July 2005 archive

(45 entries)

« June 2005

August 2005 »

July 31, 2005

You could be a weiner!

Alright, I'm having a contest.

Whoever can guess (month and year, please) closest to the expiration date on the bottle of hydrogen peroxide I found in our house yesterday wins a personalized song/poem/haiku written by yours truly. Guessing is open until midnight tonight!

(People who know the answer are ineligible!)

Dream

I had a very frustrating dream last night where I was shopping for a shell to wear under my suits for my job interviews. I was at Briarwood and would go from store to store, failing and getting more frustrated. At Ann Taylor (which was strangely coed), the smallest size they had was 5 and the salesperson made me try it on even though I knew it wouldn't fit. At Macy's (there's no Macy's at Briarwood!) they didn't have any shells, but the saleswomen were trying to convince me to get a lingerie top instead. I told them that it was for a job interview and that a lingerie top would not be appropriate. She argued that it would be appropriate to wear anything you felt comfortable in and I said that I wouldn't be comfortable wearing a lingerie top to a job interview and what did she know about professional job interviews, anyway, working at Macy's?

The most frustrating thing about this dream is that, except for the strange suddenly-appearing Macy's and suddenly-expanding Ann Taylor, this is the story of my week! I can't find a shell to save my life. It's all lingerie tops and things that don't fit and millions of salespeople who think that a lingerie top is appropriate for a job interview!

It's Obfuscation time!

Yes, it's that time of year again!

"On Friday, August 12 you’ll post 3 stories.

* Two false and one true or
* Two true and one false

Readers have to pick the false story(ies), leaving their guess in the comments. (Make sure you let them know which version of the game you’re playing.)

On Monday, Ausgut 15 you’ll post the correct response.

The stories can be as crazy as you want them to be. But you want to make them all believable enough that the reader has to give the game a little thought."

I played in 2003 and 2004 and am raring to go in 2005, although I have no idea yet what I'm going to write about!

Get your obfuscation on, yo!

Unconscious Mutterings

Yet again... it's an attack of free associations. Feel free to play along in your own blog!

read extended entry... »

srah | 12:56 AM | TrackBack | Tags: |

July 30, 2005

Tastes like... chicken?

Apete, SarahM and I went to a chocolate tasting at Zingerman's earlier this week. I never got around to blogging anything about the balsamic vinegar or sea salt tastings we went to earlier this month, so I decided I had to make an effort to get this chocolate thing blogged!

What this chocolate tasting did was confirm my worst suspicions: I am a chocolate philistine.

After a lengthy explanation of the chocolate making processes and everywhere where the cheapo chocolates cut corners, we were given little cups with samples of different chocolates. We tasted them, then were asked to describe each one. I, of course, liked the ones that the expert taster turned her nose up at - the ones that were packed with sugar instead of chocolate flavor. That's what I like in my chocolate! After years of tasting experience, I have come to the conclusion that dark chocolate is bitter and yucky! I want something sweet and creamy and if that's the cheap stuff, so much the better!

Sigh. I want to put top-quality balsamic vinegar and sea salt on everything, but I think this particular Zingdoctrination has failed.

A blogger is born!

One Little Monkey, sittin' in her blog.
She fell off and went ker-plog.

You may remember my friend Cheryl from such guest posts as Soolaimon, Untitled, "I Have One Thing to Say...Sashay, Shantay!" and Pizza and pop.

Well, this here post is to tell you that Cheryl's got her own blog at One Little Monkey and that if you know what's good for you, you'll have a look-see and encourage her to write more than one post! It's been a crazy year for my meatspace friends getting into blogging and I hope it continues!

Thank ye kindly.

July 28, 2005

Money talks (but I don't sing or dance and I don't walk)

I didn't make it to the store on Friday and as a result, someone else won my $170 million Mega Millions jackpot!

Well, that puts an end to that. Never again shall I sit around the house in my pyjamas doing nothing while a mysterious Ohioan steals what is rightfully mine!

Wait, yes I will. Because sitting around the house in my pyjamas doing nothing is what I do best.

These shoes were made for buying, so that's just what I'll do

Cletus: "Hey Brandine, you might could wear these to your job interview."
Brandine: "And scuff up the topless dancin' runway? Naw, you best bring em back where from ya got 'em."
Cletus: (tosses the boots back on the telephone line) "Back you go, to wait for a woman of less discriminatin' taste."

I bought a new (navy blue, which my mom says is best for looking professional) suit for my job interviews. Alas, I have no shoes to match, so it looks like I'll have to buy another pair. Sigh. Life is so difficult, having to get shoes all the time and nonesuch.

I tried on some cute shoes yesterday but they pinched on the top, so I didn't buy them. But I did get brown leather sandals with a heel for $12! Never mind that it wasn't the point of the mission! They were $12! I couldn't pass them up!

And so... the search continues.

Adding 'talented lyricist' to my resume...

Happy birthday to my sister,
You'd be my brother if you were a mister,
Please come treat my blister,
Happy birthday to my sister!

(She wouldn't let me reuse the last one...)

July 27, 2005

'Clear your mind and do your best / To try and wash the palette clean'

"My hands are locked up tight in fists
My mind is racing, filled with lists
of things to do and things I've done
Another sleepless night's begun"

- Barenaked Ladies, "Who Needs Sleep?"

I think this is the third night in a row that I haven't been able to sleep until sometime after 3am. I just lay there with my eyes wide open, grinding my teeth in such a way that at least 9 out of 10 dentists would disapprove. I'm thinking about things that I can worry about but do nothing about, things that I have to do, things I didn't get done today, things that I could be doing with my time instead of wasting it sleeping (or trying to sleep) and wondering How can I be so tired and yet not at all sleepy?

Does anyone have any sheep for me to count?

July 26, 2005

This is what happens on Tuesdays!

Apete, Tony and I have begun to compile a pointless list. I know you all like things that are pointless, so I invite you to join in:

Things That are Fake

wrestling
margarine
The Three Stooges

What else is fake?

Get thee to a movie theater, posthaste!

Who says it's a bad summer for movies? I've seen plenty of nice things, including:

July 25, 2005

The Aurora Borealis? Contained entirely within my freezer?

I have an irrational fear of the chest freezer in my basement and it's all because of stories like this.

It's not that I think that my family are all murderers and are hiding their victims in the basement freezer - it's the even more ridiculous fear that murderers are sneaking into my house in order to hide their victims in my freezer.

I've gotten a lot better in recent years, but I sometimes still inhale sharply when lifting the lid, bracing myself for what could be inside. Wouldn't it serve me right if one of these times I got all scared that there were bodies in there, when really it was something rewarding, like Fudgsicles or a gateway to Narnia?

srah | 6:16 PM | Comments (9) | Tags: basement, fear |

July 24, 2005

There's always hijinks when Cheryl's in town!

My friends and I often play a game called "I'm Going To Buy This For You." This game can be played in a variety of locations; I remember playing it in anything from a clothing store to a china/gift shop to an art museum. It consists of inflicting the worst possible destiny on your friends, and therefore appeals to me and my friends. We have close, loving relationships in which we always wish the best for each other, so if we see something like a rainbow-striped sweater with a huge cartoon skunk on it, we kindly offer to purchase it for our friend. The new potential-owner of the skunk sweater, inspired by the generosity of her friend, will in turn offer to buy her an olive green and fluorescent pink jacket made out of some kind of couch upholstering material, complete with fringed trim on the bottom. On and on the game goes, although (thankfully) nothing ever actually gets purchased.

Another element of "I'm Going To Buy This For You" is the exciting practical application, which I think is best played in the formalwear of your favorite clothing or department store. Cheryl and I played "I'm Going To Buy This For You" this weekend at Marshalls, the ever-popular designer/knockoff discount store. Going into the dresses section of the store, we had to pick things out in each other's size to inflict on each other. I found a lovely suit for Cheryl with a matching green, orange and black flowered jacket and skirt. The selection of dresses in my size was slightly smaller but she did find a charming light-pink, almost-transparent dress with the waist halfway down my knees. It also had "G-Unit" monogrammed on the chest in a darling fashion.

Another of the dresses I tried on was almost perfect. I would have bought it if it weren't for the color, the ripped seams and the stains. Cheryl pointed out that basically, I disliked every attribute that the dress had. Somehow I still managed to see it in a positive light - probably because it was a dress that actually fit. It's rather frightening, but with the way dresses tend to hang on my body, it seems I will find myself considering - for the briefest of moments - paying $22 for a dress that looks like Cinderella's "Before" dress, right after she'd used it to mop the floor. Sigh.

Unconscious Mutterings

Insanity lurks in my cranium, it would seem. All will be revealed through the medium of free associations, below.

read extended entry... »

July 23, 2005

Bloggage update

I finally fixed that problem where you can't tab through the form in my comments box. It's only taken a little over two years! Hooray for me! I knew it would be easy but I never really got around to it.

Also, I have a redesign scheming in my little brain. It would use CSS more smartly and efficiently (because I didn't really know what I was doing the first time I used it - not that I do now). Unfortunately, there are so many things to fiddle with and so many more important work- and job-search-related things to do, it probably won't be unveiled any time very soon.

But um, there you go. Appetites whetted?

Dream

I dreamt last night that I was Inspector Rebus, as played by John Hannah. Someone was after DS Clarke and myself so there were a lot of exciting car chases and things. We got to what was apparently Siobhan's house and ran inside, barely locking the door behind us before our pursuers reached it. Siobhan decided that we should spray through the cracks in the door with a spray bottle filled with water, because that's what they used to do to her dog. Apparently the guy ran away and then Jamie Bell (who was - okay, I'll spoil it - he was the murderer in A Question of Blood) came to the door with fluorescent yellow hair and fluorescent-other-colors clothes on. Siobhan said we had to let him in so we did so quickly and as the two of them ran upstairs, I realized that she had fluorescent yellow hair too, so they must be brother and sister. I went into the living room and realized that the back door was open and that the pursuers could be in the house despite our efforts at the front door. I think someone hit me over the head then because the next thing I knew, it was revealed that the people chasing us had been Siobhan's mother and stepfather and there was a happy reunion after a long-held misunderstanding.

I thought that this was a normal and boring and happy ending to a normal and boring dream until DS Clarke came down the stairs asking for advice on how to shave all the hair off her body, just as had been done in my holiday snaps in Liverpool (even though I had been 5 at the time and that's why I had no hair).

July 21, 2005

Speaking of frequent flyer miles...

The job search appears to be picking up as we approach the beginning of a new school year and institutions of higher-education get their hiring-education processes in gear.

Last week I applied for a job at an Unidentified Ohio College on Monday. They called back on Tuesday and left a voice mail that I didn't get until after work on Wednesday. They called again on Thursday and set up a phone interview for Friday. When I told my boss about my interview, he informed me that Another Ohio University had called him up for a reference earlier that day.

This Monday, I got a call from Unidentified Pennsylvania University asking, in the same breath, whether I was still interested in the position and which day from August 1-4 would be most convenient for me to fly down for an interview. No phone interview! Maybe they'd talked to UOC and realized that a phone interview was a bad idea. So I organized a trip down there for the 2nd and 3rd and bought my ticket on Tuesday.

This morning I got another invitation for an on-campus interview from Another Ohio University. They offered an interview for August 2 and I had to turn it down (I've been free all summer and they pick one of two days that I've committed to something else!) and ask if we could do it another day instead.

So now it looks like I'll be flying out to Pennsylvania on the 2nd, returning on the 3rd, flying to Columbus (via Chicago) on the 4th and returning the night of the 5th. Whoo!

I just hope something comes of all this...

July 18, 2005

Local geography quiz

On Washtenaw Avenue going east after the US-23 exit, there is a left-turn light onto Pittsfield Boulevard.

Am I LOSING MY MIND, or did that just appear this weekend? Didn't it used to be a regular light, where you had to wait for oncoming traffic? It was a stupid regular light, because you couldn't see the oncoming traffic coming up the hill, but I believe it was a regular light when I went through that intersection late last week.

It's like it just came out of nowhere - one day it was a plain light and the next it was a left-turn. Unless it's always been there and I'm going crazy. Will some AnnArborite please comment and make me feel better? Or worse?

July 17, 2005

Open letter to the animal kingdom

Dear raccoons,

Thank you for having such creepy glowing eyes that make you visible in the beams of headlights. Thanks to your creepy glowing eyes, I was able to spot you and slow down to see a whole family of you scurrying off the road!

Harry Potter and the Snakes and Snails and Puppy-dog tails

I don't think this is a spoiler, because it's said in one of the early chapters and isn't very surprising: Dumbledore briefly mentioned that the Dementors were breeding, something that made both me and my sister make a strange face when we read it. I hadn't really thought about the Dementors having sexual organs or any gender at all. Alfie explained her confusion thusly:

"There are female ones? I always associated them with being male because they suck the happiness out of everything."

Srahmom put her two cents in, wondering what a baby dementor would look like, being pushed around in a pram on Sunday morning. "Oh, what a darling baby! And he looks like he wants to give me a little kiss..."

Unconscious Mutterings

It's sleepy time! It's all over!

read extended entry... »

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: My thoughts

I went to Borders last night with Alfie to pick up her reserved copy of the book. It was a bit of a zoo. When we picked up Order of the Phoenix at Waldenbooks, we stood in a line of about thirty people, picked up the book and were probably home by 12:30. At Borders this year, we were given a number somewhere in the 500s and everyone milled around until midnight, which was when they finally started lining people up by number. We were home by about 1:45. Zonk.

Interesting, though: When we bought Order of the Phoenix, the Days were in line behind us. For book 6, it was Roommate. Albion reunion in the Harry Potter line, yo!

Alright, here's my HBP thoughts, typed up as I go along. Don't read the extended entry unless you want to be spoiled. It sucks that UK and US editions are different, and page numbers will be off, but there's nothing to be done for it!

(Caution: It's long. I ended up having something to say every three pages or so and the book is 600 pages long. HA!)

read extended entry... »

July 16, 2005

Christmas in July!

Alan Rickman must have left it in my mailbox, for that's where I found it.

Apparently Ann Arbor's UPS deliveryfolks only work a half-day on Saturdays, so some of their Harry Potter deliveries were outsourced to the US Post Office.

Pictures are taken, blog is blogged. Now to get reading!

July 15, 2005

Another one bites the dust

I am sure that the most successful phone interviews do not involve the interviewing parties going "Hello? Hello? Are you still there? Can you hear me?", apparently having missed out on half of what the interviewee just said.

Thanks, TDS Metrocom! I wish you'd die!

Dream

I dreamt last night that I was on the police force. Apparently all of the cops in my department were renegade, rogue cops who didn't like to play by the rules... except for one.

Played by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's character (whose name I've now forgotten) was good and honest and true and followed the rules and loved everyone regardless of their race, creed or color and had really perfect dental hygiene. The commanding officers loved him and we all hated him. But just before I woke up, he won us over with a stirring speech about love for family.

There was also a part of the dream earlier where I was on campus and yammered through someone's moment of silence, then mooned Dively.

July 14, 2005

Rule #1: Sarah is always right. Rule #2: If Sarah is wrong, see rule #1.

Dear Internet,

I would like your assistance in a little argument that apete and I are having:

If you use one of these machines to make something consisting of pie filling between two slices of bread, is the resulting confection a sandwich or a pie?

I will refrain from sharing which of the arguments is mine (and therefore correct) until you have discussed it amongst yourself. I'm sure that you will all come to the correct conclusion.

I would settle for Rupert Grint! But that's kind of gross!

To follow up on a previous post:

From the delivery reports so far, it looks like all of the deliveries are being made by celebrities who have something to do with what's being delivered. This is fair - if Dale Jarrett showed up on my doorstep, I believe my exact reaction would be, "Hey.... Guy in a Jumpsuit.... It's really amazing to actually meet you in person, Guy in a Jumpsuit. I'm a big fan of... whatever it is you do. Oh well. At least I got my Harry Potter book. Bye." But in something I read about the promotion, they said it would extend through 5pm on Saturday and specifically mentioned Harry Potter. I doubt they'd have Harrison Ford deliver Harry Potter, even if they do have similar first names. So instead, I send this message out to Alan Rickman: Watch yourself, dear. I may shoot out of the door and leap upon you, begging you to murmur sweet nothings in my direction.

(Note: This isn't even realistic, because if you look at the site, you'll notice all of the deliverees are in New York or California. Apparently celebrities can't be arsed to leave their home states, so those of us in the middle of the country will have to jump on hot corn-fed Midwestern UPS guys instead. Screw you, Coasts!)

July 13, 2005

The Sims Eat My Soul

I didn't play during the school year. I knew that I tend to obsess and that things would get out of control and I just didn't have the time. When I graduated, I looked forward to being able to play again, but my Simming got a little out of control a few weeks ago.

I was spending entire days in my pyjamas and staying up until all hours of the night manipulating my fake people's fake lives, and I wasn't doing anything valuable with my real life. There was a period where I suddenly realized I hadn't applied for a single job in a month. I quit cold turkey and stayed off the junk for over a week, but it didn't seem right - rather than complete abstention or complete obsession, I had to find a happy medium.

To remedy the situation, I've made a rule for myself: I can play The Sims on the weekend as long as I don't get carried away and don't shirk other responsibilities and commitments, and I can play on weekdays only after I've applied for at least one job.

So far (less than a week into this) it seems to be working okay. I've played a little, but I haven't become hypnotized yet. I haven't given in to the urge to let Juan give birth to his second alien baby or Benjamin be terrorized by the dripping ghost of the ex-girlfriend I killed in his pool or Jonkykong* age into a teenager. I'm making progress.

So now instead of sitting around the house in my pyjamas all day playing The Sims, I sit around the house in my pyjamas all day applying for jobs. This is the life, folks!

–––––
* Don't ask.

Feeling hot hot hot?

It's time for another Neurotic Fishbowl CD swap: Burn It - The Summer 2005 Edition.

"I live in Texas and it is freaking hot outside. Driving to a friend's house yesterday I passed a digital thermometer that said 106°. That's freaking hot.

"In honor of the blistering Texas heat, this Burn (appropriately enough) is about hot music. And by this I mean music so sensual, so sexy, so scorching (like all the s words?), that it makes you hot, just like you too were out in the Texas sun. This would be the music you would want playing in the background if you were really into someone to go with the sexual tension in the air."

I participated last year and I'll give it another shot this time. Anyone else want to join? Sign up at Neurotic Fishbowl!

If only I had income, I could have a frequent flyer credit card...

I haven't given any thought to my frequent flyer miles in over a year, but apete recently mentioned the Rewards Network program, where you can register a credit card with a frequent flyer miles account and earn miles by dining at participating restaurants. I just signed up and decided to favor my Northwest account, because they have such a pretty little terminal in Detroit.

Some Ann Arbor participants in the Rewards Network program that I already frequent and might as well earn something back from include Amer's, Arbor Brewing Company and Leopold Brothers'. I recommend it if you are a collector of miles!

July 12, 2005

Reason #45934 Why I Should Be Locked In My House And Not Allowed Out

Snyder of Berlin Sea Salt and Malt Vinegar Potato Chips are the best salt and vinegar chips I've ever had.

But I may just think that because I'm being disgusting and licking the salt and vinegar off before eating them.

At work.

July 10, 2005

Unconscious Mutterings

Unbounded memification! Or something. Stop reading this part; it's boring. On to the free associations! Let's see how my mind works! Or, if you'd like to do it yourself without being influenced by my answers, click on the icon!

read extended entry... »

July 8, 2005

Vendredi

Vendredi, enfin!

Cette Semaine de Langues a été très populaire et je vous remercie d'avoir participé: AnP, Armin, Christina, Elemmaciltur, In Actual Fact, J, Jamie, Jen, Katie, Marisa, Noor, Patricia, Renee, Scott et Stuart. (Écrivez-moi si j'ai oublié quelqu'un!)

Et je voudrais remercier aussi quelqu'un qui m'a beaucoup aidé et m'a soutenu cette semaine:

[Read the extended entry for English translation; click the Language Week icon for an explanation]

read extended entry... »

Look, Your Worshipfulness, let's get one thing straight. I deliver orders to just one person: you.

I can picture it now...

*doorbell rings*
*srah races to the door to collect her Amazon delivery*
*delivery-person hands srah a box*
*srah's jaw drops*
*srahfamily's collective jaws drop*
"Don't everyone thank me at once."

If Han Solo delivers my copy of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince a week from Saturday, I'm going to...

... I don't know. Take a picture of him or something. I'm such a wimp.

Jeudi

J'ai passé toute la journée à regarder les nouvelles de Londres à la télé (même s'il n'y avait pas vraiment de nouvelles, parce que rien n'a changé depuis le matin londonien!) et le résultat, c'est que j'ai oublié d'écrire l'article de jeudi. Alors le voilà, très tôt vendredi matin.

Comme j'ai dit hier, je suis allée à la bibliothèque pour chercher un dictionnaire espagnol-anglais. Ce que je n'ai pas dit, c'est lorsque j'étais là, devant les livres et les cassettes de langues étrangères, j'ai pris le décision d'étudier une autre langue.

J'ai tenté d'apprendre des langues plusieurs fois dans ma vie - d'habitude ça se passe quand je n'ai pas grande chose à faire. Donc quand j'étudiais à Grenoble, j'ai acheté mon livre de leçons d'espagnol. J'ai appris un peu, mais je n'ai pas beaucoup retenu. Puis pendant mon année à Vichy, avec l'accès à la médiathèque municipale, j'ai loué des cassettes d'italien, d'allemand et de russe. De ces trois langues, la seule chose dont je me rappelle, c'est la phrase Si tolga i pantaloni - une phrase qui est censé être très importante si on veut voir un médicin italien.

Alors, je me lance vers l'arabe en ce moment. J'ai pris des cassettes Pimsleur et je les écoute dans la voiture. On verra si ça marchera ou si je l'abandonnerai comme j'ai fait avec tant d'autres langues!

[Read the extended entry for English translation; click the Language Week icon for an explanation]

read extended entry... »

srah | 12:11 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack | Tags: arabic

We'll collect the moments one by one/ I guess that's how the future's done - Feist, 'Mushaboom'

main | about | archives | contact | links | RSS/XML feeds

July 2005 archive

July 31, 2005

July 30, 2005

July 28, 2005

July 27, 2005

July 26, 2005

July 25, 2005

July 24, 2005

July 23, 2005

July 21, 2005

July 18, 2005

July 17, 2005

July 16, 2005

July 15, 2005

July 14, 2005

July 13, 2005

July 12, 2005

July 10, 2005

July 8, 2005

We'll collect the moments one by one/ I guess that's how the future's done
- Feist, 'Mushaboom'