Long Weekend and Playing Hooky

This Friday was the start of our summer hours at work. That means that we can go home at 1:00 on Fridays. But this week, that wasn't good enough for me. Other than standard holidays, I haven't had a day off since my Christmas vacation. I haven't taken any personal time off and unlike my co-workers I'm never sick. So, I decided it was time for me to be "sick" and to take an extra day off. Everyone plays hooky, and I decided that it was my turn. So I called in sick and went on a hike all morning.

It was my first real hike of the year, and naturally I was a little out of shape for hiking. It doesn't matter how much you walk on flat grounds or how much you lift weights, when you walk uphill at this elevation, you're going to feel it in your lungs. But I had fun and took a lot of pictures and I was able to take my mind off of work for the whole day. Monday is a holiday and we have the day off, so if the weather is nice I'm thinking about heading out on the trails again.

Other than that, this long weekend has been pretty relaxing. I've been lazy and I'm loving it.

Current mood: relaxing
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Melissa Etheridge "In This Moment"

Workouts Continue

A few weeks ago—maybe it was several weeks ago or even months, I'm losing track of time—I wrote a post about my workouts. Yes, surprisingly, I've kept up with them, and it has possibly been the longest time I've stuck to a workout routine without getting lazy and falling off the wagon. But so far, so good.

I'll be the first to admit that I'm tiny and I'll always be tiny, but I'm stronger than most people would think and I do have some muscle that most people would underestimate. (And, yes, the ego I have now comes from getting teased, picked on, and beat up when I was younger. How much would I love to cross paths now with the guys who picked on me then!) Because I've kept up with my workouts, I've been feeling better and healthier and I've been sleeping better. My clothes are starting to get too tight in the shoulders—thanks to my huge muscles!—but I've always had a hard time getting the right fit in the shoulders with most women's clothes. I might be tiny, but apparently my shoulders are broad compared to most small or petite women. That's why I always loved it when my mom made my clothes, because the clothes actually fit me properly. Oh well.

...this was an incredibly random post...

Wonderful Weekend

It has once again been a long time since I've written my last post. And, sadly I once again use the excuse that I've been busy at work and therefore tired when I get home. I sense a trend here, and it's a problematic trend and a trend that I want to break. Another reason why I haven't written is because I haven't felt very inspired to write anything. But this weekend, I was suddenly reminded of what usually inspires me the most, wonderful people.

One of my dear friends and her boyfriend invited me over for a barbecue this weekend. The whole week prior, the weather was a mix of rain and occasionally snow. But on the weekend of the barbecue, the skies cleared and the temperature warmed. The weather was perfect. I know my friend from working with her in publishing, but her other life is in the theatre, so many of the other people at the barbecue were her theatre friends and naturally I didn't know them. But it was wonderful just to meet a lot of new people. It struck me after the party how a person can stuck in a rut and a routine. Sometimes you do the same things and deal with the same people day after day, and, let's face it, it can sometimes get boring or tiring or frustrating. Sometimes you need a break from the routine. Sometimes you just need something new, a new or different energy. So meeting a lot of new people from what is a completely different world to me was great. And what was especially nice was that they were all wonderful and outgoing and easy to talk to. They all seemed really happy and seemed to enjoy life. It was nice to spend the day with people who seemed to enjoy what they do and who appreciate what they have.

And needless to say it was wonderful to spend time with my friend. It was nice to be with someone who is calm and sane and level-headed and grounded, someone who is giving and caring, someone who can keep my spirits up, and someone who has a positive influence on my life. And it doesn't hurt that she is absolutely beautiful, too!

Going back to work after such a wonderful day was difficult, but at least the wonderful time has carried me through the week so far and the wonderful day has given me one more thing to appreciate.

This and That

Once again, it has been quite a long time since I've last written. I have been busy, as usual. Lately I've started to do more freelance work. Yes, in spite of being exhausted on most days because of my day job, I'm still taking on more work at home. But I've been looking for ways to make extra money, and freelancing is the best and easiest way to do that. The thought once crossed my mind to work at a bookstore or restaurant, but, in all honestly, I generally don't like dealing with people, so I never pursued that. So doing freelance editing is the best route for me because I can do it at home. And working freelance is also a good way to keep or build contacts with other publishers and it's good to keep your name out there. Once you establish your reputation, freelance jobs often keep coming your way. And there is always the chance that it could lead to bigger job opportunities. So it's good to keep yourself in the pool.

April marked my three-year anniversary at my current job, but I didn't have my review until this past week. Fortunately this review came with a promotion to Associate Director of Editorial Services and a decent raise. In a different economy, I could have asked for more money given my experience and what I was promoted to, but with the current economy and the state of publishing in general, I'm absolutely grateful just to get a promotion and a raise at all. There are so many people in the publishing industry who have had either huge pay cuts or who have been laid off, so it's a miracle just to keep a job these days. And it's comforting to know that my boss and the company are doing what they can to keep me around.

I haven't written about the weather recently. It has been typical Colorado weather, and by that I mean it has been strange and unpredictable. In reality, I suppose, it is predictable that Colorado weather is unpredictable. If that makes any sense. We can have days of warm, sunny weather, and a day or two later the temperature will drop and we could get snow. On Friday we actually had a dusting of snow. Naturally it didn't stick around for long, and the weather warmed up again this weekend. I'm just looking forward to the day when I can officially turn off my heater and stop wasting so much money on energy bills.

Cooking Adventures - Linguine with Ratatouille Sauce

This morning I was looking online for some new recipes to try. I decided to look at the Food & Wine Web site and found a lot of great things. What appealed to me most was a Linguine with Ratatouille Sauce. Ratatouille is essentially a big mess of vegetables that traditionally include eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, and tomatoes. Apparently ratatouille is originally French, but the recipe I found gave it an Italian twist. Because I think I might have been Italian in a past life—thus explaining my love of Italian food—I decided to give it a try.

For the most part I followed the recipe, but I did make a few changes. Because I don't like things too tangy, I omitted the vinegar. Because I wanted just a little bit of spice to the dish, I added crushed red pepper flakes. After I finished cooking and started eating, I realized that there were a few things I could have changed about the dish. In the first place, I should have diced the vegetables a little smaller. But hunger and impatience led me to give the veggies a larger dice. They probably also could have been sauteed a little longer before adding the crushed tomatoes. The recipe didn't call for peeling the eggplant, but the skin seemed a bit too tough and rubbery for my liking. Maybe it would have been better if I sauteed it a little longer, but I think that when I make it again, I might try peeling it.

All in all the dish was really good and the flavors were great. The only thing lacking was probably my technique, but at least I know where I sort of went wrong so I know how to correct it in the future. The dish was really filling and much heartier than I expected it would be. I have a feeling it would make a great pasta for the fall. The day today was a bit chilly, cloudy, gray, and rainy. So it felt like the perfect day for this kind of dish. It definitely hit the spot.

Cooking Adventures - Tofu Fajitas

Loyal readers of this blog probably know that I love to cook and I occasionally like to experiment with something new. A few weeks ago a few of my co-workers and I went to a fellow co-worker's home for dinner. Her husband did all of the cooking. With a vegan and a vegetarian in the group he made tofu fajitas. It was so good and yummy that I thought I would try to make it for myself. The only thing is that I didn't have an actual recipe for tofu fajitas so I was more or less making things up as I went along.

Tofu tends to need some extra flavor, so I had to put together a marinade. I made a simple marinade of soy sauce, garlic, ginger, crushed red pepper, and black pepper. While that was sitting I sauteed some onions and red bell peppers in olive oil. Then I added the tofu and sauteed it all together. The tofu seemed like it was still missing something—I didn't make enough marinade for the amount of tofu I had—but I found some taco seasoning at the back of my spice cabinet and I added a little bit of that to the dish. I sauteed it for a while, turned down the heat, and just let it simmer. I was still a little nervous because I had no idea what I was doing, but at least it smelled like fajitas.

When it was all done, I dished it onto some tortillas and topped it with cheese and sour cream. It was really good and really yummy. The tofu tasted great and the sauteed onions and peppers were really sweet and I think they really made the dish. I was really proud of myself!

Don't Tread On Our Obesity

Over the past few weeks, I've been caught up in a new reality show, Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. The premise of the show is that Jamie Oliver, a British chef, goes to Huntington, West Virginia, on a mission to improve the health of the people in that city. In 2008 Huntington was named the unhealthiest city in America—45 percent of the adults were obese, 21 percent had heart disease, and 12 percent had diabetes. Oliver's mission is to changes people's attitudes toward the food they eat and to help them realize the physical consequences of an unhealthy diet. First Lady Michelle Obama has a similar mission with her campaign to battle childhood obesity. What is shocking is that anyone could have a negative response to these types of campaigns.

Michelle Obama is trying to change the lives of children (and parents) by encouraging them to eat healthy, fresh food and to move and exercise more. The idea seems simple and obvious. If you eat a healthy diet and stay active, you'll live a healthier life. The campaign seems so harmless; it seems altruistic, even. However, in this political climate you can't rule out the fact that people will be outraged by such a campaign. People complain that no one, not a person let alone the government, should be involved with or have a say in how they live their lives or how they raise their children. I call it the don't tread on me or the get off my lawn response. It's too obvious to state that Michelle Obama is not the first first lady to have a campaign to improve the lives of the children in America. Barbara Bush had a literacy campaign. Nancy Reagan had her Just Say No to Drugs campaign. (However, I think the Republican party of today misunderstood that to mean Just Say No to every sensible policy to come out of the Obama administration.) So you wonder if the people who complain about Michelle Obama's campaign would also complain about Bush's or Reagan's campaigns. Or do they simply have a problem with this particular first lady? Let's be perfectly honest. Much of the reason why we have such a hostile political climate right now is because a black man and a black woman are in the White House. There goes the neighborhood, there goes the country, so many people seem to think. But that is an entirely different blog post all together. Back to the food revolutions...

What I find so shocking is that people can be so opposed to teaching children healthy habits. And how can people possibly argue against improving school lunch standards? People complain that it is too expensive and that the federal and state governments should be spending the money on more important things. Really? Spending money on the health of children is not important? It's not worth it to improve the heath of children who weight over 200 pounds at 10 or 12 years old? This is a country that spends billions of dollars to invade, destroy, and "rebuild" foreign countries, yet people are morally opposed to spending money on health and education. That is downright sad and pathetic.

People complain about heath care reform and that it is not necessary. But if you look at the people around you, you'll soon realize that so many people in this country are in such poor health. Yes, we need more jobs in this country, but if you want people to work 8 hours a day for 5 days a week, you need to keep them fit and healthy. A healthier workforce is a stronger, more efficient workforce. When children eat healthy diets and stay active, generally that means they will be healthier and able to spend more time in school and to take advantage of the education they'll need to compete in the world. When people like Jamie Oliver and Michelle Obama are trying to educate parents and children, who are they harming?

Dictionaries, They Are Big Books with a Lot of Words...

For much of the day today, conservatives around the nation have been wetting their pants with excitement as Sarah Palin returns to the stage to campaign for John McCain as he pulls out all the tricks to keep hold of his  Arizona senate seat. I know I've posted this before, but lest anyone forget or not know what the word "rogue" really means, here it is again. I, after all, do like to keep people educated and informed.

rogue (noun):
1. vagrant, tramp
2. a dishonest or worthless person: scoundrel
3. a horse inclined to shirk or misbehave
4. an individual exhibiting a chance and usually inferior biological variation

rogue (adjective):
1. resembling or suggesting a rogue elephant especially in being isolated, aberrant, dangerous, or uncontrollable
2. corrupt, dishonest
3. of or being a nation whose leaders defy international law or norms of international behavior

rogue (verb):
1. to weed out inferior, diseased, or nontypical individuals from a crop plant or a field

Snow Day

We had a snow day today, but looking outside now, you'd have to wonder why. Not that I'm complaining.

The weather was actually really bad. Things seemed fine yesterday morning. It was starting to get cold, but the skies were still blue. But out in the distance, over the mountains, you could see the clouds rolling in. By about noon the clouds looked really dark and gray and ominous. It started to rain in the afternoon, and by 2:00 or 3:00 the rain turned into snow. The flakes were big and fat and they were falling fast. They were also falling sideways. The winds were really starting to pick up. A few people who live in the Denver area left right away so that they could avoid the traffic problems on the freeways. Even a few people who live in Boulder left early. At that point it didn't seem so bad. Because it's been so warm this week—it was almost 70 degrees on Monday—the roads were still warm so the snow melted right away. I took some work with me and left around 4:30. At that time the snow was falling fast and hard, but it was that really heavy, wet snow. I had to clean off my car before leaving, but by the time I started to clean off one side and move to the next side, a new layer of snow was already covering my car. The roads were wet, but they weren't that slick or icy. The worst part of the drive home was that the driving snow made it difficult to see. I made it home safely without any problems, but some of the people who live farther away spent two or four hours on the road. Thankfully I live only three miles away!

It snowed non-stop all night, and because things were getting so bad school districts were already closing down. Our office rule is that if the Boulder Valley school district closes, we also close. So, because the school district closed, we did too and the announcement came out late last night. When I woke up this morning—at my normal time—I was watching the news and they kept reporting on how bad the roads were. So I was glad that I didn't have to get out and drive to work. I had plenty of work to do for most of the day and I was able to check e-mail. The snow stopped around noon and the sun started to come out. Right now, at around 4:00, the skies are blue, the sun is shining, the snow is melting fast, and the temperature feels quite comfortable. It's actually really nice outside.

Feel the Burn

For the past few weeks, I've gotten back into my exercise regimen. Yes, I realize that I go through a phase like this every year, and in the past I've always fallen off the wagon and stopped exercising after a week or so. But, so far, I've been very disciplined and have kept up with my workouts for the past four weeks. I lift weights about four days a week. Because I started lifting weights in high school, my muscles have good memory and are able to get back into shape relatively quickly. Even though I might be sore for the first few days, it's usually not long before I start to feel stronger.

On my "off" days when I'm not lifting weights I either rest or do some other type of exercise. Because I don't have the greatest flexibility or balance, I decided to try my hand at yoga. And, yes, I was also inspired by seeing how great and beautiful some of my friends look as a result of yoga. I wanted to start out slowly and start with some yoga that focused on stretching/flexibility and relaxation. After all the stretching, it feels great to not feel stiff all the time. The relaxation part is also important to me, because I occasionally have problems sleeping and, naturally, I'm often stressed because of work. I'm just following some videos, but after the first "session" I felt really good. I've since tried a few different videos that focused more on balance or strength and endurance. It's surprising how something that looks so simple and easy can really work your muscles and make you feel really sore the next day.

So, after these past few weeks of yoga and working out, I've been feeling really good. And I think that it's something that I'll actually stick to for a change, because it's something that I actually look forward to and I don't see it as something I "have" to do. And, if I may be so egotistical to say so, I think I'm starting to look pretty darn good, too!

Cooking Adventures - Linguine with Zucchini and Roasted Red Peppers

One of the benefits of my job is that we publish a lot of cookbooks. Today I decided to try a recipe from a cookbook that we will release in a few months. Because of what I had on hand—and because of what I forgot to buy at the store!—I made a few variations here and there, but for the most part it turned out great.

First of all, the recipe calls for roasting red peppers. I've never roasted peppers before, so this was completely new to me. I've also never really used the broiler in my big oven before—I've only used the broiler in my little toaster oven—so that was new to me, too. I cut two red bell peppers in half, took out the seeds and ribs, then put them skin up under the broiler. After about 20 minutes they got all black like they were supposed to, and I put them in a bowl and covered the bowl with plastic wrap to let them cool. While the peppers were cooling, I started to work on the rest of the dish. I sauteed some garlic and shallots in olive oil. The recipe called for sauteing in vegetable broth, which I've never heard of before, and because I didn't have veggie broth on hand I just sauteed the garlic and shallots in oil. Then I added the zucchini and crushed red pepper and sauteed that for a while. Then I added some white wine and the (chopped) red peppers. The original recipe calls for adding just a little bit of salt, pepper, and thyme, but I also added some basil and oregano. Then I tossed it with some linguine and voila! I had a very nice, refreshing meal.

Because there wasn't a traditional, thick sauce for this pasta, it was really light, so I think it will make a great summer pasta. The flavor was pretty subtle and, quite frankly, most of the flavor came from the red peppers, which got really sweet after the roasting. I think that when I make it the next time, I might add a little more crushed pepper to give it some more spice and heat. And, if I'm not keeping it a strictly vegetarian dish, I might add a little bit of chicken stock to see if it adds another level of flavor. But, even as is, it was very good, if I may say so myself.

Current mood: full
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Melissa Etheridge "Meet Me In the Dark"
Current drink: Bella Sera pinot grigio (the leftovers of a miniature bottle of inexpensive white wine that I used for cooking), but I'll probably have some red wine before the night is over.    

This and That

It has been a long time since I've posted anything here on my blog. I'm sure it is no surprise to hear that things have been busy. Work continues to be busy, which is a good thing, I suppose. And I also took on some small freelance jobs to make a little extra money. This recent job was a small one and ended up being only around $100, but, hey, that's enough to cover my cable and internet bill or groceries for two weeks. Any money is good money.

I'm actually writing from home right now. The weather lately has been typical spring weather for Colorado. It has been warm and sunny for most of the week, and the temperatures even crept up to around 70 degrees. It started snowing late last night and it hasn't stopped since. When I left for work this morning there were about four or five inches of heavy, wet snow on my car. Because of the warm weather, the roads were still warm so they were wet but fortunately not icy. I got to work at 8:00--normal time for me--and the parking lot was empty. For a moment I had a passing thought that maybe it was Saturday, then I wondered if the office had been closed for the day. Although the office was still open, several people decided to stay home and work from home today. Many who actually made it into work left not long after they arrived. No one wanted to deal with the evening commute if the snow continued. And the snow has continued. I stayed at work until about 2:00, then decided that I might as well go home. In the time that I arrived at work and decided to leave, there were another five inches of snow on my car. It's still snowing, and now it's getting windy so the snow is swirling. And, as to be expected in Colorado, I'm sure it will all melt away within a day or two. 

New Computer

After my old computer crashed, I did everything I could to save it. Nothing I tried seemed to work, but fortunately I was able to save all of my important files. I got to the point when I didn't really care about the computer itself, but I really wanted to save things like my photos and important documents. I even took my computer into work and had one of our IT guys take a look at it. He tried everything and said that the computer was pretty much dead. It was about five years old and I got a lot of good use out of it, and it was a great computer up until the point that it died. But it was also getting old, getting slower, and running out of space.

So, after a lot of research and after seeking advice from family and friends, I went out and bought a new computer. In fact, this time I bought a laptop. I wanted a laptop this time because they are more energy efficient and eco friendly and you don't have to deal with all of the cords and wires overloading an outlet. And, naturally, there is always the option to take it with me if I need to go somewhere important.

I'm now on Windows 7 and Microsoft 2007, so I'm still getting used to the new system. But quite frankly so far the hardest thing to get used to has been the keyboard on the laptop. I'm so used to desktop keyboards after using my old computer and work computers for so long, so it's taking a while to get used to all of the keys. Yes, they are all in the same place, but it feels so different. So, if there are errors in this post, I'm going to blame the new keyboard! Although, even harder to get used to is the track pad. My hand keeps brushing on the pad and accidentally clicking on things, so I sometimes don't know where I might end up.

In a nutshell, I'm thrilled to have a computer again. Now I feel like I'm part of the world again!

Current mood: happy
Current music: Loreena McKennitt
Current drink: Remy Martin VSOP Cognac (I have to celebrate!)

Blue Screen of Death!

So I've been a little silent lately for a few reasons. One, I just haven't had all that much to say. I'm swamped with work and haven't had much time to think about anything else. Two, my personal home computer has crashed and is more or less dead. I noticed some odd things earlier this week, but on Tuesday night, it froze when I was browsing the web and brought up the dreaded Blue Screen of Death. After some research online (while at work), I discovered that several people were having the same problem and apparently a Microsoft security update was the main cause, or at least they were part of the cause. Microsoft, however, claims that it wasn't their fault per se. They say that their patch update simply unleashed some malware on several computers. I've tried multiple solutions, and so far I've been unsuccessful. I'm pretty savvy as a user, but when it comes to the guts of the computer and the technical code, well, that's just beyond me. So I've been without a home computer for most of the week, and I'm hoping that one of the IT guys in the office can help me fix it. I really only care about somehow saving or recovering my personal things, like files, pictures, and music. We'll see... 

More Economic Frustrations

Beginning in June my company decided to readjust its payment schedules for our pay checks. Instead of getting paid a set amount on the 1st and 15th of every month, we're getting paid every two weeks. This is causing a lot of problems for a lot of reasons. Somehow this translates to us getting paid about $200 less per paycheck until July. June happens to be the end of of our fiscal year, so I will not go into my conspiracy theory about how much money this is saving the company and how this will probably make the books and budget look better. But with the current paychecks, it almost feels like we are on furlough again. Sure, we'll get an "extra" paycheck in July, but that doesn't help me with my bills now. Another thing that is affected is that now the pay dates aren't on a set date every month. I, and many of my co-workers, have everything budgeted down to the day and penny. Now it is harder to manage all of this, and so far a lot of people have said that they have come close to overdrawing their accounts. And I won't even go into the fact that the cost of living raise we get this year will probably be minimal, if we even get anything at all.

Because of all of this, lately I've been reevaluating my living situation. I just moved into a wonderful new apartment, but it's also on the expensive side. If I can't be guaranteed a reasonable raise, then I have to seriously consider if I can continue living here. There are places in nearby cities that are cheaper by about $200 or $300. Some of these places are only a little bit smaller than my current place, but also in some of these washers and dryers are included. It wouldn't be Boulder anymore, but that might be the price I have to pay just to survive.

So once again, I've been frustrated with budgets and finances. I think about my education, all my degrees, all my work experience, and I can't help but think how grossly underpaid I am. Even when I go online to find competitive salaries for other people in my position, I'm still about $10,000 to $20,000 under what is considered average. Sad!

What I really need is a generous person to make an anonymous donation of about $5,000 to my bank account, or pay my rent for the next four months. Or I need all of my universities to pay me back for all of the outstanding work I've done. If the alumni associations can ask me for money, why can't I ask them for money? Maybe I need to play the lottery. Or maybe I need to sell an egg or a kidney...

Sorry, all, I just had to vent. Typing quickly and angrily, so forgive any spelling or grammatical errors.

Current mood: stressed and frustrated

Delay

Even though the Winter Olympics are on the west coast of Canada this year, NBC has decided to do a tape delay for people in the mountain and pacific time zones. Last night as the games were on, I made the mistake of going online to read some other news of the day. And, naturally, all of the results of the events were already posted. On most of these sites there wasn't even a warning; the headline screamed the winners' names. I knew the outcomes before the events even "started" where I am living. Tape delays make sense if the games are held on a different continent. But if the games are held on the same continent where the time difference is a matter of only a few hours, what's the point? The Super Bowl and World Series are never on tape delays, so why delay the Olympics.

Between about 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. NBC showed nothing but "paid programming," as it is called in the TV guide. Paid programming is another phrase for infomercials. They showed a few hours of the Olympics, then news, then Entertainment Tonight before going back to the Olympics. Who cares about fad diets, exercise equipment that is supposed to take the effort out of working out, or make up that is supposed to make you young and beautiful? And, yes, I know that some people might really enjoy Entertainment Tonight. I personally don't watch it, because I don't care that much about the trashy, tabloid stories about celebrities and politicians. No wonder NBC is such a disaster. It seems like they wasted so many hours that could have been better used for the games.

Current mood: annoyed with Olympic coverage, but good in general
Current drink: coffee

Priorities

It has been snowing here in Colorado for the past two days. The snow was supposed to stop at about 10:00 a.m. this morning. It snowed all day and, at times, got worse throughout the day. The drive to work was slow going. In some places the roads were plowed, but in other places the trucks simply dropped the chemical to melt the snow and ice and left behind them a mess of slush. Eventually I made it into the office.

I have a huge window in my cubicle so I could watch the snow fall all day. I was often looking down into the back parking lot and was amused and annoyed that I never saw anyone come by to plow our lot. Our lot already has a bad history. One of our employees slipped on the ice in the parking lot and broke her elbow. A few weeks ago another employee slipped on the ice in the parking lot. She didn't break anything and she was fine, and she's lucky because she is pregnant. So after a pregnant woman slips and falls on the ice, you'd think that the building managers would be better about keeping the snow and ice cleared from the parking lot. Apparently that's not the case. When I left the office this evening, the sidewalks were barely shoveled and the lot was covered with snow and ice. Ironically, a small patch of sidewalk surrounding the bike racks was shoveled recently. So, in spite of a huge parking lot and several walkways, they decided to clear the area around the bike racks. There were no bikes attached to the bike racks and I wonder how many people would actually ride their bike through 4 or 5 inches of snow while it was still snowing. And at time the snow was falling sideways! Apparently walking across the parking lot and getting in and out of it isn't as important as keeping the area near the bike racks clear.

Spam - And I Don't Mean the Meat

Spam is something that—when it doesn't fill our bellies—fills our e-mail spam filters. With these fancy filters, you'd think that you'll be able to escape it entirely. Well, I'm starting to wonder if there is a new spam target—text messages. Tonight I received a strange text message saying "Hey. We should talk. I don't know you but you sent me some text messages that have me worried." I don't recognize the number and I didn't even send any text messages last night. Maybe the person who sent it has the wrong number, but it has to be an incredibly nice person to write a complete stranger who has apparently caused some kind of concern. I kind of doubt that, so I wonder if someone came up with a new method to spam the world. I'll ignore it for now, but when I start to get messages from full-figured Russian women who want to keep me warm during the winter, then I'll start to worry.

Tenth Muse Asks - Football Commentators

How many people do you really need to do the pre-game, halftime, and post-game football commentary? There was a time, many years ago maybe, when you'd just have two people doing these things. Now for some reason they need six or more people doing these shows. I'm waiting for the day when they have 53 people crammed around a tiny desk; the 53 could represent every person or position on a typical football squad. But I suppose you need to have more than 53 to account for the different coaching positions. And, sure, why not add celebrities and comedians to contribute their opinions too. This doesn't even include the people who do the play-by-play commentary. That number seems to be growing every year as well. Hasn't anyone figured out that two people can say the same things and say them just as well as ten people? 

The Importance of Lightness

Earlier this week Apple unveiled its new gadget, a fancy tablet computer. While a lot of people were talking about all of the amazing things it can do and a few of the things that it can't do, a lot of the buzz surrounding the new gadget revolved around its name. It's called the iPad. While some might not think twice about this name, many others couldn't resist a slight giggle or chuckle. You see, the initial response—maybe predominantly among women—was that the name iPad sounded like a feminine hygiene product. Jokes immediately went viral around the Web with people asking if the iPad had wings of if the more powerful versions would be called maxiPads. I, myself, couldn't help myself or resist asking if they would have light, regular, and super versions.

These types of jokes soon spread to reputable blogs and news sites, with the bloggers and writers asking the same questions or making light of the name. I read some of these stories and blog entries, and, I admit, I laughed my little head off. What surprised me, though, was how many negative responses there were to these blogs and stories. Comment after comment, people were complaining that the writers were being immature and needed to grow up. They indignantly asked if people thought of maxipads when someone said lilly pad or note pad or shoulder pads. They said pad is a word that has many meanings and it doesn't always refer to a feminine product. People were even saying that some of these stories were below the high journalistic standards that you'd expect from news sites like NPR or the New York Times, and they were offended and outraged that the site would waste time and space on such a non-issue.

I was more mortified with the comments than the story. Maybe this means that I'm immature because I myself giggled when I heard the name iPad. But to be perfectly honest, I'd rather be slightly immature and have a sense of humor than to be stuffy and uptight all the time. Let's face it, the world can be a horrible place and you see and read horrible news every day. There are deaths and disasters and after a while this can all get downright depressing. Every now and then you need a story that is lighthearted and humorous. When you look in the TV Guide you don't just see listings for serious dramas; you see listings for comedies as well. Even the ancient Greeks performed comedies in addition to their tragedies. Shakespeare wrote comedies. Why? Because people like to laugh every now and then. Because people like to escape some of the harsh realities of the world. In my opinion life is too short to not enjoy it. What's the point of life if it doesn't contain some fun and laughter.

Current mood: relaxing
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Melissa Etheridge "If You Want To"