Friday, December 28, 2007
Most Literate Cities
I saw a couple of places on the net today discussion of the "most literate" cities in the US. Minneapolis wins. What's interesting is to look at the actual report and see how cities placed in the different categories. For instance, Cleveland ranks #1 in library services, ranks #8 in periodical publishing, #10 in newspaper circulation, #9 in bookstores (so four top ten finishes) but only #67 in education for an overall ranking of #13. That's still a high ranking but it makes me wonder about which of the categories takes precedence. Also, it points out that the people of Cleveland clearly enjoy reading and learning but in order to be "literate," they must advance that into formal education. I'm not so sure I agree.
Christmas movie wrap-up 2007
Here are my final grades for the 2007 made-for-TV holiday movie season... I watched 16 movies between Thanksgiving and Dec. 26th! But that's apparently one less than last year.
Pulling up all of my reviews is a lot easier now that I've started labeling my posts. Also, this article from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review tells exactly why people (read: me!) love Christmas movies. Says Robert Thompson, "Christmas is one of those times where innovation is not what you're looking for... A Christmas story has got to tell some kind of tale of redemption, a return to a more spiritual, loving place. Or it's got to talk about a sacrifice made for other people."
The article even offers a fairly accurate "HOLIDAY TV-MOVIE PLOTLINE GENERATOR". Check it out!
A
The Note
Holiday in Handcuffs
The Christmas Shoes
A-
All I Want for Christmas
Lost Holiday: The Jim and Suzanne Shemwell Story
Christmas in Paradise
Snowglobe
B+
All She Wants for Christmas
The Family Holiday
B
Holiday Switch
A Grandpa for Christmas
Silver Bells
Like Father, Like Santa
B-
An Accidental Christmas
C
Christmas Caper
Christmas Child
The Note
Holiday in Handcuffs
The Christmas Shoes
A-
All I Want for Christmas
Lost Holiday: The Jim and Suzanne Shemwell Story
Christmas in Paradise
Snowglobe
B+
All She Wants for Christmas
The Family Holiday
B
Holiday Switch
A Grandpa for Christmas
Silver Bells
Like Father, Like Santa
B-
An Accidental Christmas
C
Christmas Caper
Christmas Child
Pulling up all of my reviews is a lot easier now that I've started labeling my posts. Also, this article from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review tells exactly why people (read: me!) love Christmas movies. Says Robert Thompson, "Christmas is one of those times where innovation is not what you're looking for... A Christmas story has got to tell some kind of tale of redemption, a return to a more spiritual, loving place. Or it's got to talk about a sacrifice made for other people."
The article even offers a fairly accurate "HOLIDAY TV-MOVIE PLOTLINE GENERATOR". Check it out!
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Christmas movie review: The Family Holiday
Rating: B+
A cute premise for a movie but ruined by poor casting, A Family Holiday tells the story of the family that Doc Holiday, our main character, must quickly assemble around Christmastime in order to receive his uncle's inheritance. A lifelong con artist, Doc conveniently finds a couple of sweet orphaned kids, a dog and then quickly hires a nanny to serve as their mother and moves them into a rented house just in time for the 'judge' to come approve of his changed lifestyle and reward him the money. Is he in it for the money or for love? Of course, we all know that he's going to fall for the woman and end up wanting the kids but it was just a little too contrived for me. You don't pick up some orphans and adopt them as your own in 3 days. Nor do you hire a nanny, have her work 2 days, lie to her during those two days, and then marry her! My suspension of disbelief is not that great; particularly not when Dave Coulier is in the lead role. Who decided he needed to work again?
A cute premise for a movie but ruined by poor casting, A Family Holiday tells the story of the family that Doc Holiday, our main character, must quickly assemble around Christmastime in order to receive his uncle's inheritance. A lifelong con artist, Doc conveniently finds a couple of sweet orphaned kids, a dog and then quickly hires a nanny to serve as their mother and moves them into a rented house just in time for the 'judge' to come approve of his changed lifestyle and reward him the money. Is he in it for the money or for love? Of course, we all know that he's going to fall for the woman and end up wanting the kids but it was just a little too contrived for me. You don't pick up some orphans and adopt them as your own in 3 days. Nor do you hire a nanny, have her work 2 days, lie to her during those two days, and then marry her! My suspension of disbelief is not that great; particularly not when Dave Coulier is in the lead role. Who decided he needed to work again?
Christmas movie review: Snowglobe
Rating: A-
Snowglobe was really cute and had a lot going for it. It tells the story of a young woman, frustrated with her overbearing family who enjoy having lasagna for Christmas dinner and are always trying to set her up on dates, who receives a snowglobe as a present and soon finds herself transported to the idyllic snowglobe world whenever she takes a nap. At first she thinks it's merely a dream. Then she wakes up one morning wearing a glove she got in snowglobe world. THEN, her snowglobe world boyfriend comes finds her in New York City. It's cute and has the basic premise of sometimes what you think you want isn't exactly what you really want. Plus, I'm a big fan of movies that turn inanimate objects into real things. My one very small complaint was that Christina Millian, the actress/pop star playing the lead, broke into a very noticeable (and not that good in my opinion) Brooklyn accent at some very random times.
Snowglobe was really cute and had a lot going for it. It tells the story of a young woman, frustrated with her overbearing family who enjoy having lasagna for Christmas dinner and are always trying to set her up on dates, who receives a snowglobe as a present and soon finds herself transported to the idyllic snowglobe world whenever she takes a nap. At first she thinks it's merely a dream. Then she wakes up one morning wearing a glove she got in snowglobe world. THEN, her snowglobe world boyfriend comes finds her in New York City. It's cute and has the basic premise of sometimes what you think you want isn't exactly what you really want. Plus, I'm a big fan of movies that turn inanimate objects into real things. My one very small complaint was that Christina Millian, the actress/pop star playing the lead, broke into a very noticeable (and not that good in my opinion) Brooklyn accent at some very random times.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Home for Christmas
I went back home for about six days for Christmas, but was able to use only two vacation days, which is good since I don't have a lot. Now I'm back in DC. Here is a picture of our family tree on Christmas Day, before the gifts were unwrapped.
While I was home, I slept in, did some laundry, watched some movies, did all of my Christmas shopping and also tagged along while my parents did some of theirs, helped babysit my nephew one day, hung out with my family, wrapped dozens of presents for my mom, and relaxed. It was nice and just long enough to make it tough to come back to DC. Now it's back to work for a few days and then a family vacation in South Carolina! Oh, also, on my flight back in to Baltimore, my pilot's name was Captain Morgan! That's calming. But actually I loved him because he got us there nearly twenty minutes early, allowing me to catch the earlier bus!
While I was home, I slept in, did some laundry, watched some movies, did all of my Christmas shopping and also tagged along while my parents did some of theirs, helped babysit my nephew one day, hung out with my family, wrapped dozens of presents for my mom, and relaxed. It was nice and just long enough to make it tough to come back to DC. Now it's back to work for a few days and then a family vacation in South Carolina! Oh, also, on my flight back in to Baltimore, my pilot's name was Captain Morgan! That's calming. But actually I loved him because he got us there nearly twenty minutes early, allowing me to catch the earlier bus!
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Christmas movie review: The Christmas Shoes
Rating: A
A tear-jerker, that's what The Christmas Shoes is. Kimberly Williams plays a volunteer music teacher organizing the Christmas program who becomes ill with a terminal heart problem. Her son desperately wants to buy her a pair of Christmas shoes to wear into heaven and starts saving cans to turn in for a nickel apiece, hoping he can earn enough before she dies. And, she's deteriorating rapidly. Also in the same town, Rob Lowe plays a working-too-hard husband and father who is setting up interviews for his wife so she'll start working again and missing his daughter's chorale concerts (yes, she sings for Kimberly's character). Needless to say, his family is not pleased with him. Did I mention his mother dies too? Yep, this one is not chock full of happy, sweet, wonderful moments. The two stories take place simultaneously with the characters intersecting in magical ways. It's a really sweet story and has a little bit of everything. It first aired on CBS in 2002 and I'm not sure how I've missed it all these years!
A tear-jerker, that's what The Christmas Shoes is. Kimberly Williams plays a volunteer music teacher organizing the Christmas program who becomes ill with a terminal heart problem. Her son desperately wants to buy her a pair of Christmas shoes to wear into heaven and starts saving cans to turn in for a nickel apiece, hoping he can earn enough before she dies. And, she's deteriorating rapidly. Also in the same town, Rob Lowe plays a working-too-hard husband and father who is setting up interviews for his wife so she'll start working again and missing his daughter's chorale concerts (yes, she sings for Kimberly's character). Needless to say, his family is not pleased with him. Did I mention his mother dies too? Yep, this one is not chock full of happy, sweet, wonderful moments. The two stories take place simultaneously with the characters intersecting in magical ways. It's a really sweet story and has a little bit of everything. It first aired on CBS in 2002 and I'm not sure how I've missed it all these years!
Christmas movie review: All She Wants for Christmas
Rating: B+
All She Wants for Christmas, from 2006, tells the story of a business-minded local gal who is trying to save the town's ornament-making company. She needs to cut costs enough to make them sustainable. It's also part love story as she meets someone who is new to town and they start to date. And even though the viewer can see from a mile away who this new guy is, our main character cannot. Overall, it's an okay story with okay acting. No magic, just cute and agreeable.
All She Wants for Christmas, from 2006, tells the story of a business-minded local gal who is trying to save the town's ornament-making company. She needs to cut costs enough to make them sustainable. It's also part love story as she meets someone who is new to town and they start to date. And even though the viewer can see from a mile away who this new guy is, our main character cannot. Overall, it's an okay story with okay acting. No magic, just cute and agreeable.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Christmas movie review: Like Father, Like Santa
Rating: B
Like Father, Like Santa is nearly ten years old yet I'm pretty sure I had never seen it before. It stars Harry Hamlin as Santa's son who has forsaken the North Pole but still does use the naughty and nice list to get ammo on clients he wants to do business with. A nice touch. When his dad (Santa) gets kidnapped by disgruntled employees and Harry's character coincidentally is in the North Pole to get incriminating evidence for his latest business venture, the two men find themselves locked up together and sort of come to terms with their problems. It turns out that Harry resents his dad for putting his job before his family life, something that Harry soon realizes he does also. And of course, everything turns out rosy in the end. While I enjoyed this movie, I might have rated it higher if they hadn't included a half-hour or so of Santa and Harry trying to escape from their captors. Yawn. It went downhill at the end.
Like Father, Like Santa is nearly ten years old yet I'm pretty sure I had never seen it before. It stars Harry Hamlin as Santa's son who has forsaken the North Pole but still does use the naughty and nice list to get ammo on clients he wants to do business with. A nice touch. When his dad (Santa) gets kidnapped by disgruntled employees and Harry's character coincidentally is in the North Pole to get incriminating evidence for his latest business venture, the two men find themselves locked up together and sort of come to terms with their problems. It turns out that Harry resents his dad for putting his job before his family life, something that Harry soon realizes he does also. And of course, everything turns out rosy in the end. While I enjoyed this movie, I might have rated it higher if they hadn't included a half-hour or so of Santa and Harry trying to escape from their captors. Yawn. It went downhill at the end.
Christmas movie review: Christmas Child
Rating: C
Christmas Child bored me to tears. I usually am doing something else while I watch these Christmas movies but if I can't follow along while I do those other things, then it says something about the movie... because their plots are certainly not supposed to be complicated or intricate. I must have stopped this one and rewound it about ten times during the movie to try to figure out what was going on. Yawn! Loosely, it's about a journalist who is kind of estranged from his family and goes back to his hometown to investigate a story and ends up finding out stuff about himself. Like who his real father is. I'm not even sure if I have that right. And of course there is a happy ending. Boring, dull and unimpressive.
Christmas Child bored me to tears. I usually am doing something else while I watch these Christmas movies but if I can't follow along while I do those other things, then it says something about the movie... because their plots are certainly not supposed to be complicated or intricate. I must have stopped this one and rewound it about ten times during the movie to try to figure out what was going on. Yawn! Loosely, it's about a journalist who is kind of estranged from his family and goes back to his hometown to investigate a story and ends up finding out stuff about himself. Like who his real father is. I'm not even sure if I have that right. And of course there is a happy ending. Boring, dull and unimpressive.
Christmas movie review: Christmas in Paradise
Rating: A-
I enjoyed Lifetime's Christmas in Paradise, which is new for 2007. It tells the story of two families missing one parent who hook up on Christmas Eve at a resort in Puerto Rico. There is a family of two boys and a mom whose father passed away in the last year. And, there is a family of two daughters and a dad whose mother just skipped out on them without any contact in the last year. Conveniently, there is a boy and a girl around the same age so they can all hang out in pairs, including the parents. Also, the youngest boy and the oldest girl are both very bitter and upset over their respective losses. Of course, during this Christmas, everyone starts to heal and love starts to bloom. It's a sweet story. The reasons why it got an A- rather than an A is because they tried to be all fancy with their camera work by doing a lot of split screens and it was very annoying. And also because everything basically took place in one day and that was a little hard for me to believe. But overall, it was good.
I enjoyed Lifetime's Christmas in Paradise, which is new for 2007. It tells the story of two families missing one parent who hook up on Christmas Eve at a resort in Puerto Rico. There is a family of two boys and a mom whose father passed away in the last year. And, there is a family of two daughters and a dad whose mother just skipped out on them without any contact in the last year. Conveniently, there is a boy and a girl around the same age so they can all hang out in pairs, including the parents. Also, the youngest boy and the oldest girl are both very bitter and upset over their respective losses. Of course, during this Christmas, everyone starts to heal and love starts to bloom. It's a sweet story. The reasons why it got an A- rather than an A is because they tried to be all fancy with their camera work by doing a lot of split screens and it was very annoying. And also because everything basically took place in one day and that was a little hard for me to believe. But overall, it was good.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Christmas movie review: Silver Bells
Rating: B
Silver Bells, which originally aired in 2005, stars Anne Heche and Tate Donovan, which forces me to give it some props. Anytime a Christmas movie can cast actors that you actually know, it means that there is a little more credibility there. Unfortunately, I found this one really boring. At the center of the story is Tate's teenaged son who is forced every Christmas to sell Christmas trees with his family on the streets of Manhattan. He really wants to be a photographer, though, and gets to know Anne Heche, the manager of a local art gallery. One Christmas he runs away from his dad, who searches frantically for him for the next year. Meanwhile, Anne Heche keeps in touch with the son and even shows some of his photographs at the gallery. But she doesn't tell the father until about the time they share a kiss. Then she starts to feel guilty. The son tries to stay away from the father but eventually, everything works out and everyone lives happily ever after. The overall story was okay and admittingly a little different than many of the other holiday stories but I was bored and didn't really feel a connection to any of the characters. I didn't understand why the son had to run away; I didn't understand why the father was kind of a jerk; I didn't understand why Anne's character wouldn't tell that she'd heard from the son.... so many things I couldn't relate to.
Silver Bells, which originally aired in 2005, stars Anne Heche and Tate Donovan, which forces me to give it some props. Anytime a Christmas movie can cast actors that you actually know, it means that there is a little more credibility there. Unfortunately, I found this one really boring. At the center of the story is Tate's teenaged son who is forced every Christmas to sell Christmas trees with his family on the streets of Manhattan. He really wants to be a photographer, though, and gets to know Anne Heche, the manager of a local art gallery. One Christmas he runs away from his dad, who searches frantically for him for the next year. Meanwhile, Anne Heche keeps in touch with the son and even shows some of his photographs at the gallery. But she doesn't tell the father until about the time they share a kiss. Then she starts to feel guilty. The son tries to stay away from the father but eventually, everything works out and everyone lives happily ever after. The overall story was okay and admittingly a little different than many of the other holiday stories but I was bored and didn't really feel a connection to any of the characters. I didn't understand why the son had to run away; I didn't understand why the father was kind of a jerk; I didn't understand why Anne's character wouldn't tell that she'd heard from the son.... so many things I couldn't relate to.
Christmas movie review: A Grandpa for Christmas
Rating: B
There wasn't anything wrong or dislikeable about A Grandpa for Christmas, which tells the story of an estranged grandfather and granddaughter forced to live together when the mom gets into a car accident and is stuck in the hospital. There is fighting and malcontent at first and of course, by the end, the family loves each other and everyone lives happily ever after. It's a cute enough story as you see the relationship between the grandfather and granddaughter grow, despite all the horrible things she's heard about him all her life. I just rated it a little lower since the main characters are a child and a senior citizen. I prefer characters I can relate to more.
There wasn't anything wrong or dislikeable about A Grandpa for Christmas, which tells the story of an estranged grandfather and granddaughter forced to live together when the mom gets into a car accident and is stuck in the hospital. There is fighting and malcontent at first and of course, by the end, the family loves each other and everyone lives happily ever after. It's a cute enough story as you see the relationship between the grandfather and granddaughter grow, despite all the horrible things she's heard about him all her life. I just rated it a little lower since the main characters are a child and a senior citizen. I prefer characters I can relate to more.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Christmas movie review: Holiday in Handcuffs
Rating: A
Holiday in Handcuffs is a romantic comedy Christmas movie. Poor Trudie (played by Melissa Joan Hart) gets dumped right before Christmas so she can't take her boyfriend up to meet her constantly disapproving parents. Temporarily insane thanks to her mother, she ends up taking someone hostage and forces him (played by Mario Lopez) to be her date. Of course, he tries to get out of it and resist but conveniently her parents live in a very secluded mountain area making escape difficult. Add to that the fact that her family is just crazy enough and desperate enough for their daughter to have a boyfriend that they refuse to believe it when he tells them he's been kidnapped. It's not going to come as a surprise to anyone to find out that Trudie and her hostage start to fall for each other. But it's a very cute story. There's no magic element (one of my favorite parts of Christmas movies) but combining a romantic comedy with a Christmas movie is always a good idea. Plus, Melissa & Mario do well with it.
Holiday in Handcuffs is a romantic comedy Christmas movie. Poor Trudie (played by Melissa Joan Hart) gets dumped right before Christmas so she can't take her boyfriend up to meet her constantly disapproving parents. Temporarily insane thanks to her mother, she ends up taking someone hostage and forces him (played by Mario Lopez) to be her date. Of course, he tries to get out of it and resist but conveniently her parents live in a very secluded mountain area making escape difficult. Add to that the fact that her family is just crazy enough and desperate enough for their daughter to have a boyfriend that they refuse to believe it when he tells them he's been kidnapped. It's not going to come as a surprise to anyone to find out that Trudie and her hostage start to fall for each other. But it's a very cute story. There's no magic element (one of my favorite parts of Christmas movies) but combining a romantic comedy with a Christmas movie is always a good idea. Plus, Melissa & Mario do well with it.
Christmas movie review: The Note
Rating: A
I really enjoyed The Note. Maybe I'm biased because I've been a General Hospital addict for as long as I can remember and Genie Francis starred in this movie. Nonetheless, it tells the story of a struggling writer (Genie) who has been told she needs to improve her newspaper column by Christmas or she's out. Having a difficult time coming up with stories as she has sort of detached herself from feeling anything since her husband passed away, she tried to kill herself, and she gave their child up for adoption, she is drawn to the scene of a nearby plane crash and happens to find a note presumably written by one of the plane's passengers in his last moments. She decides to seek out the person who the note was written to and plays detecting, taking her readers along for the ride. Of course, her column improves and her self-detachment abides and things turn out happily ever after. She even begins a relationship with Ted McGinley, a fellow writer. Ted and Genie are really cute together. Anyway, this movie has a great mix of mystery and the required Christmas magic and was definitely one of the best I've seen this year.
I really enjoyed The Note. Maybe I'm biased because I've been a General Hospital addict for as long as I can remember and Genie Francis starred in this movie. Nonetheless, it tells the story of a struggling writer (Genie) who has been told she needs to improve her newspaper column by Christmas or she's out. Having a difficult time coming up with stories as she has sort of detached herself from feeling anything since her husband passed away, she tried to kill herself, and she gave their child up for adoption, she is drawn to the scene of a nearby plane crash and happens to find a note presumably written by one of the plane's passengers in his last moments. She decides to seek out the person who the note was written to and plays detecting, taking her readers along for the ride. Of course, her column improves and her self-detachment abides and things turn out happily ever after. She even begins a relationship with Ted McGinley, a fellow writer. Ted and Genie are really cute together. Anyway, this movie has a great mix of mystery and the required Christmas magic and was definitely one of the best I've seen this year.
"Digital divide still an issue in Minnesota"
This article talks about the Digital Divide, a big topic while we were in library school. While I do think many people in general might forget that there are indeed people in the US not online, the one statement from the article that baffles me is this: "More than 90 percent of people with incomes over $75,000 a year are online." It just surprises me that anyone making over $75,000 a year would not be online, even if it's just at work. What kind of jobs are out there that provide that kind of a salary but do not require any computer access or Internet capability? Construction workers, perhaps? Movie stars? Professional athletes? (via)
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Merry Christmas from United
I'm sharing the Christmas e-card I got from United Airlines. It's the virtual version of displaying my Christmas cards on my fireplace mantel.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Christmas movie review: Lost Holiday - The Jim and Suzanne Shemwell Story
Rating: A-
Ironically, this is another 2007 made-for-Lifetime holiday movie about a couple who is separated finding their way back to each other. Compared to An Accidental Christmas, though, Lost Holiday is much much better. This couple goes off snowmobiling and then get lost in the woods so they actually face life-and-death situations before they decide to get back together. Also, although you know that they obviously survive or the movie wouldn't be much of a holiday miracle movie, it keeps you in suspense and makes you wonder how they really were able to survive. It's also heartwarming to watch their family members react to the tragedy. Did I mention it's based on a true story?
Ironically, this is another 2007 made-for-Lifetime holiday movie about a couple who is separated finding their way back to each other. Compared to An Accidental Christmas, though, Lost Holiday is much much better. This couple goes off snowmobiling and then get lost in the woods so they actually face life-and-death situations before they decide to get back together. Also, although you know that they obviously survive or the movie wouldn't be much of a holiday miracle movie, it keeps you in suspense and makes you wonder how they really were able to survive. It's also heartwarming to watch their family members react to the tragedy. Did I mention it's based on a true story?
Christmas movie review: An Accidental Christmas
Rating: B-
An Accidental Christmas is a story about a long-married couple with kids who have separated and are trying to move on with their life. At least, the mother is. She is pursuing a career for the first time in her life. The father seems to want to get back with the mother. The kids intervene and set it up so that both parents unknowingly end up at their family beach house for the holidays. Where.... surprise, surprise, they resist at first but soon realize that they haven't grown as far apart as they thought and will work things out and live happily ever after. At least until the holidays end and reality sets in again. I didn't enjoy it that much. The acting was just so-so. The plotlines were kind of silly and the mom seemed kind of annoying, like why would you want to get back with her? Also, millions of people figure out how they can be a mom/wife and also pursue their career so I didn't empathize with her plight too much.
An Accidental Christmas is a story about a long-married couple with kids who have separated and are trying to move on with their life. At least, the mother is. She is pursuing a career for the first time in her life. The father seems to want to get back with the mother. The kids intervene and set it up so that both parents unknowingly end up at their family beach house for the holidays. Where.... surprise, surprise, they resist at first but soon realize that they haven't grown as far apart as they thought and will work things out and live happily ever after. At least until the holidays end and reality sets in again. I didn't enjoy it that much. The acting was just so-so. The plotlines were kind of silly and the mom seemed kind of annoying, like why would you want to get back with her? Also, millions of people figure out how they can be a mom/wife and also pursue their career so I didn't empathize with her plight too much.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
National Christmas Tree
I went down to look at the National Christmas Tree the other day, in front of the White House and it was kind of neat. The tree itself, with the red bows above, was big but otherwise not that impressive. On the other hand, each state gets its own tree decorated with handmade ornaments and I thought those were much cooler. I took a picture of the trees of all the states I've lived in: Ohio, New York and Virginia. Here is Ohio on the left and New York on the right.
Christmas movie review: All I Want for Christmas
Rating: A-
New this year, All I Want for Christmas stars Gail O'Grady as a single mom who has more or less given up men and instead focused on her son and giving to the homeless. Her son decides to enter a contest to win a husband for his mom and of course wins the contest so she embarks on a series of blind dates. She starts dating an executive in the company that sponsored the contest but it doesn't take a psychic to see that she is really going to end up with the cute neighbor who has played surrogate father to her son over the years. Gail's character is spunky, smart and realistic enough that you overlook a lot of the hokeyness and enjoy the movie for what it is: a sweet warm-hearted holiday tale.
New this year, All I Want for Christmas stars Gail O'Grady as a single mom who has more or less given up men and instead focused on her son and giving to the homeless. Her son decides to enter a contest to win a husband for his mom and of course wins the contest so she embarks on a series of blind dates. She starts dating an executive in the company that sponsored the contest but it doesn't take a psychic to see that she is really going to end up with the cute neighbor who has played surrogate father to her son over the years. Gail's character is spunky, smart and realistic enough that you overlook a lot of the hokeyness and enjoy the movie for what it is: a sweet warm-hearted holiday tale.
Christmas movie review: Holiday Switch
Rating: B
Holiday Switch is courtesy of Lifetime and tells the story of a woman who is unhappy in her life with her poor handyman husband and her two daughters. Some magic leads her to crawl into her dryer and when she crawls out the other side, she's magically married to someone else she dated in high school, who seems to live a fantastic life of wealth and joy. Suddenly wealthy beyond her wildest dreams, our main character quickly realizes that she's in a loveless marriage to a man who is having an affair and that she really misses her children. She then tries a bunch of things to try to get her real husband and family back. It's kind of stupid and kind of magical, just like a Christmas movie should be. The acting is not that great (Nicole Eggert?), which is what drops this one's grade down a bit.
Holiday Switch is courtesy of Lifetime and tells the story of a woman who is unhappy in her life with her poor handyman husband and her two daughters. Some magic leads her to crawl into her dryer and when she crawls out the other side, she's magically married to someone else she dated in high school, who seems to live a fantastic life of wealth and joy. Suddenly wealthy beyond her wildest dreams, our main character quickly realizes that she's in a loveless marriage to a man who is having an affair and that she really misses her children. She then tries a bunch of things to try to get her real husband and family back. It's kind of stupid and kind of magical, just like a Christmas movie should be. The acting is not that great (Nicole Eggert?), which is what drops this one's grade down a bit.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Christmas movie review: Christmas Caper
It's that time of year again, where I watch a boatload of made-for-TV Christmas movies and LOVE them!! Or not. But generally speaking I enjoy them. So I'll watch and review them, just like I did last year. Make sure to read my disclaimer from last year when checking out the grades I assign each one.
Rating: C
Christmas Caper stars Shannen Doherty as a jewel thief who gets caught on a surveillance camera and simultaneously gets asked by her desperate sister to watch her niece and nephew. It's convenient that she needs to hide out and keep a low profile and then gets sent back to her small hometown, isn't it? Of course, this thief wants nothing to do with the kids and decides to take advantage of the Christmas season by having a neighborhood holiday party at her sister's house and then sneaking out to steal everyone's Christmas presents. No one would have ever seen coming that in the end our bad girl isn't so bad after all.
I thought this movie sucked. Shannen Doherty is not that great of an actress and I found it annoying how everyone in her hometown seemed to know her so well yet none of them - including her high school sweetheart boyfriend who is now a cop - seemed to know what she did for a living. Someone would ask! I mean, not that she would tell the truth but there would be some suspicious rumors spread around a small town like this. Plus, we are supposed to believe that the high school boyfriend has been pining away for her for fifteen years or whatever it's been? I love the old 'evildoer turns good because of the season' plotline but this one just didn't do enough to show me why there would be a transformation.
Rating: C
Christmas Caper stars Shannen Doherty as a jewel thief who gets caught on a surveillance camera and simultaneously gets asked by her desperate sister to watch her niece and nephew. It's convenient that she needs to hide out and keep a low profile and then gets sent back to her small hometown, isn't it? Of course, this thief wants nothing to do with the kids and decides to take advantage of the Christmas season by having a neighborhood holiday party at her sister's house and then sneaking out to steal everyone's Christmas presents. No one would have ever seen coming that in the end our bad girl isn't so bad after all.
I thought this movie sucked. Shannen Doherty is not that great of an actress and I found it annoying how everyone in her hometown seemed to know her so well yet none of them - including her high school sweetheart boyfriend who is now a cop - seemed to know what she did for a living. Someone would ask! I mean, not that she would tell the truth but there would be some suspicious rumors spread around a small town like this. Plus, we are supposed to believe that the high school boyfriend has been pining away for her for fifteen years or whatever it's been? I love the old 'evildoer turns good because of the season' plotline but this one just didn't do enough to show me why there would be a transformation.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Your Life Work: The Librarian
Someone posted a link to this YouTube Video on one of the library listservs I'm on. It's a video from 1946 inviting people to the librarian profession. Kinda funny.
Saturday, December 08, 2007
Book Review: On Chesil Beach
"This is how the entire course of a life can be changed - by doing nothing."
That's a quote at the end of the book I just finished reading called On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan. I like the quote a lot and its implication that not only do your actions affect your life but your nonactions do also. In the story, the main character basically just lets his wife walk away after an argument - he doesn't go after her and he doesn't try to settle their problems - and they never see each other again and yet he basically stays in love with her his whole life. Sad. But other than that, the whole premise of the book is so bizarre. It starts on the couple's wedding night and goes through, play by play, their troubles with consummating their marriage. He's overeager; she's very reluctant and quite honestly, disgusted by sex.
That's a quote at the end of the book I just finished reading called On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan. I like the quote a lot and its implication that not only do your actions affect your life but your nonactions do also. In the story, the main character basically just lets his wife walk away after an argument - he doesn't go after her and he doesn't try to settle their problems - and they never see each other again and yet he basically stays in love with her his whole life. Sad. But other than that, the whole premise of the book is so bizarre. It starts on the couple's wedding night and goes through, play by play, their troubles with consummating their marriage. He's overeager; she's very reluctant and quite honestly, disgusted by sex.
Work Holiday Party
The holiday party that I've been dreading for weeks was last night and it went okay. I knew it wouldn't be as bad as I was imagining but it did have its crappy moments. I do like enough of my coworkers to know that it wouldn't be all bad. Everyone said the night is made or broken by who you sit with and well, I got stuck sitting next to possibly the person I dislike the most in the office and her husband. But I made the most of it. The food was pretty good. The drinks were good. Actually, the drinks were too good. I had a lot to drink. I had two glasses of champagne and four whiskey sours and then a beer later when we went to the local sports bar. Most of all, I'm glad it's over for a year!
Thursday, November 29, 2007
"Netflix to offer 'Heroes' online"
Umm, I hate to break it to Variety for what they think is breaking news, but you've been able to watch Heroes episodes online via Netflix for months now... pretty much as soon as the second season started. I'm not sure that they've been available the day after they air on NBC but definitely within the week. (via)
Cool digital library
I feel like I'm back in class where I had to post about digital libraries ten times during the semester, but this one is cool and I might actually watch some of the footage in greater detail when I have time. It's an online JFK Video Archive! Not only does it have interesting video from the time of JFK's assassination with authentic footage from a Dallas television station, but I also love how the display looks like an old TV set.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Free Rice: Charitable time-waster
I seriously have found the new game I'll be playing incessantly. Free Rice quizzes you on your vocabulary and for every word you get right, ten grains of rice are donated through the United Nations to help end world hunger. I've been remarkably good at it so far, which is shocking because I always do awful on the vocabulary part of standardized tests. (via)
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Thanksgiving Weekend
I hope everyone had a good Turkey Day! I had a really quiet Thanksgiving Day and Weekend. I stayed in DC, away from the family, and since no one I know here was willing to invite me to come celebrate Thanksgiving with them, I ended up being all alone. But it was fine! I made many of the traditional Thanksgiving foods (mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, corn, cranberries, pumpkin pie) and mostly just sat around and watched movies. I did go for a walk to enjoy the nearly 80 degree weather. Which is way better than the snow my family experienced in Ohio! My roommate was out of town from Weds. until Sat. morning so that was a rarity because she never goes anywhere. I enjoyed actually pretending to live alone again.
For a few hours on Friday and maybe 30 minutes on Saturday, I went shopping. Not for Christmas presents but for myself since I could really use more winter clothes. I was surprised by how unbusy it was in DC on the Day After Thanksgiving, particularly since DC is tax free on apparel and accessories for the week following Thanksgiving. Not that I'm complaining... I prefer unbusy.
For a few hours on Friday and maybe 30 minutes on Saturday, I went shopping. Not for Christmas presents but for myself since I could really use more winter clothes. I was surprised by how unbusy it was in DC on the Day After Thanksgiving, particularly since DC is tax free on apparel and accessories for the week following Thanksgiving. Not that I'm complaining... I prefer unbusy.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Leave my teams alone
So I read two books recently that take place in the world of sports and both are about Cleveland teams and both make use of Cleveland's endless bad luck and ability to lose even when the game is in hand!
The Entitled is about an Indians player and an Indians manager and how they deal with the player being charged with rape. It's pretty good, but some of the plot points are aggravating. Like, the Indians were poised to win the ALCS against the Yankees and head into the World Series, when the manager takes out the star player because he isn't 100% and then the Indians lose. Was that really necessary for the book?
Playing for Pizza starts off with a quarterback for the Browns single-handedly losing a 21-point lead in about 8 minutes due to his incompetence. And it wasn't just any game, it was the AFC Championship so thanks to him the Browns don't make it to the Super Bowl. So now our awful quarterback hero is seeking work and avoiding extremely angry Cleveland fans who want to kill him and so ends up in Italy, playing American football over there. This story was not that enjoyable, even taking out the Browns aspect. John Grisham might write a good legal thriller but his other stories are really fluffy and not that good. See: Skipping Christmas.
It's bad enough that the real teams make us fans suffer. I don't really need it fictionalized too! It might not be so bad if these were longtime fans using Cleveland sports misery as a backdrop to tell a story but they aren't.
The Entitled is about an Indians player and an Indians manager and how they deal with the player being charged with rape. It's pretty good, but some of the plot points are aggravating. Like, the Indians were poised to win the ALCS against the Yankees and head into the World Series, when the manager takes out the star player because he isn't 100% and then the Indians lose. Was that really necessary for the book?
Playing for Pizza starts off with a quarterback for the Browns single-handedly losing a 21-point lead in about 8 minutes due to his incompetence. And it wasn't just any game, it was the AFC Championship so thanks to him the Browns don't make it to the Super Bowl. So now our awful quarterback hero is seeking work and avoiding extremely angry Cleveland fans who want to kill him and so ends up in Italy, playing American football over there. This story was not that enjoyable, even taking out the Browns aspect. John Grisham might write a good legal thriller but his other stories are really fluffy and not that good. See: Skipping Christmas.
It's bad enough that the real teams make us fans suffer. I don't really need it fictionalized too! It might not be so bad if these were longtime fans using Cleveland sports misery as a backdrop to tell a story but they aren't.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Get rid of unwanted catalogs
Catalog Choice is a Web service that lets you get rid of all those catalogs that you receive in the mail but don't really want to receive. You just sign up on the site, pick out the catalogs you no longer want to receive, and Catalog Choice does all the work contacting the company. They promise that you will get off the subscription list in about ten weeks. It seems useful but I have to say, I can't think of any unwanted catalogs that I get. Unwanted credit card offers, sure. (via)
My first holiday card
The Syracuse University Office of Alumni Relations sent out its holiday e-card today and it's the lamest thing ever! It's actually an advertisement for pavers that they are trying to sell under the guise of holiday well-wishings. That is not a way to get my money!
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Buckeyes 14, Wolverines 3
Another Rivalry Week ends with Ohio State kicking butt!! Yay!
I started the day off watching HBO' s documentary: Michigan vs. Ohio State: The Rivalry, which was pretty enjoyable. At first I thought it was a little Michigan-centric but then at the end I realized that it was probably a little too Ohio State-centric. Which, when you think about it, is kind of how the rivalry has played out. Michigan dominated in the beginning and lately, Ohio State has been dominating. I also enjoyed the segment on all the great Ohio talent that went to Michigan to play, including John Kolesar, from my high school! Who I barely even remember even going to Michigan...
I started the day off watching HBO' s documentary: Michigan vs. Ohio State: The Rivalry, which was pretty enjoyable. At first I thought it was a little Michigan-centric but then at the end I realized that it was probably a little too Ohio State-centric. Which, when you think about it, is kind of how the rivalry has played out. Michigan dominated in the beginning and lately, Ohio State has been dominating. I also enjoyed the segment on all the great Ohio talent that went to Michigan to play, including John Kolesar, from my high school! Who I barely even remember even going to Michigan...
Friday, November 16, 2007
Writers Strike
TV Guide has a nice "chart" (their words) that tells you how many new episodes of your favorite shows are produced and ready to air while no new episodes will be produced as the writers' strike continues.
Back from Chicago
I got back from Chicago a couple days ago (Tuesday night about 9pm) and am still so exhausted. Something about getting only about 5 hours of sleep each night there combined with standing on your feet for about 13 hours straight makes a person very very tired. It doesn't help that this has been a six-day workweek for me (had to work Sunday in Chicago) so I haven't exactly had time to catch up on sleep or even relax much.
Chicago was fun, though! I didn't get out to see much of the city but the hotel was pretty nice. I even had a corner room! I did catch up with a friend for dinner and also got to meet some of the members of our organization who I usually only hear on the phone or through email. I also like most of my coworkers who were also in Chicago. I went to dinner here one night and here another.
Chicago was fun, though! I didn't get out to see much of the city but the hotel was pretty nice. I even had a corner room! I did catch up with a friend for dinner and also got to meet some of the members of our organization who I usually only hear on the phone or through email. I also like most of my coworkers who were also in Chicago. I went to dinner here one night and here another.
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
I Want One: Nap Sac Travel Blanket
I'm pretty sure I put something like this on my blog once before but since I haven't started tagging, it's not that easy to find. Plus, this one is only $28, which seems like a real bargain. A travel blanket with pillow, how perfect for me who is always freezing to death on airplanes! It seems like along with making you pay for food, most airlines have severely limited the amount of blankets and pillows on board also. I think I'm going to seek out one of the nearby stores that sell it and purchase it before I head to Chicago this weekend. (via)
Friday, November 02, 2007
I'm not the messy roommate
So I had this totally ironic dream last night. My roommate came knocking on my door to talk. She said that she wanted to talk to me about the closet and how disorganized my section of the closet was and that if I didn't clean it up, she was going to start throwing some stuff out. Heh. The irony is that there is barely any room for any of my stuff in any of the closets because she has so much crap everywhere! And her crap is the messy stuff!! Not sure why she would be telling me to clean...
Thursday, November 01, 2007
Day After Thanksgiving Wake-Up Call
The title (and URL to sign up) about says it all. Express is offering to call its customers so they don't miss its early bird specials on the day after Thanksgiving. Receive the call at the time you select. Not a bad idea, I guess.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Travel plans made
Today, I finally booked a flight to Chicago for our work "Annual Meeting" in a couple weeks. It's been a bit of a rollercoaster ride as to whether or not I was going at all and how long I would be going for if I did go. I'm only going from Sunday to Tuesday, which means I'll miss the big dinner at The Field Museum on Tuesday night, which kinda pisses me off because I was looking forward to that. Oh well, what can I do? I'm not paying and at least it's a short trip out of the office. Traveling for work is fun! Also, I might be able to catch up with one of my friends who lives there!
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Stolen Web site
Well, it wasn't exactly stolen but this article tells how the Ocean County (NJ) Library System did not renew their domain name membership and someone bought it out from under them before they realized the mistake. This is their old domain name and this is the one they are currently using while they furiously try to get the old one back. Anyway, why it caught my attention is because I know someone who works at that library and it would make me laugh really hard if she had somehow been to blame.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Cool electrical plug
And speaking of electricity, how cool is this electrical outlet? It rotates so you can plug in, say, your cell phone charger and your iPod charger at the same time in the same outlet. I will say that the directions to install it seem a little scary to me, but I do think I could manage!
Blackout
The power at my apartment building - and all the surrounding buildings - went out last night for about an hour and a half. It sucks not having electricity! You can't watch TV, you can't go on the computer (well, I guess if I had a battery-operated laptop I could but I don't), you can't do your laundry, you can't do anything that requires light and most things seem to require light I noticed. I thought I could read by candlelight but I lit about six candles around me and still couldn't see! So I took a bit of a nap, until all the lights came back on and woke me up. Seriously, I could never have lived in another century before there was electric lights.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Halloween Party!
A friend invited me to a Halloween party at a bar she likes this Saturday night. Costume required. And a cover of at least $10. They say they will charge more as the night goes on, to get people there early, I guess. I REALLY hate Halloween and hate dressing up but I guess if I think of a decent and easy costume, I will go. Any ideas anyone?
Maintenance in my apartment building sucks
I was standing outside the shower yesterday morning and realized that I was getting wet, that drops of water were hitting my back. Seemed unusual but the water in the shower was running, so I don't know, it's possible to get wet outside of the shower. Well, later, after the water was turned off, I realized that I was still getting wet and I soon realized that the ceiling was leaking! The ceiling is all puckered like it's been dripping for some time. Plus, the light fixture (aka heat lamp) seemed to be full of water. And the bath mat was drenched. Seemed like a good time to call emergency maintenance!
I called at 8am, then again at lunch to make sure something had been done about it (didn't really get an answer) and then at about 4pm when I had a moment in the afternoon. I was told it had definitely already been fixed. Turns out my roommate had called at some point and gotten the same answer. When I got home, the water was still dripping!! Ugh. So I called AGAIN and someone finally came up, investigated, fixed something and told me the problem was corrected. He seemed to be right. Until this morning, when I AGAIN noticed that the water was dripping. Guess Mr. Fixit is more like Mr. Temporary Fixit. So I called yet again (yes, that makes it SIX times) and we'll just see what has happened when I get home. I really doubt the problem is fixed.
I called at 8am, then again at lunch to make sure something had been done about it (didn't really get an answer) and then at about 4pm when I had a moment in the afternoon. I was told it had definitely already been fixed. Turns out my roommate had called at some point and gotten the same answer. When I got home, the water was still dripping!! Ugh. So I called AGAIN and someone finally came up, investigated, fixed something and told me the problem was corrected. He seemed to be right. Until this morning, when I AGAIN noticed that the water was dripping. Guess Mr. Fixit is more like Mr. Temporary Fixit. So I called yet again (yes, that makes it SIX times) and we'll just see what has happened when I get home. I really doubt the problem is fixed.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Monday meme: Last but not least
When was the last time you...
1.Cleaned out your closet? I don't know, but I tend to do that on a regular basis.
2.Went to a concert? A really long time ago, although I have found myself in clubs that happen to have a band playing, which the last time was about six weeks ago... not sure if that counts
3.Had a milkshake? I almost had a milkshake about a month ago but the milkshake machine was broken so I ended up not having one. It's probably been about 8 months since I had one.
4.Got all dressed up? Hmm, tough call because I'm not sure what "all dressed up" means. But let's say at Christmas was the last time when I got dressed up for church and dinner with the family.
5.Went grocery shopping? Last week on Tuesday night after a Happy Hour. And, I'll probably go tomorrow since I buy very little each time I go grocery shopping.
(via)
1.Cleaned out your closet? I don't know, but I tend to do that on a regular basis.
2.Went to a concert? A really long time ago, although I have found myself in clubs that happen to have a band playing, which the last time was about six weeks ago... not sure if that counts
3.Had a milkshake? I almost had a milkshake about a month ago but the milkshake machine was broken so I ended up not having one. It's probably been about 8 months since I had one.
4.Got all dressed up? Hmm, tough call because I'm not sure what "all dressed up" means. But let's say at Christmas was the last time when I got dressed up for church and dinner with the family.
5.Went grocery shopping? Last week on Tuesday night after a Happy Hour. And, I'll probably go tomorrow since I buy very little each time I go grocery shopping.
(via)
Monday, October 01, 2007
What I did this past weekend
I had a very busy weekend and this week ahead doesn't get much better.
Let's see. On Saturday, I went to the National Book Festival, which gave me a huge headache. I volunteered at the New York State Table in the Pavilion of the States and it was kind of a huge turnoff. People are pushy, obnoxious, greedy and kinda annoying. And I also realized that instead of going down there and dealing with the crowds, I could have just watched the authors on BookTV or listened to them from the Library of Congress Web site, which has podcasts of the event.
Then, I met up with a friend and went to Clarendon Day, which is, you know, a street fair kind of thing. And then we went to a couple bars/restaurants in the area and had a drink and some dinner. I got home about 9:30pm and literally went right to bed. Which, for me, is pretty unheard of.
On Sunday, I started off the day doing a walking tour of Georgetown as part of a Special Librarians Association get-together. I don't exactly know what I expected but I wasn't that impressed with the tour and do not feel informed about the area at all. I think I would have been better off doing a self-guided tour. However, I did meet a couple of other librarians who were very nice and with whom I then had lunch. I also walked around Georgetown a lot and went into some shops and did some people-watching, so at least I got to explore that area a bit. It was a beautiful day.
On my way home, I stopped at a Macy's and bought a really cute yet really nice Jones New York dressy skirt for only $14. I love a good bargain!
Let's see. On Saturday, I went to the National Book Festival, which gave me a huge headache. I volunteered at the New York State Table in the Pavilion of the States and it was kind of a huge turnoff. People are pushy, obnoxious, greedy and kinda annoying. And I also realized that instead of going down there and dealing with the crowds, I could have just watched the authors on BookTV or listened to them from the Library of Congress Web site, which has podcasts of the event.
Then, I met up with a friend and went to Clarendon Day, which is, you know, a street fair kind of thing. And then we went to a couple bars/restaurants in the area and had a drink and some dinner. I got home about 9:30pm and literally went right to bed. Which, for me, is pretty unheard of.
On Sunday, I started off the day doing a walking tour of Georgetown as part of a Special Librarians Association get-together. I don't exactly know what I expected but I wasn't that impressed with the tour and do not feel informed about the area at all. I think I would have been better off doing a self-guided tour. However, I did meet a couple of other librarians who were very nice and with whom I then had lunch. I also walked around Georgetown a lot and went into some shops and did some people-watching, so at least I got to explore that area a bit. It was a beautiful day.
On my way home, I stopped at a Macy's and bought a really cute yet really nice Jones New York dressy skirt for only $14. I love a good bargain!
Monday, September 24, 2007
Monday meme: More Random Joy
Random Joy
1.Which category of Trivial Pursuit would you say you're most knowledgeable in? Kind of a tricky question considering each version of Trivial Pursuit has different categories but for traditional Trivial Pursuit, I would say I'm best at Sports & Leisure. Or maybe Arts & Entertainment. Yeah, probably Arts & Entertainment.
2.Did you go to your High School Prom? What was it like? Yes, I went. I don't remember too much what it was like... lots of high school kids I didn't especially like. There was a dinner. Some dancing, with lots of "friends" making fun of my date's dancing. It was pouring rain the whole day and we got drenched running to the car. I think I got my picture taken. Professionally, I mean. I remember I wasn't feeling too well, like I had a cold or something. After-Prom was more fun, at an athletic club.
3.If you were one of the five senses which would you be? Sight.
4.Have you ever gone downhill skiing? Nope.
5.What's your favourite kind of nut? I really don't like nuts but I'll occasionally eat peanuts or pistachios.
(via)
1.Which category of Trivial Pursuit would you say you're most knowledgeable in? Kind of a tricky question considering each version of Trivial Pursuit has different categories but for traditional Trivial Pursuit, I would say I'm best at Sports & Leisure. Or maybe Arts & Entertainment. Yeah, probably Arts & Entertainment.
2.Did you go to your High School Prom? What was it like? Yes, I went. I don't remember too much what it was like... lots of high school kids I didn't especially like. There was a dinner. Some dancing, with lots of "friends" making fun of my date's dancing. It was pouring rain the whole day and we got drenched running to the car. I think I got my picture taken. Professionally, I mean. I remember I wasn't feeling too well, like I had a cold or something. After-Prom was more fun, at an athletic club.
3.If you were one of the five senses which would you be? Sight.
4.Have you ever gone downhill skiing? Nope.
5.What's your favourite kind of nut? I really don't like nuts but I'll occasionally eat peanuts or pistachios.
(via)
Standoff with a raccoon
I went running last night, as I do sometimes (although not often enough) and decided to go down this park path that I never have gone down before. Well, I was about 15 ft. along the path when I saw that there was a small animal in front of me wandering down the path too. I thought it was a raccoon and as I got closer and it turned around, I saw that it indeed was a raccoon! I continued to get closer and it just stayed put and stared at me. I got closer and it stood its ground, continuing to stare at me. I looked at its claws and knew that it was probably full of disease and disgustingness.... and I promptly turned around and decided that I would go a different route.
Am I wimp or what? I'm about 20 times bigger than it (well, at least 10 times) but I just didn't like that it wasn't moving, wasn't afraid of me and I didn't want it scratching me and giving me rabies!
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Indians clinch!
Another Cleveland team in the playoffs this year, as the Indians officially win their division with today's win! Yay!
Short Grammar Quiz
Had I gotten any wrong, I would not have been happy!!
You Scored an A |
 You got 10/10 questions correct. It's pretty obvious that you don't make basic grammatical errors. If anything, you're annoyed when people make simple mistakes on their blogs. As far as people with bad grammar go, you know they're only human. And it's humanity and its current condition that truly disturb you sometimes. |
Friday, September 21, 2007
"Do Not Call listings aren't forever"
Hmm, I had no idea that if you put yourself on the 'Do Not Call' registry, that it was only for five years and then you have to re-register. Interesting read. The point of the article is that if you signed up when it launched, which was 2003, your five years are up next year. I can't believe it's been five years almost since that started and also, I don't remember at all when I registered my number... if I registered it at all, that is.
Update: So I read a second article on the topic and it turns out there is a place on the official Do Not Call Web site to verify that you are in fact on the registry and to tell you when you registered. Sweet!
Update: So I read a second article on the topic and it turns out there is a place on the official Do Not Call Web site to verify that you are in fact on the registry and to tell you when you registered. Sweet!
Family Guy does Star Wars
I'm really psyched to watch this Sunday's Family Guy episode, which has dad Peter telling the family the story of Star Wars during a power failure. This review says it's not that good but I'm sure it will still be pretty enjoyable! At the very least, it's a whole hour of new Family Guy!
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Monday meme for while I was gone
Random Joy
1. Do you bruise easily? Oh yeah. REALLY easily.
2. What does your name rhyme with? An endless number of words: berry, fairy, dairy, hairy, to name a few.
3. If you could have any famous piece of art to display in your home, which would you choose? When I used to go to the art museum, one of my favorite paintings was always Seurat's A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, so let's go with that.
4. What's the most inconvenient thing about the place you're currently living? What a great question... I could go on forever on this topic. But the most inconvenient thing is its poor location in relation to public transportation. Or the fact that the washer & dryer are in my roommate's master bathroom. That drives me crazy.
5. What book are you reading right now? Look to the right....
(via)
1. Do you bruise easily? Oh yeah. REALLY easily.
2. What does your name rhyme with? An endless number of words: berry, fairy, dairy, hairy, to name a few.
3. If you could have any famous piece of art to display in your home, which would you choose? When I used to go to the art museum, one of my favorite paintings was always Seurat's A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, so let's go with that.
4. What's the most inconvenient thing about the place you're currently living? What a great question... I could go on forever on this topic. But the most inconvenient thing is its poor location in relation to public transportation. Or the fact that the washer & dryer are in my roommate's master bathroom. That drives me crazy.
5. What book are you reading right now? Look to the right....
(via)
West Coast time
I got back from my business trip in San Diego today. It was such a fun time, although I did work some pretty long hours! On Saturday morning, I missed my flight (ugh) but still arrived by 1:30pm and spent the whole day with my former roommate. That was awesome! We went to a great Mexican restaurant in Old Town San Diego and also walked around Seaport Village and the Gaslamp Quarter, the two areas closest to my hotel. We also did a lot of catching up!
Sunday morning I had off but then I worked our seminar from noon-8 on Sunday, 7am-8pm on Monday (plus then we had a work dinner here), and 7am-5pm on Tuesday. When I wasn't working, I hung out with my co-workers, mostly in the Gaslamp Quarter.
Here was the view outside of my hotel room window:
Yeah, Pretty cool.
On the way home, I was so exhausted just from working a lot, the time change, traveling, drinking too much and all that other fun stuff. I couldn't wait to get home and go to bed. Of course, now I realize I'm on West Coast time and can't to go to bed because it's like 7:30pm. Thank god I only have two days in the office this week.
Sunday morning I had off but then I worked our seminar from noon-8 on Sunday, 7am-8pm on Monday (plus then we had a work dinner here), and 7am-5pm on Tuesday. When I wasn't working, I hung out with my co-workers, mostly in the Gaslamp Quarter.
Here was the view outside of my hotel room window:
Yeah, Pretty cool.
On the way home, I was so exhausted just from working a lot, the time change, traveling, drinking too much and all that other fun stuff. I couldn't wait to get home and go to bed. Of course, now I realize I'm on West Coast time and can't to go to bed because it's like 7:30pm. Thank god I only have two days in the office this week.
Thursday, September 06, 2007
"Early rising no good for the heart: study"
According to this article, those who are early risers might be more prone to heart problems like hypertension and strokes. So there's a good reason for me to sleep in!
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Charitable search engine
I guess if you are going to use a search engine (and really, who doesn't use one?), you might as well use GoodSearch, which donates a penny to the charity of your choice for every search conducted. Pretty cool. It's powered by Yahoo! and is downloadable to your browser, if you use Firefox, Safari or Internet Explorer 7. Plus, there are over 42,000 charities/nonprofits to choose from so I think everyone can find a cause they believe in... (via)
Monday, September 03, 2007
Monday meme: Laboring Day
Laboring Away
1. What is an appropriate amount of labor for you? How many days a week would you work if it were your choice? Hmm, maybe three.
2. If you could be paid an annual salary so that money wasn't a factor in choosing a career, what job would you want to have? A writer, I guess.
3. Describe your most memorable Labor Day (or May Day) weekend. In 2001, I went to Las Vegas with a couple friends and saw Madonna in concert! That's pretty much the only Labor Day weekend I remember... most of them are very low-key and just like any other weekend.
4. What's the minimum wage where you live? Do you think it's appropriate? Well, I had to look it up and it's apparently $5.85 in Virginia, the national minimum. However, in DC it's $7.00 and in Maryland it's $6.15 (see here) . Do I think that's appropriate? Uh no way. That equates to $12,168 in Virginia and let's see rent alone can cost nearly that for an average place to live so I'm not sure how people are expected to live on that. It's highly inappropriate, is what it is.
5. Have you ever been in labor or helping someone else while she was in labor? Nope.
Bonus question (we're making you work this Labour Day) - Do you spell it Labour Day or Labor Day? Obviously the latter...
(via)
1. What is an appropriate amount of labor for you? How many days a week would you work if it were your choice? Hmm, maybe three.
2. If you could be paid an annual salary so that money wasn't a factor in choosing a career, what job would you want to have? A writer, I guess.
3. Describe your most memorable Labor Day (or May Day) weekend. In 2001, I went to Las Vegas with a couple friends and saw Madonna in concert! That's pretty much the only Labor Day weekend I remember... most of them are very low-key and just like any other weekend.
4. What's the minimum wage where you live? Do you think it's appropriate? Well, I had to look it up and it's apparently $5.85 in Virginia, the national minimum. However, in DC it's $7.00 and in Maryland it's $6.15 (see here) . Do I think that's appropriate? Uh no way. That equates to $12,168 in Virginia and let's see rent alone can cost nearly that for an average place to live so I'm not sure how people are expected to live on that. It's highly inappropriate, is what it is.
5. Have you ever been in labor or helping someone else while she was in labor? Nope.
Bonus question (we're making you work this Labour Day) - Do you spell it Labour Day or Labor Day? Obviously the latter...
(via)
Trivia night
So I finally went to a trivia night at a bar last night! Those seem to be really common around here but I hadn't made it to one yet. We (you have to be a team) did okay but definitely didn't win. It was fun, though, and I'd like to go again!
Sunday, September 02, 2007
Not my scene
So I met this girl who is also new to DC and about my age and she is very club-happy so I tried going to some DC clubs with her on Friday night. She's desperate to meet men, which I find kind of annoying. I mean, sure, having a boyfriend would be great, but I'm not interested at all in going out solely to scope out men. It seems desperate and crazy; plus, does it even work? Lisa seems to think so. She watches every guy in the room and then when she's seen them all and decided none are her type or none have sufficiently made enough eye contact with her in her predetermined amount of time, she wants to leave and go elsewhere. On the one hand, I don't mind moving on to someplace new because then I get to investigate new places. On the other hand, since these places charge covers of $5-$20, I don't enjoy going broke this way either.
Overall, it was kind of fun, as a social experiment. Also, it was kind of funny because Lisa didn't meet anyone but I did! Not that it's going to progress into any great love connection or anything but I did enjoy the irony of the situation.
Overall, it was kind of fun, as a social experiment. Also, it was kind of funny because Lisa didn't meet anyone but I did! Not that it's going to progress into any great love connection or anything but I did enjoy the irony of the situation.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Friday Night Lights
The first season of Friday Night Lights comes out on DVD today and I'm really tempted to buy it because it's only $19.99 (well, at Amazon, Best Buy, and Circuit City anyway). I've been watching it online and am loving it. It's so good! But, why spend $20 for a DVD set that I might never watch again when I can watch all the episodes for free online. Right?
Meetings, schmeetings
Don't you love when your boss invites you at the last minute to a meeting because he thinks you might have something to offer and then that meeting ends up taking 1 1/2 hours and it turns out you were not needed at all? That's what happened to me today! I guess it's better (in the eyes of my boss) than spending that time in front of my computer slacking off and searching the Internet, which I've basically done since I got back to my desk. Oy.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Disgusting film
I just watched this documentary, Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers, and it was simply disgusting. It's basically about all the money that Halliburton KBR has made off of the war in Iraq - and how they make that money. Really really disgusting.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Cool site? PolitiFact
This site, from the St. Petersburg Times and CQ.com, seeks the truth for the upcoming 2008 Presidential campaign. It has a "Truth-o-Meter" which investigates candidates' claims to determine whether they are truthful or not. Looks kinda cool!! It's interesting AND it has a sense of humor, like this page on Joe Biden's claim that President Bush is "brain-dead." On the truth-o-meter, Biden ranks as "Pants on Fire." Heh.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Book Review: The New OPL Sourcebook
I checked out The New OPL Sourcebook from the library, hoping it would be helpful to my job. OPL stands for one-person library and well, that's exactly what I am at work! Plus, the author is from Cleveland (yay!) and has a blog that I read semi-regularly so I had high hopes that it would be useful. The first half of the book consisted of an overview of a lot of the basic principles of libraranship and honestly seemed like a retread of grad school for me so I was pretty disappointed. I can see how it would be helpful to someone who hasn't been to library school recently but that's not me. The second half of the book provides all kinds of useful links and reading suggestions on pretty much every topic under the sun. I love to read recommended links because you never know what you'll find and there definitely were some promising links that I still need to check out (and will probably post here) but most of them were for librarians in general and were not specific to one-person libraries. Plus, anytime someone publishes a book with Web links usually means that a number of them are outdated and extinct by the time the book comes out so I am expecting that to be the case once I start checking them out.
Overall, it was an okay read, but I'm glad I didn't purchase it. I'd give it a B-.
Overall, it was an okay read, but I'm glad I didn't purchase it. I'd give it a B-.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Monday, August 20, 2007
Away for the weekend
I went home, back to Cleveland, for an extra long weekend and just returned to DC! My car's lease expires tomorrow so I went on a car-shopping mission. I test drove a few and talked to some salesmen but then quickly deduced that I just cannot afford and do not want to pay for a new car right now. Therefore, I'm keeping my current car! Yay! I am kind of sick of my car but none of the ones I test drove jumped out at me anyway so I'm not sure what I would have gotten. At least I know what I'm getting with the one I have now and it's really dirt cheap for the amount of miles on it and how new it is.
Monday meme: Random Joy
Random Joy
1. What percent of your pants are denim? Umm, about 5%, I'd estimate.
2. What are your thoughts on the WWE? Entertaining? Irritating? Worst invention ever? Not for me. But, as an avid soap opera fan and an avid sports fan, I can get why someone might enjoy it.
3. Have you seen any movies recently that you would consider to be in the class of "greatest movies of all time"? "Of all time"? That's asking a lot and no recent ones fit that bill, nope.
4. Have you ever denied having a livejournal/blog? Not denied but neglected to mention, sure.
5. If you were able to travel anywhere in the world, with any two people (alive, dead, real or fictional) as your traveling companions, where would you go, and who would come with you? I think my parents, especially since I just spent the weekend at home with them and it's sad coming back away from them. I don't care where we go. I'd love to just get away on a beach vacation for two weeks or so.
(via)
1. What percent of your pants are denim? Umm, about 5%, I'd estimate.
2. What are your thoughts on the WWE? Entertaining? Irritating? Worst invention ever? Not for me. But, as an avid soap opera fan and an avid sports fan, I can get why someone might enjoy it.
3. Have you seen any movies recently that you would consider to be in the class of "greatest movies of all time"? "Of all time"? That's asking a lot and no recent ones fit that bill, nope.
4. Have you ever denied having a livejournal/blog? Not denied but neglected to mention, sure.
5. If you were able to travel anywhere in the world, with any two people (alive, dead, real or fictional) as your traveling companions, where would you go, and who would come with you? I think my parents, especially since I just spent the weekend at home with them and it's sad coming back away from them. I don't care where we go. I'd love to just get away on a beach vacation for two weeks or so.
(via)
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
San Diego, here I come!!
I found out today that I get to go to San Diego next month for work for a seminar! YAY! We are putting on the seminar and I will help out with it, plus I will have to conduct an in-person meeting for one of the committees I work with. I have to be there for three days (Sun.-Mon.-Tues.) but will probably stay at least an extra night because I won't be done until after 5pm on Tuesday. I guess it will be kind of long days what with me having to assist in set-up and all that but I'm really looking forward to it!
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Craigslist nightmare ad of the week
I should actually post some of these more often because I'm always amazed at some of the things people are seeking but okay, here's the ad (an edited version):
Looking for a clean, non-smoking female roommate to occupy the bedroom in a 1 bedroom, 1 bath apartment. You will have your own bedroom, shared bathroom and kitchen. The living room is well converted to another bedroom and occupied by a couple.
Now, tell me, who wants to pay $850 to share a tiny little apartment like that with a couple? I have seen a number of 1-bedroom apartments seeking a roommate (one in the bedroom and one in the living room) but this is the first I've seen with a COUPLE living in one of the rooms. That would suck.
$850 / 1br - Clean, bright, spacious bedroom in 1bed apt close to pentagon metro
Looking for a clean, non-smoking female roommate to occupy the bedroom in a 1 bedroom, 1 bath apartment. You will have your own bedroom, shared bathroom and kitchen. The living room is well converted to another bedroom and occupied by a couple.
Now, tell me, who wants to pay $850 to share a tiny little apartment like that with a couple? I have seen a number of 1-bedroom apartments seeking a roommate (one in the bedroom and one in the living room) but this is the first I've seen with a COUPLE living in one of the rooms. That would suck.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Cheri's unbelievable adventure
So, after work, which by the way I only worked half a day because of this ridiculous cold, I just wanted to get some decongestant. The one I had clearly was not working. Anyway, so I stop at the grocery store that is right by my house. It was CLOSED! At 6pm, the grocery store was closed due to "technical problems." Whatever that means! How ridiculous. So I go to another shopping center, where there is both a grocery store and a drug store, thinking I'll have better luck. So I got what I wanted at CVS, great. Then I decided to get a milkshake from McDonald's to soothe my throat. Guess what? Their milkshake machine was BROKEN! Seriously. What is the deal? Is the world out to get me today or what?
Monday meme: Patterns
Patterns
1. Have you ever worn a kilt? What about a plaid uniform skirt? Nope, but I did always WANT to wear a plaid uniform skirt.
2. Do you know how to play pool? I know how to play pool but I suck at it.
3. Have you ever found Waldo? Umm, yeah. In one of the books, I successfully have found Waldo, if that's what the question is asking.
4. What is the dress code at your place of work? How random are these questions! Dress code at work is business casual and do not DARE wear flip-flops!!!
5. Polka-dots, paisley, toile, or floral - which is most your style? I'm not even sure I know what toile is but out of these, I guess I would pick paisley. I have a polka dot shirt that I wear sometimes, though, and as I've gotten older, I've been known to check out a floral print or two.
(via)
1. Have you ever worn a kilt? What about a plaid uniform skirt? Nope, but I did always WANT to wear a plaid uniform skirt.
2. Do you know how to play pool? I know how to play pool but I suck at it.
3. Have you ever found Waldo? Umm, yeah. In one of the books, I successfully have found Waldo, if that's what the question is asking.
4. What is the dress code at your place of work? How random are these questions! Dress code at work is business casual and do not DARE wear flip-flops!!!
5. Polka-dots, paisley, toile, or floral - which is most your style? I'm not even sure I know what toile is but out of these, I guess I would pick paisley. I have a polka dot shirt that I wear sometimes, though, and as I've gotten older, I've been known to check out a floral print or two.
(via)
Summer cold
I have a full-fledged cold and it sucks! I can't breathe, I can barely speak... Yesterday, I was talking to my dad and he said it sounds like it hurts for me to talk. And that I sound like my brother! Thanks, Dad! It doesn't hurt to talk but I also wouldn't complain too much if someone decapitated me, either. It's so aggravating. I feel like having a cold in the height of summer is the absolute worst thing, too, because it's so nice outside and I'm laying in bed wanting to die. The other sucky thing is that I don't think I'm getting better. I definitely feel worse than yesterday, although I guess I am coughing less so that's maybe a plus.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Weird phone calls
Does anyone else think it's weird that one of the maintenance men in our building calls for my roommate about once a week or so? Maybe more. And it's not work-related. He just called (9:57pm on a Saturday) and he's like "Karen, how are you? I haven't heard from you. Why don't you call me back?" So. Weird. I want to ask her about it but I also kind of don't want to know. Most of the time, she doesn't even seem to listen to his messages. Clandestine affair gone regretful perhaps?
Beer Sample
I was at the grocery store last night and they actually had beer samples! I've never heard of or seen that before. But of course I tried it! Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat - not bad.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Save the Environment Comedy Central-Style
Comedy Central has launched a Web site called Address the Mess devoted to recycling and the environment. Pretty cool. (via)
"Heat give Penny Hardaway comeback chance"
Yay! I've always liked Penny Hardaway. Better yet, if he's given another chance, maybe we'll see a return of the L'il Penny commercials! Like this one. And this one. And this one. You know, I still have my talking L'il Penny doll (action figure?), which seriously was probably the best present my ex-boyfriend ever gave me.
Stardust comes out today!
It seems like weeks ago (well it was!) that I went to a sneak preview of Stardust and it's only hitting theaters today but I really enjoyed it. It's very reminiscent of The Princess Bride and that, of course, is a good thing. Personally, though, I don't think they are doing a very good job of marketing it.
Looking for some book recommendations?
It's always kind of interesting to get a bit of insight into famous people, so Oprah offers book recommendations from celebrities on her Web site. I definitely added some books to my 'To Read' list from it, not necessarily because of who was recommending it but because of what they had to say about it.
Top 100 Tools for Learning
Here is a list of the top 100 tools for learning that I would like to investigate further, I think. A lot of them I already use without even thinking about it (like #1, 2, 4, 8, 9 (obviously), 13). Others don't make sense to me as a tool for learning. Skype as #3? I mean, it's a communication tool so I guess that helps learning in that it allows one to communicate with others and then learn but to me, that's kind of a stretch.
Thursday, August 09, 2007
If only I watched CBS soaps...
I found out today that CBS airs the most recent episodes of its soaps (The Young & the Restless, Guiding Light, As the World Turns) on CBS.com! How great is that? Actually, NBC airs Passions on its Web site too. But, of course, I watch the ABC ones that are NOT aired online. How I would love to be able to watch an occasional episode during my lunch break. Maybe they soon will...
Monday, August 06, 2007
Monday Meme: Metallics
1. Gold or silver? Which looks better on you? I don't know which looks better on me but I like silver better right now.
2. What is your favourite Olympic sport to watch? There are way too many to name but I would say maybe figure skating for the winter and swimming or gymnastics for the summer.
3. "Goldfinger" or "Goldmember"? Would you rather watch a James Bond movie or a Mike Myers comedy? Mike Myers comedy
4. Have you ever won a trophy? I do have a trophy among my things but I couldn't tell you what it was for, something academic for sure.
5. Do you set off metal detectors in airports? Not yet.
(via)
2. What is your favourite Olympic sport to watch? There are way too many to name but I would say maybe figure skating for the winter and swimming or gymnastics for the summer.
3. "Goldfinger" or "Goldmember"? Would you rather watch a James Bond movie or a Mike Myers comedy? Mike Myers comedy
4. Have you ever won a trophy? I do have a trophy among my things but I couldn't tell you what it was for, something academic for sure.
5. Do you set off metal detectors in airports? Not yet.
(via)
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Who's the boss?
So, I'm getting a new boss at work as part of a reorganization and got to help with the hiring! The gal I manage and I were able to interview the final two candidates and it was a little nerve-wracking. I didn't know what to ask, although I did prepare a few questions of course. It's slightly unfair because I was so much more calm and ready for the second one today and was really nervous for the first person, so I guess in the future, if I ever have to interview you, try not to be first! Both women know nothing about research or libraries nor do they seem to want to get involved in the research department at all other than overseeing us, which is good, I guess.
Either candidate would do a good job probably and I would be fine with either one as my new boss but I definitely felt that the second one was probably more suited for the other responsibilities of the job. Now I can put on my resume that I've done some interviewing!
Either candidate would do a good job probably and I would be fine with either one as my new boss but I definitely felt that the second one was probably more suited for the other responsibilities of the job. Now I can put on my resume that I've done some interviewing!
3:10 to Yuma
3:10 to Yuma is a new movie I saw last night. It's so new, in fact, that it doesn't yet have an official Web site and isn't due to hit theaters until Sept. 7th. But not only did I get to see a sneak preview of the film, but two of the actors from the film showed up at the end and answered questions for the audience. It was pretty cool, being two rows away from Peter Fonda and Ben Foster. I took a picture to provide proof but it kind of sucks since AS ALWAYS when I want to use my camera, the batteries seem to be on the verge of dying and only had enough juice for one picture. Regardless, here's the proof:
By the way, the movie was pretty enjoyable. It's billed as a Western but it's mostly a drama that happens to take place in the Old West about a guy (Christian Bale) just trying to help his family out and make some money by transporting an outlaw (Russell Crowe) to the prison train.
By the way, the movie was pretty enjoyable. It's billed as a Western but it's mostly a drama that happens to take place in the Old West about a guy (Christian Bale) just trying to help his family out and make some money by transporting an outlaw (Russell Crowe) to the prison train.
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Me Simpsonized
This is what I look like as a Simpsons character. What do you think? Kind of does look like me, doesn't it? Try it yourself. (via)
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Chrysler Financial
I'm leasing my car through Chrysler Financial and the turn-in date is rapidly approaching. Well, they've been calling me (through my parents' number, ha ha) like once a week or so over the last month to talk with me about my options. Finally, I called them back today and the woman is kind of like, "Well, what do you want from me?" Seriously! Like, I thought she would give me a figure if I wanted to turn the lease into a purchase... nope. Or she might try to sell me on something else... nope. She asked if I'd been in touch with the dealership yet! I was like, "Well, you guys are the ones calling me so I assumed I needed to talk to you." It was all very odd. But, she did tell me that I can extend my lease for another six months, so that is something I seriously think I might do because I really don't feel ready to make a decision on another car yet. Of course, it's more expensive for the next six months, but not TOO too much more so that might be the way to go.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Monday meme: Walt Disney
Oy. I'm not a Disney fan, but here goes...
Walt Disney
3. Which Disney song do you know all the words to? None, unless you count "Heigh ho, heigh ho, off to work we go." But even then, I think there are more words than that and I don't know them.
4. If any Disney character could be your BFF, which one would it be? Seriously? Umm, the Fairy Godmother from Cinderella would be pretty sweet as a BFF.
5. Name as many dwarves as you can in 20 seconds. Time yourself. Sleepy, Dopey, Doc, Bashful, Happy...
(via)
Walt Disney
1. What is your favorite Disney movie? Beauty and the Beast, maybe?
2. Have you ever dressed up or attempted to as a Disney character? Umm, no, not that I recall. 3. Which Disney song do you know all the words to? None, unless you count "Heigh ho, heigh ho, off to work we go." But even then, I think there are more words than that and I don't know them.
4. If any Disney character could be your BFF, which one would it be? Seriously? Umm, the Fairy Godmother from Cinderella would be pretty sweet as a BFF.
5. Name as many dwarves as you can in 20 seconds. Time yourself. Sleepy, Dopey, Doc, Bashful, Happy...
(via)
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Old Town Walking Tour
A friend & I went to Old Town Alexandria to take in some of the historical sites. We started at Gadsby's Tavern for a tour and then for lunch at their restaurant. Then we just walked around a bit, checking out some historical markers and buildings. It was a nice time... despite the pouring rain. We were lucky enough to not have the rain hit when we were outside at all, though.
Saturday at the Mall
I went shopping yesterday! I went to Fair Oaks Mall in Fairfax and got some really great deals. I don't think I need to buy another pair of dress pants for work for at least a year or two. Although I doubt that will necessarily stop me... I got a great pair of awesome black pants at H&M. What makes them awesome besides the fact that they were on sale is the fact that they are part of the Madonna fashion line!! I'm so excited to own a piece of Madonna clothing, you have no idea.
Before heading home, I also stopped at the Wegmans by the mall. Ahh, how I miss Wegmans.
Before heading home, I also stopped at the Wegmans by the mall. Ahh, how I miss Wegmans.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Which Simpsons Character am I?
You Are Lisa Simpson |
 A total child prodigy and super genius, you have the mind for world domination. But you prefer world peace, Buddhism, and tofu dogs. You will be remembered for: all your academic accomplishments Your life philosophy: "I refuse to believe that everybody refuses to believe the truth" |
It only took three months...
but my roommate has FINALLY cleared out some room in the refrigerator. I now have approximately half! Well, she still has the entire door and more than half of the freezer but it's a huge improvement! I am almost stunned.
She also said she really enjoyed living with me and that I was such an easy roommate! Of course I am, ha ha. I almost feel guilty that I'm kind of looking for another place to live, although to be honest, that's mostly because I'd like to be closer to work.
She also said she really enjoyed living with me and that I was such an easy roommate! Of course I am, ha ha. I almost feel guilty that I'm kind of looking for another place to live, although to be honest, that's mostly because I'd like to be closer to work.
My Boys
My Boys is a sitcom on TBS that aired last fall and will debut new episodes starting Monday. I watched the first 13 episodes over the last week thanks to TBS on Demand and their Web site, where all of the episodes can be streamed for free, and I really enjoyed it! It's about a girl who is a sports reporter in Chicago and hangs out with a bunch of guys, including her brother, her best friend from college, an ex-boyfriend, and well, to be honest, I'm not sure how the other guys fit in. But they hang out at the bar, have weekly poker nights, tease each other and make for a pretty enjoyable half-hour! I highly recommend it!
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Popularity Dialer
I'm surprised someone hasn't thought of this sooner, or if they have, I'm surprised that I haven't heard of it sooner. You go to the Popularity Dialer Web site, set up a time to receive a call and voila, at the appointed time, you get a REAL fake phone call so you won't have to fake getting a phone call when you are in some uncomfortable situation where you wish you could be saved by a phone call. Awesome. The disclaimer says "PopularityDialer.com is a service meant for alleviating awkward social situations and creating confidence in its users. Please do not abuse it." Way. Too. Funny. But, also, most people have friends or family members who will do this very same thing for you. Although, to be honest, I'm guessing this system is just a tad more reliable. (via)
An Environmental-Friendly Google
Google has launched Blackle, which is basically Google in Black... the Google search engine with a black background designed to save energy. On the site, there is a running count of how many watt hours are saved from this... apparently, it uses more power to show white screens than it does to show dark screens. I kind of like it and will probably use it; I even found a Mozilla add-on for it!
Monday, July 23, 2007
Monday meme: Laundry
It's been awhile since I did one of these but here goes:
1. Do you do your own laundry or do you send it out? Do my own, of course.
2. Do you laundry at your home or a laundromat? At home, thank god we have a washer & dryer in the apartment. I hate laundromats.
3. Are there certain articles of clothing that you need to have dry-cleaned on a regular basis? Well, yes, certain items I have like dress pants or dresses require dry cleaning. The "regular" part is the thing that's tough, though. I definitely do not go to the dry cleaners regularly, more like once every six months or so.
4. How often do you do laundry? Is there a certain day of the week that you consider "laundry day?" No set "laundry day" or time period. I guess generally I do laundry every 2-3 weeks, unless I want something specifically cleaned before that.
5. Do you iron your clothes as you pull them out of the dryer or do you wait until just before you wear the clothing to iron? Well, usually the latter although I sometimes try to do a bunch of ironing at once, like on some Sunday nights I've been known to iron all the clothes I'll wear that week. I kind of like to iron. Even whenI do that, though, it is NOT right after I pull them out of the dryer.
6. Do you hang your clothes outside to dry or do you dry them in a dryer? About 90% of them I dry in the dryer but there are a few pieces that I dry on a drying rack.
7. Do you own things that need to be hand-washed or do you try to avoid buying things that you can't wash in the washing machine? I try to avoid buying things that need to be dry cleaned but I don't mind the hand washing part too much. I tend to put "hand wash only" items in the washer anyway. To be honest, though, I rarely think to look at the washing instructions of something before I buy it.
(via)
1. Do you do your own laundry or do you send it out? Do my own, of course.
2. Do you laundry at your home or a laundromat? At home, thank god we have a washer & dryer in the apartment. I hate laundromats.
3. Are there certain articles of clothing that you need to have dry-cleaned on a regular basis? Well, yes, certain items I have like dress pants or dresses require dry cleaning. The "regular" part is the thing that's tough, though. I definitely do not go to the dry cleaners regularly, more like once every six months or so.
4. How often do you do laundry? Is there a certain day of the week that you consider "laundry day?" No set "laundry day" or time period. I guess generally I do laundry every 2-3 weeks, unless I want something specifically cleaned before that.
5. Do you iron your clothes as you pull them out of the dryer or do you wait until just before you wear the clothing to iron? Well, usually the latter although I sometimes try to do a bunch of ironing at once, like on some Sunday nights I've been known to iron all the clothes I'll wear that week. I kind of like to iron. Even whenI do that, though, it is NOT right after I pull them out of the dryer.
6. Do you hang your clothes outside to dry or do you dry them in a dryer? About 90% of them I dry in the dryer but there are a few pieces that I dry on a drying rack.
7. Do you own things that need to be hand-washed or do you try to avoid buying things that you can't wash in the washing machine? I try to avoid buying things that need to be dry cleaned but I don't mind the hand washing part too much. I tend to put "hand wash only" items in the washer anyway. To be honest, though, I rarely think to look at the washing instructions of something before I buy it.
(via)
Bit of a scare
My dad collapsed (fainted?) while he and my mom were out to brunch yesterday. He told her he didn't feel well and the next thing she knew, he was down on the floor. Someone called 911 and they eventually took him to the hospital. By the time the paramedics arrived, however, my dad was awake and seemed to be relatively fine, although clearly it is not ideal when a 60-year-old man passes out for some unknown reason and they took him to the hospital. My mom was kind of a wreck, though, and called me all crying and worried. It made me sad that I couldn't be there for her. She calmed down eventually and I finally got in touch with my brother, thinking he could go sit with her, but nope. My dad called me after he was released and they apparently couldn't find anything wrong with him (other than a big lump on his head from when he fell) but he is going to see his regular doctor for a checkup today.
I'm really glad things are okay but I'm not particularly pleased with my brother. He was only 30 minutes away and he couldn't go be with my mom as she waited to find out what was wrong with my dad? This is only the latest in a long line of selfish behavior from him, though, so I guess I shouldn't be too surprised.
I'm really glad things are okay but I'm not particularly pleased with my brother. He was only 30 minutes away and he couldn't go be with my mom as she waited to find out what was wrong with my dad? This is only the latest in a long line of selfish behavior from him, though, so I guess I shouldn't be too surprised.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
I guess this is a compliment???
Yesterday, when I was down in the mail room of our building getting our mail, a man who was also getting his mail struck up a conversation with me, primarily about whether or not he was going to go to Virginia Beach for the weekend. At the end of the conversation, he asked me where I was from originally. I told him Cleveland, OH. I assumed he was going to say something about my accent or something. But, instead, he said he would have guessed I was from the south because I seemed so laid back. Umm, thanks?
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Car nightmare
So I had this horrible dream last night where I was at a gas station and some other person at the gas station noted what horrible condition my car was in... I looked and sure enough, there were scratches all over it and an actual hole of missing metal from the front hood!! Dream Cheri couldn't believe that she had never noticed it before and it was one of those times when you wake up immediately afterwards and think that it was real. Of course it wasn't (I checked when I got to my car!), but I don't need a dream like that when I have to get rid of my leased car in the next month or so!!
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Mexican potluck
We are having our second potluck lunch in two weeks next week in celebration of someone leaving our office. Well, I don't know if we are exactly "celebrating" her leaving, but you get it. It's a goodbye party. Anyway, this one has a Mexican theme so we have to make Mexican things. What the heck am I going to make?
Another successful eBay auction
I love selling stuff on eBay!
I just put up two paperback Harry Potter books, trying to capitalize off of the new book coming out this week and sold them for $9.00!! Nine bucks for two used paperback books, one of which retailed for $9 when it was new (the other retailed for $10). I started the bidding at like $1.50 or something and would've been fine selling them for that! I'm pretty sure they were bought new at Costco, which discounts books like 40% or so as it is. So I nearly sold them for what I paid. Yay!
I just put up two paperback Harry Potter books, trying to capitalize off of the new book coming out this week and sold them for $9.00!! Nine bucks for two used paperback books, one of which retailed for $9 when it was new (the other retailed for $10). I started the bidding at like $1.50 or something and would've been fine selling them for that! I'm pretty sure they were bought new at Costco, which discounts books like 40% or so as it is. So I nearly sold them for what I paid. Yay!
Monday, July 16, 2007
Celebrity Apprentice?
I haven't really watched The Apprentice in years other than an episode here and there but apparently, they are going to do a celebrity version of it this year so I'm definitely in. I love watching celebrities do anything out of their comfort zone so I try to never miss shows like Celebrity Jeopardy or even Dancing with the Stars. While I find the idea kind of exciting, I have to say that I don't really get why celebrities would want to be on that show. They won't seriously be competing for a job with Donald Trump, will they? Unless it is as host of Miss America or something... I hope they get a bunch of comedians who really don't take the job seriously and give Donald Trump a hard time. He's such an egotistical ass. (via)
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Happy Birthday Brian!
Today is my brother's birthday! Happy birthday to him! Here's a picture of him with his son from last August.
Monday, July 09, 2007
NetFlix for Books
I just read an article about two companies that offer a "NetFlix for books" model... a user pays a certain amount for a monthly fee, gets so many books out at a time for an unlimited period, creates a queue, gets a new book once a book is returned, etc....
It's interesting that people would be willing to pay for that service when public libraries give books to users for FREE! While not an unlimited period of time, it's still usually a couple of months if you renew. If it takes you that long to read a book, it probably wasn't worth reading in the first place! Sure, it can be nice to have books delivered to your doorstep, which most libraries do not offer (although I have seen libraries who will do this), but often they can be waiting for you at the front desk so you need only walk a few feet inside the door.
Another reason I find it interesting is that having worked at a circulation desk before, I know that many people bitch and moan about having to pay five or ten cent fines when they don't return their books on time. It surprises me that people would be willing to pay $20 or more each month to get books.
Here are two options: BookSwim and Booksfree.com
It's interesting that people would be willing to pay for that service when public libraries give books to users for FREE! While not an unlimited period of time, it's still usually a couple of months if you renew. If it takes you that long to read a book, it probably wasn't worth reading in the first place! Sure, it can be nice to have books delivered to your doorstep, which most libraries do not offer (although I have seen libraries who will do this), but often they can be waiting for you at the front desk so you need only walk a few feet inside the door.
Another reason I find it interesting is that having worked at a circulation desk before, I know that many people bitch and moan about having to pay five or ten cent fines when they don't return their books on time. It surprises me that people would be willing to pay $20 or more each month to get books.
Here are two options: BookSwim and Booksfree.com
Back in DC after nearly a week away!
I went home for an extra long weekend, nearly a week really (Tuesday to Sunday), and saw my family! We watched fireworks from the backyard of my brother's in-laws on July 4th and then all celebrated my nephew's 2nd birthday on July 6th. The lucky guy got lots of great presents, including a basketball hoop!! I'm so jealous; I always wanted a basketball hoop. I also visited with my brother's cat, who has been banished to their basement because in his quest for attention, he has started using their couch as a litter box. Poor guy. I wish I could bring him here to live with me. While I'm no pet expert, I do think he's just starved for attention. It used to be just him and my brother; then came a dog, then came a wife, then came a baby.
While at home, I also got some birthday presents of my own! And, met a friend for dinner one night. Did some shopping. I think I finally am satisfied with my work wardrobe and will not have to wear the same outfits every week.
I also FINALLY finished the book I'd been reading for what had to be months. I started it while I was still in school so that explains what took me awhile at first, even though I did like it in the beginning. Then, I just lost interest in it. Although it got rave reviews from multiple sources, I just found it kind of boring, so much so that I didn't want to read more than a few pages at a time. I was far enough along, though, that I wanted to finish it. And the ending sucked. Now, I can move on to reading some of the books I got for free at the ALA conference a couple weeks ago!!
Anyway, then it took me over 8 hours to get home, even though it really should only take between 5 1/2 and 6. Traffic was just congested everywhere. Yuck. So I got in kind of late last night and now I'm kind of bogged down at work, trying to catch up. I have a bunch of emails (work and personal) to sift through.
While at home, I also got some birthday presents of my own! And, met a friend for dinner one night. Did some shopping. I think I finally am satisfied with my work wardrobe and will not have to wear the same outfits every week.
I also FINALLY finished the book I'd been reading for what had to be months. I started it while I was still in school so that explains what took me awhile at first, even though I did like it in the beginning. Then, I just lost interest in it. Although it got rave reviews from multiple sources, I just found it kind of boring, so much so that I didn't want to read more than a few pages at a time. I was far enough along, though, that I wanted to finish it. And the ending sucked. Now, I can move on to reading some of the books I got for free at the ALA conference a couple weeks ago!!
Anyway, then it took me over 8 hours to get home, even though it really should only take between 5 1/2 and 6. Traffic was just congested everywhere. Yuck. So I got in kind of late last night and now I'm kind of bogged down at work, trying to catch up. I have a bunch of emails (work and personal) to sift through.
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Short Stories Online
This link looks promising for someone interested in reading a short story by a famous author. On the home page, the stories are listed alphabetically by title and the bibliography page includes word counts, in case you are looking for a shorter one because you only have a few minutes. Could be useful during a lunch break! (via)
Monday, July 02, 2007
21st century movie renting
I am now officially a NetFlix subscriber, although I guess we'll see how my 30-day free trial goes before I commit to actually paying them. I have no idea when I'm going to fit in non-stop movie watching but I'll give it a try. Since I'm going home for nearly a week, I thought to change my address to my parents' address to receive my first three movies there... not sure if the address change went into effect before my movies got shipped, though. I should have done that from the outset. But the feeling I have with Netflix is the one I had when I worked at the bookstore and could check out anything or when I'm at a library, one of 'I'll try anything!' I mean, I've already added all kinds of crazy stuff to my queue, stuff that I would never dream of renting if I had to actually pay for each individual item at a video store.
Then, there's RedBox. I never heard of it until I moved here, maybe it's new, but the RedBox machines are basically in grocery stores and McDonalds. Movies cost $1.00 a day; you can return them to any RedBox, even in different states; you can preorder them online or browse available titles at the store. It seems like it's pretty new release-heavy so if you are into older titles, it obviously isn't for you, but it seems like a great deal if you are hankering for a certain new movie that night. The other thing is that if you keep a movie for 25 days, you don't need to return it; it becomes yours (well, you've paid $25 for it at that point). I really don't see the downside to it and I might end up canceling NetFlix and using RedBox, or doing a combination of both: NetFlix for TV shows on DVD and RedBox for new releases. I do have a full slate of cable movie channels, too. And On Demand.
Then, there's RedBox. I never heard of it until I moved here, maybe it's new, but the RedBox machines are basically in grocery stores and McDonalds. Movies cost $1.00 a day; you can return them to any RedBox, even in different states; you can preorder them online or browse available titles at the store. It seems like it's pretty new release-heavy so if you are into older titles, it obviously isn't for you, but it seems like a great deal if you are hankering for a certain new movie that night. The other thing is that if you keep a movie for 25 days, you don't need to return it; it becomes yours (well, you've paid $25 for it at that point). I really don't see the downside to it and I might end up canceling NetFlix and using RedBox, or doing a combination of both: NetFlix for TV shows on DVD and RedBox for new releases. I do have a full slate of cable movie channels, too. And On Demand.
Holiday Greetings from Southwest
I got an e-card for the 4th of July from Southwest Airlines! This amuses me, for some reason.
Friday, June 29, 2007
Trouble for a relationship or not?
Here's a chance for all my readers to jump in with advice or opinions...
So, my roommate was telling me last night of a time when she was in Cleveland (her mom was in the hospital there) and decided to look up an old college friend, Eric, who she knew lived in the Cleveland area. She hadn't seen this guy in a few years and they had been pretty good friends in college, but had never dated and had just lost touch. Well, she found his info, called his number and got a voicemail or answering machine message that said something like, "You have reached the home of Eric and Danielle..." She immediately hung up and decided that she wasn't going to leave a message and get Eric in trouble.
My question is, seriously? Am I in the minority here for thinking that Eric having an old friend, a female, contact him out of the blue because she was in town while her mom was in the hospital, is not a big deal and certainly not a relationship killer? Would someone seriously get mad about that? I do see how it could be trouble potentially for a guy you are with to have a really close relationship with another female but are you seriously going to prevent and get mad about every female he might come into contact with, even those that occurred before even meeting you? Does an out-of-the-blue phone call from someone you might not even know immediately spell trouble? I don't know; it sounds ridiculous to me. I'd be thrilled to receive a message from an old friend I've lost touch with, guy or girl, and would never expect that it would spell doom for my current relationship. But, then again, I am single, have been treated like crap by most guys I have dated and am probably pretty naive, so what do I know?
So, my roommate was telling me last night of a time when she was in Cleveland (her mom was in the hospital there) and decided to look up an old college friend, Eric, who she knew lived in the Cleveland area. She hadn't seen this guy in a few years and they had been pretty good friends in college, but had never dated and had just lost touch. Well, she found his info, called his number and got a voicemail or answering machine message that said something like, "You have reached the home of Eric and Danielle..." She immediately hung up and decided that she wasn't going to leave a message and get Eric in trouble.
My question is, seriously? Am I in the minority here for thinking that Eric having an old friend, a female, contact him out of the blue because she was in town while her mom was in the hospital, is not a big deal and certainly not a relationship killer? Would someone seriously get mad about that? I do see how it could be trouble potentially for a guy you are with to have a really close relationship with another female but are you seriously going to prevent and get mad about every female he might come into contact with, even those that occurred before even meeting you? Does an out-of-the-blue phone call from someone you might not even know immediately spell trouble? I don't know; it sounds ridiculous to me. I'd be thrilled to receive a message from an old friend I've lost touch with, guy or girl, and would never expect that it would spell doom for my current relationship. But, then again, I am single, have been treated like crap by most guys I have dated and am probably pretty naive, so what do I know?
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