April 2009
1 post
Interesting commentary re: the Facebook redesign
From Entertainment Weekly - I don’t really love the redesign, but I do like this analysis in a broader context.
I like the redesign because at its conceptual level, it focuses Facebook on what users declare about themselves. This shift toward self-reportage — the prominence of status messages — recognizes a shift in our whole attitude about online participation. It wasn’t...
February 2009
5 posts
Vote for Vika's team in the Dell Social Innovation... →
And tell your friends! It only takes a minute to register and vote. It’s a fantastic project and I am so proud of my friends for working on it.
This week's Vows →
A very cute story, but proposal by TEXT MESSAGE? Just…no.
Camera items
Anyone need any of the following? If so, let me know and we can make a deal:
BP-511 lithium ion rechargeable Canon batteries (I have two - they work in many models of Canon cameras and videocameras)
Wall charger for said batteries (brand-new, purchased in Dec. 2008)
CompactFlash cards (4 GB - brand-new/only used once, 1 GB, 512 MB)
Dynex CompactFlash card reader
Please help me...
No wonder newspapers are struggling. →
An interesting and somewhat shocking article about the state of affairs at the Dallas Morning News - where, I might add, they have stopped 401(k) matching for employees and are now charging people $40 a month to park at the office lot.
Hello, old friends
Songs I enjoyed on the way home from Baltimore, most of which I had not heard for years, but still love:
Salome - Old 97s
Just Like California - Old 97s
Bermuda Highway - My Morning Jacket
Pink Bullets - The Shins
Forgiveness - Patty Griffin
Almost - Sarah Harmer
January 2009
2 posts
Ex libris
My goal every year is to read 100 books. This year, oddly, I hit the exact same number as last year: 109. I briefly attempted to keep a separate blog to keep track of them. It didn’t really work. But here are all the books I read this year, with favorites starred/italicized. They are a weird mix of fiction and nonfiction, trash and quality, as per usual for me. Unquestionably, I would not...
December 2008
5 posts
Every single day
It never ceases to annoy me that there are zero (0) electrical outlets in my bathroom. I would like to blow-dry my hair using the mirror. I do not think that is so much to ask.
“The strategic difference is the capacity to understand this one thing: Some...”
– Barbara Kingsolver
This is where I used to live
For some reason today I have been nostalgically missing my first apartment in Atlanta. Not my lovely condo, which I miss always, but my first rental place when I got there. I only lived there for a year, but I feel like I did a lot of living during that year. Lots of great memories.
The place itself was far from perfect. It had heavily varnished floors that the varnish would peel off from in...
For some reason, apparently locking your house is a redneck thing to do? That seems counter-intuitive.
Yet I base this observation on my recent trip to Lowe’s. They were out of “plain” (ie, normal metal) keys. My choices, thus, were: Harley-Davidson, airbrushed flames, various NASCAR designs, American flag + eagle, and tie-dye.
Classy with a K.
I opted for the Harley-Davidson,...
“Five more suits, all later dismissed, were filed in Hawaii by a person who is...”
– Chicago Tribune article about all the Obama-citizenship lawsuits. Or, alternately, Mad Libs. I am not sure which.
November 2008
5 posts
In which my pop-culture fascination rears its head
A couple of years ago, I went to the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, where I very much enjoyed a movie called “Ira and Abby,” a sweet, quirky, goofy romantic comedy about a guy (played by Chris Messina, the guy who played Claire’s boyfriend Ted on Six Feet Under) who meets a cute, friendly girl at the gym (Jennifer Westfeldt; more on her in a minute) and then hastily marries her....
Comics that are worse than 'Family Circus'
airhen:
“Ziggy”
“Cathy”
3. Fred Basset. I apparently do not understand English humor because I have always been particularly baffled by this one, a perennial favorite in the Chicago Tribune. As far as I can tell, 90-95% of strips consist of Fred wanting to go for a walk and either a) going or b) not going.
A thrill a minute, that one!! Oh, those wacky Brits!
I do not have any money so am sending you this... →
cakeordeath:
musicbrain: emilyposts:
A valiant (and hilarious) attempt to get out of a charge of $233.95. The exchange of e-mails made me literally laugh out loud.
(via theshalom)
I heart this.
I am crying laughing and also wondering if this would work for me, as I have a lot of bills I would like to get out of. Spider in lieu of car payment?
Fix it, please
Lately my tummy has not been cooperating with me.
No matter what I eat, everything digestive has been generally awful. Enough to make me miserable. I even ended up in the hospital, with heartburn so severe I was having chest tightness and heart palpitations.
I’ve tried just about every OTC remedy there is - Maalox, Pepto-Bismol, Pepcid, Prilosec, probiotics, fiber supplements, you name...
October 2008
6 posts
I need your help.
cakeordeath:
mollyknight:
I’m hosting a fabulous party at my apartment on election night. My friend Jon Wank suggested that we do “drinks of the swing states,” and I think it’s a fabulous idea. As of right now, the those states appear to be:
Colorado Florida Indiana Missouri Nevada North Carolina Ohio Virginia
I would think we’ll do some Coors product for Colorado and some Budweiser for...
PB & J - which goes on top? →
Fun little conundrum, reminding me of my weirdest unconscious eating habit, which is that I eat my burgers upside down (top bun facing down). I have no idea why.
Ah, AOL memories
me: I need a present
Jennifer: @--->--->----
Jennifer: rose
me: awwwwwww
me: thank you, I have not seen one of those since 1997
“A brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.”
– Jeff Bezos, amazon.com
September 2008
8 posts
Money matters
Courtesy of my brilliant and perceptive classmate Mike, one of the most succinct summaries I’ve seen of why the financial crisis matters to us and why the mood on b-school campuses is so scary right now. I hope he will forgive me from borrowing this from his (non-Tumblr) blog!
“But the mood is a bit changed from last year. The struggles of the financial system has begun to weigh on...
The $25 Challenge →
I really enjoyed this blog — very eye-opening. Participants are limited to $25 per person per week for a grocery budget — sadly, the same amount that food stamp recipients usually have.
I just realized the last 17 books I have read have all been by female authors, and that the ones I have been working on for months that have been sitting on my table unfinished are by male authors. Weird. I don’t know why that is. Just a coincidence, probably, but I am surprised that I accidentally read 17 books in a row by women when not thinking about the author’s gender at all. Do...
"Sarah Palin does not believe in evolution. I take... →
Powerful and provocative piece by Eve Ensler.
RIP TV
Finally finished watching Season 5 of The Wire (hey, when you can’t afford HBO, sometimes these things take a while!)
There is nothing that makes me sadder than the end of good shows and knowing there never will be any more. It was a good run, guys. Thanks.
Brilliant. →
A place called Permanent Brunch, with a bacon list!! I am moving in.
August 2008
10 posts
Grad student blues
Feeling really sad about missing Natasha’s wedding. I hate money. It isn’t fair. I just have to keep thinking about how a year from now, I will have a real paycheck and a salary far beyond any that I have had so far…just in the meantime, it hurts.
Meep
I wish this knot in my stomach would go away. It has been there for several days now and I cannot quite understand why. It is some sort of mix of nervousness, anticipation, uncertainty and insecurity, but I feel like there is something more to it than that and I wish I could put my finger on it. I know when it started, but I thought it should be over by now.
Mostly it is manifesting itself in a...
WHEN, oh when, is the Richmond Trader Joe’s going to open???
“‘I have done that,’ says my memory. ‘I cannot have done...”
– A provocative, fascinating quote from Nietzche — as referenced in the beginning of the amazing book I just finished, Iodine by Haven Kimmel. Suffice it to say it is leaps and bounds from her “Zippy” memoirs.
cakeordeath:
I’m looking for a new game to play, and I need your help. It should be something for two people that’s engrossing, challenging and doesn’t involve theatrics, singing or sculpting out of clay. While those have their places, and they are places I sometimes enjoy (preferably with alcohol), I’m looking for something two people can play fairly often — and will want to — on quiet evenings...
I am small and needy
I heard the Sia song “Breathe Me” (also known as the Six Feet Under finale song) on two different commercials today. No matter how overused or overcommercialized it is, every time I hear it, it stirs up crazy emotions in me. What a gorgeous, amazing, perfect song.
Most baffling editing ever
From a Chicago Tribune restaurant review:
“I think, ‘Let’s just be a fun restaurant with great food.’ Noise isn’t always a bad thing. My plates are from IKEA, and they’re $2.99. You’ve got some [restaurant raters] that will include you only if you use high-quality silverware, fancy tablecloths—they’ve got checklists. Well, [I summarily reject] that....
“FLINT, Mich. — Sometimes, Sherrie Lynn Palmer can’t even walk her dogs...”
– Best lede ever. But my question: What kind of prostitutes go around with dogs? Wouldn’t that cause all kinds of additional logistical problems? I mean, I have a hard enough time finding a hotel that will take my dog when I’m traveling. Perhaps I should start checking out the kind that...
Heat wave
To this point, I think I’ve been very brave about the heat of the Dallas summer. There have been a few days I complained, mostly when I was doing outdoor stuff like a festival or waiting in line to go tubing. But all in all, it hasn’t hit me quite as hard as I expected to. It is noticeable — and relentless. The odd thing is that it never cools down at night, so if it’s 95...
Things I like right now
My new baby iPhone!! Name suggestions welcome.
Mad Men DVDs from Netflix.
Air conditioning. It is expected to be 107 degrees on Monday. Not a typo.
Tired dogs and the way their noses squish up when they sleep.
Sleep, in general, for dogs or for people, especially me.
July 2008
8 posts
What we do for fun in Texas
I just watched several people compete to eat a 2-lb potato, topped with 1 lb of brisket, as well as cheese, etc., as fast as possible. (For charity, no less.)
One of them finished in FIVE MINUTES.
Another one, after finishing, DRANK AN ENTIRE JAR OF SALSA. (Tostitos brand, of course.)
I am never eating again.
Gadget watch
After two weeks of frustration with long lines and sold-out or closed stores, I finally ordered and paid for my iPhone yesterday via direct fulfillment at the AT&T store. They say it could take up to 10-21 days for me to get it, but my friend who ordered his at the same store Wednesday got it Saturday, so my fingers are crossed….
For those of you who have tried to talk to me lately and...
Favorite recent conversation
My coworker: It is Lizzie’s birthday, so we will have to have dessert. What do you guys have available?
Waiter: We have flan, fried ice cream, tres leches cake, and a Mexican brownie.
Coworker: Ooh, the Mexican brownie sounds good. What makes it Mexican?
Waiter (after long pause): It is a regular brownie, but it is made by a Mexican.
Mmmm
The constant and easy access to Mexican soda is totally reason enough for me to move to Texas full-time.
Comcast
karmcity:
So, remember all my Comcast woes? Well, complete suckage they are not.
Comcast controls a user account on Twitter called “comcastcares” where a support rep continually monitors tweets people send to it and fixes problems if necessary.
I typed: @comcastcares:5 months of you agreeing that I don’t owe you money, but still sending me bills. How do I fix something like that?
Within...
She began behaving as if she was already in love.... →
One of my favorite Vows columns ever.
“Go out and do great things today.”
– Greeting from one of my coworkers the other morning — the best way I can think of to start a day! It may sound cheesy, but he really meant it, and I really tried to do it.