fast times at ridgemont high

I work in a somewhat large building, about 10 stories, full of various types of scientists. There are lots of people in the building all doing research of various types on various topics. Somehow though, there never ceases to be excitement in the building, like the day there was a bomb scare. Last week I had plans to have lunch with a friend of mine. After we walked out of the cafeteria, with our lunches in hand, we had to search for a table. This activity always puts me back in the lunch room in high school, where you desperately scan the crowd to try and find your friends, or a table you can sit at, anywhere.

Today I was innocently walking downstairs to meet another friend for a snack. I walked out one door into a common area (with lots of tables for people to eat at) and I see two people "going at it". I don't want to simply say that they were kissing, I mean this was "Saturday night at the disco" quality making out.

At 3pm. At work. At a lunch table.

I did what anyone would do, I stopped and starred. I starred from a few different angles trying to see if I knew who it was. I mean, it's my opinion that if you are going to make out here, then I have every right to stare. I proceeded to go downstairs, where I told my friend (in my ever-so-soft indoor voice) that "there are totally two people making out up there!" When he asked where, I then pointed (loudly), and the two of us burst out laughing. I'm not sure who made more of a scene - the two of us pointing and laughing, or the two people "getting busy" upstairs.

Either way, the conclusion is the same. Scientists are fun.

is this thing on?

it's been a while, but I'm coming back....

The captain has turned on the fasten seatbelts sign

1/8/2007
BOS STL BOS CMH STL BOS LGA RDU LGA BOS ORD SDU LAX BOS AUS JFK BOS STL AUS ORD CDI ORD BOS
3/31/2007
4/1/2007

red, gold and green...

1. I was driving on the MassPike, and my lane was ending. I admittedly squeezed over with little warning, but the car behind me was pretty far back there - and I had plenty of room/time to safely join his lane. He honked, and I waved, apologetically. But, no harm done. However, he was unhappy. He drove up very close to my bumper. Then he pulled to my left lane and got very close to me. Then he pulled in front of me and kept slowing and speeding up. Then we came to the toll. He went through one station, to my left, I went through another. He finished first. And waited... By the time I pulled out he swerved into my lane, then back to his, then back to mine, then back to his, all the while chucking me the bird. After this, he sped off - flashing his NY license plates in my face. * Just up the road a cop who had seen this display pulled him over for reckless driving and gave him a pretty hefty ticket.

2. I was at a movie theater with some friends, the theater was packed as it was a free premier, and it was close to the time the movie would start. I had to use the restroom so I quickly got up to find it. There was no one in either of the two stalls when I went in. I used the last little scrap of toilet paper while I was in there. When I came out, someone was just about to come out of the other stall and two women were waiting. I said to the woman who was first "There is no toilet paper left in this stall so you might want to grab some from the other stall first" She looked at me, didn't say thank you, and when the other stall was free rushed in. She, however, did not grab some toilet paper, she shut the door and used the stall - not even allowing the other woman waiting in line to grab some paper. * On her way out of the bathroom she stepped in a suspicious puddle that cemented a long trail of toilet paper to the bottom of her shoe that everyone laughed and pointed at for the remainder of the evening.

3. I was at the grocery store and I watched in horror as this one man, with a cart load of groceries barreled his way through a crowd of people. We were all milling about trying to determine which lane to use, because one of the self-checkout lanes was not working, and one of the other lanes seemed like it WOULD work, but the light was off, so we were basically trying to make a group decision as to what to do. There were 3 or 4 of us, and only a handful of items each. This man with his cart stormed right through us and up to the self-checkout lane in question. The rest of us then went off in search of other lanes. * After struggling through the self-checkout lane that wouldn't work properly, this man's grocery bag ripped and his grapes went all over the parking lot.

*the endings may or may not be true, but I have to believe that karma will come around and bite these people sooner or later!

approaching exit five

I went to high school in Providence, RI - about an hour from the town I grew up in. In general, I consider myself fortunate to have been able to go to that school; it was a wonderful school and a really great place for me to be. On top of the financial burden of sending me to school there, my parents also willingly supported the distance burdens that we picked up. I had to get to school after all. And someone had to get me there. Most of the time it was my mom, she got up early in the morning and drove me a whopping 25 minutes up I-95 to East Greenwich (exit 8), where I caught the bus. Then she turned immediately around to drive all the way back to go to work (exit 2). She'd work a full day, and leave to drive back up to East Greenwich to pick me up (exit 8), and we'd drive home (exit 1) together. When I think back to those times, now that I have a full time job, I hate myself for the times I stood there silently cursing her for making me wait a few minutes at the bus stop for her to arrive. I feel so ungrateful. Besides the time commitment, and the frequent gas station stops, I must add that she made all four of these daily trips basically alone.

My morning schedule went something like:
wake up, eat, brush teeth, get dressed, grab bag, pile into car.
This generally took a total of 25 minutes, and is interspersed with my dad gently telling my mom and I that we'd better hurry because we were late, as the two of us ran around looking for keys, or sneakers, or a notebook, or homework that was misplaced from the night before. Once I was piled into the car, I went to sleep. Seriously. Sometimes before we were out of the driveway. Most times before we were off our street.

It was a similar thing in the afternoons, I would get off the bus and hop in the car. Zzzzzzz. Seriously. Sometimes without saying Hi probably. What can I say, I was sleepy?!

My poor mother. But, I while I was awake I really enjoyed these times riding with her. We had fun. I remember one morning when we were listening to the radio and Tubthumping by Chumbawumba came on the radio. It was nothing special, but I remember it so clearly - we were just passing the Bess Eaton on Rte 3 and we both laughed about how ridiculous the name of the song, the name of the group, and the lyrics were (and then I likely went to sleep). I remember listening to Jones and Joan on 93.3, and tying to predict whether we'd miss the bus. I remember the crazy Wednesday afternoons where she probably wished I slept and I most definitely did not - choreographing complete dances while still buckled up (read, LOTS of hand motions!) And I remember approaching exit five.

My mom blogged about this today. In case you didn't click that link and read it, she said, about me, "She has grown into a wonderfully talented woman. But, for just a brief moment today she was that child in school, traveling with me up the highway." The fact that I grew into a wonderfully talented woman is not really a huge surprise to me - I have two wonderfully talented, generous, kind, supportive parents as role models. A bit of that was bound to rub off. But, I remember the days of riding with her to school as some of the happiest times I can think of.

Hey Mom, wanna drive me to work in the morning?? I've been especially tired lately, and could use the nap! hehehe. love you!

wind chill

It was 75
and sunny
on Saturday
in San Diego.

and that's all I have to say about that.

Echo, Echo

When you think of an echo, do you picture a small person standing at a big cliff yelling into the abyss, and the abyss yelling back? That's what I picture.

I don't picture that annoying black spot (or blue if your eyes are closed) that clouds your vision after you stare into a bright light. I also don't picture the after taste of strawberries. Nor do I picture the throbbing sensation that remains after someone pokes you where you are bruised. But - aren't these all echoes? Just not the auditory kind.

Sunday, Bloody Sunday

It's a rare day when I have nothing to do, especially early in the morning. But Sunday, I had nothing to do. I mean, I had to teach math at 3, and a jazz dinner show to go to at 6, but basically that's nothing. I could sleep in. And I did. I woke up at 11:45, which is so unlike me. Who knew that I would only have about 35 minutes of peace in the whole day? I certainly didn't. I got out of bed, turned on my computer, checked my email, switched on the TV, and could almost taste the bagel with cream cheese and strawberry jam that I was about to make. I could almost taste it. Who knew I never would? I certainly didn't.

I'm going to warn you now, I am not going to spare any details. You've been warned.

I got the bagels out of the freezer, those mini Thomas' bagels that are pre-sliced, I freeze them so they last longer. I grabbed a knife, a huge serrated steak knife, because it was one that was clean. I held my bagel over the sink, you know so the crumbs wouldn't get everywhere, easy clean-up. The frozen bagel offered a bit of resistance, and so I pushed with my super-human strength, right into my finger. I'm not talking straight down though, more at an angle parallel to the surface of my finger, creating a flap of skin about the size (thickness to) of a dime hanging from my finger. It took me a while to see how big it was because the first thing I did was drop the knife and bagel into the sink and run to the bathroom. In hindsight, I'm not sure why. I ran to the bathroom to use the sink. I was already standing right at a sink. But, I went to the bathroom. I instinctively ran my finger under water - OW! Not smart. So I grabbed some toilet paper and began to wrap my finger up. Blood was pouring out. More blood than I would have liked to have seen. I wrapped and wrapped. I decided to apply pressure and put my finger over my head. At this point I began pacing around, wincing, and freaking out. On one of my laps around the apartment I passed the bathroom and saw that I had gotten blood everywhere, so with my finger still wrapped and bleeding above my head I pulled out the Clorox spray and a sponge and began cleaning it up. I mean, you gotta stay ahead of the mess.

I decided I needed to tell someone, anyone, what was happening - in case I passed out and died from blood loss, maybe someone would know. As I had mentioned I had already turned on my computer, it was sitting right there with my email open and google chat on. I had this conversation with a friend online:

me: ijust totslly sliced my finger open.....

owwwwwwwwww

Him: i know how that goes for sure

[my friend had recently sliced his finger, but one band aid fixed that]
me: no i think mine is a bit worse

there is blood everywhere....

oart of my finger might be missing...

im not sure a band aid is going to work

Him: you got a hospital you can go to?

do you need an ambulance?

me: no ambulence...

ok, so my mom isnt home.

how do i make it stop bleeding....

Him: well you can still type, so I'm not that worried about you

[little did he know that I was mopping up my blood as I typed. People, I am hard core!]

Eventually my roommate came home and my friend Melanie came over with first aid supplies (and ice cream, thanks Mel!) My roommates insurance has a 24-hour nurse hotline to call, so I called it. I was then subjected to a slew of questions that ranged from typical, "what's your DOB?" to abnormal, "have you successfully removed the knife from your finger?", to the absurd "And you are sure the cut is not to your eyelid or abdomen?" After about ten minutes on the phone, it was decided I should, in fact, see a doctor. So about an hour and a half after the incident Melanie and I headed off to the hospital. Now, if you've read this far I should point out - I HATE HOSPITALS. Also, I hate needles, pain, blood, really, just about anything that was happening.

thats just the way it is

There are really only two good things that can result from a trip to the ER.
a.) your doctor is hot
b.) they send you home with pain medication

and I got neither. the glimmer of one, but in the end - neither.
more to come...

Hello, McFly!

Sometimes I forget to remember that this is my life, and not something that is just happening around me.

kids these days....

I was at the gym last week (that's not the news...) and while I was running on the elliptical trainer I was also watching the news. It happened to be a PBS news broadcast, I could not clearly see the other TV that was carrying CBS Evening News. This broadcast covered a wide variety of topics, including the Boston Bomb Scare, but the story that disturbed me most was one about the planet Pluto.

Let me interrupt by saying that I am a "scientist" in that I've spent the past 12 or so years focusing on subjects that are heavily in the science field. My young, girly exterior makes it difficult for people to see me as intelligent sometimes, but I tend to be - here is a description my friend Anne has left on my friendster page "She may be blond, short, and have a high-pitched voice but under that exterior lies a tough, wildly-brainy woman." I'm not sure I would say wildly-brainy, but it's not unlike me to think critically.

The story about the planet Pluto involved a discussion about whether there were 8 or 9 planets. Whether we should count Pluto as a planet, or listen to the astronomers who say that it is not a planet. The part that was the most disturbing was that they showed a bunch of 5th graders, and 5th grade teachers, who were actively mourning the loss of Pluto as a planet. The teachers were saying that they would teach that there were 9 planets because "that's the way they were taught it". There were children who reacted with tears at the thought of Pluto not being a planet because they had "always known it as a planet". What are we teaching kids with this sort of reaction - that science is static, unchanging, concrete? This is exactly the wrong message. Science is a very fluid and living entity. Things change, all the time. They progress, and regress, and move sideways - but they always change. I hate to think of what it would be like if they didn't, would we all still be living on a flat, dark world simply because that's the way it had always been.

I don't expect everyone to grow up with a passion for science, but if we're no longer teaching children that change is a possibility, how can they possibly grow up to change the world. And if they aren't going to change it...who is?

I thought I heard a city sob this morning...

Damn!

shoulda

...before I used the 'self-cleaning' option on my oven, I should have located our fire extinguisher.

Out of Range

It's funny how something so little can quickly bring you back. I am in a great mood this morning. As I was leaving the house I flipped open my old binder of CDs and grabbed one at random. I'm not even sure what made me do this - for those of you who don't know me, my CD collection is HORRIBLE. My car was broken into a few times during college, and all my CDs stolen each time. I gave up on replacing them. And now with my emusic.com subscription, I don't need CDs.

I ended up grabbing one that used to be a favorite of mine. Used to be. A long time ago. Back when I was different. I've been thinking for a long time how different I am now. I mean, I still look the way I did when I was five. But there are some things about me that are just really different, even from just 3 years ago. It may be hard for anyone else to notice, but I notice, all the time. And so often I forget how I used to be, as if "she" is one of those sadly lost college friends or something. But, in an instant, this CD gave me a glimpse of who I was...and it was nice. I remembered about a thousand different times when I listened to each song, memories that shouldn't be so difficult to conjure up. I almost didn't want to get out of the car!

"somebody do something, anything soon. I know I can't be the only whatever I am in the room. so why am I so lonely? why am I so tired? I need company. I need backup. I need to be inspired."

listening

I wish I was a punk rocker (with flowers in my hair) - Sandi Thom

Oh I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair
In '77 and '69 revolution was in the air
I was born too late into a world that doesn't care
Oh I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair

When the head of state didn't play guitar
Not everybody drove a car
When music really mattered and when radio was king
When accountants didn't have control
And the media couldn't buy your soul
And computers were still scary and we didn't know everything

Oh I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair
In '77 and '69 revolution was in the air
I was born too late into a world that doesn't care
Oh I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair

When pop stars still remained a myth
And ignorance could still be bliss
And when god saved the queen she turned a whiter shade of pale
My mom and dad were in their teens
And anarchy was still a dream
And the only way to stay in touch was a letter in the mail

Oh I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair
In '77 and '69 revolution was in the air
I was born too late into a world that doesn't care
Oh I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair

When record shops were still on top
And vinyl was all that they stocked
And the super info highway was still drifting out in space
Kids were wearing hand me downs
And playing games meant kick arounds
And footballers still had long hair and dirt across their face

Oh I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair
In '77 and '69 revolution was in the air
I was born too late into a world that doesn't care
Oh I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair

I was born too late into a world that doesn't care
Oh I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair

12...11...10...8...

I'm not a huge New Years Eve fan - I mean don't get me wrong, I love watching the ball drop, but I totally despise the day. It's one of those holidays where you are required to find these great plans, right, because your whole year will be ruined if you aren't exactly in the right place, with exactly the right person, with the worlds best new years kiss - right?! It's a totally absurd concept, but it's the way it is.

I had no real plans, up until New Year's Eve eve I wasn't even sure what state I would be in, which was making it very difficult to make plans. I came back to Boston, from my parent's house in Rhode Island, at about 4 in the afternoon on New Years Eve. I was exhausted and had no desire to go anywhere. I turned on the Law and Order: SVU marathon and proceeded to fall asleep on the couch. After a mini-nap I woke up to a few text messages inviting me to a few various parties. I decided that perhaps going out was better than staying in.

I went up and met my friends Allison and Chris, who were eating dinner and drinking beers with their friends Brian and Claudia. We spent the before-midnight portion of the night watching these DVDs that Allison and Chris have, of a show that was on TV only one year and i had never heard of, but that was really funny. At about midnight-minus-7-minutes we stopped and started watching the Dick Clark/Ryan Seacrest coverage of Times Square. We (and by we I mean Chris) successfully opened a bottle of champagne (that was a present to me from a lab at MIT). It was then that we realized that we had no noise makers, and wanted some, so we did what anyone would have done - we created our New Years Eve band. Everyone had their own instrument and we counted down. We watched as Dick Clark messed up the countdown, as Ryan Seacrest tried to kiss Christina Aquilera, and as everyone said "Happy 2007!" To which my friend Chris said "oh, it wasn't already 2007?"

Wishing everyone a very happy and healthy new year!

Happy 2007!

Happy 2007!
Originally uploaded by with an eye.

with an eye

The name for this blog has a bunch of different meanings. One of them is about the spelling of my name, which is J-E-N-N-I, with an I. No one ever gets that. I sign my emails with it spelled correctly and people write back to Jenny. Do they think I've misspelled my own name? And if I did - who are they to correct me? Another reason for the blog name was the purpose I started it, to share travel photos. To share the world through my eyes! And I guess I continue to do that without the photos too.

But, also, I have brown eyes. Big brown eyes. Dark brown eyes. I remember when I was younger - eight or nine maybe - and my dad and I were playing cribbage with my grandfather. I remember looking up and being totally shocked that starring back at me were 4 eyes that looked like mine. We really do all have the same huge, deep brown eyes. This is the point I want to make today. As I stood at the mirror scrubbing to get the remnants of last nights mascara off (just in time to put today's mascara on) I was starring at my own eyes. My light, golden brown with green in them, eyes. I'm not saying one is better than the other, but what I want to know is - when did it change? And how did I not notice?! My eyes - my eyes that I share with my father and his father - are not big and brown any more. I did then run out to see an old picture of me and an old picture of my dad, and I did once have big brown eyes. On a related topic. My blond hair, the golden blond hair I was born with, that was always naturally highlighted (and thicker than anything you've ever seen) is not so golden blond anymore. It's begun to grow in, dare I say it, light brown.

I suppose that as I continue to share the world through my eyes, I need to start seeing myself through the worlds eyes.

1 (800) ABCDEFG

...hooked on phonics worked for me!

A while back I went out with some friends to hear a few DJs we know play at a cute little bar in Cambridge. At some point, as usually happens, I was starring off into space. Often when this happens I end up perseverating on something, in this case reading it over and over and over in my head. So much so that it often ends up not making sense anymore. There was one time in college when I was riding in the back of a station wagon reading, out loud, the college sticker that was on the back window "Suffolk Law University". It was really annoying to everyone in the car, but by the end of the ride no one could even recognize those as words. (and once we got where we were going we also realized I had read it wrong, as it clearly said "Suffolk University Law" - but that wasn't the point!)

So, anyway, I was reading this little flyer over - but the problem was, it stopped making sense before I even read it. The first word was definitely "Your". The second word was "are". Your...are...? Your....are....a...? really, this couldn't be. But it was - your...are...a...of..?! these words don't make sense. So I stopped reading them. But it wasn't long before I was back at it again.

your....are....a....of...the....

really, this is how it started. So finally, maybe about 45 minutes since the first time I had read this and been confused, I picked up the flyer and showed my friend Allison and said "Allison, what does this say?"

Luckily for me she paused and hesitated - I knew what was going through her head 'your...are...a...of...the..., this doesn't make sense!' But then her friend Nuno quickly read it out loud, with that tone of voice that clearly and loudly said "how dumb ARE you?!"

time flies...

...but am i having fun?

Lately I've not had the time or will to post anything. Not sure why. Winter? Applications? Working? Could be all of those. But I'm not short on stories...no no no. I've got stories all over the place. Some of the better ones require me to scan a few things into the computer so I can post those, and that is too much effort right now. Until then though, might I suggest you check out a few sites.

marmadukeexplained.blogspot.com
I find this one awfully funny, an explanation of the ridiculous comic strip Marmaduke by Joe Mathlete. Sometimes I can't contain my laughter at my desk. Who am I kidding - I don't even try to contain it!

thisnext.com
It's like an online shopping mecca. Nothing is actually sold through the site, just descriptions and links to pages, and recommendations by people. But it's a million times cooler than that description. I found this there, and I want it for our office:

www.amysedarisrocks.com/ilikeyou.htm
While we're on the topic of things I want, I saw this book - and I want it! It looks cool, and the website is fun too.

Enjoy - more to come!

grate typo

meant to write:

see you next Friday,
Jenni.

actually wrote:

see you next frienday,
Jenni

jedi mind trick

I was doing my thing at work, using all the stuff I normally use, when I hit an odd combination of keys and mouse clicks and managed to pop up some useful windows and toolbars. It was kind of cool, I was very impressed that these capabilities already existed - sometimes the developers can't predict the ways in which the users are going to be using things and I often request features like this after the fact. But here they were, already there, like they were reading my mind! I emailed the developer in charge of the program to ask how long these features had been there and to tell him how cool and useful I found them. (I believe in positive reinforcement). Here is his response:

A few months at least, since right around the time that you requested it!

I guess its like I was reading my own mind.

not what i meant

*part of a conversation I had with this very sweet 22-year-old girl that is new at work while we were out at a bar last night.

me: "I always said I would never dance in front of people I work with."
her: "I know, I'm a bad dancer too!"

i'm a bree

my downstairs neighbors have been expecting a baby - she was due on Nov. 8th, but was late. The plan was that if she didn't deliver by the 15th she'd go in and they would induce labor. I happened to see her on Tuesday night, so we spoke a little bit about how excited and nervous they were. She said "I'm getting less and less nervous for the labor and more and more nervous that we are going to come home with a baby!" On Wednesday I thought of them at one point...wondering if they had a new daughter yet. Thinking how exciting it would be to bring her home with them. And my next thought was -- and I don't know where this came from, really...I don't -- I wondered if they had cleaned their house before they went to have a baby. Not cleaned their house in the baby-proof-set-up-a-nursery-buy-baby-furniture way, but like, do the dishes and the laundry. I'm not sure why I thought this was important, it's not like they are having a house guest...they are having a daughter - and she certainly wont care if they are a day or two behind on dishes.

oops!

I just emailed my boss to ask him something and he answered me, and added in an extra line at the end. A sentence whose information confused me (however it was of a very trivial nature, along the lines of which free desk someone was going to use, it was the choice that confused me). So I stood up and asked my nearby-cube neighbor if it made sense to her. Our other cube-neighbor stood up and said it didn't make much sense to him either. We had a little conversation about it. I sat down and there was another email from my boss:

p.s. don't spread it around - it's still a bit of a secret :)

a secret??!?! I'm blown away that this topic is a secret. And more shocked that my boss didn't realize he needed to tell me that sooner...

misunderstood

At work today I was on my way back to my desk when three of my co-workers who I haven't seen in a little while were all standing around the hallway chatting. The conversation started with "Jenni, you look like you are in a hurry" (which I was) so I said, "ya, I didn't get here until 11:30 this morning because I had a doctor's appointment, and now there is just so much to do." And then someone made sure to ask if I voted. To which my response was "Yes, I was up early, I went to vote, and then I went and got two shots." The conversation continued for a little while about the elections and then one co-worker interrupted with "what shots did you get?" and another co-worker further questioned "bourbon?" and the third replied "no, tequila?" to which I said - "No, flu!" I guess they all thought that I was slamming them down after voting at 8am.

I'm less concerned that they thought I was at the bar at 8am, and more concerned with the fact that at least two of them thought this was fine and could go unquestioned...

infiltration

This morning I had messages in my work Inbox, and I wanted to share them.

From: Gilda Farmer
Subject: needle girder multiple-disk clutch


and the two housemaids.dared not believe it, and could not help saying so.


From: Carey Hansen
Subject: paper-palisaded nut palm

an embarrassment impossible to be overcome. had his first appearance, or his resemblance to the

From: Francisca Baca
Subject: never-ending ordeal tree

amiable feeling; that had his actions been what mr. wickham represented them, so gross a violation of and extensive patronage. yet in spite of all these temptations, let me warn my cousin elizabeth, and


From: Edmond Mckay
Subject: nipa alcohol night-fly

and i do not think it of light importance that he should have attentive and conciliatory manner towards

deranged

I know everyone has a moment, or even a whole day, where they just do completely asinine things. You know, nothing huge or earth shattering, but a "where is my head" moment. I seem to have a day like that at least 5 times a week.

I pulled out the tupperware to put my leftover dinner in it. After filling the tupperware container with said leftovers I promptly put it away. Back in the tupperware drawer.

unprepared

Last night I went out to see my friend Chris' band play a Halloween show. (Miles From Land 4eva!) It was a Sunday night, kinda late, and even though I hadn't taken a shower all day I convinced myself to brush my hair, put on a clean shirt and some nice shoes (not sneakers). We get to the place and, after showing our IDs and getting purple ghost stamps on our hands, we make our way into the bar. The first 6 faces I see are familiar ones. But eerily familiar. Familiar in the way that at first glance you think it's bad.

I went to college in another Massachusetts city and I had a boyfriend for, what some would consider, a very long time. He grew up in a small town about 20 minutes outside of our college city and has 4 best friends from - well, from forever. They all ended up going to college in the same city, or one very nearby, so needless to say, we ALL saw a lot of them. It's been a long enough time that we've not been together where I'm not upset about it at all. But, it's still one of those things you try and not think about too often.

So I walk in and see 1, 2, 3, 4 of them. And like I said, at first it made me cringe. But I went over and said "Hi!" and we all chatted for a while. And one of them told me that their friend was in the band who was playing right before my friend Chris' band. I looked up, and yes - in fact, it WAS their friend. A 5th person I knew. And his parents were there to see....and I knew that because I've met them and been in their house. It was only then that I realized I did know the name of the band that was playing, because we used to go to all their shows. How quickly you forget (or block out) these things!! From where I was standing at that point I could see only half the bass drum, a tom, a crash cymbal and one drum stick. And I'll admit to peering around the corner to check out the drummer to see if it was my ex-boyfriend. It wasn't.

The shows went on, and they were great. But the weirdest part, that I was most unprepared for, was that it wasn't weird to see these guys. I was actually very glad to see them. And maybe even realized I kind of missed them. Turns out they are all living up here, so maybe the other weird thing is that I haven't run into them yet. But, it was nice to see them and catch up for a bit.

and I was totally glad I put on nice shoes and brushed my hair!

things i didn't know i'd need to know...

I'm applying to grad school for admissions in Fall 2007, and I'm right in the middle of trying to get everything ready. Each application asks for a different set of crazy things. The worst so far, one hoity-toity school requires me to list, in order of relevance, grouped by subject, all the classes and their text books, that I've EVER TAKEN.

seriously. they are asking me to fill out this form. it clearly says a transcript can NOT replace this. But they ask for the transcript too.

seriously - TEXT BOOKS. (and I'm thinking - "the yellow one with a strand of DNA on it" will not do. I'm also thinking that neither will "I DON'T FREAKIN' KNOW!")

where i get sentimental

I never cease to be amazed at the flood of emotions that I feel when I am standing in the driveway at my parents house looking up at the night sky. There are so many stars, stars just keep peeking out from behind other stars the longer you look up at it. It can be summer, fall, winter, spring; it can be hot, cold, raining or snowing. And there seem to always be hundreds of millions of stars out. When I lived there I had no idea how amazing the stars were. I didn't even miss them when I first moved out of the house and went to college in Worcester. I probably didn't even notice that I missed them until I came home for a visit. I got out of the car, and I looked up. And it was paralyzing. I remember suddenly being filled with a billion memories, standing in the same driveway and looking up. My dad and I trying to locate the big dipper, or my mom and I following the belt in Orion to find Taurus. I remember being out there coming home from a vacation, or walking the dog, or coming in from playing with friends, or getting back from a school dance. I never really noticed that every time I come home I get out of the car and look up. But I do. And I don't think about it ever. There are no stars to speak of in Boston, and I certainly don't stand outside staring at an empty sky. It doesn't ever cross my mind, until I turn into that driveway and get out of my car and look up at the star-filled sky. And remember every one of the million times I've done that before. And that's when I am back home.

odorific

I spent this past weekend in NYC. I decided to risk the Fung-Wah, which goes from Chinatown in Boston (south station) to Chinatown in NYC. Yes, this is the same bus that has flipped over, caught fire, and other unheard of accidents, but it's only $15. Awesome. Now, I was heading down there on Friday the 13th, really, a gamble with my life. The night before I laid out my bubble wrap suit, my helmet, mouth guard, and other protective attire. But - I suppressed the urge to actually put it on in the morning.

I had purchased my ticket and was on the bus within 5 minutes of arriving at South Station, and off to NYC I went. The right down was great. I slept, I read, I listened to music. We stopped at a rest stop where I ate my packed lunch on a picnic table. The whole ride took about 4.5 hours. Super!

On Sunday, I made my way from the Upper West Side down to Chinatown, and had to first walk past the Lucky Star stop. This is also a Chinatown-Chinatown bus, and $15. They were boarding as I passed, so I bought my ticket and got on. This time we stopped at a Chinese Buffet for a rest stop. Which sounds great, because you could buy lunch. But - a bus load of people eating Chinese take-out - that? that is a HORRIBLE idea.

boxers or briefs?

I would have always said that I would prefer a guy to wear boxers instead of briefs. Every fall/winter when I go play field hockey I always throw a pair of sweat pants over my shorts so I'm not cold on the way to the game. And every time I do this I am all bunched up and uncomfortable...and I'm wearing SWEAT PANTS. For forty minutes. How does anyone think it's comfortable to wear boxers under their pants everyday?? So now, I think I say I prefer a guy who doesn't wear boxers...Because the ones that can stand that everyday are obviously whacked.

it never changes

I just got this email from a friend of mine at work:

you just have to be quieter i guess. which for you is probably a good idea anyway!

My parents, and any teachers from lower school who might be reading this are laughing already. You see, when I was younger I was something of a talker. I mean, I like to talk, what's wrong with that? Apparently what's wrong with that is that when you talk when someone is trying to teach a class you are being "disruptive". I think that the teaching was disruptive to my conversation, but I suppose we are splitting hairs with that, I do see that both can't happen at the same time comfortably. So, after all the years of getting in trouble for talking - comments at parent/teacher meetings, being exiled from my friends during class(this never worked, sit me next to a stranger, my worst enemy, i was a-talkin'), etc. - I tried to stop. Overcompensation ensued and middle school began with comments like "Jenni needs to participate more in class". I remember being so confused as to what they wanted me to do, until I figured out the difference between talking to my friend and answering the teachers questions. That was the key!

Apparently I am back to my old ways. For a while one of my friends at work was in the same general area as I was. People referred to us as the giggle twins, and some even went so far as to make comments that they couldn't get anything done while we were together. They were kidding, of course, but I'm sure there was a little truth in there. Well - she up and moved into an office, leaving me all alone. I've, of course, found a new giggle twin - but it's gotten MUCH better. With my new bose headphones and a subscription at emusic.com I'm all plugged in and quiet, most of the time. But apparently thats not enough...the one who sent me this email works on the floor below me.

what can I say...I'm kind of a talker.

camouflaged

I've been to Museum of Science twice in as many weeks with two of my friends. Since the summer Gunther von Hagen's Body Worlds 2 exhibit has been there and I've been dying to see it. "Dying" - in a half extremely curious, half extremely disgusted sort of way. Two weeks ago the museum had it's annual "College Student Night" where any local college student is allowed entrance into the museum, all of its exhibits, and the IMAX movies for free. And well...I have three college IDs, none of which have an expiration date, so...that makes me a college student, yes?! YES!

We arrived there with the masses, I've never seen so many college students in a museum before. I had, in fact, just come over from MIT where I am auditing a class this semester - so I AM a college student! I was wearing a pair of jeans and a shirt of some sort, nothing fancy, and I fit right in. We waited in this chaotic line for a few minutes, then realized we had to push passed the line to get these stickers (which indicated we were students) and then get BACK in line to wait for our free tickets. Such a process. But, I got a sticker and had passed the test as a true college student.

Before we went we had tried to pick an IMAX movie we wanted to see - it was narrowed down to 2 choices, "The Human Body" and "Stormchasers". In reality, I've never seen a bad IMAX movie, so I didn't care. But when we got to the front of the line, "The Human Body" was sold out - so we got tickets for "Stormchasers". A little twinge of remorse hit me, perhaps now I knew that I really did have a preference, and "Stormchasers" wasn't it.

We saw the Body Worlds 2 exhibit, which was amazing. I mean, really. It was gross - some of them had skin and hair and faces and if you stopped to think about what it really was....ewww. But if you stopped to look at the innate beauty of what you were seeing. It was truly awesome (in the actual, awe-invoking meaning of the word and not the 'like, totally, eh-he!' meaning). I mean, you saw everything - muscles, nerves, fat, bones, organs, all healthy and unhealthy. Really, truly, awesome.

Now, the IMAX we saw. Well, I've now seen a bad IMAX. It was called "Stormchasers" so you think, wild crazy footage of these horrible big storms - pretty cool. Nah, it was wild crazy footage of meteorologists watching computer radars and predicting storms. Then the obligatory bolt of lightening and a plane or two...but, I was unimpressed. (and I fell asleep). But Body Worlds 2 made up for it.

Last week the Museum of Science had its "Educators Night" where teachers can go for free. One of my friends who I went with before is actually an educator - he teaches chemistry and pre-algebra at a high school. He had registered for this. When he registered his girlfriend and I also registered, because, well, they weren't doing anything obvious to verify that we were educators. And when you come right down to it, I teach math to high school kids, just not in a school - and Allison, she teaches lots of things, to lots of people. The day after College Student Night we got email confirmations to say that we were registered for Educators Night. Allison and I had the same exact thought - "we can see The Human Body IMAX!" So, we went back.

Apparently the Museum of Science trusts educators more. There was no chaotic line, no need for a sticker proving I was an educator, nothing. I just walked in. This time I was wearing a nice pair of dress pants and a top, and again I fit in nicely. But there was no test to pass - I had nothing to prove. The difference between the two nights was shocking. College Night had a DJ and dancy-club music pumping throughout. Educator night had veggies and dip and grilled sandwiches. We also snuck into a demonstration on the Sky Lab, a mobile planetarium that can go to schools for special programs. I guess this was the one test, when the guy said to the crowd "what ages do you all teach?" I felt myself freeze...oh god oh god, WHAT AGE DO I TEACH??! Until I remembered I could just say ANYTHING! First grade, that works. I look like a First Grade teacher.

The Human Body IMAX was worth it.

food pyramid

I was standing in front of the vending machine, getting ready to leave work for my field hockey game, and I tried to decide what in there most resembled dinner. Almond joy? no! doritos? no! I decided that the Peanut Butter crackers and a granola bar I have in my desk was my closest option.

off to the game!

listening

Paper Bag - Anna NalickShe don't run from the sun no more
She boxed her shadow and she won
Said, "I can see you laugh through these bottle caps
And this wire around my neck ain't there for fun

But someday we'll all be old
And I'll be so damn beautiful
Meanwhile I'll hide my head
Here in this paper bag
Cause if I can't see you then you can't see me
And it'll be okay
Fly little bee away
To where there's no more rain and I can be me"

Yeah, they talk about her
She smiles like she's so tough
She says, "Hey, can you talk a little louder?
I don't think my heart is broken enough.

But someday we'll all be old
And I'll be so damn beautiful
Meanwhile I'll hide my head
Here in this paper bag
Cause if I can't see you then you can't see me
And it'll be okay
Fly little bee away
To where there's no more rain and I can be me"

Some days I wade in the indigo
Singing that song on the radio
I blame these puddles on the rain
You know I gotta keep these cheeks dry today
Gotta keep my cheating strategy
And baby I'm gonna have it made


But someday we'll all be old
And I'll be so damn beautiful
So I'll hide my head
Here in this paper bag
Cause if I can't see you then you can't see me
And it'll be okay
Fly little bee away
To where there's no more rain and I can be me

And I'll hide my head
Here in this paper bag
Cause if I can't see you, then you can't see me
And it'll be okay
Fly little bee away
To where there's no more rain and I can be me

Where I can be me . . . yeah
I can be me
Ohh
Where I can be me

confessions

I've been harping on all y'all for not commenting - it was getting really annoying and lonely thinking no one cared to read this lovely bit of randomness...But, I owe everyone an apology. The fault was mine. Apparently I had set a setting which required me to click this other tab and "publish" the comment (clearly I am not one of those people who blindly clicks everything). It's been months and I never did that. So, now I have. Your comments are there. I'm sorry. And more importantly - THANK YOU!!

and now with that out of the way...Here's the answer to the Labor Day Errands Challenge:
the GAS. The GAS was most expensive. Good job hol!

picasso

I've taken today off from work and will be painting my room. I'll post pictures of my progress, because I think there are some discrepancies out there as to how long this will actually take me.
This here is the paint chip I have taped to the wall.


UPDATE: 7:45am
I'm emptying my room of furniture.

UPDATE: 9:15am
I have taken all the furniture out of my room (except my bed). In the process I found 3 missing socks, 1.36 in change and discovered my latest business adventure. I am going to go into the animal-toupee business. I found enough cat hair to fashion 8 or maybe 9 cat toupees. When I was a child we had a dog, Coco, and she was bald. I will name my new business Coco's Mission, after her.
















I have spackled and taped off the entire room. Now I'm finishing up the sanding and then I will do the first (of many) washes of the floor! And then.....PAINTING.

UPDATE: 11:30am
I have finished the first coat on the first wall - pretty much event free. I of course freaked out that I didn't like the color, it seemed too purple and I wanted it to be more blue...But it's drying bluer and I do like it.

UPDATE: 1:30pm

Walls 2 and 3 are done. And now I'm going to eat lunch!

UPDATE: 3:35pm

The first coat is done on all the walls. I think I've decided to just do the one coat, and simply touch up some spots that need extra rolling. I've done the touch-ups on three walls, but the last one needs to dry more before I get to that. Then I will let it dry for the night, and re-assess the situation in the morning. So, I'm done for day 1!

errands

I went out today, Labor Day, and I made three different stops - 1. I stopped for gas; 2. I bought new running shoes; 3. I bought paint at home depot.

Now each stop had it's own set of issues. At the gas station, all the self serve pumps were full, so I pulled up to the correct side and waited near the guy who was paying. When he left, the guy behind him also left. I backed up to let them out, and some lady drove forward and blocked me out of the pump. Now, she only needed one pump, but she certainly pulled up more than she needed, making it impossible for me to get my tank near the pump (we were nose to nose). So I asked her to pull up and take the one I was in front of and I'd pull back and take the one she was in front of. After a small display of annoyance, she complied. thank god.

Then I arrived at the New Balance outlet. one word. ZOO. There were a zillion people there, including everyone's full set of jewish grandparents who were sitting on every conceivable surface to sit on - NOT trying on shoes mind you. In fact, I'm not sure that some of them were even there with anyone buying shoes. I grabbed about 17 boxes and then, having no place to sit, I piled them up and planted it on my shoe boxes. Trying on pair after pair after pair, multiple questions to the salesman and a few phone calls for help. One would think I could reasonably buy a pair of running shoes without such a hassle. nope.

Then, Home Depot. Ok, all of the people who owned the jewish grandparents at New Balance had snuck out and jetted across town to Home Depot. Apparently New Balance has more seats for the grandparents. And everyone seemed to be buying paint. I had already decided on the color (Romantic Isle) and I knew I needed a gallon. I also knew I needed: rollers, paint tray, paint brush, drop cloth and tape. I was amazed at the wide variety of rollers (that all looked the same) that varied so drastically in price. They had rollers for rough surfaces, smooth surfaces, clean surfaces and dirty surfaces. It made me wonder - if I used a roller for dirty surfaces on my dirty wall, will it clean it and THEN paint it so that I end up with a clean painted wall. Or will I just end with a dirty painted wall, because if that's the case...whats the point?? Luckily for me, I am the worlds best eavesdropper and heard some girl say to her roommate (ya, I found out later they were roommates) "you'd be better with this kit I found, it's got everything and so much cheaper." I was intrigued, so I nonchalantly put down the roller I was holding and slyly followed the roomies to said kit. Amazing - paint tray, three differet sized rollers, brush, tape, drop cloth all in one. Then I got my paint and headed to the register.

Of the three purchases I made - gas, running shoes, paint & supplies - which do you think cost the most?? Place your votes.

**the answer will appear in a future post if y'all post your votes!

i think she wanted to throw down

Picture it, Sunday, grey gloomy and cold. After spending all afternoon on the couch watching the movies Derailed and Crash I decided to go grocery shopping - even though I really wanted to shoot myself in the head, man those movies are awfully uplifting! In my jeans and sweatshirt I ran in for the essentials - soda, cereal, pasta, and some veggies for a salad. It was in the pasta aisle. There were two girls shopping there as well. One of them turned and gave me a really nasty look. Then she turned to her friend and said, rather rude and loudly "I wish some people would stop staring at me!"

Since I was the only other one there I assumed she was talking about me.

I wasn't quite sure how I should break it to her that I, in fact, was staring past her at the pasta so that I would know which box I was going to get when I reached around her, politely saying excuse me, and grabbed my groceries. I was tempted to slap her in the face as I reached for the Barilla - but I refrained. That was a good choice, because we ran into each other in a similar situation in front of the lettuce. However, it was she who was staring. In my head I definitely said "God, I wish people would keep staring at me and not at that crappy lettuce", but then I'd just seem crazy - talking to myself and all.

the way things work

I flew to New Mexico on Sunday - I was really tired when I woke up and headed to the airport. I got there and checked in at the Delta kiosk and it nicely asked me if I wanted to change my flight. I was scheduled to be on a flight from Boston to New York to Cincinnati to Albuquerque and now I was being asked to go Boston to Albuquerque with a stop (not a plane change) in Atlanta. I would leave about an hour earlier and arrive in Albuquerque about 4 hours earlier. hell ya I wanted to change flights. I got my boarding pass, hurried through security sans any liquids - sans anything really, it was all checked. I managed to find time to scarf down a bagel and then I boarded.

I fell asleep before we even left the gate. I woke up as we were pulling up to the gate in Atlanta. awesome. But I was struck with this weird feeling I have sometimes when you have to go on faith that things happened. It felt like I'd been asleep a long time, but had I? Were we really in Atlanta, could this just be a different gate at Logan? A similar thing happened when I had my wisdom teeth out. I had all four out, and was heavily HEAVILY sedated. I have recollections of him ripping the top right tooth out, but nothing else. I also felt that no time passed. For a week I was convinced that he only removed the one tooth instead of all four. It wasn't until I went back to get the stitches removed that I was sure there was a hole where each tooth had been. I've had this similar thought when in an elevator that is completely closed off (i.e., no windows). I know it sorta feels like you are moving, and lights are telling you that you are...but couldn't it be that you haven't actually gone anywhere and the floor you were on just changed around you? come on, it's POSSIBLE!

So, I supposedly flew to Atlanta - although the airport could have just changed around me while I slept. In Atlanta some people got off and new people got on and then we headed to Albuquerque. While in Atlanta, however, my luggage decided it looked nice and was one of the people to get off the plane. Bye clothes, bye lens solution, bye hair brush. You can imagine my anxiety when I arrived in Albuquerque and my luggage was no where in sight. Luckily a nice Delta woman assured me - "oh, it's in Atlanta, it will be getting on the next flight and arriving in Albuquerque at 930pm. Our driver will bring it to your hotel." I did not get the luggage until the next morning, but I did get it. I hope it's learned to stay on the plane with me from now on, do you think there is suitcase obedience school?

pop quiz: the results don't lie

In college I was introduced to the multitude of quizzes available at emode.com Ranging from an IQ test (179), to which TV family are you (the tanners), to which theme song is yours (laverne and shirley), to which pop star are you (christina aquillera), to which n'sync member are you (jc chasez), to are you Jennifer or Angelina (Jennifer - ok, so I took that one two weeks ago!). I could go on and on. But, the one thing I've found...it seems they don't lie.

I took one over and over and over. I remember clearly. It was the "which celebrity hunk is yours?" I took it, with high hopes of Brad Pitt, or Tom Cruise (i promise this was college, when he wasnt a psycho), or even Tom Selleck. And in the end, the anxiety as I waited for my hollywood hunk to be revealed. . . . .

fabio. yep. FABIO. I took it over, and over, and over. Fabio. Fabio. Fabio. And one time, as the page loaded, I noticed that the long flowing hair was not in the picture. It was true. I had gotten a new, real hollywood hunk to call my own.

richard simmons. Now, how he was even an OPTION - I will never understand. No one else I ever knew saw either of these choices. But, leave it to me to trade-up Fabio for Richard Simmons.

Likewise, I've taken the "which desperate housewife are you?" quiz a million times. I just want the shirt that says "I'm a Susan" and I want it to be true. But, no. Everytime...I'm a Bree. BREE. One of these days I'm just waiting for it to say "I'm a Richard Simmons" and thats the day I buy myself the I'm a Susan T-shirt anyway...I'll live the lie, I mean, I'm a Bree!

more pictures

Originally uploaded by with an eye.

The set of pictures from Siena is also online now. I've uploaded a grand total of 1,160 photos from my trip. The Singapore and Paris pictures will be up tonight as well!

I think I'm ready to go back now.

oddities

I have my blog registered with a tracking site, so that I can see who reads it. That's right...while you get to spy into my life I get to spy into yours. It tells me things like where you are, the IP address, how you got here, how long you stayed, your favorite color, and what outfit you are wearing. (ok, not all of those are true!)

Everyday there are two people who visit me. One from Ohio and one from Connecticut. The odd thing, I know they are both my mom (who is neither in Ohio or Connecticut, but in Rhode Island!). Here's how she shows up:

Location: Ohio, Parma, United States
Hostname: wsip-XX-XX-XXX-XXX.ri.ri.cox.net

and

Location: Connecticut, Manchester, United States
Hostname: wisp-YY-YY-YY-Y.ri.ri.cox.net

There have been two people recently who got to me via web searches. One searched google for "ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to fenway park" and indeed, there I am on the bottom of page one. And someone else searched for "above the influence" and found me too, right in the middle of page five.

And, also oddly enough, while I was abroad this summer people from each country I was in visited my site, along with someone from India, Canada, Australia, England, China, and Brazil.

So keep visiting, searching, and by all means keep not leaving comments...I kinda like it all uncluttered and stuff. (ok, not all of that is true either!)

the fort

the fort
Originally uploaded by with an eye.

My pictures from Rome are posted on the flickr site, so go check them out. This was one of my favorites!

my mia

My cat and I have been together for a while. She was adopted by me and some apartmentmates our senior year in college (2001). She's gone everywhere with me. While I was gone on my trip this summer she stayed at my parents house - which she's done on various occasions before. They used to LOVE having her come over, it is nice to have a pet. Now they have two cats of their own, and while they still like having her come over I'm sure it's less fun because she hides the entire time and when she isn't hiding she's growling or hissing or otherwise making noise to fool the other cats into thinking that she is ferocious and scary. The only time I could take her down there was Memorial Day weekend, so she was gone for over a month. I was afraid that when she came back she'd forget who I am. Or she'd be super mad at me. I think it's clear we are both a little different since my trek around the world - but she's become a lot more considerate of my need to sleep at 4am instead of getting up to shake her food bowl and show her that there is actually plenty of food in it and she has my permission to eat it.

Recently she and I took some pictures of ourselves...see how much she loves me! (it may look like she could care less that I am there, you may even see a hint of annoyance in her eyes...but you have to understand cats...that look means she loves me. It must, I mean, it's the way she always looks at me!)

gold star number three

I've been bad at going to the gym lately. real bad. I don't go. I don't wake up. I snooze my alarm. I bring clothes with me to work so I can go on my way home. I don't go. I go right home.

Today is Saturday and instead of sleeping in I got up and went to a class at the gym. I've been wanting to do this class for a while. It's a group weight lifting class - so like an aerobics class, but not cardio...weights. It was awesome. We started the class and the instructor asked if anyone was new to the class. I was slinking around the back of the room, checking out all the equipment everyone else had pulled out so I could know what I would need (a step bench with two steps, a yoga mat, a bar with all these crazy weights...) I raised my hand all cool and non-chalantly, so that no one would know I was knew. Thats when the instructor says, into his microphone "Hi back there, everyone say hi to the one girl who's never done this before. All of you turn around and look at that small blonde girl who is wearing a Saturday Night Live T-shirt and watch as she has no clue which equipment to pull out! Turn! Look!"

Ok, so thats NOT how it happened. I think he just said "Hi" and/or "Welcome to Group Power" - but it felt like "turn and laugh..."

gold star number two

I went to the dentist this week for a cleaning. Now, if you know me, the dentist is not my favorite thing. They always find something wrong, yell at me for not flossing, make my gums bleed, shove all those tools in my mouth and then sit there and laugh while I drool and spittle all over myself. It's such a confidence boost! Not to mention, the immense pain because I am basically immune to novacaine.

So I went to the dentist and they said I had beautiful teeth. They said my gums were beautiful and it was obvious I was a good flosser (which I am now - thank god for the Reach Access Flosser!). They said my teeth were brilliantly white. And then they said the best thing ever:
"See you in six months!!"

Now, my dentist is great, I really like him (if you are in the Boston area and looking for a dentist I'll give you his name if you want), but he's come out with some choice comments to me over my short 9 months with their office. Here are my two favorites:
"Has anyone ever told you that you have a very powerful tongue?"
"I can imagine how you blind everyone at the bars, the way that fluorescent light must bounce off your front teeth!"

gold star number one

love in an elevator
Originally uploaded by with an eye.

I've finally got some of my trip pictures online. All the Florence ones are up. Three hundred and ninety nine of them from the 4 days I was in Florence.
too. many. pictures.

But please go look at them...and leave some comments too - I ran out of steam with the titles and the captions!!

www.flickr.com/photos/with-an-eye

example

I registered with a website today and we all know how that goes now - with "internet security" a big issue whenever you register for something and have to give out your email address you then have to wait for the confirmation email. But then you have to go a step further and validate this by clicking on some button, going to some link, or replying in some manner. I understand the security measure here, to prevent people from signing up for things under someone else's email address, or being able to later claim that this was not what they wanted. However, the confirmation email I got today began with one sentence that seemed to be a very polite attempt at explaining why I had to go through all this crap:

We require this step to protect our relationship with you

It struck me - what a good idea this is. An initial step that is required in order to protect the relationship. I'm thinking of saving this email and using it in many other instances in my life. You want a ride from me, first you'll receive an email indicating that I require this step to protect my relationship with you. You want me to go to your party, first you'll get this email. You want to buy me a drink, have my phone number, take me to dinner, EMAIL. Then I will require you to go to a webpage, check of that you agree to the terms and conditions, and maybe make you enter a string of letters and numbers that are artfully disguised behind a mess of criss-crossed lines and stripes. Can't ever be too safe!

cupcakes

I heard the best advertisement on the radio today - it was one of these anti-marijuana ones, but I think we're stretching it a little bit here. (I'm glad I get to type this because when I tried recounting it this afternoon to my friend Jess I messed it all up because I was laughing too much)

Here's how it went.

Girl (in a very serious voice):"A week ago my friend Amanda told me to smoke pot, and I did. Two minutes ago she told me to shoplift and now I'm here with a cupcake and frosting down my pants and it doesn't want to stay there. The store manager keeps looking at me, like he knows something."
Store Manager (sounding kinda gruff): "excuse me girls, can I help you"
Announcer: "Live above the influence..."

I'm sure the announcer said something else but I couldn't hear it because I was laughing to hard. SERIOUSLY - they said "and now I have a cupcake and frosting down my pants and it doesn't want to stay there". I'm sorry, forget the whole marijuana part, who shoplifts a CUPCAKE? by putting it DOWN THEIR PANTS? Where is this store with cupcakes laying around so that you can easily shove them down your pants? All the stores I know keep the cupcakes safely behind the counter. I never thought of it before, but this is obviously an attempt to keep the potheads from shoving them down their pants!

who is this girl? and as my friend Jess pointed out - why were her parents allowed to procreate?

the greatest words in the world

On Wednesday I decided not to go in to work so that I could, instead, go to Fenway Park and try to buy tickets to the Red Sox game. My friend picked me up at 10am, and we drove into the city and began our quest for tickets. After a bit of looking, and some lunch, we then got the BEST TICKETS EVER. We were sitting right behind home plate - it was awesome. I've been to a few red sox games in my day, not nearly as many as the friend who was with me on Wednesday - but a lot. It always amazes me how I never cease to be excited to be there. And then when the announcer comes on and says "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to Fenway park - America's most beloved ballpark!" - oh I love it!!

They played the Kansas City Royals, the second worst team in baseball. We met one of their fans at Stub Hub and she was hoping to see them get win number 32. (for those non baseball fans out there - each team has played about 96 baseball games so far...And Kansas hadn't won 32 of them yet!) It was a good game, Josh Beckett was pitching and Gabe Kapler was playing, and Doug Meintkiewicz was in town. We saw Ortiz bunt, and it was pretty. Manny hit a homerun and there were about 5 amazing catches in the outfield.

One of the things I love about following a baseball team is getting to know the players tendencies. Most people remember Nomar's glove thing, and maybe people know Ichiro's samurai stance before batting, - but there are so many others!! Big Papi who spits in his glove and slaps his hands together before each at bat, Manny taps his bat twice behind home plate, Gabe Kapler (#44) stands perfectly straight before walking into the batters box. I caught that one on film - although I'll admit maybe I was just trying to take a picture of his bum because he's cute!! Coco Crisp does something that I don't quite understand - between each swing he bends down and picks up some dirt, then he spits into his hand, and then he grips his bat. So basically each time he is making mud on his hands and then rubbing it on the bat. YUCK. And he doesn't use batting gloves.

Lastly, we got to see Papelbon pitch - and he's just amazing. And such a cool guy too. When he comes into a game the whole place goes nuts, applause, cheers, chants. It's awesome. Everyone stays standing just a bit longer and claps just a bit louder when Papelbon is on the mound - and he deserves every bit of that!

Let's Go Red Sox!!

time flies...

I am helping out at an Almuni event for my college next week. It's for the incoming freshman and their parents - to meet the alums and listen to how much we loved the school and to see how cool we are now and to give them hope for their own futures! I'm very excited about it, because I did love my school and I am cool now, and I'd like to give people hope for their futures. But, these kids, that will be starting in colleges around the country at the end of next month...

they are the class of 2010. that's right. two thousand and ten. '10.

twenty-ten.

(clearly I can't get over this!)

nostaglia

I don't know why I thought of this story the other day - perhaps it's because I've made friends with a few of the janitors at work, but I remembered a story from college about the cleaning guy, Effrain. And I thought I would share.

It was my sophomore year, and I was living on the second floor of Sanford Hall (ahhh - Sanford, the old apartment!) and we had the nicest cleaning guy. It turned out I had a 8 or 9am class everyday - so I was always up and showering early. Our room was conveniently positioned right across from the bathroom and the kitchen. It took a few weeks for Effrain to realize that I was always up early, but he caught on. He also noticed that I would let him clean the bathroom first so that I could be the first one to use the sparkling bathroom!! It started slowly, but eventually we fell into a little system. I would wake up and crack open the door. Then I would sit and check my email or whatever and wait. When Effrain was done with my bathroom he'd knock lightly on the door (so he didn't wake up my roommate) and I'd run in to get ready! He was so sweet. Some days if he was running late he would come up and start on the second floor bathroom just for me. All year it went like this - and I was the first one to use the newly cleaned bathroom!

I can't believe I forgot about this, it seemed so important at the time!! Thanks Effrain!

did we try to fight it?

I had the opportunity to be in the car for a while today, and Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire" came on. Great song! And it allowed me some time to think. One of my favorite teachers in high school, Mr. Meyer, had us analyze this song once. It was 'history' class - but really it was more 'life' class, since he really taught us more about where we were going than where we had been. He gave us the lyrics to this song one day and we went through and discussed each event and how it was important in the development of the 20th century. We had to write a paper about it, not cataloging the events, but explaining why they were grouped together the way they were in the song and how things as different as British Beatlemania and the Bay of Pigs Invasion were pivotal in shaping that point in time. It was a cool project. Today, when I heard the song, I wondered what would make it into a current version of the song. At the heart of it, I bet we'd find they are all the same. Are we making the same mistakes over and over? Or are we really trying to fight it?

Harry Truman, Doris Day, Red China, Johnnie Ray
South Pacific Walter Winchell, Joe DiMaggio

Joe McCarthy, Richard Nixon, Studebaker, television
North Korea, South Korea, Marilyn Monroe

Rosenbergs, H-Bomb, Sugar Ray, Panmunjom
Brando, "The King and I" and "The Catcher in the Rye"

Eisenhower, vaccine, England's got a new queen
Marciano, Liberace, Santayana goodbye.

Josef Stalin, Malenkov, Nasser and Prokofiev
Rockerfeller, Campanella, Communist Bloc

Roy Chon, Juan Peron, Toscanini, dacron
Dien Bien Phu, and "Rock Around the Clock"

Einstein, James Dean, Brooklyn's got a winning team
Davy Crockett, "Peter Pan", Elvis Presley, Disneyland

Bardot, Budapest, Alabama, Khrushchev
Princess Grace, "Peyton Place", trouble in the Suez

Little Rock, Pasternak, Mickey Mantle, Kerouac
Sputnik, Chou En-Lai, "Bridge on the River Kwai"

Lebanon, Charles de Gaulle, California baseball
Starkweather, homicide, children of thalidomide

Buddy Holly, "Ben-Hur", space monkey, Mafia
hula hoops, Castro, Edsel is a no go

U2, Syngman Rhee, payola, and Kennedy
Chubby Checker, "Psycho", Belgians in the Congo

Hemingway, Eichmann, "Stranger in a Strange Land"
Dylan, Berlin, Bay of Pigs Invasion

"Lawrence of Arabia", British Bealtemania
Ole Miss, John Glenn, Liston beat Patterson

Pope Paul, Malcom X, British politician sex
JFK, blown away, what else do I have to say?

Birth control, Ho Chi Minh, Richard Nixon, back again
Moonshot, Woodstock, Watergate, punk rock
Begin, Reagan, Palestine, terror on the airline
Ayatollolah's in Iran, Russians in Afghanistan

"Wheel of Fortune", Sally Ride, heavy metal, suicide
Foreign debts, homeless vets, AIDS, Crack, Bernie Goetz
Hypodermics on the shores, China's under martial law
Rock and Roller Cola Wars, I can't take it anymore

We didn't start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No we didn't light it
But we tried to fight it

We didn't start the fire
But when we are gone
Will it still burn on, and on, and on, and on....


this site has references to all these major events - and even some papers similar to the one I was asked to write once.
http://www.teacheroz.com/fire.htm

If anyone has the desire to try and write a new version of we didn't start the fire I'd love to hear it - hell, I'll even help if you want....

analyze this

I'm prone to having some weird dreams - very vivid and often very bizarre. There was this recurring dream I had when I was younger where my grandmother and I were staying in someone's house and then the house caught on fire. While we were trying to escape from the house we were shrunken down to about 2 inches tall. We were able to slip under the closed doors, but the stairs became a big obstacle. Once we finally made it out of the house we were in the middle of the desert and still two inches tall. And I distinctly remember having this dream about half a dozen times between the ages of 7 and 9.

Then there was the time where I had a continuing dream. I had a dream one night that involved me trying to run from these scary things - they really resembled the flying monkeys from the Wizard of Oz, but they were on wheels and wheeling around after me. I woke up just as I was trying to barricade the door of my grandmothers house and keep the monkeys out. phew! But, the next night when I went to sleep...we start right back up at me barricading the door in my grandmothers house and the monkeys trying to get in. They did. And I kept running. I'm fairly certain the monkeys left my grandmother alone.

Last night was the first time in a while that I have had a really bizarre dream. I needed a haircut, so I called a salon to make an appointment. I spoke to the woman who would cut my hair and she didn't have an appointment at a good time for me, so she agreed to stay open later so I could make it. The hair place was in this freakishly large empty building, so it took me about 20 minutes to walk from where I parked my car, through this mall-like building that had nothing in it. Finally I arrived at the salon. Out comes my hairdresser who was in a wheelchair, paralyzed from the hips down, and had these mis-shapen hands. She was extremely nice and we sat down with some books. She asked what I wanted to have done with my hair and I said I didn't know. Then she said "well, let me ask you this. Are you happy with the way your hair looks on a daily basis? Do you like the way it looks when you visit your grandmother?" After this consultation they told me that my haircut would cost $150. (In reality I normally pay $20 for a haircut, so this was crazy to me!) But I felt like since she had stayed open late, given me this consultation, and was paralyzed and with mis-shapen hands, I owed it to her to say yes. Then all these people came to the salon and they had a birthday party and then I woke up.

What I'm noticing is - all of these very strange dreams involve my grandmother. why is that? I'm not asking for an explanation of the shrunken 2 inch people, or the presence of the desert, or the monkeys on wheels, or even the paralyzed hairdresser with mis-shapen hands. I'm sure those are all very interesting and proof of some neurotic tendencies that I am already aware of. But, my grandmother? Why is she in all these weird dreams? That's my question.

and of course...

i would have just finished writing that last entry when I decided to check my email.

and all i have to say now is:

blech.

someone loves me

I came home tonight, from a fabulous night of nacho eating, beer drinking, and Rachel Rey watching, and as I was walking from my car I felt as if someone was watching me. I looked up and saw Mia starring down at me from the living room window. She watched me the whole way down the driveway and over to the front door. When I got up to the apartment door she was there with her paws under the door trying to get me. I wish everyone had a Mia sitting in their window waiting for them to come home, it's so nice!

is this thing on?

wow - it's like i have nothing to say since i've returned to the country. I guess nothing seems quite as exciting anymore! And that right there is the downfall of this thing, you can all tell when I'm really boring and have no stories to tell.

Todays topic - I'm old. I mean, I'm not old. really. But I just had a birthday and today I am falling apart. My whole body hurts, but in places where OLD people hurt. It's not like I pulled a muscle, or have a bruise, or got a really cool field hockey injury - no. my BACK hurts. my HIP JOINT hurts. my SHOULDERS hurt. Aren't these things that start to hurt when you start slipping downhill?? I mean, it's been a week - how did my body pick up on the fact that I've moved out of the first quarter of my life already!

Soon I'm going to be writing about the smell of bengay, using too much powder, and stringing bars of soap up all over the place!! (those last two are for my parents, and I can hear them laughing from here!!)

one point twenty-one jigawatts

I have a folder on the desktop of my computer with slightly under 3 gigabytes of pictures and movies from my trip!! As soon as I can go through them I will post all the pictures...

but it may take me several light years.

i'm home

it's 11:30 pm on Saturday, and I'm showered and in bed. But, to put it all in terms of Boston hours:

the last time I was in a bed it was 7pm on Thursday night.
the last shower I had was at 4am on Friday morning.
I've been wearing this outfit since 5am Friday morning. (not entirely true - since my parents brought a new outfit to the airport, so I was able to change around 730pm.)
since 7am on Thursday I've slept about 6 combined hours, all on a plane, and have been on three different continents.

bonne anniversaire a moi