Mid-Winter Depression: A Poem

It's cold outside
When the wind hits your face you get tear-eyed
Too cold to walk the dog
Definitely too cold to jog

The plants are dead and brown
The whole world seems to slow down
I feel listless and blue
When is Spring coming? I wish I knew

Then I could count down the days
To grilling out and laying out (to soak up the sun's rays)
Winter go away!
Take your cold temps and skies of gray.

I hope I remember this feeling,
this summer when it's humid and hot
So when I start to wish the days were cooler
I'll think about this poem and be thankful that it's not.

A Prayer for My Wedding Day (and a Promise to My Bridesmaids)

Dear Lord,
Please help me to keep my sanity on my wedding day and not to lose it like the girl in this video did.
Thank you
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10VmJ-8XGA4
(the video is about 6 minutes long if you choose to watch)

The promise to my bridesmaids is that I PROMISE I will not lose it like the girl in the video did. I believe I am incapable of reaching those high-pitched screeches and I hope I am mature enough to never take my hair that seriously.

The word is out now that this video is a hoax BUT the sad thing is that it could easily be true. If you've seen any kind of Bridezilla show you know that girls can go psycho at any time up to and including their wedding day.

My Next Career

If I change careers again my next career will be Bathroom Designer. I have posted on this topic before but it's so important that I think it warrants another post. My complaint is this: (most)Women's restrooms are obviously designed and built by men. I say this because there are several common problems in most women's restrooms.
1. The latch does not work. Either because it's broken but usually because the two parts to the latch do not match. You go to slide the lock to the left and it misses fitting into the slot by centimeters. This happens even in brand new bathrooms (go see the bathrooms on the 6th floor of the GSU Law Building which were built this past summer). I think if a woman was building the bathroom she would check to see that the two parts to the latch actually fit together.
2. There are huge gaps between the door or the sides of the stall. These huge gaps allow other women, waiting to use the restroom, a clear view to your restroom experience. Again, I would think if a woman was building the restroom she would take a look to see how much privacy is given by the bathroom stall setup.
2a. This is number 2a. because it is a sub-problem of item 2. In the (brand new) bathrooms on the 6th floor of the GSU Law building the stalls are not lined up against one wall. Instead they are in a sort of circle around the room. And the gaps between the walls of the stall and the walls of the room are rather large. So when you're in a certain stall you can stare straight ahead into the stall that is perpendicular to your current stall. Not only can you see into the other stall, but the person in the other stall can look you straight in the eye.
3. This problem is unique to single bathrooms (meaning there are no stalls, just one toilet in the room). Your only protection to the outside is one door. I don't like it when the one and only toilet in the room faces the door because if the lock breaks or somehow someone opens the door on you they get a clear and straight view to the balancing act you are currently conducting over the toilet! I would rather have the toilet be perpendicular to the door and risk getting slammed in the knees if the door opens then have to face that door constantly worrying everytime someone tries the knob.

Am I the only person with this crazy phobia about public restrooms?

European Vacation

So we have finally booked our honeymoon - we're taking a Mediterrenean Cruise (sp?) in July of '07. My question to my fans :) is:
What should we bring on our vacation?
Here's what I have so far:
Guidebook
A (non-baseball) hat for me
Camera
Passports
Converter for electrical outlets
A daypak
Sunglasses
Bathing suit

What else???

My MacBook arrived!

Just in case you all were wondering (with bated breath I'm sure) my MacBook finally arrived. I got it Tuesday night, so I've had it for about 2 days by now. The transition from PC to Mac has been rather easy. I quickly learned the "apple" key functions like the "ctrl" key on a PC but I'm still trying to figure out how the harddrive folders work. I've put a few cool widgets on my dashboard, I think my current favorite is one that shows views from different lighthouses around the country.

Everything about my MacBook is cool: the fonts, the icons, the tools - but that may be attributable to being compared to my "ancient" HP it is replacing. I think a new PC would probably be almost as cool. Almost but not quite. So far I think the MacBook can do everything my PC could and probably even better.

I'm wondering how long until the "newness" of the MacBook rubs off. One week? One month? I would be surprised if it lasted that long - by then I'll be onto my next purchase:)

A Poem About Waiting for the FedEx Truck or When Will My Damn MacBook Get Here?

The email arrives!
My MacBook has shipped!
I click the tracking number – anxiously awaiting the results on pins and (what rhymes?) knives!
January 5th – my MacBook will arrive fully equipped!

I checked FedEx.com four times yesterday
No new information – it’s only updated once a day

I check the website again today
Now my MacBook is delayed!
It won’t arrive until January 9th, a Tuesday
And I won’t be home so I can sign for it and play

Oh FedEx! Oh FedEx!
Please update your site!
I need to know where my Mac will be next

And so I sit today – unable to concentrate
What can I do to get FedEx to accelerate?
MacBook please get here and get here fast
So this waiting and hoping I can get past
(and on to the next online purchase!)

2006 Predictions: Right or Wrong?

At the beginning of this year I asked my friends to complete a survey about predictions for 2006. Since the end of the year is almost here I went back and reviewed everyone's predictions to see who was right. Here are the results (11 people total participated)
1. Who will win the SEC Championship (Football)? Answer: Florida. 27% correct
2. Who will win the NCAA Tournament (Basketball)? Answer Florida. 18% correct
3. Will you still be living at the same address? 100% of the participants got this one correct
4. Will you (or your spouse) get pregnant/have a baby? 91% correct
5. Will you get married (answer is yes if you are already married)? 91% correct
6. Will President Bush be impeached? Answer: No. 100% correct
7. Will Osama be captured and/or killed? Answer: No. 82% correct
8. Who will win Americal Idol? Answer (I think): Taylor Hicks. 0% correct
9. Will Pam & Jim get together (for you Office fans)? Answer: No. 45% correct
10. Will Britney & Kevin still be together at the end of this year? Answer: No. 73% correct
11. Who will win the ACC Championship? Answer: Wake Forest. 0% correct
12. Who will win the Nascar Nextel Championship? Answer: Jimmie Johnson. 27% correct
13. Will Michael Schumacher reclaim his title as World Champion in Formula 1 racing? Answer: No. 64% correct
14. Will you still be with your currect employer? 91% correct
15. Who will win the gubernatorial election in your state? 45% correct
16. What movie will win the Oscar for Best Picture? Answer: Crash. 9% correct
17. Will the Dow be above 11,000 at the end of the year or below 9,000? Or in between? Answer: Currently above 11,000. 64% correct
18. Will Hillary Clinton announce her candidacy (for the 2008 Presidential race)? Answer: Not yet, still waiting. 18% correct.

Any suggestions on questions/predictions for next year?

Gift Ideas for $50 - Help!

Here's the deal: our office is having a holiday party and we're doing a gift swap (like White Elephant, or Bad Santa or Yankee Swap). The gift should be $50 and there is a prize for whoever's gift gets grabbed or "stolen" the most. Any ideas?
Here's what I have so far:
1. Movie/Entertainment Basket:
1 tub of popcorn (the kind you get at blockbuster) filled with
1 DVD
a $10 gift certificate to Blockbuster
The Film Snob's Dictionary and
other movie-type candy
2. Food lovers basket:
$15 bottle of wine
Good cheese (something imported, probably from Whole Foods)
Good crackers
Maybe some kind of pate or olives
Chocolate
$20 or $25 gift certificate to Atlanta Bread Company

Any other gift ideas? Remember they have to be AWESOME & LEGEND-(wait for it)-DARY!

Update Mac vs. PC

I have decided to get a Mac laptop. Mostly because of the cool points associated with a Mac. That and the fact that it is supposedly more stable than a PC and less susceptible to viruses. I haven't actually purchased it yet - I'm waiting until after Christmas when I have some money and also to see if there are any good deals. But I've noticed that Apple doesn't really ever put their stuff on sale so waiting probably won't make any difference.

What is the big thing you want this holiday season? Mine is an outdoor firepit. My parents have one and I really enjoy sitting outside by the fire (as long as it's not too cold). I think Abbey would enjoy a firepit too because it would get us outside even in the cold weather.

A (Very) Guilty Pleasure

I like one of Paris Hilton's songs - I must confess. It's called "Nothing in this world". I saw the video first, which is pretty cute. I think that's a big part of the reason that I like the song. I feel really awful about liking this song because I really don't like Paris Hilton. So when I listen to the song I just try to pretend it's some other dumb, manufactured, overprocessed person "singing".

Mac vs. PC

I hope this post generates a lot of comments because I need some advice. I am going to buy a new computer in the very near future, a) because my spacebar only work intermittently and it's really slowing me down, especially at schoo, b) my laptop crashes every time I switch from my home wireless network to my school wireless network and c) my laptop is just old. In terms of processing and memory it's a dinosaur and I'm ready to upgrade.

So I'm trying to decide between a Mac and a PC. Here's what I've come up with in terms of Pros and Cons for each
PC Pros:
1. I know how to use it
2. They are cheap
3. All the software I currently own will work with a PC
4. I can use a PC to take exams at my school. The program you have to run to take an exam doesn't work on a Mac.
PC Cons:
1. They crash. And can crash a lot. Then you get those weird errors that say "Error 3223454123xkldks: Field overrun". What??
2. They are more susceptible to viruses & spyware than Macs. This may change in the future but it's true at least for now.

Mac Pros:
1. They are more stable than PCs, i.e. won't crash, freeze, or automatically reboot on you. This is what they claim and what I've read on the internet backs it up.
2. Having a Mac has a certain cache.
3. My dad owns Apple stock, so in a small way I would be supporting my Dad.
4. They have better software for manipulating pictures, music and videos.
5. It comes ready to turn on, no installing windows, or downloading drivers.

Mac Cons:
1. They are a lot more expensive than PCs
2. The model I'm looking at only has a 13" screen, which is kind of small - but I'm not sure I want/need anything bigger.
3. I just got Adobe Photoshop and I'm not sure it will work on the Mac, not a big deal but it's kind of a bummer that I wouldn't be able to use my brand new software.
4. I can't take my exams at school on a Mac.

I am leaning towards the Mac, mostly because it is supposed to be more stable than a PC and it's less susceptible to viruses. I mentioned my current problem with my computer above. And I've had to reinstall Windows twice because of viruses and spyware.

Comments? Personal Experience? Advice? Other websites I should check out?

Am I a Socialist?

Two notes before I start this post. Given the title of my blog I expect two comments; one from Bob telling me that he thinks socialists are stupid and he can't believe I would even say something like this and another one from leeroy saying he couldn't believe I would blog about something like this because I will get marked by the government and they might start spying on me. :)

I don't really think I'm a socialist (see the definition here) but I agree with some of its principles. After doing a little reading I think I lean more towards market socialism since it applies some principles from capitalism. I do believe in private property, and different wages for different kinds of work (meaning the garbage collector shouldn't make as much as a surgeon), but I believe our current economy is pulling society as a whole down. The economic gap between the rich and the poor is steadily widening and there are no signs that it will stop. I think individuals have an obligation, and an interest, to see that the economic well being of our society as a whole (including and especially those at the bottom of the economic pile) improves. When we act with the best interests of our society at heart, we will benefit. That is why I believe it is right that the richer you are, the more your societal obligations should increase (i.e. taxes). I don't mean that the rich should have to give up their Mercedes or BMWs and be content to ride around in Hondas and Toyotas (or even a Chevy). It is important to retain incentives and rewards for working hard (such as salaries). And we should view taxes not as a burden but as an investment in society so that as society improves so does our quality of living (I believe that if you invest in education for everyone our social "ills" will decline, such as teenage pregnancy, crime, and drug use which is better for us all).

I am also starting to wonder if the stock market is really a good thing. I know it has been a good investment vehicle for many Americans (and foreigners) but is it really good for our workforce? CEOs look to the stock price to guide their decisions because the board members look to the stock price in judging the CEOs performance. Many executives have their pay tied to stock performance so they have an even greater personal incentive to do whatever it takes to drive the stock price up. I know boards are starting to tie executive compensation to the long term performance of the stock but I don't believe it's enough. Take outsourcing. At my company we moved some manufacturing operations overseas to take advantage of a huge tax break that country was giving us. It increased our profits on those parts but it put many people out of work here locally. I believe most were able to find work again but it wasn't work that paid the same, or required the same skill, as my company. Now these employees have less income with which to buy products that support our economy (including products made by my company). With outsourcing it seems like you are increasing profits for the company, but decreasing the buying power of those employees who were employed domestically. I know there are arguments that outsourcing is absorbed by our economy and it is better for our national economy but I am not convinced (I would like to understand these arguments better so if you have a link to an article online put it in a comment so I can check it out). This is why I'd like to try working for a privately owned company and see how operations are different, if they are, when management is not pressured by the stock market and Wall Street and the profits stay with the company.

I think this is one of my longest posts, a record! Seriously this is an area I would like to understand better - I know enough to have an opinion but not enough to debate the merits of one economic system vs another. Comments? Thoughts?

It's always SUNNY

When Friends and Seinfeld ended I never thought I'd see a good television sitcom again. Thank goodness I was wrong. NBC has given me The Office and CBS has given me How I Met Your Mother (aka HIMYM). Now FX presents It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Actually I think the show got its start on Fox but didn't do so well there. FX picked it up and I hope it stays on the air. The show is in its second season and it is HILARIOUS. The show is about 4 friends and their bar (Danny Devito is also on the show but I think he's there just to give a little star power to the cast - he doesn't have a main role). Two characters, Dennis & Sweet D, are part owners of the bar (and also siblings), and the other two characters, Charlie & Mac, are their friends who also work at the bar. The show is almost always about some taboo or inappropriate topic and, since the show is on cable after 10, they use adult language. About the only thing they won't say is the f-bomb. It's hard to describe the show, or even some of its funny parts so I encourage you to watch one episode and judge for yourself. Where I live its on Thursdays at 10 pm. Here's the link to the show's webpage: http://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/originals/sunny/

I'll leave you with a quote from Charlie:
"If I'm in love with Jesus does that make me gay? Am I gay for God? Yes I am"

My Biggest Fear

My biggest fear is public bathrooms. Obviously I'm talking about the biggest of my "silly" fears (not fear of dying or losing a limb or anything like that). I hate using public bathrooms, especially ones where there are no stalls and you have to lock the door to the outside. Those are the worst because every time the door handle jiggles you freeze whatever you're doing and make ready to slam the door shut if need be. I get paranoid even in bathrooms that have the door lock and the slide lock, even with this double protection I try to get in and out as fast as possible. And then there are the bathrooms where none of the stalls lock. Either the lock is broken, or it the sliding part doesn't match up with the other side. I think I have posted about this before but one of my ideas for a new business is to hire myself out as a bathroom consultant. I would go around a make sure all the female restrooms had stalls with locks that work properly. I have been in places that have brand new bathrooms where the locks don't work. Talk about sh**y construction - if you are installing the door to a stall in a bathroom how hard is it to double check that the lock works? (Don't get me started on the crappy construction in Georgia, we have several outlets in our house that are obviously crooked, and the mirror in our downstairs bathroom is completely off center)

The second part to my fear of public bathrooms is that I am also terrified of walking in on someone. I knock, jiggle the door handle a few times, make a lot of noise before I walk in, open the door very slowly, etc. I don't know why this particular thing frightens me - I can't remember any horrible experiences from my childhood that may be affecting me now.

How much is a margarita pitcher worth?

So we went to Pappasito's tonight (Party on the Patio, 5-7, with free appetizers!!!). Seemed like a good idea. And it was, until we got the bill. My friend S and I split a "Wave" pitcher of margaritas. When we got ready to pay I asked the waiter how much our pitcher was and he said "$29.95". I said "No we only got one, how much for just one?" and he said "$29.95". I said I didn't believe him so he brought us the bill. Sure enough one pitcher of margarita was $29.95! Do you know all the things you could buy for $29.95 (for example 4 combo meals from Chick-fil-A, 3 bottles of wine, 1 pair of Reef flip flops, or 2 eye shadows from Urban Decay)!!!!!!!!! Things that are better than just one pitcher of margaritas? Now I will grant you that a pitcher of margaritas is pretty damn good, but not $30 good, more like $15 or $20 good.
This is just another good reason to only drink BEER!

Slacker!

I have been a slacker lately - it's been more than a month since my last post. I haven't felt particularly inspired lately so here are some miscellaneous thoughts:
1. "Peruse" - this word actually means to read carefully. My boss says it a lot but he uses it to mean browse. I haven't told him that he is misusing the word because I feel it would sound precocious.
2. Nelly Furtado - I think this might be THE CD of the summer. It is the kind of CD that makes you nod your head and bounce to the rhythm. Definitely a great CD to plug in while getting ready for a night out on the town.
3. Kathy Griffin - I'm so glad a new season of "My Life on the D-List" has started up again! She cracks me up.
4. My Motorola Razr Phone - This is one of my favorite new things. I especially like downloading ring tones for my friends. Except I have to remember to set my phone to vibrate during the work day. Otherwise my colleagues are treated to snippets of "Pour Some Suger on Me" and the University of Florida fight song.
5. My wish list - if I had an extra couple of thousand laying around right now I would buy 2 things. 1) A GPS wristwatch device. Garmin makes one that has GPS capabilities and allows you to download your workout information to your computer and then analyze it. If you're feeling really rich you can also buy one with a heart rate monitor to see how many calories you burn. 2) A nice, semi-professional camera. I like taking pictures and would love to have a camera that allows you to adjust the light settings & speed. This might be my graduation present to myself when/if I ever get done with law school.
6. Pirates of the Caribbean - Can't wait for Dead Man's Chest to come out. Why don't more guys wear eyeliner???
7. MySpace aka CrackSpace - I think I am the only person I know who doesn't have a myspace page. And just for that reason I refuse to create a page. I have a hard enough time keeping this page updated!

Two Funny Videos

Here's something to make you laugh
Tom Cruise proves he is a white boy
Check out this video here (at youtube.com). It's a clip of Tom on BET's 106 & Park doing his version of Yung Joc's It's Going Down dance. Everytime I watch this it makes me giggle. Not that Tom Cruise is a horrible dancer but he looks a little awkward and uncomfortable - more like the rest of us and less like a mega-movie star.
Quick movie review note: Mission Impossible III is AWESOME. And I am not a Tom Cruise fan, I think he's strange, conceited, and out of touch with the real world but that doesn't stop this from being one of the best movies I've seen in a while. I spent almost the entire movie at the edge of my seat. It was exhausting! At the end I felt like I needed a nap because it was such an intense 2 hours. It might be better than even Batman Begins which was my last favorite action movie. This is definitely going on my To Buy DVD list.

Colbert roasts the President
This might be funny to only certain people - you have to like Stephen Colbert's style of comedy. He held nothing back in his speech and said things that made me gasp and go "Did he really just say that???". I like the fact that Stephen was true to his style but I'm sure the planners of next year's White House Correspondents will think twice, maybe even 3 times about who they ask to attend.
See the video here (one note - it's kind of long, about 24 minutes)

Mother's Day Gift Idea

If you're like me you always struggle to come up with ideas for a gift for your mom on Mother's Day. Well, problem solved! I just heard about this great new product that anyone would love. It's The Beer Belly (check it out here). Here's what their website says:
The Beerbelly: Is made up of a neoprene “sling” and a polyurethane “bladder” with a tube for dispensing. The bladder is held in an insulated pouch in the sling which is worn under your clothing for concealment. When worn, it looks just like a beerbelly. And it’s high-quality!Just think of the possibilities: Your favorite brew at the ball game instead of what they happened to be serving at seven bucks a pop.
And it's only $34.95
I never thought I would want my stomach to look bigger but here is one occasion where I just might!
(p.s. Do you think their best customers will be Nascar fans?)

Restaurant Recommendation: Pao de Mel

There is not an Atlanta Bread Company (my favorite "fast-food"/lunch type restaurant) near my work so I am forced to venture to other destinations for lunch. I go to lunch about once a week and every week, usually around 11 am the inevitable question pops up "Where should we go for lunch?". It's always the usual suspects - Moe's, Jason's deli, Moe's, Mellow Mushroom, Moe's, or sometimes Willy's. Today I found a new place called Pao de Mel. Its a Brazilian bakery serving breakfast, lunch, & dinner (but the menu is always the same). I tried the ham & cheese sandwich, which doesn't sound especially exciting but this wasn't your ordinary ham & cheese. It was on a yummy, fresh baked roll, with 2 slices of thick cut ham and melted cheese. It was served warm and it didn't take long for me to eat the whole thing. And it was only $1.50! We also tried the hot dog stuffed roll. Next time I want to try the cream cheese stuffed bulgar wheat roll and some of the delicious looking desserts. And the rolls stuffed with mozarella and sprinkled with parmesean. And the sweet pastries. And also the brazilian hamburger:)

p.s. a friend just reminded me about Scalini's and now all I can think about are their garlic rolls drenched in butter! YUMMMMMMMMMM

Weird Fact

Did you know? I just found out that Screech from Saved by the Bell (and Saved by the Bell The College Years) is Mike D's brother (Mike D from the Beastie Boys). I guess it makes sense, Dustin Diamond (Screech) and Mike Diamond (Mike D) but I never put two and two together. However, they are NOT related to Neil Diamond.