I Can't Stop Now

Oops, Sorry

2006-04-28T12:59:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: Sweet, Sweet Silence
Last Visited: no clue
Random Thought: Does anyone know what that song at the end of the American Dreamz trailer is?
Mood: gah

Hey. Sorry. I forgot to mention that for the past few months i've pretty much soley been posting to my blog on typepad.

I suck.

So sorry.

So if it's been looking like i haven't posted in forever... that's why. Now, i haven't been posting regularly enough on my other blog, too, but definatly more often than this one.

Come on over to VanityFair.Typepad.com when you get the chance!

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Bad-Morning-Hair-Pre-Coffee-Just-Got-To-Work Me

2006-02-22T10:03:00.000-08:00

Background Noise: Sportscenter
Last Visited: South Park Design Studio and My South Park Anne Album
Random Thought: Christian needs to meet his doppleganger.
Mood: trying to ignore the annoying ones

I must have been sick the day everyone made South Park versions of themselves, because i seriously missed the boat on this one. I always wondered how suddenly everyone's aim pictures were remarkably good South Park type them characters, and, well, now i know. They made them with this cool online game. That being said, meet Coffee Time Me:

Not to be confused with Snarky Me, or the sad reality that is every morning, Bad-Morning-Hair-Pre-Coffee-Just-Got-To-Work Me:

Hee hee.

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London!

2006-01-17T14:07:00.000-08:00

Background Noise: Joy to the World
Last Visited: My London Pictures
Random Thought: an 8 hour time difference is easier to handle than a 5 hour one
Mood: smilin'

So, i forgot my camera's charger and the pictures are out of order, but enjoy my pictures! (More after the 'lag crazies end).

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Pardon My Dust

2006-01-03T15:50:00.000-08:00

Background Noise: brilliant; i showed up at 'bucks when school let out.
Last Visited: Your Mileage May Vary
Random Thought: Cinnamon Dolce Latte... overkill or just right?
Mood: ouch, they didn't put ice in my coffee

Excuse the blip on this blog earlier - the one where all formatting went away and a full year's worth of posts appeared on one page - i was seeding a test blog with my older posts so the template wouldn't look so empty.

Anyhoo, yesterday i talked myself out of buying a $300 kate spade bag and into buying a $300 new bed, well, a new bed topping. As beautiful as the bags are - and i'm sure i will own one in the future - i just couldn't rationalize the money for something so... so... i don't know what. But i still wanted to blow my christmas cash, and after debating staying in the Westin for a night with hopes of sleeping better, i realized that what i should get is a super soft down comfetor, pillows, and a 600 thread count sheet set. It looks - and feels - like i'm sleeping on a cloud and i couldn't be happier.

Well, that's not entirely true: i still need to find a bedskirt that matches and now i have a real excuse to get the orchid canvases from ikea (they're in stock!), but really, those two chores shouldn't be so trying.

I can't wait to sleep again.

... but sleep will have to wait a little bit longer, i'm here at 'bucks to work on my spec and i should really do that in the nearer future.

Like now.

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Gracie's, 8 Mile, and My Family @ J-Alex

2005-12-30T14:49:00.000-08:00

Background Noise: Frank
Last Visited: My Flickr (sounds gross, doesn't it)
Random Thought: People stop and stare, but it doesn't bother me.
Mood: let the time go by, i won't care if i can't be here on the street where you live

Good Night Gracies, Tuesday Night, w/ Heather and Christy. Heather's picture, my camera, edited in Aperture.

The End of 8 Mile, Wednesday Morning. Heather's picture, my camera, edited in Aperture.

Ellen, David, Mom, and Dad, in the Lobby of J. Alexandar's Northville, Wednesday evening. My picture, my camera, edited in Aperture.

I'm just so happy i remembered the camera and was able to catch a few nice pictures for posterity... because not many would believe me otherwise.

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Well, at least the weather matches my mood for once

2005-12-30T14:25:00.000-08:00

Background Noise: the sound and the fury... of 'bucks.
Last Visited: Damn, i hadn't figured in the exchange rate.
Random Thought: i don't want to share my birthday with Donna and Jason.
Mood: jittery and a little sad

Right now i should (and could) be doing an of several things:

I should be verifying what i'm doing for NYE '05, i should be at the bank getting my rent check, i should be at IKEA getting a comforter, i should be at the mall buying some more sweaters (or doing laundry, either or), i should be looking for a computer bag that won't break, or a vaccum cleaner that won't explode, or tracking down "i know i missed christmas but presents anytime are good, right?" presents for the many many people i know who deserve them, i should be reading a book, or taking a nap, or generally relaxing, or driving in the rain because it's fun, or getting my hair cut because it's shaggy, or actually getting work done, or finding out if I actually have work on monday as my friend's contend or don't as my mom contents, i should call Kathy to see if she's back from London, or call Barb to find out if she's heard any more about her apartment, or Heather to find out if she's playing photojournalist for NYE, or John to find out if he got his promotion, or Ben about how the meeting with the financial planner went, or Dave to find out how the crown molding is going, or Helena to find out what her plans for tomorrow night are besides a hurried "movies" and something else i couldn't figure out last night, or seeing one of the many worthy movies that are out now that i haven't seen that aren't the Producers, P&P, or a bound-to-be-slightly-disasppointing holiday comedy, or wondering out loud why every movie that has a scene in San Francisco must have a trolley bell in the background even though the characters are no where near a trolley line, or tracking down maps of London to figure out where i want to stay while i'm there, or actually pining down a date and tracking down people to see if i'm actually going with anyone or by myself, or not looking at the elderly couple calmly contemplating buying a Hummer at the table next to me, or trying to not jump in and help the girls struggling with trig at the table behind me, or finding the rules for uker online so i can actually teach Joe and Sarah how to play, or find a fourth who can be my partner for that matter, or something that stops the train of though in the back of my head that maybe i should look at the book of Destiny since it's the only one that Barnes and Noble by me has, or maybe i should just find a way to end this never ending sentance.

But, aside from the whole ending the last sentance thing, i'm not doing any of the things that i should.

No, i'm trying to keep myself from just jumping on a plane to god-knows-where now.

Yep, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, my jumpy travel feet are back, and boy do i want to get the hell out of dodge. I guess that will have to wait a few weeks, though.

i really should go to the bank; rent day, at least, is one thing i can guarentee will happen this weekend.

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Coffee: Black with a Stirrer

2005-12-29T14:21:00.000-08:00

Background Noise: 'buck chatter
Last Visited: Barb should be a movie critic.
Random Thought: Why are the elves in my phone lying and trying to convince me we lost to Nebraska last night?
Mood: when am i?

Posts you should read before 2006 that helped define 2005:

1. Stop. Fucking. Them. (This is not about abortion.)
2. The only debate on Intelligent Design that is worthy of it's subject.
3. Pride & Pathetic: the rantings of an Austenite who didn't understand the movie she was watching, and instead bought the hideous, revolting, completely out-of-touch-with-the-picture-it-promotes american marketing campaign for it. Oh, and Ms. Fattore? I have a cat and i love Austen, will wonders never cease? Wonder of wonders, it is possible for an anti-romanticist piece to, in fact, be highly realistically romantic. Sorry, the mist comes with the whole on-location package. Deal.
4. Blogpulse 2005: Trendy Statistics - hey, math can be cool, too.

Hey, i'm just psyched that the ipod was constantly more popular than the xBox or PS2, and that NASCAR is the least popular sport umong the techies (shocker). I'm actually even more interested in the fact that Swimming was really popular, and while Hockey is making a comeback, the undisputed American sport is: Football, with Baseball and Soccer gunning it out for second and third.

Um... yeah. Beyond the stuff above this line (which was all written before i stepped into the mind-melt-inducing cross country flight last night), there is plenty i remember wanting to write about that i have promptly forgotten. Maybe that's best for now. I continued my streak of crying at take off after leaving again for California, but i really don't have the energy to have another Oh-wow-i-don't-belong-in-California-and-i'm-getting-sick-and-tired-of-pretending-i-do post. But hey - my apartment is clean (amazing), my car is running and has gas in it, my cat is thrilled i'm home, i have coffee, and the potential for a great new year, i shouldn't complain.

What to do now? Maybe a movie is in order. Or food more substantial than gingerbread. Or a shower. Hey, at least i remembered to go to the bank :) Oh well, i'm sure i'll figure my day out eventually. And if i don't? That's not so bad either.

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Video On Demand Rocks My World

2005-12-25T19:27:00.000-08:00

Background Noise: Beat it, it's the Bulls!
Last Visited: The On Demand Guide;
Random Thought: I'm not as adverse to watching "The Wedding Date" when it's free and i can fast forward through stuff.
Mood: Headlines don't sell papes: Newsies sell papes.

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah! Isn't it amazing that for the first time since 1959 these two holidays fall on the same day of the year. That, combined with the fact that this day just happens to be sunday, assures that beyond anything else you can be certain of one thing: nothing will be open after 8pm.

I hope your respective holidays, be they relgious or simply material, have been everything you wanted and that you are happy and content.

I read an article the other day talking about the downfall of the Gap; how the store built up to being a brand, an icon, the place to shop, but that now it's not much more than a general disappointment. People go expecting to find something they like, but usually end up leaving empty handed. And here I thought that was just me. Every time i've been in the Gap recently i couldn't justify the $40 sweater or the $25 tank top; i still go in from time to time, but generally i only buy when things are on sale. Apparently the Gap has decided to rehabilititate itself; i really hope that goes well.

Ellen got another fabulous Coach bag from Phil for Christmas (among her many presents). I'm now completely jealous of her bag collection: two Coach bags and a kate spade tote. I am in awe. I must have a kate spade bag too; maybe i can justify one once my stock money shows up - friday will truly be a TGIF.

Why is it so hard to find a well made, beautiful, tote that is large enough to fit my laptop, anyways? Note to the luxury handbag makers: Girls have hardware too. We generally also have money to spend and want to have a beautiful bag to carry everything around in. I can't justify a $300 small purse because i'd never use it. But i could justify a $300 tote that could double as a laptop bag in a heartbeat because that's what i carry all day every day - i'd like that bag to be stylish, easy on the eyes, and easier on the shoulder. This bag comes close, well at least in the picture. And i think i can get over the fact that it's technically a baby bag. Ahh, don't you just love the irony?

ETA: Elle tells me that there is actually a kate spade store at Somerset; i'll have to check this out in person and see if it lives up to my expectations.

So, continuing our semi-official Christmas tradition, my silblings, my cousins, and i went to see a movie this evening - this time it was the Producers ("Gentlemen, may i take your hats, your coats, and your schwas-ti-cas?"). It was fun (as usual), but Elle pointed out something that i had missed - or rather, not paid enough attention to - about the Birmingham 8: they don't actually care if you buy a ticket or not. Or, rather, they tear your ticket once you buy it outside the front entrace not inside the theater. But there is a side door from the parking garage that opens into the theater - and there is no one at that door to purchase tickets from, or make sure that you have tickets at all. In fact, the employees seem to not care at all if you just walk in and sit down - the only thing that actually keeps people buying tickets is their sense of ethics and morality. Silly morals, they always get in the way of free stuff, huh.

I love Newsies. Seriously, Video on Demand is making my night - especially considering i'm still on west coast time and wouldn't mind staying that way, so i'm going to be up when there is literally nothing on tv. I'm actually considering throwing "The Wedding Date" on next because i can. I know it was horrible, but i'm not sure i'll mind as much when i'm not paying for it. And hey, worse comes to worse i either fast forward through it or switch to something else. Like Batman Begins; there's a thought: a Christian Bale Christmas. I like the sound of that.

Remind me to opine about the tree in the living room at some point; i would now, but my battery is going again and i should really publish this before i loose this post forever.

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and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful

2005-12-24T20:48:00.000-08:00

Background Noise: something on tv, melting snow
Last Visited: yahoo's tv grid... (this remote requires entering exact numbers. wow. i so have to get my parents a new remote. or a new tv. seriously.)
Random Thought: why can't i stay?
Mood: grandma's dinner: perfect.

Merry Christmas Eve.

Your footprints led the way,
to a hearth where hearts we made surround you,
you're awash in all it's glow,
and i'm still standing in the snow

i stood and watched the lights go out,
While the snowflakes settled all around me,
And though it filled my heart with doubt,
Couldn't move and this is where you found me.

As our footprints disappear,
Snow erasing how I came to be here,
I've got nowhere else to go,
Now you're standing in the snow.

I've never been so happy to spend $700; thank goodness: i'm home.

ETA: i'm feeling very naughty: i'm downstairs on Christmas Eve night - well, Christmas very early morning. I'm trying to remember if i've ever done this before, actually downstairs - and allowed, too! - when Santa's Elves are doing there sprucing up in the other room. I suppose it's ok because the Elves are taking a break this year, but there's still something very odd about being on this floor after midnight. I'm starting to actually believe it's christmas, and i'm home which is heaven, but i'm having issues being downstairs. I suppose it's a family custom that all the kiddies have to be upstairs after a certain time, regardless of whether we were awake or not. And let me tell you, being restricted to one area of the house definatly helps to heighten the suspense of the next morning. Here's my dilema: i'm hungry, but my dad's awake, and the kitchen is attached to the room with the tree, and i have this mental block over actually stumbling in there and seeing... something. Wow this is silly. I suppose in this house i'll always believe in Elves on Christmas Eve who don't want to be disturbed lest they leave coal in my stocking.

And really, what's so bad about believing? Even if it's just in something small. There has to be some wonder magic left in this holiday after all.

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I look like the Libra Girl... or a Party Mouse

2005-12-22T14:54:00.000-08:00

Background Noise: Elf's Lament
Last Visited: ahh, now i remember why i don't visit astrology.com; no, i really don't want to pay for the results of my quiz. sorry.
Random Thought: i scrubbed my bath tub last night; wait, that's more of an action than a thought. Oh! i know! I need to figure out what i'm packing for home.
Mood: this is going to actually work, isn't it.

See? Well, i kinda look like the Libra Girl. I suppose she's basically a chunky cousin of Disney's Cinderella, though i have to say, for a Libra, she's pretty biased. I mean, look at those scales: completely out of balance. Oh, wait, i guess that means i really am like this cartoon. Nifty.

I'm approaching apathy way too quickly this afternoon... maybe i should take a break and get some errands done. I need to get keys made for the wonderful, fabulous people stopping in to watch Puff while i'm gone, I need to either take my boots in to be repaired or pick up some inserts for them, I need to pick up some kitty food and litter, give my apartment a fairly intensive cleaning - carpets, trash, general organization / sprucing, pick up the clothes that are undoubtably all over my closet+ - and, of course, i have to figure out what i want to pack for home and at least send that to the laundry (which either means tracking down quarters or just taking it to the dry cleaners). I need to transfer what files i want on my laptop to my laptop, and while i'm at it i have to make sure to get either the packages or a dvd for Dave's computer. I'm sure there's more... but at the moment that's where the running talley in my head stops.

But Oh! I just got Barb's Christmas card! Yeay snail mail! :) The timing, of course, is perfect. And hilarious, so i quote:

Make your own fun this holiday season!
Fun is all about what you actually want to do! So the Saint of Sanity decrees:

Get ye to a movie!
Get ye Regency Spies and Liars!
Get ye a bottle of wine!
Get ye a kitten*!

aforementioned tactics guarenteed to work under most circumstances. Fun to be had may differ in actuality. SOS cannot be held accountable for lack of fun had due to project bugs, stupid drivers, annoying companions, or the Borders Store In Stock list.

SOS is a trademark of Barb by Proxy © 1998.

That one's going on my corkboard. Speaking of which, hey B, why didn't we steal the url saintofsanity.blogspot.com for your blog? Where was my head? Hey! it's still available! Just saying.

Completely changing the subject, the movie suggestion is fabulous; maybe i'll swing by for the 5ish Pride and Prejudice - it's been too long since i've seen it. Though i really should clean. Ahh, decisions decisions.

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I don't like pointless practice; sorry, it's just not my style.

2005-12-21T16:58:00.000-08:00

Background Noise: All i want for Christmas
Last Visited: Henry VIII performs at the Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon , you say?
Random Thought: i'm leaving work early and i don't care who knows it. (Thank god my bosses don't read this!)
Mood: caffeine... not... working...

Coffee has abandoned me today; it's having the reverse affect it normally does; i literally feel myself slowing down as i drink this.... Maybe i shouldn't do that next bit of work right now, i'm not sure i'm allowed to operate heavy machinery at the moment.

So, um, Happy Solstice.

Oh! i scored at Macy's (yes, Macy's,) yesterday: i found a great coat and a nice cashmere sweater on major sale, getting both for about $100 less than that thing from Land's End was. And once i actually get my money back from that little fiasco i'll feel a lot better about the whole situation. The coat is a cocoa suede city coat (just above the knee in length) with a lovely lavendar lining. It's warm enough to take home and feel bundled up with a sweater, but light enough to actually be of some use in San Francisco over a camisole or something lighter. Which is lovely; yeay multi-purpose clothing! Especially when said coat was only $70 (from $180).

If you're looking for some good online reading, An Old-Fashioned Girl is online, and the British Library has a fantastic collection of original documents available for perusal at Turning the Pages.

Also, Google released their Zeitgeist 2005, which is quite entertaining. For example, no one really cares about Jennifer Anniston, it's all about Brad (and Angelina) online.

In other news... i'm tired. Tired and trying to ignore just how much cleaning, laundry, and packing i have to do before leaving at the crack of dawn Saturday. Hmm, maybe tomorrow will be my last day at work for 2005. Assuming tomorrow is actually thursday, which i think it is. Hmm, i should look that up.

Oh yeah, one more thing (wow, this has actually turned out to be longer than i expected): i got my review for the year. Yes, i know i've mentioned this before, but i didn't post any specifics because i was worried about being vain, or sharing too much information, or generally being obnoxious. But i'm going to post my rating - ie, my grade - for the year, in hopes of reminding myself that i might actually deserve it:

Rating: Exceptional. Consistently outstanding. These individuals contribute significantly to the sucess of Apple by producing the highest caliber or work. They are leaders, innovators, and influencers. They are truly remarkable result-oriented performers and show that in the way they work with others, their job knowledge, skills and work product

Um, yeay me. Here's to hoping i can live up to the hype.

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Photobooth is the funnest product we've ever made

2005-12-19T11:21:00.000-08:00

Background Noise: December, George Winston
Last Visited:flickr
Random Thought: john and steve are much more photogenic than i am... and that's ok :)
Mood: The Producers was awesome!

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Imagining Footprints in the Snow

2005-12-16T11:08:00.000-08:00

Background Noise: George Winston, December
Last Visited: Travelocity & Land's End. Wow i just spent a crapload of money.
Random Thought: I think i love my new fake-burberry coat
Mood: i can't believe i'm going home in a week...

Yeay! I'm going home for Christmas!

I probably shouldn't be so shocked, or excited, or relieved, but i'm so happy that i'll be home for the holidays. I'm even going to make it for christmas eve dinner at my grandma's house! I have direct flights both ways (thankfully) and even though i'm sad the potential plans of stopping in Chicago didn't pan out, it's ok, because i'll see barb later when she is actually in her new place.

I'm flying out Christmas Eve on Nortwest and arriving in Detroit around 3:49pm, and flying back to San Francisco Wednesday evening around 7:44pm. It's a decent trip - the better part of 4 and a half days depending on how you count - and it will mean that i'll be back in the bay area soon enough to have some down time before getting back to work.

Now i just have to figure out who is watching Puff while i'm gone. Luckily it's only 4ish days, so i don't feel guilty asking people to stop in and watch him.

The other bonus of only going for a few days? I'm pretty sure i'll be able to get away with just carry-on luggage, so i won't have to worry about checking any bags. I hate checking bags. I prefer to walk off the plane and out of the airport and be on my way if at all possible, especially when i'm cutting getting to Milford on time so very close.

:) But at least i'll have my new coat! I hope it's as cute and sophisticated as it looks like in the pictures. And hey, if it doesn't work i'll return it and still have time to find a suitable placeholder.

The only other problem i have is: what to do for presents for my family?

ETA: So i begged and pleaded and made my boss give me my review early, meaning about 45 mins ago. It's good. Great, really. Maybe i'm just drained from the day, but i'm not sure i'm taking it as expected. It's always odd to hear other people talk about me; and it's interesting reading my boss's thoughts about me. All at once i'm not sure i deserve my review and yet i'm disappointed with it in some ways. I was debating posting some of it here, but that would be inappropriate. I'll write again later when i've had more time to digest what it means, and get back to you about how i feel. I just... had to mention something. For posterity, for... well, so i wouldn't forget to think about this seriously.

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I Read the Red Book

2005-12-15T10:40:00.000-08:00

Background Noise: more holiday music? really? ... wait, this is my playlist...
Last Visited: He's Everywhere in Film, and that's ok with me, really
Random Thought: why is it that all of my best friends were born almost at the same time? i guess i wasn't kidding when i said i have accurate tastes...
Mood: my head needs to clear up so i can actually get work done

I'll need a coat for going home, then going to London in the winter, so it needs to be warm, and i'd like it to be able to transition easily from casual to dressier. This coat would look fabulous with both jeans or cream pants. I'll have to order it soon if i want it to get here in time to go home, but it's a bit more than i was planning on spending so i figured i'd fish for thoughts.

So, what do you think? :)

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You're awash in all it's glow

2005-12-14T10:39:00.000-08:00

Background Noise: Footprints, BNL
Last Visited: Fuck Christmas. Or at least figure out what you're actually mad about first.
Random Thought: I love it when Barb gets pissed off. It's always so damn funny.
Mood: chris botti looks like logan from gilmore girls. only older, so thinking he's hot isn't gross.

Um, 2 please? One departing from San Francisco, one from Chicago. Thanks!

In other news, yesterday i managed (completely by accident) to win a lovely $15 Starbucks gift card for being (again, very accidentally) the third most festively dressed person at my team's holiday, er, christmas, party, er, wine tasting. My pink (almost red) sweater had what could be mistaken for a reindeer on it, and my lovely shoes have a few sparklies, therefore i must have been festive.

Talk about scraping the barrel.

Though, i have to say i like having that card burning a hole in my wallet; it's certainly better than not having it, though i'm fairly sure it won't change the amount of coffee i'll drink.

In more news, the Golden Globe Nominations were announced yesterday. I'm not going to discuss the tv portion of the evening since i can't even begin to justify their decision that Desparate Housewives deserved 4 of the 5 slots in the best actress category. But no nominations at all for Gilmore Girls? No Veronica Mars or West Wing or Everwood? Or the finale of Six Feet Under?

On the movie side, things look promising. Though i have to admit that i'm not thrilled that Match Point won't be out until after the awards are given, but whatever. I love that Kiera Knightly has a nomination for Lizzie Bennet; i loved her reaction to the news too. She basically said that she had just planned to make lasagna for her flat mates that night, but apparently now they needed champagne too. How fabulously normal. And now that Sarah Jessica Parker has a nomination for the Family Stone i'm even more curious to see that film than before - though i still contend that she will end up with Luke Wilson in the end - Mr. Mulroney can have Claire Danes.

And in case you're bored and looking for some good old-fashioned blog-reading here are two you shouldn't miss: Waiterrant, and Walking the Streets (he's a parking attendant in london, not a working girl, just in case you're worried about being corrupted). Barb's blog of course, and also fuck christmas while it does cover some ground, is backed by some exquisite research. Ok, maybe "exquisite" takes things a bit too far, but still.

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Hi, I'm Anne, and I hate Apartment-sized Mailboxes

2005-12-13T10:43:00.000-08:00

Background Noise: Ants Marching
Last Visited: morning rounds
Random Thought: when all the little ants are marching, do they all do it the same, really?
Mood: dancing out of my coma

I don't often make categorical, unequivocal, forever and always kind of statements, but here's one: I hate getting physical mail delivered to my apartment. Which is probably why i deliberatly have everything i must get in paper form (could we save the trees already?) sent to my office... or at least i try to. If it's important enough that i actually have to read it, you can send it to the place where i'm most likely to actually, you know, see it.

My grandmother (whom i love and who can send me whatever she wants to where ever she wants assuming i have the notice to actually track it down) tends to send stuff to whatever my current apartment is even when i and my mother beg her to send stuff to work. But like i said, she's immune from this discussion. Cards are fine too, well, more than fine, they are lovely and i appreciate all of them - please don't take offense to this post if you've sent me a card. Cards are pretty and small and don't take up too much space and always make me smile. But if you send me a card, try to let me know or i probably won't see it until weeks or months later.

'Cause here's the thing: those apartment mailboxes are always uber-tiny. Super small. They aren't built to hold, say, a magazine. Or a solicitous AOL DVD. Or everything big and tearable that qualifies as junk mail in the physical world. I HATE junk mail. Can't stand it. And i hate that i have no control over not getting it. Email? I have spam filters; granted they don't get everything, but all things are relative.

And i hate that after emptying a stuffed full mailbox and staggering the 100 or so feet to the recycling bins trying not to drop any of the oh-so-precious flyers and postcards and "to the homeowner at"s to toss the junk i only had one real piece of mail to take to my car. (Thanks Clem and Brian!). That's one real piece of mail in nearly two months. Yet I'm the bad person for not dilligently checking my mailbox for said junk daily; i'm the bad person for not reading said junk and throwing it out.

Honestly, the whole idea of getting mail at that place makes less than no sense to me. From my perspective it's just a giant waste of everyone's time. Really, sending mail to me at Blossom Hill is a waste of my time, the postman's time, my apartment manager's time, heck, even the jerks who send the junk to me it's a waste of their time and money.

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Play it again, Sam

2005-12-12T16:49:00.000-08:00

Background Noise: My Favorite Things, Supremes
Last Visited:Barenaked for the Holidays
Random Thought: Christmas music is more palatable when cut with some good oldies
Mood: jamin' to BNL

Why is it so hard to build a good Christmas / Holiday music playlist? One that is complete enough and deep enough to keep one plesantly in the holy-jolly mood without driving one completely mental?

So last year around January, after way too much christmas music i finally got fed up with the holiday cheer when my itunes library kept playing that caroling stuff when i hit random. So to get back at itunes for being too random (instead of just unchecking all of my christmas stuff) i deleted everything i could find that was even related to the holiday season.

It was heaven.

For about 11 months.

Until i actually wanted to hear the cheesy and the touchy feely and the holly and the jolly.

And i've had to rebuild my holiday music selection.

Let me tell you, it's not easy. Especially when the good playlists are the ones defined by the random, the off the beaten path if you will. I'm finally making some headway - i have my Harry for the Holidays, my Michael Buble sampling, my BNL (of course), the Chimpmunks, Burl Ives, The Pogues, the Temptations, Jimmy Eat World, DMB, U2, The teeny boppers, The Supremes. I'm tracking down December by George Winton and the Velveteen Rabbit. I kept most of the Love Actually soundtrack, so i have the fun version of "All I Want For Christmas," and i really like the Many Moore version of "God Only Knows," which i suppose doesn't really count as holiday music, but that leads me into my point...

... that Christmas music is more palatable when cut with some like-themed but not necessarily so overt holiday fare. Oldies work well, like Build me Up Bettercup, Sugar Pie Honey Bunch, Save the Last Dance For Me, How Sweet It is, All You Need is Love, Fairy Tale of New York, My Favorite Things, Footprints, and Cannon in D by George Winton. I really like the odder takes on standards, though for the life of me i can't think of any exactly at the moment. Random comedy is good too, like Steve Martin's 5 Wishes for Christmas.

Which seems to be my problem: i only know my favorite christmas music when i hear it, and chances are, i'm not hearing what i want on my local radio station, hence the need to build back my library, hence my issue.

At least i'm making progress. Always making progress.

Expression:

Caught in the Crossfire

2005-12-12T10:38:00.000-08:00

Background Noise: Brian Setzer's... Nutcracker?
Last Visited:Hey Guys: Dare to be Different
Random Thought: does my coffee taste like coconut?
Mood: i felt so much better when i was home in bed. how odd.

Narnia made me sick. That's my story and i'm sticking to it. Went to the movie friday night with Dave, Mike, and Nina and about halfway through the movie that would never end i suddenly was very very very thirsty. My throat went bone dry - to the point that i almost gaged in the theater. But i squelched it and finished the movie and on the way out i asked Nina, "Was that theater particularly dry, or was that just me?" "Oh no, it was so dry in there" she said. So i forgot about my dry throat.

Until the parking lot at the restraunt where i felt the tell-tale hack-gag reflex that doubled me over into a fit of coughing i haven't felt (thankfully) since i've been in california (warm weather has some benefits). I think i scared the crap out of Dave and Nina. Ah, yes, i do remember this cough; it's christmas time, let the chorus of "This is my normal cough, don't worry, i'm not dying" begin. But i waved it off and had water with dinner and forgot about it again.

Until fifteen minutes after i got home and my body declared all out war on... something (I'm still debating exactly what, i think there were a couple of things going on though). Let's just say i was caught in the cross fire between whatever was attacking my body and my defenses and the result was not pretty. I'm not sure i slept friday night, though by late saturday afternoon my fever was gone and i felt alive again.

Sunday was basically recovery, and today i'm left with that lingering sick-hangover where at least your head is clear but your still a little too stuffy and a little too tired to be truely useful. Which kinda sucks considering what i have to do today.

But that's a different story.

Expression:

We are sorry for the delay. There was train traffic ahead and I like seashells.

2005-12-09T10:31:00.000-08:00

Background Noise: Randomly Cornflake Girl was in my head this morning. Was that actually the first song on the radio when my alarm went off? Who knows...
Last Visited: Overheard in New York
Random Thought: i know i said i wanted to improve my technical writing, and i understand that requires practice, but really, i don't want to.
Mood: yeah, what she said.

Discussion is good.
Transparency in design is good.
Documentation, Architecture and Design Specifications, Requirements Analysis, all good.

Great in fact.
Wonderfully useful.

Notice, however, is even better.

Expression:

Did you just call him Lloyd?

2005-12-08T11:23:00.000-08:00

Background Noise: something jazzy and moderately maudlin
Last Visited: Remember when West Wing was brilliant? Read up.
Random Thought: CSS Bar Graphs are cool. See?
Mood: build me up, buttercup

X3 is here, and no,i don't mean the BMW.

Also, in an interesting turn of events, the next big musical to made into a movie is [drum roll]: DreamGirls. I guess Musket was onto something after all....

Expression:

Productive in spite of myself

2005-12-07T17:34:00.000-08:00

Background Noise: Spamalot
Last Visited: The Borders Store Inventory is lying. I hate it when that happens.
Random Thought: Who dies tonight on VMars?
Mood: Zombie.

Oh my god - today is December 7th. The day that would live in infamy... and i forgot. My Grandpa even had surgery today (which should have triggered my memory) but, no... nothing. Granted i haven't really been totally conscious today, but still, there are normally days of the year i always can identify: Victoria Day, Canadian Thanksgiving, Rememberance Day, December 7th, September 11th. I'm slipping in my time recognition - even more so than normal - this year it seems. Days blur into weeks into months and time seems too short and too long all magically at the same time.

Ok, so i didn't sleep last night. I sort of daydreamed until 4am when i think i finally passed out. I remember walking into my living room to turn off my heater around 3:15. No amount of coffee has helped today... i constantly feel out of it, unable to truely follow a conversation even enough to nod and smile and "uh-huh" like i'm actually paying attention.

Though the really funny thing is, i've been crazy productive today. Well, as long as i was able to focus on my current train of thought (there have been many - lists had to be made). So while continuing to work while people waltzed in and out of my office was rediculously rude of me, at least i managed to finish everything i wanted to today. I think. I could have forgotten. That wouldn't actually surprise me.

Oh, Heather's baby boy is beautiful. And apparently my cousin doesn't have kids yet. Yet? When did they start trying? I thought they were just getting used to having a dog and a house... but... whatever.

And i'm thrilled that Detroit made the national news again for something positive: like a school shooting that didn't actually involve students. What progress.

Um... sorry, i just lost my blog-writing train of thought. I'm sure there was somethign else, but... yeah.

Expression:

How Curious, Rabbit

2005-12-05T17:10:00.000-08:00

Background Noise: Do you hear what i hear?
Last Visited: borderstores.com to check inventory at the sunnyvale borders. Do you think i would brave that parking lot if i wasn't positive they had what i wanted?
Random Thought: NPR's Forum Topic this morning was: Faith and Feminism where one woman called in and talked about how much women are vauled in orthodox religions, and the panel corrected that women are generally vauled by how able they are to serve men. Tiny difference. Itty Bitty, really. Though in general the entire discussion was frightening
Mood: Wow Perry Como has a sexy voice. Hmm, must be time to leave...

How odd, i can't seem to load my blog. I'll just make a new post and maybe that will make my blog live again... or... hmm.

Oh well, in for a penny and all. It seems that i am no officially free, er, released from serving Aperture anymore. Woo hoo! Though i do wish they had told me directly instead of telling my boss's boss who told my boss who ran to my office to cheerfully tell me. But whatever, i'm officially full time back on Final Cut, yay! And oh did i feel it today :) Well, i guess you need to be careful of what you wish for, or something like that.

And more congratulations are in order for Barb who had her first day at her new job in shiny Chicago today! Barb? "Seduced by Touchdown Jesus" is now on my obscure guess-the-pop-culture-reference aim message rotation. I absolutely love it; fits of giggles and the whole bit.

Ok, i'm apparently not forming complete sentances so i'll just toddle off to borders, grab salad at Whole Foods, and swing by my aunt's to give her back her laptop (it was a Computer Fairy Morning).

ps: Making Installer Packages is Fun^TM.

Expression:

The butt was real; no padding required

2005-12-04T14:21:00.000-08:00

Background Noise: 'bucks
Last Visited: references for this post, once again
Random Thought: now i remember why developing in webpages sucked.
Mood: i hate it when i accidentally close the wrong tab and loose my almost-finished post. grr. yawn.

I have to give the San Francisco Opera credit for the fake snow that was showered on the steps leading up to the Opera house last night; what could be more perfect than seeing the Nutcracker on a snowy winter's night? Granted, it's neither winter nor snowy here, but the tiny foam flakes were effective - even a few of the adults had to be told by their children that the snow couldn't possibly be real.

I've also convinced myself that i spotted Amanda Schull a.k.a Jody Sawyer in Center Stage in the Sugar Plum Fairy's corps of flowers. Though, admittedly, we were sitting in the very last row of the very last balcony, so i can't be entirely sure.

The San Francisco Ballet did a credible job with the Nutcracker, but it seemed to lack the excitement of the other versions i've seen. This production was more about pantomime than ballet - the whole first act had very little actual dancing, and the second act didn't feel as... special, for lack of a better word. Clara didn't dance at all which was very disappointing. I would probably recommend the Baryshnikov or Great Performances: Royale Ballet versions of the ballet to those who have never seen it before first.

Though, none of this really matters because I will probably always prefer the Nutcracker Suite from the 1940 Fantasia, it's nice to see the live ballet every once and a while. (For "while" read "several years"). Now if i can only talk people into going to Swan Lake with me....

Especially now that i finally have an outfit that i feel comfortable wearing to the Opera house. I finally found a pair of cream pants and a cream shrug that i can wear with a variety of camisoles and (of course) my fabulous zappos shoes. Though i was a bit worried i'd look like a giant marshmellow or creampuff or something equally saccharine, i think it actually is a fairly lovely outfit. What a happy bonus for the whole ballet outting. I wasn't going to go shopping but i discovered yesterday morning that Sir Puff has been using my good black pants as a bed for the last whoever knows how long to they were pretty much ruined - or ruined until i can get them to the dry cleaners.

Expression:

Christian's Tree

2005-11-30T10:58:00.000-08:00

Background Noise: Diva's Lament
Last Visited: Apple Store for Aunt Mary's new laptop
Random Thought: how in the world did Service Merchandise go out of business?
Mood: you can feel like somebody with me

ETA: Steve's response to my Sevice Merchandise question.

Each evening, from December to December,
Before you drift to sleep upon your cot,
Think back on all the tales that you remember
Of Camelot.
Ask ev'ry person if he's heard the story,
And tell it strong and clear if he has not,
That once there was a fleeting wisp of glory
Called Camelot.

Hey Barb, we did good... Christian has his tree back from his little sister and it's now anchoring another christmas at his place.

Expression:

Bust out the Holiday Cheer

2005-11-29T17:09:00.000-08:00

Background Noise: Too Bad You
Last Visited: travelocity, oh my
Random Thought: so that's what a living christmas card looks like
Mood: wrap me up in that cozy grey blanket

Why didn't anyone tell me the HuggaBunches were a Hallmark^TM creation before i became so attached to them? Talk about a let down. At least the ornament is still cute.

Speaking of letdowns, can i actually survive not being home for Christmas? I've been debating the merits of going home and whether the pain (and expense) of the trip are worth the 3-4ish days back in Michigan. I'm still on the fence: the allure of doing nothing is strong, especially now that i actually know what it's like to do nothing for a week. But i can't get over this feeling of how disappointed i would be christmas morning and not being with my family for presents and cinnamon buns. Don't worry, i haven't decided one way or the other yet... i'm just pondering.

But now for something completely different, Barb reminded me that i have to blog about the "Friend's Zone" Ryan Renold's character in Just Friends talks about. His thesis: once a girl decides a boy is a "friend" all potential for dating between that guy and girl is gone, is a good one. I agree with his general theory, though i have a few addendums to offer:

1. A girl may settle for just being friends with a guy she secretly likes if he is otherwise commited or unavailable at the time they meet. Therefore dating / fooling around may still happen at a later date since she never really put him in the "friend" category in the first place.
2. "Friends with Benefits" may still be possible between this girl and guy if and only if the friend flag is a true one. That is to say, if a girl only sees the guy as a friend with no dating / relationship potential but wants the option of an occasional f*#!-buddy, that guy could be considered a candidate. This type of extra-curricular relationship must come with strict ground rules that are always followed or the friendship might not survive once the sex stops. Beware not to enter this type of situation if one of the party's secretly hopes the other will change their mind about dating them; they won't.

... And that is how you go from Hugga Bunch to holiday travel to the Friend Zone theory with absolutely no transitions whatsoever besides pretty images. Aren't images great? Anyways, i'm off to battle old navy to find a new fleece jacket, since i can't find mine anymore. I hope you have luck finding something to watch tonight that isn't the Felicity's American Girl Movie on the WB.

Expression:

Stressed? Out of Control? Try Dianetics!

2005-11-26T21:22:00.000-08:00

Background Noise: Have yourself a merry little shopping season
Last Visited:
Random Thought: there are plenty of people in this world who want to make movies; why do people keep hiring Chris Columbus?
Mood: urg.

So, i'm back at 'bucks after my jaunt this afternoon to Berekely and "Rent," and the dudes with the Dianetics table outside are still here. Well, they had to move 6 feet down the sidewalk, but they're still scaring the crap out of people trying to come in for their caffine fix. Dave threatened to throw egg nogg on them, i threatened to print out copies of Penn Jillette "There is no God" and pass them out to everyone who was accosted.

Neither of us actually followed through on our threats, but we felt better expressing those warm and fuzzy feelings on this the start of the holiday season.

Ok, i've tried to ignore why i'm back in 'bucks instead of home all comfy and cozy, but i can't delay any longer. Here's my plea to the void: if you have any feeling towards the play, the book, the opera, the music of Rent do not go see the movie. Please, i beg you. I know you think that it's not as bad as the critics say, you claim that musicals are just misunderstood, that you have to be able to accept that people break out into song, etc, etc, and so forth. But it is undeniable, this production of Rent, for lack of a better word, blows.

I love musicals, on stage, on film, in an alley, in the back of a barn, i really don't care when or how they're performed as long as the performers and the people filming them love and believe what they're doing. This film doesn't care about the text, the score, or the original cast they struggled so hard to bring back ten years after this show premiered. Chris Columbus steals the heart and soul of the work leading you to ask yourself how in hell Rent won a Pulitzer.

*sigh*

I'm sorry. I wanted to like Rent the movie; no, i wanted to love it. I wanted to have to fight from singing along with the score, i wanted to be moved to the greatest heights and lowest lows and want to ride the ride again after the end credits rolled. I wanted to be able to say that the critics were wrong, and herald the start of a new golden age of movie musicals.

Instead i'm only reminded that mainstream Hollywood will only ever play it safe and produce a load of crap, destroying some of the best material they could ever be handed. Everyone says that Hollywood is in trouble because of piracy; that's a load of garbage: they're in trouble because they produce by committee, and leave the creativity to the small studios, the idependant filmmakers. Fine. If all the major studios are good for is a few blow 'em up blockbusters in the summer, maybe they should play to their strengths and leave the rest of the stories to people who give a damn about telling a story.

And with that, i'm going home. At least i'll be seeing Pride & Prejudice again tomorrow; i'd like to end my break on a good note. You know? i'm almost sad that this week is up; believe it or not, i've grown to like not having to work. I really needed this time off.

Expression:

Dreams become Affordable if you look in the right places

2005-11-24T12:46:00.000-08:00

Background Noise: note to 'bucks workers: do not play newage music in your coffee house. thank you.
Last Visited:Go Nominate Al for her performance in Woman in White!
Random Thought: baby, it's not cold out here.
Mood: this could be relaxing... i can't quite tell, though, it's been a while.

This isn't really a post as much as it is a reminder to myself:

Here's what i'm thinking: when i go to London this winter, why should i fight (and pay) for a hotel when i can get an apartment for the week for the price of one night at a hotel? I could stay in Picaddily, or Kensington, or Bayswater in a beautiful place that's all my own; and i could pretend that i actually got to live there. Sure, hotels are wonderful. But really? for what you pay, i'd rather pick up after myself. Especially when the apartments look like this:

and this:

So here's what i should do: buy a $350 round trip ticket from san francisco to london on BestFares, stay in the heart of the city for 5ish days in one of these fabulous apartments for $200, and use the rest of my stock money (go, stock, go!) to see shows and eat well. Or, heck, i wouldn't actually have to spend all of my stock money (even better); i could do something really crazy, like save for that heavenly idea of the Peak District Summer vacation.

ps: Happy Thanksgiving.

pps: I now have enough quarters to do 3 loads of laundry! Oh, happy day. Oh, tell me there's a dry cleaning place that will just do my laundry for me?

Oh, which brings me to another question: am i a female bachelor? I don't cook unless it's in someone else's kitchen, i don't really clean untill i actually notice how grungy my apartment is and / or i have relatives coming over, i mostly eat out, i work an insane number of hours, and i dream of being able to pick up and move for a year to London or Rome. I've actually heard the term "female bachelor" thrown around more in the past few weeks - are people now actually making the leap that there is such a creature? I have no doubt that i actually fit the term (and no, for the record, that doesn't make me a stripper which google might lead you to believe), but is being a "female bachelor" actually a good thing? I'm pretty positive it's not a compliment when used on shows like Sell this house ("Ugh, you're such a female bachelor, aren't you?!"), but should it be? I'm certainly not sad for the title, in fact, i'm almost proud of deserving it. Doesn't it suggest an equality that women have been working for for years? In this day in age, there are finally women who are bright, well educated, self-sufficient, employed, and free to be just as sloppy and ignorant of house-hold chores as our male counterparts. Hoorah! Well, i'm not actually sure about that last part. But it's an interesting question.

One last thing before i pick up and debate actually doing the laundry i'm now able to: Boys, a tip. If you don't want your female partners and friends to do an activity, don't mention it. Chances are we won't meet for the first time and immediatly decide to go shoe shopping. But if you say "just don't go shoe shopping together" we'll start talking about shoes. And shopping. And shopping for shoes online with the weekly mega sales on zappos. Your worst nightmare will become a self-fulfilling prophecy: because you mentioned it, it will happen. So, unless you actually want us to go shopping together, just keep your mouth shut... or tell your fears to your other friends if you must.

Expression:

My Quest To Do Nothing

2005-11-22T15:21:00.000-08:00

Background Noise: 'bucks... and the middle school just let out.
Last Visited:daypop
Random Thought: if i walked in the door right now i would seriously question if this was a coffee shop or a day care center
Mood: relishing

I should give doing nothing an honest shot.

I started off my day well enough - i didn't get out of bed until 2, and even then, i mainly left because i felt i needed at least some form of food. So i wandered here to 'bucks with my laptop and bag o' entertainment with me and sat down at this table with my coffee and a gingerbread slice (which i supposed technically is 'food' though i'm not sure you'd call it 'breakfast'). And every five minutes i feel this urge, this tick, this tug, this need to get up, get out, call someone, see something, learn something, buy something, offer my help or advice or opinion or a suggestion on something - anything. I need to chat, to converse, to learn or meet or experience or... do! And i feel this tug and i hear my to-do list running through my head and i want to laugh at how hard it is for me to truly do nothing.

Well, nothing within reason.

After all, i'm here with chat windows open, typing this blog post, flush with new information from my news trawl (the iTMS is in the top 10 music stores for Q3! our stock price passed $66.68/share!), i've made 4 phone calls (and left 4 messages), and i'm debating the merits of seeing Pride and Prejudice again before Gilmore Girls tonight.

But wouldn't it be interesting if instead of seeing a movie, instead of going to a store or driving up to Tiberon i just... stayed here. Or stayed home. Or, a little more leniently, stayed within a mile of my apartment?

Think of all of the things i could do within walking distance. Well, i'm already at starbucks with it's net connections. There are grocery stores and take out for dinner, and i have my tv and a pile of books at home. And i'd always have my phone.

So i wouldn't really be doing nothing... i'd just... be ...living in my neighborhood, instead of constantly trying to escape.

Huh. What an interesting experiment.

Now, granted, i'm not sure i can actually last a whole day, but it's worth a shot. Especially since today has basically been shortened so much by my sleeping in (heaven). Do you think i can do it? Last the next 8 hours without leaving a mile radius in the middle of suburbia? Without being bored? Without wanting to leave?

I'll give it a shot.

Well, at least until someone calls me back.

Expression:

Social Efforts

2005-11-20T13:54:00.000-08:00

Background Noise: the pseudo-challenging melodies of starbucks background music
Last Visited: the blog rounds
Random Thought: well, i was right about coming to starbucks with my laptop, but blissfully wrong about working while here... so far.
Mood: it's sunday and i don't have to go to work tomorrow. woa, man.

Ok. I've been sitting at this table (yes, starbucks) for the last 20 minutes, and i'd managed to write a quite maudalin post about... well, i'm not quite sure if it had a point. And, since you aren't reading that post right now, you can probably figure out that i deleted it. I've been trying to not give in to what could be a charmingly romantic depression... i simply don't have the concentration at the moment for the depth that that mood requires. So i wrote out my pseudo-complaints about - get this - too much social interaction (that's new for the bay area, huh?) then with a stroke deleted them all. And you know what? i'm feeling much better about yesterday because of that purging.

So now I'm chatting on aim and trying to figure out what - if anything - i'm going to do with my sunday. The thing is, i'm just not feeling any urgency about figuring out my plans because i keep reminding myself of the delicious fact that i don't have to go into work tomorrow, so i'm not bound by any bedtime constraints or chore requirements that, knowing me, i'll talk myself out of anyways.

I could go to target to see if i actually want to pick up the large version of that rug for my living room, go shopping for a nice pair of dark jeans for "what are you talking about, this are my nice pants" type outings, i could actually read the books i picked up at borders the other nice, or see a movie again - or see a movie again and drag people with me - or just bum around starbucks for a couple of hours and go home which, really, isn't a bad plan at all.

I've also been debating whether or not to put in the effort to give a potential new friend a call. Stepping back and looking at my behavior objectively, i find it hilarious that i always worry about making that first phone call to a new person. After that (as many people will attest) i really have no compunction about calling or dropping by or im'ing or communicating in general - it's just that first one-on-one interaction that i worry about. I'll sit around and debate whether the new person is worth the effort, whether i really want or need a new actual friend as opposed to an aquaintance (real or glorified), whether i'm just worried about my embarassment if it turns out they actually don't want to waste their time with me. But eventually the pride and the vanity and the fear melt away and i make the call and say 'hi'. Hopefully things will work out and i'll actually be able to say that i have friends around here that don't work with me.

...Though i have to admit, sometimes i wish life was like an Austen novel, and introductions were done for you. But then again, that's just an oversimplification that has never been anyone's reality, so who am i kidding?

Ok. Well, as much as i'd like to stay here just enjoying being on a computer without actual work involoved, i didn't bring a power cord, so i have to leave. Which is fine - it's a beautiful day, I should at least do something with it. Oh, before i forget, here are a few tidbits i'd like to remind myself of (feel free to ignore):

MUSKET's Pippin is this weekend, and my brother is going. Find out how it was, I -> Curious

Get actual numbers that work for coworkers instead of being forced to knock on their doors.

Pick up for-curly-hair shampoo, etc.

Vevet Blazer?

Check shipping from Zappos... monday or tuesday? ETA: Fedex rocks

Find a picture of Justing Bodary to see if Kathy is actually right about him looking like the new Mr. Darcy; my memory might be playing tricks on me.

Figure out what i'm doing for thanksgiving!

Continue to plan Peak District trip

If you could move for a year, where would it be to?

Expression:

Playing with my Subconscious, Subconsciously

2005-11-18T16:36:00.000-08:00

Background Noise: Trees -> God Only Knows
Last Visited:my beautiful new shoes
Random Thought: why is it that all of my california friends aren't from california?
Mood: stuffy

This is where i'm supposed to rave about how fabulous and wonderful having next week off will be; i'm not quite sure i can muster the energy for such reveling at the moment though, my head feels like it's being smothered by an invisible pillow. In theory i'm thrilled to have a week off, even if all i do that week is sleep. In reality, i'm not sure what i'm going to do for nine days; there are only so many new books out, so many movies i'll see repeatedly, so many football games, so many people around to hang out with. Not that i'm complaining, i'm just not really used to having honest to goodness free time in the bay area, i hardly know what to do with myself.

I'm sure i'll rise to the challenge, though, even if it means a teeny-tiny bit of work on my laptop in Starbucks.

The Harry Potter outting last night actually went pretty smoothly: everyone seemed to have fun hanging out and liked the movie. I need to see it again to make sure my initial impressions hold up (i spent half the movie either trying to breathe or not sneeze), but i'm fairly positive Goblet of Fire is the best harry potter movie to date (take that as you will). The theater let the 12:01am showing in ridiculously early - 10:20!! - and i'm glad we were in line then so we could get 8 pretty decent seats. I could go on, but i'm too drained to keep walking down memory lane... maybe later.

Wow i'm leaving this post early; i was going to talk about a conversation i had with Steve and another i had with Mike then yet another i had with different Steve, but... i'm not sure i can actually remember enough of their substance right now to matter. I should leave work and like sleep or something... yeah, that sounds as close to heaven as i can imagine at the moment....

Expression:

Forcasting the future to correct the present

2005-11-16T14:21:00.000-08:00

Background Noise: I speak six languages
Last Visited: something news related
Random Thought: i wonder when there will be more gg theme photos
Mood: it's nice to be useful

I think i'm having cold-weather sympathy pains.

No, seriously: it's snowing back home, and i have a sore throat.

QED.

ETA: My brother and sister are adorable... and apparently better drinkers than i am. But that's ok.

Expression:

Brainy, Passionate, Sparring Partners

2005-11-10T16:28:00.000-08:00

Background Noise: Reefer Madness
Last Visited:P&P's Metacritic Score: 83 and counting!
Random Thought: if you had to constantly look after a gaggle of pretentious flibbertigibbets you'd have a well-developed sense of the absurd too.
Mood: preparing to swoon

Wondering where i'll be tomorrow around 1:00? Let me give you a hint.

I'm having issues forming coherant sentances, so i'll go straight to the news:

- Vatican to ID Advocates: Evolution is in the Bible.
- The ID Advocates on that Penn. School Board forgot they were elected. Oops.
- Riya can tell what baby belongs to what father; day-time talk producers boycott. I'm mostly joking.
- Silicon Valley companies have figured out that errands take time away from work - so they let you do them in the parking lot. I mean, hey, it's not like software engineers work long hours already or anything.... I suppose leaving the office is just plain unreasonable.
- Google has a tough decision to make. Hey book publishers: think of google as your internet card catalogue and move on.

Now, i'm not sure how practical, rational, and sensible i have to be to balance out the flurry of squeeing and swooning that started this post, but that should do for now. Oh, you didn't hear any squeeing and swooning? Don't worry, it was there in spades, i promise.

I should note that you don't all have to see Pride and Prejudice or read it; i won't stop liking you if you aren't enamored of Auten's classic... but i do think you'll truely enjoy it if you get over the labels "period" and "romance." Just a suggestion. And with that i'm out of here: g'night!

ETA: "Seeing the splendid new version of "Pride & Prejudice" can be hazardous to your health: There's a very real danger of swooning." See, i wasn't the only one.

ETA(again): Pride and Prejudice is my grandma's favorite book, and my mother's (2nd daughter) name is Jane Elizabeth. Yeah, i just noticed too.

ETA(one more time): From Slate: "Sometimes the last movie on earth you expect to like is the one that seduces you utterly." Go. See. This. Movie. Now. I was mean, i let you wait a full 3 days before demanding your attendance, but that was my fault.

Expression:

Well, you did it, Peter. You beat the FCC.

2005-11-08T13:56:00.000-08:00

Background Noise: I speak six languages
Last Visited:Family Guy: 5x14: PTV Subtitle Script
Random Thought: You have to admit, the ping of death was pretty cool, even if it did cripple the net.
Mood: I voted... and i'm going to be switching my sticker between my shirt and my jacket all day....

Ok, just as a clarification before i jump into the Family Guy vs. the FCC smackdown that took place sunday night: i am in such a weird, hyper mood today. It could be the yoga i've done in the past few days getting rid of some toxins or stress or whatever it actually does. It could be that i've been laughing my ass off for the last 22 hours over a certain reaction to a certain song. It could be the blissfully grey weather, or that i've been eating less sugar, or that work is in a very odd state of limbo, or that i had Starbucks super strength coffee this morning instead of the normal stuff. But whatever it is, i'm giggly and super sensitive and i have this random abundance of energy. If i didn't know better i'd say i was on something. Who knows? Maybe it is possible to be high on life... and glue.

But i digress. A lot.

Sunday Fox aired Family Guy episode 5x14: PTV, wherein Fox & Co basically flipped off the FCC. According the the producer of the show David Goodman, "It'd be the greatest compliment of all if [the FCC] actually watched us and fined us. We'd know we'd gotten their attention." Bravo, gentlemen; the FCC needed a good kick in the pants.

I have to say, PTV was the funniest Family Guy i've seen in a long time - and the most on point. They pounded away for a solid 22 mins, never missing a beat, a joke, or a reference. And, as with the best episodes of Family Guy, it only gets funnier after you've gotten over the shock of their ballsy all-out assault on the FCC's blatant and repugnant censorship campaign.

ps: Hey, Europe? Did you know you have a war on your hands?

Today Anne is: "Attracted by anything new, modern, or intriguing. Liable to the bored by the humdrum, the ordinary, or the traditional...."
Click here to read the rest of the results.

Expression:

Blatant Amateurs Ancillary Contours

2005-11-08T13:13:00.000-08:00

Background Noise: I'm not that smart
Last Visited:Tracking the way we use language
Random Thought: i toss my hair a bit too much
Mood: doodle-doodle-doodle-doodle-do

Recently i wondered how unusual the word "ancillary" is. I postulated that it is fairly common, and people shouldn't be shocked to hear it in normal conversation.

Well, now thanks to the wonder of the net, i have my answer: "ancillary" is the 14,267th most commonly used word in the English language today. While it's ranked behind "blatant," and "amateur," it's used more often than "contours," "commentator," "feret," and "aroma."

Personally, i think this just indicates that a lot of people read Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - especially Chapter 13 (Mad-Eye Moody) where Professor Moody turns Draco into a feret - where every word in the previous sentance is used. But i digress.

What i really wonder is how "prosecute" is only 15,843rd, or how "persecute" is ranked 52,408th. Though i have to say, i'm thrilled "bootie" is only 79,767th.

I shouldn't be surprised that the most common words are: "the," "of," "and," "to," "a," "in," "that," "it," is," was," and "i," if not only for the reason that i'm farily positive those of the most common words on my blog.

It's also nice to notice that "school" is listed directly before "money"... at least in our language we get that order of importance right.

Anyways, enjoy wordcount; it is truely a trip into the difference(891) between what we meant(893) and what the numbers(894) claim(895).

ETA: you might have to use FireFox instead of Safari for the search function of wordcount to work.

Expression:

Propose away...

2005-11-07T11:49:00.000-08:00

Background Noise: On the phone w/ my mom
Last Visited:Porchlight SF
Random Thought: someone from Michigan is a Michigander, not a Michugana or Michiganite or Michiganian.
Mood: where's my "i voted" button?

So! Tomorrow is election day. Normally i don't broadcast how i vote, but since this special election is moderately contentious i figured i'd spread the information. Or something.

=

Number	Proposal	Vote
73	Parental Notification of Abortion	No
74	Public School Teacher Tenure: extend probation period to 5 years	Yes
75	Disallow Automatic Union Dues for Political Purposes	Yes
76	State Spending Limitations: Only spend what you have	Yes
77	Redistricting	Yes
78	Voluntary drug discounts by Pharmasutical Companies	No
79	Mandatory drug discounts by Pharmasutical Companies	Yes
80	Electric Service Providers Regulation	No

Actually, i've been plesantly surprised at the increasing level of discourse the past week about these proposals. A lot of people have been arguing that since each proposal doesn't completely fix whatever problem they address they should be denied. While there are times where that argument works, i don't think that's the case for most of these proposals. The point isn't to fix everything, just some things. Progress happens a step at a time, and sometimes you have to just move forward and figure out what happens next. As William Hazlitt said, "the more we do, the more we can do."

Expression:

Let there be bass

2005-11-04T13:58:00.000-08:00

Background Noise: Tenderly, Chet Baker
Last Visited:Apocalypse Then
Random Thought:
Mood: bass, bass, beautiful bass

I finally did it: after years and years (and years) of hemming and hawing about buying speakers, i finally laid down my $90 for this adorable set of JBL Creature Speakers.

Let me tell you, i had forgotten what i was missing where it comes to audio quality.

I had convinced myself that my laptop's speakers were just fine, thank you, that the quality was good enough for the office (where i spend most of my time), and my audio needs weren't great enough to warrent spending almost $100. I mean, there are some really cute velevet blazers you can get for $100. And shoes. Let's not forget the number of books or dvds for that same chunk of change, either.

But now that the speakers are here, and i'm hearing bass lines that i had forgotten even existed, i'm pretty happy with my purchase.

... and i'm realizing that while these speakers are just fine, there are better ones for only $100 more....

And so the madness starts.

This is why i don't buy gadgets - i get sucked into the quagmire that is "but for $50 more..." and "the new one comes out in december!" Oh well, i'm still glad to have my music back. I should really wait at least a day to start griping about my new toys.

In other news, Slate has a question for Judge Alito (Bush's nominee for Justice O'Connor's seat on the Supreme Court): Why do you think it's constitutional to treat a pregnant woman like a child?

Expression:

Wither wander you?

2005-11-03T18:18:00.000-08:00

Background Noise: Diva's Lament
Last Visited:the blogger template page
Random Thought: Percy, i'm sorry, isn't a pilliar of perfection; quite the opposite in fact
Mood: sleepy

So! It's a tweaked look. I'll comment more later cause Steve is starving, but let me know what you think!

(I'm off to get some French Onion Soup)

Edited, as promised
Background Noise: Casta Diva, Bellini
Last Visited:the blogger template page (still)
Random Thought: Why isn't the header image working on the comments page?
Mood: it's too damn hot in my office

How do you like the new look? It didn't change too drastically, this just feels cleaner, easier to read. I really adore the header image - it's based on images from the upcoming Pride and Prejudice Movie. The shot, i imagine, is of Lizzie on one of her long walks - to Netherfield? to escape the Collins'? reading Darcy's letter?. It's twilight, peaceful, and quiet, a perfect time for a walk - escapist, practical, fanciful, or otherwise.

I'm not sure how long i'll keep this header around (especially if i can't get it to work right on the comments pages), but i was getting tired of the old look.

Anyways, enjoy :)

Expression:

Many Cheerful Facts about the Square of the Hypotenuse

2005-11-02T11:39:00.000-08:00

Background Noise: Something Random
Last Visited:what does google have to say about 3-4-5 triangles?
Random Thought: so nice, so sweet, so sincere, so terribly terribly wrong.
Mood: love thine inner geek

I'm very well acquainted, too, with matters mathematical,
I understand equations, both the simple and quadratical,
About binomial theorem I'm teeming with a lot o' news,
With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse.
~ Pirates of Penzance, Guilbert and Sullivan

Take a good look at the picture below:

It's a joke :) really. Now, the first time i saw this my mouth raced my brain to say "5! 5! the answer is 5!" since i've been dutifully programmed to recognize the standardized test question about 3-4-5 triangles, but after i got over that part though i noticed the joke :) It's cute... reminded me of the Physics exam question about proving whether Hell was endothermic or exothermic. Since the place i saw this was a blog post with a link to a few comments i followed the comments link figuring that like-minded math geeks (or traumatised high school students) would have posted something cutesy and funny.

Oh boy was i wrong.

Well, not really, because the comments are fairly hilarious... fairly tragic, actually, but funny... just not in the way they were intended. I'm not going to link to this blog to protect the potentially innocent. That being said, here's the exchange:

Female, 24: "I so don't get it...I never bleech my hair again...Probably this is why I've stuck with the violin"
Author, Male, 27:"This is a mathmatical problem where you are supposed to take 3cm and times it by 4 cm and divide in half. That's what you do to find the value of X. However, the person who did this took the question literally and "found" X. =)"

Wow. Read it again, it's englishized math, so it might take a second to sink in. Yeah. X = (3 x 4) / 2, i swear that's what he said.

Now, the girl, as much as i hate to admit it is pretty much a given. She's a blonde who can't spell bleach and can't form a coherent sentence. We all know what she's trying to say, and understand how she failed. Actually, she's not that funny ...at least not to this 25 year old blonde female.

This poor guy, though, is so sincere about explaining the joke to the definition of the dumb blonde. Most people i've shown this too have tried to cut the guy some slack in some way or another. "Well, he's close to the right answer," or "maybe he's making a joke?" they say. But i'm afraid, that no, this guy really just got the answer wrong.

X = 5.
a² + b² = c².
And as much as it annoys me (because i've screwed up my share of math problems,) close only counts in horeshoes.

Expression:

The Green Goddess

2005-10-31T10:20:00.000-08:00

Background Noise: It's All Been Done
Last Visited:um...
Random Thought: sometimes Taco Bell and Jack don't mix
Mood: hack the planet!

Yesterday was Halloween; I wore this chessetastic curly blonde wig that i found on sale for $6 two nights ago at the Halloween store that popped up around the corner from my apartment. It's part Carrie Bradshaw, part Dolly Pardon, part Ogilvie home perm gone wrong, but it's fun. (It's also been identified as: Shirly Temple, Little Bo Peep, or Shirly Temple as Little Bo Peep.) It's actually the color my hair normally is (unlike it's current velvety-mocha goodness), so I jokingly said I was just being normal for Halloween, though i'm not sure anyone else is going to get the joke.

Ok, now that the obligatory stuff is over with, on to the randomness!

First up, this month's Wired Magazine. I don't often ponder what i want to happen to my body after i die, but Elizabethtown and Wired have conspired to make me think about such practicalities. You know what i've decided? At least for right now, this sliver of time until i change my mind, I want to be cremated and made into a diamond. Well, actually, several diamonds, but that's not the point. For what i'm sure isn't really a low price, LifeGem will turn a few ounces of your ashes into diamonds. Now, once you get over the grosseness of knowing someone has to actually send these guys your ashes via the mail, it's actually a nice idea. A way for the people i love to have a piece of me to remember. Something beautiful and strong that will in some way be around forever; a really pleasant thought, actually.

So, since Wired is Wired, it jumpes effortlessly from what to do with yourself after you die, to Absinthe. You know Absinthe, it creates the Green Fairy all the boys are crazy about in Moulin Rouge (it's also illegal in the US, and for the past 100 years or so has also been illegal in Europe). Well, one enterprising biochemist from New Orleans has not only proven that this 150 proof alcohol isn't deadly, he's begun distilling the green drink (and won several awards for it in the process). By using science and a bit historical sluething (i'm sure there's a Family Guy reference in here somewhere) he's actually brought this drink back to life. He's also managed to answer the most intersting question, why did all of those artists drink the stuff in the first place? Well, quite simply, while it makes you very very drunk, it doesn't cloud your mind like other alcohols do. The beauty of Absinthe is it lets you get blissfully drunk and work at the same time. Not a bad trick for an overgrown green Tickerbell wannabe.

There's a Sudoku for Dummies. The scary part? I'm actually tempted to buy it simply to have all of those different puzzles in one place. The dashboard widget i have is nice, but i like working those out on paper.

Oh, i forgot to mention Apple's contribution to Halloween: a fabulously sweet treat for the masses, Apple announced that in the 20 days since Video downloads were released through the iTunes Music Store 1 Million tv shows, shorts, and music videos have been sold. 1 Million. There are only 2,000 videos available and we sold a million of them in under a month. I know i'm not a TV Executive, but that looks like a huge demand from an eager market to me. Please let Veronica Mars and Gilmore Girls be added to the downloadable shows, please please please!

Sort of speaking of which but not really, how many fricken clips of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire are they going to release before this movie opens? The last time i checked mugglenet there were at least 15. Is this just an aggressive campaign against video pirates? I'll readily admit that i'm a spoiler whole in general, and certainly for Harry Potter. But enough is enough, already! I want to see the movie for the first time on the big screen with all of the related excitement, not dribbled out two minutes a clip over six weeks. While i'm on the subject, i'm planning on seeing the midnight showing on the 17th (duh). Just saying.

This is a curious yet very interesting idea (thanks, nytimes!) DogCatRadio.com: Internet Radio for your pets while you're not home. Hmm... maybe i should turn my net at home back on so Puff will have something to listen to all day; that or this has great podcast potential.

Switching subjects yet again, is it really that big a deal to drop works like "ancillary" in common conversation? Personally I think "ancillary" is a pretty common word and people oohing and ahhing over the fact that i can, in fact, use it in a sentance is very surprising. Maybe even scary.

Again, to be random, how funny is it that there's an "Anne with an E" group on facebook and they invited me to join? When was the last time I said "Anne with an E"? Well, probably the last time someone asked me to spell my name, but that's not entirely the point.

Ok, i should wrap the randomness up. Enjoy this guy's chalk drawings. Perspective is fun!

Expression:

An ingenious paradox

2005-10-28T11:59:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Last Visited:I think i've seen this tree before....
Random Thought: Where did Katie Macallister's website go?
Mood: neutral

"Smiling from ear to ear, Emily Gilmore will gut you from stem to sternum, and know exactly which Waterford shrimp fork to use in the process..." and that's why she's one of the Top 10 Scariest Characters on TV.

Oh, now, Emily... don't be so modest.

that's better.

Expression:

Mr. Colins was not a Sensible Man

2005-10-27T17:13:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: The Wizard and I
Last Visited:Death Eater scene from GOF
Random Thought: Work is the curse of the drinking classes. Oscar Wilde.
Mood: I remember exactly the last time i was this furious; not that i like to.

There are days where you sit back and say, Ok, only two things can fix this: chocolate or shoes. Pick one.

Today was one of the few in my life where i said "No, i need both." So here are my new shoes from Payless... the chocolate was of the croissant variety with my coffee. The shoes are cuter in person, i swear. They have these little embroidered flowers on the heels and they're surprisingly comfortable. Good job, highlights.

Seriously, I'm trying to be very zen about the whole situation. Of course i'm really not succeeding, but i'm trying. Maybe i'll go home soon.

Sorry for the dour posts since i've been home, i came back to a crazy farm. More smiles and sunshine soon, i hope!

Expression:

Nothing but good times ahead

2005-10-25T17:20:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: Hellfire / Heaven's Light
Last Visited: Fan Forum, etc, etc
Random Thought: fluffy book, chineese take out, and gilmore girls: that's my wish for tonight. Please let it come true.
Mood: Oh, yeah. Sure this is good for me. Uh-huh.

Well, i'm sure i had something to say when i brought up this page. I'm sure of it, actually... but it seems my thoughts have decided to quit working at 5:00 today. Maybe they have the right idea....

So! My shower doors still don't work. They're basically stuck in the most annoying possible location: dead center. Oh sure, i can get in the shower and take a shower, but i don't think it's possible to actually angle the showerhead so that the water doesn't spash out of the tub. It's just not possible. Now, i have to mention that the water pressure of this shower is just shy of physically painful. The water flows at some enormous rate so it bounces off just about every possible surface. My solution this morning was to only turn the shower head on when i needed to wash the shampoo out of my hair, but really, that only leaves me freezing.

Anyways.

I helped my dad set up my old tower's airport on the phone this morning. That was a trip and a half. :) But i'm glad he's finally playing in Apple land... maybe this means i'll finally be able to wean my parents off the Dell and onto a nice happy iMac. A girl can dream.

You know what? I'm done for today. I'm tired, and i'm tired of dealing with people. I'm going to head to borders, pick up some pf changs (though, yes, it's pretty wasteful), and go watch some gilmore girls.

Salute!

Expression:

So Many Rows and Columns

2005-10-24T13:48:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: It's All Been Done, BNL
Last Visited:Aperture, of course! Well, not really. But i'm pushing it anyways!
Random Thought: Capitan Jack had it right, all treasure isn't silver or gold.
Mood: General befuddlement mixed with a cultural geek's delight.

Have you ever watched a whole movie on fast forward? That's kindof how i feel right now, though it has nothing to do with the movies. I just went through an obscene amount of email from this last week that i was away... and i have to say, that is an odd trip to take. Though i suppose it fits nicely with the general disorientation i feel now that i'm back in California. Home and here are two very different, very separate worlds that aren't simple to move between, though i suppose i'm getting better at navigating the divide.

I have to wrap this up, but i'm going to finish with a few (very) random thoughts, though they all basically revolve around entertainment (books, movies, puzzles). Enjoy. Or not. Either which, really.

1) Do you recognize this diagram?

Ok, so i cheated and gave you the name of the game in the picture, that isn't the point. I have to admit that i hadn't even heard of Sudoku until last week at Barb's cottage; but i was hooked in 10 minutes. We literally spent the majority of our time figuring this delightfully wicked puzzle game. If you haven't played yet and are prone to crosswords, text twist, or other such logic games think long and hard before you dabble in this one: i pretty much promise you won't be able to stop. You've been warned.

If, on the other hand, you are hopelessly addicted, there are plenty of dealers online to feed you habit. Just ask Google, they'll point you in the right direction.

2) Solomon vs. Lord
I actually managed to pick up a fabulously entertaining book at Detroit Metro of all places - Solomon vs. Lord by Paul Levine. Funny, sexy, and smart with a kaleidoscope of colorful characters, this 500+ pager flew by... and i can't wait for the sequel The Deep Blue Alibi in January.

3) Vanity Fair's Early Pride and Prejudice review:

Austen has been done justice before on-screen, but rarely if ever has she been as moving.
Behind the scenes Video Clips featuring the production team give me even more hope of a worthy big-screen adaptation of one of my favorite books of all time.

4) Sort of speaking of which but not really, there's a deliciously detailed summary of Goblet of Fire over at Mugglenet.

5) Something to Ponder
If you had the opportunity to pay $300 for unlimited movies for a year, would you do it? It seems the Birmingham Palladium and Uptown 8 are offering residents just this chance - $100 for unlimited movies for 3 months, $200 for 6 months, and $300 for a full year. I for one would jump at the chance... can you imagine? Using birthday or christmas money and being able to walk into as many movies as you want as often as you want for the next year without having to worry if you can afford the $10/ticket? Financially this deal makes sense for any moviephile as well as the theaters... of course, if you really went whole hog with the unlimited part you'd screw over the MPAA, but hey, that's just an added bonus.

As far as i can tell the Century Theaters out here haven't realized what a fabulous deal this is - talk about a great way to lock customers into your theater with extra money for popcorn - but i'm seriously considering emailing them and suggesting a similar plan. I know i'd put up the money, and i'm pretty sure other's would too.

Ok, time for me to get back to work. Or tea... maybe i'll get some tea first. See? i'm out of it. But at least i have fabulous shoes on....

Oh, by the way, the colors in Michigan while i was home were so beyond stunning i am now a full fledged leafer. I don't have my pictures yet, but it looked a lot like this:

Expression:

Mallard for dinner?

2005-10-19T12:56:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: fridge, keyboard, dad on the phone
Last Visited:Aperture!
Random Thought: I picked the best fall weather ever
Mood: :)

Say Hi to Aperature, aka, the project i've been working on for the last 2ish months.

So i'm officially running late packing for my trip up north to barb's cottage tonight, which, for the record, neither google maps nor mapquest want to find for me... this should be a fun fun fun drive. I love having directions like:

B: "go forever until you see that, um..."
A: "that old store thingy?"
B: "yeah! that! then make a left and go for forever... and we should be the only one with lights on."

Of course, the only real challenge is the end. The majority of the drive goes like this: Take 23 North to 75 North. For about 150 miles.

See? It'll be a snap.

Ok, time to get ready for my Mom's Birthday Dinner. Happy Birthday, Mommy!

:) yeay adventure!

Expression:

Chocolate and Strawberry Short Cake

2005-10-14T19:40:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: A cable channel i don't get in California
Last Visited:Don't say "goodbye"; say "i'll see you later"
Random Thought: home may be a sight for sore eyes, but the local news is not.
Mood: exhaustion rapidly overwhelming joy

My Grandma made me chocolate cake and gave me a heart-shaped-hot-pink-velvety-Strawberry-Shortcake pillow. The cake was excellent; and the pillow, instead of being strange and more than a bit odd, is soft and wonderful.

Has Michigan always been this beautiful? I might as well be Dorothy steping out of Kansas into Munchkinland - everything is in technicolor, with pitch perfect lenses. The trees are perfect, the grass is perfect, the houses are more interesting, the new construction is worth exploring, the drivers are sane (even when they're insane), the roads beg to be driven, and I... wish i had more than a week for my vacation. I don't think i understood how much i've missed and how much at home i feel here.

I know i'm carving out a life for myself away from michigan and all it means... but, oh my, it feels so wonderful to be back.

As my plane was descending we flew over my high school and a few friend's houses. I almost cried there and then, next to the uptight business power-couple who were having fits not being able to use their cell phones. [Though, i do have to mention that i converted the Wife into a Wired reader; i can't tell you how amusing it is to watch a relatively intelligent person read that magazine for the first time. Talk about Priceless.]

Forgive me, my Vodka Tonic is running away with me again. It's really not my drink, it's my parents... but it'll do.

My Grandparents have the most amazing picture of my cousin Mike(burried at sea today) in their dining room. He's balanced against a table or desk in a series of white rooms; uneven dirty blonde hair, beard, a polo shirt and jeans, cradling a violin as if it were a child. I need a copy of that picture - it's how i'd rather remember my cousin.

Before i leave, i thought i'd mention that it appears as if i have Thanksgiving week off work. I want that to be true so badly i can taste it. Cross your fingers for me.

Oh, one more thing: I have my old bedroom back; i don't think i'll give it up again without a fight. After all, it does have a TV now ;)

Expression:

One moment in paradise

2005-10-10T18:07:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: Broadway for Small Rooms
Last Visited:Go ahead - put your money where your mouth is
Random Thought: it's not what i envisioned, but that's ok too
Mood: can you see your happy place?

Ahh, much better. Just think warm happy thoughts about spending a leisurely vacation doing nothing but reading on the beach and occasionally strolling through all the plesant little stores. If you try really hard you can even hear the crashing of the waves on the shore.... Ok, i have to admit, the jazz in the background is helping the whole calming process. Carmel is glorious, i can't wait to go back.

In other news, Karen from Will in Grace is just fabulous. She's the only woman on TV who has the balls to actually say what everyone else is just thinking. Case in point: "I've recently gotten into those Harry Potter books. I always pretend to root for Gryffindors but secretly, I love my Slytherin boys." Well done, Karen. Well done.

Expression:

Caramel in Carmel

2005-10-10T12:00:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: Eine Kleine Nachtmusik
Last Visited:Whine & Dine
Random Thought: I should have stayed in one of those little cottages on the ocean.
Mood: amazingly annoyed.

So, what i've written below is unprofessional and inappropriate. I can't go as far as saying it is uncalled for, however. I really wish i could but i can't.

As unprofessional as my little rant is, though, it would be much much worse if i had said this to the people i work with. I just have to face facts sometimes that i cannot be the diplomat i need to be when i'm this angry. Vogue must have been right about my carrying too much rage around; it's not healthy for me or the people i work with. That doesn't mean i shouldn't speak up, just that i have to remember not to be so selfish when i do.

Everyone around me is stressed out; that i understand. But their stress doesn't mitigate their horrible behavior, especially towards those who are trying to help them. And honestly, if this continues, i'm not sure i want to help them at all. Sad, but true.

The worst thing as far as i'm concerned is that i will work my ass off if i believe in something; i want to help produce the best possible end product. These people are killing my desire to help them and at that point i just don't care anymore. Then i'm not just sad, i'm dangerous; and i can't stay in a situation this stressfull if i no longer believe i can help. My time is too valuable.

That being said, here's my rant. Read it or don't; i don't think it actually matters anymore.

[Vent] The excpetion was not draconian, it was necessary. And it was never intended to be a forever thing, more of a data-collecting and awareness-spreading thing. And for the record, i most certainly did know what i was doing when i put it in - and for the record, i was the one who found the problem in the first place. Not only did i find the problem, i fixed 99% of it. The exceptions were put in in case there was an additional 1% out there we couldn't find. Guess what. You found it. Congrats. But instead of saying "oh my gosh, this is a major problem with an assumption i made" you go behind my back to the people who reviewed my check in and say what i did was idiotic, draconian, and i really didn't know what i was talking about. Riiiiight. 'Cause i was the one who fucked up your work (excuse my language). Lady, this was and is a design flaw - one that you and several others have been trying to cover up or ignore i can't tell which. So don't you dare go behind my back and try to make it sound like this little girl shouldn't be poking her nose in other people's business - i'm saving your ass right now, please at least try to be grateful. Or at least appreciative. And to the idiots who reviewed the bugs saying the problem was the exception and not the fact that we were failing in a place we should never ever ever ever ever fail in, i suggest you read that bug again. go on, i'm more than happy to wait. Actually, i'm more than happy to have you send that bug to the person who should actually fix it - i agree, that beyond what i already did, that person isn't me. I did my part - the exception is now an assert. I'm ok with that, we weren't getting anything useful out of the stack traces anyways. But please, i'm helping you here - at least say thank you. Hell, i'll settle for a little credit. I haven't asked for much, please... at least give me credit and stop abusing my reputation because i found a problem with your work. [/Vent]

ETA: My IRL-Boss is awesome; he agreed that what happened was crap and regardless of stress levels shouldn't happen again - that i'm not out of line being annoyed. And really? That's all i needed to hear. Thanks :)

Expression:

Please tell me you just made that up

2005-10-08T14:34:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: Always a Godmother, Never a God
Last Visited:
Random Thought:
Mood: stunned. i need to buy shoes now.

Ok, i'm going to ignore the pink elephant standing over my shoulder; sorry, i refuse to address what happened at a certain homecoming game today. Let's just say that for the first time i'm glad i wasn't home this weekend - i'm not sure i could have taken it.

So! my birthday was yesterday - yeay. All in all it was a good day: beautiful weater, i slept in a bit, only worked for 6 hours, had good lunch and good dinner with friends, and saw In Her Shoes and The Wallace and Gromit Movie - i recommend both. But hey, don't listen to me, listen to Barb.

... and speaking of Barb, i'm so beyond thrilled that we will both be in Michigan at the same time, and that she has given me the excuse i needed to go up north while i'm home. Upper Michigan is so beautiful in october, and i always feel more... relaxed there. Almost like a real person... and after all, isn't that why i'm going home? To rest and recuperate? (Please ignore the fact that i am at the office right now - it's not for long, i swear).

I'm whiped out. I'm planning on a quick shopping outting, then many hours curled up with a book in bed semi-napping on and off. Yeah, that sounds good.

Expression:

Making Ice Cream with Big Wheels

2005-10-06T09:59:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: Prologue
Last Visited:Jessamy's ecard
Random Thought: i could feel a cold coming on... it might strike right around showtime... darn.
Mood: it's danish day, the best of all possible days

6 was such an awesome year; 7, not so much, but 6 was fabulous.

ETA: Elle's ecard :)

24? Better than 23, much better than 22, but still not quite where i wanted it to be. 24 was... a year spent coming out of bad situations while occasionally being sucked back in (excuse the imagery).

25 is going to be great, though, i can feel it. Hell, just the fact that i'm actually optomistic about the next year is a sign that it will be better then the past few, and i can't wait.

Predictions aren't really my bag so i'm not going to go all the way and say that 25 will beat the summer of the best friends making ice cream with our big wheels in the island wonderland of Windmill Lane... but it could.

Now that is saying something.

On a completely different note, i fell in the shower this morning. It's a sad, freaky, little story that i don't really feel like retelling, but there you have it. Away message explained.

ETA: the Detroit Free Press had the good taste to write an article about Al being in Woman in White. Check it out!

Expression:

Just within reason

2005-10-05T16:18:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: Into the Woods
Last Visited:
Random Thought: ... and out of the woods, and home before dark
Mood: i wish a lot of things

Have you ever wanted something for so long - wanted it so badly - that you never thought you'd get it? Then, when finally it's there, staring you in the face, you don't actually want it? Whatever the reason, how do you go about expressing that you're not happy? Especially when you're so used to making other people happy, and they are happy thinking they've finally done what you wanted only... this time... the only time they did what you asked so many times before... it just, isn't right?

Please excuse the whining.

I just keep hearing A Very Nice Prince from Into the Woods running in my head. "But how do you know what you want till you get what you want and you see if you like it?"

Sondheim had it right. What i want most of all, is to know what i want.

Expression:

Before you go...

2005-10-04T16:41:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: The land of might have been
Last Visited:Macrumors
Random Thought: aww, now i want to move to chicago!
Mood: sleepy

Here we go again! Let the rumor-mongering begin!

In other news, i bit the side of my tongue last night at dinner, so i've been talking funny all day. Seriously, it's getting annoying. Oh, and i have a stuffy nose, so not only does it sound like i have a speech impediment, i sound like a challenged person with a speech impediment. And i possibly have the biggest zit ever growing on my chin; hopefully it will decide not to surface and just go away.

Topher im'ed me today and asked if i was excited about friday. I asked: what's friday? [insert laughter here] Apparently i need more sleep.

Heather-of-the-skating-rink told me there were still 3 spots to be filled for that event she's staffing... but i don't think i want to go anymore. The idea of spending hours and hours on my feet talking to rabid potential customers just isn't filling me with delight as it normally does.

I also randomly realized today how affordable Chicago seems to me right now - especially housing. I was browsing the apartments i could get there for the same as i pay here and i wanted to cry.

Sorry, in addition to just being tired in general i'm in a bit of a sugar coma from the ice cream meeting a little while ago. I should have picked the lemonade bar, but no, I had to have the cookies and cream drumstick. Mmm, drumstick. Haha, no wonder i have an innertube around my waistline.

Enjoy Gilmore Girls tonight, everybody!

ETA: Lose CTRL. Gain Command.

Expression:

Two Scoops? I Doubt it

2005-10-03T17:18:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: Tenderly, Chet Baker
Last Visited:World Perks, Baby
Random Thought: this promise of paradise, this nearly is mine
Mood: deep fried golden brown... on the inside

Look out, Michigan: here I come!

Well, not immediately, but i did get my tickets home! I'll be in Michigan from Friday the 14th (late afternoon) to Saturday the 22nd (evening)!

I'm relieved to know that i'm going; but there's a lot of ground i have to cover here in Cali before i can go frolic in the foliage. But i have to say, i won't mind the hours if it means that i can have a clear conscience when i step on that plane.

Now all i have to do is find someone to take care of Sir Puffs-a-Lot.

Oh, and Heather? I think you should wear this dress to the ball (hurry, it's on sale!):

In other news, i hope the rumor that i might be on the project i'm currently working on much longer than i expecteed is wrong; really wrong. Other than that, there is little news to report. Well, besides the fact that we celebrated someone's *shhh* birthday yesterday. Oh, and iChat decided when it crashed today to reset my settings. Remind me never to do that to a user in any of the software i work on. Like ever.

Oh :) one more in other news: barb had a very interesting interview in Chicago and she should blog about it. So there.

I'm so ready for cider.

Expression:

The existing situation is disagreeable.

2005-10-01T12:17:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: This Nearly Was Mine
Last Visited:Color Quiz?
Random Thought: the "it's west virginia" defense doesn't actually fly, does it?
Mood: Grr.

Why do i feel like i've stumbled into one of those terribly-cliche chicklit mysteries? I hate being on the periphery of a situation that should exist and not knowing the details of what has happened. Nothing i've heard makes sense; and what's worse, everything i've heard is upsetting. Or upsetting because i'm not as upset as i should be. Or something like that.

I'll tell you what i know, but you won't believe me - and i hope that i'm wrong.

a) My cousin Mike is currently in a coma - with no brain function - in West Virginia
b) there are police stationed in his room
c) Apparently after being served breakfast in jail, he was discovered on the floor of his cell, collapsed
d) he was not breathing
e) it took from 40mins -> an hour and 40 mins (depending on who's telling the story) for an ambulance to show up
f) he flatlined in the ambulance and was recessutated
g) he was in jail after apparently being arrested for tresspassing
h) and for resisting arrest
i) he had been beaten by the cops
j) his friends had apparently called the cops as a joke - knowing he would probably fight them
k) my aunt is going to sue the jail
l) there is apparently no investigation into criminal charges against anyone
m) most likely i will get a call this afternoon letting me know he's been pulled off life support.

All i keep hearing are stupid platitudes like "well, it's west virginia," and "you know he's been living with that religious group," and "you know he has a problem with authority," and i sit back and realize that no one is surprised - i'm not surprised that he will have died in jail for a stupid problem that escalated seemingly without cause. This kid - a man i call a kid even though he was older than me, bigger than me, stronger than me, tougher than me, neglected, scared, and confused - had been doomed from the day he was born.

My mother once told me how guilty my dad felt not taking Mike and his brother Steve away from my aunt Katy when they were two and were found crying in soiled diapers playing with god knows what in the house by themselves. The few times i actually remember seeing my cousins they adored my father... but by the time they were teenagers it was too late to save them; i know he tried.

This whole situation is just too surreal. And where am i? At work - attempting to watch the Michigan v. Michigan State game on espn's gameday feed - just waiting to hear... anything that makes sense.

Let's just say, today, at this moment, the Color Quiz is spot on.

Anne took the free ColorQuiz.com personality test!

"Needs a change in her circumstances or in her relationships which will permit relief from stress. Seeking a solution which will open up new and better possibilities and allow hopes to be fulfilled...."

Click here to read the rest of the results.

Expression:

Red. Crock. Pointy. Italian. Boots.

2005-09-29T16:24:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: Just for this moment
Last Visited:Zappos!
Random Thought: I am now one of those women who is addicted to shoes. Hopefully i'll soon have the funds to support my habit.
Mood: *drool*

I'm in heaven. The real question is, which color? I really want the suede ones too... hmm.... Help!

In other news... how did it get to be thursday? I'm confused.

My first birthday card of the season arrived yesterday from my Grandma. She sent me a lovely card with a note in that perfect handwriting of hers... and i miss her. I miss home. I'm not sad about being so far away, but i am excited to be back. In her note my Grandma mentioned she had seen a kitten on her windowsill and i realized that i don't actually know if she has ever had any pets. I know my mom's family had a dog or two then several cats, but i don't remember anything about my dad's side of the family. I want to suggest that she get a kitten, since Puff has been such a good friend to me, but i'm not sure if that would be out of line. My siblings and i were always told to hold our tongues around that side of the family for so long i find that i stop myself from saying anything beyond "how's the weather" and "what have you read lately?"

Maybe it's time i said something. At the very least, i should take some pictures of work and my apartment and send them back to my Grandma so she isn't so worried about me.

I've been very out of it this afternoon. I was fine for the most part this morning after recovering from my record out-of-it-ness last night (ask Barb), but once i sat down after lunch my mind just went... blank. I could be burnt out, or rapidly approaching it. Who knows, if i don't.

Totally off topic, I hate the UPS website.

ETA: My boss-of-the-week votes for the Violet boots. He has good taste; i agree: the violet it is. ~~Tomorrow~~ Tonight. Now. They'll be here in 4ish days!

ETA...Again: I really have to stop looking at Zappos; it's going to destroy my bank balance. Just look at these gorgeous babies! Ok, i'm done... i've had my fix for the day... i can stop looking at the shoes, i swear.

Expression:

We move slow around here

2005-09-28T16:46:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: Too bad you...
Last Visited:developer stuff; not at all interesting, i promise
Random Thought: what's the score and who wins?
Mood: middle of the road

I should really check my mail more than twice a year. I checked it this morning on orders from my mother because my grandma sent my birthday card to my apartment instead of to the office and i don't want to miss it - i love the cards my grandma's send me.

I didn't realize, though, that i hadn't checked my mail since the end of July. Seriously, it can't have been that long. Well, it has been, but that's not the point, i feels like i checked it a couple of weeks ago - a month tops. Anyways.

So what did i find? A letter the IRS mailed me in July. Don't freak out - i already did that and found out i don't have to worry - so don't worry on my behalf. As long as eFile has existed i've done it... or, more correctly my mom has eFiled on my behalf. Last year i did my own taxes, however, so i was very very worried that i had screwed something up.

The letter from the Fresno IRS said that they didn't actually have my 2003 (phew!) 1040, which was odd because i remember writing them a terrifyingly large check for the time i had worked in the state. I also remember the lecture my mother gave me for doing my taxes so close to the deadline, so i was especially confused that those were the taxes they were missing.

So after tons of stressing and searching for a phone number to call to actually speak to a person, and after holding for the better part of 40 mins, i finally got a very nice lady on the line who explained that i wasn't in trouble.

Apparently that office of the IRS had issues with the eFiles from that year, and simply didn't get the file that was sent. But they did get my money - and - plesantly surprising - actually owe me money, so they know i paid. Since they owed me and not the other way around they took their fair time (a year and a half) to actually inform me of the paperwork issue. So my mom is sending me a printed copy of my taxes which i have to sign and send on to Fresno, then they will mail me (at work) a check.

How cool. How odd. How telling. The operator told me in her gently lilting southern tones that they worked slow at the IRS, at that's why it took them so long to notify me. That's not entirely true, though: they are amazingly speedy when you owe them money. It's just when they owe you that they choose to take the slow boat to China.

Though i have to admit, some extra cash right now would be nice - so i'm not really complaining. Well, that's if you don't count my 1) heart-attack over the letter, 2) the lack of information in the letter, 3) the lack of useful contact information on the IRS website, 4) the amount of time i had to spend on hold before i found the right number to actually call, 5) the amount of time holding in general, and finally 6) having to tell my mother i got a letter from the IRS and giving her a heart attack before i could explain.

Other than that, no complaints at all ;)

Expression:

Styles change; Style doesn't

2005-09-28T14:22:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: Trees
Last Visited:i don't like them, i won't link to them.
Random Thought: Sorry guys, there will be no partial credit on this exam
Mood: stuffy

This is the TV i own: it's a 27'' Philips Stereo TV with Component Video Inputs and Side A/V Jacks. You can buy it where i did, Best Buy, for much less than i did; congratulations. I bought it the afternoon of September 11, 2001. Yes, that September 11th. I made my new yorker boyfriend drive me all over town and beyond to find one in stock - we finally found it in Novi of all places.

I had seen it at best buy a few weeks before, needed a larger tv that actually had input jacks for my dvd player. Everything was done except actually spending the $250. I was loathe to spend that much on a tv, but again: my dvds. I bought it that afternoon because i needed (and needed to create) a distraction. My boyfriend was thrilled at my response to a national crisis - how insightful of me, he claimed, understanding that the what our country needed right now was a sustained economy.

But really, i didn't choose this televsion because of any economic need - i chose it to fulfill a practical one: i needed input jacks, a larger screen, good color contrast, high clarity, a decent remote, and i didn't want to spend an ungodly amount of money. I also wanted it to look nice.

That's right boys and girls: i played the style card. My tv had to be decent to look at since i was going to be spending my time... you know... looking at it.

There have been several studies comparing the shopping habits of men and women, especially when it comes to electronics. Generally these studies have found that men will save their money to buy large ticket items with a high coolness factor (ie, 42'' Flat Panel HDTVs for $3500), while women prefer to spend only what is necessary when necessary and spend the rest of the money on other things (entertainment, social events, shoes). As generalities go, this isn't a bad one: i would certainly rather spend my money on something that is practical, cheap, with a decent aestetic than on the biggest badest toy out there.

Now, i'll admit, i'd love a widescreen flat panel TV. I want one i can mount on a wall or put on a track and move around my apartment. But at the moment there's no way in hell i can or will justify spending that much money on just a tv. If i had an extra $4k lying around i'd go on vacation... and shopping. I might pick up a new tv for my bedroom, but it wouldn't be anything more than $500. i just can't justify the expense.

Why am i rambling about TVs? Because Sony recently launched a new brand of flat panel HDTVs that they are going to actively market to women. They've discovered (shock) that they mainly market to men and have been "ignoring" women. Woe is us. They're pitching their new gizmoes with a full on advertising assault on Style.com, Vogue, and W.

Here's my problem with Sony's newly discovered market: while they've accurately identified that women are responsible for the majority of household spending and accurately determined that women enjoy a stylish piece of electronics instead of an ugly one, they haven't actually produced a product that women would want to buy.

That's right: the new BRAVIA line fails to fulfill (at least my) needs for a television: it's too expensive, impractical, and let's face it, pretty ugly.

So i'm sorry, Sony: again you just don't get it.

Saying you have style is the fastest way to prove you don't. Properly identifying a problem with your marketing schemes isn't enough to actually fix that problem. There is no partial credit on this particular exam: you just come across as a pandering father-knows-best type who wants the little girls in the room to fall at your feet for admitting they exist.

As a market, we're just not that easy.

Expression:

Fun, Laughs, Good Time

2005-09-24T14:45:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: Hey Big Spender
Last Visited:many and varied
Random Thought: crap i'm late for the game....
Mood: i'm at the office, but i'm leaving

I covet this sweater. When i get my birthday money, it is so mine.

ETA: while i'm at it, i also want these shoes:

Also, i would like to state for the record that in the later half of our twenties Barb and i must find a way to travel to the following places:

a resort in burbon country Kentucky - horses and lush rolling fields required. Lakes a bonus. Close country bars close by appreciated.

honkey-tonk Texas.

Charelston South Carolina. Enough said.

Upstate Conneticut... i'm seeing a (surprise) B&B.

Yes, the list is short for the moment, but i think we're just being realistic. I know this isn't our standard fare, but it's time that these city girls took some time to explore and appreciate the majesty of the country. Jeans, tank tops, boots and all. I'm also seeing turquoise jewlery for some odd reason.

Ok, there was going to be more, but i have to get to the bar... go blue! Also, Congrats to Elle for rejoining the connected world. Good to have you back, babe.

Expression:

Resolve to be Radiant

2005-09-21T16:43:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: Summer Nights
Last Visited:whatever it was crashed my browser; i won't subject you to that.
Random Thought: dark colors are the hardest to cover; use a good primer first.
Mood: Determined to be dynamic

Ok, seriously, this is the 4th time i've started this post; buggy-builds-causing-crashes are seriously souring my resolve to be radiant. Geez.

:) i guess that's what the Vogue astrologer meant when they said i needed to learn to balance my joy for life with the rage that's been building since who knows when.

Anyhoo.

Tomorrow is the last day of summer; how we got this far into September is beyond me - i still think it's february. I can't be sad that it seems i've missed yet another season; i'm sure i stopped to enjoy the weather once or twice. Instead i'm going to say that the past few night have witness some of the most luminous harvest moons i've seen - and it even rained yesterday! I was thrilled.

Bring on the cute boots, cider, and pseudo-variant weather. And, of course, best of all: birthday season!

Oh, one last note about summer: short run, kitchy, cloying summer programming shouldn't ever be allowed to continue beyond it's initial run. Example: last night ABC ran Dancing With the Stars: the rematch. No, i'm not going to link to it, please don't give them the traffic - they might do it again. I have to admit that i actually watched DWTS a few times this summer - and i'll go one step farther and say that at the time i found it almost refreshing. Yeah. Last night proved that we all have lapses in taste - and they shouldn't be shoved back in our faces, it's just cruel. ABC Execs, please, gouge my eyes out with a spoon instead: it would be more entertaining.

In work related news I've (finally) fixed and checked in! the solution to the Russian Doll bug that's been driving me up the wall for the last week. Happy, happy, etc. I should just start in on the next lucky bug in my bag... but... i'm not going to.

Nope. Instead i'm going to act like a normal human being and leave work... pretty much as soon as i manage to submit this post. I'm thinking i'm going to pick up a vitamin water, swing by my apartment, and hit the gym. After that? If good social stimulation doesn't show up i'm going to see how Martha handles the Apprentice. That's supposedly normal, right?

Oh, and please remind me to go out and buy a nerf gun to get back at Joe; first he threw nerf balls at me down the hall, then he made faces against my window, then he pushed me through a door. Well no more Ms. Nice Girl, it's time to kick his ass - elementary school style.

;) i love being productive - allows me wiggle room to goof off without guilt.

Expression:

Dirty Ethel Flint

2005-09-19T13:03:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: The Black Pearl, Pirate Programming
Last Visited:arr!
Random Thought: You're despicable.
Mood: Sticks and stones, love.

Happy Pirates Day!

Er, i mean, Avast! *sigh* i suck at pirate speak. but it's the spirit (Captain Jack, of course) that counts. i'm going to have to remember to watch Pirates of the Caribbean later.... or... bring in the dvd or something.

wow i'm a pathetic pirate today. oh well :)

on a completely different note, i have something for all of you who took EECS 100. Remember how we all pondered if we ever really needed to know the difference between signed and unsigned numbers? Well, guess who ran into a practical application today? yep! :) that's right, little old me. So here's the cute question for all y'all:

unsigned long long availableSpace = some number
unsigned long long cushionofSpace = some bigger number

now, what is the result of availableSpace - cushionofSpace?

that's right: a really fricken huge number that doesn't come close to approaching 0. Oh, wait, you mean we were checking for availableSpace to approach 0?....

:)

ETA: According to Esquire, Gilmore Girls is the best show for Men on tv. Seriously. No, i'm not kidding, that's that is says. See, i wasn't totally out in left field :)

in other news, please stop shooting holes in my ship. thank you.

Expression:

Your mileage may vary

2005-09-15T17:57:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: It's Too Bad You
Last Visited:The New and Improved Lorelai TWOP discussion
Random Thought: it's a freaky little story, but i might as well tell her what she wants to know
Mood: i feel like a schmuck letting everyone else work their asses off without helping. Which isn't true. But i still feel guilty, so of course i'll stay late. *sigh*

Dear Anne's conscience:

Anne has not been slacking off. I gave her permission to leave work early yesterday because she was not feeling well. I apologize for not sharing this information with you earlier, but I assure you her absence was excused.

Yours Truely,
SCott.

:) my friends rock. My conscience is also wrong, but i'd rather not beat myself up all night for not trying to get this done. I can't believe tomorrow is friday... i must be loosing time again.

But! since it will be friday, and there are a host of potentially interesting movies coming out, which will you be seeing?

Hmm... which will i play hookey to go see? I really can't sit through Anna Karenina at the Stanford, but... hopefully i'll make it to at least one of the above.

:) Nothing but good times ahead.

Expression:

"This is going to change everything, isn't it."

2005-09-15T11:18:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: God Only Knows
Last Visited:GOF Trailer 2 Screen Caps
Random Thought: i much prefer a Penny University to a run of the mill sludge house
Mood: new trailers make me happy; even after all morning at the DMV

Yeay for the killer new trailer! Finally, it looks like Warner Brother actually got a movie version right; not a bad book to start with.

So, yes, i went to the DMV this morning to (again, finally) get a California drivers license. *sigh*. I am going to miss my Michigan one (though they actually let me keep it)... a much better picture.

I actually got a bit misty when i realized i wasn't going to vote at my old Middle School anymore; silly, maybe, but it's true. I basically had every electoral experience of my life at West Maple, and damnit, i don't really relish changing horses now. The ladies who worked the elections even knew me by name, and would always tell me if my parents or brother or sister had been there already to vote. Ok, i have to stop this before i get sentimental again... there is work to do after all.

Oh, and let me know what you think, i'm debating when to go home for my birthday. Now hear me out. If i go home for my birthday itself it will be a rushed weekend (i know i won't be able to take much more than my actual birthday itself off.) But if i wait to go home for my mom's birthday, i'll probably be able to take as much as a week off, and i might have a prayer of actually being relaxed while i'm there. Also, i've been thinking about it, and it's really only possible for me to go home for my birthday and christmas and not thanksgiving, so if i wait longer to go home for my birthday it will split the difference for thanksgiving.

does that make any sense? I'm officially open for suggestions now.

:) watch that trailer!

Expression:

Just Lettuce.

2005-09-13T11:09:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: If i were a bell
Last Visited:ok, i admit it: i'm a Spoiler Whore.
Random Thought: Do something to make me hate you!
Mood: Um, go Hitler?

So TalentScout and I were ichatting about the Senate confirmation hearings for Judge Roberts and how crazy silly they've been. We were snippy; then ironic, then satirical... anyways, as occasionally happens, the chitchat developed into something actually worth sharing. Our version of Anthropomorphised Brushed Metal, if you will. Enjoy.

Senator Schubin: Judge Roberts, do you like tomatoes on your cheeseburger?
Judge Roberts: No, Senator, I prefer just lettuce and onions.

Senator Schubin: How can we expect you to be an impartial chief justice if you're not willing to consider tomatoes on your cheeseburger?
Judge Roberts: I don't know how tomatoes on my cheeseburger affects my impartiality as a judge.

Senator Schubin: But you wrote once about why tomatoes are horrible! You're obviously biased against tomatoes!
Judge Roberts: Senator, that was when i was representing people who didn't like tomatoes!

Senator Schubin: So you hate tomatoes! You will never approve of them, will you?
Judge Roberts: That's not what i said, sir, i was representing my client. As a matter of fact, I rather like tomatoes in many other dishes. My wife has a terrific recipe for lasagna.

Senator Schubin: Aha! You want women to be tied to the stove by their apron strings!
Judge Roberts: Actually, senator, my wife is a lawyer.

Senator Schubin: I think we've clearly demonstrated not only a bias against my tomato-growing constituents, but against women doing anything other than having babies and making your dinner!
Let's move on to some of my other questions. I understand you like Kaiser rolls for your cheeseburgers. Now, Kaiser is, of course, the German for Emperor - so are you saying in your hamburger bun preference that you are a Nazi sympathizer who believes in an imperial presidency?
Judge Roberts: What Kaiser rolls have to do with my fitness for the Supreme Court bench?

Senator Schubin: Judge Roberts, I also understand that you like to top off your hamburger with a peach cobbler dessert. As everyone knows, Peach cobbler is a popular dessert among southerners, and is often served with vanilla ice cream ala mode - are you saying your dessert choice reflects a bias toward the south, and an affinity for things that are white?
Judge Roberts: What?!

Senator Schubin: You refuse to answer? Your hamburger preferences are clearly of grave importance to this hearing.
Judge Roberts: I don't see what my hamburger preferences have to do with my judicial fitness, senator.

Senator Schubin: You don't want to talk about hamburgers? Apparently the judge who writes about a "so-called right to privacy" wants to have that right for himself so he doesn't have to talk about hamburgers!
Judge Roberts: Um...

Expression:

Do I feel smarter today?

2005-09-13T10:13:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: Concerto in A minor, RV 419
Last Visited:NPR rocks
Random Thought: i love my shuffle, but that's because i don't have a nano
Mood: i'm so into coffee my hair has turned the color of espresso.

Thank goodness we have a Senate, then, to speak clearly, think lucidly, and act with selfless devotion to sort out the real-world issues that matter most to you and to me. But really, folks, is this mic on? Check out the live streams of Judge Robert's confirmation hearing, and witness for yourself true brilliance.

Honestly, i thought everyone was just throwing the term "brilliant" around about the Chief Justice nominee because the Chief is supposed to be brilliant. I was wrong: not only does he have a sharp and keene mind, his clear tone, patient manner, and utter candor serve as a stunning reminder that there are people in this world who truely deserve to have the authority to decide the rule of law.

Let me put it this way: if in my future i do decide to pursue a law degree, i would fight tooth and nail to clerk for this man, regardless of what court he ends up on. And, you know, with my new stunning brunette hair, maybe i do feel smart enough today to do just that.

oh, but i can't leave you on such a somber note! So, here is your tech-geek moment of zen:

... gee, brushed metal and aqua sure are in these days. Well, at least at other companies....

ETA: i want to press the button again!

Expression:

Snuggle up My Buttercup, 'cause you've been had

2005-09-09T16:54:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: Loved by Mary Lane
Last Visited:Make your own awesome shirts!
Random Thought: you melt resistance down like hot velveta
Mood: apparently i look like murder; and here i thought i had calmed down....

And now, another What's-Anne-thinking-double-meaning-musical-theater-moment:

Little more speed, little more rope,
Little more wind, little more hope,
Gotta get this stupid kite to fly.
Gotta make sure it doesn't snag
Doesn't droop, doesn't drag
Gotta watch out for ev'ry little- whoops!

Little less speed, little more tack,
Little less rise, little more slack,
Gotta keep my wits about me now.
Gotta make sure it doesn't get the nest of me
Till I get it in the air somehow.

Millions of little kids do it ev'ry day
They make a kite and-"poof"- it's in the sky.
Leave it to me to have the one fool kite
Who likes to see a little kid cry.

Little less talk, little more skill,
Little less luck, little more will,
Gotta face this fella eye to eye.
Now that I've seen you chasing moles,
Climbing trees, digging holes,
Catching your string on everything passing by
Why not fly?

Wait a minute,
What's it doing?
It isn't on the ground.
It isn't in a tree.
It's in the air!
Looat at that.
It's caught the breeze now,
It's past the trees now
With room to spare...

Oh-
What a beautiful sight.
And I'm not such a clumsy guy.
If I really try
I can really
Fly a ki- [aww, crap.]

- Charlie Brown.

Expression:

Looks like a setup to me...

2005-09-05T13:25:00.001-07:00

Background Noise: Finding Neverland
Last Visited:Mugglenet
Random Thought: "... we can hide you more completely than you can possibly imagine." [6, 592]
Mood: time mitigates shock

For Kathy, who just found out Dumbledore bites it at the end of book 6, i offer some suggestions. Reread:

1) Chapter 2: Spinner's End. Pay very close attention to what Snape says, doesn't say, and especially how he paints Harry.
2) Chapter 27: The Lightning-Struck Tower. Pay attention to what Dumbledore says to Draco and to Snape. Also to the action of the Avada Kadavra curse - especially in comparison to it's effects historically.
3) Chapter 28: Flight of the Prince.
4) Now, read the book again knowing how it ends.

Time for some commentary. It's not all perfect, and the list certainly isn't complete, but here's a good start at Book 6 analysis.

Dumbledore is Not Dead
Entertainment Weekly's Summary of the Issue

Editorial Part 1: After the Storm
Editorial Part 2: New Light on the Phrophecy
Editorial: Message from Beyond the Grave

Regulus Black: RAB

Enjoy! Don't worry, amazingly enough once the shock passes you start to understand why it had to happen.

ETA: i'm leaving work now. at the very least i need lunch.

Expression:

It's very Dali-esque and confusing

2005-09-05T12:24:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: random movie background music. amazingly enough, it's not bad background music... in general.
Last Visited:uh, um... this one? no, no, this one.
Random Thought: would it matter if you were told the truth or not if the truth was something you didn't want to believe?
Mood: stuffy.

I got coffee and a lemon scone at Starbucks this morning on my way in to work. Fifteen minutes later the security guard in the lobby asked what the hell i was doing there (didn't i know it was a holiday? - i love that btw, didn't i know? that's hilarious; but i digress.) Five minutes later my coffee cup exploded all over my desk (the scone too). So much for a good way to start yet another holiday at the office.

So my desk is going to smell faintly of coffee with cream for the better part of forever.

Let's see... Sabrina is playing at the Stanford today. i'm really going to try to make it - i don't think i've ever seen it on the big screen.

And, i'm sorry, but i don't think that the Dallas season finale in 1980 was the top Moment in Entertainment of the last 25 years. Now my perspective might be a bit off considering i've never seen it and i'm pretty sure i hadn't been... you know... born at the time, but i don't think that was the first time a show ended it's season with a cliffhanger. Was it?

Then we get to the article the New Orleans Levees were not built to withstand big storms. Of course they weren't: they were built to withstand a Category 3 hurricane which is the most common hurricane to hit the gulf coast. Category 4 hurricanes - especially 30 years ago when the levees were built - were thought to be 200-300 a year occurances. Who would want to build for the rare case that you don't expect to see in your lifetime? especially when it means spending too much money and being - yes, i have to say it - ugly. Let's face it folks, no one wants the skyline of N.O. to be a giant, ugly levee.

It was political suicide to suggest such a thing - then and now - especially when all the world would be yelling that the storm they'd be protecting against would never happen. Then of course it did. And everyone was "shocked" - even though it was the most commonly predicted natural disaster for the United States.

That's the thing about this hurricane coverage that pisses me off: everyone knew one day it would happen. No one wanted to believe it would happen in thier lifetime, but everyone knew it would happen. And no amount of money diverted to Iraq was going to change that. Even if the money had been spent to repair the levee that existed, the flooding and damage still would have happened. People still would have died.

There are risks when you build a city, and you have to understand the natural climate you're building in. You have to be prepared, but there's only so much you can do before you strangle the ability to live in an area. Take San Francisco, for example: there will always be the threat of earthquakes, yet we still build bridges and skyscrapers - even subdivisions right over the fault lines.

The thing about levees is they will never protect against the worst; their job is to mitigate damage. There are potential natural disasters we know could happen that we don't plan for because the plan is too extreame.

Want an example? A Category 2 hurrican directly hitting New York City would completely destroy Manhattan. It could happen; even might. But you don't see everyone racing to build levees around that great island. Why? because it wouldn't do any good.

The thing with the hurricane at the end of the day, as horrible as it was and is, it wasn't God destroying a wicked city (omg this site makes me sick) or Politicians diverting money for a war, it just is the cost of living on Earth: Mother Nature always wins.

Expression:

The Sweetest Sounds...

2005-09-02T16:32:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: The Sweetest Sounds
Last Visited:Go Blue!
Random Thought: The most entrancing sight of all, is yet for me to see
Mood: make the pain stop, please.

Say what you want about humidity, you can't have skies like this without it.

(and yes, this is a roundabout Go Blue!)

My head is killing me. I'm going to go home and nap - this needs to stop now.

oh, if you can, check out American Masters: Richard Rogers, the Sweetest Sounds on PBS. it is mesmerizing. And i have to find the sheet music to "the Sweetest Sounds" because i adore it - and i haven't said this before, but i think it is a crime that they shoe-horned it into the Whitney / Brandy version of Cinderella. It's scary and wrong. And absolutely not what Mr. Rogers wrote.

The sweetest sounds I'll ever hear
Are still inside my head
The kindest words I'll ever know, are waiting to be said
The most entrancing sight of all, is yet for me to see
And the dearest love in all the world
Is waiting somewhere for me
Is waiting somewhere, somewhere for me

The sweetest sounds I'll ever hear
Are still inside my head
The kindest words I'll ever know, are waiting to be said
The most entrancing sight of all, is yet for me to see
And the dearest love in all the world
Is waiting somewhere for me (waiting somewhere)
Is waiting somewhere, somewhere for me

The most entrancing sight of all, is yet for me to see
And the dearest love in all the world
Is waiting somewhere for me
Is waiting somewhere, somewhere for me
- Richard Rogers.

Expression:

Pretty slick, indeed

2005-09-02T11:35:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: chewing gum
Last Visited:um, something
Random Thought: why are demos always at 2?
Mood: headache....

The Reluctant Debutante is playing at the Stanford tonight and i hope to make it to one of the showings. I first saw this fun little piece of fluff last year after discovering it was the (sortof) basis for What a Girl Wants which i have to admit i really liked. It's fun and worth my $6 if i have time.

Elsewhere in movie news, Salon.com says "that [Transporter 2] can run on empty and still be so obscenely enjoyable is a pretty slick stunt in itself." That sounds good enough for me! i was looking for some blow-em-up escapist fun.

Now to completely change the subject...

To address the horrific incidince of rape in South Africa Sonette Ehlers developed a "rape trap" for women to wear internally for protection. From the article, "the device, concealed inside a woman's body, hooks onto a rapist during penetration and must be surgically removed." See the article for a picture of what this... means.

There are those who call this device barbaric. I would counter that rape by definition is barbaric; and if a man is trying to rip a woman to shreds she has every right to rip him right back. There are those who claim that wearing such a trap would cause the rapist to kill the woman (i mean, how dare she try to fight back?) but i could counter that, to put it delicately, these guys will be in too much pain to do the woman any further harm.

And at 20 cents a piece, they sound like a fabulous idea to me. How about this for international policy: pass them out to women in Africa, the Middle East, Asia - everywhere where rape is "part of the culture" as the media likes to reports. Let's see how fast the incidence of rape drops when guys have to wonder if they'll get caught in one of these traps.

Expression:

Smart, playful, chic.

2005-09-01T16:42:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: Beat of my heart
Last Visited:kate spade's ipod cases
Random Thought: as the french say, such is life
Mood: aww, thanks!

wait, wait, wait. kate spade makes ipod cases?!

finally! something of her's i can afford!

wow, with that and the little goodie bag my VP sent me saying thanks for all my hard work (aww), what was a fairly crappy day is getting way better. Now i have gum and snacky things in my desk, a few free lunch coupons, a thank you letter, and a coupon for free laundry from purpletie.com. And here i thought they were kidding about the laundry....

You could call me easy to please, but "thank you" is one of those things i so need to hear - especially when i'm working overtime. I love what i do, i just want to feel appreciated. Now i do. And i feel better. Still stressed, but better.

Expression:

Danger: Good online Shoe Shopping

2005-09-01T10:02:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: It's a Beautiful Life (yeah, i admit it: i downloaded ace of base. sue me).
Last Visited:JatBar!
Random Thought: i don't mind staying late nearly as much when they buy me dinner
Mood: i have pretty good taste sometimes

In a perfect world, where i had extra money to spend, i would buy shoes. Yes, i know it's cliche, and no, i can't really give you a good enough reason why except, shoes, in this sense are like beautiful lingerie: they just makes you feel pretty, dammit. And i have to stop trawling through all the fabulous sites the New York Time told me about because i have to get some work done. But here's a preview of what i liked:

Be warned, however: there is a lot of crap in with the fabulous. The benefit of online shoe shopping i suppose is that there will always be crappy shoes with the fabulous that you have to sort through, it's much easier to make you first pass 99 at a time.

In other news, i have found nirvana: finally! a site that reviews (and lists!) restaurants in the bay area!. With pictures no less. JatBar is a bit of a revelation for me. Maybe now i'll be able to come closer to that dining variety i've been missing. Because, believe me, we've exhausted all of the crazy-crap-on-the-wall-variants-of-American.

They even have reviews for Bobbie's!

Expression:

Break my heart

2005-08-31T18:18:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: Beat of my heart
Last Visited:UPS, the university
Random Thought: what is counter-clockwise on a digital watch?
Mood: just approve my code reviews already! grr.

i hate to admit it, but the New York Times is right: there are 3 songs on Hilary Duff's new album that are... good. Like, kinda really good. I could make a snarky comment, but i really don't have time.

i'm very busy, if you haven't heard ;)

ps - Happy Birthday, Mike's Steve!

Expression:

{Insert obscure popculture reference here}

2005-08-31T10:29:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: Reefer Madness
Last Visited:anything but match.com (made sure to kill that account, thank you)
Random Thought: can i still like Veronica Mars if she becomes an 09er?
Mood: oh my goodness can we please talk about something else

Please, please, please. I know i temporarily lost my mind yesterday and clicked around match.com. I know this means you can (and will) laugh and make fun and ridicule me for days maybe even weeks to come - and i know i deserve the mocking.

But, please, can we talk about something else?

Like the horrid Fetal Pain "issue" or the possibility that Dell is dying (isn't it wierd for them to suggest it's Dell instead of Apple?). Or, oh, i have one: is the Constant Gardner good uncomfortable or bad uncomfortable?.

Oh hey, remember i'm thinking about getting a tattoo? You think i'm kidding, but i might surprise you. Mock me about that. What if i say i want the kanji to be made up with an executable perl script? anything?

What does a girl have to do to change the subject around here? Or is it just that i can't change the subject in my own head that's the problem....

There are stampedes in Iraq from fear of suicide bombers, an FDA aide quit over the current (insane) policy that women can't get the morning after pill over the counter, Martha's house arrest has ended, the water is still rising in New Orleans, we have confirmation of RAB's identity, and screen shots from the new season of Veronica Mars.

Oh, there's also the very real fact that i will be working through the Labor Day holiday which i didn't even realize was next monday until i got my coffee this morning and the girl asked me what i was doing over the supposedly long weekend. Let's not forget those bugs continuing to pile up in my inbox. And the fact that unless it's bumper bowling i pretty much suck at the sport....

One more thing and i'm done: don't go to the gym without your ipod. See, before this morning's horrifying experience, i thought that you took an ipod to the gym to isolate yourself from other people. To put up a "don't talk to me" sign so you actually have a prayer of ignoring people and being able to still have manners. But i was wrong. You take an ipod to drown out the nauseating sounds of the gym. The pounding of the people on the treadmills, the heavy breathing, the occasional mini-conversations, and even worse, the muzak piped in over the loud speaker. i forgot my ipod this morning. i won't ever make that mistake again. it's just not worth it.

Expression:

Maybe i'll meet you next

2005-08-30T14:10:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: wicked soundtrack... i really need to get new tunes
Last Visited:Pimp My Safari (and here i only thought MTV could get away with names like that)
Random Thought: what the hell am i doing?
Mood: clicky clicky clicky

What the hell am i doing? Just sitting here, working, waiting for a "go for it" email... poking around the net... clicky-clicky i go... and then i do it. I stumble onto match.com - i hear you screaming "no!" "turn back!" but i don't listen - and i search. And click. And the stupid website prompts me for profile responses and before i know it... i have a profile on match.

Stupid, stupid, stupid me. I don't want to date anyone really, and i certainly don't want to find them through a website. ::sigh:: yes, it could be cool to meet new people, but that never actually happens through these sites. So what? i just ignore the account? yeah, i probably will.

but still, i feel like an idiot. why?i can't help but browse around a bit now that i'm here, and you know, there are (in theory) some pretty cute guys in the valley. Damnit. Now working all the time makes me even more annoyed because i don't have time for the potentially cute guys even if i wanted to date which i don't.

::sigh:: this is what happens when i accidentally open a can of worms. how annoying.

Ok, no more whining for me. It's time for my very random afternoon of bowling offsite! Hey, it's mandatory so i shouldn't feel bad about missing a few hours of work.*

Now for your moment of Zen: Cats in Sinks. In case that didn't blow your cute-ometer (and how could it not?) here for your viewing pleasure is: Kitten War

*Look for me online tonight, i'll be here late again.

Expression:

Geez, couldn't they have used a better picture?

2005-08-29T10:03:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: They Paved Paradise and put up a parking lot
Last Visited:It's repetitive and redundant.
Random Thought: remember the Halo disaster? Yeah, i didn't want to either.
Mood:

Save the Big House. Sign the Petition

Luxury Boxes?! in the Big House?! Can this be tollerated, it shall not be*!

Not to wax poetic, but there is something magical about the Big House and it's Sea of People made equal by their devotion to their team. Sure we pay out the nose for a slightly better seat, but at the end of the day everyone is united in that place with one goal in mind: total domination. That crowd is a living breathing organism of it's own making. We scream as one, cheer as one, hold our breath, dance frantically, wave our arms in ways we'd deny at any other time, sing with one voice and live and die from moment to moment with one heart. And then there's the wave: fast, fast, slow, fast, split, on and on and on it goes.

Over a hundred and ten thousand people strong. Our unity is made possible in part by the arrangement of the stadium itself: at the end of the day everyone has the same kind of seat. Sure it's hard and small, alternatively boiling or freezing, but it's yours, mine, and ours.

Please don't let this be destroyed by yet another stupid ploy for money. What comes with Luxury boxes? Corporate financing. Suddenly the Big House doesn't belong to it's fans but to MacDonalds or Outback. I recently saw the Berkely Stadium - covered in idiotic sponsor marketing bannars - and my heart would break if that was the fate of our great stadium. After all, aren't the fans gouged enough by the constantly rising ticket prices? What exactly do they need all this extra money for? Stupid regents. Let's not forget the Halo incident.

Anyways. Enough of this, i have to get back to work. Appropriatly enough, i'm wearing my Michigan Football tshirt today :) the season is fast approaching and i can't wait.

*thanks, Jane.

Expression:

Pondering Grace

2005-08-27T21:32:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: Steve's ceiling fan
Last Visited:lots of tattoo sites
Random Thought: i'm a gracious cardinal air lavendar monkey from mars
Mood: tired, etc.

I'm thinking of getting a tattoo... again. Or, still, depending on how you count. Stumbling around the internet tonight i came across this kanji representation of grace (what my name means) that i found... intriguing, almost calming.

I mean, Steve and i joked for a good hour about my getting a little angel and a sexy devil on the opposite sides of my hips (for balance, of course, i am a libra after all), but something about the whole notion didn't sit well with me.

I've been thinking about getting a tattoo on and off since i was in college, but never could come up with anything more than a random flower which is just too boring with too little meaning for something so permanent. I remember when Ben get his tattoos i was so jealous that he just went out and got it done. I never really considered a kanji symbol before, but i think this one is pretty.

So i'm pondering whether i could like this on my body forever. I'm thinking right above my left hip bone, fairly small - an inch by an inch, maybe too (Steve tells me this is too small). I don't know... i want to be able to see it, and i want it to be just a little sexy at the end of the day.

Anyhoo, i'm rambling. i should get back in my shitty rental clunker and drive home before i fall over again. i'm so tired. Oh, before i forget, i want to get new glasses frames. And find the green version of the adorable shoes i got at DSW today. Ok, i'm also rambling. goody gumdrops.

Let me know what you think!

Expression:

"If Darcy were not such a great, tall, fellow I should not pay him half so much deference"

2005-08-25T18:08:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: Addio Del Passato
Last Visited:Austen Blog and Darcy's Diary
Random Thought: is it true? do i like Darcy because he's tall?
Mood: smile and nod: polite or patronizing?

So there's a new book based on Pride and Prejudice arriving in the states this October (in time for the November (November?!) release of the latest movie remake of the same book. However, Darcy's Diary doesn't seem to be a cheesy chick-lit-one-off loosely-veneered-and-practically-infringing read, but a more interesting study of Darcy himself both before P&P begins and continuing after his wedding to Lizzie.

Initial rumblings are good, and the exceprts on the book's webpage are intriguing. Well, at least i know of one book i'll be reading in October :)

Expression:

What's a Thursday Afternoon Girl?

2005-08-25T17:35:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: Sempre Libera
Last Visited:The GG Spoiler Thread
Random Thought: Ah, Opera, how i miss thee.
Mood: be still my swooning heart...

Please, please, please - in the nicest way possible - do not discredit/condesend on any shipper couple. No more wars - please... I beg of you.

Classical funny scene: the girls and their guys are spending the night at the DI and in the middle of the night both girls sneak downstairs (unbeknownst to each other) to the kitchen to get some pie and coffee. They bump into each other - both wearing only their guys' shirts. They end up talking, chatting, rambling in classic Lorelai/Rory manner.

Both guys eventually wake up during the night looking for their girls only to find their side of bed empty and cold. Both go downstairs searching for them (again, unbeknownst to each other) only to bump into each other walking into the kitchen.

Camera angle shows both girls in their guys' shirts eating pie on the counter of the DI kitchen and both guys staring at them incredously wearing nothing but the matching drawstring pj pants to the shirts (low down on their hips, of course - so we get to see that classic V shape their bodies form.

Our shipper hearts would skip many beats, the avi-makers wouldn't be able to make avis fast enough and the popularity of GG will hit an all-time high.

ASP - do you hear me?!

-- iamsher, Fan Forum Spoilers Thread.

Expression:

Languid Lavendar

2005-08-25T10:59:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: St. Vitus' Dance (Smithy Mix)
Last Visited:The Colorstrology Sniffer
Random Thought:
Mood:

Yes, you heard right: Colorstrology. Kinda like Numerology or Astrology but with colors. Seriously, check out your birthday's color - if only for the entertainment vaule. Or, if you want to waste some time (not that i'm wasting time right now....)

Here, i'll give you a little demo. Here's My birthday reading (October 7th):

and Barb's (August 18th):

Doubt they're right? Take a good look at our blog colors. Or ask what colors we paint our apartments, or what our favorite color ranges are. Pretty cool, huh? :)

oh, there's also a daily colors dashboard widget if you are one of those lucky people running tiger.

Ok, i've spent enough time balancing for today... i have to get back to work. Later, Y'all!

Expression:

Two words: Shuttle Bus

2005-08-24T10:13:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: It's All Been Done, BNL in tribute to their distinctive sound
Last Visited:Can't Cancel your AOL? I know why
Random Thought: Fun / Fast reads generally aren't memorable; wait a month and read it again: it's basically brand new!
Mood: i had an almond croissant with my coffee; that mean i'm happy, right? no? damn.

Google came out with a chat program for Windows only today. Aren't we all surprised? No? :) Crazy. Apparently this now makes Google evil now, giving Microsoft a break(?). Yeah, i don't quite understand the logic either. Maybe i need more coffee. Or more sleep... mmm... sleep.

Sorry, i was distracted there. Debugging + Blogging + Chatting + Redesigning is a large combination... especially when all you want to do is nap. Excuse the digression. Anyways, i was going to say, the part i like best about Google Talk? :) Their image has "Anne" smiling and talking on the phone. It's a nice picture; well, for me at least.

In other news, AOL Employees were paid bonuses if they didn't let you cancel their service. Gosh this sounds familiar***, and [*heavy sarcasm*] not at all shocking.

In other news, it's my Brother's Birthday! Happy Birthday Buddy! How does it feel to be four whole hands? :) Enjoy!

In other news... i had to take my car back into the dealer today and... oh, oh, there they are on the phone.... SHIT. They can't work on my car until at least friday (possibly monday) and i can't get a rental car until they start working on it. Yep, that means i'm without a car now. Crap.

Oh well. There's really nothing i can do about it, i can't drive my car like it is. Back to work i go.

*** wow, how strange, that post was almost exactly a year ago. So wierd.
Expression:

Didn't we learn anything from Saved By the Bell?

2005-08-23T13:45:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: Gilmore Girls 5x18
Last Visited:Gilmore Girls Season 6 Spoilers!
Random Thought: Patty's Punch is used to strip tar at the construction site; then let us use it to strip the tar from our souls.
Mood: squee^swoon

Doesn't this look like that time when Zach tried to save money by buying the senior rings from that dude in the Max and they turned out to be fake gold and turned everyone's fingers green? is it scary that i can recite this from memory?

Woo hoo! Here's to potential action in season 6!

In other news, Congratulations to Brian and Heather for buying their first house! I was lucky enough to be there last night when they heard the happy news, and i have to say, i haven't been so moved in a long time. I only wish i had had a camera with me, it was certainly a Kodak moment. Oh! and their house is right down the street from me, which is fabulous considering they have a pool! (Not that i'll invite myself over or anything, it's just now i'll be able to stumble home from one of their parties without driving. Bonus.)

Oh yeah, and Cricket says SBC can go FFF themselves, so obviously i have to concur :-P

ETA: Steve's John just got his job at Stanford! He'll be moving out here soon... Congrats, John! wow, what a week....

Expression:

Variations in Grey

2005-08-22T10:57:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: Ballrooms and Biscotti
Last Visited:And They All Died Happily Ever After
Random Thought: time is irrelevant when your surroundings never change
Mood: hmm, what?

God i want to see Fall. I want to feel the crisp air. I want to see the leaves changing colors, the way the light shifts and everything becomes just a bit richer. I want to smell the world on football saturday morning, crunch over the grass with my coffee and a light jacket, a book in my bag. I want my cheeks to be rosy with chill, not heat. I want to be able to stay curled in bed because it's cold outside and my bed is comfy and warm.

My goodness weather monotony sucks. I realized today that for the past year and a half i've been in a constant state of sameness: the weather is the same, there's a perpetual fire drill at work, and i'm still poor and missing home. Of course, the type of fire drill is different, the type of poor is different, but damn this is just never ending. I talked to someone earlier who hadn't realized that i had been in this state of high alert for over a year. I know it's worth it - i know it's important. But damn sometimes i just wish it was somewhere else.

I want to know time is passing. I don't want my life to be an endless series of labs with no clocks and no windows; a permanent Las Vegas casino with no clear path to the door. I hate that in speaking to a friend i haven't heard from in months i have to honestly answer "nothing is different."

Of course, i've changed a bit; but the circumstances within which i live? Nope. I'm still here; my status is the same as it's been since i've gotten here. The movie(s) i saw this weekend have changed, the hot potato political issue is a different safe-monster, what i'm reading is yet another entertaining yet mindless escapist fantasy.

I've become a veritable Variation in Grey. Shades of Monotony. Always alert, always stressed, always rushing to fix yet another something. Sure there's hope for a change; but that hope diminishes when the "when" keeps moving farther along the horizon.

le sigh.

Anyways, enough of the meloncholy. I blame the Finding Neverland Variation in Blue piano theme playing right now. Sure, that's it.

I was mesmerized by the Six Feet Under series finale last night. This wouldn't be so odd (pretty much everyone with HBO and a tivo saw it or will see it), except i've never watched the show before. Not a single episode.

A ton of my friends really admire the show, love it, own the dvds, have viewing parties and so on, but somehow i had never seen an single show. I'm not sure i would have liked seening six seasons of it, but the finale was something... different. And that, in and of itself, is special.

Hi-ho-hi-ho, it's back to debugging i go.

Expression:

Shh...

2005-08-20T10:59:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: Kathy on the phone
Last Visited: pick somethinkg fun... i give up
Random Thought: lurching cars are bad. just a thought. stalling cars are bad too.
Mood: the Subject line?

shh... you didn't get these from me... ;) or the potential ones to come later. Sharing pictures this way is way easier than trading massive emails. just saying.

i'm writing this while i'm on the phone with Kathy. I was on the phone with Kathy after i got back from my trip to get my second coffee of the day around 10, i was on the phone when she sent me the pictures, when i set up the website, writting this blog, chatting about trips future and recent past, and the whole thing.

it's amazing how much i can get done while on the phone if i'm by my computer.

So far today i've been up, had breakfast with Dave, took him to the airport, fretted about my car, checked in some bug fixes, started some more work, gotten coffee, chatted, etc... in a couple of hours i'll be able to leave work and nap*. Ah, nap. what a fabulous word.

But at the moment i'm happy chatting on the phone. Kindof amazing, though i think my mood is possible because i don't actually have a real understanding that today is Saturday. I've lost my sense of time again. oh well. Things must march on.....

*Please note for the record that "nap" in this case means a semi-awake state while snuggled up on the couch broken up by periods of reading. or sleeping. either of which will work.

ETA: i wish i could spell while i was on the phone, too.

Expression:

What's your damage, Rev. Burdett?

2005-08-19T11:19:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: it's pronounced Tar-jay
Last Visited:yeah, that last one.
Random Thought: no time to think, just do - and make sure you don't break anything.
Mood: it's so satisfying when things go crunch.

Intelligent Falling kicks Gravity's ass. The Onion is right... once evolution goes down for the count theororetical physics can't be far behind.

Gotta love the "i don't understand the question so there can't be an answer therefore God must have done it!" camp. Or not. Yeah, it doesn't make sense to me either. This feels a bit too much like Chicago Math - remember those math text books written by english majors who didn't understand math the first time around so they decided that it didn't matter if you got the answer right if you "understood" how you did the problem and could write it down in a correct five sentance paragraph?

Gah.

Three people have told me i look tired and "like hell" so far today. Goody Gumdrops.

Sorry, i have no tollerance for the "it's-not-Creationism-it's-Intelligent-Design!" crowd.

Expression:

Let's spoil it for Eileen Jacobson

2005-08-19T10:17:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: Mondo Bongo
Last Visited:Das Boot, Das Crash. (welcome back, Andy!)
Random Thought: Harry Potter v. Foxtrot: the Saga Continues
Mood: balls... juggling... up in air... busy... gah

Al's the blonde... too bad this is the only picture so far. More on the woman in white (crap)site.

Yesterday was Barb's 25th birthday and i forgot to blog about it. i suck. Apparently so do some of her idiot friends in nyc who don't understand that you just don't wear a t-shirt and jeans to the theater. Heck even my brother knew you dress nicely. (of course he then added "and that's why i don't go to the theater, but at least i know what to wear when i do.") Sometimes it's great to have my buddy around.

Then sometimes having him here means i spend more money than i should and less time at work than i should and as a result get like no sleep. Maybe he'll get Puff to stop clawing at my furniture, though i doubt it.

Let's see... after he crashed work yesterday we headed up to the city and took a Red Line Bay Cruise which was cool - history and views while on a big boat. Not bad for $21, though the $12 for parking kinda sucked. Good mexican for dinner with Steve and Mike.

Gah, not enough sleep. Up to early. Too much work + not enough caffine + not enough gas. Ugh. It's looking like this afternoon will be Berekely with Aunt Mary and Dave and potentially dinner later with all of the above plus Aunt Sara. Joy. Can i nap yet?

Expression:

Gullible, Table of One?

2005-08-17T13:33:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk
Last Visited:mugglenet
Random Thought: it's all my fault. There, are you happy now?
Mood: just tired. i should be mad, but... i'm just tired.

Apparently my blog has been crashing some of your Safari builds for the last week. I'm sorry, i don't know why; i wish i had time to track this down but i really don't.

Here, have a cute cartoon instead:

In other news, i saw my brother last night. Had to drive to Santa Cruz at rush hour (and then back later to drop him off) to do it, but i'm glad. I had forgotten how beautiful Santa Cruz is. I really need to take some time and explore more. Maybe when i'm not as busy, and feeling not as poor. I'm going to be poor for the next few months and i'm not so happy about it. I guess that's what i get for not following up and generally trusting people who smile pretty. Oh well.

I also missed my Gilmore Girls marathon last night which is sad, so i'll have to throw those on at some point today. I can't believe it's already afternoon.

::sigh::

Expression:

Train Wrecks: Why can't you look away?

2005-08-15T13:19:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: Come Back to Texas
Last Visited:nothing interesting
Random Thought: Sometimes a taste is more torturous than nothing at all
Mood: t-i-double-G-RRR!

::sigh:: what a way to start my week. My car is in the shop, Ford is exhasperated that i'm not 25 and they have to rent a car for me, and just when things start to go really well, everything gets messed up again. Perfect.

Ok, time for a diplomacy question: If you agree to help a friend with one of their on-the-side projects and you don't really want to help but you feel you don't have a choice, do you keep your mouth shut and pout in silence or do you mention that even though you don't want to work on their special project you'll still help? Should they be understanding that you're not happy, or would your expressing your feelings only make them feel worse? When they call your help "volunteering" and you call it "forced labor" is there really any point in clarifying things? Where do you draw the line and just shut up and do what needs to be done... even though you don't have anything invested in the end product?

In other news, my baby brother got on a plane this afternoon to come visit. I'm thrilled he's coming out to California. I just wish i had more time to show him around. I only really get to do the fun touristy stuff when people visit.... Anyways. I think i'm going to take friday off work even though i shouldn't. It would be the only time i could guarentee to spend with him, i'm not going to pass that chance up.

After all, work can't be everything all the time. Ha. Yeah, this is me saying that. Hilarious.

Expression:

Nope, they weren't. Burn the Boats.

2005-08-14T13:24:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: Mugglenet PodCast #2
Last Visited:Harry Potter 4 Movie Preview
Random Thought: Sorry guys, American Pie wasn't PG-13 :) Not even close.
Mood: sleepy, at work, ready for Zingerman's

Sometimes you just have to let yourself be mad. Grumpy. Angry. Offended. Pissed off, annoyed, exasperated, disappointed, incredulous, horrified, disheartened, depressed.... Basically there are times when you're that upset when you just have to allow yourself to be upset. Not for too long, a few hours, half a day, maybe, but you have to allow yourself to feel.

Don't let it take over your life, don't let it last longer than it should, but let yourself feel. Then move on.

'Cause here's the thing: at the end of the day, at the start of the next week, it doesn't matter if you're pissed off - you still have to make things work. So wallow in your disappointment. Relish being annoyed. Then be done with those bad feelings and get back to work.

I tried to tell my mom this yesterday since i was in the middle of wallowing and relishing when i talked to her. She didn't really get the notion, or like it at all. She wanted me to look on the bright side of things, remember what can be gained from a situation i don't like. That's all fine and good, i'm doing that today and will continue to do it. But yesterday i needed to be pissed off.

Besides :) that means today i can be super-cool-happy Computer Fairy. And seriously, that's a crazy amount of fun.

Expression:

You've GOT to be kidding Me!

2005-08-12T15:41:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: For Good
Last Visited:mine, i thought....
Random Thought: you've got to be kidding me.
Mood:

Well, i had written this beautiful post about everything in my life right now being familiar yet distinctly different than it was a year ago. Apparently i forgot to publish or save that post, sadly, so it has been lost.

And quite frankly, with what's happened since i wrote it, i'm no longer in a happy mood. Sorry Dave, i'm not sure if i'll be able to wait till tomorrow to see the Aristocrats... i might need something really funny tonight.

Let's just say that about half an hour ago work was rocking. i was kicking ass and taking names and making everyone happy, making me happy. Now... well, now i'm making everyone happy, i'm just not very happy about it. Taking one for the team can really suck sometimes. who can say if i'll be changed for the better? my boss seems to think so. i really hope he's right.

How did it get to be mid-august?

Expression:

2005-08-11T17:25:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: Mondo Bongo
Last Visited:Barb's kick ass new blog!
Random Thought: Intelligent Design is neither Intelligent nor well Designed.
Mood: la la la

So, i just finished barb's new blog template! I really like it... check it out, let me know what you think!

Oh, and if you like it and will start a blog of your own (ahem, Ellen!) i'll make you a template too ;)

2005-08-09T14:40:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: For Good, Wicked
Last website visited: the Stanford Theater is Back Open!!
Mood: kinda sleepy... but i love my new bed!
Right now i want... Let the Movies Begin!

Finally! I've found the solution to the craptastic movies hollywood has been coming out with this summer: Bring On the Classics!

Ok, here are the ones i want to see and their dates (now all i have to do is stick to it):

8/8 - 8/11: The Philadelphia Story (1940)

8/27 - 8/28: All About Eve (1950)

8/27 - 8/28: Citizen Kane (1941)

8/31 - 9/2: The Reluctant Debutante (1958)

9/3 - 9/4: Sabrina! (1954)

9/10 - 9/11: An Affair to Remember (1957)

In other news, i bought my bedframe last night! Actually purchasing the frame and getting it back to my apartment was a bit too nerve wrecking for my tastes, but it's there and set up and it's so amazingly comfortable. and Big. I am amazed at how... pulled together my bedroom looks now. For example, it actually looks like one now. I know, your shock is palpable.

So i have to say thanks to Dave for enduring Ikea and the drive home with me, and Steve for letting me drag him out of bed to set the frame up. Though i have to say, we put the thing together in record time. i had him home inside of an hour.

2005-08-08T12:04:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: Swing Life Away
Last website visited: ikea
Mood: i sorta got my way....
Right now i want... :)

Coming Soon to a Bedroom Near Me: my good-enough-for-now-and-right-for-the-price bedframe! An artists rendering suggests my bedroom will now look something like this:

... just with different (and more) art, a chair, a rug, a tv + stand, a full length mirror, a bedside table, an alarm clock, and more books than i know what to do with. Oh, and a lot of clothes stacked on the chair. But you get the idea ;)

So, being as impatient as i am, i want to buy my bed tonight. I'm just not sure if it's logistically possible. if i can wrangle some help i'll go tonight... worse comes to worse i have to wait a few days. it shouldn't be the end of the world....

2005-08-04T10:48:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: Work, Jimmy
Last website visited: nytimes.com
Mood: waking up... i finally slept last night!
Right now i want... a few more mins before the barrage of meetings begin

Sorry, Dan, you might be busy, but i bet i'm busier, and look: i'm posting to my blog in my spare mins. You can too.

Like i said, short on time, but i rearranged my apartment last night! it looks amazing. Actually, it looks like someone actually lives there, which is wonderful. Sort of speaking of which, but not really, this whole last week has been a weird exercise in too much sleep and too little sleep. My recommendation: don't try this.

In other news, i adore my MightyMouse and my second monitor... it's amazing how the little things really make my week.

The times artists sure are on a roll lately... i love the graphic for The Little Dress Shop Around the Corner:

ps: it's amazing how telephone silence can convey astonishment.

pps: my new desktop picture:

2005-08-01T16:47:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: Lay Lady Lay
Last website visited: wallpaper for my second monitor!
Mood: odd; but i did get a second monitor!
Right now i want...

Apparently i burried this a bit too well, so forgive me for being repetitive but *ahem*:
I think everyone my age [18-26] should answer Vanity Fair's essasy question of the year:

"What is on the minds of America's youth today?"

I think it's a worthy exercise. You don't have to submit it if you don't want, but maybe put your 1500 word essay on your blogs? That's what i'm going to do. Don't have a blog? I'll host it on mine :) problem solved.

The deadline is September 31st... let's give it a shot. Figure out what we're all thinking about.

***************************************************************************************

... Speaking of wallpaper, Urban Outfitters is finally selling that room-sized poster wallpaper! woo friggen hoo, man.... i'm thinking of getting Brian and Heather some of the tropical as a housewarming gift. Or maybe i'll just redo my bedroom. who knows, i'm just glad i finally know where it's available.

@-->->---- @-->->---- @-->->----

2005-07-29T10:48:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: Feel Good Inc
Last website visited:
Mood: ha
Right now i want...

Ha. Couldn't have said it better myself: "... the joys of Harry, Charlie, and Heath, interdispersed with the heavenly bed...." Yep, that was New York. And i agree, by the way, it does seem like a dream... too far away and distant to be real.

In other news, sorry i haven't really written in a few days. Besides the fact that work is (you guessed it) really crazy, i managed to make myself sick on wednesday. Come to think of it, i'm still sick. Actually, i'm an idiot: i'll rest / relax / nap for a few hours, think i'm all better, only to realize that i'm actually not once i get back to the office; yeah, 'cause i've come in every single day this week. i've left early, too, but that's not quite the point.

oh, this is a fabulous place to start talking about The Undomestic Goddess, but again, that will have to wait. Just for a moment, i promise.

So. I've been very stressed this weekend (probably why i'm sick). Why, you ask? Something happen at the office? Trouble back east? Well, sortof.

Etrade is driving me insane. They got it into their collective heads about 10 days ago that there was a negative balance on my account (nope) and that they should sell MY stock WITHOUT my permission to cover the NONEXISTANT negative balance. Then they did it again. And they STILL haven't given me my stock back. I'm kinda pissed. Maybe i was going to sell my stock myself this last week. Maybe i needed it to pay some bills (i didn't, but that's not the point: it's my money!). I'm starting to wonder if i'll get my stock back. I'm really starting to wonder if i can trust them to be my broker anymore. They keep saying "out departments were within their rights to cover a negative balance!" without addressing the fact that the balance didn't exist and i wasn't notified beforehand. In fact, the only notification i did receive was apparently a mistake, i wasn't supposed to even get the 2 line email saying my stock sale had been executed. That's what really scares me: if i hadn't gotten that email, how long would it have been before i noticed my money was gone? Probably not until i really needed it. Then getting it back would be that much harder, and this great company would have Texas Two-Stepped me right out of my Employee Stock Purchase Shares.

... sorry, i'm tired but hyper. at least my fingers are hyper. how odd.

Right. So quickly back to The Undomestic Goddess. Actually, back to Confessions of a Shopaholic. Both books are by Sophie Kinsella, and amazingly enough, i purchased both books in hardcover (especially strange for what would otherwise be generic chick-lit). Why? (i'm imagining you're asking even if you don't care... though really, if you didn't care you'd have stopped reading by now so i'm going to assume you want to know why). So, right, why: the opening to both books were eerily similiar to my life at the precise moment i opened them the first time. So much so that the first time i read Shopaholic i though i would die of embarassment in the store: how did she know this? was i that obvious? when i bought the book i was beet red. You would have thought i was buying a particularly smutty book and i was embarassed. seriously.

Shopaholic came out when i was a junior in college (yeah, pretty sure that's right... ok, maybe a sophomore). I had my very own credit card that i didn't pay enough attention to. The book opens "OK. DON'T PANIC. Don't panic. It's only a VISA bill. It's a piece of paper; a few numbers. I mean, just how scary can a few numbers be? .... It's only a stupid piece of paper, i tell myself for the thousanth time. And i'm not stupid, am i? I know exactly how much my VISA bill will be. Roughly. Sortof." Yeah. everyone who's had this exact same experience, raise your hands! and yes, i'm still embarassed by it.

Cut to several years later. I work for Apple. I'm stressed, i'm tired, i'm working myself until i'm sick. My only vacation in over a year was 4 days long and passed so quickly i think it didn't happen. Undomestic Goddess (which, really, could be my nickname), opens: "Would you consider yourself stressed? No. I'm not stressed. I'm... busy. Plenty of people are busy. I have a high-powered job, my career is important to me, and i enjoy it. OK. So sometimes i do feel a bit tense. But i'm a lawyer in the City, for God's sake. Why do you expect? My handwritting is pressing so hard into the page, i've torn the paper. Dammit. Never mind. Let's move on to the next question."

The moral of the story? For some reason, these two books had me pegged. They showed my reality, or a portion of it, and then the miracle happens: the heroine escapes. No wonder i feel so strongly about these books. No wonder the car i bought is the Escape.

In other news, i realized i hadn't put up here that i think everyone my age [21-25] should answer Vanity Fair's essasy question of the year "What is on the minds of America's youth today?" I think it's a worthy exercise. You don't have to submit it if you don't want, but maybe put your 1500 word essay on your blogs? That's what i'm going to do. The deadline is September 31st... let's give it a shot. Figure out what we're all thinking about.

2005-07-22T11:02:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: Feel Good, Inc.
Last website visited: Aim Fight!
Mood: haha! i'm more popular than ____. Wow, i never had this feeling in Middle School....
Right now i want...

hehe... i realize it's totally childish of me to enjoy the fact that i've won a couple of Aim Fight's against certain people... but, damn, it sure put a smile on my face!

:)

2005-07-22T10:12:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: The Innocent, Goldfinger
Last website visited:
Mood: waking up, amused.
Right now i want...

it's not every day you hear the New York Times Book Review say "Give 'em hell, Harry!"

There was a time when harry potter wasn't exactly on the Time's Book Department's Christmas list. It's nice to see they're coming around. Oh, by the way, did you see the very interesting reminder in that article about Dumbledore's Pensive? :) Ah, yes, it will be a hard wait for book 7.

Before i get back to work, i just wanted to mention that my trip to new york wasn't bad; far from it. I had a marvelous time, and i learned a very important lesson: now more than ever, not only do i want to live in New York, not only do i know where my life will be, but i want to do it right. I'm jealous as hell of a co-worker's apartment in one of the neighborhoods i adore. And as jealous as i am of Barb being in the city now (so far away *pout*), i want to be able to afford an apartment on Manhattan instead of living in Brooklyn (as adorable as it is). I want to be able to afford nice restraunts and theater tickets more than every few months. Of course, why pay for tickets when so many wonderful things are free? but that's a different story.

I know i want to do New York right. And if that means living and working in California for a few years to make sure that's possible, that's ok too.

Just, please, don't begrudge me my moods when i have to face the extreame differences between the two coasts.

2005-07-21T13:11:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: Work, Jimmy Eat World
Last website visited: the Official Goblet of Fire website. Cute.
Mood: get it done.
Right now i want... :)

So i want to use the Beauxbaton's Logo. i like it a lot. Actually, i shouldn't lay claim to it, since it's so perfect for Barb's blog.

Anyways, that was a wierd way to start a post.

I'm sorry i've been MIA recently. As i always say, i've been busy, a lot has happened, blah, blah, blah. Well, it's true: i have been amazingly busy, work is going very well, etc.

I've also been in a fairly retched mood, epecially since getting back from New York... a trip which seems more like a dream than reality. Honestly, if it wasn't so very evident that i was there from my bank book, i would be seriously questioning if it ever happened. So to everyone in california who have wondered or worried: i'm sorry i've been such a spoil sport; but my bad mood is likely to continue for some time.

You see, in the last year i've become very good at tricking myself into thinking i like living in california. The truth, however, is that i hate it. If i didn't love my job so much - and if i wasn't so sure that i have to be here now - i would be out of this state before you could ask me why.

Going to New York and living the life i want in the place i want with the people i want for such a tiny sliver of time just served as a painfully flagrant reminder of how much i am compromising for being in Cupertino. I know that sounds awful, and i sound ungrateful and like i'm pouting and being more dramatic than i should be. Honestly, leaving new york broke my heart; and as someone who's had her heart broken before, i'm pretty confident i can identify the feeling.

My timing could be better. I'm in a position where i have to be positive and motivating and diplomatic and i'm finding that increasingly difficult. Maybe all i need is a nap. I'm worried i need something more.

But speaking of how little time i have, i have to get back to work. This week has been mostly meetings and i'm off to another one.

:) By the way: i support Harry Potter in the TriWizard Tournament. And my thoughts on the Half-Blood Prince will be appearing here soon.

2005-07-20T10:39:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: Chapter 1: the Other Minister
Last website visited:
Mood: my heart was healed when once again i saw my city; then shattered once more when i had to leave it.
Right now i want... a nap.

Which HP Kid Are You?

2005-07-14T09:33:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: 25th Annual....
Last website visited:
Mood: squee^swoon
Right now i want...

I'm going to NYC!!! In 3 hours!!!

can you feel the excitement? :) cause i can! until, oh, 5 mins ago this trip didn't seem real at all. I didn't even want to talk about it i was so afraid i would have to cancel. But it's here! I'm winging my way back east a little after noon, i'll be in Union Square for dinner, Brooklyn for a nap, then Manhattan and the Essex House (Central Park Westin) for the fabulous weekend of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Harry Potter 6, Shakespeare in the Park and/or TKTS, and a ton of fun with Barb who i haven't seen in way way WAY too long.

we have some serious celebrating to catch up on *wiggles eyebrows*.

along with Harry Potter! :) omg... i will even proudly wear that ugly green wristband Barnes and Noble is handing out. Speaking of which, have you seen the back cover art for harry potter 6 that bloomsbury just released?! no? ok, here you go:

I'll have my cell phone if you need me, otherwise i'm going on a very much needed and long awaited vacation. god i love how that word just trips off the tounge. and, yes, i'm sorry, i still can't spell.

:)

2005-07-11T10:00:00.000-07:00

Background Noise: ahh, monday morning silence...
Last website visited:
Mood: happy and excited
Right now i want... to say congrats...

to Al's Opening Night as Laura in the Woman in White!

the world is your oyster, babe, go knock their socks off! :)