31.1.08

fun things from the internet

Here's what I've been looking at while sitting on Amanda's couch (at least she's not coughing tonight).

Timeline of my life

I think a timeline of recent events would be helpful. Especially for me because my head is still spinning.

Sunday: Kelly and Amanda are awesome friends and helped me clean up and plastic my apartment. I then packed food and clothing for a week away from my apartment. And I have to work on Friday night so I packed that crap too.
Apartment status: Plasticed, mostly intact.
Bank status: They're closed on Sunday so we'll allow that.

Monday: In the morning, I packed everything in my car, red bag, blue gym pack, blue overnight bag, hammock (for working Friday night), and suitcase. Ed came over and I showed him around and then the appliances came. That's when it was clear there was nothing else I could do so I left for work. After work I went to Amanda's and had some nice alone time. I went back to my gym and had Chipotle for dinner.
Apartment status: About to be destroyed.
Bank status: No communication.

Tuesday: Wake up from my first night on the torture rack Amanda's couch. Was very warm. Also very aware of metal in my back. I now understand why Kelly didn't unfold the thing after the first night when she lived here. The day started at about 45*, wonderful. I worked all day, and by the evening when I came back to Amanda's, it was about -3*. Brrrr. There was a note saying Amanda had gone to urgent care. It was about that time I realized the dishes and garbage fairy were not going to visit, so I did those things and just told Amanda it was magic. (Hey you'd believe it too after the amount of drugs they gave her.) And then she magically got me Papa John's and beer for dinner. I don't ask questions about magic. Do you?
Apartment status: I'm trying hard not to think about it.
Bank status: Have you ever tried contacting the Mars Lander? The one they lost? It's about like that.

Wednesday: Day two of the torture rack. Still nice and warm. Except, now it's like -15* and there's a -40* wind chill. Brrrr. I went down to start my car, which started under serious protest. Needless to say, I didn't leave the office all day until it was time to go meet the person I'm paired with for Bolder Options. That was neat. Then I went to the gym, got some food at the co-op and then went to my apartment. I hadn't picked up mail, and by this time I'd actually heard from the bank so I was less freaked out about that.
And then I got to the apartment. Wow. ::Looks around with mouth open:: Just, Wow.
Apartment status: Total destruction. One cabinet mildly installed.
Bank status: Thank you.

Today: Did I mention I picked up an air mattress at home last night. That was a good idea. Slept much better. Work was wild and in the middle of it I had to go pick up a check for roughly the same value as my tuition for a Master of Social Work degree. And then I had to deposit it at my other bank (where I have a checking account). I thought I could do that in the drive thru lane. Hey, I sent my ID in. That's enough right? Turns out my bank puts a two day hold on checks that big. It's ok, I can still pay the contractor on Monday. After work I went to the gym and then Amanda and I had dinner together.
Apartment status: More cabinets hung. Still not livable (excepting the bathroom which remains largely untouched.)
Bank status: Back in my good graces.

27.1.08

First, some relaxing memes

The Friday Five:
01. What types of portable audio devices do you use? I love my iPods. I used to have a Palm that also played music, but the iPods hold much more music and are less fussy about the wma/mp3 formats. I know, the iPods are fussy which should tell you exactly how fussy the palm is. I plug my iPod into my car stereo when I drive.
02. What format of music do you listen to most often? Whatever the iPod wants, AAC or Mp3. I don't have a real preference. I have a mac so I can't really play windows media files.
03. How do you get your electronic music files? (pay service [i.e Napster, iTunes, eMusic, etc.], file sharing, artist/label web sites, etc.) A lot of it came from old CDs I owned, or CDs I'd borrowed from the library in Cincinnati. Possibly the most awesome government inspired thing in Cincinnati is the library system which really puts Minneapolis to shame. For example, in Cincinnati I can get a video, dvd, or CD that was published after the year 2000. I'd also like to recommend to your attention, AlltheWeb Audio Search, Skreemr, and Mp3Realm as good sound search engines. I buy songs or full albums for iTunes sometimes as well. That's a rare practice, but maybe increasing in frequency.
04. What type of headphones do you use? I like my Sony headphones, the sport ones are great for running and working out. I also sometimes use the buds that come with the iPods. In general I prefer ear buds to any other form of ear phone.
05. What is currently on your portable music player that you are using? (Post artist, album title, please.) Some of my most listened to right now include Michael Buble, Sarah McLachlan, Elton John, Amos Lee and "I'll Fly Away" by Jars of Clay (thank you Kelly).

And, Randomness:
week of Jan 27: Yes or No?

Here's a few simple 'yes' or 'no' questions for ya.
Of course you can always answer 'don't know' or 'none of your business'...lol
1. Are you a fun person? Heck yes. What's not fun about legos and packing my kitchen? Sorry, those are the only two things I can remember about my self right now.
2. Is Star Trek cool? No. I loved Star Trek: The Next Generation, which was slightly less uncool than the original. But no, I don't think Star Trek can ever be classified as cool, even by the biggest fan.
3. Do you smoke? No.
4. Do Aliens exist? Yes.
5. Do you like your job? Yes I do actually.
6. Have you ever seen a ghost? I'm not really sure how to answer this question. Seen like with my eyes or was aware of it?
7. Is Math fun? Yes. Not cool perhaps, but still fun.
8. Are dogs mans best friend? No. This would make dog and man equal. But dogs are loyal companions to man.
9. Do freaks really come out at night? In the day time too I guess.
10. Do you like to read? This is not a yes or no question. It really depends. I like the book I'm reading now (Great Expectations) and I just got the Golden Compass trilogy so I'm excited about reading that one too.

23.1.08

Following up on comics

I'm following up on a discussion about comics from Wednesday night. First, Kelly wrote this blog entry and cited this comic (which is not xkdc, which is why I couldn't find it at Amanda's.)

Then I left a comment on Kelly's blog speculating about the general identity of each person in the comic. (Read the original comment.)

Then Kelly said that she disagreed with my comment and (for reasons passing my understanding) thinks that she is the one with the pot on her head. I gave this consideration, especially in light of the fact that she tried to lock herself in my storage closet one time. I am not convinced but open to interpretation.

And then I thought about how comfortable I'd be allowing Amanda to come at my head with a sword. Take a guess. But then I thought Amanda would be the person I'd want taking care of me if I had some other physical ailment. So maybe that is in character.

And using google to find some obscure point is most like me and least like the other two although I've never used it to find a fetish community before.

But I still think I'm right about the chickens.

CHAOS

A brief update on my day:
This should explain everything. If not, here's an illustration.

21.1.08

Oh, little blog, how I've neglected you

I've just felt fat and lazy lately. A problem compounded by me recent absence from the gym. What the heck did I do this week? And it's freaking cold. I have to get up and the crack of dawn tomorrow. And I mean early, like before the sun is up.

What have I been up to lately?

Friday night: I worked at the aquarium. Which leads us to..
Saturday morning: Start at O'dark-thirty when the donuts were delivered to the aquarium. About 45 minutes before they were expected. Wow. But when I went to get the donuts, I also saw all of the volunteers for the diabetes walk (oh, the irony). Amanda and her family walked in the walk and we went to the aquarium (where I'd just stopped working) and checked that out too.
Saturday evening: I skipped Saturday afternoon because I was asleep. I went over to Amanda's and hung out with her nieces and nephew. It was there I learned there is such a thing as too much sirachi sauce, your tongue will swell if you reach that limit, and they make sour sugar straws as tall as I am. We also played apples to apples and built things with legos. (Hee hee, at first I typed "legs".)
Sunday: I did nothing of any consequence except running the dishwasher before bed.
Today: I decided that it was rude to work today even though the agency I work for is open. So I stayed home. The fire alarm went off in the building. I do believe something very bad happened to our boiler. I still have heat though so I'm not asking. I did laundry and cleaned my car out in anticipation of my early departure tomorrow morning.

What have I seen on the internet lately? You'd think I'd have found more.
Fun with telephones. Number two is the most useful tip ever. I totally didn't know that but it makes sense.
That story lead me to this hilarious web site. What a good idea.
This takes me back to the gold old days of m Toshiba.
All this week, I'd bee so hungry I could eat a horse and couldn't figure out why, now I know. I wasn't getting enough protein. Don't worry, I'm eating eggs after this.
And an eye-opening look at how tech savvy kids really are. The hardest (and one of the last) things I learned was how to do internet searches that produced useful results. I think the more information I have about a subject before I start out, the better off I'll be. Otherwise, I throw the word "wiki" behind my search term and read some more 'till I can understand what I'm looking for.

By the way, it's 7* and feels like -3*. Brrr.

15.1.08

Lizzie = Exhausted

The appraiser is coming tomorrow and it seemed like the best thing to do would be to have a clean apartment for the occasion. So I cleaned. And cleaned. And began to wonder when exactly I last scrubbed my tub. (I gave up thinking about that. Should I be alarmed I can't recall?) I don't think I'd vacuumed in a while either. It felt good. And the place looks great. Good enough that I'll at least be able to have someone over to take pictures of it.

While preparing my house (and working and stuff), I've found lots of fun things on the internet to show you.
Great comments about computers, some of which I understand. When it gets into programming languages, my eyes glaze over. Sorry. I wish I knew more about that. Totally don't.

We make fun of people not knowing how to sit on the toilet but I've actually been places where the apparatus was so totally unfamiliar to me that I did need a diagram. In India they had convenient foot pads so I at least knew which way to face. In Africa there was just a hole so I could do pretty much whatever I pleased. But Japan, China and Vietnam were baffling. Japan seemed the worst because it was the first time I'd ever experienced anything that looked like that. And back in Africa, where there are holes, the Africans did sometimes repeat what's in the NOT picture there. Ahh, memories.

I love it when the University of Minnesota is in the news for something awesome.

Store names for those of us who are easily amused. I love what happens when words mean one thing in a language and a totally different thing in English.

The best picture on any digg page I've ever seen. I laughed out loud for two minutes. Oh, boy. I'm about to start laughing again. Safe for work.

Baby Jesus now a shark. Wait. What?

And finally, I read these two stories on the local news page. The first one is just a goofy story about some yokel who built a really powerful bomb, especially for an amateur. A quarter-mile? But this story shows why it's really funny. If anyone would have been killed, there would have been a Darwin Award for sure. Hee hee. Oh. Wow. It's almost as good as that picture up there.

13.1.08

Dreams and other fun stuff

In doing my Year in Review post, I realized the great number of posts that were meme based in the beginning of 2007 and how those dwindled down over the year. Probably because once the homework and the papers were done, it was fun to write again.

I'd also like to mention a recurring dream I have. Not so much one dream as many different dreams around a recurring theme. Get your mind out of the gutter. I keep dreaming about going back to Africa. And in every dream, I really want to be there and I'm excited to go. Every time the arrival is hard, everyone knows I left suddenly in the past, but once I get there and get settled, I'm always happy to be there any everyone else is happy to have me. Not that I've bought my plane ticket yet. But I told my mom there might be a time when I'm ready to go back. And then we discussed my mental health. I'm really much better than I was then. Plus I can hypnotize myself now. What a treat. Don't knock it 'till you've tried it.

Now, for a little blast to the past, a couple of meme's that looked worthy of my time. First, The Friday Five:

What is your favourite fruit? Passion Fruit. Hands down. Now, if anybody sees passion fruit within driving distance of Minnesota, I need to be alerted at once. Because it is yummy and I miss it.
What is the last book you read? I'm in the middle of Great Expectations. Before that, I'm sure it was Harry Potter related.
Do you like any of your school photos? Not many. Although I like the pictures that's on my U of M ID.
Do you ever blowdry your armpits to get the deodorant to dry quicker? ::blank stare::
What was the last film you watched? Pride and Prejudice. Still, anyone want to admit causing destruction to my DVD? I cannot figure out what happened to it. Lucky I have the other Pride and Prejudice too, or I would have been most disappointed. Wow, who's watched too much Jane Austen and read too much Dickens?

And, for my personal pleasure, The Saturday 8:
1. did you go out for new year's this year? No. I sat on my couch all alone and ate pizza and drank beer. It was great. It was the first time I'd had pizza delivered to anywhere I've lived in Minnesota.
2. did you do any travelling during the holidays? Yes. I'll refer you to posts here, here, here, here, and here for the plane story for more information.
3. what was the best gift you gave this holiday season? I think the pictures from the orchard and the chicken pictures were the most from my own interests to the interests of the receiver, so I was glad to give those. The stuff I gave to my parents was cool too. They use their cookbook a lot.
4. the best gift you received? For some reason I can't stop wearing this gray fleece and playing with legos. I don't know what the attraction is.
5. are you off of work on MLK, Jr. day? if so, any plans for the long weekend? This is a bit of a pickle for me. Where I grew up, if you were going to work on Martin Luther King day in a non-retail/service/entertainment capacity, you might as well walk around under a sheet burning crosses on people's lawns. It was disrespectful not to stop and honor that day somehow. So I'm really troubled by the number of agencies that have come to my attention in this state that don't take off MLK day, and don't do anything to acknowledge the importance of the day. On that day, I have a meeting with a family which I must attend in my capacity as a professional, and I'm not the least bit bothered by it. Even if it is an hour away. But I really don't want to go to the regular office afterwards. I'll feel like I've just set civil rights back 60 years. ::Steps off soap box::
6. did you make any new year's resolutions this year? if so, what are they? if not, why not? No. I already have a gym membership.
7. a look back - what was the best thing about 2007? Graduation was certainly a high point. Also, just hanging out and having a good time.
8. a look back - what was the worst thing about 2007? One of the hardest things I did was leave my job at the museum. I know it was the right time to go. But that job was an absolute blessing. My heart was always happy with those kids. I wonder if I'll ever do anything like that again.

A big bowl full of yummy and other stuff I did this weekend

This weekend, I was a hermit. I'm noticing that any weekend when Amanda works I turn into a hermit. I'm not opposed to the situation. I'm just saying, I've noticed it. I did go out of the house both days but those were quick events. Saturday morning I realized I needed soda (and coffee). I also realized it had snowed over night. After I got home with the coffee and soda, I didn't see another person all day.

I tried to watch Pride and Prejudice but I faced some difficulty. Would anyone like to admit that they borrowed my DVDs and got something sticky on one of them before returning it and hoping I just wouldn't watch that one? If not, it must have been my fault. But I really don't have anything that sticky in my house that would wind up on my DVD. Seriously. Anybody want to blame a former roommate just for old times sake?

Anyways, the more fun DVD to watch is really the second one. So it was ok. But not even two or three passes with windex got this gunk off disc number one. Although I'm hopeful much more of it will be watchable now that I've made my cleaning efforts.

I also played with my legos. Thank you. I took apart the bulldozer and built the crane that was on the cover. It's quite a contraption. I decided I need more legos. Then I looked at my bank account. I'm lucky I have enough food to eat right now. Buying a house is big bucks. Wow. Legos will have to wait.

Today, I tried to take a shower. It was met with mild success. As it was, I took the coldest shower I've ever taken without meaning to have water that temperature. (Not for that. Remember, I run outside in the summer.) I don't know what's up with the hot water in the building. I decided that tomorrow I'm going to the Y in the morning so I'll just get ready there. The real excitement at the Y centers on whether or not I'll get a hair dryer. Exciting.

I did go to the Y today but I just walked around the track. I saw this woman who used to be my boss. I didn't say hi to her. She was talking with someone else. I didn't feel like stopping. I actually liked her as a boss.

While walking I was listening to car talk when I heard a caller from White Bear Lake Minnesota who accidentally set his car on fire and was most hilarious in telling the tale. I'm glad people don't mind that I laugh out loud with headphones on while I'm at the track. Otherwise they'd think I was weird.

When I got home Jenny called me and let me know that this week on PBS is Jane Austen week. Tonight was Persuasion which I've never read. I'm not sure if any of my favorites will make an appearance. I haven't looked.

And I made my wheat-berry lentil bowl full of yummy soup. I told my mom that I'm going to try to have at least one meal I make every week be vegan. I can't stop eating yogurt for breakfast (or drinking lattes) but I will make a difference in smaller ways. At least I'm not still eating cows. Yes, I know milk and yogurt both comes from cows. Quiet.

And I totally skipped Brothers and Sisters tonight. It was a good show but I just wasn't that interested. Instead I wrote to you all and told you of my cold shower.

Now I'm thinking of going to continue reading Great Expectations which I've been trying to get through for a while. Pip's just got to London.

9.1.08

Today has been freaking wild

This morning, I almost got up and exercised. I decided I'd like to run outside but running in almost any other form was uninteresting to me. So I went back to bed and was almost late for work. I would have been but the line at Caribou was out of control and I didn't stop. (Talk about making lemonade.)

Work was non-stop ridiculousness. To everyone: stop going into the hospital. I want you all to stay well. In addition, please put your name on the waiting list for an assisted living facility now. What's that? You're only 30. It's never too early. That way when you get old and have a social worker, her job will be easier.

After work I went to the gym. And got an elliptical. At 4:45. No, seriously. And then I went to my Restorative Justice committee. There was a discharge tonight. It's always nice when people successfully complete the program. Way to go.

To complete my day of productivity, I did laundry. I now have plenty of socks to wear. Along with all the other clothes that needed to be cleaned. There always seems to be like one thing that I run out of before everything else that forces me to do laundry. Right now it's exercise shorts. That's not likely to change. Exercise shirts too because I'm a snob and picky as hell about what I wear. I'm about as bad as someone else I know who is picky about colors of outfits. I'm picky about material and cut.

I'm having my last beer from New Year's tonight. I know. It did take me a while to finish a six pack. That's the thing about the ultimate kitchen challenge: Everything must go. I've upgraded the alert from just "the freezer challenge.

Now, if you'll allow, a brief rant about co-worker. Co-worker is out of town right now. When co-worker is in town, she wears a lot of perfume or body spray or some such scented product. And I always sneeze around her. And she always notes that I sneeze around her and am probably allergic to the crap she's wearing. And then she wears it, still. And then sticks her arm in my face and says "here, I wonder if this is what's making you sneeze." Number one: Stop. Number two: I read this article and thought of co-worker immediately. I'm not diagnosing depression or anything. It's just fascinating (and slightly a relief) that there's a biological reason for this behavior in some people, even if that's not co-worker's issue.

Here's the 100 funniest things I've read today (safe for work other than James Carlin), and I'd like to direct your special attention to number 99. Hilarious.

The floss wants to know the geekiest thing I've ever done, which I can't remember while I'm drinking. I'm lucky I can type "drinking". For Amanda, it's going to be disregarding the warning on this page and then telling me which resident had which diagnosis after supper tonight. If I'm lucky I'll also get to hear about size and color too.

And this picture is like the time we saw the dude just walking on the dock with no shirt and a plunger in his hand. Fantastic (and safe for work).

7.1.08

(Wrong Squash)+(Ultimate Freezer Challenge)=One Big Fiasco

That's pretty much how my night went. No, I think I must being earlier.

It all started about 3:00 today. That's when my boss got a call that someone got evicted from their home and needed housing. Today. It was about 3:02 that this became my problem. Ultimately we were able to find a good solution. It took some time but no one really went into crisis mode. The person from my agency who would normally do this is out of town. That was about 90 minutes that were spent in a way I hadn't planned, although ultimately productive.

So it was about 4:30 when I got my next call and 4:50 when I got the one after that. Both of those calls were my problem too. Come on people, it's 4:50. I want to go home. So I stayed late today. Really for so much going on, it was ultimately fairly stress free. Except I'm a bonehead and forgot to pack the file I need for my first-thing meeting tomorrow. Woops.

When I got home I picked out three recipes out of my magazines that I thought I'd like to make. They were
  • Calabacitas. They were the last thing I made, but definitely didn't turn out well. I had an issue where I didn't have the right kind of squash. Instead I found the only substance harder than diamonds: winter squash. In the end, I had pumpkin left over from our orchard trip that was much easier to use. I haven't tried that one. I'll let you know.

  • Chard with Green Olives, Currants, and Goat Cheese. Yum. I only have two helpings. I'm having one right now. I wish I had more because this is a big bowl full of goodness. I'm having a beer with it. Goat Cheese and beer were meant for each other. Also, what is a currant?

  • Edemame Succotash. Another bowl full of yum although I haven't really tried it.
I'm trying to cook my meals ahead, so now everything is set for the whole week. I'll let you know if it works. I'm not sure yet. I'm also on the Ultimate Freezer Challenge in an attempt to have my old freezer and fridge empty by the time it needs to be traded in. I'm doing ok with it. Those five pounds of raspberries I bought the other day are almost gone. (Amanda, were you with me when I bought those?)

After picking out my meals I went to the gym. I ran intervals today. I ran 1 lap (1/6 of a mile) and walked half a lap for 35 minutes or until I had run two miles. That is hard work. Wanna know how hard? I ran 3 miles in 35 minutes the last time I ran at the Y. This time, I still went three miles in the same amount of time, but I walked one of those miles. So how fast was I running the other two? Wow. I did the rowing machine too. I love the rowing machine. It's relaxing and a great arms work out, and I think underestimated as an abs workout.

Then I went shopping. My food was expensive. I guess I better eat it all. I came home and cooked everything (as noted above) and am now enjoying a beer before bed. I'm hoping that I can get up and go to the gym tomorrow. I'm a little behind on my eight visits.

Just a couple updates before I go:
the link that's supposed to say "awesome" still doesn't. No, seriously. On any of the Overheard in the Office pages. Woops.

The coolest password ever. I wonder if the password cracking software check this one at the top of any of their lists. Hee hee.

And, sadly, there is a new "Your Mom" player and we have all been schooled.

6.1.08

2007: The Year in Review

I decided to go ahead and remind you of my favorite blog posts through the year, and review what 2007 was like for me.

January started out cold and tragic when my brand new digital camera nearly drowned in my bag. I was tired and looking forward to the last semester of school, taking a licensing exam, and looking for a job. Apparently, it was all just too much.

February was mostly taken up by school but I did manage to have some fun even though it didn't work out with that guy. Writing that post was quite a moment. Its one of the moments I'm quite proud of from 2007.

March just happened to be spring break and an awesome trip to Florida. I'm not sure if there will be a repeat this year or not. I might be ready for one by March. You never know.

April involved a licensing exam and the companion piece, homework forever, sleep is for the weak. Maybe that's why I love coffee so much now.

The biggest event in May was finally being done with all of that homework, though for several weeks I kept dreaming that I hadn't turned stuff in or that I needed to save my textbooks and things.

In June I found gainful employment as a social worker.

I started said gainful employment in July. The paper clip story is still one of my favorites. It was paper clip induced mania.

August has always been Milk Run time for me thanks to Amanda's great idea a couple of years ago.

September was the month that Kelly got married. I think the biggest thing that happened in my life though was the bedroom makeover which was a great success. I had a great time at Kelly's wedding too.

October seemed to be standard although I stopped running then and have been exercising since then, but still struggling to return to running.

November was mostly filled with Thanksgiving.

December was obviously a big time for family as well.

I just deleted 1,869 pictures, and I feel good

Kelly and Amanda and I did Christmas last night. It's quite obvious there was wine because Amanda gave us bedroom eyes and Kelly's eyes were so dialated it took me 30 minutes of red-eye editing in iPhoto to get her back to normal. I, on the other hand, am perfect in ever way... I took lots of pictures last night, here are some of the good ones.

No, seriously, Amanda did give us bedroom eyes.


I wanted to take a picture of the mirrors I helped Amanda hang up before her birthday party. Note: Every mirror in that picture is level and perfectly spaced. If you don't think so, maybe you've had to much to drink.


This will be referred to as the "monkey butt" picture, where Kelly misheard Amanda and we all got a bad image in our minds. I


After the monkey butt incident, we opened presents. (Maybe the presents came first. Anyways.) I got Amanda fuzzy slippers and hilarious chicken pictures. I couldn't find a way to work in the horse, the pig, or pictures I have of a sea turtle or several dogs. There's always next year. I got Kelly pictures of the three of us hanging upside down and her usual magazine subscription. But we all got distracted by Amanda's gift to Kelly, a 3-d puzzle of the earth. Which we then had to put together.


We all helped.


And then Kelly had to make sure it wouldn't fall apart so she could take it home in its completed state. I hope no puzzle pieces fell out in her car. I haven't heard.


And, this is the comic to which Kelly and I referred. Heh heh.

3.1.08

I am powerful

At least, running makes me feel powerful. It doesn't seem right that I can just not run for three months and then go run three miles. It seems even less right that I can not work out at all for two weeks and then go run three miles. Never the less, that's what I did tonight. My body just felt that it needed to move, and sweat, and run.

And the gym was packed. I love all the news years people. I love even more that I won't have to deal with them after February because that's about how long it will take them to get over the whole workout thing. Even more fun was that parents brought their kids and they ran around the track together. I thought that was pretty cool.

Today was a wild day just because it was really busy. I had Pineda Tacos for lunch. Yum. Amanda's thinking about friend cheese right now. I guarantee it. Yum again. I had a meeting, a training, and a home visit. And good coffee. And I got up really late and didn't take a shower. I kind of regretted that all day. I was tired. It's harder to get up on cloudy days because it's that much darker.

Also, someone please remind me to go to work tomorrow night.

While you're pondering that, let me show you some of the great things I found on the internet today:
All the things Google can do that we never knew. I'm really excited about the flight tracker and currency converter. Points 1 and 2 seem pretty obvious though.

What you would crochet if you were married to a geek. Or knit. I guess you could make that design in some form with either method. Shows what I know.

A sad typo on a Minneapolis church sign that makes me giggle every time I think about it. Hee hee. That's right, I'm ten years old. I'm ok with it.

How OCD limits my design ideas: I could never have this table. I'm just saying. All those different size knobs would drive me nuts.

Why I can never use IBM or Bayer again. Thank goodness for my Mac. I'm not too sad about Hugo Boss or the Volkswagen. I'm also not sure if I find the kittens more disturbing given the subject matter but the picture of Vanilla Ice is absolutely brilliant and perfectly placed.

On that happy note... I'm going to finish my juice and go to bed.

1.1.08

Sharing a moment of glory while I avoid cooking dinner

It's not that I don't like cooking. I feel as though I don't have anything I'd like to cook, hence I'm avoiding it, But let me tell you about my day because it was quite exciting.

First, I woke up super later. Not from drinking a lot of beer or a hangover, just from not having to go to work.
Once awake, I feasted on leftover pizza (hmm, that may be dinner tonight too) and watched a movie called Stranger Than Fiction. Much to my surprise, I really enjoyed the movie. It's surprising because I generally don't enjoy Will Farrell movies. Although, I tend to love Emma Thompson movies, and today that instinct won out.

Then, for the really exciting part of my day, I went and dropped several thousand dollars on appliances. No buyers remorse, but I about had a nervous breakdown while I was applying for the Sears card. I need to read the terms of that whole "no interest for one year" deal. See what they're really selling. What did I buy?

After those purchases I walked around the mall for a few minutes to calm down and called my parents. Mom is studying for her comprehensive exams, part of the hazing you go through to get a PhD. I think it's cool she's doing it but she's really nervous right now. Only part of it is test anxiety. There's a whole other thing about writing and essay on the laptop that's freaking her out.

I poked around on the computer a little this afternoon and yesterday. I found the obligatory "Best of 2007" lists and altogether, this wasn't the most impressive year for me. Oooh, maybe I should review my blog posts for the year and put up my favorite one from each month for you to remember. Well, that's for another day. The really neat one I found reminds us of the 100 most interesting, or pointless but good for television, things that we learned this year. I'd like to direct your special attention to points six (Kelly), forty-six, eighty-seven, and especially number fifty (for all my left handed friends).

I'm also wondering how many of you can do the "magic eye" illusions. I had to learn at a young age because I had to prove to my dad I could do it. A pattern that hasn't changed much in my adult life I have to say. Here's some to practice on pic 1, pic 2, pic 3, and pic 4 which is the only one that doesn't have a helpful title for knowing what you're supposed to see. You'll know if you can do it. If you've never been able to before, basically you have to change the focus of your eyes. When we look at the computer screen, our eyes are focusing on something like eighteen inches from our face. When you look up, it takes your eyes a (brief) moment to refocus on looking at things that are far away. To see these pictures, look at the computer screen but focus your eyes like you're trying to see something about ten feet away. Like I said, you'll know it when you see it.

For the ultimate in blogging meem laziness, go ahead and answer the annual question. One post per year is all it takes. It's actually such a thoughtful question, I'm not going to try to answer it yet.

And finally, I have answered the question and successfully joined the two percent of the population who can solve Einstein's Logic Riddle. It took me two tries and a switch from pen to pencil to properly set up the grid. But once I did, I solved the puzzle. I thought it was going to take longer than it did. I love these things because we covered them in geometry (no one knows why exactly) and they were the only thing I was good at or really got into that year. So I remember them fondly. And I did it.