26 February 2007

Monday Madness - Correspondence

Do you ever use all caps when typing online messages?

Only when I need to emphasize words, and I'm too lazy to use the bold or italics commands.

Does it bother you when other people use all caps in their messages?


Only when it's a whole message of all caps. There's no reason to do that.

Do you use abbreviations (i.e. lol, brb, etc.) when typing email messages or text messages?

Yes, but hopefully not to the point of being obnoxious.

Do you ever receive faxes or other correspondence from a professional office that are typed in all caps? If so, what do you think of that?

I have never, but if I did I would think it was extremely unprofessional; with the exception of boards that I get where, on top of graphics, the text is all-caps. That's not only the norm, but it's also more legible. It's a narrow exception, though -- and I don't think that this is what you mean when you refer to correspondence being written in all caps.

Do you rely on the computer program to catch your typing errors, or do you proofread your material before sending it out?

A little bit of both.

22 February 2007

Matt is totally [almost] famous

Pop Reader Matt C.!

OMG - I totally know Pop Reader Matt C.!!!

Cohesion - Everyone's Got Someone

Roll over to my side
Oh I don't mind
You make me feel
Make me feel a million
A million miles an hour
And I slip my melancholy
With an I don't know
All my thoughts
and all my senses wander
And scattered thoughts they rumble tumble
Through my scattered mind
And I can see the words I can't say
Dance around my eyes
Yeah they dance around my eyes

So free my head
My heart
My self my mind
Free my head
My heart
My self, my mind
Free my head
My heart
My self, my mind
My heart knows something my head don't know

Roll over to your side
No we don't mind
An' everyone and everyone's got someone
Everyone's got someone
In the weak and fragile morning
Oh, then I've grown old
You can be, you can be my backbone
You can be my backbone
And scattered thoughts they rumble tumble
Through my scattered mind
And I can see the words I can't say
dance around my eyes
Yeah they dance around my eyes

So free my head
My heart
My self my mind
Free my head
My heart
My self, my mind
Free my head
My heart
My self, my mind
My heart knows something my head don't know
Oh, my heart knows something my head don't know
My head don't know
My head don't know
My head don't know
My head don't know

My heart knows
My heart knows
My heart knows something my head don't know
My heart knows something my head don't know
Whoa my heart knows something my head don't know
Oh my heart knows something my head don't know
My heart knows something my head don't know

20 February 2007

Picture This:

I noticed a serious lack of pictures on this blog lately. The entire front page is completely pictureless, save that stupid quiz I took in the previous entry.

Instead of giving something up for Lent this year, I think I'm going to take at least one picture every day for the next 40 days.

I know that it's a pretty far leap from creativity to spirituality, and maybe that's not quite what I have in mind (I haven't really thought this through, but Ash Wednesday is tomorrow, and I probably won't think of anything "better"), but I think that taking photos every day does help me see the world more clearly, and more beautifully.

I was walking around this morning and seeing all of the ugliness around me. People cursing and spitting and begging for money...and it all seemed so miserable. Taking photos of all of it has a way of transforming things sometimes. Even the things that were perceived as ugly can be seen in a different way when you see them through the lens of a camera (of course, I'm pretty bad at the candid shots, so I suspect there'll be a lot of buildings and macro shots, but still).

Anyway, even if I don't post too often these days, hopefully you can expect at least one post per day, unless I decide to go 35mm instead of digital.

16 February 2007

Picky Eater

I have somehow gotten the reputation for being a picky eater.

I don't know how this happened. Was it when I said I hated vegetables? Which is mostly true except for some things. Like lettuce smothered in salad dressing. Or tomatoes in a sandwich, provided I am allowed to meticulously pick off every single one of the seeds. And olives.

I'm not a big fan of fruit. Lately, Alisa has found a way to convince me to eat bananas. I like bananas, for the most part, but usually I'm eating them for the greater good of the apartment, and not because I want a banana. Because by the time I'm called in, they've started to rot and Alisa wants them Out. They're really sweet when they start turning brown. I say this because I had the overwhelming urge to eat a barely ripened banana today and it's pretty gross. And this is why I don't like fruit. It's unpredictable. One day I'll love it, and the next day, it's got seeds in it or something. Even "seedless" grapes have thrown in a seed or two in my day. Gross. Who needs that? Not me.

So, according to people at work, if it isn't meat or cheese, I'm not interested. Unless it's pasta. Then go ahead and serve it to me. With meat. Or cheese.

And...yeah. That sounds about right.

15 February 2007

My Non-Factory-Made Valentine's Day

Last night J took me to dinner in the suburb where he used to live before he moved into the city.

It's always been so...arduous before. Valentine's day, I mean. I've never liked the factory-made feelings that come with the holiday, and so even though I kind of had the perfect present in mind, I was actually really relieved when he suggested that we not do cheesy V-day gifts, and just spend time together. It's the only thing I could ever want from him, anyway, and maybe I cheated and adapted the gift for his birthday, which is coming up soon.

After dinner and an unfruitful supermarket adventure where we searched for strawberry creme peeps, we watched The Squid and the Whale -- because no Valentine's day would be complete without a little bit of Wes Anderson flavored dark comedy.

And it was pretty perfect. And not factory-made at all.

14 February 2007

Valentine's Day Playlist

The Young Republic - Girl From The Northern States
Stars - Elevator Love Letter
The Mountain Goats - Against Pollution
The Strokes - You Only Live Once
The Postal Service - Against All Odds (Phil Collins cover)
Oh No! Oh My! - Skip the Foreplay
The Magnetic Fields - If There's Such a Thing As Love
Belle & Sebastian - Funny Little Frog
Annuals - Ida, My
The Mountain Goats - Love Love Love
Bedroom Eyes - Dancing Under Influence
Pete Yorn - Just Another
Page France - Me, Violin and Dancing Bear
James Iha - Beauty

05 February 2007

Hopefully not by crying at work

This made me cry.

How did you start your Monday morning?

Monday Madness - Cooking

What is your favorite main course to prepare?

I usually make myself some sort of pasta because it's simple and delicious. I really enjoy making enchiladas, but that happens very infrequently (read: not since I lived at WILG) because the cleanup afterwards is miserable.

What is your favorite side dish to prepare?

I'm not a fan of side dishes. Usually I only eat a main course. That being said, I love the boxed mashed potatoes, and the occasional side of pan fried asparagus.

Do you like to bake? If so, what is your favorite?

I do like to bake, but that's also something I haven't done since WILG. I used to bake oatmeal cookies all the time at home. I like cookies. They're simple to make, with so much reward. Also, pie.

What one dish would you like to learn to cook?

I would like Emily's dad's meatball recipe. Those were so good I had to stick some in my purse for later.

What is your worst cooking disaster?

This isn't "my" cooking disaster, persay, but I was there, so I think it counts: We were cooking for a house full of freshman (so about 50 people? Maybe?), and we had a whole baking sheet full of breaded chicken. In some sauce. While someone was bringing it out into the dining room, they dropped it on the floor.

I was told to stand guard at the door while the situation was taken care of, but being on the slightly shorter side, it was a struggle trying to block the sidelight on the door to the dining room.

I wish I could say that we didn't serve floor chicken that day.

But I can't (and I don't really).
----------
Come to think of it, to be completely fair and actually relate one of my disasters -- I had started my share of fires at the house while I was making aforementioned enchiladas. They were simple pan grease fires, and they were easily snuffed -- but something tells me that what was okay in the big, industrial kitchen might not go over well in our little house kitchen.