Useless Sharing

I've complained to the Twitterverse that I need a highlighter for so many things I read and then try to share.  Sure, in so many cases the article is enough; but in a lot of other cases, there is one sentence I really want people to read and my guess is, they'll miss it.  They'll let me down and miss it. 

Even worse is to know they read the sentence and didn't get it.  Usually I see that sentence as what should be the real thesis of the article, the antithesis of the article, or very amusing (usually, it's very amusing).

The whole problem with sharing anything is that upon sharing it, there's a good chance no one will read it.  If they do, they read the first few sentences only.  If they do read the whole thing, I'm damn impressed.  But I worry they missed the details.  Isn't there a saying that the devil is in the details?  Well, it's true.  If you miss the one funny sentence, the one line that makes a difference, what have you got?  Just a damn boring article your brain didn't process.  It's okay, we all do it.  I've also missed so many really important things while I was busy laughing at a bad pun no one else got, not even the writer/speaker. 

Want to know some science about reading articles?  Check out THIS article.  (I shared that article, it was serious and hilarious, and in true form, you haven't read far enough here to know to read that one).

Anyway, enough whining.  My whole point is that I'm sharing two things that either no one will get or no one will read.  Whatever, that's fine.  Break my heart and don't even try.

Both found at xkcd.com (with many thanks to @ibificus for introducing me to all the great comics).



http://xkcd.com/55/ This is my Valentine.

What If? What if we flew a plane in space?  I am absolutely in love with What If?...you don't even have to know me well enough to know why.  It's smart stuff with a lot of humor.  I wonder how many people start to read it and get bogged down with all those devilish details and miss out on so much of the humor.  Anyway, it's great, go check it out.  Also, follow @WhatIfNumbers on Twitter.

Acquiring Account Information

Today I had the pleasure of trying to speak American English with a gentleman who spoke difficult-to-understand presumably Indian English while attempting to retrieve log in information.  I'm not saying the English language barrier was the problem, but it would have helped me tremendously if we could have understood each other better.

I managed to do the stupid thing my IT brother hates so much about people, I locked myself out of an account.  Simple mistake really, forgetting a password for a site I log into maybe once every three months.  Even worse was that I honestly believed I answered my security questions correctly so I have no idea what I did wrong.  Luckily I was provided a phone number to call to regain access.

Upon waiting on hold for a bit, Sam answered my call.  I cannot honestly believe Sam was this guy's real name, but we're going with it.  Sam spoke English.  I've always found people claiming to speak English need to define what kind of English they speak.  For example, I speak Midwestern (non-Chicagoan) American English.  I know people in Ireland speak English but couldn't tell you a damned thing they said unless they slowed down, enunciated like a narrator and avoided all colloquialisms.  It is likewise for Louisianans; I can only pick out a few things they say, but the same concept applies.  It's English, but it's a different language.

Anyway, off the rant...

The following is the conversation I had with Sam:

Computer Operator: [blah blah blah], Press 2 if you need assistance with your log in user name or password.
Me: [press 2...blah blah blah, enter Social Security Number]

...wait...

Sam: Thank you for calling ADP for assistance.  My name is Sam, may I have your first and last name.
Me: [give first and last name, we then each go through a series of spelling this info, asking the other what he/she said before finally agreeing to the correctness of said name]
Sam: May I have your Flex ID?
Me: Uhm, yes, if I knew what this ID was, you could have it.  Where would one find a Flex ID?
Sam: Could you repeat this ma'am?
Me: Where can I locate the Flex ID?
Sam: You'll see it listed in your account information when you log into the website.
Me: Yes, that is a great place for a Flex ID, you see, I cannot log in, that's why I've called and pressed 2.
Sam: Could you repeat this ma'am?
Me: I cannot log in, please advise?
Sam: Oh I see. [....very long pause....]
Me: Hello, are you there Sam?
Sam: Yes ma'am, I'm here.  You do not have a Flex ID.
Me: Well, I suppose I do have one, I don't know it, what else can be used to log into the account?
Sam: Could you repeat this ma'am?
Me: How else can I unlock my account?
Sam: Yes, may I have the last four digits of your Social Security Number?
Me: Sure, I did enter it in the beginning of this call, but here they are [give last four digits, confused]
Sam: All I need are the last four digits ma'am.
Me: [last four digits]
Sam: Could you verify your name?
Me: Uhm, yes [provide name AGAIN, this time spelled out very slowly all while scratching my head in confusion]
Sam: Could you verify your date of birth, address, life history?
Me: Correct, correct, correct...
Sam: Please have a piece of paper and pencil in front of you to write down you Flex ID [gives me info, I write it down].  Is there anything else I can assist you with today?
Me: Yes, I am sorry, thank you for that information, but I called because I need to get into my account online.  How can I do this now that I have locked myself out of the site? [said very slowly and enunciated like a narrator with no colloquialisms]
Sam: Oh I see.  I'm going to send you an e-mail with a registration code.  I am sending it now, please confirm and I will walk you through the process.
Me: Okay, it's here, there are instructions, I think I'm good at this point, thank you.
Sam: Please go to the website.
Me: I have and I have followed the directions to log in, I'm good now, thank you.
Sam: You need to enter the information and new registration code to log in.
Me: Yes, I have done that , thank you very much.  I have it from here. [frustration growing]
Sam: Do you need any further assistance?
Me: No Sam, no, I have it from here, thank you.
Sam: Good bye, please call again if you need assistance.
Me: Yes, thanks, bye [click....shit, first you can't seem to help me and now you won't get off the damned phone,; must learn the proper way to say good bye apparently]

I also want to note that when I entered my new password, I tried three different passwords that each received an error to indicate that I could not use any of my four previous passwords.  Interesting...

Opinions Are Like . . .

...well, you've likely heard that saying, and it's true, opinions are like the external opening of the rectum! Everybody has one! I have lots of them (opinions, not anuses) and choose to share them here on my blog, or privately with friends. Sometimes I comment on others' blogs and posts with my opinion, but only in a manner that can give an alternate theory or a great big hoo-rah to the writer! I usually also like for my opinions to be based on some theory, not some random bigoted airheadedness (ahem, this will appear in my dictionary shortly)!

Now, you may know some jerks who like to share their negative or rude opinions on your blog posts, status updates, etc. Try not to hold anything against these people as they are obviously not keen on the subject of "comment etiquette". They usually don't realize that they are not being forced to read your stuff, they usually don't get the joke, they think they know more than you, or, simply said, they are probably just complete jerks like their comment suggests. They are not aware that negative comments (unless reserved for product feedback and locations where this effect is desired) is meant to be had behind the scenes through such things as a private message or an e-mail. It can also be said of these individuals that they are judgmental as opposed to you who understands it is not your place to judge, for example, what one uses as a term of endearment. Furthermore, if the comment is not intended to be rude, the offender needs to find a method of writing said comment in such a manner that lets you know this, after all, not all of us can read minds!

As for those people that like to say things aloud to you in such a manner that you feel belittled, well, let me tell you, they've accomplished their goal. But, rest assured good reader, these people only belittle because they feel they need the power. The real power lies within you, the one who is not only smart enough to know the etiquette, but the one who isn't the external opening of the rectum!

With that said, I shall leave you now to comment up this post . . .

Questions, Answers, and Congratulations

I'm going to start this blog off with my quick whiny rants. Skip to the next paragraph to avoid my negativity. Why must I sit next to the loudest people in the office? If you thought I was potentially the loudest person you knew (ahem, Christine), you haven't had the joy of sitting near the people I have the tremendous task of enjoying...loud drink sipping, loud belching, loud mouth-slap chewing, and ridiculously loud speaking volume. Not all of them are loud, not all of them have these annoying traits, but when my patience is thin, I can't bear the annoyances of others (like loud sipping).

Okay, I got that out of my system, and I feel a lot better already. The only reason I'm even really writing today is to update everyone on some of the questions I've been getting a lot of lately.

When is your due date?

I don't know. I have a range of given dates between November 29 to December 8. I think when it comes time for the baby poll, it should be fun to see what people think will happen.

What baby poll are you talking about?

Chris and I are going to have a 50-50 Baby Poll (50% of proceeds go towards the baby, gambling is illegal, but I will donate 50% of the proceeds to the "winner"). Each person is to guess the baby's gender, the due date, and lastly the weight. Only those who guessed the correct gender can win. The winner is the person who is closest to the actual birth date (with correct gender). Weight is tie breaker (closest to weight). I've not set this up yet, so stay tuned! Also, think of ways to spend the money for baby (college, savings account, diapers, toys, sheep, shoes for mom, or whatever).

Are you having a baby shower?

Yes, the date is October 9. If you want to come please let me know (with address (by email)).

Where are you registered?

Uh, yea, I still have to do that.

And you still think you want cloth diapers?

Yes, why, what are you saying?

Have you gotten anything done on the nursery?

I cleaned it out, though, the mattress doesn't fit down the stair well, so it's propped up along the wall, and probably will be for some time. We're leaving it painted yellow. Otherwise, no nesting has been incorporated into my lifestyle.

How's that quilt coming along for baby?

Okay, stop picking on me for being so lazy and lacking motivation. For your reference, I have ironed fusible backing to THREE of the shirts. That's more than you thought I bet!

When is Eva due? [note: NOT "What does Eva do?" - that was an awkward moment for me]

Eva is due at the end of January. Her shower is November 13, if you want to come, please let me know, I'll run it by her of course first to make sure you aren't her mortal enemy.

Okay, do either of you couples have names picked out?

Maybe, but would we share them yet?

Anyway, thanks for your time, thanks for your concerns; I really do appreciate everyone.

A quick congrats to Andrea, Aaron and Rudy for the newest addition to the family, Veronon. Congrats to Crystal and Mark, the newlyweds!

Fingerprints Don't Fade

Eva and I took some time out today to go see the movie Remember Me. I cried through several parts of the movie and silently thanked the movie dearly for comic relief. But all in all, it was a decent movie whose premise is sad and true. It mostly deals with death, love, lack of understanding, and the effect that one person can have on others' lives. The movie even begins with the Gandhi quote "Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it". For those of you intending to watch the movie, I won't elaborate, though I will provide you with a couple quotes from the movie...

Caroline asked me if I knew what I'd say if I knew you could hear me. I told her I know: I love you. God, I miss you. And I forgive you.-Tyler

If you could hear me, I would say that our finger prints don't fade from the lives we've touched. -Tyler

I guess I wanted to write about seeing the movie so I could emphasize something. The things we do, good and bad, they do leave fingerprints on someone else. We may not know it, but we may be the one thing that keeps someone smiling. We might also be the one thing that torments someone else, so maybe try not to be that person. We can't live worrying/working/stressing/being depressed every day. If you feel the need to compliment someone...forget social boundaries that might make you feel awkward...say something, it may be the only compliment that person receives. People are mean, but don't be bothered by them, not everyone will be mean to you, they just don't "get" you. Life really is short and we never know what tomorrow holds...make the most of the little things, the one's you love, and the one's that love you in return.

Now, go on and take a few seconds to list a few of the small things that get you by...

• Snuggling with the dogs


• Knowing that you can talk to some one who does not hear you, and knowing that really, they do


• My shorter curly blond hair that goes where ever it wants when the humidity is high, no matter how much I hate it, I smile in the mirror


• Incessant giggling that can't be stopped which incurs more giggling


• The stuffed animal carcasses laying about the house...each with its own place so that cleaning is endless with carcasses ending up back where you removed them from


• Always having a book on standby...never want to be left without reading material


• Saying the perfect thing at the perfect time that gives you the confidence/pride tingle up the spine


• Being able to relate to someone, for the simple matter of letting him know he is not alone


• Finishing a project


• Marking things off a list


• My notebooks
• 
  
• The Notebook of Potter-Arbogast transcripts


• Four leafed clovers


• History


• Battery chargers

No One Gets Me Quite Like Me

No one quite gets me, like me. I've always said that I write for my own self. I often reread what I wrote to laugh at myself, to see how I've digressed, or perhaps improved. I also have a much more personal blog [I know, more personal than this?] that no one really reads; I very randomly read it to see how I've changed, to refocus my mind in a healthier manner. I think it's necessary that we do that every now and again. We have to do things for us. If we don't take care of ourselves first, how are we to ever help anyone else?

Anyway, I got started on all of this because I read Greg Kot's Wilco Learning How to Die. It was a great book and biography about Wilco and Jeff Tweedy. While it's ancient in terms of Wilco having concluded around 2002; the thoughts of Jeff Tweedy would still ring true. One of his particular quotes made me think of how important we all are to ourselves.

"That's the beauty of music" he says. "Because when it feels right, it does feel like you invented it-because you did. You invented if for yourself"

We should all be able to take a moment to forget what anyone else will think of what we write, draw, sing, or cook. If we make ourselves happy, the others will soon follow. We can't control the world, but we can control what decisions we make.

Anyway, I wasn't going any place in particular with this other than to say I really enjoyed the book. I also really enjoy rereading what I write because no one gets me like I do [my jokes are dry, but damn, I love 'em]. No matter who comes and goes in our lives, they each served a purpose while there that we should be grateful for that rather than resentful. Also, it's way too easy to get wrapped up in things greater than ourselves, but we shouldn't. We are all that matters. If we take care of us, the rest does follow.

Now, off of my public service announcement with a quick update that I'm moving on to the new Chet the Jet book. Also, I thought it was time to make you think...

You get only three clues...What Am I?

• I am a fiber tip pen.
• My ink is translucent.
• I was invented in Japan in 1962.

I Rant About Chinese Products Yet Again

One could easily say that yesterday I was on a tirade. It all started because I needed to wrap Eva's birthday present, the Tim Burton book I bought her while at the MoMA.

I could have simply used Christmas paper that I have at home, but the dilemma is two-fold. One problem is that I feel those who celebrate their birthdays so close to Christmas get jipped in a sense. They get cheated on gifts and most of the cheated gifts are wrapped in Christmas paper. I don't want to be one of those people; the one's who cheat others. I admit fully that I love to give people gifts. I love to make others happy be it with small gifts, large gifts, or simple compliments. So, as one might see, there was no way I was wrapping a birthday gift I was so excited about in Christmas paper!

The second problem with Christmas paper is that I prefer to save every sliver so that it may be used to wrap something next season. I don't want to waste it is what I'm saying.

So now I had the dilemma of how to wrap the gift. Simple I thought, get a handkerchief and wrap it in that. Well, that would have been nice if every handkerchief in the freaking US were not made in freaking CHINA! Scarves, head wraps, socks, and underwear...everything made in China.

So to end my tirade, I'll tell you that I chose not to wrap the book. I refrained from bitching too much about it, and yet here I am a whole day later still stewing!

One might ask, "what do you do now Steph?", and to that I have an answer! Go to furoshiki, they tell you where the wraps are made!

Year In Review - Part I

I only have a few days left of this year and since this year has sucked so royally, next year, the big 2010, will be grand. One can only hope.

As today is my Friday, I'm feeling pretty good. I thought that I'd get started on my year in review. To say I don't know where to start would be completely cliche, but true. It's not that I did so much that I can't even begin; rather, I just don't remember. Lucky for me (and you), I wrote a blog this year!

Instead of recapping all that has happened in the year, I'll simply start with the topic of "Downtime- What I Did to Recharge". Wonder where I got this great [modified] idea? Well, check out this fellow here!

I Blogged at stephysite and hoklife!

There are the obvious things to make myself physically "unwind" and these consist of Nyquil and diphenhydramine. A lot of Effexor helps too!

I've spent some time this year "getting in shape" which translates to "tearing up my knees". I ran a couple of 5k's and tried to regularly stick to jogging that allows me to think alone while physically exhausting myself. The best benefit is the endorphin high.

Doodling has become a new "stress reliever" at work. I suppose it started one night after talking to @ironstef about zentangle. I recently purchased a lovely handmade [out of used books] journal to store my doodles. The lovely journal was made by @thefancylamb

Reading is always high on my list of things to do. It serves so many purposes (keeps the mind fresh with ideas and knowledge, kills the time on the bus, lulls me to sleep, tells me amazing stories, gives me things to talk about, and relaxes me). This year I've read more than most years because I've used public transit about 75%-85% of the year; which happens to be where I do most of my reading. Here is a small list of what I read in 2009:

• A Dirty Job
• Fool
• Blood Sucking Fiends
• You Suck
• The Twilight Series
• Let the Right One In
• Ladies and Gentlemen, The Bible
• Broken

Want some words? Here ya go...
jump the couch: A defining moment when you know someone has gone off the deep end. Inspired by Tom Cruise's behavior on Oprah.
Chrismukkah: the holiday mixture for Hanukkah and Christmas.

Complaints

To say "I hate to complain" is a flat out lie. I like to bitch and moan and sob until everyone gets the idea of how miserable I am about something. Hence China!

But this morning isn't about China at all. It's about people. So I will vent to you , my two readers [ahem, see Becky, two, thanks!]. I will use the word "you", but please remember that it is not actually you to which I refer. I'm being nice by leaving names out. Here I go...

Do not make jokes to me about wanting to be dead if you don't like my response. I'm full of all sorts of negative thoughts on a regular basis for which I would have assumed you might have noticed.

Miss All High and Mighty, if you ever insult my friend again (for no reason), I will bust your lips open, dabble them with sea salt and then slice the insides of your fingers with vellum paper. I will dabble some salt in there as well.

If I walk in and you ask how the day is with my response being "crabby", perhaps you should take that as a firm indicator that you need to layoff the slight insults and regular jests I might otherwise not hit you for; today, I might hit you. Seriously though, give a girl some room!

Just as some people need coffee in the morning to function, as do I. I may not be a drinker of the coffees, but at least let me get some water. If I tell you my first priority of the day is to get a cup of tea...let me go get tea. It takes mere minutes that you just wasted by rambling something I chose not to hear.

Well, now that I got that out of my system, we all feel better!

Here are some words good friends...
awesinine: Stupidly brilliant or brilliantly stupid.
Picasso pause: When a person stands still for a moment admiring their own work.
urbanup: To look something up on urbandictionary.com
chemical yoga: A chemical cocktail of Xanax and muscle relaxers, used in conjunction to relax one's mind and body.
backstalk: To go through an acquaintance's blog entries, even those dated before you met, in order to learn more about that person. [I do this way too often]
lucktard: One who has a natural dumb luck that bails them out of any situation, regardless of severity. [Ahem, I could list a few]
Holidaze: Term that defines the feelings of confusion and excitement people have between thanksgiving and Christmas; the blur one feels after/during shopping for gifts on crowded retail stores with heavy holiday traffic.

A Couple of Chuffing Questions

It's been a real fucked up day. My computer program hates me and is using Chinese symbols for my icons/buttons.



I was told to uninstall and re-install to fix the problem. Great! I'm so thrilled you told me that Bentley! Of course, considering some of the things that are happening around me to people I know, I should really stop bitching! I like to bitch about stuff though. I really like to bitch about China!

Here's my real point to writing today! I'm doing a gift exchange with friends. The gift needs to be generic and non-gender specific. In addition to said gift, I am including a small home made gift. What I would like are some ideas! What would you like that is small and relatively cheaply priced?? Small bottle of alcohol? Wine? Calendar? Crossword puzzles? A block of cheese? "Don't Let The Pigeon Stay Up Late" book? [Preferably something I can find that is not made in China, thanks]

So, give me some ideas while I give you some words!

rock:

1. To use. To make do with, usually to great effect.

In use: We don't need you to make the spare bed, we can rock the couch.

2.Streetball term for the basketball.
3. A form of cocaine.

V-Card: Virginity. All virgins have a "V-card" until they "cash it in" for sex.
BA: Badass, pronounced as bee-ay (as opposed to bitch being bee-ya).

NOW, a word question for you! Twitter friend @ibificus used the word "chuffed". Having never heard the word before I looked it up and found several different meanings. Now I'm curious. How do you use the word "chuff/ed"?

chuffed=adjective British Informal. delighted; pleased; satisfied. [As in, I'm chuffed by stories with sheep!]

chuffed=adjective British Informal. annoyed; displeased; disgruntled. [As in, I get so freaking chuffed when people talk to me when my body language says "get the fuck away".]

chuff (chuffed, chuffing, chuffs)=verb. To produce or move with noisy puffing or explosive sounds. [As in, I really didn't want to move those boxes, so in point I chuffed through the task so everyone knew.]

chuff (chuffs)=noun. A noisy puffing or explosive sound, such as one made by a locomotive. [As in, well, you get the idea!]

[By the way, those of you following my blogs (all One of you), you might have noticed my lack of letter writing as I noted I would do...nice of you to notice...I'm a slacker, you should know that by now]

NaBloPoMo Day 21 Post 20 - Donations

First of all let me say that I am fully aware that I'm cheating! Instead of doing a post a day for National Blog Post Month, where I've already missed three, I'm "catching up" by posting several over the last few days. Meh, as everything goes with me: I tried, I failed, I now perform a mend to the situation. Hence, a post...

Anyway, if you've read the blog as of rather recently you will know that I'm participating in a 5k. Please feel free to come along with me. Also, I am collecting donations (that can be made online or by mail in check). To check my status you can look in the upper left of this blog or by checking on my fundraiser site!

Thanks!

NaBloPoMo Day 20 Post 18 - Run Away With Me, Please

Really though, read the title, I really want to run away, encourage young people to avoid engineering [at least this field of it] and be a sheep herder or a librarian, or maybe a little [or lot] of each.....

Who's in?????????

_____________________________________________
PS: conversation of the day so far...

Me: So, want to run away with me today...away from the hell that is engineering??? Huh huh huh???

Cohort in Crime Christine: Yes please!!! Anytime . . . anywhere . . . I’m always up for running away.

Me: I want to march over to some universities today and smash kids hopes and dreams of becoming engineers! Crush them!!! Mwahhahaha!! After that we can go wherever!! [Please note the enthusiasm by numbers of exclamation points]

CiCC: Ahh, so it’s EVIL Stephy today . . . love it!

NabloPoNo Day 17 Post 14 - Reading Time Vomit

A story I promised...



I was about 6 years old in First grade. My mom was pregnant with my younger brother Drew, and for a period of time she was in the hospital with complications. [Please keep in mind that this was back in the day when hospitals kept a person for more than one day, and to me it seemed like an eternity, but could have been no more than a week perhaps]. I was very much a mama's girl and tried to stay attached to one of her legs at all times. There were a few times we were detached, one of which was school. After dragging me down the hall while I sobbed, she'd lob me through the classroom door and run as fast as she could out of my sight. Once in the classroom I seemed to calm myself enough to at least focus on getting to the end of the day.

I never enjoyed reading much at the age of 5-19, but I knew I had to learn so I tried for a few moments each day. The teacher, whose name I no longer know how to spell, would break us into groups and we'd each take our turn sitting in a circle around the teacher reading our few lines in the text book. I don't know how or when or why it would happen, but every day, EVERY SINGLE DAY, I would vomit! The got book covered, my clothes got littered, and the stench went every where! I would be sent to the Principal's office (who had my Aunt on speed dial since this was the routine); and from what I understand, my classmates grew to hate the pine scented absorbent that was sprinkled over my mess for cleaning.

Ah, those where the days!

...word...
raise: Parent or parents; the people who raised you.

In use: I am having Thanksgiving dinner with the raise this year.

NaBloPoMo Day Twelve Post Ten - Forgot Dream

Every evening that I jog [or lay awake suffering from insomnia] I think of all the things I plan to write. I even write these things out in my head in such a way that if I could use my mind to make the physical action of writing happen, I'd have novels all over flowing the shelves. [Okay, so yes, the books are already over flowing the shelves, but they aren't books *I've* written]. But then I arrive to the computer the following morning and my mind is blank. I can no longer recall all of my brilliant ideas. It's as if the book I'd written never existed, but I swear to you I have some brilliant ideas, I just forget them.

Even this morning I thought of something I wanted to write, but, well, as you can guess...I forgot what it was. It's okay though, I'll try to take better care of my ideas by jotting a note or two down about them. As for now, you'll get part of my dream from last night [surprise surprise, you only get that part which I can remember, I've already forgotten the rest!]

...I looked in a mirror to see that my skin was washed out, very pale but freckle free. I leaned in closer to see my skin. It was dry and cracked with fine lines in places I'd never seen them before. Disappointed I looked over my entire face finding age. I stopped once to glance into my own eyes that were as they truly are; a hazel colored iris that has amber and green in streaks around the pupil. I felt slightly reassured that I was still myself, but disappointed that I was the person looking back in the mirror. I was actually a bit horrified that it was me. But what I saw next was even more frightening. I saw that I'd lost most of my hair, the bald area covered in scabs. I poked at them to discover they were bruised, tears streamed down my eyes while I tried to gather my memory to recall when this had happened. Nothing came. Then I woke up panicked.

Word...
Facebook crush: A crush on a FB friend is characterized by the unexplainable urge to revisit the friend's Photos tab repeatedly and checking to see if other friends have written new messages on their Wall. Usually afflicts users who are only somewhat acquainted. [heh]

I Lost the Election

Phew, it's one of those days, but thus far productive!

First I want to say that I in no way intend to offend anyone who reads. For instance, the whole "strictly 2 kids per couple" ideology...well, I am part of 4 siblings; my sister has 4 wonderful children; my dad was 1 of 5 children and my mom was 1 of 5. I love each of these people completely independent of some numeric embodiment. My ideas are just that, my ideas. So, never take anything I say personally. I don't want to judge you. I don't want to judge anyone! I'd rather see that you are different and learn from you than for you to think I'm unswayable in opinion! Got it? It's just that I honestly write for me, so I splatter my slobbery words all over this blog, and rarely think before hitting the "Publish Post" button!

Now I want to say that I made awesome apple pies. I plan on writing my first food blog soon! So stayed tuned for that!

I heard from Shane again, who claims he will be "ok". I can only assume he won't lie to me, and while he appears to have never made a huge effort to lie to me, I don't trust people, so I can only have some faith in this instance [faith is something I have little of].

I also heard from Holly, I am glad to see she is alive and functioning about the best she can! Keep the chin up sis! She was also able to provide me with some insight and opinions, which I always appreciate!

I made this blog/site for an organization I am involved in: http://www.seistudents.com. I volunteer for a lot of stuff, SEI-St. Louis for one, of which I am the chairman only because I lost the election. I need to learn to say no, so, yea, give me any tips you can. I typically feel guilty for saying no, and yet I can be so mean...how does this work exactly?? Really though, I blog for work and enjoy it. I used to do a newsletter for SEAKM (another eng. org.) and I enjoyed it for a period of time. This little web thing I'm doing it fun for the moment. I feel so compelled to help people I almost don't notice the stress and socialization required. It all catches up with me though! Eh, whatcha gonna do?

...or My Daily Drink (change)

...trying a new beverage today. I'm dehydrated and refraining from diet cola. I could drink more Gatorade, but I feel I should give the other cold beverages a chance to entice me. I could also be drinking some hot tea, but I'm in a cold beverage kind of mood!

So here is the drink I am trying...


[whatever blue tea is?!]

This is why I bought it, they actually allowed the package designer to be labeled on on the packaging!



just thought you should know...

Still Alive ... My Dreams Encourage Otherwise

I had a [sadly] pleasant dream about the suicide rates of engineers and exam takers. I also have a vicious canker sore. I think these are both signs of severe stress. [Those are among other stressors I shall fail to mention here.] The good news though, is that with this level of stress, mosquitoes will leave my ass alone.

Now, on the note of asses I would like to mention to you that my language is part of me; as are my topics. I realize these may be inappropriate at times. If you find this to be the case, don't read anything I write. Simple answer! If you think your mom doesn't want you reading it, then you are probably too young to be on the computer.

Despite what you may believe, I am in a decent mood today, music is helping [as we speak, a little Sunday Girl by Blondie]. I think I'll recap how my week has been going thus far though...

...Monday, a day of meetings and an impromptu conference call...

Webex...woo...	Excitement!

...that led to the following...

Reminder Doodle	Random Phone Doodle
What??

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Yesterday I sat in meetings from noon until when I left and didn't get to pee at all, mind you this was after drinking loads of tea all morning! It produced the following kind of doodle...

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So now here we are on Wednesday and my brain is sucked dry so I wear the funkiest thing I can find, completely by accident...


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It's okay though. I've made it through some very rough days lately. Lots of crying, lots of anger, lots of stress. If I can get through this alive, I'm sure I'll have plenty more stories to tell.

I plan on blogging later to include some quotes of late; perhaps a story about me, eva, and odd children.

Please comment and leave me a link of some good comic, some interesting story, or even a video (music or show).

Thanks!

Word...
peace easy: A lovely combination of "peace out" and "take it easy" for those too lazy or too busy to say both. Double the meaning, half the time.

My Lesson For Today

Just a quick thingy to make you think...and set you on the right path!

If you are doing anything with stainless steel there are two things to remember:

1. "Stainless" steel varies in degree of mixed metals, therefore, "stainless" ability varies, which brings us to this..."stainless steel is not always "stainless".

2. When doing any work with stainless stuff, don't forget that you also need to specify the use of stainless connections! Most failures occur at connections, and so by not using a semi-protected stainless connector, you're just letting yourself down.

Sorry, I'm a detail oriented kind of gal; I kind of have to be to do what I do!


Word...
fashion victim: A perfectly manicured, groomed, waxed, and buffed person who wears designer logo clothing but has no real taste or style; wears every faddish trend that comes out.

Cartoon Steph

I am super bitchy today, I almost feel as though the wind has been knocked out of me, as if I’ve been shoved to the floor and kicked around a bit. I want to talk about most of it so you’ll have to bear with me and endure a long and possibly boring blog. I will alternate the goods and bads.

I’ll start with bad…yesterday a coworker who shall remain nameless got some really bad news. I refuse to mention specifics of the news [I don’t gossip here] because it’s horrible and I can’t even imagine the sorrow. All you need to know is that when you hear your coworker that upset; you should realize how important people are.

A good thing, also relating to a coworker, is that Justin, my blog crush, recommended some bands I might like. One of these bands, Billy Talent, is coming to St. Louis in October. He sent the recommendation based on the fact that they play shows with a band I like Alexisonfire. Nice suggestion Justin, I thank you sincerely!

A crappy thing is that I glooped mustard all over my shirt at work, then proceeded to open my soda to have it explode all over my desk and pants. This of course is all part of the day where nothing seems to work. I can’t get my building model to behave how I would expect; it won’t mesh right for a finite element analysis, among other crappy ass things!

A good thing…for those of you that think I am too prepared [looking at you Christine], I managed to dig up another decent shirt to wear at work that is mustard-less and cola-less.

Now, I'm tired of crappy ass stuff so I am going to ignore how crabby and pissed off I am. I am going to ignore my rant on media. I am going to ignore my rant on people who think they are better than me. I am going to ignore my rant on people who ignore me. Instead I am going to show you a cartoonized version of myself that I think is adorable. It is a work in progress by Mike C. Should you feel compelled to make your very own cartoon version of me, please do so. I am very amused by the thought!


Before I go I want to send a quick thanks to Ironstef and Mike C. for dinner and a wonderful discussion of Skank Ham. I want to thank Becky for allowing us to come hang out in the pub (there really are few options in GC). I want to thank those people on Twitter to which I randomly/seldomly communicate; you all always seem to have a way to make me laugh or smile (though you probably don't know it you certainly deserve a thanks). You would be surprised how a quick step away from work and into some silly video, or even some smart article/blog can really just wake me up, clear my head, and get me back on course. If there is ever a way I could help you, I certainly hope you'd ask!

Word...
cubular: Anything that is "cool" in a "business-geek" office context; often used ironically. This is a term derived from "cubicle" and the surf-slang "tubular".

Maker, Day 2

Dear Maker,

Hi, it's me again. Are you mad at me? I kind of feel like you are mad at me. It's okay if you are, I just want to know. Some of us are, well you know, not omniscient!



The thing is, I need to mentally prepare myself for things like your anger or your punishments. I've heard the stories of said anger. I had sort of hoped the Apocalypse would come yesterday. In fact, I am sure there were a few of us waiting, but I don't belong to that cult so I don't really know (I didn't like their choice of shoes). I sort of have my own cult, I'm the only member (I don't have creepy enough eyes to get followers). Anyway, off topic as usual! Back to my lack of Apocalypse, it's okay, I get it, there were some others asking for a non-Apocalyptic day. We just can't please everyone can we? [me now winking at God with mouth half opened as any proper wink should be performed]

I should also take this opportunity to say that there are people here (I'm sure you know, being omniscient and all) that are improperly using what you gave them (i.e., brains, or wait, did you forget some people when handing out brains?). I find it really annoying. For example, Winkers. These are wrong, I disapprove. What can you about this?

I realize that there are more important things happening in the world for which I should focus, but my altruism just isn't here today; and you know I'm altruistic about doing the right things! Please forgive me.

Anyway, I have to get back to working on the most impossible building. [me now having tears welling up in eyes while my chest tightens]

Skeptically Your Apostate,
Me


Word...
Hasselhoffing: The act of changing a colleague's desktop wallpaper to display the manly physique of David Hasselhoff. [Ed. Note: I expect someone I know to do this to someone they work with (pics required) for my amusement. I kind of think Ray would be a fun target, but that's just because he can take a joke]