Cuteness Overload

Enjoy Boston.com's Zoo babies photo gallery!

Stationary Porn

I have an unhealthy love and attraction to office supplies. Walking through Staples or OfficeMax is like walking through a porn shop for me. I love the doohickeys, the pen selection, and notebooks. This is why I love Septembers and Januarys. New semesters and new classes call for Staples shopping.

I just got supplies for my half semester classes today during lunch. I picked up a very cool expanding file folder that has a zip pocket in the back for pens. Plus, I picked up my #1 favorite notebook: Five star college ruled. The piece de resistance of my shopping trip is a pack of multi-color pens. I'm preserving the package like it's an ancient artifact but the minute I open it up, I will have to test each color pen to find the ultimate note color. I already know yellow is out of the running. A blank sheet of paper and a new pen to test is sheer bliss. I just realized the double entendre of my title... Hee! Anyone who has stationary lust, feel free to post your favorite products (I'll take any excuse to buy new pens etc).

Yellow Belt Testing

Last night at 7:30 I tested for my Tae Kwon Do yellow belt. We started out doing 100 jumping jacks, 50 push ups, then 50 crunches. Then, we were broken up by belt. The higher belts went in the next room and the white belts stayed to be tested on forms. I think I did fairly well on basic form but in general I know my stance should be lower.

Then, we went to the next room to get tested on our kicks. I know I messed up some of my chambering and pivots in this part. But I know my kicks. I hated this part because the people running the test were student instructors who obviously had no plan and had no idea what white belts should know. I also didn't like this part because we kicked into the air. I'm better if I have a target. We ended doing 45 jumping jacks and moved onto the next testing station.

This station was my favorite because I love the instructor who was testing and he was organized. We started off doing crunches and more jumping jacks. We did wrist breaks, footwork and kicks against a wavemaster (a kicking/punching bag tower). We did some stretching and jumping. Then one kid asked to be excused because he felt ill. He made it to the hallway when he started retching. The noise was really distracting and gross. I'm glad I didn't have to whiff anything!

Finally, we all lined up in the main room and the testing was over. It only took 1 hour and I think I did okay. All the stuff I stressed out about, the memorizing and blocks didn't come up during testing so I feel a bit foolish. I'm glad I had the experience and it's over!

The Fabulous Weekend

With all the stress of this week, I forgot to blog about my brother's visit last weekend. Steve arrived Friday night and we went out for a late dinner. We ordered the beer sampler (4 kinds - 2 light & 2 dark). I didn't care for the chocolate stout but Steve loved it. I loved the tick tock and Irish red. He ordered a burger and I got the lamb kabob. Friday night is always hopping on Moody St. If you don't mind spending a lot of time looking for parking, a late dinner is a good way to avoid restaurant waiting lists. For dessert, we shared the turtle cheesecake. Afterwards, we went back to my place and watched TiVoed episodes of Survivorman.

Saturday morning, I went to forms class then we went grocery shopping at Trader Joes. Steve insisted that I get their Tuscan pane bread since I had never tried it. It is simply delish. When we got back, we made up picnic lunches and ate our lunch along the Charles. I saw "The Birds" when I was 5 so I never feel comfortable around birds. Just our luck, there were a gaggle of geese in the area we picnicked. My brother decided to feed a couple some crumbs. They got really close and wouldn't leave us alone so basically the rest of our lunch I spent moaning, "Make them go away."

After lunch we decided to check out an intriguing toy shop on Moody St: The Construction Site. The store is completely amazing! Browsing through a toy shop with a little brother is the only way to go. They have a ton of toys we used to have. The store has a little stuffed puppet section. Steve and I spent an hour trying on different puppets, coming up with voices and having play puppet fights. Yes, we are 28 and 30. My favorite was the gray rabbit and Steve liked the donkey because he could make it realistically chew. It was really hard leaving the store because the path to the exit goes through aisles with fascinating toys. We discovered anchor stone sets and really cool marble racetracks.

Since we had spent the afternoon regressing, what better place to go than the local liquor store? I got some supplies then we headed back to my place where I introduced Steve to Kiss,Kiss,Bang,Bang aka movie perfection. The visit ended with spending time with the folks. All in all, a great weekend of catching up with my brother.

Putting the Hump in Humpday

This has been a painful week so far. Even though I've been getting to bed fairly early, I'm exhausted all the time. Today, I'm so tired I feel nauseous.

Last night I had my first Business & Technical presentation class. It is pretty small and seems to be a good mix of work and challenge. This one woman kept on smiling at me across the classroom and I knew she looked familiar. Since this is my fourth year in grad school, I assumed we had had a class together. Then, I heard that she went to my old university. Everything clicked. I recognized her from four years of marching band and she was in the color guard! Small world, huh?

Tonight, I have my yellow belt testing. I know I'm good for the memorized stuff and my kicks are decent. Some of my blocks aren't so hot because I mix up inside and outside blocks. I have done forms so often, I don't think I'll be able to screw them up. I'm still pretty nervous for tonight because I really don't want to be the only white belt kept back in this round of testing. I'm hoping the law of economics will be on my side - that anyone willing to pony up the testing fee will pass.

Maybe I'll take a sick day tomorrow. YAWN!

Unplanned Pregnancies

I might have become an aunt this year but it turned out to be just a scare for my brother and his girlfriend. This got me thinking. In a relationship, both parties should be responsible for birth control. If the guy who got me pregnant didn't want the baby, I wouldn't expect a marriage proposal. If the reasons why the guy didn't want the baby were reasonable, I would try to understand. Whether I would have an abortion, would depend. After it turned out to be just a scare, I would rethink my current birth control. (BTW my brother and his girlfriend were just using condoms).

Holding an Anxiety Attack at Bay

Sometimes when my life gets so packed full of things to do and things to accomplish, I basically want to revert to a two year old with jelly legs who refuses to get up and sits bawling on the ground. I had trouble falling asleep last night because I kept remembering, "Oh God, I have to do this." over and over. Here's just a snapshot of the next two weeks for me and why I feel like Indiana Jones with a boulder chasing me down.

Today
-Shrink appointment
- Chorus rehearsal: A little mental and spiritual yoga. No stress, just fun thank God.
Tuesday
- Rabbi appointment: pre-conversion face time. I should prepare intelligent questions.
- Class: I have heard nothing from the professor and only know the classroom location.
Wednesday
- Yellow belt testing: I have to finish memorizing the school creed (I'm also skipping a MBA class for this).
Thursday
- Performance review follow-up: a negative possibility is that I will be laid off since I kept a work log that shows somedays I only work 3.5 hours. A positive possibility is that my boss will have an opportunity or some suggestions for me.
Friday
- Donating blood: the obligation of being O+
- Evening class: I totally forgot that I had an intensive elective this weekend. So crunchtime for homework and actually picking up the case packet.
- Pay day!
Saturday
- Class: Hopefully I won't have to prepare anything between last night's class and this morning's class.
- Buy Passover supplies and get rid of chametz.

April 1 - 6
- 1 seder
- 2 MBA classes
- 1 Tae Kwon Do class
- Conversion: beit din, mikveh etc.

My Shecky's Haul

The deluxe gift bag


All my purchases





Detail for earrings


Detail for bag.

I wound up arriving around 6pm after missing my friends at Clerys. The place was packed and sweltering hot. I went in with a goal: buy 1 accessory and get earrings. When I spotted the bag, I fell in love. It costs $89 but it is totally worth it! After a midori sour, I fell in love with the jewelry at one table. I originally had my eye on another necklace but it was too short for my neck (more like a choker with an emphasis on choke). The necklace I wound up buying has an adjustable clasp so perfecto - plus it only cost $26. By this time, I'm sopping with sweat but I still hadn't found earrings. The perfect little table towards the front held the earrings for me. I was debating the tree ones or the butterflies or the snowflakes but I really liked the trees since they weren't as seasonal. This is when I bumped into Sarah and Andy. The earrings cost $48. By that time, I was melting I made a quick exit to get my gift bag and caught the Copley T. I was sweating so much I could feel it trickling down my back. Note to self, if the forecast calls for rainy, muggy weather DO NOT wear a suede fleece winter jacket!

Why the US Attorney Firings Are Important

I've heard all the excuses over and over. "But Clinton did it..." Yes he did after he was elected as a way to clean house. "US Attorneys serve at the pleasure of the president and can always be fired." Yes, that it true. But firing exemplary US Attorneys during the election season because they aren't "good Bushies." Is not how the US government is supposed to run. The clause in the Patriot Act circumvented the will of the people.

The latest news is that the 3,000 pages of emails handed over on Monday have a mysterious 18 day gap. No, not that gap... The fired attorneys were trying to do their job. But because their jobs required them to hunt down corruption from "good Bushies", they lost their jobs.

Between this scandal, the Walter Reed tragedy, and 6 years of corruption, I really hope we can get the bastard.

Cursed Driving

I don't know what's going on but it seems like I am cursed every time I get behind the driver's wheel lately.

Some morning this week, I hit a co-workers car while pulling into a parking spot. It wasn't so much a hit, more like a bump. My car looked fine and it looked like hers was fine except paint flakes. Now, she's claiming I caused body damage and wants to go through my insurance. I'm waiting for the assessment. Man, my car insurance will kill me this year (between the accident that wasn't my fault and this accident that is my fault)! I'm happy that I'm getting driving glasses because it has gotten to the point where I hate the fact that both east and west have four letters and end in "st".

Decompensating Exophoria

I learned a new word today thanks to an appointment with my eye doctor. He referred me to a specialist to help me with my decompensating exophoria. In layman's terms, my eyes have weak muscles and slowly are starting to drift outwards. If I don't work on them through exercises, I will need eye surgery.

The cool thing about the check-up is that I found out the reason why I could never do the 3D pictures or enjoy 3D movies was due to my eye problem. Also, I am getting another pair of glasses. I already have reading glasses and now I will be getting driving glasses. My eyesight sucks so much, I can't see near OR far!
Me in 10 years, untreated

The Mystery is Gone

I am very easily impressed entertainment-wise which is why I can have that awe completely ruined by acquaintances. When "The Phantom Menace" came out, Darth Maul was the ultimate cool baddie. My opinion lasted until my brother's friend pointed out that Darth Maul's introduction was basically a WWF intro Star Wars style. That comment killed the mystique for me.

The same friend struck again when the Lord of the Rings movies came out. She called the eye of Sauron a "flaming vagina". Another baddie ruined. "Law & Order: CI" is losing its mystique for me all thanks to Sarah who told me about a couple episodes where Goren saves the day in a ridiculous manner. I saw the pea line-up episode this weekend and Sarah was right. It was SO STUPID!

Great News!

You Are 71% Burned Out

You are very burned out. You need a huge break from your responsibilities, starting as soon as possible. And you need this time to reevaluate what you really want out of your life. Because you're working hard and going no where... and that would burn anyone out!

Are You Burned Out?

One Person's Patella is Another's Problem

I have had chronic knee problems because I'm too flexible and tend to fall in ways that inflict maximum knee damage. The first time I dislocated my knee was when I was in first grade. I was playing tag in the playground and tripped over a tree trunk. I fell on the inside of my knee, my lower leg was completely perpendicular to my upper leg. I remember being horrified when the nurse joked as she wrapped up my knee, "Better make sure your knee won't pop off." I was a very literal child so I spent a week waiting for my kneecap to blow. Since I was young, I was better after a week of bedrest and an ace bandage.

The next dislocation was quite a doozy. In 7th grade, I was playing soccer in gym and was getting ready to kick a goal shot when some guy kicked the back of the leg I was standing on. Not only did I dislocate my knee, I broke my elbow in the fall. That combo of injuries made getting around on crutches difficult. I went through months of physical therapy. Which lead me to seeing Cher when they were shooting scenes for "Mermaids" at my local hospital.

The final dislocation was sophomore year in gym while I was playing tennis. This time, I didn't simply stretch my ligaments, I crushed the miniscus so there was this horribel grinding sound. How did the doctor cure it? Before I had a chance to think or get scared, he stuck a needle under my kneecap and injected something that inflated the miniscus.

The reason why I'm walking down knee memory lane is that from all the pivoting and kicking in Tae Kwon Do classes, my knee is feeling achy and grindy. On the up side, barring a bad fall, I have strengthened my quads so much my knee cap is basically stapled down.

Social May

May 5 I am attending a wedding and May 19 I am receiving my MBA. With these two events in one month, what better excuse to shop? I've been checking out the social dresses on David's Bridal (good sizes and decent prices). Right now, I have narrowed my selection down to these three:


I like the color and the A-line style.



I don't like how shiny the material is with this color. I might opt for gold or silver.


I look good in halter tops and
this has a nice springy look

Take That Flat Tire!

The receptionist asked me if I had a blue Ford Focus and rattled off my license plate around lunchtime today. With dread, I asked why she was asking. One of my co-workers noticed that I had a flat tire. So, I went out to the parking lot and sure enough the back passenger tire was flat, bulging at the sides. I called AAA for an assist.

As I waited, I decided to do as much as I can. I jacked up the car, removed the lug nuts and took off the flat tire. I was struggling with the donut when the AAA truck showed up. Seriously, changing a tire on a cool sunny day in a parking lot is completely doable. I'm pretty pumped that I was able to do so much. Thank goodness my co-worker noticed or I would have blown the tire tonight! The AAA guys showed me the nail in the flat tire.

Blahkend

The snow storm was pretty much a bust in my area. We got almost 4 inches and it started raining Friday evening. By the time I woke up Saturday morning, everything was melting and it was a breeze to get my car out of the snow bank. There was a lot of flooding though - which made driving to Tae Kwon Do lessons a bit treacherous.

As I warmed up in the Do Jang and time went by, I began to realize that no one was showing up for class. It at first horrified me but as I was put through my paces, I really appreciated the one on one time. I didn't just run through forms, I was run through a bunch of kicks and footwork. I'm starting to feel like I won't completely bomb my yellow belt test.

Most of the weekend I spent lying on my couch under a comforter watching TV or reading. I didn't have to do homework since this week is Spring Break so I had no drive to do anything. My great plan to complete my term paper was sacrified on the altar of leveling up in WoW.

Last night, Battlestar Gallactica sucked me in again. Maybe the writers were saving themselves for the two-parter season finale? The show hasn't jumped the shark yet but it is on the bubble. I've heard rumors about the shocking revelations for next week's final episode.

Office Closing Early!

This is why I like snow storms - they give me a jump start on the weekend. My plans for tonight can be rainchecked. Last night's Tae Kwon Do class was really tough and fun. I did 30 push-ups in 30 seconds and learned a new foot combo kick.

Eavesdropping: Walk Down Memory Lane

My co-worker's son is in trouble for skipping classes at college. How do I know? I heard the guy on the phone with the dean of student life all morning. The college sounds very strict, they give "demerits" for skipping classes AND church.

This reminded me of all the classes I skipped in my undergrad days. I discovered my spring semester freshman year (1996) that I didn't miss anything skipping a class so that lead to a deadly downward spiral. Over the years, I skipped so many classes that I forgot where the class was held. Or I wasn't in class to pick up a take home final so I downloaded the assignment only to find out after I submitted it, the assignment was from the year before. Or I missed so many classes, I didn't hear about the re-scheduled mid-term so I showed up when the mid-term should have been given and it was a regular class. Spring semester my Junior year, I was on academic probation with a GPA around 2.0. That year, my brother and I would go out for lunch/dinner and have skipped class confessions where we'd try to figure out our GPA on a napkin. I occasionally aced a class here and there which were usually history classes: hence my major. I had been trying for a minor in Political Science but I wound up skipping most of those classes so I graduated 1 credit shy of a poli sci minor.

What did I do while skipping class? I'd either be sleeping or hanging out at the marching band HQ completing a crossword puzzle. If the weather was nice, I'd get ice cream from the Blue Wall and lay out by the campus pond. Due to this experience, I firmly believe that the expected progression of high school to college doesn't work across the board. If a kid graduates high school, they should be given options other than college (unless they know what they want from higher ed). I had no idea what I was doing and wasted a lot of money at my university.

On gray days like today, I still kind of wish I could "skip" work. Especially since it has been dead all week.

How Deep is Your Love

Somedays are Bee Gees days, you know? So, yes that was me in my car at noon singing "How deep is your love" today.

Due to my stomach ailment this weekend, I discovered a couple programs on TLC that have hooked me. The first is Shalom in the Home. I thought Rabbi Shmuley's advice was well thought out and not a easy quick fix. Plus, I like how frank he is. He just out and out asks the couple if they've had sex recently, no hemming, hawwing or lame metaphors. The second program is called Kids by the Dozen. Large families have fascinated me my whole life. My mom is one of nine siblings so I grew up hearing her stories. Even though most of the stories were horrible, I couldn't get past the idea of having so many brothers and sisters since I just had one brother. I am easily bored so I'd look at my brother and think to myself, "This is it?" Once my begging for a new baby stopped working, I brought my Raggedy Ann doll to meals and insisted that she be treated like a little sister. I loved the "Cheaper by the Dozen" books (not movies, Steve Martin just collecting a paycheck). Watching the TLC series nuked any lingering romantic notions I had about large families. The parents on the show are great people but seeing how much responsibility they have to place on the children and how tough finances were, really showed me the burden a large family places on everyone. Having to do the groceries daily spending more than $150 (or weekly shopping for about $1,000) and so much cleaning and laundry. One family allowed their kids to pick their own cereals for breakfast and another family had mom make the same meal for everyone no matter what.

If it were up to me and time was on my side, I'd still like to have 4 kids. An even number of siblings is the way to go because no one is left out. So, if it's not 4, I'd settle for 2. As I got older, I found having just one other sibling perfect. I get bored easily and I also have a jealous streak so if I had a sister, it would have been a struggle. Age spread is another aspect I have considered. My brother and I are less than 2 years apart and in the beginning I hated him. We played together and had huge fights. He's a slow burning personality so I'd pick on him until he'd snap. From puberty onward, we were pretty close. We shared friends in high school, which was awkward at times. I think an age spread from 2 to 4 years apart is pretty healthy. Twins run in the family so age spread could become a moot point. On the flip side of having just one sibling, I have 22 younger cousins. I wasn't able to be bored with so many playmates around! I got to experience the quietude of a small family and also the utter chaos and anonyminity of a large family. It's a cool balance.

Weighty Matters

Today, I found out a way to break a weight-loss plateau: have a 5 day stomach bug. I don't know if it's food poisoning or the norovirus but me and my tummy have been miserable lately. It gave me a happy weigh-in day at least!

I'm doing research for a paper for my marketing class by reading this book Culture Code by Clotaire Rapaille. It has been a pretty interesting (easy) read so far. The concept is that each culture has a code for certain things and experiences. The author was a psychoanalyst until he started getting hired by Fortune 500 companies to conduct research. His insights into American culture code seem pretty spot on for me so far. Doctor = hero, nurse = mother, hospital = meat factory, car = freedom, and toilet paper = independence. One chapter that focused on health was particularly eye opening to me. According to him, health = motion. Makes sense to me. Being overweight = checking out. Yeah, I had to re-read that part. Checking out of what? I thought that he was trying to say that every overweight person is suicidal. He wasn't. Checking out meant getting out from under expectations and pressure. Being disconnected.

Since I have been battling my weight all my life, this gave me a lot to think about. It kind of explains the despair I feel seeing a fat happy couple. It's easier to believe that I'm single because of the way I look. It can get my outrage up thinking, "Stupid men expecting Jessica Albas everywhere and not caring about personality/spirit." Maybe being overweight is my way of getting out of a rat race that I feel doomed to lose? Maybe being overweight is the last relic from all the years of self-hatred and insecurity? Maybe it's time for my outsides to match my insides. FINALLY!

Lying Liars and the People Who Lie for Them

This morning I found out that the car that I hit and my witness are telling my insurance company that the accident is my fault - omitting the part where the car moved into the left lane to take a right turn. So, I have to pay my deductible, the rental car and my insurance will probably go up. $800 out of pocket so far.

I am completely flabbergasted. My witness kept telling me "I thought he would take a left into the gas station." So, I'm screwed but I'm considering using my company's free legal representation. That will be time consuming though. In general, all I can say is FUCK!

Two Weekends and Two Great Movies

Last weekend, I finally got around to seeing Pan's Labyrinth. I have been a fan of Guillermo del Toro so the odds that I would like the movie were pretty high. The movie is a re-magined Alice in Wonderland set during the Spanish Civil War. Since it's a fairy tale, there are no shades of gray. Bad guys are REALLY bad and you can spot the good guys easily. The one thing I didn't like was the violence. There were many moments where I hid my eyes and groaned internally. I don't necessarily mind movie violence per se (I adore Aliens) but the type of violence in the movie was personal and you could see something bad coming a mile away. I guess I didn't like the dread of knowing I will see something awful (usually done to innocent people/children).

Yesterday, I caught Amazing Grace. It was simply fantastic - if you're the type who likes talky British historical dramas - like me. It left me inspired and a bit sad. Plus, Ioan Gruffudd makes nice eye candy. Even though the movie is about an Evangelical Christian's fight to abolish slavery, I found a lot of resonance with Judaism.

Speaking of, I went to a temple fundraiser Saturday night. It was a board game night. I learned a new game: speed scrabble. It was completely addictive and I spent the first hour playing solely that game. My entire table was addicted too. People would wander by and say in amazement "You haven't moved all night!" I did move eventually and tried to play Encore. It's a really tough game! The second you are given a word, your mind goes blank. Plus it's difficult to have multiple generations on the same team. Team sizes were ungainly (13 each) so the game got boring pretty fast as people tried to talk over each other thinking up songs.

Auto Body Shop to Avoid

After 4 days of no news, I decided to call the auto body shop about my car yesterday. They informed me that my car will be done today and the repairs are $500 more than what my auto insurance had covered. This morning as I was checking my car pick-up time, I was also informed that this particular body shop does not accept credit or debit cards. Therefore to pick up my repaired car I need to:

1) Get a cashiers check from my bank

2)Return my rental (another $300)

3) Pick up my car

All before 4pm today. I can't help but feel like I'm being swindled. They never called me when the repairs went over my insurance coverage. Since the accident isn't my fault, I have no idea why I have to pay my $500 deductible. Just a head's up, avoid West End Auto Body if you'd like timely, honest service.

Update!

My performance review yesterday went fine and I got a 5.67% raise. My boss and I just chatted casually about my career plans (and his too). The feedback I received wasn't too surprising. The main complaint was that my attention to detail needs work. People know I can do the work but the nitty gritty gets glossed over. Which is something I agree with. Woohoo to no surprises! Also, I am such a popularity queen that I was more pleased to hear that everyone loves working with me. It's nice to be liked but it is also nice to know it's mutual. Because seriously my co-workers are AWESOME! Much to my surprise, my boss might be leaving the company or moving to other opportunities at other sites. He told me that the need for a General Manager in our site had been dwindling. Which makes me sad because my boss is awesome.

The other night, I redid my taxes and it turns out I don't owe, I am getting a paycheck's worth refund. Which is deadly now that I know big money is coming my way, I might wind up spending it! At least I know I will have some green for Shecky's Girls Night Out.

I am planning on testing for my yellow belt at the end of the month. I don't necessarily feel ready but I'd like to try. I just need to know 3 types of kicks, 4 blocks, basic form, counting to 10 in Korean, the school creed, and be able to do 75 jumping jacks plus 10 push ups. Not too bad. Tuesday night me and my fellow white belts practiced wrist escapes. My wrist and hand are still bruised and sore. At least I learned one escape that I am weirdly good at. My partner was amazed at how flexible and strong I was.

Last week, I volunteered to help update a spreadsheet for engineering parts. Volunteering for that task has lead to a whole other huge project where I'm turning into the keeper of engineering parts. This is definitely going to test my attention to detail! I'm learning how to read a working BOM - which is kind of cool. I actually used the term "gating item" in conversation today correctly. Slowly but surely, I am turning into a Buyer.

Wake Me Up When It's Friday

Tuesdays are always the toughest day of the week for me. Monday is just a surreal bubble of recovering from the weekend. No deep thinking and just walking through a haze at work. Tuesday is when the exhaustion hits me. Of course, on the day where I feel the most lethargic and blechy, I go to Tae Kwon Do class after work! Today has been extra blechy due to burning my tongue while eating soup for lunch, a bad Weight Watchers weigh-in, and a company-wide Town Hall meeting to discuss 2006 Q4 results. Tomorrow is my annual performance review so I have something to dread/look forward to. My dread is that I'll be told that the company doesn't have a use for me anymore. My dream is that a position will be created for me in Purchasing, along with a new title. I'll probably get a quicky meeting and a "Keep up the good work."

My car is in the shop this week getting repaired from the fender bender. I'm renting a silver Honda accord right now. I had no idea how crappy my actual car's breaks were until I started driving this baby! I just have to tap the break pedal to stop now. In my old car, my foot is down on the floor to break.

This past week, I've gotten back into World of Warcraft now that I have figured out a leveling up groove. I didn't realize certain zones were aimed for certain levels until my Blood Elf hit 20 and all the quests in the Ghostlands were worthless. Now, she is leveling up in the Stonetalon Mountains. Next stop, Ashenvale. Since I figured out the whole switching zones/continents thing, I realized it could help my alts who I haven't played since January. My human paladin is in Loch Modan and my dwarf warrior is in Elwynn Forest. I'm going to try to get my Night Elf from Darkshore to Bloodmyst Isle. I don't know how. Hopefully boat. If worst comes to worst, I'll swim.

Love Tentacle

My moods are pretty stable nowadays. Sure, I get flashes of frustration or sadness but there is always the underlying core of my personality that is laughing at life and telling me to get over myself. When the plunge happens it is usually sudden and connected to nothing.

Last night I was doing my usual pre-sleep routine, completing Sudoku puzzles in bed while I listen to my iPod. All of a sudden the thought hit me that this will be my life forever. That I will be Aunt Anna, never mom or wife. The weird part is that when these ideas occur to me, I usually get upset but I wasn't last night. It was basically my mind trying to convince my heart to let go of the charade. I look at my married friends and I know that isn't in my future. Men don't fall in love with me. It's like what my Romantic enneagram personality says. I feel like I'm missing something that everyone else has. No, not a boyfriend/husband. It's like everyone else has this invisible tentacle coming out of their chest that is able to suction onto other people's tentacles. My tentacle is a tiny stub.

At least I've built a comfortable life and I can support myself. I won't get into a relationship due to money or fear of being alone. I was talking to one of my aunts a couple weeks ago and we talked about how it's very important to get into a relationship that adds something to our lives (she's a fellow Sagittarius, so we speak the same language). If it happens, great. But I'm 30 years old and haven't seen anything that gives me the inkling of a glimmer of hope that I will get married and have kids in my lifetime. When I become an aunt, boy I will spoil those kids rotten!

RIP Starbuck

Well, they did it last night. By it, I mean jump the shark. When one of the best written sci fi shows out there cribs plot twists from "Grey's Anatomy", that is shark jumpage territory.

For the first two seasons, I really liked the Starbuck character. I liked how strong and screwed up she was. But this past season she has been turned into a whiny, self-destructive shadow. She has been turned into a Meredith. I have two theories about how they'll bring her character back:

1) She wasn't in the viper. She did eject and the Cylon raider picked her up

2) She is one of the Final Five and will come back all Jean Grey.

Enneagram Personality

I've been reading up on Jung for a marketing assignment that's due in April. I stumbled upon a mention of an enneagram personality test which uses Jung's personality archetypes. So, I took the online test and got the following results:

The Motivator - this is so accurate, it's a bit creepy. It also reminds me of my mom.

and

The Romantic - I think this is my screwed up brain chemistry aspect. Hah, there I got labeling myself defective! This is also kind of like my dad.

I'm Not an Economist or Financial Analyst But...

This past week in the stock market has me worried. I know Tuesday's massive selloff was spurred by the markets in China and Europe. But what a lot of people don't seem to know is that China is a huge US lender and owns a bunch of pre-existing US debt. Here's a good picture of the current US debt. With the deflating housing bubble, and Greenspan warning about a recession, I'm afraid that we will experience Bush deja vu. Remember the recession of the early 90's? I guess money management isn't in the Bush genes, huh? Too bad, they didn't pick up on grandpa Prescott's fortune reaping plan? Wait a minute...