Thank you thank you thank you NBC, J.D., Dr. Cox, Turk, Elliott, Janitor, y'all are doing a great service to your fans.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Thanks to Scrubs, I still laugh.
Thank you thank you thank you NBC, J.D., Dr. Cox, Turk, Elliott, Janitor, y'all are doing a great service to your fans.
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
People suck
I have been obsessing about global warming for years, mostly in my mind, and mostly by telling myself to take my mind off it, because I truly cannot do anything about it. But it is disconcerting to read Time's cover:
"BE WORRIED. BE VERY WORRIED. Climate change isn't some vague future problem--it's already damaging the planet at an alarming pace. Here's how it affects you, your kids and their kids as well."
When will people (legislators) get it in their thick heads that their lack of action is killing the Earth, a gift from God, filled with unique, amazing-looking, awe-inspiring, mechanically-perfect wildlife that has gone about their jolly old way until we cause them to suffer and die. How can people not just take one look at just one frog or butterfly and not be enchanted enough to do something.
Maybe I am just clinging to the world as I know it, maybe we as a human race need to progress into a world that doesn't give a care about freakin animals, and huge natural disasters that kill millions, and even less land to live on, and disturbing environments that haven't changed in 1000 years. People going around with their blinders on, doing what we need to do to get what we want. We are stupid enough for it.
So sometimes I just scream, Freaking global warming, and terrorists, and freaking nuclear weapons, gonna freaking kill us all, why don't people care about PEOPLE? Do people realize that it's not just ice caps and penguins and rain forests, we are talking about PEOPLE, our children, who will die, having breathed pollution, never having truly seen nature as we have, having to survive natural disasters, never seeing a white Christmas, never knowing the sky to be blue.
-----------
Two years ago I got into an argumentative discussion with someone I sat next to at work. I said gas should be more highly taxed in the US so people will stop wasting it, we can rely less on other countries for oil, global warming will be less severe, and the taxes can be put to environmental uses. He, a huge, white, shaved-head, deep-voiced Floridian thought I was being absurd, because it would cost too much for him to drive up to visit his mom, and overall travel would be too expensive, etc. OMG, idiot, why can't people in this country see travel as a privilege and not a right? Why can't they see everything we have, every one of our freedoms, as a privilege?
"BE WORRIED. BE VERY WORRIED. Climate change isn't some vague future problem--it's already damaging the planet at an alarming pace. Here's how it affects you, your kids and their kids as well."
When will people (legislators) get it in their thick heads that their lack of action is killing the Earth, a gift from God, filled with unique, amazing-looking, awe-inspiring, mechanically-perfect wildlife that has gone about their jolly old way until we cause them to suffer and die. How can people not just take one look at just one frog or butterfly and not be enchanted enough to do something.
Maybe I am just clinging to the world as I know it, maybe we as a human race need to progress into a world that doesn't give a care about freakin animals, and huge natural disasters that kill millions, and even less land to live on, and disturbing environments that haven't changed in 1000 years. People going around with their blinders on, doing what we need to do to get what we want. We are stupid enough for it.
So sometimes I just scream, Freaking global warming, and terrorists, and freaking nuclear weapons, gonna freaking kill us all, why don't people care about PEOPLE? Do people realize that it's not just ice caps and penguins and rain forests, we are talking about PEOPLE, our children, who will die, having breathed pollution, never having truly seen nature as we have, having to survive natural disasters, never seeing a white Christmas, never knowing the sky to be blue.
-----------
Two years ago I got into an argumentative discussion with someone I sat next to at work. I said gas should be more highly taxed in the US so people will stop wasting it, we can rely less on other countries for oil, global warming will be less severe, and the taxes can be put to environmental uses. He, a huge, white, shaved-head, deep-voiced Floridian thought I was being absurd, because it would cost too much for him to drive up to visit his mom, and overall travel would be too expensive, etc. OMG, idiot, why can't people in this country see travel as a privilege and not a right? Why can't they see everything we have, every one of our freedoms, as a privilege?
Friday, March 24, 2006
Control Freak, I am
Very tired around midnight last night, but of COURSE couldn't go to sleep because had to help my mom buy flowers for aunt in Hawaii, in addition to yesterday's saga of finding a good quote for my brother's yearbook's sponsorship page, and I'm actually also supposed to find my cousin a gift of around US$100 because she won the Sacramento-wide speech contest. I am the default appointee for all annoying things my mom won't do, can't do, or doesn't feel like doing.
So, was up for another hour trying to find the (grrrr) flowers that are located in Hawaii, so the shipping won't be crazy expensive and they'll probably get there in better shape if they just travel a few miles by truck. Wasn't very successful in finding those florists. Most had quite bad websites. Most had very unattractive selection. OH AND my mom requested that they be plants or foam arrangements, not in water in vases. What... so finally found a good looking website with a wide selection. Chose for a long time. Can't look too small or cheap, but since I am personally against buying expensive flowers, I didn't want anything too expensive. OK finally settle on an orchid plant that's of course exorbitantly priced, in my opinion, but ok fine whatever I NEED TO SLEEP. Check out, pay out of my own pocket, then confirmation page tells me it will be delivered on April 30, 2006. WHAT. At this point I cried for half a second. Normally would snap into damage-control mode, but there was literally not a thing I could do, so I had to wait 'til the next day noon before I can call Hawaii. Well, I still managed to call them (they were closed) and write them an email. But I really think the 4/30 date was just some kind of error. I better find out soon or I'll go crazy.
So, was up for another hour trying to find the (grrrr) flowers that are located in Hawaii, so the shipping won't be crazy expensive and they'll probably get there in better shape if they just travel a few miles by truck. Wasn't very successful in finding those florists. Most had quite bad websites. Most had very unattractive selection. OH AND my mom requested that they be plants or foam arrangements, not in water in vases. What... so finally found a good looking website with a wide selection. Chose for a long time. Can't look too small or cheap, but since I am personally against buying expensive flowers, I didn't want anything too expensive. OK finally settle on an orchid plant that's of course exorbitantly priced, in my opinion, but ok fine whatever I NEED TO SLEEP. Check out, pay out of my own pocket, then confirmation page tells me it will be delivered on April 30, 2006. WHAT. At this point I cried for half a second. Normally would snap into damage-control mode, but there was literally not a thing I could do, so I had to wait 'til the next day noon before I can call Hawaii. Well, I still managed to call them (they were closed) and write them an email. But I really think the 4/30 date was just some kind of error. I better find out soon or I'll go crazy.
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Troop 1500
Watching a documentary on PBS in a series called "Independent Lens," featuring works by independent filmmakers. This episode is called Troop 1500. It is so depressing. So there are these women in prison who have daughters on the outside. The girls belong to a girl scout troop formed to go to visit the moms so they can have a relationship and teach the girls not to continue the cycle of crime. It's sad, because you can tell how much the daughters and moms miss each other. But what really got me is one of the moms who was valedictorian and a nurse for 16 years, who euthanized one of her patients, and is sentenced to 50 years in prison, 25 years for parole. How can one even wake up in the morning, counting the days, just letting time pass you by.
They showed the girls going to a girl scout store where they have uniforms and badges. It so takes me back to one of the most nostalgic events of my life--Brownies. My most treasured possession, somewhere in a box in a storage room 7000 miles away, is my Brownies sash, gorgeously, perfectly adorned with badges. I was a pixie. Each group, the name of some spritely fairy-like creature, had a different badge, indistinguishable but magnificent. Where did all these badges come from? I never paid for them, as far as I knew. But I remember those Tuesday afternoons, passing the guard at Stanley fort who let unsuspicious Brownies through to go to the meetings in a gymnastics room. The sun was always setting, casting a melancholy, Norman Rockwell hue on the evening. How I miss making silly crafts and playing pointless games. The badges were easy to earn, just make cupcakes or take a swimming test or show your stamp collection or speak Chinese. Badges rule.
Sometimes our all-white-except-maybe-3-Chinese troop went to all-white girl-scout events that featured dancing and less-pointless games, like getting to know stranger British girl scouts from other troops in HK for a day. Where did all these ex-pats come from? Now I wonder. And the folksy dances, we learned them beforehand, but why and who decided? So many questions. Funny thing was, at these strange outdoor events featuring dancing and girl scout fun, one or two girls from each troop were actually appointed to enter some kind of pageant, and they got to dress super country girly with a floral circle thing on their head. I so wished everyone just wore those floral circle things in everyday life, the world would be a better place.
At midnight I am 25. I so don't want to grow up. The oblivion, the setting sun, the crafts, the songs, the troop leaders who are called "Owls" (wisdom, etc., get it?), the badges, the square knots, the British guard at the fort, the rituals, the skipping in a circle, the induction of new Brownies, the goodbye song to kick out overaged Brownies as they walk away on a bridge that is really an upturned bench, the brilliant conversion of a gymnastics room into a Brownie meeting area. Why can't our real lives be shaped like this, by creativity, attainable goals, celebrations, order, and innocence?
They showed the girls going to a girl scout store where they have uniforms and badges. It so takes me back to one of the most nostalgic events of my life--Brownies. My most treasured possession, somewhere in a box in a storage room 7000 miles away, is my Brownies sash, gorgeously, perfectly adorned with badges. I was a pixie. Each group, the name of some spritely fairy-like creature, had a different badge, indistinguishable but magnificent. Where did all these badges come from? I never paid for them, as far as I knew. But I remember those Tuesday afternoons, passing the guard at Stanley fort who let unsuspicious Brownies through to go to the meetings in a gymnastics room. The sun was always setting, casting a melancholy, Norman Rockwell hue on the evening. How I miss making silly crafts and playing pointless games. The badges were easy to earn, just make cupcakes or take a swimming test or show your stamp collection or speak Chinese. Badges rule.
Sometimes our all-white-except-maybe-3-Chinese troop went to all-white girl-scout events that featured dancing and less-pointless games, like getting to know stranger British girl scouts from other troops in HK for a day. Where did all these ex-pats come from? Now I wonder. And the folksy dances, we learned them beforehand, but why and who decided? So many questions. Funny thing was, at these strange outdoor events featuring dancing and girl scout fun, one or two girls from each troop were actually appointed to enter some kind of pageant, and they got to dress super country girly with a floral circle thing on their head. I so wished everyone just wore those floral circle things in everyday life, the world would be a better place.
At midnight I am 25. I so don't want to grow up. The oblivion, the setting sun, the crafts, the songs, the troop leaders who are called "Owls" (wisdom, etc., get it?), the badges, the square knots, the British guard at the fort, the rituals, the skipping in a circle, the induction of new Brownies, the goodbye song to kick out overaged Brownies as they walk away on a bridge that is really an upturned bench, the brilliant conversion of a gymnastics room into a Brownie meeting area. Why can't our real lives be shaped like this, by creativity, attainable goals, celebrations, order, and innocence?
Monday, March 20, 2006
What color is my parachute
Haven't been blogging lately because too busy and also don't want to think about various annoying things.
Today's NCAA basketball game on TV: Bradley vs. Pittsburgh:
Then went to Barnes and Noble and got a book called What Color is Your Parachute, about career decisions (see, I AM going through a crisis). I read a little of it last time and found it very interesting. I've pretty much decided I am going to leave my job. I got a large raise, and my boss is gonna offer me something crazy good to work there full-time, with a contingency that I will have to close my business. So I thought about it and decided it would be against all my principles to take the job, especially one that I hate, especially only for the money. I'm gonna look for a new part-time job to fill the gap while I try to grow my business so that it will be the only thing I have someday soon. Anyway, stood in line at the Starbucks (BN in-house) coffee kiosk for about 20 minutes with just 2 ppl in front of me before I got my coffee. How is it that some people can just take their time when the whole world's waiting for them?? Why do these people have jobs?
Which reminds me, remember how I complained about the guy at Kinko's? Well, I got a phone call from them, asking for my alias. I was caught off-guard so I just said there's no such person. BUT I am dying to know what he was gonna say now. I will devise a stratagem to find out (very Amelie/Veronica Mars of me). I'm guessing the guy got fired, seriously, because when I went last time he wasn't there.
Today's NCAA basketball game on TV: Bradley vs. Pittsburgh:
Then went to Barnes and Noble and got a book called What Color is Your Parachute, about career decisions (see, I AM going through a crisis). I read a little of it last time and found it very interesting. I've pretty much decided I am going to leave my job. I got a large raise, and my boss is gonna offer me something crazy good to work there full-time, with a contingency that I will have to close my business. So I thought about it and decided it would be against all my principles to take the job, especially one that I hate, especially only for the money. I'm gonna look for a new part-time job to fill the gap while I try to grow my business so that it will be the only thing I have someday soon. Anyway, stood in line at the Starbucks (BN in-house) coffee kiosk for about 20 minutes with just 2 ppl in front of me before I got my coffee. How is it that some people can just take their time when the whole world's waiting for them?? Why do these people have jobs?
Which reminds me, remember how I complained about the guy at Kinko's? Well, I got a phone call from them, asking for my alias. I was caught off-guard so I just said there's no such person. BUT I am dying to know what he was gonna say now. I will devise a stratagem to find out (very Amelie/Veronica Mars of me). I'm guessing the guy got fired, seriously, because when I went last time he wasn't there.
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Ew.
I tend to hate and am not proud of it. I wish I could be one of those people who is just happy and accepting, but I can't help it, I HATE:
No. 1. TERRORISTS
No. 2. IDIOTS who think they are smart
No. 3. Those who hate everything
No. 4. Racism
I WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND:
No. 1. A population that voted Bush Jr in again
No. 2. Certain hip hop/rap videos
OK SEE YA :)
No. 1. TERRORISTS
No. 2. IDIOTS who think they are smart
No. 3. Those who hate everything
No. 4. Racism
I WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND:
No. 1. A population that voted Bush Jr in again
No. 2. Certain hip hop/rap videos
OK SEE YA :)
Friday, March 10, 2006
I Heart Going to the Dentist
I had a very interesting and screwed up day at work today. I'm not gonna get into that. I had a dentist appointment right after work, which was the best destresser I could have had.
You have to experience my dental office to believe it. Dental Professionals of Evanston, that has 2 dentists, located in 1800 Sherman. OK first I walk in and there is a huge aquarium with tropical fish and the biggest hermit crabs you've ever seen. The receptionist, Daniela, is positively one of the prettiest people I know. I give her chocolate from Trader Joe's because she helped us file a claim with our health insurance that paid out the full amount $500 for my husband's bite guard. She went completely out of her way to file it, and she also went out of her way to change my appt, and insisted on it. She is one of the friendliest people I know. Being that friendly would exhaust me. She is very happy that I gave her chocolate.
Then the room with the chair. Outside the window, I swear, the most beautiful view of Evanston you will ever find. I just want to live there, inside the dentist's office. And there's a painting of a beachy scene right in front of the chair, which is strangely relaxing for its cheap hotel-room-painting quality.
Then I meet Jeff, my hygenist for the day. He asks me a hundred personal questions, which is one of those tactics to calm nervous patients. It works. Then some x-rays. He apologizes for the uncomfortable plastic things, which don't even bother me at all. Then comes the cleaning. Jeff has on these binocular glasses. It's all scrubbing and scraping, water and suction, repeat, repeat, repeat, amazing. Jeff says stains are his biggest pet peeve so he kept scrubbing and scraping and watering and suctioning the insides of my front teeth, because although it is inside, the teeth are transparent so the stains will show through. It was very relaxing just being able to LIE DOWN and not think and have someone fix me.
Then the dentist, Verena Phillips, comes in, definitely the prettiest dentist I've ever known, and she's super nice and inquisitive about my personal life, using the tactic. It works. I find out that my front teeth are the whitest possible on the whiteness scale, but my other teeth are straight-up yellow. Which is due to my use of OTC whitening things. She prods a little, then while I'm swishing floride, she says bye.
Then I pay, and Daniela is super bubbly and pretty and remembers I do origami, and I am super impressed, then I leave happy, as usual, because they are so great. I highly recommend that place to anyone living in Evanston. (After each visit to my dentist in Jacksonville, I had to go home to take a bath with aromatherapeutic oils.)
After I left, unfortunately, I was back to being stressed. I hate this.
You have to experience my dental office to believe it. Dental Professionals of Evanston, that has 2 dentists, located in 1800 Sherman. OK first I walk in and there is a huge aquarium with tropical fish and the biggest hermit crabs you've ever seen. The receptionist, Daniela, is positively one of the prettiest people I know. I give her chocolate from Trader Joe's because she helped us file a claim with our health insurance that paid out the full amount $500 for my husband's bite guard. She went completely out of her way to file it, and she also went out of her way to change my appt, and insisted on it. She is one of the friendliest people I know. Being that friendly would exhaust me. She is very happy that I gave her chocolate.
Then the room with the chair. Outside the window, I swear, the most beautiful view of Evanston you will ever find. I just want to live there, inside the dentist's office. And there's a painting of a beachy scene right in front of the chair, which is strangely relaxing for its cheap hotel-room-painting quality.
Then I meet Jeff, my hygenist for the day. He asks me a hundred personal questions, which is one of those tactics to calm nervous patients. It works. Then some x-rays. He apologizes for the uncomfortable plastic things, which don't even bother me at all. Then comes the cleaning. Jeff has on these binocular glasses. It's all scrubbing and scraping, water and suction, repeat, repeat, repeat, amazing. Jeff says stains are his biggest pet peeve so he kept scrubbing and scraping and watering and suctioning the insides of my front teeth, because although it is inside, the teeth are transparent so the stains will show through. It was very relaxing just being able to LIE DOWN and not think and have someone fix me.
Then the dentist, Verena Phillips, comes in, definitely the prettiest dentist I've ever known, and she's super nice and inquisitive about my personal life, using the tactic. It works. I find out that my front teeth are the whitest possible on the whiteness scale, but my other teeth are straight-up yellow. Which is due to my use of OTC whitening things. She prods a little, then while I'm swishing floride, she says bye.
Then I pay, and Daniela is super bubbly and pretty and remembers I do origami, and I am super impressed, then I leave happy, as usual, because they are so great. I highly recommend that place to anyone living in Evanston. (After each visit to my dentist in Jacksonville, I had to go home to take a bath with aromatherapeutic oils.)
After I left, unfortunately, I was back to being stressed. I hate this.
Friday, March 03, 2006
Addiction
I have an addiction to sugar. I literally cannot eat things I previously liked because they are not sweet. I can hardly even eat Pringles. And before bed every night now I eat half a Fuji apple, a Haagen-Daz bar, a Yoplait yogurt, and orange juice. I'm an addict!
Thursday, March 02, 2006
Freaking Out: Part 2
Argh! I just realized something. My google search term that drives the most sales is "buy origami." This is so messed up!!! Argh! Once Microsoft's Origami comes out, my "buy origami" search term will be useless! Seriously, if customers cannot find my website with search terms such as these when it comes out, I'll soon be saying "Microsoft drove me out of business." I have to start making sure word-of-mouth is alive and well.
I have just been able to confirm that this device is indeed called Origami. The marketing firm stupidly posted a video ad of it on their website (and pulled it) and it can be found here. The end of the ad clearly states its name, although the logo on the device is barely visible. Now I've lost all hope. No matter how much this device fails, it will still be sold all over the Internet.
I have just been able to confirm that this device is indeed called Origami. The marketing firm stupidly posted a video ad of it on their website (and pulled it) and it can be found here. The end of the ad clearly states its name, although the logo on the device is barely visible. Now I've lost all hope. No matter how much this device fails, it will still be sold all over the Internet.
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Freaking out: Microsoft's "Origami Project"
Microsoft just announced their very secretive, very mysterious "origami project," which is apparently some kind of handheld device called Origami that's gonna be just huge (think iPod huge). This could potentially be VERY bad for the world of real origami. The top search engine results are gonna be for this device and not real origami. Will ads for origami sky rocket because of competition from the ads for the device? Will it be a nightmare for me, who often uses the phrase "I sell origami"? "I sell origami, the paper ones."
OR, it could be great for the world of real origami, because people who don't know what oriagmi is will stumble across it when searching for their high-tech gadget.
Argh.
OR, it could be great for the world of real origami, because people who don't know what oriagmi is will stumble across it when searching for their high-tech gadget.
Argh.
Gilmore Girls (spoiler)
Another nice episode of Gilmore Girls tonight. Many interesting developments! Zero discussion about Luke and Lorelai, but Logan and Rory suddenly broke up, Doyle and Paris broke up, Rory and Paris got back together (so to speak), Lane and Zach get engaged, and we learn that Christopher has parenting issues.
Today's quotes--
Lane: I think pictures make me look too Asian.
Lorelai: [confused] Ming Na has the same problem.
Paris (to Rory): You can sleep on my bed if you want, I've been sleeping at the crafts table lately.
Today's quotes--
Lane: I think pictures make me look too Asian.
Lorelai: [confused] Ming Na has the same problem.
Paris (to Rory): You can sleep on my bed if you want, I've been sleeping at the crafts table lately.