32 new of 160 responses total.
Sometimes I have a little bit of writer's block. I hate that. It is funny because sometimes I just feel like I want to run to my blog (http://lynne.tblog.com) and write and write and then other times...nothing. And then I ask myself, "Do I *really* have nothing to say today? Really?" Naturally, I usually have something I could say even when I dont have anything I need to say. So? Here are just some thoughts in no particular order of importance to me... I was surprised that Kerry did so well in Iowa. I dont think Dean's speech was as bad as the media is making it out to be. It certainly hasnt changed my feelings about him as a candidate. I dont care a lot for Kerry but I dont hate him or anything. I dont think he will get the nomination. I was happy to see Edwards did so well. There is something about him that I really like but I have not really been able to put my finger on it. Maybe it is just that he seems nice. Naturally Dean is my first choice for the nomination but I wont cry into my oatmeal if Edwards gets it. I have been watching a lot of foreign movies lately. I have been very disappointed with the lack of movies from Russia. I have found that I dont like most of the Soviet era ones and there just arent that many more recent ones. I hope that changes. When it comes to foreign movies, I like the French ones the best and the British ones the second best. I dont know what that means. Part of my job is to write techincal documents. Everyone on my team has a yearly goal. Our fiscal year ends on the 31st and that is usually our deadline for completing our goals. I am annoyed because on Friday, I was sent an email informing me that the deadline for completing these technical documents is Jan 21. It seems kind of smarmy to me to change the deadline like that with only a few days notice. Oh well. I have already turned in enough documents to meet my goal but not enough to exceed it. I've exceeded every other goal I was given, though. I am sure my review will be a good one and hopefully I will get a nice raise.
I saw some news commentary on the Democratic turnouts and wondered what the reaction would be from those that supported Dean... I mean, I don't think the media has made much comment yet that I can see.
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/21/nyregion/21hit.html?pagewanted=1 I have always been really interested in human behavior. I think that is why I have pretty much liked most of the social sciences: anthropology, economics, sociology, psychology, etc. As many of my friends will tell you, I do the arm chair psychologist thing a *lot* ;) I have worked with the mentally ill and even now, I kick around the idea of getting an MSW (in like 20 years after I finish this undergrad degree haw!). I dont find that I am often surprised by what people do. And yet, this morning when I read about a woman who was apparently run over three times by hit and run drivers, I found myself wondering how that could happen. I have made up all kinds of situations about the motivations of the drivers. Maybe they were drunk or had arrest warrants or had some other reason not to want to come into contact with the police. Maybe they were more concerned with their own welfare than that of someone else. It is possible that they didnt notice although that seems unlikely. I mean, I seen the damage to a car after it hits a deer about the size of an adult human woman. If they hit this woman and didnt notice, there is something really wrong with them. All of this makes me wonder if there is something that I can do as an individual to help prevent something like this? Is there something I can do to encourage others to have compassion for their neighbors? Is there something I can do to encourage some feeling of community responsibility in people? I have a friend who thinks that the answer is to spread kindness around. That people who are treated with kindness are more likely to treat others with kindness. Obviously this is not some new or original concept. I dont know if it has merit. I have never heard of any studies that show that treating a person with kindness results in them treating others that way. However, I think that it cant hurt. So I am going to go out of my way to be kind to the people I come into contact with.
My Ypsilanti Howard Dean Adventure: Yesterday, I volunteered to help do a "lit drop" for the Howard Dean campaign. I walked door to door and dropped off campaign literature. I knocked on everyone's doors and talked to those people who answered. It was really cool. The neighborhood in Ypsilanti where I was doing this isnt my neighborhood but one I used to live in. I had really wanted to buy a house in this neighborhood but found I couldnt afford one. Figures. But, walking around and meeting the folks who live there kind of made me wish I *had* bought a house there although when I think about it, the things I like about this neighborhood are the same things I like about the neighborhood where I live. I was really impressed by the diversity of this place. There were people of all ages and backgrounds and ethnicity living in this place. There were kind people who invited me into their homes to warm up and rude people who slammed the door on my face. There were a lot of Dean supporters and a lot of supporters of other candidates. Also a few Republicans. What impressed me most about this neighborhood was how active everyone seemed to be in the process. There were lawn signs up all over the place. Political signs in the windows. Most people I talked too either had a very informed opinion already or asked me a lot of questions about Howard Dean. One guy (a Bush supporter) even told me that even though there was no way in a million years he would vote for Dean, he was really happy to see young people like me taking an interest in politics. (I dont know how young he thought I was, he didnt look over 40 and I am 35. Maybe that new moisterizer wrinkle reducer cream really works...hmmmm). It was a very positive experience for me. I am so happy that I decided to get more involved with things.
Some monday morning thoughts about channel flipping and football... Aaron came over last night just to hang out. He has a habit of switching channels a lot rather than watching just one thing. A lot of people seem to do this. I have never really understood it. Whenever I am watching something on one channel, unless it is bad, I dont sit there wondering if there is something I want to watch more on another channel. In fact, since I often check tv programming guides before I start watching, I usually already know what is on the other channels. So what is the facination with channel hopping? I will admit, though, that if it werent for Aaron's channel switching, I wouldnt have seen any of the Super Bowl and even though I am not the world's biggest football fan, it actually was a really good game. It was also nice to have Aaron there because he actually knows the football rules so I was able to ask him a lot of questions. Usually, I dont like pro football because the players are so good, they make it look easy. I *know* it isnt easy but that doesnt normally make it more exciting to watch. I tend to find college ball much more interesting even though the players arent as good. But, that game last night was really really interesting. Very exciting too! Especially the ending. Holy cow! Talk about racing the clock. I was on the edge of my seat. It was fun. I even found it interesting even though I was rooting for either team especially. Yup, it was just one of those games that was good just because it was a good game.
Channel surfing. LOL Boy, I hardly think about it, now, and yet I remember days of TV without a remote, when I just sat through bad commercials or whatnot. Sometimes people flip because TV is just not really great but they don't want to turn it off. But sometimes I think people want to avoid commercials. Then again, you mentioned the Super Bowl, and sometimes people watch the game so they can see those commercials, too. Speaking of that, I'm not a football fan at all. I am dreaming of the days when there is more coverage of rugby in the States.
I got a phone call from a former boss last night. Unfortunately, because of bad circumstances (the death of a former co-worker's father). Still, it was *really* nice to talk to her. We talked for two hours catching up. It made me realize that I am not always really good about making the effort to keep people in my life. I think I need to do more of that.
I havent really been up to much this week. Sometimes I feel like my life is soooooo boring. Yet, it isnt really bad or anything. It is just that I have a goal to blog 4-5 days a week and sometimes I sit down here and have nothing to write. I could tell you that I spent my evening last night doing math problems and then watching TV and then writing a sympathy note to a friend. I was bad and didnt take the dogs for a walk like I usually do but now that they are older, they dont seem to mind staying inside too much when it is really cold out. That sympathy note to my friend really got me thinking though. I might be bored with my life but at least everyone I love is healthy and alive. I feel stuck in a rut but really my life isnt all that bad. I have a job that I dont love but I dont hate it either. I have a house that I love. I have great people in my life who love me. I think that there are a couple of ways to find happiness. One of them is accepting what you have and the other is to find something you dont have and then go about getting it. I guess my problem right now is that I dont feel like doing either one of those things. I am going to think about it though. That is my project for tomorrow. I will make a list of everything in my life that I am happy with. And a list of everything in my life that I am unhappy with and I will make a plan to change one thing on the unhappy list and I will read the happy list over and over.
I spent the better part of yesterday morning passing out leaflets for polygon, who is running for county clerk. It was really hard for me to be out in public yesterday because of some disturbing news I received on friday, but I am proud of myself that I was able to suck it up and keep my commitments. I met some nice folks too. It is really nice seeing people vote in a caucus or volunteer to pass out literature. I really liked the Dean volunteers. They were really young (one of them just 17) and it gave me a lot of hope to see them youngins participating in the political process with such energy. The weirdest thing was that I ran into my old therapist and got a hug from her just when I needed it most.
I have a friend named Kate who has monthly movie parties. They are always a ton of fun. I really needed to be around people last night so I went. I am very glad I did. I had a good time. The movie of the evening was Sixteen Candles. What a trip down memory lane that was! It was soooooo 1980's. I loved that movie when it first came out. I remember hanging around in the halls at school talking about it. It was funny because it was so unlike the school I went to and yet we all identified with the characters. John Hughes really had a talent for making movies that appeal to 15 year olds. We all started talking about high schools and there was a woman at this party named Angela who coincidently lived pretty close to me when I lived in Detroit. She lived at 6 mile and Woodward and I lived at 7 mile and Livernois. Small world. In Detroit, there were two city wide schools that were really good academically, Cass Tech and Renaissance. Both schools had an admissions process similar to college. Anyhow, I went to Cass Tech and she went to Renaissance. It was fun to talk about high school in Detroit with someone. I also got to see my friend Gary whom I havent seen in ages. He was really supportive about some things I am going through right now which I really needed. We talked a lot about it. When I whined about how I didnt have a movie buddy anymore, Kate made a big deal about how she *loves* to go to the movies so now we have a big movie date to see Hildalgo when it comes out in early March. I am pleased about that. I did get some bad news yesterday from Gary. He is planning on moving to California in May (just after I get back, doh!). He has said this many times before but this time I think he really means it. *sigh* I dont really need to lose any more friends right now. Still I really admire his courage. There is a big part of me that wants to pick up and try something new too.
I don't remember that movie, but my wife thinks it's pretty funny.
My mom sent me this article about housing values in the city I live in. I have to say that made me feel really good about buying my house. Not that I needed to feel good about it but it helps sometimes when I am paying my mortgage. I have a lot of equity in this house now and there is a certain security in that. www.mlive.com/news/aanews/index.ssf?/base/news-7/107623891371701.xml http://url.rexroof.com/465
I have to admit that I have been quite disappointed in Dean s results in this race so far. It has been a long time since I have been so enthused about a presidential candidate. There is some disappointment. But luckily for Kerry if he happens to win the nomination, I like him a lot better than I like George Bush. I was reading an editorial in the NYT about the labor market. It is dismal. People here where I work have been losing their jobs. I could lose my job any minute (ok, it is unlikely but it could happen). This is an issue where I have an emotional response: fear. I know that a lot of people share that fear or, worse, are living through having lost their jobs. Just this week, I heard a story about a small town in Michigan that is going to lose the factory that employs most folks. So, heck yeah, I am afraid of losing my job. An economic recovery without jobs doesn t feel like much of a recovery to the average person who is living paycheck to paycheck and just getting by.
It's even worse for those struggling to get off the dole. There's that writing on the wall-- funding will be cut-- but how does welfare-to- work pan out when the unemployment rate is so stressed?
I know. It is a pretty bad time to be without a job. I worry a lot about that. Not just about my job but about the effects of having a lot of unemployed people will have on society in general. I mean, it seems to me that it means less tax revenue and increased need for state funded welfare programs.
I just hope it isn't a vicious cycle.
Ugh. I feel really sick today. I have a headache and feel really lightheaded. I hope I am not coming down with something serious. I have to laugh at myself though. Whenever I start to feel sick, all kinds of crazy things start rolling through my head. eg What if my furnace is broken and my house is filled with carbon monoxide? Oh yeah, that would mean the carbon monoxide detector must be broken too. What if I have caught that terrible flu that has hit all those students at U of M? What if one of those Asian chickens with the bird flu jumped on a jet, flew all the way to Michigan and pooped in my tea? (Ok, I am not really too worried about that last one) Anyhow, I have decided to stay home today. I figure that now, more than most times, I deserve to sit back and take care of myself. Besides, I have a big weekend planned so it would really suck to be sick. I mean, my last living grandmother is having a 90th birthday party on Saturday and I would be really bummed if I had to miss it. Nope, better to take care of myself now and hope for the best.
Asian chicken shit in my tea would worry me quite a bit. Chicken shit in general, really.
Grumble...grumble... My blog site http://lynne.tblog.com is offline and has been all day. So, I guess I'll write here and cut and paste it over there later. See? I still find this item useful. Yay grex! I went to a garage sale (although it was in an apartment and not a garage) today at Gary's house. He is moving in June and is getting rid of most of his things. I wanted the hand chair (plastic chair, shaped like a hand) for my yard. I love that chair and it would be perfect for outdoor seating. It is mine now. Boo Yah! It was really nice talking to Gary (and Kate) about things. I have been feeling very angry at someone lately and wondering if I was justified in feeling that way. Not that I ever need to justify it when I am feeling angry, it is just nice *this* time. Anyhow, Gary and Kate both assured me that if any friend of theirs did to them what my friend (or ex-friend or whatever, I dont even know) did to me, they would be angry too. I dont know why but that made me feel better about things. Well, it made me feel a little bit less crazy and *that* is always nice. I am really going to miss Gary when he moves. But at least he is moving to San Francisco which is an area of the world I tend to visit a lot. Actually, I am going there just a few weeks before he does which is kind of funny but anyways...
I had a question for earlier entries... politics real quick... what's your take on John Kerry real quick? I'd heard some Dean supporters are backing Nader but Dean himself is not. Was curious. Back to your current entry, one of my sisters lives in San Jose which is next door to San Fran as you know. I haven't been there but I hear a lot about her and her husband from time to time. They have quite the place down there... he's an architect and she's in interior design. I still think their fish aquarium is so awesome-- they took our old standing floor TV and molded the glass for the aquarium where the old tube had been. So now you have fish in a TV =)
I have some serious issues with Kerry, to be honest. And I think Nader is the better candidate which is saying a lot because I have a lot of reservations about him too. However, I *really* dont like Bush and thus will vote for the lesser of two evils when election time rolls around. Let's face it, Nader doesnt have a chance so I am not willing to risk voting for him. I am familiar with San Jose. I have spent some time there since I have a friend who used to live there. I think it is my least favorite city in the bay area. ;) I always liked to joke that it was the armpit of the bay. If I never find my way to San Jose, I will be more than happy ;) Still, if you have the opportunity, go visit your sister. It isnt a long drive to all the fun touristy things. I mean, it is pretty easy to go to GARLIC WORLD in Gilroy, Berkeley, San Francisco, Monterray, Santa Cruz, etc. I have seen those fish aquariums made from old TV's. They are cool. If I wasnt terrible with fish, I would consider doing something similar. Unfortunately, even after working in a pet store for several years, I have never been able to manage to keep fish alive. heh.
AHHHHH...My blog site is still down. So...here goes another blog entry for me to cut and paste there later: http://url.rexroof.com/565 (news.yahoo.com/news? tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040314/ap_on_sc/undead_lobsters_2) I have always had a problem with eating lobster. My problem isnt that they dont taste good because...mmmmmm...they taste GOOD. My problem has always been that they remind me of giant cockroaches. Every time I sit down to eat one, I cant help thinking of it as a cockroach of the sea. ICK. When I was a child, my family went on vacation to Maine. We kept stopping for lobster and my parents would always order me a lobster and then when I refused to eat it, they would order me a hamburger instead. They and my siblings would split the lobster they ordered for me and they would laugh and say, "Ok...more for us!" (for some reason, they never said that about lima beans and broccoli which they always made me eat) I cant think of lobster without thinking of that trip to Maine. Funny how we carry things with us like that. One thing I have always heard about cockroaches is that if you freeze them, they will come back to life when they thaw out. I always thought there was something just a little gross about that. Now it turns out that lobsters also can be frozen and then thawed. ICK. They are just like giant cockroaches of the sea. ICK!
Beware the Ides of March! I have a friend who has a dog named 'Brutus' and I was just thinking that if I had a dog named 'Brutus', I would probably spend the whole day looking over at him and saying 'Et Tu, Brutus?" and then laughing a lot. So...I guess it is a good thing my dogs are named Brooke and Crissy ;)
resp:149 I hope that enough think as you do, honestly. Although I initially voted for Bush, I am not keen on him anymore. (I had not voted for Gore, you see.) resp:150 I know this does not help at all, but I thought I had heard they were all arthopods or something. *sigh* Well, I'm not sure what sort of mental conditioning you would need to get past your aversion, because yes, lobster good... especially rock lobster...
Grumble. My blog site is down. Blah, how annoying. Oh well. At least I have grex as a back up ;) I am sitting here awake hours before the rest of the household. Not surprising considering that I went to bed at 9:30p. I am sitting here looking out of the window at the dawn. It is just getting light and it is foggy. Shannon's guinea hens are making those cute noises that they make. It is oddly comforting. It is peaceful here at dawn. Sonoma county is probably my favorite part of California. It isnt very peaceful at dawn at my house. On the rare occasion when I wake up before 6a at home, the dogs get all excited because they see that as a sign of an early breakfast and then I have to go through the whole morning routine with them with is nice but isnt exactly peaceful.
Grex as a back up? What a concept!
Well, my blog site is down again http:\\lynne.tblog.com It is very frustrating but I am not quite ready to jump ship yet. Others are though. It sucks because every time they have downtime it takes a long time for my readers to come back. And I am an attention slut so having a lot of readers is important to me. But the writing is good for me too which is why I am happy to have grex as my back up even though not too many people stumble through this particular conference. :) There are some things I want to talk about not on my regular blog anyways. Not that they are private or anything...it is more that they are less public than other things. The private things go into my hand written offline journal. :) So, I met a guy when I was in California which was both really wonderful and something that is currently driving me crazy. I want to spend time hanging out with him but I cant because he is there and I am here. Oh well. I have to wonder if I even would have allowed myself to like him if he didnt live so far away. I have a real pattern of only liking unavailable guys. And being 2000+ miles away is pretty unavailable. I guess I will try not to worry about it too much. Whatever will be will be, right? All I know is that he took me sailing on a boat called "Sugar Magnolia" which is a boat name I used to fantasize about years ago. Now I have that song stuck in my head and I find myself humming it all the time. At least it is a good song.
http://lynne.tblog.com There are people in this world who are procrastinators. I was thinking about this today because I had to go to the bank to deposit my pay check. When I first got hired, they gave me all the forms for direct deposit. I love direct deposit. I think it is a pain to go to the bank every two weeks. But I set those forms aside and thought to myself, "I'll get around to that later" and I kept putting it off. And I kept putting it off. I thought about it today because as I was sitting at my desk writing out the deposit slip for the bank, I got an email about a special breakfast I have been invited to at work on Thursday. It is to celebrate my *fifth* anniversary with the company. I had to laugh. Geez, could I have put off the direct deposit thing any more? I caught myself thinking, "I really should fill out those forms...I'll do it later" as I walked out the door to go to the bank. *slaps forehead*
And a special haiku not appearing on my blog (at least not yet) An Audi Haiku by Lynne: That Lynne would hate me except volkswagen makes me lets drive by the sea
Sorry to see that this item ended.
no so much ended as moved ---- see http:\\slynne.com
I have you bookmarked.
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