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Breathing underwater and staying awake.

November 30th, 2005. Published under General. 2 Comments.

I’ve become quite a fan of Aqualung (the band, not the Jethro Tull song) lately.

If you don’t own the Strange and Beautiful album now, go out and buy it. Seriously. I’m not joking.

It’s really emotion-filled music and lyrics and the guy’s not too bad to look at either.

Heh.

I know I’m on the tea kick - and I still am - but the grip of coffee has not let go of my taste buds. There’s something about that cup of coffee first thing in the morning that tea cannot replace for me. It’s the taste, the good jolt of “I’m Awake!” juice and the warm comfort factor that tea doesn’t have. Don’t get me wrong, I love tea and I’m enjoying discovering new teas to try. However, for that first cup of the day, the tea is too harsh, too biting and I need warm, soothing and, well, jolting.

I’ve pretty much stopped drinking caffeinated sodas and will most likely cut all soda out eventually. I prefer the taste of lime mineral water over soda anyway.

I know, I’m weird.

I suppose I can compare this “first cup” phenomenon to a smoker who really doesn’t smoke much, but they have to have one first thing in the morning. I can cut back, but I don’t think I’ll ever kick the coffee habit. I love the flavor of it and from what I’ve read about decaffeinated coffee, the chemicals that they use to decaffeinate it are worse for your body than the caffeine itself.

So no decaf, thanks.

Big changes ahead. Life altering changes. Hang on for the ride!

Where does the time go?

November 28th, 2005. Published under General. 1 Comment.

After last week where I was both busy painting my mom’s house and being depressed, I’m starting this week off at a run. Hopefully I’ll stay ahead of it this week.

Things on tap for this week:

• Getting a realtor set up so I can buy my own condo.
• Getting a mortgage agent that will work with me and my situation.
• Kickboxing with my friend Bree.
• Going out with my friends Sarah and Chris who will FINALLY be in Minnesota!
• Asking for more time off in December (starting the 19th and coming back the 27th).
• Figuring out how in the hell I can buy stuff for Xmas while saving as much money as humanly possible for said condo and new car.
• Finding the right options for my new car and still keep the payment where I want it.
• Shaving my legs (seriously - they’re BAD).

So yeah. Busy!

Things with Dan haven’t been very good lately, and we have been living apart temporarily - but nothing permenent has been decided yet. However, I want to buy this condo on my own. I’m sick of paying rent and I think in a way I need to prove to myself that I can do it on my own. It’s strangely comforting in its own strange way.

With that said, I’m off to try and get some work done.

Thankful? Not so much.

November 24th, 2005. Published under General. 2 Comments.

Today’s Thanksgiving.

Today, I’m not eating turkey. I’m painting my Mom’s house.

Specifically, her dining room, living room, bedroom and stairway. We got the dining room (the room that needed the ceiling painted) and most of the stairway done.

Today, I’m going to finish the stairway, the living room (no ceiling! woot) and hopefully start on the bedroom. My parents are going to my cousin’s for dinner - I’m staying here. One, I don’t want to hang out with them and have to explain things. Two, I just don’t want to.

I’m down here by myself. Why? Long story, and I’m sure I’ll get into it more in the future - but it keeps me awake at night. Coming to the farm, I usually sleep like a log - but not this time, even with all the “manual labor”.

I’m disgruntled. I’m angry. I’m depressed. And I’m sick of it.

So, the no sleeping.

This year, I’m not thankful for anything. Because for me, there’s nothing to be thankful for.

Rootkit, schmrootkit.

November 18th, 2005. Published under General. No Comments.

I’m not going to go into a whole essay about the history of the Sony DRM rootkit story.

I would recommend reading this history of the story first.

But this whole fiasco has given me time to rethink my purchasing strategy when it comes to entertainment. Based upon this blatant disregard for their customers, I’m not going to be buying anything from Sony in the foreseeable future.

This includes:

• PlayStation 3;
• PlayStation 1, 2 or 3 games;
• Any music put out by Sony/BMG*;
• Any movies put out by Sony;
• Any electronic device, stereo or television made by Sony;
• Anything else that I didn’t mention here.

The only exception is that I am going to buy a PlayStation 2 when the one I have craps out. However, I will not buy it until after the PS3 is released - meaning that the PS2 will drop radically in price. I know its going against what I just said - but I have a shitload of PS1 and PS2 games already that I love to play and I’m not going to waste them. I have chocobos to raise and Bahamuts to summon!

I’m going to protest this idiocy with my checkbook. Seriously, it makes me want to buy a XBox**.

———

* - All I can say is THANK GAWD Pearl Jam is no longer with Sony.

** - I would never buy an Xbox. I’m so getting a Nintendo Revolution when it comes out.

I don’t wanna grow up!

November 16th, 2005. Published under General. No Comments.

I’m so not ready for winter.

I was born, raised and for most of my life I have lived in Minnesota. I have fond memories of growing up, playing in the snow and having a grand ‘ol time in the winter wonderland. Coming inside with damp gloves, red flushed faces and ready to have a cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows in it.

Winter was all about making snow forts, sledding, snowmobiling and just having fun outside in the cold and the snow.

There’s just one problem.

Was winter this fucking cold when I was a little kid?

Because Sweet Chocolate Christ it gets really fucking cold now.

Usually you hear people reminisce about how everything was so much more horrible, more of a struggle than it is today. The proverbial “walking 5 miles to school in 3 feet of snow, barefoot and uphill (both ways!)”.

The way I look at it - I had it made as a kid. I have so many fond memories of being a kid and all the things I used to do. I grew up on a farm, we didn’t have a lot of money - but I had parents that loved me and my brothers and sisters and life was good. I would love to experience a winter as a kid again.

Now I seem to have become a wimp. Either that or winter really IS colder now. Global warming, my ass.

Maybe I’m just getting too crotchety in my old age. When I was a kid…

Wear yellow. Drink tea.

November 15th, 2005. Published under General. 2 Comments.

I’m so happy that I have another LiveStrong bracelet again.

My first one broke around a month ago after I had it for a year and a half. I’ve felt quite naked without one since.

It’s frightening how many people I know that are being diagnosed with cancer lately. I don’t know if it’s a result of better diagnosis tools, more health conscious people or if indeed cancer is on the rise.

That would be truly frightening if it is on the rise.

I’m starting to really change my life habits. I’ve stopped drinking all diet caffeinated sodas and replaced them with Diet Rite (no caffeine, no sodium, no calories) Black Cherry and Tangerine flavors and mineral water. At work, I no longer am drinking coffee.

(seriously)

I’m drinking green tea. I know it has caffeine, but about a quarter of what coffee has. Green tea also has some great health benefits, and my cholesterol is a bit high, so as far as I can see there’s no downside to drinking green tea.

I’m starting to buy a lot of tea from Adagio Teas - they have a fantastic website and great service.

If you want to try it, I can give out $5 gift certificates for all new customers. Just enter your email into the form in the sidebar to the right –>

Tea is good - and it’s good for you. The site has a plethora of information about the different types of tea and an extensive list of the health benefits of drinking tea. Check out the ingenuiTEA pot they sell too. I absolutely love it.

Mondays.

November 14th, 2005. Published under General. 4 Comments.

For anyone who’s seen the movie Office Space, you know about the phrase “a case of the Mondays.”

Most of the time, I hate Mondays. I can’t sleep in on Mondays like I had been all weekend. I have to go to work. I have to be a productive member of society.

I’m very much like the Ron Livingston character in Office Space - if I had enough money where I didn’t have to work anymore, I would do nothing.

“And it was all that I thought it could be.”

Even though all those factors contribute to a bad start to the work week - it’s more of an issue of my co-workers being all fired up due to one emergency or another that’s popped up over the weekend. So I am usually greeted by large stacks of paper and “projects” that my co-workers have deposited onto my clean desk over the weekend. Not a good way to start the day - especially since I make the effort every Friday before I leave to clean my desk off. I won’t even get started on the barrage of voice mails that I normally have to deal with on a Monday morning.

But today, hasn’t been that bad.

I was in a pretty good mood when I got out of bed today. My hair has turned out exceptionally cute. I’m wearing one of my new favorite turtleneck sweaters from the Gap.

When I got to work, there were only a few things on my desk and I had NO voice mail.

The breakfast meeting (which I get from Au Bon Pain) did not have any leftover cheese danishes. If you didn’t know this about me, I can resist any sweet type of breakfast pastry in the known universe except the ABP Cheese Danish. It’s like crack - and I call it the Crack Danish.

So yay for the diet!

Then I get a package from my friend Sarah. It was filled to the brim with all the M.A.C. makeup that I have been desiring (and posted about a few weeks back)!! I can’t believe it! Presents on a Monday and I didn’t order for myself and wasn’t expecting!

Another good thing: the December 2005 issue of Men’s Health magazine:

A fact that many of you may not know…I love Adrien Brody. I used to walk by a men’s clothing store on the way to work and for a good year they had huge posters of my Adrien modeling the Ermenegildo Zegna clothing line. I always would say “good morning Adrien” on my way to work…

(silently….what, do you think I’m crazy?)

…but sadly, the ad campaign for the new line came out and there was no Adrien. I almost went into the store and asked them if I could have the old posters. But I’m not sure what I would do with three 5′ by 5′ posters. Well, I could…but I’m not sure Dan would approve.

So yeah, I’m very pleased with Monday today. Go me!

Steal the rhythm while you can.

November 11th, 2005. Published under General. No Comments.

I’m a sucker for new music.

But it has to be good music - music that fits with my current musical tastes. I have an eclectic flavor of what I like. What I do not like, I get quite opinionated about.

I found today a music player/service that makes “radio stations” based upon a song or artist. Pandora Music.

You plug in an artist or a song and it grabs other artists and songs that are similar. I created a Soundgarden one and the first song they played was Mailman off Superunknown. I was in heaven.

I created other “stations”, but I can’t tear myself away from Soundgarden. Once a fangirl, always a fangirl.

Karma?

November 10th, 2005. Published under General. No Comments.

I’ve been watching My Name Is Earl, which is a great TV show and you should watch it.

To give you a very short synopsis of the series, he’s been bad all his life and nothing good has happened to him. He discovered that if he does good things, then good things will happen to him.

Karma.

Which brings me to today. Where should I begin?

I woke up late for work. This normally would have been ok had I showered the night before. As it were, I needed to shower. Late for work - only by 5 minutes - but late nonetheless. I hate being late.

Got to work and I had forgotten my co-worker was going to be out all day today. Days when she’s gone usually are insanely busy.

Earlier in the week, I was told there was going to be a project: 400 confirmation letters that needed to be folded and mailed. Somewhere in the matrix was the information that with each letter, there needed to be 3-6 other pages that also needed to accompany said letters.

Oh, did I mention that I had to make COPIES of all of this before they could be sent out?

Yeah, good times.

Luckily, I was able to “delegate” the folding/stuffing/mailing nightmare to our receptionist (by the suggestion of my supervisor). However, I still had to make copies of All. That. Paper.

Let’s see…400 plus 400 times 4 equals A LOT OF FUCKING PAPER!

Then, someone who has NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS PROJECT yells at me because I delegated the task to the receptionist. Um… what the fuck?

Then it was one fucking thing after another, too minor and whiny to go into depth here.

But the crowning glory was the courier. The courier that was supposed to magically travel 20-some miles one-way DURING EVENING RUSH HOUR in less than an hour. Um sorry…your poor planning does not constitute an emergency on my part.

But you know? In my business, it does. The shit rolls downhill, you know, and I’m near the bottom of that hill.

Combine that with having to deal with nightmare hosting and server issues for a friend (who’s freaking out because she’s not getting her email) - I had e-fucking-nuff.

So I went home to my empty apartment, tried to work on my other website projects to no avail and ended up on the couch watching shit that was recorded on the TiVo all night.

It’s late and I should go to bed, but I’m not tired.

So it leaves me here to wonder; if this is karma, then what in the hell did I do to deserve this?

Organizational love…and money?

November 9th, 2005. Published under General. No Comments.

Found a number of sites wading though all the tech blogs I read:

Library Thing
You can sign up to catalog and even tag (a’la Flickr) your library of books. There’s sharing functionality. The only thing is you’re limited to 200 books on a free account. You can get a paid account for $10 a year or $25 lifetime which will allow the creator of the page to “recline all day on an enormous pile of gold.”

Gotta love the sense of humor.

Listal
If you have more than just books that you want to keep track of - like DVD’s, CD’s AND GAMES - then Listal may be a better option. One bonus is that it is free.

I signed up for my own account and the menus and selections are fantastic. There’s areas for items you own, items you want and you can search for it. On my personal list, I did a search for “Harry Potter”, and I got a two page list with all the movies (in their various formats) listed. Then you check the box of the ones you own and add them to your list. You can also do the same thing for items you want.

I see myself adding things to this all weekend.

———

In other news, I did remember to turn on my cell phone when I got home from work last night. I did not have any messages.

You all owe me $20 now.