Easy Answers

I was having trouble with my e-mail at work the last few days. Outlook gave me an error message every time I wanted to delete an e-mail. And with the amount of spam we get, there is usually plenty to delete, approximately 50-75 e-mails a day. I asked our computer tech and he responded that I should run the "detect and repair" function in Outlook, but that I needed to make sure to have the Microsoft Office disk when I did so. I ran "detect and repair" twice. Nothing doin'. Still couldn't delete anything. Hmmm...

I IMed a friend of mine who works at a Help Desk. She sent me a link, and did some kind of magic where she was able to take control of my computer from her office. She could move my mouse, type stuff, run programs. It was way cool. But didn't work. She determined that my .pst file was corrupted. She didn't want to try to rebuild it since she didn't know our system. She advised me to call our IT guy.

Around this time it dawned on me that I had a lot of deleted messages in my "deleted items" box. Upon inspection, there were approximately 20,000 e-mails in there. Oops. I cleared them out and, voila! I am once again able to delete e-mails. AND I now set up Outlook to permanently delete e-mails when I close Outlook. No more problem. If only I had looked for the easy answer initially. (It doesn't matter - I was still proud of myself for figuring it out in the end.)

New Toy

I almost feel like a guy - I'm really excited about my latest technology purchase. My co-worker found an amazing deal on flash drives at Staples - $15 for a 1MB flash drive - $40 off regular price. I've been needing one to keep up with my school stuff; currently I've been e-mailing myself files, but this is much better. In addition to being such a great price, the flash drive happens to be purple with a sparkly silver case, it would be hard for it to be more perfect for me. My co-worker thought he was just telling me about a good bargain - he totally made my day.

J-Blog Link of the Day

For the final J-Blog Link of the Day, I'm highlighting BeyondBT, which I haven't written for in a way too long (been uninspired, I guess). But the post up today highlights a difficult topic (for several reasons) and provides a good response, along with forum for discussion about it. Enjoy!

Cool Video

Hat tip - my co-worker.

J-Blog Link of the Day

This one goes to Jewbiquitous, for multiple reasons - I love the blog's name, I can relate to many of their posts, and cuz for a fairly new blog, they have been churning out quite good stuff. Enjoy!

Be My Guinea Pig

I need a volunteer who is going through some kind of career-type issue at the moment to let me counsel them for a one-time one-to-two hour session. Any volunteers? If you'd be willing, and you live in the NY area (for my convenience), e-mail me. Thanks!

A Pic a Day

Courtesy of my brother's away message, I thought this video was pretty cool:

Productive Day

I was so tired from all my travels of this past weekend that I ended up leaving work at noon and coming home to catch up on my sleep. I took a nap, and ended up being productive too. My laundry is done, I went grocery shopping, I made a really yummy dinner, I cleaned and I made it through about half of the mail that has been stacking up for the past three weeks.

And...I finally got to watch last week's Grey's Anatomy, which was excellent. I actually cried. It reminded me why, once again, it's the one show I make time to watch.

J-Blog Link of the Day

I know I've been slacking off on the J-Blog links, but I have a really good excuse. Today's J-Blog Link of the Day goes to Dov Bear, and his attempt at classifying the mitzvos according to party lines. Even though I have no interest in politics, I thought it was funny, and interesting. Enjoy!

Death of a Microwave

My microwave, which has been around for a LONG time, decided to die while I was gone this weekend. The light in it turns on and the timer counts down, but nothing else happens, and it certainly doesn't cook my food. This is not something I'm so happy about, mainly because I don't really want to have to carry a new microwave up my stairs, they are quite a pain. Yuck :(

New Blogger

I finally made the switch, and I'm quite apprehensive about it. As Ezzie will tell you, I like what I'm used to (which is why, despite his best efforts and my own admission that there are things that I really like about Firefox, I still default back to Internet Explorer regularly). But I'm now on the New Blogger, which does come with the benefit of being able to have people who are on New Blogger join Kindness Happens (so let me know if you would like to join). The transfer didn't seem too bad, but I haven't yet had the opportunity to discover the problems. Hopefully, they will be few. Here's goes nuttin!

Walls or Lack Thereof

Amongst the links my rarely-commenting friend (in the future to be referred to as RCF) sent me lately was one to the website of the Chief Rabbi of England, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. I had a couple hours to kill last night before class, so I read one of his lectures, this one focusing on "Revelation - Torah from Heaven." It was an very interesting read. One line in particular, that didn't actually have much to do with the topic, but that I totally agree with was this:

And I just add, as my commentary on Jewish life, that I do not think that those who live behind high walls, a self-imposed ghetto, are necessarily the strongest Jews. The strongest Jews are those who are able to live without those high walls. Confident in their faith they can engage in dialogue with other people's faith - or other people's culture.

Calling Card

I think people don't realize that their writing style is often their calling card. Along with the fact that each person has a different "voice" in their writing, punctuation, grammar, capitalization and other things makes people almost as recognizable as if they were speaking to you. Shifra wrote about this recently. Being someone who enjoys writing and reading, and who really appreciates style in writing (and is quite jealous of those with eloquent and elegant "voices" in their writing), I usually can recognize someone prettty quickly by their writing style and quirks, whether they want me to or not. There have been more than one occasion when someone has commented "anonymously" on this blog, or sent me e-mails that they apparently didn't want their names associated with. I'm usually too nice to say it directly, but I know who these anonymous commentors are. My words of advice are - if you are too embarrassed or don't feel like whatever comment or e-mail you are sending lives up to using your real name, please don't. Hope that's clear enough.

Body Altering

My rarely-commenting friend, who has been sending me lots and lots of interesting websites and links these days (so many that I can't keep up! (but do appreciate them)), just passed this one on, with an emphasis on this paragraph:

Everywhere you turn, people are engineering their bodies to fit in. Chinese people are lengthening their legs with surgery to raise their status and career prospects. American men are bulking up on steroids to look good in gyms. American women are getting 300,000 breast implants a year. Some are having toes trimmed to fit fashionable shoes. Sexual development, too, is under arrest. The FDA is considering an implant to delay puberty in girls. The number of Americans getting laser hair removal each year has surpassed 1.4 million. Many women are getting "revirgination" surgery to restore their hymens.

Some of these procedures don't surprise me; some of them, such as the toe trimming or leg lengthening procedures I've never even heard of. I'm amazed at the lengths people go to in order to look good or to fit a certain mold. It sure makes getting my eyebrowed threaded seem tame.

I do wonder, however, whether this focus on looks and artifices is new or whether it's merely that our technology is new and we are taking advantage of it. I think of the lengths that geishas went through, and the hobbling that was done to many Japanese women's feet, and the wigs and make-up that royalty has always worn in Europe and the African tribes who lengthen their necks and bore huge holes into their earlobes. They have all been obsessed with appearance for generations - it's nothing new, it just didn't include fancy shmancy surgeries and development-altering medications. As if my opinion of many things regarding humans - things don't really change.

Still, I'll keep getting my eye-brows done and steer clear from that toe-chopping surgery. I have never understood why they made shoes pointy anyway.

J-Blog Link of the Day

I missed yesterday's link, so here's one for today and I'll try to have another later to supplement. Today's link comes from Soccer Dad, organizer of the Haveil Havalim J-blog carnival. The post I am linking to for today is of some absolutely amazing shots from outer space - they make me want to be an astronaut even more. Enjoy!

Inappropriate Downloads

My poor co-worker - I'll call her B. She was letting another co-worker, F, check her e-mail using B's computer. F had to download some pictures that someone had sent her. She downloaded the pictures, and then was scrolling through to look at them. All of a sudden, a picture of a naked man was in her face! She called for B, who almost had a heart attack. They then called me (the computer expert, how scary) to see what had them screaming. I realized quite quickly that the pictures belonged to R, a former co-worker whose computer B had inherited. The things people download at work...B is still recovering from her shock.

Inextricably Intertwined

"Inextricably intertwined" has to be one of my favorite phrases. It's poetic and elegant, and according to my professor last night, it was also coined by Arnold Lazarus, the developer of "multimodal therapy," and extremely comprehensive, and I think, very effective, form of psychotherapy.

What are Brothers For?

To help me stalk, of course. Since the demise of my MySpace page, stalking exes became much more difficult. I can see the MySpace pages, but don't have access to all the pictures, videos, etc. Thanks to my brother, who was happy to become complicit in such a nefarious scheme by handing over his login and password (with only a little bit of arm-twisting needed), I can now view whatever I want! Yay stalking! Thanks bro!

J-Blog Link of the Day...

goes to the Existentially Angst-Ridden Godol Hador whose post today about faith is excellent and totally on-the-mark. Go check it out.

"Whatcha Thinkin?"

It is so not true that it's the women who ask, "What are you thinking?" I might be guilty of having said it on occasion, but I definitely don't think it's a habit, and there are a number of guys who have asked me it. And by the way, it is annoying, I can understand why people complain about it.

J-Blog Link of the Day

Today's link goes to DaBoysof905 - LT takes on completeness and being single. If you haven't checked out Da Boys yet, head on over and take a look - they offer a plethora of posts spanning all kinds of topics, both serious and funny. Enjoy!

Football

I'm watching the Colts and Patriots duke it out and wow, even though I don't care that much about who wins - what a game! This is what the playoffs should be like.

Update: All I can say is "wow." Sure am glad I wasn't rooting for the Patriots, but that was quite the game. I guess Ezzie got one right...just barely though.

J-Blog Link of the Day

I almost wrote it LOTD, but don't want people to get confused with the Lyrics of the Day. Anyway, today's link goes to the Haveil Havalim from Jerusalem Games, who managed to write it with a theme, which I had wished to do the week I hosted, but I just plain ran out of time. Go check it out!

Follow-Up

So, the rabbi at my shul spoke today about a alleged child molestor who is currently living in my community. He felt it was important to make this fact known and to educate the commnuity about such an important issue. He named the man but also stressed that all accusations are currently unproven; they are allegations at this point. I was impressed by the fact that he made the knowledge public, he handled it maturely and with the gravity it needed to be done. What impressed me most was his response when someone asked whether this man should be run out of the community, as he was of another community. The rabbi responded that he has family in other communities, and he doesn't feel that they should necessarily have to have someone with such allegations move to those places. At least, at the moment, the information is public and parents and community members can do what they need to do in order to protect their children. In other words, at least the threat is a known one that people can adequately protect themselves against, rather than something hidden and lurking. It is a serious issue, but I was happy to see that it is being addressed, rather than hidden.

Teaser

I'm on the e-mail list for the shul that I most often attend. This morning, the rabbi sent out an e-mail announcing that this week's sermon was for those who are over 17 years of age and up ONLY and that it would be focused on an "extremely sensitive subject matter." No way I'm missing shul this week. Just hope it's not a ploy to get more people to come. Stay tuned for the post-shabbos report.

J-Blog Link of the Day

This one wasn't written today, but I think it's a good one to highlight anyway. The Brooklyn Wolf is an excellent writer with articulate and insightful reflections on some of the absurdities persistent in the world today. This post about the price of a groom in the Chareidi world has me reeling. There are so many things wrong with this that I am afraid to even begin my rant. But generally, I think the problem is that everyone described is selling him or herself for a price. And I would generally think that Torah would discourage that.

Scary

Via DAG, this article truly scares me. Not much more to say, but as much as I love Israel, these kinds are articles are starting to convince me it's not where I should be. Which is really sad.

Poland

I have a co-worker who is from Poland. She moved to the US about 12 or 13 years ago. I was talking to her today and she was saying what a huge difference in diversity there is in the US than in Poland. She told me that growing up she never met a black person or someone with a different racial background than white. She said that her brother came to visit and was blown away by seeing different ethnicities in one neighborhood. I'm very impressed by her though, because she said that she really loves the diversity. She thinks it is so much more interesting than everyone being the same.

J-Blog Link of the Day

In honor of J-Blog Awareness Month, and my pledge to link to at least one interesting post a day, I present you with today's J-Blog link of the day.

Today's topic is tattoos. Baleboosteh wrote a beautiful post the other day, and TikkunGer followed. From a personal standpoint, I find their posts relatable and interesting, and it's always cool to see the differing perspectives on a topic. Enjoy!

Winter Wonderland

There's white stuff falling from the sky, and I don't think it's the dandruff from the people who work upstairs. As much as I'm not such a huge fan of snow, mainly because it's cold, I was ready for this one. It's been a long time coming, it's not snowing too hard, and it is pretty from inside my warm office. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. (But not too much.)

Organization

Or lack thereof...

This morning, one of my co-workers asked me for the number to the company that provides our phone and Internet service. I keep it in my Rolodex so I started thumbing through the I's, since that's what the company's name begins with. I was so excited to find that it was, in fact, in the middle of the I section, with the phone number and our account rep's name clearly written on the card. I was actually a bit surprised by this, since I do know my habit of just throwing the cards in wherever the Rolodex happens to be open to. (Yes, I know this doesn't make it easy to find them later, but it's just how I am.) I was so proud of this fact that I told my co-worker about it. Then I glanced at the card behind it, still in the I section. It was for our locksmith, whose company name starts with N. Oh. Well, at least one card is in place.

JBlog Awareness Month

Chaim, over at Life-of-Rubin (and many other assorted blogs), has announced that it is JBlog Awareness Month. I think it's a great idea and my part of the effort is going to be to attempt to link to at least one post a day from another blogger that I think is interesting, funny or thought-provoking. Stay tuned...

Don't Forget Kindness Happens!

Head on over to Kindness Happens to check out some of the kind acts that color our lives and touch our hearts, even in small ways. If you have any stories to tell and share, please feel free to e-mail me the stories to post (with a link to your blog of course) or to become a regular contributor.

Back At It

I'm back to school today, it's gonna be a tough semester with a really difficult schedule. So watch out for a bit of whining, probably mixed with enthusiasm for my courses (all my classes are being taught by excellent professors this semester!). I am armed for my first day with a brand new notebook and, of course, some colorful pens.

Odiferous Annoyances

I walked into the restroom on our floor a little while ago and was completely assaulted by the perfume of the woman leaving the restroom. It permeated the air and polluted the entire place. Ugh. I have never, ever understood why anyone would pay the insanely high prices for perfumes and colognes when honestly, I think soap and shampoo smell much better. I think people should just be clean. Then they wouldn't need such strong cover-ups.

LOTD

I thought about posting some John Mayer lyrics, to combat the obviously confused DK's assertion (check out his comment about half-way down), but my blog is already quite Mayer-heavy. Also, my co-worker has had the radio on this morning, and this one brought back lots of nostalgic memories, so the LOTD today is from:

10,000 Maniacs
Because the Night

Take me now, baby, here as I am
Hold me close, try and understand
Desire is hunger is the fire I breathe
Love is a banquet on which we feed

Come on now, try and understand
The way I feel under your command
Take my hand, come under cover
They can't hurt you now

Because the night belongs to lovers
Because the night belongs to lust
Because the night belongs to lovers
Because the night belongs to us

Have I doubt, baby, when I'm alone
Love is a ring on the telephone
Love is an angel, disguised as lust
Here in our bed 'til the morning comes

Come on now, try and understand
The way I feel under your command
Take my hand, come under cover
They can't hurt you now

Because the night belongs to lovers
Because the night belongs to lust
Because the night belongs to lovers
Because the night belongs to us

With love we sleep, with doubt the vicious circle turns, and burns
Without you, I cannot live, forgive the yearning burning
I believe in love too real to feel, take me now, take me now, take me now

Because the night belongs to lovers
Because the night belongs to lust
Because the night belongs to lovers
Because the night belongs to us

Blogger Hates Me

I don't know exactly what I did to it, I tried not to hurt it's feelings. I explained that it wasn't Blogger, it was me, I just wasn't ready for the change, which is why I have clung desperately to the Old Blogger. (And, btw, I actually have gotten brave enough to attempt the change on a couple of occasions, and of course, in predictable fashion, blogger then played hard-to-get.) But this is just unfair. I've left comments on several blogs, to have them just disappear. I don't know if it's a jealousy issue or what. But come on, Blogger, can't we just be friends already?

Oh, and of course, this post won't publish. Blogger officially hates me.

Eternal Hold

I love how, when I'm sitting on hold for what seems like days, the recording tells me "Your call is very important to us." Umm, obviously it's not, since the wait time caused me to hang up.

Spam

We get lots of interesting spam in our work e-mail, and I assume that the purpose is to get people to actually read it. Today's spam caught my eye, but mainly because the subject line wouldn't exactly make me want to get more info. Today's subject of spam was "prison escapee." Never seen that one before. The truth is, because the subject line was so different and not about my sexual inabilities, I did actually glance at the e-mail, which seems to be half written in some foreign language and has absolutely nothing to do with prison. Weird.

"Ugly" Betty Wins

All I can say is, if this chick*:



is ugly, I think there are a lot more eating orders and self-esteem problems coming up for American girls.

*Chick in question is America Ferrara, the star of the TV show "Ugly Betty" and she just won some award in whatever award show is on TV right now. You know the one.

Cognitive Dissonance

Do you ever get a version of someone in your head that may or may not be completely accurate? This version can be based somewhat on reality, but often also is based on associations with other from the past, or just personal biases. And then the person does or says something that doesn't fit your version in your head. And it's really confusing, and you really have a difficult time reconciling it with your version. It creates such dissonance, at least for me. Still working on it.

All's Quiet

It's so quiet in the city today due to MLK Day. Last year I had the day off - this year policy has changed and I am at my desk not answering the phone because it isn't ringing, probably because everyone assumes we are closed. I'm not sure if I've done more than five minutes worth of actual work today. Sigh, only four more hours...

Dungarees

My co-worker, who is a bit older than I am, just told me that she forgot it was Friday this morning, so she didn't wear her "dungarees" today. I made a little bit of fun of her for this slightly outdated term for "jeans." Then she told me how a friend of hers calls fire hydrants "johnny pumps" - I've never even heard the term! It made me feel young :)

Bridging the Gap

Courtesy once again of my father, check out this article about two high schools in Birmingham, Alabama who worked together to bridge the gap between race relations. They staged the play "To Kill a Mockingbird" but what's special about it is that the students came together from drastically different areas of Birmingham - one being the upper class, white neighborhood most of the Jews in Birmingham reside in, and the other a poorer, mostly black neighborhood. Speaking from the experience of having grown up in that community, it would have been extremely unlikely for these students to have crossed paths otherwise. Very cool.

Info?

This one is from my dad:

Does anyone know of any resources for Orthodox Jews in interfaith relationships? I have been in touch with a Modern Orthodox woman who is in a serious relationship with a practicing Catholic -- and obviously she is having a hard time. I'd like to help her out, and also I am thinking of writing a column on this topic in a few months. Do you know of books, articles, support groups, blogs or anything like that? She is particularly eager to be in touch with others from similar backgrounds who have gone through this. She's hoping actually to remain Orthodox and raise her kids Jewish (partner is supportive of this), but recognizes that she may have to make some compromises -- perhaps affiliating with Conservative, rather than Orthodox institutions.

Also, if you know of people who would be good for me to interview on this topic, please send them my way.

Thanks!

best,
Julie Wiener (author of "In The Mix," a monthly New York Jewish Week column on intermarried life)

If you have any helpful info, you can e-mail Julie.

Jump on the Bandwagon

I rarely do, but it's kinda fun once in a while. It's link to Jack Day. Why not?

Dream Girls

I went with a friend to see the movie "DreamGirls" last night. I have to admit that I knew little about the movie before going, except that quite a few people had told me that it was great. Although the musical aspects of it were a little cheesy, they reminded me a bit of Annie, an old, old-time favorite, and the actresses voices were awesome. Beyonce, though I'm not her biggest fan, was actually pretty good, and the rest of the cast was great. I even cried at the end, and I don't cry at that many movies. All in all, I recommend it :)

Popsicles

That's what my toes reminded me of this morning - it's brrrrr out. This morning, the bus I usually get on didn't come. So I waited at the bus stop in the freezing cold for about 15 minutes for a bus to come, which had no more available seats. So I waited a few minutes for the next bus, which had seats, but no heat. Which of course I didn't realize until I had sat down and the bus started moving. So by the time my bus got to Port Authority, my toes were crying (ok, not really, but they wanted to).

As I was walkng in the frigid cold to my office (luckily, it's not too far), I see a man with three small children trailing after him. He was walking across the street while the "do not walk" sign was lit, and as he is almost across the street, a car is coming towards the children who are behind him, who he's not paying a whole lot of attention to. (Note - it is one of my HUGE pet peeves when I see parents teaching their children to walk across the street when they aren't supposed to. I think it's worth the extra few minutes to get wherever you're going to make sure your children don't learn to get hit by cars.) Luckily, they all manage to get safely across the street. When they get across, I see him stop everyone and pull out a hat, which I assume he's going to put on one of the kids who isn't wearing one and must be freezing. But no, he's stopping them so he can put on his hat. Then they all go on their merry way - kids not with hats, still walking against lights. Hope they made it wherever they were goin.

Refuah Shleimah

SaraK's grandmother needs your prayers - please daven for a refuah shleimah for Frayda bas Zelda. Thank you!

20 Minutes

Is apparently all it really takes for me to get ready in the morning, and that included doing my hair. From the moment I woke up this morning and realized I never heard my alarm and I was running a half an hour late until I was in my car on my way to the bus stop, it took me exactly 20 minutes. Guess I'm pretty low maintenance.

Other big development of the morning is when I realized that not only is my corner grocery store guy a big flirt, he's also a stalker. When I went in to get my coffee this morning, he informed me that it's been three days since I last visited. Didn't realize my visits were being tracked.

Insomnia Strikes Again

Yuck. Can't sleep. So I blog. Very exciting development from yesterday - I received the calendars that I ordered from Barnes and Noble. (I know the year has already started, but this is actually quite good for me, it's usually at least February before I manage to procure one.) They are both perfect for me - one is a beautiful flower calendar, done in black and white and the other is a Picasso calendar featuring his "peace and joy" paintings. Hopefully it's an indication of a good year ahead!

Need to figure out what I can do with a friend this Wednesday night that doesn't cost too much money. The museums in NY all close by 5:30 or 5:45, which I just don't understand. Any suggestions?

Lots of other stuff on my mind, much of which is, I'm sure, the reason for my sleeplessness at the moment. But none of it is formed enough to write about.

The song "Lips of an Angel" by Hinder just came on the radio. It's become one of my absolute faves, and the rest of the CD isn't bad either. Check it out if you get the chance.

Ok, off to (hopefully) sleep.

Conspiracy Theory

According to one of my co-workers, the nasty gas smell that permeated Manhattan this morning was poison. I could believe it, it had me naseous and coughing for a while. When queried as to why, if it was poison, people weren't falling over dead already, her reasoning is that it might take some time to go into effect. Tonight, we may all get headaches, go to sleep and not wake up.

Or it could be an undetermined gas leak. But the other one is much more interesting.

Countdown Begins

Just to make sure everyone is aware. A new episode of Grey's Anatomy airs this Thursday. Only three days, 5 hours and 15 minutes left. Get ready.

LOTD

This isn't one of my favorite songs, but the lyrics are just brilliant. Enjoy!

Liz Phair
Favorite

Don't look sexy but it just feels right
Not too dirty and it's not too tight
Why I never threw it out, I'll never know exactly why

Keep it in the drawer beside my bed
It's faded pink now, but it used to be red
Starting to fray at the seams, but I know that you'll still love me
Like you did, like you did
Like before, like before
Like we will, like we will
Be doin' it once more

Oh baby know what your like?
You're like my favorite underwear
It just feels right, you know it
Oh baby know how you feel?
You feel like my favorite underwear
And I'm slipping you on again tonight

Leave you lyin' on the bedroom floor
I leave you hangin' on the bathroom door
Take you for granted, but I'll always know exactly where you are

Lost you once you were hard to find
Got you back you didn't live like mine
Thought we were falling apart but you make me feel so pretty
Like you did, like you did
Like before, like before
Like we will, like we will
Be doin' it once more

Oh baby know what your like?
You're like my favorite underwear
It just feels right, you know it
Oh baby know how you feel?
You feel like my favorite underwear
And I'm slipping you on again tonight
Slipping you on again tonight
Wrap me and roll me, hold me tight
Tear me apart and make me new
Like you always do

Oh baby know what your like?
You're like my favorite underwear
It just feels right, you know it

You feel you're like this is what I want
You feel, you feel

Oh baby know what your like?
You're like my favorite underwear
It just feels right, you know it

You feel you're like this is what I want
You feel, you feel

Slipping you on again tonight

Fortunes of the Day

For some reason, fortunes are no longer fortunes, but little words of wisdom. Nevertheless, two that were received among my party tonight were good enough to share.

This one, cuz I actually liked it:

It is good to let a little sunshine out as well as in.

And this one, cuz it's just funny:

Just because you put tap shoes on an elephant does not mean it can dance.

Good night!

My Dictionary

I guess I don't look up words that start with Z that often, but this morning, I traveled to the end of my dictionary and was pleasantly surprised to find that my dictionary holds sections for biographical and geographical entries. I know I'm a nerd (the fact that I actually do often consult my dictionary and make sure to keep it easily accessible is an indication of that), but I'm really excited about this discovery!

My Mouse

I hate using a the touch pad on my lap top. I just find it annoying, and I've never really learned how to use it correctly. So, basically since getting my computer, I've had a mouse attached to it. I completely disable the touchpad so I don't inadvertently move the cursor around by swiping against it (which is one of my pet peeves about touch pads) and I basically ignore the touch pad. Well, my mouse has now decided that it's left-click button, the one you do most everything with, doesn't want to work. And this came at the end of a not-very-fun night. So, I'm trying the touch pad out until I can get to the store and buy a new mouse, but so far, I'm not enjoying it :(

Thanks Jack

For pointing out the current news from Alabama. I'm always quick to point out Alabama's strong points, such as nice people, good weather, and safe neighborhoods (I grew up in a home where our door was never locked). I also like to point out that the education I received was exceptionally strong, though admittedly, I did participate in an advanced program. And my high school played in the state championship my junior and senior years - seems you can have it all :)

Magical!

My co-worker just told me, because I helped her calm the fizz in her soda, that I'm a "magical lady." I really like that - I told her that she made my day :)

I'm Ready

It's happened. I'm ready for school to start again. I'm not bored yet, not stir crazy, but I just feel like I'm not accomplishing much, not getting the same level of intellectual nourishment that I get when I'm in the midst of a semester. I thought I would really enjoy my time off this winter, and I am. But I'm ready. And I still have two more weeks to go. I think I need a new short-term hobby - any suggestions?

LOTD

This one's an Ipod favorite -

Liz Phair
Extraordinary

You think that I go home at night
Take off my clothes, turn out the lights
But I burn letters that I write
To you, to make you love me

Yeah, I drive naked through the park
And run the stop sign in the dark
Stand in the street, yell out my heart
To make, to make you love me

I am extraordinary, if you'd ever get to know me
I am extraordinary, I am just your ordinary
Average every day sane psycho
Supergoddess
Average every day sane psycho

You may not believe in me
But I believe in you
So I still take the trash out
Does that make me too normal for you?

So dig a little deeper, cause
You still don't get it yet
See me lickin' my lips, need a primitive fix
And I'll make, I'll make you love me

I am extraordinary, if you'd ever get to know me
I am extraordinary, I am just your ordinary
Average every day sane psycho
Supergoddess
Average every day sane psycho
Supergoddess

See me jump through hoops for you
You stand there watching me performing
What exactly do you do?
Have you ever thought it's you that's boring?
Who the hell are you?

I am extraordinary, if you'd ever get to know me
I am extraordinary, I am just your ordinary
Average every day sane psycho
Supergoddess
Average every day sane psycho

Average every day sane psycho
Supergoddess
Average every day sane psycho

Average every day sane psycho
Supergoddess
Average every day sane psycho

Average every day sane psycho

More Sparkles

I used my lunch break to make use of a gift card to Sephora that one of my co-workers gave me for my birthday. Of course, they had exactly what I wanted - sparkly eye shadow! The name - Star Powder - it's SO me. Yay!

Shocked

I'm sitting here with my mouth open after reading this post and all the associated links. There will be much, much more from me on this one, but I don't have time at the moment. Just this - when the leadership of your community cuts your legs off at the knees and asks you to run a marathon, it's time to run from those leaders.

Finally

It's taken me a year and a half, but I have finally managed to memorize my student ID number. Sadly, I view that as more of an accomplishment than getting A's in some of my classes.

LOTD

I've had this song in my head all day, so I think it's apropos that it should be my LOTD.

From KT Tunstall
Suddenly I See

"Suddenly I See"

Her face is a map of the world
Is a map of the world
You can see she's a beautiful girl
She's a beautiful girl
And everything around her is a silver pool of light
The people who surround her feel the benefit of it
It makes you calm
She holds you captivated in her palm

Suddenly I see (Suddenly I see)
This is what I wanna be
Suddenly I see (Suddenly I see)
Why the hell it means so much to me

I feel like walking the world
Like walking the world
You can hear she's a beautiful girl
She's a beautiful girl
She fills up every corner like she's born in black and white
Makes you feel warmer when you're trying to remember
What you heard
She likes to leave you hanging on her word

Suddenly I see (Suddenly I see)
This is what I wanna be
Suddenly I see (Suddenly I see)
Why the hell it means so much to me

And she's taller than most
And she's looking at me
I can see her eyes looking from a page in a magazine
Oh she makes me feel like I could be a tower
A big strong tower
She got the power to be
The power to give
The power to see

Suddenly I see (Suddenly I see)
This is what I wanna be
Suddenly I see (Suddenly I see)
Why the hell it means so much to me

Never Cease Amazement

I see all kinds of things in the city, which I actually think is pretty cool. This morning though, I was actually struck by what I saw in the bus station. I was on my way out of the building and I noticed that the person on the escalator was tattooed all over, including on his head. What struck me though, was that the tattoos on his head included some Hebrew. I wasn't completely able to make out what it said but I can say that's a new one. Heads aren't where I usually see Hebrew (except maybe on a kippah). And ouch! I can't even imagine having the guts to have my head tattooed, that one must have hurt.