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.

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.

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!

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...

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.

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)

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...

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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)

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!

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)

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!

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.

The It's Its There Their They're Quiz

"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!

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!

"HBO Producing Michigan-Ohio State Football Documentary"

Excellent! I'll enjoy watching that. I found an Ohio State bar near me the other day, too. So maybe I'll watch this year's big rivalry game from there this November! (via)

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)

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.

"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!

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 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)

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!

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.

Neat Cake Pan

How cool is this? A great idea for a Super Bowl party or any football party. Although I have to wonder just how easy it is, nonstick or not, to get that cake out of that pan in as good of shape as it is in that picture. (via)

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.

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.

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.

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-.

I Want One: Puzzle Wall Mount Fish Bowls

How cute are these? Having hanging fish bowls helps to alleviate space problems, too. (via)

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)

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!

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):

$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.

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)

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.

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.

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.

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 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)

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!

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.

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)

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 meme: Walt Disney

Oy. I'm not a Disney fan, but here goes...

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)

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.

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"

The Simpsons Personality Test

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.

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!

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 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)

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 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?

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!!

"Lebron James to host 'SNL' premiere"

Yay! (via).

I thought he did a pretty good job hosting the Espys. I mean, Jimmy Kimmel made most of the jokes but Lebron was a good sport and seemed to have fun. The fact that he got on stage and SUNG was very impressive, especially considering he can't sing. At. All.

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!

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)

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.

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

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.

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)

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.

Holiday Greetings from Southwest

I got an e-card for the 4th of July from Southwest Airlines! This amuses me, for some reason.

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.