All the wonderful things

All the wonderful, ok, mostly they're just funny things I've seen on the internet today.

A couple of great pictures all are safe for work:
Airport security
How to decorate a Jaguar (the car, not the cat)
The 50 States Game correctly place all 50 states, slightly addicting, site has sound.
DIT Kitty Crack especially for Kelly, the only one I know right now who has a cat.
Human Pixels Perform Real Time Animation is possibly one of the coolest videos I have ever seen. It's 6 minutes long, safe for work but site has sound. Check it out. It's wild.

That was some thunder..

We had quite a thunder storm here today. You know the thunder that shakes the house and your bones at the same time? One of those woke me up around 4:00 this afternoon.

Last night at the overnight I finished "In Her Shoes" which Kelly lent me possibly when I started grad school. The book definitely outshines the movie, although I kept picturing Cameron Diaz as "Maggie", even though she's described a little differently in the book.

I also RSVP'd to a wedding shower where I'd had the invitation for like, a month. I got to leave a message and not have to talk to anyone, which is exactly what I desired. Now I have to think of something to get. Since the person whose shower it is reads this blog, obviously I'm not keeping it secret. To you and the rest of the people who read this: Here's the thing. I know you're moving. I want to get something nice, but I don't want to give it to you until after you move because I remember helping you move last time. I'd just wind up carrying whatever I got you on my head down the largest most rickety staircase in the world on the hottest day of the year. But I'd like to have something nice for you to open on Saturday too, a little bit for you but also for me so I don't feel like the only bad friend who didn't get anything.

Next question, the Starbucks in the Macy's in downtown St. Paul, is that a real Starbucks that takes Starbucks gift cards or is it some coffee shop pretending to be Starbucks by saying "we proudly brew...." and not taking any Starbucks gift cards. (Kind of like the pretend Starbucks in Barnes and Nobles across our fair country.)

Randomness

This one looked really fun:

week of July 8: Vacationing

I'll be going on vacation next week, so that inspires this weeks meme:
1. What is your favorite vacation spot?
I'm a beach girl. The Florida Keys, especially Bahia Honda and Key West are wonderful. The Seychelles were nice but possibly not worth the trouble of getting there again.
2. Would you rather drive or fly?
I like to fly places, as long as transportation once I get there is simple.
3. Have you ever been on a cruise? Would you want to go on one?
I have been on a cruise around the world. You know how people have these lists of things they want to do before they die and "sail around the world" is always one of them. I've already done that. I'd totally go on another one. They're a blast. Those "barefoot cruises" look like the most fun, and about my speed.
4. What has been your best/worst vacation?
We went to Cape Cod when I was 11 or 12. That sucked. I think I'd like Cape Cod now but I was the only kid, all adults and it rained for like 4 days straight. And we were in a "Cape Cod" house which basically means "can't turn around the hallways are so narrow" house. The trip around the world, while not technically a vacation, was really fantastic.
5. How long do you think is long enough for a vacation?
A week or two. Two is better than one.
6. Do you spend alot of money while on vacation?
Where am I again? Usually not, although I do like to splurge from time to time.
Do you buy alot of souvernires?
No, not really. I had a key chain collection going for a while.
What's the coolest one you've gotten?
I have key chains from all around the world. That was fun. Also, anything from Berea, Kentucky (ooh, exotic) because it's handmade and so wonderful.
7. If money were no object, where would you go on vacation?
I did like the Seychelles. I might do another Semester at Sea. That was a great way to see the world, and be with like minded people along the way.

I'm really amazed I haven't cried yet

Today was my last day at the Science Museum. How sad am I? I haven't even cried yet. I think in my head I'm still going back there next week. Woops. We'll deal with that when it comes. I had a busy but ultimately productive and satisfying day to end on, and a nice dinner at Tanpopo to top it all off.

When I got home, obviously I had to disctract myself and the internet seemed the best way to do so. I founds tons of fun stuff you all need to know about:

1. Ten Politically Incorrect Truths About Human Nature was an interesting read, as far as I got, though it does seem to be an article just designed to piss people off. They make two interesting points about polygyny (men get more than one wife) that women actually tend to fare better in polygynous societies, but men tend to do worse. Also that violence and competition among men is worse in polygynous societies. I didn't know that before. I'm not sure I agree with everything (anything really) in this article, but there it is.

2. Procrastinations: 10 Things To Know is an article about how procrastination is your mean parent's fault but will wind up killing you. It also made me think I'm not really a procrastinator. Good to know.

3.
Pretty much how I feel about the pair although I get the feeling, particularly from Vice President Chaney that he doesn't always want to be there.

viewed from http://www.lisaandjacob.com/index.cfm?template=/2007/07/can-someone-make-these-please.cfm

4. Senator, You Used To Be a Pot Head - Now You're Talking Like a Narc is an open letter to Norm Coleman. I haven't read the whole thing yet, but anyone who calls Senator Coleman on his crap, especially support of bad drug laws that spend my tax dollars in dumb ways gets my support.

5. 33 Names of Things You Didn't Know Had Names is page that appears on Del.icio.us from time to time but it's fun. There's a lot of stuff on there I know but haven't ever tried to name. That one part of your nose, those silver balls we put on cookies, things like that. I did know #22 though.

6. The Portable Typewriter is a great blog entry about how to modify a laptop to look like an oldschool typewriter. How cool is that. Every once in a while there's little macbook mods like that but I'm too scared to try any of them.

7. Bottled Water is Still a Scam and it is people. It's bad for the environment, and we have legitimately safe drinking water here. Enjoy.

What did you do today

I think something is wrong with my body, or I'm just totally stressed out. Every morning when I wake up, I'm still super tired. Not just my normal amount of tired, which I can usually power through. This is really really tired. I haven't exercised in quite a while. I hope I can still run.

I didn't feel well at all today. I had hardly any food, and my body was so off it didn't even make me hypoglycemic to not eat. I had something today that my body did not like. I think it was the milk that expired yesterday. They always say you have a week after that. I think sometimes that's crap, especially with organic milk.

After work I went to Target and got some stuff, including possible the ugliest pair of pants ever, but they are so comfortable I'm ignoring their shortcomings.

Here's a couple pictures for Amanda and Kelly.


viewed at http://www.flickr.com/photos/10998060@N00/727663041/

And, just so you don't feel like Romeo is the biggest thing ever:

viewed at http://s192.photobucket.com/albums/z255/spinwall/biggesthousecatever.jpg

Do You Have What It Takes...

So Kelly blogged about this quiz called Do You Have What It Takes To Become A Citizen and all naturalized citizens over 18 are required to pass this test before getting citizenship. I got 100%. Yes, I am that big a nerd.

And now for 3X Thursday

1. As an adult, do you feel the same about holiday's off from work versus the way you felt when you got them off for school? How so/how not?
I love holidays. I went phases in my life where I loved them for different reasons. As a kid it meant no school. As a teen who worked hourly jobs it meant time-and-a-half or sometimes double time, and now it means n work.

2. What about birthdays? Do you view them differently now as you get older? Why/why not?
Birthdays now are not so much about my age as a nice time with my friends. I remember when it was so cool to actually turn 13, 16 was a big one too. 21 is the last big one I remember having. 25 was like no big deal. 26 was even less so.

3. New releases: Remember how psyched you were when you heard that your favorite band was coming out with a new album on a certain date? Do you still feel that same kind of excitement now? Why/why not?
I don't think I felt this kind of excitement until I could drive and had a job and so could afford these things. Star Wars Episode 1 was the first thing like that I saw. Now I'm ready for the final Harry Potter to come out. Seriously, hurry up already.

The Wednesday Mind Hump

1. Which historical American figure would you most like to be for a day - George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, or Thomas Jefferson?
Thomas Jefferson. He was the founding father I most identified with. He seemed to be an introverted nerd at heart. He loved to read, he invented a few things, he was a great thinker of his time. That seems cool to me.


2. America was born partly with the help of the Declaration of Independence. Now, in 2007, make your own declaration right here.
I declare that Aaron Sorkin should write another television show.

3. To sidetrack from the American theme a bit - Great Britain lost 13 colonies, but there are surely things that can make up for that loss. Name something about Britain that you admire or enjoy.
Prince William, or rather looking at Prince William. He is a handsome young man. I also really like Princess Diana and all the work she did. Elton John, the Moody Blues, Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, and all the English speaking places in the world I can travel to because Britain was once an imperial giant. We could go through them from East to West: Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Burma, India, and almost all of sub-Saharan Africa, the British Virgin Islands, and our wonderful neighbor to the north, Canada. That's all I can think of off the top of my head.

4. Ok, back to America - what do YOU love about America?
I love the things here that just work, we don't know how they work, and we often complain about paying for them, but they just work. I'm talking about trash collection, libraries, roads, sewage (which I think you'll agree is a big one), clean drinking water, telephone services, broadcasting services, social security (it works right now), the mail, and of course, voting. I always feel like a really cool grown up when I vote.

Stories for my friends

I was poking around on the internet today (after I walked 5 miles because it's too hot to run that far) and found some stories for all of you.

1. The other night Kelly was telling me about a story she was that was "15 things guys don't want to hear from their girlfriends". I've found the sequel 18 Insights into Understanding Women. Please please check out revelation 11. Number 13 is just for Kelly, but not in the dirty way. Number 16 is for any straight male that might be reading.

2. This is really just an interesting article, and relevant I think, given how hot it's been lately. 9 Reasons to Drink Water and How to Form the Water Habit

3. This game is for Amanda, who mocked my history knowledge last night because I said the streets in Northeast Minneapolis don't make any sense (which they don't), and for Kelly who is going to become a history teacher. I only played for 4 or 5 minutes, but I got 32 out of 43. I neither lived in NE Minneapolis nor studied history in the past nine years though. So it's ok if you beat me. Can You Name All the US Presidents?

I am so tired

I blame Amanda and Kelly. First their mom's wore me out, and then the three of us went to the fireworks tonight. And I've been up since 5am.

Here's some things I found poking around on the web while eating cereal before bed:
1. A little gift for Eric.
2. Something my parents, who are thinking about selling their house, should keep in mind.
3. Recipes for Success from Lifehacker
4. Something having to do with shoes for Amanda and Kelly whose feet hurt tonight.

I know at least one of you reading can relate to this

I know at least one person who reads this blog can relate to my current situation. A while ago, I remember talking with a friend who didn't always like to go to the gym. In particular, she didn't like to use the treadmill because she felt like her "feet banged" when she ran and she would draw attention to herself. Why, yes, I do still remember that story. I feel her pain.

There's this weight lifting class at the YWCA that looks interesting. For a while I've been wanting to start weight lifting. I keep reading how important it is for runners to cross train and how wonderful weight training really is. So tomorrow might be the first morning I go to the class. I think I'll be fine once I get started, I just hate walking in and not knowing what to expect. Hopefully there will be nice people there. Also, it's at 6am and I have no idea how the timing of the class will play into things.

In more uplifting news, I was talking to another friend about health insurance. I was saying I have sort of a running list of things I need a doctor to check out for me and I'm waiting until I have health insurance to do it. One of the things I mentioned is my ongoing toenail issues also mentioned here with pictures. Said friend was like "yeah, so? Mine are doing that too" so it's possible I'm just getting old. It's also possible we have the same thing wrong with us.

The Monday Music Mambo

Choose one song for each artist:

1. Joni Mitchell - "A Case of You", one of my favorite songs ever.
2. Bryan Adams - "Everything I Do..." Who isn't picking that one really?
3. Neil Young - "Teach Your Children Well" from Crosby Stills Nash & Young
4. Sarah McLachlan - Oh, there's so many. For now, I'll say "World On Fire"
5. The Band - "We Can Talk" from the album Music From Big Pink, a great album I discovered as a teenager, which seems to be the time most white kids discover the Beatles and Bob Dylan nowadays.
6. Barenaked Ladies - Again, so so many. For the live show, "One Week" I guess
7. Leonard Cohen (Yes, again. If you can't think of anything, just choose "Hallelujah.") Good, because that's the one I was going to pick anyway.
8. k.d. lang - "Constant Craving" Hands down.
9. Alanis Morrisette - I don't have a favorite.
10. Rush - "Tom Sawyer" is the only one I can think of, although I know there's another one I like better. I remember being surprised when I learned that the singer in Rush was a man.

Watering Your Lawn and Other Random Thoughts

Watering the Sidewalk is a professional sport. All the pro leagues are in Florida, populated mostly by retired white men. Watering the Sidewalk season is from January to March or "Snowbird Season" in Florida. Usually when I see people in my neighborhood watering their sidewalks (in a misguided attempt to water the lawn) I find it troubling. It's bad for the environment in many different ways. However, yesterday I ran in the heat and discovered the benefits of my sidewalk watering neighbors. Thanks so much.

In other news, it's possible I asked a guy out. Not on a real date, I would know about that. But I specially invited him to do something with a group of friends. I had this weird moment with him the other night where I couldn't tell if there was an attraction or not, but it seemed like it was worth investigating at the very least. I'll let you know how it goes.

Nutrition: I think being a vegetarian, an not even a real vegetarian, I still eat birds and fish, is doing bad things to me. Here's one thing: I think I actually gain weight when I'm a vegetarian, but I only joined the Y and started weighing myself after that, so I have no real proof. I think however, I eat things that make me gain more weight because I'm not eating meat. I also think it's totally screwing up my protein intake and I have no idea what to do about it. I've tried strategies like drinking more yogurt and force feeding myself milk. I'm not sure if it's legitimate or if I'm all messed up from being on my period. It was one of those bad ones I only have a couple times a year.

The Sunday Seven

Name seven fictional locations (or fictionalized real locations) from TV or movies that you’d like to visit.

1. Malawi. I know I've been there before, but i loved it. It applies to this situation because the southern part of Malawi was the inspiration for The Shire in "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" Trilogy.

2. The Bartlett White House. I've been to the real one, it'd be cool to see how it was on "The West Wing".

3. The Willie Wonka Chocolate Factory. Especially the room where everything is edible and the nice oompaloompas will save me if anything happens.

4. Oz.

5. Heaven as depicted in "What Dreams May Come". Especially the part with the paint.

6. Never never land, if only so I could fly.

7. Hogwarts. Hey, if I can see it I can do magic. I could probably fly there too.

Unconscious Mutterings

1. Partner :: lover, friend
2. News :: good
3. Foam :: that white and pink stuff
4. Paycheck :: mmmm
5. Me :: beautiful
6. Eight :: that tv show, octupus, arms
7. Dairy :: I thought that said "diary", milk
8. Exciting :: I say that a lot
9. Hockey :: ice, cold, no teeth
10. Socialite :: princess Diana, I just watched a movie about her

Why we don't

Obviously I like Macs, I own one. I wasn't in line to get an iPhone and probably won't own one of those for a while. I think never as long as AT&T is involved. Here's why I'm not a fan of AT&T.

Pictures seem nice

I realize I haven't posted photos in a while. I still have to make peace with the way iPhoto manages image files. Also, that whole "take a picture a day thing" kind of died a slow death. It needed to have died much earlier than it did. Sorry to put you all through that. I think it could have been really cool except I'm in a position where I can't take pictures of most of the people I see in my day to day life. As a social worker and as someone who works with teens (who are not able to give consent to spread their image all over the world) it just seems awkward an inappropriate. (Although selfishly, I did like some of the macros I took, those were fun.()

When I was in Chicago I took some pictures of my Mom and I. Mom always looks sad in pictures, something she remarked on when she was some of these. These two are my favorites. In one she tried to smile. The other one is too cute.





Oh, go ahead. I did just lob this one up there for ya....

Shopping

I had a nice day today. I ran in the middle of the day, which was a mistake, but the rest of it was really good. Here's what happened.

I woke up late. I've been really tired lately, which I'm choosing to blame on my period and not eating enough protein. More on that at some point I'm sure. And then I really didn't want to run because I was so tired. However, I knew that I would be trying on clothes later in the day, and so should run so I felt skinnier when I went to pick out clothes. I'm glad I know there's at least one guy who reads this. I think guys should know that some women really do think this way. Anyways, I ran. I realized it was the first time since getting the red iPod I'd run outside with it. I still can't use my Nike+ with it, but that's a story for another day. Really, I've only run outside a few times recently, and all the times in Chicago I didn't bring it with me because I forgot to pack headphones.

When I got back from running a measly 3.6 miles I was dead with exhaustion and dehydration and I thought a dip in the pool would be the perfect remedy before going to meet Kelly for some shopping fun. The universe had other plans though because the pool is not working. Something about a filter. How sad am I?

Kelly and I had a nice time shopping. We went to Macy's where I got a neat pair of linen pants, which will require me to find a dry cleaner, and a cute as hell brown shirt. I didn't have to front any money for those, because I had a gift certificate. Then we went to Panera bread where I had chicken wild rice soup (my favorite) in a bread bowl (mmm, carbs). There is discovered that the gift certificate I thought had $5.00 on it really had $20.00 on it, and now I can't wait to go spend some more of it. I also hit pay dirt at Eddie Bauer. I'm not really sure we can call it pay dirt. But, I found a nice pair of summer appropriate work pants and a nice pair of jeans. I still need to go to Marshall's and shop for more pants and outfits, but I feel good that I have at least two pairs of pants I can wear to work.

Then I gave Kelly her birthday present. I didn't write about it before for obvious reasons but it's a purse that was made by an income generating group from a township in South Africa and the red/white ribbon is from an income generating group in Uganda. The purse screamed Kelly's name to me when I saw it, so I hope I heard right.

I got home and played with iPhoto, one of my new favorite things about a macbook. I was picking out pictures to make prints of. The issue I'm having is that some of my photos are a very low resolution, especially the ones I got from other people. It seemed like I had all of my pictures onto this computer, though I'm still not convinced. Once I find some I think I'll buy nice frames and put them on my wall in a few spots. I'd like some new decorations to make this feel more like home. And then I cleaned. Not a lot. I'm trying to be more proactive. I'll let you know how far I get with this latest effort.

I've decided that I really enjoy having weekends off. I might change my availability at the aquarium to reflect said discovery. I might not. Everything else in my life is changing so fast I might just keep that one steady for a while.

A great thing for kids

I think if I'd had this toy growing up, my childhood would have been more normal. It was made by a collaboration of artists. Yes, it took more than one person to create this toy. I'd like to also point out that it has a tattoo and is free standing.



Viewed from http://www.presstube.com/project.php?id=254

Wow

I can't believe it's almost 11:00pm. I can't believe I don't have to work tomorrow. I can't believe it was the last day of Make It and I didn't cry. I expected none of these things, including the not having to be at work thing. That's nice.

It was a good day. I felt like we ended on a really good note. It was the right amount of work and reflecting and touchy feely stuff that the kids act like they don't like but I think secretly do. I learned all that stuff and I think it's important to do; talk about the experiences of the past two or more years.

Also, I gave all the kids the books they made. No one knows why it took so long for me to figure out they should all have one. Travis finally talked some sense into me. Thank goodness someone could. We all signed the books for each other and wrote nice things. That was good too. I miss how fun it is to sign year books. Maybe when I get to my next job I'll make them take a yearly team picture so we can remember each other. Maybe not right away.

After work Kao decided to keep me busy by taking me out to dinner with her and Cindee, who it was nice to see. (I'll be looking on your site for something you mentioned at dinner.) I had a lot of food thanks to Kao. It didn't help that it was a small plate so I couldn't really tell how much I'd eaten.

And now I'm playing on the computer and debating backing up pictures to a blank disc. I haven't really burned too many discs with this computer yet. It seems like I should get my money's worth.

Is it wrong

Is it wrong that when I read the headline for an article in Salon called I work with the most annoying many alive I immediately thought of someone who will probably read this blog tomorrow? As the co-worker, not the annoying person people.

Someone gets a shoutout

I was over tonight at Amanda's where someone (who's not me or Amanda) was getting her hair dyed. I had my computer out (no one knows why I took it to work, but I did) and I was showing off pictures. I also had my camera with me. When I pulled out, hair-girl said, "you cannot post that to your blog where my fiance reads and sees the pictures" and all I heard was that someone else reads my blog. So, here's a shout out, you know who you are.

In other news, I stayed asleep most of the day, even when I was awake, I felt like I was asleep. I also have only run once this week. I need to run tomorrow morning. No one knows how far I'll make it.

Also, I can't start using my Nike+ because, *ahem* Amanda says I can't use velcro to adhere the thing to my shoe. I'm sure she'll tell me why later. Actually, I can't wait to find out.

I thought I was being clean

I was going to start this new things of being clean, like specifically my kitchen, which is my problem area. I just cleaned it up. I usually turn on the dishwasher before bed so it doesn't bother me. But then I just looked over at my table and realized that's going to need to be included in the "problem area" list for continual maintenance. It's amazing the things I have time for when I'm not working two jobs and an internship and school.

Maybe I'll go clean the table off and then go to bed.

Wednesday our last day on the floor

It was our last day on the floor. I'm still in my orange shirt, apparently in mourning. I t was a good day. Oddly enough, I was not the one who got emotional. Not what I would have expected.

I ran this morning Did you know the iPod Nanos have a stopwatch in them. It's useful for running intervals. I did 4 half mile "sprints" one at 4:24, two at 4:35, and one at 5:25. That was the last one and I was tired. Obviously. But it's nice to know exaclty what idid and how far I went. It helps me set goals and train better. At least I hope it will.

Also, while poking around the internet I found some pages you might be interested in reading:
1. Antidepressents could complicate pregnancy is a little story from the local paper which seemed relevant because a ridiculous number of people in my life are pregnant right now.
2. There's a nice piece on the class divide between MySpace and FaceBook at Freakonomics, one of my favorite websites.
3. This one is for nerds and computer people. A piece about software used by different presidential campaigns on their websites. It's interesting to think about who uses what software and how that plays into their politics. No mac people huh?
4. Jantar Mantar is just a sight with some really neat pictures, totally safe for work, I promise.

I am so sad...

I spent a big part of the day cleaning the youth science center and packing stuff away from the last two years. I really love my job. I'm excited about the next one but I'm sad to be loosing this one.

In other news, I was, ahem, biologically inconvenienced on Sunday night, to the point I had to take nyquil and go to sleep because there was nothing else to be done about the situation. Yesterday I was a zombie and today I showed up at 10:00 for a 9:30 meeting. Woops.

I'm thinking about running tomorrow. I haven't legitimately run in about a week, although I did some sprints in Chicago and did the elliptical today. I learned the other day that's not really a day off for my legs. I haven't really found an exercise I like that is a day off for my legs except swimming, and it's been a while with the swimming. I think I have to wait 'till it gets cold again and it's all I can do to get up and run half the time. Swimming always looks like a better option under those conditions.

Also, who else can't wait for the new Harry Potters. Yes, both of them. The book and the movie.

From The Sunday Seven

Name seven of the most under-appreciated jobs in your community.


1. Garbage man. Let me just say "thank you". That's one of those services that just works and I'm oh so happy about that.
2. Stay at home Mom / Dad / Aunt / Grandma / whatever you got. It's definitely not an easy or appreciated job.
3. Social workers. 'Nuff said.
4. Construction crews. I wouldn't really say "under-appreciated" I would more say "much maligned" and possibly heckled too much by drivers who are stopped in construction traffic. Last summer all the construction was in Minneapolis in various neighborhoods on the cities south side. This summer the construction has moved to the freeways, and how exciting it has been. Many of the freeways are getting attention including 35E and 694 at "the weave", 94 and 394 where they meet, 35W (again on the south side of Minneapolis). Those are the big ones I know about. What'd I miss?
5. Insurance salesman. I'm not sure if they're legitimately under appreciated or just no one wants to deal with them.
6. Bus drivers, largely under appreciated by anyone who's never had to take the bus. Bus riders may or may not appreciate the driver.
7. Janitors. Your jobs are important and I need you to keep doing them.

Hello little blog

It's been a while since I've had reliable internet access and so have been unable to post. Sorry. I was at the Conference for Spirituality and Social Work. Again. It's like summer camp as my Mom says.

It was at a tiny University (hard for me to believe it's really that small) in a gorgeous suburb of Chicago. I ran around the neighborhood a couple of times, embarrassingly short distances both times. I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to get up and run tomorrow. Although it's a biologically inconvenient time to be running so I may not go very far anyway. I did do a couple of sprints.

I'm still eager to try out the new Nike+ for running. I haven't yet because I haven't been able to find a time to secure the little doohickey onto my shoe. I need like a little sack that I can just attach to my shoe laces. Surely someone must sell one of those. Maybe I'll look for one when I go in search of new running shoes. I still love Brooks the best.

I took the new computer with me on the trip. I was glad I had it. My mom and I watched "Music and Lyrics" which is a total chick flick but is kind of cute nonetheless. It's definitely not cool enough for a guy to really want to sit through (very few chick flicks are that good). But it's nice to watch Hugh Grant shake his money maker for 90 minutes.

I also had a nice discussion with some professors who teach a spirituality in social work class about why they have to talk about field with their students in this class. I'm alarmed that professors really have no idea what students are going through in field. (Clients ask you to pray with them?)

I'm just trying to get into the swing of things now. I need some groceries. I'm trying to persuade myself to go down to Kowalski's and get a few things to hold me over until I can do a legitimate shopping trip. I also need to do laundry. I mean I need to do laundry. Hopefully that will get done tonight too.

The end of the series

As you may have gathered from my previous post, I have found gainful employment. How excited am I?

The phone call came at the end of the day, after much freaking out about buying a new computer without having gainful employment. I sort of felt like it would all work out for the best, which is why I bought the thing. (Plus it's a good looking computer. Too bad I can't use the photo booth to take its picture.)

I don't start until July 9th. I'm toying with the idea of a "Liz Starts a New Job" series because that will be the next significantly big thing going on in my life. New jobs are always fun, and sometimes hard for me. It usually takes me a while to feel like I fit in and have the hang of things. Once I've been in jobs for a while I really like them because I feel like I know the answers to all the questions and can help new people when they come along, kind of like I do at the Science Museum.

I'm also having anxiety about not being as good as the other people there, not being as good at my job I mean. There's a lot of information to keep track of with people, a lot of things that I don't want to miss. (No pressure.)

Right now I'm trying to get everything from the old computer onto the new one. I just want to say that it's really nice to be doing this while the old computer is still functional. I remember having to restore eight bazillion things from CDs and that is less than pleasant, especially with a slow CD drive. I'm importing pictures, playing on the internet and updating my iTunes album art all at the same time. I love technology.

Liz Gets Herself a Job

Great Success

in an effort to not pack or clean

In an effort to not pack or clean for the next little while, I'm hanging out on the internet. Here's what I just found: Expectation of Privacy Extended to Email. I just had to laugh. Even if I think my email will never be private, it's nice to know somebody thinks it should be.

On a side note, that's the federal court my Dad practices in front of sometimes (or at least he used to) and the court my Uncle worked for his entire life. (Not as an attorney or judge. He was an administrator in the offices.)

The Sunday Seven

THIS WEEK'S QUESTION:
Name seven television shows you’re ready to see new episodes of.

We'll ignore the Cincinnati grammar of the question for now...
1. Studio 60 On the Sunset Strip - even though there's only two episodes left.
2. Brothers and Sisters, my new favorite show which will have to carry the torch once Studio 60 ends its run.
3. Hmmm....
4. Maybe this is why I should get cable again.
5. Does the Harry Potter book count?
6. What about the Harry Potter movie?
7. No? That's all I got...

Finally, a holiday I can get behind

So, I think it's no secret that I'm a little bit addicted to RSS feeds. One of my favorites is the Freakonomics Blog. They've started doing a new thing, called "What is Today..." where they list different days, like international anthropology day or similar things (yeah, I made that one up). Well, today is International Panic Day which, to be clear, is not what I need right now.

The Friday Five

This one looked fun because it's all about music.
1. Do you download music not from the popular genres of Top 40, pop, rock, rap, dance, R&B, or country?
I really like Folk, Jazz and Blues too. Amos Lee, Madeleine Peyroux, Corrine Bailey Rae, and Gomez are some of my favorites. I think I'm about to discover a new artist called Gran Bel Fisher as well. (Thank you Studio 60.)

2. Are there any musicians for whom you've downloaded a significant amount of their material yet own few or none of their albums?
Yes. Black Eyed Peas, Natalie Merchant, Norah Jones, and Fall Out Boy all come to mind.

3. Have you ever enjoyed a downloaded album so much that you went and bought the physical album?
No, but I've liked them so much I've burned a CD of it.

4. How many different ways of playing music do you own (such as radio, stereo system, computer, Walkman/Discman, mp3 player, mp3-ready phone, etc.)?
I counted six without my car.

5. Do you still have and/or play a favorite vinyl album, cassette tape, or 8-track tape?
At my parents house yes. It's Elton John's "Sleeping With the Past"

Lunch With Kelly

I had a nice lunch today with Kelly. In honor of going in to work on my one day off this week I took a long lunch. I also spent an inordinate amount of time with iMovie. I'm not totally a fan. The pictures I put in to make a slide show turned out really grainy. They're really high quality pictures too so I'm not sure what's up. Any apple technicians out there?

I'm also dangerously close to purchasing my own apple. I'm thinking the MacBook unless the iMac is updated in the next few days (which I'm not anticipating).

How exciting

I just did a Pedometer reading of how far I ran. It's really more like 6 miles. How wild is that?

wild exercise

I am amazed. I was driving by Lake Nokomis at 9:45pm and say a boatload of walkers, runners and bikers. I think it's cool that so many of you are exercising so late at night. How exciting.

I personally ran 5 miles early this morning. I had an incident that makes me know that the bathrooms at Lake Nokomis are forever off limits.

Liz Gets Herself a Job Part 9

I had a second interview today for the job I really want. I think it went well. I really liked the people I met and it's a really welcoming place. I was so nervous before hand I thought I was going to throw up. Now when I think about the calling me I still think I'm going to throw up. It's been a long time since my body has had a physical reaction like this to things. This physical reaction is not the same as a panic attack for those of you who are curious. It's just really intense. I'm not a fan.

I was at work with the kids and had to change and leave in the middle of the day and then come back. I decided it would be cool for them to see that process, of getting all dressed up and everything. Plus it kept me from going crazy before the interview.

I decided that after the interview I was going to buy a computer, either way. I'm seriously considering the MacBook unless I hear that the iMacs are about to get the long awaited redesign.

The Wednesday Mind Hump

1. Have you ever cut or burned yourself while cooking?
I don't think my blog is long enough to list all the times I've done that. Although, I think this time takes the cake.

2. Have you ever put in a wrong ingredient in a dish (sugar instead of salt, for example)?
One time I tried to make this herb dip with absolutely the wrong herbs. I needed like mint and basil or something and instead I used whatever herbs you'd use with a turkey. It was bad. Although I think the feta had a lot to do with that too. The feta was supposed to be in there. I'm just not a fan.

3. Have you ever dropped, or otherwise ruined, a dish just before serving it? Bonus points if you had a large number of people waiting to eat it.
Usually this involves trying to poor my spaghetti noodles into the strainer and they wind up in the sink. I just can't eat them after they've been in the sink. I've also burned stuff. One time I undercooked salmon and forced someone to eat it (maybe Kelly and Amanda) by insisting that "it's good that way".

4. In case you aren't a cook - Have you ever had a restaurant make a klutzy move that affected your meal? Tell us about it!
Tonight they forgot to put the strawberries on my cheesecake. I'm still bitter.

Update on the bug

Remember when I found a bug in Firefox? I got an update a couple days ago. Someone else found the same bug. How cool is that?

The Sunday Seven

This one looked fun. Name seven favorite items on a Chinese buffet:
1. Egg drop soup - yum
2. Cream cheese filled wontons - double yum
3. The chicken dish with the mushrooms
4. Spring rolls
5. Anything with fried tofu
6. Egg drop soup again
7. Are there any wontons left?

I've missed you, little blog

It occurs to me I haven't taken the best care of my blog. I'd say life has been crazy except I don't see any signs of that letting up. Maybe if I could still take care of my blog I'd feel like life was less crazy, and create the illusion of normalcy.

I ran this morning. Let's back that up. I woke up late this morning. And it's hot here. Really too hot to make running outside sound good. Especially later in the morning, like the time I woke up. So I ran on the track at the Y. I believe I've blogged at length about how not many people really use that track to run distances. It's largely true by the way. I ran 3.5 miles today in (sort of) sprint intervals. I ran half-mile sprints with third-mile breaks of light jogging. By the fourth sprint, I was nearly dead. The last two laps of jogging, well I was so tired I lost count (yes, from one to two) and so may have only run one of them. Woops.

The Saturday 8

1. do you have an exercise routine currently?
Yes. I try to run 3 days a week and go to the Y 3 days a week. At the Y I like the eliptical, the bikes, and the rowing machine.

2. what's the most amount of money per month that you would pay for a gym?
I dunno. I like the YWCA, so if I have a high gym fee I try to remember I'm buying a lot of the other wonderful things they do there as well, and that's a good investment in my community.

3. have you ever been unable to exercise, for instance, due to an injury, lack of funds or time, etc.?
Yup. Remember back this fall when I fell and had to stop running for a while? It blew.

4. have you ever had a friend or family member that exercised TOO much, to the point that they were anorexic (or very, very close)?
Nope.

5. have you ever exercised too much, to the point where it was unhealthy?
I don't think so, well not in the anorexia sense. I learned earlier this year that it's unhealthy to run every day and never cross train. I'm hopeful that I've started to rectify that situation with going to the Y.

6. have you ever had a negative experience at a gym (with other patrons, equipment, trainer) or with the gym themselves (billing, closings, etc.)?
I do surprising well at my gym. You'd think something there would have sparked a panic attack.

7. one form of exercise that seems bizarre to me is spinning as i cannot understand sitting on a stationary bike for an hour with some little skinny bitch screaming at you from HER stationary bike. what form of exercise do you not 'get' or would never try because it seems too weird to you?
I had a friend who liked the spin classes. They're really popular at the Y. I think American Football and American wrestling ala WWE are the two I get the least. The thing is, especially for wrestling, but really for both sports, a certain level of athleticism is required. And then it's put to poor use.

8. if you had two free, dedicated hours each day to do something athletic that would NOT take away from work, friends, or family time, and the unlimited funds to do it, what type of exercise would you do daily? lipo, by the way, does not count... ;)
If I could do it every day I'd run. I don't because it's not healthy to do it every day and in Minnesota it's not realistic to expect to be able to run all year.

3X Thursday

1. Do you pay much attention to your body? Do you know when you are doing too much of something, not getting enough of something, etc? How do you know/not know?
I do pay attention to my body. I'm having a rough week this week because I haven't exercised much this week. I know when something is up because I feel bad or I get panic attacks (two so far this week, which is a lot), or I get really tired.

2. Have you ever had a health issue that you couldn't solve yourself (other than a sinus infection or something like that)? If so, what steps did you take to resolve it? Did you resolve it?
Yes, I went crazy. No, seriously, I had a really bad reaction to some medicine. They tell you about how the meds can trigger depression, but they don't say anything about anxiety. So I went a little nuts. It wasn't until literally months after i got of the medicine that someone told me I probably have OCD. Someone, I might add, who'd had that information for most of my life and didn't bring it up. I'm still a bit mad about that. I'm learning to forgive though.

3. Have you ever had to hop from doctor to doctor to doctor to get a diagnosis? If so, how did you handle it? What are your thoughts about having to hop from doctor to doctor to get a diagnosis?
No. I'm sure if it wasn't life threatening and one doctor told me he didn't know I'd just sttop there, such is my distaste for doctors.

Where's Kelly?

I'm just saying..

Kelly, if you're out there, I miss reading your blog. I found a really funny page on the internet today and it made me think of you.

Amanda, I miss you too but I've given up hope on you blogging.

Randomness because it looks fun:

1. a movie that made you laugh
Office Space.
2. a book that made you cry
Where the Red Fern Grows is the current boo-hoo winner. I try not to read devastatingly sad books.
3. a best friend
Oh, now this is where feelings get hurt. I'll go with a best friend I don't get to see very often, my cousin Mark.
4. a favorite childhood memory
Playing catch with Mark and John in their back yard.
5. your favorite animal
Bats. (duh)
6. your favorite food
Uncle Tom's Spaghetti
7. an item of clothing you can't do without
right now, Amanda's jeans.
8. something you collect
I liked to collect key chains for a while, but I haven't been so good about that lately. I take a lot of pictures. Does that count?
9. your favorite store to shop in
Ikea? For now I like Banana Republic because I got the most flattering shirt ever from them. Any place where I have Kelly beucase she can find things that look nice on me.
10. your favorite flower
Lilies of the Valley

Liz Gets Herself a Job Part 8

I was invited to return for a second interview at the agency where I'd really like to work. It's next Wednesday, like in 10 days Wednesday. I don't know if I can hold it that long.

Monday Music Mambo

List five songs you would enjoy on "repeat"

"Walk Through The World" by Marc Cohn. I always think that'd be a fun song to play at my wedding.
"Supply and Demand" by Amos Lee is the most played song in my iTunes library.
"Hum Hallelujah" by Fall Out Boy is a song I've recently discovered but love.
"Moondance" by Van Morrison is just one of the hottest songs ever.
"Sunday Morning" by Maroon 5. I ♥ this song.

Turns out I can run

I ran today. And I ran. And I ran some more. I ran 6.4 miles this morning. That's wild. Last week I biked around a while and discovered Lake Hiawatha. This morning I thought I'd run around Lake Nokomis and then run around Lake Hiawatha. It seemed like the thing to do at the time. Although I can't turn me neck now. I think that's because I slept on it funny. That's not related to the running thing.

Liz Gets Herself a Job Part... What are we up to now?

Not much news on the job front. I had a moment of panic this morning when I found out my job would for sure be gone on July 1st, so hopefully I have something new set up by then. I've found the job I want, and I've decided to ask the universe for that, just put it out there. We'll see. The universe, I've decided, is continually conspiring in my favor, so if I don't wind up there, I'm sure whatever experience I do have will be valuable.

And now, for the Wednesday Mind Hump:
1. Football - what's your favorite football team (any level)?
Now, see, I think of what we in America call "soccer" when I see "football". For American football, the Bengals are my home team, and I root for the Vikings but it seems a futile effort. For international football, the US Women's Team.

2. Shoes - Describe your favorite pair of shoes.
My running shoes they are Brooks running shoes which is really the only brand of shoe to ever fit my feet properly.

3. Dancing - What do you think is the best music to dance to?
What kind has a handsome young man holding me up?

I am 10 Years Old

Really, I think I'm a little older than 10 years old if I get why this is funny. Seriously. My mind will be in the gutter for some time with this.

Another Fish Alternative

I was reading the Most Popular Stories on Yahoo when I saw the headline Fish Oil Plus Exercise May Banish Body Fat and obviously stopped for a look.

Two things in the article (not about weight loss) caught my attention:
1. Taking a fish oil supplement helped people improve their cholesterol numbers, something several people in my life (including at least one who reads this blog) struggle with.
2. Fish oil supplements are another way to get the benefits of eating fish (the omega-3 fatty acids) without actually having to stomach the suckers which is hard for me sometimes.

wow is it hot

It's really hot outside. Too hot to be running. Nonetheless...

I ran the short route today, 3.6 miles, and I was hot by the time I got home. I think I was dehydrated. I probably still am. I thought about sitting out by the pool today after the run, and then I thought about jumping in the pool after the run. Neither one really sounded like the best option so I opted for cleaning for a while. I still have more to do. For some reason or other, I can never manage to get my living room clean (and it's where I spend all my time).

I'm lamenting the fact that there's not too much on TV right now. I thought about getting cable again but I cannot change my cable package right now for reasons that are too difficult to explain.

Wanna know something else? I found a bug in Firefox and reported it. At first I thought I was loosing my mind and just couldn't customize the toolbar. I feel like a detective now.

What I've Been Doing While Trying to Keep Awake

Well, a little bit, I've been transferring music from one computer to another. I still can not believe the ease with which I set up the home network. The mac is really slow for web browsing and Firefox is freaking it out, but the sound always works and I can listen to music on it no matter what.

I'm still getting confused about which mouse controls which monitor. And I'm so used to the expose feature on macs that I keep trying to make my PC work the same way. (Woops.)

Here are some of the things I've been reading today:
1. King Canute. I swear I've heard this story on an episode of the West Wing. Is that wrong?
2. If Operating Systems Ran the Airlines is an hilarious look at different operating systems. I particularly love the Apple OS airline. I would put Linux on my parents computer except I think they'd have a similar reaction...
3. How to Hypnotize a Chicken. It's safe for work but only if you don't laugh out loud or shoot cola through your nose. Seriously, one of the most hysterically funny things I've read in a long time. Thank you.

The Sunday Seven

Name seven TV character deaths that stand out as being shockers.

Good, I've had a few things I've wanted to say on this matter.

1. Mrs. Landingham on the West Wing. What in the world was Aaron Sorkin thinking and why didn't someone stop him? It did make for one of the best scenes in the entire series, not to mention opening a role for Lily Tomlin who is an hysterically funny person. Nonetheless.

2. ADA Costas from NYPD Blue (who was the wife of Andy Sipowicz played by Dennis Franz).

3. Danny Sorenson also from NYPD Blue. I don't know why I'm surprised that Ricky from Silver Spoons had to eat it but there it is.

4. Tasha Yar. I think I speak for every fan of TNG when I say, wtf?

5. Leo McGarry, also of the West Wing. I know this one was based on real life, but it was still sad.

6. I am seconding Lt. Col Henry Blake of M*A*S*H.

7. Bobby Simone. I still can't believe they did it. How sad.

Liz on No Sleep

I got no sleep last night. It just makes me not want to ever sleep in the tunnel during an overnight again. We had such a small group that I could actually fit in there, but everyone had to walk by me to get up in the middle of the night and a ridiculous number of people were up in the middle of the night including a sleep walker. Seriously.

And saying I got a bad night of sleep at the aquarium where I'm already guaranteed to have no sleep is noteworthy. That night set the bar pretty high.

When I got home this morning I knew I wanted to exercise because I didn't really do that yesterday. No, not "I didn't really do that yesterday", I just flat out didn't. A couple weeks ago while at Target with Kelly I got a bike pump so I put air in my tires and went for a ride.

I'm not sure I'm really a fan of bike rides. I don't think I am. At least not the hills. It's clear I need to go back to the gym and set the resistance on those bikes much higher than I do now.

right now I'm doing laundry. It's really too late in the day for me to take a nap. Usually if I'm going to take one I'm out by 12:00 or 1:00p. This is really too late. It just means I'll never get to sleep tonight defeating the purpose of napping to maintain my sleep cycle.

The Saturday 8

1. who's the oldest living member of your family?
My Grandma that Amanda likes. A lady never tells her age though.

2. who's the newest?
Well I have three pregnant cousins, and then there's a one-year-old and a 6 monther in there too.

3. if you could spend a two-week vacation with one family member, who would it be?
I like going down to Florida and seeing everyone down there.

4. the old saying goes, "you can pick your friends, but you cannot pick your family." if you could choose one of your friends, who would you 'elect' to become a member of your family?
I've always thought my friend Jenny should marry my cousin Mark. I'm not actively making that match, but I haven't given up the fantasy.

5. who in your family can you just NOT stand?
Hmm, we're not really that kind of family.

6. do you have a member of the family who is currently suffering an illness? (i'm going for physical illness here, but feel free to talk about the batshit-crazy ones, too)
Uh, in our family my Mom and I are the crazy ones.

7. do you have a family member that you've lost contact with? who are they, and why do you not currently have contact?
Not really. I'm not as close to my Mom's family, but we see them for holidays and stuff.

8. do you have any famous family members?
My Grandma and Grandpa love to tell me the odd way I'm related to Joey Hudepohl who was an olympic swimmer but I think it's just wishful thinking.

As seen on

This is a cool post with great pictures of weird houses from all over the world.

I know this house very well. It was designed by a professor from the University of Cincinnati. I actually remember it from when it was a normal house. It's only five or six miles the house I grew up in.
This house is not the UFO house in Northern Kentucky, but it looks like it. The one in Northern Kentucky is only visible in the winter from the revolving restaurant. In the spring there's too many leaves on the trees.

From Photo Pherrets

Our word for this week is: Brown

Oddly enough, it's the first word I use to describe this dress. Also, this picture includes the cap that my co-workers made for me. I wanted to wear it during graduation but my Mom discouraged it.

Liz Gets Herself a Job Part 6

I got a few more "we went with another candidate" emails yesterday. To cope, I watched two movies from Netflix. The Squid and the Whale got pretty good ratings. I didn't like it. Too slow. It's only 75 minutes though, so it might not be too bad to give it a try. And then I watched Conversations with God. From that movie I learned that "the universe is continually conspiring in my favor" and I will find a positive way of supporting myself.

I'm working a lot more at the Science Museum now. I sort of don't know what to do with myself. I'm only working 40 hours a week. It doesn't feel like I'm doing enough...

Liz Gets Herself a Job Part 5

This is part 5 of the series I wish would end, only because it means I'll have a job. I had another interview today. I really like both the job and the agency. And they won't even let me know if I get a second interview until the first or second week of June. I have decided this will be my new job. I loved it. I also tried a slightly different interview outfit today. I am the cute as ever. I love the outfit. Can I just say I wish the shirts at Banana Republic were cheaper because they make me look good.

Liz Gets Herself A Job: Continued

What part am I on now? I need to spend some time tonight updating my resume for the job I've decided I will ultimately get hired for. It's a life skills teacher for teens. I would be so good at that. I got a call from the place I interviewed on Thursday saying it'll be longer than they thought, but hey, at least they're keeping me informed. And I have a job interview tomorrow at an agency that provides services very similar to what the agency of my internship provided.

In other news, I got an iMac G4 from, well, let's call it a private adoption agency. It's been both good and bad. Creating a home network between the iMac and my Windows laptop was the easiest thing I've ever done on a windows machine. Seriously, it was so simple I thought I was on a Mac. On the other hand, "customize toolbar" keeps crashing firefox. I have no explanation. And then I have to decide exactly how much of my iTunes library to add to this computer.

One other exciting piece of news, Madeleine Peyroux is coming to town on June 8th. I'm trying to recruit as many concert goers as I can.

Did I mention I graduated...

I graduated yesterday. How fun is that? In the morning we went to Como Conservatory, a super pretty place to be. I got lots of pretty pictures of flowers. We tried taking a family portrait as well. We went over to the Science Museum briefly to see the teens and the Youth Science Center and then we went to Saigon, which is this little hole in the wall restaurant. Almost every time I go in there I'm the only white person. I love it.

And then we got dressed up and went to graduation. And I graduated, and my parents hooded me. How fun is that? Apparently I can't write a more coherent sentence than that right now. Three nights of not too much sleep on a couch are catching up with me rather quickly.

Unconscious Mutterings

I say ... and you think ... ?

1. Coastguard :: that could've been me, the Coast Guard Academy
2. Buddies :: Amanda and Kelly and Liz and everyone else I saw at graduation yesterday
3. Nap :: mmmmm
4. Groan :: dirty mind
5. Sitcom :: All of the shows I like that have been cancelled
6. Reader :: Amanda, Kelly, Em, my Grandma, anyone on my Dad's side of the family really
7. Heroes :: that stupid TV show that I blame for my show being cancelled
8. Amazing :: Grace
9. Woman :: oh yeah
10. Don’t! :: one of my favorite words, or ...you dare...

What'd I do today?

Holy cow am I tired. This morning I ran 4.25 miles. I'm glad I can still run that far. When I got home my parents came over from the hotel and we went out to Maria's Cafe for breakfast. I highly recommend the corn pancakes with cheese. I've actually never had anything else there because it's such a specialty.

After breakfast we lounged and read the paper / looked at pictures / played on the internet for quite a while. Then we went to the Mall of America and specifically to the Aquarium to see the fishes.







After the aquarium we shopped more. I got totally cute interview clothes, which only make the interview clothes I already own cuter. I can't wait to have a job to wear them.

No trip to the Mall of America is complete with out the obligatory stop at Ikea. Dad was mildly entertained. I think Grandma was somewhere between being amazed with the store and being so tired she could pass out. In the end we got a few things, including a non-stick whisk for me.

After the shopping trip we came home. Dad napped and snored. I napped and did not snore. No one knows what Mom and Grandma did because we were not awake to see it.

That's about when I decided it was time to eat again. Once my Mom heard about Beer battered green beans, there was no stopping her so we went to the Longfellow Grill for dinner. We played around on the Lake Street bridge while we waited for a table.


After dinner we saw Lock and Damn Number 1 (near the Ford Parkway bridge) and Minnehaha Falls.






Lessons I learned while out:

• Stores like Nordstrom Rack and Marshall's are not places I can shop alone, nor were they meant for anyone to shop without a friend.


• Crying toddlers, and sometimes crying babies give me panic attacks, no one knows why.


• A single serving of milk does have enough protein to make me not hypoglycemic before shopping at Ikea.


• Bay Scallops are not that good. Order something else.

Liz Gets Herself a Job Part 3

In this installment: The Interview
That's right. I had an interview today for a position directing support groups across two states. I want to be clear, I would love this position. Except, and here's the thing, there's a public policy component to the job. I could love that part or I could really not. Side bar: Did you know Blogger Autosaves now? How wild is that? I'm not sure how the interview went. It was another interview of me being younger than everyone else in the room. That could have been really good. I really liked the people in the room. They were nice to me and even though there were four people it was the least intimidating interview I've had so far.

When I got home I had an email from another agency asking me to resend my resume. Then that person wrote me back and asked to set up an interview. So I have an interview on Tuesday as well. After that on Tuesday I'm going out to lunch with a colleague who's going back to grad school. I'm trying not to tell her any stories that will make her run screaming away. Only she's going to get a Masters and a PhD. It's going to take her at least six years. It only took me two and I'm ready to loose my mind. I think I am loosing my mind.

Wednesday Mind Hump

Your task: Post a photo of a face. It could be your face, a face of someone you know, or the face of a pet. Or you can post a link to a face on a photo sharing site. Either way, give us a good face!

Liz Gets Herself a Job Part 2

Update on the job front: I haven't heard from the one place I was expecting to hear from well, basically today. I do have another job interview scheduled for tomorrow, another first interview. This one should be interesting. I returned the call to schedule the interview and they asked me up front what I was looking for in a salary. I wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. You know that feeling when the wind gets knocked out of you? That's what was going on at that moment. I went with a wide range, like several thousand dollars, of the truth. I'll let you know.

Right now I need to scrub the bathroom and kitchen and vacuum. Yes, as a matter of fact, it is 11:00. I don't know why I haven't gotten started. I just seemed like I should wait this long to clean up the house for my parents.

Liz Gets Herself a Job Part 1

A while ago (around the time I realized I hadn't done an actual post in weeks) I reread some of my posts inlcuding this one which referenced this page. One of the articles on this page suggests writing a series to "fight blogger apathy". Briefly, I'd like to attribute my "apathy" to simultaneously finishing an internship, three classes, and having to look for gainful employment.

Which brings me to the series: Liz Gets Herself a Job

Here's how things have gone so far. I've applied to like a million jobs at a million different places. I can remember most of the places I've applied because I save the cover letter I send to each potential employer. At the end of the day I can go back and count how many I've got. The problem is that some of the larger employers require applicants to fill out an online application which leaves no such paper trail. (I'm wondering how many times I've applied for some of the positions at Fairview and HealthEast).

I've sort of got this down to a science now. I have a formated resume saved as a word document. I also have a plain text resume which looks very plain but is perfect for copying and pasting into all those online forms. Because of a particularly pesky online form I now also have a plain text resume limited to 50 characters per line. I also have a saved copy of my work history with just job titles, address and phone numbers, names of supervisors and dates of employment.

There are still a few wrinkles in the system. Each time I apply for a position I write a cover letter which usually involves copying and pasting the last cover letter and changing some names and details. This is where I have the most potential to screw up. Especially when in one fateful letter I mentioned the name of the company a second time in a place I usually don't, copied the letter into a new document and forgot to take out the reference to company A in the letter I sent to company B. Woops. Even not counting that letter, I've still sent out a bunch of resumes.

Tonight I applied for a position at Fairview and one at Health East. This weekend I think I applied for about four positions (not including the woops cover letter).

I've had three interviews. Company A (not the same company A as before) I haven't heard from, but at this point I'm assuming they've hired someone else. Company B was an interesting interview. I walked into this suite in an office building and thought "I literally would not fit in this office". I need more room to move around and make noise. They also weren't paying very much. I didn't want to work there but the rejection still stung. Company C I haven't heard from but they said they will contact people during the middle of the week so that's ok.

Here's the thing I've learned about Minnesota. Jobs are required to be posted for 3 weeks (thank you EEOC) and sometimes companies extend the posting. If I apply for a position at the beginning of the cycle it could literally be a month before I hear from anyone. I'm pointing this out more to myself than anyone else. I've decided that talking about this will help me be realistic about the process, although I'm not totally convinced this won't just make things worse. Whose idea was this?

Keep checking back for part 2 of the series.

The Sunday Seven

Name seven varieties of the same kind of animal (i.e., bears, dogs, birds, etc.) that you would use to differentiate improvements of the next version of the Mac OS system.

This is wrong because Apple delayed Leopard until October so they could launch a bright shiny cellular phone that I don't want while waiting to updated the iMac and iPod that I do want.

I think we should just have different species of bats.
Big brown bats is the first (and lowest) level
Little brown bats
Red bats
Big eared bats
Northern long ear bats
Indiana bats (which are endangered so don't do anything stupid to those)
Hoary bats are the highest level

Ten on Tuesday

10 Things Most People Don't Know About You

1. I'm afraid of heights. Although how people can forget that I have no idea.
2. I used to play the saxophone.
3. I used to take Latin in high school.
4. I totally watch the Disney channel. Right now I'm watching Life with Derrek and I love "Phil of the Future". I'm ok with it.
5. Speaking of odd tastes, Blue Man Group.
6. For some reason people who don't know me well are under the impression I can sing. Oh oh, if only you knew.
7. What really happened in Africa.
8. The mental illness history of my family.
9. Where to locate Appalachia on a map.
10. The different TV shows I have been addicted to in my life. Some of the more embarassing ones: Dr. Quinn, Superman: The New Adventures of Lois and Clark, Star Trek: TNG. I'm currently addicted to Brothers and Sisters and pining the loss of Studio 60. Also, where the he!! did "Men in Trees" go?

The Friday Five

1. song/movie/book: We'll go with "The Sound of Music" because I watched it so often as a kid.
2. person: Almost anyone. You are all my teachers.
3. place: Africa.
4. event: 9/11
5. self indulgence: Chipotle.

3X Thursday

This one seemed like it really applied to me. Especially given my Dad's recent encouragement to "paint the place and sell it" if I want to.

1. How many times have you moved in the past 5 years? Why/why haven't you?
8/2002: Cincinnati to Minneapolis
2/2004: Minneapolis to Cincinnati, Cincinnati to Malawi via Philadelphia
in Malawi: College of Forestry to family to Lilongwe
5/2004: Africa to Cincinnati, Cincinnati to Florida
6/2004: Florida to Pennsylvania via Cincinnati
8/2004: Pennsylvania to Minneapolis via Cincinnati
6/2005: Powderhorn (Minneapolis) to Bancroft (Minneapolis). Given my history, you'd think ten blocks wouldn't be that big a deal, but still...

2. Are you one of those people who thinks moving is therapeutic? (You know, a time to get rid of things you don't need, etc.) Why/why not?
Moving is not therapeutic. My friends were therapeutic during the last moving process. I do keep in mind that I will have to move one day and so try as hard as possible not to collect a lot of junk.

3. Do you prefer to move yourself, or do you hire someone to do it for you? Why/why not?
I've never had the financial means to hire movers. I really don't mind doing it myself, with friends. If I didn't have friends I could count on, I'd totally hire someone.

Wednesday Mind Hump

This one was super fun. I'd like to say that I have a large number of potentially embarrassing pictures of one of my friends. If you grew up near Wilmar I may be talking about you.

1) Are you a photographer?
I love to take pictures. My friends would say "Digital Camera + Person with ADD = Trouble"
I say "Digital Camera + Person with ADD = FUN"

2) If so, tell us about your photo equipment.
I have a Canon Elph and I love it. It's almost the size of my iPod.

3) Describe (or post) one of your favorite photos, either one you've taken or one you've seen.

I love the pictures where the subjects of the picture hole out the camera and photograph themselves. A couple of examples:

4) Do you like having your picture taken?
Usually if I'm with other people I don't mind. I feel fat when it's just me.

5) If you are able, post a photo for us to see!

This was literally taken over my shoulder because I was bored. (See the equation in number 1.) I think it's a fantastic picture.