My apologies. Anyway. It's been 2 and a half weeks since my fantastic interview, so I think I'm gonna go ahead and pronounce the time of death - Wednesday, March 29, 8:25 p.m. EST.
Naturally when one experiences the death of a loved one, whether the loved one be a person or just a dream, or maybe even a whiff of desperate hope clinging like toilet paper to the bottom of one's shoe, one is bound to start questioning one's life. You start wondering things like, "What the FUCK?!?" I mean, I walked out of that interview thinking that I nailed it; almost positive I was going to get an offer. And then...nothing. How does that happen? And I think you all know, I am not a confident person by nature. Even if I do well I'm pretty sure I suck. So how the hell did I not get this job, considering that by some fluke, some weird astrological alignment of the planets or some shit, I actually left the interview feeling good about myself and the world in general (which is most definitely not in my nature)?
The only thing I can come up with is that, as I mentioned before, they already had someone in mind they were going to hire, OR they liked me, but decided to hire someone with better qualifications, more experience, someone more to their ethnic preference, etc. etc.
I guess it doesn't pay to dwell on it. Except that coming to work everyday is now a literally painful experience and the thought of idling away the first couple years of my career in this insanely boring paraprofessional position is almost too much for me.
But I feel like I'm being a downer, so let's end this post with a happy thought: the only place to go from here is up.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Saturday, March 25, 2006
Links 'n' Things
Hi y'all (that's my nod to my current place of residence),
Sorry I haven't updated for awhile - as my life continues to be as dull as a cardboard box it becomes more difficult to come up with witty blog entries. So, first things first - I haven't heard back about that fabulous interview I had. Yes, it's now been two weeks. Yes, things look bleak. I'm not going to write it off completely for a few more days, although I get the distinct feeling I'm just kidding myself. Oh well. As time wore on between the giddy interview day and, well, today, I started to second-guess myself and began to think (perhaps correctly?) that maybe the reason the interview went so well was because the interview panel already knew who they were going to hire (not me) - thus their breezy, carefree manner and utter lack of gravity. This would explain why the interview went so quickly (about 30 minutes), and why they didn't grill me on my skills or experience. Or I could just be paranoid. Whatever. As soon as I hear anything, I will post.
So many interesting things in the news lately...Props go out to Cecilia Fire Thunder for saying that she would open a Planned Parenthood clinic on the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota, where she is president. Unfortunately, PP has said they have no plans to build a clinic there, but hey, she tried - Fire Thunder asserts that the reservation is autonomous from the South Dakota state government and thus the state's abortion ban would have no legal footing there. (Link to BoingBoing post here.) I think this is great - go President Fire Thunder! (And really, could there be a better name for a president?)
This is an interesting point of view on the whole pro-life agenda. And here's a great cartoon about Bill Napoli and womens' ability to make their own decisions.
And President Bush has unofficially declared himself Herr Commandant Lord Chancellor on High of the Universe, forgetting, as he is wont to do, that as an American citizen he is obligated to follow ALL laws passed by Congress, not just the ones he likes.
Ok, that about wraps it up for what I have to say today. Should anything interesting happen in my life, I'll let you all know.
Sorry I haven't updated for awhile - as my life continues to be as dull as a cardboard box it becomes more difficult to come up with witty blog entries. So, first things first - I haven't heard back about that fabulous interview I had. Yes, it's now been two weeks. Yes, things look bleak. I'm not going to write it off completely for a few more days, although I get the distinct feeling I'm just kidding myself. Oh well. As time wore on between the giddy interview day and, well, today, I started to second-guess myself and began to think (perhaps correctly?) that maybe the reason the interview went so well was because the interview panel already knew who they were going to hire (not me) - thus their breezy, carefree manner and utter lack of gravity. This would explain why the interview went so quickly (about 30 minutes), and why they didn't grill me on my skills or experience. Or I could just be paranoid. Whatever. As soon as I hear anything, I will post.
So many interesting things in the news lately...Props go out to Cecilia Fire Thunder for saying that she would open a Planned Parenthood clinic on the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota, where she is president. Unfortunately, PP has said they have no plans to build a clinic there, but hey, she tried - Fire Thunder asserts that the reservation is autonomous from the South Dakota state government and thus the state's abortion ban would have no legal footing there. (Link to BoingBoing post here.) I think this is great - go President Fire Thunder! (And really, could there be a better name for a president?)
This is an interesting point of view on the whole pro-life agenda. And here's a great cartoon about Bill Napoli and womens' ability to make their own decisions.
And President Bush has unofficially declared himself Herr Commandant Lord Chancellor on High of the Universe, forgetting, as he is wont to do, that as an American citizen he is obligated to follow ALL laws passed by Congress, not just the ones he likes.
Ok, that about wraps it up for what I have to say today. Should anything interesting happen in my life, I'll let you all know.
Monday, March 20, 2006
Sunday, March 19, 2006
My neighborhood, part II
Welcome back to the walking tour of my neighborhood in Arlington. This is the Arlington County Courthouse, after which the neighborhood has been named. I quite like it because it doesn't look so much like a courthouse, whereas pretty much all the other architecture in this region resembles nothing but courthouses. That brick building you see in the distance is my apartment building.
This is the neighborhood Ben and Jerry's. To my credit, I have only been there twice. However, I have partaken of their product in pint form numerous times, so it is a hollow victory.
This is one of several construction projects going on in and around my neighborhood. They are freaking annoying, but I rest easy with the knowledge that the last laugh will be mine, since the condo market will soon be flooded and they'll be selling these puppies for a lot less than the current asking price. Hehe. I may have forgotten to mention that my apartment building is being turned into condos, thus the reason we are moving to a different building. The asking price for our current one bedroom, 805 sq. foot apartment with no view to speak of? $420,000. And no, I didn't add an extra zero by mistake. Join me in a hearty guffaw, won't you?
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Rally round the whistleblower
I saw this on Boing Boing - apparently a whistleblower for one of those electronic vote-counting companies has turned over evidence regarding his employer's possible misconduct. As is the wont of evil Republican-controlled corporations everywhere, they are now trying to destroy him by charging him with "felony access to computerdata, commercial burglary and receiving stolen property."
So, since we know that my readership is vast and influential, I'm putting out a call to anyone who may be or know of an attorney who would be willing to offer this guy some pro bono legal help. Because even though Boing Boing has about 50 million more readers than I do, there is the remote possibility that they need some help from me to circulate the story.
Anywho. I promise that I will post more photos for my walking tour of Arlington soon (I know you love them so).
So, since we know that my readership is vast and influential, I'm putting out a call to anyone who may be or know of an attorney who would be willing to offer this guy some pro bono legal help. Because even though Boing Boing has about 50 million more readers than I do, there is the remote possibility that they need some help from me to circulate the story.
Anywho. I promise that I will post more photos for my walking tour of Arlington soon (I know you love them so).
Monday, March 13, 2006
The third-world country that I live in, called Arlington, VA
1. A water main broke in Arlington yesterday afternoon, leaving us without water for about two hours. (This did not affect me, as I was at work.) However, when the water was restored, it was dirty and brown and therefore not potable, though I had several things I needed to do last night that involved the use of water, such as washing the dishes, doing laundry, and cleaning the bathroom. None of those things happened, since the water ran dirty and brown all evening.
2. Upon complaining to our after-hours maintenance number, we were told simply to let the water run for a bit before using, which did nothing but cake the bathtub with dirt.
3. Upon waking up this morning, I was cheered to find that the water, though not entirely clear, was at least clear enough that I felt comfortable washing my face and brushing my teeth with it (though of course it was still too dirty to drink).
4. However, about an hour later the power went out. As I was heading off to the gym, I made a snide joke to my BF about lighting some candles in order to take a shower (no window in the bathroom, you see) and left.
5. ...and returned about 40 minutes later, having arrived at the gym to find a sign on the door reading, "Dear Members: We are experiencing some problems. There is no hot water." Well, that was jim-fucking-dandy, since I'd just spent 20 minutes humping around a heavy backpack and shlepping up and down metro escalators to get there. I wouldn't have had enough time to work out and then come back home to take a shower before work, so I simply turned around and went back home (another 20 minutes).
6. I then spent ten minutes waiting for the one working elevator to take me up to my apartment, and proceeded to take a shower in the dark. When I was almost finished, the power finally came back on, but I was too steamed to really care by this point.
7. As a direct result of all this madness, I just consumed a king-size bag of Lay's Potato Chips and a Reese's Peanut Butter cup in the shape of a Christmas tree (both expired items gleaned from the bookstore where I work.)
2. Upon complaining to our after-hours maintenance number, we were told simply to let the water run for a bit before using, which did nothing but cake the bathtub with dirt.
3. Upon waking up this morning, I was cheered to find that the water, though not entirely clear, was at least clear enough that I felt comfortable washing my face and brushing my teeth with it (though of course it was still too dirty to drink).
4. However, about an hour later the power went out. As I was heading off to the gym, I made a snide joke to my BF about lighting some candles in order to take a shower (no window in the bathroom, you see) and left.
5. ...and returned about 40 minutes later, having arrived at the gym to find a sign on the door reading, "Dear Members: We are experiencing some problems. There is no hot water." Well, that was jim-fucking-dandy, since I'd just spent 20 minutes humping around a heavy backpack and shlepping up and down metro escalators to get there. I wouldn't have had enough time to work out and then come back home to take a shower before work, so I simply turned around and went back home (another 20 minutes).
6. I then spent ten minutes waiting for the one working elevator to take me up to my apartment, and proceeded to take a shower in the dark. When I was almost finished, the power finally came back on, but I was too steamed to really care by this point.
7. As a direct result of all this madness, I just consumed a king-size bag of Lay's Potato Chips and a Reese's Peanut Butter cup in the shape of a Christmas tree (both expired items gleaned from the bookstore where I work.)
Saturday, March 11, 2006
Scroll down
...to see a post I created on Thursday but didn't publish till today (Saturday). I thought the date on the post would come up as the date I published, not the date I created. Guess I was wrong. And I can't seem to figure out how to change it. Stupid Blogger.
Friday, March 10, 2006
Finally, something good happens
This morning, for the first time since I began interviewing for post-library school positions, and possibly the first time ever in the history of my life, I actually had a good interview. I convinced myself beforehand that I had no shot at this position, and besides that, I didn't really want to work at the library anyway (very urban, very gritty). So with these low expectations in mind, I wasn't really that nervous going into the interview, figuring I would just blow it off once it was over and forget it ever happened.
But then. Ah, then. I had instant rapport with the interviewers, who were nice, relaxed and professional; I answered all their questions smoothly and intelligently, with nary a stammer; and, unexpectedly, the interviewers seemed charmed by my responses and genuinely impressed with my background and skills. See, you guys? It does pay to have low expectations.
Now you're saying, "Oh, Hack, you practical joker, you." This is all an elaborate set-up for the joke, right? About how awful it was? Nope. I swear to you, it went really well. And there's not even a second round of interviews - one forty-minute chat, and now I just have to wait a week to ten days to find out if I got the job.
The only catch? Ok, there's more than one. First, I haven't told my boss yet that I went on an interview (not after she practically cried the last time I told her I had one). Also, like I said before, it's a public library, and very urban and run-down. It would be a depressing place to work. And I would still have to work rotating evening and weekend shifts, in an area of the city where I would actually feel threatened for my safety walking to the metro station after dark. BUT. It would pay a hell of a lot more money. It would be an honest-to-god librarian position, with lots more responsibility and more interesting things to do than I currently have. I don't think there's really any question that I would jump at this opportunity if it were given to me.
So. Yay. I feel pretty good about this one. I'm crossing my fingers.
But then. Ah, then. I had instant rapport with the interviewers, who were nice, relaxed and professional; I answered all their questions smoothly and intelligently, with nary a stammer; and, unexpectedly, the interviewers seemed charmed by my responses and genuinely impressed with my background and skills. See, you guys? It does pay to have low expectations.
Now you're saying, "Oh, Hack, you practical joker, you." This is all an elaborate set-up for the joke, right? About how awful it was? Nope. I swear to you, it went really well. And there's not even a second round of interviews - one forty-minute chat, and now I just have to wait a week to ten days to find out if I got the job.
The only catch? Ok, there's more than one. First, I haven't told my boss yet that I went on an interview (not after she practically cried the last time I told her I had one). Also, like I said before, it's a public library, and very urban and run-down. It would be a depressing place to work. And I would still have to work rotating evening and weekend shifts, in an area of the city where I would actually feel threatened for my safety walking to the metro station after dark. BUT. It would pay a hell of a lot more money. It would be an honest-to-god librarian position, with lots more responsibility and more interesting things to do than I currently have. I don't think there's really any question that I would jump at this opportunity if it were given to me.
So. Yay. I feel pretty good about this one. I'm crossing my fingers.
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Where I live: Courthouse neighborhood, Arlington, VA
Alrighty, my peeps, here it is, as promised: my photo-rific walking tour of the 'hood in Arlington. The pic you see above is part of my apartment complex - the building there isn't the building I currently live in, but is the one I will be moving into very shortly. My building is just to the left of the courtyard. As you can see, spring has arrived. I predict we'll have about a month of mild, comfortable weather until the heat and humidity become unbearable. You'll get the next installment (photo) later on, since I can't get Blogger to do what I want lay-out wise. If I had more time and web development skillz and a place to host it, I would just make my own web page. But I don't. So here we are.
For the catalogers and anal retentive among us
Hey, I just found this cool new web service called Library Thing. You can use it to catalog your personal library, instead of paying thousands of dollars to buy your own cataloging software and hooking up an OCLC connection (notice how I sound like I know what I'm talking about when really I don't have the vaguest clue?).
Check out the new addition on my sidebar, which will now feature random books from my own collection (I'm doing this from work at the moment, so my collection is pretty tiny thus far - I smell a weekend project!). Unfortunately I need to work on the font sizing. But hey, a good thing is a good thing.
Check out the new addition on my sidebar, which will now feature random books from my own collection (I'm doing this from work at the moment, so my collection is pretty tiny thus far - I smell a weekend project!). Unfortunately I need to work on the font sizing. But hey, a good thing is a good thing.
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
I will have my vengeance
To be specific, I already got it. You know that perv I told you about who sexually harassed me at work? Yeah, well, apparently he asked for and/or tried to give a couple other women (including my boss) their/his digits and they complained to security, so the guy has been banned from the building. Ah ha! Take that, creepy men of the world! 'Course, he hadn't really bothered me since I had to open a can of whoop-ass on him, but the man deserves what he gets. Hee hee.
OK, enough schadenfreude. Not much has happened since I last updated at noon today, although I have been contemplating the idea of boredom as torture. I mean, it is a legitimate form of torture (can torture be legitimate?) -- think of solitary confinement. But I say that solitary confinement has nothing on boredom at work. And I'm not talking about the occasional hum-drums, the "I-hate-filing-and-making-photocopies" kind of boredom; I'm talking excruciating, want-to-use-my-keyboard-to-bludgeon-myself-to-death-so-that-I-don't-have-to-be-here kind of boredom. Because that kind of boredom, the kind where you have to maintain a pleasant and professional demeanor while staring into the middle distance secretly hoping for an airplane to fly into the building, is the worst kind of torture. I can't listen to music or watch DVDs, I can't play games; I can't even sprawl out on the floor and take a nap or mutter to myself like I could if I was in solitary. All I can do is surf the web, which, believe me, sounds appealing but loses its sparkle after about twenty minutes. I can update my blog, but only when no one else is around which means only on the nights I work till ten. Which is torture unto itself, and is not something to desire or look forward to.
Help me.
OK, enough schadenfreude. Not much has happened since I last updated at noon today, although I have been contemplating the idea of boredom as torture. I mean, it is a legitimate form of torture (can torture be legitimate?) -- think of solitary confinement. But I say that solitary confinement has nothing on boredom at work. And I'm not talking about the occasional hum-drums, the "I-hate-filing-and-making-photocopies" kind of boredom; I'm talking excruciating, want-to-use-my-keyboard-to-bludgeon-myself-to-death-so-that-I-don't-have-to-be-here kind of boredom. Because that kind of boredom, the kind where you have to maintain a pleasant and professional demeanor while staring into the middle distance secretly hoping for an airplane to fly into the building, is the worst kind of torture. I can't listen to music or watch DVDs, I can't play games; I can't even sprawl out on the floor and take a nap or mutter to myself like I could if I was in solitary. All I can do is surf the web, which, believe me, sounds appealing but loses its sparkle after about twenty minutes. I can update my blog, but only when no one else is around which means only on the nights I work till ten. Which is torture unto itself, and is not something to desire or look forward to.
Help me.
Oh, there it is!
I rediscovered my moral outrage upon reading yesterday that the governor of South Dakota, the woman-hating bastard, went ahead and signed the abortion ban into law. It will stay tied up in court for years and will I'm sure inevitably end up before the Supreme Court, causing a revisit of Roe v. Wade. I'm sorry, but wasn't this issue ALREADY DECIDED THREE DECADES AGO?!?
OK. I'm done for now. I thought the years-long struggle (some may say centuries-long) for women's rights was nearing closure of some sort, but I guess I was wrong. Everything our mothers (OK, not my mother, the self-righteous anti-abortion Catholic who got married at the age of 19, but other people's mothers), fought for may be obliterated. It just makes me so sad.
OK, now I'm done for reals. I keep making resolutions with myself that I'm going to update the blog on a more regular basis, but then by the time I get home from work I'm so tired that I cannot think of one single interesting thing to say, and if I even turn my computer on it is only in order to watch a DVD. But I've had an idea for some time to take my 2.5 readers on a walking tour of my neighborhood here in Arlington, and last weekend I finally got around to taking the requisite photos. Now I just need to edit them, which is apparently more difficult than I had anticipated, since BF is not around to baby me through it. *Sigh* But I swear it will be coming soon.
On a happy note, we're supposed to have temperatures in the 60s here for the next few days, which I realize is not happy for anyone but me. Now if only I didn't have to drag my ass to work every day.
OK. I'm done for now. I thought the years-long struggle (some may say centuries-long) for women's rights was nearing closure of some sort, but I guess I was wrong. Everything our mothers (OK, not my mother, the self-righteous anti-abortion Catholic who got married at the age of 19, but other people's mothers), fought for may be obliterated. It just makes me so sad.
OK, now I'm done for reals. I keep making resolutions with myself that I'm going to update the blog on a more regular basis, but then by the time I get home from work I'm so tired that I cannot think of one single interesting thing to say, and if I even turn my computer on it is only in order to watch a DVD. But I've had an idea for some time to take my 2.5 readers on a walking tour of my neighborhood here in Arlington, and last weekend I finally got around to taking the requisite photos. Now I just need to edit them, which is apparently more difficult than I had anticipated, since BF is not around to baby me through it. *Sigh* But I swear it will be coming soon.
On a happy note, we're supposed to have temperatures in the 60s here for the next few days, which I realize is not happy for anyone but me. Now if only I didn't have to drag my ass to work every day.
Friday, March 03, 2006
look at me i'm outraged
Well folks, The Man has finally beaten me down. I know that I should be all fired up and ready to kick some pro-life ass over the recent developments in this country o' mine, and yet, I just can't really get up the energy. Which is weird, because lack of anger is usually not a problem I have. I mean, there is some outrage swimming there under the surface - I sigh heavily whenever I see pro-life ads on the subway (and where are the pro-choice ads? Come on, NARAL, let's get on the ball, shall we?). But I'm sort of at the point where I'm just throwing up my hands and saying, "You know what, right wing nutjobbers? Do your fucking worst, because I just can't be bothered anymore. I'm too tired. Just do your thing, wreck the country for us and for our grandchildren, and be done with it. Let me get some sleep." Maybe my mind is just subconsciously resting itself for the big fight ahead in the next couple of years, I don't know.
Here's some depressing links for more on this topic, in case you aren't already depressed enough about your [potential loss of ] reproductive rights:
Post article about correlation between loss of funding for birth control and unintended pregnancies (gee, ya think?!?)
Editorial by former FDA big-wig Susan Wood about the politics behind Plan B
Just ran into this while looking for some good links:
South Dakota Governor Mike Rounds' address, so that you can send him vehement letters of protest:
Office of the Governor
500 E. Capitol Ave.
Pierre, SD 57501
605.773.3212
The poster said that S.D. is worried about potential loss of tourism because of this bill, so if you write be sure to emphasize that you will never set foot in S.D. if this bill becomes law. (Not that you would anyway, but he doesn't know that).
Here's some depressing links for more on this topic, in case you aren't already depressed enough about your [potential loss of ] reproductive rights:
Post article about correlation between loss of funding for birth control and unintended pregnancies (gee, ya think?!?)
Editorial by former FDA big-wig Susan Wood about the politics behind Plan B
Just ran into this while looking for some good links:
South Dakota Governor Mike Rounds' address, so that you can send him vehement letters of protest:
Office of the Governor
500 E. Capitol Ave.
Pierre, SD 57501
605.773.3212
The poster said that S.D. is worried about potential loss of tourism because of this bill, so if you write be sure to emphasize that you will never set foot in S.D. if this bill becomes law. (Not that you would anyway, but he doesn't know that).
Monday, February 27, 2006
Baby Got Back(Fat)
OK. Here's the deal: I'm going to lose 15 pounds by June 1st. Now, don't worry, this isn't going to turn into a weight loss blog (and believe me, they exist), but rather I am just making this announcement public so that I can be accountable to myself for progress towards my goal. How does making my weight loss goal public information make me accountable, you ask? Well, for starters, if I fall off the wagon and somebody says to me, "Hey, lost any weight yet?" it will shame me into getting back on track (or perhaps just make me hurt you, but whatever). And if anyone sees me eating something like a bag of Chee-tohs, you can frown at me disapprovingly and castigate me with your eyes. Not that it will do any good, but go ahead and try if it makes you feel morally superior.
See, the thing is, it's long been my goal to lose about 20-30 pounds, thus putting me squarely at my undergraduate--and total babe-magnet--weight (pause here for guffawing). Since I moved to Crapville, aka Our Nation's Capital, I've lost about ten pounds, but then, as usual, I plateaued and grew complacent, and haven't lost any more weight. The next thing that generally happens is that my weight will gradually climb up again, until I become so disgusted with myself that I clamp down on the eating and the not-exercising and the french-fry inhaling marathon until I lose ten pounds again. And so the cycle continues. BUT, this time I am determined for once and for all to lose the final fifteen pounds and keep them off forever. So there you have it, in black and white. I WILL LOSE 15 POUNDS BY JUNE 1.
Which reminds me, I watched this grotesque TV show last night on Discovery Health about a morbidly obese man who weighed 759 pounds. It was really gross and very, very sad - it wasn't like this guy had a thyroid condition or anything; he just really, really enjoyed himself some good eatin'. I mean the guy looked like Jabba the Hut for reals, and he got so fat that he basically could not even move anymore - he had to be put in a long-term care facility where, try as they might to help the poor guy lose weight, he eventually died. I kept wondering a) how do you let yourself get to that point? (and immediately changed my mind about that bowl of ice cream I had planned on eating) and b) how do you let someone you love get to that point? (he was married). And also, how do you not seek help from someone at oh, say, 500 pounds, and not plead for some weight-loss pills or a stomach staple or SOMETHING? Of course he was poor, not that educated, and probably didn't have much health insurance to speak of, but still. My guess is the only reason his doctors at the facility didn't recommend a gastric bypass surgery was that his body wouldn't have been able to handle it. The creepiest thing of all was that, though I felt mortified for this guy to have his misery video-taped for mass consumption and I was disgusted by what I saw, I was glued to the TV. I kept thinking, "How dare they put this on television for viewers to gawk at mercilessly? Doesn't this guy and his family have enough problems without putting them on display to the world?" And yet I could not change the channel. But I really, really wanted him to lose weight and return to some semblance of a normal life, and thinking to myself, "It's TV! Of course he'll pull through; they wouldn't show it if he didn't!" I was astounded to learn that after a short while in the facility he died from a blood infection because his body was just too weak to fight it.
The moral of this story, boys and girls, is seek out some help BEFORE you get to the 759-pound mark. So yeah, I'm losing 15 pounds, everyone.
See, the thing is, it's long been my goal to lose about 20-30 pounds, thus putting me squarely at my undergraduate--and total babe-magnet--weight (pause here for guffawing). Since I moved to Crapville, aka Our Nation's Capital, I've lost about ten pounds, but then, as usual, I plateaued and grew complacent, and haven't lost any more weight. The next thing that generally happens is that my weight will gradually climb up again, until I become so disgusted with myself that I clamp down on the eating and the not-exercising and the french-fry inhaling marathon until I lose ten pounds again. And so the cycle continues. BUT, this time I am determined for once and for all to lose the final fifteen pounds and keep them off forever. So there you have it, in black and white. I WILL LOSE 15 POUNDS BY JUNE 1.
Which reminds me, I watched this grotesque TV show last night on Discovery Health about a morbidly obese man who weighed 759 pounds. It was really gross and very, very sad - it wasn't like this guy had a thyroid condition or anything; he just really, really enjoyed himself some good eatin'. I mean the guy looked like Jabba the Hut for reals, and he got so fat that he basically could not even move anymore - he had to be put in a long-term care facility where, try as they might to help the poor guy lose weight, he eventually died. I kept wondering a) how do you let yourself get to that point? (and immediately changed my mind about that bowl of ice cream I had planned on eating) and b) how do you let someone you love get to that point? (he was married). And also, how do you not seek help from someone at oh, say, 500 pounds, and not plead for some weight-loss pills or a stomach staple or SOMETHING? Of course he was poor, not that educated, and probably didn't have much health insurance to speak of, but still. My guess is the only reason his doctors at the facility didn't recommend a gastric bypass surgery was that his body wouldn't have been able to handle it. The creepiest thing of all was that, though I felt mortified for this guy to have his misery video-taped for mass consumption and I was disgusted by what I saw, I was glued to the TV. I kept thinking, "How dare they put this on television for viewers to gawk at mercilessly? Doesn't this guy and his family have enough problems without putting them on display to the world?" And yet I could not change the channel. But I really, really wanted him to lose weight and return to some semblance of a normal life, and thinking to myself, "It's TV! Of course he'll pull through; they wouldn't show it if he didn't!" I was astounded to learn that after a short while in the facility he died from a blood infection because his body was just too weak to fight it.
The moral of this story, boys and girls, is seek out some help BEFORE you get to the 759-pound mark. So yeah, I'm losing 15 pounds, everyone.
Saturday, February 25, 2006
Oh, you know you want it
I've been racking my brain all morning (so about three hours), for a good topic to write about today but sadly, nothing has really come to mind other than to name my picks for the Oscars. Now, you had to know this was coming so it's no use complaining. But of course, when one makes these kind of predictions, there is always the pull between naming who we really WANT to win, and naming who we think will ACTUALLY win (I'm using the royal 'we' here). So I think I'll make up two lists--one for who I want, and one for who will really get it. If my predictions are right on the second list, someone owes me a Coke.
P.S. I don't predict the meaningless catagories like Best Animated Short. As if I care.
Oscar Picks 2006 - If We Lived in a Perfect World
Best Picture: Crash
BF and I had a discussion about this, and my argument went that the two most socially important movies of the year, out of those nominated, were Crash and Munich. And I'm speaking of globally important, not just important to Americans. Thus my elimination of Brokeback Mountain. While I think that is a lovely and haunting film, and very important and ground-breaking for stupid Americans who can't seem to understand that homosexuals might just be humans like you and I, I personally didn't come away from the film feeling like my opinions had changed on anything or that anything in the movie really made me take stock of my values and preconceived notions of the world (but then I'm a Commie bleeding heart liberal, so I realize it's just me). However, Crash and Munich did all of the above for me. And yet, being the stupid American that I am, Crash spoke to me a bit more than Munich, so I have picked Crash as best picture.
Best Directing: Ang Lee
I know the logical choice here would have been Paul Haggis for Crash, but you really have to give Ang Lee, a Chinese man from Hong Kong, props for capturing the essence of western/cowboy culture to a T.
Best Actor: Philip Seymour Hoffman and Heath Ledger
I said this is if we lived in a perfect world. I can't choose between the two - they were both excellent in their own way.
Best Supporting Actor: Matt Dillon
Again, for Crash. The man just deserves some recognition.
Best Actress: I can't really vote in this one because I haven't seen all the movies, but I'd like to see Felicity Huffman win.
Best Supporting Actress: Amy Adams
She was hilarious, sweet, and stupid without being over the top.
Best Adapted Screenplay: Have only read In Cold Blood, so I can't really vote here.
Best Original Screenplay: Crash
Oscar Picks 2006 - Reality
Best Picture: Brokeback Mountain
I think it's one of the few all voters will have seen, plus it's gotten the most press and most awards thus far.
Best Director: Ang Lee
They rarely give these two awards to different films.
Best Actor: Philip Seymour Hoffman
This was a toughie - I just deleted my first answer (Heath). But Hoffman's gotten a lot of accolades, and Capote is really his movie.
Best Supporting Actor: Paul Giamatti
Again, another toughie - I think Matt Dillon also has a chance, but Giamatti has a slight edge since many think he was snubbed for Sideways last year. Jake Gyllenhaal might be able to slip in as well, hard to say.
Best Actress: Reese Witherspoon
I think it's between Reese and Felicity Huffman, but I don't think as many voters will have seen Transamerica. Keira Knightley is too young, Charlize Theron just won a couple years ago, and Judi Dench has been awarded before (plus has anyone actually seen Mrs. Henderson Presents? I didn't think so).
Best Supporting Actress: Michelle Williams
I think Brokeback Mountain just has a lot of steam, plus she did a good job.
Best Adapted Screenplay: Brokeback Mountain, since it will sweep everything.
Best Original Screenplay: Crash
So everybody watch next Sunday and be prepared to laud me for my keen intuition and insight.
P.S. I don't predict the meaningless catagories like Best Animated Short. As if I care.
Oscar Picks 2006 - If We Lived in a Perfect World
Best Picture: Crash
BF and I had a discussion about this, and my argument went that the two most socially important movies of the year, out of those nominated, were Crash and Munich. And I'm speaking of globally important, not just important to Americans. Thus my elimination of Brokeback Mountain. While I think that is a lovely and haunting film, and very important and ground-breaking for stupid Americans who can't seem to understand that homosexuals might just be humans like you and I, I personally didn't come away from the film feeling like my opinions had changed on anything or that anything in the movie really made me take stock of my values and preconceived notions of the world (but then I'm a Commie bleeding heart liberal, so I realize it's just me). However, Crash and Munich did all of the above for me. And yet, being the stupid American that I am, Crash spoke to me a bit more than Munich, so I have picked Crash as best picture.
Best Directing: Ang Lee
I know the logical choice here would have been Paul Haggis for Crash, but you really have to give Ang Lee, a Chinese man from Hong Kong, props for capturing the essence of western/cowboy culture to a T.
Best Actor: Philip Seymour Hoffman and Heath Ledger
I said this is if we lived in a perfect world. I can't choose between the two - they were both excellent in their own way.
Best Supporting Actor: Matt Dillon
Again, for Crash. The man just deserves some recognition.
Best Actress: I can't really vote in this one because I haven't seen all the movies, but I'd like to see Felicity Huffman win.
Best Supporting Actress: Amy Adams
She was hilarious, sweet, and stupid without being over the top.
Best Adapted Screenplay: Have only read In Cold Blood, so I can't really vote here.
Best Original Screenplay: Crash
Oscar Picks 2006 - Reality
Best Picture: Brokeback Mountain
I think it's one of the few all voters will have seen, plus it's gotten the most press and most awards thus far.
Best Director: Ang Lee
They rarely give these two awards to different films.
Best Actor: Philip Seymour Hoffman
This was a toughie - I just deleted my first answer (Heath). But Hoffman's gotten a lot of accolades, and Capote is really his movie.
Best Supporting Actor: Paul Giamatti
Again, another toughie - I think Matt Dillon also has a chance, but Giamatti has a slight edge since many think he was snubbed for Sideways last year. Jake Gyllenhaal might be able to slip in as well, hard to say.
Best Actress: Reese Witherspoon
I think it's between Reese and Felicity Huffman, but I don't think as many voters will have seen Transamerica. Keira Knightley is too young, Charlize Theron just won a couple years ago, and Judi Dench has been awarded before (plus has anyone actually seen Mrs. Henderson Presents? I didn't think so).
Best Supporting Actress: Michelle Williams
I think Brokeback Mountain just has a lot of steam, plus she did a good job.
Best Adapted Screenplay: Brokeback Mountain, since it will sweep everything.
Best Original Screenplay: Crash
So everybody watch next Sunday and be prepared to laud me for my keen intuition and insight.
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Hope springs eternal
Last week was kind of a downer, and for that, my two-and-a-half readers, I apologize. I made the dreaded return-phone-call yesterday, and the conversation followed my imagined script to an almost creepy degree. But then, how many different directions can something like that go? "We didn't like you, you're a loser, but good luck with your job search!"
Alas, when one door shuts another door opens, to be completely original. Yesterday afternoon I received an invitation to interview for a much better LIBRARIAN position, something I had applied for back in December and pretty much written off by this late date. I'm trying to keep my expectations low this time, and will just look at this interview as another step in the process towards achieving the Perfect Interview, and thus, in time, landing the Perfect Job. (Easier said than done when the base salary for this position is $11,000 more than I currently earn, but I'm really going to try hard this time out not to spend my new salary in my head before I actually go to the interview.)
So I joined the ranks of Technorati recently, only to learn that absolutely no one on the planet currently links to my blog. But I realize that what I have to say is of interest to...well, pretty much nobody, which is fine because it's just for me anyway, right? Right. But from reading other blogs, which I seem to do a lot of these days, I find that I'm missing out on something wonderful and extraordinary called the "meme." I assume this is pronounced "me, me", as in "it's all about me," and what is supposed to happen is other bloggers are supposed to "tag" you, and thus force you to waste valuable blog space answering inane questions about yourself. It's like those emails people used to send out with a long list of questions like, "What is under your bed right now?" and you were supposed to fill it out and send it to all your friends. I find that these irritate most people who have full and interesting lives, but as I am self-absorbed and generally bored off my ass, I love them. No one has tagged me for a meme of course, but I'm going to do one anyway for your reading pleasure.
Ahem.
What were you doing ten years ago?
Ten years ago I was 19 years old. That is fricking unbelievable. I was a freshman in college, and at about this time I would have been finishing up winter term at Southern Oregon University in Ashland, Oregon, and preparing to study abroad in Germany. I was terrified, because I didn't actually want to go to Germany. I had wanted to study in London, truth be told, but when I came home from Christmas vacation and handed the brochures to my parents, the German program was the one they gave me permission to do (probably because it was cheaper). Oy vey. Those three months in Germany were probably the single most mind-opening, innocence-trashing, grow-upping experience I could have had. It was my first time travelling outside of the United States, to a country whose language I had only the vaguest grasp of, and I was a very sheltered, painfully shy and naive girl going off by herself into the big bad world.
What were you doing one year ago?
One year ago I was looking forward to my graduation from library school...hard to believe it's been almost a year now. I was suffering through Subject Cataloging (huge debacle involving a change of instructors mid-way through the course), as well as Database Design (completely over my head), and Advanced Information Retrieval (that one was a cake walk, however). As of about April 7, it will be exactly one year since I started my post-graduation job search.
Five Snacks You Enjoy
Any fried potato product
Ben & Jerry's Phish Food ice cream
Chocolate covered pretzels
Dried cranberries (when I'm being "good")
Cheez-Its
Five Songs to Which You Know the Lyrics
In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel
Possession by Sarah McLachlan
Linger by The Cranberries
Nothing Compares 2 U by Sinead O'Connor
Blister in the Sun by Violent Femmes
Five Things You Would Do if You Were a Millionaire
Pay off my student loans and credit card
Start up a scholarship fund for creative writing majors at my alma mater
Buy a house in Vancouver
Buy a house on the Oregon coast
Become a Canadian citizen
Five Bad Habits
Whining incessantly about my life
Losing my temper over inconsequential things
Emotional eating
Becoming so bored at work that I forget I'm there to do a job
Not writing
If anybody reading this actually has a blog, consider yourself tagged.
Alas, when one door shuts another door opens, to be completely original. Yesterday afternoon I received an invitation to interview for a much better LIBRARIAN position, something I had applied for back in December and pretty much written off by this late date. I'm trying to keep my expectations low this time, and will just look at this interview as another step in the process towards achieving the Perfect Interview, and thus, in time, landing the Perfect Job. (Easier said than done when the base salary for this position is $11,000 more than I currently earn, but I'm really going to try hard this time out not to spend my new salary in my head before I actually go to the interview.)
So I joined the ranks of Technorati recently, only to learn that absolutely no one on the planet currently links to my blog. But I realize that what I have to say is of interest to...well, pretty much nobody, which is fine because it's just for me anyway, right? Right. But from reading other blogs, which I seem to do a lot of these days, I find that I'm missing out on something wonderful and extraordinary called the "meme." I assume this is pronounced "me, me", as in "it's all about me," and what is supposed to happen is other bloggers are supposed to "tag" you, and thus force you to waste valuable blog space answering inane questions about yourself. It's like those emails people used to send out with a long list of questions like, "What is under your bed right now?" and you were supposed to fill it out and send it to all your friends. I find that these irritate most people who have full and interesting lives, but as I am self-absorbed and generally bored off my ass, I love them. No one has tagged me for a meme of course, but I'm going to do one anyway for your reading pleasure.
Ahem.
What were you doing ten years ago?
Ten years ago I was 19 years old. That is fricking unbelievable. I was a freshman in college, and at about this time I would have been finishing up winter term at Southern Oregon University in Ashland, Oregon, and preparing to study abroad in Germany. I was terrified, because I didn't actually want to go to Germany. I had wanted to study in London, truth be told, but when I came home from Christmas vacation and handed the brochures to my parents, the German program was the one they gave me permission to do (probably because it was cheaper). Oy vey. Those three months in Germany were probably the single most mind-opening, innocence-trashing, grow-upping experience I could have had. It was my first time travelling outside of the United States, to a country whose language I had only the vaguest grasp of, and I was a very sheltered, painfully shy and naive girl going off by herself into the big bad world.
What were you doing one year ago?
One year ago I was looking forward to my graduation from library school...hard to believe it's been almost a year now. I was suffering through Subject Cataloging (huge debacle involving a change of instructors mid-way through the course), as well as Database Design (completely over my head), and Advanced Information Retrieval (that one was a cake walk, however). As of about April 7, it will be exactly one year since I started my post-graduation job search.
Five Snacks You Enjoy
Any fried potato product
Ben & Jerry's Phish Food ice cream
Chocolate covered pretzels
Dried cranberries (when I'm being "good")
Cheez-Its
Five Songs to Which You Know the Lyrics
In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel
Possession by Sarah McLachlan
Linger by The Cranberries
Nothing Compares 2 U by Sinead O'Connor
Blister in the Sun by Violent Femmes
Five Things You Would Do if You Were a Millionaire
Pay off my student loans and credit card
Start up a scholarship fund for creative writing majors at my alma mater
Buy a house in Vancouver
Buy a house on the Oregon coast
Become a Canadian citizen
Five Bad Habits
Whining incessantly about my life
Losing my temper over inconsequential things
Emotional eating
Becoming so bored at work that I forget I'm there to do a job
Not writing
If anybody reading this actually has a blog, consider yourself tagged.
Friday, February 17, 2006
The big black hole of despair, and other uninteresting musings
Is it wrong of me to be grumpy because the person who interviewed me for the Job I Did Not Get called this afternoon and left a message for ME to call HIM back? What is that conversation going to be like? (BTW, I found out I did not get the job through both a process of elimination and through a connection who works at the library who told me point blank that I did not get the job. The call I received today was supposed to be the formal rejection.) First of all, only once in my ten months of job searching has anyone ever made a personal phone call to reject me, and that was only because they wanted to ask if I would like to be considered for the same position at other libraries in the system (it was that lame 6 hours-a-week-on-Sundays job). Now, I know almost certainly for a fact that this man will not be asking me if I'm interested in another position.
So...do I actually need to call this guy back so he can tell me I didn't get the job? What is the protocol here? How awkward is that going to be? Here's what I think the call will sound like:
ME: Hi, this is So and So. I'm returning your phone call from this afternoon.
HIM: Oh hi, So and So. I just wanted to let you know that you didn't get the job.
ME: Um, OK. Thanks...I guess.
HIM: (Awkard pause). Well, have a good day!
Click.
I mean, who wants to go there? Why would someone want to subject themselves to that, on either end? Why did he not just leave a message, or better yet, not call me at all and just send an impersonal letter like everyone else? Because the thing is, he made it very clear to me, and I assume to the other people he interviewed, that if we were the top candidate, we would have heard back by a certain date. That date has passed (and also I have concrete confirmation from my inside source, but that's beside the point). The point is, those of us who did not get the job are all well aware that we did not get the job. So why add salt to the wound by MAKING US CALL HIM BACK so he can tell us we didn't get the job? I don't get it.
BOO. Plus, to add to my general depression I just found out today that my Plan B --becoming a permanent resident in Canada-- isn't going to work because it costs a buttload of money, to the tune of $10,000 CD. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. I am so frustrated and irritated and just plain hopeless right now. So yeah. Happy Friday.
So...do I actually need to call this guy back so he can tell me I didn't get the job? What is the protocol here? How awkward is that going to be? Here's what I think the call will sound like:
ME: Hi, this is So and So. I'm returning your phone call from this afternoon.
HIM: Oh hi, So and So. I just wanted to let you know that you didn't get the job.
ME: Um, OK. Thanks...I guess.
HIM: (Awkard pause). Well, have a good day!
Click.
I mean, who wants to go there? Why would someone want to subject themselves to that, on either end? Why did he not just leave a message, or better yet, not call me at all and just send an impersonal letter like everyone else? Because the thing is, he made it very clear to me, and I assume to the other people he interviewed, that if we were the top candidate, we would have heard back by a certain date. That date has passed (and also I have concrete confirmation from my inside source, but that's beside the point). The point is, those of us who did not get the job are all well aware that we did not get the job. So why add salt to the wound by MAKING US CALL HIM BACK so he can tell us we didn't get the job? I don't get it.
BOO. Plus, to add to my general depression I just found out today that my Plan B --becoming a permanent resident in Canada-- isn't going to work because it costs a buttload of money, to the tune of $10,000 CD. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. I am so frustrated and irritated and just plain hopeless right now. So yeah. Happy Friday.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Unsurprising news
Well, well. Wellity wellity wellity. Guess what. I didn't get the job I didn't think I was going to get! And now that it's over with and there's no chance in hell I will ever set foot in that place again, I think I can dispense with all the secrecy and come out and say that the place where I interviewed last week (you know, for the job I didn't get) was at the Senate library. Yes, the United States of America Senate. That one. I did not get the job there. And I think it's offically unanimous - I suck a big fatty! (Not literally, of course.) But oh well. Life goes on. I'm sure there will be many other jobs I will not get in the future, and some of them will probably also be jobs for which I am technically overqualified, and yet I will still not get them. And that's fine. Really, I'm fine with that. Yay for not getting jobs! In fact, there are very few things in life, I find, that are more satisfying than NOT getting a job. You know what I think is overrated? Financial stability. Financial stability never got anyone anywhere. So really, I should be thanking my lucky stars that I didn't get this job, because then I would be financially stable, and if that happened, what would I have left to worry about? Nothing, that's what! And then what would I do with all my free time? I would become one of those vacuous people you see driving safe, reliable cars, clogging the freeways and belching toxins into the air, on my way to some cultural activity such as a play or concert, supporting the arts in that disgusting, bourgeois, not-a-care-in-the-world manner they have. I would start wearing hip, fashionable clothes, instead of the threadbare togs I currently own, and become another mindless drone of the fashion mafia. Most gruesome of all, I would start putting money towards that piteous symbol of middle-class suburbia: the retirement fund. Ugh. It's better this way, it really is.
Sunday, February 12, 2006
Somebody get me a career coach, stat
I didn't get an interview for a solo librarian job in Cheyenne, Woyming. Let me just repeat that for you: rejected for a job in Cheyenne, WYOMING. WY-BLOODY-OMING. Did anybody else actually voluntarily apply for this job, other than me? Does anyone live in Wyoming who wasn't born there or wasn't forced for some reason to live there at gunpoint? I know that I shouldn't feel so bad, considering that I myself do not actually want to live in or near Wyoming. But this does not bode well. Oh, and let's see: also apparently rejected for the humanities librarian position at U of O, and things don't look well for the job I interviewed for last week (which, lest anyone forgets, was a paraprofessional position). The more I think about the interview, the worse of a feeling I get. I knew at the time that some of my answers were just plain bad, and I could feel the words coming out of mouth, knowing that they were wrong and not good and wanting to stuff them back in again, but alas, it was too late. They were already out there.
I'm thinking now that perhaps, maybe, quite possibly, I have chosen to enter the wrong profession. Exhibit A: I do not actually like people, and in fact am of the opinion that most people deep down just plain suck. And quite frankly, I don't care whether or not they ever find the information they are looking for. I chose librarianship as a profession because I wanted to work with books and was pretty sure that the book-editor thing was never gonna happen. It wasn't until I entered library school that I realized the majority of what a librarian does these days does not have anything to do with books, and in fact librarians are the few people working in a library who actually do not handle books on a daily basis. And the technical services jobs are getting fewer and fewer by the day, as more of those duties are being done by library techs who do not have to attend two years of graduate school and thus do not have to waste their lives. Exhibit B: I am apparently not qualified to do much more in a library other than pick my nose, and let's face it, I can probably do that anywhere. It doesn't have to be in a library.
I am badly in need of a pep talk. Anyone? Anyone? Buehler?
I'm thinking now that perhaps, maybe, quite possibly, I have chosen to enter the wrong profession. Exhibit A: I do not actually like people, and in fact am of the opinion that most people deep down just plain suck. And quite frankly, I don't care whether or not they ever find the information they are looking for. I chose librarianship as a profession because I wanted to work with books and was pretty sure that the book-editor thing was never gonna happen. It wasn't until I entered library school that I realized the majority of what a librarian does these days does not have anything to do with books, and in fact librarians are the few people working in a library who actually do not handle books on a daily basis. And the technical services jobs are getting fewer and fewer by the day, as more of those duties are being done by library techs who do not have to attend two years of graduate school and thus do not have to waste their lives. Exhibit B: I am apparently not qualified to do much more in a library other than pick my nose, and let's face it, I can probably do that anywhere. It doesn't have to be in a library.
I am badly in need of a pep talk. Anyone? Anyone? Buehler?
Friday, February 10, 2006
Is there anything better than being old AND being unable to get a job?
So my little ploy to get more email didn't work, but that's ok. I had my interview at the undisclosed location yesterday but I have no idea how I did. My gut feeling is that I didn't make a very good impression. I barely got any sleep the night before because I was so nervous for some reason, even though I've never lost sleep before an interview in the past, and certainly not before as unimportant an interview as this one. I think perhaps I'm going slightly insane. So anyway, I was trying really hard to act like I wasn't about ready to pass out, and I'm just hoping I didn't seem stoned or drunk. I was trying really hard to keep a light tone as well and create some rapport, but I think I just came across as frivolous and unprofessional. That's me, frivolity in a fat suit.
Anyhow. I'm a little tense because they were supposed to make a decision by noon today, so at the moment I write this I either got the job or didn't, and there's no way I'll know until next week sometime. Oy vey.
So guess what else. I'm 29. That's the first time I've seen it in writing and I think I'm going to go cry in a corner and contemplate my mortality for awhile. I have exactly one year left until I enter miserable old age and become just another dried up spinster librarian (or should I say, library assistant?). Christ almighty.
Anyhow. I'm a little tense because they were supposed to make a decision by noon today, so at the moment I write this I either got the job or didn't, and there's no way I'll know until next week sometime. Oy vey.
So guess what else. I'm 29. That's the first time I've seen it in writing and I think I'm going to go cry in a corner and contemplate my mortality for awhile. I have exactly one year left until I enter miserable old age and become just another dried up spinster librarian (or should I say, library assistant?). Christ almighty.
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