if you are a dreamer come in...

bleh

2007-09-04T15:51:00.001-06:00

this is me not feeling very good.

*photo courtesy of apple's ingenius photo booth application on my new mac.

please notice the 64oz. drink in the picture.

many thanks to my friends at exxon-mobil for making ANY fountain drink $0.99. i thoroughly plan on enjoying this promo for as long as possible...

sabbatical

2007-08-27T07:36:00.000-06:00

hello blogging world, it's been a while!

it's not that i haven't thought about you, it's just that, well, i've been on a sabbatical.

a sabbatical, as defined by google, is a period of prolonged hiatus. a lot has happened during these two months of sabbatical, and while i wish i could recount and recall all that happened during this time, i can't. there are a few select incidents that i'll recount in the coming posts, but for now, you'll just have to setlle for two months of silence.

why, you might ask, did i go on a sabbatical? well, several reasons.

first of all, i got married. that in and of itself involves a lot of time-intensive planning and stressing and frankly there just wasn't time to update my blog. lazy perhaps, but for me it was merely a question of priorities.

second of all, i just decided to. you see i quit my job about two weeks before our wedding. it was one of the best decisions i ever made and i used that time to plan for the wedding and prepare for our life together. after we were married, i spent most of my days, moving, setting up our apartment and returning wedding gifts. not the most exciting of endeavors but one of necessity. i knew that i had a finite time before law school started and i wanted to make sure that I/we were sufficiently settled by my first day (TODAY!) i am pleased to report that we are, and while there are a few more odds and ends to pick up this weekend at the pottery barn outlet, our home is now a home!

the two months i spent as (gasp!) a "housewife" were wonderful times, and i look forward, ten years from now, going back to being a housewife. i cooked, cleaned, and cared for M. we were able to spend some great time together, true quality time in every sense fo the word, and ot really cherish these first two months of our marriage. we didn't go out a lot. we didn't see a lot of people, anyone really, we just enjoyed one another and adjusted to being married. i will forever look back on those two months as a special cherised time knowing that i'll never be able to go back to them. they were fleeting but in those two months are some of my most treasured memories of our marriage already. i'll stop here before i get too sappy, but let's just say it was special...

for all of the friends who have called and emailed and who gave gone unanswered and uncalled back, i'm sorry. i truly am. it's not that you aren't importatnt to me, you are. it's just that my husband and my marriage, at least for then, were more important. i hope you can understand. and i encourage all of you to one day do the same. there is just something so special about spending time as just "us."

BUT i am happy to report that i'm now back. law school begins today and with that i voluntarily leave sabbatical land and come back to the land of real life. a new adventure begins and i can't wait to start...

invasion

2007-05-21T09:18:00.000-06:00

Swarms of cicadas emerging in Midwest
Billins expected after spending the past 17 years underground

CHICAGO - Coming soon: Brood XIII. It sounds like a bad horror movie. But it’s actually the name of the billions of cicadas expected to emerge this month in parts of the Midwest after spending 17 years underground.

to learn how the sound of a cicada's mating call is the equivalent of a blender and why one man refuses to do ice sculptures for outdoor weddings in chicago this year go here...

happy anniversary

2007-05-17T12:34:00.000-06:00

i saw this stapler in the new papersource catalogue and went nuts. i think it's the coolest thing in the whole wide world. unfortunately it was sold out as soon as i went online to check it out. i guess many other share my fantastic taste in staplers.

i casually mentioned to M that i would love to give this rainbow trout a good home. our one-year-engagement anniversary was May 6 and while i wrote him a sweet email, he surprised me with my stapler.

when M proposed, i kept saying "are you kidding me?" over and over again as i walked away from him down on one knee. when i opened my box a year later, that was all i could say as well. i couldn't believe that i was marrying the greatest guy in the whole wide world who would give me a rainbow trout stapler.

so now my stapler is aptly names "Are You Kidding Me." oh so appropriate and oh so wonderful.

here's a picture of me and Are You Kidding Me. notice how i've perfected

the fish face. i think he likes it. welcome to the world Are You Kidding Me!

V.I.P. with the N.D.B.P.

2007-05-15T13:37:00.000-06:00

no, your eyes are not deceiving you that is OWEN WILSON and by his side, the lovely KATE HUDSON.

this time last week i was trying to recover from a night spent at the Ghostbar worrying that one of the consultant's i was in charge of was going to leave the bar with kate hudson instead of owen wilson. disaster averted, he didn't. although he did manage to wake up, still drunk mind you, and run 18 miles on two hours of sleep beginning at 3:30 am...but that's another story for another post

anyways, for any of you Dallasites who have NOT been downtown lately, you mst go there as soon as possible. props to Ross Perot Jr. and his vision for the Victory development because when it's complete, Dallas won't know what hit them.

if you have time, make it a priority to stay at the W, eat at Craft and mosey on up to the Ghostbar. it's worth your time, if only to people watch. and let me just tell you that the night we were there, the N.D.B.P.'s (North Dallas Beautiful People for those who don't listen to Galloway) were out in full force. the silicone acrobatics were particularly entertaining as were the maneaters (or meneaters, for the grammatically inclined) looking for elderly, rich prey. needless to say that my business suit stuck out like a sore thumb. Ghostbar is not for the chic-of-heart.

*for any who were wondering, kate hudson is more gorgeous in person that she is on screen, it was seriously ridiculous...

object of connoisseurship...

2007-05-11T10:32:00.000-06:00

it's here! Diet Coke Plus can now be found on the shelves of a store near you

"...You might need to, if you're a Diet Coke fanatic like Victoria Beckham, the former Posh Spice, who drinks almost nothing else and claims to hate the taste of water. Diet Coke is the one addiction that public figures willingly own up to. It's the only beverage in the back of producer Harvey Weinstein's limo, and makes up one half the diet of Florida State football coach Bobby Bowden. The other half consists of peanuts. A 12-ounce can of Diet Coke, which may contain from a third to half the amount of caffeine in eight ounces of coffee, is the breakfast drink of choice for many college students. "I like that fake sugar taste," says Stanford sophomore Margot Markman, who usually has the first of four daily 16-ounce cups from her sorority's fountain at 8:15. It is one of the few things you can buy at a gas station that's also an object of connoisseurship. Kristen Scaletta, a senior at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., who recently cut back from about a gallon of Diet Coke a day to three quarts, drinks it only from cans, preferably at room temperature-a taste she formed as a child when she had to sneak it past her parents to drink in her bedroom. Other people insist on the flavor of Diet Coke from liter bottles, or McDonald's."

*just in case you were curious, or wanting to bring me one, i take my diet coke from a fountain, with a 1/4 cup of crushed ice. styrofoam cups are preferred, but the plastic cups at QT will always work as well...

**in keeping with the journalistic standards i learned in the hallowed halls of Castellaw, the text of the article can be found here and many thanks to the Prune for forwarding it along

news flash

2007-04-30T12:58:00.000-06:00

thought i was going to lunch today.
didn't.
got pasta salad instead.
debated on whether to get another diet coke to accompany said pasta salad.
(*important background- drank a 44 oz. while listening to mike and mike on the way in this morning)
decided to save the $1.61 and have water instead.
filled up my dickey's cup (they're the best cups, by the way) with crushed ice and water.
drank it all.
even enjoyed it.
too bad the yogurt that accompanied this meal was rotten...

beans, beans the magical fruit

2007-04-26T08:45:00.000-06:00

my morning news roundup brought this story to my attention. quite amusing, however i think that a can of beans would have gotten the point across a little bit better than a plastic container... another impressive addition to hugh grant's rap sheet.

musings

2007-04-25T11:34:00.000-06:00

dead at age 25.

i came out of the gym yesterday, only to discover that an acquaintance had passed away from a brain tumor. he was 25. we casually knew each other from baylor but were by no means close friends. i have so enjoyed his father's updates on his condition, particularly his "through spiritual eyes" perspective throughout this illness and have lifted him up in prayer quite often. in fact, for a few weeks there i had moved him down a few slots on my prayer rotation because he was doing so well. two weeks was all it took and then he was gone.

my first reaction was shock followed by an internal exclamation of "Lord, that's just not fair!" i was taken aback by that knee-jerk response and have been giving it a lot of thought. i think my reaction reveals quite a bit about how i view God and my relationship to/with Him even after all these years as a believer.

my desire for fairness, in this situation and in others, reveals that in many ways i still view myself as in control. stacking up my good works and deeds in order to somehow please the Lord, to sway His favor, to convice Him to let me into heaven. no mention of grace, no mention of Christ's life, death and resurrectio, just me thinking, in vain, that i have something to contribute. i claim that i'm "saved by grace" with my mouth but live by works in my heart.

and as i thought of this further, in the context of death, i realized that the lack of fairness in death, and really in the life of a believer in general, is what gives us the blessed hope that we cling to in times like these. life isn't fair, and therein lies our salvation.

my friend put his faith in Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior and accepted the free gift of grace extended to him. his life wasn't perfect and though it was over too soon, he has entered into an eternal victory and joy that i can only imagine. if life was fair, i doubt that his family and friends would be rejoicing because who can truly satisfy the standard required?

i'm still amazed at how God chose to reveal all of this to me. that He cares enough to slowly but surely reveal the layers of faulty thoughts and beliefs that characterize my thoughts. truly, "renewing my mind" as i walk through life. hallelujah, what a Saviour, who cared enough to make life unfair!

Dying Christian to His Soul
Attributed to Hadrian; Translated by Alexander Pope
Vital spark of heav'nly flame! Quit, oh quit this mortal frame
Trembling, Hoping, ling'ring, flying, Oh the pain, the bliss of dying!
Cease, fond Nature, cease thy strife, And let me languish into life.
Hark! they whisper; Angles say, Sister Spirit, come away.
What is this absorbs me quite? Steals my senses, shuts my sight,
Drowns my spirits, draws my breath? Tell me, my Soul, can this be Death?
This world recedes; it disappears! Heav'n open on my eyes and ears
With songs seraphic ring:
Lend, lend your wings! I mount! I fly!
O Grave! where is thy Victory? O Death! where is thy Sting?

blah, blah, blog

2007-04-25T11:31:00.000-06:00

i know, i know it's been a while and you've missed me...

this post is simply a shout out to triplett and laurette, proud owner of her own blog www.wolfepackpower.blogspot.com, who are the only ones who seem to have missed my musings on the glorious world wide web.

this one's for you kids...

and so it begins

2007-04-11T09:33:00.000-06:00

i got home from class last night to find a large package with my name on it waiting for me from pottery barn. i opened it up to find our first wedding present! the duvet cover and shams pictured at left. i had wondered who would send us our first gift and it didn't surprise me a bit to see that the gift was from my aunt Patsy. i called her to thank her and told her that if i could have picked out one gift, this would have been it. she always could pick the perfect gift and this time she did it again. THANK YOU PATSY!!!

99 balloons

2007-04-11T08:02:00.000-06:00

i meat matt and ginny mooney when i worked with them at k-klassic in the summer of 2003. i became reacquainted with them through their blog www.mattandginny.blogspot.com that chronicled the life and ultimately death of their precious son, eliot. i really encourage you to go to their blog and read in entirety eliot's story. it is one of God's great grace and faithfulness and the story of a couple's struggle to find hope amidst heartache. it's raw and it's real but it is a powerful story to remind us of who God is and who we are and that He is always bigger and always greater than what we can conceive. if you don't have time to read the blog, then please go here, click on the videos tab and look for the video entitled "99 balloons." it's a 6 minute video of eliot's life and story, sure to bring you joy and to remind you of what a blessing today is. please check it out, you will be blessed

little 'ole Waco

2007-04-04T13:54:00.000-06:00

direct from the travel section of the New York Times...

Travel / Escapes
In Obliging Waco, Dr Pepper Is the King

By FINN-OLAF JONES
Published: January 12, 2007

In the old cowboy town of Waco, Tex., the Wild West is hospitable, liberating and as broad as the dry, grassy plains around town.

*click here for the rest of the story

joe camel would be proud

2007-04-03T14:45:00.000-06:00

the smokers in my office just came back from their 4th smoke break of the day. i did some simple calculations and quickly determined that i should light up as soon as possible (so not going to happen)- here's why:

1 smoke break = 15 minutes
4 smoke breaks per day = 1 hour
5 day work week = 5 hours for smoke breaks
5 hours *times* 52 weeks = 260 hours smoking per year
260 hours *divided by* 24 hours per day = 10.83 extra vacation days per year

that's right, those who smoke in my office have 10.83 EXTRA VACATION DAYS than i do all because they decided long ago that inhaling noxious fumes of questionable origin was the "cool" thing to do...

the simple things

2007-04-02T15:57:00.000-06:00

Dear Anonymous Shopper,

I just wanted to thank you for purchasing the blender from our registry. It simply made my day to scroll down and see that little gem of an item (M's only wedding request) marked complete. My heart swelled with joy and gratitude. Thank you for making my Monday.

Sincerey,
Me

p.s. I feel like I need to go watch the "Blender" breakdown scene from Father of the Bride now...

meat

2007-03-30T13:06:00.000-06:00

"she's a good cook." an epithet that i covet at this point in my cooking career. not even "great" or "excellent" (both used to describe my mom and mimi's cooking) i'll settle for a "good" rating at this point.

in anticipation of our upcoming marriage, i have spent some quality time lately with some food blogs. wow. there are quite a few people out there obsessed with food. no wonder that in the U.S. 39.2% of people over 15 are obese. but i think that they're all obese because they don't eat at home. i mean, how can you become obese when you eat a home cooked meal every night? well, after perusing some sights and investigating a cupcake recipe that used 2 packets of cream cheese and 6 (count 'em) sticks of butter, i'm revising my opinion.

i just looked at the recipes i copied and pasted into my little Word document entitled "Recipes." quite surprised by what i found. almost everything i liked involved baking of some sort or another. scones, cookies, muffins, biscuits, rolls, cakes, cupcakes- carb. city! i realized that in order to be a "good" cook, i would have to learn how to cook meat and vegetables. i don't even know where to go to find meat and vegetable recipes much less how to make them! but a "good" cook always has a well-balanced meal waiting for her husband when he comes home, so i'm determined to supplement "Recipes" (maybe I should have saved it as "Carbohydrates") with some main course dishes high in protein.

M is not going to know what hit him! let's hope he's as excited as i am about all this. at least i'll be able to put all the new pots and pans we're registering for to good work. and maybe, just maybe, justify getting the All Clad in the process!

compare/contrast

2007-03-30T10:27:00.000-06:00

it is very difficult to be patient when you know that your "fate" is in the hands of several total strangers who are currently poring over several pieces of paper and other assorted numbers that can in no possible way quantify or accurately depict your character or abilities...

what is infinitely more difficult for me is not comparing myself to others, resting secure in the knowledge of who i am and whose i am despite their decision. it seems like every day i am presented with an opportunity to compare msyelf to someone from my past or present. and i am tempted to think "well if THEY can, why not me?"

but then i realize that that's not how this thing works. i'm living a life governed by a plan far greater than my own with possibilities and opportunities beyond my imagination. how can i possibly compare myself and then make a judgement on my self-worth based on my (flawed and not entirely accurate) comparison. they are living according to an entirely different plan than mine and (may) have an entirely different destiny.

so once again, i decide, have decided, to trust in this case. i'm still scared to death about the outcome but i'm determined to rest secure in the perfect plan that awaits and walk confidently in my identitiy in Christ.

one outlook on identity theft

2007-03-22T15:00:00.000-06:00

"I pity the person who tries to steal my identity. They are going to be sorely disappointed." JT at work

soo excited

2007-03-22T14:58:00.000-06:00

Diet Coke Plus set for debut
Atlanta Business Chronicle - 10:22 AM EDT Thursday, March 22, 2007

A new version of Diet Coke will hit U.S. store shelves in April.

Coca-Cola North America on Tuesday reported the debut of Diet Coke Plus, a sparkling, calorie-free beverage with vitamins and minerals. Atlanta-based Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) said the beverage is a good source of vitamins B3, B6, and B12, and the minerals zinc and magnesium.

The product will feature the tagline "Great Taste Has Its Benefits."

The Diet Coke brand already includes Diet Coke, Caffeine Free Diet Coke, Diet Coke with Lime, Diet Cherry Coke, and Diet Coke Sweetened with Splenda.

"Consumers, including Diet Coke drinkers, are increasingly looking for more beverage options, and we wanted to offer them the convenience of a calorie-free beverage that is a good source of several essential vitamins and minerals, and one that delivers on the great taste that they have come to expect from us," said Katie Bayne, senior vice president of Coca-Cola Brands for Coca-Cola North America.

q's & a's

2007-03-20T13:16:00.000-06:00

every Sunday morning at the beginning of our sunday school class, our director, RC gets up, makes announcements and introduces the visitors to the class. and while RC's tenure has just begun, he decided to continue on with the "tradition" begun by the previous director, who happened to be an aggie (aggies love their "radition", of asking the new couple a random question about one another.

i was so excited when RC mentioned that he didn't know what to ask the new couple and that he was nervous about his question. he casually asked for advice/help and i was oh so happy to help.

*his is a good time to confess that i love random questions and facts about anyone and anything. my love affair with odd questions began my Sr. year of high school as i was hiking up a rather large hill/small mountain with a 50ish lb. backpack on my back. to distract me from the task, a nice friend walked beside me (i was too stubborn to give him my pack when he offered to carry it for me) and we played "the question game" all the way up the hill. the game continued with the help of the USPS that summer and my fascination/love was born.

so, when RC asked me for my help i quickly flipped through my mental index of great questions and gave him some that i thought were sure-fire winners, "what was your favourite pair of shoes?" and "what would you eat for your last meal?" both were fairly well received and i think the class enjoyed the change of pace from the "taditional" what colour is your husband/wife's toothbrush question.

as we speak, i'm brainstorming for some new winners just in case RC asks me again this Sunday :)
- if money was no object, what career would you choose
- what superhero would you choose to be
- what actor/actress would you want to play you in a movie about your life
- favourite type of poptart
- describe the perfect sandwich
- favourite type/kind/colour of writing pen
- yellow highlighter or coloured
- favourite Thanksgiving (or Christmas) food
- most memorable high school dance song
- largest cell phone overage total and reason why
- if you were stranded on a desert island, what personal care product could you not live without
- current radio station presets
- if i gave you $5 to spend at a gas station, what would you buy
- (if you had to) what reality t.v. show would you choose to appear on
- if you could be judge judy or jerry springer, who would you want to be
- who would headline a concert at your 40th birthday party
- favourite disney movie and character
- what college class do you wish you had taken
- if you had to be raised by an animal (think tarzan) what animal would that be
- stripes or solids
- if you could get tickets to any kind of championship game or series, what would you choose
- most prized possession
- if you had to fight in any American war, what would it be
- design your ideal ice cream sundae

i think that's a pretty good start, for now!

do my feet

2007-03-20T13:05:00.000-06:00

i just became aware of a new trend in plastic surgery, a "foot facelift." women across the country are having podiatrial peculiarities (is podiatrial a word?) removed so that their feet will appear more appealing in various forms of footwear. i've heard of toe clevage before but plastic surgery for your feet, come on!

*for any doubters, http://abcnews.go.com/Health/BeautySecrets/story?id=2964795&page=1

wedding whirlwind

2007-03-16T11:51:00.000-06:00

this week has been quite productive on the wedding-planning front...

*we bought wedding rings on monday at the WTC. word to the wise, don't say (as your fiance is pulling out his credit card to purchase your diamond wedding band) "you lived with tommy nelson! i'd LOVE to marry tommy nelson!" i don't think i need to point out why this fell into faux-pas category not to mention the fact that Tommy Nelson is married. i think we're even now after M's prime rib comment the other night :)

*tasted wedding cakes and (kind of) picked out what we wanted. i don't really anticipate actually tasting my wedding cake so this is something i didn't think about beforehand. apparently some brides actually feel compelled to not only pick out, but also sketch what they want their wedding cakes to look like. wow. no word yet on the design although M is now the camo-cake-with-duck-decoy-on-top bandwagon

*picked out music for the ceremony with the organist. this was one of those nights where you just had to be there. who knew that people still watched silent movies (accompanied by organ music) or that musicians were so picky about the music they were to play at YOUR wedding. well, now we know, and as G.I. Joe says, "knowing is half the battle." for a while there, i thought there would actually be a battle, but my hymns prevailed. for those of you who either a) know me or b) actually read this, you know about me and my hymns...

*finished the "nice" registry at Polly du Pont. very overwhelming and very scary to think of how many (potential) thank you's we'll have to write, but fun with my mom all the same. go here www.potterybarn.com here www.bedbathandbeyond.com here www.macys.com and here www.pollydupont.com to view our selections

and better yet, lots of things crossed off the to-do list which is just how i like it

uh, oh

2007-03-14T12:11:00.000-06:00

you know you're in the wrong profession when you read this...

IV. Economic Development as a Profession
A. Qualifications
1. Must enjoy failure; be amused by rejection; and, thrive on anxiety.

i hate every single one of those things mentioned, so i didn't even need to read on about other qualifications. but seriously, who really "enjoys failure" and how exactly can you be "amused by rejection?" i'll have to think about that one for a good, long while and get back to you...

stink

2007-03-08T11:58:00.000-06:00

my eBay auctions for this week are, in a word, not living up to performance expectations. not even 100 total looks with 2 and 3 days still left to go. despicable!

i'm going to chalk this up to the fact that it's spring break season across the nation. i mean what mom is checking eBay while playing with her kids at Disneyland?

i went back and looked at my records from last year hoping that they'd shed some light on this disturbing problem-nada. i was still on my ultra-high end shoe kick back then and only had 5 pairs listed for the month of march so that wasn't much of a help.

i sure hope spring break ends soon!

my first sermon

2007-03-07T14:34:00.000-06:00

if i ever had to preach a sermon, i think i would preach on this text, "But we do not want any of the land on the other side of the Jordan. We would rather live here on the east side where we have received our inheritance." (Numbers 32:19)

the tribes of Reuben and Gad chose to remain in a place of profit and assured comfort rather than journey with the rest of the Israelites to the Promise Land. they persevered through the wilderness only to trade their reward for riches...what a sermon this could (one day) be!

How is this possible?

2007-03-07T09:47:00.000-06:00

Boston woman sues for child-rearing costs after failed abortion
March 7, 2007

BOSTON --A Boston woman who gave birth after a failed abortion has filed a lawsuit against two doctors and Planned Parenthood seeking the costs of raising her child.

The complaint was filed by Jennifer Raper, 45, last week in Suffolk Superior Court and still must be screened by a special panel before it can proceed to trial.

Raper claimed in the three-page medical malpractice suit that she found out she was pregnant in March 2004 and decided to have an abortion for financial reasons.

Dr. Allison Bryant, a physician working for Planned Parenthood at the time, performed the procedure on April 9, 2004, but it "was not done properly, causing the plaintiff to remain pregnant," according to the complaint.

Raper then went to see Dr. Benjamin Eleonu at Boston Medical Center in July 2004, and he failed to detect the pregnancy even though she was 20 weeks pregnant at the time, the lawsuit alleges.

It was only when Raper went to the New England Medical Center emergency room for treatment of pelvic pain in late September that year that she found out she was pregnant, the suit said.

She gave birth to a daughter on Dec. 7, 2004.

She is seeking damages, including child-rearing costs.Raper and her lawyer, Barry C. Reed Jr., refused comment when contacted by The Boston Globe.

A spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood said the organization does not comment on pending litigation.
Neither doctor responded to requests for comment.

Raper alleges in the suit that Planned Parenthood and Bryant were negligent for failing to end her pregnancy and that Eleonu was negligent for failing to see she was still pregnant.

The state's high court ruled in 1990 that parents can sue physicians for child-rearing expenses, but limited those claims to cases in which children require extraordinary expenses because of medical problems, medical malpractice lawyer Andrew C. Meyer Jr. said.

Raper's suit has no mentions of medical problems involving her now 2-year-old daughter.
As with all medical malpractice suits in Massachusetts, Raper's complaint will have to be screened by a tribunal consisting of a Superior Court judge, a lawyer, and a doctor to determine whether it has merit to go to trial.
------
Information from: The Boston Globe, http://www.boston.com/globe

Can you imagine what it must be like to be her daughter...

"Mommy, why are you going to court today."
"Well, momy's is suing the doctors that failed to take your life. Mommy can't afford to care for you and since they messed up, they should have to pay."

Talk about self-worth issues

2007-03-06T15:00:00.000-06:00

"I do not try to understand you to trust you. I trust you so that I can understand you."

Anselm, Archbishop of Cantebury circa 1093

easier said than done

2007-03-05T14:45:00.000-06:00

wherever you are, be all there-
disregarding emotions
forgetting comfort
sacrificing pleasure
waiting patiently
faithfully doing
remembering the hope
trusting the promise
resting secure

"Wherever you are, be all there."
Jim Eliot

in honor of mondays

2007-03-05T11:59:00.000-06:00

I Cannot Go To School Today
By Shel Silverstein

"I cannot go to school today"
Said little Peggy Ann McKay.
"I have the measles and the mumps,
A gash, a rash and purple bumps.

My mouth is wet, my throat is dry.
I'm going blind in my right eye.
My tonsils are as big as rocks,
I've counted sixteen chicken pox.

And there's one more - that's seventeen,
And don't you think my face looks green?
My leg is cut, my eyes are blue,
It might be the instamatic flu.

I cough and sneeze and gasp and choke,
I'm sure that my left leg is broke.
My hip hurts when I move my chin,
My belly button's caving in.

My back is wrenched, my ankle's sprained,
My 'pendix pains each time it rains.
My toes are cold, my toes are numb,
I have a sliver in my thumb.

My neck is stiff, my voice is weak,
I hardly whisper when I speak.
My tongue is filling up my mouth,
I think my hair is falling out.

My elbow's bent, my spine ain't straight,
My temperature is one-o-eight.
My brain is shrunk, I cannot hear,
There's a hole inside my ear.

I have a hangnail, and my heart is ...
What? What's that? What's that you say?
You say today is .............. Saturday?

G'bye, I'm going out to play!"

This doesn't exactly work in the real world...

mail

2007-03-02T16:31:00.000-06:00

i have amassed quite a few international customers on eBay and every time i make an international sale i learn something. i sold a pair of shoes to a wonderful woman in Greece the other day, and when looking up her postage rate i happened to check out the items Greece forbade to be sent through the mail. well, two hours later i had read the restricted items list for every country that the USPS mails to. it was quite an adventure and i soon realized that there were some pretty crazy restrictions out there so i complied a list for your enjoymeny. not necessarily in alphabetical order and not necessarily comlete. i took the liberty to edit out things, like biological weapons material, that i thought was too boring

Albania
Extravagant clothes and other articles contrary to Albanians' taste

Great Britan & Northern Ireland
Horror comics and matrices
Seal skins except those from an accepted source

Algeria
Canned vegetables, fish, plums and nuts
Funeral urns
Household articles made of tin
Saccharine in tablets or packets

Spain
Playing cards

India
Consumer electronic items, (except hearing aids and life-saving equipment, apparatus, and appliances and parts thereof)

Angloa
Roulette and other apparatus for games

Argentina
Furs and skins of chinchillas and vicunas

Armenia
Food that spoils easily

Australia
Fruit cartons (used or new)
Goods bearing the name "Anzac

Bahamas
Skimmed milk in tins

Bangladesh
Quinine, colored pink
Mineral waters

Malaysia
Circulars or advertisements containing amulets, charms or talismans
Harpoons and spear guns used for undersea fishing

Botswana
Honey and preparations of honey including royal jelly, preserves sweetened with honey, and flypaper

Brazil
Primary educational books not written in Portuguese

Guyana
Bees and silkworms
Newsprint paper

Bulgaria
"Musical" cards (cards that play a sound recording when opened)

Canada
Oleomargarine and other butter substitutes, including altered or renovated butter
Plumage and skins of wild birds

France
Imitation pearls containing lead salts and any articles of jewelry made with pearls of this type
Feeding bottles
Measuring instruments marked in units not complying with French law

Cote de Ivoire
Articles bearing the Red Cross or Geneva Cross as a trademark

Cyprus
Leeches and silkworms

Czech Republic
Chain letter items

Denmark
Almanacs (except for single copies) that do not bear the University almanac stamp

Ecuador
All maps showing the territory of Ecuador with incorrect boundaries
Leather shoes in general; cloth and rubber shoes
So-called "Panama" and "Mocora" hats and the straw used for making them

Eritrea
Matches of white phosphorus

Taiwan
Coins over one hundred years old
Extracts, essences, and concentrates of tea

Republic of Georgia
Bees, leeches, silkworms, and parasites

Germany
Absinthe
Melatonin
Playing cards, except in complete decks properly wrapped.
Pulverized coca beans.

Guatemala
Gardenia plants and seeds.
Police whistles.
Powder of all kinds.
Telegraphic apparatus.

Jordan
Essences and oils for use in making adulterated or imitated beverages

Iceland
Toys made of lead

Iran
Fashion newspapers
Musical instruments
Sugar, brown sugar

Iraq
Binoculars

Israel
Blank invoices with headings
Organic fertilizers
Soil and sand

Italy
Albums of any kind (of photographs, postcards, postage stamps, etc.)
Artificial flowers and fruits and accessories for them
Bells and other musical instruments and parts thereof
Clocks and supplies for clocks
Coral mounted in any way
Ether and chloroform
Exposed photographic and cinematographic films
Footwear of any kind.
Nutmeg, vanilla; sea salt, rock salt; saffron
Parasites and predators of harmful insects
Perfumery goods of all kinds (except soap)
Ribbons for typewriters
Roasted or ground coffee and its substitutes; roasted chicory

Kazakhstan
Deer horns, hooves, and antlers

South Korea
Salt

Latvia
Hyacinth bulb, carnation and chrysanthemum seedling and cuttings, seeds of leguminous plants and seeds in quarantine

Lebanon
Artificial butters and adulterated or harmful products

Lesotho
Eau de cologne

Liechtenstein
Radar detectors

Madagascar
Boxes of preserved sardines weighing more than 1 kilogram

Malawi
Aphrodisiacs

Nepal
Cinnamon
Cloves

Panama
Fatty, liquid, or easily liquefiable substances
Sweetmeats and pastries

Paraguay
Batteries
Plastic toys
Stocking and socks except those made of jersey
Suitcases; leather bags

Tanzania
Japanese shaving brushes

Peru
Accessories and personal items
Artificial flowers and interior ornaments
Ceramic products and imitation jewelry
Clothing, accessories, and underwear
Electrical household appliances
Footwear, shoes, boots, and accessories
Furs and clothing made of fur
Gloves and hosiery
Textiles and carpets
Toys and dolls of all kinds
Waxes and creams for shoes
Wooden utensils

Russia
Color copiers

Sudan
Unginned cotton

Ukraine
Articles of cultural value (works of art, collectors' pieces, and antiques)

Vietnam
Invisible ink, codes, cyphers, symbols or other types of secret correspondence, and shorthand notes

wish list

2007-03-02T11:05:00.000-06:00

1. an office door
2. advance copy of the last harry potter book
3. a sandwich and rice krispie treat from dean & deluca
4. a two week long vacation to london
5. gift certificate to paper source
6. nordstrom rack last call location opening in dallas
7. the business trip to work out
8. a morning at eastern market
9. handwritten note from a long lost friend
10. a legitimate reason to leave early
11. tickets to see mary poppins and wicked again
12. first edition of a severe mercy
13. cookie from ben's in oxford
14. permission to take a nap
16. rasberry pashmina
17. workroom
18. blackberry 8800
19. peppermint pedicure at hyatt hill country
20. meal at lambert's

i'll stop there. does anyone know if santa comes early

gulp

2007-03-01T10:09:00.000-06:00

When You Land the Job Interview, Should the Ring Come Off?
Posted by Sara Schaefer Muñoz

Should women applying for jobs take off their engagement or wedding rings? When we posted about a study that showed employers still screen résumés for mommy status, some Juggle posters said they’d think twice about making a reference to their children in their CVs, and they’d consider slipping off the wedding ring, as well.

I was shocked — until I remembered I had done the same thing with my engagement ring. Several years ago, during my engagement to my husband, I applied to the Journal. On the way to the bureau where I had my interview — in the midst of checking my résumé over dozens of times for typos — I weighed whether or not to remove my ring. On the one hand, I felt ridiculous for even considering it — thinking that in this day and age it shouldn’t matter. On the other hand, I really wanted that job. I had no idea about the office culture and I didn’t want anyone making assumptions — however unreasonable — about my commitment to the position. Before getting on the elevator, I slipped the ring into my pocket.

I can say now I’m sure it wouldn’t have mattered. It turned out that many in the office were married with kids. They sold Girl Scout cookies and discussed Halloween costumes. Editors oohed and aahed over my wedding photos and, later, regaled me with parenting books and name suggestions when I was pregnant. Looking back, I felt that the ring-removal had been absurd.

But the recent comments suggest I wasn’t alone in my concerns. Has any other woman — or man! — considered this? Have you known some employers to flinch when they see a wedding or engagement ring? Or was your decision based upon your own — possibly unfounded — concerns?

Here's where it gets fun, the comments section. I've cut and pasted a few that I found to be the most interesting but you can go here (http://blogs.wsj.com/juggle/2007/02/27/when-you-land-the-job-interview-should-the-ring-come-off/trackback/ ) to read it all for yourself...

Yep, I take my wedding ring off and substitute a different ring. When I was engaged I took that off. In the cutthroat world of law, you don’t want to give them any excuse.
Comment by Jennifer - February 27, 2007 at 10:12 am

I used to never wear my rings to any interviews, and I actually felt like it hurt me. In my field (law), a lot of employers want to be reassured that you are committed to staying in the city you are living in, particularly if you aren’t originally from the area. Wearing a ring and, if it comes up, letting them know that you have a spouse employed in the same city, seems to reassure them that you’re not planning on going anywhere. For that reason, I keep my ring on during all interviews now.
Comment by Toiler - February 27, 2007 at 11:51 am

*A consideration for some of my friends has been the size of the diamonds in their engagement rings. They may wear a simple band during the interview process, and (especially) for the interview to discuss salary. Once they’ve been hired The Rock comes back out.
Comment by Lisa - February 27, 2007 at 11:55 am

I am a formerly practicing attorney and now a headhunter for lawyers. As a woman, I would like to think that the world has advanced. Unfortunately, some law school contemporaries, now partners in various places have said to me, in unguarded moments, that they still prefer men associates to women because of the whole child rearing issue. Appealing to abstract ideals of gender equality don’t generally work. I do my best to push these guys in the right direction with arguments that clients increasingly require diversity in their attorneys and that one has to take advantage of all available talent, look at a longer term investment horizon when it comes to making hiring decisions. A guy with a wedding ring and a newborn, can sucessfully use that fact to show that, although he has changed jobs a great deal and has a less than conventional resume– now he has settled down and is, for the prospective employer, a good long term investment. A woman, with that same picture, would be regarded as a higher risk of leaving the workplace unless MAYBE she could somehow get into the picture that she had a husband with an unstable income. I have never counseled anyone–whether male or female–to remove their wedding or engagement rings for purposes of an interview. Troubling thought is that maybe I should.
Comment by Talent Scout - February 27, 2007 at 11:58 am

I can understand the apprehension felt by people who have traditionally be discriminated against because of their status. In my opinion it is dishonest to begin a relationship by “flying a false flag”. If the company your interviewing with puts that much stock in you being single they may not be worth working for. You also need to ask yourself, if you’ll take your ring off for an interview what else will you take it off for?
Honesty and integrity are worth more than money or the convenience of the moment.
Comment by Stephen Landes - February 27, 2007 at 12:10 pm

I think that the way a resume reads is more important than what is one your finger. A woman doesn’t go and get an MBA, CFA, CPA, etc. if they plan on becoming a stay at home mom. If they then have children and staying home is what works for their family, then that is another story, but I think you can judge someone’s commitment to a field or job by what they’ve sacrificed to get there.
Comment by KrisP - February 27, 2007 at 4:55 pm

I always thought it best to wear my ring to interviews. To the women it (the nice rock) states I’ve at least accomplished that. To the men it (the rock) states, I’m there to work, I know how to get what I want and I’m off limits. Bottom line, diamond rings get respect. I think both sexes are more comfortable when women have rings..
Comment by MarriedWomen - February 27, 2007 at 4:27 pm

Wow! Fascinating stuff. I can't wait to see how the rest of this thread develops

2007-02-28T13:23:00.000-06:00

i am currently reading the most amazing book, Look Homeward, Angel, by Thomas Wolfe. his prose is captivating and unlike anything i've ever read before- a cross between james joyce and william faulkner. it's a slow read but worth every second. i highly recommend it to any literary aficionado, especially if you're from the South or appreciate Southern culture.

here's just one amazing excerpt where Eugene, who up until now has simply scrawled lines and called them letters, learns how to write and thus unlocks the mystery and the power of language...

"The line of life, that beautiful developing structure of language that he saw flowing from his comrade's pencil, but the knot in him that all instruction had failed to do, and instantly he seized the pencil, and wrote the words in letters fairer and finer than his friend's. And he turned, with a cry in his throat, to the next page, and copied it without hesitation, and the next, the next. They looked at each oter a moment with that clear wonder by which children accept miracles, and they never spoke of it again."

give to caesar what is caesar's

2007-02-27T10:31:00.000-06:00

as of 5 mnutes ago, i have officially decided to prepare my taxes myself. gold star to the IRS for putting this little gem of a worksheet on their website (http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i1040gi.pdf) to help peons like myself navigate the red tape and intrusive questions. this should be fun...

unbelievable

2007-02-26T15:12:00.000-06:00

Sorority Evictions Raise Issue of Looks and Bias
By SAM DILLON
Published: February 25, 2007

The national officers of the Delta Zeta sorority told 23 members at DePauw University to leave, including every woman who was overweight.

Click here for the rest of the story...
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/25/education/25sorority.html?ex=1330146000&en=115632fdee07b436&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

anabel does new zealand

2007-02-23T11:12:00.000-06:00

i sold these adorable Cole Haan shoes two days ago. they're from their new collaboration with Nike in which Nike Air technology is used in the shoe construction. you may pay a bit more but the few dollars are well worth the additional comfort and cushioning. but that's just a sidenote...

so whenever i sell a pair of shoes, i'm always anxious to get the buyer's name and address. somehow i envision selling a pair of shoes and seeing the buyers ship to address as 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington D.C. well, that may not be very realistic, but i do enjoy learning what i can about my customers.

anabel (the aforementioned cole haan shoe) was purchased by a woman in new zealand, which is fabulous because i've never had a customer from there. in our email correspondence, i noticed her email signature which identified her as an assistant editor of a major fashion magazine in new zealand. pretty sweet, huh? i was quite excited and quickly checked out the mag's website which was quite slick. so now i have an official "fashionista" as a customer and a pair of shoes that need to be on their way to new zealand. not bad for a day's work if i do say so myself

940

2007-02-15T17:02:00.000-06:00

a favourite bedtime read. i highly suggest it if you're the type of person who dreams of cavorting with aborigines in australia an skiing in the swiss alps...

so far i've been to:

1. Lake District
2. London (*would love love LOVE to live here)
3. Hadrian’s wall
4. Oxford & Cambridge Universities
5. Salisbury Cathedral (*took my breath away and left me in tears, literally. yes, i have been known to cry over beautiful architecture)
6. Stonehenge (*not worth the trip)
7. The festivals of Edinburgh
8. Pubs in Dublin (*one of the funnest weekends of my life spent with BGB friends)
9. Vieux Nice
10. St. Tropez
11.The Grand Casino (Monte Carlo, Monaco) (*almost arrested here for riding a motorcycle outside casino)
12. Heidelberg’s Schloss
13. The Dead Sea
14. Masada (*awe inspiring to think of the bravery and sacrifice of the Jews who resisted here)
15. The Old City (Jerusalem, Israel) (*where it all began and where it all will end, unbelievable)
16. Old San Juan
17. The Grand Canyon (Flagstaff, Arizona) (*home to Megan Triplett)
18. Hollywood
19. Monterey Peninsula
20. The Pacific Coast Highway (*carsick)
21. Hotel Del Coronado
22. A Tour on San Francisco’s Cable Cars
23. California’s Wine Country
24. Yosemite National Park
25. Mesa Verde National Park
26. The Million Dollar Highway and the Durango and Silverton
27. Kennedy Space Center
28. South Beach
29. Walt Disney World Resort (*always a fave)
30. Maui (*ahhh, i'm there in a heartbeat)
31. Oahu
32. Chesapeake Bay
33. The Freedom Trail (*what a trip)
34. Martha’s Vineyard
35. Nantucket
36. The Las Vegas Strip
37. Albuquerque’s Balloon Fiesta (*sweet times with family)
38. Route 66
39. Carlsbad Caverns National Park
40. Roswell
41. New York City (*yes, please)
42. Historic downtown New York
43. Museum Mile (NYC)
44. Gettysburg National Military Park and Cemetary (*matt's fave)
45. Pennslvania Dutch Country (*my ancestors lived with the amish)
46. Independence National Historical Park
47. Cliff Walk (Newport, R.I.)
48. The Mansion on Turtle Creek (*thank you Bobby, i can't believe i didn't burn it down)
49. Hill Country (Fredericksburg, Texas) (*i'm always ready willing and available for Hyatt Hill Country)
50. River Walk
51. Monticello
52. Shenandoah Valley
53. Colonial Williamsburg
54. The National Mall and its monuments (*my home for a time)
55. The Smithsonian and beyond
56. West Virginia’s White Water Rafting (*"West Virginia, Blue Ridge Mountains..." name that tune)
57 Whistler- Blackcomb Ski Resort
58. Prince Edward Island (*imagined I was Anne of Green Gables)

only 940 left to go

bouquets, bubbly and bling day

2007-02-14T15:39:00.000-06:00

february 14- valentine's day

I don't have particular feelings about Valentine's Day. I'm just not one of "those" kinds of girls. Last year we decided to exchange cards and books on Valentine's Day instead of expensive gifts. Thoughtful and cheap, just like us.

But if I was one of "those" types of girls, M would have to look no further than Mr. Louboutin and this little beauty. Have you ever seen such a gorgeous shoe. It's so Wzard of Oz and Dorothy meets Sex and the City and Carrie. A grown up's fantasy of "there's no place like home" all wrapped in in handcrafted leather, red glitter and a 4 inch heel.

I think I'm in love........

it's about time

2007-02-13T22:40:00.000-06:00

it's official, i'm now an eBay POWERSELLER!

i've only been waiting for this moment for like the last year...

google haiku

2007-02-12T10:37:00.000-06:00

searchable email

world's knowledge at a simple click

i love you google.

free books

2007-02-07T10:02:00.000-06:00

Princeton signs up for Google book project
Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal - 8:54 AM PST Tuesday

Princeton University will make about 1 million books available to Google Inc.'s book scan project.

The school's library will work with Mountain View-based Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) over the next six years to digitize books. The books offered are all now part of the public domain and not covered by copyright laws.

Princeton joins Stanford University, University of California, Harvard University, Oxford University and seven other schools to join Google's project.

Readers will be able to use key words to search the full texts of the books online, and then download them.

interesting thought

2007-02-06T11:28:00.000-06:00

I saw an article on DrudgeReport last week about a church in Sydney who had posted these signs around the community. They have (obviously) been met with quite a bit of discussion and have sparked a lot of dialogue within the church.

So I was already thinking about the topic when a friend from AEI invited me to join a facebook group entitled, "Do you pray for Osama bin Laden." I wanted to see what this was all about and was struck by the group's description...

Did you ever think that if Osama bin Laden converted to Christianity he would be to the Muslim world what the Apostle Paul was to the Jews?

Believer's Response to the Blasphemy Challenge

2007-02-02T12:06:00.000-06:00

I have a lot of free time on my hands at work and so I'm constantly checking msnbc or abc for news of some natural disaster, political scandal, or Britney blunder. However, I came across an article today on abcnews.com that left me speechless.

An excerpt from "The Blasphemy Challenge: Host of Internet Challenge says God Most Likely Doesn't Exist":

Brian and Kelly are co-founders of the Rational Response Squad. From Brian's basement they broadcast a weekly Internet radio show about God…or the lack thereof. And recently they came up with a new way to publicize their cause. It is called the Blasphemy Challenge.

"Initially we wanted to find a way to allow atheists to come out of the closet, speak up and show other people that there are people that think like this," Brian says.

What they did was challenge people to make videos of themselves, denying, denouncing or blaspheming the Holy Spirit, and then post them on YouTube.'We Are Not Scared of This Unforgiveable Sin'

"We wanted to do it in such a way where we stripped the power from religious institutions that instill fear in people," says Brian. "And we did that by blaspheming the Holy Spirit, by showing that we are not scared of this unforgiveable sin."

A passage in Mark 3:29 reads, "whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin."

While the passage is open to interpretation, the Rational Response Squad is taking it literally and challenging people to gamble with their eternal souls. So far more than 800 people have taken up the challenge.

As a believer, I'm shocked at saddened at their audacity and what that says about this fallen world. Yet I'm also left wondering how to properly respond as a follower of Christ. I'm saddened that the inflammatory nature of their project will (probably) incite equally inflammatory critiques and damnations to hell from the religious leaders asked to comment. I feel strongly that these are the very people Christ came for, yet how do I reach out in love towards those so steeped in darkness without compromising the light of truth? I wish I knew the answer...

"Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Philippians 2.9-11

my first

2007-02-02T09:40:00.000-06:00

These little beauties were the first pair of shoes I ever sold on eBay, my "first" as you will. When I picked them up, I had no idea that they were Louboutins or that they had graced the feet of every celebrity from Gwen Stefani to Angelina Jolie. I just thought they looked cute. Then I looked at the price tag, recovered from the initial shock and charged them. I didn't keep them for myself, I'm not quite the type of girl who walks around wearing a $850 investment on my feet, but these Leopard Oralatos will always be one of my favorites.

I found a great piece on Christian Louboutin, the man himself, in yesterday's edition of FD Luxe. Here's an excerpt...

"The best-dressed women in the world have one thing in common: red-soled shoes. That glossy fire-engine sole is the instantly recognizable signature of Christian Louboutin, whose teetering stilettos, open-toed flats and chunky wedges make fashionistas go weak in the knees. 'I always say, it's a red color, but it's a green light,' explains the animated designer... 'It attracts people, it attracts men. In French, I call it, Follow me young man.'"

How great is that and how fabulous are his shoes...

Hello world!

2007-02-01T16:17:00.000-06:00

11, 774 babies are born in the U.S. every day

1,300,000 million songs are downloaded on iTunes every day

12,240,000 McDonalds hamburgers are sold every day

I'm not quite sure how many people create a blog every day, but for what it's worth, I've decided (with a little help from my friends at google) to throw my hat into the ring. so watch out world, my blog is born!

(for the record, all statistics are courtesy of the CIA, apple, and the Sustainability Institute, respectively)