![[icon]](http://l-userpic.livejournal.com/1060020/366427) |
So, yeah...it's like that...
|
| Alright, so me blog is finally finished. (thanks, Trav!) After only
several months of "encouragement," Trav set up my new blog last night.
So, for a good time, go to my new blog.
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| comments: 3 comments or Leave a comment   |
| Ok, so this is mainly a list of all the Newberry award winners, with
the ones I've read in bold. Yeah, it's an awesome sight, I can
tell you that right now.
Oh, yeah, and just so you know, the wedding was amazing. B0x0rz were, in fact, r0x0rd. w00t.
And by that, I mean that the wedding was really lovely and everything
we wanted. Check out Dave and Jen's photography work at
photogrove dot com.
The really cool thing about marriage is that I now have free reign to be as boring as I want. Aw yeah.
( mmm...delicious books... )
| | comments: 2 comments or Leave a comment |
| Trav went down to Galax today to meet with the boys and go over music for the wedding. I wish I could have gone, since I don't see them all at once very often. Well, ever, really. The last time was at Sammy and Lisa's wedding almost 3 years ago.
Anyway, we're having Andrew, Sammy, Brandon, and Rick Galyean (our high school band director, now director of bands at UVA-Wise) play as a brass choir for the wedding. All very close friends of ours, so I love it.
So after they got the musical stuff worked out they were just sitting around talking, and the subject of band came up (haha, no shit). Now, I knew that since Rick left Galax (right after Andrew, Brandon and I graduated) the band had gone to shit. I just didn't realize how far.
The GHS band is now TWENTY (20) people. 3 trumpets, 1 saxophone...probably no euphoniums. At a recent marching band competition, one of the judges (goes to Radford, the best percussionist of all time. period. I'm not kidding.) said that Galax's performance was one of the worst, most embarassing shows he had ever seen in his life.
Now, bear in mind the fact that when I graduated, the Pride of Galax Maroon Tide Marching Band (wow, lots of words) was the largest marching band from a single A school in VA. Yes, that's right, the largest. Galax High School had maybe 375 students in grades 8-12. Our band had over 100 members.
We were a huge band, and we were good. Really good. Like superior at state competition good. Our show was amazing, the band was (mostly) dedicated, and we blew everyone away. I was PROUD of my band. I LOVED my band.
I was band co-president.
I was given the John Phillip Souza award for concert band.
Travis and my big brother Dave both got the Louis Armstrong award for jazz performance.
In the 10 years that Dave and I were in marching band, we were both leaders musically and on the field. The same goes for Trav, Andrew, Brandon, Sammy...the band room was full of trophies and awards that the band won over that period.
Do you know where those trophies are? Do you know what happened to the plaques honoring our music are?
Trashed. They are GONE.
Apparently, getting a "fresh start" for the band involved completely eradicating any trace of the band's history and accomplishments. I'd say that as far as fresh starts go, this one was a total failure.
You know, before today I was just disappointed that the band had fallen so far in the last 4 years. But now I'm just angry and resentful. I just DO NOT understand how anyone could trash everything we'd done. Band was one of the most important things in my life during high school. Jazz, concert, marching...I loved it. I made all-district every year I tried out (6 years straight) and auditioned for all-state twice. My senior year the jazz band won the Best Brass award at a competition in Toronto.
But you know what? Who cares! That was the past, this is NOW! We're moving on to a better tomorrow!
This year the last band members who had played under Galyean graduated. And without any evidence that Galax used to be a powerhouse, it's like all that work never happened.
So right now I'm just pissed as all hell. I'll be ok, I just need to get used to the fact that MY band is gone. *sigh*
How could they throw us out?
{end of transmission} | | comments: 2 comments or Leave a comment |
| First of all, the funny:
Suit: Do you have what I call a "sharpie"?
Secretary: ...what you call a sharpie?
Suit: Yes.
Secretary: ...you and no one else?
Suit: It's like a, a felt-tipped pen.
Secretary: Oh, I know what it is.
Suit: Well, most people don't know what it's called.
Secretary: You're kidding, right? It says it right on the pen.
Suit: Well, do you have one?
Secretary: Yes. Yes, I do. I keep it here in what I call my "drawer".
- Overheard in the Office
Oooooh that cracks me up. You should also check out Overheard in New York
And here's my State of the Upcoming Union address.
Wedding = almost here. Thank goodness. I'm not a big fan of weddings, and I'll be glad when we're done. I know that sounds horrible and insensitive, but...damn. There's just a lot that goes into it. Anyway, invitations are out (they're supposed to go out 6 weeks before the wedding. personally, I think that planning ahead that much is a sign of weakness.) Rings are here, registry is registered, dress is here (getting altered tomorrow), location is reserved, brass choir is ready, marriage licence is licensed.
Hmm...what could we be missing?
Oh, right, I remember.
Edneecas. Trav's first roommate, now an ordained minister, who agreed to officiate. Yeah, kind of odd that we can't contact him. Oh well, it's not really that important. You know. Just the pastor.
Hooboy. Ah well, things will work out.
I think Trav's serious about us, though. He added me to his wireless plan yesterday! Yeah, that's commitment, baby! *L* Actually, not so much. Alltel is actually NICE! We can change our plan anytime we want. Period. Even if we're going to a cheaper plan. If we know we're going to run over our minutes for the month, then we can call our rep and have her backdate a plan change so we don't have to pay an ungodly amount for minutes...and she'll switch it back afterwards! Yes, it's amazing.
With the new cellular plan, I have a new phone. Yep, I'm riding the wave of the future. My phone now has a color screen, polyphonic ringtones, and lots of other kinda confusing things. It's just...odd. It works the way it should. I'm not so sure that I trust the future.
We finally figured out the honeymoon, too. And when I say that what I really mean is that we've decided not to figure out the honeymoon. (does that make sense?) Neither of us can think of anywhere that we're just dying to go. We know we'll be in Charleston, WV on the 27th to do our StoryCorps recording. "What's that?" you're asking yourself. Well, it's amazing.
Basically, StoryCorps is reviving the oral history movement that started during the Great Depression as a public works project. They have permanent booths in some locations, but they also have mobile recording units (in Airstreams!) that are travelling around the country. You make a reservation, spend a few minutes getting set up with a professional tech, and then make a full broadcast-quality recording of...whatever you want to talk about. Trav and I decided that it would be really nice to record an oral history of *us* to remind us what it was like before we got old and bitter. (kidding) (not really) (no, kidding) (probably)
You should check out the website: StoryCorps
It's worth it.
And that, I think, may be it for now. I may be married next time I post, so get ready. Things will change. (not really)
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| Apart from the usual comments you may or not have about this post, here are the so-called rules of this interview (if you want to participate):
Yoinked from ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) babagannoush
1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."
2. I will respond by asking you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. Post the answers to the questions (and the questions themselves) on your LJ.
4. Include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post. (or a separate post, but not too long after. Be honest here, people!)
5. When others ask to be interviewed, give them five questions.
( El entrevista )
PS - Trav is the coolest person I know. Mark Shuttleworth knows who he is, what he's contributed to the Ubuntu community, and specifically said that he wants him onboard a new project for Ubuntu development. Wow. Travis++ (according to Shuttleworth, at least!).
PPS - If you know WHO Mark Shuttleworth is, you'll know why it's so cool. If you don't, quickly stated: he's a slightly eccentric South African billionaire who is currently probably the single largest monetary contributor to truly free, open Linux. Oh yeah, he's also been to space. Because that's what all eccentric South African billionaires do, right?
PPPS - He sounds very nice, according to Trav.
{end of transmission} | | comments: 1 comment or Leave a comment |
| At last I have found a new-age belief system that I really feel is right for me. It's such a relief to know that I can rest, freed of the burden of seeking for meaning.
Yes, it's true. If you want to feel the sheer joy of enlightenment that I can now flaunt, go to Popstrology.com and learn about the beauty and inner peace that you can share with me.
And just so you know, my birthday (Jan.10.83) makes me a Men At Work (specifically the classic ditty "Down Under") born in the year of Michael Jackson...and I think it's pretty darn clear to all of us how that's affected my life. | | comments: Leave a comment |
| Holy crapballs. I don't know how it is that I managed not to post for so long.
Now I feel like a really bad boyfriend...you know, the one who disappears for the weekend, then sheepishly shows up at your door with a big bouquet of flowers and plans for a romantic night out to make up for the fact that he didn't call (and slept with 7 different girls).
(Only by "weekend" I mean almost two months. And by "bouquet of flowers" I mean a lame-ass post. And by "not calling and sleeping with seven different girls" I mean...not posting for a long time.)
No, I did not sleep with seven different girls. Or guys. Or anything else. So you can just stop those rumours about my love life RIGHT NOW. I don't want Trav to hear about what I've done. your lies.
Anywho, having apologized I'll move on to the brief update section. (It has to be breif, it's 4 in the morning. I should be asleep.) Let's see...
I graduated. Hooray! Back in the fall though, but that's cool. I like that kind of thing. (And by "that kind of thing" I mean school.) Other than that...well, I work, I sleep and eat occasionally, and...let's face it, my life is boring. Really boring. Sorry.
Good news: I finished my last semester of college with a 4.0 (for the semester) which I think is pretty damn awesome, since I had lots of classes and work and not much sleep. Hooray!
I dunno, I don't know what to tell you. Life has been pretty standard...just run-of-the-mill stuff. However, I've read some good books lately! (this is very important in my life.) Lately I've been on a non-fic streak, mainly cultural anth. stuff about the far east. It's really made me think, but I'm too tired to write about it. I'll make a note to post about that later, and maybe I will!
In conclusion, I'm sorry I treated you wrong. But baby, you know I love you! Those other girls don't mean a thing! I know I don't always treat you right, but I still love you. I brought you flowers, and now I'm gonna take you out to a diner, buy you cheap casserole, and then get drunk and embarass you by asking you to be my wingman while I pick up chicks. Doesn't that sound great?
No?!?
{end of transmission} | | comments: 2 comments or Leave a comment |
| ...I really suck. Bad. I didn't really realize this until I looked over my journal and realized how little I post on here. I aplogize from the bottom of my black little heart for being crappy.
Alright, now that my self-flagellation is out of they way, I'm going to make up some news. No, wait, I mean...tell you about my life. Yeah, that's the ticket...
Katie = busy
Things just seem to hit all at once, you know? I hate that. I feel like I've been running a lot lately, which I guess is true. School is good, I still like all my profs and classes, but there's still a lot to do. Or maybe it just feels that way...I dunno. Anywho, now that I can stop worrying about getting accepted or paying for grad school, you'd think I could relax and enjoy my last bit of undergrad. Welll...not really. I mean, I'm enjoying it about like I always do, but not the way everyone else seems to feel right before they graduate. This is the heaviest load I've ever had to take, which kinda (really) sucks. Plus work stuff. Ugh.
See, one of the things that really gets me is that everyone else who's finishing this May is thrilled! They're all dancing around, being happy, all that stuff. Me? Yeah, I'm excited, it's pretty damn cool that I'll have my first real degree, but I know I'm not done with school, and that takes some of the giddiness out of it. It's not like graduating high school, when the world is a big adventure and you'll get to move out and all that newfound freedom stuff. Nah, this is graduating into a lot more responsibility. I'm just nervous about it, you know? I think everyone is really secretly nervous about graduating from college, though. Whether you're doing grad school or getting a job, it's (for a lot of us) the first time to really be on our own. Scary, no matter how long you've been waiting for it.
I don't think my nerves about grad school are unusual. I'm sure I'll be fine, but it's still scary to go into such a big shift. For me, it's going from classes and observations into clinic--I won't be learning about clients and treatment, or even just watching. I'm going to be in a little room with someone with a communication disorder. No matter how many therapy sessions you watch, that's still intimidating. Hoooboy.
I'll be fine, though. I know I will. I always get scared as heck before a big change, but I always do it, and it turns out fine every time. It's just fear of the unknown. I always want to try new things, but I hate going into something if I don't know exactly what I'm doing. Honestly, one of my biggest fears in starting college (up at UMW) was that I didn't know how to get around campus or around Fred-burg. Well, I figured that out fine. Just like everything else.
I know it's just intimidating and once I get there it won't be a problem. I've just got to get there, get through that first terrifying session, and then I know I'll get over the nerves.
I'm starting a new chapter in my life pretty soon here. Marriage, grad school...it's like I'm a real adult, you know? And that's cool, don't get me wrong! It's just weird. How can I be an adult? Well, I guess I'll find out, right? I just look around me, and I feel like everyone looks so much older! (yes, I know that's a weird thing to be hung up on, but...) I know I'm older than a lot of them, I'm graduating, getting hitched, all that. But still...I look at the grad students in the clinic, and it's like your first day of school. You walk in the front door of the elementary school, and there's all these HUGE, OLD 5th graders! And you think to yourself "wow! I'll never be like that!"
And then one day you wake up, and you realize that you are.
I finished 5th grade a long time ago, but I've never been able to shake that feeling.
Someday, if I try real hard, maybe I'll feel like I'm the one in 5th grade.
{end of transmission} | | comments: 3 comments or Leave a comment |
| bad news: the furnace is still broken, so if we don't have a door open with a fan blowing in cold air it gets above 80.
And now, on to the space race!
good news: I got my official acceptance to grad school at RU, complete with an all-expenses paid cruise around the world!
No, wait, that's not right.
Ok, I remember now: research grant and graduate assistantship. That means enough money to BUY AN ALL-EXPENSES PAID CRUISE AROUND THE WORLD!
No, wait, that's not right.
Ok, I remember now: Trav and I don't have to take out student loans. Hooray! | | comments: 2 comments or Leave a comment |
| ...but don't tell Radford, they frown on that kind of thing.
So yes, I'm hopping on the bandwagon...but in a way that emphasizes my uniqueness. So there.
Here are then things I've done that you probably haven't.
1) Been run over by an accurate recreation of a 3,000 pound 18th century bateau
2) Climbed over 10,000 stairs in one day (in Switzerland)
3) Played inside ice caves carved into a glacier (also Switzerland, and that's what was at the top of the stairs. Worth it.)
4) I sang at a karaoke bar in China. End of topic.
5) Written a test to assess an adult articulation disorder.
6) Read the Gulag Archipelago (Solzhenitsyn).
7) Actually walked on the Great Wall of China, and I have the pictures to back up my claim. Incidentally, I managed this after a 20 hour plane flight (well, at least 20, maybe more. I lost track of time) and about 3 hours of sleep.
8) Played in a real live rock-and-roll band.
9) Seen enough Cowboy Mouth shows so that Fred remembers us.
10) Purchased green tea flavored condoms and presented them to my Mandarin professor to thank her for her hard work. Well, to thank her, and also because it was really, really funny.
And there you have it, folks. Things I have done that you have not. | | comments: 1 comment or Leave a comment |
| I'm starting a new band. We're going to change the face of music.
we will be called ":!?." and we will perform and record experimental jazz fusion expressed only in punctuation marks.
Oh hell yeah, I am that cool. | | comments: Leave a comment |
| | Current Music: | Futurama | | Subject: | Senility. | | Time: | 11:43 pm | | Current Mood: | ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/mely/lemonfaces/split.gif) confused |
|
| My encounter with premature senility (while making kool-aid):
1) take pitcher out of fridge, finish remaining kool-aid
2) turn back to fridge, fully expecting to find sugar and kool-aid powder inside
3) realize mistake, remove sugar and powder from cabinet *
4) place sugar and powder next to pitcher on counter
5) turn around, look in cabinet for measuring cup
6) remember basic logic of kitchen, get measuring cup out of dish rack located DIRECTLY BELOW cabinet and therefore DIRECTLY in front of you
7) add powder and sugar to pitcher
8) put sugar in fridge (thanks for stopping me, trav)
9) add water to pitcher, shake vigorously while wondering why I have suddenly become incapable of making kool-aid
Yep. That's just sad.
* ok, so the first time I tried to type this riveting account, I actually wrote fridge there instead. Good lord. | | comments: 1 comment or Leave a comment |
| Once upon a time, in a far-away land, there was a girl who never posted in her livejournal. She felt very, very bad about it, so one day she finally sat down and wrote about her life...
...in the form of a numbered list, because she likes things to be organized...
...the list looked a little bit like this...
- I'm still working at The Max, and doing pretty well. They're starting to train me in CopyMax (yes, everything in the store is [something]Max). I'm happy about that. I started covering for people's lunches back there, and then when people called in, and now they're putting me back there more and more. Unfortunately, I have yet to get any formal training...I'm just trying to figure everything out as I go.
- Spring semester is getting close to full swing right now. I have a heavy load (17 credits, including a couple of 4-credit classes), but it's not bad at all. I like my classes and professors, so that's definitely a good thing.
- My applications for grad school are IN. Thank goodness. Yes, I procrastinated. Of course. But that's taken care of, so no need to stress over it. Well, until it's getting close to acceptance/rejection time. Honestly, though, I feel pretty good about it. My GPA is pretty good (3.802), I feel confident that my letters of recommendation are solid, I feel good about my essay, and I got a decent GRE score.
- Speaking of GRE scores, I was really surprised to find out how some of the other girls in my major did. I didn't think mine was mind-blowing (solid, more than enough to get me a second look at RU), but...well, I was just surprised. It was one of those things where people you really thought were smart didn't do as well as you'd expected. Ok, so that sounded bad. Don't get me wrong, I don't think they're not smart--in fact, I don't think they're any less smart than I did before. (whew, that was a confusing sentence.) My guess is that they just don't test well. I just wish I'd studied more--my math score was less than great (but I think I made up for it on verbal). I ended up with almost exactly a 100pt drop from my SAT score in each section. Now if only they would send me my writing score...
- Trav's a corporate whore now. Hehe...I love making fun of him for that. No, really, he's working at the National Bank of Blacksburg. He says he really likes it, and they seem to think very highly of him--he got moved from part-time to full-time way ahead of schedule! Hooray for Trav! It doesn't hurt that he has a darn good benefits package now, which will be a big help once we get hitched.
- And speaking of hitching, we haven't planned anything. Ugh. This is what happens when two people who a) don't really know what they're doing, and b) aren't worked up about making it a big production decide to get married. Both of us just want a nice, simple ceremony without a billion people. We really need to hop on the wedding train. (hehe, that's fun to say.) Anyway, everyone seems to be planning weddings right now, and I just don't want to hear it. It just reminds me of how we're not on the ball. Oh, and everyone keeps asking me what our colors are! What? I wasn't completely aware that I should have colors! I mean, I'll be wearing ivory and Trav will be wearing a tux (I'm pushing for powder blue, myself. Possibly with a ruffly shirt). Those are the colors that I had thought about--and now everyone is asking for more colors! Good lord, what is up with the colors? Come on! We're not having attendants (so no bridesmaid's dresses), so I don't think it's a huge issue to match the flowers to anything. I doubt I'll even be able to match the flowers to each other! So, yeah. Sometimes it would be nice to have some of those superpowers all the other girls seem to have. You know, like flight...telepathy...matching colors...planning a wedding...I mean, all I have is the Lasso of Truth! And the Power of Sarcasm! And...um...some other stuff.
So basically, that's what's been going on. Work is good, school is good, and I procrastinate too much.
(oh, and just so you know, that part about my Lasso of Truth was a lie. I just wanted you to think that I'm cool. Sorry, guys.)
(it just occured to me that it's kinda funny that I lied about my Lasso of Truth. Ha.)
(oh, but I do have the Power of Sarcasm. In case you didn't know.)
(Enough with the parenthesis! Good lord, I abuse these things.)
...and everyone lived happily ever after! Except for that jerk who gave everyone wedgies. And who wants him to live happily ever after, anyway?
{end of transmission} | | comments: 2 comments or Leave a comment |
| Ok, so a quick update. Work is going well (although there is a lot of it). I'm finally getting some recognition at The Max for working my ass off every day I work. In fact, they're putting a request in to corporate to try to get me a raise. Woohoo!
I thought I was having problems with allergies, but as it turns out I have a cold. Again. I just hope it doesn't last as long as the last one. (a solid month of being sick really, really sucks.) Plus I take the GRE tomorrow, so I'm trying to think healthy thoughts so I'll feel alright for it. Oof. So today I'm just studying and blowing my nose. A lot.
Christmas was great, although too short. I had to work the 24th and the 26th, so Trav and I drove down Friday when we got off of work and then came back on Christmas day. Never the less, it was great to get to spend time with my family. Killy's growing so fast, and he's such a sweetie! Trav and I agree that we have the best nephew ever. :)
So, in the Christmas vein, here's a story that Trav and I heard on the way back to Radford on Christmas day. We were cruising through AM stations to find some good talk radio (we're addicted) and we stumbled across a station that was doing a Christmas special. For the most part it was hilarious (some of the high points were a raccoon (or maybe squirrel) stealing a guy's mittens and claiming that they guys had written "Silent Night" and invented toast), but towards the end they had a really great (true) story about Mike Royko's experience selling Christmas trees when he was younger (originally printed in his column). Enjoy! Oh, and Merry Christmas...sorry I'm a few days late!
The conversation at the bar got around to Christmas trees. Somebody had
mentioned how much they cost today and what a pain in the neck it is
to go out in the bitter cold and shop around for a good one.
"Nah," said Slats Grobnik. "There`s nothing to it; not if you know
what you`re doing."
What makes you an expert?
"I used to work in a tree lot when I was a young guy," said Slats.
"My uncle used to sell them in the vacant lot next to his tavern. And
that`s when I learned the secret."
What secret?
"The secret of having the most beautiful tree you ever saw."
That`s easy. The secret is to go out with a pocket full of money and
spend what it takes to buy the best tree.
Slats shook his head. "Uh-uh. Money`s not the secret."
So, tell us the secret.
"Awright. It was a long time ago, maybe 30 years. I was in the lot and
it was the night before Christmas Eve, about a half hour before I was
going to close up. I hadn`t seen a customer in two hours.
"I had maybe a couple dozen trees left, and most of `em weren`t much to
look at. By the time you get that close to Christmas, they`ve been
picked over pretty good.
"So I`m standing by the kerosene heater when this young couple comes in
and starts looking at the trees.
"I don`t know `em by name, but I know they live down the street in the
basement of one of the dumpiest three-flats in the neighborhood.
"He`s a skinny young guy with a big Adam`s apple and a small chin. Not
much to look at. She`s kind of pretty, but they`re both wearing clothes that
look like they came out of the bottom bin at the Salvation Army store.
"It`s cold as a witch`s toes, but neither of them have got on gloves or
heavy shoes. So it`s easy to see that they`re having hard times with the
paychecks.
"Well, they start lifting the trees up and looking at `em and walking
around `em, the way people do. They finally find one that was pretty decent.
Not a great tree. But it wasn`t bad. And they ask me the price.
"It was about $8 or $9. They don`t say anything. They just put it down.
"They keep looking. They must have looked at every tree in the lot.
Like I said, there weren`t many that were any good. But every time I
gave the price on a decent one, they just shook their heads.
"Finally, they thank me and walk away. But when they get out on the
sidewalk she says something and they stand there talking for awhile. Then he
shrugs and they come back.
"I figure they`re going to take one of the good trees after all.
"But they go over to this one tree that had to be the most pathetic
tree we had. It was a Scotch pine that was OK on one side, but the
other side was missing about half the branches.
"They ask me how much that one was. I told them that they`d have a hard
time making it look good, no matter how much tinsel they put on it. But they
could have it for a couple of bucks.
"Then they picked up another one that was damned near as pathetic. Same
thing--full on one side, but scraggly on the other.
"They asked how much for that one. I told them that it was a deuce,
too. "So then she whispers something to him and he asks me if I`ll
take $3 for the two of them.
"Well, what am I going to do? Nobody`s going to buy those trees anyway,
so I told them they had a deal. But I tell them, what do you want with two
trees? Spend a few dollars more and get yourself a nice tree.
"She just smiled and said they wanted to try something. So they gave me
the $3 and he carried one of them and she took the other.
"The next night, I happen to be walking past their building. I look
down at the window and I can see a tree. I couldn`t see it all, but
what there was looked good.
"The lights are on, so I figure, what the heck. I knock on the door.
They open it and I tell them I noticed the tree and I was just curious.
"They let me in. And I almost fell over. There in this tiny parlor was
the most beautiful tree I ever saw. It was so thick it was almost like
a bush. You couldn`t see the trunk.
"They told me how they did it. They took the two trees and worked the
trunks close together so they touched where the branches were thin.
"Then they tied the trunks together with wire. But when the branches
overlapped and came together, it formed a tree so thick you couldn`t see the
wire. It was like a tiny forest of its own.
"The two of them looked so happy with it that it made me feel good the
rest of the week.
"And thinking of those two orphan trees, which would have been tossed
out if they hadn`t come along, made me feel good, too.
"So that`s the secret. You take two trees that aren`t perfect, that
have flaws, that might even be homely, that maybe nobody else would
want."
But if you put them together just right, you can come up with something
really beautiful.
"Like two people, I guess."
--Mike Royko | | comments: 1 comment or Leave a comment |
| Ok, so here's yet another great idea.
I'm going to get two lawn gnomes and name them Watson and Crick.
Gnome..G-nome...GENOME! Haha!
(And for those of you who are out of the loop, Watson and Crick are the men who figured out the double-helix pattern of DNA. Well, I think it's funny.) | | comments: 3 comments or Leave a comment |
| Dear straight men who wear makeup,
I am sorry that I offended you.
I did not mean to imply that you cannot wear makeup.
Please accept my humblest apologies.
Ok, so let me explain the above letter of apology. I don't know if you remember a post I made on 11-11-04. It was a survey I ganked from sambumbia .
Here is one of the questions, followed by my response:
current makeup (if you're a girl!): Alright, I have a problem with this question. What about transvestites and transsexuals? I am boycotting this question out of respect for those men who want to be women. Oh, you narrow-minded survey-writers...I'll get you yet.
Now, as you can probably tell, my response was meant jokingly. Yes, I do believe that men (of any sex or gender) have as much of a right as women to wear makeup. But no, I did not mean to imply that only transvestites or transgendered men can wear makeup. Any straight guy who wants to can wear makeup. Furthermore, I do not forsee that I will ever really "get" the survey writers.
Anyway, this meta-post does have a point. Today, some three-plus weeks after the survey, I recieved notification of a reply to said post. Check out the reply and my response here.
Please, feel free to reply either to this post or to the controversial survey post. I'd like to know what you all think.
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| | Current Music: | Iron Chef | | Subject: | Whew... | | Time: | 11:03 pm | | Current Mood: | ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/mely/lemonfaces/yawn.gif) tired |
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| Wow...good thanksgiving, huh? Remember that time that Billy shot cranberry sauce out of his nose? Yeah, that was cool.
Alright, enough fond reminiscing.
Seriously, it was so nice to get to see my family again. Killy's grown up so much--he's the sweetest little guy...even if he did poop and spit up an unbelievable amount at the apartment. After that, he seemed to have fond memories of Trav and me...he saw us and immediately remembered that time when he completely emptied his GI tract.
Work was unbelievable yesterday. I got there at 6:15 and there were already about 70 people waiting outside to get in. From the time we opened (7am) until I went to lunch (12:15am), there was a line all the way to the back of the store. We ran out of the two big sale items within 1.5hrs of opening. It was retail insanity...or hell. Whatever. Anyway, that's done, and I'm really, really glad. I worked 12-close today and I work open to close tomorrow (11-6), so I need to go get some rest.
Oh, and in case you forgot...
Killy = totally awesome.
Check out the pics at www.photogrove.com
or else.
{end of transmission} | | comments: Leave a comment |
| Consider this a post to update all of you on all the things that have pissed me off in the past few days.
The big one right now is work. I'm just getting really fed up with it. I've bitched in the past about my co-workers being useless...but now it's gone beyond that. See, when I started working there, it was a pretty cool, fun place to work. My co-workers knew their jobs and actually did them. There wasn't any real pressure--sure, the usual stuff in retail, but no big deal. All in all, the Max was the best chain retail store you could hope to work for. Well, things have changed. For one, almost every one of the associates has changed since then. Now I am one of the experienced people--after four months. The whole low-pressure thing has changed too. Here's the thing: the big thing at Office Max are the MaxAssurance plans. Basically, they're insurance plans for electronics, computers, and furniture. If it breaks, you call a number and they either send you a gift card for the amount you paid (including tax) or send someone to your house/business to fix it. It really is a good investment. Anyway, when you get hired at the Max, you have to sign a paper saying that you know that selling these plans is a condition of employment. And for the past month or so, that's actually meant something. Corporate has put a lot more pressure on the managers, and that's getting passed on to us. It also doesn't help that we have a new sales manager--Dan. The bane of my existence. Working at the Max has gone from a friendly, fun place to work to a high-pressure rat race. There's a new "contest" every week that really boils down to "who can sell the most MaxAssurances in the least amount of time." And Dan....hoo boy. Everyone hates Dan. He "jokes around" with us about our sales...by which I mean he tells us that if we don't sell any that we're going to lose our jobs. He's just a total dick about the whole thing. And to top it all off, he doesn't take into consideration how many hours you work or where you're working in the store. (For the record, I work 20 hours a week (theoretically, I'll get to that in a minute). I'm also frequently working in areas where you can't sell them. Does he consider that? No. He just tells me that my sales look bad next to employee X, who works full time in electronics.)
My other big beef with the Max right now is scheduling. See, when I got out of the hospital, I requested (with doctor's note) that I work no more than 20 hours a week. This week I'm working 24, plus the 40-60 minutes I spend driving to and from work every day. Yeah, I know, 4 hours doesn't sound like a big deal, but for me it is. Right now is crunch time for me with school, and on top of that I have to take care of myself emotionally. That means I need time to relax, destress, and rest well. I'm getting screwed on scheduling--too many hours and no days off. I'd say that in the past 5 weeks, I've had 2 days off (no work or classes). I mean, my days off are still in large part full of schoolwork, but that's a solid block of time when I can actually get work done. I'm going to put in another hour request sheet tomorrow to try to get my hours down. And wednesday I'm going to go to the FinAid office to try to get a workstudy next semester. My schedule is crazy this spring, and I know it's going to be really hard to try to work at the Max, go to school, get ready for graduation, and plan a wedding at the same time. Here's hoping I can find something else...
Ok, enough about work.
Last week was the really bad one for me. Now that that's behind me I can relax a little bit...all I have to do this week is write my paper for audiology and I'll be done until finals roll around. That will be a HUGE load off my shoulders. I'm actually taking a break from reading my 11 journal articles to write this...there's only so much you can read about dyslexia and central auditory processing disorders at one time. Oof.
And the final thing...
Trav and I just had a little bitch about how stupid and negative "women's" magazines are. Cosmo is really the epitome, but they're all guilty of it, including Seventeen and all the other bullshit that teenage girls cram down their own throats. Here's the thing: neither Trav or I are for censorship. We don't think that the media should be filtered to protect people. So bear in mind that while I'm not a fan of the sexual how-to guides that seem to be in every one of these magazines every week (I don't find them offensive, nothing like that, I just think they're stupid), that's not what I have issue with. What bothers me is that they're selling women (and girls) a completely unrealistic image of what they should be and what they should expect out of men. It just really burns me up that so many women seem to think that if it's written in these magazines it is the word of GOD and must be followed to the very letter. Trav and I are both feminists in what may be an old-fasioned sense. We both believe that women should have all the rights that men do--but no more. We also believe that women should be empowered--in the sense that they should believe in themselves, in what they can do, and in who they are--with or without a man (or woman, for that matter). I just feel that these magazines that say they are empowering women are really just selling them the same cheap shit that their mothers fought to overcome. Come on, wake up. There's nothing "empowering" about bikinis, sandals, hair products, and makeup. They're telling us that the newest little black dress is all that we need to be ourselves. I say bullshit. And I have to thank my parents for teaching me this. They raised Dave and I to be ourselves--nothing more and nothing less--regardless of how that fit with what society expected. I think that has a lot to do with how apalled and confused I am by people running to whatever society tells us is the hot new thing. I don't understand it, and frankly, I hope I never do.
So in conclusion: I'm fed up with my job, I can't wait to get done with this paper, and I'm pissed off at the media for feeding us bullshit about who we should be and what products we should buy to get there. | | comments: 4 comments or Leave a comment |
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So, yeah...it's like that...
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![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/mely/lemonfaces/artistic.gif){kind=small}
accomplished![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/mely/lemonfaces/cry.gif){kind=small}
crushed![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/mely/lemonfaces/bigeye.gif){kind=small}
amused![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/mely/lemonfaces/blush.gif){kind=small}
embarrassed![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/mely/lemonfaces/unsure.gif){kind=small}
contemplative![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/mely/lemonfaces/glasses.gif){kind=small}
working![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/mely/lemonfaces/sick.gif){kind=small}
sick![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/mely/lemonfaces/bouncy.gif){kind=small}
jubilant
![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/mely/lemonfaces/mad.gif){kind=small}
enraged