Did you know that the Eiffel Tower has a website? It's pretty cool too!
http://www.tour-eiffel.fr/teiffel/uk/
If you're like me and afraid of heights, you can do the virtual climb at http://www.tour-eiffel.fr/teiffel/uk/ludique/visite/index.html.
Au revoir mes amis!
There are days when I sit and think about how good my life is right now. Although I don't have a family of my own, I have the freedom to do almost anything I want. Now of course the grass is always greener on the other side and part of me thinks, wants, desires a family. But today, on this date, I'm truly happy.
I have good friends and in fact, a BF... I thought I'd never use that term again. I've been afraid of that word and the implications and responsibilities associated with it. But I can say that my BF is a great person, who really cares about me. She builds me up so that I become better, but doesn't tear me down in the process. That's something that many people haven't mastered. She respects me for me and despite the fact that she's older, she treats me like an equal.
She wants me to be happy and achieve the things I want in life. But every now and again adds a small dose of reality when I turn to the left or the right. And I'd like to think that I do the same for her, even if it's to a small degree.
The best thing about my BF is something that she told me today... She's happy. For that I am grateful. "Time and unforeseen occurrenced befall us all" (Ecclesiastes 9:11b) and none of us is promised tomorrow. We need to cherish the time that we are alive. It's so important do know that each of us is loved and that each of us love those close to us.
I went to see the Cherry Blossoms in Washington, DC today and it was a really nice day. It was a bit breezy, but the blossoms looked really pretty. It seemed as if everybody and their sister were out there taking pictures.
We walked by the Jefferson Memorial too...
I don't care who you are or where you come, you know good and well that you love the theme song from Good Times. Everybody knows it and can't help but sing along when they hear it.
Good Times Lyrics
Good Times by Dave Grusin and Marilyn and Alan Bergman - Good Times Lyrics
Good Times.
Any time you meet a payment.
Good Times.
Any time you need a friend.
Good Times.
Any time you're out from under.
Not getting hastled, not getting hustled.
Keepin' your head above water,
Making a wave when you can.
Temporary lay offs.
Good Times.
Easy credit rip offs.
Good Times.
Scratchin' and surviving.
Good Times.
Hangin in a chow line
Good Times.
Ain't we lucky we got 'em
Good Times
Yesterday (Monday), I got an email from a user asking me to "help" her delete some images from a webpage. "Help" generally means, "do it for me" and I was in no mood to do such a simple task for her. I sat through 3 interviews that day and had to spend about an hour in discussions about the candidates. Oh yeah, I had a migraine too.
So I sent her instructions on deleting the images and thought to myself, "that'll teach you to ask me to update your page". So she emailed me today saying, "thanks for the help. I was able to get it done. But can you help me with something else." Now the second thing was a problem that she really couldn't fix. So I fixed and emailed her back. Then she emails me again or maybe she called me and said that she was still confused.
Now here's the funny part. She uploaded a Microsoft Word document to her website and needed to create a link to it on a particular page. So I told her to rename her document so that there were no spaces in the name. I had to run out to do something, but when I came back, I called her and she said, "I fixed it." I took a look at her website and noticed that her document was now a .pdf document. I mentally scratched my head and then asked her, "did you convert your document to a pdf or just rename it?"
"Uh... I renamed it and put .pdf at the end. Do you have convert it to a pdf?", she said.
"Only if you want it to work", I said.
The conversation got more ridiculuos from there and culminated in her saying, "the president (of the college) doesn't have to update her pages or convert documents herself. She has people who do that." So I told her that once she becomes the president, I'll update all her pages. But until then, she has to learn to do it herself.
My office had a great laugh about this after I finished talking to her on the phone.
I cleaned my apt up this weekend. Well actually, I still have to finish the bedroom. I have to put the sheets on my bed. and put away my clean clothes. Then I'll be done. There's something about a clean house that helps foster a clear mind. A clear mind can help minimize anxieties and ease fears.
This week starts my school's spring break, that is, UMUC. I still have to work and catch up with homework, so it's really not a break for me. HCC's spring break won't come until April 10th. If I could've taken this week off, I would've. But I have interviews this week. That's what I get for volunteering to be a search committee.
Well, I'd better get back to cleaning.
No, it's not Oprah writing...
When I think about that past few years since I left Sam Goody, I notice a pattern in my life. I have wanted to succeed, but have been afraid of it at the same time. I don't know what I thought might happen, except that I'd lose myself. But I'm starting to figure out that succeeding isn't the scary thing people make it out to be. It's not always about getting ahead and making the most money. It's not even about climbing the corporate ladder. It's about doing your best and being good at something you love.
I love my job...I know I do more than people realize, but it's ok. I'm one of the go-to people and I actually enjoy that. I don't make as much as I need to live here in Columbia, but I do make good money for what I do. Could I use more? Of course...I'd be a fool to say anything else. But all in all, I think that contentment is the key and for the most part, I have that.
I'm going to assume that I'm just tired and have listened to a little too much Evanescence this evening to be in control of my emotions because for some reason I have this need to cry. I have no idea why except that I feel overwhelmed right now. I have too many tasks on my plate...things that I don't exactly know how to do. But because me have an obligation to stakeholders (there's a nice baldridge word for you), I have to plow through this.
It's funny, I'm on the threshold of getting what I've wanted for over a year and yet, I'm not as happy about it as I thought I'd be. I know I'm not a glutton for punishment, so what's my problem?
Today I did something that I've been avoiding for a year. I had to go get some closure. I had a talk with someone about some problems I had a year ago. I was supposed to follow up on my progress, but in true chicken fashion, I never went back, mostly because I didn't know what to say. My problems didn't really change within the proceeding months, nor had my attitude about the problems. I felt wronged and wanted justice, albeit my own brand of justice. That was part of the problem.
I think that I needed to learn that sometimes humpty dumpty can't be put back together. Despite my efforts to make things right, sometimes, things just stay broken and I had to learn to deal with it. In my naive brain, I actually thought that I could close a chasm that was years in the making. But you know what, sometimes separations happen for a reason. Sometimes Mom and Dad can't be together and be happy. But with any separation, loyalties are tested and feelings are hurt. It's hard to take sides, but it's inevitable. The trick is to get to a point where you can forgive yourself and everyone else.
So that's what today was about...Accepting that separation is ok and that despite what has happened in the past, I can still move on.
We had a good time in NYC on Saturday despite the fact that we didn't see Isaac Mizrahi or Lisa Loeb. I'm not sure why I was so obsessed with meeting them on Saturday, but I found myself looking out in every clothing store for Isaac and just anywhere for Lisa. Oh well, it wasn't meant to be.
The Museum of Modern Art was....interesting. They have weird pieces there. For example the very first room we went into looked like an IKEA showroom. I could not believe that I had just paid $20 for that. But thankfully, it got much better when we looked at the photographs and paintings.
Oh yeah, we saw a "hobo", as my brother called him, who appeared to be high, probably on heroine. He stopped for traffic and then bent over slowly with his head in the traffic. I'm surprised that no one hit him.
Where'd the word HOBO come from anyway?
BTW, it sure was nice out today. Who would have thought it would be 82 degrees on March 13th? It's been nice for a couple of days now. Snow must be coming.
Desperado
Why don't you come to your senses
Ben out ridin' fences, for so long now
Oh, you're a hard one
But I know that you got your reasons
These things that are pleasin' you
Can hurt you somehow
Don't you draw the queen of diamonds boy
She'll beat you if she's able
You know the queen of hearts is always your best bet
But it seems to me some fine things have been laid upon your table
But you only want the ones you can't get
Desperado
Oh, you ain't gettin' no younger
Your pain and your hunger, they're drivin' you home
And freedom, oh freedom, well that's just some people talkin'
Your prison is walkin' through this world all alone
Don't your feet get cold in the wintertime
The sky won't snow and the sun won't shine
It's hard to tell the nighttime from the day
And you're losin' all your highs and lows
Ain't it funny how the feelin' goes away
Desperado
Why don't you come to your senses
Come down from those fences, open the gate
It may be rainin', but there's a rainbow above you
You better let somebody love you, let somebody love you
You better let somebody love you
Before it's too late
A new reality series started last night called Black White and I have to say that watching the interaction between the black family and the white family greatly disturbed me. The premise of the show is that a black family and a white family move into a house together, exchange races, and see what it is like to live as a different race. This social experiment is similar to John Howard Griffin's experiment of a white man moving to the south in 1959, changing his skin color from white to black to experience racism first hand. His story is chronicled in his book Black Like Me.
While I was intrigued by the possibility of seeing this experiment play out, while I was actually watching it, I felt an array of emotions that ran the gamut of amusement to shock to horror. It seems like no one is really taking this thing seriously or really understands what they've gotten themselves into. The black family feels that they will have no problem passing because typically black are made to fit into the "white" culture on a daily basis. The white famiy's approach was almost like they were going on a field trip. The mother proclaimed that her parents helped with the civil rights movement and that she has no problem with any one of any race and that she thinks this would be a great opportunity to get an inside look at what it's like to be black.
I have to honestly say that what she said sounded noble, but some how the way she said seem to me that she had no clue what she was up against. I kept envisioning the episode of Good Times when Michael makes plans to move into an apt near his college with a white girl. He has to defend his choice to his mother and convince her they are not involver romantically. Florida's concern is lessened when Cindy's parents show up and proclaim that they are fine with Michael living with "a black" since his vast experience in a "real ghetto" equipped him to fight off intruders. They used phrases like "right on mama" and "joving" instead of "jiving". It was all so condescending and humiliating that Michael decides that he can't live with Cindy since her parents only like him because of his skin color.
The white parents reminded me of Cindy's parents in the beginning because they tried to use the slang that they considered black. It was awful because it re-affirmed something that I already felt; white people think that all black people use slang. Now I say that and of course, I made a generalization about an entire race that was just as bad as the one I'm putting down. I know that all white don't think that, so don't email me or call me and fuss. But I will say this, I have been in that situation where a white person tried use some slang on me and it was a very uncomfortable situation because I didn't respond in the way he expected. Take a mental note, white people, don't walk up to a black women and say, "hey girlfriend!", especially if you are a middle-aged white man. It's like nails on a chalkboard for me.
Now it seems as though I've picked on only the white family. But the black family has some issues as well. The son, who signed his family up for this show, so far, isn't really putting that much effort into it. The other thing that bothers me, and maybe this will be addressed in upcoming episodes, but the black family is listening to white people including their house mate say things that are biased and they won't say anything. The white father said n**ga about five or six times and no one said a word.
I think that I may continue to watch the show mostly because it has served as a starting point for conversations with a white friend of mine. We have been friends for a while and view each other more as human beings than as black and white. Both of us were raised in multi-cultural communities so the idea of being racist is difficult for both of us. Yet, we are different and there are things that we were both taught about the opposite race, either directly or indirectly.
I am carefully though. It sounds silly, but in some cases I feel like overtalking racism may actually feed into it. I think that we spend so much time trying to deal with each other as races, that we forget that we are human beings. As a member of my job's diversity committeee we talke about how we can become better diverse people. The problem is that we live in a broken and divided world, designed to exploit our differences and keep the problems between races going. That's why it's so important to hold on to these scriptures:
Matthew 22:37-40
37 He said to him: “‘You must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind.’ 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 The second, like it, is this, ‘You must love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments the whole Law hangs, and the Prophets.”
Some people might think that these words are more idealistic that is possible, but I really believe that each of us benefits from the application of these scriptures. Now I'm not so naive to think that everyone will apply these scriptures. I know they won't and as long as we live in an imperfect world, there will always be racism. It may not take the form of cloaked men burning crosses on black people's lawns. But it will continue to infiltrate people's lives in ways they never thought possible. The people who should worry the most are people who don't have much contact with other races, but who believe that they don't have kinds of bias towards anyone.
My laptop needs a new motherboard. It took the Dell Support guy 1.25 hours to tell me what I already knew. Since I have a warranty, Dell is sending someone to replace the motherboard.
I'm going to back up my entire system tomorrow, just in case...
I skipped my aquafit class today so that I could finish my second assignment in my web design methodology class. I got a lot done, but at 9 pm I read an email saying that we have an extra week. Normally I'd be upset about putting in a ton of work and then having deadline pushed back.
But hey, here's the silver lining:
1. I wasn't finished yet anyway
2. I have more time to come up with better graphics
3. I have more time to develop more pages/content
4. I can finish my style sheet which will help me finish my standards manual
And, what's more, I revelled in the splendor that is a reese's cup today :)
Click here to take the Star Trek Personality Test
You are Uhura
Uhura 80%
Data 61%
Deanna Troi 60%
An Expendable Character (Redshirt) 60%
Beverly Crusher 55%
Geordi LaForge 45%
Will Riker 45%
James T. Kirk (Captain) 40%
Mr. Scott 40%
Chekov 40%
Spock 35%
Jean-Luc Picard 30%
Worf 30%
Leonard McCoy (Bones) 15%
Mr. Sulu 0%
Thursday night I dreamt that I was in rehearsals for a tv special with Carol Burnett. Carol, Harvey, Tim and Carol's husband were all at my house and we were going over the script. Now, you may wonder why I didn't mention Vicki Lawrence. Vicki was traditionally the cute young one in that bunch. But in my dream, that was me. It was lots of fun. I don't remember most, except doing a lot of singing.
Last night, I dreamt that I was going to the District Convention with my aunt and uncle and we had some fish that we had to transport in a variety of containers. At one point, the fish, about 4 different fish, were lost and it was believed that someone stole them. We finally go them back, but it always seemed like the container we had wasn't good enough. Finally, we decided to set them free in the ocean. It was like Finding Nemo, but sad.
My instructor gave us the assignment to look up some information about XML and then explain what it is and it's uses in our online discussion. Well, everything I read, including my textbook seemed like it was written in greek. I mean, I'm a techie, but XML seems totally foreign.
So I called a friend and she had a book that I was actually searching for on Amazon.com.
There are days when I'm totally pensive and reflective and the sage advice flows naturally as if from a weathered old matriarch. Then there days when I can't form a coherent sentence and I sound more like a drunken sailor. I'm happy to say that today was neither one of those days.
I did, though, have a good day, even with having to take another trip to the dentist office. I had a purposeful day. I got plenty of work done and I left feeling like I had really accomplished something. Now of course, my work wasn't completely done, but it was done enough to where I could leave without worried myself into anemia.
I've been working on a story in my head all day that I just can't get worked out. I have a beginning and an end, but no middle. Please don't ask me what the story is about because I don't know yet. I just know that I have to write it. It'll appear in my blog one day, but for now, it's tangled in the cobwebs of my brain.
