More bad news

Also today, I got a phone call from the place near DC that had a job fair a couple weeks ago. The woman called and asked me to come for an interview on Monday. I can't go on Monday! Of all the days on the calendar, the only day I could not do an interview is Monday. I already have another appointment Monday afternoon. Here in Cleveland, of course. So I asked her if we could do it another day and she said no.

I'm kind of annoyed by it all. When I went to the job fair, she specifically told me that they call people in for interviews and give them a lot of advance warning, like two weeks! When she told me, I thought, "Hmm, that's a lot of notice!" Also, I didn't believe her! So what happens? She calls Thursday afternoon and wants me to come in two days. You know, not counting the weekend. Besides the fact that I'm coming from out of town, isn't that a ridiculously little amount of notice? I've found that to be the case for a few jobs I've interviewed for... "You come the day we say or you don't come at all." I just don't understand that mindset. I guess they feel they have a plethora of good candidates and can afford to eliminate people who are so inflexible that they can't make it the one day set aside for them but in my mind, it doesn't exactly create good will. Do I want to work for an employer who is so rigid and inflexible that they can't even set aside TWO days to possibly interview you? Not especially.

Oops! Password Incorrect

I'm supposed to be working with Dialog, an online database, for my one class. I guess it's been a few weeks now that we were supposed to be checking it out, although last week was the first week in which the lecture specifically called for using it. Well, I've been keeping up with all the readings. I've followed along with the assignments in our Dialog workbook. I watched the Dialog tutorial we were given. I just hadn't yet signed in to Dialog (as part of the class, I might add... I have used Dialog before in one of my internships). So, technically I am only a week behind in the lecture and am not behind at all in the readings.

I'll cut to the chase, as you guys can probably see where I'm headed. When I tried to log in to Dialog today to do last week's and this week's lecture, I couldn't get in. Seems my password is invalid. I must have tried it thirty times, at least. Although I wrote it down very clearly, I even tried changing the 's' to a '5' and the '1' to an 'l' and that sort of thing. Nothing's worked. So, umm, I had to email my professor and admit I haven't logged in yet this semester and now I can't get in. How embarrassing!

She honestly shouldn't care because it's clear I have been keeping up with the other assignments but she is kind of an idiot and a hypocrite (remember when I bitched about her criticising my grammar when hers is far from stellar?) so I am a little worried about her reaction. But oh well, what can I do?

Two final things. I just KNEW this was going to happen. I just had a feeling about it. From the moment she sent it, I knew I should really logon to just try it and I never did. All we've heard is how expensive it is to use Dialog. We even had to sign an agreement that we were only going to use it for school purposes. So, I just figured I didn't want to sign on until I was ready to dedicate some time to really exploring the database. But, that leads to my final comment. That time I dedicated was today and instead I have to wait and wait to hear back from her about it and use this time to do something else I wasn't planning on doing! Ugh.

American Idol Wednesday

Since I made projections for the guys this week, I might as well make some for the girls, too. I know most people kind of assume that Antonella is going to go home, but I'm not sure. She got SO much screentime during the auditions and Hollywood week, that I think she has fans... tonedeaf fans to be sure, but fans nonetheless. And, also, I think that Haley Scarnato might have garnered some votes today by crying after the judges berated her. So, I'm going to guess that Alaina and Leslie might get voted out, although that would make me kind of sad because I like them both a lot for some reason. But, I might be wrong and it might be Alaina and Haley. Or maybe Antonella will go as is deserved.

Speaking of Leslie, am I wrong or does she look a lot like Lisi from Survivor: Fiji? That's kind of a bad picture of Lisi but seriously, they could be sisters. And, as evidenced tonight, they both speak gibberish too!

Geek Hierarchy Chart

Who is the geekiest of the geeks? This chart offers an answer. And, let me add, I think I'm embarrassed to see how low on the chart some guys I've dated would place. (via)

To Florida for Spring Break

I've got an interview in Palm Beach, Florida, the week after next so I get to go to Florida in mid-March! I think it is actually during my spring break, although I'm sure I won't have time to hit the beach. Or to go to a spring training baseball game. I'll be there Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday morning. And, the best part, the company is paying for it all. I'm really psyched!

American Idol Tuesday

Did anyone else think it was weird that in a show where they were supposed to "dedicate" a song to someone, Jared Cotter chose to dedicate "Let's Get it On" to his parents? I was highly amused by that.

Overall, I think the guys obviously did better than last week. I think that Nick Pedro, Jared or AJ Tabaldo will probably be the two guys going home - not necessarily because they were the worst singers last night, but because they are lacking personality and storylines. I mean, come on, did we even see Jared before last week? Or AJ, even though he's apparently tried out five times! Personally, though, I'd like to see Sanjaya and Sundance heading home. I guess we'll find out tomorrow!

Bob Woodruff special

Last night, ABC aired the first report from journalist Bob Woodruff, who was the victim of a bomb attack when he was in Iraq last year. He had severe brain injuries, was unconscious for 36 days but has made a major recovery. His special told of his recovery as well as served to show how many wounded soldiers there are, what kind of care they are getting (or not getting) and basically how the government is covering up all of the injuries. It was a really interesting piece. You can watch it here.

Create a Dollhouse out of Your Home

FAO Schwarz will miniaturize your home and turn it into a dollhouse for your child - with a starting price of $10,000! My dad did this exact thing for me one Christmas when I was little. It was ultra cool and an excellent replica - the only problem was that he never really finished it (although that actually makes it more realistic, since there are many elements of our home that are still not finished) so I never used it. I don't even know what became of it. I also know that it took him some time and effort but nowhere near $10,000! (via)

I'm not the only one who loves Minesweeper

As a former Minesweeper addict (with the 'former' easily turning into a 'current' again should I ever have a job where I'm restricted to a cubicle again) not to mention a Minesweeper expert, I enjoyed skimming this history of Minesweeper and am glad to see it is included in the new Microsoft Vista software. I did not know there were competitive Minesweeper sites, though, and might have to check them out. My scores on Minesweeper always kicked ass. More than one person has been impressed by my best times! (via)

Are you smarter than a fifth grader?

The new game show that is debuting on FOX this week pits fifth graders against, well, older people. This article lists some sample questions. I got 9 out of 10 right, so I was pleased with myself. (via)

I Want One: Heat-Emitting Mouse

No joke, this is probably one of the best inventions ever. This mouse emits heat so your hands (well, one hand anyway) stay warm while you're using the computer. Seriously, way cool for someone who always has cold hands. It's only $23, too!

In a funk

I don't know what it is but I've been in kind of a funk the last couple of days. Not even going out shopping this afternoon really cheered me up! Macy's had a pretty good sale, with all marked down items an extra 50% off and even if I don't buy anything, seeing and trying on pretty new things usually makes me feel a little better but not really today.

I did have an enjoyable visit to Half Price Books, though. Y'all can make fun of me but I bought the Britney Spears Greatest Hits CD and Pink's debut CD. Both cost $1.00. What a deal, right? I love Half Price Books.

Free Mammograms

I know I've seen this site before and have participated but it is important to remember to do so more often. Click on the 'Fund Free Mammograms' block to help provide a free mammogram to women in need. It can be done every single day! I think I'll add a link on my sidebar.

Studio 60 likely never coming back

NBC show Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip was pulled from the schedule early - it was supposed to stop airing next week but instead aired its last episode yesterday - and the rumors are that it will likely not come back, not even for the final six episodes it was guaranteed. I watched the show and didn't mind it (primarily because I'll watch Matthew Perry do anything!) but this article does a really good job at hitting at what the show's problems were. (via)

Ah, sweet Colby

My all-time favorite Survivor contestant, Colby Donaldson, from Season 2: The Australian Outback (yes, the same season that brought us The View's Elisabeth and Reality TV's "queen" Amber Brkich Mariano) has apparently lined up a gig on The Rachael Ray Show. Ugh. I detest Rachael Ray. She is so annoying. I actually saw that he was supposed to be on today and debated about whether seeing him was higher on my 'to do' list than 'Avoid Rachael Ray.' In fact, the latter was higher and I did not tune in (plus, I forgot) but now that I see he is going to be on regularly, well, I'm just not sure what to do. He's so cute!

Science vs. Faith flowcharts

I saw these flowcharts online and they really made me laugh, especially the step "Ignore contradicting evidence" in the faith one. Also, they totally made me think of some of my very agnostic friends. (via)

Cool site? Healthline Symptom Search

I've actually tried to find something like this before and had no luck so I'm happy to find this site that allows you to put in symptoms that you are feeling and it makes some suggestions as to what your illness could be. For instance, I put in 'headache' and got 129 possible illnesses, including, of course, just a simple pain in the head. Identifying a health disorder based on symptoms seems the best way to go about finding out what might be wrong. (via)

Out of Town the last few days

So in case anyone was wondering where I was for the last few days, I was out of town for job interviews! I went to Washington DC for an interview with a law firm and also to attend a job fair at a public library.

I think the interview at the law firm went pretty well and I really would like the job so it's kind of exciting. I think he liked me but well, for one thing, I'm trying to prevent getting too excited about anything job-related nowadays. And, also, you never know even if they like you, it doesn't mean they don't like someone else better. But it would be a great learning opportunity for a few years that could lead to me going elsewhere as a real skilled law librarian. It's an awesome location too, directly across the street from a Metro stop in downtown DC, in a beautiful, gorgeous office.

The job fair, however, was kind of a waste of my time. I knew that they were also accepting applications by mail and could have just called to have an application sent to me but I really felt showing up in person would be beneficial. However, they barely wanted to speak to me and seemed not impressed at all that I had traveled from Ohio to see them. But, who knows? Maybe it did help and I will get a call for an interview in a few weeks.

Aggravated with a capital 'A'

My first assignment for my one class was given back to me graded today. And, umm, I'm aggravated because even though I got an okay grade on it (95/100), she made ALL these grammatical "corrections" on it and they weren't even correct! I think pretty much the first rule of grammar that we all learned as youngsters was to match the subject to the verb; in other words, if your subject is plural, so should your verb be plural. Maybe I've been wrong all these years... but in my experience, "Options are: a, b, c and d." is more correct than "Options is: a, b, c and d." She made these kinds of "corrections" at least three times in my two-page paper! I just don't understand... am I supposed to point out to her that she is an idiot? Probaby not, right? I also might be more accommodating of her corrections if her lectures each week weren't chock-full of typos and grammatical inaccuracies. Like, how dare she even feel she has the right to comment on my grammar with the way she butchers it every week in her lectures. Also, I don't think she is a native English speaker so maybe she might want to refrain from correcting those who are native English speakers... UGH!

American Idol in Hollywood

Did anyone watch tonight's American Idol who also watched the Grammy Awards and noticed that the girl who won that 'My Grammy Moment' American Idol ripoff and got to sing with Justin Timberlake also had made it to the Hollywood round... but got sent home tonight. But she got about two seconds of air time, in the group round, she was in the group with Sundance Head. It was two girls and Sundance; Sundance got to stay but the two girls were both sent home.

I had read this article earlier today and figured that because of her evasiveness, she had clearly made it to Hollywood. Obviously if she was still in the running for Idol, she probably wouldn't have even been able to try for the Grammy contest. So I imagined she would get sent home. A lot of people get sent home without us ever seeing them on camera, though. Anyway, I think she'd probably agree that things worked out well for her, at least so far. She sounded pretty good with Justin. You can see them perform from here. (You have to click on the link that says Justin Duet Video). She also cleans up nice!

Day Ten of 10 days of Valentine's Day-themed quizzes:

Two for Tuesday. Two quizzes, two very similar responses!!

Your Candy Heart Says "Get Real"




You're a bit of a cynic when it comes to love.
You don't lose your head, and hardly anyone penetrates your heart.
Your ideal Valentine's Day date: is all about the person you're seeing (with no mentions of v-day!)
Your flirting style: honest and even slightly sarcastic
What turns you off: romantic expectations and "greeting card" holidays
Why you're hot: you don't just play hard to get - you are hard to get

What Does Your Candy Heart Say?

Your Candy Heart Is "WHAT EVA"

Valentine's Day makes you a little sick And not just from eating too much candy You're opposed to the commercial celebration of couple-dom It's not all about love - and love is not all about overpriced flowers!

What Candy Conversation Heart Are You?

Speaking of soaps...

Starting this summer, SoapNet has announced it is going to offer its first original, scripted program - a spin-off of General Hospital called General Hospital: Night Shift. It will follow some of the characters on General Hospital as they work the night shift. The ones who actually work at the hospital, I presume.

Yeah, just what I need. Like I haven't been addicted to General Hospital for twenty years already, now you have to add another show with some of the same characters? You KNOW I'm going to tune in, at least at first. But if it really is the same characters, won't their storylines in the daily serial conflict with their storylines in the once-a-week 13-episode series?(via)

ABC TV Online

Always one to share the latest news on the online television front with you, I read today that ABC is going to be adding to their broadband player over the next few months. Already the best one out there (in my opinion), they announced last week that they are going to offer two more size options for viewing (including a full-screen view - yay!). Now they've announced they are also going to offer local and national news, as well as local entertainment. Whatever "local entertainment" means. If only they added their soaps to it...(via)

3D HD?

Apparently, according to this article, this year's NBA All-Star Game (which airs this Sunday) will be shown not just in High Definition but in 3-D HD. So, if you have a pair of 3-D glasses, it will be an extra special experience for you. Now, I am kind of confused if this special 3-D airing will only be to a select audience or if I would be able to see it in 3-D if I find a pair of 3-D glasses by this weekend (and where would I do that?), but the whole concept is kind of cool. I mean, already with HDTV, I watched the Cavs-Lakers game on Sunday and felt like Lebron actually might pass the ball to me, it was so close and clear. (via)

Day Nine of 10 days of Valentine's Day-themed quizzes

Wood? No comment.

Your Love Element Is Wood

In love, you tend to gently dominate and guide your partner. For you, love is all about sharing goals and future plans. You attract others with creativity and vision. Your flirting style is defined by your honesty and assertiveness. Growth and improvement are the cornerstones of your love life. You may focus on goals too much in relationships, but you never come out of them with a loss. You connect best with: Water Avoid: Metal You and another Wood element: will be doomed to a stormy relationship

What Element Is Your Love?

The Fug Girls are Dead On About Carrie Underwood

I love reading Go Fug Yourself because they are usually hysterical when describing celebrity fashion disasters. Today, they totally captured my thoughts about Carrie Underwood and her apparel choices from last night's Grammy Awards. Her red carpet dress - GORGEOUS! It was so beautiful, but then those things she wore to perform? Hideous. The green one was better than the black one but it looked like it was made of paper and what were those huge flowers falling off the end of the sleeves all about? The black dress? Ugh, I have no words.

Day Eight of 10 days of Valentine's Day-themed quizzes:

Your Love Song Is

Sitting, Waiting, Wishing by Jack Johnson "Maybe you've been through this before But it's my first time so please ignore The next few lines cause they're directed at you I can't always be waiting, waiting on you I can't always be playing, playing your fool" You've been waiting for love, and you're not going to wait any longer!

What Love Song Are You?

Book Sale

The library in my city had their annual book sale this weekend. Today, being the last day, was $2.00 bag day, meaning (obviously) that whatever you could fit in your bag cost $2.00. Here is a picture of all the books my mom and I got for our $2.00. I'd say we got our money's worth, no?

Homework done!

My first assignment for either of my classes was due today and I got it done with lots of time to spare! I felt so accomplished all day without it hanging over me. The sad thing, though, is that it was a small one-page review of a Web search engine (Rocketinfo). Next week, in that same class, I have an 8-12 page case study due. And the following week, I have an 8-10 page paper due on the same search engine for the paper today. That last thing is going to be such a bitch because umm, well, there is nothing to report on that search tool. I've hunted high and low and found very little information about the tool. Good thing that I know how to babble...

Day Seven of 10 Days of Valentine's Day-Themed Quizzes

Cancer - Your Love Profile

Your positive traits: You're intuitive enough to know what's going wrong in a relationship early on A total sweetheart - you're often the most caring person anyone knows You are a generous and devoted parter to whoever you fall in love with Your negative traits: Insecurity - you tend to need a huge amount of comforting from your partner You tend to be overly sensitive and easily hurt, which make loving you difficult It's difficult to predict your moods. One minute you're up - the next you're down. Your ideal partner: Someone equally sensitive, who wants to take time to get to know you deeply Dreams of an everlasting love - complete with marriage and a family Loves to take care of you. Being a good cook and masseuse doesn't hurt! Your dating style: Slow. You enjoy dates that last all day, with plenty of time to talk and get to know one another. Your seduction style: Quite tender and loving, once you are comfortable in your relationship. Coy. You tend to play it cool to drive your lover wild. Orally talented - you're known as the best kisser in the zodiac. Tips for the future: Be a little less sensitive. Not every little mistake should hurt you. Spend time away from your partner every so often - independence is a good thing. Find ways to take care of yourself. You'll be happier if you put yourself first. Best color to attract mate: Aqua Best day for a date: Wednesday

What's Your Love Profile?

Job News Bonanza

THREE potential employers contacted me today so wow, what a good day! I have a phone interview on Monday morning with a newspaper library in South Florida. I'm really excited about that because a news library is probably my dream job. South Florida, not so much, but I can definitely think of a lot worse places to live! Then, someone from National Geographic contacted me about a job I applied for, an apparently way entry-level (therefore, I'm kind of overqualified for it and probably won't be happy with the salary) job, but we are going to talk about it more on Monday afternoon. And finally I heard from a law firm in the Washington DC area. They are interested but wanted to know if I'm actually in the DC area currently and if not, when am I planning to relocate? I emailed them back but never heard anything else. Hopefully that just means they left early on a Friday afternoon and not that they are no longer interested.

It wasn't all good news. I did get a rejection email too.

Day Six of 10 Days of Valentine's Day-Themed Quizzes

My cynicism is low? Umm, no.

Your Five Variable Love Profile

Propensity for Monogamy: Your propensity for monogamy is high. You find it easy to be devoted and loyal to one person. And in return, you expect the same from who you love. Any sign of straying, and you'll end things. Experience Level: Your experience level is high. You've loved, lost, and loved again. You have had a wide range of love experiences. And when the real thing comes along, you know it! Dominance: Your dominance is medium. You tend to be the one with more power. You aren't a total control freak in relationships.. But of course you don't mind getting you way! Cynicism: Your cynicism is low. You are an eternal optimist when it comes to love and romance. No matter how many times you've been hurt - you're never bitter. You believe in one true love, your perfect soulmate. And if you haven't found true love yet, you know you will soon. Independence: Your independence is medium. In relationships, you need both "me time" and "we time." You usually find it easy to be part of a couple. But occasionally you start to feel a little smothered.

The Five Variable Love Test

Survivor Fiji, Episode 1

The new season of Survivor started tonight and I thought I would give my early impressions. How unbelievable is that camp of luxury, with a toilet and a separate kitchen area and now, after winning the challenge, actual silverware and plates, not to mention a COUCH! I wonder which camp they'll choose when they merge, ha ha... I was with Erica when she expressed disbelief that no one on her losing tribe seemed too upset about having to go to the crappy camp; yet, I guess the living conditions are no worse than they expected when they signed up for Survivor. I don't get it, though - are the tribes going to stay on these islands indefinitely or will they have to relocate every time they lose?

As for the contestants, I have little to say. They are all so indiscernible to me right now. I barely know anyone's name. There's something about Erica I don't trust (maybe because she was too busy forming an alliance only ten minutes into the game) and I can't imagine her lasting long. I do like Anthony, only because he's cute not from any impression I made during the episode. However, what is an "expert witness locator"? One can make a living at that? Most of the guys seemed decent enough, although Dreamz seems a bit much to take. It was smart of Sylvia to split up Dreamz and Rocky after their fight during the night. Speaking of Sylvia, how sucky is it to go to Exile Island with all those snakes and then she can't even kill time by looking for the immunity idol since it's back at camp! Yuck! Not even that lookout point was safe from the snakes, either. But at least she didn't have to worry about getting voted out, and she would have likely been the top candidate had she been there since she's older (and presumably weaker). I wonder if she'll tell anyone that the idol is at camp. At least the losing team tonight has island expert Yao Man on their team. I don't even know who to pick as a possible favorite to win right now but I'm going to go with Earl. I have no idea why, just a hunch.

Cool site? Retail-Me-Not

I've been a huge fan of BugMeNot for years. It provides usernames and passwords for many Web sites (primarily newspaper sites) that require you to create an account to access content. If you don't want to create your own account, go to BugMeNot, type in the URL and there is likely a variety of options of usernames and passwords to try.

Well, now they have RetailMeNot. This site finds store coupons and special offers for you, just by you typing in the URL of the store you are shopping at. I'm not sure how complete it is but I do like the simplicity of it, especially if you know exactly where you want to buy something. I'm going to keep it in mind for the future.

"Quick Change" Patent Revealed

Over the summer, there was that horrific show on NBC called America's Got Talent. It had Regis Philbin as host and Brandy, David Hasselhoff and some British twit as the judges... it was kind of like The Gong Show meets American Idol. Anyway, there was this pair on there who call themselves "Quick Change." They do a magic trick, with the gist of it being a woman changes her clothes like 10 times in a span of about 2 minutes. It's pretty amazing to watch. Here it is on Youtube. Well, of course everyone watches it and is kind of stumped as to how they do it. You know that the woman must be wearing all the costumes at once and just peel them off very quickly... or something... but even that doesn't seem to make sense when you watch it.

Last week, they were on Oprah and she was duly impressed, just as pretty much everyone is the first time they see it, and wondered how it was done. The man, David, mentioned that no one is able to figure it out and then said that he had a patent for the "effect." Well, say no more, I went right to the Google Patent Search (after first finding out his last name) and here is his patent! It's called a "convertible costume construction". Now, I couldn't exactly make one for myself but I get the general gist from skimming the patent that indeed she is wearing all the clothes at once and he's developed ways to remove the costumes quickly using "rapidbly disconnectable fastening means".

Day Five of 10 Days of Valentine's Day-themed quizzes

Today is a two-for-one deal! And, Usher showed up on BOTH lists! I better start going to some Cavs games!

Who's My Celebrity Love Match?

The Boy Next Door: Matt Damon

When it comes to love, you're looking for a man with "white picket fence" potential: the guy who will compliment your mom, helps clean the dishes and could melt the polar ice caps with his smile. He's not always perfect and can be a tad too predictable at times, but you'll love the fact that he's got a dependable job, coaches Little League on the weekends and still finds time to let you know how much he loves you. He's more "apple pie" than "devil's food cake" -- but that means the last thing he'll want to do is break your heart.


Other matches: Usher, Zach Braff, John Cusack, Michael J. Fox, Denzel Washington


Who's My Rock Star Boyfriend?

Lenny Kravitz, the Lady-Killer

This man has silk sheets on his bed. Whether they're for him or for you, you'll never quite be sure, but you can enjoy them anyway, right? Rose petals? Check. Knee-buckling sex appeal? Check. Total devotion? For a few nights, sure. This rockin' romancer may not be marriage material, but when he gives you that searing look through the stage spotlights, you're putty in his hands. He's a ladies man and you, you're a lady. Swoon.

Other matches: Usher, Frank Sinatra, Kanye West, Adam Levine of Maroon 5, Mick Jagger, LL Cool J

Never leave the toilet

Umm, it's kind of gross to think that someone would want or need to do all these things while sitting on the toilet but check out this toilet you can try to win. It has, among other things, a computer, a Tivo, a fridge, pedals for exercising, a megaphone, a laptop... (via)

Day Four of Ten Days of Valentine's Day-themed quizzes

Last year, I took the "What Sign is Your True Love" test and got Taurus. This test is the opposite and says to avoid dating Capricorn. Okay. But I'm pretty sure I've read elsewhere that Cancer and Capricorn is a really good match. This also suggests good matches with Aquarius, Gemini, Leo and Virgo. I have dated a Gemini and a Leo and they were okay, nice guys but just not right.

Never Date a Capricorn

Somber, demanding, and freakishly logical. Emotions? It's not clear that Capricorn has them. And while it may be flattering for a Capricorn to be serious about you, bad news: they expect you to be super serious in return. Instead try dating: Aquarius, Gemini, Leo, or Virgo

What Sign Shouldn't You Date?

"Other door"

How funny was it that they did a little bit on American Idol tonight regarding the "other door." It totally made me laugh that they acknowledged that. I think that was the theme of the auditions - the judges telling the wannabes to go out the other door. It was so annoying to me during the first four or five episodes - I mean, geez, if you are going to keep a door locked, then put something in front of it so everyone doesn't try use it! Tomorrow's show is the last of the audition episodes, thank god. I really hate the audition round.

Mark Your Calendars - Next Year's Calendars, That is

The next installment of the Indiana Jones movies is due to hit theaters May 22, 2008! I want to see that. (via)

Day Three of 10 days of Valentine's Day-themed quizzes:

What does my birth date say about my love life? It says that I'm going to have my heart broken FOUR times! That means I'm due at least two more heart-breakings? Wow, something to look forward to. Also, I don't think I've ever dated anyone born on the 8th, 17th or 26th so maybe that's where I've gone wrong. Ironically, I have dated people born on the 9th, 18th and 25th... so very close yet so far.

Your Birthdate: June 26

You love being in love... so much so that it's very hard for you to be single. Unfortunately, it's difficult for you to stay in love over time. Too many people intrigue you! Only your true love will be able to keep you interested over time. Number of True Loves You'll Have: 2 Number of Times You'll Have Your Heart Broken: 4 You are most compatible with people born on the 8th, 17th, and 26th of the month.

What Does Your Birth Date Mean For Your Love Life?

New shoes! New shoes!

I got a new pair of Land's End shoes recently (adorable, right?)... actually, I got a pair for Christmas in the true navy color and they were too big. Instead of sending them back to Land's End to return, we realized that Sear's carries Land's End products and accepts mail-order returns and exchanges. Well, then there is no shipping charge to send them back! So I went to the nearby Sear's Grand store a couple weeks ago but they didn't have any in my size. Last weekend, I went to a regular Sear's store and not only did they have my size, but the shoes were $15 cheaper! I bought a pair in black, though, because it was either that or flame orange. And I thought I liked the black best of all anyway. Well, I told my mother about this cost savings and suddenly she wanted a pair. So we went out this weekend, to a different Sears, and she got a pair. Plus, they had my size in the true navy. Now I have a pair in black and a pair in true navy and I just can't decide which to keep and which to return. I'm trying to figure out which color would go with more so I'm basically trying on every pair of pants I own to see which I like best! It's tough being a woman!

Day Two of 10 days of Valentine's Day-themed quizzes:

What is my love number? Better question, what IS a love number?

Your Love Number is 4

You are a creative and expressive lover - a true romantic at heart. An introspective soul, you know exactly how your ideal relationship should be. But if you don't get that ideal, you tend to get a bit pouty and dramatic. You need someone who can roll with the punches, that's for sure!

What Is Your Love Number?

Best Super Bowl ad

I did forget to mention that my favorite Super Bowl ad yesterday was the blink-and-you-missed-it one for Late Show with David Letterman with David (as a Colts fan, of course) and Oprah (as a Bears fan, of course) snuggling on a couch. Dave says they both win because they are in love and Oprah reprimands him for talking with his mouth full of food. It's cute but to really enjoy is to know all the history between the two of them and how Dave openly campaigned to get Oprah on his show for years! Anyway, here's that clip.

Super Bowl Halftime Show

Prince performed at halftime during Sunday's Super Bowl and it seems to be the general consensus that he was one of the best halftime performers ever. So says this article and this one, and this one too. He WAS pretty goood, in my opinion, combining Prince classics like "Let's Go Crazy" and "Purple Rain" with classic covers like "Proud Mary" and "All Along the Watchtower." But, I have to admit that I was kind of distracted throughout his performance noticing that his suit didn't get wet at all, despite the nonstop downpour during his entire show (well, during the entire game). Whatever material his suit was made from has to be the most water repellant material known to man!! Here is a link to the performance on YouTube. (via)

Useful baking tool: Cake Lifter

For all those times you want to move the cake you baked to another locale, like off the baking rack and onto a pretty cake plate, here is a cake lifter from Williams-Sonoma. (via)

"Are Librarians Totally Obsolete?"

This is pretty rudimentary stuff that gets beaten into our heads in library school but for the general public, here is a list of 33 reasons why librarians are NOT obsolete... (via)

Day One of 10 days of Valentine's Day-themed quizzes:

Your Love Style is Manic

For you, love is the ultimate rollercoaster And you love to hold on tight and enjoy the ride Every time you fall in love, it feels like the first time And while it's exciting and exhilarating... It's also stressful and scary!

What's Your Love Style?

"Colts tame Bears for Super Bowl victory"

That headline (from Yahoo! Sports) says it all. Colts 29, Bears 17. I was a little off on my projected final score, but not by too much, eh?

None of the commercials stand out to me, other than the fact that every other commercial seemed to be for Budweiser or Bud Lite. Here are clips (or here) of most of the commercials, though, to watch again or for the first time. Is it just me or does anyone else struggle to remember to pay attention to the commercials? I'm so used to tuning out or fast-forwarding or running into the kitchen or whatever during the commercials that they are practically over by the time I remember that I'm supposed to be watching them this time!!

Super Bowl Sunday

Indianapolis Colts vs. Chicago Bears. For some reason, I'm not that interested in the game, even though I watched pretty much all of the playoff games. But I'm sure I'll watch most of the game today, if only for the commercials. Here's my prediction: Colts 27, Bears 21.

Cool site? Price Protectr

Price Protectr seems pretty cool... what it does is help you keeps tab on companies that offer a price protection guarantee.

Certain stores offer a price protection guarantee, meaning they'll refund the difference if the item goes cheaper elsewhere within a certain period of time (usually 30 days). But who pays attention to that once you buy an item? Well, this site will track that item for you and send you an email if that item becomes available elsewhere for a cheaper price. It seems pretty straightforward (although my explanation might not be). It's apparently limited to items you buy online, although as long as the item is listed online and has a referring URL, then I don't see why can't be included too, even if you bought it in the store. I'm going to try it on the television my parents just bought... (via)

Happy Groundhog Day!

Yep, it's Groundhog Day and apparently, Phil the Groundhog did NOT see his shadow and therefore, an early spring is on its way. Or whatever nonsense we are supposed to believe...

Draw a Pig personality test

I think I have done this in the past but I came across this site again that asks you to draw a pig and then tells you what your drawing says about your personality. And, how embarrassing, but I'm going to post the ridiculous-looking pig I drew for all to see, plus the results of the personality test... In my defense, I've never been good at drawing with a mouse. I think it would be better with a pencil or pen. However, the elements of what I drew are what are important for the personality determination. And, because of that, you should draw your own pig before you read my results!

Draw a Pig Personality Test

Click here for my test results!You drew the pig:

Toward the middle, you are a realist. Facing front, you are direct, enjoy playing devil's advocate and neither fear nor avoid discussions. With few details, you are emotional and naive, you care little for details and are a risk-taker. With 4 legs showing, you are secure, stubborn, and stick to their ideals. The size of the ears indicates how good a listener you are, the bigger the better. You drew medium sized ears, you are a good listener. The length of the tail indicates the quality of your sex life, and again more is better! You drew medium sized tail.

Giant TV

My parents bought a 42-inch HDTV plasma screen television today. It's awesome and they haven't even taken it out of the box yet! They have to figure out where to put it.

Avid readers of mine might remember that they also bought one around Thanksgiving. Well, that didn't work out. My dad ordered one even though they were out of stock and it was supposed to be shipped to the store. A couple days later, my dad got an email from the store telling him that the order was cancelled. No explanation or anything. Oh yeah, and he'd already paid! But he got his money back, just no TV then. Now, they've tried again.

Psychogenic Fugue

I read this fascinating albeit brief article about a man stricken with psychogenic fugue, which is a rare form of amnesia and apparently akin to post-traumatic stress disorder. He basically went out to walk his dog and then suddenly entered this fugue state where he no longer knew who he was or where he was going and basically became homeless for the next 25 days and wandered around aimlessly, until he happened to be walking by a construction site where he was having a new home built and one of the construction guys recognized him. After the construction guy started to talk to him, the man started to slowly remember things and now he's back home safe with his memory intact EXCEPT for the time where he was missing. He only remembers bits and pieces of that time. So very very interesting. It would make an interesting idea for a novel, wouldn't it? But I also would be interested to read a biography of someone stricken with this disease, I wonder if there are any.

Interview recap

My two interviews today went okay but I really don't expect to get to the next round for either of them.

The insurance company guy was kind of a jerk, to be honest, and I felt like I had to constantly defend myself, even though there must have been something they liked about me or they wouldn't have called, right? I don't know. I do think I did okay, though. He said such things as "Librarians are kind of a dying breed, right?" and "Can't all that stuff just be automated?" and "I pretty much find everything I need from Google." Yet, they have this database that they use to evaluate risk and apparently they are in desperate need to have someone on staff who understands it and what kind of information can be retrieved from it and, most importantly, someone who can conduct proper searches for it. Yes, well, that person would be called a librarian!

The trade association guy (seriously, I think these were my first two male interviewers from all these interviews I've had) was okay and again, I think I did fairly well, but then at the end he said something like "Well, we got a lot of response from our ad and there are a number of people here in the Washington, DC, area so I'm not sure we need to be looking from outside the area." Umm, thanks. Obviously, the main question is, "Then why did you even bother calling me?"

Mystery job

And, speaking of jobs, I applied for this position today that was advertised on the Washington Post online job board. It's for a "Research Specialist" at a national trade association. The job description sounded good, like really what I want, but the odd thing is that there was no mention of the organization's name or the name of a contact person or even where it was located. There was simply a vague Gmail address as the place to apply and it said "Other VA" for the location. That could mean anything. I wasn't sure if I should apply for it - why all the secrecy? - but I did, so we'll see. I did a little investigation in the Encyclopedia of Associations and limited it to national organizations in Virginia with an economic focus (as it said in the ad) and came up with about ten possibilities. Assuming the info in the ad is accurate, any of these organizations that fit that description seem like they would be fine to work for. Still, it's odd.

Tomorrow: Two interviews

On Monday, I have two phone interviews scheduled, so that is kind of exciting. And nerve-wracking. One, which I mentioned the other day, is with an insurance company outside Boston. That's at 1pm. Then, at 3pm, I have an interview with, ironically, an insurance trade association outside Washington, DC. Two interviews on the same day, both involving the insurance industry!

It's been about a month or so since I've had an interview and I'm out of practice! I was trying to study somewhat today but I don't think I accomplished much so I'll have to try to get up early tomorrow to make sure I find time to do it then because I don't want to sound like an idiot, especially for the second one, which I'm more excited about because the job comes with a lot more duties that appeal to me. Wish me luck!

Cool site? Radio-Locator

Radio-Locator seems like a useful site, especially for a traveler. You can search in various ways, like type of music or geographical region, for both Internet-streaming and terrestrial radio stations. Also, it tells you good options for frequencies where there is no signal, which can be useful if you have one of those Mp3 or iPod adapters for your car that lets you stream your music through your car speakers. (via)

Which Desperate Housewife are You?

And on that topic...

Which Desperate Housewife are you?

Congratulations! You are Susan Mayer, the divorcee and single mom who will go to extraordinary lengths for love. Take this quiz!

Interesting Desperate Housewives article

Here is Part 1 and here is Part 2 of a pretty interesting interview with Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry. There are small spoilers of upcoming episodes but there is also some discussion about how, for instance, he didn't want Marcia Cross for the role of Bree.

I've been a pretty regular watcher of Desperate Housewives this season after watching it somewhat sporadically the last two seasons. I thank ABC.com for that, for its airing of episodes online.

Crowded House reuniting

I used to be the BIGGEST Crowded House fan and now they are reuniting for a world tour! I had the tape of their self-titled release and I used to listen to that thing over and over and over and over and over and over again on my Walkman (non-Sony, I'm sure) on the bus to and from school when I was in junior high.

A rare accolade for a Cleveland athlete...

Apparently, LeBron James has earned the second-highest number of votes to be an All-Star ever in the history of fan voting. Good for him, but, umm, maybe he could start helping his team win some games again. The Cavs are 2-6 over the last eight games.

The American Idol MySpace Hunt

This dude has been going through the contestants we've seen during the American Idol auditions so far and finding their MySpace pages and posting them to his blog. And then critiquing them... because they haven't gone through enough critiques already. Seriously, though, if you love wasting time by looking at other people's MySpace pages, here's a golden opportunity!

Finally, another interview!

I finally touched base with the woman I mentioned yesterday and have an interview scheduled for Monday. Phew. Even though it was the holidays and whatnot, I was starting to think I might not get an interview again after the month or so lapse.

Also, a friend of mine thinks he can probably get me hired at the public library where he just started working. They are hiring an Adult Services Librarian now, but the pay is kinda low. He's not that happy with his pay and assumes this position has equally low pay. It's in the Research Triangle part of North Carolina.

Phone tag (aka job news)

I've been playing phone tag the last two days with someone from "talent management" at an insurance company outside Boston. It's one of the places I applied over the weekend. It makes me laugh that they have a department called "talent management." Instead of "human resources"?

Make your own Peeps

Umm, this is pretty cool, a Peeps press. (via)

All praise OhioLink

Now OhioLink is well-known in the field as one of the best Library Consortia around. See, they are even mentioned in that dictionary entry I linked to... But, I had never tried it for myself. Until today. I was debating about whether I should spend the money to buy the books required for this course or not... when it hit me that I have OhioLink at my disposal and could probably get them from any library in the entire state in just a couple of days. And so I ordered them online! By myself! Without having to talk to someone at the library! And they should be delivered to my local branch in 3-5 days! And, the best part is that I'll be able to renew them up to four times so I'll have them throughout the semester. And then, I looked for a couple movies that I want to see that none of the libraries around here have in their collections. And requested them too!

I have no idea why I didn't think of any of this earlier. Duh.

Where did the weekend go?

All of a sudden, I realized that it's like 1am on Sunday night and I have no idea what I did this weekend! Let's break it down...

Friday, I spent most of the day and evening doing homework. I had a ton of things to read, plus I had to create a Web page and well, umm, I never had to do that before. It wasn't too difficult at all, actually. I know a little HTML thanks to this blog and I also was able to follow the really excellent tutorials that my friend Dan created as part of his GA-ship the last two years and it all worked out okay. It was only a simple page.

During some of Saturday, I went shopping with my mom. I love shopping and I was actually in the mood to shop, too! I got a fantastic, unbelieveably comfortable pair of dress pants for $17. They are by Dorothee Bis (although they are not on that site, as far as I can see.) So psyched to someday have a job where I can wear them...

Saturday night, I had the opportunity to go out for dinner and went to Smokey Bones Barbeque, which I think is fairly new around here, but I could be wrong. I am not that easily enticed by food but when I saw their menu, I was salivating at about sixteen different things! Yum! I couldn't decide what to get. As I wasn't that hungry, I ended up getting the Portabello Chicken Wrap and it was pretty good. I want to go back and get more. Even their alcoholic drinks were unique and sounded delicious. (I didn't imbibe.) Apparently this is a chain restaurant with a number of locations in the eastern US. There is even one in Syracuse; who knew?! Oh wait, now that I look it up on the map, I do think I knew it was there. Anyway, I recommend it.

Today, Sunday, I spent the entire day finishing up my homework for the week (SO much reading) and also applying for jobs. I applied for this cool-sounding job in Lower Manhattan, as well as two in Boston and two in Washington, DC. I am a perfect match for one of the jobs in the DC area, but will they call me? Probably not... Oh yeah, I also caught some of the AFC Championship Game. Go Colts! I LOVE that Bill Belichik lost. That was a great game.

Make your own "For Dummies" Book

Myspace Layouts
(via)

Online TV: The CW (and more)

Since I'm always updating my blog about online TV viewing opportunities, here's another. The CW is finally joining the other major networks in offering some episodes of certain series online. Episodes of such CW hits as Beauty & the Geek, Supernatural, One Tree Hill, Veronica Mars, Everybody Hates Chris, All of Us and Girlfriends will be available here, after installation of a special (and reportedly innovative) viewer. That's great news as I've constantly reported how much I love to watch TV online and the more options, the better. Right now, each show offers a few of the latest episodes. Of course, the one show that I do watch regularly on the CW is Gilmore Girls and that is not included. Boo! But, who knows, maybe I'll start watching Beauty & the Geek or Everybody Hates Chris or something.

Also, recently, ABC added Men in Trees to its online line-up, which I'm happy about because I feel like I might enjoy it yet have not had the opportunity to watch it and this could have been a chance to catch up with it. However, unlike other new shows that ABC recently added (Brothers & Sisters, What About Brian and Ugly Betty, for example, although Ugly Betty doesn't really count I guess since it's been there all season) where the entire season to date is available, only the pilot and the newest two episodes of Men in Trees are available. I have no real desire to watch the last two episodes if I'm missing all of those in between the pilot and them... Kinda stupid.

I Want One: Petal Rings

I think most who know me know I love a cool, unique ring and these definitely fit the bill. I love them! Only two problems, though: 1.) They are $69 and that is a bit much for me to pay for a ring and 2.) There are over 100 different colors to choose from! How would I ever decide? (via)

"Gates Foundation expands U.S. libraries initiatives"

This article is good news.

Before they were famous...

HardlyFamous.com offers a list of "first jobs" of famous people. It's categorized alphabetically by person's name and is a kind of fun timewaster... (via)

Second day of school

I doubt I'll provide a running commentary of my entire final semester but I thought I would share that I did indeed check out my classes last night, despite insisting in yesterday's post that I would probably wait. I was pleasantly surprised to find that there was not an overwhelming number of posts - in fact hardly any - and I got a little started with the classes. One of the courses is going to be SO much work - you wouldn't believe the amount of reading that is assigned - but I am glad to see that the professor has made minor improvements to the syllabus compared to what it had been in previous semesters. The other course is considered a portfolio course so there are just a bunch of things I need to learn and exhibit by May 1st and can basically work at my own pace, which is good but also kind of scary. I'm seriously not sure I'll be able to learn it all. One of my friends who took the course has assured me I'll have no problem with it. I hope he's right!

Good movie

I watched World Trade Center over the course of the last few days and I really enjoyed it. It totally wasn't what I expected; I thought it was going to tell the story of 9/11 on a grand scale but it basically just tells the story of two Port Authority Police Officers who got trapped in an elevator shaft when the buildings collapsed, what happened as they were trapped and how their corresponding families dealt with waiting to hear about the mens' fate. It was very fascinating and really well-acted, too. Of course, I adore Maria Bello and Maggie Gyllenhaal anyway. (They play the wives). Unusual for me, I even listened to some of the commentary that comes on the DVD because instead of hearing from the director or the actors, this commentary is from the real people who the film is about. So they are there to tell us what is accurate and what is tweaked a little and also why some decisions were made to tweak the truth a little. It's just really fascinating. I kind of wish I didn't have to return the movie to the library tomorrow so I would have time to listen to all of the commentary. The next best thing, though, is that there are interviews with the real people on the movie's Web site.

First Day of School

Today is the first day of class for the new semester and I'm registered to take two classes to finish up my Certificate program. While about a month ago I was looking forward to getting back to learning, now I am totally dreading it. I haven't even logged into the online classrooms yet, primarily because I know how rabid and insane the distance students are and when I do log in, I'll find that there are probably already 100 posts from overeager and overcompensating students. And then I'll get annoyed. Yes, I know it's kind of ironic in that the longer I wait to log in, the MORE posts there will be. Yet, I will wait anyway, possibly until tomorrow.

Cost of the War

Here is an ongoing tally of the cost of the war in Iraq. You can break it down by community and also compare it to other things. For instance, it will tell you how many people could have gotten scholarships to attend college with that same amount of money or how many public education teachers could have been hired with that same money. (via)

Golden Globe Award Predictions - How did I do?

Umm, well, after making my predictions yesterday afternoon and then watching the actual awards show last night and seeing the actual winners, I got about 9 right. 9 out of 25, or 36% correct.

That's not so bad, but I have to say that I was kicking myself a couple of times after the winners were announced because I almost got a couple more right. One trick to know is that since it's the Hollywood Foreign Press Association giving out the awards, they often reward foreigners! Which is why I chose Peter O'Toole for the Best Actor, Drama winner (he lost, though)) and why I almost chose Jeremy Irons for Best Supporting Actor on Television (and he won, too) and why I did choose Hugh Laurie from House (who did win!) and why I almost chose Ugly Betty as Best Television Show, Musical or Comedy (which won and is an international sensation with the same show airing in dozens of countries already). Ah well. The other incorrect prediction that I knew was coming was choosing Maggie Gyllenhall for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama. I KNEW Helen Mirren was going to win (she did) but I went with Maggie anyway simply because she played a character named Sherry. Yeah, I'm crazy like that.

A job I would love

This article from the New York Times yesterday (via) talks about how NBC employs three people who simply scour YouTube all day trying to find clips of movies or TV shows that are NBC property and are therefore violating copyright and need to be removed. Imagine how good a librarian with her supercool searching skills would be at finding the offending clips! I wonder how much it pays.

Golden Globe Award Predictions

Tonight is the start of the televised movie award season, I guess, with the Golden Globe Awards airing at 8pm EST and I thought it would be fun to make my predictions on winners! That way, everyone can laugh at how wrong I was. Keep in mind that I've seen very few of the movies nominated. I have seen some of the television shows, though, so I have a little more to go on there but I guarantee I will probably still be way off.

Here goes:
Best Motion Picture - Drama
The Queen

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
Maggie Gyllenhall - Sherrybaby

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
Peter O'Toole, Venus

Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
Little Miss Sunshine

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
Annette Bening, Running with Scissors

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
Sacha Cohen, Borat

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Ben Affleck, Hollywoodland

Best Animated Feature Film
Happy Feet

Best Foreign Language Film
Letters from Iwo Jima

Best Director - Motion Picture
Martin Scorsese, The Departed

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture
Babel (Guillermo Arriaga)

Best Original Score - Motion Picture
The Da Vinci Code (Hans Zimmer)

Best Original Song - Motion Picture
"Listen", Dreamgirls

Best Television Series - Drama
Big Love

Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series - Drama
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer

Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series - Drama
Hugh Laurie, House

Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy
The Office

Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series - Musical or Comedy
Mary Louise Parker, Weeds

Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series - Musical or Comedy
Alec Baldwin, Thirty Rock

Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Elizabeth I

Best Performance by an Actress In A Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Helen Mirren, Elizabeth I

Best Performance by an Actor In A Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Ben Kingsley, Mrs. Harris

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Toni Collette, Tsunami, the Aftermath

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Justin Kirk, Weeds

Which Pooh Character am I?

Umm, who's Kanga? I was not even aware of this Pooh character...


Take the 100 Acre Personality Quiz!

Randomly cool stuff found on the Web this weekend

I saw this picture of this mummified person who lived about 600 years ago with her hands covering her face as if she literally died from shock and was then preserved in this way and it was kind of interesting. (via)

Then, the same site (Boing Boing) pointed to a device that enables one to record cassette tapes into Mp3 format. How great is that for any of us with old cassette tapes that are basically useless now? I sold a bunch of my cassette tapes in a garage sale a couple years back since my car doesn't even have a cassette deck anymore. This is a great way to convert all that old 80s music to CDs or Mp3s.

Finally, with the big political talk of the last few days being the troop surge in Iraq, I came across Michael Moore's letter to George W. in response. It's really really sarcastic and also, really kind of funny. (via)

My bad

So I didn't do anything different with my blog this weekend, despite planning to look over some of the new features available to me now. I was busy helping my mom take care of my dad, entertaining my brother/sister-in-law/nephew for a lot of the day yesterday and writing cover letters and sending out resumes today. I submitted EIGHT resumes today, which I'm kind of proud about. Except, I really shouldn't be I guess since prior to that, I'd only sent out three in the last month. Hopefully a whole new batch like this will result in at least one call. And my plan tomorrow is to send out maybe six more.

Ask and you shall receive

Just yesterday, I was moaning about Google dragging its feet to switch my blogs to "New Blogger" and guess what? Today I logged in and made the switch! I guess I should have bitched about it sooner. Anyway, I guess I'll start adding tags (or labels) to my posts and see what else is new over the next few days. Yay!

Bad movie alert

Earlier this evening I watched this movie American Dreamz, which is kind of an American Idol/President Bush/Iraq war spoof (yes, right there it sounds stupid) and it was not particularly good or funny. Despite having some quality actors (Dennis Quaid, Willem Dafoe, Mandy Moore, Marcia Gay Harden, Hugh Grant), it sucked. I would estimate I chuckled maybe twice. So, don't waste your time!

I Want One: Sugar Please Automatic Dispenser

Actually, I do not want one for myself but this gadget, which looks like a salt shaker and dispenses a teaspoonful of sugar at the press of a button, would be perfect for my mom. She consumes tea (both hot and iced) constantly and is always adding Splenda to it. So a gadget that can save time and effort from having to count and rip open the perfect number of packets would be ideal. I just want to remember it for the next time I have to buy her a present. And that's what blogs are for! (via)

Dad's surgery update

My dad's surgery went well, it seems! The doctor is encouraged. My dad is just limited in what he can do and eat for the next few days and was given a nice prescription for Vicodin. Or hydrocodone, which is the generic name for that. (I never knew that. I thought they were two separate painkillers.) Apparently, the pain that seems immense right now will actually get much worse by days three through five. What kind of craziness is that? I guess it will take a little time to know if the surgery actually worked. He claims that when he fell asleep earlier, he woke himself up with his snoring (which the surgery is supposed to stop even if it doesn't cure the sleep apnea), but my mom & I had gone out so we don't know. I have to say, despite undergoing a two-hour surgery, he already seems remarkably more awake today than he's seemed in a long long time. I always attributed his constant catnapping to the fact that he often gets only 4 hours of sleep each night but maybe this sleep apnea thing has some credence.

Why oh why can't I switch to new Blogger?

Google bought Blogger awhile ago and supposedly made some improvements to Blogger and was going to eventually let all old Blogger customers (like me) switch to the new and improved Blogger. Well, it was in beta for a long time and now supposedly the switch is complete... except for some customers. Like me. Every time I log in to post, I get the "SWITCH NOW" invitation. When I click to switch, I'm then told that one or more of my blogs are not eligible for the switch yet. It says the primary reason is usually that the blog is too big. I only have like 600 posts over the last few years - is that too large? I know some people post many many entries every single day. Ugh.

Time for surgery

My dad's having surgery tomorrow and my parents are both really really freaked out about it. It's, if Wikipedia can be believed, called Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty. He's getting his uvula, his adenoids and his tonsils removed to help with his sleep apnea. According to that entry, the success rate is only 40%. But he kind of has to get it done... he has been diagnosed with sleep apnea for years; he tried using one of those machines that pump air into you but it never worked. They actually tried a couple machines and they didn't work. In order to maintain his commercial driver's license (which he needs for his job), he can't have sleep apnea. Therefore, this is the next thing to try to cure the sleep apnea. Anyway, both of my parents are extremely nervous about it all and while I have every confidence that it will go well, any prayers or thoughts of spiritual support that come our way will be greatly appreciated!

Seatwarming toilet!

I've seen mentions all over the Net of new products unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show (which, by the way, reminds me of another awesome job I wanted but who wouldn't even give me the time of day and that is as librarian at the Consumer Electronics Association). Most of them are, you know, consumer electronics like cell phones, televisions, camcorders, etc... Here though is a new toilet that comes with a built-in bidet as well as a seat warmer and deodorizing function. That link offers a nice video of the booth woman demonstrating it. Well, not actually demonstrating it but you know, showing its features.

Free DVD

Reportedly (via), one can get a free copy of the DVD, An Inconvenient Truth, simply by going to this Web site and filling out information. I saw that movie a couple of weeks ago and thought it was really interesting and eye-opening so I went ahead and filled out the form. I'd love to have my parents and some friends watch it. However, it says that you will get an email from them to confirm the order and I have not gotten that. Yet. Although it's been nearly ten hours.

Job gripes

I have nothing to report and I'm really really cranky about the whole job search thing. I was thisclose to getting the job at the trade association in Chicago and then, nope. They really led me to believe that I was the one they wanted. I had even practically given them my firstborn child as part of the required background check and then, nope. The extra shitty part of it is that they called (when I wasn't home) and told me they wanted to talk to me as part of a three-person conference call. I figured this was good news, right? I mean, why would they need more than one person to tell me I was rejected. When I called them back the next day and left a message, instead of returning my call they just emailed me the rejection note. Pretty bizarre, right?

Other than that, though, I feel like I'm at the end of the rope in terms of available opportunities. It doesn't help that every time I sit down to actually compose cover letters these days, I cannot focus on it. (This being a prime example of that.) I guess I'm extra cranky due to this drought... since September I've had at least one interview each week, but that streak has ended here the first couple of weeks of January. I guess that's to be expected a little but it's still ultra frustrating.

Today I saw this job posting for a job in Washington DC that I totally want. This marks the third time it's been posted in the last year, though, and yes, I've already applied both prior times. So do I send my resume a third time? Either they are horrible at choosing someone or they just haven't gotten around to filling the position yet. And if the latter is the case, then why the heck don't they actually spend a little more time looking at the resumes in front of them before posting the ad again? It's so so aggravating!

Game: Guess the Google

I came across this site via PC Magazine's Top 99 Undiscovered Web Site list and unlike some of the others on there that take more time to investigate, Guess the Google was pretty straightforward, not to mention easy and fun. And it's kind of addictive.

You get twenty images collaged together and are supposed to guess what the keyword search was on Google that produced these 20 results. Some of them are hard, some of them are super easy and some of them made me laugh once I guessed the word.

Online TV: American Idol

According to this article (via), American Idol episodes will be available for online streaming after they air on television on the show's official Web site. Sweet! I LOVE watching stuff online. I hope they keep the episodes up for awhile, too, even all season, although there is no mention of that. The writer of the article is surprised that the show would risk losing viewers by streaming online but I don't think they have to worry about that. That's the kind of show that viewers like to watch live. If anything, they'll get more viewers thanks to word of mouth.

Oh yeah, the new season starts next Tuesday, Jan. 16.

That didn't go so well.

I don't have much to say about the big game. Ohio State was abysmal. At least they won a few years ago and I watched most of that game again when it was on ESPN Classic on Saturday.

Article: "The Changing Role of Library Science"

This article from the Wall Street Journal online has only a couple of interesting things to me. It talks about the supposed upcoming "shortage" of librarians, thanks to a large number of expected retirements in the next ten to fifteen years. They pounded this into our head when I worked at the Library of Congress last summer but most of the librarians there were quick to tell us that just because people retire doesn't mean that their position will be replaced. Here's the part that rings true to me: "Competition is tough" for jobs, she notes. A number of her classmates struggled to find jobs, while others had to piece together two part-time posts.

Beauty & the Geek

I've only watched portions of this show in the past but the new season debuts tonight and well, this description of the episode from my cable TV listings has piqued my interest: "One of the women is in tears when she must work the Dewey Decimal System." WHAT?!

New Year's Resolution #1: Get Well

I have been unbelievably sick the last four days, spending most of the last three in bed and trying my damndest to do something productive today (like send out resumes) but not really accomplishing that, so I really am going to do whatever it takes to ensure that I do not get this sick again, if that means taking multivitamins, eating an apple a day, getting a flu shot, avoiding contact with all other humans or whatever else anyone might suggest...

Hooray! I finished my book!!

I struggled with reading Auntie Mame forever. I seriously think it took me like a month to read it (inexcusable considering the fact that I'm not working full-time and it's not even 300 pages!) and although I could have given up, I persevered and finished it yesterday. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy it - it was okay, pretty much a slapstick comedy - it was just a slow read for me. I guess it didn't help that I got caught up with the holidays and all my television movie-watching. But thankfully I finished and can move on to something else.