School shopping

I went school shopping today. I bought school supplies. It was so fun.

Brad and Jen... the saga continues

I read several magazine covers today with articles detailing the post-married life of Jennifer Anniston. There are articles talking about Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie buying homes, vacationing and planning their wedding. Then there are articles about Jen hanging out with close friends to help get through this time in her life, her alleged relationship with Vince Vaughn, and her feelings toward her ex.

Why has Brad and Jen's breakup caused so much conversation? It's almost like our parents breaking up and all of us being forced to choose sides. Do we live with Mom or Dad? Who's heart will be broken more? I don't know if I would want to move in with Dad and his new girlfriend. I think I have to side with Mom.

Martha's Got Her Groove Back

It's good to see that some criminals actually get reformed and that there are employers still willing to give them a break...

*giggle*


'Martha' to Show Sense of Humor
Aug 18, 7:15 AM EST


The Associated Press

NEW YORK -- Martha Stewart's new syndicated daytime television series, "Martha," which premieres Sept. 12, promises to show the home-and-hearth marketing queen's sense of humor.

"As soon as I spent time with Martha I knew that her witty and engaging humor would surprise and entertain viewers," executive producer Mark Burnett said in a statement released Tuesday by NBC Universal Domestic Television Distribution.

"Our new daytime show does just that," he said. "It's in front of a live studio audience. It's energetic, it's fun. It works."

Cooking, crafts, collecting, gardening and home design will be featured components of the hour-long show, which will originate from Stewart's new studio in the Chelsea Television Studios.

The set includes a kitchen and a glass-enclosed conservatory for gardening segments.

Stewart will hit the road in segments such as "What's Really for Dinner," in which she surprises a viewer by visiting her home and helping cook a meal.

"I am very excited about working with a live audience for the first time and relish the idea of hosting a series that is a one-stop destination for all things how-to," Stewart said in a statement.

The 64-year-old lifestyle guru also will star in the reality show, "The Apprentice: Martha Stewart," which premieres Sept. 21 on NBC.

Stewart's release from home confinement in Bedford, N.Y., which followed a five-month prison term for lying about a stock sale, is set for Aug. 31.



Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

First day of school

Tomorrow is the first day of school for everyone in my family, except me. I go back to school on September 6th.

As long as I can remember, it's always rained the first day of school. I watched the news this morning and they were predicting clouds and possible rain. That rain sort of comforts me because it's a constant in my life. The first day of school has always been good for me, although the days to follow may not have.

I'm looking forward to going to school, to a new school. The University of Maryland University College is the largest school that I have ever attended. It's daunting because Howard Community College is so much my security blanket, that leaving frightens me.

I've been fighting it for years. I don't like to do things that might be too hard for me. And going for my bachelor's seemed like something I couldn't do. I don't know what I'm so afraid of. With a 3.57 GPA, you would think that I would be a little more confident about moving forward. I'm not, but I also feel like if I don't do this, I'll regret it because there's so much I want to do in my field that I can't do now without the degree.

The good news is that I have a support team that will help me through this. Although they've already told me that they don't want me weighing myself down and stressing out, I know that they'll be there to give me hugs and encourage me when I inevitably take on too much.

This is what I want to say to my support team.

Thank you in advance to everyone who:
- will be there for me.
- will listen to me complain.
- will tell me that it's going to be ok.
- will tell me to do my homework on time.
- will give me a hug when I need it.
- will tell me to relax.
- won't allow me to give up.

It's so clear now

My world it moves so fast today
The past it seems so far away
And life squeezes so tight that I can't breathe
And every time I try to be what someone else has thought of me
So caught up I wasn't able to achieve
But deep in my heart the answer it was in me
And I made up my mind to define my own destiny
I look at my environment
And wonder where the fire went
What happened to everything we used to be
I hear so many cry for help
Searching outside of themselves
Now I know his strength is within me
And deep in my heart, the answer it was in me
And I made up my mind to define my own destiny
And deep in my heart...
And deep in my heart, the answer it was in me
And I made up my mind to define my own destiny

Lauryn Hill
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Listen to this song

Laundry

I need to do laundry...badly. They are renovating the laundry room, which means the washers and dryers are gone. They won't be returned until Monday. So I have no socks to wear and very few seasonal clothes left. It's too bad I can't wear jeans to work. If I could, I'd have stuff to wear.

Oh well...

My class schedule

CMST 386 Internet: An Advanced Guide 3 units
(9/6/05 - 12/20/05)
Prerequisite: CMST 385. A study of advanced applications for the Internet and the World Wide Web. Focus is on Web page design, including features such as frames, animation, and cascading style sheets. Dynamic HTML and JavaScript are introduced. Assignments include publishing a Web page. Students may receive credit for only one of the following courses: CAPP 386 or CMST 386.


LIBS150 Info Literacy Research Methods 1 units
(9/6/05 - 10/25/05)
An introduction to the research process and methods for retrieving information in a library or through online sources. Development of a research topic and the creation of effective strategies for finding relevant information are discussed and practiced. The following information literacy skills are emphasized: understanding the research process; selecting appropriate print and electronic sources to answer research questions; effectively using Web search engines and UMUC Information and Library Services' electronic resources to find information; and evaluating, organizing, and correctly citing the information found. Credit for LIBS 150 may not be earned through challenge exam or portfolio credit. Students may receive credit for only one of the following courses: COMP 111, LIBS 100, or LIBS 150.

COMM394 Business Writing 3 units
(10/26/05 - 02/08/06)
(Students for whom English is a second language should consider taking COMM 394X instead. Fulfills the general education requirement in intensive upper-level writing.) Prerequisite: ENGL 101 or ENGL 101X. An introduction to professional workplace writing. Topics include context, purpose, audience, style, organization, format, technology, results, and strategies for persuasion when writing typical workplace messages. In addition to shorter assignments, a substantial formal report that incorporates data analysis and support for conclusions or recommendations is required. Assignments include composing a total of 6,000 words (approximately 25 pages). Students may receive credit for only one of the following courses: COMM 394, COMM 394X, ENGL 394, or ENGL 394X.

A Preview of Global Healing

I would love to say something that could make things better for other people. Below are two paragraphs that appeared in The Watchtower May 1, 2002 that I think help us all get through the daily pressures that life puts on all of us.


Jesus' Miracles—A Preview of Global Healing

Jesus' miracles did more than prove that Jesus was the Messiah and the Son of God. They furnished a basis for faith in the Bible's promises that obedient mankind will be cured in the future. These promises include the prophecy in Isaiah chapter 35, mentioned in the opening paragraph. Isaiah 33:24 states concerning the future health of God-fearing humans: "No resident will say: 'I am sick.'" Similarly, Revelation 21:4 promises: "[God] will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things [today's trials and suffering] have passed away."

People regularly pray for the fulfillment of these prophecies when they repeat Jesus' model prayer, which says in part: "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10, King James Version) Yes, God's will includes the earth and humankind. Disease and disabilities, although permitted for a reason, will soon have had their day; they will not blight God's "footstool" forever.—Isaiah 66:1.*

http://www.watchtower.org/library/w/2002/5/1/article_02.htm

Friendship Quotes:

From http://www.friendship.com.au/quotes/quolyric.html

"If you should die before me, ask if you could bring a friend."- Stone Temple Pilots

"I'll lean on you and you lean on me and we'll be okay."- Dave Matthews Band

"You were the one who made things different, you were the one who took me in. You were the one thing I could count on, above all, you were my friend."- Tom Petty

"Lean on me, when you're not strong, and I'll be your friend, I'll help you carry on, for it won't be long, 'til I'm going to need somebody to lean on."- "Lean On Me"

"In good times, in bad times I'll be on your side forever more, that's what friends are for." - "That's what friends are for"

"You've got troubles, I've got 'em too. There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you. We'll stick together to see it through cause you've got a friend in me."- Randy Newman

"See you and me have a better time than most can dream of, better than the best, so we can pull on through, whatever tears at us, whatever holds us down, and if nothing can be done, we'll make the best of what's around." -Dave Matthews Band

"If I had only one friend left, i'd want it to be you." -Paul Overstreet.

"Friendship is the only cement that will ever hold the world together"- Woodrow Wilson

"The most I can do for my friend is simply to be his friend. I have no wealth to bestow on him. If he knows that I am happy in loving him, he will want no other reward. Is not friendship divine in this?"- Henry David Thoreau

"Friendship that flows from the heart cannot be frozen by adversity, as the water that flows from the spring cannogt congeal in winter."- James Fenimore Cooper

Mad About You

Last night, I had the strangest dream. I must really need to watch Mad About You because I dreamt about being on Mad About You. I wasn't on the tv show, it was real life for me. Oddly enough, I was Murray, Paul and Jamie's dog.

Paul and Jamie decided to move to a new apt and I was finding it hard to adjust. They let me sleep in the bed, but I didn't want to. The only place I wanted to sleep was on the floor next to the bedroom door. So I went to the bed, got a pillow with my teeth and took it to the corner by the door. Paul and Jamie laid down on the floor next to me. I started to fall asleep but as soon as they got up to go get in bed, I woke back up. This went on for several hours until I eventually went to sleep.

So, what does it mean to dream about being a dog that can't sleep?

My dream car

I just saw this car and I have to have it.


Kia Amanti

Mental Block

There are days when I just have a mental block...Nothing is right or the way that I intend it to be. Or what's worse is not having a coherent thought. My brain was swirling in a thousand different directions keeping me completely distracted.

I have a project that I have been working on for about two weeks. Today, all of a sudden, couldn't seem to get anything substantial done. I have to come up with this last piece that will finalize everything and nothing is coming together for me. I walked away from it and got a small piece of calm. When I came back, the thoughts in my head began to swirl all over again.

I've decided that since I have so many other things that have a much sooner due date, that I'm going to put this piece of the project aside for a few days and give my brain a chance to chill and refocus on something else. Maybe that'll give me the clarity that I need.

Or maybe I need to stop listening to Don Quixote while I'm working. I think that this crazy knight errant is making me crazy as well.

It's almost time for school

The stores are packed with children and their mothers (mostly) trying to get all the schools supplies while there supplies to be had. I need to get my books for school. With an online class, I don't anticipate needed too many school supplies. I do have some notebook paper left from spring classes.

Everyone seems so overwhelmed by the thought of going back to school. I am too. In three weeks, I'll begin a program that I've long resisted; gettting my bachelor's degree. It's going to be a challenge mostly because it'll take a long time to finish. But I'm going to pace myself and not over stress myself.

Super busy day

Have you ever done so much in a day that at the end of it, you look back and all that you can remember is a giant blur?

And I still feel like I forgot to do something.

HCC Fit Club

I have been trying to get in shape for about a year now. My doctor told me to exercise five days a week. It took me a while to get up to five days, but now I'm pretty regular and I go into exercise withdrawal if I don't make my five days.

I did, however, decide last year not to get on the scale for fear that I'd become number obsessed. So I didn't get on the scale for six months. People were telling that I looked like I'd lost weight and even some of my pants are fitting me different, better. So I decided in July to see how much I had lost. To my surprise, I hadn't lost any weight and in fact, I gained 10 pounds.

You can imagine the pity party that began. I emailed my exercise instructor to ask her what to do to kick start the weight losss and she told me to start a food journal and to increase my cardio. I'm not a big fan of the food journal at all. I did one before and I really didn't know what I was doing. But she told me about a website that would help you keep your journal. Fitday.com fills in the calories, keeps track of your progress and helps you set goals. I haven't been completely faithful to it on a daily basis but I'm getting better.

My exercise instructor also did something else with me. She got me to start walking in the morning, 7:30 am to 8:30 - three miles around the track. Now keep in mind, August in Maryland is hotter than hot. It'll be 90 degrees and feel like 105. In the morning, it's hot, albeit not as hot as noontime. But still hot enough that I have to take a shower after walking. But I guess it's helped because in the past three weeks, I've lost 10 pounds. So it's a good start. She's out there three days a week, walking faster than I can walk, telling me to keep up with her. It's wearing me out, but I'm doing it.

My exercise instructor jokingly asked me if I wanted to be a size 4. I don't know if I was ever a size 4, so I can't really say. I would be happy if I went back to a 8 or 10. I don't want to be thin like most of the people on TV. I really just want to be healthy and I want to feel better about my appearance. I used to take much better care of myself. I want to get back to that.

A few broken commandments

(Leviticus 19:11)"‘YOU people must not steal, and YOU must not deceive, and YOU must not deal falsely anyone with his associate

(Deuteronomy 5:21) "‘Neither must you desire your fellowman’s wife. Neither must you selfishly crave your fellowman’s house, his field or his slave man or his slave girl, his bull or his ass or anything that belongs to your fellowman.’

Ok, so today not only did I lie, but I coveted my neighbor's lunch.

Picture it. Columbia 2005. A young peasant girl arrived at work with desire to work and a dream. A dream to eat lunch with a dear friend. She text paged her friend, hoping that lunch would give them the opportunity to catch after her friend's long journey to the southern most tip of our country. She envisioned that they would laugh, cry, drink a little soda... all merriments allowed under current work policies.

But alas, it was not to be. You see the friend had already promised her mother that she would share with her today's noontime meal. So our young peasant girl, though filled with sadness on being able to spend the day with her friend, submitted without opposition to her friend's plans and resolved in her heart that they would eat yet another day.

Well, upon seeing her friend leaving work, she began to feel jealousy, covetousness, and envy over the meal that her friend had planned to partake of with her mother; that is the sumptuous culinary delight known as the grilled cheese sandwich. Oh how bountiful and plentiful the memories and bittersweet emotions that fill one's heart at the mere mention of this delicacy of the poor. No one in his right mind can resist the feeling one derives from eating one of these delicious sandwiches. It is a delicacy that should be reserved for knights-errant and their squires.

Upon hearing of the sumptous meal that lay ahead, our peasant girl, putting on the bravest face that she could muster, declared that she would not hold it against her friend for having such a meal for our peasant girl had made alternate plans for the noontime meal. She tried to be brave, fighting back the tears of pain and the anger of being without a grilled cheese sandwich. Our brave peasant girl left her friend to meet another at the local mall for lunch. She had a white pizza, but alas it was not the same. Nothing could fill the hole left by the absense of the grilled cheese sandwich that never was.

So our peasant girl, despite being a Christian, in her hurt and anger, broke two important commandmants today. Not only did she lie about feeling being fine about not having lunch with her friend, but after she coveted the lunch that her friend had. We hope and pray that these minor infractions, can be forgiven by not only her friend, but by her God as well. Let that be a lesson for you. Covetousness and deceit do more harm to the one succumbing to those emotions.

What's in a name?

I've playing around with the idea of buying another domain name. I need a name that would represent my own little web consulting business once I get it going. I want something that sounds like a design oriented business, but not too corny.

I'm leaning towards www.jmjdesigns.com. It represents me and is design oriented. I can get the domain name for $8.95 for a year, which isn't bad. I already have a ton of web space and actually have enough so that I can split my web space under two different sites.

So what do you think of my proposed domain name?

Leave your comments on my blog and let me know.

Progress

Progress is in the eye of the beholder.

Now today, I did a lot of work. But it seemed like I did a lot of work over and over again. Sometimes, some projects are "how does it look now? - No? - Ok, I'll try again." and you spend the whole day fixing minute details.

Or sometimes you spend the day trying to force the square peg in the round hole and just when you think you can't try and shove it in from any other angle, you get it in and even though it looks weird and strange, you start to make a little progress.

You see a good web designer, in my humble opinion, should have at tiny bit of perfectionism deep in soul. There's generally no settling for almost perfect. It's perfect or it's garbage. That's what web design usually boils down to. If something isn't quite right on a page that I'm working on my conscience, my external conscience, will say something like, "was that a design choice?" which is my cue to fix the not-so-right design element.

So, to have a great website/page you need the following ingredients:

2 cups of design skill
2 cups of skill in the web design software package of your choice, I like Dreamweaver.
1 cup of obsession to detail
2 tbsp of patience (you can eye ball it)
A pinch of mania
A flux capacitor
A clove of garlic (to taste)
And about 3/4 cup of EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)

Warm that over 1.21 jigawatts of heat and man o'man, your site will be awesome!!

In thirty minutes, you may not have the perfect web site, but you will have a great meal for a party of four.

Rachael Ray Rocks!

How to confuse a Starbuck Employee

60 years later. Have we learned anything?

Today is the 60th of the bombing of Hiroshima, Japan marking the beginning of the end of War World I. I read an article on MSN.com http://msnbc.msn.com/id/8770432/site/newsweek/ today about a reporter who visited Hiroshima today. He writes:

I didn't know quite what to expect when I stepped off the train at Hiroshima. Certainly not the spacious shopping arcade at the station, with its advertisments for cappuccinos and beer. Nor the sight, soon after my taxi turned a corner, of the Groovin' Disc Shop, selling new and used CDs. Maybe the profusion of blond heads towering above the Japanese throngs on the platform should have alerted me. History ensures that Hiroshima belongs not just to Japan but to the world.

The rest of the article goes on to tell of the remnants, though faint, that remain as a result of that deadly day six decades ago. I read the article, fully expecting that he would mention the memorials services and commemorative landmarks throughout the city.

It was a brilliantly clear day, and I walked from the center of town, bustling with shops and hotels, through the Peace Memorial Park. It sits directly at ground zero, immaculately groomed as only Japanese gardeners seem to know how, with monuments scattered here and there to the 230,000 victims of the A-bomb. One ruined building—the Atomic Bomb Dome—stands as it did on Aug. 6, 1945, a stark reminder of that summer's day when clocks stopped at 8:15 a.m. and most of the city was obliterated.

In 36 days, we will commemorate the fourth anniversity of our county's day of infamy, September 11, 2001. It is oddly awkward to read about ground zero and not think of Lower Manhattan. It's strange to think that that phrase, ground zero, did exist before that day. But what's even more unnerving is knowing that our country was responsible for Hiroshima even having a ground zero. Instead of 3000 victims, Hiroshima had 230,000 victims. To put that in perspective the county that I live in has approximately 265,000 residents. Imagine if 85% of those residents were killed or injured, by means of one military act. It blows my mind.

Reading about this day and reflecting on the brevity of life makes me want to make sure that every moment is spent with a purpose. I want to use my life for good and use my time helping people. So many of us let our lives become consumed with the mundane cares of life and never stop to consider our neighbor and what we could do to make their existence better. It starts with a friendly, "Good Morning" or "How are you?" and actually taking the time to listen, to care. These greetings have become so common place that we say them by rout like mindless automatons with no real interest in the answer.

But no more. I care and I want you to care too. Today, tomorrow and the next day, say, "Hi, how are you?" to someone and really listen to what they have to say. When you take time to give your time and attention to someone else, the rewards come back ten-fold.

My Personality Type

From: http://www.damegames.com/quizzes/per/passess.htm
******************************************************

What type are you?

Introvert/Sensing/Feeling/Judging While quiet and reserved by nature, you are very warm-hearted, considerate, gentle, and trustworthy. You have a very well developed work ethic, which ensures you will complete the task before you in a timely manner. You like to help others and are very comfortable working behind the scenes to do so. Getting the job done is far more important to you than accolades for a job well done. You are detail oriented and meticulous in your work habits. Even small mistakes haunt you. While you are not one to give orders, you are very supportive of those around you. In relationships you are kind, considerate, and show your affection by fulfilling the needs of those you love. You want a comfortable life for yourself and your loved ones and will do what you can to make your lives so. You like a structured lifestyle with well defined goals. You avoid hurting others. Your need to feel needed can keep you in unhealthy relationships with overly needy people.

**********************************************************

Good Day

It's not often that people get to say that they had a really good day at work. So often, pressures at work be it because of personality differences, difficult projects, or simply the type of work that we are given put a heavy burden on us all. Many people feel like their to-do list never gets completed, but instead continually grows. I've had those days...

And then you have days like the one I had today. I didn't make a to-do list because that's way too much pressure for me. I simply printed out the tasks to be completed, put them in a folder for safe keeping and then I worked my way through the folder. Now granted, I didn't get through the folder completely because that would've been a serious freak of nature. But I did get to the point where I felt like I accomplished a lot of work. I got things done and made decisions that would ultimately make some of the projects go smoother and faster.

The other day I was talking to a friend and she said that she felt bad if there weren't enough things on her to-do list. I still don't know where I went wrong with her. I tried to convince her that she was in fact broken and that this type of thinking was no good. In our field of work, if you just sit still for about a minute, work will come to you; there's no need to go looking for it.

My sister, my friend

For all my sisters...

Hey girl, it's me, I just called to tell you hi
Call me when you get this
Haven't talked lately, so hard to find the time
Give the boys a big kiss
Tell them that I miss them
By the way, I miss you too

I was thinking just today
About how we used to play
Barbie dolls and make-up
Tea parties, dress up
I remember how we'd fight,
make up, and laugh all night
Wish we were kids again
My sister, my friend

Oh yeah, before I forget, I met someone
I think I relly like him
I was just wondering if I'm jumping the gun
By going out on a limb
And invite him home for dinner*
To meet the family

Seems like just yesterday
You brought home old whats his name
He had been drinkin'
What were you thinkin'
After dinner he passed out
We can laugh about it now
We've learned a lot since then
My sister, my friend

Do you think you could come and see me sometime soon?
We could just hang out like we used to

It's late, and I should go
But I can't hang up the phone
Until I tell you
What I don't tell you enough
Even though at times it seemed
We were more like enemies
I'd do it all again
My sister, my friend

Oh my sister, my friend

- Reba
From Room to Breathe

Question

The old saying goes...

"You have to keep up with the Joneses".

So if everyone is trying to keep up with the Joneses, with whom are the Joneses trying to keep up?

Day two

I started walking three miles around the track yesterday morning. Three miles a day at 7:30 am is a hard task, but it's worth it. If I can keep this up for a month, I'll segue into aquafit nicely in September.

My body is so sore :(

Don Q

Don Quixote... I told you that I was reading it, right? Well, I gave up on reading it myself and picked up the book on CD from the library last Saturday. Hello, it's 17 CDs long. What was I thinking?

But I have to say that in the past two days, I've listened to the first 6 chapters, far more than I managed to read on my own. I only have one thing to say - Don Quixote is crazy.

What's sadder is that we all know someone like him. If you don't think that you know someone like him, then chances are that you're the one who is like him.