When Things Go Wrong, Stay Above the Fault Line

Read an interesting article about the blame game.

Cultural Tip of the Week

Here's your cultural tip of the week. To make sure you don't offend your friendly neighborhood Middle Eastern friend, DON'T EVER, EVER, EVER give him the thumbs up. I was doing some assigned reading for my anthropology and found out that that the thumbs up is the equivalent of the middle finger to many cultures in the Middle East.

Bitter Grapes

The best clip ever:



I didn't get to do this in Italy.

Good Day

I finally got my check...YAY!!! Now I can pay my cellphone bill, which makes me happy and I'm sure AT&T as well. I got a turn-off notice in the mail on Monday and I've been getting phone calls every other day for about two weeks. Today, I made payment arrangements with the nicest lady. She gave me until the end of the month to completely pay off the bill, but as soon as the check clears, that bill is history.

Today, I got re-energized...I found that place of joy in doing my job. I met with a department on some proposed software and they were great. We talked and brain-stormed and it looks like we're going to go with the software. This is the great thing about my job. I wasn't there to shove my thoughts down their throat. I was there to facilitate the move to a new and improved process. My relationship with this department has grown so much in the last year and a half in a positive way. They make me love my job.

Big Girl

I'm going to be brave and sleep in my bed tonight. Everyone has told me that I can't except dust mites...they're every where and despite my worst fears, I'm told that they won't eat me in my sleep. I'm still going to get some mattress covers on Friday. Also, this weekend, I'm going to vacuum everything under the sun.

Last night was my first class at College Park. I felt totally overwhelmed on that campus. It's so huge. But after making a panicked call to Jurea for directions, I was able to make my way to my class - American Pop Culture. This class is going to be interesting, even if it's not what I was expecting. We five books to read, but I think I can keep up with the reading. I more worried about my Anthropology class. That also has five books, but the amount of readig seems to be higher than the other class.

I was putting away my clothes tonight and thought to myself, "I wish they had these textbooks on CD". I do so much better reading when someone else is reading aloud. I don't know why that is... I guess it's a learning style.

American Pop Culture... and Sandy

Tomorrow is my first day of American Pop Culture at UMCP. Check out the map for College Park. You let me know if you can read it. I had to zoom in to 600% to really get an idea of where I'm supposed to go.

As for the class, my instructor left some kooky messages on the webtycho site. They make him sound like he's going to do his best to make the class fun. My idea of the class is watching tv and listening to music for 15 weeks.

On a completely different topic, I've decided that I want to meet Sandra Bullock. Not just because she's the basis for my alter-ego. But also because she's such a great actress. I watched two of her movies back-to-back today...not on purpose, mind you...there just happened to be two Sandra Bullock movies (The Lake House and Hope Floats) on in a row on HBO today. She has such a wide range and she just seems so geniune. Some actors seem to play the same role over and over again. For instance, Matthew Perry, for the most part seems like he's playing Chandler Bing in every movie I've seen him in (except for the Ron Clark Story). Jack Nicholson is another one... he plays a psycho in every movie he's in.

Yet Sandra doesn't. It's a joy to watch her perform mostly because it doesn't feel like a performance. I get the same feeling watching Ashley Judd. I think it's a rare gift to have.

My Wish List

It's Oprah's fault

I watched an episode of Oprah the other day that totally freaked me out.. The topic was about keeping your house clean and the measures that we should take that most of don't know about. Once of the things that they talked about was how often we should vacuum the mattress and change the sheets. They showed dust mites under of a microscope and it freaked me out.

My mom told me that dust mites are everywhere and really you can never totally get rid of dust mites. Still, I've been nervous about getting in my bed. So tonight, I'm sleeping on the couch.

Projects

Talk about writing a check I can't cash... I had the bright idea to start a project that seemed easy enough. But in reality it was more time consuming than I realized. One day I was sitting here minding my own business and a thought popped into my head.

"Why don't we use our calendar service to create a TV guide schedule for HCCTV?"

Oh my goodness... I should've brushed that off as a mere passing whim and kept on going. This project, that I thought would take a few days, has taken me a few weeks to complete. And I'm still nervous that it's not going to be completely correct. Hopefully, it'll be ok and not the complete and total mess that I think it might be.

The Corrs

This is why the Corrs are the greatest Irish folk/rock band. I just love their music because it always lifts my spirit. I wish they would tour in the US.

Much ado about nuthin'

I haven't written much of substance lately. I've had a busy summer and my brain has needed a break from deep thought. Have no fear, though. I'm starting classes this week and I'm sure that I've have something highly intelligent and brainy to say soon enough.

I'm taking an anthropology class and an american pop culture class. It's the first semester that I'm not in class that requires me to make a website (YAY!). As much as I love working on the web, lately, it hasn't interested me as much.

To be honest, working hasn't interested me as much either. Everytime we finish a major project, I feel like I lose a little piece of my desire to work on the web. It used to be fun and now, more and more, it's feeling like job.

I want the fun back.

2007 Follow the Christ District Convention

We're leaving for the "Follow the Christ" District Convention today. This is the first time for me going to Reading for the convention. Thankfully, there are lots of people that we know staying in the same hotel. So there will be some friendly faces.

Going to the convention is a highlight of my year because, for me, it's like getting a spiritual jump start. I always learn something new. The convention also helps me set better spiritual goals for myself.

I've heard from other people that this year's program is the best yet.

Intranet theme song

Our intranet was launched yesterday at work. My department worked really hard on it and we decided that we needed a theme song for the launch. We picked the song below:

50,000 coaches

I watched Akeelah and the Bee last year and in a scene between Akeelah and her mom, Akeelah laments that she can't possibly learn 5000 new words. Akeelah's mom told her that if she just looked around, she'd see that she had 50,000 coaches willing to help her prepare for the spelling bee.

I realized this morning that I have 50,000 coaches too, figuratively speaking. There are so many people who have been encouraging with my weight loss goals. It gets frustrating for me sometimes, but then someone will say something encouraging and it helps me go on.

Sweet Freedom

I finally got the peanut butter double-stuffed oreos out of my house. They've been here since last Tuesday and they've been haunting me. Every time I walked into the kitchen they called me, telling me that one wouldn't be so bad.

I was brave and resisted, but I was glad to get them out of the house this morning. Who knew that you could be traumatized by a bag of cookies?

Role Model

I walked four times this week, 3 miles each. It's a good work out, but I feel like I'm hitting a plateau. Part of it is that I'm not eating quite the way I was before Italy. And mentally I'm not where I was before Italy.

Ever since I started this weight loss program, I've felt pressure not to let people down. Losing weight can never be a personal battle. Everyone can see the results. When they are good, everyone is happy. When the results flatten out, it is mentally taxing - at least it has been for me. I want to do the best that I can because I don't want to let anyone down. But at the same time, there are days when I need this to be my own thing; a journey that I go on inside my own head without discussion or input from anyone else.

It's so hard to keep this going and there are days that I want to give up. The thing is that I need a support system. It's just that some days, it's more than I can take.

I don't want to be a role model today.

Fall Textbook List

ANTH344 - Cultural Anthropology and Linguistics

• Kottak, C.P. and Kottak, C. Cultural Anthropology with Living Anthropology Student CD and PowerWeb, 12th edition McGraw-Hill 0073315095


• Weiner, A.B. The Trobrianders of Papua New Guinea Holt Rinehart and Winston 0030119197


• Spradley and McCurdy ANTH 344: Cultural Anthropology and Linguistics Coursepack: How To Do a Fieldwork Project, UMUC Fall 2004 MBS/UMUC 0006586848


• Ottenheimer, Harriet Joseph Anthropology of Language Thomson Learning 0534594360


• Ottenheimer, Harriet Joseph Anthropology of Language /Workbook reader Thomson Learning 0534594379

HUMN398 American Pop Culture

• Irwin, Conard, Skoble, eds Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh of Homer Carus Publishing 0812694333


• Sklaar, R. Movie-Made America: A Cultural History of American Movies Random House 0679755497


• Altschuler, G. All Shook Up: How Rock n Roll Changed America Oxford University Press 0195177495


• Wright, Bradford Comic Book Nation John Hopkins University Press 0801874505


• Spigel, L.Welcome to the Dream House Duke University Press 0822326965

CMST303 Advanced Software Applications

• Shelly/Cashman PowerPoint Introductory 2003 Course Technology 1418843644


• Shelly/Cashman Hutchinson Modular Package MS Office 2003, 2n ed (Windows XP, Word 2003, Excel 2003, and Access 2003) Course Technology 1418895113

It's a struggle

I've been feeling this obligation to maintain this new life style, not only for my health, but also for the well-being of other people. I find that people are reacting to me as if I am a new person. Maybe I am in some ways. I do feel a little more confident in my newly baggy jeans. I also feel healthier.

But when I have to get up in the morning and go walk 3 miles, that's where the hard work kicks my butt. Everyday, I'm tired, a good tired, but tired nontheless. That's the part people don't see; the part that I do for me.

Every day is a struggle and there are times when I want to eat everything that is bad for me. I carry around Dr. Ian's book everyday, but I must confess that I read it less and less. I need to go over it again because I desperately feel like I need a week back on phase I. Right now, I'm maintaining my weight, but I want to lose more. I'm still 50 lbs from my goal.

Some days, I want to give up and other days, I'm hard core. I keep hearing the words that I said "It's not that you can't do it, it's that you won't" and that makes me go on. I don't want to become a victim of my own mind.

Stay in the Fight

I heard some thing inspirational the other day. Fran Drescher was talking about a technique she used to get thought her cancer treatments. She kept two rubber bands on her wrist. Any time she started having negative thoughts like "I can't do this" or "This is too hard", she would snap one of the rubber bands. It was like a quick snap back to reality and a deterrent to allowing the negative thoughts that she would inevitably have from taking over and consuming her.

I got to thinking that her technique could be applied in just about any situation. We all face challenges in our lives and negative thoughts are more than abundant inside our heads and hearts. We have goals that we want to reach, but there is something holding us back. Taking that step is scary, but you know what, not taking that step can be even worse.

Are you stuck in a job you hate? Why not quit and do the thing that really fulfills your real passion? Do you want to lose weight? Who doesn't ? I know I do. Taking that step, making the step to take my life back was one of the hardest decisions I've had to make. I was stuck in a vicious of negative thoughts and bad habits.

There are always reasons why you can't do something. But the truth is that it's not that you can't, it's that you won't. Everything is hard when your attitude is led by the negative thoughts in your head. It's time to break out of the cycle of negativity and surround yourself with positive thoughts, from within yourself and from the people closest to you.

So go grab two rubber bands and stay in the fight!

One of those days

Today was one of those days that I would've like to have a do-over. Things at work refused to work, users found my phone number, and an irrate father yelled at me. The father was actually funny because he just needed someone to listen to him get things off his chest. After he said his peace, he apologized for ruining my day.

On the flip side, I met my friend Marie's sister Julie. It's so funny to put a face with a name. I felt we were old friends because Marie is always talking about the "other Julie". The other fun thing that happened was that I actually went to the market in shorts. Now this may not seem like a big thing, but I've never been terribly comfortable about wearing shorts out of the house. But for some reason, I felt like going for it today.