well...?

Why am I wanting white wine. Weird.

COLD!!!!

I can't warm up tonight for more than 5-10 minute spurts. I'm freezing!!

Argh!

I just listened to my friend talk about Farmville trees for twenty minutes. I should get some sort of a medal or something for that feat.

Fun Lunch Today

I got lost in the pedway, but as a result, ended up in the lower level of the Hyatt Regency, I think, and found a grand piano. There was no one around, so I played it for awhile. Best work-lunch I've had in a long time. That was funny.

Earlier this month

It's not the best picture, but I still like it:

Well...??

Should I go out tonight or shouldn't I? I already saw Jenny today and am home, so I have the whole night ahead of me. Please, do tell. Should I stay, or should I go? Let me know, okay, bye!

Hi, I'm back.

I had a nice Thanksgiving with family, and now I'm home to nurse my stomach ache. I probably should have brought some leftovers home, but I was too full to even think about it at the time. I hope everyone else had/is having a nice time too. I'm very thankful for my family and friends.

tradition

I have listened to Alice's Restaurant (a Thanksgiving tradition), and now I just have to see if Planes, Trains, and Automobiles is on tv today. And maybe listen to Adam Sandler's Thanksgiving song too.

Happy Thanksgiving

Enjoy the day and whomever you're spending it with.

Notes from the Underground

well, while the el was underground... two guys coming home from work were talking about hunting deer (grrr) and the one guy said something about going home to have "a couple glasses of vino." I hate when people say vino. Just say wine, dork. Office meetings are always the same, especially when they involve "announcements." But we got champagne at lunch, and I took an extra glass. hee hee. One way to tolerate intolerable people is to think about how you're going to tell someone you like about the asinine thing those stupid people did. I wanted to strangle a couple girls on the way home tonight. I had to run an errand, and I was in the car trying to inch in front of them so I could go when the red light turned green. Their windows were open a little, and I could hear them going, "ummm, hellLOOO?? Yeah. Okaaay....what are you doing? " and so on in the most irritating valley-esque accents holding their stupid cigarettes in the most stupid way. Blagh. They will make a couple of guys absolutely miserable someday. and on a more pleasant note....FUDGE!!! (I brought home a couple pieces from potluck lunch.)

I like these words that were said

"copious wet kisses"...especially because they were uttered by someone whom I adore.

off to the office I go

I don't feel like it.

Well, there goes patience

I used my gift card on a purse and a pair of tights within 28 hours of having gift card.

Aunt Cool

That's how Zoe addressed my card she made me. Noah drew a very cool looking picture on his. Sweet. I'm trying to decide how to spend my gift card: toward a necklace, or for a purse. I like them both. But if I get the necklace, I get another even nicer necklace for 1/5 of the original price. But that's how they suck you in. I should probably be patient, and maybe they'll have an even better sale, I mean, I've only had the card for a day, geesh!

Four dollars!

Aw yeah, I made four dollars online. I sound like an infomercial for reality. I made four dollars in just four days, and YOU CAN TOO! Ask me how!

Fun!

I had such a nice time having dinner with Eric and family. I love my family. And t here will be left-overs! Now I wash some dishes and light a candle and maybe read.

work?

I don't know if I'll be able to do the work from home like I'm supposed to do because I'll have to remotely connect to their server, and the remote desktop software runs on Mac OS 10.7, and I have 10.4. Hopefully, they'll be able to work something out.

Dinner

I'm having dinner with Eric, Jill, Noah, and Zoe tonight. YAY! I'm looking forward to it.

weirdos

Weird people make my day. This guy at work today (if it's even a real job!) was training with me, and we hadn't had a lunch even though it was after 2. I asked him if he had eaten lunch, and he said, 'I only eat once a day. If I drink beer tonight, I can't be eating too, my body just doesn't work like it used to.' what the...?! That's the dumbest reasoning I've ever heard!

HI!

How are you? I went to office for training today, and I go back tomorrow for more. I still don't know what to make of it, but it seems like I'll be getting paid based on how much work I do, and I'll be able to work from home once training is done. At least it's a little money coming in while I keep looking. Plus, I've been doing odd jobs online...well, one so far, but hopefully, there will be more. It all sounds too shady for me to feel comfortable, but hey! It's new. I had a fun time last night just like I always do with ... thank you to whom it may concern. p.s. I'm pooped.

Relaxing Sunday

I saw my Mom for late breakfast, which was totally fun, and she got me some very nice, well-thought out birthday gifts. I took a nap, and now I'm taking advantage of alone time to read the dumbest stuff online that is just plain fun. Now I need to wash a few dishes, but I'm enjoying listening to the rain a whole bunch. I hope you, dear reader, are enjoying your evening, as well.

Just a thought that I'm ironing out

When there is conflict, that is when self-esteem really makes a difference. Self-esteem matters all the time, but it's especially important, perhaps, when things are less than ideal. Reason: you can look at a troublesome situation from two vantage points--a short-sighted one, or a long-sighted one...one from a feeling of strength, or one from a feeling of weakness. Let's say that you're broke because you don't have a job. Someone with self-esteem might say, 'I need to go back to school because advancing my education will provide me with the skills and certifications that are necessary for careers in which I am interested.' Someone with less self-esteem who is broke may say, 'I can't even think about going to school right now: I don't even have money for groceries! I need to get some money NOW. I'll bet McDonald's is hiring, and they probably have benefits. Maybe someday I will have the money to go back to school.' Neither choice is bad, but it's a way of looking at the world maybe. Someone else might say, 'I need money. I should go rob that liquor store.' The latter two possibilities (or is it former? it must be latter) are more short-sighted, and the first one is more far-sighted. I think when someone has more self-esteem, that person tends to look more into the future and expects things to get better. Someone with less self-esteem doesn't really see things getting better, and so it would make sense to look in the short-term to fix things NOW (with more of a band-aid approach). I'm not sure if any of these is right or wrong, I just wonder if there is any truth to this, or if it matters. Maybe I'll write more about it later.

Vulnerability

TedTalks never fails. I remember thinking a lot about vulnerability about...15 years ago?? I don't remember all my thoughts, but basically, I remember realizing that someone (I) who feels really high highs will also feel really low lows, and I thought that some people who can't deal with the really low lows decide to make themselves less vulnerable. But then, as a result, they don't feel the really high highs, and to some people, that is an okay bargain. For me, as much as I hate low lows, I'd rather deal with that in order to feel great highs. I also think current technology shields us from vulnerability: when I used to feel really uncomfortable at a party because no one was talking to me, I had to either go talk to someone, or deal with the discomfort of just standing there. Now, I can pretend to be texting someone or looking something up online. As a result of this new capability, people are less vulnerable. But you know what else? They don't get the positive feedback from others that they once may have gotten. This is why things like Facebook and online gaming have become so popular: constant little rewards where they are otherwise lacking (there is a really good TedTalk about that too ("Gaming Can Make a Better World" by Jane McGonigal. (sp?)) I am kind of amazed at how often people post stuff like "I fixed it" or "I ran a mile today" or "Today stinks"...I was thinking about it today, and I realized (duh?) that it's for recognition and reward. Our limbic systems are starving for rewards maybe specifically from others, maybe not. We want and expect people to pat us on the backs for the effort we are putting in to life. This probably used to be accomplished through interpersonal communication, but since we eradicated that possibility with technology (exaggeration), we have to get it from things like "Like"s on Facebook. Anyway, here is a talk about vulnerability that's pretty interesting in my opinion.

I don't know how this happened

Petraeus Resigns after Affair Whenever people in government have an affair and then have to apologize or explain to the public, they act like it was completely out of their control. My interpretation of their explanations: 'this is a travesty. How did this happen? I have acted with indiscretion and have caused great pain to my family and to you, the American public...I am so sorry (read: that I got caught).' So I guess his wife is thinking Petraeus really did betray us. So, let's see who the new Director of the C.I.A. will be...I hope the new one doesn't accidentally end up with his dick in some strange new hole. Sorry, that was crass...somewhere it wasn't supposed to be.. like the last one.

Leading Through Civilian Power

Okay, this is a little dry, but if you feel like reading...by all means...do so.  It doesn't really start getting interesting until the third page, and then it gets boring again on about the sixth page, but it has its moments. It's written by Hillary Rodham Clinton, and what I found interesting was this part: 

"I am sometimes asked why development matters to U.S. foreign policy and why the United States should spend money on people overseas when it has economic challenges at home. As counterintuitive as it may seem, the answer is that development, when done effectively, is one of the best tools to enhance the United States' stability and prosperity. It can strengthen fragile or failing states, support the rise of capable partners that can help solve regional and global problems, and advance democracy and human rights."  (last paragraph, page 3.)

Leading Through Civilian Power:

Plans?

So, my mom had to cancel out on our plans for the day because she woke up sick. That stinks. At least I saw Jenny for breakfast. Now I have the night to myself. I'll probably just go get either a chocolate malt or a pumpkin latte and relax at home. It's a nice day getting birthday wishes from people and stuff. It's nice to feel loved.

No pool

So, what do I do now?

I want to write about my feelings!

Alas, I can't talk about my feelings here because...well, just because. They're personal, and I have been trying to keep some stuff to myself, and this is still public: not that I think anyone really reads this, but anyone could. Sufficed to say (I don't know how you say that...) that I have a lot of things going on in my mind today. I should probably get busy to keep myself from daydreaming so much. I wonder how other people feel. Do they feel like me? Are people willing to sacrifice some things they want, or if they don't possibly get everything they want, is it a deal breaker? Tomorrow is my 40th birthday, which doesn't even sound right to me. I don't feel t hat old; although, I guess it's not that old anymore, but it sounds like it. I'm spending it with mom, and I think some time with Jenny too. That will be really nice. Then I see my Dad Saturday morning. I'm not sure when I'll celebrate with Eric, but probably soon.

Obama Wins Reelection!!!!

Oh, it's a good night indeed. I'm glad I spent it the way I did. Good night.

Andrew Jackson Jihad concert was fun

This is them at some other concert, but they played this, and it was fairly similar. I hope the team did well and had a good time.

Wow, I'm a dumb ass

I just realized that I've had the font set to gray so that it is illegible on the background. DUH! I shall change that now.

Election Information

For people voting tomorrow, if you're anything like me, you have no idea about any of the judges. That is, unless you have a handy little guide of who's recommended and who is not recommended by the Chicago Bar Association. So here it is. On the bottom of the page, there is a little card of the ones NOT recommended that you can bring with you to the voting booth. Happy voting! Judges

Greed

I was finally asked by someone what I want for my birthday. Now I should just think of some ideas! Four shopping days left...or would that be three? Whatever. :)

wrong blog

I just realized that I have a blog for grammar-type issues, but whatever. Maybe when I figure out an answer, I'll post it there. ANYWAY... for me to look into: when to say "has proved" versus when to say "has proven." I would have though it would always be has proven, but I've noticed some sources saying "has proved."