Five months later.

What I have to say today may be shocking to some and to those, I apologize up front.

I was watching Oprah today and she had stories from Hurricane Katrina and how after five months some people are still living in horrifying conditions. There are still 2000 people missing and very little clean up has been done.

We all know about the devastation in New Orleans because that's all we were shown, day in and day out. But there were other places that were destroyed in Mississippi, Alabama, Texas and in other parts of Louisiana. It makes me sad to hear that people feel forgotten and alone because all the attention, initially went to New Orleans.

Now, New Orleans' mayor Ray Nagen, has made a special effort to get parts of New Orleans ready for Mardi Gras and that's all fine and good, if you're into that sort of thing. But there are thousands of families with no place to go. There are people living in tents, while FEMA trailers sit unoccupied. There are children who have to go to over crowded schools because only one school was fit for operation in a particular area. What's going on is madness and all the government officials keep pointing fingers and blaming other people. But these are people's lives we're talking about. They can't wait around until someone decides to own up to their mistakes and take the blame.

The people holding up the progress are more than likely people who can go home to a relatively nice place each night and sleep in a bed, not a cot, but a bed. Like I said, it's all very frustrating to look at and take in.

I will say this, and again, if it offends you, I'm sorry. When the Twin Towers fell in Manhattan, it wasn't economically advantageous to let the lower Manhattan sit in ruin. The powers that be got things moving to clean up and recover as quickly as possible. George Bush made it clear that he would do everything necessary to get New York back to what it had been. Isn't New Orleans just as deserving? Why do we have to play the blame game before our own people get any help?

I hate to say this but I truly believe that if we had seen more images of white people suffering right from the beginning, more would've been done. The poor black people were seen as refugees, looters, and lost souls in the midst of the disaster. Most of those people probably aren't voting republicans or else, they'd be safe now. Our government has a way of favoring those who are their own and this time it's costing people their lives, their homes, and their way of life.

I guarantee that if those areas had been more conservative areas, the money that had already been allocated to strengthen the levies would've been in place. The scientific reports that showed not only that a cat 5 hurricane was coming, but that the levies could not withstand the pressure of a cat 5 hurricane. Why weren't these reports taken more seriously.

We live in a sick world, run by men who could care less about the little guy. That's why I'll be glad when Jesus comes to clean up the mess that we have created. If he doesn't we are libel to destroy each other.

A plague

I've decided that there must be a plague on my household because I can't seem to shake this sinus infection. I've had it since December and nothing seems to help it. I wanted to stay in bed today, but I figured that it wouldn't help. So here I am at work, just trying to maintain.

If you find me asleep under my desk, just tiptoe around me...please don't wake me up.

Old Lady Madonna

I used to be jealous of Madonna, but not anymore.

© KIRSTY WIGGLESWORTH/AP
Madonna
Madonna Reportedly Has Hernia Surgery
Feb 16, 5:47 PM EST


The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES -- Madonna may have gyrated like a 20-year-old at the Grammy Awards, but her body felt the brunt of it later. Following last week's high-octane performance, Madonna had hernia surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, the New York Post reported Wednesday.

The 47-year-old singer appeared "pale and had no appetite" after the surgery. At the Los Angeles Kabbalah Center on Feb. 10, she did not eat or lead the after-dinner prayer as she usually does when there. Husband Guy Ritchie was absent, the Post reported.

"Whatever was commented on in the New York Post is what we're confirming," Briele Douglass said Thursday. She is an assistant to Madonna's publicist.

Last summer, a horse accident in London left Madonna with a broken collarbone and three cracked ribs.

Buyers Beware

Home Decor

I'm in the process of redoing my living room and dining room. I am giving my mom the dining room table and the shelf and my stereo in exchange for a black porch table. Now before you make a face, let me tell you my plan. I really want to open the space up in my dining room and since I never have people over, there's really no need for a large dining room table that even I don't eat at.

So all I'll need to do is get a piece of glass and a table cloth and I'll be on my way. I also got a painting for the dining room, but I want to get the table in place before I put it up.



I've really let the apt fall to the wayside since I've been in school. I need the organization and the peace that comes with it in order to stay focused. Hopefully, once the table gets here, I can achieve that level of peace I need.

Snow Pix

We got 16.5" of snow in Harper's Forest.

Here are my snow pix:

And the snow came

I hate to admit, but I love the snow. It makes life so difficult and causes things to close, but it is one of the most things I've ever seen. We are getting between 6 - 10 inches of snow within the next 24 hours. I'm going to try to get some pictures of the snow tomorrow morning and that'll be the only time I leave the house.

Did you know that part of the purpose of snow is to help clean the atmostphere. That's why there's a different smell in the air during and after a snowfall. The smell of snow holds the promise of something new, something better. When I smell snow, I feel like I've been given the chance to make things new. It's like getting a second chance. I don't want to waste my chance. So, I'm going to use it wisely.

The weekend

So this week was a week that tested my soul. I took my final on Wednesday and had what felt like a minor panic attack. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't keep a single linear thought. The funny thing is that I had it after I took the final. I was completely fine before the final, but I was a nervous wreck afterwards.

Now they're calling for snow. There are differing opinions as to the amount of snow. But needless to say, we will get something. I can't wait. I love snow; it's so beautiful. I hope to get some nice pictures.

Now, I am making a trip to IKEA tomorrow to get a computer desk for my sister... and maybe something for myself. But we have to see. Hopefully we can get down and back before the snow gets bad.

Why Me?

Today I had one of the dumbest conversations I've ever had in my life. I had people calling me about something that so wasn't worth the time and effort it took for me to pick up the phone. But they made it a federal case. I finally said, "I don't care. Do whatever it is you want to do."

I wonder sometimes if I'm the only one with a ton of work to do sometimes... Could be...

BTW, I got fillings today and my teeth feel really weird. I'm afraid to brush them with my battery operated tooth brush. What if the fillings fall out?

Oh well, thankfully, tomorrow is Friday. Hopefully it will be drama free.

Yeah right...

What do you say?

I wish I had something of some importance to share tonight. Each day that passes, I feel that I could do more with my life. I've set so many plates before me and am only taking small tastes from each one. I feel connected to everything, yet out of touch at the same time.

There are things in my life right now, that are completely out of my control. I don't like this, but it's important that I go along, be a part of the team. I definitely want some answers, but need to careful about getting them or else I could make life harder on myself. But being a type A person, you know that this uncertainly is killing me.

However, I do know this. Having supportive people in my life helps me through these times. Also, prayer helps a lot. There is no way to make it through without prayer.

Faith

Faith is the assured expectation of things hoped for, the evident demonstration of realities though not beheld.

- Hebrews 11:1

I feel pretty...oh so pretty

Guess what kiddies? Aunty Julie went to the spa today and she had a grand old time. The massage, facial, manicure and pedicure, all necessary things to make this gal happy.

Massages are a new thing for me and as uncomfortable as I thought I'd be, I really wasn't. The facial was cool, until she started sticking me with some pointy metal thingamabob (that's a technical term; you need not worry yourself about it). I think she was cleaning my pores...Yikes!

When it was time for the pedicure, the part I was most nervous about, (did you see my feet before today?), it wasn't so bad. Although it was kind of disconcerting because my tech was a little Asian lady. Did I mention the Asian nail technician in my blog post about stereotypes? If not, I should've.

Any who... it was a good afternoon... in fact it was a great afternoon. I got to spend it with someone who is slowly turning into my twin... or am I turning into hers? hmmm... We got to talk about alot things. I'm glad we went.

Blogs revisted

I'm working on the revisions of my research paper about blogs. It's a strange thing, this business of revisions. It's just as hard as writing the first draft. But I'm almost done. There are a few points that I can't wrap my head around. But it'll come to me, I'm sure.

Hey check it out... I'm writing in my blog about writing a paper about blogs. It's like that M. C. Escher drawing of the hand drawing the hand drawing the hand.

It's done

After one billion hours, I finally finished my research paper, all 22 pages. It's about blogs in higher education. It has a lot of information. I just hope that I get a good grade on it.

Operating systems as beers

DOS Beer -- Requires you to use your own can opener, and requires you to read the directions carefully before opening the can. Originally only came in an 8-oz. can, but now comes in a 16-oz. can. However, the can is divided into 8 compartments of 2 oz. each, which have to be accessed separately. Soon to be discontinued, although a lot of people are going to keep drinking it after it's no longer available.

Mac Beer -- At first, came only a 16-oz. can, but now comes in a 32-oz. can. Considered by many to be a "light" beer. All the cans look identical. When you take one from the fridge, it opens itself. The ingredients list is not on the can. If you call to ask about the ingredients, you are told that "you don't need to know." A notice on the side reminds you to drag your empties to the trashcan.

Windows 3.1 Beer -- The world's most popular. Comes in a 16-oz. can that looks a lot like Mac Beer's. Requires that you already own a DOS Beer. Claims that it allows you to drink several DOS Beers simultaneously, but in reality you can only drink a few of them, very slowly, especially slowly if you are drinking the Windows Beer at the same time. Sometimes, for apparently no reason, a can of Windows Beer will explode when you open it.

OS/2 Beer -- Comes in a 32-oz can. Does allow you to drink several DOS Beers simultaneously. Allows you to drink Windows 3.1 Beer simultaneously too, but somewhat slower. Advertises that its cans won't explode when you open them, even if you shake them up. You never really see anyone drinking OS/2 Beer, but the manufacturer (International Beer Manufacturing) claims that 9 million six-packs have been sold.

Windows 95 Beer -- You can't buy it yet, but a lot of people have taste-tested it and claim it's wonderful. The can looks a lot like Mac Beer's can, but tastes more like Windows 3.1 Beer. It comes in 32-oz. cans, but when you look inside, the cans only have 16 oz. of beer in them. Most people will probably keep drinking Windows 3.1 Beer until their friends try Windows 95 Beer and say they like it. The ingredients list, when you look at the small print, has some of the same ingredients that come in DOS beer, even though the manufacturer claims that this is an entirely new brew.

Windows NT Beer -- Comes in 32-oz. cans, but you can only buy it by the truckload. This causes most people to have to go out and buy bigger refrigerators. The can looks just like Windows 3.1 Beer's, but the company promises to change the can to look just like Windows 95 Beer's - after Windows 95 beer starts shipping. Touted as an "industrial strength" beer, and suggested only for use in bars.

Unix Beer -- Comes in several different brands, in cans ranging from 8 oz. to 64 oz. Drinkers of Unix Beer display fierce brand loyalty, even though they claim that all the different brands taste almost identical. Sometimes the pop-tops break off when you try to open them, so you have to have your own can opener around for those occasions, in which case you either need a complete set of instructions, or a friend who has been drinking Unix Beer for several years.

AmigaDOS Beer -- The company has gone out of business, but their recipe has been picked up by some weird German company, so now this beer will be an import. This beer never really sold very well because the original manufacturer didn't understand marketing. Like Unix Beer, AmigaDOS Beer fans are an extremely loyal and loud group. It originally came in a 16-oz. can, but now comes in 32-oz. cans too. When this can was originally introduced, it appeared flashy and colorful, but the design hasn't changed much over the years, so it appears dated now. Critics of this beer claim that it is only meant for watching TV anyway.

VMS Beer -- Requires minimal user interaction, except for popping the top and sipping. However cans have been known on occasion to explode, or contain extremely un-beer-like contents.

Emotional extremes

The aspiring psychiatrists were attending their first class on emotional extremes. "Just to establish some parameters," said the professor to the student from Arkansas, "What is the opposite of joy?"

"Sadness," said the student.

And the opposite of depression?" he asked of the young lady from Oklahoma.

"Elation," said she.

"And you sir," he said to the young man from Texas, "how about the opposite of woe?"

The Texan replied, "Sir, I believe that would be giddy-up."

Friends

When I think about the people that I have in my life today, they are much different than the people who were in my life, 10, 15 and 20 years ago. I can't tell you who was my best friend when I was 13 years old. I don't think I had one. Oh yeah, there was Jasen. He was my only friend in the 7th grade. I don't know why he was my friend... I treated him like trash. The older me knows this now.

When I was 18, my best friend was my bible study teacher. She taught me about Jehovah and the bible. She was only about three years older than me, but she treated me like an equal. She gave me good advice. Her name was Dania. I wish we had kept in touch.

Today... well, I'm done giving people labels. One thing that I've learned over the years is that no relationship is ever exclusive. You can label someone your best friend, but that doesn't mean that they feel the same way about you. They may not feel as sure about your relationship as you do. This used to bother me a lot and I'll admit that it still does. But I really can't hold that against anyone. I love hard and strong. When you have me as a friend you get me 100%. I don't let too many people in behind the wall, so if you get in, you get all of me. Not everyone can give that much of themselves and I am slowly coming to accept that.

But I wonder if the people that are in my close circle of friends now are the kind of people that I would've been friends with them in the past. I've been told that I was a brat when I was little, so I really don't know. I do know that I'm glad to have the friends that I have.

A word from the dentist

Hello children,
If you want to avoid cavities, be sure to floss every day. A good time to do it is when you are brushing your teeth at night before you go to bed. (Yeah, he got me on that one too!)

You don't want to be like me.

Brush your teeth!

I'm begging you :(

Freakish Snow

I was watching the morning news this morning and they were talking about lake effect snow in the northern counties. I didn't really pay too much attention because I'm not in a northern county, so what do I care.

That was until I looked out my window. Dude, it was snowing wild giant flakes and they were blowing every where.

I bundled up, debated on taking my camera to capture the freak storm, and headed out into the snow. Now, for those of you who know me, you know that I live literally three minutes from work, five if the light turns red. I swear to you, by the time I got to work, the snow stopped and it was as if nothing happened.

Weird...

Just to make this clear...

I feel like I shouuld clarify I said Monday night. I think I may have come off as a bit of a brat because I don't care for the general education classes that I have to take. I really don't hate them that much. But I do have an illustration that will clarify how I feel:

It's like this, everyone hates toll booths. They slow you down and they cost you money. But in the back of your mind you know that the money that they collect helps keep the highways maintained. You still don't like them, but you figure out a way to deal with them. I still trying to figure out how to deal with my toll booths.

Hope that explains what I meant.

Fork in the road

For some time now, I've been wanting to jump in and do more with this web design thing (I should probably stop calling it a thing). For the past couple of years, people have asked me to do websites for them and I never have the time or I just don't want to do because of the type of site they want.

About a year ago a friend asked me why I keep turning people down. She asked me if I keep saying no because I'm afraid to take a risk. In a way, website design is like giving birth. Unless the client has a set idea in mind, they expect you, the webmaster, to come up with a masterpiece. You have to come up with the site that will help them promote their business and make them millions while you sit at home trying to figure out how you're going to pay your rent and keep the lights on because they didn't pay you what you are actually worth... (Sorry, I'm eight days away from pay day and completely broke). If the client doesn't like what you do, it feels like they're you telling that your kid is ugly. I can't take that kind of rejection.

I decided to go back to school last year summer to get my bachelor's degree. I did it because I really want to teach some online courses at my community college(cc). I graduated from CC in 2001 and really had no intention of going for a bachelors. I don't have the attention span for it. I like to take a class and use my new found knowledge immediately. A university education seemed like a long drawn out process to me, filled with classes I'll never need or use. I'm still not completely convinced that I'll ever use Intro to Physical Science or American Government in the real world. But I have to take them.

So here's where I stand. I'm working fulltime and taking classes parttime. The bachelor's degree will definitely be a resume booster. But in the meantime, I hate turning people down. But what I hate more is seeing people with less skills than I have getting paid for developing not so great sites.

I don't know where to find the happy medium or if there even is one for me.

Long Day, Late Night

Today was a day of rest for me. I felt physically drained when I woke up this morning. Yesterday was hectic and I had very vivid dreams. My brain probably never calmed down.

I went to McDonald's this morning to use one of the coupons that came in the mail last week. McDonald's sent out coupon books and apparently everyone was in McDonald's redeeming the coupons this morning. I got a steak and egg bagel sandwich. The steak, if you could call it that, wasn't that good.

Anyway, the rest of the day happened... I didn't get that much more energy. I just wanted to go to sleep. But I didn't. Now, I have an outline to do and I can't get it started. I have an idea of how I want the outline to flow, but getting it on paper just isn't happening. I'm usually ok to do this sort of thing in a crunch. But it's just not happening. If I don't turn it in within the next 28 minutes, I'll get late points.

Well, at least I'll be consistent...
I'm going to bed...

TGIF

It's been a busy week. Even though we only worked four days, it feels like I've worked two weeks straight. There's so much going on...It makes my head swirl.

I guess part of it is that I'm finally keeping up with my homework. I'm at a point where I'm not trying to catch up. I've actually gotten quite a bit done on my research paper. I started out thinking that I wouldn't find a lot of information about blogging on college websites. But I've found a number of articles that support blogging on college websites.

With all this information, I feel energized to get this paper done. I don't know if I'll give it to my boss. I may, just for grins. But I've been working on her to give the idea some thought. We'll see how things go.

I am grateful, though, that it's Friday. I'm so tired.

Night, y'all.

Rate Your Professor

All I have to say is that ratemyprofessor.com probably saved me from a frustrating semester with a tirant of a professor. I didn't get a good impression of her from her course outline, syllabus, class procedures...basically nothing made me feel good about being in her class. So I looked her up and low and behold, no one had anything positive to say about her.

So I switched sections to a professor who had good ratings. What a great site!

http://www.ratemyprofessors.com

The Dormitory Boys

This is the funniest thing I've ever seen. I actually saw this on VH1, but a few minutes ago, I saw the link as one of the Blogger Picks.

http://twochineseboys.blogspot.com/

Turn on your speakers... it is soooo worth it.

I guess this is what I missed out on by not going to a university and living on campus.

Mayor Ray Nagen

I feel sorry for the people of New Orleans. They have a mayor who actually made the comment that God is punishing New Orleans with hurricanes. The increase of hurricanes is caused by environmental factors caused by human beings. Mankind is destroying the environment causing the increase of natural disasters.

It's pretty sad when a politician can't admit his own mistakes and has to resort to blaming God when disaster recovery isn't handled properly. What an idiot!

NPR News

I have been listening to NPR news lately. I think it's important to keep up with the news. The thing is that I don't understand what most of the news is about...at least not the political stuff.

Iran may have nuclear arms... we don't know for sure. But we do know that everyone is nervous about it.

Anti-Infringement Laws

http://www.comics.com/comics/offthemark/archive/offthemark-20060107.html

Nothing to say.

I have no clever witicisms for you today. I'm in pain...lots of pain. I'll have more to talk about tomorrow.

Ok, just this one thing...

I found out that I have arthritis in my jaw... that's what is causing the pain.

Alright, time for flexiril...

Don't give in

I think every one of us has at the very least, a tiny spect of racist inclination. No matter how evolved we become and how accepting we are, there are always those lingering questions.

Are Jews really cheap?
Are African-Americans really lazy?
Do Asian people smell like garlic?
Are Whites better with money?
Are all grounds people Mexican?
Are all Muslims terrorists?

The thing to remember is that these are stereotypes.

Stereotype - an idea that many people have about a thing or a group and that may often be untrue or only partly true.

See, the thing is, none of us is perfect. So as long as we are imperfect, we will never completely let go of stereotypes. We can train ourselves not to believe those stereotypes. But there will always be something that we believe about a race of people.

Does this mean it's ok to be a racist? Of course not. My point is that we have to work hard at not giving into stereotypes.

Uninvited

These words have resonated with me since the first time I heard them. They touch my soul in a way that is hard to describe. Plus, the melody is so haunting and powerful. It's so simple with only about three chords. But it's one of my favorite songs.

artist: Alanis Morissette
title: Uninvited


Like anyone would be
I am flattered by your fascination with me
Like any hot-blooded woman
I have simply wanted an object to crave
But you, you're not allowed
You're uninvited
An unfortunate slight

Must be strangely exciting
To watch the stoic squirm
Must be somewhat heartening
To watch shepherd lead shepherd
But you you're not allowed
You're uninvited
An unfortunate slight

Like any uncharted territory
I must seem greatly intriguing
You speak of my love like
You have experienced love like mine before
But this is not allowed
You're uninvited
An unfortunate slight

I don't think you unworthy
I need a moment to deliberate

Celebrity Fit Club 3

I really want to get in shape. I want to do it by the end of March. But really need to work hard at it. I haven't exercised consistently for two months, following my surgery and I can feel the immobility taking its toll on my body.

I watched about 10 hours of the Biggest Loser show last week and was totally inspired to get going on the workout trail. When season three of Celebrity Fit Club premiered last week, I was psyched and ready to go.

Then I saw the train wreck that is Jeff Conaway. He's so messed up on prescription medication and it appears that he doesn't realize how bad it really is. The thing that I get out of CFC3 is that 1.) I never want to get so out of shape that my body starts falling apart on me and I need prescriptions drugs 2) if I need prescription drugs, I don't want to be dependent on them and 3) I really want to exercise so that we don't even have to mention 1 and 2 ever again.

So here's my goal. I found that walking did the trick for me as far as shedding the pounds. So I my goal is to get to the weight room and do at least 2-3 miles a day, 5 days a week. I also want to cut down on the sugar, meat and (Gina forgive me) caffeine. My doctor keeps telling me to watch my caffeine intake and I certainly don't want to die over a caramel macchiato.

Poked and Prodded

I went to get my blood work and x-rays done today. I waited a long time for both. But at the radiology center, I met a lady who was a regular and she made me feel at ease about getting x-rays. Her name was Joan and she was probably in her 60s. She told me that she had had breast cancer and stomach cancer. Both were gone now, but she still comes to get x-rays every three months because they won't make sure everything is still clear.

I'll get the results of my x-rays on Thursday when I go in for my follow up. In the meantime, I have some pain medication to help me sleep. I just took some and already, I'm ready to go to sleep.

16 days later

I know I mentioned a headache a week or so ago. I still have it. I went to the doctor today and he thinks it may be muscular. It appears that my neck may be having spasms. Or it could be TMJ or good old fashion migraines. Tommorrow I'm getting some blood work and x-rays. Dr. Goodwin said that he'll know more after he gets the results back. In the meantime, I have some muscle relaxers to help me sleep.

Of course, I can't take them tonight since I have to get my blood drawn tomorrow. But I think that after I get the x-rays done, I'm coming right back home and get in the bed and see where life takes me.

Here's some links to check out:
What is Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMJ)?

What are common migraine triggers ?

Oh Happy Day!

Guess who got an A in her Advanced Internet class? Oh yeah, that's right!!! Here's my final project, which garnered an impressive 100% and the love and respect of millions worldwide. (That was a little over the top, I know. But who can blame me?)

http://nova.umuc.edu/~ct386f03/website/index.html

Next semester's schedule

CMST450 Web Design Methodology and Technology
Prerequisite: CMST 386. An in-depth survey of the design and delivery of professional Web content. Focus is on using comprehensive tools and the latest technology to enhance the Web presence of a small business. Topics include multimedia and interactivity. Online commerce and Internet security issues are discussed. Assignments include a comprehensive project. Students may receive credit for only one of the following courses: CAPP 498D or CMST 450.


IFSM Intro to Computer Based Systems (Don't laugh - I have to take it)
(Course activities require access to a standard office productivity package, i.e., word processing, spreadsheet, database, and presentation software.) An overview of computer information systems in which hardware, software, procedures, systems, and human resources are explored in relation to their integration and application in business and other segments of society. Students may receive credit for only one of the following courses: BMGT 301, CAPP 101, CAPP 300, CMST 300, IFSM 201, or TMGT 201.

Back to Work

I went back to work today. It's great to have a job that gives you a winter break. And it's paid time! You can't beat that with a stick.

So it was back to the cube today for another day of crunching the numbers. At the beginning of each month I run statistics on the web site to see how many people have visited our web site. Believe me, it isn't nearly as exciting as it sounds. It will be interesting to see how our yearly statistics look.

I don't mean to make my job sound so exciting. I don't want to make you jealous. I can see it now... the jealousy is eating you up inside. You can't stand it. You want to smack me.

LOL

Wise words for the new year

Today I was listening to two CDs in the car that I haven't listened to in a long time, Mary J. Blige - No More Drama and Madonna - Bedtime stories. I really like these CDs but it was strange because I got so inspired by two songs.


Mary J. Blige - No More Drama
I don't know
Only God knows where the story ends for me
But I know where the story begins
It's up to us to choose
whether we win or lose
And I choose to win



Madonna - Secret
You gave me back the paradise
That I thought I lost for good
You helped me find the reasons why
It took me by surprise that you understood
You knew all along
What I never wanted to say
Until I learned to love myself
I was never ever lovin' anybody else


These are such powerful words. Words that inspire me to keep reaching for my goals, to keep me motivated to learn to love myself more and most importantly words that help me accept that I alone am responsible for my happiness.

New Year's Resolution

I just saw a woman on TV who said that her New Year's Resolution is to help her boyfriend stay out of jail and to lose weight.

LOL

December 31, 2005 2:48am

Talk about burning the midnight oil. I've been working on a homework assignment all day. I've been reading the chapter that goes with it all week. The assignment was due by midnight on December 30. I was 2 hours 48 minutes late. But I guess if I weren't late, then I wouldn't be me. The truth of that statement saddens me in ways that I can't fully explain.

Now I have to get started on the next assignment. I committed to doing a research project about using blogs on college websites. I really think that we could use them at HCC, but the trick is going to be convincing the powers that be that blogs can be used as a business application. I've already seen blogs used on the McDaniel College website. I'm still looking for other colleges that use blogs effectively. Some offer blog space to their students, but I'm looking for blogs that help in recruiting or blogs that are used to announce campus events. I need some concrete evidence 1) for my paper and 2) to use for my real sales pitch.

Well, I'm past tired. I have to get some sleep now. Shelby is going home tomorrow and I want to make sure that I'm awake when her parents get here.

Seven Things

One of those annoying surveys

Seven things that scare you:

1) Heights
2) Bridges
3) Having to be confrontational with someone I love
4) Getting older
5) Being on boats
6) Mental Illness
7) Having people hear me sing when I have my headphones
on.


Seven things you love:

1) God
2) My family
3) My best friends
4) My computer
5) Snow days
6) Music
7) Discovering something new all on my own


Seven things you hate:

1) People who lie
2) Laziness
3) People who are not empathetic to other people's needs
4) Paris Hilton
5) Telemarketers who call and say "This is not a telemarketing call"
6) Paying Bills
7) Not having money


Seven things in your room:

1) Bed
2) Dresser
3) Ironing Board
4) Clothes
5) Pug
6) Tiger
7) A photo of Italy


Seven random facts that nobody knows about you:

1) I want to be in a play
2) I want to be on the Price Is Right and win fabulous prizes
3) I never wanted to move to Columbia, but now I can't imagine living any where else.
4) In the eleventh grade, a skate punk guy told me that he gave up smoking so that I would date him... I never did go out with him.
5) Even though I was relatively successful then, I hated high school.
6) I only applied to one college during my senior year because I was scared to death to leave home.
7) Austin Powers makes me sad.


Seven things you plan to do before you die:

1) Get out of debt
2) get married
3) have kids
4) Work with Carol Burnett
5) Be in a play
6) Own my own home
7) Try a bloody Mary


Seven things you can do:

1) Give a recursive answer to most people's questions at work
2) Design Web Pages
3) Give great advice even it's not asked for
4) Be righteously indignant when the situation calls for it
5) Defend my family to the death
6) Keep my inner feelings inside
7) Give way too much of myself to others


Seven Things You Can't Do:

1) Eat carrots or celery
2) Pick out shoes for myself
3) Share my food
4) Delegate tasks to others
5) Walk by the $5.50 bin at Walmart and not look in
6) Take criticism well
7) go into blockbuster and leave out empty handed


Seven things that attract you to the opposite sex:

1) A belief in and dedication to God
2) Looks
3) Personality
4) Sense of humor
5) Intelligence
6) A cute butt
7) A job...ain't nothing going on but the rent!


Top Seven Favorite Movies:

1) Divine Secrets of the YaYa Sisterhood
2) Imitation of Life
3) Beaches
4) Napoleon Dynamite
5) The Color Purple
6) Miracle Worker
7) Back to the Future Trilogy


Top Seven Things You Say The Most:

1) "You know what I mean?"
2) "Come on, now"
3) "Did that not sound sincere? I meant it to..."
4) "Not going to happen my friend"
5) "I was like...", Instead of saying "I said.."
6) "Not my problem"
7) "Do you see concern on my face"


Seven Places You Would Love To Visit:
1) Coeur d'Alene
2) Florida Keys
3) Canada
4) Cuernavaca Mexico
5) Pasadena, California
6) Ireland
7) Papua, New Guinea

Seven TV Shows You Want To Star In:

1) Facts of Life
2) Gilmore Girls
3) Star Trek Voyager
4) The Carol Burnett Show
5) Lost
6) Reba
7) Kim Possible


Seven things you admire most in people:

1) Honesty
2) Friendship
3) Confidence
4) Mutual Respect
5) Empathy
6) Sense of humor
7) A quiet understanding... being able to know what the other one is thinking or feeling without a word


Seven of your all time favorite bands/artists:

1) Reba McEntire
2) Boyz II Men
3) Keith Urban
4) Van Halen
5) Erin Hamilton
6) Michael Buble
7) Alison Krauss and Union Station


Seven Things you like most about your life right now:

1) The people I call friends are really supportive and caring.
2) I can cook well - Thanks Rachael Ray!
3) That I'm beginning to learn to live for me.
4) That I have people in my life who love me (both near and far)
5) That I finally realized that I am worthy of a good man (now I have to wait for him to show up)
6) The fact that I work in education despite the fact that I never thought I would.
7) That I am able to take care of myself with minimal supervision.

Seven things that you don't like about your life right now:

1) I'm still not married.
2) That there are committments that I'm not fulfilling
3) That I watch too much tv
4) That my grandmother is sick and there's nothing I can do about it.
5) That there are still things in my life that I haven't finished.
6) That I don't have unlimited funds to do the things I want.
7) That I have gained so much weight.

I'm not good at this

Some one remind me again why I decided to go for my Bachelor's Degree? This class is so hard. I've never done so much reading in my life. We're reading about writing... go figure.

At what time exactly, do the adult beverages get served?

Restraining Order Against Letterman Tossed

From: http://tv.yahoo.com/news/ap/20051227/113572494000.html
Tuesday December 27 3:09 PM ET

A state judge has lifted a restraining order granted to a Santa Fe woman who accused talk-show host David Letterman of using coded words to show that he wanted to marry her and train her as his co-host.

Judge Daniel Sanchez on Tuesday granted a request by lawyers for Letterman, host of CBS' "Late Show," to quash the temporary restraining order that he earlier granted to Colleen Nestler.

She alleged in a request filed Dec. 15 that Letterman has forced her to go bankrupt and caused her "mental cruelty" and "sleep deprivation" since May 1994.


Nestler requested that Letterman, who tapes his show in New York, stay at least 3 yards away and not "think of me, and release me from his mental harassment and hammering."

Lawyers for Letterman contended the order was without merit.

"He is entitled to a protection of his legal rights and a protection of his reputation," Pat Rogers, an Albuquerque lawyer representing Letterman, told the judge Tuesday.

The New Mexico court doesn't have jurisdiction over Letterman, who is a resident of Connecticut, Rogers said.

Nestler appeared in court without a lawyer and represented herself.

Responding to a question from the judge, Nestler said she had no proof of the allegations she had made against Letterman.

She also said that if Letterman or any of his representatives came near her, "I will break their legs" and establish proof of her allegations.

Nestler said after the court hearing that "I have achieved my purpose. The public knows that this man cannot come near me."

She also said that her comment about breaking legs "is not a threat."

"I appealed to the court for a restraining order to keep this man away from me, but now that's been denied me," she said. "He has access to me. He can actually come for me or send people. He has many accomplices. I know this sounds crazy. I was crazy to have listened to him in the beginning."

Nestler's application for a restraining order was accompanied by a six-page typed letter in which she said Letterman used code words, gestures and "eye expressions" to convey his desires for her.

She wrote that she began sending Letterman "thoughts of love" after his show began in 1993, and that he responded in code words and gestures, asking her to come East.

Nestler said Letterman asked her to be his wife during a televised "teaser" for his show by saying, "Marry me, Oprah." Her letter said Oprah was the first of many code names for her and that the coded vocabulary increased and changed with time.

http://tv.yahoo.com/news/ap/20051227/113572494000.html

Carrie Hamilton

"Every day I wake up and decide: today I'm going to love my life."


I know I wrote about Carrie Hamilton a few days ago. But I can't seem to get her off my mind. I can't explain it, but it's like mourning the loss of someone you never met. It's funny because had I not been a fan of Carol Burnett's, I probably wouldn't have ever heard of Carrie. But her life, her struggle always seem so intriguing to me. She was an actress, singer, writer and director. Athough she was the child of famous parents, she worked hard to forge a good life herself.

From my website

Actress, writer, director Carrie Hamilton was born into television royalty on December 5, 1963. Her mother, legendary comedienne Carol Burnett and her father producer Joe Hamilton gave Carrie and her two younger sisters the best life had to offer. They tried to protect their girls from life's hardships. However at age 13, Carrie faced the most difficult time of her life and her parents felt powerless to help her. Carrie struggled with drug abuse for most of her teenage years. But when she recovered, with the help of her family, she worked hard to put her life on the right path.

As an adult, Carrie gave many memorable performances on such shows as Fame, 90210, the made-for-tv movie Hostage (in which her mother co-starred), X-Files, Touched By An Angel and A Mother's Justice. Carrie also became widely known for playing the role of Maureen in the first travelling company for Broadway's Rent. Most recently, Carrie turned her interest to writing and directing. her directing skills were recently recognized when she was awarded the "Women in Film" award in the 2001 Latino Film Festival for her film "Lunchtime Thomas". Carrie was the first non-Latino to win the award. Before her death, Carrie and mother, Carol, collaborated on a play based on Carol's memoir One More Time. Carrie approached her mother about the project and continued to work on it until her death on January 22, 2002. The play, which was eventually called Hollywood Arms, premiered on Broadway on October 31, 2002 and ran through January 5, 2003.

The Carrie Hamilton Theatre
The Pasadena Playhouse is dedicating the Balcony Theatre to Carrie. The Carrie Hamilton Young Artist Outreach Program will help young people develop and nurture their artistic talents. Carrie had courage and always tried to push the envelope and try new things. This same spirit will be encouraged in the new outreach program.

I wish I had the resources to support this theatre. Like I said before, it so strange that this is so near to my heart. As a teenager, I would watch the Carol Burnett show and try to imagine what it would be like to be her daughter. In a way, that made Carrie, along with her sisters Jody and Erin, my sisters. I know it was childish and unrealistic. But it did introduce me to a very talented person.

December 5th would've been Carrie's 42nd birthday. From what I have read about her, I know she would've liked to been involved with this theatre project. If you can, please donate to this theatre at http://www.carriehamiltontheater.com/about_carrie_theatre.htm - Click on the Donate link.

Lucy and Ethel - Best buds forever

If you're ever in a jam, here I am
If you're ever in a mess, S-O-S
If you ever feel so happy, you land in jail; I'm your bail.
It's friendship, friendship, just a perfect blendship.
When other friendships have been forgot,
Ours will still be hot.
Lah-dle-ah-dle-ah-dle dig, dig, dig.

If you're ever up a tree, phone to me.
If you're ever down a well, ring my bell.
If you ever lose your teeth, and you're out to dine; borrow mine.
It's friendship, friendship, just a perfect blendship.
When other friendships have been forgate,
Ours will still be great.
Lah-dle-ah-dle-ah-dle, chuck, chuck, chuck.

If they ever black your eyes, put me wise.
If they ever cook your goose, turn me loose.
If they ever put a bullet through your brrain [sic]; I'll complain.
It's friendship, friendship, just a perfect blendship.
When other friendships have been forgit,
Ours will still be it.
Lah-dle-ah-dle-ah-dle, hep, hep, hep.

My Date with Drew

From Amazon.com

Storyline

Genres: Documentary
Tagline: 30 days, $1100, For an Ordinary Guy to Get a Date with Drew Barrymore
Plot Synopsis: "If you don't take risks, you'll have a wasted soul." - Drew Barrymore. Ever since the second grade when he first saw her in E.T. The Extraterrestrial, Brian Herzlinger has had a crush on Drew Barrymore. Now, 20 years later he's decided to try to fulfill his lifelong dream by asking her for a date. There's one small problem: She's Drew Barrymore and he's, well, Brian Herzlinger, a broke 27-year-old aspiring filmmaker from New Jersey. But that doesn't stop Brian and his film school pals from doing everything they can think of to convince Barrymore to go out with him - and documenting their quest along the way. Equipped with a video camera they have to return to Circuit City in 30 days and the $1,100 Brian won on a game show (where the winning answer was, prophetically, "Drew Barrymore"), they've got one month to accomplish their mission. To succeed, they'll need to negotiate an army of publicists, agents, producers and assistants who surround the star so Brian can pop the question. My Date with Drew is the award-winning, inspirational story of an ordinary guy who, despite incredibly long odds, puts everything on the line to pursue his lifelong dream. It's also an astute and often hilarious look at contemporary dating rituals, the culture of celebrity and the power of passion.

************************************************
After reading the negative reviews on Amazon.com, I have to say, I'm still glad I rent this movie. It was funny and sad and interesting. And even though it was a documentary, which I don't normally like, it was a fun time. Some people on Amazon complained because they didn't realize that it was a documentary. Duh, read the box when you pick it up. It said it was a documentary!

Drew Barrymore is quoted in this movie, "If you don't take risks, you'll have a wasted soul." That's what this movie is all about. Brian took a risk in trying to get a date with Drew, in getting this documentary made, in going after his dreams and sticking with it. Say what you want about his choice of dreams, but when it's all said and done, he didn't waste a soul.

Oh the pain

Just for the record, my head hurts. It's been hurt since this morning. I took some Advil and it's only gotten worse. It's just below the minimum requirement for a migraine.

WHY OH WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME?

Evolution vs. Intelligent Design

There's been debate over whether or not Intelligent Design should be taught as an alternative to evolution. Those against the Intelligent Design theory say that ID isn't scientific and can't be proven. They say that is it a way to introduce religion into the classroom because by nature ID is faith based.

Supporters of evolution want our children to accept a theory aka guess that everything in the universe just happened. They can't prove it, there is no evidence to prove that we started as single celled organisms and slowly changed into human beings. No one recorded it, snapped a picture with their cellphones to capture that all important spark that started evolution going. We only have the conjecture of Charles Darwin. Believing evolution takes more faith than believing Intelligent Design.

At least the bible has proven scientific facts in it. The Mosaic law contained hundreds of laws about hygiene that protected the ancient Israelites from diseases now commonly known by scientists. Now if God gave them these laws, why is such a stretch to believe that He also created the universe.

Now I will admit that people who don't want to believe in God are the ones behind this anti-Intelligent Design campaign. I understand that they don't want to be "preached" to about a god they don't know or want to know. But at the same time, as a Christian, I don't want to hear someone tell me that the work that my Creator did millenia go just happened by chance. By teaching evolution, it seems like atheism is being forced on me.

So here's what I'd like to see. Stop teaching evolution all together. They don't have to teach Intelligent Design because in the long run, Intelligent Design recognizes that someone created the universe. But it never goes as far to say who did it. It stops just short of creationism.

The fact of the matter is that we will never agree.

Dry Spell

I'm having a creative block... a designer's version of writer's block. Nothing looks good to me. I have no ideas. My brain has been sucked dry...

And if I see that Jesse McCartney commercial one more time !!!!!

Jesse: "I'm gonna be home for the holidays"
Me: "Go home already!!!"

On a lighter note, I did find a site that I really like and that is near to my heart:
http://www.carriehamiltontheater.com/index.htm

Blast from the Past

This is what I want...

Flashback to the good old days with the Atari 2600 Console.
Features:

• All in 1 TV compatible gaming system
• Wood grained updated console case, approx 2/3rd the size of the original 1977 release of the Atari 2600 console
• 40 Atari Games [20 original classic 2600 games (Pong, Missile Command, Asteroids, Centipede, Breakout, etc.) & 20 new Atari games]
• 2 Atari 2600 joysticks
• Power supply & A/V cable
• Single player and Dual player head-to-head
• All in 1 TV compatible gaming system

Who are they kidding?

Ok, first we had Garth Brooks, then Jesse McCartney. Now we have Martina McBride, Destiny's Child and Queen Latifah. All these folks are shopping at Walmart for Christmas presents?

Umm... Yeah... Ok...

Check out the commercials

We watched a movie see!

My sites

Not much to report today. I'm still preparing for my advanced internet final. This class was a challenge for me. I had to hand code html for three and half months.

Using Dreamweaver feels so foreign to me now. I still want to redesign my Carol Burnett site, but now, I'm not sure if I'll go the hand coding method or Dreamweaver. Knowing me, I'll find some happy medium and do partial hand coding.

I have been thinking though... It has been next to impossible to keep updating this site. I get yahoo news alerts for Carol Burnett, but not enough relevant info comes through to keep my site current. There's another website out there that always seems to have a ton of information. And it looks like it's updated fairly often. I already have the domain name until next September, so it seems a shame to leave it the way it is.

The other thing that I have to do is move my class project to my web hosting site and update it for real world use. I created a site for web design consulting and I really want to give it a go. I have a domain name already set for that site as well.

The only other thing that I need is to find some new message board software. I'm currently using Maxwebportal for my portal needs, but I need something that is a little more flexible. MWP is flexible, but not to the extent that I need it to be. I'm going to keep looking.

Make your own joke

Stuck in my head

I have this song stuck in my head:

I feel no shame
I'm proud of where I came from
I was born and raised in the boondocks
One thing I know
no matter where I go
I keep my heart and soul
in the boondocks.

-Boondocks
by Little Big Town

Listen to the whole song

A riddle

What's better than a snow day?

A snow day that falls on a Friday :)

Change of heart

Ok, so maybe this week isn't so bad.

I feel better today about life. I am movin out of my dark place and finding a new perspective about how I view things. Everything is going to be ok. I've got a real good friend who doesn't scare easily.

i can't say i'm happy but i aint too blue
i know i'm lucky to have a friend like you
we'll share some laughter on that you can depend
long as i'm living you got a real good friend

Next week is my final exam in Advanced Internet. I have so much reading left to do.

Snow is coming...it's a good thing :)

Getting there

I don't want you to think I'm all gloom and doom because I'm not. But this week needs to be over. I'm tired of being tired and sad.

It's suppose to snow tomorrow night. I hope it's enough to get a day off from work.

I like snow. It's so pretty and cleansing.

Later that day...

So what do you say in a moment like this
When you can't find the words to tell it like it is
Just bite your tongue and let your heart lead the way
Let's get out of here
Oh what do you say

Sometimes you gotta listen to the silence
And give yourself a little time to think


artist: Reba McEntire
title: What Do You Say
album: So Good Together

(Michael Dulaney/Neil Thrasher)

New to my CD collection

Little Big Town - The Road to Here

---

Alison Krauss and Union Station - Lonely Runs Both Ways

---

Nickel Creek - Why Should the Fire Die?

UMUC Student ID

I'd like to thank the UMUC Registrar's office for sending me not one, not two, but three student ID cards. The three cards didn't come together. They sent them in three separate envelopes with three copies of the exact same letter.

Once of the last sentences reads, "If you lose this card and need a replacement, please feel free to request one through the student portal: http://my.umuc.edu".

Now I could do that, or I could just use the two replacements that they already sent me. The funny thing is that I'll probably never use these cards because I haven't been on campus yet. My degree program is completely online.

Time to think

"One isolating himself will seek [his own] selfish longing; against all practical wisdom he will break forth."
-Proverbs 18:1

23 days home from work has really taken a toll on me mentally. I've have time to think about things. In fact, I've had too much time. I've had time to over-think things.

For the past three weeks, everything has made me cry...Everything on tv that is. Ok, other things too. I keep thinking about some of choices I've made like going to school. It seemed like the right thing to do. But at this moment in time, it feels like a mistake. I feel like I can't do this. I'm so filled with doubt, that it disgusts me. The type A in me can't seem to come to grips with the fact that I'm not producing work on an A level; I'm not producing perfection. The thing is that I don't know why I'm letting this get to me.

I've also had some time to think about other things. In the past, I've always thought of myself as a cautious person. Sometimes when you are quick to trust people, they have a way of turning around and kicking you in the teeth. The sad things is that they don't even recognize what they're doing. They think they're doing you a favor. As if you really didn't need those teeth.

The trouble with me is that I don't always stick up for myself. One of my former supervisors told me that I must have a rug on my back because I let people walk all over me. That was about nine years ago and I think that there's still some truth to that. People have felt free to talk to me any old kind of way in the past few years and I just sit there and take it. I don't say a word.

In my middle school days, I could kirk-out with the best of them. I had a handle on the bad words :( I know you're shocked and I'm embarrassed. But back then, even though I didn't do it the right way, I didn't let people pick on me as much as I do now. So what's wrong with me now? Who took my backbone?

There are other things that I've been thinking about these past three weeks. For instance, I had a dream that I was pregnant with twins, one boy, one girl. It's odd that I had this dream now because, I feel like motherhood is going to allude me. Everyday, I feel myself moving farther and farther away from it. Yet, I had this dream. I had a boy and girl, just what I always wanted. Their names were Cecelia and Charlie and I loved them.

The last thing that has weighed heavily on me is something I can't write about...at least not in ambiguous terms. Even if I tried, at least one person would know exactly what I'm talking about. So I will keep that burdon inside.

Tomorrow is my second follow up appointment. If everything goes well, I can go back to work on Monday. I never thought I'd be happy at the prospect of going back to work. But I think that it will be good for me. Being alone for so long hasn't done me any good mentally.

I'm sure watching 24 episodes of LOST in a four day period, didn't help my mental state that much either.

4 8 15 16 23 42

The numbers are no good...

Press the button, no buttons are bad...

Bette Midler sings Peggy Lee

I got this CD a month ago and I really enjoy it. I didn't really know any Peggy Lee songs except for "Fever". I have to say that I wish the cd had more songs, but I am glad that I bought it.

deliciously down

I need some sweet to soothe my inside
I need some soft to lay down my pride
I need some tears to rain down on me
To melt my memory

I need to slide deliciously down
To where I hurt the least

I need high prayers to breathe through
I need to shine like I used to and i
Know that I’m not supposed to be for nothing

I need a breeze to carry me safe
I need some peace to find my way
I need a song to hold in my palm
And feel the love that made me

I need to slide deliciously down
To where I hurt the least

I need high prayers to breathe through and i
Need to shine like I used to and i
Know that I’m not supposed to be for nothing

I need some love to open my heart
I need a space to fall apart
I need a star for every dream
Do you know what I mean

I need to slide deliciously down
To where I hurt the least


**Cree Summer**

I'm back

My deepest apologies my dears for my 14 day absence. I haven't written because I've been too busy being sore and tired and oxycodoned (if that's a word). Whoever said having a cyst removed was a good idea needs to be slapped. This has taken so much out of me. My mother was right, I shouldn't give birth...it'll kill me :(

So I realize that I owe you 14 days of my life. I don't have it in me to recount each of the 14 days. Once the Oyxcodone kicked in, things got a little fuzzy. But I do recall a few highlights.

Day 2, November 8th - Faced with two weeks of lying on my side, I did the only thing any person in my position would do; popped in the complete first season of Lost and set a goal of watching 24 episodes in five days. I missed the first 18 or so episodes of Lost this past year, so I had some catching up to do.

24 episodes
1-2 oxycodone tabs every 4 - 6 hours each day
5 days before the DVDs had to go back to the library.

I'm sure you can see the challenge.

Tuesday morning I got started and was instantly sucked into every nuance, every possible clue. After about two days, I realized that no one's hair or beards were growing significantly and none of the women had hairy legs or pits. And those numbers... they're bad, I get it. But by Saturday I was seeing those numbers everywhere... 4, 8, 15, 15, 23, 42... Talk about full blown paranoia.

Well that was week one. Oh yeah, I got new windows in my apt. Marie came by and shielded me from nosey neighbors when I had no blinds. She also brought me Starbucks because no matter how incoherent you are, there's always time for Starbucks.

Week two, Nov 13 - 19th...
Yeah, umm... hmmm... err...
That whole week was a blur. I remember people coming by and calling while I was asleep. I don't remember much about the week. I do remember escaping from my house on the hunt for Starbucks. I walked across the street to the college, to the Starbucks cafe, to get a Caramel Macchiato with soy. Now my mom works at the college too, so I bought her one too so that she wouldn't fuss at me. And it almost worked. She was blinded by the caramel-ly goodness for a short time. But later in the day she called me and told me not to try that again. That was after my sister called and fussed at me about leaving the house. I remember telling Marie, but I don't know if that was the same day. I have no idea... I wasn't kidding when I said that week two was a big blur.

I can tell you this... Thursday I got my stitches out... WOOHOOO!!! The next day, I was feeling my cheerios and drove my car. Remember the starbucks incident? Oh yeah, my mom didn't like me driving even more than walking to get a starbucks. She didn't punish me because, well, I'm too old for that. But hey, the two days of pain was punishment enough.

Oh yeah, when I went to the doctor to get the stitches out, my doctor told me that I had two more weeks before going back to work. Two more weeks in the house... Oh joy. I have lots of homework to do and if I can keep a cohesive thought for more than two minutes, my plan is to get caught up this week. We'll see how it goes.

On the couch

I've been on the couch all day. Recovery from surgery is mostly lying there doing nothing. Well, I've become very skilled at that.

I got tons of movies to watch. I'm supposed to be in the house for two weeks so I got 8 DVDs. That should carry me through the end of the week. So here's the list:

Door to Door
Casablanca
Kim Possible: So the Drama
Hitch
Sleepless in Seattle
Woman of the Year
Breakfast at Tiffany's
Lost: the complete first season
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

What's Happening

I cannot believe that I spent most of this weekend watching the What's Happening marathon on TV Land. :(
I did watch other shows, but I watched more episodes of What's Happening than I probably should've.

Busy Weekend

This weekend, I have to get things in order in preparation for my surgery on Monday. I have laundry to do, groceries to buy and homework to finish. I don't want anything to worry about once Monday gets here.

I want to get some movies for the next two weeks, to help pass the time. Now I wish I had joined Netflix or Blockbuster Online. Maybe I still can...

My so called life

Ok, so maybe I do have a small problem with coffee. Maybe I do need that little shot of caffeinated goodness to get me through the day. Perhaps it's more than the warm aroma of the caramel macchiato that keeps pulling me back to Starbucks.

Hi, my name is Julie and I'm addicted to Starbucks.


I've refrained from going to Starbucks this week in preparation from my surgery and I feel like I'm going through withdrawal. I have no energy and all I want to do is sleep.

Sleep, my place of refuge. The only place where the absence of coffee is not an issue.

I can't wait until next Tuesday.

The lady is a tramp

She gets too hungry, for dinner at eight
She loves the theater, but doesn’t come late
She’d never bother, with people she’d hate
That’s why the lady is a tramp

Doesn’t like crap games, with barons and earls
Won’t go to harlem, in ermine and pearls
Won’t dish the dirt, with the rest of those girls
That’s why the lady is a tramp

She loves the free, fresh wind in her hair
Life without care
She’s broke, but it’s o’k
She hates california, it’s cold and it’s damp
That’s why the lady is a tramp

Doesn’t like dice games, with sharpies and frauds
Won’t go to harlem, in lincolns or fords
Won’t dish the dirt, with the rest of those broads
That’s why the lady is a tramp


I think the lady got a bum rap!!!

I took a chance

I heard this guy Jason Mraz on the CBS Early Show's Second Cup Cafe. He was so interesting. He sang the song, "The Remedy" and it was so upbeat and different. I was immediately impressed.

Well that was months ago. Everytime I've gone in Sam Goody, I couldn't remember his name so I could buy his CD, Waiting for My Rocket to Come. Yesterday, I finally remembered his name and the good news is that I found his first CD in the used CD bin for $8.99. I love this CD. It didn't disappoint me at all. I read that he was influenced by Dave Matthews and you really can hear that in his music. But unlike Dave Matthews, Mraz's music seems happier and more upbeat. But there's no mistaking the complicated guitar riffs... Mraz is clearly a Matthews disciple.

Hey, I don't care. I just love this CD.

I finally found them

I found not one, but two pairs of boots that fit me. I have a hard time finding boots that fit my calves because, well, to put it bluntly, they're big. But a friend suggested going to Value City to find boots and I ended up with a black pair and a brown pair and I got them for a good price too.

Finally...

New York, New York

It was three years ago, tomorrow, that I spent about 7 hours on the street outside Tower Records in New York City waiting to meet Liza Minnelli. That same day I saw Kelly Ripa coming out of Barnes and Noble with her son. It was a cold day and I almost got in a fight with an crazy old lady.

I met Kelly Ripa again, a year and a half ago...
Liza and David broke up...
That crazy old lady is probably still cussing me out.

Yahoo Mail!

Yahoo mail has got to be the most useless email ever invented. It'll give you a bulk folder which is supposed to sort out the "junk". But then it sends everything to the inbox. There have been times when I've left my mailbox unchecked for at most 36 hours and ended up with almost 300 emails, all of which were junk.

One of these days, Alice, one of these days... pow!!! right to the moon!!

It's simple science

The law of inertia states:

A body in motion wants to stay in motion

conversely...

A body on the couch wants to stay on the couch.

:)-

Stuck in the 80's

I don't care what VH1 says, this is still one of my favorite songs of all time. I'm still waiting to see Deborah Gibson in concert or on Broadway.

Foolish Beat
VERSE 1:
There was a time when
Broken hearts and broken dreams
Were over.
There was a place where
All you could do was
Wish on a four leaf clover.

But now is a new time
There is a new place
Where dreams just can't come true.
It started the day when I left you

CHORUS:
I could never love again the way that I loved you
I could never cry again like I did when I left you
And when we said goodbye,
Oh the look in your eyes
Just left me beside myself without your heart
(without your heart)
I could never love again now that we're apart

VERSE 2:
When I was sorry
It was too late to turn around (turn around)
And tell you so.
There was no reason
There was no reason
Just a foolish beat of my heart.

CHORUS

BRIDGE:
Oh, can't you see I'm not fooling nobody
Don't you see the tears are falling down my face
Since you went away
Break my heart, you slipped away
Didn't know I was wrong
Never meant to hurt you now you're gone

I could never love again now that we're apart.
(now that we're apart)
I could never love again now that we're apart.

Regina and Sandra

Ok, scratch last night's blog. M and I have finally decided who we want to be. M is going to be Regina King and I'm going to be Sandra Bullock.

Now if you don't know us or didn't read last night's blog, the irony will be completely lost on you. Otherwise, I think we make a great team!

Tyra and Halle

Last night I dreamt that my friend was black. Now, in real life, she's white. In my dream had a light complexion with curly reddish brownish. She didn't look like a white person made up to look black, she was actually black.

Wait, there's more...

I tell her about the dream today and she says, "Did I look like Tyra Banks"? Now, I can only blame this on America's Next Top Model. She's started watching it and well... I don't know what to say...

So I told her that if she gets to look like Tyra Banks, then I, in turn, get to look like Halle Berry. I mean it's only fair. I've always had good looking friends and felt like the "plain" one. So if there's a tranformation, we're both getting it. I mean, as long as we're stretching things, why not go for gold!

Livin’ on a prayer

We’ve got to hold on to what we’ve got
’cause it doesn’t make a difference
If we make it or not
We’ve got each other and that’s a lot
For love - we’ll give it a shot
Whooah, we’re half way there
Livin’ on a prayer
Take my hand and we’ll make it - I swear
Livin’ on a prayer

Wise Words

If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day.
If you teach him how to use the internet, he'll leave you alone for a week.

Be there

In the grand scheme of things, there are something that are more important than other things. People are important, how you treat them, how you love them. We live such short lives and there is so much we have to do, so much that most of drown in the sea of responsibility. We fool ourselves into thinking that if we keep plowing ahead, working those extra hours to get more things, our families will achieve some imagined level of happiness.

I have news for you, no such place exists.

If you put your trust and hope in things, then things will be all you have in the end. Go find your loved ones and give them a hug. Tell them you love them. Then you'll find happiness. It doesn't reside in a particular zip code. It doesn't require a minimum annual salary. It only requires that you be there, emotionally, physically, and spiritually for your family. Be present in their lives now before you forget how to do it.

After all, today is a gift...That's why they call it the "present".

Where are the priorities?

With hurricane Wilma headed for Florida, why are all the news headlines about Katie Holmes protruding belly or whether or not Jennifer Anniston and Vince Vaughn are dating or the whole Branelina thing? I'm tired of hearing about celebrities and their personal lives.

Personally, if Jennifer Anniston is dating Vince Vaughn, I say, good for her. Brad doesn't seem to mourning the break up of his marriage. Everyone wants to paint Jennifer as the jilted wife whose friends have to drag her out of bed and re-assure her that life will go on. What everyone seems to forget is that Jen was strong before Brad and will be strong after Brad. She's said plenty of times that she's ready to move on with her life. And this "feud" between and Jen and Angelina... yeah ok. Let it go people, let it go!

The funny thing is that we sit and talk about celebrities as if their successes and failures in relationships have a direct correlation with our relationship successes and failures. I mean people were going crazy with Nicole and Tom broke and now Brad and Jen. Celebrities are human beings just like us. They have problems like everyone else.

Having said that, I will be the first one in tears if Tim and Faith break up ;)

Interesting day

Ok, so it's not enough that I pay an arm and a leg for cable internet. Now for some reason, MSN/Hotmail is blocking all comcast email. This means that I can't get email from my friend who is also my coworker. She emails me from comcast and I use msn mail. This also means that my instructor for LIBS150 can't email me either. And of course, comcast has no idea why this is happening, nor when it will be fixed.

Ok, so was one thing.

Later, I went to Target to get socks. Ok, unless they're white socks, I don't know what I'm doing. When I get to Target, I got about 18 pairs of colored socks, two pairs of panty hose and a purse. After I left, I was supposed to go to Blockbuster to return some DVDs, but I forgot. I'll get back to that later.

I went back to work and couldn't really concentrate for the rest of the day. I got a project started and made some good progress, but my mind kept drifting. After work, I went to the pool for my deep water fitness class and then I went to my mom's house. I picked up my sister to go back to Target to exchange the purse and to return the DVDs to Blockbuster. On the way to Blockbuster, I decided to go in a different entrance to the shopping center than I normally take and a lady in a SUV hit me. We were both turning left into the shopping center, but she went too wide and side swiped me. My car has a minor dent, but her car had some damage. The part above the wheel came off.

When I got out of the car, she came over and asked me if I was ok and asked me what happened. I told her that she turned a little too wide and hit me. I have some paint from her car on my car and a small dent, but I was ok. She started to cry. She was so shook up. She told me that her husband was diagnosed with cancer today and that it had been a very bad day. She kept asking me if I was ok and asked if I wanted her name and address. At that point, with the damage to my car being so minor, I told her no and not to worry about it. I was just worried that she wasn't ok. She was so upset. I went over to her car with her to check things out. Outside of the wheel thing, her seemed ok. She said, that people were more important than things and she put the part in her car.

I hugged her again and asked if she was sure she'd be ok to get home. She said yes and then she got in her car and left. I was shaken up, not because of her hitting my car, although, from the angle that she hit me, I could've been seriously hurt. I was more shaken up by her reaction. I was nervous for her. I prayed that she would get home safely. She was so upset.

Now, truth be told, I am a little sore, but I'll take some tylenol for the pain.

This is funny, but true

The juices are flowing

After slaving over a design for my website project for over a week, today I looked at the draft that I turned in and had only one word to describe my design; "yuk".

I can never get completely satisfied with a design. There's always something better I could do. I'm at that point right now. I just worked on a second design, although, I'm not sure if my instructor is going to let me change the design now.

I hope she does because I'm happier with the second design.

Don't worry... as soon as I finish it, I'll upload it for you to see.

Matthew 6:33

(Matthew 6:33) 33 "Keep on, then, seeking first the kingdom and his righteousness, and all these [other] things will be added to YOU.

Whenever you're stressed about all the pressures that are weighing down on you, read the above scripture and pray to have your thinking re-aligned with God's.

I forgot to do that last week and I let the careless speech of another person ruin my mood. I was told that I need to change who I am in order to achieve a particular goal. What was suggested was contrary to my personality and something that I never felt I should have to do. So imagine the negative self talk that went on in my head.

"Maybe if you were more social, you'd meet someone..." Great advice, but people have a saying that you need to be more social and then not inviting you to anything. Ok, so be social, but just not with us. Hmm...

Then today, I was reading an article in the Watchtower about Noah and the faith that he had and showed in building an ark, when no one had ever seen a flood before. He did this work for over 100 years. The article said that Noah had a faith that was so strong that it directed his every choice in live. He worked toward the goal of finishing is God given assignment and he did just so.

It made me think about all the things that I could get wrapped up in. All the things that could bring me down. Not being married is something that if I allow it to, could bring me down. But God's work of preaching and teaching will never bring me down. It's something that is a privilege and I should do the best that I can at it.

So I'm not going to let singleness bring me down. If it is meant for me to be married, I'll get married and I won't have to change myself into someone I don't like to do it. If I keep putting the kingdom (work) first then all these other things, (the desires of life that are in harmony with God's purposes) will be added to me.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

Tagline: Laugh. Cry. Share the pants.

Plot Outline: Four best girlfriends hatch a plan to stay connected with one another as their lives start off in different directions: they pass around a pair of secondhand jeans that fits each of their bodies perfectly.

Actors: Amber Tamblyn, Alexis Bledel, America Ferrera, Blake Lively, Jenna Boyd, See more

Researching...

I'm scheduled to get some surgery on the 24th and I decided to do some research. I'm a little disturbed by what I've read. I made the mistake of looking at some pictures on one website and was completely grossed out.

I will say this, though, I did find some very interesting information. It looks like I might have to take off a week or so from work, because I may not be able to walk that much. I'm all for a few days off, but I don't know if I'm up for immobility. I'll figure something out though.

I'm not afraid though...not yet. I think that by getting as much information about this ahead of time, the scariness will be minimized.

Of course, that's what I say now... it's only the 13th.

Quit Smoking

So this morning I saw a Phillip Morris (the cigarette people) commercial. The commercial was about quitting smoking. It was hard to believe that Phillip Morris really wants people to stop smoking when it's their cash cow. Why should they care about smoker's health?

Oh yeah, that's right... Maybe it's all the class action suits that have them concerned... If they really cared, how about this... STOP MAKING CIGARETTES!!!!

If you want to quit smoking, go to the American Lung Association Freedom From Smoking website.

It's getting cold

I've been avoiding this for a long time, but the time has come. It's been in the 50's and 60's for about a week now. It's been rainy and cold. So it's time to go get pantyhose.

I know that man must have invented pantyhose, but they are pure torture.

Walmart

Think Pink

I don't usually buy things like this. But I felt compelled to buy this today.

From the Target website


We’re in this together. Wear it in support of your sister, your mother, your friend, yourself. These bracelet sets come with 20 single-strand rubber bracelets in 3 shades of pink and 6 inscribed silvertone charms ("Hope," "Love," "Courage," "Mother," "Sister" and "Friend") that you can hook on to make multi-strand bangles. Or you can sport the pre-assembled triple-strand bracelets with a Target/Breast Cancer Research Foundation ribbon charm that stays on (includes 4). Benefiting the women who have fought the illness, the people who’ve borne it with them and all who have lost a loved one to breast cancer, Target will donate 100% of profits from this product to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, dedicated to preventing breast cancer and finding a cure in our lifetime by funding clinical and genetic research worldwide. For more information, visit bcrfcure.org or call toll-free 1.866.FIND.A.CURE.

Spring time in Adelphi

I got an email from my academic advisor telling me that it's time to register for Spring classes. Hello, it's only the fifth week of classes. We've still got nine weeks left and she wants me to think about spring?

Come on now :(

I went ahead and printed out the online course section of the schedule of classes because in reality, who really needs all 148 pages of that thing? I just need a list of online classes that will be available.; seven pages in total.

While I was thumbing through the schedule of classes, I discovered something that I guess I had seen before, but didn't realize. Each semester is broken into two mini-mesters. So theoretically, I could sign up for 2-three credit courses, (one in Spring 1 and one in Spring 2) and still be considered a 6 credit student for the spring. That might actually work for me. This way I can get two classes out of the way without doing them both at the same time.

Now I just have to decide what to take. I'll let you know how that goes.

Good day

There are days when I feel super-productive and the mental juices just flow. Today was one of those days. I'm happy to say that I was able to keep most of the promises I've made over the past week. And I got some stuff done faster than I thought possible.

Mary Tyler Moore to go back to ‘70s’

Will play newscaster on ‘That 70s Show’

Updated: 8:08 p.m. ET Aug. 24, 2005
NEW YORK - Mary Tyler Moore is returning to the newsroom.
Moore is going to play a local newscaster in three episodes of “That 70’s Show.” But Moore won’t play the loveable character she did in “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.”
Fox says the episodes will air next year. The new season of “That 70’s Show” will premiere November second.

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

Two shoulders

When sadness fills your heart
and despair is all you see
when you feel you have nothing else
you have me.

Be strong my friend...

September tears fall like rain

Historically speaking, September has never been a month of happiness.

9/11/1973, when the Americans orchestrated the military coup that overthrew and assassinated Salvador Allende in Chile. Over 3000 Chileans, mostly indians, were killed.

09/18/1989 Hurricane Hugo makes landfall over Charleston, South Carolina.

9/13/1996 Tupac Shakur dies from complications resulting from multiple gun shot wounds.

Late 8/31/1997, Princess Diana dies after being chased by papparazzi. The world grieves and tries to figure it out throughout September 1997.

Labor Day weekend 2000, my friend Iran is found in his apartment dead from a self inflicted gun shot wound. He was 26.

08/25/ 2001 R&B singer Aaliyah is killed in a freak airplane crash. The country spends the next few weeks trying to figure out what wrong until...

9/11/2001, Terrorists destroy the World Trade Center Towers (north and south), crash a plane into one side of the Pentagon and killed another plane full of people in Pennsylvia in an attempt to hit the White House. The United States is never really the same.

9/11/2003 Actor John Ritter dies from what doctors diagnosed as an aortic dissection (an unrecognized flaw in his heart).

9/18/2003 - Hurricane Isabel devastates the eastern coast of the US, killing 50 people and causing $3.37 billion in damage.

9/12/2003 Singer Johnny Cash dies from complications from diabetes.

9/01/2004 Armed terrorists took hundreds of school children and adults hostage at School Number One in the Russian town of Beslan in North Ossetia. On September 3, 2004, the third day of the standoff, shooting broke out between the hostage-takers and Russian security forces. According to official data, 344 civilians were killed, 186 of them children[1], and hundreds more wounded.

08/31/2005 Hurricana Katrina displaces over a million people, kills over 1000, and virtually wipes out the gulf coast cities of Lousiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle.

As if that weren't bad enough, 09/24/2005 Hurricana Rita finishes off the gulf Coast, making landfall between Sabine Pass, Texas, and Johnson's Bayou, Louisiana, and refilling an already over flooded New Orleans left with even more water than Katrina had dumped three weeks earlier.

Many other sad things happened, as they do everyday. It's important to let the people in your life know how you feel. It's important to clear up any unfinished business. It takes so much energy to be negative. In the grand scheme of things, it's better to love and be loved and spend your days appreciating your loved ones because tomorrow isn't promised to any of us.