The Amanda Files

86th Birthday Rage [very long] [first post] [hello!] - Imgur

2011-11-07T10:03:00.000-05:00

86th Birthday Rage [very long] [first post] [hello!] - Imgur

Nanowrimoo... 2011

2011-10-19T06:44:00.002-04:00

I plan on carrying my alphasmart with me in the car as well as using the notes app in the iphone.

Why Iceland Should Be in the News, But Is Not

2011-10-06T06:58:00.000-04:00

SACSIS.org.za » News » The World » Why Iceland Should Be in the News, But Is Not

Iceland's people peacefully rose up, demanded change, changed their government, and are fixing their constitution.

Bill Cosby

2011-09-03T13:03:00.000-04:00

“Decide that you want it more than you are afraid of it.”

Bill Cosby

American comedian

July

2011-07-16T10:40:00.000-04:00

“Friends and good manners will carry you where money won’t go.”

Margaret Walker

Poet

New Year's Eve

2010-12-31T22:11:00.001-05:00

In with the year that goes to 11.

Scandinavian Holiday Bazaar!

2010-11-09T08:43:00.002-05:00

Scandinavian Christmas Bazar hosted by Sons of Norway

Old Bridge Twp. Municipal Center
1 Old Bridge Plaza, Old Bridge, NJ

Sat. Nov. 20, 10-5 & Sun., Nov. 21, 11:30-5.
Assorted local handmade and imported gifts, foods, baked goods & dinner.
Free admission & parking.

Proceeds go to help families in need, provide scholarships and other stuff.
There will be a silent auction as well.
Lots of pastries and yummy food as well as handmade crafts and other things.

Library Cat update

2010-07-25T22:51:00.000-04:00

Library Cat update

dave the library cat is currently being housed at my mother-in-law's house on a day to day basis. He NEEDS a home. I have five already and one more puts me into psycho town.

2010-07-25T08:11:00.001-04:00

work vs not

2010-06-11T21:23:00.000-04:00

I like working.
But, I am not getting anything done at home.
I have not crafted, sewn, only done enough laundry to make it to the end of the week, have shredded papers or sorted junk.
I can see where the people on Hoarders go wrong.

4am, 3/20/2010

2010-03-20T09:06:00.000-04:00

I dreamed of Charles Pranio, he made me a white chocolate angel that sat on my finger, told me to "EAT IT' and it was delicious and he made me another and I told him I loved him and had to go back to work and he told me he loved me and that I was an angel and I said "I'll see you soon" and he said "You'll see me later".

wyrding studios

2010-03-03T07:22:00.001-05:00

DSC_0981.jpg
Originally uploaded by kythryne

sidewalks at parks and city owned property not shoveled

2010-02-19T09:20:00.001-05:00

sidewalks at parks and city owned property not shoveled
Originally uploaded by The Amanda Files

The city says that it is not responsible for sidewalks in front of peoples houses. Well what about the land that the city owns?

No trash pick-up in spite of promises

2010-02-19T09:19:00.001-05:00

No trash pick-up in spite of promises
Originally uploaded by The Amanda Files

This is what our taxes pay for.

Negative space

2010-02-17T10:06:00.003-05:00

Negative space
Originally uploaded by The Amanda Files

Guardians of 9th Street

2010-02-17T10:06:00.001-05:00

Guardians of 9th Street
Originally uploaded by The Amanda Files

Pine Street

2010-02-11T21:06:00.001-05:00

Pine Street
Originally uploaded by The Amanda Files

Test

2010-02-01T21:36:00.001-05:00

Test post

- Posted using BlogPress from my mobile phone

Read. Listen. Watch.

2010-01-13T12:09:00.000-05:00

Tiger Tronic

Reviews, discussion, knowledge, information.

Earth...

2010-01-13T11:35:00.001-05:00

Earth...
Originally uploaded by wil_freeborn

Blue Moon

2009-12-31T14:21:00.002-05:00

An auspicious occasion to usher in a new year.

Winter Holidays

2009-12-28T11:16:00.000-05:00

I hope that you all are having a wonderful winter holiday season.

dreaming naps

2009-12-22T00:28:00.000-05:00

I dreamed that you spoke to me over the miles and told me that your father died on December 7th. I dreamed that you pierced your left ear in two places and wore a joined earring thru the holes. I dreamed that you were finally going to Greece, as you should have done when I filled out your passport application and attached a photo and your birth certificate and placed it on your desk.

Go to Greece. Stop living with the dead. Stop living in the past. You used to accuse me of doing that vehemently, but it was not me that you were yelling at, it is you.
Go to Greece.

Kind Over Matter

2009-11-19T08:57:00.001-05:00

IMG_9179.fixed
Originally uploaded by manda2177

I love this idea. Eat rainbows for breakfast!

Auctions for a good cause

2009-10-26T13:40:00.000-04:00

Mom and I have donated a quilt.

I'm helping to save a guy named Dave's house and land from foreclosure by promoting the Save Dave Online Auction being held on LiveJournal now through November 20, 2009.
Everything ranging from tech support and professional editing to yarn and everything knitted you can imagine. Autographed first editions and TV/movie memorabilia. Want custom or handmade jewelry, or a custom quilt or book bag? Think someone might like original art or photos (or letterpressed biz cards, or custom notecards) for Upcoming Holiday Gifting? What about baked goods People are even auctioning off surprises and taking offers for custom duct tape creations!

People who don't even know this guy Dave have brought the best of themselves to help him stay in his home. Most auctions are ending around Halloween...go check out what's on offer before it's over! And if you can, spread the word about the auction. Thanks!

Breaking Up

2009-10-16T08:49:00.001-04:00

carrollblog 10.16
http://www.jonathancarroll.com/blog1/2009/10/carrollblog_1016_1.html

At the end of their relationship she asked if they could still remain friends. His face was expressionless when he said, “No. Because we put friends in boxes, like we do with everything else in life for convenience sake. Most friends you see only occasionally, and even the ones you see a lot still all have their boxes, their specific place in your life and no more. That’s one of the best things about being someone’s love– you don’t have one box in their life because you’re in all of them. You’re their friend, lover, trusted confidante– all those things at the same time. I do not want to be put in one of your boxes now. I also don’t want to whittle you down to fit into just one of mine. That would completely demean what we had. I don’t want to end up air-kissing you on each cheek when we meet now and then and say things like ‘How ARE you? You look so *great*!’”

Rep. Anthony Weiner: Giving Single-Payer a Second Look

2009-09-09T14:13:00.001-04:00

Rep. Anthony Weiner: Giving Single-Payer a Second Look

Posted using ShareThis

H.R. 676

2009-08-24T19:44:00.000-04:00

H.R. 676, the "Medicare For All" Bill introduced by Rep. John Conyers.
Our health care system is broken. We spend over $2.3 trillion, or $7,500 per capita, for healthcare in the US, yet 42% of people under 65 have inadequate or no insurance coverage. At least 18,000 of them die unnecessarily each year as a result.
Every other industrialized country in the world makes sure its population has access to basic healthcare. The United States is the only industrialized nation that does not guarantee access to health care as a human right.
28 industrialized nations have single payer universal health care systems like the type proposed in this bill - privately delivered health care, publicly financed - and none spend as much per capita on health care as the United States. The United States ranks near the bottom among industrial countries in indicators from life expectancy (20th) to infant mortality (23rd).
Under H.R. 676, a family of four making the median income of $56,200 would pay about $2,700 in payroll tax for all health care costs. No deductibles, no co-pays, no worrying about catastrophic coverage.
The services covered include primary care, inpatient, outpatient and emergency hospital care, prescription drugs, durable medical equipment, hearing, dental and vision care, chiropractic treatment, mental health services, and long-term care.
Physicians for a National Health Program estimates the nation could save over $286 billion dollars a year in total health care costs. That's enough to cover all the uninsured and provide full prescription drug coverage for everyone in the United States.
60% of physicians now support a national, single-payer health insurance system for everyone. HR 676 has been endorsed by 463 union organizations in 49 states including 116 Central Labor Councils and Area Labor Federations and 39 state AFL-CIO's.
No other issue so directly impacts Americans

Open letter to President Obama

2009-08-17T08:34:00.001-04:00

Dear President Obama,
When you were campaigning, you promised healthcare for all. Please cover us all with either Medicare or the Veteran's coverage. Please do NOT try for bi-partasian support on this as the Republicans and some or the Democrats are only interested in maintaining the current private system, a system that doesn't work. As a person who was without healthcare for most of her 20s and 30s, I can tell you that the insurance companies are only out to make a buck, that you can pay $680 per month to them for coverage only to find that when you go in to your doctor for a chest cold, they deny payment for your treatment and antibiotics. Leaving you not only with the $90 for the visit, but also with a higher monthly payment because you "used" your coverage. Additionally, as an asthma sufferer since birth, that is a pre-existing condition, which is not covered by most plans for 6-12 months, so if I ever wound up in the hospital during the probation period, I would not be covered and they could drop me from the plan.
I was reading about the so called co-op plans, I think these are a bad idea as it gives the states more control over people's health and in Republican controlled states, are people really going to get what they need?
Please, please, do not cave, do not compromise, please provide us with Medicare for all. The Swiss system works well, provide us with Medicare for all and for those who wish to, let them buy into private insurance to see private doctors and hospitals if they so choose. This appeases those doctors and hospital that still wish to remain exclusive, gives employers a bonus incentive for retention or valuable employees (allowing them to offer private coverage), still keeps the insurance industry happy as they get an exclusive clientele.
Mr. President, those people at the town halls are scared, they have been fed a consistent diet of fear and hate over the last 20 years. They forget that what is good for us all benefits them. Please just give us Medicare for all, a simple one page document that lowers the age to birth. We don't need 1000 pages of pet projects and exclusions. Keep it simple and precise and clear.
Thank you.

City of Ember

2009-08-11T17:10:00.002-04:00

Watched City of Ember and I want to make Lina's sweater. Anyone have any photos of it?
Thanks.

Looking for Scooba

2009-08-11T17:09:00.001-04:00

In the early 90s, I knew a girl named Scooba. That was her nickname.
I lost track of her at Temple University.

Scooba, email me.

Medicare for all.

2009-07-23T12:16:00.001-04:00

Dear Representative,
I urge you to co-sponsor H.R. 676, the "Medicare For All" Bill introduced by Rep. John Conyers.
Our health care system is broken. We have nearly 50 million citizens with no health coverage, and at least 18,000 of them die unnecessarily each year as a result. Millions more have inadequate insurance coverage.
Every other industrialized country in the world makes sure its population has access to basic healthcare. The United States is the only industrialized nation that does not guarantee access to health care as a human right.
28 industrialized nations have single payer universal health care systems like the type proposed in this bill - privately delivered health care, publicly financed - and none spend as much per capita on health care as the United States. The United States ranks near the bottom among industrial countries in indicators from life expectancy (20th) to infant mortality (23rd).
Under H.R. 676, a family of four making the median income of $56,200 would pay about $2,700 in payroll tax for all health care costs. No deductibles, no co-pays, no worrying about catastrophic coverage.
The services covered include primary care, inpatient, outpatient and emergency hospital care, prescription drugs, durable medical equipment, hearing, dental and vision care, chiropractic treatment, mental health services, and long-term care.
Physicians for a National Health Program estimates the nation could save over $286 billion dollars a year in total health care costs. That's enough to cover all the uninsured and provide full prescription drug coverage for everyone in the United States.
No other issue so directly impacts Americans. Please sign on to co-sponsor this vital bill. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

AK Custom Interiors - Philadelphia Bathroom Remodel

2009-07-14T10:38:00.000-04:00

AK Custom Interiors
Remodel of Philadelphia Row Home Bathroom.
The house was built in the 1900s as a true trinity with kitchen in basement and outhouse in the back. In the 1940s, a builder bought half the block and added onto the back, creating a living room on the first floor and a bathroom with dressing area/nursery on the second floor. The kitchens were moved to the first floor in the front of the house. This is the photo diary of our renovation.

June 27th

2009-06-27T08:41:00.002-04:00

Today is Angie Burgos's birthday.
She was my best friend in elementary school and lived two houses over.
I think of her on her birthday every year and wonder what her life is and has been.

shadesong's journal

2009-06-23T17:56:00.000-04:00

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves "who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?"
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of the Universe.
Your playing small doesn't serve the world.
There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We were born to make manifest the Universe that is within us.
And as we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we're liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
--Marianne Williamson

wisdom

2009-06-08T01:34:00.002-04:00

There does come a point in time, when you realize that your parents were only human, and you fall in love with them all over again and love them as unconditionally as you did when you were a small child, and you realize how precious the time you have with them has become, and all you want to do is soak in their presence and absorb all those lessons and all the wisdom you scoffed at before.

talents

2009-06-05T22:04:00.001-04:00

There comes this moment of convergence, when you realize that you wished you hadn't been so busy rebelling against your parents and that you'd actually listened to then over the course of your adolescence.

Risk

2009-05-31T15:56:00.001-04:00

"When people become adults, they are, of course, responsible for their own behavior. But if you look closely at someone who behaves badly, often you'll see explanations fall into place. Say, someone who's too emotionally stunted to connect that she's doing exactly what her parents did to her. Or, someone who's so afraid -- of losing people, of being wrong, of his own shadow -- that he barrels through life insisting on having everything his way, as if that will somehow prevent scary things from happening. The most despicably selfish people are often, upon close inspection, feral -- they're consumed by self-preservation, and don't have the courage to take the emotional risks that are the hallmark of civilized behavior.
Giving is a risk. Loving is a risk. Kindness is a risk. All demand that we drop our defenses; all allow the recipients of these gifts the opportunity to hurt us."
--Carolyn Hax

Addiction

2009-05-04T06:58:00.001-04:00

So, I went through my entire Philly stash looking for the perfect project for my purse (I have a sock started in there, but I need a back-up) at midnight, setting aside anything that was either mostly finished but for the decreases or any chunky yarn (too big for book, two projects, wallet, etc in purse) and anything too thin because I'm already doing a sock.
So I settled on doing a hat with the Magic Mohair stuff from lion brand that my mom got me last year, figuring that it compresses well and I can knit the hat on 6.5mm circs (US 10.5). Now I'm wondering if I should pack the two balls of ocean blue merino and the 5mm circs (US 9) because what if I am judged based on the yarn I'm using????
And then I realized that the yarn I really want (a purple alpaca/silk blend) is in my NJ stash.
And then I realized that I am excited about having 7 hours of mostly uninterrupted knitting ahead of me and maybe I should just bring a larger bag.

Amazon's response to #amazonfail

2009-04-13T07:52:00.001-04:00

Hello,

Thanks for contacting us. We recently discovered a glitch in our systems and it's being fixed.

Thanks again for contacting us. We hope to see you again soon.

Please let us know if this e-mail resolved your question:

If yes, click here:
http://www.amazon.com/rsvp-y?
If not, click here:
http://www.amazon.com/rsvp-n?

Please note: this e-mail was sent from an address that cannot accept incoming e-mail.

To contact us about an unrelated issue, please visit the Help section of our web site.

Best regards,

Donald K.
Amazon.com
We're Building Earth's Most Customer-Centric Company
http://www.amazon.com/your-account

Open letter to Jeff Bezos of Amazon

2009-04-12T20:36:00.002-04:00

Dear Jeff Bezos,
I was saddened and heartbroken to read today that you are arbitrarily classifying content as adult and stripping it of sales ranking and or from search results. When I was 12, my mother moved me from California to Long Island, NY. I went to the library at my school and was informed that even though books like Richard Peck's Amanda Miranda were listed in the card catalogue, I was not allowed to read them without written notes from both of my parents. Yet, there sat the bible full of tales of incest, rape, orgies, bestiality, and murder and that was right there to be checked out by anyone.
I spend a lot of money at Amazon, I have had the kindle 1 and 2, I am buying my grad school textbooks through you, you are the first source I turn to when looking for anything. You wooed me away from Borders with your vast array of books.
But, I fear if this censorship, and make no mistake, what you are doing is censorship, continues, I will have to go elsewhere for my favorite things.
Please stop this nonsense and realize that people have to be responsible to themselves and for themselves and that censoring or banning content is never good and always ends very badly for the corporation or government that endorses it.
Thank you for your time,
Your loyal customer,
Amanda

Please Read

2009-04-12T11:22:00.002-04:00

Dear John

School

2009-04-01T20:03:00.000-04:00

School started today. My first class in over ten years. Surreal.

FREE BOOK

2009-03-10T23:11:00.000-04:00

read it, download it.
Make it so publishers "get" it.

carry on

2009-03-04T11:23:00.000-05:00

exactly.

2009-02-26T10:18:00.001-05:00

http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/kindle.png

And this is what my kindle is to me.

Quotes about redheads...

2009-02-18T10:31:00.001-05:00

"It is observed that the red-haired of both sexes are more libidinous and mischievous than the rest, whom yet they much exceed in strength and activity."
- Johnathon Swift, Gulliver's Travels

"Redheads are said to be children of the moon, thwarted by the sun and addicted to sex and sugar." -Tom Robbins, Still Life with Woodpecker

Rant about healthcare

2009-02-18T10:02:00.002-05:00

There is already single payor healthcare in the US. It's called Medicare. Instead of it just covering seniors and the disabled, have it cover ALL of us, just as every other CIVILIZED country in the world does.
Currently, we are not competitive because we make these companies buy outrageously priced private healthcare for American employees, when in their countries, healthcare is subsidized by their government. I wouldn't mind paying the $17,000 in taxes that I paid last year to the federal government IF I had HEALTHCARE! But I don't and my $17,000 was squandered on bailouts to banks that jacked up my credit card interest and banks that went on Vegas Getaways and Oil men and car makers who fly first class. Do you know what I could have done with that money? It may not seem like that much money to you, but for me and my family that money would have paid the mortgage and the utilities and put food on the table for over a YEAR!

If you don't want to extend Medicare, how about covering ALL Americans with the same coverage that you get in Congress. I want the SAME healthcare that you get. I want to be covered by federal healthcare, just like Ms. Pelosi and Mr. McCain. I really don't think that is too much to ask for from my $17,000 in federal taxes. It's NOT socialism, it is being fair and leveling the field.

The hypocritical stance taken by people who are covered by government or state health benefits infuriates me.

John Voight

2009-02-05T11:09:00.001-05:00

Last night, Phil and I are under the weather, I make chicken cutlets and penne in vodka sauce and we settle under blankets with dinner and a movie. Dinner is getting cold as he flips through the Comcast on demand list and I say "Pick anything!"
So we end up paying $4.99 to watch Pride and Glory.
When it's over, I look at him and say "That's it. From this moment forward, no more movies that have John Voight with billing higher than cameo."
Phil asks why.
"Because anything with him in it is usually bad or mediocre, and if it's a free movie, mediocre is fine, but I'm not paying for his performances anymore."
"That seems a little extreme."
"Name three good movies he's been in since 1990."
He couldn't.

nutjob

2009-02-04T00:23:00.000-05:00

Debix Identity Theft Protection

2009-02-02T12:41:00.002-05:00

Yeah, so I go over to Exifax to order my yearly free credit report after having Unemployment deny my benefits this week. I have had problems as far back as 1990 with my name being so common and there being another identical name with middle initial in this state as well as the next state over.
Additionally, one employer informed me that someone else was using my SS# to apply for employment in the state of Alabama, so I signed up for Debix. I researched 6 different companies and this one made the most sense as they give you a private phone number and PIN to accept or reject applications in your name.

Anyway, If you do your own research and you like them, use my friends and family code to get an extra three months (makes it 15 months for $24).
........................................
I found the absolute best identity protection available today and want you to feel as safe as I do.
Watch this video (at http://www.debix.com/). It is a real identity theft story of Kelly Bailey who explains how Debix stopped two different attacks on her credit on the same day - preventing thieves from getting a credit card and a $70,000 car loan in her name.
Use my Friends and Family Reward Code - FFF8832AKU when you register.
We both get 3 months additional protection free and you can earn up to 10 years free protection when you tell your friends and family members.
Let me know what you think.
Amanda M.

Readers build vivid mental simulations of narrative situations, brain scans suggest

2009-02-02T09:47:00.000-05:00

Readers build vivid mental simulations of narrative situations, brain scans suggest

Cath Shaffer

2009-01-26T11:55:00.002-05:00

Cath Shaffer was givine an assignment. She did the interview, wrote the article and handed it in. It was edited by her bosses at Wired.
ID proponents and Creationists attacked.

WTF?!

I am so glad that we have an administration NOW that believes in scientific method. Let us hope that we can continue on the path of enlightenment and rationalism.

Bush Twins

2009-01-26T09:29:00.002-05:00

I'm sorry, but I cannot help but think that with their "open letter" to the Obama girls and now that recording they did of the letter (they read aloud as well as their father does, ugh) that they are attempting to grab the limelight once again. And I don't believe that they should be giving advice about living in the White House. If anyone should give the Obama girls advice about that, it should be Amy Carter and Chelsea Clinton. Chelsea especially. They were in the spotlight far more than the Bush girls. Especially once Bush handed down the hands off edict on the twins to the press.
Feh.
Desperate attempts to cling to questionable celebrity by riding on the the popularity of someone else...

Valid

2009-01-25T12:48:00.001-05:00

Job Descriptions are Schizo.

2009-01-16T11:58:00.000-05:00

- Good verbal and strong written communication skills.
· Highly organized.
· Detail oriented.
· Ability to multi-task and work in a flexible and dynamic organization.
· Willingness to travel occasionally
· Must be proficient in Microsoft Word and Excel.

So, let's break this down.

Highly organized and detail oriented.
=that means they want someone who can focus on the piece of bark on the tree that is two inches away.

BUT!

Good verbal and strong written communication skills.
Ability to multi-task and work in a flexible and dynamic organization.
=they want someone who swings from tree to tree, surveying the entire forest as it sways in the rolling earthquake and this person must be able to digest the info and spout it back to management in small, easy to read/hear sound bites.

So, they want someone with multiple personalities who likes to travel and can use a computer.

The roof is off!

2008-11-24T12:44:00.002-05:00

Come spend money (if you are in town)!

2008-11-22T08:08:00.001-05:00

Mom and I are off the the craft show.
I did not finish anything to put in it.
She has a table full of quilted things and beaded things.

Scandinavian Christmas Bazar hosted by Sons of Norway
Old Bridge Twp. Municipal Center
1 Old Bridge Plaza, Old Bridge, NJ

Sat. Nov. 22, 10-5 & Sun., Nov. 23, 11:30-5.

Assorted imported gifts, foods, baked goods & dinner.
Free admission & parking.

And that's about that.

I'll only be there on Saturday.

Weather

2008-11-15T13:41:00.001-05:00

It is 74 freakin' degrees.
I want my fall back!!!!!!

nanowrimo count

2008-11-14T11:47:00.001-05:00

1667

Being (Perfectionist vs. Judgmental)

2008-11-12T11:51:00.001-05:00

As I was cleaning the litterboxes (there are five) I got to thinking. Sifting sand always gets me to thinking, but that is another thought.
I have a method to litter box waste removal, a side to side sweep followed by a front to back sift. It is a bit involved, but when I'm done, the cats are very happy. I watched my mom do it the other day and she is erratic. She isn't careful about getting underneath the clumps to reduce the chance of breakage, she doesn't scoop wall of box toward middle. She just seems to spot a clump and jabs the shovel at it.

Many hundreds if not thousands of times over my life she has accused me of being judgmental. She is not the only person to accuse me of that, and I have always accepted it at surface value, wondering if I am in fact judging people out of hand but never really looking at what I was being accused of. The label has never rested easy on me and I have denied it on occasion when I felt the person was using it as an excuse not to listen to reason or logic.

As I was sifting and dwelling in my zen sand place, it came to me.
I am not attaching moral or ethical meaning to people or their actions. I am not judgmental!

I am, however a perfectionist.

And most of you are going about things in the wrong manner.
And by wrong, I mean incorrect.

You are not being logical, not looking at the entire cause and effect relationship to your actions, you are not being efficient or effective in your actions.

That is the crux of it for me.

Efficiency and effectiveness.

10 minutes to clean 5 litter boxes so that they look as though you poured in all fresh litter.
That is effective and efficient.

Randomly stabbing at clumps and then stirring it around and giving up.
That is incorrect and sloppy.

And it pisses off the cats.

For something else...

2008-11-06T09:13:00.000-05:00

The 9 Most Devastating Insults From Around the World | Cracked.com

The 9 Most Devastating Insults From Around the World. Triumph's got nothing on Romania.

View >>

phillies parade

2008-11-01T09:10:00.001-04:00

yay

2008-11-01T09:10:00.000-04:00

From the World Series Parade down Broad Street

2008-10-31T16:10:00.000-04:00

No Streakers, but we did have this guy...

It's coming!!!!!

2008-10-25T07:37:00.001-04:00

Lag

2008-09-28T23:21:00.001-04:00

Sorry I haven't been posting, much is going on and my spare moments are few.
I'll toss up some pictures this week at some point.
Desktop machine is elsewhere and I'm on a powerbook G4 for now. Limited hard drive space is keeping me from off loading my cameras.

couch Kate

2008-08-17T09:26:00.000-04:00

Tiffany's

2008-08-05T06:06:00.001-04:00

I want to tell you that you are not Holly Golightly.
No matter how much you pretend. And you already know this in your desperation to "refuse to grow up".

Chaos = FAIL!

2008-08-03T14:51:00.004-04:00

There comes a point when you realize that someone you are close to is toxic to you. Toxic like scentless vapors. affecting you subtly at first then the blood levels build and someone else grabs you before you pass out.

I have just such a person in my life, or perhaps now out of my life as I was yanked back in the nick of time by something my mother said.

This person shall remain nameless and pronoun-less, to protect them.

This person has an excuse for everything, a reason why nothing can be done about anything and argues why you shouldn't even bother because they read somewhere that the rules said "x" even though perhaps, I had already done "Z" and been successful at circumventing the system or the problem.
This person refuses to take responsibility for anything, even their own health, insisting that I make appointments for them and remind them to go, because they'd never remember to do it otherwise.

This person "forgets" to do just about everything that you are required to do as a normal adult, and allows their life to devolve into crisis mode at every opportunity by ignoring things that would just take 20 minutes or that interfere with parties or shopping or whatever.

And I got sucked in because I'm a helper person and a solutions person and that's what I do.
I'm the person you call when you need to be picked up at a bar at 3am or the hospital or taken to the hospital or from the police station. I'm the person you call because there isn't any other way or anyone else or whatever and I will show up with coffee and a hug. But most times, 99.98% of the time, that is all that is needed of me. Once in awhile a few extra rides are needed or a place to stay for the weekend, but generally I can get you up and back on your feet in short order.

Not this person. Here we are, nine months later, and the=is person has bled me dry of helper-ness. This person makes me shut off my phone after 8pm because I can't bear to get another call to bail them out of whatever fine mess they've managed to get into. This person has burned up my energy so rapidly that my boss noticed how preoccupied I was and pointed out that I was late on two reports.
I realized that I couldn't focus or concentrate on anything that required more than a yes or no answer.
And, what's worse, I began to crave sweets.
I only crave sweets when stressed to the point of midnight anxiety.

So, where my usual equasion of small bits of chaos fuel spurts of creativity and productiveness, this bundle of CHAOS = FAIL! + ABORTABORT!

Have you any toxic people stories you wish to share?

dinner

2008-08-03T13:16:00.000-04:00

Pet Food

2008-07-20T07:12:00.003-04:00

My cats love this stuff.

They turn their noses up at the Fancy Feast if the dry Life's Abundance is next to it.
Amazing.
Click on the title Pet Food above to go to the site.

Simon is back!

2008-07-16T20:02:00.001-04:00

not the right flowers

2008-07-16T08:50:00.001-04:00

idaho

2008-06-28T12:08:00.001-04:00

delayed

2008-06-14T20:15:00.001-04:00

We have been sitting on the plane since 5pm. First delay was
maintenance paperwork, now we are on the tarmac watching movies.

delayed on the runway.

2008-06-14T18:55:00.001-04:00

rite-aid

2008-06-13T22:51:00.001-04:00

ravi in ohio

2008-06-13T22:14:00.001-04:00

Bullet in the Brain

2008-06-09T21:18:00.001-04:00

sadness lives in glasses of water

2008-06-08T16:16:00.001-04:00

pharma lunch delivered

2008-06-08T10:39:00.001-04:00

The Bush Hypocrisy

2008-05-06T09:43:00.003-04:00

I just watched Laura Bush on CNN blasting Myanmar for not doing enough to protect it's people from the cyclone.
This from the woman who watched New Orleans drown.
Then she goes on to "urge" them to accept aid from the US and other countries!
This from the Presidency that refused aid from the world to help New Orleans!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OMG!!!!

OMG, deux

2008-03-09T21:10:00.000-04:00

OMG.

2008-03-09T21:08:00.001-04:00

love x anonymous

2008-03-04T17:49:00.003-05:00

An anonymous person has said that I should stick with what I know.
The implication, of course, is that I know nothing of love.
Commenting anonymously in a derogatory manner has its own implications.

I know who you are.

Look in the mirror before you throw stones.
Look at your relationships.
Look at the way you treat people.

You treat people like you're gathering favors.
You tally up what you've "done" for them, what they "owe" you.

Take a look in the mirror.
A sober look.

lack of sleep

2008-02-28T18:49:00.001-05:00

I walk out to my car after work, get in and don't remember backing out or shifting into forward and think to myself, "I'm cutting the corners of reality."

dreams

2008-02-28T18:48:00.001-05:00

this morning...

am talking to dream person...
dream person says, "Wait for it"
alarm goes off.
I stare at dream person who tells me that is the alarm and then says "bye".
I say to dream person, "My alarm is in text, I need html."

Love

2008-02-06T23:16:00.000-05:00

there is a secret I learned about love and forgiveness.
Forgiveness does not mean forgetting.
Forgetting means you repeat and repeat ad infinitum, like a Santayana quote...

Love is about showing your soft underbelly and knowing that it doesn't make you weak.
Being vulnerable makes you strong, you retain your power you become yourself.
Love is about trust.

If you base your life in fear...
fear of losing
fear of trusting
fear of being vulnerable
fear of exposure
fear of... whatever

You WILL miss out.
You will fail.
You will not become who you are supposed to be.

Forgiveness is realizing that we are all vulnerable and that we make mistakes and that some people haven't figured out that fear doesn't work.

yup.

2007-12-16T08:51:00.000-05:00

toothpastefordinner.com

Cambridge Morning

2007-12-05T02:12:00.000-05:00

Best shower in all of Britain.
Breakfast was full of animal fat and coffee; they even found cream for the American. The waiter kept checking on my, then he realized that perhaps I was enjoying the coffee and the paper and he let me be.
My cabbie was a Welsh lass, full of cockney and a stutter. The Professor I visited would have been well suited to a classroom teaching medieval Brit literature at any rustic campus in the world. He shook my hand with gusto and proclaimed that he’d listen to my little speech, but he had his doubts that he’d see me again as 6 months is a long time in the Pharma business and the look of guilt and shook on my face must have given me away because he started laughing and changed the subject.
After the meetings, I made my way to the station, my cabbie this time was Palestinian and he had plenty to say about the current US administration. He was praying that Hilary take office. He then changed the subject and we talked about pets. On the train, I found a seat with a young couple. He in white gangsta uniform and she in your basic hoodie and jeans ensemble. She fell asleep early on, then the entire train seemed to doze as we were on the express to Kings Cross and made no stops. The British countryside is all it’s cracked up to be, full of lush green fields and livestock, hedges and viney things. I dozed off as well and woke in a post-industrial outskirts of London that looked like some novel of apocalypse… then that flew by and we were in a tunnel.
I came out at Kings Cross with the thought that I might do some last minute shopping, but the rain was starting so I scurried back in and bought a one-way to Heathrow on the Piccadilly line. I watched commuters get on and off for the better part of an hour arriving at Heathrow’s Terminals 1,2,3 at around 5pm. Checked in and cruised the shops before security and managed to get into the Fast Track lane.
I ate supper at O’Neil’s, a lovely chicken tikka masala, spicy and bold, warm in my stomach, then went and bought about 50lbs of Cadbury chocolate to smuggle back to the states.
Once on the plane, I realized that my window seat was not a good choice given my seatmate, so I switched over to an aisle in the middle row and have been watching on demand horror ever since.
Dinner on the plane was full of wine and starch, just the right combo to put good passengers to sleep… I have half a mind to crash the Upper Class bar, just so I can blog about getting kicked out… but, alas, I am not wearing my leather boots and min skirt, so I’ll remain back here looking like soccer mom and drink the orange juice they bring on the half hour.
I’m on an Airbus A340-600 this time, so Premium Economy has two bathrooms to itself. They are lit with blue neon and the regular lighting pops on when you lock the door. Upper class appears to be lit with green neon on this flight, purple was all the rage on Saturday.
The lady up and to the right of me has dragged out an ancient, massive Dell and is working on spreadsheets to no avail, it looks as though she’s trying to telepathically populate, and then she keeps hitting the help menu…
As my friend Ray is picking me up at the airport at midnight, I bought his cigars at the duty free. Wish me luck or send me bail money.

London, Cambridge, Tuesday (morning)

2007-12-04T02:58:00.001-05:00

That was the best shower I've had in three days.

London, Cambridge, Monday night

2007-12-03T18:43:00.000-05:00

Sitting in the bar at the Holiday Inn, the travel agent booked the wrong one. She booked the one out in the middle of nowhere, no place to eat but the Inn which is how I happened to be at the bar.
Restaurant asked if I had a reservation, they had no room and asked me to eat in the lobby. The service in the lobby was so slow that I went to the bar to order a glass of wine and wound up ordering dinner. So here I am, in a bar called “the hub” on the outskirts of Cambridge near the highway glancing at the telly, football (soccer is on) but mostly watching the Germans who use a knife and fork on their burgers Surgeons or serial killers?), watching the game.
There is a convention here, business travelers abound, I’m lucky to have a room and they bumped me up to the Executive level, which I think means that I get a mini bar and a queen size bed.
Compared to the last room, this one feels positively American. White tiled bathroom with four towels and enough room to lay on the floor at five different angles, a closet with a pants warmer, a real desk and chair, a loveseat and coffee table and two nightstands. It has an old CRT TV though. The things we sacrifice.
My feet are killing me as I walked from Hampsted to Bellsize Park, and most of Oxford Circus today. From Queensway to Tottenham Court Road. From Charring Cross to Euston. I cannot express how much I have fallen for London. I was here once before with my mother in 2002 when we were escaping the Thanksgiving holiday after burying my stepfather. Unfortunately, we spent most of out stay on Edgeware and around Paddington, so I didn’t get a full taste of the magic of London and the UK. This time, I am alone.
I’ve read books, seen movies, listened to my stepmother, the Anglophile's, tales.
I can say that London, the UK, in person, causes all that to fade and the true experience becomes life-altering.

Undine, my waitress in the bar, brings me another Cabernet. This time I look at the bottle. I am drinking an import. A very popular and expensive import… Gallo. 2005 vintage. I cannot help but laugh. The Germans look over at me thinking I am insulting the team, then they realize I am not paying attention to the TV and they figure me for just another rude business traveler workaholic tapping away on the computer while eating dinner alone in a bar on the outskirts of Cambridge…

London, Saturday night

2007-12-03T03:50:00.000-05:00

I get checked in and the manager carries my bag to my room. The room is small. It is split in two by an entry hall 18" wide and 3 feet long. The bathroom is on the left, bedroom on the right. I push open the door to the bedroom and see a twin bed, small table and bench, and a small wardrobe. There is enough room to turn, but not enough for my suitcase to open. The manager leaves and I survey my surroundings.
The bathroom has a sink little larger than a teacup, a full-size toilet, and a small standing shower. My twin bed is shoved in a nook, window to the right, TV hung on the wall. The mattress is lumpy, too soft, and the blankets are perhaps in need of a wash, but the sheets smell of bleach and are crisp and spotless.
I freshen up and head back downstairs. The manager gives me directions to the main road, Tottenham Court Road, and I'm off in search of dinner.
I pass a KFC (yes, a KFC in London, how surreal!) and a Subway (also surreal), lots of college students here as the University of London is next to my hotel. I wander up the road and see a Sushi bar. I pause for a moment and look at the other restaurants.
Sushi bar __Thai Place__Chinese Buffet__Italian Place__ Elysee
I walk to Elysee, thinking it is French, I glance at the menu and see chicken sauteed in butter and white wine with asparagus and walk in.
An old man asks for my coat and hands me a number. It says 68. I consider that a good omen. Another man asks my how many. One, I tell him. He frowns and looks sad.
Business traveler, I tell him. He just nods and says to follow him.
He takes me to the back of the restaurant, to a table that had obviously just been cleared. The pink tablecloth greasestained. I ordered a glass of red wine.
There were two men to my right and a table of three couples to the right of them.
to my left was a table of 18 women, all wearing bunny ears or crowns. I figured it was a bachelorette party.
I sit waiting for my wine, feeling very conspicuous.

New Jersey to London, Saturday

2007-12-02T20:35:00.000-05:00

My friend Ray drove me to the airport at 448am. I walked inside to the ticket counter, my eye on the empty slot when my arm is grabbed by a small man in a windbreaker. He asks me questions about my trip, ticking off numbers in little boxes as he looks my passport over. He hesitates for a moment, staring at the Isreali stamps and their security sticker, then places his next to it and sends me up the line. nThe Virgin Check-im process was smooth and my suitcase was on it's way down the belt before I could remember to stuff one last thing from my carry-on into it. I bring far too many things with me, always worrying that I will be bored or I'll run out of something to do.
Security was a breeze and I zipped through in about 3 minutes, walking down a ramp into a giant fishbowl of 8 gates. Heathrow and Cancun were the only two flights on the board. The entire center of the routunda was taken up by a duty-free shop, which was closed at 530 in the morning. I couldn't smell any coffee, so I walked around the duty-free thinking that there might be some on the other side.
NOpe.
No coffee.
So, there I am, about to board a plane for 6 hours and there is no coffee in the waiting area.
Had I known, I would have waited outside security at the little coffeeshop I passed on the way in. Shouldn't there be a "Last coffee until you board your plane" sign? Shouldn't someone warn you that you will not be getting your required daily amount before you enter a secured area?
I paced about and then sat down to watch CNN. I got up and cruised the gift shop, watching as a woman with a really large handbag knocked over a shot glass that said "I HEART NY!" and it shattered on the tiled floor. She looked up comically startled and then continued her conversation with another customer. The girl behind the counter never reacted. She didn't look up or jump. I walked around and around the duty-free. I spoke to one person. He was reading and he had two large bags of books from The Strand next to him.
"Smuggling books?"
"Sorry?"
"I asked if you were smuggling books to the UK."
"Oh, right. Well, sort of."
I gave him a polite smile and moved on to the windows where the sun was rising.
There were 45 minutes to go until boarding.
*********

As a Premium Economy passenger, I was allowed to board in the first batch. Made my way to 22A and settled in. The book smuggler showed up moments later. He was my seatmate in 22B. He offered to loan me something good to read to replace my Michael Crichton. I declined as I wished to finish it and give it away before leaving the aircraft.
I scouted my seatback pocket and found an inflight entertainment guide, a duty-free shopping catalogue, and a little fabric envelope that said Premium Economy. I opened it and found socks, an eyemask, earplugs, toothbrush and paste. All in purple. Sweet!
The book smuggler just read.

Once in the air, the breakfast service started. Hot meals for everyone. Even economy class. In premium Economy, we got mimosas as well. They handed out menus with a choice of traditional English breakfast or a vegetarian breakfast. I chose the meat. As did the book smuggler. I don't believe I've ever seen anyone eat so fast and yet so neatly. I asked if he had brothers, or perhaps he'd been in the military, but no, neither one, he claimed he was just very hungry.
After breakfast, we read our books and I dozed behind my purple sleep mask for about an hour until we hit turbulence, the kind that makes the sound of the engines change.

Turbulence makes me antsy, so I put down the book and played inflight trivia on the on-demand system that Virgin has in every seat. American carriers need to take a look at how Virgin does things. People are happier, more relaxed and the flight is much smoother.
The book smuggler and I started chatting. Turns out he's a free-lance journalist. He was visiting friends in NYC while researching a story. He also visited friends in Jersey City. Iris Records

London, Sunday

2007-12-02T15:04:00.000-05:00

Sitting in a corner pub. Mahogany and cherry wood bar and paneling, red oriental-esque carpet, low tables chairs and stools, mismatched dark woods, they are playing "retro" 80's music. There are two readers sitting alone, one next to me and the other katty-corner. Both are reading travel books.
The red- dread locked bartender speaks to me as politely as if I were a nun and the other looks like Helena Bonham Carter and speaks with a slight Slavic lilt.
I order the pub mixer plate and the fried, battered things are all perfectly crisp and hot.
I'm eating with my fingers, unlike the man next to me. He is dissecting his burger with a knife and fork. I may ask later if he is a surgeon, but I worry he may be a serial killer instead.
The other travel book reader sits with a pale ale. His head is bent forward as though the book contains it's own gravity and is sucking his into its center.
The party of four across from me has put on their coats and left and I can see there is a third singleton, he is reading magazines and looking up at the door in 60 second intervals.
The four of us are evenly spaced, perhaps we have our own gravity sucking us into each other but resisting just enough to maintain separate tables...

Serial killer left after going to the toilet. He gave me a dirty look as he grabbed his coat and flung it over his shoulders. Meanwhile, an artist sat down across from me and sketched with a sharpie until his Chicken Marsala arrived.
London shops shut down on Sundays between 5 and 6 pm.
All of the people drifting in to the pub now are the shop girls and boys who waited on me two hours ago.
Unlike the US, social time is sacrosanct. The corporations aren't dictating their hours. They are owners of their own lives.

London, 1

2007-12-01T21:24:00.000-05:00

Flew Virgin Atlantic's Premium Economy.
It ranks with Continental's Domestic Business/First Class.
Actually, it ranks better.
Socks, headsets, ear plugs, toothbrush and paste, on demand games, looping movies and tv, all come standard on Virgin, no matter what class you fly.

Heathrow was a nightmare though.
We were an hour early due to a massive tailwind that pushed us across the pond. We circled three or four times, then of course, there was no one to operate the jetway, and then there were no trucks or drivers for luggage, so we waited at the carousel for over an hour.
Taxi to hotel... I'll describe this room later... and then I sent off to dinner.
The manager pointed me toward the main road and I walked five blocks ending up at a Greek restaurant.

writing

2007-11-18T18:15:00.000-05:00

the problem with me even thinking that I ever wanted to be a writer is that I never write.

AIG

2007-11-18T09:10:00.000-05:00

$806.44 per month for the next 3 years.
Uh, yeah.

3 things

2007-11-08T21:19:00.000-05:00

1. Harddrive on my macbook is dying. Sounds just like my powerbook did.

2. Frankfurt Germany and back in 36 hours. Same flight crew both ways.

3. AIG sucks. I hate the insurance industry.