Usually, I bring you a book review every Monday. Although I have several queued up, I've been so inspired by this video, that I had to share it with you.
And it's tied into Book Review Monday because it's by one of my favourite authors, Brad Meltzer.
This video has been tugging at my brain since I first saw it this weekend. In fact, I now have a little sticky in my cube at work that reads "he was a"
Enjoy. I hope you're as inspired as I was.
(Btw, TED = Technology Entertainment and Design; MIA = Meet Inspire Act)
Showing posts with label life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label life. Show all posts
10 October 2011
06 October 2011
The Most Interesting Day
My day started out perfectly normal. Then I went into the city for physiotherapy.
That's when I ran into the protesters gathered at City Hall. I had heard on the news that a protest would be happening, and Mr. Lee at the corner store (he sells me my lottery tickets every week) had asked me about it yesterday, but I didn't think I'd actually run into them. They were at City Hall and every time the light changed, some of them crossed 15th Street. Chants ranged from "This is what democracy looks like" to "Stop the war, fund the poor" to "We are the 99 percent." Signs included "I am not an ATM," (glad we cleared that up) "I have too many grievances to list in this space," "I am sick of this shit," "separate corporations and state," and "I can't afford a lobbyist."
While watching the protest, I began talking to a young man standing next to me also observing. Conversation was stilted because he speaks French and not much English. I, of course, speak English and not much French (although I was able to tell him in French that I speak only a little French, but me speaking in French lead to him speaking a lot of French to me. Seriously, dude - ONLY. A. LITTLE!). I also told him in Spanish that I speak a little Spanish, but he told me (in English) that he doesn't speak Spanish. I said, "I think we have an impasse," and he laughed.
He's from Nigeria. He's been travelling the world. He stopped first in Germany, then somewhere else, and now Philly. Today is Day 17 of being in Philly. I found out that in Nigeria, everyone can go to university free, but the quality is not good. He has no set plans, and would like to stay in the U.S. as long as possible, getting a job, working, etc.
Also, he's possibly the cutest guy I've seen in a very long time. And also way too young for me (he's 20).
After that, physiotherapy. I found out that the front desk woman who I adore is leaving at the end of the month to go study in Virginia. She wants a Master's degree in Chemistry. As if that's better than taking my co-pay twice a week! Hmph.
Next up, I planned to go home. But I passed by the Apple Store, where I saw a makeshift memorial. People had stuck Post-It notes to the floor-to-ceiling glass front window and had put flowers on the sidewalk in front of the store. I was curious about what some of the notes said, so I crossed the street to check it out. One of them was written in Arabic, one was written in Japanese. One was a drawing of Homer Simpson that read "Mmm, Apple." One said, "iMiss you"
As I stood there, I started getting emotional, thinking about what it takes to see a dream come to fruition, to be an innovator, to believe in oneself... you know, all that pie in the sky stuff. And especially to pursue that crap when facing one's own mortality. Apparently, my emotion was apparent (yeah, those of you who know me are SHOCKED by this - lol), because a newswoman from NBC10 asked if I wanted to say something on camera. I turned her down, but she asked again, and when I told her that I simply didn't know what to say, she said it's just nice to express what I'm feeling. I started out kind of dumb, but then she started actually interviewing me.
After that part was over, she and I got to talking. She's going to law school part-time where I went to law school. We discussed professors, classes, and what she's wanting to do with her law degree. It was a fun conversation.
From there, I intended to head home. But the protesters were still at City Hall. And it was a slightly different group. So I stood and watched for a few more minutes. This group had an upside down U.S. flag, the Gadsden flag, and one sign that read "Can you hear me, or do I need more money?"
After that, I FINALLY made it home.
That's when I ran into the protesters gathered at City Hall. I had heard on the news that a protest would be happening, and Mr. Lee at the corner store (he sells me my lottery tickets every week) had asked me about it yesterday, but I didn't think I'd actually run into them. They were at City Hall and every time the light changed, some of them crossed 15th Street. Chants ranged from "This is what democracy looks like" to "Stop the war, fund the poor" to "We are the 99 percent." Signs included "I am not an ATM," (glad we cleared that up) "I have too many grievances to list in this space," "I am sick of this shit," "separate corporations and state," and "I can't afford a lobbyist."
While watching the protest, I began talking to a young man standing next to me also observing. Conversation was stilted because he speaks French and not much English. I, of course, speak English and not much French (although I was able to tell him in French that I speak only a little French, but me speaking in French lead to him speaking a lot of French to me. Seriously, dude - ONLY. A. LITTLE!). I also told him in Spanish that I speak a little Spanish, but he told me (in English) that he doesn't speak Spanish. I said, "I think we have an impasse," and he laughed.
He's from Nigeria. He's been travelling the world. He stopped first in Germany, then somewhere else, and now Philly. Today is Day 17 of being in Philly. I found out that in Nigeria, everyone can go to university free, but the quality is not good. He has no set plans, and would like to stay in the U.S. as long as possible, getting a job, working, etc.
Also, he's possibly the cutest guy I've seen in a very long time. And also way too young for me (he's 20).
After that, physiotherapy. I found out that the front desk woman who I adore is leaving at the end of the month to go study in Virginia. She wants a Master's degree in Chemistry. As if that's better than taking my co-pay twice a week! Hmph.
Next up, I planned to go home. But I passed by the Apple Store, where I saw a makeshift memorial. People had stuck Post-It notes to the floor-to-ceiling glass front window and had put flowers on the sidewalk in front of the store. I was curious about what some of the notes said, so I crossed the street to check it out. One of them was written in Arabic, one was written in Japanese. One was a drawing of Homer Simpson that read "Mmm, Apple." One said, "iMiss you"
As I stood there, I started getting emotional, thinking about what it takes to see a dream come to fruition, to be an innovator, to believe in oneself... you know, all that pie in the sky stuff. And especially to pursue that crap when facing one's own mortality. Apparently, my emotion was apparent (yeah, those of you who know me are SHOCKED by this - lol), because a newswoman from NBC10 asked if I wanted to say something on camera. I turned her down, but she asked again, and when I told her that I simply didn't know what to say, she said it's just nice to express what I'm feeling. I started out kind of dumb, but then she started actually interviewing me.
After that part was over, she and I got to talking. She's going to law school part-time where I went to law school. We discussed professors, classes, and what she's wanting to do with her law degree. It was a fun conversation.
From there, I intended to head home. But the protesters were still at City Hall. And it was a slightly different group. So I stood and watched for a few more minutes. This group had an upside down U.S. flag, the Gadsden flag, and one sign that read "Can you hear me, or do I need more money?"
After that, I FINALLY made it home.
05 October 2011
General Update
Last night, I had a wicked nightmare. My therapist and I discussed things today, and we decided to try Ativan for awhile.
I've been working on knitting more. The project I'm working on now is on a deadline, which helps.
My acid reflux is worse than usual. I've gone through half a bottle of Mylanta in the past few days.
I have a headache that won't quit.
I'm loving the fall television season. There are several new shows I like, but (as per usual) two of them are already getting low ratings and EW is predicting they won't be on the air much longer.
Felix has taken to trying to sleep on my head at night. No, not on my pillow or by my head, but actually ON. MY. HEAD. There have been a few nights I've nearly locked him out of the bedroom. Fighting with a cat so I can sleep probably isn't conducive to that whole "general malaise and fatigue" thing I've got going on.
Work - it's work. I'd probably be enjoying it more if it wasn't for everything else going on in my life.
I've been working on knitting more. The project I'm working on now is on a deadline, which helps.
My acid reflux is worse than usual. I've gone through half a bottle of Mylanta in the past few days.
I have a headache that won't quit.
I'm loving the fall television season. There are several new shows I like, but (as per usual) two of them are already getting low ratings and EW is predicting they won't be on the air much longer.
Felix has taken to trying to sleep on my head at night. No, not on my pillow or by my head, but actually ON. MY. HEAD. There have been a few nights I've nearly locked him out of the bedroom. Fighting with a cat so I can sleep probably isn't conducive to that whole "general malaise and fatigue" thing I've got going on.
Work - it's work. I'd probably be enjoying it more if it wasn't for everything else going on in my life.
01 October 2011
Housework
I spent today doing housework, which should really do itself.
By the time noon rolled around, I had put in the fifth load of laundry, taken out one load of trash and two loads of recycling, and done a load of dishes. And I had forgotten to eat breakfast. Oops.
I keep meaning to try to fit in housework when I get home from work so I can have weekends free and clear, and I'm getting better at it, with the exception of laundry. I just need to get a schedule, which is difficult when I'm just exhausted all the time.
And I have a cat who seems to think he needs attention ALL. THE. TIME. when I get home. Weirdo.
By the time noon rolled around, I had put in the fifth load of laundry, taken out one load of trash and two loads of recycling, and done a load of dishes. And I had forgotten to eat breakfast. Oops.
I keep meaning to try to fit in housework when I get home from work so I can have weekends free and clear, and I'm getting better at it, with the exception of laundry. I just need to get a schedule, which is difficult when I'm just exhausted all the time.
And I have a cat who seems to think he needs attention ALL. THE. TIME. when I get home. Weirdo.
28 September 2011
Medical Update
I saw my most excellent doctor today. She suggested that my next step be a sleep study. At this point, she (and the rest of my medical team) have identified and fixed all of the obvious, known causes of fatigue (my thyroid, my Vitamin D deficiency), so it's on to finding new and more interesting things. There's still the possibility of this mystery thing that I keep alluding to (I've told a scant few of you about it in person), but she wants to rule out sleep disorders first, because she thinks the first question the specialist she wants me to see about the potential mystery cause will be whether I've had a sleep study done.
She said it's possible that fatigue COULD be stress-related (as the NP had suggested), but that this has been ongoing for so long, she thinks we're beyond that at this point. That's when I told her about Orin, which is when I started crying. I seem to do a lot of crying in her office lately.
She and I had a really wonderful talk. She told me that it's been her experience that people who are facing death don't change (I kind of figured that - that only happens in the movies) and that they often cling more rigidly to their behaviour. She said when she worked with cancer patients in the hospital (in rotations and such), she heard a lot of near-deathbed confessions and regrets, and she often wanted to shake the person and say, "Why are you telling ME this? Call your mother/ex-wife/ex-husband/daughter/son/brother/sister and tell THEM this! You just met me!" But since the person never got the tools to handle these things, they won't suddenly get them just because they're dying.
She also advised me to think about the fact that I don't want to live with regret - and not in the "you need to be nice to him because you'll regret it if you don't" kind of way, but her advice was more "his pain is going to end - the physical pain and the emotional pain. And it's going to end soon. But this cross will be yours to bear, so do what you need to do for yourself, not for him, because you'll regret it if you act for him."
We had a really good talk, and she made sure that I've been talking to my therapist and that my therapist is aware of everything that's going on. She asked me if I wanted some Xanax or Ativan, because she thought that it might be a good thing for me right now, but it's not something I'm ready for. While I can see that it might be helpful, at this point, it feels like admitting defeat - like I've somehow let life's pressures get to me or something.
She said it's possible that fatigue COULD be stress-related (as the NP had suggested), but that this has been ongoing for so long, she thinks we're beyond that at this point. That's when I told her about Orin, which is when I started crying. I seem to do a lot of crying in her office lately.
She and I had a really wonderful talk. She told me that it's been her experience that people who are facing death don't change (I kind of figured that - that only happens in the movies) and that they often cling more rigidly to their behaviour. She said when she worked with cancer patients in the hospital (in rotations and such), she heard a lot of near-deathbed confessions and regrets, and she often wanted to shake the person and say, "Why are you telling ME this? Call your mother/ex-wife/ex-husband/daughter/son/brother/sister and tell THEM this! You just met me!" But since the person never got the tools to handle these things, they won't suddenly get them just because they're dying.
She also advised me to think about the fact that I don't want to live with regret - and not in the "you need to be nice to him because you'll regret it if you don't" kind of way, but her advice was more "his pain is going to end - the physical pain and the emotional pain. And it's going to end soon. But this cross will be yours to bear, so do what you need to do for yourself, not for him, because you'll regret it if you act for him."
We had a really good talk, and she made sure that I've been talking to my therapist and that my therapist is aware of everything that's going on. She asked me if I wanted some Xanax or Ativan, because she thought that it might be a good thing for me right now, but it's not something I'm ready for. While I can see that it might be helpful, at this point, it feels like admitting defeat - like I've somehow let life's pressures get to me or something.
27 September 2011
In the past week
I found out that my father is dying, a friend of mine hurt my feelings by calling me petty, I found that good friends of mine are moving across the country, and the first question my new physiotherapist asked me was whether my doctor has discussed surgical options with me.
There are only a few days left to September, and I'm rather thankful for that.
There are only a few days left to September, and I'm rather thankful for that.
25 September 2011
Tired
I have things to do.
My mom needs me to write a short note for a thing she's putting together for my Grandma's 90th birthday luncheon. I'm happy to do this, but I'm just mentally and emotionally exhausted.
A friend of mine has a huge job interview coming up, and I've been doing all I can to try to prep her for it. I hope it works out.
I still have medical issues going on, and it's exhausting me.
Also, this weekend was heart-attack inducing sports-wise. Don't these people know I need a little less excitement in my life right now????
My mom needs me to write a short note for a thing she's putting together for my Grandma's 90th birthday luncheon. I'm happy to do this, but I'm just mentally and emotionally exhausted.
A friend of mine has a huge job interview coming up, and I've been doing all I can to try to prep her for it. I hope it works out.
I still have medical issues going on, and it's exhausting me.
Also, this weekend was heart-attack inducing sports-wise. Don't these people know I need a little less excitement in my life right now????
24 September 2011
The Decision (Sorry LeBron)
I've decided to send Orin a card letting him know that I know about his situation, I'm sorry to hear about it, he's in my prayers, and that if he wants to talk, he has my phone number.
I'm hoping to accomplish a few things this way: he'll figure out that it was never my intention to cut him out of my life (which I never said anyway), so it's fine for him to call me; it puts the ball in his court, and if he wants to talk, he still has to find his balls and pick up the phone and call me (rather than keep putting other people in the middle); it will let him know that I care about what he's going through; and it will give him a chance to think about what he wants to say before he calls (I hope), rather than him merely reacting when he hears my voice on the phone if I were to call him, which could lead to who knows what.
I'm hoping to accomplish a few things this way: he'll figure out that it was never my intention to cut him out of my life (which I never said anyway), so it's fine for him to call me; it puts the ball in his court, and if he wants to talk, he still has to find his balls and pick up the phone and call me (rather than keep putting other people in the middle); it will let him know that I care about what he's going through; and it will give him a chance to think about what he wants to say before he calls (I hope), rather than him merely reacting when he hears my voice on the phone if I were to call him, which could lead to who knows what.
22 September 2011
My Big News: Orin
On Tuesday, after the debacle with PGW ended, I was talking to my mom. Somewhere in the middle, she tells me that she needs my father's phone number. For those of you not in the know, she and my father divorced when I was two (that's well over 30 years ago). It was NOT an amicable split, and things have happened since that validated my mom's decision to leave him.
So, this was rather odd. I asked her if I was allowed to ask why she need it. She said I was. Apparently, Orin had called and left a message with her husband Dale. He said he has cancer and wanted to talk to her. Dale asked Orin for his number, and Orin told Dale that Mom could get it from me. So Mom and I really think that this is really just Orin's way of letting me know what's going on; he doesn't ACTUALLY want to talk to Mom (or he does, but just to ask her to tell me).
I'll cut to the chase here - through a series of events, I have found out that Orin has cancer of the lungs, which has metastasised to his brain. I still haven't spoken to Orin, so that's really all I know, except that when he spoke to one of his oldest friends Denny (who is the brother of my mom's best friend Juliah), Orin was apparently crying so hard he couldn't speak.
Now, those of you who don't know me well or who haven't known me long might be asking why Orin and I aren't communicating directly. Well, we've been through several periods of estrangement, and this is the latest. Two years ago, I asked him to stop sending me racist emails because I got tired of it. He continued. I thought "maybe he doesn't understand what's racist and what isn't." So I simplified the directive and asked him to limit his email communication to only personal correspondence, such as talking about each other's lives, what the family is doing, what's going on, etc. But he continued to send hateful things. I told him if he sent anything else, I would change my email address. When he sent something else, I reminded him of my earlier message (telling him that I would change my email address and he would no longer be able to contact me via email), and his reply was "I have a delete button - don't you?" which told me that he didn't care at all about my feelings about the issues (let alone about the larger issue that he's sending racist emails to his daughter who happens to a minority member).
Since then, I've never heard from him. Bear in mind that I haven't moved and my phone number remains the same. At no time did I say that I wanted him out of my life completely. I only wanted to stop receiving racist bullshit from him. He's the one who didn't call me the next month at Thanksgiving, the month after that at Christmas, or the month after that on my birthday. But now he's telling Juliah that she or Mom need to let me know that he's sick because I cut him out of my life. I don't respect the way he's trying to put people in the middle of our crap, for one thing. I feel like he needs to stop being a coward, man-up, and pick up and phone.
He's proven (not just by these recent incidents, but throughout his entire life) that he's selfish, he's abusive, and he's incapable of processing how others feel about a given situation. I've also come to realise (as an adult) that part of this is due to his alcoholism. So I'm stressed and confused because while I DO care about him and what he's going through, I also NEED to maintain some healthy boundaries to protect myself. How do I do this while showing some compassion for his situation? How can I handle this situation as a good Christian, but not blindly be pulled back into drama-land?
So, this was rather odd. I asked her if I was allowed to ask why she need it. She said I was. Apparently, Orin had called and left a message with her husband Dale. He said he has cancer and wanted to talk to her. Dale asked Orin for his number, and Orin told Dale that Mom could get it from me. So Mom and I really think that this is really just Orin's way of letting me know what's going on; he doesn't ACTUALLY want to talk to Mom (or he does, but just to ask her to tell me).
I'll cut to the chase here - through a series of events, I have found out that Orin has cancer of the lungs, which has metastasised to his brain. I still haven't spoken to Orin, so that's really all I know, except that when he spoke to one of his oldest friends Denny (who is the brother of my mom's best friend Juliah), Orin was apparently crying so hard he couldn't speak.
Now, those of you who don't know me well or who haven't known me long might be asking why Orin and I aren't communicating directly. Well, we've been through several periods of estrangement, and this is the latest. Two years ago, I asked him to stop sending me racist emails because I got tired of it. He continued. I thought "maybe he doesn't understand what's racist and what isn't." So I simplified the directive and asked him to limit his email communication to only personal correspondence, such as talking about each other's lives, what the family is doing, what's going on, etc. But he continued to send hateful things. I told him if he sent anything else, I would change my email address. When he sent something else, I reminded him of my earlier message (telling him that I would change my email address and he would no longer be able to contact me via email), and his reply was "I have a delete button - don't you?" which told me that he didn't care at all about my feelings about the issues (let alone about the larger issue that he's sending racist emails to his daughter who happens to a minority member).
Since then, I've never heard from him. Bear in mind that I haven't moved and my phone number remains the same. At no time did I say that I wanted him out of my life completely. I only wanted to stop receiving racist bullshit from him. He's the one who didn't call me the next month at Thanksgiving, the month after that at Christmas, or the month after that on my birthday. But now he's telling Juliah that she or Mom need to let me know that he's sick because I cut him out of my life. I don't respect the way he's trying to put people in the middle of our crap, for one thing. I feel like he needs to stop being a coward, man-up, and pick up and phone.
He's proven (not just by these recent incidents, but throughout his entire life) that he's selfish, he's abusive, and he's incapable of processing how others feel about a given situation. I've also come to realise (as an adult) that part of this is due to his alcoholism. So I'm stressed and confused because while I DO care about him and what he's going through, I also NEED to maintain some healthy boundaries to protect myself. How do I do this while showing some compassion for his situation? How can I handle this situation as a good Christian, but not blindly be pulled back into drama-land?
21 September 2011
A hell of a day
Last night was a hell of a day. It started out fine.
The middle was me getting accused of knowingly stealing gas from Philadelphia Gas Works for the past three works.
And the end... well, more on that later. And, I'll apologise in advance, because you'll probably be hearing a LOT about it in the coming weeks/months.
The middle was me getting accused of knowingly stealing gas from Philadelphia Gas Works for the past three works.
And the end... well, more on that later. And, I'll apologise in advance, because you'll probably be hearing a LOT about it in the coming weeks/months.
10 September 2011
Where Have Manners Gone?
Today, I went to TJ's to get the rest of what I needed to make chicken quesadillas (thank you, Ria) and chicken tacos (Mom's idea). Although I've never had chicken tacos and Mom was too busy going "You've NEVER had a chicken taco? EVER?????? As many tacos as you've eaten, none of them have been a chicken taco???? You eat TEN AT A TIME!!!!!!!" to be helpful as to what to get, so I had to wing it. She's helpful.
On the way back, as the trolley rolled up, I noticed that there were some standees in the aisle, and I thought, "Ah well. My bag is kind of heavy, but I'll deal." But as I got on, someone who had been sitting in the second row got up and exited. I thought, "Sweet! My lucky day! I can sit there!" And JUST as I was about to claim the seat as mine, some little twerp (I'm bad with kids' ages, but he was definitely no more than ten years old) jumped off his mom's lap (I'm assuming it was his mom) and slid into the the seat. I sighed loudly and rolled my eyes. I took my place down the aisle (courtesy dictates that you walk down the aisle as far as you can so that other people can get on, although not everyone does this, so the trolley driver ends up telling everyone "Move back so people can get on, please!") and glared at the back of the mom's head. That's when I noticed - wait, she has another kid beside her. And wait! There's another kid across the aisle! There are all of these people standing and she has three kids spread across the trolley taking up seats!
There's no way in hell my mom would have let me sit down when I was a kid when grown-ups wanted seats. I don't blame the kids; it's the parent's job to teach them this level of courtesy and respect. So I continued to give my best death glare to the back of the mom's head.
At the next stop, an older gentleman got on carrying an obviously heavy bag. He got on, looked at the kids, sighed, and took his place on the standee line two spots from me. We made eye contact, I looked at the kids, the mom, rolled my eyes, and shrugged my shoulders. He kind of gave me a rueful smile and shrugged back. And then I continued my death glare. (If you're familiar with my Looks, you know the death glare is not to be messed with! lol)
When we got to the 40th Street Portal, a lot of people exited the trolley, and a two-seat row by where the man was standing emptied. He sat his bag on one seat and sat on the other. He motioned to me and yelled back, "You sit here?" I asked him if he would be sitting, just to make sure that he would also be sitting - not just saving a seat for me. He said yes, so I made my way up and sat by him. I told him, "I'm sorry you had to stand while those kids had seats. It's embarrassing." He asked me where I'm from, and I told him, and I found out he's from Mozambique. Then it was time for me to get off the trolley.
But - really. I can't imagine raising my (thus far non-existent) child(ren) in such a way that they would feel entitled to a seat while someone (1) older and (2) carrying something had to stand in the aisle. That's just incredible to me.
On the way back, as the trolley rolled up, I noticed that there were some standees in the aisle, and I thought, "Ah well. My bag is kind of heavy, but I'll deal." But as I got on, someone who had been sitting in the second row got up and exited. I thought, "Sweet! My lucky day! I can sit there!" And JUST as I was about to claim the seat as mine, some little twerp (I'm bad with kids' ages, but he was definitely no more than ten years old) jumped off his mom's lap (I'm assuming it was his mom) and slid into the the seat. I sighed loudly and rolled my eyes. I took my place down the aisle (courtesy dictates that you walk down the aisle as far as you can so that other people can get on, although not everyone does this, so the trolley driver ends up telling everyone "Move back so people can get on, please!") and glared at the back of the mom's head. That's when I noticed - wait, she has another kid beside her. And wait! There's another kid across the aisle! There are all of these people standing and she has three kids spread across the trolley taking up seats!
There's no way in hell my mom would have let me sit down when I was a kid when grown-ups wanted seats. I don't blame the kids; it's the parent's job to teach them this level of courtesy and respect. So I continued to give my best death glare to the back of the mom's head.
At the next stop, an older gentleman got on carrying an obviously heavy bag. He got on, looked at the kids, sighed, and took his place on the standee line two spots from me. We made eye contact, I looked at the kids, the mom, rolled my eyes, and shrugged my shoulders. He kind of gave me a rueful smile and shrugged back. And then I continued my death glare. (If you're familiar with my Looks, you know the death glare is not to be messed with! lol)
When we got to the 40th Street Portal, a lot of people exited the trolley, and a two-seat row by where the man was standing emptied. He sat his bag on one seat and sat on the other. He motioned to me and yelled back, "You sit here?" I asked him if he would be sitting, just to make sure that he would also be sitting - not just saving a seat for me. He said yes, so I made my way up and sat by him. I told him, "I'm sorry you had to stand while those kids had seats. It's embarrassing." He asked me where I'm from, and I told him, and I found out he's from Mozambique. Then it was time for me to get off the trolley.
But - really. I can't imagine raising my (thus far non-existent) child(ren) in such a way that they would feel entitled to a seat while someone (1) older and (2) carrying something had to stand in the aisle. That's just incredible to me.
07 September 2011
Whew! Gettin' It Together
I woke up this morning and made chicken salad. I managed to wear an outfit that didn't look ridiculous. My outfit yesterday looked fine theoretically, but when I put it on, the pants were a bit too bit (despite the fact that I had them taken in back in July!) and the sleeveless top that I was wearing under the yellow shrug made me look fat (in my opinion - no one else thought so - or at least was tactless enough to say so to my face). And then with the white top being a tiny bit snug, and the pants being too loose, the whole waistband area was just ... bad.
Then, my lunch yesterday was awful. Since I hadn't had time yet to make any of the stuff that I had planned, I threw two chicken legs and a few of the larger chunks of chicken in a container and called it "lunch." Yum.
But today, I woke up and managed to make chicken salad before work. And I wore an outfit that didn't make me uncomfortable all day. Go me!
Then, my lunch yesterday was awful. Since I hadn't had time yet to make any of the stuff that I had planned, I threw two chicken legs and a few of the larger chunks of chicken in a container and called it "lunch." Yum.
But today, I woke up and managed to make chicken salad before work. And I wore an outfit that didn't make me uncomfortable all day. Go me!
03 September 2011
A fun day
Today I ran some errands in the city. I needed to get some prescriptions refilled after I (get ready from all caps) PRINTED OUT MY TEMPORARY HEALTH INSURANCE CARD (yes, that's right, folks! I am now insured again!), get some office supplies (the company supplies things, but I'm really picky about which pens and pencils I use), and Victoria's Secret was having a sale on underwears (I have no idea when I decided it was fun to pluralise that word, but I did and it stuck. I even have Mom using it now).
I texted Ria's daughter Angie, and we decided to meet for lunch at Ruby Tuesday, which is tucked in the same building as Victoria's Secret. At VS, I scored seven underwears for the price of 5, which brings me ridiculously close to having 175 pairs of underwears. Now, let's pause for a second while we consider which is MORE ridiculous - the fact that I have much underwears or the fact that I know many I have.
From there, I hit Staples to buy my favourite pens (the Staples brand of roller ink pens), my favourite pencils (Bic mechanicals in 0.5 mm), the long clickable erasers, and some self-adhesive envelopes. After that, we hit CVS so I could get my meds, knee highs, and a lint roller(most of my clothes are black, brown, and grey, and I live with a white and grey cat).
I came home, did some laundry, and laid out my clothes for the week. Although I just realised that I laid out five days' worth of clothes and I only work four days this week. Oh well, I guess I'll just be really prepared for the week after.
I texted Ria's daughter Angie, and we decided to meet for lunch at Ruby Tuesday, which is tucked in the same building as Victoria's Secret. At VS, I scored seven underwears for the price of 5, which brings me ridiculously close to having 175 pairs of underwears. Now, let's pause for a second while we consider which is MORE ridiculous - the fact that I have much underwears or the fact that I know many I have.
From there, I hit Staples to buy my favourite pens (the Staples brand of roller ink pens), my favourite pencils (Bic mechanicals in 0.5 mm), the long clickable erasers, and some self-adhesive envelopes. After that, we hit CVS so I could get my meds, knee highs, and a lint roller(most of my clothes are black, brown, and grey, and I live with a white and grey cat).
I came home, did some laundry, and laid out my clothes for the week. Although I just realised that I laid out five days' worth of clothes and I only work four days this week. Oh well, I guess I'll just be really prepared for the week after.
27 August 2011
Preparing for Irene
On Thursday, after watching The Weather Channel for several hours and then watching a presser that our mayor had, I decided to head out to Trader Joe's for some basic supplies. I wanted some non-perishables just in case power went out for several days, and since I have a gas range, I wanted some things I could feasibly open and cook without needing to do anything else.
Yesterday, my friend Sue called and asked if I needed a ride to the store for stuff, which I thought was extremely kind and considerate. Since my trip to TJ's had been via trolley, I was happy to take her up on her offer. On the trolley, I can only carry so much -- both in volume and weight. But going via car, I could get as much as my wallet will allow.
So we set off. The difference in number of people and stock was day and night! There was no water left (except sparkling), fresh produce was going like hotcakes (which was not going at all), and the check-out lines were backed up to the end of the store. It was nearly impossible to shop because of the people standing in line.
One woman got exasperated at Sue when Sue left her cart in the middle of the aisle to get some cream cheese, but I'm not sure where she expected Sue to put the basket since the sides of the aisle were already taken up by people standing in line. I pointed this out (in my "are you a complete dumbass?" voice) to her, but she just rolled her eyes at me.
Now, if this were a NORMAL day, I would agree with her -- there's no reason to leave a cart in the middle of an aisle. But, really - let's think about this. If Sue had rolled her basket to the end of the aisle, and gone back to get the cream cheese, I'm convinced that not everything she had left in the basket would have still been there when she got back to it (again, on a normal day - sure, everything would have been safe. But yesterday, everything was a valuable commodity.).
Eventually, we got home in one piece. I spent the rest of the day rinsing out and filling my numerous water bottles, filling my bathtub so I would be able to flush my toilet, charging my phone and laptop, and making sure my tornado bag was ready (I guess now it's a "hurricane bag," but growing up in Tornado Alley, I always call it a "tornado bag".)
Earlier today, I rearranged a few things in my basement and brought Felix's cat carrier upstairs just in case I need to corral him in a safe space.
The difference between tornado prep and hurricane prep actually isn't THAT much (this is my third hurricane, by the way). I think it's just psychologically more taxing because you hear about the hurricane SOOOOO much more as it approaches. With a tornado, it comes, it's over, and you move on.
Yesterday, my friend Sue called and asked if I needed a ride to the store for stuff, which I thought was extremely kind and considerate. Since my trip to TJ's had been via trolley, I was happy to take her up on her offer. On the trolley, I can only carry so much -- both in volume and weight. But going via car, I could get as much as my wallet will allow.
So we set off. The difference in number of people and stock was day and night! There was no water left (except sparkling), fresh produce was going like hotcakes (which was not going at all), and the check-out lines were backed up to the end of the store. It was nearly impossible to shop because of the people standing in line.
One woman got exasperated at Sue when Sue left her cart in the middle of the aisle to get some cream cheese, but I'm not sure where she expected Sue to put the basket since the sides of the aisle were already taken up by people standing in line. I pointed this out (in my "are you a complete dumbass?" voice) to her, but she just rolled her eyes at me.
Now, if this were a NORMAL day, I would agree with her -- there's no reason to leave a cart in the middle of an aisle. But, really - let's think about this. If Sue had rolled her basket to the end of the aisle, and gone back to get the cream cheese, I'm convinced that not everything she had left in the basket would have still been there when she got back to it (again, on a normal day - sure, everything would have been safe. But yesterday, everything was a valuable commodity.).
Eventually, we got home in one piece. I spent the rest of the day rinsing out and filling my numerous water bottles, filling my bathtub so I would be able to flush my toilet, charging my phone and laptop, and making sure my tornado bag was ready (I guess now it's a "hurricane bag," but growing up in Tornado Alley, I always call it a "tornado bag".)
Earlier today, I rearranged a few things in my basement and brought Felix's cat carrier upstairs just in case I need to corral him in a safe space.
The difference between tornado prep and hurricane prep actually isn't THAT much (this is my third hurricane, by the way). I think it's just psychologically more taxing because you hear about the hurricane SOOOOO much more as it approaches. With a tornado, it comes, it's over, and you move on.
24 August 2011
My Earthquake Experiences
As many of you know, the East Coast experienced an earthquake yesterday (or, as one reporter stated yesterday, we "saw" an earthquake, which still boggles my mind).
This was actually my second earthquake. When I was about 12, I was in an earthquake in San Francisco when I was visiting Orin. He was at work, and I was playing a computer game called Zak McCracken. l loved that game, but it did have a problem. Every once in awhile, Zak would get stuck and he'd just be walking into a wall over and over. And you'd just have to restart the computer. Back in those days, you'd do this by pushing the big, red "RESET" button on the CPU. So I did that.
Just as I did that, the building started shaking, I heard a rumbling, car alarms outside started going off, and I thought, "Holy crap! I just wanted to start Zak over!" A few seconds later, the phone rang. It was Orin. "You okay, kid?"
Wait - what? He's all the way at work and he ALREADY KNOWS what I did??????
"Yeah..? I'm okay."
"Congratulations. You've lived through your first earthquake."
"Heh. Ohhhhhhh."
And then I told him I thought I had caused it all.
Yesterday, Ria was getting ready to leave. We were sitting on the couch when the rumbling noise started and the building began to shake. The noise and the shaking steadily got louder/noticeably more... uh, shaky, and I looked at Ria and said, "Are we having an EARTHQUAKE?"
There are some construction workers on my block, working on the top dome of the church. I heard one of them shout, just as the dog next door began barking like crazy, and Felix scampered off of his window ledge and started doing that half-crawling/half-walking thing cats do when they're frightened. Poor guy. (Although he recovered quite quickly when I crunched his treat bag.)
I heard that the 'quake was felt from NC to Canada and as far west as western Ohio. Any good stories?
This was actually my second earthquake. When I was about 12, I was in an earthquake in San Francisco when I was visiting Orin. He was at work, and I was playing a computer game called Zak McCracken. l loved that game, but it did have a problem. Every once in awhile, Zak would get stuck and he'd just be walking into a wall over and over. And you'd just have to restart the computer. Back in those days, you'd do this by pushing the big, red "RESET" button on the CPU. So I did that.
Just as I did that, the building started shaking, I heard a rumbling, car alarms outside started going off, and I thought, "Holy crap! I just wanted to start Zak over!" A few seconds later, the phone rang. It was Orin. "You okay, kid?"
Wait - what? He's all the way at work and he ALREADY KNOWS what I did??????
"Yeah..? I'm okay."
"Congratulations. You've lived through your first earthquake."
"Heh. Ohhhhhhh."
And then I told him I thought I had caused it all.
Yesterday, Ria was getting ready to leave. We were sitting on the couch when the rumbling noise started and the building began to shake. The noise and the shaking steadily got louder/noticeably more... uh, shaky, and I looked at Ria and said, "Are we having an EARTHQUAKE?"
There are some construction workers on my block, working on the top dome of the church. I heard one of them shout, just as the dog next door began barking like crazy, and Felix scampered off of his window ledge and started doing that half-crawling/half-walking thing cats do when they're frightened. Poor guy. (Although he recovered quite quickly when I crunched his treat bag.)
I heard that the 'quake was felt from NC to Canada and as far west as western Ohio. Any good stories?
07 August 2011
This Week
So far this week, I have lunch scheduled with two friends - both are people I haven't seen in awhile. One I haven't seen in several months, and the other I literally haven't seen in years, although we have kept in touch. It's a little ridiculous that we haven't seen each other since she works in the city, but she travels a lot for her job and when I worked, I worked on the opposite side of the city. When I didn't work, I didn't really have the extra money to be travelling to the city just for a lunch that I couldn't necessarily afford.
But I do want to see her this week since she served as a job reference and helped me network and all that good stuff. Also, I'm going to be inviting her to my "Yay - I Got a Job!" celebratory supper, but her daughter is getting married in two weeks (a large wedding with a LOT of out-of-towners coming in), so it seemed like getting together for lunch was a safer way to go.
I have an appointment on Wednesday.
And an out-of-town friend will be in town this weekend. Her daughter has a Girls Rock Philly concert on Saturday. I was invited to it, and while I'd love to support Iris, I didn't want that to be our "catching up" time. I'd much rather have time alone to ACTUALLY be able to talk since I haven't seen Kristi since she moved to South Carolina. Again, she and I have kept in touch, but much of that has been about her book, my job search, and other blah stuff. I really want to actually TALK to her.
Finally, plans for this week are a little difficult because I may or may not be working at the part-time job I mentioned last week. It's increasingly looking like I won't be, but I'm trying not to book up too much since I hate breaking commitments. So pretty much every plan that I make is with the caveat that the plan is tentative unless it's an evening plan. Blech.
But I do want to see her this week since she served as a job reference and helped me network and all that good stuff. Also, I'm going to be inviting her to my "Yay - I Got a Job!" celebratory supper, but her daughter is getting married in two weeks (a large wedding with a LOT of out-of-towners coming in), so it seemed like getting together for lunch was a safer way to go.
I have an appointment on Wednesday.
And an out-of-town friend will be in town this weekend. Her daughter has a Girls Rock Philly concert on Saturday. I was invited to it, and while I'd love to support Iris, I didn't want that to be our "catching up" time. I'd much rather have time alone to ACTUALLY be able to talk since I haven't seen Kristi since she moved to South Carolina. Again, she and I have kept in touch, but much of that has been about her book, my job search, and other blah stuff. I really want to actually TALK to her.
Finally, plans for this week are a little difficult because I may or may not be working at the part-time job I mentioned last week. It's increasingly looking like I won't be, but I'm trying not to book up too much since I hate breaking commitments. So pretty much every plan that I make is with the caveat that the plan is tentative unless it's an evening plan. Blech.
02 August 2011
My Lazy Day
I had an unintentionally lazy day today.
Last night, my window AC unit suddenly decided that it wanted to tilt in. I won't bore you with the details, but I know what went wrong. The building maintenance guy is great, and every once in awhile when I need something personal done, I'll call him and pay him to put shelves up or something. So I called him this morning.
Me: Hey, will you in my neighbourhood sometime today?
Him: Why?
Me: Why you gotta sound all suspicious?
Him: Why?
Me: You know, maybe I baked you cake!
Him: Uh-huh. What do you need done?
Me: Well, see... it's like this...
He told me if I hadn't heard from him by noon, to give him a call. Thankfully, today was one of those days where it was MUCH cooler outside than it was inside, especially with the nice, cool breeze, so I sat on my porch with a bottle of water and read a book. And I texted him around 12:45 p.m. to remind him. Then I called him around 2:00 p.m. He said he was caught up on a job, but he'd be there in about 45 minutes. And he got there around 3:30 p.m., just as I finished my book.
He installed my unit permanently, drilled that sucker into the window, caulked it up, etc. I have air again! Yay! And he said he'll probably be back this Friday or Saturday with my new toilet. Exciting!
Last night, my window AC unit suddenly decided that it wanted to tilt in. I won't bore you with the details, but I know what went wrong. The building maintenance guy is great, and every once in awhile when I need something personal done, I'll call him and pay him to put shelves up or something. So I called him this morning.
Me: Hey, will you in my neighbourhood sometime today?
Him: Why?
Me: Why you gotta sound all suspicious?
Him: Why?
Me: You know, maybe I baked you cake!
Him: Uh-huh. What do you need done?
Me: Well, see... it's like this...
He told me if I hadn't heard from him by noon, to give him a call. Thankfully, today was one of those days where it was MUCH cooler outside than it was inside, especially with the nice, cool breeze, so I sat on my porch with a bottle of water and read a book. And I texted him around 12:45 p.m. to remind him. Then I called him around 2:00 p.m. He said he was caught up on a job, but he'd be there in about 45 minutes. And he got there around 3:30 p.m., just as I finished my book.
He installed my unit permanently, drilled that sucker into the window, caulked it up, etc. I have air again! Yay! And he said he'll probably be back this Friday or Saturday with my new toilet. Exciting!
26 July 2011
Life Update
I have ten weeks of unemployment left, so I'm not QUITE at the point where I need to start panicking and packing yet, but it's getting uncomfortable.
On the other hand, there are some things going that generally lead me to believe that maybe things are turning around and things MIGHT (just maybe possibly might) be okay. Or at least okay enough to keep me in Philly long enough for me to figure out a better situation.
Some of you may have read on Twitter that my mom hit the ER this past weekend. She's doing well now. Her rheumatologist had decreased her steroids (as a normal course of treatment from her whole thing a couple of months ago), but the decrease was apparently too much and she woke up Saturday with a headache as bad as the one that initially sent her to hospital back then. Then managed her pain, gave her some stuff to manage her pain at home, increased her meds to where they were, and sent her back home.
My grandma had ALSO just been discharged from hospital (yes, the same one - my family, keeping Centerpointe in business!) earlier in the week, but she's doing fine, as well. I'm less clear what that was about, because getting clear details from that house is like... well, let's just say it's difficult.
And that random medical bizarreness I'm having? It's still happening and it's still difficult.
That's it! You're updated now.
On the other hand, there are some things going that generally lead me to believe that maybe things are turning around and things MIGHT (just maybe possibly might) be okay. Or at least okay enough to keep me in Philly long enough for me to figure out a better situation.
Some of you may have read on Twitter that my mom hit the ER this past weekend. She's doing well now. Her rheumatologist had decreased her steroids (as a normal course of treatment from her whole thing a couple of months ago), but the decrease was apparently too much and she woke up Saturday with a headache as bad as the one that initially sent her to hospital back then. Then managed her pain, gave her some stuff to manage her pain at home, increased her meds to where they were, and sent her back home.
My grandma had ALSO just been discharged from hospital (yes, the same one - my family, keeping Centerpointe in business!) earlier in the week, but she's doing fine, as well. I'm less clear what that was about, because getting clear details from that house is like... well, let's just say it's difficult.
And that random medical bizarreness I'm having? It's still happening and it's still difficult.
That's it! You're updated now.
12 July 2011
Well, THAT was unexpected
I had a whole blog post planned for today, but...
Today ended up being much more interesting than I thought it would be.
That is all.
Today ended up being much more interesting than I thought it would be.
That is all.
09 July 2011
Housework
This week, I've been tackling a bunch of housework. There's no particular reason -- it all started around Tuesday and it's just been continuing. It started with the kitchen. And I mean a really good scrub down. Even the trash can got scrubbed out.
I went and got $20 worth of quarters, and I'm trying to get every piece of dirty laundry in my place cleaned. This is a process because there are a LOT of things that I don't dry, which means that I'm really doing this over a lot of days since I need to let things dry on hangers in my place, recover the hangers, then repeat.
In the meantime, I'm tackling other rooms.
And, I tried a new recipe today. I actually saw it on Food Network from the woman I hate most on Food Network, and the ONLY reason I watched this episode was because I didn't change the channel in time, and I heard her say, "Coming up... Vidalia Corn Muffins." Crap.
And, damn. They're good. I had to try REALLY REALLY hard to not eat all 15 of them tonight. The recipe will be posted this week for Recipe Thursday.
I went and got $20 worth of quarters, and I'm trying to get every piece of dirty laundry in my place cleaned. This is a process because there are a LOT of things that I don't dry, which means that I'm really doing this over a lot of days since I need to let things dry on hangers in my place, recover the hangers, then repeat.
In the meantime, I'm tackling other rooms.
And, I tried a new recipe today. I actually saw it on Food Network from the woman I hate most on Food Network, and the ONLY reason I watched this episode was because I didn't change the channel in time, and I heard her say, "Coming up... Vidalia Corn Muffins." Crap.
And, damn. They're good. I had to try REALLY REALLY hard to not eat all 15 of them tonight. The recipe will be posted this week for Recipe Thursday.
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