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wednesday, may 31
» free desktop cams!!! i smell a brand new trend and it's lovely! i'm gonna set mine up tonight. note to self: wren, your desktop is not nearly as bitch'n as everyone else's is.
tuesday, may 30
» am i the only person who nearly fainted during the opening rockclimbing scene of Mission Impossible? i'm not deathly afraid of heights and have even gone climbing a few times myself (not very successfully), but good god man! tom cruise is nuts i tell ya, nuts.
monday, may 29
» on september 3, 2000, i will be seeing the Counting Crows and Live at the Merriweather Post Pavilion. i even have decent seats, oh yes, decent seats. not front row seats, mind you, but decent seats.
i am thrilled. and, i am going back to bed now.
sunday, may 28
» so yesterday morning i had a babysitting gig at a Bat Mitzvah out in the ritzy West End of Richmond. i used to babysit occasionally in middle and high school, but it's something i really only do as a favor these days.
for anyone who hasn't picked up on this: i am an only child. my experience with children is fairly limited, and i have an ingrained fear of babies ever since my infant cousin fell out of my lap when i was 3 or 4 years old. now that he's 17, he's a pretty whacked out guy; to this day i wonder if i'm somehow responsible, seeing as how he bumped his head on the coffee table on the way down...
so i get to the synagogue early, and i gather up the 4 little boys (2 sets of brothers) that i'll be watching. did i mention boys are so much harder to babysit than girls? and so we go down into this little library room, and everything goes great for the first hour of the service. one of the little boys is very tired and obviously not feeling well, but his parents didn't mention anything about it to me. i take him to the bathroom once, and afterwards i'm thinking, "this is gonna be ok" when the little cherub starts puking everywhere.
i hustle him across the fellowship hall and back to the bathroom, send for his parents and curse my luck. a puker! nobody told me there would be puking involved! i was not warned! i was not prepared for this!
his parents come downstairs, clean up the floor and clean up the kid. "Oh, he threw up at 6 am at the hotel," his mother tells me. "We thought he would be ok. It's just this 12 hour thing." and then, then -- this is the best part -- after their little son has puked all over the place, they go back upstairs and leave him with me! the poor little guy...
it will be a long, long, long time before i ever babysit again.
friday, may 26
» my co-workers are mocking me for still staring at this screen...it's time to go home. holiday weekend!!!
» font changes around here...my tolerance for times new roman dropped again.
» Geek Astrology : Aquarius (Jan 20-Feb 18)
Unexpected confluence of planetary anomalies causes an astrological core-dump. You cold-boot your already dodgy karma when you realize your cosmic peripherals have all become completely unresponsive. Contact astral systems administrators for up-to-the-nanosecond revision of your metaphysical source code.
so...i should pray?
» i'm in one of my weird creative rejuvination periods this week. i get these urges to do something, to create, and the need is totally overwhelming because i must first find an outlet to channel it all into. and of course i've had class this week, and other little chores and errands, so the tide of creative frustration has been dammed until a more convenient moment.
of course, blocked creativity hurts, and does not make one inclined to posting in such a silly thing as a weblog.
ideas are beginning to seep out though. i spent most of class this morning making sketches for an idea i know i will never execute, but which was fun all the same. i hate being such a dilletante though. i wish i could totally devote myself to just one thing, all the time, and do it in a grand fashion...but i can't. i just like to limp along with my bits and pieces.
» the cluetrain is whizzing past, but only their hair is ruffled. i for one hate the new design, hate the columns, and hate that frigg'n orange nav bar they added. i was particularly fond of the old old design (1997?) that featured lots of white space.
thursday, may 25
» the martin agency, richmond's uber-cool ad house. this coming soon page is better than half the web sites online today.
tuesday, may 23
monday, may 22
» about two days ago i was in a public restroom, going from stall to stall looking for a toilet seat that had not been piddled upon. i was having very little luck.
and i thought to myself, "if we (women) would all just SIT THE FUCK DOWN ON THE SEAT, then there wouldn't BE any piddle, wouldn't BE any germs, wouldn't BE any problem." what a beautiful perfect world that would be. my legs are clean, i'm willing to trust that other women's are too. cleaner than puddles of piddle, that's for sure.
and now
this article has gone and said all of that and more, with a whole bunch of research to back it up. so ladies, for God's sake LET'S ALL SIT DOWN TO PISS!
this has been a public service announcement from the junkbox.
» it's only 2 o' clock and i've already got a headache. not an awful headache, not just yet, but the tightness and the dull ache is right there behind my temples.
today is one of those days when no one (or almost no one) that i rely on can do anything right. my scans will not work. 300 names have mysteriously disappeared from the mailing list of a newsletter that should have gone out a week ago. my scans will still not work.
incompetance runs rampent today.
sunday, may 21
» statistics class begins tomorrow morning. oh, those days of freedom slipped by so fast.
» fuck you, you sad little bastards.
» while i've got your attention: my newest little playground is now open for your perusal. kill the stupid : your daily genepool monitor. it's a joke people, laugh.
saturday, may 20
» i thought this article was very clever. me, i am not this clever.
friday, may 19
» good customer service just makes my day. kudos to all the kind, helpful people out there who make life easier.
thursday, may 18
» i found this much more interesting than anything i've read so far at the FMW, though i do think the entire feminist debate has been a great representation of the diversity of opinion among women. the best thing i learned in the women's studies class i took is that there is more diversity among the two genders than between them.
there's really no point for me to dive into this debate. it's nice that the girls at FMW can spout all that social-science babble so nicely; they have been well trained. i'd actually be very interested to hear their opinion on christina hoff sommers' cover story in this month's atlantic monthly, part of her upcoming book that will likely blow a rather large hole in the assumptions of mainstream feminists. i thought it was really very good.
» i wrote this for some friends, i thought it was worth sharing.
the five stages of blogging.
stage 1: denial. you set up your blog. you are excited. you start blogging all your favorite bands and sites and friends. you think your design is nifty, that you are someone special now. you want people to visit you.
stage 2: anger. you begin visiting other blogs. you find a few you really like. these people, they are so cool! you follow the links from their sites, hoping to find more of these wonderous blogs. alas, you only find links to the same five blogs. no one is linking your blog! no one cares! the circle seems very, very small, impossible to break into. you lash out at other bloggers.
stage 3: bargaining. you begin linking other blogs with kind words in the hope of return links. you beg for email, beg for voicemail messages, beg for any recognition that you are a human being and your voice needs to be heard. hits continue to drop, because you are whining a lot and no longer linking fun toys and sites.
stage 4: depression. the blog becomes a diary. you talk about giving it up, about how much time it is taking away from your "life" and your "personal site." secretly, you hope to receive emails begging you to continue blogging. when you don't, you either close down your blog or enter...
stage 5: acceptance. you accept your small place in the burgeoning bloger ranks. you learn to blog for yourself, and don't fret if you skip a day or two or if your hits begin to roller-coaster. you leave out the meta-blog junk, even if it means you now only post 2 or three times a day. you cultivate friendships with a few other bloggers via email and icq, and find a small circle of community within the big, ugly blogger world.
not everyone will go thru all stages. some bloggers will skip stages, reverse the order, or remain fixed in a stage for a lengthy period of time. with counseling, each and every person should be able to come through the blogging experience a stronger, healthier human being.
tuesday, may 16
» i'm at my parents' house, where it's blissfully cool and my days are quiet. spent most of this afternoon browsing bookstores in blacksburg, where i managed to bump into my best friend. serendipity, as it were; we are drawn together like that sometimes.
i watched 3 hours of old x-files episodes tonight. i am reading magazines ravenously, though i haven't cracked open any of my novels yet. my dad bought me an (almost) complete set of the 1933 Oxford English Dictionary today; it's missing one volume. a complete set goes for over $1000, he got mine for $75. i love my dad. this thing is an english major's wet dream.
the march was absolutely incredible. i really feel like i was a part of something special and noteworthy. my crew and i were photographed randomly about two dozen times at least; everyone really liked my signs! i'll post my pics when they're developed. i never turned up in any news footage that i know of though.
i've spent a lot of time reading up on the concerns of the Second Amendment Sisters, the opposition march, and at some point soon i'll offer my small rebuttal. i would just like to note that it's a shame to see good people being used and manipulated by the gun industry.
i've missed the weblog community. elise said great things about me the other day that i shall never be able to live up to. melanie has ended up with her foot in her mouth, though i don't think she said anything particularly bad and derek didn't seem peeved at all. one mustn't take prol's snark too hard, really. i for one am horrible at answering email most of the time, and will hang my head in shame accordingly.
BUT, for another day or two at least, my email will remain unanswered. i am on vacation, after all, and it is my time to enjoy myself. which isn't to imply that personal correspondence is a dreary chore (because it's not), just that i am taking a few days to bask in egotistical self-indulgence. it's all about me baby, me me me..... gawd, i'm starting to sound like mark. *wink*
saturday, may 13
» so this is it folks...i've got a zillion errands left to run, an eye doctor's appointment to get to, and a few signs to finish up. we'll be rolling outta richmond tonight around 7, headed for andy's home.
tomorrow i'll be on the mall with a few hundred thousand other kids and moms and future parents, trying to send an important message to our lawmakers. send some good vibes our way if you can, and if there's a satellite march near you, give some thought to going out there and adding your voice.
our signs:
safe guns = safe kids / protect our children, protect our future
if you're not outraged, you're not paying attention / i'm outraged and i vote!
hey george! it's the guns, stupid! / how many more will die? (mine)
we'll be meeting my mom on the mall and heading back to radford on monday for a few days of nice home rest. i have no idea how often i'll be updating the next few days; don't sweat it if i drop off the radar for awhile. i need some time to read and play catch and go to movies; new projects and designs can wait awhile.
there's a new entry in spill to keep you amused. have a good weekend folks.
friday, may 12
» i fixed my individual linky things. not that anyone ever used them (hmm....maybe because they were broken), but there you have it.
» i have a lot of respect for Ford Motor Co. now that they've admitted their SUV's fuck Mother Earth. it's so rare for big corporations to acknowledge blatently obvious facts; way to go guys! too bad you aren't gonna do anything about it....
ted rall gets right to the heart of the matter. careful; you might pop a seam.
» i built this webpage at work today, as proof that i am gainfully employed. i think it's a fine example of utilitarian design, since it is almost wholly lacking any type of creativity or originality. still, i'm really happy with the work i get to do, even if it is for an institution of higher education.
» note to self: create spiffy icon to place at the beginning of each post. this blog is getting confusing to read.
thursday, may 11
» i'm obsessed with old photos and postcards, especially from the early 20th Century. our library offers this collection of old Richmond posties online. if you're anything like me, this will be a total time-suck.
» For those of you who wondered: "Your color is RED, the color of racy sportscars, blushing cheeks and luscious roses. Red symbolizes passion, romance, and love. People ruled by red trust their feelings more than their rational judgment, and are known to act spontaneously. If you see something you want, you go for it without thinking twice. Reds don't wait around for people to make decisions. They dive right in. Quite the romantic, you listen closely to your emotions. In fact, if your heart isn't in all that you do, you won't be satisfied. You may pour all of your energy into the projects you tackle, but your impulsive nature means your passions might shift as frequently as the wind. This is why some Reds have trouble with commitment. Overall, it's great to be Red. No one lives life more completely than you."
it's all because of the Twister, i know it is.
wednesday, may 10
» ok, i would just like everyone to know that i owe a lot of people e-mail, including friends, family, kind visitors to this site and one guy looking for a copy of the vorticist manifest. i have not forgotten you, but i am in the midst of painting my signs for this weekend's march; please understand if it takes me a few days to respond. e-mail writing is on my to-do list, i promise.
» i'm surfing around looking for inspiration for my signs, and i found this beautiful story. be sure to check out the entire site; i saw some of this guy's stuff for sale over the weekend and i love it all.
» am i the only person who's red? come'n, you must be out there somewhere.
tuesday, may 9
» so everytime i walk outside today, i look like a crazy person. the pollen count is making my eyes all irritable, and i lost my sunglasses. so i go outside, i squint, i tear up, and all the muscles around my eyes clench up (yours are clenching too just reading about it aren't they?), and then i can't relax and open my eyes unless it's dark. so, i cup my hands around my eyes like blinders, stare down at my feet, and scurry along in the general direction of my destination with the hopes that a) i will not be hit by a car b) i will not run headlong into another person and c) that the paddywagon will not come and carry me away.
» ok, this is some scary shit. don't they have a new barbie to pimp or something better to do?
i swear to god, i'm just waiting to hear from these guys telling me my parents violated their trademark on my birth certificate.
» so my preparations for this sunday's march are going into overdrive. i'm downloading public policy and statistics, getting my goals clear and taking a few good laughs at the opposition.
but, i need your help.
tonight i'm going to start making signs, and despite the pro-gun lobby's contention that gun control advocates rely on slogans instead of substance, i can't seem to find any good slogans to carry to washington! help me out if you've got any good ideas.
our favorites so far:
"It's the guns, stupid!"
"If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention!"
my signs are going to be bright. they are going to have tassles and streamers and, if i can find some, pinwheels. this march isn't just about the big bad guns, it's a celebration of life.
» i've just posted a little rant over at stop thief!. go check out what my hot head has been spewing this afternoon, especially if you're not familiar with this important project.
» today i discovered girlhero. i know i am the last person on the planet to figure out how cool this chick is, but let me tell you all that yes, i have finally joined the ranks of the Enlightened Ones. she is cool! this blog rocks!
i am going off to add her to my bloggerific list and to search out a few more new weblogs for added time-suck pleasure.
monday, may 8
» i added an about me page. that should make derek happy.
i need to fix my little linky things. the little buggers haven't been functioning properly for awhile now. damn it, i hate debugging.
» so the blog has moved to the homepage, as i knew it inevitably would. i'm still cleaning up the mess around here, so give me a few days to tidy up and add the niceties. if you run into any unbearbale problems, just email me.
spring cleaning feels good.
sunday, may 7
» heather, elise, did you know there's a book??? and it's purple....god i love coffee table books.
speaking of ms. tacks, on the same boutique shopping expedition whence i saw the lovely tiara book, i also saw this lamp. elise, it has your name on it! it'll look so great with that new bar set from ebay...
friday, may 5
» i've already called my parents 3 times this week, i am chomping at the bit to get back to radford, but he already knew. i won't make it home till the 15th though. *sigh*
» i turned in my last term paper this morning! the sixth semester of my college career is finally over, though stupid little me put off taking statistics until this summer. still, i've got a break, and i need it.
also, i managed to pull off a B in Ye Olde Sociology Class from Hell. for those of you not reading spill, i refused to work or study for that class until the day before the exam. me, slack? never.
tuesday, may 2
» hey! the digital diva (aka microsoft's pawn) is on tour. she's in san fransico tomorrow thru friday. maybe this would be a good opportunity to ask her about trademark infringement, you know, for those of us who are intimidated by big words like "bits" and "bytes."
» speaking of riding bicycles, have i mentioned that i really want a bike? really? i want a silver one, in some style that is not too expensive and decently comfortable to ride a mile into campus and back.
» ya know, i look at site meters, i admit it. i pop onto a personal page and there's a big box from sitemeter or nedstat sitting in the corner, and i click that bitch. i even go prying into the backlogs sometimes, to watch the ups and downs of a site's popularity.
so i was snooping thru one particularly popular site's stats earlier today, and found several very nice graphical representations of hits. huge charts, like the freak'n stock market, cross-referenced for my convenience. and i noticed a few small losses now and again, the line dipping, dipping dipping, then rising, and my heart just sank. and it wasn't even my tracker! i felt horrible for this person that on what must have been a particularly beautiful saturday only 200 people came to her site. poor baby.
thank god i have an extreme tracker (you didn't know? it's cleverly hidden, but you can search my code and figure it out if you want to) which doesn't offer me anything but pure numbers, and often shuts down compeltely several times a day. if i'd had to watch my recent slide in the hit parade graphically, i might have killed myself.
» "Anne Sussman would like to announce that, on 8:02 a.m., May 1, she ate a bowl of Golden Grahams cereal. It was an easy breakfast. She is resting comfortably, and is looking forward to visitors."
yes, i know that i only have 2 regular readers now and that she is the pride and joy of the blogging/journal world, but if you have not visited ms.mop yet your life is much poorer.
» look at me mommy! i'm blogging, i'm blogging!!! no, it's not like riding a bicycle, you can forget how if you have enough exams to study for and enough papers to write.
» wait, on this list i'm number one! this blog has never before topped the search list for anything, not even my own name. a moment of silence, please.
» oh yeah. search David Duchovney on AOL, and I'm the 16th site on the list. boo-yah! i love you david duchovney!!!
» i'm feeling writerly tonight. time to give some attention to spill. and i just found this great resource for writer's and wanna-be's like myself, to give me a little extra motivation
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