insane and that he doesn't actually think he's cracking war codes but alien codes.

my picks for the emmys

2009-09-19T23:16:00.000-07:00

i forgot all about the fact that i touched a real life emmy award last weekend. some guy at the short stop had won one (they did the awards for the technical stuff and reality programs last weekend) and was out celebrating. he worked on project runway doing something. i didn't ask too many questions. they're big awards.

anyway, i was going to do this whole elaborate "my picks for the emmys" post, until i realized i haven't watched half the shows that are nominated.

Comedy

alec baldwin- you deserve to win for jack on 30 rock. you, hands down, have the best character on television right now. and you play him to absolute perfection.

tina fey- you just rule. i love watching liz try to control the crazy every week. i love watching her struggle with trying to maintain friendships with people she's supposed to boss around. i love watching her deal with an insane boss. i would be lying if i said i couldn't identify a little (okay a lot) with liz.

30 rock- hands down the funniest show on TV right now. some weeks the office is a little stronger, but overall 30 rock wins.

supporting actor in a comedy series- here's where the office beats 30 rock. where would the office be without dwight? and who could play dwight better than rainn wilson? nowhere and no one. watching him fight andy for angela has been a treat.

supporting actress in a comedy series- kristin chenoweth for pushing daisies. i loved watching her this past season in the habit, having to keep the secret of lily being chuck's mom, in the baking competition, wanting to be emerson cod's sidekick, trying to be chuck's friend while still loving ned, and so much more. she was just perfection.

Drama

Mad Men- absolutely excellent in every way. the men are all so smarmy and such pigs. you hope they're really good actors and that men have evolved enough and that in 2010 (almost) they don't really think/act the way they do on that show. thank god the workplace has evolved, at least as much as it has.

which also leads me to follow up with saying that elizabeth moss NEEDS to win for peggy on mad men. the only female character on the show with strength (which is kind of the point) and so much fun to see a woman breaking in to the mens' workplace.

anyway- those are the the people/shows i pick. of course i haven't seen the past season of weeds, big love, the big bang theory or flight of the conchords. i'm a little behind on my netflix (what with catching up with 7 discs of gossip girl and all.)

i knew i liked method products

2009-09-19T03:26:00.000-07:00

I have a migraine. Not the kind that knocks you out. Just the annoying kind where you can't sleep. So here it is 3:30 on a friday night/saturday morning and I'm doing web research on soaps and cleaning products.

I stumbled across this on the method soaps FAQs and got a kick out of it. I'm almost tempted to sign up for the "email me if this answer is updated" option.

Anyway, it all started with research in to dr. bronner's magic soaps after seeing them mentioned in the comments section on Terminal Man's blog. I think they might be a little too hippie for me. So I started researching the savon de Marseille I used to use after my mom found it in Ashville. I think I still like it the best, but it's hard to find. I switched to the Olive Leaf soap made by Method, and am quite happy with it. (I went to their website to check out the environmental/organic aspect of it. It isn't listed as organic, but at least it doesn't have any parabens. For someone who eats as much fast food and drinks as much coke as I do, you think I wouldn't be that concerned with what goes ON my skin.)

Step by step I try to be a little more environmentally friendly. I guess cleaning products and health and beauty products are going to be my new thing. Yes, I feel insanely guilty every time I use the swiffer and the swiffer wet jet. But at least I use the broom and dustpan first to get the first layer of stuff. Plus, I tell myself that washing reusable pads uses water AND soap. (flimsy excuse I know.)

Sometimes I feel like environmentalism is too ridiculous and people take it too far, but for the things I can do, I will. I recently started timing my showers, and honestly I will never be able to take a 5 minute shower. I think the people who have come up with the 5 minute shower idea are men who don't have to shave their legs. So far I've gotten it down to 7 minutes. At least that's something.

Next up- the magic eraser. Obviously don't let your kids rub it all over their skin, but is a little elbow grease really going to kill anyone? (I really don't know that I'm ever going to be able to give up the magic eraser. But we'll see.)

this doesn't exist!

2009-09-15T22:30:00.001-07:00

There is a new Harry Potter theme park in Orlando, Florida. It will open next year.

Apparently "Magical instruments and equipment are available at Dervish and Banges, including everything needed to play Quidditch — a game like soccer played on flying broomsticks."

You can't buy Quiddich supplies! Golden snitches do not exist; nor do quaffles, bludgers, and least of all flying broomsticks. So no, everything needed to play quidditch is not available at Dervish and Banges.

This doesn't mean that I don't want to go to the Harry Potter theme park. I would love to go and not be a muggle for a day. But there has to be some reality. Especially when writing a news article for the AP.

light my fire

2009-09-01T08:18:00.000-07:00

some pictures from the AP and Reuters of the fires. scenes from my world.

From south of downtown looking North towards the Station fire. My neighborhood is slightly northwest of the last building to the left. On any other day, you'd be able to see hills and mountains. Today, those hills and mountains are on fire.

looking south into downtown. see, just gross. not even close to what you're typical smog day is like.

smoke from the Station Fire rising up from behind the Hollywood sign. the smoke from this fire started rising up about 15 miles east of here, and every day it's further and further west. at night, i can see the flames from these fires as i'm driving home from work.

more of the smoke rising up from the Station Fire. how more people aren't having breathing issues i'll never know.

and no- this isn't a scene from my world... but the phrase "resistance is futile" comes to mind. this is a firefighter driving away from the Station Fire.

right now they're trying to protect Mount Wilson. We lose that cell signals will start going. TV signals start going. plus, some really cool astronomy stuff. And the JPL facility is closed (and potentially threatened) due to the fires too. i guess at some point this all has to end, but i don't know if they even see the light at the end of the tunnel.

fire water burn

2009-08-31T20:05:00.000-07:00

i still have not adjusted to fires. i know they are a fact of life in southern california, but to me, it is a complete oddity to be driving around with smoke filling the air around you.

tonight's drive home from work was the best/worst of it yet. more of the hills are on fire and it is more visible from where i am. the smoke is filling all of the hills north of me, and almost every ridge is filled with spots of flames. what's unfathomable to me is that they keep saying, "this would be so much worse if the santa anas were blowing. if they were, this would be the true disaster that we've been predicting."

because it's so odd to me, i don't see how the city keeps on functioning. in my mind, we should all be standing outside just watching. or if i had my way, i'd be up on one of the high floors in one of my mid-wilshire buildings watching.

i can't imagine that just 20 miles north of me, people are losing every thing they own. that the landscape is being scorched. that firefighters are waging what has become an unending battle against the flames. every day we wake up and find out it has only gotten worse in the night. i'm trying to find some good side, and not able to.

but here's a pretty video ben found.

this one is for my mom

2009-08-30T22:32:00.000-07:00

she's been listening to leonard cohen lately, and thinking that his lyrics make no sense to her sometimes. i commented that i'm used to assigning my own meaning to lyrics, having grown up in an age when lyrics by some artists are nothing more than a series of words strung together to music. case in point:

loser- by beck.

In the time of chimpanzees I was a monkey
Butane in my veins and Im out to cut the junkie
With the plastic eyeballs, spray-paint the vegetables
Dog food stalls with the beefcake pantyhose
Kill the headlights and put it in neutral
Stock car flamin with a loser and the cruise control
Babys in reno with the vitamin d
Got a couple of couches, sleep on the love-seat
Someone came in sayin Im insane to complain
About a shotgun wedding and a stain on my shirt
Dont believe everything that you breathe
You get a parking violation and a maggot on your sleeve
So shave your face with some mace in the dark
Savin all your food stamps and burnin down the trailer park

Yo. cut it.

Soy un perdedor
Im a loser baby, so why dont you kill me?

Soy un perdedor
Im a loser baby, so why dont you kill me?

Forces of evil on a bozo nightmare
Ban all the music with a phony gas chamber
cuz ones got a weasel and the others got a flag
Ones on the pole, shove the other in a bag
With the rerun shows and the cocaine nose-job
The daytime crap of the folksinger slob
He hung himself with a guitar string
A slab of turkey-neck and its hangin from a pigeon wing
You cant write if you cant relate
Trade the cash for the beef for the body for the hate
And my time is a piece of wax fallin on a termite
Thats chokin on the splinters

Soy un perdedor
Im a loser baby, so why dont you kill me?
(get crazy with the cheese whiz)
Soy un perdedor
Im a loser baby, so why dont you kill me?
(drive-by body-pierce)
(yo bring it on down)
Soooooooyy....

(Im a driver, Im a winner; things are gonna change I can feel it)

Soy un perdedor
Im a loser baby, so why dont you kill me?
(I cant believe you)
Soy un perdedor
Im a loser baby, so why dont you kill me?
Soy un perdedor
Im a loser baby, so why dont you kill me?
(schprechen sie deutches, baby)
Soy un perdedor
Im a loser baby, so why dont you kill me?
(know what Im sayin? )

those lyrics all mean something to me. of course i've had since 1994 to put meaning to all of them.

so mom, next time you're confused by mr. leonard cohen, just take a minute to decipher mr. hansen's lyrics. everyone of my generation would categorize him as a musical genius, but we're not rich enough to pay $1000 for seats to his shows. at least not yet.

i'm just going to start paying cash for everything

2009-08-29T10:46:00.000-07:00

technically i do pay cash for everything, because i don't have credit cards. just i use my debit card from my bank account to do it.

but last month i had the American Girl Doll Store ring my $3.20 tip in as a $32.00 tip, and i had to call several departments at the store, and wait 2 weeks, to get my money back.

monday i took my team out to lunch (which i will be refunded for by my company.) the bill was $61.60 and then i added a $9.00 tip. so a total of $70.60 should have been taken out of my account. that would have been fine, but i wake up friday morning to find out they've taken $70.60 out once, and an additional $61.60 out 4 extra times. i had to put several calls in to the restaurant yesterday, and they had to call their credit card people to verify i wasn't lying. end of story is "you should have the money back in your account sometime next week."

had yesterday not been a payday, that could be a real problem for me. i don't think that it's right at all that this is how things are handled. stores can ring your purchase up incorrectly and take the money out of your account immediately, but then when you try to get it back it takes several days? had it not been a pay day there could have been real issues of not being able to pay other bills, put gas in the car, eat... i'm wondering if there are laws? or if i just put up more of a stink and gone in to the restaurant and made them give me cash on the spot? $246.40 is a lot right now. (well any time actually- but especially right now.)

i'm still waiting to see if my bank is going to charge me an insufficient funds fee for one transaction posted after those 4 additional charges, but before my paycheck went in. if they did, i'll be at the restaurant demanding they give me $33 or however much it is to cover it.

anyway- maybe my lessons learned should just be- take cash out of the machine, pay cash for everything. that way you always know how much things cost you as long as you are watching the register as they ring up.

just gross

2009-08-27T20:02:00.000-07:00

this is the hillside that is on fire. i couldn't actually get pictures of the flames, but they're there. oh they're there. and this was still when i was 5 miles from home. my house is 5 miles closer to where the smoke is.

the air smells horrible. i can't breathe. the two fires in azuza (and maybe in monrovia?) were bad enough. i didn't need the hills in town to burst in to flames.

i just looked at the picture again, and it doesn't even look near menacing enough to show how bad the sky got the closer i got to it.

i want a house with air conditioning and hepa filtration installed. with every crack and crevice sealed off so i know i'm breathing only pure clean filtered air.

district 9

2009-08-24T22:35:00.001-07:00

District 9 was fantastic.

I knew nothing about this going in, except for having seen one 2 minute preview. Spaceship stalls over South Africa. I didn't even know that the aliens were brought down to Earth and living in an internment camp (called District 9, which is where it got the name.)

The advertisements have been all over LA for about 3 months, and it has been just about the most annoying ad campaign I've seen yet. Bus stops were all marked with "this bus bench for humans only. report all non-humans to authorities immediately." type slogans. I was almost prepared to hold the ads against the movie. But it was too good.

The guy who plays the lead, Sharlto Copley was amazing. Christian Bale, Daniel Day Lewis, or any other actor of the calibre could not have done a better job. And in fact, I think had they been in the role there would already be Oscar talk for it.

There are some things I would have changed (mainly about how they tried to tell the "prawns'" side of the story) but it is so entertaining and so well filmed that I didn't mind the things that i would have changed. And the special effects hold up. You don't even think about them until after you leave the theater. I don't like watching special effects movies where you're thinking, "wow that looks fantastic." while you're watching it. Because if you're thinking that, obviously the movie isn't capturing your attention. If you're thinking, "that looks horrible." A) it looks horrible and b) the movie isn't capturing your attention.

anyway, solid. go see it.

sunset junction

2009-08-23T09:42:00.000-07:00

sunset junction this year was fate.

indie 103.1 was the station that usually promoted it, but they went under last year. we were wondering, "is sunset junction still happening?" yes it was, promoted by other people. my comment was, "well i'm not going unless islands is playing anyway."

my friend joelle called and said, "Islands is playing." so we bought tickets. then her current favorite band, the delta spirit, was going to be on stage right before islands. we were looking at it as fate.

so we went. in past years it's been 95 degrees, disgustingly crowded, and just not too much fun. this year was great. yes i was complaining that it was still 85, but it cooled off quickly. and our bands were going on later in the day. we saw delta spirit, islands and then wandered around the fair/booths to look around. i bought a $5 necklace (tickets were $10 so this was a cheap event for me.)

and then i got to meet Jamie and Subtitle.

swoon (that's not my picture- that's someone else's. i did not take their picture.)

Jaime is the drummer for the Unicorns, who became the drummer for islands, then left the band, and now is back. Subtitle is a rapper who was part of Th'Corn Gangg and did a rap for "where there's a will there's a whalebone." i saw him do the rap for them a few years ago, but at that point he said he was giving up rapping, moving to europe and pursuing a different kind of music. so good to see him back. and Jaime too. i just ran in to both of them in the crowd and stopped them to talk, and was so glad i did. i also saw roy from the office. (Busdriver came back for the rap too, but i didn't get to meet him.)

on to islands- they've been my favorite band for quite some time now. my basic philosophy in life is that Nick Thorburn can do no wrong musically, but... Islands last night was minus the chow brothers, minus Patrice, minus Patrick. They lost Jim Guthrie a while ago (but at least that gave us human highway/moody motorcycle.) It's not the same band anymore. Also, nick's girlfriend (maybe ex-girlfriend?) no longer sings with them, but i don't view that as a real loss. she's not part of the original lineup. I'm withholding judgement on the new lineup until i hear vapours. i'm sure the studio production will sound rich and full. but on stage, without the violins, bass, etc. they just lost a whole element that i had loved. the only old songs they did were swans, creeper and where there's a will there's a whalebone.

we'll wait for september 22.

success

2009-08-17T21:17:00.000-07:00

iPhone restored.

i had to chip off the old piece bit by bit, so i don't know how people take apart the whole thing without ruing them. now it's put back together and as good as new as it can get considering the circumstances.

i'm not sure i'd trust myself to do anything more than what i did. if i ever need to do anything more serious, i'm going to order repair tools from ifixit.com. didn't know they even existed, but luckily i managed to scrounge around and find a guitar pick, nail clippers (for the flip out file) and paperclip. (oddly enough, i found a guitar pick in about 2 seconds flat. the paperclip took 5 minutes.)

now to make sure i always have my case on it...

score (not yet- but maybe?)

2009-08-11T20:41:00.000-07:00

i have dropped my phone many, many times over the 2 years i have owned it.

until last week all of my iPhone's damage had been cosmetic- flesh wounds one might say. until last week. i dropped it in the parking lot, and it hit square on one corner, cracking the plastic case. (excuse the picture- it was taken with my blackberry. because i glued the lens of my digital camera shut, after dropping it and breaking a piece of that off as well.)

anyway- here's where the score (not yet, but maybe?) part comes in. i have bid on two separate "iphone 1st gen - for parts only" lots on ebay. usually these lots are expensive ($100+) because people are buying them for the innards. all i need is the black piece because my phone still works perfectly. i've managed to find one person who is selling just the exterior pieces, and another person who is selling more, but cheaply. one bid ends in 20 hours, the other in 2 days. i hope i win one, because i'd rather pay $20 bucks for a replacement part than buy a new phone right now.*

cross your fingers that i win one of the auctions, or if i don't win either one of those that i can find another. i'm not sure how much longer this is going to last before the piece breaks off entirely. if it weren't for the fact that it's right near the speaker hole, i'd just hold it together with electrical tape.

*that's partially a lie. if i had my way- i'd have the 32g 3Gs iPhone right now, but that is not in my budget. part of me likes having the original iPhone because clearly i got mine before everyone and my mother had an iPhone.

things i can't do

2009-08-02T21:52:00.000-07:00

scott adams recently blogged about things he doesn't know how to do. he says he's fairly intelligent and can figure most everything out, but some things have him stumped.

i'm fairly intelligent, what can't i do?

download torrents- every time i've tried, it ends up a huge mess, and i end up with software on my computer that i can never get rid of. i gave up years ago, which has probably saved me from whole hosts of viruses. of course, there's a lot regarding computers that i can't figure out. this is one of those areas where i leave it to a professional.

grammar, punctuation, etc. every time i think i have some rule figured out, it turns out i have it backwards. the one thing i do know, loan is not a verb people. it's a noun. you lend people things, not loan. (okay, i know this one has gained common acceptance and no one would ever call anyone out on it anymore, but i like knowing at least one thing william safire would pull out of his pocket.)

understand what math really means. i can do equations 'til the cows come home, but know how to apply them or what they mean? never. sine, cosine, etc. no clue. algebra makes sense, as the items can be measured, but once you start doing theorems about triangles, well its a triangle if it's sides meet. i shouldn't have to write a paragraph to explain it.

understanding the universe. they say that the universe is not endless, that it has a limit. but if it has a limit, what's on the other side? this makes no sense to me. i'm reading bill bryson's a short history of nearly everything (and it's really good.) but it is giving me no clearer idea of the universe. but, i'm understanding it a little bit better than i did hawking's brief history of time. brief history of time cracked me up though, because it's littered with exclamation points. he was so excited by what he was writing about.

and last- draw, sculpt, make anything with my hands that's supposed to resemble real-life. what i like about this is that it's something that's not "figuring it out." it's just a skill i don't have. like playing tennis or the piano. but- when it comes to art, i at least understand it. even at it's most complex (photography- because you need equipment to create it) it's something that can be explained. light exposed to film. film captures light. enlarge, dip in chemicals, chemicals react- recreates an image.

there's lots more that i can't do or figure out, but these were the big ones. these are the ones where i admit defeat. i know i'm hopeless, others i'm not ready concede just yet.

maybe you need to take 2 week vacations

2009-07-28T20:23:00.000-07:00

my team was fantastic while i was gone- really they were, but there's still so much to do. plus with everything i had to do to prepare, and the fact that i was answering emails the whole time i was gone, it didn't really feel like a vacation.

i'm wondering if 2 weeks is the actual threshold of taking time off and being able to enjoy it, and not coming back to such a pile of stuff that you have to overwork yourself to catch up?

maybe the trick is to go somewhere that you can't get cell service? like fiji or the amazon or the antarctic or a cruise.

so the trick now is to save up a) enough PTO to take two weeks off and b) enough money to go somewhere remote for two weeks.

H-Pot and the Half Blood Prince (Spoilers)

2009-07-16T05:29:00.000-07:00

very good. very, very good.

my only complaints

1. i think even this one was too long to make in to just one movie.

2. the problem for me is that i kind of sit there watching going, "okay are they going to show this part? how are they going to handle this?" i actually think it will be better the second time because i know what they've left in, changed, and tossed.

3. for those of us who know that snape and dumbledore had a deal, the ending isn't as shocking. for those in the theater who haven't read book seven yet, i bet the end of the movie was a lot better. but for those of us (90%) who have, we know the score and therefore were making sure it all fell in place with what we know happens next. and they put little nods and clues in there to items from book seven. v. well done.

it was so beautifully filmed, funny, sweet, everything. i'm so glad that not a single one of these movies has disappointed yet. i know everyone has their favorite(s) but you can't really say that any of them has been bad.

for a greener tomorrow

2009-07-13T20:54:00.000-07:00

i've decided one thing for a greener tomorrow. i am finally giving up buying actual CDs. i have resisted this one for so, so long, for many, many reasons. a) keeps graphic designers in business designing CD booklets. b) keeps physical CD stores in business= jobs. c) if anything ever happens to your computer you just re-rip the CD.

but i've finally decided that i don't actually need the CD, and downloading it from iTunes will be just the same. when i have money again i'm investing in a backup drive for the "if something happens to your computer" factor. now i've eliminated the piece of plastic from ever ending up in the landfill, the production waste, and the transportation waste from getting it to the store, and the waste from me driving there to pick it up. of course, i'm down to buying maybe 6 CDs a year, and more individual songs off iTunes, so its really only saving 6 pieces of plastic a year.

i look at everything in terms of it's (perceived) environmental footprint these days. i've been doing it for awhile, not just since the LEED test. if i'm standing at the store and there are two products in front of me that are fairly similar, i pick the one with less packaging to it. i like this one scent of method soap, but the one store i can actually find it at only carries it in the single containers, not in the big refill bags, so i don't buy it. i buy the big refill bags (less plastic waste going to the landfill.)

the only reason you'll ever see me throw away a bottle or a can is because out here i know that homeless people go through every single garbage can there is to collect them for the bottle deposits. (btw- what a great way to make sure everything gets recycled.)

i see a lot of crap at stores that i think should be illegal to even be made, because it's cheap crap with a 2 week lifespan, and will just end up in the landfill. i had to buy a new iron tonight, and i wanted to get an expensive one that i know will last awhile, but unfortunately i couldn't swing it. so i ended up with a cheap one that i know will break in a year (see reason i was buying a new iron- another item going to the landfill.)

sometimes it gets tiring to think through every purchase this way, but at least someone does.

you don't even want to hear my thoughts on landfills.

damnit

2009-07-10T00:11:00.001-07:00

believe me, i'd like to use a much harsher word above.

i just found a lump in my breast. of course it's probably nothing. but i'm all of the sudden extremely scared, and i can't sleep.

and of course, even if it does turn out to be nothing, i now have to deal with a series of doctors appointments i'd rather not have to go through.

the funny thing is i've always thought, "how would anyone ever be able to feel a lump?" well, i now know. you can feel it when there's something the size of a pea in there.

f*&k

Brilliant idea for a book

2009-06-28T11:00:00.001-07:00

Or at least I think so.

"the germaphobes guide to being clean"

People are always amused by my cleaning quirks. Like the fact I take
clorox wipes to the laundry basket in between clean and dirty loads.
I could do an entire chapter just on doing laundry, and every
germaphobes wort nightmare- the laundromat.

I think if this book was written cleverly enough, it could be really
entertaining.

I think I would have to survey other germaphobes to get some more
cleaning tips- because I might not have enough quirks.

Chapters I've already thought of:
-the kitchen
-laundry
-pets

I'm going to put some thought into this.

i win!

2009-06-27T15:26:00.001-07:00

i passed. not with as high of a score as i would have liked, but it's a pass fail test so it doesn't really matter.

my treat to myself is a ticket to see snow patrol in October. Of course the pre-sale tickets went on sale on Monday, and I bought them then- because they're actually playing a smaller theater (yes!) and i didn't want to not be able to get a floor ticket by waiting.

so, now that's over. you never have to read about LEED again, because i will never get a LEED project.

unless of course (and this is what i think they're going to do, because they like to make money) is say, "all those who were accredited prior to july 1, 2009 have to be re-accredited under the new rules and format to qualify as the ID point on the project." i know they're going to turn this against us somehow.

but for now, this is enough.

now to spend the rest of the weekend relaxing, and to throw away all my study materials, because come july 1st, none of what i learned applies anymore.

fail!

2009-06-25T21:19:00.000-07:00

i just took a new practice test online, one i'd never seen before and got a 63%.

i need an 85% to pass. and it's too late to cancel. even if i cancel and don't take it, i'd owe them $300, so i have to take it.

this is the true meaning of blerg.

i have a 4 hour meeting tomorrow, starting at 8:30, a ton of work to do before leaving the office at 1:15 for another meeting at 2 (meaning no lunch) and then from 3:30PM tomorrow to 12:30 saturday i'm doing nothing but studying. NOTHING.

30 rock

2009-06-22T21:41:00.000-07:00

i can identify a lot with 30 rock

(yes, i'm supposed to be studying but i've got 30 rock going in the background because i study better with sound. i love that seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream on netflix.)

there's a lot about liz lemon that i can relate to. work and life.

anyway- it makes me wonder

a) how would i deal with a boss who really was like jack. yes, he's hilarious- but would he actually be more annoying than he was amusing?

b) what would it be like to be a page? would it be fun to do for a day just to see? kenneth enjoys it, but kenneth has little to no brain.

c) there was another thing but i forgot.

part two of this- i'm trying to figure out what to get myself as a reward for passing LEED. the iphone is now out of my budget, so i need to find something else that is a big enough treat, but is still in my price range. i've got 5 days to think.

anyway, i should get back to studying.

Anvil

2009-06-20T22:33:00.000-07:00

Anvil = Canadian metal band that has been together for 30 years, still trying to make it.

The movie follows their recent attempts to go on tour, record an album, and get a label to distribute it. You have to give them credit for not giving up on their dreams, but you also have to say, "guys, its time to give up on your dreams." The movie is hilarious, and worth checking out if you even have the slightest interest in music.

http://www.anvilthemovie.com/

finished with the DMV!

2009-06-18T18:27:00.000-07:00

i have a drivers license with my real name on it.

i have registration stickers that will last me until may of 2010.

and hopefully- nothing in the system is screwed up this time, so i'll just be able to re-register my car over the internet next time.

i don't expect people making minimum wage to actually care about their jobs, but you'd think they want to do it right the first time so they don't create more work for themselves. that just seems like the smart thing to do.

now- passport renewal time. i'm not planning on leaving the country any time soon, but with how long it will take for me to get a correct passport, i might as well start trying now.

6 ways to win friends

2009-06-13T07:29:00.000-07:00

Become genuinely interested in other people.
Smile.
Remember that a man's Name is to him the sweetest and most important sound in any language.
Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.
Talk in the terms of the other man's interest.
Make the other person feel important and do it sincerely.

yesterday we had training with the dale carnegie people and we were handed a little booklet of dale carnegie's golden rules. i saw the above and thought, "this reminds me of _______."

except for #1. i don't think he's mastered #1 yet, so i've always thought he was extremely fake.

which leads me to say, the above practices, in this person specifically, have only inspired me to say, "i want to get to know him better so i can find out what he's really like. he can't possibly be this person all the time."

that's probably not what dale had in mind when he came up with this training.

i want to go where caesar lived.

2009-06-13T07:17:00.001-07:00

i saw the hangover last night. and now i want to go back to vegas.

the nice thing about living in LA is that it is just a weekend trip. you can leave after work on friday (traffic is horrible) but you get there, take a quick nap, and then get ready to go out. its the sunday drive home that's the really painful part (even if you're not hungover.) everyone from LA is driving home, on the only road available, and again the traffic is horrible. plus you're tired, most likely at least a little hungover, and just want to sleep.

if you go with the right people, vegas is always going to be fun. last time i went, i loved the people i went with, but their planned activities were not my planned activities. i'm not much of a club person, so going to Jet and Tao weren't high on my list of things to do. everyone else enjoyed themselves. now at least i can say i've been. my preferred activities are gambling (low buy-ins of course. the $5 blackjack tables are perfect.)

its fun just hanging out, wandering around, drinking, taking in the sights, etc. and if you do it right, its not even an expensive weekend. the first time i ever gambled i think i came home just $80 poorer (that means i won enough to offset the hotel, food, everything.) the guys in the hangover spent a TON of money, but... that's a movie. the villa they rented did seem pretty nice.

plus for some reason i just really want to go lie out at a pool right now.

oh DMV

2009-06-10T20:45:00.001-07:00

my car and the state of california do not have a great track record.

today was my return trip to the DMV to fix the fact that my last trip led to a driver's license that read "Drobertson."

and to pay my registration fee.

and to figure out why they sent me a "suspension" notice in the mail telling me that i don't have insurance coverage.

turns out the DMV doesn't take care of the suspension notice, and i have to take care of that separately, and so i paid my fee, and left without new stickers- called the number to try to figure out why they think i don't have insurance (that's figured out) but it will be another week before the paperwork gets straightened out. so another week of driving with expired tags, and hoping that i don't get pulled over.

of course while i'm taking care of all of this- i'm sitting in the parking lot with my car turned off WITH THE LIGHTS ON!!!! and my car battery dies. i look up, and there is a AAA guy parked right in front of me. do i have AAA? no. But i go over, and say nicely, "I don't have AAA, but can i pay you to jumpstart me?" he says no, but that he'll do it for free. i tip him the only cash i have on me, $4. and go on my way.

i must have had some karma for the fact that i was nice to people today at the DMV when i wanted to be like, "Drobertson, does that sound like a real name?."

this test will be the death of me

2009-06-09T22:08:00.000-07:00

"if greater than 50% imperviousness has implemented a stormwater management plan that reduced pre-developed 1.5-year/24-hour rate and quantity discharge by 25% of the annual stormwater load falling on the site. (This is based on actual local rainfall unless the actual exceeds the 10-year annual average local rainfall-then use the 10-year average.) This mitigation can be through a variety of measures including perviousness of site, stormwater retention ponds, capture of rainwater for reuse or other measures."

do i know what the pre-developed 1.5-year/24-hour rate and quantity discharge information is? do i know what that information will look like? no. but i'll memorize the above section for the test. the book is 2 3" binders. they talk about teachers teaching to the test. well here's one student who will be studying to the test.

i spent $49.95 on online practice tests that i can log into and take as many times as i want before the test. i scored a 25%.

the test is 80 questions, and they don't actually tell you what each question is weighted, or how the scores are figured, but if you get above a 170, you pass. so with the practice tests you have to aim for an 80%. so- here's to bringing up my score 55% in the next 17 days.

LEED and the new iPhone

2009-06-08T20:15:00.001-07:00

in 18 days i take the LEED exam. i haven't started studying yet. i was supposed to start studying tonight, and really crack down every single night until the test comes along. but i left the book on my desk at work. crap.

today they released the information about the new iPhones. the one i want is $299. the LEED test is $300. if i pass the LEED test, i get reimbursed by my company for the full amount. sooooo... i'm kind of tempted to tell myself that i can take that money and buy the new iPhone. its got 3G, 32gigs, GPS, all the bells and whistles that one could want. plus i need some sort of incentive to study for this test (seeing as i will never actually get a LEED project with the way my company has been restructured- i feel like it's pointless.)

nevermind that my car needs a tune up and a new clutch. i need a new mattress desperately. i need to re-register my car with the state. there are a million things i NEED to buy, but they aren't as fun as the iPhone.

i'm trying to tell myself that i don't really want the new iPhone, because they have the stupid plastic shell instead of the metal one like mine has. but the 32gig storage is winning that battle. since i no longer have an iPod (thanks plumber) having more storage is vital. i have to delete music in order to put anything new on my phone, and that stinks.

new favorite website?

2009-06-03T20:16:00.000-07:00

or not?

www.badspiderbites.com

i was bitten on sunday by what i thought was a fire ant. 4 days later i realize, that's no fire ant bite. it's a spider bite. i can see the two fang holes in the middle of a dime sized large red welt. i go on line and type "spider bite" into the search engine and it comes back with "bad spider bites dot com" and the pictures are amazing.

but... now i'm convinced that my spider bite is something serious and a week from now i'm going to look like the worst of pictures on there. it HAS been getting worse every day. and it did hurt like HELL when it happened. and the site says "flu like symptoms" and i feel like sh*t.

i would feel completely stupid going to my doctor saying, "i got bitten by a spider, can you look at this?" but i would also feel stupid if in a week it is even larger and redder and i have to go in and say, "well i didn't want to make a big deal about it before because i thought it was nothing."

the thing is, i almost never kill spiders because of that kids book where they kill all the spiders at the zoo and all the animals end up miserable because they're bothered by flies. i leave them be, thinking, "i hate flyingbugs more than i hate bugs that just mind their own business in their webs." if this gets worse, i'm killing every spider out there.

Dear Paul Rudd,

2009-05-28T06:08:00.000-07:00

You are cuter in person than you are in the movies. And you're pretty damn cute in the movies.

Last night a friend of mine and I were going to get a drink before the Thermals' show at the Troubadour, and had walked down the street to the Palm. It was crowded, and the crowd was not necessarily a group of people we wanted to hang out with. We decided to find someplace else, so we walked down the street to Dan Tana's. Still just as crowded as the Palm, but there's Paul Rudd, smack dabb in front of us as we walk through the door. We were leaving then? Not a chance on earth. My friend has a crush on him. To her, this was like me seeing Gary Lightbody of Snow Patrol.

It's one of those things I love about LA. Did we talk to him? No. Did we have any interaction with him beyond seeing him and him realizing we saw him and recognized him and were looking? No. But still, it made the night just a little bit more interesting.

The Thermals show was great. I haven't seen a mosh pit in a long time, but the early 20s crowd really brought that back, for such an unlikely band to mosh to. The set was a little too short, but I got to hear most of the songs I wanted, and they're fantastic live.

So- There's one more name to add to my "sightings" list.

"you're just so white."

2009-05-19T20:21:00.001-07:00

in college one of the girls on my hall was asian. she once turned to me, during a discussion about me not eating seaweed, and said, "you're just so white." honestly, i am white. i was not raised around a lot of people of other races, cultures etc. unless you consider that half my middle school was jewish, and really- what did i get from that besides an affinity for eating bagels for lunch?

last year i read a write up of a korean spa in my new neighborhood and i've been dying to try it ever since. its a body scrub, saunas and soaking pools, all with varying "healing benefits" along with various other services offered. i understood that it is not at all like going to what i consider a "traditional spa" but i wasn't exactly prepared for what i got.

i check in, and am given a locker key, and go to the locker area. already at that point 50% of the women are walking around STARK NAKED. some women are lying off to the side on a platform, which i later discover is a heated marble floor. you're to lie there while you wait for them to call you for your treatment.

once you walk out of that room, only towels and robes are allowed, but most people forgo any covering whatsoever. its a room of about 30 women walking around naked. there are 3 different pools, of varying temperatures, all with signs explaining what they are IN KOREAN. there's a steam room, which i did pick up was a "Jade" steam room, based on the sign above the door and the fact that the walls and the floors are tiled with jade, and a sauna. those i could handle. you are naked, you put a towel down, you sit. the pools i couldn't do. you can't really submerge a towel underwater to sit on (i kept thinking of david sedaris at the nudist colony,) because you're only given a limited number of towels, and you can't waste one getting it soaking wet when you have to shower between each pool/sauna/steam room use. i did at least know it was bad form not to shower in between each thing.

i went in for the "goddess ritual."

http://www.olympicspala.com/rituals.htm

i had a feeling the pools, saunas and steam rooms were going to be a free for all like they were (i didn't know everyone would be so naked) but i did NOT realize my treatment would be performed on a plastic table 18" from the person next to me, also getting some sort of body scrub treatment. i thought i would be in a private room for this part. but... not the case.

the lady (she gets to wear clothes. bra and underwear. the women working are the only people who are allowed to wear bras and underwear. other than that, its towel and robe only.) starts by scrubbing EVERY inch of my skin with scrubby mitts while i lie on my stomach. then i turn to my back and every inch of my skin gets scrubbed. then i roll on my side and every inch of me gets scrubbed. big pills of my skin were accumulating on me, like pencil eraser stuff, but larger, so she kept throwing buckets of warm water on me to rinse them away.

then i get a full body shampoo. then a massage, not a great massage though, but it smelled good. i think i prefer deep tissue massages to whatever this was. then a scalp treatment, a shampoo, conditioner, then more massage, and a facial (no extractions, just a cleansing and a mask while she did more massage.) then she wiped all the oil off of me and put lotion on everywhere.

it took about 2 hours, and honestly, modesty aside, the discomfort of the scrub aside, my skin has never in my life felt better. i might go back for the akasuri scrub once a month, in lieu of my pedicure, because i'd rather have healthy skin than pretty toenails. the only reason i could afford the goddess was because i sold a golf lesson package i won to a coworker for $100, and figured i haven't gotten a pedicure in awhile so i could chip in the extra money.

i kind of can't wait to go back.

so, now who's just so white???

questions from my sister's blog

2009-05-15T20:02:00.000-07:00

which she got from another blog, but i'm not filling out all of them.

1. Where would you most like to live? here i guess. i don't know. i'm sure i could travel elsewhere and fall in love with it and want to move, but i'm okay in LA for right now. but i'd like more rain.

2. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? depression- i've been there, and i can't even fathom anything worse.

3. Who are your favorite writers? i'll base it on my favorite books. em forester, jane austen, charlotte bronte, thomas hardy

4. Which historical figure do you most identify with? i don't identify with any historical figure who i currently know anything about.

5. What is your most treasured possession? the necklace i inherited recently from my grandmother. star sapphires in a heavy indian gold setting.

6. What are your favorite names? Elizabeth, Campbell, Robertson, (i'm scared to list any others because my sister might take them and what if i ever need kids' names.) okay, last one, and most favorite one- Evelyn (for a girl- nicknamed evie

7. What is one selfish thing you would like to do before you die? nothing i want to do really seems all that selfish. everything i want to do is only limited by money, not other peoples' wishes/needs/desires.

star trek

2009-05-13T23:40:00.000-07:00

was fantastic!!!!

i loved it. i'm pretty sure there were a lot of jokes i didn't get, not being a trekkie, but there were a lot of jokes i did get, and they were good.

plot is absolutely secondary in this movie. it's just a funny, fun, exciting way to spend 2 hours. casting was great, and you walk out of there waiting for them to make a second one. so much of this was the "reboot", introducing a new generation to the characters and the idea of star trek, that you know they are going somewhere with it.

one complaint- not enough simon pegg. i usually say simon pegg isn't good unless he's got nick frost to back him up, in something written by edgar wright, but this was the perfect role.

our house is warmed

2009-05-10T15:54:00.000-07:00

we had our housewarming party for the new place in koreatown last night. it was a lot of fun. at least i had fun. we have so much alcohol left over though its not even funny. we had bought a lot, but then everyone who came (almost everyone who came) brought their own, and stuff as gifts. i'm swimming in amaretto. (note- i am not complaining. i have enough to last a year or 2 at least.)

so now begins the cleanup. i took three huge garbage bags of recycling over the the recycling center already. i've cleaned the sink and the dishes. someone spilled a beer all over the floor of my bathroom, so that's got to be addressed. (at least i really hope its a beer and not something else.) and do laundry. party throwing may be a lot of prep work, expensive, and a lot of cleanup afterwards, but the party itself is definitely worth it.

now i've got to keep myself up for the rest of the day. i went to bed at 5, which wouldn't have been too bad had it not been for the mariachi band starting to play at 9 this morning. i'm not kidding, full blown mariachi band. i went back to bed until about 1 once they quit, and if i take a nap now, i'm screwed for sleep tonight.

september 10 2006 - april 26 2009

2009-04-26T19:11:00.000-07:00

we moved the rest of our stuff out of landa street today.

i'll miss it, but its on to bigger and better apartments.

taking a day off

2009-04-24T15:50:00.000-07:00

i started getting a massive headache yesterday at work, and at about 4:30 i decided it was time to cut out and come home. came home- watched an episode of gilmore girls (a really good one too- i love cable.), and got in to bed.

woke up today with the massive headache still there. not one of the stabbing migraines- but one of the tension headaches where its just like my brain is a balloon and someone decided to inflate it inside my head, but my skull doesn't give. my neurologist says they're a different type of migraine. the problem with these is that if i can't nip them in the bud, they turn in to the stabbing migraines. i'm entering hour 25 of this stupid headache, and nothing is working.

i gave up coke yesterday, and i drank one just to see if that would even help, and no luck.

i can't say i've minded the day in bed. my 10 oclock meeting emailed at 6:30 saying "let's not meet" and i was beyond ecstatic. only 34 emails so far. 5 phone calls. i've started watching buffy the vampire slayer on hulu, and gossip girl because jeanette lent leslie the DVDs. and naps. i keep waking up and having to backtrack on shows.

i'm supposed to go to a bonfire at the beach tonight for my friend kristin's last day in LA (she's headed back to brooklyn in the morning.) but i don't know if i'll make that. it was going to be my first time to the beach since i've moved here.

this weekend if i feel better its going to be another trip to home depot to look at curtain rods. a trip to ikea to get another blanket . its this really gossamer stretchy fabric, and i'm going to use them as my window treatments.

i'm also going to finish putting together this. that way leslie and i can actually unpack all of our books. and i'm going to go over to the old place and bring over the last of the stuff and do a final clean. i'm looking forward to being settled. i'm so close to being able to unpack completely, then the matter will just be making it more like i actually live here. you know, decorative stuff and pictures on the wall. i want to paint my bedroom- and hang up some prints. i want my room to be all whites, light blues and greens- with red accents where applicable. very tranquil, very relaxing. we'll see. i'm not buying any furniture that isn't perfect, and i'll take my time.

now- i'm going back to bed.

moved in!

2009-04-19T12:32:00.001-07:00

with only a few flukes.

leslie and ben locking keys in the uhaul while they were at ikea being the best of them.

now we are only dealing with the fact that we don't know where to put anything, because there's too much room. our living room is basically the size of our entire old apartment minus the bedrooms. it looks completely empty with just the TV, sofa and pong chair.

we're still trying to get the wireless router to work so we don't have to plug directly in to the cable for internet. we can't get the DVR to work. ben thinks its because our TV is too old. i don't know.

i think today i'm going to stay here organizing and cleaning and putting stuff away. i want to get everything i already have here sorted before bringing more in to the mess. i still have a few boxes over at the other place.

my goal is to not have leslie refer to my new room as "post-katrina new orleans." like she did my last.

now to pry myself away from watching the 5th element for the 20th time. cable- sweet cable.

too much to do!

2009-04-15T07:38:00.001-07:00

i have too much to do!

tonight i get off work, drop stuff off at the new place. come home, pack as much as possible. take it to the new place. hopefully do a second run, then go to the airport to pick up a friend. tomorrow at 8 i have to be at the new place to wait for the gas company. they'll be there between 8 and 12. hopefully my friend is willing to sit in the apartment and wait for the gas guy, while i do runs back and forth between here and there.

THEN we go to disneyland! it will be the first time i've ever been. i'm excited, but its going to make for a busy busy few days. our other friend who is going with us wants to stay for fireworks. so we'll get home late- i've got to work all friday, then pack friday. we have the moving van on saturday, and i want everything to be organized and sorted and easy for our helpers. i've moved a lot of my books at least.

sunday i'll be living in absolute chaos, but i'm not sure i'll have the energy to do anything. at least we have this place til the end of the month- so at least whatever i don't get on saturday i can leave here and keep doing runs after work til its all moved, and then come back and clean.

blech. i wish i'd started packing and organizing earlier. or that i could take friday off too, but i can't.

my new room

2009-04-12T15:03:00.000-07:00

i have to adjust the drawing, as i've realized my doors are smaller (which is good, more floor space.) but this is my room with my existing furniture.

list of things i need for my new room (my room is priority #1. i have lived in a small, unfurnishable room for two and a half years, i want a REAL room.)

1. nightstand (or 2 now that i have more room because of shorter doors)

2. window treatments (a. one set for privacy b. one set for looks- blinds AND drapes)

3. new bedclothes

4. new dresser- larger

5. new bookshelf- larger

6. lamps

7. art

i realize i can't buy all of this at once, not even close- but i'm going to start putting money aside to buy nice, new furniture. i want to feel like a grown up.

this apartment is worthy of having real furniture, and i can't wait to make it look like a real home.

oh blurg

2009-04-01T07:33:00.001-07:00

i admit it.

the stupid recessions got me down. we're making cuts at work. we've laid people off. we have to send people home if there isn't enough work for them. it's extremely stressful for me, and if history shows anything i don't handle stress all that well. i start worrying about stuff that's absolutely not important.

if leslie and i weren't moving to an apartment that's actually $5 less a month than what we currently pay, i'd be completely freaking out. last night when i went over to meet our landlord and look at the place he was showing me the upper unit- hoping we'd take that one. yes its a little bigger and nicer- but not for $255 a month extra. not when i could end up unemployed, or taking a pay cut. unemployment doesn't pay the bills. not by a longshot. and no one is hiring.

so, when i couldn't sleep last night for worrying, not because of the economy, my job, $800 for a new clutch in my car, or anything related to money- i had to keep telling myself, "this will not be the death of me. at the end of my life, this really won't matter." of course- had i been worrying about my job or the economy i should be saying, "this will not be the death of me. at the end of my life, this really won't matter."

what kind of gets me out of the worrying state of mind is thinking about my mom. (sorry mom.) she can worry more than anyone i've ever known. so when i start worrying, i ask, "wait, is this something my mother would do? would i tell her 'they make medicine for this?'" if the answer is yes- then i try to change the topic in my brain. which is easier said than done. but i try.

so- for right now i can't read any books that require thought, because if i do i can't pay enough attention to stick to them. i tried starting "the return of the native" but hardy is too dense for a time like this. i'm reading "the alienist" by caleb carr- and it's pretty much perfect for my state of mind. at least if i'm up worrying, i'm worrying about being murdered by a serial killer, and i can just get out of bed and double check the lock on the front door.

i feel sick to my stomach right now

2009-03-30T20:31:00.000-07:00

and i have a massive headache. and do you know what i'm convinced would make me feel better?

yup- a nice big KFC bowl of crap.

now when you wonder where i got these eating habits- just take a look at what my mom had for lunch...

we might have a new apartment.

2009-03-26T21:40:00.000-07:00

surprisingly- i have good credit. who would have guessed?

when turning in the application i mentioned that i'm in debt management, and that my credit isn't that great but i'm in the process of repairing it, etc.

he called tonight and asked, "what did you mean you don't have good credit. your score is 685." so apparently years of debt management payments have already worked.

so tomorrow we have to give randy notice that april will be our last month here and come to terms with kirk on move in date- but new apartment!

it has heat! (of course the cold season is mostly over.) the windows open for air conditioning units! two dedicated parking spots and they're not tandem!!!! (worth their weight in gold.)

so goodbye echo park. hello koreatown.

jon stewart

2009-03-18T05:33:00.000-07:00

the first lady fashion show

i think the above clip does say a lot.

has michelle obama done things that i don't know about because i haven't been paying attention?

has michelle obama done things that i don't know about because the media only focuses on her clothing?

has michelle obama not done anything yet as the first lady besides attend functions? is that really what she wants her legacy to be?

in some ways, i'd give her a pass. she's got two young kids, and her husband's job does require a lot of out of her even if she didn't have her own first lady agenda. but, when you're a smart, educated, experienced woman- in the position she is to do good- should you waste the chance?

going to the grocery store with no appetite

2009-03-15T20:30:00.000-07:00

is just as bad as going hungry. it's a waste of time.

wandering up and down each aisle, dismissing all foods as "not appetizing."

i went to do my week's grocery shopping and came back with triscuits, cheese, 3 apples, instant breakfast and a 12 pack of coke. wow, that can really sustain a person.

this means more trips to the grocery are in store for me this week. i'm making more of an effort to try and cook food lately, and keep things around that i can cook. not working late all of the time helps. when you get home from work at 8 every night, the last thing you want to do is spend 45 minutes cooking before you even begin to eat. now i'm usually home by 7, and it isn't as much of a chore.

cleaning up after cooking still is. i can't wait to live someplace with a better kitchen, and maybe a working dishwasher.

Leslie got a job

2009-03-01T19:40:00.000-08:00

which means we can move.

i actually can't wait to move. i love this apartment for what it is- but am tired of the drawbacks.

i want an apartment where i have a real closet. i can't wait for a real closet.

with an oven and a bigger kitchen. (i know, i don't cook- but it would be nice to have the option.)

with heat.

with screens on the windows.

with a bathroom that doesn't have an unpainted patch on the wall from when our landlord had mold removed. (at least the wall has been patched. we went several months with a plastic tarp taped over the area until he finally got a drywaller in to do the patch.)

one that doesn't have random leaks and flood problems.

and one where maybe, just maybe- we could have a washer and dryer.

one where my bedroom is large enough for a queen sized bed. (i need a new bed but i've been putting it off til we move- because if my bedroom is large enough for a queen sized bed, i want it.)

and having someplace grown up. i want to live in a grown up apartment.

things i'm going to miss: my view, our street, how cool our apartment stays through most of the summer, and well right now, even as much as i love this apartment... i so desperately want to move that i'm having a hard time coming up with a list of the things i love.

i want to start packing already.

Really. I mean really?

2009-02-19T20:11:00.000-08:00

I finally felt mostly better, except for a pain in my side from
coughing, and the cough and intermittent breathing problems. The pain
in my side has only gotten worse. Last night I couldn't sleep because
of the pain, and this morning it took me 5 tries to even sit up in bed
the pain was so bad.

So I spent 15 minutes on the phone with my insurance company talking
to a nurse to determine whether I should go to an urgent care or
regular doctor. The doctor wouldn't have an xray machine, and I didn't
want to have to go to the doctor twice.

They said- no. Just go to your regular doctor today or tomorrow. It's
not anything you need an xray for.

I go to the doctor who says, "it could still be pnemonia. The cough
you have is what triggered this. One lung sounds congested, but okay.
The one on your bad side could be pnemonia."

So, I have pain killers, muscle relaxers and steroids. I have to go
somewhere else for an xray tomorrow. Two doctors visits. Exactly what
I wanted to avoid.

Plus, she's said I need to stay at home, in bed, and rest. I've
already had to take 3 unpaid days because of this, and I guess another
one this week (half day today, half day tomorrow.) who knows what
she'll say if it is pnemonia (which I think is also contagious.)

So like I said... Really. I mean really? I just want to get better.

my moment of zen

2009-02-16T00:01:00.000-08:00

I've been watching Jon Stewart for 10 years now.

1999- end of the clinton administration- good fodder for funny.

2000- the first indecision. indecision 2000- george w. v. al gore. what could be funnier?

2001- the swearing in of george w, leading to 8 years of prime, prime material. the writers couldn't have made up better stuff to work with.

2008- indecision 2008- while mccain is no george w., they still had plenty to work with.

which brings us to now. barack obama. the question was- could he still be funny with someone with a brain, respectability, and who actually won the election in the white house?

answer- yes. he takes his shots at obama. sure- he goes easy. he doesn't have to dig into him. he's got the economic failure of our country and the house and senate dealing with it to rip in to. what would he be doing without the clusterf*&k to the poor house? i don't know, but at least there's one upside to what's going on right now.

Debt

2009-02-11T16:36:00.000-08:00

I know so many people in debt. It seems like everyone I talk to
confesses to me that they have credit card debt that they can't
handle. And every time I talk to someone in this position, I tell them
what I did to get mine under control.

I will be out of debt as of 6/25/2010. I pay between 6 and 10 percent
interest rates. Luckily the 10% is on the card with the lowest balance.

I can't imagine facing the current economic situation with the kind of
debt I used to have hanging over my head. I'm so glad I started taking
care of it when I did, and only wish I had done it earlier. I wish I
could make everyone I know do the same thing. Once I pay off my debt
I'll be in a much better position to start saving for retirement. My
goal once I pay it off is not to use any of that payment to increase
my standard of living, but instead to put all of it into making up for
what I should have been saving these past 10 years. I think I'll meet
with a financial advisor when the debt is paid off to get real advice.

My first house will be in the floating city of new Chicago. (and if
anyone gets that- you're awesome.)

day 3

2009-02-05T11:12:00.000-08:00

its my third day of being home sick from work (not including my days in aspen where i was sick last week.) and i know i'm on the mend because i'm bored out of my skull. i still couldn't have gone in to work today if i tried. i would have fallen asleep at the wheel on my way in, or at my desk, or coughed up a lung in someone's face, but i should be fine tomorrow.

but help! i'm bored. i've watched season 1 of my new favorite TV show, pushing daisies. i've re-watched miss pettigrew lives for a day (simply because ned from pushing daisies is in it.) i've watched a million crappy movies on netflix instant view. i'm about to put in disc 1 of season 2 of the tudors. but i know i'll still be bored. i want to go out and DO something. but i don't quite feel well enough to really do anything.

maybe later i'll go to target to pick up supplies to start the cleaning and disinfecting process. i'm paranoid that if i don't thoroughly clean everything either i'll catch this again next week, or leslie will catch it from me inadvertently.

i don't like football

2009-02-01T22:50:00.000-08:00

but i like events that bring everyone together.

so i feel like it's a shame that i don't like football, because the Superbowl is one day a year that everyone seems to drop what they're doing to all rally around the same event, regardless of what side they take.

tonight as a flew back from my worst vacation ever, i liked that the pilot would come on the intercom to announce the score, and the plane would react en masse to his announcements. i got off the plane, and thought it was weird that everyone in the terminal was gathered around this one Mexican restaurant that is usually empty, leaving the Starbucks next door deserted. then i realized they were all watching the TV. and something big was happening. everyone had stopped what they were doing, and were cheering or yelling (depending on their affiliation) and watching the game. the barristas had left the counter and gone over to the Mexican place. as i kept walking, all the places with TVs had crowds, and i was leaving just as the game ended. i liked that people had stopped working, put down their phones, and just taken a few minutes to share a common experience. i was slightly tempted to join in. maybe if i didn't feel like walking death i might have.

its been years since i've gone to a Superbowl party, or even watched the game on TV. i usually go to a movie. but next year i think i might go to a Superbowl party. not because i care about the game but to share in that common experience. to know that i'm doing what everyone else is doing at that moment.

how did they go missing???

2009-01-28T02:30:00.000-08:00

I'm beginning to think i lost an entire box of CDs in the move to LA.

some CDs i mailed to myself when i moved out here. I carefully catalogued the CDs, making a list of what went in each box, labeled the box, and mailed it. that way, if one box didn't arrive, i would know exactly which CDs were lost.

the rest of the CDs remained in my parents basement until i was ready to have them shipped here. over the past 2 years, I've periodically had them ship them out. once i had my new computer and have the storage space to rip all of them- i went ahead and had them mail me everything.

for the past two years, anytime i couldn't find a CD i assumed it was in my parents basement. but now that all my CDs are here, I'm finding that a whole bunch of them are missing.

Rage Against the Machine - Renegades (make fun all you want- but this is great to work out to)

Rage Against the Machine- Battle of Los Angeles (ditto)

The Darkness - whatever it was called (admit it- you loved "i believe in a thing called love")

Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have it So Much Better (luckily Leslie had this on her computer so I've just stolen the files)

Beck- The Information (okay- i can't blame this on the move since i bought it while living here- but its missing and it irks me.)

They Might Be Giants- Apollo 18 (i wanted to listen to Fingertips the other day and didn't have the original, and didn't want to use the live version from the spine)

Cake- Comfort Eagle (this one is only $8 on iTunes and i've been tempted so many times to just buy it there. i wouldn't find it for less than that in a used CD store.)

so those are what i can remember off the top of my head right now, and there are many more. but now i have to figure out what to do. are they worth replacing (i say yes- if i remember I'm missing them.) I'm going to keep a list of them in my phone and hopefully i can find them all in the used Amoeba bins.

but its still a mystery as to where they ended up.

back and away again

2009-01-26T21:56:00.000-08:00

i'm back from vegas. it was an exhausting weekend, even though i did sleep almost all saturday. not having slept for more than 3 hours a night for 3 nights prior to leaving made for a draining weekend.

now i'm back, and have one more day at work, and tomorrow night, to get a million things done before leaving for aspen.

good things about the aspen trip:

wednesday is a travel day. i won't get any sleep tomorrow night because i'll be shopping, packing and doing laundry- but i can sleep on the plane and in the car to denver.
skiing all day will lead to good, solid nights of sleep.
skiing. i mean, its skiing!
getting to see my dad and my uncles. the o'keeffes are pretty damn funny people.
hopefully getting to see one of my good friends from college, who i haven't seen since our other friend's wedding too, too many years ago.
sunday- travel day. meaning sleep in the car, sleep on the plane. hopefully get back in to LA at a decent hour and get a good night's sleep in my own bed.

Then it will be back to real life. 5 days a week of work. two days off to relax and get life's errands done. luckily february 16th will be coming up soon- and we'll have a three day weekend. i should plan something for that day off. i have to come up with a good theme party for presidents' day. (hey let's celebrate presidents' day- now that we've got one we're not ashamed of?)

at least i think its presidents day.

i want glasses

2009-01-20T21:49:00.000-08:00

i don't need them, i just want them. i think they would look good on me.

and apparently i'm right. tonight i saw leslie's glasses sitting on the bathroom counter, and i put them on, just to see how they looked. they look PERFECT! they're exactly what i want.

of course they have to be $500 oliver peoples glasses. which aren't exactly in my price range for fake accessories.

now that i've taken them off so i can see to type, i feel like i look incomplete without the glasses.

Stupid Shin splints

2009-01-19T11:19:00.001-08:00

I get wicked shin splints any time I try to run. I always have. A
couple of years ago I found the cure for it- sitting in the sauna for
10-15 minutes after my workout. I don't know why it works, but it
does. Which means only ever running on the treadmill at the gym.

The other night I stupidly went running with my coworkers after work.
We did a mile and a half before I called it quits-in pain, both my
legs and my lungs (my lungs have never recovered from what I had last
Christmas.)

I rested a few days, drew the alphabet with my toes continually, iced
my shins til the were frozen solid every 3 hours.

Then went walking at echo park lake and killed my legs. I've been in
excruciating pain ever since.

So, more rest. More ice. More drawing the alphabet. I'm going to go
buy new shoes because I was reading online that certain shoes can
help. I had my uncle recommend a shoe store with knowledgable staff.

And then back to doing what I know doesn't hurt. The treadmill and
sauna, so I never have to deal with this again.

to retrench

2009-01-18T11:06:00.000-08:00

at this point, i haven't felt the economic crunch. i have just as much money as i did before everything went south.

so i have two options- start saving or spend like i usually do.

1- start saving- protects me in case i lose my job. it will mean i have money to live off of while i look for another job, which could take awhile with everything that's going on.

2- spend like i usually do- which is good for the rest of the economy. if i start keeping all my money, then the stores i patronize don't earn as much money, and they have to lay people off. and its all trickle down from there. ( i realize that my paltry amount of disposable income doesn't affect anything. but when you add it to EVERYONES' disposable income- that's when it all starts making a difference.)

i think i'm going to try for a happy medium. not as much starbucks (for someone who doesn't drink coffee, i go in for a lot of black tea lemonades.) cut out the pedicures completely (except for the pre-vegas one i'm getting thursday night.) hour massage instead of hour and a half? ( i only get massages once every month and a half.) eat lunch in more often?

i worry about what i'd do if i lost my job. a lot. more than i should. they haven't talked about layoffs yet- but i think i should be prepared, just in case its me.

one interesting thing happened yesterday- i was having a prescription refilled, and insurance denied it for whatever stupid reason. the pharmacy called them- and they said, "we don't know why we're denying it, but we are." so i asked how much it was going to be out of pocket for me to pay for it until it got straightened out and she said, "$47.08." i usually pay $45 with insurance, so i was like, "fill it- its not a problem." she said, "let me see if i can get you a discount on it because of all of this." so when i went in to pick it up, it was only $27." i think its weird that i got a better deal on it through the pharmacy without insurance than i did with insurance. again, i hate insurance. and i thanked the pharmacist profusely. (i'm still going to try to figure out why they denied it.)

new music

2009-01-17T22:10:00.000-08:00

i just grabbed 291 songs off leslie's computer to listen to. not all of them are new to me. some are old things that i just don't have digital copies of, but some are things i've never heard. new bands or albums to listen to and see if i like.

this is perfect timing seeing as indie 103.1, the only tolerable (music) radio station in los angeles, is now spanish language. two months ago they got rid of their morning host, joe escalante, who was great, and the station just kept getting worse and worse. they were only playing one good song at a time- and i was finding myself having to flip around the dial a lot. i listen to a lot of NPR, but there are times when you just want music in the car.

anyway- turns out they were being forced to play more mainstream stuff. thursday at 10 AM they announced they were going off the air, and to internet only, and back to their original format- not the crappy one they had turned in to lately. so- someday when i can listen to internet radio in my car- i'll have indie back again.

but until then- i need new stuff to listen to, because i'm bored with most everything i already own. we'll see if i love any of this stuff i got from leslie. i still have to download the new coconut records.

now all i need is a stereo for my car that i can plug my iPod into, but that kind of luxury is WAY down on my list of things to spend money on.

my poor niece (with harry potter spoilers)

2009-01-12T05:47:00.000-08:00

my niece has been obsessed (that's a fair word) with harry potter for more than half her life. it started with the movies, and then as soon as she was old enough to have chapter books read to her, my brother-in-law started reading them to her at bedtime. i think she's even read the first two on her own.

well, he recently started the 6th book, and this will be the first one that she hasn't seen the movie of in advance, so she doesn't know the story. she doesn't know dumbledore dies. when they get to the 7th book, she will have to deal with one of the twins dying. and lupin and tonks. i feel so bad, because she doesn't know what's in store. something she loves so much is going to turn on her.

she knows someone dies, but she doesn't believe its any of the people above, because they can't die. she just thinks the books end with ron married to hermione and harry married to ginny (someone at school told her that's how it ends.) she doesn't realize everything she's going to have to go through to get to that last chapter. poor little girl.

Goodbye old friend

2009-01-10T20:29:00.000-08:00

> I've been angry with you for quite some time, but your poor
> performance is my fault for not maintaining you properly. You've
> been replaced by someone new and better. So much better. Now that I
> can get rid of you, I can get rid of my desk. This means I can move
> my dresser, and get another bookshelf. I can't wait til tomorrow
> when I drop you off at goodwill and never have to look at you again.
>

Everything will be okay.

2009-01-08T20:36:00.001-08:00

today was a pretty crappy day. work was bad. i had to stay late to finish stuff up. i have to be back at 7 tomorrow morning. i got in the car and listened to the economic forecast. "hey everyone- 10 million people are out of work and another 5 million are going to lose their jobs." and i got even more depressed/stressed thinking about everything that can go wrong in the world.

and then i happen to look up and see a sheet draped from the highway overpass and liked what it said.

EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY

i wanted to stop and take a picture.

will everything be okay tomorrow? will everything be okay for everyone? no. but i like that there's someone out there optimistic enough to paint that message on a sheet, hang it over the highway- and try to make everyone feel better. just a little reminder to look at the positive side.

i have a job that pays enough to pay my bills.

i have amazing friends/coworkers.

i love my family.

so- while i could make an even longer list of everything that's crappy- i'm not going to. the good outweighs the bad, even if sometimes the bad list seems longer.

(this is probably the sappiest blog i'll ever write. i just liked the sign.)

Bit the bullet

2009-01-08T12:15:00.000-08:00

I finally changed my phone number.

Some of you know the story, some don't but in 2007 (yes that's right-
2007) I went out with this guy for about a month. I decided I didn't
like him. Told him I didn't want to see him anymore. A month later he
called again and I don't know why I agreed to go out with him again,
but I did. We went out another 3 times and I really really knew I
didn't like him, so I again told him I didn't want to see him ever
again.

That was thanksgiving 2007. He's called pretty much every 2 weeks
since then. I answered the phone once in march to tell him to stop
calling. That's when he told me he wouldn't give up til I was married.
Creepo.

He continued to call more or less every two weeks. Sometime he'd go a
full month, but then he'd call more often afterward to make up for it.
I would never answer.

Before Christmas, a guy friend of mine answered the phone when he
called and he hung up. I thought for sure he'd give up after that. But
NO. He waited 2 weeks and has called 3 times in the past 3 days.

So- I changed my number. It's a huge hassle, but it will be worth it
not to have that sinking feeling in my gut everytime I look at the
caller ID and see his name.

Day 1- Kinoki

2009-01-03T11:48:00.000-08:00

i've been very intrigued by these Kinoki foot detoxifying things. you put them on your feet while you sleep and they're supposed to wick the toxins from your body. almost everyone i've talked to has been curious about them too. i bought them for a white elephant party i had to go to, and i wanted them for myself.

well, i decided to start out the new year by detoxifying my feet, even though i know they're a crock. BUT- how do they know? that's what i want to know. they're supposed to get lighter each day as you use them, as they've pulled more toxins out of your body. so if they're not really doing anything, how do they know to get lighter?

so- (gross picture) here's day 1's results. i'm not going to post them each day, but give you overviews when i think that there's been a change in color. of course, if there's anyone who has toxins in her body- its me, and i may be too damaged to be cleaned up in just 14 days of pads on the bottom of my feet. i'm probably a bad test subject.

fyi- they make your feet smell funny.

I don't like New Year's Eve

2008-12-24T13:05:00.000-08:00

I don't think I ever have.

There's too much pressure for this night to be more fun than any other night of the year, and its not like Christmas or your birthday where you get presents.

Ben emailed with a possible New Year's Eve event, which any other night of the year I'd be happy to go to- Little Radio hosting a couple bands (Crystal Antlers being the only one I've seen before, and they're good) at what seems to be a cool venue. But New Year's Eve means that its going to be crowded and impossible to get cabs.

I'd rather just go to a party at someone's house where I know at least a few people, have a good time, and then come home. No pressure to make the night any more special than any other night of the year.

Honestly, I can't remember the last time I celebrated a New Year's Eve. Last year I was too deathly ill with the plague to do anything. I have no memory of anything special any New Year's Eves prior to that. And in High School I always just used to take a babysitting job (make a FORTUNE) and watch a Marx brothers marathon that one of the channels would always show.

So, this year, seeing as I'll be relatively healthy and have options for things to do, I probably will go out and celebrate New Year's Eve, just so when people say, "what did you do for new years?" I don't look lame. But I won't be happy about it.

white elephant

2008-12-18T22:01:00.003-08:00

or yankee swap as they call it on the office...

i love white elephant. i think its fun. but i wish all people got in to the spirit and really brought fun or funny or good gifts. people shouldn't participate if they're going to cop out.

we had ours at the office today, and i brought those pads you stick on your feet that are supposed to wick the toxins out of your body while you sleep. amazing things. of course they don't really do anything, but who's not intrigued by the idea?

the problem is not everyone really puts any thought or effort in to their gift? what's so fun about opening up a starbucks gift package? oooh, a coffee cup and some coffee. 3 other people brought that exact same thing.

anyway, first i had a trio pack of zagat guides, which were stolen from me. then i had a big bottle of sake, which was stolen from me. so i've ended up with some "document organizer" that holds your passport, and is on a lanyard!

i wanted to steal what i brought (really, i'm intrigued by these things and made a special trip to CVS this morning to get them- i want to try them myself) but the person who opened it then left the party and took it upstairs with her, so no one could steal it. i don't think that should have been allowed.

the funny part is that my office has a set of wine glasses that have been in the white elephant exchange for 6 years running now. they're these 80s wine glasses; one blue, one yellow, one green, one pink, etc. and the rule is that if you get them, you have to regift them the next year. so no one (who's been there a year or longer) will ever open any of the bigger gifts, because they know they run the risk of getting the wine glasses. this year, poor L, one of the girls on my team picked up this little gift bag, and started to walk away from the pile to open it, only to realize there was a long ribbon attached to it leading to the box with the wine glasses. really, it was brilliant packaging. anyway, i say poor L because this is the second time she's ended up with them. she's going back to school in a year, so if she's not still working with us at least part-time next christmas, we'll have to invite her to the party just to get the wine glasses back. or i'll make her give them to me just so we still have them for the party.

anyway, the problem with my document organizer is that its so bad its not even funny to regift. i'd feel bad taking it to another white elephant party and giving it. i have one to go to saturday night, and i'm still debating what to get. its with people who have a much better sense of humor about white elephant. i'm thinking of going to goodwill and seeing if you can buy old trophies. leslie has a great one she stole from cha cha a few months ago, for hernando alvarez- 1988 3rd place bowler*. i want something similar.

anyway, i have a feeling i'll come home with something much better from that party. that party if someone were giving a document organizer, it would be a menudo one they found at the salvation army. (oh my god, i wonder if you can buy old trapper keepers. an old unicorn trapper keeper would be good too. the limit is $10, so i'm sure i can find something good for $10.)

*title completely made up, i don't feel like opening my door to go look at it because that would let the space heated air out.

sleeping hats

2008-12-15T23:08:00.000-08:00

i want to bring back the sleeping hat. or kerchief or hat or cap or whatever people want to call it.

living in a house with no heat you realize how cold it can be, and when you're lying in bed freezing, thinking about all the heat escaping out of the top of your head because the covers only come up to your chin, you start to think about wearing hats to sleep. except they'll fall off unless they have a chin strap.

this could be easy. market them as eco-friendly because you can lower your heating bills by preserving your natural body heat. my co-worker had a great idea to add to it... buy thrift store cashmere sweaters and make them out of those. that way they're each one of a kind and you can market them as high-end, re-purposed, eco-friendly night hats, and you're in.

white people would be so in to these. (i just need a good name.)

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

2008-12-13T09:44:00.000-08:00

I can't help but think that whomever came up with the idea for this movie was listening to Karl Pilkington's aging backwards idea.

You start out at age 78, and then life only gets better and better for you. And then "You're not scared of dying because you're now a baby so you don't know what's going on anyway...When its a baby everybody is around it going, 'yeah its gonna die soon.' But the baby hasn't got a clue, its happy. Its playing about with its rattle or whatever, it's not scared."

I wish I could find the part where he decides people should have little apple pips in them, because that kind of fits in to this too.

Oh Joy!!!!

2008-12-12T22:21:00.000-08:00

Stimpy is up and running. I'm in the process of ripping stuff in to itunes. Amazing amazing amazing. Stimpy has 4 times the storage, so oh my god I can actually put ALL my music in to it. The computer will be obsolete before I'll have time to use all the storage space.

Its a beautiful piece of equipment. its intuitive. And above all, it works! No more waiting 20 minutes for a program to open. No more shutting down in the middle of waiting for something to process. No more 3 hour downtimes every time I try to upgrade software.

If things weren't so bad at work right now, I'd say life is pretty damn good. Life at work will get better, and I'll still have this computer.

Best thing ever!!!!!!!!!!

2008-12-12T22:02:00.001-08:00

I got my computer. My Christmas present. Part from my parents. Part
from me.

I've had it for 3 hours and am in love. (this post is from my phone.
I'm still getting everything set up to actually use it.)

It's name is Stimpy. My phone's name is Ren, so it all makes sense.

I hate insurance companies

2008-12-03T01:04:00.000-08:00

I have a massive migraine and went to fill my imitrex prescription. Apparently it's too soon (it's been a month) and my insurance won't pay for it unless my dr calls and tells them it's necessary. Great thing to find out at 7PM when you're in pain and your dr's office is closed. So, I've taken pain pills and am not so much in pain right now. But the pills have caffeine so I'm wide awake when sleep is probably one of the best things for me. I've been lying in bed in the dark for 3 hours waiting for sleep to come, but my mind us just racing.

I didn't even think of just paying for the imitrex myself until 10PM and my pharmacy is a) 17 miles away and b) closed. Had I not been in so much pain earlier and able to think, I would have thought the $300 or whatever totally worth it. I have to get up in 5 hours for a meeting and it's not going to be pretty if pirate eye* is still going on.

* pirate eye- the nickname given at the office to my migraine status, because I keep one eye closed from the pain.

Point B- my phone auto corrects its to it's every time. And since I'm not sure when you use which one, I just go with it. It's one of those grammar things I've been trying to learn for 20 years and everytime I think ive got it, I find out I've got it backwards. The following is why I don't care that i'm not great with grammar.

Me: I can't believe I can't remember this, but what's the command for when you need to turn off the line around a picture you've inserted into a drawing? I'm blanking.
Co-worker: imageframe
Me: thanks
*silence*
Co-worker: I love that I just answered a question for you. You're usually the person who answers all of my questions. I just got to help you.

We all have our specialties and mine happens to be what I do for a living. I'm not great at autocad, but I'm decent enough that people come to me for help. Put that with the fact that I LOVE teaching and helping people, and that's a good combo. I love love love when people come to me with questions and for advice and help. The time management class I just took told me I'm not supposed to help them, or I'm supposed to tell them their problems have to wait til it's convienent for me to answer. But that's stupid because I like helping.

Point F or whatever I'm on now. I hate that the short version of until is till. Why would you drop 2 letters at the front to then add one at the end? That's why I say til. I can't wait til (see) the autocorrect in my phone gets used to that particular quirk of mine.

And I'm going to call of quits here. As I said, my mind is racing I haven't even written about half the things I'm thinking about right now, but i'll put this entry's readers out of their misery.

Goodbye favorite red sweater

2008-12-01T20:40:00.000-08:00

> I don't think any amount of darning can put you back together again.
> (That hole is about the size of a clemantine, right in the elbow.)
>
> So now during my Christmas shopping I'm in the market for a NEW
> favorite red sweater. The requirements are: red and comfy.
>

My Weekend

2008-11-30T22:17:00.000-08:00

My weekend was spent reading. Re-reading to be more exact.

I re-read "Wuthering Heights." I re-read "Little Women." I re-read "Mansfield Park." I started to re-read "Northanger Abbey" but stopped to look up something in "What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew" and saw "Jane Eyre" mentioned and decided to re-read that instead. But when I pulled out "Jane Eyre" to re-read, I noticed it had mold growing on it. Well, what could be mold. I spilled something on a corner of it, and on that dark spot it looks like there's white mold growing. I'm concerned. I'd rather just buy a new copy. Plus I need a new copy of "Wuthering Heights" anyway, because I broke it. Not the spine, the actual back leaf.

Part of me thinks I'm wasting time re-reading these books when I have Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything" and "Confederacy of Dunces" waiting for me on the bookshelf, but whatever. Why not do what I want since I have no one else telling me otherwise?

I also watched movies. Ghostbusters. Ghostbusters II. 3:10 to Yuma. The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy. and oh my god, The Monster Squad. And I went shopping and bought Christmas presents, which I will not list because the people for whom they were purchased read this blog.

So, all in all, it was a great weekend.

Louisa May Alcott got it wrong.

2008-11-28T17:55:00.000-08:00

As you can see from this picture, Little Women is one of my favorite books. Sure, its a little preachy, but still, its a good book.

As long as you ignore the fact that LOUISA MAY ALCOTT GOT IT WRONG!!!

Laurie was never supposed to end up with Amy. Amy is the spoiled little brat who doesn't deserve him, and could have married any number of other rich guys. Jo, however, did deserve him, and they would have been happy together, regardless of what she thinks.

Every time I read it, I try to stop at a point before Jo ends up with the professor and before Amy and Laurie get married, but I always keep going and ruin it for myself. If you just read Part I, you can tell at the end that she clearly intends for the two of them to get together. I don't know what happened in between writing Part I and Part II that killed the relationship for her, but I wish it hadn't happened. If I were at all a writer, I would write the correct version, just for myself.

I always mean to buy myself a good, hard cover copy of Little Women to replace this one. But every time I go to read it I can't bear to part with this copy. I got it when I was about 8 I think, after my mother discovered the copy I had been reading was an abridged version. I had made a comment about how weird it was that they don't really talk about what happened to Beth after a certain point. My mom and my sister both thought it was odd that I hadn't gotten that Beth died. The book just said, "Beth went to a better place." and I thought they'd sent her to the beach to live, for health reasons. And I thought they'd at least go visit her or bring her home for big events. In my defense, they did take Beth to the beach earlier in the book for her health. Its not like I just came up with the beach being the "a better place." And I was not raised in a religious household, so how was I supposed to know that "better place" meant heaven? Anyway- this is the unabridged copy that was purchased for me, and I've read it I don't know how many times.

I always feel guilty over the fact that I re-read books many, many times. I should be reading something new and finding something else I like. But then I think- Its not like I only read books I've read before, and if I enjoy it, why not?

My letter to Santa's elves.

2008-11-27T11:07:00.001-08:00

As a kid we always put our Christmas letters to Santa out at Thanksgiving, hanging them on the lamps flanking the garage door with a piece of bread, and Santa's elves would come collect them. And take a bite out of the bread. (they would get hungry you know, going around the world collecting all of the kids' Christmas lists.)

Of course little did I know that we were the only family that does this! I thought it was a normal tradition. I didn't realize til college that this was not the norm.

So this is my letter to Santa...

The NEW 13" macbook
http://www.apple.com/macbook/
I went to visit it in the store the other day, and the genius taught me more of its features, and its AMAZING. I would have hugged it but there were too many people around.

Twilight

2008-11-22T11:50:00.000-08:00

I started reading the "Twilight" books 3 weeks ago. And became obsessed with them in, oh, 1 minute. To the point where I picked reading over sleep and read the first one straight through, with only one break to drive to Barnes and Noble to buy the second one. A co-worker lent me the last two, and so I still need to buy those (in hard back- in case anyone is reading and wants an idea for my Christmas present. hint-hint to my mom, dad or sister.)

They're not actually great books. And they're written for teenagers, but there's something in them that sucks you in. I felt vindicated when I came home from work to find Leslie on the couch reading, and having her admit she had been sucked in too.

Books- Mortal falls in love with a Vampire- and vice versa. She's 17. He's 17 plus 90 years. A little creepy when you think about it really. He sneaks in to her room to watch her sleep without her knowing about it, for months. Creepy. But since vampires don't sleep (at least in this vampire world) I guess they have to fill their time somehow. The thing is, you don't realize how creepy any of this is while you're reading because you're just thinking, "well they're in love." Its not until you step back and go, "wait a minute- he shouldn't be doing that" that it dawns on you.

The pacing of the books is weird too. 400 pages of exposition, lots of low level plot, then for about 50 pages you get intense, real, action plot, and then another 50 pages of wrap up. This formula holds true for the first 3. Then the pacing of 4 is even more messed up. BUT YOU DON'T CARE. You're too obsessed to care.

Movie- I went last night and it was one of the funniest experiences ever. The excitement level was about the same as Harry Potter opening nights. Maybe a little bit more- because it was the first one. But you throw in that everyone is in LOVE with Cedward. (Robert Pattison or Pattinson- I'm not sure- I just call him Cedward- Cedric Diggory + Edward Cullen.) The age range was probably 10-50? Definitely more on the 13 side. People wearing t-shirts with quotes from the movie. "Your scent is like a drug." I was in line next to a 31 year old teacher who had started reading the books to at least figure out what her kids were obsessed with, and she got sucked in too.

Anyway, girls screamed through the entire movie. Shrieked is more like it. Every time Jacob came on the screen the audience would scream. Edward's first appearance- more screaming. Eric- screaming. Mike Newton- more screaming. Emmett, screaming. Jasper- more screaming. The bad guy James- even more screaming. For anyone who isn't going to laugh it off- I would definitely recommend waiting a little while before seeing the movie. My friend who came with me and I just laughed it off. I'm sure if I were 13, I probably would have been one of the ones screaming.

The movie fixed the problems I had with the pacing. But I didn't agree with all of the casting. Bella and Edward were perfect. Her friends at school were all made different ethnicities- which I don't remember from the book. Jacob was perfect (I just wanted to give him a haircut.) Carlisle was off looking- it could have been the makeup. Esme was perfect. Rosalie was not nearly pretty enough. (She's supposed to be absolutely gorgeous in the books- this girl was not.) Emmett was perfect. Jasper needed to do something different with his hair, but otherwise was okay. And Alice- I hope they tweak her look a little before the next movie.

Which brings me to a problem they're going to have. They said if this one makes $150 million (and it totally will.) They'll make the next one. Problem- the 9 vampires aren't supposed to age. And the books take place over a period of 2 years, so Bella isn't really supposed to age either. They better make them fast.

So, In conclusion...

Books are good for what they are. And if you're even slightly interested- give them a shot- but be prepared to devote a couple days to them.

Movie- quality is better than the book I think- and again- if you're interested- give it a shot. It won't be two hours of your life you wish you could have back. And- you can follow even if you haven't read the books. One of my friends got to go to the premiere Monday night- and she liked it, not even having read the books.

Just one of the reasons

2008-11-15T17:27:00.000-08:00

I can't wait to get a laptop.

"How am I supposed to write for a guy who doesn't have a head?"

2008-11-12T07:57:00.000-08:00

Anthony Edwards is coming back to ER. His character died many many seasons ago from brain cancer. I would like someone to explain how this is going to work to me.

I just keep thinking of Soapdish where they tell Whoopie Goldberg she needs to bring Kevin Kline's character back to life, but he had been killed off by decapitation.

I think E.R. is so desperate to get people to watch in this final season that they are really trying every thing in the book. "Hey, maybe people will be curious about how we brought Mark Greene back?" I know I won't be watching because I loved his character so much. I'll just want to hear their methodology for raising the dead.

Hope

2008-11-05T21:46:00.000-08:00

Here's my post-election hope: that this will be, for the rest of my life, the most important election I will ever vote in.

Yesterday we elected the right man for the job, at a time when we needed it most. My hope is that we are never again in such dire straits as a country that the election is as vital as this year's. That never again will we be at war, in economic ruin, and so divided as a country. That never again will the rest of the world look down on us as the bad guys. That never again will a president have to come in and fix as big a mess as this administration is leaving behind.

Yes, its historic. We elected a black man. But shame on us that its taken this long to get away from white male politics. Let's instead focus on the fact that Obama is smart, capable, and I believe truly wants to make this country great again.

My necklace! Part 2

2008-10-29T01:45:00.001-07:00

Blogger cut off the secon part of the post which I will try to
recreate here (I can't edit entries too well from my phone):

Thank you Nona and Lala. And Boppy I think, for originally picking it
out. It is in very good hands; with someone who loves and appreciates
it. And who will think of her family every chance she gets to wear it.

My necklace!

2008-10-29T01:36:00.001-07:00

It was my grandmother's and my great grandmother's before that.

Once when visiting my grandmother she was in the mood to start pulling
out her jewelery and showing it to me and one of my aunts. When she
pulled out this necklace my jaw dropped and I instantly fell in love
with it.

I'm lucky that none of my cousins wanted it, because I think I would
have been upset had I not been able to get it. The sad thing is, it's
valuable. Too valuable for every day wear so I'm going to have to put
it in a safety deposit box at the bank. I'm going to wear it to the
wedding I'm going to this weekend first though.

And you better believe that every fancy dress I have to buy for the
rest of my life will be purchased with this in mind.

Less than 7 days

2008-10-29T01:05:00.001-07:00

Fewer than 168 hours

Until we know, for better or for worse, who our next president will be.

Please please please let it be Obama.

One of my friends was a staunch Hillary supporter and switched to
McCain after she lost the democratic nomination (stupid- I know.)
Today he admitted that Sarah Palin has made it impossible for him to
vote for McCain and he will be voting for Obama. Praise Palin for the
role she's playing if a lot of people end up thinking the way he does.

I do feel bad for Obama. Say he wins, he has a very tough road ahead
of him. A
lot to clean up, fix, and undo. And if he doesn't turn everything
around immediately he'll be seen as a failure by those who don't see
big picture.

I have absolute faith that when I cast my vote on Tuesday I'm making
the right choice for my country. I hope the rest of the country agrees
with me.

Update on the Hillside Strangler

2008-10-22T13:31:00.001-07:00

I had one of my friends do research on where the victims were found.

Yup, two victims were found on my street. Right down in the scary cul
de sac.