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?

29 traffic lights

This morning, on my way to work, I decided to count how many traffic lights I pass and could therefore potentially get stopped at in my six mile drive to work. Yep, 29 traffic lights in 6 miles. It's kind of ridiculous, no? And that's the route I've determined is quickest to work, too.

Optimum sleep

This sounds especially good to me since I'm in need of sleep but here's a Bedtime Beats CD, which is supposedly scientifically proven to lead to a more restful and satisfying sleep if listening to it before bed. (via)

I should get one of these, but I think I would smash it

The Runaway Alarm Clock is an alarm clock on wheels that, once snooze is hit, rolls away and hides and continues to emit noises to encourage sleepers to get out of bed!! Last thing I need when I want to hit snooze is something continuing to make noises at me AND something that hides so that I have to waste extra precious time in the morning trying to find the damn thing to turn it off. I have to say, though, it's unique! (via)

Librarian in Iraq

They are looking for a cataloging librarian in Kurdistan. While I think it's admirable and useful to create a new independent public university in Iraq as part of reconstruction efforts, I certainly don't want to work there! No way! Here is the job description:

The University of Kurdistan Hawler (UKH) is a new independent public university in the city of Erbil in the Federal Region of Kurdistan in Iraq, funded by the Kurdistan Regional Government. The UKH was established to play a leading role in the reform and modernization of higher education and in the reconstruction and development of a vibrant civil society and culture in Kurdistan. The University aims to build a world-class school with an international orientation. It offers B.A., B.Sc., M.A., M.Sc. and Ph.D. programmes in Economics and Finance, Business and Management, Politics and International Relations, Sociology, Information Technology, Modern History and Petroleum Technology. It also houses a number of research centres organized and led by specialist staff in the University. The language of teaching and research is English.

We are looking for a Cataloguing Librarian to join the Library team, with expert knowledge of cataloguing systems, several years’ experience of work in academic libraries, and the ability to work effectively as part of a team, as well as managing a section. The successful candidate will be an expert user of all modules of the library's automated system, and of the OCLC cataloguing utility. You will be expected to perform full original cataloguing of books and materials using MARC format, LC subject headings, etc., to prepare cataloguing data for input, and to assign codes and tags accurately. You will also be responsible for ensuring that staff are appropriately trained and informed, and for supervising and reviewing cataloguing done by subordinates. You will work with departmental colleagues, Acquisitions/Serials, and Public Services areas so that materials flow smoothly and rapidly through the system to the shelves, and you will prepare and provide statistical and other reports to the library administration. You will have energy, ideas, and enthusiasm for the development and maintenance of the new library.

The appointment will be for two years in the first instance, renewable by mutual agreement, starting in September 2007 or as soon as possible thereafter. Our international faculty members are offered excellent remuneration (tax-free), free accommodation and other benefits.

Buzztime trivia

I'm a huge fan of trivia contests and Buzztime is the company that puts out the bar/restaurant trivia games that play on the TV. You get a game box thingy, questions come up on the TV screen and then you play against other players at the bar or restaurant. SO fun! They also have an in-home version. Well, now I realized that they have a cable television version if you are lucky enough to basically live in a few areas of Pennsylvania and Virginia. And guess what? I do! So I played a lot all weekend. But I seemed to be the only one playing as my player ranking was always 1 of 1. They need to advertise it better because I just happened upon the information.

Trapped in my own parking lot

I was furious yesterday when I came out to go to work in the morning (late already, of course, having been up really late Thursday night watching the Cavs get swept from the Finals) and found my car trapped by a car parked by the valet guy. I don't even understand why there is a valet service at my apartment complex (although my roommate explained to me last night that it's basically because there are way too many tenants and nowhere near enough spots for those tenants to park) but this car was perpendicular behind mine and therefore, I was stuck. And angry. Well, the valet guy was nowhere to be found, even though a couple neighbors saw me waiting and said he works until 8 am. This was about 7:30. The woman parked next to me came out maybe ten minutes after I did and she was mostly trapped too, although if she was skilled at maneuvering her SUV out of tight spaces, she might be able to get hers out. If hers was gone, I could probably get mine out too. She tried and gave up, though, so we needed this car moved!!!

I went back to waiting for the valet guy when finally someone (another tenant) came out and told me that the valet guy was gone... the telltale sign being that the board with keys was gone. Oh. So I head to our building's front desk, where the keys are taken when he leaves, and no one is there. Apparently no one comes on duty there until 8am. Apparently, if you need to get your keys before 8 am and after whatever random time the valet guy decides to leave, you are out of luck. At about 8am, the woman working at the front desk shows up and has already detected the problem herself and tells me she is going to call a tow truck because she already knows that she can't get ahold of the valet guy. Umm, why not just try to track down the resident whose car is blocking mine? She says that she is not able to access the computer until 10am, when office hours officially start. Are you f'ing kidding me? Well, surprise surprise, the tow truck says it isn't going to come move a car that's legally in a parking lot, albeit blocking another car. So, I'm like, can't we just get the key and move the car ourselves? Finally, the woman agrees and sends me out to get the number off the valet sticker.

When I get out to the parking lot again, the woman parked next to me is gone! Some other helpful neighbor tells me he helped her get her car out and can help me too. First, I run back inside to tell the front desk woman that I should be able to get out and give her the number off the valet tag. I stay long enough to see that there is no key for that tag... which I guess explains why the car hadn't been moved, the valet guy had lost the key!! Anyway, that wasn't my problem. But this great guy helped me get my car out and finally, I was off to work, 45 minutes later. Boy was I pissed about it all. Still am, actually.

When I got home from work, I ran into the assistant manager and complained to her. She was nice and told me to write up what had happened and give it to her since she'd been looking to get the valet guys fired already. She reaffirmed that the valet guy is supposed to be there until 8am so right there, the major problem was that he was gone early. Whatever, though. I'm glad I got to complain but boy, how ridiculous. Just another example of why I hate this apartment complex.

Why I love this picture....

So, first you have to go here and look at this picture from the Cavs-Spurs NBA Finals game the other night in Cleveland. It's of Eva Longoria, who has been described as the face of the San Antonio Spurs simply because she's engaged to one of the players on the team and therefore goes to as many games as she can. What cracks me up in this picture is not that some dope in the stands took this picture of her but that all you really notice is all the other dopes nearby also apparently taking pictures of her with their camera phones.

Cool site! Trulia Hindsight

Trulia Hindsight is a tool that shows real estate development over time in a given area. Input a zip code or a street name and watch the map depict real estate growth over time with dots on the map. The map populates as the area was populated. In the city where my brother lives, it's interesting to see how houses popped up further east as time went on and then, in the last 50 years or so, there has been virtually no new homes constructed. On the other hand, in the city where my parents live, population growth has boomed in the last few decades and this map shows how the city grew in clumps - all the new construction is within subdivisions. It's very interesting and my words don't do it justice. (via)

Flavored water right from the tap!

I'm not really a fan of flavored water but I still think this new product from PUR is pretty cool. The PUR purifying filter that you attach to your faucet is now available in a format that can be loaded with "flavor cartridges" so if you want regular water out of your tap, you can have it but if you want strawberry-flavored water out of your tap, you can have that too! Three flavors are available now. (via)

You know you're a Clevelander when...

...you know every famous and pseudo-famous person who is from or spent a great number of years in Cleveland. I'm guessing that people from other cities cannot name all celebrities who are from their hometown. Clevelanders take pride when one of their own makes it famous, though.

That being said, my first thought during Sunday's NBA Finals game when the camera spotted actor Terrence Howard in the stands seated next to Eva Longoria was, "What the hell? He's from Cleveland and he's wearing s SPURS jersey!!" Evidently, I was not alone as I have heard that very same infraction pointed out on nearly every Cleveland sports radio talk show. Heh.

Home Improvement How-To

I'm surprised at how much information is given away for free at this Home Improvement Encyclopedia site from Better Homes & Gardens. Instructions are provided for tons of home how-to projects. There are also videos to watch. If you don't mind the constant 'subscribe to our magazine' pop-up window, you can get a lot of info! (via)

Go green next time you move

Oh right, I don't think I know anyone who moves anywhere near as much as I do. Anyway, this web site, UsedCardboardBoxes.com, recycles and reuses cardboard boxes and then sells them to you cheaply to prevent you from having to go to U-Haul and spend a fortune. I guess, having never price compared, I don't know that it's that cheap but it seems pretty cheap to me, particularly because shipping is included. You basically get all you need to pack up your crap in one shipment of recycled, yet sturdy boxes! (via)

I Want One: Cereal on the Go

When I first saw this, I thought, "Hmm, why do I need to buy a special container to take cereal to work?" After all, I have something similar from Rubbermaid or Tupperware that I bought specifically for this purpose a few years back. Upon further reflection, though, I realized that this is way cooler than anything I've bought or even seen before. The part that stores the milk unscrews from the bowl part and can be kept frozen to keep the milk cold, plus a spoon snaps into the lid! Plus, it's only $4.99. What a deal! (via)

I Want to go to Vegas!!

So, in the last 48 hours, I have developed a strong urge to go to Las Vegas. I was looking through my postcard collection and saw all the ones I have from Vegas... then there's my two coworkers who just got back from Vegas... then there was a scene in Knocked Up (which I saw Friday night) where the characters go to Vegas... then I was watching some of Reunited: The Real World Vegas.... so everything is screaming 'VEGAS' to me. I want to go!! But, alas, I can't go now. I'm too new at my job to take time off like that!

Fair division?

Yesterday, when I came home from the grocery store and was putting my dairy products, etc... into the refrigerator, I realized what a fair distribution of the refrigerator my roommate has given me. There are three shelves - she has two of them. There are two drawers/vegetable bins - she has both of them. There are two shelves on the door - she has both of them. Yes, that certainly seems fair. It's not so much that she won't give me any more room, it's that she has SO much food in there that it takes up all that space, leaving me with only one shelf. I kind of don't get how one person has so much food (the refrigerator is the tip of the iceberg - don't get me started on the pantry). I have seen whole families with far less food in their refrigerator. Keep in mind that we've only lived in this apartment since May 1st and that about 90% of its contents got moved from her previous refrigerator. Moving perishable food, especially that much of it, has to be a big no-no of moving.

Commonly misspelled words

This site points out some, well, as my title suggests, commonly misspelled words. I'm a pretty good speller (despite losing my fifth grade spelling bee competition on the word 'rambunctious') so maybe I'm not a good gauge (on the list) of misspellings but I would say that maybe only 1 or 2 on the list has ever given me trouble. Is 'library' that difficult to spell? (I do like the tip that tells you not to forget to pronounce the first 'r'). Or 'weather'? (via)

Cool product? Pedicure Sandals

These sandals take the idea of flip-flop or thong a bit further. Instead of just having a strap between two toes, these have straps between all the toes to make it easy to do a pedicure. What an interesting idea! (via)

Eastern Conference CHAMPIONS

The Cavs WON!!! YAY!!! They are going to the NBA Finals! How totally unbelievable! How incredibly exciting! And perhaps the best part is that it wasn't even a nail-biter. It was a foregone conclusion by the middle of the fourth quarter.