and on a completely unrelated post:
http://www.lettersofnote.com/2009/12/holden-caulfield-is-unactable.html
Such a great letter.
I love the last sentence.
But also just the awareness and sensibility of his character.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Friday, December 11, 2009
i refuse to put this up on my blog
but i have to put it somewhere. chase my colleage from LA sent this to me. they are his friends. this is who i work with. this is ridiculous.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
Virginia is for lawyers....
So I went to a fantastic lecture this morning. It was a little bit of an effort to get to school early on a friday (and i got there 5min late,story of my life) but it ended up being SO worth it
The guy's a VA lawyer who has been nationally acclaimed for this work defending/protecting the 1st Amendment (freedom of speech) and recently won a "Human Rights Hero" award from the American Bar Association, really interesting guy, does a lot of work for the ACLU. Very liberal, but also just a great thinker. One of the cases that got him a lot of attention was when he represented a KKK grand wizard who was on trial for cross burning. He is black, but he talked a lot about how he felt compelled to take this case because freedom of speech is a line that shouldn't be crossed. His point was that hateful ideas wouldn't be stopped by not allowing them to be said, but that things need to discussed and have people think and talk about them in order to get anywhere as a society. The only way we can improve is through thoughtful discussion. In thinking about these things, people will be able to see hateful or stupid ideas for that they are. He pointed to the Bill of Rights as what raises us up as a society, and as standards we must vigilantly protect.
Anyways, really wonderful talk. Thought I'd share a bit....oh! and his other big point, which is less specifically legal-related, which was it is every person's duty to try and be happy in life--that it is your job to find your niche in life and excel at it.
It was a good way to start the day....especially as literally 5min later in the library someone freaked out as they had "lost their lucky highlighter". Oh law school.
The guy's a VA lawyer who has been nationally acclaimed for this work defending/protecting the 1st Amendment (freedom of speech) and recently won a "Human Rights Hero" award from the American Bar Association, really interesting guy, does a lot of work for the ACLU. Very liberal, but also just a great thinker. One of the cases that got him a lot of attention was when he represented a KKK grand wizard who was on trial for cross burning. He is black, but he talked a lot about how he felt compelled to take this case because freedom of speech is a line that shouldn't be crossed. His point was that hateful ideas wouldn't be stopped by not allowing them to be said, but that things need to discussed and have people think and talk about them in order to get anywhere as a society. The only way we can improve is through thoughtful discussion. In thinking about these things, people will be able to see hateful or stupid ideas for that they are. He pointed to the Bill of Rights as what raises us up as a society, and as standards we must vigilantly protect.
Anyways, really wonderful talk. Thought I'd share a bit....oh! and his other big point, which is less specifically legal-related, which was it is every person's duty to try and be happy in life--that it is your job to find your niche in life and excel at it.
It was a good way to start the day....especially as literally 5min later in the library someone freaked out as they had "lost their lucky highlighter". Oh law school.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
It has been a long time
Since last I posted, i am sorry. But I needed to share this with someone, and well that someone is all of you. School fantastic, classes great, program even better, people in program wonderful, my butt right now-- major pain maybe a little chafed.
No one told me that this riding thing hurts your butt, big time. Maybe my cheek muscles are not fit, maybe I am too seated, maybe my seat isn't cushiony enough, no matter what it is my BUTT hurts and makes me really sad. I am going to try and power through it since I am loving the biking experience when I am not in fear of my life, but the cowboy walk up to my apartment is a memory of the pain.
Maybe I should design something like a childs seat for an adult, god knows. Other than that California and design school rock!
and my house is a giant disaster. I will take cool photos like craig this weekend. Nice apartment, it looks so spacious. Glad school is going well for you too!
No one told me that this riding thing hurts your butt, big time. Maybe my cheek muscles are not fit, maybe I am too seated, maybe my seat isn't cushiony enough, no matter what it is my BUTT hurts and makes me really sad. I am going to try and power through it since I am loving the biking experience when I am not in fear of my life, but the cowboy walk up to my apartment is a memory of the pain.
Maybe I should design something like a childs seat for an adult, god knows. Other than that California and design school rock!
and my house is a giant disaster. I will take cool photos like craig this weekend. Nice apartment, it looks so spacious. Glad school is going well for you too!
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Guilty Pleasure
What can I say? I'll watch most anything on Bravo.
The mannerisms and voice inflection are down to a T.
Brillant.
The mannerisms and voice inflection are down to a T.
Brillant.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Thursday, September 10, 2009
almost forgot!
the MUSICAL COMPONENT
not really related to law school, but does deal with CRAZIES (sung by a crazy-obsessed fan of an elvis type character, from the short-lived musical "Cry-Baby")
not really related to law school, but does deal with CRAZIES (sung by a crazy-obsessed fan of an elvis type character, from the short-lived musical "Cry-Baby")
some reflections....
i realize this blog has somewhat petered off (and sorry about my part in that....oy) but i thought i might try a mini-resurrection as i am sitting here in the law library (my new favorite place, and by favorite i mean where i spend all my time) and thought i might share some law school reflections, i've been doing my best to find some good/fun/sane people, but it's difficult because let me tell you there are some CRAZIES in law school. much like the riding team "interest" picnic at the beginning of every year, law school seems to have just skimmed off the top of the crazy heap. the first week everyone was friends with everyone, but it is amazing how fast groups are forming! which i suppose is good, as i had a mildly painful afternoon with a sort of "sorority group" (on a side note, by the time you're in grad school, should you really be wearing ribbons around your ponytail that match your sundress? and how many ribbons must one own so that they have one that exactly matches their mustard yellow jcrew dress?) that amazingly have already decided that they are besties for life, and hence say things like "oh, that is sooo samantha!" is it? really? is saying "it's hot today" SO samantha? WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?!? also, every time you speak in class it is not necessary to use the words "As I learned at my summer internship at a major law firm...". We all know you were pouring coffee, let's stop the charade. on the opposite end of the crazy scale, i should also note that it is not appropriate to discuss your bowel movements in your facebook status. i wish i were kidding. i really don't mean to sound so bitter/crazy, i think there are secretly more sane people than there are crazy-faces, but its difficult when the crazies are just so noticeable. i have found though that a good gage is that someone who will do cardio dance with you (my new fav) is pretty A+. because when law school gets tough, you just DANCE IT OUT
on an unrelated to law school, but life-advice note: do not turn your head when pouring boiling water just because the season premiere of glee has started, otherwise not only do you have to deal with the burn but you also have to deal with a day of people saying "at least its not your note-taking arm"
over and out.
on an unrelated to law school, but life-advice note: do not turn your head when pouring boiling water just because the season premiere of glee has started, otherwise not only do you have to deal with the burn but you also have to deal with a day of people saying "at least its not your note-taking arm"
over and out.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Despicable me
This is going to be excellent, i can just tell. also i love the song despicable me. also its got a kid on a leash afterall, a sure sign of an ironic sense of humor.
Heres the description "In a happy suburban neighborhood surrounded by white picket fences with flowering rose bushes, sits a black house with a dead lawn. Unbeknownst to the neighbors, hidden beneath this home is a vast secret hideout. Surrounded by a small army of minions, we discover Gru (voiced by Steve Carell), planning the biggest heist in the history of the world. He is going to steal the moon (Yes, the moon!) in Universal’s new 3-D CGI feature, Despicable Me. Gru delights in all things wicked. Armed with his arsenal of shrink rays, freeze rays, and battle-ready vehicles for land and air, he vanquishes all who stand in his way. Until the day he encounters the immense will of three little orphaned girls who look at him and see something that no one else has ever seen: a potential Dad. The world’s greatest villain has just met his greatest challenge: three little girls named Margo, Edith and Agnes."
Heres the description "In a happy suburban neighborhood surrounded by white picket fences with flowering rose bushes, sits a black house with a dead lawn. Unbeknownst to the neighbors, hidden beneath this home is a vast secret hideout. Surrounded by a small army of minions, we discover Gru (voiced by Steve Carell), planning the biggest heist in the history of the world. He is going to steal the moon (Yes, the moon!) in Universal’s new 3-D CGI feature, Despicable Me. Gru delights in all things wicked. Armed with his arsenal of shrink rays, freeze rays, and battle-ready vehicles for land and air, he vanquishes all who stand in his way. Until the day he encounters the immense will of three little orphaned girls who look at him and see something that no one else has ever seen: a potential Dad. The world’s greatest villain has just met his greatest challenge: three little girls named Margo, Edith and Agnes."
Thursday, July 30, 2009
why you should never mess with a broadway diva
patti lupone literally stopping the show to rip apart someone taking a illegal photo
love her.
love her.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
is this us??
article in today's times about "our generation".....but really who doesn't love clarissa? and harry potter? and saved by the bell?
Monday, July 13, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
kittens! and political uprising!
A, this NYT article reminded me of you. something about the power of cute.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
a few of you will realize the significance of this recipe
others of you can just feel free to try it and enjoy it. found on the verrill farm site, i was checking them out bc they have a strawberry festival this weekend and are a twenty minutes drive from the house.
Asparagus Lasagna
Bake in 9" x 13" baking dish
Ingredients
9 lasagna sheets, fresh or dried
1 teaspoon olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon, divided
1 (8.5-ounce) jars sun-dried tomatoes, drained
1 1/2 packed cups fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus 3/4 cup
1 medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 bunches asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 (16-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups shredded whole milk mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons butter
Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add 1 teaspoon olive oil. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes for dried pasta or 2 to 3 minutes for fresh pasta. Drain pasta.
In a food processor combine the sun-dried tomatoes and basil. Pulse until the mixture is combined. Transfer to a small bowl. Stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan. Set aside.
In a large skillet add 1 tablespoon olive oil, onion, and garlic and cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Add asparagus and cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add the ricotta, salt, and pepper and stir to combine.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a 9 by 13-inch baking dish sprinkle some of the sun-dried tomato mixture on the bottom of the casserole dish.
Place some lasagna sheets, then half asparagus mixture. Next sprinkle some mozzarella cheese and some of the remaining 3/4 cup Parmesan. Continue for 1 more layer.
Top with lasagna sheets, some sun-dried tomato mixture, mozzarella, and Parmesan. Dot the top with butter.
Bake until the ingredients are warm and the cheese is melted, about 25 minutes.
Asparagus Lasagna
Bake in 9" x 13" baking dish
Ingredients
9 lasagna sheets, fresh or dried
1 teaspoon olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon, divided
1 (8.5-ounce) jars sun-dried tomatoes, drained
1 1/2 packed cups fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus 3/4 cup
1 medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 bunches asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 (16-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups shredded whole milk mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons butter
Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add 1 teaspoon olive oil. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes for dried pasta or 2 to 3 minutes for fresh pasta. Drain pasta.
In a food processor combine the sun-dried tomatoes and basil. Pulse until the mixture is combined. Transfer to a small bowl. Stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan. Set aside.
In a large skillet add 1 tablespoon olive oil, onion, and garlic and cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Add asparagus and cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add the ricotta, salt, and pepper and stir to combine.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a 9 by 13-inch baking dish sprinkle some of the sun-dried tomato mixture on the bottom of the casserole dish.
Place some lasagna sheets, then half asparagus mixture. Next sprinkle some mozzarella cheese and some of the remaining 3/4 cup Parmesan. Continue for 1 more layer.
Top with lasagna sheets, some sun-dried tomato mixture, mozzarella, and Parmesan. Dot the top with butter.
Bake until the ingredients are warm and the cheese is melted, about 25 minutes.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Tennis. Flight of the Conchords.
And it's actually related.
I somehow ran across this:
I don't think their type of comedy really carries over to interviewing. And then I thought about the two of them hosting SNL. Which I think would be a disaster. The first skit would be really funny, but every other skit on the same note, just different sets.
My favorite moment is around 4:14. When Brett prowls the net and intimidates across the net.
I somehow ran across this:
I don't think their type of comedy really carries over to interviewing. And then I thought about the two of them hosting SNL. Which I think would be a disaster. The first skit would be really funny, but every other skit on the same note, just different sets.
My favorite moment is around 4:14. When Brett prowls the net and intimidates across the net.
Monday, June 8, 2009
LIZA?!?!
A-greed D, on the tony post...they were really BEYOND ridiculous this year. not only did mics not work, and camera continually cut to the wrong person/wrong shot, but brett michaels (of poison...slightly unclear why he was performing, one of their songs is in "rock of ages" but HE isn't actually in it...) actually broke his nose walking into a set piece:
also, liza literally kept popping up left and right, being only vaguely coherent, but as several of my blogs noted, it doesn't really matter if you can understand her, IT'S LIZA
some highlights though:
"rock of ages" -- seems like it's just SO MUCH FUN, and doesn't take itself to seriously, equally important if you're going to be singing 80s classics (note the liza appearance in this one) also, the "narrator" character in this, is supposed to be one of the funniest parts of the show, described in the NYTimes (and i just LOVE this description) as
"Sporting a spiked mullet and a series of tacky T-shirts, he zips around the stage merrily, adding comic commentary or plugging a hole in the plot. It’s as if a perky, wise-cracking woodland animal from a Disney cartoon had leaped off the screen, become human and acquired a taste for both illicit drugs and ballet."
and then from "next to normal"
a VERY different show, much more serious, about a woman battling bipolar disorder and the effect it has on her family. but it's supposed to be simply AMAZING and really powerful. the performance was fantastic.
and i know d's going to KILL me for this, but given the material, and the fact that the show's basically just fluff, i thought the hair cast did an amazing job...
just saying
also, anne hathaway was inexplicably featured over and over....
also, liza literally kept popping up left and right, being only vaguely coherent, but as several of my blogs noted, it doesn't really matter if you can understand her, IT'S LIZA
some highlights though:
"rock of ages" -- seems like it's just SO MUCH FUN, and doesn't take itself to seriously, equally important if you're going to be singing 80s classics (note the liza appearance in this one) also, the "narrator" character in this, is supposed to be one of the funniest parts of the show, described in the NYTimes (and i just LOVE this description) as
"Sporting a spiked mullet and a series of tacky T-shirts, he zips around the stage merrily, adding comic commentary or plugging a hole in the plot. It’s as if a perky, wise-cracking woodland animal from a Disney cartoon had leaped off the screen, become human and acquired a taste for both illicit drugs and ballet."
and then from "next to normal"
a VERY different show, much more serious, about a woman battling bipolar disorder and the effect it has on her family. but it's supposed to be simply AMAZING and really powerful. the performance was fantastic.
and i know d's going to KILL me for this, but given the material, and the fact that the show's basically just fluff, i thought the hair cast did an amazing job...
just saying
also, anne hathaway was inexplicably featured over and over....
tonybaloney
sorry to take the thunder from L but since i endured it and its still playing in my mind and its much more interesting then work im going to report on the Tonys, which were... madness.
last night L had some people over to watch with us and at times it really felt like we were making them watch the VCR recording of our children's middleschool musical. prop peices fell on musicians, there were sound issues i didnt even know could occur in non-D-side productions, like mic's not working forcing stage hands to dash on and switch them out mid performance, sniffling, whispering and (rightfully, because it was a circus) GIGGLING from the audience heard louder then the actual performers, people couldnt read the prompters, the cameraman had clearly been drinking and kept cue-ing the cameras to the losers, not the winners, like dolly parton after she did NOT win best original score, thank god, also the camera kept awkwardly zooming so close to the performers you could practically count their blackheads and had no sense of the layout of the scenes they were reenacting, the orchestra insisted on cutting people off and turning off their mics mid-speech, even the 78 year old life time acheivement winner, liza was in fine form by which i mean, completely incoherent but amidst the chaos seemed positively eloquent, and lastly, the host was a complete waste of space with the comedic timing of a cucumber except for his closing number that actually sort of made it all worth it and i just looked up the lyrics for your enjoyment. (turns out he didnt even write it, its by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, who wrote “Hairspray”)
TONIGHT, TONIGHT
THE TONY’S WERE TONIGHT
AND ELTON’S BILLY WAS ALL THE RAGE
(cut to Angela Lansbury)
WHAT CLASS, WHAT DRIVE
NOW ANGELA’S WON FIVE
AND SHE HOOKED UP WITH “POISON” BACKSTAGE!
WITH HEELS AS SORE AS POOR ACHILLES
THREE TUTU WEARING BILLYS
WERE SUCH A WINNING SIGHT
TONIGHT ALL THREE
WON TONYS PLUS THEY HIT PUBERTY!
AND GEOFFREY WON A TONY TONIGHT
KAREN WON A TONY TONIGHT
LIZA AT THE PALACE
MR. RIPLEY’S DAUGHTER ALICE
THEY ALL WON A TONY TONIGHT!
“Credits? That’s not gonna stop me!”
CHRIS SIEBER PLEASE
PERFORMING ON YOUR KNEES?
DUDE, THAT ONLY WORKS TO WIN GOLDEN GLOBES
I HOPE TONIGHT
WHEN THEY’RE HIGH AS A KITE
TO BE THERE WHEN THE “HAIR” CAST DISROBES
THIS SHOW COULD NOT BE ANY GAYER
IF LIZA WAS NAMED MAYOR
AND ELTON JOHN TOOK FLIGHT
THE CURTAIN FALLS
I’M OFF TO HIT SOME BIG TONY BALLS!
GOODNIGHT!
last night L had some people over to watch with us and at times it really felt like we were making them watch the VCR recording of our children's middleschool musical. prop peices fell on musicians, there were sound issues i didnt even know could occur in non-D-side productions, like mic's not working forcing stage hands to dash on and switch them out mid performance, sniffling, whispering and (rightfully, because it was a circus) GIGGLING from the audience heard louder then the actual performers, people couldnt read the prompters, the cameraman had clearly been drinking and kept cue-ing the cameras to the losers, not the winners, like dolly parton after she did NOT win best original score, thank god, also the camera kept awkwardly zooming so close to the performers you could practically count their blackheads and had no sense of the layout of the scenes they were reenacting, the orchestra insisted on cutting people off and turning off their mics mid-speech, even the 78 year old life time acheivement winner, liza was in fine form by which i mean, completely incoherent but amidst the chaos seemed positively eloquent, and lastly, the host was a complete waste of space with the comedic timing of a cucumber except for his closing number that actually sort of made it all worth it and i just looked up the lyrics for your enjoyment. (turns out he didnt even write it, its by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, who wrote “Hairspray”)
TONIGHT, TONIGHT
THE TONY’S WERE TONIGHT
AND ELTON’S BILLY WAS ALL THE RAGE
(cut to Angela Lansbury)
WHAT CLASS, WHAT DRIVE
NOW ANGELA’S WON FIVE
AND SHE HOOKED UP WITH “POISON” BACKSTAGE!
WITH HEELS AS SORE AS POOR ACHILLES
THREE TUTU WEARING BILLYS
WERE SUCH A WINNING SIGHT
TONIGHT ALL THREE
WON TONYS PLUS THEY HIT PUBERTY!
AND GEOFFREY WON A TONY TONIGHT
KAREN WON A TONY TONIGHT
LIZA AT THE PALACE
MR. RIPLEY’S DAUGHTER ALICE
THEY ALL WON A TONY TONIGHT!
“Credits? That’s not gonna stop me!”
CHRIS SIEBER PLEASE
PERFORMING ON YOUR KNEES?
DUDE, THAT ONLY WORKS TO WIN GOLDEN GLOBES
I HOPE TONIGHT
WHEN THEY’RE HIGH AS A KITE
TO BE THERE WHEN THE “HAIR” CAST DISROBES
THIS SHOW COULD NOT BE ANY GAYER
IF LIZA WAS NAMED MAYOR
AND ELTON JOHN TOOK FLIGHT
THE CURTAIN FALLS
I’M OFF TO HIT SOME BIG TONY BALLS!
GOODNIGHT!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
can you crack the code?
this letter is up for sale this weekend at a certain boston auction house, SO much fun to try and figure out (still haven't gotten the whole thing)
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
glee update
guest star for the fall premiere:
favorite quote of the clip: "working with kristin is what i imagine it would be like for a priest to work with christ"
SO EXCITED
favorite quote of the clip: "working with kristin is what i imagine it would be like for a priest to work with christ"
SO EXCITED
Monday, June 1, 2009
love this
here's a preview of a new show, "Glee", that fox is starting in the fall, you can watch the pilot on fox.com. not only does it have some bway people in it but it is FANTASTIC...sort of best in show meets election meets high school musical....
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Jesus Christ I just drove 45+ miles
Holy Crap everyone. I just drove on the highway and back into hanover and around hanover. If you know me at all you know I fear driving more than anything else. AND I still fear it, but so glad I was able to do what I just did. I don't expect to make this driving thing the usual, but at least now I know I sorta remember how to do it. My body still hurts from being so tense for the last hour of my life.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
i'm BACK!
alright i know i haven't posted in a while, but it's because i've been playing this super fun game called "i can't make decisions and will instead just wallow" (not such a fun game as no one really wins) but exciting news, GAME OVER. i have made a decision and while i still feel a little nervous/apprehensive about the whole thing, i've decided that moving forward is better than wallowing and that the advantages of school right now far outweigh my reservations. so......i will be going to w&m--colonial williamsburg here i come! hopefully i will get to have a part-time job where i get to dress like this:
it only took me 2 months, but i think i really am happy about this decision! i also want to encourage visitors!!! nothing says fun like butter churning!
as for law school itself, it's slightly terrifying to think of the next year. you hear so many horror stories about year 1, how its designed to "humiliate and crush you into the mold of a lawyer"...ugh....i'm sort of hoping it will be more like this:
i am excited to have some structure/ you know, purpose to my life, because really there are only so many gilmore girls episodes one can watch. and REALLY excited to be back on an academic calandar. so still figuring out the details, when i'm going, where i'm living, etc. but YAY!
it only took me 2 months, but i think i really am happy about this decision! i also want to encourage visitors!!! nothing says fun like butter churning!as for law school itself, it's slightly terrifying to think of the next year. you hear so many horror stories about year 1, how its designed to "humiliate and crush you into the mold of a lawyer"...ugh....i'm sort of hoping it will be more like this:
i am excited to have some structure/ you know, purpose to my life, because really there are only so many gilmore girls episodes one can watch. and REALLY excited to be back on an academic calandar. so still figuring out the details, when i'm going, where i'm living, etc. but YAY!
Friday, May 22, 2009
i work for the people who made this ad and that makes me happy
so eds (im lowercasing it so this doesnt get picked up, hopefully) was bought by HP and i work specifically for multiple parts of their business, (corporate, apps services, energy and financial services) and i just found out that this fantastic superbowl commercial was by them and i LOVE IT and now i just have to figure out who does their advertising and get involved. i mean, herding cats? brilliant!!
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
whathefack
in part out of protest for the lack of posting and in part becuase i feel like a gerbil on a wheel rolling down hill, i did not post last week. and then i worked a 13 hour day yesterday and didnt post yesterday either. and now i feel like a neglectful mother.
so im posting though i have almost nothing to say because despite the overworking, im happy. and as you all well know, im a ranter. when theres nothing to rant about, i pretty much go on mute.
i think its time for a change, im going soft.
i feel a little vanilla yogurty. a little foggy. a little over-simplifed, subdued, contented in a post-labotomy kind of way.
here are my updates in ultimate lazy form, bullets:
* i just completed a 432 line 8 column spreadsheet for work. perhaps this is why i feel like a wet blanket. the project took me two weeks and prompted me to vow to my parents (thats when it gets serious,when im swearing on my mothers life, to my mother) that i WILL quit this job even if i havent found a new one, in six months
* on the other end of the spectrum my boss asked me to write and read a poem for her wedding. ive been working on it. gone through about thirty drafts and am back to a blank page. i think this might be the toughest writing assignment of my life.
* im in a relationship. i should stop pretending i'm not because its getting me in trouble. i might be in trouble anyway since a signifigant portion of me is rejecting the idea of being in a relationship, but i'll deal with that later.
* i'm going to southampton for memorial day. note, i did not say home. i wrote home and then i erased it because it doesnt feel like home. boston feels like home. this is signifigant i think. anyway brit will be back from her incredible south american adventure and the entire original crew of my youth will be flocking back to the territory and i cant believe that at this time last year we were all about to graduate. it is outrageous how much has passed in this year.
anyway home or not home or second home, i miss southampton and its potato fields and peach-filled farm stands and white fenced horse farms and im really ready to eat my mother cooking again.
post updates, my friends, it does a body good. i feel a little less like tofu already.
love
D
so im posting though i have almost nothing to say because despite the overworking, im happy. and as you all well know, im a ranter. when theres nothing to rant about, i pretty much go on mute.
i think its time for a change, im going soft.
i feel a little vanilla yogurty. a little foggy. a little over-simplifed, subdued, contented in a post-labotomy kind of way.
here are my updates in ultimate lazy form, bullets:
* i just completed a 432 line 8 column spreadsheet for work. perhaps this is why i feel like a wet blanket. the project took me two weeks and prompted me to vow to my parents (thats when it gets serious,when im swearing on my mothers life, to my mother) that i WILL quit this job even if i havent found a new one, in six months
* on the other end of the spectrum my boss asked me to write and read a poem for her wedding. ive been working on it. gone through about thirty drafts and am back to a blank page. i think this might be the toughest writing assignment of my life.
* im in a relationship. i should stop pretending i'm not because its getting me in trouble. i might be in trouble anyway since a signifigant portion of me is rejecting the idea of being in a relationship, but i'll deal with that later.
* i'm going to southampton for memorial day. note, i did not say home. i wrote home and then i erased it because it doesnt feel like home. boston feels like home. this is signifigant i think. anyway brit will be back from her incredible south american adventure and the entire original crew of my youth will be flocking back to the territory and i cant believe that at this time last year we were all about to graduate. it is outrageous how much has passed in this year.
anyway home or not home or second home, i miss southampton and its potato fields and peach-filled farm stands and white fenced horse farms and im really ready to eat my mother cooking again.
post updates, my friends, it does a body good. i feel a little less like tofu already.
love
D
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
it's been FOREVER since i've posted
granted, so i know i really need to write a long catch-up post, which i promise will come! (short update: i've been postponing the law school decision like WHOA...still no final decision) but i'm running around like crazy today so a few short bway clips will have to do.....
the first is just sort of what i want to happen one day at kareoke.....
this is just a cute one with one kristin chenoweth (pre-wicked) and nathan lane (pre-producers)-- also note how tiny she is, she barely reaches his shoulder in Heels (capital H for they are huge)
and finally, a movie i am VERY excited about (going on thursday) it looks like american idol meets BROADWAY which = AMAZING
the first is just sort of what i want to happen one day at kareoke.....
this is just a cute one with one kristin chenoweth (pre-wicked) and nathan lane (pre-producers)-- also note how tiny she is, she barely reaches his shoulder in Heels (capital H for they are huge)
and finally, a movie i am VERY excited about (going on thursday) it looks like american idol meets BROADWAY which = AMAZING
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
I applied for housing
So after cursing a lot at the Stanford server I applied for housing. It was very overwhelming. I have no clue where any of these places are, nor do I think it matters that much because I imagine the next 2 years to be full of bad hair days, little sleep, little food and little time in my bed. But it might be a nice little bed.
So A has been living with me and let me give you a little bit of an update. We went old school candle pin bowling two days ago at 9pm. We firstly got so confused, not quite lost but confused all the way there. We were the only people in the whole ally except for the owner and worker. We played in teams and at the end of game two the old man on anna's team seriously hugged her from behind and kissed her on the cheek, it was too good. I held back the laughter. But they let us go without paying so annas kiss must have been very good.
Then we went to the supermarket at 10pm, don't do that. It is full of freaks. Lesson learned as I almost threw down with a freak at the bagel counter. And yesterday we went for a walk around mink brook after i got home from work, and midway through the walk we were kinda afraid the trees might fall on us because they were moving back and forth like leaves, except they were trees. And then we kept hearing large bangs. I was sure the forest was collapsing around us.
ok back to work
Friday, April 24, 2009
I'm worried
I totally forgot about this blog. Like seriously totally forgot. It hasn't crossed my mind for at least 30 days. I was just on facebook and saw a post from D in my minifeed. It's not the first time in the past month and a half that I've seen one of you on facebook and I even got around to calling L this week (trying to get better at keeping in touch!), but for some reason all of a sudden D's post reminded me about this blog. What the hell is going on with my memory? I seriously need some ginko baloba
Quick update: no huge changes in my life- Alex was accepted to grad school at columbia so he's coming back to the u s of a, Tyler is in Italy and doesn't have a working phone, Knoxie and I are officially moving in to our apartment June 1 (it only took me a year...), still no progress on finding a boyfriend, got back from an amazing trip from Japan two weeks ago, won the family easter egg hunt, and that's about it. Alex took all of the Japan photos so I'll post some as soon as I get them.
L - let me know what grad schools you're deciding between! any out west?
Quick update: no huge changes in my life- Alex was accepted to grad school at columbia so he's coming back to the u s of a, Tyler is in Italy and doesn't have a working phone, Knoxie and I are officially moving in to our apartment June 1 (it only took me a year...), still no progress on finding a boyfriend, got back from an amazing trip from Japan two weeks ago, won the family easter egg hunt, and that's about it. Alex took all of the Japan photos so I'll post some as soon as I get them.
L - let me know what grad schools you're deciding between! any out west?
Monday, April 20, 2009
marathon monday
the boston marathon is taking place as i type RIGHT outside my office building which is pretty exciting but would be more so if i didnt work for a national agency so that i would have hte day off as everyone else in this town does. instead i walked to work because public transportation is essentially out of commission for the day and really that was pretty nice and only added about 20 mins to my commute and i could pick up a half coffee half hot chocolate on my way so when i weigh the pros and cons im pretty sure walking to work far outweighs the alternative of fighting aggressive bostonians onto a packed T only to have my morning systematically ruined over the next lurching screetching uncertain personal-space-less half hour.
i rode my bike into town on saturday and didnt die so thats also an option then again that was saturday and massholes tend to have exited the city for the weekend so im still not sure thats a great idea. i was also up on the sidewalk half the time and almost got killed when someone opened a car door. so again, perilous in a different way. and a face full of asphalt really wouldnt get me off to a great start either.
im blathering because im at work alone and avoiding the insane to-do list hiding behind this window. maybe it will go away. i also have a lot to get off my chest but im going to unload it on my other blogio and not bore you people with my internal ramblings.
at any rate. happy marathon monday wherever you are, i think its an appropirate way to describe the day regardless of whether youre in a town full of scrawny pavement pounding over-carbed maniacs or not.
much love
D
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Bard Graduate Center
That's where I'll be this fall!
The letters are mailed (and more importantly the flurry of deposit checks) and that's where I'll be starting for a masters in "decorative arts, design and culture." So yes, there is the potential that I could spend an entire semester studying chairs or something else just as absurd on the surface.
Not originally where I thought I'd end up, but after the whole application and decision process, it was clear that it was the best fit and program for me. I'll still be able to focus on architectural history, but excited to broaden it a bit to design history and material culture.
The upper west side better watch out.
The letters are mailed (and more importantly the flurry of deposit checks) and that's where I'll be starting for a masters in "decorative arts, design and culture." So yes, there is the potential that I could spend an entire semester studying chairs or something else just as absurd on the surface.
Not originally where I thought I'd end up, but after the whole application and decision process, it was clear that it was the best fit and program for me. I'll still be able to focus on architectural history, but excited to broaden it a bit to design history and material culture.
The upper west side better watch out.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Happy Tax Day!
Taxes suck. That's all i have to say about that.
Also, did people hear about the failed attempt to tea bag the White House? he he he...
- Murry (apparently Murry isn't sure how to spell his own name... Murray? Murry? whatever, he knows how to spell tea-bag and that's all that matters. he he he...)
Monday, April 13, 2009
easta traffic in bahston...blows
took me six hours to get from westchester following my bunny day celebration with godparents to boston. it should take three. by hour five, after brilliantly chugging a canteen of coffee, i was jammed in deads topped traffic, six lanes across from a shoulder of the road, never mind an EXIT which i hadnt passed in ten miles and wouldnt be passing for another ten.
i.e. i was growing desperate for a bathroom.
so desperate in fact that i was honestly considering the anatomy/engineering involved in successfully using a footlong canteen with a one inch diameter opening...
idetermined that it would have involved rolling back the sunroof and sticking my head out while driving with my knees.
i held it.
L and i are officially running a hostel out of our house. weve had maybe two nights to ourselves over a ten day period. some of the circumstances bringing people to boston to crash with us have not been positive and i know L is about to plutz as my Gma would say, but its so good to be surrounded by activity and people we love. having a place where friends can crash is one of the best parts of this year/decisions that have led me here.
come stay with us this spring if you havent yet.
love
D
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Happy End of Easter!
I have to say that I had a very lovely holiday. I woke up early to go to mom's church with my stepfather, as one of the two times a year I attend. It was a lovely service. Then we came back home and got things ready for an Easter feast/lunch. People arrived and we visited (with mimosas). It was also a lovely day, high sixties and sunny. We ate outside around 2pm and it was perfect weather, brisk but with a warming sun. As with most of our meals celebrating Christian holidays, almost everyone in attendance was actually Jewish and celebrating passover, so in addition to the Easter ham we have turkey and a passover friendly dessert. we also had twiced baked potatoes, asparagus, salad, fruit salad. I baked the dessert! I do love baking. I made a flourless chocolate cake and carrot cake cupcakes with tangy cream cheese frosting (I also made a carrot cake in the shape of a lamb, a tradition for some). Then the younger generation (and by that I mean those of us in our 20s) played croquet in my backyard (I won! towards the end of the game, everyone else gave up trying to win and just tried to take me down). Then we went to the front yard and had an Easter egg hunt. Then everyone left except for my friend C, and the two of us decorated Easter eggs while my mom and step father watched Marley and Me. and that leads me to now. Reflecting on the absolutely lovely day I just had and wishing you were all with me to share it. Next on my list is game night.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
I should kick myself off this blog
I am sorry all for having been a total delinquent. I haven't written in a long time. I suck, I am aware. So I am posting and asking for forgiveness.
But alas I don't have much to say. Formally I think we should all take note of the photos below and wish Miss L a happy birthday. Unfortunately I could not be at that Razzies event, but I hope to reply it the next time I make it to Boston.
Work is going along, lots to do, less desire to do it, thinking more and more about the approaching warm weather and move to the Bay, not quite sure if Palo Alto is the Bay but whatever.
Did anyone else realize that itunes just raised its prices, top songs cost 1.29, i am slightly pissed about this, I know there are supposed to be 3 price points, but I haven't seen the cheap one yet (i mean yes they are all "cheap" but I feel used) Simmiliarly I feel used/abused when listening to or watching the new Ciara song "Love Sex Magic" with my lover JT. He licks her chin in the video, am I the only one grossed out by that? I don't even want my chin licked by JT, so that tells you something.
ok talk more later
Monday, April 6, 2009
Friday, April 3, 2009
fight me
http://www.pillowfightday.com/
i seriously wish i had time for this saturday.
the idea of full licence to wildly swing a pillow connecting to everything in my range, is almost too good to be true.
as it is, saturday is going to be a doozie of a day, only in the best way.
but man... we all know ive got some excess aggression and this would be greeaaaat...
wherever you are, attend your regional pillow fight on my behalf.
i seriously wish i had time for this saturday.
the idea of full licence to wildly swing a pillow connecting to everything in my range, is almost too good to be true.
as it is, saturday is going to be a doozie of a day, only in the best way.
but man... we all know ive got some excess aggression and this would be greeaaaat...
wherever you are, attend your regional pillow fight on my behalf.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
"'Mr. Poopy Pants' and fees frustrate flyers"
really CNN, thats your headline?
(i secretly very much approve)
Article:
There was a time when airline travel was a special treat, the kind of occasion that inspired passengers to dress up.
Hordes of travelers pass through airport security en route to their flights.
Now, the awe people once felt about flying through the clouds is tempered by additional fees, cramped seats and horrifying tales of fellow travelers.
Take, for instance, "Mr. Poopy Pants" -- a grown man who allegedly soiled himself 10 minutes into a flight from Florida to Minnesota. And then he just sat there.
"We've all had our flying hell experiences," said Gregg Rottler, creator of FlightsFromHell.com.
The site provides a venue for people to share their tales of woe, said Rottler. "It's therapeutic ... so it benefits them and provides entertainment value for others."
Rottler, a 54-year-old environmental health supervisor in Tampa, Florida, launched the site more than two years ago. Since then, FlightsFromHell.com has attracted submissions from passengers and flight attendants that have run the gamut, touching on categories that include "odors," "attendant issues," "weird people," and "luggage and delays."
Among the story headlines: "Titanic toddler creates tumult," "Wifey punched by elderly 'sleepwalker,' " and "Lip-locked tousle-haired 20-somethings."
"There's something about being scrunched up with strangers ... The seats aren't that big, and once someone starts going wacko, it just creates an extremely stressful environment that was already stressful enough," Rottler said.
TripAdvisor, the world's largest online travel community, recently released survey results from more than 1,500 U.S. respondents asked to discuss what about flying bugs them most.
The purpose was to "allow travelers to air their grievances," TripAdvisor spokesman Brooke Ferencsik said. Sure enough, he continued, "83 percent of respondents said air travelers have gotten ruder over the past 10 years" and the most annoying travelers, earning 59 percent of votes, were "oblivious parents."
Flyers griped about fellow passengers snoring, vomiting and having "excessive flatulence."
But it wasn't just crying babies, heavy perfume and strangers dozing off and drooling on their shoulders that people complained about.
Add-on fees were also a concern. These charges often hit when booking tickets, making particular seat selections and checking bags. Bringing a pet on board or getting food, blankets and pillows can also add fees. But 54 percent agreed on this: No airline fee is more annoying than the one to check luggage.
The trend of ratcheting up fees began in late spring of 2008, explained Anne Banas, executive editor of SmarterTravel.com, an online consumer travel publication.
"Everyday it seemed a new fee came out," she said. "The consumer sees it as nickel and diming."
While some add-on charges have fallen by the wayside, such as U.S. Airways ill-fated decision to charge $2 for water, juice and soda, Banas believes other more universally instituted fees that are of great help to struggling airlines, including the ones for checked bags, are likely here to stay.
"Baggage fees get people the most upset because it's the one that's hardest to avoid," she said. "People get upset when there was a status quo and something gets taken away."
To help frustrated travelers, who become even more aggravated because the fees vary by airline, SmarterTravel created a guide to airline fees.
TripAdvisor, which collaborates with SmarterTravel (both are owned by Expedia), also instituted a fees estimator, which allows people to figure out what flights will really cost, removing the element of surprise.
When the company set out to do its survey, Ferencsik said, "We were curious to find out how much people were frustrated," by fees, such as the one for checked baggage. "Does it surprise them? And what are they doing to avoid it?"
The fact that 19 percent of respondents said they don't check bags anymore, and 39 percent said they try their best to avoid it, was proof that they're "modifying the way they travel."
But while they'll bend to deal with change, there are some talked-about fees that may be deal-breakers. Seventy-five percent of those surveyed said they'd draw the line if they were ever charged by an airline to use toilets.
Does that mean "Mr. Poopy Pants" will have company?
"I hope they would just choose a different airline," Ferencsik said.
(i secretly very much approve)
Article:
There was a time when airline travel was a special treat, the kind of occasion that inspired passengers to dress up.
Hordes of travelers pass through airport security en route to their flights.
Now, the awe people once felt about flying through the clouds is tempered by additional fees, cramped seats and horrifying tales of fellow travelers.
Take, for instance, "Mr. Poopy Pants" -- a grown man who allegedly soiled himself 10 minutes into a flight from Florida to Minnesota. And then he just sat there.
"We've all had our flying hell experiences," said Gregg Rottler, creator of FlightsFromHell.com.
The site provides a venue for people to share their tales of woe, said Rottler. "It's therapeutic ... so it benefits them and provides entertainment value for others."
Rottler, a 54-year-old environmental health supervisor in Tampa, Florida, launched the site more than two years ago. Since then, FlightsFromHell.com has attracted submissions from passengers and flight attendants that have run the gamut, touching on categories that include "odors," "attendant issues," "weird people," and "luggage and delays."
Among the story headlines: "Titanic toddler creates tumult," "Wifey punched by elderly 'sleepwalker,' " and "Lip-locked tousle-haired 20-somethings."
"There's something about being scrunched up with strangers ... The seats aren't that big, and once someone starts going wacko, it just creates an extremely stressful environment that was already stressful enough," Rottler said.
TripAdvisor, the world's largest online travel community, recently released survey results from more than 1,500 U.S. respondents asked to discuss what about flying bugs them most.
The purpose was to "allow travelers to air their grievances," TripAdvisor spokesman Brooke Ferencsik said. Sure enough, he continued, "83 percent of respondents said air travelers have gotten ruder over the past 10 years" and the most annoying travelers, earning 59 percent of votes, were "oblivious parents."
Flyers griped about fellow passengers snoring, vomiting and having "excessive flatulence."
But it wasn't just crying babies, heavy perfume and strangers dozing off and drooling on their shoulders that people complained about.
Add-on fees were also a concern. These charges often hit when booking tickets, making particular seat selections and checking bags. Bringing a pet on board or getting food, blankets and pillows can also add fees. But 54 percent agreed on this: No airline fee is more annoying than the one to check luggage.
The trend of ratcheting up fees began in late spring of 2008, explained Anne Banas, executive editor of SmarterTravel.com, an online consumer travel publication.
"Everyday it seemed a new fee came out," she said. "The consumer sees it as nickel and diming."
While some add-on charges have fallen by the wayside, such as U.S. Airways ill-fated decision to charge $2 for water, juice and soda, Banas believes other more universally instituted fees that are of great help to struggling airlines, including the ones for checked bags, are likely here to stay.
"Baggage fees get people the most upset because it's the one that's hardest to avoid," she said. "People get upset when there was a status quo and something gets taken away."
To help frustrated travelers, who become even more aggravated because the fees vary by airline, SmarterTravel created a guide to airline fees.
TripAdvisor, which collaborates with SmarterTravel (both are owned by Expedia), also instituted a fees estimator, which allows people to figure out what flights will really cost, removing the element of surprise.
When the company set out to do its survey, Ferencsik said, "We were curious to find out how much people were frustrated," by fees, such as the one for checked baggage. "Does it surprise them? And what are they doing to avoid it?"
The fact that 19 percent of respondents said they don't check bags anymore, and 39 percent said they try their best to avoid it, was proof that they're "modifying the way they travel."
But while they'll bend to deal with change, there are some talked-about fees that may be deal-breakers. Seventy-five percent of those surveyed said they'd draw the line if they were ever charged by an airline to use toilets.
Does that mean "Mr. Poopy Pants" will have company?
"I hope they would just choose a different airline," Ferencsik said.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
hello again
i know i know, i've very much been MIA from the blog. sorry, sorry! i have been reading the posts though, and i promise to get back in the posting routine!
anywho, mini-update: i was at home for a week, visiting, skiing etc. (got to see the fam, the pets and some elk in the backyard, always a good time) and then was back here, in time for an auction at work (no major drama apart from getting a $6000+ necklace stuck on me for a stressful 15min) and then this past weekend did the law-school visiting routine, which was sort of like a weird twilight zone version of visiting undergrad schools but instead of "where are you from?" the question du jour was "what have you been doing since school?". i can't tell you how many times in a 5-hr period i heard, "i spent some time working on the obama campaign, good times".
it's getting down to decision time, as of yet no major decision, but i think/hope getting closer to figuring it out everyday. i think i tend to shut down a bit when avoiding big decisions, which is a bit ironic because not-shutting down would be a good way to avoid decision making, BUT anyway i'm trying to be better, and post and keep in touch (everyone get excited for an influx of emails/phone calls) AND......(i can feel the excitement building) keeping up on my broadway news.
first off, rock of ages, which if any "musical" needed air quotes i think this is it. it seems to be the mamma mia! of the 80s-rock loving crowd, which generally as we all know would include myself, but i think there are better things to be seen/to spend your money on in NY right now. or at least lets hope. i think i would have seen it off bway (where it just transferred from), but who needs to pay $85 for an 80s party? life can be your 80s party. (yes that's right)
anyways, sorry for the mini-review, but here's a clip of the show in a rehearsal that was open to the press...i think you'll see what i mean. that said, it does look like a lot of fun...and i can't get the song out if my head.
on a more traditional bway note, here's a number from a cabaret performance of the show "henry and mudge"...i've maybe watched this video 8 times now. it's pretty silly but i love it. and how this actress really does nail the persona of a 7 year old. enjoy!
i know you all were missing a little jazz hands in your life.....
anywho, mini-update: i was at home for a week, visiting, skiing etc. (got to see the fam, the pets and some elk in the backyard, always a good time) and then was back here, in time for an auction at work (no major drama apart from getting a $6000+ necklace stuck on me for a stressful 15min) and then this past weekend did the law-school visiting routine, which was sort of like a weird twilight zone version of visiting undergrad schools but instead of "where are you from?" the question du jour was "what have you been doing since school?". i can't tell you how many times in a 5-hr period i heard, "i spent some time working on the obama campaign, good times".
it's getting down to decision time, as of yet no major decision, but i think/hope getting closer to figuring it out everyday. i think i tend to shut down a bit when avoiding big decisions, which is a bit ironic because not-shutting down would be a good way to avoid decision making, BUT anyway i'm trying to be better, and post and keep in touch (everyone get excited for an influx of emails/phone calls) AND......(i can feel the excitement building) keeping up on my broadway news.
first off, rock of ages, which if any "musical" needed air quotes i think this is it. it seems to be the mamma mia! of the 80s-rock loving crowd, which generally as we all know would include myself, but i think there are better things to be seen/to spend your money on in NY right now. or at least lets hope. i think i would have seen it off bway (where it just transferred from), but who needs to pay $85 for an 80s party? life can be your 80s party. (yes that's right)
anyways, sorry for the mini-review, but here's a clip of the show in a rehearsal that was open to the press...i think you'll see what i mean. that said, it does look like a lot of fun...and i can't get the song out if my head.
on a more traditional bway note, here's a number from a cabaret performance of the show "henry and mudge"...i've maybe watched this video 8 times now. it's pretty silly but i love it. and how this actress really does nail the persona of a 7 year old. enjoy!
i know you all were missing a little jazz hands in your life.....
Thursday, March 26, 2009
two things that suck: illness and jury duty
And I had to endure both this week.
For the past week I've been battling something that seems to have lodged itself in my sinuses (or at least that area). Then this Monday I had jury duty, which wasn't that bad in the grand scheme of things, just sitting in the jury room for several hours, but with sickness = not so fun.
in other other news: OH MY GOD IT"S ALMOST APRIL! where does the time go??
and of course some goodies:
this is for D in particular:
For the past week I've been battling something that seems to have lodged itself in my sinuses (or at least that area). Then this Monday I had jury duty, which wasn't that bad in the grand scheme of things, just sitting in the jury room for several hours, but with sickness = not so fun.
in other other news: OH MY GOD IT"S ALMOST APRIL! where does the time go??
and of course some goodies:
this is for D in particular:
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
The master of miscellany
In the kaleidoscope of random people I have an odd zeal for, Ben Schott ranks up there.
And now with a blog!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
for A:
the museum of kitchy stitches, by stitchy mcyarnpants
and on an unrelated note, a moment from my morning:
me- guys we need to provide headquarters with our top green tips and volunteer work we do.
torrey- what is it, like goodie two-shoes month or something?
me- something like that.
vanessa- tell them we save water by not watering the office plants.
ellen- yeah, and i dont know what company they work for but who the hell has time to "volunteer"??
me- what is that sound? ellen are you... filing your nails?
ellen- dont judge me daisy.
back to work.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Waiting, eating and traveling
Hey all
Sorry I missed last week. I was so caught up on thinking I would find out any day about school that many things fell through the cracks, one being the posting. Sorry.
So it is now a week later and I still do not know. I am in bostons south station terminal waiting for my bus so I can get to New York just so I can leave for Venice tomorrow at 5:30. In less then 24 hours I need to get to NY, eat, (hopefully a few times) sleep, buy jeans b/c I actually only have 1 non broken pair, and move myself from my sisters apartment to my house in queens. Doesn't seem like a lot, but it surely is.
It is strange to be going on vacation knowing that at some point this week a letter will arrive in my mail box, but I guess I will just have to deal. My coping routine will hopefully involve lots of interesting things, people and places I can't even imagine right now.
Just got on this Bolt Bus that is brand new, black leather interior, wireless, plugs at every seat. Highly recommend it for anyone- yes that is a serious side note.
Ok so back to what J has learned. Just like D's previous post we need to take happiness into our own hands. And nothing is actually the end of the world, no matter how bad it might seem. And give people a real chance. I met someone pretty special, he is great, interested in me, a nice guy, no flashing signs for me to run in the other direction and today I almost freaked out at him because he was grumpy. I actually almost wrote him off because for a matter of an hour he wasn't at his best. He hadn't slept, he had to go to work there were lots of things going on and i internally freaked out. I kinda cut our breakfast short and may or may not have given him the wrong idea. Mainly because I had the wrong idea. I forgot that people have off days, and we can't always be happy and chipper and not grumpy and be perfect. If he and I date more which i hope we do i bet he will be grumpy again, and I can surely bet I will be even more grumpy than he was this morning. And i will have to deal with it. I forgot what effort it takes to make a new friend let alone a new special friend. And thankfully I have friends who tell me when I have smoked too much crack and need to cut other people and myself a break.
J & D get active. (vs passive)
j came to boston this past weekend. we both have things going on in our lives that involve waiting...being at the mercy of other people. in j's case its actually life changing and important. in mine, its basically petty and stupid but in both cases its frustrating as hell to have to sit back and wait for someone else to dictate your happiness/future and i think this weekend we did a damn good job of taking it back in our own hands. its so important to seek out our own happiness.
and thats what we did. in about 48 hours we walked at least ten miles over four or five neighborhoods across the boston area, found at least ten fabulous thrift stores, inspected at least ten cafes in my ongoing pursuit of the perfect cafe, ate at least ten fabulous meals of various cultural heritage, and found one store that blew us both out of the water.
j bought the "freshest" sneakers (bronze and black quilted sprinters!)and i bought the "nastiest" hat (lined with daisy printed fabric!) and the owner fell in love with j's huge rock ring and told her she should send her stuff his way and we fell a little in love with the owner and decided to follow his instructions and walk all the way to central square to an african dance... experience(?) that happened to be as fresh nasty and fabulous as he'd swore it would be.
i rerererereconfirmed how happy i am not to be in new york and TO be in boston. i tell you in new york youre not going to happen upon a neighborhood versin of j's famous booth. but in boston, you might, and we did. the questions people submitted to be pondered and answered by whoever made the piece were beautiful and touching and silly and i intend to have one in my backyard wherever i settle... check this one out:
im reading on wednesday at cantab lounge in central square. just thinking about it my stomach is dropping into ass. but im gonna do it. damnit.
thats all for now.
xD
and thats what we did. in about 48 hours we walked at least ten miles over four or five neighborhoods across the boston area, found at least ten fabulous thrift stores, inspected at least ten cafes in my ongoing pursuit of the perfect cafe, ate at least ten fabulous meals of various cultural heritage, and found one store that blew us both out of the water.
j bought the "freshest" sneakers (bronze and black quilted sprinters!)and i bought the "nastiest" hat (lined with daisy printed fabric!) and the owner fell in love with j's huge rock ring and told her she should send her stuff his way and we fell a little in love with the owner and decided to follow his instructions and walk all the way to central square to an african dance... experience(?) that happened to be as fresh nasty and fabulous as he'd swore it would be.
i rerererereconfirmed how happy i am not to be in new york and TO be in boston. i tell you in new york youre not going to happen upon a neighborhood versin of j's famous booth. but in boston, you might, and we did. the questions people submitted to be pondered and answered by whoever made the piece were beautiful and touching and silly and i intend to have one in my backyard wherever i settle... check this one out:
im reading on wednesday at cantab lounge in central square. just thinking about it my stomach is dropping into ass. but im gonna do it. damnit.
thats all for now.
xD
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Less than 3 weeks to go!
Alright I know I missed posting last week (I was in Vail taking my first vacation day ever!) but right now I feel like I have absolutely nothing to say. And I'm sleepy! But here are some quick notes and I'll add more in the next couple days (hopefully tomorrow):
1. L's brother asked my sister to prom (maybe jokingly? hard to tell?)
2. I went skiing for the first time in 6 years and it actually went okay! I'm staying on groomed terrain for awhile - but I didn't take any really serious falls
3. I'm slowly finding furniture for my apartment. I forgot to take pictures again but I will hopefully have some by next week. It looks like we won't move in until June 1st - so we have enough time to move slowly!
4. My mentor is getting moved off my team and I'm so upset about it! It's a really good thing for him, but I've come to rely on him for all of my questions and now I feel like I'm going to have to start taking more control of my job
Anyhow those are all the big things I have to share. Maybe I'll think of more by the next time I post!
1. L's brother asked my sister to prom (maybe jokingly? hard to tell?)
2. I went skiing for the first time in 6 years and it actually went okay! I'm staying on groomed terrain for awhile - but I didn't take any really serious falls
3. I'm slowly finding furniture for my apartment. I forgot to take pictures again but I will hopefully have some by next week. It looks like we won't move in until June 1st - so we have enough time to move slowly!
4. My mentor is getting moved off my team and I'm so upset about it! It's a really good thing for him, but I've come to rely on him for all of my questions and now I feel like I'm going to have to start taking more control of my job
Anyhow those are all the big things I have to share. Maybe I'll think of more by the next time I post!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Video Killed the Radio Star
Video fun!
Via Cuteoverload
This is disturbingly similar to myself in the morning (and perhaps J when her naps are interrupted?)
some Ani
and of course some sarah haskins action from last month, i add this because there has been some suggestion of making myself an online profile, hmmm
and here is a piece by ms. haskins that i found hilarious because i had a lot of Barbies, i was like obsessed, and, not surprisingly, my Barbies got around (tying back to the Ani, yay)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/06/AR2009030602038.html
Via Cuteoverload
This is disturbingly similar to myself in the morning (and perhaps J when her naps are interrupted?)
some Ani
and of course some sarah haskins action from last month, i add this because there has been some suggestion of making myself an online profile, hmmm
and here is a piece by ms. haskins that i found hilarious because i had a lot of Barbies, i was like obsessed, and, not surprisingly, my Barbies got around (tying back to the Ani, yay)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/06/AR2009030602038.html
Scanwiches!
Was just added to my google reader.
I'm very excited for a daily dose of scanned sandwich goodness.
http://scanwiches.com/
Monday, March 9, 2009
Just refer to me as a mountain woman
hey ho all
I spent the last week up in the mountains, Mammoth mountain to be exact. This appears to be the season for skiing for me and i really do love it. I snowed heavily the first few days we were up there (with my mother, why don't i have friends that ski?) then we had three glorious days of sun and 2 feet of fresh powder, which is much harder to ski in although also much better at the same time. Every day I ski i get better, almost back to where I left off pre-college, but not quite. When my mom and I went down a black diamond by accident in ungroomed powder the foremost thought in my head was "don't die, don't die, just get down the mountain without dying" and i didn't die! yay! so after making it down, i was quite proud of my achievement and had my adventure quota filled. Also while trying to ski amoung the weekend crowds i realize how much i dislike crowds of people, especially young, stupid and inconsiderate crowds. I embrace that i am a curmudgeon. overall it was a very nice time and i hope to get up one more time while the skiing is still good.
a little hello from the mountain top
I spent the last week up in the mountains, Mammoth mountain to be exact. This appears to be the season for skiing for me and i really do love it. I snowed heavily the first few days we were up there (with my mother, why don't i have friends that ski?) then we had three glorious days of sun and 2 feet of fresh powder, which is much harder to ski in although also much better at the same time. Every day I ski i get better, almost back to where I left off pre-college, but not quite. When my mom and I went down a black diamond by accident in ungroomed powder the foremost thought in my head was "don't die, don't die, just get down the mountain without dying" and i didn't die! yay! so after making it down, i was quite proud of my achievement and had my adventure quota filled. Also while trying to ski amoung the weekend crowds i realize how much i dislike crowds of people, especially young, stupid and inconsiderate crowds. I embrace that i am a curmudgeon. overall it was a very nice time and i hope to get up one more time while the skiing is still good.
a little hello from the mountain top
i feel silly
posting after i posted the last post.
now i just feel silly for having written 'post' 3 times in 7 words.
i understand that i live with one of you and talk to the rest of you regularly on the phone but gee whiz a hidey ho on a post every once in a while wouldnt kill you.
wow. i sound like my family. i'll lay off laying on the jewish guilt.
also sorry for the cryptic posts last week. i temporarily confused this blog with my other one where iget to be all emo and angsty and cryptic and wax philisophical and pretend i have an extensive readership. though i will say my site monitor shows ive gathered a little international crowd thanks to an old post with thelwell pony cartoons that lures in the brits and extensive posting about missy higgins that attracts the aussies... and then there are a bunch of germans though im not sure what in the world got them interested. probably the prevelance of gloom in my writing.
thats not fair to the germans. i had a very cheery german babysitter for a summer. she was 6'1 and liked to lie topless in my yard tanning even though she knew we had neighbors who could see through the privet hedge. im not one to judge her on that.
anyway.
today i spent a good hour trying to figure out the saying, phrase, idiom, axiom, whatever you call it that people say when someone is using a highly inappropriate and oversized tool for a job. Like, a shovel to scoop sugar, or a forklift to raise a casseroule, or a hedge trimmer to clip a toenail... or something. it was/is for a byline im writing for work and i need this phrase as a catchy intro but even posting as my busy message on gchat didnt yield the answer id hoped for. someone suggested killing mosquitoes with a machine gun. someone else mentioned bringing a gun to a knife fight and still others insisted it was smashing a walnut with a sledge hammer but besides being disconcertingly violent, im sure those are not commonly used.. i know theres one out there ive heard before... anyway chew on that my friends. and if you think of it, shoot it to me and save me from the torment.
going back to work. hoping youre all doing well, whatever the weather.
love D
now i just feel silly for having written 'post' 3 times in 7 words.
i understand that i live with one of you and talk to the rest of you regularly on the phone but gee whiz a hidey ho on a post every once in a while wouldnt kill you.
wow. i sound like my family. i'll lay off laying on the jewish guilt.
also sorry for the cryptic posts last week. i temporarily confused this blog with my other one where iget to be all emo and angsty and cryptic and wax philisophical and pretend i have an extensive readership. though i will say my site monitor shows ive gathered a little international crowd thanks to an old post with thelwell pony cartoons that lures in the brits and extensive posting about missy higgins that attracts the aussies... and then there are a bunch of germans though im not sure what in the world got them interested. probably the prevelance of gloom in my writing.
thats not fair to the germans. i had a very cheery german babysitter for a summer. she was 6'1 and liked to lie topless in my yard tanning even though she knew we had neighbors who could see through the privet hedge. im not one to judge her on that.
anyway.
today i spent a good hour trying to figure out the saying, phrase, idiom, axiom, whatever you call it that people say when someone is using a highly inappropriate and oversized tool for a job. Like, a shovel to scoop sugar, or a forklift to raise a casseroule, or a hedge trimmer to clip a toenail... or something. it was/is for a byline im writing for work and i need this phrase as a catchy intro but even posting as my busy message on gchat didnt yield the answer id hoped for. someone suggested killing mosquitoes with a machine gun. someone else mentioned bringing a gun to a knife fight and still others insisted it was smashing a walnut with a sledge hammer but besides being disconcertingly violent, im sure those are not commonly used.. i know theres one out there ive heard before... anyway chew on that my friends. and if you think of it, shoot it to me and save me from the torment.
going back to work. hoping youre all doing well, whatever the weather.
love D
Friday, March 6, 2009
Machel Raddow tears my employer a new one.
im not going to write any words that could possibly get this picked up by the people who work in my agency and monitor for bad press because the video below is BAD BAD PRESS and if posting it didnt get me fired im pretty sure some of the other things ive written in past posts, would. and if theres one thing ive learned working here its that people who monitor for coverage can find A.N.Y.T.H.I.N.G.
and i would rather not get fired. yet. however. im just going to quietly put this up there and ask that you watch it.
while i cant defend anything she says, its true, weve been the devils advocate at times, these accounts occured over a period of thirty years and setting aside my feelings on my day to day job, the people who work at this supposedly hellbound agency are actually some of the best and brightest and most welcoming people ive ever known. we do a TON of non profit representation and grass roots work. which she doesnt mention. but thats journalism.
anyway after everything ive bitched about i thought you guys might get a kick out of this. or something.
and i would rather not get fired. yet. however. im just going to quietly put this up there and ask that you watch it.
while i cant defend anything she says, its true, weve been the devils advocate at times, these accounts occured over a period of thirty years and setting aside my feelings on my day to day job, the people who work at this supposedly hellbound agency are actually some of the best and brightest and most welcoming people ive ever known. we do a TON of non profit representation and grass roots work. which she doesnt mention. but thats journalism.
anyway after everything ive bitched about i thought you guys might get a kick out of this. or something.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
E meu Fado
Hi everyone. So today I just came from a great performance of Fado. It is a type of music that is sorta jazz, sorta gypsy, sorta blues and sorta can make every emotion come out of you. This woman didn't even look human, although with her ghoulish appearance she was quite beautiful. The most beautiful part was how she transformed while singing her fado. She quickly talked about the history of Fado. Fado comes from a Latin root for the word fate or destiny, and many people in Portugal say E meu Fado, to mean it is my fate. I think that is great, to use the term for music and fate sorta interchangably. I just thought it was a lovely phrase. So I wanted to share.
I have no major news to report. Life is going well and many a countdown has begun. Countdown to Venice, to going to Boston, to knowing from Stanford and just generally waiting for people. I hope meu fado is positive, but regardless e meu fado and will go with it. But not to worry the second anything major happens I will alert the group.
Monday, March 2, 2009
goodness
oh people
doors are opening in my life at such a wild rate its only a matter of time before one swings and hits me in the ass and sends me flying.
but in the meantime im relishing it and have met some amazing people seen some amazing music live and learned some amazing things about my coworkers that have changed the way i view my work and the role its playing in my bigger picture.
starting with a small personal adventure ive slowly allowed opened myself up in ways i didnt expect and in response ive found the world more open to me than i ever knew it was.
i guess ill be more specific next week if theres anything ot be specific about but in the mean time, i write to you from an ungracefully splayed position in the middle of my living room. i'm looking around right now thinking about what this room used to look like. the periwinkle walls, lovingly-if lazily-overpainted to its current 'happy almond' hue by L and me with the help of some red wine and early 90's jams... the asymetrical navy sloping mantle draped with cheery christmas lights balancing a row of sweet valentines cards from our various suitors. and by suitors i mean parents and neighbors... the painted plaques that cover live wires where i wrenched hideous art deco light fixtures off the wall ("without an electrician! you'll fry your face off!" - my mother) preferring the gaping hole and fire hazard to the former visual affront... the trunk i stole from my attic thats cracked almost in half but still serving quite well as our coffee table. the papajohnazon chair L brought that likes to eat its inhabitants like a venus fly trap...i just love our place. i love it for all its quirks and curmudgeonly corners...but more so for how much work L and i have put into making it a combination of our selves, our ideas of what a home should be...
im also currently making L a CD thats shes under strict orders to listen to ON REPEAT of all missy higgins songs. why? because WERE GOING TO HEAR HER ON SATURDAY WAHHHHH IM FREAKIN OUT! i have been obsessed with this girl for well over a year. shes so far up my alley shes around my corner. the title of the CD is GET PUMPED TO GET ANGSTY BABY because thats what our L, perky mcperkyperson, is going to have to do... im enclosing a little sample.
so good musics playing. my kittys chasing an orange and fuschia non denominational ornament around the room. theres another foot of snow on the ground somehow. i have hours of work tomorrow that i have no desire to do. but its ok. im deeply content in this moment. lily just flicked a slipper off her foot and hit me in the side of the face.
life is good.
doors are opening in my life at such a wild rate its only a matter of time before one swings and hits me in the ass and sends me flying.
but in the meantime im relishing it and have met some amazing people seen some amazing music live and learned some amazing things about my coworkers that have changed the way i view my work and the role its playing in my bigger picture.
starting with a small personal adventure ive slowly allowed opened myself up in ways i didnt expect and in response ive found the world more open to me than i ever knew it was.
i guess ill be more specific next week if theres anything ot be specific about but in the mean time, i write to you from an ungracefully splayed position in the middle of my living room. i'm looking around right now thinking about what this room used to look like. the periwinkle walls, lovingly-if lazily-overpainted to its current 'happy almond' hue by L and me with the help of some red wine and early 90's jams... the asymetrical navy sloping mantle draped with cheery christmas lights balancing a row of sweet valentines cards from our various suitors. and by suitors i mean parents and neighbors... the painted plaques that cover live wires where i wrenched hideous art deco light fixtures off the wall ("without an electrician! you'll fry your face off!" - my mother) preferring the gaping hole and fire hazard to the former visual affront... the trunk i stole from my attic thats cracked almost in half but still serving quite well as our coffee table. the papajohnazon chair L brought that likes to eat its inhabitants like a venus fly trap...i just love our place. i love it for all its quirks and curmudgeonly corners...but more so for how much work L and i have put into making it a combination of our selves, our ideas of what a home should be...
im also currently making L a CD thats shes under strict orders to listen to ON REPEAT of all missy higgins songs. why? because WERE GOING TO HEAR HER ON SATURDAY WAHHHHH IM FREAKIN OUT! i have been obsessed with this girl for well over a year. shes so far up my alley shes around my corner. the title of the CD is GET PUMPED TO GET ANGSTY BABY because thats what our L, perky mcperkyperson, is going to have to do... im enclosing a little sample.
so good musics playing. my kittys chasing an orange and fuschia non denominational ornament around the room. theres another foot of snow on the ground somehow. i have hours of work tomorrow that i have no desire to do. but its ok. im deeply content in this moment. lily just flicked a slipper off her foot and hit me in the side of the face.
life is good.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Updates
More updates!
Tyler leaves on Tuesday. I can't believe I already have to say goodbye! I've had so much fun having him at home and I got so used to be able to call him whenever I wanted. I'm more insecure about my friendship with Tyler than anyone else, and even though this visit home was amazing I worry that everything is going to change when he gets back. I feel like we finally got to a good comfortable place. This week he came to work to have lunch with me and see my cube, we went to see the animated shorts that were nominated for the oscars (random I know, it was actually a mistake), we went out to dinner in the city and drank champagne at my apartment, and last night was his graduation party. Now all I have left is to stop by after work to say goodbye! I've been driving Knoxie absolutely nuts complaining about this stuff, so I had to vent here...anyhow I'll probably just end up running up a huge international phone bill since I'll trying to forget about missing tyler by calling alex more.... oh my life is a little confused...
On a happier note - I think we found an interior designer for my apartment! It's this amazingly cute couple (the man's name is Casper and the woman is a furniture designer for pottery barn). I'm so excited! I hope this place ends up looking amazing. You'll all have to come for a dinner party because I'm planning on having A TON (especially now that I can stop by home to pick up partially made food!). Knoxie and I went out to brunch in the city today and it made me really loook forward to all of our future brunches in the city. We're still trying to figure out our move in date - but it might not be until June. I'll keep you posted on the progress. In like two weeks I'll post some pictures of the apartment pre-furniture.
Finally, on Friday I am heading to Vail to ski for the first time in 6 years! L - let me know if there are any restaurants/shops that I should make sure to go to! And p.s. I am planning on calling you back really really soon!
Tyler leaves on Tuesday. I can't believe I already have to say goodbye! I've had so much fun having him at home and I got so used to be able to call him whenever I wanted. I'm more insecure about my friendship with Tyler than anyone else, and even though this visit home was amazing I worry that everything is going to change when he gets back. I feel like we finally got to a good comfortable place. This week he came to work to have lunch with me and see my cube, we went to see the animated shorts that were nominated for the oscars (random I know, it was actually a mistake), we went out to dinner in the city and drank champagne at my apartment, and last night was his graduation party. Now all I have left is to stop by after work to say goodbye! I've been driving Knoxie absolutely nuts complaining about this stuff, so I had to vent here...anyhow I'll probably just end up running up a huge international phone bill since I'll trying to forget about missing tyler by calling alex more.... oh my life is a little confused...
On a happier note - I think we found an interior designer for my apartment! It's this amazingly cute couple (the man's name is Casper and the woman is a furniture designer for pottery barn). I'm so excited! I hope this place ends up looking amazing. You'll all have to come for a dinner party because I'm planning on having A TON (especially now that I can stop by home to pick up partially made food!). Knoxie and I went out to brunch in the city today and it made me really loook forward to all of our future brunches in the city. We're still trying to figure out our move in date - but it might not be until June. I'll keep you posted on the progress. In like two weeks I'll post some pictures of the apartment pre-furniture.
Finally, on Friday I am heading to Vail to ski for the first time in 6 years! L - let me know if there are any restaurants/shops that I should make sure to go to! And p.s. I am planning on calling you back really really soon!
Friday, February 27, 2009
Everything is amazing, nobody is happy . . .
A funny video that I ran across.
While the guy goes a bit over the top to make his point, it's still good to hear and remember
While the guy goes a bit over the top to make his point, it's still good to hear and remember
Thursday, February 26, 2009
From Sugar Lumps to Disco D*cks
The Flight of the Conchords ace it again!
This one goes out to D (in honor of her office email)
on a different note, my breasts are officially able to double as deadly weapons. I've taken a few yoga classes and there is a certain pose that you get into before going into snail pose or the shoulder stand where your feet are over your head on the floor (some help here L?), in that pose my breasts push into my neck and cut off my air circulation. that's right, i choked myself with my own bosom. bet that's not a sentiment you hear every day. personally i find it hilarious, albeit a bit of a damper on my yoga. it could be my new party trick!
This one goes out to D (in honor of her office email)
on a different note, my breasts are officially able to double as deadly weapons. I've taken a few yoga classes and there is a certain pose that you get into before going into snail pose or the shoulder stand where your feet are over your head on the floor (some help here L?), in that pose my breasts push into my neck and cut off my air circulation. that's right, i choked myself with my own bosom. bet that's not a sentiment you hear every day. personally i find it hilarious, albeit a bit of a damper on my yoga. it could be my new party trick!
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
cupcakes and tennis
so this weekend in hanover with j we discovered 2 very important things necessary to a good party:
cupcakes (preferably with funfetti)
and the willingness to just dance your little heart out, despite a room of engineers staring at you
having some fun-loving germans doesn't hurt either.
j's roommate sven was heading back to germany and so there was a big sendoff including dancing (mostly done by me and j and sven who, "loves the disco!"), lots of food and j's other roommate sulking around grumpily. it really was a FANTASTIC time. some top moments include:
--having j clean my dress not once but twice throughout the evening as i continually ended up looking like one of those grubby kids from annie
--taking 4-5 catnaps in j's room over the course of the evening, one of the many perks of not having to leave the house
--j dancing with sven and continually yelling out "no sven! I am leading!"
--my being awkward with some guy who asked for my "contact information" (his words), and telling him "my phone doesn't work, all my calls go through j"
--sven thinking j had been abducted by the 2 swedes who were also in attendence at the party
really, what more could you ask for in a party? the only thing that would have made it better would have been if there had been the full blog in attendence
on a different, equally ridiculous but far less festive note i had an interview with a test prep company on monday. we were supposed to prepare a 5min non-academic topic to teach to the other people interviewing. i had prepared (or more truthfully had stolen craig's topic) "how to score a tennis match", pretty basic, straightforward and hopefully interesting (i had even thought up some tennis jokes including one about how zero is called "love"). anywho there are 12 of us there, and the instructor asks who wants to go first, wanting to get it over with i volunteer but so did another guy, being nice i let him go ahead. MIS-TAKE
he gets up there and what does he do? "okay, i'm going to teach HOW TO SCORE A TENNIS MATCH"
really? REALLLY????
i spent the next five minutes frantically searching through my purse for other potential topics:
how to put on chapstick? the many uses for a headband?
five minutes later i awkwardly get up and say "i am also going to teach about how to score a tennis match..." long pause followed by 5 more min. of my awkwardly teaching the SAME MATERIAL. there were no laughs at my tennis jokes, and all of my "any questions?" comments were met with blank stares
really.
also from the test prep interview, i realized the great divide in the grad school exams, the LSAT kids vs. the MCAT ones in particular. there were only 3 trying out for the MCAT, the first guy was clearly petrified and taught how to play chess, saying things like "the mighty bishop is a powerful tool" but his hands kept shaking so much he kept knocking the pieces over, the 2nd MCAT guy taught "how to orient yourself in the woods using only a stick". enough said. and the 3rd (a girl) taught how to treat a stab wound.
not planning on getting that job. sigh.
i think that pretty much sums up my week/weekend. i guess i really did get good use out of that "humor is best used at the moment of awkwardness" fortune...
on a more jazz-hands based note....hugh jackman's opening at the oscars? A-MAZING also the oscars were so watchable/intersting this year. weird right? but also great! who's counting down to the tonys???
cupcakes (preferably with funfetti)
and the willingness to just dance your little heart out, despite a room of engineers staring at you
having some fun-loving germans doesn't hurt either.
j's roommate sven was heading back to germany and so there was a big sendoff including dancing (mostly done by me and j and sven who, "loves the disco!"), lots of food and j's other roommate sulking around grumpily. it really was a FANTASTIC time. some top moments include:
--having j clean my dress not once but twice throughout the evening as i continually ended up looking like one of those grubby kids from annie
--taking 4-5 catnaps in j's room over the course of the evening, one of the many perks of not having to leave the house
--j dancing with sven and continually yelling out "no sven! I am leading!"
--my being awkward with some guy who asked for my "contact information" (his words), and telling him "my phone doesn't work, all my calls go through j"
--sven thinking j had been abducted by the 2 swedes who were also in attendence at the party
really, what more could you ask for in a party? the only thing that would have made it better would have been if there had been the full blog in attendence
on a different, equally ridiculous but far less festive note i had an interview with a test prep company on monday. we were supposed to prepare a 5min non-academic topic to teach to the other people interviewing. i had prepared (or more truthfully had stolen craig's topic) "how to score a tennis match", pretty basic, straightforward and hopefully interesting (i had even thought up some tennis jokes including one about how zero is called "love"). anywho there are 12 of us there, and the instructor asks who wants to go first, wanting to get it over with i volunteer but so did another guy, being nice i let him go ahead. MIS-TAKE
he gets up there and what does he do? "okay, i'm going to teach HOW TO SCORE A TENNIS MATCH"
really? REALLLY????
i spent the next five minutes frantically searching through my purse for other potential topics:
how to put on chapstick? the many uses for a headband?
five minutes later i awkwardly get up and say "i am also going to teach about how to score a tennis match..." long pause followed by 5 more min. of my awkwardly teaching the SAME MATERIAL. there were no laughs at my tennis jokes, and all of my "any questions?" comments were met with blank stares
really.
also from the test prep interview, i realized the great divide in the grad school exams, the LSAT kids vs. the MCAT ones in particular. there were only 3 trying out for the MCAT, the first guy was clearly petrified and taught how to play chess, saying things like "the mighty bishop is a powerful tool" but his hands kept shaking so much he kept knocking the pieces over, the 2nd MCAT guy taught "how to orient yourself in the woods using only a stick". enough said. and the 3rd (a girl) taught how to treat a stab wound.
not planning on getting that job. sigh.
i think that pretty much sums up my week/weekend. i guess i really did get good use out of that "humor is best used at the moment of awkwardness" fortune...
on a more jazz-hands based note....hugh jackman's opening at the oscars? A-MAZING also the oscars were so watchable/intersting this year. weird right? but also great! who's counting down to the tonys???
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
I think me and Obama have a connection
It seems to me that for most of Obama's momentous occasions I have had the pleasure to post. Today being not different. Now I must admit I did not watch his speech in real time, nor did I even watch it in the correct order, I was relegated to watch it in broken segments, which together documented the entire speech, but wasn't quite the same thing. It was sorta like watching a movie with commercial breaks to pee and run your household errands. So in that regard I was happy for my disjuncted viewing.
But I will not really discuss his speech except to say I am proud to have any man be my president who gives Biden a shot out to the effect of "Nobody messes with Biden" and also walks into a room and gives man soul connecting hugs. I approve that.
What my real topic of conversation today is about fear and hope. Which also can easily be discussed in Obama's speech, but instead I will discuss personal fear and hope.
So everyday I sorta rush home to look in my mailbox. I walk down my street peering to see if anything large or small is in my mailbox. Who am I kidding, mainly large. I am a strong believer that everything is better if it is bigger, except for portable electronic devices, those should always be small and beautiful. But envelopes on the other hand should be large. Large enough to pour out confetti and ballons. Large enough to contain my dreams and aspirations in them. But I guess no envelope is actually that large, except for maybe the solar envelope . But that is me. I walk home anticipating an envelope that may or may not come. And even with that anticipation I realize that I will most likely find out through e-mail what my semi immediate fate will look like, but either way there is a lot of fear and hope involved and as I shove my hand in the mailbox I try to sense whether or not I can feel my future or just the cell phone bill of my roommate.
It is funny either way there is a lot of fear and hope involved. I have no clue what I will be doing in 4 short months. I could be here in H-Town, I could be back home, I could be in a box, I could be anywhere doing anything. And that is what I am realizing. J you can do anything, anything at all. Kinda crazy. Yes we have all been told that the world is open for us, we just need to be open to it, but with fear of not slacking and using our very expensive education wisely I think we have all gotten a tad worried. I too. I have been offered to stay here doing what I am currently doing, for another year. And people are expecting me to. It is interesting how all this is playing out. I could stay here and really become a resident of the upper valley or I could become the resident of Chile, or Vietnam, or the UK, or San Fran. I just don't know what it is that would be best. So I think a lot, I read a lot, I write a lot, I eat a lot, I watch terribly wonderful tv shows and movies a lot and seem to just want to keep doing everything well, a lot.
I also realized that I am starting to rank my priorities in life, and things are not ranking as I once imagined them to be for myself, or at least for this stage of my life. Adventure is moving up on the list and normalcy is moving down, along with that is following a given path. In the past week I have contemplated over a dozen things I could do for the next year of my life. Most of which are totally out of right field, things my parents might have heart attacks if they found out about and where never part of my thought process before. And they cause a lot of fear but also give me a lot of hope and make me realize that maybe I shouldn't walk home everyday expecting for my mailbox to bring me the next clue to my future, but I should be more aggressive about getting what I want out of life, even if what I want changes everyday. So how I am going to be more aggressive I don't know, but world watch out there is a kidult on the loose who carries her own confetti and ballons.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Mustard Flowers, Mistakes, and Money
So I haven't fallen into a ditch somewhere, I've just become really f0rgetful. Last weekend was a three day weekend, and those always screw up my day of the week counting, so I missed Sunday. Yesterday I guess I was just really tired and busy watching the Academy Awards, but I know that's not much of an excuse.
Anyhow here's what I've been up to:
1. I got an apartment! I officially received the keys to my new apartment in the city on Friday and tomorrow I am going to meet my neighbors in the 6 unit apartment building. It's beautiful - brand new kitchen with viking appliances, a big tub in my bathroom, high ceilings, working fireplace, and plenty of room for Knoxie to move in! I probably won't move in until April - but once I'm in you'll all always have a place to crash!
2. This weekend I had a group of friends up to Napa since Tyler is in town. Sepi came up from LA, Oliver came from NYC, and everyone in the Bay Area came as well. It was pretty great as always, despite the rain. Tyler drove me lisa and knoxie up (the car ride is often my favorite part of the weekend) and on the way we passed all of these amazing fields of mustard flowers. we finally stopped the car and went to play. See below picture!
3. There were a couple mistakes made in Napa. First I was sitting at a table with a bunch of people (including Ty) trying to tell the story of how I fell in love with Jarron in 5th grade while he was eating ice cubes. I was a little tipsy and ended up accidentally saying I fell in love with Ty in 5th grade. Tyler instantly looked very uncomfortable, I turned bright read, and Lisa shouted Freudian Slip! thanks lisie.... anyhow Ty seemed to get over it pretty quickly thank god. It was a total accident! And normally would not have been a big deal, except everyone knows I had a crush on him.
4. I've decided that marketing may not work out for me. I don't know if I just don't have a good enough foundation yet and I really need business school, or maybe it just doesn't match with my personality. Or maybe I just need more time until I'll start being good at it. But right now I'm not performing all that well which basically means it's not all that much fun. This led me to thinking about switching career paths and I settled on high school principal. However, then I googled principal salary. Let's just say the average salary is what I'm making right now. And that's for a principal! Assistant principals make less. I don't want to be the kind of person who bases my life off of doing things that make money instead of things that I love, but it's hard to image taking such a steep pay cut. And things like clothes, and travel, and fancy dinners, and giving presents - all cost money. And I love those things. I'm going to have to keep thinking about this one.
get em in a row.
Today at work i sent out an email about a call to "get everyones ducks in a row."
except i mistyped.
and switched a vowel.
in the word 'ducks.'
with an i.
anyone looking for a job might want to apply MY POSITION becauase its about to be open.
as a response (and to make me feel like less of a... duck) someone from one of my teams sent this around:
These are from a book called Disorder in the American Courts, and are things people actually said in court, word for word, taken down and now published by court reporters that had the torment of staying calm while these exchanges were actually taking place.
ATTORNEY: She had three children, right?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: How many were boys?
WITNESS: None.
ATTORNEY: Were there any girls?
WITNESS: Your Honor, I think I need a different attorney.
Can I get a new attorney?
____________________________________________
ATTORNEY: ALL your responses MUST be oral, OK?
What school did you go to?
WITNESS: Oral.
___________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Now doctor, "isn't it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn't know about it until the next morning?"
WITNESS: Did you actually pass the bar exam?
____________________________________
ATTORNEY: The youngest son, the twenty-year-old, how old is he?
WITNESS: He's twenty, much like your IQ.
_________________________________________
ATTORNEY: So the date of conception (of the baby) was August 8th?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And what were you doing at that time?
WITNESS: Getting laid
____________________________________________
ATTORNEY: How was your first marriage terminated?
WITNESS: By death.
ATTORNEY: And by whose death was it terminated?
WITNESS: Take a guess..
____________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Can you describe the individual?
WITNESS: He was about medium height and had a beard.
ATTORNEY: Was this a male or a female?
WITNESS: Unless the Circus was in town I'm going with male.
_____________________________________
ATTORNEY: Doctor, how many of your autopsies have you performed on dead people?
WITNESS: ...All of them? I've found the live ones put up too much of a fight.
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for blood pressure?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for breathing?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?
WITNESS: No .
ATTORNEY: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
WITNESS: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
ATTORNEY: I see, but could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless?
WITNESS: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive. And practicing law.
except i mistyped.
and switched a vowel.
in the word 'ducks.'
with an i.
anyone looking for a job might want to apply MY POSITION becauase its about to be open.
as a response (and to make me feel like less of a... duck) someone from one of my teams sent this around:
These are from a book called Disorder in the American Courts, and are things people actually said in court, word for word, taken down and now published by court reporters that had the torment of staying calm while these exchanges were actually taking place.
ATTORNEY: She had three children, right?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: How many were boys?
WITNESS: None.
ATTORNEY: Were there any girls?
WITNESS: Your Honor, I think I need a different attorney.
Can I get a new attorney?
____________________________________________
ATTORNEY: ALL your responses MUST be oral, OK?
What school did you go to?
WITNESS: Oral.
___________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Now doctor, "isn't it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn't know about it until the next morning?"
WITNESS: Did you actually pass the bar exam?
____________________________________
ATTORNEY: The youngest son, the twenty-year-old, how old is he?
WITNESS: He's twenty, much like your IQ.
_________________________________________
ATTORNEY: So the date of conception (of the baby) was August 8th?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And what were you doing at that time?
WITNESS: Getting laid
____________________________________________
ATTORNEY: How was your first marriage terminated?
WITNESS: By death.
ATTORNEY: And by whose death was it terminated?
WITNESS: Take a guess..
____________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Can you describe the individual?
WITNESS: He was about medium height and had a beard.
ATTORNEY: Was this a male or a female?
WITNESS: Unless the Circus was in town I'm going with male.
_____________________________________
ATTORNEY: Doctor, how many of your autopsies have you performed on dead people?
WITNESS: ...All of them? I've found the live ones put up too much of a fight.
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for blood pressure?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for breathing?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?
WITNESS: No .
ATTORNEY: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
WITNESS: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
ATTORNEY: I see, but could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless?
WITNESS: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive. And practicing law.
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